The early life and times of late Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor will be the subject of an upcoming biopic. According to Variety, the project covering O’Connor’s origin story is being helmed by Irish production company ie: entertainment, which executive produced and worked with the singer on the 2022 O’Connor documentary Nothing Compares; O’Connor died in July 2023 at age 56 of natural causes.

Among the reported co-producers on the film are Irish indie film production company Nine Daughters (God’s Creatures, Lady Macbeth) and See Saw Films (Slow Horses, The Power of the Dog). At press time spokespeople for O’Connor and ie:entertainment had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on the film.

Variety reported that the movie has been in the works since the release of the earlier doc, with Josephine Decker (Shirley) tapped to direct a script by Irish writer Stacey Gregg (Here Before, Ballywalter), with former Robbie Williams manager and music industry veteran Tim Clark on board as an executive producer through ie: entertainment. BBC Films is funding the film’s development.

The film will reportedly focus on O’Connor’s early life and journey through the music industry, telling the story of how “one young woman from Dublin took on the world, examining how her global fame may have been built on her talent, but her name became synonymous with her efforts to draw attention to the crimes committed by the Catholic Church and the Irish state.”

O’Connor burst onto the music scene in 1987 with her genre agnostic debut album, The Lion and the Cobra, which mixed beat-driven pop, goth rock, confessional folk, shoegaze and ethereal chants. The singer’s shocking bald headed look and powerful vocals on songs such as the college rock hit “Mandinka” and the jangly “I Want Your (Hands on Me)” made her an instant fascination and landed her a Grammy nomination for best female rock vocal performance.

From the beginning, O’Connor was a voice to be reckoned with, never holding her tongue or pulling punches when it came to calling out injustice or the abuse of power. She became a reluctant global superstar thanks to her Grammy-winning 1990 sophomore album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, which featured her beloved cover of the Prince-written “Nothing Compares 2 U.”

The intense scrutiny sometimes proved to be a struggle for O’Connor, who was an outspoken critic of the Catholic church and famously ripped up a picture of then Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live in 1992 while saying “fight the real enemy” nearly a decade before John Paul publicly acknowledged the Catholic Church’s long history of child sex abuse. O’Connor — who said she suffered sexual and emotional abuse as a child — was criticized by the likes of Madonna, actor Joe Pesci and the Anti-Defamation League for the action and two weeks later was booed during a 30th anniversary tribute concert for Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden.

The singer went on to release eight more albums during a career, jumping from reggae, to traditional Irish songs and fairly straight-ahead pop.

The O’Connor biopic will come amidst a recent bumper crop of re-tellings of famous rock and pop legends, including the Queen film Bohemian Rhapsody, the Elton John biopic Rocketman, last year’s Bob Dylan A Complete Unknown, as well as the upcoming Bruce Springsteen film Deliver Me From Nowhere, a quartet of Beatles movies in 2028 and either a TV series of film version of Madonna’s early years.

Despite his status as a pop culture icon for close to 50 years now, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic has claimed he’s not terribly bothered about being overlooked by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Speaking to Vulture, Yankovic was asked to share his pitch to the Rock Hall to “do the right thing and induct” him, though the musical parodist seemed somewhat resigned to never being inducted when he replied, “The Rock Hall is going to do what they’re going to do.”

“They’re obviously expanding the boundaries of what constitutes rock and roll when they make their decisions,” he explained. “If they’re going to ever pick a comedic entry, I’d like to think I’d be considered for that. If they pick another accordion-playing parody writer ahead of me, I’d be upset. 

“I don’t lose any sleep over having not been nominated. Right now, there aren’t millions of people saying, ‘Why isn’t he in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?’ And I’d prefer that to having millions of people saying, ‘Who let that jerk in there?’”

Despite Yankovic having been eligible for inclusion into the Rock Hall since 2005, he’s yet to be nominated on any annual ballot. However, chairman John Sykes did admit in December that the influential musical satirist has “come up in conversations” over the years.

“He’s a genius,” Sykes explained. “He has made brilliant versions of the songs, but I’ll be honest: He’s never made it close to the ballot.”

Comedian John Mulaney shared his thoughts on Yankovic’s absence from the Rock Hall earlier this year, reflecting on how the likes of Chubby Checker are to be inducted this year, given his debut single “The Class” has been classified as a novelty song.

“I’m a big proponent of novelty music,” Mulaney admitted. “I’m a big proponent of ‘Weird Al’ getting into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This is one step closer, though I don’t know why they need to be led via steps. ‘Weird Al’ brought more people to music than is recognized at all.

“I will, in fact, greatly devalue my coolness by saying [when I was young], it wasn’t until ‘Smells Like Nirvana’ defanged ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ that I could enjoy ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit,’” Mulaney added. “It was scary at first. It just was like, ‘I’m pretty happy, I’m a kid.’ I needed a way in. And after you laugh at ‘Smells Like Nirvana,’ you go, ‘Oh, this is a really good song.’”

This year’s Rock Hall inductees include the likes of The White Stripes, Outkast, Soundgarden, Bad Company, Cyndi Lauper, and more.

The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction will be live on Saturday, Nov. 8 at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. The 2025 ceremony will once again stream live on Disney+, with a special airing on ABC at a later date and available on Hulu the next day.

Australian indie-rock outfit The Temper Trap have made a grand return, sharing “Lucky Dimes” as their first original single in nine years.

Released on Thursday (Aug. 14), the new track is described as something of a step forward for the Melbourne quartet, with a heavier edge being made present thanks to frenetic guitarwork and thumping percussion.

Paired with a video directed by Melbourne-based creative Joey Clough, the new single was crafted alongside Grammy-nominated producer Styalz Fuego, who has previously worked with the likes of Charli XCX and Troye Sivan.

“Good to know that 9 years after the last one, we still have something to say,” said vocalist and guitarist Dougy Mandagi. “It’s been an absolute pleasure creating this record and we can’t wait to share it with you, not to relive the past but to write the next chapter.”

The Temper Trap first formed in Melbourne in 2005, signing to revered local stable Liberation Music the following year. The group’s debut single, 2008’s “Sweet Disposition,” was a minor hit on the indie scene, gaining prominence thanks to its use in the Marc Webb-directed 2009 film 500 Days of Summer.

The song’s profile resulted in a No. 1 position on the Dance/Mix Show Airplay charts, a No. 3 showing on the Dance Club Songs, and a peak of No. 17 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts.

Their debut album, 2009’s Conditions would reach the top ten in their native Australia, though 2012’s self-titled effort would become their first of two consecutive records to top the charts in Australia, while also generating a No. 83 placing on the Billboard 200.

The group’s most recent album was 2016’s Thick as Thieves, which has been followed by a number of remixes in recent years, alongside a cover of The Church’s “Under the Milky Way” in 2023.

In late July, “Sweet Disposition” also received newfound attention when it was voted into No. 11 on triple j’s Hottest 100 of Australian Songs countdown.

Watch The Temper Trap’s “Lucky Dimes” below.

Adelaide’s Harvest Rock festival will return to the South Australian capital this October, with The Strokes and Jelly Roll announced as the event’s big headline names.

The two-day multi-genre affair will take place at Adelaide’s Rymill & King Rodney Parks across the weekend of Oct. 25-26, having returned following a fallow year in 2024.

Initial plans for the festival’s lineup to arrive on Tuesday (Aug. 12) were delayed, with organizers reading the big reveal with a cryptic message to fans. “We know you were expecting the Harvest Rock lineup today, so, is this it?” they wrote. “Not quite yet. It’s hard to explain, but the lineup is still coming. More soon.”

The usage of the phrase “Is this it” led to speculation that the 2025 event would be headlined by NYC rockers The Strokes, in reference to their 2001 debut record. The thinly-veiled tease turned out to be an easy nut to crack, with the group leading the charge as the first night headliners in an Australian exclusive.

The second day will be headlined by Jelly Roll, whose recently-announced Australian tour inconspicuously left a “TBA”-sized hole for his Adelaide date. Tourmates Shaboozey and Drew Baldridge will also appear on the lineup for the second day.

The War on Drugs (in another Australian exclusive) and M.I.A serve as international guests for the first day, with Groove Armada joining in that same category on the second day.

The remainder of the lineup largely comprises celebrated Australian names, such as Vance Joy, Lime Cordiale, Wolfmother, The Presets, Royel Otis, PNAU and much more.

Since its 2022 debut, Harvest Rock has positioned itself as a key player in the mid-size boutique festival market, offering a city-based alternative to Australia’s increasingly competitive national festival circuit.

Big names such as Jack White, The Black Crowes and Khruangbin appeared on the debut edition of the festival, while Jamiroquai, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Beck and Bright Eyes featured on its second outing.

Following a year off in 2024, it was confirmed on Aug. 1 that the festival would return with support from the state government and an expanded vision.

Harvest Rock Festival Director Ryan Sabet described the 2025 edition as part of a long-term strategy to integrate large-scale live entertainment with regional cultural capital. 

“We’re thrilled to see Harvest Rock return to its Adelaide home to deliver a festival that brings global stadium-sized artists to South Australia, while also championing the region’s world-class food, wine and culture for interstate guests,” he explained. 

“Harvest Rock not only drives tourism and benefits local businesses, but offers a unique festival experience for all ages across the local community and beyond.”

During her wide-reaching conversation with boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce on the New Heights podcast Wednesday (Aug. 13), Taylor Swift opened up about her new album, The Life of a Showgirl — which she says is a deep dive into what was going on “behind the scenes” of her life while she was on The Eras Tour.

After more than an hour of discussing reclaiming her masters, falling in love with Travis and taking care of her father after heart surgery, Swift finally pivoted to the subject of her 12th studio LP (arriving Oct. 3) toward the end of the new episode. Revealing that she crafted all 12 songs on the project while she was on her global Eras trek, the 14-time Grammy winner said she would fly to Sweden to work with producers Max Martin and Shellback — her only collaborators on Showgirl — whenever she had a few days off from performing.

“I was so mentally stimulated and excited to be creating,” she gushed. “[The album is] a lot more upbeat, and it’s a lot more fun pop excitement. My main goals were melodies that were so infectious, you’re almost angry at it.”

“We’ve made songs that I’m so proud of,” she continued of herself, Martin and Shellback. “We’ve never actually made an album before where it was just the three of us, there’s no other collaborators. It felt like catching lightning in a bottle. These guys, they’re just geniuses. Working with them again was absolutely incredible.”

Swift added that all 12 songs are “bangers” — akin to past hits she made with the Swedish pop pioneers, such as “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space” — and that they detail “what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour.”

The premise of Showgirl documenting Swift’s life over the course of her two-year Eras Tour will certainly intrigue fans. In addition to setting numerous records and captivating millions of fans each night on the road, the pop star went through several changes in her personal life — from breaking up with longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn to sparking up a romance with Travis.

And, as opposed to last album The Tortured Poets Department, which spent 17 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Swift asserted on the podcast that Showgirl will feature no bonus tracks (but the “crisp” and “vivid” lyrics on the 12 songs that are featured, plus a Sabrina Carpenter duet on the title track, will surely keep fans satisfied regardless). “There’s no other songs coming,” she emphasized. “This is 12. There’s not a 13th … there’s not other songs coming. This is the record I’ve been wanting to make for a very long time.”

As Travis nodded excitedly, Swift added, “I care more about this record more than I can even overstate.”

Watch the full podcast below.