FIRST CONTACT has been established, and full global disclosure has been approved as second album EARTH NATION is set for worldwide transmission on 1 March via a new alliance with London’s JPU Records.
FIRST CONTACT is the epic new project led by Japan’s RYU, best known as the creative force behind cyber-trance metal innovators BLOOD STAIN CHILD. Free from the constraints of genre, the project boldly goes where progressive rock structures, metal hooks, expansive synth work and cinematic atmosphere collide.
Joining the audio voyage are special recruits Sawa (Aldious), responsible for bass, and MaoMao and TanTan, who provide smooth and soaring vocals when the tracks are not unfolding as instrumental masterpieces. The same team worked on debut album PEACEMILLION, released in August 2025.
A tour has also been announced following the release of EARTH NATION, entitled FIRST CONTACT 1st Live Tour “Space Alliance”. The tour touches down on 28 March at LIVE SPACE ODYSSEY in Osaka, followed by Shinjuku Wildside in Tokyo on 4 April. The countdown has begun.
The transmission goes live on 1 March, with close encounters to follow.
Barry Manilow has announced the cancellation and rescheduling of several January concert dates after doctors discovered a cancerous spot on his left lung that will be surgically removed. The news follows a stretch of health challenges that included prolonged bronchitis and came shortly after Manilow completed five annual Christmas charity concerts at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, raising millions for Coachella Valley nonprofits. An MRI ordered as a precaution led to the discovery, which Manilow shared was caught early, with doctors believing it has not spread and will not require chemotherapy or radiation.
Manilow will take approximately one month to recover following surgery, prompting the January arena dates to move to later in 2026. He confirmed plans to return to the stage for Valentine’s weekend concerts at the Westgate Las Vegas on February 12, 13, and 14, followed by rescheduled tour stops through spring. Ticket holders for the affected January shows can use their existing tickets for the new dates. Manilow also encouraged fans to be proactive about their health and seek medical testing even for mild symptoms.
Rescheduled January Tour Dates: February 27 – Tampa, FL – Benchmark International Arena March 6 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena March 11 – Charleston, SC – North Charleston Coliseum March 13 – Orlando, FL – Kia Center March 14 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena March 16–17 – Estero, FL – Hertz Arena April 24 – Greensboro, NC – First Horizon Coliseum April 27 – Jacksonville, FL – VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena April 29 – Duluth, GA – Gas South Arena
Culture Wars continue their strong run with “In The Morning,” a groove driven rock track that arrives during a standout year for the band. The single follows major touring moments alongside Keane, Wallows, and LANY, a Top 20 U.S. Alternative Radio breakthrough with “It Hurts,” and more than eight million global streams on “Typical Ways.” Built on thick guitar tones and steady rhythm, the song captures a quiet moment of reflection, leaning into atmosphere and feeling rather than excess.
Vocalist Alex Dugan frames the song around a familiar early morning headspace, shaped by loneliness, memory, and emotional pull, while noting it reflects an earlier version of himself. Sonically, the track signals a clear shift for the band, influenced by the scale and energy of their live shows, including a recent appearance opening for LANY at the Philippine Arena. “In The Morning” introduces the direction of their upcoming debut full length album ‘if not now, when?,’ due in early 2026, grounding Culture Wars’ next chapter in groove, texture, and lived experience.
As the year ends, SoundExchange is looking back at 2025’s Top 20 Tracks and Breakout Creators. The annual lists are based on 12 months (December 1, 2024-November 30, 2025) of non-interactive streaming data from more than 3,000 digital service providers operating under statutory licenses for which SoundExchange administrates, collecting and distributing royalties to recording artists and rights owners.
“At the end of each year, SoundExchange digs through the data to understand which tracks received the most streams and which new artists are starting to breakout,” said Michael Huppe, President and CEO of SoundExchange. “It’s obvious that this year brought some great music to the forefront, and we know that 2026 will bring even more.”
Teddy Swims takes the crown on the SoundExchange 2025 Top Tracks list with “Lose Control,” and also shows up a second time in the top 10 with “Bad Dreams.” Myles Smith is in second place with “Stargazing,” followed by Billie Eilish‘s enduring “BIRDS OF A FEATHER.” Rounding out the top five are the inescapable “Too Sweet” from Hozier and “APT.” the hit collaboration from BLACKPINK’s ROSÉ and Bruno Mars.
SoundExchange’s 2025 Breakout Creators list is made up of artists who gained traction for their music and talent this year. This data-based set reflects these creators’ significant streaming activity, fueled by strong debuts or career highlight releases that connected with wider audiences.
Topping this year’s Breakout Creators list is Myles Smith, the British singer-songwriter whose “Stargazing” notched itself at #2 on this year’s Top Tracks list. Alex Warren, who hit with “Ordinary” this year and was named SoundExchange’s 2025 Breakout Artist, took the next spot. The top of the list was rounded out by country artist Zach Top, actor-turned-recording artist Leon Thomas, and Lola Young, who broke through with her single “Messy,” which landed at #14 on the year’s Top Tracks list.
Since 2003, SoundExchange has maintained its commitment to ensuring creators are paid fairly for their work through advocacy, innovation, and efforts to create a fairer music industry for all. In 2025, SoundExchange passed the milestone of cumulative distributions of $12 billion delivered directly to recording artists and rights owners.
SOUNDEXCHANGE 2025 TOP TRACKS
“Lose Control” – Teddy Swims
“Stargazing” – Myles Smith
“BIRDS OF A FEATHER” – Billie Eilish
“Too Sweet” – Hozier
“APT.” – Bruno Mars & ROSÉ
“Bad Dreams” – Teddy Swims
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – Shaboozey
“Die With A Smile” – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
“luther” – Kendrick Lamar & SZA
“That’s So True” – Gracie Abrams
“Beautiful Things” – Benson Boone
“Taste” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Pink Pony Club” – Chappell Roan
“Messy” – Lola Young
“Anxiety” – Doechii
“Love Somebody” – Morgan Wallen
“Espresso” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Ordinary” – Alex Warren
“Miles On It” – Marshmello & Kane Brown
“Residuals” – Chris Brown
SOUNDEXCHANGE 2025 BREAKOUT CREATORS
Myles Smith Alex Warren Zach Top Leon Thomas Lola Young Gigi Perez sombr Hudson Westbrook Addison Rae ROLE MODEL Ty Myers Graham Barham Neton Vega Max McNown Lanie Gardner Tito Double P AZ Chike Balu Brigada Disco Lines Damiano David
Bowie Odyssey 76 is the latest volume in Simon Goddard’s long running Bowie Odyssey series, arriving via Omnibus Press and focusing on one of the most volatile years in modern music history. Set against the backdrop of 1976 Britain, the book traces David Bowie at his most confrontational, publicly embodying the Thin White Duke while navigating a country gripped by political unrest, racial violence, and cultural fracture. Goddard frames the year as a collision of art, provocation, and exhaustion, capturing the moment when Bowie’s public image and private reality were pulling dangerously apart.
As the narrative follows Bowie’s movement toward Berlin alongside Iggy Pop, the book charts a creative turning point that reshaped his future output and secured his reputation as the defining innovator of the decade. Told in stark black and white prose, ‘Bowie Odyssey 76’ reads as both cultural document and personal chronicle, mapping how turmoil, escape, and reinvention fed into a new musical direction. This seventh installment continues Goddard’s year by year approach, offering a focused, unsentimental portrait of an artist standing on the edge of collapse and transformation.
Mimi Barks has announced a UK headline tour for Spring 2026, marking her return to the stage with a renewed and intensified vision. The run begins March 31 in Swansea and wraps April 9 in London, with support from trap metal act SWARM6IX. Following a period of silence and upheaval, the tour introduces the next phase of Mimi Barks’ evolution, tied to new music, a new EP arriving in 2026, and a wave of visuals shaped by transformation and resolve.
Known for forging her own lane through a collision of metal, industrial, and trap, Mimi Barks has developed what she calls DOOM TRAP, a sound built on weight, emotion, and confrontation. Her path from Germany to Berlin’s underground and onward to London has fueled a rise that includes appearances at Download Festival, Wacken Open Air, Bloodstock, Boomtown, and 2000 Trees. These upcoming shows signal a return sharpened by experience, bringing heavier material and uncompromised intensity into intimate rooms across the UK.
UK Tour Dates 2026: March 31 – Swansea – The Bunkhouse April 1 – Plymouth – The Junction April 3 – Milton Keynes – Craufurd Arms April 4 – Nottingham – Rough Trade April 5 – Newcastle – Cluny 2 April 6 – Glasgow – Garage Attic April 7 – Sheffield – Corporation April 8 – Manchester – Star & Garter April 9 – London – Islington Academy 2
Capillary kick off the year with the release of their debut album ‘in remembrance,’ out now via 51st State Records. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Justin Bartlett at Studio 4 in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, the album leans into guitar driven momentum, patient builds, and emotionally charged vocals. Drawing influence from Sunny Day Real Estate, Rites Of Spring, Mineral, and Title Fight, the record moves between open armed sing alongs and heavier, inward looking stretches without losing intensity or focus.
Across ten tracks, Capillary trace moments of change, loss, and self awareness that surface during the shift into adulthood. Guest appearances from Dazey Doom on “impermanence” and Koyo on “plainview” expand the album’s emotional range, while the grief soaked centerpiece “disaster//perspective” anchors the record with weight and tension. Vocalist and guitarist Jake Rubin describes the album as a reflection on growth and what comes after, framing ‘in remembrance’ as a body of songs meant to evolve alongside the listener and settle into daily life through repetition and time.
Golden Globe and GRAMMY-nominated recording artist, songwriter, actor, and producer Nick Jonas celebrates the start of 2026 with the release of his brand new single, “Gut Punch,” out now. The soaring and emotionally-charged track offers the first glimpse of his highly-anticipated solo album, Sunday Best, arriving February 6th and ushers in his most open and personal era yet.
“Gut Punch” opens with sparse piano and introspective lyrics of self-doubt; a moment of brutal honesty that swells into a powerful chant-ready chorus, as he sings “Hit me like a gut punch. I hurt my own feelings. How did I get so good at being mean to myself?”
On the song’s deeper inspiration, Nick shares, “I tend to be hyper critical of myself, not typically about my appearance or getting older, but I was wondering, ‘Am I doing everything to be the best version of myself? Am I a present and thoughtful husband? Am I a good father?’ As time goes by, the stress and complications of life will weigh on you. It’s important to remember there was once a version of you who was carefree and loved the world.”
Sunday Best marks Nick Jonas’ first solo project in nearly five years and captures him at his most open, introspective, and artistically renewed. On the album, he dives deeper than ever before, drawing from important life chapters, both celebratory and challenging, that he’s faced over the past two years and the new perspective he’s gained as both a husband and father. Through unguarded storytelling and vulnerable moments he has never previously shared publicly, the album offers listeners an intimate look into his world and explores honesty, growth, and rediscovery.
Sonically, Jonas draws inspiration from his musical roots and early years singing in church choirs, infusing the record with the warmth and spirit of musical influences from both his childhood and adult life. Sunday Best features vivid lyricism, rich and soulful arrangements, and warmly layered instrumentation that highlight his most emotionally resonant work to date.
Ring in the new year with “Gut Punch” out now, and get ready for Sunday Best on February 6th.
Breakout country star Owen Riegling continues his bold new chapter with the release of his latest single, “Phone Call From Home,” out today via Universal Music Canada and Big Loud Records stateside.
Produced by hitmaker Oscar Charles (Elvie Shane, Chase Rice) and co-penned by Riegling alongside Ryan Kennedy, “Phone Call From Home” was recorded in Nashville and features a blend of acoustic and electric guitars, bass, and drums, creating a soundscape that captures both grit and warmth.
Riegling shares, “’Phone Call From Home’ is the tether between comfort and the unknown. The moment you’re too far to turn back but not far enough to feel settled. It’s tired eyes chasing the next horizon, the smell of burnt motel coffee, seagulls bickering over a french fry, and the one familiar voice that keeps you steady when the road feels unfamiliar.”
The release follows the runaway success of “Taillight This Town,” No. 1 most added at Canadian Country Radio in its first week. With over 145 million global streams and a growing fan base, Riegling’s grounded storytelling continues to resonate across borders.
A JUNO-nominated artist, Riegling recently took home the Ford F-150 Album of the Year Award for his expanded EP Bruce County (From The Beginning) at the 2025 CCMA Awards, adding to his 2024 CCMA wins for Songwriter of the Year (“Old Dirt Roads”) and Breakthrough Artist of the Year.
Announced today, fans can look forward to a special One Night Only ‘Live In Concert’ performance at Toronto’s iconic Massey Hall on April 18, 2026. Tickets go on sale Friday, November 21 at 10 a.m. local time (more info here).
Gifted country music artist and award-winning singer-songwriter Owen Riegling blends small-town roots with a modern edge that continues to resonate with fans.
Since winning the 2022 Boots & Hearts Festival’s Emerging Artist Competition, this Universal Music Canada / Big Loud Records recording artist has parlayed his success of his platinum-certified hit “Old Dirt Roads,” and the release of his expanded EP Bruce County (From The Beginning) to leave his comfort zone and explore new songwriting territory. A true road warrior, Riegling played more than 110 dates across Canada in 2024, not only as a headliner but alongside some of country’s biggest names including Brett Young, Jake Owen, Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard, Chase Rice and Luke Bryan.
Now, after some months in the studio co-writing with top Nashville hitmakers, Riegling has evolved more confident and self-assured than ever. With new music on the horizon including recently released single, “Taillight This Town,” showing a new level of artistry, the track captures his knack for pairing relatable stories with a sound that feels both fresh and timeless. “I’m just making the music that I would want to listen to and I’m talking about the things that mean something to me,” says Riegling. “I’m out here doing me — and that’s all I’m trying to do.”
Scotia Rose share a bright, forward moving statement with “Good Times,” a standout track from their debut EP out now via Deko Music in partnership with ADA and Warner. Built on heavy pop melodies filtered through a rock and roll edge, the song balances big hooks with soaring guitar work, capturing a sense of motion and urgency. The EP arrives after a stretch of electric live shows alongside drummer Richard Stuverud, known for his work with Pearl Jam, a collaboration that helped sharpen the band’s focus and confidence heading into the recording.
Frontman Jeff Weiss describes “Good Times” as a restless inner dialogue about presence, momentum, and learning how to stay inside moments as they unfold. That tension carries through both the song and its video, which blends whimsical public domain animation with live footage from New York venues including Bowery Ballroom, Sony Hall, Brooklyn Bowl, and Cutting Room. The visuals place the band squarely in their element onstage, grounding the song’s questions in real rooms, real crowds, and shared experience. “Good Times” captures Scotia Rose at a turning point, sounding energized, connected, and fully engaged with the now.
