From Taylor to Ariana, pop’s overreliance on gossip is choking the life out of it
Laura Snapes
Today’s pop stars are cramming songs with so much biography they need footnotes – and they’re in danger of alienating all but their hardcore fans
March 2024
Raye, Tate McRae and a bit of a rave: all the Brits 2024 performances reviewed
From Kylie’s megamix to Rema’s maximalism, we rate and slate the performers at British music’s biggest night of the year
January 2024
Female pop stars celebrate record-breaking year on UK singles chart
Women claimed an unprecedented 31 weeks atop the Top 40 and accounted for 48.5% of all songs that reached the Top 10 – plus seven of the year’s 10 biggest songs
December 2023
Today guest editors review – Radio 4 dishes up eggs over uneasy with Goulding, Kureishi and James May
Christmas tradition dictates unqualified celebrities edit the flagship news show for five days, with results as skippable – and occasionally tasty – as festive leftovers
November 2023
Andrew Malkinson, wrongly convicted of rape, to guest edit BBC’s Today
Miscarriage of justice victim will be among programme’s Christmas editors which also include Hanif Kureishi and James May
October 2023
Pass notes
Language barrier: why even Harry has stopped speaking the king’s English
‘Proper English’, received pronunciation, the king’s English: whatever you call it, the accent is under threat – just like cockney
May 2023
‘It’s not a pop-the-champagne moment any more’: is the UK album chart broken?
Artists are hitting No 1, then dropping out of the Top 100 the following week. Industry figures ponder whether the chart is still a barometer of taste – or just a marketing ploy
April 2023
‘It’s my least personal album!’ Thank you, Ellie Goulding, for making pop escapist again
Shaad D'Souza
As hyper-gossipy songs by the likes of Miley Cyrus need accompanying guides to help decode them, Goulding’s rejection of ‘personal experiences’ feels radical
December 2022
Summer essentials
Your ultimate Sydney events guide: the best things to do this weekend, and what’s on through December
Summer in the City is Guardian Australia’s guide to the best arts, gigs and festivals around the country. Here are some highlights for Sydney in December
July 2022
Ranked
Calvin Harris’s 20 greatest songs – ranked!
With his new album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol 2, out next week, we take a look through the Scottish producer’s hit-studded career
June 2022
Wild world
‘Pretty damn cool’: Ellie Goulding on rewilding as a cure for our planet – and our mental health
The singer-songwriter and UN environment ambassador is a self-confessed ‘nature nerd’ and urges her fans to get ‘stuck in’ to ecological activism
April 2022
The Great Celebrity Bake Off 2022: episode five – as it happened
Marble loaf cakes and making celebrities in biscuit form were Tuesday’s challenges for a cast including Mawaan Rizwan, Ellie Goulding, Tracy-Ann Oberman and presenter Sophie Morgan. But did any of them know their way around an oven?
January 2022
Watchdog calls for fines for influencers who fail to declare sponsorship
Competition and Markets Authority wants ‘deterrents’ for stars who do not say they are paid to promote products
October 2021
Ellie Goulding review – a born crowdpleaser pulls out all the stops
The returning veteran teased her fans with some restrained recent numbers before unleashing pure pop catharsis
January 2021
Phil Spector defined the toxic music svengali – a figure that persists today
Laura Snapes
Spector, who has died aged 81, created a culture of cruelty that was seen by the music industry as a symptom of genius. It’s a scenario that has played out again and again
July 2020
Ellie Goulding: Brightest Blue review – caught between confident and vulnerable
Ellie Goulding: 'I was made to feel vulnerable, like a sexual object'
April 2020
TV review
One World: Together at Home review – locked-down stars lift the spirits
Hope in a time of crisis
Coronavirus: looking for good news – Run for Heroes and an opera-singing doctor
March 2020
Shortcuts
What’s the secret of happiness? Accepting that life is messy and difficult
If you have spent your life wishing for a calmer, happier, more organised future, it might be better, psychologically, to ditch those expectations
