David Letterman loves The National: “I wish I could be Matt Berninger”

Caroline Polachek has shared her distaste for the label ‘female artists’, saying: “gender is not a genre.”In a new interview with The Telegraph, the singer – who released new album ‘Desire, I Want To Turn Into You’ back in February – said that gender isn’t something she considers in music she loves.Kate Bush, Björk and Fiona Apple were foundational to me, in terms of redefining what music could be. But no more so than Brian Eno, David Bowie, Pink Floyd and Radiohead,” she said.“What all these artists have in common is a very vivid sense of subjectivity.

Taylor Swift gave her track ‘I Think He Knows’ its live debut during her latest ‘Eras Tour’ show last night (May 21) – watch the footage below.The pop star was performing a third and final concert at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts where she delivered a mammoth 45-song set.Towards the end of the gig, Swift treated fans to the customary ‘surprise’ segment which sees her air two different songs acoustically in each city. It is often reserved for live debuts, rarities and collaborations.The singer’s most recent show included the first outing for the ‘Lover’ cut ‘I Think He Knows’, as well as the tour debut of the title track from her ‘Red’ album.

I Kissed a Boy, which is set in Italy and hosted by Dannii Minogue, has a similar premise to Love Island, but the twist is that the men who are coupled up have to kiss before they’ve even said hello to each other. Unsurprisingly, viewers have been hooked since the first episode aired and adorable contestants such as Jake from Swansea and Ollie from Brighton already have a firm place in our hearts.

The National in their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, has announced the line-up for its 2023 edition.The two-day event returns to Smale Park on September 15 and 16 and will, as ever, be headlined by the band themselves, who will play two unique headline sets. It will also play host to the likes of Patti Smith, Pavement and The Walkmen.Weyes Blood, Snail Mail, Bartees Strange, Arooj Aftab, Julia Jacklin, The Drin, Leo Pastel, Carriers, and Ballard all complete the line-up.“When we launched Homecoming in 2018, we were overwhelmed by the response from the community and by our renewed sense of connection to our hometown,” The National said in a statement [via Consequence of Sound].

Taylor Swift and Aaron Dessner debuted ‘Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve’ live in Nashville last night (May 8).Bringing out The National’s Dessner, who she described as a “kind, wonderful, genius”, they suprised fans by playing the ‘Midnights‘ track for the first time live.You can check out some fan footage of the moment here:

is finally back with season 2. The world's fiercest competition, which sees each drag queens debuting a new musical number in front of a live audience and a «Pop Dival Panel» of judges, returns to Paramount+ on Friday, June 2. And among this year's contestants are queens from nine countries including the United States, Mexico, Brazil, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Israel, the United Kingdom, Italy and Australia. Executive produced by RuPaul and hosted by Graham Norton, follows some of the world's most talented performers as they battle it out for global domination during head-to-head singing battles spotlighting their wide range of talent.

Ed Sheeran is ready to perform!

Kate Bush and Rage Against The Machine have each made statements about their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions. Earlier today (May 3), the two acts have been confirmed for the coveted placement alongside George Michael, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, and more.

Rage Against The Machine and Kate Bush have responded to the news that they are both part of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s Class of 2023.The list of this year’s inductees was revealed earlier today, with George Michael, Sheryl Crow, rap innovator Missy Elliott, The Spinners, and country legend Willie Nelson also set to join the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.Kate Bush had previously been nominated three times, in 2018, 2021 and 2022. Rage Against The Machine, meanwhile, were on their fifth nomination, having been nominated more times than any of this year’s other shortlisted artists.“It is a surprising trajectory for us to be welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Rage Against the Machine said in a statement.

Kate Bush, Missy Elliott, George Michael, and Rage Against the Machine will all be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, it has been confirmed. The Class of 2023 group also includes Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, and the Spinners. The 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Friday, November 3, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Nominees who felt more like usual suspects — including Soundgarden, the White Stripes, Iron Maiden, Warren Zevon and the new-wave mash-up of Joy Division/New Order — were all passed over this year.Instead, it is indeed a new order with three women leading the list — Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow and Missy Elliott — who couldn’t be more different, ranging from alt-rock to hip-hop. And rounding out the 2023 inductees are George Michael, a gay pop superstar; Willie Nelson, a country music icon; and the Spinners, a black R&B vocal group.Michael’s induction, coming seven years after the “Faith” singer died at 53, is the latest posthumous honor coming after Whitney Houston, the Notorious B.I.G., Nina Simone and Tupac Shakur in recent years.It’s certainly great to see Nelson — who just turned 90 last Saturday — get his flowers while he can still smell them.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Willie Nelson just got an only slightly late 90th birthday present: an impending induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The country music legend was one of seven music figures announced Wednesday morning as having been voted into the hall, along with Kate Bush, Rage Against the Machine, Missy Elliott, Sheryl Crow, George Michael and the Spinners. There are six more inductees beyond that list, with the distinction of being selected by a select Hall of Fame committee to join the seven performers who were voted in via general balloting. These are singer Chaka Khan, instrumentalist-producer Al Kooper and lyricist Bernie Taupin, all in the “musical excellence” category; pioneering rock guitarist Link Wray and hip-hop originator DJ Kool Herc in the “musical influence” division; and “Soul Train” TV host Don Cornelius as the recipient of the annual Ahmet Ertegun Award.

The National have shared their ninth studio LP, First Two Pages of Frankenstein. At the center of the 11-track project is a cut featuring twin band members Aaron and Bryce Dessner’s frequent collaborator, Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift paid tribute to The National by playing ‘coney island’, on which they guested, for the first time on the latest stop of her ‘Eras’ tour.The song, taken from her 2020 album ‘evermore’ was played along with ‘The Other Side Of The Door’ from ‘Fearless’ as part of the “surprise song” segment of the show, which made a stop last night (April 28) in Atlanta, Georgia. Swift is set to play two further shows there tonight and tomorrow (April 29-30).Before playing the song, Swift took a moment to shout out the Aaron Dessner-fronted band on the day that their new album, ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’, was released.“This band has influenced me beyond my ability to verbalize how much they’ve influenced me — just lyrically, their ability to set a scene, their ability to tell a story,” Swift said.

The National’s Aaron Dessner has defended working with Ed Sheeran on his upcoming album ‘–’, saying he’s “tired of the ‘what’s cool?’ debate.”Dessner co-wrote and co-produced Sheeran’s ‘-’ (‘Subtract’), which is due out May 5.“For the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life,” Sheeran said when he announced his sixth album. It was written when the musician was “spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety”.In a new interview with The Guardian, Dessner said that he wanted to bring out “the vulnerability and emotion in [Sheeran] to make music that would not normally be his inclination”.“I didn’t feel the need to try to make pop music,” Dessner added.The pair worked on 32 songs together in a studio in Kent, with 14 of them making it onto the album.

The race for next week's Official Albums Chart Number 1 hasn't even started yet, and already the battle lines are being drawn! 

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Ed Sheeran has announced details for the “- Tour” (pronounced “Subtract Tour”), a special run of dates set to take place in theaters and auditoriums in 14 cities across North America. The shows, mostly with singer-songwriter Ben Kweller in support, will take place in between dates on his massive stadium tour — titled  “+ – = ÷ x Tour” (pronounced “Mathematics Tour”) — which was announced last fall. Sheeran is using Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan technology for the theater dates. Registration opens on Friday, April 28 at 10 a.m. ET and closes on Sunday, April 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The Verified Fan onsale is set to begin on Tuesday, May 2 at 10 a.m. local venue time.

The perfect partnership. Taylor Swift teamed up with The National on their latest album — and fans are already dissecting the heartbreaking duet following her split from Joe Alwyn.

The National have shared a lyric video for their new song with Taylor Swift, ‘The Alcott’.READ MORE: The National on pulling back from the brink: “It’s felt fragile before, but this time was different”The single is taken from their newly-debuted album, ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’, which was released today (April 28), and sees the indie five-piece team up with pop icon Taylor Swift.Now, the band have shared an official lyric video for the emotional track, which also features in-studio footage of the band and Swift. Check it out below.Ahead of the release of their ninth studio album, The National spoke to NME about the inspiration behind the LP, and their long-running relationship with the ‘Anti-Hero’ singer — which first formed over a decade ago.According to the members, Aaron Dessner sent Swift the song shortly after it was written, and she responded within half an hour, making it into the track it is today.

James Cordenbid farewell to after eight years. The 44-year-old British late-night host had a star-studded lineup for his send-off and even shed quite a few tears.