Talk Fuse

    Topic: Music

    Music news, from stadium-filling icons to the artists shaping the charts this week, covering new releases, reissues and the interviews and anniversaries that put a record's story in context. It ranges across genres and eras, so a look back at how a soul classic or disco anthem came together sits alongside coverage of what's charting or making headlines right now.

    Beyond the music itself, this is where the people and decisions behind it get examined: why a band turned down a big break, how a songwriter settled on a lyric overnight, or what a veteran musician makes of the industry and the world today. There's also room for the wider culture around music, from touring and nightlife to the health and social benefits some readers get from it.

    Taken together, it's a mix of nostalgia and the present tense, useful for anyone who wants to understand not just what's playing now but the stories and decisions that shaped the music they already know.

    • The Best Moments So Far From Lollapalooza 2026

      Lollapalooza 2026 opened in Chicago’s Grant Park on 30 July, with Billboard highlighting several standout performances from the first day. – 5 Seconds of Summer revived their nostalgic rock cover of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream”. – Charli xcx joined Lorde for their “Girl, So Confusing” remix, prompting a major crowd reaction. – Chicago native John…

    • The 1974 tour that David Bowie hated: “No freedom”

      David Bowie reportedly disliked the rigid, highly theatrical Diamond Dogs tour of 1974, saying it left him with “no freedom”. The production’s complexity limited his ability to perform spontaneously, even though it was among the most ambitious live shows of its era. The North American tour promoted Diamond Dogs and initially featured elaborate sets, costumes,…

    • North West Scraps Tour Plans: ‘It Isn’t Happening Anymore’

      North West’s planned debut KimoKawaii Tour with rapper Molly Santana has been cancelled days before it was due to begin. The 14-date run would have marked a significant early live-performance opportunity for the 13-year-old artist, who released her first EP, N0rth4evr, in May. West said the tour was “not happening anymore” but promised fans something…

    • Ariana Grande, Shaboozey, Rachel Chinouriri, and All the Songs You Need to Know This Week

      Rolling Stone’s weekly new-music selection highlights releases across pop, country-rap, dance, Afrobeats, Latin music, rock and experimental sounds, led by Ariana Grande, Shaboozey and Rachel Chinouriri. – Ariana Grande, “Petal”: a baroque-leaning, defiant pop track. – Shaboozey featuring Gunna, “High Noon”: a country-influenced rap collaboration. – Rachel Chinouriri, “One Song Away From Crying”: a glossy,…

    • The Drums & Mareux – “It Didn’t Matter”

      The Drums have released “It Didn’t Matter”, a synth-pop collaboration with Iranian American alternative artist Mareux, as the first release on frontman Jonny Pierce’s new label, Abysmal Records. The song signals a retro electronic direction for the project and begins a planned run of new releases ahead of a Drums album next year. Pierce said…

    • Shania Twain Reveals What She Told Jon Bon Jovi Before His Vocal Surgery

      Shania Twain has said she encouraged Jon Bon Jovi to undergo vocal cord surgery in 2022, sharing her own experience after he expressed concern about the risks to his voice. The advice mattered because singing is central to Bon Jovi’s career, and he was reportedly anxious about a procedure that could affect his ability to…

    • Patti Smith Left Speechless Meeting Pope Leo Before “Spark Was Lit”

      Patti Smith privately met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on 31 July, in an encounter described by a Vatican official as initially leaving the musician almost speechless before a rapport developed. The meeting matters chiefly as a cultural and symbolic exchange between a major American artist and the Pope, with both figures presented as…

    • Francisca Valenzuela’s ‘Maldita’ Is an Unflinching — and Cathartic — Look at Motherhood 

      Francisca Valenzuela’s album Maldita is presented as a candid, cathartic exploration of her experience of early motherhood, exhaustion and postpartum depression. The review argues that its importance lies in rejecting idealised expectations of maternal happiness while pairing painful self-examination with carefully composed, elegant music. The Chilean singer-songwriter, 39, initially considered making an upbeat, Raffaella Carrà-inspired…

    • The 2012 role that consumed Julianne Moore’s life: “This is gonna be bad”

      Julianne Moore has recalled how preparing to play Sarah Palin in HBO’s 2012 film Game Change took over her life for two months. The role mattered because Palin was a highly recognisable public figure, and Moore felt that even a small error in her voice or mannerisms could make the portrayal unconvincing. Moore cleared her…

    • BTS Boycott the Grammys, But Will Other Artists Follow?

      BTS have announced they will not submit their work for Grammy consideration this year, shortly after the Recording Academy introduced a Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. The decision has been interpreted as a rejection of being separated by region or language rather than judged in major general categories, intensifying debate over how the Grammys…