Music

Lainey Wilson and Ella Langley are tops on the Billboard country charts, both with songs inspired by the Lone Star State.

Ella’s song “Choosin’ Texas” is #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, while Lainey’s “Somewhere Over Laredo” is #1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. This is only the sixth time since those charts have existed side by side that the #1 spots have been held down by solo female artists.

The charts, one of which combines radio airplay with sales and streaming, and one of which focuses solely on radio airplay, came into being in 2012. The first two women to top them were Carrie Underwood with “Blown Away” on Airplay and Taylor Swift with “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” on Country Songs that year.

In 2016, Kelsea Ballerini was tops on both charts. In 2020, it was Gabby Barrett and Maren Morris, and then Gabby and Miranda Lambert. In 2021, it was Gabby on both charts. 

This is Ella’s first #1 on Hot Country Songs; it’s Lainey’s fifth #1 on Country Airplay.

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Billie Eilish and sombr are among the artists included in Spotify’s 2025 “Wrapped” recap.

Eilish’s songs “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” and “WILDFLOWER” are #2 and #10, respectively, on the top 10 songs globally ranking, while sombr’s “back to friends” is #6. Both Eilish songs are off her 2024 album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, which is #3 on the top 10 albums globally list.

Overall, Eilish is Spotify’s #5 artist globally of 2025.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, sombr named Eilish as one of his biggest influences.

“Billie Eilish, when I first heard her music, I considered it to be alternative pop, and I relate,” sombr says. “I feel like I make alternative music now.”

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That “Something Beautiful” on Miley Cyrus‘ finger is indeed an engagement ring.

In an interview with ABC’s Chris Connelly on Good Morning America that aired Wednesday, Miley, 33, confirmed that she and her boyfriend of four years, Maxx Morando, 27, are getting married. Maxx popped the question during the couple’s recent trip to Asia.

Asked if Maxx got down on one knee, Miley said yes, adding, “And I’m not easy to surprise. I love to control every situation. And I had completely surrendered, and I’m telling you, I was so, so surprised.” 

Miley shared her news while being interviewed for Avatar: Fire and Ash, James Cameron‘s new film, for which she co-wrote and recorded the song “Dream As One.” Asked if she and Maxx “dream as one,” Miley said yes, adding, “Me and Maxx have been together for four years and it’s obvious the amount of growth I’ve had in those four years.”

“You wanna dream the biggest you can and you wanna have someone by your side that always tells you you can do it,” she said.

Maxx, who is in the band Liily, has been linked to Miley since 2021, according to People. That year, they were photographed holding hands while they sat front row at the Gucci Love Parade in Hollywood.

In an interview with The Cut in September, Miley shared how much Maxx means to her.

“I ended up with a person who means a lot to me and treats me really well and respects me,” she said. “I had to learn that the hard way because my mommy taught me the wrong way and then I had to learn the right way by myself.”

The couple’s engagement comes six years after Miley and her first husband, actor Liam Hemsworth, filed for divorce.

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When Taylor Swift started dating Travis Kelce, she certainly turned a spotlight on the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs. But the team’s president reveals that he promised Travis early on that he wouldn’t try to use their relationship for publicity — or to make money.

While appearing on the Up & Adams Show, Chiefs President Mark Donovan told sportscaster Kay Adams that early on in the couple’s romance, he told Travis, “Look, we are going to treat you and your relationship with the same respect that we treat any other player and coach’s relationship.”

“It’s a relationship. We’re not going to monetize it, we’re not going to go out there and go crazy.”

“We’re not taking advantage of this relationship,” Donovan continued, saying that they “never played a Taylor Swift song in the stadium when she’s in the building” and “we never showed Taylor on our big boards in our stadium. Never.”

“Taylor’s been amazing to us. It’s been nothing but good. She is a phenomenon. But she is just a special, kind person,” Donovan said, insisting that the team has always been “respectful.” He said Travis prefers it that way, too.

“Travis, to his credit, is all about team and he’s all about the guys, and he’s all about being part of a team and not being separate,” he said. “And he said, ‘That separates me. When we’re playing a game, when we’re in that stadium, it’s about us. And I want it to be about us.'”

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Alex Warren‘s duet with Jelly Roll, “Bloodline,” was released in May, but it’s only now climbing the radio charts. It’s ironic, considering that Alex says he and his collaborators specifically designed the song to be a summer bop.

“I actually wrote that song for a DJ,” Alex explains. “I was in my [songwriting] camp, writing my album, and we had been reached out to by someone and they were asking us to, you know, write a summer song. Like, a really cool summer song.”

“We were like, ‘Heck yeah, we can do that,'” recalls Alex. “We sat around a fire. It took us like two hours and we wrote ‘Bloodline.'”

However, “Bloodline” isn’t exactly a happy summer song. Although the music is upbeat, the lyrics convey a powerful message about breaking the cycle of generational trauma. It was specifically inspired by Alex’s brother, who was in a dark place following the death of their alcoholic mother. But according to Alex, that’s just how he rolls when it comes to his music.

“Besides the love songs, there’s no happy music,” he says of his catalog. “It’s all sad, but I make them sound happy. So that way I feel like it’s not depressing when you’re trying to feel better about yourself.”

Despite its personal lyrics, Alex believes the message of “Bloodlines” can be universal.

As he notes, “I think even the sentiments, like, you know, ‘You always have tomorrow’ is such a cool sentiment, regardless of what it’s about.” 

In other Alex Warren news, after teasing a special guest on a new version of “Eternity” — another one of his upbeat sad songs — he’s revealed the artist is Gigi Perez. The song is dropping Thursday.

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Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver frontman Scott Weiland died on Dec. 3, 2015, 10 years ago Wednesday.

Weiland founded STP alongside guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz in San Diego in 1989. The debut STP album, Core, was released in 1992.

As the grunge explosion was happening farther north in Seattle, STP’s similar brand of alternative rock was dismissed by critics as an imitation of the real thing. Even still, Core was a hit with fans, spawning the singles “Plush,” “Creep” and “Sex Type Thing,” and eventually earning eight-times Platinum certification by the RIAA.

1994’s Purple was similarly successful thanks to the singles “Vasoline,” “Interstate Love Song” and “Big Empty” on its way to being certified six-times Platinum.

STP released three more albums before breaking up in 2003. Weiland’s drug use, which led to stints in jail and rehab, as well as interpersonal issues with the other band members, contributed to the breakup.

Weiland then joined up with Velvet Revolver, a new band featuring Slash and Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses. The group put out two albums, 2004’s Contraband and 2007’s Libertad, spawning singles including “Slither,” “Fall to Pieces” and “She Builds Quick Machines.”

Weiland departed Velvet Revolver in 2008 and reunited with STP that year. The reformed band put out a self-titled record in 2010 before firing Weiland in 2013. STP continued on with Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, who left the band in 2015.

Weiland, who’d previously released two solo albums, launched a new solo project called Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts. He was on tour with the Wildabouts when he was found dead of an accidental overdose on his tour bus at age 48.

STP has continued with singer Jeff Gutt, who joined in 2017.

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Foo Fighters and All Time Low have earned new #1 hits on the Billboard rock charts.

Dave Grohl and company’s latest single, “Asking for a Friend,” has reached the top of the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, giving them a total of 15 leaders on the ranking.

The Foos now claim sole possession of the fourth-most #1s in the history of Mainstream Rock Airplay, behind only Shinedown, Three Days Grace and Five Finger Death Punch. They were previously tied with Metallica, who have a total of 14 #1s.

“Asking for a Friend” marks the second new Foo Fighters single of 2025, following “Today’s Song.” The band’s most recent album is 2023’s But Here We Are.

All Time Low, meanwhile, conquers the Alternative Airplay chart with “The Weather,” the current single off the band’s new album, Everyone’s Talking!

“The Weather” gives All Time Low a total of three #1 Alternative Airplay hits, following the blackbear-featuring “Monsters” and the single “Sleepwalking.”

Everyone’s Talking!, the follow-up to 2023’s Tell Me I’m Alive, dropped in October.

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