Taylor Swift Dropped Four New Songs Today and the Joe Alwyn Discourse Is Already Feral

September 25, 2026 · 86 sources

Quick Hits

It's a Taylor Swift day, people: the 'Encore' deluxe of The Life of a Showgirl is out today (Sept. 25) with four new songs — and per BuzzFeed, a new song has already dragged the Joe Alwyn discourse back from the dead, with people openly questioning the old narrative.
Dove Cameron and Damiano are officially married. The internet's favorite chaos couple made it legal, per r/popculturechat, and honestly? Good for them.
The Jane Doe who accused Jay-Z of sexual assault has fully recanted, saying "No truth to any of my claims" in a declaration filed in his malicious prosecution lawsuit, per Rolling Stone. She was also dropped as a defendant.
New Music Friday is absurdly stacked: Tinashe's POPSTAR, plus new Madonna, Charli xcx, and Kenny Chesney per Billboard's weekly guide — and, inexplicably gloriously, a Ms. Rachel album.
'Love & Hip Hop' star Sidney Starr told a judge she's too famous for jail as part of a renewed bond attempt, per court docs obtained by TMZ. The audacity is astronomical.

The Joe Alwyn discourse is BACK and this time it's the narrative itself on trial. BuzzFeed rounded up the fallout, including the take gaining traction: "you can't both claim that he used for clout and then complain that he was never public with you. that doesn't make any sense." Taylor's ex might be getting a public re-audit, and it's messy in every direction.
A viral TikTok debate about iced coffee at a job interview is splitting the internet along a "clear generational divide between Gen Z and, well, everyone else," per BuzzFeed — and they've warned it may enrage you. They're probably right.
BuzzFeed also collected 21 of the funniest insults ever posted online, and this one deserves to be framed: "He has the mind of someone whose single brain cell bounces around their skull like a DVD screensaver but it never quite manages to touch the corners."

Taylor's 'Encore' deluxe adds four songs to The Life of a Showgirl, her 12th studio album, per Billboard — one last twirl under the spotlight, and the discourse engine is already at full throttle (see above, unfortunately for Joe).
Tinashe's POPSTAR is here, all 16 tracks, and Billboard is framing it in apocalyptic terms: "There's a war brewing in pop music — and Tinashe is on the front lines," with two archetypes of female pop stardom dominating the late 2020s. No stakes, just pop.
Ms. Rachel dropped I'm So Happy, 23 tracks, and Billboard ranked every single one. Her songs teach phonics and emotional literacy to toddlers, which means the most important audience in music just got a Friday drop too.
Calvin Harris is already smashing records for a tour that's happening in 2027: his Australia run has shifted more than 330,000 tickets, per Billboard. Man is selling out the future.
G Flip rides 'Bed On Fire' from the top of the Australian airplay chart straight to pre-game entertainment at the AFL Grand Final. Homecoming of the year.
Sad festival news: rough weather canceled Oceans Calling's opening day, taking down sets from Dave Matthews Band, Hootie & the Blowfish, and Ludacris. Pour one out.
Cute nerd moment: The Weeknd received a Samurai Champloo-inspired illustration from character artist Kazuto Nakazawa, and the anime-internet crossover is thriving.

'American Idol' season 25 — a milestone season! — will bring back Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie on the judging panel, per Billboard. If it ain't broke.
Netflix's 'Beyond Society,' produced by J.A. Bayona, premiered at San Sebastián on Sept. 23. The three-part doc series picks up after Society of the Snow left off: what happened when the 1972 Andes crash survivors returned home to Uruguay.
Awards season prep: Cuba selected 'Malecón' as its submission for Best International Feature at the 99th Academy Awards, with Movistar Plus grabbing Spanish streaming rights, per Variety.

Dove Cameron and Damiano are MARRIED. From viral red carpet moments to legally wed — r/popculturechat is celebrating and so am I.
In genuinely significant legal news: the Jane Doe who accused Jay-Z fully recanted, telling a court "No truth to any of my claims" in a declaration submitted in his malicious prosecution lawsuit against attorney Tony Buzbee; she was subsequently dropped as a defendant, per Rolling Stone.
Sidney Starr's legal team is arguing she's too famous to jail, claiming notoriety makes incarceration extra-hard on her, per TMZ's court docs. Bold strategy, let's see how it plays out.
Milan Fashion Week is delivering: Cardi B hit the Roberto Cavalli show, and Uma Thurman and Maya Hawke did matching mother-daughter elegance at Prada. Fashion month remains undefeated.

Think you know your '90s cinema? BuzzFeed has a single-image '90s movie quiz that will humiliate you in under two minutes. Worth it.
BuzzFeed also dropped 40 mind-blowing photos from over 100 years ago — genuinely wild how different everything used to be, and a perfect Tuesday tab-crawler.
Cozy season is officially open, and BuzzFeed is curating accordingly — including those viral sweatpant jeans and the "Project Cloud" platform sneakers everyone won't shut up about. Sweatpant jeans! We did it, society.