Amy Shark makes it three successive No. 1s in Australia with Sunday Sadness.

The Gold Coast-raised singer and songwriter cruises to the summit of the ARIA Chart, published Friday, Aug. 16 with Sunday Sadness, her fourth studio effort.

Her debut 2012 album, It’s A Happy City, released under the name Amy Cushway, didn’t chart, notes ARIA. As Amy Shark, she powered to No. 1 for one week in 2018 with Love Monster, and led the survey in 2021 for two weeks with Cry Forever.

“Words cannot explain how much this No. 1 means to me,” she comments. “Sunday Sadness has been three years in the making and I’m so glad you all love it as much as I do. Today is a day I’ll never forget”
Sunday Sadness completes a trilogy of No. 1s for homegrown acts on the national chart, burying a 10-month dry spell.

Also, it’s one of four Australian-made albums to debut in the top 20, for Australian music’s “most successful week of 2024,” ARIA claims.

“Huge congratulations to Amy, her team, and her incredibly devoted fans on a third No. 1 album and a career that continues to reach new heights,” comments ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd.

“Amy at the top of the chart marks three weeks of Aussies at No. 1, on top of that, four homegrown debuts in the top 15 is an unbelievable result that our whole industry should be proud of. What a week for Ausmusic.”

Those homegrown hits include Grinspoon’s eighth studio album, Whatever, Whatever, new at No. 3; King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s 26th studio album Flight b741, new at No. 8; and First Nations hip-hop collective 3%, new at No. 12.

Meanwhile, Filipino-British singer and songwriter Beabadoobee lands her first top 10 in Australia with This Is How Tomorrow Moves, new at No. 6. That bests the No. 19 peak for her 2022 release Beatopia.
Finally, DICE rolls to No. 27 with Midnight Zoo, the Perth quartet’s debut album.

Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Billie Eilish scoops her third solo No. 1 as “Birds Of A Feather” flaps its wings, up 2-1. Eilish replaces herself on top, as her guest appearance on Charli XCX’s “Guess” dips 1-3.
Earlier, Eilish reigned over the chart for two weeks in 2019 with “Bad Guy” and for three weeks with 2023’s “What Was I Made For?.” Eilish’s third and latest studio LP, Hit Me Hard And Soft, holds at No. 2.

Finally, as Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine slices up the global box-office, one of the songs from its soundtrack powers into the top 40: NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye”. Released in 2000, the song originally spent five weeks at No. 1. Thanks to its sync to the bloody opening scene of the superhero smash, “Bye Bye Bye” returns to the chart at No. 20.

Fresh off their headline-grabbing performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre are gearing up to drop their latest project, Missionary, this November.

But the biggest surprise? Legendary musician Sting is among the featured artists on the album.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Dr. Dre couldn’t hold back his excitement, revealing, “We have Sting on the song. Man, it’s an amazing roster of artists that’s on this album. I shouldn’t have revealed that, to be honest.”

The unexpected collaboration adds a twist to the forthcoming album, which already carries the weight of being the first full-length project Dre has produced for Snoop since their iconic 1993 album Doggystyle.

The friendship and musical chemistry between Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg is legendary.

It all began with Dre’s groundbreaking 1992 album The Chronic, which introduced Snoop to the world and set the stage for his debut album, Doggystyle, a year later. Missionary promises to be a continuation of this storied partnership, with Dre sharing, “This one’s gonna show a different level of maturity with his lyrics and with my music. I feel like this is some of the best music I’ve done in my career.”

The Compton native added, “It’s an album that women are going to enjoy, and like I said, it shows a massive amount of growth and maturity with the lyrics and with the music.”

Dre also offered some insight into the production process, saying, “I wanted 14 songs, Snoop wants 16, so we have that thing happening. I’m on song number 11 as far as the mixes go. I have to be done and delivered by September 1 to have a November release.”

Dr. Dre has consistently shaped the Billboard charts over the years, starting with his groundbreaking debut solo album, The Chronic (1992), which hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and produced the iconic single “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang,” reaching No. 2 on the Hot 100.

His 1999 follow-up, 2001, continued this momentum with smash hits like “Still D.R.E.” and “Forgot About Dre.” Beyond his own music, Dre’s production genius has been behind numerous chart-topping albums and singles, and, of course, the Doc was instrumental in launching Eminem’s career.

Two of the world’s biggest artists have teamed up to release a late-stage song of the summer contender, with Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars dropping their new song “Die With a Smile” and its music video at midnight ET Friday (Aug. 15).

The musicians barely gave fans a heads up before unveiling the new project, the existence of which they only confirmed less than 12 hours ahead of its arrival. Gaga simply posted the cover art — which finds the duo posing in matching retro red-and-blue outfits — and wrote, “WHILE YOU WAIT TILL LG7…“DIE WITH A SMILE” a duet with @brunomars ❤️‍🔥”

The “Rain on Me” singer did, however, tease that the collaboration was in the works two days prior, sharing an inconspicuous video of her playing a tune on piano while wearing a T-shirt with Mars’ face on it. Fans put two and two together when they also noticed her commenting emojis on the Silk Sonic band member’s Instagram post.

It’s been a while since either artist has released proper solo music. Gaga’s last album Chromatica dropped in 2020, while Mars’ 24K Magic is approaching its eight-year anniversary. The former topped the Billboard 200, and the second peaked at No. 2.

Luckily for fans, the Haus Labs founder is planning to release another album soon, something she’s teased multiple times on social media. She also played snippets of two songs on the project for fans gathered outside her hotel in Paris, where she performed during the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony.

Listen to “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars below.

Jack Russell, the former frontman of 1980s and ’90s glam rockers Great White, has died at age 63.

The news comes from the Instagram page for Jack Russell’s Great White, which is the band name the frontman toured under after the group disbanded in 2001.

“With tremendous sadness, we announce the loss of our beloved Jack Patrick Russell — father, husband, cousin, uncle, and friend,” the statement begins, adding that the singer “passed peacefully” surrounded by his wife Heather Ann, son Matthew Hucko and other family and friends. “Jack is loved and remembered for his sense of humor, exceptional zest for life, and unshakeable contribution to rock and roll where his legacy will forever live and thrive.”

The family is asking for privacy and shared that details of a public memorial would be announced at a later date.

On the Instagram page for Great White, Russell’s original bandmates shared their “deepest condolences to the family of Jack Russell. We hope they take comfort in knowing Jack’s incredible voice will live on forever.” The ended the statement: “Rest In Peace, to one of rock’s biggest champions.”

Great White landed six songs on the Billboard Hot 100 in the late ’80s and early ’90s, including the top five smash “Once Bitten Twice Shy,” which peaked at No. 5 in 1989 and whose music video was in heavy rotation on MTV. The song’s album, 1989’s …Twice Shy, was a top 10 hit on the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at No. 9.

Following the group’s end in 2001, the lead singer hit the road as Jack Russell’s Great White — most infamously headlining Rhode Island’s The Station nightclub in 2003, when pyrotechnics started a fire that killed 100 people, including bandmate Ty Longley, and injuring 230. Russell’s tour manager, Daniel Biechele, pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter in 2006 and served two years in prison of a 15-year sentence. The owners of The Station, Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, pleaded no contest, with Michael serving almost three years in prison and Jeffrey being sentenced to community service. The band also reached settlements with victims in several lawsuits.

Last month, Russell’s Instagram page had announced his retirement from touring after diagnoses of Lewy Body Dementia and Multiple System Atrophy. “Words cannot express my gratitude for the many years of memories, love, and support,” the retirement announcement read. “Thank you for letting me live my dreams.”

Find the family and band statements below.

In a new live bonus track from The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift is raising eyebrows simply by capitalizing a couple of letters.

On Thursday night (Aug. 15), Swift’s webstore announced the release of two new limited-edition digital versions of her latest album: One includes “The Prophecy (Long Story Short – Live From Lyon)” while the other includes “thank You aimEe (Mean – Live from London).” The curiously capitalized second track differs from how the title was stylized when it was first released as part of The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology expanded double album back in April. Then, it was titled “thanK you aIMee”; now, instead of capitalizing KIM (in an apparent reference to Kim Kardashian), the new version capitalizes YE (in a seeming reference to Swift’s longtime foe formerly known as Kanye West).

The move did not go unnoticed on social media, with Swifties going wild for the track’s new focus. “doing this right after blocking his album from number one… taylor swift the legend that you are!” one X user commented, in reference to Tortured Poets topping the Billboard 200 in its 16th week vs. Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s Vultures 2 opening in the runner-up spot. “NOT THE CAPITAL LETTER CHANGE!!!! TAYLOR NATION YOU’RE SO MESSY AND I LOVE IT!!!!” another X user wrote.

Commenters are also speculating that the new stylization could signal the imminent arrival of Reputation (Taylor’s Version). The original 2017 album was recorded in the aftermath of Swift’s feud with the then-married couple — which surrounded Ye’s controversial “Famous” lyric about Taylor and a recording of a private phone call released by Kardashian — and addresses the impact on the pop star’s image among music fans and critics.

The new version of “thank You aimEe” was recorded at London’s Wembley Stadium on June 22 when Swift performed the song for the first time as a mash-up with the 2011 Speak Now single “Mean” during her acoustic set. “Someday I’ll be singing this song at Wembley,” Swift improvised to the melody of “Mean” during the performance. Swift is back at Wembley this week for five more dates before the European leg of her Eras Tour wraps up on Tuesday. She’ll pick the trek back up when she returns to North America in November, stopping first in Toronto.

See Taylor Nation’s announcement of the two new digital variants — which are only available until midnight ET tonight — below.