FEATURE: Spotlight: Natanya

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Radota

 

Natanya

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LAST year…

PHOTO CREDIT: Bella Howard

was a massive one for Natanya. She put out Feline’s Return and Feline’s Return Act II came out and were met with praise. This is an artist I only came across this year but wanted to spotlight here. The London artist is someone I am desperate to see play live, as I can imagine that she is a captivating and compelling stage presence. I am going to come to some features and interviews. Starting out with CLASH and their Next Wave salute from August, we get some important insight and background. An artist that I feel is really transforming and adding her stamp to Pop:

“Blessed with an acrobatic voice and an innate musicality, Natanya is well on her way to becoming a trailblazing force in pop. After first releasing ‘Sunset Melody’ on SoundCloud as a teenager, the London-based artist has honed her sound with a coming-of-age EP ‘Sorrow at Sunrise’, and her latest offering, ‘Feline’s Return’, speaks to an emboldened artist able to temper the melodrama with sensitive, soul-searching lyricism.

Natanya spent her formative years learning classical piano which was hindered by a “musical dyslexia”. She found a way to turn this creative dissonance into a positive. “I treasure that time so much. It taught me that even if you have these cards that you’re dealt, you’ve got to figure out how you can shape it to work in your favour,” she tells CLASH.

Her classical training was enhanced by weekends at the Julian Joseph Jazz Academy, as well as growing up around the sounds of Motown, Teddy Pendergrass, Janet and Michael Jackson. Aged 14, she came across Amy Winehouse’s ‘Frank’ and Tyler, The Creator’s ‘Cherry Bomb’ during a free trial on Deezer. “Amy had a jazz background and so did Tyler. It was just so eye-opening. I was like, ‘wow, music isn’t for old people. I could do this too”.

I am going to now move to this NYLON interview from earlier in the month. There is a lot more in store for Natanya. She has this incredible desire and passion for what she does. I can see her collaborating with some massive artists and being a major festival headliner in the future. Someone very much on a course to becoming one of this country’s biggest new Pop artists. One who very much has her own sound, yet she also has these influences that are weaved into the music:

“The impression she’s made so far has already seen her monthly listeners on Spotify more than double. Her lilting, buttery voice recalls Aaliyah, Janet Jackson, Amy Winehouse (a formative artist in her childhood), and Destiny’s Child all at once, and the beats she produces range from bedroom pop to full R&B homages (Janet and Aaliyah come to mind again) and indie-rock smooth jams. Growing up in London with a dad in a church band and a Trinidadian-Indian mom who played calypso music in the house, she touched almost all forms of music available to her. She studied classical piano from the age of 4, watched wrestling and became obsessed with the bombastic entrance songs, and of course, is a child of the Internet, soaking up music on YouTube and Roblox. Her references speak to the post-globalized digital world, specifically the melting pot of East-meets-West that is London, and her ability to tap into so many disparate energies at once yet create a novel sound is what sets her apart.

Her first few songs and introductory EP, Sorrow At Sunrise, sound like exactly what they are: a girl making beats with a laptop and the hope of etching out her own corner in the music universe. But with the two-part EP that is now her first full-length project, Feline’s Return, she has what many emerging artists only dream of: a body of work that not only arrives as something new, but has a league of fans rabid for more. Her fan base already has a name, The Felines, which she tells NYLON comes from her love of a cat-eye. Her upward-tilting eyes have a coquettish, feline, and ineffably unique look to them, and her pin-up, cutesy vibe does not betray the intelligence and camp in her delivery: Everything comes with a knowing wink, not unlike a black cat that tips over a glass of milk only to relish in the act.

Before she goes on what she calls a “mini-break” to dial in for the rest of 2026, Natanya is releasing a video for “Ur Fool,” the cool, guitar-led duet with her peer, Unflirt, that encapsulates her direct, piercing lyrics, which she says are almost often “the first words that usually come out of my mouth… they punch a lot”: “I’ll be your fool / even though it’s not easy / you know that you need me.” NYLON got a first look at the behind-the-scenes pictures from the shoot, which she called a “cute hang,” and dialed in with the artist to talk about her formative years in jazz school, what SZA song makes her cry, and her determination to make everyone sit up straight and know her name in 2026.

When was the first moment when you switched from studying music and seeing it to wanting to make your own?

I never had a switch flick in my brain. I was always unconsciously making things. Even when I got Fisher Price toys, I would always make loops and learn the “instrument.” When I was a teenager, I transitioned to jazz because one of the girls at the top of my school was incredible at piano — she ended up going to Berklee — and she told me about this academy that was happening on Saturdays, so I followed her, did my audition on the spot, and studied that for a while. I always had these melodic ideas in my mind and I would go on the computers after school, hang back in the music suite, and try to make these loops because I wanted to get the ideas out.

We were always surrounded by the ability to create at jazz school. We would do a cappella groups and split the whole class up into these mini stems. When I did one, my teacher told me after the warmup finished, “Natanya, you have such a penchant for arrangement. It's one of your strong suits and you should never forget it.” The moment when I really woke up and my frontal lobe started to develop was at the end of university, which wasn't that long ago. I started to process, like, “OK, if I want to do this, I have to give it my best shot.” 2025 was the real moment of saying “there's no time like the present.” A lot of people come in with a laser-sharp focus saying, “I know I'm going to get this,” and even though I do speak positively about myself and I manifest a lot, I never started to create music with this idea of garnering fame or accolades. I’ve just had so much fun doing it for so long.

I'm so happy people are starting to wake up to the music you're putting out, because not only is the production amazing, but I love your lyrics and your directness. Specifically, this morning I was listening to “Jezebel.” I love that it's a letter to yourself. Tell me about making that song and what you wanted to say to yourself.

The first half of the song was made in 2023. I was going through a lot of difficulty because I come from an academic background, and it's discouraged for people to go off and do something like this. I also remember being the only person that looked like myself in the places I grew up, so there was always tension. When I first started with Sorrow At Sunrise, I felt like I couldn't do anything right. It hurt me, because at the time I couldn't see the potential my friends were seeing. I thought of it as, “I'm hanging out with my friends, doing my thing, and this is the other hobby I have behind the scenes,” but they were like, “Natanya, you don't realize your power.”

I was really dejected one day after an argument, and when I got to the piano, [Jezebel] was the first word that came out of my mouth. I grew up in church; I always heard about Jezebels in English Lit when I did my degree, and that was a word that was thrown around to talk about women that were being villainized. And I felt villainized. The second half, I wrote in the shower in 2025. Funnily enough, I was taking a shower in the water of my dreams. I wanted to talk about how sometimes your destiny is tangible. It's there and it's in front of you, you can see it, but because of what other people feel about you or what they lose from you going for it, you push it away and you don't let it wash all over you. “Take a shower in the water of your dreams” is almost like, “Accept it, let it overwhelm you and let whatever's going to happen, happen.” It's also this double entendre to refer to how once you do take a shower in the water of your dreams, life changes forever. You will never be the same person to the people that know you. It does wash you clean of your past, because what this job demands of you takes away some of your other identity. I've struggled with that too.

There's an intelligence behind the songs that allows you to be campy with the delivery. Why the name Felines for your fan base?

Oh my goodness, Kevin, thank you for that question. I get to explain it now. Ever since I was young, people told me I have a really catty eye, and I love eyeliner. It represents the way I like to see myself. You know when you make something cool and it makes you feel sexy and you sit there proud of yourself? Whenever I make a great demo, I dance around my room to it, and I'm always playing into this character of a seductress. I felt like that's the best name for my alter ego because I'm nerdy, introverted, and I overthink. When I'm not that, I’m Feline. I wanted to project that identity into the world. If Natanya doesn't yet feel like she's able to return, at least Feline can first, and then she can come out when it's safe. I’m happy my fans took over the Feline thing.

What do you want from 2026? This time next year, what do you want to have under your belt?

This year, I want to redirect the attitude about me even more. I want people to understand me on a deeper level, not just on a superficial, “Oh my God, she's so cute” level. I want them to say, “OK, maybe Natanya could do something cool with music. Maybe she does have something going on in her head that we need to stop and drop our bags and listen to. Maybe I do need to find out a little bit more about her. Maybe I'm obsessed with her.” That's what I want to create.

By the end of 2026, my only dream is that that happens. Off the back of that, we do an incredible headline tour, but it's all down to the music and the music videos and me doing my job. I'm trying hard to focus. You're going to see a lot more of me as an executive producer than you did before. I'm learning production from every angle now, and putting my foot down and asserting myself to a level I haven't before. I'm excited to see how people react to me doing something they didn't expect me to do”.

I am going to end with a great NME interview from January. I am so excited by all the focus around Natanya. Shaping her sound and getting these huge numbers across streaming platforms and TikTok, she has captured this huge audience. This year is going to be exciting. After putting out new music last year, there will be demand for her to take to the stage. NME write how “the north London vocalist-producer has learned how to turn experience into pop music that moves, lingers and lasts”. This is an artist destined to be a legend. She has the talent and drive to take her all the way to the top – and into the history books:

“With ‘Feline’s Return’, she wanted to make her music “infectious”, using words “like paint” to insinuate things in a more subtle way. Its songs stretch across electronica, R&B, soul and pop, stitched together by worldly rhythms, chiming melodic accents and layered production that often feels larger than the room it was made in – adopting Natanya’s new “urgency and hustle”. She decided to stop  “showing people exactly how chaotic [her] emotions are” and translate them into something more physical, so she could “​​make people dance as much as possible”.

By the time she began work on the EP, her approach to making music had changed. “The main difference was that I took control,” Natanya says. “When I was making ‘Sorrow At Sunrise’, I was heartbroken, and I let so much happen to me. Even in the studio, I wouldn’t take control.” This time, she arrived with “pre-made demos that sounded nearly identical to the finished masters, [knowing] exactly what every song was to be”.

That focus came amid the massive upheaval she experienced in 2024 – a period when she was touring Europe, opening for rising R&B juggernauts FLO and Destin Conrad, and finishing up her university work. But among the success and new opportunities, there was also pain and strife. Two days before she joined Conrad on tour, her grandma died. Then,  while on the road, the team she’d built around her “broke apart”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Radota

Natanya was physically and mentally spent and was faced with a choice between fight or flight. At one point, she nearly left Conrad’s tour early. “I called my dad, saying I wanted to go home,” she recalls. His response was firm: finish it. But there was still a nagging part of her that wondered whether she should “stay and be scared” of navigating the industry alone, or if this was “the sign” she needed to go in “the opposite direction and find [her]self”. In the end, she stuck with it – after all, she isn’t a quitter.

Now, Natanya is looking to the future and is currently working towards another collection of songs. The project is still taking shape, but she’s aiming to create something that’s both “like ‘Feline’s Return’, but also a complete deviation” from her frenetic-yet-soaring sound.

The paramount thing for the singer and producer is how she reacts to the music that comes out of her. “The human body knows what makes it feel good, whether you’re trained or not,” she philosophises. “If I listen to a song and I can’t feel it, I have to go back. I don’t want to release something that feels passive.” She’s keeping any further details on what she’s working on close to her chest – a precautionary move so as not to jinx building something with the scale and staying power of the records that raised her: “I really do believe that I’m protecting something that’s going to be legendary”.

I will finish here. Maybe she does not need my recommendation – as there are so many big sites and names backing her -, but I wanted to shine a light on a brilliant artist. It will not be long until other artists coming through cite Natanya as an influence. She is absolutely tremendous and is one of my favourite new artists now. One that I am committed to following…

FOR as long as possible.

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Follow Natanya

FEATURE: Spotlight: I Am Boleyn

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

 

I Am Boleyn

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THIS is the musical moniker…

PHOTO CREDIT: Eva Pentel

of the brilliant Lydia Baylis. I have been a fan of her music for years now. I can’t remember what year it was, but I hosted Baylis for an event I helped run in London where a selection of artists played. It was a month dedicated to music blogs and these terrific curated line-ups. I was instantly struck by her confidence, stagecraft and exceptional music! That incredible voice and the way she can engage with an audience and how she gets this adoration and energy from them. I have watched with interest and seen her career grow and expand. Formerly writing under her real name, I Am Boleyn is this alter ego and alias that is fascinating. Voyager was released last year and is a spectacular album that won a lot of praise. I will end with a few glowing reviews for Voyager. However, many people might want to know more about I Am Boleyn and why you should support this incredible artist. Someone I am always in we of. I want to go back to last year and this interview from Rizing Playlists. Such an immense and original talent, I feel the next few years will see I Am Boleyn growing in stature. This music queen with so many great times ahead of her:

“What’s the story behind your artist name — and does it reflect who you are today?

My name is inspired by Anne Boleyn, who was the second wife of Henry VIII of England. She lived, and died (!) it such a colourful way, I was intrigued by her. Especially at a time when women really didn't feature in decision making. I wanted to incorporate her spirit into my stage persona in someway.

Which song of yours means the most to you, and what inspired it?

This is a really hard question to answer! I think I would have to pick Girl Like Me - it is inspired by I Am Boleyn's journey from space to earth where she falls in love with a human man. I wanted to explore the theme of love and all its disappointments and wonder through the lens of someone out of this world and its content.

How would you describe your sound in three words — and why those?

Nostalgic. Empowering. Fun!

What was the moment you truly felt like an artist — not just someone making music?

I love this question! Creating the character of I Am Boleyn and telling her story made me feel like an artist. All of the artwork as well as the music pulled together towards her voyage, which was the reason for the album title 'Voyager'.

Who are your biggest musical influences, and how do they show up in your work?

I love Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac and Florence and the Machine. I also love Goldfrapp and Annie Lennox. So many wonderful women to be inspired by!

What’s your creative process like — from a blank page to a finished track?

Usually I start with a lyrical idea, this album was quite conceptual as I wanted to tell the story of I Am Boleyn and her voyage through space to earth, falling in love and observing the chaos of our world before deciding if she wanted to stay. Then we built the tracks around those ideas and they were produced by the very talented, Johannes Willinder, Par Westerlund and Charlie Thomas.

If someone’s hearing you for the first time, which track should they start with — and why?

This is another great question! I think that 'Only Space' would be a good place to start. It is the opening track on the album and introduces my style quite well - it is synthy and cinematic and also fun!

What’s been your most unforgettable moment on your music journey so far?

There have been lots of great moments! Getting to see the full album, all fifteen tracks released was really special. Also my show in London as it was packed with a home crowd and it felt so great to perform a lot of the songs for the first time.

What do you want people to feel when they hear your music?

I love the idea that people will dance to my music - I love dancing! But then that they will also listen to the lyrics and feel comforted and inspired by them. I write a lot about love and also the power of letting go and blazing your own path.

What’s next for you — and what should fans be excited about?

My album 'Voyager' just came out and I have done some promo shows in Stockholm and London which were amazing. I'll be releasing more online about the songs, some videos and interviews to deep dive into the album!”.

In another 2025 interview, Last Bus Magazine spotlighted the fabulous I Am Boleyn. In terms of her look and aesthetic, I think it is really interesting and standout. I have not seen Lydia Baylis perform since I hosted her, so I must catch an I Am Boleyn show if there is one in London very soon. She has so many fans out there. Voyager was one of my favourite albums from last year:

“What music were you brought up on/who are your musical influences?

I was brought up on David Bowie and The Velvet Underground by my father and then fell in love with  Zero 7 and Massive Attack. I am also a huge fan of Lana Del Rey.

We heard that you used to have a residency at Ronnie Scott's. What a place!

Yes! It's such a cool spot! I loved being there. We were upstairs on Tuesdays for a few months.

Was your music more acoustic back then? If so, how did your music evolve to where it is now?

Yes it was. It has definitely evolved. The songwriting itself remains a very similar process, it gets better over time you hope... but the basics of finding a melody and writing the lyric around the idea - those things stay the same. But the next stage, the production, has really developed over trial and error and ultimately collaboration with amazing people. It sounds weird for a musician to talk about finding their 'sound', but it is a real journey!

You've mentioned that you write your music mainly in Stockholm. Why there?

I was introduced to Jocke and 'Family Stockholm', who are producing the album , about two years ago by a friend Bobby, and it was creative love at first sight! It is also very liberating to go and work somewhere were you know very few people (and it's dark for half of the year!) so you can really focus.

Who do you listen to on your Last Bus home?

Another great question! It depends on what mood I'm in a littlest, but if I am feeling reflective then I love the album 'Silent Treatment' by HIGHASAKITE. There is an amazing song on that album called 'Last Wednesday'. I also love Tycho's 'Awake' album. Sometimes you just need music and no words.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

It's got to be Grimes 'Delete Forever' and all things Sam Fender”.

I am so glad there are these ecstatic reviews for Voyager. It is a very special album from an artist that is in a league of her own! One that you all should follow and hear. Visit her Bandcamp page and grab her music there. York Calling shared their thoughts about an album that will grab you right away. It is such a remarkable collection of songs:

“The album starts with Only Space, a cosmic disco number that opens ambient before finding an intoxicating electronic groove. I Am Boleyn’s smooth vocals provide the perfect balm to its sci-fi edge, giving us something delicate and organic to follow on our journey.

The emotion of the album’s themes is never understated yet its mix of genres is subtle. Girl Like Me is a wistful ballad with synth pop and R&B undertones. Tiny Love is moody and heart-wrenching. Stay ups the emotions, providing some catharsis in the soaring chorus. Lydia – Snowdonia is an expansive tribute to the North Wales region before Until The Summer Ends brings the album to a close in romantic style.

Lead single, Taxi, is, of course, a highlight thanks to its slow-building electronic opening verse and crystalline vocals. It’s instantly stirring and only builds from there, finally arriving at a riveting crescendo.

Among the album’s originals we get two unexpected covers – The Corrs’ Breathless and Britney Spears’ Toxic, bringing the ’90s and ’00s classics bang up to date with retro-modern reworks.

With a mix of the conventional and unconventional, along with a compelling authenticity, Voyager is a masterful record. I Am Boleyn has nailed it with her debut. It’s a must listen”.

Let’s move to this review, that offers some interesting perspectives on Voyager. It is clear that, with I Am Boleyn, we have an artist that is going to be putting out world-class music for years to come. I need to interview her very soon, as I have been invested in Lydia Baylis’s music for a very long time. Always so proud of everything that she does:

“Do you want to embark on an interstellar journey with the Space Queen, who descends to Earth and discovers the feelings of humans? This is a very interesting theme explored by I Am Boleyn from London in her album ‘Voyager’. 15 tracks lead the listener through a neon, cool synthwave sound and the bright pop vocals of I Am Boleyn, and the album’s title speaks for itself. But if you look deeper, it becomes clear that this is not only about how the Space Queen ended up on Earth, but also about how she loved, despaired, and revealed herself after everything she went through. It is an amazing story about how the main character experiences heartbreak while also feeling the euphoria of love. This might be a new sensation for the Space Queen, since only life on Earth can bring such feelings.

This suggests the fragility present in this release, that even the Space Queen, the one who can cross time and space, has a very gentle, fragile soul, vulnerable to earthly emotions. And this is an experience that makes her stronger, and it is a very important theme, reflecting many modern views and tendencies. ‘Voyager’ is a very subtle psychological album that will undoubtedly touch every attentive listener. On the other hand, if you just want to enjoy an amazing, vibrant dance atmosphere, I Am Boleyn and her music are exactly what you need. And I would like to highlight a few tracks that moved and inspired me the most.

Undoubtedly, the first track-intro ‘Only Space’ stands out. It introduces us to the Space Queen, to her power and might through a vivid arrangement, the voice of I Am Boleyn, and an overall epic atmosphere. I would even compare it to the opening titles before a full-scale film that then unfolds inside your headphones. Then comes ‘Girl Like Me’, one of the singles on the album, which reveals the tenderness that will remain present throughout all the tracks. It blends harmoniously with the bright rhythm, synths, keys, and airy sound. Following that, ‘Taxi’, the main single produced by Par Westerlund (Black Pink, One Direction), heats up the atmosphere with multiple backing layers, a striking structure, and dynamic melodic development that immediately grabs attention. I enjoy how effortless I Am Boleyn’s vocals sound. Her voice is soft, gentle, slightly processed, and creates a cosmic and magical tone, like shimmering stardust. You know, when you first hear the story of a Space Queen, the first thing that comes to mind is strength and authority, but the album ‘Voyager’ shows that behind the mask of a powerful image hides a sensitive soul and endless tenderness. And I hear that in the vocals on ‘Taxi’ and in the overall style of I Am Boleyn.

I am completely in love with the gentle sound of the song ‘Tiny Love’. The charming lyrics and steadily developing arrangement create a very cinematic and aesthetic experience, images appear in your mind instantly, and you just want to sit back and enjoy the stunning atmosphere that ‘Tiny Love’ brings, stylish, tender, and remarkable. I would like to highlight the track ‘Here Before’, where the futurism of I Am Boleyn’s shimmering silver sound takes on a softer and sweeter tone thanks to her voice. There is something almost intangible in this track that works on a subconscious level and gives it a strong commercial appeal. The production is fantastic, and the anticipation of what will happen next grabs immediately. I have to admit, this is one of my favorite songs on the album.

I Am Boleyn sticks to conceptuality, dividing it into parts, and the track ‘INTRO / INTERLUDE’ marks a turning point in the release. It is placed almost in the middle, which makes it significant for the story. Here, the melody becomes more grounded, almost ritualistic in rhythm, with more familiar instruments. This can easily serve as a moment for reflection, for example, it could be the turning point for the Space Queen, who has gone through several trials and begins to rediscover herself, uncovering emotions she had never felt before. Possibly that is why the next track, ‘Toxic’, carries a more passionate sound and hidden energy, which can be felt if you close your eyes and listen to every beat. I am completely captivated by the lyrics in ‘Another Me’ and how the melody, shimmering synths, rhythms, and a vivid pulsing beat blend with I Am Boleyn’s unique vocals. ‘Another Me’ seems to mark the birth of a new version of the Space Queen, which fits perfectly within the concept of the entire release. At the same time, this song could stand alone as a single and carry a powerful message for anyone who needs to move on or simply needs a sense of support. Stunning!

I like that the final track ‘Until The Summer Ends’ starts with the sound of what feels like a cassette or disc starting to play. This detail adds something familiar, light, and cozy. ‘Until The Summer Ends’ is filled with commercial hooks that instantly stick, and this track gives a feeling of joy. You can simply enjoy ‘Until The Summer Ends’, sing along and dance, or reflect on what comes next. Will the Space Queen remain on Earth or travel to other planets, taking the experience she gained with her, an experience that could bring a new understanding of the infinite cosmos. This is a great ending for ‘Voyager’, marking that the adventure and journey continue, and everything experienced becomes a new impulse to keep exploring the world. You felt it too, right? Be sure to follow I Am Boleyn, add your favorite tracks to your playlists so you never lose them and always stay up to date with new releases from I Am Boleyn!”.

I am going to wrap things up with Vox Wave Mag. I am not sure what her plans are for the rest of 2026. I can imagine that some summer festival dates will be announced, and there will be some more singles. Thrilling to see what comes next for I Am Boleyn. There are no other artists out there quite like her. Such a special songwriter. Someone whose voice is especially powerful and striking:

“At the heart of Voyager is the story of the Queen of the Cosmos, who sets off for Earth: an odyssey of love, despair, and self-discovery. And I would like to tell this story from the point of view of a culinary critic. Imagine that you’ve come to a special concert-dinner, at a molecular gastronomy restaurant. Here, familiar dishes suddenly transform into something unexpected: ice cream is served hot, and soup comes in the form of transparent spheres that burst on your tongue. That’s more or less what happens with “Voyager” – familiar emotions and melodies, but presented in such a way that you don’t recognize them right away. You sit down at the table not knowing what to expect, and then the first dish appears, opening this unusual tasting menu. The first track of the album, “Only Space,” is like a greeting from the chef, which immediately sets the mood for the entire evening, surprises and intrigues, promising even more musical discoveries ahead.

And it is precisely in this context that “Taxi” appears, the lead single, which I would compare to a spicy sauce that adds heat to the entire album and gives the sound a special piquancy. In it, synthpop reveals itself in all its beauty: shimmering synths, groovy beats, and a melody that grabs you instantly. The track captures attention right away, blending nostalgia with a sharp modern sound. The vocals are that very spice which gives the sound its refined, flavorful kick.

The songs on “Voyager” are like individual dishes in a tasting menu.
And if we talk about flavors, “Driving in the Dark” is a kind of atmospheric experiment. The sped-up chorus sections and shimmering synthesizers create a sense of movement, while the vanilla-caramel vocals add softness and completeness to the composition, preparing the listener for the next musical revelation. It is in this atmosphere that “Here Before” appears, a light mousse of nostalgia that melts as you listen, leaving behind only a delicate, pleasant aftertaste. This approach allows the track to gently blend into the overall style of the album, without overloading the sound palette, while setting an emotional tone and enhancing the overall atmosphere of the record.

There is a lot of interesting material on the album, but I would like to pause on the track “Toxic “(a cover of the Britney Spears hit). Its sound is like a classic dish prepared using new techniques: you recognize the taste, but can’t quite understand how it’s even possible. In my view, this highlights the originality of the interpretation while also giving the album a fresh sonic flavor. This becomes especially clear in the track “Meet Me in the Clouds“, which is like a cloud of cotton candy, only instead of sugar, it’s made of dreams and hopes. The lightness of form is deceptive; inside lies a complexity of emotion, and that’s where the magic truly is.

I can’t help but highlight the track “Stay ” – one of the most melodic on the album. It’s something like a dessert with an unexpected filling: at first everything seems familiar, the taste is recognizable, but inside a whole bouquet of nuances is revealed: airy foam, bursting berry spheres, a slight tartness and sweetness that together create an entirely new experience. Just like in the track: familiar synthpop motifs are unexpectedly complemented by unusual arrangements and emotional shades, making Stay the highlight of the album. And yet, the track “Until The Summer Ends” becomes the true culinary finale of the album. The singer masterfully weaves synthpop elements into the song, shimmering synthesizers and airy beats, and around the main vocals, various sonic accents scatter like sprinkles. The result is a rich ending that leaves a bright and memorable aftertaste.

The debut album “Voyager ” by I Am Boleyn is like a dinner prepared by an experimental chef who isn’t afraid to mix tradition with innovation. The music becomes a gastronomic exploration, where you want to keep tasting to catch all the nuances and unexpected accents. In short, if you’re tired of your usual playlists, listen to “Voyager”, and let your ears “feel like true gourmets”.

I am going to end there. Connect with I Am Boylen on social media and go and experience Voyager. This is an album from an artist that is going to play some really big stages. I say this about a lot of artists (and mean it), but you know that this is the case with I Am Boleyn. So humble and talented, you wish this wonderful artist…

ALL the success in the world!

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Follow I Am Boleyn

FEATURE: Both Sides, Now: Why I Am Especially Excited About An Announced Joni Mitchell Biopic

FEATURE:

 

 

Both Sides, Now

IN THIS PHOTO: Joni Mitchell at the GRAMMYs on 1st February, 2026/PHOTO CREDIT: Matt Winkelmeyer for The Recording Academy

 

Why I Am Especially Excited About An Announced Joni Mitchell Biopic

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THE music biopic…

IN THIS PHOTO: Meryl Streep at 2024 at the Cannes Film Festival/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

is something notoriously hard to get right. I have written about this a lot before. The past couple of years has seen some triumphant performances and portrayals. Marisa Abela as the late Amy Winehouse in 2024’s Back to Black. In a year where we mark twenty years of her second and final studio album, Back to Black, this is a film I would encourage people to check out. Timothée Chalamett starred as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. He won an Academy Award nomination for his celebrated portrayal. Recently, Jeremy Allen White starred as Bruce Springsteen in last year’s Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. That was a great performance but the film received mixed reviews. Whilst the actors in music biopics often deliver great performance and sound/sing like the artists, making sure the story is balanced, open, honest and compelling can be very difficult. The Beatles films from Sam Mendes come out in 2028 and there have been photos released of the cast on set. Madonna I think is going to write (or co-write) and direct her biopic. Julia Garner was cast as her before the project was put on hold. It is now back in, and you hope that everything can come together, as this is the music biopic I want to see above all others. Although Joni Mitchell has been portrayed on the screen, there have not been recent examples. One of the greatest songwriters ever, one of her defining masterpieces, Blue, turns fifty in June. There has long been talk of a biopic. I think Taylor Swift was suggested at some point. However, as The Guardian we could be close to a biopic hitting the big screen:

“Meryl Streep is to play Joni Mitchell in a forthcoming biopic of the singer-songwriter directed by Cameron Crowe, according to record executive Clive Davis.

Davis confirmed the rumours surrounding the casting at his pre-Grammys party on Saturday, reports Rolling Stone. Last year, Anya Taylor-Joy was linked to the project in the role of the younger Mitchell, as was Streep’s Mamma Mia! co-star Amanda Seyfried.

Crowe, whose best-known film is the music drama Almost Famous, has been attached to the project for some years, and in 2023 said that he hoped for a release date before 2026. Speaking three years ago, Crowe explained that – unlike recent films based on brief periods in the life of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen – the film is not based on a biographical book about the star, but rather Mitchell’s own account of her life.

“It’s Joni’s life, not [seen] through anybody else’s prism,” he said. “It’s through her prism. It’s the characters who impacted her life that you know and a lot that you don’t know. And the music is so cinematic.”

Streep has previously received two Oscar nominations for playing real-life musicians: the violinist Roberta Guaspari in 1999’s Music of the Heart and the titular character in Florence Foster Jenkins, about the life of the amateur singer, in 2016”.

I do hope that both Anya Taylor-Joy and Amanda Seyfried will be in the film as the younger Joni Mitchell, as they are extraordinary actors. However, it does seem like Meryl Streep will be at the forefront. Usually, when we see music biopic of major artists, the story tends to be set in their earlier career. Young actors playing the artist. Maybe it is part of this long tradition where cinema-goers or filmmakers feel like this is what people want to see. That the younger years are the most interesting or worthy. I guess the greatest success usually comes when the artists are in their twenties or thirties.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Amanda Seyfried/PHOTO CREDIT: Eddie Wrey for Vogue

However, for enduring legends like Joni Mitchell, you would like to see her played through the years. I wonder whether her early career will be shown in the film and an amazing actor like Amanda Seyfried will be cast. However, the fact Meryl Streep is named lead me to think that we may see a portrayal of Joni Mitchell around her slightly later career. Or even now. You do not often see music biopics where the artists’ later years are shown. It is very much about their peak or when they were young. I am a big fan of Mitchell. One might instantly think that the only interesting time of her career to focus on is her work in the 1960s and 1970s. However, in the modern day, she is someone who holds a lot of influence. A fascinating woman who has overcome some really hard times – in 2015, she ruptured brain aneurysm (a form of haemorrhagic stroke) that left her unable to walk or talk -, I think who she is now is as compelling and screen-worthy as any point of her career. One reason why a biopic is so needed is because I don’t think Joni Mitchell is discussed enough. Her impact and influence on modern artists. The brilliance of her work and albums/periods not often covered. Cameron Crowe has been working on the film idea and project for years. As Stylist report in their article, Joni Mitchell is very much involved with the biopic. You do feel like several actors will play her at different stages of her career:

“Who will star in the Joni Mitchell biopic?

The only confirmed cast member we know of so far is Meryl Streep, who will play the now-82-year-old singer-songwriter. The announcement was made by record producer Clive Davis during a recent pre-Grammys party, where Joni Mitchell herself was in attendance. Cameron Crowe, the film’s director, later confirmed the news in a statement to Rolling Stone. No stranger to taking on the roles of real-life figures, Streep has already portrayed the likes of Margaret Thatcher, Julia Child and Emmeline Pankhurst in the past, and her interest in playing Mitchell has been rumoured for some time.

Anya-Taylor Joy has reportedly been in talks to play Mitchell in her earlier years; however, that particular piece of casting is yet to be confirmed.

IN THIS PHOTO: Anya Taylor-Joy/PHOTO CREDIT: Nisha Johny and Jonathan Jacobs for British Vogue 

What will happen in the Joni Mitchell biopic?

While we know the film will cover Mitchell’s life, it’s unclear what the focus will be. However, what we do know is that Crowe is a long-time friend of the musician and the pair have spent the last four years discussing what shape the film could take.

“We’ve been working on it for about four years,” Crowe said on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in October 2025. “We have regular meetings where I can ask her anything, and she speaks with her heart about all kinds of stuff. It’s a movie that will be not from a distance… This is from her perspective, her life, looking out.”

It would appear that Mitchell is taking a hands-on approach to her involvement in the making of the film, meaning the project will no doubt have her full blessing. “This is a really personal, wonderful look at her life and music,” Crowe said.

He also revealed that Mitchell has kept all of her clothes, costumes and instruments from over the years, which, if used, will ensure the film has a truly authentic look”.

Of course, in a lot of cases, artists portrayed in music biopics had a brief career or did not continue into middle or older age. Obviously, that is not the case of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, and it would be good if more modern incarnations were brought to the screen, as there is this reliance on exploring these earlier years. Joni Mitchell is someone who has this decades-running career that cannot be distilled.

Of course, if you do keep things too narrow it might not capture everyone and it can be quite limiting and restrictive. If things are too broad and career-spanning, it can be a challenging fitting it all in and the pacing is off. It means you rush through things and it lacks the depth needed. One of the hardest types of film to nail, striking that balance is crucial. However, it seems like this is a passion project for Cameron Crowe. A friend of Joni Mitchell who will be working closely with her, casting one of the greatest actors ever means that the biopic will succeed in terms of the performance and box office. Many Meryl Streep fans going to see the film. She will ably be able to inhabit Joni Mitchell’s shoes and it will be intriguing to see what the story is and precisely what period is focused on. We will discover more details soon. Whether any other actors will join the cast to play Joni Mitchell earlier in her career and whether any synopsis will be revealed.

As much as anything, it is incredible that Joni Mitchell is still with us and she will get to see herself brought to the screen. That will be a magical thing! It will also introduce her work to a new generation. A body of music as masterful, important and extraordinary as any in history. There are music biopics I am a little indifferent to and not hooked by. However, the Joni Mitchell biopic is one I cannot wait to see. If you only know parts of Mitchell’s catalogue or define her by Blue or Ladies of the Canyon for example, go and dig deeper. Today, there is a wave of artists who owe a debt to her. HAIM are huge fans of hers. As is Brandi Carlile (who is a close friend of Micthell and helped her come back to the stage). Seeing some of Mitchell’s more recent live outings brought to screen will be immense. Maybe we will have to wait until 2028, though given the calibre of Meryl Streep and Cameron Crowe, it will be…

ABSOLUTELY worth it.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Maddie Ashman

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

 

Maddie Ashman

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THIS is a perfect time…

to spotlight Maddie Ashman, as her wonderful and engrossing E.P., Her Side, was released on 6th February. This genius artist and composer is someone who I am really excited about. I have just discovered her music, though I know there has been a lot of interest around her for a while now. I am going to come to some recent interviews from an artist that nobody can really afford to overlook. In the sense that she is definitely primed for a gilded and extraordinary career. Her Side has laid down a marker as the best E.P. of this year so far. This is an artist I am very keen to see on the stage. I am going to start out with an interview from last year. Kiyi Muzik who spoke with a very special artist. As they write: “Cellist, guitarist, songwriter, tuning experimenter, avant-pop artist, and more. Maddie Ashman is lately on the Instagram feed of many people with her songs that explore new possibilities within the microtonal music realm. She released her Otherworld EP on Bandcamp on March 28, and her new song “ Toffee ” is out on May 30”:

“I want to start off with a basic introduction question. Can you give our readers some context of your background and how you developed your connection to music?

Maddie Ashman : Well, I started the guitar when I was 7 and I already loved music a lot. I used to write songs on the recorder, and I would sing as well. I started playing the guitar because my mum played it a little bit. I really enjoyed it. I started writing little songs and then when I was 9 at school, someone came in and played the cello, and I said “I want to play that.” My parents were supportive, so I had lessons in cello. I thought, “Yeah, I want to be a musician.” So that was decided there. When I was 11, I started playing piano, then bass guitar. I played in lots of orchestras and local music events. When I was a little older, I played electric guitar. I really got into rock music and started buying music. I played in a band at one point. Also wanted to be in a metal band. I tried to learn to scream, but I lost my voice, and didn't try again. (laughs) I was playing classical music and metal music when I was a teenager. And then when I moved to London, I really enjoyed playing classical guitar more because I never got to play it before, you know, not really. It's such a lonely instrument. I started playing cello in bands. I was playing cello like the electric guitar, and the guitar like the cello. I did lots of touring with pop musicians, and session work. Then a couple of years ago, I got really into microtonal research and decided this is what I'm really passionate about.

How did you first encounter microtonal music?

I was in a rehearsal one day. My part was only the harmonics on the cello. I realized that the harmonics didn't match the piano, and something just clicked in my brain. I was like, “Whoa, why?” I just went down a big rabbit hole reading about equal temperament and tuning. I was listening to a lot of Michael Harrison, and I came across Tolgahan Çokulu's guitar music. I bought his book a few years ago. He got in touch with me a year later about my cello, having no idea that I was really into microtonal music. I just found the research really fascinating and it really satisfied my brain, because I've got perfect pitch, and it made me listen and experience music differently. I would think about the quality of the music, how the intervals feel, the color and the resonance. I wouldn't just think about notes.

How is your relationship with technological developments and possibilities within music production?

I think I'm inspired by technology, but I also think because technology evolves so fast and it feels like anything is possible, I really like to combine it with something that is organic and natural. So something about singing and just playing the guitar is really exciting. But then equally, I've written loads of unreleased music which is all moving through pitch space, in which there is a lot of coding, and a lot of technology that I rely on that is incredible. Though I'm more interested in how I can apply that as a human. I want to perform with that technology rather than only involving it.

Technology is confusing, because there's often things which are inaccessible. A piece of equipment costs thousands. I think there's amazing companies. There's the Lumatone, they make this instrument which is amazing for microtonal music. I would love to have it because the technology is great, but it also costs a lot of money. I'm very interested in how we can explore music without that technology.

Do you have an active dream life? Do you think your dreams penetrate your songwriting to a degree?

I wish, but sadly I feel like my dreams only play to my anxiety. (both laugh)

Does your anxiety shape your songwriting then?

I have abstract thoughts in the daytime and in my bedroom, you know, nowhere particularly exciting. I can find inspiration and think of fun things, but in my dreams only bad things seem to be happening. I remember them because I feel embarrassed, because I see them when I'm nervous about something. So it's very unromantic.

When you check your streaming platform's history, what are the last three things you listened to?

(laughs) “Daily Vocal Workout For An Awesome Singing Voice” from Jacobs Vocal Academy. That's a practice that I often do. Then there is “Besties” by Black Country, New Road. Also “Broken Biscuits” by English Teacher”.

Prior to getting to a new interview from NME, Youth Music spoke with Massie Ashman recently. Again, I want to bring in what they write in their introduction: “Maddie Ashman is bringing fresh ideas to music with her project, 'Three Microtonal Lullabies'. Supported by the Youth Music NextGen Fund, Maddie explores microtonality and just intonation - complex concepts made simple and emotional through her songwriting”. The way that she creates her music and she is this exceptional composer. Bridging songwriting and composing, I feel she stands out from so many of her peers. A flexible and eclectic talent who I feel will write for the screen a lot in the future:

“How do you balance your roles as composer, producer, and performer in your creative process?

I don’t really see them as separate roles, because often I’m composing while I’m performing/improvising, or producing while I’m composing. It all blurs into one! If I think about each role too much I panic haha. I just do my best and pull in people to help where I need it, often with the production and mixing at the end of the process.

What role did visual elements like artwork and live videos play in expressing the music’s themes?
The artwork and live videos played a huge role in finding connections between the songs, and helped to build a wider sense of my ‘world’ as an artist. Working with visual artists has allowed me to learn much more about myself and how I want the music to be perceived.
You’ve transitioned toward relying more on commissions and performances - how has that shift impacted your career?

It’s been exciting to focus more on my voice as a composer and songwriter and with each project I learn something and feel more confident about my strengths as well as what I also need to work on. I’ve gradually built my portfolio and live videos and now I have the opportunity to gig more internationally at festivals and on support tours, and I’ve also had opportunity to write for other ensembles. Although it’s challenging having this transition and relying less on income from session work and teaching, I’m having a lot of fun and trusting in the process.

What have you learned about your sound and artistic identity through this project?

I’ve learnt that I love making music that is uncanny. I’ve learnt to not worry about making music that’s too ‘weird’, if it feels exciting to me! And I’ve learnt that although the microtonal research is very niche, I love collaborating with other artists, whether it’s for additional production, visuals or anything else.

What advice would you give to other artists considering applying for the fund?

Trust in your ideas! Do it! Plan it out as much as you can so you can envision it fully, even if the timeline or end result change (inevitably)”.

Maddie Ashman is generating a lot of love and praise. One of our most exceptional and impressive talents, the Hampshire-born songwriter and composer is someone I feel will have this incredibly long-running and successful career. Her Side is an E.P. that I really love. NME spoke with an innovator who is seeking to “provoke and delight with emotionally intelligent songs that attack convention”. I can only imagine what a live set from Ashman would be like. I do hope she adds dates to her diary. Such a thoroughly engaging and brilliant young artist:

“Ashman’s EP is already eliciting uneasy reactions with some listeners telling her about some moments, ‘It feels like I’m high. I don’t trust myself right now.’ “Other people really melt into it,” she continues. “In a world where everything is very convenient, it feels very exciting to do something that’s incredibly inconvenient.”

Ashman is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a classically trained musician. She is eye-openingly proficient across guitar, piano and cello and studied music at Goldsmiths. Branching off from this background, ‘Her Side’ was part-funded by several organisations as an investigation of microtonal techniques.

If that makes it sound fusty or inert, it’s not. It’s fizzing with possibilities – these songs clatter and whirr with melodic energy, but their ace is the manner in which Ashman sharpens her esoteric combination of mathematics, musical theory and virtuosity into something capable of uncovering emotion.

On ‘Waterlily’, she pulls apart societal pressure to conform; the track’s lilting, rolling instrumental eventually cut apart by a cello countermelody that feels like an intrusive thought. It’s a fascinating marriage of form and meaning, with the how and why of music-making meeting in the middle. “The whole thing is very perception-versus-reality,” she says of its thematic focus. “We all live in our little inner worlds, and they can feel more like reality than reality.”

“In a world where everything is very convenient, it feels very exciting to do something that’s incredibly inconvenient”

Throughout, as it moves from synapse-scrambling rhythms to choral reflection, there is also the feeling that ‘Her Side’ is a thrilling statement of pop intent released at an opportune moment. If Charli XCX, a dyed-in-the-wool weirdo, can be one of the biggest stars on the planet, then there’s space for Ashman’s sonic excursions to exist in close proximity to the mainstream, perhaps even right at the heart of it. “Rosalía’s album [‘Lux’] is so out there and controversial, it caused a lot of discussion,” Ashman says. “That’s really exciting. I do feel like it’s a good time, while everyone’s being inundated with AI, to be doing something a bit more challenging.” 

PHOTO CREDIT: Sandra Ebert

For better and worse, discussion has been part of Ashman’s story since the start. As she wandered further out into the microtonal hinterland, she began uploading short clips of herself playing at home to social media, the domestic scene behind her remaining constant as her music became unmoored from convention.

Quickly, she racked up millions of views and hundreds of thousands of followers, helped in part by a reel of her playing ‘Dark’, an abrasively free-spirited guitar-and-voice experiment, going viral last spring and co-signs from industry luminaries including Anthony Fantano, Caroline Polachek and Sampha. On the other side of the coin, though, you don’t have to scroll too far through the comments to find dissenting voices who want Ashman to know that she’s freaking out their cats.

“I find that really exciting,” she says. “That’s what art is about, you know? It’s not necessarily what commercial music’s about, but art definitely is. I found that I enjoyed having people give their own takes on it. That made it easier to be like, ‘Actually, I can explore these concepts and package them in ways that people might understand.’ That’s important to me. I want people to see it through my eyes, rather than having this vision of what microtonal music is. I like the idea that the way I’m presenting it is very aggravating for some people because it changes the narrative. It keeps it away from this technical, gate-kept thing. It’s actually a whole universe.”

Backing up this philosophy, Ashman is continually refining her methods, with zero concessions coming the way of anyone who’s finding it all a bit much. Having already collaborated with King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Jon Hopkins and ‘Her Side’ mixer Leo Abrahams in performance settings, she is building towards incorporating live drums into her own show, upping the energy while revelling in the fact that there’s no skip button available to her audience once the house lights go down. “If you have headphones on, in the uncomfortable bits you can always be like next,” she says. “But in a live environment, you really have to sit with that”.

Go and show love for Maddie Ashman. I feel she is going to be among the artists defining music this year. I really love her music. The video for the extraordinary Behind Closed Eyes is one I keep coming back to. So arresting and enormously talented, you know Maddie Ashman is going to from strength to strength. A talent we should treasure, she is a remarkable…

FEATURE: A Second Date? Will Amelia Dimoldenberg Explore Further Her Gift for Music Video Direction?

FEATURE:

 

 

A Second Date?

 

Will Amelia Dimoldenberg Explore Further Her Gift for Music Video Direction?

__________

I recently wrote a feature…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Amelia Dimoldenberg directing Maisie Peters in the video for her track, My Regards (taken from her forthcoming album, Fluorescence)

where I talked about the sensational Brighton artist, Maisie Peters. I have known about her music for years now. However, as she has a new album coming soon (Fluorescence), I wanted to check in once more. I did not realise the video for her song, My Regards, was directed by Amelia Dimoldenberg. I am going to come to an interview with her soon. However, you will know Amelia Dimoldenberg as the creator and host of the hugely popular Chicken Shop Date. She is also doing her third stint as a Social Media Ambassador and Red Carpet Correspondent at this year’s Academy Awards. Prior to coming to this new side of Amelia Dimoldenberg as a music video director, I did want to bring in this BBC interview from last September. Marking ten years of Chicken Shop Date. This is someone who now has this huge platform and has incredible influence. In terms of similar interview series on YouTube and projects that take a lead from Chicken Shop Date:

“Amelia is speaking to BBC Newsbeat at an event set up to mark 10 years of Chicken Shop Date - the web series that made her one of the UK's best-known content creators.

It's a story that started at the Stowe Centre youth club in north-west London, where Amelia interviewed grime artists for a column in magazine The Cut.

She eventually began to film the conversations, framing each one as a "date" and uploading it to YouTube.

The success of Chicken Shop Date has taken her around the world and made her a celebrity in her own right.

But it didn't happen overnight.

"So many people I feel like don't understand the history of the show, the journey it's been on," says Amelia.

"Some people think it's been, like, two years."

The rise of Chicken Shop Date reflects "the journey of digital media and how that landscape has completely changed".

"When I started the show content creators weren't at the height they are now," she says.

"I spent so much time trying to persuade publicists, managers and talent to come on the show."

In 2014, Amelia suggests, social media wasn't seen as the best place to promote a celebrity's latest album, film or product.

"Now, 10 years later, it's completely the opposite and I'm batting people away," she says.

The 31-year-old believes Chicken Shop Date, and similar YouTube shows such as Hot Ones have leapfrogged more traditional chat shows to the top of many celebrity agents' lists when their client has something to promote.

While traditional TV viewing figures have been trending downwards, the reach of online personalities has only increased.

Alongside YouTube, TikTok gives content creators a place to share their best clips, drawing in more viewers.

Amelia has interviewed some of the biggest stars in the world, such as Billie Eilish

Despite them increasingly shaping many people's viewing habits, opinions and purchases, "content creator" is not always regarded as a "real job".

That's despite them contributing £2.2bn to the UK economy, according to a recent report.

"Obviously YouTube has been going on for 20 years, that is still a relatively new sector in terms of content creators," Amelia admits.

But, she says: "It should be easy for you to get a mortgage - it's a legitimate career."

Amelia was one of the high-profile YouTubers who put their names to a report produced by the video site earlier this year which called for greater recognition from the government, external.

"Taking people who work in digital media seriously is something I'm really passionate about," she says.

"We're storytellers like directors, like scriptwriters. We've been doing everything ourselves from the very beginning so I'm advocating for us."

This week an all-party parliamentary group (APPG) was launched with the aim of representing UK creators and influencers and building links with politicians.

Amelia says it's a sign that things are heading in the right direction, but believes there's more work to be done.

Amelia held space on the Chicken Shop Date schedule for Wicked star Cynthia Erivo

The MP in charge of the new group called content creators such as Amelia "trailblazers of a new creative revolution".

"I do feel like a bit of a trailblazer in the sense that there wasn't a blueprint but now there is," says Amelia.

Earlier this year she launched a summer course to train up the "next set of young creators", equipping them with some of the things she's learned since the start of her career.

"It's great to have an idea and put it on YouTube," she says.

"But you also need to have the right team around you to make sure it's not a flash in the pan and you can grow it in a sustainable way."

Amelia says "doing everything on your own terms" as a creator is "fantastic", but after a certain point "you need a team to actually continue at the same level".

Most fans of content creators know that it is, in fact, a lot of work.

The rewards for those who make it big can be huge, but there are many aspiring influencers whose careers never take off.

And even for those who do manage to become established, it can take a toll on their mental health.

A 2022 UK government report, external identified an influencer pay gap on the basis of gender, race and disability.

Amelia tells Newsbeat she wants to use her "privileged position" to give people from less well-represented backgrounds access to the resources to start careers as creators.

For anyone who wants to follow in Amelia's footsteps, and maybe end up interviewing musicians, actors and comedians one day, she has some advice.

"Do your research, always, number one," she says.

"Do as much as you can so you don't go blank when you're sat opposite someone.

"But saying that, I still do that sometimes.

"It's very hard to listen to someone and think of your next question at the same time."

And as for dating advice?

"It's all about sense of humour," she says”.

I do think that Amelia Dimoldenberg is going to have this incredible career as an actor. She recently appeared on the series, Industry. In terms of huge film roles and anything like, I am not sure what the future holds. A standup tour. However, when I saw the video for Maisie Peters’s My Regards, it made me curious how the collaboration came out. I brought int his i-D feature about the video for My Regards. Casting Peters as a hotshot star being hounded by fans, this collaboration with Amelia Dimoldenberg is perhaps the start of a long career in music video direction:

“It sounds like the setup for a shit joke: A popstar, comedian, and professional dater-turned-film director walk into an 18th-century mansion. They want to make a music video together. It could be chaos but also maybe awesome. It turns out it’s actually a little bit of both.

I arrive at Addington Palace in deep South London and accidentally saunter straight into shot: Maisie Peters, the big-gun British indie-pop girl, is filming the music video for her new track “My Regards.” Dressed in a black business suit, hair slicked and clipped into place, she is in bodyguard mode. Her client? A blue-jeaned Benito Skinner who, at this moment, is being set upon by a gaggle of rabid fans. Someone shouts “Cut!” It’s Chicken Shop Date creator Amelia Dimoldenberg.

This combination of characters was Peters’ idea. A mix of people she’d never properly met before but is a big fan of, like Skinner, and acquaintances who she shares a common language with, like Dimoldenberg.

The song is a sexy, country subversion of the boy-protector and girl-protected narrative. For the video, Peters originally had a different idea: “When I was writing, I very much saw it as this old country-and-Western film, with me on my horse and my boyfriend behind me,” she says. But after sending the song to Dimoldenberg, she had a different idea, inspired by one line: “Call me Kevin Costner / The way I’m guarding his body.” And so here Peters is less cowboy, more CIA.

“When Amelia had this idea, that the reason I’m so protective of him is because it’s my job, it clicked into place,” Peters says. “Then we agreed that this man in the video had to be a sex icon, and we both thought: Benito Skinner.”

Skinner’s in the makeup chair getting touch-ups, looking good, he thinks, because he’s recovering from food poisoning. He’s having fun. His preparation was pretty easy. He just listened to the song 50 times. “Not having any lines is kind of explosive,” he says. “Like, it’s all in the eyes.” (For most of the video, his star persona wears sunglasses.)

“When my brain brought me Benny, I realized that adds another level to it, because I know how funny Benny is, but he’s also genuinely gorgeous,” Peter says. Dimoldenberg, understandably locked in for the day, told me later: “He was the final piece of the puzzle.” Following the creation of Chicken Shop Date and directing her first short film, she felt like she was ready to add something new to her bow. “Stepping behind the lens for my first music video has felt like a natural evolution,” she says. “I wanted this to feel playful, humorous, and in line with everything else I’ve done.”

“She’s so stoic, thoughtful, and sharp,” Skinner says of Dimoldenberg as a director. “I feel like she’s going to be doing this a lot”.

Many people do not value music videos. I think they are really important and a necessary and powerful promotional tool for artists. They can add new layers and insights into songs. My Regards is a brilliant video for Maisie Peters. Amelia Dimoldenberg a natural director. I do hope that she can do more of this. Not that it is a second thread. She has many roles and is an actor, comedian, presenter and ambassador. I have seen this observed in a couple of features, but it is clear Dimoldenberg has this flair and visual style that I could see used on other videos. I don’t think we discuss music videos enough. Sectors of music of the past are disappearing. Opportunities for televised live appearances are dwindling. The once-arresting and hugely popular music video medium not really respected or exposed anymore. There is no end to the talent of Amelia Dimoldenberg. After My Regards and her work there, it will be fascinating to see where she heads and whether there are going to be further examples of her directorial prowess displayed elsewhere. I think this year will be one where Dimoldenberg is featured more on screen, either as an actor or director. This truly incredible human has…

A truly fascinating career.

FEATURE: The Great American Songbook: Brandy

FEATURE:

 

 

The Great American Songbook

 

Brandy

__________

FOR the next couple…

of parts for this series, I am focusing on artists who are contemporary and putting out great work. Billie Eilish is coming up. However, here, I am shining a light on Brandy. There are a few reasons why. She is one of my favourite artists and someone whose music I recall fondly when I was growing up. She is still superb. Having just celebrated a birthday, Brandy also completed the acclaimed and hugely popular The Boy Is Mine Tour with Monica at the end of last year. I do hope that Brandy has some more tour dates for this year and that she and Monica join forces again one day. I will get to a twenty-song Brandy mix. When she turned forty-five in 2024, I did compile a playlist then. However, I want to update and refresh it. First, and for anyone in the U.S., you catch her discussing her upcoming memoir, Phases, which comes out on 31st March:

“Live Nation Urban and Grammy-winning icon Brandy Norwood have announced “A Conversation With Brandy: Phases  Book Tour,” a series of intimate events celebrating the release of her debut memoir.

The tour features two exclusive dates where the singer, actress, and producer will discuss her legendary career and the personal journey detailed in her  book, Phases, which arrives March 31 via Hanover Square Press.

The tour will stop at two premier venues this spring:

March 29: Los Angeles, CA – The Montalbán

April 1: Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount

Tickets officially go on sale Friday, February 6, at 10 a.m. local time, following a pre-sale period that began on February 5. In a move to prioritize fans of her literature, every ticket purchase includes a physical copy of Phases.

Known to fans as “The Vocal Bible,” Brandy’s memoir and corresponding tour will cover her evolution from a Mississippi church singer to a global superstar. The events are expected to touch on era-defining moments, including her starring role in Moesha, the historic success of “The Boy Is Mine,” and her groundbreaking turn as Disney’s first Black Cinderella.

According to the announcement, the tour offers a rare look at the “private struggles” and “resilience” behind her artistry, told in her own words for the first time”.

There are a couple of other things to cover off. However, here is some more detail about Brandy’s upcoming memoir. One that I am keen to read, as I have been a fan of her for decades now. I do wonder whether Brandy will also release a follow-up to 2020’s b7 (she also put out Christmas with Brandy in 2023):

“The iconic, multiplatinum, Grammy Award®–winning performer Brandy brings us a raw, intimate portrait of her life, charting her growth to stardom from Mississippi churches to Hollywood spotlights

From the moment she first sang at church in McComb, Mississippi, Brandy knew her voice was special. At fourteen she landed her first record deal. At fifteen her album went platinum. At sixteen she was starring in the hit sitcom Moesha and became the first Black actress to play Cinderella on screen alongside fairy godmother, Whitney Houston.

Yet as the accolades piled up, so too did the pressure to maintain a flawless image. To onlookers, she had crafted the blueprint for the teenage “it” girl. But behind closed doors “The Vocal Bible”  as she was known, was struggling.

Now, for the first time, Brandy reveals the real story behind her life in the spotlight, the stratospheric highs and the unimaginable lows, the groundbreaking moments and the relatable journey she had to take to discover her authentic self—as a woman, a mother, an artist—as Brandy.

Brandy's debut memoir is a fearless and remarkable story of hope, resilience and the strength it takes to make peace with the past”.

Brandy also received a Black Music Icon Award at the GRAMMYs earlier this month. It was richly deserved for an artist who is definitely an icon. Someone whose music has made a huge impact on the world. When Brandy went up to collect the award, she was modest and grounded with her words, describing herself as “humbly just a vessel”. To celebrate this enormously loved and influential artist, I am including Mississippi-born Brandy in this The Great American Songbook. A twenty-track salute and recognition of…

ONE of music’s true greats.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Revisited: Chxrry

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight: Revisited

 

Chxrry

__________

THIS is someone…

PHOTO CREDIT: Marvin ‘Tada’ Llantada

that I spotlighted in 2024 when she was known as Chxrry22. Dropping the number at the end I am now exploring the recent work of Chxrry. There is an interview from last year and one from this that I want to cover in this feature. However, I am dropping in this biography. Even if she is referred to as Chxrry22, we do get to discover where this incredible artist came from and how her career progressed:

“Raised in a traditional Ethiopian Christian family in Scarborough, a Toronto suburb, she grew up surrounded by music. Her parents, part of a choir, encouraged her to sing at birthdays, weddings, and family events, fostering her natural stage presence from a young age.

Her music career took off in 2017 when she decided to pursue it seriously. A video of her singing posted on social media went viral, marking the start of her professional journey. She later moved to Atlanta to focus on recording, collaborating with notable producers like Sensei Bruno (known for work with Snoh Aalegra and Kid Cudi) and songwriter Daijah Ross (Baby Rose, Eli Derby).

In 2022, Chxrry22 made history as the first female artist signed to The Weeknd’s XO Records. This milestone highlighted her unique talent and soulful voice, influenced by her Ethiopian roots and Canadian upbringing. Her debut EP, The Other Side, released in September 2022, explores themes of love, heartbreak, introspection, and life’s complexities. The seven-track project includes songs like “Alone,” “Wasteland,” “Do It Again,” “Call Me,” “The Falls,” “Us,” and the title track, blending modern R&B with alternative and folk elements, marked by innovative cadences that set her apart from traditional R&B artists.

Chxrry22 aims to pave the way for women in the music industry, particularly young Black women, by creating a safe space to express emotions freely. Her vulnerable yet empowering style continues to resonate, as seen in her breakout single “The Falls,” which quickly gained traction in the R&B community. Splitting her time between Toronto and Atlanta, she embodies a rich cultural blend that fuels her authentic, introspective music”.

I am moving on to this interview from last year. i-D were on the set of Main Character to speak with Chxrry about this viral song. They were keen to highlight and explore the “brazen, unfiltered visual treatment from fashion’s favorite disruptor, Mowalola—and the result is pure It Girl energy”. It is one of Chxrry’s best songs and one that instantly sticks in the mind:

“Last year was a busy one for Chxrry. She put out some amazing singles, including Main Charcater Enegry. I do wonder what we will get this year. If there will be an E.P. or another album. In terms of albums, her superb debut, The Other Side, came out in 2022. Chxrry followed that with Siren a year later. Surely she is thinking about a think album and what that will contain. Thedre is this growing and loving fanbase. I say this about any intertnationmal artist, but I do hope that Chxrry comes to the U.K. at some point to play here. It would be amazing to see her on the stage.

“On set for her breakout video “Main Character,” Chxrry isn’t just starring, she’s commanding. The viral single has already soundtracked thousands of TikToks and is quickly becoming a Gen-Z anthem. Now, the visual moment is in the hands of Mowalola Ogunlesi—designer, creative powerhouse, and after this, first-time music video director. “I feel like I’m a bit mentally ill, but sassy, funny, sexy,” Chxrry says, perched between takes. “I had to go to somebody who I knew understood that. Me and Mowa, we just get it. I don’t have to explain anything.” 

For Chxrry, the first female artist signed to XO Records, this is a pivotal moment in a breakout year. She’s toured globally with The Weeknd, appeared onstage with Rema and Mariah The Scientist, and earned praise from Billboard, ESSENCE, and Rolling Stone. With her debut album on the way, this video feels less like a career milestone and more like a cultural one. “This one had to be daring and empowering,” she says. “And working with Mowa… it just made sense.”

Mowalola, who blurred the lines between runway and performance art with her Dirty Pop show last year, where she debuted original music live on stage, isn’t just designing fashion anymore. She’s building immersive worlds. “I realized music is literally the most important thing to me,” she says. “I grew up with MTV—Missy Elliott, Aaliyah, everyone. Now I’ve figured out how to combine my love of creating with my love of music.”

And although she’s not a director by trade, she’s clearly a natural. “I’m actually not a director, but I could be a director’s director,” she says. “I just know what to do.” Shot over 24 hours in the heat and haze of Vegas, the video is all instinct and synergy. No pitch deck. No lengthy treatment. Just trust. “We’re like tools for each other,” Mowalola says. “We just work. It’s natural.” “Mowa saw me at a party and said I looked like a vixen,” Chxrry adds. “She was tapping into the shit I really like.”

The result? A world that feels hyperreal and hyperpersonal with fashion as storytelling. “People don’t realize how important clothes are,” says Chxrry. “Each one of us played our role so well that this video is going to be amazing. We supported each other.”

This isn’t a vanity piece. It’s a legacy builder. “I really hope ‘Main Character’ is something people can reference 10 years from now,” Chxrry says. “Even if everyone doesn’t get it right away, the fact that Mowa and the team understood it. That meant everything to me.”

As for whether this is a one-off or the beginning of something deeper? They’re not giving too much away. “Wait and see,” Chxrry says, grinning. “You guys are not ready”.

The second interview that I am including answers some questions from earlier. In terms of Chxrry working on a new album. I am not sure of the exact date, though this is something that will come about soon enough. Also, she recently performed in London to close her European tour. She is going to be busy with tour dates very soon. It does appear that she is an extraordinary live performer. Chxrry loved playing in London and she received an incredible response. The Culture Crypt spoke with Chxrry in January. Someone who, they say, always has main character energy, she is also ready to take the centre stage. I think that this year is going to be a massive one for her:

“Starting the year on the road makes it clear she's not easing in. "I love it. It's definitely draining but I'm a fun person so I make everything fun," she says. Still, opening for friends, like UK girl group FLO or The Weeknd and now Mariah, makes touring that much more bearable. The added incentive? "There's always someone to hang out with. Doing that by myself, I'd probably be like, 'I'm so over this. I'm bored.'"

Opening a show often means performing to a crowd already half-checked out. Not if Chxrry's on the bill. Videos from her performances have been circulating online, showing brazen mic stand slams, a hair-whipping floor show and a sustained, show-stopping note during her 'revamped' take of fan-fave "Favorite Girl".

With the overwhelming response that has garnered, she's acutely aware of the responsibility she holds as an opener, both to the artist but more so, the virtual and real audiences: "They expect me to come out swinging and now I've created this fucking insane standard… I have to continue."

Her relationship with the internet, where much of her visibility was built, is much more complicated. "Yeah, I don't know if I'm very good at the internet. I'm a very unfiltered person in real life so I try to do less, especially on Twitter. They don't always get me on that app," she says. "But the internet's an amazing tool. It's the reason I'm even here, it's the reason that people know me."

Particularly online, music creation and marketing have collapsed into each other in increasingly elaborate ways. You could be forgiven for mistakenly thinking that albums are merely a collection of songs. Now, albums arrive as 'eras': musical monuments erected by the artist signifying tightly coded worlds of sound, style, colour and language.

The Taylor Swift formula, if followed correctly, ensures that each release introduces a new aesthetic, marking a distinct moment in the artist's career and then programming a clear and lasting association between the look, the album and a specific album in their discography. A haircut, palette or silhouette becomes shorthand for a particular moment, embedding the music into memory through image as much as sound. Ask Chxrry whether each of her albums offers her the same chance at reinvention and she doesn't hesitate: "An album definitely helps. The minute I start making a project, I start building a world sonically and visually." The instinct for total immersion came with her 2023 album, Siren, when you could say, she went 'method' with her music: "When I did Siren, I wore long black pointy nails and my hair really long. I always wore black and I made sure everything felt creepy and eerie and mysterious and sexual and sensual. I really commit."

Meeting Chxrry, the image and the reality blend into one. She is who she says she is: ardent and aspiring but not in the rigid, resolution-making sense. "I'm a pretty ambitious person. I feel like every day is like a new year," she says. She cares about her music and her audience just as much as her look and her characters. The upkeep of her universe demands full commitment and no in-betweens.

With an album on the way, "a tour, maybe some festivals and collaboration," opening up for others has opened up a world of possibilities. Until then, she loves the British accent, the fact that there has been tea "everywhere" on the UK dates and… "Oh my God, where are those cookies you gave us? Those biscuits with the chocolate?".

I am going to leave things there. If you are unfamiliar with her music and you are unsure whether to dip your toes in, I can thoroughly recommend Chxrry. The wonderful Canadian artist is on this upward trajectory. Someone who will take to headline stages and release many huge albums. With more work coming soon, it is a perfect time to connect with her. Go and follow an artist with…

A massive future.

___________

Follow Chxrry

FEATURE: An Impossible Task… Ranking Kate Bush’s Album Covers

FEATURE:

 

 

An Impossible Task…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 2014/PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton

 

Ranking Kate Bush’s Album Covers

__________

I only titled…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Phillips

this feature like that because it is impossible ranking Kate Bush’s album covers. They are all striking in their own way. However, since I last did a feature around her album covers, my opinion has changed. Perhaps not in terms of those I like least. However, I am extending this beyond her studio albums to include Before the Dawn (the 2016 live album for her 2014 residency) and The Whole Story (her 1986 greatest hits compilation). I am leaving out other albums such as Best of the Other Sides (2025). Many people talk about Kate Bush’s music, though the visual aspect is really important and plays its part. The album covers are almost as memorable and genius as the music. One might think her best covers are pretty obvious. However, for this feature, I am going to bring in my order. I am including the release date of each album, the standout tracks and the key cut. I will also drop in a review for the albums. Kate Bush’s albums covers are always so fascinating, so it has been tough deciding this ordering, though I was keen to make that decision. From Never for Ever’s cover which is a sketch and design from Nick Price, through to covers shot by her brother, John Carder Bush (including 1982’s The Dreaming and 1985’s Hounds of Love), there is so much to behold. Here are my views when it comes to deciding…

WHICH Kate Bush album covers are best.

____________

TEN: The Kick Inside (1978)

Release Date: 17th February, 1978

Review:

“The tale's been oft-told, but bears repeating: Discovered by a mutual friend of the Bush family as well as Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Bush was signed on Gilmour's advice to EMI at 16. Given a large advance and three years, The Kick Inside was her extraordinary debut. To this day (unless you count the less palatable warblings of Tori Amos) nothing sounds like it.

Using mainly session musicians, The Kick Inside was the result of a record company actually allowing a young talent to blossom. Some of these songs were written when she was 13! Helmed by Gilmour's friend, Andrew Powell, it's a lush blend of piano grandiosity, vaguely uncomfortable reggae and intricate, intelligent, wonderful songs. All delivered in a voice that had no precedents. Even so, EMI wanted the dullest, most conventional track, James And The Cold Gun as the lead single, but Kate was no push over. At 19 she knew that the startling whoops and Bronte-influenced narrative of Wuthering Heights would be her make or break moment. Luckily she was allowed her head.
Of course not only did Wuthering Heights give her the first self-written number one by a female artist in the UK, (a stereotype-busting fact of huge proportions, sadly undermined by EMI's subsequent decision to market Bush as lycra-clad cheesecake), but it represented a level of articulacy, or at least literacy, that was unknown to the charts up until then. In fact, the whole album reads like a the product of a young, liberally-educated mind, trying to cram as much esoterica in as possible. Them Heavy People, the album's second hit may be a bouncy, reggae-lite confection, but it still manages to mention new age philosopher and teacher G I Gurdjieff. In interviews she was already dropping names like Kafka and Joyce, while she peppered her act with dance moves taught by Linsdsay Kemp. Showaddywaddy, this was not.

And this isn't to mention the sexual content. Ignoring the album's title itself, we have the full on expression of erotic joy in Feel It and L'Amour Looks Something Like You. Only in France had 19-year olds got away with this kind of stuff. A true child of the 60s vanguard in feminism, Strange Phenomena even concerns menstruation: Another first. Of course such density was decidedly English and middle class. Only the mushy, orchestral Man With The Child In His Eyes, was to make a mark in the US, but like all true artists, you always felt that Bush didn't really care about the commercial rewards. She was soon to abandon touring completely and steer her own fabulous course into rock history” – BBC

Standout Tracks: Moving, The Man with the Child in His Eyes, Them Heavy People

Key Cut: Wuthering Heights.

THREE: Lionheart (1978)

Release Date: 10th November, 1978

Review:

“Ok, here’s the party line on Kate Bush’s second album Lionheart.  It was the “difficult second album”;  rush released too soon after her stupendous debut, The Kick Inside. The material was under cooked,  it was recorded hastily.  It was a commercial disappointment. Lionheart has always been viewed as the gawky, homely sister to The Kick Inside.  It languishes in the same purgatory as Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk and Michael Jackson’s Bad.  Those were all albums that were tasked with following up a monster critical and commercial smash; too much to expect of any mortal record.

However, what if The Kick Inside had never existed, and Lionheart had been her debut? Take away the baggage  and the job of reviewing becomes a little more interesting.

Lionheart is not a perfect album yet its still a staggering achievement.  Had  it been the opening missive in Kate’s discography,  jaws would have still dropped just as far. This record is a potent example of the complexity of Kate Bush and her audacious voice, charisma and songs.  Had it been her debut, it may not have conferred upon her the instant mantle of “Icon” (as ‘Kick’ did), but that might have been a good thing.

Sure, Lionheart could have benefitted from more time in the bottle or… maybe not.  Kate had all the time in the world to worry over The Dreaming.  Was it a better record? I’ll let you know when I get around to listening to it as many times as I have Lionheart.  Lionheart is a grower that is unique in her canon. Every track on Lionheart earns and rewards repeated visitations.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. The song “Wow” is a wonderful confection of fantasy/pop.  Equal parts torch ballad and bubblegum, it was a smart and successful single that could turn the heads of tabloid writers and music critics alike.  And “England, My Lionheart”, is quite simply one of the most beautiful and  unique melodies ever written.  Usually in pop song craft you can hear echoes of the familiar; even if the artist is stealing from him/herself.  This song exists on a different plane.  That the lyrics are penned by a teenage girl is stupefying and magical.  Why this song hasn’t been declared Britain’s national anthem is beyond me.  It still might someday.

The epic “Hammer Horror” could be the subject of an entire review unto itself. By 1978, the term “Rock Opera” had become devalued currency.  “Hammer Horror”  is definitely a rock opera (albeit a tightly compressed and edited version of the form).  Kate whispers, wails, moans and rumbles like both a siren and natural woman.  She’s got some burr in her saddle in the form of a stalker, ex-boyfriend, ghost, or some unholy permutation of the three.  Whatever happened, it’s now an ever-present nightmare of the soul.  The tinkling piano ending turns the neat trick of being pretty and dissonant at the same time. The delayed reaction gong crash signals a melodramatic end to a brilliant and melodramatic record, and the cover art will rock your world.

Elsewhere, things get more eclectic and esoteric. “Coffee Homeground” courts Cabaret and Broadway and elevates both forms.  Lead track, “Symphony In Blue” evokes a heavenly cocktail mix of Carol King on ecstasy and helium.  On this album, even more than The Kick Inside, Kate takes her voice to its full, death defying limits.  Many argue it takes listeners to their limits as well.  Like Dylan, Kate’s voice is her signature, money maker, and albatross all rolled into one.  One must come to the party prepared to marvel at her athleticism and then dig deep into the music itself.  The rewards are there.  Kate Bush is not a passive listen. We’ve got Sade for that.  No, Lionheart is a three ring circus of emotion, estrogen and technique.  And you know what?  EMI put it out at just the right time.  I’m glad we got two albums documenting Kate’s eloquent, teen dream genius.  Soon our little girl would all grow up to be a woman. Lionheart didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just a matter of the paint on her masterpiece hadn’t quite dried yet” – The Muse Patrol

Standout Tracks: Wow, Kashka from Baghdad, Hammer Horror

Key Cut: Symphony in Blue

FOUR: Never for Ever (1980)

Release Date: 8th September, 1980

Review:

“The album opens with “Babooshka”, which reached number five on the UK Singles Chart. A classic story song—with a conflict, rising action, and eventual climax—it’s loosely based on the English folk song “Sovay”, which presents a tale of disguise, deception, and paranoia. A sinewy fretless bass stands in for the man in the story, weaving its way around the narrative as he approaches his incognito wife. When her trust has been broken, and his betrayal laid bare, the sound of breaking glass pierces the song at its climax, then trails off at its denouement.

Bush created the glass-breaking sound with the Fairlight CMI (as well as a few items from the Abbey Road kitchen), the revolutionary digital sampler introduced only a year earlier. She first saw the new instrument thanks to Peter Gabriel, when she sang backing vocals for his third eponymous album (known as Melt). The Fairlight’s impact on Bush’s creative process was profound: she was no longer tied to the piano and the decorative orchestral arrangements of her first two LPs. Rather, she could now write songs based on an infinite array of sonic textures. With the addition of other synthesizers — like the Yamaha CS-80 and the Prophet, as well as the Roland drum machine — she could create entire symphonies in a four-minute song. Bush had always used a menagerie of musical instruments, but the Fairlight freed her imagination. And, just like the mythical creatures flowing from beneath her skirt in the album’s cover illustration, once it was let loose, there was no going back.

It is on these songs, in particular, that listeners catch a glimpse of what’s to come. Tracks like “Delius”, with its dreamy and capacious soundscapes, are intermixed with tracks like “The Wedding List”, a sort of companion piece to “Babooshka”. With its dastardly narrative building to a dramatic chorus, “The Wedding List” is a showy vaudevillian number. But it relies on the conventional instruments and string arrangements of Bush’s earlier LPs and would have been at home on either one.

“Blow Away” and “All We Ever Look For” are sweet, sentimental songs that could also fit in the pre-Fairlight era. I particularly enjoy Kate’s voice on the latter, but the Fairlight samples of a door opening, Hare Krishna chanting, and footsteps seem to have been an afterthought. The samples add a narrative layer to the song, but the sounds are not integral to the arrangement.

“The Infant Kiss” is one of the highlights of the album, though it, too, is more of a throwback to earlier compositions. The eerie song was inspired by the film The Innocents, which was in turn based on the Henry James novella The Turn of the Screw. Lyrically, the song is similar to the title track of The Kick Inside and “The Man With the Child in His Eyes” in its dealing with taboo sexuality. The song’s narrator is a governess torn between the love of an adult man and child who inhabit the same body. Or, as one critic called it, “the child with the man in his eyes.”

What sets this song apart is Bush’s production. Instead of overwrought orchestral arrangements of the earlier albums, Bush relies on restrained, baroque instrumentation to convey the song’s conflicted emotions. With Bush behind the boards, she begins to use the studio as an instrument unto itself. Her growing technical facility, combined with the expansive possibilities of the Fairlight and other synthesizers, allowed her to express her feelings through sound more fully.

The penultimate “Army Dreamers” is a lamentation in the form of a waltz, sung from the viewpoint of a mother who’s lost her son in military maneuvers. Here, the samples of gun cocks add a percussive and forbidding element to the arrangement. The sound is restrained but menacing when coupled with the shouts of a commander in the background. Plus, “Army Dreamers” is one of the more political songs in Bush’s repertoire, though situating it inside a personal narrative keeps it from becoming polemical.

The album’s closer, “Breathing”, is a more overtly political song. It was Bush’s crowning achievement at the time, a realization of everything that had led her to this point. The song is told from a fetus’s perspective terrified of being born into a post-apocalyptic world: “I’ve been out before / But this time, it’s much safer in”. Bush plays on the words “fallout” and the rhythmic repetition of breathing—“out-in, out-in”—throughout.

Synthesizer pads and a fretless bass build to a middle section in which sonic textures take precedence over lyrical content, as Bush’s vocals fade to a false ending at the halfway mark. Ominous, atmospheric tones play over a spoken-word middle section describing the flash of a nuclear bomb. The male voice is chilling in its dispassionate delivery, and the bass comes to the foreground once again in a slow march to the finish as the song reaches its final dramatic crescendo. Here, Bush’s vocals, which admittedly can be grating at times, perfectly match the desperation of the lyrics. “Oh, leave me something to breathe!” she cries, in a terrifying contrast to Roy Harper’s monotone backing vocals (“What are we going to do without / We are all going to die without”).

“Breathing” is a full opera in five-and-a-half minutes, written, scored, arranged, and performed by an artist growing into herself and beginning to realize her full potential. It’s a fitting ending for Never for Ever, an album that sees Bush, only 23 years old at the time, leaving behind her ’70s juvenilia. At the turn of the 1980s, she was poised to scale new heights with her music, some of which would define the decade to come” – PopMatters

Standout Tracks: Babooshka, Army Dreamers, Breathing

Key Cut: The Wedding List

FIVE: The Dreaming (1982)

Release Date: 13th September, 1982

Review:

“The Dreaming really is more a product of the 1970s—which actually sort of began in the late ’60s and extended through most of the ’80s—when prog rock musicians sold millions, had huge radio hits, and established fan bases still rabid today. But the album also came out in 1982, and it only cemented the sense of Bush as a spirited, contrarian of Baroque excess in a musical moment defined largely in reaction to prog’s excess. It’s exactly that audacity to be weird against the prevailing trends that made Kate Bush a great feminist icon who expanded the sonic (and business) possibilities for subsequent visionary singer-songwriters. While name-checking Emerson, Lake & Palmer or Yes is relatively unheard of in today’s hip hop, indie, or pop landscapes, Kate Bush’s name was and is still said with respect. Perhaps it’s because unlike all those prog dudes of yore, she’s legibly, audibly very queer, and very obviously loves pop music, kind of like her patron saint, David Bowie.

On The Dreaming, Bush’s self-proclaimed “mad” album, her mind works itself out through her mouth. Her cacophony of vocal sounds—at least four on each track—pushed boundaries of how white pop women could sing. Everything about it went against proper, pleasing femininity. Her voice was too high: a purposeful shrilling of the unthreatening girlish head voice; too many: voices doubled, layered, calling and responding to themselves, with the choruses full of creepy doubles, all of them her; too unruly: pitch-shifted, leaping in unexpected intervals, slipping registers until the idea of femme and masculine are clearly performances of the same sounding person; too ugly: more in the way cabaret singers inhabit darkness without bouncing back to beauty by the chorus in the way that female pop singers often must.

All this excess is her sound: a strongly held belief that unites all of the The Dreaming. Nearly half of the album is devoted to spiritual quests for knowledge and the strength to quell self-doubt. Frenetic opener “Sat in Your Lap” was the first song written for the album. Inspired by hearing Stevie Wonder live, it serves as meta-commentary of her step back from the banality of pop ascendancy that mocks shortcuts to knowledge. A similar track, “Suspended in Gaffa,” laments falling short of enlightenment through the metaphor of light bondage in black cloth stagehand tape. It is a pretty queer-femme way of thinking through the very prog-rock problem of being a real artist in a commercial theater form, which is probably why it’s a fan favorite.

“Leave It Open” is a declaration of artistic independence hinging on the semantic ambiguity of its pronouns (what is “it” and who are “we”?). Here’s the one solid rock groove of the album, and it crescendos throughout while a breathy, heavily phased alto Bush calls and high-pitched Bush responds in increasingly frantic phrases. “All the Love” is the stunning aria of The Dreaming—a long snake moan on regret. Here she duets with a choirboy, a technique she’d echo with her son on 2011’s 50 Words for Snow. The lament trails off with a skipping cascade of goodbyes lifted from Bush’s broken answering machine, a pure playback memento mori.

The other half of the album showcases Bush’s talent for writing narratives about historical and imagined characters placed in unbearable moral predicaments. This is often called her “literary” or “cinematic” side, but it is also her connection to character within the Victorian-era British music hall tradition, a bawdy and comic form of working-class theatre that borrowed from American vaudeville traditions and became the dominant 19th- and early 20th-century commercial British pop art. As much as she’s in prog rock’s pantheon, she’s also part of this very-pre rock‘n’roll archive of cheeky musical entertainment.

When it works, her narrative portraits render precise individuals in richly drawn scenes—the empathy radiates out. In “Houdini” she fully inhabits the gothic romance of lost love, conjuring the panic, grief, and hope of Harry Houdini’s wife Bess. Bush was taken by Houdini’s belief in the afterlife and Bess’s loyal attempts reach him through séances. Bush conjured the horrified sounds of witnessing a lover die by devouring chocolate and milk to temporarily ruin her voice. Bess was said to pass a key to unlock his bonds through a kiss, the inspiration for the cover art and a larger metaphor for the depth of trust Bush wants in love. We must need what’s in her mouth to survive, and we must get it through a passionate exchange among willing bodies.

In her borrowing further afield, her characters are less accurately rendered. This has been an unabashedly true part of Bush’s artistic imagination since The Kick Inside’s cover art, vaguely to downright problematic in its attempts to inhabit the worlds of Others. On “Pull Out the Pin” she uses the silver bullet as a totem of one’s protection against an enemy of supernatural evil. In this case, the hero is a Viet Cong fighter pausing before blowing up American soldiers who have no moral logic for their service. She’d watched a documentary that mentioned fighters put a silver Buddha into their mouths as they detonated a grenade, and in that she saw a dark mirror to key on the album cover. While the humanizing of such warriors in pop narrative is a brave act, it’s also possible to hear her thin arpeggiated synth percussion and outro cricket sounds as a part of an aural Orientalism that undermines that very attempt.

Then there’s “The Dreaming,” a parable of a real, historical, and contemporary group of Aboriginal people as timeless, noble savages in a tragically ruined Eden that lectures the center of empire about their (our) political and environmental violence. Bush narrates in a grotesquely exaggerated Australian accent over a thicket of exotic animal sounds, both holdovers from music hall and vaudeville’s racist “ethnic humor” tradition, a kind of distancing that suggests that settler Australians are somehow less civilized and thus more responsible for their white supremacist beliefs than the Empire that shipped them there in the first place. In telling this story in this way—without accurate depictions of people, and without credit, understanding, monetary remuneration, proper cultural context, or employment of indigenous musicians—she unfairly extracts cultural (and economic) value from Aboriginal suffering just as the characters in the song mine their land. As a rich text to meditate on colonial, racial, and sexual violence, it is actually quite useful—but not in the way Bush intended.

The closer “Get Out of My House” was inspired by two different maternal and isolation-madness horror texts: The Shining and Alien. In all three stories, a malevolent spirit wants to control a vessel. Bush does not let the spirit in, shouts “Get out!” and when it violates her demand, she becomes animal. Such shapeshifting is a master trope in Kate Bush’s songbook, an enduring way for her music and performance to blend elements of non-Western spirituality and European myth, turning mundane moments into Gothic horror. It’s also, unfortunately, the way that women without power can imagine escape. The mule who brays through the track’s end is a kind of female Houdini—a sorceress who can will her way out of violence not with language, but with real magic. At least it works in the world of her songs, a kingdom where queerly feminine excess is not policed, but nurtured into excellence” – BBC

Standout Tracks: Sat in Your Lap, Night of the Swallow, Get Out of My House

Key Cut: Houdini

TWO: Hounds of Love (1985)

Release Date: 16th September, 1985

Review:

“Kate Bush's strongest album to date also marked her breakthrough into the American charts, and yielded a set of dazzling videos as well as an enviable body of hits, spearheaded by "Running Up That Hill," her biggest single since "Wuthering Heights." Strangely enough, Hounds of Love was no less complicated in its structure, imagery, and extra-musical references (even lifting a line of dialogue from Jacques Tourneur's Curse of the Demon for the intro of the title song) than The Dreaming, which had been roundly criticized for being too ambitious and complex. But Hounds of Love was more carefully crafted as a pop record, and it abounded in memorable melodies and arrangements, the latter reflecting idioms ranging from orchestrated progressive pop to high-wattage traditional folk; and at the center of it all was Bush in the best album-length vocal performance of her career, extending her range and also drawing expressiveness from deep inside of herself, so much so that one almost feels as though he's eavesdropping at moments during "Running Up That Hill." Hounds of Love is actually a two-part album (the two sides of the original LP release being the now-lost natural dividing line), consisting of the suites "Hounds of Love" and "The Ninth Wave." The former is steeped in lyrical and sonic sensuality that tends to wash over the listener, while the latter is about the experiences of birth and rebirth. If this sounds like heady stuff, it could be, but Bush never lets the material get too far from its pop trappings and purpose. In some respects, this was also Bush's first fully realized album, done completely on her own terms, made entirely at her own 48-track home studio, to her schedule and preferences, and delivered whole to EMI as a finished work; that history is important, helping to explain the sheer presence of the album's most striking element -- the spirit of experimentation at every turn, in the little details of the sound. That vastly divergent grasp, from the minutiae of each song to the broad sweeping arc of the two suites, all heavily ornamented with layered instrumentation, makes this record wonderfully overpowering as a piece of pop music. Indeed, this reviewer hadn't had so much fun and such a challenge listening to a new album from the U.K. since Abbey Road, and it's pretty plain that Bush listened to (and learned from) a lot of the Beatles' output in her youth” – AllMusic

Standout Tracks: Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), Hounds of Love, Jig of Life

Key Cut: The Big Sky

SIX: The Whole Story (1986)

Release Date: 10th November, 1986

Review:

“The Whole Story takes the listener away on a musical ride through some of Bush’s most iconic moments from the beginning of her career. Hearing Bush’s early work in particular showcases the evolution of her wonderfully wavy vocals and wild imagination. From her softly sung piano ballad ‘The Man With The Child In His Eyes’, written at the age of just fourteen, to her spacey-orchestral experiment track ‘Wow’, taken from her second album Lionheart.

Bush uses The Whole Story to really showcase the formation of her now trademark quirkiness. With tracks like ‘Babushka’, (about a woman romantically fooling her husband) and the iconic pop anthem ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’, being flawless demonstrations of her ability to continually surprise listeners and push boundaries. Every track on The Whole Story shows the pure creativity and song-writing talent possessed by Bush – a skill heard in every one of her song’s piano notes and every drum beat.

Opening this compilation is the genius ‘Wuthering Heights’, which Bush remixed and re-recorded herself for this project. This remixing was done purely with the intent on giving the song a more mature sound, replacing Bush’s original vocals for the track when it was released in 1978, when Bush was just 19. This minor alteration in sound really does highlight the subtle change in vocal depth and resonance Bush developed in the eight years between the original track release to the polished and perfected iteration heard on The Whole Story.

Kate Bush creates magical worlds through her music, vocals and lyrics that has the fantastic ability to transport you away to a wondrous place where anything could happen. A place where Catherine and Heathcliff are together; a place where God will let you be another person to escape from the excruciating feeling of loving someone too much. The Whole Story is a vessel that ultimately transports the listener to the depths of Kate Bush’s imagination.

Kate Bush is not a singer, she is an artist. In fact, she is one of the most important artists of our time, and one that will continue to shape the music industry forever. Listening to The Whole Story is all the proof you need. 10/10” – Mancunion

Standout Tracks: The Man with the Child in His Eyes, Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), Experiment IV

Key Cut: Hounds of Love

ONE: The Sensual World (1989)

Release Date: 16th October, 1989

Review:

“The Sensual World is not a work of po-faced realism or post-Neverland dowdiness. Bush sings about falling in love with a computer, dressing up as a firework, and dancing with a dictator. She’s still in thrall to love, lust, loneliness, passion, pain, and pleasure. And she’s still fond of strange noises; listen closely to the title track and you might hear her brother, Paddy, swishing a fishing rod through the air.

But she’d never sounded more grounded than she did on these 10 songs, most of which are about regular people in regular messes, not disturbed governesses, paranoid Russian wives or terrified fetuses. It was, she said, her most honest, personal album, and its stories play out like intimate vignettes rather than fantastical fairy tales. Unlike the otherworldly synth-pop-prog she pioneered on 1985’s Hounds of Love, she used her beloved Fairlight CMI to produce lusher, mellow textures, complemented by the warm, earthy thrum of Irish folk instruments and the pretty violins and violas of England’s classical bad boy, Nigel Kennedy. Even the album’s artwork depicted a less playful, more serious Bush than the one who’d fondled Harry Houdini on 1982’s The Dreaming and cuddled dogs on Hounds of Love.

There’s no Hounds-style grand narrative thread on The Sensual World. Bush likened it to a volume of short stories, with its subjects frequently wrestling with who they were, who they are, and who they want to be. She was able to pour some of her own frustrations into these knotty tussles: She found it more difficult than ever to write songs, couldn’t work out what she wanted them to say, and hit roadblock after roadblock. The 12 months she spent pestering Joyce’s grandson were surpassed by the maddening two years she spent on “Love and Anger,” which, fittingly, finds her tormented by an old trauma she can’t bring herself to talk about. But by the end, she banishes the evil spirits by leading her band in something that sounds like a raucous exorcism, chanting, “Don’t ever think you can’t change the past and the future” over squalling guitars.

Even its most surreal songs are rooted in self-examination. “Heads We’re Dancing” seems like a dark joke—a young girl is charmed on to the dancefloor by a man she later learns is Adolf Hitler—but poses a troubling question: What does it say about you, if you couldn’t see through the devil’s disguise? Its discordant, skronky rhythms make it feel like a formal ball taking place in a fever dream, and Bush’s voice grows increasingly panicky as she realizes how badly she’s been duped. As far-fetched as its premise was, its inspiration lay close to home: A family friend had told Bush how shaken they’d been after they’d taken a shine to a dashing stranger at a dinner party, only to find out they’d been chatting to Robert Oppenheimer.

It’s more fanciful than most of The Sensual World’s little secrets. To hear someone recall formative childhood truths (the lush grandeur of “Reaching Out”) and lingering romantic pipedreams (the longing of “Never Be Mine”) is like being given a reel of their memory tapes and discovering what makes them tick. On “The Fog,” she’s paralyzed by fear until she remembers the childhood swimming lessons her father gave her, his voice cutting through the misty harps like an old ghost. Relationships on the album can be sticky and thorny. “Between a Man and a Woman” is half-dangerous and half-sultry, its snaking rhythms mirroring the round-in-circles squabbling of a couple. When a third party tries to interfere, they’re told to back off. This time, unlike on “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God),” there’s no point wishing for a helping hand from God.

But if there are no miracles, there are at least songs that sound like them. For “Rocket’s Tail,” Bush enlisted the help of Trio Bulgarka, who she fell in love with after hearing them on a tape Paddy gave her. The three Bulgarian women didn’t speak English and had no idea what they were singing about, but it didn’t matter. They sound more like mystics during its a capella first half, and when it eventually blows up into a glammy stomper with Dave Gilmour’s electric guitar caterwauling like a Catherine wheel, their vocals still come out on top: cackling like gleeful witches, whooping like they’re watching sparks explode in the night sky. Its weird, wonderful magic offered a simple message: Life is short, so enjoy moments of pleasure before they fizzle out.

Perhaps that’s why there are glimmers of hope even in the album’s most desperate circumstances. “Deeper Understanding” is a bleak sci-fi tale about a lonely person who turns to their computer for comfort, and in doing so isolates themselves even more. But while there’s an icy chill to the verses, Trio Bulgarka imbue the computer’s voice with golden warmth. Bush wanted it to sound like the “visitation of angels,” and hearing the chorus is like being wrapped in a celestial hug. She pulls off a similar trick on “This Woman’s Work,” which she wrote for John Hughes’ film She’s Having a Baby, although her vivid, devastating interpretation of its script has taken on a far greater life of its own. It captures a moment of crisis: a man about to be walloped with the sledgehammer of parental responsibilities, frozen by terror as he waits for his pregnant wife outside the delivery room, his brain a messy spiral of regrets and guilty thoughts. Yet Bush softens the song’s building panic attack with soft musical touches so it rushes and swirls like a dream, even as reality becomes a waking nightmare. “It’s the point where has to grow up,” said Bush. “He’d been such a wally.”

She didn’t need to prove her own steeliness to anyone, especially the male journalists who patronized her and harped on her childishness as a way of cutting her down to size. Instead, The Sensual World is the sound of someone deciding for themselves what growing up and grown-up pop should be, without being beholden to anyone else’s tedious definitions. It gave her a new template for the next two decades, inspiring both the smooth, stylish art-rock of 1993’s The Red Shoes and the picturesque beauty of 2005’s Aerial. Like Molly Bloom, Bush had set herself free into a world that wasn’t mundane, but alive with new, fertile possibility” – Pitchfork

Standout Tracks: The Sensual World, Never Be Mine, This Woman’s Work

Key Cut: The Fog

NINE: The Red Shoes (1993)

 Release Date: 1st November, 1993

Review:

“The most powerful moments on The Red Shoes are its most intimate and personal. ‘Moments Of Pleasure’ starts with piano so soft and gentle it feels like it might vanish if you breathe too hard, before it’s swept up in Michael Kamen’s elegantly soul-stirring orchestral arrangement. Bush’s voice goes through a similar transformation, too, growing from a gentle flutter to something stronger, which makes her heartfelt cry on the chorus sound like a defiant refusal to be swallowed by grief: “Just being alive/ It can really hurt/ And these moments/ Are a gift from time.” Its outro remembers some of Bush’s lost friends – including guitarist Alan Murphy, producer John Barrett and lighting director Bill Duffield – and plays out like the closing credits of an old-fashioned weepy. Even more devastating is an old conversation she recalls with her mother, Hannah, who was ill while Bush was writing the song and who passed away before the album was released. “I can hear my mother saying ‘Every old sock needs an old shoe,’” remembers Bush warmly. “Isn’t that a great saying?” It is, even if it sticks a tennis ball-sized lump in your throat.

There’s emotional heft on ‘Top Of The City’, too, which takes a similar premise to ‘And So Is Love’ but adds higher stakes: Bush sits up in the skies, looking down at the lonely city below and hoping to find an answer. “I don’t know if I’m closer to Heaven, but it looks like Hell down there,” she declares, caught between exhilaration, melancholy and desperation: the moments of quiet calm are both beautiful and unsettling, with eerie pockets of silence hanging between delicate piano notes, until there’s a big, dramatic burst of violins and celestial backing vocals. “I don’t know if you’ll love me for it,” she yells wildly, forcing the moment to its crisis. “But I don’t think we should suffer for this/ There’s just one thing we can do about it.”

As heart-rending as those two tracks are, the simplicity of The Red Shoes can be endearingly playful. In 2o11, Bush called the happy-go-lucky ‘Rubberband Girl’, with its twanging guitars and parping trombones and trumpets, a “silly pop song”: she’s right, and the reason it spreads so much contagious joy is because you can tell she and her band are having such a ball, especially when she wails “rub-a-dub-dub” and makes her voice wobble and vibrate like a boinging bungee cord. The calypso-flavoured ‘Eat The Music’, which features Malagasy musician Justin Vali on the valiha and the kabosy, is equally fun, as Bush puts a new spin on the idea of getting fruity with a lover. “Let’s split him open, like a pomegranate,” she chants. “Insides out/ All is revealed.” “I wanted it to feel joyous and sunny, both qualities are rife in Justin as a person,” said Bush, who met Vali through her brother Paddy. “I just had to provide the fruit.”

Hearing her equate emotional intimacy with scoffing mangoes and plums might suggest that The Red Shoes still has plenty of idiosyncrasies. There’s certainly something quintessentially Bushian about some of its songs, including the title cut, which soundtracks the fate of a girl who puts on a pair of red leather ballet shoes and dances a frantic Irish jig: it combines her fondness for Celtic sounds, old stories and classic film (The Red Shoes was written by Hans Christian Andersen and later adapted into a 1948 film directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the former of whom Bush salutes on ‘Moments Of Pleasure’), and her shrill, possessed vocal makes it sound like a feverish fairytale. The steamy ‘The Song Of Solomon’, meanwhile, mixes a literary text and desire in the same way that ‘The Sensual World’ let Ulysses’ Molly Boom step off the page and experience physical pleasure. This time, there was no-one stopping Bush lifting lines from her chosen book, the Hebrew Bible, although the erotic charge of the chorus is all hers: “Don’t want your bullshit, yeah/ Just want your sexuality.”

And if Bush has dabbled with the gothic and supernatural ever since ‘Wuthering Heights’, there’s more magick on the moody, witch-rock of ‘Lily’, a tribute to her friend and spiritual healer, Lily Cornford. “I said ‘Lily, oh Lily, I’m so afraid,’” trembles Bush. “I fear I am walking in the vale of darkness.” She banishes the evil spirits with fire and the help of four angels, although Gabriel, Raphael, Michael and Uriel couldn’t save The Line, The Cross And The Curve, the Bush-directed film-meets-visual-album which included videos for ‘Lily’ and five of the LP’s other songs. Inspired by Powell’s original movie, the singer is tricked by Miranda Richardson into wearing the cursed ballet slippers, and must free herself from the curse under the tutelage of Lindsay Kemp. It was, Bush later claimed, a “load of old bollocks”.

It’s easy enough to find the common thread running through The Red Shoes: time and time again she returns to being brave, to being strong, to being open, to having to decide between holding on or letting go, and still trusting you’ll come out OK on the other side. There is, admittedly, less of a sonic coherence, especially in its latter stages. ‘Constellation Of The Heart’ is a colourful swirl of funky guitars, organs and saxophone, while ‘Big Stripey Lie’ is built upon Nigel Kennedy’s gorgeous violin but is undercut by bitty guitars and discordant squiggles of noise, its scorched beauty hinting at violent chaos as Bush frets: “Oh my god, it’s a jungle in here.”

That’s then followed by the absurdity of ‘Why Should I Love You?’ Bush had originally asked Prince to record backing vocals for the track, but he decided to take it apart and add guitars, keyboards and brass, too. Conventional wisdom is that great collaborations are the result of a shared vision, but ‘Why Should I Love You?’ is great even though there’s absolutely no shared vision whatsoever: for the first 60-odd seconds it’s built around Bush’s hushed vocal, until Prince’s huge rush of ecstatic, kaleidoscopic sound steamrolls everything in its path. It’s less the meeting of two minds and more the smashing together of two completely different styles, the most special of cut-and-shunt hybrids. (And somewhere, among all the hullabaloo, you’ll also hear backing vocals from Lenny Henry).

There’s another cameo on the closing song, the fantastically histrionic breakup ballad ‘You’re The One’, on which Jeff Beck’s dizzying, drawn-out guitar solo pushes Bush to an exhausting catharsis. Like so much of The Red Shoes, it finds her preparing to leave a lover to save herself, although this time she’s less bullish, more prone to tying herself in knots. “I’m going to stay with my friend/ Mmm, yes, he’s very good-looking,” she admits. “The only trouble is, he’s not you.” By the song’s end, she’s so frazzled by frustration and anguish that she lets rip a larynx-tearing shriek: “Just forget it, alright!” Bush, who had spoken of feeling emotionally burnt-out years before the album was released, was ready to withdraw, too: she vanished for 12 years until Aerial, and then went on hiatus for another six before returning with Director’s Cut. “I think there’s always a long, lingering dissatisfaction with everything I’ve done,” she said in 2011, glad to have the chance to right some of the wrongs that had been bothering her for 20-odd years. For me, though, the original album has always been enough: it might have its flaws, and there might be a handsome alternative, but just like Bush on ‘You’re The One’, I still want to keep going back” – The Quietus

Standout Tracks: Eat the Music, Moments of Pleasure, The Red Shoes

Key Cut: Rubberband Girl

ELEVEN: Aerial (2005)

Release Date: 7th November, 2005

Review:

“These days, record companies try to make every new album seem like a matter of unparalleled cultural import. The most inconsequential artists require confidentiality agreements to be faxed to journalists, the lowliest release must be delivered by hand. So it's hard not to be impressed by an album that carries a genuine sense of occasion. That's not to say EMI - which earlier this year transformed the ostensibly simple process of handing critics the Coldplay album into something resembling a particularly Byzantine episode of Spooks - haven't really pushed the boat out for Kate Bush's return after a 12-year absence. They employed a security man specifically for the purpose of staring at you while you listened to her new album. But even without his disconcerting presence, Aerial would seem like an event.

In the gap since 1993's so-so The Red Shoes, the Kate Bush myth that began fomenting when she first appeared on Top of the Pops, waving her arms and shrilly announcing that Cath-ee had come home-uh, grew to quite staggering proportions. She was variously reported to have gone bonkers, become a recluse and offered her record company some home-made biscuits instead of a new album. In reality, she seems to have been doing nothing more peculiar than bringing up a son, moving house and watching while people made up nutty stories about her.

Aerial contains a song called How to Be Invisible. It features a spell for a chorus, precisely what you would expect from the batty Kate Bush of popular myth. The spell, however, gently mocks her more obsessive fans while espousing a life of domestic contentment: "Hem of anorak, stem of wallflower, hair of doormat."

Domestic contentment runs through Aerial's 90-minute duration. Recent Bush albums have been filled with songs in which the extraordinary happened: people snogged Hitler, or were arrested for building machines that controlled the weather. Aerial, however, is packed with songs that make commonplace events sound extraordinary. It calls upon Renaissance musicians to serenade her son. Viols are bowed, arcane stringed instruments plucked, Bush sings beatifically of smiles and kisses and "luvv-er-ly Bertie". You can't help feeling that this song is going to cause a lot of door slamming and shouts of "oh-God-mum-you're-so-embarrassing" when Bertie reaches the less luvv-er-ly age of 15, but it's still delightful.

The second CD is devoted to a concept piece called A Sky of Honey in which virtually nothing happens, albeit very beautifully, with delicious string arrangements, hymnal piano chords, joyous choruses and bursts of flamenco guitar: the sun comes up, birds sing, Bush watches a pavement artist at work, it rains, Bush has a moonlight swim and watches the sun come up again. The pavement artist is played by Rolf Harris. This casting demonstrates Bush's admirable disregard for accepted notions of cool, but it's tough on anyone who grew up watching him daubing away on Rolf's Cartoon Club. "A little bit lighter there, maybe with some accents," he mutters. You keep expecting him to ask if you can guess what it is yet.

Domestic contentment even gets into the staple Bush topic of sex. Ever since her debut, The Kick Inside, with its lyrics about incest and "sticky love", Bush has given good filth: striking, often disturbing songs that, excitingly, suggest a wildly inventive approach to having it off. Here, on the lovely and moving piano ballad Mrs Bartolozzi, she turns watching a washing machine into a thing of quivering erotic wonder. "My blouse wrapping around your trousers," she sings. "Oh, and the waves are going out/ my skirt floating up around my waist." Laundry day in the Bush household must be an absolute hoot.

Aerial sounds like an album made in isolation. On the down side, that means some of it seems dated. You can't help feeling she might have thought twice about the lumpy funk of Joanni and the preponderance of fretless bass if she got out a bit more. But, on the plus side, it also means Aerial is literally incomparable. You catch a faint whiff of Pink Floyd and her old mentor Dave Gilmour on the title track, but otherwise it sounds like nothing other than Bush's own back catalogue. It is filled with things only Kate Bush would do. Some of them you rather wish she wouldn't, including imitating bird calls and doing funny voices: King of the Mountain features a passable impersonation of its subject, Elvis, which is at least less disastrous than the strewth-cobber Aussie accent she adopted on 1982's The Dreaming. But then, daring to walk the line between the sublime and the demented is the point of Kate Bush's entire oeuvre. On Aerial she achieves far, far more of the former than the latter. When she does, there is nothing you can do but willingly succumb” – The Guardian

Standout Tracks: How to Be Invisible, A Coral Room, Aerial

Key Cut: Mrs Bartolozzi

EIGHT: Director’s Cut (2011)

Release Date: 16th May, 2011

Review:

“Kate Bush has earned the privilege of working in geological time. She was once a pop star who turned out landmark releases relatively quickly, but now, aeons pass between releases.

Six years have gone since Aerial, her last, double album; before that, 12 years went by with barely an aerated hiccup. Bush makes you wait, and nothing is more tantalising in an age of instant-everything-on-demand than not hearing from an adored artist. Bush has not toured since 1979, an artistic quirk that has some bearing on Director's Cut.

One further reason the reclusive 52-year-old mum-of-one is a rare nightingale among starlings is that she is a fully paid-up geek – inhabiter of her own home studio, early adopter of all sorts of recording technology, and au fait with the intimidating gizmos that keep most artists enslaved to producers. She might have caught the public's eye in the late 70s as a wild-eyed warbler in a leotard, and cemented her reputation in the 80s as an arch-sensualist, but Bush is a girl who knows her way around gear.

Only a nerd of the deepest hue would bother to painstakingly transpose her 1993 album, The Red Shoes, from its digitally produced final cut into analogue tracks, held by many audiophiles to be "warmer"-sounding. This is precisely what Bush has done on Director's Cut. The album takes great swathes of The Red Shoes and choice cuts from its predecessor, 1989's The Sensual World, and reworks them, sometimes with subtlety, and sometimes with daring.

The most high-profile edit concerns the title track of The Sensual World. Bush originally intended to use Molly Bloom's climactic speech from James Joyce's Ulysses as her lyric, but Joyce's estate denied her the privilege. With that decision reversed, the resulting track – now retitled "Flower of the Mountain" – is a fascinating restoration.

Bush has seriously messed with "Deeper Understanding" as well, a track whose prescience about the siren's call of the internet is shivery. The computer gets a bigger voice – Bush's 12-year-old son, Bertie – and a dose of Auto-Tune, the vocal effect of choice of 21st-century R&B. It will make you smile. So will Bush cutting loose on "Lily".

Throughout, Bush's youthful gasps have gone, replaced by the purr of an older woman. What the songs have lost in urgency they have gained in calm, not always for the better. One of Bush's most sacred texts, "This Woman's Work", will be Bush's most controversial reinterpretation. It's bare, orchestrated with bell-like keys and a little thrum that pans between headphones so as to make you dizzy. Her new vocal is magical, but where once the whole track reverberated with emotion, there is now a wafty ambient tonality reminiscent of new age treatment rooms.

Director's Cut finds Bush satisfying her own internal urge to mend rather than make do. And while most of us may find such obsessive revisionism baffling, it still makes for a beguiling album. You can't help but wonder though: had Bush worked over her old songs in live shows rather than in the studio, might we have had a new album by now?” – The Guardian

Standout Tracks: Lily, This Woman’s Work, And So Is Love

Key Cut: Top of the City

TWELVE: 50 Words for Snow (2011)

Release Date: 21st November, 2011

Review:

“So yeah: maybe when Kate Bush said the 12 year gap between The Red Shoes and Aerial was down to her wanting to work on being a mum for a while – and not because she’d had a mental breakdown/become morbidly obese/was a dope fiend/sundy other conspiracy theories that flew around – she was, y’know, telling the truth. Here, six years after Aerial and just six months after Director’s Cut comes 50 Words for Snow. It’s Bush’s third album since 2005, which technically puts her up on The Strokes, The Shins or Modest Mouse.

And jolly spectacular it is too, which is never a guarantee: Aerial was a masterpiece; The Red Shoes, The Sensual World and the diversionary Director’s Cut were not. Bush has always been best at her most focussed, and here she delves monomaniacally into snow and the winter – its mythology, its romance, its darkness, its rhythmic frenzy and glacial creep. 50 Words for Snow is artic and hoare frost and robin red breast, sleepy snowscapes and death on the mountain, drifts in the Home Counties and gales through Alaska.

But it is mostly, I think, a record about how the fleeting elusiveness of snow mirrors that of love; and if I’m off the mark there, then certainly as a work of music one can view it as a sort of frozen negative to Aerial’s A Sky of Honey, the transcendent 42 minute suite about a summer’s day that took up the album’s second half. Whatever the case, 50 Words...demands to be listened to as a whole: the days of Bush as a singles-orientated artist are long gone on a long, sometimes difficult record on which the shortest track clocks in at a shade under seven minutes.

The first three songs clock in at over half an hour and comprise the starkest, most difficult and in some ways most beautiful passage of music in Bush’s career. Based on minimal, faltering piano and great yawning chasms of silence, these tracks mirror the eerie calm of soft, implacable snowfall and winter's dark. On the opening ‘Snowflake’ she shares vocal duties with her young son Albert, whose pure falsetto blends into her lower register. Vaguely suggestive of carol singing, his tones are also clear and elemental, without the shackles of adult emotion as he keens “I am ice and dust and light. I am sky and here.” over his mother’s spare, hard keys. ‘Lake Tahoe’ is the real challenge here: a crawling ghost story about a drowned woman, gilded with cold choral washes, its diamond keys crystallize into being a note at a time. Its 11 minutes are roughly as far away from ‘Babooshka’ as it’s possible to get. Yet as Steve Gadd’s soft, jazzy drums gather in pace and intricacy, life and movement enters this crepsular musical tundra, the album’s low key opening sequence swelling to a soft crescendo with final part ‘Misty’. A bleakly sensual love story that, er, appears to be about a doomed affair with a snowman, it’s somewhat reminiscent of Spirit of Eden-era Talk Talk as its 13-minute expanse periodically blooms into gorgeously tangled blossoms of bucolic guitar.

Single ‘Wild Man’ sees a shift in gear – springy, exotic electronics, a sprightlier pace and a sense of playfulness as a husky-voiced Bush trades the last song’s impossible man for another as she dreams about the possibility of a yeti. Describing a Kate Bush track without making it sound silly can be rather trying – this is a woman whose past triumphs include several songs featuring Rolf Harris – but I guess ‘Wild Man’ works as lush, sensual dream of the possibility of the things that might existing outside humdrum human experience. It’s not just about the yeti, but the impossibly exotic place names she mutters in her verbal quest for the creature – “Kangchenjunga… Metoh-Kangmi… Lhakpa-La… Dipu Marak… Darjeeling… Tengboche… Qinghai… Himachal Pradesh” – and the vertiginously thrilling change of gear as heavily distorted guest Andy Fairweather Low roars a near indecipherable chorus. It’s also about Bush’s formidable production skills, her precise, nagging synths and total mastery of studio as instrument.

Those synths imbue ‘Snowed in at Wheeler Street’ with a sense of frazzled foreboding that negates the potential cheesiness of Elton John’s throaty turn on a duet that casts him and Bush as a pair of lovers spread across time, doomed to separate at key points in history, wishing that could return to one mundane, snow bound day spent together. And a bed of electronics whip up a quietly hypnotic tumult on the astonishing title song. Here – and again Kate Bush songs can be a job to not make sound ridiculous – Bush counts to 50 in a hushed monotone as Stephen Fry (oh yes) recites a list of names for snow, real and imagined: “blackbird braille… stella tundra… vanilla swarm… avalanche”, occasionally punctured by an eerily muted chorus in which Bush frenzied urges him to continue the list. On the one hand, it continues ‘Wild Man’s revelry in the intoxicating power of human language. On the other, it’s the album’s least human track, its churning, chiming electronics and alien words mirroring the quiet chaos and leaden intensity of a snowstorm, its final minutes a headlong descent into oblivion and whiteout. It is astonishing, immense, bizarre and perfectly realized: only Kate Bush could conceive of this song, and nobody else will make anything like it again.

As the cooing over Director’s Cut demonstrated, even Bush on diversionary form is enough to tease gushy spurts of adjectives from the soberest of souls; hitting a true peak again, there is the temptation to drone on about how important she is, how she dwarfs most of her peers artistically, let alone the braying yahs and rahs of today who cite her as an influence. But let’s keep it in perspective: in the 26 years since Hounds of Love, Aerial and 50 Words for Snow have been her only truly fully realised albums. Kate Bush is more than fallible; but at peak she is incomparable. 9” – Drowned in Sound

Standout Tracks: Snowflake, Wild Man, Among Angels

Key Cut: Misty

SEVEN: Before the Dawn (2016)

Release Date: 25th November, 2016

Review:

“Some of the shows were filmed, but so far there has been no word of a DVD or cinematic release. Perhaps the rigours of transferring stage magic to screen gold proved too exacting. Instead, after a cooling-off period of two years, Before The Dawn is presented as a purely musical experience. Released as download, triple-CD and quadruple vinyl, this live album documents the entire show, in sequence. For those invested in the historic drama surrounding Bush’s return to live performance, it’s a godsend. For those less committed souls, it may present some challenges.

You could certainly spend time grumbling about what this album *isn’t*. It’s definitively not Kate Bush exploring all corners of her criminally underperformed catalogue. Nothing here pre-dates 1985, and the vast majority of the 27 songs are taken from just two albums: Hounds Of Love and Aerial, alongside one each from The Sensual World and 50 Words For Snow, and two from The Red Shoes. A new song, “Tawny Moon”, is slotted into A Sky Of Honey, and it’s good, a churning, mechanical piece of modern blues, sung gamely by Bush’s teenage son Bertie McIntosh.

Rather than present one full show in its entirety, Bush has chosen to stitch together performances from throughout the run. This allows for the inclusion of a wonderful rehearsal version of “Never Be Mine”, a piece of pastoral ECM restored to the running order after being dropped at the eleventh hour. It appears during Act One, the part of Before The Dawn which most resembles a conventional concert. This is the opening seven-song sequence where Bush ticks off some hits and performs them straight.

The rolling rhythm and quicksilver synthetic pulse of “Running Up That Hill” is beautifully realised, while a rapturous “Hounds Of Love” locates the taut, wolverine snap of the original. She toys with the chorus melody, throwing in a Turner-esque entreaty to “tie me to the mast”, a measured tinkering in keeping with the prevailing musical sensibility. Bush, the ultimate studio artist, opts for faithful reproductions of her oeuvre with just a few twists. Nothing has been re-recorded or overdubbed; presumably there was no need. The band of stellar sessionmen are supple, empathetic and meticulous, as is the Chorus of supporting actors and singers recruited mainly from musical theatre. Among their ranks young Bertie, only 16 at the time, does a remarkably proficient job.

Bush’s voice remains a wonder. These days it’s deeper and huskier, cross-hatched with bluesy ululations and soulful stylings. On the opening “Lily”, she sings like a lioness, drawing sparks from the words “fire” and “darkness” over a thick, plush groove. During a terrifically showbizzy “Top Of The City”, she rises from a serene whisper to a banshee howl. Riding the chimeric reggae of “King Of The Mountain” she transitions from sensuous earth mother to lowering Prospero, summoning the tempest during the tumultuous, drum-heavy, propulsive climax.

This is a key moment in Before The Dawn, a hinge between the straight gig and the theatrics which follow. From now on, listening to the album is sometimes akin to hearing the soundtrack to a film being screened in another room. Act Two, The Ninth Wave, is particularly tricky in this regard. The conceptual suite about a woman lost at sea after a ship sinks lends itself to a sustained visual experience, but has to work harder on record. At Hammersmith, “Hello Earth” was staggeringly operatic, as dramatic and contemporary as any modern staging of The Ring or Parsifal. Here, it is merely – *merely* – a magnificent piece of music.

The encores wheel back to the show’s no-concept beginnings. She sings “Among Angels” alone at the piano. Almost unspeakably intimate, it’s a timely reminder that, for all the theatrics, if Bush were ‘just’ a singer she would still be utterly remarkable. This is followed by a celebratory “Cloudbusting” – another of her classics which you suddenly realise you’ve never heard performed live, whether by Bush or anybody else – which sounds like the best kind of circus music. Long and loose, it’s a musical smile, “like the sun coming out”. And then it’s over.

At the start of Before The Dawn, after the rousing crowd response to “Lily”, Bush chirps, “Oh thank you, what a lovely welcome!” She says little else until the end of “Cloudbusting” when, clearly moved, she exclaims, “Oh my God! What a beautiful sight! Look at you all, I will always remember this.” Above all else, the album seems to seek to honour that sentiment, a physical testament to an extraordinary shared moment between artist and audience.

There may be an argument for excising the dramatic interludes, and perhaps even a handful of songs, in favour of something leaner and more sculpted. But that would be to bind Bush to the conventions she has spent an entire career challenging, and to misunderstand the ambition and intention behind Before The Dawn. What we have instead is an exhaustive audio souvenir of a momentous event, simply to remind us – and perhaps Bush, too – that it really did happen after all” – The Guardian

Standout Tracks: Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), Hello Earth, Nocturn

Key Cut: And Dream of Sheep

FEATURE: Spotlight: Jessy Blakemore

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

  

Jessy Blakemore

__________

I will start out with…

an interview from the BBC from June last year. They spoke with Jessy Blakemore about her music and why she is an artist to look out for. A wonderful talent who wants her music to convey the vulnerability she felt recording out of her bedroom in Reading, there is an intimacy and sense of emotional trust in the music. What I mean is that she opens up her heart and trusts the listener to let her in to their life. To take the music fully into their hearts. I think that Blakemore is an artist with a long career ahead of her. Last year, she released her debut E.P., if you need me, I’m a few missed calls away. It is a great title (though the cover is not as inventive as it could be given that title) that beckons you in to an album with no filler. A wonderful E.P. that everyone should heart:

“Her debut single burna is the first sign that she has captured the realness she was aiming for, something "super stripped-back, super honest, and super raw".

The up and coming alt-pop artist is signed to record label Black Butter Records, who helped bring artists like Rudimental, Gorgon City, and J Hus to public awareness.

Blakemore first drew attention to her own talent via TikTok and Instagram clips of her typically stripped-down performances - her Kendrick Lamar and Shiloh Dynasty covers have so far been viewed more than a million times each.

She recently took her own songs to a larger stage, such as supporting SZA at BST Hyde Park, external, and appearing at The Great Escape and Cross The Tracks festivals.

Surreal experiences have stacked up as the momentum has ramped up - after one gig actor and musician Idris Elba said her performance was like "watching magic", and her face has appeared on digital billboards in London.

"I could not believe it - like wow, what a compliment, it was insane," Blakemore says of Elba's declaration, while the billboard was "so bizarre" but made her feel "super proud".

She adds: "I'm trying to turn my nerves into excitement... it's a super scary thing.

"I've never released music before. I'm just trying to roll with it, take it all in my stride."

Blakemore counts Frank Ocean, Amy Winehouse, and Bon Iver among her influences.

She loves Lauryn Hill too, particularly her 2001 MTV Unplugged performance, external, divisive upon release but largely since re-appraised as intimately capturing an artist baring her soul.

"I've honestly watched and listened to that Unplugged so many times," Blakemore says.

"I just think it's really nice to invite people into your world, into your space, into your mind."

How does she find that process herself?

"It's something I've had to learn to do, especially with performing.

"It's very easy to be vulnerable in your own space, when you write a song in your own room, but taking it to a stage and performing it is so different."

Blakemore's single burna explores infidelity from a male perspective, a songwriting decision she says "opened up this whole new world", but she constantly draws inspiration from those around her.

"I love whenever I'm on the train or on the bus. I'm always so nosey, listening to other people, because people sometimes say the most poetic and profound things in their daily lives," she explains”.

There are a few more interviews that I want to get to. In terms of videos of Jessy Blakemore’s music, we have live versions. Her album E.P. tracks are on YouTube, though I could not find any official music videos. I hope that some do appear soon. Blakemore has been tipped for success by a few sites. CLASH included her as one of the twenty-six artists they tipped for success this year: “Jessy Blakemore’s music feels like a secret we all have but don’t want to share. One of the UK’s most exciting young acts, Blakemore saw a steady rise in 2025, first garnering attention for her raw storytelling and sonic poems on social media. Since then, she’s released several singles and an album, leading with soft production scapes and vocals to die for. Her smooth melodies and stripped back rhythmics feel innately intuitive and intimate, telling stories of love, loss, and becoming. Orbiting between the sonic homes of R&B and pop, Blakemore inhabits the spaces in between seamlessly”.

New Wave Mag spoke with Jessy Blakemore last year. This is an artist who is authentically raw and open. Someone you feel would be happy to make music in her bedroom and release that to the world. Maybe that is why live videos are up rather than single videos. It shows the purity and bones of the song, rather than distract us with visuals and big sets/scenes. I do feel like Blakemore will put out music decades from now:

“Of British and Zimbabwean heritage, Jessy speaks candidly about belonging and the evolution of it. She said “Culturally, I’m very British. I don’t have the biggest cultural connection to Zimbabwe, which I’m sad about,” yet she sees this as an ongoing process of growth. “It’s kind of like discovering for the first time… that part of the journey feeds into the creativity", she added.

That feeling of expanding self-identity and embracing different aspects is something she carries with quiet confidence and openness. “You always feel like there’s this feeling of being out of place, maybe,” she reflects, “there’s things about British culture that I don’t agree with, and there’s stuff that doesn’t really agree with me.”

This honest exploration will only take Jessy to further heights, sonically and personally. Firmly based in Reading, the town she proudly claims and where she has lived her "whole life”, Jessy has so far resisted the pressure to relocate and values the significance of diverse voices in the industry.

“London isn’t the centre of the world,” she affirms, “I’m proud of where I come from.” One day, she hopes to flip the narrative, with her own studio set-up and building networks both in and outside the capital, “I want to be like, ‘Yes, you can travel to me.’”

Jessy’s musical references span generations and genres. Growing up, her dad played blues and jazz, while her childhood soundtrack included early-2000s indie and alternative pop. “I loved Arctic Monkeys and The Kooks so much,” she says, smiling. But one influence remains central: “Lauryn Hill’s MTV Unplugged is a massive reference for me… just how emotional and raw it is. That’s always something I want to capture.”

With that inspiration, Jessy’s music is intentionally stripped back; “It’s super guitar-heavy, super vocal-heavy, no drums.” When someone once described her sound as “hood folk,” it kind of stuck. “The folk part is the guitar,” she explains, “and what I’m singing about is kind of standard R&B stuff. So maybe that’s the hood.”

Her current playlist includes Svn4vr, Sade and Mk.gee, reflecting her love for timeless and emotionally rich genre-bending sounds. Evoking chromesthesia, Jessy’s songs exist across the senses; “Especially this project (if you need me, i'm a few miss calls away), the songs feel kind of dark blue or purple to me,” she says, “moody, sad girl stuff. Alternative R&B that’s indie-leaning.”

Jessy’s songwriting often begins with listening to the world around her. “I’m so nosy,” she laughs, “I travel into London a lot, so I’m on public transport all the time, just listening to people talk.” These moments stick. “Sometimes people say really profound stuff in everyday conversation, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that’s a lyric.’” She pulls inspiration from many forms: “I love reading. If you’re going to be a writer, you have to read.” 

She has a love for drawing and painting, even if time has made those practices harder: “It’s something I really want to get back into.” When it comes to writing, Jessy admits some subjects come easier than others, “It’s always easier to write songs about love and heartbreak, it’s more immediate.” But lately, she’s been pushing herself further, with some songs taking longer to surface.

“For my next project, I’ve been writing more about identity, what it’s like to be a woman, a woman of colour in the UK, and police brutality,” she says, “but they’re harder to write. They’re harder to get out than a love song.” Deeper levels of vulnerability come naturally when she’s alone; “I write basically on my own in my room 99% of the time. Showing demos or being on stage, that’s the harder part.” Still, she believes sincerity creates connection, “If you’re really honest, people lean into that. They give back.”

Staying authentic hasn’t always been a straightforward journey, admitting, “That’s something I’ve really struggled with this past year.” After working in multiple sessions with different producers, something didn’t feel right.

Jessy reflects, “I wasn’t present. I wasn’t writing anything that felt authentic,” so she paused, “I had to ask myself, ‘What do I actually want? What do I want to represent?’” Now, her process is more inward-facing.

“If it feels wrong in your gut, it’s probably not right.” She’s learned to value collaboration rooted in respect. “It’s always great when people credit you properly,” she says, “I’ve had people take my stuff without asking and put it out, it’s really rubbish.” What matters most is alignment and mutual understanding; “People who really love the music and care about it, that’s everything.”

Recently supporting Naomi Sharon on her Autumn/Winter The Only Love We Know 2025 tour marked a shift in how Jessy views herself as a performer. “It was honestly life-changing, but getting the budget together really felt impossible.” But once on the road, something clicked, “I just felt so confident… I felt like I had nothing to lose.” Overcoming pangs of performance anxiety, the experience changed Jessy’s relationship with the stage, “I’ve always hated performing,” she openly admits, “but that tour made me think, ‘Oh… this is kind of fun.’”

Treasuring the experience, Jessy continued, smile beaming, “Just being around women who were all just really good at what they do- so inspiring. And learning to stay positive.” Moments of connection with her audience and listeners continue to inspire, drive and ground her. One message, in particular, stayed with her, “Someone messaged me after the Paris show,” she recalls, “they’d just found out their partner had been unfaithful. They were listening to my song in that moment.” It was a sobering realisation, “I was like, ‘Wow, this is actually real and connecting for people.’”

Looking ahead, Jessy’s goals are rooted in longevity, not hype, sharing, “I want people to be listening to my songs in like 50 years and be like, ‘That’s beautifully written.’” She dreams of leaving a quiet but meaningful mark, “To have a stamp in time on British music, that would be really cool”.

FADER spent time with Jessy Blakemore in November. She shared exclusive photos from her tour and discussed the best song to play live and her best show of 2025. If this is a singer whose voice is meant to be famous, I hope that she does not get too famous, as it puts a lot of pressure on an artist and can be damaging. However, given the quality of her music, there is no way Blakemore will be able to remain completely under the radar:

“Describe the first show you ever went to.

The first show I ever went to was a Leona Lewis concert when I was in year 5. I was obsessed with her while she was on the X Factor and watched every weekend with my mum and sister.

I got picked up early from my school in Reading to travel into London with my school friend. I'd never been to a concert in a big arena like the O2 before so everything was big and new and extremely loud. We were up in the nosebleeds and I couldn’t even see her but I couldn’t stop screaming lol. "Bleeding Love" had to be my most played song of all time between the ages of 6-10.

What’s a motto that you think everyone should live by?

Be kind and always try to be a better person !!!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

What you bury, grows.

What’s your favorite song to play live right now and why?

My fave released song to play live is "shiloh type beat" just because lots of people know the words. It kind of gives me a breather whilst on stage and is nice to share a more lucid moment with the crowd and let them lead the direction of the song.

I’ve been trying out some unreleased songs that’ll be on my next EP, there’s one called "Altitude" that I played with my band at my headline show. It’s a kind of moody Sade/Mk.gee-type track, I really can’t wait for it to be recorded.

Describe the best show you’ve played this year so far.

Best show so far this year had to be my first-ever headline show. Was the first time I’d played with a full band and they were amazing, it brought my acoustic songs to life in a new way. The tickets also sold out in under a week which I did not expect! I wasn’t super happy with my vocal performance, but learnt soooo much about managing nerves and what to expect from more important shows.

What was the last creative idea you had that made you ask, "Can we do that?"

Not directly creative, but trying to get on the road to support Naomi Sharon on her EU tour. Finding the support to get on the road requires creative solutions and crazy budgeting skills (more than I imagined). Shout out my team for making it all possible”.

Playing Dot to Dot Festival 2026 later in the year, I do hope that there are more dates. Jessy Blakemore’s debut E.P., if you need me , I’m a few missed call away, is incredible. Even if her voice is the central focus and perhaps her strongest asset, I feel her songwriting and lyrics are as important and memorable. The rest of this year is going to be memorable for sure, though Blakemore’s best days lay ahead. She is here for longevity and not to be famous or a viral artist. Given the incredible standard of her music, she is going to be releasing brilliance…

FOR decades more.

_________

Follow Jessy Blakemore

FEATURE: Spotlight: Elizabeth Nichols

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

  

Elizabeth Nichols

__________

THIS is an artist…

that I am quite new to. However, Elizabeth Nicols is someone who I am determined to find out more about. With a debut album coming soon, I think it is a perfect time to shine a light on this Kentucky artist. Last year saw the release of her Tough Love E.P. I really love it, and she has this sound which is instantly impactful and memorable. An artist that is so distinct and compelling, I am exploring some recent interviews with her. However, just before moving to those, I thought I would drop in some biography from her official website. This is someone who I would urge everyone to check out:

“Elizabeth Nichols is a singer-songwriter hailing from Kentucky whose online presence has captivated fans with its blend of relatable storytelling and raw authenticity. At the young age of twenty-two, her lyrics explore commentary on everything from small-town life to current cultural trends. This ability to find universality in the specific has resonated with her audience, creating a sense that she's speaking directly to them. After spending much of her formative years in Kentucky and Oklahoma, Elizabeth is now based in Nashville where she is working with some of Music City's top talent on her debut album”.

I know that Elizabeth Nicols is a major Olivia Rodrigo fan. I do hope that they get to collaborate at some point. I really love her music and am glad that she is coming to the U.K. next month for gigs here. Her gig at The Garage in London is one that I might get along to. She is among this wave of incredible and hugely talented Country artists reshaping the scene.

The Tennessean spoke with Elizabeth Nicols around the release of her E.P., Tough Love. If you are looking for an artist who stands out dream the pack and has the talent and passion to remain in the music industry for years to come, then you should follow her. There is no doubt that Elizbeth Nicols is a very special artist:

“Elizabeth Nichols, 22, is part of a rising wave of young female singer-songwriters reshaping Nashville’s country music scene.

A Louisville native with a flair for bold style — think white peasant dress, square-toed blood-red boots, and a silver miniature Colt .45 — Nichols is making a striking entrance with her debut EP, Tough Love, released June 20.

Nichols’ sound draws more from gospel than traditional country music. Her vocal influences include Marvin Sapp and CeCe Winans, while her country inspirations lean toward Miranda Lambert’s haunting rendition of “Tin Man” and Kacey Musgraves’ "Pageant Material" and "Golden Hour" albums. This blend gives her music a soulful depth that sets her apart.

In Nashville, she’s currently working on tracks like “I Got A New One” and “Somebody Cooked Here,” exploring how Dolly Parton’s early catalog benefited from gospel-infused production. Nichols is especially passionate about harmonies, often layering multiple vocal takes to create a rich, textured sound.

Nichols said that her songs hit so hard because she condenses the process of developing a beginning, conflict, climax, cliffhanger and denouement of an epic novel's arc into three minutes of a song.

"Bible Belt" is a personal, story-driven song that feels like Kacey Musgraves' "Biscuits" in its banjo-driven rootsiness.

"My father texts it to his pastor friends and jokes, 'this song is about you, you dirty, no good, son of a gun.' These stories are relatable because they reflect what they see (from the pulpit) when observing their congregations."

In June, the virally popular "I Got A New One" — a song about toxic ex-boyfriends — was covered, “Kellyoke"-style, by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson on "The Kelly Clarkson Show."

The song's popularity has also attracted supporters, including Oklahoma-born rising country star Wyatt Flores, who has had her on the road not just as his opening act, but also to play her first and second professional live performances ever.

"I went from shaking like a leaf and feeling like it was a trainwreck to feeling no nerves or stress and hearing the people sing my songs back to me," Nichols said, highlighting how quickly she focused on the opportunity Flores had provided her.

"My songs reflect the full spectrum of my journey to this point," Nichols said, reflecting on what two solid years of honing her craft as a singer-songwriter have yielded her.

"I prayed about finding my purpose in life and in the last year, I've found it," Nichols said, regarding her whirlwind evolution”.

There are a couple of other interviews I want to include before wrapping up. I will come to The Honey Pop. Speaking with her last August around the release of her track, I Got a New One, Elizabeth Nicols also talked about her new music and appearing on Kelly Clarkson’s talk show. When you hear and read interviews with her, she comes across as so endearing and genuine. One of these artist you know is going to be huge:

“Hi Elizabeth! Thank you so much for chatting with us! To start us off, how would you describe your music to someone who is tuning in for the first time? 
I’d say probably clever and honest. Those are two elements that I see in all my favorite songs. I try to balance the two. I don’t want to be too clever that I’m not honest, or too straightforward that it kills the clever.

‘Tough Love’ is officially out! This acts as your debut multi-track project! What emotions have been going through your head as these seven tracks now live out in the world?
I am so grateful. If you had told me one year ago that this is where I would be, I would have never believed you. The idea that some group of girls in another state is in the car with their friends, singing one of my songs, is the most surreal part of it all. Music is such a beautiful part of life, and I am honored to be given the opportunity to make it.

We know that ‘Ain’t Country’ was your first jump into writing a country track. What changes about the songwriting process when you’re writing with a genre in mind? 
I was about 10 years old the last time I had written any kind of song, so ‘Ain’t Country’ was the first song I’ve written as an adult, and I think that country sound just kind of naturally came out of me because that’s what I grew up listening to. I also love storytelling and lyricism, and country music is a genre that really celebrates those things and makes space for that part of the craft.

Ahead of the release of Tough Love, was there a song you were most looking forward to seeing fans’ reactions to? 
I was most excited for fans to hear ‘Tough Love’ because it was the one song that I hadn’t teased at all before its release, so nobody had heard a single note of it. It was also the newest song out of the seven—I wrote it only a few weeks before the EP came out. There is something about how honest it is that I hoped fans would connect with.

We have to ask, ‘I Got A New One’ has officially received the Kelly Clarkson treatment! What was that like for you? 
I was and am extremely grateful. Kelly Clarkson is literally an American icon. She is so unbelievably talented, so the fact that she liked a song I wrote enough to cover it is a huge compliment—my family and I were so excited when it happened.

Once again, thank you so much for chatting with us! Before we let you go, what can fans look forward to as we round out the last few months of 2025? 
Some more music! I have a new single coming out in August. I’m also playing some shows throughout the end of this year, which I’m really excited about. I love meeting people out on the road”.

I am ending with an interview from Holler that talks about how new Elizabeth Nicols is. Considering her first live show was not too long ago, and Nashville sometimes being stuffy when it comes to new artists enjoying a meteoric rise – this idea that you need to craft and have to have been around for years to be considered genuine and a true Country artist -, she has been welcomed with open arms fdo the most part. She was interviewed ahead of her ahead of her C2C Festival 2026 appearance:

“There's an enchantingly sepia-tinged ambience in tracks like ‘Little Birds’ and her latest single, ‘Oh The Things Men Do’, which is dialled into the traditional country revival, sparked by Ella Langley and Riley Green's ubiquitous hit, ‘you look like you love me’.

“I think that I'm pretty country. I love country music”, Nichols muses, before qualifying this, “But I get a lot of comments from people...Girls will be like, ‘I love Sabrina Carpenter, and I love your music’, or ‘I don't really listen to country, but I love your music’. And I love that my music is country, but the things and feelings I'm singing about are universal. So people of all genres and walks of life can tap in to that”.

Another compelling element of Nichols’ storytelling is the fact that she isn't afraid to poke fun at the country bros of the world. Given how the likes of Florida Georgia Line and Luke Bryan spent much of the 2010’s dominating the airwaves with songs about chatting up girls in bars and painting women as little more than eye-candy, Nichols’ subversion of this male braggadocio is a breath of fresh air.

Songs like ‘Oh The Things Men Do’ - which jovially criticises the methods men employ to sleep with a woman - make it clear why she has struck a chord with Carpenter's fanbase.

Nichols reflects, “I wrote it with some of my favourite people, Laura Veltz, Steve Rusch and Steph Jones. They're some of my favourite collaborators. They just get me. We were just having a conversation about the things men do...You know, men are so funny sometimes. So we were talking about it, and it ended up turning into something that was very playful and exciting. It started off as a joke, but I really love how, with the music video and the rollout, it has a positive message. It's okay if a guy is buying you things or doing nice things, but make sure it's not performative”.

Much like ‘I Got a New One’, ‘Oh The Things Men Do’ had already gained traction on socials before it was officially released - a rollout strategy Nichols is quickly mastering.

“Right now, social media has made it possible for anybody to break into country music, and anybody can break into any genre of music”, Nichols observes, “And I think that is such a beautiful thing. If it wasn't for TikTok and Instagram, I wouldn't have found my people who want to hear my music. I think that is such a positive thing for all genres, but especially country...You don't have to live in Nashville, you don't have to live in LA to do music, whereas it used to be the case that you have to live in those places to be able to get your music out there”.

And it turns out Nichols has plenty of music she wants to release, “I just want to put out as much new music as possible...I love to write, it's my favourite part of the gig. I have an ungodly amount of songs, and I would like for them to see the light of day”.

Nichols teases a stacked 2026, including a debut album, a Stagecoach set, a trip across The Pond to perform at C2C Festival and C2C Berlin, along with an Australia tour, “Oh, we have a lot planned. I'm so excited about Stagecoach. We are touring a lot more. We're playing a lot more festivals. I played my first show like six months ago, and I have fallen in love with the live aspect...Album is coming sometime next year, which I'm very excited about. The Tough Love EP was so fun to make. But an album is a bigger piece of work, so there's more that goes into it”.

The country prodigy is set to dazzle audiences in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany for the first time as part of C2C Festival, C2C Berlin and C2C Rotterdam in March. Despite still being fairly new, Nichols’ sets are expected to be some of the most popular at each festival, due to her cross-genre appeal and TikTok virality.

“I'm so excited to play in Europe”, Nichols gushes, “I lived in Australia for a year, and it's so cool...I think it's interesting, even in the US, seeing how crowds react in New York versus how crowds react in Texas. So I'm excited to see that in Europe and Australia”.

As well as carrying a level of excitement at the prospect of bringing her sound across international waters, Nichols hints at possibly pushing it into new sonic territories, too.

When discussing her dream collaborations, one non-country name springs immediately to mind, “Beyond the Nashville scene, I love Olivia Rodrigo. I'm like an Olivia Rodrigo superfan. So I would just like to even meet her. That would be so cool”.

It's a link-up we'd love to one day see, and we'd be fascinated to hear how they manage to coalesce Rodrigo's punk-pop flourishes with Nichols’ traditional country textures.

As for a joint track in the country arena, Nichols again shows off her wit with a hilariously tongue-in-cheek answer, “In Nashville, I have a dream collab. This is niche. I want to write a song with Joe Nichols, because I tell people he's my uncle, as a bit - but we're not related. I have never met him, but I think that him and I doing a song together, with some family concept [would be great]. And then I also want to bring in a writer in town, Tim Nichols, who wrote a bunch of Zach Top's stuff - amazing music. So I think that me, Joe and Tim Nichols should all get in a writer's room and write a song, like, ‘Family is Family’” On a more serious note, Nichols cites Morgan Wallen as being at the top of her country bucket-list.

As well as a genre-blurring collaboration with Olivia Rodrigo, Nichols toys with the idea of one day dropping a gospel-tinged project - if only to make her pastor father happy.

She explains, “My dad's a pastor. My grandpa's a pastor. So I broke the cycle...I didn't go the pastoral route, but I love Jesus. And, you know, Jesus and God are creative, and I think He gifts people with ideas and creativity, and I'm blessed that I get to partake in that. So God is definitely an influencer. I'm not necessarily singing worship music, but I'm not opposed to that. That'd be so fun. My dad would have a heart attack. He'd be so happy. Maybe on his birthday one year...”

Although more of a flippant aside than an immediate plan to pivot to Contemporary Christian Music any time soon, it again highlights Nichols’ versatility and open-mindedness. Her sound is inherently grounded in classic country, but as her catalogue grows, she continues to embrace various stylistic strands and influences.

It's all the more reason to look forward to what's shaping up to be a huge year, as Nichols graduates from star-in-the-making to a fixture in country music's shimmering pantheon”.

I think that this year is going to be a really big one for Elizabeth Nicols. From Kentucky, this exciting and phenomenal artist is embraced around the world. There will be people reading this who are new to Nicols and her music. I would say to invest in her, as she is someone with a very bright future. This fabulous artist is someone that you…

REALLY need to hear.

_________

Follow Elizabeth Nichols

FEATURE: Spotlight: Revisited: Maisie Peters

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight: Revisited

 

Maisie Peters

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I am once more…

spotlighting the talent of the absolutely amazing Maisie Peters. I wrote about her in 2021. That was around the release of her debut album, You Signed Up for This. Peters released its follow-up, The Good Witch, in 2023. Her third studio album, Florescence, will be released on 15th May. Featuring collaborations with Marcus Mumford and Julia Michels, I love the song titles and the album cover. As a fan of Maisie Peters and her previous work, I am looking forward to her new album. The Brighton artist is one of our brightest and best musicians. You can pre-order her album here. Available on cassette, C.D. and vinyl, I know that there will be a lot of new love and attention around this artist. I am going to get to some recent interviews with Peters, as she is entering this new phase of her career. There are a couple of new articles that I want to lead to. However, it is worth heading back to 2023. An interview with Earmilk around the release of The Good Witch. If this artist is new to you then do make sure you follow her:

“Peters always finds a way to put her sunshine-laden melodies underneath lyrics that seem so simple on the surface but cut deeper with each listen. "Body Better" perfectly captures the inescapable feeling of self-deprecating comparison felt by many. "Loving you was easy, that's why it hurts now," she gently sings before laying down the truth, "The worst way to love somebody is to watch them love somebody else, and it works out."

"I wrote the song last June; essentially, it's a very honest, somewhat uncomfortable in its honesty, depiction of how I was feeling at the time," Peters shared with EARMILK in an exclusive interview. "I had been through a breakup a few months before, and I was sort of processing certain feelings and how it made me feel about myself and my body. It's a song of self-reflection, the most negative version of self-reflection when you're alone and unhappy and bitter and jealous and obsessive in your hotel room at 1 am.”

Peters is known for writing songs that hit a little too close to home, and "Body Better" is no different. She compares it to drafting a scathing text to someone and not sending it, then tweeting it out to the world nine months later. "The longer time goes on, the more you get over and get past whatever it was that you were writing about, and it becomes a different thing. The song gets disconnected from the moment." Vulnerability is a muscle that Peters has trained so often it's second nature to her. It feels effortless on each release. In an age when women are picked apart for every detail, this song feels especially poignant.

The comparison in those intricate details feels like a stab at every turn. Comparison gets to everyone. Maisie faces it in her career as much as she does in her personal life. She says, "I feel like there's a point in my career where I haven't achieved enough or fallen behind, or I'm not where I want to be, and none of those things are true, and they're all things that only you think about yourself." But the response she gets with each song she releases just cements her position. She perfectly sums up the female experience, the way that nothing is able to exist without that question of what if? Or why can't I be like her instead?

Everything an artist does will be held up to compare to another and picked a part piece by piece, but Peters has learned to drown out that noise. Whether it's in her career or her personal life, she says, "It's a fruitless exercise, it's only you who thinks those things, and I guarantee who you're comparing yourself to would do the same thing back to you in a heartbeat. Just remember that you're more than what you think you are. There's so much depth to us as women, and we're so multifaceted. There's a myriad of wonderful things about us. Don't get caught up on one aspect of yourself or one aspect of someone else that you think you're missing or that they have. Everyone's so much more than that”.

I cannot find any 2026 interviews with Maisie Peters, though I am aware this will change soon as we get closer to the release of Florescence. My Regards is a new single from this incredible artist. The Honey Pop examined the song and its video. With a growing fanbase and visuals and music which is distinct and always extraordinary, there is a lot of love and fascination around Maisie Peters. I do think that we will be talking about her years from now:

“Forget Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard—we’re craving a gender-flipped fantasy starring our pixie-cut blonde, Maisie Peters, blue-steeling in black shades like she’s guarding state secrets instead of your heart. It’s all in service of ‘My Regards,’ co-produced by Ian Fitchuk (yes, the mind behind Kacey Musgraves and Stephen Sanchez) and co-written and produced by Nick Lobel (of Harry Styles and Miley Cyrus fame), alongside Maisie herself. The track—cheeky, possessive, and gloriously self-aware—is basically a love letter that winks while it guards the door.

And honestly? There’s so much we’re obsessed with from this video-slash-single drop. The all-star creative squad. The wardrobe that could probably get its own security detail. And, of course, the soon-to-be-everywhere choreography destined to infiltrate your TikTok FYP with military precision. So let’s spot the eagle circling the nest and dive in.

Operation: Classified Poetry Is A Go

Part visual storyteller, part lover girl on steroids, bodyguard Maisie writes like someone who just caught user_fangirl09 red-handed, deep in a 2 a.m. Instagram excavation of her boyfriend’s feed and accidentally liking a photo from two years back. She’s already sketched the mission plan, neutralised the perceived threat, and done it using her weapon of choice—a glitter pen (very Taylor Swift coded, obviously).

All of it funnels into lines like, “But the problem is he’s mine, and it’s headline news,” which—fair enough—because our girl is famous and the tabloids would absolutely eat that up. The lyrics are poetic, saucy, and leave you wondering whether she’s actually serious or just being deliciously cheeky.

And honestly, in her defence, she does toss out a “‘Scuse me, sorry” in a Sussex accent between lines about her perfume (likely Giorgio Armani, given her androgynous campaign with them) being the only air he breathes, and spoiling him with hotel stays at the The Ritz London—all, of course, penned “from his bedroom.”

Assembling The Elite Unit: Mission Success Assured

The Powerpuff Girls, Totally Spies!—all the best team-ups come with an elite squad, and Maisie’s got hers on lock. Benny Drama, aka Benito Skinner, rolls in the melodrama by being an absolute heartthrob with an allegiance of fans that bodyguard Maisie would frankly have to shield him from.

Meanwhile, sneaking out the back of her Chicken Shop Date segment, Amelia Dimoldenberg steps behind the camera to direct the video, letting her genius comedy instincts run wild as Maisie and Benito awkwardly dance through the halls of Addington Palace, deep in the heart of South London. It feels like a covert-op meets a rom-com meets a TikTok fever dream—and the squad chemistry is half the fun.

Secure The Fit: Glamour Protocol Activated

With her pixie-blonde cut pinned back by two perfectly 90s clips and her lips pursed in burgundy, it’s obvious from the black shades alone that Maisie is on yet another mission: to slay. What’s so spunky about the video is that it doesn’t just play with the protector-and-protectee trope—it threads the whole subversion straight through the styling. Any hint of a femme silhouette is left on the cutting-room floor in favour of a full suit and leather gloves, all pulled together by Steph Major.

The creative aesthetic trickles out into the fans’ looks, too: an “I love you” broken up by gigantic red hearts reflects the over-the-top devotion toward Benny Drama’s character, styled by Lucy Bonner. Jake Sammis outfits Benito in that laid-back actor uniform—jeans, belt, plaid shirt, and, of course, matching shades to Maisie. It’s giving coordinated chaos, celeb crush fever, and covert-ops chic all at once.

Movement Intel: Steps Locked, Target Rhythm Acquired

Because while fangirls are busy chasing you outside, naturally, your bodyguard is inside… learning dance choreography. We see you, promotional TikTok routine, unfolding step by step like part of her training arc. And if you want to learn the moves too, don’t stress—there’s a full run-through of the choreography tucked right into the credits of the music video, practically begging you to join the mission.

Florals Under Surveillance

Our daisy-eyed girl, Maisie, is gearing up to drop Florescence, her third studio album, co-produced by Ian Fitchuck and blooming with collabs from Julia Michaels and Marcus Mumford, arriving May 15th. But don’t wilt on us just yet—while we wait for the petals to unfurl, she’s launching Before The Bloom, a mini-tour sprouting in Sydney, Australia, on March 1st at the Enmore Theatre before drifting across East Asia, Europe, the UK, the US, and Canada”.

I am going to end with an article from i-D that also looks at the incredible new single. Following last year’s You You You, Audrey Hepburn and Say My Name in Your Sleep (which appear on Florescence), this new year will offer an album and some incredible tour dates. Before playing London’s KOKO on 25th March, she has some dates in Australia and Europe. I know that London gig will be packed, as Maisie Peters is a phenomenal and hugely popular artist:

“I arrive at Addington Palace in deep South London and accidentally saunter straight into shot: Maisie Peters, the big-gun British indie-pop girl, is filming the music video for her new track “My Regards.” Dressed in a black business suit, hair slicked and clipped into place, she is in bodyguard mode. Her client? A blue-jeaned Benito Skinner who, at this moment, is being set upon by a gaggle of rabid fans. Someone shouts “Cut!” It’s Chicken Shop Date creator Amelia Dimoldenberg.

This combination of characters was Peters’ idea. A mix of people she’d never properly met before but is a big fan of, like Skinner, and acquaintances who she shares a common language with, like Dimoldenberg. The song is a sexy, country subversion of the boy-protector and girl-protected narrative. For the video, Peters originally had a different idea: “When I was writing, I very much saw it as this old country-and-Western film, with me on my horse and my boyfriend behind me,” she says. But after sending the song to Dimoldenberg, she had a different idea, inspired by one line: “Call me Kevin Costner / The way I’m guarding his body.” And so here Peters is less cowboy, more CIA.

“When Amelia had this idea, that the reason I’m so protective of him is because it’s my job, it clicked into place,” Peters says. “Then we agreed that this man in the video had to be a sex icon, and we both thought: Benito Skinner.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Sophie Scott

Skinner’s in the makeup chair getting touch-ups, looking good, he thinks, because he’s recovering from food poisoning. He’s having fun. His preparation was pretty easy. He just listened to the song 50 times. “Not having any lines is kind of explosive,” he says. “Like, it’s all in the eyes.” (For most of the video, his star persona wears sunglasses.)

“When my brain brought me Benny, I realized that adds another level to it, because I know how funny Benny is, but he’s also genuinely gorgeous,” Peter says. Dimoldenberg, understandably locked in for the day, told me later: “He was the final piece of the puzzle.” Following the creation of Chicken Shop Date and directing her first short film, she felt like she was ready to add something new to her bow. “Stepping behind the lens for my first music video has felt like a natural evolution,” she says. “I wanted this to feel playful, humorous, and in line with everything else I’ve done.”

“My Regards” is one of the early teases of Florescence, Peters’ third studio album. It was recorded after a long and manic spell of live shows, touring her last LP, The Good Witch, and doing support slots for just about every significant star on the planet (Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Conan Gray). She had been tinkering away at what would come next on that journey—she’s the kind of artist that never really stops, and reckons she’s written at least 60 songs for the album—but found herself burnt out, hitting a wall. So she canceled some shows, came home, and decided to figure things out. “I know other artists will go into an album with the title already, and a whole thesis,” she says, but she works in retrospect, making and then shaping.

Much of that shaping happened in Nashville, where she linked up with Ian Fitchuk, the Grammy winner who worked on Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour, to help bring things to life. Her writing partners this time around include Marcus Mumford and Julia Michaels, both of whom have features on the album.

Peters made her name as a pop star who was a little scorned and petty. Her past material, like “Psycho” and “Lost the Breakup,” offered opportunities for her to exorcise shitty old relationships. Each banger was a little teaspoon of salt in an ex’s morning coffee. But she’s 25 now, and Florescence feels like it’s written by someone assured and fulfilled. Even the quirkier tracks like “My Regards” are written from the POV of someone who knows they’re comfortable and loved. “While I was writing, I reminded myself that I’m a hopeful and forgiving person,” she says. “At this point in my life, I don’t have a lot of resentment towards people. I’m able to look back and see a lot of the relationships I had in a really new light. Maybe that’s growing up”.

I am going to end there. Maybe some still see her as new or rising, though it is clear that Maisie Peters is a major artist. She has performed with and won the love of artists like Taylor Swift. In May, we will get a third album from Peters, Florescence is shaping to be one of her best. The singles from the album are all terrific. Anyone who has not heard and connected with Maisie Peters needs to do so…

RIGHT now.

_________

Follow Maisie Peters

FEATURE: The Art of Hating: Focusing on a Recent CLASH Article Around Olivia Dean’s GRAMMY Success

FEATURE:

 

 

The Art of Hating

PHOTO CREDIT: Gwen Trannoy

 

Focusing on a Recent CLASH Article Around Olivia Dean’s GRAMMY Success

__________

WHILST there was a lot…

IN THIS PHOTO: Olivia Dean attended the GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, 1st February at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, where she won the Best New Artist award/PHOTO CREDIT: Etienne Laurent/Getty Images

of celebration around Olivia Dean winning the Best New Artist at this year’s GRAMMYs, there was this worrying online backlash and narrative. I am interested in an article Amelia Thompson wrote for CLASH. There is no denying how Dean is one of the world’s best talents. Her latest album, The Art of Loving, is a phenomenal release. Olivia Dean is such an interesting songwriter who is doing something new. Her music is engaging and engrossing. She has a soulful and wonderful voice and she is humble, charming and someone whose voice is necessary and vital. It seems incomprehensible that anyone would take against her or her music. It does seem that, especially when women in music are recognised and awarded, there is this negativity and criticism:

“What was striking was how little of this backlash addressed her actual music. Songwriting, vocals and performance were barely mentioned. The criticism stayed vague, emotional and easy to share, and once it took hold, the pile-on followed.

Much of the backlash focused around a comparison with Addison Rae, whose GRAMMYs performance leaned heavily into pop camp and visual excess. One post praised Rae for “going full girly pop camp” and avoiding a “boring acoustic version” before concluding, “The girls that get it, get it. Those that don’t are named Olivia Dean” (monalisaney81). The contrast was blunt and familiar. Rae’s performance was framed as fun, smart and self-aware, while Dean’s stripped-back approach was dismissed as safe or empty. It seems acoustic performances were treated as pandering to the GRAMMYs, while spectacle was positioned as the only valid form of authenticity. What went largely unacknowledged was that both artists were making clear, intentional choices. Only one of those choices, in this moment, was treated with suspicion.

In 2026, it remains striking how quickly women with entirely different sounds are pushed into competition with one another.

As the conversation spiralled, the criticism turned noticeably more gendered. Suddenly, Dean wasn’t just being called boring or safe, but accused of pushing a “trad wife” agenda, based almost entirely on how she looks and the kind of songs she writes, rather than anything she’s actually said or done. One post claimed she makes music to “perpetuate the ideals of trad wife to modern day youth” (FENDIANASTARRR), reading political intent into dresses, softness and love songs. Others were quicker to clock the problem, with one user pointing out there was “something deeply misogynistic” about labelling a woman conservative simply because she wears dresses and writes about romance (foreverwintertv). That cuts right to the heart of it. Femininity gets treated as a belief system; romance becomes a red flag; softness is framed as submission. And when a woman isn’t cloaking her work in irony or provocation, even existing in that space starts to feel, to some people, suspicious.

Class-coded language played a big role in how her music was dismissed too. One reply calling her sound “whole foods ass music” racked up more than 18,000 likes (rainsblog), reducing her work to supermarket playlist fodder instead of engaging with it on its own terms. Dean isn’t really being criticised for the music she makes, but for how readable and non-confrontational her femininity is, in a cultural moment that seems to demand constant disruption, irony, or provocation just to be taken seriously”.

Olivia Dean has spoken out against sexism and misogyny in the music industry. She has discussed the issue with the lack of women and non-binary artists on festival line-ups. This continues today, especially with headline slots. Dean also works with female directors for her music videos so that she is not objectified and there is this male gaze. I think that artists like Dean should be heralded and seen as inspirations. I do think that there is this impression that women in music should be sexualised and designed for men. That they should flaunt their bodies and that their music should be brash or explosive. There are artists who are like that and are independent and empowering, but this perception that women should write a particular type of music and look a certain way. Anything out of that seen as boring or conservative. I do feel like any backlash against Olivia Dean winning a GRAMMY is misogyny. Her music is personal and spectacular, though this idea of pitting women against each other is sickening. Of course the vast majority of the feedback for Olivia Dean’s music is positive and nice. However, this perception that when music is not in your face or it is not sexual or whatever people think it should be is hollow or unimportant is something women have to face. Not that all female artists do this, but is there this culture that means women cannot be successful or stand out unless they are sexualised or they dress a particular way?! Any criticism against Olivia Dean because she does not flaunt her body or fits into this cliché and misogynistic stereotype of what women should be is appalling. Deep-rooted and enduring sexism that needs to end! It must be disheartening for an artist being honest and herself being criticised or insulted because she is not seen as uninteresting or sexy.

I think I have sourced this article before, though I feel it is relevant to bring it back in. Last year, author Sophie Gilbert wrote a book, Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Each Other. I heard her speak about the book. This still happens today. Women compared and thrown together as rivals, rather than them being celebrated and allowed to have their own careers and work harmoniously with each other. In this article from Sophie Gilbert, we get an idea of a huge issue that spreads beyond music:

“It hasn’t always been this way. Feminism has never been perfect, but during the second half of the 20th century, activists fought for a culture in which women raised each other up, congregating in groups to discuss each other’s needs, and endorsing the idea of a shared sisterhood. The movement made real gains, as more women entered the workforce in record numbers, gained reproductive rights, and made art that powerfully documented their experiences and their struggles.

But then the 2000s happened. I’ve spent three years researching the entertainment of the 21st century for my book, Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves, and one thing that was truly striking to uncover was how insistently this era taught women that they had to fight with each other to win. The inclusive, intersectional thinking of 1990s third-wave feminism was shunted out in favour of a more individualistic ethos of Me First. The new genre of reality television set up women as competitors scrapping over the “prize” of a man. Shows such as Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?, The Bachelor, Flavor of Love and Wife Swap turned female conflict into ratings gold.

Other forms of culture followed the same pattern. The women musicians of the 1990s – the Riot Grrrls and rock artists who made protest music about inequality and sexual violence, and who worked collectively to establish festivals such as Lilith Fair – were edged out of the industry for a new generation of sexualised teenage solo artists. And as the internet became much more of a presence in people’s lives, a new kind of celebrity gossip industry was born – one that invented female rivalries, obsessed over the minutiae of stars’ lives and was ruthlessly cruel to women in the public eye.

The culture of the 2000s asserted the idea, ripped right out of Jane Austen, that women are competing for limited resources and should go to any length necessary to secure their own success. The phrase “I’m not here to make friends” captured the ethos of reality shows where contestants regularly insulted one another, fought and established rival friendship groups with arcane pecking orders. Gossip magazines and tabloids sold millions of copies on the backs of projected female rivalries: Britney and Christina, Jen and Angelina, Paris and Lindsay. Meanwhile, the movies of that era celebrated male friendship, male bonding, and male rites of passage, while positioning women as shrews, scolds or vacuous sex objects.

We’ve long since evolved in ways that let us see how toxic this era was, and how damaging it was to women in particular. Studies have found that when women are encouraged to compete with one another, their own careers and relationships tend to suffer. But the spectacle of women pitted against each other – competing for fame, male attention and mass approval – is deeply rooted in media, and even in our own minds. These days, competition culture is more likely to wear a progressive or a faux-feminist guise. The girlbosses of Selling Sunset, peacocking in absurd glam while sniping and backstabbing, mostly sell themselves as strivers hustling for commissions. Meanwhile, wellness influencers and women shilling for MLM recruits propagate impossible standards and unrealistic goals under the spectre of celebrating sisterhood.

But there is still another option. If we look back to the decades when the feminist movement had its most powerful impact, it did so by persuading women that they were stronger together. Girl-against-girl culture is less a trap than a minefield. Navigating it requires resisting the urge to judge other women, calling out people who build careers on stoking female conflict, listening to and elevating other women’s voices and being conscious while engaging with media, understanding that much of it is intended to get attention in ways that make things harder for women. Influencers and storytellers who encourage, rather than indict, each other help to support an environment set up for everyone to thrive, making it easier for each of us to be empowered in turn. There has never been a better time to fight for rather than with other women, making space to imagine what might be possible when we aren’t perpetually being persuaded to work against each other”.

That CLASH feature from Amelia Thompson is fascinating and eye-opening. That online reaction to Olivia Dean’s GRAMMY win slightly tarnished. It was a hugely deserved recognition of her talent. This blossoming young London artist with a massive future ahead! However, because she is not dressing, performing and looking a certain way, her music and her diminished and insulted. This is something that needs to stop. Every year we see examples of women in music being compared and pitted against one another. How women have to be there to serve the male gaze or they need to be revealing, flesh-baring or in your face. Not something applied to male artists to the same extent, women are often not given respect or the same opportunities if they step away from that ‘ideal’. At the end of the day, Olivia Dean is a phenomenon and someone we should be very proud of. The Art of Loving is a wonderful album and we are all excited to see where she goes next. If some have offered derision or misogyny, this artist is deserving of…

NOTHING but love.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Lenore Pink

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

 

Lenore Pink

__________

PERHAPS more brief…

IN THIS PHOTO: Evan Rachel Wood (Lenore Pink)

than I would normally be when it comes to these features, I did want to spotlight Lenore Pink. This is the musical pseudonym of Evan Rachel Wood. I am going to include exerts from a recent podcast appearance where she discussed her music career. Whilst there are not many interviews around her new music and that side of career, they will come. I wanted to spotlight Lenore Pink, as I am a fan of Evan Rachel Wood and she is an incredible artist. I have written many times about actors getting into music. How there is this feeling that it is about vanity of they are not genuine. I recently wrote about Kate Hudson and her debut album, Glorious, which I revisited. How there were these accusations made when she put out music. For Rachel Evan Wood, this has been a love of hers for so long. However, it is difficult going into music if you are an actor. In terms of what people might say. How it is a different world and there would have been some hesitations. As we learn from her appearance on American Songwriter’s Off the Record podcast, it took a bit of a push from a music legend to get Evan Rachel Wood over the line:

“On the latest episode of American Songwriter’s Off the Record podcast, Wood told editor-in-chief Lisa Konicki how she and Perry got connected when the singer came across a video of her performing “What’s Up.”

“She got in touch with me over social media and was just like, ‘Hey, I think you’re amazing. Come into to my studio,’” Wood recalled. “And so I showed up and I thought, ‘Well, the last thing she’s going to do is just sit me down in front of a mic and tell me to start singing.’ And that’s exactly what happened.”

Wood said she was “absolutely terrified and really taken aback” by the turn of events, but “did the best I could to sort of squeak out some kind of song.”

“She really gave me some tough love. At one point I was crying in front of the mic because she was really pushing me pretty hard,” Wood said. “I think she’s known for doing that. She kind of breaks you open, and puts you back together. I got the full Linda Perry treatment.”

How Linda Perry Kickstarted Evan Rachel Wood’s Music Career

Eventually, Wood finished a song, after which Perry told her, “I hope this puts you on the path to making music, because I think you should be doing that.”

Looking back, Wood said she considers Perry her “musical fairy godmother.”

“She was the one who really pushed me to do it, and really believed in me, and gave me the confidence. She would ask me to come and sing at shows that she was putting on,” Wood said. “She just really believed in me, and she put me in front of people, in front of audiences.”

“I got my first standing ovation while I was doing a show with her, and it really took me aback,” she continued. “I didn’t know that I could have that sort of effect on a room or singing or anything like that. She got the ball rolling.”

Evan Rachel Wood Discusses Her First Foray Into Music

That all led Wood to August 2025, when she released “Nest” under her long-held pseudonym.

“I’ve always made songs by myself, or weird little sounds, or covers of other songs, and anytime I saved it onto my computer, I always just saved it under Lenore Pink,” Wood explained. “It’s been this alias I’ve had since high school.”

Wood decided to stick with the pseudonym professionally. She did so in the hopes that “people would just find it organically and not know it was me, and find out later.”

“I didn’t want there to be a bias going into listening to the songs if I could help it,” she said. “And so I thought, I”ll just call myself something else. If people know, they know, and if they don’t, great.’”

Several months later, a new song, “Gardenia,” followed. Wood said she considers the track “a love song to oneself.”

“That’s where I was when I sat down and wrote it. I realized I had finally found myself, and I finally loved myself, and I didn’t need to sing about anything painful or anything,” she said. “So much of the grief had been lifted. ‘Nest’ is very much about grief for me, and making peace with it… And ‘Gardenia’ is the flower blooming. I’m waking up, and I’m seeing myself, and I found you, and I love you.”

Evan Rachel Wood on Her New EP and Musical Future

That all led to Feb. 4, when Wood, as Lenore Pink, released her three-song debut EP.

“I’m really inspired by, and healed by, the desert, and desert music, and desert culture. You’ll find me, if I’m not working, somewhere in Zion or Moab or Santa Fe or Sedona,” Wood said. “It’s where I found a lot of healing from everything, and found myself there.”

As such, when Wood started making music, it was “really important” that she create “something that I would want to listen to while I’m driving down a desert highway.”

“It has to have a vibe, and it has to take me to a place, and I want it to match my surroundings,” she said. “So to me, it’s definitely got that Nashville inspiration in it and that Southern flair.”

Wood’s musical journey is far from over. The actress said she’s glad to have “ripped the band-aid off” and shared her music with the world. She intends to keep doing just that.

“I let it pile up and pile up for so long,” she said of her music. “Now I feel like I’m really ready to just keep adding more to that. I don’t have a label or a manager or anything. It’s really just something that I’m doing because I love to do it. It’s just happening organically, and I’m just getting it out. If you like it, cool. If you think it’s really annoying that I’m releasing music and I’m an actor, that’s fine”.

Lenore Pink will grow in terms of social media coverage and interview. It would be great to read more interviews with Evan Rachel Wood around her music. This is a side of her that I am fascinated by. She is a fabulous artist who has a long music career ahead of her. I do feel like we will hear a lot of music from Lenore Pink going forward. Whilst the debut E.P. is promising and shows the incredible talent on show, I think there will be a series of albums. Of course, Evan Rachel Wood has a busy acting career, so maybe that will take priority. However, music is very much a deep love that she will continue to cultivate. A distinct and arresting songwriter and performer, I do hope that there are live shows coming this year. I do not know if she has U.K. dates at all in the diary, though I feel there would be a fanbase ready to embrace her. I am going to wrap up soon because, as I say, there is not a lot in terms of music-related interviews. Lenora Pink should be on your radar. In terms of my favourite song so far, perhaps Come Running. In terms of its effect and beauty. Go and follow Lenore Pink on social media and check out the eponymous E.P. Even though a lot of people will focus on the fact this is Evan Rachel Wood performing, she should be seen as an artist in her own right. Take everything else away and concentrate on the music. On the strength of what has been released so far, it is going to be a very bright career. You can feel how much music means to her. I feel there will be these big live dates, a lot of great interviews and even awards in her future. When you hear Lenora Pink, you realise that it…

IS all thoroughly deserved.

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Follow Lenore Pink

FEATURE: Spotlight: Revisited: Mica Millar

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight: Revisited

 

 Mica Millar

__________

THIS is a tremendous artist…

who I spotlighted back in 2022. The supreme Mica Millar. I have also interviewed her. She has this voice that is so captivating and knee-buckling. I wanted to come back to her now, as Millar releases her new album, A Little Bit of Me, on 5th June. I know there will be some interviews nearer the time. However, there are some interviews I can bring in to give you some background to Mica Millar. The Manchester artist released her extraordinary debut, Heaven Knows, in 2022. That is when she was on my radar. Putting out some incredible music since then, I am really excited to see what A Little Bit of Me offers. She has some European dates coming soon, so if you can go and catch her live then do so. Someone I am keen to see live very soon. I am going to get to something new in a minute. However, I am heading back to some older interviews with Mica Millar. I will start out with 15 Questions and their interview. Published around the release of Heaven Knows, we get an insight into Millar’s creative process:

“Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

For me it’s about a need to express myself and process my emotions in a way that can’t be done through other channels - language doesn’t always have the capacity to communicate all that can be communicated when you combine it poetically with music.

For this album (Heaven Knows), I used a ‘stream of consciousness’ approach to writing quite a lot, either over an instrumental I've created or starting with finding chords on the piano that resonate with me in the moment, and feeling out what kind of emotions and words they evoke. This approach involves basically singing whatever comes out and then you interpret it later.

A lot of what you express from a process like that I think comes from the subconscious mind so it’s difficult when people ask what inspires me or what songs are about. I always go into writing without an intention and use the process to identify things I probably need to process. But of course, the subconscious mind is made up of all of the memories from our day to day lives so relationships and human experience are the things that often surface and express themselves through the lens of my political spiritual and political beliefs.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

I don’t really have any rituals for writing apart from that I always write at night, generally in low light and always alone.

I know a lot of other songwriters love to collaborate with other writers but that has never been something that has appealed to me. I think to get into that flow-state that I love so much and where I find my best work comes from, I need to be isolated. I don’t really like it if someone else is in the house when I’m writing, I think I have an awareness that someones listening to my process and it’s incredibly personal and not something I’ve ever really been able to or comfortable sharing with anyone else.

The writing process, for me, is something that is a means to process my own emotions I suppose and what comes out at the end of that process is the ‘creation’ which is what I feel comfortable sharing. Going through the process of writing an album, I think I realise that by the time I’ve taken a song to its conclusion, the emotion that was attached to it initially has also been fully processed and I think ‘releasing it’ is a bit like letting go of the emotion.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

It depends on the day and how I’m feeling. Sometimes things just flow out with ease and other times I could be sitting for hours not really finding anything that resonates. I think it depends a lot on mood and mindset”.

I am dropping in some tracks from Heaven Knows, though this is very much about A Little Bit of Me. Its title track has been released, and that was the first taste of an album shaping up to be one of this year’s best. Mica Millar is a truly immense talent that everyone should know. I want to come to Noctis, as their interview is particularly interesting:

“Heaven Knows’ was mastered at the iconic Abbey Road Studios, how was that experience for you? How did all come about, as well as working with Geoff Pesche?

Working at Abbey Road on mastering the album with Geoff was a real career moment for me and knowing that all the work that had gone into it would culminate in a finished album at the end of the day was quite a magical feeling!

When I first arrived, Goeff said to me something along the lines of ‘you won’t get anything out of me about the content, all I’m doing here is assessing the sonics’. The first song he fell in love with and by the end of the day he was struggling to choose his favourite track and making suggestions for the running order. It was really quite special to be in a gold standard mastering studio and have someone really fall in love with the album in the way he did. It was after that that he chose my album as his favourite mastering project of 2021 in Abbey Road’s annual round up and he’s since used a couple of tracks from the record as ‘mastering room references’ for other artists’ sessions which is a huge honour.

Besides Covid, you also struggled with a traumatic back injury, what kept you going? What was going through your head when you had no idea what the future holds?

Yes,I had an accident in a trampolining class in 2020 which resulted in me crushing one of my vertebrae and severely damaging my spinal cord. I was very nearly paralysed so I’m incredibly lucky. It’s a long-term injury so it’s a lot to come to terms with but I’m definitely getting there.

Going through something so traumatic in the midst of recording the album was a real challenge but honestly, I just really didn’t want my injury to define me or impact what I had been working towards creatively. When Covid hit, it felt like one thing after another for me, I just thought, the universe is telling me to take some time out now. There were nine months where I was learning to walk so it wasn’t really feasible to work on the album, but I think that period of time did give me some perspective and when I was able to get back into my studio, I had a  much clearer vision for how I was going to approach finishing the record and I’d redefined what the end result would be.

Covid, in many ways, opened up a lot of opportunities for me to work with people I’d always wanted to work with in the US. Given everything was online at that time as we were in lockdown, recording some of the album remotely meant sessions could happen anywhere in the world. I’m glad I was able to take such a difficult situation and to make something really positive out of it.

What would you advise other people going through a similar thing?

I think everyone’s experiences are very different so it’s really challenging to answer this. Particularly with spinal cord injuries, I have learnt that every single person’s injury and their symptoms are very unique to them – this makes the whole thing quite isolating as it’s challenging to connect with anything relatable. Many people who have had the same injury as me are paralysed. On the one hand, I feel incredibly lucky and on the other hand I’ve had to learn not to devalue or invalidate my own experience and my own injury which has and continues to have a huge impact on my life.

Aside from the physical symptoms, with a trauma like this, it’s quite a natural response to have PTSD and I had a particularly difficult time with flashbacks and feeling like I was falling for example. I’ve had an amazing therapist over the last year who has guided me through re-processing what happened and coming to terms with the limitations I have physically and it’s been so beneficial. So I think my advice is to seek help, even if you feel like other’s might be worse off than you. Up to now, I haven’t really talked much about my experience but I’m also finding that it’s very good for me.

How do you think experience changed you?

Definitely. I’m a very different person now than I was before my accident. I think I connected with myself both mentally and physically in a way you don’t until you have to. I also learnt a lot about my resilience – those are positives. I’m also much less of a risk taker these days – I’d have loved to have done a skydive for example, I never have but it’s been on my bucket list for many years. Sadly, I don’t think I’d risk doing something like that now but maybe that will change in the future – you never know!

As an artist only at the beginning, what are you manifesting for yourself?

My vision for the future is in continual development but I really do believe you have to live what you want rather than just wish or hope for it. For me, manifesting is all about having a vision and then making that a reality through tangible and dedicated action every single day.

I have a vision board in my studio at home and Albert Hall and The Jazz Cafe are both pinned there from before I booked these shows, as are Abbey Road Studios, Radio 2 and Jazz FM. There are lots of other photos too… as for the rest, we’ll see!”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jasmine Allcock-Fox

Mica Millar has had a busy start of the year already. See attended the recent GRAMMYs and she is preparing to release her second album. Last July, Millar played American Express Presents BST Hyde Park. Just Listen to This spoke with her ahead of the performance.

“You will be performing at American Express Presents BST Hyde Park in London on Saturday 12th July 2025 which is the day that Stevie Wonder is headlining. How did that opportunity arise and how are you feeling about the event?

I was put forward as a potential support artist for the show a few months ago and have been waiting with baited breath since then. I honestly didn’t want to get too excited about it in case it didn’t come off. It really is a bucket list moment for me and I can’t wait.

Do you have any new music releases planned for 2025/2026?

Yes! I’ve been working on my new record for the last year and I’m looking forward to releasing new songs later this year!

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

For this type of show, with such a huge audience across multiple stages, I guess you hope to see some of your existing audience there to support and also to captivate people who haven’t heard you before. I’m playing the Birdcage stage so I’m not too far away from the backstage area… hopefully Stevie will get to hear me sing! What a dream.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

I use a Sennheiser MD435 microphone and it’s my favourite. I never go on stage without it. You get used to using a particular type of microphone I guess and it becomes a sort of comfort to you.

How do you look after your voice?

Lots of yoga for building core strength, vocal warm ups before every show, stream and I do love vocal zone as well as throat coat tea!

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

To be honest I’m a non-fiction kind of gal but, I’d absolutely love to write or have my song featured in some sort of Christmas rom-com like Bridget Jones Diary or Love Actually. I’d also love to write a James Bond theme and I’m a big fan of sci-fi movies so maybe something futuristic about AI?

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

Manchester – gritty, grounded, community, industrial, hearty

Do you have any further live dates in the UK/Europe planned for 2025/2026?

Yes – I’m playing at Blue Festival in Poznan and Lazy Days Festival in Southend. I’ll also be in Copenhagen, France, Germany and Turkey for festivals this year.

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

Stevie Wonder of course. Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Donny Hathaway, Lauryn Hill, D’Angelo, Jill Scott.

What makes Mica Millar happy and what makes you unhappy?

I try to be pretty positive most of the time, I guess challenging situations that feel difficult to resolve or feeling misunderstood are the things that generally tend to effect me most.

I’d say I’m at my happiest when I’m with friends and family and when I’m writing. There’s a sense of elation that I get from writing which is definitely incomparable to any other feeling”.

I am going to leave it there. You can pre-order A Little Bit of Me here. For anyone who has not discovered her music yet, go and follow Mica Millar. She is one of our very best artists. I will see if I can interview her this year, as I would love to know more about her new album:

“A Little Bit of Me is the second studio album from British singer, songwriter and producer Mica Millar.

Self-written and self-produced, the record brings a contemporary, female perspective to the timeless genres of soul, R&B and blues. Recorded at the iconic Miraval Studios in the south of France, surrounded by stillness and light, the album was shaped by reflection and intention. Across the record, Millar explores desire, femininity, freedom, emotional duality and the realities of a creative life lived on her own terms.

Warm, spacious, intimate and richly vocalled, A' Little Bit of Me' captures an artist creating with honesty and depth. 'A Little Bit of Me' follows Mica Millar's critically acclaimed debut album Heaven Knows (2022), yet another timeless work that affirms her as one of the most exciting voices of British Soul”.

It has been great reproaching Mica Millar. Although I have included interviews around her 2022 debut, Heaven Knows, we get an insight into her music and background. This is someone that you cannot afford to overlook. A stunning songwriter, producer and singer, there are few artists…

AS brilliant as Mica Millar.

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Follow Mica Millar

FEATURE: Modern-Day Queens: Teyana Taylor

FEATURE:

 

 

Modern-Day Queens

PHOTO CREDIT: Edwig Henson

 

Teyana Taylor

__________

I previously wrote…

about Teyana Taylor in 2022, where I looked at her 2020 release, The Album. I am revisiting her for Modern-Day Queens as 2025’s Escape Room. It earned a recent GRAMMY nomination for R&B album. Although many might know her best for acting roles. For her performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another (2025), Taylor won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and received an Academy Award nomination. I want to get to some interviews from last year around her music and the brilliant Escape Room. There are four that I want to include. I will start off with CLASH and their interview from November. Teyana Taylor could have walked away from the industry. One that, as CLASH say, “didn’t deserve her”:

“On the closing track of her new album, ‘Escape Room’, Teyana Taylor’s two daughters, Rue Rose Shumpert and Junie Shumpert, share tender notes of affection towards their mother. “The world loves you so much / Thank you for coming back to music and back to you,” says Taylor’s nine-year-old on a folk-inflected reprise that doubles as a symphonic devotional. “That song makes me tear up every time, it is so special to have them be a part of that song,” an in-demand Taylor tells CLASH in between an intense run of press junkets for her Oscar-baiting performance in the Paul Thomas Anderson black comedy, action thriller and political drama, One Battle After Another.

After releasing her pandemic-era collection ‘The Album’ in 2020, Taylor made the decision to step away from music, her “first love”. Citing burnout, Taylor had insulated herself to the opprobrium she’d received at the hands of a sexist and racist industry, one she’d navigated since her G.O.O.D label debut ‘VII’ back in 2014. Throughout her career, Taylor has been serially overlooked and underestimated, a fact she’s still reckoning with in the midst of a banner year. “Back then there was heavy gatekeeping around who got to be seen or supported and a lot of artists like me, especially young Black women, who had a clear vision for themselves, didn’t want to be put in a box. So it was hard to get your voice heard and be respected,” a weary Taylor reflects.

“At the time I felt really underappreciated, and undervalued, like I was giving my all to this industry since I was teenager and I wasn’t feeling like it was being reciprocated,” Taylor contemplates on all the years she was in survival mode. “I was feeling like the support I was being given, or lack thereof, wasn’t up to par with what I deserved. As artists we pour so much into our projects, and it feels like we are fighting to be seen or taken seriously. I just reached a point where I was tired of fighting.”

Thankfully, the slow burn arc of Taylor’s career is paying dividends now. Taylor is out of her creative fugue state, turning inwards on a downcast but defiant album that mirrors Janet Jackson’s ‘Velvet Rope’ in its revelatory lyricism, slinky grooves and interlude-heavy feel. It’s a study in classic RnB lore; a culmination of a life’s work that has gestured towards moments of greatness but never fully committed to the part until now. Take ‘K.T.S.E’, an austere collection of tracks made with Kanye West in 2018, in what would be deemed the “Wyoming Sessions”. The response was mixed: tracks like ‘Rose In Harlem’ recalled the artfully warped and looped hip-hop samples West loved experimenting with, with Taylor’s prideful homage to her Harlem roots grounding the listening experience in memoir and confession. And yet some critics decried the haphazard, half-baked nature of a record that sidelined Taylor’s uncut spirit and malleable voice.

Still, in the same way Taylor channelled Brandy’s melismatic range or Jazmine Sullivan’s interior sermonizing in her work, this generation’s artists like Coco Jones, kwn and Chloe x Halle, have her to thank for a modern iteration of a genre that can be soft, warm, abrasive, and riddled with contradictions. “We’re reflecting the complexity of real life,” she says. “Now, artists have more power to do things on their own terms outside of traditional structures. We can speak directly to our fans and deliver content to them without barriers.”

The cinematic scope of ‘Escape Room’ – part neo-noir romance, part dystopian thriller – is realised not only by a short film masterminded by Taylor’s auteur-like vision but by spoken-word testimonies from the likes of Taraji P. Henson, Sarah Paulson, Kerry Washington, Issa Rae, Regina King, and Niecy Nash – voices that mirror Taylor’s inner dialogue. “The narrations were a unique way to tie the songs together and it connected to each section of the album,” she explains. “I wanted them to help guide the listening and viewing experience, so the audience had the emotional journey from one song to the next, making sure it was truly cohesive. I intentionally picked the person I thought brought the emotion I needed for each moment. My girls really showed out!”

Teyana Taylor has lived many lives in this industry, shed many skins. She’s at juncture in her career where the industry is mobilising around her and finally catching up to her divinely-ordained talents. The Harlem star is in a high-yield place; she’s set to make her directorial film debut and is currently starring in Ryan Murphy’s soapy legal drama All’s Fair, alongside Glenn Close, Naomi Watts and Kim Kardashian. Earlier this month, Taylor was venerated as Ebony’s Entertainer of the Year. The award saluted the multi-hyphenate artist for “redefining the meaning of entertainer for a new generation.” It’s validation for an artist who has played the long game, and refused to be hemmed in by gatekeepers who too often presented her as fallible and one-dimensional.

We finish our conversation by circling back to the one constant in Taylor’s life: her children. She may have been hardened by the stop-start nature of her own trajectory but in her role as their provider, protector and nurturer, Taylor is encouraging her daughters’ dreams and vocations, be it in media or beyond.

“Experiencing life through their eyes… that’s the best part of being a mother,” Teyana concludes. “As their mom, I love watching them explore their interests and I think it’s important to support them through all the trial and errors of what they want to do in life. It’s a big part of the legacy I want to build for my girls”.

ELLE spent some time with Teyana Taylor in November. A multi-faceted talent who is an artist doing things on her own terms and keen to connect with her fans, I am curious what this year holds in terms of her music and gigs. She will be attending the Academy Awards and is focusing on her acting career. There will be a lot of people who want to see her on the stage:

“On entering a new era

I have a lot of gratitude for how I am able to see all of my prayers answered, all of the tears wiped. It was tough because I said I retired, and I didn’t know what was next. I was afraid, but I wasn’t afraid to take the leap. I’ve always had a strong relationship with God and felt him saying, “Okay, do you trust me? I know you’ve been trusting, but do you really, really trust me? You ready to let me take that teddy bear from you so I can give you something bigger and better?” I told y’all that one day I’m going to be a big director, and [the fact that] that is coming to fruition shows his power.

On releasing Escape Room, following her five-year hiatus from music

I recorded this album on my terms. This is the most vulnerable work I’ve ever done; my label gave me a lot of support and freedom to do that. Sometimes, you’ve got to just shake the table. Some people believed, and some people didn’t believe in the vision I had, and that that made me go harder. Would I have been the same Inez if I didn’t go through that? Would I have been the same Perfidia? Would I be the creative artist that I am today if I hadn’t gone through that break?

On what Perfidia taught her

Perfidia is unapologetically herself, and those are the parts of her that inspire me because I feel, as a Black woman, when we are at that level of confidence, we’re told that we’re too loud. When we say nothing at all, we’re told that we need to stand up. We stay, we’re weak. We go, we’re the problem. I can appreciate Perfidia standing on what she believes in.

On being a Black woman in Hollywood

Well, the hardest part is being a woman in Hollywood. The even harder part is being a Black woman in Hollywood, because I do feel like this is a man’s world. And we have to show who we are as women to be respected in that space.

I do see change happening. I do see more light being shed on women, and I think it’s because we’re busting through the doors, unapologetically us. We’re not giving anybody a choice: you will see us and you will hear us. And if you don’t, we’re going to make you. Seeing women step into our glory and standing 10 toes down in some red bottoms has been amazing. We’re really stomping through, and that’s what I love about being a woman in Hollywood. We’re going to make you hear us”.

Actually, I will end with a review of Escape Room and get to one more interview. “Actress, dancer, director, choreographer, model, mother, superstar… Teyana Taylor is the gold standard”. This is what i-D said at the top of their interview with her. Escape Room was definitely one of the best albums of last year. I have been a fan of her music for a long time. I am excited to see where she heads next. There will be huge acting roles for sure:

“Escape Room moves through the full spectrum of Taylor’s heart, from shadowy lows to vibrant highs. There are achy ballads and heated grooves for slow dancing and crying in the club. Each track is ushered in by interludes narrated by iconic women––including Regina King, Kerry Washington, and Sarah Paulson––who, Taylor says, “have been through it all.” She brings the depths of postnatal depression, divorce, and everything she’s escaped from to reach this point.

Without naming names, she lays out the experience of her divorce in a confessional arc that starts with heartbreak, stumbles into a dizzying rebound era, and ends with her resting in the bloom of something new. “I call it my ombre album,” she smiles. “It’s for lover girls. Being able to take in new love, you start to feel beautiful and seen again. Allowing somebody to kiss your wounds.” It’s been a long journey. In 2018, Taylor thought she was done with music. She had just walked away from everything she’d fought to build since the early 2000s.

The Harlem-raised artist first signed to Pharrell Williams’ label Star Trek Enterprises in 2007 at just 15 years old. In 2009, her debut mixtape, From a Planet Called Harlem, was released, establishing her style as a blend of modern and old-school R&B with elements of hip-hop, creating a unique, soulful sound that fast drew comparisons to the likes of Mary J. Blige. She was described as “bold” and “brash,” spinning the heads of everyone in her orbit with her singular style––from Ye (formerly Kanye West), who would become her collaborator, to Telfar Clemens, walking in his first-ever fashion show.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Nocito

When she abandoned it all in 2018, she was signed with G.O.O.D. Music, an imprint of Def Jam established by Ye, which she had been with since 2012. She had just released her sophomore studio album, K.T.S.E., hotly anticipated after 2014’s VII. It had, at the time, all the hype-inducing ingredients for success: produced by Ye, as a part of the “Wyoming Sessions,” following the release of Pusha T’s Daytona, Ye’s Ye, and Kids See Ghosts with Kid Cudi, and Nas’ Nasir. It featured guest appearances from Ye, Ty Dolla Sign, and Mykki Blanco, and additional production credits from Mike Dean, one of the 21st century’s most successful producers whose other credits include Beyoncé, Travis Scott, Drake, and Lana Del Rey.

Rather than the album she’d envisioned dropping, a different, shorter cut hit platforms at only 23 minutes long due to sample clearance issues and last-minute production decisions. “People were like, ‘She didn’t like her album.’ How can I not like an album that I wrote? It was more about the elements that were snatched off of it,” she remembers. The blame could be put on her label—she says she was then unaware that there would be no visuals to support the album and that samples, including Lauryn Hill’s “Lost Ones,” weren’t cleared by the label. “That’s why I felt like I was caged. My whole truth wasn’t on it. It wasn’t getting the push that it deserved,” she explains.

Her follow-up album, definitively titled The Album, was a reaction that swung wildly the other way, running at 23 tracks. She told Entertainment Weekly at the time that she was taking “full accountability, 110 percent on everything I do,” and was fixing “what didn’t work the first time, getting a better rollout, more records, longer records… just giving everybody more.” It was a critical success, featuring guest appearances from major, Hall of Fame artists—Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Future, Missy Elliott, and more. Instead of sitting with her success following the release, Taylor announced her exit from music on Instagram Live. She asked Def Jam to end her contract with the plea: “I can’t let this kill me.” 

“What we doing, God?” she remembers asking, when she found herself pleading to be released from her record label contract. What came back was clarity and spiritual confirmation. “I focused on what was dead smack in front of me. I wasn’t going to sit there and be upset about what’s in the past or what hurt me.” Despite her split from Ye’s imprint, she’s still with Def Jam. What’s different this time around? “Me blowing up on their ass,” Taylor says, straight like that. “Now it’s on my terms. I’m not your artist, I’m your partner.” Besides, Taylor has other options”.

I am ending with a positive review for the brilliant Escape Room. Let’s go back to CLASH and their take on Escape Room. Perhaps Teyana Taylor’s best album to date, if you do not know her music then make sure that you check her out. Many might primarily know her for her acting. However, as an artist, she is someone that you will want to follow:

“Her first new music in five years, Teyana Taylor taps into RnB’s golden age on her labyrinthine audio-visual experience ‘Escape Room’. Blurring the lines between music, cinema, and narration from the likes of Taraji P. Henson, Sarah Paulson, Kerry Washington, Issa Rae, Regina King, Niecy Nash and more, ‘Escape Room’ charts the aftermath of Taylor’s divorce and her awakening after a period of creative ennui. The Harlem star turns inwards on a downcast album that mirrors Janet Jackson’s ‘Velvet Rope’ in its interior sermonizing, slinky grooves and interlude-heavy, episodic feel.

Of an album produced under the banner of her all-female production company The Aunties, Teyana shared: “Escape Room isn’t just a film or an album, it’s a world I built to live in, bleed in, and heal in. I poured my heart into every layer, from the story to the sound, to capture that journey we all take through the shadows of heartbreak, whether that’s love lost, friendships broken, dreams deferred and guide you toward the lightness of healing.“

Throughout, Taylor explores the full gamut of post-heartbreak disorientation; she’s despondent, she’s hollow, she’s scared to fall in love until she isn’t. Perhaps no track captures those festering contradictions than ‘Back To Life’, which begins as a tearstained lament before transitioning into an elastic ballroom anthem – which Taylor is no stranger to. Even as the spectre of past trauma lingers (Taylor’s documentation of this is less confessional, more considered and art-directed), the discovery of new skin and new love comes through on the bedroom suite – ‘Pum Pum Jump’ with TYLA and Jill Scott, and the Kaytranada-produced ‘Open Invite’, which froths with sass and organic sensuality.

‘Escape Room’ is an adult album about connections forged and lost, of love as a weapon and the root of salvation. Its cinematic scope, realised through spoken-word testimonies, adds colour to Taylor’s real-time processing of emotions after a series of professional and personal setbacks. Album closer ‘Always’, which features tender notes from daughters Rue Rose Shumpert & Junie Shumpert, completes Taylor’s return to self on a folky reprise which pulses on the strength of Taylor’s glazed lyrics and the smoky tenor of her pliable voice.

‘Escape Room’ reverberates with cinematic flair and curatorial focus, but its true strength lies in Taylor’s understanding of the RnB rhapsody through time; the love song that is most effective when it’s spare and submerged. For this reason, ‘Escape Room’ is as necessary as anything Teyana Taylor has ever recorded”.

I do hope that there will be some gigs later in the year. I know many people here in the U.K. will ant to see her. Teyana Taylor major talent who releases phenomenal albums and provides these incredible acting performances. If acting is her main focus, you feel music is her biggest love. You can feel and hear so much of her in Escape Room. One of the greatest modern music talents, after a GRAMMY nomination and acclaim for her album, this is someone who soon could become the biggest artist…

IN the world.

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Follow Teyana Taylor

FEATURE: Spotlight: Clara La San

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

 

Clara La San

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I have been aware…

PHOTO CREDIT: Lane Stewart

of the brilliance of Clara La San for a little while now. However, I feel this year is going to be her year. Her terrific album, Made Mistakes, was released in 2024. Her recent single, Old Me, came out in November. There is a lot of excitement around La San. I do think that solo artists will dominate this year, in spite of the fact there are some incredible groups around. Clara La San is someone you need to put on your radar. If you can go and see Clara La San perform, then go and see her. She plays London’s Electric Brixton on 2nd April, so I may well see if I can go along and review the show. Before coming to some interviews from later last year, I want to first go back to 2024 and FADER’s interview. They note how this R&B artist – who they term “reclusive” -, “perfectionism, viral stardom, and her stunning new album Made Mistakes”. It was Clara La San’s first interview in years. However, I think that it is judgemental to call her reclusive.

“Resolution, either gaining it or acknowledging that it’s not coming, is a constant on Made Mistakes. “I've made mistakes in my life,” La San says. “People seem to think it’s bad to make a mistake. But all of these songs come from real life experiences. It’s me writing from a vulnerable place and learning how to grow through accepting those things.”

A common theme in music over the past decade, from stadium-sized pop stars to underground artists grinding out a living, has been a need to be ever-present. Always posting, constantly sharing. Going quiet is one thing, but removing the bulk of your music from the internet is a different level of not playing the game. So why did La San take Good Mourning offline? “I loved working with Jam City but I have a really specific way of how I want my songs to sound,” she says. “There was something that just didn't really feel ready [about it]. I can be a bit of a people pleaser but when it comes to music, if I don't like it, everyone's going to know about it.” She hopes to re-record the shelved songs in the future, though there’s no firm timeline.

“I write songs how someone else would write in a diary or speak to a therapist,” she says when asked about her slow creative process. “It is a way of answering your own questions and I don’t feel nervous by not sharing that with the world.” That’s not to say she is indifferent to returning. “There is this nice feeling knowing that an album is finally coming out,” she admits. “It's like, ‘Oh, I can rest a little bit now that people know I still exist.’”

La San admits she can be a harsh critic of her own music. Ultimately, however, she reasons that when a song makes her feel a certain way, there is a good chance it will do the same for others. That theory was backed up last year when “In This Darkness,” first released in 2014, went viral. It was one of her earliest songs and had existed as a SoundCloud loosie, sitting idly on her account for years.

Like much of her material, “In This Darkness” merges sparse but warm textures with a melancholy air. “I get lonely when you're not here,” she sings. “And this darkness appears, leaving me stranded.” It has been used in hundreds of thousands of TikToks depicting a wide spectrum of emotion: gaining clarity years down the line or simply mourning the break-up of Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner. The song has been streamed over 150 million times on Spotify. “It’s just crazy,” says La San, who decided to put her audiophile tendencies aside and return the track to streaming. “I see a lot of people sharing the song and how it relates to their life. I guess a lot of people out there feel sad.”

“In This Darkness” returned La San to wider consciousness, but it would be unfair to say she vanished completely after Good Mourning. She had a writing credit on the most recent Yves Tumor album and appears on Bryson Tiller’s “Random Access Memory.” She also contributed vocals to a couple of songs by Belfast rave duo Bicep. La San identifies a shared love of “escapism and euphoria” in both her and Bicep’s music, though laughs when asked if she spends much time in clubs. “I never go to raves,” she says, “I just listen to music in my headphones.”

The discussion returns to keeping things secretive and the pros and cons of working in isolation. La San is quick to acknowledge that her isolated workflow has shielded her from some of the sexism that affects so many female producers. “I just feel like anything is possible. I can create anything,” she says of her zero deadlines, pressure-free schedule. It all begs the question as to whether this album will herald another disappearing act. “I might vanish again,” she says with a grin, “but I don't think it will be for seven years. I’m in a groove now”.

I am going to move to a couple of interviews from last year. I do feel like it is wrong to refer to Clara La San as a ‘new’ artist or someone breaking through. However, she may not be known to everyone, so I think that it is important to highlight her in case you are not conscious of what she has put out so far. COEVAL spent some time with Clara Le San a few years ago:

“Writing, producing, and performing mostly on her own, she approaches music as a quiet exploration, translating emotion into melody with care and precision. Her songs are intimate yet relatable each lyric a small story, a fleeting memory, or a late night thought made audible. Clara's honesty, calm, and self-awareness invite listeners into her world without spectacle, creating a space where vulnerability is strength and reflection is welcomed. In this interview for Coeval, Clara talks about love and loss, creativity and solitude, and the moments that push her to write. Her words offer insight into the artist behind the songs, revealing not just music but a perspective on life lived openly and thoughtfully.

Your music has always been about emotion, but Made Mistakes feels even more open. How do you decide what parts of your personal life you want to share through your songs?

For the most part I try to write music that's relatable. For me it's a way to process or heal from things that have happened to me. Life passes us by fast and I don't want to grow old with regret by not making my mark and sharing personal songs that are relatable to others.

Many of your lyrics talk about love not fantasy, but real love: complicated, painful, always honest. What does "real love" mean to you today?

Real love keeps me sane in world that teels so broken. Love is the one thing in this world that feels pure and worthwhile. I can't and don't want to imagine life without it.

You often produce and write everything yourself. Does that solitude make your process more personal, or do you sometimes wish for someone to share it with?

When it's just me producing and writing, I have the ability to unlock thoughts in my brain, thoughts that maybe I don't feel comfortable sharing with a collaborator straight away. I also love taking my time writing lyrics, I don't really like writing lyrics under pressure. They have to mean something to me, otherwise what's the point?

You first released Good Mourning in 2017 and then your debut album Made Mistakes in 2024. How would you describe the change in your sound and in yourself between those two moments?

I don't feel like there's a change in my sound when it comes to the production, but I do feel like the new mix of Good Mourning is definitely more dialled in. With the re-release of Good Mourning being my second mixing experience I knew exactly how I wanted it to sound and how to articulate that.

Do you ever feel pressure to protect your privacy or to hide behind the sound?

I've never been afraid of being vulnerable in my music or hiding because of that, I just don't like the superficiality of putting our faces at the forefront. Society has made us believe our appearance is our most important asset, but I don't care about that. For me it's what's inside that truly matters.

For many people, sad songs are therapy. Did you ever write a song that healed you or that changed the way you saw yourself?

I guess most of them. I either write about my own experience, or what could happen to me in the future.

The album is called Made Mistakes- do you see mistakes as part of becoming who you are, or as something you still wish you could fix?

It's not healthy to live in the past because we can't undo what's been done.

What do you do when you don't write? Tell me one of your obsessions.

I love to take walks. These are the moments when I disconnect myself from my phone and people in general. I try to do it as often as possible.

When will your new album be released? Give me a spoiler

I released a new single “Old Me" this month which I love, and I feel really inspired to keep writing and releasing at the moment”.

The penultimate interview I want to bring in is from earlier in 2025. The Creative Independent spoke with Clara La San about her creative process and how she really does not follow industry rules when it comes to release. Swerving games and working in her own way. Creating music that is timeless. Clara La San also talked about “working from a clean slate, not putting pressure on yourself, and making art simply to understand how you’re feeling”:

“Let’s say it’s a typical month of the year and you’re in writing, producing, and songwriting mode, but you’ve also got things to promote, live shows to prepare for, interviews to do. How do you balance all of that and retain your passion for songwriting and production?

For the most part, during the campaign runs, I wasn’t really creating that much music, just because I find it so hard to focus my mind on creating new material when I need to do all this other stuff. So I don’t put pressure on myself. I’m just like, “I know that I’m going to want to write when the time is right and when I have the mental space to do that,” unless I’m in a session or something. If I’m working with somebody else, it can motivate me, and that can really help. But for the most part, I just don’t put pressure on myself and just focus on what I need to.

Have you always been somebody who doesn’t put pressure on yourself, or has that been something you’ve learned over time?

I think so, unless it’s a deadline. Then, I’ll put pressure on myself. But for the most part, the best music I write is just when I’m in a certain mood, or when I’m experiencing a certain emotion and then I have something to say. I don’t force myself. I don’t say to myself, “I need to write today.” If I feel inspired to write, I’ll write, and if I have a deadline, I’ll put pressure on myself in that respect. But when it comes to creating, I’ll just let myself come around when I feel inspired, or I’ll find inspiration from somewhere to help.

A lot of press about you evokes this image of you as a recluse, but working with other people is so integral to what you do—like you said, you work with Jam City, you work with co-producers. If it’s true that you’re more drawn to solitude overall, how do you balance that aspect of yourself with your creative need for collaboration?

I love collaborating. I’m just quite particular with it, and I really just want it to be a back-and-forth process where whoever is involved has their say. It’s important for me to find a collaborator [with whom there’s] mutual respect for each other. And so I’m more particular with who I work with on projects. It’s important to find someone who wants to listen to what I have to say and lets me have my moment, whether it’s in the production or songwriting and everything.

For some creative people, they’ll go through a set of potential collaborators and not feel certain that any of them fit. Can you talk more about how you find great collaborators?

The first thing I like to do when I’m working with somebody is to share. I gauge a lot off the initial reaction and how a potential collaborator has reacted, whether they really like it or they don’t, and then you just know you are on the same page.

When I worked with [executive producer] Yves Rothman on Made Mistakes, that was an amazing experience because I had these songs already, but instead of him changing anything, he kind of just elevated it and didn’t go off on a different tangent. He got them to a place where I was really struggling to get to myself, but it was exactly where I wanted to take them, and that was an amazing collaborative experience and so enjoyable to work in that setting together.

That was everything I wanted to ask you today, but if there’s anything else you want to say about creativity in any way, shape, or form, please go for it.

When it comes to songwriting, it’s a journey of self-exploration. The best music I make is when there’s a mood that’s consuming my thoughts and interrupting my day-to-day, when I feel like, “Okay, I have to actually sit down and figure this out.” That’s how certain songs have come about that I love the most. Just basically having that inner pressure of, “I have to write in order to understand these emotions or the way that I’m feeling.” I can’t not, basically. That’s probably the time I enjoy writing the most, as much as I don’t because it’s frustrating having that feeling, but then, you’re creating really great art out of it”.

I am going to end with an interview from December from 10 Magazine. They asked her ten great questions (though I am not including all of them). Ending last year with great new music, having toured extensively, she will be looking at this year perhaps as one to reset and work towards a new album. There is a huge amount of demand for her to perform live, so that will also keep her pretty busy:

“We love your recently released music, especially Old Me. How did this song begin? What was the catalyst?

I wrote Old Me in Los Angeles alongside Justin Raisin and Lewis Pesacov. The session started by Justin playing me some loops and I found that one of them in particular really resonated with me. Instinctively I’m drawn to melodies that feel melancholic, so when I heard his piano loop I knew instantly we had to build on it.

What did they bring to your sonic world?

Working with them allowed me to approach writing though a different scope and I’m so grateful for their input. The energy of Justin and Lewis in the sessions made me want to push something different that still felt inherently me, which I find really inspiring.

Where have you been crafting the new music? Has there been an environment that has been specifically conducive?

At the moment I’ve been writing from my home studio in the UK. I find I work well when I isolate myself and I like to explore what comes from that. I go through phases though, there are times when I like to be around people but for now I just want to be alone.

How does England and growing up there infuse into your sound?

The weather definitely plays a part. Maybe the bleakness sometimes comes through in my thoughts while writing music. I’m not saying it would change if my environment was different, it’s just easier for me to get into my preferred mindset here.

With this new music coming out, how do you think you have grown and evolved as an artist since your 2024 debut album? Are you creating differently now?

I feel like I’m continually evolving my sound. I guess it’s all a process though because I’m constantly learning new things, but I can’t take all the credit for that. I have a lot of people around me who I am grateful for, who inspire me to no end.

Are there either artists that have been exciting and inspiring you recently? Who is on your radar?

I’ve been kind of switched off to new music lately due to touring and various other things. I go days without listening to music but if I do hear something I like I’ll binge on it. I’ll play it over and over again until I get bored. The last time I remember doing that was on my flight to LA. The song was On My Back by Cardi B. That beat is hard.

What’s something important to you aside from music? Something your passionate about that you want to use your growing platform for?

I love building the world from a visual perspective so that’s something I’ll continually do.

What’s next?

Continue being me”.

I hope that as many people as possible check out Clara La San. She is a wonderful artist that I have known about a bit, but there are some who perhapos are not aware. Do take some time to check out her stuff and, as I said, see her live if you are able to. Whilst perhaps not a ‘risinbg’ artist, she is someone worth spotlighting as one fo the most important and interesting artists of this year. Someone that I know…

WILL be making music for years to come.

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Follow Clara La San

FEATURE: You’re All Grown Up Now: Kate Bush in Her Thirties: The Changes and Challenges

FEATURE:

 

 

You’re All Grown Up Now

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at her home in Eltham, London on 13th September 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Cummins/Getty Images

 

Kate Bush in Her Thirties: The Changes and Challenges

__________

I am borrowing heavily…

from Graeme Thomson’s excellent biography, Under the Ivy: The Life and Music of Kate Bush. It is a book that I use a lot when writing features about Kate Bush. One of the most interesting chapters concerns Kate Bush turning thirty. Around the release of The Sensual World in 1989 and the period before that. Her final album in the 1980s, I guess turning thirty was not a huge deal for her. However, in terms of emotional maturity, life priorities and relationships, it was an important birthday to celebrate. One that must have caused her to pause and reflect. I have written about this particular fact before. On 30th July, 1988, Bush’s thirtieth birthday, she was typically donating her time to other people. Rather than spend the day making it all about her – though I hope she did celebrate with family in the evening -, she spent the day with other celebrities raising funds for the Terrence Higgins Trust. She was participating in the Shop Assistance charity event in London. She worked as a celebrity shop assistant at the Blazers menswear store in Covent Garden. This initiative involved celebrities selling merchandise to support HIV/AIDS awareness and care. This was a disease that would impact her life and claim the life of those close to her. It is a whole other chapter regarding Bush’s charity work and how she dedicates so much time and herself to these incredible causes. At the end of the 1980s, there was a lot of conversations around AIDS and HIV. Artists like Madonna bringing it into their work. Before 1988, there was a lot of rumours about her weight. Bush had gained a little weight and there were a couple of live appearances in 1987 – The Secret Policeman’s Third Ball and performing Don’t Give Up with Peter Gabriel at Earl’s Court -, but she address the work-diet-exercise balance and there was this new fitness regime.

There was no dramatic changes as Bush turned thirty. She was spotted at the odd show and was staying at home. She was not someone who loved jaunting abroad on holiday. Preferring to stay put, she did the odd bit here and there. However, it was clear that turning thirty did influence and infuse what we hear on The Sensual World. There was a major change in terms of collaborations. This was the first time she brought other female singers into the studio. The Trio Bulgarka appeared on The Sensual World and The Red Shoes (1993). Bush discovered them towards the end of the Hounds of Love sessions. Yanka Rupkina, Stoyanka Boneva, and Eva Georgieva added new dynamics and tones to her work. Before July 1988, Bush was busy still with promotion. Promoting Hounds of Love through 1986, 1987 was a year when she could start work on a new album. Writing This Woman’s Work in spring 1987 for John Hughes’s She’s Having a Baby, it was a kick. The Bulgarian sessions definitely gave new impetus and energy to an album that was floundering and faltering at times. It was the task of having to follow a masterpiece like Hounds of Love that was this massive success. Not wanting the next album to be similar, it was a massive task trying to release something that would prove popular but also perhaps not deviate too far from what people expected. One of the most notable aspects of Hounds of Love and The Sensual World is when they were released. The former is forward-thinking and innovative, yet it easily slotted into 1985 and was not that alien. It is hard to think of much else like The Sensual World in 1989. The scene had shifted drastically and it was harder for Bush to be relatable and innovative at the same time. I think that milestone birthday refocused her priorities. Perhaps wanting an album more womanly and feminine, I also feel that she was looking to head more away from conventional Pop music. Not that you could ever see her a traditional Pop artist. However, Hounds of Love had some big and bright songs. Some commercial successes alongside more conceptual tracks. The Sensual World she saw as ten stories tied together. You can hear more influences of Folk and voices like the Trio Bulgarka. Less intense and dramatic as Hounds of Love, The Sensual World has this warmth and sense of loss to it.

It is fascinating to think about Kate Bush turning thirty in 1988. Already working on a new album, I do feel like there were changes and new considerations. Bush was personal on Hounds of Love and previous albums. However, I feel like there is this mix of desire, loss and growth. Hounds of Love’s title looked at Bush being chased by metaphorical hounds of love. Afraid to commit, there was not much else in the way of her talking of love and close relationships I feel. There is more on The Sensual World. Perhaps one of the first albums where Bush is angrier, defeated and mournful. Her parents still close to her heart. Her dad, Robert, can be heard on The Fog. There is still room for oddness and fantasy. Songs like Deeper Understanding and Heads We’re Dancing step away from love and relationships. Desire and sensuality. Hounds of Love had twelve tracks, though The Sensual World keeps it to ten. The same as The Dreaming (1982). It is interesting what Graeme Thomson notes about the technology Bush used for The Sensual World. Bush and Del Palmer upgraded the farm studio and added an SSL console. There was a sense of her being overwhelmed by all the technology around her. Working with the Fairlight III and DX7 synth to form demo-masters, Bush recorded quickly and then took a break for several months or so. I think The Sensual World is one of her best albums, though it is clear it did not come together as easily as others. At a stage in her career and life when she had worked tirelessly for over a decade, she wanted to end the 1980s with an album that was unlike anything she did previously. The daunting thing of the blank page. Less conceptual than Hounds of Love, The Sensual World is a songwriter’s album. Perhaps taking us back to her work from 1978. This was Bush stripping layers to an extent. In 1988/1989, there were other artists being compared to Kate Bush. It was harder for her to stand out and push her music forward.

I think the twenties for most artists is about putting out work and keeping busy. Priorities more about work and promotion. For women especially, this sense of ageism in the industry means that they may be discarded or sidelined when they hit thirty. You can see it in modern Pop. The ferocity in which women in their twenties (and even thirties) are pushing themselves and the amount of touring they do. Bush also didn’t need to prove herself. Having released commercially successful and stunning albums, that pressure to top what went before was perhaps not on her mind. She did still value music and wanted it to be amazing, though she was perhaps not as intense as she once was. In terms of hours logged in the studio and how little free time she had. Also, between the release of The Sensual World and The Red Shoes, she would be affected by loss and tragedy. Alan Murphy, her guitarist of ten years, died in 1989. One of her longstanding dancers, Gary Hurst, died in 1990 (both Murphy and Hurst contracted AIDS) a Her mother, Hannah, died in 1992. Like volunteering to work for Blazers in Covent Garden on her thirtieth birthday and raise money for charity, she was very much not doing what a lot of her peers were. Personal loss definitely did reshape how she saw music and its importance. Maybe not strictly related to Bush turning thirty. She did change her compositional and technological relationship. Wanting to go more back to basics, especially for The Red Shoes, maybe a feeling her work was too complex and hard to follow. The Dreaming experimental and layered. Hounds of Love a big and complex album too. The Sensual World was slightly more rooted or sparse in some ways. You can feel something different come through. The Red Shoes would be Bush working at the piano again and writing in a different way. Trying to make her music easier to follow and appreciate. That personal and spiritual growth. Different priorities and objectives regarding her music. Not making it cinematic or grand. Something more direct and accessible.

I do like how there was this reordering of her priorities. I keep using that word but, as Bush entered her thirties, she was a different person. I think she also wanted to change how the press saw her as well. Her promotional photos becomes less sexualised. Less provocative. She did not want to be seen as a sex symbol or have people talk about her body. I want to end by quoting from a Pulse interview from December 1989. Will Johnson asking the questions.

“She's genuinely bemused that one of her appeals, initially, at least, was a certain physical allure. Anyone who's seen clips of Bush's only live shows ever played in the spring of '79 can't help but be stimulated by her inimitable stage performance -- a visual spectacular of music, dance, mime and sorcery. The whole experience of releasing records quickly and keeping pace with the related promotion work eventually wore her down. The '80s would see Bush slow her pace.

"The problem with my live work," she admits, "was that I had to expose myself in public so much, whereas now I can concentrate on just doing videos for my work. What I really like about videos is that I'm working with film. It gives me a chance to get in there and learn about making films, and it's tremendously useful for me, because one day I might like to make films myself."

Bush's videos, which she codirects, are easily as vibrant as her vinyl work. In the video for "The Sensual World," Bush stars as a black-and-white Molly Bloom touching that oh-so-black-and-white sensual world. [What? The video is in full color!] Her own favorite is "Cloudbursting" [sic], in which she stars with Donald Sutherland.

In '80, her third album, Never Forever, included tracks like "Babooshka" and "Breathing." The latter concerned itself with the nuclear age and how man insists on screwing up the environment. In the video Bush appeared inside a large bubble, predicting the era of the ozone friendly consensus, lamenting: "Outside gets inside, through the skin," followed by the slow chant: "In, Out, In, Out, In, Out."

"I think it's really good, the fact that it's so fashionable now," says Bush. "Everyone's pleased 'cause everyone's wanted to do something about it, come out of the closet as it were. Unfortunately it's like most things -- it's not until things start going horribly wrong that you try to do something about it. I think the media's got a lot to do with it, people like David Attenborough (renowned filmer of wildlife, best-known for his strange antics with gorillas, and brother of well-known film producer Sir Richard) 'cause they present things in a human way. There's no lecturing, there's no saying, 'Look, you're very, very naughty treating the earth like this,' but saying, 'Look at all these beautiful things.' The photography is so superior, it just moves people. I mean, years ago, people would not stay in to watch a wildlife program, would they?"

Since 1982's The Dreaming LP ("the album was so difficult to make, just about everything that could go wrong did during that period"), Bush has been more determined to do things her way -- especially in image terms, to get away from her marketing image of "The Tease." She's become progressively quieter; you won't find her sipping Tequila and Cherryade at Stringfellows, or whooping it up in a rubber mini at The Hippodrome, or lobbing french fries around Langan's Brasserie. It's just not her idea of fun.

"I do like the quiet life," she replies almost bashfully. "I do like having privacy; it's incredibly important to me, because I do end up feeling quite probed by the public side of what I have to do. I'm just quite a private person, really. You just end up feeling quite exposed; it's this vulnerability. After I've done the salesman bit, I like to be quiet and retreat, because that's where I write from. I'm a sort of quiet little person."

Which my explain why it's taken so long for this idiosyncratic yet compelling artist to break in the States. "Yes," she says perkily, "I've really had no success in America at all, apart from the Hounds of Love LP. That did quite well, and it was really exciting to think that there were people out there wanting it. But I've never seen it in terms of you make and album and then conquer the world. I must say it's never really worried me that I've not been big in America, but I'm with a new record company over there now, and I really feel good about the people -- they're lovely to talk to and to deal with. It's quite exciting for me. I just hope people out there will have the chance to know that the album's out. Then, if people want to hear it, they can. If they don't, well, that's absolutely fine.

"You know," she continues, "what I like about America is that there's a tremendous sort of hyper energy that I really like. Especially in New York -- there's a much stronger social setup, especially between artists. It's a very isolated setup here, because London's so spread out and everybody's off doing their own thing. You don't seem to bump into people the way you do over there; it's exciting to have that interchanging of ideas, just to talk to people who're going through similar things. It's real modern energy stuff. And also, I really like the positivity of the Americans. I mean here, although I love being here and I love the English, we're very hard on one another, very critical, whilst they have a wonderful willingness to give everyone a chance. We're really hard on people trying to get off the ground -- it's really unfair."

[If Kate likes America so much, why on earth doesn't she *come* here?]

One of the most engaging characteristics of Bush's persona is that she's so much the epitome of The English Rose, the natural beauty with innate intelligence -- a woman who just doesn't have to try. On The Sensual World, she feels that it's the Bulgarian influence -- three aging ladies named The Trio Bulgarka -- that add what she calls "a very interesting female aspect" to the LP, complementing Bush's own very feminine touch. The Trio's music was introduced to her by brother Paddy, and, as a result, she ventured over to Sofia, Bulgaria to meet the threesome. The Trio has an intensity about their voices, a deep expression of womanly pain and suffering, that hit a chord with Bush: "They were so important for me," she relates, "both musically and personally. I got a tremendous amount out of them as people, and a very important musical influence."

The release of The Sensual World ushers in a few changes for Bush: a new record label, a growing profile in America, and a realization that there's life outside the recording studio. "Something that really hit me on this album a bit like a hammer," she says, almost embarrassed, "is that I didn't really have any hobbies, and all I did was work, and everything that had been my hobby had sort of turned into work, like dancing, even reading -- in a way, because your're continually drawing from things that happen to you.

"But recently," she adds, "things like gardening have now entered my life, which is wonderful. I've never had a garden before, just very down-to-earth things like that. Again, it's just having a bit of contact with nature, you know, and planting things and seeing the slowness of it all. I've planted a flower bed; you have to be very patient. And it's a good thing for me to work with, ' cause making an album, you have to be very patient, and this flower bed helped me, *tremendously*, to watch how things have to fight for space: You have to get the weeds out, a little bit of water everyday, everyday a little something. Odd things like that, really!”.

Bush giving herself more time and space for hobbies. Some might see this as Bush becoming a bit boring but, after burning through her twenties without putting her feet up for a second, you can tell that she wanted things to be different. I hope that I have got to the heart of how things changed personally and professionally for Kate Bush after July 1988. I think there is more to be said about it. The Sensual World was definitely the first sign that she was perhaps looking to spend less time with music and not work as tirelessly as before. Reshape and redesign her career path. However, you cannot deny the brilliance of her sixth studio album. Featuring some of her most enduring and spectacular songs, it was the work of an artist…

STILL at the top of her game.

FEATURE: Beneath the Sleeve: Kate Hudson - Glorious

FEATURE:

 

 

Beneath the Sleeve

 

Kate Hudson - Glorious

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A remarkable album…

PHOTO CREDIT: Guy Aroch

from 2024, Glorious is the debut from Kate Hudson. Though better known as an actor – who has starred in some truly huge films -, she has naturally transitioned into music. Releasing her debut album at the age of forty-four, I do think there were perils. The music industry has always been ageist and sexist, throw into the mix this is a famous actor making music, and there could have been this backlash and huge criticism. I did see some of that come up, though there was a lot of interest and positive reviews around Glorious. It is a stunning album that I hope Kate Hudson follows up. Right from the punchy Gonna Find Out, Kate Hudson reveals this incredible voice and musical talent. You can get the album on vinyl here. It has this beautiful and memorable cover. Before finishing with some reviews for Glorious, I want to cover some interviews Kate Hudson gave in 2024. The first I am coming to is from Rolling Stone. The fact that she possesses this Rock star voice and is a huge musical talent, she wasn’t ready until now (2024) to release an album. Let’s hope that she keeps the momentum going:

“It took decades, lots of therapy, and a global pandemic for Hudson to break through all of those barriers and finally write and record an album of her own. The result, Glorious, is one of the year’s most pleasant musical surprises, a thoroughly grown-up and strikingly assured collection of guitar-heavy songs that tend to land somewhere between Adele and Sheryl Crow, with Hudson’s big, slightly husky voice and deep rock & roll fandom always front and center. “The spirit of Penny Lane descends on everything in my life,” Hudson says. “Because I was Penny Lane.… I love all kinds of music, but I love rock music, and I love women in rock. Linda Ronstadt is my favorite rock star.”

When the Covid lockdowns hit, Hudson found herself forced into introspection. “I was like, ‘What am I doing?’” she recalls. “‘What is my life? What’s going to happen if I die? This will be my great regret ever, that I didn’t allow myself to share music. And even if it’s one person who loves it, it would mean so much to me.’ And that was it. Like, ‘OK, it’s time.’” So, she was in the mood to say yes when a friend of hers, Tor E. Hermansen of the production duo Stargate, asked her to sing a cover of Katy Perry’s “Firework” for a school-charity Zoom. Soon afterward, Hudson got a surprise phone call from songwriter and producer Linda Perry, a parent at the same school. “She was like, ‘What the fuck? I didn’t know you could sing like that! Do you write music?’ And I go, ‘Yeah.’ She’s like, ‘Well, come in the studio.’”

Hudson and Perry were near-total strangers, but Hudson arrived at the studio with another, much more familiar collaborator. Danny Fujikawa, her fiancé and father of one of her children, had a music career of his own as a guitarist and songwriter for the indie band Chief, who released an album on Domino in 2010. The touring life had led to substance issues for Fujikawa, and he thought his musical life was over. “Kate brought me back into music with this album, kind of full circle, and it’s been such a blessing for me,” he says.

At that first session, Fujikawa recalls, “it was me, Kate, and Linda Perry sitting in a room, and it was like an awkward first date. Linda just strummed a chord and then belted some howling, crazy sound out of her mouth. That kind of set the tone for Kate, and then, honestly, we just hit the ground running. We wrote 30 songs or something over the course of three weeks.” Fujikawa and Hudson eventually finished the album with another musician, onetime Max Martin collaborator Johan Carlsson, who co-wrote Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman,” among other hits.

The album’s power-ballad title track was one of the easiest Hudson-Perry collaborations, written in all of 10 minutes. “The process felt like channeling, and ‘glorious’ just was a word that came out,” Hudson says. “It was like we were in each other’s heads. It was awesome.” She connects that feeling to something that she’s experienced as an actor: “It’s the moments when you hit a scene with someone and everything goes away and it feels so good. It feels completely present. That’s the same thing for me writing music. You’re so present in it. ‘Glorious’ was just the best. It was better than sex.”

Hudson doesn’t mind acknowledging there are moments on the album that evoke the Black Crowes, the band fronted by her ex-husband, Chris Robinson. “Well, listen, I mean, talk about a foundation of my life,” she says. “I was a fan of my ex-husband before I met him. I remember what I loved about the Black Crowes when I was younger, before I fell in love with him — the naughtiness and the freedom in which they chose to create. I have a soft spot for people like that, even though they’re challenging and tough. Chris and I, we didn’t fall in love ’cause we liked opposite things. We fell in love ’cause we were into the same shit.”

Hudson, who was also once engaged to Muse’s Matt Bellamy, adds, “People always go, ‘You really like those music guys.’ And I’m always like, ‘They might like me, too!’ You know, there’s something about music. I’ve been in relationships where I can’t speak that language with someone, and I don’t know if I could exist in a unit where I couldn’t share it properly. It’s a really, really nice thing to share, and that’s been why I always end up having babies with [musicians]. It’s like my pheromones are like, ‘We’ll make a good child. We’ll make a musical child. So let’s do this!’”

Finishing the album felt almost like as momentous an occasion. “There’s so much emotion attached to it, and personal obstacles to overcome to get here,” she says. “When I knew it was done and everything was mastered and I was signing off on it, it was like giving birth to a baby — it really felt that way. I was incredibly emotional. But what was interesting was that I didn’t have any fear.”

Now, Hudson is looking forward to her first tour of her own, eyeing favorite venues like New York’s Bowery Ballroom. And as music biopics start to look like the new superhero movies, she has a few dream roles in mind that could combine her two artistic pursuits. “I think Dusty Springfield is a really interesting story,” she says. “People don’t know a lot about her, and she’s one of my favorites. She was very shy. She had a lot of stage fright and struggled with being open about her sexuality. That could be a very powerful movie”.

There are a couple of other interviews I want to come to before getting to review. GRAMMY spent some time with Kate Hudson to discuss her Glorious debut. I think that is genuinely is one of the best albums for 2024, and a work I would recommend to everyone. Go and get it on vinyl if you can. I have not seen Kate Hudson perform live, though I will try and catch her if she is coming to the U.K. this year:

“When legendary songwriter Linda Perry discovered that Kate Hudson could sing, she enabled the actress' childhood dream to come true.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Perry happened to be on a virtual school program during which Hudson sang a rendition of Katy Perry's "Firework." Soon after, Perry called Hudson in for a studio session — and before they knew it, they were creating Hudson's debut album.

But their interaction was much more serendipity than it was coincidence. And perhaps you could say the same for Hudson's breakthrough role as the music-obsessed "band-aide" Penny Lane in 2000's Almost Famous. Music was always Hudson's first love, now manifested as Glorious — a glittering musical coronation.

Across 12 tracks, Hudson shows off her sultry voice over an array of pop-rock melodies, conjuring the enchanting air of Stevie Nicks and the dynamic vocal power of Sheryl Crow. While some may remember hearing Hudson sing in the 2009 film adaptation of the musical Nine or her short stint as a sassy dance instructor on season 5 of "Glee," Glorious shows an entirely new side of the actress. She feels right at home as she rocks the soulful opener "Gonna Find Out," hits you in the heart on the tender ballad "Live Forever," and surprises with belting power on the soaring title track.

A musical venture has been on Hudson's vision board, first recognizing the pop star prowess of Madonna and Belinda Carlisle when she was just 5 years old. That lifelong aspiration has led her to feeling more assured in her debut album than anything she's done in her career thus far. As she declares, "I've never felt more present in something in my life."

She's already felt that synergy on stage, too. Hudson made her performance debut in Los Angeles the day after Glorious lead single, "Talk About Love," premiered in January; she's since shocked viewers of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and "The Voice" with her prowess ("Who knew Kate Hudson could sing?" one "Voice" fan tweeted). And while her singing career doesn't mean her acting chapter is closed, she's ready for a tour: "I can't wait to actually go out and meet people that I've never been able to meet before."

Below, Hudson details her journey to Glorious in her own words — from letting go of potential criticism, to gaining confidence in her voice (with help from Sia!), to simply enjoying a particularly special life moment.

I would always say no if someone asked me to sing. [Whether] it was a charity [event] or some sort of show, I just always had this thing where I didn't want to put myself out there like that.

I realized I had a fear of being on stage. And I was like, You know what, I've got to just start saying yes. So it started with that — I'm just going to say yes to singing, even if it scares me to death.

It's my happy place, singing and writing. The only thing that would have been holding me back was the fear of what people might say about it. And that is, I think, the worst possible thing to do — not make art because you're afraid of the criticism.

I'm always writing, but when Linda [Perry] said, "Will you come in and sing this song?" and I did, and then she asked if I wrote music, and she's like, "We should write together," that was sort of the beginning of what this album became. Getting in the studio with Linda, we had no expectation, we didn't know what it was going to be — one song, four songs. It ended up being, like, 20-plus songs.

It was a real passion project, versus being a younger artist, and wanting that to be my number one vocation. So I was able to be more present in the process and with no expectation. It sort of had that domino effect of starting the writing and then really just loving it — becoming kind of all-encompassing. Once you open the floodgates, there's so much to write about. I can't wait to get back in the studio already.

I think [my hesitation to sing before] was more about, Why am I singing? I find music so precious that, if I wasn't ready, ready, ready, I just didn't want to do it. And it's kind of my personality too. I was the little girl that wouldn't do anything unless I felt like I had perfected it and had the confidence to be doing it.

And then COVID [hit]. Honestly, it was like, Okay, I'm not getting any younger. I want music to be a part of my life in a bigger way. I can sort of see myself, as I get older, being more surrounded by music and writing music, and being more immersed in music like that, because I love it so much.

I was thinking about this the other day — lately, Danny [Fujikawa, Hudson's musician/actor fiancé] and I write, like, a song a week, and sometimes multiple. I love it, we love doing it together. So it's something that I can't wait to, hopefully, be able to do just more of.

The performance thing is so new for me that it's wild. This past month of performing, and being in front of people, and sharing music, and sharing my voice like that, is something brand new. I call it, like, putting on a new pair of shoes and wearing them in a little bit — going to different places and your voice sounds different in different rooms.

In reflection, at that time, crossing over [into music] was sort of looked poorly upon— if you're starting to become successful in one thing, you need to stick to that. You have to understand, like, if someone even did a commercial, the perception of it would be like, "Oh that person's career is over."

Now, the world has completely shifted and it just doesn't matter anymore. Which is such a nice thing for a lot of artists.

At the end of the day, these are art forms that we really care about. It's really important to us to make the right movies — when you're creating a character, or when you're writing an album. People might not see [that] from the outside in. It fuels something that is just like, you couldn't live without it.

So when you get to a certain place that you are being known for what you love, for the art form, and you become a celebrity, the criticism is so extreme. It's so extreme that it's like, if you feed into it, it will stop you from wanting to take any risks as an artist. You start to become precious about things — you get nervous to step out on a limb because it could destroy things that you've been really working hard to build. But the irony of that is, you aren't really an artist unless you're taking those chances.

Entering this phase of my life age-wise, I've been through all of that harsh criticism so many times that after a while, you realize like it just doesn't matter. What matters is that you're putting your best foot forward, you know?”.

The final interview I am keen to spotlight is from Variety. Maybe there was surprise that Kate Hudson was a great singer. However, more and more actors are going into music. I can imagine singing and having a strong voice is important for a lot of actors, so not a huge shock that Hudson is a natural musician. Glorious is an album that really cannot remain the only album from Kate Hudson! I feel like a strong debut like this will build all this anticipation:

“A commonality of a lot of the promotional appearances you’ve been doing for this album is people telling you what a great voice you have, as if they’re surprised. You’ve probably experienced that hundreds of times in recent months. Do you think you might get tired of people telling you you have a fantastic voice?

Oh my God, how could you ever get tired of hearing that? It’s so kind. You know, I think the thing that feels really good is that I can feel a lot of kindness around this. On social media, people have a tendency to want to be very mean to people, and some people really like to be able to jump on that opportunity. So I’ve felt very emotional about the kindness that I’ve felt. I don’t know what that is about. But it brings up the reality that when you’re doing something from a really honest place, I think most people feel it and root for it. I’ve felt that in certain moments in my career, but this feels different because this is so personal to me. As you know, as a writer, you’re sort of jumping off of a cliff a little bit, and you just kind of put it out there and it doesn’t really belong to you anymore. It’s like having a baby, you know? I remember what my mom said when I had my first son. I was like, “Why am I so sad?” And she goes, “Because when he comes out, he doesn’t belong to you anymore.” And I feel that way about this album and music: It belongs to everybody else. And so I think that’s why it really hits the heartstrings when I feel people being supportive and kind.

Can you talk about the style you arrived at? Because it feels like what you are doing is ultra-mainstream in one sense, and yet, there’s not a lot of it around.

It’s so funny that you just said it like that, because I feel that way about it.

It recalls for people Fleetwood Mac or Sheryl Crow, and you’ve mentioned the Rolling Stones as an influence, too, not just to make it about female front-people. But it’s funny that when that “Daisy Jones and the Six” series came around, it made people wish this fictional band was real, because it reflects a thing people want and don’t get that much of.

I did what I love. And I’ve written all kinds of music, , but when I was making the album, I was like, what I love is band-led, and guitar-led… I like music that makes you feel like you’re surrounded by the band. You mentioned Sheryl Crow. I was a 14-year-old girl when “Tuesday Night Music Club” came out. That album and (the Stones’) “Tattoo You” were it for me when I was 14 and discovering music. Sheryl was my foundation of loving female rock music. And from “Run Baby Run” to “I Shall Believe,” I was like, this is it. Just in my stomach, just thinking about it now, it’s like, ugh — it’s just the fucking best. She’s such a rock star, and she was a real hero of mine when I was younger. And then, from there, obviously really discovering Fleetwood Mac and all of the women, like Pat Benatar and fucking Joan Jett, and the women in Heart. Ann Wilson is like that voice, and Nancy’s songs, and getting to know Nancy during “Almost Famous”… That kind of band-led music for me was it.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Hudson performs onstage during the album release concert for Glorious at The Bellwether on 18th May, 2024 in Los Angeles/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

But it was also the brightness… I like that kind of golden sound that comes from David Crosby’s album with “Laughing” (1971’s “If I Could Only Remember My Name”), or discovering Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon,” which to me also has that kind of golden feeling. Sheryl has it; I think Lucius, now, have that sound. I just love it and so I’m sure it comes out in the album. I hope it does. When I’m singing the Patty Griffin song (“When It Don’t Come Easy”) on stage… there’s something about organic music. That being said, then I get into Brian Eno and I’m like, ooh, I could get weird too. I don’t know where it’s gonna go. Fuck, there’s so much great music out there, you know?

What covers do you most enjoy doing on stage?

The one we all love playing the most is “Voices Carry” (by Aimee Mann, from ‘Til Tuesday). You know it so well, but you don’t hear it all the time. People love that cover… I love taking a song like “Vaseline” (by Stone Temple Pilots) that wouldn’t be necessarily a song that I would write, but it’s a song that moves me, and is from a time in my life,and then you can build a fucking jazz sound around it… I’m such a huge TP fan. I had the honor of being on the road with Tom Petty one summer when the Black Crowes opened for them, and so I got to really meet their whole crew and to live with that music. He was the best… a very quiet, shy man. I’ll always want to do his songs, and we worked up a bluegrass version of (“You Don’t Know How It Feels”), which is one of my favorites”.

I shall end with a couple of positive reviews for Glorious. A remarkable album (the song included above is from the Deluxe version) from a renewed actor who I feel is equally strong an artist, there were some who claimed this was a vanity project. That is was undemanding music. I think it is incorrect, offensive and elitist. Because Kate Hudson is an actor and is going into music. If she were an unknown artist in her own right, then those words would not be applied to Glorious. Those who heard the album and judged it as a debut album from an artist and not an actor trying out music, you get something more considered. This is what AllMusic observed in their review:

“Kate Hudson spent much of her career orbiting the center of rock & roll so the transition from acting to singing doesn't seem awkward in the slightest on Glorious, her debut album. Hudson spends the record on comfortable ground thanks to her chief collaborators Danny Fujikawa -- the onetime leader of Chief and Hudson's domestic partner since 2016 -- and Linda Perry, the superstar producer who encouraged the actress to follow her dream of writing and performing music after hearing Hudson sing for a charity event at a school both their children attend. Perry's schedule didn't allow for her to complete Glorious, giving Hudson and Fujikawa the opportunity to work with Johan Carlsson, an associate of Max Martin who found success co-writing with Ariana Grande. Having two prominent producers as collaborators winds up putting the spotlight on Hudson herself, as her passionate, full-throated vocals -- raspy without seeming ragged, powerful yet controlled -- are the focal point throughout the record. Unsurprisingly for an actress who became a star playing Penny Laine, the chief "Band Aid" in Cameron Crowe's album rock epic Almost Famous, Hudson is firmly rooted in classic rock, displaying clear debts to such '70s titans as Linda Ronstadt and Stevie Nicks. The trick Hudson pulls off on Glorious is that her classicism never seems staid: it's bright, lively, fresh and fun, tuneful, and knowing without succumbing to rote, respectful tropes of traditionalism. Part of the reason Glorious sounds so engaging is that she's working with Perry and Carlsson, pop producers who are keenly aware of fashion but who also know Hudson isn't gunning for the Top 40. Instead, the team knows how to give the insistent "Romeo" and pulsating "Fire" a New Wave sheen and how to let the power chords of "Gonna Find Out" settle into a blues-rock groove that's as slick as it is earthy. Similarly, there are both dimension and depth to the quieter moments -- "Live Forever" builds from a hushed acoustic guitar to a lovely shimmer of harmonies and strings -- that emphasis emotion instead of overwhelming it. The suppleness of the production mirrors Hudson's range -- she not only adeptly handles the shifts in style and tone, but provides the music with a dynamic center. Perhaps Hudson is indeed a bit of a throwback to another era -- not so much the '70s as the dawn of the 2000s, when Sheryl Crow made this kind of colorful classic rock a radio staple -- but Glorious shows she's a rock star in her own right”.

I will wrap things up with The AU Review. Awarding Glorious four stars, they heralded someone proving themselves to be a Pop poet. Glorious debuting at number 3 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums chart and number forty-one on the Independent Albums chart. The album got to number nineteen on the Vinyl Albums chart. In the U.K., Glorious debuted at number eighty-one on the UK Album Downloads Chart Top 100 on, peaking at number eighteen in February 2025, after the release of the deluxe version of the album. In 2025, Glorious debuted and peaked at number twenty-eight on the UK Independent Albums Chart, and at number seventy-one on the UK Physical Albums Chart. Even if it was not a massive commercial success, I feel Glorious is a wonderful album that deserves to be played and appreciated:

“It isn’t an uncommon road travelled for actors to further express their creativity through the release of music.  Whilst some commit to both with a certain vigour (Jennifer Lopez, Cher, etc) and others dabble with more consistent subtlety (Keanu Reeves, Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe), it does feel a little out of the ordinary to switch to the medium so late into an already established career.

That’s how it may appear on the surface when looking at Kate Hudson and her foray into music with the release of Glorious.  But, if you’ve paid close enough attention, you’ll know that Hudson has always had an instrumental expression running through her blood, she just hasn’t had the ability to

At the age of 21 when she was thrust particularly into acting stardom off the back of her Academy Award-nominated performance as Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous (2000), Hudson – whose father Bill Hudson was a vocalist in the familial troop The Hudson Brothers – rode the wave of attention towards a fruitful career that saw her top such studio successes as How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, The Skeleton Key, Fool’s Gold and, most recently, the Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion.

Hudson has stated that music is something she’s always wanted to pursue, but acting, for whatever reason, took precedence.  She fuelled her own musicianship through a recurring role on the TV series Glee and as one of Daniel Day Lewis’s muses in the musical Nine, and, however ill-advised the film ultimately ended up being, she flexed further in the Sia-penned Music.

Those musical outlets were specific to those projects however.  Glorious is authentically Kate Hudson, with the creative leaning into a poetic songwriter mentality that comes across as a folk-inspired Adele or a pop-fused Joni Mitchell.

The album’s launch single, “Talk About Love”, is indeed the most commercial sounding of the 12 tracks on hand.  It may not necessarily be a sonic representation of Glorious as a whole, but with its booming chorus and plucky riff it makes sense as to why it would suit as an introduction to Hudson as an artist.  The album flits between a predominant soft-rock and country aesthetic (the romantic “Live Forever” and the boot scootin’-lite “Romeo” proving strong examples), but her pop hook sensibilities are never discarded in favour of lyrical depth, with “Lying To Myself”, with its 80s inspired bassline, serving as a spiritual sibling to the aforementioned debut single.

The slight husk in Hudson’s voice at once suits the rock edge the album oft leans into, whilst also serving the vulnerability required for the softer, more open moments that speak to her strength as a storyteller.  The album opener “Gonna Find Out“, a breathy rock number that expresses a more sexually liberated Hudson (“It’s a hot night, it’s a low light. It’s a full moon, I’ll take you on a fun ride, I’m gonna stay down
‘Cause you’re my goal line”) and the following “Fire”, which enjoys a new wave-lite instrumental that brings to mind Icehouse’s seminal “Great Southern Land”, ensure the listener’s attention before the softer touch of “The Nineties” allows a moment of reflection.

Given the stigma that can so often come from an actor trying their hand at music, it’s a testament to Hudson’s commitment that she packaged Glorious and set it out for all the world to listen.  And whilst her bubbly, inviting persona may suggest a fluffier approach to pop music at its most basic, the emotionality and maturity of both her vocal tone and the production is sure to silence any naysayers that assume this venture is void of credibility”.

Turning two in May, I wonder if Kate Hudson has plans for a sequel to Glorious. She is a wonderful singer and artist who I would love to hear more albums from. I would love to see her perform live too. She may well be tempted to record more music after appearing in Song Sung Blue last year, where she starred alongside Hugh Jackman as the Neil Diamond tribute band, Lightning & Thunder. The role has won her a BAFTA nomination for Lead Actress. On 22nd February, we will see if she walks away with the award. Looking ahead, I do hope that she find time between film projects to record another album, as Glorious is a superb debut album. One that I get something new every time…

I pass through it.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs Produced by the Great George Martin

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

IN THIS PHOTO: George Martin/PHOTO CREDIT: Popperfoto/Getty Images

 

Songs Produced by the Great George Martin

__________

IT is worth revisiting…

IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles in 1967

George Martin ten years after his death. We lost him on 9th March at the age of ninety. Many people define him with The Beatles and no other artists, though he dd produce for others. However, the importance of his role in The Beatles’ music cannot be overstated. He helped define popular music. His input as a musician and producer not only help shape and transform their songs. He was very much part of the group. I don’t think The Beatles could have existed and got to where they did without George Martin. In 2028, we will get Sam Mendes’s films about The Beatles. Harry Lloyd will play George Martin. It will be fascinating to see how much screen time he gets and how they portray Martin. He is one of the greatest producers of all time. I want to move to the BBC’s obituary from 2016:

“His career spanned six decades; in that time he produced more than 700 records, wrote film scores and worked with music's greatest talents.

His technical knowledge and love of experimentation saw him produce incredible sounds from equipment that modern musicians would consider primitive.

His greatest success came with the Beatles; from the loveable mop-top recordings of the early 1960s to the acid-drenched psychedelia of Sergeant Pepper.

George Henry Martin was born on 3 January 1926 into a working-class family in north London. His parents, a carpenter and a cleaner, wanted "a safe civil servant's job" for their son.

Four Liverpudlians

He won a scholarship to St Ignatius' College in Stamford Hill, but when war broke out his parents moved out of London and he went to Bromley Grammar School.

His passion for music really began when The London Symphony Orchestra, under Sir Adrian Boult, arrived to play a concert in the school hall.

"It was absolutely magical. Hearing such glorious sounds, I found it difficult to connect them with 90 men and women blowing into brass and wooden instruments or scraping away at strings with horsehair bows. I could not believe my ears."

He harboured secret ambitions to be a composer but, in the event, took a job as a quantity surveyor before joining the Fleet Air Arm in 1943 where he qualified as a pilot.

By 1947 Martin was playing the oboe professionally and had been accepted to study at the Guildhall School of Music, despite being unable to read or write a note.

After graduation he spent a brief spell at the BBC's classical music department before walking through the doors of EMI in Abbey Road as a record producer. He took to the mixing desk like "a duck to water".

Five years later, at the age of 29, as head of the Parlophone label, he worked with artists such as Shirley Bassey, Matt Monro and the jazz bands of Johnny Dankworth and Humphrey Lyttelton.

Martin also produced catchy, comic numbers, and enjoyed such successes as Right Said Fred with Bernard Cribbins and Goodness Gracious Me with Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren.

In 1962, Brian Epstein introduced him to four Liverpudlians. They had been rejected by every major record label in the country and Martin himself was more impressed by their strong personalities and natural wit than by their music.

"They were raucous," he later remembered. "Not very in tune. They weren't very good."

Nevertheless, he signed the Beatles and Love Me Do became their first hit later in 1962. Thus began the most successful recording studio partnership of all time.

Learning curve

For the next eight years, Martin guided the Fab Four from the frothy pop sound of I Want To Hold Your Hand to the ambitious experimentation of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Abbey Road.

It was a steep learning curve for both producer and musicians. Martin had very little experience of pop music and the band had no idea how a recording studio worked.

Martin's main talent lay in his ability to translate the adventurous ideas of Lennon and McCartney into practical recording terms.

While McCartney could express his requirements, Lennon was often more vague. If he was searching for what he called "an orange sound", it became Martin's task to find it.

But it all worked. In a 1975 interview with the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test, John Lennon said that it was a true partnership.

"Some people say George Martin did all of it, some say The Beatles did everything. It was neither one. We did a lot of learning together."

Martin's classical training became ever more valuable as the Beatles continued to push the boundaries of their music. He wrote and conducted the strings on Eleanor Rigby and the eclectic backing to I Am The Walrus.

All this was being achieved on what would now be considered basic recording equipment, which would be pushed to the limit for the recording of the Sgt Pepper album.

At the time, EMI had only four-track tape machines so Martin, and his engineers, devised a technique whereby a number of tracks were recorded and then mixed down on to one single track, giving the flexibility of a modern multi-tracked studio.

He also made much use of recording different tracks at various tape speeds to change the texture of the final sound, a technique used to good effect on Lucy in the Sky.

The harmony between band and producer suffered one of its rare hiccups when George Martin was temporarily unavailable and McCartney brought in another producer to arrange the strings on She's Leaving Home.

By the time The White Album came to be recorded, Martin was working with a number of different artists and The Beatles produced many of the tracks themselves.

Following the 1970 break-up of The Beatles, Martin worked with artists such as Sting, Jose Carreras, Celine Dion and Stan Getz, as well as Lennon and McCartney on their solo projects.

By then he had set up his own company, AIR studios, which enabled him, for the very first time, to be able to receive royalties for his work.

In the late 1970s, Martin built a studio on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, and artists including Dire Straits and The Rolling Stones travelled there to record albums under Martin's respected guidance.

When Hurricane Hugo devastated both island and studio in 1989, Martin produced a benefit album to help raise funds for the victims.

Martin received a knighthood in 1996, and a year later, Elton John asked him to produce the reworking of his song Candle in the Wind for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.

He persuaded the singer just to sit down in the studio and record it exactly as he had played it in Westminster Abbey. The resulting single was Martin's 30th number one record, the highest of any musical producer.

He retired two years later after producing what he decreed would be his final album, In My Life, a collection of Beatles songs, rearranged and recorded by a collection of singers, film actors and musicians.

However, he was not able to completely relax. In 2002 he was part of the team which put together the Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace and in 2006 he supervised the remixing of 80 Beatles tracks for use by Cirque de Soleil in a Las Vegas stage show called Love.

In his career, George Martin worked with some of the best-known names in popular music - ranging from Jeff Beck, through Ultravox to the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

But his enduring legacy will be his work with The Beatles whose timeless sounds, as acknowledged by the band members themselves, owe much to his input as a musician, arranger and producer”.

It is the instinct and imagination of George Martin that very much added something exceptional to The Beatles’ music. Even though he lived a long and full life, his absence is very much felt. He was this genius that did so much to get The Beatles to where they ended. In terms of the band’s legacy and brilliance, you have to salute George Martin and his production talent. The likes of which we will…

NEVER see again.

FEATURE: Sweepin’ the Clouds Away: The Continuing Brilliance of Sesame Street and Its History of Music Guests

FEATURE:

 

 

Sweepin’ the Clouds Away

 IN THIS PHOTO: Sabrina Carpenter is one of the most recent music guests who has visited Sesame Street/PHOTO CREDIT: Disney+

The Continuing Brilliance of Sesame Street and Its History of Music Guests

__________

ONE of the most joyous…

IN THIS PHOTO: SZA appeared on Sesame Street in 2025/PHOTO CREDIT: Sesame Workshop

and important T.V. series ever has new episodes out. Sesame Street first aired in 1969. It is amazing to think that it has been running that long (you can watch episodes here). Most of us know about it, though I feel like it is so relevant today. Whilst you may feel it is not cutting-edge or socially aware because of the premise and how it is aimed mostly at children, it is a show that has always been socially aware. Maybe it is more directed at adults than imagine. I think the fact that it does exclude or punch down in terms of how it addresses the audience. It is not infantilising or restricted to children, nor is it too inaccessible to children. Before getting to music and discussing why this is such a great series when it comes to showcasing artists in a different light, I want to come to this Forbes feature from 2021 regarding the 2021 documentary, Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street:

“Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street offers a nostalgic gaze into the minds of the visionaries who created the influential show, while also delving into never-before-seen archival footage and touching interviews with the cast, writers and crew. Directed by Marilyn Agrelo (Mad Hot Ballroom) and based on Michael Davis’ 2008 book, Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street, the documentary includes a thorough look at the show’s goals: to educate children in underserved, lower-income communities with a diverse cast and to address real-life, contemporary problems, from the 1960s onward.

Joan Ganz Cooney, the first executive director of the Children’s Television Workshop, and Sesame Street co-founder Lloyd Morrisett, were deeply inspired by the civil rights movement. After Ganz Cooney noticed the educational gap in lower-income schools, she felt compelled to create a show that would speak to children everywhere. Another aim was to create educational programming in an experimental and creative format that didn’t seek to advertise to its young viewers. Federal funding made that possible, and Ganz Cooney’s vision drew in masterminds, including children’s television writer, director and producer Jon Stone and Muppets creator Jim Henson. The show consulted educators and psychologists on how to approach sensitive topics with children, without ever talking down to it’s young audience or underestimating their intelligence.

I spoke with Marilyn Agrelo about the film’s timeliness, how she because involved in the project and how quarantine has helped her to thrive in her creative work.

Risa Sarachan: How did you get involved with this project?

Marilyn Agrelo: I was lucky enough to be asked to direct a segment on Sesame Street about five years ago. It was a music video with Ernie and it was fantastic. At the end of the shoot, I posted a picture of Ernie and me on Facebook. Trevor Crafts, who had optioned the book and who I've known for twenty years, saw me on Facebook and he said, “Oh my God, Marilyn, I think she’d perfect to be the director of this documentary.” It was one of those crazy, amazing things. And so he called me, and we started talking, and that was the beginning of the partnership.

Sarachan: So many times I want to turn on social media, but then you hear stories like that, and you're like, okay, well, maybe it does bring some good into the world.

Agrelo: Trevor and I always joke that well, Facebook was at least good for one thing.

Sarachan: What did you want to make sure you kept from Michael Davis’ book while you were creating the film?

Agrelo: First of all, I was not aware of the political roots of Sesame Street and the fact that it really did come out of the civil rights movement. For me, that was the most amazing part of it.

I also love that Michael told the story from a very adult point of view, and I wanted to do that. I wanted to make a movie that was for adults, about adults, and capture the real struggle. They had all these ups and downs and setbacks in the beginning. What I do not want to do is make a love letter with a lot of clips of Sesame Street that you can get from YouTube. I wanted to go behind the curtain a little bit, and I think Michael's book introduced that idea to me.

Sarachan: That makes a lot of sense to me. The clips bring you to that nostalgic place, but I also had some revelations watching this. It explored ideas behind the show that I’d never thought about before.

Agrelo: That was really the hope. As in my first documentary, Mad Hot Ballroom, yes, it’s about kids in a dance competition, but it's really about all these other things, you know? And [with] this movie, yes, it's about Sesame Street, but it's really about this band of idealists and activists who wanted to make a difference in the world. Looking at it and telling the story from that lens, I think it tells a little bit of a different story than solely a story of Sesame Street.

The fact that they wrote it with such sophisticated humor and social commentary, they were writing for adults - which is just fantastic. The final thing about this film that I really wanted to bring out was the fact that Jon Stone is someone who nobody has heard of really. People will always assume - oh yes, Jim Henson started Sesame Street, and in fact, the genius of Jon Stone has been overlooked for 50 years. So, it was really important for me to, first of all, learn about him and then tell his story.

Sarachan: Yeah, it was really this whole team of people who were responsible for the show’s success. You can tell it wouldn't have been what it was without every single member of that team.

Agrelo: [That’s] exactly right. Joan Ganz Cooney, who, you know, there were no women executives in the television - there were no women put in a position to be in charge of such an experimental project. It was her vision of her leadership. Her ego didn't get in the way. She allowed people to express themselves and to be [their] crazy creative selves in a way that let everybody shine.

Sarachan: What do you think it is about Sesame Street that lingers with so many of us into adulthood?

Agrelo: I think it's this daring creativity. I think Sesame Street became, for all of us, a place where we wish we could be. I think all kids, even kids who had never seen a New York City stoop [and] didn't even know what that was, found this place where everyone was accepted, everyone was unified. Most kids, I'm guessing in the sixties, didn’t live in such an integrated neighborhood, and they saw that. No one talked about it, they just showed it. And I think it made everybody yearn for something. Then, of course, who doesn't want to live on a street where a giant bird is walking around? There's always that too. But I think it presented this ideal world in a way without being a fairy tale. It presented an ideal world but in a very real setting. It was so unique. I think it just gave kids a place to yearn to be.

Sarachan: What future programming do you think was influenced by the revolutionary work that Sesame Street created?

Agrelo: I think all of [the shows] since Sesame Street have taken notes. They've all tried to be like Sesame Street. They've all taken little bits of it and tried to incorporate it because there's no doubt that this was spectacularly successful. What Sesame Street did that no one else did and few people have done since is really bring in this level of educational expertise and really work with educators, psychologists, all kinds of people in our society who are advising.

I know that right now, they’re integrating stories of protests. They're integrating stories about homelessness. They're integrating stories about racial harmony. They’re mirroring the world and I think this is something that they were the first to do certainly and really raised the bar for everyone that has come since.

Sarachan: I haven’t watched Sesame Street in so many years. I’m happy to hear they are addressing the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Agrelo: Exactly, because kids see all of this, and they have a lot of questions. It's the most serious time, I think, for kids to be exposed to the world. Much more so than when we were kids. So, I do think they have introduced something amazing into children's programming. The people at Sesame Street were frustrated because they could never really gauge their success. And the reason they couldn’t gauge it is that there was never a control group that they could compare with kids that were watching Sesame Street and kids that weren't. They could never find kids that weren't watching. They knew that they did raise the level of inner-city underprivileged children of color, but they also raised up the white children. It was quite amazing. I think it was far exceeded their expectation in every way.

Sarachan: I was reading about how many different countries play Sesame Street! It’s so impressive.

Agrelo: I know! It's in many different languages. Sesame Street also has programs in war zones. They are bringing muppets into Syrian refugee camps because they have found that this is very healing for little kids who are in crisis. So, they are doing so many things out there in the world that we're not even aware of.

Sarachan: How have you been able to access creativity during the pandemic?

Agrelo: I live in New York City. In New York, the impulse is always to go out: you go out to dinner, you meet friends for drinks, everything is out, and it has been very interesting to be so cut off. Luckily, in the course of making this film, we had shot everything before the pandemic hit, but it has very much forced me to observe. I've been watching a lot of stuff. It's fed my soul in a funny way because it's given me an excuse not to always be doing but to sit back and just watch. I think that is important for someone who is a storyteller or aspires to be an artist or to make things that people are going to see. You need to get back from the world a little bit. I think that's done a similar thing for many people that work in storytelling and filmmaking.

Sarachan: When you talk about sitting back and observing during this time - what has been feeding your soul creatively during this time? What books have you’ve been reading or films have you been watching?

Agrelo: I've been reading a lot, actually. They just finished a book called American Dirt, which is about this family coming across the border into this country. I really want to do a story in some way about the process of a child entering the United States. I'm an immigrant. I was born in Cuba. I've been watching everything that's happening this past year about acceptance. I'm very much thinking along those lines.

I feel almost like we're in the same moment that we were in 1969 when Sesame Street came on the air. You know, with the Black Lives Matter movement or with all of these things - everyone's consciousness being raised again. It seems a perfect moment really to bring this film out and to bring stories like this out into the world”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Miley Cyrus appeared in Sesame Street’s fifty-fifth season in 2025/PHOTO CREDIT: Sesame Workshop

I wanted to highlight that interview, as we can feel the history and influence of Sesame Street. What I especially like about the series is that they bring in big names and interact with them. Through the years, everyone from R.E.M. to Paul Simon to Katy Perry have stepped into Sesame Street. I do think that we often see artists in a particular way, as the promotional circuit and social media casts them that way. I think a show like Sesame Street allows these well-known artists to cut loose and be off guard. They can inhabit this fast and different world and we see different sides to them. Sabrina Carpenter is one of the most recent musical guests. Before coming to more about music guests and Sesame Street today, The Guardian wrote about why 2026’s Sesame Street is must-watch T.V. Some huge names dropping by for a chat:

“That’s why we love them. Do we not, too, know ourselves to be odd, hapless psychological caricatures? Do our plans not also lead to flaming wreckage? Do we not long to put on a vaudeville-style variety show in a classic theatre?

Which brings us to the 2026 Muppet Show (Disney+, from Wednesday 4 February), with executive producer Seth Rogen on board. It’s a one-off, but could lead to a whole new series, the trailer reveals, “depending on how tonight goes”. Happily, it hasn’t been updated so Fozzie is doing bits on TikTok, or Rowlf protesting about streaming royalties. The guys are still trying to put on that variety show, and it’s still all going wrong.

Something I love about these geniuses made of rod and felt is their lack of false modesty. They know we love them. Every famous person in the world would kill to be on the Muppets (though what a horrific negotiation). They turn this popularity to farce: producer Kermit replies to every act who expresses interest in appearing, “That sounds like fun!” It’s a polite way of saying no, he confides to stage manager Scooter. “That’s very indirect,” responds Scooter, with misgivings.

Naturally, the overstuffed running order runs into crisis, with cuts needing to be made, a disaster for any fragile egos in the vicinity. At least guest star Sabrina Carpenter is unflappable. Like Rogen, the former Disney channel child is a perfect fit. She gets in a saucy joke with a straight face, doesn’t upstage the real stars and proves herself game. Or fowl, given her musical number backed up by a bunch of hens.

A highlight is when Carpenter meets Miss Piggy, gushing how she has always loved her, and even copied her look. “My attorneys have taken note,” Piggy replies primly. The porcine diva is energetic throughout, trotting backstage to announce to anyone present that she is “on vocal rest”. Protecting her place in the running order, she undertakes a water-based romantic rescue mission, which culminates in a bisexual rug-pull moment. She’s doing a lot.

Even the show within the show is good. Expect toe-tapping needle drops old and new. Skits include period-drama parody Pigs in Wigs, and a science segment about screen time, which ends with Beaker losing his eyes. Unlike Sesame Street, where the Muppets also appear, there is no educational agenda. The agenda is electric mayhem.

The Muppets have always been subversive. I thrill to the meta winks, comic timing, the sheer weirdness of this world. There’s a throwaway bit in which audience member Maya Rudolph dies and apparently goes to hell; it’s one of the sweetest things I’ve seen. Given that young people love choreographed K-pop and makeup tutorials, I wonder if nostalgic parents are now the primary audience. The kids may be just an alibi for them to watch.

The show’s resident theatre critics, Statler and Waldorf, remain unmoved by the Muppets. (The fact they live in a box, and have never missed a show, suggest a resentful dependence.) They are my spiritual teachers, yet here we must part company. This show isn’t half bad; it’s all great. In 30 minutes, I laughed more than I can count. In the end, it doesn’t matter why we love the Muppets. Joy needn’t be dissected, like a frog on the table. It’s meant to be felt”.

One of the greatest legacies Sesame Street has is its musical guests. There have been some classics through the years. Paul Simon is one of my favourite. Last year, they welcomed in great modern artists like Reneé Rapp. There must be this wish-list of artists who they’d like to book. I think that ROSALÍA and Chappell Roan would be especially great. Last year, ABC News explained why the long history of musical guests on Sesame Street continues:

“The music of Sesame Street lives rent free in many of our brains.

Songs like The People in Your Neighbourhood, Rubber Ducky, and C Is For Cookie introduced us to the soothing, educational and celebratory powers of music. They delivered little shots of pure joy into our lives. They helped raise us, and continue to comfort and delight the young people we cherish today.

These days, children around the world rinse all manner of kids songs of varying qualities ad nauseam, but there's a sophistication to the work from history's most famous kids show that has set it apart since it first aired in 1969.

"When you have a child who's singing one of your songs and doesn't even know that it's a learning thing at the same time, that is really the ultimate thing," says Bill Sherman, Sesame Street's long-time music director.

"It's not meant to be subliminal by any means, but in the same way we teach the ABCs in classrooms, a song is just another mnemonic way of learning something.

"The great songs on Sesame Street are the ones that do two things: they get stuck in your head because somebody wrote a great song, and whatever that thing is that's in your head is something you're learning.

"If you can do both of those things at the same time, that is a successful Sesame Street song. And a successful learning experience. I think that both are equally as important."

The famous people in your neighbourhood

Sesame Street has perhaps had the best musical guest list of any TV show in history. From Destiny's Child to Dave Grohl, Billy Joel to Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder to Carrie Underwood, Smoky Robinson to Katy Perry, most artists of note have figured out how to get to Sesame Street.

The latest season, which is screening now on ABC Kids, features influential R&B chart topper SZA, folk heart-throb Noah Kahan and the Zeitgeisty Reneé Rapp.

A particular highlight of this year's soundtrack comes from country star Chris Stapleton, whose song You Got A Friend In Music feels like a future Sesame Street classic.

It's a tribute to music's ability to heal, with Stapleton's soulful, gruff-yet-toasty vocal reminding kids (and the rest of us) that there's a song to match every mood.

"Chris Stapleton is one of those people that when he opens his voice, you can't imagine that he could do anything else," Sherman says. "He exudes music. Even when he talks it sounds melodic.

"Another guy who's like that is Ed Sheeran, who's just unbelievably musically oriented.

"It's really an honour to get to work with them, and to co-write a song is one of the great joys and achievements in life."

In his tenure at Sesame Street, Sherman has worked with many of modern music's biggest names, and says there's no one size fits all approach to a successful collaboration on the show.

"[Stapleton] was dead set on writing a song, so he wrote this song and sent it to us. Most of it is what you hear. We have our curriculum goals and our educational goals, and we've got to implement those back into the song.

"Sesame Street's been around for a very long time, and there's a very high level of musicianship and history. Getting songs together is sometimes a difficult task because the level is so high. But with a guy like Chris Stapleton, he comes in with so much that it's just sort of sculpting and moving parts around."

While Sherman is no slouch on the tools — his past credits as a producer, orchestrator and arranger include Broadway smashes like Hamilton, In The Heights and & Juliet — he reckons his key role is directing the creative traffic.

"I think my job in a lot of this is like setting the table, bringing everybody over to have dinner and then, whatever happens at dinner, just trying to guide it to be the best thing.

"It's just putting the right people in the room and making sure that everybody knows the end goal, and then figuring out the most graceful, efficient way to get there.

"And not being a jerk, just being a nice person helps."

It also helps to have an inherent understanding of the magic the artist you're working with possesses.

"I think the best compliment I can get is when we go to shoot it, and they're there and they go, 'Oh my God, this song sounds like it should be on my next record.' That's only happened like two or three times, but that to me is the ultimate compliment."

A song like The Power Of Yet, Sherman's 2014 collab with neo-soul shapeshifter Janelle Monáe, is a strong example of a song that fits with an artist's own creative approach.

"I had just seen her in concert and there was so much James Brown happening," he recalls. "There was so much gut funk, awesome horns and dancing and everything.

"I just wanted to make something where she could do all of that. She could really sing, and then she could really have a full dance break moment and all this stuff.

"She did the vocal and it was awesome, and she was just super into it. As I watched her move and dance, she became like her own Muppet, her own character of Janelle Monáe on Sesame Street. It was such a fun day, and such a great thing to watch and be a part of. She was super into it. She took some liberties on the melody and did all this stuff that really made it hers”.

The great Samara Joy, SZA and Sabrina Carpenter are just a few of the amazing music guests that Sesame Street has hosted the past year. Miley Cyrus also appeared. It is going to be amazing seeing which musicians appear next. I do feel there is this enduring message of hope and togetherness. Sesame Street not afraid to react to modern events and politics, though it also provides this escape too. Incredible music and a cast of beloved characters. Sesame Street is filmed in New York City, primarily at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens. You do get this feeling of being somewhere real, albeit with a slightly glossier edge. Rather than Sesame Street feeling like it is in a studio with an audience, instead, it is like being in a magical part of New York with this great community! Natural and real, maybe the opposite of the chat show studios. I am not a fan of chat shows, as it feels fake, forced and a bit sickly. Audiences that are a bit too over-excited. Sesame Street is infectious and not too cloying or happy. It is full of charm and there is no angle for artists to promote or do anything like that. They can relax into things and be playful. It is a remarkable show that I hope runs for decades more. That combination of major names coming by and the regular cast interacting. The real-world and make-believe together. Not a lot like that exists on T.V. Not in the same way. Sesame Street is this institution and icon of the screen.  I do think that, especially in the U.S., Sesame Street is needed now more than ever. Providing that heart and kindness that is missing from the government. Maybe President Trump would see it as a propaganda channel or something anti-America. However, the fact that this series has been on the air for over fifty-five years and continues to captures the minds and imaginations of new generations is testament to its format, popularity and brilliance! No wonder so many giant artists are appearing on Sesame Street. It is an offer that is…

IMPOSSIBLE to refuse.