Billboard Festival Lines Up The Weeknd, Skirillex

Icelandic-Chinese singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Laufey is moving from the stage to the bookshelf, announcing her debut picture book Mei Mei The Bunny, to be released globally on 21 April 2026 through Penguin Workshop, with UK and Commonwealth rights handled by DK Children's.

Michael D'Angelo Archer, the singer-songwriter and producer who helped define the neo-soul movement, has died aged 51 following a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer, his family has announced. The D'Angelo Estate said he “has been called home, departing this life today, October 14, 2025,” and asked for privacy while inviting fans to celebrate the music he leaves behind.

Ian Watkins, the former lead singer of Welsh rock band Lostprophets, has been killed in prison while serving a lengthy sentence for child sex offences. He was 48.

Rock legend and KISS co-founder Gene Simmons is recovering at home in Los Angeles after a car accident on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu earlier this week. The 76-year-old musician was briefly hospitalised after reportedly passing out behind the wheel of his Lincoln Navigator, which veered across several lanes of traffic and collided with a parked vehicle just before 1 p.m. on Tuesday, October 7.

Brantley Gilbert has quietly, and then not so quietly, shifted his label home, signing with BBR Music Group in partnership with BMG Nashville after label executives joined him on stage during a recent stop of his Tattoos Tour in Nashville. The Georgia-born country rocker confirmed the move with fans mid-show as executives from both companies celebrated the new partnership, signalling a major next chapter in Gilbert's career.

British pop superstar Robbie Williams has had his long-planned Istanbul concert cancelled just days before it was due to take place, after Turkish authorities pulled the plug citing “public safety concerns” following intense protests and social media campaigns accusing the singer of being “Zionist.”

Ike Turner Jr, the son of legendary duo Tina Turner and Ike Turner, has died at the age of 67 in Los Angeles following kidney failure. His death was confirmed by his cousin, Jacqueline Bullock, who said the musician had been in declining health for some time and suffered from serious heart issues and a recent stroke.