I’ve written about Lux, the Guardian’s album of 2025 www.theguardian.com/music/2025/d...

Kevin Killian was obsessed with Kylie, so the announcement of his new poetry collection just as I was finishing my Kylie book, felt like a sign. I interviewed some of his friends for this here piece: www.theguardian.com/books/2025/d...

Here are some people whose albums I am looking forward to hearing in 2026: Robyn; Sky Ferreira; Sugababes; Beyoncé; Harry Styles; Grace Ives; the xx; Agnes; Raye; Chappell Roan; Sekou; Björk; underscores; Lana Del Rey; Danny L Harle; Madonna! (Obvs some of these are wishful thinking #soon 🤷🏻‍♂️)

Tried listening to a celebrity podcast but the constant "what I love about you" chat made me want to disconnect the internet forever

I interviewed Russell Tovey for the cover of today’s G2. Features a bit where we compare gay sex to the Harvester salad cart 🥗

Why was Robbie Williams fired from Take That? @msmirandasawyer.bsky.social and @mcragg.bsky.social discuss why The Bad Boy of Pop, Robbie Williams was fired from Take That in 1995. Full discussion here 👉 linktr.ee/talk90stome #RobbieWilliams #TakeThat #boybands #Glastonbury #90s

Happy Robyn-finally-releasing-new-music day to all who celebrate

🚨ICYMI🚨 This week @mcragg.bsky.social & @msmirandasawyer.bsky.social are talking about all the boy bands that took over the world in the ’90s. From Take That to Westlife. Listen now 👉 linktr.ee/talk90stome #boybands #takethat #westlife #robbiewilliams #garybarlow #90s

Here I am talking about Five and Max Martin, while wearing a Steps jumper. If you want to read more about all this you can in my award-winning Reach For the Stars, which has been out for a while now but doesn't age, much like J from Five: amzn.eu/d/aHIvklx

Had a lovely time chatting about 90s boybands with @msmirandasawyer.bsky.social. The results are up now (apols to Boyzone)

Still a thrill! Did I move it to this position? How rude (yes)

The studio setup for Simon Cowell’s new singing talent show, Who’s In the Band, is quite Naked Attraction, no?

I love the Lily Allen album, specifically Dallas Major, but I can’t get over the fact it sounds like a mistake has been missed at the 28 second mark. She starts to sing “hate” but then the “I hate it here” hook plays over the top. Can everyone else hear it?? (“No one else cares!!” - everyone)

I write about all of Max Martin's US top 10 singles on a blog called Maxopedia. As you can imagine, there have been a few of late - thank you Taylor! – so here's a blog on 'The Fate of Ophelia', Max's 28th chart-topper in America maxopedia.co/2025/10/14/t...

PinkPantheress’ Fancy Some More? mixtape is WILD! Kylie! Sugababes! Jade!

“There’s Keats, there’s Shakespeare, there’s Scherzinger". I had a brilliant and baffling time in the company of Nicole Scherzinger last night www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

Saw some rock music last night 🤘🏼🎸🤘🏼

Just thinking about how Uncut magazine gave Kylie’s Body Language album half a star. HALF A STAR OUT OF FIVE! An album that included Slow…

Had a lovely chat with Mawaan Rizwan ahead of series two of Juice, which is properly batshit in all the best ways (the first episode involves an escape hatch via a sperm-soaked sofa)

When all is said and done, perhaps still my favourite Beyoncé album. I Care, I Miss You, Love on Top, Countdown and End of Time all top tier. (Obvs Schoolin’ Life should have been on the main album in place of I Was Here)

I also interviewed Say She She about their disco-laced protest songs and how Nile Rodgers made them cry www.theguardian.com/music/2025/s...

I went to Manchester to bare witness to the Steps jukebox musical, a shop-based non-stop pop blowout www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/s...

I’ll be chatting to Nicola Roberts for this next week so if you have any burning questions please do drop them on this here link below: www.theguardian.com/music/2025/a...

Just finished the first round of edits on my Kylie book so here’s a picture of the Stop Me From Falling hitmaker on the phone, likely asking for 10,000 or so words to be kept in

This is a classic old Twitter topic, and boring for 80% of people, but trying to review music in 2025 is so frustrating. Email after email to try and get a stream. They always come from the US so there’s a delay, then it arrives maybe a day before deadline because everyone’s paranoid re an embargo

Richard Osman has such excellent taste in books 👀

After months and months in my glorious K-hole, I’ve finally finished my Kylie book. I feel sad she’s gone, but she’ll be back soon with loads of edits. But today I will celebrate in the only way I can

@shura.gg is great, her new album is great and she said some great things in this interview we did in west London #great www.theguardian.com/music/2025/m...

My husband @bengazur.bsky.social was meant to get his book payment today, instead he got an email telling him the payment plans Boundless laid out when they took over have all been scrapped. Apparently one way they hope to ‘survive and thrive’ is via AI 🫠

Ciara is a grade A banger merchant (Goodies! Overdose! Level Up! Like a Boy!) and I had a lovely time chatting to her ahead of Mighty Hoopla: www.theguardian.com/music/2025/m...

Went to the pub with Five to chat about their unexpected full lineup comeback. It was both emotional and banterful www.theguardian.com/music/2025/a...

My husband’s book has been nominated for a fancy award!

Unbound published Ben’s book on food folklore. He worked tirelessly to get it funded, then write it, and the hope was to then get paid from sales. This news is frustrating and murky on details www.theguardian.com/books/2025/m...

It’s nice to sometimes remind yourself where all your money went (wish more big pop acts did tour programmes)

For #WorldBookDay here are the books my husband and I have published! And we're both working on our next ones. Whether you like pop music or weird history, we have you covered. @mcragg.bsky.social

Interviewed NAO about her new album and other things, while a mother baby screening of Babygirl was happening next to us www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...

Save the Prince Charles - London cinema would not be the same without it! you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...

Love Lies Bleeding really made me want to start lifting weights, which was not what I was expecting on my 2025 moodboard

Here are some people’s albums I’m looking forward to hearing in 2025. A mix of certainties, assumptions and wishful thinking: Sugababes, Rihanna, Perfume Genius, The Weeknd, Madonna, Björk, Lady Gaga, Olly Alexander, Sky Ferreira, Jade, MØ, Nao, Tom Aspaul, Miley Cyrus, Lisa, Lana Del Rey

Oooookkkkaaaayyy open.spotify.com/track/0sOLCW...

I completely forgot Pulp released a v good James Murphy-produced single in 2013 open.spotify.com/track/4sT8kc...

Watching Live in Sydney while wrapping presents and quite mad that Kylie was like ‘this is a new song’ and rattled through Can’t Get You Out of My Head to barely any excitement. Four months before it came out! (Then straight into Your Disco Needs You 👌🏼)

Her voice is 👌🏼 youtu.be/fOAIrUZbOwo?...

Ahem, this is genuine Kylie book research; there’s a ‘special interest’ film in which one young man, wanting to woo another, reads out the spoken word lyrics to Shocked. Does anyone know its name? Here’s a still #kylieminogue #shocked

I too saw Charli xcx being amazing this week. I then wrote some words about it for The Observer: www.theguardian.com/music/2024/n...

Charli smoking during Apple

Six glorious minutes open.spotify.com/track/2Gzswv...

Had a brilliant chat about Adele for the always excellent Pop Pantheon podcast. You can listen to it here: open.spotify.com/episode/3mim...

Was just shamed by two kids who rang on our door to ask for their ball back and couldn’t understand that the garden belongs to our downstairs neighbour, not us. ‘You don’t own all of it?’ Bitch, we don’t own any of it!

Boybands Forever starts on BBC Two tonight at 9:15pm. If you’re watching it and think ‘blimey I wish there was an award-winning book with a chapter or two on boybands out there somewhere’ then may I recommend this one? amzn.eu/d/9IPiAqF