Life is a rollercoaster, Ronan Keating once told us. You’ve just gotta ride it.
More than a quarter century has passed since the Irishman handed out those lifehacks, none of it a lie.
Keating has whizzed to the very peak of that thrill ride, bagging three U.K. solo No. 1 singles — including that perfect pop nugget from 2000, “Life Is A Rollercoaster” — and four No. 1 albums. And as a member of Boyzone, he boasts another six U.K. No. 1 singles, and five No. 1 albums.
That’s nine No. 1 singles, nine No. 1 albums. Another hit might not be too far away, perhaps tipping Keating’s career chart crowns into double-digits.
“I’m just in the process of making a record right now,” he tells Billboard over a Zoom from his home in Dubai, “and the first single is with a young singer-songwriter by the name of Ed Sheeran. I’m ready to release this album.”
Rollercoasters, they come down too. After the misery of the pandemic, Keating lost his brother, Ciaran Keating, in a car accident in 2023. That tragedy rocked the veteran artist, now aged 49, as did the loss of his former Boyzone bandmate, Stephen Gately, in 2009. Art, as it so often does, finds its way in the darker times.
“I do find clarity, calm, in those moments when I’m on stage,” he explains. “I tried to write a song about Ciaran, but I struggled a lot with writing in the last couple of years.” Earlier this year on a trip to Australia, where he has a long history as a reality TV judge, that creative block became dislodged when Keating and his wife Storm stumbled upon a melody, a tune that became something more.
“The two of us spent the afternoon just sitting and writing. I had the guitar and we wrote this song. It was the first song I’d written since my brother died. That was the catalyst that has allowed me to get this album moving and going,” he tells Billboard. “I think it was my wife’s angle of what she saw me going through, and us going through as a family, and we ended up just pouring our hearts out into this song. It was beautiful. I think music and songwriting has allowed me to grieve.”
After the tough, low points, the rollercoaster is on the climb. “Storm and I, we spend a bit of time in the studio writing. I’m in a really good place musically, and I’m ready to drop this next album, and I’m really excited about it, the way it feels, and it sounds.”
There’s no title just yet, but Keating is happy with the progress made. “We’re about halfway through the album. And I can definitely say that the first single will be with Ed and (Wheatus frontman) Brendan Brown. The three of us wrote the song earlier in the year, and it was just one of those moments. I knew this is going to be a big moment. So, yeah, I can confidently say it’s the first single on the album.”
Keating is excited, too, about his 26th anniversary tour of “Life Is A Rollercoaster,” which continues Saturday, July 18 at Newbury Racecourse in the United Kingdom, and bolts into Germany, Switzerland, Austria and more markets this summer.
Then, on Dec. 5, a once-in-a-lifetime moment, when Keating joins the likes of Robbie Williams, the Corrs, Natalie Imbruglia, Darren Hayes, Katherine Jenkins and more for the Carreras & Friends concert at the Gabba Stadium in Brisbane, Australia — the host city for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“I’m very excited to finally get to sing with Jose (Carreras), because, you know, I was lucky enough to sing with Pavarotti back in 1998 (dueting on the Boyzone hit “No Matter What”). He’s on my list. I remember that moment when The Three Tenors stood up and sang ‘Nessun Dorma’ at the 1990 World Cup. That was a moment that will go down in history as one of the great musical moments of our generation.”
Looking ahead, “for me to get to sing with Pavarotti was this huge moment, and now Jose is there, and I have this opportunity to tick that box and to sing with him. This is a great honor,” Keating enthuses. “And yes, to stand in the mighty Gabba, I’m very excited to be there and to perform.”
Two “Lost Boys” are better than one. True story. Just ask Phoebe Bridgers.
The California indie-rock presence is readying her return with a first album of solo material in six years, her third studio collection Lost Weekend (via Dead Oceans), due out Aug. 14.
Too long to wait? Well, Bridgers covered that off by performing album cut “Lost Boys” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, doing so with different arrangements on consecutive nights.
Without warning, Bridgers stopped by Fallon on Tuesday night to present the TV debut of “Lost Boys,” a refined alt-country number. Wearing an all-black ensemble, with her blonde hair styled with Hollywood glamor, Bridgers got the job done with a full band and a little help from some cute youngsters.
On it, she sings: “Lost boys / never grow up, never go home / lost boys / never spend their lunch money / lost boys / never grow up, never get old / lost boys, find me.”
On Wednesday night, Bridgers returned to the NBC studios for another hit of “Lost Boys,” this time an acoustic rendition. The second time around, Bridgers, seated with her three bandmates and none of the kids, gave “Lost Boys” some space to breathe. The acoustic cut hangs with a touch of melancholy.
Following her two-night stand on Fallon, “Lost Boys (Acoustic)” dropped on streaming platforms.
Bridgers last month teased the forthcoming 16-track LP with an Instagram post, and shared its phantasmic black, blue and green cover art with an abstract rendering of her face at the center.
The singer, songwriter and musician hasn’t released an album of her own since 2020’s Punisher, which peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard 200, a career best. Before that came debut LP Stranger in the Alps, which reached No. 82 on the all-genres chart.
Since Punisher, the four-time Grammy winner has kept busy with an opening stint on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour — on which she and the pop superstar would also sing their Red (Taylor’s Version) duet, “Nothing New,” during the main set — as well as her work with Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker on boygenius.
Bridgers’ unannounced back-to-back stints stints on late night TV follow surprise pop-up shows across the United States in May, culminating with a sold-out show at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
According to reps, more than 300 global midnight album release parties will give fans an early listen to (and purchase of) Lost Weekend. For more details visit phoebebridgers.lnk.to/midnight-parties.
“You guys ready to feel like absolute s— tonight?” asked Noah Kahan with a knowing smirk. “You came to the right place.”
Except, the 40,000 fans inside Chicago’s Wrigley Field, all of whom braved a heat wave, came for an entirely different reason — and Kahan knew it.
When he sang “Dashboard” during the second of two sold-out nights at the baseball stadium, particularly during the line “you always went looking for an easy out,” a fan declared to their friend: “that’s me.” And when he wrapped the show with his downer-turned-upper of a hit “Stick Season,” couples in the crowd couldn’t help but joyously dance along, smiles plastered on their faces as fireworks erupted.
Earlier in the set, after performing his masterful “Orbiter,” Kahan even called his own bluff, admitting that he knows many came to not feel like s— – or at least, to feel camaraderie in it. “To be able to look out into the crowd and see how happy you all are and connected you are makes me feel like there’s a point,” he shared.
For Kahan, that point has only sharpened in recent years. By more or less singing about the times he has felt like s— , Kahan has built a fast-growing fandom that feels seen, heard and guided by the folk rocker. And if his third album, 2022’s Stick Season, catapulted him into a different league, then this year’s epic 21-track The Great Divide helped him become MVP.
There is genuine value in Kahan’s music that comes across even more in a live setting where its impact is tangible. Where families go together and sing about generational trauma right alongside Kahan; where couples grin to “All My Love” (perhaps blissfully ignoring that it’s about an ex); or where friends scream-sing “you’re an asshole, after all” with their heads tossed back, surely envisioning someone who has taken up too much mental space.
So, despite the fact that Kahan cautioned fans would feel like s— during his two-and-a-half hour set, and even though The Great Divide itself is a stunning if not saddening listen, this tour is anything but. And that’s what makes it feel so special. No matter the devastating depth of Kahan’s songs, when performed live they become bigger than the topic at hand. And as a result,The Great Divide Tour is actually a place to put feeling like s–t on pause – and instead, as Kahan said himself, feel happy and connected.
Read below for the five best moments from Kahan’s second show (July 15) at Wrigley Field.
One month after The New York Knicks won the 2026 NBA Finals, ending a 53-year championship drought for the franchise, the team and its star players took a victory lap by sweeping the 2026 ESPY Awards. The show, fittingly, was held in New York for the first time in five years, this time at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. The 2026 ESPYS aired live on the East Coast on Wednesday (July 15) at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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The Knicks won the ESPY for best team; Jalen Brunson won best athlete, men’s sports; best championship performance; and best NBA player; and teammate OG Anunoby’s tip-in in the NBA finals won for best play.
Other multiple winners were A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, who won best athlete, women’s sports and best WNBA player; Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won best single-game performance and best MLB player; and Myles Garrett, who was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Los Angeles Rams on June 1. Neither Wilson nor Ohtani was present at the show.
SNL star Marcello Hernández proved to be a charismatic and effective host. He was introduced as the show’s first Latino host in 25 years. (That would be since actor Jimmy Smits hosted the 2000 show.)
The Savannah Bananas opened the show with an entertaining variety performance. Hip-hop stars De La Soul, Ghostface Killah and Slick Rick did very abbreviated sets. The ESPYS spends its time on special awards and taped packages, often with a strong emotional pull.
Trailblazing former NBA player Jason Collins was posthumously honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage; baseball legend Jim Abbott received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance; and Scott Ruskan received the Pat Tillman Award for Service.
Presenters include both sports legends (Billie Jean King and Mike Tyson) and entertainment and media figures (Kevin Hart, DJ Khaled, Tracy Morgan and Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts). Will Ferrell and mentalist Oz Pearlman provided entertainment.
Here’s the complete list of 2026 ESPYS nominations, with winners marked.
Best athlete, men’s sports
WINNER: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Lionel Messi, Inter Miami CF
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Best athlete, women’s sports
Hilary Knight, hockey
Nelly Korda, golf
Mikaela Shiffrin, ski
WINNER: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Best breakthrough athlete
Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks
WINNER: Alysa Liu, figure skating
Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Fernando Mendoza, Indiana Football
Best record-breaking performance
WINNER: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns — broke the NFL single-season sack record
Megan Grant, UCLA Softball — broke the NCAA single-season softball home-run record
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, cross-country skier — first athlete to win six golds at Winter Games
Sabastian Sawe, long-distance runner — first to finish a marathon in less than two hours
Best championship performance
WINNER: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Aerin Frankel, USA Women’s Hockey
Connor Hellebuyck, USA Men’s Hockey
Teagan Kavan, Texas Longhorns Softball
Best comeback athlete
Anthony Kim, golf
Savy King, Angel City FC
WINNER: Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
Kyndal Stowers, Texas A&M Volleyball
Best play
Golden Goal for Gold! — Olympic Women’s Hockey
Golden Goal for Gold! — Olympic Men’s Hockey
UConn stuns Duke with Braylon Mullins’ buzzer-beating 3 — NCAA Men’s March Madness
WINNER: OG Anunoby’s Tip-In (New York Knicks) — NBA Finals
Caleb Williams’ game-tying TD vs. Rams — NFL
Best team
Las Vegas Aces, WNBA
Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB
Indiana Hoosiers, NCAA Football
Carolina Hurricanes, NHL
New York Knicks, NBA
Texas Longhorns, NCAA Softball
Seattle Seahawks, NFL
Team USA Men’s Hockey
Team USA Women’s Hockey
Best single-game performance
Tyce Armstrong, Baylor Baseball — hit three grand slams in a single game, tying a record set 50 years ago
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat — scored 83 points for the Miami Heat in a 150-129 win against the Washington Wizards, recording the second-highest single-game total in NBA history
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame Basketball — broke the NCAA record for most steals (16) in a game
WINNER: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers — pitched six scoreless innings, struck out 10 batters and hit three home runs
Best college athlete, men’s sports
Cameron Boozer, Duke Basketball
WINNER: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana Football
Mitchell Mesenbrink, Penn State Wrestling
Donavan Phillip, NC State Soccer
Best college athlete, women’s sports
Olivia Babcock, Pittsburgh Volleyball
WINNER: Lauren Betts, UCLA Basketball
Madison Taylor, Northwestern Lacrosse
Faith Torrez, Oklahoma Gymnastics
Best athlete with a disability
Jake Adicoff, Paralympic Nordic-Skiing
WINNER: Declan Farmer, Paralympic Hockey
Oksana Masters, Paralympic Cross-Country Skiing
Susannah Scaroni, Wheelchair Racing
Best NFL player
WINNER: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns/Los Angeles Rams
Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Best MLB player
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
WINNER: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners
Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
Best NHL player
Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks
Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
WINNER: Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Best NBA player
WINNER: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Best WNBA player
Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Allisha Gray, Atlanta Dream
Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury
WINNER: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Best driver
Kimi Antonelli, F1
WINNER: Lando Norris, F1
Alex Palou, IndyCar
Tyler Reddick, NASCAR
Best fighter
WINNER: Terence Crawford, boxing
Gabriela Fundora, boxing
Justin Gaethje, MMA
Claressa Shields, boxing
Best soccer player
Temwa Chawinga, KC Current
Ousmane Dembélé, PSG/France
WINNER: Lionel Messi, Inter Miami CF
Alexia Putellas, Spain/Barcelona
Best golfer
Nelly Korda
Rory McIlroy
WINNER: Scottie Scheffler
Jeeno Thitikul
Best tennis player
WINNER: Carlos Alcaraz
Elena Rybakina
Aryna Sabalenka
Jannik Sinner
Other Winners
Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, and his wife, Ayesha Curry
Jimmy V Award for Perseverance: Jim Abbott
Pat Tillman Award for Service: Scott Ruskan, U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer
Gatorade Players of the Year: Maddie DiMaria and Grady Emerson
Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award: Kelis Armstrong, Julia Howe and Samuel Phillips
Fcukers lead all nominees with three nods in the shortlist for the Association of Independent Music’s 2026 Independent Music Awards.
The New York-based electronic duo is nominated in the best independent album (Ö, Ninja Tune), best independent track (“L.U.C.K.Y.”) and independent breakthrough categories.
The 2026 ceremony will take place at London’s Roundhouse on Sept. 22, and will honor an array of indie musicians, labels, companies and creators across a wide variety of categories.
Six acts follow with two nominations each: Jalen Ngonda (Daptone Records), Jim Legxacy (XL Recordings), Jorja Smith (FAMM), Nova Twins (Marshall Records), Romy (XL Recordings) and Tiana Major9 (+1 Records).
Young leads all labels with five nominations across all categories, followed by XL Recordings and Ninja Tune with four apiece, and FAMM and Marshall Records each earning three nominations.
Competing for best independent album are BICEP, Blawan, Fcukers, Geese, Mitski, Nova Twins, Prostitute, Robyn Scaler and Thundercat.
More categories and nominations will be announced in the coming months, with submissions open for the publicly voted best live performer and best independent record store categories. Submissions can be entered at the Independent Music Awards website.
Gee Davy, CEO of AIM said in a statement, “We’re thrilled to share the first nominees list for the 2026 Independent Music Awards, showcasing just some of the broad spectrum of success and authenticity flowing from the U.K.’s independent music community. The array of artists and genres on display here demonstrates once again that the independent music sector is the most exciting, authentic and groundbreaking place in the industry.
“Following our 15th anniversary edition of the awards last year, we have a fresh new look and feel, reflecting the consistent evolution of the independent music sector,” Davy continued. “We look forward to sharing more new features at the ceremony at London’s Roundhouse as we celebrate the success that comes from the collective strength of our mighty community.”
At the 2025 ceremony, Fontaines D.C. won best independent album for Romance, Ezra Collective claimed best independent track for “God Gave Me Feet for Dancing” and XL Recordings took home best independent label. DJ and curator Giles Peterson was recognized with the outstanding contribution to music and Throbbing Gristle member Cosey Fanni Tutti with the innovator prize.
See the full list of nominees so far below.
Best independent track
DEBBY FRIDAY, “Bet On Me” (Sub Pop Records) Fcukers, “L.U.C.K.Y” (Ninja Tune) Genesis Owusu, “Stampede” (Ourness) Jalen Ngonda, “Doctrine of Love” (Daptone Records) Jim Legxacy, “3x” (XL Recordings) Jorja Smith, “The Way I Love You” (FAMM) Nova Twins, “Piranha” (Marshall Records) Robyn, “Dopamine” (Young / Konichiwa) Romy, “Love Who You Love” (Young) Tiana Major9, “Desire” (+1 Records)
Fat Dog (Domino Recording Co.) Fcukers (Ninja Tune) Jalen Ngonda (Daptone Records) Tiana Major9 (+1 Records) Ego Ella May (Believe UK)
Best independent mixtape/EP
Bricknasty, Blacks Law (FAMM) Jim Legxacy, black british music (2025) (XL Recordings) Naima Bock, Live in Toulon (Sub Pop Records) Strandz, Diaspora Dance Music (Strandz Music) TTSSFU, Blown (Partisan Records)
Best independent remix
Overmono, “If We Ever” (High Contrast Remix) (XL Recordings) Sherelle, Romy, “Love Who You Love”(SHERELLE’s Intelligent Dyke Music Remix) (Young) Robyn, “Sexistential” (Arca’s Take) (Young / Konichiwa) Jorja Smith, TS7, “The Way I Love You” (TS7 Remix) (FAMM) House Gospel Choir and Donae’O, “You” (Donae’O Remix) (Swear Down Music)
One to Watch
Ashaine White (Marshall Records) Alewya (LDN Records) Lauren Auder (untitled (recs)) Mandy, Indiana (Sacred Bones Records) Native James (Saviour Music)
Queens of the Stone Age is back with new music, and the announcement of an extended tour that will see the rockers finish the year touring the lands down under.
But first, the arrival of QOTSA’s new single “Easy Street” (via Matador Records / Remote Control Records), the band’s first new song since 2023 studio album In Times New Roman.
Featuring vocals from Nikki Lane, the mid-tempo “Easy Street’ is accompanied by a weird and wonderful music video directed by Tony Wolski and Christopher Gruse, based on a story and idea by frontman Josh Homme.
“It’s kind of a funny song,” remarks Homme, who produced it with Michael Shuman. “It’s like hitting your funny bone, where it’s funny because it hurts and it hurts because it’s funny. You’re serious, but it’s funny,” he continues. “We made it the way you’d make a demo. No click track, mistakes left in. It speeds up, it slows down, the claps aren’t great, but they’re not bad, and a bad clap adds this human thing you can’t fake.”
He continues, “It’s not just about silliness. It’s about understanding the imperfection of your life. The song, like your life, is in the mistakes. Its imperfections are unbeatable.”
With new music comes additional tour dates. As the new Australasian itinerary currently stands, Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita and Jon Theodore will embark on a seven-city visit of capital cities and at least two regional centers.
On that route, the band will play a mix of outdoor and arena shows, starting Dec. 8 at Adelaide’s The Drive. The QOTSA show will then hit the road for arena concerts in Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, and wrap up Dec. 20 at Auckland’s Spark Arena.
Australian and New Zealand fans will be the first to experience a brand-new show following QOTSA’s current European tour with System of a Down and scheduled U.S. dates with Foo Fighters, plus a headline show in Iceland set for October, according to Live Nation, which is production the run of Australia and New Zealand.
Special guests on the ANZ tour are ‘90s alternative rockers Primus and homegrown experimental art-punk quartet Tropical F*ck Storm.
The general on sale begins Monday, July 20 at 11am. For complete tour and ticket information, visit livenation.com.au and livenation.co.nz.
Queens Of The Stone Age Tour of Australia And New Zealand 2026:
Dec. 8 — The Drive, Adelaide Dec. 11 — MyState Bank Arena, Hobart Dec. 13 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Dec. 15 — Afterpay Arena, Sydney Dec. 16 — Newcastle Entertainment Centre Dec. 18 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre Dec. 20 — Spark Arena, Auckland
With special guests Primus and Tropical F*ck Storm Presented by Double J
