Currently performing on his world tour, Earl Sweatshirt shares the music video for “INFATUATION,” a standout track from his album ‘Live Laugh Love’. The visual, his first of 2026, unfolds inside an unnamed restaurant, subtly nodding to the recurring food imagery woven throughout the song. The setting mirrors the track’s relaxed pacing and layered wordplay, grounding Earl’s reflections in an everyday space that quietly amplifies the song’s intimacy.
“INFATUATION” follows earlier visuals from the album, including “exhaust,” produced by Navy Blue and featuring vocals from Erykah Badu, as well as “Tourmaline” and “CRISCO,” each revealing different facets of Earl’s evolving storytelling. ‘Live Laugh Love’, out now via Warner Records and Tan Cressida, has been met with widespread acclaim, marking a clear artistic progression and expanding the emotional and thematic scope of his work. The project has also been the focus of deeper discussion, including a recent appearance on The New York Times’ Popcast.
Late last year, Earl launched his 3LWorldTour, bringing his catalog to cities across North America before heading overseas. The tour continues this month with EU and UK dates, extending the album’s presence beyond the studio and into a live setting where its nuance and restraint take on new weight. With each release and performance, Earl Sweatshirt continues to refine a voice that feels both grounded and quietly expansive.
Electronic innovator Ninajirachi announces her biggest EU and UK headline dates to date, celebrating her acclaimed debut album ‘I Love My Computer’. The March run follows a breakout year marked by sold-out shows across Australia, the U.S., and Europe, including a London headline date that sold out weeks ahead of the album’s release. Known for her genre-blurring production and emotionally wired club sound, Ninajirachi continues to build global momentum heading into major festival appearances later this year.
The tour sees Ninajirachi joined on select dates by Glasgow-based artist and DJ KAVARI and Sydney experimental dance producer Laces. The shows land in Paris, Glasgow, Dublin, Manchester, Brighton, London, and Bristol, offering European audiences a full live expression of an album that has been widely praised as a defining statement of modern electronic pop and club culture.
Released via NLV Records, ‘I Love My Computer’ has earned sweeping acclaim and major honors, including the Australian Music Prize, triple j’s J Award for Australian Album of the Year, and a #1 debut on the Australian Albums and Vinyl charts. The album has been celebrated internationally for its cultural clarity, emotional immediacy, and forward-thinking production, cementing Ninajirachi as a central voice in the next generation of global electronic music.
I LOVE MY COMPUTER EU UK TOUR 2026 DATES: Tue Mar 17 – Le Trabendo – Paris FR Sat Mar 21 – SWG3 – Glasgow UK Sun Mar 22 – Whelans – Dublin IRL Wed Mar 25 – Gorilla – Manchester UK Thu Mar 26 – Concorde2 – Brighton UK Fri Mar 27 – Colour Factory – London UK Sat Mar 28 – Strange Brew – Bristol UK SOLD OUT
The global music industry just crossed 5.1 trillion streams in 2025, according to Luminate, and that number is both jaw-dropping and revealing. Streaming grew nearly 10 percent year over year, setting a new single-year record. On the surface, it looks like nonstop momentum. Dig a little deeper, though, and it tells a more interesting story about how fans actually listen to music in 2026.
Here’s the twist: most of that listening is not new music. In the U.S., only 43 percent of on-demand audio streams came from songs released in the last five years. That means the majority of listening time went to catalog. Fans are replaying songs they already love, trust, and emotionally understand. This isn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It’s comfort listening in an era of overload, where thousands of songs arrive every week and familiarity feels grounding.
When new music does break through, it does so loudly and collectively. Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen each cleared 5 million album-equivalent units in a single year, a feat that blends streaming, sales, and cultural saturation. These weren’t quiet releases. They were moments. Tours, conversation, fandom, and media presence all converged, proving that fans rally around events, not just songs.
Genre growth adds another layer. Christian and gospel music jumped 18.5 percent in U.S. on-demand streams, rock grew 6.4 percent, and Latin rose 5.2 percent. These aren’t trend-hopping gains. They reflect identity listening. Fans are gravitating toward music that reinforces belief, heritage, intensity, and meaning. Rock’s growth is especially telling. Even though the genre leans heavily on catalog, it also posted one of the strongest totals for new streams, showing legacy genres don’t disappear. They evolve alongside their audience.
Latin music’s growth has a clear driver. Bad Bunny alone generated 5.3 billion U.S. on-demand streams, accounting for more than four percent of all Latin listening stateside. That’s not just popularity. That’s gravitational pull. It reinforces a pattern seen across streaming: infinite choice exists, but attention keeps collapsing toward artists fans already trust to deliver consistently.
Then there’s the most 2025 story of all: AI artists are no longer theoretical. Acts like Xania Monet and Breaking Rust posted tens of millions of streams and even cracked Billboard charts. Why? Because streaming rewards mood, volume, and familiarity. For many listeners, especially on playlists, authorship comes second to vibe. The system doesn’t ask who made the song. It asks whether you stayed.
Zoom out, and the picture is clear. Music fans aren’t disengaging. They’re self-curating more carefully. They return to songs that already mean something, support artists who feel emotionally legible, and embrace new music only when it cuts through instantly. Streaming hasn’t flattened taste. It’s sharpened it. In a world of endless options, listeners are choosing depth over discovery, connection over novelty, and moments that feel human over music that simply fills space.
Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande are set to lead a new stage production of Sunday in the Park with George, opening at the Barbican Centre in Summer 2027. Featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine, the musical stands as one of the most celebrated works in modern theatre, blending artistry, obsession, and emotional precision.
The production will be directed by Marianne Elliott with design by Tom Scutt, bringing together a creative team known for bold visual storytelling. Tickets for the Barbican season go on sale in May 2026 exclusively through the venue’s official website and box office, with further details available via the production’s mailing list. The announcement marks a major theatrical moment, pairing two globally recognized performers with one of Sondheim’s most revered scores. To be the first to hear all about it and all further information about the production, sign-up at www.sundayintheparkmusical.com.
L.Y.R. announce their new album ‘Dark Sky Reservation’, due out April 3 via Real World Records. The trio of UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, producer and multi-instrumentalist Patrick J. Pearson, and singer-songwriter Richard Walters continue their evolution with a record rooted in contradiction, clarity, and contemplation. The album draws on the idea that true illumination only appears in darkness, pairing environmental, emotional, and psychological themes with immersive sound design.
Alongside the announcement, L.Y.R. share lead single “Blah! Blah! Blah!”, a minimalist and immediately gripping track that builds toward a manic, hypnotic release. The song reflects on information overload and modern disconnection, embodying the tension between constant communication and emotional isolation. Musically and lyrically, it captures the band’s ongoing fascination with the noise and confusion of contemporary life, transforming overload into propulsion and focus.
‘Dark Sky Reservation’ follows a decade of boundary-pushing work that has seen L.Y.R. move fluidly between albums, commissions, and live performance. To mark the release, the band will embark on their largest U.K. tour to date across April and May, including a London performance at the ICA. Across hypnotic compositions, ethereal vocals, and poetry that leans toward consolation and wonder, L.Y.R. continue to create music built for reflection, refuge, and quiet illumination.
L.Y.R. U.K. TOUR DATES: April 16 – Cambridge – Storey’s Field Centre April 17 – Kendal – Arts Centre April 18 – Liverpool – Tung Auditorium April 19 – Birmingham – Bradshaw Hall April 21 – Nottingham – Squire Performing Arts Centre April 22 – Glasgow – Cottiers April 23 – Gateshead – Glasshouse Sage 2 April 24 – Pocklington – Pocklington Arts Centre April 25 – Hebden Bridge – Trades Club May 4 – Leeds – City Varieties May 5 – Bristol – The Lantern May 6 – London – ICA May 7 – Brighton – Komedia May 8 – Exeter – Mount Dinham May 9 – Falmouth – Cornish Bank at KCM Church
Hudson Ingram releases his new single and music video “Baby Just Be,” out now via Interscope Records in partnership with an upcoming joint venture with Aaron Dessner. Written after relocating from Texas to Nashville, the song captures a moment of transition and emotional recalibration, tracing themes of growth, humility, and endurance with quiet confidence. The track carries a grounded, reflective energy that highlights Ingram’s natural instinct for clear-eyed storytelling and melodic restraint.
Reflecting on the song’s origins, Ingram shares that it was one of the first pieces he wrote after moving, created alongside close collaborator Jack Schrepferman in an unpolished, spontaneous setting. He describes the recording as memorializing a real chapter of his life, with Dessner later expanding the song’s emotional world without losing its core intimacy. With “Baby Just Be,” Ingram continues to define a voice rooted in honesty and immediacy, signaling a young artist documenting growth as it unfolds in real time.
Charlie Puth releases his new single “Beat Yourself Up,” opening the door to his forthcoming album ‘Whatever’s Clever!’, out March 27. Co-produced with BLOODPOP, the song delivers an emotionally direct message about self-compassion, framed through Puth’s melodic precision and intimate songwriting. The track lands with clarity and warmth, offering reassurance without overstatement and setting a deeply personal tone for the album.
On the inspiration behind the song, Puth shares, “I wanted to tell him that even though he has made mistakes along the way, he shouldn’t be so hard on himself.” As the writing unfolded, the message widened to include himself and others navigating similar inner pressure. The song reflects a broader creative chapter rooted in honesty, emotional openness, and connection, continuing Puth’s evolution as both songwriter and producer.
Alongside the release, Puth announces his 2026 “Whatever’s Clever!” World Tour, his largest global run to date, spanning North America before heading to Europe and the U.K. Beginning April 22 in San Diego, the tour brings a full arena-scale production to fans worldwide. The momentum continues with Puth also confirmed to perform at Super Bowl LX on February 8 in San Francisco, marking another major cultural moment in a year already moving at full speed.
2026 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES: 04/22 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena 04/24 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre 04/25 – Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara Bowl 04/28 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center 04/29 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum 05/01 – San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium 05/03 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater at Lumen Field 05/05 – Vancouver, BC – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre 05/07 – Portland, OR – Veterans Memorial Coliseum 05/09 – Salt Lake City, UT – Maverik Center 05/10 – Denver, CO – Bellco Theatre 05/13 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre 05/15 – Rosemont, IL – Rosemont Theatre 05/16 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory 05/19 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre 05/20 – Hamilton, ON – TD Coliseum 05/22 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway 05/23 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena 05/26 – Fairfax, VA – EagleBank Arena 05/29 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden 05/30 – Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena 06/01 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center 06/03 – Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park 06/05 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live 06/06 – Orlando, FL – Addition Financial Arena 06/09 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater 06/11 – Austin, TX – Moody Center 06/12 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory 06/13 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
2026 EUROPEAN & U.K. TOUR DATES: 06/27 – Odense, Denmark – Tinderbox 06/30 – Stockholm, Sweden – Gröna Lund 07/01 – Helsinki, Finland – Allas Live 07/03 – Larvik, Norway – Stavern Festival 07/05 – Hamburg, Germany – Stadtpark Open Air 07/06 – Frankfurt, Germany – myticket Jahrhunderthalle 07/08 – Barcelona, Spain – Barts Festival 07/09 – Madrid, Spain – Mad Cool Festival 07/13 – Paris, France – Olympia 07/15 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo 07/18 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Academy 07/19 – Dublin, Ireland – Iveagh Gardens 07/21 – Edinburgh, UK – Usher Hall 07/22 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Academy 07/24 – Pompei, Italy – Anfiteatro di Pompei 07/25 – Cernobbio, Italy – Villa Erba 07/27 – Budapest, Hungary – Budapest Park 07/28 – Prague, Czechia – Forum Karlín 07/30 – Warsaw, Poland – Progresja Summer Stage
Godsmack announce the 25th Anniversary edition of their landmark sophomore album ‘Awake’, available March 6, 2026. The release arrives as a digital deluxe edition alongside deluxe 2LP smoky green vinyl and CD formats, complete with a holographic lithograph of the iconic cover art. The expanded edition adds five bonus tracks, including “Why” from the Any Given Sunday soundtrack and a powerful cover of Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf,” offering fresh depth to a defining chapter in the band’s catalog.
Originally released in 2000, ‘Awake’ followed Godsmack’s multi-platinum self-titled debut and delivered a commanding run of songs that quickly became era-defining staples. Tracks like “Awake,” “Bad Magick,” and “Greed” solidified the band’s presence at rock radio, with the title track earning their first #1 hit and “Vampires” bringing their first GRAMMY nomination. The album’s weight, groove, and emotional intensity continue to connect, standing as a lasting statement of hard rock identity and momentum.
The anniversary edition presents the full album alongside alternate mixes and acapella versions, spotlighting both its raw power and underlying craft. Bonus material like “Sweet Leaf” and “Why” complements the original tracklist while celebrating the band’s fearless approach to reinterpretation and songwriting. Twenty-five years on, ‘Awake’ remains a cornerstone release that reflects Godsmack’s enduring impact and uncompromising sound.
TRACKLIST: Side A Sick Of Life Awake Greed Bad Magick
Side B Goin’ Down Mistakes Trippin’
Side C Forgive Me Vampires The Journey Spiral
Side D Why (Revised Original Mix) Sweet Leaf (Black Sabbath Cover) Trippin’ (Clean Mix) Awake (Acapella) Bad Magick (Acapella)
Rascal Flatts officially launched their 2026 “Life Is A Highway Tour” this week, roaring out of the gate with a high-energy opening night in Raleigh, North Carolina. The trio delivered a hit-packed set spanning more than two decades, with the crowd singing along to staples like “My Wish,” “Bless The Broken Road,” “What Hurts The Most,” and “Life Is A Highway.” Joined by openers Lauren Alaina and Chris Lane, the shows are landing as a full-throttle celebration of one of country music’s most enduring catalogs.
The tour continues a momentum-filled return that has audiences nationwide embracing the band’s reunion with enthusiasm and volume. Alongside the live shows, Rascal Flatts’ recent single “I Dare You” featuring Jonas Brothers continues its rise at country radio, building on the success of last year’s collaborative album ‘Life Is A Highway: Refueled Duets’. With packed arenas and a setlist built for collective singalongs, the 2026 run underscores just how strong the connection remains between the band and their fans.
2026 LIFE IS A HIGHWAY TOUR DATES: 1/16 – Knoxville, TN – Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center 1/17 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center 1/22 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum 1/23 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center 1/24 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center 1/29 – Elmont, NY – UBS Arena 1/30 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center 1/31 – Albany, NY – MVP Arena 2/5 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena 2/6 – Chicago, IL – United Center 2/7 – Indianapolis, IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse 2/12 – Duluth, GA – Gas South Arena 2/13 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena 2/14 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live 2/19 – Biloxi, MS – Mississippi Coast Coliseum 2/20 – Bossier City, LA – Brookshire Grocery Arena 2/21 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center 2/26 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center 2/27 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena 2/28 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
Intergalactic metal maniacs GWAR deliver one of the most unexpected covers in recent memory with their full-throttle take on “Pink Pony Club,” originally by Chappell Roan. Captured for The A.V. Club and recorded live at Chelsea Studios NYC, the performance leans hard into spectacle, volume, and theatrical excess, transforming a modern pop anthem into a gleefully over-the-top metal ritual.
