The music industry is engineering artist popularity – listeners are right to be angry
Shaad D'Souza
Numerous tactics, including payola-like deals on Spotify, are promoting artists people haven’t chosen to hear – but the industry refuses to discuss it
Today in Focus
The ‘brat’ summer takeover – podcast
The Guardian music editor Ben Beaumont-Thomas, books editor Lucy Knight and film and TV critic Leila Latif look at what’s dominating culture this summer
Song of the summer 2024: writers pick their tracks of the season
From Sabrina Carpenter to Kendrick Lamar, Guardian writers pick out the songs that will be soundtracking their barbecues for the summer
June 2024
Models on horseback and footballers on the catwalk: Vogue World’s salute to Paris
Frothy, fun and hard to resist: is Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso the song of the summer?
February 2024
Taylor Swift Sydney Eras concert: superstar wows 81,000 crowd after huge storm delays the start
Taylor Swift Eras tour Melbourne concert: relive the pop star’s biggest ever show – as it happened
January 2024
Women make the best pop stars – and it’s about time the industry recognised it
Lauren O'Neill
Too long demeaned and treated as playthings by executives, female artists are finally getting the attention they deserve, says culture writer Lauren O’Neill
June 2023
Sabrina Carpenter review – pop’s next big thing is best when she lets loose
Leaving behind her Disney discography for stylish soft rock and tongue-in-cheek kitsch, the US star still needs to find a vision for her ballads
February 2021
This week's new tracks
Tracks of the week reviewed: Years & Years, Kara Marni, and Chinah
This week we’ve got a poignant rework of an 80s banger, a slick interpretation of an R&B classic, and some woozy synthpop
August 2020
Work It review – engaging Netflix teen comedy dances to a familiar beat
A predictable yet breezily entertaining and well-acted high school comedy sees a ragtag dance crew aiming for the top