Zayn was always One Direction’s best singer, but his album Konnakol is another missed opportunity
Konnakol could have been so much more than a muffled collection of anti-bangers. In the year of 1D comebacks, Zayn is lost among the trailing pack
Simon Cowell
Dermot Kennedy: ‘I was freaking out about my voice. I did two weeks where I didn’t speak’
Dermot Kennedy is one of Ireland's most successful music artists, with hundreds of millions of streams on Spotify and two sold-out gigs coming up at the Aviva, but naturally shy, and 'a bit of a loner' at heart, he finds touring hard. His new album is a declaration of allegiance to his home in Rathcoole in Dublin
Event guide: Dublin Bowie Festival, Franz Ferdinand and the other best things to see in Ireland in the week ahead
February 21st-27th, 2026: The best movies, music, art and more coming your way this week
The X Factor is due an exposé. Will Sky’s documentary confront the dark, nasty parts of its history?
Contestants’ stories about some of their experiences on the show deserve a new spotlight
Liam Payne obituary: Pop icon who remained an enigma
Despite his common sense, One Direction member’s loneliness as an overnight pop star would wear him down
After One Direction, Liam Payne was just getting started. His death is a heartbreaking end
One Direction singer’s death in Argentina came as he was seeking to follow up solo album with ‘more creative control’
Jeremy Kyle Show may have been exonerated, but what about the viewing public?
Circus of ritual public humiliation that gripped TV 20 years ago hasn’t gone away - it has moved on to other platforms
‘I have lived so long. Why am I still here?’ Simon Cowell’s beady little eyes seem to say
Patrick Freyne: Britain’s Got Talent is back, its name now less a triumphalist boast than a pleading sales pitch from a waning superpower
Celebrity Big Brother: Does Louis Walsh have any idea what he’s signed up for?
Television: Reported to be the highest paid member of the latest Big Brother household, the former X Factor judge could be facing a challenging stay
Lucy Spraggan: ‘When sobriety marched through my front door I discovered a newfound respect for myself’
Former X Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan has always been a square peg in a round hole. "That’s me for the entire time I’ve been in music", she tells Tony Clayton-Lea.
David Walliams apologises for derogatory, sexually explicit remarks about Britain’s Got Talent contestants
The British television personality and children’s author made the remarks during the recording of an episode of the ITV show, according to a leaked transcript
Virgin Media Television’s Bill Malone: ‘New talent is our lifeblood’
Broadcaster is not in cost-cutting mode, says VMTV director of content
Nadine Coyle, Samantha Mumba and Nicky Byrne: pop music’s middle management
Patrick Freyne: RTÉ’s The Last Singer Standing proves pop is now a middle-aged interest
RTÉ has tried something new and refreshing: hiring Maura Higgins
TV review: Glow Up Ireland is emotional, but it doesn’t have mascara running down its face
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Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices