It looks as though 2026 will be the year we get new albums by not one, not two, but three members of One Direction.
Following the drop of Louis Tomlinson‘s How Did I Get Here? and Harry Styles‘ impending March release, Kiss All the Time. Disco,Occasionally., ZAYN has announced that he’s putting out an album in April. KONNAKOL, named after the South Indian art of vocal percussion, arrives April 17. The first single, “Die For Me,” will be released on Feb. 6.
ZAYN says in a statement, “KONNAKOL in its definition is the act of creating percussive sounds with one’s voice but what it means to me lies somewhere much deeper. It is a sound that holds the reverberation of a time before words existed.”
“I have always drawn on my heritage for inspiration since I first started making my own music,” he continues. “This album is a development of that understanding, knowing more now than ever, who I am, where I come from and where I intend to go.”
KONNAKOL is the follow-up to ZAYN’s 2024 album, Room Under the Stairs, and his 2025 single, “Eyes Closed,” a duet with BLACKPINK‘s Jisoo. He recently concluded a Las Vegas residency.
As for the fourth member of 1D, Niall Horan has a new song with Myles Smith dropping on Friday called “Drive Safe.”
Ahead of the Grammys, W magazine rounded up a bunch of acclaimed actors to give their takes on Sabrina Carpenter‘s nominated single, “Manchild,” and now Sabrina is reacting to it.
In the video, George Clooney, Emma Stone, Jodi Foster, Greta Lee, Amanda Seyfried, Alexander Skarsgård, Kate Hudson, Duane Johnson, Elle Fanning, Tessa Thompson, Rose Byrne, Sydney Sweeney and more are given the lyrics to the song and asked to either sing or recite them.
While George and Jodie simply speak the lyrics —Jodie because she admits she doesn’t know the song — others attempt to sing. Some have great success hitting the high note in the chorus, like Elle, Tessa and Amanda. Alexander and Duane, not so much.
Mia Goth was the most enthusiastic, though. She said, “I saw Sabrina Carpenter and I am obsessed. I felt like I was 6 years old again. … Ever since, I’m just in love.”
Sabrina reposted the video on her Instagram Story and wrote, “I’m floored and dazzled.”
In other Sabrina news, she appears in The Muppet Show special, which is now streaming on Disney+ and airing Wednesday night on ABC. Speaking to E!,Miss Piggy scoffed at the idea that she was “intimidated” by the pop star.
“If anything, I think you should ask Sabrina if she was intimidated by moi,” said Piggy. “Well, actually, don’t ask her that, though. Just take my word for it. She was very intimidated.”
In the actual show, Sabrina told Piggy, “You’re my idol. I’ve basically modeled my whole look and style after you.” Piggy responded, “Oh trust me, my attorneys and I have taken notice and we willbe in touch.”
The track is a reworking of the 2005 Dropkick song “Citizen C.I.A.” in protest of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, in response to the federal immigration agents shooting and killing U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in January.
“As Americans are being executed in the street, we feel it is our duty to raise consciousness, and be one of the voices speaking against this nightmare,” the Murphys say. “‘CITIZEN I.C.E.’ is FOR THE PEOPLE. Stand strong against tyranny. Use it however you want.”
“Citizen I.C.E.” will be included on the Dropkick Murphys EP New England Forever, which will be available during the band’s U.S. tour, kicking off Feb. 9 in Portland, Maine. The EP will be released digitally on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.
Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater performing live at Sweden Rock Festival on June 05, 2025 in Norje, Sweden. (Anne-Marie Forker/Redferns)
Dream Theater‘s Mike Portnoy is not playing drums in Rush, and that’s just fine with him.
The “Tom Sawyer” rockers shocked the music world in 2025 by announcing they were reuniting for a tour in 2026, marking Rush’s first live shows since the death of legendary drummer Neil Peart in 2020. Bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson will be joined by drummer Anika Nilles in place of Peart.
Had Lee and Lifeson asked Portnoy to take the gig, he tells Metal Hammer, “If they hypothetically ever approached me with it, of course, I would have done it with the utmost respect and [honor].”
“But frankly, I’m kind of relieved they didn’t,” Portony continues. “First of all, filling Neil’s shoes is going to be impossible. If anybody ever thought Mike Mangini filling my shoes was tough, try filling Neil Peart’s shoes!”
Mangini, of course, played drums in Dream Theater after Portnoy left the band in 2010. Portnoy eventually reunited with Dream Theater in 2023, which also would’ve complicated him accepting a potential Rush offer.
“I came back home to Dream Theater, which is where I belong,” Portnoy says. “So if, hypothetically, if they had approached me with this reunion that they’re doing, it would have put me in an incredibly awkward position because of the timing of it all.”
Portnoy adds that he never volunteered himself to take Peart’s spot, noting that it’s “a sacred role that should only ever be filled if Geddy and Alex choose for it to be so.”
“Sure enough, here we are with them choosing to finally do so, which has been really incredible,” Portnoy says.
Now that Dolly Parton‘s Threads: My Songs in Symphony will have a seven-week residency at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Nashville has officially christened 2026 the Summer of Dolly Parton.
The Nashville Symphony will perform the 90-minute show created and co-produced by the icon June 16 through July 31. It includes classics like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You,” along with new video content including songs and stories from Dolly.
Tickets for the Music City run go on sale Friday, with Threads also set to play in eight other cities, including Portland, Phoenix and Kansas City.
Joe Jackson is offering up another taste of his upcoming album Hope and Fury.
The “Is She Really Going Out With Him” singer has released “Fabulous People,” the second single from the record. According to a press release, it represents “a more rhythmic, radio-forward side of the album, built around a tight, dance-leaning groove and Jackson’s unmistakable melodic precision and wit.”
Hope and Fury,dropping April 10, is Jackson’s first studio album since 2019’s Fool. It will be released on CD, 180g vinyl and digitally, and is available for preorder now.
Jackson is set to support the album with a tour, kicking off May 11 in Poughkeepsie, New York, which will have him playing more than 80 shows and visiting 14 countries. A complete list of dates can be found at JoeJackson.com.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters and members of the media at Mar-a-Lago on February 1, 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida. Al Drago/Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Judge Aileen Cannon on Wednesday sentenced Ryan Routh to spend the rest of his life in prison for attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump on his Florida golf course in September 2024.
Prosecutors argued that Routh, 60, should get a life sentence after a jury last year convicted him on five counts for allegedly plotting “painstakingly to kill President Trump, and [taking] significant steps toward making that happen.”
“Routh’s crimes undeniably warrant a life sentence — he took steps over the course of months to assassinate a major presidential candidate, demonstrated the will to kill anybody in the way, and has since expressed neither regret nor remorse to his victims,” prosecutors argued in a court filing.
After a two-and-a-half-week trial in September, a jury quickly found Routh guilty on five felony counts, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate and assaulting a federal officer.
Routh allegedly hid in the bushes of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach and pointed a military-grade SKS rifle towards Trump and a Secret Service agent.
“Routh’s crimes of conviction reflect careful plotting, extensive premeditation, and a cowardly disregard for human life,” prosecutors wrote. “Routh’s motive for his crimes was unconscionable – preventing the American people from electing the candidate of their choice for President. Routh’s gloss on his crimes has always been that anything he may have done was justified by events in Ukraine or American domestic politics.”
Routh represented himself at trial and attempted to argue that he never intended to harm Trump or the Secret Service agent, framing his actions as a form of protest against the president’s policies. After he was found guilty, he attempted to harm himself in front of the jury by stabbing himself with a pen.
Since his conviction, Routh was appointed an attorney and has requested a 27-year sentence that would allow him to “experience freedom again as opposed to dying in prison.” His lawyer argued that Routh could not have a fair trial because he represented himself, even though Routh made that decision after repeated warnings about the potential consequences.
“Defendant recognizes that he was found guilty by the jury but asserts that the jury was misled by his inability to effectively confront witnesses, use exhibits, or affirmatively introduce impeachment evidence designed to prove his lack of intent to cause injury to anyone,” his defense lawyer wrote.
Routh had attempted to bolster his push for a lighter sentence by submitting multiple letters from friends attesting to his character and undergoing a psychiatric examination, which suggested he suffers from narcissistic personality disorder and bipolar II disorder.
“Ryan has already shown, through his actions, that he is an asset to his community, not a threat. He deserves the chance to one day return home, where he can continue to be a loving father, partner, and a peaceful, contributing member of society,” wrote Darya Trotsenko, a Kyiv resident who said she met Routh when he attempted to volunteer to support Ukraine’s defense.
But prosecutors argued that Routh continues to show little remorse for his actions, pointing to recent writings in which he referenced an earlier attempt on Trump’s life and wrote, “I hate our dictator missed the trial, can my appeal be heard in 30 years when he is gone.”
In another court filing, Routh suggested he prefers that Trump personally punish him for his actions.
“If the President wished to pummel the defendant just for good measure, put on the handcuffs and shackles and give it your worst. No cameras, no complaints, no charges/charges. Just good fun. Don’t be a p—-. (Can I say p—- or coward – sorry),” Routh wrote.
Cannon, a Trump-appointed judge, dismissed the criminal case against the president in 2024 related to his handling of classified documents. Routh unsuccessfully attempted to have Cannon removed from the case by arguing her appointment by Trump is a conflict of interest.
Buick and Kendrick Lamar‘s worlds are colliding once again, this time to promote the 2026 Envista. In a clip on the automotive brand’s Instagram, soundtracked to Kendrick’s “tv off,” the camera zooms in on various details of the Grand National Experimental (GNX) featured on the album cover and during his Super Bowl halftime performance. The shot pulls back to reveal the footage playing on TV in a room where a red 2026 Envista is parked. Buick inspired Kendrick’s GNX and has deep ties to the rapper, who has previously said his father drove him home from the hospital after his birth in a 1987 Buick Regal.
As Grammy winner Bad Bunny prepares for his halftime performance at the Super Bowl, Boosie is asking why Chris Brown has never headlined the show. “DO WE NEED TO CAMPAIGN FOR CHRIS BROWN TO PERFORM AT A SUPERBOWL?” he wrote on X. “SO MANY YEARS IVE SEEN SO MANY DIFFERENT ARTIST PERFORM. NO CB ? NOT COOL AT ALL ,BETTER YET #DISRESPECTFUL U GREAT N OUR EYES MY G.”
The New Edition Way tour recently kicked off with headliners Toni Braxton, Boyz II Men and, of course, New Edition. NE was honored in Oakland with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition. Boyz II Men’s fourth founding member, Michael McCary, joined his bandmates on stage in Vegas, while Toni’s set in LA featured social media influencer and journalist Kayla Nicole, who went viral after recreating a scene from Toni’s “He Wasn’t Man Enough” music video for Halloween. New Edition also had a surprise in LA, welcoming special guests B2K, who took the stage to perform their hit “Bump, Bump, Bump.”
“Favorite Country Song” seems to be living up to its name, as HARDY‘s latest hit sticks around at the top of both the Mediabase and Billboard Country Airplay charts.
The COUNTRY! COUNTRY! track is spending its second week at #1 on Mediabase and its third on the Billboard tally.
Of HARDY’s five number ones, this is only his second that’s non-collaborative, following “Truck Bed.” Previously, “Wait in the Truck” featured Lainey Wilson, while he teamed with Dierks Bentley and Breland for “Beers on Me,” and Lauren Alaina and Devin Dawson for “One Beer.”
It seems HARDY may already be cueing up his next chart-topping collaboration, since his non-album single “McArthur” with Eric Church, Morgan Wallen and Tim McGraw has just started its country climb.
Tate McrRae attends the 68th GRAMMY Award on Feb. 1, 2026 in Los Angeles (Brianna Bryson/WireImage)
We’d guess Tate McRae is secretly rooting for Team Canada, but in a new promo for the Winter Olympics, she is hyping Team USA.
In the spot, Tate, rocking a red jumpsuit, is skiing in the Italian Alps and tells an owl, “Oh. hi. I’m a bit lost.” When the owl says, “Whooo?” she replies, “Tate McRae.” When it asks again, she jokes, “Oh, I’m nobody. Nobody’s girl, that is” and winks — a nod to her song of the same name.
“I’m trying to get to Milan for an amazing opening ceremony and meet Team U.S.A,” she continues, mentioning the skating events and “Lindsay Vonn‘s epic comeback” following a torn ACL. She adds that she’ll then head “back to the states for the big game: Super Bowl 60.” Both events will air on NBC.
When the owl remains silent, Tate shrugs, “O.K. I’ll just ask someone else then.” When the owl calls out once more, “Whooo?” she responds, “Ah, forget it!”
After Tate leaves, another owl asks the first in Italian what Tate wanted. “I don’t know,” the owl replies in Italian. “I don’t speak English.”
The Opening Ceremony is slated to begin Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
