Shane MacGowan is gone, but absolutely not forgotten. A new, all-star music project is proof of that.

Announced today, March 12, a tribute album, entitled 20th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan, celebrating the impressive legacy of the late singer, songwriter and frontman of The Pogues.

Contributors to the collection include Damien Dempsey, David Gray, Dropkick Murphys, Hozier, Johnny Depp, Tom Waits, and Bruce Springsteen, who provides the album’s first single, a reimagined cut of “A Rainy Night in Soho.”

“Shane was all naked bottomless humanity. Threatening to force us to ask ourselves if we were living deeply, authentically,” remarks Springsteen, as “A Rainy Night in Soho” arrives on streaming platforms. “He was raw, hilarious, no apologies and profound. His soul was filled with the transgressive and ecstatic properties of the saints.”

MacGowan died on Nov. 30, 2023, aged 65 following a period of ill health. He left treasure in the form of song, his lyrics welcoming us into a gritty world away from the spotlight, articulating the hard lives of working class Irish immigrants, of finding love and hope in a dirty old town.

Born on Christmas Day 1957 in Kent, England to Irish parents, MacGowan was a force in London’s punk scene, and went on to form The Pogues in the early ’80s. The band mixed Celtic, folk and punk, quickly earning a reputation for high-energy, booze-soaked live performances at a time when New Wave, synth pop and big hair was dominating the music scene.

His gift was recognized with the prestigious Ivors Inspiration Award at the Ivor Novello Awards in 2018, a salute to his poetic songwriting and significant influence on his peers.

Perhaps fittingly, MacGowan passed in the weeks leading into Christmas, the season when the Pogues’ beloved holiday standard from 1987, “Fairytale of New York,” is often in heavy rotation, certainly in the U.K. and Ireland. It remains one of the most popular songs never to have reached the top of the U.K. chart, where it has a peak position of No. 2, and each December makes a regular march into the top 10.

The late artist’s longtime partner, Irish journalist Victoria Mary Clarke, was integral in putting together the 20th Century Paddy project, due out Nov. 13 through Rubyworks.

“Shane’s spirit and songwriting are eternally exalted through this glorious collection,” she remarks in a statement, “each song is uniquely and graciously interpreted by these beyond beautiful artists and his family are humbled by and thankful to each and every one of the musicians involved, to the delightful team at Rubyworks, and to John Kennedy without whom this would not have happened.”

As a songwriter, adds Rubyworks founder Niall Muckian, “Shane redefined the landscape for generations of artists; it is a privilege to provide a home for this work and ensure his poetic voice continues to reach audiences around the world.”

The album is available for pre-order, including a limited edition “Deluxe Bookpack” featuring 3LPs, 2CDs and a 56-page book of memorabilia and liner notes.

With the release, 50% of artist royalties will be donated to Dublin Simon Community to provide lifesaving housing and healthcare for those experiencing homelessness. “Shane’s empathy for people sleeping rough in Dublin was well known,” explains Catherine Kenny, CEO, Dublin Simon Community. “He never hesitated to stop, acknowledge, and share a moment with someone on the street.”

MacGowan was a long‑time supporter of the charity. And in 2021, he performed at the Christmas Eve Busk which turned out to be his last live performance. At every Busk since, explains Kenny, one of his songs has been played in tribute.

20th Century Paddy, reps say, is an album MacGowan had always wanted to make himself.

Stream Springsteen’s version of “A Rainy Night in Soho” and check out the artist lineup for 20^th Century Paddy – The Songs of Shane MacGowan. Other artists will be announced in due course.

Amble
Bruce Springsteen
Camille O’Sullivan
Cronin
Damien Dempsey
David Gray
Dropkick Murphys
Garron Noone
Glen Hansard
Hozier & Jessie Buckley
Johnny Depp & Imelda May
Johnny Mac and The Faithful
Kate Moss
Liam Ó Maonlaí
Lisa Moorish & Another Day
Lisa O’Neill
LYRA
Madra Salach
Moya Brennan
Mundy
Picture This
Pinch of Snuff
Primal Scream
Steve Earle
The High Kings
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Libertines
The Murder Capital
The Pogues
Tom Waits

A Flock of Seagulls has landed with BMG, an arrangement that sees the music company acquire the ’80s British band’s publishing catalog and sound recordings.

Announced today, March 12, BMG now controls the band’s publishing rights in the United States and participates in publishing income globally. In addition, the independent music enterprise acquires the worldwide ownership of the sound recordings for A Flock of Seagulls’ classic studio albums — A Flock of Seagulls (1982), Listen (1983), The Story of a Young Heart (1984), and Dream Come True (1986).

Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Thanks to a run of hits, a style that couldn’t possibly come from this planet, and frontman Mike Score’s unmistakable, impossible hairstyle, A Flock of Seagulls was a torchbearer for the New Wave movement.

For a time in the early-to-mid 1980s, they were one of the outstanding acts of the second “British Invasion.”

“We chose to partner with BMG because we believe in its vision to elevate and extend our music to new audiences and generation,” Score says of the BMG deal. “We are gratified by their passion and commitment to our music and legacy.”

Formed in Liverpool in 1979, the group made the leap into the mainstream with 1982’s “I Ran (So Far Away),” a song that filled the airwaves and dancefloors.

Although the band didn’t set the charts alight in their homeland, they made an notable impact across the Atlantic where “I Ran” cracked the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, one of their four hits on the U.S. chart (including three top 40s). The group secured a top 10 appearance on the Official U.K. Singles Chart with 1982’s “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You).”

The band’s look and sound continues to resonate in pop culture (Adam Sandler referenced Score’s hair in the 1998 romcom The Wedding Singer). According to music historian the Professor of Rock, the best song of the year 1983 belonged to A Flock of Seagulls, with “Space Age Love Song.”

“A Flock of Seagulls pushed New Wave into widescreen territory, pairing cinematic synths with a bold visual identity that redefined what pop could look and sound like,” remarks Dan Baxter, senior VP, global catalog recordings. “Their expansive, immersive records helped define the MTV era and left a clear imprint on generations of alternative and electronic artists. These recordings still resonate across generations, and we’re proud to bring their ambition and atmosphere to new audiences worldwide.”

A Flock of Seagulls and the individual band members were represented by Peter Csathy of Deep Cuts Media.

The rumors were true. There will be a Bridesmaids cast reunion on the 2026 Oscars, to mark the 15th anniversary of the beloved hit comedy.

Cast members Maya Rudolph and current Oscar nominee Rose Byrne had already been announced as presenters, but the reunion is likely to also include Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, who were Oscar-nominated for best original screenplay and best supporting actress, respectively, for their work on the film.

Raj Kapoor, executive producer and showrunner for the Oscars, announced the reunion in a press conference with key members of the creative team that was held via Zoom on Wednesday (March 11). “We are very excited to announce that we have a Bridesmaids reunion that is going to be very special. And there’s also going to be a Marvel reunion for the superhero fans. So we’re gonna have superstars and superheroes. And there is also going to be an extraterrestrial on the stage. So, you can figure that one out.”

Jacqueline Coley, awards editor for Rotten Tomatoes, moderated the press conference, which was held four days before the live telecast on Oscar Sunday.

Participants included:

Conan O’Brien, host
Raj Kapoor, executive producer and showrunner
Katy Mullan, executive producer
Michael Bearden, music director
Misty Buckley, production designer
Mandy Moore, supervising choreographer

As previously announced, just two of this year’s five nominated songs will be performed live on the telecast, but those performances are being built into show highlights.

The KPop Demon Hunters segment begins with a fusion of traditional Korean instrumentalists and dance, celebrating the folklore and cultural inspiration that anchors the story behind this animated blockbuster. EJAE, AUDREY NUNA and REI AMI, the singing voices behind HUNTR/X and Billboard‘s newly crowned 2026 Women of the Year, will perform the film’s Oscar-nominated song “Golden.”

The Sinners segment explores the role music plays in the film’s storytelling. Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq will perform the Oscar-nominated song “I Lied to You.” They will be joined by Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey and Alice Smith.

The show will also include appearances by Josh Groban and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

The 98th Oscars will air live on ABC and stream live on Hulu on Sunday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, with the official live red carpet show airing at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. The show will again be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

Here are selected highlights from this year’s press conference.

Raj Kapoor on rethinking how the show handles music performances: “We’re looking towards 100 years coming up, but this year we wanted to refresh, reimagine, just have a new vision for the show and part of that is really how we celebrate some of our music performances. This year, we are doing them in a very different way. We are celebrating the films. And so this year we chose Sinners because it’s the most nominated film ever and has a beautiful music story. It’s not just about the song, it’s really how Ryan [Coogler] integrated music and wove that into the entire story. It’s a really beautiful package. We are celebrating that film with the film’s costumer, Ruth [E. Carter], [who] has come on board to help us. We have Aakomon [“AJ”] Jones, who is the film’s choreographer, working with us. We have that music team that as well. [It] has like, not only given us the gift of that score, but that song. And then we have all these amazing cast members, plus new people that weren’t even in the film coming in to help celebrate that. So we’ve kind of like blown it up. And, you know, we have the lovely Misty Copeland making an appearance. We have all these talented dancers, and it’s going to be a real celebration, not only of the song, but of the film.

“And then one of the other performances that Mandy’s working on, KPop Demon Hunters, celebrated again for being an animated feature, but also like a global phenomenon, and we have this lovely story celebrating Korean culture with authentic Korean drummers and singers and even like choreography. So again, we’ve kind of like expanded our reach, and we’re telling like these global stories, celebrating international films that have had global impact and doing things in a really different way. … And so for us this year, it was this page turning, and then we are looking towards 100 years.”

Michael Bearden on Quincy Jones, who in 1971 became the Oscars’ first Black music director: “As a young boy growing up on the south side of Chicago and seeing Quincy Jones do it when I was a boy, and to be on the stage myself doing it, being inspired by him, it’s really a great thing. The thing I also love about working with Raj and Katy is they love music, and they have really good ears as to what they like, and want to hear, but they really revere it and want to shape it and the orchestra really feature us, and to still have live music on a show now is incredible to have.”

Conan O’Brien on the biggest misconception people would have about hosting the Oscars: “I think maybe it would be that it’s not just about being funny in moment to moment. It’s also about acknowledging what this is about in a larger sense. And as the host, I’m sort of the human avatar, or whatever. I’m the entryway for the person watching at home and the person who the audience member can relate to, or the person watching at home can relate to. So that’s a part of the job. And sometimes there are moments where it’s my job to move us along to the next moment. It’s not necessarily about being 100% funny all the time. And so I think that is part of the job that I kind of enjoy, and that, I think, is in sync with Raj and Katy, that they want this to be, you know, a warm, human, real, organic experience. You know, we talk a lot on this stage about prep and design and getting everything just a certain way, and practice, practice, practice. But when this show happens, it is an organic thing. It’s unfolding in real time, and there’s life in it, and so we will respond to things that happen in the moment, and the show will be a living organism for better or worse.”

Katy Mullan on the show’s core message: “I mean, I think that if there’s a message throughout the show, it’s about the fact that we all share these same universal connections, truths and stories, and that what’s amazing about the nominees this year is there is a foreign film, and international film in every single category. So that just shows you actually, that even though the world can feel really divided, that through cinema, all of these stories actually connect us. So I think that that and we work a lot with the incredible presenters that come out on stage to say something personal and from the heart meaningful to them so that we can have moments of, you know, humor, but also moments of heart. So I think there’s a lot hopefully that will just come across that makes people feel like they’re sitting in front of their TV, but they’re also sitting with, you know, millions of people around the world and feeling connected by these films.”

Raj Kapoor on the focus on Sinners: “It has really been so much of a collaboration between the film team and the Oscar team. So we were lucky enough to even do something with Ryan. We’ve been working with their music team, their choreography team, their costume team, and so it is bigger than we’ve ever gone before, and it’s been such a welcoming environment that the show is not separate from the film. And so we hope what we put on stage feels very well represented and is captured in as beautiful of a way as the way that they were able to tell their story.”

Conan O’Brien on whether the show will venture into political topics: “Well, I can’t speak for the whole show. I can speak for myself when I say that my philosophy is that I’m, first of all, it’s, I’ve never thought of it as my show. I’m the host, which is a very specific task, and I’m brought in to do a host job, which is, I think, to put people at ease, make people laugh. And yeah, last year, we acknowledged some of the things that were going on in Los Angeles that had really impacted our whole creative community with the fire. And I think that that what’s happening in the world will be reflected throughout the show. My job is to always try and hit this very, very thin line, I think, between entertaining people and also acknowledging some of the realities. So, it is a dance. It’s a dance that goes on up until the show begins. I’ve been working for a really long time on material for the show with my writers, and it’s still evolving, because we live in a very fast-paced world. So jokes we thought of two months ago are irrelevant now, and there might be things that happen this week that will find their way into the show. So that is something where, like any chef, you make adjustments as you go, and that’s what we’re going to be doing. And so all I can say is, I’ll use my best judgment, and I also have a great sounding board here with Raj and Katy, and I think between us, we will find the right tone and the right places.”

Conan O’Brien on preparation: “I’m a big believer in prepare, prepare, prepare, and then it’s time to throw all that away. As soon as I get the word that it’s time to hit the stage, it’s time to be present for those people in that audience, for that show that’s happening. And so I try to let all of that fall away when I get out there, because we work hard. We do the preparation, and then you have to let this thing breathe. You know, it’s a bottle of wine. You got to open it up. You got to let it breathe….  I think for me, it’s to remember that people make a big deal out of ‘It’s the Oscars’ and ‘What are you going to do?’ And this is so important, but you have to remember at the end of the day, it’s not that different from making a room full of people laugh when I’m a guest at a wedding or working on the Groundlings stage when I was starting out, or any of the million other things I’ve done. About being myself in that moment and being true to myself. And I believe that that is my job and that and if something happens, respond to it as I would respond to anything as myself. That’s the most important thing. And so all the preparation is necessary, and then you just got to let it go and go out there and let my natural, low self-esteem take over.”

It really is so easy to fall in love with Olivia Dean.

The English singer/songwriter became a global household name with the mainstream success of “Man I Need,” the third single from her second studio album The Art of Loving. The track, the first by the singer to make the Billboard Hot 100, debuted at No. 82 before rising to No. 2. The song also reached No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart.

Dean delivered a heartfelt performance of the hit song at the 2026 Grammys before taking home the award for best new artist.

Below are the lyrics to Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need.”

Talk to me, talk to me
Talk to me, talk to me
Hm

Looks like we’re making up for lost time
Need you to spell it out for me
Bossa Nova on all night
It’s like a type of alchemy
Introduce me to your best friend
I can come and slot right in
A satellite ain’t even that far
I, I kinda wonder where you are

Already know I can’t leave it alone
You’re on my mind, mm
Already gave you the time and the place
So, don’t be shy

Just come be the man I need
Tell me you got something to give, I want it
I kinda like it when you call me wonderful
Whatever the type of talk it is, come on then
I gotta know you’re meant to be the man I need
Talk to me
Talk to me

Mm, talk to me, talk to me
Be the man that I need, baby
Talk to me, talk to me
Be the man that I need, need, need
Mm, talk to me, talk to me
Be the man that I need, baby
Talk to me, talk to me
Be the man, man, man, man, man

I’d like to think you feel the same way
But I can’t tell with you sometimes
So, baby, let’s get on the same page
Stop making me read between the lines

Already know I can’t leave it alone
You’re on my mind, mm
Already gave you the time and the place
So, don’t be shy

Just come be the man I need
Tell me you got something to give, I want it
I kinda like it when you call me wonderful
Whatever the type of talk it is, come on then
I gotta know you’re meant to be the man I need
Talk to me, talk to me
Talk to me, talk to me

Mm, talk to me, talk to me
Be the man that I need, baby (be the man)
Talk to me, talk to me
Be the man that I need, need, need
Mm, talk to me, talk to me
Be the man that I need, baby (be the man)
Talk to me, talk to me
Be the man, man, man, man, man

Mm
Mm, mm
Mm, mm

Lyrics licensed & provided by LyricFind
WRITERS
Zachary Nahome, Tobias Macdonald Jesso, Olivia Lauryn Dean
PUBLISHERS
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Following the success of their collaborative No. 1 album DINASTÍA, Peso Pluma and Tito Double P dropped a deluxe edition of the set on Feb. 26 with four additional tracks, and all four debut on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart (dated March 14).

The deluxe edition arrived three months after the original 15-track DINASTÍA album, which dropped last December and quickly claimed the No. 1 spot on the Top Latin Albums chart (dated Jan. 10).

In addition to the five songs from the original DINASTÍA album already charting, four more re-enter, while the four new songs added to the deluxe edition debut on Hot Latin Songs. Leading the pack among the newcomers is “chiclona,” with corridos singer LENCHO, at No. 13. The song, whose music video was released last Wednesday (March 4), marks the highest entry, largely driven by 3.1 million official streams registered on the Feb. 27-March 5 tracking week, as reported by Luminate.

Thanks to Peso Pluma and Tito Double P’s reimagined version of LENCHO’s song released last November, Luis Lorenzo Ochoa, better known as LENCHO, breaks through six Billboard charts: No. 130 on the Billboard Global 200, No. 117 on the Global Excl. U.S., No. 13 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart and No. 4 on the Hot Regional Mexican Songs (both charts blend streaming activity, digital sales and radio airplay into its formula). Plus, the singer from Baja California Sur, logs a No. 13 start on Latin Streaming Songs and a No. 34 entry on the Emerging Artists tally. (The latter comprises the week’s most popular developing artists, using the same formula as the all-encompassing Billboard Artist 100, which measures artist activity across multiple Billboard charts, including the Hot 100 and the Billboard 200.)

But LENCHO is not the only chart breaker this week. Corridos tumbados performer and label mate El Randal, who previously collaborated with Peso Pluma and Tito Double P as a writer for the No. 2-peaking “Dopamina,” sees his first entry as an artist with “ganga” at No. 15 on Hot Latin Songs, No. 176 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 6 on Hot Regional Mexican Songs.

In addition to the new recruits and reentries, Peso Pluma and Tito Double P place 15 songs on the Hot Regional Mexican Songs chart, matching its previous record of 15 concurrent songs with a collaborative project in a single week achieved in January.

Here’s the collection of songs from the DINASTÍA (Deluxe) album on the current Hot Latin Songs chart:

No. 11, “daño”
No. 12, “dopamina”
No. 13, “chiclona,” with LENCHO (debut)
No. 14, “7-3”
No. 15, “ganga,” with El Randal (debut)
No. 19, “London,” with Armenta (debut)
No. 22, “ni pedo”
No. 28, “tú con él”
No. 35, “marianita,” with Rey Quinto (debut)
No. 38, “putielegante” (re-entry)
No. 41, “bckpckbyz” (re-entry)
No. 42, “intro” (re-entry)
No. 45, “billete” (re-entry)

The new Hot Latin Songs chart activity follows the kickoff of the Dinastía by Peso Pluma & Friends tour, which debuted with a sold-out show on March 1 in Seattle.