US band Jimmy Eat World look back: ‘I would play The Middle five times in a row if the other guys would let me’

The emo kings on growing up in Arizona, making it big, and Jim’s annoying wake-up calls

Spotify has ruined mood playlists – so our critics have made some better ones instead

Whether made by human hand or shady algorithm, emotion-based playlists are everywhere. But if you’re looking for a superior soundtrack to ‘all the feels’, get your ears round these selections from our music writers

‘Our rivalry with Take That was always tongue in cheek’: Tony Mortimer’s honest playlist

The East 17 man knows his 90s bangers but once inadvertently cleared a dancefloor. And what song gets him on the exercise bike in a morning?

Prince’s death made me upend my life and move to his home town

The star’s potent sexuality made him my ‘secret friend’ but, with my career in the arts stalling, his death led me to the life-changing decision to move to Minneapolis and maintain his legacy

Zayn Malik cancels US tour and some UK concerts after illness

Former One Direction member cancelled US shows after recent hospitalization for an unspecified illness

Kneecap: Fenian review – their new album is terrific, triumphant yet tortured

With strong words for Keir Starmer, the Irish rave-rap trio remain unbowed by the controversy around them – and yet this is a more ruminative record than you might expect

Out of tune: why does Hollywood struggle to capture pop stardom?

Pop psychodrama Mother Mary might look and sound the part but it’s the latest failed attempt to turn the life of an arena-touring singer into a compelling movie

Kacey Musgraves: Middle of Nowhere review – weary, rootsy and wry, it’s her richest album since Golden Hour

After two underwhelming pop-leaning records, the country star gets back to basics on this sparsely produced gem filled with wit and hard-won lessons

‘Major labels are trying to scoop up everything’: the chaotic future for indie music companies – and why vinyl isn’t working

As stalwarts Sub Pop and Rough Trade celebrate big anniversaries, insiders speak candidly about the challenges they face. Can streaming ever ensure their survival?

‘A profound depiction’: Michael Jackson fans support divisive biopic as film smashes records

The long-delayed film has fans dancing in the aisles and has taken more than $200m at the box office

‘I did receive bottles on stage. There might have been urine’: Melanie C on Spice Girls mania, impostor syndrome and her date with a Chili Pepper

As she releases a clubby new album, Sweat, the former Sporty Spice answers your questions on her raver days, scouse cuisine and Sex Pistols covers

Di’Anno – Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer review – metal act’s original singer is a tough act to follow

This entertaining profile of Paul Di’Anno – the heavy metal band’s lead vocalist from 1978 to 1981 – is dragged down by its subject’s irascible nature

Amyl and the Sniffers win Apra award for song of the year for second year in a row

Melbourne punk quartet wins for Jerkin’, while Guy Sebastian wins most performed Australian work and most performed pop work

Ne-Yo and Akon review – joyous joint tour is like time-travelling to a messy night out in 2010

From So Sick to Smack That, this double-headliner provides major millennial nostalgia – but goes to show how varied their respective careers were at their peak

‘Are you ready to go down the rabbit hole?’: inside a Moby Dick production like nothing you’ve seen before

Avant-garde theater legend Robert Wilson’s final work was a bold reimagining of Melville’s classic. His collaborators explain bringing it to the Brooklyn stage