Carly Pearce goes deep and explores some potentially controversial topics on her latest release, “Church Girl.”
If you’re brave enough to check out the comments on her socials, you’ll see the conversation around it has evolved into a full-on theological debate, becoming heated enough that Carly herself had to step in and remind her fans to keep it friendly.
So where does she fall when it comes to religion?
“My faith is very important to me, and I do believe that nothing that we go through is by chance,” Carly says. “And I think when you get to that realization and you’re rooted in that kind of truth, things become a lot easier to process and to understand.”
“And I just think life experience has made me kind of get to a place over the last five years where I really do feel like I can get through anything,” she continues. “And that’s a nice place to be. And I’m really happy in my skin and I know who I am, and I think that’s a good place to be.”
Carly’s radio single “Dream Come True” preceded “Church Girl” as one of only two previews of her much-anticipated fifth studio album so far. Her fourth album, hummingbird, dates back to the summer of 2024, leaving fans hungry for new music.
Poster for ‘Zak Starkey … Who?: An Evening of Drums and Conversation’ (Courtesy of Zak Starkey)
Drummer Zak Starkey is set to debut a new one-man show, Zak Starkey … Who?: An Evening of Drums and Conversation, in New York, and he tells ABC Audio there’s a simple reason why he decided to do it.
“Because I don’t have a job,” he jokes. “So I had to invent one.”
Starkey, who was The Who’s drummer from 1996 until he was let go in 2025, says someone suggested he do a drum clinic, but he’s not fond of a “clinical approach.”
Starkey, son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, instead plans to treat fans to a special evening of him sharing stories, rare photographs and personal movies, with the night also including a Q&A and, of course, some music.
“Basically, I’ll be playing along with, it’s a film of my life at first,” he says. He’ll then take questions from the audience, noting that “hopefully that can move it on to the next thing that I play, sort of what the audience guide(s) me towards.”
When it comes to the home movies, Starkey says he had “no idea” what he’d find, but he’s had a hard time choosing what to use because “there’s so much great stuff.”
Starkey adds that he’s “flexible” about what he plans to perform during the show, but expects to cover his time with Oasis, Johnny Marr and more. He has no doubt he’ll end the evening with The Who, noting, “You can’t follow The Who.”
As for what he hopes fans will take away from the evening, Starkey jokes, “a T-shirt and some drumsticks,” before getting a bit more serious.
“That [the] music’s f***** great,” he says. “It’s just been a f****** great ride.”
Zak Starkey … Who?: An Evening of Drums and Conversation will take place Feb. 20 at New York’s Gramercy Theatre. Tickets are on sale now.
Dylan O’Brien as Bradley Preston and Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle in ‘Send Help.’ (Brook Rushton/20th Century Studios)
Dylan O’Brien isn’t afraid of playing somebody you’ll probably hate. In fact, he jumped at the opportunity.
The actor stars in director Sam Raimi‘s latest thriller, Send Help, which crash lands into theaters everywhere Friday.
O’Brien plays Bradley Preston, the newly appointed nepo baby boss to Rachel McAdams‘ Linda Little. The pair find themselves the sole survivors of a plane crash, where they must look past their differences in order to survive.
O’Brien’s Bradley is flawed, to say the least. The actor told ABC Audio he wasn’t afraid of playing someone audiences may hate.
“I love watching flawed characters in films. I feel like that’s so much of kind of the history of cinema,” O’Brien said. “I think that such a reason that we find it so appealing of an exploration is that it’s human, you know? So not only was I not afraid of it, but for me, I saw it as being such an amazing opportunity.”
The actor said playing a villainous character like Bradley was a great way to flex his comedy chops.
“I found him hilarious. I was like, ‘This guy is such an a******,'” O’Brien said. “I would love to hate this guy if I were seeing this movie.”
O’Brien even said certain people behind the scenes had reservations that Bradley might be too unlikeable. But he pushed against that to go even harder.
“There was slight fear that I would be very not likable to an extent that would ruin the movie, but I felt that that was my exact role to play to the piece. It would make a part of the engine turn.”
Even still, O’Brien said he saw something more dynamic in Bradley.
“There’s so many layers to him. I loved the challenge of starting off so, so smarmy and seeing that layer, but then like also really delving into the human parts of this person,” O’Brien said.
Disney is the parent company of ABC News and 20th Century Studios.
Pusha T expressed his thoughts on the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement with just a few words Wednesday. While walking the red carpet at Billboard Power 100, he told Billboard, “Jan. 28, 2026, f*** ICE,” Push said. “Gotta keep it 100. Got to.”
Beyoncé, Tina Knowles, Solange and Kelly Rowland are nominated for an Audie Award, which recognizes “distinction in audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment,” according to its website. They’re nominated in the category of autobiography/memoir for their narration on Tina’s memoir, Matriarch.The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou, which is narrated by Uzo Aduba, has also been nominated. Blair Underwood is in the running for best non-fiction narrator for Lionel Richie‘s Truly; Ziggy Marley, who wrote and narrated Pajammin’, is nominated in the young listeners category. The Audies Gala will take place March 2 in New York City.
Doechii, Q-Tip, Queen Latifah and Teyana Taylor will be presenting at the 2026 Grammys on Sunday. They join a list of previously announced performers including Clipse, Leon Thomas, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Pharrell Williams. The 2026 Grammys will air at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and will stream on Paramount+. The 2027 Grammys will air on ABC.
Nas‘ Mass Appeal will follow up its Legend Has It… series with Imagine That, which brings fans’ desired musical collaborations to life. Fans can visit imaginethat.massappealrecs.com to select up to four artists and four producers who they would love to see team up on some music.
‘Take Me Back Live from the Gorge’ album artwork. (ATO Records)
Dave Matthews Band has announced a new live album called Take Me Back Live from the Gorge.
The set was recorded during the 2025 edition of DMB’s annual Labor Day weekend performances at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. It featured the first-ever performance of the album Before These Crowded Streets in full.
Take Me Back Live from the Gorge will be released Feb. 6 on digital outlets before coming to vinyl and CD on May 22.
If that’s not enough DMB at the Gorge for you, all three of the band’s 2025 concerts at the venue will broadcast via the Volta streaming platform Feb. 13-15. For more info, visit Volta.live.
Dave Matthews Band has headlined the Gorge 76 times. They’ll return for three more shows over Labor Day weekend 2026.
Aerosmith’s Tom Hamilton went to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida, to say his goodbye to the band’s namesake roller coaster.
The rocker visited the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith with his new band Close Enemies,and posted photos and video from the experience on Instagram. Video shows Hamilton greeting fans while in line for the ride, while one of the photos is the souvenir photo taken of him and his band during the ride.
“What a day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, with my new band, @closeenemiesofficial, riding Aerosmith’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster one last time before it takes its final lap,” Hamilton wrote alongside his post. “It’s been an absolute honor to share this ride with our fans for so many years. Huge thanks to the amazing cast members for the warmth, hospitality, and respect for what this moment means.”
It was announced in November 2024 that Aerosmith was being replaced by The Muppets on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. The decision to change the ride came after Disney decided to replace Muppet Vision 3D with Monsters Inc. land.
In December 2025 Aerosmith’s video intro for the ride, which featured Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, was removed in order for construction to start on the Muppets revamp. Soon after it was announced that the ride’s last day of operation would be March 1.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, then named Disney-MGM Studios, in July 1999. It started with the band in the studio before taking off to a concert and bringing the riders along with them. It featured iconic tunes from the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, including “Walk This Way,” “Love in an Elevator” and “Sweet Emotion.”
Shakira has set a new record: Her Women Don’t Cry Anymore World Tour is now the highest-grossing Hispanic tour of all time, according to a press release. The tour has so far earned more than $421 million across 82 stadium shows in the U.S. and Latin America. The previous record of $409.5 million was set by Luis Miguel in 2024. “After a 30 year career, that took so much effort and met so many challenges, to be living this amazing moment is unbelievable,” Shakira said in a statement.
Demi Lovato will close this year’s TikTok LIVE Fest Global Annual Event with a live performance of hits and songs from her album It’s Not That Deep. The event, hosted by Keke Palmer, will take place Feb. 12 at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. In a statement, Demi said, “I’ve been having so much fun on TikTok this era, so I knew performing at LIVE Fest would be a special moment ahead of my tour this spring. I can’t wait to show all the fans of live music a taste of what we have in store!”
Jessie Murph took the stage at Paris Fashion Week on Wednesday, performing at the Valentino Haute Couture Show afterparty. Wearing Valentino by Alessandro Michele, Jessie performed her songs “Bad as the Rest” and “1965,” as well as a cover of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins‘ “I Put A Spell on You.” You can watch footage of her performances on social media.
Spice Girl Mel C has released another song from her upcoming solo album, Sweat. She says the track, “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?,” is a “tongue-in-cheek look on taking risks and trusting yourself to take that leap anyway.” Sweat arrives on May 1.
Warren Zeiders‘ November return to his hometown of Hershey, Pennsylvania, to headline GIANT Center is the trip that keeps on giving.
The second part of his Return to the 717 documentary is out now, chronicling his first trip home in two years and capturing the sold-out show.
The first part follows the former athlete as he visits his high school, lacrosse field, childhood hangouts and his parents’ ice cream shop.
We now know the Live from the 717 album will also arrive on Friday, before Warren takes his first world tour to the U.S., Australia and Europe in the spring.
2026 MusiCares Person of the Year Mariah Carey covers ‘Billboard’ (Photo Credit: AB + DM)
Mariah Carey will be honored Friday as the MusiCares Person of the Year, recognized not only for her musical achievements but also her philanthropy. The diva, who released a long-awaited album in 2025, earned her first MTV VMA, completed a Las Vegas holiday residency and set a new record for the longest-running #1 hit, has even bigger plans ahead, Billboard reports.
According to Billboard, Mariah’s holiday residency grossed $8 million. She told the publication she is now “thinking about doing residencies in different countries in Europe.” She wouldn’t be the first to take that route — Adele staged a residency in Munich, Germany, a couple of years ago, and the Backstreet Boys are set to do one this fall in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Mariah also revealed she’s working on a documentary with Sony Pictures, as well as a biopic based on her 2020 bestselling autobiography, The Meaning of Mariah Carey. The film will be directed Lee Daniels, who previously worked with Mariah on Precious and The Butler.
Before turning to those projects, Mariah will take centerstage at the MusiCares event, which will feature performances by Teddy Swims, Charlie Puth, Adam Lambert, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Foo Fighters and more. She is also scheduled to sing at the opening ceremony for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 6
