Chaka Khan announces first album in more than seven years, featuring Snoop Dogg The 11-time Grammy Award winner will release her 14th studio album Chakzilla in September. Evening Standard · Jun 19
Whipped for Performing Without a Hijab: Iranian Singer Sentenced to 74 Lashes and Two-Year Travel Ban Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi faces 74 lashes and an artistic ban after a hijab-free performance, sparking global outrage over Iran's laws and cultural repression. International Business Times UK · Jun 19
“They were full of angst and venom”: Iron Maiden reveal the toughest support acts they’ve ever had to follow Opening for the veteran show-stealers is a difficult job, but Guns N’ Roses and Southern rockers Blackfoot each brought their A-game Metal Hammer · Jun 19
"I was having a peek at his guitar and I was just about to stroke it, and he went: 'Nobody touches it!' And bam!" The night that Rolling Stones legend Keith Richards got punched in the face by his hero Chuck Berry Perhaps there's some truth in the old saying that you should never meet your heroes Louder · Jun 19
“I’d given up hope. Then Wendy Dio called me. She asked how I’d feel playing in front of 20,000 people”: Rowan Robertson was 17 years old when he joined Dio. He looks back on how he got the gig – and why it all came to an end after one album The English guitarist recalls the advice Ronnie James Dio gave him, the demo tape that landed him the role, and why he never reunited with the iconic singer Guitar World · Jun 19
Add to playlist: the wild club-pop of Zara Larsson cowriter Helena Gao and the week’s best new tracks The Chinese-Danish artist wrote nine 10ths of Larsson’s breakout album then got a Grammy nod. It’s a fine springboard for her own revelatory pop The Guardian - UK · Jun 19
“George was talking to Bonzo one evening and said, ‘The problem with you guys is that you never do ballads.’ I said, ‘I’ll give him a ballad’”: How a light-hearted comment from a former Beatle inspired one of Led Zeppelin’s greatest songs “Seven minutes of exquisite heartache” – quite unlike anything else the band created MusicRadar · Jun 19
Keith Richards says Sir Mick Jagger 'won’t bloody stop' making new music Keith Richards has learnt to hold his tongue and just keep rolling when Sir Mick Jagger wants to keep making music. BANG Premier · Jun 19
“Got so inspired, got the songwriter zoomies. Went home, wrote the song for Toy Story 5. We have now produced it and I’m doing vocals”: Taylor Swift appears to confirm that I Knew It, I Knew You was written, recorded and produced in around eight hours Swift by name… MusicRadar · Jun 19
"There's no knife-in-the-back twist. When I read these lyrics back, I was like, 'Oh, that's weird.' All the other love songs I've written have a dark edge”: How Snow Patrol constructed one of the most enduring hits of the 21st century Snow Patrol's 2006 monster became one of the biggest radio songs of all time, but why did it work so well? MusicRadar · Jun 19
"She leaned over and kissed me on me lips. My knees went." The day that black metal legend Cronos from Venom met Kate Bush "What's not to love about Kate Bush?” Louder · Jun 19
Watch Bring Me The Horizon play Sempiternal cut Antivist with Lorna Shore singer Will Ramos at Hellfest The Sheffield band headlined day one of the Clisson heavy metal weekender on Thursday (June 18) Metal Hammer · Jun 19
Bebe Rexha urges fans to stop pitting women against each other after Olivia Rodrigo comment Bebe Rexha has told fans there is “no need to put women against each other” after a social media user compared her sales to Olivia Rodrigo’s. BANG Premier · Jun 19
“There’s a lot of gear I had to get rid of because rent was due. I was always paid as a sideman – there were only a few moments where I was paid decent money”: Marc Ford’s life in guitars The former Black Crowes and current Lucinda Williams blues-rocker talks shred-guitar mistakes and his love for custom Asher axes Guitar World · Jun 19
BANG Premier · Jun 19 Travis Scott and Drake's Grammy‑nominated producer Tay Keith dies aged 29 Nashville police confirmed no foul play is suspected.
MusicRadar · Jun 19 “I always felt like I was the weak link in the band. I felt that my guitar playing was was too raw and unpolished”: How guitar hero Vivian Campbell overcame self-doubt to create a heavy metal masterpiece with legendary singer Ronnie James Dio His solo in Dio's most famous song was cut in one take
The Independent UK · Jun 19 Keith Richards reveals why he finally kicked his latest bad habit: ‘You slow down if you want to keep going’ Rolling Stones legend is notorious for his hard-living ways
BANG Premier · Jun 19 Charli XCX stays away from social media for her mental health In an interview with Rolling Stone, Charli XCX said she has made the decision to steer clear of sites such as Instagram and Facebook for the sake of her mental health.
BANG Premier · Jun 19 Tom Morello slams 'hypocritical' music fans after controversial Download set Tom Morello, who is also the guitar player for Audioslave, hit headlines when he wrote “F*** TOMMY ROBINSON” on the back of his instrument for his set at Download Festival earlier this year - taking aim at the far-right activist while doing so.
BANG Premier · Jun 19 James Bourne breaks silence after quitting Busted tour as he reveals album 13 years in the making James Bourne is to drop new album Murder At The Gates, and while he initially "feared" it wouldn't be completed due to his ill health, such issues gave him "the gift of time" after he pulled out of the Busted Vs McFly tour last September.
International Business Times UK · Jun 19 Are Olivia Rodrigo's Fans Really Weird? The Diaper Trend Is Actually Bigger Than Pop Music Olivia Rodrigo said diapered fans crowd her front row, but the same trend has hit Taylor Swift, BTS and Times Square. The real shock is a concert economy that won't fix it.
Louder · Jun 19 "The time is right for a revolution in rock'n'roll. It's yours for the taking. I believe it’s coming." Def Leppard and Extreme are currently on tour together, so we put their guitarists in a room Def Leppard and Extreme are currently playing a bunch of dates on what promises to be a cracking double-header
Louder · Jun 19 “Band dynamics are always good when times are hard. When you achieve things the landscape shifts. There was an issue we couldn’t get past”: Richard Barbieri on why art rockers Japan split, and why their reunion imploded The Porcupine Tree keyboardist explains the ambition behind his earlier band’s acclaimed fifth album Tin Drum, and what he really thinks of their later reconnection as Rain Tree Crow
The Guardian - AU · Jun 19 Grammy-nominated music producer Tay Keith, who worked with Drake and Travis Scott, dies aged 29 Hip-hop producer behind Travis Scott’s Sicko Mode and Drake’s Nonstop has been found dead at home during a police welfare check
The Guardian - UK · Jun 19 ‘I’d listen to my body before it screamed for help’: Keith Richards on life as an 82-year-old great-grandad – and jousting with Mick Jagger He did every substance imaginable – and got punched by Chuck Berry – but Keef’s still going strong. As the Stones knock out another new album, he explains why he’s rejecting AI in favour of ‘the old ways’