Lanie Gardner joined TRACK Mgmt, the firm founded by music exec Tracker Johnson in January 2025 that’s home to HARDY, Dallas Smith, Jake Worthington and McCoy Moore. Gardner has had her music featured on soundtracks for Twister and Queen of the Ring and has collaborated with Thomas Rhett, Warren Zeiders and Dorothy. Her sophomore project, Faded Polaroids, will release Sept. 5. – Jessica Nicholson

ONErpm signed Daya and will release her second full-length album, Til Every Petal Drops, on Oct. 10. The company released the first single from the set, “Agnostic,” on Friday (Aug. 8). Under the deal, Daya will retain full creative control while taking advantage of ONErpm’s marketing, digital strategy, distribution and direct-to-fan capabilities.

In other ONErpm news, the company announced two additional signings: long-running rock band G. Love & Special Sauce and Florida rapper Cochise. For the former, ONErpm will make the majority of the G. Love & Special Sauce catalog available across all platforms, including five albums — Back in the Day, In the King’s Court, Has Gone Country, Front Porch Loungin’ and Moonshine Lemonade — that will be available for the first time. The band is also set to release two new projects later this year, including Ode to R.L. — a tribute album to late blues artist R.L. Boyce, part of which was recorded with Boyce prior to his death in 2023 — and a live album from the band’s 30th anniversary tour last year. Additionally, the band will begin working on a new studio album. For Cochise, ONErpm has released a string of new singles, including “I LIE,” “BRACES” and “I THINK,” over the past couple of months.

George Prajin and Peso Pluma’s Double P Management signed Los Hermanos Espinoza. Hailing from Texas, the rising regional Mexican duo is known for its soulful take on corridos while embracing norteño roots, crafting a sound that resonates with fans on both sides of the border. The duo joins Double P Management’s growing roster, which also includes Gabito Ballesteros and Paloma Mami. – Griselda Flores

Slayyyter signed with RECORDS/Columbia Records, which released her latest single, “BEAT UP CHANEL$,” on Aug. 1. The pop artist recently toured with Kesha and boasts more than 300 million streams globally, according to a press release. She released the album Starf–ker in 2023.

Comedian and singer-songwriter Matt Mathews signed with WME for global representation. Mathews is currently on his Live Nation-promoted Boujee on a Budget Tour, which has sold more than 150,000 tickets to date, according to a press release. Next year, the multi-hyphenate is slated to release his debut self-titled music album produced by Stanton Edward. He previously released tracks including “What a War” and “Joke’s on Me.”

Nashville-based pop-punk singer-songwriter Taylor Acorn signed to Fearless Records, which will release her upcoming album, Poster Child. The LP is preceded by lead single “Goodbye, Good Riddance,” with a second single, “Hangman,” slated for release on Aug. 22.

Position Music signed Toledo, Ohio-raised, L.A.-based alt-pop singer-songwriter Britton to a record deal. She already released the single “clawmarks” on the label on July 25.

Big Loud Records signed Timmy McKeever to its roster. McKeever, who just released the song “Hold You to It,” relocated to Nashville in June 2024 and released his debut album, Devils & Angels, in December. – Jessica Nicholson

Australian artist Stella Donnelly signed with Dot Dash Recordings/Remote Control Records, which released her new single “Baths” and its double A-side “Standing Ovation” on Wednesday (Aug. 6).

Composer, visual artist, multi-instrumentalist and filmmaker Steel Beans signed a label deal with Anderson .Paak‘s APESHIT Records and EMPIRE, which released his latest single, “Big Dumb,” last month. More new music is slated for release later this year.

Parallel Vision, the label founded by Daniel Oakley, Darren Potuck and Cage the Elephant’s Brad Shultz, signed L.A.-based alt-rock band Common People in partnership with Big Loud Rock. The label released the Shultz-produced single “Thank You” last month.

Taylor Swift gave fans the best news they could possibly ask for on Tuesday (Aug. 12) — that she has a new album on the way.

After launching a mysterious countdown on her website and sending Swifties into an anxious frenzy, the pop star finally confirmed through a teaser for boyfriend Travis Kelce’s upcoming New Heights podcast episode that after months of dropping Easter eggs — the orange Eras Tour outfits, the 12 letter I’s in her letter about reclaiming her masters, the 12 Taylor Nation pictures — her 12th studio LP, The Life of a Showgirl, is coming soon. And though the title of the album is the only known detail so far, Swift’s fanbase is overflowing with excitement and predictions for the hitmaker’s next era.

“can’t wait for taylor to release my new favorite taylor swift album to go along with my other favorite taylor swift albums,” one person wrote on X.

A second fan rejoiced, “HALLELUJAH WE ARE CLOWNS NO MORE! WELCOME HOME THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL.”

“finding out that a new taylor swift album is coming out is a feeling that i can only describe as the same as drinking 17 brown sugar shaken espressos,” a third person added.

Several fans mentioned feeling like they were experiencing Swiftie “zoomies” in reaction to the news — “Taylor Swift zoomies are at an all time high rn y’all I’m watching the eras tour and RUNNING around my apartment trying to make the time go faster,” one person shared — while one listener declared that she was “bouncing around my room like a feral cat” with excitement. Many Swifties wasted no time in theorizing about the possible sound and subject matter of The Life of a Showgirl, which will mark the hitmaker’s first LP since 2024’s 17-week Billboard 200-topping effort The Tortured Poets Department.

“going from TTPD, an album about fame and vulnerability and the toll it takes on her personhood and mental health to The Life Of A Showgirl, which is another angle on fame,” one fan mused. “(and maybe a more empowering angle?) I’m SOOOOO excited to hear what she has to say in these songs.”

“the life of a showgirl makes me feel like she’s aboutta bust out of the TTPD insane asylum with the most insane stories and she’s gonna be loud about em,” agreed another Swiftie.

“All I know is that Taylor is about to treat us to an incisive retrospective on her entire life as a ‘showgirl,’” one listener wrote. “The loss of her innocence, the loves and lives she sacrificed to scrutiny, and the weight of being a woman in the public eye. Looks like TTPD was only the beginning.”

But it wasn’t just the average Swifties who were excited about the upcoming project. King Swiftie himself (aka Flavor Flav), shared the pop superstar’s image of the sparkly orange vinyl with the matching lock on Instagram, while New York City’s Empire State Building’s Instagram account shared a photo of the landmark lit up in the same orange, captioning the post, “Onto the next era.”

Though fans are clearly well and truly hyped for The Life of a Showgirl, Swift still has a lot to reveal about the project. She’s expected to share more details in her full guest episode of New Heights — which drops Wednesday evening (Aug. 13) — but for now, all Swifties have to go off of is a clip posted to the podcast’s social media accounts.

“I wanted to show you something,” she says in the video, carefully taking out a blurred vinyl from a “T.S.” brief case. “This is my brand new album, The Life of a Showgirl.”

Olivia Rodrigo wrapped her 97-show, year-and-a-half long Guts tour on July 1 with the second of two shows at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. The singer’s first-ever headlining arena tour took her from North America to Asia, Australia, Europe and South America on an ambitious outing that featured support from Chappell Roan, St. Vincent, Remi Wolf, the Breeders and others.

And while hundreds of thousands of fans took in the shows, not everyone was able to make it out, so Rodrigo is offering up a special keepsake for those who were in the room, as well as those who just can’t get enough. On Tuesday morning (Aug. 12), Rodrigo announced the Guts World Tour Book, a $38, 136-page hardcover book housed inside a die-cut slipcase with a raised metallic foil star on the cover.

The colorful book, which is slated to ship on Sept. 26, promises to give fans an “inside look at the GUTS world tour, including never-before-seen images, exclusive poster, commemorative tour trading card” and more. In addition, the package will include a red ribbon bookmark, double-sided poster and a double-sided sticker sheet.

Though the GUTS tour wound down last month, Rodrigo has hit a few festivals so far this month, including a headlining slot at this year’s Lollapalooza festival in Chicago on Aug. 1. The 22-year-old pop superstar made her Lolla debut on day two, where she was joined by childhood favorites Weezer for runs through their hits “Buddy Holly” and “Say It Ain’t So.”

Check out an image of the book below.

Tyler, The Creator pushes the envelope creatively, and he’s at it again with his self-directed “Sugar on My Tongue” video, which was released on Tuesday (Aug. 12).

In the visual, Tyler and a potential love interest are in a white-tiled room before throwing a rave after her parents leave. Things take a turn when the scene pivots to the Grammy-winning rapper in a skin-tight black latex suit, which leans into BDSM culture with Tyler on a leash.

He gets naked to turn the heat up a few notches, and then breaks out a knife to perform oral surgery on himself, cutting out his tongue. The muscular organ lies bloody in the middle of the bathroom floor before being watered, and growing to the point that the woman in the clip can ride on top of it.

Fans seemed to be taken aback by Tyler’s creative direction as well. “Did not expect to wake up to tyler going full freak mode,” one person commented on the video’s YouTube page.

“Sugar on My Tongue” arrived in July as part of Tyler, The Creator’s party-starting Don’t Tap the Glass album. Even with a shortened tracking week, the project debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 197,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the week ending July 24, according to Luminate.

2025 is another busy year for Tyler, who hyped his feature film debut, as he’s gearing up to star alongside Timothée Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow in A24’s Marty Supreme film. Directed by Josh Safdie, the movie is set to hit theaters on Christmas Day, and a trailer will be released on Wednesday (Aug. 13).

Watch the “Sugar on My Tongue” video below.

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Preston Cooper may be celebrating a series of career firsts in 2025, including his initial entry on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart with his debut radio single, “Weak.” Yet his raw, blues-dipped sound and commanding voice were forged through years of regular gigs around his home state of Ohio.

“Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, you’re an overnight star,’ but no, it’s taken about eight years,” Cooper tells Billboard.

Building upon previously released songs including “Weak,” “Numbers on a Mailbox” and “Used To” (which Cooper also plays guitar on), he includes those songs on his upcoming release Toledo Talkin’, his debut full-length album, out on Aug. 29 on Big Machine Label Group.

Growing up on a cattle farm in the small town of Fredericktown, Ohio — an hour northeast of Columbus — Cooper sang in the school choir as a freshman, but it wasn’t until he saw a classmate play in guitar class that he discovered his true passion. “He was up in the corner of the room playing, and I could tell he was actually good,” Cooper says. “He showed me some chords. I loved the guitar, and then I started putting some words to the [melodies] and singing with it. We ended up playing in some bands together.”

Cooper started off with rock classics such as Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” and Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water,” quickly adding to his repertoire hits by Chris Stapleton and John Mayer. After graduating high school, he became a mailman, walking up to 14 miles a day. To pass the time and entertain residents along his route, he sang snippets of songs and made up melodies, quickly earning the nickname “The Singing Mailman.” Off the clock, he regularly played in local bars and restaurants, eventually making more money from shows than his mail route.

“I didn’t play bro country, but like, Stevie Ray Vaughan, lots of [Chris] Stapleton, Bill Withers, B.B. King. I kind of played whatever I wanted to play,” he recalls of those gigs. 

While playing a fundraiser in Toledo in 2023, Cooper and his music caught the attention of Nashville songwriters Brad and Brett Warren, also known as The Warren Brothers, who have written songs for Toby Keith (“Red Solo Cup”), Tim McGraw (“Highway Don’t Care”) and Martina McBride (“Anyway”), and who overheard Cooper performing during their meet-and-greet. 

“They were supposed to be meeting people, but they kept coming in and watching me play,” Cooper recalls. Three weeks later, he made the trip to Nashville to write with the Warren Brothers and perform at Nashville’s The Bluebird Cafe. 

“They were just throwing me into the ballgame, and it was cool,” Cooper says of first coming to Nashville. That first writing session turned into his debut radio single “Weak,” and evolved into Cooper signing a publishing deal in 2024 with The Warren Brothers and Warner Chappell Music Nashville, followed by a label deal with Big Machine Label Group.

By the time he signed with Big Machine, Cooper had already been working on Toledo Talkin’, balancing songwriting and recording sessions with those bar gigs back in Ohio. “I was still doing that to make money to live [in Nashville],” he says. “It was really hard.”

The new album finds Cooper highlighting his range of influences. He delivers a Stapleton-esque, raspy-soul vocal on “The Takedown,” a tale about finding the courage to leave the comforts of home in favor of the unknown. He proves he can handle full-throttle country-rock with aplomb on “One For The Road.” The album’s closing song finds him etching a tale of a down-on-his-luck musician on the street doing his own kind of spiritual preaching. “He’s singing the gospel truth/ It’s coming out like the blues,” Cooper sings.

Cooper’s music, soulful vocals and bluesy guitar-playing had Nashville industry execs talking during Nashville’s Country Radio Seminar in February, and he’s opening shows this year for Kameron Marlowe and Riley Green. Cooper, Billboard’s August Country Rookie of the Month, recently discussed the making of his debut album, working with The Warren Brothers and his dream collaborations.

How did the song “Weak” come about?

Three weeks after I met The Warren Brothers, I went to Nashville to write with them and Lance Miller. I pulled out that “Weak” melody, which I made up on my mail route, and they were like, “What?!,” and helped me put lyrics to it. We wrote that song in like 45 minutes, and then recorded it immediately.

What songwriting lessons have you learned through writing with them?

They are some of the best. They taught me little tricks, things like double meanings in songs. They are the masters of that. They’ll write something that has three meanings in one line.

Another standout on the upcoming album is “If This Table Could Talk,” which you also wrote with Brad and Brett Warren. What was writing that like?

That was [written] quite a while ago, like November 2023. It’s probably one of my favorites. Lyrically, it’s just a great song, and it ties into my life a lot — just growing up, things that table’s seen, happiness, sadness, divorce, marriage, all that stuff. I showed some friends that song and it speaks to them.

“Numbers on a Mailbox” links to your days as a mailman, but it’s one of very few songs on the album that you did not write. How did you hear it?

[The Warren Brothers] wrote that about eight years before I met them. It was like this God moment of “That’s just a perfect song for you.” I’m from a small town, and I worked at the post office—there was no other better person to cut it than me.

How did you come to Big Machine’s attention?

Brad Warren texted [Big Machine Label Group executive vp of A&R] Allison Jones and was like, “Hey, I haven’t asked for a favor in a long time, but I would like you to meet this kid we found.” Allison called [Big Machine founder/CEO] Scott Borchetta, and we had a meeting at Big Machine. I played him three songs, and he was like, “That’s enough.” That kind made my heart stop. But then he was like, “When do we start?” I was meeting with other [labels] at the time, and it felt like here I could musically kind of go where I wanted to and they would support it.

Who would you want to collaborate with?

In the country world, Chris Stapleton is my hero. I’d love to do something with him. And Bob Seger, the Foo Fighters, and, of course, John Mayer.

What is one album you could you listen to over and over?

Probably the Escape album by Journey. 

When you are not doing music, how do you spend your time?

I love to deer hunt and turkey hunting is probably my favorite, but I love to coyote hunt, too.

It seems that most artists have to contend with the constant need to feed the social media machine. How do you approach that? 

I’m trying to get better at it. I don’t mind it, but I didn’t grow up on social media. I was always out in the woods, and I just didn’t think about pulling out my phone and showing people what I had for breakfast, right? I love the reach [of social media], though. That’s how people find new music.

 What are a few things on your career bucket list?

[Playing] Red Rocks, and that will happen in a couple of weeks [with Green], which is wild. I’d love to play Madison Square Garden and the Ryman [Auditorium]. I’ve never even been there. I’d love to play there.