Kevin Hart knew he was going to take some big hits during Sunday night’s (May 10) Netflix The Roast of Kevin Hart. The Kia Forum capper to the final night of this year’s Netflix is a Joke festival was hosted by comedian Shane Gillis and featured comedic tranquilizer darts from the likes of Pete Davidson, Chelsea Handler, Jeff Ross, Big Jay Oakerson, Regina Hall, NFL great Tom Brady, Lizzo and The Rock.

It’s always expected that your fellow joke-tellers will light you up, but when Hart caught an unexpected barrage from his pal Usher, that one really stung. Dressed in a double-breasted white jacket over a brown shirt and slacks, Usher opened the show by flipping the lyrics to his 2004 Confessions classic “Burn” to scorch the victim of the hour (three hours, actually).

As Usher began singing, a confused Hart asked, “the f–k are you doing?” Undeterred, Ush unleashed his hail of falsetto word bombs on KH, singing, “Tell me why I should stay in this fake friendship/ ‘Cause we ain’t laughin’, Kevin/ It keeps happenin’, Kevin/ Plus, you’re probably somewhere filming some bulls–t/ I think that you should/ Watching Kevin ain’t the same for nobody/ When they go to commercial/ Had to do a roast, ’cause them jokes ain’t/ Crackin’ like they used to/ Look at what money does to you.”

With an equally star-studded audience looking on — including MGK, Jennifer Lopez, Tiffany Haddish, Jay Pharoah, Hasan Minaj, Bert Kreisher, John Stamos and others — Davidson engaged in the time-honored roast tradition of launching (not-so) friendly fire at some of the other roasters on the dais, honing his joke cannons on controversial comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, with rapper Ye catching a stray as well.

“Tony reminds me of Charlie Kirk, in that’s he’s definitely been on camera letting a guy unload in his throat,” Davidson said of late Turning Point leader Kirk, who was killed in September during a rally in Utah. “Oh you don’t know me? yeah Kill Tony. Please someone f–king ‘Kill Tony.’ Tony nothing you say tonight will hurt my feelings. I was in a beef with Kanye so I’ve taken shots from better gay Nazis.”

It wasn’t all good-hearted ego destruction, though. Oscar nominee Teyana Taylor and Venus and Serena Williams got up to read a heartfelt letter of appreciation for Hart, which made way for one of the evening’s shock closers: Katt Williams. “I’m surprised they invited. That’s how little star power you have, they had to start inviting your enemies,” Williams cracked of his famous comedy rival before unleashing the expected barrage of finely tuned insults.

Williams also roped imprisoned hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs into his net, ribbing Hart, “Just because Kevin went to Diddy parties does not mean he did something wrong,” of the disgraced rapper’s reportedly hedonistic sex soirees. “The fact he gets all quiet when you bring it up, that means he did something wrong!”

Watch Usher roast Hart below.


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SEVENTEEN fans know him already as DINO, but now, he’s reintroducing himself. The K-pop star announced Monday (May 11) that he is making his debut as alter ego Picheolin, with his very first solo mini album set to drop this summer under the new moniker.

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Titled 吉BOARD — or “Gilboard” — the set’s name is derived from 1990s Korean street music culture, according to the press release. The term is described as a “witty take” on Billboard‘s charts that “referred to unofficial street music charts and cassette compilations at the time.”

“By combining the homophone ‘吉’ (Gil), meaning ‘good fortune,’ with the English word ‘BOARD,’ the album encapsulates Picheolin’s ambition to turn the streets into his stage, spreading joy and prosperity to all through his music,” the release noted.

吉BOARD will arrive on Aug. 3. To give fans a first look at the world he’s creating as Picheolin, DINO also shared an album trailer on Monday. The chaotic visual shows him as Picheolin — a “charismatic CEO and joyful producer of the fictional agency BOMG,” the release stated — across different eras in human history, closing out with his modern-day incarnation dressed in a snappy blue suit and fedora.

At the end of the teaser, fans can see the title artwork for 吉BOARD, with the style of lettering drawing inspiration from Billboard‘s logo.

DINO has released a couple of solo singles in the past, dropping “Icarus” in 2023 for the television series Castaway Diva. That same year, he released his track “Wait.”

SEVENTEEN’s most recent release was single “Tiny Light” in February. Last year, the group — which is also comprised of JOSHUA, MINGYU, SEUNGKWAN, VERNON, S.COUPS, JEONGHAN, JUN, HOSHI, WONWOO, WOOZI, THE 8 and DK — topped Billboard‘s Top Album Sales chart with fifth album Happy Burstday. The band is currently gearing up to greet fans at a SEVENTEEN fan event in Incheon, Korea, this June.

Check out Picheolin’s trailer for 吉BOARD below.


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The run-up to Madonna‘s much-anticipated Confessions II album just got another glitzy element, with the queen of pop announcing Monday (May 11) that she’ll release a Peggy Gou remix of the lead Confessions II single “I Feel So Free” this Friday, May 15.

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Gou previewed the remix, titled “I Feel So Free Energy Remix,” via her Instagram Stories, sharing a 13-second preview in which she reveals her addition of some thickness and bounce to the track’s bassline, with a vocal sample declaring, “It all started like this” opening the clip.

This edit will mark the first ever collab between Madonna and the South Korean electronic world star. It is of course far from the first time Madonna has turned to the electronic world for a remix, with artists including Above & Beyond, Tracy Young, Shep Pettibone, David Morales and many more all remixing Madonna tracks over the years.

A follow-up to Madonna’s 2005 all time classic Confessions On a Dance Floor, Confessions II will arrive July 3 on Warner Records. Thus far from the new album, Madonna has released “I Feel So Free,” along with the Sabrina Carpenter collab “Bring Your Love.”

Madonna has re-teamed with the original Confessions On a Dance Floor producer Stuart Price for the new album, with the pair releasing a manifesto for the project in tandem with the release date announcement.

“We must dance, celebrate and pray with our bodies,” it read. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people. Sound, light and vibration Reshape our perceptions Pulling us into a trancelike state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.

See Madonna and Peggy Gou’s remix announcement below:


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There were still two more days of this year’s Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival following Kes the Band’s terrific Friday night headlining set (May 8) — and the soca group cleared all the competition.

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Fronted by Kees Dieffenthaller, who also goes by Kes, the band delivered an hour of high-energy renditions of contemporary soca bangers like “Wotless,” “Savannah Grass” and “Cocoa Tea.” The festival stop is just the latest in a string of hectic periods for the band — including a pair of Jazz @ Lincoln Center shows in January and the forthcoming North American leg of its Roots, Rock, Soca Tour.

“[Saint Lucia] Jazz always has such a mixed bag of performers that blows me away,” Kes tells Billboard after soundcheck. “When I was coming down on the plane, I had the chance to have a one-on-one with Billy Ocean, who’s also from Trinidad. He was sitting straight across from me, so I was able to reason and vibe with him, asking him a few questions. I love how Jazz brings together different genres and generations.”

Friday night also kicked off a particularly poignant weekend for the group. The day prior (May 8), Kes the Band made its NPR Tiny Desk debut, marking another landmark moment for the soca stars in a year full of them. If that stripped-down environment showed how Kes could take advantage of small, intimate rooms, the band’s Saint Lucia Jazz set proved they’re more equipped to handle sprawling crowds and venues than most of their peers.

Featuring hits like “Fallin’” and “Hello,” Kes’ Tiny Desk set also brought a pair of notable backup vocalists: Saint Lucia’s very own Teddyson John and Trinidad and Tobago’s Calyopso Monarch for 2026, Terri Lyons. The band also added steelpan player Dane Gulston to further flesh out their sound and showcase Caribbean music and instrumentation to the world. During the seamless performance, Kes also had pictures of his late sister, filmmaker Danielle Dieffenthaller, placed on the desk before him, underscoring the emotional heft of singing “Savannah Grass.”

“That was a dream come true,” he gushes. “I’ve wanted [to play a Tiny Desk set] ever since I fell in love with the platform. It’s a good space for us to showcase our musicianship outside of the frenzy of a fete. When I shot the ‘We Home’ virtual performance during COVID, I was thinking of it as my audition tape for Tiny Desk; it’s just great for the culture. And [with the pictures], everybody was present, and we truly felt their presence.”

Though he skipped it for Tiny Desk, Kes did perform his new Di Genius collaboration, “Masterpiece,” which serves as the Trini star’s take on the acclaimed producer’s “Hill & Gully” riddim. Heavily influenced by mento, a style of early Jamaican folk music, the riddim has quickly become one of the hottest in the dancehall scene — and now soca. Of course, Kes has dabbled in dancehall throughout the years, dating back to 2012’s “Tuesday on the Rocks” and “My Love,” the latter being his take on TJ Record’s “Summer Wave” riddim. “Masterpiece” arrived on digital service providers the day after Kes rocked Saint Lucia Jazz (May 9), setting the song up nicely with a splashy launch.

“Nobody expected that! But when you listen to the riddim and hear the mento roots, you can see how I would suit that style,” Kes explains. “This is positioned to be one of the major riddims this summer — and Genius hadn’t brought one out in a minute. We’re both signed to Warner Chappell Music as songwriters, so we’ve worked in similar spaces. The first thing I told him when I heard the riddim was, ‘Mento!!!’ We went to the studio and got it done quickly; then, I went to Jamaica for their Carnival and shot the music video there.”

Although Kes has dropped off a new tune just in time for the beginning of the summer, he’s still playing coy about his band’s next full-length project. “I’m spending the entire year writing, and by the end of the year, I’ll be finished,” he teases. “I’m in the works of a new album, so I’m looking forward to bringing forward some crazy. I’m always tinkering!”

Next up, Kes the Band launches the North American leg of its Roots, Rock, Soca Tour on May 23 at Soca Fest in Orlando, Fla. They will play theaters and amphitheaters across major cities — including a Forest Hills Stadium date in New York City on June 27 — before concluding on Aug 16 with a joint show alongside Jamaican reggae legend Beres Hammond in Duluth, Ga.


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Years before Eliseo Tapia founded Christian music company Heaven Music, Spanish-language Christian music stars Marcos Vidal and Marcos Witt sought his expertise. Tapia met both musicians in a small village in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, where Tapia was often singing and playing drums in the church where his father served as pastor.

Around 2009, “both asked for my help to join their team and organize concerts — initially in Mexico, and very quickly thereafter, throughout Latin America,” Tapia says.

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He had already worked on two creative projects with Vidal: 2011’s Tu Nombre and 2013’s Sigo Esperándote, which landed the singer his first two Latin Grammy Award nominations. “When Marcos Vidal’s 25th-anniversary commemoration came around,” he says, “I selected the songs, chose the music producer and defined the overall sound [for his 25 Años album], which went on to win the Latin Grammy in 2016” for best Christian album (Spanish language), his first.

That same year, with his expertise of working with both Vidal and Witt, Tapia launched the label Heaven Music. Now, as it marks its 10th anniversary, Heaven Music is not only one of the most prominent labels in Spanish-­language Christian music but also plays a major role in artist development, production, distribution and more.

In 2019, Heaven Music — based in Houston with a strong presence throughout North America, Spain and several Latin American countries — formed a strategic partnership with Witt’s CanZion, then the largest Spanish-language Christian music label.

Their combined roster includes pivotal figures such as Vidal, Marco Barrientos and Alex Campos; established bands Rojo and Un Corazón; and contemporary voices including Sarai Rivera and Kike Pavón. While artists release music through their respective labels, the operational teams are fully integrated and both labels benefit from a variety of services including live entertainment.

The first year of their partnership, Heaven Music and CanZion staged a one-time festival at the Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City called the Heaven Music Fest, which featured nearly 20 artists from both companies. They haven’t looked back. Now, the combined company promotes the majority of their artists’ live shows.

“When we started [CanZion] 40 years ago, there was very little infrastructure to support a Christian music industry. The little that did exist was highly regionalized and lacked commercial connections,” says Witt, who decided to take advantage of the fact that he was consistently traveling across the American continent. “During those trips, I made a concerted effort to learn everything I could about our musical genre, as well as its singers, songwriters and producers. Little by little, an international network began to take shape, strengthening our musical expression.”

By the time CanZion began working with Heaven Music, the company possessed a substantial catalog of Christian music, along with a solid track record within the industry. “We lacked presence and expertise in the realm of digital distribution,” Witt says, adding that Heaven Music was a pioneer in that space. “We transitioned from being two medium-­size music companies into a single large entity, which has enabled us to continue expanding and investing in new artists, musical projects, tours and concerts — allowing us to better fulfill our vision of sharing the love of God through the production and dissemination of excellent music.”

Eliseo Tapia

Tapia

Courtesy of CanZion/Heaven Music

Tapia didn’t set out to become a music pioneer. His first foray into the music business was putting together a Christian music concert to support Casa Hogar CHIRIA, an organization in Oaxaca dedicated to the care of children in vulnerable situations. That experience, along with working at an audio company where he “gained a perfect understanding of how it all worked,” led Tapia to doing larger shows. By the time he conceived of Heaven Music, he knew enough about the business to include music recording and distribution, publishing, live-event production and audience growth strategies.

Heaven Music’s distribution model features direct agreements with leading digital platforms and functions without intermediaries. In publishing, it has established a direct rights management structure, backed by agreements with key local collecting societies across various territories — a model that Tapia says enables the maximization of international revenue collection and guarantees that creators receive the true value of their work in every market.

The company’s live division handles both booking and concert production for large-scale tours, producing more than 150 concerts across the Americas in the last year alone. Those shows gathered thousands of fans at iconic venues including Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City; Gran Rex in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Movistar Arena in Bogota, Colombia; and James L. Knight Center in Miami.

Concurrently, Heaven Music is investing in a new era for the label through emerging artists such as Dariana, Enoc Parra and Factor de Cambio, who are bringing creative momentum to the genre. The company has also launched a division specializing in music and content for children focused on education, values and family audiences called Heaven Kids.

The digital era has been a game-changer for Spanish-language Christian music, which has a rich history but did not reach prominence until the early 2000s, when it began to appear on the Billboard charts. The effects of the format have been exponential. According to Luminate’s 2025 reports, last year, Christian music in general experienced a significant growth, with an 18.5% increase in on-­demand audio streams compared with 2024.

“The shift to digital was the pivotal change, because Christian music used to operate in a very different way — through a highly informal, even underground, distribution network centered around Christian bookstores,” Tapia says. “Christian music was unavailable in any record stores back when those still existed. The shift to digital — which arrived very slowly within the Christian music sphere — opened tremendous opportunities.”

He adds, “Part of the reason Heaven Music exists is that, as of 2016, a great deal of [Spanish-language Christian] music had not yet been digitized. Several other artists whom we don’t currently have signed, but to whom we provided distribution services at the time, saw their exposure grow by at least twentyfold.”

Tapia also recognizes the role that Grammy and Latin Grammy winner Juan Luis Guerra has played in the genre’s success. In 2004, Guerra released Para Ti, his first full album of Christian music following his conversion in the mid-1990s. “It led people in general to view Christian music as regular music, not pigeonholing it strictly within the religion of Christians, Catholics or Evangelicals, but rather seeing it as something rooted in faith,” Tapia says.

The set debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Tropical Albums chart (where it stayed for seven weeks) and peaked at No. 2 on Top Latin Albums. Para Ti also allowed for more Latin artists to release faith-based music, including Ricardo Montaner (2021’s Fe), Farruko (2024’s CVRBON VRMOR, which debuted at No. 28 on Top Christian Albums) and Daddy Yankee (2025’s Lamento En Baile, which reached No. 15 on Top Christian Albums).

Looking ahead, Tapia is working with three genre icons — Vidal, Barrientos and Marcos Witt — on an album that will feature a mix of hymns and original songs. The future of Heaven Music also lies in keeping the past alive and helping established artists like Witt connect with a new generation.

“Our strength at this moment lies in creating, in being able to understand the creative process, understand Christian music, understand why it’s made and what people are looking for,” Tapia says.

There is still a long way to go for Christian music to be treated equal to secular music, Tapia believes. “The idea is for Christian music to be able to reach whatever platforms it needs to reach without running into that mindset of, ‘OK, since you don’t feature alcohol, none of the brands are going to get involved,’ ” he says, noting that it is rare for brands to collaborate with the genre. “It’s true that there are different markets where ‘this fits here, but that doesn’t fit there.’ Everyone who consumes Christian music — or almost everyone — drinks coffee.”

The goal, Tapia says, is to become the first Christian music major label by 2030. The “objective is for Christian music to be completely on equal footing, to achieve the same level of listenership as any other genre.”

This story appears in the May 9, 2026, issue of Billboard.

In an era overwhelmed with myriad festivals boasting painfully interchangeable lineups, Saint Lucia’s annual Jazz & Arts Festival is offering a truly fresh take on the medium.

On Mothers’ Day (May 10), Grammy-winning R&B superstars Brandy and Monica helped bring the sprawling festival to a close, marking the conclusion to just over two weeks of celebration across music, film, theatre, culinary arts, poetry, visual art and dance. Established in 1992, with assistance from BET J, Saint Lucia Jazz began as a celebration of the island nation’s rich jazz music scene, eventually rebranding into an independent, genre-agnostic event by 2013. From The Isley Brothers to Amy Winehouse and from Elton John to Ciara, a litany of international giants have graced Saint Lucia Jazz — but the festival remains committed to centering and spotlighting local talent.

The festivities formally kicked off on April 24 with an event honoring the late Mr. Edward “Chef Harry” Joseph, a legend in Saint Lucian cuisine, with the 2026 Cultural Icon Award. Over the following two weeks, several locations across the island were converted into performance and showcase spaces for virtually every discipline. Caribbean Cinemas movie theaters played films such as Elijah Anatole’s Heartfall, the acclaimed Sandals Grande resort hosted a performance of playwright Kendel Hippolyte’s Triptych, acclaimed spoken word artist George “Fish” Alphonse treated the town of Anse La Raye to his timeless storytelling, the National Cultural center in the capital city of Castries brought together moving poets like Linton Kwesi Johnson, and pop up concerts deligthed patrons across Anchorage Car Park, Pointe Serpahine, Constitution Park and Rodney Bay Marina.

Opening night of the music festival began on April 30, with high-octane sets from Caribbean stars such as Capleton, Asa Bantan, D’yani and Valiant, with Pure Jazz — the first of two nights solely dedicated to festival’s foundational music genre following on May 5. Five-time Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding headlined that femme-forward night, which also featured sets from Saint Lucian singers Leanda Modeste and Camille Charlamagne. The second Pure Jazz night (May 7), focused on the men, featuring lively performances by the Echoes drum crew, jazz pianist Jesse Billy and the Grammy-winning Branford Marsalis Quartet. In between those two nights, Saint Luzia Jazz went to church with Kingdom Night (May 6), which featured moving sets from the likes of Tye Tribbett, Ada Ehi and Shirleyann Cyril-Mayers.

After roughly half a month of expertly curated artistic celebrations, the 2026 Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival kicked into full gear with Caribbean Fusion on Friday (May 8). Blending classic reggae covers and contemporary tunes from Skip Marley, a hit-packed soca set from Kes the Band and a smoldering dancehall performance by Dexta Daps, Caribbean Fusion leaned into the power of variety. World Beats followed on Saturday (May 9), with Grammy winners Ella Mai and Tems leading a global lineup that also included Les Aiglons de Guadeloupe, Martinician zouk star Princess Lover and Saint Lucia’s very own Lu City. Ahead of Brandy & Monica’s set to close out the Ultimate Celebration on Sunday night (May 10), Pigeon Island enjoyed performances by Grammy-winning Trinidadian-British singer Billy Ocean and Olivier Award-winner Beverly Knight.

With perfect tropical weather coiniciding with a winning lineup and Saint Lucia’s rich cultural fabric, this year’s Jazz & Arts Festival reminded its thousands of patrons why the celebration remains a must-attend event year after year.

Here are the five best moments from the 2026 Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival.


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Niall Horan is setting the table for his 2027 Dinner Party live tour. The former One Direction member and solo star will hit arenas in North America in support of his upcoming fourth solo album, Dinner Party (June 5), with dates slated to kick off on March 17 at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul. Minn.

The Live Nation-produced tour will hit 26 arenas across North America over the two-month run, including gigs in Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Toronto, Brooklyn, Boston, Orlando, Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Austin, Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Seattle before winding down on May 29 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

Tickets for the tour will go on sale beginning with a Citi presale beginning on Tuesday (May 12) at 10 a.m. local time, followed by an artist presale on Wednesday (May 13) at 10 a.m. local time. There will be more presales throughout the week ahead of the general onsale kicking off at 10 a.m. local time on Friday (May 15) here.

Horan is slated to perform on the plaza at New York’s Rockefeller Center on June 12 as part of the Citi Concert Series on The Today Show. He’s also slated to play two co-headlining stadium shows with his friend Thomas Rhett in Nashville (July 9) and Hershey, Pa. (July 18). The U.K./EU leg of the Dinner Party Live on tour will kick off on Sept. 22 in Birmingham, England.

So far, Horan has released the title track and the second single, “Little More Time.”

Check out the dates for Horan’s Dinner Party Live on Tour 2027 North American shows:

  • March 17: St. Paul, Minn. @ Grand Casino Arena
  • March 19: Detroit, Mich. @ Little Caesars Arena
  • March 20: Columbus, Ohio @ Nationwide Arena
  • March 23: Chicago, Ill. @ United Center
  • March 26: Indianapolis, Ind. @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse
  • March 27: St. Louis, Mo. @ Enterprise Center
  • March 30: Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
  • April 2: Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
  • April 4: Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Barclays Center
  • April 8: Baltimore, Md. @ CFG Bank Arena
  • April 12: Boston, Mass. @ TD Garden
  • April 13: Hartford, Conn. @ PeoplesBank Arena
  • April 15: Raleigh, N.C. @ Lenovo Center
  • April 17: Orlando, Florida @ Kia Center
  • April 28: Atlanta, Ga. @ State Farm Arena
  • April 29: New Orleans, La. @ Smoothie King Center
  • May 1: Houston, Texas @ Toyota Center
  • May 2: Fort Worth, Texas @ Dickies Arena
  • May 14: Austin, Texas @ Moody Center
  • May 16: Denver, Colo. @ Ball Arena
  • May 18: Salt Lake City, Utah @ Maverik Center
  • May 20: Phoenix, Ariz. @ Mortgage Matchup Center
  • May 22: Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Kia Forum
  • May 25: San Francisco, Calif. @ Chase Center
  • May 27: Seattle, Wash. @ Climate Pledge Arena
  • May 29: Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena


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From “In Da Club” to the pitch. Sports Illustrated announced its SI Beyond the Pitch series on Monday (May 11), which will serve up fan events across the U.S. in celebration of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

SI — who partnered with Medium Rare and Authentic Live — is bringing plenty of star power to Miami, NYC, Los Angeles and Dallas, as 50 Cent, Diplo, The Chainsmokers, Nelly and Gordo are slated to perform in the World Cup hosting cities this summer.

50 Cent and Diplo will perform during championship weekend on July 18 in NYC at Cipriani Wall Street, while The Chainsmokers are set to take over Miami’s DAER on June 26. Formerly known as Carnage, Gordo will take the stage at SILO in Dallas for a DJ set, and Nelly’s heading to the Hollywood Palladium on June 12 to kick off the series.

SI has firmly established itself as the place to be on sports’ biggest weekends,” said Matt Goldstein, EVP of Authentic Live, in a statement. “Whether it’s Travis Kelce and Justin Bieber or the next generation of athletes and icons, the guest list reads like a who’s who of sports and culture. That’s what we build toward every time.”

“This isn’t just a tournament; it’s the most significant sporting event of a generation to hit American soil,” added Joe Silberzweig, founder and CEO of Medium Rare, in a statement. “The scale of this moment is reflected in the unprecedented demand we’re seeing across the board. We are leaning into that energy to introduce the most high-octane nightlife experiences the global soccer community has ever seen, creating a cultural epicenter in each host city that matches the gravity of what’s happening on the pitch.”

The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins on June 11 with Mexico taking on South Africa in Mexico City. As for the U.S., Team USA begins its quest for a World Cup on June 12 in a match-up with Paraguay in Los Angeles.

On the music side of the pitch, Shakira teased a clash of reggaetón and Afrobeats for a spicy collaboration with Nigerian superstar Burna Boy on Thursday (May 7), which is titled “Dai Dai.” The track is set to arrive on May 14 and will serve as the official soundtrack to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

See Sports Illustrated’s flyer for Beyond the Pitch below:

Sports Illustrated Beyond the Pitch flyer

Sports Illustrated Beyond the Pitch

Courtesy of Medium Rare


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Dua Lipa is suing Samsung over accusations that the electronics giant used her image without permission on the packaging for televisions – and has ignored her “repeated demands” to remove it.

In a lawsuit filed Friday (May 8) in Los Angeles federal court, attorneys for the “Levitating” superstar said a photo of her face has been plastered on cardboard boxes for Samsung TVs, violating both the copyrights to the image and her likeness rights.

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Despite multiple cease-and-desist letters, Lipa says the Korean company hasn’t done anything at all about the problem, forcing her to go to court to address it.

“Samsung’s response has been dismissive and callous, and the infringing products remain on the market to this day,” her lawyers write in the lawsuit, obtained by Billboard. “Samsung’s infringing conduct — using Ms. Lipa’s assets for zero consideration — makes a mockery of her hard work.”

And Lipa’s lawyers say it was no small misprint. They claim her face appeared on a “significant portion of the televisions sold by Samsung in the United States” during all of 2025 and 2026. They’re not only seeking at least $15 million in damages for infringement, but also a portion of the “immense” profits the company made on all those TVs.

A spokesman for Samsung did not immediately return a request for comment on Monday.

At a time when music stars are facing a complex array of deepfake videos and voice cloning from bad actors on the internet, Lipa’s dispute with Samsung is almost confusingly simple. She claims one of the world’s most valuable companies overtly used a huge celebrity to sell televisions, without any sort of licensing deal or even outreach.

“Ms. Lipa’s face was prominently used for a mass marketing campaign for a consumer product without her knowledge, without consideration, and as to which she had no say, control, or input whatsoever,” her lawyers write. “Ms. Lipa did not allow and would not have allowed this use.”

Making the matter all the more straightforward is that Samsung allegedly used an image actually owned by Lipa, which was snapped backstage at Austin City Limits in 2024. Lipa would still have been able to sue if the photo was taken by a third-party photographer, but her ownership of the copyright gives her another powerful weapon to use in the lawsuit.

She says the use of her image has been effective – falsely suggesting to consumers that she had endorsed Samsung’s TVs. “I wasn’t even planning on buying a tv but I saw the box so I decided to get it,” one fan alleged wrote on social media. “If you need anything selling just put a picture of Dua Lipa on it,” another allegedly wrote.

Lipa’s lawyers say she first became aware of the problem in June 2025 and immediately demanded that Samsung remove her from the packaging. But almost a year later, she says there’s been no progress.

“Samsung’s arrogance in refusing to stop its infringement confirms its conscious disregard of Ms. Lipa’s intellectual property and personal identity rights,” her attorneys say.


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Sony Music Publishing, in a partnership with Singapore sovereign investment fund GIC, confirmed its agreement to acquire the music assets of the Recognition Music Group from Blackstone, the private equity firm. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and it’s still subject to customary closing conditions, which presumably includes a review by governmental agencies. 

According to the announcement, the acquisitions encompass the entire catalog of works acquired by Recognition, including songs such as Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way,” Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven,” Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” Chic’s “Good Times,” Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer,” Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This),” Shakira’s “Whenever, Wherever,” Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love” and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” 

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“We are so proud and excited to represent this incredible catalogue of many of the greatest songs in pop history through this momentous acquisition,” Sony Music Group chairman Rob Stringer said in a statement. 

Beginning in 2021, Blackstone amassed some $3 billion in music assets through forming a partnership with Hipgnosis Songs Capital, which acquired Hipgnosis Songs Management and also invested about $800 million in acquiring music rights; and then in 2024 acquiring the publicly traded Hipgnosis Songs Capital fund for $1.6 billion and assuming some $600 million in debt for a total price of about $2.2 billion. 

“Our investment in this extraordinary catalog reflects our belief in the enduring power of great music — a belief that resonates deeply throughout Sony Music Group and is shared by our partners at GIC,” Sony Music Publishing chairman & CEO Jon Platt said in a statement. “These timeless songs continue to define culture and inspire generations, and it is privilege to champion their legacy as guardians of their next chapter.” 

The deal comes on the heels of two earlier Sony acquisitions of Recognition music: in the first deal Sony acquired Hipgnosis Songs Management administration business and about 4,400 copyright including songs recorded by Sabrina Carpenter, Shawn Mendes, One Direction, Alex Warren, Teddy Swims and Panic! At The Disco; and then it acquired another group of music rights including works from songwriters of Jeff Bhasker and Jack Antonoff. 

With the agreement of the third sale of music assets to Sony, Blackstone MD and head of tactical opportunities international Qasim Abbas said in a statement, “This transaction delivers a strong outcome for Blackstone and our investors and represents a further vote of confidence in music rights as an institutionally established asset class. Sony is an exceptional home for these iconic catalogues, and we look forward to continuing to invest across the music sector through Recognition.”  

Along the way in accumulating its portfolio of music assets, Blackstone raised some $2 billion in debt through three separate assets backed securitizations. 

“It has been an honor to steward this phenomenal catalogue,” Recognition Music Group CEO Ben Katovsky said in a statement. “The team and I are incredibly proud of what we have built at Recognition — protecting and enhancing the legacy and value of these songs while in our care. This is a milestone moment for Recognition and testament to the enduring value of music.” 

It’s unclear if that debt has been retired or how Sony is using debt to pay for the latest deal other than to say Sony Bank Inc and GIC participated in the deal, presumably as funding partners. 

Bloomberg reports that the deal’s valuation could be $3.5 billion or more. Considering the two earlier Sony acquisition of Blackstone assets, that could put the total price of the three deals in the $4 billion range. 

Besides Sony Bank, Sony Music publishing was represented in the transaction by Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett LLP, Loeb & Loeb LLP, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, Ernst & Young, and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; while the Blackstone/Recognition team were advised by Shot Tower, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP, and Deloitte. 

Blackstone still owns music assets through a New York based investment team which acquired SESAC, the performance rights organization; and eMusic, a record label with hip-hop, heavy metal, country and gospel recordings, which it renamed MNRK. 


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