Runkus arrives with ‘SUPERNOVA,’ a forward-thinking reggae album that blends roots, dancehall and experimental production into something genuinely ambitious. The project explores themes of transformation and rebirth, features collaborations with Sean Paul, and incorporates archival elements from Peter Tosh, adding serious cultural depth to an already striking record. The momentum behind it is real: a 2026 JUNO Award win, a 2024 MOBO Award, a performance at the Jamaican Culture Tent at New Orleans Jazz Fest, a featured set on Tuff Gong Radio on SiriusXM, and cover features in both RIDDIM Magazine in Germany and Echoes Magazine in the UK. ‘SUPERNOVA’ is out now on Spotify and Apple Music.
Miranda Lambert Opens a New Chapter on MCA with Irresistible New Single “Crisco”
Miranda Lambert has a new single and a new label home, and both announcements land at the same time. “Crisco” arrives May 15 as her first release under a newly announced partnership with MCA, and it sounds like nothing she’s put on tape before. Lush strings, jangly piano, a shimmering ’70s disco glow and an irresistible groove make it one of the most immediately compelling tracks of her career. Co-written with Aaron Raitiere, Jesse Frasure and Chill Fellacheck, the song nods to classics like “Southern Nights” and “Islands in the Stream” while carving out something entirely its own.
“It has so many elements of the country music that I love that I’ve never put on tape,” Lambert says. “There’s a looseness to it, a joy. It feels like dancing in your kitchen with the person you love, spinning old records, not overthinking a thing.” That description is exactly what the track delivers, and for an artist with her catalog, that kind of creative freshness is worth paying attention to.
Lambert arrives at this moment with serious momentum. Her GRAMMY-nominated single “A Song To Sing” with Chris Stapleton marked the biggest streaming debut of her career, and her 10th solo studio album ‘Postcards from Texas’ continued her unbroken run of 10 consecutive Top 10s on the Top Country Albums chart. The most-awarded artist in Academy of Country Music history, including Entertainer of the Year, she’s also a three-time GRAMMY winner, 14-time CMA Award winner and a TIME100 honoree. NPR has called her “the most riveting country star of her generation,” and “Crisco” gives that reputation plenty to work with.
“Crisco” is out May 15 on MCA. Pre-save and pre-add are available now.
Howard Jones, Heaven 17 and Blancmange Headline Brand-New Synth Pop Festival Electric Summer This August
A brand-new festival is coming to Taunton, and the lineup makes a strong case for why synth pop never really went anywhere. Electric Summer lands at Vivary Park on Sunday August 30, presented by Souvenir Events, with Howard Jones headlining alongside electronic pop pioneers Heaven 17 and Blancmange. Between them, these three acts wrote some of the most enduring songs of the 1980s, from “Temptation” and “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” to “Living On The Ceiling,” “Don’t Tell Me” and Jones’ landmark debut album ‘Human’s Lib,’ which hit number one in 1984 and remains an acknowledged synthpop classic.
For Howard Jones, the day carries extra weight. Taunton has been his home for more than 20 years, making Electric Summer a genuine homecoming, and the only UK show he’s doing this year. He arrives fresh from headlining his THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER festival tour in the United States. “Vivary Park is such a beautiful venue for this show and come rain or shine it’s gonna be a must-see gig because of the incredible lineup,” says Jones. “I’m very happy to be playing with my friends Heaven 17 and Blancmange, and can’t wait to see everyone on August 30th.”
The festival doesn’t stop at the legends. Dark electronic pop duo Black Nail Cabaret fly in from Hungary, Bristol-based alternative electronic rock outfit Mesh bring their devoted European following, Agency V arrive with momentum after supporting Gary Numan for his Glastonbury warm-up shows in June 2025, and Neon Fields, a south-west band drawing comparisons to Depeche Mode, Muse and Gary Numan, round out a contemporary lineup that sits naturally alongside the headliners. Internationally renowned producer and remixer Paul Dakeyne handles DJ sets between acts.
Electric Summer also supports Nordoff and Robbins, the music therapy charity that works with some of the most vulnerable people across the UK, with a donation from every ticket sold going directly to the organization. Tickets are available now at universe.com/electricsummer26.
Latin Rock Legends Soda Stereo Bring Their Groundbreaking “ECOS Tour” to the U.S. This September
Soda Stereo are bringing ECOS to the United States, and the scale of what’s already happened makes this announcement impossible to ignore. Nearly 180,000 people have experienced the show since its Buenos Aires debut just six weeks ago, and now the legendary Argentine rock trio are headed to five major U.S. cities this September. This isn’t a tribute, a homage or a film. It’s a live show, with Gustavo, Charly and Zeta together on the same stage, made possible through cutting-edge technology that the band is calling exactly what it is: avant-garde.
The ECOS Tour has already swept through Latin America and Europe, and the U.S. leg kicks off September 10 in San Jose at SAP Center before hitting Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York and Miami. The production behind it is a massive cross-disciplinary effort, and the response everywhere it’s landed has been overwhelming. General on-sale begins May 7 at 10AM local time at LiveNation.com, with Verizon and Citi presales running May 5 and 6.
ECOS U.S. Tour Dates:
September 10 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center
September 12 – Los Angeles, CA – The Kia Forum
September 13 – Las Vegas, NV – Dolby Live
September 17 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena
September 20 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center
Lawrence Kasdan’s Intimate Documentary “Marty, Life Is Short” Brings Martin Short to Netflix
Filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan has turned his lens on one of comedy’s most enduring figures. “Marty, Life Is Short” is an upcoming Netflix documentary offering an intimate portrait of Martin Short, built from archival footage and reflections from his friends, peers and family. The trailer is out now and the emotional range on display makes a strong case for what Kasdan has assembled. Coming to Netflix.
YouTube Builder Not a Luthier Turns an Old Bass Drum Into a Massive Bass Banjo
YouTube builder Not a Luthier took an old bass drum, cut it in half, fabricated a custom mount, then attached a neck, bridge and strings to create an oversize bass banjo that produces a deep, reverberant sound unlike anything a standard instrument delivers. The build is as much about ingenuity as it is about craft, and the results speak for themselves.
Reggae Legend Lee Scratch Perry Gets a Stunning 600-Page Tribute with New Book ‘Black Ark’
One of the most important studios in music history finally gets the document it deserves. ‘Black Ark,’ published by Edition Patrick Frey, is a 600-page photographic and written tribute to Lee “Scratch” Perry’s legendary Black Ark Studios in Kingston, Jamaica, the space where the dub pioneer built his dense, ever-evolving world from 1973 onward.
The volume draws on photographic documentation completed in spring 2021, supplemented by a joint preservation effort with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Mural paintings, assemblages of records, instruments, found objects, posters and newspaper clippings layer through its pages the way Perry’s productions layer sound, dense, collaged and entirely his own. Perry was involved in the development of the book until his death in August 2021, and the volume closes with memorial essays from Ishion Hutchinson, David Katz, Kodwo Eshun and John Corbett. For anyone serious about reggae, dub, or the architecture of creative spaces, ‘Black Ark’ is essential.
SING! The Toronto International Vocal Arts Festival Returns for Its 15th Year with 20-Plus Events This May
SING! The Toronto International Vocal Arts Festival runs May 19 to June 1, 2026, and the 15th edition is the most ambitious yet. More than 20 events spread across Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum, Koerner Hall, The Rec Room and The Great Hall make up a program that covers everything from jazz and soul to beatboxing and Broadway, all anchored by the human voice. Tickets range from free to $61.50, with half-price options for students and arts workers, and the full schedule is at singtoronto.com.
The festival opens May 19 at The Great Hall with Art Battle, where painters respond live to a cappella performance, setting the tone for a program that consistently finds new ways to frame vocal music. A free preview follows May 20 at Nathan Phillips Square, and free concerts at College Park on May 21 keep the early days of the festival wide open and accessible.
The competitive heart of the festival lands May 23 at Koerner Hall with the second annual SING! Canadian A Cappella Championships, featuring 16 finalist groups and a judging panel that includes Deke Sharon, producer of the Pitch Perfect films and The Sing-Off, alongside vocal coaches Elaine Overholt and Mo Field. The following afternoon, Sharon returns to the Royal Ontario Museum for an Aca-Singalong with 2025 championship winners Splüsh, guiding Pitch Perfect fans through “Since U Been Gone” entirely a cappella.
May 22 brings one of the festival’s most emotionally charged nights. Countermeasure, one of Canada’s top contemporary a cappella ensembles, plays their final concert, One More Spin, at The Paradise Theatre, closing out 16 years of international recording and touring. It’s a significant moment for Canadian vocal music, and SING! is the right place for it.
The Great North Beatbox Festival, presented by Beatbox Canada, takes over The Rec Room across three days from May 29 to 31, marking the largest celebration of beatboxing in North America. Performances, workshops and showcases fill the weekend with a different but equally vital dimension of vocal artistry.
The festival closes June 1 at the Royal Ontario Museum with SING! With Pride, an official Pride Toronto Major Cultural event featuring legendary Swedish quintet The Real Group and Toronto’s Singing Out Chamber Ensemble, hosted by Broadway and Stratford star Thom Allison. The evening also includes the presentation of the SING! Toronto Legacy Award to Canadian jazz icon Heather Bambrick, recognizing decades of outstanding performances and her influence on singers worldwide.
Launched in 2012 by seven volunteers, SING! has grown into one of Ontario’s Top 100 Festivals and Events for the past decade, with co-founders Patricia Silver and Patti Jannetta inducted into the Festival and Events Ontario Hall of Fame. The festival has since expanded to partner festivals in Texas, Edinburgh, Mexico, Edmonton and Vancouver. Fifteen years in, it remains one of the most distinctive music events in the country.
Festival Highlights:
May 19 – Toronto – The Great Hall – Art Battle
May 20 – Toronto – Nathan Phillips Square – Free Preview (5:30–7:30 pm)
May 21 – Toronto – College Park – Free Concerts (5–7 pm)
May 22 – Toronto – The Paradise Theatre – Countermeasure: One More Spin (7:30 pm)
May 23 – Toronto – Koerner Hall – SING! Canadian A Cappella Championships (7 pm)
May 24 – Toronto – Royal Ontario Museum – Aca-Singalong with Deke Sharon (1 pm)
May 24 – Toronto – Royal Ontario Museum – Pass the Mic Open Stage Night (7 pm)
May 29–31 – Toronto – The Rec Room – Great North Beatbox Festival
June 1 – Toronto – Royal Ontario Museum – SING! With Pride (7:30 pm)
Bucky Covington Returns to American Idol for a Season 5 Reunion Twenty Years in the Making
Bucky Covington stepped back onto the American Idol stage tonight for a special Season 5 reunion episode, twenty years after his run on one of the show’s most memorable seasons. The “20th High School Reunion”-themed broadcast brought together fan-favorite finalists including Taylor Hicks, Paris Bennett, Kellie Pickler and Elliott Yamin, with original judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson returning to mentor this season’s contestants. Returning artists performed duets with the current Top 5 as America voted to determine the Top 3 finalists.
Covington placed eighth in Season 5 and parlayed that exposure into a genuine country career. His 2007 self-titled debut debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, producing charting singles including “A Different World,” “It’s Good to Be Us” and “I’ll Walk.” He also appeared in Hannah Montana: The Movie and has kept a steady presence in country music ever since. He’s currently preparing to record new music and is planning an acoustic tour for later in 2026.
The reunion carries a story beyond the broadcast. Covington’s publicist Colleen Lippert, founder of Anchor Publicity, first encountered him as a fan during his Season 5 audition in 2006, at a time when she was grieving her father’s sudden passing. “I remember seeing Bucky audition and, for the first time in a long time, feeling excited about something,” she said. That connection eventually grew into a professional relationship, a parallel full-circle moment running alongside the reunion itself.
“American Idol is so much more than a singing competition,” says Covington. “It produces careers.” Twenty years of evidence backs that up.
Video: Rihanna Owned the Main Stage at Rock in Rio 2015 Before 85,000 Fans
Rihanna headlined Rock in Rio on September 26, 2015, and delivered exactly what 85,000 people in Rio de Janeiro came for. Moving through “Rockstar 101,” “Only Girl (In The World),” “We Found Love,” “Diamonds” and “Umbrella” with the kind of ease that only comes from total command of a stage, she held one of the world’s biggest festival crowds from start to finish.