Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ 2009 ode to New York City, “Empire State Of Mind,” is now a certified diamond single. The Recording Industry Association of America made the announcement on Wednesday (July 24) that “Empire State of Mind” had just reached 10-times platinum status, thereby reaching diamond certification. The collaborative Big Apple anthem becomes Jay’s second diamond certification, following Watch the Throne‘s “N—as in Paris,” while becoming Keys’ first ever diamond certified song. “Empire State of Mind” was the third single from Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 when it was released in October 2009, and it eventually spent five total weeks as No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “Empire State of Mind” is the 148th song to become diamond certified, while Jay-Z becomes only the 26th artist to score multiple diamond hits in their career. (Billboard)

Music legends the Pointer Sisters and the Commodores have combined for a total of 20 No. 1 hits, and have sold over 100 million albums between the two groups. Beginning in July, the two beloved soul/R&B groups will share the stage when they launch a brief An Evening With Icons tour. The Pointer Sisters and the Commodores will pair up for a limited run of nine live shows together starting in Wantagh, New York on Thursday, July 25, before winding down on November 30 in Primm, Nevada. The Spinners and El DeBarge will split opening duties on the dates. “I think it’s a good package because of the music,” says William King, the Commodores’ sole remaining founding member. “I always like the female-male combinations. We did it back in the day, and it gives a variety to the people. They want to reminisce and enjoy the past. Let’s go out and have a blast.” (Billboard)

Katy Perry is accustomed to releasing chart-topping hits during her best-selling, 23-year career, amassing 9 No. 1 hits and 14 Top 10 singles over that span. But Perry’s massively hyped new single, “Woman’s World,” failed to achieve those same lofty heights of her previous successful singles, debuting with an unimpressive thud at No. 63 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 chart, while coming in at No. 65 on the Global 200, and at No. 47 in the U.K. chart. Perry’s new song was also met with relative indifference on streaming services, coming in at No. 110 on Spotify’s U.S.-based chart and No. 58 on the Spotify global chart.

Perry’s fans were upset about Dr. Luke’s involvement on “Woman’s World,” following Kesha’s accusations of sexual misconduct against the producer. The Rosie the Riveter-themed music video for the song was also met with backlash by fans, who felt the clip was exploitative and tailored to the male gaze. (Variety)

Eminem has been presented with a Brit Billion Award by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The distinction recognizes the rapper reaching seven billion U.K. streams, according to calculations by the Official Charts Company. The Brit Billion award was launched back in 2023, and to date 39 artists have been recognized for surpassing one billion U.K. career streams, including Green Day, the Rolling Stones and Billie Eilish. Eminem currently holds the U.K. record for most consecutive No. 1s on the Official Albums Chart, with 10 studio albums topping the list in succession, and his recent single, “Houdini,” just became the Detroit rapper’s 11th U.K. No. 1 song. Over 60 of Eminem’s songs have been BRIT Certified, with 15 of those certified as multi-platinum hits, and his top three streamed hits have amassed over 770 million U.K. streams on their own. (Variety)

Cher is finally planning on spilling all the tea in her upcoming two-part memoir. The first installment, titled simply, Cher: The Memoir, Part One, will be published on November 19 via Dey Street Books. Cher also revealed her striking book cover with an Instagram post. According to a press release, the memoir is broken up into two parts because, "It is a life too immense for only one book." The memoir is written with Cher’s “trademark honesty and humor,” and  "follows her extraordinary beginnings through childhood to meeting and marrying Sonny Bono — and reveals the highly complicated relationship that made them world-famous, but eventually drove them apart."

The memoir presents the music icon as "the daughter, the sister, the wife, the lover, the mother, and the superstar,” while revealing "how this diamond in the rough succeeded with no plan and little confidence to become the trailblazing superstar the world has been unable to ignore for more than half a century." (People)