During an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Monday night (September 16), Justin Timberlake didn’t discuss his recent guilty plea for driving while ability impaired. Instead, Timberlake – who was making his first public appearance since his DWI court case ended last Friday – chose to focus on promoting the ten new live dates added to his Forget Tomorrow world tour, along with disclosing his new Christmas song that he recorded with his old friend and collaborator Fallon. “We went to Electric Lady [to record it],” Timberlake revealed during the interview. “We had no business recording this song at such a fantastic, world famous studio.” Fallon echoed his praise of the legendary New York studio, calling it “unbelievable” and the “best place to record a record.” The song is called, “You’ll Be There,” and will be featured on Fallon’s upcoming Christmas album, Holiday Seasoning, which will be released on Nov. 1. (People)

Following his arrest on Monday evening (September 16), Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was indicted on Tuesday on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. The 14-page federal indictment against Combs includes three counts of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Prosecutors allege that in order to commit these acts, Combs and his employees engaged in acts of kidnapping, forced labor, arson, and bribery. Combs was denied bail in a hearing late Tuesday, with the judge reasoning, “My concern is that this is a crime that happens behind closed doors.” His racketeering charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, while a sex trafficking conviction would carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years. “He’s going to plead not guilty, obviously,” said Combs’ lawyer Marc Agnifilo. “He’s going to fight this with all of his energy and all of his might. And I expect a long battle with a good result for Mr. Combs.” (Rolling Stone)

Christina Aguilera is planning on celebrating the 25th anniversary of her 9x-platinum self-titled debut album by releasing live in-studio re-imaginings of its hits for an episode of Spotify Anniversaries. Aguilera will perform these reworked versions of her classic songs in a special episode that will be released on September 23, with the pop superstar sharing stories about the origins of her Billboard No. 1 album that spawned three chart-topping hits. Aguilera will also be joined during the live session by special guest collaborators Sabrina Carpenter and MGK, who will add a fresh, modern twist to Christina’s pop gems. “I wanted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of my debut album in a way that brings together the past and present,” Aguilera said. “I’ve always enjoyed reimagining my songs with different styles and audiences, as well as playing with sounds and arrangements that showcase how all music can be timeless.” (Rolling Stone) 

Miley Cyrus and her songwriting team behind her Grammy-winning hit, “Flowers,” have been sued over accusations that the song copies portions of Bruno Mars’ track, “When I Was Your Man.” The lawsuit was filed on Monday (September 16) in Los Angeles federal court by Tempo Music Investments, who claim Cyrus’ Billboard No.1 hit uses unauthorized parts of Mars’ 2013 chart-topping hit. The suit includes Sony Music Publishing, Apple, and multiple retail outlets as defendants who are all accused of distributing “Flowers.”

Tempo Music claims it owns a portion of the U.S. copyright to “When I Was Your Man,” acquiring the rights from Philip Lawrence, who co-wrote the song with Mars, Ari Levine, and Andrew Wyatt. “It is undeniable based on the number of similarities between the two recordings that ‘Flowers’ would not exist without ‘When I Was Your Man,’” reads the complaint. Tempo Music seeks undisclosed financial damages and a court order prohibiting the defendants from distributing and publicly performing “Flowers.” Representatives for Cyrus have not commented. (Variety)

On Tuesday (September 17), Cher was announced as the music headliner for the upcoming Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on October 15. This will be VS’s first major runway showcase in six years. To mark the grand occasion, they also revealed that for the first time ever the event will feature a lineup of all-women artists who will perform during the high-profile fashion show. The intimate apparel brand made the big announcement with a video post on Instagram that features the 78-year-old Cher singing her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit, “Believe.” Victoria’s Secret captioned their post, “It’s a woman’s world, so it’s understood that you can’t have a fashion show without the mother of fashion herself—@Cher! We’re beyond excited to announce she will officially be performing at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2024 on October 15. But she won’t be alone...stay tuned, more announcements are coming to round out our first-ever, all-women lineup.” (Billboard)

Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” spends its 10th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, extending its run of the most weeks spent at the top of the singles chart in 2024. “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” also becomes one of only 45 No. 1 hits in the 66-year history of the Hot 100 to spend double-digit weeks on top of the charts. Elsewhere in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10, Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, holds at No. 2, while Sabrina Carpenter places three songs in the Top 10 for a third consecutive week: “Espresso” stays at No. 3; “Taste” drops one spot to No. 6; and “Please Please Please,” falls four spots to No. 8. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” moves up two spots to No. 4, Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” jumps up two slots to No. 5, Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” moves up one spot to No. 7, Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” remains at No. 9, and Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” stays put at No. 10. (Billboard)

During an interview with Anderson Cooper on Sunday’s (September 15) episode of 60 Minutes, Dua Lipa distanced herself from contemporary pop stars who are “ruthless” about sharing their private lives in their music. The British pop superstar disclosed that her lyrics intentionally don’t reveal much about her past relationships and personal life. “It’s something that I just naturally hold back,” Lipa shared. “Some people are just so ruthless with their own private life that they decide to put it all out in a song because they know that it’s gonna attract people’s attention. For me, it was always important to make music that people really loved, not because I was putting someone out on blast. Not because I’m doing it for the clickbait at maybe someone else’s expense.” Dua Lipa just announced a world tour in support of her recent album, Radical Optimism, which hits North America in September of 2025. (Rolling Stone)

In the current cover story of The Face, Chappell Roan shares specific incidents of invasive fan behavior that have caused her to question if wants to be in the public spotlight in the future. "I told myself, if this ever gets dangerous, I might quit," Roan said. "It’s dangerous now, and I’m still going. But that part is not what I signed up for.” Roan says her newfound fame has brought with it stalkers, online abuse, and obsessive fans who “won’t leave you alone, yelling at you in public. I didn’t know it would feel this bad." Roan reached out to Lorde following a disturbing interaction with a fan, and the 27-year-old New Zealand pop star shared useful advice. "She sent me a list of things I should do [that] she wished someone would have told her when she was going through it,” Roan revealed. “And she went through f---ing hell. She was a baby!” (People)

Tito Jackson, a founding member of the Jackson 5, died of a heart attack on Sunday at the age of 70. Tito was joined by his brothers Michael, Jermaine, Jackie, and Marlon in the chart-topping soul and R&B group, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Tito played guitar and sang in the Jackson 5, who signed with the iconic record label Motown in 1969 and proceeded to make history by becoming the first group to debut with four consecutive No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save," and "I'll Be There." Tito’s three sons paid tribute to their father on Instagram, writing: “It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father Tito Jackson is no longer with us. We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being.” (Variety)

During Shakira’s appearance at the Miami nightclub LIV on Sunday (September 15) to celebrate her forthcoming single, “Soltera,” the singer left the stage early after a fan appeared to be filming up her skirt. Shakira was in the club making a music video with a star-studded lineup featuring Winnie Harlow, Anitta, Lele Pons, and Danna Paola. She was on stage dancing to her new single – an as-yet-unreleased collaboration with the Brazilian music superstar Anitta – when she noticed the invasive person in the audience.

In fan-captured footage of the incident, Shakira stops dancing in order to smooth down her skirt while gesturing at the offending person in the crowd. The singer then abruptly leaves the stage, clearly upset. Shakira is in better spirits in her new Instagram post from Monday afternoon (September 16), where the Latin pop superstar is shown dancing to a snippet of “Soltera” with her close group of friends who are all enjoying her new single. (People)  

During the first show of the Killers two-night stand at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York, on Saturday night (September 14), the Vegas group honored another famous band that played the same venue almost exactly 60 years earlier. “Some of you might know the history of the place,” frontman Brandon Flowers told the crowd. “In 1964, 60 years ago, the Beatles did two nights here at Forest Hills. We thought that we would pay our respects. I don’t think there’s a person here that wasn’t influenced by them in some way or another. Here you go.”

The Killers then played a spirited rendition of the Beatles first American Billboard No.1 hit, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” which topped the charts in 1964, the same year the Fab Four played Forrest Hills on August 28 and 29,. This wasn’t the first time that the Killers had covered the Beatles, playing live renditions of “Helter Skelter,” “Get Back,” “In My Life,” “Michelle,” and “When I’m Sixty-Four” in their past sets. (Rolling Stone)

Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet notches its third consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Short n’ Sweet is only the second album to spend its first three weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart in 2024, joining Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, which also spent its first three weeks at No. 1 back in April and May on its way to a total of 15 nonconsecutive weeks on top of the charts. The rest of the Billboard 200 Top 5 remains the same as last week, with Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion at No. 2, Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess at No. 3, Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time at No. 4, and Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department at No. 5. The only debut appearance in this week’s Top 10 is former Pink Floyd member David Gilmour’s first studio album in nine years, Luck and Strange, coming in at No. 10. (Billboard)

Pharrell Williams announced that the Something in the Water festival set to take place in his hometown of Virginia Beach is postponed until April 2025. The festival had originally been pushed from April of 2024 to this October. Pre-sale tickets started selling on Friday (September 13) ahead of a planned lineup reveal that ultimately never took place. Pharrell announced the postponement with a post on X, writing: “Dearest Virginia, I love you with all my heart. So SOMETHING IN THE WATER has to match that. It just isn’t ready yet. That’s why we as a team have decided that we must postpone this year’s SOMETHING IN THE WATER festival that was due to take place in October. I am so grateful to our amazing sponsors and the city for their continued support and trust in us to get this right, and that time is April 2025. This has to be EPIC, and trust me, after this long wait, it will be.” (Billboard)

LL Cool J released, The Force, his first new studio album in 11 years, on September 6, and was part of a star-studded 40th anniversary tribute to Def Jam Records that closed down the VMAs on Wednesday night (Sept. 11). While rap fans enjoy his Q-Tip produced new album, the music in LL’s vault is equally intriguing. Dr. Dre was originally working with him on the new record, but LL scrapped it because it wasn’t up to his standards. “He deserves a better LL than that,” he shared. “For me to go in there and not give Dr. Dre the best possible LL, it’s not fair to him and it’s definitely not fair to me. The sonics were there, but I gotta deliver on the writing. I’m not putting nothing out if I don’t feel it’s right.” That goes for old studio sessions with LL and Michael Jackson as well, which the rapper confirmed do exist but have never been released. (Variety)

On Friday (September 13), Justin Timberlake pled guilty to a reduced charge in his DWI case in Sag Harbor, New York. The pop superstar pleaded guilty to the charge of “driving while ability impaired,” after initially being charged with a misdemeanor count of driving while intoxicated. “I did not live up to the standards that I try to hold for myself,” Timberlake told the judge. “I should’ve had better judgment… I understand the seriousness of this.” Timberlake's license had already been suspended in New York, and he was also ordered by the judge to pay a $500 fine along with performing 25-40 hours community service.

He was also required to make a “public safety announcement,” which he subsequently delivered outside the courthouse. Timberlake gave this statement to reporters: “Even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car. There’s so many alternatives. This is a mistake that I made, but I’m hoping that whoever’s watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have.” (Variety)

After Kendrick Lamar was revealed as the headliner for the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, rap fans voiced their anger about why New Orleans native Lil Wayne wasn’t chosen to perform in his home city. And it turns out that Weezy himself was personally crushed by being passed over in favor of Kendrick. Lil Wayne took to Instagram Live on Friday (September 13) to express his frustration about not being asked to perform at the upcoming big game in his hometown.. “It hurt a whole lot,” Wayne said. “I thought there was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city. So it hurt. It made me feel like sh*t, not getting this opportunity. And when I felt like sh*t, you guys reminded me that I ain’t sh*t without y’all, and that’s an amazing reality. It broke me, and I’m just trying to put me back together.” (Consequence of Sound)

During an interview with E! News before the 2024 MTV VMAs on Wednesday (September 11), Shaboozey weighed in on the controversy surrounding Beyoncé receiving zero nominations at the 2024 CMA Awards. Shaboozey currently has the Billboard No. 1 song for nine weeks running with "A Bar Song (Tipsy),” while he was also featured on “Spaghettii” and "Sweet Honey Buckiin'" off Beyoncé’s Billboard No. 1 album, Cowboy Carter.

"It's definitely unfortunate. I mean, if that's something she was looking to receive and that's something that she worked for, it really sucks," Shaboozey says. "I know as an artist, you put a lot of time and a lot of work and a lot of energy into music. Awards aren't really — they're not everything. As long as you're connecting with people and genuinely making music that's impacting people, that's all that matters, you know? She changed my life, and changed the lives of other artists as well. To me, if I could do that for another artist, or another person in general...I'd be at peace.” (Taste of Country)

Days after being named as headliner of the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, Kendrick Lamar shocked music fans by releasing a brand new song via his Instagram page. On Wednesday (September 11), the Nobel Prize-winning rapper shared a post featuring a well-worn pair of black Nike Airs along with the audio of his 5-minute new track. Lamar didn’t caption his post, so the song doesn’t have an official name, though fans are referring to it as “Watch the Party Die” in reference to the track’s first verse. It’s the first new material that Lamar has released in over seven months that isn’t a Drake diss track. K.Dot instead goes off on society at large and fake hip-hop culture. The new song could be a response to criticism Lamar has received since being named as the halftime show headliner, with rap fans voicing their anger about New Orleans native Lil Wayne not being chosen to perform in his home city. (Consequence of Sound)

Charli XCX and Troye Sivan will launch their collaborative Sweat Tour in Detroit on Saturday night (September 14). Before starting their run of shows together, Charli shared a new remix of her Brat standout, “Talk Talk,” that features Sivan. Fellow pop superstar Dua Lipa even makes a surprise appearance on the remix, speaking in both French and Spanish – which Charli personally requested on the original version of the song. This “Talk Talk” remix is the third time Charli and Troye have linked up on a song, joining their 2019 collaboration on the Charli track, “1999,” along with its remix, “2099.”

Charli also took to Instagram on Thursday (September 12) to announce an updated version of her recent record titled, Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat, which will be released on CD and cassette on October 11. It features Brat remixes featuring Sivan along with previously released collabs with Billie Eilish, Lorde, Robyn, Yung Lean, A.G. Cook, and Addison Rae. (Consequence of Sound) 

To celebrate the grand opening of the Fanatics Sportsbook at the Oceans Casino Resort, Fanatics’ founder and CEO Michael Rubin and his business partner Jay-Z are set to host a celebrity-filled blackjack tournament on Sunday (September 15). Jay-Z is the co-founder and co-owner of the new Fanatics Sportsbook, and he and Rubin have a star-studded card game planned to ring in the grand opening of their venue. After a day spent watching football in the new venue alongside VIPs and invited guests, both Jay and Rubin will take part in the prestigious blackjack tournament, with $250,000 going to the winner. Last month, Jay-Z and Rubin teamed up for the inaugural Fanatics Fest in New York City, with over 70,000 fans turning up along with stars of sports and music like Kevin Durant, Tom Brady, Quavo, and Travis Scott, with Hova even relaunching his celebrated The 40/40 Club for one weekend only. (Billboard)