FEATURE: One for the Record Collection! Essential March Release

FEATURE:

 

 

One for the Record Collection!

IN THIS PHOTO: RAYE releases her hugely anticipated second studio album, THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE, on 28th March/PHOTO CREDIT: Willy Vanderperre for ELLE

Essential March Releases

__________

NEXT month is a busy one…

IN THIS PHOTO: Robyn releases Sexistential on 28th March/PHOTO CREDIT: Marili Andre

and there are some great releases to get to. Let’s start out with 6th March and two albums I want to highlight. The first is Squeeze’s Trixies. The legendary band have a new album out. I am a big fan of theirs and have been since I was a child. You can pre-order it here. Available in a range of formats, I would recommend this to existing Squeeze fans and those who may not have heard of them. A terrific group who have been consistently brilliant through the decades:

“Trixies, the new studio album by Squeeze, could have been their very first record. Written by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook when they were just 19 and 16 respectively, Trixies is a concept album born of imagination and nostalgia. Inspired by a fictional members' club dreamt up in the early ‘70s and imagined as existing in the “future” (the ‘80s), the album channels a world reminiscent of a ‘20s or ‘30s speakeasy – glamourous, smoky, and populated by colourful characters. Although the album was demo-ed at the time it was never released, and only revisited decades later. Now, the record is fully realized with today’s musicianship and production, combining teenage brilliance with seasoned artistry; its lyrical themes and narrative sweep offering fertile ground for storytelling and immersive campaign touchpoints”.

I am going to get to one of the biggest albums of this year. In terms of anticipation. Harry Styles’s Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally has gained a lot of excitement and speculation. You can pre-order the album here. Harry Styles has given some recent interviews. However, not too much has been revealed about his forthcoming album. Last month, The Guardian were among those who reacted to the announcement of a new Harry Styles album:

“After a brief teaser campaign in which billboards around the world promised “we belong together” and “see you very soon”, Harry Styles has announced his fourth solo album.

Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally will be released on 6 March. It was produced by Kid Harpoon, the British songwriter and producer who has worked on all of Styles’ previous albums. The artwork shows the 31-year-old pop star wearing sunglasses and ducking beneath a disco ball seemingly suspended from the night sky.

The 12-song track list has not been shared – nor any music – but Styles’ web store offered packages including vinyl, cassettes, T-shirts, what appears to be an analogue camera and a bum bag. The site seemed to immediately crash on the announcement.

The long-awaited album news followed Styles sending a voice note of him singing “we belong together” to fans who had signed up to a WhatsApp promo line earlier in the day.

It has been reported that Styles will give a second residency at Madison Square Garden in New York after playing 15 sold-out shows at the venue in 2022. It is also rumoured that Styles will hold a residency at the Co-op Live in Manchester, in which he is an investor. He has been tipped by bookies as a potential headliner of Glastonbury 2027 after the festival takes a fallow year this summer.

Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally comes four years after Harry’s House, which reached No 1 around the world and was certified triple platinum in the UK with more than 900,000 certified sales. It won the coveted album of the year at the 2023 Grammy awards in addition to two other categories. It was also named album of the year at the 2023 Brit awards and spawned the hit single As It Was, his most-streamed song on Spotify with 4.2bn streams.

The last new music Styles released was Forever, Forever, an eight-and-a-half minute instrumental song played on piano that he previously performed on the final date of his 2023 tour. Each of Styles’ previous albums was co-produced by Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson.

The album will be Styles’ first since the death of his former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne in October 2024 at the age of 31. Payne fell from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aries. In a statement released at the time, Styles said that Payne’s “greatest joy was making other people happy, and it was an honour to be alongside him as he did it”. One Direction were active from 2010 to 2016 after being formed on The X Factor.

Outside music, Styles has made headlines as a marathon runner. He finished the 2025 Tokyo marathon in three hours and 24 minutes in March, but blitzed his own time at the Berlin marathon in September, achieving a coveted sub-three-hour finish in two hours and 59 minutes. His lifestyle brand Pleasing also made the news last year when it launched a sex toy and lube, complementing the line’s apparel, accessories and beauty products.

In May, he was, mysteriously, spotted in Rome awaiting the announcement of the new pope, Leo XIV, wearing a cap emblazoned with “techno is my boyfriend”. If his new record contains religious themes, he will be in good company, after Rosalía’s Lux: released in November, the Catalan star’s fourth album referenced numerous saints from across history.

Styles has also backed Ed Sheeran’s call for the government to provide funding for music education, investing in schools, training for music teachers, grassroots venues, apprenticeships and a diverse curriculum.

In 2022 he starred in the films My Policeman and Don’t Worry Darling. Styles has no future publicised movie appearances”.

There are some really great albums coming out on 13th March. I would recommend James Blake’s Trying Times. You can pre-order it here. Blake is one of our greatest songwriters. I am looking forward to his latest album. One that will rank alongside his best. Judging by the songs that have been released already, it could be among the best albums of this year:

“Trying Times is a record about being in love whilst battling the limits of the self against a backdrop of global uncertainty. James Blake explores the tension between intimacy and isolation, the pressure to curate and perform even as everything, inside and out, feels fragile and precarious. Themes of reflection, both literally and metaphorically, run through the record’s visual presentation, as Blake holds a mirror to the contradictions of modern connection - how we see ourselves, how we’re seen by others, and what gets lost in between. It’s about the disorienting loop of joy and dread: feeling safe in love, yet knowing the bubble could burst at any moment; struggling to stay present while global anxiety and private doubt pull you in different directions. A meditation on love, identity, and fragility in an age where the world feels balanced on a knife edge”.

Kim Gordon’s Play Me is released on 13th March. You can pre-order it here. One of the greats of music, I do love her solo work. Many might only associate her with being in Sonic Youth. However, she is a tremendous solo artist who put out her debut album in 2000. I think that Play Me is going to be another wonderful album from Gordon:

“Kim Gordon’s vision of art and noise has come sharper into focus just as readily as it has changed—a paradigm of possibility that, four decades on, still feels like a dare. The adventure continues on the artist’s third solo album, Play Me, released by Matador Records.

Play Me is distilled and immediate, expanding Gordon’s sonic palette to include more melodic beats and the motorik drive of krautrock. “We wanted the songs to be short,” Gordon says of her continued collaboration with LA producer Justin Raisen (Charli XCX, Sky Ferreira, Yves Tumor). “We wanted to do it really fast. It’s more focused, and maybe more confident. I always kind of work off of rhythms, and I knew I wanted it to be even more beat-oriented than the last one. Justin really gets my voice and my lyrics and he understands how I work—that came forth even more on this record.”
In 2019, Gordon’s debut solo LP No Home Record proved she was attuned as ever to vanguard sounds, mixing avant-rap and footwork into her sonic conceptual art. The Collective, in 2024, was brick-heavy and even more daring, led by the tectonic industrial clatter of her packing-list-cum-rage-rap banger ‘BYE BYE’ and earning two Grammy nominations.

The fast-following Play Me processes, in Gordon’s inimitable way, the collateral damage of the billionaire class: the demolition of democracy, technocratic end-times fascism, the A.I.-fueled chill-vibes flattening of culture - where dark humour voices the absurdity of modern life. But despite its frequent outward gaze, Play Me is an interior record, one in which a heightened emotionality pulses through physical jams, rejecting definitive statements in favor of an inquisitiveness that keeps Gordon searching, ever in process”.

The last album from 13th March I am recommending is The Orielles’ Only You Left. This is a band that you may not be aware of. However, The Orielles are tremendous and I would urge people to pre-order their new album. If you need some more details about them and what to expect from Only You Left, then Rough Trade have provided some words. I think that Only You Left will get some amazing reviews. This is a group that I am keen to see live soon, as I have not done so yet:

“Through this process of creative renewal, the Manchester-based trio – completed by drummer Sidonie Hand-Halford – have managed to weather a pandemic, defy the fickleness of a trend-led music industry, and emerge, phoenix-like, with something familiarly Orielles, yet altogether different.

Recorded in two locations – Hydra and Hamburg – over the summer of 2024, the 11 tracks of Only You Left sees the band consolidate the bold experimentation of their previous LP, Tableau (2022), with a return to the more stripped-back, song-led approach of their early origins.

“There’s nothing more trad than a three-piece,” quips Henry, in reference to the band’s decision to return to their roots as a trio. Originally from Halifax, the Orielles first came to recognition in 2018 with their debut album, the indie-rock Silver Dollar Moment, which is approaching its eighth birthday in February 2026. “These things come in like seven year cycles. So we've come in like a full circle back to a familiar place, just as different people.”

By exploring binaries and contrasts, the Orielles are finding shapes in the chaos and confusion of the world around us – it’s an undertaking that benefits from more than 15 years of close collaboration, driven by friendship and the artistic compulsion to find meaning in music”.

A couple of albums from 20th March to spotlight before moving on. The first is Ladytron’s Paradises. This is a group that I have been following for a while now. I am excited about Paradises. You can pre-order a copy of their album here. If you are unsure about the album, then I would recommend that you investigate it. Ladytron are a terrific group that always deliver something special:

“The iconic and influential electronic pop group Ladytron returns with a new album Paradises - their first since 2023's critically acclaimed Time's Arrow.

Spanning dance and indie movements since their formation in Liverpool at the end of the last millennium, Ladytron have earned a unique position by carving out new sonic and conceptual space, and refusing to abide by formula or trend. In the early 2000s, the fiercely individual group were placed at the forefront of the so-called electro-clash scene (which now enjoys another revival), but with time, they came to appreciate the pop cultural moment that they had reluctantly become part of.

The new album follows a period of renewed cultural presence for the band. Their 2002 single "Seventeen" unexpectedly went viral on TikTok, introducing Ladytron's sound to a new generation and amassing hundreds of thousands of fan-made clips. Their legacy was further acknowledged recently with "Destroy Everything You Touch," one of their most celebrated tracks, featured in the GRAMMY-nominated original Motion Picture Soundtrack of cult movie Saltburn, reaffirming Ladytron's enduring appeal”.

I am going to bring in Avalon Emerson & the Charm’s Written into Changes. I have known about Avalon Emerson and her work for a while now. This moniker is something I am new to. I am a little late to the party in that sense. You can pre-order the album here. It does sound like it is going to be a fantastic and interesting album. Below is a bit more information for you:

“Change, they say, is the only constant in life. Fittingly, multi‑hyphenate musician Avalon Emerson sounds at home harnessing the steady flux of her existence on Written into Changes, the memoiristic second album released under her Avalon Emerson and the Charm moniker. A work of rigorous invention and revision, the album’s themes of personal and relationship evolution “came into clarity after they were all done,” according to Emerson.

The making of Changes was, appropriately enough, very different from that of and the Charm. While that album was, in Emerson’s words, “soft and bedroomy,” the energy was upped this time around, as Emerson carefully considered how this material would work in a live context. The resulting body of work is band‑driven but groove‑heavy and dance‑adjacent. The break‑beat‑assisted “Eden” has a “baggy” sound that’s reminiscent of dance‑rock hybrids of the late ’80s and early ’90s. The witty “How Dare This Beer” was written in loving tribute to the Magnetic Fields. “’87 to ’94 is my idea of the best era of music,” says Emerson. “And with Nathan, our musical taste overlaps quite a bit.”
Nathan is Nathan Jenkins, aka Bullion, who co‑produced & the Charm and returned to handle the bulk of its follow‑up. Much of the recording took place in Braintree, England, in the winter into spring of 2024. The two tracks co‑produced with Rostam Batmanglij (“Jupiter & Mars” and “Earth Alive”) were cut in Los Angeles. Synth touches were added at the Synth Cabin at Rosen Sound in Glendale, California. While the collaborative creation of Written into Changes diverged considerably from Emerson’s dancefloor‑tailored solo productions, the influence of dance music is splashed all over it. Emerson was fixated on her music’s low end as she crafted it. “Bass was definitely a priority,” she says.

Emerson wrote the melodies and lyrics on Written into Changes, and the majority of the latter were sourced from her personal life. “It was a goal with my lyrics this time around to be a little bit more direct,” she says. The title track, one of the artist’s favorites, is about her move from Berlin to Los Angeles in 2020. The frenetic “Happy Birthday” has a sunny spirit anchored by gently devastating lyrics like those of the refrain: “Too young to die / Too old to break through.” That track arrives having been club‑tested—Emerson has already dropped it into her sets at clubs like Panorama Bar at Berlin’s Berghain and Brooklyn’s Nowadays. Both “Eden” and “Country Mouse” are odes to Emerson’s relationship with her wife, Hunter, while “I Don’t Want to Fight” and “Earth Alive” are “about realizing you can't change people and trying to take them for who they are, and sometimes that means loving them from afar,” she says.

Written into Changes is an album about not just accepting change, but embracing it with a full wingspan. Progression is a theme both on record and behind the scenes, so that “written into changes” describes a conscious approach to expression and life itself”.

There are some huge albums due on 27th March. I shall end with them. Courtney Barnett‘s Creature of Habit is one I am especially looking forward to. Her fourth album, she is always superb. The themes she tackles on this album and what she wants to accomplish are fascinating. Her music has evolved since her earliest days. This is an artist that you need to follow and support. Go and pre-order here album here:

“Courtney Barnett releases her fourth studio album Creature Of Habit including single 'Site Unseen featuring Waxahatchee.

Creature of Habit marks a decisive new chapter in Courtney Barnett’s musical evolution. It’s a bold, emotionally resonant record that explores the central question: how to get out of your own way so you can truly feel your life. Written in the wake of a relocation from Australia to Los Angeles and the closure of her long-running label Milk! Records, Barnett was grappling with changes that put the future of both her life and career in question. Rather than internalizing those feelings, she decided to bring all this swirling confusion directly into the recording process”.

Another album that is well worth pre-ordering is Flea’s Honora. One of music’s great bass players, you know his work with Red Hot Chili Peppers. However, he is this incredible solo artist whose upcoming album is one you will want to add to your collection. Pre-order it here. The collaborators that he brings into Honora are amazing. It is going to be such a brilliant album you will not want to miss out on:

“After a nearly five-decade (and counting) career as one of his generation’s defining rock bassists, Flea releases his first full-length solo album, Honora, on Nonesuch Records.  Time and space have finally allowed him to return to his first musical loves: jazz and playing the trumpet.  The album features the track ‘Traffic Lights’, co-written with Thom Yorke and Josh Johnson, as well as the previously released ‘A Plea’.

For Honora, which takes its name from a beloved family member, Flea composed and arranged the music, and also plays trumpet and bass throughout, joined by an elite crew of modern jazz visionaries: album producer and saxophonist Josh Johnson, guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Anna Butterss, and drummer Deantoni Parks.  The record features vocals from Flea, as well as friends Thom Yorke and Nick Cave.  Mauro Refosco (David Byrne, Atoms for Peace) and Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes), among others, also join the band.  The album comprises six original songs – including one co-written by Flea, Johnson, and Yorke – as well as interpretations of tunes by George Clinton and Eddie Hazel, Jimmy Webb, Frank Ocean and Shea Taylor, and Ann Ronell”.

I am ending with two huge albums. Both from artists whose name starts with the letter r. Let’s get to RAYE’s THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. You can pre-order it here. It is going to be one of the most acclaimed albums of this year, I can feel it! One of the most anticipated ones too.  Her award-winning and acclaimed debut album, My 21st Century Blues, was released in 2023. There has been a lot of success and love for that album. THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE is the next chapter. A title that suggests something more optimistic than her debut, it will be interesting to see what this incredible artist offers:

“Four-time Grammy Award-nominated global superstar Raye, is releasing her highly anticipated sophomore album THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. The album, set in 4 “seasons” with each side of the vinyl being a different season, takes listeners on a sonic journey that begins with darkness and ends with light.

“Music is medicine. I’ve always said that, and I guess I’m in the process of making medicine for myself that I can share with the world. I want us all to say to ourselves that it’s going to be all right, and I’m going to have faith in the seeds that I’ve planted beneath the snow. I wanted to create something that is a hug or bed or soft place for that person who needs it”.

I am ending with Robyn and Sexistential. One of the most enduring and beloved artists there is, this album is going to be a smash.!I can see a lot of critics giving it the highest marks. One that comes out on 27th March, you will want to pre-order it. Ending out a great month for new music, Robyn will grace us with an album. Something that we have been waiting for:

“Sexistential is the most ecstatic record that Robyn has ever made, the sound of one of contemporary music’s most influential artists coming home. After the club music meditations of 2018’s Honey, the album features nine, deeply playful pop songs that tie back to her era-defining Body Talk trilogy, designed to feel “like a spaceship coming through the atmosphere at a really high speed and crash landing”, she says. “That’s how I felt, like I’d had all these experiences searching too far out into space, and now I’m crashing back into myself.”

Co-produced mainly with longtime collaborator Klas Åhlund, Sexistential is emphatic and punchy, defiant about both emotional and biological pleasure, need and softness. The album’s title started life as an in-joke before she realised it said everything she wanted to say. “Exploring my sensual life is the same feeling as when I make a good song,” she explains. “It’s such a beautiful kind of sensitive vibration that takes so much work to keep afloat. I feel like the purpose of my life is to stay horny - it doesn’t even have to be about sex, but it’s feeling sensual and attracted to things that I enjoy, and not letting anything take over that.”

To celebrate the news, Robyn released two new tracks from the album. Building on the success of acclaimed first single “Dopamine”, new singles “Talk To Me” and “Sexistential” further reveal one of the decade’s most celebrated comebacks. “Talk To Me” – produced by Klas Åhlund and Oscar Holter, and featuring Max Martin as a co-writer (their first collaboration since 2010’s “Time Machine”) – is pure, unadulterated fun, like Robyn trying to write a Prince or Gap Band song but underpinned with uber-contemporary production. “I wrote it during the pandemic when there was no way to be physical,” Robyn says. “I like talkers, that turns me on”.

A diverse and busy month for new albums, I hope that the suggestions above have been of use. There are other albums out next month I have not mentioned that you may want to check out. Something for everyone, we have Harry Styles, Robyn, RAYE, and so many other artists putting out stuff in the same month. So much to look forward. March is going to be…

A wonderful month.

FEATURE: The Day Writes the Words Right Across the Sky: The Spread of Kate Bush’s Music

FEATURE:

 

 

The Day Writes the Words Right Across the Sky

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 2005/PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton

The Spread of Kate Bush’s Music

__________

CONNECTED to my features…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz

about Kate Bush that concern her legacy and how relevant she is today, it is worth noting how her work has spread through the years. Many artists influence certain types of sectors and corners of culture. There are a few greats that go beyond that and have made a huge impact right across the board. Their music has been used on T.V. and film, and there is this enormous spread. Kate Bush is definitely someone who can stand alongside the very best in that sense. I am going to mention some of the people who were in attendance in 2014 for Before the Dawn. As the live album turns ten in November, I am thinking about the residence and how significant it was. One of these once-in-a-generation things that truly blew people away. Kate Bush’s music, in the 1970s and 1980s, definitely had this legacy. It was influencing artists and being played around the world. However, the advent of the Internet definitely helped bring it to new places. She is not one of these artists who agrees to every request that comes her way when it comes to using music in film and T.V. However, there have been occasions when T.V. shows have used her songs to incredible effect. Of course, Stranger Things and Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God). That was in 2022. That same song has also appeared in Pose, It’s a Sin, GLOW, The Lake, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Clique, The Real World Homecoming and others. You do wonder how Bush decides which shows can use the songs. That is quite a broad range of shows with different fans and followings. No too much connects those shows. However, each time that song appears, it will connect with those who watch the shows. Her music scoring scenes across these eclectic and fascinating T.V. series/shows. This Woman’s Work has been used in Alias, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Handmaid's Tale, The Pact, and films including A Man Called Otto and The Mother.

Cloudbusting featured in Gossip Girl and Palm Springs. Hounds of Love was in Shadow in the Cloud. Babooshka has been played in Happy Valley. The Man with the Child in His Eyes was in Ashes to Ashes. Wuthering Heights in Behind Human. The Simpsons used π. The Morning Fog was in The Bear. Hello Earth showed up on Miami Vice. Under the Ivy used beautifully in I Hate Suzie. Think about all the different audiences who have watched those films and shows. How diverse those productions are. Beyond that, to the stage, there are tribute shows and cabaret performance. Dance and performance art shows. Orchestral performances too. In terms of the spread of her music, there are few artists who have had this music used in such a wide-ranging way. Again, maybe a sprinkling of legends, but it is a rare accomplishment. Her music has featured on shows like The X Factor. It is commercial enough that it can be brought to the screen on these mainstream shows. However, it can also sit on a show like The Handmaid's Tale. Something that is not especially mainstream and glossy. That is the power and adaptability of Bush’s music. In terms of artists who have covered her, again, it is a broad spread. Placebo, CMAT, The Last Dinner Party, Ra Ra Riot, The Decembrists, Georgia, Maxwell, The Puppini Sisters, The Staves, Gemma Hayes, Dusty Springfield and Saint Saviour are just a selection of artists who have covered her music. If Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) remains the most popular in terms of the number of covers, Suspended in Gaffa, Love and Anger and Wuthering Heights have been covered. I am always gladder when someone covers a lesser-known song. Maybe that is the one blind spot or negative: people not really going as deep as they should. Songs that are not covered and used in film and T.V. The fact The Bear used The Morning Fog was great. The Simpsons’ inclusion of π. If you were to draw this diagram about all the different artists, shows, films and theatre productions that have used her music or covered it, then it would be such a broad map! Dance acts like Utah Saints, The Prodigy, E-Clypse and Blue Pearl have sampled her work. A Folk heroine, Kate Bush is also hugely adored in the worlds of R&B and Hip-Hop. I am sourcing from Graeme Thomson’s Under the Ivy: The Life and Music of Kate Bush, where he discusses how far and wide Bush’s work has reached. Prince and Tupac Shakur were fans. Big Boi is a massive champion. Tricky loves her music.

I do think that Kate Bush gets narrowed down and seen as a particular artist. That her music has only reached a certain type of audience. I am glad that she got this new focus through Stranger Things. However, Bush’s work has always appeared on screen. It has been covered so many times. Perhaps there is the temptation for people to go for more obvious songs, though the sheer variety of people who have tackled her music is stunning. Rita Ora, St. Vincent, Nerina Pallot and Solange you can also toss in there. When it came to those in attendance in Hammersmith for Before the Dawn in 2014, we had members of Pulp, Orbital, Pet Shop Boys, Prefab Sprout and Sparks. Kiera Knightley, Daniel Craig, Miranda Richardson, Terry Jones, Dawn French, Tim McInnerney and Frank Skinner. From comedy to the big screen through to music, that was just a small selection of the incredible names that flocked to see one of their favourite artists, Lauren Laverne, Björk, Annie Lennox, Grace Jones, Paul McCartney, Florence Welch and Elton John. Madonna was reported to be in attendance. Mani, Kate Moss and Stella McCartney were there. The world of fashion showing their love. Bush’s music has long been used in fashion shows. Designer Greg Myler used Bush’s music for his Milan show. Bush was nominated in the British Style category for the 2014 British Fashion Awards. Phoebe Philo opened her Céline show with This Woman’s Work, and was wearing a Kate Bush T-shirt (that she bought at Before the Dawn days earlier). Authors who attended Before the Dawn included David Mitchell, Philip Pullman and Jeanette Winterson. The unique nature of Kate Bush’s lyrics resonated with authors. They are also universal lyrics. That paradox that means her work spreads so far and wide!

Her influence continues to grow and spread. The L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community hold her up as an idol. Bush’s charity work and raising money for War Child means that she is also seen as this humanitarian figure. Or at the very least, someone who is hugely charitable and benevolent. This has inspired other artists and people throughout culture to do likewise. To user their platform and music to help raise awareness. People responding to her uniqueness and vision. Her singularity and openness. I have spoken about the need to recognise her influence in terms of the artists who cite her as important. Where you can hear Bush’s impact in their own work. I do feel a larger project should reflect Bush’s influence. Maybe a documentary (which I have pitched). Rae Morris, Peaches, Guy Pearce and Gemma Arterton. You can go on forever and ever looking at all the people who count Kate Bush as an idol or someone they admire! This has intensified over the past few years. I guess there is the temptation for every filmmaker to ask Bush for permission to use her music, as they want a viral moment. However, there is also that respect and affection. Not wanting to bombard her. Bush is quite discerning, though she also is happy for her music to be used if done right. If she feels it adds to a scene. Separately, Lauren Mayberry and ANGELINAÏ covered Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) last year. Kate Bush’s music continues to be celebrated through high-profile orchestral tribute tours, specialized cover performances, and a resurgence driven by new media, particularly surrounding a 2026 “Wuthering Heights” movie adaptation. Charli xcx wrote the soundtrack and has mentioned her love of Kate Bush. Star Margot Robbie has. There are new covers of Army Dreamers. Considering the bloodshed and warfare around the world, that song influential and powerful to this day -over forty-five years since it was first heard. We have Cloudbusting in Paris, Cloudbusting - The Music of Kate Bush, Classically Kate Bush Tour, club nights and listening parties that have happened or will happen his year. One cannot deny just how vast her legacy is. Stretching and growing in terms of where her music reaches and how it is being represented and used, this will continue to grow for generations more. So many artists today who you can feel Kate Bush running through. That kind of power and genius reserved only for a select few. It is a major reason why so many people love…

THIS music great.

FEATURE: Kate Bush: Them Heavy People: The Extraordinary Characters in Her Songs: The Man with the Stick (Constellation of the Heart)/Peter Pan (Oh England My Lionheart)

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush: Them Heavy People: The Extraordinary Characters in Her Songs

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during the back cover shoot for 1978’s Lionheart/PHOTO CREDIT: Gered Mankowitz

The Man with the Stick (Constellation of the Heart)/Peter Pan (Oh England My Lionheart)

__________

I am going to come back to…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in the make-up chair during filming of the 1993 short film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari (via The Guardian)

Kate Bush’s Lionheart and The Red Shoes again, as there are more characters to explore. From the latter, Moments of Pleasure has loads. There is The Song of Solomon and Rubberband Girl. In Lionheart, we have Kashka from Baghdad, Coffee Homeground and Hammer Horror. I have included at least two characters from each of Kate Bush’s studio albums (I am not including Director’s Cut), except for Hounds of Love and Never for Ever. I will team these albums next, before including characters featured outside of her albums. Maybe on B-sides or rarer songs, it is fascinating seeing the full extent of the figures that appear in her music. Not always human. There are also suggestions of people who are not named. You know who she is referring to. I am starting out with The Man with the Stick. There are not that many unnamed characters in her songs. Bush usually referring to people or characters directly I feel. I think that the influence of literature and the screen means she likes to have characters that are rounded, named or tangible. You get semi-anonymous characters, and I sense she alludes to herself without writing necessarily in the first person or revealing herself. However, there is this sense of mystery when she does drop in these unnamed characters. Appearing in Constellation of the Heart, it leads me to discuss her lyrics and their power; Bush discussing love and loss more in 1993 (or when she was writing The Red Shoes); rarer cuts that have never been performed live or been re-recorded. These songs that are terrific but have been buried somewhat. I also want to discuss the somewhat unique sound of The Red Shoes. In terms of the fact that (the album) maybe is not as warm and natural as what followed, and what would come after. I think Kate Bush’s songbook is as broad as any artist ever. I am including The Beatles in that! This is true when it comes to the compositions, the range of instruments, the way she was hugely different on each album.

I feel it is especially true of her lyrics. In sheer terms of what she writes about, there are few artists who are as eclectic and surprising. Many felt that 1993’s The Red Shoes marked a low point. Sure, Bush had to deal with personal loss and exhaustion. She was in a decade where she was no longer seen as this innovative forerunner and someone who was leading a pack. What she produced for 1989’s The Sensual World could perhaps not cut it in the 1990s. The Red Shoes is a great album but perhaps one that suffers because of the cracks, tiredness and struggles to adapt to this new decade. Bush also not having had time to breathe since the start of her career. I have seen people look at the lyrics on The Red Shoes as being cliché, boring, lacking inspiration and ordinary. Maybe that it is true of a few songs, as I do think that Why Should I Love You?, You’re the One and Big Stripey Lie are not as engaging as they could be. What I will discuss in a moment is how Bush is not only writing about the heart but to it too. I do think that The Red Shoes features some of Kate Bush’s most extraordinary lyrics. From Eat the Music and the fruit metaphors and symbolism. Mixing the edible with the sensual and profound. In Moments of Pleasure and that deep emotion and Bush remembering those dear to her that have passed. The Song of Solomon and Lily are remarkable. The title track is stunning too. I have said how one issue with The Red Shoes is the sequencing. Constellation of the Heart is the last of the great tracks. It comes right after the brilliant Top of the City – another song with remarkable lyrics -, but the final three tracks are quite weak in a sense. A slight reorder would have led to a stronger whole. Maybe people ignore Constellation of the Heart, as it appears as track nine. As of writing this piece (15th February) it is the fifth-most streamed track on The Red Shoes, so it has found an audience. It is the lyrics that are stunning. Some Kate Bush songs are economic or have fewer words. However, I feel Constellation of the Heart is one of the fullest. I wanted to highlight some examples of her genius. I’ll start with the character I am focusing on and who he may be: “Ooh and if you see the woman with the key/I hear she's opening up the doors to Heaven/Oh and here comes the man with the stick/He said he'd fish me out the moon”. There is that woman with the key and there is a man with the ladder, but they are mentioned but never materialise. I do love this man and what he might look like. That idea of fishing Bush out of the moon. The whole song is fascinating. How Bush referencing a track from Hounds of Love in one section: “We take all the telescopes/And we turn them inside out/And we point them away from the big sky”. In fact, there is another character I am not mentioning, “Well we think you'd better wake up capt'n/There's something happen'n up ahead/We've never seen anything like it/We've never seen anything like it before/I want a full report/That's it/What do you mean, "that's it?". This captain. You imagine what he looks like. In Constellation of the Heart, Bush is philosophical (an idea of turning a telescope maybe inward and seeing stars in the heart and the galaxy of emotions), funny, conversational and emotional.

Do we talk enough about songs like Constellation of the Heart?! It is a remarkable track that has one of Bush’s best vocal performances on The Red Shoes. Her backing vocals too. It is so heady and fulsome! Maybe, with Bush mentioning The Big Sky in her lyrics, she is distancing herself from a theme and sound of the past. Where she is more whimsical, childlike and fantastical. Perhaps not seeing those songs as serious or wanting to push away from that, I don’t think Bush discussed Constellation of the Heart. The power of the lyrics on Constellation of the Heart are replicated and reflected in other songs. Ones I have mentioned. The Red Shoes is an album that got a kicking and is overlooked today. It is so rich and accomplished. Even some of the ‘lesser’ tracks have interesting elements. Bush playing electric guitar (for the first time) on Big Stripey Lie. What you get from You’re the One, And So Is Love, Why Should I Love You? and Constellation of the Heart is Bush very much being more personal and looking inward. She was a bit on albums before The Red Shoes, though now in her thirties, I feel she wanted to change the narrative a bit. Maybe reacting to the breakdown of her relationship with Del Palmer and this dislocating time, Bush puts her heart out there more than she had previously. Aerial is when she went even further, though more from a maternal standpoint. That effusiveness from her new son, Bertie. I don’t consider the early-'90s as this time when artists were being especially emotive or revealing. Maybe artists like Tori Amos were. However, I associate it more with something perhaps less emotion-led. That might be wrong. Constellation of the Heart is not a typical representation of what was being released in 1993. There was observation around the slightly lyrical weakening. How (in their view) Bush was not at her peak. Many felt that The Red Shoes did not really gel and songs were half-formed. When I discuss Rubberband Girl and Moments of Pleasure, I will highlight again how strong the songs are and how different. Bush maybe not seen as out-there as she once was. She could not win. People criticised her oddness. They criticised everything she did. Maybe that sense that this evolution was a step back – and not forward. However, the fact that Bush turns the telescope inwards and looks at human emotions and her personal life – though some would say she is writing generally and not specifically about her – is a wonderful thing.

Constellation of the Heart is a rare example of a song that was not released as a single, performed live or re-recorded. Many songs from The Red Shoes were reworked for 2011’s Director’s Cut. I feel that Constellation of the Heart should have featured. Maybe take out Rubberband Girl. Whilst Top of the City featured in 2014’s Before the Dawn residency, Constellation of the Heart did not. Consider this article, and what they noted about Constellation of the Heart “is squelchy funk and the most dated production. A bit Prince and a lot Peter Gabriel, Big Time etc. Chorus sounds like lots of people although only two people are credited. I can see people might think she was running out of inspiration and following trends. Nothing wrong with this but then again nothing too exciting. Some nice audio touches. I suppose it’s a bit of an audiophile record. File alongside Dire Straits and the Blue Nile for playing through you flash hifi system”. Why did Bush not strip it back down and have this incredible version of Constellation of the Heart surface in 2011?! That idea of the dated production is one of the major issues with The Red Shoes. I do feel like Bush was always trying to push herself as producer, or at least give every album  different sound. That idea of the production being dated. I am focusing on The Man with the Stick. This intriguing figure from Constellation of the Heart. You are perhaps more distracted by the production and miss that lyric. The Red Shoes a little dated in a way none of her other albums are. The drums often feeling compacted or unnatural. Compressed and lacking the warmth of The Sensual World, the power and beauty of Hounds of Love and the sense of wonder, scope and intimacy you get with Aerial, perhaps that somewhat dogs the brilliance of The Red Shoes. I do think that Constellation of the Heart is remarkable and showcases Bush’s continuing lyrical gift. How I am focusing on this unnamed character that has an important place in a song that is both personal and universal. One of her most compelling music moments. A wonderful vocal. Perhaps a little overshadowed by the production. Such a shame Bush did not include this song in Director’s Cut, as it would have shone a light on its brilliant heart, soul and bones!

This is a bit of a cheat. I am mentioning a song from Lionheart that name-checks Peter Pan but it is not In Search of Peter Pan. It is odd that Bush included him twice! Maybe this is why she wrote a song like Constellation of the Heart. Detaching from that fantasy and child-like sense of purity and curiosity. Oh England My Lionheart is a song Bush was fond of at a certain point. More and more she started to get embarrassed by it and then dismissed it altogether. She did perform it as part of 1979’s The Tour of Life, so perhaps she was tired of the song. Maybe Bush aware that this song might lead to mockery: “Oh England My Leotard’ is a song written by Peter Brewis and performed by Pamela Stephenson on Not The Nine O’Clock News, the BBC’s alternative comedy show. It was a bastardised version of Them Heavy People with alternative lyrics”. Before getting to some interviews where Bush talked about Oh England My Lionheart, I did want to mention how I will discuss Disney and Bush’s child-like side. I will also move to the melody and the way she was such an accomplished writer of these melodies and choruses that get into the heart. The imagery on Oh England My Lionheart of warfare and battle. Both of modern wars and also Richard the Lionheart. Though not a true title track, I feel Oh England My Lionheart nods to Richard the Lionheart (King Richard I of England), who died on 6th April, 1199, at the age of forty-one. He died in Châlus, France, from a gangrenous wound caused by a crossbow bolt, which he sustained while besieging the castle of Châlus-Chabrol on 26th March, 1199. Before moving along, this detail from the Kate Bush Encyclopedia: “Kate performed ‘Oh England My Lionheart’ during the Tour of Life as the first encore of the evening. Dressed in an old, oversized flying jacket and air helmet, she sung the song on a set inspired by old war films like ‘A Matter Of Life And Death’ and ‘Reach For The Sky’. Her dying comrades lay around the stage. The coat belonged to David Jackson, set designer on the Tour of Life, and according to him “she was naked underneath it. Somebody found that out and offered me £1000 for it but I turned him down. He was so besotted that he wanted to buy the coat. I was so besotted myself that I wouldn’t sell it to him!”. Maybe also worth noting that idea of Kate Bush as a sex symbol and how there was this other strand of attention. Maybe harmless fan admiration, a lot of people were obsessed with her beauty and sexuality.

I will come back to this soon. The images of war and what Bush wanted to achieve with Oh England My Lionheart. Thanks again to the Kate Bush Encyclopedia, we get this revelation from Bush as to what she had in mind. A wonderful song that she should not have come to dislike. Maybe she felt it was a bit sappy or too cloying. I would argue against that:

“It’s really very much a song about the Old England that we all think about whenever we’re away, you know, “ah, the wonderful England” and how beautiful it is amongst all the rubbish, you know. Like the old buildings we’ve got, the Old English attitudes that are always around. And this sort of very heavy emphasis on nostalgia that is very strong in England. People really do it alot, you know, like “I remember the war and…” You know it’s very much a part of our attitudes to life that we live in the past. And it’s really just a sort of poetical play on the, if you like, the romantic visuals of England, and the second World War… Amazing revolution that happened when it was over and peaceful everything seemed, like the green fields. And it’s really just a exploration of that.

Lionheart Promo Cassette, EMI Canada, 1978

A lot of people could easily say that the song is sloppy. It’s very classically done. It’s only got acoustic instruments on it and it’s done … almost madrigally, you know. I dare say a lot of people will think that it’s just a load of old slush but it’s just an area that I think it’s good to cover. Everything I do is very English and I think that’s one reason I’ve broken through to a lot of countries. The English vibe is very appealing.

Harry Doherty, Enigma Variations. Melody Maker, November 1978”.

Before ending with writing about warfare and battle imagery and also discussing the melody, I am here to focus on Peter Pan. In Search of Peter Pan sees Bush singing “He's got a photo/Of his hero/He keeps it under his pillow/But I've got a pin-up/From a newspaper/Of Peter Pan”. Maybe this romantic idea. However, on Oh England My Lionheart, there is something perhaps a little darker at play: “Oh, England, my lionheart/Peter Pan steals the kids in Kensington Park”. I am curious why Bush came to use Peter Pan twice. The Disney film, Peter Pan, was released in 1953. Although it came out five years before she was born, no doubt a film she would have seen as a child. Bush made reference to Pinocchio – a Disney film released in 1940 – for Get Out of My House (from 1982’s The Dreaming) and the cover artwork for her 1978 debut, The Kick Inside (The sky she flies in is an enormous eye; an image apparently inspired by a scene in the 1940 animated film Pinocchio of Jiminy Cricket beside waking giant whale Monstrot, as MOJO explain). I think there is a child-like quality by referencing Peter Pan. However, it is not this silly fantasy or something immature. Bush using characters from Disney in this sophisticated and challenging music. It does make me think of her childhood and when she first encountered these characters. Whether Peter Pan was someone that she was fascinated by. Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. Pan is a mischievous, magical boy who can fly and refuses to grow up, spending his never-ending childhood on the island of Neverland. That idea of not growing up. Many critics sort of levied this criticism against Kate Bush. How they felt the music was immature or squeaky. Bush very much pushing against this from The Dreaming onward. It is not the only time Bush has referenced this idea of not growing up or being stuck as a boy or younger person. The Man with the Child in His Eyes, from The Kick Inside, about men who have a child in them and that quality that never leaves. Bush always fascinated by that idea an she explored the soul, the child spirit and maturity through her music.

You cannot deny that the melody and beautiful composition of Oh England My Lionheart is sublime. This article that showed love for the somewhat maligned Lionheart shines a light on the song. Especially warm words for Oh England My Lionheart: “And “England, My Lionheart”, is quite simply one of the most beautiful and  unique melodies ever written.  Usually in pop song craft you can hear echoes of the familiar; even if the artist is stealing from him/herself.  This song exists on a different plane.  That the lyrics are penned by a teenage girl is stupefying and magical.  Why this song hasn’t been declared Britain’s national anthem is beyond me.  It still might someday”. Think about the typical Pop song from 1978. Disco, Punk and New Wave were very much in focus. Bands like ABBA and the soundtracks for Grease and Saturday Night Fever very popular. Kate Bush was creating music and melodies unlike any other artist. Kate and Paddy Bush (her brother) harmonising. Harpsicords by Francis Monkman. The recorder is a divisive instrument, though Richard Harvey plays beautifully and it works on Oh England My Lionheart. It has this medieval or older sound. Like it would have been made in medieval times. Not only this, but Bush managed to write this gorgeous and dreamy melody and vocal sound. A talent that she always had but would develop further. Bush’s piano very much one of the driving forces of the song too. Bush’s childhood home filled with music, poetry and literature. No wonder she had this talent for lyrics, melody and the unique. This article notes how the piano spoke to her at a young age: “Her father, an amateur, Chopin-obsessed pianist, was keen to show the young Catherine how its notes could be a conduit for her inner-most feelings. Her mother was prone to spontaneously exhibiting her penchant for traditional Irish dance while Catherine’s older brothers Paddy and John were both heavily involved in the local folk music scene. The multi-instrumentalist pair would later both play crucial roles in Kate’s exploits. Being raised in such an environment, it’s not at all surprising that Catherine became fixated with the piano. Also a voracious reader, Bush spent hours pouring over the pages of poetry books and classical literature. These twin passions naturally merged. By age 11, Bush was penning her first songs, and fitting words to chords and melodies soon became a chief pastime. “Just as some people sit with a piece of paper and doodle, I guess I was doing that at the piano,” Bush said in an interview with Weekend Australian. “I used to write one song a day, sometimes two. But of course it's so much easier at that age. You have a lot less to do”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush photographed in 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Shutterstock

Maybe one of the issues with Oh England My Lionheart today is how it might seem nationalistic. Dreams of Orgonon explored this in 2019. Kate Bush seen as quintessentially English (though she was half-Irish). Bush talked about Oh England My Lionheart as being this patriotic number. Maybe this romantic idea of an older England or the past. Consider today how people who are right-wing might attach themselves to this song and what Bush was saying. Perhaps a complex legacy, I feel Bush was instead just showing pride of the country she was born in. Not at the expense of other people and nations. Rather than it being jingoistic and a song of nationalism, a paen to a different era:

“Let’s end with the images of Oh England My Liomnheart. We saw earlier how Bush rewflected and dissected them in interviews.

“The title track “Oh England My Lionheart” engages with this British tradition. It is a classical song in a fair few regards. Unlike most of Bush’s music, the song is played features acoustic instruments exclusively, including Richard Harvey’s recorder and Francis Monkman’s harpsichord. If reading that you thought “huh, this sounds like a Renaissance song,” you would be correct. Bush described the song as being done “madrigally.” It’s not difficult to imagine “Oh England My Lionheart” being used in a classicist production of Twelfth Night. “Lionheart” sounds like a folk song, with its fixed structure of repeated chords, its descending melody, and its lengthy descriptions of scenery. This isn’t the first time Bush has interacted with folk music, of course. Bush often imbues antiquated styles with her own vision of strange things. With “Oh England My Lionheart” she takes the folk ballad and takes it on a tour through England, from the Thames to London Bridge to Kensington Park. Yet for its breadth, “Oh England My Lionheart” is dreary, positively crawling through its three minutes and twelve seconds. Bush is outright crooning in this song, doing little heavy lifting on lyrics like “give me one wish/and I’d be wassailing.” It’s an uncharacteristically mellow performance with an iffy production. Few songs could get over these hurdles, and “Oh England My Lionheart” is put to the test by them.

The production does the song a disservice, as it makes “Oh England My Lionheart” sound more conservative than it actually is. It’s easy to read the song as a nationalist ballad, but “Lionheart” is more nuanced than that. The song narrowly treads a line with its war-inflected imagery, but let’s look at exactly what Bush explores here. She’s living in a postwar England where “the air raid shelters are blooming clover.” “Dropped from my black Spitfire to my funeral barge,” Bush sings as if the country is going to land on her. Pastoral England is growing over wartime England. The country is a romantic lead here, giving solitude to those in it. “Oh England My Lionheart” is a return to Bush songs about spying on an inaccessible love. Bush cries “I don’t want to go” in the outro, desperate for her country to stay with her. Without England, there is no Kate Bush, and she knows it”.

Two very different characters from albums released fifteen years apart. Oh England My Lionheart from her second studio album, Lionheart, released in 1978. Produced by Andrew Powell, it sounds worlds away, sonically and thematically, to Constellation of the Heart from 1993’s The Red Shoes. Produced by Kate Bush, the song was Bush perhaps distancing herself from songs like Oh England My Lionheart. I love The Man with the Stick and what he might look like. How Peter Pan was mentioned briefly in this vivid scene from Oh England My Lionheart. Examples of the brilliant characters…

IN Kate Bush’s songs.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Revisited: Mandy, Indiana

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight: Revisited

PHOTO CREDIT: Charles Gall 

Mandy, Indiana

__________

THIS is a terrific band…

ARTWORK CREDIT: Carnovsky

that I spotlighted back in 2023. That is when Mandy Indiana’s debut, i’ve seen a way, was released. Hugely acclaimed upon its release, I was instantly grabbed by this group. Based between Manchester and Berlin, the line-up consists of Valentine Caulfield, Scott Fair, Simon Catling, and Alex Macdougall. Their new album, URGH, came out on 6th February. I am going to end with a review of the album. Before that, it is worth drawing in some interviews with Mandy, Indiana. There are some great new interviews that bring us right up to date. I am starting with The Needle Drop and their fantastic interview with Mandy, Indiana. They talk about URGH, surgeries, movies and where they are now:

“There's an infectious disharmony within Mandy, Indiana, particularly between its two founding members, Caulfield and Fair. When films like Crimes of the Future and Titane were brought up as possible touchstones for Mandy, Indiana's creative process, Caulfield immediately vents a roguish disgust for Léa Seydoux and Kristen Stewart's performances in the former picture, while Fair leisurely confesses, "I’d probably be into that!"

Furthermore, one can sense visible ambivalence in Mandy, Indiana in allowing outside reference points to mark their art. A common narrative in bands is to always name their influences, to formulate some kind of contrived cause-and-effect narrative of why the music sounds the way it does. Caulfield's musical background doesn't abide by such narrative logic. The short story reads as someone who has studied classical music and sung opera from the age of five, only to flip on a dime and rebel into punk rock and alternative music in her late teens.

But there has to be some kind of turning point to just make music completely differently – this concrete formative moment. But Caulfield persistently opts for the "boring" answer: no, there really has not.

"And also, now having treated my voice the way I have, even if I wanted to go back to classical music, I couldn’t do it," Caulfield confesses. She says she still loves classical music and singing, even after having forfeited her ability to sing and perform it after the mileage that comes with snarling and screaming in punk bands. But Caulfield is quick to deem it less as a regression from her natural voice, and more as organic change that's in no way inferior.

Caulfield notes that with i've seen a way, the music has much more of an overarching narrative, whereas on URGH, the band was geared more to making each track is more its own insular thing. "On our first album we thought it was kind of a journey," she says. "And we feel this one is less of a journey and maybe more of an album, if that makes any sense. The storytelling is definitely different, it’s also telling stories, but on the first album there was more of this cinematic aspect than this one. Which makes it sound negative, but I think this one is so much better."

She calls the songs on URGH "more polished," adding, "but there isn’t that kind of storytelling aspect that takes you from the beginning like with [i've seen a way opening track] "Love Theme" where you go down into this underwater room and leads through the thing. This one doesn’t have so much of a narrative arc maybe."

"For me the influence of cinema is that I generally get more inspired to write a song after seeing a film more than after going to see a show or listening to an album," Fair adds. "It’s more personally that that’s where I draw inspiration from. It’s the combination of visuals and audio where I'm like 'I want to make something that feels like that.' But as Val said, the first one feels more structural and narrative-led, there’s even sort of recurring musical themes throughout the tracks. URGH is more track-based; everything’s a little more self-contained."

Each song on URGH is a crucible for deep-seated, front-line experiences. Lead single "Magazine" is a cadaverous "primal scream" revenge fantasy where Caulfield hunts down her own rapist (she courageously came forward on Instagram in 2023 about this traumatic experience), while album closer "I'll Ask Her" – one of the few songs where Caulfield trades her native French for English-spoken lyrics – acts as an austere PSA against rape culture.

Some tracks sprout into unlikely moments of beauty from their withered, miasmic roots. "Dodecahedron" stampedes with mechanized menace, but seeks illumination with a headstrong call-to-arms (Caulfield spits the rather timely line "Leurs tours d’ivoire ne les protègeront pas lorsque nous détruirons leurs sociétés immondes", which translates to 'Their ivory towers won’t protect them when we destroy their disgusting societies'), before dovetailing into a pixellated trance.

URGH goes against the grain of a traditional sophomore album, which usually revolves around refining and further cultivating the winning elements of the debut LP. If anything, all four members agree on actually making the work more obtuse and ambiguous. "When you look back at the repertoires of loads of bands, sometimes they put out a record that is headier and more considered," Fair says. "And then they want to do something different. That’s how I felt with this record. I just don’t want to make that record again. It’s not like ‘What is Mandy, Indiana, and how do we want it to be defined?’ More like ‘What feels right?’, and stumbles in the dark a bit towards whatever that is”.

Moving to CLASH, there are some great questions that are posed. In the interview, “Valentine Caulfield talks new album ‘URGH' and its connection to today’s global despair”. If you have not heard URGH yet, then make sure that you check out the album. An early contender for the best of this year:

“I’ve Seen a Way’ had this really sophisticated, geometric, yet surreal cover by Jared Pike. ‘URGH’, on the other hand, has this vivid, emotional, punky visual by the Carnovsky duo. What’s the story behind this choice?

It’s actually interesting. I think it all tied together in a very beautiful way. We discovered Carnovsky when we were starting to think about album covers. Before the album was recorded. They have a lot of these RGB Images, but we were especially attracted to this one, which is like an anatomical drawing. It spoke to us in a way that we were all really quickly convinced. We’ve almost disbanded over album titles before (laughs). So, when we all find something that we all like, it’s a bit of a miracle, and we tend to stick to it. But it really spoke to us in a way, and I think it works very well with the album title, because the face on it has this expression of intense… It’s not quite pain, but it’s like, urgh – it’s really that oh my god feeling

‘I’ve Seen a Way’ was a huge breakthrough for the band and for you personally. How did it change things for you? Did that success bring new pressures?

Was there success? (laughs)

Yeah, absolutely.

I don’t know! I guess, it made us maybe… I don’t want to say a household name, because we’re really not. But I think it got a certain amount of recognition from a very specific part of music fans or people who care about music. It’s great and it definitely opened some doors.

Maybe the most exciting, or the biggest thing that we’ve ever done was that we played Coachella, we played Primavera – that’s the big two things that we’ve done, and it’s the most successful we’ve ever felt, I suppose. And I guess Coachella came about because we had really great US booking agents, and we started working with them off the back of us playing South by Southwest, which was before the album came out. I mean, I’m sure the album played a role, but arguably I don’t know how much of a role it played.

It definitely got us some things. I’m sure, and it made us maybe a bit more well-known among festival bookers and stuff like that, but honestly, I wouldn’t say there was much success from this album. We’ve only just about broken even with it, and it came out in 2023!

Your music reflects an oppressive world, but it still points to a positive future. You sing, “The future belongs to us, and our humanity” in ‘Ist Halt So’. Do you have a vision of it in your head?

It’s really hard to have a vision of a bright future right now. But, like I said, I believe in communities uplifting each other, and I believe in people working together. It’s hard to see right now because there is so much hatred, and everyone looks at their neighbor with this kind of fear and disdain.

I want to believe that we can create a world where we stop pillaging the resources of other continents and then pretending that they’re underdeveloped. I would love to see a world where not everyone turns to ChatGPT to ask what they’re gonna eat tonight, so we stop burning resources that we don’t have. I hope for a world where there are no more private jets. I hope for a world where we have all eaten billionaires. Maybe not literally eaten, but you get my point.

We have all the resources for everyone to have a decent life. We have the capacity to live together. We just need to fucking get on with it.

And I also really like the line, “They tried to bury us / They didn’t know we were seeds,” in ‘Ist Halt So’.

It’s a very famous protest line, so it’s been used in protests all over the world. Apparently, it originally was attributed to a Greek poet, and then it was basically been used by a bunch of protest movements. I’ve always really liked it. And then when we were writing that song, it became obvious that that needed to go there. Yeah, it fits really well there.

I’ve heard your collabs with The Null Club and Algernon Cornelius, which are great. Have you thought about a solo project in the future?

It’s something that I think about every once in a while, and then I never really kind of pull the trigger on it. First and foremost, because my own producing abilities are non-existent, so I would genuinely have to do it with someone else, and I think part of the reason why this band works is because this is a collaboration between myself and Scott to begin with, and we’ve really found each other in the songwriting, and we work together really well. So in order to start something else, I would have to become better at it.

But it’s definitely every once in a while that I have little song ideas, and sometimes I write them down, and there’s bits and bubs knocking about. Maybe it’ll come to fruition at some point.

Yeah, we’ll see. And the final question: can music save us?

Not on its own, but it can help”.

Before getting to Pitchfork’s review of URGH, I am getting to this interview with Post-Trash. This is a great interview that gives us more insight into the band and their second studio album. “The band’s new album, URGH, appropriately titled for the times, almost never was. Against a background of personal turmoil, surgeries, and disparate locales, Mandy, Indiana has put together the first truly great album of 2026. We sat down with Scott Fair and Alex Macdougall to discuss the making of URGH, its challenges, and how existing on the brink means always striving for the good just out of reach”:

“PT: Has the band talked about a time when it would be a political statement to just say “we can't tour the US right now,” even if it were feasible financially?

SF: To be honest, that’s the impression I’ve got from conversations we’ve had as a band. There are certainly artists who are still (touring) and using their voice to draw attention to the horrendous things that are happening. But there’s been a rebellion against doing that from our camp, to not have a physical presence until things change. The last thing we want to do is go to the U.S. and give the impression that everything is fine when it so clearly is not. I don’t want to make assumptions, but it seems the people who seek out music like ours are well-informed enough and open-minded enough to see the injustices that are happening, but we can’t know for sure.

PT: As someone who in no way supports the actions of the U.S. government, what’s happening here gives me a profound sense of shame.

AM: There’s such a diverse range of views and opinions in the U.S. and identity is such a complex thing, but when you live in a country, you’re associated with what it does almost by default. It’s like you feel complicit or responsible, as ludicrous as that may sound. It’s really hard.

PT: There's no good segue here, but let's just jump in and talk about the music. The album is fantastic. Place seems to be an important aspect to the making of your art. I've read stories that you recorded previous bits in caves and crypts and all sorts of seedy places. And for URGH it seems you've gone to a haunted house outside some chilly Northern UK city?

SF: Yeah, we went to this creepy house on the outskirts of Leeds to write. We’re all spread out across the country and Valentine lives in Berlin, so we’re rarely together as a band in the same place. The couple nights we spent at the Leeds house were the only group writing sessions we had (for the album). Then, when it came to recording, it was very disparate. Everybody recorded their parts individually in different places.

PT: Do you find that challenging?

SF: Not necessarily—and sometimes it’s just the opposite. The way we work, we don’t pay a whole lot of respect to making things sound like they’re all occurring at one place at one time. Rather, we like to embrace sounds from different spaces. In the past, we’ve recorded drums in a cave then the guitars in a bedroom somewhere. We’re almost reveling in the fact that everyone has a device in their pocket that can capture high quality enough audio from anywhere that can appear on a commercially-released album. So (on URGH) we’re continuing to embrace that dysfunctional aspect of jamming things together. We did, however, record in studios a lot more this time, but without trying to make things sound too pristine.

PT: When I listened to the new album, I definitely wondered on multiple occasions how y’all put a song together. Like, take “Magazine,” one of my favorites—how does something like that get made?

SF: That song is the oldest one on the record. It’s from a period shortly after (i’ve seen a way). I’d seen something online, a 30-sec clip of video from an event, that inspired me to want to make something that sounded like how the clip made me feel. It started with rhythmic, percussive loops, then once the outline of the track was there, Val came in and did her thing, which is always the turning point in the writing process. When her vocals are in, it becomes a lot clearer what the track is, what the structure is. Sometimes I’ll put my editor cap on and move a bit of Val’s vocal around, and sometimes Val will say, no I don’t want it there (laughs). But to go back to what Alex was saying, many of the songs start with his drumming, the performance and personality he brings, his energy. He has a bit of Zach Hill energy.

AM: Yeah, he’s one of my favorite drummers. I remember (when we were writing the album) I would ask you, Scott, who you were vibing on and I would go and listen to some of that stuff. Then I would do a solo session where I just improvised with that inspiration in mind and record it with my phone. This process becomes its own inspiration loop. Scott is inspired by something that I reinterpret, play and record, then send back to Scott. Specifically, with “Magazine,” I remember starting the first beat with that cowbell rhythm after listening to a lot of Liquid Liquid. When we came into the studio to properly record that beat, it didn’t quite do the same thing. So we replaced it with my demo recording, which has a real, like, shitty lo-fi vibe, like, you can hear the fucking pirate studio room I recorded in.

SF: The looseness Alex is mentioning happens a lot with us. So many bands that cross over to the electronic realm seem inclined to make things as tight to the grid as possible. It’s not like we don’t use click tracks, but it’s become a mantra for us to embrace the looseness as well. We like the feeling that the song sounds like it’s on the brink of falling out of time.

PT: You mentioned being in a better place as a band. And this kind of goes full circle to what we were talking about at the start. How do you balance the despair of the moment with a hope for a better tomorrow?

SF: We’re optimistic people and we try to seek out the positive in even the darkest areas of life. But we’re also realists. We don’t shy away from the horrors of the world we live in. A lot of our music is a mirror reflecting these darker areas, but at the same time, the spirit of the music is optimistic. It’s about rhythm and movement and trying to get a response from whoever is engaging with it. We’re not wallowing. This isn’t misery porn. It’s an invitation to people who are experiencing the same crazy thing to recognize the darkness together, so we can face them together and search for the positives together. This band is about not having any limitations. We want the freedom to explore any genre and any emotional content. We could go anywhere”.

Let’s end with Pitchfork and their glowing review of URGH. I think that this album will be nominated for awards. They note how it is “insidiously catchy, incomprehensibly groovy, and fueled by righteous fury”. On 25th March, the band play London’s Heaven. They then have dates in Manchester and Leeds. I am excited to see where the band head from here. After release two distinct and tremendous albums, they will acquire a whole new wave of fans:

“In Mandy, Indiana’s hands, repeated sounds and phrases become improvised weapons. “Souris souris souris souris/C’est plus joli une fille qui sourit” (“Smile, smile, smile, smile/A girl who smiles is prettier”) went the skin-crawling nursery rhyme hook of i’ve seen a way’s “Drag [Crashed].” On URGH, Caulfield flips the French playground chant “Am stram gram” into a call to the dancefloor (“Cursive”), and recreates a sample of the “Light as a feather/Stiff as a board” scene from the 1996 teen-witch cult classic The Craft (“Life Hex”). As her voice gets gobbled up by the gnashing teeth of Macdougall’s kit, the listener is, in turn, subjected to the ravages of growing up as a girl under patriarchy. But these kinds of schoolyard games are also early building blocks of female solidarity, the groundwork upon which networks of collective care—from “Are we dating the same guy?” Facebook groups to French women’s activism behind Gisèle Pelicot—are built.

“Do you want to be remembered as someone who clapped as the bombs rained down?” Caulfield demands on “Dodecahedron.” “Stand up and march.” She namechecks Gaza directly on “ist halt so,” which sounds like “Bulls on Parade” being fed through a paper shredder. Mandy, Indiana’s livewire, high-wire act—they’re somehow even more galvanizing onstage—gets juiced here by production from guitarist Scott Fair and Gilla Band’s Daniel Fox, who throw on the floodlights, catching the contours and reflections of every instrument. The rotor-blade synth that descends halfway through “try saying” seems to chop the song into ribbons. On“Sicko,” which isn’t that far afield from the most virulent El-P beats, Caulfield hands the mic to another postmodern prophet, billy woods, who rails against Big Pharma.

For the closer, “I’ll Ask Her,” Caulfield dons a British accent and sneaks behind enemy lines: “And anyway, you stand by your boys, ’cause they’re your boys and that’s just how it is, and they’re all fucking crazy, man.” A synthesizer blares like an air raid siren, one of those Pavlovian triggers that means get out, get out, get out. Insidiously catchy, incomprehensibly groovy, URGH is a razor blade hiding in a rainbow jawbreaker. Then, in its final moments, Caulfield just says the thing: Your friend’s a fucking rapist!!!

Where do you go from there? Out into the streets seems like a start. An “urgh” can be a vulgar grunt, a furious growl, a cry of physical exertion. It also sounds a lot like “urge.” On a record that transforms this band’s music into an abstracted, serrated version of its previous self, it seems pointed to close with its most startling lyric, delivered in the second person as an accusation. Here the hard work begins”.

I will end it here. I wanted to revisit Mandy, Indiana, as they have released another album since I approached their music and have grown in stature. However, there are those unfamiliar with them, so I hope that they start listening to Mandy, Indiana. In a music scene where there is a lot of homogenisation and same-sounding acts, it is clear that there is…

NOBODY like them.

__________

Follow Mandy, Indiana

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mandyindiana/

Bandcamp:

https://mandyindiana.bandcamp.com/

YouTube:

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

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2nDJxXJ7PtW7eLpFXcGH3u?si=I7roHVIrQ9C4GtPvlvck1Q

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Mandyindianaband/

FEATURE: Modern-Day Queens: Eydís Evensen

FEATURE:

 

 

Modern-Day Queens

PHOTO CREDIT: Vikram Pradhan

Eydís Evensen

__________

I am not able…

to see her live, but Eydís Evensen is heading to the U.K. to perform. She plays in Bristol on 25th of this month and London the following day. She is in Manchester on 27th and then heads off to Europe. Evensen is an Icelandic composer, pianist, vocalist, and former model. Her 2021 debut album, Bylur, is a remarkable listen. She was listed on The Line of Best Fit's 2021 Artists on the Rise as well as on Classic FM's 30 under 30 stars on the Rise list. I am keen to see her on the stage, as she is a phenomenal composer and musician. Someone whose music I instantly fell in love with. Before getting to some interviews, here is some background about someone you need to know:

“Evensen’s music is guided by emotion above all else. Her compositions are raw, graceful expressions of what it means to feel deeply — to mourn, to hope, to reflect, to move forward. There is an honesty to her work that’s increasingly rare: she writes from experience, from memory, from pain and joy alike, with no attempt to dilute or disguise it. Each piece carries a story, and every performance is a new telling of it.
Live, Evensen’s concerts are quietly breathtaking. Her shows are immersive, intimate, and atmospheric — the kind of experience that holds a room in stillness, she creates a world that invites listeners in, allowing them to feel their way through the music rather than just hear it. Her presence at the piano is both gentle and commanding, and no two performances are ever the same — shaped by the space, the moment, and the energy of those present.
With millions of streams worldwide and a growing international following, Evensen has quickly become a unique and vital voice in the modern classical landscape. Yet what sets her apart isn’t just her technical ability or compositional flair — it’s her unwavering emotional clarity. Her music doesn’t strive to impress, it simply exists to connect.
This is music that lingers. Music that comforts. Music that heals”.

I am going to come to some recent interviews with Eydís Evensen. I am starting with this one from Austin Town Hall. Oceanic Mirror was her album from last year. It is a masterpiece. In 2023, she released the phenomenal The Light. I do not think that female composers are given enough exposure and opportunities. Still an area of music where sexism and misogyny exists. In terms of their work being recognised, they do seem to be fighting a fight that has gone on for so many years.

“Describe your group’s sound using only adjectives or superlatives.

I am a classically trained pianist and my music sits within the genre, post-classical music.
I compose mostly for piano, but also compose music for string instruments, brass, woodwind and vocals. My music is deeply personal and inspired by Icelandic landscapes as well as my personal emotions and experiences. It’s honest, raw, and an emotional rollercoaster ride.

What was your most recent release? Any planned releases for 2023?

I just released a piece called ‘Tephra Horizon’, which will be included on my upcoming sophomore album called ‘The Light’ which will be out in May this year.

There are tons of bands coming into town, but if you could create your own perfect festival, who would you have playing? Would it have a sick name? Where would it take place? Feel free to disregard the rules of time and space.

I’d love to be able to create a genre-fluid festival which I think I’d like to call ‘Flow Festival’. Ideally it would take place upstate New York, whereas electrical, americana, post-classical and classical artists would take us on a flowing journey with their performances. There’d also be yoga classes, meditation sessions and vegan food feasts shared with like minded people throughout the festival.

What has everyone in the band been listening to, or, what plays in the tour van/car/bus?

My musical taste spans from jazz, ambient, classical, electronical, rock and other – Therefore there’d always be different music playing each day compared to my personal mood of each day.
To mention a few artists that are my current go to, that would have to be Led Zeppelin, St. Germain, Pink Floyd, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Rachmaninoff, Philip Glass and Johann Johannson.

Obviously you have seen or heard about the issues coming up this year about fair pay for artists at SXSW? Care to offer any insight or comment?

I strongly believe that all artists participating should have equal pay during all showcase festivals, but I have not introduced myself enough to this particular discussion for SXSW to be able to make further comments”.

I will move on to 2025 interviews soon. However, this Fifteen Questions interview caught my eye. I am interested to see what comes from Eydís Evensen. I am a recent convert to her music. However, it is someone who has instantly captured my imagination. I hope that more people turn onto her music. A truly wonderous composer that I know will get a massive amount of love when she plays here:

“How do you see the relationship between the 'sound' aspects of music and the 'composition' aspects? How do you work with sound and timbre to meet certain production ideas and in which way can certain sounds already take on compositional qualities?

I personally like warm and soft textures within the sound world at the moment and I feel inspired by different sounds in daily life which bring life to perhaps a melody within a piece.

Collaborations can take on many forms. What role do they play in your approach and what are your preferred ways of engaging with other creatives?

I have mostly been collaborating with other instrumentalists for recordings and live performances - My current aim is to create an atmosphere in which everyone can feel comfortable as themselves and from there to focus on how we communicate and perform music as one voice together.

Take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work, please. Do you have a fixed schedule? How do music and other aspects of your life feed back into each other - do you separate them or instead try to make them blend seamlessly?

Everyday for me is different compared to different moods. Sometimes I wake up feeling such an urge to start my day with a cup of coffee and by starting with my technical warmups on the piano, versus other days I feel a greater sense of need to evoke inspiration by taking hikes and writing down anything that I feel or notice in my surroundings.
Despite that, I always try to find a certain balance within each mood each day which presents itself in the forms of practising meditation, exercising and tending to different music projects.

Music and sounds can heal, but they can also hurt. Do you personally have experiences with either or both of these? Where do you personally see the biggest need and potential for music as a tool for healing?

I can say that I have experienced both. I feel as if everybody has a different association of which pieces of music makes us feel within the headspace of healing, acceptance, hurt and grief to mention a few.
I feel that there is much need for peaceful and honest music as a tool within the journey of healing, whereas it can hopefully ease one's mind.

There is a fine line between cultural exchange and appropriation. What are your thoughts on the limits of copying, using cultural signs and symbols and the cultural/social/gender specificity of art?

I don't feel that there should be such a thing as a limit both in arts and within our existence.

Our sense of hearing shares intriguing connections to other senses. From your experience, what are some of the most inspiring overlaps between different senses - and what do they tell us about the way our senses work?

I feel the overlap of hearing and experiencing visual art during a concert has felt inspiring lately. In our modern world where social media has narrowed most of our attention spans that a visual element can perhaps aid the audience to experience the concert more presently”.

Let’s get to some chats with Eydís Evensen from last year. That is when she released Oceanic Mirror. In fact, there is just one. The Sonic Antler went deep with the Icelandic composer and artist. Go and listen to Oceanic Mirror, as it is definitely one of the standout albums of last year. Such an engrossing and mesmeric thing to behold:

“What influences do you feel are most deeply rooted in your language? Are there composers, sound aesthetics, or even musical experiences that have shaped your way of thinking and writing music?

My biggest source of inspiration is undoubtedly Icelandic nature. I always return to the present moment, rewinding in my mind to landscapes that moved me when I was a child in Iceland. That connection to place is fundamental, it shapes not only my music, but also the emotional state from which I allow myself to improvise.

In terms of artists, Nils Frahm has been a major influence. His way of improvising, both on stage and in the studio, is incredibly inspiring to me because it breaks boundaries, he creates something entirely new in the moment. Watching that process taught me a lot about flow: visiting past memories or visions in your mind, channeling them into the present, and asking yourself, how do I feel today?

Sometimes, if you don’t have the answer, you just start to play, and the piano tells you how you’re feeling. So for me it’s a combination of nature, memory, and the conscious state of being present, with improvisation, especially as I’ve seen it in Frahm’s work, as a guiding force.

Have you ever composed music for images, or would you like to? If so, how would you approach this kind of writing compared to your non-filmic music? Do you think the visual context would change your way of shaping sound and form?

Definitely. Earlier this year, in January, I worked on my very first score: an Icelandic two-part documentary called Útkall (Rescue). It tells a true story through a mix of reenactments and interviews with the people who were directly involved in a tragic accident and rescue mission on Iceland’s glaciers. Three jeeps were crossing the ice when one of them fell into a massive crevasse, about thirty meters deep. One person lost their life, another survived, and the film explores both the rescue and its impact on the families and the wider community.

This project felt very close to home for me. My mother is a surgical nurse at the main hospital in Reykjavík, and my father used to be a volunteer with Iceland’s National Rescue Team in the North of Iceland, he would go out in the middle of the night to help people in these extreme situations. So composing music for this documentary was more than just a commission; it became personal. Of course, it’s very different from writing my own pieces at home, where I might start with a feeling or a fleeting notion and let it flow into music. Here, the task was to capture and amplify the emotions of people actually living through these experiences, while also weaving in my own personal connection to the story.

I composed most of the score with the Osmose by Expressive E, an incredible synthesizer, and worked in Ableton Live for the first time on my own. I ended up recording over sixty tracks, layering textures and sound worlds. It was a magical process, and it made me realize: this is exactly where I want to go.

Now I’m about to start working on a short Icelandic film, and hopefully later this year I’ll move on to a TV series. What I love most is the collaboration, the marriage between director and composer. When you write for yourself, you’re telling your own story. In film, you’re telling a story together. I worked with director Daníel Bjarnason, who specializes in true stories and documentaries, and his honesty deeply shaped the process. Being part of that dialogue, helping to sculpt the emotional arc through the edit and the music, opened up a whole new world for me. It’s incredibly exciting.

What is your relationship with music technology? For example, what role does the DAW play in your creative process? Is it a compositional space in itself, or mainly a tool to finalize ideas born elsewhere?

For me it’s both a tool and a way of composing. Usually, once I’ve sketched an initial structure, maybe something I’ve recorded, I bring it into the DAW and start adding elements. At first it feels like a tool, but as I begin layering textures, mixing, and shaping the sound, new ideas often emerge. It becomes a compositional space in its own right.

That’s something I really discovered while working on the film score. I’ve never considered myself a technical person, I’ve always written my music on paper or simply recorded it on my phone. Until recently I didn’t use software at all. But about six months ago I learned how to work with Ableton Live, and it opened up a whole new world for me.

So now I’d say it’s both: still a tool, but also a space where I can actually compose and experiment. Being in the studio and opening up those possibilities feels like stepping into a completely new universe.

What do you think about labels such as “modern classical” or “neoclassical”? Do you feel these terms are close to your artistic world?

Definitely. I think they relate 100% to a different way of thinking, a different extension of classical music, almost like another arm or branch of the tradition. If you look at pioneers like John Adams or Philip Glass, for example, they opened up this path that feels very fitting to what we now call “neoclassical.”

Of course, it’s also a very broad umbrella. Some people are very opinionated about labels, whether it should be called neoclassical, modern classical, ambient, or something else entirely. Personally, I don’t mind. For me, it’s simply a broad and flexible term that can cover many different approaches. In that sense, I think it works perfectly.

Imagine you are scoring a scene where a figure walks across a snowy landscape. Where would you begin, what material, what compositional gesture, what production technique?

The very first thing I hear when I picture this scene is the wind, the howling wind. The question is how to translate that into musical elements. Could it be woodwinds? Or perhaps the sound of the wind itself, gradually transforming into an icy arrangement for string quartet? Maybe even a solo violin playing over that backdrop. There are so many possible directions, and I always like to explore them.

Whether I’d use high or low registers would really depend on the visual mood. If the scene shows a bright winter’s day, minus ten degrees but with sunlight sparkling on the snow, I imagine something high and crystalline, a piece full of clarity. But if it’s a storm, with snow falling heavily and the wind howling, then I’d go for darker tones, closer, drier sounds.

In either case, I’d want the music to feel crisp and cold, almost like icy needles cutting through the air, airy, windy, sharp. That’s where I would begin”.

I will leave things there. I am sorry that Eydís Evensen will be met with some decidedly rough weather when she plays at Bristol Beacon on 25th (though it is winter I guess). I live in London, so I would have loved to have seen on 26th, but I have something else on. I shall make a note to catch her the next time she is back in London. This is someone that you…

CANNOT afford to miss!

__________

Follow Eydís Evensen

Official:

https://eydis-evensen.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/eydisevensen

Twitter:

https://x.com/eydis_evensen

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@eydisevensen/videos

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2SMBaAG61s9mtyJ0eeXSWx?si=-cY2cuZMTxu1szSweo5H6w

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/eydisevensen

FEATURE: Spotlight: Jai'Len Josey

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Jai'Len Josey

__________

I think that this year…

is going to be a standout year for Jai'Len Josey. A tremendous artist who I feel will gift us with an album very soon, there are a couple of chats from last year that I want to get to. If you have never heard of her, then I hope that they provide you some background and detail. I am starting out with her interview with Shifter. The interview does actually reveal the title of an album that Jai'Len Josey is working on. From Atlanta, Georgia, this is an amazing talent who also works on stage and screen. Someone who is also one of the most talented artists coming through. Even if Jai'Len Josey has been releasing music for a while now, I still think that she is upcoming and breaking through. Maybe not yet at a stage where everyone knows her:

“When you’re in your own space, you don’t see yourself as much as other people may see you. The way you treat yourself is harsher than other people would expect. So when I hear somebody tell me they see big things for me, it makes me feel like, okay, maybe I need to chill. I can breathe for a little bit and continue on this long but rewarding journey”, she said.

Josey named India Shawn and Mnelia as fellow artists who deserve more shine. She is also a fan of Victoria Monét, whose three wins at the 2024 Grammy Awards felt like a victory for all “the underdogs”. Like Monét, Josey pens songs for other singers. She co-wrote Ari Lennox’s hit single “Pressure”, which samples Shirley Brown’s “Blessed Is the Woman (With a Man Like Mine)”. The song peaked at #66 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and #2 on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.

In 2017, Josey played Pearl Krabs in Spongebob Squarepants: The Broadway Musical, alongside Stephanie Hsu and Ethan Slater. The production earned twelve Tony Awards nominations. Though she subsequently left Broadway to focus on her music career, Josey remains open to acting.

“I never really gave up on it. I just knew that it wasn’t my dream at that moment. I needed to leave Broadway to put out [Illustrations]. I would go back to Broadway if it was the right thing for me. My life was gearing up to be on Broadway. I was in the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta. There’s a performing arts high school here in Atlanta called Tri-Cities High School, and you’re either in musical theatre or you’re in sports. OutKast came from Tri-Cities, Kandi Burruss from Xscape”, she said.

“What Broadway enhanced was performance. I love an orchestral atmosphere, watching these people play their instruments, the horn section. Broadway definitely widened my love for live music”, she added.

Josey’s latest single “New Girl”, takes a different direction from her previous outputs. She substitutes the symphonic production which is so prevalent to her catalogue for an understated blend of UK Garage, R&B and Techno. Josey’s signature vocal runs and melodies remain. The song structure (verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus) compliments the single’s experimental production and short-length. The result is a unique listening experience with insane replay value.

“Serial Romantic is not necessarily [about] me being a serial dater. It’s [about] giving my heart out multiple times, being naive in the beginning. You come to this realization that giving your heart out so many times is ultimately abusive to yourself.”

“My mom is from Detroit. They had this thing called Ghettotech. What’s cool about Ghettotech, UK Garage, Trance, House, is that ability to get you to dance. Even though [New Girl] is different from Illustrations, it still is reminiscent of its essence. This new set of music is reminiscent of my mother, me being Southern, and trying to mash that together to create something different. The [first] five, six songs on my new album are all high-tempo. People have to dance when they press play. I like to think of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Want to Dance With Somebody’”, she explained.

Josey’s upcoming album, Serial Romantic will explore dating, self-discovery, and decentring romance.

“Serial Romantic is not necessarily [about] me being a serial dater. It’s [about] giving my heart out multiple times, being naive in the beginning. You come to this realization that giving your heart out so many times is ultimately abusive to yourself. You need to give your heart back to yourself. The outro was originally entitled ‘Selfish’. It’s called ‘I believe’ now, and says that I need to give the love that I’ve been giving to everybody—family, [romantic] relationships, work—I need to give that back to myself”, she said.

Like previous releases, Josey will be the sole performer on Serial Romantic.

“I’ve been doing so many guest appearances on other people’s songs. I don’t have any features [on Serial Romantic], and not because I don’t want them, but because I still feel like I need to plant my feet in this industry. I need to solidify who I am so that by the next album, I’m bringing people into my sound, not the other way around”, she concluded”.

I thought 2023’s Southern Delicacy was her debut album, as it runs at eleven tracks. One cannot really class it as an E.P. However, that is what Jai'Len Josey views it as – or the press do at least. In any case, an upcoming debut album is gaining a lot of buzz. This is an artist that you definitely need on your radar. For Vibe, Josey explains and explores why a serial romantic is not about being a serial dater. Something that many people might have assumed with the title:

“Serial Romantic’ means being genuine each time that you give your heart to someone,” Jai’Len shared. “Of course, it sounds like being a serial dater, but it’s more so about giving your heart in hopes that it’ll be returned back to you, loved and cared for. Honestly, it takes a toll on the body. At the end of the album, I come to the realization that I really just need to end the cycle and give my heart back to myself.”

In comparison to her breakout EP, Southern Delicacy, Jai’Len confessed that they are two sides of the same coin. Explaining, “‘Southern Delicacy’ is about my story, [my] background, how I am, where I come from [whereas] ‘Serial Romantic’ is the Lover Girl [in me].”

As a proclaimed lover, she’s learned that it really comes down to two key elements: time and grace. “The biggest lesson I learned in love is just to take my time, and more so with myself. I really have not gotten the gist of being a lover in a relationship, but I’ve gotten the gist of loving myself. I just realized that I’ve got to take my time with myself. I got to give myself grace,” she shared.

On Serial Romantic, the blossoming phenom collaborated with hitmakers such as Tricky Stewart, The-Dream, and Theron Thomas—something she considers to be a “blessing.”

“Tricky is a gift to me, a father figure in a way. He instills so much love within me, and he teaches me not only how to be an amazing writer, performer, and singer, but also a producer. I love sitting in on sessions just seeing how he works in that space so that I can better myself!” she exclaimed.

Jai’Len continued, “As it comes to the album, he took it on as if it were his own and saw so much within me. I was more grateful for the fact that he even saw a vision before I could. We were coming from L.A. with broken pieces of the album, and he literally took it and put it together so beautifully. I’m very grateful for Tricky. [Also] for all the people who are on the album, but yes, grateful for Tricky.”

As she enters her debut era, she’s most excited for fans to experience her growth and be part of the ride. “This is only a piece of my story,” she teased. “I want them to hear how far I’ve come sonically [and feel seen]. I feel like as a Black woman, I love Black women, and I see so much of myself [in] every woman that I come across. I feel like it’s my duty to narrate those stories as just an artist in general. I want [fans] to know that I dedicate so much into narrating these stories and these experiences that we usually don’t get to hear.”

The question remains: has the self-proclaimed “serial romantic” been successful in love? Well, that’s one secret we’ll never tell. If you’re really looking for answers, life often inspires art— so we encourage you to turn to the music”.

I am going to end with an interview from Uproxx, as it offers answers and insights that we did not get with the other interviews. I feel Jai’Len Josey is an artist we will be hearing a lot more from. I am not sure whether the U.S. artist will play in the U.K. and if there are going to be tour dates. I guess they will be announced around the release of Serial Romantic. I think the album was slated for a release last year, so I am not sure what the expected date is right now:

“Who or what inspired you to take music seriously?

I was really loud, so it wasn’t more so what inspired me, [but] what was going to get all of this energy out of me. I was just very obnoxious, very loud. My mom saw it and decided to put me in different classes growing up. I was in the youth ensemble of Atlanta. My high school, Tri Cities High School, had so many music programs for music theater, so that’s how it was. I was always inspired by what my mom did back in the day. She worked at So So Def and LaFace Records for a minute. I was always inspired by that I’ll say, but I was really just loud. I didn’t really know I could hold a tune until somebody told me that I could hold a tune.

You get 24 hours to yourself to do anything you want, with unlimited resources: What are you doing? And spare no details!

I am buying a whole new wardrobe, booking a first class flight to Japan, buying souvenirs… Dang, the flight to Japan will take up all my time. Yes, a long flight. Let’s go back: Wardrobe, a new hairstyle, I’m gonna just get my whole thing together. I’ll get my lashes, my hair, a facial. I’m gonna pay my bills. I’ll buy a town house or a condo or a house. I could buy a house and pay it off that day. 24 hours? I will make the time to do all of that. I don’t need to do a house viewing, I don’t need none of that. I would make it happen in that day. Basically, I would do all the things that I need to do because an unlimited amount of money right now will be heavenly.

What is the best song you’ve ever made?

There’s an unreleased song that I have called “Stupid Man Of Mine” and it’s been floating around because I gave it to someone. It always finds its way back to me, and they’re like, “Oh my gosh, this is, this is you?” or “I heard the song being played in the studio.” I was truly in love with the person that I was talking about, but I didn’t realize that the relationship was fueling some of the best lyrics I’ve ever put down on paper. I was told that they’re keeping my voice on the record, so it’ll be out. It just won’t be published by me. It’ll be out by somebody else, a producer who wants to put it on their compilation album.

You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location where it would be held.

I gotta do it in my hometown, I’m having the festival in Atlanta. I’m bringing out Victoria Monét, SZA, and Brandy as the headliners. Durand Bernarr — and you know how they have different stages? I’ll have Samaria joy on the jazz stage. We’ll have a special guest of Mariah The Scientist, because I love her down, and Summer Walker. [They’ll] do a joint set because they’ll feed off of each other.

What would you be doing now if it weren’t for music?

I would be a marine biologist. I was really good at science and I loved water. I love water, I live by a lake. I won the science fair when I was in high school. If [singing] wasn’t my lane, it would be marine biologist. I love bioluminous. I like those type of things. I like jellyfish, things like that.

If you could see five years into the future or go five years into the past, which one would you pick and why?

I don’t want to go back five years into the past because I like Jai’Len with her frontal lobe fully developed, so I don’t want to do that. I will probably go five years into the future.

What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?

Stop eating those freaking dumplings. I was living in New York, and I was living above a dumpling shop, and I was going H.A.M. I feel like now I work out so much just to avenge my younger self and I’m just like all of this could have been avoided if I just would have stopped eating those dang dumplings. If we’re playing yeah, but if we’re being serious, I probably would just tell her to have patience or be understanding and grateful of the stepping stone you are on right now because a plethora will come. More will come now.

It’s 2050. The world hasn’t ended, and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?

Therapy. I want it to be remembered in a therapeutic way. I would want people to immediately feel the frequencies that run through the songs when they listen to my music. It has helped me with therapy. Music has been my therapy, so I would hope and pray that in 2050 people are also feeling healed by my music”.

I will end there. Starting this year strong, Housewife is the latest single from a staggering artist that everyone needs to connect with. I am looking forward to Serial Romantic and seeing whether Jai'Len Josey will be touring and where that takes her. She has a big fanbase already, though there are some corners that do not yet know about her. There is no doubt that Jai'Len Josey is…

A legend in the making.

__________

Follow Jai'Len Josey

PHOTO CREDIT: Laetitia Rumford/VIBE

Official:

https://www.jailenjosey.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/jailenjosey/

TikTok:

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

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/JaiLenJosey_

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/c/Jailenjosey

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1BAN8UUSAMDeNfP1Wo5WWr?si=KXOy2VSGS6qOfz64hqostA

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/officialjailenjosey/

FEATURE: Little Palaces: Elvis Costello's King of America at Forty

FEATURE:

 

 

Little Palaces

Elvis Costello's King of America at Forty

__________

A true classic…

IN THIS PHOTO: Elvis Costello (Declan Patrick MacManus) in 1986/PHOTO CREDIT: BSR Agency/Gentle Look via Getty Images

turns forty very soon. Elvis Costello’s King of America was released on 21st February, 1986. His tenth studio album, it is also one of his most celebrated. Different to the scene around him, it was a key moment when Costello had this turnaround. Finding form critics felt he lost on albums previous, it was a big revelation that scored him a top twenty in the U.K. and top forty in the U.S. Ahead of its fortieth anniversary, I want to explore King of America. I will start off with an interview from the Los Angeles Herald Examiner from March 1986. Costello talking about an album that did seem like a new phase in his career:

“Perhaps the relaxed manner Costello displayed owes something to the fresh turns in his life. The most emblematic of these changes is his recent decision to change his name back to Declan Patrick MacManus, a decision that he says was tantamount to reasserting control over his life. (To appease Columbia Records, he will continue to be billed on records for a while as Elvis Costello.) In a similar back-to-simplicity vein, his new album, King of America, is his most straightforward-sounding record in many years, a record as genuinely fetching as it is guilelessly revealing.

"There's no question that this new album is me being as open as I'm capable of being at the moment," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Despite all the rumors that have circulated about me in England this last year — that I had writer's block, that I was alcoholic — and despite the fact that I'm now getting divorced from my wife, I'm far from being unhappy. As a result, I even took songs off the record that I thought were too negative."

Although King of America is hardly a blithe work, it does achieve a loose, rather offhand manner that is uncommon even in Costello's best early sessions. Co-produced by Costello and T-Bone Burnett (with whom Costello sometimes performs and records under the name the Coward Brothers), and supported by a remarkably diverse and capable batch of backing ensembles (Including Jazz musicians Ray Brown and Earl Palmer, and core members of one of Elvis Presley's greatest bands), the album is a spirited sampler of unadorned, fundamental folk, pop and rock styles. In fact, like much of the best post-punk music of our time, King of America seems to be a record bent on renewing some of the better folk-and-pop idioms of the past, and quickening them with the themes and temper of modern times.

"Obviously," said Costello, "this record owes less to current pop sounds than any other I've ever made. That's because most current pop music is really dreadful and soulless, and doesn't serve my purposes as a lyricist. Consequently, I'm relying on what are fairly timeless idioms, and though they're American in one respect, they're also, by this time, simply universal folk forms.

"But more important, this was the first time in quite a while that I didn't worry the material to death. If I began to lose my nerve about a song, began to think I should change it around or add some fancy chords to it, T-Bone would say, 'Remember why you wrote this song in the first place.' He kept dragging me back to what the feeling of the tune was about, rather than worrying whether I had a good hook or a proper sound on the bass drum. The song was the thing, and he never let me forget that. By approaching it that way, we let the arrangements grow from the material, so that everything would be in service of the song.

"If anything," said Costello, "I think the album offers a very oblique statement about America. In fact, while it isn't exactly intended as a love letter, it is an attempt to inject a little love into the situation.

"I think it's embodied mainly in two of the songs: 'Brilliant Mistake' and 'American Without Tears.' Somebody asked me what I thought of Los Angeles when I was there. I said I thought it was a brilliant mistake, and I came to recognize that as a fairly good description of America as a whole. It's a country with great intentions, founded on noble principles, and it very rarely lives up to it all. But having said that, I also recognize that there's a lot about the place that remains great, and there's a lot of ambitions and dreams that America is still made up of. There are people still coming here looking for a new world, hoping there's going to be something for them: a living, a fair hearing, a fair deal, maybe sanctuary. But they don't all arrive wise to how complex the place is, and that's what 'Brilliant Mistake' is all about.

"The other song that comments directly on the theme is 'American Without Tears.' It's something of a love song because it's about these two Englishwomen who had come over here a long time ago with complete trust, and were accepted by this country. This is the song where I tried to redress this awful, mindless racism that is going on in England at present toward America. Many people there have this attitude, 'Take your foreign policy and your president and go to hell,' and they just damn millions of people here, without really thinking about it.

"But the song is just a small observation, based on a certain private story. Really, there are no heavy or wild generalizations about America in this record, and there are no political statements intended. I wanted to avoid pompous generalizations and just describe my own personal journey over here. That's all I have the right to talk about."

I asked Costello whether, in this season of renewed social activism in pop, he had felt tempted to make music that was more politically overt. "No," he replied without hesitation. "Certainly, there are some noble causes that people are taking on at the moment, but I'm not sure there's really any good music that's come of it yet. Worse I'm not sure it truly changes anything in the long run, other than that a lot of pop stars get to wear political halos for a bit. I mean, isn't it just going to end up like in the late '60s and early '70s where everybody was singing 'We can change the world,' but all they really changed were their bloody bank accounts? What did a record like Volunteers do except make some more money for RCA and for the Jefferson Airplane?”.

Before wrapping up, there are reviews and features about King of America that I need to get to. Ultimate Classic Rock looked at the creation of a defining moment in Elvis Costello’s career. Still considered one of his best albums, I know there will be new reflection and inspection forty years later. This is what Ultimate Classic Rock wrote in their feature from 2021:

“By late 1985, as Costello pondered how to follow 1984’s Goodbye Cruel World (a flop in his and his fans’ minds), the big, highly produced sound of American rock began to show cracks. Bruce Springsteen dominated the charts like never before with Born in the U.S.A. and its six Top 10 singles, but he would turn away from that magnificent bombast and radio-oriented approach with 1987’s Tunnel of Love. With American Fool, John Mellencamp had matured toward becoming the John Steinbeck of Heartland rock, and he would champion the roots renaissance with The Lonesome Jubilee. Bon Jovi and Motley Crue were minting money, but acoustic guitars, vocal harmonies and subtly would rebound in a few months thanks to Tracy Chapman, Indigo Girls, R.E.M. and even Tesla. U2 were about to “discover” America; Talking Heads were about to discover Americana.

During this period, Costello got divorced, wrote most of King of America and embarked on a solo tour alongside singer-songwriter T Bone Burnett, the soon-to-be producer behind the Americana rebirth. (Not only did he co-produce this album, but he also helmed everything from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' Raising Sand). The two plotted a break from Costello's old sound, old band and old image.

When King of America appeared, it was created to “The Costello Show featuring Elvis Costello” in North America and “The Costello Show featuring the Attractions and Confederates” in the U.K. and Europe. But the Attractions only team up on one track ("Suit of Lights”), and the "Elvis Costello" stage name he'd used for a decade gets pushed aside — he's credited as nickname "Little Hands of Concrete" for performance, with Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus (his real name if you strike the "Aloysius") for songwriting.

Costello had previously dabbled in Americana. Of course, he also dabbled in so much else: punk, pub rock, New Wave, ska, country, soul. But album 10 was striking for its relentless push away from his past. His name and backing band and electric anger feel distant in this wash of mandolins, dobros, accordions and brushed drums — so many brushes that the stick hits come off as positively ferocious.

Critics and super fans, who went wild for the LP, often call it personal or self-reflective, but Costello never seemed to hold much back before this. Instead the music smacks of shocking earnestness. The writer who could lean on sardonic sneers, ironic detachment and whirling fury finished his long ebb from those voices. Left behind was sincerity dressed up just right in twang and pickin’ — Costello and Burnett replaced the Attractions with American session aces dubbed “the Confederates,” which included Elvis Presely alumni (members of the TBC Band, who backed the other King from ‘69 to ‘77).

The LP opens with the woody thump of an upright bass, the lazy strumming of an acoustic guitar and Costello singing. “He thought he was the king of America / Where they pour Coca Cola just like vintage wine.” ("Brilliant Mistake" also features an insightful assessment of the country: “It was a fine idea at the time / Now it’s just a brilliant mistake.”) Definitively mid-tempo, it recalls something an Irish immigrant might croon on the docks in Boston, predicting the tone, speed and arrangement of Springsteen’s “Brilliant Disguise.” It defined the “new” Costello. The lyric that inspired the album title also influenced the LP cover photo, with the 31-year-old artist in a crown, looking like more introspective John Lennon than rave-up-ready Buddy Holly.

The set also includes doom-riddled folk rock (“Our Little Angel”) and blazing barnburners (“Glitter Gulch”). It finds the sonic overlap between Celtic and Appalachian traditions for a ballad about the battles of the working class (“Little Palaces”). It carves out space for a broken romance between Irish immigrants and G.I.s (“American Without Tears”). Costello covers old bluesmen, tries out lounge jazz, and closes the affair with a barbed, dense ballad about dignity, betrayal, estrangement and judgement: “Sleep of the Just” is the exact song the writer of “Allison” should have come up with a decade on.

His cult and the critics fell hard for the LP, but the record label and radio seemed befuddled and indifferent. In The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll, King of America finished at No. 2, but it peaked at No. 11 in the U.K. and only climbed to No. 39 in the States. In a bizarre, and perhaps ironic, twist, the label released his simmering, growling cover of Nina Simone's “Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood” as the first single, and it completely missed the Billboard Hot 100. The follow up, the rockabilly-meets-R&B jam “Lovable,” also failed to chart.

King of America is a dozen strange and wonderful things, none of them definitively. But it made one thing plain: Costello wasn’t the artist many thought he was. He would never again be the rock star that burst out of the ’70s British punk and pub rock scene. The album opened him up to everything”.

I will end things with this Pitchfork review that makes some interesting points about King of America. Many critics and fans were not expecting Elvis Costello to release an album like this in 1986. It did prove to be this turnaround. If you have never heard King of America, then make sure you do as soon as you can:

“Back in the midst of the Thatcher era, it must have been startling to see Elvis Costello staring back from the 12-inch-by-12-inch black-and-white LP cover of King of America, looking much older than the young rabble-rouser on the cover of 1983's Punch the Clock. Instead of the enormous Buddy Holly specs that had been his trademark for years, he continues to sport a pair of understated wire-rimmed spectacles that-- along with that facial hair-- lend his visage a grave, almost academic air. Bedecked with an ornate crown and an embroidered jacket, he hides his recognizable features behind a bushy beard, and his weary eyes manage a wary look.

More surprises awaited eager listeners: On the spine, the artist was listed not as Elvis Costello and the Attractions, but, more puzzlingly, as the Costello Show. Similarly, the songs were credited to Declan Patrick Aloysius MacManus, the acoustic guitar parts to The Little Hands of Concrete. In fact, the name Elvis Costello was barely mentioned in the packaging at all, as if MacManus needed a vacation from his alter ego.

These oddities heralded an even more dramatic change within the vinyl grooves. King of America was MacManus's first album without the Attractions since his debut (they appear on only one track, "Suit of Lights"). Instead, through co-producer T-Bone Burnett, he had corralled a strong roster of impressively pedigreed studio musicians (he calls them "my jazz and R&B; heroes" in the new liner notes) that includes Jim Keltner, Mitchell Froom, and Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, as well as Ron Tutt, Jerry Scheff, and James Burton from Elvis Presley's T.C.B. band. They lent the songs a professional albeit occasionally slick feel and helped MacManus realize his country and R&B; ambitions.

What wasn't different, however, was the barbed wit and acid humor that infuse songs like "Glitter Gulch", "Jack of All Parades", and "Brilliant Mistake". Costello's career to this date is often idealized as perfectly angry-- Costello the scourge-- but it contains a very human number of mistakes and miscalculations committed, on his own admission, by a very confident artist and a very confused man. The 31-year-old singer's anger and outrage had been diluted with disappointment and experience: the band was in turmoil and on the verge of breaking up (and would after one more album); MacManus's marriage had recently ended; he had been playing innumerable live shows to counter legal woes; his previous album, GoodBye Cruel World, had been a flop (he refers to it as his worst).

The result of all this angst is a complex and conflicted album that, despite all the spit and polish, sounds lively and raucous. Intense romantic embitterment informs the wordplay of "Lovable", the willful caution in "Poisoned Rose", and the extended metaphor of "Indoor Fireworks", which is all the more devastating for MacManus's straight-faced delivery. Likewise, the idea of America-- his adopted homeland, if only temporarily-- simultaneously repulses and attracts him. On the powerful "American Without Tears", he compares his own loneliness and alienation with that of two World War II G.I. brides, as Jo-El Sonnier's accordion plays over the chorus.

Not knowing exactly what to do with such a bristly, ruminative album, Columbia Records unenthusiastically released the cover of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" as the first single, then promptly forgot about King of America, as did most listeners. A proper (and final) Elvis Costello and the Attractions album, Blood & Chocolate, was released before the year was out (on which Costello credited himself as Napoleon Dynamite). Rykodisc unearthed King of America almost a decade later, and Rhino is reviving it two decades later as the final installment in its ambitious and generous reissue project. While many of the 21 bonus tracks-- including the A- and B-sides of "The People's Limousine" / "They'll Never Take Her Love from Me" by the Coward Brothers, Costello's side project with T-Bone Burnett-- were included on the Rykodisc version, the real finds on this edition are the seven live tracks from one of MacManus's few shows with the King of America band. They fare respectably on the album track "The Big Light", but the band, especially guitarist Burton, blaze through covers by Waylon Jennings, Mose Allison, and Buddy Holly”.

In 2024, King of America and Other Realms was released. Anyone who is a big fan of Elvis Costello and King of America should consider investing. Arguably his very best album, I would urge anyone to check it out. It is a stunning album that I really love and am keen to see how others write about it on its fortieth anniversary. A commercial and critical success, it has gained even more retrospective acclaim. It is an…

UNDENIABLE masterpiece.

FEATURE: The Great American Songbook: Billie Eilish

FEATURE:

 

 

The Great American Songbook

IN THIS PHOTO: Billie Eilish at the 2026 GRAMMY Awards/PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP 

Billie Eilish

__________

AS a fan of Billie Eilish…

PHOTO CREDIT: Johnny Dufort for British Vogue

I wanted to include her in this The Great American Songbook. The Los Angeles-born artist released her debut album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, in 2019. Her second album, Happier Than Ever, turns five on 30th July. Hit Me Hard and Soft was released in 2024. Every album is brilliant, so it will be exciting to see what comes next. I have shared Billie Eilish playlists before but, updating and refreshing it, this twenty-song mix salutes one of the modern-day greats. One of the best songwriters of her generation. Writing with her brother, Finneas O'Connell (who produced her albums), she is a role model. Someone who has spoken about climate emergency and is this activist who deeply cares about the world and our future. An incredibly smart person with a great heart, she is also not afraid to speak out against injustice and terror in the U.S. As Hollywood Reporter shared recently, Billie Eilish shared her horror and disgust about ICE:

“A little over a week after the Department of Homeland Security publicly blasted her “garbage rhetoric” for anti-ICE posts shared via Instagram Stories, Billie Eilish graciously received the 2026 MLK Jr. Beloved Community Environmental Justice Award presented by the King Center on Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Atlanta. Eilish’s philanthropy was recognized back in October when her plan to donate $11.5 million to groups working on climate justice, reducing carbon pollution and food equity through The Changemaker Program from her sold-out Hit Me Hard and Soft tour was revealed. Her challenge to billionaire attendees of The Wall Street Journal Magazine 2025 Innovators Awards, including the world’s third richest person Mark Zuckerberg, to “give your money away” was even bigger.

Extremely humbled, Eilish was introduced by Black Girl Environmentalist founder Wawa Gatheru, and expressed both her gratitude and disappointment in the current state of affairs. “To be honest, I really don’t feel deserving,” said Eilish. “And it’s very strange to be celebrated for working toward environmental justice at a time where it feels less achievable than ever given the state of our country and the world right now. We’re seeing our neighbors being kidnapped, peaceful protesters being assaulted and murdered, our civil rights being stripped, resources to fight the climate crisis being cut for fossil fuels and animal agriculture destroying our planet, and people’s access to food and health care becoming a privilege for the wealthy instead of a new basic human right for all Americans. It is very clear that protecting our planet and our communities is not a priority for this administration. And it’s really hard to celebrate that when we no longer feel safe in our own homes or in our streets,” she read from a tiny piece of paper.

Social Justice recipient Justice for Migrant Women founder Mónica A. Ramìrez validated Eilish’s fears by sharing the fear ICE had unleashed on her Latino community. She also shared how bold she thought it was that she was being recognized. “I understand that part of my receiving this recognition today speaks to the courage of Dr. Bernice King and the King Center to give someone like me and my organization a platform in this moment,” she said.

Other honorees included EGOT Viola Davis, former Atlanta Falcons star Warrick Dunn and Gloria James for the LeBron James Family Foundation, with Young Sheldon star Iain Armitage, former White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Beyond the Gates star Sean Freeman also presenting. Iconic Sesame Street star Sonia Manzano presented the Christine King Farris Legacy of Service in Education Award to her very own Sesame Workshop. Chance the Rapper was among the several musical performers.

Bernice King, the King Center CEO and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, called the gathering of roughly 1,000 people “a celebration of humanity at its best.” She also proclaimed this year’s “Mission Possible 2: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way” MLK theme “more than fitting,” because “it is a mandate for this moment.”

Eilish admitted to feeling more hopeful amid the energy of the evening. “I am so inspired by all the stories and the other honorees tonight and everyone in this room, and I’m grateful to everyone and for the huge community of people who are taking action centered on Dr. King’s message. I just want to thank my mom, both my parents, for raising me the way they did. I wouldn’t be doing any of this without you, Mom,” she said, acknowledging her mother’s presence. “I have this platform and I think it’s my responsibility to use it, so I feel like I’m just doing what anyone in my position should be doing”.

I wanted to drop that article in, as we get to sense Billie Eilish’s empathy, activism, conscientiousness and compassion. As an artist, she is very much one of the greatest ever. A genius with decades ahead. I don’t think her songwriter is given enough credit. She is such a wonderful writer and someone whose voice and stage presence is captivating and stunning. This mixtape is dedicated to…

A music queen.

FEATURE: The Legacy Spreads: Could Recent Love Shown for Kate Bush Lead to a Documentary?

FEATURE:

 

 

The Legacy Spreads

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

Could Recent Love Shown for Kate Bush Lead to a Documentary?

__________

THIS might also be a pitch…

IN THIS PHOTO: Margot Robbie for British Vogue, December 2025/PHOTO CREDIT: Mikael Jansson

for LuckyChap Entertainment (a production company based in Los Angeles and Bromsgrove, founded in 2014 by Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara and Sophia Kerr. The company describes their focal point as female-focused film and television productions), as Margot Robbie recently showed some appreciation for Kate Bush. The Emerald Fennell film, “Wuthering Heights”, was released on 13th February. It definitely gained a lot of reactions and divided critics. Although the film does not feature the Kate Bush debut single of the same name, inevitably, people did ask about Kate Bush when speaking of its stars, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. There is a new interview from Attitude where “Wuthering Heights”’ leads spoke about the film. They also mentioned Kate Bush. This is what Margot Robbie said: “Of course. You can’t make Wuthering Heights without listening to that,” adding: “Kate Bush is just the soundtrack to my life”. Jacob Elordi noted this: “Kate Bush was constant [on-set]. I think that’s just being alive! There may have been a Charli XCX song or two”. Although Robbie seems more into Kate Bush than Elordi, these are huge names that listen to and admire her music. When I shared the article online, it did split opinions. Many liked the fact that someone like Margot Robbie listens to Kate Bush and is a fan. Those recognising that her influence has spread. Also, there were those who doubted Robbie’s credentials in that regard. Could she name deep cuts and does she know albums like The Dreaming?! Many feeling this was a major artist jumping on a bandwagon or mentioning an artist without knowing anything about them. I actually think that Margot Robbie is a bigger fan than many give her credit for. Look at her uncanny recreation of the red dress version of the Wuthering Heights video…

and here it is https://t.co/RftGHV9d6F pic.twitter.com/tv6GVMu6Kl

— best of margot robbie (@margotposts) February 16, 2026

In any case, it has got me thinking about whether a Kate Bush documentary made in association with LuckyChap Entertainment could happen. I shall come to that. There has been other praise for Kate Bush. Recognition of her music. Peaches shouted out Wuthering Heights in an NME interview. I have said numerous times how ROSALÍA is a big Kate Bush fan. I can hear that influence in her music. Last year’s Lux – which was hugely acclaimed and was perhaps the best album of the year – has elements of Kate Bush’s influence throughout. When speaking with Vogue about Lux and what comes next, ROSALÍA talked about Kate Bush: “My mom, she showed me Kate Bush since I was very young,” she said. “I didn’t appreciate it, but with years, it grew on me. I really like that song where she explains this possibility of exchanging places with God. A deal with God. It would always make me cry”. I know that ROSALÍA’s knowledge and appreciation of Kate Bush goes beyond Hounds of Love’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God). You can feel and hear it through her music. It is another important endorsement of an artist whose influence is everywhere. One that continues to grow. You could say that Kate Bush’s music has reached more artists and big names in the past decade than the forty years or so before. In terms of legacy artists, those who have been around for years and those who are new. Going beyond music to all corners of the cultural map. I keep writing about this topic. Though, now that Margot Robbie has spoken about Kate Bush and her attachment, it makes me think about a documentary.

IN THIS PHOTO: ROSALÍA for Vogue, February 2026/PHOTO CREDIT: Alasdair McLellan

There is snobbery and dismissal when a major star says they are a fan of an artist. Like they are not at all genuine. I think Margot Robbie’s kudos is pure. In terms of what LuckyChap Entertainment does, their work is mainly in film. They have produced for television. However, given that they are about female-driven projects and this is a documentary about a music queen that could be directed by an amazing woman, you do feel there is this opportunity. I am sure Kate Bush finds its touching and flattering that her music is being praised and noted by actors and artists. Bush is a major film fan, so she will know about Margot Robbie. The drawbacks are that Bush has not really given a green light to a major documentary. There have been a few smaller ones through the years – including a BBC one for 2014 -, but I am sure she has been approached by all kinds of people to allow her music to be used for a documentary. I am sure she is happy for there to be these smaller documentaries, as they are more underground and not too exposing. However, something huge that appears in cinemas, on Netflix, Amazon or Apple TV+ would be a different scenario. I know that nobody from LuckyChap Entertainment will ever read this. Margot Robbie will never see it. However, there is the temptation to make a pitch, as I feel Kate Bush would be open to Margot Robbie. You feel like she is a fan of her work and no doubt would have heard about the new “Wuthering Heights” film. Another potential stumbling block is the use of Kate Bush herself. Whilst Bush would never be filmed for a documentary, could she ever be persuaded to provide some words and do some voiceover? It would be a tall order, as she would probably not want to be involved in that way. I do think that a stunning documentary that looks at her brilliance and influence and speaks to fans across culture that includes actors like Margot Robbie and incredible artists would be a success. It is always hard getting the balance right and ensuring that a documentary is engrossing, watchable, informative, balanced. One that also appeals to long-terms fans and can speak to new fans.

Every time I see someone in the public eye talk about Kate Bush, it makes it abundantly clear that she is one of the most important, enduring and wide-reaching artists ever. I know she would not want to be too much in focus with a documentary. However, a mix of styles and filming techniques, coupled with a blends of artists discussing her music and clips of her videos and interviews, could well be something that appeals to her. Making it more inventive, stylistic, broad and striking than many of the dry and formulaic music documentaries would be something LuckyChap Entertainment could be involved with. Discuss it with Kate Bush and do something loving and respectful. Photographers and musicians who have worked with Kate Bush. People talking about her as a producer. Maybe something where her family – including her brothers, John and Paddy, and her partner, Dan -, could share their memories. Bush providing the occasionally audio interjection about working at various studios and performing live. Or just talking in the introduction and at the very end. Nothing like this been done with her music. One might say she does not have the same legacy as a David Bowie, The Beatles or Madonna. I would disagree. Kate Bush is more than worthy of the diamond treatment. A medium-budget documentary that is authoritative and deep that runs to about ninety minutes. Rather than exploiting the Stranger Things/Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) impact and how her music has reached a whole new generation, it would be a long-overdue. Whilst there is limited footage of Kate Bush on the stage – in terms of beyond T.V. shows – and none of her recording in the studio (as far as I know), we can see her impact through her videos and hear that genius and originality through her recordings. That Margot Robbie quote about Kate Bush, “Kate Bush is just the soundtrack to my life”, got me thinking about a documentary. It depends on whether Kate Bush would be willing or feel that it would be too personal. Given the fact her legacy and influence is as important as it has ever been, I would like to think that she would be…

OPEN to the right idea.

FEATURE: I’ll Tell My Brother… Will Paddy Bush Work with His Sister in the Future?

FEATURE:

 

 

I’ll Tell My Brother…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate and Paddy Bush talking with Peter Gabriel during the rehearsal of her 1979 Chrismtas special, Kate/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Will Paddy Bush Work with His Sister in the Future?

__________

THIS is something that I have…

IN THIS PHOTO: Paddy and Kate Bush during a live performance of Army Dreamers (from 1980’s Never for Ever)

written about before. We can dissect Kate Bush’s music and discuss it from all different angles. Of course, she is the driving force. However, I would say her biggest influences are her family. Her parents in terms of their support and how they showed her so much love and comfort. Crucial during her career when things were especially stressful, Hannah and Robert (her mum and dad) would be there. From providing hospitality to musicians, to offering up their help – they appear in her music at different moments -, they were a huge source of strength. Her older brother John helped open her eyes to different types of music, but his poetry and photography was a big part of her life. He photographed her from young childhood right up to 2011. He shots some of her album covers and is responsible for the iconic Hounds of Love cover. No doubting his influence and impact. However, in terms of music and that side of things, I feel Paddy Bush is the biggest drive. The one who really did expose her to sounds, artists and instruments she would not otherwise have come across. Their collaborations began right from the start of Kate Bush’s careers. In fact, when they were children, Paddy would expose his sister to interesting music and support her own music. He has appeared on almost every one of her albums. In fact, I think that 50 Words for Snow is the only one where he did not feature. I always wonder why that is. Perhaps it is because the album is sparse in terms of instruments. For 2005’s Aerial and even 2011’s Director’s Cut, there was mor opportunity for him to provide his unique blends. However, there are no unusual instruments on 50 Words for Snow. I don’t know. I could have imagined him popping up on Wild Man or Misty with something distinct that adds new colours and textures. Maybe backing vocals on some of the songs.

I am guessing it was an amicable decision, but he did get a chance to contribute to his sister’s work a few years later. For 2014’s Before the Dawn, his voice can be heard. He was not part of the cast of musicians like he was for 1979’s The Tour of Life. However, he does get to contribute some instrumentation. In addition to some harmonic vocals, he does play the fujare (it originated in central Slovakia as a large sophisticated folk shepherd's overtone fipple flute of unique design). It is great that he was back in the fold, though it would have been nice to hear him on 50 Words for Snow. However, he did provide the voice of the Helicopter Pilot for Waking the Witch. It is a really key role and wonderful that, forty years or so since he started playing and recording with his sister, he got to be a part of Before the Dawn. Paddy Bush is communicating with base or someone else in the helicopter. Spotting something in the water, he goes lower but then says it is probably flotsam from the wreckage. It is this dramatic moment when we get these coordinates and it looks like Bush might be saved. However, getting towards her, they turn around and go back up. Nice to hear his voice as an older man, his appearance was in an especially kick-ass and meaty version. Props to the guitarists. Jon Carin, David Rhodes and Friðrik Karlsson were guitarists for Before the Dawn. Some great percussion from Omar Hakim. I will discuss the musicians more closer to the tenth anniversary of the live album in November. However, it was nice that Paddy Bush was in the residency! Seventy-three as we speak, I am curious whether he still explores music and comes across these odd and unconventional albums.

Once was the time he would walk into his sister’s room, chat with her when at her place or in the studio, and there would be that exchange and discovery. Now, as they live different lives and are not as interlinked as they once were, is his role and importance what it once was?! I would imagine the two talk a lot and Paddy Bush does throw in the odd name and album for Kate to investigate. Bush has a son, Bertie, who is in his twenties. No doubt he is giving his mum all these leads and tips for artists. Her son and brother taking her in different directions. As we look back to the start of her career and how Paddy Bush was there at the start. I know there will be a new Kate Bush album in the next few years. She is undoubtedly working on songs. Depending on what it sounds like and whether it is bigger and more varied like Aerial or is a bit more spare like 50 Words for Snow, my biggest hope is that there is a spot for Paddy Bush. Him doing some backing vocals and coming in with a cool instrument and adding his unique touches! I am looking back at live performances and these occasions where he has joined Kate Bush on the stage or during a T.V. slot. I also love how he has been there through her albums. I think her most frequent collaborator. There will be a lot of speculation around a future Kate Bush album. What form it takes and whether it is going to be this huge and ambitious thing or Bush will do something a little stripped and piano-led. In any case, I feel family will be involved. Maybe John Carder Bush shooting the cover or promotional photos. Dan McIntosh, her partner, on guitar. Bertie might well provide a vocal or be there in some form.

Having Paddy Bush there and him being instrumental would mean it would be the fifth decade where he appears on a Kate Bush album. It is all speculation at this point. However, people do not really talk about Kate Bush’s brothers. John (Jay) and Paddy added to so much to her career and were obviously very close to her. Paddy perhaps more directly involved, his immense contributions are overlooked. Not only in terms of what he did on her albums. Behind the scenes, he was so important. These music tips. The Trio Bulgarka, who appeared on The Sensual World (1989) and The Red Shoes (1993), were brought to Kate Bush’s attention when she was working on Hounds of Love (1985). I can only imagine their childhoods and teenage years involved a lot of discussion around artists away from the mainstream. It is always great how Paddy Bush brings in these interesting instruments and takes his sister’s music in different directions. That also influences her writing and how expansive and adventurous she can be. Emotional to think that they worked together as recently as 2014. In 2026, who is to say we will not hear Paddy Bush in some form? I am not sure what he is doing at the moment. No doubt he is involved with music still, though he is probably more returning or doing the odd bit here and there. A bigger role on a Kate Bush album would be the most amazing thing! If you think about his significance and all he has added to Kate Bush’s music, you have to give him proper respect! I have been listening back to Before the Dawn and his spoken part as the Helicopter Pilot. How good that is! Not many more recent examples where we get to see Paddy Bush speak. He has always worked with his sister on something, so I hope that it happens again…

SOON enough.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Natanya

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Radota

Natanya

__________

LAST year…

PHOTO CREDIT: Bella Howard

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Radota

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

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

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

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

FOR as long as possible.

____________

Follow Natanya

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/n4t4nya

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@n4t4nya

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4QlEFh3gBGqmboPVc7AwUp?si=uTFU6xguRFSGmkJ966QBmA

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKxHLGYw0x0c2hgRr1rJ79A

FEATURE: Spotlight: I Am Boleyn

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

I Am Boleyn

__________

THIS is the musical moniker…

PHOTO CREDIT: Eva Pentel

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nostalgic. Empowering. Fun!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who do you listen to on your Last Bus home?

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

Who are you listening to at the moment?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ALL the success in the world!

____________

Follow I Am Boleyn

Official:

https://iamboleyn.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/iamboleyn/

Bandcamp:

https://iamboleyn.bandcamp.com/

TikTok:

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

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/iamboleyn/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1tX2U6Uh4Iz8gowpGY5PUn?si=6W8QLUtvQjeNZ9v1t7zTZg

YouTube:

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

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

FEATURE:

 

 

Both Sides, Now

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

Why I Am Especially Excited About An Announced Joni Mitchell Biopic

__________

THE music biopic…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Who will star in the Joni Mitchell biopic?

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

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

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

What will happen in the Joni Mitchell biopic?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ABSOLUTELY worth it.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Maddie Ashman

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Maddie Ashman

__________

THIS is a perfect time…

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

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

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

How did you first encounter microtonal music?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Does your anxiety shape your songwriting then?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PHOTO CREDIT: Sandra Ebert

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

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

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

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

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

COMPOSER and songwriter.

______________

Follow Maddie Ashman

Official:

https://maddieashman.com/

TikTok:

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

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/maddieashman/

Bandcamp:

https://maddieashman.bandcamp.com/

YouTube:

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

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0kUfq7dUYNktJeT3OgFhtO?si=vh5tZMLYSPe0AutKfiCzQA

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/maddieashmanuk/

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

FEATURE:

 

A Second Date?

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

__________

I recently wrote a feature…

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

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

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

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

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

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

But it didn't happen overnight.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"But saying that, I still do that sometimes.

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

And as for dating advice?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A truly fascinating career.

FEATURE: The Great American Songbook: Brandy

FEATURE:

 

 

The Great American Songbook

Brandy

__________

FOR the next couple…

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

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

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

The tour will stop at two premier venues this spring:

March 29: Los Angeles, CA – The Montalbán

April 1: Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ONE of music’s true greats.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Revisited: Chxrry

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight: Revisited

Chxrry

__________

THIS is someone…

PHOTO CREDIT: Marvin ‘Tada’ Llantada

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A massive future.

___________

Follow Chxrry

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/chxrry/

TikTok:

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

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdQFmVFUJSRi6kbb0-nD4gw

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6HhmgikznhjpcHnh14n9dJ?si=79Ht90mtSfGClQ7cDopk2g

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

FEATURE:

 

 

An Impossible Task…

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

Ranking Kate Bush’s Album Covers

__________

I only titled…

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

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

WHICH Kate Bush album covers are best.

____________

TEN: The Kick Inside (1978)

Release Date: 17th February, 1978

Review:

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

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

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

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

Key Cut: Wuthering Heights

THREE: Lionheart (1978)

Release Date: 10th November, 1978

Review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Standout Tracks: Wow, Kashka from Baghdad, Hammer Horror

Key Cut: Symphony in Blue

FOUR: Never for Ever (1980)

Release Date: 8th September, 1980

Review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Standout Tracks: Babooshka, Army Dreamers, Breathing

Key Cut: The Wedding List

FIVE: The Dreaming (1982)

Release Date: 13th September, 1982

Review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Key Cut: Houdini

TWO: Hounds of Love (1985)

Release Date: 16th September, 1985

Review:

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

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

Key Cut: The Big Sky

SIX: The Whole Story (1986)

Release Date: 10th November, 1986

Review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Key Cut: Hounds of Love

ONE: The Sensual World (1989)

Release Date: 16th October, 1989

Review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Key Cut: The Fog

NINE: The Red Shoes (1993)

 Release Date: 1st November, 1993

Review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Key Cut: Rubberband Girl

ELEVEN: Aerial (2005)

Release Date: 7th November, 2005

Review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Key Cut: Mrs Bartolozzi

EIGHT: Director’s Cut (2011)

Release Date: 16th May, 2011

Review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Key Cut: Top of the City

TWELVE: 50 Words for Snow (2011)

Release Date: 21st November, 2011

Review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Standout Tracks: Snowflake, Wild Man, Among Angels

Key Cut: Misty

SEVEN: Before the Dawn (2016)

Release Date: 25th November, 2016

Review:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Key Cut: And Dream of Sheep

FEATURE: Spotlight: Jessy Blakemore

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Jessy Blakemore

__________

I will start out with…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How does she find that process herself?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Describe the first show you ever went to.

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

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

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

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

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

What you bury, grows.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FOR decades more.

_________

Follow Jessy Blakemore

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/jessyblakemore/

TikTok:

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

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1_W_dABDYimccuziU01mYA

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6Z2SXdkJgWDEMm6NANPVDu?si=CfpoCitaQvGmlWymGUEYsQ

FEATURE: Spotlight: Elizabeth Nichols

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Elizabeth Nichols

__________

THIS is an artist…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hi Elizabeth! Thank you so much for chatting with us! To start us off, how would you describe your music to someone who is tuning in for the first time? 

I’d say probably clever and honest. Those are two elements that I see in all my favorite songs. I try to balance the two. I don’t want to be too clever that I’m not honest, or too straightforward that it kills the clever.

‘Tough Love’ is officially out! This acts as your debut multi-track project! What emotions have been going through your head as these seven tracks now live out in the world?

I am so grateful. If you had told me one year ago that this is where I would be, I would have never believed you. The idea that some group of girls in another state is in the car with their friends, singing one of my songs, is the most surreal part of it all. Music is such a beautiful part of life, and I am honored to be given the opportunity to make it.

We know that ‘Ain’t Country’ was your first jump into writing a country track. What changes about the songwriting process when you’re writing with a genre in mind? 

I was about 10 years old the last time I had written any kind of song, so ‘Ain’t Country’ was the first song I’ve written as an adult, and I think that country sound just kind of naturally came out of me because that’s what I grew up listening to. I also love storytelling and lyricism, and country music is a genre that really celebrates those things and makes space for that part of the craft.

Ahead of the release of Tough Love, was there a song you were most looking forward to seeing fans’ reactions to? 

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

We have to ask, ‘I Got A New One’ has officially received the Kelly Clarkson treatment! What was that like for you? 

I was and am extremely grateful. Kelly Clarkson is literally an American icon. She is so unbelievably talented, so the fact that she liked a song I wrote enough to cover it is a huge compliment—my family and I were so excited when it happened.

Once again, thank you so much for chatting with us! Before we let you go, what can fans look forward to as we round out the last few months of 2025? 

Some more music! I have a new single coming out in August. I’m also playing some shows throughout the end of this year, which I’m really excited about. I love meeting people out on the road”.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

REALLY need to hear.

_________

Follow Elizabeth Nichols

Official:

https://elizabethnichols.co/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/elizabethnichols/

TikTok:

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

Bandcamp:

https://elizabethnichols.bandcamp.com/album/sweet-cigarette

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/people/Elizabeth-Nichols/61551358314300/

YouTube:

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

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/06cAJQBSPkt3bG7uMoWfmA?si=t69oaGPVSj-mGRfNySUFnQ