Reflecting on the Oscars and the limits of celebrity activism
For Zoë Saldaña, an Oscars win was the joyous crescendo of an incredible awards season. But it also became a stark indictment of Hollywood’s complex relationship with socio-political representation. Zoë Saldaña has enjoyed one of the most successful award season sweeps in recent memory, having taken home the prize for...
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Offset gearing up for Russian show against UMG boycott
Next month, rapper and musician Offset will perform in Russia, despite his label Universal Music Group having boycotted the country since 2022 due to the invasion of Ukraine. Offset is gearing up to perform in Russia next month. He is scheduled to appear on stage at MTC Live Hall...
Thousands of musicians are going silent in protest against AI
A new ‘silent album’ featuring the likes of Kate Bush and Damon Albarn is taking aim at UK government plans that would allow tech companies to mine the work of creatives. Over a thousand artists, including Kate Bush and Annie Lennox, have come together to release a unique album – it’s...
Latest figures suggest Gen Z are less interested in live music
New data from global research company GWI indicates that young people are reducing the number of festivals they attend or avoiding them completely in 2025. It looks like live music could be on the decline, at least in the UK. New research by GWI suggests that Gen Z are...
Charli XCX wins five Brit Awards for Brat
Charli XCX won five Brit Awards this year, taking home best artist, album and song of the year. Her victory lap is a testament to authentic pop music and reflects Brat’s meteoric rise to mainstream success in 2024. The musician and artist Charli XCX has swept up the accolades at...
Why did the BBC take down ‘Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone’?
The British broadcaster has pulled its documentary on life in Gaza after reports it had featured a child whose father was Hamas minister. Until these claims are verified, officials from the BBC say the documentary will stay off the air. A documentary featuring children’s perspective on Israel’s war in Gaza...
Rock en Seine to rock on sustainably
If you’re looking for an environmentally conscious music festival that will deliver as much in terms of good vibes, great music and delicious food as it does in offsetting your carbon footprint, you need look no further. This year, as many keen music festival goers will already know, is the last year for the globally acclaimed annual Glastonbury festival - at least for a “fallow year”. Over summer 2026 the...
Why are so many musicians calling off shows and tours?
Drake has just announced he is cancelling the remainder of his Australia and New Zealand tour, with some debate as to whether he truly sold out every show. He isn’t the first to do so, either. What gives? Drake’s team has stated that all remaining shows on his Australia and New Zealand tour are to be cancelled. In a statement provided to Rolling Stone AU/NZ, a representative confirmed that the...
Mikey Madison’s celebration of sex workers is important
The ‘Anora’ star thanked the sex work community in her BAFTA acceptance speech. It was a powerful and timely call to arms for a profession so often misjudged and maligned. ‘You deserve respect and human decency’, Mikey Madison said as she took the BAFTAs stage in London last weekend. The 25-year-old, who exploded into the spotlight after an incredible leading turn in Sean Baker’s ‘Anora’, was accepting the award for...
Why Japan’s government created a state-mandated dating app
In light of the country's low national birth rates and worsening lonely deaths epidemic, a government-mandated dating app has been created for Japanese citizens. Can the state's involvement solve the cultural issues driving these worrying trends?
The declining birth rate in Japan has been declared by the country’s former prime minister Fumio Kishida as “the biggest crisis Japan faces”.
This so-called “crisis” is due to a number of factors including
