#98 - Maniac Mk.gee 🌞

Guess who’s back, back again? It’s been a busy last few months for us both, but we’re happy to be back in your inbox. We were so excited, we couldn’t wait ‘til Sunday 🌞 Welcome to the 349 music enthusiasts who’ve joined since our last edition!

Rating Rationale: If you tuned into the Grammys this year, you might have caught the premiere of Lady Gaga’s music video for “Abracadabra,” the debut single from her highly anticipated album, MAYHEM. From the production to the vocals and meticulously chaotic choreography, the video encapsulates everything that defines Lady Gaga’s artistry. From front to back, MAYHEM exudes Gaga’s authenticity and expands on it, blending a diverse mix of influences–from electro grunge (heavily inspired by The Cure), to theatrical pop, dance funk, and chaotic metal with a hint of mid-2000s rock. Our favorite tracks include, “Vanish Into You,” “Killah (feat. Gesaffelstein),” and “How Bad Do U Want Me.”

Up In The Sky, Glastonbury, Osheaga, & Shaky Knees drop lineups, When We Were Young adds a second date

The inaugural Up In The Sky festival will take place this year in Aspen, Colorado, featuring Rüfüs Du Sol, Glass Animals, Kacey Musgraves, Suki Waterhouse, and SG Lewis. Across the pond, Glastonbury has announced the best festival lineup we’ve seen in a long time–featuring major headliners The 1975, Neil Young, and Olivia Rodrigo. Up in Canada, Osheaga returns with another stellar lineup including Tyler, the Creator, Olivia Rodrigo, The Killers, Doechii, and Jamie xx. 

The Shaky Knees Festival announced a powerhouse lineup led by My Chemical Romance, Blink-182, and Deftones. Lastly, When We Were Young festival has expanded to a second date on October 19 in Las Vegas, feeding into the excitement of nostalgia for fans of this all-star lineup of 2000s-era bands.

Aitch performs surprise rave set on a train, FLO calls for more R&B group competition, Nicki Minaj teases new music

Across the pond, Aitch scattered tickets across trains in Northern England that led to a train ride where he played a surprise rave set, including his latest single, “Straight Rhymez 2.”

Following Doechii’s historic win as the third female artist to win “Best Rap Album” at this year’s GRAMMYs, female artists are continuing to rise in hip-hop, and FLO is eager for more competition in the genre. 

Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj teased new music on Instagram Live, and Rihanna continues to share details from R9, revealing this would be her most authentic record yet.

Alanis Morissette announces The Sphere residency, Billy Idol shares first album in 11 years, Simple Plan celebrates 25 years with 3OH!3 and Bowling for Soup

So far, it’s a big year for new releases and tours from major rock artists. You ‘oughta know that Alanis Morissette announced a Las Vegas residency at The Sphere set to run from October-November 2025.

Meanwhile, Rico Nasty teased her upcoming album Lethal after signing with Fueled By Ramen, fans are speculating Arcade Fire’s return, Billy Idol will release Dream Into It, his first album in 11 years (!) and Car Seat Headrest is set to drop The Scholars alongside a new music video for "Gethsemane."

On the tour front, Simple Plan celebrates their 25th anniversary (unreal) with the Bigger Than You Think! tour featuring 3OH!3, Bowling For Soup, and Lolo this summer. Wu-Tang Clan will tour one last time with Run the Jewels. The Offspring will hit North America with Jimmy Eat World and New Found Glory, while Death Cab for Cutie, Eric Clapton, and Bring Me the Horizon have all announced tours for 2025.

Tate McRae beats Kendrick & Drake for first Billboard #1 album, new Chappell Roan single drops tonight, Harry Styles negotiating residency at The Sphere

Tate McRae’s So Close To What beat out Kendrick Lamar, PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake for #1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the first 2025 album to spend its first two weeks of release at #1. Lizzo announced her fifth full-length album, Love In Real Life. Meanwhile, Chappell Roan is teasing new (country?) music with “The Giver," to be released tonight.

Coldplay will help curate the first-ever 2026 World Cup Final halftime show set to take place in North America next summer. Meanwhile, Harry Styles is reportedly in the final stages of negotiating a Las Vegas residency at The Sphere–all while running an impressive time during the Tokyo Marathon 👀

Sabrina Carpenter expanded her 2025 "Short N’ Sweet" Tour, including more dates in Los Angeles and New York City. BLACKPINK also revealed their 2025 world tour, with dates spanning the UK, North America, Europe, and Asia. 

HAIM returns, Lorde collaborates with Marlon Williams, and Rachel Chinouriri releases new single ahead of upcoming EP

Several artists have exciting new projects on the horizon. Mumford & Sons announced an intimate live-streamed performance in Manchester ahead of their upcoming album release, while HAIM revealed their comeback single, “Relationships.” Lastly, Lorde and Marlon Williams also dropped a new collaboration, "Kāhore He Manu E," ahead of Marlon’s upcoming album, Te Whare Tiwekaweka, next month.

Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard is venturing into solo music with the release of his debut album, while Father John Misty showcased his latest track, “The Dead Mouse,” on Stephen Colbert. Rachel Chinouriri also unveiled a heartfelt new single, “Can We Talk About Isaac,” alongside the announcement of an upcoming EP. Finally, Mt. Joy revealed details about their fourth album, Hope We Have Fun.

Primer: At Sunlighter, we love to celebrate artists who defy conventions, and Mk.gee is no exception. Since emerging as a solo artist in 2017, Michael Gordon, known professionally as Mk.gee, has co-produced for artists like Omar Apollo and Dijon, co-written with artists like The Kid LAROI and Fred again.., and found his way into Drake’s Certified Lover Boy with a sample of his work. Born and raised in New Jersey, Mk.gee spent his childhood and teenage years playing in jazz trios and rock gigs at restaurants and bars along the shore. While he was influenced by the artists you see above, his own path in music was shaped by the drive to forge a sound that was uniquely his–blending genres and breaking boundaries along the journey.

Moving to Los Angeles was a pivotal moment in that journey, pushing him to refine what he calls a “liminal and apocalyptic” sound. Upon listening, you’ll find his music has a raw, atmospheric quality–creating tension between calm, minimalist moments, and explosive, unpredictable bursts of sound. The confluence of these characteristics didn’t sit well with his early LA gigs, leading him to be fired from multiple performances. Determined to continue carving out his niche, Mk.gee began releasing music independently by age 18.

His debut album, Two Star and the Dream Police (February 2024), serves as an homage to Jersey rock with a central theme of “minimal, yet explosive” approach to each track. This album is far from conventional alternative/indie, as Mk.gee intentionally sidesteps genre norms to create something entirely his own. His willingness to push musical boundaries is exactly what makes him a must-listen artist today. 

What’s Next: Following the momentum of his debut album, Mk.gee dropped his first single, “ROCKMAN.” This summer, he’s bringing his unique sound to life on the stage at both Governor’s Ball in New York City and Way Out West Festival in Sweden.

Audius celebrates 250M streams, Snoop Dogg joins Tune.FM, new AI and Web3 ventures emerge, Kobalt tackles $1B in uncollected royalties

💜 Artist Appreciation: Audius has launched an artist appreciation airdrop to celebrate reaching 250 million on-chain streams, while Snoop Dogg is leaving Spotify to focus on a Web3 platform, Tune.FM. Perhaps another sign of the times shifting toward decentralized music platforms…

💡 New Ventures: Epidemic Sound co-founder launched a spatial audio firm, IMRSV. In the fan engagement space, SM Entertainment is preparing a superfan platform to rival HYBE's Weverse. Meanwhile, ByteDance quietly launched a music licensing platform, Easy Ode, and is developing Seed-Music, an AI music generation tool on Duobao (China’s top AI app), using advanced models for composition, editing, and voice cloning. Finally, Mashapp debuted a music mixing platform, licensed by all three major labels.

💰 You’ll Never See Royalties: While ASCAP reported a 6.5% increase in royalty payouts totaling $1.7 billion in 2024, Kobalt estimates $1 billion in uncollected royalties annually. There’s still a lot of work to do in this space, and Kobalt is starting by launching Kosign, catering to independent artists through the platform. 

🤝 Top Streaming Fans: Spotify announced a new music pro service offering superfan perks for $5.99/month, including early access to tickets and AI remix tools. Meanwhile, SoundCloud introduced new features highlighting artists and top fans, as well as enhanced live-streaming features through a partnership with Ticketmaster. Finally, Live Nation CEO, Michael Rapino confirmed ongoing talks with Spotify, Apple, and Amazon about creating superfan tiers for ticketing.

Fyre Festival 2 debunked, HYBE launches global boy band search, streaming revenues surge, and major catalog acquisitions

😒 Fyre Festival 2: The event has been debunked by a local tourism board, claiming that the festival does not exist, following ongoing speculation about its revival (womp, womp–but who’s surprised?) 

🎤 Making The Band: After the successful launch of girl group, KATSEYE, HYBE co-founder Bang Si-Hyuk and CEO Scooter Braun have teamed up with OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder (Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Adele, Ed Sheeran collaborator) to launch a global search for a new boy band. 

🐅 Big Label Moves: Sir Lucian Grainge of Universal Music Group recently shared a memo outlining the onset of the "streaming 2.0" era, while Warner Music and Audiomack expanded their licensing deal to 47 new countries. 

📈 Subscription Revenue on the Rise: YouTube saw its quarterly ad revenues top $10 billion for the first time, and the African-based streaming service Mdundo reported a 45% surge in subscription revenue, looking to expand beyond its home continent.

💰 Securing the Bag: Sony Music co-led a $16M funding round for AI startup Vermillio. Duetti, a platform supporting indie artists, has raised $200 million in debt funding to expand into music publishing and catalog deals. TikTok rival Triller raised $50M, and MNGRS·AI secured funding after signing up 2,500 artists.

📚 Catalogs: T-Pain has sold his publishing catalog and select masters to HarbourView. In other catalog news, Create Music Group has acquired the catalogs of Pack Records, deadmau5, and Mau5trap Records in a $55 million deal. Sony has struck a $400 million deal to acquire the iconic Pink Floyd catalog. Additionally, Cardo, known for his collaborations with Drake and Travis Scott, has sold his publishing catalog to Kilometre Music.

Alternative and indie albums spring forward, JENNIE of BLACKPINK has solo debut, TOKiMONSTA drops highly-anticipated Eternal Reverie

Lady Gaga, MAYHEM | JENNIE, Ruby | TOKiMONSTA, Eternal Reverie | Tory Lanez, PETERSON | Jason Isbell, Foxes In The Snow | YoungBoy Never Broke Again, More Leaks | Neil Young, Oceanside Countryside 

Charlie Cunningham, In Light | Ruston Kelly, Dirt Emo Vol. II

Japanese Breakfast, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) | Selena Gomez, I Said I Love You First | James Arthur, Pisces | Jessica Simpson, Nashville Canyon, Pt. 1 | Ryan Hurd, Midwest Rock & Roll

Lil Durk, Deep Thoughts | Mumford & Sons, RUSHMERE | The Darkness, Dreams On Toast | Lucy Dacus, Forever Is A Feeling | Wallows, More | Alison Krauss, Arcadia | Polo & Pan, 22:22 | Unknown Mortal Orchestra, IC-02 Bogotá | Busta Rhymes, Dragon Season | Jessie Reyez, Paid In Memories

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See ya next time 😎

Donya and Chris