Sienna Spiro is the first major international star announced for next month’s 2026 ARIA Awards.

The British pop artist will make her ARIAs debut when she performs on stage at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion, just weeks after the release of her debut album Visitor. 

When she graces the stage, Spiro will add herself to the lineup of international stars who’ve performed at Australian recording industry’s flagship awards, a list that includes Alicia Keys, Ava Max, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Halsey, Kane Brown, Khalid, Lorde, One Direction, Robbie Williams, Sam Smith, Taylor Swift and Olivia Dean, who has been a force on the ARIA Charts since her performance at the 2025 edition.

Spiro’s Visitor peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart in July and has racked up 14th consecutive weeks on the tally.

The breakthrough artist has already accumulated more than 33 million monthly listeners on Spotify, headline sponsor of the ARIAs, and 2 billion streams in total, bagged three simultaneous Billboard Hot 100 singles and six entries on the ARIA Singles Chart. “Die On This Hill” is certified platinum by ARIA, while “You Stole The Show,” “MAYBE,” “Material Lover” and “The Visitor” are all certified Gold in these parts.

In her homeland, Spiro has six top 40 hits including a No. 1 with “Great Expectation,” which she performed last month at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles. She also collected the Moonman for best new artist. Visitor peaked at No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.

Spiro’s trip to the ARIAs will mark her second trip to Australia following an intimate fan event last year at Pleasure Club in Newtown, Sydney. She’ll return in January 2027 for her Visitor Tour, which sold out in a matter of hours.

“So excited and honored to be performing at the 2026 ARIA Awards,” Spiro says in a statement. “I love Australia and can’t wait to be back!” 

With eight nominations each, Tame Impala and Genesis Owusu head the pack for the 40^th annual ARIA Awards, while Ecca Vandal is close behind with seven chances. All told, 29 artist categories will be announced on the night.  

The 2026 ARIA Awards is supported by Destination NSW, in partnership with Spotify, and will be live on Paramount+ and broadcast on 10. Performances and moments will also be available on the @ARIA.official YouTube channel.

Miranda Lambert is celebrating her husband Brendan McLoughlin’s birthday by putting a new spin on the longest-leading Billboard Hot 100 hit of all time. And who better to craft new lyrics for Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” than the woman who co-wrote them in the first place?

Lambert took to Instagram to share a series of photos and videos for McLoughlin’s 35th birthday on Wednesday (Oct. 14), alongside the caption: “Happy Birthday @brendanjmcloughlin. 35 looks good on you! Well everything looks good on you but that smile is my favorite ! I love you!”

In addition to pics of McLoughlin poolside, wearing cowboy boots on his hands, holding up Whataburger bags, fishing or riding a jet ski, Lambert also shared a few videos. There’s the one that paints a pretty clear picture of their life in rural Tennessee, showing McLoughlin driving down a country road while Lambert sits shotgun with her feet propped on the windowsill and their dog in the backseat. Then there’s one in which McLoughlin can be seen sweetly lacing Lambert’s pink low-top Jordans.

But the best video is the final one, which was shot in a hotel bathroom, with Lambert serenading her husband as he gets ready for a night out in Sin City.

“He’s in Vegas I can tell by the way he wants to leave the room,” Lambert sings in her unmistakable twang, set to the tune of the “Choosin’ Texas” chorus. “Judging by the smile that’s written on his face, he’s got a lot to lose.” (McLoughlin laughs as he admits to his wife, “That’s true!”) Lambert keeps singing to finish up the chorus: “It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see, Brendan’s gonna gamble until he’s/ Drinkin’ Jack all by himself, he’s in Vegas I can tell.”

Lambert is all too familiar with “Choosin’ Texas,” as she co-wrote and co-produced the song alongside Langley, as well as co-writers Luke Dick and JoyBeth Taylor and co-producer Ben West. The song has since rewritten the Hot 100 record book, spending 24 weeks atop the chart and surpassing the previous benchmark set by Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” with 22 weeks at No. 1.

McLoughlin and Lambert started dating in November 2018 before getting married only a few months later in January 2019 in Tennessee. In addition to her work with Langley, Lambert put out her 10th solo album Crisco on Oct. 2, which debuts at No. 4 on the Top Country Albums chart this week.

Check out all of Lambert’s photos and videos for McLoughlin’s birthday below:

Some albums make you cry, some make you dance, and others apparently make you feel so much that your stomach can’t handle it. Just ask Hailey Bieber.

The model and Rhode founder recently showed love for Rosalía’s LUX, sharing a pretty enthusiastic reaction to the Spanish singer’s 2025 album on her Instagram Story.

“You know when an album makes you wanna throw up in a good way?” Bieber wrote with a smiley-face emoticon.

It’s a dramatic description, but truthfully anyone who has fallen headfirst into an album they can’t stop listening to probably knows the feeling. And when it comes to LUX, Rosalía laid all her cards flat for fans to get lost in.

Released in November 2025, the singer’s fourth studio album takes an ambitious approach to pop, weaving orchestral arrangements and classical influences into her ever-evolving sound. Recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Bjarnason, the project features a wide-ranging collection of musical collaborators, including Björk, Carminho, Estrella Morente and Yves Tumor.

Across its 15-track digital edition, LUX explores themes of spirituality, desire, heartbreak and transformation, with Rosalía delivering vocals in multiple languages. The result is a sweeping, adventurous record that pushes the boundaries of traditional Latin and pop music.

LUX also had a massive presence on the charts, debuting at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 dated Nov. 22, 2025, earning Rosalía her first top 10 on the all-genre albums chart. The album also debuted at No. 1 on five different charts: Top Latin Albums, Top Latin Pop Albums, Classical Albums, Classical Crossover Albums and World Albums. That achievement made Rosalía the first artist to debut at No. 1 on all five charts simultaneously.

View Bieber’s reaction to Rosalía’s album below.

It looks like there’s no hard feelings between A$AP Rocky and FERG over the latter’s decision to change his name and the former’s subsequent comments regarding said name change.

FERG took to his Instagram feed to announce that the follow-up to his third solo album Darold is finished and put out an APB for a distributor. “I just finished my new album,” he wrote in a screenshot that he posted. “Who wants to distribute it?”

Rocky raised his hand, with the Harlem rapper hopping in the comments to congratulate his friend and seemingly offering up the services of his AWGE label. “U know where home is,” he wrote in a comment that included a red heart emoji. “Congratulations.”

The two have been going back and forth through the media recently after each has been asked about FERG dropping the A$AP from his stage name. While the decision hasn’t necessarily created a riff between the two old friends and collaborators, Rocky did express disappointment. “I saw a couple interviews where he was just like, he ain’t A$AP and he dropped A$AP from his name,” he told Apple Music. “That sh– bothered me but I ain’t gon’ hold it against him, and I wish him the best.”

FERG responded in an interview with Complex, saying that removing A$AP from his name was about growth. “I feel like that’s a personal thing for him,” he said about Rocky saying he was initially “bothered” by the decision. “You could feel how you want to feel, but at the end of the day, it’s like I got to follow my truth for sure and how I feel. And there’s nothing wrong with growing.”

As FERG gets set to drop his upcoming project, Rocky is gearing up to do his first Australia and New Zealand tour in eight years with five dates in December.

Shakira wanted to end her European residency in Madrid on a high note, and for her 13th concert, she surrounded herself with great friends. Maluma, Laura Pausini, Beéle, Dani Martín and Bizarrap joined her for one last night, which also featured dancers from the Carnival of Barranquilla, a drone display and a visibly emotional Shakira bidding farewell.

“There has been a before and after for me. It’s all felt like a dream, and honestly, I don’t want to leave,” the Colombian superstar told the audience. “It’s going to be very, very hard to leave Spain again.”

Announced a week earlier as “The Last Dance,” Monday’s concert (Oct. 12) brought the residency to a total of 13 shows and concluded with four consecutive performances from Oct. 9-12. The finale also coincided with Spain’s National Day (Día de la Hispanidad), with Latin culture strongly present throughout the celebration.

“I’ve prepared so many, many surprises for you tonight,” Shakira teased shortly after starting the show. “Tonight, I’m not holding anything back. I’m going to give you everything, everything, everything I have, because there’s nothing like when a she-wolf meets her pack.”

The first surprise came with Maluma, who returned for the second night in a row to perform “Chantaje” and “Agua” alongside Shakira. “We’ve already done four songs together; we should form a group called Shaluma,” joked Shakira to her compatriot, who replied that he was ready to create many more songs with her.

Later, Shakira paused the show for several minutes to thank the audience and everyone who made possible what she described as one of “the most important” projects of her career. “This residency has been historic for me,” she said, adding that during these weeks, she had also gone through difficult moments, including her father’s health issues and other personal challenges. She said the audience gave her the strength to step on stage every night “with total joy and a full heart… You’ve made me feel like I’m just starting my career, and I will never forget that.”

The superstar then extended her gratitude to everyone who had been part of the show and Macondo Park, as well as Sony Music, Live Nation, her team, musicians and dancers. According to Shakira, more than 10,000 people worked on the production of the show and the themed city that was built around the stadium. She also gave a particularly heartfelt thank-you to her ex Antonio de la Rúa, a current collaborator, introducing him as “a great friend, a soul friend.” Shakira highlighted his support during the tour and his work behind the creation and details of the project.

Following her thank-yous, Laura Pausini took the stage as “the cherry on top,” as Shakira presented her. The Italian artist returned to the residency to perform a duet of “Antología,” as she had during one of the first nights of the residency. Before singing, she took a moment to offer some words, emphasizing what Shakira’s career represents for younger generations of artists. “You are a lesson for so many,” she said. “Just imagine our younger colleagues who see the immense example that you are of a long and very solid career.”

The next guest was Dani Martín, former lead singer of El Canto del Loco and one of the most recognized names in Spanish pop-rock, who joined her for “Te Dejo Madrid.” Shakira introduced him with a nod to the song’s lyrics: “Today, I’m going to sing this with a Madrileño who won’t break my heart.”

Beéle later joined her for a performance of “Algo Tú,” while several Carnival of Barranquilla dancers filled the stage, bringing a piece of her hometown’s celebration to a night that coincided with Spain’s National Day. For “Dai Dai,” the Ghetto Kids joined the celebration in a particularly colorful and vibrant evening.

The final performance also highlighted just how far the residency had come. “When they proposed doing eight concerts here in Madrid, I thought it would be impossible,” Shakira shared. “And look, today is our 13th show. Someone pinch me, please, so I know if this is real or not.” According to the artist, around 700,000 people attended the shows at the Shakira Stadium during the entire residency.

The energy remained high throughout the residency, both on stage and among the audience. Purple wigs and chain belts with coins became a recurring sight among attendees, who embraced some of the most iconic images from different stages of Shakira’s career. Near the end of the show, dozens of drones lit up the sky, first forming the shape of a she-wolf and then a giant “12+1,” the chosen way to mark the final night of the residency.

But one last surprise was still in store. Bizarrap took the stage for the grand finale, stepping behind the turntable to perform “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” with the singer, keeping the party alive until the final moments of “The Last Dance” and bringing nearly a month of Shakira in Madrid to a spectacular close.