Music

The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, with Shania Twain hosting.

Here’s the complete rundown of the winners:

Entertainer of the year
Cody Johnson

Female artist of the year
Ella Langley

Male artist of the year 
Cody Johnson

Group of the year 
The Red Clay Strays

Duo of the year
Brooks & Dunn

New female artist of the year
Avery Anna

New male artist of the year 
Tucker Wetmore

Album of the year
Parker McCollum, Parker McCollum

Song of the year
“Choosin’ Texas,” Ella Langley (Ella Langley, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor)

Single of the yer
“Choosin’ Texas,” Ella Langley

Music event of the year
“Don’t Mind If I Do,” Riley Green feat. Ella Langley

Visual media of the year
“Cuckoo,” Stephen Wilson, Jr.

Songwriter of the year
Jessie Jo Dillon

Artist-songwriter of the year
Ella Langley

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Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith reprised his role as Will Ferrell’s doppelgänger during Saturday’s episode of Saturday Night Live.

Smith took the stage as soon as the show began with the announcer introducing Ferrell as the host. He pretended to be the Anchorman star and launched into the opening monologue before the real Ferrell appeared and demanded Smith leave.

The episode’s musical guest, Beatles icon Paul McCartney, then joined Ferrell onstage, but kept insisting that the real Ferrell was actually Smith, telling him, “Get back behind the drums where you belong.”

Smith did indeed get back behind the drums to play alongside McCartney for his performances of “Band on the Run” and the new song “Days We Left Behind.”

As many have pointed out, Smith and Ferrell do bear a striking resemblance to each other, which they previously played into when they competed in a drum battle on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon back in 2014.

(Videos contain uncensored profanity.) 

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Paul McCartney was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live where he performed a new song, two classics and even got to show off his comedy chops.

The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer gave fans a preview of his upcoming album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, dropping May 29, by performing the album’s first single, “Days We Left Behind.” He then broke out the classic Wings track “Band on the Run” for his second performance. He returned for a third song, performing “Coming Up” over the closing credits, with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith backing him on the drum kit for all three songs.

Smith, who many people think looks awfully similar to the night’s host Will Ferrell, also played a part in McCartney’s first comedic moment. He came out to start the monologue pretending to be Ferrell, before Ferrell kicked him off the stage. The real host then took questions from the audience, going right to McCartney who asked Ferrell, “What do you think you’re doing, Chad?”

Ferrell then called McCartney up to the stage where he listed all the great songs he has written, all the while the former Beatle continued to think he was Smith, at one point telling him, “Get back behind the drums where you belong,” an obvious nod to The Beatles song “Get Back.”

McCartney later returned for another sketch, Mechanics, which poked fun at how it feels to talk to a mechanic. McCartney played the chief mechanic alongside Ferrell and Marcello Hernandez, who all badly explain to a couple what’s wrong with their car and how much it costs. 

(Videos includes uncensored profanity.)

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Harry Styles launched his Together, Together tour Saturday night in Amsterdam and thrilled fans with a setlist that was heavy on material from his latest album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally, but still included his biggest hits.

According to Setlist.fm, the show’s intro music was Elvis Presley’s version of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” — the original version of that track inspired “Carla’s Song” on the new album. Variety reports the audience was next shown a video of Harry walking through a garden and receiving a phone call: a woman asking him, “Harry, are you coming out tonight?”

The show began with a track from the new album — “Are You Listening Yet?” — before a run of older favorites: “Golden,” “Adore You,” “Watermelon Sugar” and “Music for a Sushi Restaurant.”

Next up were two more new songs — “Taste Back” and “Coming Up Roses,” the latter performed with a string section. As per Variety, Harry ended what he called “act one of the show” with “Fine Line,” and promised that in act two, “We’ll be dancing.”

Act two opened with an instrumental called “Italian Girls,” as per USA Today, followed by “American Girls” and “Keep Driving.”  He then played a series of songs from the new album, with “Treat People with Kindness” thrown in. The main show ended with a medley of “Carla’s Song” and “Satellite,” followed by “Aperture.”

The encore included “Matilda,” “Sign of the Times” and “As It Was.”

Here’s the set list, according to Setlist.fm:

“Are You Listening Yet?”
“Golden”
“Adore You”
“Watermelon Sugar”
“Music for a Sushi Restaurant”
“Taste Back”
“Coming Up Roses”
“Fine Line”
“Italian Girls” (instrumental)
“American Girls”
“Keep Driving”
“Ready Steady Go”
“Dance No More”
“Treat People with Kindness”
“Pop”
“Season 2 Weight Loss”
“Carla’s Song/Satellite”
“Aperture”
“Matilda”
“Sign of the Times”
“As It Was”

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A North American release has been announced for a new documentary about late former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno.

The film, titled Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer, will be available on DVD/Blu-ray and digital VOD on June 9. 

That same day, the doc will screen at the Lumiere Music Hall Theater in Beverly Hills, California, and will be followed by a Q&A with director Wes Orshoski.

Di’Anno sang on Maiden’s first two albums, 1980’s self-titled debut and 1981’s Killers, before parting ways with the band and being replaced by current-day Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson. 

The documentary will feature appearance by Maiden bassist Steve Harris, Metallica’s James Hetfield and KISS’ Gene Simmons.

Di’Anno died in 2024 at age 66. He’ll be posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Maiden as part of its 2026 class.

Meanwhile, a documentary about Iron Maiden called Burning Ambition is currently in theaters.

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Jack Johnson has announced the theatrical premiere of his documentary, SURFILMUSIC.

The doc will screen in cinemas across the U.S. starting on June 5. For the full list of theaters and all ticket info, visit SURFILMUSIC.JackJohnsonMusic.com.

SURFILMUSIC, which previously premiered at the 2026 South by Southwest festival, “traces how Johnson’s early years making surf films with close friends became a foundation for a much broader creative life, capturing moments in and out of the water that later surfaced in his songwriting,” a press release says.

The SURFILMUSIC soundtrack is out now. Johnson will launch a U.S. tour in June.

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Madonna’s upcoming album, Confessions II is a dance album, but one track was inspired by the tragic death of her brother, Christopher Ciccone. According to the U.K. paper The Sun, producer Stuart Price discussed the song, called “Fragile,” during a playback session for the album.

“Madonna’s gone on record to say she lost her brother during the making of the record,” said Price, as per The Sun. Ciccone, Madonna’s youngest brother, died of cancer in October 2024 at age 63.

“It was a process of grieving. Madonna was really just being at the height of her expression, and her vulnerable side, which appears on this record, I think is really great to hear,” Price continued. “Personally, my observation is that her greatest successes as an artist are where she’s documenting who she is, where she’s at, what she’s seeing. Sometimes it’s not comfortable, sometimes it’s not obvious.”

Price also shared details about Madonna’s Sabrina Carpenter duet, “Bring Your Love,” revealing the pair recorded the song together in the same New York City studio. “Their physical chemistry from the second they got together in the studio was really immediate. They were funny together,” he revealed.

In addition, Price said that he and Madonna recorded Confessions II using the same microphone they used on her 2005 album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. 

“The through line on this record is absolutely just the telling of life,” he noted.

Confessions II arrives on July 3.

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Kevin Jonas debuted his new solo single, “Little Things,” live Wednesday night during the Jonas Brothers’ show  in São Paulo, Brazil. Now, the song is officially out. It marks only his second solo release, following last year’s “Changing.” In a statement, Kevin says the song is inspired by his wife, Danielle Jonas. “My wife and I have been married for 17 years,” he says. “There are little moments during our time together that trigger my joy and happiness and remind me exactly why I’m still with her.”

Harry Styles launches his Together, Together tour in Amsterdam on Saturday, and the whole city is ready to dance. Johan Cruijff Arena, where Harry will perform 10 shows, posted a video on Instagram showing iconic Amsterdam landmarks transformed into mirrored disco balls — just like the one on the cover of Harry’s album Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. Robyn will open all 10 dates.

New Kids on the Block have been announced as performers on the American Music Awards, taking place in Las Vegas May 25 and airing on CBS and Paramount+. They join a lineup that includes Teddy Swims, sombr, KATSEYE, Hootie & the Blowfish and Billy Idol. Queen Latifah will host the show.

While you’re waiting for Ariana Grande’s new album petal to drop, you can listen to a new song by her brother, Frankie Grande. He’s released his version of Céline Dion’s hit “I Drove All Night, which he performs nightly in the Broadway musical Titanique. Frankie says this version is “faster,” “gayer” and “unapologetically made for the dance floor.”

Shaggy has released a new album, Lottery, featuring his pal Sting, as well as guests Robin Thicke, Akon and Rayvon, who sang on Shaggy’s 2001 #1 hit “Angel.”

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Members of two iconic hip-hop groups have joined forces to form a new supergroup. FREEDOM is made up of DMC from Run-DMC, and Public Enemy’s DJ Johnny Juice and Brian Hardgroove. The group says the goal is to deliver messages of resilience and unity through music while bridging generations.

They’ve kicked off their run with “I’m on Your Side,” which is out now. It’s described in a press release as “an anthem for today’s uncertain times” and “a rallying cry for those who refuse to stay silent in the face of corruption, chaos and freedom collapsing.”

With a mission “to reclaim one’s own voice where truth and democracy are under attack,” the group encourages engagement, hoping to “inspire people to move beyond passive listening” and take tangible actions for freedom. The release adds that the song “will remind fans that the fight for freedom is deeply personal, rooted in courage, empathy, hope.”

The music video for “I’m on Your Side,” now streaming on YouTube, was filmed in New York in a single day. 

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