Abbey Road Music Photography Awards Announce 2026 Finalists

Photos of Oasis, Charli XCX, and more are nominated for this month's annual awards at the legendary London studios

Oasis

The finalists have been announced for the 2026 edition of the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards this month.

The awards, which have been running since 2022, received over 24,500 submissions from 40 different countries in 2026, 25 percent more than last year.

It has already been revealed Japanese photographer Masayoshi Sukita will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, while the judging panel for 2026 will include RAYE and Nile Rodgers.

Included in the list of finalists for this month’s awards (held at Abbey Road on Sept. 24) are photos of Oasis, Charli XCX, Florence + the Machine and more. Rolling Stone‘s own Sacha Lecca is nominated in the Judges Choice category for his shots of FKA twigs during her Ladyland Festival performance. Lecca also presides as the Chief Shortlister and Global Ambassador of the contest.

See the full list of nominees below.

Frances Carter – Billie MartenJamie-Lee Culver – AynjelWanda Martin – Billy IdolDaniel Rojas – The OGM – Ho99o9Manuel Vazquez – Warren Ellis

Viktória Erdős – Palaye RoyaleDanny North – Download Festival, Humans of DownloadGiulia Spadafora – Glastonbury Festival – AudienceIan Zandi – The Killing FloorsJake Zaoutis – Hey, Nothing

Harriet T K Bols – OasisJenn Devereaux – Kendrick LamarJoshua Halling – OasisJessie Morgan – Lambrini GirlsJack Oliver – Charli XCX

Frances Carter – Gin WigmoreBryce Glenn – SombrNatalia Peralta – Nicholas y los fumadoresDara Petrova – Techno rave LaboratoriumIsaac Wheatley – Mikael

Olly Bromidge – Matt MolotovSophie Buckley – Black HoneyLewis Evans – GeeseCaity Krone – Kevin Parker / Tame ImpalaGabrielle Ravet – My Chemical Romance fans

AF Cortes – Audience at Kartel ShowAndrea Gonar – Ruido en casaGeoffrey Nicholson – SpunkSuzanne Phoenix – Private Function at Gold StreetJames Streiker – Rosanna

Charlie Barclay Harris – Fontaines D.C.Rhys Bennett – BattlesnakeLewis Evans – OasisTom Pallant – YungbludRico Suhr – Dr.VENUS

Joe Hughes – Sonic YouthWayne Large – Members of various punk bandsKeith Marlowe – The Black HalosGerard McNamara – Bauhaus, Peter MurphyJamie Wdziekonski – Amyl and the Sniffers

Matt Auger – SubstandardsCarlos Avendano – Lisa AlvaradoScarlett Carlos Clarke – Self EsteemAutumn de Wilde – Florence + The MachineAngus Jenner – OasisSacha Lecca – FKA twigsTom Pallant – Yungblud

Roberta Bayley

Head judge Rankin commented: “2026 feels like the strongest year yet for the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards. The quality of the work entered was genuinely exceptional – not just technically brilliant, but full of energy, emotion and a real point of view. Judging was incredibly tough. Getting down to just five finalists in each category meant leaving out so many images that deserved to be recognized, which says everything about the standard this year. Music photography is in a really exciting place right now, and these awards are a brilliant snapshot of that.”

Abbey Road Managing Director Sally Davies added: “It’s been wonderful to see how warmly the music photography community has embraced the MPAs, and to watch that community grow year after year. The extraordinary response reminds us just how much brilliant talent there is behind the lens, and how important it is to create opportunities for that work to be seen and celebrated. From the awards themselves, to our first Music Photography Festival in New York, we’re incredibly proud to be bringing people together around this unique art form and to see the MPAs becoming a genuinely global celebration of music photography.”

This story was originally published by “Rolling Stone UK.”

Lisa for ‘SaWaDiKa’

Lisa is saying “hello” to her new chapter. The rapper-singer has released her new supercharged single “SaWaDiKa,” which is a Thai greeting for “hello.”

The track finds Lisa returning to her rap roots, as she spits bars with the sharp prowess she’s known for. “I’m that bitch on your TV/In my Ferrari, indigo/La Lalisa, la diva,” she raps over sputtering drums. Produced by Thom Bridges, who has worked with Katseye and John Summit among other artists, and songwriting duo Ojivolta, the track is a thumping first look into Lisa’s forthcoming EP, Press Play, which arrives on Oct. 23 via LLOUD Co./RCA Records.

Along with the song, Lisa has also shared a show-stopping music video. In it, she rocks a handful of stunning looks, including a red, cut-out leather bodysuit and boxing shorts with “SaWaDiKa” in rhinestone letters across the waist. The visual was shot in Lisa’s native Bangkok, Thailand, and directed by Bang Jae Yeob, a Korean director known for his work on K-pop videos. Throughout the video, Lisa commands each shot as she walks through a handful of iconic locations in Bangkok.

“SaWaDiKa” is Lisa’s first solo single of 2026. In May, the rapper-singer released “Goals” alongside Anitta and Rema for the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album. The song comes after Lisa announced her upcoming documentary Always Lalisa, which premieres worldwide on Oct. 12.

It’s bound to be a busy year for the Blackpink member. In the fall, Lisa will kick off her Viva La Lisa Residency in Las Vegas, where she will perform at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Nov. 13, Nov. 14, Nov. 27, and Nov. 28.

Big Sean joined Kanye West at his Soldier Field homecoming concert to perform "Clique," "Mercy," and "I Don't Fuck With You"

Big Sean made a surprise appearance at Kanye West‘s homecoming concert at Soldier Field in Chicago to perform his hit single “I Don’t Fuck With You,” a sentiment that no longer seems to apply to the relationship between the two rappers who spent the past five years locked in a quiet feud.

West and Sean publicly fell out around 2021, when Sean claimed West owed him $6 million in a since-deleted post on X. That same year, West said signing Sean to his record label G.O.O.D. Music, through which his music was released from 2007 through 2021, was “worst thing I’ve ever done” — though it can’t have been worse than the antisemitic rants and racist remarks that have derailed his career over the past few years.

“Man, I know this man’s momma, bro, you know what I’m saying? I changed this man’s family and both John Legend and Big Sean — when I ran for office — got used quick by the Democrats to come at they boy that actually changed they life,” West said at the time. “And that’s some sellout shit. And I don’t rock with neither of them, and I need my apology. I ain’t saying they ain’t gonna change, but niggas is scared.”

Whether or not West has been holding a grudge against Sean all these years, his fans certainly were. In 2024, a West fan allegedly leaked much of Sean’s then-unreleased album online. “Since he wanna disrespect Ye so much, here’s the album. Fuck him and his whole team,” the fan said after Sean seemingly made a dig at West during an On the Radar freestyle. It’s all water under the bridge now.

Sean and West celebrated their reunion with performances of their collaborations “Clique” and “Mercy,” for which 2 Chainz also made an appearance at Soldier Field. “Chi-Town, I love you forever,” Sean said on stage. “Ye, I love you, bro, and I appreciate you.” West replied, “Love you, fam.” Other special guests at the show included Twista and Future.

Jann Arden arrives on the red carpet at the 2019 Juno Awards at London Convention Centre on March 17, 2019 in London, Canada

As Alberta heads to the polls for a referendum on its separation, Calgary-born singer-songwriter Jann Arden is coming home to headline a free outdoor concert this month to plea for a united Canada.

The Calgary Concert for Unity takes place September 20 at The Confluence Historic Site, formerly known as Fort Calgary. Arden will be joined by fellow Alberta artists including Celeigh Cardinal, Reuben Bullock and John Wort Hannam and Caity Gyorgy. The event is being billed as a family-friendly celebration of Canadian unity, with organizers encouraging Albertans to come together as “loud and proud Canadians.” The free event runs from 2 to 7 p.m.

On October 19, Alberta will hold a referendum that will ask voters, among other questions, whether they want the province to remain part of Canada or proceed toward a second, binding vote on separation. Supporters of independence argue Alberta would be better off outside of the Confederation, while opponents have raised concerns ranging from the economic consequences of separation to Indigenous treaty rights.

The only other Canadian province to have held a similar referendum is Québec, once in 1980 and again in 1995. Both were unsuccesful, though the 'No' won by a very slim minority, with results being 50.58% to 49.42%.

Brady Ebert

Former Turnstile guitarist Brady Ebert must be cleared as competent before beginning trial for a first-degree attempted murder charge for intentionally driving his car into singer Brendan Yates’ father, William Yates, a judge has ordered.

Ebert argued against the competency evaluation requirement, which was first brought up by his own attorney, Mark Sobel, according to the Baltimore Banner. While Ebert maintains that he is “perfectly competent” and “every part of the police report is a lie,” Sobel told Circuit Judge Eric Johnson he has “significant concerns regarding competency.” In court, Ebert told Johnson he plans on firing Sobel over concerns he might be working alongside prosecutors.

If convicted on the first-degree attempted murder charge, Ebert faces life in prison, though he has maintained his innocence. The guitarist previously told a district court commissioner, “This is pure self-defense.” He doubled down in court, saying, “I did not commit a crime.” His status hearing is scheduled for Sep. 22.

Ebert has been held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Boyds, Maryland without bail since April. The 33-year-old allegedly drove his car into William Yates outside his home, causing trauma to his lower body.

Turnstile parted ways with Ebert in 2022 in response to “a consistent pattern of harmful behavior affecting himself, the band, and the community,” Turnstile previously said in a statement. “After exhausting every available resource to support his access to help and recovery, a boundary ultimately had to be set when healthy communication was no longer possible and he began threatening violence.”

The band continued, “In the years since, his baseless tirades have continued in public. We never addressed it. We chose to protect his privacy and the circumstances around his departure, even when he did nothing to be deserving of that protection. Over the past few months, his threats only escalated further.… We have no language left for Brady.”

Céline Dion has spent the last week in Paris ahead of her residency at the AccorAréna which starts next week. Few details have been shared about the concerts, but we now know that Céline is staying loyal to her Canadian team.

As the singer prepares to perform beginning September 12, a significant portion of the team is made up of musicians and creative collaborators from Québec. According to the Journal de MontréalJournal de Montréal, musical director Scott Price will once again be at Dion’s side. The pianist has worked with the singer for over a decade and performed with her during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Dion is also relying on longtime sound engineer Denis Savage, who has worked on several of her international tours and her Las Vegas residency. Meanwhile, Montréal-born creative director Willo Perron is responsible for the visual side of the production, having previously worked with some of pop’s biggest names, including Rihanna, Drake and Lady Gaga.

Band-wise, Philippe Dunnigan, Jeff Smallwood, Kaven Girouard, Guillaume Marchand and Yves Labonté are all returning. It hasn't yet been confirmed, but her familiar vocal collaborators Barnev Valsaint, Élise Duguay and Dawn Cumberbatch are expected to join the production.

This residency has been in the works for a long time, with Dion's official biographer saying the singer is ''in a state of total determintation'' to get back onstage. The Québec icon has been fighting stiff-person syndrome for the past few years, making it extremely hard for her to perform.