New music
She just played Wembley with Taylor Swift. This pop sensation’s rise has been dizzying
With her debut album Vertigo, British pop star Griff is navigating intense new heights.
- by Nick Buckley
Latest
Katy Perry is back with a ‘feminist’ anthem. It’s a train wreck
Katy Perry’s much-anticipated new single begins with the lyrics “sexy, confident, so intelligent”. Unfortunately, it is none of those things.
- by Meg Watson
Opinion
Royal family
Breakdancing Charles was cooler than Prince William will ever be
Sure, William dances to Shake It Off and rides an electric scooter around Windsor Castle, but nothing will rival his father’s valiant attempt to breakdance in 1985.
- by Kate Halfpenny
Her pop career became soul-destroying. So she torched it and rebuilt it on her own terms
With Burnt Tapes, Eves Karydas shows young female musicians a path beyond sexist industry expectations.
- by Robert Moran
Charli XCX’s late-night masterpiece Brat is her best album yet
Texturally brash and genuinely affecting, the pop iconoclast’s new album is a must-hear.
- by Jules LeFevre
‘I still have impostor syndrome’: The chaos of Maya Hawke
Yes, her dad’s Ethan Hawke and her mum’s Uma Thurman. But Maya Hawke is creating thoughtful work on her own terms – including her new album, Chaos Angel.
- by Robert Moran
Exclusive
For subscribers
How Billie Eilish reckoned with fame to create her astonishing new album
In an exclusive interview, the 22-year-old dual Oscar winner opens up about making her new album and how the process transformed her.
- by Brodie Lancaster
While his band was away on tour, a military coup erupted at home
On new album Funeral for Justice, Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar lets rip ferocious riffs steeped in urgent anti-colonialism.
- by Nick Buckley
Pet Shop Boys on Taylor, Beyonce and making their own ‘queer album’
More than four decades on, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe are still making pop’s most transcendent music.
- by Robert Moran
Is the ‘Troye Sivan bump’ real? This cult singer-songwriter is about to find out
The Aussie pop star sampled Jessica Pratt’s singular vocals on his last album. Now Pratt returns with her adventurous Here in the Pitch.
- by Robert Moran
This album is a rare misstep for Taylor Swift, but is she too big to fail?
For the first time in a long time, critics aren’t loving a new Taylor Swift album. Does it even matter?
- by Nell Geraets