NEWS
GAYLE
Acacia Evans*GAYLE has become a teen pop sensation overnight due to the success of her viral hit “abcdefu,” and is now getting praise from her peers. In an interview with E! News published on Thursday (Jan. 20), the 17-year-old explained how surreal the success has been and revealed that 2021’s breakthrough pop star Olivia Rodrigo has not only been in touch with her, but has also been incredibly supportive of her journey.
“Olivia Rodrigo DMed me. That was insane,” GAYLE shared. “She was just congratulating me on the success of the song. She told me that I was killing it and that was very just nice to hear from her, especially because she’s just such an amazing artist and talented human being.”
Though Rodrigo has reached out to GAYLE, this doesn’t mean they’re planning to collaborate on a track — at least not yet. “I would love to collaborate with Olivia. I had an opportunity to ask that but I didn’t because, you know, everybody wants to collaborate with Olivia Rodrigo,” the “Ur Just Horny” singer explained. She added that it would be “amazing, but I’m also not going to be like stalking her for it because she knows what she wants to do.”
With the popularity of both GAYLE’s debut single and Rodrigo’s “Drivers License,” fans of both of the artists sometimes comment on their similarities. For GAYLE, she sees the comparisons as a compliment.
“I’m so grateful and so happy that people could look at my music and even just think it’s maybe possibly the high quality of Olivia’s is. The only problem that I have with comparisons is when they start competing us against each other,” she said. “I truly believe that we both can be great in our own ways, and she’s already great. And I’m just trying to do my thing and not suck, you know?”
“Abcdefu” is currently in its second week at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Jan. 22). The track debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 51, but has since climbed to the No. 9 spot on the chart also dated Jan. 22.
Take That have revealed details of their upcoming album Dreamers, shared news of a fresh single titled Feel My Love, and unveiled international dates for their 2027 Dreamers Tour.
Nearly two months after completing their second Circus tour, the hugely successful trio of Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald have announced an extensive European schedule featuring over 30 concerts. They have also revealed that their tenth studio record is scheduled for release later this year.
The album’s third track, Feel My Love, will be available next Friday, September 4, 2026, and features Irish American singer and songwriter Michael Patrick Kelly.
The song comes after You’re A Superstar and Sweet July, both of which were performed throughout The Circus Live tour.
The Dreamers Tour will be Take That’s largest European run in several years, with 31 concerts scheduled across 16 countries, including Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Ireland. The journey will open in Zurich on June 3 before concluding in Tüßling, Germany, on July 23, while additional performances are expected to be revealed. Audiences will hear songs from Dreamers alongside favourites from the group’s 30 year catalogue.
Those hoping to access tickets ahead of the public sale can preorder Dreamers beginning September 2 at 10am local time. Presales through participating venues will start on September 3, followed by the general release of tickets one day later. Complete tour information can be found at takethat.com.
The announcement of fresh music and further concerts will come as welcome news to supporters, particularly after Gary opened up about the difficult emotions he experienced following The Circus Live tour.
Speaking honestly in a video posted to Instagram, the 55 year old performer admitted that he had “fallen off a cliff” after the returning tour finished at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on July 4.
He explained that he had spent several weeks attempting to film the message: “Whenever we come off tour, it always feels a little bit of an anti-climax… but for some reason, it just feels like I’ve completely fallen off a cliff since the end of the shows.”
Gary also reached out to anyone experiencing similar feelings after the concerts, explaining that the emotional intensity of performing appears to become stronger with every passing year.
Looking back on the happiness the tour brought, he confirmed that The Circus will not be staged for a third time because the demanding production has become too physically challenging at his age.
While hinting at what comes next, Gary said: “I got to run away with The Circus twice. Now I’m running towards our next exciting, brand-new show."
Alongside a recently released Netflix documentary offering viewers a glimpse behind the scenes, Take That’s Manchester concert during the returning Circus run became the most viewed live streamed UK performance so far after airing through Amazon Music.
