The story of the warrior and the sensai continues as HOKKA presents their second single “Death By Cupid’s Arrow.” Following the powerful debut of “In The Darkness,” the new track expands HOKKA’s cinematic narrative with intensity, emotion, and epic scale. “Death By Cupid’s Arrow” arrives alongside another epic music video bringing the next chapter of the story vividly to life through striking visuals and dramatic storytelling. Both singles have already been performed on Finnish national television during the country’s major New Year’s Eve broadcast, introducing HOKKA to a nationwide audience and marking a significant milestone for the band. Joel Hokka comments on the song: “Cupid’s arrow to the chest or a knife in the back — it’s all the same. Death by Cupid’s Arrow is a song about the not-so-nice side of love. Time after time, a poor broken heart cries out its pain as it drowns.” HOKKA has just announced their first live shows for 2026, giving fans the opportunity to experience the power and storytelling of the warrior and sensai saga on stage for the first time, starting with their first club show on May 7 at Tavastia in Helsinki, followed by confirmed Finnish festival appearances at Kesämössö in Lahti, Tuska in Helsinki, Ruisrock in Turku, Ilosaarirock in Joensuu, Kuopiorock in Kuopio, and QStock in Oulu.
Alice Sara Ott presents a collection of world premiere recordings of music by Jóhann Jóhannsson. Recorded in the late composer’s native Iceland, the 30-track Deutsche Grammophon album draws on an edition of solo piano transcriptions of his works recently published by Faber Music. These span the composer’s career, from studio albums such as ‘Englabörn’ and ‘Orphée’ to the pioneering scores he wrote for documentaries or feature films such as ‘Copenhagen Dreams,’ ‘Personal Effects,’ and the Golden Globe-winning ‘The Theory of Everything.’ ‘Jóhann Jóhannsson – Piano Works’ arrives digitally, on CD, and on vinyl on March 6, 2026, following the success of two EPs, Film Themes and From Englabörn, issued in late 2025 featuring seven of the album’s tracks. The visionary work of Jóhannsson, a highly influential figure in contemporary music and multi-award-winning film composer, has continued to captivate listeners and inspire musicians since his untimely death in 2018. Known for her remarkable versatility and her experience in both contemporary and core classical repertoire, reflected by her recent collaborations with Bryce Dessner and her hugely successful John Field album respectively, Ott was the ideal interpreter for this solo piano project.
Having never had the chance to meet Jóhannsson herself, Ott spent time in preparation for the recordings with some of his friends and colleagues, including Grammy-nominated producer and engineer Bergur Þórisson, in whose Reykjavík studio the sessions took place. Ott says, “There’s a very special intimacy and urgency in his musical language. It speaks to what people long for in today’s noisy and sometimes very dissonant world. The way he builds the architecture and structure of his music really allows you to refocus and reflect.” While she played a few of the pieces on a grand piano, Ott chose to record most of the tracks on the old upright piano in Þórisson’s studio. She recalls, “It’s one of the most beautiful instruments I’ve ever encountered. Bergur placed the microphones really close to the piano which I think creates this very modern and intimate sound, and a touch of nostalgia.” She continues, “It almost feels like you’re having a personal dialogue with Jóhann’s memory. Some of these pieces were written for larger ensembles, as well as electronics, and with just one piano it’s a more condensed and focused sound, but it brings out hidden textures and nuances that highlight the way Jóhann plays with sound and time.” For the visuals of the artwork, Ott worked with friends and collaborators of Jóhannsson, photographer Jónatan Gretarsson and art director Anders Ladegaard. The CD booklet is illustrated with atmospheric shots of the Icelandic landscape plus portraits of both pianist and composer, containing liner notes written by music critic Wyndham Wallace, who previously wrote liner notes for Jóhannsson’s records. “Melodia (III)” releases as a digital single on January 9, “Flight from the City” on January 30, and “Payphone” from McCanick on February 20. One of the world’s most-streamed classical pianists, Ott is recognized for a distinctive artistic language, with programmes and formats that challenge conventions and rethink the relationship between repertoire, performer, and audience.
Tour Dates:
January 15 – Konzerthaus, Vienna
January 19 – Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis have announced their second collaborative album ‘Deface The Currency,’ arriving February 20 on Impulse! Records. This new album preserves the tightness and variety of their critically-acclaimed self-titled debut album but reveals new levels of confidence and risk over seven tracks. ‘Deface The Currency,’ a statement of vigor, sensitivity, and spontaneity, results from the band playing 150 shows together in one year. The lead single “Gestations” is available now with an official video. To celebrate the album announcement, The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis have announced a headlining tour across North America kicking off April 17 in Portland, Oregon. The Messthetics were formed in Washington, D.C., drawn together by mutual admiration: Anthony Pirog had grown up listening to Fugazi, the era-defining post-hardcore band anchored by the rhythm section of now-bandmates Joe Lally and Brendan Canty, while the bassist and drummer heard the genre-spanning guitar visionary play around town and took note of his unusually inclusive aesthetic. Pirog had played and bonded with saxophonist James Brandon Lewis before the Messthetics formed, and in 2019, he invited Lewis, whose massive, soulful sound has made him a star of the contemporary jazz scene, to sit in with the group live.
As strong as their 2024 LP ‘The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis’ was, it documented a union still in its infancy: the trio worked up most of the material apart from Lewis and then rehearsed with the saxophonist for just one day before entering the studio. Lally notes, “We literally were not a band that did what bands do at that point that we made the first record.” The quartet’s subsequent extensive touring brought about a very different result on ‘Deface the Currency.’ Lewis says, “The more you know someone, the better the relationship is, the more enriched it becomes. It’s like a cast-iron skillet: The more you keep cooking in it, the better the food gets. So I think that’s what you hear on the record, and you hear an urgency of now.” The band’s heightened communication comes through in many surprising dynamic shifts. On “Universal Security,” Pirog and Lewis’s floating melody, played over a waltz-time pulse from Lally and Canty, segues into the saxophonist improvising against a wall of richly textured guitar noise. “Gestations” layers a bebop-esque line atop a taut funk groove, holding its energy in reserve before revving up to an explosive climax that suggests doom metal meets Sonny Sharrock’s 1991 avant-jazz masterpiece ‘Ask the Ages,’ which the quartet has recently covered in concert. More than any earlier statement by the band, ‘Deface The Currency’ seamlessly melds the sounds that make up its collective DNA, from punk rock to free jazz and funk, balancing compositional precision with palpable improvisational fire.
Tour Dates:
April 17 – Star Theater, Portland, OR
April 18 – Clock-Out Lounge, Seattle, WA
April 19 – Wise Hall, Vancouver, BC
April 25 – Kings, Raleigh, NC
April 26 – Ayurprana Listening Room, Asheville, NC
April 27 – The Earl, Atlanta, GA
April 28 – Singletary Center for the Arts, Lexington, KY
April 30 – Constellation, Chicago, IL
May 1 – Third Man Records, Detroit, MI
May 2 – 918 Bathurst, Toronto, ON
May 3 – Centennial Hall, Erie, PA
May 4 – Tubby’s, Kingston, NY
May 5 – City Winery Boston, Boston, MA
May 6 – Le Poisson Rouge, New York, NY
May 7 – Pittsburgh Jazz & Poetry Festival, Pittsburgh, PA
Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi has announced his first ever collection of solo piano works, spanning his illustrious 30-year career. Entitled simply ‘Solo Piano,’ the new collection arrives February 27 on Decca. Along with Einaudi’s best-loved solo piano compositions comes the brand new piece “Memory One,” revealed today. Einaudi explains, “Memory One is a special piece. It’s the song of who we were, transformed by who we’ve become.” The collection takes the listener on a journey using just the keys of a piano, from “Elegy for the Arctic,” which Einaudi famously performed on a floating platform in the Arctic Ocean for Greenpeace ten years ago in 2016, to a special solo piano version of his highest-streamed track of all time, “Experience” from 2013. Also featured are recognisable favourites such as “Nuvole Bianche” and “Una Mattina.”
More recent hits such as “Adieux” from 2024, which became the fastest-streamed classical track of all time after reaching 2.5 million streams on release day alone, and “Jay” from 2025’s chart-topping album ‘The Summer Portraits’ can be heard alongside other breathtaking compositions, all telling his story. The collection coincides with Einaudi’s forthcoming Solo Piano 2026 tour, which sold out across the UK and Ireland within days of going on sale. The solo tour sees Einaudi return to London’s Royal Albert Hall where he completed a record-breaking run of six nights in 2025 with his full band. Einaudi recently announced his biggest ever UK performance at The O2 on Friday July 10, 2026, to which, due to exceptional demand, a second night was quickly added on Saturday July 11, 2026. In contrast to the Solo Piano record and tour, The O2 concerts will feature Einaudi performing with his full band. Over the past three decades, Einaudi has quietly become the world’s most successful contemporary classical artist, with music that has reached millions through film, television, and live performances worldwide, from Arctic Ocean stages to record-breaking residencies at the Royal Albert Hall, Barbican, and Sydney Opera House.
New York-based singer-songwriter and producer Sarah Kinsley has announced her new EP ‘Fleeting,’ arriving February 13 via Verve Forecast/Fontana. The EP features the musician’s recent euphoric pop single of the same title, plus new track “Lonely Touch,” available now with a co-directed video that’s artistically and visually linked to the title track. A 30-date headline tour of North America and the UK/Ireland kicks off next spring in Seattle on March 25, with stops in New York, Los Angeles, and wrapping up at London KOKO on May 28. The new EP also features a guest collaboration with British artist Paris Paloma on “After All,” marking Kinsley’s first collaboration in the studio. Paloma comments, “I’ve been a fan of Sarah’s for ages, and she’s been one of my top listened to artists for several years in a row, so when she asked me to collaborate I was so happy to work with her, and also to do something so swelling and emotive as this song ‘after all,’ felt like a new direction for both of us, I’m incredibly excited for everyone to hear it.”
Kinsley explains the origins of “Lonely Touch”: “‘Lonely Touch’ was written in one sitting after I watched the Luca Guadagnino film Queer. It was inspired by a scene showing two lovers intertwining: their hands traveling under each other’s skin, moving through the body, feeling each other’s hearts. This song is an homage to the vulnerability of longing, of yearning for a kind of touch that is undeniable and terrifying. It is a song about true intimacy: wanting to feel the edges of another’s soul, becoming one in the dark together.” She created the music video with New York choreographer Madi O’Halloran and director Chloë Vivian Gottlieb to truly embody the song through dance and movement, capturing closeness and raw touch between people. The ‘Fleeting’ EP is Kinsley’s first body of music since the release of her acclaimed 2024 debut LP ‘Escaper,’ written in the back of cabs zipping across New York City and produced alongside friend and collaborator Jake Aron. On working with Paloma, Kinsley notes, “There was something magical about the idea of giving the second half of After All to another artist: creating a duet between people ruminating on why love cannot always save us. Paris Paloma is the artist I wanted to share this moment with, and we made this song together across the Atlantic between New York and London.” Kinsley reflects on the EP itself: “The Fleeting EP is a collection of music scoring my return to a long lost sense of self. It is a record honouring love and desire. A deep promise to change. It is a promise to yearn, to long, to feel deeply and truly, despite knowing everything is fleeting.” ‘Escaper’ turned not only the heads of critics but of Chappell Roan too, who put the spotlight on Kinsley’s talent via Instagram earlier this year.
Tracklist:
Lonely Touch
Truth Of Pursuit
Reverie
After All (with Paris Paloma)
Fleeting
Tour Dates:
March 25 – The Crocodile, Seattle, WA
March 26 – Hollywood Theatre, Vancouver, BC
March 28 – Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR
March 30 – August Hall, San Francisco, CA
March 31 – The Fonda, Los Angeles, CA
April 1 – Music Box, San Diego, CA
April 3 – Meow Wolf, Santa Fe, NM
April 4 – Marquis, Denver, CO
April 7 – Mohawk, Austin, TX
April 8 – House of Blues – Bronze Peacock Room, Houston, TX
April 9 – The Echo Lounge & Music Hall, Dallas, TX
acclaimed feature film ‘Hamnet.’ The score earned nominations for both the Critics Choice and Golden Globe Awards, plus a shortlist placement for the Academy Awards upon its release. From Academy Award-winning writer and director Chloé Zhao, Hamnet tells a powerful story of love and loss that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece Hamlet, featuring acclaimed performances from Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal. The film has already garnered significant recognition, including the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, with Buckley recently taking home the Critics Choice Award for Best Actress. Buckley praised Richter’s contribution, saying, “He helped to transcend to another plane. And to be able to do that, whether you’re just listening to on your own or in a concert hall with a thousand people that you’ve never met and actually feel like you’re all going to someplace else, that is an extraordinary feeling.”
Richter explains his approach to the soundtrack: “In composing the score for Hamnet, I decided to use the basic atoms of Elizabethan musical practice; the period instrumentation, grammar and sensibility of the time, but to apply these materials in a way that springs directly from the psychology of the story.” He notes that he made sketches responding to the overarching themes of familial love and loss prior to the shoot, which Zhao used during filming and in the edit, giving them a starting point for the overall musical architecture. Richter developed a choral language for the character of Agnes that underpins much of the story, using women’s voices both in ways an Elizabethan composer would recognize and as pure color emanating from the psychology of the moment. One of the most influential composers of his generation, Richter blends traditional orchestrations with modern electronic elements throughout the sweeping Hamnet score. His catalogue has amassed over three billion streams to date, and Hamnet marks one of more than 50 projects that Richter has scored, following collaborations with directors Denis Villeneuve, Martin Scorsese, and Ari Folman. Richter is co-founder of Studio Richter Mahr alongside his partner, visual artist Yulia Mahr, built inside a former farmhouse in Oxfordshire and powered with cutting-edge solar and heat-pump technology.
Coco Jones brought her stunning vocal abilities to the NPR Tiny Desk for a six-song performance showcasing material from her debut studio album ‘Why Not More?’ The singer-songwriter, who has earned praise from industry legends including Beyoncé, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, and Babyface, delivered a set that demonstrated why she’s becoming a standout voice in contemporary R&B. Backed by her band featuring Jay Rojas on guitar, Sean Diarra Miles on keys, Frank Javois on bass, Dominique Austin on drums, and background vocalists David Harrison, Domo Abrams, and Mariah Meshae, Jones performed “You,” “Double Back,” “On Sight,” “Taste,” “Here We Go (Uh Oh),” and her breakout hit “ICU.” The performance highlighted her vocal range and control across ballads and uptempo tracks.
EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and REI AMI, the singing voices of HUNTR/X from KPop Demon Hunters, performed “Golden (Glowin’ Version)” on Jimmy Kimmel Live on January 9. The performance showcased the trio’s unique blend of K-pop influenced sounds and demon hunting narrative from the animated series KPop Demon Hunters, which follows three Korean American teens who discover their destinies as demon hunters while navigating the music industry. EJAE brings her powerful vocals and dynamic stage presence, while Audrey Nuna, known for her genre-blending approach and previous work including tracks like “Comic Sans” and “damn Right,” adds her distinctive edge. REI AMI, who has made waves with her bold style and collaborations, rounds out the trio. The performance of “Golden (Glowin’ Version)” on one of television’s biggest late-night stages marks a significant moment for the KPop Demon Hunters franchise as it continues to bridge animation, music, and cultural representation.
Grammy Artist to Watch Kashus Culpepper releases “Cherry Rose,” his most tender statement to date as an artist whose substantial early acclaim continues to build and prove he can deftly mix Americana twang, intimate soul, and searing Southern rock. The sweeping piano ballad appears on his forthcoming debut album ‘Act I,’ arriving January 23. Its respective official music video, Act I, Scene 3, directed by Lewis Cater, known for his work on Kacey Musgraves’ “The Architect,” premieres today. The Alabama native chose to record ‘Act I’ in Muscle Shoals, a decision rooted in both state pride and musical history. Culpepper notes, “So much history between the soul giants of the world, like Aretha and Wilson Pickett, and then some of my favorite bands, like the Allman Brothers.” “Cherry Rose” emerges as a song about people “doing work, just to get by, because they have to,” cowritten alongside singer-songwriter Mikky Ekko, known for work with Rihanna on “Stay,” Teddy Swims on “Lose Control,” and 21 Savage on “red sky,” along with producer Brian Elmquist.
Ahead of his debut, Culpepper has earned co-signs from icons and musical heroes like Elton John, who claimed Kashus is “if Bill Withers made country music,” and John Mayer, who shared he’s “as good as it gets.” Praise continues rolling in for the album ahead of its release, with Rolling Stone noting, “If what we’ve heard so far is any indication, expect 2026 to be a breakthrough year for this Alabama singer,” while Paste concludes that “the idea that Act I is Culpepper’s debut album is challenging… since he seems like one of those inevitable artists who has always been.” Nashville Lifestyles calls the debut “a blockbuster… the scene-stealing talent is just getting started,” and Parade logs the album as one of the five most highly anticipated country albums of the year. Prior to “Cherry Rose,” Culpepper released a string of album singles that have caught the ears of listeners and critics alike, most recent “In Her Eyes” named a Song You Need To Know according to Rolling Stone and one of Billboard’s Must-Hear New Country Songs, along with “tightly crafted” “Mean To Me” per Country Central and Americana radio number one “Believe.” On the album, Culpepper is joined by Grammy recognized collaborators Sierra Ferrell on “Broken Wing Bird” and Marcus King on “Southern Man.”
This year Culpepper hits the road for headliners in New York, Boston, Nashville, and more amidst dates in Australia with Wyatt Flores and an opening slot supporting Eric Church. With a busy year ahead in 2026, Culpepper’s 2025 gained him recognition as one of GRAMMY.com’s 25 Artists to Watch in 2025, Apple Music Zane Lowe’s 25 Artists for ’25, 2025 Variety Power of Young Hollywood Impact Report, Opry NextStage Class of 2025, Billboard’s February 2025 Country Rookie of the Month, 2025 Amazon Music Bonfire Artist to Watch, Apple Music’s February 2025 Country Riser of the Month, 2025 Pandora Country Artist to Watch, and Martin Artist Showcase Class of 2025. Finding his voice in church as young as five years old, it wasn’t until 2020’s global pandemic that Culpepper went from listener to performer, picking up a guitar and learning cover songs to play at barrack bonfires in Rota, Spain during his deployment with the Navy.
Act I Tracklist Intro (Kashus Culpepper, Jordan Dozzi, Jacob Durrett) Southern Man (feat. Marcus King) (Kashus Culpepper, Bear Rinehart) Alabama Beauty Queen (Kashus Culpepper, Luke Preston, Diego Urias) Woman (Kashus Culpepper, Anderson East) Break Me Like (Kashus Culpepper, Grady Block, Hank Compton) Believe (Kashus Culpepper, Foy Vance) Stay (Kashus Culpepper, Jordan Dozzi, Jacob Durrett) Mean To Me (Kashus Culpepper, Oscar Charles, Diego Urias, Matt Warren) Broken Wing Bird (feat. Sierra Ferrell) (Kashus Culpepper, Brian Elmquist) Better Weather (Kashus Culpepper, Luke Preston) That’s The Feeling (Kashus Culpepper, Brian Elmquist) Man Of His Word (Kashus Culpepper, Natalie Hemby) In Her Eyes (Kashus Culpepper, Brent Cobb, Oscar Charles) Is It True (Kashus Culpepper, Rhett Akins, Rocky Block) After Me? (Kashus Culpepper, Mark Addison Chandler) Out Of My Mind (Kashus Culpepper, Brian Elmquist) House On A Hill (Kashus Culpepper, Rhett Akins, Jimi Bell) Cherry Rose (Kashus Culpepper, Mikky Ekko, Brian Elmquist)
Multi-platinum singer-songwriter Stephen Sanchez kicks off 2026 with new single “Sweet Love,” accompanied by a heartfelt video directed by Jason Lester, known for his work with Hozier, Laufey, and Conan Gray, co-starring his grandparents. The video was shot at his grandparents’ home, paying tribute to the place where Sanchez first discovered his love for music through his grandfather’s record collection. With upbeat production and Sanchez’s captivating vocals, “Sweet Love” ushers in a new chapter all about love, the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between. Sanchez shares, “‘Sweet Love’ really encapsulates the beautiful parts of love, and the active choice we have to make, to love one another every day. I was inspired by my grandparents’ relationship while writing the song and it was so special to have them star in the video.”
Sanchez gave fans an early preview of the song last night at an exclusive pop-up at Nashville’s The Basement East, performing a mix of fan favorites along with some additional unreleased tracks for the sold-out crowd. “Sweet Love” marks Sanchez’s first solo offering since 2023’s ‘Angel Face,’ which earned critical praise from NPR, SPIN, V Magazine, FLOOD, American Songwriter, and more. The release signals the beginning of a massive 2026 for the singer-songwriter.
