Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs & Rissi Palmer Among ACM Special Awards Honorees

Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Eric Church, Rissi Palmer, Randy Travis, Luke Combs and Cody Johnson are among this year’s recipients of the Academy of Country Music’s special awards, and will be feted during the 18th Academy of Country Music Honors celebration, which will take place Wednesday, Aug. 20, at The Pinnacle in Nashville.

Wilson will be honored with the ACM artist-songwriter of the year accolade, while songwriter Jessie Jo Dillon (“Halfway to Hell,” “Am I Okay?”) will be honored with the songwriter of the year award. The ACM Honors will also recognize studio recording award and industry award winners.

Jelly Roll will be honored with the ACM lifting lives award, which recognizes a country music artist, duo/group or industry member who has devoted themselves to improving lives through music and is committed to serving others. The honor is voted on by the ACM lifting lives board of directors. Jelly Roll is being honored for his philanthropic work. He teamed with Live Nation to donate $1 from each ticket sold on his Backroad Baptism Tour, raising more than $600,000 for at-risk youth. He has also visited over 10 juvenile facilities, four rehabilitation centers and several homeless shelters to help bring hope and encouragement. He also testified before Congress to advocate for the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence Off Fentanyl Act.

Church and Ben Vaughn, president/CEO of Warner Chappell Music Nashville until his passing earlier this year, are the recipients of the ACM icon award, given to presented to a country music artist, duo/group or industry leader who has advanced the popularity of the genre through their contributions throughout their career. Church, a seven-time ACM Award winner, spearheaded the Concert for Carolina alongside Luke Combs, raising more than $24 million for Hurricane Helene relief efforts. For Church’s 2024 release “Darkest Hour,” he signed over all of his publishing royalties to aid those impacted by the floods in his homestate of North Carolina. During his career leading Warner Chappell Music Nashville, Vaughn was instrumental in developing numerous artists and songwriters including Dan+Shay, Kacey Musgraves, Lady A, Thomas Rhett and Chris Stapleton.

Johnson is the recipient of the ACM spirit award, inspired by the late country music legend Merle Haggard. The award is presented to a singer-songwriter who continues the legacy of Haggard by following their own path, crafting compelling songs and presenting them through high-caliber performances. Johnson has earned two No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hits, “‘Til You Can’t” and “The Painter.”

Combs will be honored with the ACM international award, which celebrates a country music artist, duo/group or industry leader for outstanding contributions to the growth of country music globally. Combs’ headlining tours have sold out in the U.K., Ireland, the Netherlands and Australia, demonstrating his global appeal and fanbase.

Palmer will be feted with the ACM’s lift every voice award, which is presented to a country music artist, duo/group, industry leader or affiliate/partner who elevates underrepresented voices in the country music genre. The nominee for this category is proposed by the rising leaders in the ACM’s LEVel UP: Lift Every Voice professional development program. In addition to leading her own music career, Palmer is the creator and host of Apple Music’s Color Me Country Radio with Rissi Palmer, which celebrates diversity and inclusion in the country music genre and spotlights artists of color.

Mac McAnally will be recognized with the ACM poet’s award, which honors a country music songwriter for longstanding musical contributions to country music. In addition to writing his own music, this Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member has had songs recorded by Jimmy Buffett (“It’s My Job”) Kenny Chesney (“Down the Road”), Alabama (“Old Flame”), Sawyer Brown (“I Will Leave the Light On”), Shenandoah (“Two Dozen Roses”) and more.

Country Music Hall of Fame member Travis will be honored as the recipient of the ACM milestone award, which is presented to a country music artist, duo/group or industry leader for outstanding achievements in country music during the preceding calendar year. Travis incorporated AI-assisted vocals to re-imagine and revive older and previously unheard songs, preserving and continuing his unmistakable sound.

The ACM film award, which recognizes an outstanding movie, series or feature film released during the preceding calendar year that prominently features country music, will be presented for the film Twisters. The film’s soundtrack featured music from Luke Combs, Megan Moroney, Jelly Roll and more.

Executive Lori Badgett is the recipient of the ACM service award, which is given to an outstanding country music artist, duo/group or industry leader to recognize years of dedication and service to the ACM. In her work at City National Bank, Badgett has helped establish the bank’s presence in Nashville and she now plays an essential role in the ACM and its charitable arm ACM Lifting Lives, having chaired both organizations. Badgett’s leadership was instrumental in the Academy’s transition from Los Angeles to Nashville and she continues to serve on multiple committees for both organizations.

“This year’s ACM Special Awards honorees each have played an essential role in Country Music’s success,” Kerri Edwards, chair of the ACM Special Awards committee, said in a statement. “From some of country music’s legendary artists to the incredible songwriters and powerhouse executives, we are so excited to celebrate these well-deserved recipients next month at The Pinnacle in Nashville. Congratulations to all the honorees.”

Tickets for the ACM Honors will be available to ACM A-List newsletter subscribers and Academy members in a pre-sale starting July 10. General onsale tickets will be available starting July 11 through AXS.

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Nicki Minaj Calls Out Democrats for Criticizing Her COVID Vaccine Impotence Claims: ‘Hanging Like My Cousin’s Friend’s Balls’

Nicki Minaj went on an explosive rant on Tuesday (July 8), and she spent a portion of her time firing back at those who had previously criticized her 2021 comments surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine.

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Minaj went viral on social media a few years ago after alleging that her cousin’s friend’s testicles became swollen as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Democrats attacked me over my cousin’s balls,” she began going after the left. “Remember? Let’s see if they have any thoughts on that DESIRAT pardon. Let’s see if they have any thoughts on brother billionaire never campaigning for Kamala even after Obama pleaded with the ‘brothers.’”

The Young Money rapper continued: “Isn’t this THEE ‘brother’?!??!! Thee one ‘brother’ who could’ve probably gotten the job done for yall?!?!!!! Welp. If the top brother in charge can leave yall hanging w/o repercussions then may everyone else leave you hanging as well. Hanging like my cousin’s friend’s balls.”

Minaj’s initial viral message was spawned out of the 2021 Met Gala, which mandated that all attendees of be vaccinated. “They want you to get vaccinated for the Met,” Minaj tweeted at the time. “If I get vaccinated it won’t for the Met. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now.”

She continued: “My cousin in Trinidad won’t get the vaccine cuz his friend got it & became impotent. His testicles became swollen. His friend was weeks away from getting married, now the girl called off the wedding. So just pray on it & make sure you’re comfortable with ur decision, not bullied.”

Minaj’s comments drew a ton of backlash on social media, and even Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor, Dr. Anthony Fauci, chimed in. “There’s no evidence that it happens, nor is there any mechanistic reason to imagine that it would happen,” he said at the time.

Democrats weren’t the only ones to feel the wrath of Minaj on Tuesday. She blasted Megan Thee Stallion and Roc Nation after their motion was denied by a federal judge to stop a lawsuit from a cameraman, who claimed he was forced to watch the “WAP” rapper have sex while on tour in Europe.

See the rapper’s message on X about the COVID vaccine below:

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Kerrville Native Robert Earl Keen Talks Texas Flood’s Devastating Impact, Plans for Benefit Show: ‘You Can Only Go Forward’

Robert Earl Keen has a personal connection to Kerrville, TX, the site of massive flooding on July 4 that authorities say resulted in the deaths of 111 people, with nearly 170 still unaccounted for at press time. Not only did the legendary singer-songwriter have a ranch just outside of Kerrville, but his two daughters, Clara and Chloe, both attended Camp Mystic, the Christian summer camp where authorities say 27 campers and counselors were killed — and 11 are still reported missing — and he was scheduled to once again play the town’s Fourth on the River music festival before rapidly rising floodwaters devastated the area last week.

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In an interview with Rolling Stone, Keen, 69, said that he’s working on arranging a benefit concert and reminisced about the special beauty of the area, as well as the summers his kids spent at Camp Mystic. Keen had participated in the Fourth on the River event for 15 years, but after fast-rising floodwaters covered the festival grounds and swamped production equipment last week, the Arcadia Live Theater, which hosts the event, was turned into an emergency makeshift family reunification center and shelter.

The singer announced on Monday that he’s donating money from merchandise sales from his current tour to flood relief efforts as he recalled Kerrville’s long history with music and its ties to his own career. Keen said the Kerrville Folk Festival began in 1972, drawing fans including former president and Texas native LBJ, as well as musicians from all over the world while spotlighting new artists. He was one of those lucky singers, winning the “new folk songwriter” prize at the fest in 1981, when he still lived in Austin.

Keen headlined the Fourth on the River festival for 12 years in Kerrville before “retiring” from it a few years ago and returning in 2024 to help out. “And now, with it being washed out, I kind of feel like I was somewhat of a spearhead or a flashpoint, as far as the other artists who are now part of the whole tragedy,” he told RS. That’s why he is donating 100% of his merch sales to flood relief.

“We haven’t confirmed it yet, but we’re going to be putting on a show,” he said, promising a “real solid musical event” with details to be revealed later this week. In the meantime, the singer said his wife is back home helping first responders by handing over one of their rental properties for them to stay in. “It’s an entire family effort. You can’t take away what happened,” he said. “You can only go forward, and do as much as you can, for as long as you can.”

Keen and daughter Clara also talked about what Camp Mystic meant to their family, with the singer saying that though it was Christian, longtime camp directors Dick and Tweety Eastland “embraced everybody”; Dick Eastland, 74, died in the floods trying to save his campers. “I just found out that my youngest daughter, Chloe… a cabin that washed away was the cabin that she stayed in when she was first there,” Keen said. “And she has a definite visceral connection to this tragedy.” He said older daughter Clara attended Mystic for eight years and “just loved it.”

Clara recalled the camp’s “no-tech” policy, which encouraged campers to write letters home, something she still enjoys to this day because it reminds her of “hot afternoons in June, sitting on my bunk bed during rest hours just poring over letters from my parents and friends in the world beyond Mystic.” She said her dad would writer her letters called “The Farm Report,” where he would run down how all the animals on the family ranch were doing, missives her camp friends loved and would gather around to read.

“Mystic allowed me to grow into myself, on my own terms but with the help of good-natured guidance” said Clara, a self-described “weird kid” who sometimes struggled to make “real-life” friends outside of camp. She recalled that the nearly 100-year-old camp was “intertwined” with the nearby Guadalupe River, which rapidly overspilled its banks and swamped the campsite as floodwaters rose nearly 26 feet in just 45 minutes on July 4.

“The river was this constant, not only during the term, but over the years,” she said.

In addition to working on setting up the benefit show, Keen encouraged anyone who wants to send money, or who is putting together their own fundraising show, to send it to the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country.

“I would really ask those who are willing to listen and to show kindness and grace,” added Clara. “Texas is not a monolith, and there are people here who have loved and lost on a level which is dark and incomprehensible. People, these people, deserve supportive love more than anything at this time.”

She quoted a saying Camp Mystic saying that the Eastland’s use to share with their young charges: “A bell is not a bell until you ring it. A song is not a song until you sing it. The love in your heart wasn’t put there to stay, love isn’t love until you give it away.”

In addition to artists including Billie Eilish, Shakira, Lana Del Rey, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris and Hilary Duff sending their love and encouraging donations, the impact of the flooding has hit home for some Texas-bred acts, including singer Pat Green. The Fort Worth native revealed on Monday that his younger brother John and his wife Julie, as well as two of their children were swept away in the flood.

Watch an Instagram video from Keen earlier this week in which he first announced his plans for a benefit below.

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‘Building the Band’ Pays Tribute to Liam Payne in Premiere Episode, Dedicates Series to His Family

The team behind Netflix’s Building the Band is feeling the loss of Liam Payne extra hard this week, with the show premiering Wednesday (July 9) on the streaming service following the One Direction star’s sudden death nine months prior.

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And in the opening moments of the competition series’ first episode, AJ McLean — who hosts Building the Band — paid tribute to his late friend. “When we came together to film Building the Band, we never imagined we’d soon be saying goodbye to our friend Liam Payne,” the Backstreet Boys member tells the camera.  

“Liam is a guest judge in later episodes, and through his presence, we see his deep love for music and his unwavering commitment to helping others find their voice,” McLean continues as a quick montage of Payne’s scenes on the show play. “It’s through that spirit that we dedicate this series to Liam and his family.”

Building the Band was one of the last projects Payne worked on before his death last October. About two months after wrapping filming in August, he suffered a fatal fall from the fourth-floor balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires. High levels of alcohol and other substances were in his system at the time of his death, toxicology reports later confirmed. 

During their time together on the show, McLean and Payne bonded over their similar histories as boy band stars. Both musicians have also been open in the past about their struggles with sobriety, with McLean saying that they shared “a lot of parallel life experiences” in a recent interview with Today.  

In the same interview, McLean also revealed that he had heard the unreleased music Payne was working on while filming Building the Band. “I thought that was really sweet that he would entrust someone that he’s still learning about to give their opinion,” he told the long-running NBC morning show. “I thought it was a great body of work. And I hope that the world and that the fans get to hear it somewhere down the road. It’s beautiful, beautiful music.” 

Also starring Nicole Scherzinger and Kelly Rowland as judges, Building the Band separates hopeful singers into closed-off pods, where they then seek to assemble a musical group before ever seeing one another. The first four episodes are available to watch now, while the second and third batches of episodes will arrive July 16 and July 23, respectively. 

After Payne’s death, Netflix got his family’s blessing to move forward with the show. And after a trailer for the show premiered in June, his sister Ruth Gibbins opened up about how meaningful it was to watch her brother shine onscreen. 

“Im heartbroken he never got to see how great he is in this show,” she wrote on Instagram Stories at the time. “He knew he had done a good job, we all told him this when we were at filming, but watching it back, wow!”

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Playboi Carti & The Weeknd Rule Rhythmic Airplay Again With ‘Rather Lie’

Playboi Carti and The Weeknd’s recent partnership yields another No. 1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as “Rather Lie” leads the list dated July 12. The pair previously linked up for “Timeless,” which reigned for four weeks last November-December.

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“Rather Lie” — from Playboi Carti’s MUSIC album — leaps from No. 4 and becomes the most played song on panel-contributing rhythm radio stations in the United States for the tracking week of June 27-July 3, according to Luminate. The song takes the throne from PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake’s “Somebody Loves Me” after the latter’s one-week stay.

Thanks to the current single, Playboi Carti snags his second No. 1 on the radio chart. The Weeknd, meanwhile, collects a 16th leader and moves within one champ of tying Rihanna for the second-most in the chart’s history, dating to its start in October 1992.

Here’s an updated review of the leaderboard:

  • 41, Drake
  • 17, Rihanna
  • 16, The Weeknd
  • 14, Chris Brown
  • 13, Bruno Mars
  • 13, Lil Wayne
  • 13, Usher
  • 12, Beyoncé
  • 12, Nicki Minaj

In all, “Rather Lie” is the third Rhythmic Airplay entry that Playboi Carti and The Weeknd share. In addition to “Timeless,” the duo joined forces with Madonna on “Popular,” a No. 7 hit in September 2023. Beyond their recent singles, the pair has taken their collaborative to the road, with Playboi Carti serving as an opening act for the 2025 leg of The Weeknd’s After Hours til Dawn Stadium Tour.

As The Weeknd welcomes another chart-topper to his collection, let’s recap his No. 1s on Rhythmic Airplay:

  • “Love Me Harder,” with Ariana Grande; five weeks at No. 1, beginning Jan. 3, 2015
  • “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey),” three, May 2, 2015
  • “Can’t Feel My Face,” five, Aug. 1, 2015
  • “The Hills,” five, Sept. 19, 2015
  • “In the Night,” one, Feb. 13, 2016
  • “Might Not,” Belly feat. The Weeknd; three, April 30, 2016
  • “Starboy,” feat. Daft Punk; six, Nov. 5, 2016
  • “Party Monster,” one, April 1, 2017
  • “Pray for Me,” with Kendrick Lamar; two, April 14, 2018
  • “Heartless,” one, Feb. 8, 2020
  • “You Right,” with Doja Cat; four, Aug. 28, 2021
  • “One Right Now,” with Post Malone, one, Feb. 12, 2022
  • “Creepin,” with Metro Boomin and 21 Savage, three, Feb. 11, 2023
  • “Timeless,” with Playboi Carti, four, Nov. 23, 2024
  • “Cry for Me,” one, April 26, 2025
  • “Rather Lie,” with Playboi Carti, one (to date), July 12, 2025

Further, thanks to “Cry for Me” and “Rather Lie,” The Weeknd achieves multiple Rhythmic Airplay No. 1s in the same calendar year for the first time since 2016.

Elsewhere, “Rather Lie” repeats at No. 9 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, but improves 4% in plays for the tracking week compared with the prior period. It also holds at No. 3 on the Rap Airplay ranking, though it gains 9% in audience. Gains from the sectors and its rhythmic strength help the single push 45-44 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart. There, it added 8% in audience for the week, reaching 17.6 million in listenership.

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Recording Academy Invites Nearly 3,600 Music Creators and Industry Pros to Become Members in 2025

Today the Recording Academy extended its annual membership invitations to nearly 3,600 music professionals spanning, in its words, “diverse backgrounds, genres and disciplines.” According to the academy, this year’s class of invitees is 49% women, 56% people of color and 60% under the age of 40.

That 3,600 total includes about 2,600 who are being invited to join as voting members and about 1,000 who are being invited to join as non-voting professional members.

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To put that 3,600 figure into perspective, the Academy reported last year that it has 16,000+ total members, of which 13,000+ were voting members.

The academy has invited thousands of new voting members in recent years in a concerted move to expand and diversify its membership.  This year’s total number of invitations is down slightly from last year, when 3,900 people were invited (3,000+ to become voting members and 900+ to become professional members.) According to the academy, 2,800+ accepted those invitations.

 In 2023, the academy invited 2,800 new voting members. In 2022, it invited more than 2,000 new voting members – as well as more than 600 professional, non-voting members.

Invitations this year were extended to, among others, Addison Rae, Chase Rice, Chrisette Michele, Ella Langley, Grupo Firme, Joey Bada$$, KATSEYE, Kelli O’Hara, Mariah The Scientist and Nikki Glaser.

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Rae, Langley, KATSEYE and Mariah the Scientist are viewed as credible contenders for best new artist nominations. Glaser, who received her first Grammy nomination late last year for best comedy album, hosted the Golden Globes in January and is set to host that show again next year.

Invitations must be formally accepted for invitees to become Recording Academy members. To participate in the Online Entry Process (OEP) for the upcoming Grammy Awards, invitees must accept by July 31.

The academy announced its invitations for the new member class about two weeks after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced its own invited class of 534 individuals. That means the Recording Academy invited nearly seven times as many people to join its ranks this year as the Motion Picture Academy did.

The Motion Picture Academy’s peak year for invitations was in 2018, when it invited 928 new members.

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A comprehensive report on the Recording Academy’s 2025 new member class, along with a detailed breakdown of the overall membership demographics and crafts, will be released later this year following the deadline for 2025 invitees to join the academy.

The Recording Academy released its 2024 Membership Report on Oct. 3, 2024, one day before first-round voting opened for the 67th annual Grammy Awards. The most eye-popping statistic: 66% of the current Grammys electorate has joined since the Recording Academy introduced its new membership model in June 2019. Under that model, the academy invites large new member classes to join, with an eye on boosting the numbers of women, people of color and people under 40 in the academy.

Thus, the voting membership that delivered album, record and song of the year to Adele in 2017 and those same three awards to Bruno Mars in 2018 is much different today. We started to see a shift in voting patterns in February 2019, even before the new membership model was introduced, when Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” became the first hip-hop hit to win record or song of the year. (It won both.) At the Grammys earlier this year, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” became the second hip-hop hit to win record or song of the year. (Again, it won both.)

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The Recording Academy’s membership model is community-driven and peer-reviewed to create a more diverse and engaged membership base.

The Recording Academy offers three types of membership: voting membership for music creators, professional membership for music business professionals and GRAMMY U for those aspiring to a career in the music industry. (GRAMMY U follows a distinct application process.)

Each year, interested musicians and professionals must apply for membership by March 1. Their submissions are reviewed in the spring by a peer review panel comprised of existing Recording Academy members active in the music industry. If approved, candidates are invited to join the Recording Academy.

Recording Academy voting members — artists, songwriters, producers, engineers and others active in the music industry — are eligible to vote for the annual Grammy Awards. In addition, members can submit product for Grammy Awards consideration, propose amendments to Grammy Awards rules, run for a Recording Academy board position or committee, vote in chapter elections, support fellow musicians through advocacy efforts and MusiCares, and engage with the academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing, Songwriters & Composers Wing, Black Music Collective and more.

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Here’s When the Eligibility Period for 2026 Grammys Will End & Other Key Dates

“For today’s music creators, Grammy membership opens up an incredible set of opportunities,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “Not only do voting members get the chance to honor their peers with Grammy nominations and awards, Academy members get access to hands-on experience, skill development to advance their careers, exposure to peers and mentors in the music industry and be part of an organization shaping the future of music.”

The first-round voting period for the 68th Grammy Awards opens on Oct. 3 and closes on Oct. 15. Nominations will be announced on Nov. 7. Final-round voting runs from Dec. 12 to Jan. 5, 2026. The telecast is set for Feb. 1, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Comedian Trevor Noah has hosted the last five Grammy ceremonies. If he is asked to host again, he’ll join Andy Williams, who hosted the first seven Grammy telecasts, and John Denver, who hosted six times, as the most frequent Grammy hosts.

The 66th Grammy Awards, which aired in February 2024, received a Primetime Emmy nomination for outstanding variety special (live). We’ll find out if this year’s show is nominated in that marquee category in one week (Tuesday, July 15).

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Stephen Sondheim, Oscar Hammerstein and More Who Died Just an Emmy Shy of EGOT Status

At last year’s Primetime Emmys, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul became EGOTs when they won outstanding original music and lyrics for co-writing a tongue-twisting song for Only Murders in the Building.

At the previous Primetime Emmys, which were held in January 2024 due to labor disputes that delayed the show, Elton John clinched EGOT status when he won outstanding variety special (live) for his special, Elton John: Farewell from Dodger Stadium.

The first person ever to become an EGOT winner, though nobody had coined that clever acronym yet, was composer Richard Rodgers, who sealed the deal as the result of a Primetime Emmy win in 1962.

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Eight other stars clinched EGOTs with their Emmy wins – meaning they had won the three other necessary awards (at least one Grammy, Oscar and Tony) previously: Rita Moreno (1977), John Gielgud (1991), Marvin Hamlisch (1995), Mike Nichols (2001), Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice and John Legend (all 2018) and Alan Menken (2020).

The 2025 Primetime Emmys are coming up on Sept. 14, with the Creative Arts Emmys slated for Sept. 6-7, but no one will become an EGOT winner this year as a result of an Emmy win. How can we be so sure? There are currently only six people who are just an Emmy shy of EGOT status and they are all dead.

Five of these people were composers or lyricists, so we decided to take a closer look at their awards histories. Here are the six people who just needed an Emmy to pull off EGOTs, but died without ever bringing home that award.

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How to Secure the Best Deals on High-Tech Samsung Products During Amazon Prime Day 2025

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Fans of Samsung’s tech, rejoice. The beloved brand currently has some must-shop deals going on during Amazon Prime Day 2025.

We’re talking up to 45% off on a slew of innovative tech, from curved computer monitors and Bluetooth earbuds to high-tech AI rings that track the wearer’s health status. But you’ll want to act fast. These sale products, and so much more, can be found on Amazon until the end of the day on July 11, when Prime Day concludes. In the meantime, we’re helping you make the most well-informed decision possible before you buy by breaking down some of the best Prime Day deals on Samsung’s most raved-about pieces.

Amazon Prime Day 2025: Best Deals on Samsung Products

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, 512GB Smartphone

$1,099.24 $1,419.99 23% off

Buy Now On Amazon

A smartphone with a stilus wand.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra can run you up to $1,400, depending on where and when you purchase the smartphone. Right now, you can get the coveted tech for just $1,099.24. In case that doesn’t sell you, this Samsung smartphone features the most advanced camera system yet. If you’re into taking pictures or video, the phone comes equipped with a 200MP wide-angle lens and an upgraded 50MP ultra-wide lens for crisp and clear detail in every frame. You’ve also got a longer battery life and a durable water-resistant titanium frame that not only looks good, but keeps your phone lasting longer too.

Amazon Prime Day 2025: Best Deals on Samsung Products

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro AI True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds

$189.99 $249.99 24% off

Buy Now On Amazon

Bluetooth wireless earbuds with AI capabilities.

You can’t get a quality listening experience without good tech. Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro should be the pick for the audio fanatics who want to jam out to their favorite tunes with the highest quality sound possible.

The neatest feature attributed to these earbuds is the Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation, thanks to Samsung’s Galaxy AI². This feature means that your buds will automatically adapt to your surroundings so you can tune into your music without interference. The Adaptive Equalizer feature also prioritizes optimum sound so you can get the most out of your listening experience every time. If you’re afraid of losing or breaking your buds, Amazon is offering an exclusive two-year warranty when you buy during Prime Day.

Amazon Prime Day 2025: Best Deals on Samsung Products

Samsung Galaxy Ultra 47mm LTE AI Smartwatch

$359.99 $649.99 45% off

Buy Now On Amazon

A smart watch with AI capabilities.

This isn’t just a watch. It’s much more than that. While this Samsung tech may help tell time, it comes jam-packed with other unique capabilities that are harnessed through the power of AI. For those looking to get on their wellness journey, the Ultra 47mm LTE AI Smartwatch comes equipped with a health tracker that tracks your activity so you can perform at your best every day. The watch offers extremely precise readings on heart rate and shares wellness tips to help you better yourself. What’s more, this do-it-all watch is currently available for $359.99, 45% off its original price.

Amazon Prime Day 2025: Best Deals on Samsung Products

Samsung 27″ Essential S3 (S36GD) Series FHD 1800R Curved Computer Monitor

$164.99 $179.99 8% off

Buy Now On Amazon

A curved computer monitor perfect for gaming.

This is for our PC gamers. Samsung’s 27-inch Essential S# Series FHD 1800R Curved Computer Monitor is currently on sale for $164.99. The curved construction is meant to enhance visuals by wrapping more closely around your field of vision, creating a wider view that minimizes peripheral distractions. For those long gaming sessions, the monitor includes built-in eye comfort technology that reduces strain. Additionally, the 100Hz refresh rate reduces lag and motion blur. You’ll be gaming like a pro in no time.

Amazon Prime Day 2025: Best Deals on Samsung Products

Samsung PRO Plus Sonic The Hedgehog SD Card

$94.99 $116.99 19% off

Buy Now On Amazon

A Sonic the Hedgehog inspired SD card.


Here’s something for Sonic the Hedgehog fans to celebrate. Samsung’s Pro Plus Sonic the Hedgehog SD Card is currently on sale for $94.99. This themed tech was practically made for gamers. It includes storage of 128GB up to 1TB, so you can upgrade your gaming library with ease. If you’re not the gaming type but you’re looking for an SD card with ample storage, this Samsung tech can also hold high-res files, photos and 4K videos. The SD card is compatible with a slew of devices, including Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, GoPro, tablets and smartphones. If you’re prone to accidents, this SD card is also able to withstand water damage and extreme temperatures. It’s nifty tech with a gamer theme.

Amazon Prime Day 2025: Best Deals on Samsung Products

Samsung Galaxy AI Smart Ring

$299.99 $399.99 25% off

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An AI smart ring that tracks a slew of health-related data.

This Samsung Galaxy AI Smart Ring is like something out of the Star Trek universe. Retailing for $299.99, this ring acts as a sleep monitor, heart rate monitor and activity tracker. Compatible with Android smartphones, the tech works by continuously analyzing and compiling your body’s activity and frequent patterns to create an algorithm that you can comprehend without lifting a finger. The ring is lightweight, durable and sleek, acting as a fashionable accessory and a fitness tracker all in one.

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Ángela Aguilar Announces U.S. Libre Corazón Tour: See the Dates & Cities

Regional Mexican star Ángela Aguilar announced Wednesday (July 9) her U.S. headlining Libre Corazón Tour, set to kick off Oct. 24 in Newark, N.J.

The 17-date stint will visit major cities, including Chicago, San Antonio, Houston and Denver before wrapping up Dec. 13 in Las Vegas. The tour will be preceded by two “Los Aguilar with Orchestra” shows at the Hollywood Bowl on Aug. 15-16 in Los Angeles.

Libre Corazón will mark Aguilar’s second solo tour, following her Piensa En Mí trek in 2023. One of the most successful women in regional Mexican music today, she’s also embarked on several back-to-back family tours, including Jaripeo Sin Fronteras and Jaripeo Hasta Los Huesos, which wrapped last summer.

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“I miss [touring] so much,” Aguilar recently told Billboard, explaining she took a short break to “take care of my mental health and all of that but I’m at a place where I’m ready to start the new tour. I already have my stage, what I’m going to wear, it’s going to be amazing. It’s an honor to do a tour.”

In May, the 21-year-old singer-songwriter and producer released Nadie Se Va Como Llegó — included in Billboard‘s 25 Best Latin Albums of 2025 So Far — and earlier this year, she was honored as Billboard’s 2025 Women in Music Breakthrough honoree where she delivered a poignant speech about immigrant rights.

Tickets for Libre Corazón will go on sale on Friday, July 11 at 10 a.m. local time at Ticketmaster.com. According to a press release, Aguilar will donate $1 from each ticket sold and a portion of meet and greets on this tour to The National Day Laborers Organizing Network (NDLON).

See the tour dates below:

  • Oct. 24 — Newark, N.J. — Ritz Theatre
  • Oct. 26 — Reading, Penn. — Santander Performing Art Center
  • *Nov. 1 — Indianapolis — Murat Theatre at Old National Centre*
  • *Nov. 2 — Chicago — Auditorium Theatre
  • *Nov. 6 — Irving, Texas — The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
  • *Nov. 7 — San Antonio — Majestic Theatre
  • *Nov. 8 — Houston — 713 Music Hall
  • Nov. 9 — Oklahoma City — The Criterion
  • Nov. 14 — Raleigh, N.C. — Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts
  • Nov. 15 — Atlanta — Atlanta Coliseum
  • Nov. 16 — Charlotte, N.C. — Ovens Auditorium
  • *Nov. 20 — Tucson, Ariz. — The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall
  • *Nov. 21 — El Paso, Texas — Plaza Theatre
  • *Nov. 23 — Denver — Paramount Theatre
  • *Dec. 6 — San Jose, Calif. — San Jose Civic
  • *Dec. 12 — El Cajon, Calif. — The Magnolia
  • *Dec. 13 — Las Vegas — Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort

*Live Nation dates

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Punk Label Fat Wreck Chords, Home to NOFX & More, Sells Catalog to Hopeless Records: ‘It’s Very Pure’

Thirty-five years ago, in their one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco, college student Erin Kelly-Burkett and punk frontman Michael John Burkett invited 10 friends to celebrate their new record company’s first seven-inch single. Because they were out of money for artwork, the assembled group doodled on the record’s label. 

“We had Burgie beer and sat around in this big pile with markers,” Kelly-Burkett recalls. “I ended up doing a lot of the mail-order by myself in our kitchen. I didn’t expect to really make any money off it. It was just something we did for fun.”

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On Wednesday (July 9), Kelly-Burkett and Burkett, the NOFX singer known as Fat Mike, will step back from Fat Wreck Chords, the label they founded in 1990 – a move made possible by a new partnership with fellow indie punk label Hopeless Records. (Neither side would disclose the financial terms of the deal.) In a unique arrangement, Hopeless will acquire Fat Wreck’s catalog of master recordings, while Fat Wreck will leave its more than 100 artists debt-free by wiping out their unrecouped balances (according to Burkett, the total amount of unrecouped balances being forgiven totals $3.5 million).

Additionally, Hopeless will be disallowed from signing new artists to Fat Wreck, and Burkett and Kelly-Burkett will retain ownership of Fat Wreck’s logo and trademark.

“Erin, towards the end of the deal, said, ‘I don’t want to give up what we built,’” Burkett says. “Say Louis sold it, and he sold the Fat Wreck Chords logo, any label or any other person could put out other bands on the label. We ensure that it’s pure. I don’t want any band on my label — that’s my namesake — that I don’t like.”

“We’ll be working with them on a ton of different things. They’ll be as involved as they want to be,” adds Louis Posen, who founded Hopeless – home of All Time Low, New Found Glory, Avenged Sevenfold and others – a year after directing a video for NOFX’s “Bob” in 1992. “I expect them to want to continue putting a spotlight on everything that they built.”

Fat Wreck Chords, which began as a means for Fat Mike to put out NOFX’s music, has, over the years, released albums by landmark punk bands such as Rise Against, Against Me! and Descendents, becoming known for a certain loud-guitar sound that draws from the Sex Pistols and the Clash but frequently adds pop melodies and a sarcastic, word-playing sense of humor.  Its current roster includes Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Sick of It All and No Use for a Name.

“It’s very pure. It’s a punk-rock label where we’ve never got sued in 35 years,” Burkett says. “There were a couple of audits, but they didn’t lead to anything. No one can say that s–t.”

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Kelly-Burkett and Burkett began discussing a partnership with Posen and Hopeless about a year ago. The former couple, who divorced in 2010 after 18 years of marriage, wanted to ease out of day-to-day label-management duties while finding a way to “give back to the bands and have them participate in this partnership deal,” Kelly-Burkett says. The Fat Wreck duo had conversations with a few other labels, she adds, but quickly chose Hopeless because Posen was “not wanting to change this 35-year legacy that we’ve built.”

Fat Wreck Chords is a profitable indie whose model is based on its long-running mail-order system. Overhead is more than $1 million annually, according to Burkett, including employees, insurance and warehouse space. “There is something to be said for volume,” says Burkett, whose band NOFX retired last October, “and we put out a lot of records over 35 years.” Kelly-Burkett adds: “Punk rockers love their vinyl, they love their collectibles, they love their one-of-a-kind. Streaming is the market share now, but not as much as you would think.”

With today’s announcement, the labels will release new albums by well-known Fat Wreck bands: Bad Cop/Bad Cop’s Lighten Up; a NOFX rarities album, A to H; and Strung Out‘s Exile in Oblivion. “It was important we didn’t announce, ‘Oh, there’s a partnership and acquisition,’” Posen says. “We wanted to have new releases and show this is an active partnership.” 

Moving forward, Burkett and Kelly-Burkett plan Fat Wreck-branded pop-up shops and festivals. “I can leave some of the stress of running the daily business and just focus on celebrating it,” Kelly-Burkett says.

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