Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

The romance genre is booming in Canadian literature. From romantasy to sports smut to paranormal erotica, readers are flocking to romance-themed bookstores and Booktok to share their love for spice. Deborah Aarts and Nathan Maharaj join Elamin to discuss what’s driving the romance surge and how its popularity could be changing the way readers and publishers value the genre.

Plus, Ella Langley’s surprise hit song 'Choosin' Texas' was at the top of both the Billboard pop and country charts for months. Country music journalist Marissa Moss explains why song is dominant.

New legislation in Ontario makes it illegal to resell tickets to concerts and sporting events above their face value. The aim is to clamp down on a lucrative resale market blamed for high ticket costs. Billboard Canada reporter Richard Trapunski and public-policy analyst Vass Bednar explain why this law is being enacted right now, what it means for the ticket-buying experience going forward and why the scourge of high ticket prices is a problem too complex for any one piece of legislation to solve.

Plus, with the FIFA World Cup kicking off in just over six weeks in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, it’s an interesting time for the BBC’s ‘Twenty Twenty Six’ to land in North America. The ‘W1A’ spin-off mockumentary series follows a team in Miami helping plan the world’s biggest soccer tournament. CBC Sports’ Shireen Ahmed chats about the satirical show.

'Yesteryear', the debut novel of Caro Claire Burke, follows a tradwife influencer who posts about her idyllic farm life to millions of followers. But when she wakes up in 1855, she learns what it's really like for women living in the past. Amil Niazi, author of 'Life After Ambition', and essayist Charlie Tyson join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about how 'Yesteryear' takes on tradwives — the online trend where women dedicate themselves to the "traditional work" of wifehood on the homestead over the rat race of modern life.

Plus, Charli XCX got people talking when she shared an unreleased song with British Vogue with the lyric, "I think the dance floor is dead, so now we’re making rock music.” Niko Stratis, author of 'The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman', talks about the cultural shift to rock music and Charli XCX's decision to to put 'Brat' behind her.

With the release of 'Michael', the biopic on the King of Pop, Elamin Abdelmahmoud is joined by Black pop expert Prof. Mark Anthony Neal, film critic Sarah-Tai Black and culture critic Jay Smooth to discuss how it handles the high, lows and controversies of Michael Jackson's legacy.

Earlier this week, a giant ice sculpture appeared in the middle of downtown Toronto with the release date of Drake's new album hidden inside. It attracted a lot of gawkers, live streamers and people with pickaxes, until the fire department hosed it down. Music journalist Emilie Hanskamp, culture critic Matt Amha and comedian Marlon Palmer join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about how Drake is a master at marketing and getting everyone’s attention.