This Week In Entertainment News 14 August 2026
Music and entertainment news from Australia and around the world, plus new releases and tour updates.
Beloved Australian entertainer and pop icon Johnny Young has died, aged 79. His family released a statement announcing he had passed following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. “Johnny was the creator, host and producer of the much-loved television show Young Talent Time. He wrote and produced many iconic hit songs including ‘The Real Thing’ and ‘Smily’,” the statement reads. “Johnny leaves behind his wife Marisha, sister Cornelia, daughters Anna and Fleur, son Craig (dec.), seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. The family respectfully asks for privacy during this difficult time. Details of a memorial service will be announced soon.”
Set to make its return to BIGSOUND this September, Live Nation’s Ones To Watch Backed By American Apparel is excited to add a new cohort of talented Australian artists to its growing stable of incredible musicians celebrated by the series. The program, championing the next wave of Australian music excellence, arrives at BIGSOUND on Thursday 3rd September. The event is set to be hosted at The Outpost in the heart of Fortitude Valley and will feature three performers including Holly Hebe (in an exclusive performance), Eli Wan and Jem-Cassar Daley.
With all cylinders fired up and hurtling towards Fortitude Valley this September 1-4, BIGSOUND is excited to share the full professional development & hubs program – available online now. Plus, a slew of heavy hitting industry names and unmissable panels, workshops and events that are set to take place across the multi-day roll out. Leading this final round of special guests is BIGSOUND veteran, Australian songwriting icon Paul Kelly, who will appear in conversation with renowned ABC journalist Sarah Kanowski for a discussion that unpacks the importance of the songwriter and songwriting in shaping our music culture.
Since his debut in 2021, it was evident that a wealth of potential was always at the heart of Kayps’ music and brand of storytelling. Now based in Perth/Boorloo, Kayps has struck out as a leader of a new generation of rappers pushing Indigenous culture and contemporary influences into new territory. With the release of his much-anticipated album ‘Bunuba Baby’, the listener gains new insight into the journey of one of Australian hip hop’s most exciting names – one that is still being uncovered.
Following the announcement of her forthcoming EP ‘Sixteen’, Ruby Rodgers shares its latest single, ‘Suicide Doves’ – a powerful and deeply affecting reflection on war, human rights, political division and the quiet erosion of empathy. Taking the universally recognised symbol of peace and turning it on its head, ‘Suicide Doves’ explores what it means to hold onto empathy in an increasingly disconnected world.
One of Australia’s most celebrated and singular artists, Kate Miller-Heidke, releases her long-awaited new album ‘The Kiss And The Abyss’ – a bold, immersive work that returns her to the folk music that first shaped her songwriting while pushing her creative world into richer, stranger and more expansive territory than ever before.
Having firmly established themselves within the WA scene as creators of music that hits hard and fast with emotion and craft, four-piece rock outfit Unicorn are back with a new dose of the above in a blistering fresh track: ‘Sweet Ride’. Driven by sharp guitars and buoyed by rhythms that make way for moments of primal and euphoric release, the song marks an exciting step forward for the band, who had a solid year in 2025 with releases including ‘Wonderful Wonderful’ and ‘Spirals’
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Across three decades, Harbourlife has remained one of Sydney’s defining summer events. Returning to Fleet Steps at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair on Saturday 21 November, the 2026 edition arrives with a new visual identity, a bigger and better sound than ever before and a lineup spanning global house icons and the names shaping dancefloors right now. Harbourlife 2026 line-up features: Honey Dijon, Max Dean, Luke Dean, Ben Sterling, Omar+, Honeyluv, Jordan Brando, Morgan Seatree, Bella Backe, and Samantha Loveridge (Aus).
Award winning Canadian musician and songwriter Patrick Watson has announced his first tour of Australia in over a decade, set to take place along the East Coast this November. Renowned as a vocalist and deeply personal compositions, the artistic worlds Watson has been able to grow across such a successful career of releases and live tours have been remarkable.
One of hip hop’s most recognisable names – Talib Kweli – is set to return to Australia for an unmissable run of headline shows this November. Presented by Teamwrk Touring and MRG Live, these shows will provide Australian audiences the opportunity to get up close and personal with the emcee in some of the country’s best rooms, as he brings his stacked catalogue to metro cities along with an impeccable flow.
Since becoming a household name in 2022 following a standout performance on America’s Got Talent and then America’s Got Talent: All Stars, the profile of talented comedian, actor and writer Mike E. Winfield has only continued to skyrocket. His humour and unique perspectives have won Winfield a loyal following; whether they were introduced to him via America’s Got Talent or his debut on The Late Last Show with David Letterman. This summer, Winfield will be bringing his stand-up show to Australia with shows in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney Melbourne.
