It’s a proverbial December to remember for KISS’ original drummer, Peter Criss.

Consider that in a span of two weeks the drummer, singer and songwriter received a Kennedy Center Honor with the band (which will be televised Dec. 23 on CBS), is releasing his first new album in 18 years on Friday (Dec. 19) and, come Saturday (Dec. 20), celebrates his 80th birthday. It’s all a “never in my wildest dreams” proposition, Criss says, and proof that the Catman isn’t nearly out of lives yet.

“I’m not tooting my horn, but I really worked hard for this,” Criss tells Billboard via phone from his home in New Jersey, where he recorded portions of the new Peter Criss album. “I started at 10 years old. I’m a musician and always a musician first. I’m about music, not about anything more than that. So I never expected all of this. I thought the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (induction, in 2014) was, ‘Holy mackerel…’ This is just a blessing from God.”

Criss, who was born George Peter John Criscoula and raised in Brooklyn, actually started work on Peter Criss during 2008, shortly after the release of his fifth solo album, One For All, in the summer of 2007 but shelved the recordings at the time. During the pandemic, however, guitarist and co-writer Mike McLaughlin phoned and said, according to Criss, “‘Cat, you should listen to that album we started. It’s a good album.’ I started listening and, ‘Yeah, this is a really good album. We’ve really got something here.’” That notion was also supported by his friend, current Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5, whom Criss considers “like my son.”

“I was in California and played it for Johnny and he said, ‘Peter, this is a great album. You’ve got to finish it.’ ‘You really love it, John?’ ‘Are you serious? Yeah! I want to be on it!’ So, ‘OK, I guess we’re gonna do this.’”

Criss and co-producer Barry Pointer wound up deconstructing the 2008 recordings, keeping the drum tracks Criss had laid down at the time but bringing in McLaughlin and bassist Billy Sheehan to record new parts and adding keyboards by longtime friend Paul Shaffer and backing vocals. John 5 plays on three of the 11 tracks, and Criss replaced all of his scratch vocals during the past couple of years. The album’s package design was done by Matt Montgomery, aka Piggy D. of Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie’s bands, who also plays bass on the track “Cheaper to Keep Her.”

“I put my heart and soul into it,” Criss says. “My voice, I’m still singing like a bird; boy am I lucky. I felt I was in control and I was enjoying myself; you can hear me laughing on the record. We all had a great time, and we all had a part in it. It was like having a dream band. You can feel it in the music. It was just really wonderful. I haven’t had the experience of doing a record like that since maybe KISS’ first album. I felt like I was 20 years old again.”

Peter Criss’ tracks range from the balls-out opener “Rock, Rockin’ Rock & Roll” and the gleefully adolescent “Hard Rock Knockers” to the theatrical “Creepy Crawlers” and the Sun Records-flavored, truck driver-celebrating “Rubberneckin’.” Elsewhere Criss is more serious, invoking faith and social commentary on songs such as “Murder,” “Justice,” “For the Money” and “Walking on Water.” The latter — “Probably my favorite song on the album,” Criss says — was inspired by his battle with breast cancer and his wife and manager Gigi’s own health struggles.

“There’s a little bit of everything in there,” Criss notes. “Now that I’m a senior citizen or whatever, I wanted to write a little about politics, a little good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll. Music is so powerful, as you know. You can really pour your heart and soul into something…and I did. I hope my fans love it. I promised them I would do a rock album after One For All, and I kept my promise.”

Promotion plans for Peter Criss are a somewhat up in the air. At 11 a.m. ET on Friday he’ll sign copies of the album at Rough Trade Below in New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza, and Criss is looking at signing events in other cities in the new year. He acknowledges that at his age and after several shoulder surgeries “it’s taking a little more time to get around the (drums),” but he doesn’t rule out playing live to support the album.

“If the album really knocks the fans out, would I go out? Sure,” he says. “I wouldn’t mind getting back on stage, getting the guys together to do a couple shows. Why not? I’m in pretty good condition for an old guy; everything is working, maybe a little bit of arthritis here and there, but I still play the drums a few times a week. So, yeah, I hope it does get to that point. I’m just gonna let it flow and see how my fans accept it.”

In the meantime Criss is still basking in the glow of the Kennedy Center Honors, which took place on Dec. 7 in Washington, D.C., where KISS was feted by magician Cris Angel and performances from Garth Brooks (“Shout It Out Loud”),  Marcus King (Criss’ signature song “Beth”) and Cheap Trick (“Rock and Roll All Nite”). “It was great. It was an honor,” says Criss, who served three tenures with KISS, departing for good — again acrimoniously — in 2004. He appeared amicably with bandmates Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley in D.C. but acknowledges that “we don’t keep in touch.”

Nevertheless, he adds, “I’m a kid from the streets of Brooklyn. I grew up in a cold-water flat with…seven of us. So coming from a tough neighborhood to standing in the Oval Office with the president was quite a thrill. I’m a big history buff; I couldn’t believe I was in the room where Roosevelt, Lincoln, Kennedy…all these great presidents were. You can feel the vibes. Only four other bands got this award, and here we are, KISS. That was something.” And despite continuing controversies swirling around Pres. Donald Trump’s realignments of the Kennedy Center, Criss says there were no political considerations on his part.

“Look, it was an honor; how many chances to go you get to go to the White House and get a medal?” he explains. “I’m not a politician. I’m not a political guy. That’s how I answered the questions; ‘I’m not political. I’m just proud to be here. Am I a Trump supporter? I’m a supporter of the president of the United States. I’m proud to be an American, and only in America can four guys like us, from the streets, be in the White House getting such a great award.’”

Making the occasion bittersweet, however, was KISS guitarist Ace Frehley’s absence following his death on Oct. 16 at the age of 74, following a fall in his home studio three weeks prior. “That was really hard for me,” says Criss, who spoke to Frehley shortly before his passing. “He was so excited. He was like, ‘Wow Cat, I can’t believe we’re getting this award!’ I haven’t heard him that excited for a while. He was getting ready to tour again, working on his new album…He was really up.” Criss says Frehley’s daughter Monique accepted his medal during the White House presentation, while her mother and Frehley’s ex-wife Jeanette was also in attendance.

“I got to sit next to Ace’s empty chair, where his medal was,” Criss says. “I’m still mourning over him. I can’t believe he’s gone. We were extremely close. It’s been very hard.”

If you’ve already studied episodes one and two of Taylor Swift‘s The End of an Era docuseries frame-by-frame as if it were an ancient biblical text, get ready to do some serious forensics on the sneak preview of the next two episodes, which drop on Disney+ at 3 a.m. ET on Friday (Dec. 19).

Good Morning America exclusively previewed the next two chapters of the six-part series chronicling Swift’s record-setting Eras Tour on Thursday morning (Dec. 18) with a 40-second teaser that opens with glimpses of opener Sabrina Carpenter chilling backstage and Swift talking about how she never had an alternate outfit for the Reputation section, as she takes the stage in a black and gold snake-themed costume. “Not once,” Swift says of the sartorial change-up.

The singer also pulls back the curtain on some of the show’s most beloved sections, including her “dive” into the stage and the insane quick-changes she did, which Swift reveals were more perilous than fans could ever know. In voiceover, we hear someone say, “those quick-changes are like are like nothing you’ve ever seen before,” as Swift hops aboard a speeding padded sled to rocket to her next set-up as we see her running in a crouch in the tangle of wires and metal rigging beneath the stage.

“One time, I trip over the hem of my dress, skid the palm of my hand off,” Swift says, before proudly adding, “wasn’t late.”

After a shot of Swift’s fiancé, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, smiling and clapping along at one of the shows, we hear Taylor’s mom, Andrea, say that the NFL great brings, “a lot of happiness to a lot of fans,” amid footage of his infamous tuxedo dance at the June 23, 2024 London stop on the tour during “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.”

Swift concurs, saying “I can safely say that was the loudest it ever got on the Eras Tour,” over shots of Kelce jumping up to click his heels. The clip ends with Taylor asking the crowd if they are familiar with Carpenter before we see the two women gleefully hug backstage as well as on stage, all cued to Swift’s 2022 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Blank Space.”

Swift also sent a special video to GMA in which she thanked Swifties for watching The End of An Era and revealed that the final two chapters, five and six, will drop on Dec. 23 on Disney+. “Thank you for everything, happy holidays you guys.”

Watch the GMA preview below.

EXCLUSIVE: @taylorswift13 is giving us a preview of episodes 3 and 4 of her “The End of an Era” docuseries! New episodes stream Friday on @disneyplus ✨ pic.twitter.com/u197ONHd11

— Good Morning America (@GMA) December 18, 2025

“Everything changes, nothing stays the same.”

The opening line of Sfera Ebbasta’s 2020 hit “Bottiglie Privé” feels like it was written for this story. Ten years ago, a video went viral: a trap kid in what would soon become his signature style, sitting on a police car between the housing blocks of Cinisello Balsamo, the Milan suburb he comes from. Then the camera cut to the Peace Arch, where the same kid appeared atop a limousine. A striking image – just like his magnetism and sharp, straightforward flow, able to capture the desires and frustrations of those who grew up in Cinisello’s Crocetta neighborhood or any other Italian suburb. The video was “BRNBQ,” summer 2015. Since then, everything has changed for 33-year-old Gionata Boschetti – except his ability to tell the truth of the world around him.

In the last 10 years, Sfera has collaborated with the likes of Quavo, J Balvin, Future, Offset, Rich The Kid. He was a judge of The X Factor Italy in 2019, and in September 2025 he was the only Italian guest to join Drake onstage for two shows in Milan. This year, he’s once again Italy’s most-streamed artist on Spotify (for the fifth time). To celebrate his ten-year career, he just released XDVR ANNIVERSAR10, featuring two unreleased tracks from that era (“Prega X Noi” and “Orologi”) and launched $€LEBRATION, an artistic project culminating in June and July 2026 with shows at stadiums in Turin and Milan.

2025 was also the year of Santana Money Gang, his joint album with Shiva, another heavyweight in the Italian rap scene. “It was a natural collaboration – we have a lot in common,” Sfera tells us in the Milan studio where Billboard Italy met him for this feature.

Why does everything you release end up at No. 1?

My music might be called superficial – some people definitely say that. But I’d use another word: simple. It’s something that reaches everyone: kids, adults, whoever. That’s my strength: expressing real things in just a few words. Sure, my fanbase is extremely loyal. Whatever I drop, they want to listen to it.

A fan base still has to be built and maintained, though.

Of course. But I really have to thank my fans – they defend me a lot.

You must work hard to achieve that lyrical simplicity.

I write instinctively, without formulas. But sometimes I question a track until the very last moment. We might all be excited about it, then suddenly I’m not convinced anymore. I’m very critical of myself. Even if it may seem like my songs come together in five minutes, I actually spend a ton of time on them.

Why release “Orologi” and “Prega X Noi” now?

Because “Orologi” was leaked back in the day, and I was adamant: if something came out illegally, it would never be officially released. With time, I had to get over that. The other track had never been out. And I like listening to these songs – even if today I think the recording technique or the way I used my voice could be improved. It feels like they were recorded by someone else, but I love them.

Do you miss anything from those early years?

Maybe the feeling of the first times: first Gold certification, first fan photo on the street, first big collaboration. But I would never go back.

But there was a certain melancholy in the album X2DVR, don’t you think?

I don’t want to go back to the past, even if sometimes I stop by Cinisello Balsamo to say hi to my friend Vito. I know exactly where I come from, even if some choices might seem like they took me further away. XDVR is basically a manifesto of my roots, and I’m re-releasing it for my longtime fans.

XDVR ANNIVERSAR10 feels like closing a chapter. What comes next?

I have a lot of ideas and a lot of music to make. I wanted to create a little celebratory moment, musically speaking.

What kind of moment is this for trap globally?

It’s a genre with so many shades now that it’s hard to give a clear answer. Ten years ago, anything with even a hint of trap sound would work. Today, it’s hard to surprise people.

Don’t you think the genre is at a standstill?

It depends on the songs. My latest solo album, X2DVR from 2023, was trap – and it did really well. I think it was my best day-one debut.

Talking about rap in general, in early November there were no hip-hop tracks in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.

In the U.S. it’s definitely a different story. But in Italy, I feel like when strong rap albums have dropped recently – like those of Geolier and Ernia – they’ve done great. At this point, genres barely exist because everything is so blended.

What are you listening to right now?

I’m obsessed with a ‘90s Japanese city-pop playlist – it relaxes me a lot. Or if I’m in the car with my friends, we listen to trap or even Claudio Baglioni [legendary Italian singer-songwriter, ed.].

Are your friends still the same ones you had back then?

I’d say so, mostly because they ended up becoming part of my team.

You and producer Charlie Charles used to be inseparable. What’s your relationship like today?

For me, he’s still basically part of the team. He produced two of the biggest tracks on X2DVR – “15 Piani” and “Anche Stasera.” And even though he didn’t produce Santana Money Gang, he was very involved in making it.

Are you still interested in growing internationally?

Yes, but the approach changed. Before, the idea was to chase big collaborations through managers. Now everything is more direct: it makes sense to build real connections, maybe with smaller artists or a wider network. Growing internationally with music alone is tough because of the language barrier, but I’m still very interested.

How do you approach it now?

For example, when I go to Miami now, it’s just to get inspired. If I meet someone important in music, that’s great. If not, I don’t care – I’m not obsessed anymore. At one time, I would’ve done anything to share the stage with Drake. Now it happened naturally. And foreign artists often reach out to me.

How did Drake’s invitation come about?

We’d already met in Toronto and Los Angeles. In Milan we ended up having dinner, and he casually threw the idea out there.

You’re also opening up to Japan, for example.

I performed at 1 OAK in Tokyo: 300 people, mostly Italians and a few Japanese fans who were genuinely curious about discovering new artists.

Can reaching the top become a limitation?

Not a limitation, but it can definitely be stressful. The higher you go, the more demanding everything becomes, and it’s obviously hard to please everyone.

Do you handle people’s judgment well?

To be honest, not always. It’s about balance and the people around you. I think I handle it fairly well – it’s a personality thing. But it depends on the day. Sometimes I’m unbearable with my manager Shablo and ask him, ‘How is it even possible that I got here?’ Other days, I’m the most satisfied person in the world.

Would you ever participate in the Sanremo Festival?

I’d feel out of place. I’ve taken a different path. It’s not the right competition for me. Maybe as a guest… never say never.

This article originally appeared on Billboard Italy.

Survivor fans had to wait a bit longer on Wednesday night (Dec. 17) to see the trailer for the eagerly anticipated 50th season of the reality challenge show due to Donald Trump’s last-minute prime-time address, but the wait was well worth it.

The nearly three-minute trailer for the season bearing the theme “In the Hands of the Fans,” aired after the season 49 finale, featuring first looks at the return of White Lotus creator Mike White — who previously came in second on 2018’s season 37 Survivor: David vs. Goliath — as well a tease of a drop-in from country star Zac Brown, who is seen walking up the beach with a giant fish slung over his shoulder.

The preview also revealed that the upcoming season will feature something called a “Billie Eilish Boomerang Idol,” a totem named in honor of the Oscar- and Grammy-winning pop superstar, while also hinting at visits from YouTube sensation Mr. Beast and a tease from fellow David vs. Goliath season contestant Christian Hubicki that Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon “may decide my fate in this game.”

Though it’s unclear what role Eilish will play on the show, the “Birds of a Feather” singer is definitely a fan. Back in 2023, Eilish, who sang “I put on Survivor just to watch somebody suffer/ Maybe I should get some sleep,” on her 2022 song “TV,” told Variety that she’d totally be down to compete. “I think that the physical stuff, I’d be great at,” she said at the time. “But you have to do math and s–t, and I would not be good at.”

“Feel a little like a high school reunion meets… a massacre,” a smiling White predicts. The usual trash talk was also in the offing, with season 46 alum Q Burdette cranking up the drama before a single tribal council, warning, “Make no mistake about it, I’m thinking about winning. I’m ’bout to cancel everything that you can cancel — your Christmas, your vacation, your doctor’s appointment.”

Before the most recent season began, host Jeff Probst revealed that the 50th would feature a new twist allowing fans to decide key game elements, including immunity idols, advantages and the fire-making challenge. Survivor season 50 will premiere on Feb. 25 on CBS.