As climate change continues to spin up stronger and stronger storms during the Atlantic hurricane season, more and more summer and early fall festivals are feeling the impact. The latest casualty is Ocean City, Maryland’s Oceans Calling Festival, which announced on Thursday (Sept. 24) that Friday’s (Sept. 25) first day of this weekend’s three-day event has been canceled due to expected rough weather.
“Despite the extraordinary efforts of our production, site, safety teams, and the city staff/officials the impacts of this week’s continued weather, including beach erosion that affected the festival site, have made it impossible to safely complete the build in time for Friday,” the festival announced in a statement.
As a result, Friday’s lineup has been completely waved off, meaning ticketholders will not get a chance to see headliners Dave Matthews Band, nor Hootie & the Blowfish, Ludacris, O.A.R., Yellowcard, Shaggy, Liz Phair, Everlast, Gavin DeGraw, Better Than Ezra and the rest of the scheduled lineup.
“The safety of our fans, artists, crew, and community must come first,” organizers said, noting that one-day Friday tickets and 33% of 3-Day tickets purchased through Front Gate Tickets will be automatically refunded within 30 days.
The news came as the area is bracing for a strong nor’easter storm off the coast that could bring coastal flooding, beach erosion and strong gusts of wind on Saturday, with WBOC reporting that winds on Friday night into Saturday could gust to over 55 m.p.h. at the beach. Ocean City Emergency Services director Joe Theobald told the station that the prolonged nature of the storm played a major role in conditions around the festival site.
“This is a typical nor’easter for the coastline. It’s nothing new for Ocean City,” Theobald said. “So it’s a sustained period of time, and that’s really what’s played into this.” Theobald noted that there is already clear beach erosion near the inlet where much of the festival is constructed, with the decision to pull the plug based on a combination of the current conditions and the forecast for additional rough weather this weekend.
At press time, the festival that takes place on the Ocean City boardwalk had not provided an update on how the storm might impact Saturday and Sunday’s lineups, which are slated to feature sets from Twenty One Pilots, Gwen Stefani, Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, Mumford & Sons, Matchbox Twenty, Caamp, My Morning Jacket and more.
It’s been a summer of climate-related disasters for music festivals, including the cancellation of the inaugural Ocean Way Festival earlier this month two weeks before its debut due to reported dangerous high surf and flooding caused by Southern California hurricane Marie, as well as Bonnaroo canceling its 2027 edition in advance due to damage caused by storms that pounded the area during this year’s event. Prior to announcing next year’s lay-off, this year’s show was hit by severe storms that caused a temporary evacuation of the site and a pushback and cancellation of several sets.
Earlier this summer, Rolling Stone reported that a raft of shows were postponed or canceled due to poor air quality caused by raging wildfires in the northeast U.S. and southern Canada, impacting shows by the Black Keys, John Mellencamp, Mavis Staples, Creed, the War and Treaty and others.
The Music Venue Trust has teamed up with Drowned In Sound to launch a brand new print music publication titled Shownotes celebrating the live scene in the U.K.
Beginning in November, 50,000 copies of Shownotes will be available at over 500 live music venues across the U.K. The launch will be nationwide and stocked in a number of grassroots and independent venues.
The launch is made possible via a grant from the MVT, which champions the U.K.’s grassroots music scene. The MVT is one of the beneficiaries of the LIVE Trust, which distributes funds raised from ticket donations to a number of key initiatives across the live sector.
The title will be edited by writer and author Hannah Ewens, who has previously held positions at Rolling Stone U.K., Vice and more. Raissa Pardini, a designer who has worked with The Rolling Stones, Blur and Bikini Kill on poster designs, and with companies like Apple and Adobe, will lead the title’s visual look and feel. They’ll be joined by an all-female editorial team including Edinburgh-based Arusa Qureshi, and Negativland founder Kate Jeffrie.
Speaking on the news, Ewens said, “Music journalism can feel static and drained of life, especially after years of rolling staff cuts and publications folding. The concept of a magazine that uses something as visceral and immediate as the live experience as the lens through which to understand and celebrate music is a perfect antidote to that.”
She added, “I believe that the dominance of short-form video and filmed content, at the expense of quality writing and print, doesn’t serve artists or fans. Being able to sit with beautifully written, intimate profiles, esoteric long-form thinking, and curious investigations still matters. Shownotes will be something fans can leave with after a gig, relive the excitement through at home, and use to start planning their next show. On a personal note, I’m obsessed with print, and being able to commission my weird ideas and some of my favorite writers and photographers is a pleasure I feel blessed to indulge in again.”
Drowned in Sound publisher Sean Adams added, “My hope is that the editorial and recommendations will inspire fans to discover their local scenes and take day trips around the UK to check out genres of music outside of their algo-bubble. Our mission is to get more people to go to more gigs and, beyond just recommending shows, we have some projects beyond the magazine up our sleeves…”
When G Flip tackles the pre-game entertainment at the AFL’s 2026 Grand Final Day, they enter the big occasion as a winner.
The singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist will line-up Saturday (Sept. 26) for the pre-game entertainment at the imposing Melbourne Cricket Ground, where the reigning champion Brisbane Lions take on the best from the west, Fremantle Dockers.
G Flip’s “Bed On Fire” has been burning up the national AirPlay Charts (powered by RCS Media Monitors), where it’s just the third homegrown No. 1 this year, the first leader for G, and a first for AWAL, the independent artist’s label partner.
“Bed On Fire” was ignited by a TV sync, and has claimed some prized scalps on the way to the top of the national airplay chart — where it has stayed for the past three weeks. The track is now the longest-running Australian No. 1 APC single at radio this year.
The cut went like wildfire when it appeared in Amazon’s hit series Off Campus in May. Thanks to that sync, “Bed On Fire” charged into the top 40 of the ARIA Singles Chart where, for a time, it was one of only two domestic cuts in the top 40. That exposure launched G Flip into severa lBillboard charts, including Alternative Digital Song Sales chart (at No. 2) and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, with a peak of No. 46.
Now certified gold in Australia, “Bed On Fire” is G’s most streamed song with upwards of 67 million total streams — peaking at 982,000 plays per day, according to reps for Sony Music Australia’s radio team, which worked alongside AWAL.
The single has eclipsed G’s previous biggest radio success in their homeland, “Disco Cowgirl,” which peaked at No. 23, and is the artist’s most-broadly played radio single to-date, spun across more than 138 stations.
G has been in red-hot setting form in their homeland, where in early 2024, they established a then-record by landing a total of seven songs in triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown, including the No. 2 ranked track, “The Worst Person in the World”. That bettered the mark previously held by rock trio Wolfmother, which scored six entries in a countdown two decades earlier, in 2005 (Charli xcx and Billie Eilish have since raised the bar, with eight entries each).
Earlier, in 2023, G landed a first ARIA No. 1 album with DRUMMER, released via Future Classic/Universal (their debut from 2019, About Us, peaked at No. 6), and bagged two ARIA Awards.
“Bed On Fire” appears on their third studio album, Dream Ride, G’s first via AWAL Recordings. Dream Ride sped to No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart last September.
G has been in-demand all year. It was another stadium, another game, when G performed a mini-set in March at the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup Closing Ceremony, hosted at the Stadium Australia (Accor Stadium) in Sydney.
Also, the Melburnian recently captured a swag of nominations for the 2026 ARIA Awards, including solo artist of the year.
After completing a mid-summer lap of North America, G Flip will flex their considerable talent this weekend at the biggest venue in the land, the MCG, where more than 100,000 football fans are expected to fill the stands. They join Michael Paynter and Mike Brady in the pre-game lineup, joining headliner Kylie Minogue.
A chance to see G at The ‘G.
Beabadoobee bags her first chart crown in Australia as Pylon (via Dirty Hit/Inertia) debuts in the top spot.
Pylon is the Filipino-British singer and songwriter’s fourth studio album and second top 10 appearance on the ARIA Albums Chart, after 2024’s This Is How Tomorrow Moves, which peaked at No. 6. The indie-pop artist is booked to play arenas on her The Powerlines Tour of Australia in early 2027.
Coming in at No. 2 on the new chart, published Friday, Sept. 25, is Miley Cyrus’ Bass Persuades (Atlantic/Warner). It’s Miley’s eighth appearance in the national top 10 (not including her work as Hannah Montana), a tally that includes No. 1s with 2008’s Breakout, 2013’s Bangerz and 2023’s Endless Summer Vacation.
C.O.F.F.I.N. nails a top 10 appearance with Out In Oslo (p(doom) records/Inertia), the Sydney punk rock act’s sixth studio album. It’s new at No. 8, easily the band’s best chart effort. Until now, C.O.F.F.I.N.’s career peak position was Australia Stops, which hit No. 47 in 2023.
Also flying into the top 10 is Lizzy McAlpine’s Angel (RCA/Sony), new at No. 10. That’s a new career high for the Pennsylvania-born artist, whose 2024 collection Older reached No. 26.
The latest all-genres top 50 features a slew of new arrivals. Among them, recordings by U.S. country singer Riley Green (That’s Just Me at No. 14 via Big Machine/Universal), metal legends Anthrax (Cursum Perficio at No. 24 via Nuclear Blast/Universal), Briggs’ heavy rock act Big Noter (Songs In The Key Of Wrestling at No. 30 via Island/Universal), Carly Rae Jepsen (Day and Night at No. 31 via Interscope/Universal), Tove Lo (Estrus at No. 32 via Virgin Music Group/Inertia), Beck (Ride Lonesome at No. 33 via Capitol/Universal), Daniel Pemberton (Project Hail Mary — Original Motion Picture Score at No. 47 via Milan Records/Sony) and Orville Peck (Mule at No. 49 via Warner).
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” (Sony) racks up a 15th non-consecutive week at No. 1. In the United States earlier this week, “Choosin’ Texas” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a 23rd week — breaking the record for the longest No. 1 run in the chart’s history.
Finally, Adéla has two reasons to celebrate. The Slovak artist has a pair of singles in ARIA top 10 for the first time: “Nicole Kidman” up 14-4 and “Ain’t In LA” up 13-7 (both via Capitol/Universal).
Calvin Harris spins his way to more records, this time in Australia where his forthcoming tour has shifted more than 330,000 tickets.
All shows for the Calvin Harris – Australia Tour 2027 have sold out, say reps promoters Untitled Group, Full Circle, and Live Nation, which are jointly producing the trek. With that feat, the Scot can claim the biggest-ever headline tour by an electronic artist in this market.
But wait, there’s more.
Harris’ five-night stand at The Domain in Sydney has shifted more than 150,000 tickets, the biggest show run for a headline artist in the storied venue’s history.
Due to “unprecedented” demand for tickets, additional shows were added for Sydney and Melbourne, with both dates selling out within minutes of going on sale, the promoters explain in a statement.
The Grammy Award-winner last visited Australia as the mainstage headliner for Festival X in late 2022, and has previously performed sets at the Stereosonic in 2011, 2012, and 2014, and the 2010 Big Day Out (Festival X, Stereosonic and BDO are no longer on the festivals calendar).
“To see Calvin Harris become the highest-selling electronic headline tour in Australian history is an incredible milestone. It speaks not only to the caliber of artist Calvin is, but to the fans who have shown up in such an extraordinary way to make this possible,” comments Nicholas Greco, co-founder and managing partner at Untitled Group.
“It’s a huge moment and a reflection of Australia’s appetite for electronic music and what’s possible for the genre here. We’re so proud to be part of it and can’t wait to celebrate with everyone when the tour arrives in February.”
The EDM giant (real name: Adam Wiles) boasts 11 No. 1 singles in the United Kingdom, dating back to his 2008 collaboration with Dizzee Rascal, “Dance Wiv Me.” No other dance act has more leaders on the Official U.K. Singles Chart.
Harris’ collection of career honors includes two Brit Awards, an Ivor Novello Award, he owns the record for the most U.K. No. 1 singles in the 2010s (eight), and has the distinction of being the first British solo artist to pass one billion streams on Spotify.
Few party-starters do in at such a scale. The superstar British artist recently dropped into the Guinness World Records for his performance in February to an estimated 1.6 million partygoers in São Paulo, Brazil. That’s said to be the largest attendance for a DJ set by a single artist.
Calvin Harris – Australia Tour 2027
Thursday, Feb. 18 — Langley Park, Perth – SOLD OUT
Friday, Feb. 19 — RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane – SOLD OUT
Saturday, Feb. 20 — The Domain, Sydney – SOLD OUT
Sunday, Feb. 21 — The Domain, Sydney – SOLD OUT
Monday, Feb. 22 — The Domain, Sydney – SOLD OUT
Tuesday, Feb. 23 — The Domain, Sydney – SOLD OUT
Wednesday, Feb. 24 — The Domain, Sydney – SOLD OUT
Thursday, Feb. 25 — Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne – SOLD OUT
Friday, Feb. 26 — Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne – SOLD OUT
Sunday, Feb. 28 — Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne – SOLD OUT
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to New Music Friday’s most essential releases each week — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
Last week, we featured Miley, Carly Rae Jepsen, Riley Green and more.
This week, Taylor Swift returns with “Patient Zero,” one of four new bonus tracks from The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, out today; Tinashe releases her edgy and energetic eighth album; and Maren and Morris and Michelle Branch rework a 2001 classic with “Goodbye To You”… plus much more. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Taylor Swift, “Patient Zero”
We knew something was coming ever since Taylor appeared in an Emmys sketch alongside host and friend Mariska Hargitay, during which Swift dropped a few easter eggs (that some of us are still decoding). Still, it came as a surprise when, this week, she announced a new single titled “Patient Zero,” one of four bonus tracks on The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, out tonight. The song opens with country-inspired strings that quickly fade into the back of more expected pop production; the tempo, however, is less familiar for the Showgirl era. As a result, the midtempo song seems to connect where Swift has just been with where she’s heading next (possibly toward country?) in a really refreshing way. Because after an encore the show really, truly, is done. Right? — LYNDSEY HAVENS
Tinashe, Popstar
Just two years ago, Tinashe released Quantum Baby — and shifted her career. That album’s lead single, “Nasty,” earned the singer her first solo Hot 100 hit and soon after, album track “No Broke Boys” shot to No. 36 thanks to a Disco Lines remix. Now, she’s back with her poppiest album yet, aptly titled Popstar. And on standout track “Nobody Wanna Dance Anymore,” she doubles down on the same point Miley makes on “Bass Persuades” — get on your feet, already, and dance. As Kyle Denis writes in Billboard‘s Tracks Ranked of the album, “Popstar is sneakily sarcastic and gloriously sassy, but Tinashe, unlike quite a few of her contemporaries, can actually commit — and back it up.” Read the full tracks ranked here. — L.H.
Madonna and Charli xcx, “Danceteria Afterhours“
In perhaps one of the most obvious and clubbiest pairings in recent memory, Madonna taps Charli xcx to help deliver a fresh take on “Danceteria,” a track from Madonna’s July album Confessions II. On the original, Madonna sings of the famed New York club where she got her start, Danceteria; on this version, Charli shares her own starter story from a club across the pond, recalling being “sweet 15 in a weird outfit.” Clearly, things worked out just fine for them both. — L.H.
Maren Morris and Michelle Branch, “Goodbye to You (2026 Version)”
Nearly 25 years after Michelle Branch released her breakout ballad “Goodbye To You” — which she famously performed on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and hit No. 21 on the Hot 100 — the singer has tapped Maren Morris for a modern-day revamp. Given the country singer’s presence, the music leans into the genre with softer, twangier strings that lift the effortless harmonies from the two singers. Who knew this classic could hit even harder? — L.H.
Blondshell, Violins
Indie rocker Blondshell shares her third album, Violins, and with it delivers a new trove of angsty, relatable songs all performed in her signature, mellow tone. While previously-released single “Heart Has To Work So Hard” remains a standout, focus track “Stone Fruit” packs a rocking instrumental bridge while “Two Fried” is the most upbeat song on the album (even opening with an Addison Rae-esque scream). In all, Violins is a welcome addition to Blondshell’s discography, building on her familiar sound while digging deeper into her already precise and poignant songwriting. — L.H.
Kenny Chesney, Silver Sands Marina
On his 21st studio album, a concise collection of 11 songs, the Country Music Hall of Fame inductee continues placing a premium on top-shelf songwriting that balances lyrical wit and emotional resonance. He welcomes Lily Meola on the quirky heartbreaker “Goldfish,” Megan Moroney on the heartfelt “It Just Got Weird,” and Colbie Caillat on “What We Got Going On.” One of the album’s strongest tracks comes with “Remember Me That Way,” a song that looks back on a fizzled relationship through the softer lens of some of its happier days. Linking each of the songs is Chesney’s warm, conversational vocal approach that makes each song feel even more lived-in and credible. — JESSICA NICHOLSON
Kirk Franklin ft. GloRilla, “This Time”
Twenty-time Grammy-winning gospel icon Kirk Franklin is back with the latest taste of his forthcoming I Am What I Am album — and he’s bringing GloRilla along for the ride. Over a sample of Shawty Lo’s classic “Dey Know,” ebullient brass and his signature choir, Kirk delivers an anthem of inner peace and contentment with God’s timing. Building on 2024’s “Rain Down On Me,” her first collaboration with Franklin, GloRilla flaunts her versatility and exalts her church roots in her winning guest verse. — KYLE DENIS
Leon Bridges, Happiness Anytime
Grammy-winning soul crooner Leon Bridges has returned with Happiness Anytime, the official follow-up to 2024’s Leon. Assisted by Jungle’s Josh Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto on production, Bridges has delivered a groovy collection of tunes that traverse the globe, from notes of cumbia (“Light the Way”) to reggae (“Take My Hand”). — K.D.
Jae Stephens, Audacity
Jae Stephens is back with a whole lotta Audacity. The rising, Issa Rae-cosigned pop star dropped her sophomore album, featuring contributions from long-time collaborator and producer Dallas Caton, Grammy-nominated pop architect MNEK and dance-pop maestro Pinkpantheress, who delivers backing vocals on “Crush.” From the soaring “I Miss the City” to the sassy “Expensive & Difficult,” Audacity is an audacious pop offering that blends a Coyote Ugly-esque fantasy land with the best parts of ‘00s rhythmic pop. — K.D.
Nanpa Básico, “No Me Morí”
Nanpa Básico is well and alive, and his new single “No Me Morí” (I didn’t die) is proof of that. If his previous bangers, such as “Hasta Aquí Llegué” with Beéle, are any indication, the Colombian rapper knows exactly how to overcome a heartbreak: through his powerful and mature lyrics. In “No Me Morí,” a sensual Latin afrobeats with slow reggaetón undertones, Nanpa gives fans a nearly three-minute therapy session, singing with his raspy and demanding vocals: “y mirame aquí, yo no me morí, estoy bien sin tí/ claro que lloré, pero me curé/ la vida es así” (And look at me here—I didn’t die, I’m fine without you/ Sure, I cried, but I healed; that’s how life is). — JESSICA ROIZ
For years, Ms. Rachel’s songs have been designed to do more than just get stuck in a toddler’s head. They teach phonics, encourage movement, help little ones identify their emotions and give families a reason to sing along together. Now, for the first time, those songs have a life beyond the screen.
Ms. Rachel and Mr. Aron Accurso’s I’m So Happy, released Friday (Sept. 25), gathers 23 songs from the beloved children’s series, bringing together originals written for the show with familiar nursery-rhyme favorites. But this isn’t simply a collection of songs pulled from YouTube. Throughout the album, the Accursos revisit their catalog with explosive arrangements, live instrumentation, orchestration and new sections, giving familiar favorites a fuller musical life.
Related
That distinction is noticeable on songs like “I Love a Rainbow,” which gets a new bridge and live strings, and “Caterpillar,” which grows from its more intimate piano-based presentation with more of an orchestral arrangement alongside the keys. Elsewhere, the duo can be found preserving songs that families already know, allowing their melodies and messages to remain front and center.
Of course, ranking an album made for young children comes with a different set of considerations. A song can be educational without necessarily being the most compelling listen, while a simple nursery rhyme can become one of the album’s most effective pieces thanks to a great arrangement. So, with that in mind, here is a ranking of all 23 tracks on I’m So Happy — from the songs that feel fully educational and fun to the ones that make the biggest musical impression.
It’s official: Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie will return to the judging panel for American Idol, as the TV talent quest enters its milestone 25th season.
Also linking up with the trio of judges is Emmy Award-winning OG host and producer Ryan Seacrest.
Bryan confirmed the news Thursday night (Sept. 25) during his concert at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN.
It’s a happy end to eventful week for Richie, who recently underwent a procedure to correct his atrial fibrillation, a condition that kept him off the road. “The doctor said everything went perfectly,” a rep for the “Dancing On The Ceiling” singer told Billboard in a statement. “Lionel is doing great, but will take some time off and will be back on stage soon.”
Idol will return to the airwaves for its silver jubilee edition in 2027, although it remains unclear when the season will premiere. As previously reported, the legendary competition will once again beam out on ABC and then stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
Auditions are currently underway with the return of Idol Across America, the live virtual search for the next Idol, which is working its way across all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. Hopefuls have until Oct. 9 to strut their stuff, which they can do face-to-face, from anywhere in the world, with an American Idol producer.
Click here for additional information on how to sign up for “Idol Across America”; contenders can audition on any “Idol Across America” date, regardless of location. Contestants must be 15 years or older by Feb. 15, 2027 to audition and video auditions will be accepted if you cannot attend your state’s date.
This reigning Idol champion is Missouri mom Hannah Harper, who won season 24 to become the first female country singer crowned since Underwood took the title in 2005.
American Idol is produced by Fremantle and 19 Entertainment, a part of Sony Pictures Television.
There’s a war brewing in pop music — and Tinashe is on the front lines.
As the 2020s barrel through its second half, two major archetypes of female pop stardom have come to dominate the scene. On one side, there are confessional songwriting, guitar-toting singer-songwriters who, in several ways, seem perpetually frozen in high school; on the other, we have sleazy, debaucherous party girls who revel in sex and drugs in quest of liberation and, ultimately, understanding.
As it stands, both factions are startlingly white, leaving little room in the mainstream for Black female pop stars who make Black music foundational elements of their music as opposed to simply mining it for muted samples. From Al Sharpton notoriously deeming Whitney Houston as “Whitey Houston” ahead of her being booed at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards to the recent social media discourse surrounding Ravyn Lenae’s claiming of the “pop” label for her new Blue Island era, the debate over who can claim — let alone be widely perceived as — a “popstar” has been raging for decades. Eight albums in, Tinashe is addressing the conversation head-on.
Popstar, the official follow-up to 2024’s Quantum Baby, arrived on Sept. 25 via Nice Life, Atlantic and Tinashe Music, marking the latest entry in a catalog that has not-so-quietly shaped global pop music for the last 10 years. Her 2016 “Superlove” music video became a touchstone for late-2010s K-Pop visuals, and the artwork for 2019’s Songs for You established a new go-to aesthetic for early-2020s pop releases. During the Quantum Baby era, Tinashe transformed that oft-underrated impact into a pair of hits that brought her back to the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in a decade. “Nasty” rode a viral dance trend to a No. 61 peak, and “No Broke Boys” soared to No. 36 on the back of a Disco Lines remix that dominated EDM clubs and festivals last summer.
“There’s a lot of attention, there’s a lot of discussion,” she told Rolling Stone in a profile ahead of POPSTAR’s release. “People are ready for it, which is a new feeling.”
There are probably more eyeballs on Tinashe pre-album release than ever before, which is precisely why she delivered a blazingly confrontational project that contends with stunted understandings of what pop music can sound, look and feel like. The artwork — which zooms in on a literally starry-eyed Tinashe gazing into the distance with headphones on — has drawn ire from fans for its decidedly unglamorous approach to pop music imagery. But that’s the point. The headphones call back to Tinashe’s dazzling production skills, the stars in her eyes represent the dizzying allure of pop stardom, and her facial expression sits somewhere between awe, bewilderment, determination, and wonder. It’s the portrait of a pop star who’s been grinding for years to dismantle and redefine pop stardom in her own image.
Musically, the 16-track set mirrors the artwork’s nuanced approach to pop stardom by surveying a jaw-dropping collection of sounds, including hyperpop, R&B, dance, jazz, new age, bedroom pop, and even a little hint of country. In a testament to her sequencing skills, the album seamlessly shifts through this variety of sounds across 40 minutes (a longer runtime than her last two projects combined), but it’s the disarming lyricism on cuts like the introspective “Empty Stadiums” or the emotion-purging “Heavy Weight” that help anchor the record’s loftier ambitions. Yes, a pop star can pull from Janet Jackson and Britney Spears as liberally as she pulls from Santigold, Ciara and Dawn Richard; if she’s turning the personal into the universal through undeniably earworm hooks, then why not?
Popstar is sneakily sarcastic and gloriously sassy, but Tinashe, unlike quite a few of her contemporaries, can actually commit — and back it up.
Here’s how Billboard ranks every track on POPSTAR, Tinashe’s eighth studio album, from worst to best.
Taylor Swift is back for one last twirl under the spotlight for The Life of a Showgirl, dropping four new songs as part of a deluxe version of her 12th studio album on Friday (Sept. 25).
Related
Titled The Life of a Showgirl: Encore, the extended project adds tracks titled “Patient Zero,” “Babylon,” “Pink Clouding” and “Cleveland!” to the original set, which spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and opened with a record-shattering 4.002 million equivalent album units in the United States in its first week. Swift first announced the deluxe just two days prior to its release, writing on Instagram, “About a year ago, you guys did a truly unfathomable thing … you gave The Life of a Showgirl the biggest first week for an album in history.”
“I took a trip to Sweden to celebrate with Max [Martin] and Shellback, my two collaborators on this album,” she continued in her post. “Really we just wanted to reflect and take in how grateful we were for the moment we were in, but there was a studio there and we did what we do when we feel anything at all: We wrote more songs. I hope you love them, because they were born out of pure gratitude for your exuberance for and celebration of the album we made.”
A couple of days prior, the 14-time Grammy winner had teased that something was coming by switching out the letter O’s in her Instagram bio and some of her Apple Music song lyrics with zeros. Those turned out to be clues for “Patient Zero,” which Swift announced prior to revealing the news about the full Encore set.
Swifties are now waiting for the VMAs on Sunday (Sept. 27), as the pop star is planning to premiere the cinematic music video for “Patient Zero” during the ceremony. In the meantime, she’s released a teaser revealing that Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson costar in the visual, which she directed. Swift will receive the inaugural Artist Director Honor at the 2026 VMAs.
Listen to The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore below.