Daily Music Headlines June 25th, 2026

**Eileen Rivera** (0:02)
It's Thursday, June 25th. I'm Eileen Rivera, and here are your music headlines for today.
Sam Smith has announced their fifth studio album, Hazel Eyes, set for release on August 21st via Capitol Records UK, marking their first full length project since 2023's Gloria. The 12-track album arrives as Smith opens a new chapter led by the single My Guy, and following the release of To Be Free and Love Is a Stillness. Described in official materials as a deeply personal and romantic record shaped by emotional vulnerability, self-reflection, artistic freedom, and Smith's time in New York. Sesame Street is throwing a pop parody bash with Parody Party, a new album arriving July 26th that reimagines hits associated with artists including Bruno Mars, Chappell Roan, RAYE, Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen, and others for its youngest listeners. One standout track, Got to Go, turns Chappell Roan's Hot to Go into a potty training anthem performed by Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Abby Cadabby, helping kids recognize when it's bathroom time. The album also tackles classic Sesame Street themes like friendship, sharing, recycling, and self-control. PJ Harvey has released Voyager, her first new song since 2023's I Inside the Old Year Dying, and it finds her looking far beyond Earth. Inspired by NASA's Voyager missions, the track imagines the voice of Voyager 2 as it drifts through deep space, with orchestral arrangements by composer Dario Marianelli, adding to its cosmic sweep. The song was developed after physicist Brian Cox invited Harvey to contribute music to his live Emergence stage show, and Harvey has said it also draws on the history of the Voyager spacecraft and Carl Sagan's famous Pale Blue Dot Reflection. Whitney Houston's estate is pushing back on comments from Oprah Winfrey about Houston's 2009 appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Winfrey reportedly linked a backstage fall to a relapse, but estate executor Pat Houston says that account is wrong, explaining that Whitney did fall during soundcheck, but that it was due to poor lighting and unfamiliarity with the stage, not drug use. The estate acknowledged Houston's well-documented struggles with addiction, but argued that it is unfair to attach those struggles to every difficult or misunderstood moment in her life.
HarbourView Equity Partners has added another blockbuster batch of pop copyrights to its portfolio, acquiring the publisher share of select Wolf Cousins compositions associated with Max Martin and Shellback. The deal includes songs recorded by artists such as Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Imagine Dragons and others with titles including Style, Problem, Believer and Can't Feel My Face cited in coverage. Financial terms were not disclosed but the acquisition gives HarbourView a stake in some of the most dominant pop hits of the last decades plus while leaving pre-2010 works outside the deal.
Nascar and the Rolling Stones are bringing Racing and Rock together for its first of a kind partnership tied to the July 10th release of the band's new album, Foreign Tongues. The collaboration includes co-branded merchandise, limited edition collector vinyl, original content and fan experiences built around the meeting point of speed, spectacle and classic rock swagger. The centerpiece is a custom Nascar show car transformed into a Rolling Stones listening lounge, which will pop up around Chicago ahead of Nascar's race weekend so fans can hear music from the new album from Inside the Vehicle.
Olivia Rodrigo's inaugural Daisy Chain Fields Festival is already shaping up to be one of the summer's hottest tickets. Demand moved so quickly after presales began that ticket buyers were directed to a waitlist with reports saying the one-day event sold out in about 30 minutes. Set for August 29th at Irvine's Great Park, the festival features a female lead lineup including Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, Katseye, Stevie Nicks, Sarah McLachlan, and more, with organizers expecting a crowd of around 45,000. And let's take a look at this week's Japan Billboard Top 100 chart. At number five, Sukisugite Metsu by Milk. At number four, Yoru no Odoriko by Sankan Akshon. At number three, Bakuretsu Aishiteru by Milk. At number two, Dekiboku Life by AA. Group. And at number one, Karasu by Kenji Yunezu. Want to be the first to hear about future live streams, discuss the latest news, talk about music and help shape the future of the show? Join the Daily Music Headlines Discord at tiny.cc slash DMH Discord. This episode was produced by Anthony Lemos and written and hosted by me, Eileen Rivera. Thanks for listening. That's it for today. We'll catch you on the flip side.
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