Duran Duran has standards, and they’re not slipping anytime soon.

The British new wave legends were, for the first half of the 1980s, the most popular band on earth, with the noisiest fans, and hits. One after the next. The awards came, including two Grammys, two Ivor Novellos, the Brit Awards’ Lifetime Achievement, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2022, their career was saluted with induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

One item the band hasn’t ticked off is a spot on Glastonbury Festival, the grandaddy of the U.K.’s camping festival circuit. Speaking with The Times of London, frontman Simon Le Bon is keen to change all that… but with one important condition. “We want the right slot,” he tells the broadsheet. “We shouldn’t be below anybody on the bill.”

The English singer, who was named a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by King Charles in 2024, a nod to his services to music and charity, clarified his position: “so, we’ll hold out because we’re a headline act — that’s all there is to it.”

The band has been asked in the past, but it wasn’t an opportunity the artists leapt at. “Well, we want to,” he assures, “but not in a disco tent at 3pm, which is what we were offered.”

Bandmates Nick Rhodes and John Taylor contribute to the feature story, in which they recount fame, talk drugs, and discuss the wonders — and horror — of technology. “Anyone who thinks AI will go away is certifiably insane,” says Rhodes, the band’s founding keyboardist.

The next chance for Duranies to see their heroes at Glastonbury would be in 2027. The event is taking a fallow year in 2026, in order to give the site, the Eavis’ dairy farm a year off, a pause that rolls around once every five years.

Duran Duran will get some outdoor action this summer, when the band headlines BST Hyde Park on July 5. It’s the setting of their triumphant concert in 2022, which gathered an estimated 70,000 fans.

Just last month, the band dropped “Free to Love,” a neo-disco collaboration with longtime producer and friend Nile Rodgers, and their first new music since their 16^th and latest album, Danse Macabre, which opened and peaked at No. 4 on the Official U.K. Chart in 2023. Duran Duran recently competed a residency in Las Vegas, ahead of run of U.K. and Continental European shows, starting June 19 at Denmark’s Heartland Festival.

SYDNEY, Australia — For all the column inches devoted to the resurgence of country, the dominance of pop and the steady strength of rock, it’s dance music that has the place jumping in Australia.

Of the hundreds of music festivals that sprawl out across Australia’s warmer months, roughly one in four pump out dance music — the most popular genre, according to data presented in Soundcheck, published in late 2024 by Creative Australia.

On the streaming side of the story, the IMS Business Report found Australia to be the third-largest market in the world for electronic music, trailing only the United States and Germany. Australians stream, on average, more of the genre than any other nation, the publication’s authors explain. In just one month last year, Spotify revealed Aussie dance cuts were streamed more than 1 billion times internationally on its platform, making the genre the most popular music export from the land down under.

TMRW Music is leading the charge. In one remarkable week in April, the Sydney-based music group, which includes the etcetc label, nabbed 60% of the tracks in ARIA’s Top Australian Dance Singles Chart, including four from FISHER (including the Gold Coast producer and DJ’s collaboration with Tones And I, “Favour,” new at No. 3); the Dom Dolla remix of Puretone’s “Addicted To Bass” at No. 4; and Yes Boone’s “All I Really Want” at No. 7. All six tracks appeared in the overall Top 20 Australian Singles Chart.

A couple of those TMRW tracks also made the leap to the Music Week Club Chart in the United Kingdom: Supafly & Greg Stainer’s “Girls” featuring Ca$h X at No. 16, and Jessi Lowkey x Cristiano Fry’s “I Know” at No. 20.

FISHER went on to collect the highest-selling single award for his track “Stay,” presented April 22 in the artist’s hometown.

The hits should keep coming with PNAU, the Sydney electronic pairing of Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes, whose 2012 collaborative remix album with Elton John, Good Morning to the Night, went to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart — a feat they repeated in 2021 with the remix of “Cold Heart” (with Dua Lipa), which topped charts globally. PNAU will release its new album AHHCade on July 31 via etcetc worldwide, a fresh collection that features the previously released single “Tu Corazon” with Mexican sister act The Warning.

Billboard caught up with TMRW Music Group CEO Tim McGee, etcetc Music general manager Aden Mullens, TMRW Music Group’s head of A&R Chris Fraser and TMRW Music Group senior marketing manager, labels, Lana Howlett, for a closer look at Australia’s vibrant dance space and how the Sydney label group is lifting the tempo.

Broadly speaking, Australian dance music is having a “moment” both here and internationally. What’s behind that?

Mullens: Dance music has become recognized and accepted as part of the mainstream globally. It’s now a multigenerational and multilingual genre, which has had a compounding effect on consumption.

Howlett: The Australian dance acts that are breaking through are not only incredibly talented, they understand how to build culture around their music in a way that feels distinctly local, uplifting, authentic and community-driven. As online platforms such as TikTok, Discord and Twitch amplify these communities, that spirit is reaching the masses in a way we, as an isolated country, weren’t previously able to. That’s now turning connection into momentum.

Fraser: Dance music has always been strong in Australia, whether the broader industry has recognized it or not. The culture, the community, the collaborative nature of the ecosystem — these things have been quietly compounding for years, and what you’re seeing now is part of the payoff.

Dance music has always had to work harder, build its own infrastructure, create its own pathways. And because the Australian market is genuinely tough to break out of and not naturally predisposed to support one-off commercial dance moments, it puts the onus firmly on real artist development and organic growth. The artists who cut through here have usually earned it, and DSPs locally are providing focused support that is helping give projects a platform domestically and on a global level.

And on that subject, what’s behind the success of TMRW/etcetc’s ARIA chart bonanza? Can you identify some special sauce?

Fraser: We’d been working with Puretone for a number of years on ideas to bring “Addicted To Bass” back to life, and when Dom’s version emerged, starting as a bootleg he made for his own stadium show in Sydney, it was one of those moments you hope for but can never plan.

That organic origin gave the record something you can’t manufacture. Luckily, the timing lined up, and working with Dom and [manager] James Fava and the team to bring it to a proper release was one of the most creatively rewarding experiences we’ve had as a team in a long time.

The fact that audiences are responding to it the way they are makes complete sense. It was a special record 28 years ago, and Dom breathed new life into it in a way we’d never imagined. I don’t know if any other artist would have committed as hard as he did to the brilliant bass/fish angle seen in the music video.

Yes Boone is a perfect example of artist development in practice. Three and a half years of patient development, helping him build a real community around his work, before the moment arrived where everything lined up. The way Australian radio got behind the record over summer was genuinely heartening, and that kind of championing from local broadcasters means everything for an artist at his stage. It’s not often you’ll see commercial radio championing a new artist in lock step with triple j, so to see that belief from day one is a moment we don’t take for granted. Now that momentum has started to pick up steam internationally, which we’re actively working to build on. Boone’s a remarkable talent, and audiences finding him here and abroad are recognizing that.

Despite the structural challenges around Australian artists and charts, the broader environment and institutional and government support is probably the best it’s been in a long time, which also makes a real difference. Bodies like Creative Australia are adding much-needed firepower to our ability to push for more meaningful global cut-through on projects, and hopefully, that support continues to grow for Australian artists over time.

Mullens: The wider TMRW team are really humming right now. From sell-out national Ministry of Sound shows, 150-plus unique tours in 2025, alongside 200-plus releases, we are working with a lot of experience and data to propel our artists’ careers, not just in Australia, but globally.

The group nabbed 12 of the top 20 on the ARIA dance chart. How does this rank among the label’s all-time success stories?

Fraser: We haven’t seen success converge like this all at once before, with multiple distinct entries near the top of the charts; that’s just the honest answer. But I think what makes it possible now, beyond the music itself, is that the company is in a genuinely great place operationally. The team is resourced and structured to execute across multiple projects simultaneously, which matters enormously when you have a range of developed and still-developing projects or opportunities all finding their moment at the same time. A few years ago, we might have had the music but not the capacity to maximize it. Right now we have both, and that feels like a meaningful difference.

How are you feeling about the landscape for indie labels here in Australia?

McGee: Twenty-five years in, the landscape for independent labels in Australia has shifted dramatically, particularly as traditional pathways to success evolve and they always will. The cycles of change are getting smaller, but electronic music has proven uniquely resilient. Constantly adapting and finding new ways to connect with audiences.

While the ARIA Singles Chart may not reflect the depth of local talent, the strength of the dance space tells a different story, driven in part by a great ecosystem of local events and festivals that are creating real viral moments for emerging artists who may not be touring internationally. Part of our strength is that we’re not just a recordings company. As the landscape of traditional radio and media changes, we have persevered within our own ecosystem, rather than rely on traditional means of support.

Whether it’s across recordings, agency, events, publishing or management, we have the means to support ourselves when these shifts occur.

For us, it’s an exciting time, and the future looks bright. In addition to our larger artists, we’re focused on developing artists with genuine global potential. Amongst them artists like Djanaba, Carter Walsh, Sumner and Alexa Leary and so many more of which we’re super excited to be working alongside.

Composer Mark Smythe, who was nominated in 2023 for a Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) Award and World Soundtrack Award for scoring The Reef: Stalked, died May 9 after collapsing while hiking on Mt. Wilson in Los Angeles. He was 53.

Smythe was a beloved member of the film and TV composing community and in addition to his work as a musician, he served as the Society of Composers and Lyricists’ chief operating officer from 2018-2021, after a stint as Los Angeles administrator.

“To say that his loss comes as a profound shock to our community, especially to his students, collaborators, and friends, is an understatement,” said SCL president Ashley Irwin.

Smythe was born in New Zealand, then moved to Australia before coming to Los Angeles in 2013. In addition to the SCL and World Soundtrack nominations, he received three Hollywood Music in Media Award nominations for scoring films Unfallen, Flying South and The Things She Did. His score for Daddy’s Little Girl earned him the Australian Screen Industry Network award for best composer in 2012.

“Beyond his professional accomplishments, people genuinely enjoyed Mark’s company, as evidenced by the current outpouring of love for him on social media,” said SCL president Ashley Irwin. “He had a wry sense of humor and an infectious laugh that could light up a room. Exceptionally generous with his time and energy, he had a way of making everyone feel welcome, whether they were longtime SCL members or attending their initial event. For many, Mark was the first friend they made at the SCL. Those who knew Mark will never forget being greeted with his favorite line: ‘I’m all the better for seeing your smiling face.’”

Australian music rights management organization APRA AMCOS also paid tribute to Smythe on its Instagram page. Smythe “became an APRA member in 2004 and was also a beloved colleague to many in our Melbourne office, where he worked as client and legal liaison for four years in the early 2000s before heading to Los Angeles to pursue film and concert composing full-time,” posted the organization.”

APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston added, “Mark’s passing is a great loss to the screen composing world and to the musical communities he was such a meaningful part of. He is remembered very fondly by his former APRA AMCOS colleagues for the positive spirit he brought to work every day – both at the office and in his music.

In addition to composing, at the time of his death, Smythe was teaching media composition at California State University, Northridge, as well as Department Head of Composing for Visual Media at the Los Angeles College of Music.

“Many composers in our community had the privilege of learning from Mark, and remember him not only as a great teacher, but as someone who believed in them personally,” Irwin said.

Smythe was also composing choral works and had collaborated with the LA Choral Lab on several projects.

Among the survivors are Smythe’s sister, Kate Ward-Smythe.

Madonna, Shakira and BTS will perform during halftime of the World Cup final game, Global Citizen announced first thing Thursday (May 14).

The Sunday, July 19, match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will mark the first time the FIFA World Cup final has ever featured a halftime show. Billboard understands that the show will clock in at 11 minutes.

The news was announced in a social video starring Coldplay’s Chris Martin alongside Sesame Street‘s Elmo and Cookie Monster, as well as Kermit, Miss Piggie and more from The Muppets. The unlikely crew even calls up BTS on FaceTime in the video — watch below.

View this post on Instagram

Shakira’s name had already been linked to this year’s World Cup – hosted in North America, with tournament games across the United States, Canada and Mexico – with the announcement of “Dai Dai,” her official 2026 World Cup song with Burna Boy. It will be Shak’s second official FIFA World Cup song following “Waka, Waka (This Time for Africa)” recorded for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The Colombian superstar kicks off her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour in June, with July 14 and July 20 in New Jersey and New York, respectively, surrounding the World Cup final at MetLife.

Madonna is also gearing up for a busy July, with the Queen of Pop’s Confessions II album – the sequel to her 2005 classic Confessions on a Dance Floor – arriving July 3. She’s so far released lead single “Bring Your Love,” her duet with Sabrina Carpenter, which they live-debuted during weekend 2 of Coachella last month, as well as “I Feel So Free.”

BTS made a major return to music earlier this year with the March 20 release of their sixth studio album ARIRANG, the Korean group’s first project since they went on hiatus for each member to complete their military service. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 and stayed there for three straight weeks – their first multi-week No. 1 on the chart. Last month, they kicked off their ARIRANG WORLD TOUR in Goyang, South Korea, before bringing the trek to the U.S. on April 25. They have international dates scheduled through next March.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final halftime show is being curated by Global Citizen along with Coldplay’s Martin, with plans to raise money for children’s education on the massive stage. The advocacy organization and Martin similarly teamed up for last year’s Club World Cup final halftime show, which was headlined by Doja Cat, J Balvin and Tems.

Last week, FIFA announced that Katy Perry, Future, Tyla, LISA and Anitta are slated to perform during the 2026 World Cup opening ceremonies set for the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Perry will headline the opening ceremony in Los Angeles ahead of the U.S. men’s national team’s first game against Paraguay on June 12. Future will also take the SoFi Stadium stage for a performance along with DJ Sanjoy.

While this marks the first time the World Cup final has had a halftime show, two of the July performers have previously headlined the Super Bowl halftime show; Madonna took center field at the 2012 Super Bowl, while Shakira co-headlined with Jennifer Lopez in 2020.

These stars can’t say their BET Awards invites got lost in the mail — Druski is making sure of it.

In a new promo for the 2026 BET Awards, comedian and this year’s host Druski visited the homes of some of the culture’s biggest stars to personally ensure that they know to be at the ceremony. And in true Druski fashion, the sketch comedian made sure to be as extra as possible.

“C’mon now, John,” Druski says as a confused John Legend opens his front door to see the comedian outside his house with a gospel choir in tow. Of course the 13-time Grammy winner had to ask Druski what he was doing there. “I’m hosting the BET Awards!”

“He’s the host!” the choir echos before Druski lets Legend know that the singer is invited to “culture’s biggest night.”

As the choir sings that the awards show will be on June 28, Legend let’s them know that they sound good and dances back into his home. With the first message delivered, Druski is on to the next one: actor and musician Jamie Foxx.

Referencing Foxx’s Oscar-winning film Django Unchained, Druski rolls—or, more accurately, rides—up to Foxx’s abode on a horse. Druski once again shares that he’s hosting “the culture’s biggest night” and that lets Foxx know that the dress code is black suit and tie.

“It’s black suit and tie but can you get your black a— off my street,” Foxx retorts before rejecting Druski’s invite to ride with him on the horse to the awards.

With a mariachi band to back him up, Druski pulls up to Cardi B‘s residence next. There, he learns that Cardi is Dominican, not Mexican. Druski pushes past the cultural mix up and delivers Cardi her personal invite and tells her to “bring the girls out.”

“You know I’ll bring the girls” Cardi replies before thanking Druski and the band. “Thank you, papacitos!”

With that, it’s time for Druski’s final invite. Ditching the horse and musicians, Druski arrives at the house of fellow comedian Martin Lawrence with a huge BET Awards sign and pyrotechnics.

“So you think I got time to get a black suit and tie—” Lawrence begins before Druski cuts him off by reigniting his sparklers. As the sparklers burn, the two scream “June 28th” back and forth at one another before Lawrence retreats into his house and closes the door on Druski.

The 2026 BET Awards will be hosted live on—as Druski ensured he made very clear—June 28 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Watch the full invitation promo below.

View this post on Instagram