Laura Pausini will be recognized with the Billboard Icon Award at the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards, Billboard and Telemundo announced on Tuesday (Sept. 16) in a press release. The Italian superstar will also perform during the ceremony, which will be broadcast live from Miami on Thursday, Oct. 23.

The Billboard Icon Award honors artists whose careers have not only remained relevant over the years, but also also those who have established themselves as some of the most distinguished artists in their genres, celebrated globally for achieving both musical and commercial success.

With over 75 million records sold and 6 billion digital streams throughout her more than 30-year career, Pausini is the most internationally recognized Italian voice and a global pop icon. Among other recent achievements, last November she earned her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 with a version of her 1990s hit “Se Fue” featuring Rauw Alejandro. In 2023, she was honored as the Latin Recording Academy’s Person of the Year.

Her latest release is a take of Gianluca Grignani’s classic “Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos,” the first single of her upcoming covers album Yo Canto 2, while she recently announced a new world tour for 2026. Additionally, Pausini will participate in Billboard Latin Music Week in a highly anticipated “Icon Q&A” session.

“What excites me most is that this recognition comes in a year when, even before knowing I would receive it, I had already decided to release a tribute album to the great singer-songwriters of Spain and Latin America,” Pausini said in a press release. “For the first time, I’m singing and arranging songs that are not my own or in my style, but that I interpret with my own signature, as a tribute to that emblematic repertoire of our music. And then this news arrives, just as I think: all my voice and all my heart belong to Latin music. It feels like a spark, like love at first sight… a true gift.”

Broadcasted live from the James L. Knight Center in Miami, the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards will air on Telemundo on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m. ET. Fans will also be able to watch the show live via the Telemundo app, Peacock, and Telemundo Internacional across Latin America and the Caribbean. Tickets to attend the event will be available soon.

This year, Bad Bunny leads the list of finalists with a record-breaking 27 entries, followed by Fuerza Regida with 15 mentions and Rauw Alejandro with 14. Leading the female artists is Karol G with 10 mentions, matching those of rising regional Mexican artist Tito Double P who also has 10, while Peso Pluma is a nine-time finalist.

Produced by Telemundo and MBS Special Events, the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards coincide with Billboard Latin Music Week, which returns to Miami Beach Oct. 20-24 with a roster of star speakers also including Kali Uchis, Daddy Yankee, Xavi, Ozuna and many more. Get your tickets today for the Billboard Latin Music Week 2025 here.

Starting a new gig is always a bit nerve-wracking. But imagine walking into the office in front of 900 people who are freaking out to see how the “new guy” is going to do his job. That was the situation drummer Ilan Rubin faced on Saturday night (Sept. 13) when he made his live debut as the new Foo Fighters timekeeper at a way-underplay, all-ages gig at the 900-capacity Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Rubin, who, until recently, was the live drummer for Nine Inch Nails, joined the band for their first live show of 2025, taking over for studio and live veteran Josh Freese, who kept the seat warm for two years following the death of beloved Foos drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022; in an unusual bit of rock portal transfer action, Freese is now keeping time in NIN. While Rubin didn’t say much in advance of the show, he took to Instagram on Monday (Sept. 15) to rave about his new gig.

“Last night with @foofighters could not have been a better time,” Rubin wrote in the post that featured some pics from the sweaty, tight-quarters concert that was way more intimate than the arenas and stadiums the Foos are used to. “After keeping my head down for a couple wild months and throwing myself into the material, that first show was such an incredible release of energy.”

In addition to live shots, the carousel also featured a snap of the band’s new lineup, with Rubin pictured hanging out backstage with singer/guitarist Dave Grohl, guitarists Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett, bassist Nate Mendel and keyboard player Rami Jaffee.

“I’ve been taken aback by all the positivity and support, and I just wanted to say thanks! Excited for all the volume and sweat that lies ahead,” Rubin added.

During the show, Grohl introduced the band’s drummer to the crowd by saying, “Everybody else has said it, I finally get the opportunity to say, ladies and gentlemen, will you please welcome, the most badass motherf–ker, Ilan Rubin, is playing drums in the Foo Fighters. It’s official.” The Foos also officially invited Rubin into the fold in an Instagram carousel featuring pics from their first show together with the caption, “THAT WAS FUN!!! Welcome @ilanrubin.”

The band played another club show on Monday night at the Observatory in Santa Ana, Calif. The Foos released their 11th studio album, But Here We Are album in 2023, a year after Hawkins’ shock death, and in July they celebrated their 30th anniversary with the new single, “Today’s Song.”

The band that’s been off the road since September 2024 is set to return to the stage with upcoming shows in Indonesia (Oct. 2), Singapore (Oct. 4), Japan (Oct. 7, 8, 10) and Mexico City (Nov. 14).

Riley Green, fresh off receiving four CMA Award nominations last week, is already looking ahead to 2026 with his Cowboy As It Gets tour.

The 20-date outing, produced by Live Nation, will kick off April 16 at Southaven, Mississippi’s Landers Center and conclude at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Fork, North Dakota, on Aug. 22. It will include his first time headlining Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Before the Boot Barn-sponsored tour starts, Green expects to have new music out. “We’re going to go into the studio this fall and probably release new music between now and then and then try to have the whole album out around the time the tour starts,” he tells Billboard, calling from London where he was playing three sold-out shows at the O2 Forum Kentish Town.

Green likes releasing new music around the launch of a tour because it’s “so great to be able to play the songs on the road and see what songs raise their hands” as potential singles, he says. “That’s what happened with ‘Worst Way.’ [Fans] will let you know if it’s one they like. They’ll sing it louder than the others.”

The singer’s current Damn Country Music tour resumes Stateside on Sept. 26 and lasts until Dec. 13, stopping with two dates at Resorts World in Las Vegas.

Just as the current tour takes its name from a song, the 2026 outing gets its name from a tune off the recently released deluxe version of Don’t Mind If I Do. “I love the sentiment of that song, and it’s kind of a little bit of an anthemic theme to people that grew up similar to me,” he says. “We didn’t have a lot of real cowboying going on where I was at. It was just people that I thought were tough or worked with their hands. Those qualities kind of was what made someone a cowboy to me when I was a kid. That was before I wrote the song about my dad, so that’s a pretty good sentiment for a tour name.”

As he’s become an arena headliner, it’s meant returning to many venues he first played as a support act, but this time as the main draw. “It’s really awesome,” he says. “I think [moving to arenas] probably means more to me than a lot of steps in my career just because arenas are the perfect-size venue. I’ve been fortunate to be able to go on tour with a lot of great artists. I did stadiums with Luke Combs, and that was a really great opportunity. But there’s something about a stadium — it’s so big and there’s so many people that seem like they’re miles away from you. I love that an arena can kind of somewhat still feel like an intimate setting. There’s no bad ticket in an arena so that’s a lot of fun for me.”

The tour will have six artists rotating as opening acts, with three appearing on each date: Justin Moore, Drake White, Mackenzie Carpenter, Hannah McFarland, Adam Hood and Zach John King.

Green picks his openers for a variety of reasons, but lately he’s been saving a primary support spot for an act that influenced him in some way, such as Tracy Lawrence or Jamey Johnson, who will open for him on the last leg of the Damn Country Music tour.

Moore fits that slot on the 2026 tour. “I was a huge Justin Moore fan as a kid. I’ve still got a picture of me at meet and greet where he opened for Eric Church when I was about 23,” Green says. “And it’s just so cool to be able to go out on the road with him and hear him play all of his hits and maybe even introduce him to some of my fans.”

The artist presale for tickets for the Cowboy As It Gets tour  start today (Sept. 16), with general tickets going on sale on Friday (Sept. 19) through RileyGreenMusic.com/tour.

Cowboy As It Gets Tour Dates:

April 16 – Southaven, MS – Landers Center#~$
April 17 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center#~$ *ON SALE 10/3
April 18 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena#~$
May 7 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion#~•
May 8 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre#~•
June 18 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center#~•
June 19 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Broadview Stage at SPAC#~•
June 20 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater#~•
June 25 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center#$*
June 26 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake#$*
July 16 – Green Bay, WI – Resch Center#~•
July 23 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre#~•
Aug. 6 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater#/•
Aug. 7 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center#/•
Aug. 8 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live#/•
Aug. 13 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion#/•
Aug. 14 – Hartford, CT – The XFINITY Theatre#/•
Aug. 15 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheatre#/•
Aug. 21 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford#$*
Aug. 22 – Grand Forks, ND – Ralph Engelstad Arena#$*

#Justin Moore
~Drake White
$Mackenzie Carpenter
•Hannah McFarland
*Adam Hood
/Zach John King

Bang Si-hyuk, the creative force behind BTS and chairman of K-pop powerhouse HYBE, appeared before the Financial Crimes Investigation Unit of the Korean National Police Agency on Monday (Sept. 15), marking a major development in his first-ever investigation by authorities.

Bang is suspected of deceiving investors in 2019 by claiming he had no plans to hold an IPO for HYBE, before allegedly inducing them to sell their shares in the company to a private equity fund associated with him. After HYBE went public, the fund reportedly cashed out. Under a pre-arranged shareholders’ agreement, Bang received 30% of the profits — around 190 billion KRW (approximately $13.7 million) — in what police describe as unjust gains. Bang’s representatives have flatly denied the allegations, insisting that no false information was given to early investors and that the profit-sharing terms were proposed by the investors themselves.

The current fraudulent trading allegations began in 2024, with police receiving intelligence on the case late last year before launching an investigation. In late July, police raided HYBE’s headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, and chairman Bang returned to South Korea on Aug. 11, where he has remained since.

Speaking briefly with reporters outside the agency on Monday, Bang apologized for “causing concern” about the matter, adding, “I will fully cooperate with the investigation today.”

Before his return to the U.S., Bang sent an internal company email stating: “I am fully aware that I cannot allow my personal issues to continue burdening the company and the industry. I will continue to cooperate sincerely with the ongoing investigation and provide a thorough account once again. I hope that this process will clarify the facts, and I will humbly await the authorities’ judgment.”

On the day Chairman Bang was summoned by police, HYBE’s stock closed at 286,500 KRW (approx. $206), down 5,500 KRW from the previous day, showing little significant fluctuation. It still boasts the highest stock price among K-pop entertainment companies, surpassing SM Entertainment’s stock price (141,600 KRW) by more than twofold. HYBE reached its all-time high of 421,500 KRW (approx. $300) on November 16, 2021.

Founded as Big Hit Entertainment, the agency behind BTS, HYBE now operates under a multi-label system. Its roster includes leading groups such as SEVENTEEN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and ENHYPEN, as well as NewJeans, which is currently embroiled in a legal dispute over its exclusive contract.

Meanwhile, many Korean media outlets and members of the public focused on Chairman Bang’s noticeably slimmer appearance as he stood before the photo line, showing keen interest in his first police questioning.

Musical Christmas has come exceptionally early, with Coachella dropping its 2026 lineup on a seemingly unremarkable Monday night (Sept. 15) in September.

This surprisingly early Coachella talent announcement includes its regular roster of pop superstar headliners, with Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G taking top billing among dozens of other genre spanning acts.

And as always, there’s a long list of electronic artists playing the festival. Names in the biggest font include Anyma, whose mention is floating at the bottom in a position that in previous years has been reserved for artists including Travis Scott, Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia. Boys Noize, who’s been opening for Nine Inch Nails on their current Peel It Back tour, will play alongside the industrial lords as Nine Inch Noize. Major Lazer will play Coachella for the first time in years and Kaskade, Disclosure and Solomun will also get big looks, with their names on the lineup’s upper levels.

Dance acts typically play across most of Coachella’s myriad stages, composing the entire daily lineups for the club-focused Yuma tent, getting marquee spots in Sahara and often also playing on the Outdoor Stage, the Mojave and Gobi tents and occasionally the mainstage as well.

Additionally, the Quasar stage that debuted at Coachella in 2024 and hosts extended b2b sets typically announces its lineups (which in the past two years have been different for each weekend of the festival) much closer to the event in April, as does the the Do Lab stage, an electronic music nexus that’s been a Coachella staple since the festival’s earliest years.

Coachella returns to Indio, Calif., over two weekends April 10-12 and 17-19, 2026. These are all the electronic artists currently on the lineup.

Friday April 10 & 12

Saturday April 11 & 18

Sunday April 12 & 19