Music

How Did Charli xcx’s First-Week ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ Performance Meet Our Expectations?

• Charli xcx's Music, Fashion, Film debuts at No. 3, tying Brat's chart peak
• Album sold 75,000 units, the week's highest new chart entry
• Billboard staff give mixed verdicts on whether the numbers met expectations

Charli xcx's new album Music, Fashion, Film has debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, matching the chart peak achieved by her 2024 album Brat. The result matters because it confirms Charli xcx's continued commercial strength following Brat's cultural dominance, even as her latest record marks a…

Addiction, Doris, Riots and Tub Tarts: An A-Z Of Metallica

• Louder publishes a playful A-Z trivia feature on Metallica.
• Covers topics from addiction to riots to fan nicknames.
• Format mixes humour with genuine band history and anecdotes.

This is a lighthearted feature from Louder (home of Metal Hammer and Classic Rock) presenting an A-Z rundown of Metallica trivia, covering the band's decades-long history through quirky, alphabetically arranged anecdotes rather than a conventional news report. It offers fans a fun, digestible way to revisit key moments,…

Remember When a Member of Eagles Played on Richard Marx’s First Single in 1987?

• Joe Walsh of the Eagles played guitar on Richard Marx's 1987 debut single.
• Walsh joined purely because he liked the song's demo.
• He spent an afternoon recording solos and fills, largely unguided.

In 1987, singer-songwriter Richard Marx released his debut single, "Don't Mean Nothing," from his self-titled first album, which he co-wrote with Bruce Gaitsch. The track, which reflects Marx's frustration at the slow pace of his early career after years of rejection from record labels, is notable for featuring…

When Flea was fired from Fear in 1984 and felt eternally grateful: “I didn’t have the guts”

• Flea recalls being fired from punk band Fear in 1984
• He says he felt grateful, not upset, by the decision
• Admitted he "didn't have the guts" to quit himself

Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has reflected on being fired from the Los Angeles punk band Fear in 1984, saying he felt grateful for the decision rather than upset by it. He explained that being let go from the group ultimately freed him to commit fully to…

Audrey Nuna Signs to Republic Records (EXCLUSIVE)

• Audrey Nuna signs with Republic Records for new single "superHuman"
• Track produced by Cirkut, out midnight ET Friday
• Song becomes official 2026 Valorant Champions Tour track

Audrey Nuna has signed to Republic Records ahead of her new single "superHuman," which drops at midnight ET on Friday. The deal marks a new chapter for the singer, who gained wider recognition as the voice of Mira in "KPop Demon Hunters" and shared in an Oscar win…

Role Model Reflects on ‘Sally’ Success, Therapy & How Girlfriend Dakota Johnson Ended Up on His Album

• Role Model says making his new album led him to start therapy.
• Girlfriend Dakota Johnson features on album track "Love I You".
• *Chuck Timely & the Hourglass* is released Friday 7 August.

Singer-songwriter Role Model (real name Tucker Pillsbury) has opened up about the personal journey behind his forthcoming album, *Chuck Timely & the Hourglass*, revealing in a new interview that writing the record prompted him to begin therapy for the first time. He also reflected on the enduring success…

Universal has sold a chunk of Spotify stock for around $467M. Artists will likely be paid over $100M of it.

Per MBW's calculations, UMG artists could be in line for approximately $131 million of the money. Source

Lainey Wilson To Help Raise Funds for Marty Stuart’s Country Music Museum With Benefit Shows

• Lainey Wilson to play two benefit shows for Marty Stuart's country music museum
• Concerts take place 20 October at Philadelphia's Ellis Theater
• Funds support a campus housing Stuart's 20,000+ artefact collection

Country star Lainey Wilson is set to perform two benefit concerts on 20 October at the Ellis Theater in Philadelphia to raise money for Marty Stuart's Congress of Country Music, a planned museum and campus dedicated to preserving country music history. Stuart, a Grand Ole Opry and Country…

4 Singer-Songwriter Albums From 1974 That We’re Still Playing a Ton Today

• Four standout 1974 singer-songwriter albums still widely listened to today
• Featured artists: Jackson Browne, Randy Newman, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young
• Each album marked a creative or commercial high point for its artist

This article from American Songwriter revisits four singer-songwriter albums released in 1974 that the publication argues have endured as beloved listening decades later. It highlights how that year marked a peak for the confessional, personal songwriting style that defined the era, with each featured artist using the album…

The greatest song of the 1970s, according to Frank Sinatra

• Sinatra despised rock and roll and 1970s counterculture music.
• Career decline forced him to soften his stance in the early 1970s.
• He praised The Little River Band's "Reminiscing" as the decade's best song.

Frank Sinatra was famously hostile to rock and roll and the 1970s counterculture, once branding rock "phoney and false" and even stepping away from live performing in 1971-72 as his popularity waned amid the genre's rise. To salvage his career, he was forced to reconsider his stance and…