Fay Wildhagen chose the right time, and the right place, to draw curtains on her 2024 project, Let’s Keep It In The Family.

The award-winning Norwegian singer, songwriter and bandleader waved her “final goodbye to that era” with a headline performance earlier this month at the 2026 Bergtatt Festival, one stacked with songs from Family, her third studio album, and rearranged fan favorites.

There’s more new music to come. “I have a bag full of demos that I’m listening to in the car, and in hotel rooms. I feel like my head is so full of music,” she tells Billboard in a chat at the edge of the mighty Sognefjord fjord.

The next album will be independently released through the Orchard, on Wildhagen’s own label, ending a 10-year partnership with Warner Music Norway.

“It just feels cool to try something new, and just go for it,” she enthuses. “And just give it a real try before I’m done.”

Wildhagen is in sparkling form. Raised in Oslo, the capital, she signed with Warner Music Norway as a 21-year-old and released her Spellemannprisen-nominated debut album, Snow, in 2015. Her sophomore album, Borders, arrived in 2018, opening doors for critical praise and concerts across Europe. Fay produced the 2023 album Møtested – en hyllest til Anne Grete Preus, and collected the Spellemannprisen (the Norwegian Grammys) for producer of the year — a moment that touched something deep inside.

“I cried when they gave it to me,” she recounts. “Nobody quite understands how much time goes into the writing, and the producing, just making and recreating sounds, turning and tossing them around, and trying things. For hours and hours and hours.” Getting recognized for the work that few people see, “yes, I cried a lot.”

Family was a seven-year itch. “It took time for me to find the right path for it. And find the home for it,” she recalls. “And also, it needed a lot of courage to write it properly, honest and true.”

On Family, she wrote, produced and arranged all 15 songs and its instruments, with the exception of the first single “Reason,” which was co-written with Øystein Greni, frontman and main songwriter of the Norwegian rock band Bigbang.

With the studio calling this year, Wildhagen took a detour to enjoy the Bergtatt experience. The journey was something else. With her partner, Wildhagen drove from Oslo, 220 miles to the south, completed hair-raising mountain passes, all of it to tick-off that bucket-list item.

The boutique fest in Luster, Western Norway, presented on the banks of the epic fjord and surrounded by striking, snow-capped mountains, just might be most picturesque setting for a live music event, anywhere.

“It’s been a dream to come here for many years,” she tells Billboard. “It has never fit the schedule, so it’s never just been right.” The festival “is one of these things that I’ve always wanted to do. It’s really amazing.”

While Coachella typically kicks off summer music festival season in the U.S., Lollapalooza is far from the end of the season this year.

This weekend’s Lolla in Chicago — going down July 30 through Aug. 2 and headlined by pop stars including Charli xcx, JENNIE, Tate McRae, Lorde and Olivia Dean — will be followed by two brand-new festivals in Southern California: the one-day, Olivia Rodrigo-created Daisy Chain Fields and the two-day, Santa Monica beach concert Ocean Way Festival.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about each of the festivals, breaking down the performers (Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Stevie Nicks and more on Daisy Chain’s all-women lineup; Dean, The Killers, Jack White and more at Ocean Way) and deciding that we’ll probably need to take a Pop Shop field trip to the beach for the latter. Listen now:

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Gracie Abrams achieves her first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with Daughter From Hell and how Ella Langley holds tight at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart for a 15th week with “Choosin’ Texas” — but could a certain country superstar knock her out of the top slot next week with their brand-new song?

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

Rock the Ryman will return to the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Sept. 1. Celebrating the intersection of rock & roll and country music, the second staging of the event will again honor the legacy and impact of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees who have graced the Ryman stage. The event will be hosted by 2014 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee John Oates.

Featured artists include Wynonna, YOLA, Devon Allman, ROME, Sam Bush and Spencer Sutherland, plus more to be announced. Each artist will perform songs by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees who were influential to their careers. The concert will explore how country music has shaped rock & roll and how the genre has merged with today’s Americana, country and beyond.

The event is sponsored by Gibson, the iconic American instrument brand, and Gibson Gives, its philanthropic division supporting music education and wellness initiatives worldwide.

The inaugural Rock the Ryman concert, on March 1, 2025, was hosted by Charlie Worsham. The event featured performances by The War and Treaty, Gavin DeGraw, Maddie & Tae and more.

Rock the Ryman is the latest event in a long-term collaboration between the two institutions since Ryman’s official designation as a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark in 2022. The collaboration also includes a permanent exhibit on the Ryman daytime tour that features a rotating collection of memorabilia and stories from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees who have performed on its iconic stage.

Tickets to the Rock the Ryman concert go on sale to the general public on Friday, July 31 at 10 a.m. CT at ryman.com. Proceeds from the event will help preserve and celebrate the history of rock & roll and support education initiatives at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Ryman Auditorium. More information about the Rock the Ryman concert, Rock Hall at the Ryman exhibit, daytime tours and shows can be found at the Ryman site.

New additions to the Rock Hall at the Ryman tour exhibit for summer/fall 2026 include: