The judge overseeing the case of attempted murder against Rihanna has halted the proceedings in order to allow the accused, Ivanna Ortiz, 35, to undergo a mental health evaluation. According to the Associated Press, on Tuesday (May 19) Judge Shannon K. Cooley ordered a pause in the prosecution of Ortiz after Deputy Public Defender Derek Dillman said he has doubts about his client’s mental competence.

Ortiz is accused of firing 20 shots from an AR-15-like rifle at Rihanna’s Los Angeles home on March 8 while the singer, her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky, and their three children were in the residence; Ortiz has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include 10 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, one for each of the people on the two properties, as well as three charges of shooting at an occupied vehicle or dwelling.

Cooley ordered the psychiatric evaluations and temporarily transferred the case to a Hollywood mental health court that specializes in determining whether defendants can understand the proceedings against them and are capable of going through a trial. “It is the ethical obligation of counsel and the court to ensure that Ms. Ortiz’s rights are protected, including being able to assist counsel in conducting a defense in a rational manner,” Dillman told the AP; prosecutors did not comment on the decision.

If Ortiz is found incompetent, she could be held indefinitely in a state hospital until she is able to face the charges in court. The decision came a week after Cooley declined to pause the proceedings for a mental health evaluation and Ortiz objected, with the judge saying she thought the case should move on to trial. At that hearing, Cooley ordered that Ortiz should continue to be held on $2 million bail.

According to police, Ortiz pulled up to the home on March 8 in a rented Tesla and fired the rounds at the home. While no one was injured in the incident, according to police interviews with witnesses, some of the shots hit an Airstream trailer that Rihanna and Rocky were in, with investigators finding bullet holes in the trailer and on the exterior wall of the home’s second-floor nursery, where the three children were with their nanny.

Investigators said that after her arrest later that day, Ortiz, a licensed speech pathologist who has no prior police record, told them “I wasn’t attempting murder.” According to a copy of the police report obtained by Rolling Stone, Rihanna and Rocky were in the Airstream when the singer heard “approximately ten loud sounds like something banging on metal.” When she opened the curtains, she “observed bullet holes in the windshield directly in front of where she had been standing.

She then grabbed Rocky out of bed, “told him they were being shot at, and pushed both of them to the ground.” Police also said Rihanna allegedly stated, “they shooting at us,” as she forced Rocky to the ground before the couple ran into the garage and rushed into the home to make sure their children and staff were safe.

After the shooting, Ortiz fled and a police helicopter quickly found her car and arrested her. Investigators found six bullet holes in the vehicle gate of the Beverly Hills home, as well as a seventh on a pedestrian gate and three holes in a wooden fence covered by tall bushes. To date, Rihanna has not commented publicly on the incident.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications has announced the selection of eight new inductees into the Radio Hall of Fame for 2026. They will be honored at the in-person 2026 Radio Hall of Fame Induction ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 8 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago.

The 2026 Radio Hall of Fame inductees are:

Six of the eight inductees – Esiason, Kelly, Little, Smiley, Van Dyke and Winston – were chosen from a list of 24 nominees by a voting participant panel comprised of more than 950 industry professionals. The other two inductees – Green and Pittman – were voted on by the Radio Hall of Fame 2026 nominating committee.

The confidential ballot was conducted by Votem.com and overseen by Miller Kaplan’s Andrew Rosen.

 “Our congratulations to each of our 2026 Inductees on this well-deserved recognition,” Kraig Kitchin, co-chair of the Radio Hall of Fame (alongside Green), said in a statement. “Each of these inductees has performed at the highest levels for a sustained period of time to make our industry that much more impactful to listeners and advertisers as a result. I’m thrilled to see them properly recognized by this announcement and the forthcoming Induction ceremony this October. Thank you to our 2026 Nominating Committee and to the hundreds of voting panel participants for confirming our 2026 Class of Inductees.”

Kitchin was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2024. In addition to his duties at the Radio Hall of Fame, Kitchin has had a 45-year career in the radio industry. He has managed radio businesses and/or the careers of top radio personalities.

Fans and industry professionals can find more information, including photos of the inductees, at the Radio Hall of Fame site.

Tickets for the induction ceremony are on sale now at that same site. A portion of ticket purchases is a tax-deductible charitable donation to the Museum of Broadcast Communications, home to the Radio Hall of Fame.

Tribute book ads for the 2026 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony are available for purchase now. Contact Linde Thurman at: Linde@radiohalloffame.com for more information.

The Radio Hall of Fame was founded by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. The Museum of Broadcast Communications took over operations of the Hall in 1991.

For the record, here’s the complete list of the 2026 nominees that were not inducted this year:

SYDNEY, Australia — Young Australian music creators and their teachers have a new award to pursue.  

Established by experienced music industry executive Milly Petriella, the NUMAs (Next Up Music Awards) are a youth-led celebration of emerging talent in schools supported by student internships, and are designed to strengthen the pathways connecting young creators and the contemporary music industry.

Homegrown artists Sia and Troye Sivan will support the initiative as the first wave of industry patrons, with Mahalia Barnes announced as artistic director alongside DOBBY as First Nations artistic director, and Ruby Rodgers and Myka Champion appointed as the first youth patrons, with a remit to helping shape the program and reflect how music is created and shared today. Others will be announced in due course.

The NUMAs will have its own presentation, too. The inaugural event is slated for Jan. 28, 2027 at venue partner Carriageworks in Sydney.

According to reps, the NUMAs are a response to declining access to music education and growing concern for the future creative workforce and recognizes school-aged recording artists, producers, and songwriters. Moving ahead, the initiative provides a national stage through awards, live performance, mentorship, and paid youth roles behind the scenes.

The spotlight will also shine on educators, with a music teacher of the year awards presented by Music Australia across both primary and secondary categories, recognizing the important role teachers play in guiding the next generation of artists and industry.

And on the way is a paid Youth Intern Program, recognizing young recording artists, producers and songwriters.

“NUMAs is not just an awards program,” comments Petriella. “At a time when so much of our young people’s lives are shaped online, we want this to be a real-world space for creativity, connection and live expression. Through paid internships, mentorship and hands-on involvement in the event, we’re helping young people build skills, confidence and community, whether they see their future on stage, in the studio or behind the scenes.”

NUMAs founder Petriella was lauded in the Australia Day 2024 Honours List with an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for “service to music and the performing arts.” That service included a 27-year stint as director, member relations and partnerships at APRA AMCOS, from 1995 to 2022, where she earned a reputation for moving mountains for the PRO’s members.

Over the years, Petriella founded the Vanda and Young Global Songwriting Competition, which has raised over A$2.5 million for Nordoff-Robbins since its launch in 2009; served as creative producer of the APRA Music Awards; championed the SongHubs program; administered the society’s Ambassador program; the Professional Development Awards; the Women In Music Mentorship program; the Vanda and Young Global Songwriting Competition; and grew its Los Angeles, London and Nashville as director, Global Music Export Offices.

Open nationally to students aged 6–18 and their music teachers, nominations and intern applications will open in June 2026 via nextupmusicawards.com.

The NUMAs are backed by the federal government’s Revive Live program, with partners including The Song Room, Carriageworks, and Music Australia, and others yet to be announced.

BRISBANE, Australia — Some bands drop new music to celebrate a label deal. Headweck does that and more, by embarking on a pan-European tour, their first after signing with EMPIRE.

Based in Brisbane, the nu-metal exponents are the first in their genre to join EMPIRE roster, the Bay Area independent label that launched the careers of Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak, Shaboozey, and others.

“From the first chat, it was clear they get our vision and who we are,” frontman Connor Hickman exclusively tells Billboard while on the road in Europe. “They empower artists to stay authentic and stay true to their genuine selves, and that’s exactly the energy we want behind us. Can’t wait for what’s next.”

With the new deal, the release of “Raindrops,” the followup to their Attitude Adjustment collection which dropped in October last year.

“As we always want our songs to be,” says Hickman of the new single, “it’s fun, catchy, groovy and hard hitting. The song started off with a Jamo riff, that was a meant to be a bit of a joke, with ridiculous guitar scratches and squealies, but the groove and vibe captured everyone in the room when we all sat down to listen to it, and we just couldn’t resist but to turn it into a full song.”

Headweck last week kicked off a tour off the U.K. and Europe in support of Paledusk, a run that includes headline shows leading into their appearance at Download Festival 2026. The tour, their first of the region, is the realization of a lifelong dream for the band, comprised of Hickman (vocals), Jamo Benadie (guitar), Dayne Paix (bass), and Colby Horton (drums).

“This tour is truly a dream come true. And we’re so lucky to be on a big tour bus with all the other bands as well – livin the bunk life,” Hickman tells Billboard. “We’ve also been blown away by the response from the crowds over here so far. It’s insane to us that there are fans of ours on the other side of the world, we are so so grateful and it all feels a little surreal.”

The bandmates are staying mum on U.S. touring plans, offering a delicious hint that “it’s looking quite promising” for a jaunt later this year.

Headwreck has previously supported British metalcore specialists Bury Tomorrow across Australia, and opened for the likes of Northlane, Polaris, The Amity Affliction, Thornhill and more. Their debut headline tour of their homeland in April 2026 was a sell-out, and included five shows across the big three cities: Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Earlier this year, the rockers were anointed as triple j Unearthed Forecast Artist and March Feature Artist.

Headwreck’s signing follows the 2024 launch of EMPIRE’s Australian business, led by Cameron Walsh.

“There’s something undeniably compelling about Headwreck – the immediacy of their sound, the clarity of their identity, and the genuine connection they’re building with fans,” comments Walsh, the music company’s Australian territory manager. “What really stands out is how intentional everything is – from their fully in-house creative to the chaotic energy of their live shows and the way they channel early 2000s heaviness into something far more expansive, at the intersection of metalcore, alternative and electronic-driven sounds. For EMPIRE, it’s about aligning with artists who are shaping culture in real time, and Headwreck are doing that in a way that feels both raw and authentic.”

Adds Peter Kim, director of A&R at EMPIRE: “Headwreck is one of those instinctive decisions—you hear it and just know. There’s a rawness and intensity to what they’re doing that feels both fresh and necessary right now. They’ve got the songs, the identity, and the ambition to break on a global level. We’re fired up to help share their vision with the world.”

Gabriela Lauren Gonzalez, a social media influencer who shares a daughter with former Why Don’t We member Jack Avery, has been arrested and charged with hiring a hitman to kill Avery amid a child custody dispute, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office revealed on Tuesday (May 19).

According to a press release released by the D.A.’s office, Gonzalez is alleged to have sought the assistance of her then-boyfriend, Kai Faron Cordrey, to solicit a hitman to kill Avery after she and Avery became embroiled in a custody battle over their now-seven-year-old daughter between 2020 and 2021. Gonzalez’s father, Francisco Gonzalez, is alleged to have sent Cordrey a total of $14,000 to use in locating, hiring and paying someone to accomplish the deed.

In September 2021, an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a hitman spoke with Cordrey about the murder-for-hire scheme, according to the release. Cordrey is alleged to have told the undercover officer that Avery was the target of the plot and discussed payment and proof that he had been killed. In a later conversation, Cordrey allegedly told the hitman that Gabriela wanted the murder to happen and that Francisco could pay for it.

Gabriela was scheduled to be arranged on Tuesday (May 19) in Los Angeles. Francisco was arrested in Florida and is awaiting extradition. Along with Cordrey, they face 25 years to life in state prison if convicted on all counts. All three have been charged with one count each of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation of murder.

“This was a lengthy investigation that was initiated by the FBI and eventually turned over to our office, resulting in criminal charges being filed today,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman in a statement. “This is a case where the defendants are accused of going to great lengths to find someone to commit murder. Most fathers raise their children to respect the law, but here we have a dad who allegedly helped his daughter and her boyfriend break the law in the most sinister way imaginable.”

Also on Tuesday, Avery filed a petition in Los Angeles court asking for a restraining order against Gabriela, stating that he was “notified by the FBI” of the murder plot in 2021. “In 2025, I am informed and thereon believe the FBI turned the case over to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office and identified GABRIELA, GABRIELA’s father Francisco Gonzalez, and her ex-boyfriend, Kai Cordrey as co-conspirators in a plot to have me killed,” his statement continued.

The petition adds that Avery was informed on Friday (May 15) that Gabriela had been arrested and that their daughter had been removed from her custody and placed with a foster family, after which he traveled to Northern California to pick her up. Avery is requesting sole legal custody of their daughter with no visitation rights.

The murder-for-hire case is being prosecuted by L.A. Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott of the major crimes division. The investigation is ongoing.

A representative for Avery declined to comment for this story. Contact information for Gabriela, Francisco and Cordrey could not immediately be located.

Formed in 2016, Why Don’t We released two studio albums before getting involved in a prolonged, multifaceted legal battle with Signature Entertainment, the group’s former management company, which in 2021 sued the band members for anticipatory breach of contract and defamation. Prior to that, the band members had accused Signature co-founder David Loeffler, then serving as the band’s manager, of restricting their food intake and verbally abusing them, among other allegations.

In 2022, Why Don’t We was forced to go on hiatus and cancel a concert tour after the band said it was served a cease and desist letter from Signature barring them from entering agreements with promoters or venues. Last year, following a trial, four of the band’s members, including Avery, were forced to pay a symbolic $1 each to their former managers and prohibited from using the band’s name going forward.