Capitalism (Taylor’s Version)
Swift is a self-made billionaire and the most profitable live musician in history. What can her ascendance teach us?
ByPop music
Ben and I are preparing for our first live gig together in 25 years – and I’m terrified
In our basement studio, we’re surrounded by our own history, our own inspirations.
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The rise of Gracie Abrams
That Abrams is not quite ready for and a little startled by her early fame is part of her appeal.
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On Mayhem, Lady Gaga makes a chaotic return to form
The singer’s new album attempts to recapture the intense art-project pop of her early records.
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James Blunt live: a nostalgia karaoke
It is 20 years since Back to Bedlam – and its songs have ascended to anthemic status in the years…
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Remembering the real Marianne Faithfull
The singer who embodied the Swinging Sixties in her youth gained a power in her later years that suited her…
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The end of the Eras
After 149 shows over nearly two years, Taylor Swift's blockbuster, career-defining show comes to an end. Has it changed pop…
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Why Paul McCartney cannot let it be
The great Beatle and the shadow of John Lennon.
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Charli XCX’s victory lap
A recent London show proved Brat is the album of the year, and she is the artist of the moment.…
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The understated power of Charlotte Day Wilson
Her cool style only makes her music more emotionally powerful, especially live.
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Quincy Jones’s gift to music
The venerated producer, who has died at the age of 91, brought a jazz sensibility to pop.
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How Kraftwerk’s Autobahn remade pop
Half a century ago, the art-rock band introduced the world to the vocoder. Their sound – and pop music –…
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Against child stardom
As another former teen idol’s story ends in tragedy, we must ask: should we let children become famous?
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Self Esteem: “I’ve been maturing my disgust at societal norms”
Rebecca Lucy Taylor’s hit record Prioritise Pleasure was a loud rejection of the status quo. Her next album is “a…
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The media is damaging public life by “sanewashing” Donald Trump
Should we avoid reporting reality simply because it isn’t new? Plus: unease at the Observer and the tragic death of…
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Liam Payne was a victim of the pop pin-up machine
The dream that One Direction represented now seems an obvious nightmare.
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Colin Greenwood’s tour diary: checking in with Radiohead and suiting up for Nick Cave
The bassist on becoming a Bad Seed, reconvening with old friends, and how life on the road has changed.
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Charli XCX should let Brat summer die
It was exhilarating for a while, but there is power in knowing a moment has passed.
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Chappell Roan’s war on fandom
Like her peer Charli XCX, the pop star of the moment wants to free artists from a “creepy” culture of…
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Florence + the Machine at the Proms: a thrilling two hours of pure emotion
This imaginative orchestral reworking of her debut album Lungs was part film score, part pop song, and totally euphoric.
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