FEATURE: Bigmouth Strikes Again: The Smiths' The Queen Is Dead at Forty

FEATURE:

 

 

Bigmouth Strikes Again

The Smiths' The Queen Is Dead at Forty

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ALTHOUGH this is not…

IN THIS PHOTO: The Smiths in 1986/PHOTO CREDIT: Stephen Wright/Redferns

my favourite album from The Smith (that would be their final album, Strangeways, Here We Come), The Queen Is Dead is seen by many as their best. The band, Johnny Marr, Morrissey, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce, released a masterpiece. On 16th June, 1986, The Smiths put out their third studio album, The Queen Is Dead. 1985’s Meat Is Murder did well and has some great songs, though The Queen Is Dead elevated the band and was a real step up. It spent twenty-two weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number two. One of the greatest albums of all time, there are some features I will bring in ahead of its fortieth anniversary. Containing There Is a Light That Never Goes Out, The Queen Is Dead, I Know It’s Over, Cemetry Gates and The Boy with the Thorn in His Side, it is a timeless album from a band at their peak. The lyrics of Morrissey and Johnny Marr’s compositions perfectly fused. Before getting to something more positive, it is worth sourcing this from The Quietus that was published in 2021. Marking thirty-five years of The Queen Is Dead, Simon Price writes how there are classic tracks on the album, though a few weak ones too. Though, you could definitely say that about their other albums. Strangeways, Here We Come has a run of several songs at the end which are quite poor. Meat Is Murder is spotty in places. Are those less-than-genius moments to be overlooked, or do they make The Queen Is Dead what it is ? A flawed classic perhaps:

“The making of the album, at Jacob Studios in Farnham, was by all accounts a troubled time. It had been delayed by unforeseen factors which included bassist Andy Rourke’s heroin addiction and a legal dispute with the band’s label Rough Trade.

Nevertheless, it starts phenomenally well. ‘The Queen Is Dead’, well over six minutes long (though the original unedited take was seven or eight), carries the sense of a State Of The Nation address, but it evokes William Blake’s nation of dark satanic mills rather than some Wordsworthian daffodil idyll. A snatch of Cicely Courtneidge’s recording of First World War music hall number ‘Take Me Back To Dear Old Blighty’ from Bryan Forbes’ 1962 film The L-Shaped Room conjures a reverie of nostalgic patriotism before a squeal of feedback from Johnny Marr’s guitar and Mike Joyce’s you’re-gonna-get-your-fucking-head-kicked-in drums, sampled, looped and pushed high in the mix by Stephen Street, pummel us screaming into the dystopian present.

The name of the album – actually taken from Hubert Selby Jr’s much-banned novel Last Exit To Brooklyn, where it is used in the effeminate homosexual sense, but employed with deliberate ambiguity here – had already incurred the wrath of The Sun, who branded Morrissey a sicko. (He originally considered Margaret On The Guillotine, but ended up saving that for a track on his first solo album.) And that was before anyone had heard him advocating regicide in the first verse of the title track: “Her Very Lowness with her head in a sling/ I’m truly sorry but it sounds like a wonderful thing…” A staunch Republican who had already expressed a wish to “drop my trousers to the Queen” on the previous album’s ‘Nowhere Fast’, he was raising his game by daydreaming of having her executed.

Morrissey’s lyric is scattershot, unfocussed and rambling, but burning with rage as he contemplates vignettes of contemporary life such as “some nine-year-old tough who peddles drugs, I swear to god, I swear I never even knew what drugs were!” (his voice breaking into an adolescent yodel on the word ‘were’). But the dominant narrative consists of imagined conversations with the monarch, echoing the recent break-in to Buckingham Palace by Michael Fagin, and with her heir, cajoling him to publicly out himself as a transvestite. Meanwhile, Marr channels the more fucked-up end of the Sixties (MC5, VU), his wah-wah guitars conjuring the psychedelia not of flowers and trees but of black smoke and city grime (and matched perfectly by Derek Jarman’s accompanying film). “Life is very long when you’re lonely”, Morrissey repeats as Rourke’s bass comes to the fore in its closing conflagrations. It was the heaviest, most physical piece of music The Smiths – often wrongly derided as effete weaklings – had recorded (‘How Soon Is Now’ included), and one which, even with 30 years’ familiarity, still has the power to stun you in your tracks.

‘The Boy With The Thorn In His Side’ is one of The Smiths’ lightest, most flyaway moments, but a real beauty of a pop song with an irresistibly infectious easy charm. The boy of its title is, once again, a third person who is actually a poorly disguised first person: it is Morrissey himself who, despite his hatefulness, harbours “a murderous desire for love”. A feeling of social exclusion is a common thread throughout Morrissey’s lyrics, but on this occasion he keenly wishes to be involved: “And when you want to live, how do you start? Where do you go? Who do you need to know?”

Things were going so well, with just that ‘Shankly’ monstrosity to skip over, when another howler heaves into view. An otherwise perfectly acceptable, if somewhat slight, rockabilly number ‘Vicar In A Tutu’ is, as the title makes plain, a flimsy tale of clergical cross-dressing in which Morrissey expects the listener to chuckle indulgently to the alliteration ‘monkish monsignor’ and the rhyming of ‘canister’ with ‘banister’”.

I will come to a review for The Queen Is Dead. Before that, Classic Album Sundays spent some time with the 1986-released gem. I agree that not everything on the album is great, yet the strongest moments – and there are many of them – outweigh that. There is no denying the brilliance and legacy of The Queen Is Dead:

“Morrissey struggled with people of power in many ways, mostly because he desired to hold a position of high influence himself. When the singles leading up to The Queen Is Dead, ‘Shakespeare’s Sister’, ‘That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore’, and ‘The Boy With the Thorn In His Side’ failed to chart, he took it to the music press to make his opinions known. The singer’s pretty-boy face frequently appeared on magazine covers with extravagant headlines and costumes mocking himself as a sell-out or fraud in the eyes of mainstream media. In interviews, he accused radio DJs as fascists and Rough Trade for not caring and underselling their work. He felt nobody was listening to what he had to say about the world, and these loudmouthed statements were meant to grab the attention of his doubters to think again. Even though these statements were outlandish in many ways, it proved The Smiths were different and more human than these popular systems.

Contrary to the public’s distaste for these risky statements, bad press turned into great press for the band. The Queen Is Dead is the band’s most prolific musical statement both instrumentally and lyrically, especially for Morrissey and Johnny Marr as a team. They diverted from what was comfortable, transformed their styles to be more accommodating and confident, and ultimately reached a larger audience. The band picks apart society from the perspective of a self-aware human and native of Great Britain and accommodates it within their music without forgetting their roots with every song.

The Queen Is Dead starts with perhaps its most profound statement with the album’s self-titled song, thanks to Morrissey’s hilarious but bleak lyrics. In 1986, animosity arose between north and south Britain, and Margaret Thatcher had implemented many changes to the nation’s government. Morrissey saw her actions as negative contributions to the country’s environment, art, and leading industries, like manufacturing, and he was infuriated by her manipulation of the country’s livelihood. The songs introduction of ‘Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty’ references The L-Shaped Shaped and states a wish to be taken back to a better Britain, one not led by Thatcher.

When his voices enters the mix, Morrissey cracks jokes of Prince Charles’ weakness to his mother (such as appearing on the Daily Mail wearing his mother’s bridal veil), being a very distant descendant of a past royal, and wishes to “go for a walk where it’s quiet and dry and talk about precious things” with The Queen. His imaginative wit would eventually lead him to kill The Queen, but he feels alone in his celebration of it — why doesn’t anyone else see the fulfillment of his rage? Statements like these makes the album’s previous working title, Margaret on the Guillotine, appropriate.

This mix of humor and seriousness makes for a interesting thought experiment. When you listen to the album and focus on the lyrics, it’s hard not to explore an emotional spectrum of reactions. With songs like ‘Frankly, Mr. Shankly’ and ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others’, it is hard not to laugh. Your heart may burn after listening to ‘I Know It’s Over’ imaging Morrissey being buried alive. For the first time, he hands out blatant insults towards the government, music industry, and society and stands by them, which is something you might not have expected from someone who is consistency heartbroken. The Queen Is Dead may stand as Morrissey’s greatest lyrical venture of his career.

Johnny Marr stretches his instrumental muscle most on The Queen Is Dead. He took advantage of the studio to twist an assortment of wah-generated guitar feedback with producer Steven Street to build his parts for ‘The Queen is Dead’ and blended guitar tracks with multiple tunings to compose ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’. He introduced the acoustic guitar to many of its songs, giving the album great texture and driving rhythm. He builds many of the melodies with his mastered chucking guitar-picking method but creates his most memorable moment with ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others’, with an angelic riff that never gets old.

The Queen Is Dead made The Smiths’ dreams come true — to become a legendary rock band that is still an integral part of the conversation of modern music. They broke their own comfortable barriers to make grand statements about music and the world around them, and in return, they were passionately embraced and still are today. Morrissey may always be on a search for love, but when he feels the soil falling on his head, he can smile knowing that he and his band were heard”.

I want to head back to 2016 for the final feature. Annie Zaleski writing for Salon about an album, thirty years after its release, still shone bright. She wrote in detail about the lyrical genius of Morrissey. Coming into his own as a singer too. Johnny Marr’s compositions are guitar work at their most varied, inspiring and strong. Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce at their peak. The Smiths built on Meat Is Murder and broadened their palette and horizon:

“The trick is, he improved upon the stridency of “Meat is Murder”—a record with a graphic condemnation of animal slaughter and a thinly veiled account of school abuse, among other things—by embracing more sophisticated commentary. Frequently, this was tethered to the byproducts of fame. “I Know It’s Over” is self-flagellating and frustrated by a nagging perception of low self-worth (“‘That’s why you’re on your own tonight/With your triumphs and your charms'”), while “Bigmouth Strikes Again” is equally angst-ridden over things that shouldn’t have been said. “Frankly, Mr. Shankly,” meanwhile, drips with condescension and sarcasm—”Oh, I didn’t realise that you wrote poetry/I didn’t realize you wrote such bloody awful poetry, Mr. Shankly”—which supports the rumor it referred to Rough Trade label founder Geoff Travis, with whom the band was feuding. By toning down the hyperbole—and upping the incisiveness and nuance—Morrissey was more effective at getting his point across.

Yet he was smart enough to realize that the downsides of fame are only interesting to a small segment of the population, which is why much of “The Queen Is Dead” had a personalized (and politicized) slant. Instead of wallowing, he crafts a mythology around himself—or the character he’s playing on the album—bit by bit: He fashions himself a permanent outsider on “Cemetry Gates” (“Keats and Yeats are on your side/While Wilde is on mine”), identifies with the Shakespearean romantic trope of death-from-love (“There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”) and tackles the one-two punch of persecution and feeling misunderstood (“The Boy With The Thorn In His Side”). Plus, “The Queen Is Dead” has its levity: “Vicar In A Tutu” reads like a Shel Silverstein poem (despite the serious subject matter: a man of the cloth who favors dance wear), while the title track features a wry gag about lack of musical talent.

The song “The Queen Is Dead” ranks up there with the Smiths’ finest moments. On the surface, it’s a song conflating criticism of the royal family with expressions of abject loneliness and despair. Dig a little deeper, and it’s an elegy for England itself, and all the ways the country’s ingrained power structures—church, pubs, state—destroy individuals. This assertion is supported by Tony Fletcher’s meticulous Smiths bio, “A Light That Never Goes Out,” which notes that in the mid-’80s, England was facing “catastrophic levels” of unemployment, unions losing power, and a society where “minimum-wage labor replace[d] former job security for those who could even find the work.” In addition, “multiculturalism, sexual permissiveness, gay rights, and progressive education were all under attack,” while “locally elected left-wing councils were being abolished, spending on the welfare state reduced, [and] government-owned industries privatized.” In conclusion, “‘The Queen Is Dead’ made almost no reference to any of this, and yet it somehow acknowledged all of it, and that was no small achievement.” What Morrissey didn’t say, in other words, made the song a triumph.

Still, it’s a mistake to think that Morrissey was the only one steering this record to greatness. In fact, “The Queen Is Dead” is the most cohesive musical statement put forth by the Smiths’ instrumentalists: guitarist Johnny Marr, bassist Andy Rourke and drummer Mike Joyce, as well as studio compatriot/engineer Stephen Street. (Remarkably, this happened although Rourke was dealing with a heroin addiction that ended up causing him to get kicked out of the band for a spell after the album was done.) “The Queen Is Dead” feels slightly phase-shifted from then-trends (cf. well-wrought pop with a manicured ’60s influence) and unapologetically nostalgic. For example, the strings and flute on “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out,” courtesy of an Emulator sample keyboard, are delightfully syrupy.

Morrissey too comes into his own as a vocalist. Although “Cemetry Gates” contains vestiges of his youthful yelp, he settles into a dynamic, adult singing approach: a Rat Pack croon steeped in conspiratorial desperation, anguished gnashing of teeth and impertinent bite. Above all, “The Queen Is Dead” possesses exquisite sonic balance, where no one part or person (yes, even Morrissey) dominates. Rourke’s cowboy-loping bass lurking below “Never Had No One Ever” and the burbling backbone of “Cemetry Gates” fit like a glove, while Joyce proves himself a versatile drummer adept at cheeky swing (“Frankly Mr. Shankly”) and rockabilly (“Vicar In A Tutu”), as well as torchy ballads (“I Know It’s Over”). And after the guitar turbulence of “Meat Is Murder,” Marr finds his comfort zone by carving out sturdy-but-delicate riffs—as heard on the galloping strums of “Bigmouth Strikes Again,” the oceanic, ornate “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” and especially the wistful “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side”—edged with a chiming, lighter touch. It’s a style he’d refine and perfect in the subsequent years and with other artists”.

I am going to end with one review from Pitchfork. In 2017, they reviewed the album, as a boxed set edition was released. Awarding it a perfect ten, they wrote how The Queen Is Dead “still stands as an enduring testament to England in the ’80s, the complex relationship between performer and fan, and the ecstasy of emptiness”. I am not sure if is relevant, but this is the first big anniversary of the album since our Queen died. She died in 2022. It gives the album’s title new weight and potency:

“From Prince’s “Controversy” to Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do,” it’s always perilous when pop stars start to address their own position as public figures. Where “The Queen Is Dead” is the sort of Big Statement a band makes when it acquires a sense of its own importance, “The Boy With the Thorn in His Side” is one of a group of full-blown meta-songs on the album. Morrissey appeals to the sympathy of his disciples by lamenting the far larger number of indifferent doubters out there: “How can they hear me say those words still they don’t believe me?” There is a hint of reveling in the martyr posture in “Bigmouth Strikes Again” too, what with its references to Joan of Arc going up in flames. It doubles as both a relationship song and a commentary on Morrissey as the controversialist forever getting in trouble for his caustic quips and sweeping statements.

“Frankly, Mr. Shankly” is petty as meta goes: At the time, nobody but a handful of music industry insiders could have known that it’s a mean-spirited swipe at Rough Trade’s Geoff Travis. What’s more interesting now is Morrissey’s admission of his insatiable lust for attention—“Fame fame fatal fame/It can play hideous tricks on the brain”—but nonetheless he’d “rather be famous than righteous or holy.” Couched in a jaunty music-hall bounce, the song also serves as a preemptive justification of the Smiths’ decision to break with Rough Trade for the biggest major label around, EMI.

The cleverest of the meta-pop Smiths songs of this period, though, can be found on this reissue’s second disc of B-sides and demos. Originally the flipside to “Boy With the Thorn,” “Rubber Ring” gets its name from the life-preservers you find on ships. Although his songs once saved their lives, Morrissey anticipates his fans abandoning him as they grow out of the maladjustment and amorous ineptitude in which he will remain perpetually trapped. The empty young lives will fill up with all the normal sorts of happiness, he predicts, and the Smiths records will be filed away and forgotten. “Do you love me like you used to?” Morrissey beseeches, as if he’s actually in a real romance with each and every one of his fans, acutely aware of the perversity and impossibility at work in pop’s psycho-dynamics of identification and projection.

Two other loose categories could be formed out of the songs on The Queen Is Dead: Beside the meta, there’s the merry and the melancholy. Despite the morbid (and misspelled) title, “Cemetry Gates” is sprightly and carefree. Even though they’re strolling among the gravestones quoting poetry at each other to show how intensely they feel the sorrow of mortality, the life-force is strong in these precocious youngsters. As so often with Morrissey, the frissons come with the tiny quirks of unusual word-choice or phrasing—the little jolt of the way he pronounces “plagiarize” with an incorrect hard “g,” for instance. Featuring the album’s second instance of cross-dressing, “Vicar in a Tutu” is a slight delight with just a casual twist of subversiveness in a passing reference to the priest’s kinky antics being “as natural as rain”: This freak is just as God made him. Almost cosmic in its insubstantiality, “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others” seemed at the time an anticlimactic ending to such an Important Album. Now I think the understatement is just right, rather than the obvious curtain-closer, “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out”—the glide and glisten of Marr’s playing on “Some Girls” is that never-fading light.

And then there’s the life-and-death serious stuff. Both songs of unrequited love, “I Know It’s Over” and “There Is a Light” make a pair: The first spins majesty out of misery, the second transcends it with a sublime and nakedly religious vision of hope-in-vain as an end in itself. The writing in “I Know It’s Over” is a tour de force, from the opening image of the empty—sexless, loveless—bed as a grave, through the suicidal inversions of “The sea wants to take me/The knife wants to slit me,” onto the self-lacerations of “If you’re so funny, then why are you on your own tonight?” and finally the unexpected and amazing grace of “It’s so easy to hate/It takes strength to be gentle and kind.” Not a strong or sure singer by conventional standards, Morrissey gives his all-time greatest vocal performance, something ear-witness Johnny Marr described as “one of the highlights of my life.”

As for “There Is a Light”—if you don’t tear up at the chorus, you belong to a different species. The scenario involves another doomed affair, a love (and a life—Morrissey’s) that never really started. But here Morrissey hovers in an ecstatic suspension of yearning that becomes its own satisfaction, an emptiness that becomes a plenitude. The greatest of his many songs about not belonging anywhere or to anyone, it so very nearly tumbles into comedy (and there are those who’ve laughed) with the melodramatic excess of its image of the double-decker bus and the romantic entwining-in-death of the not-quite-lovers. But the trembling sincerity of “the pleasure, the privilege is mine” keeps it on the right side of the gravity/levity divide in the Smiths songbook.

Marginally more robust and shiny than the last time it was remastered, this new Queen comes with a couple of extra discs and a DVD that contains a promo directed by British filmmaker Derek Jarman. The demos contain differences that will interest the diehards. “Never Had No One Ever,” the album’s one real dud, is enhanced by an unlikely trumpet solo and some strange moaning from Moz. Elsewhere, you hear the singer trying out different word-choices and phrasings: The demo of “I Know It’s Over” lacks the “oh, mother” address and its bed is “icy” not “empty.” For those who like that sort of thing, there’s a live album, recorded in Boston in August 1986. Having seen them twice in their quasi-imperial prime, I never thought the Smiths were that potent as a live band: The delicate flower of Marr’s playing fared better in the studio, Morrissey’s voice strained to compete with amplified music, and the electricity came mostly from the audience’s ardour.

Being a Smiths fan during the band’s actual lifetime felt like an aesthetic protest vote signaling your alienation from both the ’80s pop mainstream and the political culture it reflected. As that context drops away with the passage of the decades, what endures is the peal of exile in Morrissey’s voice, a timeless plaint of longing and not-belonging. Without Morrissey’s tart wit and strange mind, Marr can be merely pretty, as shown by the instrumental B-sides of this era. Equally, without Marr’s beauty, Morrissey can be unbearable (as much of his post-Smiths career bears out). But when Morrissey’s sighs are caressed by Marr’s serene, synthesized strings on “There Is a Light,” or when the singer’s wordless falsetto flutters amid the guitarist’s golden cascades in “Boy with the Thorn,” there’s something miraculous about the way their textures mesh. It’s a great musical tragedy that barely a year after releasing The Queen Is Dead, this odd couple went their separate ways, for reasons that still feel not fully explained. These boys were made for each other—and surely deep down they still know it”.

I will end it there. As The Queen Is Dead was released on 16th June, 1986, there will be fortieth anniversary features shared soon enough. The final album where they seemed connected and in harmony, there would be splits and fractures by the time Strangeways, Here We Come arrived in 1987. I confess that not everything works on The Queen Is Dead (Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others is a stain on their career; it is a song that you could never put on an album now and get away with it), it features some of the greatest songs ever written and recorded. After forty years. The Smiths’ masterpiece still elicits tis incredible power and beauty. An album that I…

WILL never tire of.

FEATURE: Spotlight: SALIMATA

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Skylar Rochon for GROWN

SALIMATA

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EVEN though she does not have…

an extensive online portfolio, it is still hard to miss the wonderful SALIMATA. The alias of Brooklyn rapper and songwriter Salma Calhoun, I want to get to some interviews with this amazing artist. SALIMATA put out her latest album, The Happening, last year. She is being tipped for greatness. And it is fully warranted! Last year, Nina chatted with SALIMATA about her new music and the Brooklyn scene:

“Growing up in Brooklyn, do you have any formative memories of listening to rap music?

SALIMATA: Very few, I remember a lot of 50 in my house growing up. We loved his videos, me, my brother, and my mom. I remember my mom was listening to a lot of Lil Wayne when most moms were bumping R&B ‘cause she was going through a break up and didnt wanna hear any love songs. I was maybe like 9 or 10. I was like wtf Lil Wayne is FIREEE, but I never really listened to what he was saying at the time. Then another time in middle school, my friend's step dad was dropping me home and “They Reminisce Over You” came on and it was the first time a rap song made me really feel something.

Let’s talk beat selection: What kind of things do you tend to gravitate towards? It seems like you can appreciate a good jazz flip.

I guess I do, I didn't know for a while the different genres in music but as people made comments on my beat selection I found out I'm really into jazz, and drumless shit. I like funky shit too, I love grime and house as well. I really just write to what forces me to write. But I really appreciate weird shit, something challenging to approach, the jazz and drumless is a little too predictable. But some chaos, some distortion makes my brain so happy. I love when a beat got me drunk or high ‘cause I'm trying so hard to figure it out. Or it just controls me. And that can be any genre, just depends on the beat.

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be? What kind of song would you make?

It’s really hard to say ‘cause it depends on chemistry more than anything when it comes to collabing, but I'd love to do a song with The Internet. If I could scream with Show Me The Body that would be sick. If I could be Dolly and sing with Yves Tumor or Triathlon I’d shit myself.

What NYC artists are you excited about right now?

I’m excited for myself, nah lemme stop. Hmmm Duendita is phenomenal, the world must know, so for that I am excited. Also for Brooklyn’s princess Laila!, baby genius fr. Then my good sis Kelly Moonstone, all around talent, beauty, and brains. She impresses me so much and I know she can reach so many people. Lmao he already big but I’m just happy for Cash Cobain, my son really got motion. Nkiru, my sis, is on her own shit an I fuck with her heavy”.

A couple of other interesting interviews to come to before rounding things up. An advocate for health and movement, and someone who is unapologetically vulnerable and open in her lyrics, SALIMATA spoke with GROWN about being back in Brooklyn after spending some time overseas. It is evident that she is a rare talent that is going to ascend to incredible heights very soon:

“What does it feel like to perform back in Brooklyn after spending time away overseas?

SALIMATA: Oh, my gosh. I mean, it’s so weird because the best thing about New York is that it never changes. But you change. So you get to observe the same thing from a different perspective. And of course, there’s something different going on—the atmosphere changes, the people change. I know there’s definitely not a lot of New Yorkers here no more.

Somehow the music led me there (overseas). I’ve been working a lot with Fada Records—they helped me with my last album. I’m like f*cking European now at this point. It’s crazy.

But being back. It’s just been like a breath of fresh air for me. And just to be surrounded by people who get me you know? And I don’t mean that in like any specific way, but it’s been so nice just to have very simple interactions. People just get you.

I’m happy that this is my first show back. I’m mad excited. It’s a lot of new music. I’ve been rehearsing since the second I found out about the show.

I noticed a lot of people in the TikTok comments saying that ‘conscious rap is making a comeback.’ Do you feel that’s an accurate description of your work?”

SALIMATA: Oh, yeah…off rip. And I have no, there’s no insult in that whenever anyone feels like they should say, I feel like it’s such a sketchy thing for people to label someone as. Like, a lot of people don’t like that or the sound of it, because it’s very easy to be corny when you’re conscious. But, I definitely consider myself a conscious rapper. But It’s more than that too, you know? That’s one dimension. Yeah, that’s definitely one spot, but I have different pockets for sure.

In rap, especially for Black women, people try to box you. How do you sidestep that?
SALIMATA:  I really don’t care. Everything I do is honest to who I am, so no matter what form it takes, it’s still me.

When people get introduced to you, you can either let them put you in a box or intentionally present yourself in a way that shapes how they see you. People are multi-dimensional. Whatever I do is going to feel like me, so that’s all that matters.

What do you want Black women to feel when they press play on your music?
SALIMATA:  I want them to not give any f*cks—about anybody or anything. To feel comfortable in themselves, powerful. Almost like…a nice bully, if that’s possible. Nice and strong. I just want people to celebrate being themselves, how they are. Whatever that is.

At GROWN, we’re for women who are grown but still growing. How are you grown & how are you still growing?

SALIMATA: For me, it’s about emotions—how you handle life. Being grown is being able to handle things..because you don’t even know you’ re growing until you look back. Like some sh*t will just hit you and you’ll just be like wow. the way I would have handled that six months ago, a year ago.. Different. Crazy. And I’m really proud of myself ’cause I grew so much. When you grow, you attract better things”.

I was under the impression that SALIMATA was still based out of Brooklyn. However, as we learn from CABBAGES from their interview published at the end of last year, she was based in Marseille. I wonder whether that is still the case. If you have not heard this stunning artist, then you really do need to check her out. I wonder if SALIMATA will be coming to the U.K. anytime soon:

“You're Brooklyn through-and-through, but sometimes artists go to a new place, they get so caught up in that place that they close their sense of self on record. Do you feel that being in Marseille of had its own impact on the way The Happening came together?

My first project, OUCH, in my mind it's super hardcore, super rough–and not just technically, but the energy I'm bringing to the tape. For my project after that, Wooden Floors, I'm still in New York, but I'm trying to make a more sunny side version of what I did with OUCH. Now that I'm in Marseille and I made a lot of the music here, I can see how it thawed me out a little bit, even in terms of beat selection and fluidity. I'm from a city; I'm from a very hard place and our buildings are very tall, so everything's going to be very rough. I feel like, on this project, there's a lot more melody. It's just softer to me. My song "9-5" just has more of beachy vibe. I didn't realize it until everything was coming together like, alright, we're actually moving on to some softness. I'm still going to be aggressive and surprising, but there's definitely an element that comes naturally with your environment.

One of my favorite songs on The Happening is "Foil." It's just under two minutes, with this intentional fadeout, but it feels like you could rap over that beat forever. Why aren't you giving the us whole thing?

I don't be asking producers, can you extend the beat? I just take it as what it is and if it's a long beat, I be like, are you cool with me using less of it? I don't know what the rules are, but whatever I deliver is what it is. I was writing to the beat and it ended and I was like, that's kind of cool. I've always loved short songs and I know now people like short things more, for replay. You want to play it back. I think I said everything I had to say. I don't need to say nothing more. Nobody wants to feel like they're being lectured. It's hard to be conscious and not corny, so you got to be cute about it”.

I am going to wrap up now. SALIMATA put out Supastar Livin earlier this year and I can sense that more new music is coming along. I am not sure what her gig plans are, but I can’t see anything announced on her Instagram at the moment. It would be nice to get more out there about her in terms of new interviews. What her gig schedule is. I wonder if she will set up her own TikTok and get a Facebook page, as there are many out there who have not discovered her work yet. One of the names to watch this year, when it comes to SALIMATA, it is exciting to think…

WHAT comes next.

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Follow SALIMATA

PHOTO CREDIT: Ryosuke Tanzawa

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/eet_it_off_me/

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@salimataaaa

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7jS2ex4JC0DiFtMfh417jD?si=lMTqGrJhTpK8gJSlM14shg

FEATURE: Temperature Check… Some Early Mercury Prize Shortlist Predictions

FEATURE:

 

 

Temperature Check…

IN THIS PHOTO: Holly Humberstone released her new album, Cruel World, on 10th April, and it is one that I feel is worthy of a Mercury Prize nomination/PHOTO CREDIT: Silken Weinberg via NME

Some Early Mercury Prize Shortlist Predictions

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I do this around this time of year…

IN THIS PHOTO: Lauren Laverne (BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 4) presented last year’s Mercury Prize in Newcastle/PHOTO CREDIT: Jonty Davies for Good Housekeeping

as the Mercury Prize takes place on 22nd October. The ceremony returns for a second consecutive year to the Utilita Arena in Newcastle. The award celebrates the best albums from British and Irish artists. We have many contenders to come before the ceremony but, in terms of eligibility, albums must be released by British or Irish artists between roughly mid-July 2025 and mid-July 2026. I am going to talk about some of those that I feel will be included. As there are three months between me publishing this feature and mid-July, I will revise this after that date. However, there have been some strong releases that I feel will be among the shortlisted. Not only was the Mercury Prize held in Newcastle and outside of London for the first time. It was also won by an artist outside of London: Sam Fender for his album, People Watching. The artist who hails from North Shields was a worthy winner. A dozen albums are shortlisted every year. There have been winners from outside of London, those most of the wins in the past decade have been from artists based in London or born there. Will 2026’s prize go to an artist outside the capital? You can follow the latest developments from this year’s awards on the Mercury Prize Instagram page. I am publishing this on 11th April, so I am aware that some contenders might slip through before I share this. However, I will share a review of each album that I feel is up for Mercury shortlisting this year. Let’s start with Lola Young’s I'm Only F**king Myself. Released on 19th September, it was one of the best albums of last year. This is what DIY wrote:

“Far from a reinvention though, Lola’s sound has never stuck anywhere near the formulaic. Her debut album’s opener and notably a pre-release single, ‘Stream Of Consciousness’ fittingly threw structure right out the window. That her third full-length opens then with the guitar-led ode to pre-rehab hedonism ‘FUCK EVERYONE’ proves a further statement of intent, in-keeping with ‘Messy’’s middle-finger to the socially acceptable and a riotous introduction to her most vibrant sound yet. For every ‘One Thing’ - the still-excellent multi-million streamed lead single - there’s a ‘SPIDERS’, one of the year’s most affecting rock ballads with driving distortion gliding into Lola’s obvious pain. In it, she deals with the notion of womanhood, identity and relationships; another staple that has emerged from one of the UK’s most exciting songwriters, presenting emotion and vulnerability with a raw swagger that have underpinned the careers of Amy Winehouse and Adele. In style, of course, she welcomely sits separate.

‘I’m Only Fucking Myself’ is an exploration of anger, written in the wake of huge success and addiction. Much here deals with external relationships and a recognition of personal worth, such as the gliding sunshine pop of ‘Walk All Over You’, paired with more personal introspection, including the momentary return to soul on ‘why do I feel better when I hurt you?’ or the emotional downfall on the acoustic ‘who fucking cares?’. Combined it paints a picture of a leading songwriter with even more to come, one that can piece together exceptional art from personal turbulence and insecurity, effortlessly reaffirming her position at the top of UK pop… if we can even call it that”.

One album that is pretty much guaranteed shortlisting is The Art of Loving Olivia Dean. Released on 26th September, this award-winning and hugely acclaimed album might scoop another honour at this year’s Mercury Prize. It has won more than its fair share of impassioned reviews. Her 2023 debut, Messy, was shortlisted. Ezra Collective won for Where I'm Meant to Be:

“While you wouldn’t describe it as a complete reinvention, it certainly constitutes a noticeable rethink. It expunges most of the cliches of Dean’s debut album – or rather quarantines them on a track called Close Up – and instead looks for inspiration to music that emanated from recording studios in 70s LA. The Art of Loving dabbles in both Rumours-adjacent soft rock – you’re never far from a sun-dappled electric piano line or a breezy acoustic guitar; Baby Steps offers up slick, yacht rock-y funk – and, on So Easy (To Fall in Love), Carpenters-style MOR pop that would once have been considered entirely beyond the pale.

It’s a sound that’s familiar without feeling hackneyed or self-consciously retro: Something Inbetween is powered by a muffled rhythm that sounds like someone playing a techstep drum’n’bass track with a duvet over the speakers; lurking in the depths of Nice to Each Other there’s a wash of shoegaze-y guitar noise and gusts of ambient synth drone. Airy and inviting, it suits Dean’s sweetly understated vocals – mercifully lacking affectation, either of the post-Winehouse “jazzy” variety or the weird, consonant-mangling “indie voice” that’s supposed to connote intimacy in 21st-century pop – and adds a cinematic gloss to her lyrics. Dean is big on diaristic detail as she navigates ex-related angst and tentative new relationships: “I don’t know where the switches are, or where you keep your cutlery.”

Perhaps more importantly, Dean and her co-authors – including Tobias Jesso Jr, and Matt Hales, who once plied his trade as singer-songwriter Aqualung – have significantly upped their game. Every chorus has been polished until it catches the light (Baby Steps offers a particularly gleaming example), while one suspects that an enormous amount of effort has been expended on making the melodies of Nice to Each Other and I’ve Seen It sound as effortlessly charming as they do.

So the album breezes past. It’s exceptionally well made but feels entirely natural; it’s mainstream commercial pop, but laudably devoid of obvious cliches. If Dean’s debut seemed like an artist trying to find their place in the landscape by ticking relevant boxes, The Art of Loving seems like someone finding their own voice. The sight of Olivia Dean battling a cartoon K-pop band in the charts’ upper echelons is proof that pop in 2025 is a business you can’t really predict, but still, The Art of Loving’s success seems a foregone conclusion”.

Another artist who was recently shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and will be again this year is Lily Allen for West End Girl. This is another hugely successful album from an artist who has produced her very best work. She is touring the album and I feel is an early frontrunner for Mercury inclusion. Released on 24th October, I want to spotlight one review for one of 2025’s best albums. Here is what Pitchfork noted about West End Girl:

“Despite unavoidable comparisons to Lemonade or 30, West End Girl is much leaner and more brutal. Unlike those records, Allen’s album is too concerned with honoring moment-to-moment feelings of hurt and betrayal to really reach for a mature overview of the breakup. But what the songwriting lacks in conceptual development, it makes up for in raw emotion and narrative thrust. Allen’s truth bears out in a blow-by-blow account of coming to grips with a partner’s infidelity and gathering the resolve to leave for good. “Never get your sympathy/I don’t think you’re able,” she sings on “Let You W/In,” “But I can walk out with my dignity/If I lay my truth on the table.” There are plenty of pop songs about love as a drug, but I don’t think I’d ever heard one about heartbreak as a threat to sobriety until “Relapse.” Going through the motions of an unwanted open relationship would be painful enough, but throwing motherhood into the mix on “Nonmonogamummy” and “Dallas Major” is simply excruciating.

The record is a relief map of broken boundaries and abandoned commitments and Allen colors it in hellacious, knife-twisting detail. On “Pussy Palace,” she reveals that Bluebeard’s dungeon is actually a West Village bachelor pad stocked with sex toys, butt plugs, and lube. The perfectly paced reveal of “Madeline” (“But you’re not a stranger, Madeline”) is stomach-churning in its implication, even as it veers into cringe comedy with an unsettling Allison Williams impersonation. One of the truest West End moments occurs in “Sleepwalking,” when Allen tries desperately to re-kindle the spark with one of the funniest inversions of Oliver! put to record: “I know you’ve made me your Madonna/I wanna be your whore/Baby, it would be my honor/Please, sir, can I have some morе?” Occasionally she strains to sell the horror. “4chan Stan” has an edgy title but a faulty premise: No one who spent extended time there has ever been worth losing sleep over. That song also suggests Allen went to the Whitney Houston school of amateur sleuthing: “Never been in Bergdorf’s/But you took someone shopping there in May ’24.”

The turntablism on “Dallas Major” feels canned and anonymous, and the sunny soft rock of “Tennis” is too nondescript to hold any tension, but for the most part the production on West End Girl acquits itself pretty well. The emotional freefall of “Ruminating” feels like a cleaned-up Farrah Abraham cut, dislodging an avalanche of conflicting thoughts over unstable dance music. The medicated lullaby of “Sleepwalking” is perfectly suited to the bad daydream of fresh heartbreak. That song and “Just Enough,” about being slowly poisoned by a lover’s refusal to share the whole truth, just barely contain her aching vulnerability. They represent an evolution of Lily Allen’s signature style, so that the lightness isn’t a foil for her irony, but a vehicle for her hurt.

Nearly a hundred years ago, the writer Ursula Parrott covered shockingly similar terrain in her 1929 novel, Ex-Wife. Parrott’s Patricia is left slowly, then suddenly by her husband, with an open relationship sealing the end of their marriage. “He grew tired of me; hunted about for reasons to justify his weariness; and found them,” Patricia wryly laments. After describing all the ways she’d bent over backwards to keep her partner in her life, Allen finally realizes that she’s been left screaming in an empty room. “Wish I could fix all your shit, but all your shit’s yours to fix,” she sings with biting clarity on “Fruityloop.” Having recovered herself from the wreckage, West End Girl is a testament to how remarkable Allen is on her own”.

I think that women will dominate the 2026 shortlist. Maybe eight out of the twelve albums. One group that I feel will be in the running is The Last Dinner Party for From the Pyre. Perhaps it has been out for long enough that it might be overlooked, though I feel From the Pyre was one of the best albums of last year. It was released on 17th October. There were a lot of positive reviews for the band’s second studio album. I want to include parts from what When the Horn Blows said:

“The band leaves no breathing room between track one and two as Count The Ways sets off with a stanky riff that will have listeners screwing their faces up in approval. The dark, angsty riff is the backdrop to the yearning lyrics that cry out in pain against the story of someone struggling to move on from an ex-lover. The Last Dinner Party has certainly taken an entirely darker turn with this album and it perfectly suits their romantic maximalist aesthetic; if Tess of the d’Urbervilles wrote a song, I’m sure this is what it would sound like.

As we move into the latter half, the project becomes filled with meditative pieces on womanhood. A Woman Is A Tree and I Hold Your Anger explore the divine relationship between nature and femininity, reflecting the female energy that courses through the veins of Mother Earth herself, as well as through every woman whilst also confronting the generational pain and love that flows down from women of the ages. Aurora Nishevci, the band’s pianist/keyboardist, leads the vocal for I Hold Your Anger bringing a welcome earthy counterpart to Morris’ ethereal rock voice.

Sail Away deals with similar ideologies but through the contemporary lens of a modern relationship. The outro of this track is a well built up crescendo which combines all the band’s voices into a hymn-like ascension which could bring a tear to any listener's eye.

The penultimate track uplifts the pace and thematically sums up the whole project with ideas of love, death and reincarnation:

Don't cry, lie here forever

Let life run its course

I'll be here in the next one

Next time, you know I'll call

Coming just at the right time before the audience is suitably mellow, The Scythe arrives to breathe a new balls-to-the-wall energy into your bones assuring you that life and all its ups and downs are a part of something bigger. The level of philosophy explored throughout The Last Dinner Party albums is enough to fill a library. Musically the song draws on more stringed instruments than the album as a whole which gives the song a strongly cinematic feeling.

Finally rounding off the album is the jaunty yet empowering, Inferno which feels like a strongly bittersweet closer. While upbeat and led by a perfectly jovial piano, the lyrics remain poetic and thoughtfully sincere and what better image could end an epic album more than a scorching blaze of fire.

From The Pyre, is a ruminative and exciting step up from Prelude To Ecstasy, and the achievement it represents cannot be understated. It feels more meaningful, and to every fan it’s clear to see the natural progression and growth The Last Dinner Party have made as a band, exploring their unique and inspiring aesthetic through sharper imagery and tighter yet bolder musical arrangements”.

Fifteen more albums to get to, so I shall try and keep it brief. One of our very best artists, Cat Burns’s How to Be Human was released on 31st October. There are a couple of omissions from this feature. Charli xcx’s “Wuthering Heights” soundtrack album might not be eligible. I am also not including Reckonwrong’s extraordinary How Long Has It Been? EUPHORIA. said this in their four-star review:

“Cat Burns’ sophomore album How To Be Human is chock full of life experiences that are so sharp it’d crack through even the thickest armor. Let’s just say that she promised to deliver on the emotional content, and she did.

Speaking on the inspiration behind the project, the British singer-songwriter said: “I left a very big piece of me on this project, going through grief and heartbreak at the same time really rewired my brain chemistry, and I noticed when people try and give uplifting messages about getting through the hard times they never really go into detail about how they got to the end of the tunnel or even what the tunnel looked like, so I REALLY wanted to do that with this album and document the trenches of processing your emotions.”

Prior to the album’s premiere on October 31, she released singles such as “Something About Her,” “All This Love,” and “Please Don’t Hate Me,” all of which I had listened to. So naturally, my hopes were high going into the album, and I was also of the mind that I’ve got a sort of grasp on her musical style.

She opens with “Come Home” – no preps, no instructions, just right smack in the middle of the battlefield and left to fend for yourself. The spoken intro more or less clued me in on what the song would be about, but it still was not enough to stop the waterworks. “It was a rainy, rainy day in Wales / And the hospital ward was blocking the sky / When you were layin’ there with such love in your eyes / Did you know it then? Or did you think you had more time?” she sings. The spoken intro and outro are from Burns’ grandfather, John Burns, who passed away last April. According to Burns, this song was written to reflect the world views her grandfather held in life.

The one song that massively tears away from this is “GIRLS!” Apart from broadcasting some x-rated thoughts, the song also doubles as a confidence-boosting feminist anthem. “That I get to talk about girls, talk about girls, talk about / I only wanna talk about girls, talk about girls, all about,” she sings in the synth-driven pop track. From there, we go to “There’s Just Something About Her,” a sort of sister track to “GIRLS!”

The closing and title track, “How To Be Human,” is a soulful track about the masks we often wear to fit into society. Some of us may find it relatable, some of us may not. In general, whether it’s an acoustic ballad, or supported by melodic piano chords or gossamer strings, the production is kept minimalistic because the lyrics are always meant to be the star attraction, and they are”.

I was going to include Robbie Williams’s BRITPOP, though I am not sure that it will be shortlisted. It is a great album, but I don’t think the judges will consider it. One that they will consider is James Blake’s Trying Times. Released on 13th March, it is one of the most recent albums in this feature. It is also one that has received so much critical acclaim. In their five-star review, DORK wrote this about Trying Times:

“Seven albums in, James Blake sounds newly unburdened. 'Trying Times' carries all the elements that have defined his music for more than a decade: spacious production, ghostly electronics and that unmistakable voice, capable of turning a single line into a moment of heft. This time, though, it feels lighter, painting a portrait of an artist standing firmly in his own space, steering the whole thing exactly where he wants it to go.

That feeling runs through the album's bones. After years navigating the machinery of major labels, Blake has returned to London and rebuilt his creative world on his own terms. 'Trying Times' reflects that shift immediately. The songs feel instinctive, unfolding with openness.

Across its thirteen tracks, Blake moves through a wide emotional spectrum without ever losing his centre. Songs like 'Death Of Love' and the wonderful 'I Had A Dream She Took My Hand' capture the strange emotional weather of the present moment, tracing feelings of overload while still reaching toward empathy and connection. His writing remains deeply introspective, now carrying a warmth that's both grounded and generous.

There's also a playful spark running through the record that gives it extra lift. Guitars wander into the mix, rhythms stretch and bounce, and Blake's arrangements leave space for small surprises to bloom. Even with the meticulous precision that has always defined his production, there's a looseness in how these songs move.

By the time 'Trying Times' draws to a close, that freedom proves irresistible. Blake sounds energised by the room he has carved out for himself, following ideas wherever they lead and completely at ease in his own creative universe”.

I may cut one album from this feature, as it is going to be quite overloaded. However, when we think about locks for Mercury inclusion, you obviously have to mention RAYE’s THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. One of this year’ best albums, it was released on 27th March. A fair few five-star reviews for this modern classic. I want to include Rolling Stone UK and their review of an album that they highlight is “life-affirming”:

“This Music May Contain Hope is a concept album about overcoming self-doubt, heartbreak and hollow Romeos – the fourth track is titled ‘The WhatsApp Shakespeare’ – but one loose and sprawling enough to allow for musical detours. RAYE pulls off crackling funk on ‘Skin & Bones’, recruits Al Green for the silky soul ballad ‘Goodbye Henry’, and reminds us with ‘Life Boat’ that she can still write a club banger when she wants to. Her latest single, ‘Click Clack Symphony’, features beats that mimic the thwack of high heels on a hardwood floor and crashing instrumentation from Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer. It’s a girls’ night out bop in the same way that a croquembouche is just a pastry.

And like a croquembouche, this album gives you a lot to digest. There are extended spoken word sections, tracks that switch tempo midway through, and ear-snagging flourishes like the brief snippet of chipmunk vocals on ‘Winter Woman’. Throughout, RAYE displays a great ear for detail – “His lips were thin and beer-stained and tear-stained,” she sings on ‘Nightingale Lane’ – and a deft turn-of-phrase. “I can’t shake this, I can’t fake this, I should just pay to rearrange this,” she sings on ‘I Hate the Way I Look Today’. It’s a reference to facial filler, perhaps, on a song that definitely isn’t musical filler.

There are bits destined to be skipped, not least the four minutes of contributor credits that RAYE recites at the end, name by name, but her warmth and generosity paper over moments that could feel de trop. The euphoric disco of ‘Joy’, which features RAYE’s younger sisters Amma and Absolutely, is every bit as infectious as her recent chart-topper ‘Where Is My Husband!’

Besides, given how creatively constrained RAYE felt during her major label days, when she was encouraged to stay in her lane as a mainstream dance-pop artist making bops for All Bar One and Love Island, it feels mean-spirited to quibble with the odd moment of over-indulgence. This Music May Contain Hope is an exciting, life-affirming listen that reminds you it’s never too late to turn things around. In a way, it’s the RAYE story writ large, with absolutely killer choruses”.

There will be some bands included in the dozen Mercury albums shortlist. Maybe three or four tops. One that I feel is possible is Gorillaz for their phenomenal album, The Mountain. Last year saw legends Pulp shortlisted (for More). I feel Gorillaz are worthy, even though they have been together over twenty years. Released on 27th February, The Mountain is the strongest Gorillaz album in some years. UNCUT gave four-and-a-half stars to this wonderful album:

“Even the most English-sounding track here – the drunken, clanking, Jerry Dammers-inspired ska of “The God Of Lying”, featuring a deadpan vocal by Joe Talbot from Idles – comes wreathed in tablas and bansuri flute, like a Bollywood take on “Clint Eastwood” from the first Gorillaz album.

The ecstatic Arabic blip-hop of “Damascus” sees Syrian singer Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey (the artist formerly known as Mos Def) trading verses over the pulsating percussion of Viraj Acharya. “The Manifesto” started off with a simple Latin preset on one of Albarn’s vintage home organs and it would have worked perfectly if set to a dembow-style reggaeton beat, but it piles on so many Indian rhythms that it morphs – quite brilliantly – into a piece of heavy bhangra.

And the pulsating synth pop of “The Shadowy Light” is transformed by Bollywood legend Asha Bhosle, now aged 92, with a lyric that sees her welcoming the process of death (“come, oh boatman, lower my boat into still waters/And take me, finally, to the other side”, she trills, in Hindi).

Just as this threatens to look like gap-year fetishisation of brown spirituality, the Kraftwerkian “The Plastic Guru” serves as a welcome rejoinder – an account of Albarn and Hewlett’s Beatles-like visit to an ashram in Rishikesh, where they quickly grew suspicious of their assigned swami (“starring in your own show and selling your snake oil”).

Bleepy analogue synths and a jabbering four-to-the-bar piano are slowly drenched in multi-tracked sitars and the massed ranks of an Indian ceremonial band, as if to desperately assert the guru’s credentials. False idols also dominate the infectiously catchy “The Happy Dictator”, where Ron and Russell Mael from Sparks invoke the spirit of insane autocrats, like Kim Il-sung, whose rule is eternal, even after their death.

Albarn has, of course, explored grief on many occasions – Gorillaz’s “Andromeda”, Blur’s “The Ballad” and the title track to his solo album The Nearer The Fountain… are all mournful elegies to departed friends and loved ones; countless other Blur and Gorillaz songs mourn the death of relationships. You would expect an entire album with death at its central theme to be similarly hymnal, sombre and funereal, but The Mountain somehow manages to be none of these things. Its 15 tracks are filled with cheery major-key singalongs, sitar-soaked synth-pop bangers and whimsical waltzes that serve as ecstatic celebrations of life, rebirth and reinvention”.

Based in Manchester, Mandy Indiana are a band who I think are deserving of award recognition. Perhaps URGH will correct that. It was released on 6th February. Doubling down on the abrasive assault, which is what The Skinny said in their review, URGH might have passed some people by. The Mercury Prize judges would have been all over it:

“From the first serrated riff on Sevastopol it's clear that Mandy, Indiana aren't softening up on their first album for Sacred Bones. Written in an “eerie” studio house outside Leeds doesn't give the same enigmatic appeal as the crypts and caves where they recorded their 2023 debut, but the results are just as frenetic and punishing.

Simon Catling's synths are used to constant disconcerting effect, even when conjuring something resembling a club beat as on Cursive and Magazine. But don't get too comfortable as the electronics are generally subsumed into a vortex of noise or choked-off cries. Most songs strike with intensity from the off, but even in quieter moments the band know how to put you on edge; take A Brighter Tomorrow which drops its sirens in favour of a foreboding trip-hop drumbeat and disembodied vocals.

All songs are sung, rapped or screamed in French so you might not always know exactly what's going on, but the pervasive mood of pain and suffering makes it perfectly clear (and the odd word that doesn't require a translation like 'mortalité' or 'génocide'). The exception is the closing I'll Ask Her, which features a frantic spoken-word takedown of misogynistic culture over gripping noise (reminiscent of aya).

Whether shouting over martial drums, whispering behind thick, smoky synths or rapping against a razorwire guitar, URGH is an exercise in harrowing noise; unapologetically visceral and all the better for it”.

The photo at the top of this feature is of Holly Humberstone. She is a wonderful artist whose latest album, Cruel World, is going to be one of my picks for Mercury Prize glory. The Nottingham-born artist released Cruel World on 10th April. In their glowing review, this is what Under the Radar said about one of this year’s best albums:

“Opening with a brief instrumental that evokes an orchestra tuning up, it morphs into “Make It All Better,” a moody, atmospheric track that seamlessly forms the bridge between her earlier work and this new chapter.

The previous single, “To Love Somebody,” aches with longing yet still bursts with euphoric pop energy, its premise timeless: it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Meanwhile, “Lucy” finds Humberstone in more stripped-back territory, its sparse arrangement and whispery vocals working beautifully, before the title track, “Cruel World,” a song Humberstone counts among her personal favorites, strikes the perfect balance between an irresistible, fun hook-laden pop song and one that carries real emotional weight.

On a thematic level, Humberstone turns her attention outward as well as inward, examining how rivalry between women, rather than being innate, is conditioned by a wider patriarchal structure as she looks to embrace something more compassionate and supportive.

What further elevates Cruel World is Humberstone’s emotional intelligence. Even in the album’s darker moments, there is care and understanding in how she navigates her feelings, distilling messy, chaotic experiences into piercingly honest reflections.

The result is her most complete and compelling work to date, a bold, cohesive album that showcases Holly Humberstone as an artist at the height of her songwriting powers, fully in command of her craft and vision”.

Dove Ellis is an Irish artist who is one of the most talked-about artists of the moment. Someone whose debut, Blizzard, is guaranteed toe be on the Mercury shortlist, it could well walk away with the award – and it would deserve to. Not often an Irish artist wins the award. Blizzard is a remarkable album that was released on 5th December. Lots of positive reviews to choose from, but I will go with CLASH and their assessment of the best debut album of last year:

“But the music is never too trapped in nostalgia, even during moments of introspection, such as “I’ll be gone by Christmas” or “I’ll still lift up my feather / That’s how far I will go”. This makes ‘Blizzard’ gorgeous and tangible, open-hearted and unmasked, its warmth and ache laid bare on the surface.

Released together, ‘Pale Song’ and ‘Love Is’ are a double window into Ellis’ songwriting philosophy. ‘Pale Song’ contemplates the deceptive weight of the past, warning listeners not to dwell on it whilst ‘Love Is’ emerges as a manifesto, a mantra and an anthemic celebration of love in its subtleties, “(Love is) A whispered smile and it’s got nothing to lose”, anchored by expansive piano, drums, and fluttering strings.

The joy doesn’t finish there; it grows even more on ‘Jaundice’, whose driving, communal rhythm likens Titanic’s dance scene in ‘An Irish Party in Third Class’, featuring jigs and polkas played by Gaelic Storm. Effervescence continues in full flow, drifting into the warmth of ‘Heaven Has No Wings’, a soft-rock piano track with shades of the 70s.

As a final meditation, everything falls away but Ellis’ heavenly tone and the circling of sparse guitars on ‘Away You Stride’. In loss and lament comes clarity as he reveals, “I shoot at clouds / I stab at lights / I’m ducking in a crowd / I saw you in the absence of light”. The album’s final exhale feels like a quiet wound, leaving listeners suspended in wistful grace.

The release of ‘Blizzard’ is a culmination of the years Galway-born Thomas O’Donoghue has spent honing his craft in Manchester’s live scene and beyond. Fresh from touring with Geese and selling out headline shows, Dove Ellis’ debut translates his quietly magnetic presence into something much larger, one that barely scratches the surface of what he’s capable of. We’re just at the start”.

Cardinals are a sensational bands from Cork. I do think that at least a couple of Irish albums will make it into the 2026 dozen. Masquerade could well be in there. It was celebrated and definitely put the band’s name far beyond their native Cork. Released on 13th February, Masquerade got a lot of love. This is what No Ripcord noted:

“As the first half winds down, Cardinals’ flair for a sullen ballad reveals itself more clearly. Nowhere on the album is this better demonstrated than in the plainly titled “I Like You,” where lead guitarist Oskar Gudinovic adds a slow-paced fingerpicked arrangement set against an endearing accordion accompaniment. “You can have most of me/just don’t stand so close to me,” he passionately declares, grappling with the fleeting glory and confusion of young love.

There is an underlying sense of melancholy to Euan’s lyricism, which the band consciously matches with a sombre mood as the album progresses—a stark difference to the brighter sheen they juxtapose early on. The smoldering delivery of “Anhedonia,” one of the more punk-driven tracks here, has Euan leaning into his storytelling abilities by detailing a tragic character burdened by sin: “Then I stabbed him/I opened up his world/as it spun.” While the contrasts they play with are marked, they’re not necessarily jarring, maintaining a rhythmic pace that sounds forceful yet grounded. Even the heavier, politically charged track “The Burning of Cork,” which veers into post-hardcore territory, adds depth beyond mere anger before it fizzles in two minutes flat.

Masquerade is the type of vital debut that unspools with an unrefined beauty, attracting the opinion of listeners who might think that they're still figuring out their true sound. Whether Cardinals possess the talent to evolve past this fiercely passionate statement remains to be seen, but considering who they’ve been matched against, the band has tapped into a formula that sounds arguably more defined from the outset. Cardinals would be the first to admit that it’s a daunting first step, but it sure is exciting to hear them aim this high”.

In terms of other guaranteed shortlisted albums, The Boy Who Played the Harp is definitely going to be in there. A masterpiece from Dave, it was released on 24th October. Heralding a master storyteller, DIY showed a respect and love for a staggering work from one of our greatest artists:

“This is God’s plan,” begins Dave on ‘History’ – a plan he’s in the process of making happen. He’s got a strong case, too. At 27, with three critically acclaimed LPs under his belt, it feels like the world is running out of superlatives with which to describe him. What more can you say about arguably the UK’s leading rapper? It’s been four years since 2021’s ‘We’re All Alone In This Together’, but Dave hasn’t been totally quiet since then, with standalone Central Cee collab single ‘Sprinter’ becoming a massive global hit in 2023. But it’s been long enough that it’s difficult not to savour every second of ‘The Boy Who Played the Harp’.

Across its ten tracks, Dave is found in an equally introspective and outward-looking mood, with faith also playing a major part in his narrative. ‘175 Months’, named for the length of time his brother has been in prison, is a confession, while on ‘My 27th Birthday’, he questions whether he should speak out about the world’s ills while also enjoying the luxuries that come with stardom. But he’s perhaps at his best here when he has company. James Blake’s presence is a strong one, while Jim Legxacy is a dream on ‘No Weapons’, and Tems brings a lighter tone to the flirtatious ‘Raindance’. The album’s crowning moment, meanwhile, comes with the Kano-featuring ‘Chapter 16’. Alluding to the biblical story of Samuel anointing David as king, it plays out as a conversation over dinner in which Dave gives Kano his flowers and the grime grandee responds in kind. It’s deserved. It all goes to confirm that Dave has grown from hot young talent to a true master storyteller”.

I really love Joy Crookes’s work. I have been a fan for years. Juniper is a fantastic album. It may sound like an outside shot for Mercury inclusion, but I think it should be on the shortlisted twelve. Juniper was released on 19th September. I am going to come back to DORK, as they awarded Juniper five stars:

“Juniper’ is an album borne of one of the toughest times Joy Crookes has ever experienced. Falling in love whilst also falling into an anxious spiral that threatened to ruin all she’d worked for, it is a record with identity embedded into its fabric and explored with Joy’s now trademark delicate yet hard-hitting style.

Sonically and vocally, you’d never know that Joy was going through one of the most unsteady times of her life. Her forthright delivery on delectably domineering ‘Pass the Salt (ft. Vince Staples)’ represents a woman reborn and ready, underlined by unbelievably catchy soulful pop tune ‘Perfect Crime’ and the rich, deep palette of jazz-slash-RnB anthem ‘Mathematics (ft. Kano)’ which allows Joy’s vocal to soar. Meanwhile, explosive brass sections on ‘I Know You’d Kill’ and the hazy, syncopated rhythm of ‘Paris’ transport you to a sleek, smoke-filled jazz club where Joy holds all the cards and owns every inch of the room.

Elsewhere, her softer, more vulnerable side shines through. Whether it’s in the pleading frustration of Western beauty double standards in ‘Carmen’, or in the swirling, off-kilter album opener ‘Brave’, Joy reinforces her ability to show the nuanced and often unsettling nature of simply being human. Equally, ‘First Last Dance’ sees her eyes full of stars as love fills her heart, while ‘Mother’ powerfully paints a picture of someone determined to rise above generational trauma. She’s never been afraid of feeling, no matter how scary it might seem, and she’s commanding that steely, resolute conviction with untold ease.

Joy’s debut album, ‘Skin’, was so good that it won her a Mercury Prize nomination. Somehow, though, ‘Juniper’ might be an even better record, cementing Joy Crookes as one of the world’s most prodigious talents”.

Another album that you may think would be shortlisted but I don’t think will be is Arlo Parks’s Ambiguous Desire. She won the Mercury Prize for her debut, Collapsed in Sunbeams, and she won the Mercury in 2021. However, this album I feel is going to be in the mix. JADE’s THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY was released on 12th September and was met with critical and commercial success. It is a truly exceptional album, and I hope that JADE is recognised for her incredible debut. This is what DIY wrote in their five-star review:

“Lyrically, too, she always seemed one step ahead: between the sex-positive, feel-good bangers were vulnerable admissions of insecurity amidst the fickle fame machine and eviscerating asides about exploitative industry types (well, one high-trousered, Dayglo-toothed exec in particular). Hers was a run of singles of such consistent quality that you couldn’t help but think - has JADE already played all the best cards in her hand?

In a word: no. The latter half of ‘THAT’S SHOWBIZ BABY!’ is a dizzying journey through genre, era, and Jekyll and Hyde dynamic shifts that more than lives up to the vitality of its previews. ‘Headache’, for example, has all the attitude of a heat-warped Pharrell 7”; ‘Natural At Disaster’, meanwhile, offsets earnest crooning with choral BVs and glitchy, video game-like effects, a Frankensteined collage of the shredded pop ballad blueprint. The album’s only slight stalls come with ‘Self Saboteur’ and ‘Lip Service’ - a pair of shimmering synth-led cuts which, while not bad by any stretch (both recall Caroline Polachek at best, The 1975 at worst) feel frustratingly safe next to the balls-to-the-wall experimentation of the rest of the record. Because, clearly, JADE thrives most when she’s throwing curveballs: namely, the gloriously ‘80s guitar pop of ‘Unconditional’ - which could sit shoulder to shoulder with Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode - and The Supremes-sampling ‘Before You Break My Heart’: an impossibly catchy instant-classic that casts her as the natural successor to Diana Ross’ girl-group-to-solo-superstar trajectory. After a career’s worth of constricting, prescriptive pop formula, she’s now finally concocted a recipe for success on her own terms - and it’s anything but vanilla”.

I am writing this before Jessie Ware’s Superbloom is released (17th April), so this might be one album that makes it into a revised feature. For the time being, I will leave the album out. My New Band Believe by My New Band Believe is an album that I do think warrants a Mercury Prize salute. Another incredible debut, it was released on 10th April. It was formed by Cameron Picton, formerly of black midi. NME declared My New Band Believe a masterpiece. Even though the band’s name – and debut album’s title – is pretty dumb and annoying, you cannot deny their album is flawless:

“It’s the kind of ambition that could result in a mess. Thankfully, by imposing the limitation that almost everything on the record should be acoustic, with the smallest possible amount of reverb, Picton ensures that the maximalism is tightly controlled. The way it constantly tries to press against those self-inflicted cast-iron boundaries – like the orchestra in that room – is one of the reasons it’s so thrilling.

Then, there is Picton himself, a dazzling instrumentalist. On ‘Heart Of Darkness’ alone, he flits between serpentine finger-picked guitar and blissed-out soul, envisaging a transatlantic communion between English folk great John Renbourn and American soul legend Otis Redding. To longstanding Black Midi fans such chops will come as no surprise. What’s intriguing, though, is how much he shines as sole frontman.

Lyrically, too, there’s brilliance at work, Picton skipping between the perspectives of different characters, drawing out the intense moments of desire, lust, anger, bliss and despair that exist in intimate spaces. Sometimes these emotions dovetail with the music – the gentle domestic portrait on ‘Love Story’ set to strings that border on saccharine; the skittering rhythms that heighten the paranoid self-consciousness on ‘In The Blink of an Eye’ – and sometimes they’re set in uneasy juxtaposition. There is a simmering violence under the quirky surface of ‘Target Practice’, for instance, a meditation on the ethics of assassination.

Like its name that emerged within that 2023 fever dream, My New Band Believe’s debut is an open-ended record, as ambitious as it is ambiguous. In less skilled hands it could easily fall apart under its own weight. In Picton’s, however, it’s a masterpiece”.

Three more albums to include. Elmiene is an artist who is rightly being talked about as a future legend. A rare talent that comes along every so often. He is a British-Sudanese musician from Oxford. He placed fifth in the BBC Sound Of 2024 poll. His sounds for someone is an immense debut. It was released on 27th March. This is what Shatter the Standards wrote in their review:

“Almost every song on sounds for someone asks for something. “Honour,” with Baby Rose’s voice winding around his in the low end, requests the simplest thing imaginable—believe in me. “I’ve always been the one to doubt myself/Convinced I don’t deserve a ‘someone else,’” he admits, and then spends the rest of the song trying to earn what he’s afraid to expect. “Don’t Say Maybe,” the album’s most rhythmically insistent cut (Ghost-Note and No I.D. supplying a snapping, uptempo groove that breaks from the album’s prevailing warmth), takes the same impulse and strips the patience out of it. “I always hated when you treated me like a child,” he opens, and the chorus is blunt. Just say yes, just say no, don’t say maybe. That directness sounds different for Elmiene. The songs addressed to his father plead and circle. This one draws a line.

Not everything on the album bleeds. “Reclusive” is probably the most fun anyone’s ever had admitting they don’t want to leave the house. Elmiene has credited Biz Markie’s ability to make the mundane memorable, and you can hear that in the way the song zooms into the tiniest details of inertia: wake up, play video games, think you need a change, don’t change. “I ain’t even gonna lie/Not a social butterfly” is as self-aware as this album gets, and the Gitelman production (piano and drums that gradually widen into a busier arrangement) treats his reclusiveness as a fact of life, not a problem to solve. The romantic songs carry more weight than they might on a less emotionally loaded album. “Lie With Me” makes a painful request. Fake it, lie, make me believe what you don’t, just until I can move on. He knows it’s over. He’s asking for one more night of pretending. “Light by the Window” puts Elmiene in a locked room with an empty glass and a double bed, hiding for days by the window, wondering if leaving would make any difference. Saadiq’s presence brings a weight to the arrangement that Elmiene meets without strain, and this section (“Detrimental to my vision/Without my glasses you’re far away with no precision”) is the kind of odd, specific image that separates a good lyricist from someone filling bars.

Ghost-Note and OzMoses Arketex handle the majority of the album’s back half, and their production keeps to a steady, mid-tempo pulse that gives Elmiene room to phrase long. The consistency pays off when the songwriting justifies it (”Lonely People,” a mutual codependence anthem where two people agree to stay small together, gains from the controlled simmer) and drags mildly when it doesn’t (”Special,” a sweet ordinary-day love song, sits comfortably in the same tempo and register as three or four songs around it). But Elmiene’s tenor is a remarkable instrument for this kind of sustained quiet. He dips into falsetto when the lyric needs air and drops to a low murmur when it doesn’t, and neither gear sounds forced. Raised in Oxford by his Sudanese mother, the son of a poet grandmother and a musician grandfather, he sings like someone who grew up in a house where expression wasn’t optional but volume was negotiable. On “Told You I’ll Make It,” he reaches his father’s house, puts the key in the lock, and it won’t turn. “How much have I changed?/Do you hate me now?” He promised he’d be there, and he’s making good. The door is still closed”.

The penultimate album I am including is from Dry Cleaning. Secret Love. The London band released their third album on 9th January. Produced by Cate Le Bon, Secret Love could see them nominated for a Mercury Prize. God Is in the TV awarded it eight-out-of-ten and made some insightful observations:

“Can you, should you judge an album by its artwork? Their previous album, Stumpwork, had a front cover that featured a photograph of a bar of soap decorated with pubic hair spelling out the album title. This time round, the album’s cover artwork features a painting by the Scotland-based Canadian artist Erica Eyres, which shows the band’s frontwoman Florence Shaw having her eye washed by someone largely out of frame, holding Shaw’s eyelid open. Of course, if you only tend to stream or download, this may be a mute point, but is it her eyes that are being opened, or ours?

Quite possibly both, and that should be ears too;  artwork showing ears being syringed would have been way too obvious, and the reality is that Dry Cleaning are not an obvious band. Having made two successful albums, they’ve taken their time with this one, and it’s paid off in spades.

That should have been obvious from the release of the opening track last year ‘Hit My Head All Day.’ For those who have yet to hear it, this six minute track served as a call to arms: we’re back, we’ve developed and we’ve moved up a gear or two. Its baseline is as funky as anything (think prime LCD Soundsystem or Tina Weymouth on either Talking Heads or Tom Tom Club records), and the lyrics that take in the mundane but also reach the surreal on a par with The Sugarcubes’ Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week.

There are some things that haven’t changed. Sure, there are still tracks you might not want to play in front of your more prudish relatives. Also (while it would be weird to simply love a group because of what they don’t sound like), it’s impressive that whilst they’ve made their most accessible and best album so far, in this case it is most definitely not a way of saying that they’ve shed their edges that made them so interesting and have become bland enough for mainstream acceptance. Both the band and Shaw have started singing (occasionally), but these are not songs to soundtrack your local beige indie disco. Frankly, it’s all the better for that.

It’s pointless to simply describe this as the first great album of 2026 when we’re not even two weeks in. It is, however, a record that will reward repeated playing, and one that will certainly win them new fans, and rewarding those long-term fans with how much they’ve developed. How long it will be to the next record is anyone’s guess, but we’ve got this and it’s brilliant. For best results, listen to with your eyes closed and just focus on one aspect at a time…”.

People might have their own thoughts about which albums released so far – or between last autumn and now – will be in contention for the Mercury Prize. I am not sure who is hosting this year’s ceremony, though it is likely to be Lauren Laverne. She hosted last year, so I am pretty sure she will host this year’s. The final album I am suggesting is possibly going to be shortlisted is Knucks for A Fine African Man. Released on 31st October, Knucks is a London-born rapper. A hugely acclaimed talent. A  fine place to end. I feel this album is a hot favourite to be among the golden twelve that will be in contention on 22nd October at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena. We have a way to go, though the eligibility window closes near the end of August. I will publish another feature nearer the time. Who else can be in contention when we look at the albums already confirmed? Kneecap for FENIAN, Maisie Peters for Florescence and Paul McCartney for The Boys of Dungeon Lane. It would be amazing if Paul McCartney was shortlisted! Also, Ringo Starr releases Long Long Road on 24th April. Two Beatles shortlisted! Neither needs the award, though it would be possibly the last time this is possible. Let’s get back to Knucks, and NME’s review for A Fine African Man:

“Throughout ‘A Fine African Man’, Knucks’ verses move with the rhythm of spoken poetry – like diary entries, all lived-in and unfiltered. But the album’s most tender moment comes on ‘Yam Porridge’, where he recalls his younger self, alone at a Nigerian boarding school, finding home in the solace of a dinner lady who made the best bowl around. Tiwa Savage’s voice drifts in sweetly (“Anything you want, I’m here / Full confidence, no fear”), providing the blissful warmth of motherly comfort. ‘Yam Porridge’ is the clearest evidence that Knucks is one of this generation’s sharpest storytellers – real rap doesn’t need to be lyrically complex or super conceptual: sometimes, simple words work too.

Although this album is a new sonic exploration for Knucks, you can still catch glimpses of the foundation he made for himself. Since his 2014 debut mixtape ‘Killmatic’, Knucks has always favoured groove and rhythm, perfecting the balance between mood and meaning – making the ordinary feel cinematic. On ‘A Fine African Man’, that instinct has matured beautifully. ‘Are You Okay?’ is full of neo-Afrofusion sultriness, all bass warmth and glossy keys, but with depth beneath its glow. ‘Pure Water’ calls back to the sombre drill production that first built his legend, embodying the relentless grind that defines Knucks: always moving with purpose, chasing something real.

All this is done with great Nigerian pride, manifested through bravado. ‘No Shaking’ sees Knucks link up with Phyno, trading bars in their mother tongue over a warping grimetrap-like beat that fuses London grit with Lagos swagger. Then there’s ‘Nkita’ with UK trap disruptor Fimiguerrerro – an aggressive, braggadocious track about being top dog that adds some bite to the mostly mellow record. By the time we get to songs like the chirpy amapiano-style ‘Container’ and the groovy ‘Palm Wine’, it’s a full-blown celebration stretching into the far-flung corners of the diaspora.

‘A Fine African Man’ shines as a vibrant depiction of Igbo culture through the eyes of someone both belonging and (once) an outsider. Using love, struggle, and growth as his colour palette, Knucks paints from memory and discovery alike. If ‘Alpha Place’ reflected London, here, Knucks turns his mirror toward Nigeria, watering his roots through sounds and customs from his motherland. No longer the boy from Kilburn, Knucks stands tall as a fine African man whose talent will never be forgotten”.

Rather than include the entire album for each of my selections, I am instead popping in a song from the album. I would encourage people to check out the albums, but I didn’t think people who read this would listen wholly to every single album, so I thought it was better putting a song in instead. Such a varied collection of artists, my current top-five of sure-fire Mercury nominees would be Dove Ellis, Dave, Olivia Dean, JADE, RAYE and Holly Humberstone. I do think a female artist will win, and the Mercury is not guaranteed to go back to London. In 2024, a female-fronted band English Teacher, won for This Could Be Texas, but Little Simz won in 2022 for Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. English Teacher and Sam Fender from northern England, so two years running it has been awarded to artists outside of London. I think, so far, I would put Holly Humberstone against Olivia Dean as thew favourite, though every album I have included is deserving. The Mercury Prize always throws up surprises and you can never predict. We will see who is nominated in September. In terms of albums that could be in the running, there is…

MUCH more to come.

FEATURE: One for the Record Collection! Essential May Releases

FEATURE:

 

 

One for the Record Collection!

IN THIS PHOTO: Tori Amos (In Times of Dragons is released on 1st May)

Essential May Releases

__________

MAY is what I would say…

IN THIS PHOTO: Paul McCartney (his album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, will be released on 29th May)

is the start of the busiest and most exciting time for new releases. I think artists tend to wait until May through to August or September to release albums. In terms of lining up with festivals and maybe it is a better time to put them out. Although there have been some year-best contenders already out, next months sees a few albums that could challenge that. I am recommending the albums from May you will want to pre-order. You can see a fuller list here. There are eight albums alone due on 1st May that you should have on your radar. Let’s start out with Ana Roxanne and Poem 1. This is an artist I am aware of but have recently got more into her. You can pre-order it here:

"I wanted to travel / Home into somewhere,"Ana Roxanne breathes across an eerie suspended drone on "The Age of Innocence". "I wanted to try / And go very far." These are the first words we hear on Poem 1 and reintroduce an artist who's in a conspicuously different phase of her life than she was when her debut album, Because of a Flower, sprouted nearly six years ago.

Heartbroken and reflective, Roxanne surveys the transformations that followed and displays a new-found boldness. Her voice is naked, vulnerable and alive, no longer shrouded in tape noise or looped and echoed beyond recognition beneath layered electroacoustic textures.

Throughout the course of Poem 1, Roxanne displays her skill as a singer and songwriter in the classic sense, using the limited instrumentation simply to accent her exposed tones. Muted piano phrases and plucked bass notes languidly trail her anguished siren song on "Berceuse in A-flat Minor, Op. 45", making each word count.

On "Keepsake" meanwhile, she sounds as if she's alone in an abandoned bar, stroking the dust off the piano's keys as she inventories her emotional scars. There's a smell of old whisky in the air, but Poem 1 is a remarkably sober album; never wallowing in self pity, Roxanne finds catharsis in the logic of her expressions, twisting out the edges of her memories into surreal, cinematic asides. "Untitled II", the album's pronounced, uninhibited centerpiece, delivers on the Lynchian promise that's been present since her first EP, 2019's ~~~. "

And when she interprets the Robert Schumann's lied "Stille Tränen" on "One Shall Sleep", she turns Justinus Kerner's words into a whispered echo of her own grief, narrating the 19th century poem over syrupy synthesizers and strings. There's a light emerging on the horizon, though; burying her past on the choral standout '"Cover Me", Roxanne shifts the pace and the mood on 'Atonement', lifting her voice into a gentle lilt”.

I am excited to see what the brilliant Jesca Hoop offers up with her new album, Long Wave Home. I really love her music and have seen her perform live. Such a compelling, lovable, talented and fascinating artist. This is an album that you definitely need to pre-order. There is not a tonne of information about the album available, so I will drop in what there is. Artists like Jesca Hoop will never receive the sort of acclaim and focus as bigger Pop artists. I think that her music is more arresting and interesting than most of what it is out there. It does definitely warrant a lot more conversation and exposure. She is a brilliant artist:

“Jesca Hoop releases her new album Long Wave Home. Staying true to her folk roots, though never purely, Hoop delivers strikingly original songwriting showcasing her innovative vocals augmented by imaginative arrangements. Long Wave Home is energized and rings with the promise of a fresh new chapter for the artist”.

An album that is definitely going to get a lot of love and huge reviews is Kacey Musgraves’s Middle of Nowhere. This is an album from one of the true greats of modern music. A superb songwriter, again, there is very little from Rough Trade regarding what we can expect from this album. However, do go and pre-order it, as Musgraves is superb. Middle of Nowhere follows 2024’s Deeper Well. Not as celebrated as albums like 2018 Golden Hour, it was seriously underrated. I think that Musgraves might win back a bit of critical traction with Middle of Nowhere. Its lead single, Dry Spell, is a wonderful taste of what is to come:

“Middle of Nowhere is the sixth studio album from eight-time Grammy Award winner Kacey Musgraves, and is made for two-stepping. The collection draws from a love of Texas dancehall classics, humorous takes on the human condition, and the space where traditional Country borders many sounds including Norteño and even Zydeco. Fresh yet familiar, and classically Kacey: honest, fearless, immersive, and always ready to wink at life’s twists and turns”.

Another terrific and anticipated album from 1st May is Melanie C’s Sweat. There has been a lot of promotion and talk around this. Some of the very best work from Melanie C, this album is going to get some massive reviews I think. It is phenomenal and one you need to pre-order. Its cover alone marks it out as a great album. You are captured by that image. The music released from the album is wonderful, so I feel this is an album that you cannot afford to miss out on. I am going to source from the start of an interview from The Times published back in January. Melanie C (Chisholm) discussing her new work and personal life. A revealing and amazing interview from this incredible artist:

“Melanie Chisholm has never looked hotter than she does in the video for her comeback single, Sweat, an ultra-camp tribute to Jane Fonda workouts and Eric Prydz’s Call on Me. Chisholm — 52 years old and ripped to the heavens: abs, quads, biceps, glutes, all of it, honed beyond belief — frolics and cavorts on an exercise bike and bench presses barbells surrounded by admiring trainer dudes clad in Union Jack budgie-smugglers. She donkey kicks in ankles weights, spike-heeled booties and outrageously saucy unitard. The song, a dance track that could be about training, but — guess what? — could also be about sex (“I’ll make you, I’ll make you sweat” etc), is fun and silly and compulsive, and while Chisholm definitely does not take herself too seriously, the whole effect is, nonetheless, outrageously sexy. Sporty Spice — but absolutely not as you know her.

“I think this is the most courageous I’ve ever been in a video,” she tells me. What made her so courageous, I ask. “I think it’s because I’m 50. I look like this — and it’s powerful”. 

I love Lip Critic, so I am going to listen to Theft World when it comes out on 1st May. This is a fantastic U.S. Electro-Punk group that you really need to connect with. Go and pre-order this album. Hex World is an incredible album, though Lip Critic are not going to repeat themselves for Theft World. It is going to be this tremendous album that will get lots of praise:

“Lip Critic’s 2024 Partisan debut Hex Dealer was one of the most-hyped experimental releases of that year (“Like the B-52s on ketamine” -Paste) and signaled the Brooklyn band’s arrival as a borderline-batshit creative force. Theft World is their next chapter, built again from the chaos of two drummers locked in psychic combat, a sampler that sounds like it was struck by lightning, and frontman Bret Kaser’s paranoid preacher energy. But where Hex Dealer leapt from one absurdist vignette to the next, Theft World plays like a fully locked-in transmission. Themes orbit around the concept of theft, not just as a political force or digital dilemma, but as a surreal, emotional constant. Club rhythms and hardcore breakdowns pull as much from Tyler the Creator’s ‘Igor’ and Korn as they do Skrillex and Soul Coughing, coming together to soundtrack a world that’s constantly being striped apart and resold”.

A few more albums from 1st May to cover off before moving to 8th. I have talked about Maya Hawke and Maitreya Corso in a recent feature. Not only is she this phenomenal actor who is among the best of her generation. Hawke is this singular artist with such an incredible voice. A wonderful songwriter. Her upcoming album is one you should pre-order if you can.  A busy time for Maya Hawke, her fourth studio album will sit alongside this year’s best:

“For the past couple of years, Maya Hawke has been busy in the acting world, wrapping the final season of Stranger Things and taking on a role in The Hunger Games franchise. The American singer is now returning to music, unveiling her upcoming fourth album, ‘Maitreya Corso’, and sharing its lead single, ‘Devil You Know’.

‘Devil You Know’ is a stripped-back and honest track with folk influences. Speaking about the song, she says “‘Devil You Know’ is about trying to keep ambition and greed out of the creative process. This album is about learning to protect the precious from the poisonous. Protect creation from pride. Protect love from control. Protect collaboration from jealousy.”

For her highly anticipated fourth album, set for release on May 1st, charts Hawke’s experiences of a life-changing relationship. For ‘Maitreya Corso’, Hawke has created a persona and fantasy world to allow her to explore complex feelings with more depth. Speaking about the character she has crafted, she describes her as a “magical misfit, whose sheer inability to adapt to the surrounding world allows her to create a world of her own, and to explore the positive and negative power of the ego.”

Hawke enlisted the help of regular collaborators, singer-songwriter (and new husband) Christian Lee Hutson, multi-instrumentalist Benjamin Lazar Davis, and producer Jonathan Low to bring her stories to life on ‘Maitreya Corso’.

The news of the upcoming release was accompanied by the announcement of a slew of live shows, which will be her first US tour in three years”.

The next album I will recommend is The Black Keys’ Peaches! I really like the U.S. duo, and I have been following them for years now. I would say, even if you have not heard of them or are quite new, to invest in Peaches! You can pre-order the album here:

“The Black Keys Peaches! is the Akron duo’s fourteenth studio album (their sixth since 2019), a visceral and raw 10-song collection described by singer Dan Auerbach as the band’s “most natural record” since their 2002 debut, The Big Come Up. In similar DIY spirit, the album was recorded with all musicians playing in the same room with few overdubs, and is the first record mixed entirely by the band themselves since 2006’s Magic Potion. The songs chosen reflect Auerbach and bandmate Patrick Carney’s obsessive record-collecting habit, which in recent years has escalated into an ongoing series of Record Hang DJ-set dance parties where they spin vintage 45s for packed, high-energy dancefloors in the coolest spots across the globe.
The cover art for Peaches! is based around an iconic image from Memphis-born photographer, William Eggleston, and marks the return of Patrick’s brother, Michael Carney, overseeing the art direction”.

One more album from 1st May. Another music legend to highlight. Tori Amos’s In Times of Dragons will be one you’ll have to pre-order, as she is a genius who always releases wonderful music. This is no exception. In a recent interview with The Times, Tori Amos discussed In Times of Dragons:

“As we walk round the site we bump into crew members, some of whom are staying here. Amos describes her team as “a lady pirate ship”, pointing up at a pink Jolly Roger fluttering on a mast. If that sounds eccentric, wait until you hear the new album. In Times of Dragons is a blend of southern gothic drama, pick-and-mix mythology and Game of Thrones-style fantasy that is a critique of “the cabal of puppeteering billionaires”.

Smokily sung by Amos over end-of-the-world piano, it features “angel sharks”, gay witches and an alternate Tori who, instead of marrying Hawley in the Nineties, got hitched to an evil American tycoon who is also a lizard demon. She flees from him and reunites with her daughter — whose part in the album is beautifully sung by Amos’s daughter, Natashya — before growing wings and turning into a dragon queen. Ed Sheeran this ain’t.

It all came to her, Amos says, via a selection of muses including the wizard Merlin, an Egyptian goddess by the name of Setmuk and a Celtic deity called Lugh of the Long Arm, with whom she says she had a love affair. Her husband doesn’t mind, she says. “Lugh is in a different dimension so Mark’s OK with that.”

Not everyone will believe this stuff, I suggest. “I began to learn, particularly in the Nineties, when I wanted to share the magic of music and how it came, that there were some journalists that unfortunately had stepped into cynicism,” Amos says. We have been known to do that. “They circumcised their imagination,” she adds.

Her own gifts, she insists, came through those muses. That is why, she says, “I never had to learn how to play and why I can’t teach.” Away from music, she says, “I can’t do a whole lot. I’m virtually unemployable. Some of the builders that have been building the rehearsal shed, they can do all kinds of things.” And her husband is practical. “Very practical.” All of which is just as well because “the lady pirate ship is rolling” and it needs a big and dedicated crew. “The muses barely wait for me. If I don’t show up, they’re going to go find Björk”.

I want to move to a few albums from 8th May that should be on your radar. The first you need to check out is Aldous Harding’s Train on the Island. Harding is a terrific artist that I really love. I would urge people to pre-order Train on the Island. You can have a dig for recent interviews where Aldous Harding talks about the album, but here is a little bit of information about it:

“Aldous Harding releases her fifth studio album, Train On The Island. The 10-track Train On The Island was co-produced by long-time collaborator John Parish (PJ Harvey, Dry Cleaning) at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, where the pair recorded the New Zealander’s previous bodies of work, Party (2017), Designer (2019) and Warm Chris (2022). Joining Harding and Parish on Train On The Island are pedal steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte, harpist Mali Llywelyn, synth artist Thomas Poli, drummer Sebastian Rochford (Polar Bear) and Huw Evans (H. Hawkline) on bass, vocals, acoustic/electric guitar and organ”.

I have been a fan of girli for quite a long time now, so it is always exciting when she releases an album. Everyone needs to keep an eye out for it’s just my opinion. You can pre-order the album here. The moniker of London-based Amelia Toomey, GIRLI is an artist that does not get as much love as deserved. A hugely talented artist that I feel everyone needs to listen to. You will instantly get hooked:

“With her third record, girli steps fully into her most honest era yet.


The album is sharp, cohesive, and rooted in who she's always been. Growing up in North London, she absorbed the chaos and hooks of the indie sleaze scene, and now she channels that restless energy into songs that feel alive, pulsing like a sweaty gig in Camden or Shoreditch. It's classic girli alt-pop - nostalgic, chaotic, and fearless, but sharpened with a bold new edge.

girli has been teasing the new era since the end of 2025, sharing 'Better Undressed' and the powerful recent single 'Slap on the Wrist'.

Known for her shimmering, high-concept production and fearless commentary, girli now pivots toward a more grounded, girl-next-door energy, trading gloss for grit, and polish for raw, intimate expression.

Since emerging with her breakthrough sophomore album, Matriarchy, girli has carved a space in the alternative scene for bold, boundary-pushing storytelling. Her ability to merge pop essence with underground energy has earned her a tight-knit and dedicated fanbase.



As an openly LGBTQ+ artist and advocate for social change, girli continues to intertwine her personal journey with broader cultural conversations. Her past work has touched on themes of identity, politics, mental health, and more - and this new chapter builds on that same spirit of activism, but through a softer, more human lens”.

Actually, two more 8th May albums that I need to cover off. Lykke Li’s The Afterparty is the first of them. Again, I have been listening to Li for a long time and always love what she puts into the world. You can pre-order The Afterparty here. Another case of there being scant information about the album, I am including what there is to know:

“Lykke Li’s The Afterparty is a journey through the night, turning the collective feeling of hopelessness into a celebratory revenge. With hooky choruses, maximalist arrangements and “apocalyptic bongos,” The Afterparty asks the eternal question. It’s 4am: can we have one last euphoric dance before the hangover crushes us? Featuring a limited vinyl with a transparent printed outer sleeve and exclusive stunning 20-page insert, it’s as much a visual artifact as it is a sonic one”.

Quite a few more albums to cover off. However prior to getting to those out on 15th May, one more from 8th. MUNA’s Dancing on The Wall is worthy of recommendation. Such a brilliant group, they are comprised of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson, they are signed to the Saddest Factory label. Founded by Phoebe Bridgers, this is a label housing artists that you need to know. You can pre-order Dancing on the Wall here:

“Muna’s journey has always been about holding space for the complex, messy, ecstatic realities of life, and with their fourth album, Dancing On The Wall, they’ve never been sharper, darker, or more exhilarating. Emerging from the sparkly, confetti-strewn heights of their 2022 self-titled record, Muna now channel the anxious, uncertain energy of living in a Los Angeles defined by political tension, environmental decay, and the quiet pressures of millennial precarity.

The result is a record that feels both intimate and spectacular, a pop world built with teeth, wit, and emotional resonance, a soundtrack for hearts simultaneously on fire and observing the chaos around them. Across the record, Muna explores desire, intimacy, and connection against a backdrop of a world in flux. There’s a quiet reckoning throughout the album with how to keep living, loving, and reaching for one another while bearing witness to political brutality and systemic violence and how joy survives without denial.

The record is produced by Naomi McPherson, with their trademark attention to detail blending effortlessly with bandmate Josette Maskin’s  well-honed behind-the-scenes pop technique to create living, breathing worlds for lead singer Katie Gavin’s incisive lyricism and signature voice. Dancing On The Wall blends euphoric sonic landscapes with sharp, human storytelling. The album reflects a fiercely self-directed creative process, one shaped by instinct, trust, and total artistic control. It feels lived-in, urgent, and cinematic, a reflection of a generation navigating uncertainty while refusing to let go of joy.

With this album, Muna proves once again that pop can be daring, intimate, and socially conscious all at once: a record that doesn’t just capture the moment, but distills it into a world you want to inhabit”.

Two albums from 15th May I want to bring to your attention. The first is Dua Saleh’s Of Earth & Wires. You might not know about her work, though she is such a special artist that you need to listen to. You can pre-order here album here:

“Sudanese-American artist Dua Saleh continues their boundless ascent with Of Earth and Wires, a resolutely warm, spiritual, and frenetic album exploring notions of home, humanity, and renewal.

Featuring contributions from Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), aja monet, Gaidaa, and more, Saleh threads and deconstructs indie, R&B, and electronic pop with flashes of Sudanese folk, UK dance, and reggaeton, sounds intrinsic to their story, all held together by ambitious, future-facing production and clear-eyed lyricism.

Saleh’s soulful, gritty, shape-shifting style has found fans from The New York Times to NME, alongside their breakout role in the Netflix series Sex Education, making 2024's Ghostly International debut, I Should Call Them, a proper arrival. The highly anticipated Of Earth and Wires responds to the moment as both a watershed in their career and an urgent dialogue with struggles faced on a universal level.

In addition to their musical endeavors, Dua is a rising actor with a breakout role in the well-loved Netflix series Sex Education, where they starred as Cal Bowman for three seasons”.

An album that I can see being in line for awards and sitting with the best of 2026 is Maisie Peters’s Florescence. I am writing a feature about albums that might get shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. This one is coming a bit late for me to include in that, though I will revisit the feature, as I think Fluorescence could be a contender. Here is where you can order your copy:

“Chart topping British singer-songwriter Maisie Peters returns with much anticipated third studio album Florescence, co-produced with 2x Grammy Winner Ian Fitchuck with collaborators including Marcus Mumford and Julia Michaels. Florescence reflects on how the right love can help heal the wrong ones. It’s an album about perspective, self-realisation, healing, and ultimately, learning how to flourish. This lands as Maisie’s first new LP since she became the youngest solo British female artist in almost a decade to land a UK No.1 album with The Good Witch back in 2023. Since then, she’s had the A-list co-signs via Phoebe Bridgers, Sam Smith and Olivia Rodrigo. She’s had a fiercely devoted fandom flock to headline tours around the world. And she’s played shows from Wembley Arena, to Glastonbury, to stadium slots with Taylor Swift and Coldplay.

“Florescence means ‘the process of flowering, of developing richly and fully’ and to me, this album describes exactly that. These 15 tracks depict a blossoming of myself from ages 23 to 25 and a blossoming of a true real love that anchors both me and this record. It tells the story of the last few long winters, with all of their villains and thorns, heartbreaks and rains, and it leads you, by the end, into a perfect English spring, into the hope and catharsis that comes when the first wildflower blooms. It’s a true representation of healing, of finding hope and peace and strength not just in somebody else, but in yourself. It is clear skies, cherry pits on the grass, windows flung open - it is Sussex country roads and London corner shop wine that leaves a stain when you kiss. It is the feeling of flying, then falling, then flying again. It is knowing that there was a point to all the sadness of before, and the point is the woman you see in this mirror now, and the person you see by her side. Love is weaved into every strand of every song on this album and for good reason - love is timeless, love is pure, love is organic and simple and effortless and real. I hope you find this album to be that as well”.

There are three albums from 22nd May that are well worth pre-ordering. I know that people cannot get all of the albums I recommend, so this is more of a suggestion. Though May features so many great albums. Alela Diane’s Who's Keeping Time? is one you will want to pre-order:

“In circles and ever changing, Who’s Keeping Time? is a musing on life’s seasons—fleeting truths of beauty and chaos.  For 10 days in August of 2025, we made this record in the attic of my 1892 Victorian home in Portland, Oregon, where all the songs were written.  The scene felt kindred to a mouse house: a cozy world built of antique quilts,  musical instruments, sound baffles, relics, marigolds, great-grandma’s dolls, old photographs, paintings and brightly colored rugs.  Sunshine poured through the skylights as Maggie the cat slept atop the pre-amps and inside guitar cases. We played these songs together in one room: no click tracks, no tricks, and no fuss. This is music from the hearts and breathing bodies of human beings, imperfect as we may be.

I hope we can all take pause, and remember what is real — thanks for listening”.

Let’s move to Bleachers’ everyone for ten minutes. You might not know this band or have heard one or two of their songs. However, they are brilliant and they are worthy of fonder investigation. You can pre-order their forthcoming album here:

“Bleachers return with their latest album everyone for ten minutes, continuing the project’s evolution under the direction of acclaimed singer, songwriter, musician, and producer Jack Antonoff, an eleven-time Grammy Award winner. Over the past decade, Bleachers have cultivated a passionate global fanbase, celebrated for high-energy live performances and a strong sense of connection with their audience. Their previous self-titled fourth studio album marked a major milestone for the band, highlighted by a sold-out Madison Square Garden performance and widespread critical recognition, further solidifying their place in modern pop rock”.

One more album from 22nd May that I want to highlight. It is Ed O'Brien’s Blue Morpho. Guitarist in Radiohead, his solo work is fabulous. You should pre-order Blue Morpho. I am looking forward to it. People always expecting band members to repeat what they do in their solo work, though Ed O’Brien’s solo work is detached and distinct from Radiohead:

“Ed O'Brien, the acclaimed guitarist and singer-songwriter known for his role in Radiohead, announces Blue Morpho, his absorbing, second solo album and first under his own name.

Named for the iridescent butterfly, Blue Morpho was written during lockdown and recorded at The Church Studio, London and Seven Sound in Wales. The tranquil Welsh countryside proved inspirational, capturing a sense of reflection, healing, and acceptance. Musically the album blends a collage of hypnotic psych-folk, jazz, trip- hop, radiant guitars and rhythm sections. Blue Morpho marks a fresh and deeply personal chapter in O'Brien's musical journey.

Produced by Paul Epworth (Adele, Coldplay), with additional production from Riley MacIntyre (Ezra Collective), and mixed by Ben Baptie (Sault, Little Simz). The album features an array of musicians, such as Shabaka Hutchings (flute), Dave Okumu (guitars, bass), Philip Selway (drums), and The Tallinn Chamber Orchestra”.

The first of three albums from 29th May that you should get is Iceage’s For Love of Grace & the Hereafter. You can pre-order the album here. Not a lot out there about the album. However, this is an incredible band that people need show support for. Here is what is out there for the incredible Love of Grace & the Hereafter:

“For Love of Grace and the Hereafter is the sixth studio album from beloved Danish quintet Iceage. Across the sprawling, twelve song arc of the album, a universe of love variously expands and contracts in an eternal tango, Elias Rønnenfelt’s lyrics burn with apocalyptic intimacy while the band masterfully maneuvers within their shape-shifting scenery of feral post-punk”.

It is going to be hard to top Paul McCartney’s The Boys of Dungeon Lane when it comes to the biggest albums of the year. Still such a genius, the first single from the album, Days We Left Behind, is emotional and classic Macca. His modern albums are really great, though some were not sold on McCartney III from 2020. I do feel like The Boys of Dungeon Lane will get better reviews. It seems like it going to be one of his most personal albums. You can pre-order the album here:

“The Boys of Dungeon Lane is a collection of rare and revealing glimpses into memories never-before shared, along with some newly inspired love songs, from one of the most culturally significant figures of our time. These extraordinary new songs find Paul writing with rare openness about his childhood in post-war Liverpool, the resilience of his parents, and early adventures shared with George Harrison and John Lennon long before the world had ever heard of Beatlemania”.

The final album from May that I want to recommend is from Violet Grohl. Be Sweet to Me is her debut. You can pre-order it here. This is going to be one of the best albums of 2026. I say that about quite a few, though this might top the list:

“Be Sweet To Me is the debut album by Violet Grohl. Featuring 11 tracks, including the single, “THUM.”

The first years spent entering adulthood come with a lot of big life decisions, and for Violet Grohl, that Be Sweet To Me.was seeking producers and collaborators for her debut album,

“Going into the studio and recording felt like the path that I was supposed to be on,” the 19-year-old says. Grohl immediately clicked with producer Justin Raisen (Kim Gordon, Yves Tumor,Angel Olsen). “My first impression was that she’s beyond her years. She has a golden voice, and she’s unapologetically herself,” says Raisen.

Be Sweet To Me was recorded from late 2024 into early 2025 at Raisen’s Los Angeles home studio alongside musicians assembled in the spirit of the Wrecking Crew session players in the ’60s and ’70s. The first song Violet wrote with her collaborators, a fuzzy ripper called “Thum,” was influenced by the old-school packaging of anti-nail-biting polish that Grohl brought into the studio. “Self help me/Self help myself/Chew my bitter fingers,” she snarls in a honeyed voice over ecstatic squall.

Like “Thum,” the songs on Be Sweet To Me were conjured from the immediate present and tend to be impressionistic, colored by Grohl’s love of film, particularly the work of David Lynch. Inspired by a vintage t-shirt advertising a phone sex line, “595” is a sly and sexy slasher filled with jolts of noise and a killer chorus: “I'll be your 1-900 G spot, baby/595 I'm on the line/You won't last.” The slippery and melodic “Bug In A Cake” recalls the paranormal activities surrounding Grohl’s recent move into the home of her late paternal grandma, a beloved “guiding force” in her life. “Turn the TV off so it turns back on/Come on, grandma, play me your favorite song,” Grohl roars.

“Everything was written in the studio,” Grohl says. “I would come in with an inspiration playlist, we would hang and listen for a little while, and then start writing.” “Violet is so well-versed in all styles of music; every playlist was different,” says Raisen, describing trip hop, new wave, Scandinavian black metal, ’70s acoustic folk, and vocal jazz. “She showed me a number of things that I wasn't familiar with; her encyclopedic knowledge of music is crazy,” he continues.

Alternative music from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s is a perpetual influence. “There’s something so powerful about that period of music, from the messaging to the visuals, it’s authentic and raw.” Pixies, Soundgarden, Cocteau Twins, The Breeders, PJ Harvey, The Muffs, Björk, Alice in Chains, L7, Juliana Hatfield: “I've listened to that stuff since I was a kid,” Grohl says. “That's what my dad was playing in the car on the way to school.”

“Music, whether it’s making it or just loving it, is a key thing that connects my family,” Grohl says, noting her father, Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, and her paternal grandparents, who played flute and sang in local groups. Grohl has been singing and playing music as long as she can remember, teaching herself how to play ukulele, and later guitar, hauling the instruments around on both school and tour bus. “Around the time I was 12, it clicked for me that I love watching other people make music, and maybe I could too,” she says. "I had been writing poetry as well, and it kick-started the drive to want to turn painful experiences into art.”

Previously, Grohl’s songwriting practice had been shy and solitary, often taking place in the privacy of her bedroom. “Working in a collaborative space helped me open up to sharing stuff lyrically,” she says. “But it also opened up the possibility to experiment with different genres and instrumentations that maybe I wouldn't typically choose.”

Mid-way through recording the energy of the Be Sweet To Me sessions shifted. “The vibe I had originally intended no longer felt authentic to how I was feeling,” she says. “I needed sludge, droning guitars, and crazy reverb. It felt really good to be able to transmute whatever pain and sadness I was feeling into something tangible.” “Applefish” is a grungy slowcore ballad that slips beneath the surface, weighed down by the heaviness of mortality, while the swirling shoegazer “Last Day I Loved You” describes “losing touch with my sense of self,” per Grohl. Meanwhile, “Cool Buzz” is about “poking fun at moral inconsistencies in punk guys who preach progressive politics, but then in their own musical spaces won't let women have a chance,” says Grohl. “Shoot my favorite arrow/Through the mind that's narrow,” she coolly taunts over music worthy of windmill kicks and circle pits.

The phrase Be Sweet To Me is an inside joke amongst Grohl and her friends, a white flag of surrender when teasing becomes too much. It’s a fitting title for a record and artist unafraid to face life’s more raw moments while still embracing tenderness with elegance and grace”.

Plenty to choose from when it comes to albums out next month that you’ll want to own. Big artists like Melanie C and Paul McCartney alongside Iceage and GIRLI. A great selection and variety that should suit all tastes. The start of a really productive time of the year when so many huge albums will drop, I think things will get even better as we move int June and July. In terms of albums, it is going to be…

A hot summer.

FEATURE: We Think You Are Really Cool…? Does Kate Bush Have the Necessary Pull to Appeal to Young Music Fans?

FEATURE:

 

 

We Think You Are Really Cool…?

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush shot at Worx Studios, London for the stunning ‘Birdfish’ photo in 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

Does Kate Bush Have the Necessary Pull to Appeal to Young Music Fans?

__________

IN this Kate Bush feature…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush performs Suspended in Gaffa on the French T.V. show, Champs Elysees, in October 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: Araldo Di Crollalanza/Rex Features

there are a few things that I want to cover off and explore. The first thing to look at is this recent tweet from Kaleidoscope Eyed Girl: “kate bush doesn't have the ‘cool factor’ that björk, david bowie, madonna, fiona apple, and pj harvey have with young music nerds and musictwt in particular. she's too outdated for many of them”. This did cause some reaction and interesting discussion. I recently published a feature, discussing Kate Bush as this fashion icon. Maybe more under the radar or less extravagant than a Bowie or Björk, I argue that she is more versatile and inventive than most artists who have lived. From comfy and high street looks through to sexy, stylish and unusual, her repertoire, wardrobe and portfolio is as colorful, inventive, influential and standout than any. I do wonder about that cool factor. Today, I feel a lot of the major Pop artists, consciously or not, are cool. That sense that they break through and connect with young listeners if they have a certain element to them. Whether that is their clothing or how they present themselves on social media, there is still an emphasis on style and looks. The industry also still a bit exploitative when it comes to women and sex appeal. Marketing female artists in a different way to men. Though many women are reclaiming their autonomy and are body-positive in their approach. I was talking with someone recently about Kate Bush, who said that she become cool again when Stranger Things launched Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) back into the consciousness. A 1985 song that had new lease in the 2020s, there was this insinuation that Kate Bush was not cool before.

Arguably, like some of her peers, Bush had her decade. A time when she was cool. You could say that was the 1980s. In the 1990s, like Bowie in fact, she was not talked about or seen as relevant or at her best. However, like all the best artists, she regained footing and relevance. That tweet struck me. Artists like Fiona Apple, Madonna and Björk are cool with young music listeners in part because of how they dress and that they are visible. Fiona Apple less so, arguably, but still undeniably cool in terms of attitude and how her music has translated and resonated with a new generation. Can we say that Bush, through lack of prolific output and public visibility, is seen in a particular way? Hounds of Love is a cool album, though do we narrowly define her and is there this feeling that she was relevant in the 1980s and outdated now? Listen to 2005’s Aerial and 2011’s 50 Words for Snow and they may be considered more middle-aged, for a BBC Radio 2 audience or lacking edge or modern significance. The former album was released in 2005; the latter in 2011. You can say that Madonna is on trend and very much innovating. Bowie produced one of his best alums, Blackstar, before his death in 2016. Fiona Apple released Fetch the Bolt Cutters in 2020. A masterpiece. Björk has new material coming out and is still a fashion icon. A style of her own. Regardless of age, these artists are fresh and still relevant. It would be worrying to think that Kate Bush is dustier and less important. However, you can appreciate why some younger listeners might not instantly attach themselves to her work. I feel that young listeners are discovering Kate Bush and loving her because of her originality and legacy. The fact that everything is in the music. I know she might not have that visual aesthetic and resonance that some icons do, though that is purely aesthetic and fashion. In an Instagram age, can music alone connect? What I mean is that artists like Madonna are on platforms and they have this updated, visual engagement. They can be considered more fashionable and cooler. Kate Bush does not seemingly have that advantage.

IN THIS PHOTO: PinkPantheress/PHOTO CREDIT: Simon Albert Khan for Interview Magazine

I would say that she is definitely hugely relevant and influential. That may not be equivalent to cool and an ingredient that cuts through to young audiences, though think about artists today who are inspired by her. Major Pop artists such as Charli xcx and Chappell Roan are fans. Young listeners learn about Kate Bush because artists are talking about her, and you can detect Bush’s influence in their work. It is curious whether an artist has a cool aspect and that special something is what is needed to truly captivate the young. Kate Bush has not released an album since 2011, and she has not been photographed in public for over a decade. Her music is played on radio, but there is a narrow selection of songs. That tweet that I started out with seems to associate the outward and visible with an artist’s endurance and cool. It might suggest a shallowness in terms of young listeners and what appeals to them. Or that we live in an age where photos, the visual and cool are currencies stronger than anything else. However, one cannot deny Kate Bush is cool through her association with modern artists shouting her out. In an interview with fellow artist Clairo, artist and producer PinkPantheress talked about Kate Bush. Maybe this contradicts my point somewhat, but this is what PinkPantheress said: “I value mystery above all else. It's really beautiful to be someone who hides away and then emerges when a musical moment arises. Like Kate Bush. She's also one of my inspirations”. You can see the interview here. Maybe you would not think so, though I would say that Bush remaining popular and relevant without being out in public and showing her face is incredibly cool. The brilliance of her music and her sheer genius does not require her to dress a certain way or be a fashion icon – even though she is. Bush can go away and then release an album after many years and then explodes. Today, artists have to grind, constantly promote and post photos of themselves. That is what is required. The suggestion too that this is cool. Lots of photos get lots of likes. Less to do with the music and more to do with what the artist looks like. Bush is from a different time and is more traditional. I can appreciated how Madonna might speak to young listeners because she is out there releasing music seen as more accessible and nearer the mainstream – or what is popular and common. Kate Bush more niche or outside of that.

Do young generations require certain things from legacy artists for them to be picked up and appreciated en masse? Perhaps there is an argument in that. I don’t think it is a fault of Kate Bush. She is not going to change herself and kowtow to modern demands and be all on Instagram and change her music direction. I think that the issue lies with what people value in an artist and how there is this dependence on visuals and the aesthetic of an artist. Unless you are cool and all over social media then you are not worth that much. Kate Bush might not seem the coolest out there, but the more you delve and read about her, you realise that is not the case. The weird and wonderful details. Look at her photoshoots and some things she has done through the years. Shot with a fake/toy crocodile (maybe an alligator, I am not sure) in the 1970s when in Amsterdam. Smoking weed and getting a slight telling off from Donald Sutherland when he filmed with her. How she released these videos that were so unusual and ahead of their time. Not allowed to play In the Warm Room on Ask Aspel in 1978, as it was deemed too sexual and inappropriate for a young audience. She instead performed Kashka from Baghdad – a song about two gay men! Also, how she was often bold and risqué. Her music brought in styles and sounds from around the world. She was confident and forceful when needed. Dealing with constant sexism and misogyny with professionalism. How incredibly kooky and wonderful odd she was at times. She was doing this long before many artists who followed who are seen as cooler or more popular with young audiences. I have been talking about how Bush’s music videos need to be upgraded to HD and that visual side needs to be clearer and shared again. I think this would help. It can be hard to keep a momentum or simply start a new trend and appeal to young listeners if there is not something visual out there. Or a gravitational pull. People not necessarily playing her videos. I wrote how The Beach Boys and The Beatles had special videos. New ones for older songs. The Beach Boys’ ones are especially great. Other artists have this too. I would love to see some of Kate Bush’s singles or album tracks given a brilliant new video. I previously wrote how Mrs. Bartolozzi from Aerial should have a video for it. She might not be a Kate Bush fan, but I am a fan of Carla Woodcock.

She is a tremendous actor and one of Britain’s greatest talents. I listen to Houdini – my favourite Kate Bush song, it is the final track from 1982’s The Dreaming – and how she would be perfect in that video. Playing Harry Houdini's wife, Bess. You can read more about the track here. Although I think dark-haired, I feel that Carla Woodcock would make a great fit. I am spit-balling, but bringing in modern and brilliant actors to appear in Kate Bush videos would help a connection. Make her seem ‘cooler’. This is a topic I might not be doing full justice to. That feeling that Kate Bush might be outdated. When she does release a new album, it will be similar to her more recent work and there will be no T.V. appearances, live work or much in the way of visuals. Think about how David Bowie has exhibitions, reissued material and documentaries. Madonna very much still going strong. Fiona Apple one of the coolest artists around, still breaking ground decades after she started making music. For Kate Bush, and taking Stranger Things out of the equation, what is going to be the thing that keeps her firm in the conversation and ensures she is relevant to modern listeners? It is not incumbent on her to do that. We need to talk about her more and stop defining her by one song or image. She is one of the most innovative and brilliant artists ever. A genius producer. The sheer number of modern queens she has influenced. Dig deeper and you not only realise Kate Bush is one of the coolest artists ever. She has set records, broken ground and paved the way for so many others. Fans and newcomers alike need to do more. Perhaps be less fashion/image-focused and listen to the full spectrum of her music. Then, I do feel that Kate Bush will not seem outdated or someone only cool or worthy in the 1980s. This is the very least that is owed to…

THIS music queen.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Hannah Peel

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Rachel McCarthy

Hannah Peel

__________

THIS is one artist/composer…

that I would love to see live as I can imagine her shows are truly spectacular. Hannah Peel plays London’s Barbican in October, so I may have to go along to that show. It seems weird putting her in my Spotlight feature, as she is an established artist. However, it offers me a chance to shine a light on her new work. Peel is one of the world’s greatest composers. In terms of what she has created. In terms of the soundtracks she has created, including Bring Them Down, Insomnia, Silent Roar and Bring Them Down. Midwinter Break is her latest soundtrack. She has also released studio albums such as 2021’s Fir Wave. I wonder if there will be another studio album from Peel. I am going to pop in a playlist of her best work to date. There are a couple of interviews that I want to come to. Here is a little bit of background to the amazing Hannah Peel: “Mercury Prize, Ivor Novello and Emmy-nominated, RTS and Music Producers Guild winning composer, with a flow of solo albums and collaborative releases, Hannah joins the dots between science, nature and the creative arts, through her explorative approach to electronic, classical and traditional music From her own solo albums to composing soundtracks like Game of Thrones: The last Watch, or to orchestrating and conducting for artists like Paul Weller, her work is ambitious, forward-looking, always adapting and re-inventing new genres and hybrid musical forms Hannah is a regular weekly broadcaster for BBC Radio 3’s Night Tracks”. Born in Northern Ireland but now based in northern England, this Ivor Novello award-winning composer, producer and broadcaster is incredibly talented. I would advise everyone to listen to Night Tracks, as it is this gorgeous, calming and incredible blends of music. It is “An adventurous, immersive soundtrack for late-night listening, from classical to contemporary and everything in between”. Hosted alongside Sara Mohr-Pietsch, I do really love this series.

I think what is so amazing is how adaptable and versatile Hannah Peel is as a composer. Artists do shift between albums, though many of them do not evolve so greatly between albums. Composers like Hannah Peel do not get the attention they deserve. The majesty and consistent brilliance of her work. Peel is one of the truly great composers. Classical music is an area where men still dominate. There is sexism and sexual abuse that is not discussed enough. Gender inequality remains significant, with men dominating, holding over 90% of orchestral performance slots as of 2024. Despite some  progress, women composers receive minimal representation, often less than 10% of programming, while female musicians face structural barriers, including gendered pay gaps and a sharp decline in visibility. These are shocking statistics. Last summer, this article shows that there has been no real improvement. No huge efforts by the music industry to overturn sexism and inequality. I want to come to a couple of recent interviews. It seems like a new album is coming. It is amazing how prolific Hannah Peel is. 15 Questions spoke with Peel recently. Peel said how “I prefer scores that don’t tell us how to feel, that support the narrative and characters and allows us viewers to escape without thinking about it”:

“Hannah Peel's new album The Endless Dance, a collaboration with Chinese percussionist Beibei Wang, is out May 22nd 2026 via Real World.

Current event: Hannah Peel appears at the Film Composers Panel with the Alliance for Women Film Composers (12 April, 11am at Royal College of Music, London) as part of the 2026 edition of the London Soundtrack Festival – London’s first-ever festival dedicated to celebrating the music of film, TV and games. You can check out the full line-up at https://londonsoundtrack.com/whats-on/.

Recommendations for Bangor, Northern Ireland: My favourite place to eat and take time out, is a café restaurant on the coast called ‘The Starfish’. It overlooks the sea and the house the café is in, is like a Victorian traveller’s treasure trove. The food is the best around too. On a warm day, you can drink your coffee in the garden whilst dreaming of where the sea might carry you.

Shoutouts: Follow positivenewsuk on insta for nice world things … and for an alt news outlet I’m loving The Nerve (fearless independent journalism) and those that are leading it. Good on them, we need it.

Which composers, or soundtracks captured your imagination in the beginning? What scenes or movies drew you in through their use of music?

In the very beginning …The score to Michael Nyman's The Piano. Wow that got played everywhere, everyone I knew had bought, borrowed or stole the book. If you had a piano you played it. Pretty addictive as a youngster to play music that was in an actual film!

But when I heard the score to Hable Con Ella by Alberto Iglesias, it was the first to actually tune my ears into something different. Sombre and obsessively romantic.

How would you rate the importance of soundtracks and film music for the movie as a whole? How do you see the relationship between image and sound in a movie?

That’s such a fascinating question.

You know films like The Taste Of Things (2023), the choice to not have music is such an integral part of the film. It’s just not needed at all. The sounds evoke the smells and a score might have taken away from the deep realistic connection of the chef and her food.

And yet, some need music so much they would be lost without it. I can’t imagine Star Wars with no music! It paints the whole world instantly and is completely integral.

I’m not sure that answers your questions directly, but I do know I prefer scores that don’t tell us how to feel, that support the narrative and characters and allows us viewers to escape without thinking about it. The composer is there and magically they are not, without anyone noticing!

Can you take me through your process of composing a soundtrack on the basis of a movie that's particularly dear to you, please?

Always, it’s so different but as the documentary film Underland has just been released after 5 years of making the score (a few years longer for the filmmakers).

It’s one of my favourites because I had read the book, way before I’d known about the film and just somehow fell into the job after contacting the author, Robert MacFarlane.

The project can change so much over that length of time, and to be honest, my scoring abilities had definitely improved by the time we recorded it all! There was a lot of music by the end …

Read the script (or in this case the book)

A list of instruments that could suit that sound world

Exploring that palate with no footage to begin with

Building up enough demos that feel comfortable with the films narrative and fit with the director’s conversations with you

Start to play with the ideas with early footage.

Record some instruments to help the process. In this case it was an explorative session with ancient horn player John Kenny. The sounds he created suited us needing this ‘voice’ of the underworld
More footage, more music and edits.

Many thoughts of “whose music stem is this? Okay, it’s mine, I don’t remember writing this.”

Once the final film edit is coming together; like a giant puzzle, start piecing all the stems together and pieces over 5 years

Picture lock arrives – work alongside the sound designer, start finalising the music and get cues signed off!

Orchestrate – choir, string ensemble, percussion.

Prep for mixing and then send all to be mixed.

Visit the dub and make some notes

Music edit a little more, suggest any extra ideas whilst in the room with everyone
Celebrate with a drink in the present moment, before running for a train or starting on the next score.

Different composers could potentially approach the same scene with strikingly different music. Would you say there can be 'wrong' and 'right' musical decisions for some scenes? In which way can some film music be considered 'definitive'?

The music can change everything! So yes on that basis there can definitely be choices to what is best suited.

For example, in Debrah’s childhood scene in ‘Once Upon A Time In America’ … I just can’t imagine anything other than the utterly perfect Morricone orchestral music as she dances”.

I am going to end with Focus Features and their interview around the soundtrack for Midwinter Break. Hannah Peel discussing her composing this incredible, powerful and hugely impressive score. Truly, Hannah Peel is one of the world’s great music talents. She has so much passion and commitment for everything that she does:

“In Polly Findlay’s Midwinter Break, when Stella and Gerry (Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds), a long-married couple living in Glasgow, take an impromptu getaway to Amsterdam, the postcard scenery and time away invite both to reflect on their life together and the mysterious tragedy that forced them to leave Belfast years before. Adapted from Bernard MacLaverty’s acclaimed novel by the author and screenwriter Nick Payne, the film creates an almost musical arrangement of internal meditation, comfortable chatter, shared moments, and ineffable loneliness. The Associated Press wrote, “This is a relationship that’s all about the small moments and what’s left unsaid.”

To score the film, Findlay turned to the innovative composer Hannah Peel, having heard her innovative score for a theater piece. The award-winning Northern Irish composer has worked in TV, film, and theater creating scores noted for the way they cross boundaries between electronic, live instrumentation, and sound design. Her thoughtful approach in Midwinter Break created an intimate conversation with Findlay’s cinematic style. “Findlay keeps things as elegant as possible in the director’s chair, going in for close-ups wherever she can to let the actors’ faces tell the story and sparingly utilizing the potent emotionality of Hannah Peel’s score,” write Next Best Picture.

How did you get involved in scoring Midwinter Break?

I was the composer on a National Theatre staging of Brian Friel’s Dancing At Lughnasa in London and Polly had heard the music. She and the team then asked if I was interested in being part of the film. I hadn’t read the script or seen a cut at this point, but after the first few minutes of our meeting, I knew I wanted to be involved.

What did you see as your biggest creative challenge in scoring the film?

It wasn’t necessarily a challenge, but being from Northern Ireland and having to leave when young after witnessing bombs, I could personally understand some of the underlying trauma of the main characters. So, my instinct was mostly about honing in on that—figuring out how and what that would sound like; asking questions like what role does tradition play and how that is affected or changed when you leave your home.

What sort of instrumentation did you use for the score?

Aside from myself on piano and Alice on cello, I recorded a string quintet, harp, clarinet, and soprano voice. We wanted an intimate quartet sound but the quintet was essential for the rich addition of a double bass. The playing style was also important, having a breathiness to bow styles meant that the strings could sit within intimate moments of the movie. The harpist, Esther Swift, is a wonderful folk singer and classical harpist so she instantly understood how I was approaching the parts.

What do you hope people take away from Midwinter Break?

Polly’s work is focused on detail and finding space between the noise. I hope people will see and enjoy the beauty in this and recognize how compassion and love for each other can continuously grow, no matter what age”.

I have loved Hannah Peel’s work for years now. I wanted to spotlight her again because she has new work out and live dates. I will try and see her at the Barbican later this year. I would love to interview her one day. She is a staggering talent. Go and follow Hannah Peel. A wonderful broadcaster, composer, producer and artist, Peel will continue to produce the most spellbinding and original work for…

MANY years to come.

__________

Follow Hannah Peel

Official:

https://www.hannahpeel.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/hannahpeelmusic/

Twitter:

https://x.com/Hanpeel

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/HannahPeelMusic

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/hannahpeelmusic/videos

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3LRldYGJpCAQT5cZKQyi7o?si=xq_UhkMsRSuOUitrXiNx4Q

FEATURE: I Begin to Wonder: Will There Be New Music from the Amazing Dannii Minogue?

FEATURE:

 

 

I Begin to Wonder

IN THIS PHOTO: Dannii Minogue shot for Attitude in 2025/PHOTO CREDIT: Mark Cant

Will There Be New Music from the Amazing Dannii Minogue?

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THIS year is quite…

PHOTO CREDIT: Pedro Alvarez/The Guardian

a significant one for Dannii Minogue. One half of possibly the most famous musical sibling pairings ever, she turns fifty-five in October. Whilst Kylie Minogue continues to put out incredible albums and go on these acclaimed tours, there has not been as much music from Dannii Minogue. I am a big fan of Kylie Minogue and have been since a child, and I also listened to Dannii Minogue’s music growing up. That brings me to her first international album, Love and Kisses. This was released on 3rd June, 1991. It has its thirty-fifth anniversary, so I wonder whether Dannii Minogue will celebrate it. Love and Kisses went to number eight in the U.K. and did receive some positive reviews. On 30th July, 2025, production for Australian/U.K. co-commissioned series, Imposter, announced that Minogue had been cast to the series, in her first major television role since Home and Away. Minogue is busy with television work at the moment, though I wonder whether she will bring out new music. I would love to see the Minogue sisters take to the stage together or even combine on record. The two albums she has released this century have been terrific. That makes the albums sound ancient, but they were both released in the first decade of this century. Neon Nights came out in 2003 and won Dannii Minogue some of the best reviews of her career. Seen as a cult classic and lauded because of its seamless blend of genres and styles, Dannii Minogue then followed that with 2007’s Club Disco. Arguably her best album, it was this great duo of albums. Not to compare Dannii Minogue to her sister, but Kylie released Light Years in 2000 and Fever in 2001. A remarkable couple of albums seen as a reinvention, there was this comparison when Dannii Minogue released these two magnificent albums, Neon Nights and Club Disco. Although those albums did not get the true credit they deserve.

I do feel like that was the start of a new chapter for Dannii Minogue. Love and Kisses has that big anniversary coming later in the year. I wonder whether it will spark something in Minogue and she is thinking of another album. There would definitely be call for it. I want to bring a couple of fairly recent interviews in with Dannii Minogue. A hugely important artist who I feel has material up her sleeve. I do want to come to a 2023 interview with The Guardian. Dannii Minogue was being interviewed about the new show, I Kissed a Boy. Minogue is this L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ champion, and she won huge praise for her presenting on this show. She did mention how she has been asked about music:

“Minogue’s coronation almost certainly took place some time between the early 90s, when she was one of the first bona fide pop stars to play G-A-Y nightclub in London, and this February, when she delighted crowds at Sydney WorldPride with her surprise duet with her sister, Kylie. Maybe it was when she sang at Pride in London in 1997, or when she posed naked except for a red ribbon on World Aids Day in 2004.

“This has been a part of my life since I started working, since I was a child,” she says. Now 51, Minogue began her career on Young Talent Time, a popular Australian variety show. “I knew there were people that I worked with who were gay, and I just thought that was completely normal.”

In the 90s, the media were not so progressive. “Artists were terrified,” she says. “Outing people was a thing.” For many, performing at gay bars wasn’t an option: gay artists didn’t want to be outed and straight artists were worried they would be deemed gay by association. “I’ve heard so many stories of people who were told: ‘No, you can’t be visible … that is gonna kill your career.’ I just thought: ‘Stuff it – say what you want about me, because you do anyway!’”

This is how a glammed-up Minogue finds herself in a photography studio to promote BBC Three’s new gay dating show, I Kissed a Boy. “I can’t believe we’re in 2023 saying it’s Britain’s first gay dating show ever. When those words spill out of my mouth, I’m in shock,” says Minogue. She loves being back in the UK, but is struggling with the separation from her 12-year-old son, Ethan. Still, she says: “It’s great for his growth … And mine!” I am about a foot taller than the 5ft 2in (1.57m) Minogue, and a lot less striking (she is wearing a black, off-the-shoulder evening gown), so it’s hard not to feel like Shrek next to her on the sofa.

Her recording career bounced back, with a trio of albums showcasing a more mature, electro-dance-pop sound. But after the release of Club Disco (2007), Minogue was ready to step back. That decision was confirmed in 2010 when she had her son with her then-partner, the former rugby player Kris Smith. “It takes a toll on your body, touring. Now, I get asked a lot about music and I’m like: it’s incredibly hard for me to do that the way I want to do it and be a mum the way I want to be.” It is impossible, she says, not to think about bath time and bedtime on stage. “It’s really oil and water.”

Still, she did manage nine Top 10 UK singles. Does she feel her music career is underrated? “It’s always been and always will be compared with Kylie’s success,” she says. “But all I can do is be happy with what I’ve done. If I look at that on its own: amazing. But I also don’t compare myself with Beyoncé or Mariah Carey”.

Maybe Dannii Minogue sees music as something in the past. The legacy she has left. What is notable is how what an impression her music has made. I will end with Classic Pop and their 2025 interview. Speaking with Dannii Minogue fifteen years after Neon Nights was released – an album compared to Kylie Minogue’s Fever and Madonna’s Confessions on a Dance Floor -, Minogue reflects on a career turning point:

“Neon Nights was, in a sense, validation for Minogue, who, in contrast to her older sibling, Kylie, has had a bit of a raw deal from the media over the years. Her close friend, author Kathy Lette, has referred to the perception that Dannii was: “The B-side to Kylie’s A.” Not only is this an unfair perception, it’s also inaccurate. Dannii, after all, made it big before Kylie, rising to prominence in the early 80s in the Australian television talent show Young Talent Time.

“I was the one who invited Kylie on the show to come and sing with me. I was proud of my sister and we did a duet of Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves. I wanted to show everyone, this is my sister and she sings, too. Then she came on tour with us and I was just so happy to be up there with her. Years later, she invited me to do a duet of Kids with her in concert. Then we did the 100 Degrees Christmas song. When we bring each other into our world, it is like: ‘This is my sister and I’m proud.’ We had fun doing stuff together. Don’t forget, we were dancing around and annoying our family for many years before we were allowed to do it on stage. I think our parents were relieved that they didn’t have to sit through it anymore!”

She insists Lette’s description didn’t bother her. “I think what was harder was people saying: ‘Oh, you decided to go into singing because your sister does’. But I had sung for years and years, and there’s so much out in the public domain, that it was just unbelievable to me that people would say that. I’ve done it my whole life, and invited my sister to come and do it with me. But I’m just continuing to do what I do, to the best of my ability. I do stuff that I enjoy and I don’t want anyone to try to take that away from me.”

The tabloid press, of course, delights in creating division, and so it was with the Minogue sisters. Over the years, Dannii has found it alternately amusing and annoying, but mostly difficult.

“Exhausting is probably the best word because it went on for so long, no matter what either of us said or did, or who we were or what happened. I couldn’t face being asked about it anymore. Answering the same thing when nobody hears the answers – so, stop asking me the questions! But I guess social media changed everything, when artists could be in control of their story and translating that through to, not just their fans and friends, but to everyone. Communicating who they are and what they’re doing without things being twisted. When that happened, it got rid of that so quickly, and it never came back. Then it was like: ‘Okay, I literally exhausted myself answering that question so many times… and for what?’”

It’s clear the two enjoy a close relationship and that Dannii is full of admiration for Kylie.

“As she’s grown, I’ve seen an inner strength that I never knew… She’s always been a fighter and really fiery, working hard to get what she wants, but she does everything with a lot of kindness. Her whole thing is to make people happy. That’s all she wants to do. I’ve had some incredible moments, as her sister, to see how she is with people. I think her fans know that and can share that together. I’ll go and see her in concert and I can stand by the side of the stage and look down on the audience and see everyone’s faces – she’s doing exactly what she went on stage to do. Everyone has smiles on their faces and the love is reciprocal. She’s managed to sustain that for a long, long, long time, regardless of the challenges that she’s had to go through.”

What’s perhaps surprising is that the pair haven’t collaborated as much as either they – or we – would like them to have done. There was a live duet of Kids during Kylie’s 2006 Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour in Melbourne, and 100 Degrees on 2015’s Kylie Christmas. Surely, there are more expansive plans to work together? Well… disappointingly not.

“There’s nothing in the pipeline at the moment, but there will always be stuff. We’re just connected and we love getting together and sharing ideas, thinking about what we can do. And there’s a lot of stuff that makes us giggle, that we talk about doing but we know we’ll never do! It’s good to just explore it in our minds. It’s there and it will definitely keep popping up.”

Meanwhile, Dannii – who became a mum to Ethan in 2010 – is involved as executive producer and host on a new Australian TV reality show, Dance Boss, and suggests she may return to the studio at some stage.

“I’ve got a couple of tracks that I’ve worked on. I’ve got plans for them and if it happens, it happens. If there’s no stress involved, then I’m all for it. But I guess my life has taken a shift in balance, being a mum. It was a mch easier project to be obsessed about for much longer when I wasn’t a mum. But since it’s so much easier now to release music, why not?”

For now, she can’t wait for her own copy of the Neon Nights vinyl. “We’ve worked really hard on putting everything together, going through all the photos again. I listened to every song over and over and over and over. I’ve checked every lyric and corrected stuff that wasn’t right! I wanted this to be something I am so proud of, and I’ve got the time. I didn’t get that finicky about that sort of stuff back when I was releasing it the first time. I was on the road, doing shows and promoting. Yeah, I’m really excited about the vinyl. I’m going to frame it!”

I am going to wrap up. I do love Dannii Minogue’s music, so I’d like to think that there is more music coming from this legend. I would also urge people to look at this interview with Attitude last year. Danii Minogue was “reflecting on the empathy that has shaped her connection with the LGBTQ+ community as she's honoured with the Ally Award at the 2025 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar”. Even though she has T.V. work and is a mum, many of her fans would love to see another album. Love and Kisses turns thirty-five on 3rd June. Minogue did suggest ion that interview that she has a few tracks done/written. Hope that we could get another album from this incredible artist. That really would be…

AN incredible gift.

FEATURE: Beneath the Sleeve: Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR

FEATURE:

 

 

Beneath the Sleeve

Olivia Rodrigo – SOUR

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BEFORE I look at…

PHOTO CREDIT: Laura Jane Coulson for British Vogue

the incredible debut album of Olivia Rodrigo, there is a third album coming soon When speaking with British Vogue recently, Rodrigo did give some details about her much-anticipated new album. It did not have a title then, though we know it arrives on 12th June. It will be called you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love:

“Fans have been decoding clues about “OR3” in her every move. Teasers are on the way, but for now they’re sure it’ll be love songs and have a new colour theme (a shift from the purple that has been her signature) and another four-letter title (bets are on Luck). As she enters this new fashion era, Rodrigo reveals “my Pinterest is all babydoll dresses and ’70s necklines. I want it all to feel fun and laid-back.” As a magpie for unique vintage pieces, her stylists, LA-based sisters Chloe and Chenelle Delgadillo, write to tell me that they are “always on the hunt for special finds [for Olivia]. When we travel, we make a point to visit local vintage dealers.” Rodrigo is a personal fan of Lovers Lane and Vault Vintage when in Notting Hill, and Chloe and Chenelle add that, “Lately, we’ve been drawn to archive Miu Miu and Marc Jacobs.” They look to modernise the vintage references and create a style that is “effortless, feminine, with a slightly undone feel”.

There are still two or three songs to write. “It was a creative challenge to write from a joyful place,” she says. “When you’re experiencing that you’re connected to someone, or feeling really good, you’re not in your head thinking about bittersweet poems!”

We stop to sit on a bench. It’s time to hear for myself. “Gosh, I’m scared. I’m scared to play [it for] you,” she mutters, fiddling with her phone. This is the first reaction from outside her tightest circle. Her best friend, Madison Hu, heard most of OR3 in an In-N-Out parking lot. (Rodrigo “believes the sound system is the best in [her car]”.) Hu’s excited by its freshness, “And how honest she is!” she tells me over Zoom. “I’ve always been very in awe of how willing to spill to the world she is with her music.” To her ear, it’s about how “love is complicated. I think that’s what she learnt this year.”

Rodrigo hands over wireless headphones. “I’ll play three.” The winter sun shines bright and, from this vantage point, it feels like the city is at your feet. She presses play. The songs are instantly transporting, cinematic and so intimate that I can’t bring myself to look at her while I listen. She puts her hands in her pockets as I focus on the view and scrawl notes in my tiny Moleskine”.

I want to spend some time with this album. Released on 21st May, 2021, SOUR turns five soon. I will end with some reviews of one of the most exceptional debut albums of recent years. Speaking with Vogue in 2021, Olivia Rodrigo discussed her breakout album and brand-new album. It was a hectic time for an artist coming out with a debut album. What made it more difficult was being quarantined because of COVID-19. A  tough time to get music out there:

“It’s been pretty non-stop,” says Rodrigo. When we speak, she’s quarantining in the British countryside—“somewhere near Oxford”—ahead of her performance at the Brit Awards in early May. “It’s actually my first performance ever, so it’s crazy that it’s at the Brits,” says Rodrigo. “I’m just so excited to see people in real life, you know? All of the success of ‘drivers license’ happened in a bubble. I was able to see the numbers on my phone, all the people who were streaming it and all that, but I never actually got to meet anyone who was actually affected by the song. So it’s gonna be so cool to see people singing along to it. I’m really stoked for that.” (Despite these nerves, Rodrigo’s powerful rendition of “drivers license”—performed in a red Valentino batwing gown and choppy middle parting that gently recalled Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights” video—brought the house down.)

Rodrigo’s natural ear for the epic balladry that characterized “drivers license” might be in full force across the record, but it’s the edgier moments that leave the strongest impression. The album’s opener, “brutal,” erupts into a thunderous guitar riff that sits somewhere between Elastica’s “Connection” and a song you might expect from a Warped Tour headliner circa the year 2000. “I’m so sick of seventeen / Where’s my fucking teenage dream?” Rodrigo wails. “If someone tells me one more time / ‘Enjoy your youth,’ I’m gonna cry.”

Not all the songs are about heartbreak: the album’s closer, “hope ur ok,” pays tribute to lost connections with old friends—a boy with an abusive father, and a gay friend with homophobic parents—whose triumph in the face of adversity continues to inspire Rodrigo. Still, the terrain of romantic torment feels most natural, recalling some of the greatest alt-rock records of the ’90s, from Alanis Morrissette’s Jagged Little Pill to PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me to Fiona Apple’s Tidal. “I wish I could be a teenager in the ’90s, because that’s my favorite music ever,” says Rodrigo, namechecking both Apple and Morrissette as influences for Sour. “I just feel like it’s so raw. I remember the first time I heard Jagged Little Pill and I turned to my mom and was like, ‘Oh my gosh, wow, she really just said that.’ It’s so brutally honest to the point it’s almost shocking—they were things that I’d genuinely never heard before in a song. And that was super inspiring to me. That’s what really got me going and what made me excited to write my own story.”

For all its angst-riddled teenage catastrophism, though, the positive response to the album has been very much universal, with many noting its uncanny ability to transport you right back to the thick of the emotional turbulence of that life stage. “I work really hard to be specific in my songwriting, as I feel like specific songs are the most meaningful,” Rodrigo says. “I'm just so obsessed with really story-driven songs. I grew up listening to a lot of country music, and country music is really specific and vivid, and I think I always was attracted to that as a young girl, which translated over into my songwriting.” It’s a formula that clearly works, and has had its own, reciprocal benefits for Rodrigo too. “I always say you put out songs in hopes of making people feel more understood, but it also works in the reverse,” she continues. “All these people have said to me, I feel the exact same way, or this thing happened to me too. It makes me feel a lot less alone.”

On the subject of the relentless promotional cycle accompanying the album, Rodrigo is endearingly enthusiastic. “It’s been very go, go go, but in the best way possible,” says Rodrigo. “I literally feel like I’m living my dream every day. I feel so grateful.” Still, I hope she will be able to find some time to put her feet up soon? “I think after the album comes out, I’m going to take a vacation somewhere on the beach with a lot of sun. I think that’s super important, too. I was talking to somebody the other day, and they were like, 50% of our jobs is writing songs and the other 50% is living a life to write songs about, you know what I mean? You can’t just spend all of your time in the studio or on tour, because what are you going to write your songs about? You sort of become out of touch with reality. So I’m definitely trying to keep that in mind as I’m going into my second album”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Heather Hazzan for Variety

The last interview I am including is from Variety. From her Disney days to her debut single, drivers licence, Olivia Rodrigo was on course for becoming the voice of her generation. It was incredible seeing how SOUR blew up and the reaction it got:

“Rodrigo grew enamored with songwriting through country music, and it quickly became a much-needed emotional outlet. She proudly calls herself a “fangirl for life” and has cited Taylor Swift as a songwriting idol — nods to Swift’s lyrical style and knack for big bridges can be heard all over “Sour.” The artist also was one of Rodrigo’s early champions on social media.

“It’s so nice to be welcomed into the music industry and so great to be supportive of other women,” Rodrigo says. “She wrote me a letter a while ago, and she wrote something about how you make your own luck in the world, and how you treat other people always comes back to you.”

Most of the tracks on “Sour” came from Rodrigo’s deep arsenal of songs, many of which were written during the COVID-19 quarantine that began in March 2020. During that period, Rodrigo says she wrote a song every day for four months, ultimately sharing writing credits on all but three of the album’s tracks with her key collaborator, songwriter-producer Dan Nigro.

“She’s so effortless when it comes to lyric writing it’s pretty incredible to witness,” says Nigro. “Sometimes she’ll run a line by me, and I’ll help her tweak it to make it stronger. But most of the time she’s just running with it.”

Released on April 1, “Deja Vu” added more of an alt-rock sensibility to Rodrigo’s lyric-driven songwriting with fuzzy guitars and saturated drums, courtesy of Nigro. Recounting the sneaking suspicion that an ex is now repeating history with someone else, “Deja Vu” references Billy Joel, “Glee” and strawberry ice cream.

PHOTO CREDIT: Heather Hazzan for Variety

“I think specificity is one of the most important things you can do as a songwriter,” Rodrigo says. “I love songs where you can listen to them and sort of feel like you’re in another world… and the way you do that is through imagery and details.” 

Indeed, though the sonic diversity of “Sour” is impressive, what really stands out is Rodrigo’s brutally honest lyrics, especially when recounting the all-too-familiar pain of a relationship gone wrong. Even on upbeat cuts like “Good 4 U,” the words cut like a knife: “Maybe I’m too emotional / But your apathy’s like a wound in salt,” she snarls in the song’s bridge.

“I definitely talked about my deepest, darkest secrets and insecurities on ‘Sour’ — which is sort of strange to be like, ‘Here, you guys can have this. Anyone who wants to listen to it can listen to it,’” Rodrigo says. “But it’s really empowering when it comes out, and it’s been really awesome for me to see people resonate with that vulnerability and relate to it.”

Rodrigo credits Nigro’s background as the former lead singer and guitarist of indie rock band As Tall as Lions with helping her find the pop-punk sound for “Good 4 U.” She says she came up with the track’s hook — “Good for you / You look happy and healthy / Not me / If you ever cared to ask” — in the shower. “I didn’t want the entire record to be sad piano songs,” Rodrigo says. “But then again, I didn’t want to write a poppy, happy, ‘I’m in love’ song, because that was so far from how I was truly feeling at the time. So writing ‘Good 4 U’ was really satisfying because the song is upbeat and high energy and people can dance to it, but I didn’t have to sacrifice being honest and authentic in order to write it.”

Though “Sour” is heavy with heartbreak ballads, its edgier tracks bolster Rodrigo’s genre-shifting abilities – most of all, opener “Brutal,” which smacks you in the face with angst and ferocity. Other album highlights include “Traitor,” Rodrigo’s belted manifesto on how emotional affairs can hurt just as much as physical ones, which she initially wrote off as not being relatable enough. Little did she know, the result would be the opposite.

“I wrote it on my bed while I was crying,” Rodrigo says. “I never really thought that it was going to be a song that resonated with so many people. I thought that it was a very specific situation that I was going through, and it’s so funny that that’s the non-single song that’s the most successful. So many people have been like, ‘How did you know? This is exactly what happened to me!’.

GUTS, Olivia Rodrigo’s second album, was released in 2023. It also was a massive success and received incredibly positive reviews. There are a couple of reviews to include before wrapping up. Pitchfork and said how SOUR was a “nimble and lightly chaotic collection of breakup tunes filled with melancholy and mischief”:

“The matter of failed romance is central to Sour, a nimble and lightly chaotic grab bag of breakup tunes, filled with both melancholy and mischief. Rodrigo’s first trick: Seconds into the lugubrious strings that open the record, she and her producer, Dan Nigro, abruptly switch to grunge guitar and distortion. Abandoning both the gossamer falsetto and the emotive belt that power “drivers license,” Rodrigo adopts a wry sprechstimme on “brutal” to rattle off her grievances: self-doubt, impossible expectations, her inability to parallel park. “Where’s my fucking teenage dream?” she snarls, wisecracking about the way pop culture romanticizes youth. It’s not particularly elegant—it’s not meant to be. Bucking expectations about the kind of sounds she might gravitate toward? That’s just part of the fun.

When she was little, Rodrigo and her mother made a habit of grabbing records indiscriminately from the thrift store, exposing her to the mistiness of Carole King and the muscle of Pat Benatar. Born two years post-Napster, two years pre-YouTube, Rodrigo grew up with music of all varieties at her fingertips. The range of her taste, and her disinterest in choosing a lane, animate Sour; queue up a track at random, and you might hear pop-punk fireworks à la Paramore (“good 4 u”), dewy-eyed soft balladry à la Ingrid Michaelson (“1 step forward, 3 steps back”), or alt-rock squall à la the Kills (“jealousy, jealousy”). Like any teenager, Rodrigo is trying on identities. The fluidity of her approach creates a sense of play that balances out the record’s more sullen moments—the self-righteous sprawl of “traitor,” for example, or the sinister extended metaphor of “favorite crime.”

Of Rodrigo’s many influences, she’s most obviously styled herself after Taylor Swift, whose work she praises often and emphatically. Like her idol, Rodrigo treats emotional turmoil like jet fuel, and laces her lyrics with specifics—a Billy Joel song she and her ex listened to together, the self-help books she read to impress him. She’s said that the shouty bridge in Swift’s “Cruel Summer” directly inspired her own in “deja vu”; “1 step forward, 3 steps back” interpolates the reputation song “New Year's Day.” And publicly inveighing against a heartbreaker, then sauntering off with the last word? How very Swiftian.

But there’s more to Rodrigo’s writing than revenge; Sour gives her occasion to examine her own insecurities. “I wore makeup when we dated ’cause I thought you’d like me more,” she sings over fingerpicked guitar on the tearful “enough for you.” It’s a shot at her ex for underappreciating her, but also a hard lesson about not making concessions. On “happier,” a sweet-and-sour ballad that appeared in demo form on Rodrigo’s Instagram in early 2020, she grapples with the faulty narrative of female rivalry: “And now I’m picking her apart/Like cutting her down will make you miss my wretched heart.” It was this song that captured the attention of Nigro, a former emo band frontman who’s written with Carly Rae Jepsen and Conan Gray. It’s easy to hear what he heard in the homemade snippet: a gently tumbling melody, Rodrigo’s flute-like lilt, a winning balance of pettiness and wisdom.

Meanwhile, Rodrigo is still very much a part of the Disney ecosystem, reprising her role in the second season of HSM:TM:TS, which debuted just last week. To anyone familiar with the history of Disney darlings and the morality clauses that typically bind them, the profanity that peppers Sour will stand out as a break from type. This minor subversion of expectations has given Rodrigo a low-key rebel status. Like her seeming newness, her earnestness, the heartbreak baked into her ascent, it’s one of the qualities that make her easy to root for. In a way, the flattening effect of the internet has worked in her favor, allowing her—someone who has been on TV for roughly a third of her life and is signed with the biggest record company in the world—to slip into the role of the underdog.

Rodrigo avoided the major-label treatment when Universal left her and Nigro largely to their own devices to make Sour. But the effort to preserve the authenticity of Rodrigo’s voice also leaves her shortcomings more exposed. The flatness of the melody on “traitor” is especially noticeable alongside the movement of “drivers license”; “enough for you” is oversung. On a record largely centered around a single story, Rodrigo can fixate on select plot points (like the amount of time it took her ex to move on), rather than seeking out new angles. She sometimes settles for simple rhymes and self-evident phrasings: “You betrayed me/And I know that you’ll never feel sorry.” In moments like these, she seems more invested in content than in craft.

Of all the songs on Sour, “hope ur ok” feels most connected to her Disney lineage. Over a twinkly instrumental, Rodrigo sings directly to a victim of child abuse, a queer girl rejected by her family, and to outcasts more broadly. In its message of love and acceptance, the song calls to mind the empowerment anthems churned out by a previous generation of Disney stars. But as Sour’s closer, “hope ur ok” is limp. An outward-looking loosie tacked on to 10 songs about the world inside Rodrigo’s head and heart, it reads as a last-minute effort to demonstrate perspective and maturity. Someone out there might feel genuinely comforted by Rodrigo’s words, and that matters. But, as the success of “drivers license” shows, there’s a certain magic to be found in embracing your own mess”.

I am going to finish with this review from The Guardian. Cathartic rage set against teenage heartbreak, as it is said. A hugely important moment for a teenage artist “that metabolises anger, jealousy and bewilderment into pop euphoria”. For anyone who has not heard Olivia Rodrigo’s debut, it is a perfect time to get into SOUR:

“Even in a world where streaming’s rise means chart records are broken all the time, the debut single by Disney star Olivia Rodrigo is an anomaly. Upon the release of Drivers License in January, it had the biggest first week for any song ever on Spotify – then hit the 100m streams mark faster than any other track on the platform had before. It debuted at No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for eight weeks – only the seventh song ever to do so. In the UK, it topped the charts for nine weeks and broke the record for the highest single-day streams ever for a non-Christmas song.

And yet, both the song and the album it is taken from are propelled by an energy that’s about as far from cold, number-crunching rationality as it is possible to get. Drivers License – a portentous power ballad backed by plummeting drones and minimalist percussion – was written among the ruins of first love. At 18, Rodrigo, sentimental, furious, mired in self-pity, is staggered at the way her ex-boyfriend has moved on (“I just can’t imagine how you could be so OK now that I’m gone,” begins the chorus crescendo). This isn’t just about romantic rejection: for Rodrigo, reality has been irrevocably ruptured, and she is deeply disturbed. No wonder. The realisation that somebody you once knew and loved can unilaterally revert back to being a complete stranger – and by doing so seemingly erase all the time you spent together – is among the biggest and most unpleasant shocks of adulthood.

In a satisfying mirroring of form and content, almost every single song on Sour –written entirely by Rodrigo and producer Daniel Nigro – deals with the enormity of this development baldly, bluntly, and with none of the meaningless word salad that popstars often hide behind. Rodrigo imagines her ex recycling dates with his new squeeze over the Taylor Swiftian pop of Deja Vu (“Don’t act like we didn’t do that shit too”). The seething pop-punk of Good 4 U has her incredulous at the irony of everything: “I guess that therapist I found for you, she really helped.” She uncovers yet more hypocrisy on the sad and stately Traitor - “Remember I brought her up and you told me I was paranoid?” - and is fundamentally bruised on Enough for You: “I don’t want your sympathy, I just want myself back.” Rodrigo uses the album as a way to do that, by setting down the terms of her own reality, over and over again.

And if she sounds like a broken record, that’s the point: what makes Sour such a great album is that its maker is unafraid to make a nuisance of herself. In an interview with the Guardian earlier this month, Rodrigo said she was proud the record revolved around emotions that “aren’t really socially acceptable especially for girls: anger, jealousy, spite, sadness”. Even the title is a reclamation of the word “sour”, with its connotations of bitter, undesirable women. Considering that women are told to feign disinterest in men lest they scare them off, writing a whole album about how furious and devastated you are that your ex has forgotten you seems like the sort of thing any good friend would strongly advise against. But the shades of cringeworthiness that run through the whole enterprise is the reason why it is so cathartic, and so charming.

Of course, the emotions Rodrigo mines are not exclusive to adolescence, but Sour is still a gloriously teenage album. Vulnerability has recently become a watchword for a generation of young (and youth-oriented) musicians who are keen to open up about tumultuous inner lives that revolve around anxiety, low self-esteem and romantic rejection. Rodrigo’s emotional palate is not restricted to that: there is much rage here and the generic grammar to match. The brilliant opener Brutal starts with elegiac strings before Rodrigo insists things get “like, messy” and the song swiftly morphs into anthemic 90s alt-rock with pregnant pauses suggestive of a droll eye-roll, in the vein of the Breeders’ Cannonball. Good 4 U, meanwhile, channels a more recent strain of rock: a slice of electro-tinged pop-punk, it shares perhaps slightly too much DNA with Paramore’s Misery Business – but it’s hard to care when it metabolises spitting fury into infectious euphoria so expertly.

A couple of songs have Rodrigo singing over fingerpicked guitar figures in sweetly folky style (Enough for You, Favorite Crime), while Deja Vu plays with fuzzy, crashing percussion and a mosquito synth-line. The majority of Sour, however, is rooted in the style of its breakout hit: Adele meets Taylor, lovely and unadventurous, thoughtful but hardly breaking new ground. Which isn’t quite the same as calling it basic or staid. From the way the seatbelt alarm sound births the opening piano line to the gut-wrenching drones of doom that sporadically appear low in the mix, the other heritage fuelling Drivers License is the precise, sparsely furnished production pioneered by the xx that now forms the basis for a huge amount of modern pop. Rodrigo carries the baton with class and mass appeal, even if things do get a bit samey after a while.

Miraculously, the subject matter never seems over repetitive, but Rodrigo loses her nerve right at the end. On closing number Hope Ur Ok, she turns her gaze outwards to sing about people she once knew who have experienced hardship in their lives. It’s as close to a palate cleanser as a song with such a cloying sentiment can get, but thankfully doesn’t overshadow the glorious myopia of Sour: a collection of polished, precociously accomplished pop that doubles as one of the most gratifyingly undignified breakup albums ever made”.

Whilst it has been almost five years since SOUR was released, Olivia Rodrigo has done so much in that time. Huge tours, a celebrated second album, and a third that is coming in June, she is one of the leasing voices of her generation. A five-star Glastonbury headline slot last year, I do feel that Rodrigo will releasee so many albums and continue to be talked about as one of the greatest Pop artists we have ever seen. A lot of exocomet around you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love. It is going to be the biggest album of this year. On 21st May, we will mark five years of SOUR. I think that it is one of the best debut albums that…

WE have ever seen.

FEATURE: Trouble Man: The Trouble Club in 2026, and Being a Better, Vocal Feminist

FEATURE:

 

 

Trouble Man

IN THIS PHOTO: Caitlin Moran

The Trouble Club in 2026, and Being a Better, Vocal Feminist

__________

I am not going to look back…

IN THIS PHOTO: Emma-Louise Boynton

at all the events I have attended this year with The Trouble Club. You can follow them on Instagram. They are wonderfully led by its CEO and owner: supreme queen Ellie Newton. An amazing team around her too (including Zea and Jen). I was really affected by the most recent event I attended. I want to look ahead to a few, including one where I have a double booking dilemma! This year has been a terrific year for The Trouble Club. In terms of new faces, I attend a lot of new talks/events and I see a lot of fascinated Trouble members who are here for the first time. Thee have been some incredible highlights from this year. Kate Ade and Lyse Doucet were terrific. Maybe Kate Adie was the best guest I have ever seen speak for The Trouble Club. In terms of her honest and the things she has seen. Reporting from hostile and violent territories, she is amazingly brave and inspiring. To be honest, there has been a rich variety of guests. I am going to look ahead to some events upcoming that I am excited to attend. However, the one I am referring to happened yesterday (9th April). Journalist, broadcaster and royal commentator Afua Hagan and multi-award-winning barrister Dr. Charlotte Proudman were in conversation with Ellie Newton. Going into the evening, I knew about the work of Hagan and Proudman. I had actually seen the later speak for Trouble last year. However, I was probably not prepared for what was to come! I have been following the Epstein Files and the news around it. The development. How it has been buried, and the conflict in Iraq has taken over. Almost like a man mentioned in the Epstein Files thousands of times started it to divert attention away from it! It was such a fascinating evening at the Century Cub. What was said again and again is, despite the fact there are millions of pages and so many names (redacted), no arrests have been made. The only person in prison – who is deservedly in there – is a woman: Ghislaine Maxwell. A system set up to serve me is protecting men. Also, in terms of what we know, the truth is so much worse! Dr. Proudman and Afua Hagan made that very clear. In their capacities and roles, they shared so many fascinating insights and facts. To be honest, I was in a bit of a daze leaving the event, as it was so disturbing and dark at times.

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What was clearest from all of this is how little consideration had been given to the victims. The brave and amazing women who have had to endure years (and sometimes decades) of not getting justice, it is unimaginable what they are going through! There was a Q&A at the end of the event. There were some great questions asked and a couple of tense moments. It was charged but respectful. There was one question asked with a bit of a caveat (if that is the right word?!) before. I think one woman who asked a question gave the impression that women were on their own when it came to this. How it was women fighting for the truth and, when it comes to cases of sexual assault and abuse, it is women on their own. It was pointed out that many men – including those at the Trouble event – were shocked and appalled by the Epstein Files and how there have been no arrests and so many horrible men are living free. It got me thinking about this dilemma. It certainly seems on paper that women are completely alone and have to fight without support. Though it is not the case that no men are invested, whether identifying as feminists or simply showing care, there is relatively little vocalisation. I would consider myself an ally, and yet I am not as proactive and vocal as I could be. The recent Trouble Club event lit something in me. The severity of the Epstein Files and what I, and so many other men, can do. It does seem completely helpless at the moment. A woman at the event asked what can be done. When it seems to horrendous. Whilst there is no easy fix and we might never have the Epstein Files unredacted and bring men to justice, there are small steps and continued efforts that can be taken. I do wonder about what I can do. I write a lot and raise issues and highlight problems. Yet, what do I do beyond that? I think one of my main ambitions and goals this year is to be much more proactive and involved. I keep thinking back to what was revealed about the Epstein Files. Women, the victims, are almost seen as anonymous and sub-human. They have not had justice served. It is being buried under war and horrifying events from around the world. Donald Trump, one of the key names in the Epstein Files, creating war to take the heat off of something that should be at the front and centre of the news!

Looking ahead, there are some incredible events that I am looking forward to. Including one where I am double booked and in a bit of a dilemma. The Culture Roundup with Lara Olszowska, on Tuesday (14th April), will be amazing. Olszowska has hosted for The Trouble Club a number of times and her Cultural Roundup will be a must-see/hear. Dame Harriet Walter: When She Speaks, The World Listens! takes place at Ladbroke Hall on 22nd April:” Name a great Shakespearean woman (Cleopatra, Lady Macbeth, Portia), Dame Harriet has worn the frock and got the T-shirt. She’s also strapped on a metaphorical codpiece and taken on some of the greatest male roles too, including Brutus and Henry IV. Dame Harriet knows Shakespeare so well that she decided to write some new dialogue for his best female characters. In She Speaks!, she creates thirty new parts for Shakespeare’s women, revealing what they might really have been thinking. "I worship Shakespeare. His psychological insight is second to none, but the mirror that he held up to nature reflected a predominantly male image of the world. I pondered the long shadow of his genius and tried to think of ways to let a little sunlight in on some of his women’s stories. I like to think he wouldn’t mind." Join us as Dame Harriet describes what it’s like to live inside the skin of so many extraordinary characters and to embody them so fully that you can almost peer into their minds. For one night only, Dame Harriet Walter will speak, and we will all be listening”. On 12th May – a few days after my birthday! -, Sophia Smith Galer: How to Kill A Language will be held at The Conduit in Covent Garden: “As Sophia Smith Galer’s Nonna lay dying, she realised it wasn’t just a beloved grandmother she was losing, it was the language she spoke, too. From Northern Italy, she spoke a dialët that Sophia, like so many children and grandchildren of migrants, can understand but can’t speak. With the death of the language, Sophia would lose a culture, a history, an inheritance, a whole world. This tragedy reaches far beyond her family. Globally we are witnessing an unprecedented mass extinction event. By the end of this century half of the world’s 7000 languages will be gone, killed by war, climate breakdown, migration, nationalism or neglect, along with the vital knowledge that they have sustained for centuries. Award-winning journalist Sophia Smith Galer has journeyed across continents and generations to report from this disappearing world and she'll join us to share the scale of the tragedy and the beauty of languages that may soon disappear forever”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Sophia Smith Galer

On 20th May, Caitlin Moran and Bryony Gordon are in conversation. This is the event of this year that I am most looking forward to! I am a huge fan of both, though I have wanted to see Caitlin Moran speak for years! She is someone I admire hugely. Unfortunately, on the same evening, a gig that was rearranged from last year (Iraina Mancini not aware of my conundrum and Caitlin Moran fandom!). An artist I am a big fan of, there is a bit of a dilemma, so I am not sure what the outcome will be yet. However, it is going to be one of the all-time best Trouble events: “Join us as we sit down with bestselling authors and professional over-sharers Caitlin Moran and Bryony Gordon for a fabulous evening of confession and collective catharsis. Caitlin and Bryony aren’t therapists, accountants, or relationship experts. What they do excel at is highlighting the embarrassing and the very very messy, and talking about it openly so we can all feel a little more okay about being imperfect. Throughout the evening we will journey through Caitlin and Bryony's life via the best and most dangerous advice they've ever received. Friendship, failure, politeness, people-pleasing, sex, sacrifice, it's all on the table along with many existential wobbles. Caitlin Moran is one of Britain's most influential columnists and a bestselling author of many books.  She writes regularly on everything from culture to sex and marriage, motherhood and body image to social media, highlighting the existential joys and angst of modern womanhood. Bryony Gordon is an award-winning journalist, author and mental health campaigner. As well as writing a column for The Daily Mail, she is the writer of six Sunday Times Bestselling books, including "Mad Girl" and "You Got This", which both went to number one”. An event I will definitely be at (unless there is another gig rejig!) is on 28th May at The Ministry. Let’s Talk About Pleasure with Emma-Louise Boynton. I have seen Boynton speak for The Trouble Club before, and she is a podcaster and author that I admire hugely. Such a passionate, intelligent and beautiful speaker: “Like every Good Girl or Woman, I had perfected the performance of pleasure with aplomb. I knew how to writhe and moan and move my body to a sexual rhythm; I’d just lost, or perhaps never truly discovered, the ability to enjoy it. And so while my body performed pleasure, my mind wandered off...” Emma-Louise Boynton, author of Pleasure, thinks and talks about sex every day. The founder of Sex Talks will join us at The Trouble Club to discuss her journey from being unable to orgasm and battling a years-long eating disorder, to rebuilding her relationship with sex, desire and intimacy. The story begins in the sex therapy room, where Emma first discovered that her struggle with bulimia was deeply entangled with her experience of sexual numbness. From there, she'll expand outward - drawing on expert interviews, cultural analysis and immersive research (including four days on a porn set) - to reveal that this rupture between women and their bodies is not a personal failure, but a systemic one. From narrow ideals around desirability and sexist narratives about aging, to the policing of women's pleasure, and the emotional alienation of app-based intimacy, Emma will interrogate the forces that teach women to mistrust their bodies and perform rather than feel their pleasure”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Zadie Smith

There are two events in June. Both happening at St Marylebone Church. Zadie Smith: Dead & Alive is going to be a hugely popular event. It takes place on 2nd June. Zadie Smith is one of our most celebrated authors. If you have not booked a ticket yet, then you are going to want to book your place. I am definitely excited to be there:  

“Every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories.”

“You are never stronger…than when you land on the other side of despair.”

Zadie Smith is one of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary writers, penning era-defining titles like White Teeth and On Beauty that have delighted and intrigued readers for decades. Zadie will join us to discuss not only her most renowned, bestselling novels but also her latest book of essays, Dead and Alive.

This evening will be an opportunity to hear Zadie reflect on her greatest works and share what she really thinks about big and small topics such as:

• Glastonbury and the ascendance of Stormzy

• Films like Tár and artists like Toyin Ojih Odutola and Kara Walker

• Changes of government on both sides of the Atlantic

• The death of writers like Joan Didion, Hilary Mantel and Toni Morrison

• Cultural appropriation, gender and so much more...

Join us as Zadie demonstrates her unrivalled ability to think critically and humanely through some of the most urgent preoccupations and tendencies of our troubled times”.

Having seen her speak before for The Trouble Club, I am very much looking ahead to Lucy Worsley’s All-Time Favourite Women on 19th June. This is going to be another wonderful event. If you are not a Trouble member, then I would thoroughly recommend it. I have just highlighted some upcoming events. There are book club events and member breakfasts. It is a chance for members to socialise and connect in a different way. The events held bring together incredible women across multiple fields. Every one memorable in their own way:

“Five women. Centuries of history. One briliant historian.

Lucy Worsley has read the letters, walked the rooms, worn the clothes and pieced together the lives. Now she's joining us at Trouble to share the five historical women she can't stop thinking about, and why they deserve your attention.

The brilliant, the bold and of course - the troublemakers. Women who changed the course of events, women who survived against the odds and women whose stories are so extraordinary you'll wonder why nobody told you sooner.

Lucy will share the stories, the details, and the facts that make each one unforgettable. Come with your questions, your own nominations, and maybe a few opinions of your own. Fair warning! You'll be down a Wikipedia rabbit hole by midnight.

Lucy Worsley is one of television's best-known historians. Over 15 years of landmark BBC documentaries from Six Wives with Lucy Worsley to Lucy Worsley Investigates, she has brought some of history's most dramatic chapters vividly to life, earning a BAFTA in 2019 for her film on the Suffragettes. A bestselling author of numerous non-fiction and children's books, her most recent publication is a biography of Agatha Christie. She is also the host of Lady Killers, one of the BBC's most downloaded podcasts, and she was appointed an OBE in 2018 for services to history and heritage”.

I am going to leave it there. I wanted to split this into two parts. Finishing off with upcoming events at The Trouble Club. Though I am thinking about the discussion between Charlotte Proudman and Afua Hagan (and Ellie Newton). It was not only one of the most powerful and best. It has also affected me in a way to make change and be better. Maybe not even as a feminist. As a human being. Hearing about the horror of the Epstein Files and the women who have not found justice and the men who are walking free, it shows that justice is set up by men to serve men. That is something that needs to change in the world. Victims need to be heard, honoured and supported. The bravery they display is simply astonishing! Things will not change quickly or easily, yet there will be better days and improvement. Collective action and concerted effort (from everyone). A better and more just future is…

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WONDERFUL to imagine.

FEATURE: Modern-Day Queens: Zara Larsson

FEATURE:

 

 

Modern-Day Queens

Zara Larsson

__________

I did actually write about…

PHOTO CREDIT: Charlotte Rutherford

the superb Zara Larsson recently, in the context of Chappell Roan. Roan was criticised for seemingly having a bodyguard tell a young fan to stop bothering her or keep away. It turns out Roan knew nothing of this and the bodyguard had nothing to do with her. Regardless, people piled onto her and there was this backlash. Zara Larsson spoke in an interview about how it seems these people (mainly the media) just really hate women. This continuing trend of women in music being criticised more heavily then men and there being this ingrained misogyny that is not shifting. I am not going to go back over that. Instead, I want to shine a light on Larsson. One of the biggest Pop artists in the world, she is not talked about as highly as others. I think she is one of the most consistently interesting and brilliant artists. A strong role model and someone who is strong and independent. Her latest album, Midnight Sun, was released last year. I will get to some interviews around that and also bring in a more recent interview. I’ll also include a review for the tremendous Midnight Sun. One of the standout Pop albums of last year. For anyone who does not know about the Swedish-born artist, she released her debut album, 1, in 2014. I think there was a lot more talk around her music when her third album, 2021’s Poster Girl, was released. She is this consistently artist who followed that with the phenomenal Venus in 2024. However, I feel Midnight Sun is her finest album to date and this is someone who continues to grow stronger with each album. She is inspiring so many of her fans and other artists. This incredible voice in music that I feel we need to talk about more. Zara Larsson is someone who sees herself as an activist. She is a huge fan of Beyoncé. Modelling herself after her in a sense, Larsson is an incredible feminist and this amazing figure that speaks up against evils and oppression. Criticism the Israeli genocide in Palestine and tackling ICE and their regime in the U.S., this is someone who does get involved politically. Someone who stands with trans people and the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ and is pro-choice. Against the lack of abortion rights and the criminalisation of abortion in the U.S.

There are a few 2025 interviews to get before a review of Midnight Sun, prior to wrapping up with an interview from this year. I’ll start out with Vogue and their interview with Zara Larsson from last summer. She talked about her confident and vulnerable new album. It was interesting when she was asked about Swedish Pop legacy and how she feels about that:

“You then progress into these really candid tracks, “The Ambition” and “Saturn’s Return,” which navigate the competitiveness of the pop world and giving up control. Can you talk about how you make such vulnerabilities feel pop?

I wanted to show the journey I’ve been on to understand that I don’t know what I’m doing, I’m not sure what I want in my life, and that’s okay. I’m not as successful as I want to be, but I’m growing. As a young woman in the pop industry—and I started very young—dreaming big is everything. So is competition. You’re encouraged to be competitive and I wanted to actually confront that. I’ve deleted some social media—Twitter—from my phone because that validation is like a drug to me. Comparing myself to other people was too. As pop girls, we love the craft, we’re passionate about the music, but real talk: you’re also wanting to be a star that’s playing the big stages and on the radio. That’s getting awards. I don’t think ego is good or bad, it’s just reality. I’m very competitive, and it’s hard being in an industry where your work is subjective and things can flip so quickly. I can be that girl and then…flopiana.

How has that evolved with age? Is pop always engineered that way?

I experienced huge success at the very beginning of my career, but I didn’t take it in or stop to feel happy. I wanted hit after hit. Like, okay, I just did this stage, but next time, I want 40,000. I want 50. That girl over there’s doing 50! I’d leave the stage and think I never gave enough. It took the fun out of it. I feel I’ve landed somewhere different. I have my drive and ambition, but I’m also happy with the rhythm of life. I look around and let myself be inspired by others—to develop as an artist, rather than comparing myself. And maybe, sometimes, I wish I romanticized moving out to the countryside and having lots of babies…but I know I’d still have that itch.

How has working with friends and peers changed things?

Well, that’s never really happened before. I’ve always been the youngest in the room, and because of that I never truly felt that connection I needed when writing songs with people in the early days, even if everyone was amazingly talented. Like, yeah, Rick Nowels is amazing…but he’s also 64, know what I mean? I’m working with women and friends who know my references, and we can have honest conversations that make beautiful music. That’s how these songs started and how we wrote three songs a day. I’ve never felt as involved in my own music.

How in tune with the Swedish pop legacy do you feel?

I’m turning 28 soon, so I’m allowed to be nostalgic here! Stockholm will always be home, and I’ve come to appreciate those summers that shaped me. The long winters of darkness and melancholy make you appreciate summers like nowhere else. And that’s a metaphor for life that I’ve trained myself on: Be present for the good things, make your own vibe. I was really inspired by Swedish folklore when I started writing this album—images of nymphs with long blonde hair staring into blue lakes. Then I added aesthetics of my own: glittery, colorful, fashion vibes. I’m always inspired by Swedish pop—it sounds polished and fun, but we’re also crying on the dance floors.

My digital footprint was defined by the “Symphony” meme of the dolphins. I thought, damn, I love it. How can I incorporate it into my world? It actually really inspired the album moodboard—animated animals, rainbows. Nature but silly”.

Arguably, Midnight Sun was the standout song of summer 2025. I would definitely put it in the top three. Heralding the creative dawn of Zara Larsson, The Line of Best Fit had a long and compelling talk with her. There was a lot of justified excitement around Midnight Sun. It is an album that “mixes the serious with the silly – and it's easiest and truest music she’s ever made”. You wonder just how far this modern Pop great can go. Like I said, she is an artist that is not talked about as much as she should:

“The world came serendipitously, in the form of a meme. Last year, TikTok users were pulling “Symphony”, her song with Clean Bandit, out of the pop graveyard and into a technicolor world of smiling dolphins and rainbows. She put the dolphins in her shows at the time, but when it became big, “I didn’t know how to capitalise off of something like that. I spent so much time online, of course I was aware of what was happening. That’s so fun, to be inspired by something that happens [online]. And people might associate that with me now.” She decided to cement her brand in a way she had never done before. The video for “Midnight Sun” is basically a continuation of that Barbie summer energy, brought to real life: Larsson in a boardwalk-ready top dancing in cerulean water below a vibrant sunset or in a lush forest, stickers, dolphins, and butterflies eclipsing the camera. “I’m a little nymph who found her way into the city, but still going down to take a swim on lunch break,” Larsson says about the vision.

“When you look at the numbers, and you compare them to previous single releases, it’s kind of flopping,” Larsson says. “But I feel like culturally, people are really connecting with it.” Call it an underdog story, call it hard work paying off, but people are finally discovering her back catalog and realizing that a plethora of incredible pop awaits. Better yet, her upcoming album is filled with summery, electro-pop hits that feel true to her; this is the first time she co-wrote every song on an album. This is what matters, Larsson says, and growing up has shifted her perspective. “I want real people to care about the things I’m doing and feel they can relate to that or feel inspired in some way. Who cares about a Spotify playlist? I feel a different energy, and it’s so rewarding, because this album feels so me.” During studio sessions, she declined when people pulled up the Hot 100 to see what was trending: “Let’s lock in!”

The record — Larsson’s best by far — is a soundtrack to a Swedish summer night whose passing is ameliorated by the fact that another one is on the horizon. It’s a party album that doesn’t try to imitate its predecessors, but injects seriously fun songs with intimate, conversational lyricism. Mid-album showstopper “Saturn’s Return” is a cavernous, spacious ode to the mystifying ways of life, grounded by volcanic thuds and Larsson’s sweeping belt; right next to it is “Euro Summer”, a Balkan-pop anthem whose religion is skinny cigarettes and church is the beach. These songs coexisting isn’t a result of a fractured view, but a multifaceted personality worked into song.

PHOTO CREDIT: Shervin Lainez

That’s why the hype around the music is so personal — the record feels like a piece of her. With previous albums, she either didn’t write her own material or felt sidelined by the presence of industry veterans. “I was always the youngest person in the room,” she says after being signed at 14, and felt massive pressure after So Good’s singles blew up. “It’s very hard when you start out and you get huge amounts of success very early without cementing who you are artistically,” she says. “I just wanted to hold onto my success. I didn’t have a team that I worked with creatively. I didn’t write everything back then. I was looking outside of myself so much: ‘‘Who am I?’ What will they think?’ I think I’ve always had a vision, or a taste level. I just wasn’t confident enough in myself to trust it.”

But Midnight Sun is built from the ground up, constructed from a vision of a Scandinavian summer like no other — friends, family, fun, sex and cigs. “The more I travel, the older I get, there’s something that makes me really grateful for the way I grew up and where I’m from,” she says. She’s lived in the same house all her life, still keeps in touch with older friends. The magic of the midnight sun, the dreamy, cosmic phenomenon she captured in a live performance, was normal to her as a child, but after traveling the world, she understands how special it is. “A lot of people don’t know it’s a real thing,” she says. “They just think it’s a beautiful, symbolic thing I made up. But that’s my life, every summer was like that.”

The album is “spiritual,” she says. “It’s a love letter to life. The best thing that I know is to go out to my country house, an hour outside of Stockholm, and just be in nature. There’s so many beautiful things about growing up there. I just wanted to capture the essence of that more. I travel so much, just like, take me to a tree. Let me touch grass! There’s something so grounding to that. I get so emotional when I see a beautiful sunset. A beautiful cloud. It’s so beautiful and I’m so thankful to be alive, to be doing what I do.”

But prioritising fun doesn’t mean Larsson stays away from serious subjects; she’ll use a song as a Trojan horse for a deeper, more meaningful conversation. She’s been teasing “Hot & Sexy” on tour, a three-in-one Frankenstein song that combines bubblegum bass, Brazilian funk, and techno, narrated by Tiffany “New York” Pollard’s iconic Big Brother quote. It’s fun, it’s bouncy (“K-Pop down!”), filled with it-girl quips (“Get in the car, girl, we gon’ be late / Puss puss 97 on the number plate”), but after its dance break, something like anger starts to calcify. Part of the song was taken from a demo called “Let a Girl Live”, meaning being able to have drinks with your girls without some rude guy bothering you, but unfortunately, its meaning can be literal. “Tale as old as time, crime on womankind” she sings with her voice warped, “I’m done feeling like I’m prey / Watching my back everyday.” It gets real quickly, a reminder that outside the bright strobes of the club, a dark night awaits outside.

That song ends with the plea to “let a girl be hot and sexy,” which has a political element to it, too. No matter which way a woman dresses, conservative commentators on the internet will find a way to slot it into their binary view: a tradwife or a slut. “Me dressing up in this tiny dress and these uncomfortable heels, maybe I am conforming to the patriarchy,” Larsson admits. “Maybe I am just a girl who lives in a world where I’m trying to survive and have a good time and be cute because that’s what’s expected of me, but even if I do, just let me be!”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Charlotte Rutherford

Prior to getting to a glowing review of Midnight Sun, there is one more 2025 interview to include. Zara Larsson spoke with FADER about Midnight Sun and wanting a taste of being number one. Whilst you can’t hold and sustain that forever, she did yearn for that glimmer of gold. Midnight Sun was a chart success and debuted at number one in Larsson’s native Sweden. She is someone who is going to have a load of number one albums and continue to inspire and give strength to people around the world:

“The FADER: I have so many questions about the new era and the aesthetic. But first, “Midnight Sun.” How do you hold the note for so long? Is there a special technique?

Zara Larsson: [Laughs.] I always worry a little bit when I'm writing the songs because [I think], how am I gonna do this live? In the studio you can cheat and cut, but I was thinking I really want to do this live. We did it in the studio where you could just redo it a million times and I was kind of struggling in the studio, but when I go on stage and I hold the microphone and it's live, it's like something clicks in me. I just do things on stage that I never am able to do in the studio, like hold different notes or take a higher note than the one that I did in the booth. I don't know if it's the adrenaline, I don't know if it's the energy, I don't know if it's my listening, but something happens in me when I go on stage. You just hold a note.

I want to talk about the other side of this record, which is fun, but also gets very vulnerable. On “The Ambition,” you get very honest about how you feel about your career and your experience in the industry. There's this line where you say, “Everything is competition.” Do you feel like pop music specifically is inherently more competitive than other genres?

I don't really know what it's like for people outside of [pop music], but I would say from what I've seen, and how I feel, it gets really competitive, especially in pop, and especially with women. It's not even really the artists themselves always, it's like so many things around it as well. It's being compared by numbers and fans and awards and streams and tickets, it's just so many things to measure, but it's also weird because music is so subjective. What's better and what's worse, you can't really say because it's just a matter of style and taste.

I feel like I am a completely different person today than I was even three years ago. I'm at a place now where I don't feel like I have to compare myself to others because I'm so confident in what I have made and what I'm doing. But I also have deleted Twitter or X because I was just like, I can't be on here for my ego.

People love you on Twitter.

I will be up all night just scrolling and be like, oh fuck yeah. It's like a drug and it's like, the validation of it is like a drug, but I know one day, if it's not today, it will flip. I will do something that somebody doesn’t like, or they compare me to something, and then it will be like, “fuck this girl.” I just know that doesn't do me any well.

I am already competing with myself because I have done [music] for such a long time, so I'm also comparing the success that I had so early on with what I did after that. I had success and then flop, and then success and then flopiana, and now I'm like, I feel the success again. But I know it goes up and down.

I am keen to get to a recent interview with Zara Larsson. It is worth noting she is on tour at the moment, and actually comes to the U.K. next month. That is in Sunderland. She is then back in the U.K. in June. I am going to come to a review from CLASH. They said this about Zara Larsson’s incredible Midnight Sun:

“It’s difficult not to interpret Zara Larsson’s fifth album as a course correction.

Arriving only a year after ‘Venus’,a record that saw the Swedish star caught between delivering a visionary pop opus and preserving commercial vitality, ‘Midnight Sun’ feels like a return to form. Where its predecessor strained under that balancing act, this album offers no overarching concept or grand conceit, just wall-to-wall bursts of irresistible scandipop.

At just under 32 minutes, it’s Larsson’s shortest outing to date, and you immediately sense an artist trusting her instincts, fully uninhibited. Lead single ‘Pretty Ugly’ is the prime example: its feisty gang-vocal hook is destined to spend its time lodged in listeners’ heads for much of 2025.The track brims with an air of unfettered abandon, a feverish rush of house piano stabs and maximalist production. ‘Midnight Sun’ is better still, where glittering hooks and club beats converge during its chorus to serve up something relentlessly euphoric and hypnotic.

Reuniting with longtime collaborator MNEK – the British singer has production credits on each of the ten tracks here – has clearly reinvigorated Larsson, and her confidenceis palpable throughout. ‘Crush’ and ‘Eurosummer’ brilliantly fuse modern pop aesthetics and mass appeal with lean, astute writing, meanwhile reverberating walls of synthesizers bathe ‘Saturn’s Return’ in an opulent, hallucinogenic hue.

Ultimately, ‘Midnight Sun’ is Zara Larsson honing in on what she does best with laser focus: starry-eyed, joyous Scandi-pop built to ignite dancefloors as easily as festival sing-alongs.

8/10”.

I will finish off with a  part of The Guardian’s recent interview with Zara Larsson. She has been what we might consider an underground talent for a decade or so. Now, with Midnight Sun, she is being proclaimed one of the biggest Pop artists. It is an important step forward. She has managed to do this without sacrificing her morals or sound:

“On a warm spring day, Brooklyn’s century-old Paramount theatre has been transformed into a base camp for all things Zara Larsson. Stage techs scurry past entourage members, managers furiously tap smartphones and various figures patiently await their moment with the Swedish superstar.

Down a plushly carpeted flight of stairs, Zara Larsson is on all fours, saying “puss puss” (Swedish for “kiss kiss”) into a camera. Despite all the craziness around her, she is locked in, wearing electric-blue stockings, tangerine booty shorts and a tiny blazer that makes her look like Malibu Barbie at graduation. A man powers up a leaf-blower, sending Larsson’s blond hair flying. After hitting a few poses, she tippy-taps over in maribou-trimmed stilettos and offers me a can of water. “Cheers!” she says as we clink.

Larsson’s career is moving at lightning speed and there’s not a moment to waste, or to indulge in much celebration beyond designer mineral water. In the week we meet, her irresistible spot on PinkPantheress’s Stateside has risen to No 1 on Billboard’s global charts after Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu’s viral routine to the track added fuel to what was already a white-hot six months for the Swedish star. At time of writing, Larsson has three songs in the US Hot 100 and is the fourth biggest female artist on global Spotify, behind only Taylor Swift, Olivia Dean and Raye.

Although she debuted aged 16 with the lovestruck ballad Uncover, everything changed for Larsson, now 28, with the release of September’s zeitgeist-hijacking album Midnight Sun. A flagrantly fun collision of brash electro-pop and drum’n’bass, the project reinvented her as a rave nymph: all dolphins and rainbows, rhinestones and lipgloss, tropical flowers and bare feet on fresh grass. Pop can seem like hard work in the age of chart gamification, “stan wars” and paparazzi-hounding, but Larsson makes it shimmer: a pop star who acts as if her duty is to provide joyful escape.

“I’m having the time of my life,” she beams as she kicks off her heels. She’s nearing the end of a six-week US theatre tour that goes viral nearly every night, thanks to her habit of inviting a fan on stage to dance to her 2015 single Lush Life (the song subsequently shot back up the charts). “The energy is amazing in these shows. But hopefully this is the last time I’ll do venues this size,” she says, arenas in her sights.

Part of what has made Midnight Sun so irresistible to fans – who call themselves Larssonists – is its genuine youthfulness: it is ultra-fun, uber-femme and whip-smart, evoking tan lines on chests, handprints on butts and skinny-dipping in the dark, all delivered in Larsson’s bright, startlingly powerful three-octave singing voice. “The change on Midnight Sun was my attitude,” she says. “I really evolved into a writer. People think personal songwriting is sad, on a guitar,” she says, making a “bleurgh” face. “But that’s not me.”

Midnight Sun embraces eurodance-pop, frenetic breakbeat and Baltimore club, as well as some fabulously cheesy accordion; the title track was nominated for best dance pop recording at this year’s Grammys. Larsson’s best lyrics have the immediacy of a voice note sent to a crush: “Look FaceTime / ’Cause my outfit so nice / And you say you love it ’cause it’s all see-through / Ooh!” At other moments, she is startlingly frank about her insecurities. Over stardust synths on Saturn’s Return, she reckons with her early ambitions hitting the skids. “Said by 20, I’d be filling up stadiums,” she sings. “Didn’t happen, so I changed the deadline / Might take another 20 years, and that’s fine.”

In the mid-2010s, Zara Larsson was a dependable B-list pop fixture, with a clutch of mega-streaming dance-pop collaborations with Clean Bandit, David Guetta and MNEK. These were stonking chunes that you could count on to get you through spin class, but which told you little about their big-voiced singer. Even recent albums – 2021’s Poster Girl and 2024’s Venus – did little to change that, feeling like overly focus-grouped grab-bags of trending sounds. In a scene in the recent documentary Zara Larsson: Up Close, the singer reflected on why her music was missing the mark. “A lot of people know the songs,” she said. “They don’t know I sing them. What the fuck is up with that? I’ve got the hits, but I’ve got no cultural relevance.”

“I think maybe I wasn’t an artist,” she tells me today. “I didn’t allow myself to do what I wanted to do in my soul. I don’t think I was allowing myself to even discover what that was, because I was so worried about whether radio would play it.”

She has since reconsidered her attitude, recognising that radio’s hit-making ability pales in comparison to the power of fans in the streaming era. “Who gives a fuck about radio?” she says. “I think radio at this time is just supporting what already exists.” It’s far more meaningful for Larsson as an artist – and as a brand – to see fans at her show wearing DIY spray-painted T-shirts and hibiscus flowers in tribute to her Midnight Sun look. That maximalism also finds Larsson barrelling closer towards the unapologetic camp of peers such as Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter, with an accessible twist: you can find most of your Larsson cosplay essentials at Claire’s.

PHOTO CREDIT: Charlotte Rutherford

Larsson has always been vocal about sex positivity – in 2015, she busted the myth that some men claim to be “too big” for condoms by getting her entire leg inside one – as well as women’s rights and her support of Palestine. She says that the latter has got her dropped from brand deals and awards shows. In 2024, she declined to perform at Eurovision’s halftime show in protest at Israel’s inclusion. “The older I get, the less I care,” she says of the lost opportunities. After buying back her master recordings in 2022 for what she calls a “sickeningly good deal”, Larsson is financially stable. She’ll still take sponsorship – she just did an ad for soy milk purveyors Alpro – but she says she’s not greedy. “I have a really amazing home in Stockholm. I have a beautiful summer house. I travel and I can eat at whatever restaurant I want.” She looks at me as if to say: what else would a 28-year-old need?

“Maybe pop stars aren’t thought of as people taking a stand,” she continues. “But if you constantly go against your inner compass and morals, you lose yourself as well.” In January, she inflamed Maga with a post that read: “I love immigrants … I love socialism, I fucking hate ICE.” A few days later the White House posted a pathetic riposte on TikTok set to Larsson’s hit Lush Life: “We love America First, we love deportations … we love ICE and our law enforcement!” She says she missed out on another deal last month after joking about abortion with a fan on social media.. “I lost $3m, which is the biggest brand deal I’d been offered in my life,” she tells me without a lick of remorse. “I was genuinely like: OK, losers!”

Larsson says that Midnight Sun’s cultural moment is a happy accident. It was a fan who paired her and Clean Bandit’s 2017 hit Symphony with kaleidoscopic dolphin art for a viral TikTok in 2024; Larsson just leaned into her marketing savvy to bring Y2K mermaid-core style to Midnight Sun. After fans started creating DIY versions of her airbrushed baby tees, she introduced a moment in her show where she spray-paints one for a lucky fan. Has she learned that her instincts are better than a record label’s? “Yes,” she replies instantly. “I get this weekly data update of my chart positions and monthly listeners from my label. And it’s not interesting to me to look at because that’s last week’s data. It’s already old. I want to ask, ‘What are we creating, what are we doing now?’”

She is putting the finishing touches to a Midnight Sun deluxe edition with all-women guest stars. Her label, Epic, “want me to release a new song before it drops to tease it”, she says. “And I’m like: it ruins the project and the specific rollout that I have planned.” It’s all a play for stats, which she finds depressing: “Playing the chart game is so dead to me. No one’s looking at the charts but industry people and maybe Taylor Swift fans.”

Sometimes fame can feel like a Faustian bargain, with scrutiny, sexism and presidential subtweets coming as part of the package. As her star has kept rising, Larsson has been wondering if there are limits to how much fame she can take. Could she handle it if she was as famous as, say, Chappell Roan, now in regular standoffs with the paparazzi? “The more people hate her, the more I love her,” says Larsson. “I don’t like how she’s being treated at all. When a woman has boundaries, I think people freak out. Men can do violent criminal things and people applaud them, but when a woman says, ‘Stop following me,’ it’s controversial? It’s like: you guys just hate women, actually”.

I shall wrap up there. Undoubtably one of the most incredible human beings in music today, Zara Larsson deserves all the success in the world. Midnight Sun was one of last year’s most memorable albums. A Deluxe edition will bring together some music queens. I am looking forward to hearing what comes from that. The more albums and songs she releases, the further and higher she goes. I feel Zara Larsson will one day be seen as one of the most influential and greatest artists…

IN Pop history.

___________

Follow Zara Larsson

PHOTO CREDIT: Charlotte Rutherford

Official:

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FEATURE: Sign in Stranger: Steely Dan's The Royal Scam at Fifty

FEATURE:

 

 

Sign in Stranger

Steely Dan's The Royal Scam at Fifty

__________

WHEN we rank…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Steely Dan (Walter Becker and Donald Fagen) in London in May 1976/PHOTO CREDIT: Alan Messer

the albums of Steely Dan, where does The Royal Scam come? Many would probably have it in their top five, though I don’t think it gets as much love and attention as Aja (1977) or Pretzel Logic (1974). This was the album released a year before their masterpiece, Aja. Katy Lied of 1975 was a great album, though there are some sound issues stemming from a faulty DBX noise reduction system used during mixing. That had been rectified for The Royal Scam. Perhaps the best-known song from The Royal Scam is its opening track, Kid Charlemagne. Released on 31st May, 1976, I want to mark fifty years of this classic. There is not a tonne written about it, though it is still worth exploring and spotlighting. I do want to get to some revies of The Royal Scam. However, I will start with this interview that was published in Melody Maker in June 1976. Steely Dan were in London at the time. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker discuss their careers in general, but also asked specifically about the newly-released The Royal Scam:

“Donald Fagen and Walter Becker are living proof that intelligence is still regarded with suspicion in rock and roll. I confess it annoys me that they are more persistently categorized as “oddballs” and “smart asses” rather than considerable songwriters, which is what they are, because rock music and literary qualities are still held to be incompatible even by those who write about rock. Or so it seems.

Yet I suppose that, ultimately, Fagen and Becker, progenitors of Steely Dan, have only themselves to blame for insisting upon erudition and references drawn from jazz, Latin and classical music, as well as pop, whilst concealing it all beneath shiny music that can demand very little beyond an acquiescent toe unless one wishes it; for the supreme irony of Steely Dan, with whom irony as a device is second-nature, is the apparent equanimity with which they go about being most things to all men and everything to a few.

Probably, as they are children of the Sixties (Fagen is 28, Becker 26), it was inevitable that they chose rock as their creative field, but just as predictable, given their tastes and ambitions, that they would thereby appear conspicuous to those who did want more than to tap a toe. As Becker says himself, “if we were novelists dealing with the subject matters of our songs… our thematic concerns would not stick out as much.”

Those concerns are the most wide-ranging within rock writing, and have become the subjects for more interpretations than songs by any other artist since the Dylan of the period leading up to John Wesley Harding. Not usually very specific — the most recent album, The Royal Scam, is the least difficult of the five — they range from the typically black little tale of a compulsive loser (“Do It Again,” the hit single from the first album, Can’t Buy A Thrill) to the grandly worked title track of Royal Scam, which in three verses encapsulates an epic story of Puerto Rican settlement in New York.

The extent of their ambitions for these songs is illustrated by Becker’s statement that on “The Royal Scam” they were trying to catch the inflection of the King James Bible (in fact, there’s perhaps an echo of the 107th Psalm, “they wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way,” in the song’s chorus line “And they wandered in from the city”).

Nothing if not carefully constructed, their writing does not flow along with Dylan’s stream-of-images; it relies upon nuance, upon literary style and the suggestion of atmosphere in a novelistic manner far removed from the traditional workings of the pop song.

In lyric terms, very few writers in rock — perhaps Randy Newman, Robbie Robertson, Joni Mitchell — are working as consciously towards the aesthetic experience; for a start, there is nothing in the whole of Becker-Fagen’s output that is overtly autobiographical, which, because there’s nothing except for the songs themselves to which the audience can relate, helps explain why Steely Dan seems so faceless.

During the following interview with them in London recently, where they were on a working holiday looking at studios, Fagen suddenly broke off at one point to make the observation that reggae music, he had just realised, was very much like German band music.

This precipitated a rapid exchange of views between himself and Becker, who then went on to develop a theory of his own that the sound quality of English rock music was dictated by the humidity.

The last two albums have taken two years to appear, partly because of specific technical problems that tax the perfectionists in them, and there has been no touring in that period.

Nor will there be — in Britain, at least — until next year, since there are contractual problems with ABC that necessitate the delivery of two albums by January 1977.

“Caesar wants a record every three months, it turns out, so we have to render unto him before we can render unto the concertgoer,” describes Becker.

However, they have never been very happy performing, anyway.

They claim that in the early days of Steely Dan they were “coerced” into extensive performances with ill-prepared bands, although they were satisfied with the line-up that played here in 1974.

Even that trip, though, was marred by Fagen’s problem with his throat, for which he says he was wrongly treated by a Harley Street doctor and had to seek medical help in California.

Fagen still lives in California — precisely, in Malibu, and within hailing distance of Becker; but it does look as if the next album will be cut somewhere in Europe.

This interview was recorded one recent afternoon in London at the Montcalm Hotel, where both they and the Rolling Stones were staying.

I was amused that they had conveyed the message, through ABC, that the conversation had to be conducted “on a certain intellectual level,” for Fagen was once to exclaim, “this is really serious! Jesus! It’s only rock and roll.” Perhaps the Stones next door were at the back of his mind.

Gary Katz, a drawn, bony man, sat mostly in silence throughout, while Fagen slumped down in an armchair behind his shades and delivered his replies unsmilingly in an adenoidal New Jersey accent.

Becker perched himself on the edge of his chair, from which he could better twinkle in his inimitably sardonic fashion.

I had been informed by the press office that they had been woken up one morning at 4 a.m. by Keith Richard playing Katy Lied.

“Apocryphal,” Fagen replied shortly. Their answers generally, I found, were just as succinct and scholastically phrased…

Do you see a specific mood for each album?

Fagen: You know, I don’t listen to them after we’ve made them. In a restaurant the other night some guys from the record company played it while we were eating, some old record of ours, and it sounds like some other group to me, really, in a lotta ways.

Becker: We do try to put together a programme of songs that somehow hangs together.

Fagen: But mostly that’s things like tempo.

Becker: Yeah, not in terms of themes, really.

Fagen: In other words, we don’t wanna have too many songs with a very moderate tempo on one album; we like to break up the musical flow. But lyrically we feel we write the songs and the album will take care of itself.

We sequence for sound rather than for narrative potential; we sequence for how it affects the ear, rather than cerebrally.

Katz (entering the conversation): There’s no concept. Never.

Fagen: Chance is very important to an artist, you know. Dostoievski wrote in installments for magazines, and I’m sure he wasn’t aware of the entire flow until it was all together.

You know, if there is a lyrical unity to each album it’s simply because most of the songs on each album are written in a certain time period, and naturally a certain phase of our personalities would be prominent while the songs were written, and that would give it a lyrical unity, certainly.

There’s not usually more than two or three songs that were written long before we start recording them.

 

Let me ask you about individual songs, beginning with those on The Royal Scam.

Fagen: We don’t have to answer anything, but take a stab at it.

‘Kid Charlemagne,’ for instance — could that be about a Leary or a Manson? Am I in the right direction?

Fagen: You’re on the right track. I think it would probably be about a person who’s less of a celebrity than those people.

Did you have a definite person in mind?

Becker: Well, there is a particular individual, whom we naturally can’t name…

Fagen (straight-faced): For legal purposes.

Becker: …who hovered over the creation of the song like a sword of Damocles, like Hamlet’s father. Basically, it’s a chef.

A chef?

Becker: Cooks.

Katz: Master cooks.

Becker: Chemists.

‘Sign In Stranger’ — that’s almost like a school for gangsters?

Fagen: That’s true. Of course, it does take place on another planet. We sort of borrowed the Sin City/Pleasure Planet idea that’s in a lotta science fiction novels, and made a song out of it. But, indeed, you’re right.

Turning to the last album, Katy Lied — is that a praying mantis on the cover?

Becker: It’s a katydid. They may not have them here, or they may not call them that, but it’s a little bug that looks like a grasshopper, except that it has larger translucent wings. It makes a sound that is onomatopaeically rendered as “katydid.”

How about the phrase “Lady Bayside”?

Becker: Aah! In Queens, New York, there is a community called Bayside, where I culled numerous members for my first rock and roll band, and Bayside had a particular character to the community, which ranged from politically, rabidly conservative to absolute congenital mind-damage among its younger citizens. So the young women growing up in this community had a particular kind of character.

Fagen: It would be kind of like saying Lady Knightsbridge.

Becker: It may not mean anything to anyone but me, but lit sounded good.

Is ‘The Royal Scam‘ about Puerto Ricans trying to settle in New York?

Fagan: Because the interpretation is so accurate I wouldn’t even want to comment any further.

Becker: In other words, you already know more than is good for you.

Fagen: To tell you the truth, we tend to refrain from discussing specifics as far as lyrics go, because it is a matter of subjective interpretation, and there are some things that are better that man does not know. You are on the right track, and whatever you make of it will suffice. Really.

Why do you find you need so many guitarists. There are five on Royal Scam.

Becker: Just to keep it interesting. We’re constantly trying to expand the number of musicians that we think will fit into what we’re doing. It’s more fun for us to have different musicians.

How does Denny Dias like that?

Fagen: Denny is an extremely tractable human being.

I presume Jeff Baxter was not.

Becker: He was less tractable by a good margin, although he was an exceptionally good sport about what we were doing, always, and extremely co-operative with us.

I also presume his problem was you weren’t touring.

Becker: That was one problem. Another problem had to do with money, in that being a member of Steely Dan was tantamount to a kind of enforced poverty at that time. And there were musical things.

Fagen: It was always a compromise.

Do you tend to be martinets, then?

Becker: I wouldn’t put it that way. Good grief! Perhaps you would care to re-phrase the question. I know you can do better.

Katz: It’s their show.

Becker: What we try to do is nudge very, very competent musicians into doing something extraordinary, even for them.

Fagen: A musician will come in and see some of the changes we got, and he’ll go, “Mmm. This is some sort of music here!”

Are you thinking of recording here?

Fagen: We’re looking at some recording studios here. We may.

Is it just because you want a change of scenery?

Fagen: That’s just about it, yeah, really.

Becker: Well, actually, our main motivation in coming was that we might pick up some inspiration, or stimulate some provocative vision or experiences or feelings”.

Let’s get to a couple of critical reviews for The Royal Scam prior to rounding up. I am going to lead with Sputnikmusic and their 2021 review of the incredible The Royal Scam. I had never really thought of this album as an especially ‘fun’ one, but it is an interesting point to make. It has a different energy to Aja that is for sure:

“The Royal Scam is affectionately referred to by fans as the duo’s “guitar album”, and for damn good reason. As with previous Steely Dan releases, this one shows yet another facet of their core jazz-rock sound: guitar-driven funk. Prior records had their funky moments as well, but they were never featured quite as prominently as they were here. More importantly, as is the case with funk rock in general, the chemistry between the guitar and the rhythm section is crucial to the quality of these songs. Luckily, the lineup of guitarists featured on The Royal Scam is absolutely fantastic. There’s Larry Carlton as I previously stated, but there’s also the return of legendary Steely Dan alumni Denny Dias, Elliott Randall (remember that amazing guitar work on “Reelin’ in the Years”?), and Dean Parks. Add Walter Becker himself to the mix and you’ve got an amazing all-star cast.

But of course, they’re all used in the service of these amazing tunes. “Kid Charlemagne” might be an incredible opener, but what it really does is give us a taste of just how eclectic and crazy this record really is. Despite being more funky in nature, this might also be one of the most diverse tracklists the group ever put out; jazz, pop, funk, hard rock, progressive rock, and a hint of blues can all be found on the album. In fact, just after the opener, we get a complete change of pace with the horn-driven number “The Caves of Altamira”; the song marries a story about the genesis of creativity and expression with an arrangement that only gets more complex as it goes on. Lots of jazz, of course, but also a hint of R&B in the verses and some prog in each post-chorus. Meanwhile, “Don’t Take Me Alive” might just be one of the most hard-rockin’ Steely Dan numbers; Larry Carlton’s lead guitar work absolutely tears it up on this fast-paced number, perfectly complimenting the dark lyrics about a criminal who’s killed his own father and wants the cops to shoot him. How pleasant!

And the stylistic contrasts continue. But it’s not like any of this detracts from the cohesion and focus of the record. If anything, each song is like its own unique extension of the Steely Dan style while still very much being in the Steely Dan style. This is perhaps best represented in some of the album’s deeper cuts, most notably “Haitian Divorce” and “The Fez”. The former is a song that I never would have expected to enjoy; I’m not much of a reggae fan as it is, so I wasn’t really excited about the prospect of a Steely Dan song using rhythms and guitar leads reminiscent of the genre. And yet, it somehow works! I think the band’s infusion of jazz into the mix, as well as the haunting and melancholic chorus, are really what pull it through in the end. Those backing vocals in the chorus are just lovely, and they only make the song even darker and more atmospheric than it already was. “The Fez”, however, is an interesting experiment for the duo as well. The music covers pretty familiar funk rock rock territory, but the lyrics are quite minimalistic. “No I'm never gonna do it without the fez on; oh no!” is repeated as if it were a mantra, while the strings in the background make you feel as though you’re in a 70s cop show. Honestly, it’s fun as hell. And it culminates in the beautiful jazzy harmonies that make up the chorus.

If I had to give a label to The Royal Scam, I'd say it’s probably Steely Dan’s most “fun” album. The energetic funk-inspired sound is just a blast, and the incredible roster of amazing guitarists just makes it even more exciting. Additionally, with the lens of hindsight, you can definitely tell that it was the immediate precursor to Aja. While it’s a lot funkier and more fast-paced than its successor, The Royal Scam was even more drenched in jazz influence than its predecessors and paved the way for songs like “Black Cow” and “I Got the News”. Simply put, this album absolutely rocks and I can’t give it a higher recommendation. But if you put it on, just make sure to turn down The Eagles; the neighbors are listening”.

Let’s round off with Pitchfork and their 2019 review. It has been great learning more about The Royal Scam. A Steely Dan album I have not investigated as much and deep as many of their others, I am now compelled to right that. As it turns fifty on 31st May, it is a good time to reacquaint myself with The Royal Scam:

“Although Scam was Steely Dan’s slickest album to date, it was also, in some ways, their ugliest. Its arrangements are a jungle of Rhodes stabs and the most aggressive—and finest—guitar work on a Steely Dan album since 1973’s Countdown to Ecstasy. On “Don’t Take Me Alive,” Larry Carlton seems to take up most of the space, snarling, feeding back, advancing the simmering tension at the song’s stakeout (in a 1979 radio interview, Gary Katz said they’d directed the guitarist to play as “nasty and loud as possible.”) In “Sign in Stranger,” Elliott Randall’s erratic guitar breaks jostle for space with Paul Griffin’s bluesy piano—hard-bop comping in double-time. Together, they seem to mimic the crooked vendors vying for customers in the song’s marketplace, which Fagen claimed to have modeled on the “Sin City/Pleasure Planet” trope from some of his favorite sci-fi stories.

Techniques like these illustrate how Fagen and Becker pushed the music on Scam to feel as grotesque as their words—to be vignettes musically as well as lyrically. This tendency toward the theatrical is most apparent in the album’s queasy emulations of reggae and Carribean music. “I think Duke Ellington’s whole exotic jungle trip contributed a lot to our tropicality numbers,” Fagen told Melody Maker in 1976. “It’s an idealized, exotic atmosphere...Showtime, Ricky Riccardo stuff. More I Love Lucy than Bob Marley.” There is the rock-steady backbeat of “Sign in Stranger,” with a closing horn line that sounds like Cuban jazz pouring in from somewhere outside of the song.

On the more extreme side is the white elephant in the room: “Haitian Divorce,” complete with an intermittent Jamaican accent and a talkbox-treated guitar that sounds like Charlie Brown’s teacher. Allegedly inspired by tracking engineer Elliot Scheiner’s attempt to finalize a divorce in a matter of a couple of months through a Central American loophole, it was a cinematic bit of storytelling, and Fagen and Becker framed it explicitly as such: “Now we dolly back/Now we fade to black.” It would be easy to write off as a misguided aberration if it didn’t rank among the record’s musically inspired moments: The song’s central modulation when the backing vocalists enter makes for one of the most satisfying chorus drops they ever recorded. It was also the band’s highest-charting single in the UK to date.

The song is a microcosm of what makes The Royal Scam both singular and frustrating: a combination of sharp songwriting, a resourceful approach to narrative, piss-take musical references, and willfully poor taste. More than on any album they ever released, Fagen and Becker foregrounded their jarring stylistic pivots, tying them directly to their lyrical scenarios; Aja and Gaucho, on the other hand, would create a sleek musical surface that functioned just as well apart from the sordid narratives. The Royal Scam is the Dan album where the music doesn’t allow the listener to escape the mindset of its characters and their stories’ grim implications: real progress is rarely possible, and we are doomed to repeat our worst behaviors over and over again.

Nowhere on The Royal Scam does this feel more apparent than on the title track and closer, a plodding epic about Puerto Rican immigrants in New York City. With little in the way of vocal melody, verbose phrasing inspired by the King James Bible, and a beat that never really seems to kick in, it sounds like a smooth-rock version of what it might have felt like to row a Viking warship. It is based around harsh melodic cells traded back and forth between Fagen’s Rhodes and Carlton’s guitar, with a few solo horn interjections. The motifs feel oddly mechanistic—a process that never gets anywhere. The corruption and abuse that crop up throughout the rest of the album descend on the undeserving populace. “The Caves of Altamira” may be about a loss of idealism, but we never see the fallout; here, Fagen and Becker shove our faces in the characters’ dashed dreams. In the album’s final moment, they perpetuate the scam they fell victim to like a game of telephone, crafting fabricated success stories for their relatives at home: “The old man back home/He reads the letter/How they are paid in gold/Just to babble in the back room/All night and waste their time.” By all indications, the cycle of hope, subjugation, and destruction will begin again”.

A typically distinct Steely Dan masterpiece, go and listen to The Royal Scam. Although the cover is awful – they had a habit of putting our particularly dreadful covers! -, don’t let that put you off! The music contained within is up there with the best released in the 1970s. The Royal Scam continues to reveal treasures…

AFTER fifty years.

FEATURE: And Here I Am Again, My Girl: Kate Bush’s The Man with the Child in His Eyes at Forty-Eight

FEATURE:

 

 

And Here I Am Again, My Girl

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Aris

Kate Bush’s The Man with the Child in His Eyes at Forty-Eight

__________

THERE is still…

uncertainty around when exactly Kate Bush wrote The Man with the Child in His Eyes. She says when she was sixteen, though most people say it was when she was thirteen. Either way, it does not take away from the extraordinary beauty and maturity of the song. The second U.K. single released from The Kick Inside, following Wuthering Heights, I wanted to revisit this track. Ut turns forty-eight on 26th May. This is a song that Bush performed live quite a bit, including during her only appearance on the U.S. show, Saturday Night Live. That was introduced by Eric Idle. I have written about The Man with the Child in His Eyes, though I will need to repat myself a little when it comes to the inspiration and backstory. Reaching number six in the U.K., it did remain on the charts for eleven weeks. This is one of the songs that was recorded in June 1975 at AIR Studios with David Gilmour as Executive Producer. The other album track, The Saxophone Song, was recorded during that session. Bush recalled how nervous she was recording alongside an orchestra. More used to piano, drums, bass and guitar prior to that, this was a moment when she got to record with a larger ensemble. However, listen to the version we hear on The Kick Inside – which was unchanged from its 1975 recording – and it sound faultless. No nerves from Kate Bush at all! There is a difference between the single mix and the album version. The single mix has Bush repeating “He’s here!”. A little giggle too. I am not sure why that was not part of the album version. I suppose it was an inclusion thought of post-1975. Many people prefer the single mix and that addition. This extraordinary song received Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding British Lyric in 1979.

It is fascinating what influenced the song. Many people misinterpreted the title and what that meant. Also, who inspired the song. Thinking it was a specific person. However, Kate Bush explained how The Man with the Child in His Eyes was about men in general. The Kate Bush Encyclopedia provide some interview archive:

“The inspiration for ‘The Man With the Child in His Eyes’ was really just a particular thing that happened when I went to the piano. The piano just started speaking to me. It was a theory that I had had for a while that I just observed in most of the men that I know: the fact that they just are little boys inside and how wonderful it is that they manage to retain this magic. I, myself, am attracted to older men, I guess, but I think that’s the same with every female. I think it’s a very natural, basic instinct that you look continually for your father for the rest of your life, as do men continually look for their mother in the women that they meet. I don’t think we’re all aware of it, but I think it is basically true. You look for that security that the opposite sex in your parenthood gave you as a child.

Self Portrait, 1978”.

I have said before how it is a shame that the handwritten lyrics for the song, which Bush wrote in hot pink felt-tip pen, were sold an an auction. Steve Blacknell – perhaps her first serious boyfriend who many (including him) felt the song was written about – gave it away. This is the item of Bush memorabilia that I would want to posses more than any. Just holding that paper Kate Bush was writing on perhaps as early as 1971. That would be truly something to behold!

Also, The Man with the Child in His Eyes was performed by Kate Bush. Steve Harley and Peter Gabriel at Bill Duffield’s memorial concert on 12th May, 1979. It was renamed The Woman with the Child in Her Eyes. Duffield was part of Kate Bush’s crew for The Tour of Life who tragically died following an accident after the warm-up gig in Poole. Forty-eight years after its release and I still think that it is one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded. I am surprised it was not a biggest chart success. When we discuss The Man with the Child in His Eyes, we mention how young Kate Bush was when she wrote it. However, that sort of takes away from the fact that she wrote it. Artists that young recorded hits but very few wrote them at that age. Think about the history of music and the age at which major artists wrote their earliest hits. I guess The Beatles might be an exception with Love Me Do. John Lennon and Paul McCartney only seventeen when they wrote that. Other Beatles songs written when they were even younger. I feel McCartney was fourteen when he wrote When I’m Sixty-Four. That song was not really a hit. In general, artists did not write songs that young. Dreams of Orgonon highlighted how spectacular it is that Kate Bush had this song in her mind when she was a teenager:

“The answer presents itself immediately—most young artists in the Seventies didn’t write their own hits, and their hits were rarely so good. The only other UK hit single written by an under-18 female artist by the time of “Child” that I can find is “Terry,” an a lugubrious piece of grimdark pop from 1964 by 16-year-old Twinkle. Apart than that, young singers didn’t (and probably weren’t permitted to) write their own songs. The lack of songwriting royalties certainly didn’t hurt precocious young stars—Helen Shapiro recorded hits without writing them, and Little Jimmy Osmond hit number 1 at the age of nine with the agonizing “Long Haired Lover from Liverpool.” Picking on these young artists who sang some micromanaged mediocre hits four to five decades ago would be petty at best and mean-spirited at worst, so we’ll eschew that, but all this shows just how odd “The Man with the Child in His Eyes” was. It was as far from micromanaged as possible. Its inception and recording predate its public release by about three years, and Kate was mostly left to her own devices while creating it (her family helped her procure business deals that would basically allow her to do whatever she wanted creatively).

So what we’re given with “Child” is that ever-so-rare thing in pop music: a young person’s vision of the world, undiluted by executive interference. In it Kate sings about a strange, wonderful man, older than herself but with an adolescent spirit that’s not unlike hers. The song is somewhat impenetrable, like any artistic work by a young person beginning to navigate the world, and it’s accessible and applicable and gorgeous. It’s rare for artists to pull this off successfully so early on, which may account for the limited amount of in-depth analysis on “Child”—Ron Moy finds little to say on the song in his book Kate Bush and Hounds of Love, and Deborah M. Withers’ classic Bushology text Adventures in Kate Bush and Theory skips the song altogether (frankly the best reading of the song hails from this Tumblr post). The most useful critical take comes from Graeme Thomson’s seminal biography Under the Ivy:

“[Kate] is surely unique among female songwriters in that her canon contains not a single song that puts down, castigates, or generally gives men the brush off. She has never been feminist in the bluntest sense — she wants to preserve and embrace the differences between the sexes and understand the male of the species. Many songs display a desire to experience fully what it is to be a man; she invests them with power,  beauty, and a kind of mystical attraction which is incredibly generous”.

It is interesting too how Bush portrayed men. Many teenage artists would be quite naïve or immature. There would be recrimination and some anger. It happens today. Young artists talking about men and relationships with some anger and regret. Not to say Bush was heartbreak-free even aged thirteen. Through her career, she maintained this positive attitude towards men. The positive role that they played in her life. The Man with the Child in His Eyes is so moving and unique because it is written by a teen prodigy. Instead of it being a simple love song or regretful break-up, there is this sense of wonder. Teenage artists of the 1970s were not writing songs that had this sort of approach to men. Commending the child-like quality they retain.

I will move on in a minute, though I want to stay with this Dreams of Orgonon article, as there are some really insightful observations made. The Man with thew Child in His Eyes has not been dissected and discussed enough through the year:

“There’s a nice lack of dependence to the song as well. Kate leans on no one here—the song’s protagonist places themselves at a safe distance from the Man, and Kate herself has even more control of the affair than she’s probably aware of. She doesn’t lean on male-pioneered rock or ballads—she offers her spin on the genre by discussing her experiences as a woman. As we’ll see, Kate Bush isn’t above gender essentialism—she’s written countless songs about the supposed central human dynamic of relationships between men and women. But she walks a strange line—she mediates a discussion between poptimism and rockism. Kate Bush is that relatively unusual thing in 1970s popular music—a creator of bestselling singles who immediately moves into the role of albums artist.

Musically, MWCIHE is Kate’s most significant accomplishment to date. It’s easy to see why Dave Gilmour wanted it released. It’s the first Kate song to really work melodically—it’s cleanly structured, gorgeous, organic, and uncanny. She manages to balance ethereality and hummable melodies while keeping her more experimental drive. She finally develops a memorable hook, an arpeggiated E minor chord (B-G-E-E). The song continues by displaying Kate’s propensity for unorthodox key changes. The first part of the verse (“I hear him before I go to sleep” through “when I turn the light off and turn over”) in E minor with a progression of i-III-VI-III-iv (E minor-G-C-A minor). The second half of the verse moves to E minor’s dominant key, B minor, before shifting to Bb major, doing some things in G, and shifting to a chorus in C. The song is not static—it’s organic, it breathes like a person”.

What is interesting is how The Man with the Child in His Eyes has this simplicity. In terms of the arrangement and the music video. I think that is one of its greatest strengths. It is a song that could only have been sung by a very young woman. Older artists like Hue and Cry and Dusty Springfield covered the song, and it is not one Bush could have performed later in her life and made work. It is the purity of her voice and the fact that she was this teenager writing and recording this song which made it so powerful. Even though the song weas recorded almost three years before it was released as a single, I did want to mark forty-eight years of this outstanding and beguiling track. In 2022, when highlighting ten Kate Bush tracks to delight new listeners, Alexis Petridis for The Guardian rightly observed this: “Bush wrote The Man With the Child in His Eyes when she was 13, which frankly beggars belief: eerie, sexually charged and astonishingly beautiful, it would be an incredible achievement for an adult. As it was, it offered the first sign that Bush wasn’t merely a prodigiously talented writer, but an actual genius”. It is clear that Bush felt strongly about The Man with the Child in His Eyes and wanted it to succeed. She was determined for this to be the single. EMI wanted to go with another choice. Mirroring that battle she had to get Wuthering Heights released as her debut single when EMI wanted the more commercial James and the Cold Gun. I think Them Heavy People was suggested as the next U.K. single – though it was released in Japan under the title of Rolling the Ball. When speaking with Melody Maker in 1978, Kate Bush did say how much she wanted this new single to succeed:

“Dave Gilmour, of Pink Floyd, was impressed enough by her potential to put up the money for proper demos, and Andrew Powell, usually noted for his orchestral arrangements, stepped in to produce her album. With all the business taken care of, Kate was able to "educate" herself.

"Train myself for the ...ah...Coming, I guess. I really felt that I wanted to get some sort of bodily expression together to go with the music. Music is a very emotional thing, and there's always a message, and your purpose as a performer is to get it across to the people in as many ways as you can."

The "Coming" came and Kate Bush took everybody by surprise, including herself and EMI, by breaking through immediately. She had insisted that "Wuthering Heights" be the first single, as much for business reasons as artistic ones.

"I felt that to actually get your name anywhere, you've got to do something that is unusual, because there's so much good music around and it's all in a similar vein. It was, musically, for me, one of my strongest songs. It had the high pitch and it also had a very English story-line which everyone would know because it was a classic book."

EMI had wanted to go with another track, "James and the Cold Gun," a more traditional rock'n'roll song. But Kate was reluctant, just as they were with the new single, "The Man With the Child In His Eyes," which, musically, is a complete contrast to her first hit. The record company would have opted for a more obvious follow-up in "Them Heavy People."

"I so want "The Man With the Child In His Eyes" to do well. I'd like people to listen to it as a songwriting song, as opposed to something weird, which was the reaction to 'Wuthering Heights.' That's why it's important. If the next song had been similar, straight away I would have been labeled, and that's something I really don't want. As soon as you've got a label, you can't do anything. I prefer to take a risk”.

I am going to wrap up. On 26th May, it will be forty-eight years since The Man with the Child in His Eyes was released as a single. Wuthering Heights reached number one, but it also labelled Kate Bush as a weird or eccentric artist. She did not want to be defined by that song and its sound. The fact is that her second U.K. single was very different and did establish her as a serious and genuine songwriter who was not a one-hit wonder or this stereotype that was perpetuated by many in the media. It remains this tender, dreamy, sophisticated and hugely accomplished song. We do not discuss it enough. Articles are not written about it. Like so many Kate Bush songs. That needs to change. One of the most beautiful songs ever recorded, forty-eight years after it was released as a single, and The Man with the Child in His Eyes…

STILL captivates.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Violet Grohl

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Milly Cope for The Forty-Five

Violet Grohl

__________

YOU will definitely connect…

PHOTO CREDIT: We Are Moving the Needle

the surname to a pretty well-known Grohl but, rather than this being the daughter of Dave Grohl following in her father’s footsteps or getting a leg-up by association – as many will call it nepotism -, this is a teen artist who has her own career on her own terms. Indeed, she does have creative parents and a father who has been a stalwart of the music scene for decades now. However, this is a singular and already-distinct and talented artist that is making her own way and will release her debut album, Be Sweet to Me, on 29th May. Violet Grohl is incredible, so I wanted to spotlight her. She also turns twenty on 15th April, so that is going to be another reason to celebrate her here! There are some features and interviews I want to get to. You can pre-order Be Sweet to Me. Grohl plays Reading & Leeds in August, though I hope there are more intimate gigs in the U.K., as she is developing a strong fanbase here. I am going to end with a new interview from The Forty-Five. They spent time with a compelling and passionate artist whose debut album is primed to be among the best and most notable of 2026. Let’s start with her interview with Far Out Magazine, where Violet Grohl discussed her five major influences:

“It is no surprise that Violet Grohl’s first teaser tracks from her upcoming debut album are so good. When you’ve grown up with a rock star dad and a director mum, surrounded by the greatest talents in the musical world thanks to their social circle, you’re bound to get some great inspiration passed down.

In debates about nepotism, that nuance is often overlooked. Yes, Grohl has connections most people could only dream of. But when it comes to her artistry, what she really inherited was an extraordinary education. Her father is a genuine music obsessive who has witnessed many of the greatest moments in modern music firsthand. Growing up with him meant being surrounded by incredible music, hearing endless stories and recommendations, and having someone able to guide her toward the very best of it all.

In Far Out’s conversation with Grohl, that point comes up quickly as she reflects on the huge influence of simply driving around with her father. From the passenger seat throughout her childhood, she discovered many of her favourite albums and films. It became the ultimate starting point for her own musical journey, and she ran with it.

But now, age 19 and prepping to release her own debut album, Grohl is out there on her own, merging those life-long influences with new ones she’s gathered along the way as she forged her own passion and built her own artistic world”

The Breeders – ‘Last Splash’

Grohl makes no secret of the immense influence the 1990s have had on her. Obviously, she wasn’t there as she was born in 2006, but naturally, the soundtrack of her childhood came from the records her mum and dad loved from their own youth, forever enamoured with the sound of the ‘90s grunge wave that they were both invested in, either as a musician in Dave Grohl’s case, or a fan in the crowd for her mum, Jordyn Blum.

One of the key acts on repeat was always The Breeders, but it wasn’t until she got a bit older that this second record from the group really hit her. “That album totally opened up a world for me sonically when I listened to it for the first time,” Grohl said, adding, “The way that Kim Deal writes music is so spectacular and just so enjoyable to listen to. It’s so frenetic and high energy and also really beautiful at the same time.”

‘Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me’ (David Lynch, 1993)

“When you come, I’ll be waitin’,” Grohl repeats on her single ‘595’ like the voice of Laura Palmer, haunted by the spectre of BOB in her final days.

Since her teenage years, when she first saw Blue Velvet, the world of David Lynch has always been important to her. But for this record especially, it was the dark, devastating and eerie world of the Twin Peaks prequel movie that kept coming back to her.

“There were lots of moments when we were recording where scenes in that movie would just pop up in my head and or there would be a line from the movie that was just so spot on to what I was trying to say that we would throw it in there just as kind of a little nod to him,” she said, treating her music as a kind of sonic tribute to Lynch, adding, “There’s something so beautiful and dark and emotional about his work that I just I relate to very deeply.”

The state of Virginia

While Grohl was born and raised in Los Angeles, her ancestral home of Virginia always had a draw to her. While Dave Grohl is mostly associated with Washington, the majority of his young life was lived in Virginia, and for all of Violet’s youth, trips to her grandparents’ house always felt like a hyper-inspirational step back in time.

“I love Virginia, and I feel so connected to it,” she said, adding, “My dad grew up there, and I used to go to his childhood home all the time and spend time with my grandma there, and her house is, it’s basically left exactly as it was when my dad was like, growing up there.”

As a young girl, only really coming to realise that perhaps her dad was a person of note, looking at the bits and bobs at her grandparents’ place felt like a gateway to something, as she said, “There’s just so many little bits and pieces of memorabilia and of moments in time that are so special and beautiful”.

Her grandma

In a similar vein, it wasn’t just the house that felt inspiring, but the woman who kept it, too.

“I think both of my grandmas, my dad’s mom and my mom’s mom have both been just like massive inspirations for me my whole life,” she said, honouring her family. “As a person, in art, in school, in whatever field it was that I needed support in. They were always there to support me. Always are there to support me,” she added, highlighting that the influence of her family goes way beyond her dad.

“They’re so wise and beautifully articulate, and that’s just like everything that I could ever aspire to be, and having them raise me was really, really, really special,” she gushed as a beautiful tribute”.

PJ Harvey at Glastonbury

When you’re a kid at arguably the world’s greatest festival, the experience is bound to be formative. When you’re 16 and performing at that festival as part of your dad’s secret set, that’s also bound to be a highlight. But for Grohl and her many experiences of attending Glastonbury, nothing was quite as impactful as in 2024 when she was in the crowd watching PJ Harvey’s set on the Pyramid Stage.

“Marina Abramovic came out and did a silent meditation piece at the beginning, I think it was ten minutes, but it was just the most, like, beautiful emotional roller coaster,” she said as the set started powerful and stayed that way. “There were moments where my sister and I would look at each other and we’d have tears in her eyes, and then the next song would play, and it would be like a fucking amazing rock song, and we’d be jamming out,” she said of the experience.

To Grohl, it was everything she could’ve wanted: “It was just like she had perfectly encapsulated her essence into that live show, and it was so spectacular”.

It is worth moving along to Kerrang!. Great to see her getting some love and attention in the U.K. press. Here, Violet Grohl talks about “finding the confidence to go it alone, how her late grandmother Virginia is still a “massive presence” in her life, and if there’ll be UK shows”. I cannot wait for the release of Be Sweet to Me. Although I love all the details about recording the album and working with producer Justin Raisen, it is her connection with her grandmother that stands out . This interview was published in March, and Violet Grohl was asked at the end whether there will be U.K. shows, to which she answered, “You might hear something soon…”. So we may get some confirmed venue dates for fans who want to see her here:

“Your initial songwriting efforts were solitary but became more collaborative in the studio. Was that something you pushed for, to take you out of your comfort zone?

“Yeah, that was something I wanted. After a while of writing on my own, I started to get emotionally drained, as I was pulling from some very memorable places. That put me into a zone it wasn’t really easy to get out of, so it was fun to be in a spontaneous environment and really beautiful. A lot of stuff happens in those moments that you don’t really expect. Sometimes it might go wrong, but other times something even better comes out of trying. THUM was written and recorded the first day we were in the studio – I thought, ‘I didn’t even know I could do that.’ I had a lot of unfinished demos, so I hadn’t finished my own song before. It all fell together and lit a fire under my ass.”

You have your grandmother’s portrait tattooed on your arm. You’ve also written a song, Bug In A Cake, about living in her house now, and her continued presence there…

“She was such a massive presence, and when she passed it was really devastating. But her presence on earth was so strong and so vibrant that it feels like she’s still here and I feel very close to her all the time. Moving into her house was all I wanted to do. The thought of it being torn down and turned into some developmental property broke my fucking heart, so I couldn’t let that happen. Last year, I officially moved in. My grandmother had kept the most amazing family heirlooms, like my great grandpa’s World War II dogtags, and all the letters he wrote to my great grandma when he was serving in the navy. The song Bug In A Cake is about how the house is haunted, because my grandmother is still very much there. There’s a lyric, ‘Turn the TV off so it turns back on,’ about when I came home and despite switching everything off, the TV was on in the bedroom, with MSNBC on, which was my grandmother’s favourite channel.”

What qualities did Justin bring as a producer? Given your relative inexperience, what were you looking for from him?

“We both had the same feel for what we wanted to do. He’s pretty hands-on – he’d hop on the bass when he needed to – and wrote the bassline for THUM. He’s not overbearing – he has so much going on in his brain constantly and is like a mad scientist. It was very collaborative, and everyone was willing to listen.”

Let’s talk about a few of the artists on those playlists and what qualities you were trying to emulate from them – starting with Soundgarden…

“Their guitar sound is so sludgy and so powerful. I love it because it can be angry one moment and very emotionally heavy the next. And I just love the melodic structures of Soundgarden songs. Plus, there is no man who can sing like Chris Cornell. I’ve never heard a guy do a good cover of a Soundgarden song – only women.”

What about the Pixies? You seem to share a predilection for surreal lyrics with Frank Black…

“Absolutely! I love how abstract his lyrics can be, but somehow beautiful and depressing. It feels like unfiltered expression of exactly what he wants to say, which is so fucking badass. Plus, their guitar sound and backwards drumming are so iconic and inventive.”

And what about PJ Harvey?

“PJ Harvey is just something else… the way that she’s able to translate her emotions in extraordinary ways, and her sonic choices are so tasteful and spectacular, and never obvious. I think I was 12 or 13 when I got my first PJ Harvey record, [1993’s] Rid Of Me, and it blew my fucking mind!”.

I want to end with this new interview from The Forty-Five (this video is also pretty cool), as the photoshoot (photos are by the brilliant Milly Cope) is incredible, and we get this fascinating portrait of a young artist about to release her debut album. Such an exciting time for Violet Grohl, she has this affinity for London. That bodes well for potential shows here. The Forty-Five sat down with Grohl to discuss a debut album that could (and most probably will) rival some of the greats from the '90s. I don’t want to include the entire interview, though there are selections that I was eager to highlight:

“In person, Violet is sweet and polite, gushing about how much she loves London (“the architecture! The big grassy fields!”). She has her mother, actor and director Jordyn Blum’s piercing blue eyes that well up as she talks about her love of music.

But the rest is all Grohl. And not just her dad – familial influence dating back to her paternal grandparents, who set in motion a love of music that would shape the generations that followed. There’s not a hint of precociousness to her, nor is she a wallflower. She chats away freely and enthusiastically about the process of making her debut record. Not shying away from her lineage, Grohl’s debut is steeped in 90s influences. Be it the dream-pop of Cocteau Twins on ‘Pool Of My Dreams’ or the DC hardcore-indebted ‘Cool Buzz’, it’s a record that says: I know who I am and I’m proud of it.

Enrolled in the school of rock from birth, morning trips to school in the San Fernando Valley were soundtracked by the 90s alt-rock canon of PJ Harvey, The Muffs and Juliana Hatfield and the experimental sounds of Bjork. Picking up a ukulele and, latterly, guitar, Violet taught herself to play music and write poetry. Aided by a voice that can belt out a gravelly rock song with the same conviction as a jazz standard, and perhaps, a debut album was always an inevitability.

By thirteen, around the time when most of us were discovering Nirvana, Violet was playing with them. At a one-off LA reunion show (only the fourth time the band had publicly linked up since Kurt Cobain’s passing) she joined Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear and Dave Grohl on stage. And despite the familiarity, the weight of the occasion wasn’t lost on her.

Though many of her early musical experiences were utterly atypical, Violet was still a teenage girl, growing up in an age where another teenage girl was making serious waves.

PHOTO CREDIT: Milly Cope

“I’ve been following Billie Eilish since the beginning – like, since her SoundCloud days,” Violet admits. “I love her. She’s a lovely person. Watching her open up this path for female musicians in this alternative pop space that’s still beautiful, it was just so incredible to me. I watched her play live a handful of times in 2018 and it was just insane.” She recalls a moment side of stage at Camp Flog Gnaw, when Eilish’s dad handed her his ear set so she could listen to Billie’s isolated vocals. “I was crying so hard the whole time, because it was so raw and so beautiful. And I was just like, this is all I want to do. It totally lit a fire under my ass.”

Turning painful experiences into art was something Violet discovered at a young age. “When I’m in an emotionally vulnerable place, or I’m very sensitive, I’m more open.’ she explains. “There’s something about it that puts me in this perfect temperature where it’s the sweet spot to finding stuff that resonates very deeply with me, I guess. “Making this album, I was definitely unpacking a lot of past pain and stuff that was going on in my life. But it just came out the way it came out. I wasn’t looking for feel, particularly.”

That seismic emotional shift is felt most prominently moving from track six, ‘Mobile Star’; an Eilish-indebted shoegaze track inspired by Ian Curtis’ death and “the pressure to be a certain way” into ‘Often Others’ – the record’s heaviest song: a sludge anthem with doom-laden, droning guitars. “There’s so much emotion behind a sludgy guitar,” she shares of the artistic choice. “It feels like a gut punch.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Milly Cope

On ‘Cool Buzz’, Grohl prods at the hypocrisy of men in the hardcore scene, who pretend to be progressive but still don’t welcome women into their spaces.

“It still feels like an exclusive scene,” laments Grohl. “Especially when you wanna listen to really hardcore shit and run around and mosh, there’s a lot of ‘Oh, you’re too delicate, you’re too feminine, this isn’t your place,’ she sighs. “ But I do wanna be in that space and I know there are a lot of other girls who want to be there too. So I think more girls should make punk music, if these spaces aren’t gonna allow it.”

At nineteen, Violet seems to have a lot worked out already And most importantly, she’s made a record that should go a long way to silence those claiming she’s only here because of her last name. “I’m beyond grateful and for the life that I was born into,” she says, fully tapped into the discourse. “It’s such a privilege to be able to be around musicians and in a space that nurtures my interest and allows me to grow and to make a record.

“Obviously, doors are open for me because of my last name,” she eye-rolls. “It’s not something I’m ever going to hide behind or say, ‘No, I worked so hard for this! You guys shouldn’t say that! That hurts my feelings.’ I don’t care – I really don’t. I’ve heard that since I was 13 years old. So call me a Nepo Baby all you want. It’s whatever to me. I just hope that eventually people will give me a shot.”

This summer, Grohl will play Reading and Leeds festival for the first time, just like Nirvana did thirty-five years ago. A smattering of UK shows is also on the cards. As her team prepares to whisk her off to Paris for a run of European press, she ends our conversation with a request –  or perhaps a challenge – for the naysayers.

“Come see me live,” she urges. “Come listen to my music and then you can decide for yourself if I’m worthy of this career or not.”

She pauses, those big blue eyes glistening a little. “This is my passion, this is my thing – and it’s all I want to do”.

Violet Grohl celebrates her twentieth birthday on 15th April. On 29th May, her debut album, Be Sweet to Me, arrives. She has some huge festival dates in the U.K. later in the summer, but it seems like we may get some news before then of extra dates. From there, it really will be full steam ahead! An artist who will be hugely in-demand and will scoop a load of ecstatic reviews for her debut album, make sure you connect with Violet Grohl. This is a brilliant and instantly engaging and lovable artist and person who…

YOU truly need in your life.

___________

Follow Violet Grohl

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/viioletgrohl/

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@violetgrohl

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3PbVZAe3y6cQKBDdG2YASB?si=MgcBLuCHQnKtB89aWtYGYg

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@Violet-Grohl

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/p/Violet-Grohl-61582003366088/

FEATURE: Dua Lipa Curating the London Literature Festival: A Hugely Positive and Influential Way to Get More People Reading

FEATURE:

 

 

Dua Lipa Curating the London Literature Festival

A Hugely Positive and Influential Way to Get More People Reading

__________

THIS news story…

PHOTO CREDIT: Dua Lipa

went out a while ago, though the festival itself is not until October. The incredible Dua Lipa has a busy year ahead of her. She will appear on A24’s new comedy film Peaked, as Deadline reveal. It sounds like an incredible project. Lipa has appeared in films but, like her Pop peer, Charli xcx, she has not quite been given the right project and vehicle. This new film sounds like one that will put Dua Lipa more in the spotlight and give her an opportunity to flex her acting muscles. What I mean is that, so far, she has not been given too many challenging or vastly interesting roles. I feel she is a wonderful natural actor, so I hope that Peaked is the start of a run of films that gets people discussing her as an accomplished and varied actor. You can see her tackling really gritty roles and also charming romantic-comedies and biopics. At the moment, she has a lot of other things on her plate. Her latest album, Radical Optimism, was released in 2024. She will be thinking about her next album. If some saw Radical Optimism as a less spectacular follow-up to 2020’s Future Nostalgia, I felt that it was equal to that 2020 album. I feel Dua Lipa will do something very different for her fourth studio album. I believe she is also engaged to be married, so that is going to be a big focus for her this year. We will see Dua Lipa grace the big screen and perhaps the small screen if the right scripts come her way. At the moment, I think her Radical Optimism Tour has wound down. It seems like a new chapter and time for her to launch new music. It is not unusual for artists to have offshoots and other things they do.

Usually, that means products and brand advertising. Nothing like a whole new discipline or something beyond that. Apart from acting, most artists are busy with music but do not get involved too much in other areas of the arts. Sure, Dua Lipa has been involved with advertising and she has been in some popcorn flicks or films that are a bit empty. That will change when she is seen more as a genuinely great and eclectic actor. One of her most fulfilling ventures is the Service95 Book Club. Service95 is a global style, arts and society venture – the ultimate cultural concierge – at the service of the reader. What is fantastic about Service95 is how engaging it is. Dua Lipa recommends a monthly read. There are articles and interviews. The Reading List is probably my favourite part. I am trying to think of other high-profile artists that are avid readers and extraordinary interviewers too. Dua Lipa is as good as any interviewer. I feel there should be a YouTube series where artists interview one another. A format where they talk about their career and select tracks and there are these different segments, I would love to see Lipa talk with another big artist. Service95 is something Dua Lipa is passionate about. She also is urges so many people to pick up books. Her young fans, who might be distracted by the shallowness of social media, are encouraged to pick up books and engage more with literature. It seemed like a natural step that she was asked to curate this year’s London literature Festival. Art Plugged provide details of a festival that is going to be fascinating:

“The Southbank Centre has named Dua Lipa as curator of its 2026 London Literature Festival, placing one of pop’s most visible literary advocates at the helm of the capital’s longest-running festival of literature and spoken word. The Grammy and Brit Award-winning artist, who founded the Service95 Book Club, will shape a series of events for the opening weekend on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, alongside programming across the wider festival in collaboration with Service95 Book Club.

Running from Wednesday 21 October to Sunday 1 November, the 2026 edition arrives as part of the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary year and during the National Year of Reading. Now in its nineteenth year, the London Literature Festival has established itself as a fixture of the city’s cultural calendar, bringing major authors, public thinkers and new voices into conversation on one of London’s most prominent arts sites.

Dua’s curatorship reflects a reading life she has made increasingly public. In 2023, she launched the Service95 Book Club as part of Service95, her global culture platform. Each month, she selects a title and speaks with its author for the club’s podcast, building an audience around reading that extends well beyond traditional literary spaces. She has also used that platform to advocate for readers who face barriers to access, including those affected by book bans and incarceration

Commenting on her curatorship, Dua Lipa said: “Reading has anchored me through every chapter of my life – from being the new kid at school in a new country to finding quiet refuge on tour. Curating the Southbank Centre’s London Literature Festival is a dream come true. I’m thrilled to indulge one of my greatest obsessions: books and the brilliant minds behind them. I can’t wait to dive into the imaginations of some of my favourite authors in one of London’s most iconic cultural spaces.”

For the Southbank Centre, the appointment places literature within a broader anniversary programme that looks to the institution’s postwar origins while inviting contemporary artists to recast its public role. It also signals an effort to connect literary culture with audiences who may first know Dua through music, fashion or digital media, but who have followed her growing commitment to books, authors and reading communities.

Mark Ball, Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre, said: “The Southbank Centre was borne out of the 1951 Festival of Britain – a moment that galvanised the nation using art, music, science and design to imagine a brighter future. 75 years later our anniversary programme is capturing that optimistic spirit of ‘51 by inviting global creative talent to help us celebrate the unifying power of arts and culture and to conjure up visions of the future.

“Dua Lipa is a global cultural force with millions of fans around the world, and her passion for the written and spoken word has inspired a new generation of readers. We’re absolutely thrilled that Dua will take the reins of our flagship London Literature Festival, applying her incredible creative talent, her advocacy and her reach to connect audiences to our finest writers.

The drop was especially pronounced among primary-aged children, with reading continuing to attract lower engagement among boys than girls. In that context, the London Literature Festival will include events designed to engage young people with books and storytelling, with creative collaborations from the world of gaming, special workshops and a programme of free events. This strand is supported by Bukhman Philanthropies”.

PHOTO CREDIT: YSL Beauty

I am going off on a slight tangent. Dua Lipa is also someone who I would genuinely call a businesswoman. An innovator and someone who I feel might become more involved in politics years from now. Last month, for ELLE Singapore chatted with Dua Lipa. She has been the face of YSL Beauty’s Libre since 2019. Lipa talked about the scent and her association with it and affinity for her. Talking about her scent and perfume regime, we see another side to her:

“Every girl wants to be Dua Lipa. Since signing her record deal with Warner Records Inc. in 2014 and releasing her debut track "New Love", the 30-year-old British singer has evolved into one of music’s bona fide stars. In true popstar fashion, she's scored a slew of UK top ten hits—including three off her third studio album Radical Optimism—and has won countless awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammys for Future Nostalgia and seven Brit Awards throughout her career. She has also gone on to headline Glastonbury Festival in 2024, star in movies Barbie (for which she sang the hit "Dance The Night Away") and Argylle, complete three successful tours, and perform her greatest hits with the Heritage Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall for the television special, An Evening with Dua Lipa, all within the last decade.

Combined with her free-spirited nature, vivacious sensuality, and zest for life, the British songstress is every bit of an it girl; well-read, well-loved, and well-traveled as displayed through her acclaimed weekly lifestyle newsletter Service95 alongside its accompanying podcast Dua Lipa: At Your Service and sun-soaked snapshots with her equally stunning entourage and fiancé, actor Callum Turner, around the world on Instagram. It’s this exact effervescence that makes her the perfect choice as the face of YSL Beauty’s Libre since 2019. This oriental scent—along with its sister iterations—is inspired by the independent Libre girl embracing life fearlessly on her own terms. In short: it’s sexy, sophisticated, and unapologetically bold, much like Dua herself”.

That was a slightly distraction. However, it does show how Dua Lipa gets to balance brand association, film, music and her Service95 book club. Her helming the curation of this year’s London Literature Festival is going to be a major priority. I wonder how she will incorporate Service95 and whether there will be a tie-in. Already, she has so much influence on many young fans. Those who may not have picked up a book or been too interested in literature. Dua Lipa, as this engaging and very intelligent and skilled interview also has this great connection with authors and people she interviews. This month’s recommend read is quite momentous for Service95 Book Club:

“April 2026 marks a milestone for Lipa’s Service95 book club: its first play. In her intro, Lipa notes that she first read “Jerusalem” when she was 15 and the play’s main character “has stayed with [her] ever since.”

“From the very first page, Rooster is mixing himself a hangover smoothie of sour milk, eggs, vodka and… speed,” Lipa explains. “He’s a former daredevil now living in a caravan in the English countryside, spending his days dispensing booze, drugs and tall stories to local teenagers. He’s also been served an eviction notice for unauthorised encampment. It’s not his first warning, but it feels like it might be his last.”

She continues: “What I love most about “Jerusalem,” and why I’ve chosen it as our first play, is how alive it is on the page as well as the stage. One moment you’re deep in English folklore: giants, fairies, ancient drums. The next, someone is arguing about Girls Aloud (if you don’t know, get to know!). It is funny, it is tragic and it is the best possible reminder that reading plays is not only for school”.

The Service95 Book Club is this phenomenal thing that is definitely something Dua Lipa believes in and wants to see grow for years to come! Rather than it being a celebrity gimmick or something that an artist is doing to make themselves seem deeper, Lipa has always been a committed reader and she believes in the power of the written word. Alongside Service95, her curating of the London Literature Festival will get more people reading. Though, how do you keep traction and interesting going so that people keep picking up books, rather than just the one book. Ikon London Magazine asked if Dua Lipa taking control of a huge literary festival will inspire more reading among her fans and far wider beyond:

“The festival, which runs from October 21 to November 1, lands in the middle of the UK’s National Year of Reading and marks the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary. Dua will shape the programme across the first weekend, from October 24–25, and contribute events throughout via her Service95 Book Club.

There is a clear reason organisers are trying something different. Reading, particularly among younger audiences, is slipping. Research by the National Literacy Trust found that just one in three children aged eight to 18 read for pleasure in 2025, the lowest level on record, with the steepest decline among primary school pupils and boys.

That context makes celebrity involvement look less like a gimmick and more like a calculated shift. If people are already following public figures into fitness regimes, skincare routines and viral challenges, it is not unreasonable to think they might follow them into reading. The difference is that books ask for something rarer: time and attention.

Dua Lipa has been building towards this for a while. She launched the Service95 Book Club in 2023 as part of her wider cultural platform, pairing monthly book picks with long-form interviews and recommendations shared to a global audience. On Instagram, those choices travel far beyond traditional literary circles, landing in the same space as tour footage and fashion campaigns.

“Reading has anchored me through every chapter of my life,” she said. “From being the new kid at school in a new country to finding quiet refuge on tour.”

There is precedent. Oprah Winfrey turned her book club into a publishing force, while Reese Witherspoon has built a media brand around monthly selections that regularly push titles onto bestseller lists. Emma Watson has also used reading initiatives to build engaged communities around books.

The Southbank Centre is now applying that logic at scale. This is not a one-off appearance but a curatorial role. Dua will shape conversations, invite writers and set the tone for a weekend likely to blur the line between a literary event and a broader cultural moment. Expect a mix of established names and emerging voices, alongside free events aimed at audiences who might not usually book a ticket for a traditional author talk.

Mark Ball, the centre’s artistic director, put it plainly:
“Dua Lipa is a global cultural force… her passion for the written and spoken word has inspired a new generation of readers.”

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The festival itself is hardly niche. Now in its nineteenth year, it remains London’s longest-running literature and spoken word festival, with past headliners ranging from Ai Weiwei to Malala Yousafzai and Margaret Atwood. It spreads across the Southbank Centre’s full site, from the Royal Festival Hall to smaller performance spaces, mixing headline talks with workshops, spoken word and experimental formats.

Literary festivals themselves have been shifting in response to changing audiences. Star-led programming is becoming more common, often used to widen audiences rather than redefine the format entirely. In the UK, literary events have increasingly mixed writing with wider cultural personalities to broaden their appeal. Long‑established festivals such as the Cheltenham Literature Festival programme conversations that bring together novelists, actors, broadcasters and public figures, recognising that cultural conversation doesn’t stop at the boundaries of genre. The Hay Festival’s 2026 line‑up itself includes artists and thinkers known outside strictly literary circles, signalling a shift toward programmes that feel less like academic showcases and more like shared cultural moments.

What changes here is the framing. Books are being positioned less as a specialist interest and more as part of a broader cultural circuit, sitting alongside music, performance and digital storytelling. There are plans for collaborations that stretch beyond traditional readings, including projects that tap into gaming and other narrative forms.

Ted Hodgkinson, who leads literature and spoken word at the venue, describes reading as “a creative and collaborative act”, pointing to Dua’s interviews and selections as a way of opening that up to a wider audience.

The timing is deliberate. The literature festival sits within a wider anniversary programme that includes projects from figures like Danny Boyle and a major exhibition by Anish Kapoor. In that context, handing part of the programme to a pop star feels less like a novelty and more like a recalibration.

Whether it works is another question. Celebrity book clubs can drive attention, but attention does not always translate into habit. It is one thing to double-tap a recommendation. It is another to read the book”.

I do think that Dua Lipa will help make a push towards more of us reading and becoming more engaged with literature. Perhaps more aimed at a younger demographic that might not have otherwise stepped into that world. Whilst not influential or powerful enough to completely change habits or get millions reading, I do think that someone with her reputation will truly make a big difference. I feel other artists need to follow her lead. Go and follow Service95 Book Club on Instagram. It is so fulfilling, fascinating and revealing following. In terms of the authors featured and what is discussed and recommended. I wonder if Dua Lipa has a literary adaptation she would love to feature in or whether she herself would ever write a novel. This multi-talented artist, actor, businesswoman and modern icon will most assuredly get many more people reading and discussing literature and engaging with one another as we go through this year. And beyond. For that, she deserves…

A huge amount of respect!

FEATURE: Modern-Day Queens: Karol G

FEATURE:

 

 

Modern-Day Queens

PHOTO CREDIT: Gray Sorrenti for Playboy

Karol G

__________

I am putting this out quite quickly…

PHOTO CREDIT: Netflix

as Karol G is headlining Coachella on 12th and 19th. She will be joining incredible artists like Wet Leg and FKA twigs during one of the world’s biggest festivals. Alongside headliners Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber, Karol G will deliver spellbinding sets. Her incredible album, Tropicoqueta, last year. I will drop in a review for it. There are a couple of other reasons for highlighting Karol G. She recently was featured in Playboy and asked actor Sofia Vergara if she should do it. Also, she has been warned not to say ‘ICE out’ during her set or risk losing her Visa. Born in Medellín, Colombia, Karol G a pioneering GRAMMY-winning reggaeton and Urban Pop artist. Known as a ‘Bichota’, she broke barriers as the first woman to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 with an all-Spanish album, Mañana Será Bonito (2023). I do want to drop in some interviews. Last year, Karol G spoke with Harper’s Bazaar about her new Netflix documentary, Mañana Fue Bonito (Tomorrow Was Beautiful). One that shows “the highs and lows of being a trailblazing Latina in music”:

“When she released her fourth studio album, Mañana Será Bonito, it evolved from being just the latest in a string of successful projects into something more—a mantra that came to define her entire being. The album was accompanied by numerous accolades: it became the first Spanish-language album by a woman to top the Billboard 200 chart, Karol became the first woman to win the Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album, and it fueled what became a landmark tour. This tour was not only the biggest global outing of Karol G’s career, but also the biggest in history for a Latina artist. To this day, the Mañana Será Bonito tour is the highest-grossing—and the first-ever stadium tour—by a Latina recording artist.

Now, thanks to a new documentary—Mañana Fue Bonito (Tomorrow Was Beautiful)—available on Netflix today, Karol's fans can relive the era that changed everything for the singer, as well as see all that it took to make history and shift the perception of success for Latinas in music.

“The first time that I saw the documentary, the first thing I felt was I really forgot how much effort it took to get here,” Karol G tells Harper's Bazaar. “Every day you wake up thinking about the future, what's gonna be your next step, what's gonna be the next thing to do, and maybe you don't always have the time to stop a little bit and remember how far you've come from the beginning. That was the most beautiful and important thing for me about this documentary—it gave me this different perception of everything that [I'm experiencing] right now. I feel even like more inspired and more motivated for what's come.”

Creating the documentary hit home for the film's director, Cristina Costantini, too. Its release comes at a particularly tense time for Latinos in the United States.

“There’s never been a tougher time to be a Latino. It’s a time when Latinos around the world have been told to shut up, to sit down, to self-deport, to give up. Our leaders have told us they can do whatever they want with us, separate our families, make us live in perpetual fear of deportation, send our loved ones to whatever country or prison they like with impunity,” says Costantini. “During this era of great tragedies, it’s an immense privilege to release a film that brings our community hope. To watch a leader like Karol stand in stark contrast to all the hatred and division around us has been a great source of inspiration for me personally. I wanted to bottle that feeling in this film, and share it with an even wider audience.”

Both Karol and Costantini shared vision of being able to show audiences what it's really like to be women on the road—especially on a tour that many industry gatekeepers initially dismissed as impossible.

“We had this special connection talking about how hard it is for women sometimes to be on the road in different professions,” says the singer. “By the end of filming, there were 22 women [involved]. The cameraperson was a girl and the director was a girl and the producers! We didn't even ask for that but everything ended up that way. This documentary [exemplifies] empowerment for women.”

Amid all the highs that viewers see Karol G accomplish throughout the film—recording the album, collaborating with Colombian icon Shakira, and her first VMAs performance—the singer is never afraid to get vulnerable either. Karol sheds plenty of tears throughout the nearly two-hour feature, but they're never seen as moments of weakness. On the contrary, these are the moments in which Karol is fully processing the highs and lows that come with breaking boundaries, especially as a woman. According to the singer, she wanted to show the full spectrum of what it takes to be a boss. She hasn't deemed herself la bichota for nothing”.

I will come to a review of Tropicoqueta, as it was one of the biggest and best-received albums of last year. It is a tremendous album from one of the world’s best artists. Although she does not have as much acclaim in the U.K. as in the U.S., she is this celebrated artist that we should be talking about more. As a trailblazer and pioneering artist. Rolling Stone spoke with Karol G about the how it is heavy and representing her community – but she is ready to do that. The Colombian superstar made an incredibly adventurous album, and, in the process “overcame criticism, and spoke loudly as an artist and a human being”:

“Despite the many peaks in Karol G ’s career since she broke out of the music scene in Medellín (where she began performing as a teenager and playing the quinceañera circuit with fellow locals like J Balvin), the 34-year-old singer still exudes a near-breathless incredulity when describing a few of the milestones she hit this year. “I’ve done legendary stages that never in my life I imagined I’d perform in, like the Vatican or Crazy Horse or at Victoria’s Secret,” she says, every word vibrating with glee.

Those moments — Karol duetting with Andrea Bocelli in St. Peter’s Square or taking over the legendary Parisian cabaret — were all in some way or another the result of Tropicoqueta, the gamble of an album she released in June. It wasn’t typical of Karol’s albums, which have toggled between happy-go-lucky party queen and tough-talking bad bitch while launching reggaeton hit after reggaeton hit. Tropicoqueta was a deeper excavation of her roots in Colombia. She tried out traditional rhythms like folksy vallenato and ballads about profound heartbreak with Eighties legends like Mexican singer Marco Antonio Solís. “Songs like ‘Coleccionando Heridas’ and ‘Ese Hombre Es Malo’ remind me of the music that I used to listen to when I was in school,” she says. “I wanted this album to get to those feelings and that nostalgia.”

Some people didn’t get it — and still don’t. Tropicoqueta was easily her most polarizing project, one that didn’t fit into the commercial objectives that preceded it. She remembers just how intense the early reactions were: “‘I love the album, it’s crazy.’ ‘I hate the album.’ ‘It’s so special.’ ‘The album is just garbage,’” she recounts.

But once she started focusing on her original intentions — how she wanted to celebrate the novelty dances at family parties called La Hora Loca, and to shout out her tias who used to dance in the kitchen — she saw how emotionally the project landed for so many people. On TikTok, girls posted videos singing the songs with their grandmothers; others proudly did choreography to the anthem “Papasito.” She wasn’t just representing where she comes from, but also inspiring pride and encouraging fans to embrace their Latinidad. “I went back to my memories of being on tour,“ she says, “people bringing their flags in every single concert, flags from Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and me feeling that I was bringing a piece of home to every place I went.”

That sense of joy and self-identity felt even more necessary in 2025, when immigration crackdowns and anti-Latino rhetoric pervaded the culture. Karol has been outspoken about what she’s seen in the political arena, issuing a statement on her Instagram amid the ICE protests that swept the U.S. over the summer. How did it feel to shine a light on a community that was engulfed in so much ugliness? She pauses for a second. “Oh, that question made me a little emotional,” she confesses. “This year, I knew a lot of people that started feeling ashamed or shy to show that they were Latinos, and that was super hard to watch.… It felt so hard on my heart.”

In a lot of ways, Karol has always understood the responsibility of being seen as a beacon for fans. Sure, she’s known for her bubbly disposition, but there’s a grit to her that’s come from clawing her way through an unforgiving, male-dominated industry. It’s part of the reason she wanted to dive into nonprofit work with her foundation, Con Cora, which supports women and girls in Latin America who have come from vulnerable or abusive backgrounds. Karol rebuilt her childhood school in Medellín in 2024, with the idea of creating a safe space. She understands that need intimately: Earlier this year, she released a Netflix documentary in which she tearfully recounted being harassed at just 16 by a former, much-older manager. “I can do 105 documentaries and a thousand interviews, and nobody is going to understand how hard it was to be a woman in a room with a lot of people with so much power that can make you feel really small,” she explains.

So much of this year taught her to believe in herself, and it’s ended on a high: Last week, Karol took home the award for Song of the Year at the 2025 Latin Grammys, winning for her chart-topping hit “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido.” She used the opportunity to encourage anyone else who might be too afraid of criticism to chase his or her dreams. “There are so many people at home who think they’re not good enough or professional enough to do what they want,” she said onstage, holding the trophy. ”Forget the world, forget the noise… Love and passion over talent, and passion and obsession for what you do.”

And there’s more left to do. Currently, Karol is developing a visual album version of Tropicoqueta, which she expects to come out in December. “I’ve been working on it since March, recording in different places around the world where it’s kind of a movie,” she says. Then, in 2026, she’ll become the first Latina to headline Coachella, another spotlight that will give thousands of people a chance to be seen. Karol admits that at first, she had some trepidation about accepting the offer. “When I got the call, I was like, ‘Am I ready?’” she remembers. “And then I was like, ‘Yeah. I really need to do this.’” She’s been rehearsing the show since the beginning of the year, working on choreography done by Parris Goebel, who also had a hand in Lady Gaga’s Coachella set”.

I will get on to that Playboy article very soon. I want to drop in a review for Tropicoqueta before getting there, as it is an album that I really love. Celebrating a tender and expansive album, Pitchfork noted how Tropicoqueta is “a reverent tribute to generations of Latin music and the Latina entertainers who brought it to life”:

“The album’s historicism goes beyond strictly musical references. Last week, Karol brought iconic Cuban journalist Cristina Saralegui out of retirement to film a special episode of her eponymous talk show, which hosted the biggest Latin musicians from the ’90s until 2010. She name-dropped @ficheraz, an archival project dedicated to preserving the fascinating history of Latin, Caribbean, and diasporic showgirls. Starting as early as the 1940s and continuing into the ’80s, these vedettes—dazzling leading ladies who danced, sang, acted, and even clowned all within one show—took control of their own sensuality through cabaret, burlesque, and film. In the video for “Papasito,” Karol dances Brazilian lambada on a chintzy set reflecting this era of Latina entertainers. The album’s only song partially in English, this galloping, flirty technomerengue evokes archetypal vedettes like Iris and Lourdes Chacón, muses who spoke to international audiences with over-the-top charm and enigmatic, at times absurd, performances. The sumptuous, smouldering bachata of “Ivonny Bonita” embodies these baddies of decades past: bold rumberas who, like Karol G, fell in love with the stage. 

You could follow just about every song here into another musical genre or historical tangent. Even the contemporary-sounding songs have lineage, like the slow-whining, old-school flows of “Dile Luna,” an acknowledgment of how much Afro-Panamanians like Eddy Lover have done for reggaeton. Mariah Angeliq singing, “Ya tú sabes quiéne’ son, en un makinon” (“You already know who it is, in a huge machine”) is a shoutout to Puerto Rico. Karol also references the legacies of several Mexican it-girls and artists, recreating Rossy Mendoza’s glittering green two-piece in the “LATINA FOREVA” video and opening the album with a casual, honey-toned duet with Thalía, the “Queen of Latin Pop,” singing her classic “Piel Morena.” Later, Marco Antonio Solís, formerly of Los Bukis, conjures sweeping novela imagery with “Coleccionando Heridas”—picture a male protagonist riding a white horse on a beach at sunset, half-buttoned shirt rippling in the breeze. But the real showstopper is “Ese Hombre Es Malo,” where Karol’s vocals soar over a breathtaking 57-piece mariachi symphony.

With Tropicoqueta, Karol G delivers an album for people who love Latin music and show business as much as she does. Her ambitious vision is shaped by those who’ve come before her and dedicated to the communities who lift her up. The album’s studied combination of traditional and modern sounds underlines what makes today’s urbano so addictive: The cultural references that the Latin diaspora recognize so easily. The way we know which steps to dance within a song’s first five seconds. “¿Será que se quedó el amor en otros tiempos?” (“Could it be that love has stayed in the past?”) Karol asks in “Coleccionando Heridas.” Her fifth album asserts that it’s inside of us at all times, if only you know where to look”.

Before getting to an NME article relating to Karol G being warned not to mention ICE during her Coachella set, I want to focus on an amazing Playboy article and interview. It is interesting reading what Karol G has to say, but she also looks incredible! I am including an abridged version of the interview. However, Karol G does mention ICE in the interview. It is a shame that artists are being threatened and censored at a time when they should be encouraged to speak out:

“Karol G is about to make history—again. The Colombian pop superstar lands on the cover of Playboy‘s Spring 2026 issue just as she becomes the first Latina to headline Coachella. After years of careful cultivation—topping charts, breaking records, and racking up awards—she tells Playboy she’s no longer interested in playing it safe. We are entering a whole new era of her artistry and her womanhood. 

Shot by Gray Sorrenti in Los Angeles, our cover story captures Karol G at a turning point: past a devastating and very public breakup, and unapologetically embracing her full self. “Last year…life threw me to the floor, kicked me, pushed me, stood on me, spun me around,” she says. So she flew to Hawaii, chopped her hair off, and did some thinking. Now, she’s on the verge of what could be one of the biggest years of her life.

Posing for Playboy, she tells writer Paola Ramos, was entirely her call: 

“Why do I want to do this? Because I want to. Because I grew up inspired by how beautiful the women in the magazine looked and now I have the opportunity to be that beautiful, sexy, mamasota.” 

In the interview, Karol opens up about everything from her responsibility to the Latino community to the freedom she’s found being single, and the “wild woman” ethos that’s been fueling her this year.

PHOTO CREDIT: Gray Sorrenti

On this weekend’s history-making Coachella performance: 

“I thought that this was going to be like my consecration, but I actually feel like it’s the beginning. This is the first time in my life that I feel I’m going to see myself as the artist in the same caliber as the stage that I’m stepping on.”

“When I received the call, I felt like a huge weight fell on me…. I feel very blessed to be part of a generation that is trying to change the narrative and raise our voice for the community… I feel like it’s a show for my community, for the world, but it’s a show that’s very much for me.”

On standing up for her community:

“I don’t want to just say “ICE Out” and have nothing come from it… I’m probably going to go a little harder than that. I just want to represent my community. But what I’m telling you is that, as a human being, I want that to mean more. I’m not saying that I’m not going to do it; what I’m saying is that I would do it and will do it with my soul. But I want to sit down and understand, in my head: Here’s what that meant.”

On being single:

“I’m letting go of everything. I’m single and, to be honest, I’ve always thought that my most evolutionary moments come when I’m alone. As a good Latina from a traditional family, they teach you to give yourself fully to relationships, to a point where you can even lose yourself… I think you have to work a lot on yourself so the relationship can work. You also have to do the work so that you can walk away when you recognize it’s not going to work. When I finished my last relationship, I initially felt like, Wow, I’m here again. But then I saw it as, Wow, how beautiful that I had the courage to say that I no longer wanted to be there.”

On being happy where she is:

“According to my culture, I should have kids by now. But you know what? This year has literally been like, Fuck it. I don’t feel like I’m behind. I actually feel that it’s beautiful that I’m living my process, that I’m evolving, that I’m learning, that I’m not tired of experimenting, that I’m curious.”

On her Playboy cover:

“The only person I asked if I should do it or not was Sofía Vergara. I called her and told her, ‘If you tell me not to do it, I won’t.’ [She said] ‘Mijita, with that body? When you get to this age, you tell yourself, “Fuck, why didn’t I pose that one time? I should have posed more with a thong!” Just one thing: Don’t show your pussy!’ She also said, ‘This moment will have a reason. What is going to be your reason?’”

Playboy’s Spring issue officially hits newsstands on April 14th, but subscribers can access Karol G’s full cover story—including exclusive inside photos—starting today. Plus: Misses January, February, March, and the (unreleased) Miss April; an unforgettable edition of the Playboy Advisor; the Playboy Interview returns; and our favorite writers embark on journeys ranging from swingers’ cruises to the future of artificial intelligence”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Glenn Martens

I am going to end with NME and their article about Karol G’s upcoming Coachella headline slot. Someone who feels strongly about ICE and what they are doing, it is sad that such a phenomenal artist who uses her voice for good and to speak out is being silenced:

“Karol G has said that she has been warned not to say “ICE out”, as doing so could lead to her losing her visa.

The Colombian pop star is set to make history later this week, as she will become the first Latina artist to headline Coachella Festival in California.

In a new interview with Playboy ahead of the slot, the singer said that she is eager to use her platform to speak out against issues she sees across America – in particular, the actions of ICE – but has been warned that this could come with consequences.

Sharing that she wants to call out ICE, Karol went on: “People will say, ‘It’s better you don’t… Because if you say the thing, maybe the next day you’ll get a call: ‘Hey, we are taking your visa away’.”

“You become bait, because some people want to show their power,” she added.

Karol then added that just the popular anti-ICE phrase “ICE out” would be a risky move, and quipped that even though her “team would kill” her if she said it, she isn’t letting that stop her from speaking her mind.

“I’m willing to say it… If I’m being honest with you, it’s something that crosses the line of what I have to do to protect myself. But at the end of the day, what is my role if I’m in this position?” she said, adding that she wants her comments to have a depth to them, rather than being said for the sake of it.

“I don’t want to just say ‘ICE Out’ and have nothing come from it… I’m probably going to go a little harder than that. I just want to represent my community,” she shared. “But what I’m telling you is that, as a human being, I want that to mean more. I’m not saying that I’m not going to do it; what I’m saying is that I would do it and will do it with my soul. But I want to sit down and understand, in my head: Here’s what that meant.”

Karol concluded: “I have a huge stage. That’s why I want to wait, and if someone were ever to do something to me, I want to stand firmly on my stage for my community. So that’s why I may have to be more careful, and wait for my turn, and ensure that, through that opportunity, I can talk and represent something more”.

Even so, Karol G will headline Coachella. She is one of the world’s best artists. I say that about other artists, though it is always true. Following Tropicoqueta, I do wonder what comes next for the Colombian superstar. A beloved artist who has achieved huge success with Spanish-language music and she has empowered women throughout the world. Karol G is a cultural phenomenon who has redefined the Latin Urban genre, paving the way for female artists and cementing her status as a global superstar. This Modern-Day Queens shows love for…

A true icon.

____________

Follow Karol G

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/karolg

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@karolg

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZuPJZ2kGFdlbQu1qotZaHw

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/790FomKkXshlbRYZFtlgla?si=lxxgwGZUTvKZHSyKCg_MDw

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/KarolGOficial/

FEATURE: Spotlight: BombayMami

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Lily Lytton

BombayMami

__________

HER incredible new…

PHOTO CREDIT: Haya Studios

album, Peaceful Attitude, came out on 17th April. If you have not discovered BombayMami, then now is the absolute perfect moment. I am going to include some songs that are on Peaceful Attitude. I am going to head back to last year and some interviews then before carrying on. In terms of what you need to know: “BombayMami is an Indo-Swiss artist known for her viral hit Fire in Delhi, blending Indian classical music with R&B and pop. Her bold visuals—like snowboarding the Swiss Alps in a red lehenga—have earned millions of views. Raised between India and Switzerland, her upcoming album Peaceful Attitude fuses Bollywood and Western sounds. With genre-defying music, multilingual lyrics, and striking style, BombayMami is redefining global culture”. I actually want to start out with this 2024 interview, where the artist formerly known as Ta’Shan talked about her reinvention:

“The artist formerly known as Ta’Shan is ready to re-introduce herself, and there are many reasons for her to do so. Since her last release under her previous moniker she’s been tapping into and honing in on the parts of her artistry that relate to her individuality most. Being both half Indian and half Swiss, her sound and all things associated with her music are at one with her identity now in a way they haven’t been before. And so BombayMami was born, “honoring both my Indian and Swiss roots, my femininity, and the evolution I’ve gone through as a person and an artist,” as she tells me herself.

Early 2023 was the last time she released music, and that time since has been filled with learning and re-imagining both the soundscape and visual world for her upcoming album, Peaceful Attitude. She began to study Hindustani classical music just a few years back as well as has recently begun learning the tabla, something she sees as a lifelong practice to fully get to know and master it. “I’m still a student and I guess I will be forever… The challenge comes when I try to bring those classical elements into modern soundscapes. It’s about staying authentic to the source material while making it accessible and relatable to the audience . The tabla, for instance, doesn’t just provide rhythm, it carries a heartbeat.” The way she describes the training and the practice makes it obvious that these are things incredibly close to her due to how they allow her to self-express when in the studio or writing music.

PHOTO CREDIT: Alia Romagnoli

You’ve stated that your upcoming project is all about honouring your roots, both Swiss and Indian. Can you tell us a little about your upbringing between these two cultures and countries?

Growing up between these two really opposite cultures was the most normal thing for me. It was exciting as my parents used to be tour guides, so we used to spend our winters in India and the summers in Switzerland. I feel I am a proper blend between the chaos, wildness, bling and spirituality of India and somehow the Swiss drive to make everything to a high standard and my dedication. We used to live in Delhi in an area called GK2 and there used to be snake charmers that used to play the flute or the man with the little monkeys in front of our house, that used to be my highlight of the day. As my parents loved to host parties and invite artists, painters and writers, my growing up was definitely infused by all this creativity. I remember us going to Hindustani classical concerts late at night and me getting on stage as a 5 year old. ( Indian classical concerts tend to go all through the night. My Dada Ji ( grandfather) used to live with us when we were in India and I loved spending time with him. He always gave me a couple Rupees to buy KitKats and Mango Bites.

DhinDhinDhaa is the first single to introduce your new sound. How would you describe the sound you’ve curated and how has it been combining so many influences? What felt right about releasing DhinDhinDhaa as the first single?

DhinDhinDha is really a fusion of the world that I enjoy.  Bringing in the tabla bols which are the rhythmic syllables in Indian classical music is something that I do so naturally now that I am learning the tabla and blending it with RnB and Two step just made a lot of sense. When we initially started making the song I wanted to make a really emotional RnB song but the drop into Two Step just made so much sense so we just ran with it. Alex Naim who produced it is also half Desi so it was nice for us to dive into these sounds together. Kemi Ade who is my bestie and my favorite person to write with could tell you that I was at a very low phase of my life when we wrote this song and I guess when you really listen to what I am saying  you can sense that sadness. As I knew that this song was not going to be on the album it made sense for me to release it as a single first.

As a Swiss-Indian artist, how do you balance reflecting both of your cultural heritages in your work and in the way you present yourself to the world, such as through fashion?

I feel when it comes to the creative direction of my music and my image I tend to lean more into my Indian heritage. I am definitely more inspired by Desi culture and I am obsessed with our fashion. The blinger the bling the better. The way I love going to Green Street and Southall! When Jonni Boi (Miau..Rawr)  and I started working on the creative direction of this project we took many trips there and as we both lived in India we just always felt like going home. If BombayMami was a moodboard it would give: Indian Goddess in an 2000 R&B video.When it comes to my fashion line SHAVA that I am working on I tend to pair clean minimalist Swiss-inspired silhouettes with Indian inspired cuts.

What can people expect from the album after hearing DhinDhinDhaa? What is both expected and perhaps unexpected?

After hearing DhinDhinDhaa, people can expect the album to offer more of that rich blend of classical Indian roots and contemporary sounds, but there will definitely be surprises. Some tracks will be intimate and stripped back, letting the raw emotion shine through, while others will be bold and experimental. I’m blending genres and traditions in ways that push me creatively, so I hope listeners come in open-minded. Expect a deeply personal album, but also expect to be taken to places you didn’t anticipate. It is  a reflection of my evolution, and I think it’ll resonate with anyone who’s ever grown through life’s complexities”.

Apologies if these are quite random selections, but I like this interview, and I feel we learn more about BombayMami. As she has a new album out now, it is interesting looking back and seeing how she has evolved and talked about future music. Someone that definitely needs to be on your radar. In terms of music in the mainstream, we need to encourage BombayMami and her blend of sounds and cultures:

“We hear and feel auras of body positivity, seduction, and femininity emanating from BombayMami's captivating choruses and slick rap flow. They are filled with other cultures, as seen by her work with individuals from Nigeria, the United States, India, London, and elsewhere. BombayMami's catalog, which ranges from Sorry to Yoga, demonstrates her musical aptitude and dedication to her craft. She exposes her expressive and creative personality to future and current admirers whilst touching on topics such as heritage, creativity, dreams, and her career. We go into what makes her, such as her current favorite tunes, her inspirations, her motto, and her devotion to female empowerment in the industry.

BombayMami is a hardworking artist who enjoys bringing talented and ambitious people to the stage. Dreaming big is not common in Switzerland, so doing what she does highlights her personality as a "sensitive but bossy girl." BombayMami has been a music enthusiast since the age of eleven. She has been in the studio since she was 14 years old, and she quickly realized that music was her calling. "It became something I really enjoyed; being in the zone and doing my thing, you know." I had no idea that making music could be a vocation. There isn't much of a scene in Switzerland, and there's rarely anyone to look up to. Then, in 2012, I went to Los Angeles and told myself, OK, music is something I want to do." I returned to Switzerland after that decision, and TASHAN was born. "

A perfect environment is required when creating music. The studio allows BombayMami to flourish. The place to be and learn is with the main producers, people who help her write music, her friends and mutuals. Furthermore, travelling to different parts of the world, such as Germany and London, provides a new perspective on producing music. It enables BombayMami to begin again. Going to different countries also makes her feel more at ease because these experiences allow her to bring new flavours to a new scene while also allowing her to absorb the culture that surrounds her. Her upcoming song "Popping," which has some French lyrics and will be released on June 3rd this year, is an example of this outcome.

Her parents are her life inspirations since they have worked hard their entire lives and created everything from nothing. For example, they now have a business. When it comes to music, Missy Elliot's unapologetic looks and flows make BombayMami "fall in love with her," along with other female rappers and singers from the 1990s and 2000s, such as Alicia Keys. Sadhguru is a yoga teacher to whom BombayMami listens on a spiritual level. He is extremely encouraging to her because his energies bleed into her songs. "When it comes to being an artist, everything is tied to what you do in life, what you listen to, and so on."

After asking her about a defining moment in her career, we get an insight into BombayMami’s motto: "To listen to your gut and just do what you want to do." Embrace that natural feeling! That’s how life is: If it feels right, it feels right. You can’t always change the things you feel, so to conquer that, you need to adapt and live life to the fullest! " This comes from her experiencing a defining moment within her career, where the single "This Time" did really well in numbers. "It’s funny that it did so well because I never wanted to place it on my EP, BombayMami, Vol. 1. From this, I learnt that you can’t always expect things to always go the right way if you plan them. Taking a leap into something that I feel is right is more of a suitable route for me, I think." Making music in a different language is not something you would expect your usual artist to do, but because of what BombayMami does for the music, the art, and herself, she takes on the challenge that's given to her.

Such an amazingly empowering, inspiring and immensely talented artist, I will move to a new interview soon. However, I will get to this interview, that notes how BombayMami, “Through her music, visuals, and fashion, she celebrates womanhood, duality, and identity in all its forms”. I am quite new to her music but I am really invested in it now. Someone who needs to get a lot more focus and celebration:

“Latina Bohemian: How does it feel shifting into a musical path full of courage and one that inspires not just women but individuals in the LGBTQ community as well?

BombayMami: It feels like coming home to myself. Finally. I used to play it safe, thinking I had to fit into something that already existed. But now, I’m building my own lane. I’ve always been surrounded by powerful queer and femme energy, and I think that’s why I create the way I do. It’s about freedom, self-expression, and radical love. Courage is contagious, you know?

LB: You found purpose in your art after a period of trial. How did your Indian roots influence the transition?

BM: My roots brought me back to my truth. When I started reconnecting with my Indian side—the music, spirituality, and rituals—I found a peace I didn’t know I needed. It grounded me. Indian culture has this way of reminding you that beauty and pain are part of the same dance. That understanding really shaped how I create now. With more intention, more surrender, and more fire.

LB: Why is it important for South Asian women to be expressive with their creativity and body image?

BM: Because we’ve been told to shrink for too long. From our bodies, our voices, and our desires. All of it has been policed or misunderstood. But expression is sacred, whether it’s through dance, fashion, or music. It’s about reclaiming ownership of how we exist in the world. South Asian women deserve to see themselves as art, not just as tradition.

LB: Self-love is a theme in your music. When was your golden moment of finding beauty in heartbreak?

BM: When I stopped trying to fix what broke me and started thanking it. I realized heartbreak didn’t destroy me; it refined me. That was my golden moment. You start moving differently when you understand that love, even when it hurts, is still a gift.

LB: You have a new single out soon. What’s the impact you want to make in diverse societies?

BM: I want people to feel seen, whether they’re brown, queer, mixed, spiritual, or just different. My music is for the ones who never fully fit in. I want to create soundtracks for healing, empowerment, and having fun while doing it”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Alma amala (via Vogue)

Prior to ending with an interview from Glamour, I want to drop in this from Rolling Stone India. BombayMami “opened up about how a group of rural feminists inspired her to create a women’s day track and merchandise drop as part of her upcoming album, ‘Peaceful Attitude’”. This is undoubtably one of the most distinct and powerful albums of this year. I do hope that BombayMami gets a lot more elevation and exposure:

“The Indo-Swiss songstress has been on a lore-laden run lately. One second, she’s riding a horse, wearing a turban with a veil tucked under it, the next she’s floating across a lake in a pink, princess-esque tub as she serenades the audience with her soaring voice.

Turns out, it’s all part of the visual universe she’s threading together for her upcoming thirteen-track EP, Peaceful Attitude, out on Apr. 17, 2026, which sees the singer and creative director carving out a third space of feminine co-existence. “The album title is almost ironic. It’s like, I have a peaceful attitude…until you test my boundaries,” the multi-hyphenate tells Rolling Stone India.

And in keeping with that, her second drop off the upcoming album, “Gulabi Mantra,” is inspired by valiant stories of the Gulabi Gang, a resistance-led collective of female vigilantes from rural Uttar Pradesh, who, armed with bamboo sticks, fight against domestic abuse, sexual violence, and systemic injustice.

“I remember seeing images of women in bright pink sarees holding sticks and at first I thought, “Is this a film still?” she recalls, explaining how a research rabbit hole to build an audio-visual framework around “divine femininity” led her to discover the powerful all-female group. Dressed in a stereotypically “girly” color, pink, the lathi-wielding, saree-clad women truly embodied “divine feminine” by taking matters into their own hands, and responding to injustice with a seething rage.

Inspired by their vigor and courage, “Gulabi Mantra” became BombayMami’s way of navigating autonomy. Infused with afro-beat rhythms and syncopating Carnatic riffs, the two-minute track echoes a message loud and clear through its catchy hook: “My Body. My Voice. My Kitty. My Choice.”

“Bodily autonomy means I decide the terms,” the singer affirmed. “I don’t want to be reduced to a hypersexual fantasy. But I’m also not afraid of being sexual. I love feeling sexy. I love expressing that part of myself. That’s not weakness…that’s power. The difference is choice,” she elaborates.

Reduced to objects, burdened by stereotypes, and caged by conservative dogmas, women are far too often pushed into socio-political submission. Be it governments waging war on bodily autonomy, law enforcers “normalizing” sexual assault and violence, or social media popularizing problematic trends like “trad-wife” and “body facism,” the freedom of choice has historically been out of grasp for most women.

“Growing up, you learn very early that your body is watched. Commented on. Protected. Judged. Desired. Sometimes all at once. And as a performer, that becomes amplified. People feel entitled to your image, your sexuality, your energy,” she reflected.

PHOTO CREDIT: Lily Lytton

Rage, anger, defiance, and ownership; these are all aspects of the female emotional spectrum that have been contorted into a villainized lens. And that’s exactly what BombayMami is trying to challenge. “There’s this expectation, especially in South Asian culture, that women should be calm, graceful, forgiving. Like Lakshmi all the time. But we forget that the same culture also gave us Kali,” she states. “For me, as a Swiss-Indian woman moving between worlds, that duality hit deeply. The softness of pink. The hardness of resistance.”

Set against a bubblegum pink sunset, the cover art for “Gulabi Mantra” has the artist sitting atop a tiger, trishul in hand, serving celestial bombshell realness. “Visually, I drew inspiration from Durga and her symbolism: Strength with serenity, beauty with danger, stillness with power. The tiger represents instinct and raw force. Sitting on it represents mastery. Controlled fire. It felt important to embody that instead of just referencing it.” she mentions.

Slated for release on International Women’s Day, the anthemic single also comes with a limited-edition merch drop consisting of “kitty” printed socks, Om-shaped bindis, and a matching tote bag. “Everything, from the cover art to the merch, carries that same energy:  Feminine, but not fragile,” she pointed out. Even the tiniest details, such as typography, were used to create artistic semblance, rather than divergence: “I didn’t want the visuals to feel separate from the music. It’s one universe,” she vocalizes. Proceeds from the same will be going to UK-based and Indian women’s rights charities like SHEWISE and ActionAid India.
Tying it back to her Gulabi beginnings, the singer seeks strength in tales of female infallibility: “There’s something extremely powerful about rural women, often dismissed, often underestimated, becoming their own protection system,” she observes. Dismantling hypersexual fantasies, she hopes to spotlight the female gaze, which reveres sexuality rather than fetishizing it, “I can embody goddess energy…strength, protection, fierceness and I can move my hips and feel sensual. Those things are not contradictions. They coexist”.

I am finishing with Glamour, and their interview from March. It is said how, “the genre-blending artist is turning personal healing into powerful music”. I am not sure whether BombayMami has any tour dates planned for the U.K., as she would be warmly welcomed here. I know she is playing BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend next month, but what comes after that? I would love to see her play live:

“She speaks of how it’s imperative to be strong, especially when your art is so personal. Striking that balance between being open and strong is also how she takes care of her mental health. She centres herself by returning to movement when criticism and the unpredictability of the music business become too much – a grounding that helps her steer the highs and lows of creative life with equanimity and ease.

“I feel better the more I push myself. When I stop moving forward, that’s when I get uncomfortable.”

That forward-thinking helped her finish her next album, Peaceful Attitude, conceived and recorded during a challenging time in her life when she walked out of a toxic relationship. This paved the way for a reformed personal life and the music that followed.

“Choosing myself meant learning to say no. Not playing small to make other people feel better.”

The song Fire in Delhi, driven by electrifying beats and a sultry groove, encapsulates it best. It’s more about the aftermath than the heartbreak, about picking yourself up and putting yourself back together. A feeling that resonates with many women reclaiming themselves.

Writing the album was therapeutic for her. “When something happens to you personally, you suddenly see how many women are going through the same thing. And so many can’t let go.” Her voice tightens when she discusses the systemic issues domestic abuse survivors face.

Shanti has raised funds for an organisation supporting domestic abuse survivors in India. “I want to do more. But everyone has to pull their weight where they can.” Using her platform this way feels like an organic extension of her beliefs into her work. And this is just the beginning, she affirms with unmistakable ardour.

Success isn’t always about streaming numbers; it’s about connection. She reflects on her early collaborators and the queer clubs and nightlife spaces that shaped her as an artist, sharing how the community pushed her when she wasn’t sure she could continue, providing both artistic liberty and acceptance.

She recalls that at a recent shoot, many brown women came up to her just to be part of the moment. “That feeling,” she says after a pause, “is everything” – nudging the importance of representation and the hushed but commanding effect it can have.

Her album, she hopes, will leave listeners empowered with a fresh way of perceiving things. “Life isn’t a straight line. There will always be ups and downs.” And, as the name suggests, it’s about learning to let go and approaching life with a shant (peaceful) attitude.

Before we ring off, I ask what message she wants young women to take from her story, and the answer comes immediately: “You don’t have to change who you are to meet anyone’s expectations.”

We log out of Zoom as Mumbai’s chaos continues its restless hum outside my window, and I hit resume on her track Gulabi Mantra – an homage to the legendary Gulabi Gang, the pink (gulabi)-sari-clad sisterhood that rose up against gender-based violence in India. Turning the song into a battle cry that lingers long after the music fades”.

Such a phenomenal artist who it has been incredible learning more about, I feel everyone should hear Peaceful Attitude. It is one of the standout albums of this year. She does have fans here in the U.K., though I don’t feel there has been as much press attention as there should be. I hope that changes, as the stunning BombayMami…

IS a music goddess.

____________

Follow BombayMami

PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren Cremer

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/bombaymami/

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@bombaymami

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@BombayMami

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6GssnSoFCEFhN0sdsaDbzT?si=oaQHyliiQUGzY-QfQxCdrA

FEATURE: Modern-Day Queens: Sian Eleri

FEATURE:

 

 

Modern-Day Queens

PHOTO CREDIT: Jasmine Engel-Malone for NOTION

Sian Eleri

__________

I have spotlighted…

IN THIS PHOTO: Sian Eleri during filming of the documentary, Keep the World Away - Finding Gwen John

the tremendous Sian Eleri before. She is one of my favourite broadcasters and someone who I feel is going to have such a long career. You can follow her on Instagram. On BBC Radio 1, Eleri presents the Chillest Show and the Power Down Playlist. She also presents Future Artists. One of the station’s best and most reputable names, a phenomenal broadcaster who is a master at providing the most cooling, chilliest and relaxing music. But she also has this eye for new artists and the best coming through. I will highlighting interviews where Sian Eleri has talked about new music. Eleri also hosts Selector Radio. Born in Caernarfon, Wales, she now resides in London. Before getting to some interviews with her – as it has been a while since I last wrote about her -, there is some biography that I need to cover off:

“Sian is one of BBC Radio 1’s leading music tastemakers, known for her warm, easy-going style and deep musical knowledge. She shares her passion across three flagship shows: Future Artists, The Chillest Show, and The Power Down Playlist. Each week, she champions artists from rising stars to household names, including interviews with Chappell Roan, RAYE, Hayley Williams, Olivia Dean, Gracie Abrams, CMAT, Role Model, Wolf Alice, and many more.

Since 2024, Sian has hosted a weekly show on Selector Radio, connecting a global audience to the UK music scene across more than 30 countries. The show has also taken her to host live gigs around the world - from Osaka to Austin, Texas.

Her love of documentary-making led to presenting the hit BBC Three series Paranormal, watched by millions and nominated for multiple awards. Across all three series - available on iPlayer - Sian brings curiosity and empathy to every story. She is currently filming a solo BBC documentary on painter Gwen John, featuring an interview with fashion icon Jonathan Anderson, due for release in 2026.

In 2025, Sian was selected to present the new Welsh-language version of The Voice for S4C, joining one of the world’s most successful entertainment formats. Filming for Series 2 begins in winter 2025. Other TV credits include live BBC coverage from Reading Festival, BBC One Wales’ cultural programme Green Space Dark Skies, Merched Yn Gwneud Miwsig for S4C (celebrating women in music), and Celebrity Gogglebocs.

Named Music Week’s Rising Star in August 2021, Sian’s deep expertise in music has seen her serve on several prestigious judging panels, including the Mercury Prize (2023–2025), the BRITs, the AIM Awards, the Youth Music Awards, the British Podcast Awards, and the Welsh Music Prize.

Sian also has extensive experience hosting live events, where her presenting style is consistently described as warm, accessible, and engaging. Whether presenting at Glastonbury, guiding audiences through BBC Proms, or hosting the Welsh Music Prize, she brings a relaxed confidence and genuine enthusiasm that makes every moment feel personal. Other career highlights include Radio 1’s Big Weekend, the British Society of Magazine Editors (BSME) Awards, and red carpet coverage at the BIFA Awards. She also curates her own gig night, TONNA’, spotlighting some of her favourite emerging artists - with more events planned for 2026.

Sian is a sought-after voiceover artist, with clients including Google, the Women’s Euros, BBC Archives, 4Music, HMRC, and the Six Nations Championship. She narrates the popular BBC Wales series SOS Extreme Rescues, and her voice can also be heard on the BBC podcast Story of Miwsig alongside DJ Huw Stephens, and across various BBC Sounds playlists.

She recently partnered with Barbour International as the face of their Badge of an Original campaign - a celebration of trailblazers who forge their own path. Sian has also been profiled by Notion Magazine as a rising star in British music and broadcasting.

Whether on air, on stage, or behind the mic, Sian brings people closer to music - with curiosity, care, and a voice that feels like home”.

This is an amazing talent who I really admire. As a tastemaker, her passion for new music is infectious and so important. I have discovered artists through her. Also, I love a great chill-out show. I feel, now more than ever, we need these in our lives. With such a calming and soothing voice, and picking some wonderful music, I try and tune into her Chillest Show and the Power Down Playlist.

Before getting to a new interview from Music Week, I do want to take us back to 2023 and interview from NOTION. In this insightful and remarkable chat, Sian Eleri discussed her debut documentary, Paranormal. She also talks about “spooky filming experiences, finding peace in pottery and why everyone should be listening to Elmeine”.

“Around 300 apparent paranormal phenomena have been documented at Penyffordd Farm: The secluded 17th Century house at the centre of Wales’ most chilling ghost stories. Muffled voices, messages carved on walls and a child’s gravestone are just a few eerie examples of creepy activity that the Gower family say they experienced while living there. The tale isn’t for the faint-hearted and many investigators have tried to make sense of it since the late 1990s. Attempting to solve the supernatural puzzle once and for all is Sian Eleri, the BBC Radio 1 broadcaster-turned-documentary-maker who’s filling me in on her TV debut, Paranormal: The Girl, the Ghost and the Gravestone, via Zoom.

Born in Caernarfon, Wales, Sian is no stranger to folklore. Learning The Mabinogion at school, a collection of mythological fables, the 28-year-old is aware of her country’s mystical allure. Penyffordd Farm has been told more as a ghost story, but it’s still widely believed to be the most haunted house in Britain. Being from North Wales, the Flintshire farmhouse has fascinated Sian all her life. Before filming, she was sceptical, but with multiple witnesses and still no rational explanation to be found, the presenter quickly realised that there’s more to the tale than meets the eye.

Before getting the bug for documentary-making, Sian was best known for her multiple shows on Radio 1. Hosting the BBC’s designated channels for soothing and sultry vibes, the 28-year-old hasn’t looked back since cutting her teeth in broadcast journalism at university. The Chillest Show and The Power Down Playlist are some of the station’s most important programs, offering listeners moments of catharsis at a time when almost half of young people experience mental health problems. Now presenting four nights a week, she’s blossomed into one of the BBC’s most respected tastemakers, interviewing artists as disparate as Jorja Smith and Disclosure. It’s this eclecticism she hopes provides listeners with an inclusive community who share her broad taste in music.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jasmine Engel-Malone

Nowadays, Sian can count herself as a true media multi-hyphenate, skilled in both broadcasting and documentary-making; she speaks about each expertise with equal fondness throughout our conversation. Digging deeper into Paranormal: The Girl, the Ghost and the Gravestone, here, the personality talks spooky filming experiences, finding peace in pottery and why everyone should be listening to Elmeine.

Do you want to make more documentaries in the future? Is this the start of something that you’re really interested in doing, aside from radio?

I’ve definitely got the bug for documentary-making. I’ve always had so much respect for documentary makers, having grown up watching Louis Theroux, Stacey Dooley and even David Attenborough. It’s given me such an amazing insight into what it takes to make a documentary compared to a radio show. Having them side by side for six months and seeing the different ways of working has been so insightful. With radio, there’s a week-long cycle of feeling, and I suppose accomplishment at the end of every Sunday night. Documentary making is long and arduous and it takes ages to make something that is visually spectacular but also, a captivating watch. It’s opened up a whole world for me which I can’t wait to dive into more.

Being a radio and now documentary presenter, you’ve got many strings to your bow. But growing up, what did you want to be?

I had no idea what I wanted to be growing up, and I found it really stressful. I never felt like I was particularly talented in one area, so I remember being really stressed as a kid, not knowing what I wanted to do with my life and what future I wanted.

I think what drew me to music journalism was the idea of storytelling. Music can be confessional or conceptual. People are building worlds in front of your eyes, whether it’s their own or one they’ve created. I think radio was almost hiding in plain sight. I’d loved Radio 1 my one my whole life; I was a religious listener of that station. I just realised, that with broadcast journalism, somebody had to do it as a job but I never considered it as possible or achievable.

Your radio shows play a vital role on the BBC network, especially in an age where people are becoming more aware of their mental health. How do you personally wind down and keep on top of your well-being?

I started doing pottery back in February and I love it. I was a big fan of The Great Pottery Throwdown and remember thinking, that looks like fun. I went to one class and I’m now obsessed with pots. I’m basically off grid for a few hours every week because I’ve got clay on my hands and can’t reach my phone. There’s no pressure to be good. I think that’s the main takeaway I get from it. I think we put so much pressure on ourselves to be at our very best all the time but with pottery, especially when I started, it’s okay to be rubbish and make mistakes.

What would you like listeners to take away from your shows?

I would like them to feel like they have a companion and a friend who loves their company just as much as they enjoy the music. It’s such a privilege to play music on a national platform like Radio 1, one of the biggest stations in the country, and to support people on various different levels. Whether it’s an artist trying to break through, or someone who’s really proud of their records, you can support them and then they potentially become someone’s new favourite artist. That’s such a special feeling.

All of the shows are really eclectic. What do you listen out for when curating the various programs? What gets the Sian Eleri seal of approval?

The production has to be top-notch. If something sounds clear, crisp and thoughtful, I think it’s already making its way up the list. Genre-wise, it’s really nonspecific. A big part of me putting the show and tracklist together is making sure that we try and make as many people happy as possible. If I can feel something from the artist, it’s mellow, and I feel a certain way about it, then I will more likely than not play the tune”.

PHOTO CREDIT: John Marshall

I feel there is still this assumption that new music or music in general comes from London. That this is the centre of it all. Artists need to be aware that you do not need to be in London to succeed and be noticed. Things are shifting. Award shows like the Mercury Prize have relocated north and there is this broadening. So many of the greatest and most promising artists around are from outside of London. Last month, this esteemed and respected broadcaster and Mercury Prize judge was in conversation with Music Week. It is a fascinating interview. As they say, Eleri is a “staunch advocate for the industry’s devolution from London, she joins Music Week for a discussion about why emerging talent is in rude health, the impact of social media and swearing on air…”.

“Clearly, the 31-year-old – who starred in our Rising Star column in 2021 – has built a reputation as one of the industry’s most trusted tastemakers. She cemented that status with her appointment to the judging panel of the Mercury Prize, last year presenting Sam Fender with the trophy at the show. Yet while she brings the required gravitas to the prestigious jobs she’s earned, Eleri is also the sort of affable, chatty friend you’d want in your ear every day.

“Considering how much I swear, it’s really lucky that I’ve not slipped up yet, but it’s only a matter of time,” she chuckles, assessing her career to date. “But I did once mispronounce saying that the clocks were turning back... Listeners obviously picked up on that and were like, ‘Oh, something on your mind?’ Gah!”

When Music Week encounters Eleri at 10am on a Monday, she’s enjoying a “slow morning” (“I always try to prioritise slow mornings just because I know the night times are particularly hectic,” she notes), but the rest of the day and week will revolve around extensive prep for all of her shows.

“Honestly, it is one of my favourite parts of the job,” she informs us. “Being able to listen to loads of music, do my own research, curate the shows and have total control is really lovely. I’m sure it’s a rarity in this day and age.”

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You took over Future Artists in 2024 – how did it feel to be stepping into Jack Saunders’ shoes and taking on that revered slot?

“It’s such a prestigious slot, so it’s not that I was surprised that I was offered the job, but it was one of those phone calls where you’re like, ‘Oh, now? You want me to have it now?’ It was the phone call that I would maybe have hoped for in three years’ time from that point, so I felt really lucky that the Radio 1 bosses felt like they could see something in me, where I clearly love music and I want to do anything I can to push artists and to promote them. But you get the most amazing people through the door. With someone like Sienna Spiro, I can remember listening to Need Me, her debut single, when she was a complete unknown with a few thousand followers on Instagram and [my producer and I] were sitting in complete silence, stunned, and staring at each other. We knew we needed to have her on the show ASAP because she was obviously next level. She’s one of those artists where you just know. Future Artists gives us the opportunity to introduce brand-new acts that will eventually be household names, and that’s a really nice feeling.”

What can you specifically bring to the show as a tastemaker?

“I remember that Music Week Rising Star interview a few years ago when I said that I wanted to champion international voices and talked about the idea that you don’t have to be able to speak English or be from the UK in order to be a really relevant artist here. I think we’re doing that [on the show]. We’re trying to reflect K-pop bands coming through, and artists that have international widespread appeal. There’s a lot of noise coming from Australia right now; I also really love [New Zealand indie band] Balu Brigada. I think everything sounds amazing from that part of the world.”

How are you feeling about the current state of new music in 2026 generally?

“I’m feeling really optimistic! I’ve noticed more emphasis on fanbases recently. If you look at someone like Alessi Rose, for example, she’s been building an audience for the last few years just by being herself online and making catchy pop songs in the process. You’re also seeing it now with Erin LeCount. About a year-and-a-half ago, she was writing music in her back garden shed studio that she built with her dad, and now she’s the next buzzy person of the moment. It’s really interesting seeing how people are discovering artists that they think are authentic and sincere, especially at a time where the whole AI conversation is looming and changing every day. It scares me a bit because it’s happening so quickly and there aren’t necessarily frameworks in place where we can make sure that we’re supporting real people in the music industry.”

Do you have a message for the business about how it can help new acts?

“I mean, people should be paid fairly for the work that they produce and there’s an imbalance at the moment, but I don’t think that’s a new idea. With the way that people consume music, artists aren’t adequately supported financially. What does that change look like? Massive. As to whether or not it will happen? I don’t know. Once upon a time, I thought I’d quite like to write something and see what that sounds like, and then I’m looking at the costs and, oh my God… It’s miraculous that anyone’s making any music at all. But in terms of how you tackle that in the music industry, it’s just a big beast, isn’t it? I don’t know where you start. But indie record labels are doing their best to uphold and champion these artists and I think we’re trying at Radio 1. We’re really trying.”

Moving back to the subject of radio – what do you think makes a great presenter?

“It’s about making the listeners’ time worthwhile. Ninety-nine per cent of the time, people are doing something else while listening – driving somewhere, cooking, or it’s the background noise when you’ve got a couple of mates around. You also find people in different circumstances in their lives. One of the most profound messages we got on a Sunday night about two years ago was from this young family and they were in an end-of-life care hospice for their daughter. It was the most devastating, heartbreaking message that you could receive, and to know that they were choosing to spend the little time they had left together [with us] was one of those things that I will never forget. On any show, I’m going into it thinking: maybe someone’s just got engaged, or maybe someone’s lost their job today. It could be the best or the worst day of someone’s life and you could be there for it.”

Alongside your radio commitments, you have been a judge on the Mercury Prize panel for three years. How have you found it?

“Oh my God, it’s been the privilege of my life to do it. What I really like is that it’s a space where new artists are on an even playing field with people that have been around for decades. Last year, for example, Jacob Alon’s debut album was there alongside Pulp, and on the same level as Wolf Alice who’ve been nominated every time they’ve released a record. It meant a great deal to me to be able to judge, and I also presented the award, which was crazy – I still can’t believe I did that! I remember being backstage and I’d deliberately gone easy on the table drinks because I was like, ‘You’re going to be on telly. Just keep your head straight.’ It was only just before going on that they were like, ‘The stage is a bit slopey’ and the heels I had on were these enormous platforms. So it was only then that I started getting nervous because I just didn’t want to fall down the stairs and make it about me.”

 

Do you have any predictions for the shortlist this year?

“Probably Olivia Dean. She’s been shortlisted before, so that’s not going to be a surprise, and the album [The Art Of Loving] is so beautiful. If we’re thinking of massive albums, it would be interesting to see where Lily Allen comes in, and Dave as well. Maybe Dove Ellis, too, because I just really loved Blizzard and the musicality in that record is amazing, but it’s hard to tell at this stage.”

The Mercury Prize is returning to Newcastle this year, while the BRITs and the MOBOs are in Manchester. Are you happy with idea that the industry is becoming less London-centric?

“I think the fact that there’s a conscious effort to move huge, televised awards like the BRITs out of London can only really be a good thing. Seeing it in real time at the Mercurys in Newcastle, it was fantastic. Music isn’t just made in London. It’s showing that music-making is accessible in your patch; that you can belong in the music industry, it doesn’t matter where you come from, and there’s no expectation that you move to London. Radio 1 continues to do that with Big Weekend, so if they can go to the trouble of finding the right kind of sites to hold an entire festival in a different city every single year, you can see that it’s possible. If anyone were to backtrack now and say, ‘Oh, I’m just going to do it in London next year,’ I don’t know if that would be a good look, so I’m hoping that things are only going to continue in this direction.”

Finally, now you’re a radio mainstay and a Mercury Prize judge who has also done some work on television, what are your hopes for the next phase of your career?

“I’ve never been someone who has a five-year plan. That question always scares me! Radio has always been my one true love. I listen to it religiously every single day, so to not be a part of it in some capacity in my career going forward is unimaginable. As long as I’m not swearing on air, and not making massive horrible mistakes, I’m really hoping I’ll stand the test of time on radio. I think there’s an amazing future in radio in general, especially at a point in our lives when online slop is kind of scary, and you don’t know what’s real and what’s not and you just want real recommendations from a human being that knows what they’re talking about, or at least tries to. If I can offer that for the rest of my career, then that will be fantastic”.

I will end it there. Go and connect with Sian Eleri on Instagram and listen to her on BBC Radio 1 and Selector Radio. This is one of the most important broadcasters in the world. One of the best too. I have been such a fan of her work for years now and it is wonderful seeing her evolution. I wonder what the coming years hold. I think Eleri will be with BBC Radio 1 for a while and may get to the position where she is hosting the Mercury Prize (BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 4’s Lauren Laverne is the current host). Truly, the utterly sensational Sian Eleri is one of our strongest…

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VOICES in broadcasting.

FEATURE: Spotlight: better joy

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Jessy Keely

better joy

__________

THE truly tremendous…

better joy is the moniker of the Manchester-based artist, Bria Keely. I have been instantly struck by her music! I first discovered her very recently after she was shouted out by BBC Radio 6 Music broadcaster, Chris Hawkins. His colleague, Steve Lamacq, spoke with better joy from the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas recently. On 23rd May, better joy is part of the Viola Beach Stage at the Neighbourhood Weekender in Warrington, which has some very exciting talent. It is the most interesting stage at a festival that is more primed to older, legacy artists. The Viola Beach Stage uncovers and spotlights incredible newer artists. This Chris Hawkins Instagram post is about an event he is hosting at Manchester’s Night & Day, where better joy is on the bill alongside Weston Loney and McGrath on 5th June. It is such a busy time for better joy. I am not sure if you can call someone with this demand and pull a ‘new’ or ‘rising’ artist, though these are still early days for this extraordinary songwriting. It is clear that better joy is on a rise and her best days are still ahead. Even so, this year has and will see better joy perform across the world and play festivals here. From local venues in Manchester to bigger events, so many people will get to see better joy in the flesh. Someone I have instantly connected with. A singular and executional voice that should be played across multiple radio stations! I cant see any 2026 interviews or features, though I am going to bring in some stuff from last year. So that we can learn more about Bria Keely’s extraordinary alter ego. The wonderous better joy is someone everyone should know. I will try and see her live one day if she plays in London again soon.

In terms of her aesthetic, by which I mean her E.P. and single covers, there is something beautiful and distinct regarding better joy’s music. The E.P., at dusk, came out last October. I am curious if there is another E.P. coming along. You can see better joy’s upcoming gigs here. She plays Dublin on 17th April. This is an artist who I feel will release incredible albums, by nominated for big awards and work alongside some major artists and producers. She will be in the industry for decades to come. I want to start by taking things back to March 2025. Leftlion spoke with better joy about the E.P., heading into blue:

“Hi Bria! Your debut EP, heading into blue, is set for release on 28th March 28th. What themes tie the songs together, and what do you hope listeners take from the body of work?

I would say it’s all about love and facing fears. There’s a lightness to them even though they’re from a vulnerable place; the music feels uplifting even yet some of the themes aren’t. I love that juxtaposition within songs. I live for those contrasts so there’s a lot of that. I hope people feel empowered when listening to the songs - there’s a hopefulness to them which I adore.

You’ve worked with producer Mike Hedges on this EP. What was that experience like, and how did it shape the final sound of the record?

It was mega! What an incredible man he is. Just working with someone who has had so much experience with some iconic bands and artists was one thing, but he really made it so collaborative and we just had a right laugh. One thing that really shaped the record was the six-string bass that we used right after he had been telling us about the Fender 6 used all over The Cure records - that was a very cool moment. 

You’re embarking on your first headline UK tour this year. How are you feeling about stepping into
this new chapter, and what can fans expect from your live shows?

Beyond excited. It’s going to be so different! After being lucky enough to support some incredible bands, the fact that people are buying tickets just to come and see us makes it a whole new ball game. There will be lots of unreleased songs, some chin wagging and so much dancing. I want people to come and feel like they get to know me a little more and connect with the music of course.

You’ve played various festivals and supported other artists on tour. How have these experiences influenced your growth as a performer?

Hugely! Experience is everything. I feel so lucky to have had so many fab opportunities with support tours towards the end of last year. You start to just get used to it and start believing in yourself more and more - there’s a comfortability that comes with doing it over and over again. Another thing is learning the signs quickly with an audience that isn’t necessarily there for you, you learn to read the room and make decisions in the moment.

As an artist from Manchester, how has the city’s music scene influenced your sound and artistic journey?

I think it's impossible to be from the north of England and not be inspired by how many iconic bands and artists have come out of here! I’d say my sound’s influenced by Johnny Marr guitar riffs - maybe not quite as complicated but those riffs that really support and guide your melodies. And I mean, a lot of the time when I’m writing a chorus I think “what would Oasis do?”, but what follows is always far from it - their choruses are something special and hard to replicate. Maybe one day!

Looking ahead, what are your hopes and goals beyond this EP and tour? What's next for you, as
you look ahead to the rest of 2025?

Release more music and ideally land some more support tours. On a personal level I just really want to carry on learning and growing. Write, absorb, create, perform is the plan!”.

The wonderful music is the blame. chatted with better joy around the release of at dusk. I really love their interview and what they were asking her. There were some lovely and in-depth interviews last year with a phenomenal young artist who we are going to hear a lot more from:

“Talk to us about your band/artist name - who or what’s to blame for its inception?

It came from someone I was working with at the time, who suggested this name. I view it more as a stage name; a band name, a stage name, so kind of the concept of calling myself something else, I  found it quite odd. When I first heard it, though, I quite liked that one, so I just ran with it for a bit and saw how it made me feel, and then it just stuck. Even now, I feel like I’m embodying it more; it’s been a process, but still I love it, and it feels like it's becoming more and more obvious why that's the name.

Who would you say is to blame for your music career?

This is different from how other people got into music. I basically didn't; it was a passion, it was a hobby. I didn't grow up in bands; that was not my thing. I liked playing piano and singing, and then went to uni, and did something completely different, sang to all my friends when I was out drunk. It just made me realise how much I enjoyed performing to people and they were so encouraging and constantly begged me to sing to them, and I was like, “oh, I really enjoy this”.

After that, I met someone, and  I was showing her my video on YouTube that I had, and she said “you need to learn to write” and I was replied, “I can't write”, and she was like “You don't know”, and I was like “Yeah, that's a good point”.

So I just tried writing, and I mean it was terrible, but I thought there were some nuggets of gold in there - maybe this is something that I could really learn to be good at and enjoy, and thank god, because now it's weird that I didn't even ever consider that.  It just came out of me, and then suddenly I was just doing it, and it just felt like part of the plan that I wasn't aware of. I'm so pleased that I just let myself discover things, and not be afraid of the mid-20s, when I'm discovering things and thinking, "Oh, I like that; I could do that".

Who are the biggest musical inspirations for the sound you’ve curated?

Phoebe Bridgers at the start. She was someone I looked up to in terms of lyrics. I was definitely absorbing a lot of her, the way that she uses metaphors. At the start of my writing, I couldn't even write a metaphor. I was so confused, and so I had to really listen to others. I wouldn't just do it on a sonic level, I would kind of split them in two, I'd study lyrics, and then I'd figure out what sounds I want.

I've loved Olivia Dean from the very start, and  I love the way that she's quite conversational, and I think I brought that into this EP especially. My music's not like Olivia Dean's, but I've been very inspired by her lyric writing and the way that she approaches that.

At that point in my life that was the best that I could have done, the most honest, but it's funny because now the stuff that I'm writing, the stuff I'm listening to and what I'm producing is so much more honest but I thought I was doing as honest as I could then and now I've just kind of tapped into it even more.  I'll constantly be changing, I'll constantly be discovering artists that I like and want to be inspired by. I feel quite inspired by change, I want to make sure I'm always changing and growing because we all are, after all.

What do you hope listeners draw from your upcoming EP ‘At Dusk’? (out 31st October 2025)

A  slice of me, A slice of my inner monologue. Some of the songs kind of touch on darker moments and darker kinds of things that happen to you, and I think hopefully they (listeners) find a little bit of solace in those songs if they've been through stuff that's similar.

What makes the Better Joy fan community so special?

It's a bit of fun, it's playing on the contrast that my music has, it's introspective, but it's fun, and that's quite human; it's the human experience.  I've just got lovely fans and I'm excited to grow with them, they seem to have a good time at the shows, and I think that's my main goal; have fun myself and hopefully that just projects out to them and they have fun listening”.

In November, I Dream of Vinyl chatted with better joy. The celebrated and sublime at dawn E.P. truly cemented her as a very special artist. Someone who has this immense talent. A voice that grabs the senses, mind and heart. This is why I wanted to write about her and see her live one day:

“It’s been a busy year for Bria Keely, the brains behind Manchester-based indie-pop outfit better joy. Having released a debut EP heading into blue back in March and promoted it with a ten city UK/EU headline tour as well as a load of festival dates, she has just followed up with a sister collection of songs. New six-track EP at dusk was produced by Mike Hedges (The Cure, U2, Manic Street Preachers, Travis) and shows a more vulnerable, darker side than previous releases.

I just stopped trying to please anyone or caring whether the music I wrote ‘fit’ a mold. It’s not on anyone else to define what better joy is: it’s on me”.

The bright and bouncy first single “this part of town” leads off the record is about the unknown in relationships and working through challenges together while the introspective “plugged in” reflects on connecting with someone and understanding love for the very first time. Our favorite track on the EP is “steamroller” which builds to a memorable chorus with a catchy riff as Bria sings about biting back after someone took a piece of you with them.

We caught up with Bria as she was getting ready to release the EP as well as preparing to go out on the road for several tours to support at dusk.

Hi Bria! How’s everything going right now?

So good thank you! On tour at the minute with Somebody’s Child, so opening for them every night is truly such a privilege! To be trusted with opening a show is always an honour! AND gearing up for the release of my EP next week too – things are good!!

Congrats on the new EP – really enjoyed listening to the songs. When and where did you write and record the record?

Thank you so much!! I wrote most of these at home. I actually started a couple of them on a solo trip to the Isle of Wight. Took some wine and my recording stuff and tried to just zone in on things! We recorded them in the Isle of Wight in Summer of 2024, so these were written in the year leading up to that.

You released your debut EP heading into blue earlier this year. Did you always see these as 2 separate projects rather than collecting the songs on 1 album?

To begin with, no! They were written and recorded at the same time but I think as time went on it became clear to me that I wanted to split the collection of songs into two. You only get one debut album so I’m so pleased I’ve had more time to develop as an artist and really hone in on what i love.

If you could only listen to one record, what would it be?

Oh no!! I’m so indecisive and to be really honest, these days I tend to listen once and then just listen to my favourite songs!! BUT if I had to choose right now, it would probably be something classic and timeless like Wunderhorse’s Cub. I’d listen to ‘Purple’ and ‘Teal’ over and over and I don’t think I’d get sick of them!

You’ve worked with legendary producer Mike Hedges on both EPs. How did he become involved and how did he help with the process?

We connected through a friend and he ended up coming to see a show and that was it! I loved working with him so much – he really believed in me and my songs. Hearing all of his stories over the recording process was incredible, so many iconic ones too! I would say one of the  best things that came out of working with him was my confidence. He really let me lead it and he believed in my instincts on things so that was a very open, fun and collaborative experience!

Who did you grow up listening to that inspired you to become a musician?

So I know this one is very different to the sort of stuff I am doing myself now, but I was really into singer-songwriters like Adele. My sister had the piano book for 21 at home and when I learnt I could sing AND play the piano at the same time, it was her songs I sang. She got me obsessed with performing!

What’s next for Better Joy in 2026?

Writing my debut album and hopefully recording it at some point! Touring and festivals hopefully!! Hard to top off 2025, but very excited for what’s next.

Manchester-born indie-pop artist better joy (Bria Keely) fuses sparky guitar melodies, pulsating basslines and deeply vulnerable lyrics into a sound that’s both infectious and emotive. After bursting onto the scene with her debut EP heading into blue (2025) and a near sold-out UK/EU headline tour, she returns with at dusk on October 31st – a more contemplative and mature six-track EP exploring growth, self-belief and connection. With a summer packed with festival appearances, support slots confirmed for Somebody’s Child, Amy Macdonald and Bastille this autumn, as well as her own headline shows, better joy is quickly establishing herself as one of the UK’s most exciting new indie voices”.

Prior to getting to that review for the stunning at dusk, there is another interview from November I want to drop in. This When the Horn Blows interview is interesting because we learn that better joy is working on a debut album. I am really excited to hear that, as it is going to be so warmly received. She is one of our best artists right now! I hope that lots of people shout about her talent this year:

“It is called ‘at dusk’ – what is the meaning behind that?

This is a sort of sister EP to my debut EP ‘ heading into blue’. With blue being the colour that represents self expression, my debut EP represented the teetering of heading into that kind of bravery of expressing myself. Whereas these songs are fully accepting myself and being as honest as I can be. Heading into the night time - ‘at dusk’ - that felt more appropriate for these songs; more vulnerable and introspective.

Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories you are willing to share with us?

This was recorded at Chale Abbey studios on the Isle of Wight. It was produced by Mike Hedges who’s produced some very legendary bands. And one thing about him is he only drinks Tequila! When we’d finish recording at night, we would all sit around and chat and drink Tequila. I would say one of the coolest things to happen was just hearing how he recorded so many bands! Especially The Cure. One night he told us Robert Smith wouldn’t record a song without a fender bass and the next day we added fender bass to almost every song!!

If the EP could be a soundtrack to any film – which one and why?

It would have to be one about love, because it definitely explores the complexities that come with being in love, loving someone, relationships in general basically. And maybe it would be good as a coming-of-age film soundtrack, so like, I dunno – Juno?  But then also, I think Steamroller would be good for a film about people being undermined, like the new film about Whitney Wolf – so a film about people rising from a difficult situation and sticking up for themselves.

Now the EP is out there – what next for you?

I’m writing my debut album at the minute, in between touring and gigs. So I'm going to finish writing that and hopefully get it recorded next year. VERY excited with the direction that’s going! So yeah! Hopefully more festivals next summer too - that would be a dream!”.

I’ll do a bit of a round-up before ending. However, I want to come to a review of at dusk from Taped Magazine. They had a lot of positive things to say about the latest E.P. from better joy. Undeniably someone who is going to have an immense and bright future, go and check out her music on Bandcamp (the link is at the bottom of this feature):

“Manchester’s Better Joy has spent the past year building momentum and recognition. Festival appearances at the likes of Y Not and Truck Festival, a recent support slot with Somebody’s and the announcement of her biggest headline tour yet have set the stage for her sophomore EP, ‘at dusk’. The six-track release, described as a sister EP to her 2025 debut Into the Blue, expands her sound while keeping the emotive storytelling that has become her hallmark. Produced by Mike Hedges (The Cure, U2, Manic Street Preachers, Travis), ‘at dusk’ sees Better Joy’s Bria Keely revealing her vulnerability across every track. The result is a sound which feels reflective but never static, demonstrating an artist truly in her prime.

The EP opens with ‘this part of town’, the track released at the time of announcing this musical offering. Through thoughtful guitar and percussion, Keely captures the ache of distance and uncertainty. Layering emotion over a hypnotic, heart-aching melody, it’s impossible to not be immediately drawn in. It’s a quietly compelling start that sets the tone for the rest of the EP.  ‘Steamroller’ introduces a subtly rockier edge while retaining the warm, melodic sensibility that has become Better Joy’s signature. Keely’s confessional lyric, “I never showed you the heavy metals in my bones,” strikes a balance between vulnerability and quiet strength. The track feels like a statement of resilience, a reminder that even in the face of challenges, Keely’s voice remains steady and spellbinding.

On ‘Plugged In’, as Keely navigates the messiness of love with ease. Gentle instrumentation and the consistent melody let her voice take center stage, making it one of the EP’s most relatable and immediate tracks. ‘I’m There’ carries a sense of nostalgia, evoking the glow of early-2000s indie-pop without ever sounding derivative. In this track we see Better Joy’s true resilience, backed by her creative storytelling.

The final two tracks ‘Big Thief’ and ‘So Long’ bring the release to a powerful close. ‘Big Thief’ is the EP’s boldest moment. Urgent rhythms and brighter instrumentation give it a sense of liberation. Keely turns tension and frustration into something empowering, showing how she can translate personal experience into something universal. Closing with ‘So Long,’ the EP gradually swells into a luminous finish. Layers of guitars and harmonies tie together the record’s recurring themes of growth, independence, and self-assurance. It leaves the listener with a sense of closure while hinting at the next stage of Better Joy’s musical journey.

By the time ‘So Long’ fades, ‘at dusk’ has already made its mark. Across six tracks, Better Joy shows vulnerability and grit in equal measure. There’s confidence here, but it never feels forced and Keely’s voice carries a delicacy that makes every track feel lived-in. This EP isn’t just a collection of songs, it’s a clear statement of intent. With at dusk, Bria Keely confirms herself as a rising force in indie-pop, an artist carving out her own space with precision, heart, and undeniable presence”.

I love seeing better joy’s Instagram right now, as Bria Keely is sharing photos of great gigs and sights. She is loving life right now and gearing up for the debut album! Getting kudos from D.J.s, broadcasters and fans, there is rightful excitement about better joy. I am shamefully new to her brilliance, though I feel she can and will soon become one of my favourite new artists. She has a load of followers behind her right now and that will only increase. Exposure in America and love beyond her native Manchester, I can see better joy hooking up with inspirations like Phoebe Bridgers. Last year was a busy and successful one for better joy, but I think he next year or two will be the most exceptional and gilded…

OF her career.

___________

Follow better joy

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/betterjoymusic/

Bandcamp:

https://betterjoy.bandcamp.com/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/betterjoymusic/

Twitter:

https://x.com/betterjoymusic

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@betterjoymusic

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4ERGM46KkPIw35YncC6PGL?si=TkfantuxTOShITtacqedQA

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCALFps1OEjVWQ1q7muZXSew

FEATURE: Beyoncé's Lemonade at Ten: Inside the Singles

FEATURE:

 

 

Beyoncé's Lemonade at Ten

IN THIS PHOTO: Beyoncé for ELLE in April 2016/PHOTO CREDIT: Paola Kudacki

Inside the Singles

__________

EVEN though Beyoncé…

has released several solo masterpiece albums, I think that her first huge breakthrough and masterpiece was 2011’s Lemonade. It followed 2013’s Beyoncé. That album was hugely loved and got a lot of love from critics. However, Lemonade took her music and genius to new levels. It created such a reaction when it was released on 23rd April, 2016. Not, of course, that the two are related, but Lemonade came out two days after Prince died. I think so many people were still stunned and numb from that shock news. When Lemonade was released two days after his death, it was perhaps a little hard to take in. I have already written about Lemonade and some of the reaction around it and writing about it. As it turns ten on 23rd April, I want to now look inside its five singles. Each different but all powerful and exceptional, here is a look inside Lemonade’s….

STUNNING singles.

 ____________

Formation

Release Date: 6th February, 2016

Songwriters: Beyoncé Knowles/Khalif Brown/Asheton Hogan/Michael Len Williams II

Producers: Beyoncé/Mike Will Made It

US Billboard Hot 100 Position: 10

Review:

“Fully realising a masterpiece can be a double-edged sword. In the two years since Beyoncé “changed the game with that digital drop”, I’ve frequently wondered just how she could possibly follow it.

If Beyoncé herself has been beset by such concerns, it doesn’t show. On Formation, she doesn’t just answer that question, but savours every delicious moment of making her statement. Just listen to her voice – or rather, voices; hanging out with Nicki Minaj (and indeed co-writer Swae Lee, one half of rap scamps Rae Sremmurd) has clearly had an effect. There’s the amused drawl of “y’all haters corny with that Illuminati mess”, the barely suppressed giggle about keeping hot sauce in her bag, the sudden giddy exclamation as she lands on the word “chaser” in the chorus. It’s one of Beyoncé’s most playful performances to date: she treats the Mike Will Made It-produced beat the same way a cat treats a ball of wool. With its rubbery springing steps giving way to horns, clattering martial tattoos and the kind of heavy bass that goes straight to your hips, there’s plenty for her to toy with; its loose approach to structure makes it more akin to a freeform dance routine than a conventional pop song.

Musically, it transpires that 7/11 – the rowdy bonus track appended to 2014’s re-release of Beyoncé on which she yelled about alcohol over harsh, metallic beats – was less a throwaway leftover and more of a signpost. But where the hood signifiers of that banger seemed designed to demonstrate that the impeccably poised artist could cut loose as messily as anyone, Formation’s declarations of identity are carefully chosen for political weight and layers of meaning. “I like my negro nose with Jackson 5 nostrils,” she declaims in the half-rapped, half-sung cadence that’s served her so well ever since she haughtily flipped In Da Club in 2003. It’s radical self-love, of course, but the metaphor is a flashing reminder of the troubled alternative that has faced black stars before now.

The video, meanwhile, opens with the singer crouched on a New Orleans police car, half-submerged in a flood – and closes with her lying back as the water engulfs both her and the vehicle. In between, footage of the city post-Katrina is interspersed with grainy shots of dancers shot from above, as though from a police helicopter; opulent gothic mansions straight out of the antebellum South, now owned by Beyoncé and her band of black women in vintage lace. Most effective of all is an extended shot of a child dancing in front of a row of riot police, who raise their hands in response to his moves before the camera cuts to graffiti reading “STOP SHOOTING US”.

Between the child dancers and the vintage constumery, there are echoes of Missy Elliott’s classic videos here; overall, it’s a striking way to underline the ways in which southern blackness – the culture and experience of it – is important to Beyoncé in 2016. As with her hyper-specific lyrics, it feels notable that she seems increasingly uninterested in universality; Formation’s references are designed for maximum resonance – or perhaps alienation, depending on where you stand. It’s a song ostensibly about Beyoncé’s identity that forces the listener to acknowledge their own identity – a bold move from the world’s biggest pop star, who over her career has been no stranger to the kind of song written so vaguely as to apply to anyone and anything. The presence of New Orleans bounce rapper Big Freedia works in a similar fashion; Formation may be Beyoncé’s blackest song yet, but thanks to Freedia and a healthy dose of exhortations to slay, it’s also her most gay.

Beyoncé’s abiding interest in money has made for some of her best moments; not in a reductive materialist sense, but because she has a deep understanding of how money informs social and romantic relations. Bills Bills Bills was never a gold-diggers’ anthem but rather a study of the way dating dynamics can turn on finance; on Irreplaceable, what hurt her the most was seeing her boyfriend “rolling her round in the car that I bought you”; on Rocket, Beyoncé even gave a sly wink to this trait of hers, whispering at the carnal climax: “What about that ching-ching-ching?” Here, a particularly terrific stretch sees her troll straight men by flexing her economic muscle over them: she’ll reward a good lover with a fast food meal, and – insert casual shrug – maybe even let him go shopping, too. When Drake, a rapper fêted for his sensitivity, can insult a rival simply for having a more accomplished girlfriend, Beyoncé revelling in her ability to keep her man in fancy treats feels like a much-needed riposte (and, in a way, a flip of the scenario her teenage self described in Bills Bills Bills).

The central tension in Formation is between its playfulness and the anger underpinning it; often, there’s a disconnect between Beyoncé’s carefree voice and the powerful images on screen. As it goes on, though, the significance of the dance becomes clearer. If Beyoncé’s self-titled album was a fundamentally personal statement, the painstaking work of a woman engaged in deep analysis of herself, her desires and her place in the world, Formation finds her turning her attention outwards. Ultimately, it is a rallying cry, and it couldn’t be more timely; when Beyoncé begins to exhort her ladies to get in formation, it’s the sound of a militia being prepared for battles ahead” – The Guardian

Sorry

Release Date: 3rd May, 2016

Songwriters: Beyoncé/Diana Gordon/Sean Rhoden

Producers: Beyoncé/MeLo-X/Diana Gordon

US Billboard Hot 100 Position: 11

Review:

“On April 23, in the year of our Beyoncé 2016, Queen Bey created a cauldron of steaming hot tea and called it “Lemonade”. And it was very, very good. The HBO exclusive shocked the world through 12 songs and a holistic visual experience, complete with gorgeous gowns, celebrity appearances, social justice, spoken word poetry, black girl magic, and a national forest’s worth of shade.

Two months later, Beyoncé has released a standalone clip from “Lemonade” as her video for “Sorry”. While it’s hard to pick a favorite moment from “Lemonade”—it’s a tough call between every time Beyoncé wore vintage lingerie in an abandoned mansion and every time Jay Z had to look really apologetic on camera—“Sorry” is by far the most iconic single.

The song's Warsan Shire-penned intro promises “ashes to ashes, dust to side chicks” and Beyoncé delivers. “Sorry” is a middle finger to cheating husbands and the trifling wannabes who love them. It features an abandoned school bus, about fifteen outfit changes, Beyoncé cussing and Serena Williams twerking. Plus, “Sorry” will always have a special place in the hearts of the Beyhive as the track that introduced the world to Jay Z’s most infamous alleged mistress, “Becky with the good hair.”

Hopefully, in addition to “Sorry” and “Formation,” more bits and pieces of “Lemonade” will hit YouTube in the coming months. So cancel your Tidal subscription—or in my case, stop creating fake Gmail accounts for 30 day free trials—and let this music video usher you into the summer of “boy, bye.” Not you, Becky” – The Daily Beast

Hold Up

Release Date: 27th May, 2016

Songwriters: Thomas Pentz/Ezra Koenig/Beyoncé Knowles/Emile Haynie/Josh Tillman/Uzoechi Emenike/MeLo-X/Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman/DeAndre Way/Antonio Randolph/Kelvin McConnell/Karen Orzolek/Brian Chase/Nick Zinner/Raini Rodriguez

Producers: Diplo/Beyoncé/Ezra Koenig

US Billboard Hot 100 Position: 13

Review:

“This is the liminal moment right after a betrayal but before the consequences. When the freedom of the fall causes a rush. When a head gets light and loopy. When life suddenly seems limitless. When the rules—of gravity, of morality, of empathy—no longer apply. For Beyoncé, this moment means skipping down the street with a baseball bat named Hot Sauce as the world bursts into fireballs behind you.

“Hold Up” is a delirious flight of fancy. The music has no weight, no place, no time—a calypso dream heard through walls and generations. The video lets us peek at this dream without bringing us down to dirt; though the naturalistic soul of New Orleans can be felt throughout much of the Lemonade film, “Hold Up” is pure Hollywood. It is authentically inauthentic, a perfectly lit soundstage in which hydrants pop on cue, billowing fans give lift to hair and dresses, and dudes with “In Memory of When I Gave a Fuck” shirts pop wheelies on the zeitgeist. It is a parody, tribute to, and destruction of what we have come to expect from a Beyoncé video.

But it’s the precise words coming out of a precise mouth that make this hallucination seem real. Fifteen people contributed to the writing of this song, but only one really matters. When Beyoncé works in the pained refrain of Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Maps,” she makes it glorious while allowing our memories to hint at the anguish underneath. Soulja Boy’s swag—invoked here as a shoulder-brushing afterthought—has rarely felt so on. There are a few rapped bars that put her rapper husband’s deepest insecurities on display; the quick verse is more incisive than anything Jay-Z has done in years.

Of course, craziness can’t last—eventually, somebody’s going to have to fix all those busted windows. But not here. Not now” – Pitchfork

Freedom

Release Date: 9th September, 2016

Songwriters: Jonny Coffer/Beyoncé/Carla Marie Williams/Dean McIntosh/Kendrick Lamar/Frank Tirado/Alan Lomax/John Lomax, Sr.

Producers: Coffer/Beyoncé/Just Blaze

US Billboard Hot 100 Position: 35

Review:

“If you have not yet heard of the album Lemonade, I kindly ask that you emerge from the rock under which you have been living for the past number of months and familiarise yourself with this collection of songs by Beyonce. It is a conceptual album that pushes the boundaries of music, blurring the lines of genre to create a sublime piece of art, a pinnacle record that will be revisited by music lovers for ages to come. Lemonade is the culmination of the efforts of some of the finest talent in the music industry today, each a master in their field and some even pioneers in new styles and sound. The song Freedom, which features the talent of Kendrick Lamar is one of the masterpieces on Lemonade.

Freedom can be summed up in one word; powerful. This song gives a new lease of life to the R’nB and Hip Hop genre. The production of the track, which was Just Blaze and Jonny Coffer’s domain, has been executed with such skill in the way that samples of many culturally significant songs have been included and the moment in Lamar’s rap where the echo effect gives a scare- I instinctively looked back over my shoulder expecting a haunting figure to be there. This hair raising moment is an exciting theatrical effect in Freedom. Lamar is a huge star in the hip hop universe and his pairing with Beyonce for this track is formidable.

The core message in the song is about breaking away from your own metaphorical chains. The organ wailing while the lyric “cause a winner don’t quit on themselves” is sung in full blown soul mode by Beyonce and is inspiring and makes you feel as if you can take on the world. It is an empowering” – Renowned for Sound

All Night

Release Date: 2nd December, 2016

Songwriters: Thomas Wesley Pentz/Beyoncé/Henry Allen/André Benjamin/Antwan Patton/Patrick Brown/Timothy Thomas/Theron Thomas/Ilsey Juber/Akil King/Jaramye Daniels

Producers: Diplo/Beyoncé

US Billboard Hot 100 Position: 38

Review:

“After all of Lemonade’s turmoil and tragedy, “All Night” uplifts and inspires. Beyoncé has always been an incredible purveyor of love songs, but this is one of the most raw and, perhaps, realistic. There’s no crazed passion, no danger, no balladeering — instead, there is painful imperfection, deep admiration, and most of all, fervent hope. Amid its trepidation, “All Night” sounds triumphant, with a steady groove, warm guitar, and the unforgettable brass line from OutKast’s “SpottieOttieDopaliscious.” The honesty and poetry of its lyrics paired with depth and breadth of its production make “All Night” an incredible entry in Beyoncé’s oeuvre” – Rolling Stone Australia

FEATURE: Groovelines: Lady Gaga - Judas

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

IN THIS PHOTO: Lady Gaga shot for Vogue in 2011 by Mario Testino

Lady Gaga - Judas

__________

IT wasn’t that long ago…

when I marked Lady Gaga’s fortieth birthday. She turned forty on 28th March. I wated to revisit this artist because her album, Born This Way, turns fifteen on 23rd May. Her acclaimed second studio album, it contains some of her best-known songs. For this Groovelines, I am concentrating on one in particular. The second single from the album, Judas was released on 15th April, 2011. So I wanted to spotlight this standout Gaga track fifteen years after its release. Often ranked alongside her greatest singles, I am going to explore it a bit further. "The song is about honoring your darkness in order to bring yourself into the light", Lady Gaga told Google. "You have to look into what's haunting you and need to learn to forgive yourself in order to move on". A top ten success in the U.S., U.K. and multiple nations, it was a smash. Critically acclaimed too. The music video ruffled some feathers. The Catholic League's president William Anthony Donohue criticised the music video for its portrayal of Gaga as Mary Magdalene. He called her irrelevant. Madonna probably faced this when she released Like a Prayer in 1989. That single gaining controversy because of its video. In this article from Vibe, we get some insight from Lady Gaga about the provocative video. Labelled ‘controversial’, this is instead an artist pushing boundaries and being bold. Often attacked as being irresponsible or offensive:

“The always controversial Lady Gaga has been spending a lot of time defending her current single “Judas.” With a number of obvious biblical references and depiction in the music video, critics have been coming up with their own rationale behind the pop powerhouse’s lyrics.

E! News sat with Gaga to get the full story.

“It’s essentially about me going back to an ex-boyfriend and still being in love with someone that betrayed me, someone that was bad for me. That’s really what the video is, the video is a metaphor for forgiveness, and for betrayal and darkness being one of the challenges in life as opposed to being a mistake. The name Judas is something that bears such an intense connotation. I often feel misunderstood, and I think my fans do too. I think [the video] liberates the word in a lot of  ways…takes it out of the negative and into the positive.”

“I try to write from a really honest place when I write pop music, and then carry the message of the song into a more deep and more symbolic visual. That’s really what the video is, the video is a metaphor for forgiveness, and for betrayal and darkness being one of the challenges in life as opposed to being a mistake.

“The name Judas is something that bears such an intense connotation. I often feel misunderstood, and I think my fans do. I think [the video] liberates the word in a lot of ways…takes it out of the negative and into the positive.”

“I figured if I’m gonna get stoned for making this video, I’ll stone myself first.”

Interestingly enough, Lady G’s camp dropped another single from her upcoming disc Born This Way. Listen to the difference below”.

When it comes to artists bringing religion into their videos, I tend to find that churches and religious groups are the most serious and least humorous people. Always seeing it as an attack. So it was unsurprising that Judas got some people upset. However, as this article from The Christian Post explores, it is not about being anti-religion. Lady Gaga making a statement. Women in music especially pilloried and attacked if they do anything that is in the least bit challenging and daring. A major Pop artist using Judas and that biblical figure as a metaphor and not directly referencing him:

“I don’t really view the video as a religious statement. I view it as a social statement. I view it as a cultural statement.”

Repeating and reiterating throughout the length of the interview, “the video really is just a metaphor” and “not meant to be an attack on religion,” Gaga specified that she respected and loved everyone’s beliefs. “My fans know that about me.”

Gibson, the creative director, also revealed in The Hollywood Reporter (THR), “We don’t touch on things that we have no right touching upon, but the inspiration and the soul and idea that out of your oppression, your darkness, your Judas, you can come into the marvelous light.”

“So it’s about the inspiration and to never give up... We’ve created a new Jerusalem.”

A believer in the Gospel message herself, she told THR, that the video went through several changes and late-night debates. “At one point, there were two completely different views and I was like, ‘Listen, I don’t want lightning to strike me! I believe in the Gospel and I’m not going there.’”

“It was amazing to have that conversation about salvation, peace and the search for the truth in a room of non-believers and believers,” Gibson mentioned. “To me, that was saying God is active in a big way.”

Like Gaga, who felt her song “Judas” was God-sent, the famous choreographer stated, “I do believe God inspired and worked on everyone’s hearts.”

Though the 25-year-old headliner made plain efforts to emphasize the material had no religious significance, it seemed both she and her “sister” Gibson, were seesawing between the secular and religious connotations themselves.

Author David W. Stowe posited in The New York Times, “Interestingly, it’s Lady Gaga who offers a throwback to the less-segregated pop of the past... While the song is unlikely to herald an end to the religious/secular rift in pop music, maybe it takes someone as genre-bending as Lady Gaga to bring mainstream pop and Christianity back together

In fact, several concert attendees testified that the pop artist spent much time talking about Jesus throughout her show, and not in a “blasphemous way.” Her message was simple: It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do...Jesus loves you.

Critics still are wary of her doctrine and are careful to distinguish between the creed of the Bible – Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life – and her own beliefs, which many believe are dangerously over focused on the self.

Even the main idea behind “Born This Way,” another controversial song on the album, is that “you can be reborn over and over again, as many times as you like in your life, until you feel that you have found the person you can love the most in yourself.”

Nonetheless, Gaga is not out to teach anyone anything, she declared. “I don’t think my fans are stupid. They’re so smart, my fans, which is why I make the videos that I make because I know they understand the imagery.”

“It always means something to me when I can see that the music has affected their life in a positive way. That’s the greatest gift they could give me, is when I see that they’re loving themselves.”

She desired to be a good influence to her fans and “more importantly, reverse pop icon.

“Don’t idolize me, idolize yourself,” the pop singer advised – to the probable angst of many believers.

Whatever message she is spreading, it appears Gaga isn’t through with all the controversy just yet. “I just want to keep pushing forward and making things that are great and thought-provoking.”

Her release of the complete album on May 23rd is sure to draw some flames, with songs like “Black Jesus, Amen Fashion,” which is based on her move to downtown at nineteen.

“It’s like me saying iconic imagery my whole life taught me to look at Jesus and look at religion in a certain way, so I say black Jesus as a representation of an entire new way of thinking... [like] saying [a] new way of thinking is as easy as putting on an outfit.”

Gaga concluded her interview by stressing for the last time, that the video was “just an artistic statement,” not an attack on anyone, and also told Rancic what she felt her purpose was.

“I believe I was put on this earth to cause a ruckus,” she claimed, which indeed she appears to be faithfully and most ostentatiously doing”.

Born This Way was the lead single from the album of the same name. There are some who feel it should have been Judas. Arguably a song with more punch that makes a bigger statement. I do think that Judas is one of Lady Gaga’s defining tracks. This article from The Guardian provided excerpts from an interview that appeared in Saturday's Weekend magazine in May 2011. Simon Hattenstone got this exclusive interview with Lady Gaga:

“Lady Gaga has described her relationship with fans in religious terms, saying: "If I can be a leader, I will."

In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, the singer, whose current single is called Judas, refers to her recent Monster Ball tour as "a religious experience", becoming for many, an alternative to organised faith. But she goes on to clarify, "it's more like a pop cultural church".

The pop star has developed a devoted fanbase over the last two years, and her single Born This Way is being championed as an anthem for the disenfranchised, particularly in America.

Yet she insists: "It's more self-worship, I think, not of me. I'm teaching people to worship themselves."

Gaga gives her own explanation as to why her fans, who she dubs "monsters", have come to look to her for guidance rather than the establishment. She says: "The influence of institutionalised religion on government is vast. So religion then begins to affect social values and that in turn affects self-esteem, bullying in school, teen suicides, all those things.

"It puts me in an interesting position as an artist whose fanbase is commercial and widening. If you were to ask me what I want to do – I don't want to be a celebrity, I want to make a difference."

She continues: "I never wanted to look pretty on stage and sing about something we've all heard about before. I'd much rather write a song called Judas and talk about betrayal and forgiveness and feeling misunderstood, and talk to the fans and figure out what it is society needs. If I can be a leader, I will."

The statement appears to echo John Lennon's 1966 declaration that the Beatles were "bigger than Jesus". But Gaga is at pains to point out that she is not fundamentally against the church. "Don't say I hate institutionalised religion – rather than saying I hate those things, which I do not, what I'm saying is that perhaps there is a way of opening more doors, rather than closing so many”.

I am going to end with a review of Judas from NME. I have seen some reviews trat dismissed the track or felt it did not stand out. Though I would disagree. Judas is one of Lady Gaga’s most distinct and enduring singles. One that I hear widely played to this day:

“Because ‘Judas’ is the song that Lady Gaga should have come back with. You can see why she didn’t, since it is employs so many of the hallmarks that make a Gaga song a Gaga song. It’s typically Gaga, unmistakably in the same lineage as ‘Bad Romance’ and ‘Poker Face’.

It has the opening vocal freeforming ‘ra ra woos’. It has the nursery-rhyme-simple but addictively compelling chorus refrain. It has the techno breakdown and the spoken-word segments. Yet its genius (and we are going to very tentatively use the word ‘genius’, in the sense that we believe pop music at its best is a genius medium) is that it really doesn’t sound like Gaga in her comfort zone at all.

For one, the heavy-metal-techno sonic gymnastics she promised from the album are present in a way they weren’t on ‘Born This Way’. The breakdown has elements of the hardest techno and the boingiest dubstep, yet the chorus is so instantly pure-pop unforgettable that it just might – might – be even better than ‘Bad Romance’.

Lyrically, it doesn’t sound quite so provocative as the pre-hype would suggest, which itself makes it more accessible. ‘Born This Way’ was so heavy-handed in the positioning of her as a leader for the freaks and outsiders that it led to a minor backlash among people who don’t consider themselves to be freaks and outsiders.

Here, the religious iconography is used more as metaphor for an individuals struggle between the dark and the light sides: “I’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby he’s so cruel, but I’m still in love with Judas, baby.”

Or, at least we think that’s what we’re getting from: “In the most Biblical sense, I am beyond repentance. Fame hooker, prostitute wench, vomits her mind. But in the cultural sense I just speak in future tense. Judas kiss me if offenced, or wear an ear condom next time.”

We’re going home to listen to it another seven times. But we at NME happen to believe that Lady Gaga is one of the most amazing things to happen to pop music for a long, long time. And she’s come back with a song that restores our faith that the ‘Born This Way’ album when it comes is only going to boost her amazingness quotient. So all is good with the world”.

On 15th May, Judas turns fifteen. Born This Way was Lady Gaga's first number-one album, and it was the highest first-week total since 50 Cent's The Massacre (2005) sold 1,141,000 in its first week. Gaga was the fifth woman to sell one million copies in a week, after Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard Soundtrack, 1992), Britney Spears (Oops!...I Did It Again, 2000), Norah Jones (Feels Like Home, 2004), and Taylor Swift (Speak Now, 2010). You can read about the album’s immense commercial performance here. It was a huge moment for this still-emerging Pop artist. Judas helped to make Born This Way this titan of an album. Judas scores high when it comes to ranking her songs. In 2020, The Guardian ranked it fifth: “Dismissed at the time as Gaga’s attempt to remake Bad Romance, Judas plays out more like that track’s gloriously unhinged, turbo-charged sequel. Gaga alternates between a robotic half-rap, a strange caterwauling shriek and then, on the Steps-esque chorus, a pure pop vocal perfect for radio ubiquity. Underneath the lyrical blasphemy, RedOne cooks up an industrial-strength soup of house, pummelling electro and, at the 2min 40sec mark, the sound of a synth disintegrating punctured perfectly by a levity-inducing “Eww” from Gaga”. Included in the list of the eleven best Lady Gaga songs (it came in seventh), this is what Ticketmaster said about Judas: “Born This Way saw Gaga embracing her theatrically with open arms, and ‘Judas’ is the perfect blend of her two worlds – a creative piece of electro-pop with an operatic twist. Always inclined towards the darker side of house and electronic music, Gaga references this in the lyrics as well as the production, singing about her love for a man who betrayed her, but also insinuating that she is the one dragging him into the dark. Larger than life in every sense and complete with a Gaga-style chanted bridge, it’s hard not to be seduced by it”. As it turns fifteen on 15th April, I wanted to spend some time with Judas. Perhaps seen as unmemorable or retreading other songs of hers in 2011, Judas has gained better recognition and respect in years since its release. It is among the very best songs from a Pop icon who is still…

BREAKING ground to this day.