A highlight of news related to music, books and other art forms, mixed with politics, current affairs and activism. Because art and creativity have always been an essential form of resistance.
2026 has only just started, but boy, what a year has it been already. The following lyrics of ‘Youth’ by Shawn Mendes ft. Khalid, seem to describe it best:
‘Waking up to headlines filled with devastation again
My heart is broken, but I keep going’
With the awful violence against protesters in Iran, ICE-agents committing crimes and escaping prosecution in the United States, Venezuela being invaded (yes, many are rightfully happy Maduro is not in charge anymore, but the way it’s been done and the economic reasons behind it – oil – can never be justified), the AI-bot of X facilitating digital violence against women with real-life consequences, Greenland being threatened… It’s hard to lose hope.
Yet, many people find ways to make a difference, big or small. One example within the music industry was Artists for Aid, which brings us to this month’s first point.
1. Artists for Aid
On January 10, celebrities gathered in L.A. to raise funds for Palestine and Sudan, you can read my full post about this event here. The outcome: 5,5 million dollars. It was quite a unique show because music genres didn’t matter; many entirely different singers participated in the show led by Mustafa and hosted by Bella Hadid and Pedro Pascal.
Shawn Mendes, for instance, led a prayer for the children in Sudan and Palestine, and sang ‘Youth’ (the song of the lyrics mentioned above) in a duet with Maggie Rogers. Chappell Roan was also present, she made a surprise appearance and sang a cover of “The Book of Love” with Lucy Dacus.
Daniel Caesar closed the night by bringing three songs, after joining British singer Rex Orange County during his performance.
2. Bruce Springsteen released a protest song
On January 28 Bruce Springsteen released ‘Streets of Minneapolis’ as a form of protest to the harm ICE-agents are causing. The artist said he recorded the song over the weekend as a response to the killing of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti. He also mentioned both victims in his lyrics. Here’s a little snippet:
‘Now they say they’re here to uphold the law
But they trample on our rights
If your skin is black or brown my friend
You can be questioned or deported on sight
In chants of ICE out now
Our city’s heart and soul persists
Through broken glass and bloody tears
On the streets of Minneapolis
Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Singing through the bloody mist
Here in our home they killed and roamed
In the winter of ’26’
Springsteen has been vocal about how he opposes everything the Trump administration stands for before, but this song definitely leaves no room for interpretation. The fact that a song like this was made, shows that what’s happening now will forever leave an impact on American society. In the end, news articles are volatile and easily make room for the next tragedy, while songs leave a more lasting impression.
3. Stromae, but AI
A remarkable song appeared in the Spotify charts: a version of ‘Papaoutai’ by Belgian artist Stromae, generated by artificial intelligence. The worst part is that many people did not notice it wasn’t ‘real’, which brings up the question what the future might look like.
Not only in music, but also in photography and other creative outlets, it becomes harder to differentiate AI from original content, basically because AI is getting too well-trained by real creative work out there. What’s important to realize, is that everything AI generates is by default based on the work of people, which means there’s a very thin line with plagiarism.
4. Paris Hilton stands against AI-violence
Paris Hilton remains a socialite in the first place, but is also active in music. So I figured her recent advocacy also belongs in this list.
Earlier this month she addressed the dangers of AI deepfakes for women and girls in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. and compared this new form of digital violence to what she endured after private footage of her was leaked when she was 19. She said: “People called it a scandal – it wasn’t. It was abuse. There were no laws at the time to protect me, there weren’t even words for what had been done to me.”
She joined US congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Laurel Lee to advocate for the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits (DEFIANCE) Act, which still needs to pass the House of Representatives. It would give victims of AI-generated deepfakes the option to press charges against their abusers.
By the way, on January 30 she released the documentary ‘Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir – Paris Hilton’. You can watch in certain cinemas (not in Belgium though, it seems).
5. Harry Styles’ outrageous ticket prices
Maybe less poignant, but also important: fans have been very vocal about the ticket prices for Harry Styles’ tour, which I previously wrote about here. Next to the high prices for the tickets itself, the artist – choosing residencies over actually touring – expects his fans to also travel. And as we all know: hotel and transportation costs easily add up.
The backlash shows that there are boundaries, even for die-hard fans, when it comes to the decisions of popular singers and their teams. We live in a crazy world and music facilitates a sense of belonging and escape from reality. So the last thing we need, is concerts becoming too exclusive. There’s a lot of irony in the fact that Harry’s tour is called ‘Together, Together’… We’ll see if the backlash causes some rethinking with Harry Styles and his team.
What to expect in February?
On February 1, the Grammy Awards ceremony takes place. Among the nominees are Olivia Dean, Katseye, Bad Bunny, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and many more. Something to look out for: will there be any statements, just like at the Golden Globes on January 11? On the red carpet of the Golden Globes a variety of celebrities, like Ariana Grande and Mark Ruffalo, wore pins with messages like ‘ICE out’ and ‘Be Good’. So, let’s see if this will also be the case on February 1.
Written by Nikita
Nikita – founder of Nikita’s World – is a Belgian author of feminist feelgood & a journalist specialized in pop culture and the creative industry.