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6 Best Moments From Laufey’s Opening Night Show at L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena: Surprise Hozier Duet, Swinging Jazz & More

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Laufey opened a two-night stand at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles on Friday (Sept. 26) with a show that captured her unique place in pop — her music is rooted in jazz, but her concert has pop-superstar production values.

The A Matter of Time Tour, the Icelandic singer-songwriter’s third tour and her first that consists entirely of arena dates, began on Sept. 15 in Orlando. It will conclude in Kópavogur, Iceland, on March 15, 2026.

Laufey (it’s pronounced LAY-vay, for those still catching up to her) won a Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album in 2024 for her sophomore album, Bewitched, and she could be headed for another win in that category on Feb. 1 for her third album, A Matter of Time. The album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 4. It has topped Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart for the past four weeks. (Bewitched logged 102 weeks at No. 1 on that chart.)

Laufey

Laufey’s ‘A Matter of Time’ Tops Four Billboard Albums Charts in Its First Week

For all she has achieved, you have the sense that, Laufey, just 26, is still climbing. She has some big looks upcoming. She may well land a performance slot on the Grammy telecast – it would be her first star turn on Music’s Biggest Night. (She performed “From the Start,” a song from Bewitched, on the 2024 Premiere Ceremony, which is streaming-only, and backed Billy Joel during his show-closing performance on that year’s telecast. Also, she is set to play the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on Apr 19. She has said she would like to record a James Bond theme song, which seems inevitable, which could bring in a performance on the Oscar telecast. Are we getting ahead of ourselves? Perhaps, but it’s pretty clear to see the career trajectory she’s on.

Laufey performs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sept. 26, 2025.

Foundations

Laufey didn’t get where she is by thinking small. In 2023, she told RUSSH that Taylor Swift is her favorite current artist. The reason she gave for that choice spoke to her ambitions: “She has done for pop and country what I hope to do for jazz. She has managed to unite people across the world which is one of my main goals as a musician.”

Laufey’s choice of opening act for her tour’s North American leg — English singer/songwriter Suki Waterhouse — also spoke to her pop ambitions. Waterhouse, best known in the U.S. for her hits “Good Looking” and “Supersad,” is right in the pop/rock mainstream.

In 2022, when Laufey first headlined in L.A., she played the legendary but comparatively tiny Troubadour. Her growth since then can be seen in her bookings: In November 2023, she played two nights at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel. On her return in August 2024, she played the Hollywood Bowl. This time, it was a sold-out, two-night stand at Crypto.

Here are the six best moments from Laufey’s opening night show at Crypto.com Arena.

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Ed Sheeran Reveals How He Found Out About Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce’s Engagement

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Taylor Swift and fiancé Travis Kelce might be “End Game,” but according to her longtime friend Ed Sheeran, even he was in the dark about their recent happy announcement.

Singer Ed Sheeran during his concert at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on May 30, 2025, in Madrid, Spain.

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During a chat with Andy Cohen ahead of the four-time Grammy winner’s performance for SiriusXM’s Small Stage Series held Wednesday (Sept. 24) at New York City’s Irving Plaza, Sheeran revealed how he learned about the couple’s engagement, which was announced on Aug. 26.

During a series of rapid-fire questions from the TV personality, the singer had a one-word answer for how he found out about the proposal: “Instagram.”

A surprised Cohen responded, “Instagram?! Like everyone else? You didn’t even get a DM in advance?” To which Sheeran replied with a simple shake of his head and a “no.”

The singer also replied in the negative when the Radio Andy host asked whether he had heard Swift’s upcoming new album, The Life of a Showgirl, yet, and whether he had received a save-the-date for the wedding.

While he may not yet have a save-the-date, it is bound to come, as the two musicians have been good friends and collaborators for more than 10 years. The two Grammy winners first collaborated in 2012 on “Everything Has Changed” off her album Red, which peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. They’ve since gone on to work together on multiple songs together, including “The Joker and the Queen,” “Run (Taylor’s Version)” and the aforementioned “End Game,” all of which landed on the Hot 100.

He also was her supporting act on the Red tour, with the two often performing together during the 2013 trek. Sheeran also shared how close the two are during an April chat with Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast, with the discussion coming while he reflected on digging up his old cellphones and going through text messages the two stars exchanged.

“I lived in Nashville, and she lived in Nashville, and we used to fly to and from the gigs together and do all sorts of … I don’t know,” he told Cooper. “I literally spent almost every single day with her for about six months, so I think that period of time [was my favorite].”

He also shared on the podcast that he sees Swift about four times a year now. “Like, instead of catching up the whole time, we have a proper sit-down, six-hour catchups,” he said at the time. “I think that’s like a really nice way to do it.”

Watch Sheeran chat with Cohen about how he learned about Swift’s engagement above.

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Lainey Wilson, Post Malone & Cody Johnson to Headline 2026 Stagecoach Festival

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Lainey Wilson, Cody Johnson and Post Malone will lead the pack at Stagecoach 2026 as headliners when the famed country fest returns to the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif., on April 24-26.

The stacked lineup of performers for the Goldenvoice-produced Stagecoach will also feature Bailey Zimmerman, Riley Green, Brooks & Dunn, Ella Langley, Red Clay Strays, Warren Zeiders, Nate Smith, Sam Barber, Gavin Adcock, Wyatt Flores, Hudson Westbrook and Cameron Whitcomb.

Journey, Pitbull, BigXthaPlug and Counting Crows will perform at the Mustang Stage, which is being reimagined for 2026 and provides a space for the after-dark performance moments that have become an essential part of Stagecoach. Boot Barn will serve as the presenting sponsor of the new Mustang Stage.

Johnson said in a statement, “I’ll never forget the first time I got the call to play Stagecoach. We were on one of the smaller stages and I remember wondering if anyone wouldeven know our songs. Now here we are invited back to headline the Mane Stage. What a ride. I hope y’all bring the energy … because it’s gonna get Western.”

Wilson also reflected on her roots with the festival in her statement. “My first Stagecoach was in 2022 on the SiriusXM Stage at 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon,” she shared. “Look how far we’ve come y’all! I’m honored to headline this year. This is a career highlight and I can’t wait to see everyone there.”

Post Malone enthused in his statement: “Had a hell of a time at Stagecoach in 2024 alongside so many incredible artists and friends. Can’t wait to be back next year!”

Zimmerman added, “I played my first Stagecoach in 2023. Since then, it’s become a tradition, and I somehow was lucky enough to get to come back in ‘24 with Morgan Wallen and then in ‘25 with Luke Combs. Coming back in 2026 is unbelievable, and I’m so thankful to whoever made the decision to let me come back. I promise I won’t take my pants off this time … or maybe I will. See you soon, Stagecoach2026!”

Fan favorites Diplo’s HonkyTonk and Guy Fieri’s Stagecoach Smokehouse return for another year. New this year, Nashville’s Whiskey Jam will offer a new element to the Palomino Stage. Known for spotlighting rising artists in Nashville, Whiskey Jam will host special sets and curate afterhours sets at Stagecoach’s Palomino Stage.

Passes for the 2026 Stagecoach will go on sale beginning Thursday, Oct. 2, at 11 a.m. PT at on the festival’s website. Amazon Music returns as the livestream partner for a fourth year. Fans can watch livestreamed performances from artists on Twitch, Prime Video and Amazon Music’s app each day of the fest.

Find the full lineup below:

Adrien Nunez

Amos Lee

Avery Anna

Bailey Zimmerman

Bayker Blankenship

Benjamin Tod

BigXthaPlug

Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters

Brandon Wisham

Braxton Keith

Brett Young

Brooks & Dunn

Bush

Cameron Whitcomb

Charles Wesley Godwin

Chase Matthew

Chase Rice

Cody Johnson

Corey Kent

Counting Crows

Diplo

Eli Young Band

Elizabeth Nichols

Ella Langley

Gabriella Rose

Gavin Adcock

Guy Fieri

Hannah McFarland

Hootie & the Blowfish

Hudson Westbrook

Ink

Jake Worthington

Josh Ross

Journey

Julia Cole

Kameron Marlowe

Kevin Smiley

Lainey Wilson

Lane Pittman

Larkin Poe

Little Big Town

Ludacris

Lyle Lovett

Marcus King Band

Max McNown

Michael Marcagi

Nate Smith

Neon Union

Noah Cyrus

Noah Rinker

Ole 60

Pitbull

Post Malone

Redferrin

Red Clay Strays

Riley Green

Ryan Hurd

S.G. Goodman

Sam Barber

Something Out West

Tayler Holder

Teddy Swims

The Road

The Wallflowers

Third Eye Blind

Treaty Oak Revival

Tyler Braden

Ty Myers

Warren Zeiders

Willow Avalon

Wyatt Flores

Wynonna Judd

Zach John King

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‘Bottle Rockets’ Send Scotty McCreery and Hootie & the Blowfish to Top of Country Airplay Chart

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Scotty McCreery and Hootie & the Blowfish climb two spots to the top of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated Oct. 4) with “Bottle Rockets,” marking unique feats for McCreery and the band’s frontman, Darius Rucker, as well as McCreery’s label, Triple Tigers.

Scotty McCreery performs at the ACM Country Kickoff as part of the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards week held at the Ford Center at The Star on May 15, 2024 in Frisco, Texas.

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The single, which features newly recorded vocals from Hootie & the Blowfish built around its classic song “Hold My Hand,” credits 11 writers, including McCreery, Rucker and producer Frank Rogers. It increased by 14% to 30.5 million audience impressions in the Sept. 19-25 tracking week, according to Luminate. “Hold My Hand” became Hootie’s first major hit, reaching No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995.

The ascent of “Bottle Rockets” to No. 1 puts Rucker in exclusive company with Tyler Hubbard. They are now the only artists who have ruled Country Airplay both as solo acts and with a duo or group, dating to the chart’s start in January 1990. Hubbard scored 16 leaders as half of Florida Georgia Line before earning the first of three solo No. 1s with 2022’s “5 Foot 9.” Rucker has collected nine No. 1s as a solo artist, beginning with “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” in 2008.

Triple Tigers, launched in 2016 as a joint venture between Thirty Tigers, Sony Music Entertainment-owned distributor The Orchard and Triple 8 Management, also notches a milestone. Directly following Russell Dickerson’s two-week reign with “Happen to Me,” “Bottle Rockets” gives the label its first successive Country Airplay No. 1s. To date, the imprint has powered 11 singles to the top, six by McCreery and five by Dickerson.

Meanwhile, “Bottle Rockets” joins such Country Airplay No. 1s that interpolate prior hits as Cole Swindell’s “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” his 2022 leader that reimagines Jo Dee Messina’s 1996 breakthrough single, “Heads Carolina, Tails California.”

For the 31-year-old McCreery, “Bottle Rockets” is his first Country Airplay leader since “Damn Strait,” which spent three weeks at No. 1 in 2022. He wraps his quickest trip to the top spot: 20 weeks, nearly halving his previous fastest coronation (37 weeks for “This Is It” in 2018-19).

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