Artists

• Multiple artists, including Young MC, Poison frontman Bret Michaels, and country singer Martina McBride, have withdrawn from the US Freedom 250 concert. • The performers cited concerns that the event would be overly political and claimed they were misled regarding the festival's political affiliations. • This mass departure highlights tensions surrounding the celebration of America's 250th birthday and the intersection of entertainment and political messaging.

• Several artists, including singer Morris Day and Milli Vanilli's Jodie Rocco, are withdrawing from a concert series after being listed in the lineup without prior consent. • The event is organized by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership established by President Donald Trump to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. • Scheduled to run from June 25 to July 10 on the National Mall, the festival aims to feature patriotic tributes, immersive exhibits, and live entertainment.

• The Newsmakers Achievers Awards 2026 celebrated lifetime achievements of renowned Indian entertainers and public figures including Usha Mangeshkar, Hariharan, Dilip Joshi, and Sanjeev Kapoor. • The Governor presided over the ceremony, recognizing contributions from distinguished personalities including Atul Tiwari, Pooja Bedi, and cultural figures across multiple domains. • The awards ceremony highlighted India's recognition of artistic excellence and public service across entertainment, culinary arts, social work, and education sectors.

Green checkmark will appear on artist profiles to signal they meet the platform’s standard for authenticitySpotify on Thursday unveiled a new verification system designed to help listeners distinguish human musicians from AI-generated content, as people flood streaming platforms with a growing volume of synthetic tracks made with artificial intelligence.The Swedish streaming giant said its “Verified by Spotify” badge – marked by a green checkmark – will begin appearing on artist profiles and in search results in the coming weeks, signaling that a profile has been reviewed and meets the platform’s standards for authenticity. Continue reading...

Tracey Emin among creators on display at Making Her Mark, a project by Penzance, Worcester and Kirkcaldy galleriesLike many regional galleries, the collection at Penlee House in Cornwall tends to be dominated by male artists, a legacy of the inequality faced by female creators over centuries.But from Thursday, thanks to a collaboration between galleries, visitors to the site in Penzance will be able to view work by some of the Britain’s great female artists. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Prominent figures risk arrest with message of support for proscribed group before next week’s appeal hearingUK politics live – latest updatesSally Rooney, Greta Thunberg, and Brian Eno have written to the court of appeal in support of Palestine Action before next week’s hearing to determine the lawfulness of the ban on the direct action protest group.The letter, composed of only six words – “We oppose genocide, we support Palestine Action” – is signed by more than 130 people and is the first time that prominent scholars, writers and activists have come together to defy the ban. Continue reading...

Anas Sarwar says scheme would be part of overhaul of arts funding in ScotlandLabour has pledged to spend £30m on giving Scottish artists and musicians a living wage, mirroring a similar scheme in Ireland guaranteeing artists a basic income.Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, said the scheme would be part of a deeper shake-up of cultural funding in Scotland by integrating arts and culture into the Scottish government’s economic strategies if his party won power in next month’s Holyrood election. Continue reading...

London festival will feature an intimate Styles performance as well as appearances from Warpaint, Kamasi Washington, Devonté Hynes and moreHarry Styles has announced the lineup of artists he has curated for this year’s Meltdown festival, held at London’s Southbank Centre.As well as performing a solo concert on 16 June at Royal Festival Hall, sandwiched amid his run of 12 dates at the considerably larger Wembley Stadium, Styles has brought together a diverse range of artists spanning jazz, pop, indie rock and electronic music. Continue reading...

• Lollapalooza 2026 has announced its full lineup featuring major pop artists including Charli XCX, Tate McRae, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Chainsmokers, and many others performing across eight stages in Chicago's Grant Park. • The four-day music festival runs July 30 through August 2, 2026, with tickets now on sale to the public for the highly anticipated summer event. • The lineup represents significant star power across multiple genres, drawing both contemporary pop powerhouses and iconic legacy acts to one of the nation's largest music festivals.

Show in part a rediscovery of more than 40 mostly forgotten women who plied their trade in the Low CountriesJudith Leyster, an artist of the Dutch golden age, was thought to be about 21 when she painted her self-portrait in 1630. In the picture she presented to the world, Leyster exudes cheerful confidence. Clad in shimmering silks and a stiffly starched lace collar, she leans back in her chair, palette and brushes in hand, a painting by her side.This work, completed in the year she was admitted to a painters’ guild in Haarlem, proclaimed her arrival as an established artist. It was one of the first self-portraits by an artist in the Dutch republic, a device most male painters did not adopt until years later. Continue reading...

Alexandre Dumas was wowed by it and Burt Lancaster starred there. Now the Cirque d’Hiver has a new spectacleFor more than 170 years the Cirque d’Hiver, the world’s oldest circus, has been the scene of many a breathtaking act.In 1859, gymnast Jules Léotard – whose name would become synonymous with the one-piece – captivated audiences by launching himself from one swinging trapeze to another without a safety net for the first time in public. Continue reading...