There’s a new addition to the Mattel family: the Whitney Houston Barbie Signature Doll.

The doll was unveiled Saturday evening (Aug. 8) at the fifth annual Legacy of Love Gala, presented by The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation and Primary Wave Music. The gala’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” theme was a nod to Houston’s 1987 global pop smash “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” whose music video inspired the look of the latest member of Mattel’s Barbie Signature Series.

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Pat Houston, president of the foundation and executor of The Estate of Whitney E. Houston, co-hosted the gala (also celebrating Whitney Houston’s 63rd birthday on Aug. 9) with Kevin Frazier of Entertainment Tonight. In her remarks to the gala attendees at The Whitley Hotel in Atlanta, Houston said, “This evening, we celebrate more than the release of a doll; we celebrate the enduring legacy of an icon. The new Whitney Houston Barbie honors a woman whose voice, grace, beauty and spirit inspired generations around the world. May this doll remind every child and every collector that dreams have no limits, excellence leaves a lasting imprint and true greatness never goes out of style. Thank you, Mattel, for making one of Whitney’s dreams come true.”

Whitney Houston Barbie Signature Doll

Mattel Inc.

VP and head of Barbie, Mattel Nathan Baynard commented, “Whitney Houston’s music has been the soundtrack to countless moments for fans around the world. Barbie is proud to honor her extraordinary legacy with the latest addition to the Barbie Signature Series. Created in close collaboration with Pat Houston, this doll celebrates her unmistakable style, joy and spirit. We hope it gives fans a meaningful way to celebrate the artist whose voice and influence continue to resonate around the world.”

The Legacy of Love Gala opened with a tribute to music industry legend and Houston mentor Clive Davis. He served as honorary chair of The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation for the last four years and was named to do so again this year before his passing in June. In addition to a special video honoring Davis, singer-songwriter-pianist Gordon Chambers performed “Greatest Love of All.”

“Clive Davis a man whose presence in my life and the life of Whitney Houston was profound,” noted Houston. “The world knows Clive as a visionary, a brilliant music principal and a man whose ear for greatness changed the course of music history. I knew him as someone even greater — a loyal friend, a steady hand and man who never wavered in his belief in the people he loved. Words cannot fully express the loss I felt and have experienced with his passing. I will always remember him as one of the greatest architects of music and a man of heart, integrity and enduring love.”

Houston’s longtime collaborator (“Exhale [Shoop Shoop],” “I’m Your Baby Tonight”) and friend Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds was the gala’s headline performer. In addition to performing several of his classic hits, Edmonds brought out surprise special guest Chanté Moore. The pair sang “Why Does It Hurt So Bad,” the Babyface-produced song from 1995’s Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album. Houston’s brother Gary Houston also teamed with singer Jada Nikole to perform a reimagined version of “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me).”

As the latest music artist featured in the Barbie Signature Series, Houston joins a circle of prior honorees that includes Miley Cyrus, Aaliyah, Stevie Nicks, Gloria Estefan, Tina Turner, Diana Ross and Elton John. The Barbie Dream Gap Project will also donate to the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation, which provides educational opportunities, grants and scholarships for young people. The Whitney Houston Barbie Signature Doll is available now in Target stores and online at AmazonWalmartTarget and Mattel Creations for an SRP of $60. 

Also available now at Target is the Tiny Vinyl release of Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” backed with “So Emotional.” Earlier this year, Houston and her legacy were saluted by The Recording Academy’s presentation of its Special Merit Lifetime Achievement Award. And on Aug. 11 (10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET), Julien’s Auctions — in partnership with The Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation — will host a benefit sale of more than 50 unique items from Houston’s personal collection.


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Taylor Swift’s song “August” has been removed from a TikTok post by an account affiliated with President Donald Trump.

Earlier this week, Team Trump — launched during Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign — shared an edited clip of Donald and Melania Trump watching a fireworks show with Swift’s 2020 Folklore track “August” playing in the background. Text over the video read, “Mood because it’s August and Donald Trump is your president.”

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The post’s caption added, “I’m sure @Taylor Swift is going to be super excited we used her song! #taylorswift #maga #august.”

On Friday (Aug. 7), TikTok users in the U.S. noticed that “August” had been removed from the post. A message on the video reads, “This sound isn’t available.”

The comments section quickly filled with reactions to the song’s removal. “TAYLOR REMOVING THE AUDIO QUEEEEEEN,” one user wrote. Another commented, “sorry what was that? cant hear the song.” A third added, “She removed it, clocked you guys.”

The Team Trump TikTok account currently has 14 million followers and has regularly posted videos since Trump was elected to a second term.

“August” isn’t the only Swift song that has disappeared from a Team Trump post. Another clip featuring the singer’s 2025 hit “Father Figure,” which was posted in November of that year, is no longer available, according to Variety. A 2025 video on the White House’s official TikTok account featuring her song “The Fate of Ophelia” has also disappeared.

Swift had not publicly commented on the situation at press time.

After the songs were removed, the Team Trump account further trolled Swift by using a live performance version of the title track from her 2012 album, Red. The post features Red-styled cover art with a mock-up of Trump’s profile over the letters and a fake “Red (Trump’s Version)” playlist. Sound was not available on the post as of publication.

“Did you know Taylor Swift wrote a whole album about the color of the Republican Party,” the post’s caption reads.

Trump has been critical of Swift since 2018, with tensions escalating after the singer endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Trump later responded by posting, “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” on Truth Social.

Following Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding on July 4, the White House weighed in with a social media post that mocked the superstar couple’s celebration at New York’s Madison Square Garden with an altered photo of the venue’s digital marquee that was changed to read “Trump Is Your President.”


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Beats has long been a leader in the audio game, with their wireless headphones and earbuds consistently topping bestsellers lists and worn by some of the biggest celebrities and musicians in the industry.

But Beats products used to cost a pretty penny, running you into the hundreds of dollars for a brand new pair of buds. Fortunately, that’s no longer the case, as the latest Amazon deal discounts the popular Beats Solo Buds down to an all-new low price of just $69.

These earbuds used to be over $100 and were re-priced at $79.99 at the beginning of the year. Now you can an additional $10 off, making it the cheapest price we’re seeing for a pair of brand new Beats.

Beats Solo Buds Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds

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Beats Solo Buds Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds

$69.95 $79.99 13% off

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Amazon says more than 2,000 shoppers have picked up these Beats earbuds in the last month alone. What’s more: the same earbuds deal sold out at Walmart, so Amazon is the best place to score the discounted price.


The Beats Solo Buds are wireless earbuds that boast the brand’s premium audio quality with big range, clarity and crispness. Music is loud and punchy and you can further customize your settings with the Beats App. These earbuds work with both Apple and Android devices.

Battery life is super strong, with up to 18 hours with the included charging case. In a rush? A quick five-minute charge gets you up to one hour of playtime. The case itself is the smallest charging case Beats has ever made, and slides easily into your pockets or bag.

The earbuds fit comfortably in your ears and this deal includes four different eartip sizes so you can find the best fit. We love how lightweight they feel and they’ve been great for workouts and runs too. Beats says its specially-designed “laser-cut vents” help to “improve audio performance while relieving pressure for added comfort.”

Everything pairs easily over Bluetooth, with fewer drop outs, whether you’re listening to a playlist or taking a call.

Regularly $79.99, get the Beats Studio Buds Wireless Earbuds on sale for just $69 on Amazon. This deal is moving fast, so we recommend adding to cart before the sale ends or quantities run out. Choose from four colors on sale. See full details here.

From must-have electronics to dorm room deals, you can shop more Back to School savings on Amazon.com.

Seoul was already deep in the heat of August when thousands of MYs made their way to Gocheok Sky Dome for the opening weekend of aespa‘s fourth world tour. Inside, the temperature only seemed to rise.

Across Aug. 7 and 8, Karina, Winter, Giselle and Ningning welcomed a combined 35,000 fans to aespa’s first concerts at the dome, opening SYNK : COMPLæXITY with 27 songs across roughly two-and-a-half hours. Built around “CRACK,” a rupture that brings aespa into conflict with altered versions of ae-aespa, the show unfolds through five chapters: singularity, intrusion, confinement, awakening and resolution. New songs from LEMONADE, which debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 in June as the group’s third top 10 entry on the chart, sit alongside defining hits, solo and unit stages, cinematic VCRs and large-scale choreography.

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Nearly six years into their career, aespa has become fluent in its own contrasts: hard-edged pop against unexpected sweetness, four distinct personalities moving in and out of formation, and a digital world of glitches, doubles and fractured realities that now feels closely tied to the music itself. SYNK : COMPLæXITY draws on all of those elements at once, but the Seoul show was most effective when they played off one another rather than simply adding to its scale.

For longtime MYs, the Seoul kickoff opened another chapter in a familiar world. For those waiting for aespa to arrive in their city, it offered a first look at how the group is carrying that language into its fourth world tour.

Here are the moments that stood out.

Madonna is remembering William Orbit following his death.

On Saturday (Aug. 8), the Queen of Pop took to social media to remember her Ray of Light producer following his death at age 69.

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“I had an epiphany when I met you and started working with you,” Madonna wrote on Instagram. “I realized that music did not have to fit into categories or genres. So we created our own.”

The superstar singer’s post included a clip of her acceptance speech at the 1999 Grammy Awards, where Orbit stood by her side as they accepted the award for best pop vocal album. Ray of Light peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

She continued, “You pressed a magic button inside of me and I fell into a galaxy of unrealized dreams. Your music gave me a magic carpet to fly on and I visited many places. Sad and Joyful.”

Orbit died at his home on July 23, but his death was announced Friday (Aug. 7). A cause of death was not given.

The producer first remixed Madonna songs including “Justify My Love” and “Erotica” before the pair collaborated on her 1998 album, Ray of Light. His signature sound, incorporating elements of techno, trip-hop and downtempo, can be heard throughout the album.

“I sang in ways I’d never sung before,” Madonna wrote in her tribute. “I used words without caring if they made sense or not. In many ways you were my Ray of Light — as was my daughter Lola who was born around this time.”

She added, “I was starting a new chapter, I was choosing another road to walk down — and you were right by my side with your crooked teeth and your genius, way of hearing music. The studio was often church like and I would sit in silence, waiting for your ideas to explode out of your keyboard or your guitar and then I would run with them…”

The pair frequently worked together over the following decade, with Orbit receiving production credits on “Beautiful Stranger,” “American Pie” and songs on Madonna’s 2000 album Music and 2012’s MDNA.

“I miss those days. Only you could inspire me to write a song like Drowned World or Swim. You were so otherworldly. So singular,” Madonna wrote. “The years passed and I moved on to make music with other people, but I have never forgotten you or the magical time we spent together. Goodbye Billy Bubbles. I was so lucky to have known you and fallen down the rabbit hole with you.”

See Madonna’s full tribute to Orbit on Instagram below.


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Puebla York was in the building on Friday night (Aug. 7), braving a heavy thunderstorm to see Fuerza Regida close its first-ever U.S. stadium tour at New York’s Citi Field with a guest lineup that brought corridos bélicos and hip-hop into the same orbit — connecting the West Coast and East Coast with unusual ease.

The San Bernardino troupe’s finale featured Queens, N.Y., icon 50 Cent alongside G-Unit members Tony Yayo and Uncle Murda, as well as East Flatbush, Brooklyn’s Bobby Shmurda. Fenix Flexin, of L.A.’s Shoreline Mafia, also joined the lineup, performing his viral track “Rubberz.” Later, J Balvin joined the band for “La Canción,” with the Fuerza frontman taking Bad Bunny’s verses near the end of the concert.

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50 Cent and G-Unit turned the performance into a New York hip-hop moment, running through hits like “What Up Gangsta,” “P.I.M.P.” and “I Get Money.” JOP joined them, rocking a bandana-style shirt, making the connection between the group’s corridos and the city’s rap lineage visible onstage. Just a short drive away in neighboring New Jersey, 50 Cent made another Friday night guest appearance during Chris Brown and Usher’s Raymond & Brown Tour stop at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

Fuerza Regida performs alongside J Balvin on Aug. 7 at New York’s Citi Field Stadium. Credit: Street Mob

Later in his Citi Field show, Fuerza returned in a glittering white glove and a jacket that nodded to both Michael Jackson’s stagewear and Juan Gabriel’s matador-style glamour.

The guest appearances carried particular weight for Fuerza. “New York’s always been the hardest place for us,” JOP told Billboard days before the show. “It’s so global here,” he said, explaining why packing Citi Field represented a new kind of achievement for the band. After closing stadium dates across Texas, Los Angeles and other major U.S. markets, Fuerza had saved one of its biggest nights for the city it once considered the hardest to conquer.

The show had already established its futuristic frame. The opening featured The Matrix’s binary-code visuals — an early clue to the world of Fuerza’s next era — before JOP appeared in a Spider-Man-inspired reveal. It was a fitting New York entrance, especially following the July 31 release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

The night remained rooted in the five-member band. Samuel Jaimez’s requinto, Khrystian Ramos’ guitar, José “Pelón” García’s tuba and trumpet and Moisés López’s tololoche kept the show connected to the live instrumentation that carried Fuerza from clubs to baseball stadiums. The group moved through its deep catalog, including Billboard-charting hits like “TQM,” “Sabor Fresa,” “Bebe Dame,” “Harley Quinn” and “Marlboro Rojo.”

Fuerza Regida performs on Aug. 7 at New York’s Citi Field Stadium. Credit: Street Mob

After nine stadium dates across the U.S., This Is Our Dream ended with Fuerza looking forward without abandoning its foundation — and with New York’s Mexican community showing that Puebla York has a place in the future of música mexicana.

The group will continue that conversation at Billboard Latin Music Week 2026, taking place Oct. 19-22 at Faena Forum Miami Beach, where the group is scheduled to headline a Superstar Q&A.


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Fuerza Regida performs alongside 50 Cent on Aug. 7 at New York’s Citi Field Stadium. Credit: Street Mob

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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.

Millions of viewers around the world have fallen in love with KPop Demon Hunters, with the Oscar-winning film now ranking as Netflix’s most-watched original movie of all time.

But if you’re like me, you’ve also fallen asleep to the film, with the moody scenes and haunting soundtrack (occasionally) serving as an ideal backdrop to doze off too. I’ve seen the movie so many times, the songs are almost like meditation for me.

Now, there’s another way to fall asleep with the film, as Walmart is selling a weighted “pillow buddy” inspired by the supernatural tiger, Derpy.

KPop Demon Hunters Derpy Weighted Pillow Buddy

CALMING EFFECTS

KPop Demon Hunters Derpy Weighted Pillow Buddy

Similar to a weighted blanket or weighted heating pad, this plush toy is stuffed with beans to help it sit upright and also provide gentle pressure against your chest or body.


Walmart doesn’t give the exact specs for this new release, but in my experience, similar weighted stuffed animals typically weigh less than two pounds, so you’re not in danger of being smushed or crushed. Instead, it’s like a gentle hug that can often help with anxiety, restlessness or insomnia. The feeling of having the cuddly 18-inch Derpy toy against the body “provides a comforting, cozy feel,” per a product description.

This stuffed toy is made from a soft “velboa” material, which mimics the look and feel of velvet. The colorful plushie features Derpy’s expressive eyes, toothy grin and leopard-style spots and stripes. While he follows owner Jinu around in the film, this version of the blue tiger can now be your companion at home.

Kpop Demon Hunters 18-inch Sleeping Derpy Tiger

PLUSH PILLOW

KPop Demon Hunters Sleeping Derpy Tiger

Looking for another Derpy pillow option? More than 1,000 shoppers have picked up this “Sleeping Derpy” pillow in the last month alone, per Amazon.


This plush toy features the tiger in his sleeping pose, which may inspire you to fall asleep as well. This plushie isn’t weighted, but at 18 inches, it’s perfectly sized for a snuggle. Both of the Derpy pillows are part of Netflix’s official KPop Demon Hunters merch line.

The stuffed animals come on the heels of other KPop Demon Hunters toy releases in recent months, including an official Squishmallows collection and official HUNTR/X Mattel dolls.

GISEO Cartoon Pillow Covers

SET OF TWO

GISEO Cartoon Pillow Covers

You can also pick up this fan-made pillow cover set, which features two versions of the HUNTR/X trio posing in their performance outfits.


Sized for your couch, chair or bed, the Amazon deal gets you two 18 x 18-inch pillow covers inspired by KPop Demon Hunters. Keep in mind: you’ll need to buy the actual pillows separately (we like this top-rated throw pillow here).

You can shop for more KPop Demon Hunters bedroom accessories, like blankets and bedding, here.

Toy Story Buzz Lightyear Weighted Pillow Buddy

ALSO AVAILABLE

Toy Story Buzz Lightyear Weighted Pillow Buddy

Walmart, meantime, sells other weighted toys, like this Buzz Lightyear plushie, which measures 23 inches in size (just under two feet).


A bestseller online, shoppers give the weighted plush an average 4.9-star review out of five, with reviewers praising everything from the toy’s “sensory soothing” abilities, to the fact that you can toss it in the washing machine and dryer.

A federal judge says Megan Thee Stallion and Roc Nation must face trial in a lawsuit filed by a former cameraman who says he was forced to watch the rapper have sex in a car during a European tour.

In a ruling Friday (Aug. 7), Judge Gregory H. Woods refused to dismiss several accusations from videographer Emilio Garcia, who filed a bombshell lawsuit in 2024 containing salacious accusations against the rapper.

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The decision means that Megan and Roc must face a jury trial over some of his claims, including Garcia’s accusation that they failed to pay proper wages, discriminated against him under New York law and retaliated when he complained about his pay.

A rep for Megan and Roc Nation did not immediately return a request for comment. Garcia’s attorney, Ron Zambrano, thanked the judge and said his client was “looking forward to having his day in court.”

In a May 2024 lawsuit, Garcia accused Megan and Roc Nation of subjecting him to a hostile work environment due to the alleged car-sex incident, which he says took place while on tour in Spain in 2022. He claimed the incident left him “embarrassed, mortified and offended,” and that Megan and Roc Nation later retaliated against him by reducing his work and eventually terminating him.

Megan’s attorneys have strongly denied any wrongdoing, calling the accusations “false and fabricated.” They said Garcia had taken “run of the mill” complaints about his wages and added “sensationalist false allegations of sex, debauchery, and workplace harassment for the sole purpose of creating a media firestorm.”

“Plaintiff is a con artist who is manipulating the judicial system to act as his publicist and bullhorn in a desperate attempt to boost his failed singing career while trying to tear down the successful career of Megan Thee Stallion,” wrote the star’s attorney, Alex Spiro.

But after more than two years of litigation, the case is headed to trial following Friday’s ruling. The judge did dismiss certain claims, including that the star or Roc had retaliated against him for complaining about the car-sex incident. But the judge said he had done enough that a jury might side with him on his discrimination claims, his wage accusations and his claims of retaliation tied to the wage dispute.


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Musical icon Angélique Kidjo is set to become the first African musician, and the first Black African performer, to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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Kidjo joins Charlize Theron, a white South African actress, in representing Africa on the Walk of Fame. The Oscar-winning actress received her star in 2005. Kidjo will receive the 2,854th star.

Kidjo’s star ceremony is set for Aug. 18 at 11:30 a.m. PT at 7011 Hollywood Boulevard. Joining Kidjo for the ceremony will be Oscar-nominated actor Willem Dafoe and Grammy- and Primetime Emmy-nominated songwriter/producer Harvey Mason jr., better known these days as CEO of the Recording Academy and MusiCares. The ceremony will be emceed by Variety correspondent Angelique Jackson and will be streamed live exclusively at www.walkoffame.com

Kidjo, 64, was born in the West African country of Benin, but left for Paris in 1983. She has amassed five Grammy Awards. She won best contemporary world music album in 2008 and won best global music album four times between 2015 and 2022. She also received a Polar Music Prize in 2023.

Kidjo has released 19 albums since 1981. She has acquired fans across the world with her ability to fuse West African styles with funk, jazz and R&B. Her long list of collaborators includes such diverse artists as Burna Boy, Philip Glass, Sting, Alicia Keys, Peter Gabriel, John Legend, Bono and Yo-Yo Ma.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce administers the Walk of Fame for the city of Los Angeles. Millions have visited the cultural landmark since 1960.

Osheaga’s 19th edition was one for the books.

The three-day music and arts festival and Montreal just wrapped up its 19th year by logging one of its most successful editions, drawing its second-highest-ever attendance with over 151,000 fans. It’s proof that one of the biggest festivals in Canada continues to get even bigger, with two out of three nights fully sold out this year.

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Osheaga was Canada down this year, and Tate McRae helped make history. The Tate-headlined Saturday date (Aug. 1) was sold out nearly three weeks in advance, the fastest sellout ever for an individual day. The sales were largely driven by the Canadian hitmaker’s headlining slot and its massive hype. Evenko, the promoter behind the festival, already forecasted the sellout in May.

McRae took the stage for her first-ever festival headline appearance in her home country while simultaneously becoming the first Canadian to headline the festival since Arcade Fire replaced the Foo Fighters in 2022, and The Weeknd headlined in 2017.

The local spirit was remarkably high this year, with about 50% of this year’s crowd comprised of Quebec fans, up from about 40% last year. One of the weekend’s most anticipated moments came in the form of Quebec heroes Angine de Poitrine, who played a surprise set on Saturday. The band was booked in May, prior to their legendary record-setting set at Montreal Jazz Fest. They were saved as a last-minute surprise because sales were already steady, so they added some last-minute buzz. Osheaga initially soft-launched their appearance by including their name within the lineup on select merch pieces just one day prior to their performance, and later revealed them the following morning, giving ticketholders a guaranteed opportunity to see the world’s most viral band.

The festival has proven its knack for booking bubbling acts right before they spike in popularity, and this year’s edition followed suit with that trend. Rising singer-songwriter Stella Lefty, who is currently charting in the top 5 of the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and Billboard Hot 100, filled up the Mountain stage during her ripe 3 pm set, and Malcolm Todd played the primary main stage after earning millions of new listeners in the past months, since the lineup first dropped.

As nostalgia continues to blanket 2026, this year’s Osheaga was a full-circle edition including several throwbacks to its own programming from 10 years ago, including Lorde’s return as a headliner and other Osheaga alumni making their way back to Parc Jean-Drapeau.

“Zara Larsson played in 2017. She’s had a great career, but now all of a sudden she’s huge,” Osheaga founder Nick Farkas tells Billboard Canada. The Swedish pop star pulled one of the weekend’s biggest crowds amid her major chart resurgence. Fans rocking bright colours and flowers filled the audience across both main stages, eager to hear Larsson’s hits both old (“Lush Life”) and new (“Midnight Sun” and “Stateside”). The Heated Rivalry craze also led Wolf Parade to the festival once more, with Farkas adding that it was “so much fun having Wolf Parade back.” The band famously played the inaugural edition of Osheaga and made their second decennial return this year, now having played in 2006, 2016 and 2026, a run that speaks to their own longevity as well as that of the festival.

Read more here. — Stefano Rebuli

OVO Golf Classic Doubles Its Support For The Remix Project and Scarborough Shooting Stars Foundation in 2026

October’s Very Own upped the ante for its second OVO Golf Classic last Thursday (July 30).

The clothing and culture brand co-founded by global superstar Drake took over all three award-winning courses at TPC Osprey Valley, home of the Canadian Open, for a spirited day of music, sport and community in support of the Remix Project and the Scarborough Shooting Stars Foundation. It was hosted by eTalk’s Tyrone Edwards, a Remix alumnus himself, and sports broadcaster Rod Black, the voice of the Scarborough Shooting Stars.

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The event was produced by creative marketing and experiential events agency That Good.

While 2025’s first edition set a standard for the event, the second year was even bigger. There were 91 teams (up from 36 last year), totalling 364 golfers.

That included some major names from music, culture and sports: the NBA’s Devin Booker and Jordan Clarkson, football star Johnny Manziel and soccer star Jozy Altidore, OVO Sound artists Smiley, Nineteen85, Roy Woods and Jordan Ullman of Majid Jordan, social media stars Glamzilla, MD Motivator, Kyle Foregard of the NELK Boys and many more.

Following an 11 a.m. shotgun start, golfers spent the day playing through a superpowered version of the acclaimed golf course. Every hole was activated with exclusive giveaways and challenges, adding an extra layer to the action on the course. Billboard Canada was the partner for hole 11, letting participants star on their version of a Billboard cover between swings.

All the money raised went toward the Remix Project and the Scarborough Shooting Stars Foundation, the charitable arm of a Canadian Elite Basketball League team, funding youth programs that provide access to sport, mentorship and opportunity for under-resourced youth in the community.

At the end of the day, a helicopter dropped a set of balls onto the course, each with a potential big prize including a suite for 20 people for a Toronto Blue Jays Game, tickets to any NFL game, a $1000 OVO gift card, a Gretzky Hockey School jersey signed by Wayne Gretzky and a one-night, two-round stay for four golfers at TPC Osprey in 2027.

After everyone was done on the course, a special meal and reception fed and entertained the star-studded crowd.

Read more here. — Billboard Canada

Departure Executive Producer Steps Down After Two-Year Run

Kevin Barton has stepped down from his role as executive producer at Departure.

Barton held the role for both years of the conference and festival since it was bought by Oak View Group and Loft Entertainment in 2024 and rebranded from Canadian Music Week. Barton remains a partner and shareholder at Loft, the Toronto-based music company co-founded by former Bell Media and Universal Music Canada executive Randy Lennox and film producer Jeffrey Latimer.

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“I’m concluding my role as Executive Producer of Departure Festival + Conference,” Barton tells Billboard Canada. “After spending the past two years helping guide its evolution, it feels like the right time for me to begin a new chapter.”

In March, shortly before the second edition of Departure, the Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards (CAFA) announced Barton would be taking an expanded role as chief strategy officer. At the time, Barton clarified on Instagram that he would continue in his roles at Departure and Loft.

Barton says his decision to move on from Departure was not driven by his expanded role at CAFA, but rather by a desire to focus on new projects.

“I’ve reached a point where I want to focus on a broader portfolio of work, including CAFA, strategic advisory projects, and developing new initiatives around culture, business and innovation,” he says.

Throughout his career, Barton has bridged the worlds of music, fashion and art, building the Urban Music department at Universal Music Canada and also working in film and photography.

Canadian Music Week’s transformation into Departure also shifted from its longtime identity as the Canadian music industry’s leading conference into one that also focused on media, technology, film, fashion and other cultural subjects.

“When I joined, one of my priorities was helping reimagine the festival’s identity to better reflect where culture was heading,” Barton says, expanding across creative sectors to reflect “how today’s artistic communities actually collaborate and create.”

Billboard Canada learned there were layoffs following this year’s edition of Departure. Barton attributes that to seasonal staffing, which he says is common across the live events industry. “Organizations expand to deliver the festival and then realign afterward as they transition into planning, partnership development and long-term strategy for the next edition.”

Read more here. — Richard Trapunski


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