Roisin O'Connor's Good Vibrations

A special live recording of a keynote conversation with Canadian pop provocateur Peaches and UK artist and creator ILĀ at The Great Escape festival in Brighton, delving into the themes behind Peaches' latest album No Lube So Rude and their thoughts on the body, aging, fashion, womanhood, AI and art. Both artists also answered some brilliant questions from the audience on representation and breakin...

Roisin finally gets (jet-lagged) pop star Bebe Rexha in the studio to talk about her new album Dirty Blonde. Having parted ways with her major label, the newly independent Rexha found herself club-hopping around the world. This in turn inspired the songs on the new record, from dance banger "New Religion" to the pulsating "Hysteria" and brooding, grunge-influenced "I Like You Better Than Me". Rexh...

Rostam is the musician, producer and multi-instrumentalist formerly of Vampire Weekend, who has worked on critically adored albums by artists such as Haim, Carly Rae Jepsen, Clairo and Frank Ocean. Now back with his latest solo record, American Stories , he speaks to Roisin about incorporating his Persian heritage into these new songs, his Iranian parents and their influence, and how he approaches...

Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett was in the desert in Joshua Tree creating her fantastic fourth studio album, Creature of Habit, with songs about breaking unhealthy patterns and uprooting her life to move from Melbourne to Los Angeles. She tells Roisin about the creative process behind the record, the importance of giving yourself time to learn from the past, and how the artist Georgi...

Scottish rock band The Snuts are back with their best new music to date. Frontman Jack Cochrane catches up with Roisin about fatherhood and making the decision to move out of the city and back to their hometown in West Lothian, plus the highs and lows of being an independent act, the toxic culture of comparison in the music industry, and founding their own record label to help champion future gene...

Arlo Parks immersed herself in the club scenes of New York, LA and London while working on her third album, Ambigious Desire, crafting songs about yearning, anonymity, exploring, chemistry and the "spaces in between". She and Roisin first met seven years ago when Parks was just 18 and releasing early singles such as "Cola", "Eugene" and "Black Dog", before she went on to win the Mercury Prize with...

Are Elbow the UK's most dependable band? With 10 critically adored albums (including four UK number ones and a Mercury Prize winner), sold-out shows and without a blemish to their name, it certainly seems that way. Frontman Guy Garvey opens up to Roisin about marriage, fatherhood, his antics with the band and being hand-picked by The Cure's Robert Smith to headline the Royal Albert Hall as part of...

He's one of the biggest breakthroughs in country music right now, but Zach Top isn't letting it go to his head. In just a few years, the Washington-born musician has won over millions of fans with songs such as "I Never Lie" and "Sounds Like the Radio", aided by his signature sense of humour, arresting voice and deft guitar-playing. Inspired by country legends such as George Strait, Top got his st...

Legendary producer Craig Leon is the man behind some of the most influential albums in punk, rock and new wave, working with bands including the Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, Suicide, The Fall and The Pogues. It's unsurprising, then, that he has some brilliant stories to share, from the time he saw Talking Heads play CBGB for the first time, to trying to sign Patti Smith, and watching the Ramon...

Heated Rivalry, the Canadian show about the romantic relationship between rival ice hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, has become a bonafide TV phenomenon, making stars of its formerly unknown lead actors Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, as well as generating discussions on everything from how sex is depicted onscreen to homophobia in sport. It's also got a killer soundtrack thank...

Legendary metal band Megadeth are bowing out with their final album, the self-titled Megadeth, and a huge farewell tour. Frontman Dave Mustaine speaks with Roisin about why now was the right time to say goodbye and why he still wanted to have fun with this record. He also reflects on his colourful life, from his many health issues to the themes that informed some of the songs on the album, as well...

Legendary Grammy-winning US artist Jill Scott returns with her first album in a decade, the extraordinary To Whom This May Concern. She and Roisin dive into the themes that informed the record, their mutual experiences in relationships, and Scott's efforts in raising her son as a single parent. She also reminisces about the times she spent dancing with Prince, her acting career, and owning her pow...

In the last episode of Good Vibrations for 2025, Roisin chats with Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall about the 20th anniversary of her breakthrough album Eye to the Telescope, which propelled her to international fame back in 2005. They dive into the stories behind hit singles such as "Silent Sea" and, of course, "Suddenly I See", which provided the soundtrack for the opening credits of The D...

Formed at high-school in Florida, Flipturn are the fast-rising indie-rock band causing a storm on both sides of the Atlantic. Their second album, Burnout Days, stars songwriting that oscillates between abstract and diaristic, bolstered by tight, prodigious musicianship and a chemistry between members that shines through on record. In the penultimate Good Vibrations episode of 2025, frontman Dillon...

British pop singer Ella Eyre returned in 2025 with her first new album in a decade, Everything, in Time . She and Roisin chat about the record's themes of love and self-worth, her newfound confidence, and why she feels "sad" about her rise to fame as a teenager with her No 1 UK hit with Rudimental, "Waiting All Night". She also opens up about why her plans to be single after ending a seven-year re...

New Jersey rocker Jon Bon Jovi thought his touring days could be over as he struggled to recover from a crucial but risky vocal surgery. Now he and his band are back and preparing to head out on their first major tour in four years, including a residency at New York's Madison Square Garden and three nights at Wembley Stadium in London. He and Roisin discuss how he felt opening up about such a tric...

Zara Larsson has entered a new era. The Swedish pop star got her first taste of fame when she was just 10 years old, after winning the Swedish version of Got Talent back in 2008. Her single “Lush Life” catapulted her to international attention aged 17, the first of a series of hit singles including “Ain’t My Fault”, “Girls Like” with Tinie Tempah and “Ruin My Life”. Her fifth studio album, the daz...

Bret. Brit? Britney? Oscar and Grammy-winning Flight of the Conchords star, composer, musician and actor Bret McKenzie is back with his new album Freak Out City, a lush, psychedelic trip of a record that takes its cues from The Beatles and ELO. In this episode, he regales Roisin with tales of his touring misadventures (heard the one about the tour manager who misplaced $5,000?), explains why baker...

Professor Stephanie Burt is described by The New York Times as "one of the most influential poetry critics of [her] generation", and in 2024 made headlines around the world when she offered a class at Harvard University titled "Taylor Swift and Her World". Her new book, Taylor's Version, is inspired by that course and offers in-depth critical studies of Swift's body of work for a wider audience. A...

Kojey Radical doesn't rush greatness. His debut album, 2022's Reasons to Smile, received a spot on the Mercury Prize shortlist and plenty of critical acclaim to boot. Three years later, he's back with an even better work, Don't Look Down, which develops its predecessor's themes of fatherhood, Blackness, co-parenting, love, success and self-doubt. Seven years since they first met, he opened up to R...

Jehnny Beth's fearless approach to her art has made her one of the most formidable and daring musicians of her generation. With longtime partner and co-producer Johnny Hostile, she adopted a DIY attitude to new album You Heartbreaker, You, slashing and burning anything that made them feel "bored". She and Roisin talk about the judgement and shame she felt growing up bisexual in Poitiers, France, h...

Musician, DJ, author and Drag Race UK star Bimini was a standout contestant on the 2025 series of Channel 4's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, taking part in gruelling challenges alongside fellow celebrities such as musician Lucy Spraggan, dancer Louie Spence and former Love Island contestant Adam Collard. Bimini had plenty to reflect on after their time in the show, while also discussing their rece...

Caity Baser is spearheading a new wave of brilliant, bratty Gen-Z pop, but it wasn't an easy journey to get here. Her 2025 EP There, I Said It shows her at her most vulnerable, confessional self, delving into themes of trauma, healing, betrayal and love. In this candid conversation, she opens up to Roisin about how she's perceived by the public... and the side they don't know so well. Subscribe to...

Tim Minchin is an Australian musician, composer, lyricist, actor, director, writer and comedian. He wrote the lyrics and music to the Tony and Olivier Award-winning stage musical Matilda, as well as for the 2022 film adaptation starring Emma Thompson and Stephen Graham. In 2019, he co-produced, wrote, directed and starred in the comedy drama series Upright with Milly Alcock, returning for a second...

In this special one-off episode filmed at Montreux Jazz Festival, pop star JADE sat down with Roisin to speak about her thriving solo career, the pop icons who have inspired some of her recent singles, the place of politics at music festivals, her first dates with boyfriend Jordan Stephens, and her upcoming debut solo album, That's Showbiz Baby. Subscribe to The Independent's music newsletter, Hea...