FEATURE: On the Billboard… The 20 Best Pride Albums of 2022: Staff Picks: The Playlist

FEATURE:

 

 

On the Billboard…

IN THIS PHOTO: Doechii

The 20 Best Pride Albums of 2022: Staff Picks: The Playlist

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I am doing…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Rina Sawayama/PHOTO CREDIT: Thurstan Redding

a lot of Spotlight features before next year, as it is great to highlight these amazing artists who will make big waves and steps in 2023. I am also doing some end-of-year features. I have done all the best albums features I can. I was going to do the best singles of 2022, but that sort of passed me by. I am interested in the great Pride and L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ albums that arrived in 2022. Billboard named their favourite twenty Pride albums of this year. They highlighted some great work by queer artists. Some iconic new artists and anthems a plenty! This is what they wrote:

“2022 was good for a lot of things — in the music world, artists like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Bad Bunny and more had blockbuster years worthy of recognition. But when it came to the continued fight for LGBTQ rights, 2022 proved to be more of a backslide. In the United States alone, queer and trans folks spent the year working tirelessly against more than 300 anti-LGBTQ bills in state legislatures (including Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill and Arkansas’ ban on gender-affirming care for young people), threats towards gender diverse kids and their families, a fatal shooting at a gay nightclub, and countless more tragedies and setbacks. Around the world, people struggled to support the biggest sporting event in the world being held in a country where being queer is a crime, while anti-LGBTQ sentiment and hate crimes continued to rise around the world.

Despite the onslaught of negative sentiment and oppressive ideals, queer artists showed up to represent and support their community in 2022. The methods they employed through their albums were often varied — some aimed for sheer escapism, creating new sonic worlds for their fans to luxuriate in; others looked their circumstances dead in the eye, using their music to channel the rage they felt at a world that was seemingly set against them. Either way, LGBTQ artists made their voices heard through some of their best works to date in 2022”.

To celebrate the amazing Pride albums that have come out in 2022, below is a song from the twenty that Billboard selected as their favourite. There are some truly amazing artists here! Albums I have heard part of, but I have been compelled to dig deeper. In the playlist below are songs from the best Pride albums…

IN THIS PHOTO: Steve Lacy/PHOTO CREDIT: Julian Klincewicz 

OF 2022.

FEATURE: Inspired By… Part Ninety-One: Sheryl Crow

FEATURE:

 

Inspired By…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Peyton Fulford for The New York Times

Part Ninety-One: Sheryl Crow

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ONE of the most important…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

and influential artists of the 1990s, there is no doubt that Sheryl Crow is a music legend. An incredible songwriter who rose from being a session player and backing singer, she established herself as a mainstream artist with a huge fanbase Someone who has influenced many other artists, I am going to end with a playlist of songs from a selection of them. I know I have featured Sheryl Crow a fair few times through the years, but not including her here has been an overnight I am correcting today. Before getting to the playlist, AllMusic provide a biography about the great Sheryl Crow:

“Sheryl Crow's fresh, updated spin on classic roots rock made her one of the most popular mainstream rock artists of the 1990s. By the time she struck gold with 1993's sunny, good-time rocker "All I Wanna Do" from her debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club, she'd already spent over half-a-decade paying her dues as a songwriter, industry session player, and touring back-up singer. That blue-collar work ethic seeped into her albums, which were loose and eclectic on the surface, yet consistently tied together with polished, professional songcraft. Crow's self-titled 1996 follow-up was another massive success, yielding additional signature hits like "If It Makes You Happy" and "Every Day Is a Winding Road," and establishing her not only as a dependable star, but one with a knack for creating consistently high-quality material with an organic flair. Crow's success carried into the 21st century with a pair of platinum albums in 2002's C'mon, C'mon and 2005's Wildflower. Her career was briefly put on hold after a cancer diagnosis, but she recovered and recorded 2008's gold-certified Detours. Crow also continued to evolve musically, embracing vintage soul and R&B on 2010's 100 Miles from Memphis and country music on 2013's Feels Like Home. Throughout her career, Crow has collaborated with a wide array of high profile musicians ranging from Eric Clapton and Keith Richards to Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn. Her 2019 album Threads, which she billed as her last, assembled an intriguing cast of stars like Willie Nelson, Chuck D, and Stevie Nicks to join her for a set of duets. Crow was the subject of the 2022 documentary film, Sheryl, which was accompanied by a career-spanning album, Sheryl: Music from the Feature Documentary.

Sheryl Suzanne Crow was born February 11, 1962, in Kennett, Missouri. Her parents had both performed in swing orchestras, her father on trumpet and her mother as a singer; her mother was also a piano teacher, and ensured that all her daughters learned the instrument starting in grade school. Crow wrote her first song at age 13, and majored in music at the University of Missouri, where she also played keyboards in a cover band called Cashmere. After graduating, she spent a couple of years in St. Louis working as a music teacher for autistic children. She sang with another cover band, P.M., by night, and also recorded local advertising jingles on the side. In 1986, Crow packed up and moved to Los Angeles to try her luck in the music business. She was able to land some more jingle-singing assignments, and got her first big break when she successfully auditioned to be a backup singer on Michael Jackson's international Bad tour. In concert, she often sang the female duet part on "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." After spending two years on the road with Jackson, Crow resumed her search for a record deal, but found that record companies were only interested in making her a dance-pop singer, which was not at all to her taste.

Frustrated, Crow suffered a bout of severe depression that lasted about six months. She revived her career as a session vocalist, however, and performed with the likes of Sting, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Foreigner, Joe Cocker, Sinéad O'Connor, and Don Henley, the latter of whom she toured with behind The End of the Innocence. She also developed her songwriting skills enough to have her compositions recorded by the likes of Wynonna Judd, Céline Dion, and Eric Clapton. Thanks to her session work, she made a connection with producer Hugh Padgham, who got her signed to A&M. Padgham and Crow went into the studio in 1991 to record her debut album, but Padgham's pop leanings resulted in a slick, ballad-laden record that didn't reflect the sound Crow wanted. The album was shelved, and fearing that she'd let her best opportunity slip through her fingers, Crow sank into another near-crippling depression that lingered for nearly a year and a half. However, thanks to boyfriend Kevin Gilbert, an engineer who'd attempted to remix her ill-fated album, Crow fell in with a loose group of industry pros that included Gilbert, Bill Bottrell, David Baerwald, David Ricketts, Brian MacLeod, and Dan Schwartz. Dubbed the Tuesday Night Music Club, this collective met once a week at Bottrell's Pasadena recording studio to drink, jam, and work out material. In this informal, collaborative setting, Crow was able to get her creative juices flowing again, and the group agreed to make its newest member -- the only one with a recording contract -- the focal point.

Crow and the collective worked out enough material for an album, and with Bottrell serving as producer, she recorded her new official debut, titled Tuesday Night Music Club in tribute. The record was released in August 1993 and proved slow to take off. Lead single "Run Baby Run" made little impact, and while "Leaving Las Vegas" attracted some attention, it reached only the lower half of the charts. A&M took one last shot by releasing "All I Wanna Do," a song partly written by poet Wyn Cooper, as a single. With its breezy, carefree outlook, "All I Wanna Do" became one of the biggest summer singles of 1994, falling just one position short of number one. Suddenly, Tuesday Night Music Club started flying out of stores, and spawned a Top Five follow-up hit in "Strong Enough" (plus another minor single in "Can't Cry Anymore"). Crow was a big winner at the Grammys in early 1995, taking home honors for Best New Artist, Best Female Rock Vocal, and Record of the Year (the latter two for "All I Wanna Do"). Her surprising sweep pushed Tuesday Night Music Club into the realm of genuine blockbuster; after close to a decade of dues-paying, Crow was a star.

Having made her first album as part of a large collective of songwriters, Crow set out to prove her legitimacy with her second album. Bill Bottrell was originally slated to produce the record, but fell out with Crow very early on, and the singer ended up taking over production duties herself. However, she did bring in the noted team of Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake as assistant producer and engineer, respectively. Froom and Blake were known for the strange sonic experimentation they brought to projects by roots rockers (the Latin Playboys) and singer/songwriters (Richard Thompson, Suzanne Vega), and they helped Crow craft a similarly non-traditional record. Released in the fall of 1996, Sheryl Crow definitely bore the stamp of the singer's personality and songwriting voice, especially in the idiosyncratic lyrics; plus, she was now doing most of the writing, usually with her guitarist, Jeff Trott, proving that she could cut it without her previous collaborators. The singles "If It Makes You Happy," "Everyday Is a Winding Road," and "A Change Would Do You Good" were all radio smashes, and "Home" also became a minor hit. Sheryl Crow went triple platinum, and Crow brought home Grammys for Best Rock Album and another Best Female Rock Vocal (for "If It Makes You Happy").

Crow toured with the Lilith Fair package during the summer of 1997 (the first of several tours), and subsequently wrote and performed the title theme to the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. In the fall of 1998, she returned with her third album, The Globe Sessions. A more straightforward, traditionalist rock record than Sheryl Crow, The Globe Sessions didn't dominate the airwaves in quite the same fashion, but it did become her third straight platinum-selling, Top Ten LP, and it won her another Grammy for Best Rock Album. It also spawned two mid-sized hits in the Top 20: "My Favorite Mistake" and "Anything But Down." In 1999, she contributed a Grammy-winning cover of Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine" to the soundtrack of the Adam Sandler comedy Big Daddy. She also performed a special free concert in New York's Central Park, with an array of guest stars including Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Chrissie Hynde, the Dixie Chicks, Stevie Nicks, and Sarah McLachlan. The show was broadcast on Fox and later released as the album Live in Central Park, just in time for the holidays. "There Goes the Neighborhood" won her another Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal.

Hit with a case of writer's block, Crow took some time to deliver her fourth studio LP. In the meantime, she produced several tracks on Stevie Nicks' 2001 album, Trouble in Shangri-La, and also recorded a duet with Kid Rock, "Picture," for his album Cocky. Finally, in the spring of 2002, Crow released C'mon C'mon, which entered the LP charts at number two for her highest positioning yet. It quickly went platinum, and the lead single, "Soak Up the Sun," was a Top 20 hit and another ubiquitous radio smash. The follow-up, "Steve McQueen," was also a lesser hit. At the beginning of 2005 it was announced that there would be two simultaneously released new albums available by the end of the year. The project was then scaled back to the single-disc Wildflower, which saw release at the end of September. Crow was forced to take time off from her musical career in 2006 after being diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. After successful treatment, she returned in 2008 with her sixth studio album, Detours. The soul-inspired 100 Miles from Memphis followed in 2010 and featured guest spots from Keith Richards, Justin Timberlake, and Citizen Cope. By the end of that year she had performed with Loretta Lynn and Miranda Lambert on the title track of a Lynn tribute album, Coal Miner's Daughter. This country-focused collaboration was an early indicator of the direction that Crow's work would eventually take in the years that followed.

A creatively quiet 2011 ended with her appearance on William Shatner's space-themed third studio album, Seeking Major Tom. Crow's delicate, piano-fueled cover of K.I.A.'s "Mrs. Major Tom" was generally received by critics as one of the highlights of the disc. Then, in summer 2012, she revealed details of another health scare. Although Crow had been diagnosed with a brain tumor at the end of 2011, it was found to be benign, and six months on she was quoted in many news reports as feeling healthy and happy. That November she issued the download-only, politically charged "Woman in the White House." It was her first self-penned material to appear in a couple of years and was her most out-and-out mainstream country track to date. March 2013 saw the release of "Easy," the first single to appear ahead of Feels Like Home, a country-steeped full-length that appeared in September of 2013. Feels Like Home debuted at seven on the Billboard Top 200 -- and number three on the country chart -- but generated no country hits, so Crow changed direction for 2017's Be Myself by reuniting with her '90s collaborators Tchad Blake and Jeff Trott. The politically charged 2018 single "Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" saw Crow pairing up with St. Vincent's Annie Clark. That track later landed on her star-studded duets album, Threads, which recruited a wide array of guest artists including Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Mavis Staples, Chuck D, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Willie Nelson. Crow released Threads in September 2019, citing that while it would be her last full-length studio album she intended to continue performing and recording occasional new music. She was later the subject of the subject of director Amy Scott's feature documentary film Sheryl, which was released in May 2022. A hit-packed double album, Sheryl: Music from the Feature Documentary, accompanied the film and featured three new songs including the single "Forever”.

I will round up now. One of the greatest artists ever, I wanted to celebrate that by featuring artists in a playlist who have been influenced by the mighty Sheryl Crow. I hope that she continues to record music for a while longer, because her absence would be…

A terrible thing.

FEATURE: Kate Bush and 2022: Part Two: Books, Magazines, and the Rest…

FEATURE:

 

 

Kate Bush and 2022: Part Two

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

Books, Magazines, and the Rest…

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IT is no surprise…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1985/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

that Kate Bush has been dominating 2022. In terms of her impact and new attention, it is pretty much down to one song: the magisterial and mighty Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God). I covered that song in the first part of this two-run salute. Bush has posted several updates to her official website. Thanking fans for buying and streaming Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), and how touched and stunned she is by all the reception it has accrued! There has been another side to Bush’s success this year. Away from the titanic resurgence of a classic song, there has also been a lot of affection for Bush elsewhere. Apart from the countless tweets and posts acknowledging her supernatural talent and incredible endurance and importance, there have been magazines articles, books and features written about her. I guess I have written more than my fair share of Bush features, but we celebrated forty years of The Dreaming back in September. Her amazing and still-underrated album has reached new fans. This feature from Salon is particularly interesting and insightful. There are some very important anniversaries in 2023. Aside from Bush turning sixty-five in July, The Kick Inside (her debut album) is forty-five in February. The Red Shoes is thirty in November, and it will be about fifty years since Bush recorded some of her earliest demos. She was laying down some very interesting songs in 1973.

This year has seen no new Kate Bush music, but there have been new investigations and spotlights shone on her music. MOJO’s October issue responded to the success of Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) by doing a deep dive of its parent album, Hounds of Love. That 1985 masterpiece was given a song-by-song examination by artists and creatives. I guess a lot of people would have heard RUTH (as I will abbreviate to from now on), but not necessarily the entire album. Consider the second side, The Ninth Wave, and cuts like Under Ice or The Morning Fog might have been new. One of the first side’s tracks. Mother Stands for Comfort is also alien to most new fans. It was good for MOJO to do that salute and study of a timeless and hugely influential album. The Dreaming was given a substantial and passionate write-up in UNCUT. where Peter Watts interviews people involved with the album. It was nice to see an album still a little misunderstood and overlooked get a new lease and dose of love – rather than just rehashing old articles. Whilst those magazines focused on particular albums, Classic Pop published a magazine in September that was dedicated to the career-spanning brilliance of Kate Bush. Inspired by Stranger Things’ use of RUTH, it was a chance to broaden the conversation when it comes to Bush’s remarkable career.

They explored her wide-eyed beginnings, through to her critical and commercial success. There were interviews with KT Bush Band members, official photographer, founder of KateBushnews.com, and Kate herself. Classic Pop took a look at Bush’s musical collaborations. There was a brilliant top forty and in-depth album profiles, plus a fascinating look at the storytelling in Kate’s songs. UNCUT also did an ultimate music guide to Kate Bush. They wrote about her videos, reviewed the albums, and revisited her 2014 residency, Before the Dawn. I know there will be new Kate Bush books next year. It is hard to say exactly what form they will take but, given everything that has happened this year, I can see at least a couple coming out! The same goes for magazine articles. I would imagine there’ll be some for The Kick Inside’s forty-fifth anniversary. Its first single, Wuthering Heights, is forty-five in January, so there may be something about that. We will wait and see. There were a couple of Kate Bush books published this year. Someone who has published a few books about Bush, Laura Shenton’s Kate Bush: A Visual Biography is a treat:

“From producing her own albums, to designing her own stage performances, Kate Bush has been an innovator throughout her career. With hits such as ‘Wuthering Heights’, ‘Babooshka’ and ‘Running Up That Hill’, her music has always been ethereal and her endearing image has often been regarded as one of mystique. The creativity and the conviction with which she has made her music continue to be an inspiration to not only her legions of fans, but many of her peers. In celebration of Kate’s entire career to date and complemented with a narrative by Laura Shenton MA LLCM Dip(RSL), this visual biography is packed with photos – many of which haven’t been published before (including several from her 1979 tour)”.

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

Perhaps the most notable release of the year relating to Kate Bush came from Tom Doyle. His excellent and unique biography, Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush, is a really great read that everyone should own. I would recommend it as a post-Christmas gift for the Kate Bush fan in your life. This is what Waterstones say about the book:

“Re-examining the life and career of one of our most enigmatic pop stars, Doyle's revelatory volume draws from his own interviews with Kate Bush alongside insights from fellow musicians such as Dave Gilmour and John Lydon to create a rounded portrait of an enduring legend.

Kate Bush: the subject of murmured legend and one of the most idiosyncratic musicians of the modern era. Comprising fifty chapters or 'visions', Running Up That Hill is a multi-faceted biography of this famously elusive figure, viewing her life and work from fresh and illuminating angles.

Featuring details from the author's one-to-one conversations with Kate, as well as vignettes of her key songs, albums, videos and concerts, this artful, candid and often brutally funny portrait introduces the reader to the refreshingly real Kate Bush. Along the way, the narrative also includes vivid reconstructions of transformative moments in her career and insights from the friends and collaborators closest to Kate, including her photographer brother John Carder Bush and fellow artists David Gilmour, John Lydon and Youth.

Running Up That Hill is a vibrant and comprehensive re-examination of Kate Bush and her many creative landmarks.

 MEDIA REVIEWS

'Approaching its subject from inspired angles...probably the best Bush book to date' * 4/5 Record Collector *
'Running Up That Hill offers a range of new ways to appreciate the single-minded inspiration that it springs from' * 9/10 Uncut *
'Funny and illuminating. A refreshing take on one of our most complex, gifted artists' * 4/5 Mojo *
'A very beautiful book' -- Chris Hawkins, BBC Radio 6
'An unconventional but insightful biography of the famously reclusive singer songwriter" * Choice Magazine *
'A great gift for a music fan' * My Weekly Magazine *
'A comprehensive rejection of the caricatures that still cling stubbornly to the subject's name' * The Herald *
'(A) celebration of the famously elusive figure" * Woman and Home *
'Even familiar stories or well-worn anecdotes come to life... Doyle imbues them with a freshness. A thoroughly enjoyable read.' * Super Deluxe Edition”.

There have been many articles written about Bush, and I would advise you to seek them out! It has been a strangely eventful year for Kate Bush and her music. Nobody would have guessed that she’d go into 2022 and have this chart success! Breaking records and reaching a whole new generation, it sets up a very interesting 2023. Who knows what the year will bring. Maybe not new music…but there will definitely be a lot of love and coverage. Maybe a book or two, alongside a slew of articles and magazine features. It shows that forty-five years after she came into the music world with a bang, her music still holds…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush photographed in 1979 for her one-off BBC Christmas television special/PHOTO CREDIT: TV Times/Future Publishing/Getty Images

SUCH beauty and power.

FEATURE: Emerald & Gold: Ten Remarkable Irish Albums from 2022

FEATURE:

 

Emerald & Gold

IN THIS PHOTO: SOAK 

Ten Remarkable Irish Albums from 2022

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I have looked at great Welsh albums…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Hannah Peel/PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Heartfield

in a previous feature, and I have looked to Scotland this year. This year, to me, has seen some truly phenomenal Irish artists release some terrific music. I am including those from EIRE and Northern Ireland. Nations that have never been short of talent and huge originality, some of the absolute best of 2022 have come from native Irish acts or artists based here. It is hard to whittle down, but I have selected ten that have caught my eye. They include Irish groups, solo artists and duos (in the case of Bernard Butler & Jessie Buckley, Buckley is from Killarney). Ending a brilliant year for music, below are ten stunning works from the beautiful nations. If you missed any of these albums from earlier in the year, then make sure that you…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Pillow Queens/PHOTO CREDIT: Rich Gilligan

GIVE them a listen today.

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Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler - For All Our Days That Tear the Heart

Release Date: 17th June

Label: EMI

Producer: Bernard Butler

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/product/jessie-buckley-and-bernard-butler/for-all-our-days-that-tear-the-heart

Standout Tracks: The Eagle & the Dove/Seven Red Rose Tattoos/I Cried Your Tears

Key Cut: For All Our Days That Tear the Heart

Review:

“Is pain the most valuable of all feelings? This is a question that underpins Jessie Buckley and Bernard Butler’s collaboration. Both artists have come to this record with singular histories — Buckley as an Oscar-nominated actor, and Butler, formerly of Suede, then a solo star — yet there is a cogent sensibility.

Part of this collaboration is down to Butler’s manager, who introduced the pair, feeling that there might be a sympathy. It is perhaps to be found in the Irish connection, but also a shared love of artists from Nina Simone to Pentangle to Talk Talk. They have previously spoken of wanting people to discover the record “as if they have tripped across a box of photographs in the back of their closet”, and there is certainly something mysterious and fundamental at work.

The Eagle and the Dove opens with fierce intention, a work that seems to dance on a kind of musical tension, with Buckley’s impressive vocal sweeping and soaring, interrogating darkly lit corners, and Butler’s playing at once complex and understated. The album folds in so many elements — elevated folk, classical, blues and rock — and there are lovely moments everywhere. From the lonely-sounding trumpet and piano melody in For All Our Days That Tear the Heart that frames Buckley’s assertion that “we want to be things we’re not”, it is all orchestral intimacy. The sea-shanty folk of 20 Years A-Growing (inspired by Maurice O’Sullivan’s 1933 memoir) mirrors the elegant sadness of Shallow the Water, and The beautiful Seven Red Rose Tattoos is built upon a sense of contradiction, where “sunbathing in the rain” is posited as a natural state of affairs.

Contradiction is everywhere, going back to that central question about the value of pain. How do we know if it has been worth it? Babylon Days tries to answer, as Buckley’s supple voice flies optimistically around Butler’s evocative guitar, and the softness of the reedy fiddle on Footnotes on the Map complements its strident male choir. A bluesy sway adorns We’ve Run the Distance and I Cried Your Tears, and Beautiful Regret shows the range of Buckley’s voice, where she is reminiscent of Karen Carpenter, or on We Haven’t Spoken About the Weather, where perhaps Feist fronts Kings of Convenience. But the doleful vocal intelligence is all her own.

Catch the Dust is an affectingly wheezing prayer to “catch the dust of a memory from a photograph”, that dust evocative of a time once-lived, that life is a precious, fleeting gift, and even amid pain, still remains compelling” – The Irish Times

CMAT - If My Wife New I'd Be Dead

Release Date: 22nd April

Label: AWAL

Producer: Oli Deakin

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/product/cmat/if-my-wife-new-id-be-dead

Standout Tracks: I Don’t Really Care for You/Lonely/Communion

Key Cut: Nashville

Review:

“Considering her sweepingly-coiffed, tassels ’n’ rhinestones aesthetic, perhaps the most surprising thing about country pop jokester CMAT’s debut is that a fair whack of the grammatically-perplexing ‘If My Wife New I’d Be Dead’ isn’t nearly as country as you might imagine. Though it opens with a paean to escaping to Nashville and closes with a yeehaw-worthy one-two of self-explanatory previous single ‘I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby!’ and the twanging, acoustic string plucks of ‘I’d Want U’, there’s plenty nestled in between that pulls from shimmering pop (‘No More Virgos’), American indie (‘Every Bottle (Is My Boyfriend)’) and plenty more besides. It’s a smart move that means ‘If My Wife New…’ feels like a more well-rounded, modern proposition than one solely indebted to the oldest style going could suggest. While CMAT’s love of soaring, dusty melodies and heart-on-sleeve emoting is evident, she’s also a keenly specific storyteller, musings over adulterous film directors on ‘Peter Bogdanovich’ and throwing in references to Bacardi Breezers and Marian Keyes on ‘I Don’t Really Care For You’. It all works together, amping up the winking, cheeky side of country while also showing CMAT to be an artist enthralled by the genre but not beholden to it” – DIY

Fontaines D.C. - Skinty Fia

Release Date: 22nd April

Labels: Partisan/Rough Trade

Producer: Dan Carey

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/product/fontaines-d-c/skinty-fia

Standout Tracks: Big Shot/Jackie Down the Line/Skinty Fia

Key Cut: I Love You

Review:

“Fontaines DC will never not be an Irish band. It’s embedded in their lyricism, their imagery, every note that drips from Grian Chatten’s unmistakeable drawl. And yet as they adjust to being one of the world’s breakout rock acts, they’ve often spoken of having to find new ways to carry their identity with them, to keep each record connected to home even as success takes them further and further away.

In ten songs, ‘Skinty Fia’ tackles a range of increasingly dour topics: consumption, greed, corruption, despondency, isolation, heartbreak. It’s heavy, but never heavy-going; cinematic is an easily lauded term, but these are definitely tales of literary prowess, showcasing their growing ability to shape an atmospheric sound. Very few rock bands are doing hooks as well as they are right now; the drum’n’bass breakdown of opener “In ár gcroíthe go deo” (meaning In Our Hearts Forever) comes as both a surprise and an immediate reminder not to pigeonhole, while the title track borders on a ‘90s basement groove, not outrageously dissimilar to what you might expect from a Kasabian or Stone Roses offering. ‘Jackie Down The Line’ reveals Nirvana as a bigger influence than ever, but there are shades of Oasis too - ‘How Cold Love Is’, ‘Roman Holiday’ ‘I Love You’. The latter’s unspooling, retooling and then even bigger race to the finish has the kind of relentlessness that only the deftest of songwriting talents can truly pull off, capturing fury and confusion without ever compromising on dynamics. Described by the band as their most political song to date, its melody seems determined to burrow its way into the brain, deepening its message of propaganda patriotism.

On meditative shanty ‘The Couple Across the Way’, Grian struggles to unpick himself from the woven tapestry of the world’s ills, contemplating his melancholy role: “All the mirrors face the walls and I wake just to long for bed/ ‘Love what’s got you so down low? / The saddest tongue is in your head!’”. Similar to ‘I Love You’’s confessional, it speaks of the unsettling nostalgia that so many of us feel when we leave our home towns behind, the sadness of distance between future and past. By shedding light on Ireland’s struggles, Fontaines DC serve only to highlight their nation’s enduring character, the reasons why it is so central to their beating heart. For those who missed the rabble-rousing of ‘Dogrel’ but liked the darkness of ‘A Hero’s Death’, this record splits the perfect difference, sealing it along the middle with the superglue of a band who now know exactly where they’re going. Truth be told, they’ve never been more at home” – DIY

Pillow Queens - Leave the Light On

Release Date: 1st April

Label: Royal Mountain Records

Producer: Thomas McLaughlin

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/product/pillow-queens/leave-the-light-on

Standout Tracks: Be By Your Side/Hearts & Minds/Historian

Key Cut: No Good Woman

Review:

“The Irish quartet have always been pretty exceptional at making main character music; think fireside evenings with friends and roof-down road trips in summer. It’s why their feature on the coming-of-age Dating Amber soundtrack made so much sense, and it’s a spirit that’s kept alive throughout their most recent project. On Leave The Light On, their sound is cohesive without being one note; they take their time without labouring the point.

The record opens with the thumping heartbeat on “Be By Your Side”, building up to its chorus before falling back on dreamy harmonies. As frontwoman Pam explains, the track explores “the feeling of being about to burst and how cathartic it could be to allow yourself to let your emotions out and feel the world around you.” A similar level of catharsis is reached on “No Good Woman” - “pretty much a song about Sisyphus” - as the band rail against unattainable standards and the hopelessness that can come with that.

Across their discography, Pillow Queens have effectively nailed the art of finding those small moments of introspection or insecurity and engulfing them in sound: on “Hearts & Minds” the imposter syndrome they’ve discovered in a male dominated industry is mapped onto the earworming chorus; with “Historian”, it’s the everyday moments of falling in love that match up to a restless instrumental. “Sonically we wanted it to sound like it was tender and delicate but with moments of chaos,” guitarist Cathy explains, “echoing the unexpected nature of it.”

Standout moments from this record are found on the opening riff of “Well Kept Wife” and in the crescendo of “My Body Moves”, but across the record it’s clear that Pillow Queens have truly hit their stride as a band. Leave The Light On strikes the balance between the excitement of an early career and the deliberate precision of seasoned musicians” – The Line of Best Fit

Wallis Bird - Hands

Release Date: 27th May

Label: Mount Silver Records

Producers: Marcus Wüst, Philipp Milner and Wallis Bird

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/product/wallis-bird/hands

Standout Tracks: What’s Wrong with Changing?/Aquarius/Pretty Lies

Key Cut: DreamWriting

Review:

“Walis Bird’s music has been a staple in the Irish music scene since her first release Spoons in 2007. Her spirited releases have followed those who have been growing in an environment where genres have been mixing and matching such as Saint Sister and Ailbhe Reddy. Now with Hands, Bird faces into her personal history with empathy and the energy that pushes her into legendary status.

Bird captures how exciting trusting yourself can be and Hands is all about taking that leap. Her openhearted lyrics and earthy vocals instil a sense of pride, not only of yourself and the tribulations you’ve been through, but as an Irish person, of how far Ireland has come. On ‘What’s Wrong With Changing?’, tribal drums accompany an empowered Bird who looks back on the progressive actions of her home country.

‘Aquarius’ and ‘Dreamwriting’ float along on childhood memories and fantastical imaginings. The warped echoing guitar and shimmering synths surround the more gentle moments in an ’80s haze.These moments bookend the uplifting chaos as if Róisín Murphy and Kate Bush were playing back to back.

Ultimately, Hands blends fun with reflection; bombastic melodies with passionate confessions. The closing tracks ‘The Dive’ and ‘Pretty Lies’ lead into a wondrous ending that has birdsong and an electric guitar solo working hand in hand. Pushing you to groove one minute and breathe the next, Wallis Bird has crafted a multifaceted record; one that honours her roots” – Loud and Quiet

Aoife Doyle - Infinitely Clear

Release Date: 22nd April

Label: Rannagh Records

Producer: Michael Buckley

Buy: https://aoifedoyle.bandcamp.com/album/infinitely-clear

Standout Tracks: Love Conquers All/Infinitely Clear/Awakening

Key Cut: They Say

Review:

“Aoife Doyle is an artist on a steep upward curve. Her first two albums, This Time the Dream's On Me (2013) and Clouds (2017) were well-received and charted the Wicklow-born vocalist's progress from a fine interpreter of other people's songs to a composer and lyricist who was beginning to find her own voice.

Infinitely Clear, however, is on a whole other level, a gorgeous confection of jazz, folk, soul and country that will surely bring her the attention she deserves and bears comparison – in sound, in finesse, and in its potential to make a star of its creator – with Norah Jones’s debut album. Songs like They Say, Love Conquers All and Strength to be Strong, already released as singles and getting plenty of mainstream domestic airplay, glow with inner warmth and conviction, with more than enough to satisfy the heart and the hips.

Talented musicians

As before, Doyle has gathered around her a group of talented musicians – including her classy regular trio of pianist Johnny Taylor, bassist Andrew Csibi and drummer Dominic Mullan – and brought them into the House of Horns studio in Dublin where producer and master saxophonist Michael Buckley has worked his magic. With gorgeous horn arrangements from Buckley and trumpeter Ronan Dooney, delicate backing vocals from Margot Daly, and further layers of lushness from organist Justin Carroll and guitarist Jack Maher, Infinitely Clear is a heart-warming gem, a classic in the making from an artist who has found her groove and, one senses, is about to be huge” – The Irish Times

Sorcha Richardson - Smiling Like an Idiot

Release Date: 23rd September

Label: Faction Record LTD.

Producer: Alex Casnoff

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/product/sorcha-richardson/smiling-like-an-idiot

Standout Tracks: Shark Eyes/Purgatory/Jackpot

Key Cut: Spotlight Television

Review:

“Smiling Like An Idiot is, according to Richardson, “about falling in love with a person and a place, which in this case is Dublin, and how those two are interlinked.” Across 11 tracks, we follow her through the stages of relationship that we experience collectively but often do not understand. Sorcha has already become known for writing her biography through her albums, while making it relatable, sincere, always with a little humor sprinkled on top; on the album we hear her process her euphoria, her anxiety, the person she was, her doubts and more.

Melancholic electric guitars with a folksy, almost country twang accented by slide guitars open the album in “Archie”, a song about friendship rather than love. Fear not, she sings away without mentioning those country crutch words “truck”, “beer”, or “girl,” using her lilting vocals to maintain a steady plod until her chorus enters with a cymbal crash, vocal layers, and warmth. The track becomes one of movement in her triumphant lament: “waiting on the weekend / there’s nothing for me here / so don’t you be a stranger / don’t you disappear.”

A moody synth arpeggio opens “Shark Eyes” with an echo of Tangerine Dream. Sorcha’s sweet, innocent vocal belies her intentions; “I ain’t waiting on the outside / looking for your invite…  I’ll just say it outright, I knew it the first night.” She floats around the ups and downs of her love over bright droning synth pads and energetic drums. Collaboration with producer Alex Casnoff (Sparks, Dawes, Harriet) did not prove to be an issue across the distance: she in Dublin, he in LA, and his mark is apparent in tracks like this where he makes the bed and she builds on top.

“Spotlight Television” opens with a chorused electric guitar that reminds of Jane’s Addiction’s “Classic Girl”. Sorcha enters with a honeyed melody and ponders another love found and possibly lost; “we hold our nerve / get the love that we deserve / won’t let the signal die keep calling in the blackout / I won’t let the line go dead.” Full of dreamy harmonies, it’s a windows-open kind of tune.

Ambient synth pads give way to arpeggiated electric guitars and shuffling drums, while Sorcha reflects on a love gone awry in “Stalemate”. Grungy guitars counterpose the acoustic strums and solo violin that raise the final choruses, an uplifting feel that almost contradicts her worries; “don’t you think you got me wrong / yeah, you might have got me wrong.” Sorcha has said she “was trying not to think too much about genre, so the references could be anything from Carole King to LCD Soundsystem” and this is apparent in “Stalemate” and the album as a whole, as so many of the tracks effortlessly cross genre.

“Purgatory” begins with the sounds of a room and sweet synth but dissolves into distorted stabs and fuzzed out guitars. Sorcha trudges through seven terraces of her love story: the tone gets a bit darker for a spell but we see again her melodic craft and lyricism. I can’t tell if her purgatory is closer to heaven or hell, but with the way she lays it out, I would take either with her.

During her time living in her grandparents’ home, she wrote a string of tracks right after the next: “Jackpot”, “Holiday”, “Good Intentions”, and “Starlight Lounge”. The latter was released as a standalone single, while the rest appear here on Smiling Like An Idiot. As she explains: “the stakes in these songs feel high, these moments are so charged and magnetized, and I wanted the music to match that adrenaline.”

“Jackpot” is an acoustic ballad full of coffee-shop-vibing. “Holiday” lifts the levels just a bit but makes it clear the tracks were siblings in the writing process. It’s a natural sounding track, and it’s not hard to imagine lying in a room with the songwriter “playing songs on the speakers.” Any song opening with happy claps gives you the warm and fuzzies of her anthemic evolution.

While the album’s themes could be taken as melodramatic, Sorcha’s coy lyricism lifts the album to a level of sophistication on par with her contemporaries like Phoebe Bridgers. Among the main themes on the album is the insecurity one feels in a new relationship, and Sorcha has said: “There’s a need to take a leap of faith and ask someone to take a bet on you, or to take a bet on you when you’re not sure you would bet on yourself.” This could also be an allegory for the experience of releasing an album, and Smiling Like An Idiot is absolutely one to bet on” – Beats Per Minute

SOAK - If I never know you like this again

Release Date: 20th May

Label: Rough Trade

Producer: Tommy McLaughlin

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/product/soak/if-i-never-know-you-like-this-again

Standout Tracks: purgatory/get well soon/swear jar

Key Cut: last July

Review:

“SOAK’s first two albums had already established their brand of queer indie-rock befitting a coming-of-age soundtrack, so it wasn’t surprising to hear them featured on episode six of Heartstopper last month. Now, their third record is “the most accurate picture” of themselves to date, written over the long months of the pandemic. “I felt no pressure at all,” they explain. “It was almost like I was ranting as I was writing.” Complete with dreamy guitar bends, gorgeous harmonies, and a candid lyricism that Phoebe Bridgers would be proud of, If I Never Know You Like This Again has undoubtedly delivered a hat-trick for the Derry-born artist.

From examining uncertainties on “purgatory”, the record moves to one of its highlights, “last july”, a near anthemic pop track set against a wall of guitar that echoes the sound of fellow Irish rockers Pillow Queens. From there. SOAK’s talent of tongue-in-cheek writing truly comes into its own: “what if you fall in love overnight / with some posh boy on a gap year?” they fret on “bleach”, an intimate confession of their insecurities as a lover. The heartbreaking “get well soon” strikes a similar balance between the serious and the cynical: agonising over words unsaid to late friends, and of ongoing mental health struggles, they offer the weak suggestion that “maybe we should hang a ‘live laugh love’ sign”.

Another of the record’s standouts is “baby, you’re full of shit”. “I probably won’t listen to your podcast,” SOAK concedes with brilliantly brutal indifference, refusing to make any more excuses for a walking red flag. That they were ranting as they were writing can be heard most obviously at the tail-end of the album, as “red-eye” relives the feelings of displacement on a trip to America with restless frustration. That energy carries on into “neptune” - an epic of a crescendo that almost reaches seven minutes in length. It would, perhaps, have made sense to leave this as the record’s conclusion, but the epilogue track, “swear jar”, is far from an afterthought. “Where have I been all my life? / Watching myself from the sidelines,” SOAK muses over an acoustic guitar and haunting harmonies. It’s as much a moment of catharsis as “neptune”: where the first came wrapped in energy and volume, the album’s true finale is found in quiet self-reflection” – The Line of Best Fit

Hannah Peel - The Midwich Cuckoos (Original Soundtrack)

Release Date: 3rd June

Label: Invada Records

Producer: Hannah Peel

Buy: https://hannahpeelmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-midwich-cuckoos-original-score

Standout Tracks: Cuckoo/Hive Screams/A Pattern

Key Cut: Pregnant

Review:

“Deeply unnerving but weirdly consoling at the same time – rather like the children who have mysteriously arrived in the town!

Peel’s ability to portray pastoral scenes through her electronics is a massive bonus, for some of the scene setting is exquisite, matching the rich green shades of the production. Yet there is often a dark undercurrent to the writing and a sense of profound unease, especially when describing the hive mind the children have in place. This is done with a single pitch of changing colour and tonal quality, an eerie echo rebounding as though off the walls of a quarry. Lasting comfort is hard to find, though there is brief solace in the mother-child relationships that are formed.

Peel writes descriptively, her melodies portraying the strength of emotion on show from the mothers towards their children, but the deep drones and atmospherics tell a very different story, revealing the layers at work in the youngsters’ minds.

The title music itself is otherworldly, suggesting the intervention of beings from well beyond this planet, and quoting the birdsong of the cuckoo which has at its heart the promise of spring. The Cuckoo music takes the form of the bird as it grows, with the telling lyric “In June, I change my tune”. The Midwich Cuckoos Theme is dark indeed, blotting out the light in a haunting 20 second salvo” – arcana

Just Mustard – Heart Under

Release Date: 27th May

Label: Partisan Records

Buy: https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/product/just-mustard/heart-under

Producers: Just Mustard

Standout Tracks: Still/Blue Chalk/In Shade

Key Cut: Mirrors

Review:

“Since the release of their debut album ‘Wednesday’ in 2018, Dundalk five-piece Just Mustard have been gradually shifting their sound towards something more uncategorisable. Through the singles ‘Frank’, ‘October’ and ‘Seven’ as well as tours with Fontaines D.C. and gigs alongside The Cure, the band’s sound has slowly shifted towards heavier, noisier tones and left behind the shoegaze tag that has followed them around since the release of their debut. On ‘Heart Under’, their second album and first for Partisan, they present themselves as a truly unique gem.

Across the whole of the new album, Just Mustard’s instruments are used inventively, finding new corners of untouched landscape. The scything sound that begins ‘Still’ sounds like industrial machinery firing up, rather than the noise of a guitar, and the dual attack of guitarists David Noonan and Mete Kalyoncuoglu is the album’s main focus throughout. The pair are constantly stretching their instruments to new levels, sounding like everything from wailing sirens (‘23’) to techno synths (‘Seed’), while also often providing watery, ambient beauty (‘Mirrors’). It contrasts beautifully with the warm melodies of Rob Clarke’s basslines and Katie Ball’s deeply atmospheric vocals.

Speaking to NME recently, guitarist David Noonan said that the band thrive when “finding ways of arranging songs with traditional rock band instrumentation, but trying to find ways of doing it that reflect other types of music that we are interested in, not just guitar-based music.” Many of the choices made on ‘Heart Under’ feel deliberately picked in order to avoid easy categorisation, but the conviction with which the band go through with them makes them feel purposeful, rather than purely an exercise in doing something different for the sake of it.

After being self-produced by the band at Donegal’s Attica Studios and then finished at home once the pandemic hit, they enlisted David Wrench, one half freak-pop duo Audiobooks, whose production credits include The xx and Frank Ocean, to mix the record. As such, ‘Heart Under’ skews away from the traditional structures of rock music – there are no ‘choruses’ as such here – and seems to rise and fall on its own timeline, be it at the cacophonous end of single ‘I Am You’ or right out of the gate on the harsh, metallic ‘Seed’; this is music that keeps you guessing.

The band have said they want ‘Heart Under’ to feel like the experience of driving through a tunnel with the windows down. Through deliciously inventive musicianship they’ve created something even more thrilling” – NME

FEATURE: Fear na hÉireann: A Tribute to the Wonderful Michael Byrne and the Beautiful Book, Finding Kate

FEATURE:

 

 

Fear na hÉireann

 IMAGE CREDIT: Michael Byrne and Marius Herbert (Finding Kate)

A Tribute to the Wonderful Michael Byrne and the Beautiful Book, Finding Kate

_________

ANY passing away that relates…

to Kate Bush is very sad, but there was something particularly heartbreaking about the fact author and writer Michael Byrne died on Christmas Eve. On a day of wonder, expectation, excitement and happiness, someone who is so important to the Kate Bush community left us. I have been re-reading a book that he helped to bring together, Finding Kate: An illustrated journey through five decades of the music of Kate Bush. What he did, alongside illustrator Marius Herbert, was to bring Bush’s unique, always remarkable and poetic lyrics to life. I think that many listen to her music and focus on the vocals. Maybe not recognising the beauty, originality, power and depth of her words, Finding Kate was a book that immersed you inside some of her best-known and lesser-heard tracks. With Michael selecting some excellent and memorable lines, and Marius producing these stunning images, the book is a must-own for established Kate Bush fans and new converts alike. The Twitter account is still active. I am going to get to the book and why I love it so much in a bit. First, from the Finding Kate book official website, the sad announcement of Michael’s death was announced:

“We are heartbroken to let you know that Michael sadly passed away on Christmas Eve after a short illness.

Michael was incredibly passionate about Kate Bush’s music and about the artist herself. He was driven to share this passion with fellow fans and also hoped he might draw in new fans through his beautifully written book.

 IMAGE CREDIT: Michael Byrne and Marius Herbert (Finding Kate)

Michael produced many books over the years but ‘Finding Kate’ was a labour of love for him and it is what he is most proud of. He was initially a little anxious about how the book might be received, particularly from dedicated Kate Bush fans, but the book has been sold all over the world and the positive feedback we have been receiving back since the first copy was sent out has been quite phenomenal.

Michael found great joy in hearing from people who have said that the book has touched them or helped them in some way. Kate Bush fans have told us that they have read things in the book that they never knew about her before but also that they felt that they got to know a little bit about Michael through his writing in the book

We will keep Michael’s legacy going and hope that people will continue to enjoy this book for many years to come. It is definitely what Michael would have wanted.

>> Deirdre and Marius <<”.

Prior to coming to my thoughts and recollection of Michael Byrne, here are some details about the essential and gorgeous Finding Kate. It is a book that I hope will reach the hands of Kate Bush fans for many years to come:

“An illustrated journey through five decades of the music of Kate Bush

In 1978 a then totally unknown teenage girl topped the UK Singles Chart with her debut single Wuthering Heights and in doing so became the first female artist to achieve a UK number one hit with a self-penned song. In 1980, aged 20 she was also the first British female solo artist to to enter the album charts at number one with Never For Ever, her third studio album. Her career currently spans five decades and she has had twenty five UK Top 40 singles in that time. As a singer, songwriter, musician, dancer and record producer she has been a groundbreaking artist in the truest sense of the word, often laying bare her soul in her songwriting and she is someone who has never been afraid to take risks creatively.

Finding Kate is a large, beautifully produced coffee table book that sets out to visually and textually explore her eclectic and often experimental musical style, her unconventional lyrics and in doing so celebrate the genius of one of the true icons of British music – Ms. Kate Bush”.

 IMAGE CREDIT: Michael Byrne and Marius Herbert (Finding Kate) 

“Finding Kate explores a selection of the author Michael’s favourite Kate songs which he has chosen from her extensive five decade long career, each one conceptually visualised as double page spreads with accompanying text detailing song facts, together with his own personal insights into the music – all beautifully digitally illustrated by Marius. The book is broken into five chronological chapters each covering a defined period in time, plus there will be other interesting Kate content related to her recorded work to date (we say ’to date’ because as fans we really hope there is more to come!).

As nearly all of the photographs that have been shot of Kate over the years are very familiar to fans through their constant use both online and in press, the aim of the book is to create vivid and exciting ‘illustrated visuals’ which will be new to fans. These ‘illustrated visuals’ will be based on original photographs (which we are licensing the rights and paying for) and which will connect with the text and visually explore the themes in Kate’s songs.

Like all of Kate’s own work, this book will be produced like a labour of love to the highest possible standard, both at the design and the print production stages. Michael and Marius alone will conceptualise, write, create, illustrate and handle the pre press stages of the book.

Finding Kate was launched on December 3rd 2021 and has been enthusiastically received by both the music press and fans of Kate Bush worldwide. It is currently in stock and ships immediately upon purchase”.

  IMAGE CREDIT: Michael Byrne and Marius Herbert (Finding Kate)

Michael Byrne kindly credited me in the acknowledgements of the book. Whilst it was being written and compiled, he asked me about Kate Bush songs and whether there were any I would particularly recommend. I suggested some of her songs I felt were quite underrated and had particularly good lyrics. Alongside more obvious songs, there is a nice selection of deeper cuts that made it into the book. During the pandemic, me and Michael had a Zoom chat. He didn’t need to do it but, thankful for my input, we had a great chat. He was calling from Ireland, and we discussed the book and how it came together. It was clear from the chat and the many Twitter messages we exchanged how he was passionate about Bush and her music in a way I had never seen before! I thought I was passionate about Bush’s music, but Michael’s knowledge, enthusiasm and curiosity was on another level! He had this innate understanding of her lyrics and why particular songs were effecting and standout. This is reflecting in the marvellous Finding Kate. It is a book that I will treasure and will come back to time and time again. The combination of Michael’s lyrical selections and words, together with those sublime images makes it a visual feast! Thanks to Michael, the book has given me a new appreciation for Kate Bush. I have explored songs of hers I hadn’t listened to for a while. I have also thought deeply about Bush’s words and what they mean to people. How they connect. Why they are so timeless and moving.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Michael Byrne, Mandy Watson (Cloudbusting) and Marius Herbert in Dublin, July 2022

It was a privilege to speak with Michael and exchange messages for months. He explained to me a while ago how he suffered an accident and was out of commission for a while. Even though that, he was optimism and still had that drive and love for Kate Bush in his heart. I know how hard it was to get the Finding Kate book funded and to the people. It was a labour of love for Michael and Marius, and their commitment and hard work made Kate Bush happen. Even though we sadly say goodbye to the great Michael Byrne, his amazing contribution and legacy will live forever. I want to end with some beautiful words from Kate Bush News. In December 2021, the Kate Bush Fan Podcast spoke with Michael about Finding Kate. Go and listen to it now:

“Michael, a kind, industrious, soft-spoken man who ran a creative publishing company in Dublin, first came to my attention during lockdown in 2020 – contacting me to feel out an ambitious, high quality Kate Bush coffee table book project, Finding Kate, that he was undertaking with his colleague, the supremely talented Irish designer and illustrator, Marius Herbert. Needing something to throw his endless energy into while business took a pandemic downturn, his passion and sincerity as a fan managed to convince me that this was going to be special so I was on board, plugging his crowdfunding campaign (it wasn’t a cheap book to produce) and helping to spread the word. Michael succeeded in getting interviews on national Irish radio and press articles about the book, and I am delighted that we got the chance to record an episode of the Kate Bush Fan Podcast together all about the Finding Kate project. You can hear it here – it’s so wonderful to be able to hear him talk last year about realising his dream project. The detailed effort that went into creating each image is so evident in his voice.

 The early peeks I got of the book were breathtakingly good. The reaction from fans was highly enthusiastic, the book was hailed as a great success. As I wrote before on this site, “it was a joy to leaf through the pages of the book and talk through this impressive piece of work with its clearly relieved and delighted creators. As promised, the book is a visual feast, illustrating twenty six of Kate’s songs across sumptuous double-page spreads. The songs have been chosen by Michael, a major Kate Bush fan (it shows!) who writes beautifully about each song’s significance in Kate’s career and what they mean to him.”

Some of the sumptuous reward items crowdfunders received with their early orders

“The unexpectedly generous introduction sections by Michael throughout constitute a wonderful, concise synopsis of Kate’s recording career, so there’s plenty of great reading here for both casual and more hardcore fans of Kate. But, this large LP-sized book is intended to be a visual feast and Marius has produced some breathtaking images filled with detail and touches that were agonised over for months between the pair – a honeybee flies across the pages from a near psychedelic explosion of Kate in colourful nature imagery (and a familiar yellow sun-design) for Delius, a floating, angel-winged electric guitar poignantly reflects the departed musicians name-checked in Blow Away (for Bill), a water-submerged Kate simultaneously floats, dreamlike, above the planet for Hello Earth, an Irish dancer’s feet captured in whirling mid-step on a flagstone floor for Jig of Life, four glorious pages devoted to A Sky of Honey where the crimson, red and rust of golden hour transform a female figure into an explosion of feathered wings and avian friends, soaring skyward…and so many, many more surprising visuals.”

IMAGE CREDIT: Michael Byrne and Marius Herbert (Finding Kate)

Michael had told me that one of the sparks of inspiration to do the book came from seeing the Kate tribute band Cloudbusting play in The Sugar Club in Dublin, so it was my pleasure just a few short months ago in July to arrange for Michael and Marius to meet the band backstage before their Dublin gig, where he presented the band members with copies of the book. It was plain to see the joy and pride Michael had on his face as he explained the book and thanked the band for spreading Kate’s music out into the world. He was floating on air. I had no way of knowing that was the last time I’d see him, but I’m glad it was such a joyous occasion for him. Very recently, Michael managed to get the book mentioned again on national radio here in Ireland, presenter Ryan Tubridy truly impressed by the book – a flood of new orders ensued. Of course.

Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Michael’s wife Deirdre, his children Holly, Conor and Alyson and to all his family and friends. He will be terribly missed. An online book of condolence is here. We especially send a big hug to Marius, who patiently and painstakingly helped Michael to put together something that remains utterly unique for Kate’s fans around the world to enjoy. Marius, your illustration work is exquisite. You have done yourself and Michael so very proud. I would urge anyone reading this to get your copy of the book to see it for yourself. It’s available to order worldwide from https://findingkatebook.com/ – RIP Michael, you did it x”.

Michael will be very much missed by us all! In addition to the beautiful tribute from Kate Bush News, there have been some touching tributes and words from those who knew Michael and who have bought the Finding Kate book. I still can’t process the news. I am glad he achieved a dream in getting a book made - and we are very grateful for all that he has given us. I only knew him for a brief time, but it was a real pleasure and honour! When it came to showing love, passion and dedication to Kate Bush’s iconic music, there was…

katebushnews.com · Kate Bush Fan Podcast Episode 45 - Finding Kate Book Chat with Michael Byrne

NOBODY quite like him!

FEATURE: Spotlight: Eyelar

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

Eyelar

_________

I am recommending an artist…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Eyelar

who had a busy 2022 and, to be fair, has been pretty busy since lockdown started in 2020. Perhaps someone who was hoping to be busier and tour more in 2020 and 2021, Eyelar is an artist making up for lost time now! There are not that many more recent interviews with her, but I wanted to look back at one from 2020, one from 2021, plus a relatively new one from late last year. One reason I am featuring her here is because she has been tipped for greatness this year. The Dutch-born, London-based Eyelar Mirzazadeh is a sensational artist everyone needs to look out for through 2023. I am going to come to a few interviews. The Forty-Five chatted with such a bright, hugely talented and passionate artist in 2020. At a time when lockdown was in force, it must have been frustrating that she was not able to get out and play gigs:

“With her animated demeanor and vivid, candyfloss curls, it’s immediately obvious that Eyelar Mirzazadeh doesn’t do shy and retiring. Apparently, she never has.

Speaking today from her mother’s home in Amsterdam, the 24-year-old enthuses about her childhood, recalling how she would voluntarily entertain the guests at her parent’s weekly parties, performing improvised choreography to the Persian music filling the house. By the age of 16 she was effortlessly belting out Mary J Blige ballads on national television, and subsequently made the semi-finals of ‘The Voice of Holland’. Within a few years she established herself as a much sought-after songwriter in London, regularly working with A-listers like Little Mix, Demi Lovato and Charli XCX. But while all of this would have been impossible without her possessing even the mildest of exhibitionist streaks, the Dutch-Iranian singer-songwriter maintains that her sole motivation has always been forging an honest connection with her audience.

That fact is abundantly clear on her debut EP. Produced by her good friend and long-time collaborator Fred Again (Stormzy, Headie One, Jamie xx), ‘Doin It Again’ finds Eyelar delivering four unflinching snapshots from her life. “I got so tired of loving men, so I fucked a girl just to pretend,” she sings over undulating keys on ‘Man Like Her’, a sweetly apologetic ode to a lost night of experimentation. Eyelar’s hurt is palpable on ‘Care Like You’ as she reels off a list of imagined revenge tactics aimed at an ex-partner over twitchy beats and pillowy soft-synths. Meanwhile the title track tackles the difficulties of resisting damaging romantic attachments while swelling beautifully into soulful, electronic-pop from its foundation of sparse, shimmering guitars.

Hey Eyelar, how has lockdown life been treating you?

“Well, for the first two weeks I was a bit like, ‘Fuck, what am I gonna do?’ Because I love making music with my friends in the studio, and that’s what I do every single day, usually. And if I don’t make music I get in a really weird place. But then I decided to pull myself together, so I bought a microphone, fiddled with Logic and I think after about a month I started really writing and recording, and I would shoot and edit videos. It’s been really productive for me, actually – I’ve grown so much. I also tried to learn to skateboard, but I fell really hard. (Laughs)”

So can you tell me more about your route into songwriting?

So I come from a town where nobody does anything other than school stuff. I didn’t know anyone who was creative, basically, so I decided to enter ‘The Voice of Holland’ because I needed to do something. I didn’t tell my parents, because I wanted to see how far I would go, and then I got to the semi-finals. And that was good for me because then I had a way into the music industry.

So after ‘The Voice’ I started writing songs and toplines for DJs and stuff, because that’s what everyone was doing, and then after a year I got really bored of writing dance songs and was like, right, ‘I need to go to London.’ I didn’t know anyone there but I knew if I wanted to make it I needed to go to London. Then I found out that this producer called Distortion was Dutch but lived in London, so I just tweeted him, like, ‘We should work together,’ and he was like, ‘Sure, send me some stuff.’ I did and he really liked my songs, so I literally got on a plane to London to do a session with him and we wrote two songs together. And his manager was like, ‘Wow, who’s this girl?’ and he ended up becoming my manager.”

How has London shaped you as an artist?

“I grew up on hip hop and R&B, because I had a bigger brother who was into that and I always wanted to impress him, but when I came to London I started listening to a lot of rock music. That was something that was quite new to my ears: The 1975, Nirvana, The Clash… I have a really weird song with Brunswick called ‘Fxck You Cause You Were The One’, that’s literally inspired by ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ by The Stone Roses. Those earlier songs I released were my experimental phase, and that was definitely inspired by English music. I think London as a city suits me and my music. London feels like home for me”.

I will come to a quick question and answer interview from Gig Goer from 2021. The last couple of years have been productive and successful for Eyelar, but lockdown and the pandemic has definitely delayed things. 2022 was a busier one, and I think this year is the one where Eyelar breaks through worldwide and is recognised as one of the most striking and remarkable artists around:

“How would you describe the project to someone at a dinner party that’s never heard of you?

Honest lyrics and (what I strive to be) beautiful melodies.

What advice would you give to your pre-lockdown self?

You’re gonna be okay. In fact, I’m giving myself that advice to post lockdown me as well.

How would you sum up your 2020 in one sentence?

Fucked and beautiful. I’ve connected with myself and with people in ways I’ve never connected before.

Name one thing you can’t imagine your life without.

My mum.

What is the most useless talent you have?

I’m weirdly good at ping pong and for someone who doesn’t drink a lot I have a high tolerance for alcohol. I really don’t know why, but I do.

What are your hopes and dreams for 2021?

To FINALLY perform on a stage with people and dance together!!! I’m dying to go out and dance with my friends again.

And also release more music and write the best songs I’ve ever written. I also hope I can keep my room more tidy.

Which artists excite you the most this year?

I’m sorry to say it’s myself.

And finally, what does your music say about you?

It says that I am emotional, expressive and a little bit crazy”.

A sensational artist who I am predicting big things for this year, 1883 spoke with Eyelar about her then-new single, Till You Hate Me, at the end of last year. It is clear that Eyelar has always been determined to be a musician. She was definitely born to bring her wonderful music to a wide audience. I think that she will achieve huge things this year:

“Growing up in The Netherlands you said you didn’t come from a very musical family but dinner parties were aregular fixture which gave you and your friends the opportunity to come up with shows and perform them for everyone. At what point did you realise creating music was what you wanted to do with your life? What do you think you would be doing now had it not been for music, did you ever have a sort of backup plan?

I grew up in a really, really small town and no one was doing anything creative so my interests were not something I shared with anyone really. My parents knew I loved singing because not only would I perform, dance, and sing but I would also find out the lyrics of songs and memorise them all. I would just always be thinking about music and singing. Then I went to high school and no one was doing anything creative but I just knew I was going to do music at some point in my life, I didn’t know how, when, or with who but I just knew it was going to happen. I even found a little diary in my mom’s house from when I must have been around fourteen-years-old that I wrote a manifestation in and it said “When I’m 25 I’m only going to be speaking English, I’m going to be a huge musician, and I’m only going to be making music”. That was at a time when I didn’t even know anyone who was in music or was doing any sort of music at all but I was always writing songs, short stories, and handwritten poems which I still have at home.

Speaking of the old diary you found, it’s been 10 years since you wrote that manifestation you’ve gotten to a point where it has become reality. Do you manifest often?

I manifest a lot, I have a notebook where I journal often and it’s really nice because once a year I go through my old journals just to see what my list of manifestations were and they always change. Most of the things I have written down though have all come true so I am a huge believer and even when I feel like I don’t believe in myself or when I’m really low in energy, I still do it because I just think it’s super powerful. Words are really powerful, especially when they get out of your thoughts and onto paper. I definitely believe in manifesting and it’s nice because the goals I have written so far in my life have mostly come true. You do kind of get to a goal and then your goal shifts and becomes bigger and more specific. You also grow as a person so maybe your goals change. I manifest every day.

It’s always great to be able to look back and see that you have achieved your goals! I also think the more specific, the better. So I’m quite specific. I have the big goals but I also write down really specific things, years, months or even people. It’s quite specific.

Your music career began in 2012 when you appeared on the Voice Of Holland and made it to the semi-finals. You mentioned the reason you did it was because you had to do something when it came to music and it served as a way into the music industry. After the show, you spent time writing for other people before releasing your first single as an artist. Did you feel any pressure when beginning to release music yourself or did it come naturally to you after spending so long creating behind the scenes?

Wanting to release my own songs happened really organically because in the beginning when I moved to London, I was in the studio every day and that’s what I wanted to do. It’s not like I didn’t want to be an artist, I just really wanted to write songs every single day. Also, when I learned what artists were doing and how to do it I was like “Whoa, I just want to be in a studio” so I did that for a while but after a few years I just wrote some songs I didn’t want to give away. It wasn’t a case of “Okay, I’m going to write and then become an artist”  it was more me just writing songs and then some of the ones I was writing I didn’t want to give up. It was actually a really cool moment because I remember having written a song and that was the first time I was like “Oh, maybe I should release this” but I only thought about it, I didn’t do anything. I was in West London in Sarm Studios and that day my manager called me about that song and he was like “Should this not be your song?” And I was like “Oh my god, that’s crazy” and that was the first time this whole process started happening, at a super slow pace.

I think there is definitely a certain pressure that I didn’t feel. There is always pressure when you’re in the industry but I’m also someone who puts pressure on myself, that’s just my personality. My parents moved from Iran basically because there wasn’t a future for me and my brothers so I always felt pressure to do well in whatever I was going to do so when I started releasing my own songs I felt the pressure of comparing myself to other people. I would be looking at the numbers, if you have 100 positive comments and one of them is negative, you tend to fixate on that one which is something that’s very unnatural and weird. It’s like a different kind of pressure you have to navigate your way through.

You take a lot of inspiration lyrically from things that have happened in your life and conversations you have had and said lyrics are the most important part for you. Does your writing process differ at all when writing for other people rather than for yourself? Or do the two tend to converge?

No, it’s definitely different because when I’m writing for someone else, usually I’m in a room with them and it’s more about writing a song that is the artist or collaborator’s story. It’s all about talking and usually, from that hour or two hours that we talk and hang out, there’s already a song concept–well, on a good day anyway! When I’m writing for myself, it’s less of a pop approach. It’s more a case of just letting everything come out and hoping that it’s a good song.

Rather than thinking within a pop formula, just let everything out and see what happens…

Yeah, see what happens and maybe it’s good, maybe it’s not but it’s definitely more a train of thought where I just let it all come out. When I write for other people, whether they’re in the room or not, it’s a different approach.

You mentioned when you came to London that you had quite a bit of inspiration from listening to bands like Nirvana and Hole. Who would you say are some of your biggest inspirations, musically?

That’s a really hard question because I’ve written so many songs in different genres. I’m from an Iranian background and grew up in Holland before moving to London so I grew up on hip hop and R&B and have so much music I love. For me, I think it’s if the storytelling is good. That’s why I really love Kurt Cobain, with his lyrics it feels like you’re inside his mind and I really love that. Equally, I think Taylor Swift does it as well. Those are things I really love but I also love artists who make you feel like you can express freely so for that reason I love Madonna as well, she’s done so much for female pop culture. I think there’s inspiration everywhere, even with Tupac, I love listening to his songs and looking at the lyrics. Sometimes I read the lyrics as the song is playing because Tupac is also a really good storyteller. For me, it’s any artist who is a great storyteller”.

If you have not listened to Eyelar’s amazing music, then go and follow her and make sure she is a permanent part of your listening this year! I discovered her fairly recently, but I have no doubt that she is going to be a huge proposition. A stunningly original and accomplished artist already, there is a wonderful career ahead of her. One hit of her music is enough to…

SEDUCE the senses.

____________

Follow Eyelar

 Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/eyelarx/

TikTok:

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

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/Eyelar

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3u4qXYRgHgU7YtjZt9sduX

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-FDTdrKjJwZhGhkG73rOwg

FEATURE: Looking Ahead… Songs from Albums Turning Five in 2023

FEATURE:

 

 

Looking Ahead…

Songs from Albums Turning Five in 2023

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LOOKING ahead to 2023…

I am doing a run of features marking great albums celebrating big anniversaries. I am finishing with 2018 –albums from a superb year for music. Albums that are going to be five in 2023. I am marking this anniversary with a playlist of ace songs from that year. It was a brilliant year for music, and there are some key songs in the playlist below. Such an important anniversary, these songs below are simply wonderful. If you are not sure which worthy albums came out in 2018, then the playlist below gives you an idea of how memorable…

THE year was.

FEATURE: An Immaculate Collection: Madonna and My Introduction to Pop Music

FEATURE:

 

 

An Immaculate Collection

 IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna in 1983/PHOTO CREDIT: Gary Heery

Madonna and My Introduction to Pop Music

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THIS is not tied to any anniversaries…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Madonna

but I wanted to use one of thew last feature of 2021 to discuss a Pop icon. I have been a fan of Madonna since the 1980s. Whereas The Beatles were probably the first Pop act I heard as a child, Madonna was someone who opened my eyes and mind to something else. Mixing accessibility and something commercial with a very distinct sound and set of lyrics, she is still someone very much in the public eye and affection. Her eponymous debut album is forty next year. It was released the same year I was born, so I always feel a slightly attachment to it because of that. Also, at some point next year, the Madonna biopic is going to be released. Starring Julia Garner, Madonna is directing the film (I believe she has also co-written the screenplay). I have written about Madonna a lot through the years but, as I am forty next year, I have been thinking more about the artists who inspired me and got me into music. There is no doubt Madonna is among the most important. Whereas a lot of artists I grew up listening to are no longer recording or has died, Madonna continues on strong. Maybe she will not tour much going forward, but we will definitely hear more music from her. It is great that there is always news. Something is always happening. A remastered and beautiful video for Rain (from 1992’s Erotica) is on YouTube.

As I have said before, Material Girl (from 1984’s Like a Virgin) was my first taste of her music. People will celebrate the fortieth anniversary of her debut album in July, and I will write a series of features in the lead-up. A song that has evaded streaming sites for years is finally available. The lesser-known but great track, Gambler, is available. Originally released in 1985, fans can finally get to experience it digitally. Billboard explain more:

“Three versions of the high-energy tune — the 7” version, an extended dance mix and an instrumental mix — are all now available globally on streaming providers and digital storefronts via Rhino and Warner Music Group. Previously, the song (in its 7” version) was only available on the Vision Quest film soundtrack (released by Geffen Records), while the dance mix and instrumental mix were previously available decades ago on physical singles outside of the U.S. “Gambler” has never been included on any Madonna album.

So why now for this long-awaited debut? “It was Madonna’s personal request,” according to a representative at Rhino. It’s the latest release in the ongoing catalog campaign announced in 2021. While “Gambler” is the final Madonna reissue from Rhino/Warner in 2022, Rhino promises “more fun things to look forward to in 2023” and that “Gambler” is “just a small glimpse of what fans can expect” next year.

Of note, while there is an official music video for “Gambler,” it will not receive a remastered digital HD upgrade (as some of her videos have garnered in the past). And there are no current plans to issue “Gambler” on physical single formats – such as a 12” vinyl single.

“Gambler” – written by Madonna and produced by John “Jellybean” Benitez – was one of two songs Madonna contributed to the Vision Quest album. The other was her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit ballad “Crazy for You,” also produced by Jellybean. (Madonna has a cameo in the film as a club singer, and she’s seen performing both songs briefly in the movie.)

While “Gambler” was never released as a single in the United States, it was a hit outside America, reaching the top 10 on Billboard’s European Hot 100 Singles chart and on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart.

Though American fans did not get a proper single release for “Gambler,” an official music video was played by U.S. MTV in 1985 from late January through late February, and again from late June through early July. Fans who attended Madonna’s The Virgin Tour concert that summer also saw her perform the track live. The trek was commemorated on the longform home video Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour, which was released in November 1985. The Virgin Tour spent five weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Music Video Sales chart in early 1986”.

An artist who remains so crucial in my life, it is a time of year to look forward, but also to look back. I have been thinking about music and its meaning. How it can help you cope with hard times in the current time, but also connect you to your childhood. Someone whose music has given me so much happiness through the years, I think next year will be a big one for her. In addition to the biopic, there are a couple of big anniversaries. Ray of Light, one of her best albums, is twenty-five in February. I am going to mark that anniversary closer to the time. I think a lot of music fans have Madonna to thank for giving them so much through the decades. There is no doubt that the Queen of Pop will go down in history as…

ONE of the all-time greats.

FEATURE: Spotlight: thuy

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

thuy

__________

APOLOGIES if I repeat any…

information or fact about the amazing thuy, but I wanted to highlight an artist who is going to be among those to watch closely through 2023. Released in October, the long-E.P./album, girls like me don’t cry, is an exceptional work from a singular talent. I will come to interviews around that later. First, here is some biography about the sensational thuy:

“Vibrant Vietnamese-American artist Thuy is setting herself apart in today’s pop R&B scene. The Bay Area native grew up surrounded by music and treasured pop idols Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. At age 9, Thuy knew she wanted to be a pop star. However, with no artists to look up to who looked like her, Thuy traded her musical hopes for a career in medicine. After a few lackluster years in the medical field combined with a chance visit to a studio session, Thuy finally saw what a professional career in music could look like. In no short time, Thuy recorded “Hands on Me”, winning KMEL 106.1’s Home Turf contest and cementing her first step into pop R&B success.

Since then, the now Los Angeles-based artist has released several records showcasing her angelic voice and modern R&B stylings and amassing over 150 million streams worldwide. Released in 2017, Thuy's most commercially successful track to date, "All Night Long", had a viral resurgence in 2020 and proved that Thuy’s celestial voice and knack for earworm melodies were here to stay. The track’s viral success organically crossed over to streaming platforms and skyrocketed to widespread recognition, setting the perfect foundation for her long-awaited debut EP.

2021 marks a turning point for the relative newcomer who is quickly gaining recognition for her powerful vocals and skillful songwriting having garnered support from premier outlets and major DSPs including, Billboard, Paper, NBC, Lyrical Lemonade, Flaunt, Earmilk, Spotify’s New Music Friday, and Apple Music’s Best New Songs. Thuy advocates for being true to yourself and hopes to be a voice for those who want to feel seen. Living by the quote, "On the other side of fear, lies freedom" Thuy shares, “Now, when I do something that scares me, I only find freedom and I want others to realize that. I want my music to give people the strength to shine and inspire them to go for their dreams”.

I am going to bring in a few interviews. Earlier in the year, BLEU Magazine stepped inside thuy’s beautiful universe. I have known about her music for a little while but, as she is being tipped by multiple sources as someone to watch in 2023, it is fascinating discovering more about her:

“Bleu: As an adolescent, you came across pop music at the age of nine, what made you dive into R&B? 

Thuy: In junior high, YouTube became very popular in my everyday life. Have you ever heard the phrase ‘going down a rabbit hole?’ That rabbit hole was R&B music, I listened to so much Avant, Mia, Brandy, the list could go on. At nighttime, I would always put my headphones on and have one R&B song on repeat. I’d wake up and that same song would be playing. [LOL]  But I love Pop music too; Britney Spears was another one of my favorites growing up.

You always had a love for music, but you started pursuing a career in medicine first…what led to the switch?

School was always embedded in us since we were young. Being the people pleaser I am; I’d always say ‘I want to be a doctor. At a young age, I knew how important it was to go to college and have a high-paying career to support myself, my family, and my elders. When it was time to go off to college, I went to UC Santa Barbara; my goal was to become a doctor. Once I was near graduating, I just didn’t have the passion for it anymore.

When did you start taking music seriously?

After college, I started to dabble into music more. It got serious once I started going to the studio. It got to a point where I wanted to live for myself not others. Music was the only constant in my life, through all the career changes and other obstacles life has thrown at me, music was the only thing that stayed constant. And I told myself, if I put 120%, it’s going to happen.

What obstacles did you face after making the decision to take your music career seriously?

Moving to Los Angeles was a big challenge for me. In 2019, I betted on myself and moved to a new city to solely focus on music. I just knew this is where I needed to be. Ever since then everything just elevated, my career has gone to a place where I’m very grateful for. Having my parent’s full support means everything to me.

You released your debut EP, I Hope U See This, this past year. Can you talk about what went on behind the scenes creating the album?

It’s funny you asked because two years ago when the pandemic started, I felt like my career was starting to take off, then the lockdown happened. At the time, I was finding ways to keep myself relevant by getting on any social media platform and promoting my music. It was hard for me because music is a form of therapy. When I’m not doing it, I feel stuck. Moving on, a colleague of mine who’s a producer sent a beat pack to me. Immediately I went to the studio and recorded three full songs. Working on the project, I started to see the full impact of what this project can accomplish for me. I Hope U See This, this is the full epitome of who I want to be as an artist, sonically”.

I want to move to a RAYDAR interview. I was intrigued to learn that thuy grew up with influences like Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears. You can feel a bit of that in her music, but she very much has her own sound and drive. She is an artist people will be listening to for years to come. I would urge anyone who has not heard her work – including the recent girls like me don’t cry – to do so now:

“An indie Pop artist with an R&B-charge aura, Thuy is in her bag. Making her debut some years back with “Hands On Me,” the Bay Area songstress grew up surrounded by music and influences such as Brittney Spears and Christina Aguilera amongst others. The daughter of two Vietnamese immigrants, Thuy carried on their resilience and ability to get through it no matter what through medical school before eventually pursuing her purpose, music. “I wish I started sooner but I think that everything happens for a reason,” she tells us.

Her debut single serves as a building block for her formidable catalog which contains an endless array of bops that put her honey-drenched vocals on full display. Her 2017 track “All Night Long” is a massive success and one of her biggest to date with her catalog amassing a whopping 40 million streams. What’s more important is how Thuy has molded into a young icon for fellow Vietnamese Americans and minorities through her music. “It means so much to somebody that never thought that they would see somebody who looked like them in film and media,” Thuy emphasizes. “I’m all for it!”

2021 has proved none short of a miracle for Thuy. With her latest slew of songs accompanied by visual efforts, she undoubtedly places herself out of the box and excites her audience every second she can. Records like “chances,” “universe,” and “in my bag” are just the beginning as Thuy prepares the release of her very first EP later this year. “I don’t want to jinx anything but lots of exciting things! You’re going to see more of Thuy so just be on the lookout,” she shares. Be on the lookout for more Thuy in 2021.

We had the opportunity to chat with Thuy about transitioning into music, her latest string of singles, diversity efforts in music, and much more! Read below.

From singing and songwriting to bringing everything to fruition, when and how did you discover your musical talents?

Honestly, I’ve always loved to sing ever since I could talk. I grew up in a family where karaoke was huge and I remember being a little girl, I would find some Brittney Spears song and perform. They wouldn’t understand anything I was saying but I knew I just loved to perform. Slowly that confidence I had as a little girl kind of declined with high school because you don’t really want to stand out or give people the opportunity to judge you. I still loved to sing but I just didn’t have the confidence to sing and it wasn’t until after I graduated college and met my boyfriend that I started making music in the first place.

I wish I started sooner but I think that everything happens for a reason. It’s like okay, I went to school and did something for my parents, but now it’s time to do something I like. I had this weird thing in the back of my head that I’m going to be a singer and nothing can stop me. I made my first song ever “Hands On Me” and it got on my local radio station and at that moment, it was like I know I can do this. I just knew I could do it!

Growing up, what role did your Vietnamese heritage play in finding your sound or how you create music?

I wouldn’t say that it influences my sound directly. What I can take from it is that my parents are both immigrants and it was such a hard journey for them to get here. They were really grinding so that they can support me and my five other siblings and they always figured it out. I feel like they’re so resilient and resourceful and I think I’ve taken those qualities into my music. When I first started, I didn’t know what I was doing and I wouldn’t take no for an answer.

What message did you want to get across to your listeners with your new track “in my bag”?

In my normal life, I am probably one of the most timid people and I’m kind of a bit of a people pleaser. I’ve never made a song like that where I was speaking from a standpoint of “you kind of slept on me.” So with that record, I just wanted to have fun with it and talk my shit a little bit. I wanted to be like you’ve been looking for me, but I’ve been here the whole time. I found that when you let go of that ego, life is just so much better because you’re not comparing yourself. There’s room for everyone!

One thing that I really love about your music is the creative direction you take when it comes to visuals and your aesthetic. Tell me a bit more about how you come up with all these concepts and ideas.

I love that you said that and I love that you used colorful! I feel like I’m a very colorful person. I definitely deal with social anxiety and it’s that mentality of fake it ’til you make it. I think I mask it very well by using colors and being bubbly. I try to be very methodical with how I’m releasing it because the song itself is very important but the marketing behind it is just important. I’m very hands-on with everything I do and

I’ve actually had to scrap music videos that I’ve spent thousands of dollars on things that didn’t reflect my artistry. I feel like it’s just so important to know what you want and I just love creating in all aspects from music videos to cover arts and overall aesthetic. Visually, that’s so important as an artist and you should think about what type of brand you want to build. For me, I want to build one that’s bubbly, fun, and colorful!

What are your thoughts on the music industry’s diversity efforts? What do you think needs to be in order for everyone to be equally represented on both an artistry and executive level?

I think it’s fucking awesome! Just to be included in the AAPI month and it was such an honor to be in that whole realm. I think it’s so awesome to bring more visibility to POC creators because there are so many talented artists out there. We shouldn’t just be narrowed down to a month because there’s a lot of Asian and Black artists that I wouldn’t have known about if it weren’t for a month that highlighted them. I know a lot of talented people that are behind the scenes because maybe they’re afraid of being the main face, but the more you bring visibility to that, will inspire others to showcase their artistry.

I think that’s why representation is so important. Me being in R&B, I have so many young Vietnamese-Americans reach out to me. I think for me, I started to actively think about how important it is for me to be in this space. When you get to a certain level, your existence has a huge impact on perception and all of that. There becomes a point where you have to understand that you being here in this space actually makes such a difference. It means so much to somebody that never thought that they would see somebody who looked like them in film and media. I’m all for it”.

I will end with a recent interview from HYPERBEAST. It is a great interview. An artist who is trying to break boundaries and affect change, her music teaches people to embrace weaknesses and vulnerability. It is uplifting and powerful stuff from a seriously impressive artist:

“In an industry where Asian-American artists are continuing to break barriers, thuy stresses being comfortable in her own skin. Not only does she prioritize comfort when it comes to putting together her outfits, but she makes sure she can be as free-flowing as possible. Growing up in a Vietnamese refugee family, she often felt restrained by her parents’ expectations to fulfill a dream that wasn’t hers. By day, thuy found herself shadowing a physician’s assistant and applying to medical school. By night, she poured what was left of her energy into making music.

“I was taking all the necessary steps but I just wasn’t happy,” she shares. “Music was the only thing that stayed constant throughout all my career changes. I fell in love with it because I could be my authentic self.” Like many 90s kids, thuy’s inspirations ranged from pop legends like Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears to R&B staples like Tamia and Brandy.

PHOTO CREDIT: Nick Llanton/Hypebeast

It wasn’t until she decided to pursue music full-time and made her first record in 2015 that she finally found her groove. As a self-made Vietnamese-American artist, thuy carved a space for herself and within the community for like-minded individuals around her to thrive. She recalls, “growing up you don’t see a lot of people like us doing this. It could feel like unchartered territory but I was lucky to be surrounded by so many cultures in the Bay Area. I never felt like being Asian was different because I had the same playing field as everyone else. This helped shifted my perspective growing up because representation matters.”

“A lot of hurdles have yet to be overcome and there are so many ceilings we have to break too. The more people do it, the easier it becomes for the next generation.”

thuy carries this thought forward in her music. She made her recent album girls like me don’t cry to teach people a powerfully uplifting lesson about embracing weaknesses and vulnerability. During times of overwhelming change in the world, her upbeat and sultry anthems serve as a gentle reminder to “use resilience and not let anything stand in the way.”

When it comes to scratching the surface of the music industry, thuy knows there’s more work to be done. “A lot of hurdles have yet to be overcome and there are so many ceilings we have to break too,” she notes. “The more people do it, the easier it becomes for the next generation. So I hope I inspire even just one person, not within music, to always live for themselves”.

Go and listen to the amazing music of the even more amazing thuy. She is definitely one of the most promising rising artists. I think that there are so many terrific new artists emerging, it can be hard to see who is worth stick with. You can feel there is this longevity with thuy. Her music will definitely ensure. She has shown with girls like me don’t cry what an amazing artist she is. I know she will continue to release music of this quality…

FOR a long time to come.

_____________

Follow thuy

Official:

https://www.thuymusic.com/

TikTok:

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

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thuymusic/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/thuymusic_

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3R80OE4RViOWbnuvqh0j8a?si=guHYyY65S6eaXMMj5-OT1A&nd=1

YouTube:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3R80OE4RViOWbnuvqh0j8a

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/officialthuymusic

FEATURE: Go with the FLO… Are the London Trio Leading a Renaissance for Girl Groups?

FEATURE:

 

 

Go with the FLO…

Are the London Trio Leading a Renaissance for Girl Groups?

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AN act who have been talked about…

 IN THIS PHOTO: En Vogue

a lot the past year or so, there is no doubt FLO are primed for bigger things. Already the BRITs’ Rising Star recipients, if you do not know about FLO, then go and make sure that you follow them on Instagram and Twitter. I am going to come to a bigger question and a bigger question. I did want to use this opportunity to revisit a couple of interviews from last year. As they rose last year and are being tipped as one of the names to watch (when it comes to those defining the sounds of the year), it is worth seeing how far they have come. The Line of Best Fit interviewed FLO as a trio on the rise back in July:

“Enter FLO, a trio of talented women who are ready to resuscitate R&B with their silky harmonies, Y2K sensibilities, and gorgeous looks. Renée Downer (19), Jorja Douglas, and Stella Quaresma (both 20) used TikTok to record group covers of songs such as the Backyardigan’s "Castaways", or Destiny’s Child’s "Bills, Bills, Bills." But it was the release of "Cardboard Box" - a slick, groovy ‘bye boy’ anthem - that saw FLO explode, and win fans among the likes of SZA and Missy Elliot.

“I expected the song to do well… but it literally went viral,” says Downer. “We've had many people in the industry that we look up to, like reposting us and tweeting us. It’s really unexpected and it feels crazy.”

What’s refreshing about FLO is that they’re genuine mates, which goes against an entire history of girl-group drama looming over them. So far, there’s little chance of any Spice-Girls-style dropouts, or Pussycat Dolls passive-aggressiveness. They’re going to need each other, too: even in a group setting, it’s easy for tensions to flare and for communication to break down, as Jesy Nelson’s story proves.

It’s even harder when the struggles musicians face are largely invisible to outsiders. “You become a machine,” Douglas says. “Everyone wants a piece of you. And it feels really nice to be wanted and appreciated, but you have to remember that you’re still human. It goes for the same as any job, but it’s something that you really notice in this one. When you see everything that needs to be achieved and the little amount of time you have – that adds pressure and stress”.

FLO make songwriting appear easy – that’s down to their intuition, which feeds into their effortlessly catchy hooks. The girls will go into the studio and chat with the producer, feeling out the mood and running with it. The producer, in response, might start sketching out a track, or playing some reference songs. The girls will also play around with melodies, selecting the perfect melodies for each part of the song: verse, pre-chorus, chorus, retrofitting the words after them.

Where some artists spend months tinkering with the right melodies, the beauty in FLO is how intuitive everything is. “It sounds so disgusting what I’m gonna say, but everything is just authentic,” jokes Douglas. “We are! We don’t go in and think, oh, it has to be this – it’s free. We just make what we want to make. Apart from the exceptions of a few songs, we’re very much in control of our music also, which I think is a bit different to what previous groups have experienced.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Jack Alexander

What makes a song FLO-worthy? “I think first of all, you just have to love it and it has to be one we all listen to,” says Quaresma. “And we have also we've made of the ones that we see, the ones that are connected. And there's also a lot of opinions you have to take into account sometimes. Mm hmm. But, yeah, we have people around us who have really good taste.”

That’s what FLO really wants to achieve as a group. Forget about the penthouse views in "Summertime" - The Lead is a presidential bid to bring back R&B into a starved industry. “I definitely see us as being trendsetters and leading ladies of our field,” Downer envisions. “I really hope that R&B is more of a thing. I really hope that by us doing well, it inspires people and labels to pick up R&B artists to help them be amazing”.

It does seem that FLO’s music has made an immediate impact. The would have started life whilst the pandemic was in full swing, so last year was the first where they could really make an impact. Rolling Stone were excited to embrace a group who were inspired by past sounds but looking to the future. They asked if FLO were the next great British girl group:

“You’ve yet to hear of the music of FLO, most might wonder where you’ve been the past few months. When the London trio dropped debut single ‘Cardboard Box’, it managed to cause a flurry online, to say the least; the likes of Missy Elliott and SZA shared their appreciation with the video now sitting at more than two million views.

Created by pop maverick MNEK, the beauty of their sound is how it flitters between contemporary and nostalgic. Harking to the golden days of early-00s and late-90s R&B, ‘Cardboard Box’ is all lush harmonies and strong vocals. But their music isn’t intentionally retro, they say; instead, it’s a natural progression from what hit their ears in childhood. “When we’re in the studio, it’s not even like, ‘Oh, let’s do a Timbaland beat!’” says Jorja. “It’s nostalgic because that’s the music that has influenced us the most.”

The group are looking to blend those influences with contemporary sounds: “I feel like [our music] takes the best bits from now and the 90s; it’s struck the perfect balance,” Stella offers. “We want people to be surprised and feel like we’re bringing something back from when music was quality.”

With all three girls aged 19 or 20, much of their core musical palette had its heyday decades before their births (the likes of Brandy, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige and Faith Evans are all referenced during our chat).

It was their mothers who inspired the trio’s interest in music. “I had to ask my mum to buy me the iTunes 99p songs,” Stella giggles. “And then every year she got me the Now That’s What I Call Music album.”

“Oh, yeah!” Jorja concurs, continuing their endearing habit of completing each other’s thoughts. “Everything I had was my mum’s when she was done with it. Even her iPod; it had all the American old-school R&B songs.”

The girls signed to Island Records in 2020. Their label put them through a period of artist development including writing camps to hone their sound, along with studio time to develop their upcoming EP. So what are FLO’s hopes for the future?

Although their careers have only just begun, they exude a seriousness about their artistry that’s evident when they discuss fighting for ‘Cardboard Box’ to be their first release. “​​It was quite a risk putting out such a big song when no one knows who you are. But we knew that that was the song that could represent us the best,” Jorja says.

“As a band we’re incredibly hard-working and hold ourselves to the highest standard. We never want to do something without giving our all,” Renée adds.

It’s a work ethic that we’ll hopefully see in their upcoming EP, something they describe as “quintessential FLO”.

If the buzz so far is anything to go by, listeners worldwide will be holding out to see what that entails”.

NME gave FLO a lot of love and salute in their interview from April. Although a few other British girl groups have emerged since and started to make some minor moves, I think FLO are the most prominent at the moment. They are very much leading the charge in this country:

“NME: There’s a lack of major girl groups at the moment, particularly as Little Mix are currently on their farewell tour. How does it feel to be starting out without many peers?

Renée: “We kind of stay in our lane, we wouldn’t say there’s competition because that’s not for us to look at. We want to focus on bettering ourselves and being the best we can be.”

Stella: “I’m glad we’ve had each other and not been on our own. It’s a relief to see the single doing so well, especially since it’s our breakout song. We’re so happy with the reception it’s had.”

Jorja: “There’s a lack of girl groups I guess because it’s hard putting girls together as the chemistry is not easy to find. We haven’t had to sell our friendship or force it to come across authentically, as for us it comes so naturally.”

Navigating the music industry both as newcomers and an all-Black girl group must be daunting. How have you developed the confidence to stick to your vision?

Renée: “As three young Black women, one thing that’s important when you get signed to a label and have to do what people say, is to remember to be strong. We’re not going to be pushed over or go with someone else’s decision without believing in it ourselves. Know that you can say no and do what you genuinely believe in – and it will be successful. That’s something I really believe in with my whole heart.”

 Stella: “There were some decisions that we really had to push for with the EP and it paid off – the reception so far has been great. It’s all about trusting your instinct, and [making music] is an experience, and we’re learning a lot.”

How important is it for you to promote female empowerment through your music?

Stella: “We all grew up with strong women in our lives, and were surrounded by music with that sense of female empowerment, so we want to bring that to a new generation of young women. It’s important to bring it back.”

Jorja: “We also pull inspiration from each other. Since working with each other more, I think, ‘What would Renée do? What would Stella do?’ We’re always writing songs for ourselves, so it’s important for it to come from each of our experiences.”

What can we expect from FLO in the future?

Renée: “Since girl groups are basically non-existent right now, we have a chance to really make music that people can feel and relate to and bring back that sound. We want to sell out arenas and just completely take over!”.

I want to expand more on the idea that FLO might be the U.K.’s prominent girl group. I do not like that term, but that has historically been the term used to describe female groups/trios making R&B/Pop. I want to quote some of Random J Pop’s review of FLO’s debut E.P., The Lead:

“But for how good songs on The Lead are, and the quality that everybody involved brings to the table, the EP has me really torn. I appreciate that they managed to release it so quickly after their debut single. A single of which wasn’t even remotely a hit. Especially at this point in music where record labels like to sit on albums and not entertain EP’s. Especially when the singles did nothing on the charts. (Shout-outs to Normani and Chloe Bailey). But I also feel that The Lead could have been packaged better to make it feel more like a body of work. The Lead feels like 5 songs plucked off of an album. But it also features songs which adhere to the no-longer-than-3-minutes trend which is plaguing music right now because of streaming. I’ll let “Cardboard Box” and “Immature” slide, because they still manage to feel like whole songs. But “Summertime”? Unacceptable. Best damn song on the EP, and the bitch just ends after 2 verses whilst I’m in the middle of a slow whine? Uzo, sweetie. Where was the middle-8? Where was the bridge? If “Summertime” ends up on Flo’s debut album, it’s absolutely going to need to be an extended version.

In terms of having me anticipating a studio album, The Lead does the trick. But I really would have liked The Lead to feel a little more whole, and less of a sum of a bigger part. And we can blame Rina Sawayama for me coming down on The Lead for this, because her EP was what really shifted my expectations for EP’s. Rina and producer Clarence Clarity pushed the boundaries of what an EP should be; creating a body of work, and applying a level of detail to an EP that most don’t even give an LP. It was so full and so whole, that sometimes I even forgot the damn thing is an EP.

It felt like a complete package. There were no loose ends with it. It had a through line. It had a beginning, a middle and an end. And up until it came along, I’d never heard an EP which was approached like an album before. Rina definitely set the bar and a standard for EP’s that everybody should be taken better note of. And I wish Flo’s The Lead had followed suit. But this doesn’t take away from how good the songs on the EP are. Every song on The Lead has single potential, and each song is different enough that there’s going to be something for everyone who is into the sound.

When “Cardboard Box” first released, I knew from one listen and one look at the music video that Flo had the potential to go the distance and be the girl group that pop / R&B needed. They have JUST the right blend of sounding like a London based, round-the-way girl group, with a sound that can carry across the US, and every market. It wouldn’t surprise me if K-pop fans ended up getting into Flo, because their package and concept is so airtight out of the gate, and K-pop fans live for a group that is well packaged.

The vision for Flo is very clear with The Lead, but not to a point where it feels (cardboard) boxed. Flo’s debut album could be 12 tracks of what we get on The Lead, and it would be cool. But it could also see Flo’s sound being pulled and expanded, which would also be cool. What The Lead does is provide a solid foundation for Flo, whilst also honouring the talents of the girls and their team of writers and producers, in that they could in fact do anything. The Lead is good. But as a prospect of what Flo could deliver next, it’s even better”.

It wouldn’t be true to say girl groups have been obsolete or irrelevant the past twenty years or so. Although there was an influx in the ‘90s (and before), there has been a shift in tastes. It does seem FLO are the most exciting, connected and commanding example of the modern girl group. I have said previously how U.S. girl groups are the strongest, but it does seem that FLO are at the top of the tree right now. Many are comparing them to Little Mix, as they are seen as the best U.K. girl group of the past decade or so. They are on hiatus at the moment, and I am not sure what their future holds. The Guardian asked where all the good girl groups have gone in a feature from May. They named lesser acts like SVN (the London collective of Aimie Atkinson, Alexia Mcintosh, Grace Mouat, Jarneia Richard-Noel, Maiya Quansah-Breed, Millie O'Connell and Natalie May Paris):

“Like many of their fans, Little Mix fell victim to the public abuse and bullying potentiated by Instagram and Twitter: that Little Mix would then get on stage full of confidence and sexiness helped others feel that they, too, could take control and conquer their lives. And that’s exactly what Little Mix did, hitting back against jibes from Noel Gallagher and Piers Morgan, and splitting from Simon Cowell’s record label.

Little Mix also levelled up the UK girl band. Performances by groups such as the Saturdays and even Girls Aloud had a ropiness to them (arguably this was part of their charm) but Little Mix threw themselves into precise choreography and powerhouse vocals. Although vocal strength has never been a prerequisite for the girl band, the low-key, low-energy, girl-next-door styling of this new crop will feel very drab after Little Mix’s explosive arena finale.

IN THIS PHOTO: SVN/PHOTO CREDIT: Danny Kaan

However, the Spice Girls, Girls Aloud and Little Mix all benefited from a pop market that wasn’t as saturated with artists as it is today, and in the case of the latter two, a big reality TV springboard. Today, TikTok’s guileless stars have created a growing distrust of artifice – something that is incompatible with manufactured girl groups. Anyone with a whiff of label interference is swiftly shot down as an industry plant. As Dorian Lynskey wrote in the Guardian of the wider malaise surrounding the band format, in rock or pop, the limited size of a phone screen, and the portrait format of TikTok, favours the solo artist. Shrinking budgets at record labels may also be to blame – girl bands, with their multiple members, glam squads, choreographers and travel needs are a poor investment – and with musicians making so little money from music these days, why would any singer want to split their royalties four ways?

So in the era of the solo artist, the closest we have to a girl band is when these solo artists collaborate. Sometimes, such as Charli XCX, Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek’s various team-ups, these are explorations of simpatico pop sensibilities; others, like Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion’s collaboration Sweetest Pie, are calculated positioning exercises. Supergroups such as US-based Boygenius, comprising Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, could also signify the next iteration of the girl band: the thought of Bree Runway, Raye and other UK pop stars going full Avengers is certainly appealing. K-pop, of course, is a space where the girl band is thriving: groups like Blackpink, Twice and Everglow offer whiplash-inducing choreography, bombastic bangers and luminescent visuals with astonishingly high production values that make UK efforts look embarrassingly budget by comparison.

But a new girl band is what Britain needs. If the Spice Girls took the lairy masculine energy of 90s Britain and powerfully feminised it, whoever follows Little Mix needs to similarly tap into the spirit of the age. They will require chemistry, strong personalities, irreverence, a cache of bangers, and an ability to commune with the mood of the country: one that has now been ravaged by a decade of austerity, the fallout from Brexit and vicious culture wars. Bleak times, currently soothed by the sad girls of bedroom pop, also need brightening with bold, dynamic talent, not the second-guessing of major labels. It is a mighty task, but only then will the UK spice up its life once more – Lord knows, we need it”.

We are in an age where the solo artist is dominating and ruling. I think this is especially true of female artists. They are breaking through and capturing the public attention. With platforms such as TikTok providing a willing audience, I wonder whether it is harder for girl groups to break through. One reason why groups like Spice Girls broke through and were popular is because there was a sense of optimism and prosperity in politics and culture. Maybe the ‘girl power’ slogan and buzz of Spice Girl was a little marketed and hollow to a degree, it was exhilarating and hugely important. At a time when women in music are still overlooked and not getting the respect they deserve, I think there is a desperate need for the same wave of girl groups we had in the 1990s and 2000s. Rather than having slogans or nicknames, they can still create the same sort of awe and impact with the quality of the music and their connection. There is no doubting FLO are very close and more than live up to the hype. Whereas groups such as TLC, En Vogue, Destiny’s Child and modern groups like Little Mix have a solid, original and enduring catalogue, it might be harder now for girl groups to make the same impression. R&B is less common or has changed radically. Pop is prevalent but maybe not as chorus-rich and catchy as it was decades ago. Girl groups of the 1990s had that harmony and closeness, but they had hard-hitting and huge tunes with infectious grooves and hooks to keep you coming back. FLO definitely have some of that, but I think their music fits more into modern Pop and R&B to that of past days.

This is not a problem at all. Genres always develop and evolve, and I do think FLO’s success and rise will inspire other girl groups. Even if there are a few girl groups now that are impressive but don’t seem to stand out, this year will see more come through. We are in a time when girl groups can seize upon opportunities to provide an important voice that tackles societal ills, issues like gender inequality, politics and subjects relevant to their audience. Great girl groups have always been role models to younger listeners, but they have that weight and maturity that spreads to other age groups and music lovers. Perhaps the explosion and cultural revolution we saw with girl groups in the past will not be replicated now, but I can see the desires of many being fulfilled. It will be exciting to discover which girl groups will join FLO. I am not sure of the U.S. market, but we will definitely see more British girl groups come through. Talent shows have been a forum where girl groups are formed. As they are dying out a bit, girl groups of the future will hopefully form more naturally and not have that same factory-processed feel. No disrespect at all (as the groups are great), but they are always being moulded by others and directed to be commercial and chart-ready. The incredible FLO formed back in 2019. I think that upcoming girl groups are going to be rawer and more natural than a lot that we saw coming from talent shows.

Many are asking where girl groups have gone, and FLO are showing that there is a definite demand. I think that, here and other countries (particularly the U.S.) will see a growth in the girl group market. Some say it is a market that died away and is not out of fashion. I would disagree. Rather than it being a fashion or a nostalgic sound, it is about the quality of the music. At the heart, we get to discover and following an incredible group of women. FLO are righty tipped for bigger things, and they are going to compel others to follow into the business. Maybe it will not as big an explosion (in quality and quantity) as what we saw decades ago, but you know that this year will produce some intriguing and diverse girl groups. It is about time too! Once almost a staple of the Pop and R&B landscape, the music landscape is so busy and eclectic right now. It might take a while for girl groups to stand at the front or even be fully integrated, but it will happen – even if it starts off quite slowly. Given the success and visibility of the wonderful FLO, we are going to see some equally arresting and wonderous girl groups…

FOLLOW their example.

FEATURE: Looking Ahead… Songs from Albums Turning Ten in 2023

FEATURE:

 

 

Looking Ahead…

Songs from Albums Turning Ten in 2023

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LOOKING ahead to 2023…

I am doing a run of features marking great albums celebrating big anniversaries. I am now at 2013 - albums from a brilliant year for music. Albums that are going to be ten in 2023. I am marking this anniversary with a playlist of songs from that year. It was an exceptional year for music, and there are some awesome songs in the playlist below. I am looking forward to covering 2018 for the final feature next, but let us continue with remarkable albums turning ten next year. Such an important anniversary, these songs below are great. If you are not sure which extraordinary albums came out in 2013, then the playlist below gives you an idea of how wonderful…

THE year was.

FEATURE: After Midnights: The Continued Rise of Vinyl Sales, and the Decline of the Compact Disc

FEATURE:

 

 

After Midnights

 IN THIS PHOTO: Taylor Swift/PHOTO CREDIT: Beth Garrabrant

The Continued Rise of Vinyl Sales, and the Decline of the Compact Disc

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NOT that one artist can be responsible…

 PHOTO CREDIT: KOBU Agency/Unsplash

for ensuring that vinyl sales are o a high, but it seems that Taylor Swift’s latest album, Midnights, has helped push U.K. record sales above 5.5m in this watershed moment for vinyl revival. Rather than it being a case of young listeners buying the album to collect and not play, I do think that artwork comes into it. I know Swift offered different cover options for Midnights, yet fans are buying it for the music. I wonder if this is why vinyl continues to succeed and pervade. I think the aesthetics and artwork of an album is still very important and eye-catching, so vinyl has the impact that a C.D. or cassette does not. Also, when many are pushing against streaming sites and the way they under-pay artist, many are buying vinyl so that they can enjoy an album and at least know that they are not drastically short-changing an artist. Not that Taylor Swift will struggle for revenue, but it is pleasing to see that her incredible new album has helped push vinyl sales up. The Guardian explain more in their recent feature:

“Taylor Swift’s legions of fans have helped propel the amount spent on vinyl records above CDs for the first time since the 1980s when stars including Rick Astley, T’Pau and Pet Shop Boys topped the charts.

The singer’s loyal fanbase of “Swifties”, who have made the 33-year-old’s latest album Midnights the biggest-selling vinyl record of the century in the UK, helped push annual revenues made by the sale of vinyl album sales above the once-mighty CD for the first time since 1987.

While CD sales have endured years of precipitous declines – having peaked at 2.45bn globally in 2000 just as digital music emerged to presage the streaming revolution that has transformed music listening – the classic LP has somewhat counterintuitively experienced a striking revival in popularity.

This year vinyl album sales are expected to grow for the 15th consecutive year to about 5.5m, the most since 1990, with the 80,000 copies of Swift’s Midnights the most of any album in a calendar year this century.

What started as a vinyl renaissance built largely by older music fans seeking collectible editions of treasured albums – mostly classic artists such as the Beatles, David Bowie and Pink Floyd – has since spread to younger generations of fans in love with retro music formats including cassettes.

Unusually, eight of this year’s Top 10 sellers, which will officially be revealed in the new year after final sales are tallied, are new albums released in 2022.

“It’s a watershed moment for the entire music industry,” says Kim Bayley, the chief executive of the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA). “After the CD came along and pretty much wiped out the vinyl business, few of us would have believed a renaissance like this was possible.”

PHOTO CREDIT: a_ndrecip/Unsplash

The pandemic accelerated music-buying habits as fans unable to go to gigs and events channelled their spare cash into building up their record collections at home.

In 2021, revenues from vinyl album sales rose 23% to £135.6m, while CD sales continued to fall by 3.9% to £150m, according to the ERA.

This year revenue from CD sales, which overtook vinyl in 1988 and cassettes in 1991, will fall below that of vinyl LPs by as much as £20m, according to sales figures.

More than 14m CDs were sold last year, with a significant double-digit percentage annual fall expected when official figures for 2022 come in next week.

“Will the CD disappear? Of course its prospects don’t look good right now, but it offers a permanence and robustness and quality which is unique,” says Bayley. “Given how wrong we were about vinyl, it would be foolish to write off the CD for ever”.

It is encouraging that new albums are dominating the top ten U.K. vinyl sales I think this will also be the case in other nations, but, aside from the perennial vinyl favourite, Rumours (which would have had a sales boost due to the sad death of Christine McVie recently), Arctic Monkeys, Wet Leg, Muse, and Fontaines D.C. are up there. It shows that there is a genuine appetite for albums on vinyl. I know the classic albums are still bought on this format but, as it is tough for artists to earn money through digital streaming, physical sales are vital! I don’t think many people would have imagined as recently as five years ago that vinyl sales would be where they are now. The pandemic did not deter the passion for this very special format. I can see no reason why this revival and growth will ever halt. Of course, albums like Midnights do add quite a lot of heft and sales to the tally, but it is not only major artists like Taylor Swift who are connecting with fans in terms of vinyl sales. As I say every time we get news of vinyl success, it is that tangible quality and sense of ownership that people love. Rather than the ephemeral and cold nature of streaming, the warmth and tactile nature of vinyl is not only for diehards and older listeners now. Younger fans are saving money and investing in their favourite artist’s new release rather than relying on streaming. Of course, streaming is still happening and will not slow. It allows you easy access to albums and songs and, if you are going to buy an album, you can hear it first on streaming platforms and decide if you want to spend the money for a vinyl copy.

I admire physical formats greatly. It is a shame that the compact disc does seem to be declining a bit. It has been like this for years, but there is still a definite demand. Whilst people are buying record players and know there is sustainability, maybe it is harder and less worthwhile trying to cultivate a C.D. collection. Players are less common. Old-school devices like the Discman are available in other brands, but are bought less frequently. Also, in terms of the feel and look of a C.D., it does not have the same pull and appeal as vinyl. C.D.s seem less sturdy and are more prone to scratching. Although vinyl is expensive, the overall benefit of owning them seems to be outweigh that of C.D.s. It is sad that compact discs are declining and seem less relevant with every passing year. All physical media is important, and it is a tragedy is there is any loss. I think that C.D.s will always be bought, but it is clear that vinyl is champion. Long may it continue to inspire young listeners and the older alike. Following the record-breaking Midnights’ achievements, we look ahead to see how vinyl sales will fare by the end of 2023. I think we may see another bumper year. Perhaps records will be broken again! There will be some huge albums released, so that will do wonders regarding sales. It is exciting to see a format which has been around almost seventy-five years…

 PHOTO CREDIT: jan_huber/Unsplash

FLOURISH in the modern age.

FEATURE: Spotlight: KAMILLE

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

KAMILLE

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LOOKING ahead to next year…

and the mighty queen KAMILLE is someone that is going to have her biggest year I predict. The moniker of the exceptional, hugely respected and absolutely brilliant songwriter, producer and record label owner, Camille Purcell, I can see her getting a big market in the U.S., tour dates there - and, who knows, awards coming her way. I hear there is an album coming from this songwriting titan. Maybe someone who is perhaps better known for penning songs for others. One of the best songwriters and producers around, she has given hits and millions of streams to others. A go-to genius, we are now seeing KAMILLE the solo artist emerge fully. This year has been one where she has released one of her most important singles. The tremendous weight loss is a single that uses the idea of the heroine losing weight when a toxic or wrong lover is no more. Rather than a break-up, this is weight loss. It is such a clever song from someone who is among the artists you need to watch into 2023. I might sound a bit full-on, but it is hard not to be besotted by KAMILLE. A goddess who is creating the sort of classic R&B that reminds me of the 1990s queens and icons (with a modern twist and kick), I really think her time is now. No doubt inspiring young women around the world with her powerful and hugely impressive music, the London talent is someone I admire. I am tipping her for massive success in 2023. I would love to interview her one day, as she is so compelling. To that end, there are a few interviews that I think are worth bringing in. Let’s get to know better the hugely inspirational and stunning KAMILLE.

@kamilleofficial what u think it issssss? lol #album #newmusic ♬ original sound - kamille

The first interview, from VICE talks about KAMILLE being a fifth member of the girl group, Little Mix. associated with them for years, she wrote hits for the group. It is amazing to think of how she has managed to transform the careers of acts like Little Mix:

“After earning a Masters in Economics, she followed her true ambition as a songwriter in 2012, penning hits for chart toppers such as Dua Lipa, Mabel, Jess Glynne, Clean Bandit, Jax Jones and girlband Little Mix, with whom she won a BRIT Award in 2017 for UK number one single “Shout Out To My Ex”.

She’s racked up credits on four UK number one singles: Little Mix’s “Black Magic”, Jess Glynne’s “I’ll Be There”, Clean Bandit’s wanking anthem “Solo” and The Saturdays’ “What About Us” – her first ever cut. Kamille is also an artist in her own right, having released collaborations this year with UK crew Lotto Boyz and singles “Somebody” and “Love + Attention”.

Now, with Kamille taking a songwriting role on Little Mix’s sixth album Confetti, we jumped on a video call to chat about the formula for chart success, breaking America and being a Black woman working in music.

VICE: Initially, you had a very, very different career – you were a stockbroker. How did you go from that to making the first step into music?

Kamille: I got introduced to a guy who owned some studios, and I used to hang around after work and on weekends. I was eager to learn – I think that's what it takes initially when you're not sure how to change career path. Then one day I just said “bun this” and walked out of my job, started going to the studio even more, and that’s when I started writing. I had my first cut with The Saturdays on a track called “What About Us”, and it was a number one! So I had a very lucky break, but I’m telling you now, even if it didn’t happen like that, I would still be plugging away at it, because I love music so much. It’s demoralising at times – it can feel more like a popularity contest than about the music, so I get why people find it really hard – but you just can’t give up if you want something enough.

 You have an amazing track record: five number ones, numerous Top 10s, platinum sellers, awards. It seems like you know the hit-writing formula. What’s the magic ingredient?

One thing I’m proud of, and grateful for, is that I know I can go on a mic in front of anyone and sing some shit. And I know some of it will sound good. I can hear what melodies need to be there. And I think that’s really important with songs, knowing what needs to come on to that song, and where. I like finding weird melodies, I like finding catchy bits. It's almost like I have a punter’s ear. I can immediately know what a listener would like to hear on that beat and what's going to be easy for them to take in and sing and memorise. Like, a van driver – what is he going to want to hear that’s gonna be easy on the ear?

What’s the difference between working with pop artists versus working in the grime scene?

With grime and drill, you know it’s gonna be a bunch of guys there and you've got to be prepared to kind of hold your ground and not be shy. Every session is different, though, and my contribution – whether it’s vocals or lyrics or melodies – changes up depending on the day, the artist, the track. One thing I’ll say about grime artists and drill artists is that they just go on the mic and start rapping shit, and the whole song is there in like five minutes, which is just a vibe. So it’s much quicker, and it’s a really fun experience to be around that energy.

Within pop music you’re most closely associated with Little Mix – they call you their fifth member. Girl groups can be quite tight and cliquey; why do you think you’ve managed to infiltrate the group and form such a close relationship with them?

Over the years, we've built up a lot of trust. I think it comes from having success together. They’ve got to the point where they can trust that I'm gonna go in the studio and write something that's gonna reflect them. We know each other so well, I can literally just write something that they probably would have said. I try and build that with any artists I'm working with. I really like to have a relationship. Just being a friend to people I think is the most important thing”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Danika Magdalena 

I want to come to EUPHORIA. and an interview that talks about KAMILLE’s songwriting past. It also looks at her solo work and what her traditional day to day consists of. You can tell here is someone whose true passion is writing music that truly connects with people. Not only on a surface level: words and music that get into the heart and move the soul:

“Her 6.5 billion streamed catalogue is ever growing, and is one that has secured both a GRAMMY nomination and BRIT Award win along the way. A renowned songwriter in her own right, KAMILLE is now telling her own truth through her own music, her latest release “Learning” being the most vulnerable yet. Unable to get through the track without tears, “Learning” dissects anxieties driven by everyday social media. We sat down for a revitalizing chat about the evolution of the industry, KAMILLE’s upbringing in music and how breaking America is next up on the checklist.

Huge congratulations on the single! It’s quite a vulnerable, downtempo number – could you explain to us how this track evolved?

To be honest with you, I think most of us are suffering at some point in our lives from feeling down and anxious. And for me, it’s definitely driven by social media, because I would go on there and just compare myself and feel extremely low. “Learning” is a song to myself. I was suffering from bad insomnia-one of the worst symptoms of depression-and this one was basically a lullaby to myself, to help me to sleep. And just to tell myself “you’re beautiful” and “you’re amazing,” and that self-love is a journey. Writing this was definitely a form of therapy, I think I wrote it in about half an hour. It just spilt out. It had to be made for me to heal and I feel so much better for it.

How long does it usually take you to write a song?

If we go out for a good lunch, you probably get something out of me in about an hour. I wrote Little Mix’s “Shout Out to My Ex” in an hour too – I just love when I’m writing something empowering for women in particular, that’s always been my thing.

What can you tell us about the “Learning” music video?

The video shows me as the most vulnerable I’ve ever been. This song always makes me cry, and I couldn’t stop the tears falling during the shoot! I’ve been obsessed with Femi Ladi’s videos so it was a dream getting to work with him. His idea was to show me learning how to fly, and I think he executed it so beautifully.

Having written so many colossal hits, do you ever have high expectations for yourself when you step into the studio?

Definitely, I feel so scared a lot of the time. I’m potentially about to start working with Cardi B and I’m so shook. But one thing I know I can do is sing a melody, so I always hope that there’ll be a mic in the room and I can sing something.

We imagine that 90% of a studio session is just talking and then the final 10% is the writing element – what usually goes down in a studio session with KAMILLE?

Literally that! 4PM comes around and usually, we’re all in the room like, “Okay, we actually need to do some work.” That happened to me recently when I was writing for Zedd, but then you end up making incredible things as you’ve only got like an hour before you go.

You were originally a stockbroker before you had a foot in the music industry – how did this transition begin?

I hung around studios while I was at my job, so I wasn’t that I left and then went into music, it was kind of I was doing them both kind of concurrently and thinking to myself, I think I love music more than I love working in finance. And then one day, I literally just walked out with my job because it was really, really bad. My parents were like, “What the fuck are you doing?” but I just wanted to enjoy my life.

Before I left my job I’d written “What About Us” by The Saturdays, it wasn’t going to be for them but I just loved it and my manager at the time pitched the track to Polydor – the next thing I knew it was number one. It’s not always like that and I totally appreciate it, but I had a really easy transition into music. So I was really lucky in that sense.

Tell us a little bit about your label Pure Cut, how did the label start?

To be honest with you, it started more from the fact that I wanted to help other people, because I noticed when I was trying to be an artist that there weren’t many people that look like me. There weren’t many people being discovered organically and being found without having to have massive numbers on social media. I just wanted to find people that were really talented and help nurture them and write with them if they wanted me to.

I thought through the process of writing all these songs for all these amazing artists, I would actually find that I’d be A&R’ing like I did on the X Factor UK with Simon Cowell. I worked on the show for two years and I ended up writing “Sax” with Fleur East. I’d sit with labels and the A&R team and think about video and song concepts and all these things that, you know, labels do. I realized that I’m actually really good at this and that I like doing this to people. And that’s kind of what inspired my label idea.

Having had the big break that you did – what would you say the overall highlight of your success has been so far?

As a songwriter, my most memorable one was probably knocking myself off of number one on the chart. We went to number one with Jess Glynne’s “I’ll Be There” and a week later I was number one again with “Solo” by Clean Bandit. I remember thinking this is ridiculous as a black woman in music, I also think I’m probably the only person in the UK to do that. I will literally tell my child one day and annoy them with all the facts because bitch, I knocked myself off number one!

“Learning” is your first release of the year, but what’s on the horizon?

I think the key with my artist proposition right now is I’m just gonna be putting out so much consistent music. I want people to really hear what I have to say. The next song is on the way and I definitely think everyone’s gonna love it. It’s something you can move to and just feel really empowered again.

And what I really want to do now is try and break America. That’s my next goal. I’ve done so much over here in the UK and so much more to do in America. So I’m excited about that”.

There are a couple of other articles I want to come to before I round things off. Even if her solo career is in its earliest stages, I do think that KAMILLE will rank alongside the all-time greats. I say that because she is one of the songwriters of her generation. Gifted and supremely talent, who knows just what she will achieve next year! HUNGER interviewed an artist who, it seems, is incapable of writing anything that isn’t a solid gold banger:

“But while Kamille has been busy uplifting other musicians in the industry with her songwriting abilities, she’s also realized that it’s time to produce her own music. “Writing for other artists was a great way to learn more about the industry but a couple of years ago I thought ‘yeah, I’m ready now’. It was something I couldn’t stop thinking about and some songs I wrote felt just for me.”

She released her first single ‘Body’ ft. Avelino, followed by ‘Raindrops’, which was featured in her debut EP, ‘My Head’s a Mess’ in 2017. In both tracks, she expertly layered complex harmonies, with a rich, soulful bent to her trademark R&B style. This year has seen the sombre hit ‘Learning’, which promotes body positivity and hopes to inspire listeners to embrace their flaws, and now, Kamille has shared another empowering anthem, ‘Weight Loss’. “This song means so much to me and I’m so happy with the positive reception it’s been getting,” she says.

Kamille admits the song’s meaning was ambiguous initially, “I had this title ‘Weight Loss’ in my list of song titles for ages and I didn’t know what it meant yet. It was only when I got into the session that I was like okay, I know what this is about now,” reveals Kamille. She’s all about body positivity, and whilst the name of her latest track suggests getting in shape, the real meaning behind her empowering anthem is about that euphoric feeling you get from metaphorically getting rid of extra weight in the form of unnecessary toxicity from unhealthy relationships. “I really want to talk about the feeling you get when you’ve lost someone toxic from your life and you feel lighter like you’ve lost weight or excess baggage. It’s not about losing actual weight or going to the gym but more about losing the negativity in your life and feeling lighter, like you’re floating because of it. I love any music that’s empowering and uplifting”.

Kamille may be on everyone’s motivational music playlists at the moment but she has her own empowering playlist of her favourite musicians, including Flo, Fred Again.. and the queen of badass beats, Beyoncé. Her positive vibes soundtrack seems to be working as her professional success also translated into a happy home life after she married fellow musician, DJ Tazer, aka, Tomi Adenle in 2021. Their gorgeous wedding was featured on Channel 4’s Highlife series.

But although she is making a name for herself with her own tracks, she also has a passion for supporting aspiring talent as a record label holder. Kamille set up her label Pure Cut in 2019 after working on the X Factor as a vocal coach. “When I was working there, I saw these queues of people wanting to be given a chance to share their talent and that resonated with me. I knew then that I want to try and help people fulfil their dreams. It also felt like a natural progression for me.” From her time on the hit talent show, she picked up some nuggets of wisdom to benefit aspiring musicians, as well as herself. “One of the best things you can do as an artist is to be nice. One day you’re famous and one day you’re not. Especially nowadays when people can get cancelled so quickly, not being a good person can wreck your career. So, try to always be a good person and spread positivity”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Rankin

A lot of love and hype that has come the way of KAMILLE this year is because of the sensational and hugely addictive weight loss. I heard it a few weeks ago and I have been hooked since. 1883 chatted with KAMILLE about a song that is about escaping a toxic relationship. These messages are delivered with strength and conviction. Not only is she inspiring other young artists, but her music will resonate with women who are caught in these kind of dangerous relationships:

“Hi KAMILLE, your new single weight loss is out now. It’s such a positive and uplifting song as it focuses on getting out of a toxic relationship and realising how you’re now better off. Can you tell us a bit about the writing process for it? Like when you wrote the lyrics, did you straight away know you wanted to use a drum and bass-tinged pop sound for the production?

I think it was a really organic thing. We weren’t even thinking about necessarily making Drum and Bass but when we were last producing it with Jon Shave from the invisible men, we use this little interesting percussive hook to start off writing the song and it just fell into Drum and Bass areas. So it’s so funny actually, no one’s asked me that yet so I haven’t actually thought about how it happened. It was just such an off-the-cuff kind of moment where we were like, “This sounds like Drum and Bass”, and I was like, “Yeah, I love that”. I’m obviously obsessed with drum and bass, I always have been and I love that that’s been able to be an influence in my new music, which is really exciting to me because I haven’t touched on it yet. It’s a really exciting moment.

As a well-respected songwriter that’s written some huge songs for many well-known acts, I know it’s been a tough but extremely rewarding journey for you as you’ve mentioned it was hard to make all these great songs that you put your heart and soul into but then labels would give them to other artists instead. Do you think being primarily a songwriter for other acts at first has given you more confidence and experience for when you started to release your own art? Do you feel things would have gone differently if you only worked on your artist career first?

Honestly, I would never want to do it any other way. I’m not gonna lie, it’s been tough. It’s been a real test of character because you have to become a really altruistic person to be able to give up something that’s really special to you. I have these moments where I would love to have certain songs have that success in my own artists’ career, but I’ve had to learn to give and I think that process has made me a better person. It’s made me much more generous and kind, the patience I’ve learned has been incredible for me and also to have faith in knowing I’ll have my time and I’ll have my moment. I actually think by doing it that way, I’ve gained so much experience, there are so many lessons I’ve learned and I have also gained amazing followers along the way because I feel like people come across me from writing songs for others and have championed me a little bit and supported me as a bit of an underdog. It’s meant that I have now got an incredible group of fans who I love so much, so I think it was definitely the right way to do it.

@kamilleofficial omg @bbcradio1 thank uuuuuu 😩😩😩🥹🥹🥹🥹❤️❤️❤️❤️ #newmusic ♬ weight loss - KAMILLE

Sure. I’m just curious thing for now. Like you said, it’s, yeah, it has been tough, but obviously, undoubtedly worth it, you know, your journey, how it’s been. Do things like do you think it would have been drastically different than potentially if let’s say you, you weren’t songwriting at the start for others and you were just focusing on your own career? Do you think things would be drastically different now or do you think would will keep in the same so far?

No, I think the scope of the industry is a lot different now. Black women are so supported now which is such an exciting thing for me to see and watch the growth in this country. I think now is definitely the perfect time, I’m not sure how it would have been a few years ago, but I can say that now I definitely feel a lot more confident to release music. I feel like not only am I supported by my black female peers, I’m supported by everyone and as a woman, that’s just an incredible feeling. I’m so excited about that. I love that for this country. I love it for us. I’m here for where music is right now in this industry and it’s a beautiful thing.

Definitely oh no I completely agree like compared. I’m so glad to say that I’ve been in the industry myself but just being whether it’s music fan or whatever and seeing the landscape change is it’s I would argue obviously getting better or more acts that deserve the limelight like yourself because you’ve always been an underdog in terms of, you know, like, the amazing content you’ve and music you’ve put out there and it feels like now’s your time to you know really be appreciated for the hard work you’ve put in.

I just don’t want to let anyone down. I’ve actually got an opportunity so I want to make sure I’m putting out the best music of my life. Weight Loss is definitely one of those moments where I’m getting to really speak from the heart, some of these lyrics and the emotions I’ve had and a lot of people experience. It’s nice to be able to share that and do it my way.

Your vocals on ‘weight loss’ are giving us life! They match the feeling of the song so well – is there anything special you do to get into the right headspace before you record?

Typically, I tend to delve back into the pain I felt. I know that sounds really negative and sad, but I have to be in a painful place when I sing a painful song, otherwise I sound a bit too happy and you won’t feel the pain in the vocals. I definitely tend to remember the times I do feel really sad, but I get through it by singing through it. It’s quite an emotional place to be, but it’s worth it because you get the real emotions of the song.

You recently told The Independent that you aren’t planning an album at the moment, opting to play with singles instead. When you’re working on a song or getting ready to release it, do you think about how it connects to your other releases or let it stand on its own?

I am on a thread at the moment with honest lyrics – I think that has connected very well with ‘Learning’ that I released earlier this year and now with ‘weight loss.’ I think that’s something that has found me and through the process of these two singles, it probably helped shape what the album will be, because everything needs to feel really really honest. Yeah, I am definitely working towards an album, and when the album comes, it will just feel like a string of all of these songs connected I think”

One of our greatest songwriters and artists, make sure you stream KAMILLE’s music and follow her on social media. She has had a wonderful year, and I think next year is going to be even greater. Such a brilliant all-round talent, I think 2023 is the year when she will…

CONQUER the U.S.

_____________

Follow KAMILLE

Official:

https://www.kamilleofficial.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/kamille/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/kamillexx

TikTok:

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

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0XSz7OqyhKBKRq4ZU8WpAo?si=aRifWtUVRBKUPYRy4o7bhA

YouTube:

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

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Kamille/

FEATURE: Spotlight: Lavida Loca

FEATURE:

 

Spotlight

Lavida Loca

__________

I won’t lead…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Vicky Grout

with any Ricky Martin joke or reference. Instead, I wanted to spend some time with the magnificent Lavida Loca. One of the strongest, most talented and extraordinary artists on the scene, she is a Rap and Drill queen in the making. A wonderful artist with a fascinating story, she has gone through hard times and challenges and come out the other end. I think Rap and especially Drill are genres where women are still pitted against one another and are not presented with enough opportunities and equality. Powerhouses and voices like Lavida Loca will change things are show what remarkable talent is coming from women in the genres. There are a few interview with Lavida Loca that I want to bring in. Even though she has had a much quieter 2022 than 2020 and 2021, I think she will come through strong in 2023. First, here is some background to this immense talent:

“Lavida Loca is a unique force in the UK rap scene. Armed with a potent blend of street rap, the 22 year old newcomer twists true tales from life on the roads into compelling narratives. With just a few singles to her name, her passionate, raw storytelling has already caught the ear of the likes of Virgil Abloh, Fraser T. Smith and Kenny Allstar, with plenty more soon to come.

Following the two singles that have served as our introduction to Lavida’s world, ‘No ID’ firing shots at fakes and ‘The King’s Back’, a celebration of post incarceration freedom, 'I Been’ scores a hat trick. Produced by longtime Giggs collaborator Bayoz Muzik, it centres around a Latin piano riff, with Peckham rapper C.S offering a response to Lavida’s call.

Upping her work rate at lightning pace, Lavida has been in the studio with producers with the most recognisable tags in the game, including Diztortion, 169, The FaNaTiX and Gotcha.

With serious plans in the pipeline for the coming year, Lavida Loca is just getting started. “I know my bars, I know how to formulate them, I know how I'm delivering it. I know my craft”.

Last year, DJ Booth spoke with an artist challenging the rules of Drill and Rap. There is no doubt Lavida Loca is someone to watch very closely through 2023. She discussed her turbulent beginnings and genre inequalities in the genres:

“Having dropped out of high school in the eighth grade, South London rapper Lavida Loca says she joined a gang to feel security and gain a sense of belonging that was missing from her life. “I was kicked out by my mum and dad when I was 14. The school system wasn’t set up for me at all,” the 21-year-old says over a phone call where no subject is off limits. “I had to find a different path.”

Lavida Loca’s perseverance and blunt honesty are just two of the reasons why she feels like such a breath of fresh air. Having first turned heads with a raw take on drill, where Lavi barked out orders to the drug dealers on her block (“I tell them have the money right / not even short on the pound!”) with the assurance of a military commander, the rapper’s claim of being “the king of UK Drill” served as a statement of intent that a woman was ready to lead the scene and fully embody the role of the alpha male.

Her sound has since evolved and pushed into exciting new directions. She’s proved capable of taking on dancehall, pop, R&B, and trap sounds, and is more than ready to be a pop star. Her new single “Lil Booties Matter” is a brave takedown of a culture that places impossible beauty standards on young black women and a continuation of the artist (who previously rapped: “Real slim bitch, I don’t need no enhancing” on “One Mic”) being unafraid to talk up on issues other artists seem to avoid like the plague.

The fact she’s happy to talk about stealing both girlfriends and boyfriends on wax also feels important, with Lavi’s ownership of her sexuality flipping a UK rap scene still far too weighted on heterosexual values right on its head. Lavi possesses towering confidence, while her unique storytelling ability, which humanizes the addict just as much as the dealer (“2 Sides”), displays the kind of empathy you might hear on a 2Pac or King Von fable.

“It’s important I show you both sides of the drug transaction,” Lavi says, “because the roles could so easily be reversed. Look, I am whatever the class below working class is. I literally came from nothing! So, my focus [as a rapper] is to inspire the other girls who have nothing and try to push them out of that poverty mindset of feeling hopeless. It isn’t a fairy tale that I’m doing this; it’s just hard work! I live in the studio.”

There seems to be this impossible beauty standard right now within the music industry. I love how “Little Booties Matter” offers an alternative message.

Female rappers and singers are expected to uphold these impossible beauty standards and look curvy and thick like Kim Kardashian or Blac Chyna, and if you don’t look like that, then you’re asked to go get surgery. It started out in the US, but now it’s big in the UK too, and I think it’s sad that as soon as girls turn 18, they’re looking to get the surgery done.

I’m one of the few public figures they can look at and see something different. I want to inspire thin girls to love their bodies and not feel this pressure to get a BBL [Brazillian butt lift]. People have tried to force the narrative down my throat and make me change my image, but I don’t take it to heart. I don’t care what men want to look at; I care more about giving you something you’re unable to stop listening to!

I love how you refer to yourself as the “king.” Why is it important to be seen as the king rather than the queen?

Because the UK scene is so dominated by men, it means I have to go even harder. But there’s so many great women coming up—whether it’s me, Miss Lafamilia, Shaybo, or TeeZandos—and I hope this means we can open up more space for female rappers.

I consider myself a king cos’ my whole life, from being on the roads to rapping, I’ve always been in worlds that are male-dominated. I’ve always had to follow a male blueprint. Women are supposed to be raised as princesses and queens, but I didn’t have a normal upbringing like that, so I guess I identify more with being the king. By being the king, I’m never in a man’s shadow.

You project so much superhero confidence that it’s easy to forget what you escaped from to make it to this point. How have those experiences shaped the successful woman you are today?

Most people who go through the care system and living in children’s homes understandably end up being bitter. The care system can knock you down, as it isn’t easy being a young child and feeling like no one wants to love you or take care of you. You become lonely, isolated, have trust issues with people, and struggle to build relationships. I now have healthy relationships, so I’m lucky it didn’t have those long-lasting effects [on me] like it does for so many others. We are all labeled damaged children, so I want to use my platform as a rapper to show the people who are damaged how to heal and pick up the pieces.

I’d say prison saved me. I always wrote raps; when I was 12, I’d put my mind on a piece of paper. But I’d say when I was in prison in 2017, it became clear that rapping could actually be a career path. It made me realize how short life is. I celebrated my 18th birthday in prison, so it means I appreciate the little things a lot more now. I appreciate a McDonald’s and a Coca-Cola because I know what jail food is like. They serve you hard potatoes and raw chicken. These experiences all come out in my music. You’re going to hear me rap in Spanish because the South American ladies on my wing taught me the lingo, and you’ll hear a verse in Chichewa because that’s my Malawi mother’s native language. I want to give you every side of me”.

I want to take us back to March 2021. Then, PRS for Music chatted with Lavida Loca. From Malawi to Nottingham and now in South London, this incredible artist has delivered the most phenomenal music. A name that fans of any genre of music should investigate straight away:

“Laura Bronsan: When did you first fall in love with music?

Lavida Loca: From when I was a child, growing up in quite an unstable house, I found peace in music. I used to use music to block things out and turned into a real love for music in general. The first CD I used to do that with was my mum's Whitney Houston CD. Every time I was upset or just being that child, I would blast music out. Then I discovered Nicki Minaj when I was about nine or ten and I absolutely loved her, but I didn't really know there was a whole world of women in rap.

From then I just continued to dig into this new world. Then I came across the UK women who were rapping at the time, which was like Lady Leshurr, Lioness, Baby Blue, Mz Bratt and more. There was quite a few of them doing their thing at that point. In my head, at that time, it was like ‘these are UK Nickis, they’re trying to do what Nicki’s doing’ because I didn't know. As ignorant as it sounds, I didn't know there was other women rapping. I was too young to know Ms Dynamite and people before. So, those were the first females I'd heard of in the UK and then they influenced me to start writing. That’s the moment I first picked up a pen and I wrote to the Game Over instrumental and I haven’t looked back since.

Laura: How would you compare the music you’re making now to the lyrics you wrote then?

Lavida: Now I can write about anything that’s close to me. I let it all out through the pen. I think back then I didn't know how to do that. I was just rhyming. Now, I’m so indulged in the whole creative process.

Laura: UK rap is really breaking new boundaries in the landscape of British music and beyond. How are you carving out your own lane, especially in a male dominated arena?

Lavida: My music is real, gritty but at the same time quite girly. It’s a pure ‘bossy’ type of vibe. I’m a rapper, I feel like I'm very lyrical. It’s important to me to empower women and I want to send out the message in my work, that ‘regardless of where you come from, you can definitely boss up!’ I feel like my story shows that in a sense. I want to make them feel uplifted and bounce back from any setbacks.

Laura: Do you feel there’s certain expectations, topics and stereotypes projected on to women in the music industry to sing or rap?

Lavida: I think initially when I first started rapping, I was told a lot that I should become sexier and rap more like what's hot right now in the U.S, with women in rap. I was like ‘So, you want me to be the same as everybody else?’ I feel like that was because people weren’t used to hearing a woman talk about the life that I've lived. As time has gone on and I’ve continued to be myself, people are just taking me in and just made me very happy that I haven't had to change myself or fit into some sort of box for people to actually start listening to my music and for me to generally gain support. I feel like that's happened organically and it's going to continue to grow over time.

Laura: I do see though, time after time, parts of the music industry, media and fans pitting women against each other. Rarely are women celebrated for what their work without putting other women down.

Lavida: Yes, It's the female rivalry thing. I definitely feel like that is what people are entertained by and I'm not sure why, every time maybe you have two females on a song, they'll be compared rather than, you know, ‘they both went hard’. We get a lot of that projected on to us. I feel like that does kind of add tension to what’s going on. I feel like that's why it can be a lot harder for women to support each other behind the scenes. Maybe it does get into, maybe a few people's heads. The comments and the audience have made it a thing of who's better than who, I feel like, then that obviously plants seeds in people's heads of wanting to be better than the other rather than supporting each other. It goes hands in hand, but I would say it’s both.

Laura: I can imagine that being frustrating, but I suppose if you're working in a corporate job in a male-dominated industry and there's only one or two women, similar things would eventually happen too.

Lavida: I am feeling a lot of love right now. So, hopefully we’re changing that. The group of us that are coming up. I’m not feeling any tension right now, everyone’s supporting each other and just loving the fact that it is the time of the female rapper”.

I am going to round it off with an interview from The-Streets. They interviewed Lavida Loca a while back (though it says in November this year on their site) and asked her about her successful and amazing new singles. In interviews, she always comes across as so humble and warm. This is a woman who will really shake things up through 2023:

“You have a great name! What is the inspiration behind this?

Well people have always called me Lav or little Lavi, so it’s a spin on my name as in Lavi (me) Da (the) Loca (CRAZY) and I do also live the crazy life so that too!

You have recently gathered a lot of attention off of the back of your singles, ‘No ID’ and ‘The King’s Back’. How does it feel being thrust into the spotlight?

It’s definitely been an amazing journey so far. I’m appreciating all the love and support, I’m getting a lot of it so yeah it’s started off well!

Tell us about your new single ‘I Been’.

It was produced by Bayoz Muzik, long time Giggs collaborator and he already has his own individual type of sound, which is sick! I heard the beat and started writing straight away. CS and I got in the studio together and it was made.

How would you describe your music?

Boss bitch kinda music. Gritty, raw, real, different.

Tell us about your journey to becoming a rapper. What makes you unique as an artist?

Well my journey to becoming a rapper has been crazy! I came out of jail, I was on tag so I had a lot of time on my hands, so I was recording a few videos of me rapping and then I decided to post ‘The King’s Back’ onto my snapchat two months after my release.

Someone screen recorded it, I went viral, got posted on all the blogs, then I released the video onto my channel and from there I just got given a whole bunch of opportunities. Been working so hard and a lot of things have happened for me so quickly! So yes, it’s been amazing.

I’m different from other artists because I have my own individual story to tell and my life’s been like a movie! I then have my own way of putting this into music, delivering my craft and it just means that nobody can rap my bars even if they wanted to.

Who are your musical inspirations?

Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Mulatto, even old school Lil Kim, definitely.

What is your process when writing lyrics?

I just put headphones on, loop the beat and write. There’s not much to it. I’m a perfectionist though, so I delete and re-write a lot when I’m working on something.

You had a short spell in prison. How much impact has this had on the rapper you are today?

It was a few years so yeah definitely not short, I wish! But it’s definitely had an impact on me, not only as a rapper but as a woman. I turned 18 in jail. In fact I spent my prime years there, so a lot of the women around me taught me a lot, which may sound scary or weird but no, they were good to me. I learnt a lot of values and what I wanted for myself, which is why I’m so passionate about this. I definitely have had enough time to know what I want!

Are there any assumptions made of Lavida Loca that you wish would disappear?

People have a bunch of assumptions about me before they meet me! I think people expect me to be very hard faced and hard to approach, but I’m so friendly!

In what ways do you hope to use your platform for?

There’s not much help supporting single women in poverty. I realised that a lot of women in prison were actually homeless or came from poverty stricken backgrounds. Women are soft, gracious, majority of them don’t actually want to commit crime, they want help, help that doesn’t come in the form of a man that may have more intentions for you. There’s a lot of things I wanna use my platform for. I’m going to be a voice for a lot of women who don’t have one… but they need to hear me louder first!

Who would be your dream collaboration?

Doja Cat, that’ll happen. TRUST ME!

You recently appeared in the GRM Daily film about Drill. What are your thoughts on females doing Drill in the UK?

It’s amazing more and more females are jumping on Drill! Showing us women can do it too! I love it!

What’s next for Lavida Loca?

Two new songs out this month. My EP comes out in April and I’ve got a few performances coming up. I’m going to be at the Love Saves the Day festival!

What legacy do you want to leave in the industry?

The girl who was told she would be in and out of jail her whole life, not only changed her life, CHANGED OTHERS!”.

Maybe you are hesitant to check out an artist who may be out of your comfort zone or in a genre you are fairly unfamiliar with. I would encourage people to give Lavida Loca some time and love, as her music is so essential and nuanced. Not confining herself to a single sound or nuance, it is eclectic but focused at the same time. This wonderful artist will spend a lot of 2023…

BLAZING her own path.

____________

Follow Lavida Loca

 Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/kinglavidaloca/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/415327ME0IFxW10IRFonr8

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/kinglavidaloca

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPd71nWy69HGlzLSe9A2lJA

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/people/Lavida-Loca/100057852678378/

FEATURE: Looking Ahead… Songs from Albums Turning Fifteen in 2023

FEATURE:

 

 

Looking Ahead…

Songs from Albums Turning Fifteen in 2023

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LOOKING ahead to 2023…

I am doing a run of features marking great albums celebrating big anniversaries. I am now at 2008 –albums from a very strong year for music. Albums that are going to be fifteen in 2023. I am marking this anniversary with a playlist of songs from that year. It was a hugely broad year for music, and there are some brilliant songs in the playlist below. I am looking forward to covering 2013 next, but let us continue with remarkable albums turning fifteen next year. Such an important anniversary, these songs below are wonderful. If you are not sure which top albums came out in 2008, then the playlist below gives you an idea of how epic…

THE year was.

FEATURE: Revisiting... Kae Tempest - The Line Is a Curve

FEATURE:

 

 

Revisiting...

Kae Tempest - The Line Is a Curve

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AN artist who is more of a poet…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Wolfgang Tillmans

and voice of their generation, Kae Tempest’s latest album, The Line Is a Curve, is among this year’s absolute best. I am including it in Revisiting… as it may have passed some people by. This year has been a phenomenal one for music, with so many interesting albums released. Everybody needs to spend time with Tempest’s latest gem! I may do one more of these features before the end of the year and throw some fresh light on an album released this year. Maybe those not familiar with Kae Tempest’s work would not have heard The Line Is a Curve. Their music is so remarkable, and the lyrics are among the most profound, moving and direct. The way Tempest can  cut the core and get inside the heart. That is a gift they have had for years now. One of their most astonishing albums to date, I will end with just a couple of the reviews. They are glowing. Released back in April, The Line Is a Curve refers, I think, to sexuality and gender. In August 2020, in an Instagram post, Tempest came out as non-binary. Formerly recording as Kate Tempest, Kae Tempest is an artist who is finally more comfortable in their skin. Being who they want to be, rather than what others perceive them to be. They are just starting out on this new path, but is it great knowing that there is a sense of freedom and a new chapter starting for a remarkable songwriter, rapper, author and poet. I will come to some reviews for one of this year’s finest albums. First, The Guardian interviewed Tempest ahead of the release of their latest album. I have selected a few passages, as it is quite a revealing and hard-hitting talk:  

“Coming out has been huge,” Tempest says, tentatively. “A beautiful but difficult thing to do publicly.” The process has been fraught with pain and uncertainty. “It’s hard enough to say: ‘Hey look, I’m trans or non-binary,’ to loved ones. And I have this twin life beyond my friends and family.”

“Trans people are so loving, so fucking beautiful,” they say. “I think of my community, and how much strength I’ve got from people telling me I don’t have to go through this alone.” Tempest feels the power of visibility. “If I hide, and I’m ashamed of myself, it’s [as if] I’m ashamed of them.”

Tempest is on more solid ground expressing themselves through their work, and their latest offering is no exception. Next month sees the release of their fourth solo album, The Line Is a Curve. Their first two albums received Mercury prize nominations. Tempest has already written three plays, a novel and six poetry books and last year published On Connection, their debut work of nonfiction. “But it’s starting to hit me how different this album is from everything else,” they say, “how far it could potentially go. It’s reaching for something beyond what the others have been.”

Musically, The Line Is a Curve is certainly a more introspective and personal affair than what has come before; Tempest’s lyrical and performance prowess, however, remains consistent. Each track goes in deep: “I can feel myself opening up … I’ve stopped hoping, I’m learning to trust; let me give love, receive love, and be nothing but love.”

For the first time in eight years, Tempest’s face is emblazoned on the artwork, too. It’s a sign, they say, of wanting to invite listeners in, in a way that previously felt difficult. Tempest spent years simultaneously desperate for the spotlight, and hugely uncomfortable inside it.

“For the last couple of records,” they say, “I wanted to disappear completely from the front-facing aspects of the industry.” There was a genuine desire to let the work speak for itself; constantly grappling with the fact that as a writer their output was enough, yet putting out music meant being public-facing. “But this time, I want to be different.”

“This whole album, and this process, and me coming out, is me squaring myself with the idea of what being a musician is,” they say, “and how that differs from being a playwright or an author, where you can be less visible.” Part of Tempest longs for that invisibility. “At the same time, what am I scared of? It’s my life.” Maybe, they say, openness might be healing. “The pain of what it used to be – to be interviewed or on telly, that pain is also about [gender] dysphoria,” they say. “And because I’m doing something to treat that, maybe it’s not going to hurt this time”.

“I am aware my brain is fucking intense,” they reply, cracking a smile. The room feels lighter. “It’s like this weird mate always hanging out with me.” In the past, they’ve crashed hard. “Back in the day, I’d come back from a tour and I’d fall over. I couldn’t even make it to bed. It would take me days to fill the reservoir again.” Now, they hope things might be different.

“I was always me on stage,” they say, “but I was hiding who I was, including from myself … When I perform I go to the depths; beyond gender, beyond body. I leave everything behind. That’s why it was addictive.”

This time, though, it will be Kae Tempest transcending. “I’ve not had a tour where I’ve known this iteration of myself,” Tempest says, eyes closed. “It’s going to be joyful, although I’ve got no fucking clue where it’ll take me”.

This is Tempest’s show, but musicians who have been playing with them since they first began gigging provide little smatterings of drums, guitar, tuba, cornet, and french horn. Further contributions come from Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten (whose verse on “I Saw Light” feels conservative and glib compared to Tempest’s incisive and intimate imagery) and former BROCKHAMPTON member Kevin Abstract, who was introduced to Tempest through Rick Rubin, the album’s executive producer. Tempest and Carey have spent the last several years learning from the studio guru, using their time at Shangri-La trying to reconstruct the relationship between Tempest’s intricately polysyllabic verses with Carey’s post-dubstep productions. On 2019’s The Book of Traps and Lessons, their first Rubin-produced project, Carey reined in his sound, leaving more space for Tempest’s words. Carey and Tempest repeat this formula on The Line Is a Curve: As Carey’s synths brood, Tempest explores a whole poetry anthology’s worth of meters. Their dramatic delivery functions like a musical monologue, and their lyrics, which are stuffed with glottal stops and plosive consonants, function like a layer of percussion against Carey’s largely beatless electronic meanderings.

Throughout, Tempest balances character study, vignettes, monologues, and prosaic details that function metonymically—“Discarded masks, empty tubes/The colds, the flus,” they rap on “Salt Coast”—with each detail reconstructing the universe we live in. Tempest’s visceral yet temperate delivery is comparable to Little Simz’s calm conviction. Like Simz, too, Tempest is almost Biblical in their mode of address. Tempest’s linguistic instinct, however, is nearly peerless. The tight iambic trimeter of “Nothing to Prove”—ten lines of six slick syllables—sounds like bullets. Elsewhere, on “Priority Boredom,” where each verse is dedicated to its own vowel sound, the monotony of individualism is cleverly represented with congested “or” sounds: “Priority boredom/Gorging/Four courses/Forced absorption,” they spit, the words like slushy fruit in their mouth”.

Let us round up with a review from DIY. Maybe not quite as highly-reviewed and well-received as, say, 2016’s Let Them Eat Chaos, The Line Is a Curve is still a phenomenal album with some of Kae Tempest’s most heartfelt, moving and stunning lyrics. As someone renowned for their gift with words, The Line Is a Curve does not disappoint! It is an album that becomes richer and more rewarding each time you pass through it:

“The art of passing stories down through generations has long been replaced by the ability to capture words as data, to be stored until beyond human obsolescence. But even though this art is no longer practised, Kae Tempest is unafraid to share their experiences with us all, in the form of beat-laden, lucid poetry. The minimal beats on ‘The Line Is A Curve’ lean on Kae’s spoken vocals, the artist directing them, as opposed to the other way around. Their handpicked transcontinental roster of collaborators stretches from Brockhampton’s Kevin Abstract on ‘More Pressure’ to the glacé lullaby of fellow Londoner Lianne La Havas. Each word is meticulously delivered, with the strength given to each syllable making the entire record a heady and vivid listen. We are instantly placed in Kae’s shoes, surrounded by the same media onslaught, bubbling anxiety and artistic growth they experience every time they open their eyes. ‘Salt Coast’ utilises meandering coastal metaphors to paint an evocative picture of Kae’s headspace, while the minimal ‘I Saw Light’ sees Tempest team up with Fontaines DC’s Grian Chatten, delivering an enchanting masterclass in duet poetry. On ‘The Line Is A Curve’ Kae Tempest removes their mask, revealing an intimate and often blunt aperture into their lived experience. Rife with feelings of ephemeral isolation and deep personal anxieties, they have realised a new wave of modern storytelling, forging ‘The Line Is A Curve’ as an answer to an open call for honesty”.

A typically amazing and gifted performer, I cannot wait to see Tempest hit the road next year. I think they have completed some dates in promotion of The Line Is a Curve, but there is gong to be hunger and demand to see more dates come to pass. With a loving and loyal fanbase there is this support behind Tempest in what has been a changeable and challenging year in many ways. I hope that 2023 is a year where Kae Tempest experiences so much…

SUCCESS and happiness.

FEATURE: Looking Ahead… Songs from Albums Turning Twenty in 2023

FEATURE:

 

 

Looking Ahead…

Songs from Albums Turning Twenty in 2023

__________

LOOKING ahead to 2023…

I am doing a run of features marking great albums celebrating big anniversaries. I am now at 2003 –albums from the first big anniversary year of this century. Albums that are going to be twenty in 2023. I am marking this huge anniversary with a playlist of songs from 2003. It was a hugely exciting year for music, and there are some phenomenal songs in the playlist below. I am looking forward to covering 2008 next, but let us continue with remarkable albums turning twenty next year. Such an important anniversary, these songs below are incredible. If you are not sure which great albums came out in 2003, then the playlist below gives you an idea of how awesome…

THE year was.

FEATURE: An Artist Primed to Go Stratospheric in 2023: The Sensational and Mesmeric Madison Beer

FEATURE:

 

 

An Artist Primed to Go Stratospheric in 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: Dana Trippe for Glamour

The Sensational and Mesmeric Madison Beer

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WITH one of the coolest and most recognisable names…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Bethany Vargas

in modern music, Madison Beer is an artist I wanted to return to. I have previously written about her remarkable 2021 debut album, Life Support. Beer co-wrote the album and co-produced most of the tracks. I have argued how it is a hugely underrated album. One of the most impressive and stunning debut albums of last year, I think that the New York-born twenty-three-year-old artists is going to ascend to enormous heights. There are so many amazing solo artists out there right now, but I think Beer can join the most popular artists of the mainstream. I have written a Spotlight feature about her before, but I wanted to highlight Beer again as she is an amazing artist who recently released Showed Me (How I Fell In Love With You). Inspired by The Turtles’ version of the classic, You Showed Me, it was a wonderful and hypnotic song. It ranks alongside my favourite singles of the year. Beer also released the incredible song Dangerous earlier this year too. It was another big year for an artist with a massive following across Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. I have a lot of affection and respect for Madison Beer. Such a mature and inspiring young woman, she has faced a lot of criticism and overcome do many hurdles. As someone who has borderline personality disorder, it must be incredible challenging on a day-to-day basis. Maybe Life Support was written from a slightly darker place, but it is an honest and remarkably moving album that everyone needs to hear.

I want to come to a few interviews from earlier year. Madison Beer will be releasing her second studio album next year I think. New singles have even bested the staggering work on Life Support. Here is someone who is very young yet sounds like an established star. She is an artist who will collaborate with some massive peers and see her new album proclaimed and given huge respect. I want to start with some excerpts from a Glamour interview back in August:

“As Madison prepares for the release of her second album and launches her newest single, she sits down in her backstage glam room with me to talk about inner work, her thoughts on TikTok music “I don't really care if I'm never like the biggest thing on the planet, I'd rather stay true to my artistry in my integrity and the things that I like.” she says, and what her full-beat actually looks like.

Pick me apart why don’t you…

“I've sort of been picked apart since I was super young. I got discovered when I was 12. So I've had my appearance commented on for a majority of my life, which wasn't easy. It's never gotten easy. It still isn't easy. I think that it definitely messed me up a lot especially when I was younger because in the years that I was supposed to be playing with makeup and figuring things out, people were making fun of me and saying that I looked ugly or weird or whatever. I feel like I was never really given like a full chance to just experiment with what kind of makeup I liked or what style I was into. I was always bullied for anything that I tried. People were telling me things I didn't see before… So that made me kind of crawl into a shell a bit.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Dana Trippe 

Busy doing the inner work

“For anyone struggling with self image I think it all starts with you and with your relationship with yourself. It's a lot deeper than our appearances and what we wear and what we do. A lot of us have a lot of healing to do I think. You'll be surprised when you do inner work on your soul and your heart, how that manifests itself into how you present yourself, how you act and how you function in reality. It definitely affected me a lot and I was realising that I maybe was partially confused and conflicted because I wasn't happy with who I was internally.”

I love the person that I am now, but teen-me needed a real pep talk

“I think just getting older, obviously inherently helps a lot, but I had to do a lot of inner work, to be able to stop intrusive thoughts. I understand that I was letting people's opinions affect me, which is human and normal and that's totally fine. I don't feel any shame for letting people affect me as a child, and even now people’s opinions still do. Growing up, it was definitely harder, because I didn't know who I was. I was still trying to figure out, who is Madison Beer as a human being first and foremost, and I didn't know the answer to that. So when people were already hating on everything I was before, I couldn’t even give myself the chance to decide if it was right or wrong. That was really tough and confusing.”

I’m really proud of my new music…

“I think that the new music is very true to me and true to the music that I listen to in my everyday life. It sounds a lot like the things that I get influenced by. So I'm really excited to have an album and music out there that's I would actually listen to. I'm not saying my album now isn't but I guess I’m growing and I'm changing. The whole album in general has been a very emotional, awesome experience for me because I really just tried to let go of all the pressures that I put on myself.”

Tiktok is ruining music

‘I guess also TikTok has really ruined a lot of music where it's like labels and stuff are like, ‘we want a TikTok hit’. That's so stupid. It literally goes away in two minutes and it's honestly insulting. Music is my art, it's my passion. It's what has literally kept me alive my entire life. Now you're telling me I have to make a f*cking song that's gonna be sniped for 15 seconds for kids to dance, to? Like f*ck off. It's like that scene, I forget what movie it is, where this guy gets assigned to be a police officer and then they have him working the parking meters on his first day, but he's like, all I wanted my whole life was to be an officer and yet I'm literally putting coins in readers. You know what I mean? You literally dream to be an artist and then you are f*cking writing TikTok songs. That's not gonna happen ever with me and I don't really care if I'm never like the biggest thing on the planet, I'd rather stay true to my artistry in my integrity and the things that I like. So don't expect any TikTok hits coming from Madison Beer. If it happens organically. Great, but if not, oh well”.

On a bit of a tangent, like music peers such as Taylor Swift, not only is Beer a remarkable writer and producer. I think she could enjoy some huge acting roles. I would love to see her on the big screen more. Maybe that is a lot of pressure now but, with an amazingly loving fanbase and people comparing Beer to some of the modern greats, there will be a lot of demands this year. NME spoke with Beer in September. Among other subjects, they discussed the influence of Billie Eilish, and receiving deserved co-producer credits on her songs:

“Even if I still have to shout to be heard, I am heard and that’s enough,” she said. “I know what I deserve, I know what I worked for, what credit I should be given. I think that’s also another topic of misogyny in the industry.”

Beer added: “I think that women get discredited a lot and undermined for their intelligence and their ability to do things the same way men can. I definitely always want to fight for the producing credit or the directing credit or whatever I did on tour because I think it’s important for people to see a woman’s name in those titles, so they can know you indeed can do the same thing.”

When asked who she felt in the industry was doing a great job of creating change for artists, Beer mentioned Eilish and her brother Finneas as examples.

“The first person who comes to mind is Billie Eilish, because I think the topics she touches on in her music are so prolific,” she said. “She speaks about things that a lot of other artists don’t and are maybe afraid to, which is valid because we’ve all been conditioned to be afraid of speaking about certain things.”

Beer added: “What her and Finneas have created is really incredible and I really look up to them. They are two people I am very glad to see at the top because there are some who aren’t the best and who don’t stand for the right things, and I think [they really do].”

The singer also pointed to Eilish’s track ‘Your Power’ as an example of using your voice in the industry, pointing to the track’s subject matter of abuse of power and gaslighting.

“A song like, ‘Your Power’ that’s a difficult song to write and I think the fact that she did that and the fact that she fought for it to come out as one of her singles probably wasn’t an easy sell, especially to her label,” Beer told NME. “I’m sure she had to fight for that to come out, that’s awesome. She also directs her own videos, everytime I watch one of her videos and see ‘directed by Billie Eilish’ I’m like, ‘that’s my girl’.”

Last month, Beer played Reading & Leeds for her first time, and prior to the performance, she said she was “really excited about”.

“I’ve heard it’s awesome,” she said. “I hope I fit in, I hope everyone likes it. I’m a bit nervous [as] I feel like there’s a lot of way cooler people than me on the line-up, so I’m like ‘do I fit in here!’, but hopefully it’ll be fun”.

Before getting to the final interview, I want to bring in a feature from The Line of Best Fit. Catching up with her in October, they spoke with an artist currently working on her new project (whether that is an album or something else). Beer was also nearing the end of a busy year of touring. The interview led to Beer choosing songs that mean a lot to her. The selection are surprising and wonderful. I chose a few that caught my eye:

“Beer’s learned restraint and maturity have come from years of trial and error. Indeed, her new music reflects that too. Though her older tracks often feature complex layers of electronic production, she’s shifted course in her newer offerings. Beer’s latest single “Showed Me (How I Fell In Love With You)” feels effortless. It’s right in Beer’s wheelhouse, taking cues from ’60s records, an era that excites her above all others. The instrumentation is straightforward and slick, the vocals restrained while still showcasing Beer’s prowess as a singer.

“I’m excited for everyone to hear it because I think it’s a really good example of the new direction I’m going in,” she says. “I’ve been in the industry for so long, I was such a baby when I started, so I think it’s only natural that as I’ve gotten older my music has also progressed and changed with me. And I don’t think I’m done by any means.”

And as she continues to evolve into making music that she’s increasingly proud of, part of that process has been consistently drawing on the people and influences that ground her the most. Her Nine Songs selections were chosen with that ethos in mind. “I picked songs that reminded me of certain people or happy moments for me, anything I could tie memories back to or that I’ve found a lot of inspiration in.”

“Tragedy” by the Bee Gees

I love the Bee Gees and I always have, but funnily enough I’m not as into them as my little brother is - they’re his favorite band. We were in the car around three summers ago, and he was playing “Tragedy” and singing along to it. He has this amazing voice. We probably played it 70 times through this one specific summer - we listened to it every single day.

So much about that summer was amazing. We live in New York, so we were just having fun and driving around in the Hamptons. It was beautiful, and we were being silly, which was so needed after so many years of not living together. I love spending time with him, he’s one of those people I can completely relax around.

I always think of my brother when I think of this song, and so it’s one of those songs that will always put me in a better mood or put a smile on my face.

“In My Life” by The Beatles

I’m a huge Beatles fan, they’re my number one for everything. Part of it is the ‘60s, which to me were the best years for music. I don’t know why, it’s not a meticulously thought-out opinion or anything, it’s just the music that’s stuck with me. I think it was a different time, people were more eager to be themselves and experiment, and it was such a cool coming of age time for music.

When I listen to music from then, I feel really connected to it, so that’s why I always reference it. I try to do anything I can to pull inspiration from that era and give people some of its essence in my music. I try to give people the same feeling from my songs that I get listening to ‘60s stuff.

With “In My Life” specifically, I’ve known this song pretty much my whole life, but it didn’t have such an important meaning to me until about five or six years ago. I was with my dad, and we were having a really deep, important conversation about a lot of things to do with our relationship. We were driving and talking and this song came on shuffle, and I remember for a second it cut the tension and we were able to both just listen to it. We both were crying by the end of the song, but because we were having a conversation that felt super serious and deep and heavy, it was somehow able to lighten things up again. It was a way to say, “I love you.”

“Wake Up Alone” by Amy Winehouse

Amy has always been one of my biggest inspirations. She’s an incredible talent, it’s otherworldly.

This song in particular, while maybe not my most played, it’s the most special, because my best friend Lena showed it to me. She told me about this record and when I told her I’d never heard it, she couldn’t believe it. She then said to me, “You should totally cover this song.”

She had brought up the idea of the cover to me one night when we were on FaceTime and sent me the song the next day after I told her I hadn’t heard it. She just kept saying, “Dude, listen to it.” And I did, and I loved it. The record is 6/8, and I love 6/8 records, the beat of them is beautiful. Lyrically, too, it’s very special.

Lena suggesting that cover did a lot for me, because when I was first doing covers on YouTube I was always told to make covers of songs that, frankly, I didn’t want to do. They were songs that didn’t feel right to me and weren’t showcasing my vocals. So to hear someone finally say that I would sound great on something that I loved and knew I would sing well felt really good.

That’s also just the bigger picture of Lena, she makes me feel really seen. She holds a really special place in my heart. She lives in Maryland, so we don’t see each other often, but we talk every day online”.

Having been in the music industry for over a decade, Madison Beer is not new. She is an artist still coming through. Someone who will hit her peak in years to come. Having been featured on numerous covers and with her streaming figures skyrocketing, there is no doubt she is a major artist. I feel everyone should know about her. She did reveal in this interview (from October), that she has finished off her new album. It will be exciting to hear:

“I know you co-produced a lot of ‘Life Support’ - do you usually have a clear idea of the sounds you want in a song or does that get workshopped?

I go in with a list of inspiration and sounds that I wanna work from, so I usually have a pretty good idea of what I want.

I get the feeling you’re a real perfectionist. How do you know when a song is finished?

My fans would say I have a really hard time with that. It took me like five years to finish my first album, solely because I was like “wait, I wanna add one more thing!” I’m letting go of that a bit now. When I listen to the album we delivered a month or two ago, I am like “I wanna do this different”, but I think that’s how it’s always gonna be, and I just have to allow myself to grow in other areas. It’s okay if something changes, and I can always perform it differently live! It’s fun to give songs a new life when they’re out, so I’m trying to let go of that a little.

PHOTO CREDIT: Niamh Louise shooting Madison Beer during her Life Support Tour

I’m sure you’re not thinking about what would be ‘a hit’ when you’re writing songs, but do you feel pressure when it comes to things like chart positions?

No, I don’t because I don’t really chart anyways! It’s something that I’ve changed my perspective on a lot. Growing up, hits and charts were everything and that was what I was always told needed to be achieved, whereas now my focus has changed. I want [to make] something that really resonates with people; something that people organically listen to and love, and if it’s not top five on radio or the biggest hit in the world, that’s totally fine. “Selfish”, for example – my biggest record – that’s not considered a hit, because it was never on the charts. It started streaming massively a year after it came out. I stopped playing those games with myself and I’ve freed myself from the shackles of thinking “this has to do this”. That’s not my goal. My goal is to make music and if it clicks, it clicks. If not, I’m proud of it regardless.

That’s good to hear. I guess that must help it to feel less like a job, too—because I imagine there are times that it does.

Yeah! And it sucks the fun out of it, ‘cause you’re only setting yourself up for disappointment when you might not chart; you might not do those things. I just don’t think my music deserves that. I don’t even put it on myself; I’m like “you’re amazing, if you don’t chart, that doesn’t mean I love you any less”, you know? That’s the relationship I have with it now.

You’ve been quite vocal about the problems with the industry on tracks like 'Dear Society', where you said the magazines had treated you like you were “21 since 17”. Do you think there have been any cultural shifts since you wrote that track?

That’s really interesting that you bring that up. I was just talking to someone recently about how I had photos leaked when I was like 15, 16 and I wrote a lot about that on International Women’s Day a couple of years ago. It’s definitely mind-blowing because – I say this as cautiously as I can – I don’t think that a girl in my position would be treated the same way today. I received a lot of hate at the time, my photos were spread everywhere, and I do think the internet has changed in that regard.

I see a lot of younger, underage girls who are more protected now, but I’m so sad that it took people like me to get there and I do think we have leaps and bounds still to go. I don’t think the priority of the internet is child safety, or protecting influencers or artists who are super, super young, and I wish that it was seen as more important. But I do think that it has changed a lot and I don’t think someone in the same position would get the same backlash as I did.

A lot of your last album came from a dark place - are you in a better headspace now?

In ways, yeah, for sure. I’ve realised that healing is not linear and neither is your mental health journey. I think there are ways that I’m better and there are ways that I’m worse, but I’m taking things day by day and I’m definitely in an overall better place than when I wrote Life Support. I was very suicidal then; I was going through a lot of really dark things. I feel like I’m in a better place with my healing; I’m more at peace with things that have happened in my life, and that feels really good.

"Loving those parts of yourself that are unchangeable is important – I’m always gonna be a sensitive person. I’m always gonna be someone that takes things to heart. I don’t look at these things in a negative way anymore..."

If you don’t mind, I’d love to chat about borderline personality disorder (BPD) briefly. There’s a lot of stigma and misinformation out there online – how have you found the journey to understanding your diagnosis?

I think that mine is a journey, for sure. BPD isn’t the only thing that I’m diagnosed with – although I think it’s the most significant, there’s also other things that are crippling to me everyday – but what I can say about it is that the biggest shift and the biggest blessing has been my perspective change with how I view myself. For a long time, I was surrounded by people – in relationships, or on social media – who made me feel awful. They made me feel like everything I thought was right was wrong, and that screwed me up in ways that I can’t even describe. There’s been a lot of undoing for me. I used to hate what I now know as my BPD ‘outbursts’, I guess you can call them, but what’s beautiful now is that I actually look at them at a bit of a strength sometimes.

I don’t hate that I overthink stuff. I think it’s awesome that I can run through things thoroughly. And although it might feel like the end of the world when someone cancels plans, I love my capacity to care. There are of course times that I’m like “relax”, and moments that I wish I didn’t have to struggle with this, but with a lot of therapy, learning, healing, and looking at things in a different light, I think that’s been a big change in perspective. Loving those parts of yourself that are unchangeable is important – I’m always gonna be a sensitive person. I’m always gonna be someone that takes things to heart. I don’t look at these things in a negative way anymore.

If I can say this to anyone listening – whether you’re diagnosed with BPD or you’re just someone who’s mean to yourself – give yourself some positive affirmation. ‘Cause a lot of stuff in society is down to conditioning; being sensitive is deemed bad, and having your own back can come across as being defensive. As long as you have good intentions, speak from your heart, and mean well, I think everything else is gonna be okay, and that’s the biggest thing for me.

What’s been inspiring your lyrics recently?

Well, I’ve finished my album and when I was finishing it up, I was honestly really inspired by my therapy sessions! I feel like I’ve learned a lot about myself and I’ve really been able to make peace with things that have transpired in my life. I have a song in my album that’s about… a lot of things, and I’m not gonna tell you too much because I’m trying to be good and keep things secret for now! But there’s one song that’s about feeling a bit dissociated from my younger self and feeling like I kinda had formative years of mine taken, in a way, and just giving myself that; acknowledging that, and being like “hey, it’s okay to mourn homecoming, prom or camp”. Allowing myself to be empathetic towards myself has been amazing, and I think that’s been really inspiring for me. There’s a lot of that on the album that you’ll hear”.

A truly brilliant young woman and influential artist who is not only compelling future artists. She is a very honest and warm human who is connecting with her fans. Giving them strength and heart, this is a phenomenal talent who will be around for decades more. I hope that Madison Beer comes to the U.K. next year and tours, as there are a lot of fans here. Whatever you do, go and show the beguiling and super-talented Madison Beer…

SO much love.

FEATURE: All the Things I Should've Done That I Never Did: Imagining Kate Bush’s Alternative Career Arc

FEATURE:

 

 

All the Things I Should've Done That I Never Did

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush 

Imagining Kate Bush’s Alternative Career Arc

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THE title might be a bit misleading…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Colin Davey/Getty Images

but I have been thinking about a few events and things that Kate Bush suggested or started but never completed or fulfilled. Another feature inspired by Tom Doyle’s new book, Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush. Bush has been the subject of many other books herself, but there was a suggestion that she would write her autobiography. I think Off the Tracks was the title (though I haven’t got a copy of Doyle’s book to hand, so someone may correct me), though that never came to light. I know why there would be demand to have one of there. Such a popular and original artist, what a fascinating read that would have been. Someone more comfortable writing songs and recording, maybe it would have been too revealing and time-consuming writing a memoir. I have been thinking about the offers and things that Bush would have done or explored but never did. Sort of paraphrasing her 1989 song, This Woman’s Work, which she wrote from an expectant dad’s perspective. In it, there is this sense of regretting all the things (he) never did or said. I often wonder how much of Bush is in that song, but she has explained its origin. I can see why a memoir would have been great, but also why she would not want to commit. That was earlier in her career, bur I am curious whether the offer has come back up since.

Bush did release a book of lyrics, How to Be Invisible, four years back, but that was lyrics already written. Since she wrote articles and correspondences earlier in her career, I am thinking about whether Bush has actually written any longform pieces since. She has written updates and posts to her fans, but nothing in the way of books. I think, if she had released a memoir back in the 1980s or 1990s, then she might have felt too exposed or that she had to ‘set the record straight’ when it came to gossip or perceptions about her. The music is Bush’s way of communicating, and she has always guarded her personal life. A memoir might also have signalled a career. Things have changed since then, so I wonder whether that would be more inviting. After the success Bush has had this year, maybe not a tell-all or career-spanning memoir. Instead, perhaps a chapter or time of her life. I do feel there is a book inside Kate Bush, and it would strike me as something she would take to. I am sure she had many offers, and it does not mean that her career would be over. Maybe there will be another album, so that would probably take priority. The almost-memoir Bush was going to write was shelved but 2023 and beyond might be a different story. Let’s see what comes about.

There are a couple of other areas that Bush could have stepped into. Recording and promotion has dominated her career, so acting wasn’t that big. She did do a bit of acting. She appeared in Les Dogs: a Comic Strip episode from 1990, Bush played the part of a bride. The band are Les Dogs, and there is a gun battle at a wedding where many of the guests die. Bush played a silent part, but she did take in a central role in the 1993 short film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve. One that she directed and wrote, it is her biggest acting role ever. I think that short failed or was not received well because Bush took on too much. She is a very capable actor and one who could have thrived under the right director. Maybe requiring a little coaching and more time, 1993 was a year when she took on too much. Bush was offered a role opposite Oliver Reed in 1986’s Castaway. The role went to Amanda Donohue. Bush would have essentially been naked with Reed on a desert island, so you can understand why she turned it down! She contributed a song for the film, Be Kind to My Mistakes, that opens the film. I know Bush got offered a load of acting roles. Someone who is very funny and shows such dynamic and theatrical range through her music videos, I have said before how she would have made a great actor. If a memoir would have been premature or not a great move, maybe acting would have taken her away from the studio. I do feel a few well-chosen roles would have been interesting. Something comedic or a thriller. She would have been approached for gothic and darker roles based on Wuthering Heights and perception about her. I do wonder what was put Bush’s way in the way of scripts.

Dedicated to her music, acting might have been a diversion or distraction Bush could have done without. Still, it seems like an opportunity missed that she did not take to the screen more. I can see her doing a drama or film in 1985 or 1986 (not Castaway) where she really shone and would have gone on to do other things. As she guards her privacy and never wanted fame, that might have brought unwelcomed press intrusion and celebrity her way. The third career trajectory actually relates to music. It is touring. Or just live work. Bush did take The Tour of Life around the U.K. and Europe in 1979. She was on stage after that and it wasn’t the case 2014’s Before the Dawn was the first time she was on the stage since 1979. That said, she didn’t do anything large-scale between 1979 and 2014. Again, recording got in the way I guess. I feel that Bush might have felt touring would have taken too much time away from new music and she would be on the road endlessly. A couple of groups that really inspired her, The Beatles and Steely Dan, gave up touring during their careers and dedicated themselves more to the studio – and, in the process, they created their most popular works. I think a lot of artists are expected to tour every album they release. After 1979, there would have been demand for Bush to tour Never for Ever (1980). Maybe The Dreaming (1982) would be less demanded, but it would have made a fascinating live show! Imagine pairing Never for Ever and The Dreaming?! Also, after Hounds of Love (1985) exploded, I can imagine that intensified. Maybe Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave would have been too hard to stage (though she did do it fort Before the Dawn) and she released videos for three of the four songs from the album’s first half.

Regardless, Bush only toured one and did one residency. She often said in interviews how she will do a tour or is trying to figure it out. Like writing a book or going into films, perhaps touring would have taken Bush’s career in a different direction and robbed her of time writing and being in the studio. Although she loved 1979’s The Tour of Life, I feel it is the exhaustion that put her off touring altogether. Performing this demanding show each evening and pushing her voice, body and soul to the limit, there wouldn’t have been much personal appeal. She loved her fans, but maybe repeating herself and traveling (she especially hared flying) would have meant fewer albums. It is hard to balance the desires of the fans with that of the artist. In Kate Bush’s case, I think the physical toll was the deciding factor when it came to ending touring. One of the only reason Bush did a residency in 2014 was because her young son Bertie helped persuade her. She stayed in London in Hammersmith and did not take Before the Dawn anywhere else. One of the big tragedies is the world did not get to see many of Bush’s songs taken  to the stage. Apart from it being a chance to see these songs come to life in a live setting, tours would allow Bush to mix songs from different albums. One can speculate about Kate Bush and what would happen if things worked out differently. I have been thinking about it because she was going to write a memoir and it was never to be – something that still could happen. Although there were so many things that she could have did but never did, we are always eternally grateful for…

ALL that she has given us!

FEATURE: Spotlight: WILLOW

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Kelsey Knight for Kerrang! 

WILLOW

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PERHAPS artist it is strange…

to feature an artist in a Spotlight feature who has been recording for years now. To be fair, at twenty-two, WILLOW is still at the start of her career! Even so, Willow Camille Reign is the daughter of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. She has won many awards, including a Young Artist Award, an NAACP Image Award, a BET Award, and nominations for two Daytime Emmy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award. Many might recall but, back in 2010, Smith launched her music career with Whip My Hair. Known now simply as WILLOW, she comes from a hugely successful and talented family. In terms of her acting and music, she does not follow her mum and dad too closely. She very much has her own direction and career. A prolific artist and talented songwriter, she released lately I feel EVERYTHING last year. I shall come to this year’s <COPINGMECHANISM>. Perhaps her strongest album yet, I feel WILLOW grows greater, more assured and consistent with each release. She is at a point, at such a young age, when she is getting on the radar. The music radar that is. I think her acting work is more widely known. I am going to end with some reviews for <COPINGMECHANISM>. You can buy the album here. I want to start off with some interviews. GLAMOUR spoke with WILLOW (as ‘Willow Smith’ in this interview). Among subjects discussed was how, as a Black artist, she was discriminated against and pigeonholed when it comes to genre:

“Willow Smith is someone who is used to standing out. She is a Hollywood tale as old as time; daughter of superstars who has spent most of her life in front of the press. She is only 21, but there are already many titles in her orbit: singer, songwriter, actress, guitarist, spokesperson. It’s a place where many children of celebrities can crash and burn, jostling with the pressure of living up to the blinding star quality of their parents. But Willow seems to have found the antidote, and is making a name for herself, all on her own. When we meet on a Monday morning in June, speaking over Zoom, Willow calls in from her GLAMOUR cover photoshoot in a studio in Paris. Her settings are as expected of someone reared for stardom; she is surrounded by a flock of handlers, the styling team, her trusted makeup artist Raoúl, her management, assistants, PRs and more. She is also on duty today as ambassador for Mugler’s Alien Goddess fragrance; her second collaboration with the brand, fronting the campaign for the new Alien Goddess Intense Eau De Parfum – yet another marker of a mini-mogul set for growing fame.

“It’s no secret that Black artists in the alternative scene often suffer pigeonholing and discrimination in comparison to their white peers. Even someone as big a star as Willow has found herself constrained, and resisting unfair treatment has been something she’s had to become used to.

“When I wanted to do a rock album, there were a lot of executives that were like, ‘Hmm…’ she says, frowning. “If I had been white, it would’ve been completely fine; but because I’m Black it’s, ‘Well… maybe let’s just not’ – and making it harder than it needs to be.” That double-standard is something that raises concerns with her for her peers in the scene. “If I go through that, every single other Black artist is getting the pushback [too].”

In 2021, the artist dropped Lately I Feel Everything, an album that would largely define her as someone known to play with different genres. From acoustic down to nü-metal, it was Willow’s first professional foray into the alternative music scene.

“I love all different kinds of music, I don’t like to box myself into anything,” she tells me. “I was trained to be an R&B singer so I went in that direction. But I’ve always had a huge affinity for rock music ever since I was just a wee bean.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Thom Kerr

Lately I Feel Everything came as a result of pushing back with execs to make what was true to her – and of course, the record turned out as a success. But she held little surprise that it came out that way, crediting her “vision” in staying true to herself in the face of discomfort. “The most beautiful changes on earth don’t happen by being comfortable and expecting other people to change. You have to put yourself on the line sometimes. It’s not fair, but that’s how it is,” she says.

In her opinion, it’s a case of allowing “people of colour, women and all marginalised communities [to] step out of the boxes that society wants to put us in. Not even just in music, but in every part of our lives – that’s the special sauce.”

We talk about other trailblazers like Nova Twins, Bad Brains and Skunk Anansie frontwoman Skin, all Black artists who have pioneered a place in the scene. She is now one of those names paving the way for individuality as she gears up to release follow-up album Coping Mechanism this month,, but also feeding the resistance she witnessed from her mother into her own music.

“Music has been at the forefront of some of earth’s biggest paradigm shifts,” she states. “Part of the reason I love it is because it’s such a strong agent of change. I definitely think there’s always more to do in [terms of] the way that we do business in these artistic branches and endeavours. It’s systematic oppression. If we start to undo that, then hopefully real change can happen.”

I ask her how she thinks we can make better spaces for women in music and what can be done to make women feel more empowered in the music scene. “I think the music scene reflects the world,” she finally says.

“For a long time, women have been looked at and expected to be in these boxes. It’s up to the people who have been a part of the oppressing, but it’s also up to us to step out of that. That’s scary, and it’s sometimes dangerous.

We need to make better spaces for each other and stop expecting other people to make spaces for us. We need to start holding our sisters, and start listening to each other the way that we wish other people would.”

Though we keep silent on recent familial issues, Willow does not have a problem being candid. Publicising issues of mental health and her own experiences with anxiety is something important to her. Sharing advice for how fans and others can alleviate symptoms is something she’s passionate about, and she talks to me about her own mental health management.

“Sometimes [managing your mental health] is so overwhelming that you can’t really bring yourself to do much else besides reminding yourself of the things that really matter,” she says. “For me, I love a good mantra. Recently, my mantra has been, ‘I accept everything as it is, and I’m grateful for it.’ Repeating that over and over again; that’s been really helping me”.

Having made an impression at such a young age, WILLOW has maintained this incredible career. It would be easy to compare her To Will Smith, but you feel this conscious effort to push away from that and do her own thing. In this Billboard interview, WILLOW was asked about her family and recent controversy. She also revealed a particular artist that she would like to work with:

“Though she may have first gained fame as a 9-year-old, Willow’s current cavalcade of music firmly sets her apart from child stars who withered on the vine, burnt out by a demanding industry or left unable to nimbly evolve into compelling adult creators. She never resigned herself to becoming a novelty act or coasted on the credentials of her megastar parents, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.

And despite the constant scrutiny of her family, Willow has stayed above the fray — even, most recently, this past March, when her father slapped Academy Awards host Chris Rock following a joke he made about her mother’s alopecia. The ensuing media firestorm, Willow says, didn’t derail her creativity or “rock me as much as my own internal demons.”

“I see my whole family as being human, and I love and accept them for all their humanness,” she says. “Because of the position that we’re in, our humanness sometimes isn’t accepted, and we’re expected to act in a way that isn’t conducive to a healthy human life and isn’t conducive to being honest.”

Perhaps because she knew this early on, Willow learned the power in a judicious “no” and steered her career in a direction that always felt true to her, even as it changed. Today, she’s in complete command of her musical fate. Perched on the couch, as she prepares for her Billboard photo shoot in a humid warehouse near her Los Angeles hometown, she doesn’t miss a beat discussing her art, speaking with her hands and disrupting her own train of thought to gush about her latest inspiration: “I think the monks have it right.” Witnessing her independence and authoritativeness, it’s easy to see why Willow’s team follows her lead, even if it means working on a new marketing plan every few months to keep up with her steady output.

And when it comes to delivering her message, Willow says that any oft-repeated clichés about her current musical medium are beside the point. “People only say rock is dead because rock was so influential in a political way,” she says, punctuating her speech like a preacher on a pulpit. “Right now, it’s not serving the same purpose as it did in the past.” She sees a resurgence in people of color injecting it with purpose, like Kenny Hoopla and Nova Twins. And Willow’s own credibility in rock is increasingly undeniable: Lately I Feel Everything landed in the top 10 of Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart, while her MGK collaboration “emo girl” did the same on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. She has worked with rock stalwarts Travis Barker and Avril Lavigne, the latter of whom says she was “blown away by” Willow and her “clear vision of who she is and where she wants to go.”

Willow never imagined Lavigne would agree to collaborate (“I really didn’t think she was going to say ‘yes’ ”), but when they linked up in the studio, they bonded over the skepticism they both experienced as women in rock. “You’ll kill yourself trying to be perfect for the masses. Bunk that. That’s a losing game,” Willow says, tossing her hands up with indifference as she thinks about the people who called Lavigne a poser in the early 2000s. “If you don’t like me, I’m grateful for you, because it shows I’m authentic enough to not be for everyone.”

At any rate, she is interesting to plenty of musical contemporaries who matter much more than any passing naysayers — like, for instance, Camila Cabello, who met Willow when they meditated together with former Hindu monk and British author Jay Shetty. After, Cabello reached out to Willow to collaborate. “We had very beautiful spiritual experiences together and we had connected. That was the only reason I was down to do the song,” Willow says. That, and the track “goes hard”.

Prior to moving onto reviews for WILLOW’s latest album, this NME feature interested me. <COPINGMECHANISM> was discussed, but the topic of festivals also was introduced. WILLOW talked about playing Reading & Leeds. For a festival that still struggles when it comes to gender inequality, it is good to know that she got to wow the crowds and add something incredible to the weekend this year:

“It’s only been just over a year since WILLOW released her critically acclaimed fourth album ‘Lately I Feel Everything’, which furthered the pop-punk renaissance with the likes of ‘Grow’ and ‘Gaslight’ and featured guest appearances from Travis Barker and Avril Lavigne. Not wanting to let the momentum dip, the 21-year-old has swiftly returned with the crushing brilliance of her new LP, ‘<COPINGMECHANISM>’ (out October 7).

Asked by NME if she feels like she’s on a creative roll, WILLOW replies: “I really do. After ‘Lately I Feel Everything’, I said to myself I wasn’t going to make another album for a while. Even when I got [in the studio] with Chris [Greatti, producer], I was still telling him that I wasn’t going to make an album. But, slowly but surely, it became a very strong project.”

For the latest in NME’s In Conversation series, we caught up with WILLOW in London to discuss her new album, dream collaborators, her debut novel and more. Here’s what we learned.

‘<COPINGMECHANISM>’ might arrive just 14 months after WILLOW’s last album, but its genesis goes back much further than the fast-paced follow-up suggests. “I was always looking back at some old notes in my phone, and I had a folder and it was called ‘Coping Mechanism’,” she explains. When the star looked at the date on the folder, which at the time contained just three songs, she realised she’d started it all the way back in 2018: “This idea has been with me for a long time.”

The inspiration to reignite the work in that folder, though, is more recent, and finds WILLOW doing something she thought she’d never do. “I hate to say it, because when I made music when I was younger I really wanted to stay away from the idea of heartbreak and romantic love,” she says with a wry smile. “I felt like it was so played out. I just felt like everyone talks about that, and it’s just boring. But then your girl got her heart broken. And you know what, I said, ‘Maybe this is the time for me to make that album’. This is that album.”

WILLOW has often spoken about her love for metal and her desire to dabble with the genre. On ‘<COPINGMECHANISM>’, she finally gets her chance: the likes of ‘Perfectly Not Close To Me’ (feat. Yves Tumor) find her turning her vocals into a scream, while a host of abrasive, heavy guitar riffs fill the record. Stepping into that zone on this album made the most sense, she says, because of her producer, Chris Greatti.

“Greatti plays the guitar like a freaking titan,” WILLOW explains. “He just plays like he’s in the music. I feel like the music he likes to play the most is metal, and so that’s his forte. We just worked really well together. I wanted to do that and he was like, ‘Oh, I know how to do this – which direction should we take it?’”

Although WILLOW says she felt “so comfortable” working in that area with Greatti, she does note that metal is “not my forte”: “I can play some metal riffs, I can. But it’s not the thing that I do the best. I wish it was, and soon it might be.”

This album might not be the last time we hear the young artist experiment with metal sounds, either. “Oh, 100 per cent,” WILLOW replies when asked if she feels like she has more to explore in the genre. “I was actually playing a lot of seven-string [guitar] last year, I was super, super-obsessed. I need to get back on that because once you commit to something, you really do get better at it fairly quickly. So it just takes the commitment.”

Take one look at WILLOW’s discography and you’ll notice an impressive list of bona fide musical legends within her collaborations. The aforementioned ‘Lately I Feel Everything’ featured Blink-182 drummer Barker and pop-punk queen Avril Lavigne, while over the years she’s also teamed up with Machine Gun Kelly, Nicki Minaj, Camila Cabello and more.

Impressive as that list may be, WILLOW isn’t done working with her heroes just yet. “Oh my goodness,” she begins as she flips through her bucket list of collaborators in her head. “I want to work with Les Claypool from Primus. I also want to work with the main singer of Hiatus Kaiyote, Nai Palm: she’s amazing. There’s so many people I want to work with, the list could be infinite.”

What, then, does WILLOW look for in a collaborator? “Someone [who] is open to being experimental, and to doing things that other people may not be into doing,” she says. “And I just look for a friend. Like, if I really love you and you inspire me as a person, I’m down. I love working with people who I love – that’s really the only criteria.”

WILLOW made her debut appearance at Reading & Leeds back in August, putting in an incendiary performance on the festivals’ main stage. “It was so crazy,” she says, looking back at the weekend. “There were so many people there. I was honestly like, ‘What is going on?!’ It was so much fun and I got to perform some new songs there – I felt like the reaction to them was better than I ever could have imagined, and I’m just really grateful.”

The history of R&L isn’t something that’s lost on the LA star, either. After all, WILLOW says that she always loves performing in Europe and the UK. “The way that people consume music in the UK is just different,” she explains. “I think people in the UK care a little bit more about the quality of the music and not just what it looks like [compared to the US]”.

The amazing <COPINGMECHANISM> is among the best albums of the year. I would urge everyone to listen to it. It is clear that WILLOW is a megastar-in-waiting who is creating unbelievable music. Kerrang! had their say on <COPINGMECHANISM>:

“2021’s lately I feel EVERYTHING was a fine maiden foray into the realm of alternative music from WILLOW. A record that leaned on the pop-punk revival in both sound and personnel (Travis Barker was a collaborator on a number of tracks), it proved she had something to offer the rock world, and in its at times unconventional delivery, it suggested its young creator had the potential to become a serious creative force with the guitar. With <COPINGMECHANISM>, that promise is realised through 11 tracks of eclectic, interesting and (largely) collaborator-free rock that see WILLOW well and truly come into her own.

The intentions are clear from the outset. Within its first minute, opening track <maybe> it’s my fault goes through three stark stylistic changes that run the gamut of indie-rock to metal, but it all hangs together well, as does the similarly eccentric Falling Endlessly, where WILLOW’s excellent grasp of vocal melodies come to the fore. Like lately I feel EVERYTHING, the songs don’t hang around – of the 11 songs, only a couple cross the three-minute mark – but its fast becoming an admirable trait of her music that its able to get the job done so convincingly in such a relatively short amount of time.

Lyrically, plenty of youthful angst remains – ‘I’ll never be fine if you won’t be mine,’ she cries on the sprightly hover like a GODDESS – but there’s zero temptation on <COPINGMECHANISM> to take the predictable route and pair such words with standard pop-punk fare.

Smart, confident and put together with a real sense of intrigue, WILLOW’s latest record is a testament to having the belief to forge your own path. As coping mechanisms go, this one sounds like a winner.

Verdict: 4/5”.

I will finish off with a review from NME. Maybe not quite as known as some of the biggest albums this year, <COPINGMECHANISM> is an album that stunned and engrossed me the first time I heard it. So many people are looking forward to seeing where WILLOW heads next:

“The album’s closer ‘Batshit’ is a sweet-sounding realisation. Clanging drums and screeching guitars ring out before a brief ethereal vocal harmony from the 21-year-old floats across them, and she details a story of her seeing through time wasters and liars she’s come across in life. “If I was you I would watch out / Whatever you do, it better be true, I’m coming for you,” she warns. It might seem like she’s singing to someone else, but she could also be directing those words to herself, shedding the things she no longer likes about herself and taking accountability for her actions. It’s as though the teenage angst WILLOW once harvested for her previous album is starting to transform into mature life lessons for the punk rocker.

On all her albums, WILLOW shares honest reflections of herself, lovers and friends in her music. That’s no different on ‘<COPINGMECHANISM>’. After “taking this adventure on [her] own”, the star’s loving ethos is now all she tries to preach on ‘curious/furious’. During her Reading main stage debut back in August, she shared a similar message, getting her fans to call back to her, “I am love… You are love… We are love,” knowing how much that affirmation has helped her heal.

Curious/furious’ is also a feel-good release of the sadness and confusion WILLOW used to present on her tracks and highlights her dynamic musicianship too. Its timid verses are in stark contrast to the track’s chorus; being muted and vulnerable while explaining her past inner turmoil makes the brightness of the chorus’ riffs all the bigger and better. It’s almost like there’s a poetry behind her musical intentions – you can’t have highs without the lows.

Throughout her recent exploration of rock music, the 21-year-old artist has mainly tapped into the nostalgic nature of the ‘00s punk she grew up on and saw her mother do in the band Wicked Wisdom. On her last album, she collaborated with multi-generational superstar Avril Lavigne on ‘G R O W’ and Lavigne’s sound is heavily used throughout WILLOW’s recent work. That doesn’t mean she can’t have her own moments of genius and uniqueness, though.

On ‘<COPINGMECHANISM>’, you can tell the star is using her influences to make her own seminal sound. Playing around with nostalgic sounds of ska and pop-punk, ‘hover like a GODDESS’ shows off her idiosyncratic fusions. The verses are jerky and bouncy, taking on the fun found in a Reel Big Fish track. As soon as the drums and bass come bursting in, though, it flips back into the punk-rock sound she’s become known for. It’s tracks like these that show what the sonic future of this bright young thing’s sound could be.

Over a relatively small number of tracks compared to some of the bloated albums that get released today, WILLOW has opted for quality over quantity once again. However, despite utilising a similar premise as on her last album by plucking her feelings away on a guitar, ‘<COPINGMECHANISM>’ is still an important record in her musical progression. In the poetic and thoughtful nature of it, as well as the odd glimpse of where she could go next, WILLOW’s fifth record should be noted as her breaking sonically mature new ground”.

An artist who has already broken through but someone not known to all, the incredible WILLOW is going to have a very prolific and fascinating career. Already influencing other artists, the twenty-two-year-old is bound for glory! Many might try to compare her to her parents or other artists, but the brilliant WILLOW is…

IN a league of one.

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