Music News
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Rihanna was just a regular ol’ member of the Lambily on Tuesday night (Dec. 17) when she was spotted freaking out during Mariah Carey‘s final Christmas Time tour show at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The “Love on the Brain” singer was filmed having the time of her life at the gig where MC returned to […]
A crew of heavy hitters will be ringing in the new year on Apple Music, with Icelandic legend Björk, Swazi-born, South Africa-based DJ Uncle Waffles and British grime icon Skepta all set to play livestreamed New Year’s Eve events on the platform this New Year’s Eve. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest […]
No performers have been announced yet, but if the Oscars come calling, Ariana Grande says she’ll be there. The singer, who recently received her first-ever Golden Globe nomination as best supporting actress in Wicked, is a frontrunner for the same category at the Oscars in March. Though the songs from Wicked are not eligible for […]
Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten joined The Pogues on stage to perform “Streams Of Whiskey” in Dublin, Ireland on Tuesday night (Dec. 17). Watch fan-filmed footage here.
The Pogues played a one-off show at the city’s 3Arena yesterday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their 1984 debut LP, Red Roses For Me. The gig featured a wealth of special guests, including Nadine Shah, members of Lankum, rapper Kojaque and John Francis Flynn, among others. Fontaines D.C. drummer Tom Coll also performed as part of the live band.
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Following the death of singer Shane MacGowan last year, the current Pogues line-up consists of singer Spider Stacy, and founding members Jem Finer and James Fearnley. The band recently announced their first headline tour in 13 years – and first since MacGowan’s passing – to mark the 40th anniversary of their second album, Rum Sodomy & The Lash.
Scheduled for May 2025, the upcoming trek will include dates in London, Leeds, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, and Newcastle. Further details and ticketing information can be found via The Pogues’ official website.
Chatten paid tribute to MacGowan after he died aged 65 last November. “So long North Star,” he wrote on Instagram. “I will love you forever.” Speaking to Billboard earlier this year, he explained the impact that the songwriter’s passing had on the recording process for Fontaines D.C.’s fourth LP, Romance.
“We were in the middle of recording the album when Shane died,” he said. “And I had to f–king take a break. I was really, deeply affected by it. Partly because he enhanced my relationship with my family! You know, he connected me to my Irishness maybe in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to do without him.”
In 2020, Fontaines D.C. shared a cover of “I’m A Man You Don’t Meet Every Day,” a traditional Irish song made famous by The Pogues, for SiriusXM.
Elton John has teased the possibility of new music, revealing during his Dec. 18 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that his creative drive remains as strong as ever.
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Reflecting on his recent projects and the time he’s taken since retiring from touring, Elton confirmed, “You will be getting some more [music].”
“The juices have never dried up. They never want to dry up because I’m always looking to create things. It’s just having the space now to do it at my own time. Of course there will be new Elton John music,” he added to cheers from the crowd.
Reflecting on his Apple Music show Rocket Hour, John spoke passionately about supporting emerging artists like Chappell Roan. “When I first heard [her], I think I was the first person to play ‘Pink Pony Club.’ I interviewed her, and then we became friends. These young artists have so much energy, they’re so good, and if I can help them in any way get a foot on a ladder, I will.”
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Brandi Carlile, Elton’s collaborator on the theme song for Never Too Late, joined him during the interview. The two shared stories about their friendship and creative process, including how Brandi’s heartfelt letter to Elton sparked their relationship.
Elton described their bond, saying, “I was doing a residency in Vegas at the time, so I asked her to come to Vegas and I played and sang on the record and as soon as I saw her, I became friends with her. It was like I’d known her all my life.”
This revelation follows the release of Never Too Late, the theme song for his Disney+ documentary of the same name.
Elsewhere in the interview, Elton reminisced about the artists who shaped his career. “Ray Charles touched my heart. Little Richard touched my heart. Elvis Presley changed my life with ‘Heartbreak Hotel.’ When I first heard that record, I knew I wanted to do this.”
Watch Elton John and Brandi Carlile’s appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert here.
Billie Eilish recently reflected on the powerful connection she feels when performing her song “The Greatest” during her ongoing Hit Me Hard and Soft tour.
In an interview with Apple Music, where she was celebrated as Artist of the Year, Eilish shared how hearing fans sing the track back to her has been an unforgettable experience.
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“When I did the first show of my tour that I’m on right now, specifically, ‘The Greatest’ just has a lot of—it’s just a special one to us,” she said. “But I did ‘The Greatest’ and I took one of my in-ears out and I just like, heard this giant arena filled with people singing it. They were singing every other song too, but something about hearing that song that has this meaning for me and this memory for me, and also like the memory of us making it and what it gave us in our kind of creative spirit.”
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She continued, “And just hearing that crowd sing it, it really made me like, have, you know, in front of me proof. I could see it with my eyes, I could hear it with my ears. And that is something that I hold so close to me. And every time I get a chance to really see how what I do or whatever impacts people in real time, that’s the stuff.”
“The Greatest,” which debuted live on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in June 2024, has become a highlight of her setlist. The song’s reflective lyrics include the chorus, “Man, am I the greatest/ My congratulations/ All my love and patience/ All my admiration,” have led fans to speculate whether it’s about a romantic relationship or her complex relationship with fame—something Eilish has spoken openly about throughout her career.
Eilish also touched on the emotional weight the song carries for her. “I love that song so much. It’s really, really special to me. I literally performed it the other day and cried after,” she said during a previous interview on BBC Radio 1’s New Music Show with Jack Saunders.
The live acoustic set, filmed in Los Angeles with her brother and longtime collaborator Finneas, featured a Q&A as well as renditions of hits from Eilish’s third studio album, Hit Me Hard & Soft, including “The Greatest” and “Birds of a Feather.”
Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft tour has been a global phenomenon, with sold-out dates and critical acclaim. Upon release, the album soared to No. 1 on Apple Music’s all-genre albums chart in 138 countries worldwide. The project also hit No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart.
Going into 2025, she’s nominated for seven Grammys. Hit Me Hard and Soft is up for album of the year and best pop vocal album, while “Birds of a Feather” snagged nominations for record of the year, song of the year and best pop solo performance. The “Over Now Extended Edit” of “L’Amour De Ma Vie” is nominated for best dance pop recording, while her Charli XCX “Guess” collaboration received a nod for best pop duo/group performance.
Fans can watch the Apple Music Artist of the Year performance, which aired live on Dec. 17, now available on demand for subscribers.
Fans of indie rock icons Pavement are readying themselves for the first piece of new music from the band in a quarter of a century.
The California band were initially active from 1989 until 1999, releasing a total of five albums, including 1992’s Slanted and Enchanted, 1994’s Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, and 1997’s Brighten the Corners, which gave the group their highest-charting U.S. release when it hit No. 70 on the Billboard 200.
The group initially split in November 1999, with the previous month’s Major Leagues EP serving as their final piece of original material. Since then, the band’s members have been intensely active on other projects, including a run of reissues that complemented their original albums with a myriad unreleased and rare tracks.
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While Pavement reconvened for a reunion tour in 2010, another hiatus occurred before announcing their second reunion in 2019. These dates were delayed until 2022, with the band’s most recent (and ostensibly final) performance taking place in October of this year as part of the New York premiere of Alex Ross Perry‘s experimental biopic/documentary, Pavements.
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Initially premiering at the Venice International Film Festival in September, Pavements is readying itself for a wider release with a movie soundtrack also set to accompany its arrival.
In an interview with the Kreative Kontrol podcast, Pavement’s Scott ‘Spiral Stairs’ Kannberg spoke to host Vish Khanna alongside Perry and producer/editor Robert Greene about the film before turning his attention to the upcoming soundtrack. When asked about current Pavement activity and the band’s future, Kannberg explained that a new track from the band will also be featured.
“There will be a new Pavement song on the soundtrack, that’s all I’m going to give you,” he explained. “I just heard a mix of it today, and it’s pretty good. It’s not a big deal, it’s just cool because it’s something different and it’s a song that we all kind of loved playing.”
According to Kannberg, the as-yet-unnamed track began life during reharsals of the band’s recent reunion, though previous setlists indicate it didn’t receive a performance during any of those shows.
Currently, the official status of Pavement is unclear, with their recent New York performance seeing percussionist/vocalist Bob Nastanovich telling the crowd it would be their “last show for a long time”. That same month, vocalist and guitarist Stephen Malkmus began live performances as one quarter of the indie supergroup The Hard Quartet alongside members of Chavez and the Dirty Three.
Sam Fender has been forced to quite literally go quiet for the rest of the year.
The English musician has spent most of 2024 preparing himself for another big year in 2025, with the release of his highly-anticipated third album, People Watching, slated to arrive on Feb. 21. With only a couple of shows performed over the past 12 months, Fender launched his People Watching tour earlier this month, playing shows throughout Ireland, England, and Scotland over the past two weeks.
However, with only two shows left of the tour’s current leg, Fender has announced the cancellation of these remaining dates due to health issues which require him to take vocal rest.
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“Glasgow and Newcastle, as most of you know l’ve had the flu for a few days now,” Fender shared on social media on Tuesday (Dec. 17). “Regardless of how compromised my voice was I did everything I could to get it in working order last night to put on the best show possible. Today I’ve had an ENT scope/camera down my throat and sadly I’ve haemorrhaged my right vocal cord, I’m absolutely heartbroken. This has been the best tour so far and all I want to do is get up and sing again for you all tonight.
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“I’ve had two separate ENT doctors say if I perform tonight I’m risking lasting damage to my voice and I have been advised to be on vocal rest and not use my voice for a prolonged length of time until it heals,” he added. “I’ve done everything by the book this tour living like a monk, it’s so unlucky. I’m so, so sorry to all of you who are on your way tonight. We’re trying to figure out a way to reschedule for you all, more news soon.”
Though it currently remains to be seen when Fender’s rescheduled dates will take place, he is scheduled to resume touring in March, with dates planned for numerous countries throughout Europe following the release of his forthcoming album.
Fender’s debut album, 2019’s Hypersonic Missiles, charted at No. 12 on the Heatseekers Albums chart, and peaked atop the U.K. Albums charts, as did its follow-up, 2021’s Seventeen Going Under. The latter record was also shortlisted for the 2022 Mercury Prize, alongside records by Harry Styles, Little Simz, and more.
If you’re holding out to see Massive Attack return to Coachella, you might be left waiting for some time.
The English trip-hop duo – which comprises Robert ‘3D’ Del Naja and Grant ‘Daddy G’ Marshall – have spent close to 40 years becoming known for their activism and politics almost as much as their groundbreakingg music, with climate matters and environmentalism a strong focus of their efforts.
Alongside support of the Extinction Rebellion group, Massive Attack have also been critical of the impact that live music has upon the envionment. In 2021, they comissioned a study through the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, ultimately launching their own plan to reduce carbon emissions throughout the wider music industry.
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Recently, the pair have been performing shows as part of their Act 1.5 series, aiming to not only rethink how concerts can be staged with environmental friendliness in mind, but to also be the lowest-carbon events of their kind.
During their recent Act 1.5 event in Liverpool, England, the pair spoke to NME about their decision to turn down a return visit to Coachella due to their concerns over the event’s environmental impact.
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“We said no to Coachella for next year because again, we’ve been there once, and once was enough,” Del Naja explained. “It’s in Palm Springs. It’s a golf resort built on a desert, run on a sprinkler system, using public water supplies. Mental. If you want to see something that’s the most ludicrous bit of human behaviour – it’s right there.”
Del Naja also turned his focus to artists who perform residencies in Las Vegas, naming the city an “aviation destination”, and describing The Sphere as “a brilliant bit of infrastructure in the worst possible place it could be – in the worst setting in the world”.
Massive Attack’s sole appearance at Coachella took place in 2006, four years prior to the release of their most recent album, 2010’s Heliogland. Elsewhere in the interview, Del Naja added that the group have been sitting on new music for four years which is yet to be released due to a label dispute.
Their forthcoming plans also include furthering environmental activism with partnerships in Europe, including an in-progress deal with Trainline to provide discounts to Billie Eilish fans who travel to the show by rail.
Billie Eilish is Apple Music’s 2024 Artist of the Year, and to celebrate, the superstar and her brother Finneas performed a live acoustic set in their hometown of Los Angeles earlier this month. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The performance featured a Q&A as well as […]