Photo of Kitty Empire
Kitty Empire

Pop Critic

Kitty Empire is The Observer’s pop critic. Prior to her broadsheet work, she wrote for the New Musical Express and freelanced. She occasionally crops up on BBC Radio 4 and has also contributed to 5Live, 6Music, BBC2’s The Culture Show and Newsnight Review. She has appeared on judging panels for the Mercury Prize, the BRITS or the Sky Arts Awards. She also has a wholesome side-gig reviewing middle years children’s books.

Photo of Kitty Empire

Kitty Empire

Pop Critic

Kitty Empire is The Observer’s pop critic. Prior to her broadsheet work, she wrote for the New Musical Express and freelanced. She occasionally crops up on BBC Radio 4 and has also contributed to 5Live, 6Music, BBC2’s The Culture Show and Newsnight Review. She has appeared on judging panels for the Mercury Prize, the BRITS or the Sky Arts Awards. She also has a wholesome side-gig reviewing middle years children’s books.

  • Kitty Empire
    Chapter books of the month: deft detectives and derring-do

    The summer’s chapter books for children offer super sleuths, magical mermaids and Enid Blyton-esque action

    Fri, 17 Jul 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Albums of the week: Akusmi, Mary in the Junkyard, Sienna Spiro, Alden Hellmuth

    Akusmi returns with a kaleidoscope of sounds from India, Senegal and beyond. Plus, one to watch Naïka

    Sat, 4 Jul 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    With Confessions II, Madonna dances in the middle of the road

    The singer’s 15th album is a heartfelt, nostalgic celebration of clublands past – but has the party moved on without her?

    Thu, 2 Jul 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Albums of the week: SML, Beth Orton, Alewya, Various Artists

    LA quintet SML’s live album of spontaneously generated original material features two long jazz-informed cuts. Plus one to watch Dead Pioneers

    Sat, 27 Jun 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Ethel Cain’s long, hot night of the soul

    The Florida-born artist brings the humid sounds of the American south to Birmingham, blending transgressive nightmares with pop dreaminess

    Thu, 25 Jun 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Albums of the week: Olivia Rodrigo, Graham Coxon, Pond, Nduduzo Makhathini

    Olivia Rodrigo channels 80s new wave with mixed results, while the Blur guitarist treats us to one from the archives

    Fri, 19 Jun 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Simon Reynolds’ hazy history of shoegaze

    Still in a Dream celebrates My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins and an intense indie sound that continues to reverberate today

    Thu, 18 Jun 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Harry Styles and the Jules Buckley Orchestra at Meltdown – many strings to his bow

    Taking time out from a record-breaking Wembley run, the singer arrives at Meltdown promising something a little bit different, but the result is a little route-one

    Thu, 18 Jun 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Albums of the week: Basic, Kelsey Lu, La Sécurité, Gary Bartz and Your Brother’s Keeper

    The Chicago trio Basic’s nimble second album makes the improvisational underground an inviting place. Plus, one to watch Theatre

    Sat, 13 Jun 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Lola Young live – return of a raw talent

    After taking a break from live shows, the Messy singer is back with the big-belting, unfiltered energy of a teenager on the top deck of the bus

    Fri, 12 Jun 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Albums of the week: Vince Staples, Lizzo, Bedouine, Fatoumata Diawara

    Vince Staples blends hip-hop and rock on his sharp, politically charged album Cry Baby. Plus, one to watch Flowerovlove

    Sun, 7 Jun 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Aldous Harding’s world of mystery

    The cult singer-songwriter leaves it all to the listener’s imagination in a spellbinding show of her cool, cryptic, deliciously inexplicable new album

    Wed, 3 Jun 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    PinkPantheress: a bedroom fangirl comes of age

    The Brit-winning producer and nostalgia-loving singer brings her zingy retro vibe – and trademark handbag – to a punchy gig that rarely pauses for breath

    Fri, 29 May 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Albums of the week: Paul McCartney, Boards of Canada, Brian Jackson, Kurt Vile, Laura Misch

    The former Beatle takes a trip down memory lane for his 20th solo album, where unexpected epiphanies arise. Plus, one to watch Violet Grohl

    Fri, 29 May 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Playlist of the week: the most enduring power ballads

    As Power Ballad, starring Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas, is released in cinemas, our critic selects the best of rock’s most emotional subgenre

    Thu, 28 May 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Tinariwen’s sounds of the Sahara

    Live in London, the mighty Tuareg band’s gnarly desert rock tells a powerful story of ancient strife and modern geopolitics

    Fri, 22 May 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Albums of the week: Dua Saleh, Rostam, Kevin Morby, Jasmine Myra

    ICE, wildfires and flooding all feature on the Sudanese-American’s genre-bending album. Plus one to watch Kwn

    Sat, 16 May 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Paul Simon’s poignant last hurrah

    Against the odds, the 84-year-old titan of US song captivates with a superbly arranged, spiritual swansong

    Thu, 14 May 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Albums of the week: Aldous Harding, Loraine James, Muna, Chris Potter

    Harding’s enthralling, riddling album is her clearest, most open-armed yet. Plus one to watch, Chloe Qisha

    Sat, 9 May 2026

  • Kitty Empire
    Rosalía live – arena pop as a spiritual experience

    The Catalan singer proves she is not quite earthbound in a dazzling, daring show

    Fri, 8 May 2026

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