pop news

Melbourne singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Steph Strings will usher in a defining moment of her career in early 2026, with her debut album Feel Alive confirmed for release on Friday 9 January, 2026. The announcement arrives as Strings unveils a brand-new single, the brooding country-pop burner Devil Woman, showcasing a darker, cinematic side to the artist who first won hearts with her coastal folk and percussive guitar playing.

Australian instrumental icons Dirty Three will return to North American stages for the first time in 14 years, announcing a March-April 2026 tour across the United States and Canada. The run marks the Melbourne-formed trio's first extensive shows outside Australia since the release of their 2024 album Love Changes Everything, the band's first studio recording in 12 years.

Perth five-piece South Summit have lit another fuse under their fast-rising career, unveiling a bold sonic leap with their new single We Are.

A monumental new book will bring the full story of Australia's most loved music television program, Countdown, to life. COUNTDOWN - A Complete Episode Guide, a lavish 460-page hardcover coffee table book, will be released in the first week of December 2025, paying tribute to the show that shaped a generation and forever changed Australian pop culture.

Emerging alt-pop auteur Erin LeCount has returned with a beguiling new single, Machine Ghost, accompanied by a cinematic music video directed by Sam Taylor-Edwards. The 22-year-old singer, songwriter and producer, who writes and produces all her own material, solidifies her reputation as a singular voice in contemporary art-pop, with a track that sits gracefully between baroque-pop grandeur and a darker, gothic pop sensibility.

Australia's two signature outback music festivals are gearing up for a massive return in 2026 with stellar line-ups and desert spectacles that promise to reignite the magic. After a one-year pause, the Birdsville Big Red Bash returns July 7-9, while the Broken Hill Mundi Mundi Bash takes centre stage August 20-22, both unveiling rosters stacked with Australian music royalty.

Two of Melbourne's most promising young singer-songwriters, Aimee Isobel and Connor Stanton, have come together for a hauntingly beautiful new single, Rainy Weather, a powerful duet that explores heartbreak, healing, and self-discovery.