That time I asked Lulu for vocal warm-up tips.

I actually ran the same marathon but faster and also used a fake name so I’m sorry but you can’t look it up. You’re just gonna have to take my word for it

The top ten features three tunes from Demon Hunters, three from Sabrina Carpenter and three* from Olivia Dean. (*one is technically a feature with Sam Fender) and one song from Sombr. Olivia's occasional trio in the top ten has made her the first UK female turn since Adele to dominate in such a way.

Joy Crookes’s gorgeous new album Juniper is out today. So we had a big chat about how it’s inspired by Van Morrison and Marvin Gaye and artists who aren’t afraid to let their imperfections shine. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This is fascinating... One of Japan's biggest hitmakers agreed to a songwriting contest with an AI programme trained on his music. The pop band AKB48 recorded a song by each "composer" - and let fans decide which one to release as a single. The AI won. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I went record shopping with Mark Ronson, who’s just written a book about his early career as a DJ. Watch the whole thing on BBC iPlayer today! www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

For the first time ever, Queen are playing Bohemian Rhapsody with a full orchestra and chorus at the BBC Proms on Saturday. I was lucky enough to catch up with Brian May & Roger Taylor backstage to talk about the song’s legacy. Tune in tonight to see the spine-tingling performance #proms

A giddy review for a giddy concert: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A night out with Coldplay and the eldest daughter was the perfect antidote to an UNBELIEVABLY difficult work day. All the stress evaporated and floated away. 💜 ♥️ 💙

I love movies, Walter loves movies, I love Walter's writing about movies, and when Walter hates a movie, he really hates it with a righteous burning blowtorch of hatred. This is quite a read.

Your annual guide to the albums on the Mercury Prize shortlist. Two former winners, the shortest ever nominated album (21mins!) and the oldest ever nominee. Could win: Jacob Alon, PinkPantheress, Emma-Jean Thackray www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Anastacia has anecdotes for days. Thoroughly enjoyed this chat. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A little David Bowie exclusive for you all this morning. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Tom Odell’s very good new album - an interview. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Music has the power to unite… My full interview with one-man inspiration engine Gustavo Dudamel is now available on BBC Sounds www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

I was lucky enough to get a preview copy of Baby’s Breath by @russincheshire.bsky.social. You can pre order it now - it’s out on September 1st. I devoured it in two sittings. It’s intriguing, fast paced and well written. #treatyourself

Yes, yes, artificial Intelligence will take over the world. But the voice on my watch reckons I’m running at a pace of “9 minute sperm aisle”, so I think we’ve got a way to go.

If you’re going to see Coldplay at Wembley between now and 8th September - make sure you get there early. The incredible Simón Bolívar Orchestra are opening the show every night around 5:30pm. I spent Wednesday at rehearsals and they’re truly magical. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Imagine calling a band Bananarama. I'd be so pleased to have come up with that.

There’s journalistic impartiality, then there’s watching Rosé perform APT at Wembley. Full review on the BBC, etc. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

“Please do not give it to children with less than 3 hands” Not sure the iPhone’s auto-translate feature is quite perfect yet.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman described the model as "like having a team of PhD-level experts in your pocket”

I’ve been blown away by the responses to my story yesterday about screentime. It took a while to research and was one of those journalism projects that got more interesting the more we dug in.Thanks so much if you got in touch - I couldn’t keep up! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This didn't make it into the article, but the interviewer asked me why longer songs like "Pink Pony Club" are catching on again and my answer was "because they're good. Quality still matters!" bsky.app/profile/jd-l...

I was interviewed quite extensively for this! www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...

After years of being squeezed by streaming services and TikTok, pop stars are making longer songs again. A little exclusive on the Beeb today from me and the visual data team. www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...

A sobering but uplifting day reporting on Ozzy Osbourne's funeral cortège. The fans really showed up for him - complete with black roses, bottles of Jack Daniels and inflatable bats. The family were clearly grief-stricken but heartened by the outpouring of love. Rock in peace, Ozzy.

It's insane that anyone still makes cups. Every home must have between ten and a hundred and fifty or so, and still people go out and use takeaway cups. The world must be 90% cup.

Renée Rapp on her mum being her business manager. "Of course there are difficult moments [but] no one's ever going to protect me like my mother. Other people will throw me under the bus faster than you can blink a fucking eye." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A short story about how The Polka Tulk Blues Band noticed a gap in the market, ditched their saxophone player, and invented heavy metal. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Incredible to see the outpouring of love for Ozzy Osbourne. Musicians who’d usually post a simple online statement have lined up to eulogise him on air: Gene Simmons, Billy Corgan, Henry Rollins, Rick Wakeman... Tony Iommi’s tribute on the Today Programme was 💔 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Breaking: For the first time, songwriters in the UK will get paid for taking part in writing sessions and camps. Part of a raft of new measures announced by the government and the music industry today. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Hackney birdsong? Stolen Lime bikes the new sound of summer in the city

It’s pretty wild how much recent Zeldas & new Donkey Kong are running on the lowest horsepower systems and are staggering physics based immersive sims offering simply great absorbing gameplay that feels new.

Just so many numbers. Her 20 All Time Greats album was Number 1 in 1977 and felt like it was everywhere back then

New song from The Last Dinner Party (with an album to follow in October). They’re still fans of a tempo shift and a ridiculous singalong chorus, I see. youtu.be/4T5nNmaTPEY?...

Sad news about Connie Francis - who basically established the template for female pop stars in the 1950s and 60s. A roller coaster life and career with a beautiful coda, when her long-forgotten hit Pretty Little Baby had a TikTok moment. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The Evening Standard reveals that Emma Watson is “banned from driving alongside” Zoe Wanamaker. So she’s still allowed to drive if it’s on her own or alongside other friends? If only there were some kind of punctuation mark that could get rid of these sorts of ambiguities.

Found this in a saved folder, more relevant now than ever

#fbf 😳 Mick Jagger reviews synth-pop acts, 1985

I know it’s hot, but I just watched a cloud evaporate. Don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. (Timelapse video of about 90secs)

I know it’s hot, but I just watched a cloud evaporate. Don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. (Timelapse video of about 90secs)

A friend is at the Black Sabbath/Ozzy concert today, and the timings are weirdly specific Less than an hour of playing for both Ozzy and Sabbath, well they are in their 70s Also note the curfew is a reasonable time so all the elderly band members can be in bed with their cocoa before midnight

Get your ears around this. The Prince estate has issued the full 22’00” version of America - a live jam that got edited down to a cruel 3’40” for his Around The World In A Day album. When people rhapsodise about Prince’s live shows, this is what they’re on about. music.apple.com/gb/album/ame...

Over on Reddit, someone's managed to grab Oasis's printed setlist from their comeback gig. Interestingly, it's marked "v.5", despite being exactly the same as one that leaked earlier this week. www.reddit.com/r/oasis/comm...

Oasis murdered by the BBC 4 July 2025

I watched that there Oasis. Pretty good, as it happens. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

In Cardiff ahead of Oasis’s comeback gig tomorrow and I’m sorry but nothing they play will be as good as the maniacally upbeat version of There Is A Light That Never Goes Out that’s being played in our pub tonight.