WU LYF has never been anything less than disruptive, unique and utterly compelling. The Manchester-formed band blazed a dazzling trail during their first iteration back in the early 2010s, spurned music industry conventions, and sparked fevered hype across the British industry before calling it quits.

Following a near 15-year hiatus, the group – Ellery Roberts Evans Kati, Tom McClung, Joe Manning – is back and continuing to do things in their own idiosyncratic way. A Wave That Cannot Break, its first new studio album since cult debut Go Tell Fire to the Mountain (2011), is released on Friday (April 10). You will not be able to hear it on any DSPs like Spotify or Apple Music.

Instead, the four-piece are encouraging fans to join their LYF membership. The subscription model (£4 a month) will provide fans with the new LP, as well as access to its past material (all of which has been removed from DSPs) as well as demos and exclusive tracks. The LYF membership provides first access to show tickets as well as direct updates from the group and a community chat with fellow fans. At the time of writing, over a thousand paying contributors have signed up.

Writing on its website, WU LYF – an acronym for World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation – explain that the group seeks “to play our own (infinite) game outside the narrow parameters of the machine that renders life absurd. Through your direct support we are able to operate with freedom & autonomy.”

Formed in 2008, the group’s self-styled ‘heavy pop’ – dramatic art-rock driven by Roberts’ intense vocals – drew immediate attention. Wary of the music industry, the members refused interviews, opted to hide their face in photos, and turned down record deals from major and indie labels for their debut LP. Recorded in a church in Manchester, Go Tell Fire to the Mountain, scored knock-out reviews and landed the band a performing slot on David Letterman’s talk show.

WU LYF’s unwavering commitment to its craft was reciprocated by an equally devoted fanbase, with The Guardian questioning if the group was a “satanic youth cult or rock’n’roll revolutionaries?” Its star burned bright, but for half as long. By 2012 it had split in acrimony, but the fans yearned for a return.

After the members embarked on their own solo projects, the group launched a Kickstarter to fund an archive project in 2022. The band returned to performing and recording in March 2025 with a run of live shows and a new song.

Upon their return as WU LYF, they remain skeptical and disdainful of the streaming-dominated recording industry. They are not alone: a number of artists including Neil Young and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, have been frustrated with low royalty returns and disagreements with the business practices of its executive chairman, Daniel Ek. 

On April 1, the group returned to Spotify, briefly, with its new track “The Fool,” but with a twist: Roberts’ lead vocals had been replaced by the voice of Homer Simpson, a nod to an ongoing AI-powered trend which has seen popular hits Simpsons-ified and the streaming service hosting – but not labeling – music made with generative AI.

Ahead of their new album release, Roberts and Ryan Doyle, a member of the band’s management team, spoke with Billboard U.K. about the state of the modern music industry, finding alternative ways to exist and the emotions of their return. See the conversation below.

When did this idea for the LYF membership model come from?

Ellery: When we first put our first single out in 2010 [“Concrete Gold” & “Heavy Pop”], we came up with this notion of the Lucifer Youth Foundation, which were inspired by certain things like the Washington punk scene and Fugazi‘s Dischord Records, but also F.C. Barcelona and football clubs with fan ownership models. We had this intent of what we could create, but I guess we were all 19 and 20 and it was mostly idealistic rather than practical and it never really fully materialised. 

I had experimented with Patreon and partly funded the release of Lost Under Heaven’s [Roberts’ band with partner Ebony Hoorn] third record. I got used to the mechanics of that, and then just given the nature of the people around WU LYF, like Ryan, who has been a day one comrade with the band, it encouraged us to do the Kickstarter launch, and that all went really well. It gave us a sense that there are people around us who know how to make these things happen.

What feedback have you had on the LYF platform from users?

Ryan: The main thing about LYF is that it’s about the music and the audio player at its core. The first version of the membership that we launched last April was a bit clunky and wasn’t really working correctly, so obviously we wanted to get that right. We ended up almost creating our own streaming service. It’s more streamlined and easier to use. Now we’ve opened up this forum, where fans of the band can chat amongst themselves. There’s beautiful messages put in there by the fans and it’s nice for them to be that close with the band and each other.

Why does this model work for your fanbase, in particular?

Ellery: We’ve got quite a spread-out and engaged audience around the world. Not, like, loads of people, but a bunch of people and it’s nice all these connections being made and this conversation going on between people from different spots all around. 

I’m interested in Kevin Kelly’s 1000 True Fans model that says if properly activated and energized, this dedicated group can become the lifeblood of the whole endeavor, as opposed to seeking mass engagement. A band’s music lives for its audience; without an audience, this is you on your own singing songs into the void.

With the two-way nature of this membership, it feels like an antidote to the passive mode of music consumption in 2026…

Ellery: Yeah, completely. Also given the way some of these corporately-owned platforms have gone with algorithmic gatekeeping and the general unpleasantness of the creepy, uncanny valley AI thing, it just comes back down to peer-to-peer human relationships and genuine conversation and intimacy. Our music asks for active participation and engagement and listening. I don’t think we make background music. 

I know that the advent of online piracy necessitated a new model and that the labels bought into Spotify at the start. But in my perspective, they basically devalued art and took the effort, the love and the passion it takes to actually create, and turned it into this very passive consumer product. 

What feedback have you had from fans and industry?

Ellery: We’ve had mixed responses. A bunch of people saying that this is an absurd thing to do, and that we’re fighting the tide and this is just the nature of it. But I feel like there’s many things that we participate in society that are a choice, and we have a choice about the way we act and the things we choose to do… so we’re choosing to see what happens if we don’t participate in that world. 

We could put all the music on streamers, of course we could, and people would listen and we’d have maybe a couple of million plays on some tracks. I guess we’re sacrificing a bit of income, but if we do the figures, we’ve seen more income coming through the membership than we ever saw through Spotify, because they pay so atrociously. They exploit and rip off artists. We’ll see where it ends up. But at the moment, it feels purposeful and has galvanized us all.

What have the funds allowed you to do? 

Ellery: Initially it paid for a practice room. We’ve largely been out of the industry and were all doing different things so we didn’t have the immediate funds to restart WU LYF, so the Kickstarter and membership helped us get us back on our feet and pay for the practice room.

Now it’s contributed towards the whole thing coming together and building the website over the past year. We’re now at a point where we’ve been able to pay ourselves a living wage so that we’re able to commit our time and energy to doing it.

What has been the biggest challenge?

Ryan: There’s still plenty of features we’d still like to add. The forum is actually hosted on WhatsApp, so we’d like to add a dedicated forum onto the website. We also want to have a radio station function and to hopefully host releases from other artists, not just from WU LYF. The main challenge was learning how to design the website. With the second version, when we actually worked with some website developers, it was a lot easier for me to project manage that  rather than actually having to code it myself, which I did for the first version!

So you’re looking to take it out to other acts?

Ellery: We’ve talked about it as a band, and there are some thoughts on ways in which it could be approached. Obviously, it all comes down to a matter of scale and finances. If we can offer them a better percentage rate than Spotify, I think there’s something quite interesting around collaborations or a splitter model, so that it’s agreed how much each party receives and then the profits are divided.

I feel what we’re doing has a particular intent and energy, and it certainly has been drawing people in. So should the opportunities and correct synergy between artists arise, then I definitely would consider it.

What was it like getting back into the studio after the time away?

Ellery: As you probably could imagine, it’s been a lot. The whole journey of reconnection has been really joyous. It’s been moving and sentimental, but it’s also been really difficult at times. We’re all particular personalities, and there’s a chemistry that comes through in music that’s sort of undeniable. But attending to the day-to-day relationships between the band is probably where the work’s been needed most.

It’s a strange, unique and beautiful situation to be in. I feel incredibly grateful that it’s happening. I didn’t think it would happen, and then it did unexpectedly. We all were just in a moment in our lives where it appealed.

How did those emotions present itself in the recording process of his new album? 

Ellery: Last year we made a whole record in Wales that we abandoned. There were about seven songs – that I think are really good songs – that aren’t on this record. They were much more about getting the band back together. I kept joking we were making an emo-dad rock record. Those songs were much more sentimental poppier and more melodic. But for whatever reason, that whole session kind of imploded. 

A couple months later we started writing a bunch of new songs that were more outward-looking and about the world, rather than just the microcosm of our friendships and that’s what this record became. It has a darker realism and different kind of energy. 

You talk about this big energy – what’s it been like going back on the road and seeing your fans?

Ellery: Each show is intense, overwhelmingly positive and very cathartic. When we were starting out, a lot of our fans were in their early 20s like we were, but now we’re all in our mid-30s, and there’s a… accumulative grief that life has turned out the way it’s turned out. That’s being cathartically expressed in the music and the crowd have felt like profound moments. The band thrives off the crowd’s energy; it’s a reciprocal relationship. It’s at the core of WU LYF.

Is the future of the band more stable now?

Ellery: There’s no strategy or a plan, but if people are engaged and we’re able to keep making records, I just hope we can sustain it and make it happen. The tides are on our side so we’ll ride it as far as we can. 

What message do you want to send to the industry?

Ryan: That another way is possible. If everyone’s too scared to do something, then nothing ever happens. You don’t have to live in the confines of the industry as it is with all the DSPs. You can do things differently, make something for yourself and keep ownership of everything. It’s a new way.

Ellery: I think we have so much more agency than we are led to believe, and we participate in so many destructive systems that are very, like, devaluing, and kind of harrowing for this soul. And it’s a choice.

Women thoroughly dominate the nominations for the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, announced Thursday morning (April 9).

This year’s four most-nominated artists are all women: Megan Moroney leads with nine nods, followed by Miranda Lambert (eight) and Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson (seven each). It’s the second year in a row that a female solo artist has led the nominations. Langley was out front last year with eight nods.

Lambert, the most decorated artist in ACM history, with 33 wins, may well collect even more trophies when the 2026 ACM Awards are presented at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 17. The show will stream live on Prime Video for the fifth consecutive year.

Lambert’s eight nominations are the most she has received in a single year since 2017. Lambert received her 17th nomination for female artist of the year, which allows her to pull ahead of Reba McEntire for the most nominations in the history of that category. McEntire was nominated 16 times from 1984 to 2018. The two artists share a nomination this year – music event of the year for “Trailblazer,” which they recorded with Wilson. McEntire was nominated twice for her work on the record, as both an artist and a producer. These are her first ACM nods since 2021.

Moroney received her first nod for entertainer of the year, where she faces six repeat nominees. Chris Stapleton (who won in 2023) received his eighth nonconsecutive nomination in the category. Luke Combs, who has yet to win in the category, was nominated for the seventh year in a row. If Combs finally wins, he’ll complete what the ACM calls the Triple Crown, having previously won new male artist of the year and male artist of the year.

Morgan Wallen received his fourth consecutive entertainer of the year nod. He, too, has yet to win in the category. Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson and Wilson each received their third entertainer of the year nods. Wilson won the last two years. If she wins again this year, she’ll become the first person to win three years running since Jason Aldean won every year from 2016 to 2018. She’d be the first woman to ever win three years in a row.

Carter Faith’s Cherry Valley was a surprise nominee for album of the year. It’s the first debut album to be nominated in that category since Stapleton’s Traveller 10 years ago. (Zach Top‘s Cold Beer and Country Music, nominated last year, was his first country album, but he had a prior bluegrass release on another label. Maren Morris’ Hero, nominated in 2017, was her first major-label album, but she had released three previous albums.)

Faith’s album is competing with Wallen’s I’m the Problem, his third album in a row to be nominated in that category; Top’s Ain’t in It for My Health, his second album in a row to be nominated in that category; and albums by first-time category nominees Riley Green and Parker McCollum.

Wilson’s “Somewhere Over Laredo” is this year’s only work to receive nominations for single, song and visual media of the year. The song interpolates the melody of the Oscar-winning classic “Over the Rainbow,” which resulted in that song’s co-writers, Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, receiving posthumous ACM song of the year nominations. Arlen died in 1986; Harburg in 1981.

Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” and Top’s “I Never Lie” were nominated for both single and song of the year but didn’t land nods for visual media of the year.

Gavin Adcock, Shaboozey and Tucker Wetmore were nominated for new male artist of the year for the second year in a row. (They lost to Top last year.) Dasha was nominated for new female artist of the year for second year in a row. (She lost to Langley last year.) ACM rules allow artists two tries in these categories.

The ACM quietly dropped its new duo/group of the year category, which was won in 2024 and 2025 by Tigirlily Gold and The Red Clay Strays, respectively, because not enough qualified entries were submitted.

Brooks & Dunn received their 26th nomination for duo of the year (or equivalent categories in previous years), extending their likely unbeatable record. Other artists who added to their impressive nominations tallies in various categories are Rascal Flatts (their 14th nod for group of the year), Brothers Osborne (their 12th nod for duo of the year), Old Dominion (their 11th nod for group of the year), Stapleton (his 11th nomination for male artist of the year) and Ballerini (her ninth nod for female artist of the year). Ballerini has yet to win in that category. Unless she wins this year, she’ll join Anne Murray as the only artists to go 0-9 in that category. The widely-admired Canadian singer was nominated nine times between 1972 and 1986 without ever winning.

The year’s most-nominated male artist is Stapleton, with six nods, followed by Top (five), and Johnson and Green (four each). Stapleton is within striking distance of two big records. If he converts even one of his six nominations this year into a win, he’ll tie George Strait’s record for the most ACM Awards by a male artist (19). And if Stapleton wins male artist of the year, he’ll tie Merle Haggard’s record as the artist with the most wins in that category (six).

No group or duo received more than one nod.

This year’s most nominated non-artist is producer/songwriter Carson Chamberlain, who received three nods for his work with Top. Behind-the-scenes pros with two nominations each were Dann Huff, Charlie Handsome, Jessie Jo Dillon, Kristian Bush, Christen Pinkston, Wesley Stebbins-Perry and Tim Colfield.

Thelma & James were nominated for duo of the year. The duo is comprised of MacKenzie Porter and her husband Jake Etheridge. This is the fourth year in a row that a married couple has been nominated in this category. The War and Treaty was nominated the last three years. Deep ACM trivia: Porter was nominated for music event of the year three years ago as a featured artist on Dustin Lynch’s “Thinking ’Bout You.”

Here’s the complete nominations list for the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards.

Entertainer of the Year

Luke Combs

Jelly Roll

Cody Johnson

Megan Moroney

Chris Stapleton

Morgan Wallen

Lainey Wilson

Female Artist of the Year

Kelsea Ballerini

Miranda Lambert

Ella Langley

Megan Moroney

Lainey Wilson

Male Artist of the Year

Luke Combs

Riley Green

Cody Johnson

Chris Stapleton

Zach Top

Group of the Year

49 Winchester

Flatland Cavalry

Old Dominion

Rascal Flatts

The Red Clay Strays

Duo of the Year

Brooks & Dunn

Brothers Osborne

Dan + Shay

Muscadine Bloodline

Thelma & James

Album of the Year

[Awarded to artist(s)/producer(s)/record Company–label(s)]

Ain’t In It For My Health – Zach Top; Producer: Carson Chamberlain; Record Company-Label: Leo33

Cherry Valley – Carter Faith; Producer: Tofer Brown; Record Company-Label: Gatsby Records / MCA

Don’t Mind If I Do (Deluxe) – Riley Green; Producers: Dann Huff, Michael Knox; Record Company-Label: Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment

I’m The Problem – Morgan Wallen; Producers: Joey Moi, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Durrett; Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records

Parker McCollum – Parker McCollum; Producers: Frank Liddell, Eric Masse; Record Company-Label: MCA

Song of the Year

[Awarded to songwriter(s)/publisher(s)/artist(s)]

“A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton; Songwriters: Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Jenee Fleenor, Jesse Frasure; Publishers: I Wrote These Songs; Pink Dog Publishing; Songs for the Munch Music; Songs of Influence; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp

“Am I Okay?” – Megan Moroney; Songwriters: Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, Jessie Jo Dillon; Publishers: Big Ass Pile of Dimes Music; Big Music Machine

“Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley; Songwriters: Ella Langley, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor; Publishers: Bada Bing & Bada Langley Publishing; Little Louder Songs; Sony Music Publishing

“I Never Lie” – Zach Top; Songwriters: Zach Top, Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols; Publishers: Music and Magazine Publishing; Rio Bravo Music Inc; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing; Too Broke to Quit Music; Zach Top Music

“Somewhere Over Laredo – Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson, Andy Albert, Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg; Publishers: Concord Sounds; Dtown Boogie Music; Emi Feist Catalog Inc; Songs of Riser House; Songs of Wild Cat Well Music; Sony/ATV Countryside; Story Farmer; Tacklebox Music Publishing

Single of the Year

[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

“6 Months Later” – Megan Moroney; Producer: Kristian Bush; Record Company-Label: Sony Music Nashville / Columbia Records

“Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley; Producers: Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert, Ben West; Record Company-Label: SAWGOD / Columbia Records

“I Never Lie” – Zach Top; Producer: Carson Chamberlain; Record Company-Label: Leo33

“Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson; Producer: Jay Joyce; Record Company-Label: BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville / Broken Bow Records

“The Fall” – Cody Johnson; Producer: Trent Willmon; Record Company-Label: CoJo Music / Warner Records Nashville

Visual Media of the Year

[Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]

“6 Months Later” – Megan Moroney; Producers: Christen Pinkston, Wesley Stebbins-Perry; Director: CeCe Dawson, Megan Moroney

“A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton; Producer: James Stratakis; Director: Alexa King Stone, Stephen Kinigopoulos

“Cuckoo” -Stephen Wilson, Jr.; Producer: Tim Cofield; Director: Tim Cofield

“Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson; Producer: Katie Babbage; Director: TK McKamy

“The Fall” – Cody Johnson; Producers: Christen Pinkston & Wesley Stebbins-Perry; Director: Dustin Haney

Music Event of the Year

[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]

“A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton; Producer: Dave Cobb; Record Company-Label: Republic Records

“Amen” – Shaboozey & Jelly Roll; Producers: Danny Majic, Nevin Sastry, Sean Cook; Record Company-Label: Empire

“Don’t Mind If I Do” – Riley Green feat. Ella Langley; Producer: Dann Huff; Record Company-Label: Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment

“Trailblazer” – Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson; Producers: Tony Brown, Reba McEntire; Record Company-Label: MCA

“You Had To Be There” – Megan Moroney & Kenny Chesney; Producer: Kristian Bush; Record Company-Label: Sony Music Nashville / Columbia Records

Songwriter of the Year

Jessie Jo Dillon

Ashley Gorley

Charlie Handsome

Chase McGill

Blake Pendergrass

Artist-Songwriter of the Year

Luke Combs

Riley Green

Ella Langley

Megan Moroney

Morgan Wallen

New Male Artist of the Year

Gavin Adcock

Vincent Mason

Shaboozey

Hudson Westbrook

Tucker Wetmore

New Female Artist of the Year

Avery Anna

Mackenzie Carpenter

Dasha

Caroline Jones

Emily Ann Roberts

The ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.

With Nothing’s About To Happen to Me which dropped in February, Mitski’s recording career goes eight albums deep. There’s a sense she’s only getting started.

Following its release, Nothing’s About To Happen to Me debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart with nearly 43,000 equivalent album units earned, the singer and songwriter’s best week ever by units. That for an artist who has converted a massive presence on TikTok into pop star-level popularity.

Mitski’s fans adore her. And she is reaching out to them, everywhere, on this album cycle, for which Mitski has been something of a road warrior. She completed a six-night residency at New York’s multi-purpose cultural center The Shed, in addition to a Tansy House Installation; five nights at Hollywood High School; four nights at the Sydney Opera House as part of Vivid LIVE, and locked-in shows in Mexico City, Istanbul, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, London, Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore.

Mitski returned to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earlier year to perform “I’ll Change For You,” her first performance on the show since 2016, and last night (April 8) stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live, for a rendition of album track “If I Leave.”

Wearing a luxurious, faux leopard-skin coat, and a knee-length string of beads, the Japan-born artist was a picture of calm as her full band rocked out.

Mitski wrote all of the songs and performed all of the vocals on Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, which was produced and engineered by Patrick Hyland and mastered by Bob Weston, and features live instrumentation by The Land touring band and ensemble arrangements. The orchestra was recorded at Sunset Sound and TTG Studios, arranged and conducted by Drew Erickson, engineered by Michael Harris.

Her tour continues May 2 with a concert in Istanbul. Visit Mitski’s website for more, and watch her latest late-night appearance below.

Robert Plant, he’s still got it. Never any doubt.

The legendary Led Zeppelin frontman returned to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday evening (April 8), for something old, and something folky.

The British singer and his group Saving Grace performed Martha Scanlan’s “Higher Rock,” lifted from their self-titled debut covers album, released last September. The veteran artist and his bandmates stuck around for a bonus shot at the Zeppelin classic, “Ramble On.”

It’s the second time Plant has graced the Late Show stage in six months. Last November, he stopped by for a deep dive into The Lord of the Rings and the fantasy classic’s late author J.R.R. Tolkien. Hitting “Ramble On” was a neat tie-in. The song was originally recorded in 1969, appears on Zeppelin’s second studio album, and is said to have been inspired by LOTR.

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Earlier, in a sitdown with Colbert, Plant discussed the state of English folk music. He digs it, well, most of it. It’s become “quite healthy again. There’s a contemporary element of it,” he remarks in a “Colbert Before Air” edit. The American stuff, however, “it’s a lot more bloodthirsty and there’s a lot more treachery.” Sea shanties, nope.

Colbert’s beloved late-night show is scheduled to go off the air, for good, on May 21. The talk-show master isn’t folding with the end in sight.

Plant, one of many superstar entertainers booked for the last run, is one of the best to ever do it. Zep’s career spans nine albums and 12 years, effectively ending when drummer John Bonham died in 1980. Seven of those went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, and five are certified diamond by the RIAA, for 10 million units shifted in the United States. The blues-rockers were indicted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

Saving Grace was recorded between April of 2019 and January of 2025 in the Cotswolds region of England and on the Welsh Borders. Plant most recent collaborations have been with longtime creative partner Alison Krauss, with whom he went on tour last summer, and the Sensational Shapeshifters, which was active from 2012 to 2018.

Plant and Saving Grace (vocalist Suzi Dian, drummer Oli Jefferson, guitarist Tony Kelsey, banjo and string player Matt Worley, and cellist Barney Morse-Brown) will embark on a tour of Europe and the United States this summer and fall.

See the dates here.