Music

CMAT joins Elton John for reworked festive classic as Amazon Original

• CMAT and Elton John have reworked “Step Into Christmas”.
• The track is an Amazon Music Original.
• The 1973 song reached number seven in 2025.

CMAT and Elton John have released a reworked version of John’s 1973 festive single “Step Into Christmas” as this year’s Amazon Music Original holiday song. The collaboration pairs the Irish singer-songwriter’s distinctive vocals with the song’s lively rock rhythm and singalong chorus. John said he had admired CMAT…

Kings Of Leon on their “completely honest” album ‘O My Beloved’: “I finally allowed myself to address things I’d been scared to talk about”

• Kings Of Leon’s new album is their most vulnerable to date.
• A broken foot and cancelled tour prompted a change in direction.
• Caleb Followill writes about grief, childhood and loss.

Kings Of Leon’s tenth album, ‘O My Beloved’, takes a more vulnerable, stripped-back approach than 2024’s ‘Can We Please Have Fun’, returning to the band’s country roots. Caleb Followill says a cancelled tour gave him time to write about grief, childhood and subjects he had previously avoided, making…

Graham Nash’s 10 favourite albums

• Nash’s favourite albums trace the music that shaped his career.
• Gene Vincent’s “Be-Bop-A-Lula” was his first record.
• He singles out Simon & Garfunkel’s *Bookends*.

Graham Nash has named ten favourite albums that reflect the folk, pop and rock music which shaped his life and work. His choices offer a glimpse of the records and artists he admired, from early influences to musicians he later met. Nash recalls trading his first record, Gene…

Ecca Vandal Wins 2026 Australian Music Prize

• Ecca Vandal wins the 2026 Australian Music Prize.
• Her second album earns a A$50,000 award.
• The win caps a breakout year with seven ARIA nominations.

Ecca Vandal has won the 22nd Australian Music Prize for her second album, *Looking for People to Unfollow*. The award recognises artistic merit rather than sales and comes with a A$50,000 prize, marking a major achievement in a breakout year for the Melbourne-based artist. A music industry panel…

On this day in 2001, The Strokes released an unremarkable music video. Now it has been viewed 142,000,000 times and defines ‘indie chic’

• “Last Nite” turned a basic studio performance into an enduring indie image.
• The Strokes initially resisted making a promotional video.
• The video has been viewed 142 million times.

The Strokes’ “Last Nite” video, released in 2001 to promote their debut album *Is This It*, helped establish the band’s image as effortlessly detached and influential in the rise of indie rock. Its deliberately plain presentation captured a raw, unpolished performance at a time when the band resisted…

‘Sounds of the Desert’ Explores Lives, Music and Cosmic Visions of Two Members of the Sun Ra Arkestra (Exclusive Tallinn Trailer)

• A documentary explores two Sun Ra Arkestra musicians and their cosmic visions.
• Marshall Allen is still performing at 102.
• The film premieres at Tallinn Black Nights on 18 November.

A new documentary, Sounds of the Desert, follows Sun Ra Arkestra musicians Abshalom Ben Shlomo and Marshall Allen, exploring their lives, music and cosmic visions. It matters because the ensemble helped shape Afrofuturism, using music and imagination to envision outer space as a realm of Black freedom. Written,…

BIGBANG Adds World Tour Finale at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium

• BIGBANG’s tour finale is set for SoFi Stadium on 13 March 2027.
• The concert is part of the group’s 20th anniversary tour.
• General ticket sales open on 13 November.

BIGBANG have added a concert at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium on 13 March 2027, which will be the final date of their 20th anniversary world tour. The show extends the group’s reunion run and gives fans in the US a final chance to see the tour. The tour…

Pei plans screen-free AI debut as McIlroy warns of golf arms race

Nothing plans to unveil its first screen-free AI device in December, while McIlroy says LIV Golf is reshaping the sport. Plus: new Mistborn books, a Chucky image row and Cynthia Erivo’s Snoop biopic casting.

Why Joan Jett hailed Lemmy as one of the last true renegades: “There’s not that many of them any more”

• Jett saw Lemmy as one of rock’s rare independent spirits.
• She said musicians increasingly assimilate to get ahead.
• Lemmy recalled Jett wearing his bullet belt onstage.

Joan Jett described Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister as a rare renegade who pursued his own path rather than fitting in. Her comments matter because she saw that independence as increasingly uncommon in the music industry, and recognised a kindred spirit in him. Jett made the remarks in the…