Music

Two new MTV VMAs social categories have been unveiled ahead of the awards show on Sept. 7: best group and song of the summer.

Round one of song of the summer voting runs from Sept. 6 at 11 a.m. ET on MTV’s Instagram Story through Sept. 7 at 11 a.m. ET. Thanks to these nominations, Tate McRae adds two nods to her total, while Alex Warren, Sabrina Carpenter and Morgan Wallen add one each. But Lady Gaga still leads as the most-nominated artist this year, with 12 nods.

Here are the song of the summer nominees:

Addison Rae – “Headphones On”
Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
Benson Boone – “Mystical Magical”
BigXthaPlug ft. Bailey Zimmerman – “All The Way”
Chappell Roan – “The Subway”
Demi Lovato – “Fast”
Doja Cat – “Jealous Type”
HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna & REI AMI – “Golden”
Jessie Murph – “Blue Strips”
Justin Bieber – “Daisies”
MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea – “Shake It To The Max (FLY) (Remix)” 
Morgan Wallen ft. Tate McRae – “What I Want”
Ravyn Lenae ft. Rex Orange County – “Love Me Not”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
sombr – “12 to 12”
Tate McRae – “Just Keep Watching (From F1® The Movie)”

Voting for best group starts Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. ET on MTV’s Instagram Story. It’s a bracket-style face-off with three rounds. Voting closes Sept. 6 at 11 a.m. ET. 

Here are the best group nominees:

aespa
All Time Low
Backstreet Boys
BLACKPINK
Coldplay
Evanescence
Fuerza Regida
Grupo Frontera
Imagine Dragons
Jonas Brothers
KATSEYE
My Chemical Romance
SEVENTEEN
Stray Kids
The Marías
twenty one pilots

The VMAs air live coast to coast from New York’s UBS Arena at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and MTV, and stream on Paramount+.

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The official country debut of R&B star K. Michelle has finally arrived with her new track, “Jack Daniel’s.”

Co-produced by Sugarland‘s Kristian Bush, K. Michelle co-wrote the song about the “only man she trusts.” 

“This is me coming home,” K. Michelle explains. “Country is in my blood. I was raised on southern soil in Memphis, Tennessee, where soul and country grew from the same roots. This new music is a celebration of where I come from — the pride, the bittersweet and the whiskey-soaked truth of it all.”

Previously, K. Michelle duetted with Jelly Roll on a new version of “Love Can Build a Bridge” from 2023’s A Tribute to The Judds.

“Jack Daniel’s” is just a preview of what’s to come, with K. Michelle promising “more new music very soon.”

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Blink-182 kicked off their U.S. Missionary Impossible tour Thursday in Hollywood, Florida. In addition to including classics such as “All the Small Things,” “What’s My Age Again?” and “Dammit,” the set list featured a few songs the punk trio hadn’t performed together live in multiple decades.

According to Setlist.fm, blink dusted off the Take Off Your Pants and Jacket cuts “Online Songs” and “Roller Coaster” for the first time since 2001. They also played their cover of the Descendents song “Hope” for the first time since 2003.

Additionally, blink performed two songs off 2011’s Neighborhoods, which marked the band’s final album with Tom DeLonge before his return to the group in 2022. 

The Missionary Impossible tour continues through the beginning of October. Alkaline Trio is also on the bill.

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The Sex Pistols‘ iconic album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols is the latest album to get a high fidelity audio release.

The English punk rockers’ only studio album is now part of Rhino High Fidelity’s series of limited-edition, high-end vinyl reissues, with 5,000 individually numbered 180-gram black vinyl copies now available via Rhino.com. The reissue comes with new liner notes from the album’s producer Chris Thomas.

Released in 1977, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols features such songs as “Anarchy in the U.K.” and “God Save the Queen.” The album debuted at #1 in the U.K., despite many record stores refusing to carry it because its title was considered offensive. The band would eventually break up just months after the album’s release, calling it quits in 1978 during their U.S. tour. 

Although not a huge hit in the U.S. when it was first released, the album would go on to sell over 1 million copies and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA. It was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015.

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Kelsea Ballerini and Cam will both make their Austin City Limits debut when the acclaimed PBS series returns this fall. 

Season 51 of the Texas-based show debuts Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. ET with FINNEAS.

The episode featuring Kelsea and Cam is set to air Nov. 15. Kelsea recorded her part, featuring songs from Patterns, in July, while Cam did her All Things Light set in June. 

Look for The Marías, My Morning Jacket, Charley Crockett, Waxahatchee, Samara Joy and Jon Batiste to appear during the first half of the season as well. Guests for the second half will be announced later. 

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Her bestie Taylor Swift just got engaged, but Selena Gomez has moved onto the next step in her marital journey: the bachelorette party.

Selena posted a slew of photos and video from the girls’ get-together, which People reports took place in Cabo San Lucas. Selena’s seen wearing a veil embroidered with “bride to be” and sitting below a bunch of mylar balloons that spell out “Mrs. Levin,” which will be her married name, should she choose to change it. Her fiancé Benny Blanco‘s birth name is Benjamin Levin. 

There’s also a photo of a bed with the word “BRIDE” spelled out in balloons over it and pictures of the balloon-filled room.

Selena and her pals are also seen laughing and enjoying time on a boat, dancing around, having dinner and hitting the beach in video set to Katy Perry‘s “Teenage Dream.”

A few weeks ago, Benny posted photos on his Instagram Story of his bachelor celebration, which took place at Resorts World in Las Vegas, and seemed to involve mostly eating and going to the spa.

The couple, who got engaged in December 2024, haven’t made their wedding date public.

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DJ Khaled has unveiled two new songs, his first new music in three years. “You Remind Me” features Vybz Kartel, Buju Banton, Mavado, Bounty Killer, Rorystonelove and Kaylan Arnold, while “Brother” features Post Malone and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. Khaled’s 14th studio album, Aalam of God, is coming soon and is available for preorder now.

Fridayy has released his new single, “Below Zero.” The singer says in a statement that the song “is about feeling numb after giving so much of yourself to people and situations that didn’t value you.” He adds, “I wanted this song to reflect that emotional freeze, when your heart just shuts down. It’s real, it’s cold, and it’s honest.”

Ella Mai is back with a new song called “Tell Her.” The Mustard-produced track, her first release since her 2024 EP 3, is “about setting boundaries while still holding space for compassion,” according to a press release.

Rakim has released his new album, The Re-Up, in collaboration with producer Big Ghost. The album features seven remixes, the single “Not to Be Defined” with Lazarus and a new Rakim solo single called “I’m Good.”

K. Michelle’s gone country. The R&B star released her first country song, “Jack Daniel’s.” “This is me coming home,” K. Michelle explains. “Country is in my blood. I was raised on southern soil in Memphis, Tennessee, where soul and country grew from the same roots. This new music is a celebration of where I come from — the pride, the bittersweet and the whiskey-soaked truth of it all.”

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Linkin Park is set to headline the 2026 edition of Lollapalooza India, taking place Jan. 24-25 in Mumbai.

The bill also includes Yungblud, who, like Linkin Park, will be performing in India for the first time during the festival.

For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit LollaIndia.com.

The U.S. edition of Lollapalooza is held in Grant Park, Chicago. Lolla 2025 took place July 31 to Aug. 3; 2026 dates have yet to be announced.

Along with Lolla India, Linkin Park has announced 2026 Middle East shows in Sakhir, Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi, taking place Jan. 18 and Jan. 20, respectively. Visit LinkinPark.com for ticket info.

Linkin Park is currently touring the U.S. in support of their 2024 comeback album, From Zero, their first with new vocalist Emily Armstrong. 

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My Chemical Romance, Twenty One Pilots and Evanescence are among the bands nominated in the newly announced best group category for the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards.

Other nominees include Imagine Dragons, Coldplay, All Time Low and The Marías.

The best group winner will be determined by a bracket-style fan vote, which begins Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. ET via the @MTV Instagram Story. The final round closes Sept. 6 at 11 a.m. ET.

The previously announced best rock VMA nominees include Twenty One Pilots’ “The Contract,” Evanescence’s “Afterlife,” Coldplay’s “ALL MY LOVE,” Green Day‘s “One Eyed Bastard,” Linkin Park‘s “The Emptiness Machine” and Lenny Kravitz‘s “Honey.”

The best alternative nominees are Imagine Dragons’ “Wake Up,” The Marías’ “Back to Me,” mgk and Jelly Roll‘s “Lonely Road,” sombr‘s “Back to Friends,” Lola Young‘s “Messy” and Gigi Perez‘s “Sailor Song.”

The 2025 VMAs will air live coast to coast Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and MTV, and stream on Paramount+. Sombr is among the performers.

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