Music

Chris Janson currently has a top-30 hit with the lighthearted “Me and a Beer.” And even though he’s known for feel-good songs like “Buy Me a Boat” and “Fix a Drink,” there’s a deeper side to the country hitmaker, especially when it comes to the holidays. 

“I have to attribute a lot to my dad for always making Christmas about someone else,” Chris reflects. “He would always pick a family who needed something or families who needed something, and he always kinda prodded me that way.”

“You know, there were a lot of presents and things,” he continues. “But as we all know as adults, especially now — and I knew as a kid, too, I’ve always been kind of aware of it — presents don’t mean a whole lot. It’s really about the gift of giving and really the blessing of someone receiving it who needs it.”

Much of Chris’ charitable work stems from the sale of his signature hat at Bass Pro Shops. 

While he’s yet to record a full-fledged holiday album, he’s well on his way. In 2024 he rerecorded “Christmas in Dixie” with Alabama, which joins his cover of “Holiday Road,” the original “It Is Christmas” and “Run Run Rudolph,” from the 2019 CMA Country Christmas special. 

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The Format has premiered a new song called “Boycott Heaven,” the title track off the band’s upcoming comeback album.

You can watch the “Boycott Heaven” video streaming now on YouTube.

The album Boycott Heaven, which includes the single “Holy Roller,” is due out Jan. 23. It marks the first Format album since 2006’s Dog Problems. The group broke up in 2008, after which frontman Nate Ruess went on to form the band fun.

The Format then reconvened in 2020 for a planned reunion tour, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They reunited again in 2025 for a brief run of fall shows and will embark on a full tour in March.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.) 



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Ravyn Lenae had a huge year: her song “Love Me Not” was a worldwide smash, she got to open for Sabrina Carpenter and Reneé Rapp and she headlined her own sold-out tour. But even with so many highlights, the singer says there’s one specific thing that stood out for her as the #1 moment of 2025.

“I think the biggest highlight for me, being from Chicago, was playing Lollapalooza,” she told ABC Audio at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Friday. “I grew up going to that festival and seeing my favorite artists play. So that was top, top, top for me.”

“There was a moment where I just looked up to the sky and thought about, you know, all the steps it took to get there,” she added. “And you know, being in my city and my family’s there, it just felt really emotional.”

“Love Me Not,” from her critically acclaimed second studio album, Bird’s Eye, became a big hit after it was featured in a TikTok mashup that went viral. But Ravyn believes the appeal of the song is that it’s timeless. 

“Honestly I think the main thing — or the main comment I get — is that the song feels like it could be from any decade, from the fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties,” she explained. “And I think when that happens, you have a song that bridges all types of people from everywhere, from any age. And I think that’s what’s so special about it.” 

You’ll be able to see Ravyn sing “Love Me Not” on ABC’s primetime special Jingle Ball 2025, airing Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. EST, and streaming the next day on Hulu.

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Wolfgang Van Halen opened for shows on Creed‘s 2025 tour with his band Mammoth, and will reunite with the “Higher” rockers at the 2026 edition of their Summer of ’99 and Beyond Festival.

Speaking with ABC Audio about his experience touring with Scott Stapp and company, Wolf allows that Creed “has been a band that’s no stranger to criticism,” which might be an understatement given how many “most hated bands” lists they appear on.

“When you see that they were able to do one of the most successful rock tours of the last two years, it’s incredibly impressive,” Wolf says.

Seeing the Creed machine in action has also left Wolf with a newfound understanding.

“No matter what people say about you, if people are showing up and singing the songs right back at you, at the end of the day nothing else really matters,” Wolf says. 

The 2026 Summer of ’99 and Beyond Festival takes place July 18-19 in Tinley Park, Illinois. Presales begin Tuesday at 10 a.m. CT, and tickets go on sale to the general public Friday at 10 a.m. CT. For the full lineup all ticket info, visit Summerof99Festival.com.

Wolf’s other 2026 plans include a U.S. tour in support of the latest Mammoth album, The End, launching in March, and a Halloween gig opening for Iron Maiden in Chile.

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Kehlani has earned back-to-back Grammy nominations, but her experiences learning about them were different. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Kehlani revealed she was more prepared to receive a Grammy nod for “Folded” than she was when found out she was nominated at the 2025 awards show.

“Last year, I was genuinely shocked. My friend texted me, and he lives in Brazil, so he was just ahead. I was asleep, and he was like, ‘Grammy noms come out today.’ I was like, ‘They’re not worried about me. I’m going back to sleep,'” Kehlani recalls, noting she “woke up to seven missed calls and eight texts.” “I was like, ‘What the f***?’ Especially because ‘After Hours’ and Crash in general had gotten such a polarizing reception. I was shocked.”

This year, however, with the release of “Folded,” Kehlani says everyone was predicting she’d be nominated for the song. “I had this opposite pressure, like, if we don’t get nominated after everybody’s saying this, then all I’m going to have to hear for the next months is how I was snubbed,” Kehlani said. “I don’t need that sitting on my back. I just need to be focused on creating, honestly.”

Kehlani also discussed her upcoming album, which features Usher and production from Ryan Leslie and James Fauntleroy, sharing what she hopes to bring to life with the project.

“I just want people to have an experience. I want people to just love singing and dancing again. It is really that simple,” Kehlani said. “It’s such a personal moment for me right now to be proving myself. I feel so personally just motivated to rewrite my story, and I hope that trickles into the experience that people have. I hope people feel empowered.”

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Turnstile has premiered the video for “LIGHT DESIGN,” a track off the band’s new album, NEVER ENOUGH.

Befitting of the song’s title, the clip follows a spotlight that showcases the different Turnstile members. It’s co-directed by frontman Brendan Yates and guitarist Pat McCrory.

The “LIGHT DESIGN” video is now streaming on YouTube.

NEVER ENOUGH, the follow-up to 2021’s GLOW ON, was released in June. It was accompanied by a visual album that premiered at the 2025 Tribeca Festival.

NEVER ENOUGH is nominated for best rock album at the 2026 Grammys, while songs from the record will compete in the best rock song, best rock performance, best alternative music performance and best metal performance categories. Turnstile is the first act to receive nominations for rock, alternative and metal categories all in the same year.

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Beyoncé invited the whole world to her hoedown in 2025.

Pollstar, which tracks the touring industry, has put Queen B on top of its year-end chart of the Top 200 Worldwide Top Touring Artists and the same chart for North America, thanks to her Cowboy Carter tour. The rankings are based on how much each artist made on the road from Nov. 14, 2024, through Nov. 12, 2025.

Worldwide, Bey was tops with $407.6 million; roughly $306 million of that came from North America alone. Other artists who made the top 10 on Pollstar‘s worldwide chart include Coldplay, Shakira, The Weeknd, Imagine Dragons, Lady Gaga and Post Malone.

In North America, the top 10 list also includes The Weeknd, Post Malone and Shakira, plus the Eagles and Taylor Swift.

Bey has also done a rare Q&A for Pollstar‘s year-end issue, in which she discusses her Cowboy Carter tour. The issue will be available on Dec. 15.

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Yee-haw! Beyoncé is the #1 touring artist in the world and North America, according to Pollstar, a trade publication for the concert and live music industry. She secured the top position thanks to her 2025 Cowboy Carter tour, grossing nearly $400 million worldwide with 1,596,165 tickets sold. In North America, she earned nearly $306 million, selling a total of 1,105,741 tickets.

Other artists to make the top 10 on Pollstar‘s Top 200 Worldwide Top Touring Artists are Kendrick Lamar and SZA at #4, The Weeknd at #6 and Chris Brown at #7. 

Kendrick and SZA, who launched their Grand National Tour in 2025, are also in the top 10 on the list of top 200 North America touring artists; they are at #3. They follow #2 artist The Weeknd, while Chris, who traveled for his Breezy Bowl in 2025, secures the fifth spot.

“The 2025 Year End charts highlight both the remarkable power of today’s top touring artists and the evolving dynamics of the global marketplace,” Andy Gensler, Pollstar’s editor-in-chief, said in a statement. “While overall grosses eased slightly after last year’s record-setting peak, the strength of this year’s Top 10, led by Beyoncé’s dual number one finish and groundbreaking ‘Cowboy Carter Tour,’ showcase the artists who broke through, pushed boundaries and kept live music at the center of culture.”

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