Today's Music Pulse
Oliver Tree Dies at 32 in Rio Helicopter Crash
Singer‑songwriter Oliver Tree was killed at age 32 when his helicopter crashed in Rio de Janeiro, according to Deadline. The incident was also reported by Clash Music.
Can Drake’s New Chart Records Ever Be Beat & Who Else Could Put Up These Numbers?
On May 15, Drake dropped three albums—ICEMAN, HABIBTI and MAID OF HONOUR—simultaneously, landing the top three spots on the Billboard 200. The releases generated 42 new entries on the Billboard Hot 100, pushing his career total past the 400‑song milestone. Billboard’s Pop Shop Podcast dissected how unprecedented these numbers are and debated whether any other act could replicate the feat. The discussion also touched on recent AMA wins by BTS and other award‑season highlights.
Chainsmokers' “Paris” Achieves 5× Platinum Status
The Chainsmokers' "Paris" is now 5x Platinum with 5 million copies sold in the U.S. Released in January 2017 as the lead single from the 'Memories...Do Not Open' album, the EDM and synth-pop track peaked at #6 on the Billboard...
Jim Jones Challenges Cam’ron to ‘Verzuz’ in Harlem: ‘Let’s Settle This Once and for All’
Harlem rappers Jim Jones and Cam’ron reignited their long‑standing feud when Jones posted an Instagram challenge, proposing a head‑to‑head Verzuz battle in Harlem. The invitation references the Diplomats’ 2021 loss to the LOX on the Verzuz platform, a loss that...
OZZY OSBOURNE Honored By US House Of Representatives For His "Towering Figure In The History Of Rock And Heavy Metal"
On May 12, Rep. Victoria Spartz entered a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne into the Congressional Record, honoring the Black Sabbath front‑man as a "towering figure" in rock and heavy metal. The speech highlighted his humble beginnings, the global impact of Black Sabbath, his...
Olivia Rodrigo’s Intimate Barcelona Show Is Getting the Concert Film Treatment: Watch the Teaser
Spotify announced that Olivia Rodrigo’s intimate Billions Club Live show in Barcelona will debut as a long‑form concert film on May 27. The one‑night performance featured 1,500 fans at the historic Teatre Grec and included eight of her nine Billions...
Lil Wayne Confirms “Tha Carter VII” Is “Coming Soon”
Lil Wayne announced on Barstool that a new album, possibly titled “Tha Carter VII,” is on the way, though he did not confirm a release date. The tease follows lukewarm fan reaction to his recent “Tha Carter VI,” which many viewed...
Premiere: Adam Klein Shares New Video for “To The Birds”
Athens‑based indie folk artist Adam Klein has issued his live‑in‑studio album *Live at Leesta Vall Sound Recordings* on digital platforms, following an initial vinyl‑only run. The release coincides with a new video premiere for the track “To The Birds,” filmed...
Weekly Listening: May 2026 #4
The May 2026 #4 Weekly Listening roundup spotlights nine fresh indie releases, from Anna Grace Odom’s confessional single “May To One” to David James Allen’s country‑flavored “The Moonlight Waltz.” Other highlights include Fishwife’s gothic‑laden “All Good Wives,” The Huntress and Holder...
Godsmack’s Sully Erna Talks “Live at Mohegan Sun,” New Lineup, 2026 Tour, and Future Albums
Godsmack released the live album and concert film *Live at Mohegan Sun*, documenting their October 26 2024 sold‑out show in Connecticut, which turned out to be the final performance of classic members Tony Rombola and Shannon Larkin. Frontman Sully Erna highlighted the recording’s...
BTS Sells Out Second Las Vegas Night, Cementing Arirang World Tour's Live‑music Impact
BTS performed the second night of their Arirang World Tour on May 27 at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, delivering a sold‑out two‑hour show that blended new tracks with cultural staging. The concert underscores the group’s post‑military comeback and the growing...
LA Phil Minimises Its Music Director
The Los Angeles Philharmonic announced British conductor Daniel Harding as its new music director, but the appointment arrives amid a sprawling leadership structure that includes outgoing maestro Gustavo Dudamel, Creative Director Esa‑Pekka Salonen, several Creative Chairs, and newly created posts...
MARK MORTON: 'Isn't That Weird, 25 Years Into A Career, That Nobody Just Straight Up Sounds Like LAMB OF GOD?'
Lamb of God’s tenth studio album, “Into Obliviant,” drops amid widespread critical acclaim, landing on Metal Hammer and Kerrang! covers and earning praise from the Associated Press and SPIN. Guitarist Mark Morton told BangerTV that the band felt no pressure...
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country Caps Rooster Walk 16 Set With Keller Williams Collaborations
Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country headlined Rooster Walk 16, marking his fifth straight appearance at the Virginia‑based Memorial Day festival. The two‑hour set featured the debut of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and “Kidney In A Cooler,” both performed with guest Keller Williams and saxophonist...
Marisa Anderson Brings a World of ‘UnAmerican’ Music To Her Guitar
Guitar virtuoso Marisa Anderson has completed the first track for *The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music, Vol. 1*, arranging the 18‑minute Sufi qawwali “Hamd”—originally performed by Pakistan’s Sabri Brothers—into a solo guitar piece. The original composition features a large ensemble of...
Yonder Mountain String Band Maps Fall 2026 Tour Dates
Yonder Mountain String Band announced its 2026 Fall Tour, kicking off on September 3 in Portland, Maine and concluding on November 21 in Salina, Kansas. The itinerary spans the Eastern United States and the Mountain West, featuring stops in 20+ cities and...
Sébastien Tellier Announces North American Tour
French electronic veteran Sébastien Tellier announced a North American tour to promote his new album Kiss the Beast. The itinerary includes headline shows in New York City’s Brooklyn Steel (Sept 21), San Francisco, Los Angeles and a slot at San Diego’s CRSSD Festival, with tickets on sale...
If You Always Wanted to Hear Weezer's Rivers Cuomo Covering Anthems by Dolly Parton, Radiohead, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and...
Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo has uploaded a "randum cuverz" playlist featuring acoustic renditions of songs ranging from Dolly Parton's "Jolene" to Metallica's "Enter Sandman," recorded in 2018‑19. The collection, which includes covers of Michael Jackson, Radiohead, Whitney Houston and others, was posted without explanation....
Rivers Cuomo Uploads Mysterious Collection of Covers Songs to YouTube
Rivers Cuomo posted an album‑length collection of 16 lo‑fi cover songs on his YouTube channel, featuring brief renditions of tracks ranging from Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson to Nirvana and Dolly Parton. The recordings, made between 2018 and 2021, were released...
A$AP Rocky Released His Most Divisively Dark Album Ever on This Day 11 Years Ago
On April 30, 2015 A$AP Rocky released his sophomore album AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP, a dark, drug‑laden project that arrived a month after the death of mentor A$AP Yams. The record was executive‑produced by Yams, Danger Mouse, and Juicy J, and its title...
Latin Urban Star Arcángel Maps Out U.S. Leg Of Global Tour
Latin urban star Arcángel announced the U.S. leg of his “La 8va Maravilla World Tour 20 Aniversario,” a 20‑year career celebration. The 18‑date run begins Oct. 9 at Orlando’s Kia Center and travels through major markets including Miami, Atlanta, New York,...
Album Review: Feeble Little Horse, ‘Bitknot’
feeble little horse surprised fans on Tuesday, June 2026 with their second album *bitknot*, a self‑released project recorded in the trio’s Pittsburgh homes. The record expands on the distortion‑laden sound of 2023’s *Girl With Fish*, mixing sugary melodies, gritty guitars...
Kehlani Announces 2026 North American Tour
R&B star Kehlani unveiled a 33‑date North American "Kehlani World Tour" slated to begin on August 6 in Minneapolis and run through early October, covering major markets such as Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. The tour supports her self‑titled album, which entered...
Justin Bieber's Best Male Pop Artist Win Sets American Music Awards Record
Justin Bieber made AMA history on May 26, 2026 by becoming the first artist to win the Best Male Pop Artist award five times, bringing his total American Music Awards tally to 19. The win ties him with Kenny Rogers...
North Carolina Bound: Widespread Panic Confirms September 2026 Concerts In Wilmington
Widespread Panic has added a two‑night stop in Wilmington, North Carolina, scheduled for September 18‑19, 2026 at Live Oak Bank Pavilion. The dates follow the band’s 2023 Wilmington shows and a 2025 Asheville run, underscoring a growing southeastern itinerary. The...
Drake Breaks Michael Jackson’s Hot 100 Chart Record as ‘Janice STFU’ Debuts at Number One
Drake has shattered Michael Jackson’s record for male solo artists by scoring his 14th Billboard Hot 100 number‑one with “Janice STFU.” He placed a total of 42 songs on the Hot 100 in a single week, the most ever, and nine of...
EI8HT
Shinedown’s ninth studio album “EI8HT” arrives after more than a year of development, delivering a mix of hard‑rock aggression and pop‑leaning melodies. The record opens with the punchy single “Safe and Sound,” which pairs raging guitars with instantly recognizable vocals....
Watch Lola Young Join James Blake At BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2026
James Blake headlined BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2026 in Sunderland, unveiling five songs from his seventh album Trying Times. Guest vocalist Lola Young joined him on “Make Something Up” and debuted her co‑produced single “From Down Here.” The set blended new material,...
Foundations: Anna Prior
Anna Prior, longtime Metronomy collaborator and respected DJ, has released her solo EP *Firefly* on Beat Palace Records, available digitally and as a limited 12‑inch vinyl. The five‑track collection blends synth‑pop melodies with a bold cover of Mary J. Blige’s “No...
Taeyong's 'Quintessence' Marks 20‑Year BigBang Milestone with First Solo Album in a Decade
South Korean singer‑songwriter Taeyong, a member of BigBang, released his fourth studio album 'Quintessence' on May 18, his 38th birthday. The record is his first solo effort in almost ten years and arrives as BigBang commemorates its 20th anniversary, highlighting...
Alex Zhang Hungtai – American Burial
Taiwanese‑Canadian experimental musician Alex Zhang Hungtai will release his double album Orion/Mother on June 19 via American Dreams. The record assembles live improvisations from a diverse ensemble of collaborators and then digitally cuts and reassembles the material into a new...
Preview: Boardmasters Festival 2026
Boardmasters Festival 2026 announced its stage splits and new acts for the August 5‑9 event in Newquay, Cornwall. The five‑day lineup features Lily Allen, Fatboy Slim and Kasabian as headline draws, with emerging artists such as Nia Archives and Sasha Keable added...
ALTER BRIDGE Announces Fall 2026 U.S. Tour With BIG WRECK And TIM MONTANA
Alter Bridge has unveiled the second leg of its “What Lies Within” U.S. tour, an 18‑city trek from November 5 in Philadelphia to December 5 in Reno. The hard‑rock quartet will be joined by Canadian group Big Wreck and outlaw‑country rocker Tim Montana as...
Stray Kids’ StrayCity to Bring Festival Production to Special Concert Run
Stray Kids will launch a four‑date, festival‑styled concert series called STRAYCITY across South America in September 2026, with shows in Bogotá, Buenos Aires and Mexico City. The events, co‑produced by Live Nation and JYP Entertainment, feature rotating local support acts...
Guster’s Adam Gardner and Jon Fishman Join Pete Kilpatrick Band in Maine
Guster’s Adam Gardner and Phish drummer Jon Fishman joined the Pete Kilpatrick Band for a full set in Portland, Maine, during Bernie Sanders’ Fight the Oligarchy tour. The show featured Guster classics, a David Bowie cover and a mash‑up of Guster’s “Center...
Seminal Grime Crew Roll Deep Launch ‘Best In The Game’ Mixtape
Seminal grime collective Roll Deep announced its first mixtape in over a decade, titled “Best In The Game,” set for a summer 2024 release via FabricLive. The group, historically linked to pioneers like Wiley and Skepta, is returning with a...
Fakemink Hosted A ‘Terrified’ Listening Party And 1000 Kids Turned Up
London artist fakemink orchestrated a surprise listening party for his new album “Terrified.” He posted cryptic map coordinates, prompting fans to converge on a West London venue where more than 1,000 attendees gathered. The album debuted live before hitting streaming...
DRAGONFORCE Announces Fall 2026 'Inhuman Rampage' 20th-Anniversary North American Tour
Dragonforce announced a 22‑city North American tour for November‑December 2026, marking the 20th anniversary of the landmark album Inhuman Rampage. The trek, the band’s largest U.S. run in over two decades, will feature support from Ensiferum and Rhapsody of Fire....
Track by Track: Mick Flannery's Double Album and Stage Musical The House Must Win
Mick Flannery, the Cork‑based singer‑songwriter, has issued his ninth studio effort, "The House Must Win," his first double album and the soundtrack to a new stage musical of the same name. The record revisits material from his 2005 debut Evening...
Juls X Projexx Align With Valiant For New Single ‘Rarri’
Juls, Ghana‑born producer and MOBO Best Producer winner, joins Jamaican rapper Projexx and UK vocalist Valiant for the new single “Rarri.” The track blends Ghanaian, Jamaican and British musical elements, positioning itself as a summer‑ready, pan‑diaspora anthem. Juls leverages his...
PERIPHERY Announces 'A Pale White Dot' Fall 2026 U.S. Tour
PERIPHERY announced a 20‑city U.S. and Canada tour titled “A Pale White Dot,” kicking off on October 22 at The Fillmore Philadelphia and concluding on November 18 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The tour supports the band’s newly released album of the same...
Jay-Z Was the Reason Pharrell Got To Work on an Iconic 2000s Pop Track
In a 2014 Vibe interview, Pharrell revealed that Jay‑Z’s club connection with Justin Timberlake led the Neptunes to work with *NSYNC and ultimately Britney Spears on “I’m a Slave 4 U.” Despite early pushback from industry peers who warned against pop projects,...
Martyna Basta's Ethereal ASMR Pop Album Shines
Poland's Martyna Basta has recorded an excellent album of ASMR gloom and ethereal pop-ambient songwriting (feat. Rainy Miller, Felisha Ledesma, LEYA, and James K); I interviewed her about it https://t.co/UEUhZtl5qw https://t.co/2eA8Bd45Nu
How Karen Borca Brought the Bassoon Into Free Jazz
Avant‑garde bassist Karen Borca, now 77, has become the preeminent jazz bassoonist, turning a classical instrument into a free‑jazz voice. After early work with Cecil Taylor’s unit and recordings with Jimmy Lyons, Bill Dixon, and Alan Silva, she finally released...
Album Review – Whey Jennings – “Baptized By Fire”
Whey Jennings, grandson of Waylon Jennings, releases his sophomore album "Baptized By Fire," his first full‑length effort after a 2020 faith‑based rehabilitation that erased his earlier catalog. The record fuses outlaw‑country grit with overt Christian themes, delivering standout tracks like...
Ed Sheeran Ends 15-Year Warner Deal After 170 Million Albums Sold
Ed Sheeran told fans in a May 22 newsletter that he is parting ways with Warner Music Group’s Atlantic and Asylum labels, concluding a 15‑year relationship that produced eight studio albums and 170 million album sales worldwide. The singer‑songwriter framed the...
Oddfellows Release Draw the Line
Oddfellows releases its self‑titled debut album "Draw the Line" on June 12, 2026, after a thirty‑year development period. The record blends mature power‑pop with jagged riffs and a distinctive vocal hiccup, building on earlier singles like "High Tension Wires" and...
Pantera Plays First Show of 2026: Video, Set List
Pantera kicked off 2026 by opening for Metallica at Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank Park, delivering an 11‑song set dominated by tracks from 1992’s *Vulgar Display of Power* and 1994’s *Far Beyond Driven*. The lineup featured Phil Anselmo, Rex Brown, Zakk Wylde and guest drummer Charlie Benante,...
Today In Hip Hop History: Eminem Dropped ‘The Eminem Show’ 24 Years Ago
On this day in 2002, Eminem released *The Eminem Show*, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and moving 1.3 million copies in its first full week. The album quickly became the year’s top‑selling record across all genres and later earned Diamond...
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith Launches Label, Details New Album
American electronic composer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith has launched her own record label, Someone Special, co‑run with producer James Daniel. The imprint’s debut release is Smith’s upcoming album Ruin: It’s Not Just Music, slated for October 2, 2026. The record departs from her...
Mitski Dances to Her Own Tune for Compelling Royal Albert Hall Performance
Mitski, the American art‑pop auteur, delivered a striking live show at London’s Royal Albert Hall, drawing a fervent Gen Z crowd. The concert blended her latest album’s narrative with immersive set pieces, from projected cornfields to a living‑room stage setup. Audience...