Charli xcx is living the year of going all-out. With the release today of “Rock Music,” the British singer, songwriter and producer switches gears, cranks up the amps and rocks it with electric guitars.

One of those amps goes out the window at the top of the official music video. Shot in black and white, and directed by Aidan Zamiri, the clip follows Charli as she gets up to rock ‘n’ roll stuff, strutting around central Manhattan wearing fewer clothes than anyone else, smoking up a storm, and unleashing a moshpit.

At its musical core, “Rock Music” has a throwback edge, its guitar riff slotting into what is essentially a mid-paced electronic track in which Charli splices and dices her vocals in the chorus. No, it’s not heavy. “Rock Music” has more in common to Daft Punk than it does to Deep Purple.

Charli first teased her new era, new sound in an April interview with British Vogue, which premiered one of the new song’s lyrics: “I think the dance floor is dead, so now we’re making rock music.”

She told the publication, “if I’d made another album that felt more dance-leaning, it would have felt really hard, really sad. That’s interesting for me is to bend the possibilities of what my perspective on that could be.”

Charli has since clarified that she isn’t necessarily performing an about-face. On Instagram, she recently shared a clip of herself in the studio and wrote, “a video of me making a song called ‘rock music’ that is not actually rock music which is funny because i never said i was making a rock album.”

“Rock Music” is Charli’s first release since the Wuthering Heights companion album arrived in February, and dropped in at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart. Before that, her 2024 Brat album peaked at No. 3 on the all-genres chart, peaked at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart and ARIA Chart, and caught the zeitgeist.

Charli’s busy year includes a starring role in A24’s The Moment, based on her original idea and the first co-production from her new studio365 venture. Also, she appears in Daniel Goldhaber’s remake of the 1978 cult horror Faces of Death, Greg Araki’s erotic thriller I Want Your Sex, Cathy Yan’s independent film The Gallerist, Julia Jackman’s period fantasy 100 Nights Of Hero, Romain Gavras’ satirical action Sacrifice and Pete Ohs’ intimate drama Erupcja.

Stream “Rock Music” below and watch the official music video.

Today, Barry Manilow releases “Another Life – 2026,” a new version of a 1992 album track. It’s the final preview from his forthcoming album What a Time, his first collection of nearly all-original material in almost 15 years. The album is due June 5.

Co-written by Andrew Hill and Preston Sturges, “Another Life – 2026” explores the distance between former lovers, as one struggles to come to terms with the relationship’s end. Arranged by Manilow and longtime collaborator Michael Lloyd, the new 2026 recording retains the song’s wistful core while deepening its sense of nostalgia. Manilow was in his late 40s when he first recorded the song. He’s now in his 80s and has had to confront a serious health challenge. That gives the song added meaning.

Manilow first recorded the song for his 1992 box set The Complete Collection and Then Some… The song wasn’t officially released as a single, but as an album track, it reached No. 33 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.

The new single follows Manilow’s first public appearance since undergoing surgery for lung cancer. On April 23, Manilow appeared at the American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Fame gala in New York City to accept the President’s Award, recognizing his iconic work in advertising before he launched his recording career.

What a Time is Manilow’s 33rd studio album and his first almost all-original LP since 2011’s 15 Minutes, which debuted and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. “Once Before I Go,” the lead single from What a Time, reached No. 25 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart in February. This is the sixth consecutive decade that Manilow has had multiple top 30 hits on that chart, a streak that began in November 1974 with “Mandy.” That classic ballad hit No. 1 on both Easy Listening (as the AC chart was then called) and the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to land a Grammy nod for record of the year.

Fun fact: In early 1976, Arista Records president Clive Davis, seeking to spotlight Manilow’s Grammy nomination, came up with the idea of hosting a Grammy party. The annual gala is still going strong and has long since become legendary.

Manilow’s new album brings together an eclectic and cross-generational group of collaborators, including 12-time Grammy winner Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and nine-time Grammy winner Dave Cobb, as well as Manilow’s longtime go-to co-writers Bruce Sussman and Adrienne Anderson.

After his recovery is complete, Manilow plans to tour throughout 2026. For all upcoming dates, visit Manilow’s website.

Noah Kahan has always wanted to work with “Matt & Ben,” and now his dream has come true — sort of.

In new promos for this weekend’s Saturday Night Live episode, musical guest Kahan and host Matt Damon are joined by a different Ben than the one typically associated with Damon: SNL castmember Ben Marshall.

“This is so exciting. I’ve always wanted to do something with Matt and Ben,” Kahan says in the promo, to which Marshall replies, “Aw, thanks so much, man. That’s so cool.”

“I’m sorry, I meant Ben Affleck,” Kahan clarifies.

“Why would you bring that up now, right?” Marshall wonders, while Kahan counters, “It’s the first time I’m seeing Matt!”

For his part, Damon tells Kahan: “We’d actually love to do something with you.”

“Hell yeah, amazing,” Kahan says. “Thank you. Huge fan!”

Later in the promos, Marshall tries his hand at some Kahan-inspired jokes. “More like Skit Season,” the comedian says out of nowhere, making a play on the title of Kahan’s breakthrough hit “Stick Season,” the title track from his 2022 album.

“This is your first-ever promo and you blow it on ‘Skit Season’?” Damon asks in disgust, with Kahan adding, “Come on, you’re better than that, Ben.”

Marshall’s next attempt isn’t much better — “more like Noah Ka-haha-han” — but Damon and Kahan love it.

Watch the promos below:

Kahan — who’s promoting his just-released fourth studio album The Great Divide, which debuts atop the Billboard 200 this week — is returning for his first time as musical guest since his December 2023 debut. Damon, meanwhile, will host for his third time in 25 years, after stints in October 2022 and December 2018. Kahan does the math in the promos that at this rate, Damon should join SNL‘s Five-Timers Club around 2052.

Saturday Night Live airs at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT on NBC and streams on Peacock. (See all the options to watch SNL here.)

MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2026, Japan’s biggest international music awards show, has unveiled its nominees across 63 categories ahead of the June 13 ceremony.

MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN (MAJ) is built around the concept of “Connecting with the world, illuminating the future of music.” Now in its second year, this year’s ceremony spans 77 categories across genres and national borders. On March 19, a total of approximately 2,000 entries were revealed.

The newly announced list covers nominees across 63 categories, selected through a preliminary vote by 5,000 music industry professionals from Japan and around the world. In the six major categories — Song of the Year (100 songs), Artist of the Year (100 artists), Album of the Year (100 albums), New Artist of the Year (50 artists), Best Global Hit from Japan (100 songs), and Best Song Asia (21 songs) — five nominees were selected from each category’s entry pool. 

Among those featured are HANA (“Blue Jeans”), Kenshi Yonezu (“IRIS OUT” “JANE DOE”), Sakanaction (“Kaiju”), Aina the End (“Kakumei Douchu – On The Way”), M!LK (“Suki Sugite Metsu!”), Fujii Kaze (‘Prema’), Mrs. GREEN APPLE (“10”), CANDY TUNE, and more — artists and works that have made their mark on the music scene both in Japan and internationally. Nominations also span a wide range of other categories, including Best Dance & Vocal Song (Group/Solo), Best Cross-Border Collaboration Song, Best Digital Culture Artist, and Best of Listeners’ Choice powered by Spotify, the last of which was determined by public vote. The full list of nominated works is available on the official MAJ website.

At the nomination announcement event held in Tokyo on April 30, this year’s MAJ Ambassadors, Kento Nakajima and Mei Hata, took to the stage. Reflecting on the nominations, Nakajima said, “I’m keeping a close eye on the Best J-POP Song Award — it’s stacked with classic hits. And since I’m a big fan of the anime ‘Chainsaw Man,’ I’m really happy to see ‘IRIS OUT’ and ‘JANE DOE’ are included.” Hata added, “The Best K-POP Song Award features tracks I listen to all the time, so I’m really looking forward to seeing which one will be chosen as the winner.” 

Both ambassadors also spoke to the broader appeal of Japanese music on the world stage. “I think the strength of Japanese music lies in its melodies,” Nakajima said. “I hope that through MAJ, the charm of these distinctly Japanese songs can reach audiences overseas.” Hata echoed the sentiment: “I’d love for the beauty of the Japanese language — its lyrics, its wordplay — to reach people around the world too.”

Final voting to determine the winners will be conducted by music industry professionals from April 30 through May 20. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on June 13 at TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO and SGC Hall Ariake. The Grand Ceremony, covering the major categories, will be broadcast live on NHK; the red carpet event will air on NHK BS; and the Premiere Ceremony, covering all other categories, will be broadcast on TOKYO MX.

Both the Premiere Ceremony and Grand Ceremony will also be streamed worldwide on YouTube (excluding certain regions), as well as live on Lemino, ABEMA, and radiko.

Nominated works in the six major categories (listed in numerical, alphabetical, and kana order) below. Visit MusicAwardsJapan.com for more.

Song of the Year

HANA “Blue Jeans”

Kenshi Yonezu “IRIS OUT”

Sakanaction “Kaiju”

Aina the End “Kakumei Douchu – On The Way”

M!LK “Suki Sugite Metsu!”

Artist of the Year

Fujii Kaze

HANA

Mrs. GREEN APPLE

Sakanaction

Kenshi Yonezu

New Artist of the Year

CANDY TUNE

HANA

luv

STARGLOW

Brandy Senki

Album of the Year 

Mrs. GREEN APPLE, “10”

Various Artists, “Dear Jubilee -RADWIMPS TRIBUTE-”

Gen Hoshino, “Gen”

Fujii Kaze, “Prema”

Southern All Stars, “THANK YOU SO MUCH”

Best Global Hit from Japan

XG “HYPNOTIZE”

Kenshi Yonezu “IRIS OUT”

Kenshi Yonezu, Hikaru Utada “JANE DOE”

LiSA “ReawakeR (feat. Felix of Stray Kids)”

Ado “Ussewa”

Best Song Asia

Silet Open Up “Tabola Bale” (Indonesia)

Cup of Joe “Multo” (Philippines)

PLAVE “Dash” (South Korea)

WOODZ “Drowning” (South Korea)

HUNTR/X “Golden” (South Korea)

【MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2026】

Saturday, June 13, 2026, Tokyo: TOYOTA ARENA TOKYO & SGC Hall Ariake

*Awards Week: Friday, June 5, 2026 – Saturday, June 13, 2026

Billie Eilish premiered her concert film Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) on Wednesday night (May 6) at L.A.’s Fox Westwood Theater, hitting the red carpet with co-director James Cameron, her parents and her brother Finneas. Eilish’s partner, actor and musician Nat Wolff, also joined the pop star on the carpet, marking the duo’s red-carpet debut as a couple.

Eilish and Cameron opened the screening by addressing the packed audience and sharing how proud they are of their film. In her speech, Eilish expressed her gratitude for her team, her family and, of course, her co-director.

“I just would thank this guy right here who brought this idea in the first place,” Eilish said, gesturing to Cameron. “I’m so excited we have this captured forever.”

Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) is Eilish’s third concert film and first with fellow Oscar winner Cameron. The concert film brings fans the experience of seeing Eilish on her epic arena tour in support of her 2024 album Hit Me Hard and Soft as well as behind-the-scenes looks at the setup for the show. Clips of an Eilish interview conducted by Cameron are interspersed, giving fans a look into Eilish’s mind-set around a show and her artistry. In one particularly vulnerable moment, Eilish opened up on struggling with desirability and wanting to feel comfortable in her femininity.

Fans at the screening fully immersed themselves in the filmed concert experience, with a large group running up to the front of the theater and creating their own pit. They danced along as Eilish performed some of her Billboard Hot 100 hits like “Bad Guy,” “Birds of a Feather” and “Lunch.”

The film showcased what was not only Eilish’s most ambitious tour yet, but also her first without her brother by her side. In a heartfelt moment before the recorded show, Eilish reads a note her brother sent her wishing her good luck with the performance. Finneas then surprised fans in the crowd, joining Eilish onstage for a duet of “Lovely.”

“Surprise!” Eilish said to her fans.

Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) ends with Eilish in her happy place: with puppies. The star shared that she invites local animal rescues to bring adoptable dogs backstage for her crew to play with and potentially take home. Before the event, Instagram held their Close Fans Only event and — inspired by Eilish’s love of dogs — invited the pop star’s biggest fans to play with puppies brought in by one of the singer’s favorite Los Angeles rescues, as well as walk the red carpet and be some of the first to watch the movie.

Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) hits theaters Friday.