‘I was so self-assured in my early 20s. Then my frontal lobe hit’: Rachel Chinouriri, every pop star’s favourite UK pop star

​She faced racist bullying as a child – then pigeonholing as an artist. Now following up a hit debut album championed by the A-list, the Croydon singer-songwriter says she finally understands who she really is

‘It’s the Meryl Streep of the orchestra’: why cinema loves the cello

From Audrey Hepburn to Pedro Pascal, cellists have become a movie shorthand for sensitivity, intensity and emotional depth. But why has Hollywood turned one orchestral instrument into a character in its own right?

BBCSSO/Wigglesworth / Booth review – Brett Dean’s song cycle is rich and strange

Soprano Clare Booth, Ryan Wigglesworth and the BBC Scottish gave the world premiere of Dean’s theatrical and engaging The World’s Wife. Elgar’s 1st didn’t quite achieve lift-off but Weir’s Moon and Star had sweep and shimmer

Die Fledermaus review – Strauss staging has flourish and froth, but not enough fizz

Liam Steel relocates Johann Strauss’s operetta to London 1929 to create the feel of a Noël Coward-style farce. Rebecca Bottone, Olivia Carrell and Clare Presland shine amid a strong cast.

Dedicated followers of passion: the Kinks’ 40 greatest songs – ranked!

To coincide with a new exhibition in London about the Davies brothers, we rate the best of a band who brought a sociologist’s eye to hard rock, gentle pastoralia and so much in between

Freudian trip: how psychoanalysis and skydiving are helping Aurora orchestra open up Mahler’s First

When Mahler premiered his first symphony, it left audiences baffled. For their latest Prom, Aurora are bringing it to life – with the help of Sigmund Freud

Shaboozey: The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales review – a striking addition to the rich canon of country concept albums

Beneath the Hollywood narrators, Pink Floyd-y interludes and accompanying comic books lies songwriting that proves the Tipsy singer’s breakout success was no fluke

Giordano: Marina album review – a fascinating resurrection of an unsung early opera

The long-lost score, finally premiered 138 years after it was written, brims with melodic promise despite its dramatic shortcomings

Paul McCartney becomes first-time nominee for Mercury prize, up against Olivia Dean, Dave and more

Big names including Raye and Suede go up against smaller artists such as Knats and Nia Archives for prestigious album award

‘Give respect to Africa and the bush people’: Mulatu Astatke on pioneering Ethio-jazz and honouring his roots

The musician faced resistance when he premiered his sound in the 60s, but audiences have fallen in love with it since. At 82, he’s still finding new directions – and wants more recognition for Africa’s indigenous artists

BTS boycott Grammys after introduction of new Asian pop prize

K-pop superstars will not submit Arirang album or its songs for 2027 ceremony

Jared Leto denies accusations of criminal sexual conduct against teenagers

Actor and musician responds hours after BBC documentary airs claims by four women that allegedly took place when he was in 30s and 40s

BBCSO/Oramo review – Turnage’s satisfying and clever Festen Suite makes UK debut

The festering atmosphere of Thomas Vinterberg’s film and its celebrated opera adaptation lingers in this vivid orchestration, a foil to Sibelius’s cathartic second symphony

I thought Nolan’s Odyssey was an epic bore. If you want Greek myths brought to life, try the thrill of opera!

Composers from Purcell to Birtwistle have created passionate dramas inspired by ancient Greek stories – and none of them require you to sit through three hours of solemn spectacle without an interval

Glen Hansard, Oscar-winning Irish singer-songwriter, dies aged 56 in motorcycle crash

Frontman of chart-topping band the Frames had huge success as the star of 2007 romantic drama Once