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Kelly Lee Owens has one of the most distinctive signature sounds in modern British electronic music, singular for the way she conjures shades of tranquillity and healing through surging buildups, layered organic samples (from laughter to a melting glacier) and wordless cooing. Her live shows make display of just how dynamic this mix can be, offering fans the space to not only hear and feel but tangibly connect with the music; to move together, unselfconsciously.
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When the Welsh producer hit the road last fall in support of her fourth studio album Dreamstate, she would see this manifesto come to life during one particularly transcendent moment in her set. As the chorus of “Melt!,” a track from her 2020 LP Inner Song, began to descend, Owens would routinely point at one bright-eyed audience member on the barrier and cry out: “Girls love techno!” The floor would erupt in response.
“People felt part of a special moment each time I did that,” she recalls, speaking to Billboard U.K. over Zoom from her grandparents’ home on the north Welsh coast, where she is recuperating from a busy festival season. “The idea of community is really important to me – I want to be able to live it out in the work that I do.”
Owens is preparing to release new EP KELLY (due Nov. 21) via DH2, a dance-focused Dirty Hit label imprint headed up by The 1975 drummer and producer George Daniel. The project – which sees Owens swap Dreamstate’s gauzy, multi-coloured synths for a mix of murky bass and ambient pieces that drift, flow and cascade – was first teased at Glastonbury Festival this past summer, where the San Remo stage played host to a DH2 takeover featuring Owens, Sampha, Daniel Avery and more.
The backdrop to Owens’ midnight set was a revolving door of star power. Daniel and his partner Charli xcx stood by the DJ’s side, while eagle-eyed fans spotted actors Jenna Ortega, Paul Mescal and Harris Dickinson make fleeting appearances on stage. At one point, Lewis Capaldi told Owens that he loved her music, she remembers, before adding that she sent Gracie Abrams a ‘Girls Love Techno’ t-shirt following that fateful night: “She’s super sweet!”
In May, Owens doubled down on her commitment to making her shows a safe, collaborative space for both artist and audience alike. In order to help protect the live ecosystem, she became a patron of the Music Venue Trust, and her ongoing advocacy has seen her commit to capping ticket prices and performing at smaller venues (including those off the beaten track, such as Bethesda’s Neuadd Ogwen), for an upcoming U.K. mini-tour, alongside using her platform to speak out on the issues that matter.
Owens self-described mission is to “not stay quiet when there’s a problem,” and push for better protections surrounding independent venues in the U.K. Here, she talks to Billboard U.K. about her work with the MVT, cherished Glastonbury memories, and the joy of her ongoing ‘Girls Love Techno’ campaign.
Take us back to the DH2 Takeover at Glastonbury, which gave impetus to this new EP. What was so special about that night?
It was wild. I was finishing the EP that week about 20 minutes from the festival site, and at the time, I knew I was working towards testing out these new demos at Glastonbury. As a DJ, it is always a privilege to get to test these things out and see the reactions of people.
When it got to the DH2 Takeover later on, I just couldn’t believe the energy. It felt like everything the label had been working towards had culminated in that moment; it couldn’t have been a better representation for what we wanted to do and achieve. The backstage was crazy, too. I was getting texts like, “Can you come and get Lorde?” I think Jenna Ortega was there, and obviously Charli [xcx] came from her set to support us. All of this just cemented what we understand and feel to be the family energy surrounding this project.
KELLY feels a little darker, more ambient in some moments. Why did you decide to explore that sonic direction?
My first album was self-titled because that was going to be the purest thing I’d ever made, without expectation: I was just creating freely, in its purest form. But I would say, as a woman in music, you can rise and get to a certain point and then people will knock you down. As an artist, people have certain expectations of you, so what I like to do is switch things up. Dreamstate was pop-facing, and when you’re sort of an ‘underground darling’, not everyone is going to like that.
But you don’t get to put me in any box, I’m just gonna f–king make whatever! I’m really quite angry at the moment, actually, so let me just go ahead and make some Prodigy-esque sounds that reflect how I feel, and sort of say, ‘F–k you.’ That’s why the project is called KELLY, because there’s still a question of, ‘Who the f–k is Kelly?’. I don’t think there’s one answer to that; I’m still exploring and trying to understand who I am as an artist.
Your ‘Girls Love Techno’ t-shirts have a rallying point in the scene. Why did you first decide to create them, and what do they signify for you personally?
I got a little bit tired of people creating merch for the sake of creating merch. I don’t necessarily feel it’s the most interesting thing to have my name on a t-shirt; however simple it sounds, “Girls Love Techno” is a statement. People often say, “Why are we still talking about women and girls liking techno, making music, being producers?” Well, I’m sorry, but we have to, because the needle hasn’t shifted as far as it needs to.
For me, it comes down to someone who gets to see the front and the back end of things, in terms of fees and payment. It is about people putting their money where their mouth is. As far as I’m concerned, for people who are performing at the same level as me, if they’re a guy, they’re likely to be paid more for the simple reason that they’re a man. I wanted to make a statement that allowed people to feel included in something.
How else do you see the phrase “Girls Love Techno” functioning as the EP campaign rolls on?
We headlined Venue MOT in south London with an all-femme lineup, and it just felt like such a beautiful, positive space for the night. We’re trying to reinforce this by touring small underground clubs, and making sure that the support acts feel safe. Also, recently, I did a Foundation FM show, and we had debbiesthuglife [London DJ Debbie Ijaduola] as the opener, following a competition I ran. I have to be the one to set an example of changing things in a small way. There are still issues surrounding live music and accessibility, but I am doing my part.
I hope it becomes a statement that creates an idea of inclusivity and makes people become aware of women’s experiences in this scene. You know, I look back to my early career and realise that I had to become more masculine in how I dressed and acted in order to be taken seriously. I have a curvaceous body, but when I first started out [as a DJ], I felt like I had to cover it up. It makes me sad to think about that time, as you can look however you want to look and still be a great producer. It’s just so obvious to say this, but unfortunately a lot of bias still exists in the music industry.
Small clubs form the route of your upcoming mini-tour. How do you see your work with the MVT linking to the survival of those spaces?
I’m someone who’s always been action-oriented. I think that’s due to where I come from: in Wales, you have to fight for what you believe, and you have to put yourself forward to create real, meaningful change.
The MVT works to find aid for venues to be genuinely protected in the sense of the law. Fundamentally, we can talk about the effects and the beauty of the community, but at the end of the day, there are certain people who only talk in a specific language, and so if that’s how they speak, then we meet them there.
I think that’s really empowering. It reminds me of coming into this industry over 10 years ago and learning the business first. I knew that, without understanding the business and the law of something, you can’t be protected. The work that the MVT does is so vital for our current times.
What kinds of structural reforms do you think could actually make a difference in this current, fractured climate for live music?
I think the venue levy is wonderful, but once again, why is it back on the artist to put the money back in? When you become a bigger artist, you should give back, so I do. But where are the booking agencies whose jobs rely on artists to tour? How are they reinvesting? Or ticket companies? None of these people have a job without us artists – it really, really riles me up.
This power imbalance is so disturbing and I’ve had enough of it. I call upon booking agencies, management companies, publishers, record labels and bigger corporations to reinvest in the future of artists. Otherwise, you’re not going to have future headliners in this country, except for perhaps people who – and this is another conversation – come from a wealthy background. The industry itself needs to show us that they care about the future of artistry.
How have your own experiences of touring informed your sense of community, and who gets to partake in the culture?
From ticket prices to my production, I have invested so much money and lost so much money over the past decade. Prices of my live show are actually going to rise because I can’t pay the people who are doing it without that – it’s something that naturally has to happen. But then when that does happen, you cut out a whole wave of people. Usually, it’s kids that suffer here, as they may not be able to afford to go to shows.
Once again, this comes back to the government and having people reinvest in the industry, so that a certain amount of tickets can be covered at reduced price. If everyone could agree to that, we would see a difference locally. Maybe that’s controversial, but I know that a £35 ticket wouldn’t have been accessible to me when I was 18. It’s about us helping each other with these burdens and strengthening the local community. Obviously we know these things are quite hard to implement, but I think we need to at least be having conversations.
So how do you stay optimistic about the future of live music in the U.K.?
Artists are resilient people. A lot of us have already been through a lot, and through that have created something beautiful. That’s what we do. We always have hope, and we have this way of transforming things and speaking the truth. There’s a strength there that can’t be broken somehow.
Trending on Billboard Billboard has unveiled its ultimate list of the best rock bands of all time, but while the staff carefully considered each group’s merits as musical pioneers and cultural changemakers, not everyone is bound to be rocking with our choices. Part of that discordance might be the fact that as a genre, rock […]
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Jill Scott, John Legend and Earth, Wind & Fire are among the stars who will be performing at the inaugural HBCU AWAREFEST. Billed as “the largest HBCU fundraiser ever,” the festival — a new joint partnership between Live Nation Urban and Student Freedom Initiative — will be staged at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on March 26.
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In addition to the aforementioned acts, the lineup includes Common, GloRilla, Tems, Metro Boomin, Kirk Franklin and others. Chris Paul, Angel Reese, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and entrepreneur-philanthropist Robert F. Smith are among the guest speakers who will be participating.
“At Student Freedom Initiative, we are incredibly excited about the coalition and movement that we are building to end the student loan debt crisis for our nation’s HBCU students,” said Keith Shoates, president and CEO of SFI, in a statement. “In addition to these amazing performers, we have enlisted AWAREFEST Ambassadors, showing the breadth of our ecosystem of mission-aligned partners. These individuals will help to spread the word and share the urgency of our mission to tackle the racial wealth gap through the lens of education.”
Shawn Gee, president of Live Nation Urban, commented, “Live Nation Urban is committed to Black excellence in music and culture, and today we are proud to stand with our partners at Student Freedom Initiative to build a national movement of allies, artists, activists and students to support the institutions that are the foundation of our culture.”
Serving as a nationwide call to action, HBCU AWAREFEST will also present workshops and panel discussions about the serious issue of student loan debt. Funds raised by Live Nation Urban and Student Freedom Initiative will benefit SFI’s Student Freedom Loan Agreement, described as “an affordable, income-contingent funding alternative to Parent PLUS Loans.”
Tickets for HBCU AWAREFEST are available for presale now, and then go on sale Nov. 21 (10 a.m. ET). For tickets and additional information, visit the event’s website.
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The BMI Country Awards celebrated the top songwriters and music publishers driving the past year’s 50 most-performed songs in the country music genre during a star-studded celebration held Nov. 18 at BMI’s Nashville office. The evening was led by BMI president/CEO Mike O’Neill and hosted by BMI’s chief revenue and creative officer Mike Steinberg, as well as BMI Nashville vice president of creative Clay Bradley, who called the evening “the greatest parking lot party in the world.”
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Clint Black was celebrated for more than three decades of crafting songs that have considerably impacted country music, when he was presented with the BMI Icon Award.
Black has been affiliated with BMI since 1993 and has earned 20 BMI Country Awards during his career. He’s also earned 13 No. 1 Billboard Hot Country Songs chart hits, among them “Summer’s Comin’,” “Walkin’ Away,” “A Good Run of Back Luck,” and “When My Ship Comes In.” Black has been a writer on the majority of his biggest hits, while also etching a multi-faceted career that has included roles as a musician, actor and producer. He’s earned five ACM Awards, four CMA Awards and a Grammy.
An illustrious lineup of artists took part to honor Black throughout the night with their renditions of his songs. Midland performed “A Better Man,” while Jamey Johnson performed “Untanglin’ My Mind.”
“Thank you for such an indelible mark that you’ve left on music,” Johnson told Black.
Jamey Johnson performs onstage at the 2025 BMI Country Awards at BMI on Nov. 18, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Erika Goldring/Getty Images for BMI
Riley Green performed a rendition of “Killin’ Time,” while Randy Houser and Wynonna earned a standing ovation for their performance of “A Bad Goodbye,” which Wynonna and Black originally released in 1993.
Beyond the performances, other artists and music executives feted Black through video segments, including acclaimed journalist/author Robert K. Oermann, Sony Music Publishing Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston, artists Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Bill Anderson, Luke Combs, late night television host Conan O’Brien and actors Billy Bob Thornton and Matthew McConaughey.
In a video tribute, Bryan said of Black’s 1989 Killin’ Time album, “It never left my stereo, my speakers… that album changed my life.”
Black attended the awards with his wife of 34 years, Lisa Hartman-Black, and their daughter Lily Pearl Black, who is following in her father’s footsteps as a singer-songwriter.
In accepting his BMI Icon Award, Black recalled how songwriting was a formative part of his childhood, and how his father showed him the liner notes on a Merle Haggard record. “He taught me how to read the liner notes. He’d say, ‘There’s the artist, there’s the songwriter, there’s the producer…’ He said, ‘It’s usually Billy Sherrill, if it’s good.’ From that point on, I wanted to be a songwriter. Being up here, standing up here, I can tell you, it’s the best job. I’m so grateful. To all of you who sang my songs to me tonight, it was a real treat and a real honor… I’m in such great company here tonight.”
Black also added, “You don’t do what we do without a long train of people behind you, pushing you up the hill. There have been a lot of people in my life who are as much responsible for this moment as I am…Seeing how many of my friends and fellow artists pitched in to make this special is truly humbling. It’s unexpected and that makes it twice as good.”
Charlie Handsome speaks onstage during the 2025 BMI Country Awards at BMI on Nov. 18, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Erika Goldring/Getty Images for BMI
The evening also celebrated 38 first-time award winners, among them Seth Ennis (for the Dylan Marlowe/Dylan Scott collab “Boys Back Home”), MacKenzie Carpenter (for Megan Moroney’s “I’m Not Pretty”), Thomas Eriksen (for Kane Brown’s “Miles On It”), Zach Top for his own hit “I Never Lie,” Tucker Wetmore for his hit “Wind Up Missin’ You,” Chase Matthew for his hit “Love You Again,” and Nevin Sastry for Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”
Charlie Handsome took home BMI country songwriter of the year honors, for his work in crafting hit songs including “I Had Some Help,” “Love Somebody,” “Guy for That,” “This Town’s Been Too Good to Us,” and “Pour Me a Drink.”
“This is probably the first time a rap/hip-hop producer won songwriter of the year in country,” Handsome said, drawing cheers from the crowd. He later added, “I started keeping this circle around me. If you stick with the best writers you know, and work with people who are better than you, you can win.” He also praised many of his musical and industry cohorts, including Post Malone, Morgan Wallen, ERNEST and HARDY.
The Wallen/Post Malone collaboration “I Had Some Help,” which spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, was named song of the year. Co-writers on the song Ernest Keith Smith, Handsome, Hoskins, Wallen and Chandler Paul Walters were honored, as were the song’s publishers, Big Loud Mountain, Sony/ATV Songs LLC and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
For a third consecutive year, Warner-Tamerlane was named BMI country publisher of the year. The company published 32 of the 50 most-performed songs of the year, among them Luke Bryan’s “Love You, Miss You, Mean It,” Zach Bryan’s “28,” “Tourniquet” and “Pink Skies,” the Ella Langley/Riley Green collaboration “You Look Like You Love Me,” Cody Johnson’s “Dirt Cheap,” Jelly Roll’s “Halfway to Hell,” “I Am Not Okay” and “Liar,” and Bailey Zimmerman’s “Holy Smokes.”
Randy Houser and Wynonna Judd perform onstage at the 2025 BMI Country Awards at BMI on Nov. 18, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Northern Ireland rap trio Kneecap dropped a surprise drum & bass single, “No Comment,” on Tuesday (Nov. 18), a track the Belfast group said in an Instagram post is “all about the police witch-hunt against Mo Chara.”
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The latter reference is to the terrorism charge against MC Chara (born Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh), with the song taking on the legal action launched by British authorities against Chara that was thrown out of court in September on a technicality.
The provocative group added the messages, “Free Palestine. Free the 6 counties. F–k the peelers,” references, respectively, to the group’s support of the Palestinian people and advocacy for a Palestinian homeland, the slogan used by Irish nationalists in reference to six counties in Northern Ireland as part of a push to end British rule in the territory and a slang phrase denigrating the police.
The two-minute-long collaboration with DJ/producer Sub Focus was accompanied by cover art by enigmatic British street artist Banksy in the form of one of his signature murals in which a protestor is seen in shadow lying on the ground trying to protect himself from a judge threatening to hit him with a gavel.
The song’s mostly Irish-language lyrics hit on Chara’s legal entanglements with bars including, “It’s certain that we’re in the way/ In the West Bank and in Gaza/ We’ve made an example of you now, so silence Mo Chara/ That won’t ever happen,” as well as, “I’m misbehaving in badness/ Mo Chara’s wanted/ The air bubble bandit.” The song later takes on the paranoia that comes with sudden, controversial fame. “Have you ever been plastered on the news when you’ve got the heebie-jeebies?,” it continues, “Far from ideal/ Got death threats on my screen.”
In a statement to Pitchfork, the group said: “‘No Comment’ is all about getting harassed by the British state. Simple as. Us Irish are well used to it, been happening for centuries. Was a pleasure to work with Sub Focus on this, the man is a legend.”
Chara was charged in May with a terror offense for reportedly displaying the flag of the Lebanese Islamist political party and paramilitary group Hezbollah during a Nov. 2024 concert in London’s Kentish Town Forum, a group designated with terrorist status by the U.K. government. The charge was tossed out by a British judge in September, due to a technical error in the timing of when the charges were brought by London’s Metropolitan Police; Chara had steadfastly denied any wrongdoing in the case, though video footage from the show appeared to show him displaying a flag associated with Hezbollah.
The band continued to court controversy over the past year, including during their Coachella sets in April, which ended with a message that read: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes. F–k Israel; free Palestine.” The statement led to a number of prominent music industry figures, including Ozzy Osbourne manager Sharon Osborne, calling for them to be removed from the bill and for their work visas to be revoked.
The group has since been banned from several countries, including Hungary and Canada, over claims, respectively, that they pose a “national security threat” and that they made statements “that are contrary to Canadian values and laws.” They were also forced to cancel a run of shows in the U.S. and U.K. in the midst of the court case.Listen to “No Comment” below.
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Prepare to feel old, even if you’re young: Movies about classic rockers are now contenders for AARP Movies for Grownups Awards.
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, the biopic about a pivotal period in the life of Bruce Springsteen, is nominated for best period film, while its director, Scott Cooper, is up for best director. Becoming Led Zeppelin, a doc about Led Zeppelin, hard rock gods of the late ‘60s and ‘70s, is nominated for best documentary.
The Movies for Grownups Awards honor films and television projects that celebrate the voices and stories of those who are 50-plus. This year’s contenders for the top award, best picture/best movie for grownups, are Hamnet, A House of Dynamite, One Battle After Another, Sinners and Train Dreams.
Kathryn Bigelow, director of A House of Dynamite, and Paul Thomas Anderson, director of One Battle After Another, are up for best director, along with Cooper, director of the aforementioned Springsteen biopic, Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein) and Spike Lee (Highest 2 Lowest).
Ethan Hawke is nominated for best actor for playing lyricist Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon. The film is set on the night of the opening of the groundbreaking musical Oklahoma!, which was created by Hart’s former collaborator Richard Rodgers and his new lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II.
Other nominees include Helen Mirren, recently announced as the 2026 recipient of the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award; two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn; and Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock.
Two documentaries directed by current stars that look at the lives of their parent(s) are also nominated for best documentary. They are Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost, Ben Stiller’s film about his parents, the great 1960s comedy duo Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, and My Mom Jayne, actress Mariska Hargitay’s look at her mother, 1960s sex symbol Jayne Mansfield. The remaining nominees for best documentary are Cover Up, a look at investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, and Riefenstahl, about controversial filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl.
In the best TV series or limited series category, nominations go to Adolescence, Hacks, The Pitt, The Studio, and The White Lotus.
“These nominees prove that powerful storytelling transcends age,” Myechia Minter-Jordan, CEO of AARP, said in a statement. “At AARP, we believe representation matters—not just for audiences, but for the industry itself. By honoring these actors and creators, we’re shining a light on the richness, depth, and diversity of experience that deserves to be seen and celebrated.”
The annual Movies for Grownups Awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, Jan. 10 at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, California. Alan Cumming, the Tony- and Emmy Award-winning host of TV’s The Traitors, will return to host the show, which will be broadcast by PBS’ Great Performances on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 7/6c.
The annual awards show raises funds for AARP Foundation, which works to strengthen older adults’ financial resilience.
Here’s the complete list of 2025 nominees for the Movies for Grownups Awards:
Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups
Hamnet
A House of Dynamite
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams
Best Actress
Laura Dern, Is This Thing On?
Jodie Foster, A Private Life
Lucy Liu, Rosemead
Julia Roberts, After the Hunt
June Squibb, Eleanor the Great
Best Actor
George Clooney, Jay Kelly
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton, Train Dreams
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Dwayne Johnson, The Smashing Machine
Best Supporting Actress
Regina Hall, One Battle After Another
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Helen Mirren, Goodbye June
Gwyneth Paltrow, Marty Supreme
Sigourney Weaver, Avatar: Fire and Ash
Best Supporting Actor
Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another
Delroy Lindo, Sinners
Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Michael Shannon, Nuremberg
Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Kathryn Bigelow, A House of Dynamite
Scott Cooper, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein
Spike Lee, Highest 2 Lowest
Best Screenwriter
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Noah Baumbach and Emily Mortimer, Jay Kelly
Bradley Cooper, Will Arnett, and Mark Chappell, Is This Thing On?
Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
James Vanderbilt, Nuremberg
Best Ensemble
A House of Dynamite
Jay Kelly
Nuremberg
One Battle After Another
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Best Intergenerational Film
Eleanor the Great
The Lost Bus
Rental Family
Rosemead
Sentimental Value
Best Period Film
Dead Man’s Wire
Marty Supreme
Nuremberg
Sinners
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Best Documentary
Becoming Led Zeppelin
Cover Up
My Mom Jayne
Riefenstahl
Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost
Best Foreign-Language Film
It Was Just an Accident
No Other Choi
Nouvelle Vague
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Best TV Series or Limited Series
Adolescence
Hacks
The Pitt
The Studio
The White Lotus
Best Actor (TV)
Walton Goggins, The White Lotus
Stephen Graham, Adolescence
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
Noah Wyle, The Pitt
Best Actress (TV)
Kathy Bates, Matlock
Kathryn Hahn, The Studio
Catherine O’Hara, The Studio
Parker Posey, The White Lotus
Jean Smart, Hacks
Trending on Billboard Post Malone has earned his first CMA Awards win. The singer-songwriter was among the artists named in an early round of CMA Awards wins announcements in two categories on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Post Malone and Blake Shelton won for CMA musical event of the year for their collaboration “Pour Me a Drink,” […]
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One of late KISS guitarist Ace Frehley’s signature “smoker” guitars is going under the gavel in a rock and roll auction. The signed Sunburst Gibson Les Paul that Frehley played on the band’s 1999 Psycho Circus tour as well as their 2000 farewell tour is up for sale now via Gotta Have Rock and Roll, with a minimum opening bid of $100,000.
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“This custom-made Sunburst Gibson Les Paul ‘Smoker’ guitar was owned and signed by Ace Frehley, featuring modifications for his signature ‘Smoking’ effects,” reads a description on the auction house’s site. “It was heavily played and used during the 1999 and 2000 ‘Psycho Circus’ and ‘Farewell Tour’ concerts. The guitar is part of Ace Frehley’s personal collection and represents a unique piece of rock history from an influential period of his career.” The instrument comes with a letter of authenticity, with the auction slated to end on Dec. 5.
Frehley, who joined KISS in 1973, was beloved for his funky Spaceman (aka Space Ace) character in the greasepaint-wearing band, which he originally left in 1982 before rejoining in 1996; the 2000 tour was his final outing with the band fronted by singer/guitarist Paul Stanley and bassist/singer Gene Simmons. He legendarily rigged his guitars with a number of fan-favorite effects, including ones that shot fireballs from their headstock, others that lit up and the one on the auction block now that emitted plumes of smoke from its neck.
In 2023, Ultimate Guitar described how Frehley rigged the guitar to smolder after he first tried to embed smoke bombs inside the cavity of the instrument, only to have it mess up the volume and tone controls. The magazine said he worked with an engineer to remove the pickup from the guitar’s neck and slip a fog machine into the cavity for the effect that became one of his signature on-stage tricks.
The guitarist died last month at age 74, with his family announcing his passing in a statement that read, “We are completely devastated and heartbroken. In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth. We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace’s memory will continue to live on forever!”
An autopsy report revealed that Frehley’s death was caused by blunt trauma injuries to his head after suffering a fall, with the manner of death listed as accidental.
Zach Bryan opened up to his fans on Tuesday (Nov. 18) about some hard, deeply meaningful work he’s done on himself over the past few months in an Instagram post about his sobriety and mental health journey. Along the way, the 29-year-old “Pink Skies” singer also revealed that he hasn’t touched any alcohol in two months after confronting what he described as his “toxic” relationship with booze.
“Recently, I went on a motorcycle trip across the country. For 20 days I camped and rode looking for a solution,” he wrote in the lengthy post. “At the end of this ride, I was sitting in a parking lot in Seattle, Washington thinking, ‘I really need some f–king help.’” The singer said that after spending a a decade in the Navy before being “thrown into the spotlight” that he wasn’t fully prepared for, he realized the “subconscious effects” of that sudden fame had on him.
“I was not content but I also feared showing weakness because that’s not who I am or how I was raised. To charge forward and to never settle was the motto,” he said. “I was stuck in a perpetual discontent that led me to always reaching for alcohol, not for the taste, but because there was a consistent black hole in me always needing its void filled.”
Bryan described the anxiety of being “lied about and doxxed” on the internet, as well as helping a close friend following a severe mental break and tending to another best friend who was put into a coma following a motorcycle accident while touring the country and playing five or six nights a week. The resulting stress led to what he described as “earth-shattering panic attacks” and “paralyzing” anxiety. “I thought since I was successful, had the money I always longed for, and had great friends, that I could tough anything out,” Bryan wrote.
He found a therapist and made what he called a “conscious decision to do something about my toxic relationship with booze” and how he copes with major life changes. Bryan then revealed that he hasn’t touched alcohol for nearly two months, something he did in search of his own “personal clarity. I needed to see the world objectively.” The singer said his family supported him on every step of his journey, with conversations about his future, possibly having children one day, his health and girlfriend Samantha Leonard’s happiness pushing him to prioritize not just himself, but his whole family.
“I feel great, I feel content, I feel whole,” Bryan wrote. “There is nothing I need to get me by anymore. If you or any of your friends are too tough, too scared or too stubborn to reach out, know that the most stubborn dumbass on the planet did and didn’t regret it.” Bryan concluded by saying that he doesn’t believe in absolutes, and that one day he might learn to control his habits. For now, though, he wanted fans to know that “it is okay to be weak at times and need help.”
In addition to the stresses Bryan addressed, he also went through a very public, messy breakup with former girlfriend podcaster Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia last year and then got into a dust-up with fellow country singer Gavin Adcock in September following months of back-and-forth.
In the caption, Bryan stressed that he knows he’s one of the luckiest men alive and didn’t share his thoughts in a “greater than thou” effort, but because he knows there are many other people out there silently battling mental health challenges alone. “I hope it helps someone struggling to find words when they’re down on their luck,” he said.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or addiction, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357) is available 24/7.
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The 2026 edition of the O2 Silver Clef Awards will take place at London’s Royal Albert Hall in celebration of its 50th anniversary. Scheduled for July 9, the event will be held at the prestigious venue for the first time, having been held at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in recent years.
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The O2 Silver Clef Awards are Nordoff and Robbins’ largest annual fundraising event. Since 1976, they have raised over £17 million ($23.5 million) for the British music therapy charity, fueling its growth and helping it deliver sessions to vulnerable people in need across the country.
Recipients of the 2025 awards included Rick Astley, IDLES, Noah Kahan, Chase & Status and The Last Dinner Party. The ceremony raised £715,00 ($937,425) for Nordoff and Robbins, who is also a key beneficiary of the BRIT Trust, a music industry charity that receives proceeds from the annual BRIT Awards.
Other acts who have been honoured at the O2 Silver Clef Awards over the years include David Bowie, Annie Lennox, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Paul McCartney, George Michael, Kylie Minogue, The Rolling Stones, Oasis and Coldplay.
“We are so immensely proud to be hosting the 50th anniversary of the O2 Silver Clef Awards at the Royal Albert Hall,” Joe Munns, chair of the O2 Silver Clef Awards Committee, said in a statement. “We’ve had the great privilege of giving these prestigious awards to many legendary artists over the years, and what better place to celebrate even more superstars than a venue that’s equally as iconic.”
“The current fundraising climate is challenging for us all and costs continue to increase across the board, so this amazing event is now more important than ever for the charity,” he added.
In addition to hosting the 2026 ceremony, the Royal Albert Hall has announced Nordoff and Robbins as its official charity partner for the year. The partnership will involve raising awareness and funds to expand music therapy delivery across the U.K., as well as promoting Nordoff and Robbins’ research into how their work can support recovery.
James Ainscough OBE, chief executive of the Royal Albert Hall, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be announcing Nordoff and Robbins as our official charity partner for 2026. We will be collaborating with their brilliant team across a number of projects and events throughout the year, to ensure that the joy and healing power of music reaches far beyond the stage, and making music therapy as accessible as possible.
“It is a real honour to be hosting the O2 Silver Clef Awards on such a landmark anniversary. It is always a monumental night in the music industry calendar, and certain to be even more memorable as we celebrate the wonderful work of Nordoff and Robbins and the 50th year of the awards.”
