Charli xcx portrait added to National Portrait Gallery collection
Pop star is celebrated as ‘one of the defining cultural figures of her generation’ by gallery, which acquires Brat-era portrait by Harley Weir
‘The greatest album never made’: the untold story of George Michael’s secret, star-packed duets project
Suing his record label and sick of being a sex symbol, the singer spent 1992 working on the Trojan Souls for stars including Aretha Franklin and Bryan Ferry. Now, newly released studio footage shows him in his creative prime
‘I thought it didn’t stand a cat’s chance in hell’: Andrew Ridgeley on Wham’s surreal trip to China
Four decades after he and George Michael became the first western pop act to tour the country, Ridgeley recalls silent gigs, awkward embassy receptions – and the ‘bloody ludicrous’ hiring of Lindsay Anderson as director
The Oresteia review – this body-shaking, blood-soaked opera is exhilaratingly wild
Six singers put not only their vocal cords but their bodies on the line in a physically demanding performance of Liza Lim’s aurally challenging opera
Three Choirs festival review – impressive opening salvo full of crackling energy and exuberant fireworks
A packed crowd greeted this year’s curtain raiser for a delightfully Tiggerish premiere of Gavin Higgins’ Fanfare Americana, an exhilarating Elgar’s First and a joyful rendition of Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast
Sinfonia of London/Wilson review – night of Technicolor masterpieces from one of the finest orchestras on the planet
Verdi’s La Forza del Destino felt vital, cellist Jonathan Aasgaard was immaculate in Walton’s Concerto but it was John Wilson’s wizardly conducting through Respighi’s Roman Trilogy that brought the audience to their feet
Luke Combs review – regular Joe megastar brings the arena-sized party home
Despite his humble persona, the highest-selling country artist of all time has the vocal firepower and heavyweight hits to deliver two hours of crowd-pleasin’ pyrotechnics
Shania Twain’s honest playlist: ‘If Dancing Queen comes on, you rush out’
The country-pop superstar loves Abba and secretly listens to Lloyd Webber, but which British heartthrob’s single gets her out of bed in the morning?
Bon Dylan review – Justin Vernon’s Bob Dylan covers set brings magic to Wisconsin
At his Eauxs Claire festival, Bon Iver dazzles with a one-off set dedicated to the folk legend
Lou Koller, frontman of New York hardcore band Sick of It All, dies aged 59
Koller, who co-founded the celebrated band in 1986, had been battling cancer of the esophagus
From Charli xcx to Secret Lives of Gypsy Wives: the week in rave reviews
The glitch-pop great is back with a banger-stuffed new album, and reality TV may have some new stars thanks to Channel 4. Here’s the pick of the week’s culture, taken from the Guardian’s best-rated reviews
From A Useful Ghost to Self Esteem: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead
A woman is reincarnated as a vacuum cleaner in this Cannes prize-winning black comedy, and the uncompromising pop star hits the festival trail
Singer D4vd had impregnated teenager he is accused of fatally stabbing
Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who was 13 at the time, later received an abortion, text messages indicate
‘I know what it’s like to be vulnerable’: musician This Is Lorelei AKA Nate Amos on addiction and finding peace
The singer-songwriter and Water from Your Eyes guitarist was unstoppably prolific, despite a growing dependence on substances. Now sober, he reflects on his new album and the songs that helped him turn his life round
Add to playlist: the ramshackle, soulful twang of Twisted Teens and the week’s best new tracks
The New Orleans country-punk duo are on a hot streak, about to release their third album in a year, and the crunchy, literate hooks keep coming