Rock legend Patti Smith was giddy and almost at a loss for words when she met Friday (July 31) with Pope Leo XIV.

“Hi,” she said softly as she sat down across from Leo at his desk in the Apostolic Palace.

Post-meeting, on Instagram, she had a bit more to say: “This is a moment that shall forever produce a smile,” she wrote of the encounter.

Wearing a crucifix necklace and hair in her trademark braids, Smith has become an increasingly visible presence at the Vatican thanks to her friendship with the Rev. Antonio Spadaro, undersecretary in the Vatican’s culture ministry.

She has said that while she is not Catholic, she was drawn in particular to Pope Francis and his “gentle, open, and steadfast sense of humanity.”

She also had a thing for Pope John Paul I: Her 1979 tune “Wave” is about a make-believe conversation with the pope who had just died after a 33-day papacy. It begins “Hi. Hi,” uttered in the same breathy voice Smith used with Leo on Friday.

The pope clearly was familiar with the tune. “That was marvelous,” he said.

Earlier this year, Smith performed during the inauguration of the Holy See’s Pavilion at the Venice Biennale contemporary art fair. The occasion, May 8, was the anniversary of Leo’s election.

Spadaro, who joined Smith at Friday’s audience, said the encounter between the two Chicago natives was around 40 minutes long. In a text message, he said it “felt more like a conversation between two people discovering they were old friends, sharing memories woven from words and music, dreams, visions, and hopes — both from yesterday and for today.”

He said at the end, Smith said “Bye. Bye.”

Smith met Francis in 2013 and sang for him in 2014. When he died, on April 21, 2025, she wrote a poem on social media, comparing Francis to a dandelion, “humble yet strong.”

“Nature and poetry and the suffering shall miss their champion,” she wrote.

It was Leo’s second encounter with a music legend this week. On Wednesday, Leo attended a concert in his honor by tenor Andrea Bocelli.

Parker McCollum and his wife, Hallie Ray McCollum, have welcomed their second child together.

The country star announced Saturday (Aug. 1) that the couple’s new baby boy was born on July 30. They shared the news in a joint Instagram post featuring a gallery of family photos from the hospital.

“Rocker Tommy Light McCollum! born on July 30th / 8 pounds 7 oz!” the couple wrote. “THANK YOU JESUS for another healthy baby boy! we are so in love with our little fam! mom & dad x 2 here we gooooooo!”

The photo gallery included sweet moments of the family’s first days as a quartet, with McCollum and Hallie Ray posing alongside their newborn while their older son, Major Yancey, looked on.

The announcement drew congratulations from friends, fans and fellow artists. Miranda Lambert was among those celebrating the news, commenting, “Congrats yall,” alongside two blue heart emojis.

The arrival comes just days after McCollum revealed he would postpone tour dates to be present for the birth of his second son.

“Hey everyone. Wanted to share some good news with you all,” he wrote in a Facebook post on July 29. “My beautiful wife is blessing our family with our second baby and it’s looking like he’ll be here tomorrow! I couldn’t be more excited to become a dad for the second time.”

The singer also announced he would reschedule shows in Kansas City, Missouri, and Omaha, Nebraska, explaining his decision to put family first.

“Once I step off the stage at Red Rocks, I’m headed straight home to be with the family. Hate having to make that call, but family comes first,” he wrote.

The Omaha concert has been rescheduled for Sept. 10, while the Kansas City show will now take place Sept. 12. Previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new dates.

“Thanks for understanding and for all the love. Can’t wait to see ya’ll soon,” McCollum concluded.

McCollum is currently touring in support of his 2025 self-titled album, with dates scheduled through the end of November.

McCollum first announced Hallie Ray’s pregnancy in December 2025, sharing festive family photos on Instagram. “McCollum party of 4 next Christmas!!!!” he captioned the Instagram post.

The couple married in March 2022 and welcomed their first son, Major Yancey, in August 2024.

BE:FIRST boasts a dozen No. 1s on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, played its first stadium concerts this past spring and has a world tour set for the fall. Now, the group is officially unveiling the first step in its effort to rise to greater prominence in the U.S. market.

With the release of its new single, “BRUCE WAYNE,” the J-pop band is revealing its new U.S. distribution partnership with The Orchard, along with hello82 for physical distribution, Tom Windish at THE·TEAM for touring outside Asia, and ex-AVEX USA CEO Naoki Osada‘s Nebula17 for A&R and marketing initiatives.

“BRUCE WAYNE,” BE:FIRST’s first release under its Orchard deal, is a swaggering, Atlanta hip-hop–indebted single produced by ATL Jacob and featuring Flo Milli, with lyrics by Starrah (Rihanna, Drake, Camila Cabello), Taylor Ross (Normani, Pitbull, Bebe Rexha) and the group’s executive producer SKY-HI, who is also CEO of the group’s Japanese music label BMSG. The track feels in line with some of the group’s harder hits, including 2023’s sleek and synth-y “Mainstream” and the anthemic “BE:FIRST ALL DAY” and its B-side “Rondo,” released in the spring.

“BRUCE WAYNE” is the lead single from WATCH ME, which the group describes as its first “global” EP, slated to arrive on Sept. 18. The set will also include a track featuring BIA as well as production from Tommy “TBHits” Brown.

While three of BE:FIRST’s members did recently carve out a trip to the World Cup final (“I love Messi,” youngest member Ryuhei says), the group is largely in discipline mode to meet arguably its biggest global moment yet. Over a video call from Los Angeles on Friday (July 31), group members Manato, Ryuhei, Sota, Junon, Shunto and Leo are quick to clarify that they have not been sightseeing but have instead spent their days taking English-language lessons, rehearsing choreography and undergoing media training with their new U.S. partners.

This weekend, BE:FIRST heads to Phoenix to perform at the 2026 World Hip-Hop Dance Championship (the same competition BE:FIRST member Sota won four different times), before playing Head in the Clouds in Los Angeles on Aug. 8. The group’s upcoming world tour, its second, launches in September, with two shows slated in New York.

“No time to play, basically,” Manato says with a laugh.

Formed on Japan’s 2021 singing competition THE FIRST, BE:FIRST has been mapping out its current global push years in advance as part of its annual goal-setting summits, the members tell Billboard.

The run-up has already included two collaborations with K-pop chart-conquerors ATEEZ (plus an opening slot at that group’s 2024 Los Angeles stadium shows) and a hit Janet Jackson remix released after the American pop icon played four dates across Japan this year (BE:FIRST and Jackson’s collaborative “Doesn’t Really Matter (Remix)” hit No. 12 on the Japan Hot 100 in June, while its video has earned 7.9 million YouTube views to date).

“Our entire team is giving absolutely everything we’ve got to bring you the absolute best version of BE:FIRST and share their music with the world,” SKY-HI shared in an exclusive statement with Billboard. “Please look forward to what’s to come.”

Below, read more from Billboard‘s exclusive interview with the group, spoken in a mix of English and Japanese, with members’ Japanese responses translated.

You’ve made some moves to collaborate beyond Japan via the K-pop market: Janet Jackson, Jonas Blue. Why was this the right time to go bigger?

Shunto: Every year, SKY-HI and the members hold a meeting where we set goals — “by such-and-such year, we want to be doing such-and-such.” This [upcoming] year is our fifth, so there had been discussions that starting from the fifth anniversary, we’d push to further [our] worldwide presence and exposure. At that stage, we couldn’t yet picture the songs or what this would look like, but it’s been in the works for us. So, now that that’s arrived, we’ve been pushing and polishing ourselves — mentally, but also in practical ways too, like going to language school. All of it is an accumulation of work that we’ve done, and now we’ve sort of arrived at the right time to put things in a different gear.

Let’s talk about “BRUCE WAYNE.” You’ve got Flo Milli, you’ve got ATL Jacob. How did the song come about, and why was it the right introduction to this new chapter?

Manato: I was in the same studio with ATL Jacob and Starrah in January. Actually, I was a fan of him. We also love Future, Atlanta hip-hop itself, and we kind of have an Atlanta sound style ourselves, so we were very excited to record the song. We gave some directions, like how we wanted a more dark sound, so we went back and forth. It’s not the typical kind of hip-hop; it’s like a luxurious style of hip-hop. We can easily sing the words. Also, all of us — but especially Manato — like Batman. [Laughs.] It feels like our “destiny song.”

Was Flo Milli attached from the beginning or did she record her part later?

Leo: It came together partway through — once the track was made, we searched [for a feature]. I think ATL Jacob shared it and she really loved the song. And we loved it, so we were like, “Let’s go!”

This leads off WATCH ME, which is being described as your first global EP. What does that sound like and what do you want it to say to listeners?

Ryuhei: Rather than targeting one specific culture or sound, we pursue whatever fits the things we love and think are genuinely cool — and that will create our own style. So, this album has a lot of genres and styles packed into it. But for each genre we settled on, we wanted the idea that “only BE:FIRST can do this” as the core, and we pushed the quality as far as it could go. Compared to our last releases, we were that much more focused and concentrated to make it a really quality album.

Does it feel like there are still barriers for Japanese artists trying to cross over into the Western markets?

Sota: There’s a real focal point on calling it a “global EP” for us. We can be seen as a dance team with a layer of hip-hop, singing in Japanese as a Japanese boy band. That is who we are, but we want to be seen not just as a Japanese boy band. I think the EP really defines what that means. Rather than keeping it contained within Japan, we want it to finally go out into the world. It’s about time.

Sota: The biggest thing is that the trends and the culture — around the world, in specific parts in Asia, even just in America or the music industry — we don’t know them the way we know Japan. America is a big country. What we don’t know, we don’t know — sometimes it’s even like that in Japan. How much will the things that we believe are good actually be accepted? That’s the barrier we hit, and not being able to break that wall feels a little challenging and difficult. But what we don’t want to do is make any kind of creative sacrifice or bend in order to go global; that would make going global meaningless. So, it comes down to how much we can raise what we want to do — in terms of quality, in musical value — put it out and have it recognized as something that’s uniquely us as BE:FIRST. On that, we can’t compromise. That’s what’s most important for us.

Leo, you mentioned being in the studio, and I know several of the members write on songs. How are you all creatively involved so you don’t lose that identity?

Manato: We build together. That’s our style. On one Japanese release, four members might do the co-writing; on another, three. Rather than one member being in charge of something, everyone participates, brings their best parts, and everyone’s identity feeds into it.

You did a remix with Janet Jackson when she came to Japan, and also have recorded two songs with ATEEZ and opened their Los Angeles shows. What did you take from these experiences?

Sota: From start to finish, [collaborating with Janet Jackson] was like a dream come true — that’s the number one thing; it was a really big moment for us. But in terms of what we learned as artists, singing and dancing is the single most important thing about BE:FIRST, and to see up close a legend who still treats both as essential and strives for perfection — it made me feel like we’re on the right path. That’s the reputation we’re going for too. Honestly, when you’re a group, people tend to focus on one or the other, but there’s a chemical reaction that comes from doing both singing and dancing. Seeing and feeling that up close, my respect grew enormously, and so did my gratitude that she keeps doing it.

Junon: After our own opening set, we got to watch ATEEZ’s show and took it all in as any member of the audience. There was a side of them, fully immersed in the performance, with such an incredible force that you can’t imagine from how they normally are. It’s an originality only they can produce. Watching it made us want to push the things that make us stand out.

Do you have any Billboard chart goals you want to put out there as you start this new era?

Leo: Be first.

Manato: Yeah!

Sota: Yeah, BE:FIRST will be first.

The SOCAN Polaris Song Prize has revealed its second-ever short list.

This year’s edition features songs by Angine de Poitrine, Charlotte Cornfield, PUP, Patrick Watson & Martha Wainwright and Charlotte Day Wilson, featuring Saya Gray.

In partnership with the performing rights organization Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), the winner of the Prize will receive $10,000 split between the song’s Canadian performers and the credited Canadian songwriter(s).

The recipient will be revealed alongside the Polaris Music Prize and the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize at the concert and award ceremony at Massey Hall on Sept. 22, hosted by musician and broadcaster Odario Williams.

Here is this year’s short list:

“Sometimes, a song is so powerful it stands on its own and demands to be heard, and the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize Short List honours five such unforgettable Canadian songs,” said Jennifer Brown, CEO of SOCAN.

The short list selections were whittled down from a 20-song long list that included tracks from Begonia, Les Louanges, Aquakultre, Rochelle Jordan and more.

Of the five short-listed artists, two have secured their spot on the Polaris Music Prize album short list: Angine de Poitrine’s Vol. II, and Charlotte Cornfield’s Hurts Like Hell.

Since its inception, both the long list and the short list have been curated and voted on by a 205-person Canada-wide Polaris Music Prize jury, spanning music critics, academics, journalists and other relevant industry members. In its inaugural edition, the prize was awarded to Mustafa’s “Gaza is Calling.”

In an interview about the Polaris organization’s recent changes, executive director Amber Still told Billboard Canada that the SOCAN Polaris Song Prize was created to acknowledge “a whole new group of artists” who weren’t necessarily releasing full albums or bodies of work.

It’s the organization’s first new award since the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize, introduced in 2015 to award albums released before the Polaris Music Prize launched in the mid 2000s. Past winners include Alanis Morrisette, Peaches and Beverly Glenn-Copeland — the latter two of whom are on this year’s Polaris Music Prize album short list, with their respective albums No Lube So Rude and Laughter In Summer.

Read more here. — Heather Taylor-Singh

SOCAN Acquires Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA)

Two Canadian music rights organizations are coming together to bring the distribution of performance and mechanical royalties under one umbrella.

SOCAN is acquiring the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA).

The Canadian company dedicated to the administration of performance rights is set to purchase the CMRRA, which has handled the distribution of reproduction rights in Canada for over five decades. SOCAN has made an agreement for acquisition from current owner, neighbouring rights company SoundExchange. The CMRRA, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, was purchased by SoundExchange in 2017.

“Bringing CMRRA and SOCAN together is an investment in the future of Canadian music. United, we’ll strengthen rights administration for publishers, songwriters and composers.” Jennifer Brown, CEO of SOCAN, tells Billboard Canada. “We’re grateful for SoundExchange’s leadership, and we’re excited to work with CMRRA to shape the next chapter of how music rights are supported and delivered.”

Both SOCAN and the CMRRA are key players in the licensing and rights distribution fields, helping to fairly distribute hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties to their members. Last year, SOCAN reached an all-time revenue record of $587 million, distributing over $511 million to its rightsholders. Meanwhile, CMRRA distributed $94 million in royalties to its clients, celebrating its 50th anniversary while also welcoming 477 new client affiliations.

SOCAN CMO Cameron Kennedy and CMRRA president Paul Shaver both landed on the Billboard Canada Power Players 2026 list this year, earning their spot among the most powerful and influential executives in the Canadian music business.

The acquisition of CMRRA marks a major centralization of performance and reproduction rights under one umbrella, uniting two leaders in the broader rights handling sector. SOCAN has been dealing with CMRRA for nearly a decade, since acquiring the SODRAC in 2018 (Society for Reproduction Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers in Canada). SOCAN is now set to own the biggest handler of reproduction rights, adding to its own stewardship of public and performance rights.

“When SoundExchange acquired CMRRA nearly a decade ago, we saw an opportunity to strengthen its foundation, invest in its future, and enhance the services it provides to music publishers and songwriters,” says Michael Huppe, president and CEO of SoundExchange. “Together, SoundExchange and CMRRA have built a strong, innovative and thriving organization. We are proud of the progress achieved and believe SOCAN is the right organization to build on that success. This transaction benefits creators, publishers and the broader music community while allowing SoundExchange to continue advancing our core mission of delivering value to artists and rights owners around the world.”

Read more here. — Stefano Rebuli