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From an indie darling getting called a "psyop" to plagiarism allegations against a rising pop star, this year feels like an especially fraught time to bicker about authenticity in the music industry.
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Photos by Michael Kovac/WireImage and Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for BET. Illustration by Jackie Lay.Controversy over an artist being fake — or someone thinking they are — is hardly new. Here are some of the craziest moments in recent music history when the boundary between real and fake collapsed.
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"Is it real?" is the most pressing question in music in 2026, and it's one that feels impossible to adequately answer, in almost any context.
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The Orange County punk rockers' latest album comes after a turbulent period that included singer Mike Ness'cancer diagnosis and treatment.
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Brìghde Chaimbeul expands the language of the Scottish smallpipes behind the Desk with a quiet, yet demonstrative presence.
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Dessner, best known as a member of the rock band The National, has become a sought-after producer for pop stars and singer-songwriters, including Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams and Noah Kahan.
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Behind the Desk, Draco Rosa creates shimmering, electric guitar-driven ruminations on life and love.
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"I just want to make people really feel things about the world they live in," Grian Chatten says of Dopamine Chamber, which he describes as the band's attempt to map the tensions of our moment.
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The Brazilian singer-songwriter sits easily in the poetry of the cosmos and his country, but communicates every emotion with tangible complexity.
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After selling tens of millions of records worldwide, the singer-songwriter says she's finally aged out of pop music — and she's OK with that. Crow's latest album is Pick You Up.