Agnez Mo caught up with Izzy Ngov on the red carpet at the 2026 Gold Gala.
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In 2025, Loop announced a partnership with McLaren Racing for a new pair of limited-edition McLaren Racing x Loop Switch 2 earplugs. The pair features the racing team’s iconic McLaren Papaya colorways with Loop’s sleek and cozy design. Cut to a year later, after announcement and release, I put the earplugs through their paces during the Miami Grand Prix.
Taking place during race weekend at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, the weather was hot and sticky with the very humid and sweltering 87-degree South Florida heat beating down on those who couldn’t find shade, like myself. While I was very sweaty, as I baked in the sun, my ears, however, certainly looked cool and stylish with the McLaren Racing x Loop Switch 2 earplugs I used during sprints and qualifying rounds leading up to race day.
Rudie Obias
The earplugs fit snuggly and securely in my ears, while the roar of engines were reduced to a dull rumble, so I could pay attention to the race instead of being annoyed with the cheers from the crowd. It was a surprise to hear the difference between having the earplug in my ears compared to when they were removed. Experiencing the dampened sounds to the actual sounds of the track was like going from soft and gentle to harsh and abrasive at a moment’s notice.
To customize my race day experience, the McLaren Racing x Loop Switch 2 earplugs feature three modes of noise-reduction — quiet, experience and engage — which toggle back and forth with a dial on each earplug. This was ideal when I wanted to focus in on the race itself, but then toggle the noise reduction lower to talk with my friends sitting next to me about a driver attacking for better position.
The McLaren Racing x Loop Switch 2 earplugs were very comfortable to wear throughout the entire race weekend. Usually, I find most earplugs either stiff with hard plastic or too squishy with foam, but the McLaren Racing x Loop Switch 2 earplugs feel very comfortable and lightweight for all-day use. In fact, the earplugs come with four interchangeable eartips for a better seal and comfort, depending on your ear sizes.
Rudie Obias
And as a bonus, you could also pick up the Loop Link, which makes it possible to wear the earplugs like a fashionable necklace with a very clever magnet system. This way you don’t have to dig into your pockets or purse to find the earplugs when you need them during a loud event. Instead, you place them in your ears to block out noise when its loud, but then let them dangle around your neck for easy access when its not.
Otherwise, the earplugs come in a heavy-duty hard plastic clamshell case with Loop and McLaren Racing branding. The case is small, compact and durable, but could get lost if you have a lot of other things in your pockets or purse.
Starting at $64.95, the McLaren Racing x Loop Switch 2 sets the bar for premium earplugs, thanks to their custom fit, stylish looks, unique design and overall effectiveness for noise reduction in loud atmospheres, like motorsports events, concerts and music festivals.
Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.
On the new Billboard 200 albums chart (dated May 16), Michael Jackson‘s Number Ones ascends seven spots to No. 6, becoming his 11th top 10 and his first new top 10 of the 2020s.
In turn, Jackson becomes only the fifth act with at least one new top 10 album in every decade from the 1970s onwards. He joins Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and James Taylor as the only acts with new top 10 albums in the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s, 2000s, ’10s and ’20s.
Number Ones was first released in 2003 and jumps into the top 10 on the latest chart following the continued buzz generated by the Jackson biopic Michael. The film premiered in United States movie theaters on April 24 and had grossed more than $240 million in the U.S. and Canada through May 10, making it the top-grossing music biopic of all time, surpassing Bohemian Rhapsody (not adjusted for inflation).
Number Ones joins Jackson’s former No. 1 Thriller in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, as it rises 7-5 — its first week in the top five since May 1984. Thriller spent 37 weeks at No. 1 in 1983-84, the most weeks at No. 1 for an album by a singular artist.
Here’s a rundown of Jackson’s 11 top 10s, by decade. Jackson notched two new top 10s in the ’70s (first with Ben peaking at No. 5 in 1972 and then Off the Wall, which reached the top 10 in September 1979 and peaked at No. 3 in February 1980), two in the ‘80s (Thriller, No. 1 for 37 weeks in 1983-84 as noted above, and Bad, No. 1 for six weeks in 1987), two in the ‘90s (Dangerous, No. 1 for four weeks in 1991-92, and HIStory: Past, Present and Future Book 1, No. 1 for two weeks in 1995), two in the 2000s (Invincible, No. 1 for one week in 2001, and his first posthumous top 10, the soundtrack to Michael Jackson’s This Is It, No. 1 for one week in 2009), two in the ‘10s (Michael, No. 3 in 2011, and Xscape, No. 2 in 2014) and now one in the ‘20s with Number Ones.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 2,500 ad-supported or 1,000 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new May 16, 2026-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard’s website on May 12. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Rhea Raj caught up with Izzy Ngov on the red carpet at the 2026 Gold Gala.
It’s a new era for aespa, and the band wants to you “feel somethin’.”
Seoul-based K-pop girl group aespa released “WDA (Whole Different Animal),” the first song from their upcoming second studio album LEMONADE, on Monday (May 11). The new track features G-DRAGON, the band leader of fellow K-pop hitmakers BIGBANG.
“WDA (Whole Different Animal)” is bass and synth-heavy dance track with clear hip-hop influences. The song features lyrics in English and Korean. G-DRAGON lends his rap skills to the song’s third verse before the track closes out with one more refrain of “She a whole different animal” and “Give me all smoke, gun powder, powder.”
Alongside the single release, aespa has also dropped a music video for the track. The visual for “WDA (Whole Different Animal)” brings viewers into a world where the line between reality and digital is blurred. In the eerie video, replicas of aespa’s four members appear and continuously multiply, distorting ideas of what is real and what is fake. Ultimately, the girl group is able to break through the chaos and reclaim their identities.
Winners of the 2025 Billboard Women in Music award for Group of the Year, aespa announced the release of its forthcoming album LEMONADE in April. The LP is the follow-up to the group’s 2024 Billboard 200 No. 8 EP Whiplash and will drop on May 29. The album release will be followed by the girl group’s fourth world tour SYNK: COMPLæXITY, which begins not long after the conclusion of its SYNK : aeXIS LINE tour last month. SYNK: COMPLæXITY will kick off on August 7 with two nights in Seoul before making its way across a few more stops in Asia, traversing across North America and concluding with shows across Europe.
Fans can pre-order aespa’s LEMONADE here and watch the music video for “WDA (Whole Different Animal)” below.
Hayley Kiyoko caught up with Izzy Ngov on the red carpet at the 2026 Gold Gala.
Spotify and Billboard Japan have announced a joint presentation of “Women In Music — EQUAL STAGE,” a concert celebrating rising women artists across a range of styles. The show takes place June 9 at SGC Hall Ariake in Tokyo as part of MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN WEEK. The lineup brings together dance-pop act ATARASHII GAKKO!, rappers Awich and LANA, and rock duo Hitsujibungaku for this first-of-its-kind event.
The concert unites two major initiatives: Billboard Japan’s Women In Music, launched in 2022, which spotlights women who empower society through their work and champions a more inclusive world, and Spotify EQUAL, a global program launched in 2021 dedicated to expanding opportunities for women artists and creators and providing them with ongoing support. Together, they bring their shared commitment to gender equity in the music industry to life through this one-night-only event featuring some of the biggest names in their respective fields.
TV Asashi announcer Chie Honma will serve as the MC.
EQUAL STAGE is one of several concerts and events taking place during MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN WEEK, a slate of programming leading up to MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN, the country’s largest international awards ceremony. More information about MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN WEEK can be found here.
All artists on the EQUAL STAGE lineup are featured on the official EQUAL Japan playlist, presented by Spotify. Click here to listen.
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The Music Community Foundation (MCF), a national extension of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, has launched as a country-wide nonprofit hub with the aim to become a central force in helping music-driven philanthropic efforts.
Over nearly 30 years, the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee has grown to a network of more than 120 industry partners. It has supported philanthropic endeavors by artists including Trisha Yearwood, Lainey Wilson, Kelsea Ballerini, Lauren Daigle and Chris Stapleton, with causes ranging from supporting animal nonprofits/shelters to mental health awareness initiatives. Now, with the launch of MCF — through which The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s music work will now flow — its reach will include all 50 states and offer coordinated support for national and international giving.
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MCF will be led by music industry veteran Rondal Richardson — formerly director of entertainment philanthropy for the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee — who has been named executive director of the national organization.
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee’s entertainment philanthropy program has long offered artists, managers and other industry members tools and infrastructure support for charitable giving. Over nearly 30 years, it has generated over $300 million in impact through more than 140 charitable funds, including $206 million in new gifts since 2018.
“For years, the music community has been the first to show up when it matters,” Richardson said in a statement. “This launch is about turning that influence into something lasting by giving artists and their teams a smarter way to build real impact. We’ve spent decades earning trust and understanding what works, and now we’re bringing that forward into the next era of music-driven philanthropy.”
The Music Community Foundation’s founding advisory committee includes executives from companies including CAA, the Grand Ole Opry, UTA, Red Light Management and WME, as well as artists Yearwood and Charlie Worsham.
“Since first partnering with the Foundation during the 2010 flood relief concerts, I’ve been proud to be part of the work they’re doing,” Yearwood said in a statement. “Through the Dottie’s Yard Fund, we’ve been able to support animal nonprofit organizations and shelters in all 50 states over the past five years. This is just one example of what’s possible when you have the right structure behind the heart, and it’s how you create meaningful, lasting change in communities everywhere.”
The founding of the MCF coincides with the launch of a new website, as well as broader calls for artists and industry members who are looking to further their charitable efforts.
Hailee Steinfeld is celebrating her first Mother’s Day as a mom in a heartfelt way.
To commemorate Sunday’s (May 10) holiday, Steinfeld and her husband, football star Josh Allen, gave the world its first peek at their baby girl. Steinfeld shared an Instagram carousel on Monday filled with photos of her Mother’s Day celebration. Two of the slides feature strategic photos of their baby girl — whose name the couple have yet to share — hiding her face. In the adorable first slide, the baby’s hand grasps onto Steinfeld’s finger.
“A day late but simply obsessed with this,” Steinfeld captioned her post which also featured pictures of a Mother’s Day cake, a breakfast spread with an elaborate flower bouquet and a collection of Mother’s Day cards. The final slide featured a photo of the baby in socks made to look like smiling fruit and a polkadot onesie.
Fans and friends of the Sinners actress wished Steinfeld a Happy Mother’s Day in the comments.
“Happy New Mothers Day !!!,” wrote fellow actor Jeremy Renner. “I am so very happy for you.”
“I’m so happy for you Hailee,” said another commenter.
Steinfeld and Allen married last May in a private ceremony. The couple announced their pregnancy via Stenfeild’s newsletter Beau Society before sharing the news on Instagram in December. In April, Steinfeld shared via Beauty Society that she gave birth to a baby girl. During a press conference on April 20, Allen told reporters that he was “very excited” about fatherhood.
“I do think this is going to be the best version of myself in all aspects—in my professional career and my personal life. It’s such a blessing,” Allen said before praising Steinfeld. “I’ve got an absolute rockstar of a wife that’s doing so many things right now and allowing me to be here right now and be with my teammates.”
As previously reported, Tame Impala and JENNIE jump to No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated May 16) with “Dracula.”
The song, originally released by Tame Impala solo last October while its duet version arrived in early February, becomes each act’s first Hot 100 top 10. The act’s Kevin Parker previously hit the top 15 as a cowriter and coproducer, of Dua Lipa’s “Houdini” (No. 11, 2023) and Lady Gaga’s “Perfect Illusion” (No. 15, 2016). Similarly, BLACKPINK, with JENNIE as a member, has approached the top 10, reaching No. 13 in 2020 with “Ice Cream,” with Selena Gomez.
Meanwhile, JENNIE is the second member of BLACKPINK to hit the Hot 100’s top 10 as a soloist, after ROSÉ, whose “APT.,” with Bruno Mars, climbed to No. 3 in February 2025. BLACKPINK becomes just the fifth group with at least two women members that have reached the top 10 solo (and the fourth all-women act; Fleetwood Mac is also in the club).
The elite groups with multiple women members that have hit the Hot 100’s top 10 as soloists are: BLACKPINK — JENNIE and ROSÉ; Destiny’s Child — Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland; Fifth Harmony — Camila Cabello and Normani; Fleetwood Mac — Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks; and the Go-Go’s — Belinda Carlisle and Jane Wiedlin.
With BLACKPINK reaching elite territory — and with fellow members Jisoo and LISA potentially making further history — here’s a look at each group with more than one woman member that has hit the Hot 100’s top 10 solo and each of their top 10s apart from those groups. The list spans from “Dracula” back to Nicks’ first such success in 1981.
