Starsplash Music News

During a recent concert, Gavin Adcock blasted Beyoncé’s Grammy-winning Best Country Album, Cowboy Carter, during an onstage rant. In fan-captured video footage of the incident, the country star takes issue with albums that currently outrank his own on Apple Music’s country albums chart. “One of them’s Beyoncé — you can tell her we’re coming for her f—in’ a–,” Adcock said, before adding, “That sh– ain’t country music and it ain’t ever been country music, and it ain’t gonna be country music.” Adcock took to Instagram on Monday (June 30) to share a video statement clarifying his remarks. “I’m gonna go ahead and clear this up,” he says. “I really don’t believe that her album should be labeled as country music. It doesn’t sound country, it doesn’t feel country, and I just don’t think that people that have dedicated their whole lives to this genre and this lifestyle should have to compete or watch that album just stay at the top, just because she’s Beyoncé.” (Billboard)

Miley Cyrus' visual companion to her latest album, Something Beautiful, will premiere on Disney+ and Hulu on July 16 in the United States and Canada, and on July 30 internationally. The film, directed by Cyrus, Jacob Bixenman, and Brendan Walter, made its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 6, which was followed by limited screenings in movie theaters. Cyrus is not embarking on a full-scale tour in support of Something Beautiful in order to focus on her sobriety along with her vocal and mental health, but she did perform some intimate shows at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles around the album release, and also made a surprise appearance alongside Beyoncé at a recent Cowboy Carter Tour stop in Paris to perform their Grammy-winning duet, "II Most Wanted." Something Beautiful, Cyrus' ninth album, features hits like "More to Lose," "End of the World," and the title track, and serves as the follow-up to her Grammy-winning 2023 album, Endless Summer Vacation. (Consequence of Sound)

Charli XCX is hitting back at critics of her Glastonbury performance on Saturday night (June 28), who were dismissive of her reliance on autotune while denouncing her for not using a traditional band on stage. “Really enjoying these boomer vibe comments on my glastonbury performance. it’s super fascinating to me,” she wrote in a social media screed, where she continued: “Like the idea that singing with deliberate autotune makes you a fraud or that not having a traditional band suddenly means you must not be a “real artist” is like, the most boring take ever. yawn sorry just fell asleep xx.” While Charli is clearly tired of defending her performing style and sound, the Brat star went on to admit, “I enjoy the discourse.  imo the best art is divisive and confrontational and often evolves into truly interesting culture.” Charli continues her Brat World Tour with a series of European summer festivals, including Roskilde, Sziget, ØYA, Way Out West, and more. (Consequence of Sound)

The trial of Sean Combs is now in the hands of the jury, as they began deliberation on Monday (June 30) on the charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution against the disgraced music mogul. The process is expected to take several days. If convicted, Combs faces a possible life sentence for racketeering, a minimum of 15 years for sex trafficking, and a maximum of 10 years for transportation to engage in prostitution. The judge commended both the defense attorneys and federal prosecutors for their "great lawyering" at the end of the seven-week trial, stating that “the case was really exceptionally tried by both sides.” The trial saw lengthy closing arguments, with the prosecution portraying Combs as the head of a criminal enterprise, while the defense claimed that his activities were part of a consensual "swingers lifestyle." (Variety)

During her headlining, festival-closing set at Glastonbury on Sunday night (June 29), Olivia Rodrigo surprised fans by bringing out The Cure's legendary frontman, Robert Smith, during her set, where they performed his classic hits, "Friday I'm in Love" and "Just Like Heaven." “He’s perhaps the best songwriter to come out of England,” Rodrigo said enthusiastically while introducing Smith. “He is a Glastonbury legend and a personal hero of mine. Would you please welcome, Robert Smith!” This marked Rodrigo's first time headlining the Pyramid Stage, and she delivered a triumphant performance full of her current hits and early singles, with the Grammy-winning pop star blown away by the support from the massive crowd. “This is the most people I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” she said as she took the moment in. “This is a dream come true, I actually can’t believe this is my life right now.” Rodrigo concludes the U.K. leg of her Guts World Tour with a two-night stand in Manchester on June 30-July 1. (Variety)

Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” remains at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, as his first career leader adds a fourth week atop the chart. Elsewhere in the Top 10, Cardi B’s new single “Outside” debuts at No. 10, becoming the Grammy-winning rapper's 13th career Top 10 hit. Meanwhile, Morgan Wallen claims his sixth week with at least three simultaneous Hot 100 Top 10s this year, surpassing Kendrick Lamar for the most such weeks in 2025. The country superstar’s duet with Tate McRae, “What I Want,” rises one spot to No. 2, while his single “Just in Case,” remains at No. 4, and “I’m the Problem” moves up one slot to No. 5, as his chart-topping album of the same name spends its sixth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The rest of the Hot 100 Top 10 features Sabrina Carpenter’s new single,“Manchild,” dropping one spot to No. 3, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” falling one spot to No. 6, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” holding at No. 7, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” remains at No. 8, and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” stays at No. 9. (Billboard)

LL Cool J delves into the birth and evolution of rap in New York City in the new trailer for the upcoming docuseries, Hip-Hop Was Born Here. The five-part show features interviews with rap luminaries such as Method Man, Grandmaster Caz, Roxanne Shante, and Big Daddy Kane, while providing a historical and musical tour of the five boroughs, showcasing how the city shaped the genre. The trailer features LL visiting the birthplace of hip-hop, with the rap legend making a pilgrimage to the Bronx park where DJ Kool Herc set up his equipment and threw his groundbreaking first parties. Other NYC-centric stories will be featured in each episode, while also exploring the global impact of rap music. Hip-Hop Was Born Here will premiere on July 22 on Paramount+, with the docuseries hosted, executive produced, and co-created by LL Cool J, in collaboration with NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. (Rolling Stone)

Dua Lipa continued the U.K. leg of her Radical Optimism Tour by covering a pair of legendary local artists during her recent shows in England and Ireland. Lipa performed the Beatles' classic, “Hey Jude,” during her stadium show at Anfield in Liverpool on June 25, and covered the Zutons’ “Valerie” – which was popularized by the late Amy Winehouse – with the Liverpudlian rock group’s singer Dave McCabe the night before. Lipa then paid a touching tribute to the late Sinéad O'Connor by performing her Billboard No. 1 hit, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” at Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday night (June 27). “Tonight, I am honored to perform a song by a late Irish legend,” Lipa said before her emotional rendition of the Prince-penned classic. This continues Lipa’s trend of covering hometown artists during stops on her tour – performing hits from AC/DC, Lorde, and Kylie Minogue on the Australian/New Zealand leg – while also collaborating with local stars Charli XCX and Jamiroquai's Jay Kay during her recent London shows at Wembley Stadium. (Rolling Stone)

Kendrick Lamar and SZA have broken the touring record previously held by Beyoncé and Jay-Z, as the duo’s ongoing Grand National Tour is officially the highest-grossing co-headline tour of all-time. Kendrick and SZA just completed the North American leg of their tour, which grossed $256.4 million from 1.1 million tickets sold over the course of 23 shows. The Grand National Tour surpassed the total gross of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's On the Run II Tour by a 1% margin. While Bey and Jay still hold the co-headlining record with 2.2 million tickets sold, there is potential for Lamar and SZA to surpass them in total tickets sold by the end of the tour, which continues with a series of European dates beginning in July. In addition to this milestone, Lamar also just announced a Latin American leg of the Grand National Tour which will take place without SZA, as the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper will perform in Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, with opening acts Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso. (AV Club)

Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem spends a sixth straight week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. I’m the Problem earned 177,000 units over the past week, netting the largest total for an album in its sixth week on the chart since Adele’s 25 earned 363,000 in its sixth week in January 2016. Three new releases debut in the current Billboard 200 Top 10, as Benson Boone’s American Heart lands at No. 2, marking his highest-charting album and biggest week of his career, while Karol G notches her third career Top 10 album with the No. 3 arrival of Tropicoqueta, and the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack enters at No. 8, becoming the first soundtrack released in 2025 to reach the Top 10, and the highest-debuting soundtrack of the year. The rest of Top 10 is filled out by all former No. 1 albums, as SZA’s SOS holds at No. 4, Wallen’s One Thing at a Time remains at No. 5, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet stays at No. 6, Kendrick Lamar’s GNX rises one spot to No. 7, Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album is steady at No. 9, and PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U sticks at No. 10. (Billboard)

During Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour stop in her hometown of Houston on Saturday night (June 28), the airborne car she rides in during her performance of “16 Carriages” experienced a technical mishap, visibly tilting mid-air and causing the singer to stop the track mid-song. Despite the alarming moment – which was caught on fan-shot footage shared on social media – Beyoncé was eventually lowered to safety and continued the song and finished the show. She reassured the hometown audience at NRG Stadium upon her return to the stage by saying, “If ever I fall, I know ya’ll catch me.” Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment released a statement shared to their Instagram Story which reads: “Tonight in Houston, at NRG Stadium, a technical mishap caused the flying car, a prop Beyonce uses to circle the stadium, and see her fans up close, to tilt. She was quickly lowered and no one was injured. The show continued without incident.” Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour continued with another performance at NRG Stadium on Sunday (June 29). (Billboard)

Brandy and Monica made an appearance on The Tonight Show on Wednesday (June 25), and the Grammy-winning singers confirmed their plans to collaborate on new music alongside their upcoming joint tour. They duo just announced The Boy Is Mine Tour, a 24-date trek which is set to begin on October 16 in Cincinnati and concludes on December 7 in Houston, with support coming from Kelly Rowland, Muni Long, and Jamal Roberts. “It opens the door, for sure,” Brandy said of the tour inspiring them to make new music together. Host Jimmy Fallon suggested they could have a studio on their tour bus, while Monica quickly dismissed that idea. “No, we’re not doing the studio tour bus. We’re seasoned women. We need proper rest, alright?” She added, “So what we’re going to do is just be smart about it. We’ll start working on the music immediately, and then we can just be promoting it while we’re on the road.” (Rolling Stone)

On Wednesday (June 25), Cardi B took to social media to explain her decision to include the popular singles "WAP" and "Up" on her forthcoming album, Am I the Drama?, despite the songs first being released back in 2020 and 2021, respectively. “This will be the last and only time I’m gonna address this,” the Grammy-winning rapper started, “WAP and Up are two of my biggest songs, my fans have been asking me to put them on an album, they deserve a home. At this point I’m giving my fans what they want!” “WAP,” Cardi’s first collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion, made history by debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending four weeks atop the chart, while "Up" also reached No. 1, earning her a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance in 2022. On June 20, the rapper shared her new single, "Outside," which will also be included on Am I the Drama? when it drops on September 19. (People)

Lorde shared an Instagram Story on Thursday (June 26) that seemingly confirms that she will be performing a secret set at Glastonbury 2025. Lorde's post features an aerial photo of the festival’s Woodsies tent, which conspicuously has an unannounced slot remaining at 11:30 a.m. on Friday (June 27), which coincides with the release day of her highly-anticipated fourth album, Virgin. Lorde previously expressed interest in returning to the festival during a recent BBC Radio 2 interview, with the two-time Grammy winner responding to a question about playing Glasto by hinting, “I’m pretty keen, honestly, ‘cause the album’s gonna be coming out right around that time. I am quite tempted by what’s going on because I’ve got lots of friends playing as well. We’ll see if I can pull some strings and get there.” Other rumored secret sets at Glastonbury 2025 include acts like Lewis Capaldi, Haim, Pulp, and Chappell Roan, with the festival set to be headlined by The 1975, Neil Young, and Olivia Rodrigo. (NME)

Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson's cause of death was revealed in the Los Angeles County Department of Health's death certificate, which disclosed that “respiratory arrest” was the primary cause, with sepsis and cystitis listed as contributing factors. The certificate also revealed additional health issues at the time of Wilson's passing, including obstructive sleep apnea, chronic kidney disease, chronic respiratory failure, and a neurodegenerative disorder. Wilson's family had previously shared his battle with dementia in February 2024. Wilson's death on June 11 left fans and the music world mourning the loss of a musical genius, with the Beach Boys paying tribute to his legacy by writing at the time: “Brian Wilson wasn’t just the heart of the Beach Boys — he was the soul of our sound. The melodies he dreamed up and the emotions he poured into every note changed the course of music forever.” (Rolling Stone)

After nine years together, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have officially ended their engagement. The famous couple first met at a Golden Globes afterparty in 2016, and briefly split in 2017 before getting back together the following year. The couple revealed that they were engaged in 2019, with Perry describing the moment to late-night host Jimmy Kimmel: “It was very sweet. It was Valentine’s Day … we went to dinner, and I thought we were going to go see some art after dinner, but we pulled up to a helicopter. We landed on a rooftop [in Los Angeles] — my whole family was there, and all my friends. He did so well.” The couple welcomed their daughter, Daisy Dove, in August 2020. Bloom also has a 14-year-old son, Flynn, from his previous marriage to Miranda Kerr. Neither Perry nor Bloom has commented on the status of their relationship, and their reps have not issued a public comment. (Rolling Stone)

During Louis Vuitton's ‘Spring/Summer 2026’ fashion show in Paris on Tuesday (June 24), Doechii and Tyler, the Creator previewed their upcoming Pharrell-produced collaboration. “Get Right.” This marks the two Grammy-winning rappers second partnership, following their 2024 joint track, "Balloon," from Tyler’s Billboard 200 chart-topping album, Chromakopia. Doechii worked closely with Pharrell, Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director, on her H-to-T LV look that she wore to the 2025 Met Gala. Doechii also served as one of the members of the costume institute benefit’s host committee, while Pharrell served as one of the co-chairs. The soundtrack for the runway show also featured Pharrell's production of Clipse's “So Be It Pt. II,” as guests like Beyoncé, Jay-Z, J-Hope, and Future occupied the front row. After the show, Pharrell presented Beyoncé – who just finished a three-night run at Paris’ Stade de France on her Cowboy Carter Tour – with a bag fresh off the runway. (Billboard)

Olivia Rodrigo surprised fans at her sold-out show in Dublin's Marlay Park on Tuesday night (June 24) by performing a cover of Fontaines D.C.’s “I Love You.” Rodrigo’s Ireland show was part of her ongoing Guts World Tour, and served as a warm-up for her largest U.K. gig to date, a sold-out headline show at London’s Hyde Park on Friday (June 27),  which will be followed by her highly-anticipated headlining slot at Glastonbury on Sunday night. “Lately I’ve been obsessed with this band Fontaines D.C.,” Rodrigo told the audience, paying tribute to the Grammy-nominated, Dublin-based rock band. “I’ve been playing this song alone in my room for fun, and I was wondering if it’d be cool if I played it for you guys.” Rodrigo performed her stripped-down version solo at the start, before eventually being joined by her full backing band, as the track built to an emotional climax. (Billboard)

On Wednesday (June 25), Sabrina Carpenter unveiled an alternate cover for her upcoming album, Man’s Best Friend, amid the controversy surrounding the original provocative image on her record cover. The new black and white photograph – shot by Bryce Anderson, who also took the original cover photo – features Carpenter standing close to a man in a suit, offering a less controversial option to fans and critics alike. The Grammy-winning pop star made light of the uproar in the caption to her post, writing “i signed some copies of Man’s Best Friend for you guys & here is a new alternate cover approved by God available now on my website 🤍.” Additionally, Carpenter also revealed her second drink collaboration with Dunkin’ Donuts, “Sabrina’s Strawberry Daydream Refresher,” in a playful ad campaign by photographer/director Nadia Lee Cohen that showcases the singer as a charming “Daydream Matchmaker” who answers vintage-style hotline calls. (Variety)

On Saturday (June 21), lifelong Dodgers fan Ice Cube was honored with his very own bobblehead day during a game at Dodgers Stadium. Despite the home team’s loss to the Washington Nationals, the event drew a record-breaking attendance of 54,154 fans, surpassing the previous attendance record for the 2025 season. The bobblehead features the hip-hop legend sporting a matching Dodgers jersey and jacket with the team’s branding. In addition to the limited-edition collectible, an Ice Cube-themed drone show was organized by the Dodgers to honor the rapper. While Ice Cube couldn’t attend the event himself, TMZ caught up with the N.W.A.-alum at the airport. “It felt great,” Cube said of the bobblehead tribute. “Amazing — something I never expected to have. Sorry I can’t be there.” Cube performed before Game 2 of the 2024 World Series, with the Dodgers ultimately winning the championship against the Yankees, and he brought the World Series trophy into the stadium during opening day of the 2025 season. (Billboard)