It was released as the third of the three-pack of new albums Drake dropped to stunned audiences this May. But now, HABIBTI is the first album from the triple-release to get its own deluxe edition, with four new tracks debuting two Fridays ago (Oct. 2).

The quartet of tracks comprising the bonus material on HABIBTI (FOMO) — subtitled after the hour-long visual Drake released in September, which featured the new tracks for the first time, along with several other HABIBTI cuts — all appear on this week’s Hot 100, led by the Don Tolliver-featuring (and Ella Langley-lifting) “Solar Eclipse” at No. 5. These tracks swarm the Hot 100 just a week after Drake’s fellow megastar Taylor Swift did the same with a quartet of new bonus tracks off her own recent deluxe edition, The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore.

Is there something to the four-track-bonus release strategy? And can Drake now call it a wrap for his 2026? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.

1. Drake notches four combined chart debuts and reentries this week from his HABIBTI bonus cuts, with “Solar Eclipse” with Don Toliver debuting at No. 5, “Quebec” at No. 11 and “Cold Shoulder” (also with Don Toliver, and Yebba) at No. 18, while “Classic” re-enters at a new No. 28 high following the release of the new “Classic Pt. 2.” Is this all better, worse or about what you would’ve expected from the performance of the new four-pack?  

Kyle Denis: This is exactly what I suspected. The “Choosin’ Texas” flip debuts the highest, the equally buzzy “Quebec” lands right outside the top 10 and the rest of the songs make the top 30. Business as usual for Drizzy Drake. 

Lyndsey Havens: About what I’d expect! A top five debut is admirable, and even more so when you realize the four songs ahead of it are all country or country-leaning. In a relatively sleepy year for hip-hop and rap on the Hot 100, Drake’s four-pack performance proves that the interest is still there.

Carl Lamarre: I’m fine with this. Drake delivered an impressive 1-2-3 debut this past May on the Billboard 200. Led by ICEMAN, Drake leapfrogged Jay-Z for the most No. 1 albums among solo male artists (15) and surpassed the King of Pop for the most No. 1s on the Hot 100 among male soloists. Skating past Jigga and MJ in the same calendar year is already bonkers. Some may call this a failure or a product of Drake fatigue, but at this point in his career, Drizzy is merely collecting sonic coins for the hell of it.

Michael Saponara: I expected a little bit better, but Drake appeared to be hurt by premiering the four-pack in the FOMO short film a few weeks earlier, which took away from the allure of the set being brand new since fans knew what was coming and had already heard the tracks. Tucking the set at No. 12 through No. 15 on the track list as part of the HABIBTI (FOMO) deluxe didn’t do him any favors either. 

Andrew Unterberger: Four tracks in the top 30 and one in the top five is totally reasonable for Drake. Last year he released an entire (collaborative) album that didn’t have a single song debut in the top five! To do this with a quartet of bonus cuts tacked at the end of his third album of the year is just fine.

2. “Solar Eclipse” is the best-performing track of the four so far, with the Don Toliver collab debuting at No. 5 on the Hot 100. Does it feel like it will be a major success from the era, or is it more about the starriness of the collab (plus the added chart appeal of a “Choosin’ Texas” interpolation)?

Kyle Denis: It absolutely feels like the latter; I don’t anticipate any of these bonus tracks sticking around once their novelty wears off. I think “Janice STFU” and “Shabang” will remain the defining hits of this triple-album era. 

Lyndsey Havens: I have to credit this to the “Choosin’ Texas” interpolation and curiosity listens. I’d never quite expect an R&B/rap remix of a country song to land… and I’m not sure it totally does? It’s interesting, for sure, and I applaud Drake for taking his fandom to this level. So while I don’t think it will be a major success from this era — nor should it be, really, when there are more classic Drake cuts to remember it for — I do think it will be a major talking point from this era, something that eventually we will look back on and say, “Huh, remember when he did that?”

Carl Lamarre: Selfishly, I favor “Cold Shoulder.” Yebba’s addition is chef’s kiss, and I think the song has a chance to become the more enduring hit. Melodically, it feels cut from the same cloth as “God’s Plan,” and because of that, I’m hoping it picks up steam. I’m also not naive. Interpolating “Choosin’ Texas,” the biggest song out right now, and pairing it with a Texas superstar — and arguably the hottest rapper not named Drake — in Don Toliver makes “Solar Eclipse” a bonafide slam dunk.

Michael Saponara: “Major success” is probably a bit hyperbolic given the extremely high bar Drake’s set for chart success. I think it’s more commemorative of the moment, with Drizzy and Don connecting after carrying mainstream rap on their backs for 2026. It’s also giving a torch-passing moment with Drake representing rap’s elder statesmen and Don making the leap to hip-hop’s A-list. Drake’s country kick has to be mentioned as well, wearing his Ella Fella ties proudly, while interpolating Langley’s record-breaking No. 1 Hot 100 hit.

Andrew Unterberger: It might not be a particularly lasting hit — though I bet it’ll hang around a little — but if nothing else, it’ll endure as a major testament to the cultural impact of “Choosin’ Texas.” For anyone still wondering how a song they aren’t familiar with could be so chart-dominant, they could look at the biggest rapper of the last two decades not even waiting a full year to try to summon its powers for his own purposes and perhaps realize that their ignorance says more about them than the song itself.

3. HABIBTI has received significantly less attention and chart success than Drake’s simultaneously released ICEMAN. Do you think this will help the set be viewed more on even viewing with ICEMAN or will it still lag well behind?

Kyle Denis: Habibiti will likely continue to lag behind ICEMAN. The new additions are fine songs, but they don’t magically make HABIBTI a better album, let alone one that can stand toe-to-toe with ICEMAN. At best, it’ll help pad the album’s chart statistics. Anything more than that is a bonus. 

Lyndsey Havens: ICEMAN was the mainstream offering while HABIBTI, I think, will continue to grow with time — and sure, this set could help speed that up. But, for me, the softer spotlight on HABIBTI has been part of its charm all along — and highlights the risk in releasing three albums at once. That they can’t all really match each other’s momentum, acclaim and attention. But, if this set helps more listeners join the HABIBTI pool, then great. Thoguh I don’t think the original album was lacking to begin with.

Carl Lamarre: Previously, I was of the mindset that HABIBTI would lap ICEMAN, but I’m not so sure anymore. Revisiting ICEMAN reminded me why Drake is the LeBron James of his generation. This album was his 3-1 comeback after watching his career nearly flatline. The comeback narrative surrounding ICEMAN might ultimately overshadow whatever praise HABIBTI receives in the years to come.

Michael Saponara: ICEMAN will always be the main attraction for me and serves as his mission statement, answering the questions left following the 2024 battle against Kendrick Lamar. It’s also his most rap-heavy album in a decade. However, essentially releasing a HABIBTI deluxe has made me revisit tracks from the project that fell out of my rotation or I didn’t fully appreciate while attempting to digest the 40-plus songs from the May trifecta.

Andrew Unterberger: I doubt it’ll catch up with ICEMAN anytime soon, exactly, but I do appreciate Drake giving it its own spotlight moment like this. It does feel like the album of the three that will continue to grow the most in fan estimation over the years, and this seems to be Drake signaling that he himself recognizes there’s something a little special about the album.

4. Drake’s own four-song bonus EP of sorts arrives just a week after Taylor Swift’s does — does this particular reissue strategy feel like a logical one for two of the biggest artists in the world to be using in such quick succession? Do you think more big-name artists will follow with their latest albums?

Kyle Denis: The strategy makes sense; it allows for rejuvenated interest in a months-old project, revives the conversation around it and boosts its overall commercial success. I’m sure other big-name acts will follow suit with their own spin on deluxe reissues, but I wish more of these bonus tracks felt more vital to their parent albums than some of these recent offerings. I’ll give Drake some credit for ensuring HABIBTI — and hopefully Maid of Honour, too — don’t get lost in the wake of ICEMAN‘s domination.

Lyndsey Havens: I am sure more artists will follow, but should they? The strategy only adds to the ongoing conversation over albums today — is it really ever done? Does it have to ever really be done? In many cases, the post-release cycles are starting to eclipse the pre-release cycles. Plus, in a consumer-driven industry, artists know and trust their fans to, well, consume — especially in the case of artists like Drake and Taylor.

Carl Lamarre: Let’s be fair: Drake has been delivering bite-sized releases like FOMO for years. His Scary Hours series thrived on this strategy well before Taylor entered the mix with her four-pack. As for revisiting albums, I think it’s a clever play, but I’d be lying if I said FOMO made me revisit HABIBTI in its entirety. I’ve primarily been living with the four new tracks rather than returning to the full project. This strategy does make me wonder what a bite-sized portion of GNX could have sounded like or even a curtailed deluxe version of SOS.

Michael Saponara: Yeah, I could definitely see this becoming a strategy deployed by labels in the future. It allows artists to release a pack for fans without the pressures that come with a full-length project, and brings the albums back to the mainstream conversation with a fresh coat of paint. With a generation of listeners boasting shorter attention spans and having a glut of releases at their disposal, projects tend to get discarded within weeks, and this kind of move can help alleviate that.

Andrew Unterberger: Four tracks seems like a good bonus quantity for a deluxe — enough so that it feels like a substantial addition, but not so much that it feels like a needless deluge. I do hope for the artists who continue to do this, they follow closer to Drake’s HABIBTI schedule — coming between 4-5 months after the original release — rather than nearly waiting a full year like Swift did with Encore, by which point it feels like fans are less excited to have reason to revisit Showgirl and more ready to move on to whatever’s next.

5. Between the triple-album-release, the #FOMO film, and now these bonus tracks, has Drake done everything you think he needs to to really reestablish his 2026 superstardom? Is there anything else you think he should still make a point to do by year’s end?

Kyle Denis: He’s got the hit album, a handful of hit songs, new radio and chart records and presumably a newer, younger legion of fans sourced from his… questionable… stream appearances. The only thing left for Drake to do is to shake off the air of desperation that’s clouding his most recent moves (the goth baddie mess is so unbearably corny); it’s unbecoming of a superstar.

Lyndsey Havens: I think an epic one-off performance could seal the deal. Drake popping up unexpectedly as a performer somewhere, for one song, could travel far online, and I don’t think I’ve seen that from him yet this year.

Carl Lamarre: Feel free to torch me for this upcoming statement: Aside from 2018, 2026 was the best year of Drake’s career. The end.

Michael Saponara: Yeah, Drake blanketed the year and represented for hip-hop in a year where it’s been scarce on the charts. He became the first artist to hold the top three slots of the Billboard 200 simultaneously, while “Janice STFU” topped the Hot 100 to give him the most No. 1s of any male soloist and his longest-running No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. Visually, I think this is Drake’s best era, as he turned live streams and short films into albums full of music videos, which feels unprecedented in modern rap.

When the greats have their back against the wall, they tend to deliver and Drake did just that two decades into his career. The only thing missing now is connecting with his OVO faithful again, which he plans to do with a tour in 2027. My prediction: Drake embarks on his first-ever stadium tour next year with Don Toliver.

Andrew Unterberger: It’s been a great year for Drake, though I wish he could find a way to sneak one big performance in before year’s end, since it does feel like that’s been the one thing missing from his 2026. I’ll cosign the 2027 stadium prediction, though.

Pitbull has given us his all for nearly three decades in the public eye. And while Mr. Worldwide puts it all on the stage during his high-energy performances and leaves little to the imagination when it comes to his love of late night assignations on songs such as “Hotel Room Service” and “I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho),” the one thing the rapper born Armando Pérez has been reticent about is discussing his family life in public.

In his new Billboard cover story, Pit revealed why he keeps his offstage life out of the spotlight, explaining that his kids aren’t yet ready for his world and should not have to withstand the public scrutiny that comes with being an A-list music superstar.

“I love them all deeply, I’m very proud of them and I love to see kids grow, characters, what they do, how they do it, and at this point most of my ideas in music come from the kids,” he said.

Proclaiming himself the “wild card” in his kids’ life, the rapper — who keeps details about his family life private and has not to date detailed how many children he has — said he preferred not get into numbers, but did confirm that he has “a lot of kids.”

As for why he’s so private, Pitbull said that if you love something, you don’t want the world to know about it. “You protect it,” he explained. “When my kids get to a certain age, which some are, and they want to make their own decisions as far as how they want to live their life and how they want to welcome the world to it, that’s on them.”

Realizing that if he were ever to get into a “situation” that might blow back on his kids, Pitbull said he keeps things quite for that very reason. “Show me your friends and I’ll show you future. So that’s why I’m very private on what I do, so I don’t wanna put them in my world ’cause they’re not built for it yet,” he said. “It’s my responsibility as a parent to protect them. So, if I put you in my world and now you go to school and everybody’s like, ‘Oh, ’cause you’re Pitbull’s kid’ … How are you gonna ever know who’s your friend? They don’t know.”

And because his last name, Perez, is very common in Miami, Pit said he’s not worried about people sniffing out who his kids are at their school or on the street. “I protect them because I love them,” he said.

While he has kept them low-key, Pitbull said his children “love it” and “lose their mind” when they see him going hard in videos and on stage. He said the funny thing with his brood, especially the younger ones, is “you teach them in life to tell the truth … and then I have to teach them how to lie about the truth.”

So, for example, if someone asks where they live, where they go on vacation or how the get there, he’s taught them that the answer is always “no.” What about social media? Pit says that’s a no go, though “the older ones, if they want to make that decision, it’s on them.” But, if and when they screw up and post something that causes heat, “don’t call me,” he laughed.

Same with a post that goes sideways when they show something they shouldn’t have been doing, he counseled, “just get ready to own it.” That said, the self-proclaimed “variable,” the fun, wild dad said he’s the first one to say “‘hey, listen, go get in a little bit of trouble, go live a little.’”

Pitbull just dropped his 14th studio album, Pitcoin, which features collaborations with Enrique Iglesias, Lil Jon, Jason DeRulo, Zion, Akon, Bon Jovi and Ne-Yo, among others.

When the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz — in partnership and with the support of Fondation Louis Vuitton — announced the winners of its International Jazz Vocals Competition in Paris, the event (which took place on Oct. 11) not only further underscored the genre’s enduring legacy. It also provided additional insight into its growing popularity among next-gen vocalists across the globe in a revitalizing climate that includes young, award-winning visionaries such as Samara Joy and the Ezra Collective.

As Hancock declared to Billboard after the ceremony when asked about the future of jazz: “It’s very safe. Don’t worry about it.”

Malou Oheix won the first place $50,000 scholarship award for her two-song set featuring the Jimmy Dorsey classic “I’m Glad There Is You” and an innovative scat-filled reinterpretation of Michael Brecker’s “Madame Toulouse.” Also performing before the packed audience inside the Fondation Louis Vuitton auditorium were fellow finalists Georgia Heers and Lucy-Anne Daniels. Heers was presented with the second place $25,000 scholarship for her stirring performance of Patty Waters’ “Moon, Don’t Come Up Tonight” and the Rodgers & Hart jazz standard “Thou Swell.”

Drawing rapt attention for a riveting Afro-Cuban take on “Nature Boy,” first made famous by Nat King Cole, followed by a contemporary spin on the gem “Old Devil Moon,” Daniels claimed the $10,000 third-place scholarship. These scholarships assist in paying tuition for college-level jazz education studies and provide funds for private, specialized instruction.

More than $100,000 in scholarships and prizes was awarded by the Herbie Hancock Jazz Institute and Fondation Louis Vuitton. The latter is headed by president Bernard Arnault with advisor to the president and administrator Jean-Paul Claverie. Coinciding with the 2026 centennial celebrations honoring jazz icons Miles Davis and John Coltrane, this year’s weekend event (Oct. 10-11) marked the first time the institute brought its 39-year-old international competition outside the U.S. to Paris, one of the genre’s most important cultural centers. Prior vocal and musician winners include Jazzmeia Horn, Cecile McLorin Salvant, pianist Kris Bowers, bassist Ben Williams and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire.

Hosted by Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons, the finals competition and gala concert — livestreamed worldwide — also honored renowned jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval with the Maria Fisher Founder’s Award. Rounding out the evening was the institute’s traditional All-Star Gala Concert showcasing star musicians such as Akinmusire, Monty Alexander, Terri Lyne Carrington, John Patitucci and Hancock with John Beasley serving as musical director.

Also saluted was the late architect and former institute board member Frank Gehry, who designed the futuristic building that houses the Fondation Louis Vuitton. The institute commissioned a special composition by musician Danilo Pérez, whose “The Ever-Changing World” made its world premiere that evening with an introduction by conductor Gustavo Dudamel. The Herbie Hancock Institute Ensemble of young musicians opened the evening with a special arrangement of the jazz classic “Autumn Leaves.”

Serving as jurors for the competition were Dee Dee Bridgewater, Roberta Gambarini, Angélique Kidjo, Gretchen Parlato (also a previous vocal winner) and Gregory Porter (who also performed in the all-star concert). The submission window for the 2026 International Jazz Vocals Competition opened for singers aged 30 and under in March. From more than 200 applications, 11 semi-finalists were chosen with six hailing from outside the U.S., including France, the U.K., South Australia and China. Those 11 were then winnowed down on Oct. 10 to the aforementioned three finalists: Daniels, Heers and Oheix.

As for what inspired the choice of jazz as their medium, the finalists’ responses centered around genre’s border-free environs. For someone who’s never been into “formatted things,” Daniels says she was attracted by the genre’s “playground” feel and “spontaneity; I like freedom and jazz gives the perfect freedom for that.” Oheix “loves the ability to explore different possibilities and improvisations; then communicating that in creative interplays with musicians.” Moving away from opera and musical theater, Heers explains that “jazz chose me. It was like some instinctual yearning for this thing that felt super familiar and foreign at the same time, which brought me to just doing it forever.”

The field of 11 semi-finalists was a tough one, with each of the contenders delivering a diverse range of creative vision, innovative arrangements and forward-moving vocal interpretations to their performances. Backing them at the daytime session and then the three finalists the next evening was the trio of pianist Carmen Staaf, drummer Kendrick Scott and bassist Ben Williams.

Asked what helped inform the jurors’ decisions, Porter cited “that magic ‘it’ factor; something compelling that makes you stand up. And there were many performers that did that. Nobody was slacking as they’d already accomplished something just being here. A bunch of them made me say, ‘Oh, we’re in good hands.’”

Pointing to other elements such as storytelling ability and vocal risk-taking, Bridgewater also talked about contestants’ use of another foundational jazz staple: scatting. “We don’t hear a lot of that anymore. So it was really encouraging and refreshing to hear so many singers from different cultures embracing jazz and scatting. Greg and I both said, ‘They can scat better than me.’”

“This was like a kaleidoscope,” concluded Gambarini. “Everybody had their own thing to say from different cultures. It really was just a matter of receiving the message these performers were giving us, then trying to find a way to represent different worlds: a panorama of things that are new and where these possibilities will lead us.”

Maybe it’s the self-assurance of a Scorpio who loves her craft deeply and fiercely, or the perspective that comes with being, at 27, something of a veteran in the U.K. music industry. Either way, Rachel Chinouriri moves with the confidence of someone who knows herself completely. “I’ve changed so much in the past few years, and that’s actually a really special thing,” she tells Billboard U.K. “I feel like a totally different person to who I was at 22. It is wild!”

It is a Monday afternoon in late September, and we are perched on the balcony of a London wine bar, where Chinouriri is wrapping up an intensive run of press commitments. The only trace left of a content shoot earlier in the day is a smidge of smokey eye makeup, while a pair of black, ankle-shattering Jimmy Choo stilettos have been replaced with khaki trainers. The alcohol-free margaritas are flowing; the sun is shining on Chinouriri and her eyes are bright.

Chinouriri’s attitude to the transformative few years that birthed her incandescent new LP, I Think I Spoke Too Soon (out Oct. 16 via Atlas Artists/Parlophone) is indicative of someone who has remained resolute throughout a career that has progressed in fits and starts. As she prepares for the release of her second album, which contains her most sophisticated and expansive music yet, she’s in prime position to juggernaut towards main pop girl status – though this time around, there’s a sense that the pieces are finally falling into place.

Take the British-Zimbabwean artist’s star turn at Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fieldss festival in Irvine, California, at the end of August. Performing in a metallic silver one-piece and channeling the sleek glamour of Kylie’s Fever era, she delivered a high-octane set that made clear why Rodrigo had singled her out for the event. Or there’s the fact that Gracie Abrams is the latest pop superstar to offer Chinouriri an arena tour support slot, following Sabrina Carpenter two years ago. More recently, she made her Saturday Night Live U.K. debut, while her marketing nous and command of Stan Twitter have cultivated a devoted, international online following, one that has translated into a streaming audience that skews heavily North American.

Sonically, I Think I Spoke Too Soon reflects that momentum. Where Chinouriri’s 2024 full-length debut What a Devastating Turn of Events was limned with spoken-word interludes and other traces of the intimate, lo-fi, indie-leaning EPs on which the singer made her name, her new album sounds and feels more propulsive, pulling from head-spinning pop, new age, rock and electronic sounds. There is a palpable shift in confidence, too, in how she approaches lyrical themes of mid-20s ennui and sobriety head-on. Anchored by an infernally catchy refrain, opener “One Song Away From Crying” hits the ground running, and picks up steam as it incorporates stardust synths and syncopated rhythm shifts. 

The winsome “Pretty Girls” and “I’m a Star”, a warm and fuzzy Elastica-style track, sit among the highlights; on “Broken Chair,” Chinouriri reckons with her relationship to alcohol and likens herself to discarded furniture left on the street to explore feelings of neglect. The album’s genre-busting spirit is part of what makes Chinouri’s early R&B categorisation among critics feel so limiting: as she has previously spoken about, being “mislabelled” because of her race left her feeling creatively out of pocket and insecure about her own musical inclinations.

“I don’t need to over-explain myself anymore,” she says today. “I’ve said my piece, and if for some reason this album comes out and everyone goes, ‘Ooh, she’s doing R&B and soul’, then I can’t do anything — but at least I know I’ve tried. I have my community who know who I am. Now it’s time to just have some fun and a lil’ boogie!”

Below, she speaks with Billboard about her new album, her sobriety and her still-growing stateside audience.

You’ve effectively grown up in the industry, and it’s interesting to chart your progression as a person through your music. What’s changed in your world since the last album?

I’ve had so many new life experiences, and I’ve travelled the world now in a way that I’d never done before. I’ve met so many people. At 22, I started drinking alcohol for the first time ever, and by 26, I was tee-total. There have been so many changes when it comes to discovering who as a woman, and who I’m attracted to. I just loved solidifying who I am as a person through making this album.

Was there a specific moment that really spurred that way of thinking?

The first track I wrote for this record was “The Good Fight,” and it plays out like this train of thought that follows me around [at an event], drunk. And then, from that moment on, is when I started doing my sobriety. I started to exercise more and got into a very healthy place in my relationship. I started unearthing the trauma I put myself through, and a lot of decisions I made through drinking: essentially, trying to be who I thought I was rather than who I actually was. There’s so many layers to these things! 

When you do this job, you don’t have many days to yourself. I realised I was missing days off and not giving myself time to rest, which then affects my mood and how I treat people. One time I broke my little toe when I was hungover; I tripped into a door and smacked my head and just thought to myself, “If I wasn’t hungover right now, this wouldn’t have happened.” I’m also rarely at home with my boyfriend, so I don’t always want to be tired. He doesn’t deserve that. 

Did becoming sober change the way you experienced or understood industry situations?

I actually feel more comfortable at [industry events] now, because when I used to walk into those rooms, I think I would drink in order to help me deal with all the small talk, and the stress of being in a space like that. I almost had to tell myself to get a grip; like, “You’re walking into a room of industry people who want to tell you, ‘Hey, your music is awesome’ and vice versa – it’s OK!” I’ve started to see the world in a very different way and realized that, in these situations, I am actually someone who is very interested in other people and hearing what they’re up to.

There are more intentional ties between your visual aesthetic and the music now compared to your previous output. Why has world-building become so important to you?

I love the fact that I can chuck on my wig and feel like the character of ‘Rachel the pop star’, or take it off to run to my local cafe in the morning. I’m at a place where I want more sparkles, colourful things, silly songs, fun concerts, high heels and fan activations in my life. All of that makes the world feel a little better when it can feel like a very tough place.

What gave you the confidence to embrace this new, more “colourful” side of yourself? 

I think it was APOB [Aaron O’Brien], my producer. But then shortly after we’d come up with these blue, disco-style visuals, Harry Styles announced his new album [Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally]. The day after he posted the artwork for it, I thought to myself, “I’m going to be in trouble on the internet!” But then I decided to embrace it, because I think the universe puts out ideas and people grab them. Soon after, Madonna came back with Confessions II and I watched the Kylie [Netflix] documentary and I just thought, “Oh my God, this is meant to be!”

It’s a beautiful thing, really. Also, what was I even worried about? Harry Styles is gonna outsell the entire planet with whatever he does. I have my tiny little disco ball and he has his big stadium shows. But Harry, if you need someone else to join you on tour, I’m ready!

You toured U.S. arenas for the first time in 2024, opening for Sabrina Carpenter. How did that experience inform the new album?

I think being part of one of the biggest tours of the year was absolutely mad. It was like Sabrina World everywhere we went and I f–king loved it. You get to the hotel, they’re playing “Espresso.” As soon as you walk out of the lobby and into a taxi, they’re playing “Espresso.” You felt her presence across an entire city. It’s so f–king cool that she’s been able to accomplish that after all these years. She works so hard and it was a beautiful experience to watch her perform.

Sabrina spent nearly a decade figuring out her sound before having a hit album. Do you see any parallels between your careers, in that you’ve both put out a number of projects before honing your vision as an artist?

We’ve both been doing this for 10 years, and she’s on album seven – I’m just about to do number two! But it’s seeing how much she’s evolved and grown is phenomenal. I think there’s this “10-year plan” thing some artists have, where maybe five years ago I thought I would have been bigger. But what I’ve realized now, in my 10th year as an artist, is that my fan base is all that I need, and I’ve made an album where I haven’t had to make any compromises with my label. Exactly. They trust me with the sound, and the artwork is exactly what I wanted. I’ve got so many albums left to do and so many things to see, I’m not in a rush at all.

Streaming stats show that your music reaches an especially big audience in the U.S. What does performing there give you, both as an artist and personally?

I think they connect with the community aspect of what I represent. I’m a Black woman in pop, unapologetically, and I’m grateful I’ve been able to build my career this way. I hope it helps people to feel they can do anything. I don’t know what it is about New York in particular, but when I’m walking down the street, people are like, “Oh my God, babe, we love you!” It makes me feel at home. I feel like I have a real community there. 

We spoke to MNEK recently, who said that as a Black British artist, he finds that same community and freedom in Los Angeles. Could you envision yourself moving stateside?

I could do a year somewhere, but I’m also someone who can move to a country for two months and be like, “That’s enough for me.” Maybe it’s because I’ve toured so much and my space. I know I’d have potential in L.A. or New York, because of the amount of work I could get done. But I’m like, “Do I want to uproot my life for the sake of work?” Those are fun places to be, but I come home to London and feel grounded when I am around my friends.

Olivia Rodrigo is also a big fan of yours, isn’t she? We saw she commented on your Instagram post for the album announce and seems super supportive…

I texted her yesterday about some new music and she was so sweet. When we first met, we had coffee and sat outside together for ages, just yapping away. I was like, “This is insane. I love this girl.” I actually need to send her a playlist of new U.K. artists, as she just loves absorbing music and culture. When I hear a random song that I think she’ll like, I’ll message her about it! She is super, super sweet.

When we first got in touch via Instagram, I was like, “Girl, how the f–k do you know who I am?” She’d heard my song “All I Ever Asked” and really enjoyed it. She is just a music lover, through and through, and you can tell. She is so headstrong when it comes to defining her artistry and I think she really solidified that with making Daisy Chain Fields happen; it was such a special day, I cried so much and had such a beautiful response from the crowd. Olivia should be so proud.

How do you hope your journey will evolve from here?

I’d love to double what I achieved touring-wise last year, that’s the goal. But I know my fanbase is rooting for me really hard, and whatever they want me to achieve, I hope we’re able to achieve. I’ve come to realise that once you actually remove the pressure you’re putting on yourself, you’re actually just like, “Oh my God, this [job] is amazing.” You don’t have to play gigs and think, “Was that my best performance? Did it go wrong?” You don’t need to hit every target; everything can start to feel really fun when you let the pressure roll off your back.

Tate McRae earned her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit with “What I Want,” her 2025 collaboration with Morgan Wallen, but she didn’t expect the team-up to make so many people misunderstand what she wants politically.

The pop star reflected on the backlash that followed the release of her duet with the polarizing country musician in her new W cover story published Tuesday (Oct. 13). “It’s crazy to think that one song could define a whole person,” she began.

“There are many aspects of my personality that three-quarters of my audience has no idea about,” McRae continued. “You hope one day you figure out a way to show all aspects of it.”

Though Wallen has never shared his political beliefs, he’s garnered controversy for his previous use of the N-word in 2021 — for which he apologized, saying at the time that he was “embarrassed and sorry” — and his proximity to other stars in his genre who support President Donald Trump. McRae’s own political views were called into question when she teamed up with the country star, but as she told Variety earlier this year, “I like to say my piece through organizations I support and the environment that I have on tour … I think it’s pretty obvious what kind of person I am and the things I support.”

And though she’s known for her polished pop hits such as “Tit for Tat” and “Greedy,” the Calgary, Canada, native told Billboard in April that it didn’t feel “out of the ordinary” for her to cocreate “What I Want” with Wallen: “I used to write to only guitar in the studio, so it felt natural.”

See McRae on the cover of W below.

If it weren’t for Elvis Presley, there may not have been a Country Music Association — and, by extension, no 60th anniversary of the CMA Awards to celebrate on Nov. 18.

“In 1958, country radio stations all over the country were starting to turn to rock to follow the popularity of Elvis, and [industry] leaders got together during the DJ conference in Miami and said, ‘How do we keep our business strong?’ And they formed the CMA,” says Sarah Trahern, who has been the CMA’s CEO since 2014.

“The first year there were 20 people on the board and 200 CMA members,” Trahern continues. “Now we have 8,000 members and a 75-person board. The tenets of what makes the CMA successful really started then, which was leaders coming together to check their competitive hats at the door for the collective good of the association. That is something that we still carry forward today.”

Earlier this year, Trahern announced she would be stepping down, and in July, Brittany Schaffer, former dean of the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business at Belmont University, was named as her replacement. In September, the two began serving together for a transition period that officially ends Dec. 31. (Unofficially, Trahern leaves a little earlier: “My last day is Dec. 10, and my husband and I are on a plane to Spain on Dec. 11,” she says.)

But first comes the 60th-anniversary edition of the CMA Awards, which will celebrate a record year for country music, led by Ella Langley, who received nine nominations. Taylor Swift, who is nominated for single of the year for “I Knew It, I Knew You,” has already announced on social media her intention to return to the show for the first time since 2016.

As CEO, her purview also includes June’s CMA Fest, the charitable CMA Foundation and the overall business of the association. “One of the things that surprised me the most when I first started is that a lot of folks don’t understand that the CMA is a trade association and we’re a 52-weeks-a-year business,” she says.

“As we go into the 60th, I’ve been really fortunate in my time in the chair,” adds Trahern, who recently became licensed as an executive coach as she starts her next chapter. “I feel like I led [the CMA] through three chapters: the pre-COVID chapter, the COVID chapter and then there’s what our board chair in 2022 called “bringing the fun back.’ ” Trahern talked to Billboard about what to expect from the Lainey Wilson-hosted show, the milestones she has overseen during her tenure and how the show and the organization have evolved.

The slogan for the CMA Awards is Country Music’s Biggest Night. How does that play into how you and executive producer Robert Deaton plan the show?

It always does. If people just wanted the straight-up music, they’re going to listen to the tracks. If Ella Langley [is] doing “Choosin’ Texas,” [she] might not do it in the standard way because that moment is special when you take into account that this is the CMAs. So how do we take something that may be normal and turn it on its head a little bit? Creatively, that’s why I love working with Robert. He lives and breathes the music. How do we make sure that we are highlighting the breakout year for so many of these top new artists who I really think are going to be around a long time?

Earlier this year, the CMA and ABC announced an extension of your partnership to run through 2032 and includes streaming the CMA Awards on Disney+ for the first time simultaneously as the show airs on ABC. How important is that?

The No. 1 thing we had to have [from the new deal] was a simulcast because [without it], you’re automatically taking out a portion of the audience today because they don’t have access or choose not to have access to linear television. We have to meet fans where they are, and this is a way in this new chapter to be able to do so.

How long have you been working on the 60th-­anniversary show and how do you differentiate it from the 50th, which was such a milestone?

There are pieces of it we’ve been talking about for a year or so … You can’t get hotter than the ’90s now in a lot of ways. When we did the 50th, we reached way back to the very beginning. We’ll reach back some to the early days of the CMAs, but really, the hot artists today, their heroes are the stars of the ’90s. So the ability in this show to really focus on reaching back to there and what’s more relevant in that versus necessarily going back to Tammy Wynette and George Jones and Charley Pride and the people that I came into the business listening to. Those may be names that the current fans don’t know, but the current fans are going to know Tim McGraw, who’s going into the Country Music Hall of Fame. They’re going to know Brooks & Dunn, who are out touring today. They’re going to know Faith Hill, Martina McBride [and] all those heroes the artists today lean back to. That will be the thing that we can celebrate with the 60th a little bit more.

How will that play into the look of the show?

We are redesigning some elements of our set to be able to really play into visually the history of our genre. We’re not just about listening to tracks. The artists live country music, so the ability to utilize that set to both be a contemporary element and honor the history, I’m very excited.

Why is Lainey Wilson, who is hosting for the third time, the right host this year?

Lainey is such a perfect person to host the show this year because she’s the reigning entertainer of the year and is continuing to be an international growth artist and is out there playing, but she also has such a deep, deep love of the history. I remember the year that she won new artist of the year [in 2022], and her talking about how it was a 10-year town and now just to watch her continue to explode on a global basis, what you see is what you get. The power of country music is being genuine and authentic, and that’s how Lainey walks into a room.

In the 2020s, we have seen coastal labels come into country music. How do you think that’s
affected the CMA and changed the complexion of the ­organization?

We work more with record labels now that are in the L.A. and New York markets. Those leaders, when they come into a meeting here or come to speak to our board of directors, almost all of them say, “There’s a magic to the fact that a CMA can exist and flourish and we wish there was something like this in rock.” There’s a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and there’s a Gospel Hall of Fame and all those things, but I’m looking out my window up and down 16th Avenue [on Music Row], and the proximity in the early days helped us have really great face-to-face discussions. Now we’re global and we have task forces around the world that function like our board of directors does.

Certainly, we have guidelines on how many people can vote from any given company so that there’s some equity about them. But inclusion is good for the business. The 30-plus years I’ve been in Nashville, we’ve ridden this wave. Neotraditionalists come and go and then it’s “Oh, no. It’s all becoming pop!” But then “Pop’s good. It’s driving the business.” It’s just about good music and good songs as the growth of country music gets broader.

What’s something from the past 60 years that you consider sacred that you hope the awards never changes?

I don’t think people would understand this unless you’ve been there, but I just love the community. I love that the people show up. I love that Keith Urban shows up in years that he’s not nominated. We invite back all the former entertainers of the year. We invite back all the people who are in the Country Museum Hall of Fame every year. Past board chairs and people who used to have my job are always invited back. The number of people who come back just to be in the room is the power of that community. I love it when we bring back a Ricky Skaggs or we bring back a Marty Stuart.

What are some of your favorite memories from your time as CEO?

Two of my favorite show opens I’ve been a part of include the 50th-­anniversary opening that Robert put together with [decades-­spanning] artists. Things didn’t always go so great at dress rehearsal, and I remember us joking about that and going, “Wow, you know, it’s a lot of history.” The next year with the women in 2019, when it was Carrie [Underwood] and Reba [McEntire] and Dolly [Parton] [hosting], and we had the powerful all-female-­artist opening. Those are the [times] where it’s not just a TV show, it’s about the community.

Having Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake together on our show [in 2015]. Not a lot of people knew Chris’ music. Certainly, a lot of us had followed him from the bluegrass days, but that was a breakout performance for him on our show because he was with JT. Those are the pieces that [show] we’re part of pop culture and we’re part of history.

In years past, the CMA Awards have reflected the current times. Can you talk more about that?

To me, personally, the most meaningful is 2001 [after 9/11], when Alan Jackson did “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).” Then after the [2017 mass] shooting at the Route 91 [Harvest] festival. We’ve only done — at least in my tenure — an In Memoriam segment once and that was after the shooting in [Las] Vegas because it was our chance not to just talk about the people we lost in the business, but the fans we lost. Carrie Underwood did the song “Softly and Tenderly.” Those speak to some cultural moments when the world gets smaller, and that’s the power of music.

When you look back, are there any things you wish had gone differently? The CMA Awards were criticized when Beyoncé didn’t get any nominations for Cowboy Carter in 2024.

Yeah, but the flip side is I stand behind that she and The Chicks’ performance for the 2016 show was a solid performance. I don’t have a vote. The voters determine the nominations, so there’s always going to be surprises.

There are other awards shows that honor country music. What makes the CMA Awards so special?

We actually were the first country awards show on television. So, while the [Academy of Country Music] Awards existed before us, in 1968, we were the first one to go to national television after starting in 1967. [Editor’s note: The first ACM Awards show was held in 1966 but the awards were not televised until 1972.] To be in the chair for the 50th awards, for the 50th CMA Fest [in 2023] and then to be able to be here for the 60th CMA Awards as the little girl who grew up watching the awards in the ’70s on TV and accepting my trophy [using] a violin stand that was my microphone, and to put one more button on it before I walk away is very special for me personally.

My Best CMA Moment

Artists recall their favorite CMA Awards and memories from the show.

Lainey Wilson: “[Winning] entertainer of the year [in 2023]. That one just hit different. When you think about all the miles, the years of hearing no, living in my camper and dreaming about getting a foot in the door … to be recognized for the thing I’ve spent my whole life working toward was pretty overwhelming. It felt like a win for everybody who’s been riding this ride with me.”

Randy Travis: “Choosing a favorite CMA win is like picking your favorite child! They all mean something for different reasons: the ’86 Horizon Award [now called the new artist award] because the path I carved for years finally led to open doors; ’87 because there were three wins for male vocalist, single and album; and ’03 because ‘Three Wooden Crosses’ was a powerful song crossing country, gospel and pop genres. But, by far, my most memorable year was 1988, when America’s sweetheart and country’s queen, Dolly Parton, was solo hosting. As she walked by the front row where many of the nominees were sitting, she sat down in my lap and proceeded to make this new guy blush with her ‘big … ideas.’ I did win male vocalist that year, but certainly don’t remember my acceptance speech as my train of thought remained derailed the rest of the evening. It was glorious. I will forever be grateful to the CMAs for their career-long support.”

Dave Haywood, Lady A: “We were actually in the studio when we received the news of this year’s nomination, so it gave us a really cool chance to reflect together. Marking 20 years as a band last month, and realizing we’ve been nominated 19 times for vocal group of the year, is unbelievable. We were just reminiscing on our first win in the category back in 2009, and so if we had to pick, that would have to be the one that’s meant the most. We felt such a warm welcome and acceptance into the genre, and we were truly blown away by being honored like that. We are incredibly grateful to still be a part of the country music family and can’t wait to celebrate the [awards’] 60th.”

Clint Black: “It’s hard to single out one award, but the Horizon Award [in 1989] stands out because it ushered in everything that followed. It was my first award and the realization of all the dreams and hard work in the nightclubs of Houston. Standing up there in front of my jukebox heroes, holding that award, I felt I had arrived and I was part of that group looking back at me from their seats.”

Bill Anderson: “My favorite is probably the vocal event of the year award in 2001. It was for a song called ‘Too Country,’ which I co-wrote with Chuck Cannon and recorded with Brad Paisley, Buck Owens and George Jones. How could winning an award alongside those legends not be my favorite?”

Travis Tritt: “Of any award I’ve won, winning the Horizon Award in 1991 meant the most to me. It validated my career when I was establishing myself as a new artist and set me apart from the pack of other new artists at that time.”

Ronnie Milsap: “My favorite win from the Country Music Association has to be in 1977, when I won what we call ‘The Triple Crown’: male vocalist of the year, album of the year and entertainer of the year. That was a real dream come true. My wife, Joyce, walked with me to the stage and when they said I was an ‘overnight success,’ I told her, ‘Well, it’s been a long night!’ She whispered, ‘It sure has!’ ”

Compiled by Jessica Nicholson.

This story appears in the Oct. 10, 2026, issue of Billboard.