One week after the series finale of Stranger Things, Joe Keery – the actor behind beloved character Steve Harrington – is climbing the charts under his artist moniker Djo, with his breakout hit “End of Beginning” returning to the top 10 on the Billboard Global 200 this week (No. 6). His growing musical success is accompanied by some side-quests, as Keery also starred in Tame Impala’s music video for “Loser” this past fall.

It’s a testament to his charisma. Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers told The Hollywood Reporter back in 2017 that Keery wasn’t meant to play such an integral role in the show at first, but they changed course when they “fell in love with him during the making of season 1.” 

Of course, Stranger Things has a proven track record of shaking up the charts. Season 4 propelled Kate Bush’s 1985 single “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” to its all-time peak position of No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the summer of 2022, more than 30 years after debuting at No. 30.   

Ten years since the series started, we’ve seen the likes of Eleven, Mike, Dustin and Steve grow from kids to teens to adults. On the Stranger Things 5 red carpet back in November, Billboard had to ask what music the cast was personally listening to as they faced the Upside Down, and they showed us a bit of their personal taste. (Watch below.)

Millie Bobby Brown (aka Eleven), who went viral back in 2016 for rapping the entirety of Nicki Minaj’s “Monster” verse at age 12, claimed a certain Beyoncé song would get her through the battle. Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler) leaned into punk and metal, a nod to both his character’s influences and his own career as a musician. Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson) teased his own hype-up album of choice, gushing over his favorite artist’s tour. Even Vecna himself, played by Jamie Campbell Bower, chimed in with a few dark favorites of his own.

Below, find Billboard‘s candid Polaroids of the cast as they take their final Stranger Things bow.

Pop superstars Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez were among the actors who were nominated at the 32nd annual Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA, formerly known as the SAG Awards. Grande is nominated for female actor in a supporting role for Wicked: For Good. Gomez is nominated for ensemble in a comedy series as a key cast member of Only Murders in the Building.

One Battle After Another received seven nominations, establishing a new one-year record at the Actor Awards. Sinners was next with five nods, which puts in a tie for second place on the all-time leaderboard with Shakespeare in Love (1999), Chicago (2003), Doubt (2009), The Banshees of Inisherin (2023), Everything Everywhere All at Once (2023) and Wicked (2025).

The Studio was most-nominated TV program, with five nods, which is just one shy of the all-time record of six nods, set by Angels in America and Everybody Loves Raymond, both in 2004. The Studio was followed by Adolescence and The White Lotus, with four nods each.

Grande was also nominated for female actor in a supporting role last year for her performance in the first Wicked. Her co-star, Cynthia Erivo, who was nominated for female actor in a leading role last year, failed to make the finals this year. The Wicked: For Good cast also failed to garner a nomination for cast in a motion picture, something the Wicked cast achieved last year.

This is the fifth consecutive year that the Only Murders cast has been nominated for ensemble in a comedy series. They won last year, to the surprise of many, including Gomez, who accepted the award in the absence of her costars Steve Martin and Martin Short. The only disappointing note: Gomez has yet to receive a nod for female actor in a comedy series.

Ethan Hawke, who played legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon, is nominated for male actor in a leading role. Kate Hudson, who played a Patsy Cline impersonator who is partnered with a Neil Diamond impersonator in Song Sung Blue, is nominated for female actor in a leading role (though her co-star, Hugh Jackman, was passed over for a nod).

The Actor Awards will be presented on March 1, two weeks before the Oscars are presented on March 15.

Here’s the full list of nominations for the 2026 Actor Awards.

Bad Bunny is going to be touring the world throughout 2026, hitting South America, Australia, Asia and Europe over the next seven months on the Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour. But the trek launched in the final weeks of 2025, and it’s already a record-breaker.

Bad Bunny kicked off the whole affair with two shows at on Nov. 21-22 at Estadio Olimpico in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, those shows earned $7.9 million in ticket sales (from 64,200 tickets sold), becoming the highest-grossing engagement in the venue’s reported history. He surpassed previous stops by Justin Bieber, Coldplay and Karol G, but most notably, broke the record previously held by himself. (He grossed $7.7 million over two nights on 2022’s World’s Hottest Tour.)

Then, the DTMF World Tour traveled to Costa Rica for two shows at San Jose’s Estadio Nacional on Dec. 5-6. Bad Bunny upped the ante by setting records for the highest-grossing and best-selling engagement in venue history by bringing in $12.4 million from 115,000 tickets. Karol G previously held both titles with $8.6 million and 105,000 tickets.

Finally, Bad Bunny traveled to Mexico City for eight performances at Estadio GNP Seguros (formerly known as Foro Sol). Those shows grossed $86.7 million and sold 518,000 tickets between Dec. 10-21. Like in San Jose, this is the biggest gross and highest attendance in venue history, and by a long shot. It improves upon Shakira’s attendance by 31% and overshoots her gross by 86% from seven shows in March 2025. Further distancing himself from the pack, her totals were already up by 56% and 89%, respectively, from Metallica’s previous venue records.

The CDMX shows averaged $10.8 million per night, making Bad Bunny the first artist to ever post eight-figure nightly grosses among the 344 reported shows at the Mexican stadium.

The asterisk on Bad Bunny’s Mexico City records is that Shakira returned to the stadium later in 2025, while still on Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour, first for four shows in August, and then for another in September. Altogether, her 12 shows at Estadio GNP Seguros outsold Bad Bunny’s run, eventually moving 668,000 tickets. Still, he outdid her combined venue gross of $76 million despite playing four fewer shows.

Altogether, the DTMF World Tour grossed $107 million and sold 697,000 tickets in its first 12 shows, providing more than a simple tease of what is to come in 2026. The Latin American leg has already outgrossed his previous regional run ($81.7 million) which ran for 22 dates. World’s Hottest Tour, in the heat of 2022’s No. 1 Billboard 200 album (Un Verano Sin Ti), paced $3.7 million per show throughout Latin America, which is less than half of this tour’s $8.9 million.

He’ll be back on stage on Friday (Jan. 9) in Santiago, kicking off a slate of 13 shows in South America. Having already played the biggest stadium of 2025, Mexico City may well be the peak of the Latin American leg. But based on the success of the shows in Santo Domingo and San Jose, it’s likely that Bad Bunny will add another $70 million or more before heading off to Sydney, Tokyo and a dozen European markets. The DTMF World Tour will mark Bad Bunny’s first ticketed concerts on those continents.

Bad Bunny still has about three quarters of the DTMF World Tour ahead of him, and it’s likely that he will continue to outdo himself and set new Boxscore records. With World’s Hottest Tour currently sitting as his personal best ($314.1 million and 1.9 million tickets), he is already well on his way to the biggest tour of his career.

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EsDeeKid has been on a tear in recent weeks, and he continues his momentum on Billboard’s latest listings (dated Jan. 10), as the U.K. rapper rises to No. 1 on the Emerging Artists chart, marking the first time he has topped a Billboard ranking.

He rises a spot largely on the strength of continued streaming gains across his catalog. The Emerging Artists chart blends an act’s weekly streams, radio airplay, album sales and paid song downloads, using a methodology similar to the Billboard Artist 100 but excluding artists who have reached the top 25 of the Billboard Hot 100 or Billboard 200.

In the latest tracking week (Dec. 26-Jan. 1), EsDeeKid’s songs generated 16 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate. While that figured is slightly down from sum the week before (18.8 million, his personal weekly best), it remains well above his typical levels from 2025.

The main drivers to this week’s standing are his two Hot 100 chart hits: “4 Raws” and “Phantom,” the latter with Rico Ace. “4 Raws” logged 7 million streams and bounds 64-38 to become EsDeeKid’s first top 40 hit on the chart. “Phantom” drew 5.4 million and climbs 81-67 in its second week.

EsDeeKid is also making an impact on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where he’s currently charting five titles:

  • No. 10, “4 Raws” (a week after reaching No. 8 to become his first top 10)
  • No. 15, “Phantom,” with Rico Ace
  • No. 32, “Century”
  • No. 35, “LV Sandals,” with fakemink & Rico Ace
  • No. 49, “Rottweiler”

The Liverpool native charted six songs on the list a week earlier, with “Cali Man” with Rico Ace joining the five titles above.

All of EsDeeKid’s charted songs are on his debut project, Rebel, which reaches a new high (60-29) on the Billboard 200 with 17,000 equivalent album units earned.

The rapper’s rapid ascent started in late November after internet rumors claimed that EsDeeKid — who conceals his face behind a balaclava — was actually the rap alter ego of actor Timothée Chalamet. The theory took off following a Nov. 11 TikTok posted by user @gothauntie0. Weeks of silence from both parties only fueled the speculation, with Chalamet deflecting questions while promoting his A24 film Marty Supreme. “All will be revealed in due time,” he told Heart Radio in the U.K.

The mystery ended on Dec. 19, when Chalamet joined EsDeeKid on a remix of “4 Raws.” The two also appeared in a video for the track, with Chalamet contributing his own verses. “It’s Timothée Chalamet chillin’, tryna stack a hundred million/ Girl got a billion/ What the f—k, what a wonderful feeling,” he raps, referencing his mogul girlfriend, Kylie Jenner.

The viral moment has had a profound impact on EsDeeKid’s streaming performance. Below is a week-by-week look at his catalog’s U.S. streaming totals since early November, according to Luminate:

  • Nov. 7-13: 5.8 million
  • Nov. 14-20: 9 million
  • Nov. 21-27: 12.8 million
  • Nov. 28-4: 13.3 million
  • Dec. 5-11: 11.9 million
  • Dec. 12-18: 14 million
  • Dec. 19-25: 18.8 million
  • Dec. 26-Jan. 1: 16 million


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Back like it never left, it’s The Traitors season four.

The first three episodes of the season will premiere on Peacock on Thursday, Jan 8 at 9 p.m. ET. If you’ve been living under a rock, the reality show features a rotating cast each season with a group of “Faithful” contestants that live in a fantastical castle alongside the host Alan Cumming. The contestants are tasked with completing missions to build a collective cash prize, but hidden among them are secret “Traitors” whose goal is to murder the “Faithfuls” one by one until they steal the entire pot for themselves.

Some missions offer a chance to win a shield, granting immunity from being murdered for a night. It’s a cutthroat game of strategy where contestants must build alliances and suss out those pesky Traitors before it’s too late. Much like prior seasons, this fourth iteration is bound to be a scream that’ll leave you on the edge of your seat until the very last episode. Speaking of, there will be 12 total episodes, including a special reunion episode with the entire cast, giving members the opportunity to debrief on the season.

If you’ve been looking to start watching the show, or continue watching with the highly-anticipated fourth season, keep reading below to find out how you can stream.

How to Watch The Traitors Season Four Online

As previously mentioned, the first three episodes of season four of The Traitors will premiere on Thursday, Jan 8 at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock.

The only way you’ll be able to watch the show’s new season for now is via Peacock. You’ll be able to watch all the drama unfold via Peacock Premium (with ads) for $10.99 a month or the Peacock Premium Plus plan for $16.99 a month. When you subscribe to one of those two plans, you’ll have access to The Traitors, along with a slew of other titles, including music-themed productions like Wicked, Dreamgirls, Mamma Mia, The Voice (which you can watch after the show airs on demand), America’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent, among others.

Who Will Be On The Traitors Season Four?

Below, you’ll find a list of all the cast members for this new season.

  • Lisa Rinna (“Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”)
  • Porsha Williams (“Real Housewives of Atlanta”)
  • Caroline Stanbury (“Real Housewives of Dubai” / “Ladies of London”)
  • Candiace Dillard Bassett (“Real Housewives of Potomac”)
  • Dorinda Medley (“Real Housewives of New York City”)
  • Rob Rausch (“Love Island”)
  • Maura Higgins (“Love Island”)
  • Colton Underwood (“The Bachelor”)
  • Natalie Anderson (“Survivor”)
  • Yam Yam Arocho (“Survivor”)
  • Rob Cesternino (“Survivor”)
  • Tiffany Monique Mitchell (“Big Brother”)
  • Ian Terry (“Big Brother”)
  • Monét X Change (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”)
  • Mark Ballas (“Dancing With the Stars”)
  • Kristen Kish (“Top Chef”)
  • Stephen Colletti (“Laguna Beach” / “One Tree Hill”)
  • Tara Lipinski (Olympic figure skater)
  • Johnny Weir (Olympic figure skater)
  • Eric Nam (singer / TV host)
  • Michael Rapaport (actor / comedian)
  • Ron Funches (comedian)
  • Donna Kelce (TV personality)

Kenshi Yonezu’s “IRIS OUT” logs its 12th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, on the chart released Dec. 31, 2025.

The track holds the top spot for a second consecutive week to mark its 12th total week atop the tally. Gaining across all metrics, streaming and video views for the Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc theme both rise to 105% week-over-week, while CD sales are up to 115%, downloads to 120%, radio airplay to 148% and karaoke to 153%. Yonezu drew further attention on Dec. 23 with the announcement of his first-ever performance of “IRIS OUT” on NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen to be aired on New Year’s Eve. His segment from the show has since been posted to the NHK MUSIC YouTube channel, surpassing 10.99 million views as of Jan. 7, 2026.

King & Prince’s “Theater” follows at No. 2. The lead track from the group’s new album STARRING, released Dec. 24, was written and composed by Ayumu Imazu. The song jumps 47-2 this week, coming in at No. 1 for radio, No. 2 for downloads, No. 3 for streaming and No. 4 for video. Another track off the album, “Kibo no Oka,” comes in at No. 35 on the Japan Hot 100.

M!LK’s “Sukisugite Metsu!” climbs 8-3 to earn the group its first-ever top 3. Streaming surges to 139% of the prior frame, downloads to 154%, video to 122% and karaoke spikes to 238%. The five-member boy band performed the song on CDTV Live! Live! on Dec. 22. Another track gaining momentum is “Iijan,” which rises 77-62 following buzz on social media.

At No. 4 is Snow Man’s “CHARISMAX,” returning to the top 5 for the first time in about three months, while Kenshi Yonezu and Hikaru Utada’s “JANE DOE” jumps two spots to No. 5.

The top song for sales this week, fav me’s “Sukinankaja… Nyai!,” lands at No. 16, while the leader for downloads, Masaharu Fukuyama’s “Mokusei feat. Koshi Inaba,” charts at No. 20.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Dec. 22 to 28, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.

Natti Natasha and Nando Boom take “Dem Bow” to the top of Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart, soaring 19-1 on the chart dated Jan. 10. The Dominican-Panamanian collab also claims the No. 1 spot on Latin Rhythm Airplay. It’s the biggest leap to No. 1 since the July 13, 2024-dated chart, when Grupo Firme’s “El Beneficio de la Duda” vaulted 24-1.

“I can’t believe it; we are No. 1 at the start of the year on Latin Airplay and Latin Rhythm Airplay!” Natti Natasha tells Billboard. “Thank you, United States, all the fans, Billboard, I love you! Happy new year.”

“Dem Bow” glides its way to No. 1 on the overall Latin Airplay chart powered by 9.8 million audience impressions, up 107%, earned in the United States during the Dec. 26-Jan. 1 tracking week, according to Luminate. The track’s rise is fueled by strong support from radio stations KQMR (Phoenix), KVVF (San Jose) and WODA (Puerto Rico).

“Dem Bow,” produced by hitmaker Dímelo Flow, earns Panamanian Fernando Brown, better known as Nando Boom, his first champ on any Billboard tally. Notably, despite being an influential figure in Spanish reggae’s evolution, Boom achieved his first Billboard appearance in October, debuting with “Dem Bow” at No. 16 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay chart.

For Natti Natasha, the song marks her 12th leader on Latin Airplay, following “Desde Hoy” (June 2025). Among women with the most rulers since the overall Latin radio ranking began in 1994, Natti stands fourth, trailing Shakira (24 No. 1s), Karol G (20) and Gloria Estefan (13).

Boom also achieves his first entry on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart, as the song debuts at No. 32.

Gerardo Ortiz Ups Career No. 1s Total

Over on Regional Mexican Airplay, Gerardo Ortiz banks his 14th No. 1 through the song “Échame El Grito.” The track jumps 2-1 with the Greatest Gainer honors, awarded weekly to the song with the largest gain in impressions.

“Échame El Grito,” advances to the top of the chart after a 24% boost in audience impressions, reaching 8.3 million during the tracking period.

This latest achievement places Ortiz in a tie with Alejandro Fernández for the second-most No. 1s among solo artists, both trailing Christian Nodal with 17 rulers.


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In the Dec. 31, 2025, issue of the U.S. Federal Register, the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) officially announced the commencement of three proceedings that will determine rates and terms for various music industry sectors. Those proceedings are on the making and distributing of phonorecords, known as Phonorecords V; for satellite radio and pre-existing subscription services, known as SDARS IV; and for public broadcasting, known as PB V. The rates and terms to be determined by the three proceedings are for the five-year period beginning Jan. 1, 2028, and ending Dec. 31, 2032.

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As part of the announcement, the CRB called for interested parties who want to participate in the proceedings to fill out petitions and file them, and pay a $150 fee, to the CRB website, no later than Jan. 30, 2026. For each proceeding, the notice mentioned that the petition has been simplified. The petitions are available on eCRB — the Copyright Royalty Board’s electronic filing and case management system.

According to the commencement notices, which were issued by Copyright Royalty Judge Steve Ruwe, under the Copyright Act, the Copyright Royalty Judges generally must commence proceedings every fifth year:

  • to determine rates and terms for making and distributing phonorecords pursuant to the statutory license as laid out in Section 115 of U.S. Copyright Law;
  • to determine reasonable rates and terms to license the digital transmission of sound recordings and the making of ephemeral recordings to facilitate those transmissions by preexisting subscription services and preexisting satellite digital audio radio services as laid out in Sections 112 and 114.
  • to determine rates and terms for the reproduction, distribution, performance or display of certain works by public broadcasting entities as defined in Section 118.

Only attorneys admitted to the bar in one or more states or in the District of Columbia are allowed to present interested parties in the proceedings, the notices state. However, individual interested parties may represent themselves and appear without legal counsel, according to the notice.


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The situation in Venezuela is sensitive following the capture of president Nicolás Maduro Jan. 3 in a U.S. military operation. But Danny Ocean sent a clear message of hope via X to his fellow Venezuelans on Wednesday (Jan. 7).

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“My FAITH is too STRONG, and nobody or nothing is going to bring it down. Let them talk, let them debate; the real plan comes from the Universe,” his post began. “And you know what’s the most incredible thing? It was a WOMAN who revealed and exposed the truth to the world and the heavens. She knew we couldn’t fight stones against bullets, but a bullet against the truth stands no chance. From that moment, our hearts immediately felt that this time everything was different.”

“And do you know why?” he continued. “Because when we take away excuses from God and show Him we’ve done everything we could on our part, He knows it’s His turn. Just like life itself. One step at a time!”

The message came during a time of uncertainty and fear of retaliation in the South American country. On Monday, when Delcy Rodríguez assumed the role of interim president of Venezuela, authorities issued a decree granting broad powers to the presidency and ordered security forces to capture “any person involved in the promotion or support” of the incursion that took place early Saturday, according to CNN.

Ocean, who has always been vocal about the political situation in his country and recently performed in Oslo at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in honor of opposition leader María Corina Machado, shared his silence on X following Maduro’s capture.

On Saturday, hours after President Donald Trump confirmed the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and their transfer to New York City to face criminal charges related to narco-terrorism, Ocean simply shared on his Instagram Stories an image of the Venezuelan flag accompanied by Mathias Fritsche’s musical piece “Honor Him” from the movie Gladiator, followed by Machado’s statement of the day. “Today we are prepared to enforce our mandate and take power,” she wrote in a message titled “The Hour of Freedom Has Arrived.” “Let us remain vigilant, active, and organized until the democratic transition is achieved. A transition that needs all of us.”

Read Ocean’s full post, in Spanish, below.


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Luke Combs will return with a new album, The Way I Am, on March 20.

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The set, his sixth release for Sony Music Nashville, will include new track “Sleepless in a Hotel Room,” which was released Wednesday (Jan. 7) with the album announcement.

“It’s been a long process getting this thing going, but I’m really proud of this record,” Combs said in a statement.  “I’ve loved the song ‘Sleepless in a Hotel Room’ for a long time, and it’s been awesome to see how excited the fans are for that one as well.”

The album is Combs’ first full length set since 2024’s reflective Fathers & Sons, which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, continuing a streak of all five of his studio albums reaching No. 1 or 2 on the tally.

Combs produced the album with longtime collaborators Chip Matthews and Jonathan Singleton. He has already released a number of tracks from the 22-song set, including “My Kinda Saturday Night,” “Days Like These,” “15 Minutes,” “Giving Her Away” and “Back in the Saddle,” which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart dated Nov. 1. It marked Combs’ 19th No. 1 on the chart.

The album release coincides with a U.S. stadium tour for Combs that kicks off March 21 at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, and runs through May 16 at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field in Wisconsin before heading to Canada and then Europe before concluding with three nights at London’s Wembley Stadium.

It’s shaping up for another big year for Combs, with the singer and his wife expecting their third child this winter.

See Combs’ album announcement and listen to the new song below:


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