Category: Music

ATEEZ are heading to Hyde Park. The eight-member South Korean group have been confirmed as headliners for BST Hyde Park’s June 28 show in London — their only U.K. date of 2026.

The group join a 2026 BST Hyde Park lineup that also includes Garth Brooks (June 27), Maroon 5 (July 3), Mumford & Sons (July 4), Duran Duran (July 5), Pitbull (July 10) and Lewis Capaldi (July 11-12). A full supporting lineup is yet to be announced.

The announcement places ATEEZ in storied company. BST Hyde Park has become the defining stage for K-pop’s global ambitions — BLACKPINK made U.K. festival history there in 2023 as the first K-pop act to headline a major British music festival, followed by Stray Kids the following year as the first male K-pop group to do the same. ATEEZ now take that baton.

The eight members — Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho — have built one of the most consistent chart runs in K-pop history since debuting under KQ Entertainment in October 2018, selling out a world tour just four months after their first release.

Their storytelling-driven discography spans four interconnected album series — Treasure, Fever, The World and Golden Hour — and has produced two Billboard 200 No. 1s, making them one of only three K-pop acts alongside BTS and Stray Kids to top the chart more than once.

Nine of their releases have charted on the Billboard 200, with eight landing in the top 10. In the U.K., they became the first South Korean act to place three different releases in the Official Albums Chart top 10 within a single year, achieving the milestone in 2024.

Their most recent release, GOLDEN HOUR: Part.4, arrived in early 2026 led by the high-energy single “Adrenaline,” adding fresh momentum heading into a Hyde Park headline debut that feels less like an arrival and more like a confirmation.

American Express presale begins Monday (May 18) at 10 a.m., with an artist presale on May 20 and general on sale opening May 29 at 10 a.m. local time.

Gorillaz, The Strokes and Twenty One Pilots will headline the 16th edition of the Corona Capital festival, promoter OCESA announced on Monday night (May 18). The highly anticipated lineup for the annual rock gathering, scheduled to take place November 20-22 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, also features The xx, Lola Young, Mumford & Sons, The Offspring, Underworld, Daniel Caesar, James Blake and Lil Yachty.

More than 70 acts will make up the 2026 program, including Mother Mother, Pierce The Veil, The Kooks, Tricky, The Black Crowes, Manic Street Preachers, Yung Lean, Violet Grohl, Chvrches and Johnny Marr.

This year’s edition marks the highly awaited debut of Gorillaz at the renowned festival as part of their international Mountain Tour. It will also be the first time that the legendary band Manic Street Preachers performs in the Latin American country. Meanwhile, New York-based band The Strokes will return to Mexico City after four years.

“In every edition, we strive to strike a balance between legendary artists, contemporary acts, and new talents that are shaping the future of music,” Memo Parra, creator of Corona Capital and current director of international events at OCESA, told Billboard Español. “At the same time, we put a huge focus on fan experience: from production, infrastructure, and gastronomy to comfort, technology, and services within the festival.”

“Today’s audience is much more connected, informed, and demanding, and that forces us to constantly innovate to continue delivering an experience that matches the world’s top festivals,” he added.

Promoters said they expect around 240,000 attendees over the three-day event. The presale for Citibanamex cardholders will take place on May 26, OCESA announced. General ticket will go on sale the following day.

Over its 16 years, Corona Capital has solidified its reputation as the most important international music festival in Mexico and one of the few in Latin America that features prominent Anglo artists, similar to the Chilean and Brazilian editions of Lollapalooza.

“Latin America, and particularly Mexico, has become one of the most important markets for the global live entertainment industry,” Parra noted. “Today, artists understand that there is a very powerful combination here: passionate audiences, a rich musical culture, world-class infrastructure and a level of attendance comparable to the major entertainment capitals.”

In the past, the festival has brought renowned acts such as Paul McCartney, The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Muse, Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys, Blur, Portishead, Interpol, Billie Eilish, Pixies and Richard Ashcroft.

Check out the full Corona Capital 2026 lineup below.

Madonna only had “4 Minutes” to save the world, and now the Queen of Pop, Shakira and BTS only have 11 minutes to stage the first-ever World Cup halftime show.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about how the three superstar acts might share their time during the 2026 World Cup final game on Sunday, July 19, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. One theory we have: Each act could have around three minutes to do a medley of their new music and their biggest hits, and then all three can come together for a new version of Shak’s just-released World Cup anthem “Dai Dai” (originally also featuring Burna Boy).

We’ll have to wait until the soccer world championship in July to find out, but in the meantime, listen to our conversation below.

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Noah Kahan spends a third week atop the Billboard 200 albums chart with The Great Divide — and, perhaps shockingly, no rock album has spent at least three weeks at No. 1 in more than a decade. What was the last album? Listen to the podcast to find out! Plus, on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, Ella Langley hits double digits, with “Choosin’ Texas” spending a 10th week at No. 1, while Bruno Mars’ “Risk It All” returns to the top 10 after a Spanish-language version of the song dropped.

We also discuss Drake releasing a trio of new albums on Friday and how it could affect next week’s charts, as well as Harry Styles kicking off his Together, Together Tour with the first of 10 shows in Amsterdam.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

Congressional Democrats got together with key stakeholders on Monday (May 18) to criticize the settlement cut by the federal government during Live Nation’s antitrust trial, which state attorneys general ended up winning on all counts.

Top Democratic senators and representatives discussed Live Nation at a so-called “shadow hearing,” meaning the proceeding was not sanctioned by Republicans, who control both chambers. The witnesses were California Attorney General Rob Bonta, former DOJ lawyer Roger Alford, The Hold Steady keyboardist Franz Nicolay, indie promoter Jerry Mickelson and indie venue owner Tom DeGeorge.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) shocked court-watchers in March when it settled out of its blockbuster antitrust trial against Live Nation after just a few days, striking a deal that would require Live Nation to cut back on some exclusivity practices but allow it to retain ownership of Ticketmaster. Dozens of states rejected that settlement and trudged forward with the case, ultimately winning a verdict that held Live Nation liable for monopolizing the artist, venue and ticketing sides of the live music industry.

While Live Nation previously said the DOJ settlement was “a major step in improving the concert experience for artists and fans,” lawmakers spent much of Monday’s hearing criticizing Donald Trump’s appointees for inking the resolution. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) described it as a “sweetheart deal, ” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) called it a “trivial and pathetic slap on the wrist” and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said it was “a complete sellout.” They also cited reports that Live Nation hired Trump allies Kellyanne Conway and Mike Davis to lobby for the deal.  

Bonta, who was one of the attorneys general to continue pursuing the Live Nation trial to a verdict, shed some light in his testimony on how the DOJ deal came to be. He said the DOJ suddenly “went quiet” midway through the trial despite their years-long united front in pursuing the case against Live Nation — and then “they burned all the trust.”

“They bailed,” said Bonta. “They left us hanging. We’re a team, and they left their teammates. They left us flatfooted for a moment, but we regrouped quickly… We were able to fight for more, and we got more.”

It still remains to be seen what Live Nation’s ultimate punishment will be for the alleged antitrust violations, which the company fervently denies. A decision on so-called remedies will fall to Judge Arun Subramanian, with states set to argue for a forced sale of Ticketmaster in a major court brief expected later this week.

Live Nation, meanwhile, has said it is confident the outcome “will not be materially different than what is envisioned by the DOJ settlement.” The company also intends to appeal any unfavorable rulings, arguing that it achieved success in the market through shrewd business dealings rather than any anticompetitive activity.

Many of the lawmakers advocated on Monday for a Ticketmaster breakup. Raskin, for example, stated that Live Nation’s monopoly is so strong that artists are “seriously afraid” of the company: “Many of the performers we asked to testify today at this event would not make themselves available for fear that Live Nation Entertainment would take away their livelihood,” he said.

Nicolay, the one artist who did testify at the hearing, noted in his testimony that megastars are not the only ones affected by Live Nation’s alleged conduct. “The music industry obviously is always going to focus on the Taylor Swifts and Bruce Springsteens,” said the keyboardist, “but the monopolistic forces that control the industry equally affect the broad popular music middle class.”

Reps for Live Nation and the DOJ did not immediately return requests for comment following the hearing.

Madonna and Peggy Gou‘s “I Feel So Free (Peggy Gou Energy Mix)” tops this week’s best new music poll.

Listeners voted in a poll published Friday (May 15) on Billboard, choosing the dancefloor-ready remix as their favorite music release of the week over a stacked field that included Drake’s historic triple album drop and new projects from Maluma, Gracie Abrams, Givēon and more.

The winning single is the latest preview of Madonna’s forthcoming album Confessions II, due July 3 — her first full-length release in seven years and the long-awaited sequel to her landmark 2005 dance record Confessions on a Dance Floor.

The original “I Feel So Free” was co-produced by Stuart Price, who helmed the original Confessions on a Dance Floor and serves as musical director on several of Madonna’s tours. The Peggy Gou remix transforms the track into a bouncy, high-energy club anthem that leans into the Berlin-based DJ and producer’s signature house sound — a natural pairing given Gou’s crossover breakthrough with her 2023 hit “(It Goes Like) Nanana”.

Madonna teased the track during her surprise appearance at Sabrina Carpenter’s Coachella weekend two headlining set last month, where the two also performed “Like a Prayer” together and debuted what appeared to be another new track from Confessions II.

The biggest competition in the poll this week came from Drake, who dominated New Music Friday with a sweeping triple album drop — Iceman, Habibti and Maid of Honour — comprising a combined 43 tracks featuring Future, Molly Santana, Sexyy Red, PARTYNEXTDOOR and 21 Savage.

Maluma also made a strong showing with his new album Loco X Volver, in which the Colombian superstar sharpens his focus on family and his roots.

Gracie Abrams entered the race with “Hit the Wall,” the lead single from her forthcoming album Daughter From Hell, once again joining forces with producer Aaron Dessner for a verbose track that signals a more mature creative chapter. Tove Lo dropped “I’m Your Girl Right?” — the dance-floor-ready first taste of her upcoming Estrus LP — while Rostam and Clairo teamed up on “Hardy” from Rostam’s new American Stories album.

Elsewhere, Jorja Smith delivered the basement club-tinged “What’s Done Is Done,” Shakira and Burna Boy linked up on “Dai Dai,” and Martin Garrix and Ed Sheeran reunited on “Repeat It.” Full projects also arrived from Givēon (Beloved: Act II), Shaggy (Lottery), Kenny Mason (Bulldawg), Mýa (Retrospect), Tone Stith (The Edge), and Tank and the Bangas (The Last Balloon).

See the final results of this week’s poll below.

Take Our Poll

Killswitch Engage are returning to Australia and New Zealand for their biggest headline run in the region yet, the Massachusetts metalcore band announced Monday (May 18). English metal outfit Sylosis will serve as special guests across all dates.

The run marks the band’s first headline shows in Australia and New Zealand since 2018, and their first visit to the region since September 2024, when they supported Iron Maiden on their arena tour.

The upcoming tour will kick off in New Zealand with a show at Auckland’s Powerstation on Oct. 31, followed by Wellington’s Meow Nui on Nov. 1. The band then moves through Australia, playing Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall on Nov. 3, Sydney’s Enmore Theatre on Nov. 6, Wollongong’s Waves on Nov. 7, Melbourne’s Forum on Nov. 10, Adelaide’s Hindley Street Music Hall on Nov. 12, and concluding at Metropolis Fremantle in Perth on Nov. 14.

A Spotify presale opens Tuesday, May 19 at 10 a.m. AEST using the code KSE26, followed by a promoter presale Wednesday, May 20 at 10 a.m. AEST with the code KSEAUS. General tickets go on sale Thursday, May 21 at 10 a.m. AEST via SBM Presents.

Formed in Westfield, Massachusetts in 1999, Killswitch Engage are one of the defining acts of the American metalcore movement, having placed seven albums on the Billboard 200 including three top 10 debuts. Their 2016 album Incarnate remains their highest-charting record, debuting at No. 6, while Disarm the Descent (2013) and their 2009 self-titled album both debuted at No. 7. Atonement (2019) peaked at No. 13 and topped both the Top Rock Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts.

The band has earned three Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance — for “The End of Heartache” (2005), “In Due Time” (2014) and “Unleashed” (2020). Their most recent studio album, This Consequence, was released in February 2025.