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BBC Sounds

For music and pop culture lovers looking for an authentic and light-hearted take on the week in music... with broadcasters and music fanatics Annie Macmanus and Nick Grimshaw.

Sidetracked with Annie and Nick

Annie and Nick try their very best not to get sidetracked, as they focus on just one topic - streaming, and how it’s shaped the musical landscape in 2026. 

From iPod mania to agentic AI, the world of music has changed a lot since the early 2000s. Have these changes made things better or worse for artists and music fans? And what does the future have in store for streaming and music consumption? 

With special thanks to our contributors: The Guardian’s Deputy Music Editor, Laura Snapes; and The New York Times critic, Jon Caramanica, and New York Times culture reporter, Joe Coscarelli. Jon and Joe host the NYT’s Popcast, which you can find wherever you get your podcasts. 

And thanks to The Grove, whose self-titled EP is out now. Their most recent single is Amongst the Noise. 

SONGS 

Dido – White Flag 

Dido – Thank You 

Rosalía - Divinize 

Frankie Valli – Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You 

ALBUMS 

Dido – Life for Rent 

Olivia Dean - The Art of Loving

iPod Nostalgia, the Truth about Music Streaming, and Dido's Cultural Relevance

Annie and Nick discuss one of the busiest weeks in music ever with Drake dropping 3 albums at the same time, Lauryn Hill getting candid about her lack of albums, and Harry Styles starting his much-anticipated world residencies. 

Plus, Jack Antonoff has made his thoughts about AI in music extremely clear – does he have a point? And Madonna has finally done something that’s truly shocked Nick. 

Get in touch with Annie and Nick! You can send a WhatsApp to 07970082700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk 

And you can also stay in touch via our Instagram Channel, which you can find in the BBC Sounds Instagram bio. 

SONGS 

Dry Cleaning - Sliced by a Fingernail 

Harry Styles - As It Was 

Madonna - I Feel So Free (Peggy Gou Energy Mix) 

ALBUMS 

Drake – Iceman 

Drake - Habibti 

Drake - Maid of Honor 

Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 

Lauryn Hill - MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 

Fugees - The Score 

Jill Scott – To Whom This May Concern 

Amy Winehouse – Frank 

Amy Winehouse – Back to Black 

Madonna - Confessions II 

Kendrick Lamar – GNX 

Harry Styles - Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.

The xx - xx

Harry Styles: Small or Far Away?, The Drake Ick, and Godless W****s

Chaka Khan joins Annie and Nick to discuss her life, legacy and new music. She reveals the very personal reason behind her strong work ethic, her feelings about awards, and why she continues to grow as a musician. 

What does Chaka’s life look like when she’s not on stage? She tells Annie and Nick about breathing fresh air for the first time in years, not telling people her address, and feeding her free-range chickens. 

And it’s been a decade since her close friend, Prince, died; Chaka reminisces about working with him - and the unusual way in which he paid her. 

Plus, why the Queen of Funk isn’t a fair title, the dangers of not following your dreams, and stage fright solutions from Carlos Santana. 

Chaka’s new song ‘Chakzilla’ is out now. 

Get in touch with Annie and Nick! You can send a WhatsApp to 07970082700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk 

And you can also stay in touch via our Instagram Channel, which you can find in the BBC Sounds Instagram bio. 

SONGS 

Chaka Khan – Chakzilla 

Chaka Khan – I Feel For You 

Chaka Khan – Tell Me Something Good

Sidetracked with Chaka Khan

It’s the moment they’ve been waiting for since November 2025: Rosalía bringing LUX to London’s O2 Arena. Annie and Nick report back on what might be the best live show they’ve ever experienced. Elsewhere, Madonna’s released a new single with Sabrina Carpenter and it hasn’t totally lived up to their expectations of Confessions II; but will everything make sense when the album comes out? Plus, the Pussycat Dolls have cancelled their North American tour dates and instead of making up an excuse, they’ve chosen honesty – should more artists take note? 

Also discussed in the episode: Kid Cudi has fired M.I.A from his tour after fans’ complaints, Zara Larsson is having a moment, and Annie and Nick reminisce about their chat with Rod Stewart after Shakira’s concert on Copacabana Beach. 

Get in touch with Annie and Nick! You can send a WhatsApp to 07970082700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk 

And you can also stay in touch via our Instagram Channel, which you can find in the BBC Sounds Instagram bio. 

HOMEWORK: Listen to the end of this episode to find out the next pick for the Sidetracked Album Club. 

SONGS 

Shy One and George Riley – I Can Tell 

TYSON – CHAOS 

Rosalía – Magnolia 

Rosalía - Mio Cristo 

Pigeon – Miami 

Pigeon – Black James Dean 

Genesis Owusu – Life Keeps Going 

Genesis Owusu – Stampede 

Tara Clerkin Trio – Somewhere Good 

Nia Archives – Boys in Blue 

GENER8ION – STORM 

Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter – Bring Your Love 

Madonna – Hung Up 

Madonna and Britney Spears – Me Against the Music 

The Pussycat Dolls – Club Song 

The Pussycat Dolls – Don’t Cha 

M.I.A. – Illygal 

ALBUMS 

Rosalía – Motomami 

Rosalía – Lux 

Shy One – Mali 

Pigeon – OUTTANATIONAL 

Robyn – Sexistential 

Zara Larsson – Midnight Sun: Girls Trip 

Madonna – Confessions on a Dance Floor 

Madonna – Ray of Light 

Madonna – Confessions II 

LCD Soundsystem – LCD Soundsystem 

Nia Archives – Emotional Junglist 

PJ Harvey – Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea 

CMAT – If My Wife New I’d Be Dead 

Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not 

Jeff Buckley – Grace 

Frank Ocean – Blonde 

The Strokes – Is This It 

Sinéad O’Connor – The Lion and the Cobra 

Laura Marling – Once I Was an Eagle 

Various Artists – Mamma Mia! (The Movie Soundtrack) 

The Streets – A Grand Don’t Come for Free 

The xx – xx

Rosalía Gig Review(s), Shakira in Rio, and Having Faith in Madonna

Kacey Musgraves is one of the best-known Country singers in the world, having won 8 Grammy Awards for her consistently stand out records. On the eve of releasing her 6th studio album, she joins Annie and Nick to discuss the making of the record, and how her approach to writing music has evolved since her debut album. 

Country is the fastest growing genre in the UK; Kacey has some thoughts on why and some more vital Country intel for Sidetracked listeners. 

Plus, secrets the Middle of Nowhere tour, Kacey delivers an ode to Ireland, and she reveals how artists like Dashboard Confessional, NSYNC and the Spice Girls influenced her as an artist.

Kacey’s album Middle of Nowhere will be available from 1st May 2026. 

Get in touch with Annie and Nick! You can send a WhatsApp to 07970082700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk 

And you can also stay in touch via our Instagram Channel, which you can find in the BBC Sounds Instagram bio. 

SONGS 

Kacey Musgraves – Merry Go ‘Round 

Kacey Musgraves – Dry Spell 

Loretta Lynn – You Ain’t Woman Enough 

Kacey Musgraves – Oh, What a World 

Kacey Musgraves – Slow Burn 

Kacey Musgraves & Miranda Lambert – Horses and Divorces 

Kacey Musgraves – Mexico Honey 

ALBUMS 

Kacey Musgraves – Same Trailer Different Park 

Kacey Musgraves – Pageant Material 

Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour 

Kacey Musgraves – Star‑Crossed 

Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well 

Kacey Musgraves – Middle of Nowhere

Sidetracked with Kacey Musgraves

Annie and Nick discuss the most Madonna week in music – the album announcement, the new song, the Coachella performance, and the theft. Sidetracked fans will know how much Madonna means to Nick...so why does he have beef with her this week? 

Elsewhere, Justin Bieber and Billie Eilish showed us what they’re worth at Coachella Weekend 2, Olivia Rodrigo has a brilliant new song, and Annie has some thoughts on the link between bad fathers and great music artists. Plus, Charli XCX has declared the dancefloor dead, but was she being serious? 

Get in touch with Annie and Nick! You can send a WhatsApp to 07970082700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk 

And you can also stay in touch via our Instagram Channel, which you can find in the BBC Sounds Instagram bio. 

SONGS 

Lil Louis – French Kiss 

Madonna – Vogue 

Madonna – Like a Prayer 

Madonna – I Feel So Free 

Madonna – Justify My Love 

Madonna – Hung Up 

Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream 

Olivia Rodrigo – Drop Dead 

ALBUMS 

Peaches – Teacher of Peaches 

Madonna – Confessions II 

Madonna – Confessions on a Dance Floor 

Madonna – Ray of Light 

Madonna – Music 

Madonna – Madame X 

Madonna – Hard Candy 

Charli XCX – brat 

Warchild Records – Help(2) 

Olivia Rodrigo – You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love

Madonna’s Week in Music, Charli Declares the Dancefloor Dead, and Olivia Rodrigo

Annie is back after a fortnight away and there’s a lot to catch up on. First on the agenda, Annie and Nick discuss the fallout from Wireless booking Kanye West as a headliner, and the subsequent cancellation of the entire festival. Plus, in other live music news, LIDO festival has had to cancel their planned June weekend due to environmental concerns, and CMAT fans are devastated. 

And of course, after the first weekend of Coachella 2026, everyone is analysing the Justin Bieber set – and Annie and Nick hear from someone who was actually there in the field. Were the critical headlines about his YouTube use fair? Or has he just made history for one of the most special live shows in the festival’s history? 

Get in touch with Annie and Nick! You can send a WhatsApp to 07970082700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk 

And you can also stay in touch via our Instagram Channel, which you can find in the BBC Sounds Instagram bio. 

With thanks to Sam Murphy (@popsamcam), who provided much needed intel from Coachella. 

SONGS 

Justin Bieber – Baby 

Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj – Beauty and a Beat 

Ne-Yo – So Sick 

ALBUMS 

Arlo Parks – Ambiguous Desire 

Elmiene – sounds for someone 

Justin Bieber – Swag 

Justin Bieber – Swag II

Bieber Fever, Coachella Dreams, and the Kanye Question

This week Nick is joined by a very special co-host, Arlo Parks, following the release of her third album, Ambiguous Desire. They discuss how songs come to her, being a sensitive child, accepting a Mercury prize from Annie, trusting yourself as an artist, and how LA inspires her music. Plus, what does an ideal night out look like for Arlo and which does she prefer: Coachella or Glastonbury? 

Elsewhere, Slayyyter gets a lot of love, Mitski settles into a residency in a hyper-intimate venue where “you can cry,” and the band Angine de Poitrine do something never been done in music before. 
 
We’re still open to our next Album Club recommendation, with Arlo suggesting a few in this week’s episode. Send your thoughts in to Annie and Nick! You can send a WhatsApp to 07970082700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk 

And you can also stay in touch via our Instagram Channel, which you can find in the BBC Sounds Instagram bio. 

HOMEWORK: Listen to Arlo Park’s new album, Ambiguous Desire. 

SONGS 

The Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams 

Elmiene - Golden 

 
ALBUMS 

The xx - xx 

Angine de Poitrine - Vol.II 

Charli XCX - Brat 

Slayyyter - WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA 

Massive Attack - debut album 

Mazzy Star - debut album 

Sexistential - Robyn 

The King of Limbs remix album – Radiohead 
 
CLUBS + DANCE FLOORS 

Nowadays - New York 

Midnight Lovers - LA 

Corsica - London 

Venue MOT/Unit 18 

Palais - Peckham

Sidetracked with Arlo Parks

Nick is joined by one of his favourite singers, Elmiene, while Annie is away. Fresh from releasing his debut album ‘sounds for someone’, Elmiene tells Nick what it’s like to work with Raphael Saadiq, how Benji B and Virgil Abloh helped him get his big break, and why it all links back to BBC Bitesize. They also discuss the news of Kanye West’s upcoming return to the UK, and how conflicted lots of his former fans feel about it. Plus, Celine Dion’s iconic comeback announcement inspires a conversation about Cornwall, and Rosalía’s food poisoning nightmare raises some serious questions. 

Get in touch with Sidetracked! You can send a WhatsApp to 07970082700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk 

And you can also stay in touch via our Instagram Channel, which you can find in the BBC Sounds Instagram bio. 

HOMEWORK: Listen to Elmiene’s debut album ‘sounds for someone’ and tell us your thoughts. 

SONGS 

D'Angelo – Untitled (How Does It Feel) 

Elmiene – Golden 

Elmiene – Light By The Window 

Eric Clapton – Layla 

Solange – Cranes in the Sky 

Wesley Joseph – Peace of Mind 

Wesley Joseph – Pluto Baby 

Kanye West – Through the Wire 

Kanye West – Heartless 

ALBUMS 

Elmiene – sounds for someone 

Ye – Bully 

Rosalía - LUX

Sidetracked with Elmiene

It’s the inaugural Sidetracked Album Club: Annie and Nick travel down memory lane to 2005 after listening back to LCD Soundsystem’s debut album and answer questions like: What was life like then, how much have things changed, and does the music still hold up? 
Elsewhere, Nick is preparing for 6 Music Festival (which will see him DJ with Beth Ditto), Annie reflects on some excellent gig crowds and Courtney Love is on a very relatable Geese journey. Plus, Annie and Nick review SNL UK’s first episode, and a listener gets in touch about Lily Allen’s West End Girl shows, inspiring a conversation around the ethics of enjoying music about someone’s deeply personal pain. 
HOMEWORK: Send in your ideas for the next Album Club choice.

Get in touch with Annie and Nick! You can send a WhatsApp to 07970082700 or email sidetracked@bbc.co.uk
And you can also stay in touch via our Instagram Channel, which you can find in the BBC Sounds Instagram bio.

SONGS

LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge 

LCD Soundsystem - Tribulations 

LCD Soundsystem - Daft Punk Is Playing at My House 

LCD Soundsystem - Too Much Love 

LCD Soundsystem - Tired 

LCD Soundsystem - Yeah

The Rapture - House of Jealous Lovers 

The Killers - Mr. Brightside 

Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out 

Scissor Sisters - Comfortably Numb 

Geese - Trinidad

Hot Hot Heat - Bandages 
 
ALBUMS

LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem

Robyn - Sexistential 

RAYE - This Music May Contain Hope 

Elmiene – sounds for someone 

Courtney Barnett - Creature of Habit

The Killers - Hot Fuss
 
Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters 

Green Day - American Idiot 

Kasabian - Kasabian 

Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand 

The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy & The Lash

Sidetracked with Chaka Khan

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