Laufey has revealed that after years of performing to arenas around the world, one part of the job still unnerves her: looking an audience member directly in the eye.

Speaking to The Hit Network’s Hot Hits with Nic & Loren, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter traced the anxiety back to her classical training.

“I grew up playing cello and I used to pick a person in the audience and accidentally stare into their eyes,” she said, recalling that a teacher once told her after a recital, “You can’t look at people directly when you’re playing, it’s creepy.” The note stuck. “So now I’m so scared of freaking people out! I’m always thinking about it,” she said.

There is one exception. Laufey said she deliberately searches the crowd for young fans during “Letter to My 13 Year Old Self,” her set closer. “It’s a letter to my younger self so I like finding the young girls in the audience and catching their eye,” she said. “But sometimes they’re crying and that makes me cry. So that’s another reason that I can’t look too closely.”

Laufey said arena shows, counterintuitively, feel more intimate to her than smaller theaters. “In an arena, I’m surrounded and feel closer to the fans. I get to do a barricade walk and feel up-close,” she said, describing the contrast between the scale of the room and the quietness of her songs as heightening the intimacy.

She also spoke about an unexpected marker of her crossover fame — being recognized for her Fortnite character. “I was at a restaurant yesterday and the waitress was like, ‘Are you the one on Fortnite?’” she said, laughing. “Sometimes I’ll come across another me and we’re just shooting at each other.”

The comments follow a landmark year for the Icelandic-Chinese artist. Her third studio album, A Matter of Time, debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 in September 2025 — her first top 10 entry on the chart and the highest-charting jazz album since 2018 — while simultaneously topping Billboard’s Jazz Albums, Traditional Jazz Albums, Independent Albums and Vinyl Albums charts.

The album went on to win Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 2026 Grammy Awards, her second consecutive win in the category after 2023’s Bewitched, which peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard 200. Laufey, who has two top 10 albums in Australia, recently wrapped an eight-show Australian tour behind the record.

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Karina is stepping into some stylish new Converse. The K-pop star is currently touring with fellow aespa members, having kicked off the SYNK : COMPLæXITY world tour on August 7, 2026, in Seoul. But despite Karina’s busy schedule — she also performed at Lollapalooza on Aug. 2 — the band’s lead singer had time to squeeze in a collab with Converse by modeling their Run Star Crush and the Chuck 70 X.

The Run Star Crush turns the familiar Chuck Taylor All-Stars into something more playful, with exaggerated proportions, a curved platform and a lightweight build that gives everyday outfits a noticeable lift. The shoes are for anyone who thinks classic sneakers could use a little more attitude.

PLATFORM SNEAKERS

Converse Run Star Crush Black

New Release

$110.00

Buy Now at nordstrom

Sizes run from men’s 3 to 13 and women’s 4.5 to 14.5

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The Run Star Crush in black makes a strong case for giving classic sneakers a little more height. Its durable canvas upper keeps the familiar Chuck look, while a molded foam midsole and separated rubber outsole create lightweight lift and a unique design.

WORN BY KARINA

Converse Run Star Crush Egret

Selling Fast

$110.00

Buy Now at nordstrom

Comes with with removable OrthoLite insole.

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The Run Star Crush in egret is the counterpart of the black version above. Available in sizes 3-13 for men and 4.5 to 14 for women, fit experts say these shoes run a tad on the large side, and recommend getting a half-size smaller than usual.

Karina has also modeled the Chuck 70 X, which keeps the recognizable shape of the original Chuck while giving it a sharper, more modern finish. The upgraded footwear features dual-star accents on the rubber bumper and top eyelets, an updated leather patch logo, subtly aged toe cap and foxing, plus a tongue stabilizer designed for comfort and everyday wear. The collection comes in a variety of colors in both high and low tops. The Chuck 70 X is available now in China and Korea, with a global launch on August 27.

aespa will embark on their North American leg of the SYNK : COMPLæXITY world tour in September. Find tour tickets online here.

Limp Bizkit will headline the 2026 edition of Good Things Festival, the Australian travelling heavy-music event announced Tuesday (Aug. 11), atop a bill of more than 30 acts across nu-metal, pop-punk, metalcore and hardcore.

The lineup also features Simple Plan, Spiritbox, Polaris, The All-American Rejects, Bad Religion, Alexisonfire, Grinspoon, Millencolin, Ministry, MxPx, Neck Deep, P.O.D. and The Devil Wears Prada. The festival runs Dec. 4 at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Dec. 5 at Sydney Showground and Dec. 6 at Brisbane Showgrounds, with all dates 16-and-over. Presale tickets go on sale Aug. 18.

Limp Bizkit headline after appearing at the 2023 festival and playing sold-out sideshows. Formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1994 and fronted by Fred Durst, the band’s 1999 album Significant Other debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, earned two Grammy nominations and was certified seven-times platinum on the strength of “Nookie” and “Break Stuff.”

Its 2000 follow-up Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water also debuted at No. 1, opening with more than one million U.S. copies — at the time a record for the fastest-selling rock album of the SoundScan era. The band has sold more than 40 million records worldwide.

Elsewhere on the bill, Spiritbox’s 2021 debut Eternal Blue reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200, and its 2025 follow-up Tsunami Sea hit No. 26 while topping the U.K. Independent Albums chart; the Canadian band has earned three Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance. Simple Plan return for the first time since the 2019 festival, while Australian metalcore band Polaris topped the ARIA Albums Chart with 2023’s Fatalism.

Several acts are marking milestones. Alexisonfire will play their 2006 album Crisis in full for its 20th anniversary, Millencolin will perform 2000’s Pennybridge Pioneers in full, and Bad Religion mark their 45th year. Ministry’s dates have been billed as the industrial band’s final Australian shows. Grinspoon also feature, weeks after frontman Phil Jamieson cancelled a solo tour following a fractured vertebra, alongside a card that includes Speed, Slowly Slowly, Neck Deep, MxPx, Bilmuri and Voice of Baceprot.

Good Things Festival 2026

Dec. 4 — Melbourne — Flemington Racecourse (16+)

Dec. 5 — Sydney — Sydney Showground (16+)

Dec. 6 — Brisbane — Brisbane Showgrounds (16+)

On Friday, it was announced that Sophia would be taking a step back from KATSEYE to prioritize her “mental health and wellness,” following a similar announcement from her groupmate Manon back in February. Now the six-person global girl group is down to a quartet — and it’s unclear when either member might return to the fold, especially after a six-month absence for Manon.

The news comes at a particularly busy time for KATSEYE, with their Wild album arriving on Friday and their Wildworld Tour — the group’s first global trek — kicking off in October. On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are discussing the announcement and what it means for the group’s future. Will both women return, or might they remain a quartet? Listen to our full conversation below:

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Ariana Grande’s new album petal debuts atop the Billboard 200 chart, while the set’s title track debuts in the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. Plus, Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” continues to hold firm atop the list for a 17th week, fending off a challenge by Grande’s former No. 1 “hate that I made you love me.”

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.)

When Landon Barker was offered a spot on The Voice, his dad, Travis Barker, didn’t think it was time to jump at the opportunity.

Instead, the Blink-182 drummer asked his 22-year-old son to consider what kind of artist he wants to be and whether the opportunity actually fits into that vision.

“My son called me the other day and he’s like, ‘Hey, they offered me to go on The Voice,’” Travis said during an Aug. 8 appearance on The New York Times’ Popcast. “And I was like, ‘Dude, you’re way too cool for that.’”

For Travis, the decision came down to authenticity. He encouraged Landon to look toward the musicians who have influenced him and consider whether they would have pursued the same route.

“You got to think about your idols,” he said. “If your idol is Kurt Cobain, would he ever do The Voice? No.”

This advice comes as Landon is pursuing his own musical career, aiming to establish himself as a singer and songwriter in his own right. Instead of just rushing into trying to capitalize on every available platform, Travis said his son should give himself time to develop the music he actually wants to make.

“I’m in the studio, I hear the songs that he’s creating,” Travis said. “There’s no rush, you know?”

That doesn’t mean Travis is against televised music opportunities across the board. The drummer has appeared on American Idol several times himself, a distinction he pointed out while acknowledging that his advice to Landon could sound contradictory.

“I’m different,” Travis said. “I’m doing fun sh– that’s just fun for me ’cause I’m a drummer and I’m not in the forefront. It’d be different if I was singing with all these people.”

In other words, Travis sees a difference between making a guest appearance as a member of a band and putting yourself into a competition designed to introduce a singer to a mass audience. For Landon, he wants the focus to remain on developing his own sound and identity. “Stay on your own trajectory,” Travis advised his son.

Landon has already had some notable moments in his young career, including joining The Fray on tour. Now, according to his father, there’s no reason to let the pressure to move quickly dictate what comes next.

Travis also reflected on how his own relationship with fame has changed over the years. He recalled once having a much more confrontational attitude toward paparazzi, admitting that he “used to almost get in fights with paparazzi” and “used to have a temper.”

“Nowadays, I’ve realized it’s just all noise,” he said.

His approach now is considerably simpler: “Be happy. Try not to harm anybody and just be a good person.”

Travis has spent decades navigating the music industry himself, from Blink-182’s late-1990s, early 2000s Billboard 200 dominance to the band’s return to No. 1 with California in 2016.

Watch Barker’s full Popcast interview below: