Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have officially announced they’re engaged. Their joint Instagram post, captioned with the cheeky line, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married”, was met with a tidal wave of adoration from fans worldwide.

ARIA Award-winning indie-rock powerhouse Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers are back with their second album GLORY, set for release on 7 November 2025 via Community Music / Mom + Pop. To mark the announcement, the band have dropped a fiery new single MOTHER, featuring guitarist Scarlett McKahey on lead vocals for the first time. Its accompanying video premieres tonight at 6pm AEST (27 August 2025) on YouTube.

Tom Curtain has built a career out of telling the stories of rural and regional Australia. A multiple Golden Guitar winner, horseman, outback entertainer, and founder of the Katherine Outback Experience, Curtain is as comfortable in the saddle as he is on the stage. With his sixth studio album Here’s To You set for release on 22 August 2025 via ABC Music, Curtain once again shines a spotlight on the people, landscapes and experiences that make the bush what it is.

Australian surf-rock duo Hockey Dad have unveiled their brand-new single All Hat No Cattle today, alongside the announcement of their forthcoming EP The Clip, which will be released independently on 12 September.

ARIA-nominated songwriter and storyteller Mo’Ju will release a landmark live album, Mo’Ju with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (Double J Live at the Wireless), on Friday September 26 via ABC Music. Recorded at Melbourne’s Hamer Hall in 2023, the project captures Mo’Ju’s songs reimagined with the grandeur of a full symphony orchestra, cementing another milestone in a career defined by bold reinvention.

Melbourne heavy innovators Thornhill will return to home soil in 2026 for their biggest headline tour yet, celebrating their acclaimed 2025 album Bodies with a run of national shows in February. Joining them will be rising American star Amira Elfeky, Japanese genre-breakers Paledusk, and Melbourne’s own Heavensgate.

Aotearoa punk agitators Dick Move have announced the release of their third studio album Dream, Believe, Achieve, due out 14 November via 1:12 Records and Flying Nun Records. The band has also unleashed the snarling single ‘Nurses’, a furious protest anthem that takes aim at neoliberal policy and the chronic underfunding of frontline healthcare.

Jimmy O. Yang, the Hong Kong-born, Los Angeles-raised comedian who broke through on HBO’s Silicon Valley before finding global fame in Crazy Rich Asians, will return to Australia in late 2025 with his most ambitious stand-up shows yet.

Melbourne Youth Orchestras will debut The Big Busk in 2025, transforming Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market into a full-day celebration of music and fundraising on Saturday 20 September.

There are few voices in American music that carry the weight of history, faith, and resilience quite like Mavis Staples. Now 86, Staples is still moving forward with the same passion that has defined her life in music, announcing the release of her new album Sad And Beautiful World for November 7. Produced by Brad Cook (Bon Iver, Waxahatchee, Nathaniel Rateliff), the record is a sweeping celebration of survival and connection, featuring appearances from some of music’s greatest names.

A fresh and intimate window into Jimi Hendrix’s New York chapter has arrived with the nine-minute short film Jimi Hendrix’s New York, a companion piece to the expansive Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision deluxe box set.

Melbourne’s Live at the Gardens series will hit euphoric heights this November with a triple-bill of Australian electronic heavyweights. Miami Horror, Sneaky Sound System and Bag Raiders will join forces for a one-night-only dancefloor celebration under the stars at the Royal Botanic Gardens on Saturday, 29 November 2025.

Here are the major music events, births, deaths and album releases on this day in music for 27 August:

Salt-N-Pepa are, taking on Universal Music Group in a battle over copyright ownership that could reshape how legacy artists control their music. Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton launched their lawsuit earlier this year, accusing Universal of unlawfully blocking their attempts to exercise termination rights, provisions in U.S. copyright law that allow artists to reclaim their work 35 years after handing it over in early contracts. Salt-N-Pepa say they followed every legal step, yet Universal refused their claim.

Steve Martin has spent decades balancing comedy, acting, writing and music, but his love for the banjo has always been more than a hobby. On October 17, Martin will join forces with banjo trailblazer Alison Brown for their new collaborative album Safe, Sensible and Sane, a star-studded roots music project set to be one of the year’s most intriguing releases.

The Doors’ newly issued Live in Bakersfield, August 21, 1970 is one of the most compelling live documents to surface from the band’s archives in years. Released on both CD and limited edition vinyl, the concert captures Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore in a unique and unpredictable setting.

Manchester’s unsung pulse, drummer Mike Joyce, finally steps out from behind The Smiths’ jangly guitar riffs with his much-anticipated memoir, The Drums, due for release in November 2025.

Grammy-winning artist Lil Nas X, born Montero Lamar Hill, has found himself in serious legal trouble following a shocking early-morning arrest in Los Angeles.

Tom Waits’ Nighthawks at the Diner is being reissued for its 50th anniversary on October 24, with ANTI- Records pressing the landmark album onto three limited-edition yellow vinyl variants. More than just a re-release, this marks a celebration of one of the most unusual and defining recordings of Waits’ early career.

Berlin-based producer Mechatok, born Emir Timur Tokdemir in 1998, is set to make his Australian debut with a four-city headline tour in March 2026. Kicking off in Brisbane before heading to Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth, the tour marks a new chapter in the rising star’s career. Tickets go on sale at 11 am local time on Friday, 29 August.

British experimental-rock band Black Country, New Road have unveiled a new chapter and it's headed straight for Australia and New Zealand. Riding high on the acclaim surrounding their bold reinvention in Forever Howlong, the band will launch a limited yet highly anticipated run across six cities in February–March 2026.

Purple Disturbance, the fierce and uncompromising post-punk/alt-rock four-piece from New South Wales, have officially joined forces with New World Artists, the booking agency behind some of Australia’s most trailblazing acts. For a young band already turning heads with their volatile live shows and razor-edged songs, this deal puts them on a major platform heading into 2026.

Here are the major music events, births, deaths and album releases on this day in music for 26 August:

In a dramatic turn, rapper, songwriter, and trailblazing producer Missy Elliott narrowly avoided heading to trial in a long-running copyright dispute, reportedly settling the case mere minutes before a jury was due to be selected in a Pennsylvania federal courtroom.

Britain’s brightest new pop phenomenon, Arthur Hill, has confirmed that his electric stage presence will finally reach Australian shores with the “Stella AusTour”, marking his long-awaited Aussie debut. The London-based singer-songwriter is set to ignite crowds at three headline shows: The Triffid, Brisbane (14 January), Factory Theatre, Sydney (15 January), and Max Watts, Melbourne (16 January).

Better Lovers, the hardcore supergroup, featuring members of Every Time I Die, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Fit For An Autopsy, are finally bringing their live show Down Under, with six cities locked in for January 2026.

New Zealand’s Six60 are preparing to etch their name into Australian music history with a once-in-a-lifetime show on the iconic Sydney Opera House Steps. On Thursday 11 December 2025, the group will bring their stadium-sized sound to an intimate outdoor setting in the heart of Sydney Harbour, promising fans a night to remember.

The Pretty Reckless are back with a shiver-inducing new single, For I Am Death, a hauntingly powerful teaser of what lies ahead for the chart-topping band.

London’s indefatigable rock sage Pete Townshend recently granted AARP The Magazine a deeply revealing interview, with the questioning prowess of Jim Sullivan guiding him through reflections on The Who’s swan song and his exhilarating future ahead.

UB40 featuring Ali Campbell have added a Perth date to their Big Love World Tour after strong demand across Australia, bringing one of reggae’s most distinctive voices back to the West Coast. The show will take place at Kings Park & Botanic Garden on Sunday, 18 January 2026.