Banger Brief: Charli XCX announces new album, Bad Bunny wins big at Latin Grammys
And New Music Friday!
Welcome to the first edition of The Banger Brief. It is New Music Friday and we have a lot of releases from the likes of 5 Seconds Of Summer, Charli XCX, Robyn, Ellie Goulding, FKA Twigs, and others. Plus, Bad Bunny wins big at the Latin Grammys, Adele’s heading to the big screen, a wicked Ariana Grande fan encounter, and much more.
Charli XCX announces new album for Wuthering Heights soundtrack
Charli XCX really switched gears following her epic album BRAT. The British singer lent her talents to create the soundtrack for the latest adaptation of Wuthering Heights, this time directed and written by Emerald Fennell.
On Thursday, Charli announced that the album will feature 12 original songs and will be released on the same day as the film, Feb. 13, 2026. She also shared another song from the soundtrack, called “Chains of Love.” You can listen to the song below, which is also featured on the official trailer of the film starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie.
Earlier this week, she shared “House,” which features John Cale of The Velvet Underground. I’m way more excited about the soundtrack than the movie tbh!
NEW MUSIC FRIDAY - 5 Seconds Of Summer Return with Everyone’s A Star!
5 Seconds Of Summer give us their sixth studio album, Everyone’s A Star. The album explores themes of self-discovery, transformation, and rebellion, while the boys seem to finally nail down where they are meant to be sonically.
It also marks a milestone in their nearly 15-year career. They are unapologetically themselves, and they are making it clear—one way they accomplish that is by fully embracing the label of “boyband.”
“Boyband was a very dirty word and to some, it still is,” guitarist Michael Clifford told Official Charts. “For a long time we let it become a word that would offend us and I think as we got older, we found the idea of being called a boyband a good thing. It doesn’t matter to us if you call us a boyband or not. But if you do call us a boyband, we want to be the best. We want to be the best boyband of all time.”
Albums
Everyone’s A Star! - 5 Seconds Of Summer
Ultrasound - The Neighbourhood
Eusexua Afterglow - FKA Twigs
Finally Over It - Summer Walker
Fashionably Late - XO
Woman Of Faces - Celeste
A Very Jonas Christmas Movie - Jonas Brothers
Hidden Gems - Josh Groban
You Make It Feel Like Christmas (Deluxe) - Gwen Stefani
Singles
“Chains Of Love” - Charli XCX
“Still Don’t Care” - Meghan Trainor
“Destiny” - Ellie Goulding
“Dopamine” - Robyn
“Dream As One” - Miley Cyrus
“Big Guy” - Ice Spice
“I Stay I Leave I Love I Lose” - Jessie Murph
“The Day That I Die” - Lewis Capaldi
“This Is The World (I Made It For You)” - Magdalena Bay
“Midnight Sun (Remix)” - Zara Larsson and Muni Long
“Comin’ Home Baby” - Ricky Martin
“Palaces” - Louis Tomlinson
“Salt Then Sour The Sweet” - Sara Bareilles featuring Brandi Carlile
“The Thing I Love” - MAX & Andy Grammer
“White Keys” - Dominic Fike
“Bruised Sky” - Poppy
“Snowman (Remix)” - Sia & Belinda
Let me know in the comments which release is your favorite or share any release I may have missed too!
Bad Bunny wins Album of the Year for Debi Tirar Mas Fotos at the Latin Grammys
The Latin Grammys 2025 took place last night in Las Vegas. Bad Bunny took home the Album of the Year award for Debi Tirar Mas Fotos. Could this be foreshadowing what happens come February at The GRAMMYs? Who knows, but it was a big night for Benito nonetheless. He also took home Best Urban Music Performance, Best Urban Song, Best Urban Music Album, and Best Reggaeton Performance.
I will say it is somewhat telling that he did not win in the other major categories. It might not be easy for him to sweep the US-focused ceremony early next year as some predict - especially when having competition from the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, and Sabrina Carpenter.
Other major wins last night at the Latin Grammys:
Karol G won Song of the Year for “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido.”
Alejandro Sanz won Record of the Year for “Palmeras En El Jardin.”
Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso won Best Pop Song for “El Dia Del Amigo.”
Morat won Best Pop/Rock Album for Ya Es Mañana.
Adele is set to make her acting debut in a Tom Ford-directed film. Deadline reports that the singer has been cast on Cry To Heaven - expected to come out in autumn 2026.
A crazed fan jumped the barricade at the Wicked: For Good premiere in Singapore to try to get close to Ariana Grande. Thankfully, security and her co-star Cynthia Erivo jumped in to help the singer who was visibly shaken by the encounter. Watch it here.
Meghan Trainor announced her seventh studio album Toy With Me, set for release April 24, 2026, and also revealed a massive North American summer tour with special guests Icona Pop. See the dates here!
Billie Eilish had some strong words for Elon Musk after sharing an Instagram post that incorrectly claims he is now a trillionaire (he could be soon though) and how he could help end world hunger, save endangered species, and rebuild Gaza among other things … to which Billie added: “etc. f-ing pathetic p**y b***h coward.” Yikes!
The Weeknd is donating $350,000 from his XO Humanitarian Fund, to help the people of Jamaica after the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, which hit the island as a Category 5 storm last month.
How Lady Gaga Found Herself Again by Brian Hiatt
(Rolling Stone)Meghan Trainor Is Stronger Than Ever by Carli Whitwell
(Fashion Magazine)Listening To Music After 70 May Cut Dementia Risk By Nearly 40%
(Neuroscience News)
P.S.
Sure, a little play on words, but P.S. also happens to be my initials, so I thought it would be fun to name this little end section that. I hope you enjoyed this first edition of The Banger Brief. With this first edition, I would love to get some feedback from you. Please feel free to drop a comment or email me directly at peter@bopsandbangers.com. Also, look for the next editions on Monday and Wednesday mornings next week — they will look a bit different, as this first one happened to fall on New Music Friday. Thanks for reading!