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

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 [email protected]

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

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 [email protected]

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

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 [email protected]

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

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 [email protected]

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

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 [email protected]

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

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 [email protected]

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

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 [email protected]

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

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 [email protected]

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

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 [email protected] 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

David Byrne leaves Annie wanting to know more about his live show while Nick avoids any Rosalía Lux Live spoilers. Plus, Annie and Nick discuss the intimate production behind James Blake’s new album and how too many opinions can hold an artist back. Speaking of opinions, there have been many about Jack Harlow’s new album, “Monica,” and Annie and Nick explore what puts the soul into neo-soul. Meanwhile, Morrissey has been left in a “catatonic” state and Live Nation executives give people new reasons to be angry, as Annie and Nick try to wrap their heads around their recent settlement with the US Department of Justice.

Finally, Annie and Nick are paid a visit by Gail Mortley, an opera singer and singing teacher who kindly takes them through the importance of opera, instructions for our diaphragms, and a few vocal exercises for all burgeoning divas to follow - with Nick turning from reluctant singer to essential pillar of “Gail and the Gail-ettes.”

HOMEWORK: Don’t forget to listen to LCD Soundsystem’s self-titled debut album and send us your thoughts ahead of our first ever album club discussion.

Get in touch with Annie and Nick! You can send a WhatsApp to 07970082700 or email [email protected]

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

SONGS

James Blake - Doesn’t Just Happen (feat Dave)

James Blake - Rest of Your Life

James Blake - Days Go By

ALBUMS

Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska

Jack Harlow – Monica

James Blake - Trying Times

Various Artists for War Child Records – HELP(2)

LIVE MUSIC

Altin Gün

David Byrne – Who's in the Sky?

David Byrne - Stop Making Sense, film directed by Jonathan Demme

Rosalía Lux Live

OPERAS

O Mio Babbino Caro from Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini