Hey friends. 👋

Last Fourth of July, I decided to do something different and road-tripped with my best friend Aly to Birmingham, Alabama. I had never been, and a part of me was craving a little adventure. We found a lake we could swim in, booked a hotel right next to a park that was supposedly hosting a huge Fourth of July celebration, and arrived feeling good.

Then the hotel elevators stopped working. A rainstorm cut our lake day short. And when we walked over to the park for the big event (the one promoting live music, food trucks, and a spectacular fireworks show), we found it completely empty. And by empty, I mean maybe ten people max in a giant park. No music. No food trucks. Silent. 

So we left, got pizza instead, and watched teenagers dangerously light fireworks in the street, which felt less like a celebration and more like an opening scene in a coming-of-age movie where someone definitely loses an eyebrow.

Safe to say, I wanted this year to be different.

This weekend, Aly came back up to Nashville with another good friend, and I can confirm: we upgraded. We got the fireworks show. We got a full symphony. We got a drone show. And somehow, we also got a concert lineup featuring The All-American Rejects, Sublime, Ne-Yo, Boyz II Men, Tim McGraw, and Nick Jonas — a group of artists I absolutely did not expect to see on the same night, but was definitely happy to.

Apparently, around 400,000 people were celebrating downtown with us, which I did not fully process until I saw footage on Instagram and realized I was somewhere inside that sea of people.

For a moment, everyone was packed shoulder to shoulder, looking up at the same sky in a place we call home. That’s what I love about nights like that. They’re crowded, sweaty, loud, a little uncomfortable, and somehow still completely magical. The kind of night that reminds you why people keep showing up for the big communal stuff, even when parking is impossible, and your feet are aching. Definitely beats standing in a beautiful but suspiciously empty park, wondering where the people are.

Now let’s get into more music stuff!

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce turned Madison Square Garden into a full-blown enchanted forest for their July 3 wedding, complete with custom Dior, a “Love Story” aisle moment, Adam Sandler officiating, and reported performances from Stevie Nicks and Paul McCartney. The lore is already doing overtime: Taylor reportedly sang part of her vows, Travis cried through his, Ashley Smith caught the bouquet, and Jackie Tranquill left with a $6,700 Chanel bag from the reception raffle, which is one way to make a wedding favor feel extremely varsity.

Dolly Parton is officially Broadway-bound: Dolly: A True Original Musical will begin previews at the St. James Theatre on December 7, with opening night set for January 19, 2027—her 81st birthday. The show will mix classics like “Jolene,” “9 to 5,” and “I Will Always Love You” with new songs, because apparently Dolly’s idea of a birthday party is giving everyone else a present.

Charli xcx is making album rollout culture feel cool again with listening parties for Music, Fashion, Film taking over independent cinemas in 25 cities this week. The album lands July 24, but Charli is already treating the pre-release like a fashion-week screening with better bass.

U2 released the video for “Street of Dreams,” and the backstory is peak rock-star: while filming in Mexico City, a storm knocked out the generator, so the band ended up asking a nearby family if they could use their private balcony. Somehow, Bono crashing your apartment has become a legitimate music-video production plan.

Alabama Shakes announced I Must Be Dreaming, their first album in 11 years, arriving August 28. The record includes “American Dream” and “Another Life,” with “I Feel Hope Coming” due Friday—an extremely on-brand title for a band whose comeback already feels like a collective exhale.

Kelela and PinkPantheress teamed up for “The Bridge,” the final preview before Kelela drops New Avatar this Friday. It is a very sleek meeting of cool-girl electronic worlds: one foot in club atmosphere, one foot in internet-pop sparkle, both feet nowhere near boring.

Beyoncé surprise-released “Morning Dew (Donk)” on the Fourth of July, because fireworks are cute but Beyoncé suddenly appearing on streaming is a national event. It marks her first new music in two years, and yes, the title alone has already earned a big reaction.

Duffy returned to the stage for a secret London show at Hoxton Hall, marking her first full live performance in 15 years. The intimate comeback was kept tightly under wraps, making it feel less like a splashy industry relaunch and more like a carefully guarded, quietly emotional step back toward the music.

Justin Bieber dropped SWAG LIVE FROM COACHELLA (WEEKEND II), preserving the second act of Bieberchella as a 23-track live album. With appearances from Sexyy Red, Dijon, and SZA, the release basically says: yes, both Coachella weekends needed a permanent record.

Olivia Rodrigo and Gracie Abrams sat down together for Spotify’s Countdown To series ahead of Abrams’ upcoming album Daughter from Hell. In the preview, Rodrigo gets Abrams talking lyrics and album feelings, which is exactly the kind of bestie-songwriter crossover that makes pop fans immediately lean closer to the screen.

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