Life on the road can be a slog. A grind. Countless bands have come unglued thanks to the rigorous of touring, that seemingly unending cycle of late nights, strange towns, faceless hotels.

Angus & Julia Stone had an altogether different experience with their Living Room Sessions, an intimate global tour that launched in 2024 in support of their sixth studio album, Cape Forestier.

The experience was so touching, so energizing, the sibling act used the trek as the creative springboard for their new album, Karaoke Bar (via Virgin Music).

“A lot of it was written while we were touring the Living Room Sessions and Angus and I were just really happy, loving making music together,” Julia Stone tells Billboard. “The shows felt so special… all these incredible old theaters around the world, an amazing band, and we were really enjoying telling stories and singing songs from across the 20 years we’ve been making music together.”

Along the way, the Stones played Royal Albert Hall in London, Paris’ L’Olympia, New York City’s Town Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. Each evening, a career highlight.

“Every night there was this real sense of joy, and then between legs of the tour we’d duck into studios and write and record,” Stone continues. “I can hear that in this album… a kind of happiness, an underlying sense of peace in the music.”

The new collection, which is out now, was written and recorded across Greece, France and Australia, the brother-and-sister duo’s homeland. And shaped by their experiences. Karaoke Bar captures a sense of both the granular and the grand, and that happiness is never far from the surface. It’s right there in focus track “The Start,” and the opening number, the title track, which rips a line from one of the happiest tracks of them all, “Sweet Caroline.”

“There’s always experiences and moments that make new music special,” notes Julia. “The special sauce is really a mix of the places we recorded, and also the way we were feeling while making this record.”

Recording in the old Carpet Factory studio on the Greek island of Hydra “was pure magic. It felt like stepping back in time. Men in suits smoking ciggies in the kitchen below the live room, smoke drifting up through the floorboards… we loved it. Such a vibe,” she recounts. Also, the facility was nearby to where the Stones’ idol Leonard Cohen wrote so much of his music.

One night, Angus’ son Adam came to hang out in the studio. “We ended up sitting around the kitchen table listening to songs and talking about music and life for hours. Sharing stories, sharing music,” says Julia. “Those kinds of moments stay with you.”

Miraval Studios at the Château de Miraval in the south of France was “equally inspiring,” recalls Angus. “The studio there is incredible, and the whole property just makes you want to create. We honestly could have settled into the cottage there and written the whole record, but we only had this window between the Europe and North American tours.”

The album’s second track, “Monroe,” came to life during that time. “We’ll definitely go back.”

The bulk of the LP’s 10 tracks were created on the duo’s portable recording gear, which they lugged on tour, including the final cut, “Mexico City,” which was inspired by their first ever show there in July 2024. Angus’s Sugarcane Mountain Studios, in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, was where the final touches where made to the album, completed when they finished their touring commitments in Australia and New Zealand. 

In a recording career spanning two decades, Angus & Julia Stone have amassed multi-platinum sales, No. 1s and numerous awards in their homeland and enjoyed an international breakthrough with the 2009 song “Big Jet Plane,” from their domestic chart-topping sophomore album Down The Way. The track went on to snag five ARIA Awards, including single of the year; won triple J’s annual Hottest 100 poll, and claimed the APRA Music Award for song of the year.

Rick Rubin produced the group’s third, self-titled studio album, from 2014, which went to No. 1 in Australia, for their second leader, and cracked the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 54. At the time, the uber-producer described the artists as “truly unique musicians. They are authentic and pure people who do things from the heart. I’ve never worked with anyone like them before.” All five of their previous studio albums have cracked the ARIA Top 10.

It’s a good thing Angus & Julia Stone draw joy and inspiration from the road. They’re about to set off once again. North American tour dates get underway this Friday, Sept. 11 at FONO Festival, followed by a three night stand at Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever, in Los Angeles, and dates in Ottawa, Brooklyn and New York. Australasian tour dates for February and March 2027 were announced earlier this week by Frontier Touring.

“It’s all looking pretty busy,” Julia remarks. “The calendar is full of color.”

“It’s an exciting time for us,” Angus adds. “Most of our catalogue now lives in the one home and we get to be in control of a lot of our music which is great. And we are so proud of this record and so excited to play it.” 

Angus & Julia Stone 2026 North American Tour Dates:

Sept. 11 — FONO Festival, Quebec City, QC
Sept. 14 — Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever, Los Angeles, CA
Sept. 15 — Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever, Los Angeles, CA
Sept. 16 — Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever, Los Angeles, CA
Sept. 19 — CityFolk Festival, Ottawa, ON
Sept. 22 — Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
Sept. 23 — Racket, New York, NY

2027 Australia Tour Dates:

Feb. 13 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre, SA
Feb. 20 — The Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane, QLD
Feb. 25 — Forum Melbourne, VIC
Feb. 26 — Forum Melbourne, VIC
Feb. 28 — Sydney Opera House Forecourt, NSW
March 5 — Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Perth, WA

Travis Garland brought out something dangerous for his quarterfinals appearance on America’s Got Talent.

NBC’s talent quest is hurtling towards the pointy end of season 21. For the latest live round, which aired Tuesday night (Sept. 8), the axe swung and seven out of 10 hopefuls were eliminated from the competition.

With everything at stake, Garland pumped it up with a fiery cover of Ariana Grande‘s “Dangerous Woman,” a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 2016. Looking confident, and sounding very much on-point, Garland’s version was soulful and stripped down to its drawers, a clever tactic that showcased the depth and range of his vocals.

Mel B went first, and she spoke right from the heart. “Wow, wow, wow, wowza, wow, wow, wow. Oh my god, I’ve said it to you before… you can sing,” she enthused. No, the Spice Girl wouldn’t have chosen that particular song, “but you made it your own. You killed it. Your trills, your everything,” she noted. “Oh. My. God.”

Guest judge Heidi Klum is a fan, too. “I loved everything about you,” the German model acknowledged. “You have an amazing voice, you have great stage presence.” Klum then broke the fourth wall by staring down the camera and telling viewers, “vote for him.”

Sofía Vergara was convinced the singer could go all the way. “Your voice is definitely one of the best voices in this competition. It’s flawless, it’s spectacular,” she remarked. “I think you could have picked any song and it was going to sound amazing. That was breathtaking.”

Howie Mandel went last. “I really truly believe that in season 21, out of any solo singing act, you are by far the best. Your control, your range.” Mandel also looked down the lens and told fans at home to cast their votes.

With all that glowing praise from the judging panel, would Garland cruise through to the semis? Of course he did. He’s joined by comedian and singer Cesar Dias (with a ridiculous performance of “Unchained Melody”) and illusionists Young & Strange, while dance act Unitree Robots advances to the finals after earing Vergara’s Golden Buzzer.

Hailing from Lubbock, TX, Garland’s voice is familiar to superfans of Dancing With the Stars, where he’s mostly behind the scenes as a live vocalist. He shimmied onto the AGT stage during the auditions in July, and made an impact with Aerosmith’s 1970s classic “Dream On.”

Watch Garland’s latest performance and the results of quarterfinals 4 below.

Ray LaMontagne is said to be doing just fine after he collapsed on stage in Nashville over the weekend, reportedly due to heat related dehydration.

The Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter was performing his 2004 song “Jolene” (not related to the Dolly Parton song of the same name) at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville when he was overcome and toppled slowly backways. Crew can be seen immediately rushing to his aid, reveals fan-filmed footage doing the rounds on social media.

Following his ordeal, the 53-year-old artist “is in good hands with the local EMS (emergency medical services),” reads a statement from his reps, Consequence of Sound reports. He’s “doing well now and is grateful for everyone’s understanding,” the message continues. Billboard has reached out to LaMontagne’s management.

LaMontagne isn’t the only one feeling the heat in Tennessee. Nashville has experienced its hottest start to September in a century. The heatwave lifted the mercury past 100 degrees F on the day of his concert, Saturday, Sept. 5, and the National Weather Service has assigned a “Heat Alert” to Nashville.

LaMontagne is currently touring the United States for the 20th anniversary of his critically-lauded debut album Trouble, with special guests The Weather Station. His tour was scheduled to continue Tuesday night, Sept. 8 at The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theatre in Syracuse, N.Y., Sept. 8.

With Trouble, initially released through RCA and which was given a 20th anniversary reissue, LaMontagne announced himself as an artist of the highest caliber, with a fully-formed sound that could’ve been unearthed from a time capsule, a rare combination of Americana, folk, rock, and soul. Trouble caught many purists off guard, and LaMontagne’s career was away.

“This record is important to me for that reason,” he told Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast in 2025. “It’s the record that pointed me in this direction, and I know that’s just what I was supposed to do.”

He has since released eight more studio albums — the latest, 2024’s Long Way Home, on his own Liula Records — and won the Grammy for best contemporary folk album in 2011 for God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise.

LaMontagne has made one appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, with 2008’s “You Are The Best Thing” (peaking at No. 90), and landed nine titles on the Billboard 200, including three top 10s: 2008’s Gossip In The Grain, 2010’s God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise and 2014’s Supernova, all of which peaked at No. 3.

Alex Warren’s second full-length studio album WILDCHILD makes a chart-topping bow on a pair of Billboard charts, as the set arrives at No. 1 on Top Album Sales and Vinyl Albums (dated Sept. 12) — his first leader on both rankings. The set also enters at No. 2 on the overall Billboard 200 and at No. 9 on Indie Store Album Sales. On the Billboard 200, it marks the singer-songwriter’s second top 10 and highest-charted set, and it’s his first entry on the Indie Store Album Sales ranking.

The new album is the follow-up to Warren’s first full-length, You’ll Be Alright, Kid, which hit No. 5 on the Billboard 200, No. 7 on Top Album Sales and No. 5 on Vinyl Albums. That set contained the smash Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit single “Ordinary.”

WILDCHILD arrives with 75,000 equivalent album units earned in its first week (ending Sept. 3) according to Luminate — his best week ever by units. Of that sum, album sales comprise 55,000 (his best sales week). The remainder of the set’s first week sum was driven by streaming activity and track purchases.

The new album’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across 13 vinyl variants (two of them signed), five CD variants (two signed), three download editions (two with bonus tracks) and a cassette.

WILDCHILD was preceded by three charted songs on the Billboard Hot 100: “Passenger” (No. 100 in June), “Fine Place To Die” (No. 87 in May) and the radio-promoted single “Fever Dream” (No. 21 in March).

WILDCHILD leads a busy top 10 on the Sept. 12-dated Top Album Sales chart, where the latest releases from The Warning, Billy Strings, Sara Bareilles, Mastodon and Prince also arrive.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on pure album sales (physical and digital download purchases combined). The chart’s history dates to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album (TEA) units and streaming equivalent album (SEA) units.

Over the weekend, Sabrina Carpenter and Bad Bunny both picked up their first Emmy Awards — Carpenter as a producer and performer on Disney+’s The Muppet Show special and Benito as a producer and performer at his 2026 Super Bowl halftime show.

And these multi-talented pop stars are just getting started. On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about whether the Emmy and Grammy winners could add an Oscar or Tony next for the coveted EGOT honor. Listen below for our full conversation about the most likely paths they could take to get there.

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Rod Wave notches his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with the chart-topping arrival of Don’t Look Down, how Alex Warren captures his highest-charting album ever with the No. 2 bow of WILDCHILD, and how Ella Langley is now one week away from tying Mariah Carey’s all-time record for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Choosin’ Texas.”

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.)