London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks display was, apparently, brat. The celebration took pace on the River Thames as Big Ben struck midnight on Dec. 31, 2024 to ring in 2025.

Charli XCX’s big year made it into the city’s annual fireworks display airing on BBC and ITV; her influence on the fireworks show is immediately recognizable as Brat green lights the sky.

The night’s Brat-inspired moment is captured in the photo above, and can be seen in full here, via a clip Charli’s fans shared on X (formerly Twitter). Along with that familiar shade of green, album track “Apple” plays and “london” appears typewritten in the style of Charli’s album art.

Elsewhere on New Year’s Eve, Charli shared reflections on Brat‘s massive success over the past year on Instagram.

“So many highs in 2024 and i cba to post them all but here’s some of my fav memories and fav people. love you all so much and thank you for everything. sorry i’m a lot sometimes xx,” she wrote on Dec. 31.

The caption went along with a photo carousel looking back at the year of Brat, with snapshots with friends and from the rollout of the album — and its companion release, Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat. Some highlights included pictures with her fiancé (The 1975’s George Daniel) and friends, and a behind-the-scenes cue card shot from her SNL hosting gig.

Brat arrived in June, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It also led the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart 29 weeks.

Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat, a variation of the original album featuring collaborations with Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, The 1975, Lorde, Robyn, Troye Sivan, Bon Iver, Julian Casablancas, Caroline Polacheck and more, followed in October.

Charli’s fall Sweat Tour with Sivan earned $28 million, with 297,000 tickets sold over the course of 22 shows in the U.S. and Canada, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. 

Rihanna went alcohol-free in 2024.

On Wednesday (Jan. 1), the 36-year-old singer and entrepreneur took to social media to share a video of herself ringing in the New Year with friends. In the clip, Ri reveals that she abstained from alcohol over the past 12 months while celebrating the countdown to 2025, holding up her phone to capture the iconic ball drop in New York City’s Times Square.

“Y’all, I didn’t drink all year,” Rihanna proudly told her 150 million Instagram followers after the clock struck midnight. “I didn’t drink all year.”

The brief clip shows the “Diamonds” singer enjoying a low-key New Year’s Eve celebration, dressed casually in a gray robe and surrounded by a group of friends who helped with the countdown while holding up their drinks. Ri rang in the New Year in New York City alongside her boyfriend, A$AP Rocky, People reports. The couple shares two sons: RZA, 2, and Riot, 1.

“New Year, New Me,” she captioned the IG post.

In another Instagram video, Rihanna is seen goofing around with friends while using her Fenty Hair shampoo to properly clean a hair extension. “You owe me a new bottle!” she playfully says to her pals. “For one stinkin’ track!” She captioned the post, “De Dirt!!! We walking into 2025 CLEANSED baby! 1 track at a time! Also tell @mdollas11 stay out my bathroom!”

In late December, Rihanna surprised fans with an impromptu visit to Manhattan’s Girls Love Karaoke, where she took the stage to perform “Needed Me” and “Sex With Me” from her 2016 album, Anti. In fan-captured footage from the event, the “Work” hitmaker can be heard telling the excited crowd that she only had about five minutes to spare, joking that her “battery” was “about to burn out.”

Check out Rihanna’s New Year’s 2025 celebration post on Instagram below.

Neil Young has announced that he will not be performing at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival.

On Tuesday (Dec. 31), the legendary Canadian rocker, 79, shared a message with fans on Neil Young Archives explaining his decision to back out of the massive music event, which takes place annually at Worthy Farm in Somerset, England.

“The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all time favorite outdoor gigs,” Young wrote in the brief letter. “We were told that BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in. It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being.”

He continued, “We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be. Hope to see you at one of the other venues on the tour.”

Young did not specify what exactly Glastonbury and the BBC had requested that led to his withdrawal. The BBC has been a long-time broadcaster of the festival, streaming and airing portions of the event, including a global broadcast for the first time last year, according to Rolling Stone.

Billboard has reached out to Glastonbury’s representatives for comment.

In November 2024, Glastonbury revealed that Rod Stewart would be the first artist announced for the 2025 festival. The legendary musician was the first confirmed act for the event, which is set to take place from June 27-29. Tickets for the festival have already sold out.

While Glastonbury has not yet revealed the headliners for 2025, several names have been speculated, including Olivia Rodrigo, Sam Fender, Harry Styles and Lady Gaga. Young had also been rumored to perform at the festival.

A timeline for the headliner announcements has not been confirmed, but the full lineup is typically revealed in the spring.

In late November 2024, Young revealed plans for a European tour, which will feature mostly outdoor venues. He followed up with another message on Wednesday (Jan. 1), telling Neil Young Archives readers that “tour announcements for the summer are coming very soon.”

Young last performed at Glastonbury in June 2009, with portions of the show broadcast on the BBC. The set included tracks like “The Needle and the Damage Done,” “Words,” “Rockin’ in the Free World” and a cover of The Beatles’ “A Day in the Life,” Rolling Stone reports.

Young’s new band, the Chrome Hearts, features Micah Nelson (guitar), Spooner Oldham (organ), Corey McCormick (bass) and Anthony LoGergo (drums). The group made its live debut in September 2024 at Farm Aid and recorded a new album last year, tentatively titled Talking to the Trees.

Just two months on from the departure of longtime drummer Tim ‘Herb’ Alexander, Primus are back in the saddle ahead of impending auditions for a new percussionist.

The band’s first show since Alexander’s final appearance in August, the performance took place as part of the band’s New Year’s Eve celebration shows at the Fox Theater in Oakland, CA, on Monday (Dec. 30). Opening with sets from bassist and vocalist Les Claypool’s other bands Holy Mackerel and Frog Brigade, the main event was a six-song performance from Primus with Bryan ‘Brain’ Mantia on drums.

Mantia had previously served as the drummer of Primus in 1989, before being replaced by Alexander, who would play with the band until 1996. Following Alexander’s initial departure, Mantia returned to the kit until Primus’ split in 2000. Alexander would remain the band’s drummer for the majority of their career following a 2003 reunion, save for another absence between 2010 and 2013.

Primus announced on Oct. 29 that Alexander had resigned suddenly on Oct. 17 via email “effective immediately”, citing a “loss of passion for playing”—a reason that Claypool and guitarist Larry LaLonde admitted “came as a complete shock.”

“On the heels of a wonderful spring & summer of touring and some fabulous plans ahead, it has been a bit bewildering for us that Herb would so abruptly opt out,” Claypool and LaLonde said.

“After several attempts to communicate with Herb, his only response was another email stating that he has ‘lost his passion for playing.’ As disappointing as that is, we respect his choice and it’s forced us to make some tough decisions.”

In the wake of Alexander’s passing, Primus announced they would be “taking submissions from all points in the universe for the position of Primus drummer/percussionist”. They added: “Flashy chops are wonderful, but groove, pocket, and the ability to listen, react, and contribute to the musical conversation is a must.”

The band took to social media again in late December to warn applicants of scammers who had begun contacting hopeful applicants ahead of in-person auditions taking place.

“It is our duty here in the Primus camp to at least give a ‘heads up’ as it were, to those who may be duped by these sad individuals who are obviously struggling with their own insecurities and shriveled genitalia,” the band wrote.

Currently, Primus are scheduled to be joined by Tool’s Danny Carey for festival dates in the Dominican Republic in March, with a joint tour alongside Puscifer and A Perfect Circle set to launch in April.