Daily Music Headlines

Taylor Swift donated $1 million each to Feeding America and the American Heart Association this holiday season, supporting food banks nationwide and heart-health research in honor of her father’s recovery from heart surgery.Billboard.comBillboard.comAfrobeats star Asake said he was devastated by the death of 20-year-old fan Karen Lojore, who was killed in a crowd crush outside his Dec. 20 show at Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium, and called for accountability over safety failures.Billboard.comBad Bunny and J Balvin ended their long-rumored feud by reuniting onstage at the final Mexico City stop of Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour on Dec. 21, marking their first joint performance since 2021.NME.comFrance’s culture ministry has added electronic music to the country’s Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, formally recognizing the genre’s cultural impact and importance to French artistic identity.Billboard.comSean Ono Lennon said he is taking on a greater role in preserving the legacy of The Beatles and his parents, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, as his mother steps back from public life and younger audiences reshape listening habits.NME.comQueen guitarist Brian May debuted a previously unreleased Queen track, “Not For Sale (Polar Bear),” recorded during the 1974 Queen II sessions and set for inclusion in the album’s 2026 re-release.Billboard.comEnrique Iglesias and Anna Kournikova welcomed their fourth child on Dec. 17, 2025, sharing the news days later in a joint Instagram post captioned “My Sunshine.”Music-News.comBillboard has released its list of the Top K-Pop Songs of 2025, ranking NMIXX’s “Blue Valentine” at number one.Billboard.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

• British blues rocker Chris Rea, known for “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)” and “Driving Home for Christmas,” died at 74. He released over 20 albums, earned a 1979 Grammy nod, and also competed in the 1993 British Touring Car Championship.• Snoop Dogg will debut as an NBA analyst January 5, calling the second half of Clippers vs. Warriors alongside Reggie Miller and Terry Gannon. He’s been prepping with film study and team shootarounds.• Snoop Dogg will also headline the NFL Christmas Day halftime show with HUNTR/X and Lainey Wilson. The Netflix special includes a holiday remix of “Drop It Like It’s Hot.”• Spotify disabled accounts tied to scraping metadata and artwork for 86 million songs. The leak was linked to a so-called preservation group; Spotify says new safeguards are in place.• Barry Manilow will undergo surgery to remove a cancerous lung spot. Doctors say it hasn’t spread. January shows are postponed, with a return planned for February.• Former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent announced a $200 limited CD single, “Ride The Serpent,” launching his long-delayed album Judgment Day. He cited piracy concerns for the pricing.• Lady Gaga will stream Harlequin Live: One Night Only on Christmas Eve, filmed at LA’s Belasco Theatre in September 2024.• Yngwie Malmsteen slammed former vocalists for using his name and material, stressing they were paid contributors, not creative partners.• Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” hits a record 21st week at No. 1 on the Hot 100, marking her 100th career week atop the chart.• Metallica’s James Hetfield shared a gravel-voiced dramatic reading of “A Visit From St. Nicholas” on SiriusXM and Instagram.Top Albums (Billboard 200)5. Ultimate Christmas – Bing Crosby4. Christmas – Michael Bublé3. KPop Demon Hunters – Soundtrack2. I’m The Problem – Morgan WallenThe Life Of A Showgirl – Taylor SwiftStay current every weekday at DailyMusicHeadlines.com. Two days until Christmas—are you still in Whamhalla? Feedback: [email protected] by Hammond Chamberlain and Anthony Lemos. Written and hosted by Brian Ibbott and Eileen Rivera. Executive producer: Tom Merritt. Theme music by Lex Dallas and the State Street Players. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

• No Doubt reunion: After nine years apart, No Doubt reunited at Coachella 2024 and FireAid and are now prepping an 18-show Las Vegas Sphere residency. Bassist Tony Kanal calls it daunting but thrilling.• Billboard 200: Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl logs a 10th week at No. 1, making her the first woman with four albums hitting that mark. 21 Savage debuts at No. 3 with WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREETS? Six holiday albums fill the top 10, led by Michael Bublé. • Spotify leak: A pirate activist group scraped Spotify metadata and audio files, releasing the metadata and planning P2P distribution. Spotify is investigating a potential massive open music archive leak. • Kata Hay arrest: The Voice alum Kata Hay was arrested in Oklahoma on a vehicular homicide warrant tied to a Dec. 10 incident in Tennessee, plus leaving the scene and an open container charge.• Chicago record shop threat: Bridgeport Records received a death threat over selling diverse house and dance music. Owners say they remain committed and the threat doesn’t reflect the community. • Flaming Lips update: Drummer Matthew Duckworth Kirksey addressed Steven Drozd’s exit, praising Wayne Coyne’s leadership and announcing new music the band says is among their best in years. • Kitt Wakeley: Grammy-nominated Seven Seasons turns shared experiences of grief into a classical work built from interviews with 41 people navigating loss. • RIP Mick Abrahams: Original Jethro Tull guitarist and Blodwyn Pig founder Mick Abrahams has died at 82. He played on Tull’s 1968 debut before departing over musical differences. • Healing with vinyl: An NPR feature spotlights ATX-VINyL, a palliative care program bringing bedside vinyl listening to patients to improve comfort and quality of life. Hot 100 Singles:5. Ariana Grande – “Santa Tell Me”4. Bobby Helms – “Jingle Bell Rock”3. Wham! – “Last Christmas”2. Brenda Lee – “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”Mariah Carey – “All I Want for Christmas Is You”Subscribe for weekday updates at DailyMusicHeadlines.com. Surviving Whamaggedon? Email [email protected] by Hammond Chamberlain and Anthony Lemos. Written and hosted by Brian Ibbott and Eileen Rivera. Executive producer Tom Merritt. Theme by Lex Dallas and the State Street Players. Thanks for listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Taylor Swift has moved the final two episodes of her Disney+ docuseries The End of an Era to December 23, 2025, framing the early release as a holiday gift that wraps the Eras Tour series just before Christmas.VarietyDiplo and Calvin Harris will co-headline a Super Bowl LX weekend concert at San Francisco’s Pier 80 on February 6, 2026, launching a slate of Bay Area pre-game events with tickets going on sale December 26.BillboardJelly Roll has received a full pardon from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee for past robbery and drug offenses, with state officials citing his personal transformation and advocacy for recovery and second chances.VarietyWiz Khalifa has been sentenced in absentia to nine months in prison by a Romanian court for cannabis possession stemming from a 2024 onstage incident, though it remains unclear how or if the sentence will be enforced.Rolling StoneThe NBA announced that Ludacris, Shaboozey, and K-pop group CORTIS will headline the NBA Crossover concert series during All-Star Weekend 2026 in Los Angeles from February 12–14.Rolling StoneA lawsuit involving former business partners of Priscilla Presley includes an unproven claim that Riley Keough is the biological mother of John Travolta’s teenage son, an allegation Presley’s legal team has denounced as shameful and unrelated to the case.BillboardFormer President Barack Obama has released his annual list of favorite songs of 2025, featuring artists including Drake, Lady Gaga, Olivia Dean, and BLACKPINK.BillboardNew ReleasesMuévelo – Kali UchisApple MusicHard Body – Polo GApple MusicWar – ILLENIUM feat. Lø SpiritApple MusicLonely Girl – Skye NewmanApple MusicDuet – Zico & Lilas (YOASOBI)Apple Music Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

YouTube will stop submitting its U.S. streaming data to Billboard charts in early January after a dispute over formulas that prioritize paid streams over ad-supported viewing, arguing the methodology no longer reflects how fans consume music.variety.comOlivia Dean said a message from a struggling single mother who could not afford resale tickets inspired her to publicly criticize Ticketmaster, Live Nation, and AEG, leading Ticketmaster to cap resale prices at face value for her shows.billboard.comOpenAI confirmed ChatGPT will integrate third-party apps directly into the service, with Apple Music announced as an upcoming partner allowing users to create playlists and interact with the platform inside the chatbot.digitalmusicnews.comProduction music owners and publishers have filed a $123 million lawsuit against ASCAP, alleging it underpaid and misreported radio royalties for background music used on news, sports, and talk radio programming.digitalmusicnews.comJane’s Addiction has officially announced its breakup following a 2024 onstage altercation between Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro that led to tour cancellations and internal lawsuits.variety.comGeorge Clinton revealed plans for a 2026 Parliament-Funkadelic tour featuring a newly built “Mothership” stage prop, replacing the original now housed in the Smithsonian.billboard.comHYBE has launched a joint venture called NFO LLC and entered a global management partnership with Grammy-winning South African pop star Tyla to oversee her worldwide career.koreaherald.comBE:FIRST’s “Lighting Up the Town” has reached number one on Japan’s Billboard Hot 100, followed by Kenshi Yonezu, ≠ME, HANA, and Naniwa Danshi.music.apple.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.