Songs that defined September 2026

We went quiet in September. Music did not. These are our picks for the songs that shaped the month, all released between 1 and 30 September 2026, in the order they came out. This is not a chart and it is not a ranking. Each one is here because of what it is and what it meant, not because someone else put it on a list.

1. Asha Bhosle, "Ae Meri Zindagi" (8 September)

Released on what would have been her 93rd birthday, this is the final film song Asha Bhosle recorded, made in late 2023 for Harish Vyas's film Om Ka Hari. She died in Mumbai on 12 April 2026, and Panorama Music shared the song on her birth anniversary as a tribute. After more than seven decades of Hindi film music, it is hard to think of a song that carried more weight in Indian music this month.

2. Slipknot, "Arsenal" (10 September)

This is Slipknot's first new song since the band announced on 14 August that it would no longer be associated with DJ Sid Wilson, ending his run of nearly 30 years with the band. The video was directed by the band's own M. Shawn Crahan. For a band whose lineup changes are always big news, this was the first look at what comes next.

3. Raga, Seedhe Maut and Hashbass, "Kuch Mat Kar" (11 September)

Delhi rapper Raga dropped NO FORMULA on 11 September, a 21-track mixtape through Universal Music India with a long guest list that includes Ikka, Yungsta, Panther, Fotty Seven and Rawal. "Kuch Mat Kar" pairs him with Seedhe Maut and producer Hashbass, and the duo turn up again later on the tape. Raga and Seedhe Maut are both Delhi names, and a full-length project with this many collaborators is a statement about how connected that scene is right now.

4. Indian Ocean, "Bol Ari" (17 September)

Indian Ocean have been one of the country's defining bands since the 1990s, and their new single sets a poem by the Urdu poet Asrar-ul-Haq Majaz. Few Indian bands have spent as long putting poetry and folk sources at the centre of rock. A release from them is still an event for anyone who grew up on independent Indian music.

5. Madonna and Charli xcx, "Danceteria Afterhours" (24 September)

A rework of "Danceteria" from Madonna's album Confessions II, and the latest in a series of "Afterhours" versions after one with Kylie Minogue in August. Three days later Madonna opened the MTV VMAs, her first performance at the show in 23 years, with Charli xcx and Sabrina Carpenter joining her. Two generations of club-pop on one song, released days before the biggest stage of the month.

6. Taylor Swift, "Patient Zero" (25 September)

Announced on 23 September and released two days later, "Patient Zero" is one of four new songs on The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore. Spotify said it became the most-streamed song by a female artist in a single day on the platform so far in 2026. Swift then premiered its video, which she directed, starring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, at the VMAs on 27 September.

7. Phoebe Bridgers, "On Video" (25 September)

Written and performed by Bridgers for the end credits of A24's Primetime, Lance Oppenheim's film starring Robert Pattinson as To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen. It is the first song she has written for a feature film's closing credits, and she had already been playing it live on tour before release. Her first new music since her album Lost Weekend in August.

8. Stevie Wonder, "I'm Into Livin'" (28 September)

Recorded during the Songs in the Key of Life sessions in the 1970s and released for the first time on the album's 50th anniversary, with background vocals from Shirley Brewer, Thelma Houston and Deniece Williams. It is the longest of the four vault songs on Songs in the Key of Life: The EP. Technically a September 2026 release, and also one of the oldest songs anyone put out this month. Read our full story on the anniversary EP.

9. Fontaines D.C., "Tongue" (30 September)

The latest single from Dopamine Chamber, the Dublin band's new album, produced by James Ford and due on 16 October through XL Recordings. It arrived with a New York-shot video directed by John Angus Stewart. For Indian fans it doubles as a preview: Fontaines D.C. make their India debut at Lollapalooza India on 23 and 24 January 2027 at Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Mumbai.

Missed something?

This list is ours, and it leans on what we could confirm. If a September song mattered to you and it is not here, tell us. We are back on the desk, and October is already moving.