From a surprise FKA twigs album to an uncanny Justin Bieber club set, this is what The FADER editors are talking about.
The VMAs line-up is stacked
The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by LL Cool J, will feature performances by Sabrina Carpenter, J Balvin, Sombr, Alex Warren, and more. The show will be at 8 p.m. EST on Sunday, September 7. Mariah Carey will be receiving the prestigious Video Vanguard award.
That’s not Justin Bieber!
A Justin Bieber impersonator performed at the XS nightclub at the Wynn Las Vegas this week after tricking staff into thinking he was the SWAG singer. He was able to perform a handful of songs including Bieber’s hit “Sorry” in front of a rapturous audience before the club realized its mistake.
FKA twigs has another project on the way
FKA twigs only dropped Eusexua in January but she is already prepping a new body of work. Speaking on stage at a recent music festival, she told fans that a project titled Afterglow will be released in September. “I am full and abundant and ready to give birth,” she said from the stage. “Her name is Afterglow, and my labor shall commence next month.”
Dijon is taking Baby on tour
Everybody who has Dijon’s excellent new album Baby on repeat now has the chance to see him live. Later this year Dijon will be playing live across the United States and Canada with shows in Europe to follow in early 2026. You can read The FADER’s review of Baby here.
Man linked to Young Dolph’s killing found not guilty
45-year-old Hernandez Govan, the man accused of organizing the shooting that killed rapper Young Dolph in 2021, was found not guilty on the fourth day of his trial on Thursday. Govan’s charges included first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and attempted murder.
Dolph died at 36 on November 17, 2021, after being shot over 20 times in a bakery in Memphis. Cornelius Smith and Justin Johnson were arrested in January 2022 for the shooting itself with Smith later admitting to his role in the killing.