Scotty McCreery won the 10th season of American Idol on May 25, 2011, and wasted little time making his way to the Grand Ole Opry stage: He made his debut there on June 10, 2011.
Almost 15 years to the day, the “Bottle Rockets” hitmaker is headed back.
“Little did @ScottyMcCreery know stepping into the circle for the first time (at only the age of 17) that he would one day be invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry,” the country music institution posted on Instagram. “On June 11, 2026, Scotty will be performing a special extended set to celebrate 15 years since his Opry debut.”
The North Carolina native was officially inducted on April 20, 2024.
“What a ride. Looking forward to stepping back into the Circle,” Scotty answered the Opry’s post.
It’s a big year for marking milestones, as he’ll also release his 13-track retrospective collection, titled 15, on July 17.
Happy Pride Month! In honor of the occasion, Billboard has put together a list of the 100 Greatest LGBTQ Anthems of All Time, which features songs from Elton John, Cher, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper and more.
While Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” tops the list, the top 10 includes Ross’ 1980 hit “I’m Coming Out,” which was specifically written by Chic’s Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards for Ross’ gay fans. Madonna’s “Vogue” and Lauper’s “True Colors” are in the top 10, as well.
Other songs making the list include: Elton’s “I’m Still Standing,” Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” Donna Summers’ “I Feel Love,” Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90,” Melissa Etheridge’s “Come to My Window,” Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time,” ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family,” David Bowie’s “Boys Keep Swinging,” Queen’s “I Want To Break Free” and The Kinks’ “Lola.”
SZA performs onstage during the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 04, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
SZA made an appearance at Madison Square Garden on Monday night to support an artist she’s a big fan of: Don Toliver. During a stop on his Octane Tour, she joined him onstage to perform “Used,” their collaboration from her 2022 album SOS.
“Make some noise for Don Toliver,” SZA told the crowd. “Listen, I might be your biggest fan. I’m not joking. Everything you’ve ever made, you know how I already feel. Octane is incredible.”
She was one of several guests to join Toliver onstage throughout the night. Others included Sheck Wes, SahBabii and Peso Pluma, who performed “Mo Bamba,” “K9,” and both “La Bebé (Remix)” and an unreleased collaboration with Toliver. Malcolm Todd also made an appearance for “E85,” which samples his song “Chest Pain (I Love).”
Toliver also ran through tracks from Octane, in addition to some of his biggest hits. According to setlist.fm, the set included “Secondhand,” “Rendezvous,” “ATM,” “Call Back,” “Bandit,” “Tiramisu” and “Too Many Nights.”
Toliver continues the Octane Tour on Tuesday with a stop in Baltimore.
Miles Doughty of Slightly Stoopid performs onstage during Concerts In Your Car’s Slightly Stoopid’s Drive-In Concert at Ventura County Fairgrounds and Event Center on October 09, 2020 in Ventura, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Slightly Stoopid has announced details of the 12th edition of their three-day Closer to the Sun destination music event.
The band is scheduled to play three shows at the festival, taking place Jan. 9-13, 2027, at the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya on the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
The lineup also includes reggae artists Stick Figure and rapper Wiz Khalifa, along with Iration, SOJA, The Movement, Tribal Seeds, Little Stranger and The Hip.
In addition to music, the weekend includes curated activities like workshops, morning yoga and a basketball invitational.
Packages go on sale to returning Closer to the Sun guests June 9, with remaining rooms open to the general public starting June 10. More info and a complete lineup can be found at closertothesun.com.
Next up, Slightly Stoopid will headline their inaugural Field of Dreamz festival on June 13 in their hometown of San Diego. They will also kick off a summer tour on July 23 in Cleveland, wrapping up Aug. 23 in St. Augustine, Florida.
Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne, and Jack Osbourne attend the 23rd Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party on February 22, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for EJAF)
Next year will mark the 25th anniversary of the MTV reality series The Osbournes, which followed the lives of Black Sabbath rocker Ozzy Osbourne, his wife and two of their children. And evidently fans may soon get to experience the show in a whole new way.
“We are in talks with a company now about doing a cartoon of The Osbournes, and it would open up a whole younger audience,” Ozzy’s wife, Sharon Osbourne, told Global Licensing Group at the recent Licensing Expo in Las Vegas.
“Nostalgia is the key word these days, so I think it just, you know, leans a lot in there. It’s 25 year ago,” his son, Jack Osbourne, added. “Since we started distributing the show again there’s a whole new audience out there for it.”
Sharon and Jack also discussed their desire to keep Ozzy’s memory alive.
“I think that it’s, you know, the Ozzy brand and legacy is open for business,” Jack said. Sharon noted, “Ozzy’s not going anywhere. He’s with us and he’s not going anywhere and that’s what it’s all about, to keep his legacy alive.”
Imagine your partner proposing to you — while Harry Styles serenades you both with a love song he just dedicated to you.
That’s what happened to Natália Machado, after she and her boyfriend, Lucas Bajerski, happened to bump into Harry on the street in Amsterdam in May. As People reports, the couple was in town to see Harry perform on his Together, Together tour, and Lucas mentioned that he planned to propose at the concert.
At the show the next night Harry dedicated his song “Golden” to the couple, saying, “Lucas and Natália, this one’s for you.” Lucas got down on one knee and gave Natália a note that read, “You’re So Golden. Casa Comigo?” That means “marry me” in Portuguese.
Lucas tells People, “As soon as I heard that the song was dedicated for us, I did it… and cried.”
Harry then told the crowd that the two had just gotten engaged, and related the story about how they met on the street the previous day. You can see video of the proposal, and of Harry telling the story, on the couple’s Instagram pages.
“It’s … crazy that he represented the situation really well at the show, because it was how it happened, with every detail,” Lucas tells People, adding that Harry “creates an atmosphere of treating people with kindness. … It was one unforgettable night.”
Lucas wrote on Instagram, “Thank you @harrystyles for making this night even more special, thank you for helping me and dedicating an entire song to us! I hope you know that the invitation to be a groomsman is still open!”
Jimi Hendrix street naming admat (Courtesy of Experience Hendrix, L.L.)C
Jimi Hendrix is finally getting a street named after him in New York.
West 8th Street in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, where Hendrix’s legendary Electric Lady Studios is located, was due to be co-named Jimi Hendrix Way back in February, but an extensive snow storm forced the postponement of the event. The naming has now been rescheduled.
The street will get its new name on June 10 at 11 a.m. ET, with the ceremony taking place a block from the studio.
Among those attending the street naming will be E Street Band guitarist Stevie Van Zandt. The event will coincide with the launch of a new education partnership with the rocker’s education initiative TeachRock, which uses music and pop culture to expand learning in schools. The partnership will result in the addition of a Hendrix curriculum for middle and high school students.
Experience Hendrix LLC President and CEO Janie Hendrix will also be on hand for the ceremony, along with Living Colour’s Vernon Reid, singer Valerie Simpson, Hendrix producer Eddie Kramer, NYC District 2 council member Harvey Epstein, and a group of local TeachRock teachers and students.
Clint Black & Midland Live in Concert (Blue Highway Records)
Not only do Midland and Clint Black have a song together on the trio’s new album, they’re also going on tour.
The “Killin’ Time” hitmaker and the “Drinkin’ Problem” boys will do eight shows together starting Oct. 8 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The trek wraps Oct. 24 in Glen Allen, Virginia.
Presales start Wednesday, before tickets become available to the public on Friday.
Jess Carson and Cameron Duddy helped co-write their collab “Up in Texas.” “Drunk Enough” is lead singer Mark Wystrach’s sole co-writing credit on Midland’s Stages album, which drops June 12.
Clint’s autobiography, also titled Killin’ Time, came out May 19.
Natalie Stewart aka The Floacist attends the Pre-MOBO Awards Show at Boisdale of Canary Wharf on November 20, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)/Marsha Ambrosius attends Interscope x Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace celebrating Dr. Dre’s “The Chronic” with a star-studded party hosted by Usher and held in partnership with Meta and ORBIT Gum on February 04, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Interscope)
June marks Black Music Month, and NPR is celebrating it with a lineup showcasing Black talent across various genres.
Set to perform on the platform’s Tiny Desk are Floetry, GENA, Ayra Starr, Joe, The Paradox, Shaboozey, Fred Hammond, Eve, 8Ball & MJG and Bow Wow, who made the announcement on Instagram.
The video begins much like the original theme for the music video countdown show 106 & Park, but with the words “Black Music Tiny Desk Month.”
“Aye, yo, what up? It’s Bow Weezy, Mr. 106 & Park. Ya’ll see where I’m at? I ain’t just taking over 106 & Park, we taking over Tiny Desk, and I’m live in the office right now,” Bow says. “Coming to y’all with something special. All through June, NPR is celebrating Black Music Month and honoring BET’s impact on the culture. And of course the lineup here is crazy. Ten dope performances.”
Bow Wow will host and close out the event, giving fans a glimpse of what to expect from his performance. “We gon stand on some desks, we gone break a couple rules,” he says. “The glass might shatter when we put on ‘Fresh Azizmiz’, but look, I’m gon’ pay for it, it’s nothing.”
“Tiny Desk I can’t wait,” he says, before he contemplates, “Am I Mr. Tiny Desk too now? Should I change my name now? I don’t know. I like this.”
Floetry kicks off the series with a performance featuring songs “Big Ben,” “SupaStar,” “Butterflies,” “Say Yes,” “Getting Late” and “Floetic.” It is available to watch on YouTube.
Björk performs on stage during The BRIT Awards 2026 at Co-op Live on February 28, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Björk has given fans a preview of her new music.
A new song, “Never Bloom,” is part of echolalia, a new exhibition at the National Gallery of Iceland that opened on Saturday.
Björk shared a clip of the song and visuals on Instagram, giving fans some insight into how the work came to be.
In the post, she writes that the visuals were done with painter Natalia Kleszczewska and computer graphics director Natalie Liu, noting Kleszczewska “painted the creatures and the backgrounds” and Liu “shaped the digital dimension of the work.”
In her role as creative director, Björk says she brought in the “singer-songwriter tradition” in which “emotionally precise things happen inside the structure of a song.” She says she guided the color palettes, textures and the “environments the music happens in.”
Björk says creating the visuals for the song took seven months, although she adds that she doesn’t think of herself as a “visual artist,” noting, “because my heart is in music.”
echolalia runs until Sept. 9 at the National Gallery of Iceland. When the exhibition was announced in December it was revealed that the new song was from Björk’s “forthcoming album, currently in development.”
