FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: A Modern Club Mix

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

IN THIS PHOTO: Carly Wilford/PHOTO CREDIT: Abby Cohen

A Modern Club Mix

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FOR most of my…

PHOTO CREDIT: Isabella Mendes/Pexels

mixtapes, I tend to focus on mainstream artists or particular types of music. In terms of going beyond that, what about songs played at the club? Whether that is a club in the city, by the beach or a great D.J. mix at a small club, I do not spend enough time exposing that type of music. For this Digital Mixtape, I am going to source some modern-day bangers. Those that get the body moving or bring us together. A few songs that are a little darker and cooler. It has been interesting researching for this playlist and listening to some of the tracks out there. Maybe people can guide me in the direction of others. Whether for a late-night club-night or something in the afternoon heat surrounded by wonderful views and the sea, this mixtape should get the blood running. Get this mixtape started and…

IN THIS PHOTO: Georgie Riot

TURN the volume up.

FEATURE: Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill at Thirty: Inside the Iconic Ironic

FEATURE:

 

 

Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill at Thirty

IN THIS PHOTO: Alanis Morissette photographed in Cologne, Germany in 1995/PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Cummins/Getty Images 

Inside the Iconic Ironic

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THERE is a whole…

Wikipedia section that argues whether the lyrics in Alanis Morissette’s Ironic are, in fact, ‘ironic’. You know the scenarios: rain on the wedding day; a free ride when you’ve already paid; a cutlery conundrum. Taking away from the brilliance of the song, this argument and quibble has not really done a lot to emphasise the brilliance of Ironic. Alanis Morissette herself knows that the situations are ironic – though people didn’t quite grasp the type of irony and how clever the lyrics are. I will address some of that debate but, as the album the song is from, Jagged Little Pill, turns thirty on 13th June, I wanted to focus on its – in my opinion – most popular and standout song. Released as a single on 27th February, 1996, it was the fourth (of six) singles released from the album. I want to actually start out with something from Wikipedia. In terms of the reaction the linguistic debate. That was all people talked about when the song came out. Rather than discuss the quality of the music, they were talking about whether Ironic has any irony in it:

“The song's usage of the word ironic attracted media attention; according to Jon Pareles of The New York Times, it gives a distinct "unironic" sense in its implications. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, irony is "a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what was or might be expected; an outcome cruelly, humorously, or strangely at odds with assumptions or expectations". From a prescriptivist perspective, lyrics such as "It's a free ride when you've already paid" and "A traffic jam when you're already late" are thus not ironic.

Morissette said: "For me the great debate on whether what I was saying in 'Ironic' was ironic wasn't a traumatic debate. I'd always embraced the fact that every once in a while I'd be the malapropism queen. And when Glen and I were writing it, we were not doggedly making sure that everything was technically ironic." In 2014, Michael Reid Roberts wrote a defense of the song for Salon, saying that it cites situational ironies: the "state of affairs or event[s] that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often wryly amusing as a result". Michael Stevens of the YouTube channel Vsauce devoted time to the discussion of irony in the 2014 episode "Dord". In this video, Stevens considers the difference between the typically cited "situational" irony, versus "dramatic" irony. According to him, the irony of the song may not necessarily be in the situations themselves, but rather in the dramatic irony – when someone is unaware of the significance of the event while others are: the situations aren't ironic themselves, but life itself is ironic”.

I am going to end with a couple of features that, for once and all, write why Ironic is actually filled with situations that are ironic. The fact people have misinterpreted the song and falsely taken against it. Is that ironic?! It is hard to find a feature about the song that does not solely focus on its lyrics and whether they are ironic. I guess it is important to highlight them. Before that, I want this review of Ironic:

“One of the things that surprises me most on returning to it with fresh ears is Morissette’s tuning, which is wayward enough that I’d expect almost any producer these days to correct it almost by reflex. However, the reason why it never bothered me at the time, and why a knee-jerk corrective impulse would have been particularly misguided in this instance, is that I really think that the tuning supports the performance. The unvarnished vagueness of the pitch centres in the ‘hai-ai-ai’ introduction and verses really cements the mood of whimsical cynicism there, for instance. Highlights in this respect include the wobbly pitch-rise of “Chardonnay” (0:26), the mocking exaggerations of “afraid to fly” (1:05), and the tetchy meandering of “cigarette break” (2:23). Furthermore, I think her general tendency to drift sharp in the choruses works well too, because it’s something many singers (and indeed instrumentalists) naturally do when they’re pushing the volume into straining territory, so I’d argue that it significantly reinforces the emotional intensity in this context.

Such beautifully judged manipulation of pitch is only one aspect of what is quite simply a phenomenal vocal performance. Just the variety of vocal deliveries used is tremendous, from the softest of head voices through to hard-edged belting, with moments of speech, whispers (“don’t you think” at 0:36), a fatalist half-laugh (2:37), sudden falsetto switches (1:08), and that trademark turbulent, whistling exhalation at the end of “thought” (1:48) thrown in for good measure. She even turns a breath into a hook, for heaven’s sake, when her big lungful at 2:43 mugs you into thinking the last chorus is coming two bars earlier than it actually does.

There’s some interesting panning during the first verse, with the lead vocal well to the right — solo the individual stereo channels and you’ll hear she’s at least 12dB down on the left side. However, given that the only other instrument in the mix is the acoustic guitar, which is panned in opposition, the only real casualty in terms of mass-market translation would be anyone hearing only one side of the mix. Even under those circumstances, though, mix engineer Chris Fogel’s sensible decision to avoid hard panning means that the left-side listener doesn’t lose the lyrics entirely. And the scheme isn’t without its pop-sensibility benefits either, because the sudden movement to the centre of the panorama for the first “It’s like rai-ee-ain…” flags up the switch to Alanis’s more powerful vocal delivery for stereo listeners, while single-speaker listeners get an additional level hike at the same point by virtue of the stereo-to-mono conversion”.

It is interesting how Alanis Morissette was not especially attached to Ironic. She did not want to put it out. This happens with many artists. They get this huge hit and then years later recall how they were not keen and wanted to leave it off an album. In a 2020 Rolling Stone Music Now episode, Morissette talked about Ironic and her feelings towards it at the time:

“In the latest episode of Rolling Stone Music Now, Alanis Morissette discusses her powerful new album, Such Pretty Forks in the Road, 25 years of Jagged Little Pill, and much more, including a moment when she laughingly addresses years of “shaming” over those dubious examples of irony (a black fly in your Chardonnay?) in her hit song “Ironic.” To hear the entire episode, press play below or download and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Spotify.

In the hit Broadway musical version of Jagged Little Pill (now shuttered indefinitely due to the current health crisis), the show’s characters echo years worth of mockery of the song: “That’s not irony,” one says. “That’s just, like, shitty.” Morissette says Diablo Cody, who wrote the show’s book, “nailed it” in that scene. The songwriter is hopeful that the musical will finally put the topic behind her: “Until the next generation kicks my ass! Until the next onslaught of shaming!”

In any case, Morissette was never particularly attached to “Ironic,” which largely stood apart from the autobiographical narrative of the Jagged Little Pill album. “I didn’t even want it on the record,” she explains. “And I remember a lot of people going, ‘Please please, please.’ So I said, OK. That was one of the first songs we wrote, almost like a demo to get our whistles wet. But people wound up really liking the melody, and I wasn’t that precious about it. And I came to realize later that perhaps I should have been,” she admits, laughing. “Whoops!”

“I guess one of the things that is the scariest for us in terms of our collective shame is being [seen as] stupid or uneducated or ignorant,” Morissette adds. “I can embrace, ‘I’m stupid,’ I can embrace that I’m really brilliant. It just depends on when you catch me!”.

I am going to finish with a couple of interesting features around the lyrics for Ironic. A classic written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, it was a huge chart success. Number one in her native Canada, it was a big success in the U.S. and U.K. I am going to move to the first of two features from Salon. Last year, they dissected the philosophy of Alanis Morissette:

“We don’t know whether Alanis read or cared about the Greeks, but she’s made hundreds of mentions of Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung and how his pioneering theories of analytical psychology deeply influence her songwriting. Jung died in the early '60s before irony began trending as a fundamental human relation. Although he had no explicit definition of irony, he theorized that humans are strongly influenced by symbols expressed through myths and dreams or other cultural touchstones. In his emphasis on the gap between our surface words or actions and their deeper psychological meanings or feelings, Jung would probably say that irony questions and subverts normative cultural narratives. He would understand irony as an archetype drawn from our collective unconscious.

This is the way in to grasping how Alanis does effectively utilize irony. She has a deep understanding of and a postmodern comfort with cognitive dissonance, with lyrics that describe the affective landscape of the gap between our gestures and expectations. Sadly, one of the best defenses of “Ironic” comes to us from Vince Vaughn. The opening sequence of the 2013 film "The Internship," which Vaughn wrote and starred in, has “Ironic” blasting in a convertible with the top down as Vaughn and Owen Wilson head out for a night on the town. Wilson is dismayed that this song is on Vaughn’s “get psyched” playlist and they debate it. “I defy you to crush this chorus and not get psyched,” Vaughn says. Wilson does so and then is indeed psyched. One hundred percent of the examples given in “Ironic” are bummers, and yet the lyrics close with a reminder that life has a funny way of helping you out.

"Irony does not involve the simple substitution of the opposite for the literal meaning."

That’s Barthesian irony. Roland Barthes was a French literary critic who worked in semiotics, the study of signs and symbols, just as Jung did. Compared to the Greeks’ understanding of it, Barthesian irony is less concerned with opposites. He simply defined it as a rhetorical device involving a double meaning. The discrepancy between the two meanings generates ambiguity and this ambiguity can push a listener to interpret the lyrics of “Ironic” in a new way. You can sing about all the bummers in “Ironic,” but do so joyfully, embracing even the hard parts of life as inevitable or necessary. Our struggles help us out. Framing something bad as somehow yielding something good is a subversive move when it allows multiple, conflicting interpretations of a song at the same time. It offers ten thousand spoons instead of one knife. This multiplication of meaning is a form of linguistic play, a turning to imagine what one might do with the unexpected bounty of ten thousand spoons. When critics dismiss “Ironic” as made up of a failed set of literal opposites, they miss the point: irony is a rhetorical whirlwind that disrupts language and undermines normativity.

Dualistic dismissals of “Ironic” foreclose its vivacious, nonbinary complexity. “Irony does not involve the simple substitution of the opposite for the literal meaning,” said Barthes in "Elements of Semiology." “It is a form of semantic pivot which overturns the hierarchy of language, bringing into play the signified and the signifier, the explicit and the implicit, the internal and the external, the present and the absent.” By Barthesian standards, “Ironic” is ironic. This is especially true when Alanis questions whether life can be a little too ironic. The Greeks conceived of irony as pass/fail, but Alanis considers irony to be a spectrum, and she slides from side to side across the examples in the song in a manner that is definitely akin to Barthesian play. The most critics can really claim is that she didn’t do so on purpose.

Diablo Cody knew she wanted to directly address the decades of controversy about “Ironic,” especially given that Alanis consistently has a playful attitude about the criticism. Cody writes that Alanis was “always open” to poking gentle fun at the song and “there is such a discourse around the inaccuracy of that song.” The use of “inaccuracy” here is telling, as if a rhetorical device could be objectively correct or not. She set the debate in an English class because it absolutely does belong there. “I would not have taken that meta approach unless I had felt that the song demanded it,” she wrote. Rather than make fun of the song, Cody forthrightly admits she wanted to “make fun of the song’s critics.”

Celia Rose Gooding relates to the way criticism is deployed against her character, to shut her up in a grand sense just as critics tried to quiet Alanis. “People don’t like it when women speak their truth,” Gooding says in the musical book. “When you can find a little piece of something almost fractionally incorrect, it’s so easy to just say, ‘You’re wrong. You’re stupid. You don’t know what you’re talking about, girl.’” There’s the feminist seedling. We’ve covered why the broader French mode of irony that makes space for “Ironic” is superior to the Greek mode that excludes it, but we have not yet tied the irony issue to a larger conversation about sexism in the dismissal of Alanis’ work.

For this, we turn to the work of Lauren Berlant. Berlant was one of the most influential 21st century American cultural critics, known for pioneering the field of affect studies. Though they didn’t build upon Jung directly, their examination of how emotions are socially constructed is well aligned with Jung’s notion of how archetypes format human experience. Berlant theorizes that women’s feelings are simultaneously expressed and constrained by sentimentality. The portrayal of intense emotional states tied to women’s experiences is certainly a main mission of Alanis’ body of work and could also be considered a Jungian archetype. "Jagged Little Pill" is exemplary of the psychological landscaping Berlant is interested in as a cultural expression operating at the intersection of emotion, gender and power in public life. To silo or deride the mission of Alanis is to file it away as “female complaint”.

I am going to end with an earlier Salon feature. One that came a decade before the previous one. If some feel Ironic’s lyrics contain no irony, then retrospection and examination has proved otherwise. This is what Salon wrote in 2014. A song I first heard in 1995, I have loved it ever since. It never gets boring or loses any of its brilliance:

“First, let’s get this out of the way: calling Alanis Morissette’s lyrics unironic is wrong. From “irony” in the Oxford English Dictionary:

3. A state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what was or might be expected; an outcome cruelly, humorously, or strangely at odds with assumptions or expectations.

This accurately and uncontroversially describes almost all of the song’s situations. For everyone I know, rain on one’s wedding day would indeed be cruelly, humorously, and strangely at odds with expectations. This sort of irony is usually called “situational irony,” and while I’m usually opposed to breaking irony apart into discrete kinds, the phrase works pretty well here to describe the many ironic examples that Alanis describes. Both that 98-year-old-man and Mr. Play-it-Safe possess fates that are truly ironic; they struggle to create a meaningful narrative in the face of a world that thwarts their intentions. The only moment in the song that doesn’t easily fit into this definition of irony is one of the last, with the “man of my dreams” and “his beautiful wife.” There is certainly a contrast there, but it doesn’t seem to be one of expectations; I’ll get to that later. In general, though, the song evokes the disparity of meaning that comes from the difference of expectation and actuality. Just because no one is being sarcastic doesn’t mean the song isn’t ironic.

But let’s not stop there. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that in writing this Alanis has a much deeper, more radical, and philosophical concept of irony. It seems to me that Ms. Morissette is remarkably well versed in the theories of irony from Erasmus to Paul de Man; if she hasn’t read their works herself, then she has certainly internalized much of the theory of irony not only as a trope but as a question of philosophy.

Take, for example: “It’s the good advice that you just didn’t take.” This is the vaguest line in the song, and it seems to pose a challenge to the ironist. Presumably the situational irony here is that the listener didn’t expect the advice to apply, whereas it did indeed. But why didn’t “you” take the advice? It’s possible that you thought the advice-giver was being ironic, and didn’t intend for you to heed the advice. Or you simply thought that the advice wasn’t “good” when it was; either way you don’t take it “seriously.” In fact that word, “seriously,” haunts the end of the lyric; the irony here is one of (mis)interpretation. Paul de Man addresses this difficulty of interpretation in his essay “The Concept of Irony” (not to be confused with Kierkegaard’s book of the same name): “what is at stake in irony is the possibility of understanding, the possibility of reading, the readability of texts, the possibility of deciding on A meaning or on a multiple set of meanings or on a controlled polysemy of meanings.” Doesn’t Alanis provide the perfect example of living in a world where we’re unsure of what to take seriously, and what not to? And who, really, would have thought it figures?

A more global question: what is “Ironic” really about, anyway? I turn to the bridge/outro: “Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you / Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out” What is she talking about here? How is life helping her out? It seems to me that this song, like so many songs on Jagged Little Pill, is describing the wistful emotional reflection that a Gen-Xer feels when distanced from her own life experience. Think Daria, think Reality Bites. It’s telling that the music video features three Alanises taking a road trip: Alanis sees herself from the outside. A friend once described this popular 1990s attitude as “the meaningfulness of meaninglessness.“ Come to think of it, that describes the poetry of T.S. Eliot pretty well too.

Or, put another way, Alanis is describing the affect of Kierkegaardian irony. From the philosopher’s book The Concept of Irony:

In irony, the subject is negatively free, since the actuality that is supposed to give the subject content is not there. He is free from the constraint in which the given actuality holds the subject, but he is negatively free and as such is suspended, because there is nothing that holds him. But this very freedom, this suspension, gives the ironist a certain enthusiasm, because he becomes intoxicated, so to speak, in the infinity of possibilities…”.

It is a shame more people have not properly talked about Ironic! As a piece of work and how it sits alongside other songs from the 1990s. Most of the features zone in on the debate around Ironic’s actual irony. I think that Ironic is one of the many genius tracks from Jagged Little Pill. As that album turns thirty on 13th June, I was keen to spotlight its biggest track. I may do another feature around the album but, for now, I am sticking with Ironic. A superb track that continues to be played around the world, I think it is important everyone…

SHOWS it some love.

FEATURE: Feminist Icons: Caitlin Moran

FEATURE:

 

Feminist Icons

PHOTO CREDIT: Mark Harrison 

Caitlin Moran

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SOMEONE who I have…

PHOTO CREDIT: Jay Brooks/The Guardian

discussed a fair bit recently, I am including Caitlin Moran in my Feminist Icons feature. You can find her books here. I am going to bring some interviews with her. Finishing off with promotion around her latest book, 2023’s What About Men?, I want to start out with some interviews from an interview from 2012. Apologies if this is a little scattershot and random. What I aim to do with this series is introduce people to feminist writers and provide links to their work - and drop in a few interviews. I will start with an interview Published in 2012, when Caitlin Moran spoke with NPR. They write how Moran “says that most women who don't want to be called feminists don't understand the term”. This is a writer, author and feminist whose words and work has really inspired me:

“GROSS: (Laughter) OK, great.

MORAN: (Reading) So here is the quick way of working out if you are a feminist. A - do you have a vagina? And B - do you want to be in charge of it? If you said yes to both, then congratulations. You're a feminist, because we need to reclaim the word feminism. We need to reclaim the word feminism real bad.

When statistics come in saying that only 29 percent of American women would describe themselves as feminist, and only 42 percent of British women, I used to think, what do you think feminism is, ladies? What part of liberation for women is not for you? Is it the freedom to vote, the right not to be owned by the man that you marry, the campaign for equal pay, "Vogue" by Madonna, jeans? Did all that stuff just get on your nerves, or were you just drunk at the time of survey?

These days, however, I am much calmer, since I realize that it's actually technically impossible for a woman to argue against feminism. Without feminism, you wouldn't be allowed to have a debate on a woman's place in society. You'd be too busy giving birth on the kitchen floor, biting down on a wooden spoon so as not to disturb the men's card game, before going back to hoeing the rutabaga field.

GROSS: Thank you for reading that. That's Caitlin Moran, reading from her new book "How To Be A Woman." So why do you think so many people, so many women, don't want to be associated with the word feminism?

MORAN: I think it's simply because they don't know what it means. When - one of the reasons that I wanted to write a whole book about feminism, rather than just endlessly wanging on about it in a bar - which had previously been my technique in order to spread the word for the sisterhood - it was because I was meeting a lot of younger women. And I would kind of confidently say oh, well, you know, we're all feminists here.

And they would, with a look of horror, as if I had just banged them on the knee with a fork, go no, I'm not a feminist. And you go, what do you mean? And, you know, you kind of - you run through kind of, you know, what being a feminist means, sort of like voting and, you know, rape being illegal and not being a legal possession of your husband.

And they go, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, we're into all of that. I said, well, you are a feminist then. Women are feminist by default. And you live in a feminist world. The first world is feminist. You are educated equally to boys. You're expected to go into equal employment with boys. In a marriage, you are legally equal. So, you know, you cannot deny we live in a feminist world.

GROSS: What made you realize that?

MORAN: I never didn't realize it. I was, I mean, I was brought up in a kind of, you know, very hippie, liberal family. And it was just always automatically assumed that men and women were equal and indeed superior. I mean, when you've got a mother who's given birth to eight children, you know, often without any kind of medical intervention - just she gave birth to one of my brothers sort of on the bedroom floor in front of all of us -you know, you see that women are fairly capable.

So that was why it was always weird kind of, you know, whenever we did have a television - our possession of a television was sporadic because we were quite poor, and they would often be repossessed. But whenever we did have a TV, and you'd see the women on television, you'd be like, why are these women kind of pretending to be stupid or just kind of - just being all blonde and giggly and kind of only operating as an adjunct to the male characters? You know, why aren't the women as important as the men?”.

The mother of teenage daughters, in 2020 for The Guardian, Caitlin Moran wrote how she marvels at some of the things she got wrong in How to Be a Woman. However, there is a lot she got right! I guess things changed and shifted in the years after that book was released (2011). I would urge everyone to read all of her books. Even if some observations are not quite accurate or Moran things they it is dated, they are essential reading. Moran speaking about her experiences as a woman:

“What are the key changes since I wrote How To Be A Woman? Mainly, they are incredibly positive: when I see what my teenage daughters are listening to, reading or watching, whether it’s Michaela Coel in I May Destroy You staring at a menstrual blood clot on her bed, Lizzo singing about body positivity, the Broad City girls hustling for their dollar in NYC, Jameela Jamil showing off her stretch marks, Janelle Monae singing about bisexuality, or Queenie hitting the clubs, living her best life and surviving the asshats, I think, with great satisfaction, how this is the the best era for joyous, mainstream feminist role models young women have ever had. In 1985, I had the choice of Margaret Thatcher or Miss Piggy. Back then, young women really had to make do.

The only thing I would do, as someone who is now officially an Old Crone – these are my Hag Years, and I am proud of them – is caution all these amazing, strident young maids: don’t eat your sisters. While feminism’s online call-out culture stems from good intentions – to accelerate progress, to hold people to account – it is noticeable that there is barely a feminist of the last 10 years, whether it be a pop star, comedian, academic, businesswoman, politician or activist, who hasn’t, at some point, been brutally hauled across the social media coals for getting an aspect of feminism “wrong”.

These days, there is hypervigilance around talking about being a woman that makes “being a woman” feel like something a bit effortful, and perilous, and something you could publicly fail at – which is a miserable climate to be young in. One enduring aspect of being young is believing in moral absolutism. We’ve all done it: I remember thinking I would never be friends with someone who preferred the Stone Roses over Happy Mondays. But this is, undeniably, a far more inflexible and judgmental era than when I was a teenager, or young woman.

So many young feminists I meet are in such a state of anxiety about accidentally saying the “wrong” thing – so terrified of making a mistake on social media, despite wanting, desperately, to be kind and good – that they would prefer to remain silent on various subjects. This puts the future of feminism in a risky position because online activism is, like love and care, unpaid work. And when women shame each other for free, for months on end, the patriarchy simply sits back smoking a big cigar, touching its genitals, and murmuring, “Yes, ladies, yes, keep fighting. Could some of you – the younger, sexier ones – maybe put on a bikini? And do it in this pool of jelly?”

From my 45-year-old Witch Throne, where I have seen feminism ebb, flow and ebb again, I feel I should croakingly remind everyone, once more, about the most crucial, brilliant, sometimes frustrating thing about feminism: it’s really not a science. It has no rules. It’s still just an idea, created by millions, over centuries, and it can only survive if the next generation feels able to kick ideas around, ask questions, make mistakes and reinvent the concept over and over, so we can build the next wave of feminism. And the next. And the next.

Feminism is at its best when it looks like freedom. When it remembers that you must never underestimate the importance of progress looking like it could, among other things, be fun. When it’s the place where women can feel relaxed, and hopeful in their bones. When they feel so connected with each other that, sometimes, they can go up to strangers on a train at 10am on a Tuesday, happily shouting about how they have just discovered another new, brilliant thing about being a woman”.

Caitlin Moran has started new conversation about feminism. For What About Men?, she turned her focus on men. Realising how there isn’t a positive men’s movement. It is a really fascinating book that got a lot of unfair backlash and criticism – mostly from men! I want to move to an interview with GQ. Again, I am quoting various bits from interviews to give you a broad overview of Caitlin Moran. I would urge people to read further and definitely seek out her books:

“One of the tricky things Moran has to navigate is that her talking points about why men are in peril put her in strange company with those bogeymen currently stalking our classrooms: Tate, Jordan Peterson and a thousand imitators of their psuedo-intellectual schtick who ooze down TikTok’s FYP like an oil spill, coating our teenage boys’ brains with muddled convictions about “body counts” and the “proper” role of women alongside dubious advice about stock trading and how to bench press. Anyone who has been longing to read a proper, funny takedown of either charlatan will find much to enjoy in What About Men?; Peterson in particular brings out the ferocious best in Moran’s writing.

"Whenever Peterson hits on a truth, it’s usually someone else's" In this exclusive extract from her new book What About Men, Caitlin Moran takes aim at the Canadian author and his 12 Rules for Life

“I didn’t go to university, but when Time magazine is calling [Peterson] the most important intellectual of our time, I’m reading his book going: ‘No! This is either stuff pulled from other people or stuff your Mum would say!’” she says, “undercut with the fact that he's a very depressive, fundamentalist Christian whose Twitter feed just tells you where he's at now – it's all climate denial, rampant, really awful transphobia and this belief that Justin Trudeau is somehow the Antichrist.”

We return to her original point, about who has paid the price while the conversation around men has soured. “The stakes in this are teenage boys. To men and women of my generation, it’s a recent corrective that feminism is so positive – women are the future! Beyoncé! Feminist clubs and vagina merchandise on Etsy! We don’t realise that for 15-year-old boys, that’s all they’ve grown up with. For them, they’re going ‘When was the last time anyone said anything good about boys?’”

Nothing visits misery upon the world like a young man who hates himself. In the end, if there’s a self-esteem crisis developing among men, people of all genders will bear the load of it. In the suicide epidemic, for example, which is the biggest killer of men under 50, it is often female relatives who are left to pick up the pieces. Over the past decade, it has sometimes felt like we’ve lost sight of how interconnected our fates are. Men have benefitted hugely from women becoming more empowered over the past decade. It’s resulted in better conversations, stronger workplaces, plenty of great art. If we can find a positive narrative for men – a way to make just being a man something to celebrate, without leaning into the regressive cruelty of Tate – maybe we can start to return the favour.

For what it’s worth, the dog line made me laugh out loud

Moran suggests the answer isn’t to reverse feminism but to be inspired by it: for men to get our own adjacent little thing going. “Feminism isn’t a set of rules about women,” she says. “It's a set of tools for understanding gender. So if we want to reinvent men, you go and look at these tools that we invented that allow you to go: is this because of my gender? Why is this a problem? I don't like these clichés about my gender.”

Moran’s attempts to kickstart this positive narrative around men make up the bulk of the book. While some sections feel more aimed at providing eureka moments for middle-aged mums – chapters on “The Cock and Balls of Men” and pornography cover ground we’re pretty familiar with, thanks very much – What About Men? ends with a list of characteristics she has decided, with the help of her Twitter followers, are typical of men when they are at their best. It includes things like “nonjudgmental”, “protective”, “brave”, “joyous” – before Moran realises she’s been describing a dog.

This passage – which recently ran as an extract in The Times – has already attracted a backlash to the book, an early sign of the choppy water Moran is about to swim into. For what it’s worth, the dog line made me laugh out loud, and realise how much we’ve desperately needed some levity in the conversation around masculinity. It’s all become so loaded, so tense, so joyless.

Since How To Be A Woman, Moran has, in her own words, been “cancelled 20 times”, her politics found wanting by younger generations. Others this week have already pointed out that not all well-meaning men have spent the past decade sitting on their hands – many have started organisations and charities aimed at tackling the crisis facing young boys. Moran is not inventing the idea of a positive conversation around men any more than she invented feminism in 2011. But what her book does, I think, is give a green light for the discourse to get a little lighter, a little more human, a little less po-faced and uptight and – frankly – scared.

“Women are at peak ‘Don't give a fuck’ at the moment,” Moran says. “You are so richly rewarded if you find a taboo and bust it. Women have found the perfect tone to that, which doesn’t hurt anyone. Men haven’t found that yet”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Lane

I am going to end with an interview from TIME. I am going to write more about Caitlin Moran in future features. Do her proper justice. However, as a modern feminist icon and one of our most important writers, I did want to revisit her work. In terms of where she goes next, I am fascinated to see what she will cover. I think Moran will focus on positivity and serotonin. Writing about women and their experiences but bringing joy into the mix:

“How worried should women be about plight of modern men? What with overcoming the imbalance in leadership, eliminating the gender wage gap, and figuring out how to address sexual assault, women have quite a lot on their plate already. Then again, it's hard to deny that men are struggling. They are more likely to be imprisoned, to be homeless, and to be unemployed and less likely to graduate from college. Recently a new (and unexpected) champion added her name to the list of people officially concerned about men's predicament: the feminist writer Caitlin Moran.

“You just described something as feminism which feels more like just women being supportive of each other. Are they the same?

The feminist movement goes, "Let's collectively not just change our own lives and solve our own problems, but let's change legislation. Let's change business. Let's change the structure." Each chapter in my book is a problem that men face that is specific to their gender. About half of their problems are things that could just be solved by brotherhood, you know, talking to each other and helping each other. But the other half do need some kind of systemic change, whether it be an education, in employment, in medical care, in mental health.

Moran's Rule No. 2 is that the patriarchy is screwing over men as hard as it's screwing over women. Is it patriarchy or is it changes in technology and global trade?

I think all men presume they're in the patriarchy, and they're winning. And it's like, no, no, no. There's 10 guys at the top of this tree, who are doing OK, but you're being f-cked over as well because you're the guy that’s scared he’s about to be punched when you go to school. You're the one that's been told not to cry. You're the one that doesn't have paternity leave. The advantage women have is that we talk about the patriarchy, and we know how it disadvantages us. Men haven't yet started the conversation. So they're only about 50 years behind us in terms of talking about gender.

Did writing this book you change your mind about men?

If you're a 15-year-old boy, in the last 10 years, [female empowerment] is all you will ever have heard. Their dads know that this is a very recent and mild corrective to 10,000 years of patriarchy because they can remember a childhood of rampant sexism everywhere. The boys just don't have that perspective. And so they are angry.

I'm wondering what you think your chances are, as a noted feminist, of getting young men to read your book?

My favorite thing is to find an area that's taboo, shameful, dark, difficult, and awkward, anything that's usually hard to start a conversation about, and to find a way of starting a conversation about that, where you can basically blame me. Mums can read this and they can find a sort of modern, relaxed, humorous, realistic way to talk to their sons about things like violence and extreme online pornography, which would otherwise be a difficult topic to raise in the middle of Christmas Day”.

Someone whose work I really love and someone whose books I think everyone should own. If you are not familiar with her work then go and seek her out. I am going to end things there. An incredible writer whose work has touched and inspired so many girls and women, I also think many men have connected with her words – I most definitely have! I cannot wait to follow her career going forward. Even though she is a journalist who writes regularly for The Times, there is something about her books that is especially compelling. I love the way she writes. For those with very little Caitlin Moran in their collection, go and…

ADD her to your bookshelf.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: A Selection of the Best Singles from 2025

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

IN THIS PHOTO: HAIM 

A Selection of the Best Singles from 2025

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I recently…

IN THIS PHOTO: Lorde

shared a mixtape of songs from the best albums of the year so far. Even though we are four months into the year, I wanted to do a bit of a temperature check and look back. It has been a terrific year for music. One of the best years in recent memory. In terms of the album that have come out, there have been some gems that will go down as classics. Be talked about for years. The same goes for singles. I cannot recall all the terrific singles that have come out this year. Instead, I have assembled many of the best. Again, like songs from the best albums, there might be some omissions. Other people might have their own views of which are the best singles of 2025. It would be interesting to hear some feedback. However, below is a range of the wonderful singles from this year. It goes to show that the music of this year is…

IN THIS PHOTO: Father John Misty/PHOTO CREDIT: Ward & Kweskin

PRETTY damn incredible.

FEATURE: From Under the Waves: The Modern-Day Introduction to Kate Bush

FEATURE:

From Under the Waves

The Modern-Day Introduction to Kate Bush

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RETURNING to a subject…

that I have covered before. That concerns discovery of Kate Bush. In terms of music discovery and who is being highlighted by the press, it is new artists. Unless there is a bit of news relating to an established and legacy artist, you only really discover them if you hear them on the radio or through streaming. Although a lot of the youngest generation do listen to radio, most of their new music information is through streaming and online. They are not necessarily listening to mainstream stations or have that desire to connect with classic artists. That might sound all-sweeping. Things are different from when I was young. Born in the 1980s, my music education was a mixture of my parents’ collection, radio and browsing through albums at record shops. Physical music sharing was a big thing. Whether that was a new artist or something our parents owned. Now, that dynamic and trend has changed. My path to Kate Bush was – as I have said multiple times – a VHS copy of her greatest hits collection, The Whole Story. It made me think about Kate Bush and how she is being discovered by teenagers, children; adults in their twenties perhaps. It is a huge event when a Kate Bush song is used in film or T.V. and that reaction grabs a lot of new fans. Even if there is a new album coming from Kate Bush, if someone is not aware of her already, how do they discover her? Unless they follow particular music websites or are in the right place at the right time, it would be pretty easy to miss out. I guess it is an issue with any artist. However, there has been some groundswell and vibrations remaining from Bush’s success and new relevance following the Stranger Things phenomenon in 2022. However, as I am someone who has been a Kate Bush fan for decades, I can still see this issue.

One of the good things about the modern age compared to my upbringing is social media. Even though it has many faults and flaws, when it comes to music sharing and awareness, it is easier to find artists. TikTok videos that have Kate Bush music. Whatever the official/unofficial name of the Kate Bush fan community is – think we are settled on Fish People?! -, they are doing great work. Sharing videos, posts and images, you can feel their influence. However, when it comes to capturing a whole generation, Generation Alpha, you do wonder how many that sort of thing will recruit. Streaming sites are very much about the major artists of today. Whether that is Lorde, Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny or wherever, it is not really set-up to lead younger listeners to older artists. Maybe they are not seen as relevant. If they are not putting out new music, then are they are as valuable as modern acts who are producing new stuff? Also, as Kate Bush is in her sixties, she is not going to get the same sort of focus and platform as a younger artist. There is a debate as to whether Kate Bush is known by those in their teens or twenties. It depends where you live and whether you know a lot of exiting Kate Bush fans. If you did stop a hundred people on the streets of London let’s say, maybe half would be sure who Kate Bush is. However, I suspect they may know her for the only song – most likely Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God). A small percentage might be able to name a few songs. That is something I guess. However, if you only know or hear the one song then you are far less likely to bond and stick with that artist. I discovered Kate Bush as a child but then there was conversation about her. People my age knew about her. My parents’ generation also discussing her. Now, when we want to win some new Fish People, what is the best way of undertaking that?! When the blessed Kate Bush does release another album, many will instantly pass it by. Assuming, as it is from an artist in her sixties, it is not contemporary and cool enough for a young audience. Assuming that children and teens only like modern Pop and artists like Charli xcx. It is a form of discrimination, stereotyping and ageism that needs to change. Sure, this is true of some of that age. However, Bush’s music crosses genre and age barriers.

I do wonder how many non-initiated to the joy of Kate Bush’s music see a song of hers on a TikTok video or shared on Instagram and are compelled to dig deeper. If a big celebrity posts an Instagram reel or story and they use a Kate Bush song. On the strength of that single track, are they likely to commit to a deeper dive?! It is hard. Maybe people like me are subjective. Huge fans of Bush, maybe we are a little out of step with a more objective viewpoint. What I mean is that it is perhaps hard for very young listeners to discover legacy artists when there is so much out there and they are subjected to so much information and music. However, I don’t think films and T.V. shows should do a lot of the heavy lifting. There needs to be a consistency and easier access for younger listeners. I do worry that a certain disposability and ephemeral aspect of music means that few are able to commit and concentrate. Objectively, Kate Bush is a fascinating and pioneering music. Her sounds can be traced to artists of today. She cannot be defined by genres and you cannot lazily pigeonhole her. She has so many different aspects to her brilliance. As a producer, lyricist, technological innovator and vocalist, there is so much to discover and admire! I wonder if there is an easy solution. When I last discussed this subject last year, I asked how easy/hard it is to spread the gospel of Kate Bush the the younger generation. It is very hard in a modern world where there is emphasis on the new – and the young. I guess we Kate Bush fans have to keep writing about her, discussing her work and sharing her music. We can only hope that her brilliance reaches young listeners…

FOR generations to come.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Tracks from the Best Albums of 2025 So Far

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

IN THIS PHOTO: HotWax/PHOTO CREDIT: Derek Bremner

Tracks from the Best Albums of 2025 So Far

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WE are not even half-way…

IN THIS PHOTO: Sam Fender

through this year, yet there have been so many incredible albums released. Some year-defining greats that will mark 2025 out as one of the strongest and most diverse years for musical excellence. I have compiled a mixtape of songs taken from the best albums of the year so far. I am likely to (accidentally) miss a few, so apologies there are some that have not made the cut! Regardless, from wonderful bands through to pioneering and world-class solo artists, this year has already produced an embarrassment of riches. I am going to assemble another playlist featuring the best singles of 2025. I will do updates to both around July and December. Try and capture as much of the year-best music as I can. Checking in as we end April, it has been such a tremendous year for albums. Here are songs from the…

IN THIS PHOTO: FKA twigs

VERY best of 2025.

FEATURE: Groovelines: Aaliyah - Try Again

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

Aaliyah - Try Again

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THIS phenomenal track…

turned twenty-five on 26th March. Aaliyah’s Try Again was a single taken from the soundtrack of Romeo Must Die. That film, where Aaliyah starred alongside Jet Li, was not especially well received. However, Aaliyah was a fine actor and there was this huge promise. You could have imagined future roles that saw her act in coming-of-age stories, Black comedies and socially gritty films that would have made her this esteemed actor. Unfortunately, Aaliyah died in a plane crash on 25th August, 2001 on her way from The Bahamas following filming of the music video for Rock the Boat. That single was included on her eponymous album – released just over a month before she died. Try Again was included as a bonus track on international editions of Aaliyah. Losing such an amazing artist at the age of twenty-two, it was a huge shock! Redefining contemporary R&B and Hip-Hop, Aaliyah was dubbed the ‘Princess of R&B’ and ‘Queen of Urban Pop’. Her legacy was enormous. Artists including Beyoncé inspired by her. Try Again is one of her most popular songs. Produced by Timbaland and written by Timothy Mosley and Stephen Garrett, the song was a huge international chart success. I am going to get to some features around Try Again. First, here is some information about the reception for Try Again:

“Robert Hilburn from the Los Angeles Times gave a mixed review of the song saying, Toni Braxton "would have brought more vocal presence to this smash from the Romeo Must Die soundtrack, but Aaliyah does express the youthful optimism of co-writer-producer Timbaland's gently taunting ode to romantic resilience".[42] In his review of Romeo Must Die: The Album, Christopher O'Conner from MTV News said "It's been a long time/ We shouldn't have left you/ Without a dope beat to step to, Timbaland proclaims in his murky voice as the electronica fuzz bass of "Try Again" kicks off the album. He's not bold. He's not out of line. He's just honest. And he's right". Music Week labeled the song as a "funky uptempo workout" and highlighted its early on radio support. Stephen Dalton from NME mentioned that the songs production was "veering increasingly close to the far fringes of left-field electronica", and that it wouldn't "sound out of place in an underground German techno club".

Renee Bell from Radio & Records said "Try Again" "shows a more mature Aaliyah", and explained that its "positive and encouraging lyrics move the single up the chart, and it continues to receive much love from radio. Who says sex sells? Not all the time". Bell's colleague Rob Neal felt that Aaliyah "hasn't missed a beat" and that her "smooth vocals, along with Timbaland's trade-mark production, are a hit for the urban audience. Neal also praised the song's lyrical content saying, "An encouraging message with clean lyrics and an uptempo beat make this song a winner in three different areas". While reviewing Romeo Must Die: The Album, The Ledger said that Aaliyah steals the show on the soundtrack and that she "makes 'Try Again' and 'Are You Feelin' Me?' soft and sexy" Writers from Variety concluded that Aaliyah "demonstrates her confidence in love" on the song”.

I would advise people to read about Aaliyah. Such an incredible artist who has inspired so many others, I would point you in the direction of this article and this. This article from 2012 discusses how Aaliyah’s influence is everywhere. Before getting to some more in-depth analysis of Try Again, in 2023, producer Timbaland revealed that Try Again – or its incredible sound – was sort of a ‘mistake’:

“Timbaland has revealed one of his biggest hit records, Aaliyah’s “Try Again,” was made by mistake.

During his sit-down conversation with the I AM Hip-Hop podcast, Timbo explained how playing around with his keyboard led to creating the hit 2001 record, which served as a bonus track off Aaliyah’s self-titled third and final album. It was also released as the lead single off the soundtrack to the 2000 film Romeo Must Die.

“I was playing with the keyboard and it was a mistake, and my engineer Jimmy Douglass caught it,” he said. “I said ‘Jimmy did you catch that lil rhythm?’ [and] he said ‘I sure did. So [after] he caught it and played it back, I put the beat on it. I said ‘Ooo chop it right there,’ and he chopped it right there.’”

The Virginia native also revealed the late Static Major wrote Aaliyah’s verse and that Jay-Z told him the record was a hit. However, it took Timbo some convincing as he wasn’t sure of the track’s success at the time.

“When Jay-Z came in the studio he was like ‘Oh my God,’ and then I was like, ‘yeah we got one,’” Timbaland said.

Timbaland surely did have “one” with the song as it rose to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the first track to do so strictly off airplay as it wasn’t commercially released in the United States. It also peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Airplay, No. 3 on the Mainstream Top 40 and No. 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.

If that weren’t enough, “Try Again” was also nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards, and the accompanying Wayne Isham-directed music video won two MTV Video Music Awards in 2000”.

I want to move to a very in-depth feature from Stereogum. Try Again was a number one in the U.S. in June 2000. This feature explores the background and lead-up to Try Again and beyond that: the legacy Aaliyah left. She changed so much in her short life. Such a distinct and instantly memorable song, Try Again is still played widely to this day:

“The coolest person in the world. In the last few years of her way-too-short life, that was Aaliyah. I can’t think of any other way to describe her. Aaliyah made futuristic brain-scramble music, and she did it on a huge stage, helping introduce wild and psychedelic new sounds to the mainstream. But Aaliyah never made a big deal about the way that she updated the pop-music vocabulary. Instead, she found ways to float effortlessly over non-Euclidian alien soundscapes, making them sound as natural as a shrug or a sigh.

Aaliyah could sing, and she could sing in ways that most of her ’90s R&B peers never even attempted. While the rest of the R&B landscape was locked in a melisma arms race, everyone competing to see who could sing the most notes, Aaliyah flattened her delivery out into a pillowy glide. There was never any sweat in her sound. Instead, her voice was an ethereal flicker that fully internalized the twists and turns of the strange new tracks that she chose.

Aaliyah’s cool went far beyond her power as a musician. She was beautiful enough to stop your heart, and she did interesting things with her beauty, carrying it with a sense of adventurous poise. The people who worked with Aaliyah have always remarked on her lack of ego, her collaborative verve. She seemed to enjoy her fame, even though she’d been exploited in every way that a person could be exploited. When Aaliyah died, she’d already left a deep impact on pop music, and she was standing on the precipice of movie stardom, too. There’s no telling what she could’ve become if she hadn’t boarded that overloaded plane in 2001.

tatic Major and Timbaland wrote “Try Again,” and Timbaland produced it. Static’s original lyrical idea was that “Try Again” should be about the importance of persistence. But Barry Hankerson, still managing Aaliyah, told him that it had to be a love song, so Static reworked the lyrics. You can kind of tell. The chorus, presumably unchanged, riffs on the old cliché about trying again if at first you don’t succeed. The verses make vague allusions to some kind of romantic situation, and they’re a little slapdash. Aaliyah still sells them. Her narrator is into somebody, but she’s not willing to give in to her feelings fully. She wants this other person to keep courting her, but she won’t commit to anything: “This ain’t a yes, this ain’t a no/ Just do your thing, we’ll see how we go.” Maybe she’s stringing this other person along. Maybe she just hasn’t made up her mind yet. Either way, it seems totally plausible that this other person would want to keep trying.

On a song like “Try Again,” though, the lyrics are entirely secondary. It’s the sound that hooks you. When Timbaland made the “Try Again” track, he was in a whole other zone, seemingly reinventing his style from one song to the next. On the “Try Again” intro, Tim lays out his intentions: “It’s been a long time; we shouldn’t have left you without a dope beat to step to.” With that line, Tim paraphrases something that rap god Rakim had said on Eric B. & Rakim’s 1987 single “I Know You Got Soul.” (Eric B. & Rakim’s only charting Hot 100 single, 1992’s “Juice (Know The Ledge),” peaked at #96. They also guested on Jody Watley’s 1989 hit “Friends,” which peaked at #9. That’s an 8.) With that quote, Timbaland paid tribute to a rap elder, and he also made sure to point out the dopeness of his own beat.

Tim actually hadn’t made anyone wait a long time without a dope beat to step to. He was making dope beats all the time in the late ’90s and early ’00s. But if Tim wanted to draw attention to what he’d done on “Try Again,” then fair enough. The “Try Again” beat is something special. It starts out with echoed-out hi-hats coming in from all sides, as extremely synthetic strings and horns recall the burnished-steel gleam of Brad Fiedel’s Terminator score. The drums come in from odd angles — some sounds seemingly played backwards, others hitting at irregular intervals. Tim layers his own murmured, echoing hypeman vocals all over the beat, making himself a part of his own textured track. When the beat kicks in, it’s driven by the same kind of wriggling 909 bassline that drove so many Detroit techno and acid house classics.

There are sonic ideas all over “Try Again”: ghostly wandering sitars, eerie synth whistles, Tim doing the “vicky-vicky” DJ-scratch imitation that he always loved so much. Given all that, you’d think that “Try Again” was a domineering dancefloor track, but that’s not really what it is. Instead, “Try Again” is all insinuating atmosphere. It winds and wafts its way through the air like incense smoke. Timbaland and Aaliyah’s vocals are narcotically understated. Aaliyah breezes through Tim’s sound effects. She’s an island of self-assurance in all that nervous rhythmic play. She’s fully locked in with Timbaland; I love the blithe ease of her “you don’t wanna throw it all away” bit.

The other night, I got high, threw “Try Again” on in my headphones, and took my dogs out for a walk. It might’ve been the highlight of my week. “Try Again” casts a spell. It wiggles and worms and darts and hiccups. Sometimes, the track sounds like it’s breathing, with all sorts of gasps and sighs from both Tim and Aaliyah showing up everywhere. But the groove never dominates the melody. Instead, melody and groove support each other, blurring into one another until it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. “Try Again” doesn’t really have a bridge, and it repeats its chorus a whole lot of times. In most cases, that would come across as lazy songwriting. With “Try Again,” it’s different. Every new chorus repetition is just an invitation to bask in that sonic world for a few seconds longer. It’s a strange, striking, beautiful song. I loved it in 2000, and I love it now.

Wayne Isham, the veteran glam-rock director, made the “Try Again” video. Nothing much happens in the clip. There’s a room full of mirrors and floating platforms, and Jet Li and Aaliyah dance with each other via Hong Kong wire-work. But Aaliyah, rocking an extremely sparkly bra/choker situation, brings her strange angular star power to every frame she’s in. She’d come a long way from the baggy leather jeans and skullies that she’d been rocking a few years earlier. Here, her swagger comes across as pure glamor.

When “Try Again” reached #1, it became a significant pop-chart first. At the time, “Try Again” hadn’t come out commercially as a single. Billboard had always used a combination of single sales and airplay to figure out the Hot 100. Through most of the ’90s, the magazine wouldn’t list songs that weren’t available as singles. Even after that rule changed, songs that weren’t singles were at a distinct chart disadvantage. “Try Again” still broke through to become the first-ever airplay-only #1 hit. (After the song reached the top, Virgin pressed up a vinyl single.)

More importantly, though, “Try Again” is the first Timbaland production to reach #1. Tim had made plenty of hits, but his imitators, producers like Rodney Jerkins and Kevin “She’kspere” Briggs, had broken through on the Hot 100 first. (Those Timbaland ripoffs were mostly pretty great, too. That’s just how cool that sound was.) “Try Again” proved that Timbaland wasn’t just a sonic pioneer; he was also a guy capable of making the biggest song in the country. Timbaland will appear in this column again, both as producer and lead artist. But “Try Again” was the only #1 hit from Tim’s true heyday as both a craftsman and an experimentalist.

Aaliyah wouldn’t get a chance to repeat what she’d done with “Try Again.” After Romeo Must Die, she flew to Australia to film her second movie, the vampire flick Queen Of The Damned. While working on the movie, she also recorded her third album, the self-titled LP that came out in July 2001. As far as I’m concerned, that album is Aaliyah’s masterpiece. It’s even spacier and slinkier than her past records, and it sounds more grown, more confident. Timbaland only produced three of the tracks on Aaliyah, but the feeling of those Aaliyah/Tim collabs is all over the LP”.

I want to end with an extract from an interview from Vanity Fair from 2021. Kathy Iandoli, author of Baby Girl: Better Known As Aaliyah, wanted to dispel myths around Aaliyah and flip the narrative. This is an artist that should be talked about more. There is one particular question and response that I wanted to highlight:

“What do you think it is about her as an artist and a person that has made her so continuously beloved and revered?

I think that she and her collaborators, like Missy, Timbaland, Static, they created a sound that wasn’t built for that decade. You can play that music now and it’s still relevant because what they were doing was so futuristic; it was eons ahead of what was going on. So I think sonically, there’s that. There is the whole allure, this mystique where you’re not able to access her music without actually burning it, and I think a lot of these kids, especially Gen Z, they’re not used to being told no. So keeping that in mind, they will go the extra mile to discover her because of that curiosity, because of that mystique. It brings on this curiosity for this new fan base. The other thing is, she passed away so young. Fans are discovering her while other fans have grown up with her. And then her fashion sense. Kudos to her eye but also Derek [Lee]. Everything Aaliyah wore then is still relevant now. Again, she was just years ahead of herself”.

The stunning Try Again is a song that I heard first around the time it came out in 2000. It still sounds fresh. Maybe it is that Timbaland production. I think it is the charisma, energy and cool that Aaliyah brings to the track! A once-in-a-generation talent, she has inspired so many – though few match her brilliance. Try Again is a moment of genius from…

A music icon.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Tom Jones at Eighty-Five

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

Tom Jones at Eighty-Five

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ONE of the…

true legends of the music scene turns eighty-five on 7th June. Because of that, I am going to end this feature with a selection of his best tracks. If you are not overly-familiar with the work of Tom Jones then I hope that the mixtape gives you a good introduction. Before I get to that mixtape, I am going to introduce some biography about this icon. Below is some biography from AllMusic:

“Tom Jones is one of the most popular vocalists to emerge from the British Invasion. From the mid-'60s on, Jones has sung nearly every form of popular music -- from pop, rock, show tunes, and country to dance, techno, and more -- while his vocal style, a full-throated, robust baritone with little regard for nuance or subtlety, remained a swaggering constant. Mid-'60s songs like "It's Not Unusual" and "What's New Pussycat" registered on the charts, as did inimitable readings of country classics such as "Green, Green Grass of Home" later in the decade. As his career rolled along, Jones became a favorite in Las Vegas, had a hit with an Art of Noise-produced cover of Prince's "Kiss" in 1988, and released albums that ranged from the slick dance-pop of 1994's The Lead and How to Swing It to 2010's Praise & Blame, a collection of covers that paved the way for a string of releases that found Jones digging into the modern American Songbook. His taste for exploration led him to cover songs by relatively obscure artists like Billy Joe Shaver and the Milk Carton Kids, while 2021's Surrounded by Time showed the influence of Radiohead. No matter the style or song, Jones' powerful, one-of-a-kind voice is instantly recognizable and his passion for performing has never dimmed.

Born Thomas John Woodward in Wales, Jones began singing professionally in 1963, performing as Tommy Scott with the Senators, a Welsh beat group. In 1964, he recorded a handful of solo tracks with record producer Joe Meek and shopped them to various record companies to little success. Later in the year, Decca producer Peter Sullivan discovered Tommy Scott performing in a club and directed him to manager Phil Solomon. It was a short-lived partnership and the singer soon moved back to Wales, where he continued to sing in local clubs. At one of the shows, he gained the attention of former Viscounts singer Gordon Mills, who had become an artist manager.

Mills signed Scott, renamed him Tom Jones, and helped him record his first single for Decca, "Chills and Fever," which was released in late 1964. The track didn't chart, but "It's Not Unusual," released in early 1965, became a number one hit in the U.K. and a Top Ten hit in the U.S. The heavily orchestrated, over-the-top pop arrangements perfectly meshed with Jones' swinging, sexy image, guaranteeing him press coverage, which translated into a series of hits, including "Once Upon a Time," "Little Lonely One," and "With These Hands." During 1965, Mills also secured a number of film themes for Jones to record, including the Top Ten hit "What's New Pussycat?" (June 1965) and "Thunderball" (December 1965).

Jones' popularity began to slip somewhat by the middle of 1966, causing Mills to redesign the singer's image into a more respectable, mature, tuxedoed crooner. He also began to sing material that appealed to a broad audience, like the country songs "Green, Green Grass of Home" and "Detroit City." The strategy worked, as he returned to the top of the charts in the U.K. and began hitting the Top 40 again in the U.S. For the remainder of the '60s, he scored a consistent string of hits in both Britain and America. At the end of the decade, Jones relocated to America, where he hosted the television variety program This Is Tom Jones. Running between 1969 and 1971, the show was a success and laid the groundwork for the singer's move to Las Vegas in the early '70s. Once he moved to Vegas, Jones began recording less, choosing to concentrate on his lucrative club performances. After Gordon Mills died in the late '70s, Jones' son, Mark Woodward, became the singer's manager. The change in management prompted Jones to begin recording again. This time, he concentrated on the country market, releasing a series of slick Nashville-styled country-pop albums in the early '80s that earned him a handful of hits.

Jones' next image makeover came in 1988, when he sang Prince's "Kiss" with the electronic dance outfit the Art of Noise. The single became a Top Ten hit in the U.K. and reached the American Top 40, which led to a successful concert tour and a part in a recording of Dylan Thomas' voice play, Under Milk Wood. The singer then returned to the club circuit, where he stayed for several years. In 1993, Jones performed at the Glastonbury Festival in England, where he won an enthusiastic response from the young crowd. Soon, he was on the comeback trail again, releasing the alternative dance-pop album The Lead and How to Swing It in the fall of 1994; the record was a moderate hit, gaining some play in dance clubs. Jones enjoyed an even bigger hit with 1999's Reload, which featured duets with an array of contemporaries and those he influenced.

Three years later, he worked with Wyclef Jean to produce Mr. Jones, and in 2004 issued another collaboration, Tom Jones and Jools Holland, before 2006 saw the Queen award him a knighthood. In 2008, he released another commercial and critical success, 24 Hours, which featured Jones' classic sound backed by contemporary productions from Future Cut, Nellee Hooper, and Betty Wright. His 2010 release Praise & Blame went in a completely different direction, filled with a stripped-down sound from producer Evan Johns and American Songbook material from the likes of Bob Dylan, John Lee Hooker, and Billy Joe Shaver, along with some traditional gospel and blues numbers. Johns would return to produce 2012's Spirit in the Room, but this time the material was more contemporary, with songs coming from Tom Waits, Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen, Paul McCartney, the Low Anthem, and others. Both Praise & Blame and Spirit in the Room earned Jones some of the best reviews of his career. This, in turn, paved the way to a new phase of regular prime-time U.K. TV exposure for the Welshman when he joined will.i.am, Jessie J, and Danny O'Donoghue on a panel of judges for the debut season of The Voice UK in 2012, and held his position on the show through 2015's season four. In October of that year, the U.K.'s Michael Joseph published Jones' autobiography, Over the Top and Back: The Autobiography, with its U.S. arrival coming via Blue Rider Press a month later. A companion album, Long Lost Suitcase, was also released that autumn. It continued in the vein of his prior two efforts in drawing on influences, this time with songs by Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, the Rolling Stones, and the Milk Carton Kids, among others, and was again produced by Johns.

Following a five-year break from recording after the passing of his wife of 59 years, Linda, Jones again managed to find new ways to express himself upon his return to the studio. The resulting record, 2021's Surrounded by Time, was co-produced by Johns and Jones' manager and son Mark Woodward. Its track list featured writing credits from Bob Dylan and Yusuf alongside a collaboration with Michael Kiwanuka and a Radiohead-esque cover of Todd Snider's "Talking Reality Television Blues." It also contained a cover of Bobby Cole's 1967 ballad "I'm Growing Old" -- the jazz singer had given it to Jones in 1972. Jones loved the song but felt he was too young to record it. He promised the composer he would cut it when he reached 80”.

On 7th June, we celebrate Tom Jones’s eighty-fifth birthday. He has been responsible for some classics through the years. One of the greatest and most distinct voices we have ever produced, I am ending this feature with a mixtape of many of his standout songs. Fans will know these very well, though some might be unfamiliar. Tom Jones has a voice and gravitas…

LIKE nobody else.

FEATURE: In Plain Sight: Inside Self Esteem’s Extraordinary Album, A Complicated Woman

FEATURE:

 

 

In Plain Sight

PHOTO CREDIT: Scarlett Carlos Clarke

Inside Self Esteem’s Extraordinary Album, A Complicated Woman

__________

HAVING just released…

PHOTO CREDIT: Jennifer McCord for DORK

perhaps the most urgent, acclaimed and important album of her career, I wanted to take another look inside the feminist masterpiece, A Complicated Woman. Even though there are other themes and layers to the album, it is feminist. Female. Revealing, angered, raw and empowered. I have seen a few three-star reviews for the album with people not really getting it. Or not connected with it. However, there have been plenty of five-star reviews. No doubt one of the best albums of the year. Self Esteem (Rebecca Lucy Taylor) has recently staged. A Complicated Woman. Many of the more mixed reviews – and a few of the positive ones – say that Self Esteem’s real power and pizzaz comes from the stage. An album that comes alive and is properly realised there. However, take one listen through A Complicated Woman and is it a masterpiece that everyone needs to hear! Rather than do a dissection of its songs and themes and look at it – which I might do at another stage -, I wanted to look at some recent interviews with Self Esteem. A couple of the impassioned reviews for A Complicated Woman. Go and get the album now. I want to start out with an interview from The Times. Although A Complicated Woman tackles cycles of misogyny, feminist anxieties and societal pressures, it also addresses confidence, societal expectations and feminism:

“Taylor, who lives in east London, where she recently bought a two-bedroom flat that she has yet to move into, has frequently spoken about the sea of privileged musicians that seems to surround her and the unfair advantage that having wealthy parents gives artists trying to break through. Her father worked in a Sheffield steel plant as a health and safety officer and her mother as a secretary. She has an older brother who is a history teacher in France. Her mother has warned Taylor not to pretend that she grew up poor, but money remains a constant worry for the singer.

“The reason I get depressed and stressed about the music industry is safety — and that means money,” she says. “All I want is to no longer rely on anyone. To know that the rug cannot be pulled out from under me, the way it has been so many times.

“That’s partly why I’m desperate to diversify. Not that acting is a sturdy career, but it’s another string to my bow that makes me less reliant on the music industry — ‘Oh please, sir, give me a TikTok hit.’ Actually, my label just sent me a bunch of TikToks to approve. Ahhh, I just feel stupid. That shit kills me … and it’s starting all over again.”

A Complicated Woman is out next week and there are high hopes for it to hit No 1. Taylor was given a bigger budget, which she almost wholly blew on vast choirs and sumptuous strings. The first single, Focus Is Power, is a gorgeous gospel banger about bouncing back, but it is the near five-minute-long masterpiece I Do and I Don’t Care that will become Self Esteem’s next signature song.

A swelling, spine-tingling choir, an operatic interlude and swathes of Rotherham-rich spoken word (“We’re not chasing happiness any more, girls/ We’re chasing nothing,” Taylor sings, deadpan) lead to a rousing, all-hands-on-deck chant about the dichotomy of being an outspoken woman: “If I’m so empowered/ Why am I such a coward?”

“That line sums up a big theme of the album,” Taylor says. “I am political and outspoken and I really mean what I say. At the same time I’m shitting my pants that I get it wrong.

“Since becoming more visible, I’m terrified all the time. People are foaming at the mouth for women to make a mistake, especially confident women. Look, I have a laugh most of the time. But walking on eggshells makes me overthink and gets me depressed.”

A Complicated Woman is a statement-maker but, fear not, it’s also great fun. Guests include the former Coronation Street actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, a former Slow Club fan whom Taylor has been friends with for a decade. Hesmondhalgh’s rallying speech on If Not Now, It’s Soon was recorded in her kitchen in Manchester. There are also appearances from the indie musicians Nadine Shah and Sue Tompkins, both of whom Taylor says will appeal in particular to her older, male fans. “I call them my 6 Music daddies,” she says, laughing. “I’ve even had merch made for them. Men in their fifties who’ve had kids but still like cool stuff seem to love me.”

A dance track on which Taylor ranks the sexual positions she likes and loathes, called 69, includes a sample from a podcast by the Los Angeles-based drag queen Meatball. Performing it live should cause quite a stir. “I expect so,” Taylor says. “Everyone’s told me how brave the song is. I realised, shit, so it is. Then I panicked about how the hell I’m going to perform it.”

The Curse is a glorious, strings-soaked, swearword-strewn ode to the power of alcohol that has split Taylor’s team. “I’ve been told not to expect another Tanqueray gin advert,” she says of a previous collaboration with the company that gave fans the opportunity to rent two Self Esteem stage outfits, including the white suit she wore at Wembley Stadium supporting Blur two summers ago. “I do and I don’t care. Ha ha!”

The cover of A Complicated Woman shows Taylor screaming, her blonde hair in braids, sporting a Crucible-style bonnet made from a man’s shirt. “It’s my nod to women being hanged for having opinions,” she says. “History has no empathy for everything women go through. I’ll always scream about that.”

She mentions her hang-up-free boyfriend, a member of the Cabaret cast; she won’t name him, but says his identity isn’t hard to work out. Her previous long-term relationship was with a woman — one new song, Logic, Bitch, is about her ex.

Taylor has frozen her eggs — she can’t make up her mind about having kids — and is hoping to soon move into her new home. The fairytale ending? “Maybe,” she says. “Let’s see first if I can afford it”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Self Esteem, centre, and dancers at the Duke of York’s in London in April 2025/PHOTO CREDIT: Aaron Parsons

I will come to an interview from the BBC. I have not seen the theatre production of A Complicated Woman. However, the reviews for it are exceptional. The more I listen to the album and read about it, the more powerful it becomes. It is this incredible experience. I can see how people are reacting to the album. How difficult at times it was for Rebecca Lucy Taylor. Quite isolating or frustrating. However, A Complicated Woman is an album that will affect so many people. I know I referred to it as a feminist album. It definitely is. However, there is also self-awareness, self-laceration and empowerment:

“She hasn't just made a new album - she has also created a daring, jaw-dropping theatrical experience to go with it.

It's set in a sparse recreation of the community centre where eight-year-old Becky from Rotherham learned to tap dance.

"You just wanted to sing / You didn't know what that would bring," recalls an older, more cynical version of that child – as she assesses her life at the age of 38.

"This really is all there is, and that's what you've got to get comfortable with."

As the show opens, 10 dancers line up on either side of her, dressed in austere outfits that recall The Handmaid's Tale.

Initially, their movements are stiff and restricted but, as Taylor describes suffocating relationships with emotionally-stunted men, they start to thrash and jerk their bodies.

"We start in that world where we're shackled, and then we exorcise it," Taylor explains.

"Over the course of the show, it all unravels and everyone ends up being themselves instead of conforming to these societal norms."

The show runs for four nights in London, but the singer hopes to take a scaled-back version on tour

A four-night theatre residency is an unusual way to launch an album. The audience is unfamiliar with most of the songs, and no-one's sure whether to absorb the performance attentively, or sing along and dance.

Several times, laughter ripples through the theatre as the singer's more acerbic observations hit home. The following morning, she's not quite sure what to make of the reaction.

"Every time people laugh, my heart sinks," she says. "But then I'm like, the lyrics are funny, aren't they?

"And I love changing the laughter into emotion. It feels like people are laughing because it's uncomfortable."

PHOTO CREDIT: Aaron Parsons 

In the end, the audience members mirror the on-stage narrative. Shaking off their discomfort, they rise out of their seats and start making an almighty racket.

The music becomes a soundtrack to solidarity - which, it transpires, was Taylor's intention.

A Complicated Woman might be as cutting and powerful as its predecessor, but the melodies were designed for stadiums.

"Do you remember the Elbow song One Day Like This?" she asks. "The one that goes, 'Throw those curtains wii-iide'?

"I went mad for that song when it came out and, honestly, I played it over and over in the studio and said, 'I want to do this'."

"I was very inspired by trying to make it onto World Cup montages. That's a genre of music that I really, really enjoy."

As the show continues, the music (and the staging) move from darkness into light

That's only half the story, though. The album is all about capturing the complex and contradictory impulses of a woman in her mid-30s.

Recent single 69, for example, is a thumping house track on which Taylor talks with withering candour about her sex life. Imagine Madonna's Justify My Love, if she was really being honest.

"It's an idea I had for ages, of listing sex positions and scoring them so that there's no grey area [for prospective partners]," the singer laughs.

"But there's a more political element, which is that women still aren't saying what they want in the bedroom. And I'm like, I can't bear this any more. Please let us just enjoy having sex.

"It's not exactly going to win an Ivor Novello Award for lyrics, but I think it stands on the album with moments that are more emotional and deep."

Those moments include The Curse, a rousing ballad about using alcohol to dull her anxiety, which is possibly the best song Self Esteem's ever written.

In keeping with the album's themes, photoshoots and artwork higlight the different sides of the singer's personality

Her personal favourite, however, is called In Plain Sight. A collaboration with South African musician Moonchild Sanelly, it's a response to the criticism they've both received for speaking their minds.

"The world is saying who I am, but I thought I knew myself all these years," says Sanelly in a semi-improvised rap.

"I shrink to keep the peace, hoping I don't shake my purpose."

It's a feeling Taylor immediately recognised.

As excitement built around Prioritise Pleasure in 2021, she started getting "nasty messages" on social media, which shook her up.

"I was really shocked the first time I got grief, because no-one's ever been that bothered about what I'm doing," she says.

"People say you should ignore it, but if you went to a wedding and had a nice day and one person called you an [expletive], who would you go home thinking about? It's just human nature."

Eventually, the criticism took its toll.

"There were moments where I considered giving up, which shocked me because I've been this defiant, angry thing for so long," she says.

"But over the last few years, especially with the world being like it is, I've definitely had feelings of protecting myself and shutting up.

"That's the saddest part of the album, really. But I found a way through.

"And if I can, then I hope the rest of the world can too, you know?"

The theatre show ends with a show of female solidarity, as Self Esteem and her backing singers perform as equals - before doing a conga line off the stage

That realisation is the connecting tissue of A Complicated Woman.

Life is never easy, she says. No-one is ever truly satisfied. Relationships are hard work. You can't please everyone. But that's OK. You're OK. Trust your gut.

She sums it up on Focus Is Power, held aloft by the sound of a gospel choir: "And now I see it clear with every passing of each year / I deserve to be here."

On stage in London, she sings those final lines a capella with her dancers and backing singers, arms wrapped around each other in a display of female solidarity.

It's a cathartic moment after the bruising process of putting the album together.

"There's so much joy in being a woman and just being yourself can be beautiful," she says. "You've just got to find a way to do it."

With that, she's off to make tweaks for the show's second night. After that, she has to find a way to scale down the West End production for a UK tour.

"I'll do what I can to make it continue, but it's a huge risk because there's so little revenue from anything else," she says.

Ultimately, though, her ambition is undimmed.

"I want to make 20 albums, I want to do bigger theatre shows," she says”.

I am going to move to a new Big Issue interview, where Self Esteem spoke with actor and activist, Julie Hesmondhalgh. The latter features on If Not Now, It's Soon. We hear Hesmondhalgh deliver a spoken word passage. It is very moving and memorable. One of the highlights of A Complicated Woman. I think this is an album that will be talked about for years to come. It will be exciting seeing where Self Esteem heads next and what her next album contains. Every album she releases leaves impressions. Even though I like everything she has released, I think this might be her finest work to date:

“If I was smart, after Prioritise Pleasure, I’d make quasi-empowerment advert music for like, a Dove advert. Make some brand deals,” she jokes. “But I couldn’t. The new album, I hope, sort of emancipates me from this idea that I’m this really binary, happy-with-myself woman that is going to empower you and make you feel like “Here Come the Girls” every day. A bit of me can, and a bit of me feels dreadful about all the things we all feel dreadful about.”

“If Not Now, It’s Soon” – the song on the new Self Esteem album that features Hesmondhalgh – reflects such feelings of self doubt, and overcoming them. It’s based on the difficult post-Slow Club years, when she was “spiralling”, living in Margate and trying to work out her next steps:

“When you just wanted to sing / You didn’t know what that would bring”, Taylor sings. Shortly after, Hesmondhalgh’s voice cuts in: “Something will happen because it’s got to / It’s not just perseverance we need, it’s patience.”

“I mean, the whole album is about me giving up,” explains Taylor, sipping her tea. “And then it’s almost like, I need you to come in and tell me not to, on that song.”

“It’s personal and political, because personally, you have to wait and one day you’ll get somewhere less painful. But the world will hopefully get somewhere less painful too.”

‘Dark and dystopian times’

It’s now, by the way, that things start getting political. The kitchen-table-at-the-house-party chat has begun.

“Originally, the bit [in “If Not Now, It’s Soon”] that Rebecca samples was a bit from an actual rally that I did back in 2017,” Hesmondhalgh says. 

“Things felt a bit cuspy, things felt like they could change. It was post-Brexit, but it was still kind of like, ‘Oh, actually, people are becoming politicised. People are actually using their voices.’”

It was a time of volatility for the left. Brexit was a recent, painful decision – but disillusionment with austerity and centrism was prompting record youth engagement with Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour. A staggering 63% of 18- to 29-year-old electors voted for the party’s radical 2017 platform, endorsing social democratic policies such as free higher education and the renationalisation of key industries. This unprecedented turnout helped deny the Conservatives a majority at the 2017 election.

For a moment, real change seemed possible: “Lots of young people were joining the Labour Party,” Hesmondhalgh recalls, “there was a sense, I suppose, of change, of possibility.”

We all know what came next. Labour descended into infighting and accusations of antisemitism, and Boris Johnson swept into parliament on his “Get Brexit Done” slogan. Labour retreated to the centre, leaving activists to mourn a moment that had felt so full of promise.

“When it came to actually making the album it was like, you can’t use that [sample from the rally] any more because that moment has passed,” Hesmondhalgh says. “We’ve gone into a darker, more dystopian time now.” 

The direction of the sample had to pivot, Taylor says. “We had this conversation about how it didn’t feel right any more. And then together, we sort of wrote what it is now.” 

We need plenty of patience and perseverance in modern Britain. 

“Because of old membership, I get the Labour Party’s Facebook posts,” Hesmondhalgh says. “God knows who’s in charge of PR. They’re pretend WhatsApp conversations, like” – she pauses, puts on a deeper voice – ‘Hey, did you know? That the Labour Party has managed to deport 19,000 people in the last week?’”

“And then some people are commenting, ‘You’re lying, vote Reform’ underneath. And the other half of the people are saying ‘How is this OK? How are you the Labour Party? This is not what I voted for, I will never vote for you again.’ So on every single level it’s not working as a policy.”

“It’s lose, lose, lose, lose, lose,” says Taylor. 

“That’s what happens when you try and mould yourself into some sort of populist ideal. And the disability cut [Labour’s £6 billion cut to welfare payments, announced last month] the heating allowance – all of it is just really depressing.

“But I will not be depressed, because there’s a whole swathe of young people that are coming up and taking matters into their own hands.” 

Things can change for the better – same-sex marriage, she points out, was illegal a little over a decade ago.

“Life is this long thing,” Taylor adds. “And I’m trying to be like – if we stay, if we fight, if we try, surely something will come back.” 

IN THIS PHOTO: Self Esteem with Julie Hesmondhalgh/PHOTO CREDIT: Olivia Richardson

Why the arts still matter

What does activism look like right now? Well, the usual: marching, letter-writing, volunteering – but also, taking stock, finding solace in community. And that’s where the arts come in.

Engagement in art makes people more altruistic, a growing body of research shows: according to a 2017 study, people who “embrace the arts” are statistically more likely to help others by giving to charity or volunteering. A 2019 Arts Council England report found that 68% of participants felt arts events strengthened community spirit.

But the benefits of the arts cannot be wholly captured in statistical analysis. They are, however, self evident to anyone who has ever seen a killer live show. 

“It was one of my favourite gigs ever in my life,” Hesmondhalgh says, describing watching Self Esteem
perform. Taylor looks pleased, and maybe slightly embarrassed. 

“I went on my own, my mate had Covid. I was right at the front. This group of 20-something year-old women completely adopted me. They had no idea who I were, it wasn’t like that, we were just sort of singing our hearts out at the front, weeping. That’s what it’s about, that feeling of community, of sisterhood, and I mean sisterhood in an inclusive sense.

“I feel like that’s what you’ve created, Rebecca.”

“That’s what I needed, though!” Taylor says. “Everything about my career until I was Self Esteem was so exclusionary – music has always felt so exclusionary, and being a woman has felt exclusionary. Now, I enjoy it too, I really feel it too, when I’m up there.”

It’s this kind of community – found on the dance floor, or in the audience – that the pair hope will see us through “dark and dystopian times”. 

“[The idea of “If Not Now, Then Soon”] is like, OK, what now? and this idea of patience about waiting it out, working always, working together towards a common goal,” Hesmondhalgh explains. 

“That’s what we’re feeling in Self Esteem gigs, you know, this feeling of togetherness. It’s togetherness… You just have to keep banging the drum. Or else people will get away
with everything”.

I am going to end with a couple of reviews for A Complicated Woman. The first one that I want to source is from When the Horn Blows and their verdict on a work that seems as personal to Self Esteem/Rebecca Lucy Taylor then anything else. It is disappointing that there were some less-than-emphatic reviews. That will happen with any album, but for one as incredible as this, it feels like a disservice! However, there is plenty of love out there for this incredible release:

“Three years after the release of her game-changing album, Prioritise Pleasure, Self Esteem, a.k.a Rebecca Lucy Taylor is back. There is no one quite like Self Esteem, whose art is a mix of gut-felt feminism, emotional complexity, lusty humour and a deep appreciation for the power of drag. Releasing her first album, Compliments Please in 2019, and Prioritise Pleasure, which was nominated for a Brit Award and a Mercury Music Prize, in 2021, Self Esteem has been on a trajectory that has only ever been pointing up. Now, she’s set to release what could be her best album yet, A Complicated Woman, which is out this Friday, April 25th via Polydor records.

What Self Esteem is about - well, it’s in the name. Her songs have always been almost overwhelmingly empowering, moving, a hand on your shoulder in solidarity, a light in the dark. Rebecca Taylor has a gift when it comes to writing about complex emotions and her songs often feel like a form of confrontation. Accompanied by a soulful, joyful choir made up of mostly female voices, A Complicated Woman sees Taylor effortlessly exposing the complex feelings that women often keep hidden, with the unique and distinctive sound that is entirely Self Esteem.

Opening with I Do & I Don’t Care, the album is an on-the-spot goosebump raiser. The choir creates an immediate sense of overwhelming power before Taylor comes in with spoken word - “this really is all there is, and that’s the thing you’ve got to get comfy with / we’re not chasing happiness anymore girls we’re chasing nothing / the great big still, the deep blue okay, and we’re okay today”. It feels like a punch in the gut. Rebecca Lucy Taylor doing what she does best - forcing you to confront yourself head on, address and tackle emotions you probably were not even aware you were feeling -  “if I’m so empowered, why am I such a coward, if I’m so strong, why am I broken.”

A Complicated Woman feels primarily about sitting, both comfortably and uncomfortably, in the natural ambivalence and uncertainty that one feels in life, which can be heard in tracks like The Deep Blue Okay, and In Plain Sight. However, it’s also an album focusing on taking control of your own life and the paths you take. The second track, which was also the first powerhouse of a single to be released off the album, Focus Is Power, is the perfect example of that. The track is joyous, soul-lifting, “You see, it wasn’t up to me but now it could be, but now I see it clear with every passing of each year, I deserve to be here…” Shared between a choir of women, lines like this become an incantation.

If Not Now, It’s Soon follows a similar theme. It’s once again the gentle hand on the shoulder, encouraging, keeping you steady. It is Self Esteem’s version of the old saying “whatever is meant for you won’t pass you by” - “whatever is right for you will guide you through.” You must persevere and push for what you want but also have the patience and the trust that it will happen. The music, the orchestral strings in the background - they are constantly building, lifting as the song progresses - the ultimate uplifting track.

A Complicated Woman is certainly not short of dance tracks - Mother, Lies, Cheers To Me and the delicious pièce de résistance 69 are all songs that will make you want to be at an underground club, or a festival with a pint in hand, sun shining. Mother, a deep house track, sheds light on how people often end up mothering their romantic partners and how draining it is: “I am not your mother /I am not your therapist.” While Cheers To Me is a pick yourself up of the floor track, a dance around with your friends, shouting it at the top of your lungs kind of pop track “let’s toast each and every fucker that made me this way / cheers to you but mostly cheers to me.”

The hilarious, ridiculously catchy 69 feels almost satirical, listing and rating various sex positions, but in true Self Esteem fashion, it is not. It’s the truth, hidden in humour. Taylor said of the track “I like the idea of clearly communicating your needs in one quick, three-minute house song. It is also political – women still are expected to cater to others sexually; I can’t hear another discussion about ‘faking it’, it upsets me too much! There’s enough inequality in the male/ female dynamic as it is. Our bodies go through so much more pain and suffering, please god let us get the pleasure where we can!” It’s nothing short of brilliant. Those who loved Chari XCX’s Guess will no doubt be a fan, and it also features the beloved Drag Queen, Meatball.

In Plain Sight, perhaps one of the most poignant tracks of the album, starts off gentle, almost hauntingly so, with Taylor’s stunning vocals accompanied by the plucking of guitar strings. Written with Moonchild Sanelly, Self Esteem’s collaborator on the 2024 standalone single Big Man, who also features on In Plain Sight, the track focuses on the criticism women face when they stand up for what they believe in in the public sphere. It’s harrowing, haunting, bone-chilling in the way that it builds. Moonchild Sanelly adds a flawless spoken word, “Scared to speak. I shrink to keep the peace / what will be of me, if I speak my mind.” A chorus of women come together for the shiver-inducing finale of the track as they scream/sing “what the fuck you want for me - in saving you, you’re killing me.”

The final track of the album, The Deep Blue Okay, which was referenced in the opening song I Do & I Don’t Care, feels like a full circle moment. It opens with a simple piano key which is repeated, fast, insistent, urgent - symbolising the importance of the track, the meaning behind it. It is vulnerable, but also pulsing with excitement, hope. Capturing the essence of the album in its entirety. As Taylor sums it up herself, “acceptance of life’s grey areas leads to a new lease on life.” The Deep Blue Okay feels like an ascension into whatever heaven is - the orchestra building and building to the grand crescendo at the end “It’s still hard out here, but fuck I’ll just keep going/ you’ll always work it out.”

Self Esteem is the definition of empowerment, and strength flows rapidly through A Complicated Woman. With this new album, Self Esteem once again makes us look inward, forces us to confront ourselves and proves that there is a fountain of strength deep within us all”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Scarlett Carlos Clarke

I am finishing up with Rolling Stone UK and their five-star review of A Complicated Woman. If you have not heard the album or only the singles so far, then you really need to hear the entire thing. One of the most inspiring and emotional albums I have heard in years. That is one reason why I wanted to shine a light on it now:

“If I’m so empowered, why am I such a coward / If I’m so strong, why am I broken?” asks Self Esteem, aka Rebecca Lucy Taylor, on ‘I Do and I Don’t Care’, the opening track on her third album A Complicated Woman. Hopeless though the outspoken pop diva may sound, these contradictions are an invitation into the spectacularly more interesting grey area where two things can be true at once.

Paradoxical thinking is nothing new to Taylor, who cut a choppy path to liberation on her widely acclaimed second album Prioritise Pleasure, having gone solo from indie duo Slow Club in 2017. Lamenting cycles of misogyny, feminist anxieties and societal pressures, it was a brave, bolshy portrayal of all her knotty complexities, delivered with a refreshing dose of her trademark irreverence. Now, after some time spent honing her theatrics with a turn playing Sally Bowles in the West End Revival of Cabaret, Taylor returns just as conflicted, but a great deal more enlightened.

A Complicated Woman presents its titular thesis as Taylor finds fun and freedom in life’s eternal incompleteness. There’s no cheeky subterfuge or smirking ulterior motives here; it’s all out on the table, her lyrical realism as relatable as ever. “How many trains can I cry on in a lifetime?” she asks plainly atop a sun-splashed dance-pop groove on ‘Cheers to Me’. Elsewhere, she admits to a tricky relationship with alcohol on the gospel climax of ‘The Curse’: “I wouldn’t do it if it didn’t fucking work.” 

Still, there’s an on-brand absurdity that such uplifting instrumentals — in the realm of “montage music for the World Cup”, as she put it recently — could soundtrack an inspirational monologue about following your dreams. Such blatant clashes of sound and subject matter shouldn’t work as well as they do here; one moment Taylor is running through a checklist of her sexual dos and don’ts on smouldering electronic dance track ‘69’, featuring the drag queen Meatball, and the next she’s leading a choir at megachurch-level decibels on ‘What Now’. 

But it’s the hyperpop bombshells that signal the biggest shake-up, from the whirring electronic bassline and lashing snares on ‘Lies’ (featuring Nadine Shah) to the early 2010s-indebted ‘Mother’, on which she bemoans the inequality of emotional labour set to a ping-ponging beat. Like all her best songs, there’s still plenty of sincerity, particularly on the choral-led ‘Focus Is Power’, which features a female empowerment mantra we can all get behind: “My focus is powerful.” 

Then there’s the guest contributions from Life Without Buildings vocalist Sue Tompkins (‘Logic, Bitch!’), former Coronation Street actor Julie Hesmondhalgh (‘If Not Now, It’s Soon’) and former collaborator Moonchild Sanelly (‘In Plain Sight’), which invite their own moments of quiet contemplation.

Ultimately, though, what we’re left with is a message of hope. “You’ll always work it out,” Taylor resolves on jubilant closer ‘The Deep Blue Okay’. After all, it’s the trying among the mystery of it all that makes us human, and here Taylor shows us just how spectacularly that can be done”.

Self Esteem is one of my favourite artists. Many release albums that might be personal or they are just for fun. She tackles societal expectations and feminism but there is also this inward investigation. Lyrics that are often funny and sharp but some that genuinely move or shock you. Songs that seem like statements or mandates. It is fiercely feminist and empowering but it is also tender and playful at times. No doubting the fact that A Complicated Woman is…

A work of wonder.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Yazz Ahmed

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Bex

Yazz Ahmed

__________

ONE of the good things…

about the Spotlight feature is getting to feature a range of artists. I am quite new to Yazz Ahmed. I am very keen to explore the wonderful music of a musician, composer and artist who I feel should be getting more exposure on mainstream radio. This British-Bahraini trumpet player aims to blur the lines between Jazz and Electronic sound design. I am going to start out with an interview from 15 Questions. Although I am not including all of the questions and responses, there were a few that caught my eye:

“Name: Yazz Ahmed
Occupation: Trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer, improviser
Nationality: British-Bahraini
Current release: Yazz Ahmed's new album A Paradise In The Hold is slated for release on February 24th 2025 via Night Time Stories. The second single off the album, “Into the Night,” is out now. The LP features her longtime band as well as a cast of collaborators, including vocalists Natacha Atlas, and Brigitte Beraha as well as percussionist Corrina Silvester.

Just like you, I grew up in between two cultures and always thought it had a huge impact on almost every aspect of my life. What was this like for you – how, would you say, did your bicultural background affect your views on life, art and music in particular?

I moved from Bahrain at the age of nine to South London with my mum and sisters. It took a long time to adjust to this new culture and I didn’t feel as if I belonged, so much so, I hid my identity for most of my childhood and into my teens.

It wasn’t until a reached my early 20s that I became more aware of my identity and started to embrace my mixed heritage. I became curious about the music I had left behind and began to regret that I had not been taught to speak Arabic. I felt detached. However, once I started to explore Arabic scales and rhythms, fusing them with elements of jazz, I began to feel whole.

One thing I was hungry for was to connect with other female instrumentalists with a Middle Eastern heritage who were embracing jazz. It was difficult enough finding women trumpet players to aspire to, but it seemed that Arabic jazz musicians simply did not exist. This made me feel insecure as to whether it would be possible to make a success of myself.

Art and beautiful artifacts are everywhere in Arabic culture, but being an expressive artist, or a creative musician, is not really considered a respectable career. This meant it was a struggle for my Bahraini family to appreciate the path I had chosen.

On my mother’s side of the family, it was very different. I come from a line of bohemian artists, musicians and dancers, so they were very supportive in allowing me to follow my heart.

A Paradise In The Hold deals with your heritage through music. After finishing the album, what would you say is universal in music – and what may, conversely, be very specific?

You don’t need words to convey your message or to spell out the narrative behind the music. Music has that unique ability to evoke deep emotions, on a primordial level, and this is what I hope to achieve – to be genuine, to compose and perform from the heart and leave the listener free to interpret their experience in their own way. I love listening to songs in a language I’m unfamiliar with, because it lets my imagination paint pictures.

However, on A Paradise In The Hold I do utilise some elements that are very specific to Bahrain. When a Bahraini listener hears certain rhythms, certain instruments or vocal timbres in my music, these will resonate in a very specific way, compared to how a listener from outside the culture will react. There are also Arabic lyrics in this album which to a non-Arabic speaker will be evocative, beautiful sounds, but which do carry an intentional meaning, which again will give listeners from different cultures their own experience.

I do include translations of all the text in the album booklet and in fact on one song, Waiting For The Dawn, we hear both Arabic and English versions of the lyric sung in counterpoint.

What was the starting point for A Paradise In The Hold?

In 2014 I was nominated to apply for a Jazzlines Fellowship in collaboration with Birmingham THSH, funded by the Jerwood Foundation. As part of this process, I had to present a concept for an extended composition to be researched and developed over the course of a year, culminating in a live performance at the CBSO Centre in Birmingham.
My idea was to create a suite, based around the folklore and folk music of Bahrain and happily I was awarded the commission. The first stage was a research trip to Bahrain from which I returned full of inspiration, bringing home books of poetry and songs, histories of Bahraini music and instruments, DVDs of performances and my own notebooks and field recordings.

Paradise In The Hold still has many characteristics of jazz, but it plays with and expands on them. As of today, what does the term jazz mean to you?

There are many sub-genres in jazz and hundreds of individual voices who bring their own stories to this ever-evolving music, perhaps more so than ever. To me, jazz is an ancient oak with deep roots, sprouting hundreds of branches. New shoots emerging all the time.

However, I do feel that some artists have lost touch with the essence of jazz, where it springs from, the history and the human struggle at its heart. But of course, there are those who are fully aware of the legacy and highlight social inequality and make protest through their compositions and improvisation.

Saxophonist, Matana Roberts, for example, is a leading light in amplifying this message through the power of jazz.

One of the instantly notable expansions of your sound are the vocal pieces. Since both the voice and the trumpet are inherently connected to the breath – how do you see and feel the connection between your instrument and your voice?

I do see them going hand in hand.

I actually composed many of the vocal lines by singing to myself and then perfecting the melodies on my trumpet. I hope this made the vocal lines feel natural to the singers who recorded on the album

What kind of vocalists do you personally prefer and what were some of the criteria for whom to include on A Paradise In The Hold?

I appreciate all kinds of singers, from Björk to Fairuz, or from D’Angelo to Donald Fagin. What I like is authenticity, a feeling that the singer is revealing something of themselves.

When planning the recording I knew I needed to find artists with great passion, a deep musical understanding of many styles and a clarity of tone. I had to convey to them that the written vocal parts were integral to the composition. These are not songs in which the band is just accompanying the singer. All the parts are equally important.

I also enjoy working with vocalists who will surprise me with sounds I would never have imagined. Brigitte Beraha and Randolph Matthews proved to be perfect choices in this regard. At the end of “Mermaids’ Tears” for example, you hear them engaging in an improvised duet where Randolph conjures up sub aquatic sounds of the ocean’s swell whilst Brigitte seems to be channelling some long-lost dolphinesque language of the mermaids.

The title track, released as the first single off the album, is astounding, a ten-minute composition unfolding like a fantasy. How did it come together?

I began by processing short fragments of ceremonial sounds from my field recordings of the Pearl Divers and morphed them into an undulating beat which emulates the rise and fall, the breathing of the ocean and the creaking of the boat’s timbers. By repeatedly listening to this groove on loop as an inspiration, I was able to compose the melodies and bass lines which suggested themselves to me.

With all my compositions, I begin by writing down between five and ten short ideas - melodies, chords, patterns, forms – and then sift through these structural cells, choosing the ones I’m drawn to, the ones with potential for development. I sometimes have to write a lot of ‘bad stuff’ to get to the good! I then develop my ideas and often the piece transforms into something very different to what I imagined when started.

With this track, the whole piece is a gradual development from the initial statements with new elements being added throughout. All my ideas come together in the final passage but along the way I sort of break things down and show the listener exactly how the piece is constructed by dissecting the ensemble into its individual parts”.

I am going to move to an interview with Bandcamp. Talking around her extraordinary album, A Paradise in the Hold, I would advise everyone to seek it out. Even if Yazz Ahmed might be reserved more for Jazz stations or independent stations, I can see her being more of a mainstream on more eclectic digital stations like BBC Radio 6 Music. An artist that has created this incredible sound:

“For anyone else, the task of conveying a country’s rich culture through a run of albums would be daunting. For British-Bahraini trumpeter and composer Yazz Ahmed, it’s something that summons more hope than anxiety. “It gives me confidence to carry on,” Ahmed says. “I wouldn’t say I feel any pressure. It just fills me with inspiration. I feel like I’m on the right path.” Ahmed’s fourth album, A Paradise in the Hold, tells stories of her home country Bahrain, drawing for inspiration on wedding poems and the songs of pearl divers.

The record first began taking shape back in 2014, when Ahmed was given a fellowship by Birmingham Town Hall and Symphony to research for her Alhaan Al-Siduri suite. Over the course of her weeklong study, she attended private concerts with Bahraini musicians, pored over academic research by a Norwegian music professor who’d visited the island many years ago, and had a “lovely exchange of music” with a fellow artist serving on the Ministry of Culture, who presented her with one of his own compositions on sheet music.

Two years later, with the support of the British Council and Bahrain’s Ministry of Culture and Antiquities, Ahmed returned to Bahrain and performed the finished piece before a live audience. It was a success, and her bass player Dudley Phillips encouraged her to record it for an album. At the same time, Ahmed’s career was starting to get hectic; she was hard at work crafting two other albums, La Saboteuse and Polyhymnia, simultaneously. “[I was] putting things in my diary, making sure to dedicate one week to one project and another week to another project,” she recalls. With her schedule packed, the suite fell by the wayside until 2020, when she finally got an opening—and then the pandemic struck, bringing everything to a halt yet again.

The delays provided an opportunity for Ahmed to rethink the work. “Before the end of 2020,” she says, “I revisited the compositions and went through all the takes. It gave me inspiration and a clearer idea of how to complete the album. Piece by piece, step by step, I started editing and rearranging the parts, because I had given myself so much time to reflect and forget about what happened. I came back with fresh ears, which gave me opportunities to try out new things.”

A Paradise in the Hold’s biggest highlights are the results of this period. On album opener “She Stands on The Sea Shore,” legendary Egyptian-Belgian singer Natacha Atlas’s intense voice crashes against cymbals like waves on the coast. London-born jazz singer Randolph Matthews (on “Mermaids’ Tears,” “To the Lonely Sea”) and Croatian singer Alba Nacinovich (on “Dancing Barefoot,” “Though my Eyes Go To Sleep, My Heart Does Not Forgive You”), who Ahmed met through a cultural exchange many years ago, are among the other dazzling collaborators who lent their efforts to the record.

The album’s lyrics—which borrow from Ahmed’s daydreams as well as folk songs—showcase her knack for storytelling. On the captivating “Dancing Barefoot,” George Crowley’s piercing bass clarinet and Ralph Wyld’s dissonant prepared vibraphones underscore the taboo themes of which Turkish vocalist Brigitte Beraha sings; in this song’s case, a hesitant bride gets dolled up for her wedding only to run off into the night. Elsewhere, “Though My Eyes Go To Sleep My Heart Does Not Forget You” is a reworking of a traditional folk song about a woman who yearns for her lover—a pearl diver—to return home. As an artist dedicated to changing negative mainstream perceptions of the MENA region, Ahmed gravitates toward the stories from the region that often go untold; the end goal, she says, is “a modern take on Bahraini music, which a lot of people have no idea about”.

I am going to end with a review for the transcendent A Paradise in the Hold. Jazzwise spoke with Yazz Ahmed earlier in the year. Someone who has always wanted to write about the rich tradition of Bahrain, this is such a compelling, spellbinding and evocative album. I do hope that her music gets much more love across multiple stations and media sources. Some of the bigger music websites and papers:

“Over the past 15 years, trumpeter and composer Yazz Ahmed has been using her music to connect with her Bahraini heritage. Finding her melodies in quarter-tone Arabic scales and her grooves in complex polyrhythms, Ahmed’s three albums (2011’s Finding My Way Home, 2017’s La Saboteuse and 2019’s Polyhymnia) have produced a distinct blend of jazz improvisation with the echoes of music from her homeland, providing a sonic trace of her ongoing relationship with a cross-cultural identity.

Yet, throughout the span of this recording career, Ahmed has also been working on another project that delves further into her personal history than ever before. Featuring recordings of her family, reinterpreted Bahraini folk music and high-energy ensemble compositions, her latest album, A Paradise in the Hold, has been more than a decade in the making, with versions reworked and honed during live performances across the globe. Now finally ready for release, it shines a new light on Ahmed’s British-Bahraini jazz fusion to produce some of her most expansive and exciting music to date.

“I left Bahrain in 1992 when I was nine years old to move to London and once I did, I left my culture behind so I could fit into Britain,” Ahmed says over a Zoom call from her Bedfordshire home. “I would keep my identity hidden because having an Arabic Muslim father, I didn’t feel accepted – there were so many negative perspectives of Middle Eastern people and Muslims at the time. It was only when I was older that I started to rediscover my mixed heritage and I felt a deep homesickness and hunger to learn about that culture I abandoned. Ever since, my music has been my way of bridging that gap.”

In 2014, following the acclaimed release of her independent debut Finding My Way Home, Ahmed travelled to Bahrain on a research trip to reconnect with these roots.

“I’ve always wanted to write about the rich tradition of Bahrain, which includes the music sung by the pearl divers, as well as women’s drumming groups that would sing at festivals and celebrations,” she says. “People from other parts of the world often assume that Bahraini women are oppressed but I wanted to shine a light on the strong, incredible women who are forging new creative paths in the country.”

During her trip, Ahmed discovered traditional poems and lyrics used by female drumming groups in local bookshops, as well as listening to her grandfather singing the songs performed at his own wedding and attending a concert of pearl diving music from the pearl divers of Muharraq, her family’s hometown.

“It was a beautiful, entrancing experience,” she says with a smile. “The singers silenced the whole room with their melodies and I found it so inspiring. I recorded the performance on my phone and when I came back home, I began separating sections of their songs into loops that would eventually form the ideas on A Paradise in the Hold.”

“Being a female bandleader and instrumentalist, inclusivity and equality is an issue that has always been close to my heart,” Ahmed explains. “When I was starting out, I had no one to look up to who looked like me and it instantly made me assume that maybe women weren’t good enough to play this music. Now, organisations such as Tomorrow’s Warriors, PRS Foundation and Women in Jazz are making a real difference, working with communities of women to develop their voices, but we still have a way to go. It will always be an issue I will champion in all of my work.”

Ultimately, with her decade-long passion project finally released, Ahmed is carving out a distinct path not only as a woman in jazz, but also as a British-Bahraini musician aiming to express the many facets of her heritage.

“I feel more whole now with my identity, like I can embrace both sides of my culture, since the music has been a healing process,” she says. “It brings me a lot of joy and when I go back to Bahrain the feedback is wonderful too. It’s a real privilege to keep shining a light on this music and to do it through my own lens. All that’s left is for people to listen and to lose themselves in the songs”.

I am going to finish off with a review of A Paradise in the Hold from The Guardian. If anything shared above does not sound like your kind of music or artist then I would say to listen to A Paradise in the Hold. You will connect with and fall under the spell of Yazz Ahmed very quickly. Someone who I was unfamiliar with until recently.

“Since the release of her 2011 debut album, Finding My Way Home, British Bahraini trumpeter Yazz Ahmed has been exploring her heritage through jazz improvisation. Using Arabic quarter-tone scales with guitar, horns and traditional percussion such as the darbuka drum, Ahmed’s music is a fiery blend of instinctive soloing with melodic lyricism. While 2019’s Polyhymnia took inspiration from formidable women such as Saudi Arabian film-maker Haifaa al-Mansour, Ahmed’s fourth album turns towards folk traditions to produce 10 tracks of atmospheric intensity.

Drawing on the polyrhythmic Arab sea-music fijiri and wedding poetry, the album marks the first time Ahmed has collaborated with other singers. On opener She Stands on the Shore, vocalist Natacha Atlas’s warm tenor interweaves seamlessly with Ahmed’s plaintive trumpet melody, swelling over bowed bass to evoke the undulating waves, while Randolph Matthews’ lower register on To the Lonely Sea artfully embodies an eerie sense of hard winds and crashing waves.

Some features are less effective, with the droning bass of Though My Eyes Go to Sleep, My Heart Does Not Forget You jarring against Alba Nacinovich’s keening melody, and the group vocalisations of Al Naddaha struggling to be heard amid Ahmed’s doubling trumpet lines. Instead, Ahmed excels when her compositions play fast and free. The fierce polyrhythms of wedding song Her Light spiral into an ecstatic dance, while the joyous Into the Night features Ahmed’s extended family performing traditional ululations and hand-clapping to continue the sense of celebration.

The 10-minute title track is another highlight. Pearl-diving music is an a cappella vocal tradition for guiding ship workers by blending rhythmic droning with high-register melody, and Ahmed uses a processed sample of one such performance to build a vamping groove alongside bass clarinettist George Crowley’s expressive solo and percussionist Corrina Silvester’s extended darbuka break. The effect is infectiously jubilant, drawing the listener into Ahmed’s distinct and modern imagining of Bahraini tradition”.

Go and experience the wonderous Yazz Ahmed. Not only is A Paradise in the Hold a sublime and moving listening experience. After reading interviews from Ahmed where she talks about that desire to connect with Bahrain and her heritage, it made me think more widely about the country and the music from it. Few albums and artists get you to think beyond the music and open your mind to new cultures and countries. That should be reason enough for you to seek out…

THIS incredible talent.

____________

Follow Yazz Ahmed

Official:

https://www.yazzahmed.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/yazzahmedmusic/

Bandcamp:

https://yazzahmed.bandcamp.com/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1srvW9AP2k4GLhS3hlC3IN?si=VBfIAvWATtGWt5jOpH0ixw

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/AhmedDinnerJazz

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/yazzahmedmusic

FEATURE: Spotlight: Myles Smith

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Myles Smith

__________

A rising artist…

PHOTO CREDIT: Brennan Bucannan

who probably doesn’t need my kudos, and has had far bigger and more influential sites give him a thumbs up, I have overlooked Myles Smith until now. He is a really promising artist who of course you need to see on the road if you can. The recipient of four awards at this year’s BRITs – including Rising Star -, his E.P., A Minute…, was released late last year. There will be a lot of excitement and anticipation around a debut album. With a couple of E.P.s and a string of great singles under his belt, there is this growing and loving fanbase. I think he is going to be one of those artists who keeps getting bigger and better. Growing and expanding as he releases album after album. I want to move to some brilliant recent interviews with Myles Smith. It is worth noting that Smith was recently included as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. A boy from Luton, as he posted on Instagram, it must have been a huge honour and shock – though richly deserved! Let’s get to some of those interviews with Myles Smith. I am going to start out with the end of an interview that The Line of Best Fit published in February. This twenty-six-year-old artist enjoying a meteoric rise, I think the next year or two are going to be among the most successful and memorable for Myles Smith:

“Last year, Smith released two EPs – February’s River and November’s A Minute… – that represent the culmination of these early efforts. Working with the iconic producer Peter Fenn – whose other credits include cuts with Laufey, Fred again.., Valley, and Ava Max – he tracked some of his most intimate moments. Connecting with Peter, he says, helped bring out the best in his artistry simply since the two got along as friends so well. A Minute.., after all, is centered around those life-altering moments that can change everything, whether those moments be with a partner, a friend, or simply ones spent trying to make sense of your own mind.

And yet, in Smith’s songwriting exists an exciting contrast. He manages to take these vignettes and dial them up to anthems, creating stadium-ready singalongs out of his highest highs and lowest lows. “I’m delusional into thinking one day I’ll be playing in stadiums, and so I always write like I’m already there,” Smith says with a smile. “My songwriting approach is always starting from the point of I want a song to live forever and in a big way.”

If the pace Smith is keeping seems dizzying, that’s because it is. In the first half of 2025 alone, he’s set to trot across North America and Europe. “Finally, I feel like I’ve reached a point now where the stages are big enough and the audiences are big enough that I can really put on a show. Being able to delve into creating a solid show that people come and enjoy is super exciting,” he tells me.

Smith is not daunted by the task, nor does he see a break coming anytime soon. Instead, he just wants to do what he knows best and what he loves: writing and playing. That, after all, is what keeps him going. “Whether I’m on tour or off the road, I always try my hardest to put pen to paper,” Smith admits. “That’s the lifeblood of everything we do as musicians. Music drives everything”.

At the end of February, The Guardian interviewed Myles Smith. During his BRITs acceptance speech (for Rising Star) to call on the Government to use their platform and power to protect grassroots venues. Their sustainability is under threat. Without them, we would not have artists like Myles Smith. So many big artists started out playing at smaller venues. Their survival is essential:

“With abundant emotional intelligence as well as a keener political acumen than most pop singers his age, the 26-year-old Smith is sharp and engaging company on a video call as he tours the UK. Born and raised in Luton, he casts himself as a small-town oddball. “I grew up in a working-class neighbourhood, in a Jamaican family – so my interest in rock and screamo, and not being able to play football and rugby, instantly put me in a different category to my peers,” he says. “In all walks of life I’ve felt a little bit different.”

His parents’ marriage fell apart when Smith was between the ages of nine and 13, “a critical period in anyone’s life when they’re forming relationships,” he says. Introducing a song to his 1.6m TikTok followers recently, he wryly said: “Anyone else’s parents divorce and then your dad leaves and then your whole perception of love and relationships is completely screwed up and you don’t know how to trust anyone in your adult life?”

“A lot of my personal development has been off the back of that [divorce] experience,” he says now. “I definitely had trust issues for a while.” He has had therapy – “such a beautiful tool” – to come to terms with it. “At the time [as a child] you’re never really aware – most of the learning comes when you’re an adult and you start to unpack the ways you think and feel. There’s a weird beauty to it – while it is painful and traumatic, and having to relive so many experiences is difficult, it also gives you this key to unlock a whole new side to yourself, when you do understand yourself better. And I’ve got a lot of [the trauma] to thank for being a good songwriter!”

Smith left Luton for the University of Nottingham to study sociology, and founded his own fast-growing business management company after graduating. But he’d been playing pub gigs since the age of 11, and decided to pivot to music, “knowing that if it all went wrong I could reactivate my LinkedIn and get back into the working world,” he laughs. “But those initial months were petrifying, stepping from a stable income to absolute uncertainty.” He started posting songs to TikTok in 2022, where his manager discovered him, and was signed to a major label deal with Sony the following year.

‘I never want to put a false sense of myself into the world, where I am this saviour. I push air – that’s my job’ … Smith performing in Dublin in February. Photograph: Debbie Hickey/Getty Images

But I can hear the sociology student still coming through when he discusses the systemic issues that can hold people like him back in the music industry. “For anyone from a working-class town, the opportunities to get into music are few and far between,” he says. “There’s a huge disadvantage when it comes to access to musical equipment, and even music lessons, at state school level.”

Smith benefited from Building Schools for the Future, an investment scheme brought in by Labour in 2005, then shuttered in 2010 by Michael Gove – who later regretted doing so – as the Tories’ austerity programme began. “I had access to GarageBand, iMacs, musical equipment,” Smith remembers. “And though the costing could be questioned, [the scheme] was very quickly pushed out the window. We’ve now seen years and years of austerity, and it’s not just the arts that have taken a hit – it’s anything that sits on the periphery of the mainstream route to work. There do need to be questions asked about how we’re valuing the arts in this country.”

Exacerbating the problem are the hardships faced by grassroots venues, which have been knocked hard by the Covid lockdowns and then the cost of living crisis. “Suddenly the gap between music being a hobby and being a career is wider than ever. In order to pay for a first show an artist might need to sell 500 tickets [at a medium-sized venue]. Whereas the bands and shows I used to see when I was younger was someone down the pub playing to 20 people, but those don’t exist any more.” And he sees a “dual burden” for people of colour, who as well as being statistically more likely to be working class, “are also not being seen for the amazing cultural value that they bring to this country, and what they add to one of our biggest cultural exports” – namely the arts. “More work needs to be done both on a class basis and a race basis.”

His music tends to be much less political, and is written in a way that allows listeners to map their own troubles and breakthroughs on to his songs. They frequently contact him to tell him so, and on social media, Smith recently reminded them: “It wasn’t my music that saved you – it was you.”

“A lot of people – and I really do appreciate it – will message me when they’re going through troublesome times,” he explains. “They’re dealing with mental health issues – or much further. I could take it as an ego lift: ‘Wow, I’m saving lives!’ But the reality is that those people are doing the hard work to really understand themselves. As an artist, I never want to put a false sense of myself into the world, where I am this saviour. I push air – that’s my job.”

As he hones his craft, Smith says he’s mindful to “take breaks from writing for a few months at a time, so I can go out and experience life, otherwise I’ll have nothing to say,” and also avoiding “external [musical] influence – I’m trying to find who I am, what I’m trying to say.” But time with Sheeran has been useful, seeing how “he has full confidence over his initial ideas. For me and many other songwriters, you can get stuck going over one line for 45 minutes. But he’s of the mindset that if it’s good, it’s good – why are we wasting time?”

After the Brit awards, Smyth has 37 gigs to play across Europe, the US and Australia – all before the end of May, when he starts 29 European stadium shows with Sheeran. It sounds exhausting, but he is clearly exhilarated. “I wrote a song recently about simply feeling good,” he says. “On the surface that could seem super cliched. But it’s taken a long time to just feel great, and not feel burdened with anything. That’s a byproduct of doing the thing that I love. Feeling good – that’s something I’ve been feeling recently!”.

I am going to finish off with a recent interview from Music Week. This is just a taster in terms of the press and interviews. I would urge people to do a bit more digging and listen and read as much as they can about Myles Smith! He is someone who is primed for many successful (and busy) years ahead in the music industry. If you do follow him already then make sure that you do:

“The UK industry's hottest new property Myles Smith has lifted the lid on his stunning breakthrough, signing to RCA and why he's in no hurry to release his debut album.

The Luton singer-songwriter, who covers the March edition of Music Week, has already notched up two UK Top 10 singles in Stargazing (1,147,392 sales, OCC) and Nice To Meet You (240,911 sales) and named winner of the BRITs Rising Star award for 2025, in addition to being crowned BBC Introducing Artist Of The Year.

Moreover, the 26-year-old, who will perform and is also up for Best New Artist, Song Of The Year and Pop Act at next month's BRITs, is adamant he is in it for the long haul.

“Having two Top 10 singles in my first year has been a real highlight,” he said. “It’s been such a good feeling, not just proving it to myself but also to the people who have trusted and invested so much time in me. This is not just a moment that will come and go, it’s the start of something real and long-term."

Indeed, despite his rapid progress to date, Smith indicated that he is taking his time with his first LP.

“I’m not sure when it’s going to come,” he said. “It’s all about carving out the time and making sure I’m in the right place. But when I get there, I want it to push the boundaries of what I’ve already put out, maybe be a bit closer to my heart, baring my soul a bit more.

“I don’t want to make music that’s just cool. I want to make music that I feel in my heart and soul could outlive me.”

Smith is currently on a headline run in the UK and Europe, including sold out London shows at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (February 26) and Hammersmith's Eventim Apollo (March 26), and has 21 million monthly Spotify listeners, led by Stargazing's 666m global streams and counting.

He described the track, which peaked at No.4 in the UK and cracked the US Top 20, as “a beautiful song and a beautiful moment”.

“For people to have a song that explains such a grand emotion in such a simple way, it ticks the boxes,” he said. “It just gives me reassurance that I can write good music. Of course, I’ve sat there thinking, ‘Can I do it again?’ But then I’ve had to snap myself out of it and go, ‘I’ve done it, of course I could do it again.’ I wrote it not thinking I needed to write a smash song, more that I was going to write something that I love. I enter every session with that mindset.”

Initially coming to prominence after posting cover versions on TikTok – where he has 1.6m followers and 34.5m likes – Smith became a viral sensation with his renditions of Amber Run’s I Found and The Neighbourhood’s Sweater Weather.

“It started to go stratospheric,” he recalled. “I quickly started to gain tens of thousands of followers and then hundreds of thousands of followers, all within a really short space of time."

Smith signed to Sony Music UK’s RCA label in 2023, and has a high-ranking supporter in Sony Music UK & Ireland CEO & chairman Jason Iley.

“I’m delighted for Myles that he is doing so well, he deserves it!” Iley told Music Week. “It always comes down to the songs and he is a great songwriter. He had a very successful year globally in 2024 and there are no signs of that slowing down.”

The appreciation is mutual, with Smith expressing his gratitude for Iley's endorsement.

“He knows my weekly schedule and he’s a true believer in what I’m doing,” said Smith. “He’s always had the same mindset from the start, that the songs matter and the music you make matters, so create as much time as you can to truly invest in making great music, because you can become known for other things, who you date, where you go, scandals... He was like, ‘If your music speaks the loudest, that’s what is most important.’”

“One, it was music first. But two, they really cared about me as a person behind the artist, staying authentic, wanting to have my music reach millions but in the right way and in a way which is true to me,” he said

“A big part of the issues I was going through at the time, and still face somewhat right now, is that a lot of the world can box me in as being almost like an exception to the rule of a Black artist making pop music, and that could sometimes be made into a novelty or a spectacle.

“The RCA team really understood that, yes, I am a Black artist, and yes, I do have things to say about my culture and where I come from, but that shouldn’t be the focal point of who I am and what I represent. Not that that wasn’t said in other meetings I’d had, but it was something that they had actively considered. That was a real turning point for me”.

I am going to leave things there. A really important voice in music, do go and show Myles Smith support. Even though I sort of half-joked he does not need my assistance or spotlighting, I think any attention that comes his way is good! Someone whose music should be heard by as wide an audience as possible. He may be only a boy from Luton – not my words, but you feel Myles Smith thinks along those lines -, he is now someone whose music belongs to the world. This amazing artist has come a long way. You know he has…

A lot more to say.

___________

Follow Myles Smith

Official:

https://www.mylessmith.co.uk/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mylessmithuk/

TikTok:

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

Twitter:

https://x.com/mylessmithuk

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3bO19AOone0ubCsfDXDtYt?si=kC-WjU1-TtOBolAIvHjsmA

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZfbjzBfq81Dt1Fvrnbsj5w

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/mylessmithuk

FEATURE: Modern-Day Queens: Victoria Canal

FEATURE:

 

Modern-Day Queens

PHOTO CREDIT: Francesco Zinno

Victoria Canal

__________

THE last time…

that I properly spotlighted Victoria Canal was back in 2023. I have talked about her since but, for this Modern Queens, I wanted to discuss one of the most important artists around. I am going to start off with some interviews from earlier in this year and will end with some reviews for her incredible debut album, Slowly, It Dawns. I would advise people pick up a copy of her album. Canal is currently undertaking some U.S. tour dates. For their Class of 2025 feature, DIY spoke with an artist who had a phenomenal 2024. Including playing with Coldplay at Glastonbury and a second  Ivor Novello award win, the Spanish-American was being tipped by many to be the sound of 2025. Her debut album won huge acclaim:

“Set for release in January, ‘Slowly, It Dawns’ is not just the culmination of three years’ work for the singer, but a record that shows a wider breadth of her talents than ever before. “Definitely going on tour with Hozier was the catalyst for that,” she explains of her new, expanded sonic scope. “I think seeing just how varied his music is and how huge it could be, and experiencing those fans that are young, queer and very sentimental, I was really inspired by what my show could become and what my music could sound like. I took the pieces of what inspired me about his show in terms of the grandiosity and used it as inspiration for my own recording process and songwriting.

“I definitely wanted to keep the more intimate, singer-songwriter, bedroom style stuff that is so close to my heart, but I think the album is split into two sides,” she notes. “Side A is this much more confident, unhinged side, which did take a lot of inspiration from that time, and then Side B is the much more introverted, wounded, wiser side.”

Keying into the old school approach of splitting a record into two distinct sides, the album begins with the more carefree fun of ‘June Baby’ before moving into the sultry flirtation of ‘California Sober’ and the hedonistic rhythms of ‘Cake’ which, Victoria explains, represent the earlier phases of life. “To me, the flirty, sort of overconfident, naive side is emblematic of younger life. You know, you’re 18 or 19, you’re going out, you’re trying things for the first time, you’re trying to discover who you are and maybe overshoot.

“I think the main thing is that I just had fun,” she says of her approach when writing those songs in particular. “Music is mostly such a brooding, sorta weepy experience for me – and that is where my heart lies, but I just wanted to test myself and see if I could genuinely have fun and not restrict myself in any way. All the songs on Side A, I felt like they were just a result of me being like, ‘Fuck it, I’m going to make whatever I want today’, and yeah, it did kind of flow; particularly the music and production elements. I think we were just having so much fun, so it felt easy.”

It’s in the album’s second half – around the existential lullaby-esque ‘Vauxhall’ – that things shift to a more reflective, introverted space. “I really liked the idea of bookending the album with ‘June Baby’ as Track One and ‘swan song’ as Track 12, sort of from beginning to end of life and basically a coming-of-age story,” she explains. “There does come a point where you wake up and you’re 24 or 25 and you’re like, ‘Oh jeez, what was all that?’ and ‘I should probably get serious now’. The rest of the album from there becomes more wise and more reflective and self aware, which is much more how I feel in my life now.”

While her debut mostly explores new territory for the songwriter, there are a few familiar faces within the track listing. “Those songs, they’re sisters and they deserve a long life,” she says of the record’s final two tracks, ‘Black Swan’ and ‘swan song’, which previously featured on her 2023 EP ‘WELL WELL’ and 2022 release ‘Elegy’ respectively. Did she always plan to include them on her full-length? “I did, yeah. I just felt like I didn’t want to leave them behind and they’re so representative of who I am and the deepest part of my soul. I wanted to make sure that they got their moment again; it feels really right to me.”

There’s something poignant about the fact that, through the writing of the album, it’s still the songs she wrote some years ago that speak to Victoria most now. “I think that’s part of the concept behind the album too,” she agrees, “that it’s cyclical. You’re born and you live and you die and you’re born again. Even within your life; maybe it’s not a literal death, but it’s an ego death or it’s the death of an idea of yourself. That’s also part of the reason I called the album ‘Slowly, It Dawns’, because it feels like a sunrise and eventually the sun sets but it will rise again. It is interesting, and it really is based on where I am in my life that I feel more like ‘Black Swan’ and that Side B energy versus like, confident, loud, unhinged Side A energy.”

An album of intense honesty that also celebrates the multitudes of the human experience – whether foolish and loud, or meditative and quiet – ‘Slowly, It Dawns’ aims to move away from the highly-curated snapshots of life that society seems so intent on projecting, to showcase it for the contradictory muddle that it can actually be. “I think that’s one thing that I just don’t see too much of online, particularly with really established artists that I follow, for example,” Victoria offers up. “It’s like, they can be this one thing, all the time, and it’s always energetic and it’s always happy and it’s always lively and they’re always performing and whatever,” she says.

“But, for me, I just find that there’s like… I call it the God and goblin complex.” Two halves of the same emotional coin, much like the two sides of the album. “I’m a fan of music and I feel like I’ve been searching for an artist to admit that they are both this and that, you know what I mean?” she asks. “I’ve decided I can basically be that person”.

I am going to move to an interview with Brick Magazine. For anyone who does not know Victoria Canal, I would urge you to seek her out. I think this is an artist that is going to climb to huge heights. Someone who will be headlining big festivals soon enough. Her music is like nothing else. Brick Magazine stated that Slowly, It Dawns is a “defiant yet delicate reflection on the life-long lead-up to her debut album”. It is one of the best albums of the year:

“The record is imbued with memories of her international upbringing. Born in Munich to Spanish and American parents, she grew up mostly in Madrid, but – thanks to her dad’s job in medical tech – she had resided in Shanghai, Tokyo, Amsterdam and Dubai all before adulthood. Her genre-spanning sound has also been the result of abundant creative collaboration, as she was inspired to formally start the album while on tour with Hozier in 2023. “Seeing Hozier up-close and working with Coldplay, I was exposed to bands and artists that make many kinds of music and really stretch themselves in terms of genre and songwriting,” she explains. “I felt inspired to stretch myself, to lean into the pop side of myself, lean into the more brooding, folky singer-songwriter side, and everything else in between.”

She pauses. “At the same time, it is true that your debut album takes your whole life to make,” she adds. To roll out the album’s singles and accompanying visuals, she used the allegory of a house party, embracing the same teenage innocence that once painted Friday nights as the most important times of your life.

The first track and lead single, ‘June Baby’ opens to glittering piano chords and Canal’s soft whispers, as if you’re being awoken by a light breeze as the sun pours in and the hope of a new day rises. The mood heats up on ‘California Sober’ as she flirts with new desires amid sizzling Cuban-inspired guitars and mariachi backing vocals. The deliciously dangerous ‘Cake’ hears Canal descend further into her hedonism, delaying her inevitable return to reality through self-destruction, singing “Fuck the cake, let’s go straight to the vodka.”

She enlisted creative director Abbie Coombs to aid in crafting a universe where ‘Cake’ and the diaphanous ‘swan song’ end up on the same record. Canal discovered that ‘June Baby’ and ‘swan song’ worked best as bookends, saying they felt like “a beginning and an end of a life” that she could then piece together.

“When you grow up, you’re overconfident, you’re naive, you’re really loud about your opinions and convinced about the way the world should be, but you also don’t know anything at all. Then there reaches a point in life where everything flips on its head, and you question: who am I?” she remembers. She asks this on ‘15%’, the album’s keystone track. “It’s looking back and thinking, ‘Oh my God, why did I say those things? Am I amazing? Or does everyone hate me?‘ This social anxiety kicks in but there’s also an understanding that it’s just the way the brain works, and you can’t control it.”

Slowly, It Dawns’ second half reckons with this discomfort and reflects on agency, accountability, and acceptance. On ‘Vauxhall’, Canal speaks to her lover and fantasises of their escape away from responsibilities and repercussions – singing “I wish it was that easy / trading in my dreams for peace of mind” – before realising that she can’t escape her problems as she can’t escape herself. The song is another stand-out from the album, building with discontent until she bursts from frustration, hollering “I wish I had a choice” until it fades to silence.

Meanwhile, the agonising ‘Totally Fucking Fine’ starts out as sarcastic and resentful as its name might suggest, capturing her growing self-belief like weight being lifted from her chest, before transitioning to a meditative instrumental, creating a space to stop and breathe among the chaos. This introspection has undoubtedly been aided by her meticulous commitment to journaling – she’s been writing them since she was six years old, and admits she can get through one every few months.

Canal explains the magic of songwriting, for her, is in its development process and trusting in an idea’s evolution. She needed to create a space “where there are no bad ideas” to sharpen her thoughts, cultivating this with renowned songwriter Eg White who contributed to half the record’s tracklist. “Part of my process – since 2020, when it felt like the world was ending – is to make music where I don’t care if anybody ever hears it. I’m making exactly what I want to make and that’s what matters to me. Then when people hear it and connect with it, that’s an amazing reward,” she explains.

Not caring about what others think is a well-practiced perspective for Canal, who was born without her right forearm due to amniotic band syndrome. Navigating her rise in an industry that “loves to turn you into one thing”, she expresses her mixed feelings towards visible representation and being seen as a spokesperson. “Honestly, if I think about it too much, it’ll give me a headache because it is so conflicting,” she begins. “I feel a responsibility to manage it a certain way, and as I’m becoming more public, I want to get it right. I want to represent without overly identifying with my disability, as it’s just one part of me.”

Looking ahead, Canal is starting the year back on the road, celebrating the album’s release with two Rough Trade performances in London and Bristol, before embarking on a seven-stop US tour, including a stop at Hollywood’s infamous Troubadour. Reflecting on it all, she shares: “The lesson I’m learning in life is that everything will go wrong, but the question is: how do you respond to it? I think success isn’t just things going right in your life, it’s learning how to handle when things go wrong. That’s what success is to me, and that’s something that I’m still working on and finding the strength to live up to.”

To add to her ever-expanding to-do list, the musician has set herself a new goal: to improve the accessibility of music venues on her tour. “There are many venues that some of my fans couldn’t access because they weren’t wheelchair accessible which is so disappointing and something that I think needs to be worked on, particularly for medium-sized and smaller venues,” she explains.

She reaffirms that creative careers are never linear paths to “a Grammy, or 100 million streams, or a million followers” – behind the alluring heights of pop stardom are the stresses of merch shipments getting lost, overbudget tours, and the perpetual fear of flopping. After spending years shrouded in her own uncertainty, Canal has shed her adolescent anxieties to uncover what matters most to her: protecting her peace. She asserts, “I’m really grateful for all the difficulties I’ve faced because I’m learning so much about what it means to feel satisfied and accomplished and purposeful”.

I want to finish off with a couple of reviews. I am going to come to one from When the Horn Blows and their assessment of a remarkable and distinctly original debut album. For those who are looking for an artist who is going to endure for years and continue to put out music of the highest quality, you need to look in the direction of Victoria Canal. I have been a fan for years now and will continue to follow her:

“Victoria Canal’s ‘Slowly, It Dawns’ is a debut album years in the making, but the graft pays off with a dazzling set of self-empowerment pop gems.

The road here was not always pretty, and more convoluted than the German-born, Spanish-American artist, singer, songwriter, actor and manifester’s story sounds. The finished product was made over three years and recorded in London and LA – with Victoria recently posting support on social media for those affected by the ongoing wildfires in the latter. The final product is universal, effortless and refined, reflecting life in your twenties, a time that is usually anything but.

The first half of the album is a pop girl brimming with creativity, beginning with last summer’s single ‘June Baby’. The vulnerability is visibly present in a sunshiny track written with The 1975’s Ross MacDonald, with fellow band member George Daniel on co-production. Victoria sings: “You saw me naked, totally freaking out. Afraid to say it, I think I love you now.” When she repeats the line “I am falling apart, I am falling apart,” it morphs into an anthemic juggernaut.

The glorious “some kind of euphoria” continues with ‘Talk’, about an inconvenient crush over a driving vibe. It has all the hallmarks of another summer smash with her delivery: “We don’t need to talk about it, we don’t need to talk at all.”

‘California Sober’ is big and bold, dripping with confidence and a little Latin sweat. It’s where VC, raised for most of her life in Spain, lets that side in after years admiring Anglo-American acts. Written with Låpsley, the feeling of romance is underpinned by exotic sounds and queer liberation. She sings: “Baby beg for it, lay in it, so close that you can taste it. Be my guest, be my guest” with more beauty than beast. It is crying out for dancing and hot as hell all-night vibing.

‘Cake’ has dramatic undertones and cinematic desperation. There’s a sense of escapism despite strong almost-dystopian electronics, all wrapped up in three minutes. The key line -  “Fuck the cake! Let’s go straight to the vodka. We don’t ever have to think about the cracks in the machine” – sums up some of the contradictions at the heart of the album, and the world. Meanwhile, ‘15%’, about the yin and yang of life, gives the album its title. “Slowly, it dawns, I’m a pain in the ass. Is everyone happy I’m leaving?” Victoria seeks reassurance despite ongoing doubt in a delicate and sombre track. There is also another nod to her mixed heritage, briefly flitting between tongues: “Depende¿ De que depende? It depends on you. It depends on me.”

Side A ends with ‘Vauxhall’ - not the area in south London, but the thought of trading her music dreams for the suburbs with an overly assertive man in a naff car: “I could use your confidence, and your shitty Vauxhall.”  It has full-blown popstar energy with another Bond-esque sound, and rounding off by singing “I wish I had a choice”.

The second half shows a more “self-aware” Victoria Canal in another, slightly less chaotic world. ‘How Can I Be A Person?’ is 165 seconds of calm glory, drifting pleasantly on the idea of recollection with few words, before the meditative sound of Totally Fucking Fine’, which fuses an explicit title with a mellow centre. The bracing and honest piano ballad was delivered in one go, in which she asks: “What good is a holiday if you’re already bored?” It is the track where the girl born without a lower arm most talks about the concept of the body, repeating “that body’s not mine” before declaring the title line again. It has a soft ending, before coming back for a final line of heart-wrenching vocals.

In ‘Hollow’, Victoria questions: “How did I end up here? Guarded and insincere, walking on tippy toes. Nobody knows.” She fears being fake, but the result is 115% real: “There’s no morning glory, no bible or moral of the story to follow. Beneath it all, we are hollow.” In ‘Barely’, VC delivers the lyric “We’re all solar systems, we’re so fucking small. Centres of existence, barely here at all” with beauty and calm, despite the words having a punk energy which a different band would blister through in seconds. It is one of the myriad ways that Victoria changes and subverts ideas, capable of doing things in splendid and unusual ways.

The final songs are a twinset from previous EPs. Coldplay’s Chris Martin, a mentor to Victoria and a key figure in getting her signed to the band’s label Parlophone, described ‘Black Swan’ as “one of the best songs ever written”. It also won the Ivor Novello Best Song Musically and Lyrically last year.  In it, she sings: “Mama, turn me blonde, take my final form. Black swan, black swan”. Meanwhile ‘swan song’ is stylishly crafted, as Victoria ends by contemplating: “Who knows how long we’ve got? As long as I am breathing, I know it’s not too late to love.” It is a sentiment that runs throughout every part of ‘Slowly, It Dawns’.

In a crowded field of female singer-songwriters, Victoria Canal is unique in many ways. The vulnerable and introspective piano art is sometimes at odds with the bravado of Side A, but it is the feeling of being human. She won’t be defined by her limb difference, instead turning to universality which is in the strong songwriting and beautiful harmonies found on this album. Victoria has finally found clarity as her own artist – sometimes wholesome, sometimes sexy, and always showing there’s unlimited potential in her career.

‘Slowly, It Dawns’ is an impressive benchmark jammed with well-executed songs and a strong pop performance. For a woman who begins her album singing “I am falling apart, I am falling apart”, it’s all come together. It’s taken a while, but this is Victoria Canal’s moment”.

I am going to end with a short review from DIY for Slowly, It Dawns. A 2025 masterpiece, the coming years are going to be really exciting for Victoria Canal. I have high hopes for an artist who should be on everyone’s radar:

“For anyone familiar with Victoria Canal’s earlier discography - which, after sharing her first EP all the way back in 2016, is already plentiful - the opening chimes of ‘June Baby’ might come as a bit of a surprise. Where her most recent releases (2022’s ‘elegy’ and last year’s ‘WELL WELL’ EP) dwelled in the more introspective corners of life, there’s a sunny warmth to the opening track of her debut full-length ‘Slowly, It Dawns’ that feels unexpected but still well-worn. It’s this spirit that’s carried into the first half of the record via the flirtatious strut of ‘California Sober’ and the thrumming, hedonistic vibrations of ‘Cake’, proving Canal has many more strings to her pop bow. For those more enamoured with her intimate, stripped back songwriting, never fear; ‘Slowly, It Dawns’’ second half is as powerful and devastating as ever, with ‘Barely’ standing out as a particularly raw but striking highlight (“We’re all solar systems,” she sings, in an almost whisper, “we’re so fucking small”). That she chooses to close proceedings with the one-two of her previous stand-out singles ‘Black Swan’ and ‘swan song’ makes perfect sense in context, too; the tracks that helped introduce her to the world now become the poignant final notes of her newest era. A gorgeous debut”.

There are few artists who leave as big an impression on me as Victoria Canal. Slowly, It Dawns is a tremendous album that rightly won impassioned reviews. The future is very bright for Canal. I have never seen her perform live, though that is something that I need to do at some point if she plays London in the future. If you are not following this amazing artist then you need to do so…

RIGHT away.

___________

Follow Victoria Canal

PHOTO CREDIT: Martina Matencio

Official:

https://www.victoriacanal.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/victoriacanal

TikTok:

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

Twitter:

https://x.com/victoriacanal

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2nE9x2JhbyjBVCaSnUGX3G?si=1ivoGCj6S3WT4CEGG9lESg

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2a1zJeKXc6cwqFU8xaQ2jQ

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaCanalMusic

FEATURE: Out of Ctrl: Women's Sexual Liberation and Revolution Against the Dangers of Online Porn

FEATURE:

 

 

Out of Ctrl

PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

Women's Sexual Liberation and Revolution Against the Dangers of Online Porn

__________

THIS is something I have wanted to…

PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Gouw/Pexels

write about for a while but I know it is not really connected to music. I guess, in the sense that it could apply to women in music. However, it is a more general feature that seems very timely. In terms of sexual revolution  and liberation, especially for women, there is this danger that is threatening that. I am not suggesting that we should embark on a new Summer of Love and there should be this sexual revolution – or maybe there should be. However, in terms of a huge threat facing women at the moment is the way boys and young men are discovering sex. The way they learn about sex. Rather than them seeking out ethical pornography or something that, in its way, sets a good example and is a safe and natural representation of sex, they are viewing sites where women are seen being strangled, assaulted and in a very submissive role. This exposure is hugely influential and unsettling. If boys and young men are viewing this – some are children when they are seeing this -, that is how they think they should act. I have recently read Caitlin Moran’s What About Men?. She discusses her conversations with boys and men and their exposure to online pornography. Especially illuminating when it comes to boys of school age, not only is explicit and violent pornography being shared and widely available, they see it as normal and how they should treat women during sex. There are so many cases of women being killed or seriously injured during sex. I am going to quote from another couple of books that have been talking about a possible sexual liberation and revolution and what is stopping that. How there is this issue with how men (and boys) learn about sex. Their worldview of it. Bolstered by toxic misogynists like Andrew Tate. How he feels women are objects and should be dominated by men. I am going to source from Amia Srinivasan’s The Right to Sex and CTRL HATE DELETE: The New Anti-Feminist Backlash and How We Fight It by Cécile Simmons.

A subject explored by other feminist writers – including Laura Bates in books like Misogynation: The True Scale of Sexism and The Guilty Feminist by Deborah Frances-White, it will also be covered in books like Laura Bates’s The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny -. it is not often explored by journalists. As a music journalist, maybe I am not the most qualified or appropriate person to write about it. However, having read some very powerful books where the clash of sexual liberation and freedom against the effects of online pornography and how that can be a danger to women, I wanted to cover it. I want to start out with some observations from CTRL HATE DELETE: The New Anti-Feminist Backlash and How We Fight It. Right near the start of the book, Cécile Simmons talks about the role of incels (involuntary celibate) and their influence on young men. This is an online community bonded by their “inability to find a sexual partner, their resentment towards women and their entitlement to sex”. It is written about misogynist terrorism – cases of incels who visit websites where they vent their hatred of women then go out and commit acts of violence and murder against them – and how it is underestimated by law enforcement. Visits to incel forums have risen and, in terms of law categorisation, attacks by incels on women not seen as terrorism. In a lot of cases, the narrative is shifted from the violence and vileness of the men and their actions are somewhat watered-down. Emphasis on their mental health struggles. Police and government claiming these attacks (which are largely against women) are not gender-specific. One of the most dangerous aspects of incel forms is how some men will adopt hardmaxxing, which can include taking steroids and getting plastic surgery to look a way in which women find them desirable. Many also advocate for “rapepill: raping women as a remedy to one’s sexual frustrations”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Green/Pexels

At a time when women should feel safe and there should be this revolution and explosion of sexual freedom and liberation, will this ever be possible? Many women feeling unsafe during sex. Girls exposed to sexual violence from boys at a very young age. In Th Right to Sex, Amia Srinivasan talks about that “porn came to serve, for feminists of an earlier generation, as a metonym for ‘problematic’ sex in general”. One that was sadomasochistic and was not designed for women’s pleasure. Most interestingly, Srinivasan writes how pornography wasn’t just a contested question in a new political movement. It was a “lightning rod for two conflicting views of sex”. There is an ‘anti-sex’ view that  that sex as we know it is a patriarchal construct.. How there cannot be liberation in any true sense until there is a “revolution in relations between men and women”. The ‘pro sex’ view  is how women should be able to have sex with whomever they like, however they like, without threats, shame, stigma or abuse. There is a big ‘pro sex’ consensus and adoption among modern feminism. However, there is this growing threat of the ‘anti-sex’ voice. They feel that sex needs a “revolutionary transformation”. Second-wave feminists protested against pornography in the late-1960s. When they were striking against pornographic magazines and movie theatres. By the mid-1970s, “feminists began to identify porn as the lynchpin of patriarchy”. There have been anti-porn groups and movements through the 1960s, 1970s and beyond. Many pro-porn feminists argued that these women (anti-porn) were overestimating the power and impact of the medium. The real fear is that porn, true then and especially now, is that is not only depicts the subordination of women. It makes it real. Students feel porn on the Internet is often aggressive and disturbing. It is about submissiveness (by women) and domination (by men). Students understanding that pornography’s role in the modern world is potent and widespread. How girls and young women would advise boys and men that there is feminist and ethical porn. But this is not what they are fed and exposed to. It is somewhat utopian to many to imagine consensual and loving sex, rather than this ideology that sex is about violence and risk. The role of incels and radical misogynists.

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I have been thinking back to an interview with Caitlin Moran. How she said the next wave of feminism should be able positive, pleasure and joy. Extending beyond that, for women, how sexual emancipation and liberation should be part of the next wave. In terms of modern sexual revolution, there have been recent articles about the pros and cons. This article asks whether men and women are any happier after the promised sexual revolution. This article, re-evaluating the modern sexual revolution has some interesting observations (“The only way the majority of women can get what they want is through a social shaming campaign against the sexually liberated minority — in other words, “slut-shaming.” But Perry offers no moral justification for slut-shaming beyond “the majority of us want it this way.” It’s unclear, too, how it would be more effective than when purity culture tried it in the past”). This article reacting to Lily Phillips’s feat of having sex with 101 men in a single day had some striking discussion points (“The sexual revolution is getting it in the neck a lot right now. There’s Louise Perry’s The Case Against the Sexual Revolution. There’s the new cult of prim ‘post-feminist’ women and peculiarly angry ‘post-liberal’ men who basically trace the decline and fall of the West back to all that braless dancing at Woodstock. There are those armies of sun-starved blokes on the internet who say they can’t find a good woman because the sexual revolution turned them all into sluts with sky-high ‘body counts’, when the real reason they can’t find a good woman is because they tweet stupid shit like that”). This article, writing how the sexual revolution has been great solely for men. It is a nuanced, complication and divisive subjects. Whether there is a sexual revolution or there could be. If sites like OnlyFans are a positive force. However, what is clear, is that a sexual revolution should be one with no violence, coercion, force or exploitation. How AI and its role now is creating this new misogyny and sexism. Deepfakes and its evil. It is worth exploring modern sexual revolution and liberation and its multiple sides and discussions. However, I have been thinking about recent books I have read that discuss the power of porn and how it can brainwash or affect boys and men. The images it portrays and how women are treated stands in opposition to this idea of a sexual revolution where women can feel free, safe and alive. Pornographic script does not consider women’s pleasure. Government and police not perhaps taking incel sexual violence and crimes seriously. How women are made to feel violated and unsafe online. More needs to be done. New laws. How misogyny needs to be a hate crime. Topics and ideas that require…

A lot more discussion.

FEATURE: Beneath the Sleeve: Miles Davis – Kind of Blue

FEATURE:

 

 

Beneath the Sleeve

Miles Davis – Kind of Blue

__________

I don’t often cover…

IN THIS PHOTO: Miles Davis in 1959/PHOTO CREDIT: Everett Collection/Abaca

classic Jazz albums in my blog. However, for this feature, I was compelled to discuss in more detail one of the all-time best albums. Released on 17th August, 1959 and produced by Irving Townsend, this masterpiece was captured at Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City. Even though it was a bigger success in the U.S. than it was in the U.K., this hugely influential album has reached listeners around the world. I am going to come to some features around Kind of Blue in a minute. Before that, I wanted to highlight some information from Wikipedia. In terms of its legacy and impact, few albums of the twentieth century are as important as Kind of Blue:

“Kind of Blue has been lauded as one of the most influential albums in the history of jazz. One reviewer has called it a "defining moment of twentieth century music". Several of the pieces from the album have become jazz standards. Kind of Blue is consistently ranked among the greatest albums of all time.  In a review of the album, AllMusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated:

Kind of Blue isn't merely an artistic highlight for Miles Davis, it's an album that towers above its peers, a record generally considered as the definitive jazz album, a universally acknowledged standard of excellence. Why does Kind of Blue possess such a mystique? Perhaps because this music never flaunts its genius. ... It's the pinnacle of modal jazz — tonality and solos build from the overall key, not chord changes, giving the music a subtly shifting quality. ... It may be a stretch to say that if you don't like Kind of Blue, you don't like jazz — but it's hard to imagine it as anything other than a cornerstone of any jazz collection”.

There are some interesting retrospectives like this. Prior to getting to some reviews of a landmark album, this feature from 2022 talks about the making of Kind of Blue. I am not especially knowledgeable regarding the history of the album and its background. When researching for this feature, it was interesting reading about the players and details about the songs. It must have been such a powerful and memorable experience being at Columbia 30th Street Studio during March and April 1959:

“It was the spring of the year 1959, often considered as the greatest year of Jazz that one of the greatest Jazz musicians of all time, Miles Davis gathered a set of brilliant jazz musicians into the famous Columbia’s 30th street studio also known as “The Church”, an old reconstructed Greek Church in Manhattan, NY.

We take a look at what went behind the making of arguably the greatest Jazz album of all time – Kind of Blue, thereby also touching briefly on how Miles and Kind of Blue influenced Indian musicians leading to the release of “Miles From India” in 2008, almost after five decades since it was first released in 1959.

Miles From India is an album that features songs associated with Miles Davis but performed in new arrangements by American jazz musicians and performers from India.

Coming back to Kind of Blue, despite being quite unique, this album is ubiquitous among music lovers. Lovers & friends continue to give the album to each other even after 63 years of its release!

For many music lovers Kind of Blue is the only jazz album they possess. The ultimate album that one is most likely to have heard at a retail store, Starbucks, or at a friend’s place who claims to be a Jazz expert.

Yet, despite all those playing over the years, the record manages to still hold on and still sounds fantastic and inspirational, justifying all the attention it gets.

➡ Recording Sessions and Personnel:

There were two recording sessions, the first one commenced on March, 2nd and the second session was recorded on April, 22nd in 1959. ”43079” was the project number that Columbia had assigned the yet unnamed Kind of Blue session.

There was no written music given to the musicians by Miles and he had brought only sketches of what everybody was supposed to play as he wanted a lot of spontaneity in the playing.

As Bill Evans, who wrote the liner notes of the album puts it, “Miles conceived the setting only hours before recording dates arrived with sketches which indicated the group, what was to be played”

Kind of Blue was recorded with seven now-legendary musicians in the prime of their careers: tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, alto saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, pianists Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Jimmy Cobb apart from the leader of the session himself, trumpeter Miles Davis.

Wynton played only on Freddie Freeloader in the original album. An interesting anecdote mentioned in Ashley Kahn’s A Kind of Blue book recalls how Wynton was surprised to see Bill Evans at the studio and almost left before Miles explained to him that he wanted Wynton also in the first recording session.

➡ The tracks of Kind of Blue

1. So What:

The album opener “So What” is one of the most famous compositions in jazz and is as energetic as the Kind of Blue album can get. Davis and Gil Evans were influenced by composer and pianist George Russell, author of The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, a radical book of “modal” jazz theory.

The Piano chord played at the start by Bill Evans, another student of Russell is strongly reminiscent of the opening of Debussy’s “Voiles”, composed in 1909.

The melody and use of chords are also reportedly inspired by a tune called Pavanne by Ahmad Jamal who was one of the favorite Piano players of Miles Davis.

So What also inspired the personal theme of the fellow jazz legend and sideman for this session, John Coltrane. Coltrane recorded his tune “Impressions” a number of times in his career which he used to refer to as “So What” before settling the name as Impressions in 1962.

So what continues to be a Guitar player’s favorite, notably covered by Grant Green in 1961 and George Benson in 1971. Jerry Garcia along with David Grisman covered this for their 1998 acoustic jazz album of the same name.

[Watch the video of ‘So What” which was first aired, as part of the program titled “The Sound of Miles Davis” on July 21st, 1961 after being recorded in 1959]

2. Freddie Freeloader:

Freddie Freeloader is inspired by a colorful street character named Fred Tolbert who was friends with Miles in the heyday of the sextet. One of Tolbert’s business cards read simply “Freddie Freeloader” acknowledging his lifestyle.

Bill Evans wrote on the liner notes, that this is a 12-measure Blues form given new personality by effective melodic and rhythmic simplicity.

3. Blue In Green:

Despite Miles calling out that this was solely his composition, to this day this composition is credited to “Davis-Evans” on various albums by Evans.

As per Bill Evans, "Blue in Green" is a ten-measure cycle following a short four-measure introduction and played by a soloist in various augmentation and diminution of time values

Blue in Green is often considered the only composition from the album bordering on absolute minimalism in its expression and construction.

4. Flamenco Sketches:

A tune again claimed to have been composed jointly by Evans, This remains the most modal composition on Kind Of Blue. As Ashley Khan writes in his book, Kind Of Blue, this is also the most prismatic tune on the album, refracting a variety of influences (classical, impressionistic, exotic) into a haunting, pan-cultural theme covering a wide emotional range.

5. All Blues:

It was the last of the five tracks recorded which Miles once described as a slowed down version of his earlier composition “Milestones”. The interplay between Davis and Bill Evans is one of the highlights of the album.

The playing of Evans mimics a kind of strumming the instrument which probably was one of the qualities that attracted the legendary Guitarist Duane Allman, whose version of this tune titled “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” became one of the big hits for the Allman Brothers Band.

➡ Flaws at the Time of Release:

Despite all the admiration the album garnered over the years, it also came with certain flaws. The Columbia designated A&R man and producer of this album, Irving Townsend failed to make an impactful distribution of the records to Disc Jockeys, Magazine reviewers and stores in a form that would command attention.

The cover close up of Davis taken by Jay Maisel from a show at Apollo Theater, a few months earlier was hardly inspired though the photograph of Miles taken by another photographer and featured on the back cover, relaxing on a stool during the recording session proved iconic”.

I am going to finish off with some reviews. I will start with one from the BBC. Obviously, it is near-impossible to find anything other than praise for Kind of Blue. However, it is how individual critics assess and dissect the album that is particularly interesting. I first heard Kind of Blue when I was a teenager I think. Maybe not grasping its complexities and layers the first time around, I have come to fully appreciate and connect with Kind of Blue in years since:

“Long held as the jazz album that even non-jazz fans will own, Kind Of Blue not only changed the way people regarded Miles, it changed the very face of music itself. Consistently rated not just as one of the greatest jazz albums but as one of THE greatest musical statements of the 20th century, its 46 minutes of improvisation and sophistication remain peerless.

In the early 50s George Russell had raised the possibility of using a modal approach (i.e. playing within a certain scale, as opposed to according to a fixed chord sequence) as a way out of the straightjacket that restricted improvisation. Miles, at this time, was in thrall to hard bop, but by 1958's Milestones he was ready to try the modal approach, the title track being his first recorded foray into the form.

Kind Of Blue, released the following year, took the idea and developed it to an astounding degree. Its smoky evocation of late night ambience is a byword for laid back elegance. It uses the blues but transmutes those seventh chords into something that still sounds modern 50 years on. Quite simply, the sonic space it creates sounds like the coolest place on the planet.

Key to the album's deceptive ease is the band that Miles had assembled. Honed to perfection were the sextet of saxophonists John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley, drummer Jimmy Cobb, bassist Paul Chambers and pianist Bill Evans (replacing regular Wynton Kelly on all but one track – "Freddy Freeloader"). All players were to have legendary careers, but it was Coltrane who took Miles' modal template and went furthest with it, with spectacular results.

Dispute still rages as to the role Evans had in the compositions (many regard him as at least a co-author, and he was an acolyte of George Russell's) but what we do know is that on the two recording dates that spawned this masterpiece, Davis, as usual, just laid out the song structures for the musicians on the day with no rehearsal (though "So What" and "All Blues" had been played live prior to this). From the opening murmur of the piano on "So What" to the final sad mute on "Flamenco Sketches", it never falters, despite its meandering pace. Even more miraculous, it never wears thin from repeat plays. Quincy Jones claims to play it every day. So should you”.

I am going to end with a review from AllMusic. In future editions of this feature, I will look at other genres and time periods. It is rare that I approach any albums from the 1950s. I love all of Mile Davis’s work. Each album provokes different moods and reactions. Kind of Blue has this romance and cool. It has a sadness, though I somehow feel warmer and nourished by it:

“Kind of Blue isn't merely an artistic highlight for Miles Davis, it's an album that towers above its peers, a record generally considered as the definitive jazz album. To be reductive, it's the Citizen Kane of jazz -- an accepted work of greatness that's innovative and entertaining. That may not mean it's the greatest jazz album ever made, but it certainly is a universally acknowledged standard of excellence. Why does Kind of Blue posses such a mystique? Perhaps it's that this music never flaunts its genius. It lures listeners in with the slow, luxurious bassline and gentle piano chords of "So What." From that moment on, the record never really changes pace -- each tune has a similar relaxed feel, as the music flows easily. Yet Kind of Blue is more than easy listening. It's the pinnacle of modal jazz -- tonality and solos build from chords, not the overall key, giving the music a subtly shifting quality. All of this doesn't quite explain why seasoned jazz fans return to this record even after they've memorized every nuance. They return because this is an exceptional band - Miles, Coltrane, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderly, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, and Wynton Kelly -- one of the greatest in history, playing at the peak of its power. As Evans said in the original liner notes for the record, the band did not play through any of these pieces prior to recording. Davis laid out the themes and chords before the tape rolled, and then the band improvised. The end results were wondrous, filled with performances that still crackle with vitality. Few albums of any genre manage to work on so many different levels, but Kind of Blue does. It can be played as background music, yet it amply rewards close listening. It is advanced music that is extraordinarily enjoyable. It may be a stretch to say that if you don't like Kind of Blue, you don't like jazz -- but it's hard to imagine it as anything other than a cornerstone of any jazz collection”.

Following Joni Mitchell’s Hejira into Beneath the Sleeve, this Jazz classic endures and inspires over sixty-five years since it was released. I can only imagine how fans reacted to Kind of Blue when it was released in 1959. Putting the album on the record player and experiencing this album that sounded like nothing else! Some people see Jazz as a joke. That maybe modern Jazz is more interesting and important. I would urge those people to listen to Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. It is a sonic experience that changes the senses. A steal on vinyl, you really must add this to your record collection! This spellbinding album will reach and move people…

FOR the rest of time.

FEATURE: Groovelines: TLC - Creep

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

TLC - Creep

__________

A classic song from 1994…

IN THIS PHOTO: TLC’s Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins, Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes and Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas

there is a bit of a bittersweet reason why I am featuring TLC’s Creep. Released on 31st October (appropriate given the title and link to Hallowe’en!), 1994, it is from their CrazySexyCool (1994) album. Often voted TLC’s best song. The main reason I want to examine Creep is that 27th May marks what would have been Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes’s fifty-fourth birthday. We lost her in 2002 when she died in a car crash. One of the greatest rappers of her generation, she was only thirty. It is heartbreaking thinking how far she could have gone. However, we can remember her incredible solo work and the phenomenal contribution to TLC’s catalogue. Creep was written and produced by the legendary Dallas Austin. Someone trying to write a song from a ‘female perspective’, Creep is TLC coming from the viewpoint of women who cheat on their unfaithful lovers. It is a bit awkward evoking Lopes’s name as she was opposed to the song and threatened to wear black tape over her mouth for the video. I do feel a bit bad. However, her contribution in the song is key and Creep is a song I have wanted to cover for a long time now. Creep was TLC’s first number one on the United States Billboard 100. A big reason to feature Creep is the remixes of 1996. That was when it was the single got its European debut/reissue. Included in the remixes was a rap verse written by Lopes which warns listeners of safe sex issues. I am going to get to some articles/features about the iconic Creep. A song widely played and loved to this day, it sounds so amazing. Lauded because of the narrative where women were taking control – something not that common of music in the 1990s -, the video is seen as one of the most memorable of all time. The outfits and pyjamas that TLC wore for the video created a stir. The pyjamas (they look like they silk outfits to be fair) created a sales surge. Some have noted how the camera angles used during the video and the outfits worn by the band members suggested sexual availability. There is so much when it comes to unpacking the video.

There were two versions of the Creep video shot before the final one came about. TLC were unhappy with the videos. I want to grab the below from Wikipedia and their research about the actual Creep video, as it provides some really interesting background. One of the defining music videos of the 1990s. One that has definitely influenced so many artists. Before coming to some features about Creep, it is worth getting to know a bit more about a music video that had some setbacks along the way:

“Expecting to show a new and more-mature side visually, TLC were in Los Angeles discussing the project when they saw a Matthew Rolston-directed music video for Salt-N-Pepa. Thomas said, "We were looking at it and said, 'Whoever did this video has to do the "Creep" video.' We fell in love with the way it was shot.” She said several times the video they had watched was "Whatta Man", however, during an interview with MTV in 1995, the show said it was "None of Your Business", a video also shot by Rolston that has more visual similarities to the final "Creep" video. Lopes recalled how adamant they were about redoing the video as they were returning to the music scene. When their management suggested having the video re-edited, the group declined and reached out to Rolston to schedule an August 1994 shoot in Los Angeles.

Rolston brought his team including make-up artist, wardrobe-hair stylist, dancers and choreographer, but had a few creative conflicts with the group. One involved the original routine created by Watkins, who had choreographed most of the group's early videos. She remembered Rolston's choreographer, Frank Gatson Jr., "locked" the girls out from providing ideas as they were practicing the new dance moves. The trio eventually dropped Gatson because they thought his version was not their "style of dancing", though two of his moves were adapted in the final clip. "To me, I didn't even think about, 'Well, can I really choreograph?' I was just like, 'Let me do my thing.' I just like to dance and I know when I like what I see. I like different kinds of stuff", Watkins stated. The "bend-down-and-jump-up" dance that appeared in the video was created by Watkins to "Foe Life", a song by rapper Mack 10, her spouse from 2000 to 2004.

Another dispute between TLC and Rolston was over their wardrobe. The director was interested in "tight and sexy" lingerie looks for them while they only liked baggy tomboy clothes. Combining the two, the girls ended up in bright colored, flowing silk pajamas "that took on an edge when all but one button was unbuttoned and wind machines were turned on high." Each custom-made outfit cost more than US$1,000. Thomas also talked about their exhaustion on the set: "People don't realize that for video shoots you have to wake up at like 5 in the morning for your call time. So when we did that part at the very end of the video where we're talking to the camera and looking all silly, we were so tired. But sometimes that ends up being your best shots." Eventually, she called Rolston's final product "excellent", while Lopes said that after two failed attempts the director finally gave them a "real video".

I will move to a Stereogum feature version. Before that, this article from 2015 grabbed me. There is not a great deal written about Creep. I think it deserves a lot more focus and love. However, the pieces written about it are interesting. Many might not know about TLC and CrazySexyCool:

“As I mentioned in my piece on the Gin Blossoms for 1994 Week, it’s strange to recall how slow the music industry moved back in those days. A song could still be popular years after its initial release and no one batted an eye—in fact, they’d probably still be singing along to it. These circumstances played an active role in my discovery of TLC, through the chart-topping success of both “Creep” and “Waterfalls” in 1995. At the time I had no idea about the larger implications behind each song, but that certainly didn’t keep me from singing the hook to “Creep” any chance I got.

Coming during the midst of the ’90s R&B renaissance, TLC’s reinvention from soulful hip-hop act to sultry powerhouse was sparked partially by Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’ stint in rehab, as well as a stronger focus on the trio’s pop elements. With the emphasis put on the husky vocals of Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, writer and producer Dallas Austin—who deals in pop hooks and Texas cities exclusively—played to their strengths. Which, to the detriment of Left Eye, isn’t razor sharp rapping.

Though it was originally released in 1994, when “Creep” topped the Billboard charts in January 1995 it signaled the started of TLC’s reign over R&B. As T-Boz would later note, the song was inspired by her own experience being stuck in a bizarre love triangle, and Austin pulled all the right facts to turn “Creep” into a powerful declaration that would cement the group’s new image. Gone were the oversized suspenders and glasses with a condom over the eye, replaced with silky pajamas and amped-up agency.

“Creep” would go on to mark the start of TLC’s ascendance to becoming the best selling all-girl group in the United States. After the promotional cycle for CrazySexyCool came to an end the band would have a pair of Grammys under its belt and a lot of inner turmoil to work through—due mostly to Left Eye being wildly underrepresented on its Grammy-winning album. When it returned five years later with FanMail, the band had another new look, a couple more chart-toppers (“No Scrubs” and “Unpretty”), and a newly unified vision. It proved that TLC was far more durable than a trend or any one single, all because it wasn’t afraid to creep toward its goals”.

I am going to wrap up with Stereogum and their The Number Ones feature. Creep was at the top of the U.S. chart for a month in 1995. I have edited the article down. However, I would advise people to read the whole thing. It is really compelling reading about the lead-up to Creep and how TLC came together and evolved. Some of the details about the song. The impact it created:

“None of the members of TLC had a hand in writing “Creep,” though T-Boz later said that the lyrics were inspired by a situation in her own romantic life. The whole TLC saga is its own kind of ethical, emotional mess. It’s the story of three women who came into the music business young and who were ruthlessly exploited by their handlers, to the point where they were barely making any money even when they were one of the most popular groups on the planet. By the time their story was over, one of those three young women hadn’t survived. And yet the actual music that TLC made during their brief run is glorious. TLC left behind a small catalog of gleaming, audacious pop. In their day, TLC sounded futuristic. Today, they’re timeless.

TLC’s 1992 debut album Ooooooohhh… On The TLC Tip was a bright little pop explosion. The three members of TLC wore outlandish day-glo clothes; Left Eye famously wore a condom over the left eye of her sunglasses, a safe-sex PSA that was also a ridiculous and indelible fashion statement. Even if the three members of TLC had been assembled by managers and producers, they radiated blissful camaraderie. All three members of the group had distinct voices and personas, but they all fit together beautifully. They seemed like they were great friends with each other, and it was impossible to listen to the album without wanting to be friends with them, too.

Ooooooohhh… On The TLC Tip went quadruple platinum, but the members of TLC barely saw any money. They eventually fired Pebbles as their manager, but they remained ensnared in an exploitative contract with Pebbitone. When TLC recorded their 1994 sophomore LP CrazySexyCool, Left Eye wasn’t in the studio much, since she was still going through court-ordered rehab for alcoholism. Dallas Austin had written “Creep” with TLC in mind. For a few months, he hadn’t even decided whether he liked the song, but it remained stuck in his head, and he eventually took it to the group. Left Eye never liked the song, and she refused to rap on it. Later on, she explained her objection: “I wasn’t down with the cheating on your man. For me, it’s ‘be faithful.’ I just didn’t know — is this the kind of message we should be sending out to people?… If a girl’s gonna catch her man cheating — this was my thing — instead of telling her to cheat back, why don’t we tell her to just leave?” Makes sense to me!

Unlike many of her ’90s R&B peers, T-Boz never went crazy with vocal runs. Instead, she sings “Creep” with a calm, confident depth. The warmth of T-Boz’s delivery is almost enough to convince you that the response of her “Creep” narrator is entirely reasonable, that it won’t lead to disaster. She slides over the track, describing fucked-up power dynamics with breezy no-big-deal calm: “If he knew the things I did, he couldn’t handle it/ And I choose to keep him protected.” Chilli’s backing vocals tenderly surround T-Boz’s voice, propping her up. “Creep” is jammed with sly little hooks, and T-Boz delivers those hooks with effortless panache. That’s just charisma at work. Only T-Boz could make retaliatory cheating sound cool. It takes a whole lot of pop-music magic to turn a squalid, complicated situation into a four-minute party jam, but TLC had that magic.

Maybe that coolness is why Left Eye didn’t want anything to do with “Creep.” Left Eye pushed against releasing “Creep” as a single, to the point where she threatened to wear tape over her mouth in the video. Eventually, she recorded a verse for Dallas Austin’s DARP Remix of “Creep,” and she used that verse to warn of the dangers of creeping: “Creepin’ is the number one item on the chart/ Rippin’ families apart, the leading cause of a broken heart/ Injuries can be fatal, may infect the prenatal/ HIV is often sleepin’ in a creepin’ cradle.”

In the end, Left Eye didn’t wear tape over her mouth in the “Creep” video — which is good, since the group ended up making three videos for the damn song. The label scrapped their first two stabs at the clip, including one with Boyz II Men director Lionel C. Martin. The third time for the “Creep” video was the charm. Working with Salt-N-Pepa director Matthew Rolston, TLC didn’t dramatize the “Creep” lyrics. Instead, TLC wore silk pajamas — a compromise between the tomboyish style that the group preferred and the sexy lingerie that their label wanted — and hit instantly-iconic synchronized dance moves, looking just as cool as they sounded. Even if you objected to the situation that “Creep” described, you probably still wished you were friends with TLC.

It took months for “Creep” to creep its way up the Hot 100 before it finally became TLC’s first #1 hit. A few days after “Creep” reached #1, CrazySexyCool was certified double platinum. It would go on to sell a whole lot more than two million records. TLC had plenty of hits on deck, and we’ll soon see them in this column again.

GRADE: 9/10”.

It is sad that Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes is not around to see the legacy she left. I wanted to mark what would have been her fifty-fourth birthday on 27th May. Even if she was uncomfortable with some aspects of Creep and its video, she was a big part of its success and durability. You can hear and feel its D.N.A. in music released from artists since 1994. Another song that will never sound dated, it will continue to inspire artists. It is among my favourite tracks of the 1990s. A defiant anthem with an original subject matter, no wonder it was such a success and acclaimed song! Over thirty years since it topped the U.S. chart, the sublime Creep…

STILL sounds untouchable and superb.

FEATURE: Feminist Icons: Yara Shahidi

FEATURE:

 

 

Feminist Icons

PHOTO CREDIT: MaxMara/Yara Shahidi

Yara Shahidi

__________

YOU may know…

PHOTO CREDIT: Xavier Dolan for ELLE

Yara Shahidi from her acting work and credits like Black-ish (2014–2022) and its spin-off series, Grown-ish (2018–2024). She has also appeared in the film, The Sun Is Also a Star. In 2023, she starred in Peter Pan & Wendy as Timkerbell. She also was an executive producer on and star of the romantic comedy-drama, Sitting in Bars with Cake. Go and follow her on Instagram. I am including her in Feminist Icons as she is someone who is an activist that has used her platform to advocate for issues like voting rights, BIPOC rights, and the Black Lives Matter movement. Shahidi actively encouraged young people, especially girls, to become politically engaged. I am going to bring in a few interviews with this amazing activist and role model. Heading back to 2017, for W Magazine, Yara Shahidi discussed her relationship with former First Lady Michelle Obama, female empowerment, and Beyoncé’s Pregnancy:

“It started one fateful day,” said actress Yara Shahidi on a recent Friday in March. “I was going to a Beyoncé concert and wearing Ivy Park.” Like all good stories, no?

A fan of Beyoncé (naturally), Ivy Park (ditto), and women’s empowerment (same), Shahidi met the executive team behind Beyoncé’s athleisure label at that concert. They soon recruited her to appear in the latest campaign for Ivy Park, a series of images also starring SZA, Selah Marley, model Sophie Koella, Beyoncé herself and protégées Chloe and Halle Bailey—“my BFFs,” Shahidi said of the sisters, who had just wrapped up their European tour.

“It’s pretty cool to have friends where you can say that: Oh, yeah, they finished their Europe tour,” Shahidi said. “We had to take a moment mid-shoot to just hug it out.”

When we spoke, Shahidi was on a brief break from shooting the third-to-last episode of Black-ish’s third season—and she was about to begin shooting the pilot for the rumored spinoff series featuring her character, Zoey Johnson. While the initial buzz around that spinoff indicated it would follow Zoey’s escapades at college, Shahidi noted the pilot merely begins to plant the idea that Zoey will pursue higher education. (“I can’t give away too much detail,” she told me.)

It had been just more than a month since the campaign debuted at the end of January. Ivy Park Spring 2017 features exclusively women of color and emphasizes the physical and emotional strength of its stars. They’re depicted in their preferred workout environments, and Shahidi gave an interview accompanying the campaign in which she described the balancing, centering dimensions of her karate practice.

“I’ve gotten a lot of questions about if it’s scary to be on a public platform given the current administration and given that I’m a black Iranian,” Shahidi told me, referencing the travel and immigration ban to six predominantly Muslim countries, including Iran. Shahidi’s father is Iranian, and members of her extended family still reside there. “I say that to say, companies that are still supporting individuality—that are still supporting self-empowerment—are so crucial.”

For Shahidi, who made her screen debut in Entourage on television and Imagine That on the big screen nearly a decade ago, her on-camera work and activism have long been intertwined.

“If you look at the history of art and fashion, it’s always been political. It’s always been pushing boundaries,” she said. Last year, she founded the mentoring organization Yara’s Club with the support of the Young Women’s Leadership Network; she said she has also been educating herself on local elections and grassroots campaigns: “Midterms will come up and there will be so many of us that can vote,” she said. “It’s more important, too, to not just vote during midterms, but if you’re of voting age—or even if you’re not of voting age, like I am—there are ways to make changes and be involved, versus this feeling of helplessness because we don’t have any political sway”.

I want to move to an article from 2018, where we learn more about Yara Shahidi’s powerful role as a policy-adjacent leader. They highlight how she has used her platform for “feminist and self-empowerment activism. Focused on challenging eminent social issues such as structural racism, sexism and classism, Shahidi encourages young people to become more politically engaged”:

“One of the most notable contributions of Shahidi’s philanthropy is her partnership with Young Women’s Leadership Network (YWLN) to create Yara’s Club, an online mentorship-based program inspired to “...empower youth to defeat poverty through education.” She also founded an initiative known as Eighteen x ‘18, which focuses on increasing voter turnout for the upcoming midterm elections in November by marketing politics towards younger generations.

Shahidi’s activism inspired former First Lady Michelle Obama to write her a letter of recommendation for Harvard University. She also had the honor of interviewing Hillary Clinton forTeen Voguelast year. Recently, Shahidi made headlines for being supported by Oprah Winfrey, whom she was interviewed by for Super Soul Conversations, to perhaps become the future president of the United States.

In an interview with Vogue, Shahidi stated, “My dharma, my purpose, is not to live in a self-centered world; to feel like one day I can look back and feel like what I did mattered.” In her acceptance speech for an EssenceGeneration Next Award in 2016, she perfectly summarized the influence of women leaders by stating, “It is my belief that there is an unspoken poetry of how the women in this room move through the world, not only as artists or creators, but as revolutions and revolutionaries…”.

Shahidi is a young, empowering example of true dedication to current leading matters for activism. Along with women in the public service, policy-adjacent supporters and political influencers like her play a seemingly essential role in captivating the next generation to join a social movement they believe in. She is, truly, a role model for those who wish to be part of an inclusive narrative inspired to overlook differences and instead unite humanity back together to create direct change in policy”.

I will end this feature soon. Before that, I want to look back to 2023. Yara Shahidi, when she appeared in Peter Pan & Wendy, became the first Black woman to play Tinkerbell. A huge move when it came to representation on the big screen, it is not always met with applause. Many people accusing films of being ‘woke’. The same sort of vitriol that Halle Bailey reived when she played The Little Mermaid in the 2023 film. However, these are important castings that are long-overdue. It is a shame that there is racism levied at these actresses when these films come out. Yara Shahidi was amazing in Peter Pan & Wendy and inspired so many girls around the world. For this feature, Shahidi spoke with a nine-year-old fan, Isla:

“During the interview, Yara Shahidi opened up about her views on feminism, emphasizing that it is about celebrating every aspect of oneself, including the imperfections that make us human.

She also shared her passion for empowering young girls to speak up and make their voices heard, highlighting the importance of providing them with the space and opportunities to do so. According to Yara, even simple actions like asking for their opinions can help train girls to recognize the value of their perspectives. Finally, she spoke about believing in oneself and chasing one's dreams, acknowledging that it is a journey with ups and downs, but emphasizing the importance of understanding that every person is worthy of being in any space they occupy, regardless of their level of confidence.

Isla's mum, Charlotte, expressed how much the moment meant to her daughter:

"Getting invited to interview Yara was one of the most special moments of Isla's life and it was such an amazing experience as a mother to see Isla involved with. Isla got to ask such important questions about the significant of following your dreams, how to get your voice heard and being inspired by your role models to never give up and believe in yourself.

According to Isla's mother, Charlotte, the phone call informing them that Yara had invited them to the premiere that evening was the most thrilling phone call. Isla had interviewed Yara earlier, and the actress had been so impressed that she invited Isla to attend the premiere of "Peter Pan and Wendy." Charlotte was overjoyed to see her daughter's excitement and realize that others had recognized how special she was and wanted to provide her with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"Isla has had a difficult few years," Charlotte continued. "But she has faced these difficulties with such maturity and consideration for me. She’s such a kind and loving girl; she truly deserved to see what you can achieve if you believe in yourself."

"Attending the premiere with all the other actors and press was surreal. Yara and her team made such a fuss of Isla and she has not stopped talking about this experience.

Her confidence to follow her dreams and be herself has grown, it’s been such a wonderful thing to be part of. Isla is passionate, like me, about equality, feminism and empowering young girls. Isla could see how important self-belief and dreams are and now knows she can achieve hers.

"Getting the chance to ask Yara how it felt to be the first Black woman cast as Tinkerbell was also a moment we will always be proud of. Isla was able to see a young woman who represents her ethnicity stand proud and tell her how special she is and what it feels like to get to where she has.”

At The Female Lead, we strongly believe that young girls should be exposed to positive role models who inspire and empower them to believe in themselves and their dreams. As we have seen through Isla's experience, meeting a role model can be a life-changing moment that gives young people the confidence and self-belief to achieve their full potential. By providing access to stories of female leaders, innovators, and trailblazers, we hope to encourage the next generation of young girls to follow in their footsteps and make a positive impact in the world. We are proud to be part of a movement that supports young girls in achieving their goals and realizing their full potential”.

This is someone who will change society and policies. Away from being a hugely talented actor – whose biggest role and breakthrough appearances lie ahead – and a style icon, she is somebody who is this awe-inspiring activist and campaigner. In her mid-twenties, we are going to see her make huge changes in the world in the coming years and decades. A spokesperson for the young generation, not just in terms of social activism, gender equality and women’s (and girls’) rights, she is also a political activist. Someone who is endlessly impressive. This from Business of Fashion provides some illuminating background of Yara Shahidi:

“Among her generation Shahidi is known as an activist for feminism and STEM awareness, passions that spawned early and may be partly hark back to her paternal grandfather who spent time with the Black Panthers in their heyday. Shahidi’s father is a cinematographer and photographer, who had a stint as Prince’s personal photographer. Inn high-school she started Yara’s Club, a partnership with the Young Women’s Leadership Network, which provides online mentorship with the goal of ending poverty through education. For her birthday iIn 2018, the activist launched Eighteen x 18, a national initiative that encourages civic engagement and voting from young people. In 2018, Shahidi enrolled in Harvard intending to double major in sociology and African-American studies. She was supported by a recommendation by former first lady, Michelle Obama, commending Shahidi on her efforts to effect social change.

In 2016 Shahidi signed with Women Management, a New York-based agency, and she has since become known as a Gen-Z style icon for her red-carpet choices, styled by Jason Bolden , and her wardrobe as Zoey Johnson in “Black-ish,” working with costume designer Michelle Cole. Shahadi has also graced the covers of multiple notable titles, including Harper’s Bazaar Araba, Porter Magazine, Elle UK and became a US Ambassador for Chanel. She has also graced the cover of the Summer 2019 issue of Porter and has modelled for Beyoncé’s Ivy Park. The rising star is set to star in Stan Lee’s Audible drama “A Trick of Light”, as one of the platform’s exclusive audio tales”.

I am going to leave things there. At a time of Donald Trump’s tyranny in the U.S., Yara Shahidi’s voice and activism is even more important. With women’s rights and body autonomy being taken away, and there being this rise in misogyny and violence against women around the world, she is someone whose voice and platform is so hugely crucial. I would advise people to do a lot of further reading and investigation. Yara Shahidi appearing on Season 2 of the Women’s Perspective podcast. Check out this interview last year from Harper’s Bazaar. In it, Yara Shahidi talks about finding her feet with fashion. A new Elle interview where she talked about her new podcast, The Optimist Project. This is what she said about the year ahead:

“'I really feel like I've gotten to usher in the new year activated in all the spaces that I love and that bring me joy. I'm driving to a movie set right now, I've just filmed two podcast episodes, my friend just texted me a picture of this Gucci campaign ad being painted in Soho on the corner that I usually stay on, I'm about to celebrate my 25th birthday... I spent New Year's Eve on the beach journalling with my best friend, and the thing I came to was that 2025 is the year of trusting my gut, in all senses of the term. It's time to take probiotics, it's time to lean into intuition”.

I first came across Yara Shahidi through Black-ish. Obviously a fan of her acting, in years since, I learned more about her activism and wider interests. Her passions. If many know her as an actor and style icon, she also has another side as an activist and campaigner. To me, she is a feminist icon who will and has changed lives. I think she will go into politics in years to come. Make enormous changes that impact so many women and girls around the world. Everyone reading this should…

KNOW her name.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Revisited: Nieve Ella

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight: Revisited

PHOTO CREDIT: Bella Howard for CLASH

Nieve Ella

__________

MY next…

PHOTO CREDIT: Rachel Billings for NME

Spotlight: Revisited will be of a male artist. However, there are some great women that I included in my Spotlight series a while ago that I was keen to come back to. The amazing Nieve Ella was someone I spotlighted in 2023. She has gained a huge amount of press and love since then. Her incredible Watch It Ache and Bleed E.P. was released back in October. One of our very best artists, everyone need to listen to her. I want to bring in a few interviews with this incredible talent. I want to start out with a 2024 interview from NME. The Shropshire-raised artist captivated fans during lockdown with these amazing anthems. Now, there was this era of “unapologetic joy”:

“Hidden behind a faux telephone box in guitar manufacturer Gibson’s London office is a private bar – a Narnia-esque hideaway where Nieve Ella is taking a brief moment of respite. NME meets the musician born Nieve Ella Pickering amid a 19-date festival run, which will be immediately followed by a six-week tour with Girl In Red. There, she’ll play Wembley’s OVO Arena – ticking off a major bucket list goal at 21 years old.

Lounging on a distressed brown leather sofa, Pickering seems at ease in stillness. She’s given away only by a suitcase lying in the corner, slightly battered from the almost daily trips away from her home, a tiny village in Shropshire.

“It’s so weird going back and forth,” she says, widening her eyes. “There’s nothing at all to do with music at home. I mean, there’s nothing like bloody this.” She gestures to the purple walls around her, laden with shining guitars.

She’s planning to make London her permanent home this year, but the finality of the move weighs on Pickering, who is ambitious but hesitant to close the door on her childhood. It’s a theme that’s imbued much of her music to date – most of which was written on the bedroom floor that now exists solely as a crash pad between trips to the capital.

“My room is my sacred place; that’s where I’ve become who I am,” she says, pensively tracing one of the many silver chains hanging from her neck. Though Pickering’s bedroom clutter may be slightly more glamorous than her peers – it’s littered with guitars and outfits from her recent European tour with Irish rock band Inhaler – this seems to be a sentiment shared among a generation who came of age during lockdown.

In this way, Pickering’s music tells the story of British suburbia and its fleeting encounters with the culture brewing in the cities just out of reach. Her debut EP ‘Young & Naive’ encapsulated the frustration of existing within a society that eschews the needs of young people – evident in their lack of representation in recent election debates. Through a string of pop-inflected, indie-rock singles so far, she’s chronicled the feeling of wanting everything but having nothing, obsessing over pop stars (‘Blu Shirt Boy’ is written about Harry Styles) and daring to dream larger than the confines of rural England.

Even her introduction to music, via the X Factor’s gleaming portrayals of the industry, was informed by an upbringing on the outside. She recalls Alexandra Burke’s winner’s montage as a core memory: “I was so obsessed with the fact that she was a normal person, and then all of a sudden, she became this star. I was just so infatuated with the fact that that could happen.”

But it wasn’t until lockdown, when she picked up a guitar that had belonged to her late father for the first time, that she began to take music seriously. “The songs came out of me and then just didn’t stop,” she smiles.

In line with others whose musical careers were born in the pandemic, she later amassed a fanbase on TikTok. But though Pickering, born in 2003, is a digital native, it’s the hand of live music that’s guided her career.

One day, while on shift in her mum’s shop, she heard via the soft hum of the local radio that Sam Fender was performing in Birmingham that night. She left work early and convinced her friend to trek into the city with her, hoping to gain access to the sold-out gig. In the queue, they happened upon a man giving up his ticket, and then, at the box office, they managed to score another – the last one left. “It was already fate,” Pickering smiles. “And then, this guy that I really fancied at the time appeared.”

They ended up dancing with him and his friend all night at a gig she likens to a spiritual experience. The friend is now her touring drummer, and the guy ended up as the muse for her first EP. “I fully believe that whole day was supposed to happen. Even though he wasn’t the greatest and I’ve written pretty harsh songs about him,” she grins. “I wouldn’t be sitting here if it wasn’t for that day.”

Fender’s music, unsurprisingly, holds sentimental value for Pickering. It manifests in the shades of British indie rock that have moulded her sound – notably a scene that’s excluded women for decades.

The genre has evolved, but for Pickering, getting beyond the barrier has been an uphill battle. She recalls one early experience with an older male producer: “I came in wanting to write a rock song and he was like ‘Nah, that’s not you. You aren’t good for that. You need to write girly pop music’”.

There are a few really interesting articles/interviews that I want to move onto. CLASH spotlighted Nieve Ella in their Next Wave feature recently. I discovered her music a while ago, but the rise and new attention she has accrued in the past year has been amazing to see! A tremendous artist that is going to be a global superstar very soon. She has the talent and passion to be one of the world’s biggest artists:

“Nieve Ella is a force of nature. Coming of age on transitional EP ‘Watch It Ache And Bleed’ – a melange of caustic lyricism and indie-pop anthemics – the West Midlands-bred, London-based singer-songwriter is intransigent about her art. “I don’t want to release an EP again. I just want to release an album now; I want to release a project that I can really make a whole world around,” she tells CLASH.

Nieve Ella isn’t working on something specific just yet, even though she’s writing all the time. “I just need to keep going, I need to keep making art. If I don’t write about how I feel, I’ll literally go crazy!” She feels, she writes, she releases, and repeats; in both a figurative and a literal sense, with a steady stream of singles and EPs chronicling the last few years of her life in real time.

Between 18 and 22, though, you change quite a lot. Most people’s progress is tucked away in a camera roll, a notebook, a finsta, but Nieve’s belongs to other people now, on their playlists – maybe even lyrics copied down into other people’s diaries. “I thrive for that change,” she says. “I look back and think it’s so cool that I did that. I’m so proud of myself, even though some songs cringe me out! I’ve always said I’m never playing ‘Blu Shirt Boy’ [a song written about Harry Styles] again, but I’m coming to a realisation what songs mean to the fans is so much more important.”

“I remember demoing it. I was having fun. I was 18, and I was just so happy I was writing songs,” she continues. “We’re going to rehearsals next week and I want to see what [Blu Shirt Boy] feels like – if we can change some stuff that makes it feel a bit more like me. Or it might not change at all. It’s a normal thing that happens, right? You lose interest in parts of you that were you when you were 18.”

When you write so personally, it can be hard to find people who get you enough to write with you. “I wrote with Will and Nick from Flyte a couple years ago, and they’re my songwriting heroes. It was amazing, it was the best experience but I know it won’t always be like that.” Who does Nieve dream of writing with now? “For me, it was always Sam Fender,” she says, then doubles back. “But Sam Fender writes from his own life, and that’s not my life”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ed Miles for DIY

There are a couple of other pieces to include. DIY are big fans of her music and inducted Nieve Ella in their Class of 2025 in February. This Gen Z icon-in-the-making discussed her Sam Fender appreciation to making a statement with her music, this is an artist who is connecting with a generation of fans. People who can relate to her and connect. She is an idol to many:

“The 22-year-old says she “can understand so much” why Chappell Roan told fans in August that she needed “to draw lines” between herself and an increasingly large and demanding fanbase. “I’m not at the level where people are coming up to me every single day, so when they do I’m like, ‘Let’s have a conversation. You wanna take a photo? Let’s do it’,” she says. “But if that happened to me everywhere I went, I probably would feel the exact same as her.”

Nieve grapples with her growing profile on ‘Sugarcoated’: a driving highlight from her third and most recent EP, ‘Watch It Ache and Bleed’. Released in October, the eight-song set cements her status as Gen Z’s real and relatable indie queen. When she sings, “I’m burning the candle at both its ends / How can you handle a thousand friends?”, it’s a reference to the whiplash she felt as she embarked on nationwide headline tours and support slots with the likes of DYLAN and girl in red. In September, she opened for the latter at London’s 12,500-capacity Wembley Arena.

“I was so fed up and frustrated when I wrote that song,” Nieve says. “I felt like people on the internet and at shows thought I was this happy, sweet person. And I AM happy and I CAN be sweet, but I’m also so sensitive.” The Shropshire-born musician adores performing, but still struggles with the idea of having “thousands of people staring” at her on stage. “And when you’ve got people on the internet wondering where you’ve been because you haven’t posted on TikTok for three days, that’s just mind-boggling,” she adds.

Social media also evokes mixed feelings in the singer. On the one hand, she likes to unwind by watching Instagram Reels of “people cooking food or giving birth”. But on the other, posting can feel like homework. A week after she created a second, more low-key TikTok account – “It’s not private,” she says, “but I don’t share it anywhere” – it had already attracted 7,000 followers. That’s a fraction of her main account’s 114,000, but it still heaps pressure on her. “When I started my new TikTok, I felt like I could post whatever I wanted,” she says. “But now there’s more people on there, I’m like, ‘Oh crap, I need to post something before people start asking what’s going on’.’’

Of course, TikTok has been integral to Nieve’s rise from the start. She built a fanbase on the app during the pandemic, first by posting covers, then her own indie pop originals. When lockdown gripped the country in 2020, Nieve Ella Pickering (to use her full name) picked up a guitar belonging to her late father and learned to play from online tutorials. Songwriting came naturally – “I don’t actually know how I taught myself,” she says – and a Sam Fender gig proved formative. When she made the 30-mile trip from her “tiny” Shropshire village to the bright lights of Birmingham, her hero didn’t disappoint. “I was pretty drunk, but the way he used instruments with lyrics that are so deep-cutting, it just blew my mind,” she says.

TikTok also introduced her to Finn Marlow, her guitarist, songwriting partner and “best friend in the world”. Nieve recently moved to London, but today she’s speaking to DIY over Zoom from Maidenhead in neighbouring Berkshire, where she and “the boys” – Marlow and her producers – are working on new material. Over the last four days, they’ve written “seven or eight songs”, and the creative rush spills over into her conversation. Candid and chatty, she says she’s “not a worldly person” and confides that she initially struggled with “finding the right words to use in lyrics” – an insecurity that stems from “always being in the lowest sets for English” at school. But both in person and in her songwriting, Nieve is a born communicator.

Nieve has “big dreams” of teaching herself to produce her own music. She also wants to expand her palette of collaborators so it isn’t just “the boys” downstairs. “Maybe in LA there are way more female producers and writers, but I feel like I don’t experience that a lot here,” she says. “My goal is to be that woman producer who brings in younger women and makes them feel comfortable [in the studio].” Having been in songwriting sessions with older men she didn’t gel with, she knows first-hand how stifling this dynamic can be. “It’s really difficult to open up to anyone about your feelings – even the people I write with now, who are my best friends,” she says.

Building a musical community is clearly important to the singer. Before she moved to the capital a couple of months ago, her London base was the family home of fellow indie wunderkind Fred Roberts. “We’re two musicians who found each other at the right time. We make different music but have the same dreams and goals, which is so inspiring,” she says. Nieve also appreciates that she was lucky to have somewhere to crash when money was tight early on. “If I ever win an award, they’ll be the ones I thank,” she notes”.

I am going to end with another feature from CLASH. Writing in February, they observed how her Koko show (in London) felt like a moment. Since then, Nieve Ella has a run of incredible gigs coming up. She is playing Count Bestival, Reading & Leeds, and Isle of Wight. I wonder when she will be asked to appear at Glastonbury on their Other Stage. That cannot be too far away:

“Opening for her on this tour, Fred Roberts is charmingly overwhelmed. 

“This is a pretty cool thing to do on a Wednesday,” says he, his low speaking voice then translating into mellow sung vocals. Accompanied by lead guitarist Rosie, Roberts works through a confident half-hour, including a dreamy, slowed-down cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Taste’ which works well to get the packed venue singing along – it’s obvious Roberts has plenty of fans of his own in the house tonight.

Another highlight is Roberts’ rendition of his first-ever single ‘Runaway’. “Let’s get hyped!” he urges here – a bit more at this level of energy would have been good, but it’s a warmly-received and accomplished support set. 

It’s Nieve Ella’s turn now and she wastes no time showing us how thrilled she is to be on this stage – her biggest headline show to date. Backed with her rock star look and mellow, pop-inflected sound, the dramatic build of ‘Anything’ makes for a thrilling opener. ‘The Things We Say’ follows: this emotive and heart-torn song delivered with a grin which Nieve cannot suppress.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mollie McKay

The first huge singalong of the evening comes in old-favourite ‘Blu Shirt Boy’, before Nieve and her band are joined by a special vocal quartet on stage to add ad-libbed harmonies to ‘Sweet Nothings’. The unreleased ‘Good Grace’, described as “Ganni Top’s little sister” is forceful, sexy and fun, and precedes a slowed-down section of the set during which Nieve covers Role Model’s ‘Look At That Woman’, duets (seated and embracing) with Fred Roberts on ‘The Reason’, and showcases her vocal abilities, hitting long soaring notes in ‘Glasshouses’.

Energy restored, Nieve powers through the remainder of her main set. ‘Lucky Girl’ is casually dropped in: “this is a treat for you” says Nieve, introducing the live debut of what proves to be an intense rock ballad, sung with hoarse passion. ‘Ganni Top (She Gets What She Needs)’ feels like the pinnacle of it all, the rolling, rock-and-roll riffs and pounding backbeat easing – after the inevitable “Screeaaam!” – into the raucous chants of the pre-chorus. 

‘Meet You In The Middle’ takes us smoothly and euphorically to the “end” of the show. “Brace for what’s coming…  I’m tired of being silenced / Won’t forever hold my peace”… This feels like something of a catharsis and triumph for Nieve: a solo statement of female power, strength and resilience. 

Having packed 14 songs into about an hour, Nieve disappears off-stage for barely a minute before returning to play a musical interlude and then a three-song encore (plus a ‘Happy Birthday’ to bassist Fran). It all culminates in a wondrous, pogoing ‘Sugar Coated’, ending the show in a wave of good feeling.

It’s been an impressive and confident performance – and it’s obvious Nieve has been having a lot of fun. She’s at that level where new experiences and achievements are coming thick and fast; she’s rolling with it, finding new levels of skill and strength – and also, refreshingly, remaining a little bit in awe of what’s happening”.

One of our most special artists, there is no telling how far Nieve Ella can go in years to come. Many will look ahead to a debut album. There will be huge global stages in her future. Some big U.S. dates. I am pumped to see where she heads. Someone whose music I have loved for years now, I think he rest of this year is going to provide so many terrific memories. If you do not currently know Nieve Ella then go and…

FOLLOW her now.

___________

Follow Nieve Ella

PHOTO CREDIT: Ella Nieve

Official:

https://www.nieveella.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/nieveella/

TikTok:

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

Twitter:

https://x.com/nieveella

YouTube:

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

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/14zhvja4OxwrmivOB3LHOn?si=J9tlehIXTzOMbmJNcApO0A

FEATURE: Crossing the Line: The Proliferation of Derogatory Lyrics Against Women

FEATURE:

 

 

Crossing the Line

PHOTO CREDIT: Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels

The Proliferation of Derogatory Lyrics Against Women

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I was recently stunned…

PHOTO CREDIT: Julian Cordero/Pexels

by a recent article from The Telegraph that suggested women in music are driving misogyny. That negative language about other women is the reason for the proliferation of misogyny in music. Even though The Telegraph is a right-wing sh*t-rag, it still seemed such an unprovoked and weird take! Nobody would say women in music are fuelling misogyny. There are some songs from women where they are negative towards other women. That is not misogyny. If you listen to many of the major female artists in the mainstream, there are not loads of songs where they hate on women. It is such a bizarre and misinformed view of misogyny and where it is coming from! If you think about all the most aggrieve and explicit lyrics aimed at women that dehumanise and debase them, they are not coming from women like Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Doechii, Sabrina Carpenter or Charli xcx. That is what The Telegraph are seeming to suggest. Discounting that as a seriously deluded article that, in itself, is misogynistic, there is another article – from an actual journalist for a respectable site – that took a look at derogatory lyrics against women in music. Far Out Magazine provided a fascinating article about the proliferation and seeming rise of misogynistic lyrics by male artists. That article was published on 18th April:

“While women have risen, derogatory terms have flourished. A recent study by Startle analysing 600 chart-topping songs across six decades (1974 and 2024) actually draws attention to the troublesome fact that objectification and empowerment in the music industry are still two very distinctive and mutually exclusive strands. According to their findings, the biggest shift occurred at the turn of the century, specifically from 2004 onwards, with a 1,383% increase in female-negative words compared to the previous decade.

Which terms have seen the biggest rise?

Looking at Startle’s research, it’s easy to guess which words have become the most referenced by artists across the board. Actually, and perhaps unsurprisingly, there has also been a spike across rap and hip-hop, especially in recent years, with artists like Kendrick Lamar frequently turning to terms like “bitch” in his work. While including ‘freak’ in song lyrics became something of a trend from 1984 onwards, 60 other terms, including “bitch”, spiked from 2004 onwards.

However, while this increase began in 2004, with the word featuring in songs 18 times, this number nearly doubled in 2024, particularly following songs like Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’, which uses the word six times. This isn’t a new trend within Lamar’s discography, but it does demonstrate a broader cultural consciousness where such terms are overlooked despite the increase in female dominance in other musical spaces. Other terms, like “hoe”, have also seen similar increases.

IMAGE CREDIT: Far Out Magazine/Markus Spiske

And while all of this has been happening, positive language has decreased. For instance, words like “beautiful”, “honey”, and other terms of endearment have declined by 85% over five decades. That said, while this stark contrast to culture and progression seems dramatic, it, unfortunately, isn’t all that surprising, considering the length of time it usually takes for institutions or certain spaces of the arts to catch up when it comes to equality and representation.

According to Startle CEO Adam Castleton, while we continue to acknowledge and celebrate the increase in female presence across popular music charts and other spaces of the industry, we must also understand that the reasons for the rise in derogatory language are complex. “Firstly, some music genres – like rap, hip-hop and drill – are centred on the hyper-masculine principles of dominance, status and the objectification of women,” Castleton tells Far Out.

“The commercialisation and rising popularity of these genres means labels are likely to prioritise content that fits into established, lucrative formulas, which sometimes include misogynistic themes,” he continues, arguing that the same is true “when it comes to what sells more broadly”. In his view, because the music industry is still male-dominated in many places, and many women feel “pressured to conform to what the industry expects”, choices like “hyper-sexualisation” are usually made by predominantly male labels and execs.

However, he also suggests that another reason for the rise could be the influence of “virality” in the age of social media. After all, “shocking or controversial lyrics”, he says, are often the lifeblood of viral social media trends, which can bleed into streaming sites like Spotify and Apple Music, where listeners can “easily access uncensored lyrics”. While many artists will often have to give credence to some sort of radio edit, this exclusivity on streaming platforms can sometimes encourage them to use such language in their art.

However, while there’s a lot at play here, Castleton also argues that a change can occur when there’s a “wider cultural shift and avoidance of controversial music”. As mentioned previously, some of this can be attributed to women reclaiming the language as terms of empowerment, but this coasts a fine line more often than not, with some contexts “easily reinforcing a cycle of derogatory representation instead of breaking it”.

There are some key takeaways. How women, when they use seemingly derogatory language, it is about empowerment and taking back control. It is not about hating women and misogyny. When men use it, it is very much about ownership and possession. Women being seen as property and assets. It is not reserved to underground artists. Even huge names in Hip-Hop seem to use women as pawns and objects. In the midst of the rather pathetic and toxic beef with Drake, the way women were portrayed in some of the songs (such as Euphoria) was appalling. It is nothing new. If a genre like Drill or Rap has a tradition of aggression and misogyny towards women and that seems to be what makes artists popular then new acts coming through will carry on that legacy. Also, the idea of ignoring the music or listening less. In an age where this music can spread rapidly, it is going to be heard and shared even if people stop listening. Women reclaiming certain words and terms. It is down to men in these genres to change the narrative and to change their ways. How likely and easy is this?! At a time when there are incels and social media influencers brainwashing young men and normalising misogyny and abuse of women, will we see a rise in these derogatory and disrespectful lyrics?! I caught this Far Out Magazine and it shocked me. Women like Lizzo (Juice), Rihanna (Bitch Better Have My Money) or Doja Cat (Paint the Town Red) using the word ‘bitch’ is a playful or authoritative way. Not attacking women. It is about confidence. They are not abusing other women. Maybe that is where The Telegraph got confused. Not understanding context and intent. That or they just love fuelling hatred against women. In any case, Kelly Scanlon’s words above are much more factual, illuminating and evidence-based. With women dominating Pop, it seems like a much healthier environment than it could be. Imagine if Drill and Hip-Hop, largely male-dominated, was in mainstream Pop’s position and the harm that could cause!

I do think that it is down to the industry and men in genres like Drill and Hip-Hop that need to take ownership. To boost and ally with women rather than to continue this toxic and misogynist narrative that they feel they need to conform to. The moment huge artists start to do this then others will follow. Not only is it hugely disrespectful and degrading for women; it also sets a terrible example to young men listening to the music. This then spreads into their lives and the way they view women. It is interesting how Scanlon ends her article: “Representation is one thing, but real progress requires a deeper, more ingrained transformation—one where a woman with power and talent no longer faces labels like “bitch”. She talks about women storming the industry (completely true) but there being this lag in terms of representation, equality and respect – three things women have not been afforded enough of. How virality and this hyper-masculinity means that so many artists are completely comfortable stripping women of any respect, decency or agency. It is brilliant when women reclaim certain words and can transform that into something empowering and positive.

 “Representation is one thing, but real progress requires a deeper, more ingrained transformation—one where a woman with power and talent no longer faces labels like “bitch”

However, as there is such a rise in misogyny and dangerous language towards women, maybe it is a futile long-term strategy. The influence of certain lyrics and music is also too powerful to truly subvert or de-escalate. I think that the industry does need to react to fact and statistics that clearly show derogatory lyrics that are misogynist are rising and creating a hugely dangerous environment across some genres. Not to promote or encourage it but to confront it. Artists who use this sort of language banned or called out. Some might say that is against free speech but, considering the content of the lyrics, allowing it to flourish is enormously disturbing. Rather than normalising misogyny, it needs to be seen as hate speech. Laws brought in that make it a criminal offence. If artists have to entangle themselves in criminal cases and are demonetised or censored then this is a disincentive. What we have at the moment is a horrific and festering tide of misogyny that, contrary to some right-wing and deluded sources, is nothing to do with women and their language – it is funded and fuelled by men. It is a basic matter of respect: the very least women deserve. The sooner women are seen as amazing human beings that warrant respect and decency, then the better society will become. It make take a lot of work and take a long time, but it is clear that we are in a moment of crisis that…

IMAGE CREDIT: Far Out Magazine/Harry Shelton

SHOULD alarm every music fan in the world.

FEATURE: Sisters in the Spotlight: Highlighting the Women in Music Awards - and Going Beyond It

FEATURE:

 

 

Sisters in the Spotlight

IN THIS PHOTO: Victoria Monét, Ari Lennox, Muni Long at the Billboard Women in Music 2025 held at the YouTube Theater on 29th March, 2025 in Los Angeles, California/PHOTO CREDIT: Christopher Polk

Highlighting the Women in Music Awards - and Going Beyond It

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I am returning…

IN THIS PHOTO: Doechii arrives at the Billboard Women in Music 2025/PHOTO CREDIT: Michael Buckner

once more to Doechii. Not to completely focus on her but, as she recently won the Woman of the Year award at the Billboard Women in Music Awards, it makes me think about the rest of the music industry and making this sort of thing more prominent. It is great that there are events like the Music in Women Awards. There is also Music Week’s Women in Music Awards. I guess it is a different sort of thing to what Billboard does, though it is great that there is recognition of women in music. However, it is crucial making them annual and ensuring that they are never cancelled. I am going to continue on this theme. However, this Billboard article celebrates Doechii walking away with a big prize and her calling for this type of award ceremony to remain and grow:

“Where’s the swamp? Do I have any fans in the house?” Doechii asked the audience inside YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif., to laughs and applause after an introduction from two of her collaborators, Jayda Love and DJ Miss Milan.

“I cannot believe it was just two years ago I stood on this stage right here and accepted the Billboard Rising Star Award. I had literally performed so hard I danced my shoes off and had to hop up to the mic,” she recalled of her performances of “Persuasive” and “Crazy,” smiling. “And here I am. That moment reflects how I approach my career – always go full out, always go hard and always be fab.”

Thanking her family, God and the many women on her team and at her label, Doechii noted the Woman of the Year honor was “a full-circle moment.”

She also talked about the importance of Billboard Women in Music as an annual industry event. “I stand here as a fierce ally,” the rapper said. “That word is a key reason there is a Billboard Women in Music.” The event, which began in 2007, came about because “women in the music business were tired of not getting their seats at the table or the credit they deserved,” she said. “This event was created out of a necessity. That word, necessity, is important. My mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, was a space I created out of necessity. A space where I could feel seen, heard and connect with other people through experiences.”

The Swamp Princess noted that nearly two decades after Billboard Women in Music first started, a “lack of inclusion and sexism are still issues in this industry. And that’s a problem. Which is why I’m grateful we have Billboard Women in Music.

“This is our motherf–king night to rightfully come together to acknowledge each other, support each other and to celebrate,” she said. “We are the creators, we are the executives, we are the innovators who are just as central to this industry as the men. Clock it”.

Rather than make this a long feature, I thought it was interesting what Doechii had to say. It is true that women are as central to the industry as men. I think they are more important and influential at the moment. Rather than award ceremonies isolating other genders and it being against men, it is an overdue recognition of women and their contributions. Women coming together to celebrate one another is so important. I don’t know if there is anything like that for male artists. Maybe it would seem crass. It is true that there is still sexism throughout the industry. It should be an even playing field. However, it might take many years until we get there. I would like to see more inclusive awards shows in the U.S. and U.K. Billboard’s celebration is crucial, though there needs to be more when it comes to recognising women through the industry. Here in the U.K, there is not enough either that shines a light on women. The fact that an award show was created out of necessity. If the industry was more inclusive and supported women more – and gave them a bigger platform – then there would not be this urgency to create award ceremonies specifically for women. I know award ceremonies alone are not enough. They might not make that big an impact. However, what is clear is that Doechii’s words ring true. In 2025, how far has the music industry come when it comes to inclusion of women? Baby steps but not big leaps. I do hope that things change sooner rather than later. Award ceremonies for women mean that you can combine these incredible artists and figures throughout the industry. A night especially for them.

Looking ahead, the music industry need to react and transform. Even if there are improvements here and there, there does need to be more spotlight on women in music. They are the ones creating the best music consistently and are making the biggest moves. It is sad that it is a necessity to have awards shows for women. However, it does give them their dues. Even though there are incorrect and ridiculous articles like this from The Telegraph that posit the rise in misogyny in music is because of women and the language they use in songs, it is clear that the misogyny is male-driven. Women are not largely hating on other women and creating inequality and this toxicity. Yes, there are some songs where women are throwing shade on other women and there is this rivalry. However, if you look at every layer of the industry and the misogyny that has always existed, it is driven by and cultivated by men. ‘Negative language’ about women, as The Telegraph write, is not the same as misogyny. Also, there is not a huge amount of negative language in these songs. This report from last year shows how there is sexism and misogyny growing in every layer of the music industry. It is definitely not the case women are spearheading misogyny. It is very much not on them. It is on the wider industry to not judge women and to make sure they are given equality. From songwriting to festivals to many awards ceremonies, women are still in the minority and have to fight to be heard. The highest executive positions and in professional studios. Being including on smaller bills. Inequality around pay too. Women being invited to the table. There is still this huge issue that is not shifting fast. It takes me back to Doechii’s acceptance speech and her boosting women but also calling out sexism. Rather than women in music feeling fearful or isolated, there does need to be…

HEARD and happy.

FEATURE: Groovelines: Coldplay - Yellow

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

Coldplay - Yellow

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ONE of the most important…

IN THIS PHOTO: Coldplay in 2000/PHOTO CREDIT: Benedict Johnson/Redferns

albums of the early-2000s turns twenty-five on 10th July. Released in the year 2000, it is the debut album of Coldplay. Parachutes reached number one in the U.K. Although some critics gave it a mixed review, the majority were very positive. The album boasts incredible tracks like Shiver, Trouble and Don’t Panic. Perhaps the biggest and most celebrated song from the album is Yellow. It is the one song many associate with Coldplay. The reason I am spotlighting it is because it turns twenty-five on 26th June. I wanted to go further into the song for this Groovelines. Even if I am not a big Coldplay fan, I recognise the brilliance of this track. One that I remember coming out in 2000 and being struck instantly. Yellow won Best Single at the 2001 NME Awards. It was nominated at the 2002 GRAMMYs for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. That sense of brightness, hope and devotion. The band’s lead, Chris Martin, said that was very typical of Coldplay and their ethos/mood. Many critics describe the track as Post-Britpop or Alternative Rock. It is about unrequited love, I guess. Yellow is perhaps hopelessly romantic…though not in a bad way. There are a few features about Yellow that I want to bring in now. I am going to start out with this feature that gives a little bit of background into the recording of Yellow:

“Yellow” was recorded in Rockfield studio in Wales off of the Parlophone label, which has signed bands such as Radiohead, Gorillaz, and The Chemical Brothers. The origin of the track is the stuff of movies, beginning with the band taking a studio break after recording their first single for Parachutes, “Shiver.” While outside, co-prodcer Ken Nelson noticed how beautiful the lights were, and told the band to “look at the stars.” Yeah, it’s corny.

From there, Martin developed a melody, which eventually turned into the hook. At first, the group was pessimistic about the loose chord progression, which Martin described as a poor impersonation of a Neil Young inflection. Eventually, the track turned into something more palatable, especially after guitarist Johnny Buckland created the riff for the first portion of the song,

Lyrically, Martin found inspiration from his friend Stephanie, who happened to be in the studio during the night of the recording. According to the lead singer, she possessed a “yellow glow” in the night.

I immediately attached to “Yellow” because of its thoughtful and dreamy aesthetic. The song starts off as a blank canvas with its acoustic arrangements and restrained vocals before eventually painting a picture of passionate love. The track forces listeners to grab hold of that one thing in life that’s not worth letting go. Martin and company keep this overwhelming infatuation open for perspective, thus providing people with the luxury of finding their own ways to emotionally attach to this euphoric experience.

Coldplay’s first successful hit brought my dad and I together and gave us something to talk about musically, despite our different tastes. Love tends to do that, even in the worst of times. The band continued to explore this universal theme after their initial success, and still do to this day.

Even while trading old-fashioned guitars for synthesized pop, Coldplay still stays genuine. To me, it’s hard not to like them, especially considering their impact on the current state of alternative music, which is filled with bands like OneRepublic and Imagine Dragons trying to copy their happy-go-lucky style. Coldplay has still found cult success, even through mixed reviews from big-name music sites (namely Pitchfork), all because of “Yellow”.

I am interested in this feature from American Songwriter from 2023. It is simple, random and amazing how the song came together. As American Songwriter say, Chris Martin “was messing around on the guitar with a bunch of folk guitar chords, trying to channel Neil Young and mumbling the word “stars.” He looked across the room and saw a copy of a phone number directory, the Yellow Pages. The rest is history”:

“The first line of the song is a sentence their producer Ken Nelson uttered while the band was taking a break outside the studio. Since they were in the countryside, the night sky wasn’t polluted with city lights. The stars were clearly visible and Nelson told the band: “Look at the stars.”

The song’s lyrics describe all the things—some more ridiculous than others—a person will do to express their love and devotion for someone: write a song, swim and jump across obstacles, draw a line, and even sacrifice their life.

Your skin
Oh yeah, your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
You know, you know I love you so
You know I love you so
I swam across
I jumped across for you
Oh what a thing to do
‘Cause you were all yellow
I drew a line
I drew a line for you
Oh what a thing to do
And it was all yellow

The Recording

“Yellow” was a labor-intensive song. “It was really difficult to record,” Will Champion, the band’s drummer, said in an interview with MTV. The musicians had tried out at least five different tempos and had a hard time choosing a final version, Champion recalls. “Sometimes it sounded too rushed, and sometimes it sounded as if it was dragging.”

The plan was to record most of the album Parachutes analog. As the band and producer Ken Nelson forged ahead, they just “couldn’t quite get” the song “Yellow” right, Nelson explained in an interview with Sound on Sound. “We tried it a few different ways, and a few different recordings of it, and we were never really happy. We ended up using Pro Tools.”

A music video worth covering

Initially, the music video for “Yellow” was supposed to show the band on the beach in a carefree summer setting. On the day of the shoot, rain was pouring down in true British fashion and Chris Martin was the only band member who ended up in the video. He is lip-syncing while making his way along the shoreline in a rain jacket. He sang along to a sped-up version of the song so that the final product could be slowed down for a slow-motion effect.

In 2022, the Canadian band Tegan and Sara released a music video that pays homage to Coldplay’s original. The twins filmed a slow-motion video on an empty beach wearing rain gear.  Their song “Yellow” is an original but they couldn’t release a song with the same title without passing up the opportunity to give a nod to Coldplay’s version.

“Yellow” was only the beginning

There are many memorable performances of “Yellow.” Among them is the band’s performance at Steve Jobs’ memorial in 2011. Before the band starts playing, Chris Martin shares a memory with the attendees: In 2001, Coldplay played “Yellow” for Apple’s CEO, who told the band that he didn’t like the song at all. “He said, we’d never make it,” Martin tells the crowd gathered in front of the stage. He then smiles while playing the first chords on his acoustic guitar”.

This feature is really interesting, as it breaks down lines and parts of Yellow and dissects them. Finds meaning behind them. Even if Chris Martin has not really given too much away regarding the meaning behind one of Coldplay’s biggest songs, each listener has their own interpretation and take:

“Look at the stars. Look how they shine for you. And everything you do. Yeah, they were all yellow.” Such is the beginnings of Yellow, arguably Coldplay’s most iconic song.

When Chris Martin was questioned by a journalist on the meaning behind this song — he simply replied (with a smirk) — “I don’t know”. After listening to this song for over 15 years, it is indeed still difficult to truly grasp what this song is really about.

It may be a danger to overanalyze art — whether it be a piece of music, a block of writing, or a set of paintings. Perceiving art from the lense of the intellect may somehow ruin the emotional experience of it. Overinterpretation and pattern seeking may possibly nullify the magic of a masterful song.

Having said all this — screw it. Let us take that risk.

The first 10 seconds of the song starts off with a clean and crisp guitar riff; initially starting with what sounds like an acoustic guitar, then shortly joined by an electric one at around the 6th second.

At around the 11th second, the song explodes to what I can only describe as a glorious — melodious — transcendental — crescendo. This part of the song (we will call it ‘melodious crescendo’ from now on) is repeated multiple times throughout the piece.

It happens at the beginning (11th second), and also two more times (1:50 and 3:13): immediately after the singer professes his love for the person he is referring to (“You know I love you so” and “For you I’d bleed myself dry”). Have a listen to those three parts.

These three points represent the emotional peaks of the song. The profession of love is appropriately followed by the immediate explosion of melodious crescendo, which perfectly reflects the emotional heights of the song.

Throughout the song, the singer repeatedly mentions his acts of service to the person he is referring to. What is peculiar about these acts of services is that they are simple, arbitrary, trivial”.

I am going to end with a 2023 feature from Medium. It is a critique and psychological approach to Yellow. I didn’t think too much of the meaning behind the lyrics back in 2000. Now, as the track has inspired so many other songwriters, I wanted to revisit it. One of those classics that is hard to fault. If you have not heard the song lately then go and check it out:

“Listening to ‘Yellow’ it is easy to tell that the song is about a deep, passionate love but the object of these affections isn’t specified, rather the band chose to leave it open for anyone that listens to interpret the message of the song as they see fit.

The lead singer himself agreed that it was written with no one particular in mind, but the song and its title to him and the band symbolizes “brightness and hope and devotion”. But what is it about a minimalistic, sweet song that would skyrocket a relatively unknown band to global attention so suddenly? To discover this, it is so important to know what the lyrics of this song, its melody, and its intent mean to millions of people around the world but this is an impossible task.

A beautiful expression of this is seen in a letter to Coldplay written by the director of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Jon M. Chu, where he said:

“I know it’s a bit strange, but my whole life I’ve had a complicated relationship with the color yellow. From being called the word in a derogatory way throughout grade school, to watching movies where they called cowardly people yellow, it’s always had a negative connotation in my life. That is, until I heard your song. For the first time in my life, it described the color in the most beautiful, magical ways I had ever heard: the color of the stars, her skin, her love. It was an incredible image of attraction and aspiration that it made me rethink my own self image. It immediately became an anthem for me and my friends and gave us a new sense of pride we never felt before… (even though it probably wasn’t ever your intention). We could reclaim the color for ourselves and it has stuck with me for the majority of my life.”

For Chu, the word ‘yellow’ went from one of pain and disgust as he had previously associated it to be, into a word that meant beauty, grace, and love. It’s about self love, taking what was used to discriminate against him to celebrate who he is.

And so the lyrics go like this:

Look at the stars

Look how they shine for you

And everything you do

Yeah, they were all yellow

I came along

I wrote a song for you

And all the things you do

And it was called “Yellow”

These verses describe the way the author perceives his subject of interest. To this author, the reason the stars shine is for the person he loves — the stars emit a pale glow that lights up the night sky, thus the author believes that this person is so precious that he/she is the reason why the stars (which are far away in the cosmos) come out at night to shine.

And so, the author continues by translating his adoration for the subject by defining the things this subject does as yellow which allows the listener to visualize the sort of person the subject is.

The colour yellow is often associated with warmth, happiness, positivity, youthfulness, and hope — it is a colour that signifies something that is alive in the sense that it is throbbing with life. The concept of living happily or being a person that lives a warm, happy existence is a story the colour tells. The author is so greatly inspired by his subject that he must do something about it, and this is seen in the line ‘I came along, I wrote a song for you’.

And what is the aim of the song the author has written? It is a song for the subject and to tell of all the things this person does — to the author, the impact the person has on the world and in the author’s life.

Although the author made it clear that the song was about his person, the lyrics of almost every line come from a subjective view of how the author views the person, what he/she means to the author, and also the lengths the author would go for him/her.

It is not a representation of the individual based on how he/she views their selves, or how the world views them or even who they truly are when no one else is there. The descriptions tell of only one point of view; the author’s.

And so to tell the subject and the rest of the world of the depth of what is felt by the author towards this person, and to paint the picture of how the author sees them, the lyrics go:

your skin, oh yeah, your skin and bones

turn into something beautiful

and you know, you know I love you so

You know I love you so

To the author, this individual is beautiful from their skin to their bones. The line ‘your skin, oh yeah, your skin and bones, turn into something beautiful’ is interesting because it goes beyond a superficial view of what the beauty of this person is.

It holds a connotation of beauty even in death by stating how the skin and bones of the subject turn into something beautiful — perhaps, returning to dust and coming back as nature and life. A beauty that surpasses death. But just to re-emphasise his love, in case it were not already clear, the author sings ‘You know I love you so’

One must agree that the author does indeed love the subject, as the next lines support the statement of the depth of this love. The author takes note of the belief that actions speak louder than words, and so to prove to the subject of just how much he loves them, the author sings:

I swam across

I jumped across for you

Oh, what a thing to do

‘Cause you were all yellow

and you know, for you, I’d bleed myself dry

For you, I’d bleed myself dry

For this person that is ‘yellow’- light, hope, warmth, happiness in the author’s life, he swam across and bled himself dry. For this person, the author is willing to go unquestionable miles up to the extent of sacrificing himself for their sake.

What more is there to say? What more could one utter that could express just how deeply they are loved by an individual? But the author doesn’t stop there. It all sounds so whimsical — the idea that one could be loved so deeply, maybe it even sounds exaggerated to the subject, and so the author says:

It’s true

Look how they shine for you

Look how they shine for you

Look how they shine

Look at the stars

Look how they shine for you

And all the things that you do

And here, he ends his message and his melody.

From the beginning, the song was meant for the subject of the author’s affection. It was never about anything other than this person, and the things that this person does. Along the line, the author took the song in a different direction by telling of the things he would do for the one he loves.

But although the author decided to take this angle, his objective of telling the things that the person stays true. A person’s actions go beyond the individual to affect the lives of those around them. In the case of the subject, the state of this person as ‘yellow’ influences the author to do seemingly crazy things just for their love.

In a way, this is a cause and effect relationship — the individual is the cause where his actions, personality, and being led to the effect of the author’s love, adoration, and devotion to them, even the effect of the stars shining for this one person.

‘Yellow’ is a song meant for just one person; the subject. Throughout the song, the author stays true to singing a love song for the one he loves.

In doing this, he introduces anyone listening (including the subject) to the character, personality, or being of the one he loves through his eyes, and to the way they make him feel”.

I will finish up here. Going deep into Yellow, it has been great learning more about one of the most successful songs of its era. Released in the first year of the twenty-first century, it was many people’s introduction to Coldplay. It was for me. A stirring and impassioned song, it is no wonder it has endured to this day and still sounds so emotional. It is a track that, once heard, gets straight…

INTO the heart.