Foo Fighters are heading down under, for one night only.

Dave Grohl and Co. will make the longest of hauls when they visit Tasmania next January, for their first live show in the Apple Isle since 2015.

And no, they’re not playing the state capital, Hobart. The Foos will fill it up Jan. 24, 2026 at Launceston’s UTAS Stadium, for what will mark their first live show in Tassie’s second city, a spot with a population of fewer than 100,000.

Launceston is the hometown of Michael Chugg, the legendary Australian concert promoter who co-founded Frontier Touring with the late Michael Chugg and others, and who, in 2019, struck an exclusive joint venture with Frontier Touring and his own business, Chugg Entertainment.

Frontier Touring, part of the Mushroom Group, is producing the forthcoming Foos stadium date, extending a long and successful touring relationship. It was Frontier Touring that organized the American rockers’ 13^th and most recent visit to these shores, in November and December 2023, when the Foos played to sold-out stadiums in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in celebration of their 11th studio set, But Here We Are (via RCA/Sony), their first album since the passing of drummer Taylor Hawkins.

Frontier Touring teased the visit with a social post that featured the “FF” logo on a billboard, mounted on an art deco-styled pub, with the caption, “Give me a reason, show me a sign.” The message was clear, but no one would’ve guessed a single trip to Australia’s 18^th most-populated city was in the cards.

It’s not the first time the Foos have taken the journey for a single, regional date. The 15-time Grammy Award winners performed in 2022 at GMHBA Stadium (Kardinia Park) in Geelong, a satellite city of Melbourne, to help refuel a touring industry crippled by the lockdown.

Foo Fighters are much-loved in these parts, with over 1.8 million records sold in Australia, and nine No. 1s on the ARIA Albums Chart, most recently with But Here We Are.

The announcement of a date in Tasmania follows news of a special concert on Jan. 14 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, which will benefit the homeless non-profits Hope the Mission and the Los Angeles Mission.

Also this week, the Foos assumed sole possession of the fourth-most No. 1s in the 44-year history of Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, leading the way with “Asking for a Friend.” The single also earns the band a 13th No. 1 and second this year on Billboard’s Rock & Alternative Airplay chart.

The general ticket onsale for the licensed, all-ages Australia concert begins Dec. 10, earlier for Frontier members and the Telstra Plus member presale. Support on the night will be rising Brisbane rock band Full Flower Moon Band, and Launceston psych-rock trio Spooky Eyes.

SYDNEY, Australia — Just weeks after nabbing his first ARIA Award, BOY SODA signs with United Talent Agency.

Through the new partnership, BOY SODA is represented by agent Noah Simon. “From the first listen we knew BOY SODA was a special artist,” Simon remarks. “We couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the journey and play a role in bringing his talent to audiences around the world.”

The New South Wales singer and songwriter last month won the 2025 ARIA Award for best soul / R&B release for his single “Lil’ Obsession” (via Warner Music Australia/EastWest Records) for which he has released a new remix featuring Ambre.

BOY SODA has been eyeing the U.S. for some time. While on a recent trip to L.A., he collaborated with creators and media platforms including Garden Sessions, Goyo, and On The Radar — before heading to New York Fashion Week where he attended shows by Prada, Keem Studios, and KSUBI, and connected with creators such as Indie Hourzz and Tyler Walsh.

Closer to home, BOY SODA will see in the New Year at Beyond The Valley festival, set for Dec. 29 – Jan. 1, 2026 at Victoria’s Barunah Plains, and he’ll play Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane on his 2026 Lil’ Obsession Tour of Australia’s east coast run off next March.

At Los Angeles-based UTA, BOY SODA joins a roster that includes countryman The Kid LAROI, who also has new music on the horizon and participated in the recent ARIA Awards week with a showcase presented by Spotify.

Prior to the Oct. 19 ARIA Awards in Sydney, where BOY SODA performed and collected a spiky trophy, he participated in a Q&A with Ninajirachi and performed a four-song showcase for industry guests, including his standout track.

Born Brae Luafalealo, and raised in Terrigal on the NSW Central Coast, the Aussie artist released his debut full-length album SOULSTAR in October. He signed with WMA in 2021, two years after he was tapped by sneaker brand Converse for a U.S. experience where, through which he opened for Dominic Fike at the Converse x Camp Flog Gnaw brand event in L.A.

Stream SOULSTAR below.

“This has been the biggest labor of love,” Pentatonix’s Kirstin Maldonado says of the group’s latest seasonal album, Christmas in the City. “We’re all just really proud of it.”

The project, which the quintet began planning in January, was inspired by the magic of the holidays in New York and features a bevy of original songs as well as a host of Christmas classics.

On the latest episode of the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen below), Pentatonix’s Maldonado and Matt Sallee join the show to chat about their new album (which marked the act’s 11th top 10 on Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart), all things holiday music, and their current tour.

The concept of Christmas In the City was initially sparked by a holiday ornament that Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying spotted at a festive holiday market in New York, says Sallee. That led the group to put together the title track, and soon, the rest of the collection snowballed from there. (And, while the album’s genesis may be owed to the Big Apple, Sallee notes the group is “trying to bring joy” to “every city” with the album and the tour.)

“We really wanted to make this album feel like it was a classic Christmas album paying homage to the ‘40s and the ‘50s and it can live in those classic playlists,” says Sallee, “so that’s a big reason why we used different instrumentation [and] sonics.” Certainly the “classic” vibe is aided by how the album not only showcases Pentatonix’s soaring harmonies, but also boasts dozens of musicians playing live instruments.

Further, more than half of Christmas in the City consists of newly written tunes, with all five of Pentatonix’s members (Mitch Grassi, Hoying, Maldonado, Kevin Olusola and Sallee) writing material on the effort. There are also some familiar favorites present, including “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Silver Bells” and a new take on “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” with the late, great Frank Sinatra (who died in 1998).

“They blessed us with his voice,” says Maldonado of the Frank Sinatra Estate, who let Pentatonix use a previously unreleased vocal take of Sinatra singing the Irving Berlin-penned standard. “This arrangement is perfectly what we wanted to achieve within this album too… I feel so proud of it. I love it so much.”

“I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” also serves as the album’s first radio-promoted single, and the track jumps 12-9 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary airplay chart dated Dec. 6. It marks the eighth top 10 for Pentatonix and the 21st for Sinatra (and his first since 1980).

JoJo also joins Pentatonix on the album on one of the set’s new originals, “Snowing in Paris.” “She sounds so amazing” on the track, says Maldonado. “She’s so talented and so kind. We love her.” Sallee adds, “She’s so insanely talented and gifted as a vocalist. It’s one of those, like, whoa, speechless moments when you hear her singing on the track. It’s just so good.”

And it wouldn’t be Christmastime without a holiday tour from Pentatonix, as the group has mounted a seasonal trek yearly since 2017 (save for 2020, owed to the COVID-19 pandemic). This year’s tour, aptly titled the Christmas in the City Tour, launched on Nov. 8 and is slated to wrap on Dec. 22 in Fort Worth, Texas. The group will then mount a U.K. and European tour next year that is scheduled to start April 7 in Budapest and continue on through May 3 in Stockholm.

As Pentatonix has become a staple of the holiday touring season, Sallee says he can “recognize faces” of fans who have come to the show year after year. “We’re blessed to be able to be families’ traditions each year. … It’s just such a special, humbling gift that we’re something that could bring a family…together and listen to our music and come to a concert and just have a good time together.”

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Also on the podcast, we’ve got chart news on how there’s a brand-new No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 thanks to Stray Kids’ DO IT; how the Wicked: For Good soundtrack casts a spell on the charts; and how a legendary rock band returns to the Billboard 200 top 10 for the first time in over 10 years. Plus, hosts Katie and Keith chat about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, how holiday music is starting to take over the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and much more.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)  

Oak View Group (OVG) has officially named Chris Granger as CEO, elevating the veteran sports and live-entertainment executive after five months in the interim CEO role. The appointment is effective immediately.

Granger replaces former CEO and company founder Tim Leiweke, who was indicted earlier this year on federal bid-rigging charges related to the construction of the Moody Center in Austin. Company officials at OVG agreed to sign a non-prosecution agreement as part of the investigation into Leiweke, who has vowed to fight the charges in Texas federal court.

Granger’s promotion was announced Tuesday (Dec. 2) by OVG’s board of directors, with chairman Lee Wittlinger praising Granger’s steady hand during a transformative period for the company. “Chris’s performance during his tenure as Interim CEO has been exceptional,” Wittlinger said in a statement. “He seamlessly stepped into the role during a pivotal time and demonstrated tremendous leadership. Chris understands the entire ecosystem of sports and live entertainment and the Board is confident that he is the right executive to lead OVG into its next phase of global growth.”

Granger, who previously led OVG360, the company’s venue management and services division, has been key in opening up new business opportunities for OVG around arena development, large-scale hospitality expansion and growing the company’s international footprint.

OVG co-founder and senior partner Irving Azoff said “no one is better for the CEO job,” noting that Granger “is uniquely qualified to lead OVG as we continue to build it bigger and better. He shares our passion to deliver for all our clients, fans and artists.”

In a statement, Granger said he was honored to assume the role permanently. “I’d like to thank the Board for their confidence. I am honored to serve in this role and build upon an incredible foundation,” he said. “We will work tirelessly on behalf of our partners, we will root for one another, and we will lift the communities in which we operate. Let’s go.”

Granger brings more than 30 years of industry experience to the post. Before joining OVG in 2021, he served as group president of the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings and worked as an executive for the Sacramento Kings and the NBA in senior roles. At the latter, he served as executive vp of team marketing and business operations. He began his career at Walt Disney World and holds degrees from Cornell University and Yale University.