More than five years into their relationship, Rich Paul is offering some rare insight into the early days of his romance with Adele. In an interview this week with Craig Melvin on the Glass Half Full podcast, Paul, 45, revealed that the couple met through a friend and that at first, though he’d known the “Someone Like You” singer for a while. “It was just cordial, really just cordial,” Klutch Sports Group founder Paul said of the meet-sorta-cute with the Grammy-winning singer.

” … Until it became not so cordial,” Paul added of the friendship that bloomed into a public thing in the summer of 2001 when Adele made a rare public appearance at a Phoenix Suns game that July, one of the first time fans had seen the singer since she released her third studio album, 25, six years earlier. The star, who tends to go completely off-the-radar when she’s not promoting new music, was spotting sitting close to Paul that night, several years after her public split in 2019 with her ex-husband, Simon Konecki, with whom she shares a son, Angelo.

“Until I became a person of interest,” Paul joked about the early scrutiny about their relationship.

“When you’re in these circles … I never tried to get fresh with people that’s in comfortable circles because they always have to deal with that. So that was never my thing,” he said over a series of photos of the couple at games, as well as at a party where they are raising a toast with Jay-Z and Beyoncé. “It was really something that happened very organically.”

The super agent whose roster includes stars such as NBA legend LeBron James and WNBA Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson, said he was, honestly, never really a fan of Adele’s music. “No, not actually. Obviously, you can’t help but to hear the monster hits,” he admitted, adding that he’s much more familiar now, obviously.

It wasn’t love at first sight, from the sounds of it. Paul said that he and Adele didn’t immediately go out on a date or get loved-up once they were introduced, but rather just hung out in the “same circles and we just used to always see each other and laugh and joke.”

Following her run of Adele in Munich stadium shows in August 2024, Adele said she planned to take a long break. “I just need a rest. I have spent seven years building a new life for myself and I want to live it now,” she told the crowd at the custom-built Adele Arena during her final show.

Watch Rich talk Adele on Glass Half Full below.

José Carreras will get the party started early for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics when he hosts an exclusive one-night-only, open-air concert this December in the Queensland capital.

The legendary tenor leads the lineup for the Australian exclusive concert, set for Dec. 5 at the Gabba Cricket Ground, the famous oval stadium just south of the city’s CBD.

Also announced Wednesday, June 10, Robbie Williams, The Corrs, Katherine Jenkins and Ronan Keating, are among the first wave of stars booked for the Carreras & Friends experience. Other conformed performers include Savage Garden’s Darren Hayes, Natalie Imbruglia, Sheppard, Ann Wilson, and Mark Vincent, all of whom will duet with Carreras.

“I’m extremely happy, really, to have this opportunity to start celebrating already the Olympics ‘32 in Brisbane,” Carreras tells Billboard over a Zoom call from his hometown, Barcelona, “and be part of this, what we hope is, a wonderful concert.”

Carreras has a steel-strong connection with the worlds of music and sport. In 1992, he served as musical director for the Olympic Games in Barcelona, and performed at the Opening Ceremony (singing the traditional welcoming song “Welcome” or “Sardana” with Montserrat Caballé) and returned for the Closing Ceremony for performance of “Amigos Para Siempre” with Sarah Brightman.

And as a member of The Three Tenors, the legendary operatic supergroup he formed with Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, Carreras performed live at four consecutive World Cup tournaments, beginning with their historic 1990 debut in Rome.

With the Olympics and Paralympics coming to the Sunshine State, “we have the possibility to create a message between sport and art and culture,” Carreras tells Billboard. “The venue is going to be perfect for it.”

The Gabba is a citadel to this sports-mad city. During the winter, it’s home to the two-time defending champion Australian Football League (AFL) franchise the Brisbane Lions. And in the summer, it’s the city’s home of cricket. Indeed, for touring international cricket teams, the Gabba has earned the amusing tag, the Gabbatoir — a place where the opposition is taken down for good.

Pop and rock concerts are rare spectacles at the Gabba, and only the biggest names in the music business have performed there. The last to do it was Taylor Swift, for her Reputation Tour in 2018. And Adele before that, for two-sold out shows in 2017.

When he takes his spot on the field, Carreras will perform with artists “that I admire,” he enthuses. “I never had the possibility to perform with them, but this is going to be the occasion.”

Williams will sing “My Way” and “Angels” with Carreras, while Hayes (“Truly Madly Deeply”), Keating (“Father & Son”), Wilson (“What About Love” and “Stairway To Heaven”) and The Corrs (“Breathless” and “Runaway”) will enjoy musical moments with a living legend, backed by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and choir.

On the night, the Gabba will be turned into “a world-class concert spectacular blending timeless opera, beloved contemporary classics and powerful collaborations,” reads a statement from organizers Echo Pacific Entertainment.

“This is not a traditional concert. It’s a live music experience inspired by the magic of Pavarotti & Friends, where the world’s greatest artists come together on one stage for a night of collaboration, emotion and surprise,” comments Echo Pacific director Harley Medcalf. “To bring José Carreras together with artists of this caliber for one exclusive night in Brisbane is incredibly special. Every moment of this event has been designed to create something unforgettable.”

The general public onsale begins Monday, June 15 at 10am local time. Fans are encouraged to sign up at carrerasandfriends.live for presale access, which starts  Friday, June 12 at 10am.

Sydney has given to the world some giants of the stage. Think Dame Joan Sutherland, the late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, and Delta Goodrem. Lara D might, one day, crack that list.

The Sydneysider did her chances of success absolutely no harm when she stopped by America’s Got Talent for the Auditions phase.

Aussies have the reputation of fearless travelers, and Lara fits the stereotype. When asked by Simon Cowell why she made the long haul, she responded: “I feel like this is one of the biggest stages.”

Lara had begun working in the family business, but choose her own path. “I decided I wanted to come here because I wanted to pursue my dream,” she explained, “and I feel like this is the stage where dreams come true.”

Sometimes, they do.  

Lara then set about changing the mood in the room, by hitting an immense cover of RAYE’s “Oscar Winning Tears.” It was all there, rapping and range, tone and then tears.

Looking on, the judges’ jaws were looser than old elastic. “I loved it, there’s something about you that is very special. And I think everybody felt it tonight,” remarked Sofia Vergara, who was fast out of her seat.

“This is the kind of thing that I’ve been looking for,” enthused Howie Mandel. “I’ve been looking for a surprise. I’ve been looking for something unexpected. You are a star and I want to do something special,” he added. And with that, the St. Elsewhere actor stood and motioned toward the Golden Buzzer. “You deserve this.”

In a moment of drama, Vergara beat him to the punch. A steal, captured in slow motion for those of us watching at home. Cue the emotions, the gold confetti and, for Lara, a direct route to the Live Shows for AGT Season 21.

Later, host Terry Crews grabbed Vergara for some reaction. “She was spectacular. I wanted her from the moment she started singing.”

Watch Lara D’s Golden Buzzer performance below.

Niall Horan is hosting a dinner party, and Australia is invited.

The Irish pop star will set off early next year for the Australian leg of his Dinner Party Tour, with arena shows in Adelaide (Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Feb. 10), Melbourne (Rod Laver Arena on Feb. 12), Sydney (Qudos Bank Arena on Feb. 16) and Brisbane (Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Feb. 19). As the itinerary stands, Perth misses out.

“I always love coming back to Australia, so I’m absolutely buzzing to finally announce Dinner Party Live On Tour for February 2027,” says Horan in a statement issued Wednesday, June 10. “The support from Australian fans has always been amazing, and I can’t wait to get back over there and play these new songs for you. We’ve got a bigger and better show planned, four albums worth of tunes to get through, and a few surprises up our sleeves. It’s going to be a really special run.”

Emerging Australian artist Jude York is the support on Horan’s tour down under, which is produced by TEG Live, part of the TEG Group.

Since entering our lives in the 2010 season of the U.K.’s The X Factor, and sliding into the pop phenomenon that was One Direction, Horan has had the rub of the green. As a member of 1D, the Irishman made Billboard chart history when the pop group’s 2012 debut album, Up All Night, opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making the pop group the first British act to debut atop the chart with a first album. With three additional consecutive No. 1 bows — Take Me Home (2012), Midnight Memories (2013) and Four (2014) — 1D became the first group in Billboard 200 history to see its first four studio albums enter at the chart summit.

It’s a similar 1D chart story on the other side of the Atlantic: Four U.K. No. 1 albums, four U.K. No. 1 singles.

As a solo artist, Horan has two No. 1s on the Official U.K. Albums Chart with 2020’s Heartbreak Weather and 2023’s The Show, while his debut album, 2017’s Flicker, went all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard 200. In Australia, Horan landed his first solo No. 1 when The Show debuted at No. 1 on the official ARIA Albums Chart.

Horan is, of course, supporting his new album Dinner Party (via Universal Music), his fourth solo project. Dinner Party leads the midweek U.K. chart, where it is on track to become his third leader, the Official Charts Company reports.

The general on sale for Horan’s Dinner Party Tour of Australia gets underway Thursday, June 18 at 2pm local time, with fan club and partner presales kicking off from Monday, June 15 at 1pm local time. Visit teglive.com.au for more information.

Niall Horan “Dinner Party Tour” Of Australia 2027
Feb. 10 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Feb. 12 — Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
Feb. 16 — Sydney, Qudos Bank Arena
Feb. 19 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre