George Clinton, Heart, Lucinda Williams and Take 6 have been added to the list of performers for the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum’s 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame Gala taking place May 8.  Clinton, Heart and Williams recorded titles that are among the honorees.

They join previously announced performer Norah Jones, who will also be presented with the Ray Charles Architect of Sound Award. Warner Records will also be honored as the Anthony Mason-hosted event, which will take place at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

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Fourteen titles spanning nearly a century of recorded music will be honored at the gala, extending as far back as 1926’s “Trouble in Mind” recorded by Bertha “Chippie” Hill to 1998’s Car Wheels on A Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams. Among the other three singles and 11 albums being inducted are Pink Moon by Nick Drake, Maggot Brain by Funkadelic, Dreamboat Annie by Heart and All Eyez on Me by 2Pac.

The Recording Academy’s national trustees established the Grammy Hall of Fame to honor recordings released before the Grammy Awards began being handed out in 1959. The honor is now open to any recording that is at least 25 years old. A special member committee selects the recordings to be inducted based on their qualitative or historical significance. Final ratification comes from the Recording Academy’s national board of trustees.

“It’s a privilege to recognize these influential recordings as the 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame inductees,” Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “Each selection reflects the creativity, craft and cultural impact that recorded music can carry across decades. We’re honored to help preserve these works and celebrate the artists and communities behind them, so their legacies continue to inspire generations to come.”

The show will be produced by former Grammy Awards executive producer Ken Ehrlich, alongside Ron Basile, Chantel Sausedo, Lindsay Saunders Carl, and Lynne Sheridan.

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.

Levi’s has teamed up with legendary hip-hop trio Beastie Boys for a ’90s-inspired T-shirt collection. Paying homage to the rap groups rise to fame, this limited release honors their formative years in New York and draws upon the Beastie Boys impact on street culture as well as their earlier music, such as the classic album, Hello Nasty, from 1998.

The Levi’s x Beastie Boys collection includes four different graphic shirts “inspired by vintage collector’s tees, says Levi’s in a press release.” Available Thursday (April 2), fans can shop between a “Color Up” white tee, which features a range of artwork from Hello Nasty on the back; a red graphic tee emblazoned with an iconic group logo utilized in their early days; a “Hello Nasty Caviar” tee, that includes the album artwork from the acclaimed 1998 album; and finally, a long-sleeve “Caviar” tee showcasing artwork from their 1995 EP Root Down.

“Few groups have had the cultural impact of the Beastie Boys,” says Leo Gamboa, VP – Collaborations at Levi’s. “With this collection, we wanted to celebrate their legacy – the humor, the attitude, and the spirit of the ‘90s – in a way that feels true to them.”

The Levi’s x Beastie Boys collection is available top shop online right now on Levi’s.com. The price range for the limited-release goes from $45 – $50. The quantity of each tee is unavailable, but act fast so you don’t miss out on these throwback-inspired merch.

Levi's x Beastie Boys: How to Shop the '90s-Inspired Collection Online

NEW RELEASE

Levi’s x Beastie Boys “Caviar” Long-Sleeve Tee

A long-sleeve black tee that includes artwork from the Beastie Boy’s 1995 EP Root Down.


Levi's x Beastie Boys: How to Shop the '90s-Inspired Collection Online

NEW RELEASE

Levi’s x Beastie Boys “Hello Nasty” Tee

A graphic t-shirt paying homage to the Beastie Boys Hello Nasty album cover.


Levi's x Beastie Boys: How to Shop the '90s-Inspired Collection Online

NEW RELEASE

Levi’s x Beastie Boys “Color Up” Tee

A white tee featuring art designs from the Beastie Boys 1998 album, ‘Hello Nasty’ on the back.


Levi's x Beastie Boys: How to Shop the '90s-Inspired Collection Online

NEW RELEASE

Levi’s x Beastie Boys Band Logo Tee

An all-red graphic t-shirt featuring a throwback Beastie Boys logo.


Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our other artist merch roundups for Drake, Metallica, Paul McCartney and the Grateful Dead online.

Courtney Love says she’s cool with Dave Grohl — but she also has a small bone to pick with the Foo Fighters frontman.

While appearing on an episode of The Magnificent Others With Billy Corgan posted Wednesday, the Hole rocker was characteristically blunt when addressing the former Nirvana bandmate of her late husband, Kurt Cobain. “Grohl, come out with it and just say we’re cool,” she said. “Be man enough.”

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“Man up, because you’re the uber man that has all the straight males,” she continued to Corgan. “And we’re cool, but you won’t say it, because you’re afraid you’ll lose your audience. You’re afraid it’ll affect your relationship with literal Paul McCartney … Dave, it would really behoove me if the straight white males that are your base would stop picking on me.”

Love also called out the drummer for allegedly writing several songs about her. “I couldn’t write a song about Dave Grohl to save my life,” she said. “He’s written, like, four songs about me, and they’re hits. I’m like, ‘Wait what?’”

Billboard has reached out to Grohl’s rep for comment.

Love and Grohl have had their bumps in the road over the years. In 2014, the former criticized the surviving members of Nirvana for joining forces with McCartney for a 12-12-12 Hurricane Sandy benefit concert. They also clashed in court years after Cobain’s death in 1994 over the rights to Nirvana’s catalog.

In 2014, however, the pair hugged onstage at Nirvana’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.

Watch Love’s full conversation on The Magnificent Others With Billy Corgan above.


Billboard VIP Pass

Testing new waters, Grupo Firme makes its mariachi debut with their latest single, “Cabrón y Medio,” premiering exclusively on Billboard today (April 2). 

Co-produced by Joss Favela and Ricardo Orrantía, the Música Mexicana group steers away from its signature banda style that’s typically fast-paced, danceable and brass-heavy, and steps into the traditional mariachi realm powered by weeping violins, guitars, vihuela and guitarrón.

Lyrically, “Cabrón y Medio,” which can loosely be translated as “bastard and a half,” is about reflecting on a long-lost love. “What was it that happened to us?/ It is clear to me that you want nothing to do with me/ As for me, I’m still here/ thinking of you with every breath,” vocalist Eduin Caz effortlessly sings with his crisp and passionate powerhouse vocals. 

Furthermore, “the song paints a picture of emotional vulnerability, where even a few drinks blur the line between memory and reality, making it feel as though that special person is still close by,” according to a press statement. 

The music video, helmed by Mane Borja, shows Caz in a polished traditional charro suit as scenes of a broken family play in the background. 

“Cabrón y Medio” comes in the midst of Grupo Firme currently on its La Última Peda Tour across South and Central America. It’s also the band’s first solo release of 2026, following a streak of notable collaborations including “Súfrale” with Gloria Trevi, “Modo Difícil” with Grupo Frontera, “Que Te Quieran Bonito” with Luis Alfonso Partida “El Yaki” and “Ctrl + Z” with Lenin Ramírez. 

Watch the music video for “Cabrón y Medio” first on Billboard below.

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.

Apple’s AirPods Max headphones made quite the impression when they launched in 2020, instantly attracting fans like Timothee Chalamet, Dua Lipa and JENNIE with the product’s sleek and elevated look, while earning thumbs up from tech journalists for crisp and immersive audio.

Now, Apple is hoping lightning strikes twice with the launch of the AirPods Max 2, the next generation in the venerable tech brand’s over-ear wireless headphones.

Apple AirPods Max 2 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones,

NEW RELEASE

Apple AirPods Max 2 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones

“Midnight” colorway

Released March 25, the new headphones features the same instantly-recognizable over-ear design as the original AirPods Max, but with improved Active Noise Cancellation technology (ANC), enhanced audio and intelligent features all powered by Apple’s H2 chipset.


The most impressive update is on the noise cancellation prowess of the AirPods Max 2, with Apple reporting that the new headphones “deliver ANC that’s up to 1.5x more effective than the previous generation.” You’ll notice it when you’re on a plane and the whiz and whirl of the airplane engine suddenly fades away; or when crossing an intersection in a bustling city, and the crowd and traffic noise dissipates.

I live on a second-floor unit in an apartment building located on a main road in Los Angeles, and I’ve found the original AirPods Max headphones to be a lifesaver for when I want to put on some tunes to focus on work and not hear the honking and screeching of cars below. The AirPods Max 2 promise an even more immersive experience, by detecting and canceling out background noise before it even hits your ears.

Of course if you still need to pay attention to your environment — I.e. in the office or when walking in traffic — you can set the cups to Transparency Mode, which filters in some natural sounds, so you’re not completely unaware or zoned out to what (or who) is around you. Voice Isolation technology automatically moves your voice to the forefront during calls, while blocking out ambient noise. And if you’re listening to a playlist or podcast, Apple’s Adaptive Audio feature automatically adjusts the noise cancellation levels depending on how noisy your environment is, so there’s always a balance of music with organic outside sounds.

A new feature we like is “Conversation Awareness,” which automatically lowers the volume of what’s playing in your ears, to make it easier to hear and talk to those around you.

Apple AirPods Max 2 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones,

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Apple AirPods Max 2 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones

Orange colorway

Music-wise, the AirPods Max 2 continue to support Spatial Audio, for a more natural-sounding listening experience, and lossless audio, which lets you stream the highest-quality tracks. Apple says a new high dynamic range amplifier offers “even cleaner audio,” and you can also personalize your headphones to suit your ear shape and the way your head moves, so that music is always directed at you, rather than say, floating off somewhere in the distance.


One other new feature we like: Live Translation, which does exactly as the name suggests, by letting you read or listen to an English-language translation of a conversation when you are talking to someone who’s using another language. The same feature is available in Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 model, which I tested last fall, and while it took me a bit of time to set up Live Translation (mostly making sure my phone was updated), once I got it to work, it was pretty intuitive.

The AirPods Max 2 retain the same premium look and feel as its predecessor, with the flexible mesh headband for breathability and cushy, pillow-like earpads for comfort (Apple has also upped their sustainability efforts by using 100% recycled polyester in the ear cushion). What I liked: you won’t sweat through these headphones, even when wearing for long periods of time. And as someone who wears glasses, I found that the headband wasn’t squeezing my temples in at all. The exterior has the clean and minimalist look I love, and Apple has these headphones available in five colors online, including the orange colorway that was so popular with users of the iPhone 17.

The AirPods Max 2 wireless headphones are available to purchase online now with a suggested retail price of $549. In my opinion, Apple’s got another winner on its hands, with the AirPods Max 2 offering that perfect balance of audio and aesthetics, to deliver another pair of headphones that will be topping everybody’s must-have list this year.

Ye (formerly Kanye West) made his return to the stage with his first stadium performance in nearly five years on Wednesday night, as the embattled Chicago native took over SoFi Stadium for the first of two shows on the docket.

Yeezy took fans on a journey from The College Dropout to Bully with a hit-filled 30-plus-track setlist, and surprised the more than 60,000 fans packing out SoFi with a couple of special guests, as Don Toliver and his daughter North West made appearances.

Following “Heartless,” Don Toliver popped out in an all-white fit and stood beside Ye on the global sphere stage contraption at the center of SoFi Stadium. “My man’s getting flee in here tonight, what we doing Ye?” the Houston native asked.

They moved into Donda standout “Moon” and then Toliver took over to perform his OCTANE opener “E85” solo, which had the crowd in a frenzy. Toliver also appeared on “Circles” from West’s latest Bully offering.

West ran back a few Bully tracks for a second time, including fan-favorite “All the Love” with Andre Troutman, and then his eldest daughter, North West, showed up from the darkness on top of the stage alongside her father.

North impressed while performing her memorable assist on Vultures cut “Talking,” and showed off what she’s been working on when it comes to her solo work with a performance of “Piercing on My Hand.” The 12-year-old is preparing to release her solo debut album and has been honing her craft as a producer.

Ye will run it back for round two at SoFi on Friday night (April 3) and fans are anticipating more guest appearances. There’s been speculation that Travis Scott could show up for the live debut performance of Bully‘s “Father” track.

Following the arrival of Bully, Yeezy appears to be lining up performances across the globe, including three nights of headlining at Wireless Fest in London from July 10 through July 12. The return to Finsbury Park will mark his first since 2014. Ye also has another show scheduled in Italy about a week later this summer.

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.

Bravo is booting up yet another iteration of their ever-popular Real Housewives franchise, and this time, they’re focusing on the ladies of Rhode Island.

The new show premieres on Bravo tonight, April 2, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Following the premiere, the series will move to its regular time slot on Sundays at 9 p.m. Episodes will be available for streaming the next day on Peacock. The new entry marks the first new Real Housewives franchise since 2020’s The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, which became a smash hit.

How to Watch The Real Housewives of Rhode Island At a Glance:

“Welcome to the Ocean State. It may be America’s smallest, but don’t be fooled — the drama is wicked wild,” reads the show’s official logline. The new Rhode Island iteration introduces Bravo fans to a brand new cast of women ready to stir up drama, including Alicia Carmody, Rosie DiMare, Bachelor in Paradise star Ashley Iaconetti, Kelsey Swanson, Rulla Nehme Pontarelli, Elizabeth McGraw, Jo-Ellen Tiberi and The Real Housewives of New Jersey alumnus Dolores Catania.

How to Watch The Real Housewives of Rhode Island Online for Free

As mentioned, the new The Real Housewives franchise will air tonight, April 2, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Below, we’ll be showing you how to watch the show online for free.

DIRECTV

If you’re looking to watch the show via Bravo, consider DIRECTV. The network is available on all of the service’s streaming packages, including their CHOICE package. This package is currently on sale for $59.99 a month, down from $94.99 a month. This package is for those looking to tap into a slew of channels from entertainment, like Bravo, to news and sports like ESPN, HBO Max, CNN and more. If you’re unsure about committing to a new subscription, you can simply try the service out for free for five days, which will give you plenty of time to watch the award ceremony before canceling.

Hulu + Live TV

Another option for our readers is a Hulu + Live TV subscription, given that Bravo is included in the live TV channel lineup. A subscription to the service (with ads) will cost approximately $89.99 per month, while the plan without ads goes for $99.99 per month. This subscription gives you access to the titles in Hulu’s library, along with live TV programs 24/7. If you aren’t sure about your subscription, the streaming service offers a three-day free trial to test it out.

Sling

Sling Blue is another option to watch the new iteration of the franchise. The service costs $45.99 a month and includes 40-plus channels, including Bravo. With your subscription, you’ll have access to the holiday special, along with all the live sports and news you could ever want. Unfortunately, Sling Blue does not have a free trial option.

Peacock is the official streaming home of The Real Housewives franchise. Peacock’s Select plan and is $7.99 per month with ads, while the no-ads Premium plan will run you $10.99 a month. Both plans include access to Bravo. Peacock does not offer a free trial but if you want the streaming platform for free, you can subscribe to Walmart+. A subscription to the service (which has a 30-day free trial) includes a free subscription to Peacock Premium (with ads), which includes Bravo.

Watch the teaser for The Real Housewives of Rhode Island below.

Ahead of his Coachella headlining performances on April 11 and 18, Justin Bieber performed an invite-only surprise set at The Roxy in West Hollywood on Sunday night (March 29), where he treated fans in attendance to the live debuts of tracks from his 2025 albums Swag and Swag II.

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“You’re invited to something special from Justin Bieber,” an email containing a “unique presale purchase link” sent to select fans ahead of the show read, according to a screenshot shared to Instagram. “This is a private, invite-only experience — please keep this strictly confidential. Any public sharing may result in the invite being revoked.” 

Bieber’s Roxy show offered fans the opportunity to not just see Bieber play his Swag material — but to see him play, period. While Bieber made a proper return to the stage following a four-year hiatus at the Grammys on Feb. 1, his recent touring history has been marred by delays and cancellations. A world tour that was announced shortly before COVID was ultimately scuttled, and just a few months after he eventually hit the road in February 2022, Bieber cancelled the remainder of the outing, sharing a diagnosis of Type 2 Ramsay Hunt syndrome that prevented him from performing. 

Since then, Bieber’s stage appearances have been limited, with an appearance at Rolling Loud Las Vegas in March 2023, where he performed “Private Landing” with Don Toliver, and at Coachella 2024, where he appeared as a surprise guest during Tems’ set to perform his remix of her Wizkid collaboration “Essence.”

His show at the Roxy, then, marked a return to playing full sets — and was a surprise for more than just the fans who were invited. Coachella is known for its strict radius clause — the contractual language that prevents artists booked for Coachella from performing around Southern California in the months leading up to the festival. But the festival’s radius clause isn’t as ironclad as it may seem, and workarounds are not entirely unheard of. The Roxy, for instance, is operated by Goldenvoice — the same promoter that puts on Coachella each year, providing some corporate cover for the show. (Billboard has reached out to Justin Bieber and Goldenvoice for comment.) 

But how exactly did Bieber play The Roxy so close to his scheduled Coachella dates? Billboard spoke with several industry professionals who broke it down.

What is the point of a radius clause?

Radius clauses designate the specific area around a festival’s location within which artists are not allowed to perform ahead of a festival date, so as not to cannibalize the market by drawing potential festivalgoers to separate headlining shows rather than the festival. 

“In layman’s terms, a radius clause is a protection both in miles and in location, within which an artist can or can’t perform,” Jay Moss, senior vp and agent at The Team (formerly known as Wasserman) tells Billboard. “Festivals do it to protect the integrity of their event, and make sure they’re getting talent that no one else is getting.”

When radius clauses are in effect, what time and distance might they specify?

Coachella’s radius clause reportedly prevents artists from performing shows in or around Southern California from Dec. 15 to May 1 (the exact time frame can vary from year-to-year). Festival radius clauses often span 250 miles — and Coachella’s is known to be stricter than most. That can be an easy workaround in more remote states that are primarily made up of secondary markets, but proves fairly restrictive in major markets or festivals based in cities like New York or Chicago. Ultimately, a radius clause varies by contract.

“I don’t think there’s a standard; every [festival] has different ones,” says Jake Bernstein, vp of music at The Team. “Some are 300 miles for 180 days before and 60 days after. Some are 250 miles. It just varies. Everyone’s got their own. I think the smart promoters look into who’s coming to their festival, and they look at their data on ticket buyers and make their radiuses by that.”

Why do promoters want radius clauses?

If a major act announces a headline show near their festival, it can lead to slower ticket sales for the festival itself, and promoters count on that act’s fan base to purchase passes. 

“It keeps the artist out of the market for a certain time and makes their festival a little more special,” Bernstein says. “That way the artist won’t be in whatever mileage of region or states in a certain amount of time. So, the only chance to see that artist is at that festival, as far as the fans know.”

Can a radius clause benefit an artist?

The consensus is that radius clauses benefit promoters. Artists often agree to them so that they can perform at a festival — which exposes them to new audiences who then hopefully buy tickets for future headlining shows by those artists. But artists also don’t want to oversaturate fans.

“You really need to plan whatever tour you’re going on to be far after the festival, on the opposite end of the year,” Bernstein says. “You can’t do a huge show in California in June after playing Coachella in April. It’s just not going to work. Besides, the fans are drained, too. They just spent the money to see you at the festival. What’s the point of playing three months later? You’re not going to play that market shortly after a festival, at least for a big show. You want the fans to be hungry to see you again.”

Festivals can also be financially lucrative for artists, particularly as they oftentimes won’t need to bring in quite as much production, allowing them to save costs.

How can an artist work around a radius clause?

Ahead of a music festival, artists can still play shows within the specified radius, so long as they are not billed to sell tickets. Secret performances, private, invite-only events and appearing as a special guest are easy workarounds.

Managers and agents will often collaborate with a promoter while the festival deal  =is being made, explaining why an artist should perform a show within the radius. Unless a contract specifically states that artists cannot perform in any way — including appearing as a special guest or playing a secret set — then they are often able to find workarounds.

“You have to work with [the festival] and ask them in advance, usually before you confirm the festival, letting them know you have certain shows on certain dates,” Bernstein says. “Sometimes they say that’s fine. Sometimes they say no, and you have to change your plans. Or sometimes, they’ll say, ‘Can you give us a little bit of a better deal on the artist? Can you do a free after-party?’ If you’re asking for clearance after you’ve confirmed or the festival has announced, it goes back to, ‘Well, will you take a little reduction? Will you do a meet-and-greet onsite? Will you do a special activation?’ It’s really just asking the question and getting ahead of it, rather than letting it go up and upsetting your partners.”

Why might an artist decide to perform within the area specified by a radius clause?

For an artist like Bieber, a performance at the 500-capacity Roxy can serve as a warm-up ahead of a major festival date — especially if the festival is already sold out and its promoters no longer need to worry about selling tickets. 

“Any time you’re seeing an artist perform a gig such as a pop-up show or underplay that would seemingly break a typical radius clause, it’s thought out and very intentional,” says Daniel Rubin, vp of artist management at Element1 and manager for The Band CAMINO, Sawyer Hill and half•alive. “Marketing for a show or festival is very much narrative- and content-driven. An artist popping up and doing an underplay gig, whether we’re using the Bieber example at The Roxy or artists doing something special for fans in the market, it allows a little bit more context for the bigger show or festival.”

Bernstein adds, “It’s always going back to talking to the promoter who booked you. It’s going to them and letting them know you want to do an underplay. Sometimes, these festival promoters have their own clubs. Goldenvoice does. So, you can arrange those underplays with them. For example, [Coachella 2026 performer] Subtronics is doing the Fox Theater in Pomona [on April 14]. That is a Goldenvoice show.”

Why might a festival promoter allow that?

In some cases, festival promoters may ask an artist who is booked to play their festival to perform an underplay ahead of it. Sometimes, that might be because a festival promoter has opened a new venue in the market and wants to get people through the door. 

Other times, even if a festival is sold out, artists and promoters may still want to build hype for the main event. 

“If it’s the same promoter, it’s obviously their choice to make if they’re going to allow an artist to do another event within the radius,” Moss says. “In [a case like Bieber’s], I’m sure it was a really big look. Coachella is sold-out, so they weren’t worried about that part of it, and it was something cool to build a lot of excitement to have the headliner of one of, if not the biggest festivals in the world, play an unbelievably small and intimate event. It probably got a lot of eyes on it, and it probably got people even more excited to see him in a couple of weeks at Coachella because of the fervor around trying to get a ticket to see him in a 500-cap space.”

How common is it for artists to find workarounds for radius clauses?

It’s often case-by-case, with no straight-forward answer. However, sometimes an artist who’s on their way up may not want to omit a major market from their tour routing.

Radius clauses don’t just apply to festivals; they can also come up when artists have headline shows at larger venues with a promoter. 

“A recent example in our world, with The Band CAMINO, is last year they had their album and a robust national tour,” Rubin says. “We came up with this idea of doing underplays in the markets they’re coming back to shortly thereafter for the main tour. While there were still some more tickets left to sell, the idea was to come to the promoter with an inspired idea that this would create a little bit of a hype machine and be additive to the big tour, which was understood and embraced by our promoter partners.” 


Billboard VIP Pass

Tamela Mann has topped Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart for two weeks running (March 28 and April 4) with “Live Breathe Fight.” The coronation gave Mann her 13th leader, the most among women in the chart’s history, and tied her with Kirk Franklin for the most overall. It marks her seventh consecutive No. 1.

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“Thirteen No. 1s on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart — this is amazing,” Mann tells Billboard. “And to be tied with my brother Kirk Franklin, both of us from Fort Worth, Texas, it’s just incredible. I’m just as grateful now as I was for my first No. 1. I’m honestly in amazement.”

Mann first reached the lead with “Take Me to the King” for 25 weeks in 2012. She has remained a consistent presence on the chart since, with No. 1s including 2017’s “Change Me” (14 weeks), 2016’s “God Provides” and her 2013 cover of MercyMe’s “I Can Only Imagine” (13 each).

Mann and Franklin, who most recently reigned with “Do It Again” in November, preside over James Fortune & FIYA and Tasha Cobbs Leonard, each with 10 Gospel Airplay No. 1s, Jekalyn Carr (nine) and Zacardi Cortez (eight).

Mann credits her latest leader’s connection with listeners for its chart success. “What makes a gospel song work on radio today is the message,” she says. “Speaking to what people are going through and encouraging them … I really believe it’s the words that connect and help songs become No. 1s.”

As she reflects on the milestone, Mann points to the gospel voices who helped shape her path. “I think about the people who came before me — the Hawkins family, Andraé Crouch, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, the Clark Sisters. Those are the voices I grew up listening to and learning from.”

HARDY, Zach Top and Ashley Cooke are just a few of the artists who will take part in one of summer’s most beloved sports, when they hit the ballfield for the annual Rock N’ Jock Celebrity Softball Game on June 1 at Nashville’s First Horizon Park.

Other artists taking part include Jordan Davis, Priscilla Block, Parker McCollum, Ryan Ellis, Zach John King, RaeLynn, comedian Danae Hays, former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler, former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens, and X Games athlete Travis Pastrana, as well as personalities Mat Best and rocker Steiner. Country singer Lee Greenwood will perform his 1984 classic “God Bless The U.S.A.” during the seventh-inning stretch.

Tickets for the event are $20 plus taxes and fees and will go on sale Friday (April 3) at 10 a.m.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Folds of Honor, a nonprofit that launched in 2007 and offers educational scholarships to children and spouses of America’s fallen or disabled military service members and/or first responders.

Last year, the Rock N’ Jock Celebrity Softball game drew more than 8,000 fans, while the event has in previous years featured artists including Riley Green, Jelly Roll, Missy Franklin, Bailey Zimmerman, Warren Zeiders and more.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring back America’s Most Patriotic Softball Game for 2026!” Folds of Honor Tennessee board president Robbie Goldsmith said in a statement. “We are incredibly thankful to our sponsors, especially Black Rifle Coffee Company for returning as our title partner as we chase our goal of raising $1 million in one night for the children and spouses of American heroes. We cannot wait to release this year’s star-studded lineup, and I hope everyone can join us for our largest and most fun game yet!”