Music

Bruce Springsteen was honored with the 2026 Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award by the Tribeca Festival in New York City Saturday.

After an opening speech by Tribeca founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal, U2 frontman Bono introduced Springsteen, noting, “Bruce made poetry from the voices of the people and set that poetry to music. We honor him tonight as a musician and poet and as an activist and a patriot.”

During the pair’s discussion, they touched on the current divisive political climate and Springsteen’s most recent protest tour.

“I don’t even really consider myself an activist,” Bruce said at one point. “I’m a little embarrassed to get this award tonight cause I feel like at best I’m a concerned citizen.”

He added, “What do I do, you know,  I sing my songs, I say a few things and wish for the best.” “There’s so many people … who do so much more than I do,” he noted, pointing to Bono as one of them.

In a lighter moment, Bono talked about trying to get Springsteen to let them use his 2008 song “Girls in Their Summer Clothes” for a Gap ad tied to Bono’s (RED) campaign, with Bruce turning him down.

“That was a big mistake,” Springsteen said. “That was just a song that, I love that song. Damn it, I still think back: ‘Bono asked you to put this thing on a commercial on television.’ I should have f***** done it! People would hear it like a hit, you know? So I have to apologize.”

The afternoon ended with Patti Smith, backed by Tony Shanahan, performing “Peaceable Kingdom,” with a snippet of “People Have the Power.”  Then Springsteen and Bono joined them for a full rendition of “People Have the Power.”

Springsteen wrapped the event with a solo acoustic performance of his 2012 track “Land of Hope and Dreams.”

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The Revivalists have premiered a new song called “Get It Honest,” the title track off the band’s upcoming album.

“‘Get It Honest’ came to me in a dream,” says frontman David Shaw in a statement. “It woke me up and pretty much demanded my attention right then and there. So there I was at 3 AM, lying in bed next to my wife, typing out the lyrics to what would become the song.”

He continues, “Songs can come in all sorts of ways and carry various messages, too, but the most important takeaway from this for me is that they always find a way to hit you right when you need them the most or maybe when you can actually ‘hear’ them.”

You can watch the lyric video for “Get It Honest” on YouTube.

Get It Honest, the follow-up to 2023’s Pour It Out into the Night, drops July 24. It also includes the previously released songs “Heart Stop” and “Razorblades and Runways.”

The Revivalists will be touring the U.S. throughout the summer and fall.

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Billy Morrison has released a new song called “Hollow,” the title track off the Billy Idol guitarist’s upcoming album.

“The title track to my new album was inspired by the life that I led when I was homeless and addicted to heroin,” Morrison says in a statement. “Begging for money on the streets and being the guy that people crossed the street from, I would watch people’s faces as they walked towards me, gradually realizing they had to walk past me and being disgusted at how dirty I was, or that I was begging for change. That leaves an indelible mark on your soul and the song is about slowly crawling out of that hollow life.”

The “Hollow” lyric video is now streaming on YouTube.

The album Hollow is due out Aug. 7. It also includes the single “Becoming,” which features Godsmack’s Sully Erna and Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt.

Hollow also includes guest spots from Marilyn Manson, The Offspring’s Dexter Holland, Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, Billy Idol’s Steve Stevens and rappers Chuck D, B-Real and DMC.

Morrison’s last album was 2024’s The Morrison Project, which includes the Ozzy Osbourne collaboration “Crack Cocaine.” 

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Michael Jackson’s music has seen a resurgence thanks to renewed interest generated by the Michael biopic, and Jimmy Jam is thrilled about it. Speaking to ABC Audio on the red carpet of the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony, he shared his excitement about seeing MJ’s music return to the Billboard charts.

“Great music has no expiration date,” he says, noting Michael worked with “a dream team of great collaborators,” including Quincy Jones, Benjamin Wright and Rod Temperton.

“It was just the best musicians, the best arrangers, the best producer all coming together for some musical moments that we’ll never forget,” he adds. “I’m happy that young people are embracing it and realizing almost what they’re not hearing in music is exactly what existed on those albums.” 

Michael’s Thriller currently sits at #6 on the Billboard 200, followed by his Number Ones compilation at #7.

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It’s been a month since Brad Paisley launched his new Tacklebox project, and it’s time for an update: His latest addition, “Someone Else’s Arms,” is out now and features Miranda Lambert.

He’s added six tracks so far, drawing from his vast catalog of unreleased and unrecorded songs: “Fallin’,” “This Town Ain’t Small Enough,” “Without You,” “Hi Ho Silverado (featuring David Lee Murphy),” “Overnight Low” and “Helen Back.” 

Look for more new additions in the weeks to come. 

Brad’s currently touring Europe, before he returns to the States to play Provo, Utah, July 4 and resume his U.S. tour.

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Thanks to Ariana Grande, there will soon be brighter days ahead for some organizations that support vulnerable communities.

Ari has launched The Brighter Days Ahead Foundation, which comprises four core funds: Protect & Defend, focused on LGBTQ+ rights, civil rights and reproductive justice; Heal & Dream, which expands access to mental health care and community support; Seen & Celebrated, which ensures LGBTQ+ voices and stories are heard and shared; and Emergency Support, which provides “rapid support and relief during times of collective need,” according to a press release.

Ari says in a statement, “I am beyond excited to finally announce the brighter days ahead foundation. Our mission is to support, protect, and provide resources for our vulnerable friends in need.”

She adds that the foundation will be “supporting handfuls of incredible organizations that provide the safe space and care that is desperately needed by so many right now.”

“It has been my privilege to be able to support these causes on my own over the years, and I’m grateful to now be able to expand that reach and amplify the life-saving work that these organizations do,” she concludes. 

In more lighthearted Ariana news, her brother, Frankie Grande, appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday. He told Jimmy that he met Céline Dion soon after Ariana had done one of her famous Céline Dion impressions on his show.

“And so I was there in Vegas and Céline comes literally running up to me and she’s like, ‘Oh my God, Frankie, you have to tell your sister when she did me on Jimmy Fallon I peed!’” Frankie related, doing his own impression of the Canadian diva. “She goes, ‘I was laughing so hard I peed myself! I peed!’”

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Taylor Swift’s new Toy Story 5 song “I Knew It, I Knew You” has scored the first of what will likely be multiple chart milestones.

The song has debuted at #1 on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart; it’s her seventh charttopper across the pond. She is tied with Michael Jackson, George Michael and U2 in terms of artists who’ve all scored seven #1 singles on that chart. 

Taylor is also now the first non-British artist to score two U.K. #1 hits in 2026; in February, she topped the chart with “Opalite.” The only other artist who’s had two U.K. #1 hits in 2026 is Harry Styles, with “Aperture” and “American Girls.”

Taylor wrote the song after the artist who’s most associated with Toy Story, Randy Newman, said it was OK for her to do so. Newman wrote and performed the franchise’s signature tune, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” plus several other songs for the movie series.

In ABC’s new 20/20 special Toy Story: 30 Years and Beyond, which airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, Taylor says that Newman has been “amazing and supportive and encouraging” in welcoming her to the franchise.

“Knowing I had his blessing to enter this world was really special for me and kind of helped ease what might have been a stressful situation, if I didn’t know that he was good with it,” she says.

“He’s got a way of just writing such intricate, yet beautifully pure, simple lyrics about how you feel that get to the heart of it,” she says of Newman’s songs. “They’re so complex. They’re exactly how you feel, and they’re so universal.”

Disney is the parent company of ABC, ABC News and Hulu.

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PROLIFIC, a collaborative album between Nipsey Hussle and Bino Rideaux, now has a release date. It’s set to arrive on Aug. 14, a day before what would’ve been Hussle’s 41st birthday.

“We’re proud to present PROLIFIC, the collaborative project Nipsey created with Bino and brought to life sonically by Mixed By Ali,” Hussle’s brother, Samiel “Blacc Sam” Asghedom, says in a statement. “We are honored to be able to release the PROLIFIC album in the exact way my brother envisioned it. This isn’t something that our team compiled together, this is the body of work Nipsey created with Bino top to bottom. He was very proud of this project and we feel blessed to finally be able to share it with the world.”

Recorded nine years ago, the 15-track project was recently led by the single “Reckless.” Coinciding with the release date announcement is the premiere of “Sacrifices,” released with a music video directed by Norberto Garcia.

“Sacrifices was a masterclass of creative energy,” says Bino in a statement. “Minimum conversation, all hands on deck, and the unpredictable genius of James Fauntleroy. Constant flow of vibes and gems on and off record.”

PROLIFIC is available for preorder and presave in multiple physical variants. Exclusive merch is available for preorder.

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