Brett Young & Taylor Mills Young (Disney/Michael Le Brecht)
As the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season consumes many of us these days, take comfort from Brett Young.
Even he has trouble finding that perfect gift, which is complicated by the fact that his wife, Taylor Mills Young, is so good at it.
“She’s like the most thoughtful gift giver,” Brett says. “I’m sure that no matter how well I do, I’ll still be like in the shadows of whatever her idea was.”
“And it’s always even more special because I don’t know when she had time to, like, think it up and make it happen,” he continues. “So, it’s demoralizing. I can never win the gift-giving game, but I’ve surrendered to it at this point.”
Brett and Taylor tied the knot in November 2018 and have two daughters, 6-year-old Presley Young and 4-year-old Rowan Young.
Lady Gaga performs onstage during The MAYHEM Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden on August 22, 2025 in New York City. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)
Lady Gaga sat down with Rolling Stone for an installment of the publication’s video series “My Life in 10 Songs” — but she was so passionate about the topic, she ended up choosing 15 songs instead.
Her selections spanned multiple genres, including jazz from Miles Davis and Dinah Washington; classic rock from Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin; alternative rock from Beck and The Cure; soft rock by Carole King; R&B from Stevie Wonder, and “theatrical” music by David Bowie.
One particularly interesting choice was Iron Butterfly‘s 1968 rocker “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” whose title originated from the band being too drunk to properly sing “In the Garden of Eden.” According to Gaga, the song showed her it was okay to write songs with nonsense words in them — something she later did in songs like “Bad Romance” and “Abracadabra.”
Gaga also chose songs from several lesser known acts, including the U.K. hard rock/glam band Heavy Metal Kids, French electronic duo Justice, goth-dance group She Wants Revenge and the late Carl Bean, whose 1977 song “I Was Born This Way” directly inspired Gaga’s own hit “Born This Way.”
While some of Gaga’s choices might initially seem odd or random, she has detailed explanations for each selection, clearly outlining how the songs — and the artists behind them — shaped and influenced her own music.
Alex Warren performs onstage during the 2025 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball concert at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2025 in New York City. (Kevin Kane/WireImage)
Alex Warren, Myles Smith, Ed Sheeran, Leon Thomas, Olivia Dean, Conan Gray, Zara Larsson, the KPop Demon Hunters singers and more are performing on ABC Wednesday night during the annual Jingle Ball 2025 holiday special.
Filmed earlier in December at LA’s Intuit Dome and New York City’s Madison Square Garden, the special also features appearances by Robert De Niro, Dylan Efron, Kat Dennings, Darren Criss andthe Spice Girls‘ Mel C, among others.
The New York show brought the artists to the Big Apple during the most wonderful time of the year, which was not lost on them.
“Oh my God, it’s everything,” Alex told ABC Audio about being in New York around Christmastime. “I wish my wife was here so we could go explore and stuff, but it’s fun to be here.”
“I feel like New York is also a city that has been a part of my childhood, even though I wasn’t here until later in my life,” said Zara, who grew up in Sweden. “I know the buildings. I know that ice rink where they skate. I know that Christmas tree. I know all of these places, just from pop culture.”
“[It’s] the people, the spirit, the feel — it feels like Christmas,” said Myles. “There’s nowhere else that feels like this.”
An added bonus? Performing at New York’s world-famous Madison Square Garden.
“So iconic, right? It was surreal,” said KPop Demon Hunters singer Kevin Woo of Saja Boys. “The energy in this venue … was absolutely beyond my imagination.”
“I think, especially for a British artist to come to the Garden, it’s like … a bucket-list gig,” Mel C aka Sporty Spice told ABC Audio. “And I am so fortunate. I’ve done it a couple of times with the Spice Girls and been up there on my own as well. … It is wonderful to be back.”
The Jingle Ball 2025 special airs at 8 p.m. ET and streams the next day on Hulu.
Rapper Rick Ross performs during YFN LUCCI & Friends Welcome Home Concert at State Farm Arena on August 23, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage)
Rick Ross chronicles his revival as “the biggest boss that you seen thus far” in an upcoming book titled The Renaissance of a Boss.
According to its synopsis, the book follows Ross as he rediscovers his creative spark after finding himself in a creative rut following two decades of cementing “a legacy in hip-hop as an all-time great” and finding “success in dozens of endeavors beyond music.”
In an attempt to break out of that “creative rut,” Ross embarked on a road trip that took him to Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate in Memphis, the Cadillac Ranch art installation in Amarillo, Texas, and a Native American sweat lodge in Santa Fe “in search of answers to life’s biggest questions.”
The book also gives fans insight into his creative process, his habits and rituals, and the artists he has worked with and admires.
“This isn’t just a book; it’s a manual for greatness,” Ross tells People in a statement. “I’m cutting out the noise and showing you that when you execute with precision, success is too easy.”
The Renaissance of a Boss will be released in May 2026.
Matt Bellamy of Muse performs live onstage during STHLM Fields at Gärdet on June 27, 2025 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Iwi Onodera/Redferns)
Muse is preparing for a “Supermassive” 2026.
The English rockers have shared a Facebook video encouraging you to sign up for their email list while teasing new music for the coming year.
“We’ve been working on new music over the last few months,” frontman Matt Bellamy says in the clip. “We’re really excited to get it to you in the new year.”
The post’s caption adds, “2025 has been epic, but we’re even more excited about what’s to come in 2026.”
Muse released a new single, “Unravelling,” in June. Their most recent album is 2022’s Will of the People.
Along with putting out new tunes, Muse’s 2026 plans include a headlining set at Milwaukee’s Summerfest in July.
In the meantime, you can watch Muse’s ongoing With You docuseries, which focuses on the personal stories of the band’s fans. Episodes of With You are streaming on YouTube.
Admat for concert celebrating blues musician Taj Mahal (Courtesy of Sweet Relief Musicians Fund)
Van Morrison, E Street Band guitarist Stevie Van Zandt, George Thorogood and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers‘ Mike Campbell are among the artists set to perform at an upcoming benefit concert celebrating the career of blues musician Taj Mahal.
The concert, taking place Feb. 21 at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco, is the annual benefit for the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.
Other artists set to celebrate Mahal include Patty Griffin, Jim Lauderdale and Joe Henry. Mahal will also perform, with additional artists to be announced.
“Thrilled to be honored by Sweet Relief and to celebrate with good feeling music,” Taj Mahal says. “Thank you Sweet Relief for all that you do and for bringing us together.”
Tickets for the concert go on sale Friday.
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides services and financial assistance for musicians and music industry professionals. In 2025 it held a similar concert in celebration of Joan Baez, which featured performances by Bonnie Raitt, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, Emmylou Harris, Henry and LucindaWilliams.
Yerin Ha as Sophie and Luke Thompson as Benedict in ‘Bridgerton’ season 4. (Liam Daniel/Netflix)
Dearest gentle reader, with the fourth season of Netflix’s romance series Bridgerton arriving in January, its showrunner, Jess Brownell, is sharing new details about what fans can expect.
Season 4 follows the love story between the second-oldest Bridgerton son, Benedict (Luke Thompson), as he falls for Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) through a Cinderella-inspired romance. Brownell told Entertainment Weekly there was a real effort to make such a classic trope feel complex and brand new.
“We start with a character trope that we’ve seen a million times before, which is a maid who falls for someone above her station,” Brownell said. “But I think a lot of times in these classic Cinderella-like stories, Cinderella is a bit of a damsel in distress. And, in the case of Sophie Baek, she is no such thing. We get to watch a very headstrong young woman try to decide her fate for herself and pick up the courage to believe in and dream for a life greater than the one she currently has.”
Brownell also notes that Benedict has spent the first three seasons as a bohemian who is uninterested in settling down. Season 4, she says, is a turn of events.
“We’ve watched three seasons of Benedict having a very good time and being good at everything, but unable to commit to any one thing,” Brownell said. “And I think, at the top of season 4, that’s worn a little thin for him. I think he senses that something is missing in his life — even if he isn’t ready to accept it — but once he meets the masked woman in the first episode, everything will change for him.”
The first batch of Bridgerton season 4 episodes will be available to stream on Jan. 29. Part two of the season drops on Feb. 26.
Tony Esposito of White Reaper performs at Riot Fest 2023 at Douglass Park on September 16, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Jason Squires/FilmMagic)
White Reaper has announced a 2026 U.S. tour in support of their latest album, Only Slightly Empty.
The trek launces March 14 in Chicago and concludes with a hometown show May 16 in Louisville, Kentucky.
Presales begin Wednesday at 10 a.m. local time, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit WhiteReaperUSA.com.
Only Slightly Empty was released in September. It’s the follow-up to 2023’s Asking for a Ride.
Former Mötley Crüe singer John Corabi has announced his debut solo album.
The record is called New Day and is due out April 24. The title track is out now, and you can watch its accompanying video on YouTube.
“I’m very excited for everybody to hear this new collection of songs!” Corabi says in a statement. “I wanted to put together an album of eclectic, organic songs that are reminiscent of the music I grew up listening to, and I truly believe the mission was accomplished! This is a [’60s-’70s] sounding classic rock and roll record…Turn it up, and enjoy!!!”
Corabi joined Mötley Crüe in 1992 following the departure of founding vocalist Vince Neil. They released one album together, 1996’s grungy self-titled effort. He left Mötley that year, and the band reunited with Neil.
Bruce Springsteen (R) and Joe Ely perform at the Austin Music Awards, held at the Austin Music Hall during the South By Southwest Music Festival on March 14, 2012 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Gary Miller/FilmMagic)
Bruce Springsteen has paid tribute to Americana singer Joe Ely, who passed away Monday at the age of 78 from complications of Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s disease and pneumonia.
“Over here, we’re deeply saddened by the loss of Joe Ely, a singular American singer, great musician and great artist,” Springsteen wrote on Instagram. “I was lucky enough to count Joe as a true friend and I will miss that voice and his companionship. Our hearts go out to his wonderful wife Sharon and the family. We’ve lost an American classic.”
Springsteen and Ely collaborated with each other numerous times over the years. Bruce appeared on songs on Ely’s 1995 album, Letter To Laredo, including the tune “All Just to Get to You.” He also appeared on “Odds of the Blues,” a track on Ely’s 2024 album, Driven to Drive. They also performed together several times over the years.
