Harry Styles, AI & Grammy Contenders: Inside the U.K. Music Industry’s Hot Topics for 2026

The return of one of Britain’s biggest solo stars feels like a case of when, not if. Over the festive period, Styles broke cover to share a live clip of “Forever Forever” from the final show of his previous world tour in 2023, signalling to fans that the cogs are starting to turn on a potential comeback. Industry chatter also indicates that a world tour – with several dates at London’s Wembley Stadium – could be on the cards for this summer. It’s been nearly four years since his last studio album, 2022’s Harry’s House, his longest gap as a solo recording artist, though it could be time for that to come to an end.

Music which utilises artificial intelligence hit Billboard charts in a major way in 2025, and it looks to be replicated on this side of the pond imminently. HAVEN.’s “I Run” track has come under fire following claims from Jorja Smith’s record label, who claimed that her vocals and likeness were used to train an A.I. model that generated vocals with a similar tone and register.

The duo – made up of Harrison Walker and Jacob Donaghue – deny the claims that Smith’s vocals were involved in the process (though they confirmed that Suno’s AI-assisted vocal processing was used), and the Official Charts Company deemed the track ineligible for the Official Singles Chart. A new version of the track has since been recorded, released and is currently up to No. 10 on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart. This is the canary down the coal mine, and the industry will be watching closely.

On Feb. 28, The BRIT Awards will leave the capital for the first time and head to Manchester’s Co-op Live arena in a huge coup for the city. Overseen by Sony Music’s Stacey Tang, the ceremony is the latest to shun London, following the Mercury Prize’s move to Newcastle upon Tyne, and the MOBO’s roving ceremony which rotates through major cities (2026 ceremony’s will also take place in Manchester). Viewing figures for the ceremony have stabilized in recent years and Manchester’s heritage and passion for music could help sway the organizing committee that the Northern city could host multiple years.

After a triumphant comeback in 2025, Oasis’ status moving forward remains unresolved. The band’s Live 25 reunion tour ran from July until late November and took on shows worldwide – but there’s still some meat left on the bone. Rumors of a return to Knebworth House on the 30th anniversary of their mega 1996 shows won’t dissipate, and mainland Europe was snubbed entirely on last year’s run.

Liam Gallagher has fanned the flames several times by suggesting (then denying) that shows are on the agenda for 2026. But nothing has been confirmed as of yet, and a 2027 run could be the more-favored option.

A documentary helmed by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) on the Gallagher brothers’ comeback is due in 2026, and fans are clamoring for a live LP from the momentous shows. Who knows, perhaps a return to the studio is on the horizon…

2025 felt like a comeback year for British and Irish music with a vast array of fresh characters coming to the fore: Olivia Dean broke out into a global star; Central Cee achieved greatness with his debut LP; and CMAT became a household name after a stellar festival run. Can it happen again in 2026? Elusive Scouse rapper EsDeeKid continues to leverage internet rumors into chart success, and Skye Newman is poised for a strong 2026. KEO, Kwn and Nectar Woode also show potential heading into a fresh year.

Massive tours from Oasis, Beyoncé, Coldplay and Taylor Swift have passed through stadiums in the past two summers, but 2026’s slate looks light in comparison. At Wembley Stadium, for example, only 14 shows are planned between July to September (My Chemical Romance, Luke Combs, The Weeknd and Bon Jovi), a downturn on the huge residencies held in the past two summers; in 2025, Oasis and Coldplay combined for 16 nights total. Bad Bunny, Take That and Lewis Capaldi will all hit the road this summer, but a BTS or Harry Styles-sized hole is yet to be filled. Olivia Dean, RAYE, Lily Allen and Ariana Grande‘s indoor arena tours will also help plug the gap should it remain vacant.

Progress to protecting the U.K.’s grassroots music scene was made in 2025 with Coldplay, Sam Fender, Katy Perry and more making donations to the Music Venue Trust and the LIVE Fund via a voluntary ticket levy for their arena shows. Major venues such as The O2 in London are also getting involved by setting up regular donations to the scene. The Labour government is under serious pressure to make a proposed ticket levy on major arena shows mandatory, and to safeguard grassroots venues’ future amidst rising costs and slow economic growth. Whether that will be enough to shield these crucial spaces is yet to be seen.

Traditionally a fixture of the British summer, Glastonbury Festival will take its traditional fallow year this June with no event taking place. Initiated once every five years to allow Worthy Farm – a working dairy farm – and its ground to recover, it provides new opportunities for rival festivals. Reading & Leeds, BST Hyde Park, All Points East, and AEG’s new Roundhay Festival and more have stepped up to provide some of their strongest lineups in years. It’s here that new long-term connections with punters and artists are forged, and they’ve responded to the opportunity.

U.K. artists could make a major statement at the 2026 Grammys. Olivia Dean and Lola Young will juke it out in the coveted best new artist category, while Yungblud, FLO, Fred again.., FKA twigs, PinkPantheress, and Wet Leg are among the names up for statues in the genre categories. Flying back from L.A. with a handful of prizes could give the U.K. majors and indie scene further encouragement that they’re very much on the right track with the talent they’ve backed.

In 2025, Labour came good on a manifesto promise to legally cap the value of resale tickets to protect fans from touts. Viagogo has said that fans will be worse off because of the new laws, saying it will push the resellers to less regulated spaces and fraud will be widespread. Large parts of the live industry – particularly fan-to-fan exchange platforms – have welcomed the news as have a number of major artists. The law is set to come into effect in 2026 following parliamentary approval, though its impact will only truly be felt at the next major ticket on-sale event.