The British group of five young women formed in 1994, and the irrepressibly catchy ‘Wannabe’ was released on June 26, 1996, initially in Asia. It shot swiftly up the charts to number one in Britain, the United States and dozens of other countries.

“They weren’t just a throwaway pop band,” Dominic Mohan, a former editor of The Sun tabloid who covered the British music scene at the time, told AFP.

“They were very spirited and they had quite strong messages as well, about feminism and about girl power and about being who you are.”

And he said of ‘Wannabe’: “It’s one of those records, as soon as you hear it you realise that it’s going to go down in history.”

He has curated an exhibition at the Barbican Centre in London entitled 1996: 30 Years on running until mid-September, which features the Spice Girls and some of their iconic looks.

Band member Mel B loaned the leopard-skin catsuit she wore to belt out ‘Wannabe’ at the 1997 Brit Awards, where the song won two prizes. Unlike previous girl groups in matching outfits, each of the five Spice Girls had their own individual style.

Mel B, short for Melanie Brown, also known as Scary Spice, wore animal prints, Posh Spice Victoria Adams, now Beckham, had a bob and dark dresses and Baby Spice Emma Bunton preferred pastels and bunches.

Mel C, Melanie Chisholm or Sporty Spice, favoured sports gear and Geri Halliwell, or Ginger Spice due to her red hair, wore a short, short Union Jack dress and boots for the Brits performance.

‘Wannabe’ with its catchy refrain — “I’ll tell you want I want, what I really, really want” and its insistence that “friendship never ends” — became an anthem for a generation of young women. It has been played almost 1.5 billion times on Spotify.

The anniversary has revived talk of a possible reunion, although the bandmates have not all performed together since the 2012 London Olympics.

“It’s our 30th anniversary, I do think we should be doing something,” Brown told the Press Association this month.

“We’re all talking about it”, but “nothing has been confirmed”.

The women are said to have remained close, with four of them joining celebrations for Emma Bunton’s 50th birthday earlier this year.

A punk feel

In a sign of their lasting legacy, current stars including Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Adele and Charli XCX have cited their music as an influence.

“There’s a tendency, I think, for people to look back and think Spice Girls were really bubblegum pop,” Joel Gray, a lecturer in media, art and communications at Sheffield Hallam University, told AFP. But he argued “they actually had much more of a punk feel”.

The women’s raucous style also made them gay icons, Gray said, since “their loud and proud persona gave a platform to the LGBT audience”.

Both Mel C and Halliwell were named “honorary gays” by Britain’s Attitude, a top LGBTQ magazine.

The group was, however, put together and managed by men: powerful industry figure Simon Fuller oversaw the release of ‘Wannabe’, although the women subsequently sacked him.

Unlike some boybands of the era such as Take That, the group have rarely performed together since splitting in 1998 and going on to build successful careers, such as Victoria Beckham’s fashion label.

All five members sang at the 2012 Olympics, and their most recent performance was in 2019, without Beckham.

Given the ‘Wannabe’ anniversary, “I would have thought that they might re-form … for just maybe a one-off kind of gig or a few dates,” said Mohan.

So far, the group have only announced a T-shirt and a vinyl issue of ‘Wannabe’.

“I don’t think we’re going to see a permanent full-time reunion, but I could absolutely see them doing something again as a group,” said Gray.

“What I’ve learned with the Spice Girls is never say never.”

The Korean-Canadian rapper was seen wearing a t-shirt with the Confederate flag at a fan event, with his newly founded label Upper Room posting pictures and taking them down soon after.

The flag, which was used by the Confederate States of America during the US Civil War, has come to represent white supremacist ideals and the economic justification of slavery.

Users on X — fans and ops alike — knew this was something he’d have a hard time walking away from.

Seeing the backlash, Upper Room issued an apology on Tuesday. In an Instagram story, it said, “We would like to extend our sincere apologies for the concern, discomfort, and disappointment caused by the vintage T-shirt that appeared in a recently shared photograph.

“The garment was selected solely as a vintage wardrobe item,” it continued. “However, upon recognising the historical significance and sensitivity associated with the symbol displayed on the T-shirt, we took measures to ensure that it would not be visible in any official content. Despite these efforts, the image was subsequently shared externally.

“We take full responsibility for this oversight,” the label said. “Upper Room and the artist unequivocally reject and do not tolerate racism, hate, discrimination, or any form of intolerance. We are also grateful to those who brought this matter to our attention. In response, we will strengthen our internal review procedures for wardrobe selection and content approval to help prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.”

People did not buy it, saying Lee grew up in North America and should have known better.

A user called it “laughable” how the moment Lee gained control over his public image, he pulled this stunt, after remaining generally unproblematic during his time with NCT.

Another said Koreans were sensitive when it came to their own history and expected other people to respect it — as evidenced by the backlash received by Starbucks recently. They said it was wrong of Lee not to afford the same courtesy to other cultures.

Users asked fans not to defend his actions and one even wondered if he had taken inspiration from Nicki Minaj — who has, in recent times, become an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump.

Lee has not addressed the controversy personally, even though some fans are demanding an apology. Upper Room’s statement can be said to be his — he founded the company earlier this month — but many have said that may not be enough in this case.

The music video for the song, which released on Wednesday, is shot entirely in black and white and moves between visuals of Gaza and the singers themselves in a studio.

The video highlights the destruction and desolation in Gaza, showing somber shots of massive piles of rubble that once used to be city blocks. Survivors of the war are also shown in the video — people who continue rebuilding, who are committed to living and finding moments of lightness and joy where they are. The visuals seem to tell a story of resistance through existence, of a people who cannot become ‘comfortably numb’ to the war and must keep living through it.

An older, more grief-stricken Waters sings the opening verse from the original, to which Miari responds in Arabic, “After what happened, no one was left. No words were left — what use is asking? All that is lost… Home, oh beloved home. The night fell silent and collapsed. Oh, beloved home, tell him.”

In his next verse, Waters says the cries of the people of Palestine reach him in New York, travelling across oceans. Miari sings of her own dreams of freedom. “Our light will break the darkness. We are the promise of a new dawn,” she says of the Palestinian people.

Both singers join voices to say they will “never become comfortably numb”.

Later in the song, Waters laments not learning of continued injustice against the Palestinian people sooner, “We never know about the Nakba. I was only five years old in ‘48. We were unaware what was happening over there. It breaks my heart I came on board so late.”

He says now is the “Time to clean the slate. Go back to 1948. Before the settlers stole the land. When Grandma’s key unlocked the door and everyone revered the olive tree. And every human life was sacred, everyone, every daughter and every son.”

The song ends with the two demanding “equal rights for everyone, from the river to the sea”.

The song was released on music platforms on June 12, with the music video following a few days later.

Waters has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, notably facing a possible legal case for his outspoken stance on Palestine Action — an organisation that has been banned by the UK parliament.

Waters has publicly declared the group is “not a terrorist organisation”, for which he may face prosecution in Britain.

On Monday, they got closer than ever to the answer they were waiting for when New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared to confirm the wedding dates during a press conference.

Speaking to the media about security arrangements for the FIFA World Cup and a series of other events coming up in the city, he said, “We are the biggest city in the country. We are used to big events, and we are incredibly excited for this one. We know it coincides with the Knicks’ [NBA] Finals run. We know it coincides with July 4, America 250, Taylor Swift’s wedding — all happening at the same time — and we are so excited to welcome the world here.”

Mamdani’s statement seemingly confirms rumours of a wedding on Independence Day weekend — July 3-5 — one of the many theories popular among Swifties.

Earlier, the CEO of the wedding’s speculated venue — Madison Square Garden — seemed to confirm his arena would be hosting the event.

Talking about rumours that Swift and her fiance Travis Kelce were given free tickets to a New York Knicks basketball game in exchange for renting out the venue for their wedding, he said the media got it “half wrong”.

When asked which half, he said, “Travis is in a mandatory training camp” and wouldn’t be able to attend the game.

As for Mayor Mamdani — a Swiftie himself — he won’t be at the wedding. When asked if he was invited and whether he planned on going, he replied, “No and no.”

“I wish them a lovely wedding. I’ll listen to ‘Only the Young’ at home on my own,” Mamdani added, referring to the Grammy winner’s 2020 track.

His fellow fans are probably rejoicing that he wasn’t on the guestlist, as invitees reportedly had to sign non-disclosure agreements and face penalties for revealing wedding details like the date and venue.

The pianist, who recorded more than 70 albums, “passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family in Germany, after a short illness,” the family said.

Ibrahim began his professional career at the age of 15 before being discovered in 1963 in a Zurich club by American jazz pianist Duke Ellington. In 1965, Ibrahim and his wife moved to New York, where he fronted the Duke Ellington Orchestra on several occasions.

By the 1960s, jazz had come to symbolise resistance against apartheid because of its mixed-race bands and audiences — and the hardline segregationist government was cracking down.

Ibrahim and his future wife, jazz singer Sathima Bea Benjamin, decided to leave, taking up a contract to play at a club in the Swiss city of Zurich.

There he was discovered in 1963 by US jazz pianist Ellington, who was so impressed that he took the South African to a recording session in Paris. Invitations to perform followed.

In 1965, Ibrahim and his wife moved to New York, where he fronted the Duke Ellington Orchestra on several occasions, studied at the Juilliard School of Music and mixed with other jazz artists.

Three years later, the couple returned to Cape Town and he converted to Islam, taking the name Abdullah Ibrahim.

In 1974, he recorded the iconic ‘Mannenberg — ‘Is Where It’s Happening’’ which became an anthem against apartheid.

Originally published in Dawn, June 16th, 2026

The singer was on stage at London’s iconic O2 Arena when he spoke to the crowd, waxing nostalgic about his younger years.

“Many years ago, there was a boy from Lahore. The way most people make do on pocket money, he couldn’t, because his friends were too important for him. But those many friends, they made many sacrifices for him. They’d give him their lunch, they’d give him a ride to college. Who knew that boy would be in London’s O2 Arena 20 years later?”

He dedicated the performance of his song ‘Jal Pari’ to everyone who supported him as he worked to release his first album and for everyone who can’t wait to listen to the next one.

That’s right, he announced a new album.

Aslam used the concert to announce his fourth studio album — and his first since 2008. While he didn’t provide a name or any other details, the singer said it would be released in the first week of August.

He told his fans he couldn’t “thank you enough for being with me”.

Opening acts are often treated as little more than a warm-up while audiences wait for the main performer. But Mehtab Hassan proved to be a pleasant exception. Within minutes of stepping on the stage, the up-and-coming singer from Lahore had completely won over the audience!

Armed with little more than an acoustic performance, an easy smile, a stellar set list and a brilliant voice, the young artist transformed pre-show anticipation into a singalong. That night, reels of his performance spread on Instagram with captions like, “Came for Murtaza Qizilbash and fell in love with Mehtab Hassan’s vocals.”

For Hassan, the overwhelming response was both exhilarating and surreal.

“I was very nervous,” he recalls. “It was my first time performing in front of such a large crowd. I’ve done private shows, corporate events and concerts with a limited audience before, but this felt very different and very special.”

Yet somewhere between the first few songs and the final applause, the nerves disappeared. The audience sang along to his covers, some of his Instagram followers cheered from the crowd and when he introduced his original song ‘Saya Jo Tera’, he taught the audience its hook before performing it. What happened next caught him by surprise.

“They responded with so much love and tried singing along. That was the moment I truly felt the connection.”

But while most may have just discovered him, Hassan’s relationship with music began long before social media, streaming platforms and sold-out concerts.

Growing up in Lahore, music was a constant presence in his childhood. One of his earliest memories is a Basant celebration from when he was just four years old. His family’s Christian neighbors, two brothers who spent their evenings playing guitar and singing songs by Atif Aslam, Jal, Noori, Junoon and various Western artists, unknowingly became his first musical mentors.

With no musicians in his immediate family, they were among the first to notice the little boy who sat watching them closely, absorbing every note. Inspired, Hassan took to the mic at the rooftop Basant gathering and sang Atif Aslam’s iconic ‘Aadat’. The response was unforgettable.

“The appreciation I received that day stayed with me,” he says.

Yet, during his school years, Hassan was shy and hesitated to sing publicly despite his friends encouragement. At 19, he moved to the United Arab Emirates to work at Legoland Dubai. The job offered stability and a new experience, but his interest in music never went away.

“Deep inside, I always felt that something was missing, and that something was music,” he says.

There was another obstacle too: he was camera shy and hesitant to put himself online. Like many aspiring artists, he worried about how people would react. Eventually, encouraged by friends and family, he began posting song covers on social media. Then, somewhere in 2022, one of his videos went viral on Instagram with over 200,000 views.

For Hassan, the moment served as both validation and a wake-up call. The response convinced him that music was more than just a hobby; it was the path he wanted to pursue seriously. Soon after, he left his job and returned to Pakistan to focus on building a career as an independent artist.

Since 2022, he has steadily built a reputation through private events, corporate performances and live shows, while simultaneously developing his own original music.

When asked about his musical influences, he told Images that Atif Aslam remains a foundational inspiration, while Indian playback legend Sonu Nigam shaped his understanding of vocal control and emotional expression. More recently, Hassan has found inspiration in Ali Sethi’s ability to bridge classical traditions with contemporary sounds.

That blend of traditional and contemporary has also informed Hassan’s own artistic identity.

“I would describe my style as classic pop,” he says, though he believes versatility is one of his strengths.

For all the opportunities social media has created, Hassan acknowledges that the path remains challenging for emerging artists. Although exposure comes easier than ever before, so does criticism. He also believes the music industry could do more to create meaningful collaboration opportunities between established names and rising talent.

Still, his outlook remains optimistic.

For Hassan, music is ultimately about connection rather than recognition. “Humanity comes first,” he told Images. “I deeply respect all forms of art because they help people express emotions and connect with each other.”

That philosophy may explain why Lahore embraced him so quickly. In an era where audiences often discover artists through algorithms, Hassan’s breakout moment happened the old-fashioned way: standing on a stage, singing from the heart and earning a crowd one song at a time.

The attention generated by his Lahore performance has only strengthened his resolve to keep going. Inspired by artists like Murtaza Qizilbash, whom he describes as a close friend, Hassan is now focused on releasing more original music.

He already has several songs ready for release after Muharram and hopes to put out at least five original tracks by the end of the year. For an artist who once struggled to sing in front of a camera, it marks a remarkable evolution.

And if the audience’s response in Lahore is any indication, Hassan’s days as a hidden gem might just be numbered.

In an episode of the Geo Podcast, Haq told host Mubashir Hashmi he had neither authorised the use of the song for Karan Johar’s film Jugg Jugg Jeeyo, nor was he benefitting from it.

The singer talked about how a company in London had claimed the rights to some of his most famous tracks, including ‘Nach Punjaban’ and ‘Billo De Ghar’ — something that caused problems when he re-recorded the latter for Coke Studio. He claimed the company had gotten songs taken off YouTube after wrongfully claiming to own copyrights to them.

“Look, I haven’t sold [the rights] to them, they assumed I had. And when we asked them about it, they gave a very interesting answer. They said, ‘You have that friend, Haroon, right?’ I said I did and they said I should ask Haroon… I told them I hadn’t given the rights to Haroon either, I have the rights. All they said was, ‘You can ask Haroon.’”

Haq said the company had prepared “fake documents” with “forged signatures” in London and litigation there was expensive. He said he wasn’t the only victim of this scam, other artists had been impacted too.

About Johar’s film, the singer categorically denied being asked if he was okay with his song being used in the movie. “They sold the whole film on that song, it was unfair,” he said.

Haq said he was still suing to get the rights back and described the dispute as an “open and shut case”. He said he had the option to recreate the song, maybe with new lyrics, but the original song belonged to him and he wanted it back.

“I am not the kind of guy to take music very seriously, I make it for the sake of fun, for the sake of happiness. But if it’s going to become such a big source of revenue, nobody should take someone else’s rights away.”

The back and forth between the singer and London-based Moviebox has been going on for years now, with the two parties having first traded barbs on X — then known as Twitter — in 2022. Abrar claimed at the time that Johar and his team had copied his song without permission and vowed to take them to court.

In response, Moviebox said publicly that they owned the rights to the music and had sold them to Indian label T Series. T Series later confirmed they had bought the rights from Moviebox and said, “All due credits shall be included across all platforms when song releases”.

The comment came after the White House shared a video on TikTok earlier this week highlighting its immigration policy. The video, which depicts federal ​agents arresting and handcuffing people, features the Grammy Award-winning ​singer’s 2024 song ‘Bye’.

“Please do not ever use my music ⁠in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense,” Grande ​wrote in a comment posted on the White House video on ​TikTok on Thursday.

A source close to the singer said her team is looking into how to remove the music from the video as soon as possible.

Responding ​to Grande, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said: “We’ll say this ​one last time: what’s actually barbaric, inhumane, and heinous are the criminal illegal ‌aliens ⁠who have injured and murdered innocent American citizens.”

Grande, a singer and Academy Award-nominated actor, was critical of the Trump administration last year after sharing a post on Instagram asking people who ​voted for Trump ​if their ⁠lives had gotten better since he returned to office.

Trump, now in his second non-consecutive term, has ​an active social media presence. Members of his ​communications team ⁠often post short videos that feature popular songs to illustrate the president’s efforts to deliver on his campaign promises.

Some of the ⁠videos ​have featured hit songs while depicting images ​showing Trump’s immigration crackdown, US military operations against Iran and the arrest of former Venezuelan President ​Nicolás Maduro.

For the music video, he changes things up even more, replacing Rishi Kapoor with himself, the mountains with the streets of Karachi and the heroine with yearning — yeah, this is clearly the same guy who sang ‘Jo Tu Na Mila’.

The video begins with our hero arriving in the city of lights and frantically looking for something — or someone. He asks the guards at the gate, looks around and then gets into an old-timey taxi to take his search elsewhere.

“Jaane kahan hai, kahan phir rahi. Mein dhoondoon tera jo guzar ho kahin (Where is she, where is she roaming. I look to see if you’re passing through somewhere).” We find out that the singer is indeed searching for a girl and that she promised to meet him, but has now ghosted him.

We get a taste of Kumar’s original vocals before Azhar keeps wondering aloud, “Tu hai kahan? Tu hai kaha-ha-han? (Where are you?)”

We then get even more details about the relationship between him and the mystery girl when he sings about her wanting space but them being made for each other. He asks her to have mercy on him, “You know I can’t wait, peeche na bhaga (don’t make me chase after you).”

After all his adventures across Karachi, we end up at the final scene with Azhar sleeping at home and being shaken awake by a barrage of texts from a “Pari” who is apparently waiting for him at the airport.

Did he sleep in and miss his flight? Did he give her the wrong time? Why couldn’t he have called her to clarify — he even asks if he should in the song. We have more questions than we have answers, but maybe that means something too.

But there’s a detail in the fine print below Swift’s name that someone could easily miss at first glance. In the piece, Forbes confirms that the country singer is the wealthiest female musician of all time with a total net worth of $2 billion.

The list recognised Swift for her influence on the music industry as “one of the most commercially successful songwriters of all time”. It said she “leveraged her star power to re-record most of her discography” in 2020, taking back the royalties to her music and inspiring other artists to do the same.

“In 2024, Swift reached billionaire status thanks to The Eras Tour, which became the highest-grossing concert tour in history with revenue of $2.2bn,” Forbes noted. It added that she used around $360 million of the funds to buy back the rights to all her master recordings last year.

“By March 2026, her net worth doubled to $2bn, making her the richest female musician in history,” the list said.

According to her profile on Forbes, “Her fortune includes nearly $800m amassed from royalties and touring, plus a music catalogue worth an estimated $600m and some $110m in real estate.”

The star continues to set records, recently becoming the most streamed artist of all time on Spotify, which had released its top 20 ranking earlier this year for its 20th anniversary.

She also posted a note on the subject thanking her friends, family and well-wishers, asking them not to share unverified information about her.

Rumours circulating on the internet claimed Syed had died, with fans grieving the loss of a titan of Pakistani music. Naturally, when they reached the singer herself, she addressed the situation by talking to her fans personally.

“I have come to know that rumours are being spread about my health. I am absolutely fine, by the grace of God. I am living a really good life in New York. Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes,” Syed said.

The written statement read, “I have come to learn that false reports of my passing are being circulated on social media. These are not true. Alhamdulillah, I am alive, well and in good health. I request everyone not to share this false news and to help correct the misinformation wherever it appears. Thank you.”

She wrote she was “deeply touched by the concern, kindness, and affection shown by the many people who reached out to me after seeing these reports”.

Designer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin also helped dispel the rumours by posting a picture of the singer and saying she was “alive, well and in good health”. Bushra Ansari posted Syed’s video message to her own account.

The internet occasionally likes to kill people off before their time. Most recently, Indian actor Dharmendra was declared dead by Indian media during a hospitalisation in November. He was alive and passed away a couple of weeks later.

In Pakistan, actor Sakina Samo was rumoured to have succumbed to Covid-19 at the height of the 2020 pandemic. She is still alive and well, having recovered from the virus after a stint of self-isolation.

“Suman ji died at around 8pm at her residence in Lokhandwala due to old age. She died peacefully. Over the last few days, she had been listening to her own songs,” Mangala Khadilkar, who wrote the acclaimed Marathi biography Suman Sugandh on the singer, told the Press Trust of India.

The singer rose to fame in the 1960s and 70s, she was known across the subcontinent for her film tracks such as ‘Aajkal Tere Mere Pyar Ke Charche’ from Brahmachari (1968), ‘Na Na Karte Pyar’ from Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965) and ‘Tumne Pukara Aur Hum Chale Aaye’ from Rajkumar (1964).

During the course of her career, she sang 740 songs in 11 different languages, including 140 duets with Mohammed Rafi — another legend of Indian music. Beyond film music, her repertoire included bhajans, ghazals, and thumris.

Kalyanpur’s soft vocals were often compared to Lata Mangeshkar — arguably the biggest name in Bollywood playback singing — with many listeners confusing the two.

Kalyanpur always dismissed the comparison. In a 2022 interview, she called Mangeshkar a close friend.

“Everyone loved her songs and she will remain immortal. We recorded a duet together for the film Chaand. Every time I met her, it felt like meeting a close friend. I believe she felt the same,” she said.

Tributes poured in for the singer, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who sent condolences to her family and said he was “anguished” by her passing.

“Her melodious voice and soulful renditions enriched our cultural world. Through her songs, she created a special place among music lovers and admirers of Indian cinema,” He said.

Kalyanpur is survived by her daughter Charu. Her last rites will be performed in Mumbai on Monday (today).

Cover photo: Press Information Bureau / Government of India

Of course, when half of a couple is singer Annural Khalid, the song has to be her own. That’s what ‘Falling4U’ is — a bride’s ode to her loving husband.

With Khalid’s signature soft vocals and an acoustic guitar forming much of the musical accompaniment, the song is mellow, calmingly so. The point, however, lies in the simple but meaningful lyrics.

As if describing her own struggles before getting married, Khalid starts her song with, “Bechayn kab se, hum hain baithay. Din raat kitaabon main, tujh ko dhoondain. (I have been sitting restless for so long. Day and night, I have searched for you in books).”

She goes on to describe the love she has for her husband Moeez, whose picture with the singer is front and centre on the album’s cover, with words like “behisaab (immeasurable)” and “beshumaar (uncountable)”.

Later, she says, “Chali jase hawain, dheemay dheemay, teri ore mujhe kyu yeh lay chalin? Jaisay, teray hi liye to main hoon bani. (As the winds blew gently, why did they push me in your direction? Like I was made for you).”

The evidently enamoured singer surprised fans in April with news of her wedding, which she sprung up on everyone with a black and white picture of her and Moeez’s hands captioned “Mr and Mrs”.

‘Falling4U’ is Khalid’s first release since tying the knot and a very fitting one at that. A promo for the song on Instagram had a montage of Moeez’s baby pictures and shots of them together. A message on the video read, “To my husband, for today and for every ordinary little day that turns extraordinary with you. And to our families… thank you for the love, softness and grace that we now carry forward.”

He shared a clip from the show, which just dropped its second season on Thursday.

“Eid Mubarak from Deli Boys season 2 which just dropped,” he wrote in his caption, asking people to spot the “fake qawwal” in episode five.

In the clip, Sethi sings ‘Chaap Tilak’ while Poorna Jagannathan dances along.

We totally should have seen this coming, given how the soundtrack for Bait, Riz Ahmed’s new show on a British-Pakistani actor hoping to become the next James Bond, was a celebration of all things desi music.

The second season of the Hulu dark comedy Deli Boys, stars Asif Ali, Saagar Shaikh and Jagannathan, and has added five new names to its cast. Fred Armisen is set to join as a major character, which was announced back in August, Andrew Rannells and Kumail Nanjiani have been cast as recurring characters, while Robin Thede and Lilly Singh will be joining the show as guest stars.

Created by Abdullah Saeed, the show follows Pakistani-American brothers Mir and Raj Dar (Ali and Sheikh) who have lost everything and are now preparing to take over their father’s criminal empire.

The show, which received acclaim for its representation of Pakistani Americans and it’s comedic content, was renewed for its second season in August. The 10-episode first season — which includes a cameo by Pakistani fashion designer HSY — can be watched on Hulu and Disney+.

The group also claimed Best Male K-pop Artist and Song of the Summer for ​the single ‘Swim’.

BTS prevailed in a high-powered Artist of the Year category that included Taylor Swift, winner of the most ​AMAs of any musician over her career, as well as Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Harry Styles, ⁠Lady Gaga and others.

“We made it once again!” BTS member RM told screaming fans inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena in ​Las Vegas. BTS won the same honour in 2021.

“Our biggest thanks and gratitude, as always, goes to the ARMYs all ​over the world,” RM added, referring to the nickname for BTS fans. “You have stood by us for the past 13 years.”

The red-carpet gala, which aired live on CBS and Paramount+, opened with members of BTS in a pre-recorded performance of ‘Hooligan’ from a recent Vegas concert.

BTS went on ​hiatus in 2022 when all seven members took part in South Korea’s mandatory military service. In March, they returned with their ​fifth studio album Arirang. The album topped the Billboard 200 chart for two weeks, a first for a K-pop group or artist.

In other AMA ‌wins ⁠for K-pop, the Song of the Year award went to EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, the voices behind the fictional group HUNTR/X and ‘Golden’, the upbeat tune from the Netflix animated movie KPop Demon Hunters. The trio won three AMAs in total.

Katseye, a global girl group with members from four countries, also took home three awards including New Artist of the Year.

Swift had ​been the leading nominee heading ​into the ceremony, with eight ⁠nods including Album of the Year for The Life of a Showgirl and Song of the Year for ‘The Fate of Ophelia’. She did not win in any of the categories and did ​not attend the event.

Carpenter, also a no-show, earned Album of the Year for Man’s Best ​Friend and two ⁠other awards.

Twenty-year-old indie musician Sombr scored three trophies including Best Rock/Alternative Song for ‘Back to Friends’.

“I wrote this song when I was 19 and depressed all by myself in my bedroom,” he said on stage. “So being here, I never would have expected that.”

Billy Idol, ⁠an ​icon of 1980s rock, received a lifetime achievement honour. The 70-year-old reflected ​on starting a career in punk rock in 1976.

“We thought it may last only about six months, let alone 50 years,” Idol said before performing ​rousing versions of ‘Eyes Without a Face’ and ‘Dancing with Myself’.

Rollins had recorded the confidently titled Jazz Colossus album in 1956, but the saxophonist remained wracked with self-doubt.

So, in the summer of 1959, he ​began to play on the windswept pedestrian walkway of New York’s Williamsburg Bridge. Initially a place where he could avoid disturbing his pregnant neighbour, the walkway became the site ‌of endless practice.

“What made me withdraw and go to the bridge was how I felt about my own playing,” Rollins told the Guardian newspaper in 2022. “I knew I was dissatisfied.”

He ended up spending more than two years there, often for 14 or 15 hours a day.

“Of course, sometimes I’d come down to go to the bathroom, or I’d go to a bar I liked where I might have a cognac,” he said. “But then I’d go right back up.”

The resulting record, The Bridge, was not a ​complete break from his previous style but took his soloing and improvisation to a new level. A review in the Jazz Journal at the time said Rollins was able “to extract the last ​ounce of meaning from a particular phrase taken from the melody of the song”.

The record also set him on a course to becoming one of the most ⁠acclaimed performers of his generation, alongside John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter.

Rollins died at his home in Woodstock, New York, according to a statement released on Monday.

I was just immersed in it

Born on September 7, 1930, ​Walter Theodore Rollins grew up in Harlem surrounded by music.

Both his brother and sister studied violin and piano. Pianist Fats Waller lived in the neighbourhood. Sonny, as he was known from an early age, recalled how he ​instinctively knew that Waller’s music was right for him — “like a baby getting a bottle or something,” he told PBS NewsHour.

His idol, saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, lived nearby, too.

On his way to school, Rollins walked past the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom — both venues at the heart of the New York jazz world. “I was just immersed in it from the beginning really,” he said.

A child prodigy, Rollins was influenced by saxophonist Charlie Parker and mentored by pianist Thelonious Monk. Early opportunities came calling ​in the late 1950s when he played with leading jazz artists such as Art Blakey, Bud Powell and Miles Davis.

He wrote some of Davis’ best-known early pieces, including ‘Oleo’ and ‘Airegin’.

Saxophone Colossus included the calypso-inspired ‘St Thomas’, starting a ​long association with the music beloved by his parents, who hailed from the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Rollins’ often marathon, hard-blowing solos earned him a reputation as the greatest jazz saxophone improviser.

He told PBS he would go on stage with his ‌mind blank and ⁠no plan for his solos beyond an awareness of the structure of the piece. “Improvising on it, that I leave completely to the forces,” he said. “Sometimes I’m surprised by what comes out.”

Rollins also innovated by using his sax as a rhythm section instrument.

Albums included the soundtrack to the film Alfie, and East Broadway Run Down, both recorded in 1966.

His devil-may-care compositions for Alfie captured the mood of that movie as successfully as Davis’ haunting music had done for Louis Malle’s Elevator to the Gallows eight years earlier.

I’m the last guy

Things could have turned out very differently for Rollins. In 1950 he was arrested for armed robbery and spent 10 months in jail.

“In retrospect, it was ​the first of my sabbaticals! Unlike the others, ​it wasn’t self-imposed. But it was a learning ⁠place,” Rollins said about his time behind bars in an interview with Uncut magazine.

“The prison was a brutal place, but fortunately I was involved in the music, and I largely avoided the brutality.”

In 1952, he was re-arrested for breaking the terms of his parole by using heroin, a habit he later swapped for an exercise ​regime and yoga practice, shunning the all-night partying that destroyed the careers of so many other musicians.

During another sabbatical, starting in 1969, he spent time ​in Japan and India — including ⁠a spell in a monastery — before reappearing in the early 1970s to make more records.

Lucille, whom he married in 1965, acted as his manager. The couple stayed together until her death in 2004. They had no children.

Rollins recorded more than 60 albums as a leader. He performed with bands including the Rolling Stones, providing improvisations to three tracks on their 1981 album Tattoo You. But he later told The New York Times that he did not relate to ⁠their music, which ​he felt was “just derivative of Black blues”.

After winning two Grammy awards from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, as ​well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from that same institution, a respiratory illness forced him to stop playing. He retired in 2014.

Rollins was aware of his place as the last surviving giant of the era of jazz led by Parker, Monk and Coltrane.

“I’m the ​last guy but in a way I’m not, because when I’m gone my music is going to be here,” he told PBS in 2011. “We’re all still here, we’re all still here.”

The pop star talked about his marriage and newfound followers in an interview with Haroon Rashid on BBC Asian Network.

Raheem said he was glad he got married, joking that he thinks his wife “likes the attention” she gets from the relationship. “Honestly, I’m like, ‘It just took like six years to be a star and look at you, like two days and you’re everywhere’. And she’s like, ‘Stop it, Hasan.’”

The singer called marriage the “best decision I did”, adding that the wedding took place at “a crucial point in my life, going through a lot of stuff”.

He said the cultural aspect of the wedding was very important to him, so he got married “in the most authentic Gilgiti way”.

“Everyone had to see that side of me. What’s better than doing it on your wedding?”

What Raheem didn’t see coming was the outpouring of love he received and not just from fans either. “I was not expecting it to blow up so much. Like, I get aunties meeting me who are not fans of my music. They’re like, ‘You got married!’ I’m like, ‘What?’”

The star recalled an incident when he was flying within the US and talked to a woman whose daughter wanted to attend his concert in Washington DC.

She asked him to get her daughter tickets and while Raheem got on with arranging passes, the woman stopped him and said, “One second, beta, listen to me. You’re the Hasan who got married, right? I know you!”

“The wedding had a separate fanbase,” he told Rashid.

Months later, he revisited the controversy surrounding his Kathmandu concert and talked about the interview on the Geo Podcast with Mubashir Hashmi.

Hashmi brought the incident up by singing the rapper’s praises and saying that Anjum is popular around the world, so a fan presenting him with a flag was simply a gesture of love.

Hashmi said Pakistanis had a record of being the more sane voices when it came to cross-border matters and said he found the way Anjum was treated to be “completely unacceptable”. He asked the rapper for his views on this, adding that many people condemned it at the time.

“I wasn’t expecting that and that’s mostly because I don’t do interviews and wherever I go, I try for there to be a point to it. I don’t talk to people for no reason,” Anjum replied.

He said he had been following the news in the aftermath of his concert and found mixed reactions, with senior artists who had been to India — who “knew what it feels like when a fan shows love to you,” in the rapper’s words — supporting his point of view.

The two agreed there were double standards in the way people dealt with Indian and Pakistani artists interacting. “When Diljit [Dosanjh] does a concert and invites Hania Aamir on to the stage, we celebrate,” Hashmi said, with Anjum calling this behaviour “hypocrisy”.

Coming to the interview, the rapper said in the days following his concert, one channel “had gone after him” and he felt he needed to go on to their show and explain himself.

“When the interview started, the way I was spoken to, I don’t talk to anyone like that and I don’t want anyone to talk to me that way. Sitting there, I felt like I was a politician.”

Anjum said he corrected her, still respected her, and wished her the best of luck, but thought she “must have learnt that you don’t do this”. That earned a hearty laugh from Hashmi who said, “Yeah, she sure found out.”

The rapper’s tone was similarly celebratory at the onset of the flag controversy, when he said he would “do it again” in a now-deleted post on X.

Later, facing backlash from the public, he issued an “unconditional” apology on Khan’s show, saying he had lost track in the heat of the moment.

The host’s behaviour on the show was called out for being aggressive, especially by celebrities. At the time, Yasir Hussain and Khaqan Shahnawaz even compared Khan to firebrand Indian TV personality Arnab Goswami.

The Pakistani pop sensation said, “At the end, music and art will win.”

Raheem said the pair had collaborated on three songs and he loved how Talwiinder was unapologetic about being a misfit. He said they had tried to keep the joint performance “low-key”, but any notion of that went out the window when the Indian artist stepped on stage and “the voices started shrieking”.

He said they performed the song once, then twice at the crowd’s insistence. When they asked the duo to sing a third time, Raheem said he didn’t want to annoy his guest, but Talwiinder insisted they should.

When Rashid asked the singer if he knew the impact his collaboration had, he said he absolutely did. “I feel like art is supposed to be borderless,” he added.

“If I like his songs, if I like the way he talks, if I like his energy, I’m going to just hit a message up and I’ll be like, you want to do a song together? It’s as simple as that. But if you want to make it more complicated, you can also do that.”

Raheem said he was happy to share the stage at his concerts because he remembered seeing concerts as a kid where an artist makes a surprise appearance and “everyone would lose their minds”.

He said his parents had taught him all moments in life were temporary and that he should share them with friends.

While Raheem speaks so positively about his friend from across the border and his fanbase in Pakistan fully supports their onstage bromance, Talwiinder faced strong backlash in India for the performance.

Despite the opposition, Talwiinder has a number of collaborations with Pakistani artists, including the song ‘Sachay Loki’ with Meesha Shafi and the viral hit ‘Pal Pal’ with Afusic and Ali Soomro.

Bulgaria had missed the last three editions of the glitzy extravaganza but took the crown in Vienna for the first time ever, overtaking Israel at the very end as the points came in, with Romania finishing third.

Pop singer Darina Yotova, known as Dara, was not among the favourites going into Eurovision week but the 27-year-old gained traction following a strong performance in the semi-finals, with her highly-choreographed dance routines.

“Everything is possible: Bulgaria just won Eurovision!” Dara told a press conference.

“I really like breaking rules. I’m really good with following my rules — not anybody else’s. We wanted to give to the audience something new and fresh, something that is not expected.”

Eurovision highlighted that “the song ended up winning both sets of scores, which is the first time the juries and the public have chosen the same winner in almost 10 years, since Kyiv 2017”.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev hailed “a young artist who, thanks to her talent and professionalism, has managed to rise above all the complexities and prejudices surrounding the voting process.”

“Bulgaria is looking forward to welcoming Europe and the world for Eurovision 2027!” he added on social media.

Around 10,000 glammed-up fans filled the Wiener Stadthalle arena in the Austrian capital to watch Saturday’s showpiece final of Eurovision, where, as always, the razzmatazz didn’t escape the geopolitics in the background.

Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia staged the biggest political boycott in Eurovision history over Israel’s participation, citing the war in Gaza.

Originally published in Dawn, May 18th, 2026

Drake dropped three new albums, Iceman, Habibti and Maid of Honour, on Friday, with a particularly potent line in one of the songs.

In the song ‘Make Them Pay’ on Iceman, he attacks Khaled directly. “And, Khaled, you know what I mean. The beef was fully live, you went halal and got on your deen. And your people are still waitin’ for a free Palestine. But apparently everything isn’t black and white and red and green, damn.”

The criticism is not new, Khaled has been called out by fans for his silence on Palestine, especially in the context of Israel’s devastating war on Gaza, which started in 2023 and has killed well over 72,500 people so far.

During the war, when celebrities began to come out in support of the Gazan people, he chose instead to continue posting his daily shenanigans, for which he received a lot of flak on online.

Drake has been notably more vocal than Khaled about his desire to see peace in the Middle East, joining prominent stars like Zendaya, Ben Affleck and Zayn Malik in signing a letter calling for an end to the fighting.

In a 2024 statement to The National, Dubai Bling cast member Fadie Musallet — Khaled’s cousin — said the rapper’s silence on Palestinian issues had hurt people. “Khaled always wanted to go to Palestine, but I don’t think he can come there now. They are really hurt by the lack of support, they feel like they have been let down.”

Musallet questioned why his cousin, who had been a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, was so hesitant to speak out when it came to his own people. “At some point there must be a stage where you have to ask yourself how much money is enough. And I know that Khaled is not afraid to use his important voice as he did before, during the Black Lives Matter protests. So what has changed now?”

Coldplay singer Chris Martin will curate the extravaganza scheduled for ​July 19, the tournament’s organiser added.

“The ​FIFA World Cup 2026 Final halftime show ⁠will be a truly special moment, bringing ​together music, football and a shared commitment to ​improving the lives of children around the world,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on social media.

“Together, we will ​support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund ​and help create greater access to quality education and ‌football ⁠for children worldwide.”

The 48-team World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, will run from June 11 to July 19. The ​tournament will ​feature 104 ⁠matches, up from the previous 64, including an additional knockout round.

Last ​year’s Club World Cup in North ​America, ⁠which served as a test run for the World Cup, also featured a halftime show ⁠including ​performances from American rapper Doja ​Cat, Colombian singer J Balvin and Nigerian singer Tems.

There were big cars, sunglasses, clunky jewellery and a whole lot of rap as contestants were seen performing on stage and dissing their adversaries in rap battles.

On Sunday, the programme’s season promo dropped, revealing it will begin airing from May 24 on Pixel Entertainment’s YouTube channel. This is a delay from an earlier timeline that would have had the show released around Eidul Fitr.

The show will have 12 up and coming rappers battling for the title of Rap Icon over the course of 10 episodes, executive producer Rizwan Siddiqui told Images in December. He said the goal was to “find the next Talha Anjum or next Bohemia”.

Contestants will have to take part in a number of rap-related challenges based around different themes and styles. Many of them will be eliminated as the show goes on, with the best making it into a “grand finale”.

While this is the first such show in Pakistan, the idea of mixing rap and reality TV isn’t new. The Rap Game ran in the US for five seasons between 2016 and 2019. Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow saw big names such as Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, DJ Khaled and Ludacris appear as judges.

Reality TV as a whole seemed to be having a revival in Pakistan in the last couple of years with shows like Masterchef and Shark Tank getting local adaptations. Pakistan Idol was also revived, but faces uncertainty with its finale indefinitely postponed in light of “regional tensions rising and calls for national austerity”.

There is still hope though, as Pakistan’s Got Talent may still be on the cards after Rap Icon.

The 49-year-old posted a video ‌on Instagram on Thursday from Brazil’s Maracana stadium to tease the track, which features Nigerian singer ​Burna Boy. The song will be ​released on May 14.

In the footage, the ⁠singer appears alongside a group of ​dancers dressed in the colours of several ​of the national teams taking part in the tournament, which will be held from June 11 to ​July 19 in Mexico, the United States ​and Canada.

The video also features the official match balls ‌from ⁠the 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups, apparently referencing the tournaments in which Shakira played a prominent role musically.

The Latin pop ​star had ​also performed ⁠the official song for the 2010 World Cup in South ​Africa — ‘Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)’.

She ​performed ⁠her hit ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ and ‘La La La’ during ceremonies at the 2006 ⁠World ​Cup in Germany and ​the 2014 tournament in Brazil respectively.

A spokesperson for the singer said she had been “put into an induced coma by her doctors to aid her recovery”.

He acknowledged that Tyler’s fans were wishing her well and asked for “privacy at this difficult time” on her behalf. He said her team will “issue a further statement when we are able to”.

Earlier, a post on her official Instagram page said the singer was “recuperating” after emergency intestinal surgery.

The 74-year-old star, best known for her 1983 mega-hit ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, was operated on at a hospital in Faro in southern Portugal, the post said.

Tyler shot to fame in the 1970s with hits including ‘Lost in France’ and ‘It’s a Heartache’. ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’ later topped the charts in both Britain and the United States.

“We are very sorry to announce that Bonnie has been admitted to hospital in Faro, Portugal, where she has a home, for emergency intestinal surgery,” the Instagram post on Wednesday said.

“The surgery went well and she is now recuperating,” it added.

The Grammy-nominated singer, who was born Gaynor Hopkins, is due to tour Europe later this year to mark 50 years since the release of ‘Lost in France’ which was her breakthrough hit in 1976.

Other hits include ‘Holding Out For A Hero’ in 1984 which featured on the soundtrack to the huge US box office success Footloose.

In 2013, Tyler represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, with the song ‘Believe In Me’, finishing in 19th place.

She was recognised in 2022 by the late Queen Elizabeth II, who before her death awarded her an honour for her five-decade-long music career.

Cover photo: AFP

The criminal complaint does not specify which substance the 44-year-old singer was allegedly using when she was arrested in early March.

Spears is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday in a courtroom in Ventura County, which borders Los Angeles County.

She is not required to attend the hearing because the charge is a misdemeanour and can be represented by her attorney, prosecutors said in a statement.

Spears had phenomenal early music success in the late 1990s with hits like ‘…Baby One More Time’ but has largely stepped back from music in recent years.

Following her arrest, a representative for the singer described the incident as “completely inexcusable” and said Spears would “take the right steps and comply with the law.” Since then, she has checked herself into rehab.

Prosecutors said in their statement that Spears could avoid jail time by agreeing to a plea deal — a typical move in cases with no prior convictions, no injury, a low blood alcohol level and defendants who voluntarily enter a rehab programme.

Such a move would likely result in a guilty plea for reckless driving involving drugs and/or alcohol, which would see her placed on probation for 12 months. She would also have to take a court-ordered driver safety class and pay a fine.

“This offer will be extended to Ms Spears on Monday,” prosecutors said.

Following a public breakdown in 2007, Spears was placed under the conservatorship of her father Jamie Spears, who controlled her money and her personal life, even as she continued to perform high-profile concerts.

The conservatorship was dissolved by a Los Angeles court in 2021, after a groundswell of public support to “Free Britney.” In her 2023 memoir The Woman in Me, Spears insisted she never did hard drugs and that she did not have a drinking problem, but she admitted that she was taking Adderall, the ADHD medication.

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, signalling that a profile has been reviewed and meets the platform’s standards for authenticity.

Profiles that primarily represent AI-generated music or AI-created personas will not be eligible for the badge, the company said in a blog post.

“In the AI era, it’s more important than ever to be able to trust the authenticity of the music you listen to,” Spotify said.

To earn verification, artists must demonstrate sustained listener engagement over time, comply with Spotify’s platform rules and show signs of a genuine presence both on and off the platform, such as concert dates, merchandise and linked social media accounts.

The company said more than 99 per cent of artists that listeners actively search for will be verified at launch, representing hundreds of thousands of musicians the majority of them independent spanning genres and geographies.

Originally published in Dawn, May 1st, 2026

Cover photo: Spotify

Taylor Swift topped the ranking for artists while Bad Bunny and The Weeknd took home the titles for most popular album and song.

K-pop superstars BTS were the most streamed group, 12th overall among all acts, and Coldplay were the most popular English-language group, landing at number 17 on the list.

Check out the full lists:

Most Streamed Artists of All Time

1. Taylor Swift

2. Bad Bunny

3. Drake

4. The Weeknd

5. Ariana Grande

6. Ed Sheeran

7. Justin Bieber

8. Billie Eilish

9. Eminem

10. Kanye West

11. Travis Scott

12. BTS

13. Post Malone

14. Bruno Mars

15. J Balvin

16. Rihanna

17. Coldplay

18. Kendrick Lamar

19. Future

20. Juice WRLD

Most Streamed Albums of All Time

1. Un Verano Sin Ti by Bad Bunny

2. Starboy by The Weeknd

3. ÷ (Deluxe) by Ed Sheeran

4. Sour by Olivia Rodrigo

5. After Hours by The Weeknd

6. SOS by SZA

7. Hollywood’s Bleeding by Post Malone

8. Lover by Taylor Swift

9. AM by Arctic Monkeys

10. When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? by Billie Eilish

11. Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa

12. Beerbongs & Bentleys by Post Malone

13. ? by XXXTentacion

14. Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season) By Karol G

15. YHLQMDLG by Bad Bunny

16. Doo-Wops & Hooligans by Bruno Mars

17. Views by Drake

18. Midnights by Taylor Swift

19. Scorpion by Drake

20. Beauty Behind the Madness by The Weeknd

Most Streamed Songs of All Time

1. ‘Blinding Lights’ by The Weeknd

2. ‘Shape of You’ by Ed Sheeran

3. ‘Sweater Weather’ by The Neighbourhood

4. ‘Starboy’ by The Weeknd, Daft Punk

5. ‘As It Was’ by Harry Styles

6. ‘Someone You Loved’ by Lewis Capaldi

7. ‘Sunflower – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ by Post Malone, Swae Lee

8. ‘One Dance’ by Drake, Wizkid, Kyla

9. ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran

10. ‘Stay (with Justin Bieber)’ by the Kid Laroi, Justin Bieber

11. ‘Believer’ by Imagine Dragons

12. ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ by Arctic Monkeys

13. ‘Heat Waves’ by Glass Animals

14. ‘Lovely (with Khalid)’ by Billie Eilish, Khalid

15. ‘Yellow’ by Coldplay

16. ‘The Night We Met’ by Lord Huron

17. ‘Closer’ by the Chainsmokers, Halsey

18. ‘Birds of a Feather’ by Billie Eilish

19. ‘Riptide’ by Vance Joy

20. ‘Die With a Smile’ by Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars

The lists provide an insight into the listening habits of Spotify’s 290 million subscribers but is skewed towards more recent releases owing to an increase in the platform’s subscriber base.

More such lists and data are expected to be released in the coming days as the anniversary celebrations continue.

Sitting next to host Kareem Rahma on a train in New York, the singer saved his most “controversial” take for the end, which was that, “American Zionists get the benefits of white privileged people, but talk like they are black people during slavery.”

His answer got a nod of approval from Rahma. Casablancas went on to say he found it “shocking” when they spoke about being “afraid” and “oppressed”.

Rahma recalled a time he faced a similar situation. “I’m like you are going to a wedding in Tel Aviv right now when there are 80,000 dead people, and more, 80,000 plus dead people, including women and children, half a mile away.

Casablancas said he didn’t think it was wrong to say this and his response to anyone bringing up Hamas and the October 7 attacks was, “Yes, bad, but you know, Native American rebellions didn’t mean it was okay to do what we did. Slave rebellions that were violent didn’t mean that slavery is not bad.”

When the host called such people “media illiterate”, the singer said indoctrination was a strong thing and that you can’t be mad at people for believing something when it was “rammed down their throats”.

In a separate take, Casablancas said he believed people from both sides of the political spectrum need to come together to fight the “real billionaire gang agenda villains”.

When Rahma compared that to class conflict, the singer said it was a little more nuanced, but essentially “it’s not left versus right, it’s top versus bottom”.

He went on to clarify that he meant the wealthy elite should be kept away from politics as a “separation of private wealth from state power”.

“If you want to be a billionaire, the only influence you can have is voting, you know, but you can’t deceive people or you know, own newspapers,” the singer said.

This is not the first time Casablancas or his band have made their position clear on political issues clear. During their performance at Coachella last week, The Strokes displayed pictures of world leaders deposed by Western-backed elements including Congo’s Patrice Lumumba, Chile’s Salvador Allende and Iran’s Mohammad Mosaddegh.

The on-stage montage ended with with a message about the 30 universities destroyed in Iran by US-Israeli airstrikes and footage of the demolition of Gaza’s Al-Isra University by Israeli forces.