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‘Men run away from vulnerability’
The Weeknd on blinding success, panic attacks and why The Idol was ‘half-baked’

Abel Tesfaye is arguably the world’s biggest pop star – so why is he thinking of wrapping up the Weeknd? As he releases soul-baring film Hurry Up Tomorrow, he charts his path through drugs, heartbreak and abandonment

‘He left an incredible mark’
How a festival organiser’s murder galvanised Venice’s underground music scene

‘Climate change is going to cull us as a species'
Folk hero Peggy Seeger on Bob Dylan, the ultimate love song and touring at 90

Pop-R&B superstar Ciara

I’ve never been a clique person – I’m my own clique

Why is Israel still in Eurovision? The answer is more complex than you might think

Chris West

Let’s get this party started!
Can you score douze points on our Eurovision quiz?

Reviews

Alexis Petridis's album of the week
Shanti Celeste: Romance – bright, beguiling tracks from a DJ who does what she wants

Shanti Celeste: Romance – bright, beguiling tracks from a DJ who does what she wants

The Callous Daoboys
I Don’t Want to See You in Heaven – gonzo mathcore troupe grab on to pop hooks

Experimental album of the month
Kara-Lis Coverdale: From Where You Came – quiet ecstasy from a composer without boundaries

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Spotlight

Diddy’s lawyers are banking on the ‘mutual abuse’ defence. Newsflash: it’s not a thing

Opinion

Diddy’s lawyers are banking on the ‘mutual abuse’ defence. Newsflash: it’s not a thing

Tayo Bero

Power isn’t equal in an unhealthy relationship. But it’s no surprise Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’s team is deploying the tactic

Classical

Classical album of the week
Brahms: Complete Symphonies – period-instrument plushness with modern-instrument refinement

Brahms: Complete Symphonies – period-instrument plushness with modern-instrument refinement

Feature
Mini masterpieces: why Mahler’s songs are marvels to rank alongside his symphonies

Concert review
The Excursions of Mr Brouček – Simon Rattle embraces Janáček’s baffling but beautiful opera

The Excursions of Mr Brouček – Simon Rattle embraces Janáček’s baffling but beautiful opera

Album review
Grisey: Vortex Temporum – bold, assertive interpretation of a masterly score

Grisey: Vortex Temporum – bold, assertive interpretation of a masterly score

Concert review
BBCNOW/MacMillan/Childs – James MacMillan’s nostalgic celebration of the euphonium

BBCNOW/MacMillan/Childs – James MacMillan’s nostalgic celebration of the euphonium

Opera review
Pimpinone – hot-to-trot comic opera from the underperformed Telemann

Pimpinone – hot-to-trot comic opera from the underperformed Telemann

Add to playlist

Add to playlist
Underground pop star Neggy Gemmy and the week’s best new tracks

Sauna fiends, space dogs and Jesus Christ Superstar:
It’s the 10 best Eurovision songs of 2025!

‘I’ve always had a soft spot for Lady Gaga’
John Lydon’s honest playlist

You may have missed

Eccentric musician Swamp Dogg at 82

There’s no sympathy for octogenarians

The genre-bending cult singer is the subject of an offbeat new documentary where he invites people into a long life filled with ups, downs and LSD

‘I’m burping? At least I didn’t fart!’
Ten things I’ve learned about ageing rockers

From Gene Simmons discussing lowgrade meatballs to Shaun Ryder comparing himself to Uncle Fester, Kate Mossman has spent her life interviewing rock stars of a certain age. What has she learned?

Who is behind the great rock’n’roll ripoff?
How Ticketmaster swallowed the live entertainment scene

From grassroots gigs to stadium shows, there’s no escaping the ticketing giant, making billions from hiking up prices (and whacking on fees)

‘I’ve met people with tattoos of it’
Andy Vella on shooting the Cure’s Boys Don’t Cry cover

‘The guitar, the hair, the mystery – I think I captured who the Cure are with this picture. When I showed it to Robert Smith and the band’s manager, they jumped up and down’

How we made
Kula Shaker on making Govinda: ‘Crowds would sing the lyrics as, “Go cash your giro giro”’

‘It was great to get a song that’s entirely in Sanskrit on Radio 1. It has a power that’s beyond us. We’re just the vessels’

‘A safe haven from racial violence’
Sinners shows the importance of juke joints

Ryan Coogler’s smash hit horror focuses on the opening of a juke joint, a one-time mainstay in Black southern culture

Live music this week

Bruce Springsteen
A roaring, rousing show that imagines a better America

A roaring, rousing show that imagines a better America

Steven Wilson
An interstellar sound voyage with Floydian grandeur

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