The first-ever World Cup final halftime show packed Madonna, BTS, Shakira, a Muppet orchestra, and a seven-nation symphony into a breakneck segment that was as uneven as it was historic.
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The first-ever World Cup final halftime show packed Madonna, BTS, Shakira, a Muppet orchestra, and a seven-nation symphony into a breakneck segment that was as uneven as it was historic.
Spain’s overtime victory capped the 2026 final, but the inaugural official halftime spectacle — and the Cure’s quick dismissal — stole some attention.
FIFA’s first-ever World Cup final halftime show threw together Madonna, BTS, Shakira, Justin Bieber, and more in a frantic 11-minute set that tried to be the Super Bowl but landed somewhere between a charity telethon and a fever dream.
Both nights at the 82,000-capacity venue sold out instantly in January, and the secondary market now reflects the intensity of the tri-state ARMY.
Two new book projects, announced as part of this year’s Festa, show the group turning to print to explain their lyrics and share Korean recipes tied to their album eras.
The group’s sweep at this year’s American Music Awards, including wins over Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars, extends a history that started with a single performance in 2017.
The footage aired as the group continues a four-night stand at Allegiant Stadium, with three award nominations and a comeback year under way.
The latest installment of The Number Ones dismantles “Permission To Dance” as a pure commercial placeholder, raising uncomfortable questions about how the K-pop phenomenon’s chart history will be remembered.
The 2026 final in New Jersey introduces an 11-minute performance block, and the lineup says a lot about the tournament’s global ambitions. A new Madonna album, a BTS return, and a Shakira song in Italian for a country that didn’t qualify.
In a candid entry for his long-running Billboard retrospective, Tom Breihan unpacks the anger he felt when BTS’s second English single debuted at number one, and the real consequences of airing those thoughts publicly.
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