Jeezy set a Guinness World Record by performing with a 101-piece orchestra at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday night (November 1), marking the largest orchestra ever gathered for a hip-hop concert and the biggest orchestra assembled for any concert in Las Vegas. Guinness adjudicator Andy Glass was on hand to recognize Jeezy’s record-setting collaboration with The Color of Noize Orchestra, featuring music composed by Derrick Hodge and directed by Adam Blackstone. Celebrating the milestone on Instagram, Jeezy wrote of his achievement: “It has always been my purpose to motivate and inspire my culture. Thank you to everyone involved for believing in my vision. Couldn’t have done it without you. This one’s for the books…literally‼️” The rapper’s historic four-show residency began on Halloween and featured themed masquerade nights for the first two performances, with upcoming Nutcracker-themed holiday shows planned on December 19 and 21. (Billboard)

Britney Spears has deactivated her 12-year-old Instagram account following a series of distressing posts. Many of those were responding to her ex-husband Kevin Federline’s recent memoir, You Thought You Knew, which accuses her of alarming behavior during their marriage and while parenting their two sons. Spears publicly denounced Federline’s claims as trying to profit off her pain, saying his “constant gaslighting” has become “extremely hurtful and exhausting.” Her Instagram had shown concerning images over the past month, including an October 7 post that featured the pop superstar with bruises on her arms and bandages on her hands and wrists, injuries she claimed were the result of a fall “down the stairs at my friend’s house,” followed by mentions of possible brain damage she suffered during her conservatorship. While her Instagram is now inaccessible, her X account remains active, with her last post made on October 16. It is unclear whether the Instagram deactivation was voluntary or enforced by Meta. (Rolling Stone)

Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” continues to dominate the Billboard Hot 100 chart, sitting at No. 1 for a fourth consecutive week, bolstered by the recent release of an alternate acoustic version and strong streaming, sales, and radio airplay. The four-week rule of “The Fate of Ophelia” extends Swift’s total to 40 cumulative weeks at the chart’s summit, moving her up to eighth on the list of the most total weeks at No. 1 in chart history. This also marks Swift’s fifth No. 1 hit to rule the charts for four or more weeks, tying her for fifth-most of all-time, while also extending her record as the only artist to top both the Billboard 200 albums chart and the Hot 100 singles chart for the first four weeks of release. Two other tracks from Swift’s The Life of A Showgirl remain in the Top 10 this week, as “Opalite” holds at  No. 4, while “Elizabeth Taylor” drops three spots to No. 8. 

Meanwhile, Kehlani achieves her first Hot 100 Top 10 hit with “Folded,” which surges seven spots to reach No. 7, following the release of multiple high-profile remixes. "Folded" also becomes her first ever No. 1s on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs charts. The rest of the Hot 100 Top 10 includes HUNTR/X’s “Golden” holding at No. 2, Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” remaining at No. 3, while Olivia Dean scores her first-ever Top 5 hit as “Man I Need” jumps three spots to reach No. 5. Justin Bieber’s “Daisies” climbs up one spot to No. 6, while Morgan Wallen’s “I Got Better” sticks at No. 9, and Leon Thomas’ “Mutt” remains at its previous peak of No. 10. (Billboard)

On Monday (November 3), Kelly Clarkson announced that she has extended her Studio Sessions Las Vegas residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Clarkson has scheduled four additional shows in August 2026, adding to her six previously announced dates next year, for a run that now stretches from July 17 to August 15. This announcement comes ahead of Clarkson’s upcoming return to the Vegas stage on Friday (November 7), marking her first performance since the death of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock. from melanoma in August. After postponing initial shows in July due to vocal strain before eventually stepping away following Blackstock’s illness and passing, Clarkson kept a low profile before she recently resumed hosting her daytime talk show in late September. She also has upcoming residency dates scheduled on November 8, 14, and 15. Tickets for the new 2026 dates go on sale November 7, with a presale starting November 5. (Rolling Stone)

On Monday (November 3), Hilary Duff took to social media to officially announce her musical return after a decade-long hiatus with the release of her upcoming new single, “Mature.” The track is set to be released on Thursday (November 6), marking the 38-year-old actress/singer’s first new music since 2015. Newly signed to Atlantic Records, Duff also shared the single’s  cover art, while captioning her post, “So happy this is finally yours to hear. Been keeping this one quiet too long.” Alongside the single, a docuseries executive produced by Grammy-nominated director Sam Wrench is in development, capturing Duff’s personal and professional journey as she balances family life, recording, and preparing for live performances. Duff rose to fame in the early-2000s starring in the Disney series Lizzie McGuire, followed by a variety of pop hits in the mid-2000s. She has spent recent years focused on acting, but now returns to music with support from her husband, producer Matthew Koma. (Rolling Stone)

The first-ever U.S. TikTok Awards will be held on December 18 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, featuring live performances and appearances by top TikTok creators. Fans can vote for their favorites via the TikTok app from November 18 to December 5, with nominees for Breakthrough Artist of the Year including Alex Warren, KATSEYE, Laufey, Ravyn Lenae, and sombr. Most of these musicians are also strong contenders to be nominated for Best New Artist at the upcoming Grammy Awards, except for Laufey, who already won a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2024, and is ineligible for Best New Artist. The event, themed “New Era, New Icons,” will be streamed live on TikTok and Tubi, with a red carpet and hundreds of creators in attendance, celebrating emerging talent across music and video categories. (Billboard)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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) 

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)