Oliver Tree‘s mother shared a touching final message from her son at a memorial for the beloved, eccentric singer in Santa Cruz, Calif. over the weekend. Christine Nickell told the audience about the last conversation she had with Tree (born Oliver Tree Nickell), who died in a helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 14 at 32.

“I texted Oliver the day before he passed and asked how quitting smoking was going for him, as he promised he would give it up once he was on tour,” she told the audience on Saturday (July 25) at the “Celebration of Life” held at Santa Cruz’s Quarry Amphitheater, where she described her son as a “sweet and mischievous child” who was a “bolter,” always eager to run, explore and not look back. “He FaceTimed me immediately and let out a huge puff of cigarette smoke in my face.”

She added that Tree was “so happy and excited about life that day, he told us he was taking a helicopter ride to a house on a mountaintop the next day to make TikToks and music with his friends. He loved having epic days, each one more memorable than the last. The overwhelming outpouring of love and support since Oliver’s passing has been a profound source of comfort. I have witnessed humanity at its very best.”

The event had the touch of the absurd that Tree was known for, including three mannequins laid out in coffins dressed as the singer lined up in front of the dais, all wearing variations of his signature brightly colored windbreakers, sunglasses, bowl haircut and cowboy hats. But, as his mom noted, Tree could be silly at times, except when he sat his family down to preview his new music, insisting they sit silently and pay full attention, no phones, no talking, no distractions.

“We had to sit in complete silence and absorb his art with the same seriousness, care and reverence that he brought to creating it,” she said with a smile, surrounded by the rest of the Nickell family. “And if you didn’t, he’d shut it down and you’d get the wrath of Oliver. And those of you who know that wrath, know it was dreaded.”

In keeping with Tree’s cheeky sensibility, the event opened with a note from Ron Johnson Van Swanson, the fictional president of the singer’s independent Alien Boy Records. “On behalf of everyone here at the label, we would like to thank you for celebrating the life of our most beloved artist, Oliver Tree Nickell. Tonight’s program will immerse you through the mind and art of Oliver Tree. Our journey will begin at the very start of his roots and we will work our way up around and then all the way back down the rabbit hole,” he said in a video message.

Swanson encouraged the hundreds of fans gathered to honor Tree to sing along during the musical tribute, noting that he loved when fans sang with him. “So please do so … or else,” Swanson added ominously as flames filled the screen.

A video montage of some of Tree’s best moments on stage — including childhood footage proving that the bowl haircut was an OG part of his look from day one — ended with tape of a teenage Oliver describing his limitless opportunities. “People don’t realize their potential,” he says. “Even myself. I don’t really fully know what I’m capable of. You know, I feel like I have a pretty good idea from some of my experiences growing up that I could do pretty much anything I put my mind forth to.”

The event also featured homages from friends Diplo and Logan Paul, with DJ/producer Diplo calling Tree the coolest person he ever met. All proceeds from the event benefited Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Grant for Baby Geniuses, a foundation the singer’s estate launched in accordance with his will to help emerging artists.

Watch the tribute broadcast below (tribute from Christine Nickell begins at 54-minute mark).

Dolly Parton’s older brother, Coy “Denver” Parton, has died. He was 82.

Parton died Thursday (July 23), according to an obituary shared by Atchley Funeral Home in Sevierville, Tenn. A cause of death was not disclosed.

Known as Denver, Parton lived largely outside the public spotlight. According to the obituary, he worked for years as a crane operator building bridges. He was also a homestead farmer and an avid hunter.

Denver was one of 12 children born to Lee Parton and Avie Lee Owens Parton in Sevier County, Tenn. Dolly Parton has often spoken about her large family and rural upbringing in the Smoky Mountains, experiences that have shaped much of her music, storytelling and public identity across her decades-long career.

Denver is survived by his daughters, Chris Parton and Jennifer Parton; grandson Ian Parton and his fiancée, Taylor York; brother Bobby Parton; and sisters Willadeene Buzzeo, Dolly Parton, Stella Parton, Cassie Griffith, Freida Parton, Rachel George and Laura Price. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Kay Parton, as well as nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, cousins, special nephew Mitchell Blalock and special friends Nancy Hurst and Kathy Farr.

Dolly Parton has not publicly commented on her brother’s passing, though Denver’s death marks another loss for the Parton family in recent years. Dolly’s brother Randy Parton, a singer and musician who performed with her over the years, died in 2021 at age 67. Her brother Floyd Parton, who co-wrote songs including Dolly’s “Rockin’ Years,” died in 2018. Her brother David Parton died in 2024, and Dolly’s husband, Carl Dean, died in March 2025.

Following Randy’s death, Dolly shared a statement reflecting on the family’s faith. “The family and I are grieving his loss but we know he is in a better place than we are at this time,” she wrote at the time. “We are a family of faith and we believe that he is safe with God.”

Dolly Parton remains one of the most influential artists in country music history. Across her decades-long career, she has placed 25 songs at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, including “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You” and “9 to 5.” She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 and released the rock album Rockstar the following year.

Parton also recently announced Dolly: A True Original Musical, a Broadway-bound production based on her life and career.

The National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) have named blues musician Marlene Cummins and Elcho Island’s Saltwater Band as the 2026 Hall of Fame inductees, ahead of the ceremony in Darwin next month.

Cummins — a Guguyelandji woman on her father’s side and Woppaburra on her mother’s — is regarded as one of Australia’s leading Indigenous female blues voices. Born in Cunnamulla, Queensland, she studied saxophone and songwriting at Boston’s Berklee College of Music and has worked across music, broadcasting, activism, dance and acting.

Her career has included award-winning radio work, the documentary Black Panther Woman, which chronicled her own history within the Australian Black Panther movement, and the song “Koori Woman,” written as a dedication to Indigenous women.

Saltwater Band, from Galiwin’ku on Elcho Island, are recognised for a catalogue that threaded traditional song through reggae and ska-influenced pop, sung mostly in Yolŋu languages. The band’s most prominent member was the late Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, already a Hall of Fame inductee — inducted by fellow founding member Manuel Dhurrkay — who went on to become the most commercially successful Aboriginal Australian musician in history.

Before co-founding Saltwater Band, Yunupingu played in Yothu Yindi, the internationally recognised group behind the landmark 1991 single “Treaty.” His solo debut Gurrumul (2008) reached No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart and won two ARIA Awards, and he sold an estimated half a million records worldwide before his death in 2017 at 46. Saltwater Band earned multiple NIMAs and Deadly Awards across their career, with their album Djarridjarri nominated for the ARIA Award for Best World Music Album in 2004.

The 2026 NIMAs take place at Darwin Amphitheater in Garramilla/Darwin on Saturday, Aug. 8, hosted by Rob Collins and Leila Gurruwiwi. The performance lineup features Baker Boy, Electric Fields, BIG NOTER, Stiff Gins, Bumpy, Casii Williams, South Summit and Zipporah, with more to be announced. The night’s Artist of the Year nominees include 3%, Baker Boy, Birdz and Fred Leone, Bumpy, Jem Cassar-Daley, Miss Kaninna and South Summit.

Ahead of the ceremony, the Blak Loud Showcase — presented by Amazon Music Australia and Awesome Blak — will serve as the unofficial opening night at Darwin’s Bustard Town on Aug. 7, featuring South Summit, Zipporah and Casii Williams. Free RSVPs are available through the NIMA website.

Ariana Grande is suing unnamed hackers who she claims have repeatedly stolen and leaked unreleased music, photos and video footage, saying they have violated the “sacred relationship that exists between her and her fans.”

In a lawsuit submitted to Los Angeles court Monday (July 27), the pop star’s attorneys say the hackers have targeted her photographers and producers, allowing them to carry out “unlawful and egregious” thefts of her private content. They say 45 of her songs were stolen and leaked in 2023 alone.

“Neither Ms. Grande nor any other public or private figure should have to suffer such violations caused by these wrongdoers who hide in the shadows and wreak technological havoc with impunity,” the star’s lawyers write. “It is imperative to Ms. Grande to ensure on behalf of herself and others that such conduct is deterred to the fullest extent possible.”

The lawsuit does not name any actual defendants; instead, it names anonymous “John Doe” hackers. Grande is aiming to use the lawsuit to unmask them, potentially through court-ordered subpoenas to internet service providers.

“Ms. Grande initiates this action to uncover the identities of these currently unknown and unscrupulous individuals in order to hold them accountable for their invasive and reprehensible conduct,” her lawyers write.

Grande’s lawyers say she has “constantly and recently been the target of cyberattacks,” resulting in theft of her music, photos and video that are “part of her personal and professional creative process and that are not intended for public consumption.” After these thefts, the hackers have then “sold this personal data and content on the dark web for significant sums of money.”

The lawsuit claims Grande has faced “hundreds” of such leaks since 2011, including a 2019 theft of “still-in-production, unreleased masters and demos and footage,” as well as two attacks in 2024 that saw unreleased photos of the star stolen in phishing scams.

“This malicious invasion of Ms. Grande’s privacy and disruption of her career have caused her substantial and irreparable harm due to this breach of privacy,” her lawyers write. “The unauthorized misappropriation and disclosure of these materials is a violation of Ms. Grande’s identity and artistry, and the direct and sacred relationship that exists between her and her fans.”

In technical legal terms, Grande is suing the unnamed hackers for invasion of privacy, violation of California computer hacking laws, and conversion — the civil law equivalent to the crime of theft.

Beyond the Valley, billed as Australia’s largest multi-day music festival, has revealed the lineup for its 11th edition, led by John Summit, the Black Eyed Peas, KI/KI and Skepta.

The festival returns to Barunah Plains in Victoria from Dec. 28 through Jan. 1, 2027, after selling out in under an hour last year. U.S. dance producer John Summit takes the New Year’s Eve countdown slot, while the Black Eyed Peas will play an Australian-exclusive show. Dutch DJ KI/KI and British grime pioneer Skepta — returning to the festival for the first time since 2019/20 — also feature high on the bill.

The lineup spans dance, hip-hop, pop and rock across five days, with Ocean Alley, Overmono, Disco Lines, Nia Archives, Armand Van Helden, The Veronicas, Vince Staples, Frost Children, SPFDJ, Jayda G, salute, southstar, Odd Mob and Dean Turnley among the acts announced. The daily bill also features The Jungle Giants, Boys Noize, Rum Jungle, Ewan McVicar, Job Jobse and dozens more across the festival’s stages.

The 2026/27 edition is presented by Untitled Group and triple j. Its daily headline structure places John Summit and the Black Eyed Peas on Dec. 31, Ocean Alley and Overmono on Dec. 30, Skepta, Disco Lines and Nia Archives on Dec. 29, and a three-hour KI/KI set on Dec. 28.

At the top of the bill sits some of the biggest commercial firepower in recent pop history. The Black Eyed Peas remain one of the best-selling acts of the 21st century, having sold an estimated 80 million records and scored three consecutive Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s in 2009 with “Boom Boom Pow,” “I Gotta Feeling” and “Imma Be” — the first two combining for a then-record 26 consecutive weeks atop the chart.

Their album The E.N.D. debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. John Summit has become one of dance music’s most in-demand live draws, topping Billboard’s Dance/Electronic charts and headlining arenas and festivals worldwide, while Skepta remains a defining figure of British grime, having won the Mercury Prize for 2016’s Konnichiwa and reached the Billboard Hot 100 through his feature on A$AP Rocky’s double-platinum “Praise the Lord (Da Shine).”

On Sunday (July 26), Slayyyter kicked off her WOR$T GIRL IN THE WORLD Tour with a hometown show — and special treat.

During the opening night set, the pop provocateur live debuted four unreleased songs. Within 24 hours, she announced that one of those unheard gems, “BRAND NEW CHANEL$,” will arrive on Friday (July 31), giving even more fans the first taste of what could be an extension of her iconic era.

Slayyyter revealed the news via Instagram on Monday (July 27) alongside a high-quality live snippet of herself performing the track during the show in St. Louis, Missouri. She accompanied the post with a message thanking fans for coming to show and wrote, “I love my hometown so much. I can’t wait to do it all over again tonight.”

Concertgoers at the tour opener were the first to hear “BRAND NEW CHANEL$,” along with three other unreleased songs: “NEKROMANTIK,” “I THINK HE’S GOT A GIRL” AND “CRANK 2.” The surprise debuts immediately caused speculation to rise surrounding Slayyyter’s next album, though she has yet to announce a new LP.

“BRAND NEW CHANEL$” will be the first official release since her third studio album, WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA, which arrived in March and debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Dance Albums chart. It also scored Slayyyter her first entry on the Billboard 200, reaching No. 22.

Her WOR$T GIRL IN THE WORLD Tour extends through Nov. 5, wrapping in London at The Roundhouse. The trek includes a handful of festival appearances, including Lollapalooza Chicago, Reading and Leeds Festivals and All Things Go in Washington, D.C.