'Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks' key art. (NBCUniversal)
This year isn't just the 250th birthday of America, it's also the 50th anniversary of NBC's Macy's 4th of July Fireworks special.
Performers at this year's event include Noah Kahan, Post Malone, Salt-N-Pepa, Bebe Rexha, Shaboozey and Blake Shelton.
This year's fireworks display will feature more than 85,000 shells exploding over the lower parts of New York's East River and Hudson River, paired with a laser show from the Brooklyn Bridge. It'll be set to a score that features a live performance from Alexia Jayy, who just won season 29 of The Voice.
The iconic show will air on Independence Day starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and will stream live on Peacock.
Sia and Maddie Ziegler perform onstage at the 2016 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival on April 17, 2016 in Indio, California. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)
The film captures Sia's performance at Coachella a decade ago and will screen in cinemas worldwide for a limited time starting July 23. Tickets are available now at nostalgicforthepresent.com.
In addition to Sia, the elaborate 2016 performance featured dancer Maddie Ziegler, comedian Tig Notaro and actors Kristen Wiig, Paul Dano, Ben Mendelsohn and Gaby Hoffmann. Sia later toured the world with the same production, which incorporates choreography, special effects, acting and costumes.
Sia says in a statement, "Working with some of the greatest artists of our time was a thrilling, tremendous journey that I would take over and over again, if given the opportunity. I am humbled by the talent of everyone involved and so grateful for the experience."
The performance includes Sia's hits "Chandelier," "Cheap Thrills," "Unstoppable" and "Titanium," as well as her version of the hit she wrote for Rihanna, "Diamonds."
Part of Harry Styles' role as curator of this summer's Meltdown Festival in London was his intimate gig on Tuesday night at the Royal Festival Hall, where he performed alongside an orchestra and gospel choir.
“Thank you so much for being here tonight," he told the crowd, as per the London Evening Standard. "It feels both present and incredibly not present to be so aware that you’re in the middle of your career highlight."
Singing to an audience of 2,700 — far smaller than the crowds at Wembley Stadium during his Together, Together tour — Harry skipped big hits such as "As It Was," "Watermelon Sugar," "Adore You" and "Sign of the Times" in favor of deeper cuts, including "The Waiting Game" from his current album and "Two Ghosts" from his debut album. It was the first time he'd performed the latter since 2020.
He also covered two songs by Canadian artist Patrick Watson, and according to the U.K. music paper NME, incorporated orchestral pieces into the set by Jules Buckley, who was conducting the orchestra.
Harry closed the show with "Bridge Over Troubled Water," the Simon & Garfunkel classic that inspired "Carla's Song," a track on his current album. "Carla's Song" is about the moment his friend Carla listened to "Bridge Over Troubled Water," having never heard it before. He described the moment as “like watching someone see a magic trick for the first time.”
Harry will resume his Wembley Stadium residency Wednesday night. When he completes his 12 nights there, he'll hold the record for most shows by an artist at that venue in a single calendar year.
Now that we're halfway through 2026, Rolling Stone has rounded up this year's releases into a new ranking called "The Best Songs of 2026 So Far."
The top 10 includes Charli XCX at #1 with "SS26," from her upcoming album Music, Fashion, Film. The magazine calls the track "hilariously brutal." Ella Langley's mega-smash "Choosin' Texas," which Rolling Stone describes as "a sparkling entry in the tear-in-my-beer canon," sits at #3.
In at #4 is Olivia Rodrigo's "drop dead," a song the mag says "captured the feeling of being so deliriously head over heels that you feel literally sick."
The #5 song makes the cut but is not a single: "Season 2 Weight Loss" by Harry Styles, in which the singer contemplates whether his fans would love him for who he truly is rather than the idol they believe him to be. Rolling Stone says it's "one of the smartest, most intriguing records" he's made to date.
Bruno Mars' comeback single "I Just Might" lands at #8. According to Rolling Stone, it's "the kind of effervescent pop-funk sugar that's made him one of the most popular showmen in pop music."
Beyond the top 10 are songs including sombr's "Homewrecker," The KID LAROI's "Thank God," Bella Kay's “iloveitiloveitiloveit” and Gracie Abrams' "Hit the Wall."
Brontë Fall, 'Invited to the Party' (Photo: Sammy Hearn/Single Art Design: Anna Torres)
The first thing you should know about Brontë Fall's hit song "Invited to the Party" is that Brontë Fall isn't an actual person — it's the musical project of singer/songwriter Teri Bracken O'Brien.
Teri came up with the name by combining the surname of England's famous literary Brontë sisters with the title of an Emily Brontë poem called "Fall, leaves, fall."
"It started as a band with my really good friend from music school. And so I was like, 'Oh, I'm just part of the band. I write, I play violin, but I'm not the center,'" she tells ABC Audio, adding that she likes to "hide behind a band."
But after her friend dropped out, Teri says, "I was so in love with what we had started and the songs we started writing and the whole vibe of it that I was like, 'I can't let this go by the wayside. I'm gonna be the front person.'"
She became an independent artist and, following the release of her 2024 album, Not Done Yet, reached a personal milestone that inspired her breakthrough hit.
"I was nominated for a Hollywood Independent Music Award last year," she says. "And I know awards are, like, 'Oh, giving awards for art is dumb,' like, 'everybody's a winner' — but the recognition honestly felt so good. I felt like I was finally an actual player in the music industry."
"I didn't win, but I was just talking to my guitar teacher about how great it felt. And she's like, 'Teri, you were invited to the party,'" she adds. "And I was like, 'Yes, I was.' You know? And I just felt like I had to celebrate it."
Celebrating that kind of success also inspired Teri's new Brontë Fall single, "Main Character Energy," out now.
Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Marc Anthony, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, U2's Bono and The Edge are all set to perform at the Grand Opening Ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center. The event will be livestreamed globally at 11 a.m. CT on Thursday. Barack and Michelle Obama will be giving speeches.
Teddy Swims has shared a live performance of a new song called "Break Up in Reverse," which is likely to appear on his as-yet unannounced new album. "So excited to share this song with you !!" he wrote on Instagram. Teddy also recently announced the opening acts for his upcoming Ugly Tour, which include Natasha Bedingfield.
Lola Young's hit "Messy" was named song of the year and top streaming song at the ASCAP London Music Awards, held in the British capital on Tuesday.
Ariana Grande attends the 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 11, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
Ariana Grande may not be dating anyone at the moment, but she does have one constant love in her life and she celebrated his birthday on Tuesday.
That special someone is her dog, Toulouse. She posted a series of photos of him on her Instagram Story and wrote, "happy, happiest thirteenth birthday to my absolutely perfect son and the loml, the greatest living creation on this big, green earth, toulouse."
"i love you every second of every day forever," she continued, adding dozens of exclamation points and the word "WOW." On another photo of the pup digging in the dirt, she wrote, "perfect creature." Other photos and a video show Toulouse accompanying Ariana on her current Eternal Sunshine tour.
Toulouse is reportedly named after the kitten in the 1970 Disney movie The Aristocats, who himself was named after the famous French painter Toulouse Lautrec. He's a rescued beagle-chihuahua mix and has appeared in many of Ari's videos, including "No Tears Left to Cry," "thank u, next," "7 Rings," "Positions" and "Santa Tell Me." He even co-starred with her on the cover of Vogue in 2019.
Olivia Rodrigo filming the music video for 'stupid song' on May 26, 2026 in New York City. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Olivia Rodrigo's costars in her video for "stupid song" are a troupe of New York ballet dancers, including New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck. Tiler also choreographed the spot and toldBillboard what that experience was like.
Olivia walks through the streets of New York City in the video, before being joined by the ballet dancers who dance around her and frolic with her in the park. They shot it in Manhattan from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. in one day, because the dancers had to get to rehearsals by 11:30 a.m.
"When we were sitting between takes and talking, she wanted to know everything," Tiler said of Olivia. "She was like, 'Oh my God, you guys have a show tonight?!' And she ended up sending us all a bouquet of flowers to the theater before our night show. It was so nice. And I could just tell she was fascinated by the whole ballet world."
Tiler said she's the one who insisted that the dancers wear pointe shoes. However, she was forced to have all the white tutus she brought to the set dyed pink because Olivia was "adamant" about the color.
But Tiler says she and the dancers are up for recreating the performance with Olivia anytime. As she told Billboard, "All of us girls had such a fun time with her, if she did ever want that to happen, we would so love to do that."
Meanwhile, "stupid song" is currently soundtracking the trailer for the new film Heartstopper Forever.
Olivia Dean, winner of the Best New Artist award, poses in the press room during the 68th GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 1, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
The 2027 Grammy Awards will include five new categories, including best Asian pop music performance. That category will recognize artistic excellence in Asian pop music performances originating from or widely recognized within Asian markets, including K-pop, J-pop and C-pop recordings that feature meaningful use of one or more Asian languages.
The four additional categories announced Tuesday by the Recording Academy are best Latin song, best traditional pop vocal performance, best R&B collaboration or duo/group performance and best traditional folk album.
The Academy also announced several changes to its voting and eligibility rules ahead of the 69th Grammy Awards. For example, labels can now enter artists for consideration in the best new artist category up to four times. Previously, if they'd been entered for consideration three times but didn't make the cut, they were no longer eligible.
The rule change means that Ella Langley has another shot at best new artist. As per Billboard, she's been entered for consideration in the category the past three years, but has failed to make the ballot. Now, in what has so far been the biggest year of her career, she can compete again.
The 69th Grammy Awards will air live on ABC, Disney+ and Hulu on Feb. 7, 2027.
"2027 is going to be an amazing year for the Grammy Awards, and one that reflects the extraordinary growth we're seeing across music," Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement. "The changes advanced by our Academy members speak to the breadth of today's music industry and the many genres, crafts and creators shaping it."
Disney is the parent company of ABC News, ABC and Hulu.
Joe Jonas plays in-game 'Hay Day' Country Music Festival (Courtesy Hay Day)
Joe Jonas' latest solo song will take you down on the farm.
"The Cozy Anthem" was created especially for the mobile farming game Hay Day and is now playing across every farm in the game. It's based on the game's theme tune, which Joe has turned into a full-fledged song. The unveiling of the song marks the start of a two-week virtual music festival in the game, which Joe will headline.
Players will also be able to create their own versions of the song and download decorations inspired by the song, including an in-game jukebox.
"With everything I've got going on, it's not always easy to find a moment to disconnect. Hay Day has become one of those little escapes where I can relax, have fun, and recharge," Joe says in a statement. "There's something strangely satisfying about checking on your farm before checking your emails."
But Joe isn't the only Jonas Brother doing something solo. Nick Jonas will perform on the upcoming special Disney Celebrates America: Nashville’s Star-Spangled Bash, which airs live July 4 on ABC and multiple streaming channels. Other performers on the special include Boyz II Men, Lauren Daigle, The All-American Rejects, NE-YO, and country stars Reba McEntire and Tim McGraw.
The singer-songwriter, born Jason Bradley DeFord, filed for divorce from the podcast host, born Alisa Andrea DeFord, on May 18 after nearly 10 years of marriage, according to court documents filed in Williamson County, Tennessee, last month.
The court documents were filed May 18 and cite "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split.
The pair initially tied the knot in August 2016 in Las Vegas. They returned to Las Vegas in 2023 to renew their vows.
The "Need a Favor" singer and his wife have spoken publicly about their marriage over the years, sharing details about their relationship on social media, including its ups and downs.
In March, Bunnie Xo sat down with Nightline anchor Juju Chang to discuss her memoir, Stripped Down, and opened up about the pair's first few years as a married couple, including her decision to continue working as a sex worker during that time.
"I fell in love with my husband because he treated me like no other man had," she said at the time. "He never used my job against me. He never shamed me for it. He just loved me."
She also said the pair were able to overcome infidelity early on in their relationship, which Jelly Roll has acknowledged publicly and expressed regret about.
"Everybody thinks I just got back together with him and forgave him," she said. "No. We had to really do the work. We are going to wake up and choose each other. Even on days I don't like you, I'm still gonna choose you."
The two also previously opened up about their experience with in vitro fertilization.
In June 2024, Bunnie Xo wrote on Instagram that the couple had met with "IVF doctors" and were "exploring all our options to add to our family."
"We had planned on doing this privately, but decided our ivf journey needed to be shared because we've always been so open," she said at the time, sharing a clip of her husband discussing parenthood in a podcast interview.
The estranged couple have no children together. Jelly Roll is the father of two children from separate relationships, a daughter named Bailee Ann and a son named Noah Buddy.
ABC News has reached out to representatives for Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo for comment.
Urban Outfitters' Pride Vinyl Collection (Courtesy Urban Outfitters)
Urban Outfitters is offering shoppers exclusive and limited-edition vinyl releases as part of its Celebrate Pride: Loud and Proud campaign. The vinyl is available online and in select stores across North America.
Among the selections are a version of Zara Larsson's album Midnight Sun, pressed on Dolphin Splash Aqua Vinyl; a 7-inch single of Kesha's songs "ATTENTION!" and "Red Flag" on Violent Transparent vinyl; a heart-shaped single featuring Madison Beer's songs "bad enough" and "angel wings" pressed on Baby Blue vinyl; and a 2-LP version of the deluxe edition of Reneé Rapp's album Snow Angel, pressed on Lavender Marble vinyl.
Other vinyls available as part of the campaign include releases from JADE, Slayyyter, Robyn and Wet Leg.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attend Game Three in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Rocket Arena on May 23, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Taylor Swift didn't attend the live taping of her fiancé Travis Kelce's podcast on Monday, but she did appear in a prerecorded segment.
Several weeks ago on New Heights, Travis' brother, Jason Kelce, and Jason's wife, Kylie Kelce, said that Taylor had helped Travis, a picky eater, to become more adventurous with food. That conversation led the podcast's producer, Brandon Borders, to joke that Taylor feeds Travis by making "little airplane noises," as parents sometimes do with toddlers.
As per People,during the live taping, the audience was shown that particular segment, followed by a humorous prerecorded video in which Taylor appeared to feed Travis a forkful of food while making airplane noises.
Taylor wasn't at the LA taping. For the past week, she has been in New York City, where she watched Game 4 of the NBA Finals, got inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, saw the Broadway play Oh, Mary! and may possibly be recording new music. E! Onlinereports that Taylor went to Electric Lady Studios at 8:30 p.m. Monday and didn't emerge until 6 a.m. the following morning, accompanied by her pals Alana and Danielle Haim of the band HAIM.
Meanwhile, her Toy Story 5 song, "I Knew It, I Knew You," is #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Goo Goo Dolls perform on ABC's 'New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026' (Disney/Chris Willard)
Sorry, fans and celebrities: the guy who wrote "Iris" didn't see your "What were you like in the '90s?" meme post.
It seemed like everyone was jumping on that trend a few months ago: It consisted of posting throwback photos of yourself during the '90s while the Goo Goo Dolls' hit "Iris" played in the background. John Stamos, Kevin Bacon, Courteney Cox, Reese Witherspoon, Brooke Shields, Spice Girls and the Backstreet Boys are just some of the celebrities who took part in the trend.
But when ABC Audio asked which one of those celebrity versions of the trend was his favorite, Goo Goo Dolls singer John Rzeznik, who wrote "Iris," didn't have an answer.
"Are you talking about the 'What were you doing in the '90s' thing?" John asked ABC Audio. "I didn't see any of them. I can't go on social media."
However, John does have a theory as to why the song, which was a hit in 1998, is still connecting with audiences today. It's used as a wedding song, it's a popular song for younger artists to cover, and it's been streamed on Spotify more than 3 billion times.
"I think it's a pretty simple theme: 'I just want you to know who I am,'" John tells ABC Audio of the song's lyrics. "I mean, we all want to be seen, we all want be heard — even though the first line of the chorus is, 'I don't want anybody to see me,' whatever."
"But we all wanna be seen. We all want to be acknowledged."
"Iris," named after singer Iris DeMent, was originally written for the Nicholas Cage/Meg Ryan film City of Angels. The lyrics reflect the film's plot, in which an angel falls in love with a mortal woman and gives up immortality to be with her.
Sam Smith will release a new song called "My Guy" on June 24. On Instagram, he writes, "A song that I feel I have been waiting a lifetime to write and sing. ... [T]his one fell out of the sky. In this sometimes cold and distant world, I hope you can feel the love and the closeness of this recording. I tried to capture the glow and the warmth of love in this one, it makes me cry, maybe it will make you feel a little love too." "My Guy" is available to presave now.
Ariana Grande is using her live shows to reveal the track list of her new album, petal. Her current single, "hate that i made you love me," is listed as the #2 track on the project on streaming services. She later revealed at her most recent concerts that track #1 is called "kiss me" and track #3 is the title track.
When Katy Perry performed at the United States' World Cup opening game in LA on Friday, her boyfriend Justin Trudeau was in attendance. After he noticing he'd been called out for watching the game in Inglewood rather than Canada's first game in Toronto, the former prime minister of Canada responded on X, "Sometimes supportive boyfriend duties call. But you know who I’m rooting for to take the Cup." He added a Canadian flag emoji.
Backstreet Boy Howie Dorough will release his first-ever Spanish-language single, "Coqui," on June 18. On Instagram, he wrote that he was thankful for his fans' support "on my Spanish language journey thus far."
Olivia Rodrigo on Apple Music's 'The Zane Lowe Show' (Courtesy Apple Music / The Zane Lowe Show)
In the song “u + me = <3" on her new album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, Olivia Rodrigo sings of her boyfriend, "I like your big sister/ Shе has your same face/ And I tried to win hеr/ Over with my cynical humor and yacht rock music taste." But in real life, Olivia professes not to like yacht rock — or even know what it is, exactly.
Speaking with Zane Lowe on Apple Music's The Zane Lowe Show, Olivia said that particular line was the idea of her producer, Dan Nigro. "He's like, 'It has to be something that you don't really actually like. It has to be cringey and funny,'" Olivia told Zane, adding that that line was "a little fake."
Zane then pronounced himself "disappointed" that Olivia doesn't like yacht rock, a term often used to describe highly produced, jazz-influenced soft rock and pop music from the 1970s and early '80s.
"Dude, what's not to like?" he asked her.
"Maybe if I was spending more time on boats I would like it," she replied.
"Man, there's just so many interesting chord changes. What do you not like about cerebral cord changes?" Zane asked her. "You have to make me a playlist and send it to me. Maybe I'm not up to speed on all the coolest yacht rock," Olivia responded.
After Zane said he'd send the playlist immediately, Olivia admitted that she didn't really know much about the genre.
"What are actually technically yacht rock songs? What's the biggest yacht rock song?" she asked him. Zane mentioned Christopher Cross' "Sailing" and the Doobie Brothers' "What a Fool Believes" as two prime examples.
"Perfect," she said. "It'll be my Fourth of July playlist."
Zara Larsson performs on NBC's 'Today' show, May 8, 2026 in New York City. (BG048/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
A broken high heel couldn't keep Zara Larsson from dancing during a performance on the Today show in May, and now that broken silver pump will raise money for a good cause.
The heel is one of the items up for sale at GLAAD's Pride Month auction, which will benefit the organization in its mission to accelerate acceptance for the LGBTQ community. Best of all, the price of the heel — like all the items in the auction — starts at just 99 cents. The auction goes live on Tuesday at eBay.com/glaad.
In addition to Zara's heel, fans can bid on two tickets to see Hilary Duff in LA on July 9; an autographed guitar and other signed merch from Jewel; tickets for various concerts by Evanescence, Brandi Carlile, Kacey Musgraves and Sarah McLachlan; a signed vinyl collection from Sam Smith; and a signed pair of overalls from The Traitors season 4 winner Rob Rausch.
One hundred percent of the proceeds will directly benefit GLAAD.
Taylor Swift, 'I Knew It, I Knew You' from 'Toy Story 5' (Walt Disney Records)
We knew it: Taylor Swift's new song for Toy Story 5has entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #1.
"I Knew It, I Knew You" is Taylor's ninth song to debut on top of the chart, making her the female artist with the most #1 debuts. Previously, she and Ariana Grande were tied at eight.
Overall, the song is her 15th #1 hit. Only two artists have had more: Mariah Carey with 19 and The Beatles with 20. She and Rihanna were previously tied with 14.
"I Knew It, I Knew You" is only the third #1 hit ever from a Disney film, following "We Don't Talk About Bruno" from Encanto in 2022, and Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle's "A Whole New World" from Aladdin in 1993.
The song, inspired by the character of Jessie in the Toy Story films, is Taylor's second #1 of 2026, following "Opalite" back in February. So far, she's the only artist to score two #1 hits this year.
And in other Taylor Swift news, according to The Athletic the courtside seat at Cleveland's Rocket Arena that Taylor sat in May 23 during Game 3 of the NBA Finals has been auctioned off by the Cavaliers for $7,000. By comparison, the seat her fiancé, Travis Kelce, sat in that same night made $1,405 in the same auction.
Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter, 'Bring Your Love' (Warner Records)
Madonna has released a new video for her Sabrina Carpenter duet, "Bring Your Love," and she's brought another blonde along for the ride: Julia Garner.
The video is similar to the "Bring Your Love" sequence in Madonna's short film Confessions II, which she debuted at New York's Tribeca Festival, and it was directed by the same people. In both, Madonna is shown dancing at a club as masked women dressed like high-tech ninjas pursue her with cameras.
Also in both, Julia, who was originally supposed to portray Madonna in a biopic, appears up at the club, styled like the Queen of Pop circa 1986.
This video, however, starts with Madonna dancing in a huge empty space, before a crowd of sweaty, shirtless men and a crowd of clubgoers charge at each other from opposite sides of the room. They all start dancing and Madonna, who's rolled up in a piece of black fabric on the floor, gets kicked around before jumping up and welcoming Sabrina to the party.
As the packed dance floor gyrates, Madonna — or her body double — is shown flying and doing flips above the crowd while Sabrina stays on the ground. At the end, Madonna walks down a hallway and into a doorway decorated with a poster reading, "Come to the Club of Love."
"Bring Your Love" is from Madonna's album Confessions II, due July 3.
Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and Olivia Rodrigo perform during the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 13, 2024 in Indio, California. (John Shearer/Getty Images for No Doubt)
Olivia Rodrigo just can't stop joining her musical influences onstage.
After teaming up with The Cure's Robert Smith at the Primavera Sound festival on June 6, Olivia popped up at the final show of No Doubt's residency at Sphere Las Vegas.
Throughout the 18-show run, Gwen Stefani had been bringing fans up onstage to hug them. At the June 13 show, she spotted a pink sign in the crowd reading, "I’m just a girl who wants the last hug at the last Sphere show." Turns out, Olivia was the person holding it.
"Is that Olivia Rodrigo?" Gwen said, pretending the appearance was a surprise. Olivia ran onstage wearing a baseball cap, yellow shirt, blue shorts and boots. "Give it up for Olivia Rodrigo! She has a new record that just came out!" Gwen yelled, referring to Olivia's new album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, which was released on Friday. "This is my homie right here!"
Both women grew up about an hour away from each other in California.
"No Doubt, best band in the world!" screamed Olivia. "I love you so much!" The two embraced again. "I love you," said Gwen. "Thank you for coming to our concert! That was really her!"
It wasn't the first time Olivia had appeared onstage with No Doubt. At Coachella 2024, she joined them to perform the band's 2000 song "Bathwater," wearing an "I [heart] ND]" tank top.
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