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An Electronic Record, a Disclosure Artifact, and the Genesis of Macrostate Transition Lab

 

Sienna Spiro’s breakout single “Die On This Hill” reached a defining moment today with the release of its official music video, arriving at the exact point when the song’s global momentum has surged to a new high.

Harry Styles will return to the global stage in 2026 with Together, Together, a seven-city residency tour promoted by Live Nation. The run will span 50 dates across Amsterdam, London, São Paulo, Mexico City, New York, Melbourne, and Sydney, taking place from May through December. Styles will only perform in these seven cities throughout 2026.

Hilary Duff returned to the stage for her first live show in more than 10 years on January 20, 2026, launching her Small Rooms, Big Nerves global run with a sold-out opening night at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

Plovdiv in Bulgaria, one of Europe’s oldest cities, will welcome a major new international music event with the launch of the PhillGood festival from 17 to 19 July 2026. The event brings together legendary artists, contemporary acts, and immersive cultural experiences at the city’s Rowing Canal.

Charles Kelley, Grammy Award-winning artist and one-third of the multi-Platinum trio Lady A, has announced a special one-night-only headline UK performance in London on March 5, set for Notting Hill’s iconic Tabernacle.

Tragically Magic, the professional name of hip hop artist and songwriter Chad Kinnear, has returned with the new single Aint Done Yet, marking his first release in nearly two years. The track opens what the artist describes as a three year farewell period leading up to his planned retirement after 2028.

“Luka,” the collaborative single from SUMiT and Lihtz, was released on January 15, 2026, through SUMiT //DNT Entertainment / Revolution Records / Priceovfame LLC, with distribution by The Orchard via Sony Music Entertainment. The track brings together two artists from different regional scenes, SUMiT from Worcester, Massachusetts, and Lihtz from Philadelphia, whose approaches to hip-hop overlap more in intent than in style.

Labrinth is back with a powerful new track, “God Spoke,” released today ahead of his forthcoming album, COSMIC OPERA ACT 1, due January 30 via Columbia Records. The song, just over 1 minute long, serves more as an introduction to the album than a full-fledged single, but its dramatic sound hints at an ambitious body of work to come.

Bruno Mars has turned his upcoming The Romantic Tour into a record-shattering event before the first stage has even been built. The global run has delivered the largest single-day ticket sales in Live Nation history across North America, Europe and the United Kingdom, while Ticketmaster confirmed a new platform record of 2.1 million tickets sold in a single day.

Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson have announced a co-headlining tour across North America set for this summer. The run brings together two of rock’s most recognizable figures for a 21-date outing expected to be one of the season’s major events. The tour opens on August 20 in West Palm Beach, Florida at iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre and travels through cities including Boston, Chicago, and Detroit before closing on September 20 in Concord, California at Toyota Pavilion at Concord. Gold-certified Mongolian metal group The Hu and the multi-platinum Los Angeles industrial rock band Orgy will appear as special guests on all dates.

 

Support from Todd Edwards, JADALAREIGN, Chloé Robinson, Malugi, Laurence Guy, and Mike Dunn

Television has long influenced music sales, but few programs have reshaped listening habits as dramatically as Netflix’s Stranger Things. The series has repeatedly pushed decades-old songs back into global charts, proving that a single well-placed scene can transform a catalog track into a modern hit.

Ella Mai opens a new chapter with “100,” a soulful and emotionally grounded R&B record that reinforces her reputation as one of the genre’s most dependable voices. Released via 10 Summers Records and Interscope Records, the single arrives alongside an official music video and serves as the first major release from her upcoming album Do You Still Love Me?, due February 6.

Ice Spice has found an unlikely but undeniable global hit with “Big Guy,” a playful track created for The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants that has exploded into a viral sensation driven largely by TikTok.

Gibson Custom has partnered with Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards to create a highly collectible version of one of rock music’s most iconic guitars, the 1960 ES-355. The collaboration introduces two editions of the same guitar, offering fans a rare chance to own a signed replica of Richards’ legendary instrument.

Natasha Hamilton, best known as a member of one of the UK’s most successful girl groups Atomic Kitten, is set to release her new single ‘Numb’ on January 16th.

Prince’s classic track “Purple Rain” has re-entered the UK Official Singles Chart at position 12 today. The song has seen a major resurgence in popularity following the finale of Stranger Things Season 5. Featured prominently in key scenes of the episode, “Purple Rain” experienced a sharp increase in global streams on Spotify.

Djo’s song “End of Beginning” has reached No. 1 on the UK Official Singles Chart today, marking the first chart-topper of his career in the UK. The track sits at the top of the chart for the week ending 15 January 2026, completing an unlikely rise for a song first originally released in September 2022.

From Los Angeles to Tokyo, meet the artists making waves in 2026

Pittsburgh artist Skorge Da Hoodlum is turning heads again with the release of his latest single, “Welcome to Eastside Pittsburgh,” a hard hitting track that captures the intensity and reality of his upbringing in the 412. Known for an unorthodox blend of passion, pain, street politics, dream chasing, and what he calls military grade life lessons, Skorge continues to carve out a space of his own within the hip hop landscape.