NEWS
David Byrne traded in his iconic oversized suit for a bright orange tracksuit when he appeared on The Tonight Show this week, performing at Rough Trade NYC in Rockefeller Plaza in a set that felt personal and stripped down.
On Wednesday’s episode, the former Talking Heads frontman delivered his latest single, “What Is the Reason for It?” from his forthcoming record, Who Is the Sky?. As he reached the chorus, “What is the reason for it? Why is it there? Is it my body or my brain?” Byrne moved across the stage with his backup singers and band, all dressed in coordinated outfits.
The track is the fifth cut from Who Is the Sky?, arriving this Friday, and features a guest spot from Paramore’s Hayley Williams. Produced by Kid Harpoon, the project follows Byrne’s 2018 release American Utopia. It includes collaborations with St. Vincent, who previously teamed with Byrne on 2012’s Love This Giant, as well as the Smile’s Tom Skinner and others.
Byrne has described the album as “a chance to be the mythical creature we all harbor inside. A chance to step into another reality. A chance to transcend and escape from the prison of our ‘selves.’”
During his chat with host Jimmy Fallon, Byrne recalled that he warned Kid Harpoon, whose credits include Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus, and Maggie Rogers, that his music leaned “a little bit left field” compared to the producer’s usual projects. Still, Kid Harpoon welcomed the challenge and leaned fully into Byrne’s vision.
Recently, Byrne also shared some personal news. Just weeks after revealing his engagement to Mala Gaonkar, he announced that, along with the new album release, he will be getting married this week. To mark the celebration, Byrne created a playlist of instrumental music for his wedding dinner, featuring 42 songs with an emphasis on Latin sounds, including “Pa Japón” by El Alfa, “Perfidia” by Café Tacvba, and “Luz de Luna” by the marimba-punk band Son Rompe Pera.
Miley Cyrus has joined a new record label following her departure from Sony Music’s Columbia Records.
The 33 year old singer and songwriter has agreed to a fresh deal with Atlantic Records, the company officially announced.
The label shared the news on its official Instagram account, writing: "Welcome to the family @mileycyrus [white heart emoji]"
Miley joins an impressive Atlantic Records roster that includes Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Charli XCX, Bruno Mars, Cardi B, Rosé, PinkPantheress, and Lizzo.
The Hannah Montana star launched her recording career at Disney’s Hollywood Records, where she released three albums, before putting out another four records through RCA.
She later signed with Columbia Records in 2021.
Celebrating the agreement at the time, Miley uploaded a photo of herself holding the contract and wrote on her Instagram Story: "WHEN IM NOT RUNNING GAME. IM RUNNING MY MF BUSINESS. LET’S RIDE. (sic)"
During her time with the company, Miley released two albums, Endless Summer Vacation and Something Beautiful.
Only a few days before Something Beautiful arrived on May 30th, 2025, Miley revealed that her next project would take a much more "extremely experimental" direction.
According to Rolling Stone magazine, she offered fans a preview of her future plans during an event at the Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood.
Speaking to the intimate audience, she said: "My next album is about to be extremely experimental, so have fun with that.
"Something Beautiful is just the appetizer."
Following the release of the title track Something Beautiful, Miley suggested the project represented "another bold artistic evolution" in her musical journey.
A message posted to her Instagram account stated: "Miley’s second song and video release ‘Something Beautiful’, the title track off of the forthcoming album explores her deep connection to fashion showcasing an original custom design by Casey Cadwallader for the House of Mugler in the visual.
"This era marks another bold artistic evolution for Miley, blending music and film into an immersive experience."
Miley had earlier revealed that Pink Floyd’s The Wall helped shape the inspiration behind the album.
Speaking with Harper's Bazaar, she explained: "My idea was making The Wall, but with a better wardrobe and more glamorous and filled with pop culture.
"It’s a concept album that’s an attempt to medicate somewhat of a sick culture through music.
"I would like to be a human psychedelic for people. I don’t want anyone trying to be like me or imitate me or even be inspired by me. I want to impact frequencies in your body that make you vibrate at a different level."
