This week has been characterised by a series of live performances from a duo of returning pop music veterans, some surprise announcements from some unexpected artists, and a controversial film teaser - let's recap them!
Harry Styles and Shania Twain take Wembley by storm
Harry Styles began the UK run of his 'Together Together' tour last Friday, June 12th, in Wembley Stadium, accompanied by country icon Shania Twain, as support for his recently released album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. The residency will span 12 nights at Wembley, concluding on the 4th of July, and the tour has already been a major hit amongst fans, marking the beginning of Wembley's packed summer of concerts.
Before the tour moved over to the UK, following its beginning in Amsterdam in May, fans had been complaining about the layout of the stage, where it spans almost the entire ground of Wembley, almost the size of a football pitch. Previously, there had been multiple 'bridges' which raised the stage up slightly in certain areas, allowing fans to pass under them into separate zones of differing ticket prices. This prohibited the clear views promised from the standing area, so fans were avid to voice their complaints due to the stage's design.
However, these complaints were embraced by Styles' team, adapting the stage to improve the visibility for fans, perfect for fans attending across the 12 nights. It is estimated that more than one million fans will attend the concerts in total, generating a huge £1 billion boom to the local London economy, as well as breaking the record for the most nights at Wembley in a single year (surpassing Coldplay), and a single tour (surpassing Taylor Swift), according to Barclays.
Tickets are still available, so grab your them quickly if you endeavour to join Styles and Twain on their record-breaking residency!
Video courtesy of @HarryStylesVEVO on Youtube
Some unexpected returns to pop music
Along with Harry Styles returning to the music scene, there have also been a couple other veterans who have teased their long-awaited return to the industry.
Lil Nas X rose to fame following the success of the 'Old Town Rown (feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) - remix', released in 2019 and propelled by TikTok during lockdown in 2020, topping the UK singles chart for two weeks, and the Billboard Hot 100 for a groundbreaking nineteen. His follow up album, MONTERO, cemented him as one to watch, spawning his second UK number one single with 'MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name), as well as landing the album in the top 10 of the UK charts.
Since this success, Lil Nas X has been laying low in the industry, but it wasn't until Wednesday that he revealed that new music is finally on the way. He detailed how he's been struggling with bipolar disorder, joking that he has been super unlucky due to being black and gay on top of that, but that he has been in rehab and is feeling "much better". The video on Instagram is a heartwarming, comedic insight into what the singer has been up to, and that we can only hope that new music is imminent, but it is great that Lil Nas X has made a return to social media with such a warm welcome, amongst fans and celebrities alike.
Video courtesy of @lilnasx on Instagram
Furthermore, Katy Perry has announced the start of her new era with the single 'Watch It Burn' out next Thursday, June 25th. This follows a rough couple of years for Perry, especially with the lack of success coinciding with her most recent era, 143, and the failure of 'Bandaids' late last year. Additionally, the internet have not been avid fans of Perry's performances on her tour, as well as her random new relationship with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau since July last 2025.
So, with the dwindling hype behind Perry's career in recent years, it will be interesting to see if this single will continue to fuel the internet's dislike for her, or if it will spark something new to revitalise her once gargantuan dominance of the industry.
Image courtesy of @katyperry on Instagram
Shrek 5 teaser revealed... to continued disappointment
Dreamworks have also just unveiled the official teaser trailer for the highly anticipated Shrek 5, set to release in cinemas next summer. This new trailer comes after the film's delay from its original date in December 2026, as well as a previous teaser trailer which fans deemed as far detached from the original art style of the franchise.
Thus, fans assumed that the team had pushed back the release date for the new film due to this backlash, but the new trailer contradicts just that, adopting this new animation style, and with no intention to revert it back to its original form.
The teaser trailer outlines the film's plot as characters Shrek and Donkey travelling to the land of Further, Further Away on a "whirlwind, big city adventure". The trailer itself, plot wise, looks fun and interesting, but it is hard to see beyond the complete overhaul of the animation style for the franchise, especially as it is so beloved by its fans.
The film will feature returning actors Mike Myers (Shrek), Cameron Diaz (Fiona), and Eddie Murphy (Donkey), with the addition of newly-wed actress sensation Zendaya, as daughter Felicia. Only time will tell if the film will deliver in summer next year, but it is without a doubt that the hype is still there, despite the controversies arising with the teaser's release.
Video courtesy of @UniversalPictures on Youtube
Changes to the Grammys' 'best new artist' category
The Recording Academy have announced changes to the 'best new artist' category at the most prestigious music awards: The Grammys. 'Best new artist' is perhaps the most controversial category of the award show as it identifies the best new artist who has broken through into the mainstream, which can often happen years after their debut, rather than the actual newest and most current artist.
An example of this is Sabrina Carpenter's win in 2025, following the success of her breakthrough album Short n' Sweet, in 2024. This was highly controversial because Carpenter has been making music since 2015, following her departure from Disney Channel, but the Academy awarded this to her due to her impact on mainstream pop. It is without a doubt that Carpenter was hugely influential at this time, especially with her chart-topper 'Espresso', but fans often criticise the Academy for their leniency in nominating, and awarding, this prestigious title to older artists.
From 2027, the Academy will allow for artists to nominate themselves for the award up to four times in total, an increase from three in previous years, allowing for this issue to persist. For example, Billboard chart-topper Ella Langley has submitted herself for the past three years, but this new change will allow for her to submit herself once again to the board, potentially allowing for her to be nominated for the award, according to Variety.
Therefore, this change comes with its controversies, but it is still quite early on to predict who will take the award at next year's ceremony, set to take place on February 7th.
Images courtesy of @sabrinacarpenter on Instagram
The World Cup kicks off
The FIFA World Cup opened last Thursday in Mexico City, and it has been an invigorating week of great games, with several unexpected upsets, and many triumphant wins.
As detailed in our article, England stormed ahead against Croatia to achieve their first win from their first game after a tricky match, but it was a much deserved victory. England still has two more games to play before (hopefully) advancing beyond the group stages, with these being:
- England vs Ghana (23/06 @ 21:00)
- England vs Panama (27/06 @ 22:00)
In other pop culture news...
- Strictly Come Dancing have continued to announce their cast ahead of its newest season at the end of this year, now including Australian Eurovision star Delta Goodrem joining the dancers
- Role Model has announced his 'Chuck On Tour' tour, visiting London's OVO Arena Wembley next February - tickets go on sale next week
This week may not have been the most jam-packed, but there have certainly been some unexpected (and some unwelcome) surprises, of course accompanied by England's triumphant win to kick off the beginning of their World Cup journey.
Album cover image courtesy of Harry Styles / Columbia Records via Wikipedia
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