PinkPantheress will be honored with the producer of the year prize at the 2026 BRIT Awards, making her the first woman to earn the accolade.

The Kent-born musician will collect the award at the ceremony held at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena this Saturday (Feb. 28).

First awarded in 1977, the prize has been won exclusively by male producers. Paul Epworth, Eurythmics’ David A. Stewart, and Trevor Horn are the all-time leaders, having won the prize three times each. Other winners include Sir George Martin (1977), Brian Eno (1994, 1996), and Calvin Harris (2019). A.G. Cook, a key contributor for Charli xcx’s 2024 LP brat, is the most recent winner of the prize. 

Kate Bush and Goldfrapp are among the female producers to be nominated over the years, but ultimately did not collect the prize. 

At 24 Pantheress is the youngest to collect the prize, beating previous record-holder Steve Levine, whose credits include work with Culture Club and The Beach Boys; Levine was 25 years old at the time of his win in 1984.

Since her first release in 2021, PinkPantheress has been recognized for her songwriting and production skills. She began producing at age 17 on GarageBand, and has continued in her role as a lead producer on all of her recorded material, including 2023’s Heaven Knows LP and 2025 mixtape Fancy That. The latter was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2025, and reached No. 3 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart.

Her style, which features a variety of samples and nods to scenes such as U.K. garage and rave, has drawn plaudits. She achieved a No. 3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with Ice Spice collaboration “Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2” in 2023.

Speaking on the recognition, PinkPantheress said: “As the first woman to win this award, I’m grateful to be recognized. My music production is the thing I’m proudest of, and I’ve worked really hard at it, so I hope this inspires others to pursue their passion.”

She joins Noel Gallagher and Mark Ronson as honorees at the upcoming ceremony. Ronson will collect the outstanding contribution to music prize, while Gallagher – despite controversy – is to be awarded songwriter of the year.

Olivia Dean and Lola Young lead the pack with five nominations each at the upcoming ceremony, with Dean set to perform alongside Harry Styles, Wolf Alice, Rosalía, Alex Warren and more.

Live Nation is asking a judge to postpone its looming federal monopoly trial so that it can file an immediate appeal, arguing that last week’s ruling contained legal errors that could “dramatically change” the case.

Judge Arun Subramanian sent the case to trial last week, setting the stage for a jury trial next month in the Department of Justice’s sweeping antitrust lawsuit, which claims that Live Nation and Ticketmaster have abused their dominance over the live music industry.

But in a court filing on Sunday, Live Nation says it wants to launch a so-called interlocutory appeal – meaning it wants to challenge that ruling before the case is over. And it says the scheduled trial must be halted until that appeal has been decided.

“The court should not empanel a jury to try a complex, month-long case when that trial (at least as currently envisioned) may well prove wholly unnecessary,” Live Nation’s lawyers write, adding that such a pause would “avoid wasting the resources of the parties, this court, and jury members on a trial of claims that may well be deemed legally deficient on appeal.”

A jury trial is currently scheduled to begin on March 2. DOJ did not immediately return a request for comment on Live Nation’s move to pause the case.

The DOJ and dozens of states filed the case in 2024, with an aim to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster over accusations that they form an illegal monopoly over the live music industry. The feds alleged Live Nation runs an illegal “flywheel” — reaping revenue from ticket buyers, using that money to sign artists, then leveraging that repertoire to lock venues into exclusive ticketing contracts that yield ever more revenue.

In October, after more than 15 months of discovery, Live Nation moved for a so-called summary judgment ruling, arguing there was “barely a molehill” of evidence that it had done anything monopolistic. The DOJ disagreed, arguing it had uncovered numerous examples of the company abusing its market power.

In his ruling last week, Subramanian said the case could proceed to trial on several key accusations, including that Live Nation abused its vast portfolio of amphitheaters to force artists to use its promotion services: “A reasonable jury could certainly find that artists were coerced into going with Live Nation as their promoter to get into its amphitheaters,” the judge wrote.

Though he allowed the case to move ahead, the judge also threw out some other key monopoly claims focused on concert booking and the fan experience. And Live Nation quickly praised those elements of the ruling, arguing they undermined “any serious argument for breaking up Live Nation and Ticketmaster.”

In a blog post titled “It’s Time to Move On,” Live Nation head of corporate and regulatory affairs Dan Wall urged the DOJ to respond to the ruling by reaching a “realistic, common-sense” settlement rather than take the case to trial. But by Friday, that post had been removed from Live Nation’s website.

The DOJ and the states will have a chance to file their own court papers in the coming days responding to Live Nation’s request for an immediate appeal and postponement of the trial.

This week’s crop of new songs includes Grammy winners, country traditionalists, and bluegrass luminaries. Grammy winner Ashley McBryde leans into an aggressive, edgier tone on her latest release, “Arkansas Mud,” while Emily Ann Roberts offers a bubbly, playful new tune on “Whipped.” Elsewhere, Waylon Wyatt and Wyatt Flores team up for a raw, acoustic-leaning number in “Didn’t Forget,” while Randall King evokes hard-hitting heartbreak on “Thinkin’ ‘Bout Drinkin’.”

Two bluegrass groups, The Travelin’ McCourys and The Kody Norris Show, also show off their musical acumen on new tracks.

Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of some of the best country, bluegrass and/or Americana songs of the week below.

Ashley McBryde, “Arkansas Mud”

McBryde is jumping headlong into her harder rock edges. Stout, bluesy guitar and a pummeling rhythm lead to McBryde turning in a ferocious, fearless vocal, singing about a litany of vices and urges that stay steeped her bloodline. “You can shine me up, you can whittle me down…what’s underneath you can’t scrub out,” she sings. She’s proven her acumen as a premier country tunesmith, but this is a strong reminder that she can handle rock-infused material with aplomb.

Waylon Wyatt and Wyatt Flores, “Didn’t Forget”

Waylon Wyatt broke through with songs such as “Arkansas Diamond,” while Wyatt Flores earned a nomination for emerging artist of year at the 2024 Americana Honors & Awards and released his debut album Welcome To The Plains that same year. The two Wyatts blend their country and Red Dirt inspirations on this sweeping song about heartbreak and hurts that still simmer. “I forgave, but I didn’t forget,” Waylon Wyatt sings, as Flores joins in lamenting a fizzled relationship marked by unresolved emotional trauma. A compelling collaboration from two emerging talents with rising momentum.

The Travelin’ McCourys, “Gas and Oil”

The Travelin’ McCourys bassist Alan Bartram drew upon memories of his years working with his father in the timber industry in creating the group’s new release.

“Some days I miss my days in the woods, carryin’ the gas and oil,” they sing in a haunting melody, as the song weaves in the lessons of hard work, initiative and an awareness of the dangers of the industry that were gleaned over the years. As the reigning IBMA instrumental group of the year, The Travelin McCourys are expanding on the song’s essence of passing down knowledge and passion through the generations, as they gear up to launch their Young Guns Tour this year, intended to highlight rising newcomers to the bluegrass scene, such as Heaven McCoury, son of Travelin’ McCourys mandolinist Ronnie McCoury.

Emily Ann Roberts, “Whipped”

With every new release Emily Ann Roberts proves she’s got the country bona fides, heartfelt songwriting, an enchanting vocal, and plenty of charm. In the tradition of some of Dolly’s more coquettish tunes, this is a flirty track that features Roberts singing about being devoted to her man, while knowing she’s got the upper hand in the relationship. “He does the do’s just for the honey,” she purrs, ticking off a list of ways he works simply to make her happy.

Randall King, “Thinkin’ ‘Bout Drinkin’”

King turns in a royal barroom weeper that easily scaffolds his whiskey-smooth voice. Dripping with pedal steel and mournful fiddle, King has issued yet another gem that showcases why he deserves his place among top-tier newcomers with old-school country allegiances in country’s mainstream.

The Kody Norris Show, “Spirit of America”

The Kody Norris Show just picked up five wins at the annual SPBGMA bluegrass honors, including entertainer of the year. The group follows the accolades with some masterful musicianship and their signature high energy on this patriotic tune celebrating hard-working individuals throughout the United States, from truckers and farmer to coal miners and military members. Their crisp, straightforward harmonies, high-octane banjo keep this song driving and gives it a timeless sound.

Suno, a generative AI music company, has hired Jeremy Sirota as its new Chief Commercial Officer. In this new role, Sirota will lead Suno’s commercial strategy, music industry relationships, platform partnerships and enterprise solutions. He will report to CEO and co-founder Mikey Shulman.

This news comes just a few months after Sirota stepped down from his post as CEO of Merlin, an organization that negotiates digital licensing deals on behalf of a network of thousands of independent labels and distributors. During his six years as CEO of Merlin, a press release about his hiring says that Sirota scaled annual revenue from $900 million to $1.8 billion. He also inked what is believed to be the first generative AI music licensing deal, alongside Kobalt on the publishing side, with ElevenLabs in September.

In a recent interview with Billboard about his exit from Merlin, Sirota spoke about generative AI.

“When we first started seeing AI come up more and more in conversations, I just knew right then that [generative AI] was going to be a thing,” Sirota said in December. “This was going to be a tsunami. We had to get ready to dance with discomfort.”

Sirota also has previously worked at Meta on their music team, Warner Music Group as a record executive and Morrison Foerster as a technology lawyer. At each, his focus was building partnerships at the intersection of music and technology.

“Jeremy is a rare leader who has spent his career working to improve every side of the music business – for fans, artists, music rightsholders, and platforms,” says Shulman. “What truly sets him apart is his ability to build what doesn’t yet exist, finding opportunity where others see obstacles and bringing all sides with him. That mindset will help craft a better future of music for all, and I couldn’t be more excited to have him join Suno.”

“I have deep respect for music and the role it plays in our lives,” adds Sirota. “What excites me about Suno is the opportunity to shape a future where music becomes more interactive and integrated into people’s daily lives. Throughout my career, I’ve seen and helped navigate pivotal moments when technology redefined the music industry. Each chapter has expanded opportunity in ways few initially imagined. Suno is building new layers of creativity and connectivity that didn’t exist before, and I’m energized to help bring that vision to life alongside the industry.”