Starsplash Music News

AI-driven artist Xania Monet, created by poet Telisha Jones, has made history by debuting on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart with her song, “How Was I Supposed to Know?,” the first known instance of an AI artist charting on a Billboard radio airplay list. The track – which reached No. 30 on this week’s chart – first gained notoriety as a viral hit on TikTok, while reaching No. 1 on the R&B Digital Song Sales chart and sparking mixed reactions from artists and industry figures, with SZA and Kehlani among the most vocal opponents of the track and AI-based music. “Her song is resonating with the masses. That was our simple formula,” says Romel Murphy, who manages Monet. “Our goal is to continue to grow, continue to connect and hopefully get to No. 1.” Monet’s breakthrough reflects a larger trend of AI-driven acts beginning to shape the evolving music industry, with several of them appearing on the Emerging Artists chart over the last few weeks. (Billboard)

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During Sabrina Carpenter’s Halloween show on her Short ‘N Sweet Tour at Madison Square Garden – which she dubbed Short ‘N Spooky for the holiday – the Grammy-winning pop superstar dressed up as Margot Robbie’s Barbie while performing a cover of Aqua’s 1997 worldwide chart-topper, “Barbie Girl.” Carpenter also donned two other playful costumes during the show – her fourth performance of an epic five-night stand at MSG – dressing up as Wonder Woman and Fred Flintstone during different portions of the set. The show also featured Carpenter continuing her playful tradition of “arresting” a fan from the audience with fluffy pink handcuffs. In this case, Carpenter apprehended Scream star Drew Barrymore, who wore a Ghostface mask to match the show's Halloween festivities. Carpenter concluded her celebrated run at MSG on Saturday night, and now heads to Nashville for a two-night stand at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday and Wednesday (November 4-5). (NME)

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During a recent appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Megan Thee Stallion recalled being mistaken for Hudson at the 2021 Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda show in Venice, Italy, where Hudson’s security repeatedly tried to escort Megan away, despite her protests. “Your security kept snatchin’ me up, and I was like, ‘Where is my security?’ Maybe they were getting you, I don’t know. But Jennifer’s security wanted me to be Jen real bad that day,” Megan joked. In a humorous reversal, Hudson herself was mistaken for Megan at a recent NFL Super Bowl game, with fans calling out to her as Megan. “I turned around and I was like, ‘Are y’all serious? You think I’m Megan?,” Hudson recalled, while adding, “But if I’m gonna look like anybody, I mean…” The two stars then playfully discussed what it would be like to trade places for a day, with the host asking the rapper about her dance moves, humorously wondering, “How do you get down with those knees?” (Rolling Stone)

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Mariah Carey officially kicked off the 2025 holiday season with a playful new ad in partnership with Sephora. The spot was released on Halloween to signify the transition from Spooky Season to Christmas, and it co-stars Billy Eichner as an overworked elf who steals Carey’s new holiday line of beauty products while threatening to cancel Christmas cheer over seasonal stress. The clip was directed by Joseph Kahn, and features Carey proclaiming, “Halloween slayed, but now … it’s time!” Eichner is eventually turned into an animated snowman as Carey saves the day, flying Santa’s sleigh above the rooftops as her iconic song, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” plays in the background. That modern holiday classic holds Carey’s personal record of 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, which includes four weeks atop the chart during the 2024 Christmas season. (Billboard)

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Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl has spent its first month atop the Billboard 200 chart, marking its fourth consecutive week at No. 1 on the strength of 146,000 equivalent album units sold in the week ending October 30. It is the second 2025 album to achieve a month-long reign at No. 1, following the opening eight-week rule of Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem, while Swift’s previous album, The Tortured Poets Department, held the top spot for its first 12 weeks in 2024. With this latest chart success, Swift extends her record as the soloist with the most weeks at No. 1 (90) and most No. 1 albums (15), second only to The Beatles among all artists, who lead in both lists with 132 total weeks at No. 1 and 19 No. 1 albums.

Other significant moves in this week’s Billboard 200 Top 10 include new albums from Daniel Caesar, Brandi Carlile, and Demi Lovato all making strong chart debuts, as Caesar notches his first ever Top 10 release with Son of Spergy launching at No. 4, while Carlile claims her fifth career Top 10 as Returning to Myself opens at No. 7, and Lovato scores her 10th Top 10 with It’s Not That Deep debuting at No. 9. The rest of the Top 10 is rounded out by Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving rising one spot to No. 6, alongside a series of former chart-toppers, as the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack holds at No. 2, Wallen’s I’m the Problem remains at No. 3, Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend is stationary at No. 5, Cardi B’s AM I THE DRAMA? drops two spots to No. 8, and SZA’s SOS falls two slots to No. 10. (Billboard) 

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Kenny Chesney recognized Taylor Swift’s talent early on when she was just a teenager slated to open for him on his 2007 Flip-Flop Summer Tour. Swift ultimately had to be removed from the lineup due to an alcohol sponsorship that prevented the underage artist from joining the tour, leading Chesney to compensate her with a check and a heartfelt note to make up for missing the shows. In his upcoming book, Heart Life Music (out Tuesday, Nov. 4), Chesney reflects on Swift’s creative drive and songwriting skills. "With Taylor, I mean, she had the eye of the tiger even as a teenager. And I recognized that early on,” Chesney recalls. “I could tell that she was really talented and really wanted it. And even at a young age, she was a really good songwriter. So I knew something special was going to happen there." Chesney launched his 10-stop book tour on November 1 in Johnson City, Tennessee. (People)

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While closing out the North American leg of her Radical Optimism Tour in Seattle on Thursday night (October 16), Dua Lipa was joined by Ben Gibbard for an acoustic duet of Death Cab for Cutie's "I Will Follow You Into the Dark." This performance continued Lipa’s tradition of performing city-specific covers and collaborating with iconic… ... Continue Reading

On the October 18 episode of Saturday Night Live, Sabrina Carpenter, serving as the show's host and musical guest, delivered an uncensored version of "Nobody's Son" during her second song of the evening. The Grammy-winning pop superstar sang the explicit phrase, “He sure fu**ed me up” twice without being muted or bleeped during the live… ... Continue Reading

At the Los Angeles stop of her Ultrasound World Tour at the Kia Forum on Saturday night (October 18), Lorde closed her electrifying set by bringing out surprise guest Charli XCX to perform their confessional Brat remix of “Girl, So Confusing.” Lorde shimmied around on the b-stage while Charli delivered her potent verse, with the… ... Continue Reading

Taylor Swift sparked a surge of support for otter conservation after wearing a Monterey Bay Aquarium T-shirt in a clip from her box-office topping film, The Release Party of a Showgirl, inspiring fans to buy shirts with the reissued 1990s design which raised over $2.2 million for sea otter habitat restoration in California. The aquarium… ... Continue Reading

Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl spends its second consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, earning 338,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. for the week ending October 16, a 92% drop from its record-breaking 4 million debut. Despite the significant decline in sales from its historic opening week, this… ... Continue Reading

On Thursday (October 9), Kid Harpoon was officially named the first-ever Producer in Residence at Abbey Road Studios. This position grants him “complete access to Abbey Road as his creative playground and studio home in the UK, as well as its collection of vintage gear, microphones and instruments”, while he mentors emerging UK talent through… ... Continue Reading

Variety has named Sabrina Carpenter as their 2025 Hitmaker of the Year, and will honor her at the ninth annual Hitmakers celebration on December 6 in Los Angeles. Carpenter’s recognition comes amid the success of her seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and amassed over 180… ... Continue Reading

During her sold-out Radical Optimism Tour stop at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (October 8), Dua Lipa was joined by local music legend Gwen Stefani to perform a duet of No Doubt’s Grammy-nominated 1995 hit, “Don’t Speak.” Lipa introduced Stefani to the crowd by  describing her as “one of my personal… ... Continue Reading

Madonna will belatedly celebrate the 30th anniversary of her 1994 album, Bedtime Stories, with a new EP, Bedtime Stories – The Untold Chapter, which is set to be released on November 28. The EP features eight tracks including remixes, alternate mixes, and unreleased demos such as “Right on Time” (which is available to stream now),… ... Continue Reading

NBC has announced that they will air a special episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday (October 10) that will feature an extended interview with Taylor Swift, including previously unaired segments from her Monday appearance promoting her new album, The Life of a Showgirl. Those previously unaired portions of Swift’s interview were… ... Continue Reading

On Tuesday (September 30), TIME revealed its 2025 "TIME100 Next" list of the world's most influential rising stars, spotlighting emerging talents across music, acting, activism, and innovation. Among the featured musicians are Tate McRae, Gracie Abrams, GloRilla, Becky G, Rema, Fuerza Regida, Teyana Taylor, and Lainey Wilson, with each artist praised by close friends and… ... Continue Reading

After collapsing on stage at the All Things Go Festival on Saturday (September 27), English pop star Lola Young announced she is stepping away from music to focus on her mental health and has canceled all upcoming commitments indefinitely. In an Instagram message on Tuesday (September 30), Young wrote: “I’m going away for a while.… ... Continue Reading

A 10-foot bronze statue honoring the late singer Tina Turner was unveiled in her hometown of Brownsville, Tennessee on Saturday (September 27). But fans quickly took to social media to criticize the sculpture for its lack of resemblance to the iconic eight-time Grammy winner, who passed away in 2023 at age 83. The statue was… ... Continue Reading

Taylor Swift made history on Tuesday (September 30) by becoming the first and only female artist to surpass 100 million album sales certified by the RIAA, with over 105 million albums sold to date. The only other artists to achieve this feat are The Beatles (183 million units), Garth Brooks (162 million), Elvis Presley (146.5… ... Continue Reading