The full list of nominees for the 2026 Mercury Prize has been announced, with the shortlist including Paul McCartney, RAYE, Olivia Dean and more.

Celebrating the work of both esteemed and emerging artists from U.K and Ireland, the Mercury Prize is awarded annually and recognizes artistic achievement in LPs across a range of genres. Recent winners include Sam Fender (2025), English Teacher (2024), Ezra Collective (2023), Little Simz (2022), and Arlo Parks (2021) The Prize was first awarded in 1992 to Primal Scream for Screamadelica, and winners include collections by Pulp (1996), PJ Harvey (2001, 2011) and Arctic Monkeys (2006).

Among those featured on this year’s 12-strong shortlist are: RAYE for her chart-topping THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE, Olivia Dean for the chart-topping The Art of Loving, and Paul McCartney for his 20th solo studio album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane. It’s the first time that the latter has been nominated for the prize in his storied career.

Completing the lineup is Dave’s The Boy Who Played The Harp; Florence + The Machine’s Everybody Scream; Dove Ellis’ Blizzard; JADE’s THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!; Knats’ A Great Day In Newcastle; Kojey Radical’s Don’t Look Down; Nia Archives’ Emotional Junglist; Suede’s Antidepressants; and War Child compilation HELP(2).

A number of leading artists miss out on the nod, however. Lily Allen’s West End Girl is omitted, as is Lola Young’s I’m Only F****ng Myself‘ Blood Orange’s Essex Honey, The Last Dinner Party’s From The Pyre and Boards of Canada’s Inferno were also not selected for this year’s list.

The prize will be awarded at a ceremony at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on Oct. 22. The ceremony moved outside of London for the first time in 2025 with hometown hero Sam Fender collecting the prize for his third album, People Watching, which features his No. 1 hit “Rein Me In.” Fans can purchase tickets for the ceremony, which will include a number of performances by the nominated artists, at the awards’ official website.

Albums released between Aug. 30 2025 and July 17, 2026 were eligible for consideration this year. The 12 shortlisted albums were chosen by an independent judging panel chaired by Jeff Smith, head of music, BBC 6 Music & Radio 2. 

This year’s committee consisted of: Afrodeutsche – composer & DJ; Danielle Perry – broadcaster & writer; Jamie Cullum – musician & broadcaster; Lea Stonhill – music programming consultant; MistaJam – songwriter, DJ & broadcaster; Phil Alexander – creative director, Kerrang!/contributing editor, Mojo; Sian Eleri – broadcaster & DJ; Will Hodgkinson – chief rock & pop critic, The Times; and Sophie Williams – writer & broadcaster.

2026 Mercury Prize nominees:

Dave, The Boy Who Played the Harp
Dove Ellis, Blizzard
Florence + The Machine, Everybody Scream
JADE, THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!
Knats, A Great Day In Newcastle
Kojey Radical, Don’t Look Down
Nia Archives, Emotional Junglist
Olivia Dean, The Art of Loving
Paul McCartney, The Boys of Dungeon Lane
RAYE, THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE
Suede, Antidepressants
War Child Records, HELP(2)

Shaboozey’s Outlaws era is in full swing, with a new album out Friday (July 31) and a major tour getting underway in September.

Night owls just got a ride with “Cowgirl,” and a good look at Ciara Miller.

Shaboozey stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday evening to perform the lively song in a set dressed up like a faded Wild West saloon, and recreated from the official music video.

Miller, the star of Bravo’s Summer House, appeared in the promo, which was directed by Logan Meis and Shaboozey and dropped last month. For the late night spot, she reprises her “Cowgirl” role, and enjoys a dance with her leading man.

“Cowgirl” is the followup to the April release “Born To Die,” both lifted from Shaboozey’s forthcoming concept album The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales.

The collection is a Western portrait, a country tale told with Americana, hip-hop, and pop, recounting a “tragic, mythic story of vengeance, love, and transformation,” reads a statement. It’s said to unfold like a Western film, told in chapters with narration, skits, and cinematic transitions.

The main character is Cheri Lee, a woman shaped by violence and driven by loss. On her travels, she falls for an outlaw, which provides her with entry into the world that she’s trying to destroy. It’s complicated, and the story takes a bloody turn, leaving our hero with some big calls to make.

Released through EMPIRE, The Outlaw Cherie Lee is the successor to his breakout 2024 project Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going. Shaboozey is responsible for one of the biggest hits of the streaming era with “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which set a new benchmark by spending more time at No. 1 on Billboard’s Radio Songs chart than any song before it and spending 19 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.

Shaboozey’s Outlaws Never Die Tour starts Sept. 8 at Arizona Financial Theatre.

Check out his late-night performance of “Cowgirl” below.

Australia’s Wildlands Festival will travel coast-to-coast at year’s end with a bill headlined by John Summit and Skepta.

They’re joined on the lineup by the likes of WORSHIP, in their Australian debut; DJ KI/KI; Disco Lines and many more.

The single-day electronic and dance-leaning show will get underway at Brisbane Showgrounds with a New Year’s Eve party on Thursday, Dec. 31, then crosses the country to Perth — a distance of about 2,700 miles – for a full show Saturday Jan. 2 at Arena Joondalup.

“Both Wildlands events will feature reimagined stage designs and updated site layout,” reads a statement from organizers Untitled Group.

The Sahara Stage returns as an open-air experience with production and a DJ setup built for the southern “summer sky,” the message reads, while the Summit Stage returns as a tented experience with live elements worked in. A new arrival, The Wilds Stage is meant to give concert-goers on-stage access alongside the DJs for “an intimate, up-close experience.”

Dance music festivals are the most numerous, and most popular in Australia’s contemporary festivals landscape, accounting for roughly one-quarter of Australia’s 500-plus fests.

Aussie audiences will get multiple chances to see the likes of Summit, KI/KI and Skepta next summer. They’re all performing at the Beyond the Valley (also produced by Untitled) in Barunah Plains in Victoria, and Lost Paradise (Finely Tuned), presented in Glenworth Valley, New South Wales.

Wildlands is supported by the federal government initiative, Revive Live. The official presale goes on sale Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 6pm local time, and the general on sale starts 24 hours later.

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Wildlands:

Dec. 31, 2026 — Brisbane Showgrounds (Brisbane/Meanjin

Jan, 2, 2027 — Arena Joondalup (Perth/Boorloo)

Full lineup A-Z:

Anetha B2B SPFDJ

Benwal B2B Kyle Starkey

Dean Turnley

Disco Lines 

Ewan McVicar

Frost Children

Funk Tribu

Groove Junction (Perth)

Hamdi

Hannah Laing

John Summit

KI/KI

KT (Perth)

Layton Giordani

Lens

MPH

MYASWRLD (Brisbane)

Nia Archives

nikitasilly (Brisbane)

Oppidan

Overmono

Robert Baxter

Saint Ludo

Skepta

WORSHIP (Australian Exclusive)  

Yikes

Presented by Untitled Group, Beyond The Valley and triple j

The White House has gone on the offensive after Noah Kahan criticized president Donald Trump for using his music in social media propaganda.

The brewing beef stems from the administration’s videos and photos posted to TikTok and Instagram cued to Kahan’s song “American Cars” from his fourth studio album, the Billboard 200 No. 1 LP The Great Divide, all part of an exercise to celebrate Trump’s visit to a Michigan auto plant this week where the POTUS touted cars made in America.

The 29-year-old Vermont-bred singer and songwriter wasn’t thrilled by the situation. “Would never approve of my music being used in support of you or this administration,” the “Stick Season” artist wrote write in comments on Instagram, where the sound appears to have been disabled. Kahan’s comment on Monday’s (July 27) post has more than 53,500 likes, and upwards of 840 comments. 

Kahan’s frequent cowriter and the co-author of “American Cars,” guitarist Noah Levine, vented with his own comment on the Instagram post, writing, “You fat f— this song isn’t for you.” Levine’s comment has since been wiped, an action that was spotted my numerous users.

The song, however, continues to accompany the White House TikTok from the event, where it plays as Trump is signing a white Corvette while visiting the General Motors proving grounds in Milford, Mich.

Trump’s team isn’t holding back. Kaelan Dorr, who holds several titles with the Trump administration, including principal deputy communications director, retweeted Variety’s post on Kahan’s comments, and offering some of his own. “Symptoms of TDS,” a reference to Trump Derangement Syndrome, “apparently include having a northern attitude.”

It’s worth pointing out that Kahan’s recordings are available for use as part of the public Instagram library following a 2024 pact between the Universal Music Group and Meta (parent company of Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Horizon, Threads and WhatsApp).

Kahan is a member of a large, and growing roster of acts who have spoken out against Trump using their music in campaign and administration hype videos, a list that includes Beyoncé, Adele, Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Celine Dion, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, Jack White/White Stripes, Kenny Loggins, Neil Young, Olivia Rodrigo, and Rihanna.

Surprise! Karol G has a new album ready to go, and it’s dropping next week.

The Latin superstar used the platform of her record-setting concert tonight July 29 at Rogers Stadium in Toronto to announce No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto (“I don’t regret feeling so much”), the followup to 2025’s Tropicoqueta.

The wait should be bearable; No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto will arrive next Friday, Aug, 7 at 12am ET, reps confirm to Billboard.

With her performance at Rogers Stadium, the Colombian singer became the first female solo artist to headline the venue. During the show, she surprised fans by revealing the album’s title and release date, and shared the official cover artwork for the first time on the stadium’s screens. See the cover art below.

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“I have an announcement to share, Toronto, and after this, I have a gift for you, too. I’ve been working on a project for a couple of months,” she told onlookers. “I’ve been locked in for months making new music. For months, I’ve been preparing a segment that will form part of this tour. I want to announce that on August 7, my new album will come out. It’s an album that I can’t wait to sing with all of you. It’s called No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto.” 

The new collection was hiding in plain sight. Karol G released a new single, “Matadora,” on the opening night of her tour, July 24 at Soldier Field in Chicago. Although the tracklist hasn’t been announced, expect “Matadora” to appear on the new collection.

Produced by Live Nation, Karol is joined by Becky G, Greeicy, and Elena Rose on select dates of Viajando Por El Mundo Tropitour, which comes in support of Tropicoqueta, which debuted at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums Chart and No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200. Also, all 20 songs from the set debuted on the Hot Latin Songs chart, becoming a first for the artist. 

Next stop: Northwest Stadium this Sunday night (Aug. 2) in Washington, D.C.