Tom Hardy Drops Surprise Debut Rap Album as Charli XCX Debuts New Era at Reading
Entertainment news delivered plenty of surprises this week. Tom Hardy released his debut rap album, Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer, on Friday under his longtime alias Frankie Pulitzer. The 15-track collaboration with underground hip-hop trio Czarface features appearances from Method Man, Busta Rhymes, and El-P, with the boom-bap single “Brothers Grimm” offering an early preview. Complex reported that Hardy has been connected to the project for years, making this more than a one-off celebrity experiment.
The release arrived alongside another major music moment: Charli XCX brought a new live band and expanded production to Reading Festival. Her set included guitar, bass, drums, black-clad dancers, larger staging, costume changes, and effects that marked a clear shift from the mostly solo energy of her Brat era. UK Festival Guides described the performance as the first full UK show of her Music, Fashion, Film era.
Music videos also supplied a headline of their own. Nicole Kidman appears in Troye Sivan’s “She’s the Best,” the lead single from his album due October 9. Sivan told Rolling Stone Australia that the pair’s earlier work on Boy Erased helped make the collaboration feel natural.
Meanwhile, Britney Spears used new social media posts to reflect on what she described as the lasting damage of her former conservatorship. Geo TV reported that Spears said the experience affected her “heart and soul.” The conservatorship ended in 2021; TIME’s background details the autonomy she regained afterward.
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