Author: Rap Hooks

With her Eurovision performance fast approaching, Delta Goodrem is in a pure state of mind.

The superstar Australian pop singer this week announces the release of her next album Pure, Delta’s first through a new deal struck with Universal Music via Better Now Records/Electrola.

Pure is slated to drop Nov. 6, and will also mark the first LP released through her independent label ATLED Records (that’s “Delta” spelled backwards), which she unveiled in 2023, drawing curtains on a decades-long partnership with Sony Music.

“I am so excited to be stepping into this new chapter and joining forces with Universal Music,” she explains in a statement. “It marks the beginning of a powerful new home for ATLED Records – something I am incredibly proud of – and I can’t wait to share what we create together.”

Pure is the followup to the Sydney singer and songwriter’s 2021 collection, Bridge Over Troubled Dreams (via Sony Music), her fifth leader on the ARIA Albums Chart, after her 23-times platinum-certified blockbuster debut Innocent Eyes (March 2003), Mistaken Identity (November 2004), Delta (October 2007) and Wings Of The Wild (July 2016). 

“Pure is an album I’ve been creating and living through over the past few years, and it truly feels like a return to myself and the heart of who I am as an artist,” she explains. “It holds some of my biggest singalongs, my most vulnerable moments, and brings in all the elements I love most in music – from intimate classical piano pieces to uplifting cinematic anthems. I cannot wait for everyone to step into the world of Pure and make these songs part of their own story too.”

The album houses the single “Eclipse,” which Goodrem will perform live later this week at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, where she will take the stage for the first time as Australia’s representative.

“Eclipse” was written by Delta, Ferras Alqaisi, Jonas Myrin and Michael Fatkin, who also produced the single.

In her homeland, Goodrem is arguably the most successful pop artist to emerge this century. A soapie star who signed her first record deal at age 15, Delta’s collection of silverware includes 12 ARIA Awards and five No. 1 albums including 2003’s Innocent Eyes, which logged a whopping 29 weeks at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, making it the highest-selling debut album in Australian recorded music history. The album won seven ARIA Awards, was the highest selling album in Australia for two successive years, and yielded five of her nine career No. 1 singles. Sales across her albums catalog is close to 10 million.

A classically trained pianist, Delta incorporates the harp and piano into her performance for this year’s 70th edition of Eurovision. “Performing on the Eurovision stage is something I feel so deeply in my heart, carrying Australia with me in every note and every moment,” she says in a separate statement.

Delta will perform “Eclipse” during at the Wiener Stadthalle for Semi-Final 2 on Thursday, May 14 at 3pm ET (Friday, May 15, at 5:00am AEST).

We’ll be having the time of our lives when this movie comes out.

Inaugural Entertainment announced Tuesday (May 12) that its Green Day-inspired comedy NIMRODS —named after the band’s 1997 Billboard 200 top 10 album Nimrod — will hit theaters this summer. Alongside the release date, Inaugural Entertainment also shared that it is partnering with with Legion M, the world’s first fan-owned entertainment company.

Directed by Lee Kirk, NIMRODS is a coming-of-age film that follows a group of three friends who embark on a cross-country road trip to Los Angeles after mistakenly believing that their band is opening up for Green Day at a New Year’s Eve show. The misadventures of the trio are inspired by Green Day’s years of living in a tour van.

The NIMRODS cast includes teen stars Mason Thames (The Black Phone; How to Train Your Dragon), Mckenna Grace (Scream 7; Regretting You), and comedian Fred Armisen. Rounding out the cast is Kylr Coffman, Ryan Foust, Ignacio Diaz- Silverio, Keen Ruffalo, Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, Bobby Lee and Sean Gunn.

Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool are slated to produce the film along with Ryan Kroft and Michael Rapino Live Nation Entertainment, Tim Perell for Process and Jonathan Daniel.

“Green Day wouldn’t exist without the fans, and we’re excited to give those fans the opportunity to own a stake in the film as we work with the incredibly talented teams at Inaugural, Live Nation and Green Day to bring it to audiences,” said Legion M co-founders Jeff Annison and Paul Scanlan in the press statement announcing the film.

NIMRODS originally premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival under its original title New Year’s Rev. The film is set to hit theaters on Aug. 14.

Stephen Colbert brought the band back together on Monday night (May 11), welcoming fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver and Seth Meyers to The Late Show for a reunion ahead of the show’s May 21 series finale.

The gathering marked a significant moment for the group, who previously united in 2023 during the writers’ strike to launch a limited-run podcast called Strike Force Five, which raised money for their out-of-work staffs. In a similar spirit, the five hosts announced a new video episode dropping Wednesday, May 13, which will again benefit nonprofit World Central Kitchen, which provides meals for humanitarian, climate and community crises globally.

The conversation touched on the impending end of The Late Show, the future of late-night television, and the current political climate.

When Colbert asked the group whether they’d ever imagined having a job that the president of the United States would have strong feelings about, Kimmel interjected: “You know what’s even weirder? We’re doing a job that his wife has strong feelings about.” Meyers deadpanned: “Most of us have avoided that part.”

Colbert also put to the group a question he said he’d fielded repeatedly in recent months — whether they could make the case for late-night television to continue to exist. Kimmel pushed back on the premise entirely: “Why should you have to defend late night? Ryan Seacrest doesn’t get asked that question about Wheel of Fortune or whatever the hell he’s hosting.” Oliver added that he was “gonna be leaning forward” waiting for Seacrest’s answer.

The show closed with a round of “How Well Do You Know Your Fellow Late-Night Hosts?”, featuring questions written by Late Show writers. Colbert claimed the title of most-likely-to-have-made-out-with-the-most-guests, name-dropping Helen Mirren, Sally Field and Andrew Garfield among others. Fallon admitted to receiving “full tongue” from Martin Short during an SNL skit — “more than I’ve ever made out with anyone in high school.”

Colbert noted that all four of his guests had been hosting their respective shows longer than he had been at The Late Show, and that they would all continue after his departure. “You’re like the candy shell, I’m the nougat filling — and then somebody came along and just sucked it out,” he said. Kimmel offered a characteristically blunt eulogy: “It’s like when your young wife dies. It’s such a tragedy. It is ‘gone too soon.’”

CBS announced last July that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would end after its current season in what the network described as “a purely financial” decision. The series finale airs May 21 on CBS at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT.

Lamb of God and Trivium are heading to Australia this October for a five-city co-headline arena tour, presented by Destroy All Lines. Scottish metalcore outfit Bleed From Within will serve as special guests across all dates.

The run opens at Perth HPC on Oct. 2, followed by AEC Theatre in Adelaide on Oct. 4, John Cain Arena in Melbourne on Oct. 6, Hordern Pavilion in Sydney on Oct. 9, and Riverstage in Brisbane on Oct. 11. Artist early bird presale tickets go on sale Friday, May 15 at 9 a.m. local. Multiple presales open Tuesday, May 19, including Destroy All Lines, venue and My Ticketek early bird presales, followed by a Spotify early bird presale on Wednesday, May 20. General tickets go on sale Thursday, May 21 at 9 a.m. local via destroyalllines.com.

For Lamb of God, the tour marks their first full headline Australian run in nearly a decade. The Richmond, Virginia band — Grammy-nominated five times over — last performed for Australian crowds in 2024 as part of Knotfest Australia.

Formed in the mid-1990s, the band have built one of heavy metal’s most enduring legacies, with fan favorites including “Laid to Rest,” “Redneck,” “Walk With Me in Hell” and “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For” serving as cornerstones of the genre. Their latest studio album, Into Oblivion, arrived earlier this year.

Trivium, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1999, have spent over two decades building a reputation as one of modern metal’s most technically accomplished and restlessly creative live acts. The band’s catalog spans thrash, progressive, melodic death and groove metal, and their 2017 single “Betrayer” earned them a Grammy nomination.

They have also scored multiple top 20 debuts on the Billboard 200 and multiple No. 1 entries on the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart. Trivium were last in Australia in 2023 for the inaugural Knotfest Australia, with their Brisbane sideshow drawing significant critical praise. Their latest release is the 2024 EP Struck Dead, following their 2021 album In the Court of the Dragon.

Glasgow’s Bleed From Within bring 20 years of metalcore to the support slot, having recently released their seventh studio album Zenith in 2025. The band have shared stages with Slipknot, Bullet for My Valentine and Megadeth throughout their career.

Guy Moot, co-chair and CEO of publishing company Warner Chappell Music (WCM), has been confirmed as 2026’s recipient of the prestigious Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS). He is the first music publisher to be awarded the prize.

Organizers have said the award is in recognition of Moot’s 30-plus year career, “defined by creative vision, a ‘songwriter-first’ philosophy and a lifelong commitment to music’s power to educate, heal, and transform lives.”

The MITS will be presented to Moots on Nov. 9 at a gala ceremony held at central London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, in support of two leading U.K. music charities: The BRIT Trust and music therapy organization Nordoff & Robbins.

“To be the first publisher to receive the MITS Award is a real honour, and one that I hope serves as a celebration of songwriters and the extraordinary value of their music,” Moot said in a statement. “I’ve spent my whole life championing creators and finding the next generation of talent who deserve a pathway in.

“The BRIT Trust has a proven track record of building careers and opening doors for young people who might never otherwise get the chance. And Nordoff & Robbins reminds us why music matters in the first place — its profound ability to reach people in a way that nothing else can. I’m proud to support both, and humbled to receive this recognition.”

Moot will join an illustrious line of previous MITS recipients including both executives (Sir Lucian Grainge, Rob Stringer, Jason Iley, Emma Banks, Michael Eavis and Lucy Dickins) and artists (Kylie Minogue, Sir Elton John, Roger Daltrey). 2025’s honoree was Ashley Tabor-King, founder and executive chairman of commercial radio group Global Media & Entertainment.

Moot began his industry journey in retail before transitioning into A&R in 1984 at ATV Music and Chrysalis Records. In 1987, he joined SBK Music Publishing, following its merger with EMI Music Publishing. He rose through EMI’s ranks and by 2003 had been appointed executive vp of A&R for the U.K. and Europe, later becoming U.K. managing director and president of European Creative in 2005.

In 2012, Moot played a central role in navigating the Sony-EMI merger in Europe. Five years later, he was named president of worldwide creative. In 2019, Moot was appointed co-chair and CEO of Warner Chappell Music, working alongside Carianne Marshall. The company’s roster has grown to include artists and songwriters such as Dua Lipa, Cardi B and Zach Bryan, alongside catalogues from David Bowie, Madonna, George Michael and Tom Petty.

Toby Leighton-Pope, co-chair of the MITS Award Committee, added: “Few people in our industry have had a career as extensive and influential as Guy’s. His impact reaches far beyond the U.K., making this year’s recognition especially significant. From his early days in a record store to becoming one of the industry’s most senior executives, his commitment to music has never wavered, matched by a depth of experience that truly sets him apart. Congratulations to Guy on this well-deserved MITS Award and on an exceptional career to date.”

Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Season 24 finale of American Idol.

Hannah Harper has been named the Season 24 winner of American Idol. The Missouri country singer was crowned on Monday night (May 11) during the show’s live three-hour finale on ABC and Disney+, with Jordan McCullough finishing as runner-up and Keyla Richardson in third place.

The Top 3 opened the finale by singing judge Carrie Underwood’s “The Champion,” before each delivered a series of solo and duet performances throughout the evening.

Harper performed a duet with Lee Ann Womack on “I Hope You Dance” and closed out the competition with “String Cheese” — the original song that launched her journey on the show — before ultimately being crowned with a performance of “At the Cross (Love Ran Red)” by Chris Tomlin.

Harper went viral during her audition with “String Cheese,” an original song she wrote while dealing with postpartum depression following the birth of her youngest child. The mother of three from Willow Springs, Missouri grew up performing bluegrass and gospel music with her family band, The Harper Collective, and cited Dolly Parton, Shania Twain and Jo Dee Messina as key influences.

During her hometown visit last week, she was surprised onstage by Messina — whose song she had performed earlier in the competition. The city of Willow Springs officially declared May 6 Hannah Harper Day.

The star-studded finale featured guest mentor Alicia Keys, who performed alongside the top contestants. Judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood all took the stage — the trio performing Richie’s 1986 hit “Deep River Woman” together — with Underwood also performing alongside Mötley Crüe.

Additional performances came from Brad Paisley, Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms, Cameron Whitcomb, Clay Aiken, En Vogue, Jason Mraz, Lee Ann Womack, Nelly, Shinedown and Tori Kelly.

Harper had been a frontrunner throughout the season, with Underwood calling her one of her favorites from the moment she auditioned. American Idol Season 24 aired on ABC and streams on Hulu.