Shawn Mendes‘ “Why Why Why” has topped this week’s new music poll that features artists in various genres of music.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Aug. 9) on Billboard, choosing the 26-year-old pop star’s comeback single as their favorite new music release of the past week.

“Why Why Why” brought in 50% of the vote on the poll, securing a notable edge ahead of new releases from Katy Perry (“Lifetimes”), NIKI (Buzz), Beabadoobee (This is How Tomorrow Moves), Latto (Sugar Honey Iced Tea), J Balvin (Rayo), and others.

On Friday, Mendes made his comeback with “Why Why Why,” which leads his upcoming album, Shawn, which is scheduled for release on Oct. 18. The project is the star’s fifth studio album and follows 2020’s Wonder as well as his previous self-titled project, 2018’s Shawn Mendes.

“I stepped off the stage with nothing left/ All the lights were f—ing with my head,” the singer-songwriter admits on “Why Why Why,” a highly compelling piece of folk-pop that finds him vulnerable to the point of sounding haunted, two years removed from cancelling a tour due to mental health purposes.

Last month, Mendes shared a message for fans about the project, writing “Music really can be medicine. 2 years ago I felt like I had absolutely no idea who I was. A year ago I couldn’t step into a studio without falling into complete panic. So to be here right now with 12 beautiful finished songs feels like such a gift.”

Trailing behind Mendes on this week’s poll is Perry’s “Lifetimes,” with nearly 20% of the vote. The new single will appear on the pop star’s forthcoming album, 143.

See the final results of this week’s poll below. Check out Billboard‘s Friday Music Guide to catch up with more must-hear releases from this week.

Rod Stewart has tested positive for COVID-19, leading to the cancelation of two summer concerts that were originally scheduled for Aug. 9-10.

“We regret to announce that tonight’s Rod Stewart concert in Stateline, NV and his August 10 show in Lincoln, CA have been postponed, as the singer recovers from a summer strain of Covid-19,” a statement posted on Stewart’s Instagram account said on Friday night (Aug. 9), hours before he was expected to take the stage.

The shows have already been rescheduled, his team announced on the same update. Stewart, 79, is set to perform at Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, California, on Aug. 18; two days later he’ll take the stage at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys in Stateline, Nevada, on Aug. 20.

It’s also been shared that “ticket holders should hold on to their tickets as they will be honored for the rescheduled shows.”

Stewart’s illness follows the singer missing the 200th show of his long-running Las Vegas residency at Caesars Palace on Wednesday, when he cited strep throat as the reason for his absence. At the time, he noted on Instagram, “Most people can work with strep throat but obviously not me. I’m absolutely gutted. I’ve been looking forward to this concert for so long. My deepest regrets for any inconvenience this has caused.”

Those who missed out on his Vegas run will get another chance to catch the star at Caesars Palace in 2025, at encore dates of his residency show during select weekends in March, May and June of next year.

“Vegas, I’m having too much fun for this to end so we are coming back for an encore! Don’t miss The Encore Shows Las Vegas Residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace March 12-22 & May 29-June 8!” Stewart wrote to fans on Aug. 7. Tickets for Stewart’s 2024 concert dates will go on sale Monday (Aug. 12) at 10 a.m. PT; ticket details for the residency dates are available here.

See Friday night’s post about Stewart’s COVID diagnosis below.

Celine Dion‘s team is criticizing Donald Trump for his unauthorized use of her Titanic classic at a recent campaign rally.

On Saturday (Aug. 10), Dion’s management team and record label released a statement on social media slamming the former president for including her 1998 hit “My Heart Will Go On” in a playlist during his rally in Bozeman, Mont., on Friday. Attendee-captured videos from the event also show a video of Dion singing the famous track.

“Today, Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorized usage of the video, recording, musical performance, and likeness of Celine Dion singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at a Donald Trump / JD Vance campaign rally in Montana,” the statement on X (formerly Twitter) began. “In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use. …And really, THAT song?”

“My Heart Will Go On,” which spend two week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1998, closed out the Oscar-winning film about the 1912 shipwreck. The ballad was co-written by Titanic composer James Horner with Will Jennings.

Some social media users poked fun at Trump’s ironic use of the song during his rally. “Perfect – because when your campaign’s headed for an iceberg, you might as well set it to music,” one person wrote on X.

Another X user observed, “Is Trump’s campaign being trolled from within? Someone on his staff decided to play Celine Dion singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ from Titanic at his Montana rally. Many consider Titanic a metaphor for Trump’s sinking campaign.”

Trump will face off against Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming 2024 presidential election after President Joe Biden bowed out of the race. The two candidates will appear in a debate scheduled for Sept. 10 on ABC.

Dozens of top artists and songwriters have objected to Trump’s use of their songs at political rallies since he first ran for president in 2016, including The Rolling Stones, Adele, Rihanna, Sinead O’Connor’s estate and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler. 

See Dion’s post on X below.

During a chaotic week for stock markets around the world, Universal Music Group (UMG) shares rose 3.3% to 22.15 euros ($24.20), enough to make the Amsterdam-listed company the top-performing music stock of the week.

Stocks were hammered on Monday (Aug. 5) as markets reacted to a disappointing U.S. jobs report the prior Friday (Aug. 2), leading to mounting concerns the economy could fall into a recession. The Billboard Global Music Index fell 2.0% on Monday, though it experienced a lighter decline than both the Nasdaq (down 3.4%) and the S&P 500 (down 3.0%). Investors didn’t panic, however, and markets made gains over the remainder of the week. On Friday (Aug. 9), the Nasdaq closed down 0.2% for the week while the S&P 500 broke even. 

UMG received a boost on Wednesday (Aug. 7) from Warner Music Group’s quarterly earnings report — a welcome change after a second-quarter slowdown in UMG’s streaming growth so worried investors that the company’s shares fell 24% the following day. WMG’s latest earnings results, which showed that recorded music streaming revenue grew 8.7% after a few adjustments, may have convinced some UMG investors that they overreacted. In light of this new information, UMG shares jumped 6.6% to 22.74 euros ($24.85) on Wednesday. Notably, this Friday’s closing price is 14% above the lowest closing price — 21.12 euros ($23.08) — since the 24% decline occurred on July 25. 

WMG shares rose 0.3% to $28.34 this week after the company announced that quarterly revenue dropped 1% and net profit improved 14%. The third-largest major’s streaming gains satisfied some, but not all, analysts. Morgan Stanley analysts cited “lowered streaming growth outlook” in lowering their price target to $35 from $41. Guggenheim, encouraged by WMG’s subscription revenue growth acceleration and performance relative to UMG, maintained its $44 price target. JP Morgan, which sees WMG as “well positioned” to capture paid streaming adoption, left its $41 price target unchanged. 

The Billboard Global Music Index, a float-adjusted measure of 20 companies’ market capitalizations, rose 3.1%, breaking a streak of four consecutive weeks with a loss. Spotify, the index’s largest component, gained 2.6% to $339.69. Tencent Music Entertainment, which will report earnings on Tuesday (Aug. 13), rose 2.8% to $12.97.

In the United Kingdom, the FTSE 100 declined 3.6% to 8,168.10. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index fell 3.3% to 2,588.43. China’s Shanghai composite index dropped 1.5% to 2,862.19. 

iHeartMedia shares fell 10.7% to $1.33 following the company’s second-quarter earnings on Thursday (Aug. 8). The company reported a 1% increase in second-quarter revenue and sounded optimistic that political advertising will provide a boost to the full-year results. Both third-quarter and full-year revenue are expected to be up by mid-single digits.

Shares of radio broadcaster Townsquare Media dropped 5.8% following the company’s second-quarter results on Tuesday. Revenue fell 2.5% and net loss increased to $48.9 million from $2.7 million in the prior-year period. Its $0.14 earnings per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.42. 

Jelly Roll has inspired thousands with his story of rising from an incarcerated teen to becoming one of music’s newest hitmakers and most beloved artists.

On Tuesday (Aug. 8), the Antioch, Tennessee, native took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for Nashville’s new Youth Campus for Empowerment, which will be located on Brick Church Pike in Nashville. A 14-acre site will include the serve as the new home of the Davidson County Juvenile Justice Center, and a pre-trial housing facility for justice-involved youth. The new campus will also include resources and agencies to aid families, as well as a 24-hour assessment center to support youth in crisis. The space will include meeting rooms and courtrooms to allow court staff, community partners, litigants and attorneys to hold private meetings and mediations to resolve family conflicts. A safe exchange facility will also provide a place for custodial visitation for families and children.

The current Juvenile Justice Center, located at 100 Woodland Street, opened its doors in 1994. Construction on the Youth Campus for Empowerment is slated to be finished by 2027.

During the ceremony, four-time Billboard Country Airplay chart-topper, and former Billboard cover star Jelly Roll spoke about the importance of being present for the event, noting he spent his 14th, 15th and 16th birthdays in the Davidson County Juvenile Justice Center.

“That thing hadn’t changed nothing but the paint in 30 years, I personally know, because I was there,” he said during the groundbreaking ceremony.

“A lot of these kids are a victim of their circumstances and where they came from, so this is a really cool chance to change things,” he told NewsChannel5.

Judge Sheila Calloway led the way in the vision for the new facility. Davidson County leaders including Mayor Freddie O’Connell and Davidson County Attorney General Glenn Funk attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

Earlier this year, Jelly Roll opened a music studio inside the youth detention center where he was once incarcerated, and last month, he opened the Jelly Roll Music Studio at Genesee County Jail in Flint, Michigan.