Legendary rockers Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen, master jazz artist Herbie Hancock and conductor/soprano and contemporary classical musician Barbara Hannigan received their Polar Music Prize awards from the hands of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden in the Vinterträdgården room of Stockholm’s elegant Grand Hôtel on Tuesday (May 27).

The 500-plus-person audience, made up of Swedish royalty, music industry players (artists, songwriters, publishers, execs and more) and friends and family of the laureates, rose to its feet many times during the six-hour event, as each of the laureates delivered heartfelt speeches. Hannigan thanked her mentors with a special mention for her (five minutes older) twin brother Brian; Hancock spoke of his father’s support for his musical career even though he wanted his son to be an engineer; and May also talked about his late father Harold, who helped him build his original Red Special electric guitar (also known as the “Old Lady”), which May owns to this day.

The event began with a royal ceremony, in the presence of not just the King but several members of Sweden’s Royal Family, followed by a multi-course banquet. The laureates were serenaded during both halves of the Polar Music Prive evening by a number of Swedish and international musicians playing music written by or performed by the three musical icons during their careers.

Jazz vocalist/bassist Esperanza Spalding and pianist/producer Robert Glasper got an ovation for their rendition of the Hancock composition “Trust Me,” and returned to the stage to perform Hancock’s seminal “Watermelon Man.” Spalding then teamed with Argentinian pianist Leo Genovese for a stunning performance of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” in honor of Hancock’s 2007 album River: The Joni Letters. That tribute album to Mitchell won the Grammy for album of the year in 2008. The audience did not wait for that performance to end to give it a standing ovation.

Similar ovations showed the attendees’ love for Adam Lambert’s versions of Queen’s “Who Wants to Live Forever” at the ceremony and “Another One Bites the Dust” at the banquet, as May and Taylor looked on approvingly.

The biggest ovation of the night went to Sweden’s Ghost, who recently topped the Billboard 200 with their album Skeletá. Frontman Tobias Forge donned a golden mask and was accompanied by Swedish heavy metal guitarist Fredrik Åkesson and the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, singing a cappella from a balcony high above the banquet tables, for a tour-de-force on “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

As the evening was coming to a close, Marie Ledin, managing director of the Polar Music Prize and daughter of the award’s founder, ABBA manager Stig “Stikkan” Anderson, received an overwhelming response from the banquet guests as she thanked her father as well as her mother Gudrun, the Royal Family, the laureates and the entire assembled audience.

Ledin spoke about each of the laureates in turn: “Let me begin with Queen – this much-loved band are truly rock royalty! As a big fan myself, I’ve been lucky enough to have seen them in concert several times here in Stockholm. They taught me that music can be bold, dramatic, fascinating and fun.

“Herbie Hancock is a true musical pioneer and one of the most influential musicians of our time. He has taught us that music can challenge us intellectually even as it enriches our soul. Herbie has deservedly earned the admiration of musicians across all genres.

“Barbara Hannigan is a visionary soprano and conductor, and a passionate advocate for contemporary music. With her avant-garde experimentation, she proves that classical music does not have to live in the past, but is a living, breathing art form in itself.”

The 2025 laureates were also honored by the presence of three previous laureates, Max Martin (2016), Anne-Sophie Mutter (2019) and Nile Rodgers (2024).

One more special guest was Anita Dobson, who was in attendance with her husband Brian May. Dobson is having an especially great week, as she has guest starred on every episode of the current season of the BBC’s Doctor Who and will play a large part in the season finale on Saturday (May 31), though she wouldn’t reveal any details about the conclusion of her story arc to Billboard (as she shouldn’t).

The Polar Music Prize was first awarded in 1992, to Paul McCartney and the Baltic States, newly independent from the former Soviet Union. Since then, the prestige of the prize has only grown, with awards going to artists from all over the world. A partial list includes Elton John, Ravi Shankar, Metallica, Ennio Morricone, Led Zeppelin, Renée Fleming, Grandmaster Flash, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Isaac Stern, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Sonny Rollins, Diane Warren, Gilberto Gil, B.B. King, Emmylou Harris, Yo-Yo Ma, Miriam Makeba, Björk, Wayne Shorter, Patti Smith, Dizzy Gillespie, Chris Blackwell, Iggy Pop, Angélique Kidjo, the Kronos Quartet, Youssou N’Dour and Chuck Berry.

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America’s Got Talent‘s 20th season has arrived!

The live talent show premieres on NBC starting Tuesday (May 27). Judges Howie Mandel, Sofía Vergara and Simon Cowell are returning to the table to assess a new slew of performers, ranging from singers, daredevils, comedians and more. Mel B will joinin the judge’s panel this season, following a six-year hiatus from the show. Terry Crews returns as host. Each week, viewers will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite acts, with results airing on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET.

Talent of all ages enter the competition as they vie for the championship title, $1 million prize and a Las Vegas residency. Those with cable TV can watch the show on NBC, which will vary depending on your TV provider.

If you’ve unplugged your cable and are looking for the best streaming options, you can still catch all the action through DirecTV’s promotion going on with Peacock. Currently, when you subscribe to DirecTV Stream, you can get Peacock Premium for $2 off a month.

If you subscribe to DirecTV Stream now, you’ll also receive $10 off the first three months taking the monthly $74.99 down to $64.99/month. Since Peacock is considered an add-on, you’ll need to go to your account settings, find premium channels and add Peacock. It’ll automatically add the deal to your bill so instead of paying an additional $4.99/month for Peacock Premium, you’ll pay $2.99/month.

With your subscription you’ll not only be able to catch AGT’s season 18 premiere, but you’ll have access to over 30 regional sports networks, unlimited hours of cloud DVR space, unlimited simultaneous DVR recordings, the ability to stream on as many devices as you want and access to ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and PBS.

Your Peacock subscription also means you can watch some of the hottest TV shows and movies including Yellowstone, the Vanderpump Rules reunion, the Indy 500, The Voice, Praise This, Poker Face, Love Island, Angelyne, The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, A.P Bio, American Ninja Warrior, M3gan, Baking It, Below Deck: Down Under and more.

Season 20 of AGT will premiere Tuesday (May 27) at 8/7c. on NBC.

Check out the latest trailer for the new season below.

Fresh off the back of revealing their first round of performing artists, SXSW Sydney has detailed the first wave of music speakers for its 2025 event.

Taking place in Sydney from October 13-19, the third outing of the Australian event will feature “some of the world’s best thinkers, buyers and culture-makers,” as per a press release. 

Leading the charge of their first speaker announcement is Emmy Award-winning Jen Malone, who is best-known as one of Hollywood’s most in-demand music supervisors thanks to her credits such as Euphoria, Wednesday, Mr & Mrs Smith and more. 

Malone is joined by Dr. Marcus Collins, who is renowned as an Award-winning marketing professor, cultural translator and best-selling author, having also previously served as the former director of digital strategy for Beyoncé.

A number of international figures have been confirmed for the first round of speakers, including Senior Director of A&R at All Flowers international label Group, Alex Berenson; Rareform’s Hallie Anderson; tech entrepreneur Andrew Batey; and Brian Hobbs, the Director of Music Festival Programming at SXSW.

Other international names added to the first round include Founder of Hong Kong’s Clockenflap Festival Justin Sweeting (Hong Kong); Apodaca Group and Pal Norte Festival’s Macarena González (Mexico); Meng Ru Kuok CEO of Caldecott Music Group (Singapore); Sally Dunstone, Agent/Partner from Primary Talent (UK); and Lucy Atkinson, Senior Agent at ATC Live (MØ, Erika De Casier) (UK).

A strong contingent of local names are also on the schedule for this year, including John Watson, President of Eleven Music and John Watson Management; music industry consultant Jono Harrison; and host of Airing Your Dirty Laundry podcast, Daphne Berry.

“SXSW Sydney is about big ideas, bold conversations and unexpected connections,” said SXSW Sydney’s Head of Music, Claire Collins. “It’s a chance to hear directly from the people who open doors — the buyers, curators and deal-makers — and to better understand how to cut through, stay independent, or scale globally. 

“Whether you’re building a team, exploring how AI can support your creative and business goals, or just looking for inspiration from other creative industries, this is where the conversations start.

“We’re proud to bring this talent to Sydney, and to connect them with the broader SXSW Sydney community,” Collins added. “It’s a week packed with fun, discovery, and opportunities to connect, collaborate, and imagine what’s next for music in our region and around the world.”

The first round of music speakers joins a solid selection of performers which have already been confirmed for the 2025 edition of SXSW Sydney, including Australian acts such as Swapmeet, RICEWINE, and Jamaica Moana, alongside names from Ireland, Thailand, Japan, New Zealand, and the U.K.

Further speakers and performers are expected to be announced in the coming months, with more than 300 international and domestic artist performances set to feature on the final schedule.

Grimes will no longer be appearing at this summer’s World Pride celebrations in Washington, D.C., citing a need to attend to unspecified “family issues.”

Announced as part of the two-day celebration which runs from June 6–7, Grimes was originally announced as part of the Saturday lineup, which also features Troye Sivan, Kim Petras, Raye, Sofi Tukker, and a DJ set from RuPaul, but has now removed herself from the event.

“Hello friends, I am so so sorry and regretful to say I have to cancel my pride show in order to deal with family issues,” Grimes wrote in a statement shared to social media on Monday (May 26).

“I want to say that I am aware the situation has been a great inconvenience to the fans for some time, and I am truly determined to make sure this is no longer the case very soon,” she added. “I think the show is still going to be amazing and the lineup is great. I hope this is early enough and gives people enough time if they wish to change their plans. And I *will* make this up to you guys very soon.”

The World Pride event has not announced any replacement for Grimes, but did issue a statement on their Instagram Stories addressing her decision to leave the lineup. “We’re sending love and support to Grimes during this time as she steps away to focus on personal matters,” they wrote. “We fully support her decision and are thinking of her and her family.”

No specifics have been given as to the “family issues” Grimes mentioned in her post, though she has previously taken to social media to criticize former partner Elon Musk and his behavior as the father of her three children.

In February, she responded to Musk’s decision to bring their first-born son to a White House briefing, claiming, “He should not be in public like this.” Several days later, Grimes tweeted directly at Musk, saying in a since-deleted tweet, “plz respond about our child’s medical crisis. I am sorry to do this publicly but it is no longer acceptable to ignore this situation.”

The D.C. World Pride event will launch on Friday, June 6, with Jennifer Lopez, Paris Hilton, Marina, and others set to perform on the opening night.