On Monday (October 27), Miguel announced the dates and details of his 2026 North American and European tour in support of his latest album, Caos, which dropped on October 23, coinciding with the Grammy-winning R&B singer’s 40th birthday. The international jaunt will kick off on February 10 in Atlanta, hitting major cities like Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Seattle, and Los Angeles, before concluding the North American leg on March 21 in Houston, followed by U.K. and European dates in April. Jean Dawson will join him as the opener for the North American dates, while Channel Tres will open the L.A. show. An artist pre-sale launches on Wednesday (October 29), followed by a general on-sale on Thursday (October 30), with special VIP packages available that include behind-the-scenes tours, access to soundchecks, and Q&As with Miguel. (Rolling Stone)

Flavor Flav has been named the official hype man and sponsor for the USA Bobsled and Skeleton teams at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, bringing his high-energy support and financial backing to the athletes. “The partnership is a blessing. It’s cooler than 'Cool Runnings.' It’s Coolest Runnings,” Flav said while referencing the 1993 comedy film about the Jamaican bobsled team. The 66-year-old Public Enemy rapper, who previously supported the U.S. women’s water polo team at the 2024 Paris Summer Games, recently visited the teams in Park City, Utah, where he tried bobsledding, impressing athletes with his speed and enthusiasm. “Flavor Flav embodies the same grit, dedication, and pride that define our athletes, and we’re excited to have him bring that excitement to our team and fans across the country,” USA Bobsled and Skeleton CEO Aron McGuire said in a statement. Flav plans to travel with the team to the Games in February and continues to actively support Olympians beyond just cheering from the sidelines. (Billboard)

Drake is facing a class-action lawsuit in Missouri accusing him and influencer Adin Ross of promoting the “deceptive” and allegedly illegal online casino Stake.us, which misled consumers by marketing itself as a harmless social casino despite operating as a real-money gambling platform. The complaint, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, alleges that Stake.us’s dual-currency system enables real-money gambling, while also claiming that Drake and Ross often gambled with platform funds rather than their own money, intentionally misleading fans during livestream promotions. “When Ross and Drake purport to gamble online with Stake.com, they often do not do so with their own money despite telling the public in Missouri and elsewhere the opposite,” the filing states, while arguing that “Stake’s influencer marketing, especially through Drake and Ross, is directed, among others, at teenagers in Missouri and in other states.” Representatives for Drake, Ross, and Stake have yet to make official statements about the lawsuit. (Rolling Stone)

Chappell Roan and The Killers have been announced as guests at the 40th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on November 8, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. While Roan herself won’t be eligible for induction until 2042, she will be on hand to induct Cyndi Lauper into the Rock Hall, with the young singer revealing that she auditioned with “True Colors” for America’s Got Talent when she was 13 (she didn’t get selected). The Killers – who are eligible for induction in 2028 – will join a star-studded lineup including Beck, Doja Cat, Elton John, and others to honor this year’s inductees: Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden and The White Stripes, along with Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon for Musical Influence, Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins, and Carol Kaye for Musical Excellence, and Lenny Waronker will receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award for Lifetime Achievement​​. The ceremony will stream live nationwide on Disney+, while ABC will broadcast a primetime special featuring highlights from the event on January 1, 2026. (Billboard)

Jack DeJohnette, the acclaimed jazz drummer known for his work with Miles Davis during his influential “electric period,” died on Sunday (October 26) at the age of 83 from congestive heart failure. “He was very comfortable and at peace,” said Joan Clancy, DeJohnette’s longtime assistant, who confirmed the musician’s death, while adding that “he was surrounded by his wife, Lydia, family, and friends” when he passed. Beginning piano in childhood before switching to drums at 18, DeJohnette rose through Chicago’s avant-garde scene to play with legends like John Coltrane, Charles Lloyd, Bill Evans, and Joe Henderson.

In 1969, he replaced Tony Williams in Davis’ band, contributing to groundbreaking albums such as Bitches Brew, and historic live performances by Davis’ so-called “Lost Quintet.” “It was great to play with Miles, because Miles loved the drums,” DeJohnette said in 2009. “Everything came from the drums. He liked boxing, he was a big boxing fan, and he saw drums in jazz as having similar aspects.” After leaving Davis, DeJohnette led his own projects and collaborated with the likes of Freddie Hubbard and Sonny Rollins, earning two Grammy awards while securing a lasting legacy as a musical innovator and NEA Jazz Master. (Rolling Stone)

On Sunday (October 26), Reneé Rapp announced that she has postponed two of the final North American dates of her Bite Me Tour due to illness. The 25-year-old pop star revealed in an since-expired Instagram Story that doctors advised her to prioritize resting her voice and giving her body time to recover. Rapp postponed her October 26 show in Atlanta and October 27 gig in Tampa, which have already been rescheduled to November 5 and November 4, respectively, with original tickets remaining valid. “In my career I have never had to do this before — but I have to reschedule tonight and tomorrow’s shows,” Rapp wrote. “I’ve been pushing through an illness but my body has finally given out. My doctors have told me that it isn’t safe to perform due to the need for vocal rest and physical recovery." Rapp’s show on Wednesday (October 29) in Charlotte is still set to take place as scheduled. (People)

On Monday (October 27), Demi Lovato announced the dates and details of her 2026 North American It’s Not That Deep Tour. The 23-date arena tour is in support of Lovato’s ninth album, It’s Not That Deep, which dropped on Friday (October 24). The jaunt will feature opening act Adéla, and will stretch from April 8 in Charlotte, N.C. to May 25 in Houston, while stopping in major cities including Orlando, Atlanta, Nashville, Toronto, New York, Chicago, and Dallas. “I can’t wait to get back on the road with you and dance to these songs together night after night,” Lovato wrote, while adding, “this is gonna be so much fun, i can’t even contain it… SEE YOU SO SOON.” Lovato previewed her first headlining tour in three years with an underplay performance at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Saturday (Oct. 25). An artist pre-sale starts Thursday (October 30), followed by a general on-sale beginning Friday (October 31). (Billboard)

Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced on October 3 to 50 months in prison for two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, with his release expected on May 8, 2028, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, factoring in time served and good behavior. Acquitted of more serious racketeering and sex trafficking charges, Combs has appealed the sentence, though prospects for success are slim. At sentencing, Judge Arun Subramanian told Combs that “there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” while encouraging the disgraced entertainment mogul to devote his future to supporting victims of domestic violence. “The same power you used to hurt women, you can use to help them,” he said. “I’m counting on you to make the most of your second chance.” Despite the conviction, lead counsel Marc Agnifilo said Combs hopes to “make something special out of his life,” while adding that getting involved in music again is “way down the road.” (Variety)

Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” tops the Billboard Hot 100 for a third consecutive week, while her album, The Life of a Showgirl, simultaneously leads the Billboard 200 for the third straight week. This marks another historic achievement for Swift, as she becomes the first artist to debut at No. 1 on both charts while maintaining that dominance for three consecutive weeks. This milestone adds to Swift’s record as the only artist to achieve seven simultaneous No. 1 album and single launches. Swift also places three other songs in this week’s Top 10, as “Opalite” drops two spots to No. 4, while “Elizabeth Taylor” remains at No. 5, and “Father Figure” holds at No. 6. With those multiple Top 10 hits, Swift sets a record by claiming her seventh career week with at least four of the Top 10 songs on the Hot 100 chart, topping Drake’s mark of six.

In other significant moves in this week’s Hot 100, two acts crack the Top 10 for the first time in their career, as Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need” jumps nine spots to reach No. 8, and Leon Thomas’ “Mutt” surges eight slots to claim No. 10. Elsewhere in the Hot 100 Top 10, HUNTR/X’s “Golden,” from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack, rises one spot to No. 2, Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” moves up one slot to No. 3, Justin Bieber’s “Daisies” vaults up eight places to No. 7, and Morgan Wallen’s “I Got Better” surges seven spots to No. 9. (Billboard)

On Friday (October 24), Florence + the Machine announced the dates and details of their 2026 North American Everybody Scream Tour. The 23-date arena tour is in support of the English indie pop group’s sixth studio album, Everybody Scream, which will be released on October 31, marking their first record since 2022’s Dance Fever. The jaunt kicks off April 8 in Minneapolis and wraps with a two-night stand in Los Angeles on May 19-20, while hitting major cities across the U.S. and Canada, including Chicago, Toronto, Boston, New York, Miami, Atlanta, and San Francisco. The North American tour follows a series of European dates in early 2026, and will feature special guest opening acts Rachel Chinouriri, Sofia Isella, CMAT, and Mannequin Pu**y at select dates. An artist presale starts on Monday (November 3), followed by a general on-sale on Wednesday (November 5). (Rolling Stone)

On Saturday (October 25), Lana Del Rey opened her set at Neil Young’s ‘Harvest Moon’ charity concert with a heartfelt cover of his classic, “The Needle and the Damage Done,” at Painted Turtle Summer Camp in Lake Hughes, California. She told the audience as she strolled on stage, “I thought we’d get started with a little bit of Neil,” before delivering a faithful rendition of Young’s Harvest standout, followed by performances of her own hits, including “Arcadia,” “Video Games,” and “Norman Fu**ing Rockwell,” plus her first solo performance of “Let the Light In.” The show marked Del Rey’s final scheduled live performance of 2025, with her country-inspired album delayed until next year. The benefit concert also featured performances by Beck, John Mayer, and Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts, in support of the Painted Turtle, which provides summer camp experiences for kids with serious medical issues, and Bridge School, which provides education to children with severe speech and physical disabilities. (Rolling Stone)

Bad Bunny was honored as Billboard’s Top Latin Artist of the 21st Century at the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards in Miami on Thursday night (October 23). Bad Bunny was presented the honor by fellow Puerto Rican superstar – and EGOT winner – Rita Moreno, with the 93-year-old entertainment legend saying “it moves me from the bottom of my heart” to give Benito the award. Bad Bunny delivered a heartfelt, unscripted acceptance speech that celebrated his personal journey while honoring fellow musicians who paved the way before him. “I still don’t understand, among so many artists, why me?,” he said, while adding, “But I’m grateful. God wanted me to receive it because it doesn’t feed my ego. I receive it without arrogance, very humbly, and I will remain the same.” Bad Bunny’s groundbreaking achievements include having the first all-Spanish album to top the Billboard 200 and claiming Spotify’s most-streamed album, with the global superstar also set to headline the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show. (Rolling Stone)

In a heartfelt Instagram post on Friday (October 24), Nelly Furtado revealed that she is taking a prolonged break from the stage, with the announcement coming on the 25th anniversary of the release of her multi-platinum debut album, Whoa, Nelly!. “I have decided to step away from performance for the foreseeable future and pursue some other creative and personal endeavors that I feel would better suit this next phase of my life,” the 46-year-old Grammy winner wrote. “I have enjoyed my career immensely, and I still love writing music as I have always seen it as a hobby I was lucky enough to make into a career. I’ll identify as a songwriter forever.” The post features a photo of a 20-year-old Furtado before her “first show as a professional artist at Lilith Fair” in 1999, paired with a video from her show in Berlin this summer, where the crowd is chanting her name, with the singer admitting she was “finally understanding what receiving flowers means” during that emotional moment. Furtado’s most recent album, 7, was released in 2024. (Billboard)

Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl notches a third consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, following 194,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States over the past seven days, down 43% from the previous week. The Life of a Showgirl becomes only the second album in 2025 to spend its first three weeks at No. 1, following Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem, which spent its first eight weeks atop the chart beginning in May. Another notable move in this week’s Top 10 is the strong debut of Tame Impala’s first new album in over five years, Deadbeat, which launches at No. 4, giving the Kevin Parker-led project its third Top Five charting record, following 2020’s The Show Rush (No. 3) and 2015’s Currents (No. 4).

The rest of this week’s Billboard 200 Top 10 is rounded out by the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack holding firm at No. 2, followed by Wallen’s I’m the Problem remaining at No. 3, Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend sticking at No. 5, Cardi B’s AM I THE DRAMA? dropping two places to No. 6, Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving falling one spot to No. 7, SZA’s SOS staying at No. 8, Wallen’s One Thing at a Time rising one slot to No. 9, and Alex Warren’s You’ll Be Alright, Kid sliding down one place to No. 10. (Billboard)

On Thursday (October 23), 5 Seconds of Summer announced the dates and details of their 2026 Everyone’s a Star! World Tour. 5SOS’ international jaunt kicks off in Europe in March 2026, with the North American leg of the tour launching on May 29 in Uncasville, Connecticut, before concluding on August 28 in Mountain View, California, with stops at iconic venues like New York City’s Madison Square Garden and Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, followed by a series of dates in the band’s home country of Australia. Alongside the tour news, 5SOS just released their new single, “Telephone Busy,” from their upcoming album, Everyone’s a Star!, which is set to drop on November 14, marking the group’s first album since 2022’s 5SOS5. “There needs to be a part of you that can see it – that can see you playing those huge shows, that can see this album being a huge success,” 5SOS’s Calum Hood said of their upcoming record and tour. (Rolling Stone)

David Ball, co-founder and multi-instrumentalist of the influential English synth-pop duo Soft Cell, has died at the age of 66. According to a tribute posted on the band’s official Instagram, Ball “passed away peacefully in his sleep at his London home on Wednesday 22nd October.” Best known for the 1981 global hit, "Tainted Love" (a cover of Gloria Jones' 1964 love song), Ball crafted much of Soft Cell’s dark, pioneering synth-driven sound that helped define the genre alongside frontman Marc Almond’s distinctive vocals. The pair formed in 1979 and achieved lasting success with several albums and multiple UK Top 10 singles, including “Bedsitter,” “Torch,” “What!” and “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye.”

The duo’s biggest hit, “Tainted Love,” reached No. 1 on the U.K. Singles Chart, and spent 43 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (peaking at No. 8), while selling an estimated 21 million copies worldwide. Despite health struggles since a 2023 spinal injury that caused him to perform in a wheelchair, Ball remained creatively active, recently completing Soft Cell’s final album, Danceteria, which is set for release in spring 2026. Almond paid affectionate tribute to Ball on the band’s website, referring to his longtime bandmate as a “wonderfully brilliant musical genius,” while calling him “the heart and soul of Soft Cell,” and adding, “I’m very proud of our legacy.” (Billboard)

During Wednesday night’s (October 22) show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, Addison Rae invited her friend and frequent collaborator, Charli XCX, to join her onstage. The pop superstars performed their collaborative hits, the “Von Dutch Remix” from Charli’s 2024 album Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat, and Rae’s 2023 track, “2 Die 4.” Charli and Addison began collaborating in 2023 and have since teamed up on multiple tracks, including A. G. Cook’s “Lucifer.” Charli praised Rae in a recent Rolling Stone interview, saying that “it’s been fun to watch her evolve. Everything she does relates back to her art – every item of clothing she wears, everything she says in a red-carpet interview, everything she tweets –  it all is a part of the world-building.” Rae recently released her full-length debut album, Addison, in June, which launched at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart. The L.A. show was the final North American date on The Addison Tour, with Australian dates scheduled in November. (Rolling Stone)

Alex Warren's breakout hit, "Ordinary," has reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, following its record-breaking 16-week run atop the Pop Airplay chart, the longest-ever reign on the tally. Additionally, "Ordinary" spent 21 weeks at No. 1 on Adult Pop Airplay, surpassing The Weeknd's record for a lead male soloist, trailing only three songs with longer runs atop the chart: Santana’s “Smooth,” featuring Rob Thomas (25 weeks, 1999-2000), Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” (23 weeks, 2023-24) and The Calling’s “Wherever You Will Go” (23 weeks, 2001-02). Warren’s track also dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks earlier this year, and finished at No. 1 on the Songs of the Summer chart. “Ordinary” also becomes the first and only 2025 release to top the Adult Contemporary chart this year, following the multi-week reigns of "Lose Control" by Teddy Swims and "Beautiful Things" by Benson Boone. (Billboard)

Ms. Lauryn Hill has announced a 2025 “Artist in Residence” tour of Canada, featuring an intimate eight-city run from November 19 to December 19. The short jaunt begins in Winnipeg and concludes in Ottawa, with stops in Vancouver, Hamilton, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto in between. “With ‘Artist In Residence,’ Ms. Hill continues to push the boundaries of live performance, bringing her distinctive sound and uncompromising artistry to the stage with renewed force,“ reads a press statement. “The tour stands as a continuation of her evolution, an intimate and immersive experience that connects audiences across Canada through the unmistakable presence of one of music’s most enduring voices.” An artist pre-sale began on Thursday (October 23), with a general on-sale starting on Friday (October 24), with VIP packages available on her website. $2 from each ticket sold will go towards supporting the MLH Fund, which provides resources for local community outreach. (Consequence of Sound)

The 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame nominees include prominent artists such as Taylor Swift, LL Cool J, David Byrne, Kenny Loggins, Pink, Sarah McLachlan. Swift, who received the Hal David Starlight Award from the SHOF in 2010, is now nominated for full membership in the prestigious organization, and if inducted, she would be the first person to graduate from the Starlight Award (an award for a songwriter who shows promise, which dates to 2004) to full SHOF membership status. The class of 2026 nominees also includes Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine and Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s, Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings of the Guess Who, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell of America, and Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of  Kiss.

The performer-songwriter category features Richard Carpenter of The Carpenters, Harry Wayne Casey (aka KC of KC and the Sunshine Band), and Boz Scaggs. While the non-performing songwriter category includes legendary disco producer Pete Bellotte (known for his work with Donna Summer), Swedish pop producer Andreas Carlsson (who famously worked with Backstreet Boys and NSYNC), Australian songwriter/producer Steve Kipner (best known for Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” and Christina Aguilera’s “Genie In A Bottle”), longtime Madonna collaborator Patrick Leonard (“Like A Prayer,” “Live To Tell”), and others. To become eligible for the SHOF, a songwriter must have a notable catalog of songs with at least 20 years since the release of their first commercial song. Since its founding in 1969, the Hall of Fame has honored legends like Elton John, Carole King, Bruce Springsteen, and Paul Simon. (Variety)