Ed Sheeran didn’t just write a song for the upcoming animated filmZootopia 2 — he’s also in the sequel. Well, his voice is, anyway.
Ed, Shakira and songwriter/producer Blake Slatkin teamed up to cowrite “Zoo,” a new song for film, which will be performed by Shakira’s animated character, Gazelle, Zootopia’s biggest pop star.
But Ed and Slatkin also make cameos in the film. They voice a pair of sheep named Ed Shearin and Baalake Lambkin. Ed has appeared in a number of TV shows and movies in the past, though the only animated voice-over he’s done has been in an episode of The Simpsons.
The song “Zoo” arrives Oct. 10; the movie itself hits theaters Nov. 26. In it, Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman return as detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, who must investigate a snake voiced by Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan.
AUGUST 08: Kid Cudi performs onstage during Sziget Festival on August 08, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage)
Following the August release of his latest album, Free, Kid Cudi has dropped another song. “Once” serves as a letter to his fans that announces his musical hiatus.
“This is a goodbye for now song,” Cudi wrote on Soundcloud, the platform on which he shared the song. “It was produced by myself with my homie Sebastian addin’ extra sauce here and there. Taking a break but wanted to leave u [with] something special and from the heart. [You’ll] be hearing me featured on my friends’ albums but as far as me, I gotta step into the shadows and focus on my other dreams.”
“Once” arrives following a video in which Cudi further explains his reason for releasing the song.
“It’s gonna be a while between now and the next Kid Cudi album,” he said, noting he’ll be taking a “pretty lengthy break.” “So I wanted to leave you with a little something that could motivate you, uplift you. … I made it earlier this year, just f****** around in the studio.”
In addition to making music, Cudi has ventured off to Hollywood, releasing his 2022 animated musical film and television special Entergalactic and directing his first film, Mr. Miracle, in which he also starred. He also created a comic book series, Moon Man, and recently launched his Wzrd fashion label.
Aaron Watson‘s new song, “Pontiac (So Tell Me Momma),” previews his new album, A Horse Named Texas, which comes out in March 2026.
Chris Janson kicks off his Wild Horses Untamed Tour Oct. 3 in Laramie, Wyoming. The trek takes its name from his new Wild Horses album, which features his current hit, “Me & a Beer.”
Willie Nelson‘s new album, Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle, comes out Nov. 7 and includes 11 covers of songs by the late Merle Haggard. It’s Willie’s 78th solo album.
Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine performs at Day 3 at Cala Mijas Festival 2023 on September 02, 2023 in Mijas, Spain. (Bianca de Vilar/WireImage)
In 2023, Florence + the Machinecanceled a run of tour dates after frontwoman Florence Welch underwent “emergency surgery” that “saved [her] life.” Now, Welch is going into detail about what happened.
Welch tells The Guardian that she had a miscarriage after becoming pregnant for the first time. Upon a follow-up visit to her doctor, she learned that the pregnancy had become ectopic, resulting in internal bleeding.
“The closest I came to making life was the closest I came to death,” Welch says. “And I felt like I had stepped through this door, and it was just full of women, screaming.”
Welch had been feeling unwell leading up to the follow-up visit, but felt better upon performing a show.
“I didn’t want to go for the scan,” Welch says. “I thought, ‘I’ve done this show, I’m fine, I can cope.’ But my doctor’s insistence that I come in saved my life.”
At the appointment, the doctor found that Welch’s fallopian tube had ruptured and she had “a Coke can’s worth of blood in my abdomen.” She underwent the operation within the hour.
“And then, that was that,” Welch says. “Ten days later, I was back on stage.”
Florence + the Machine will release a new album, Everybody Scream, on Oct. 31.
(L-R) Steven Van Zandt and Bruce Springsteen attend the New York Film Festival Spotlight Gala at Alice Tully Hall on September 28, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for 20th Century Studios)
While the Bruce Springsteen movie Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere doesn’t hit theaters until Oct. 24, it is already receiving high praise from one of The Boss’ bandmates.
E Street Band guitarist Stevie Van Zandt attended the New York Film Festival premiere of the movie on Sunday and shared his thoughts on the film on X. He calls it a “stunning, meditative, masterful work of art.”
“No one is expecting this. In the modern world of AI, Green Screens, Comic Books, and Video Games, this work stands alone,” he adds. “If filmmaking still matters at the Academy, this should win everything.”
He ends the post, “Let’s hope this brings back the era when greatness WAS commercial.”
And Van Zandt’s wife, Maureen Van Zandt,agrees with her hubby’s assessment.
“This is a beautiful, profoundly moving film with a spectacular cast,” she writes on X. “Brought to tears both times we’ve seen it. Bravo to Bruce and all involved.”
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere opens in theaters and IMAX on Oct. 24. Tickets are on sale now.
Much like Dolly Parton did with “Jolene,” Meghan Patrick is squaring off with the other woman in her new track.
“‘Jessica, Jezebel’ is about the kind of woman who isn’t just a homewrecker, but who makes a hobby out of pursuing other women’s husbands,” Megan says. “It’s meant to be an empowering song for any woman who has encountered a ‘Jessica’ and felt the pain and betrayal caused by, first and foremost, their husband, but also the woman who pursued him, knowing the pain she was causing another woman.”
Meghan co-wrote the song, her first new music since 2024’s Golden Child. The title track is the Canadian singer’s biggest hit so far in the U.S., currently continuing its climb in country’s top 30.
Young Thug attends a Back-to-School Event at Hosea Helps on August 2, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage)
Young Thug returned on Sunday to the Fulton County Courthouse where his RICO trial took place to put on a special show for some of his fans. He performed songs from his new album, Uy Scuti, as well as “Digits,” “Ski” and other hits from his discography.
“This place shaped me — changed my life. … Shout-out to the whole police academy for letting me perform here,” he said. “This is not the place to be on the bad side, life is much more than this. That’s why I wanted to do it here. This isn’t a flex. … This place changed my life forever.”
He continued, “We got rid of our problems and I hope you find a way to get rid of yours. Life is precious, so I just want everybody to be better. Even if it’s worth something, it’s not worth losing people. It’s not worth living that type of life.”
Thug was arrested in 2022 as part of the YSL RICO investigation; he was released in 2024 after taking a plea deal.
He’s since released his new album, Uy Scuti, which features cover art of him in white face.
“‘You want to be the biggest n**** in this motherf****** world, you got to be Eminem. I just put the white album cover out, just talking s***. It’s just all fun s***, though. I ain’t with none of that political s***. We having fun, it’s music, and you shouldn’t take it so serious,” he said on the It’s Up There podcast. “It’s not like we make it out alive, anyway. We all gon’ die, no matter what. You got to choose to be happy and put in the world what you want … and the legacy you want to create for yourself, ’cause that’s what it’s about.”
Morgan Evans is turning the page in his career, signing with a new label and getting ready to release new music.
“Beer Back Home” will arrive Oct. 10 as his first song for Virgin Music Group.
“I’m stoked to partner with Virgin Music Group on this record,” the Aussie native says. “They’ve built a global team that gets Nashville, Europe, Australia, and they get me. The industry’s changing fast, but their model keeps artists in control, especially creatively.”
“I couldn’t be prouder of this new music or more excited to share it with the world alongside the legends at VMG. Let’s go!” he adds.
“Beer Back Home” was recorded in Nashville and is the lead single from a new album due in early 2026.
Morgan plans to perform it for the first time with his band on Feb. 14, when he plays the Howlin’ Country festival in his hometown of Newcastle alongside Lainey Wilson.
You’re also likely to hear 2018’s “Kiss Somebody,” which topped the chart and is his biggest hit so far.
Madonna and Jay Shetty, ‘On Purpose with Jay Shetty’ (Ricardo Gomes)
During her first-ever podcast interview, Madonna revealed that she contemplated taking her own life, but her spiritual practice helped her work through it.
Appearing on Jay Shetty‘s On Purpose podcast, Madonna discusses her study of Kabbalah, which is a form of Jewish mysticism, and how she never could have dealt with certain challenges without it.
“There were moments in my life where … I actually contemplated suicide,” she tells Shetty. “And that probably sounds really weird coming from me, ’cause I’m not emo. … But I was like, ‘I can’t take this pain anymore.'”
Asked what challenge caused her to feel that way, Madonna reveals, “One of the most painful moments in my life where I could, I honestly couldn’t see the forest for the trees, was when I went through a custody battle with my son. … Someone taking, trying to take my child away from me was like, they might as well just kill me.”
That battle took place in 2016, when Madonna’s son Rocco Ritchie, who she shares with ex-husband Guy Ritchie, left her during her Rebel Heart tour and went to live with his father in London. After a lot of legal back-and-forth, the couple resolved the matter privately.
“I was on tour at the time, so I had to go on stage every night,” Madonna recalled. “I would just be lying on the floor of my dressing room sobbing. I really thought it was the end of the world. I couldn’t take it … but thank God I don’t feel that way anymore.”
As for how Kabbalah helped her through it, Madonna explains, “As soon you understand that what’s happening to you is a challenge that you are karmically meant to experience and learn from and evolve to a higher level of consciousness, then you can look at that event, that experience as a lesson and not punishment.”
If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or by visiting 988lifeline.org. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
Snoop Dogg at 19th annual TIME100 Gala. Getty Images.
Snoop Dogg is reprising his role as an NBCUniversal correspondent for the Olympics in February. NBCUniversal reports he will work alongside NBC Olympics host Mike Tirico and “explore northern Italy, from the vibrant streets of Milan to the breathtaking Dolomites, providing his unique perspective to viewers during NBCUniversal’s Winter Olympic primetime coverage.”
Snoop announced his return on Instagram Sunday, sharing a post where he’s captured rocking Team USA gear and looking out at some snowy mountains. He then turns around and says to the camera, “Guess who’s back?” before breaking out to the Olympic theme song.
“I am excited to be back with my main man Mike Tirico for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina,” Snoop says in a press release. “The D O double G will be on the scene, and I am looking forward to celebrating with the athletes and their families. The Olympics is the biggest stage in the world and, as everyone knows, I’m all about sports, bringing people together, and unifying while bringing the fun. I’ll be bringing my puffy jackets, snow pants, goggles, skates (and will definitely be iced out).”
Snoop’s return as correspondent for the Olympics follows his debut in Paris in summer 2024, during which he carried the Olympic torch and watched equestrian with Martha Stewart, among other things.
The 2026 Winter Games will take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy; the opening ceremony starts Feb. 6 and airs on NBC and Peacock.
