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Young Hudson Westbrook lived the heartbreak of ‘House Again’

January 16, 2026 by WDNY Radio

For 21-year-old Hudson Westbrook, “House Again” is more than the hit that launched his country career: it’s an experience he went through early in life.

“When I was like 7 years old, back when I was growing up, my parents got a divorce and we moved from a house in the country to a house on the golf course,” he says. “And I was like, ‘You know, it just doesn’t feel like home anymore.'”

Years later, inspiration struck to put it in song.

“It was like right at the beginning of everything and we sat down to write it,” he tells ABC Audio. “And I was like, ‘I got this idea of a house turning into a home and then a house again,’ and someone was like, ‘Oh, there’s a song.’ … And so we ended up writing the whole thing.”

Once it was finished, however, Hudson hesitated to release it.

“I almost didn’t put it out because I didn’t want to talk about my parents’ divorce for so long,” he says. “But after you put the song out, you figure out that helps people more than it does hurt anything.”

Hudson’s new five-song EP, Exclusive, arrives Jan. 23.

Iconic Van Morrison albums launch new Acoustic Sounds anniversary series

January 16, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Two of Van Morrison’s iconic albums, 1968’s Astral Weeks and 1970’s Moondance, are the first releases of the new Acoustic Sounds 40th Anniversary Series, part of a partnership between Analogue Productions and Rhino Records.

Every album released in the series will be cut from the original analog tapes, or the best available source, to offer exceptional quality and sound. They will all be pressed on 180-gram black vinyl, with some also offered on super audio CD.

Following the January release of the Van Morrison albums, the series picks up again in March, with two albums released each month. The complete series will be made up of 40 titles, with future releases from artists like Genesis, Foghat, Little Feat, America, the Ramones and more.

Astral Weeks and Moondance are both available for preorder now. There is also the option to subscribe to the whole series; the first 400 customers will receive numbered LPs, with each month’s release marked with the same number.

Bonko Cosmo Khoza talks about ‘story of redemption’ on upcoming series, ‘The Nowhere Man’

January 16, 2026 by WDNY Radio

The new Starz series The Nowhere Man is on the way, starring South African actor Bonko Cosmo Khoza. He plays Lukas, a former mercenary and member of an elite Special Forces brigade trying to leave his violent past behind — until unexpected circumstances pull him back in. Speaking with ABC Audio, Khoza says his character’s journey was a major reason he took the role.

“What drew me to Lukas was the story of redemption,” he says. “He’s had a tough past and wants to be someone different. When we meet him, he’s trying to reconcile who he was with who he wants to become. That’s compelling.”

In the series, Lukas lives quietly as a junk collector in a homeless shelter, keeping a low profile. But after witnessing a home invasion, he steps in to save a woman in danger — forcing him back into a world of violence he’d hoped to escape.

Khoza says he was able to portray a character who pivots from one life to another by drawing from his experience in his native Johannesburg, where the show is based and which he describes as fast-paced and survival-driven. Rather than highlight Lukas’ lethal skills, Khoza says his goal was to approach the role with restraint, allowing the character’s past to gradually come to the surface.

He portrays Lukas as introspective and guarded, with flashbacks revealing a lighter, freer version of his former self — a sharp contrast from the burdened and traumatized man he’s become. Khoza says that approach makes the character’s revelations “much more rewarding” because “you didn’t see it coming.”

The Nowhere Man premieres Friday on Starz, a platform Khoza is happy to see the South African series land on. “A South African action [show] of this standard hasn’t really been seen before,” he says. “The minute the train came, I jumped right on.”

What if ‘All You Wanted’ was ‘NEVER ENOUGH’? Michelle Branch covers Turnstile

January 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

If “All You Wanted” was for Michelle Branch to cover Turnstile, well, you’re in luck.

Branch has shared her take on “NEVER ENOUGH,” the title track off the hardcore outfit’s 2025 album. Her version, which was posted to Instagram, features her vocals over a piano line.

“Can’t get enough of this one from [Turnstile],” Branch writes in the caption.

If you want to see Turnstile play “NEVER ENOUGH,” they’ll be playing a number of 2026 U.S. festivals, including Coachella, Welcome to Rockville and Bonnaroo.

Meanwhile, both NEVER ENOUGH and its title track are nominated for the 2026 Grammys, as are the album’s songs “SEEIN’ STARS” and “BIRDS.” Turnstile is the first-ever artist to be nominated in the rock, alternative and metal categories in a single year.

The 2026 Grammys take place Feb. 1.

Music notes: Dua Lipa, Harry Styles and more

January 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Dua Lipa starred in an ad and recorded a new version of George Michael‘s song “Freedom” for YSL Beauty’s LIBRE fragrance a few years ago. Now, she’s covered another classic for LIBRE’s new campaign — Aretha Franklin‘s “Think” — to promote the Berry Crush fragrance. In the chorus, Aretha sings, “Freedom, freedom, freedom,” and “libre” is French for “free.”

After announcing his new album, Harry Styles teamed with Apple Music on two new playlists: “Kiss All The Time“ features Harry’s love songs, including “Adore You” and “Love of My Life,” while “Disco, Occasionally“ is comprised of upbeat jams like “Watermelon Sugar,” “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” and “As It Was.” Songs from the new album, Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally, aren’t included yet; the record drops in March.

Golden Globe-winning, Grammy-nominated artist EJAE — the singing voice of Rumi in Kpop Demon Hunters — has been selected as one of the 2026 Artists to Watch in Amazon’s new global campaign. One of her non-Demon Hunters songs is featured on a new dedicated playlist, with more of her music set to appear on other playlists throughout the year.

Olivia Dean has been nominated for four MOBO Awards, a U.K. honor which stands for “Music of Black Origin.” She’s up for song of the year for “Man I Need” and album of the year for The Art of Loving, as well as best female act and best R&B/soul act. The awards will be handed out on March 26 in Manchester, England.

If you missed it, you can watch Ed Sheeran perform “Drive” for the first time with collaborators including John Mayer and Dave Grohl on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! YouTube channel.

Paul McCartney pays tribute to Bob Weir: ‘A great musician who inspired many people of many generations’

January 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Paul McCartney is the latest artist to pay tribute to the late Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir, whose death at age 78 was announced on Saturday.

“Bob Weir was a great musician who inspired many people of many generations,” McCartney writes on Instagram. “I last saw Bob when we went to the Sphere in Las Vegas to watch Dead and Co. He was very welcoming and during the interval in the show he invited us into his trailer, and it was a special moment to meet his family and friends.”

McCartney writes about Weir showing him how he was set up to record music in the back of his bus while on tour, and how that almost led to a collaboration.

“I offered to play the bass on one of the tracks he played me but unfortunately that never came to pass,” McCartney notes.

“His humour, friendship and musicianship inspired me and will inspire many people into the future,” he continues. “Our family’s thoughts go out to Bob’s family at this time of loss, and I know they will remain as strong as he would wish them to be.”

McCartney signed the tribute, “God bless you Bob. See you down the road. Love Paul.”

Anne Hathaway to star in Paramount+ true crime series ‘Fear Not’

January 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Anne Hathaway is on board for a new Paramount+ limited series called Fear Not.

The actress is set to star in and executive produce the series, which tells the true story of serial killer Stephen Morin and the unlikely bond he formed with the last woman he ever kidnapped. Hathaway will play his captive, Margy Palm, who uses her faith to connect with Morin.

According to the show’s logline, “Palm’s devotion to her faith and her insistence that Morin could be transformed, became the impetus of a relationship that lasted long after Palm was returned to safety — until Morin received the death penalty.”

The six-part series is set to premiere in 2027.

Hathaway has a busy year coming up, with the films Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2, The Odyssey, Verity and Flowervale Street all set for release.

Midnight brings Dolly Parton’s ‘Light of a Clear Blue Morning’ music video

January 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Not only will Dolly Parton‘s new version of her hit “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” arrive Thursday night, it will be accompanied by a new music video.

She teased the clip on Instagram, along with a short message announcing it will be released Thursday at 11 p.m. CT.

“I first wrote this song back in 1976 when I needed a little hope,” she recalls. “And this time around I’ve invited some very special women, some real shining lights to help me bring that hope to life again, and I can’t wait for you to hear what we’ve created together.”

Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah and Reba McEntire join her on the track, along with David Foster on piano and The Christ Church Choir on background vocals.

Proceeds from the song go to cancer research at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville.

New book highlights Beatles producer George Martin’s famous scores

January 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

A new book about legendary Beatles producer George Martin‘s work is being released in celebration of what would have been his 100th birthday.

George Martin: The Scores is described as “the first-ever definitive collection of the legendary producer’s original music manuscripts.”

The three-volume book will be released in April. It contains a forward by Paul McCartney, as well as full-sized reproductions of Martin’s handwritten scores, including those for songs like “Yesterday,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Here Comes the Sun” and “Live and Let Die.” The book also contains commentary, and new orchestral recordings from Abbey Road Studios, which “allows the reader to experience Martin’s arrangements on their own.”

“It’s a book of art, if you like, because his scores are very beautiful,” Martin’s son Giles Martin tells Rolling Stone. “There’s a fluidity to it. There’s a vibrancy to looking at that music on a page.”

The project was in development before Martin’s death in 2016 at age 90. He would have turned 100 on Jan. 3.

George Martin: The Scores is being released in three different formats — standard edition, deluxe edition and signature edition — with varying bonus material. Among the extras is documentary footage from the orchestral recording sessions in the deluxe and signature editions, with the latter also including a signature page signed by George at the beginning of the project.

All three are available for preorder now.

Earliest known surviving recordings of 2Pac are up for auction

January 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Some of 2Pac‘s earliest known surviving recordings are set to go up for auction through Wax Poetics. The items come from the Ge-ology Collection, curated by Gerard “Ge-ology” Young, who had a working relationship with the late rapper, born Tupac Shakur.

Included in the collection is a cassette tape of 2Pac and his Born Busy members that was recorded in Geo-logy’s parents’ home in Baltimore in 1988, when 2Pac was just 16. The tape, which is considered one of 2Pac’s earliest recordings, predates any of his commercial releases. It was created so Ge-ology aka DJ Plain Terror could learn the verses and build beats around his voice, as well as Tupac, Darrin K Bastfield aka Ace Rocker and Dana “Mouse” Smith aka Slick D‘s voices, who were rapping a cappella.

The auction marks the first time Ge-ology is sharing the full cassette, which has never been commercially released. Other items in the collection include Tupac’s handwritten lyrics, a Baltimore School of the Arts graduation banner he signed, archive photographs and a birthday part invitation from Jada Pinkett Smith, whom Tupac met in Baltimore. The auction is now live and will remain open through Feb. 11.

“This wasn’t meant to be a performance or a release. We were recording [a capella] so I could learn the rhymes and build the beats around them,” Ge-ology said in a statement. “That tape is one of the earliest moments of Tupac being documented, before the world knew who he was. I’ve protected it for decades, and now it feels right for it to be shared properly, as history.”

He added that the collection is an act of preservation, intended to be told by those who were there and “safeguarded in contexts where they are respected, protected and historically understood,” according to a press release.

Ge-ology also discusses his relationship with Tupac in a new interview with Wax Poetics.

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