In what might be the most gloriously unhinged career move since choosing Wild Wild West over The Matrix (his words, not ours), Will Smith has roped in Big Sean for his new single ‘Beautiful Scars’. The pair have gone full meta with the announcement, recreating that iconic “red pill, blue pill” scene from The Matrix, with Big Sean doing his best Morpheus impression while making some not-so-subtle digs at Smith’s past career choices.

The track is set to drop on 30th January and looks to be part of Smith’s upcoming album ‘Dance In Your Darkest Days’ – his first proper collection since 2005’s ‘Lost And Found’. It follows last year’s comeback singles ‘Work Of Art’ (featuring son Jaden and Russ) and ‘Tantrum’ with Joyner Lucas, suggesting Big Willy’s musical style might have evolved just a tad since ‘Miami’. 

Pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter has delivered an absolutely perfect clapback to some rather dusty opinions from Hit Factory old timers Stock Aitken Waterman about her image. After Pete Waterman had a go at her stage outfits in The Sun (yuck), our girl came through with the energy we needed, stating “if you can’t handle a girl who is confident in her own sexuality, then don’t come to my shows.”

Imagine thinking you can tell a six-time Grammy nominee how to dress in 2025? The ‘Espresso’ hitmaker pointed out how this tired narrative has been following female artists forever, from Madonna to Rihanna. You can catch Sabrina being absolutely unbothered by dated opinions on her upcoming UK tour, which kicks off at Dublin’s 3Arena on March 3rd, with stops in Birmingham, London and Manchester.

The Temper Trap have spilled the tea on the time Taylor Swift cornered them at the ARIA Awards with a mission worthy of a rom-com plot point.

The ‘Sweet Disposition’ hitmakers revealed via TikTok that Swift once ambushed their green room, armed with paper and an extremely specific request: to handwrite the lyrics to their hit song as a birthday prezzie for then-boyfriend Harry Styles – who, in a chef’s kiss of irony, had already gotten the very same lyrics tattooed on himself (incorrectly, might we add).

The whole saga stems from Styles’ well-documented love affair with ‘Sweet Disposition’, which led to him getting “Won’t stop ’til we surrender” permanently inked on his person – a slight deviation from the actual lyrics “Won’t stop ’til it’s over / Won’t stop to surrender.”

Lead singer Dougy Mandagi confessed to facing quite the moral dilemma when Swift made her request: whether to write the correct lyrics or match Harry’s tattoo version. In a twist that’s keeping us up at night, he claims he can’t remember which version he went with. The band are currently celebrating the 15th anniversary of their album ‘Conditions’ with a limited vinyl pressing, perfect for any pop stars looking to brush up on their lyrics.

Chris McClure – yes, the cigarette-wielding lad from the cover of Arctic Monkeys’ ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ – has been unmasked as TikTok’s favourite fictional Sunday League gaffer.

The Sheffield legend, who earned his place in indie history with £70 and a night out in Liverpool’s Korova bar, is now bringing joy to millions as Steve Bracknall, the enthusiastically deluded manager of made-up team Royal Oak FC.

As Arctic Monkeys fans mark the iconic debut album’s 19th anniversary this week, they’ve been absolutely losing it over the revelation that the same bloke who got whisky-wasted for one of indie’s most memorable album covers is now serving up pure comedy gold on TikTok. McClure, who happens to be Reverend and The Makers frontman Jon McClure’s brother, confirmed the character is indeed his creation, noting that he’s been “pretending to be the assistant manager of a Sunday league football club” while dealing with both personal challenges and unexpected viral fame. From indie cover star to social media sensation – now that’s what we call a career trajectory.

Fresh off his Oscar nod for playing the voice of a generation, Timothée Chalamet decided to properly lean into his Bobby D era on Saturday Night Live with not one, not two, but three Dylan deep cuts. Our favourite indie film darling rocked up with dark shades and that signature too-cool-to-care attitude, serving up ‘Outlaw Blues’ with a full band before getting properly poetic with ‘Three Angels’ and ‘Tomorrow Is A Long Time’.

The performances come as Chalamet’s Dylan biopic ‘A Complete Unknown’ continues to sweep up critical acclaim, landing a whopping eight Oscar nominations including one for our boy Timothée himself. Also, see if you can spot a certain special someone on the ol’ piano.

Indie retail legends Rough Trade have announced they’re doubling down on their Rockefeller Center presence with a brand new store called – wait for it – Rough Trade Below.

The expansion sees our favourite vinyl pushers taking over the ice rink level of NYC’s most tourist-packed plaza, bringing their signature mix of new and used records to the underground masses. Set to swing open its doors this spring, Rough Trade Below will sit directly opposite the 47th-50th St-Rockefeller Center subway station. The new space promises to host regular in-store performances and appearances. Co-owner Stephen Godfroy reckons it’s all about meeting “tremendous demand from music lovers across the five boroughs and beyond,” which is a fancy way of saying New Yorkers really, really like buying records.

Dork fave Dora Jar has delivered an absolutely masterclass in how to handle internet nonsense, responding to a bizarre crowdfunding campaign attempting to get her removed as Gracie Abrams’ tour support with the kind of wit we’d expect.

After some fans kicked off about her upcoming support slot, Jar took to social media with the measured observation that “hate comes with the job,” before suggesting that any naysayers could “go buy merch while I’m playing (but they might as well let me entertain them tho..;))”.

The tour, which kicks off next month, will see Jar bringing tracks from her brilliant debut album ‘No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire’ to venues across the UK and Europe, including stops in London, Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin. Given her previous form supporting actual Billie Eilish and the fact her latest record is an absolute gem, we’d strongly suggest showing up early and giving those tunes the chance they deserve. And stop being melts on the internet, yeah? The state of it.