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Lorde returned to the spotlight in New Zealand this week, appearing at the 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards in Auckland on Thursday night (May 29), just hours after hosting an intimate, invite-only performance inside a YMCA bathroom.
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The rare public appearance comes as Lorde ramps up promo for her upcoming album Virgin, due out June 27. Her attendance at the AMAs — New Zealand’s biggest night in music — marks her first red carpet appearance in the country in several years.
The day prior, Lorde teased a cryptic Instagram post showing a cracked iPhone tucked into the waistband of a pair of jeans, tagged “Auckland.” The post included a link to a WhatsApp group, where she invited fans to meet her in the city that night.
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“Auckland I wanna play you something .. Meet me in the city tonight? Message me if you’re keen,” she wrote.
More than 300 fans gathered outside the YMCA venue, with small groups of 30 admitted every 15 minutes to witness the pop-up performance.
The performance came one day before the release of Lorde’s new single “Man of the Year,” which follows previous track “What Was That.” Both songs will appear on Virgin, her first album since 2021’s Solar Power.
Lorde’s innovative approach to album promotion has included surprise concerts, fan text blasts, and spontaneous performances in public spaces. In April, she debuted “What Was That” in New York City’s Washington Square Park, drawing such a large crowd that the police shut it down. She performed again in the same location just a few hours later.
Several early winners were announced at the 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards ahead of the main ceremony, including MOKOTRON (Best Electronic Artist), Cassie Henderson (Best Pop Artist), and Holly Arrowsmith (Best Folk Artist).
Lorde’s debut album Pure Heroine peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, with lead single “Royals” spending nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her 2017 LP Melodrama debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned a Grammy nomination for album of the year. Solar Power, released in 2021, debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200.
Virgin arrives June 27 via Universal Music New Zealand.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony made an unexpected return to late-night television this week, appearing on Netflix’s Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney for a surprise performance of their 1996 hit “Tha Crossroads.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The group’s appearance came months after Mulaney revealed on-air that he had […]
John Fogerty has announced a new album titled Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years, due out Aug. 22 via Concord.
To celebrate, Fogerty has released three newly recorded versions of CCR classics: “Up Around the Bend,” “Have You Ever Seen the Rain,” and “Porterville,” the latter originally released in 1967 under the band’s earlier name, The Golliwogs.
The new recordings are labeled “John’s Version,” a nod to Taylor Swift’s “Taylor’s Version” project, though Fogerty now owns his masters. He won control over his publishing rights in early 2023, ending a legal battle that spanned five decades.
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“For most of my life I did not own the songs I had written,” Fogerty said in a statement. “Getting them back changes everything. Legacy is my way of celebrating that — of playing these songs on my terms, with the people I love.”
The sessions feature Fogerty’s sons Shane and Tyler on guitars, with Matt Chamberlain on drums, Bob Malone on keys, Bob Glaub on bass, and Rob Stone on saxophone. Shane Fogerty also co-produced the album with his father, while Julie Fogerty, John’s wife, served as executive producer.
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“I knew firsthand how much it meant for John to get his publishing back,” said Julie. “It has been so joyful and beautiful since this happened for him. This is a celebration of his life’s work. It is the biggest party for the good guy/artist winning.”
Legacy features 20 tracks, including CCR staples like “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Fortunate Son,” and “Down on the Corner.” The project arrives as Fogerty celebrates his 80th birthday with a pair of shows at New York’s Beacon Theatre, ahead of a European summer tour and a performance at Glastonbury Festival.
Fogerty co-founded Creedence Clearwater Revival in the late 1960s and went on to write and perform some of the most enduring hits of the era. The band scored nine Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1969 and 1971, including “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Green River,” and “Lookin’ Out My Back Door.”
Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years is available for pre-order now.
CISAC, the international trade organization for copyright collecting societies, has a new Chair, with APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston elected into the role.
Announced on Thursday (May 29), Ormston is only the second Australian to hold the title in CISAC’s 99-year history, with his APRA AMCOS predecessor Brett Cottle having previously served in the role from 2006 until 2010.
Ormston brings more than two decades of experience in the fields of music rights management, policy and advocacy to his new appointment. Since 2018, he’s served as the CEO of Australia and New Zealand’s music rights management organization APRA AMCOS, which represents more than 124,000 songwriters, composers and publishers.
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“Being elected Chair of the CISAC Board at such a pivotal moment for creators worldwide is an honour,” Ormston said in a statement. “As the creative economy enters a new era shaped by AI and global digitalisation, the opportunity to secure a fair and thriving future for creators has never been greater.
“Creators are central to the cultural, social and economic fabric of every nation. Each country has a responsibility to nurture its own cultural voices by ensuring a strong copyright framework and enabling creators to share in the value generated by innovations such as Generative AI.”
Ormston’s noted focus on ensuring a fairer future for creatives in the current AI-focused climate comes just over a year after he was named as one of the 20 leaders from the creative industries and academia invited to join the Steering Committee of the Attorney-General’s Copyright and Artificial Intelligence Reference Group (CAIRG).
APRA AMCOS have themselves been noted voices in the Generative AI debate, releasing their AI and Music report in August 2024 which focused on the benefits and concerns facing creators in Australia and New Zealand. Meanwhile, CISAC performed their own global study in December which re-iterated international calls for credit, consent and fair remuneration for songwriters and composers.
As newly-elected Chair of CISAC, Ormston takes over from Marcelo Castello Branco, the CEO of Brazil’s UBC, who has occupied the role for six years. Ormston is joined by Jennifer Brown, CEO of Canada’s SOCAN, who has been re-elected for a second term as Vice-Chair, and VG Bild-Kunst director general Urban Pappi, who has been elected as Vice-Chair for the first time.
Founded in France in 1926, CISAC has been presided over by Swedish singer, songwriter, and ABBA co-founder Björn Ulvaeus since 2020, taking over from French composer Jean Michel Jarre after he had spent a seven-year stint in the top job.
“CISAC’s global network is uniquely positioned to amplify the voice of these creators to decision-makers across the world,” Ormston added. “I look forward to working with the new Board and the entire CISAC community to champion creators’ rights, further develop our services, and empower societies and their members to lead in this rapidly changing global market.”
SESAC Latina celebrated the global success of its songwriters and publishers at its annual SESAC Latina Music Awards, which took place at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Wednesday (May 28).
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Two years after taking home the award, Latin urban star Lenny Tavárez was named pop/Latin rhythm songwriter of the year once more, this time for hits including “Piscina,” “Tu Feo,” and “La Ranger.”
Meanwhile, the pop/Latin rhythm song of the year award went to “Bellakeo,” a reggaetón banger written by Ángel Sandoval and recorded by Peso Pluma and Anitta. Released in December 2023, the track peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart a week later.
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Alex Hernández received the regional Mexican songwriter of the year, honored for songs including Xavi’s “La Diabla,” which also took the regional Mexican song of the year award. The song gave the young Mexican singer his first No. 1 on the Billboard charts in January 2024, when it reached the summit of Hot Latin Songs.
Sony Music Publishing was named publisher of the year.
“For more than three decades, we’ve come together to celebrate the dedication and creativity that go into the music that inspires us,” Celeste Zendejas, svp, SESAC Latina, said. “I couldn’t be prouder of our incredible songwriters and publishers for making this another outstanding year in music.”
Guests at Wednesday’s ceremony were treated to performances by Lenny Tavárez and Banda Carnaval, which brought a taste of the Carnaval de Mazatlán to the event.
See the main winners of the 2025 SESAC Latina Music Awards list below:
Regional Mexican Songwriter of the Year
Alex Hernández
Pop/Latin Rhythm Songwriter of the Year
Lenny Tavárez
Regional Mexican Song of the Year
“La Diabla,” written by Alex Hernández
Pop/Latin Rhythm Song of the Year
“Bellakeo,” written by Ángel Sandoval
Publisher of the Year
Sony Music Publishing
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has unveiled a new song, with “Dialing In” serving as the theme to Apple TV+’s forthcoming series Smoke.
Released on Wednesday (May 28), and recorded with Sam Petts-Davies, the haunting track presents a dark and brooding atmosphere as Yorke’s trademark vocals warmly accompany a tender and eclectic musical bed.
The song also soundtracks the recently-released trailer for Smoke, which – according to a descriptor – follows Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett as they “attempt to get as close to the truth as possible—without getting burned.”
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For diehard fans, “Dialing In” won’t be an entirely new experience, with its origins being found in Yorke’s unreleased track “Gawpers,” which had been performed during a run of European dates in 2019, but has since evolved before its 2025 release date.
Yorke announced the release of “Dialing In” by noting on social media that the track is “now available to stream on your least crap streaming service.” According to the song’s credits on Tidal, Yorke’s daughter Agnes is also featured as a backing vocalist.
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“Working with Thom Yorke was as much an honour for me as working with Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese or Richard Price,” said Dennis Lehane, Smoke creator and executive producer. “I’ve somehow been blessed with collaborating with living legends who were also formative influences on my own creative life. Thom is definitely that.
“In addition, he took a basic concept I gave him and delivered a song that perfectly embodies the show and absolutely crushes.”
“Dialing In” is the latest release from Yorke this month, who also released the album Tall Tales, created alongside Mark Pritchard, on May 9.
“Mark sent me a large file of MP3s of ideas during lockdown,” Yorke explained of their long-distance collaboration. “There were so many great ones, I knew straight away that I had to drop what I was doing. It felt very much that I had not been anywhere like this before — both as soon as I put my headphones on and started trying to find the vocals, words and sounds, but also, as it progressed, watching Jonathan [Zawada] respond so freely and spontaneously with all his video and artwork ideas.
“It was mental, and I feel lucky to have been involved,” he added. “Tall Tales is very important to me. I hope people get it, and get to hear it!”
Listen to “Dialing In” below:
Source: The Washington Post / Getty / Elon Musk / Donald Trump
Was it worth it? X is asking the billion-dollar question after Elon Musk, aka Phony Stark, announced he is leaving the Trump administration.
Musk announced on the platform he allegedly sold to xAI that his time leading DOGE has come to an end. He also wrote in the same post that he was thankful to Donald Trump for allowing him to run the “cost-cutting” agency, which, however, didn’t achieve significant cost-cutting results.
The Tesla chief was appointed as a “special government employee,” which allowed him to work for the federal government for 130 days. Musk came on board on January 20, Felon 47’s inauguration, which means his tenure would be coming to an end at the end of May.
Elon Musk’s announcement comes after the billionaire criticized his former boss’s legislative centerpiece of his Trump’s political agenda, his “big beautiful” budget bill.
“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” Musk wrote on X.
“The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
Speaking with the BBC, Musk explained why he was not feeling Trump’s “big beautiful bill.”
Per BBC:
The BBC understands that the White House will begin “offboarding” Musk as a special government employee on Wednesday night.
Musk’s exit comes after he said he was “disappointed” with Trump’s budget, which proposes multi-trillion dollar tax breaks and a boost to defence spending.
The SpaceX and Tesla boss said in an interview with BBC’s US partner CBS that the bill would increase the federal deficit, adding that he thought it “undermines the work” being done at Doge.
Musk’s association with the MAGA movement has also not been beneficial for his business, which has been struggling since he invested in Trump and the Make America Great Again initiative.
Tesla is currently experiencing a slump in Europe, with sales plummeting by nearly 50 percent, which many believe is also the reason Musk decided to step back from politics.
Social media has been using the moment to take shots at Musk, as well as point out that he used his time as a donor to Trump to ensure he stays wealthy despite his business taking a hit.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
2. Mmmmhmmmm
3. Basically
4. Damn shame
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Northern Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap will no longer be appearing at Scotland’s TRNSMT festival this July following safety concerns from law enforcement.
The Belfast outfit had been scheduled to appear at the Glasgow festival this July, appearing on a lineup that also features 50 Cent, Gracie Abrams, Fontaines D.C., and more. However, local law enforcement had expressed concerns about the band’s appearance only last week, claiming that “there was no prior consultation with Police Scotland before acts were booked.”
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“Officers have highlighted the potential reaction of such a large audience to this band would require a significant policing operation in order to support the delivery of a safe event,” a police spokesperson explained.
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Now, it appears as though those concerns have resulted in tangible actions, with Kneecap taking to social media on Wednesday (May 28) to reveal they would no longer be performing “due to concerns expressed by the Police about safety at the event.”
“To the thousands of people who bought tickets, flights and hotels to see us play, we are sorry…it is out of our hands.” they wrote. “Glasgow has always been a huge city for us. We’ve played there many many times, with no issues – ever. Make of that what you will.”
Kneecap have since announced an additional performance at Glasgow’s O2 Academy for July 8 “to try to make up for” their removal. The trio has also been quick to set the record straight about the specifics of the lineup shift, clarifying online reporting by writing “Kneecap didn’t ‘pull out’ of TRNSMT – Kneecap were removed.”
News of Kneecap’s removal from TRNSMT comes after two German music festivals similarly revised their lineups, and last week’s reporting of member Mo Chara, born Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, being charged with a terrorism offense by London’s Metropolitan Police.
Ó hAnnaidh was investigated and subsequently charged for allegedly showing support for militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah in historic videos. Both are proscribed as terror groups according to U.K. law, and considered an offense under the Terrorism Act 2000.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18, with the band issuing a statement to note they “deny this ‘offence’ and will vehemently defend ourselves.”
Source: The Washington Post / Getty
On Tuesday (May 27), Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID-19 vaccines would no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. He did so in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, alongside National Institute of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattarchaya and Food and Drug Administration head Dr. Marty Makary – excluding anyone representing the Centers For Disease Control, who maintain the list of vaccines for those groups.
Officials for the CDC would refer press inquiries about the decision to the HHS. The decision has caused considerable concern from medical experts who point to the lack of open debate and that the CDC and the FDA processes which would be required before such a decision was made, was bypassed according to reporting from The Guardian. It also comes as a new COVID-19 variant, N.B.1.8.1, has broken out in Asia with cases being reported in New York and other parts of the United States.The news also comes a week after Makary co-wrote an article in the New England Journal describing pregnancy and recent pregnancy as “underlying medical conditions that can increase a person’s risk of severe Covid-19”. Concerning healthy children, while there are a few physicians who agree with Kennedy’s decision, there is data that shows that even children without pre-existing conditions who contract COVID-19 are at high risk of getting seriously sick and dying. A report of data related to 183 pediatric deaths from COVID showed that 32 percent did not have another medical condition. There are also concerns of Long COVID symptoms arising in children who’ve had COVID-19, including cases of myocarditis or enlargement of the heart (which Kennedy falsely claims is a result of the vaccine).“Kennedy’s unilateral decision to change the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule for COVID-19 vaccines demonstrates once again why he is completely unqualified to be the HHS secretary,” said Public Citizen Research Director Dr Robert Steinbrook in a statement. “In Congressional testimony on May 14, Kennedy said, ‘I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.’ Yet two weeks later he is making arbitrary public health decisions, defying norms, and with no accountability.” Kennedy had testified before being confirmed as HHS Secretary that he wouldn’t make any modifications to the vaccine schedule.
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It’s been a year and six months since Nicki Minaj released her last studio album, Pink Friday 2, and while her fans were hoping to get a new LP from their queen sooner rather than later, it seems like the Barb isn’t going to be rushing to appease her day one’s demands anytime soon.
While fans have been patiently waiting the release of Pink Friday 2 (The Hiatus) or even a Pink Friday 3, Nicki Minaj has relented on releasing a new solo project for the past year and change. In a new interview for Vogue Italia‘s June issue, the “Super Freaky Girl” artist explained the reasoning for her holdup. Admitting that she does indeed have some new work in the chamber for her fans to groove to, Nicki stated that though the project she’s working on had some “really strong songs,” she didn’t want to “rush” the release as she isn’t out just to make a buck at this point in her career.
“I want the album to mean something, for the fans and for me,” Nicki explained and added “I will never be one of those people who releases songs just for the sake of it.”
We’re not sure if she’s taking a subliminal at any of her rap rivals with that last statement, but we’re sure fans will somehow label it as such even if Nicki didn’t intend for it to be a shot at anyone.
That being said, this really shouldn’t be too surprising. Nicki is known to take anywhere between two to four years in between her project releases. Yes, she might have teased a new project was coming sooner than later, but given everything she’s been dealing with in her personal life as of late, we can’t blame her for taking a step back from her creative process to get her house in order.
What do y’all think about Nicki Minaj taking her time to release her next album? How long are you willing to wait for a new Nicki Minaj project before you give up hope a la Dr. Dre’s Detox? Let us know in the comments section below.
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