Music Business

Ariana Grande is officially back on the road putting her solo performance career on ice for the last nearly 7 years ... stepping right back into the spotlight like she never left.

The pop superstar officially launched her highly anticipated "Eternal Sunshine" Tour Saturday night in Oakland, California -- marking her first major concert tour since 2019.

Fans inside the arena erupted as Ariana made her long-awaited return to the stage, opening a show that blended songs from her "Eternal Sunshine" era with some of the biggest hits from her catalog.

Music mogul Clive Davis is back home and on the mend after spending the past week hospitalized ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the legendary music executive -- who molded the careers of Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Kelly Clarkson, and more -- tells TMZ ... Clive was discharged from the hospital on Thursday and is now recuperating at home.

We're told the 94-year-old is in good spirits and happy to be out of the hospital following his recent health scare.

Billy Joel's ex-manager says he tried early on to get the music legend to read the biopic script ... insisting he never tried to sneak the project past Billy.

Irwin Mazur -- the central figure behind the "Billy and Me" project -- tells TMZ he spent the last year trying to arrange a meeting with the "Piano Man" before the backlash surrounding the film reached a fever pitch.

Mazur insists there's "nothing defamatory" in the script and nothing he wouldn’t stand behind ... arguing it simply tells the story of their early days together, which he is very proud of.

Scooter Braun says there was never any bad blood on his end for Taylor Swift ... he says he hardly knew her and never had a substantial conversation with her before he became the villain in her quest to own her master recordings.

The former record executive opened up about Taylor's beef with him during an interview with The Free Press ... talking about his relationship with Taylor, or lack thereof.

Scooter says he's met Taylor three times in his entire life ... including once when she invited him to a private party where she told him she had the utmost respect for him, and he parroted the comment.

5/27/2026 7:26 AM PT -- John Branca, the Co-Executor of the Michael Jackson estate tells TMZ ... “I am profoundly grieved at the loss of my partner and ‘brother’ John McClain. One of the great innovators in the world of music and music marketing, John was a visionary, seeing past the mundane and into the future."

He added, "When we were named in Michael’s will, I knew that he would bring great insight into Michael’s music and that his friendship and dedication to Michael would underscore all the great projects that we could bring to the world. He brought a passion and sense of conviction to all that he did and was the most generous of friends. It is difficult to imagine a world without him."

John McClain, the co-executor of Michael Jackson's estate and a veteran music executive and producer, has died ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for McClain tells TMZ ... John died Tuesday. Sources with direct knowledge tell us he had been sick for several years, though it's not yet clear whether that illness contributed to his death. We're told he passed in Malibu.

In addition to his role as co-executor of the MJ estate -- along with John Branca -- McClain produced hits for Michael, Janet Jackson, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre.

Queen Latifah's regal looks over the years deserve a frigin' award!!!

Here is a 32-year-old version of the rapper-actress lookin' fire at a Hollywood luncheon in back in 2002 (left).

And, more than two decades later, it's hard to believe this queen is 56! Here's a shot of her serving style and stunning looks at CinemaCon 2026 just last month (right).

Queen Latifah is set to host tomorrow's American Music Awards, where we're placing our bets on her looking gorgeous, but the question here is:

Good Genes or Good Docs?!

Kanye West just got hit with another major blow ... 'cause an upcoming concert in India has been suspended over security fears.

The controversial rapper was supposed to perform May 23 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi ... but organizers White Fox announced Friday they're axing that date after government and police warnings tied to the capital's current high-alert situation.

The organizers said safety comes first ... especially after spending months prepping what they claimed would've been one of the biggest live productions India's ever seen.

Sydney Sweeney is continuing to showcase her romance with Scooter Braun ... this time, sharing a romantic video collage showing them cuddling up and kissing.

Check it out -- the "Euphoria" star posted a PDA-filled compilation on her IG story Tuesday ... and it's full of clips of Scooter wrapping his arms around her and snuggling up to her. The videos appear to be taken during a picturesque beach vacation that took them swimming, dancing, boating, and on romantic walks along the shore.

The video ends with the music exec dipping his much younger girlfriend and going in for a smooch on the lips.

Daz Dillinger is dragging a record label that controls a bunch of Tupac's music to court ... and it sounds like he feels he's owed big bucks.

The legendary rapper just filed suit against Amaru Entertainment, a record label Tupac Shakur's mother, Afeni, founded back in the day.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Daz claims he's not being paid his fair share of royalties for helping to write and produce a bunch of Tupac hits ... including "I Ain't Mad at Cha," "Got My Mind Made Up," "Skandalouz," "Ambitionz az a Ridah" and "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" ... just to name a few.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce may be deep in wedding crunch mode -- but for now, the two looked way more focused on date night than seating charts!

Check out the pics ... the lovebirds looked totally smitten, leaving London hotspot Gymkhana hand-in-hand after a cozy dinner outing Thursday.

Taylor and Travis were locked all the way in too -- matching blazers, coordinated dark fits and big smiles as they headed to a waiting car looking every bit the power couple.

Baby, let the games begin ... because Taylor Swift's lawyers are gloving up over her 'Life of a Showgirl' lawsuit.

In case you hadn't heard, she's being sued for trademark infringement by Vegas showgirl Maren Wade ... who says the pop star stole her brand, "Confessions of a Showgirl," and wants an order blocking Taylor from selling related merch while everything plays out in court.

But Taylor's team is not having it -- they say that would lose tens of millions of dollars if the judge issues that kind of order -- and are fighting the request.

M.I.A. isn't backing down after getting the boot from Kid Cudi's tour ... in fact, she's doubling down and telling critics to chill out and stop "dividing" people.

The singer fired off a message on X Monday, urging people not to fuel division and pointing out she isn't eligible to vote in the U.S., while arguing millions of Latino voters supported Trump ... questioning whether critics plan to "hate them all."

She added that people should think for themselves instead of following rumors and said she's praying for more awareness and unity.

Michael Jackson and the woman who played his girlfriend in the "Thriller" music video could cut through their sexual tension with a knife when they were filming ... at least according to her.

Ola Ray, a former Playmate and music video vixen, sat down with TMZ's very own Charlie Neff ... recalling her interactions with MJ back in the 80s.

There's a part in the music video where Ola kisses Michael -- and she tells us about their flirty conversations leading up to the scene.

Yeehaw, y'all -- Sydney Sweeney and Scooter Braun aren't being subtle anymore!

The "Euphoria" star just dropped a "cowboy kind of weekend 🤍" Instagram dump … and it's basically a hard launch wrapped in denim, dust and a whole lotta PDA.

Check it out ... Sydney and Scooter look completely locked in across the carousel -- we're talking him scooping her up in his arms like a full-on rom-com scene ... plus another shot of her riding high on his shoulders in a packed Stagecoach crowd, arms up and living her best life.

And if that wasn't enough "we're official" energy … they hit a photo booth together, too -- snapping a string of black-and-white pics where they’re grinning, leaning in and getting real cozy!

Britney Spears is kicking her feet up after going to rehab ... and it looks like she's not taking any chances following her DUI charge.

The pop star was spotted Thursday being chauffeured around Westlake Village and Calabasas the day after checking out of her rehab stint.

Our sources tell us Britney checked out of rehab on Wednesday and was back home by Wednesday night ... the day before she was officially charged with DUI for her March arrest, when she was allegedly driving under the influence.

David Allan Coe might be gone ... but, fans will get to hear some of the last songs he ever recorded in just a few short months, TMZ has learned.

Ken Madson -- Coe's manager near the end of his career -- tells TMZ ... he owns the controversial country singer's final album and plans to release it on September 6, 2026, which would've been the star's 87th birthday.

Coe last recorded for the album back in 2017, Madson says ... and, it will feature some previously released songs as well as new material. One song on it is called "A Million Reasons" -- which Coe apparently referenced on his social media last year. A title for the album hasn't been finalized yet.