Starsplash Music News

On Thursday (November 6), Lionsgate released the first trailer for Michael, Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming biopic chronicling Michael Jackson’s rise to becoming the King of Pop, starring his nephew Jaafar Jackson as the legendary singer. The teaser features Jackson in the studio with Quincy Jones (Kendrick Sampson), at the dinner table with his young siblings, and on stage in front of stadiums filled with screaming fans, all while his iconic 1982 hit, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” plays in the background. The film is set for release on April 24, 2026, and also stars Miles Teller as Jackson’s attorney and adviser John Branca, Colman Domingo as his father Joe Jackson, and Nia Long as his mother Katherine Jackson. Written by John Logan and produced by John Branca, Graham King, and John McClain, the biopic offers an intimate look at Jackson’s life, legacy, and influence. (Variety)

The NFL will host its first game in Spain on Sunday, November 16, at Madrid’s Bernabéu Stadium, where the Washington Commanders and Miami Dolphins will face off. The halftime show will be headlined by Argentine DJ/producer Bizarrap and Puerto Rican rapper and singer Daddy Yankee, with the duo set to perform their new joint track, “BZRP Music Sessions #0/66,” live for the first time. Known for collaborating with top Latin artists like Shakira and Rauw Alejandro, Bizarrap will also perform other hits alongside Daddy Yankee. “Getting the opportunity to headline the halftime show for the NFL’s first game in Spain is a huge honor,” said Bizarrap in a statement. “Especially alongside Daddy Yankee, such a legend” This event follows an international NFL game in São Paulo, Brazil, in September, emphasizing the league’s commitment to showcasing Latin music worldwide. The game will air on Mediaset España’s Cuatro and DAZN in Spain, and NFL Network in the U.S. (Billboard)

Daniel Caesar notched his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with his fourth album, Son of Spergy, which debuted October 24 and earned 43,000 equivalent album units in its first week, including 34.1 million streams. The album also gives Caesar his first-ever leader on the Top R&B Albums chart, while also debuting at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, marking Caesar’s first Top 10 appearance on the all-genre tally. Ten tracks from the album entered the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, led by “Who Knows” at No. 23, his highest position as a lead artist. Additionally, Caesar scored his first No. 1 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart with “Rain Down,” featuring Sampha. Son of Spergy builds on the success of Caesar's previous releases, with his 2017 debut, Freudian, peaking at No. 16 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, followed by 2019’s Case Study 01 reaching No. 10, and 2023’s Never Enough climbing to No. 6. (Billboard)

In a new GQ interview, SZA expressed confusion over Nicki Minaj's recent social media attacks on her, saying they have no personal association and she doesn’t understand the motive behind the criticism. “I don’t know her,” SZA said. “We have no connection to each other. There’s no backstory. There was no through-line narrative… I don’t know where it came from. That’s not even my place to correct a narrative that I don’t got sh*t to do with. It was a little strange.” She also declined to get involved in the ongoing feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, both collaborators and friends, emphasizing that it’s a dispute between “two grown-ass men” and she has no stake in it. Additionally, SZA revealed that she is currently immersed in creating what she hopes will be “the best album I’ve ever made,” with the five-time Grammy winner working closely with Steve Lacy on the project, though she hinted it might arrive later than 2026. (Billboard)

Snoop Dogg has canceled his planned New Year’s Eve special with NBC in order to focus on his correspondent role with the network for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. “Sometimes the calendar gets in the way of the celebration, which is why my NBC family and I decided this winter was time for us all to focus on the Olympics,” Snoop said in a statement. “But don’t worry, we’ll party together bigger and better later in 2026. Ya dig.” The two-hour New Year’s Eve special was originally announced back in May, and was scheduled to film in Miami and feature music and surprise performances, but it was shelved so Snoop could dedicate himself to the Winter Games, following his successful stint as a Summer Olympics correspondent in 2024. NBC Olympics executive producer Molly Solomon dubbed Snoop the “Ambassador of Happiness,” while stating that the rapper “connected with viewers in a way we’ve never seen before" at the previous Olympics, adding that "now he’s primed to return as Team USA’s most effusive supporter.” (Rolling Stone)

The 1975’s Matty Healy removed the track “Human Too” from their 2022 album, Being Funny in a Foreign Language, on streaming services because he no longer liked how it fit with the album. Healy acknowledged the change on Reddit by commenting on a thread about the song’s disappearance: “Hey! Human Too was removed from the album so the album is more how I want it to be. I doubt the same will happen with any other records as I am pretty happy with them.” The move surprised fans who speculated on the reason behind the change, while Healy went on to suggest he might remove another song, “What Should I Say,” from 2020’s Notes on a Conditional Form. But after a fan’s desperate plea, he apparently decided against it, with the singer commenting, “Ok no worries x.” The 1975 are working on a follow-up to Being Funny, though they have released two live albums in the meantime. (Rolling Stone)

Chris Brown dominates Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart this week, as he secures the top two spots with “It Depends” featuring Bryson Tiller rising to No. 1, and his previous chart-topping hit, “Residuals,” rebounding to No. 2. “It Depends” marks Brown’s 12th career chart-topper, tying Lil Wayne for third-most No. 1s since 1992, while earning the Greatest Gainer award with a 15% audience increase to 22.4 million impressions over the past week. Meanwhile, “Residuals,” which spent nine total weeks at No. 1, reached an audience of 20 million during its 65th chart week. This is Brown’s third career instance holding the top two R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay positions simultaneously, though this marks his first time as lead artist on both songs. The chart success extends across other formats, with “It Depends” scoring a fifth straight week at No. 1 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, while reaching No. 8 on Adult R&B, and climbing to No. 7 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart. (Billboard)

During Tuesday’s (November 4) Short n’ Sweet Tour stop at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, Sabrina Carpenter continued her tour tradition by playfully "arresting" actress Nicole Kidman, after referencing her famous AMC ad. “We come to this arena for magic, right?” Carpenter said from the stage, quoting Kidman’s memorable line while the cameras focused in on the Hollywood star. “Oh, my goodness, speaking of magic,” Carpenter exclaimed, as she proceeded to “arrest” Kidman for “being too hot.”  “I expected to find love, but not my soulmate. What is your name?,”  Carpenter continued, joking with the newly-single Kidman about moving to Nashville “if things work out between us.” During recent tour stops, Carpenter has “apprehended” Anne Hathaway at New York’s Madison Square Garden and Gigi Hadid in Pittsburgh, with the Grammy-winning pop superstar set to wrap up her multiyear tour with a six-night stand at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles that concludes on November 23. (Rolling Stone)

On Wednesday (November 5), Ed Sheeran took to social media to praise the U.K. government’s recent changes to the National Curriculum that improves music education. These upgrades reflect recommendations from an open letter he and the Ed Sheeran Foundation sent over the summer advocating for more diverse music education and accessible arts study in schools. “This involves diversifying the music genres taught in schools and removing outdated systems that stop kids from studying music and the arts as part of their school day,” Sheeran wrote in support of the educational improvements, while adding that, “These changes give young people hope and the opportunity to study music.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer committed £250 million to strengthen music and drama education, with plans for a National Center for Arts and Music Education to ensure creative learning is accessible to all children. (Rolling Stone)

During his American Heart World Tour stop at London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday night (November 4), Benson Boone reunited with Queen guitarist Brian May for a surprise encore. The duo performed “Bohemian Rhapsody” together, alongside Boone’s hit “Beautiful Things,” continuing a collaboration that began at Coachella earlier this year. Boone and May also took part in the viral “What’s Up?” TikTok trend after the show, with the young singer affectionately captioning the clip, “Guess who’s back,” as the video highlighted their growing camaraderie. Following their Coachella collab, Boone praised May as “one of the most legendary musicians of all time,” while the 78-year-old guitar legend returned the compliment by calling Benson a “truly golden 22-year-old prodigy,” Boone is currently on a European tour that extends throughout November, and he quickly recovered from vocal issues that forced him to cancel a show in Birmingham, England over the weekend. (Rolling Stone)

Bad Bunny, Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso, Karol G, Fuerza Regida, Chuwi, and Marco Antonio Solís are among the performers announced for the 2025 Latin Grammys. The ceremony is set to take place on November 13 in Las Vegas, with the event hosted by Maluma and Roselyn Sánchez. Bad Bunny leads all nominees with 12 total nods including record, album, and song of the year for Debí Tirar Más Fotos, while Argentinian duo Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso earned 10 nominations, and Karol G received three. Other performers include Pepe Aguilar, Rauw Alejandro, Gloria Estefan, Carín León with Kacey Musgraves, Alejandro Sanz, Carlos Santana, while 2025 Person of the Year Raphael is also scheduled to make a special appearance. The three-hour ceremony, produced by TelevisaUnivision, will air across their U.S. platforms starting at 8 p.m. ET, following a one-hour pre-show. (Variety)

Cardi B’s collaboration with Kehlani, “Safe,” has landed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart dated November 8, marking Cardi's milestone 10th career leader on the tally. The duo’s newly crowned chart-topper surpasses the No. 2 peak of their 2018 joint track, “Ring.” The new collab, released by Atlantic Records, saw a 17% increase in plays the week of October 24-30, earning the Greatest Gainer award for the largest weekly play increase. With “Safe,” Kehlani scores her second Rhythmic Airplay No. 1, just one month after “Folded” topped the chart. Also this week, “Folded” became Kehlani’s first ever No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, while also marking her inaugural Top 10 hit on the Hot 100, reaching a new peak of No. 7. Concurrently, “Safe” also holds the top spot on the Rap Airplay chart for a third week, while rising on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (No. 6) and Radio Songs (No. 21) charts with significant audience growth across all radio formats. (Billboard)

At her show in Boston on Monday night (November 3), Halsey sharply shut down a male concertgoer who told her to “stop talking and play,” by responding, “Who the f–k do you think you’re talking to?” while asserting she would perform whatever she wanted. Afterward, Halsey addressed the incident on X by writing, “I’ve been polite but won’t be caught dead letting a man tell me what I should play in my set” while defiantly declaring, “NOT IN MY HOUSE.” The exchange came shortly after Halsey revealed a minor medical emergency had led to an ER visit before the show, from which she recovered in time for the performance. That incident underscores Halsey’s determination to continue touring despite her ongoing health battles with systemic lupus and a rare T-cell disorder. Halsey is currently on the road celebrating the 10th anniversary of her debut album, Badlands, on the Back to Badlands Tour, with her next show scheduled for Minneapolis on Thursday (November 6). (Billboard)

After a two-week absence that marked rap's first time out of the Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 since 1990, Megan Thee Stallion’s new single, “Lover Girl,” returned hip-hop to the upper ranks by debuting at No. 38 on the November 8 chart. The Houston rapper's track broke the recent dry spell following Kendrick and SZA’s “Luther,” which dropped out of the tally after 44 weeks due to Billboard's new chart guidelines. “Lover Girl” garnered 8.5 million U.S. streams, 1.5 million in radio airplay audience, and 5,000 sales in its opening week. While the brief absence sparked debate about rap's current standing in pop music, Megan’s return marked her 21st Top 40 hit, though the track is expected to drop in the rankings next week, amid a lack of other rap tracks climbing the chart. Gunna’s collaboration with Burna Boy, “wgft,” and Cardi B’s “Safe” show some chart momentum, but currently aren’t threatening to crack the Top 40. (Billboard)

Jeezy set a Guinness World Record by performing with a 101-piece orchestra at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday night (November 1), marking the largest orchestra ever gathered for a hip-hop concert and the biggest orchestra assembled for any concert in Las Vegas. Guinness adjudicator Andy Glass was on hand to recognize Jeezy’s record-setting collaboration with The Color of Noize Orchestra, featuring music composed by Derrick Hodge and directed by Adam Blackstone. Celebrating the milestone on Instagram, Jeezy wrote of his achievement: “It has always been my purpose to motivate and inspire my culture. Thank you to everyone involved for believing in my vision. Couldn’t have done it without you. This one’s for the books…literally‼️” The rapper’s historic four-show residency began on Halloween and featured themed masquerade nights for the first two performances, with upcoming Nutcracker-themed holiday shows planned on December 19 and 21. (Billboard)

Britney Spears has deactivated her 12-year-old Instagram account following a series of distressing posts. Many of those were responding to her ex-husband Kevin Federline’s recent memoir, You Thought You Knew, which accuses her of alarming behavior during their marriage and while parenting their two sons. Spears publicly denounced Federline’s claims as trying to profit off her pain, saying his “constant gaslighting” has become “extremely hurtful and exhausting.” Her Instagram had shown concerning images over the past month, including an October 7 post that featured the pop superstar with bruises on her arms and bandages on her hands and wrists, injuries she claimed were the result of a fall “down the stairs at my friend’s house,” followed by mentions of possible brain damage she suffered during her conservatorship. While her Instagram is now inaccessible, her X account remains active, with her last post made on October 16. It is unclear whether the Instagram deactivation was voluntary or enforced by Meta. (Rolling Stone)

Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” continues to dominate the Billboard Hot 100 chart, sitting at No. 1 for a fourth consecutive week, bolstered by the recent release of an alternate acoustic version and strong streaming, sales, and radio airplay. The four-week rule of “The Fate of Ophelia” extends Swift’s total to 40 cumulative weeks at the chart’s summit, moving her up to eighth on the list of the most total weeks at No. 1 in chart history. This also marks Swift’s fifth No. 1 hit to rule the charts for four or more weeks, tying her for fifth-most of all-time, while also extending her record as the only artist to top both the Billboard 200 albums chart and the Hot 100 singles chart for the first four weeks of release. Two other tracks from Swift’s The Life of A Showgirl remain in the Top 10 this week, as “Opalite” holds at  No. 4, while “Elizabeth Taylor” drops three spots to No. 8. 

Meanwhile, Kehlani achieves her first Hot 100 Top 10 hit with “Folded,” which surges seven spots to reach No. 7, following the release of multiple high-profile remixes. "Folded" also becomes her first ever No. 1s on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs charts. The rest of the Hot 100 Top 10 includes HUNTR/X’s “Golden” holding at No. 2, Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” remaining at No. 3, while Olivia Dean scores her first-ever Top 5 hit as “Man I Need” jumps three spots to reach No. 5. Justin Bieber’s “Daisies” climbs up one spot to No. 6, while Morgan Wallen’s “I Got Better” sticks at No. 9, and Leon Thomas’ “Mutt” remains at its previous peak of No. 10. (Billboard)

On Monday (November 3), Kelly Clarkson announced that she has extended her Studio Sessions Las Vegas residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Clarkson has scheduled four additional shows in August 2026, adding to her six previously announced dates next year, for a run that now stretches from July 17 to August 15. This announcement comes ahead of Clarkson’s upcoming return to the Vegas stage on Friday (November 7), marking her first performance since the death of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock. from melanoma in August. After postponing initial shows in July due to vocal strain before eventually stepping away following Blackstock’s illness and passing, Clarkson kept a low profile before she recently resumed hosting her daytime talk show in late September. She also has upcoming residency dates scheduled on November 8, 14, and 15. Tickets for the new 2026 dates go on sale November 7, with a presale starting November 5. (Rolling Stone)

On Monday (November 3), Hilary Duff took to social media to officially announce her musical return after a decade-long hiatus with the release of her upcoming new single, “Mature.” The track is set to be released on Thursday (November 6), marking the 38-year-old actress/singer’s first new music since 2015. Newly signed to Atlantic Records, Duff also shared the single’s  cover art, while captioning her post, “So happy this is finally yours to hear. Been keeping this one quiet too long.” Alongside the single, a docuseries executive produced by Grammy-nominated director Sam Wrench is in development, capturing Duff’s personal and professional journey as she balances family life, recording, and preparing for live performances. Duff rose to fame in the early-2000s starring in the Disney series Lizzie McGuire, followed by a variety of pop hits in the mid-2000s. She has spent recent years focused on acting, but now returns to music with support from her husband, producer Matthew Koma. (Rolling Stone)

The first-ever U.S. TikTok Awards will be held on December 18 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, featuring live performances and appearances by top TikTok creators. Fans can vote for their favorites via the TikTok app from November 18 to December 5, with nominees for Breakthrough Artist of the Year including Alex Warren, KATSEYE, Laufey, Ravyn Lenae, and sombr. Most of these musicians are also strong contenders to be nominated for Best New Artist at the upcoming Grammy Awards, except for Laufey, who already won a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2024, and is ineligible for Best New Artist. The event, themed “New Era, New Icons,” will be streamed live on TikTok and Tubi, with a red carpet and hundreds of creators in attendance, celebrating emerging talent across music and video categories. (Billboard)