FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs That Start with the Chorus

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

PHOTO CREDIT: Diana Onfilm/Pexels

 

Songs That Start with the Chorus

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MOST songs have a broadly…

PHOTO CREDIT: Matthias Groeneveld/Pexels

similar construction. They start with a verse or prelude. The chorus kicks in after the first or second verse. Occasionally, songs will have no chorus at all. Though this is quite rare. For the most part, you get a few verses and one or two choruses. I am interested in songs that go straight into the chorus. It is quite a gamble. Getting the most catchy part of the song there up top! It is interesting when an artist decides to do that. You get it in some songs these days, though most artists leave the chorus for a little bit. I wanted to look at some great songs through the years that start with the chorus. From The Beatles’ classics through to some more contemporary examples, there are some wonderful songs that start off with the chorus. I think more artists should do this. Below are phenomenal tracks that kick right off with…

PHOTO CREDIT: Dennis_icap/Pexels

AN amazing chorus!

FEATURE: The Woman with the Child in Her Eyes: Kate Bush’s February 1979

FEATURE:

 

 

The Woman with the Child in Her Eyes

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Mirrorpix

 

Kate Bush’s February 1979

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MOVING slightly on…

from a feature I published in November, I wanted to look back almost forty-five years ago to Kate Bush’s February 1979. I know I have spent a fair time in this period. In future features, I am going to look into Kate Bush’s more recent albums and years. Maybe a tip to 2011. It is a good year to revisit, as this was when she released her latest album, 50 Words for Snow. There are some events and moments from 1979 that caught my eye and compelled me to put finger to keyboard. Thanks to this website for the fascinating and crucial timeline around Kate Bush and the important moments that are worth considering. February 1979 was a particularly important time. Not too long before she would start The Tour of Life (2nd April would be the first date), it was a moment between her second studio album, Lionheart, being released and its promotion finished. That album came out in November 1978, though Bush would release Wow in March 1979. I will do an anniversary feature around that next month. I will drop in what happened in Kate Bush’s career in February 1979. Aged twenty, she had already packed so much in. 1979 was a year of completing promotion of her second album and being immersed in The Tour of Life:

“February, 1979

Kate records the song The Magician (music by Maurice Jarre, lyrics by Paul Webster) for the film The Magician of Lublin. [The song has never been released, and is virtually inaudible in the film--a shameful waste of talent.]

Penny Allan, a women's-column feminist for The Guardian, lambasts Kate for "cultivating a childlike voice and encouraging her audience to act like voyeurs."

February 17, 1979

The Man With the Child in His Eyes enters the U.S. Billboard Hot One Hundred, the first of Kate's singles so to do. It remains there for four weeks, peaking at number 85.

There is a bit to focus on from the first half of February 1979. I know that Kate Bush recorded songs for films and there were quite a few collaborations. I was not aware that she had recorded for The Magician of Lublin. It was an early case of people spotting the talent and potential of Kate Bush and how her voice and music translates to the screen. It is a shame that, as fans look for some unheard material or rarities, that we cannot get a cleaned up and usable version of The Magician. I hope that it does see the light someday! She would have been quite picky about what requests she accepted and how she spent time away from her own music. To give you an insight into some of the critical perception of Kate Bush, she was being called out as irresponsible. Faking a child’s voice or maybe doing it on purpose. The fact that her voice was high and quite angelic does not mean she was being child-like. A single like Wow is very powerful and mature. Maybe thinking back Wuthering Heights, there were some who felt that Kate Bush was weird or irresponsible. I am not sure what Bush would have to gain from being child-like or putting on this act. Suggesting that she was employing some odd form of allure or sexuality, Kate Bush constantly had to read and react to critics labelling her. This idea that they had. All artist face criticism and misrepresentation at various points or their career though, for Kate Bush, she faced this for years. In 1978 and 1979, having established herself and not having to prove anything, there was all of this insult and sexism. Even female critics besmirching her!

In the U.S., on 17th January, The Man with the Child in His Eyes makes a small dent on the charts. Wuthering Heights went largely unnoticed. Perhaps more accessible and less eccentric, perhaps U.S. audiences could relate more to The Man with the Child in His Eyes. For a woman who was accused of being a child, it is quite odd that a song with that word in the title – Bush wrote it about how men seemingly have this child-like ‘quality’ in them always – was in the charts. She could not really win either way. Writing mature and extraordinary music, there was this stream of criticism and judgment from critics. It would take until 1985 – and Hounds of Love – for most to fully embrace Kate Bush. Even then, there was still some in the U.S. press who were dubious. There are two more February dates from 1979 that are worthy of highlight. I am particularly interested in 1978 and 1979, as this was the start of Kate Bush’s career. Even though her earliest recordings of her at home in Kent, she seemed to get further and further away – in terms of geography and ambition/scale – very shortly afterwards. It must have been quite disorientating! Unlike some artists of the time, Kate Bush’s promotion was very standout and unusual. Not the routine and dull mimed performances, you could always tell a Kate Bush performance!

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush was photographed in 1979 at the Rose d'Or music festival in Montreux, Switzerland/PHOTO CREDIT: Dany Gignoux

I say this because, on 18th February, Bush was very busy on her travels. The Tour of Life would take her across Europe in the spring/summer. A couple of months previous, she was still promoting Lionheart and having to balance this with preparation and set-up for her only tour:

February 18, 1979

Kate travels to Leysin [Lausanne?], Switzerland, to take part in a mammoth European television co-production. The results are carved up into three television shows, and it is planned that Kate will appear in two. For the first, an Easter Abba Special, she records a routine for Wow. At the rehearsals the cameramen and journalists break into spontaneous applause, and the press coverage verges on the hysterical. For the second programme, a Christmas programme to be called The Winter Snowtime Special, she records a version of Wuthering Heights barefoot in the snow of the Swiss Alps. [The latter film was never aired, though photos appeared in the U.K. press.]

On her return to Britain Kate goes into Air Studios in London with Jon Kelly, the engineer on The Kick Inside and Lionheart, to determine the possibilities of working as a co-production team on Kate's next album. [This statement implies that some music was recorded at this time, but if so it has never been identified.]

The video for Wow, the next single, is made at Wilton's Music Hall in East London, directed by Keef MacMillan.

Again, there is quite a lot to unpick and unpack! The amount of travel Bush had done to this point was immense! Another country to tick off of the list, I am not sure how much of a fanbase there was in Switzerland. I am not sure how Bush’s music performed in Switzerland. It is not a nation one would associate with dedicated and significant fandom! Regardless, the fact that there was this reaction and reception that was very warm means that her music was resonating. I would have loved to have been at that ABBA special where she was preparing to perform Wow. The fact that it was pretty cold in Switzerland that time of year would have been draining for her. Regardless, she did undertake this big promotional jaunt there. I wonder what the legacy was and whether it increased her sales in the country. I guess it would have made a difference in some way! The fact that there was a recording of Bush in the snow singing Wuthering Heights is one of those lost treasures. I would love to think that everything assumed missing is found and shared in years to come. Crucial bits of archive that shows just how madly busy and varied her first couple of years in music were!

Coming back from Switzerland, she would head off to make the video for Wow. The second single from Lionheart, Bush’s song about showbusiness, the music industry and actors would see her soon take to the stage. Almost an actor herself in this giant production: the majestic and magical The Tour of Life. The end of February 1979 was Kate Bush back in the U.K. and an interesting event:

February 27, 1979

Kate takes part in BBC Radio 1's first-ever phone-in programme, Personal Call, answering listeners' calls for 60 minutes and jamming the Broadcasting House switchboards”.

She did some of this through her career. Bush appeared on Multi-Coloured Swap Shop with Noel Edmonds on 20th January, 1979. Five weeks or so later, she was doing another similar thing. Taking calls from the public. Maybe a nice and easy way to promote her music without answering the same journalist questions, it was nice that there was definite variety in her life. Bush must have been exhausted by the end of February 1979. Eyeing up her first tour, there was not a great deal of relaxation and downtime between this point and April. She was promoting Lionheart, travelling around and doing the odd bit here and there, at the same time as putting the finishing touches on her tour. It is amazing to think that she put it all together when she was still solidly promoting her music. Not a dedicated time to just focus on the tour alone. If people think that artists like Taylor Swift balanced a lot and straddle the globe, one can look back forty-five years ago and the sort of itinerary that Kate Bush had! March 1979 was about final rehearsals and late stages of The Tour of Life preparation, plus promotion and the release of Wow. The daunting task of a single coming out a month before your first tour. It was mad! This is why I wanted to flip back forty-five years and look at Kate Bush’s…

HECTIC but memorable February 1979.

FEATURE: Another Year with The Trouble Club… Why It Is More Important Now Than Ever Being a Member

FEATURE:

 

 

Another Year with The Trouble Club…

IN THIS PHOTO: Emma-Louise Boynton will speak for The Trouble Club at AllBright on 15th February

 

Why It Is More Important Now Than Ever Being a Member

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I will come to some housekeeping…

IN THIS PHOTO: Crystal Hefner will appear alongside Pandora Sykes at Soho’s Century Club on 9th February/PHOTO CREDIT: Amy Harrity for The New York Times

in a minute about The Trouble Club. I will start by saying that, this year, it is my first full year with The Trouble Club. I joined and, after the first event I attended, I was compelled to go to as many as possible! This year is one where I will be as engaged as possible. I shall explain why. The last feature I wrote on The Trouble Club was back at the start of December. I am going to bring things up to date and then look forward to events announced for this year so far that have not already happened. I would advise people to check out The Trouble Club. Director Eleanor Newton is someone who I have a tonne of respect for. Someone responsible for bringing all the great events together, she also speaks to/interviews most of the guests who appear at Trouble Club events. Always incredible welcoming of new members and everyone who attends events, she has so much love and passion for what she does. Alongside Francesca Edmondson, Marketing and Events Coordinator at The Trouble Club, you have this very close and powerful pair who ensure that some incredibly diverse and fascinating women are brought to a range of venues across London. That is something I will nod to. I know that The Trouble Club is expending to Manchester. I am not sure when the first event will be. As it has been purely London-based until now, it is going to branch out and host some events from there. That will give access to those who are based further north who are unable to travel down to London. The expansion of this incredible and growing empire. You can follow The Trouble Club on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. There is also the YouTube channel, and a podcast.

I shall move on now. On a personal level, the past couple of months have been very rough. Being made redundant from my job, I am not looking around. The Trouble Club has been very important, in the sense of having this safe space to go to. Something to give me some positivity. In the future, I do hope to join an organisation like The Trouble Club. As a music journalist, I have a huge interest in women’s rights and gender equality. It would be perfect to bring that to a job. Something to aim for. It is the social aspect of being at Trouble Club events that is also so vital. Being able to connect with some incredible members. At some gorgeous venues across the capital, it has been so memorable and a thrill experiencing an array of events since I joined. In the final month of last year, there was a run of incredible events that stood alongside the all-time best. I saw Arit Anderson at The Hearth on 6th December. She was discussing her career in gardening and the book,  The Essential Tree Selection Guide: For Climate Resilience, Carbon Storage, Species Diversity and Other Ecosystem Benefits. A beautiful and hefty tome that is a pleasure to read, it was amazing hearing Anderson discuss her journey into gardening, the environment, and the importance of planting trees. Fixing France with Nabila Ramdani happened on 11th December at the sublime and historic The House of St Barnabas. It is especially sad that they have announced they are in the process of winding up and closing. Such an important and wonderful space in Soho, it is going to be a real loss! It was wonderful being there last month and hearing Nabila Ramdani speak about Fixing France: How to Repair a Broken Republic. It was such a compelling and moving event: “Nabila Ramdani is not from the establishment elite: she is a marginalised insider, born and raised in a neglected Paris suburb. With unflinching clarity, she probes the fault lines of her struggling country, exposing the Fifth Republic as an archaic system which emerged from Algeria’s cataclysmic War of Independence”.

@thetroubleclub

Trouble’s final event of 2023!!

♬ Keeping Your Head Up - Birdy

I attended three other events before the end of 2023. One of the most inspiring events I attended last year was Trouble In Business: Leaders in Tech. The three panellists: Georgia Stewart - CEO and co-founder of Tumelo, Deirdre O’Neill - Co-Founder and Chief Commercial & Legal Officer at Hertility Health, and Juanita Morgan - Co-Founder and CEO of Value Adders World – discussed what drove them to start their own businesses. Speaking at Dartmouth House, it was hugely eye-opening and inspiring hearing these three amazing women speak about their experiences. Before moving on, here is an interview from last year where Georgia Stewart spoke about her mission with Tumelo:

“Tumelo is an award winning, UK based fintech that empowers pension members and investors to speak up on issues that are important to them. The software enables people to see the companies they have invested in and allows them to say how they would like the company to tackle the issues they care about.

We interviewed Georgia Stewart, co-founder and CEO of Tumelo, to find out more about their ambition, the importance of transparency in financial services, and her views on the challenges facing women in financial services.

What is the long-term plan for Tumelo?

Our vision is that by 2030, every investor will be empowered to use their shareholder rights. 275 million investors hold £54 trillion in workplace pensions and investment products across the UK and the US. Most of their money is invested in funds. As a result, fund managers control majority stakes in the world’s most influential companies. These companies feel untouchable and yet we own them. Our shareholder ownership system is broken. So, our mission at Tumelo is to enable platforms to empower investors, and to enable companies to listen to them. 

Are you more focused on B2C, B2B or both?

Both. We’re a B2B2C organisation, and we partner with platforms so that they can distribute our solution to their customers. We are committed to and focused on our partners, with whom we have the commercial relationship, and our end-users who engage and interact directly with our product.

What makes Tumelo’s approach unique? How do you compete against fintechs with similar offerings?

Tumelo’s proposition is unique in the sense that no organisation in the world (that we’re aware of) is engaging end investors and fund investors with shareholder resolutions. We have no direct competitors; however, there are of course other organisations working in similar industries and which share our stakeholders. Ultimately our USP is that we are democratising the investment system, and our partners will be pioneers in this space, giving end investors a voice. In short, we continuously innovate to make sure that we stand out and focus on what makes our solution like no other.

Has transparency become a bigger issue in financial services?

Absolutely. Last year at COP26 The World Economic Forum stated, “To secure all the benefits that ESG policies bring to the economy, environment and society, we need greater transparency and enhanced disclosures”. As “ESG” becomes increasingly popular, investors have started to look into how ethical or sustainable their investments are. It’s no longer sufficient to brand an investment fund as an ‘ESG’ or ‘Green’, and it is now expected that funds’ investments are disclosed, so that investors can feel confident about where their money is ending up.

How have attitudes to investment changed over the last five years? How do you expect them to evolve in the next five?

Investors are now increasingly conscious of ESG, and want to know what their money is doing, where it’s going, and how it can better serve the planet. People are generally investing more, investing earlier in life and engaging more with their investments. Investing is no longer just for men in suits; we see more teenagers and more women are investing actively as well, with investor communities diversifying across all groups of people. The spike of interest in ESG has also encouraged investors to become more aware of the proxy votes/shareholder resolutions being addressed at the companies they’re investing in. In 2021, major votes at Exxon Mobil and Chevron saw investors driving change in the boards of both polluting companies, exciting investors everywhere. In the next five years, we predict more of this, and it will be imperative for all investment platforms to disclose the underlying holdings of their funds. Investors will be better qualified to verify how ethical these investments are, and increasingly base their choices on ESG factors. In the next five years, the number of investors and shareholders taking part in proxy votes will double worldwide and we will generally see a lot more involvement and awareness in the industry as a whole”.

On 14th December, Networking Drinks Evening: Power Hour with Adrienne Adhami provided a pre-Christmas treat. A chance to enjoy some drinks, network and hear Adrienne Adhami speak about Power Hour: How to Focus on Your Goals and Create a Life You Love was amazing. That was held at DIAGEO. Her Power Hour podcast is one I would really recommend. In December, she gave an interview to The Grove:

“HI ADRIENNE, CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE POWER HOUR?

Put simply, the Power Hour is all about reclaiming your time. It’s about starting each day with one hour dedicated to yourself. The modern world demands so much of our time and energy. As a result many of us are ‘too busy’ and we feel as though there is never enough time. 

I encourage people to start the day by doing something intentional, that could be going for a walk, reading a book, meditation, swimming, writing in a journal etcetera, before the rest of the world wakes up and starts competing for your attention. Not sure where to start? Ask yourself: what is one thing you’d like to do more of if you had more spare time? You’ll be amazed at how much impact this seemingly small act can have. Sure, a single hour is not much, but over time it can become a powerful daily habit that transforms your entire life.

WHAT DOES SELF-CARE LOOK LIKE TO YOU? HOW DO YOU TAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF?

For me, self-care is not about candles and face masks. It’s about learning to prioritise yourself and your needs. The truth is, this is not always an easy thing to do. I understand the challenges of juggling work, raising a family, travelling, and pursuing personal goals too. Self-care means that as well as considering what’s best for everyone else in your life, you stop to consider what’s best for you too. Your work, kids, friends – they all matter, and so do you.

 WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE STRUGGLING TO FIND A SENSE OF PURPOSE AND FULFILMENT IN THEIR LIFE?

I’d say take a break and create some space in your life. Spend some time reflecting on all of the things you’ve done throughout your life – the hobbies, interests, sports etcetera. Which people and places bring you joy? How often do you see those people? How often do you visit those places? The things in your life that spark an emotional response, they are signals worth paying attention to.

CAN YOU SHARE YOUR TOP TIPS ON HOW TO START THE NEW YEAR OFF THE BEST WAY?

At the start of a New Year typically people focus on adding new things to their lives. They vow to start cycling again, start reading more, to take on a new project or hobby. While there’s nothing wrong with any of that, I would encourage you to also consider what you’d like to give up and relinquish. Yes, that’s right. It might not sound very motivational at first, but allow me to explain. The start of a New Year is a great time to do a life audit, to consider which things you’d like to reduce or even remove altogether. Sometimes less is more. For example, maybe you’ve got a shelf full of unread books. Instead of adding more books to that shelf this year, maybe consider donating some of those books instead. 

Which other areas of your life could you declutter? How about your schedule? How can you create space for something new? If your goal is to improve your health and increase your energy, the same approach can be helpful. Identify which things typically have a negative impact on your health and wellbeing and where possible try to reduce them as much as possible. For example – less stress, less late nights, less ultra-processed food, less caffeine.

Remember that ‘improvement’ isn’t always about adding more, it can also be about simplification and creating space for what matters most”.

With the weather being so changeable and wintery, it was a great relief and sense of comfort looking ahead to Trouble's Big Night Out: Featuring Caroline Criado Perez & Kelechi Okafor. That took place at Conway Hall. Criado Perez is - among other books -, the author of Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men:

“Invisible Women shows us how, in a world largely built for and by men, we are systematically ignoring half the population. It exposes the gender data gap - a gap in our knowledge that is at the root of perpetual, systemic discrimination against women, and that has created a pervasive but invisible bias with a profound effect on women's lives.

Award-winning campaigner and writer Caroline Criado-Perez brings together for the first time an impressive range of case studies, stories and new research from across the world that illustrate the hidden ways in which women are forgotten, and the impact this has on their health and well-being”.

You can learn more about the book here. Also at the event was the amazing comic, Bronwyn Sweeney. She was hilarious and this was my first time seeing her perform live. Such an incredible talent! Alongside these two phenomenal women, Kelechi Okafor also spoke. She was absolutely astonishing! Edge of Here: Stories from Near to Now is a book I would recommend people buy:

“Enter a world very close to our own...

One in which technology can allow you to explore an alternate love-life with a stranger.

A world where you can experience the emotions of another person through a chip implanted in your brain.

And one where you can view snippets of a distant relative's life with a little help from your DNA.

But remember: these experiences will not be without consequences . . .

In this stunning debut collection, Kelechi Okafor combines the ancient and the ultramodern to explore tales of contemporary Black womanhood, asking questions about the way we live now and offering a glimpse into our near future. Uplifting, thought-provoking, sometimes chilling, these are tales rooted in the recognisable, but not limited by the boundaries of our current reality-where truth can meet imagination and spirituality in unexpected ways.

Allow yourself to be taken on a journey into worlds that are blazing with possibility, through stories that will lead you right up to the Edge of Here . .”.

Interviews like this give you an insight into the amazing Kelechi Okafor. Caroline Criado Perez is someone I knew about, yet I was at the event to hear more. Seeking out interviews such as this gave me insight and background before going in. All in all, it was a wonderful event to end the year with The Trouble Club! I was so thankful to be at Conway Hall and experience something like that. I think it might be one of their most-attended events so far. It definitely is one where everyone in that space was engrossed from start to finish. For those who were considering becoming a Trouble Club member in 2024, I hope that attending any of these events – or reading about them – were influential in that respect.

The final section – apart from me rounding up – is events announced that take place after this date (22nd January). There have already been a few events. I have been to two of the three. Coming into this new year, Let's discuss......the Pope! With Jessica Wärnberg was a great ‘debut’. Back at the glorious The Hearth, Dr. Wärnberg was speaking about her book, City of Echoes. You can buy the book here:

“From a bold new historian comes a vibrant history of Rome as seen through its most influential persona throughout the centuries: the pope.

Rome is a city of echoes, where the voice of the people has chimed and clashed with the words of princes, emperors, and insurgents across the centuries. In this authoritative new history, Jessica Wärnberg tells the story of Rome’s longest standing figurehead and interlocutor—the pope—revealing how his presence over the centuries has transformed the fate of the city of Rome.

Emerging as the anonymous leader of a marginal cult in the humblest quarters of the city, the pope began as the pastor of a maligned and largely foreign flock. Less than 300 years later, he sat enthroned in a lofty, heavily gilt basilica, a religious leader endorsed (and financed) by the emperor himself. Eventually, the Roman pontiff would supplant even the emperors as de facto ruler of Rome and pre-eminent leader of the Christian world. By the nineteenth century, it would take an army to wrest the city from the pontiff’s grip.

As the first-ever account of how the popes’ presence has shaped the history of Rome, City of Echoes not only illuminates the lives of the remarkable (and unremarkable) men who have sat on the throne of Saint Peter, but also reveals the bold and curious actions of the men, women, and children who have shaped the city with them, from antiquity to today. In doing so, the book tells the history of Rome as it has never been told before.

During the course of this fascinating story, City of Echoes also answers a compelling question: how did a man—and institution—whose authority rested on the blood and bones of martyrs defeat emperors, revolutionaries, and fascists to give Rome its most enduring identity?”,

There is also a great and really interesting podcast episode about the book. A subject and area that I had not delved into before – as an atheist -, I was not only really keen to learn more how The Popes’ influence has shaped Rome. Also, being in fantastic company at The Hearth, combined, made it another wonderful event!

IN THIS PHOTO: Christine Coulson

On Thursday (18th January), I was at The Power of Constraint with Novelist Christine Coulson. The first time I had been to The Groucho Club, it was a suitably renowned and epic venue in which to host Christine Coulson! Coulson was discussing the engrossing and hugely original novel, One Woman Show. The Trouble Club’s description (“Can 75 words really capture a moment in time, its details and atmosphere, its character and mood? Christine Coulson’s new, bullet of a novel, One Woman Show, is written almost entirely in 75-word museum wall labels and demonstrates how constraint need not limit storytelling”) has me hooked! Go and order the book and immerse yourself fully:

“Prized, collected, critiqued. One Woman Show revolves around the life of Kitty Whitaker as she is defined by her potential for display and moved from collection to collection through multiple marriages. Christine Coulson, who has written hundreds of exhibition wall labels for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, precisely distils each stage of Kitty's sprawling life into that distinct format, every brief snapshot in time a wry reflection on womanhood, ownership, value and power.
Described with wit, poignancy and humour over the course of the twentieth century, Kitty emerges as an eccentric heroine who disrupts her privileged, porcelain life with both major force and minor transgressions. As human foibles propel each delicately crafted text, Coulson playfully asks: who really gets to tell our stories?”.

This interview from Apollo gives us some revelation and insight from its author. I am now going to seek out the book as, hearing Christine Coulson speak was a really moving experience. That word may seem a little overwrought or misplaced – though it really isn’t at all! It was a captivating eventing being in her presence:

“Can you begin by describing the very distinctive form of the novel?

It’s written almost entirely in museum wall labels, using the Met’s structure for those labels. Almost all museums have what we call the tombstone information – artist, date, medium – and at the Met I always had 75 words for every object. I used that same constraint in this to craft, essentially, a retrospective exhibition of a life, of a distinctly 20th-century, wealthy, not particularly likeable woman, who is treated not unlike a work of art from her earliest age. She is evaluated, critiqued, prized and collected throughout her whole life.

One of the most striking elements is that you’ve found words that are used a lot by people who think about museums, or about art or art history, but that are not part of normal discourse. For example, you use the word ‘deaccessioned’ of Kitty divorcing her second husband. Or there’s a friend who looks down on Kitty for being of ‘lesser provenance’. Did you begin with the arc of the life and then go looking for the words, or did you begin with the words and construct the life?

I first had the idea when I was writing the labels for the new British galleries at the Met. I had this spark of ‘That’s what I want to do, I want to write labels about people, I want to treat human beings like exquisite works of art.’ In my first experiment doing that I just described an old woman standing in the galleries and wrote the first label, which was about this patrician, Park Avenue matron. I had no particular investment in her as a character, it was just a test for myself. I called her Kitty and there she was on the page. Then I challenged myself to write 20 labels about her to see if this form had legs. As I had ideas about what could, would, should happen to Kitty – which was never very linear – the book spread like an ink blot.

The first label that I wrote is almost at the very end of the book – at that point she’s 91 years old – which is a very speech-writery thing to do. I was a speech-writer at the Met for eight years and you very often are writing to an ending. There were times in which words, like the definition of ‘garniture’ at the very beginning of the book, seemed so well-suited for a woman who I was referring to in terms of porcelain and her social group. Then other times I found myself looking back at old Met guidebooks. I would almost go shopping for words. I would find some great entry for a medieval chalice that would drive my thinking about how a label could work. So it worked both ways: the language supported the idea, but the idea was really fuelled by the language.

 The form’s very easy to understand once you start reading, but I was surprised by how elastic it is. I wonder if you were surprised, too?

That was the challenge as a writer – as much as I know this voice, I know this form, I know how to do it. But at the same time, I was writing a novel – I need character development, I need plot, I need emotional investment. [The challenge was] to take this notoriously boring form and stretch it to its capacity: can I write a funny label, can I write an emotional label, can I write a sexy label? I often hear that because the book is short, people read it twice. They read it first for plot because it’s very propulsive, you want to know what happens – and then they go back to the beginning and find all the Easter eggs.

It also feels as if you’re playing with art history as well with character and form?

Different people will read it in different ways. Like any author, I’m happy about that. People will pick up on cubist references, which very much speak to this form of storytelling, this idea of a part standing for a whole, about something being seen from multiple perspectives.

Kitty is a fictional character but she represents an East Coast type who, if she doesn’t exist still, definitely has existed. You mention institutions like the Chapin School, Miss Porter’s – and the husband goes to Choate and Yale. Can you talk about her niche in society?

Those touchstones are real. I knew a lot of those women and they’re fantastic. They’re incredibly clever and smart, but the lives they were allowed to lead were very constrained and the options for them were very limited. To some degree, I wanted to write about porcelain, too, so I needed a porcelain life. I loved the idea of porcelain being hard but fragile, something made from fire and easily grouped with other things. With porcelain, it’s very hard to hide any damage. I love the museum term – when something is flawed, we talk about it having ‘condition issues’. Is there anything more human than talking about a person’s condition issues? We all have condition issues”.

I am looking ahead and forward to more great evenings in the company of The Trouble Club. New people I did not see last year are coming. Some regular faces. It is always a great mix. Even though there are not always a lot of men at events - which can be a good thing in some ways -, there are more joining. An inclusive club, I always feel awed being in the presence of the speakers, the audience, Ellie and Francesca, and the incredible photographers at each event. You always go away with memories and having learned something. I was not at Friday Night News Roundup with Carole Walker yesterday (19th January), as I was away at home. The News Roundup nights and any Book Club ones; I hope to get to some of them this year. Coffee mornings and drinks, there is this range of get-togethers that are either casual and a chance to chat with new people, or they might be something that encourages more lively political or literary debate. As there are ten more events to mention before closing this off, I will skim through and be brief (or relatively so!). On Thursday, via Zoom, is The Life Brief with Bonnie Wan. Go and check out her book. “The Life Brief is the essential playbook to unlock what you want in life. This three-step tool, created by globally-renowned Brand Strategist, Bonnie Wan, realigns your path with your dreams—personally, professionally, culturally, and spiritually. Break through the clutter and create a life that is wholly your own”. I might be busy for that event but, as members can watch back to events – they are recorded on the night for those watching via Zoom -, I will check it out, as Bonnie Wan’s book seems like one I need!

IN THIS PHOTO: Bonnie Wan

There are some really interesting and varied events on the schedule for the next few months. I will write another feature around April-time, yet I wanted to cast ahead for those who might not be members/are who are thinking about whether to become more involved. On 30th January, The Great Plant-Based Con with Jayne Buxton takes place at The Ned. I love The Ned! Tackling quite a, perhaps, controversial subject, is excluding meat and dairy from our diets good and saving the planet – or is it harmful and a determent? “Almost every day we are bombarded with the seemingly incontrovertible message that we must reduce our consumption of meat and dairy - or eliminate them from our diets altogether. But what if the pervasive message that the plant-based diet will improve our health and save the planet is misleading - or even false? What if removing animal foods from our diet is a serious threat to human health, and a red herring in the fight against climate change”. Jayne Buxton’s book is one that is well worth reading, whether you are a meat-eater or not. I am pescatarian and thinking of becoming vegetarian. Even though I am never going to eat animals again, it is useful to hear the debate and thoughts around, perhaps, not eliminating dairy and animal product. Definitely something that will get interest and questions from the audience who will be there at The Ned. Prior to coming to another in-person event, and beneficial for those who cannot go to venues in London and see events, there is another Zoom event.

Trouble In Investing with TILLIT Founder & CEO, Felicia Hjertman. You can read more about TILLIT in this interview. It is going to be a really enlightening and fascinating talk that I have booked my ticket for. Here is some more information:

“Everyone thought I was mad for leaving. Nobody ever leaves Baillie Gifford, or chooses to leave a job like that. But I was 32 and I would have rather tried and failed, than to never know whether it would have worked.”

In May 2019, Felicia Hjertman (pictured) left Edinburgh-based asset management firm Baillie Gifford, where she had co-managed the Japanese Smaller Companies OEIC and Shin Nippon Investment Trust, alongside Praveen Kumar. The portfolios, which had a combined AUM of £1.9bn, had significantly outperformed their average peers over her tenure.

“I love small caps and I love Japan; it is such a quirky and special place. I also loved working both on a fund and an investment trust. With the latter, it was an interesting experience working with the board and becoming closer to the retail market,” the Tillit founder and CEO tells Portfolio Adviser.

“But while that was a really interesting and exciting intellectual challenge, I have always had this little fire inside me, this need to build something tangible myself – to create something out of nothing and try to help people in one way or another”.

A big one is coming along on 9th February! Surviving Playboy with Crystal Hefner and Pandora Sykes is happening at Century Club in Soho. I will talk about Pandora Sykes first. Her Substack can be accessed here. Her official website is here. She is a wonderful broadcaster and writer. I would advise anyone to check out her books too. This is an invaluable interview about What Writers Read; a collection of essays from world-famous authors on their favourite books, published in aid of the National Literacy Trust. She is someone I will write about again, as her work is really inspiring! She is going to be speaking with Crystal Hefner. She will be talking about her experiences in the Playboy Mansion, and her marriage to the late Hugh Hefner. Her book, Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself, is out on Thursday. I know the word count already is pretty high for this feature – and I have a bit more to go -, but I wanted to bring in parts of a recent profile from The New York Times:

“Ms. Hefner, 37, said she is still adjusting to life outside the mansion, where she lived for almost a decade and where she “was rewarded for being small.” She’s been trying to shed the conditioning that she endured within its lavish walls. “Coming into power is a work in progress,” she said.

“Only Say Good Things,” which comes out on Jan. 23, is a step toward achieving that power. In the book, Ms. Hefner re-examines her initiation into the Playboy world; details the objectification and misogyny she said she experienced under Mr. Hefner; and mines the trauma that she’s still processing.

“At the time,” she said, “I must’ve been brainwashed or something.”

Ms. Hefner met Mr. Hefner at a 2008 Halloween party at the mansion. The estate offered a glimpse at how the 1 percent lived, she writes in the book, and she wanted to be part of it. Then 21, she was one of many attendees in revealing French maid costumes whom he invited to his bedroom to have group sex as the party wound down.

PHOTO CREDIT: Amy Harrity for The New York Times

She soon learned visits to the mansion often involved a “trip to the bedroom at the end of the night,” she writes in her memoir. Back then, she believed it was worth it.

Mr. Hefner, dressed in a black tuxedo, sitting next to Ms. Hefner, who is wearing an off-white wedding dress and holding a bouquet of flowers. Next to Hefner is a Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Ms. Hefner moved into the mansion two weeks after the Halloween party, and she started dating Mr. Hefner about two years after they met. (At the time, Mr. Hefner was still married to his second wife, Kimberley Conrad, but the two lived separately.)

As his girlfriend and later as his wife, Ms. Hefner had to routinely maintain her appearance for Mr. Hefner: If she gained any weight, he would tell her to “tone up,” she writes in the book, and if her natural brown hair was showing, he would tell her to make it blonder.

She writes about how she and other girlfriends who lived in the mansion were given a weekly payment of about $1,000 and about how they had a strict curfew that was disguised as a schedule. Breaking it risked Mr. Hefner throwing a fit.

Ms. Hefner said she made several attempts to escape the mansion when she was one of Mr. Hefner’s girlfriends. One time, she succeeded: She told security guards on the property that she needed to buy tampons and went to stay with a friend who lived nearby. But she moved back into the mansion a year later, she said, because she had Stockholm syndrome.

“I just felt like, ‘Oh, this is my destiny. This is where I’m supposed to be,’” she said. “I was 25.”

Ms. Hefner said that she often catered to his desires at the expense of her own because she feared being replaced by someone younger, bubblier, blonder and with “bigger boobs.”

She said those worries were slightly assuaged by their wedding in 2012, when she was 26 and he was 86. (Mr. Hefner’s second marriage, to Ms. Conrad, ended in 2010 after an 11-year separation; his first marriage, to Mildred Williams, whom he met during his college years, ended in a divorce in 1959.)

His union with Ms. Hefner was the kind made for tabloid fodder. Some wrote her off as a “gold digger” and a “dumb blonde,” reducing her to nothing more than another notch in the belt of a man known for dating and marrying younger women.

She didn’t feel comfortable having sex with Mr. Hefner alone, she writes in the book, so she often invited a friend to join them. By 2014, the sex had stopped because of Mr. Hefner’s age and declining health. At home, Ms. Hefner started to become more of a caretaker than a companion: She described herself as “the supportive, loving wife in public” and “the nurse carrying his bedpan at night.”

When he died of cardiac arrest at 91, she at first protected his reputation. She writes about how, before he died, Mr. Hefner made her promise to “only say good things.”

 Ms. Hefner’s resolve to keep that promise began fading in 2019, she said, when she started therapy after watching “Leaving Neverland,” the documentary that details sexual-abuse allegations from two men who had long-running relationships with Michael Jackson.

Looking back at their marriage now, Ms. Hefner said, evokes feelings of regret and disgust. She is still learning how to build healthy relationships and break the codependent tendencies she developed during her relationship with Mr. Hefner.

“When I started dating again, that was hard,” she said, “because with Hef, he just wanted me by him all the time.”

It was only recently, she said with a nervous laugh, that she learned the concept of setting boundaries. “I didn’t have any when I was at the mansion,” she said. “If you wanted to be there, you couldn’t have boundaries.”

Ms. Hefner said Mr. Hefner could be emotionally abusive and some of his other former lovers have made similar accusations. In 2015 Holly Madison, a former girlfriend of Mr. Hefner’s, released a memoir in which she recounted the strict rules she needed to follow at the Playboy Mansion and the ensuing mental health issues she experienced. Many Playmates were upset about the book when it came out, Ms. Hefner said, herself included.

But now? “I see it in a completely different way,” she said”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mathilda Della Torre

There is one other event I want to expand on. I swill be brief as I can with the remainder. On 13th February, Conversations From Calais with Mathilda Della Torre and Hiba Noor takes place at Mortimer House. This is going to be a very stirring and powerful event I am sure! “Conversations From Calais aims to re-humanise those affected by the refugee crisis by using public space to share conversations volunteers have had with migrants met in Calais. It is a way of bearing witness for the thousands of displaced people stuck in Calais and trying to reach the UK, whose voices are so often silenced or ignored”. Conversations from Calais: Sharing Refugee Stories by Mathilda Della Torre is a book I would recommend people check out. Her official website is here.  This recent interview with Hiba Noor (Khan) about her debut novel is really interesting. Four more events I will touch on and cover off. First, and another biggie, is A Year In Sex with Emma-Louise Boynton. Emma-Louise Boynton is a writer, broadcaster and founder and host of the award-winning, sell-out live event series and media platform, Sex Talks (taken from 5x15). Coming from AllBright, Boynton is speaking as part of the live event series (and podcast), Sex Talks. I am aware I may be the only man in that audience. Why, you may ask?! Well, for me, as a music journalist who does cover subjects such as sex and femininity through music – media,, videos and songs -, it is going to be useful for several reasons. Check out this interview from Ann Summers; this podcast episode, Release The Tapes: Sex Therapy With Emma-Louise Boynton…and also her features and opinion pieces for The Standard. Again, someone I will write about for a separate feature.

A quick nod to 16th February and Friday Night News Roundup with Anoosh Chakelian from The Prince Regent Marylebone. That looks like it is going to be a very engaging and must-attend event! A few more to cover off. The View From Down Here with Lucy Webster comes from AllBright. Her book, The View from Down Here is one that everyone needs to seek out:

“Women's lives are shaped by sexism and expectations. Disabled people's lives are shaped by ableism and a complete lack of expectations. But what happens when you're subjected to both sets of rules?

This powerful, honest, hilarious and furious memoir from journalist and advocate Lucy Webster looks at life at the intersection; the struggles, the joys and the unseen realities of being a disabled woman. From navigating the worlds of education and work, dating and friendship; to managing care; contemplating motherhood; and learning to accept your body against a pervasive narrative that it is somehow broken and in need of fixing, The View From Down Here shines a light on what it really means to move through the world as a disabled woman”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Lucy Webster

If you’re still not convinced about becoming a member or, if you are one already, attending more events, then I hope that the remaining couple swing the vote. As I say, a ‘Manchester branch’ is planned. That will mean that audiences there can check out some of the amazing events that are coming in the future. Two great social/entertainment nights out are on the calendar. On 22nd February is Trouble Comedy Night! That will be at The Museum of Comedy, here is what you can expect:

“Back by popular demand, it’s another Trouble comedy night! Welcome to a hilarious evening at The Museum of Comedy as comedians from all over the UK come together for an unforgettable night of laughter and, of course, trouble.

All of the acts were finalists in last year's 20th Anniversary Funny Women Awards. Funny Women is the leading non-profit organization empowering women to perform, write and create comedy.

The evening’s lineup:

Blank Peng

Blank Peng is a bilingual comedian who was made in China but with reliable high quality. Pro in Mandarin, she started to perform in English from scratch as Communism humour Spokesperson and quickly squeezed into the British comedy circuit like Top Secret, The Comedy Store, Up the Creek, The Glee…

“Performed with a faux innocence, take on the undemocratic, authoritarian, misogynist surveillance state back home.” Chortle

Hannah Platt

Hannah Platt was a finalist of the BBC New Comedian of the Year Award and recently came 2nd in the Funny Women stage awards. She’s been described as ‘A voice of a new generation’ by The Skinny and a ‘voice with something to say’ by Chortle, never shying away  from sensitive topics with brutal honesty and quick, acerbic wit.

She’s written and starred in her own short for BBC Three, written and appeared on BBC Radio 4 and has supported Lou Sanders, Fern Brady and Kiri Pritchard-McClean on tour.

Vix Leyton

Discovered by Mark Watson on Twitter in 2019, Welsh comic exiled to London, Vix Leyton is a natural storyteller with a keen eye for observation, combining warm, whimsical charm, as well as a PR hustler. You’ve maybe heard of her, you just might not know how. A Funny Women awards stage semi finalist, finalist for the Industry award and named as ‘one to watch’ in 2023.

Her panel show podcast ‘The Comedy Arcade’ is both an audio success and compelling live show, picking up a nomination for Leicester Comedy’s best podcast in 2021 and racking up sell out shows at Edinburgh Fringe two years in a row. Regular MC for pro nights including Red Imp Comedy, Poodle Club and Outside the Box, she is also the promoter of the infamous church gig ‘Have I got pews for you’ and regular legal prosecutor for ‘This is your trial’.

Nikola McMurtrie

From the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, Nikola is a Scottish actor/writer who specialises in comedy. She regularly gigs on the London comedy circuit, performing musical comedy and alternative character comedy. Nikola’s comedy films have been screened at several film festivals including London Super Short film festival, Women X film festival, ShortCom film festival, Greenwich film festival and Lit Laughs film festival”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Nikola McMurtrie

Looking ahead to 15th March – and the furthest-away event announced so far – is Trouble's 70s & 80s Disco Party from The Star of Kings, Kings Cross. It is going to be a seriously fun evening:

“Do you love to dance but find nightclubs sticky and crowded. Us too! We're teaming up with Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet a night out that's been featured everywhere from Stylist and The Guardian to Time Out & the i. It's been described as Mamma Mia meets Saturday Night Fever in a glorious mash up and they are throwing a party just for The Trouble Club.

DJ Dolly Mix (Shoreditch House, Pop Brixton) will be spinning 70 & 80s soul, funk and disco classics, plus there are choreographer-led dance routines to get everyone into the groove. There will also a best outfit competition, so wear something snazzy!”.

I am not sure who else is going to speaking going forward – I have always felt Caitlin Moran would be perfectly suited -, though you know there will be some incredible guests invited to The Trouble Club. I am looking ahead to some great events. Really moved by the ones I have already been to. Having recently lost a job (due to redundancy), The Trouble Club not only provides networking and powerful women sharing stories and incredible thoughts: there is that social aspect and being around like-minded people. It is such a vital source of community and strength. Something that will be strengthened (and even more needed) in the coming weeks. Rather than this being a sales pitch for potential members – though there is some of that in here! -, is another chance to say thanks to Eleanor Newton, Francesca Edmondson…and everyone who has made my time at The Trouble Club so memorable. For various reasons (politics and the economy), things have been pretty rough the past few years. As we are not settled into 2024, we all hope and know that we have…

A much better year ahead.

FEATURE: Saluting the Queens: DJ Paulette

FEATURE:

 

 

Saluting the Queens

PHOTO CREDIT: Lee Baxter

 

DJ Paulette

_________

A definite D.J. queen…

and an all-round legend, I wanted to shine a spotlight on the amazing DJ Paulette. She is someone who has inspired so many other D.J.s. One of the most renowned in the world, she releases the book, Welcome to the Club: The Life and Lessons of a Black Woman DJ, on Tuesday (23rd January). With a foreword by another D.J. legend, Annie Mac, this is a must-read book. I am going to come to interviews with a giant in the music industry. First, and I would suggest people buy this book, is some more details:

“In Welcome to the club, Manchester legend DJ Paulette shares the highs, lows and lessons of a thirty-year music career, with help from some famous friends.

One of the Haçienda’s first female DJs, Paulette has scaled the heights of the music industry, playing to crowds of thousands all around the world, and descended to the lows of being unceremoniously benched by COVID-19, with no chance of furlough and little support from the government. Here she tells her story, offering a remarkable view of the music industry from a Black woman’s perspective. Behind the core values of peace, love, unity and respect, dance music is a world of exclusion, misogyny, racism and classism. But, as Paulette reveals, it is also a space bursting at the seams with powerful women.

Part personal account, part call to arms, Welcome to the club exposes the exclusivity of the music industry while seeking to do justice to the often invisible women who keep the beat going”.

You can follow DJ Paulette on Instagram. Without doubt one of the most important D.J.s ever, it is a timely moment to celebrate her talent and voice. As if you needed more reason to buy a book that should be on everyone’s shelf. One that I am going to get and explore in great detail. The reviews and feedback is incredible:

“'Imagine the DJ is taking notes while everyone in the club is dancing. Welcome to the club is exactly that, notes of a DJ - the irrepressible sunlight of DJ Paulette. A fascinating insight into the music business by a northern Black woman.'

Lemn Sissay, author of My Name Is Why


'Icon. Trailblazer. Activist. Warrior. DJ Paulette has led the way for Black women and women everywhere in a global music industry riddled with racism and misogyny. She has blown apart the myths. This is a magnificent book. A manifesto for our times and a rallying call for the future.'

Maxine Peake, actress and activist


'Paulette continues to light the way for others, building in relevance and significance, wowing crowds, annihilating dancefloors. I would recommend Welcome to the club as an essential read for anyone and everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed it.'

Craig Charles, actor, comedian, DJ, television and radio presenter


'Paulette is someone I've always respected, admired and been inspired by. This book is beautifully written, incisive, dry, witty and real - true Mancunian honesty. What an adventure and a truly fascinating life.'

Rowetta, member of the Happy Mondays


'Paulette is a pioneer, a ground-breaker, a trailblazer and never afraid to hold a mirror up to the world to show that there is still so much more to do. A self-assured shimmy of a book that instantly transports you to the dancefloor and beyond. I love it!'

Arielle Free, BBC Radio 1 presenter

'DJ Paulette's Welcome to the club is a testament to her ability to witness the dancefloor while blending memorable anecdotes that bring new life to the UK underground music scene. More than her fabulous landing in Paris, where she built a new world of listeners around her name and sound, it's the fact that Paulette turns notable moments in her thirty-year career into a close listening experience. There's a musical quality to this book that sounds like what Black women DJs have tried to tell the world - our unique experiences turn any party into a lively classroom. Paulette leaves curious students waiting for the next chapter so they can hear it like a song.'

Lynnée Denise, DJ, writer and interdisciplinary artist


'When I first met Paulette, back in that pivotal space of early 1990s Manchester, I don't think any of us really understood what we were getting out of nightlife beyond raw enjoyment. Now we've had a chance to re-evaluate those codes, to understand how much they meant in forming us as people. This book explains why nightlife matters, beamed in from a vanguard position behind the DJ booth. Paulette understands the philosophy of the nightclub because she was there when it was at its very best.'

Paul Flynn, author of Good As You: 30 Years of Gay Britain

'I arrived in 1990s Manchester, found a place to live and a job then got dragged up, went clubbing and there was DJ Paulette on the decks. She made being an outsider look hot, and I wanted in. Her energy and music were the soundtrack to my queer gender-bending dance floor years. Decades on I still want to be in her club. If music and clubbing played an important part in your life, then so will this book.'

Kate O'Donnell, Artistic Director of Trans Creative

'I now realise the weight of the obstacles and challenges Paulette overcame, her fortitude to compete in male-dominated arenas, the racism she undoubtedly encountered. Her mettle and contribution have clearly opened doors for the diversity and equality we strive for today.'

Simon Dunmore, DJ and Founder of Defected Records & Glitterbox

'With fierce resilience and passion, DJ Paulette's travels through clubland reveal her personal triumphs over life's adversities. A book filled with music and love, positivity and enthusiasm. '

Princess Julia, DJ, model and music writer

'Any list of the pioneers of the Manchester club scene, and the international scene it so heavily influenced, is not complete without the name of DJ Paulette. Ours is a city that celebrates those who challenge elites, break down barriers and open doors for others to walk through. Paulette has done all of those things and more and that is why we are so proud of her.'


Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester

'A thrilling ride around the world through the lens of a Black female DJ. Covering the good, the bad and the ugly, DJ Paulette tells it like it is. There are few visible Black female role models in the music industry and DJ Paulette is a passionate advocate for racial, gender and LGBTQ+ equality, but most of all she's a legendary DJ. If you want a fresh, original voice on electronic dance music, culture, politics and more, this is the book for you!'

John Shortell, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, The Musicians' Union

'A refreshingly honest and positive queer voice. DJ Paulette's memoirs are everything that club culture needs at the moment: Written with warmth and passion, this book continues the trend of female professionals telling their stories - the good and the bad ones - so that we learn how clubs can once again become the places of Peace, Love, Unity and Respect.'

Dr Beate Peter, The Lapsed Clubber Project

'A true original of the UK club scene, Paulette has experienced the highs and lows of dance music culture, and this heartfelt and insightful book tells the story of what she saw and learned with her distinctive style, warmth and wicked wit.'

Matthew Collin, author of Rave On and Altered State

'DJ Paulette has written a story that needed to be told, and as only she could tell it. Rich with experience and careful research, Welcome to the club is a must-read for anyone interested in house music, DJing and the power of life narrative.'

Audrey Golden, author of I Thought I Heard You Speak

PHOTO CREDIT: Danny Sargent

'Welcome to the club is joyful, funny and furious. DJ Paulette's essential read doubles up as an alternative history of dance music, told from the middle of the dancefloor. It's a sparkling and generous ride through international high times and low moments, documenting music industry racism, sexism and homophobia with fabulous clarity. This pioneering DJ and musical instigator has written a full-bodied celebration of the myriad ways music can save your life - and can also make your life. '

Emma Warren, author of Dance Your Way Home

'This book is a timely reminder that history or herstory is not written yet and never over. It gives a valuable and personal account of the development of DJing as a professional music career and its beginnings in the LGBTQ community in Manchester at the start of the 1990s. At moments it is a disturbing and hard read, but read it one must. This is a much needed and powerful account for anybody interested in the music business and the development of dance music internationally.'

Sally Anne Gross, music industry practitioner and academic

'Paulette's rollicking memoir takes you through unmarked doors vibrating with bass to celebrate a life lived to the full in dance music.'

Frank Broughton, DJ History”.

I will come to some interviews with the iconic DJ Paulette now. Before coming right up to date, let’s head back a bit. To last year and Ban Ban Ton Ton’s interview. There are some really interesting exchanges and answers that opened my eye:

“You’re from the magnificent city of Manchester. What are the things that you love about your hometown? What are the characteristics of a good Mancunian?

A good Mancunian doesn’t need the sunshine to be happy – we lap it up when it comes though. Manchester people are the best in the world. You can talk to anyone anywhere here – it’s not considered weird – and we happily engage in the conversation. Manchester people are open, helpful, really good listeners and if we can’t help you we can put you in touch with someone who can. Humble mavericks. Rule breakers… and we have a naughty sense of humour too.

Who are the icons from your city in your opinion?

There are so many, old and new: Anthony H Wilson, Marcus Rashford, Emmeline and Christobel Pankhurst, Maxine Peake, ANZ, Afrodeutsche, Andy Burnham – he’s from Warrington but he’s an honorary Manc, Marie Stopes, Rowetta, Diane Modahl, Alex Ferguson, Caroline Aherne, Victoria Wood, Lemn Sissay, Sacha Lord…

Where were your first gigs? What kind of music were you playing? Who were the DJs you looked up to back then?

My first DJ gig was at the Number 1 club on Central Street in Manchester. I was heavily influenced by a Manchester DJ called Tim Lennox, who was the resident DJ at the club when I was a dancer there. I played a mixture of everything – disco, rare groove, soul, funk, house, early techno, from the likes of Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King, Gwen McCrae, Larry Heard, Kevin Saunderson, Marshall Jefferson, Earth Wind and Fire, James Brown, Salsoul, Prince, The Jacksons. Anything that sounded good together went into those long sets.

You were awarded a DJ Mag’s Top 100 Lifetime Achievement Award – sincere congratulations for that Paulette! What did that that feel like? Your people must be pretty proud.

It was indeed a very proud moment for me. At first I thought they were asking me to vote for the category, or asking my advice on who the winner should be. When I read that I’d been nominated as the winner I honestly didn’t believe it. I slammed my laptop shut and hid in the dressing room I was that triggered. I didn’t think it was real. I had to read the email about five times before it fully sunk in.

As a strong woman in music, do you feel that the male-dominated tide is finally turning? What has changed? What still needs to change?

Yes I can confidently say that things are changing. There are way more women in the business now than ever before, both in front of and behind the scenes, but we are still relatively outnumbered. It’s great to see people like Jaguar and Jamz Supernova making huge strides, whilst people like Annie Mac and Honey Dijon are icons and shining beacons for us all. We need more women and non-binary people throughout the chain, but these changes do not happen overnight. It’s a case of baby steps. Applause. Then more baby steps until we get to a fully balanced, diverse, safe, and equally paid environment. It is great though and it gives me a massive buzz every day to see women smashing it better than men and on the daily. It gives me hope”.

I want to move to this recent interview, where we get some real insight into the career of DJ Paulette. Why she is so important and respected. For D.J.s following her, there are so many wise and powerful words that will resonate. It shows that Welcome to the Club: The Life and Lessons of a Black Woman DJ is an essential purchase:

“What were your first steps in this industry?

When I was 18 years old, I started working at Piccadilly Radio. I sent in an application for this new show, which was a teen magazine/lifestyle show. I sprayed my application with CK’s Obsession perfume (you have to get noticed in this game) and they liked my application, I was invited to audition and I was chosen. It was a youth programme but I absolutely loved it. I was working with two bright young stars, Chris Evans and Becky Want. The programme taught me how to interview people. It taught me how to go to gigs and write good scripts and reviews for clubs and listings. It introduced me to the celebrity side, because I got to interview people like Martin Fry from ABC.  It really gave me a taste of the music industry. But aside from that, my mum was a singer, she sang jazz and cabaret, so all of the family were really musically trained, we were all into music, buying records, that kind of thing. I'd also been clubbing since I was 15 years old.

Then I sang in bands and got fired a lot. Not because I was rubbish. Whenever I'd be in rehearsals, I'd always be in tracksuits. So when it came to the gigs and I dress up like that, it was like “you're not really a backing singer, you're fired”, which wasn't fair. So when DJing came along, I thought this is a way of performing and a way of delivering my music that is down to me. Nobody could fire me. I could look how I wanted. I could play what I wanted. And I could just entertain people for as many hours

Years later, a friend of mine called Tommy introduced me to a woman called Adele. She was putting on a party at The Number One Club where I was dancing. Adele had run out of money for a big DJ name and she was looking for someone to play records for the night. Tommy told her that I had lots of records. So we met, we talked about music and for some reason (was she desperate or did she think I'd be good at it, I don't know) she chose me to do it. I was studying for my degree at the time, so I thought, I could earn money doing something that I really love, that I wanted to do. I loved clubs, I loved clubbing. I'd never DJed before. I didn't have my own decks or anything like that, but I just thought it'd be a good idea. She paid me 30 pounds (from 9pm till two in the morning). It was 1992, so that was actually quite decent money (well, it was better than nothing). But then I went out and spent my entire grant money on records. The rest is history.

From there, I met Paul and Lucy (A Bit Ginger Productions), they were putting on a new party at the Hacienda called Flesh, and they needed somebody to host their second room. I was suddenly thrown into the deep end and DJed once a month at the Hacienda downstairs.

It was a big gay night in Manchester and attitudes to anything gay in the 90s weren’t that cool, so I hid it. I didn't tell anyone at Uni. I was the boring, married, mature student, so if anyone from my class ever turned up at Flesh, I hid from them.

Then it - and I -  became more public as time went on, because I was good at what I did. And I became a face in Manchester. So it's like, well, you can hide but not for long. I became successful and I started DJing in Nottingham, at Venus in Leeds at Vague and started moving around. And then the next thing I knew I was being picked to DJ at Heaven in London, at the ZAP Club in Brighton. When I graduated, I intended to become a teacher, a professor, you know, do an MA, go the full academic route, but DJing came along and that was the end of that.

Your book “Welcome to the Club” is the first self-penned book by a black female DJ, can you share with us the inspiration behind writing this book?

My inspiration for writing “Welcome to the Club” came from many places. First of all, lots of people asked me why, if I've been doing this for 30 years, why has it taken me so long to get any kind of flowers for the work that I've been doing over the years? I needed to explain certain challenging aspects of my career that were hidden and also put my history out there because it wasn't out there. People couldn't really understand anything about me because if you Googled me, there wasn't really that much information. 16 years in Europe had created a bit of a blind spot. So I thought, either I could wait for somebody to write a book about me or I could do it myself. And I'm very much a self-starter.

I didn't pitch this book to anybody. The publishers came to me with the idea during the second lockdown. I've been really mercenary about saying ‘yes’ to this publisher, because I knew that this book was going to go into the libraries. So then history is set. It's not just an ordinary book. It is an academic book, which means it goes into every university library from here (UK) to the United States to France, to wherever. I'm making a point of creating a history for this particular subject. And it's never been done before.

I also became aware that it wasn't just me that had the hidden histories. There were a lot of other women around me that had hidden histories that weren't counted into the development or the evolution of the culture and I wanted to tackle that subject as well. When people say, “oh, we've never heard of you”, it’s because you're not included in the story. It was important to me to put a story there to create some kind of balance or be a counterbalance to all the other books that didn't mention and all the other books that didn't talk about this particular thing.

Another key factor was writing and working through the pandemic. Nobody is talking about the pandemic because it has only just happened. I wanted to talk about how we, as people and as creatives, dealt with the pandemic. As the events and hospitality and as the industry had to deal with the pandemic; the rules, the regulations, the financial implications, all of that. There are two chapters that really talk about what happened and how we came out of it. It's a really strong Manchester story because we were kind of the guinea pigs for the government with all of the rules and regulations. It also talks about the limitations, not earning any money, not getting any support and it talks about mental health.

In the book, you have spoken to a few very influential women from the industry.

A lot of the time women work for companies where it's like “maybe they'll do it one day” or “maybe one day I'll get the award”. This is why my book is really throwing a brick through that window. We as women have to stop accepting that being written out, not getting our flowers is okay. It’s not okay.

I decided to talk to a big group of my peers (Jamz Supernova, Jaguar, Caroline Prothero, Lakuti, Marcia Carr, Gladys Pizarro, Judy Griffith from fabric, DJ Colleen Cosmo Murphy, Sophie Bee, the creative director of the Warehouse Project, Eruica McKoy, NIKS (from Black Artists Database) a lot of very successful women. I found out about what their experiences and challenges have been (working in the music industry) and lots of things became apparent. There are ways that women are treated in the industry that just don't happen for men. Men never have to think about certain issues; about how they are promoted through the industry or how they are always going to have to knock the door down.

I wanted the reader to hear other voices and not just have the words pouring out of my mouth.  It's not just my experience that you get to read in the book, you get to read lots of other people's experiences. We sat together and discussed the frequently asked questions that we always get when we're interviewed; is it difficult being a woman, a female DJ, you know, the gendering of the job?

Why is DJing even gendered? We all do the same things. We use the same USB sticks. We use exactly the same equipment. There is no reason why this job should be separated into male and female DJs. We are all DJs but we are not paid on the same level. We're not given the same billing. We're not given the same breaks, even when it comes down to branding and sponsorship. We're not given the same opportunities or deals.

There's the other side of it where biological and physical things can happen for women that can signal the end of their career. Pregnancy, breakups, menopause, ageing. For some reason, 40 seems to be the cutoff where women start suddenly not getting any work anymore, whereas guys can work for their entire life without really having to think “Am I over the hill?” You know?

It views that aspect, through a lot of other women's eyes. And one of the things that became clear is that ageism is a really annoying factor. People just don't like successful older women. I mean, Madonna has it, (you know, she's in her 60s and people are still trying to say she is too old, should stop and isn't relevant). It's like hold on a second. Why isn’t Madonna relevant? Because Piers Morgan says so? A white cis middle aged straight man? How many column inches are wasted on trying to say that this woman is not relevant after 40 years smashing practically every glass ceiling and leaving a legacy that every newcomer somehow uses as a blueprint. She has spent years in the music industry breaking barriers, waving the flag for LGBTQ+ rights before anybody else did it. What is wrong with people?

It was important to have this conversation with Jamz Supernova. It was important to have that conversation with Marcia Carr, Kath McDermott and Colleen Cosmo Murphy. They can tell you the truth about how sickness overtook them or how agents wouldn't book them.

It's really interesting to talk about Jamz’ case because it gives us hope that there is a way through it. It's easier now than it was for Colleen Cosmo Murphy and Marcia Carr when they literally had to stop work for three, four years while they reared their children, whereas Jamz has gone straight back to work. It's interesting hearing them discuss what that journey is. The book talks about all of those things and the psychological impact of going through that and the push to come out on the other side.

What message do you hope it sends to aspiring DJs? Especially those who may face similar challenges as you did?

First of all, I say that I forgot that I was in the top 100. I really did forget it and I didn't take it as seriously as maybe I should have. Or I didn't take it as seriously then as people take it now, because, I didn't know what I was doing when I started this. I didn't even have my own decks. Now, it is more of a business.

So the advice I would give to people is take it as seriously as you need to take it. If you want to make a career out of it, make a career out of it, but be very focused about it. You can be giddy and you can enjoy it certainly, but have a plan and ask for help, which I didn't do. Always ask for help. Find your tribe. Build your team”.

I know this is a pretty long future, though I think it is important to give proper respect and salute to DJ Paulette. Also, with a book out on Tuesday, there are a lot of people who are getting her story. Keen to hear from one of the true greats. I am going to finish with Mix Mag and their interview. I think that there is still imbalance and inequality. DJ Paulette has said how things are improving - though, when we see rankings of the most important and best D.J.s around, they are dominated by men. Women having to work twice as many gigs as men to get the same recognition. The tide is slowing turning, though there is still a way to go. There is no doubt that someone like DJ Paulette is both inspiring change in the industry and so many women coming through:

“The ‘good’ in DJ Paulette’s story is detailed in exhilarating detail, bringing to life the excitement and chaos of the formative years of club culture in the UK. DJ Paulette describes how her first booking came about because the promoter had spent the whole budget on flyers and how her residency at Flesh dealt with a makeshift DJ booth fashioned out of a metal flight case and two wobbly bar tables for the turntables to stand on. Then there’s the laugh-out-loud recollection of when she DJed on ecstasy pills, that turned into a complete disaster when DJ Paulette lost the ability to read the print on the sleeves of her records. She left her twin sister Paula to take the reins, only to find that her sister was playing the same record over and over as DJ Paulette slumped down grinding her teeth in a toilet cubicle, unable to do anything about it.

PHOTO CREDIT: Danny Sargent

The ‘bad’ takes on sexism, racism and classism that DJ Paulette and her peers have experienced, but also subjects like the loneliness of DJing and struggles with mental health, doing so with candour and often humour. “If I’ve had a breakdown, I’m not going to gloss over that and jump to the next chapter of happy, I want to deal with how that affected me, and how that affected all the people around me; I think it’s important to tell that too,” she says. She also explores how a career in DJing affects relationships and shines a light on fellow female DJs’ experiences, including the struggles of juggling playing out with motherhood. Many of the younger voices in the book illustrate how much the music industry has evolved for the better.

But as much as DJ Paulette shares her literary stage with others, from Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy to Lakuti and Jamz Supernova, it’s her own story that’s the most remarkable thing about Welcome to the club. Although well documented in articles through the years, there are aspects of DJ Paulette’s career that don’t make the cut in limited word count profiles; in book form there’s room to demonstrate just what the secret to DJ Paulette’s endurance is. Arguably, it’s her ability to predict what’s coming next, and getting one step ahead. In the mid 1990s it was internet radio, in the early 2000s, it was having her own website and blog. It’s also been about constantly evolving her skillset, from doing PR for Mercury Records to A&R for Azuli and Defected.

PHOTO CREDIT: Lee Baxter

It’s also been about DJ Paulette’s ability to predict developments in music and adapt accordingly. “I don’t make music myself and because of that I’ve had to find music that I can create a body of music around me with, that people will identify as my sound, so I’ve had to really stay ahead of the game,” she says. This approach is in full flow during her Haçienda reunion set, where the music she plays – mostly harder tech-house mixed with choice soulful house numbers the crowd will know – contrasts with the purely nostalgic vibe of most of the other DJs. “The crowd changes, music sounds different now, you need a bigger kick, you need a more compressed middle, to fill a room that holds 10,000 people. Some of those old tracks don’t travel anymore because the production values are different,” she says.

Some of the biggest highs in DJ Paulette’s book relate to her time in Paris. “I was so popular that people copied what I wore, how I looked…Clubs placed metal barriers outside to restrain my fans from surging forwards as I entered,” she recalls. But she also doesn’t shy away from describing mistakes she’s made, like selling her flat in London and spending the profits on high fashion. Other low moments were the result of developments outside of her control. For example, she writes about how the rise of lad mags in the late 1990s meant a new type of woman was being fetishized, and as a result, DJing changed too. “Still only in my thirties, I no longer ticked any of the boxes required to advance. I was free-falling without anything or anyone to stop it,” she writes in a chapter aptly titled ‘How to kill a DJ’, that also recounts how at a dinner with an agent, a booker and a promoter – all men – she was told that “no club will ever book a Black, female DJ with grey hair.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Lee Baxter

In an industry characterised by Instagram-filtered careers where discussing failure is taboo, DJ Paulette is refreshingly open about the downsides of being a DJ, not least the fact that what she terms ‘DJ death’ is cyclical: “It might have soothed me to know that I would soon find a way to climb out of the hole that I was in. I think I would also have liked to know that, like Groundhog Day, the hole would suck me in again.” In this way, her book acts as a manual for both aspiring and established DJs alike, that she didn’t have the access to when she was starting out. But it’s also full of universal truths and advice that not only DJs or those working in the music industry will find useful. It’s how DJ Paulette intended it: “I wanted to present a more accessible way of talking about music than getting locked into the anorak-geeky [route of] ‘this record, that tune, that DJ, this producer,’ which is only interesting to DJs, it’s not interesting to a lawyer that’s reading it in New York or a doctor that’s reading it in India,” she says. “But if I talk about it in terms of how you structure your life and career, then it starts to make a bit more sense and you can transfer those skills to other disciplines.”

Still, in some ways, DJ Paulette sees her work as only just beginning, especially when it comes to advocating for changes in publishing: “Magazines are still full of white guys, bros, and they say they can’t put older people on the cover, but they’ll still put Carl Cox or Gilles Peterson on the cover. Why can’t they put [women like] Cosmo or me on? And I think, why has it taken this long for someone to commission a book written by an older, Black female DJ? Because it’s the way it is, because it’s systemic.” DJ Paulette is intent on changing this, as she has been with breaking previous glass ceilings. “I always try to be the first to do it or the best. If I can’t be the best, then I’ll be the first,” she says. “If you’re the first it doesn’t matter if you’re the best, at least you’re the person with the balls to just do it, and then everyone that comes after, maybe they’ll be a million times better, but it took you doing it before they could be seen to be brilliant and better.” And this, perhaps, is the biggest lesson of Welcome to the club and DJ Paulette’s life story – be brave and fearless and you might just pave the way for the next generation”.

Within that interview from Mix Mag is a link to one that talks about how the industry is not a meritocracy. It is hardest on Black women. A 2020 article about how there is misogyny, violence and sexism in Dance music is still relevant in 2024. Even articles from a few years ago still ring true. Whilst there are some incredible women D.J.s out there, I wonder whether the industry truly acknowledges and hears them. Whether the landscape is safer for them. Things will eventually get there yet, right now, there is still a lot to be done. Pioneers and icons like DJ Paulette are to be saluted. She is such a crucial voice and role model. Welcome to the Club: The Life and Lessons of a Black Woman DJ shares her experiences of being a D.J. and what she ensured. There are positives and moments of strength among some darker days and obstacles. Go and seek the book out. I hope to interview DJ Paulette down the line. She is pretty busy now with a book launch! You can book her, and also keep up with the latest news. Such a remarkable and enormously important figure in music, I felt it was only right so salute…

A D.J. queen.

FEATURE: Suits and Ties: The GQ Acquisition of Pitchfork and a Worrying Future for Music Journalism

FEATURE:

 

 

Suits and Ties

PHOTO CREDIT: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels

 

The GQ Acquisition of Pitchfork and a Worrying Future for Music Journalism

_________

A sad bit of news broke…

IMAGE CREDIT: Pitchfork

this week that impacted one of the best-known and respected names in music journalism. A hugely trusted voice in music, Pitchfork is being taken over and assimilated into GQ. To be fair, one does not associate the latter with music journalism and this incredible platform for the best and most essential writers. It does feel, given the news, that a few glaring things have been made obvious. A men’s magazine acquiring Pitchfork means a music media strongest when it is balanced and gives incredible female writers space and opportunity is weakened. Becoming more male-orientated when music websites and magazines should be doing more to share the words and voices of women. I will carry on. First, The Quietus report on the news:

“Pitchfork is being restructured by Condé Nast, the mass media company that purchased the music publication in 2015.

The music outlet will be moved under men's fashion magazine GQ, which is also owned by Condé Nast, according to a leaked internal email that was shared today (January 17) on X (formerly Twitter) by media reporter Max Tani.

The email, written by Anna Wintour, who is chief content officer at Condé Nast, also mentioned that some Pitchfork employees, including editor-in-chief Puja Patel, have left the company amid the restructure. The decision to fold the publication into GQ was made, the email said, "after a careful evaluation of Pitchfork's performance". It added that the company believed this was "the best path forward for the brand so that our coverage of music can continue to thrive within the company".

IMAGE CREDIT: GQ

A number of Pitchfork staffers have this evening taken to social media to share that they have been laid off from the publication. Among them is features editor Jillian Mapes, who wrote on X: "I've referred to my job at Pitchfork as being on a ferris wheel at closing time, just waiting for them to yank me down. After nearly eight years, mass layoffs got me. Glad we could spend that time trying to make it a less dude-ish place just for GQ to end up at the helm."

Ryan Schreiber, Pitchfork's founder and former editor-in-chief who sold the publication to Condé Nast in 2015, wrote: "Extremely saddened by the news that Condé Nast has chosen to restructure Pitchfork and lay off so much of its staff, including some who've been integral to its operations for many years/decades. Sending love to everyon affected and hoping for the best for its future."

It's not yet known exactly how many staff members have been let go as part of the restructure, while details on how it might affect Pitchfork's publication of content going forward are also currently scarce”.

The news has been met with sadness and anger. Pitchfork, as a comprehensive and years-running source for music news, features and incredible opinion pieces has been a bedrock for so many music fans and journalists. I find it is invaluable for so many reasons. Their detailed reviews of albums; the brilliant features and championing of new music. You can see for yourself the bounty and options available on the website. A hugely publication/site that one can access for free and there is this originality and distinct voice is now going to be controlled, distilled and lost. This tie-in and new look for Pitchfork is going to see a lot of journalists lose their jobs. Scaling down and a lack of the autonomy they once had. I do feel that this might be a sign of things to come. Other leading and loved music journalist gold standards subjects to restructuring and purchase by organisations that have very little to do with music. A business move rather than a creative one. There has been reaction from journalists to the news about Condé Nast bringing Pitchfork under the umbrella of GQ. I do also think that, as a men’s magazine, there will be a more male-aimed and focused look now. Losing many women (and non-binary) writers. The Pitchfork that we knew is going to change drastically. Robin Murray, writing for CLASH shared his reaction to a very sad day:

“The music press has watched its obituary being written countless times over. Indeed, there are now shelves of books on the downfall of the inkies, exploring the rise and fall of fabled titles such as Melody Maker, Sounds, and Q – or in the States, AMP and The Source, for example. Yet even amid this wave of eulogies, news that Pitchfork – self-proclaimed as The Most Trusted Voice In Music – is to be merged with GQ strikes hard.

The news came first as rumour, and then fact. An internal memo from Anna Wintour of all people confirmed that publishers Conde Nast will be “evolving” the site’s “team structure”: “Both Pitchfork and GQ have unique and valuable ways that they approach music journalism, and we are excited for the new possibilities together.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Suzy Hazelwood/Pexels

Adding to this, she acknowledged “some of our Pitchfork colleagues will be leaving the company today.”

It’s the end of a rocky chapter for Pitchfork. Founded in 1996 by Ryan Shreiber, the site became important because it valued taste and curation, favouring a singular voice over the messy scrawl of the early internet. Rising to prominence in the Millennial indie boom, its seal of approval was termed the ‘Pitchfork Effect’ – the hype sparked by the support of Arcade Fire’s ‘Funeral’ say, would result in soaring record and ticket sales. 

Perhaps the most popular of a wave of websites in America, Pitchfork soon attracted admiring glances from bigger publishing houses. Conde Nast took control in 2015, lauding the “very passionate audience of millennial males” who hinged on every word Pitchfork posted. For some, this proved to be a sign that the relationship wouldn’t be a happy one – Pitchfork was always more than just white male indie, and the peerless work of Editor-in-Chief Puja Patel helped to underline this, making the site more open, fun, and inclusive of other genres and backgrounds.

Overnight, it seems this work has been dismantled. A wave of Pitchfork staffers have taken to social media to confirm their dismissal, reinforcing the sense of personal loss at this appalling situation. Amy Phillips called it “the honor of my life” to have worked there; Sam Sodomsky pronounced himself to be “grateful for it all”, while contributor Simon Reynolds described it as “an awful day for music journalism, music journalists – and for music, too.”

At each point in the evolution of the music press, voices have been lost but opportunities have been gained. The late 90s crunch that saw Select and Melody Maker go under was followed by the blog era, by an explosion of online voices. Received wisdom held that print was fading, but the internet would create a different playing field, one where independence could be valued. Pitchfork was foremost in this wave, a totemic title not just in audience reach, but also in importance; to describe it as a maker leader hardly does its relevance justice.

The loss of so many staff members and writers serves as a very bleak signal of where music, and the culture around it, is heading. In the UK, the loss of Q saw the demise of a valued major monthly title. Budgets are being squeezed, as a bleak economic landscape overall causes brands to refrain from spending on advertising. Pitchfork may cause headlines, but beneath the standfirst the broader landscape is in a period of atrophy.

It’s vital that the music industry understands what it is losing. The eco-system necessary to build and break new voices is reliant on storytellers, on people who are able to probe art, and lift it above the dissonance of a saturated marketplace. An over-reliance on stats, an addiction to social media moments, is wiping all of this away. There is a feeling – not least for this writer – that the music press has been left to wither on the vine. Stories, how they are told and presented, are integral to music. Without it, you are left with noise”.

There is hope that a Pitchfork-like endeavour and site could come about. That this fearless and incredible platform for great writers can be sustained. Promoting women’s voices and showcasing some amazing music writing. Even when Pitchfork divided peopl, there is something for everyone. You get bands and artists highlighted that others have not found. The latest music news and some wonderful features. Whether assessing the best albums of the 1980s or reacting to changes in music culture and technology, Pitchfork is this oasis of eclectic and distinct music journalism. One wonders how they will survive and sustain going forward. Whether the website goes or there is a paywall. It is a troubling development that could mean other websites are bought out or merge with another company. At a time when we need to support and highlight oriignal and passionate music journalism, we are losing so many. Pitchfork going to GQ does not only affect those who support Pitchfork. As I mentioned, so many journalists and music fans relied on the site. So many artists were discovered through Pitchfork. For journalists who look to Pitchfork as a career goal where they can get their words read by a vast audience, that is now jeopardised. Each time we see some respected and distinct music journalism voice silenced or weakened, it has a trickle-down affect on other music websites and magazines. I have seen many posts saying how music journalism struggles to promote women and affect gender balance. I doubt that GQ are going to do much to support progressiveness and highlight women’s voices. There are so many dedicated and talented journalists who will now have to move on. At the start of a year where we were relying on sites like Pitchfork to champion artists coming through and showcases some of the most important music journalists in the industry. The reaction to Pitchfork being moved to GQ has made people…

PHOTO CREDIT: Timur Weber/Pexels

UNDERSTANDABLY angry.

FEATURE: Spotlight: No Guidnce

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

  

No Guidnce

_________

THERE is a lot to cover off…

when it comes to No Guidnce. Even though I am not a massive fan of the name – Google always tries to auto-corrected to ‘No Guidance’ -, they do at least stand out from the crowd. In terms of the crowd, I guess I mean boybands. Once upon a time, the music scene was teeming with them. They had a purple period in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Now, we do not see many. There are K and J-Pop boybands around. They do not get the focus and airplay in the U.K. and U.S. that they perhaps deserve. In the U.K., we have a range of girlbands coming through. FLO are perhaps the standout. Even so, there is a surfeit of girl and boybands. I think boybands used to have that reputation as being a bit naff and uncool. Perhaps unfair! There were a few pretty good ones back in the day. No Guidnce are a bit of a rarity in the sense that they are an R&B boyband who are suggestive of the '90s crop. Bringing back the cooler and sexier edge. There are quite a few interviews I want to come onto. Their Spicy EP was released back in September. Boasting big tracks like Yeah Yeah, it has put them on the music map. The Standard spoke with the group last year about their aim to reshape the Nineties narrative around boybands:

“No Guidnce, a four-strong boyband who’s revival of Nineties nostalgia has proved extraordinarily popular with young fans, owe a great deal to a bright yellow car park in a mystery part of central London.

Blessed with both natural acoustics and security willing to turn a blind eye to their sneaky recording sessions, it is the place where the group, two in their teens and two in their early 20s, first went viral with their acapella covers of everyone from The Fugees to Usher.

Even the car park’s guard has seen their ridiculously popular TikTok videos made in this renegade recording studio (the group won’t disclose where it is). “He’ll come up, and be like: ‘I’m supposed to kick you out now… but 10 more minutes,” Zeekay, the group’s resident joker grins. “We should invite him to our next show,” adds Kaci.

That show is next week, on September 18, with the band set to headline for the first time in the UK. They’re still fresh from playing the main stage of Wireless earlier this summer with just a single EP – this year’s debut Is It A Crime? – to their name.

“Seeing the feelings that our music evokes in the audience is the best thing honestly, to see in real life,” says Ebubé, whose velvety baritone wins him frequent comparisons to the RnB singer Giveon. “Wireless was a crazy experience. A lot of people [in the audience] didn’t know us, but we took on the challenge… it wasn’t daunting at all.”

An increasing number of people are catching on; just ask any of their 73 million TikTok followers. The title track of their debut EP, Is It A Crime? was written with Ariana Grande collaborator Victoria Monét, already boasts 6 million streams, and channels a mischievously sultry, Boyz II Men-ish brand of Nineties RnB. It puts them in good company with an increasing number of London-based artists bringing back the aesthetic of this era, along with Enfield singer Bellah and Brits Critics Choice winners FLO.

“Especially with FLO, the whole RnB group concept is coming back,” says Ebubé, with Josh adding there may be a time when its right to collaborate”.

I am going to come onto DAZED and their interview with No Guidnce. All the headlines seem to be around ‘making boybands cool again’. This suggestion that they never were! I think it was more nuanced than people think. There were some cool boybands. I think many have not dated that well, so an updated and fresh take is needed. We have a tantalising option when it comes to this intriguing four-piece:

“Hey guys – first of all, what’s the meaning behind the name of the band?

Zeekay: No Guidnce just means working towards freedom, and not really following a path that’s been done before. It’s a very old-but-new concept. We are a thing that isn’t really out there, and we’re doing things that are quite different to other people in our lane and in our surroundings. It’s just about being independent and following a different path.

How do you guys feel about the boyband moniker? What do you tend to call yourselves?

Kaci: We say boyband. We used to say ‘R&B vocal group’, because we thought ‘boyband’ wasn’t cool, but we’re trying to make boy bands cool again.

What made you change your mind back to boy bands being cool again?

Zeekay: Cos we’re cool! [Laughs]

Josh: We are so cool.

Kaci: When we started doing live shows, we discovered the whole boy band effect thing. We were like, ‘no, we might as well just go by boyband.’ And we do have someone who plays instruments, so it does work.

Josh: I feel like we’re just trying to change the connotation, give it a fresh new meaning, you know?

From what it looks like online, the fan reaction has been quite intense.

Kaci: Yes. Intense is the word. It’s been quite wild, to be honest. We’re on tour right now with Mahalia, and I feel like we’ve seen the biggest fan reaction while we’re on tour with the people we’re meeting. Basically, at the end of the shows, we’ll just meet a bunch of people at the end, taking selfies and stuff – and it’s a lot. But it’s good, though. So sick to meet with the fans, and just to meet new people.

What was the inspiration for the new songs ‘White Tee’ and ‘Long Walk’?

Kaci: We’ve dropped two EPs now. We just wanted to take things, not even a different direction, but just improve on what we’ve already been doing. We’re getting an idea of what works for us and what necessarily doesn’t. With ‘White Tee’ we wanted to bring a bridge back, and it’s us really vocalising, again, like our first EP Is It A Crime? We have proper vocals and we’re singing together, it’s much more that kind of vibe.

With ‘Long Walk’ it was a bit different, because we were like ‘let’s just try something very different.‘ It’s like a boom-bap style, and we never really ever saw ourselves doing that. It was one of the songs we made randomly in Miami, and it ended up coming through as one of the stronger ones. So yeah, we’re excited for people to hear these songs, to be honest.

Josh: I feel like both of those songs are two types of songs that we haven’t released, and fans haven’t heard from us. We always wanted to give our fans something fresh.

How do you approach the songwriting side of things?

Ebubé: Mainly, we go out to Miami. There’s this particular studio that we really like. They pamper us, give us chicken wings, loads of soul food. We usually write off concepts with a writer and a producer. We’ll sit down even before we get in the studio, and work out if we want to write something up-tempo, something more slow jam, something more meaningful, and then we’ll come up with a concept. Usually it’s just a word. Like for ‘Spicy’, it was just the word spicy, and screeching the word out loud”.

There is a bit more I want to source. Wonderland. were keen to spotlight a very special British proposition. At a time when the boyband market is a little lean and focused mainly in Asia, it is good that there is a band that have stormed TikTok and are getting their name known. Let’s hope that, with more music this year, they get even more attention and focus:

“What would you say connects you all?

Our sense of humour. That’s originally built our friendship, just busting jokes 24/7.

Our influences too, we all loved Boys II Men as a sonic influence and aesthetically. We have in general a very common goal of what we want for the group, since the very beginning. We’re driven and we won’t stop until we get there, no matter what adversities we face.

What is it like to exist as a boy band boy group within the British R&B scene?

It’s been interesting. It’s very good that we have each other, mainly because we have each other and we’re navigating being new in the industry together. It helps to not feel alone. UK specifically the RnB scene is niche, but also on the come up at the same time. There are a lot more genres that the UK grasps onto than RnB and its history, people are adjusting, so it makes it a bit harder, but it’s part of the challenge, it’s fun. It’s been about 10 years since a boy band has been entered the scene. We’re watching the respect and the audience slowly grow together.

Another thing about being in a boy band is realising the “Boy Band” effect, realising how powerful boy bands are. People just love boy bands!

Congratulations on your recent single and EP “Spicy”! What does spicy signify to you all? What is the message behind it?

(Collectively laughing) It’s a really deep song about finding yourself… yeah…

We made “Spicy” ages ago, it was a step into a new part of RnB for us, we had been doing slow jams and wanted to show people No Guidnce can go into any avenue of RnB. That’s the beauty of having four of us, “Spicy” gets people hyped, every time we perform it live, it’s a surprise and it’s instantly party time.

No Guidnce has been on the road with Mahalia, what has this experience been like? What has been a standout moment?

It has been just constant giggles. One of the highlights was the show we did last night, we were about to come back to the hotel in Amsterdam, and as we were walking towards our Uber, there was a group of girls that just started singing “Crime”, it was a real “wow” moment that people knew who we were.

Mahalia has been amazing to us, she was one of the few people in the industry who reached out to us and lent that hand of support from early on. It has been so helpful to understand the industry from her point of view, with us being newbies, and allowing us to tour around Europe and the UK so early on is so valuable to us.

We have grown so much since the first show with her three weeks ago, particularly in confidence and performance. Having a run of shows back to back has just allowed us to hone in on our strengths and lock in as a group. Mahalia has given us so many tips and pointers about being on stage, how to just be ourselves and block out the noise.

What would one bit of advice be to someone starting their creative/music journey?

Enjoy the process of getting better. Enjoy that process of always improving and learning what it means to do music.

I saw a video the other day about work ethic and it made me think about the answer to this question. If you want to start to prepare yourself for 10 years, be ready for success to take 10 years before you start.

For us we didn’t plan every little step in detail, we very much thought if we’re always striving to improve and feeding into TikTok and keep building little by little, then we’re on the right track regardless of what is going on around us.

What change do you want to see as a whole, specifically within the UK scene, but also industry as a whole?

I think we need to have the old way of doing things, before TikTok was a thing, maybe a way of them working together simultaneously, because TikTok is great for artists who don’t have a way of getting exposure, to get exposure and they can end up being bigger than people who are fully planted through the industry. But at the same time, because of social media, some people have the whole artist package but haven’t quite yet figured out a social media thing, so yeah I wish there was a way for people to have more help on that side. Artists should be found through their talent and then should be helped through the social media side of things.

The industry is sick at the moment though, I love how it is right because there’s so much going on.

What’s next for you?

We’ll be making new music, there’s one exciting project that we’ve had in the pipeline that we’re excited to be able to share. Next year, there’s going to be lots of shows and elevating the dance to the next level”.

Let’s move along to Ones to Watch and their discovery of a wonderful new act. I think that the rise of No Guidnce will get people listening back to boybands of the past and casting them in a new light. What the London group are offering now is their own stamp on that R&B sound of the past. Bringing it up to date whilst nodding to the past. This takes us back to June, when the boyband released the Is It a Crime? EP:

“Stealing hearts with angelic harmonies and making waves across oceans, London’s newest prodigal boyband No Guidnce is delivering us back to the golden age of R&B. With cosigns from artists like Boyz II Men, and legendary acts like Babyface showing up to their show in Los Angeles, it’s clear they’re getting passed the baton with resounding approval.

Consisting of Zeekay, Josh, Ebubé, and Kaci, No Guidnce is a soulful quartet making a name for themselves in an industry actively debating whether or not R&B is dead. With a sound reminiscent of the timeless tracks you’d hear while buckled in the backseat or as your hair is being washed in the sink, it’s impossible not to be transported to a time in which R&B was at its highest reign. Catching the attention of artists like Anderson .Paak, Labrinth, and more, No Guidnce has mastered a sound that begs you to be a kid again, or ravenously in love, or somewhere in between.

Their latest release, the Is It A Crime? EP, consists of four tracks that bow to every cornerstone of romance—the yearning, the mourning, the floating, and the falling. With emotionally dense singles like “Committed” and their title-track hit “Is It A Crime?,” their most significant offering to the industry is bringing us back to the roots of a perfectly crafted love song. To Zeekay, a perfect love song “takes a good story. An experience. I like songs written with a lot of metaphors and wordplay.”

Paying homage to a lost art, boybands were a once vital organ to the industry that has been buried under the sands of ego and individualism. “R&B is more than just music. A proper R&B boyband doesn’t come around too often,” shares Kaci. “I think in the '90s it was poppin’ because everyone was trying to make it, but it’s not really as much of a thing anymore.”

Taking it upon themselves to resurrect a genre both malnourished and overshadowed, they’re only paying respects to the musical eloquence of their very childhoods. “Having grown up in it and having listened to it is why we’re helping bring it back,” shares Josh. Zeekay adds, “Music changed dramatically from 2009 to 2020. There was a change with the deaths of old school stars like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. I think love has changed, too. How people identify with love, how we define it. I think the young artists whose parents put them on and are grown up now, like Coco Jones and Alex Vaughn, and even people who have been here a long time and didn’t get big until recently like Lucky Daye, are becoming mainstream again and a boyband is what’s missing.”

It only takes a few tracks to be immediately aware of their comfort in their sensitivity and their radical ability to strip to the core of themselves. Each member has individually grown up with open-hearted women figures in their lives, nurturing their vulnerability and giving them permission to lean in. “My family has always been very open. We’ve always had open conversations at home. I’ve always been an emotionally available person,” shares Kaci. Ebubé adds, “I’ve always been close with my mom and grew up with my sister, auntie, and her daughters. I was always in conversation with women and understood how they view life. It’s important that we understand how they view life.” These emotionally nutritious ecosystems could only birth R&B stars, or at the very least men willing and able to be fully seen, and aren’t we lucky to witness it all?”.

Let’s end with a recent interview from NME. There have been a lot of interviews with No Guidnce recently, though few sites tipping them for big things this year. Is there still this snobby attitude towards boybands – about them not being serious or as good as other types of artists?! I hope that attitudes change, as No Guidnce offer something enduring and instantly good:

“How did you create your first singles ‘Lie To Me’ and ‘Committed’?

Kaci: “We wrote them with Theron Thomas, they both came quite differently though. The first one, producer JR [Rotem] played us some sample tracks, and we instantly gravitated towards the Spandau Ballet song ‘True’, and we made that song quite quickly. We heard the hook and we knew straight away, ‘Yeah, we’re messing with this one’. And then ‘Committed’ came three days after. That came from us just having a conversation with lunch, talking about relationships and this generation, and we just wanted to be committed to one woman.”

How did it feel to get that message from Victoria Monét?

Zeekay: “I nearly cried. We got posted by Genius, one of our Michael Jackson covers. Our DMs were quite flooded that week, and the Victoria Monét one came through and I just messaged the group chat immediately. And the second message was her saying, ‘I’d love to work with you guys’. And then we’re like, ‘Oh, we’re in business now!’ So immediately we started having conversations about getting out there and linking up in LA, and then it happened and it was amazing.”

What do you think of the state of R&B in the UK right now?

Kaci: “It’s poppin’ right now. I think people are being more brave with it. I think before it was all one sound, you could go on Spotify’s ‘UK R&B’ and it all sounds the same. But now, with people like FLO, and hopefully with us coming to the scene as well, it’s a more broad sound and it’s more individual to each person.”

Ebubé: “FLO really reminded people that they needed R&B groups, and that’s what we’re trying to do with the male space as well.”

You recently performed your first live show at The Great Escape. How did it compare singing for a relatively small audience compared to the numbers you reach on TikTok?

Zeekay: “I feel like a smaller audience is always more intimidating. When there’s a million faces, you can’t see can’t see any faces. Whereas when there’s 10, you can see every reaction. It’s still one of the things that should be daunting but it’s really not. I feel like at the point we’re at, we’ve been behind the scenes for quite a while, so finally getting out there and performing, which is one of the main parts of a musician’s life, it’s very nice. We had a great time, we loved being on stage.”

What’s something people don’t know about you as a band?

Kaci: “We’re just the funniest people in the world. We’re comedians. I feel like it’s not well represented on TikTok because we’re very serious.”

Ebubé: “We just laugh all the time. The craziest stuff happens. We just went to America for a week and it was like we were there for a month. So much happened, it was just insane. I feel that’s the best way to deal with a lot of stuff that gets thrown at you when you’re doing music. To laugh it away”.

There is no need for caution or hesitation when approaching the music of No Guidnce! Regardless of your feelings towards boybands, there is plenty to recommend about the four-piece. Offering up some nostalgia and modern cool, I think they will enjoy a long and varied career. Let’s hope that they attract a wider listenership when it comes to their music being played on radio. What they have put out so far proves and highlights the fact that they…

WARRANT respect.

______________

Follow No Guidnce

FEATURE: Spotlight: Say She She

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Kaelan Barowsky

Say She She

_________

I have already included…

Say She She in another feature. I have not done a Spotlight on them yet. Whilst established and known to many, I wanted to highlight them, as there are still people who do not know about their work. Their latest album, Silver, came out in September. It is a remarkable work from an awesome NYC trio. With a string of shows across the U.S. from next month, Say She She are in the U.K. in March before heading to Europe. I am going to come to some interviews with Say She She. I will finish with a review of the mighty and mesmerising Silver. First, here is some biography about this beguiling trio:

“Say She She, the soulful female-led group, stand rock solid on their disco-delic duty with their boundary-breaking sophomore album Silver (released September 29 on Colemine/Karma Chief Records). The strong voices of Piya Malik (El Michels Affair, Chicano Batman), Sabrina Mileo Cunningham and Nya Gazelle Brown front the band. Following the NYC siren song, the trio was pulled from their respective cities — Piya from London, Nya from DC, and Sabrina from NYC — to Manhattan’s downtown dance floors, through the Lower East Side floorboards, and up to the rooftops of Harlem, where their friendship was formed on one momentous, kismet evening.

Silver was written and recorded live to tape at Killion Sound studio in North Hollywood in early 2023, and produced by Sergio Rios (Orgone, Neal Francis, Alicia Keys). While these analog recording techniques help root Say She She’s sound in a bedrock of tonal warmth that only tape can achieve, it is also their process of cutting the track in the moment and capturing the magic of communal creativity that have critics reeling. Musical inspirations include Rotary Connection, Asha Puthli, Liquid Liquid, Grace Jones, and Tom Tom Club.

Described as “a glorious overload of joyful elation and spiritual elevation” (MOJO) and “infused with the wonky post-disco spirit of early 80s NYC” (The Guardian), the band consistently tops the radio charts of tastemaker stations KCRW and KEXP, as well as BBC’s Radio 6 Music. Sold out shows from London to Los Angeles and televised appearances on CBS Saturday and Later…with Jools Holland are a testament to a rapidly growing fan base. Say She She has toured with the likes of Thee Sacred Souls, and have already played iconic festivals like Glastonbury, Central Park Summerstage, and more.

Ultimately, Silver oozes with quirk and adventure and embraces the multifaceted nature of what it means to be a modern femme. Say She She fully embrace their role as beauticians, actively reminding people of the inherent beauty in the world. They skillfully employ double entendres and humor to encourage open dialogue and fearlessly address important matters that demand attention”.

Before getting to some interviews from last year, Earmilk spoke with them around the release of their debut album, 2022’s Prism. We get introduced to the trio once more and their backstory (apologies), though there are some interesting observations and responses from the trio. A reason why they are an act that we need to embrace. A reason why their music is so powerful. They make music that can be serious and tackles big themes. They also want to uplift people:

“You'd be hard-pressed to find a more distinctly 'New York' story of how the trio was formed. Piya Malik, former El Michels Affair staple, and other founding member Sabrina Mileo Cunningham, were upstairs/downstairs neighbors in their Lower East Side apartment building.  "We lived above and below each other, and she would hear me coming in late at nights, stomping around and singing, and I would hear her early in the morning doing her warmups" Malik recalls.  "Below it's worse, which I was" Cunningham interjects with a smile.  Third member Nya Gazelle Brown had also known Malik for years prior, having met at a rooftop party, and the three singers immediately coalesced to become one.  "Sometimes you're colliding with someone by accident or running to see someone's show together. It's just such an amazing city and I don't think we could have quite come together like this anywhere else."

The group immediately began recording at Dap-King Joe Crispiano's Dumbo studio and recorded the bulk of the demos that became Prism in just two days, working off of a tape machine and splicing together vocals and instrumentation themselves as well as with additional production from The Shacks' Max Shrager.  "We recorded this with friends, who knew we were on a budget and were willing to work with us and chip in. It was like a jigsaw puzzle; you're working with all your friends in New York and everyone's trying to make rent somehow so you try to just honor each other and trade where you can" Malik explains.

A key piece of funk and soul music throughout history, all the way back to Nina Simone and Marvin Gaye,  has been its rebellious nature and the ability to make people move while pushing for a more acceptable social climate.  With records like "Forget Me Not" and "NORMA", Say She She continues this tradition, especially in the wake of the Roe v Wade decision and its inevitable fallout by taking some key inspiration from the Guerrilla Girls movement that started in 80s New York and continues to this day, in New York and around the world.  "Their reach and what they did was incredible" Cunningham explains, "We really fed off their energy and injected some of that activism into our own work."  Malik continues, "When the 'Me Too' movement kicked off, we felt like this is a really important time, not only for us to use our voices, but also through messaging, campaigning, lobbying and also, most importantly, just soothing."

"Even though we do have records with a more serious message, at the end of the day our purpose remains to make people dance and feel good," Brown explains of this balance.  "We like to use our voices to uplift, to protest, to make people feel sexy and loved. Just to make people feel something. And I think we really did that on this record."  With their debut record Prism taking a decidedly more soothing tone, there is still an undeniable passion and verve that runs as a through-line from start to finish.  Titular track and lead single "Prism" is the perfect example of the trio's more upbeat leaning songs that are nigh impossible to not bob your head to.  Sprinkled throughout are gems that soothe and abet the listener from the tribulations of daily life.  "Pink Roses", a song about grief that, first and foremost, seeks to uplift, is a definite standout from the record and a cut that places a special emphasis on Say She She's unique take on the juxtaposition between melancholia and joy.  "It's quite easy to write a sad song" Malik states, "It's much harder to make an effort to put some energy into something. We really wanted to make an effort to uplift people, especially after Covid. Enough with the sad songs!”.

Prior to getting to some promotion around Silver, Bristol Beacon focused on a group whose debut album gained a lot of love. Appearing on T.V. and with some big dates under their belt, more and more people were discovering who Say She She and what they are about. A truly hypnotic and essential musical force. I am not sure whether they have plans for an album this year or not. There is a lot of demand for this sensational trio:

“The making of ‘Prism’ and evolving their sound

The band describe their sound as a hat-tip to late 70s girl groups, and their catalogue is full of dreamy harmonies, catchy hooks and uptempo grooves. “We had a clear vision for the type of music we wanted to make in this project from the start”, the band say. “The name Say She She is a silent nod to Nile Rodgers (a homophone in French; ‘c’est Chi-Chi’ or ‘it’s CHIC’) – Nile is an undeniably prolific writer and producer and no matter what he touches, his music makes listeners dance and feel uplifted. That is what we always wanted to emulate and create in our own way with Say She She.”

“We also always wanted to be free of genre and not defined by one label. Our dream is that one day you can find a Say She She record in every corner and crate in the records shop. A song for different moods that reflect the multifaceted nature of us as women.”

Indeed ‘Prism’ has garnered praise from critics and listeners alike for its eclectic sound, with its songs originating from piano-centred sessions and demos then laid down to tape, giving it its rich, analogue sound.

Since the end of lockdown restrictions, the trio have been intent on further evolving their sound. “We were itching to get out of our apartments and make music with our friends again so we approached things a bit differently once we were able to travel”, say the band. “Instead of writing a song individually in front of the piano and bringing it to the group we wanted to feel the energy of a rhythm section while writing, so we started writing songs from scratch with our band in the room. That change instantly made a difference for us and inspired a new creative energy that allowed us to further define our sound…we were really able to lean into the more uptempo grooves with a rhythm section present.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Caroline Safran

The importance of community and friendship

Despite differing greatly in size, both Bristol and New York share an emphasis on community, collaboration and a DIY ethos which inspires each city’s artists and musicians.

“New York is such a melting pot of ideas and cultures and we feel that our music directly benefited from being immersed in that”, reflects Sabrina. “The level of creativity of people around you trying to play out also pushes you to be better and more dynamic and inspires you to keep working harder. This city teaches you grit and determination – two things that you need to survive in the music biz”.

The warmth and friendship between the three female leads is immediately apparent. This closeness has been imperative when overcoming difficult situations and has lent an authentic power to singles such as ‘Forget Me Not’ and ‘NORMA’, which challenge racial and gender discrimination.

“We want to inspire people with our music”, say the band. “We were so touched that our own frustrations about the anti-abortion issues resonated with others via our song NORMA. There is still so much work to be done but we are proud that we can use our voices to try to inspire change and hopefully one day restore a woman’s right to choose in all the states.”

From studio to stage

The joy and magic of live music is clearly deeply felt for the group. “Performing our songs live and seeing people dance and react to them in real time is what we live for”, says Sabrina. The growing buzz around the band has been bolstered by a string of live appearances this year opening for Thee Sacred Souls and their own shows across the US in 2022.

With their UK and EU tour a matter of days away, the trio are now looking forward to their first live performance as a band in Bristol”.

There is one more interview I will come to after this one. A German site, Bedroom Disco, featured Say She She back in October. They noted how, if you need the mood lifted, then Say She She’s music has the ability to transform and transport you:

“Piya is the most communicative of the three women. She grew up in London and worked full-time in the political arena. On election campaigns and in lobby groups. At the same time, she devoted herself to her true passion, music. She was involved in studio sessions and sang jazz standards in the legendary Ronnie Scott's . “I was never a member of a band because I didn’t have the time or the courage ,” she remembers. “That only changed in New York. I was born in the States and wanted to go back there because I couldn't stand it in Britain under the Conservative government. Especially not as a speechwriter for the opposition.” She didn’t need a long time to get used to it; she quickly came into contact with artists in the Big Apple. “At a party I met this cool DJ who was playing great stuff. It turned out to be Sal Principato from Liquid Liquid. He invited me to sing for his punk band. I liked that straight away because I could improvise and didn't have to rehearse anything." In London, it's common to work with people from the same age group. In New York you meet representatives of different generations. Mostly men. What Piya didn't accept as a permanent situation. “I would rather work with women, like I used to in choirs. I met Nya who sang in local bands. Sabrina did it under me in the apartment. I once toured with Chicano Batman. When the three of us tried something together, we quickly realized that our voices formed a unit.”

When looking for a name, they quickly agreed on Say She She. It fits in two respects. On the one hand, the singers want to show how women feel in today's world. As an example, Piya cites the song Norma (named after the real first name of plaintiff Jane Roe in the 1970 Texas abortion case). “It was created in 2022 on the day it was first announced that the Supreme Court would overturn the nationwide right to abortion. This shocked many, many women in this country. When something like that happens and we feel personally touched, we as a band think it's logical that we deal with the topic and address it. I still remember how insecure I was as a teenager and in the years that followed. Now I feel stronger, I'm committed to dealing with things. We all think like that in the band. We want to support young girls and women when they find themselves in a bad situation.” Nya doesn't believe in the advice of managers and employees in record companies who think it's better if there is no political content in the lyrics. “Of course we want to reach as many people as possible with our songs. But not at any price. Nobody can expect us to pretend to be human beings for the sake of money and popularity. Statement is important to us. We want to reach people, touch them, set an example. Stand up for things we believe in. Be loud and proud.”

And don't forget to be relaxed. It is the prominent trademark of Say She She and is conveyed through singing and music. Which brings us to the second explanation for the meaning of the name. “C'es si bon, c'est si chic ,” it says at the beginning of the hit. You don't have to look long to find out who is meant. Of course it's about the band Chic , and one title in particular. “We all like Le Freak ,” informs Piya. “The song exemplifies the impact of the band. It creates a vibe and ensures movement in the body and mind. For me, that's pretty damn helpful. I usually function better in the studio than on stage. It's different here. Sabrina and Nya make me take off my bonds. What, you're not a good dancer? Just show that you can bring the feeling of the dance floor to the stage in front of an audience, they say. Le Freak helped me understand what they meant.” Since our esteemed compatriot Roosevelt recently teamed up with Chic's Nile Rodgers , it's natural to wonder whether they have something similar in the works. “We would love nothing more than a collaboration with him ,” says Sabrina. “But we are like all people. We don't deal well with rejection. That's why we don't ask him. We're waiting for him to move. And they’re very patient.” They definitely don’t have to hold out for long. Say She She frees disco from the one-way street of celebration and gives the genre meaning and depth. The momentum remains, even if it sounds psychedelic and somewhat reminiscent of Linda Perhacs . It will be impossible for Nile Rodgers to escape the charm of it all. No chance. We can't do it now”.

I am going to wrap up soon. GRAMMY chatted with Say She She in September. Shortly before Silver came out (it was released the following month), we got to learn more about the creative process behind the album and addressing progressive causes and championing them. A group who, as I said, mix heavier and important themes with something uplifting and bright:

“On Writing Their New Album, Silver

Sabrina Mileo Cunningham: We planned the writing of the second album and did a nice writing camp in L.A. with our band. It was a labor of love. When we were planning when to do these writing sessions, we knew we wanted it to be a good chunk of time, but we definitely consulted the stars for a creative period of the year.

Piya Malik: If you ask any person who grew up as a Hindu, we consult the stars for everything.

Cunningham: That was definitely the most creative that I've ever personally felt. That was like channeling all sorts of different things. And yeah, it was just a really kind of wonderful and big, magical experience to write all those songs.

Malik: Prism was made in this kind of context of the fact that we were in a lockdown. And we had these old tape stems that we'd made with our friend Joey Crispiano that were originally meant to be demos and Sab and I had gone in and cut those. When we first started the band, it was really just a very quick thing.

And then, of course, we had COVID, and a lot of it was done remotely with all the production and the mixing and all that stuff, which is extremely difficult. Now, fast forward to Silver, we're all physically in the room during the process of the recording and the writing, just feeding each other's energy. And that absolutely changes things. Most of the lyrics were written on the spot — I think it's to do with capturing this excitement and this energy and this moment.

Nya Gazelle Brown: After we wrote "Questions," I think we all had to take a moment. I don't know if all the listeners would feel the same way, but there's a certain drive in that song — what the bassline is doing and what the drums are doing together — that creates this tension that physically works your body up. We had to have a moment of silence after we wrote it because we just couldn't believe that that came out of us.

Championing Progressive Causes Through Their Music

Malik: We are all political just by being who we are, not just because of the jobs and the experiences that we've had. Just by being women from diverse backgrounds with something to say, who have gone through some life experience. So why not allow our truest expressions to come out in our music?

In "Reeling," there's a lyric, "Kick the door down, smash the ceiling, leave them reeling." So I think, again, you can see here, there's passion and rage, but also trying to be constructed and move forward. And we launched that single with a piece of evovinyl with Frank Moody and the money goes towards climate change activism.

Cunningham: For "Norma," there were so many emotions that we were experiencing. Because we woke up and read in the Times that Roe v. Wade might be overturned, and we just came into the studio. I think half of us were crying, half of us were just pissed. And it was just a very visceral expression of exactly what we were feeling and there was just not really anything else we could write that day.

Brown: To be able to use our voices in such a forward way, standing for the things that we really truly believe in, was really important for me. It's really special when we see the audience relate to it and sing along and do the choreography. It just feels like we're united and that we're going to be okay.

Malik: [Our tour had some] all-ages shows, and you could see teenagers. And they were screaming the lyrics, and I got such chills on that stage watching them. I felt like they felt supported. Okay, there are older women fighting for us. Even if the government isn't, we're here fighting to try and make sure that things don't go so far to the right.

"Echo In The Chamber" is about gun control and we've actually launched a postcard writing campaign; it's a letter to senators that we're going to be including this on the mailouts with all of the vinyl …a campaign to help support the Background Check Expansion Act. We need to do something to use our voice in a constructive way. We start every writing session and well, "What is it that we want to say and what are we mad about right now? What are we feeling and what's going on out there in the public?"

Our live set and a lot of our music is there to uplift, and we believe the medium is the message. And so the way in which you present messages is important for how people receive them. So I love that our protest song, "Norma," is actually a space to dance and to make people get up. To protest, to fight for your rights, to defend that doesn't have to be violent. It can be a celebration too.

Performing Sold-Out Shows At Iconic Venues

Cunningham: Opening for Thee Sacred Souls at Brooklyn Steel was a real highlight. It was a sold-out show. We're all from New York, so the family was there and it just was such an incredible night.

Brown: Just the air was right, the sound was right. The energy was just so perfect. Everybody was waiting to experience the night and the magic was just so thick.

Malik: [Playing] the Hollywood Bowl was really special. Portugal. The Man are just the nicest people on earth; we'd met them some years back and stayed in touch. And so, it was crazy that they invited us to open for them for the Hollywood Bowl. Who could have thought? We were practically an unheard of band — people wait their whole lives to play the Hollywood Bowl. And it's special for the boys [in the backing band] because they're from LA. [The venue holds] 17,000 people and it's a sold-out show and we didn't know that until afterwards”.

There were plenty of hugely positive reviews for Silver. One of the best-received albums of last year, it confirmed the fact Say She She are a massively vital group you need in your life. With some unaware of their brilliance, I wanted to spotlight them here. This is what The Line of Best Fit had to say about the majestic and moving Silver:

“Firstly, there’s the echo of original disco deities Chic, whose effortlessly funky, sleek ghost hangs over Silver like a Batlight you can’t and shouldn’t switch off, even when the album ventures from outright disco grooves (“C’est si Bon”) towards pillowy soul, slow-burn incantations and psychedelic space-disco (Discodelia? Discodelic?).

Secondly, Silver is infused with a righteous but ultimately positive political anger against forces of regression that are trying to turn back the clock to the dark ages when people (especially women) were supposed to know their place: "Don’t mind your manners / Throw a spanner in the works!", as the trio chant during the high-octane funk of “Questions”, one of the album’s many highpoints. It’s hard to think of a more entertaining yet still determined musical stand against gender-based condescension and barriers in the workplace than the positively levitating stop/start strut of “Entry Level”.

Silver is hardly a direct disco homage or a plain political broadside, however: backed by members of Los Angeles cult funkateers Orgone, the trio’s second album is above all a celebratory demonstration of real musical imagination and scope, echoing such past notables as Liquid Liquid, ESG and Tom Tom Club in how oft-visited strands of rhythm-forward music – rooted in funk, soul and disco – are successfully moulded in the band’s own, unique image.

According to a recent interview, the band’s story started when one of the three singers heard another future member sing through the floorboards, and just had to investigate further. Listening to telepathically tight vocal blends and by turns soaring and soft harmonies of Piya Malik, Sabrina Mileno Cunningham and Nya Gazelle Brown, it’s not hard to buy into that origin myth. The music and the songwriting are often sublime (check out the cosmic glide of “Reeling” or the impassioned lament of “Echo In The Chamber”, for example), but the seamlessly unified, powerfully expressive voices of three vocalists really separate Silver from the competition.

Complaints about having too much of a good thing can seem petty, but it’s fair to say that some of the stylistic directions on Silver work better than others: there is an absolutely unbeatable standard-length album hiding inside this 70-minute colossus. That said, the album’s sprawl also allows the stunning space-funk title track to spread its wings for full lift-off unhurriedly over 9 minutes until total resistance-shattering hypnosis has been achieved. If this is their Silver, Say She She’s gold must be out of this world”.

I have been imagining an album inspired by Steely Dan and Donald Fagen. I bemoaned the lack of artists tackling big themes like gun control, abortion rights, L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ rights and heftier social issues. Say She She are doing this. When thinking about a Dan/Fagen record and the sublime backing and harmony vocals that define many of the best songs, Say She She came to my mind. They intrigue me hugely.! They do have shows coming up. If you are near any of them, then make sure that you go and check them. With lyrics packing punch and exploring a variety of themes, their music and vocals are soaring and beautiful. Albums like Silver definitely put the listener into…

A state of bliss.

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Follow Say She She

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Hey Baby: The Ultimate No Doubt Playlist

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

IN THIS PHOTO: No Doubt in 2001/PHOTO CREDIT: No Doubt Archive 

 

Hey Baby: The Ultimate No Doubt Playlist

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IT is great to be speaking…

about No Doubt. The line-up for this year’s Coachella has been announced. Apart from some awesome headlines like Lana Del Rey, there is also a special set from No Doubt. They are reunited on stage for the first time since 2015. Joining a stellar line-up, it will be awesome seeing the Gwen Stefani-fronted band together performing some of their hits. Their final album together, Push and Shove, was released in 2012. I am thinking back to their debut, 1992’s No Doubt, and its more acclaimed follow-up, 1995’s The Beacon Street Collection. I am not sure what they have planned in terms of a set. There is likely going to be a career-spanning dive. I hope that they play Don’t Speak. Maybe a song that could close the set. In any case, I was pleasantly surprised to see them on the Coachella bill! I am not sure whether this signals a more committed and long-term reunion. There are no plans for albums or anything else. It is not a big anniversary year for them, so there is no pressure or expectation around that. We shall see what comes of it. To mark the announcement that the legends are back on stage and will deliver their music to older and new fans alike, I have compiled an essential playlist with their hits and some deep cuts. Whether you are new to No Doubt or have been listening since the 1990s, there is no denying the fact they are one of the all-time great bands. Here is a selection of their…

MUSICAL brilliance.

FEATURE: Feel No Shame for Who You Are: Celebrating Music’s Incredible Queer Artists – and Why the Phrase, ‘Openly Gay’, Needs to Stop

FEATURE:

 

 

Feel No Shame for Who You Are

PHOTO CREDIT: Anna Shvets

 

Celebrating Music’s Incredible Queer Artists – and Why the Phrase, ‘Openly Gay’, Needs to Stop

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AN article from…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Actor Andrew Scott/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

The Guardian raised an interesting point. Actor Andrew Scott said that we need to get rid of the phrase ‘openly gay’. Like it is something that people should be ashamed of. Like the heteronormative narrative is so powerful that anyone who identifies as gay/queer needs to reveal that. It is something that have done and are taking risks. I will apply it to music but, in 2024, why are we still labelling gay people who talk about their sexuality like this?! We do not say people are ‘openly heterosexual’! Andrew Scott makes a very important point:

“I’m going to make a pitch for getting rid of the phrase ‘openly gay,’” said Scott, steering the conversation in a more illuminating direction. “It’s an expression that you only ever hear in the media. You’re never at a party and you say, ‘This is my openly gay friend…’” Why, he wondered, is “openly” always attached to that adjective? “We don’t say you’re ‘openly Irish.’ We don’t say you’re ‘openly left-handed’…There’s something in it that’s a little near ‘shamelessly.’ ‘You’re open about it?’ You know what I’m saying?” He proposed that “it’s time to just sort of park it.”

The phrase has its historical uses – one of the remarkable things about Rustin is precisely that he was out at a time, pre-Stonewall, when it was hazardous to be so. But it would be hard to disagree that the phrase is outdated today. It’s a hangover from that all-too-recent time when there were no queer voices in the media, with the result that any LGBT-related stories were reported from a straight and typically homophobic perspective. “There is no freedom of the press in this country for homosexuals,” wrote Andrew Lumsden, then the editor of Gay News, in 1982. “Apply a simple test: who can you think of who writes for the quality or popular press, whenever it would be relevant, as an out gay? If people cannot be open about their homosexual viewpoint to the same degree that heterosexual writers are about their viewpoint, then a significant section of opinion finds no expression in Britain’s ‘free press’ and that press is not free.”

It’s understandable that when we hear “openly gay” now it drags us back to that era of shame which, as All of Us Strangers eloquently demonstrates, is still so close to the surface for many people. (The film is also useful in reminding audiences that there was pride back then as well as bigotry: The Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood dominates the soundtrack.) Far better than banning the phrase – as if that were even possible – would be to allow it to die a natural death, wilting under the scrutiny of its irrelevance in much the same way that “ethnic minority” is at last giving way to the factually correct “global majority”. Let those who choose to say “openly gay” go ahead and say it, so the rest of us can point out the error. As Ben Jonson put it: “Language most shows a man, speak that I may see thee.” Yasss, diva!”.

I shall spotlight any of these artists that I have not already included. There are immense and must-hear queer artists like Chappell Roan, daine, Ray Laurél, Véyah, girli, Anthony Lexa and Madi Diaz among them. I know that there is probably not the same sort of stigma on artists than there are actors or those in other areas in terms of coming out. Even so, I have seen music articles and reports where, in the past, artists who come out are seen as ‘openly gay’. We all know the struggle artists had years ago being who they wanted to be. An industry not accepting or homosexuality. Not seen as commercial. A risk that would have seen them lose fans and maybe dropped by a label. We have come a long way, though I do feel there is not the same assimilation and recognition of queer artists as there should be. Articles like this one from 2019 brought together artists who shared their experiences of being queer in the music industry. Even if they were not held back because of their sexuality, other artist have discriminated against them. L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ festivals and queer-focused magazines/websites help promote incredible artists. The fact that some artists do feel uneasy about revealing their queerness makes me wonder whether, in some sectors and corners, there is still this pressure to be heterosexual and fit into a mould.

When a recent article from The New York Times felt Taylor Swift was hiding her queerness through songs, The Guardian shot back and said that, why is Taylor Swift’s sexuality such a talking point, when there are more openly queer artists now than ever. It is great that there are many openly queer artists. The fact that the media still label them as such is where the issue comes. I know there is massive discrimination and the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ is not as embraced and accepted as they should be, though does ‘openly gay’ help or hinder? The L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community has had a huge impact on music through the decades. Even so, in certain parts of the world, such as Zimbabwe, artists have to be careful about revealing they are L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+.  This article talked about the realities and rights for and of the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community. How there are artists fighting for rights, acceptance and visibility:

“It continues to be illegal to be LGBTQ+ in 64 UN member states, according to Forbes.

Despite this erosion of LGBTQ+ rights around the world, there has also been some inching progress to protect and amplify the human rights of LGBTQ+ people; including countries recognizing same-sex marriage, to a growing number of countries allowing transgender people to self ID, to some progress being made on banning so-called "conversion therapy".

Amid many rollbacks, progress that is being made is taking place at a painstakingly slow pace and more needs to be done and fast to achieve true equality.

Music, expression, and creativity have long been a way of fighting for societal change and greater inclusion, and this is also true of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights.

Musicians globally have been catalysts for change in a world that hasn’t always embraced them with open arms. Yet, from Elton John’s advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights to Bob Marley’s tireless promotion of peace, musicians have a long history of taking a stand to further equality.

Music unites people in much the same way that advocacy does, bringing us together to fight for a better world. Here are just six pioneers in the music industry who are not only helping to shape music and influencing countless others to forge their own paths, but are actively contributing to making the world a safer, more equal place for the LGBTQ+ community.

South Africa was the first country in the world to ban discrimination against a person’s sexual orientation in its consitution, and the first African country to allow same-sex marriages. However, there remains a disparity between the country’s strong legal protections and the lived experiences of queer individuals.

PHOTO CREDIT: Alexander Grey/Pexels

According to German media outlet Deutsche Welle: “Many persecuted people seek refuge outside their home country, especially in comparatively more liberal South Africa. Although violence and social discrimination against LGBTQ people is still widespread there.” While the current LGBTQ+ landscape in South Africa is comparatively kinder to the community, there is still a lot of adversity and violence.

In fact, homophobic threats are what led queer musician Nakhane, from the isiXhosa clan, to leave South Africa.

Nakhane vividly expresses their views on fluidity in their music. Eyewitness News highlighted that “Nakhane’s music challenges simplistic definitions of masculinity.” Their body of artistic work shows that there is no one single definition of masculinity and, as Nakhane said in an interview, that "there’s no homogeneous idea of what masculinity is, there never was, and there never will be.”

Their album Brave Confusion, released in 2013,is brave in its expression of queer love. The song “Dark Room,” for example, sees Nakhane describe a man caressing him, offering up a vulnerable vision of what masculinity can look like. Similarly, the song “Clairvoyant” is a tender portrayal of love between two men”.

Going back to the article from The New York Times. How they are sort of baiting queerness out of Taylor Swift. Like she is shamed or feels unease. It distracts from the raft of queer artists out there who are inspiring people are free and comfortable being who they are! I feel that some magazine or sites see them as specialised artist. Separating queer artists not to highlight the community and shine a light on the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community: instead, here are artists who are not really in the mainstream or seen as commercial or accessible as others. This needs to change. Things have changed in terms of prejudice and the experience queer artists face. Though there is still some way to go. This is what Rebecca Shaw said in her feature for The Guardian – in reaction to The New York Times’ Taylor Swift piece:

“Queerphobia is still definitely an issue in terms of artist’s careers of course, but it does not have the same stranglehold it once did and you can’t swing a stick without hitting some sort of gay person on television or the wireless (old).

But for some reason this hasn’t stopped the obsessive speculating. Even when the public figures either confirm their sexuality one way, or display discomfort at the analysing, it doesn’t stop. We have had relatively easy access to queer public figures for a while now, and for some people that’s been true their entire lives. Maybe when you are spoiled for choice, when representation abounds, all that is left is wanting the singer you really personally relate to and like to be queer like you. It feels like a different kind of obsessive. There is being curious about someone’s sexuality, and there is being so desperate to have proof of an individual’s queerness that it becomes at the very least annoying and sometimes damaging.

IN THIS PHOTO: Harry Styles

Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and Shawn Mendes have all spoken out about their uneasiness with speculation about their sexualities. A year ago, the 18-year-old Heartstopper star Kit Connor felt forced to come out as bisexual after intense scrutiny about his dating life.

I understand relating to someone’s music, or their art, and desperately wanting them to be like you. I understand being sad if you think someone is closeted because of society (unrelated, but please remember Taylor is the most powerful woman in the world). I understand getting frustrated that someone may want to use a queer aesthetic and speak in vague terms or drop clues and lead you along, especially if they are doing it to get your money.

What I can’t understand is continuing to obsess about the sexuality of people who don’t want to talk about it. They’re either straight, not comfortable being out for whatever reason, or using queerness (and you) to sell albums, without wanting to commit fully. Those are the three options, and in each of those cases, I’m personally good to move on. For me, it all comes down to the fact that all of this is deeply unnecessary. We are living in a time with more openly queer musicians than ever, and we are spoiled with immediately available access to queer artists of any genre.

Why spend your time hunting for subtle clues when you can watch Lil Nas X have hot gay football sex in his music videos? When you have at your fingertips Phoebe Bridgers’ sad bisexual songs, Orville Peck’s mournful country tunes, Chappell Roan’s pop bangers, etc, etc, etc? There are extremely talented queer singers at every level writing every genre of song and often singing about their queer lives and loves and bodies and experiences”.

I shall end by going back to the starting point: how actor Andrew Scott feels the phrase, ‘openly gay’, needs to be phased out. That idea that there is something shameful about being gay. People saying they are gay and doing it openly seen as stepping out of line almost. You still get a lot of homophobia and queerphobia from the media. Maybe music is one of the most accepting and more tolerant corners of society where there is platform and spotlight of queer artists. Despite this, so many worthy and inspiring queer artists are being left out of conversations. Not played as much as they should. Other artists maybe not coming out as queer as they feel they will not be played as much on radio. Especially now, the impact and importance of queer artists is huge. Artists rightly proud of their queerness. Against this, there is still an attitude and sector who feel that queerness – or being part of the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community – is somehow abnormal or abhorrent. Nations where even artists who identify as queer are banned from playing or face punishment if they do. We need to celebrate all the amazing queer artists out there. Loud and proud! Regarding the stench and stigma of the ‘openly gay’ tag. This is something that needs to be…

LEFT in the past.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Sophie Castillo

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

  

Sophie Castillo

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A major talent that…

people need to check out and support is Sophie Castillo. I will come to some recent press around Castillo. A great interview where she explained how she wants to bring Latin music to the U.K. The London-based artist has a really interesting heritage and upbringing. So many different strands, components and sounds go into her music. I will start out with a 2022 interview with Raydar Magazine and their salute of a simply magnificent young artist. Someone, clearly, who is going to go a very long way in music:

“Sophie Castillo is a radiant voice emerging in West London’s music scene. The prodigious young indie singer is impressively making her way through the alt-pop scene, formally introducing herself with the release of “Love Me That Way.” As a first-generation immigrant, she often taps on her Colombian and Cuban heritage to produce a sound with a Latin twist she makes her own.

This past year, the rising songstress unveiled singles like “When The Sun Goes Down” and “In My Mind,” further cementing herself as a starlet to keep an eye on. Her music often delves into topics such as love, self, and the spiritual as she navigates the world using music as a pivot for self-expression. With a promising career ahead of her, Sophie is carefully building out her catalog with intention behind each record. “There’s a lot of music where I’ve heard the lyrics, and it just hits deep. I would love to have that role and do that for other people,” she shares.

We had the pleasure of chatting with Sophie Castillo about her South American upbringing, new music, self-love, and much more! Check it out below.

Can you share how you got your start in music?

I’ve been singing since I was a kid and I used to do musical theatre when I was really young. I never really had the voice, but I still loved it so I did that up until I was thirteen and then when I turned fifteen is when I started writing music properly. I used to sing more pop-rock music; I released maybe one song when I was eighteen and then I took a bit of a break to figure out what my sound was going to be. Then I dropped my first singing at the beginning of lockdown and it’s been good since then.

What about the industry initially attracted you to it?

It’s always been a natural thing to me since I’ve always sung and loved music. Growing up in a Latin household, we were always playing music at home and I’ve been saying I wanted to be an artist since I was a child. It’s been a main dream of mine for quite some time.

Can you express how your upbringing in West London, as well as Colombian and Cuban heritage, influences your music?

Being South American, my mom was always playing music at home. My mom is Colombian and my dad is Cuban so I got to hear music from both sides. That influenced me because as I got older and learned more about my heritage, I became more appreciative. I started wanted to incorporate that in my music by using more Spanish and diving into more genres. I definitely want to do a proper fusion of Latin and English music.

I feel like when you have immigrant parents and your first generation in say like the UK, you grow up in such a British environment and don’t know a lot of Latinas. You don’t really express that side of yourself because you’re so worried about fitting in like all teenagers are. As you get older, you start thinking more about your identity and where you come from. It’s a beautiful experience that I think we all go through eventually.

When writing songs, do you typically write about real-life experiences or experiences of those who are close to you?

So I have this weird thing where I’ll write this song and I don’t understand how it relates to me. Then maybe a few months or a few years later, it’ll be relevant to what’s going on. I don’t know if that’s me being psychic or manifesting it, but that used to happen to me a lot when I was younger. It really just blurts out onto the page and to be fair, a lot of the time I’m writing about real-life experiences that I don’t know how to say in person or don’t feel comfortable expressing it.

What are you looking forward to as your career and fan base continues to grow?

I’m looking to forward to my fan base growing! That I’m looking forward to specifically, but I’m really excited to share my music with more people. I feel like it would be really nice to bond with people over things that both of us are thinking of and I just said it in a song. There’s a lot of music where I’ve heard the lyrics, and it just hits deep.

I would love to have that role and do that for other people as well because it’s helped me a lot. I just really enjoy making music and I’m excited to hopefully have a life where I can do that full-time and live in a perpetual state of creativity. We’re speaking it into existence now!

An experimental artist who marries Indie and Latin sounds, Sophie Castillo is definitely an artist who is a rarity in Britain. Not enough awareness and spotlighting of Latin artists here. This is something she wants to change. I want to include this interview from Quake Magazine. Not only do we get some great answers from Sophie Castillo. The photoshoot is pretty eye-catching and original too. All helping to underline how this is a special and unique artist who people need to listen to:

"How did your journey with music begin?

I started singing when I was really young and did musical theatre from age 5-13. I learnt a lot of technical things about music during my time doing musical theatre which helped a lot. But I realised that it wasn’t really my thing and I wanted to make my own music. I started recording my own songs at 15 and at that time I made pop rock music. Then at around 21 I started working on new music more inspired by my heritage.

Do you remember a specific moment or experience that made you realise ‘yeah this is what I want to do with my life’?

I’ve always wanted to be a singer to be honest, since I was really little I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do with my life. Being on stage or finishing a song always reinforces this feeling though, it really motivates me.

PHOTO CREDIT: Arhantika Rebello

What are your biggest influences and inspirations when it comes to creating music?

I think other music is definitely so inspiring. I try to listen to music everyday and my favourite artists (Rosalía, Kali Uchis, lana del rey, Desta French, etc) really inspire me musically. I’m also super inspired by things I see visually, colours, aesthetics and moods/feelings. I love making mood boards for each song I make to solidify the mood/aesthetic I’m going for.

Out of all the music you’ve released so far, what are you most proud of? Why?

I’m really proud of my latest single ‘Call Me By Your Name’. It was my first time experimenting with a Latin genre: ‘Bachata’ and I’m really happy I got to experiment with more Latin sounds. It’s also the first song of mine that I co-produced.

Where do you hope to see yourself end up with your music?

I hope that in the future I can make music full time and be touring the world and having lots of people listening to my music who I can connect to and make music for.

PHOTO CREDIT: Arhantika Rebello

What part do you feel music has to play in the world today?

I think music is super important today in the world. It helps people to connect with each other, to feel heard and understood and to know that people are going through similar experiences. It brings people together.

Does your heritage play a part in your music and musical identity? If so, how?

My heritage definitely plays a part in my music. I love taking inspiration from Latin music and themes, especially how romantic the lyrics are, some of the rhythms and I’m excited to experiment with more Latin sounds in the future

What advice do you have for other young up and coming artists?

I would recommend trying to learn a bit about music production. I’m trying to learn now and it is really hard but I think it’s super useful to give you more freedom with creating music”.

TUC Magazine recently conducted a very thorough and explorative interview with Sophie Castillo. Perhaps the longest she has been involved with, we get to discover a lot about an artist who is primed for staggering success very soon. I have selected a few portions of that interview to highlight. I would urge anyone unfamiliar with Sophie Castillo to listen to her music now:

“That’s so cool, I’m impressed. After watching your videos and listening to your songs, I could definitely see that there’s a huge Kali Uchis influence. Am I right? And who else gives you the inspiration to create music?

Absolutely, I have a deep admiration for artists like Kali Uchis, Lana Del Rey, Carol G, and Billie Eilish. They are some of my favorites, and their work profoundly influences me when I’m in the creative process. Kali, in particular, captivates me with the seamless fusion of English and Spanish in her music—it’s incredibly beautiful and well-executed. Lana Del Rey has held the top spot in my favorites since I was 13, and her poetic songwriting style has been a major source of inspiration for me. Learning from her lyrical and melodic approach has been a significant influence on my own creative journey from a very young age.

Alright, that’s great to hear. Are you the one crafting all the melodies for your songs?

I handle the entire songwriting process from start to finish—lyrics, melodies, and I also take on a co-producing role. For tracks like “Call Me By Your Name” and “When the Sun Goes Down,” I co-produced them. Typically, I initiate the songs at home, building demos and working on the initial production. Afterward, I collaborate with a producer to bring the songs to life. Even when working in the studio, I’m deeply involved in the production, offering input and ensuring my vision is reflected in the final product because being actively engaged in the creative process is something I thoroughly enjoy.

I feel like you’re going to be the next big latin artist. Could you tell us what were some challenges that you faced or that you are still facing in your career and life?

For me, a significant challenge was the lack of a musical background in my family, coupled with the absence of friends in the music industry during my upbringing. Going into it, I was completely clueless and had no idea where to start. Despite my strong desire to make music, I struggled with a lack of knowledge about the business side and a dearth of connections. I began from ground zero without any family or friend connections, making it particularly challenging. Facing the hurdle of not knowing what to research due to my unfamiliarity with the industry posed another difficulty.

As a Latin artist in the UK, finding other Latin producers presented its own set of challenges. It wasn’t just about locating reggaeton producers; I needed to collaborate with those who could handle a variety of sounds, including multi-instrumentalists and producers working in different genres. This was particularly challenging in the initial stages, but with time and networking efforts, I eventually found some great collaborators whom I enjoy working with.

Attending events and actively networking became crucial in overcoming these challenges. Initially, it took time to build connections, but I persevered by making an effort to connect with everyone I met. Fortunately, the overall experience has been positive, and people, whether Latin or British, have been incredibly open-minded and welcoming.

I perceived it as your most liberated piece of music. Is that accurate? I’ve noticed it’s available across various platforms. Could you share the story behind it?

I wrote that song in a peculiar way—it happened on Christmas Day, more than a year ago. One of my family members had gifted me a small MIDI keyboard for Christmas, and inspired by the gift, I decided to create something special. I had this idea in my mind for quite some time; I wanted to delve into Bachata, a genre not explored much by UK Latin artists at the time. I envisioned being the first to give it a try and infuse my own style into it. So, on Christmas Day, I wrote the song—it felt like a wonderful present, not just for the occasion, but also a gift to myself in the form of the song.

Later, I took the composition to a friend who assisted me in refining the guitar parts, cleaning up the bass, adding percussion, and giving it a more authentic Bachata sound. He, too, is Latin and did an excellent job in bringing my vision to life. The entire process led to the song’s release in March—I believe it was around the second of 2022. I paid attention to the numbers and felt that there was an abundance of positive and fortunate occurrences around the release. The song became a manifestation of luck and good vibes, making the whole experience quite special.

Do you also play instruments?

I dabble in playing the guitar, although I admit I’ve fallen out of practice. In my younger days, I used to play much more. Occasionally, I pick it up to write songs, particularly for acoustic compositions. However, I wouldn’t consider myself a guitar pro, and I get a bit nervous about performing with it. Singing and playing the guitar simultaneously is quite challenging for me—it requires a level of coordination that I find difficult to achieve. It’s a skill that demands a lot of practice and coordination.

And what are your short-term goals to finish this year on a good note?

This has been a long-standing goal of mine, and now it’s finally coming to fruition. I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be collaborating on a song with Desta French, another talented UK Latin artist whom I’ve admired for years. We’ll be finishing the track this year and releasing it in the coming year, marking a significant accomplishment for me. Additionally, I have a new song set to release on November 22nd, making it my final release of the year. It’s a particularly special song, and I’m genuinely excited to achieve this goal.

Looking ahead to next year, I’m eager to dive into more live performances, potentially taking the stage abroad or joining someone on tour. Another major goal is to work on an EP, a project I’ve just begun. Crafting a substantial body of work filled with love is something I’m passionate about and ready to embark on. There are some exciting projects in the pipeline, and I’m looking forward to what the future holds.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

In five years, I envision being in a significantly different situation. My dream is to have a vast global audience connecting with my music, fostering meaningful conversations. I aspire to attain global success with my music and, more importantly, create a lasting legacy for the UK Latin community and music scene. It’s not just about personal fame; I want to go beyond that. The UK has yet to see a globally renowned British Latin artist, and I aim to fill that void, leaving behind a legacy for future generations of British Latin artists.

I want to establish communities, platforms, and spaces that make it easier for upcoming artists to gain recognition. Many people aren’t aware of the vibrant UK Latin scene, so I hope to change that perception and, by the time the next generation arrives, have created spaces for them to thrive. My goal is for people to recognize the UK as a hub for exceptional Latin music and eagerly anticipate the work of the next wave of UK Latin artists.

In the coming years, I also hope to collaborate with some of my favorite artists, such as Kali Uchis, Lana Del Rey, Rosalía, and others. These ambitions drive my vision for the future”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Rachel Billings

I am going to wrap up with NME. Highlighting her mission to bring Latin music to the mainstream, here is someone marrying her Colombian roots to Indie-Pop sounds. It is intoxicating and intriguing blend that singles her out for special things. With TikTok success under her belt, this London artist is ready to play some really huge stages. She is such a wonderful artist! I think she will feature across quite a few festivals in the summer:

“Which Latin artists soundtracked your childhood?

“My family is big on salsa specifically. Groups like Grupo Niche, Fruko Y Sus Tesos, and then the iconic people like Celia Cruz, Marc Anthony. Then there was Bachata, and Reggaeton was a bit later in my life. My family were always forcing me to dance when I was a teenager, at family parties that we had. I was so shy! It was such a Latina childhood experience.

“When I was 18 years old, I tried to take more inspiration from Latin music and kind of failed, because I was a bit unsure how to approach it. I didn’t know any Latin producers or musicians and I didn’t have any prior connections to the music industry or anything like that.”

How did things change for you?

“I got GarageBand. I always wanted a Mac, but they’re so expensive – I got the pay as you go version just to get GarageBand specifically. And then I started making my own beats on there. That way I had more control, so I could add Spanish in there if I wanted.

“The first demo I made, I then sent it to a producer. That was my first single and then the second, and the third. I slowly but surely started adding more and more Spanish. When I met a Latin producer that I wanted to work with, we did ‘Call Me Your Name’ and went more indie-Latin.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Rachel Billings

Do you still take the same approach?

“I like to give the producer a solid idea of what kind of production I want. I’m really focusing on being a co-producer, because I can bring a lot of production ideas. I love production. I just need to learn the software!”

How did you meet this producer you’re now working with?

“His name’s Lennyn. We actually met at a gig, he’s the bass player for this UK indie-Latin artist that I love [called] Desta French. I went to her show, we chatted to him and did a session with him. I went back afterwards to do more, and then we made ‘Call Me By Your Name’. He had a really clear idea of what I wanted it to be, he really helped bring it to life.”

Did you feel any pressure after ‘Call Me By Your Name’ went viral?

“There were situations that were delaying [future] songs from coming out. I couldn’t let it dip, I had to give the people something. It does add a little bit of pressure, because I wanted to make sure that I keep making music that people like. I don’t want it to just be one song, I want people to love all of them. I was lucky that the streams on all my other songs went up too; really healthy numbers.”

 

Is there a particular style or genre you’re hoping to move towards?

“I’m quite a cinematic person. I want to let my mind run free and not be limited. I’m fully independent at the moment, I haven’t got management anymore. I feel like I’ve put the love back into music. I had a period of time where making music was so stressful, because of exterior circumstances.

“The stuff I’m working on now is very cinematic, ethereal and the drama is there. It’s like watching a film. For the next single, imagine that there’s a door in the ocean and you go through the door. My producer had the same image for some reason, it was like a weird message that we both received. For another one, I’m doing a music video for it. It’s like From Dusk Till Dawn, where Salma Hayek’s dancing on the table – that kind of vibe.”

What are your plans for the year?

“I’m working on an EP at the moment. It’s all about love, betrayal, passion, drama, the experience of being a Latin woman. Femininity, divine feminine energy – super ethereal stuff. Every song is different, drawing inspiration from loads of different Latin genres.

“A lot of my audience are in the USA. I’m trying to see how I can do some shows over there because a lot of people keep asking me to perform! Maybe I could at least do a small gig in California or New York or Miami”.

Go and follow Sophie Castillo. There is so much excitement building around her. I don’t think that we embrace and are aware of many styles of music. Things still too homogenised and unmoving. From K and J-Pop to Latin music, there are opportunities to recognise its importance and brilliance. Break away from what is perceived as commercial and go-to and broaden the music horizon. It is clear that we need to be more broad-minded when it comes to tastes. Sophie Castillo is going to have a very busy career. A huge name to watch as we move through 2024, show some love for…

THIS amazing person.

____________

Follow Sophie Castillo

FEATURE: The Summer of ’89: “Kate Bush Is Not Me”: The Icon’s Extraordinary Interview with German Rolling Stone

FEATURE:

 

 

The Summer of ’89: “Kate Bush Is Not Me”

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush photographed at her home in south-east London on 13th September, 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Cummins

 

 The Icon’s Extraordinary Interview with German Rolling Stone

_________

AN interview…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush thoughtful in a promotional shot for The Sensual World, autumn 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

that most people might not know about, German Rolling Stone spoke with Kate Bush in 1989. The year she released The Sensual World, it was a time when Bush was putting more of the personal into her music. Four years after Hounds of Love, Bush’s life and music had changed quite a lot. I bought the MOJO Collectors Series: Kate Bush Essentials magazine. It is a complete guide to Bush and her music. Looking inside the albums and rarities, right through to her live spectacles and so much more, one part of the magazine that caught my eye was this interview from 1989. Kate Bush speaking with German Rolling Stone. Conducted in the attic of an old manor house-turned-Olde Worlde hotel in the Kent countryside – close to Kate Bush’s childhood home in West Wickham and the studio where most of The Sensual World was recorded -, there are some interesting exchanges and moments throughout the interview. I will come to a few of them. 1989 was a year when Bush was promoting quite heavily. A range of different magazines spoke to her about the new album and how she was getting on. The first question involved making albums. Whether they are made according to some “inner clock”. Bush replied that that she does have an inner clock which she does not have control over – “It’s not so much fun for me to spend so long making an album”. Bush has discussed how long it takes making albums. You could see why, after 1993’s The Red Shoes, she would step back and want time out. How involved it is making an album.

I was interested hearing Bush’s response to the question about an album starting point and how it happens. Hounds of Love sort of started in 1984. It was after the exhausting process of making 1982’s The Dreaming. For The Sensual World, Bush explained how she wrote a few songs very quickly. She felt how these were rubbish: “I realised that what I was writing was not what I wanted to say”. She tinkered and, like a script, worked on it a lot to get it right (“nit-picking”, in her words). The opening to the interview stated how  Bush’s answers “are often vague, like’s she just thought of them, punctuated with a dentist’s-gas giggles and cat-like stares”. Not sure if this is a compliment or something a bit insulating, it showed how Bush was still being insulted and seen as weird or child-like over a decade from her debut album! German Rolling Strone did ask about whether Bush was most creative when happy or sad. Bush said ‘happy’. The happiness after a period of struggle and misery is especially inspiring. Bush said that happiness and sadness are interlinked. That a lot of her favourite books and films are happy-sad – that they have tragi-comic elements or there is a mixture of these polemic yet interconnected emotions. A questions as to whether Kate Bush was creating a character for her songs or it was the real her – ”You put it through a character or situation and you explore it like that” -, there was one question that really stood out. In terms of the response and the line of enquiry it opened up.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush with the Trio Bulgarka

Following an oddly-worded and slightly odd question – that many men, the interviewer asked, see Bush as a “cross between a little sister for whom they have supressed incestuous feelings (yep, that was actually said out loud!), to the pure, bread-baking virgin who might unleash passion at the right person” -, it did get back on track. The fact that the interview walked away unharmed and got to continue speaks to Kate Bush’s grace, discipline and, sadly, used to being asked such creepy and misogynistic questions! However, when asked if she wanted to be “the Sleeping Beauty or the Perfect Woman”, it sort of hinted at the mythological impression of Bush or someone who wants to project themselves as this flawless woman. How much of what she does is dispelling myths and false impressions. Whether the songs are trying to project her in a certain way. Bush replied that she is not a perfect woman at all – that she has flaws and faults. She felt positive when she was described as part-virgin, part-sister in that question (which must have been a relief in terms of tension in the room!). Bush responded with a quote that actually was the headline quote for the interview: “Kate Bush is not me”. What she meant was that she sees herself as a writer rather than a performer. Someone always moving. Not wanting anyone to hold onto a persecution. She said how she has always performed but is not comfortable with it. Much preferring to be behind the camera. She had directed some of her own videos at that point. Maybe this realisation led her to write, direct and star in the 1993 short film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve.

There were a few other curious answers. When the interview was conducted, Kate Bush was now in her thirties. Saying how she wanted to be at home and spend time making The Sensual World at home, the interviewer asked if that had anything to do with her being thirty; Bush replied how, in your teenage years, you have physical puberty. Mental puberty happens between the age of twenty-eight and thirty-two. She feels (felt) grown up now. The fact so many in the media still saw her as a child or something infantile speaks to how there was this dissonance between who Kate Bush was and this lingering and misrepresentative impression of her. One striking standout made me choke a bit, as Kate Bush mentioned Del Palmer. Her then-boyfriend, we sadly lost him earlier this month. Bush  said how The Sensual World was her most personal and female yet. Hounds of Love drew off a lot of masculine energy. In terms of the sound – especially percussion – and even the vocals. Bush quite raw and powerful in a masculine way. The most powerful modern sounds (1985) were being made by men. Brought up in a male-dominated way around men in music, things changed for her sixth studio album. Many of her female friends identified with the songs more. Bush recognised how so much of music was male-dominated – though she didn’t see it as a negative; she wanted to do something more female perhaps. The Trio Bulgarka are on the album (who are a Bulgarian vocal ensemble consisting of Stoyanka Boneva, Yanka Rupkina, and Eva Georgieva) and that really brought huge female energy to the songs they featured on – and the album as a whole.

Bush was asked about the Trio Bulgarka and why she worked with them. Saying how music has “been dressed in black for the last five years”. How there is a need for good/real music. What the Trio Bulgarka are doing was “pure language”. Like Hounds of Love, Bush travelled to Dublin’s Windmill Lane to record with musicians there. Bush discussed how she finds Irish people warm, affectionate and witty. In terms of their music: “It’s very lyrical music, emotional and intense, very happy but at the same time very sad”. Bush’s mother was Irish. So there was a lot of Irish music in the Bush’s household. Aside from an awakened exchange where the interview – again risking their life! – said people connect Kate Bush’s music with the '60s because it is druggy and she had Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour on guitar (which she took at a cheap shot and rebuked the idea that anything related to that decade is seen as naff or inferior) -, there was an interesting final couple of questions. Bush referred, elsewhere, to The Sensual World as self-therapy, “to see myself and to heal myself”. Bush replied that people’s work is a way of learning about themselves. “Life is confronting yourself, and through that you come to terms with everything else”. She noted how she is not as tenacious as she once was (or had to fight the label and compromise as much!). Not as obsessive as before, Bush revealed how “I think that’s much better”. The interview finished with this question: “Things are more in perspective?”. Bush responded: “Yes, that’s right. It’s just an album”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush with David Gilmour (circa 1990)/PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

There are a lot of interesting interviews out there regarding Kate Bush. The German Rolling Stone one has not been published before. It is not known to many. More than merely promoting The Sensual World, there is perhaps that language barrier and translation issue. Questions asked in an unconventional way and with a new angle provoke different answers from Bush. We learn about her writing process and this more ‘female’ album. One that is more personal and open. An artist keen to keep moving and not be defined. I think that this an exceptional and standout interview. It is one that deserves more exposure and conversation. Bush, close to home and maybe thinking about The Sensual World as being a new chapter and necessary change, was very open. A  few cheeky and clumsy questions provoked a bit of tension. For the most part, there was this receptive approach where we get some really thought-provoking answers. Turning thirty-five in October, I hope there is some form of celebration or recognition of one of Kate Bush’s finest albums. Not following up Hounds of Love with a same-sounding album, a natural and necessary step in terms of sound – in terms of gender/a masculine vs. female voice – came through on The Sensual World. Kate Bush mentioning Del Palmer was gutting! How The Sensual World was recoded at her own studio and the two had no distractions. As engineer and player, there was this comfortable relationship and trust – at a time when their long-term relationship was pretty much over – that goes into the songs. The Sensual World remains one of…

SEVERAL masterpieces from Kate Bush.

FEATURE: Groovelines: Billie Eilish - bury a friend

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines


Billie Eilish - bury a friend

_________

THE third single…

from her debut studio album, WHEN WE FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, bury a friend turns five on 30th January. One of Billie Eilish’s most extraordinary tracks, I wanted to dive deeper. I am going to come to some critical reception. A chart success around the world, bury a friend was written by Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O'Connell. The album from which it came was hugely acclaimed. To get an idea of what the song is about and why it is so impactful, there are some articles I want to source. First, Wikipedia give some information regarding the background of the song:

“Eilish credited the song for setting the tone for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, stating: "I immediately knew what it was going to be about, what the visuals were going to be, and everything in terms of how I wanted it to be perceived". "Bury a Friend" has been described as a synth-pop, electronica, electropop and industrial track in press reviews. Suzy Exposito of Rolling Stone called it "goth-R&B" reminiscent of Marilyn Manson's Antichrist Superstar (1996). The song is moderately fast at 120 beats per minute (BPM), and is written in the key of G minor. Its minimalist instrumentation features a hip hop and "galloping" beat similar to Kanye West's "Black Skinhead" (2013). Rumbling" percussion, "scattered" synth melodies, screams, and a screeching recording of an orthodontist shaving off Eilish's dental brace attachments are also included. Charlie Harding of Vox pointed out "a broken song form with strange alternate verses and a bridge placed untraditionally after a verse, rather than immediately following a penultimate chorus. The effect is destabilizing, and yet still accessible to the average listener". The melody presented during the chorus has been likened to the Doors' "People Are Strange" (1967), and sonically described as "innocuous as a childhood rhyme", contrasting the rest of the song.

According to Eilish, the track's "dark" and "violent" lyric are written from the perspective of "the monster under your bed. Anything could be the monster — it could be someone you love so much that it’s taking over your life. I think love and terror and hatred are all the same thing”. Laura Dzubay of Consequence of Sound interpreted: "[Eilish] assumes the position of a monster there to haunt somebody (a lover or herself [...])."The Michigan Daily's Samantha Cathie thought the fact that the singer was "hat[ing] herself" mirrored in the lines: "Like I wanna drown, like I wanna end me” and "Honestly I thought that I would be dead by now".

The feature from MTV fleshes out the somewhat dark and extraordinary story behind bury a friend. If Billie Eilish’s music has moved in direction since her debut album came out, bury a friend remains one of her most extraordinary songs:

“Billie Eilish's "Bury a Friend" details a strange and slightly horrifying relationship that the singer has with a monster that lurks beneath her bed, who also happens to be her. In its video, you can see her doppelgänger, with soulless holes for eyes, threatening to swallow the singer whole. It's everyone's worst fear: a monster near them when they're at their most vulnerable. And according to Eilish in a new interview with OK! Magazine, it's this fearful, sleep-related thought that inspired the song.

What's worse than a monster under your bed? Not being able to move. You've experienced the uneasy feeling at one point or another and, each time, you just want to hide under the covers. For everyone, it's different. But, often, people see, what they believe, are spirits, demons, or other denizens of the night that can keep you awake, and frozen, until the morning comes.

Eilish elaborated on this feeling in her interview. "I have these terrifying dreams," she told Ok! Magazine, as Uproxx reported. "Sleep paralysis,  night terrors. It's like the whole night is terrifying and then I wake up." She continued on, tying it into "Bury a Friend." "I probably wouldn't have made that song the way it is if I hadn't had sleep paralysis and nightmares."

It turns out, in this case, that sleep paralysis is good. "Bury a Friend" peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been certified platinum. The album it comes from, When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? has not only gone double platinum, but it also won the trophies for Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year at the 2020 Grammy Awards”.

I will move onto an article from NME gave their take on an extraordinary song from a then-new artist. A teen prodigy who was shaking up the world of Pop. If it is a track that many fans might not put in their top ten Billi Eilish songs, I think it is one of the standouts from WHEN WE FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? A track that is distinctly the work of one of the world’s greatest songwriters:

“Billie Eilish doesn’t like making things easy for herself. When we met her last year to discuss ‘When The Party’s Over’, she made a confession: “I bring the most miserable things onto myself.” She was talking about the single’s accompanying video which sees the 17-year-old cry gloopy black ink, inspired by a picture fan drew her on tour. That creepy concept is what elevated the track and visual into a viral sensation. While she whispers about loneliness, the raw emotion on show in the bleak, but staggering video proved that she’s one of our most formidable artists.

Fitting, then, that nothing has really changed for her in her latest video for ‘Bury A Friend’. It’s the first single from her now-announced debut album ‘When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’ out on March 28. Utilising similar horror aesthetics as ‘When The Party’s Over’, a tortured Billie is pushed, pulled and possessed in the haunting clip. At one point, gloved hands continuously enter and exit the frame, grabbing and prodding her face, all while she poses questions faster than an unforgiving game-show host.

Then again, her career hasn’t been a complete easy ride. Sure, the 17-year-old had her debut single ‘Ocean Eyes’ go viral and landed a record deal with a major label, but she’s since dealt with unparalleled pressure and scrutiny. “I just don’t wanna see all the horrible things people say,” she said about social media to NME. “I don’t wanna see that I should have died instead of this artist. It takes not looking at my phone to stop myself from engaging.”

‘Bury A Friend’ throws down the gauntlet early on. After rapper Crooks’ booming voice introduces “Billie”, a galloping beat that keeps pace with Kanye West’s ‘Black Skinhead’ emerges, as haunting yelps lurk around every beat. “What do you want from me?” she asks, at once inquisitive, pained, frustrated and prepared before she muses on mortality and asks the haters once more to just “say it, spit out”.

It’s a sizeable middle finger to anyone who expected a twinkly ballad befitting to her lone EP, 2017’s ‘don’t smile at me’. Instead, it’s a even progression from recent brooding singles ‘You Should See Me In A Crown’ and ‘Lovely’, but with some necessary tweaks. ‘Bury A Friend’, co-produced with writing partner and older brother Finneas O’Connell, is drowning in layers of vocal effects and there’s a playful trickery in each hook. Those looking for a glittery chorus will be sorely disappointed.

Instead, ‘Bury A Friend’ is a statement song from an artist who is currently tearing up the rulebook of what young fans want from their pop stars. Instead of faux-happy bops, much like her contemporary Post Malone, Billie is looking inwards and vocalising the uncertainties and inquisitions of a generation ready to make their mark. She doesn’t make things easy for herself, but sometimes the hardest road and most terrifying steps turn out to be the most rewarding”.

I am going to wrap up soon. The Mix Review were among to have their say about a hypotonic and truly engrossing song. I remember when bury a friend came out on 30th January, 2019. I was new to the work of Billie Eilish and I was instantly stunned and intrigued. This was an artist that sounded like nobody else. Following you should see me in a crown and when the party’s over, bury a friend got so many talking about this phenomenal and hugely talented young artist. Five years since its release, I am still playing bury a friend and helpless to resist its power:

“The vocal production is mind-boggling in the variety of vocal deliveries, as well as various cool spot-effects and layers. It’s so densely detailed and inventive that it’s hard to know what to single out for praise, but personal highlights include the spoken double-tracks at 0:30-0:40 and 1:34-1:44, which progressively increase in intensity; the many claustrophobically dry spoken phrases, such as “come here” (0:24) and “I wanna end me” (0:55); the backing vocals at 0:43, which are then reversed at 0:47; the ominous rattle in the male vocal timbre on “dead by now” (1:50), as well as the purring chorused female “wow” that follows it; and the subtle pitch-dropped layers under “what is it exactly” (0:27) and “what had you expected” (1:31).

Another thing that slays me is how well the rest of the production supports the vocal creepiness. The Foley and atmospheric effects are particularly rich, favourites of mine being the spooky door-hinge squeak at 1:53 and the unnerving dentist-drill whirr at 1:55. Is that a blade swishing through the air at 0:47? Cybernetic rats skittering across the stereo image at 1:05? Some hideous alien tearing through rusty metal at 1:48? A paranoid ringing in our ears at 0:55? The sound-design is so beautifully targeted, fastidiously nuanced, and restlessly mixed that the song comes across as much like a teaser-trailer to some kind of horror-game franchise as it does like a chart single — and I mean that as a compliment, given the extraordinarily high production values you’ll frequently find in that part of the audio industry.

But, above all, the sheer bravado of the producers is breathtaking. At 0:57, for example, they deliver possibly the boldest six seconds of production I’ve ever heard in the charts. That silence between the two low-frequency tones seems like it goes on for ever! In fact, the way pockets of stasis are repeatedly used to generate unease is brilliant, much like those momentary breathless pauses that precede many a cinematic jump scare. In this respect, it’s particularly cool that the very last phrase of the song “where do we go” (3:01) trails to silence just as it did at 0:21 and 1:25, leaving you unsure whether the song’s actually finished, or whether another of those menacingly up-close male vocal phrases is still waiting to pounce…

Overall, despite the lyric’s slightly worrying undertones of glamorising self-harm, I can’t recommend this production highly enough to any student of modern production. The more you listen, the more you’ll find to appreciate, which is pretty much the definition of great art, as far as I’m concerned. Not to be missed”.

I will leave things with one final review. I wanted to get a few different perspectives on the song. Now, most people know about Billie Eilish. At the start of 2019, there was still some mystery and curiosity about the Los Angeles-born artist. With a debut album due that March (2019), eyes were turning her way. She was instantly distinguishing herself from her peers. This year, I think we are going to get a follow-up to her second studio album, Happier Than Ever (2021):

“Billie Eilish is back with the hauntingly honest ‘bury a friend’, this is her second single released this year already and she has certainly set the standard extremely high for her up and coming album ‘WHEN WE FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?’ Which was also announced to be released on the 29th of March this year.

Eilish is becoming somewhat of a voice of her generation with her poetic, heart-on-my-sleeve, unfiltered songs; she is reminiscent of Lorde a few years back when no one could get over the fact that she was just sixteen but writing about issues like misery and heartbreak. Eilish is very similar in the way that she has the ability to turn diary entry ramblings into really current, impressive pop music. ‘bury a friend’ has a bit of a different edge to some of Eilish’s other singles. It has her staple crystalline vocals, but they are paired with a bit of a faster beat. Billie describes ‘bury a friend’ as being in the perspective of the monster under her bed and confesses that she is in fact the monster under her bed and her own worst enemy, which is something I think a lot of us can relate to.

She didn’t stop at just this new song though, it is paired with a brand-new video that uses the idea of her being the monster under the bed in a literal sense and has a creepy, horror movie vibe. The video brings ‘bury a friend’ to life so perfectly and Eilish really takes every aspect of the visuals into consideration with each new release, it all flows together in such a satisfying way.

This song is different than anything that is popular recently, as is the case with a lot of Eilish’s music; she is a breath of fresh air. She must get a bit tired of hearing the whole ‘you’re so young!’ narrative but, to be discussing topics that people a lot older than her are afraid to discuss in their music is a huge power move and she breaking stigmas left right and centre, which is very cool and very needed.

The 29th of March can’t come quick enough and if the rest of ‘WHEN WE SLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?’ is anything like what we have heard so far, we have a lot to be excited for”.

An artist who was evolving and did not want to be pigeon-holed, bury a friend took some by surprised. Think back to her debut E.P., 2017’s dont smile at me, and it was clear that Billie Eilish wanted to move on venture into new sonic ground. I want to wrap up with some further critical reception. Wikipedia collated response to a stunning song:

“Upon release, "Bury a Friend" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Several publications saw the song as her best single, as well as a highlight of When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. It was likened to Lorde's "Royals" (2013), as well as its production to that on West's Yeezus (2013). Thomas Smith of NME saw "Bury a Friend" as "a sizeable middle finger to anyone who expected a twinkly ballad befitting to her lone EP, 2017's Don't Smile at Me", as well as a "statement" for "vocalising the uncertainties and inquisitions of a generation ready to make their mark". DIY's Lisa Wright labelled the song "intoxicating and intriguing – aka exactly what you want from a new star". Chloe Gilke of Uproxx praised the "full of bizarre, screechy flourishes and dips into the nightmarish" and claimed that "somehow the song’s lyrics are just as specific and creepy". Similarly, an editor for The Music Network commented on the song's "sinister [nature] in name and "lyric" and claimed that it is "unsettling", despite there being "something tranquil and thoughtful about it". The Independent's Roisin O'Connor praised "Bury a Friend" as "excellent", and also noted its "imperious" and "anthemic quality". She further commented on the successful use of Eilish's "formula": "murmuring in cool low tones over a pulsing beat". In a lukewarm review, Samantha Cantie of The Michigan Daily saw the song as "slightly disappointing". She wrote: "[A] letdown is her seeming embrace of making an abnormal creation because it’s cool, as opposed to creating something with the beauty of sound as a priority", and elaborated, stating: "The track is choppy, cutting from different melodies quite quickly – these melodies bump, but they’re fleeting". Joe Coscarelli noted an "odd structure" and "nightmare lyrics".

Turning five on 30th January, bury a friend remains one of Billie Eilish’s most memorable and extraordinary song. Four further singles were released from her debut album. Receiving widespread praise when it was released in March 2019, WHEN WE FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? remains one of the most important debut albums of the past decade. I am going to round up now. The sublime and haunting bury a friend is a track from…

A once-in-a-generation talent.

FEATURE: Radio XX: The Need for More Female Presenting Teams on Radio

FEATURE:

 

 

Radio XX

IN THIS PHOTO: Clara Amfo presented alongside Lauren Laverne and producer Martha, paying tribute to Annie Nightingale on the BBC Radio 1 programme, Annie Nightingale: A Life in Music

 

The Need for More Female Presenting Teams on Radio

_________

I still think…

that we are in a situation where presenters across major radio stations are largely male. The imbalance is starting to tip in favour of equality, yet many stations still have quite a heavy male line-up. Not that it directly equates to playlists being male-dominated. The thing is, the radio landscape is still dominated by men. I hope that, in years to come, that the big stations not only make their playlists gender-equal so that it is sustained. There also needs to be addressing of gender equality in terms of the on-air talent. If some stations have achieved it already, there are a fair few that have not. It means, for those women wanting to get into radio, see a level and equal playing field. One that accepts and embraces women. It is a shame that the music industry still has such a big problem when it comes to gender and affecting balance. Even if there are tiny moves each year, the progress is not quick enough. This made me think about the fact that, for the most part, there are not many female presenting teams. If you think of presenting duos or trios, they are either all-male or mixed. You do not get many all-women presenting duos/trios. Something rare on radio, I wonder why this is. This is not the first time that I have written about this subject. I was listening to the recent BBC Radio 1 show, Annie Nightingale: A Life in Music. Presented by Lauren Laverne, Clara Amfo and Annie Nightingale’s producer, Martha, it was a touching and excellent programme.

Not only was it great to hear three women pay respects to a broadcaster and D.J. who opened doors and held them open for other women. The dynamic through the programme was incredible. Maybe there is this sexist view that, if you get a few women on a radio show, that they will wander or ‘talk too much’. The balance and blend of voices on that particular programme was so pleasing and rare. I wonder why it does not occur more. BBC Radio 1, in fact, have quite a few great women across their station. Even if the gender breakdown on their playlists is not quite equal, they are setting an example regarding female talent presenting their shows. Apart from, I think, one show, there are none that feature two or more women together. That dynamic usually has to be male-female. The same story is true when you look across all the other major stations. One might say that radio trios are rare in general, so it makes sense you would not see an all-women line-up. That is fair. There is nothing to stop this happening. To have shows presented by three women. My point relates back to my previous feature. In terms of duos on air, there are not many that consist only of women. I was really struck by that Annie Nightingale tribute and how there was something rare but hugely pleasing hearing three different women give their perspectives on a radio great.

As radio still has an issue with gender and equality, it also needs to look to its schedule and the presenters. No doubt some amazing women across the boards. When Annie Nightingale joined BBC Radio 1 in 1970, she was their first female D.J. It took a long time for the station to employ more women to be on air. We are thankful we live in a time when there are a lot of inspiring women on the air. Though there could be more done to ensure all stations have more women presenting. There is nothing wrong with solo presenters or male-female duos. It seems that there is no real incentive or movement to change things. As we heard when Lauren Laverne, Martha and Clara Amfo were presenting, you get some extra. It is hard to put my finger on. The chemistry and interplay. Not something you get from solo presenters of mixed-gender radio duos. Jump back a decade and we see horrifying stats regarding the percentage of women who made up solo radio broadcasters (20% in 2013). This 2021 feature spoke to women like Snoochie Shy (BBC Radio 1Xtra) about how far things are come. Still male-dominated, it seemed the message was to support women. Back and listen to women of colour and be an ally. The industry needing to do more. That said, this 2018 report showed that radio at least was employing a lot of women. As producers or somewhere else on the station. If there is balance in that respect, there still seems to be imbalance when it comes to the on-air talent. Whereas some major stations have got gender balance in terms of its presenters, most still have not affected that. This is a problem in itself. Beyond that, embracing the idea of women presenting together. Whether that is a duo or trio. It would be a step forward and provide a fresh dynamic. It is also a way for stations to have greater visibility of women across its schedule. Annie Nightingale, as a radio pioneer, definitely affected progress and opened doors. Even if every year brings us closer to equality across all stations, it is evident that there is…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Annie Nightingale/PHOTO CREDIT: David Levene/The Guardian

SOME way to go.

FEATURE: Viva Forever: Thirty Years of the Spice Girls

FEATURE:

 

 

Viva Forever

IN THIS PHOTO: Geri Halliwell (‘Ginger Spice’), Mel C (‘Sporty Spice’), Victoria Adams (‘Posh Spice’), Mel B (‘Scary Spice’) and Emma Bunton (‘Baby Spice’)

 

Thirty Years of the Spice Girls

_________

I am writing this feature…

IN THIS PHOTO: Spice Girls shot for Vogue in 1997/PHOTO CREDIT: Mario Testino

as, in March, it will be thirty years since Spice Girls formed. Technically, March 1994 was the month when audtions were taking place for the group. The final five of (then) Victoria Adams, Mel C, Mel B, Emma Bunton and Geri Halliwell were formed shortly after. It was a moment that changed Pop music forever. Some argue that, as a manufactured group and one whose messages of Girl Power might have been hollow or commercial, they have inspired legions of fans and were a hugely important part of Pop culture. Not only reserved to the 1990s, their impact and importance extends far beyond that. I would argue against people who say that there was a hollowness or lack of meaning behind the brand of Girl Power and feminism. That it was designed to sell records rather than inspire minds. Also, anyone who says that the group have not inspired in the way girlbands like Little Mix or Destiny’s Child did, I would direct people to some of the biggest Pop artists of today where we can hear and feel the optimism and influence of Spice Girls.

I guess, as we look back thirty years since they were formed, the world and face of music has changed. No longer this optimistic time of change that we saw in the mid-'90s, would an album like Spice – the Spice Girls’ 1996 debut album - resonate and have the same success?! Even if it is hard to think back nearly thirty years and compare music of then to today and whether Spice Girls have aged in that respect, the fact is that we talk about them and they are still hugely popular. I know that, soon, there will be announced around the anniversary. I think it has been teased something is coming. Whether they will be appearing at this year’s Glastonbury or there is an anniversary tour or event planned, I am not sure. Apart from a line of commemorative stamps, there has been nothing official announced. I do feel that something Glastonbury-related might come…

I will come to articles that unpick and dissect the legacy of Spice Girls. How, years after they split, their impact is seen. Releasing two of the most important Pop albums of the 1990s – Spice and 1997’s Spiceworld -, there is also the strength and inspiration they gave to fans around the world. Also, there is the way they made a huge impression on British culture. I am going to move on soon. First, in 2021, Bustle mentioned a documentary series that aired twenty-five years after Spice Girls’ debut album arrived:

“Twenty-five years after their monumental debut, one of the biggest bands the world has ever seen is the focus of Channel 4’s latest documentary series Spice Girls: How Girl Power Changed Britain.

The show’s first episode centres on the group’s formation back in the mid ‘90s. But, how were the Spice Girls actually put together?

As the BBC reports, the Spice Girls originally formed back in early 1994, when Geraldine Halliwell, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Emma Bunton, and Victoria Adams responded to an advert featured in The Stage magazine.

In March 1994, the father-and-son management team, Bob and Chris Herbert, oversaw 400 hopefuls at London's Dancework Studios and split them into groups of ten. The aspiring singers were asked to learn a dance routine to Eternal’s “Stay” and to perform a solo song.

During this part of the audition, Mel B opted to perform the Whitney Houston classic “The Greatest Love Of All,” while Mel C and Victoria belted out The Pointer Sisters' “I'm So Excited” and “Mein Herr” from Cabaret, respectively.

The following month, just ten girls were asked back for a second audition, including Geri, who had missed the first round of auditions after getting sunburnt during a holiday to Spain. As Metro reports, the remaining hopefuls were then whittled down to five, including 17-year-old Michelle Stephenson.

However, it was later decided that Stephenson wasn’t a good fit for the band, and she was promptly replaced by Emma Bunton. Reflecting on her brief Spice Girls stint, Stephenson previously told the Mirror, “at the time I left the group I knew I was doing the right thing. It wasn’t my kind of music and they were not living the lifestyle I wanted.” In the Channel 4 documentary she also revealed she had been told by a member of the band’s management team that she appeared too old in comparison to the other girls.

Despite being put together by the Herberts, the band would later deny they were a manufactured group, instead claiming that they had met through auditions and even lived together before forming Spice Girls. While some members of the band, including Victoria and Geri, knew each other before the Spice Girls audition phase, the rest of the band members were not introduced until later. A source at their label Virgin told The Guardian in 1996: “They definitely met through an ad. I don't know why they're not being upfront about it.”

In 1995, following months of rehearsals Scary, Sporty, Ginger, Posh, and Baby Spice decided to cut ties with Bob and Chris Herbert, forcing Geri to devise a plan to retrieve their original recordings of the band’s future hits “Wannabe” and “2 Become 1”.

“I don't know how [Geri] actually managed to get it — everything was so Bonnie and Clyde... She had it hidden in her knickers,” Victoria recalled in her autobiography Learning to Fly.

From there, the group went on to sign with famed music manager Simon Fuller and eventually landed a record deal with Virgin Records. In 1996, the band’s debut single “Wannabe” became an overnight hit, shifting 73,000 copies during its first week and later reaching the number one spot on the UK charts, the BBC reports”.

I am interested in the formation of the Spice Girls. The fact it was thirty years ago this March and how, in the two or three years after that formation, they dominated the Pop landscape and were worldwide names. It is vital that this is marked, whether you are a fan of the group or not. Regardless of feelings around their place in music history, they were obviously very important and a phenomenon. I definitely like their music and was able to connect with their messages and sound – even if, perhaps, I was not the intended demographic. I think that the Spice Girls’ music was very much for everyone. There has been discussion and debate about their legacy this many years on. The New Yorker highlighted the boundless optimism of the Spice Girls. How, now, can artists project this convincingly?! Maybe the most dated thig is not the music they made: it is the fact the world has changed immeasurably in ways that cannot be reclaimed:

“In 1996, there was plenty of room on the pop charts for whimsy; the most popular song of the year was a bouncy remix of “Macarena.” In a few years, the Zeitgeist would bend back toward wounded male earnestness—Creed’s “With Arms Wide Open,” 3 Doors Down’s “Kryptonite”—but, for a brief moment, every time “Wannabe” came on the radio, life resembled a teen-age slumber party, where some intrepid attendee had pinched a bottle of peach schnapps, and there was a very long list of lame adults to prank call.

Though “Wannabe” had all the markings of a one-off hit, “Spice” generated three Top Five singles in the U.S., and the Spice Girls became a global phenomenon, preaching girl power—a vague marketing notion, even then—and a boundless, unquestioning jocularity. In 1997, the group released a second album, “Spiceworld.” It set a record for the fastest-selling album by a girl group, with seven million copies shipped in the first two weeks. The band travelled to South Africa to perform a charity concert, and met with Nelson Mandela. “You know, these are my heroes,” Mandela told a scrum of reporters. “It’s one of the greatest moments in my life.”

“Spiceworld” is now twenty-five years old. On the occasion of its anniversary, the album is being reissued with bonus tracks, B-sides, and live recordings from the band’s 1997-98 tour, all culled from the Virgin Records archive. The record includes both a demo and a remix of “Step to Me,” which was originally obtainable only by twisting twenty pink soda tabs off promotional cans of Pepsi and trading them in for a CD single, and something called “Spice Girls Party Mix,” a fifteen-minute medley of the group’s up-tempo hits, somehow made even more up-tempo. (I found it difficult to listen to without wanting to submerge my head in ice water, simply for the quiet.) The live material is more vibrant, though it might leave a listener craving lights, costumes, and dancing; the Spice Girls still work best as a multisensory presentation.

“Spiceworld” does not attempt to transcend “Spice” but, rather, to expand upon it in a lateral way. As recording technology has evolved, pop production has become more impermeable, and fingerprints tend to be erased or smoothed over. “Spiceworld” is the sort of pop record that doesn’t really get made anymore: sentimental, infinitely palatable, but also plainly imperfect, with wobbly vocals and canned backing tracks. None of these songs are especially adventurous. (The most stylistically ambitious moment on “Spiceworld” is the weepy breakup ballad “Viva Forever,” which includes a bit of flamenco-esque guitar.) The Girls’ limitations are still central to the record’s appeal.

From the start, the Spice Girls’ mission was to spread a kind of anodyne, generalized positivity; in 1997, this may have seemed like a timeless goal, but, twenty-five years later, it’s probably what makes “Spiceworld” feel the most dated. Naïveté of this sort is almost impossible to access now, in an era in which we are constantly reminded of suffering, both planetary and human.

The idea that optimism can undo despair is sweet, and maybe sometimes true, but it no longer feels like a very helpful message. Perhaps the group knew this then. As you watch the video, it’s easy to presume that the Girls are about to transform the streets with their upbeat attitudes, but the ship keeps simply drifting overhead”.

I am going to wrap up soon. Before that, I want to take quite a bit from an extensive feature from The New York Times. Over twenty-five years on from their debut, if some dismissed the five-piece as Pop confection, it is clear their legacy is being re-written. Changing every year. With the possibility (though not confirmed) of something special for their thirtieth – at least a one-off date?! -, it is clear one cannot predict or write off a group that left their mark on the music industry:

“To be sure, criticism of the Spice Girls — most notably, that they were a superficial, manufactured, disposable pop confection — was not unique to them. Many pop acts, including the Beatles, the Monkees and Abba, initially encountered the same derision. But from the beginning of their ascent to superstardom, the fact that the five Girls — Victoria Adams (now Beckham), a.k.a. Posh Spice; Melanie Brown, a.k.a. Scary Spice; Emma Bunton, a.k.a. Baby Spice; Melanie Chisholm, a.k.a. Sporty Spice; and Geri Halliwell (now Horner), a.k.a. Ginger Spice — were outspoken young women seemed to bring an added layer of skepticism.

“They probably inspired me to pick up a hairbrush when I was like five and sing into it,” the British pop star Charli XCX, who remixed “Wannabe” for her 2019 single “Spicy,” has said of the group.

At their peak, the Spice Girls were a global sensation, and they remain, to this day, the most successful girl group of all time: Their first single, “Wannabe,” released in 1996, was a No. 1 hit in 37 countries, and their debut album, “Spice,” is still one of the best-selling albums by any female group. And even the Girls themselves are still coming to terms with just how much their brief stint at the apex of pop music affected a generation of fans and other artists.

The group’s extravagant self-expression, coupled with a straightforward message of empowerment, resonated with girls, who saw themselves reflected in the band members’ various personas, spawning a generation of fans who identified as a Sporty or Scary or Posh.

“That’s kind of the beauty of the Spice Girls,” Ora said. “Each of them had their own voice and something different to offer.” (Those nicknames, by the way, were not coined by the group but imposed on them by a journalist at the British magazine Top of the Pops. The Girls, true to form, embraced the names.)

The group’s theatrics and self-aware sense of kitsch also sparked an enthusiastic following among members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community, which initially took the band by surprise, Chisholm said. “In our heads, it was like, right, we’ve got to do this for the girls! And then we very quickly realized that a huge part of this community was behind us as well,” she recalled. “I think it’s because people can feel lonely if they’re in an environment where they can’t fully be themselves, and the Spice Girls gave them something to belong to.” The band has since become a popular source of inspiration for drag acts and several of the Girls have appeared as guest judges on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

“There is a real culture here in the U.K. that they really like to drag people down. We celebrate success to a point, and then it’s time to attack — kind of, ‘Don’t get above your station,’” Chisholm said. “But we always felt that the numbers don’t lie. We were breaking records.”

Another frequent target of criticism was the group’s message of “girl power,” which was promoted not just in their music but also through their many marketing deals with brands like Pepsi and Chupa Chups lollipops. Activists raised concerns that the band was exploiting feminism for commercial ends. Many commentators were “very conscious of how feminism and pro-women sentiment was manipulated and weaponized, particularly by the media,” said Andi Zeisler, who co-founded the feminist pop culture magazine Bitch in 1996, the same year the Spice Girls made their debut.

Against a backdrop of the punk riot grrrl movement and the women-centric Lilith Fair — both of which used music as a platform to advocate specifically feminist political and social changes — “the Spice Girls perhaps felt like a step back,” Zeisler said.

But the notion that the Girls’ message was, by virtue of being broadcast commercially, inherently hollow now seems shortsighted. “I think it’s possible to say, on the one hand, the Spice Girls and girl power were this very contrived marketing technique. And that’s true,” Zeisler explained. “But that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t very real for the Girls themselves, or for the audience. I grew up with feminism as an irredeemably dirty word. No one wanted to be associated with it. So just the optics of having a group of women talking about feminism in a different language, making it accessible — that’s really important.”

In 2012, the organizers of the London Olympics crafted the opening and closing ceremonies to celebrate the best of British culture. There were odes to James Bond, the queen and Mary Poppins, but perhaps no act drew more cheers, and tears, from the crowds than the members of the Spice Girls — all five of them — reunited atop a fleet of tricked-out black cabs as the stadium sang along raucously to their greatest hits.

Nearly three decades after their peak, critics have started to reconsider the ways in which the Spice Girls reshaped the pop-music landscape, in Britain and beyond.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing the Spice Girls achieved, however, was their empowerment of a generation of fans. These listeners first encountered them as children and responded positively to the band and what they represented — five women who remained true to what they wanted and how they were going to get it and had a lot of fun together along the way.

In an industry teeming with stories of artists — particularly young female ones — being manipulated or taken advantage of, the Spice Girls can now be remembered as a rare example of an all-female band that took a strong hand in charting its own success. “A lot of times, it’s the management that holds all the cards, makes all the money, decides what happens, and the artist that goes away shortchanged if not totally screwed over,” Sinclair said. The Spice Girls, he noted, “actually kept a grip on everything, from Day 1.”

Chisholm and the band have embraced their status as role models, both for women and for the L.G.B.T.Q. community. “It’s so humbling to have the opportunity to give people strength to just be who they are. That should be everybody’s human right,” Chisholm said. “Maybe we’re misfits, maybe we’re oddballs — we’re all different. But we come together, and our unity is our strength.”

When, in 2019, the Spice Girls (minus Beckham) reunited for a tour, Adele — the fangirl whose childhood wall was once plastered with Spice Girls posters — visited them on the day of their final performance, at Wembley Stadium.

“We went into the bar to see our friends and family after the show,” Chisholm recalled. “Adele had gotten everybody ready, and they all started singing ‘Wannabe’ when we walked in. She was leading the chorus!”

It was a powerful, full-circle moment for the band, she said.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS: Elizabeth Renstrom for The New York Times; PHOTOS: Getty Images

“There’s so much talent out there, and if the Spice Girls had any part in inspiring and empowering these brilliant artists, then that is only a good thing,” said Chisholm, who is now a solo artist, with a self-titled album out now and a memoir coming later this year.

For Ora, the band’s girl-power message has always been “about standing up and advocating for the women around you, because, at the end of the day, we have to look out for each other,” she said. “Who better to teach us that lesson than the Spice Girls?”.

Apart from the fact that Spice Girls’ formation in 1994 is worthy of celebration this year (nearer to March), I don’t think that it is longing for the past or rose-tinted nostalgia. One might say that the world in which they ruled and conquered was a lot more optimistic. A music scene where Britpop and associated, peripheral Pop was built on this notion of something temporary, things are very different now. I would argue that their music and influence is relevant now. Not that they necessarily invented the idea of Girl Power of this confidence in girls and young women. Now, female artists are exploring and espousing this in different ways.

Not through slogans or as explicitly, it is incorporated in their music and mindset. If there are few direct comparisons to Spice Girls in the modern-day girlband market, there are plenty of other artists who carry the influence of Spice Girls with them. At a bleak and troubled time, there is a case to say that the music of Spice Girl is as needed and necessary as ever. Any sort of reunion, rather than recapturing a bygone moment, would be a triumphant moment. Something to get people excited about. Whether you are a diehard fan, do not listen to their music or something in the middle, the Spice Girls were phenomenal. They inspired a way of teen Pop and influenced artists like Little Mix, Dua Lipa and Charli XCX. Some massive modern-day Pop queens can be traced back to Spice Girls. In March, it is thirty years since this five-piece came together (or at least the process was started); unsure of what was coming and how their career would turn out. I would say that their DNA, messages, music and influence…

LIVES on today.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Paris Paloma

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Jennifer McCord 

Paris Paloma

_________

SOMEONE who I have seen various websites…

PHOTO CREDIT: Nicole Nodland for Billboard

describe as a major talent to watch, I have recently connected with the music of Paris Paloma. She is an amazing artist whose music instantly gripped me. So beautiful and evocative, her lyrics and mix of sounds means that you revisit her songs time and time again. One of the most talented and remarkable young songwriters in the U.K., here is someone that stands alongside the very best rising artists around. I think that there is a disproportionate amount of focus put on certain artists and genres. For singer-songwriters who maybe are not as bombastic or commercial, there tends not to be the same sort of exposure and spotlight. There is something more rewarding and deeper about the music of Paris Paloma than many of the young Pop acts emerging who are getting so much hype. Before getting to a couple of interviews with her, here is some information about the amazing Paris Paloma:

“UK singer songwriter Paris Paloma channels the experience of womanhood into her songwriting, speaking to the female experience, grief, love, death, and power. Her songwriting reads like poetry, drawing inspiration from figures throughout mythology, art history and the Romantics. Ranging from the tender and heartbreaking to the sublimely aggressive and vengeful. Her ethereal sound takes influences from dark pop, folk, and indie genres; creating a magical discography that evokes something primal and innately feminine”.

In fact, doing a bit of searching, there are a few interviews that spring to mind. A couple based around her powerful and incredible song, labour. That came out last March. Issuu chatted with Paris Paloma about a song that addresses and calls out how women, across society, are underpaid. Made to do all this labour without compensation. Whilst you can relate it to industries and domestic duties, one can also apply it to the creative arts. Even now, with small steps being made, there is still a huge issue. A song like labour is vital and eye-opening:

“Labour" by Paris Paloma is a powerful song that speaks to the experience of female rage. The lyrics are a raw expression of the anger and frustration that many women feel in a world that coerces them into performing uncompensated labour in the private sphere, without even being credited. It's an ode to mothers, daughters and wives.

The song is especially relatable to Middle Eastern and South Asian women, who are pressured into performing excessive domestic and emotional labour, even when they are working the same hours as their male peers outside their homes.

Yet women are socialized into being subservient and doing it without complaining. It’s essentially viewed as an integral part of womanhood, of femininity. Paris challenges this archaic idea in “Labour”, embracing and channeling the rage of generations of women around the world. The song is a stirring anthem for women who have felt burdened by this gendered labour, and a call to action for a world that still has a long way to go.

Q. How do you feel when you see all the TikTok videos that use your song?

Paris: I feel incredibly grateful that this song has become a lot bigger than me because it's a shared experience of so many women and girls. This stuff starts at such a young age where we are presented as being caregivers in a household. I feel incredibly grateful that it has been taken by so many women who share the same feelings I have been having. I just wrote this song because I was frustrated and angry with how I felt as a woman and I think those feelings can be so isolating. When all of these women are taking in this song and using it to make these amazing trends off of it, it makes us all less alone in our quite rightful anger about the way we are being treated.

Q. That is so right. It’s like a community that we have built as women and it feels much less lonely. I would like to go to the very beginning, when did you think you wanted to pursue this career, and what inspired you? Where did this all start? Paris: I think something about being heard is particularly what appealed to me in songwriting. I have written songs since I was very young. They were terrible back then obviously, because I was really young.

Paris: I definitely think there is so much more room for women in the industry. I think in the creative industry, and in other industries, it’s so often viewed as a tick box thing where if a set amount of things are done to include women or other demographics, people put their thumbs up and think, ‘Great, now it’s inclusive and we have solved the problem!” But it’s not solved because obviously there is still so much room for them to be more included. Personally, I have been really lucky because I’ve not had any exploitative experiences. One of the things that prompted me to start going public with my music was the month-long women’s only music mentorship program I had during the pandemic. It was remote and it was run by HyperDrive. They are doing great work and they run a mentorship program for women in music where you get paired with another woman in the industry who mentors you.

I had Chloe Diana who is an amazing singer from Essex and she taught me about the industry. The whole point is that these women are teaching fellow female singers how the industry works and helping us help each other so that we don’t get exploited. Things like distributors and releasing music and gigs and streaming platforms, I didn't know any of this before because the knowledge really isn’t that accessible. So this set me up to have amazing luck with the people I worked with.

When I made Labour, it was my first time in a studio, ever. I had recorded music before but it was always in my own or someone else’s bedroom, even though I worked with very talented producers. It was my first time in a studio and I worked with Justin Glasgow. He also did NotreDame which came out- earlier this year. He is just the safest, kindest and nicest person. He also works with Annabelle Lee who is one of the backing vocalists in Labour and she makes these amazing rare tracks. For that reason, I knew that he was a safe figure and such a great ally for raging feminist music. In that way, I feel really lucky but I know that not everyone has such an inclusive experience of the music industry. In spite of that, I can still recognize that there is still so much that needs to be done to make women feel like they have a seat at the table”.

I want to stay with labour. One of the most extraordinary and moving songs of last year, it is no surprise that there was a lot of interest around it. People wanting to speak with Paris Paloma about the song and what it means. How it has resonated with people. NME featured her in May. It is amazing – though not surprising – how popular labour is. How it has been embraced by people:

“The bridge of Paris Paloma’s ‘Labour’ is a moment of true catharsis. Depicting a tale of a woman that has been forced into taking on all the emotional labour in a relationship, the folk-pop tune slowly unravels over gossamer instrumentals, before erupting into a powerful chant: “All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid / Nymph, then a virgin, nurse, then a servant”. By the time we reach the peak of the chorus – “It’s not an act of love if you make her / You make me do too much labour,” Paloma repeats – the song has asserted itself as a genuine rallying cry.

‘Labour’ has evolved into a bonafide hit: it recently reached the Top 30 in the UK charts, has racked up over 35 million streams on Spotify alone, and soundtracked over 40,000 TikTok videos. “It’s become something that’s a lot bigger than me,” Paloma says of the track’s continued success. The Derbyshire-born artist is Zooming in from a family weekend away in Cheltenham, chatting to NME on a sun-drenched Friday afternoon. “That’s one of the highest honours as a songwriter that you could have happen with a song; because as a person, you’re quite small, but songs can become very big.”

She’s not wrong. ‘Labour’ has struck a chord with with TikTok users, with the song’s audio allowing them to convey their own personal stories of misogyny. “I was watching a video before this interview, from this girl who was talking so beautifully about ‘Labour’ and how she felt it really applied to the misogyny that she’d seen in Desi culture,” Paloma says. “It is so powerful to me that people have applied such personal experiences to the track. It’s been this vehicle for women, and people of all sorts of areas, to resonate with the topic.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Jennifer McCord

How have you coped with the success of the track?

“I think as an artist there’s defining moments in your career, and sometimes it’s difficult to notice them when they’re happening. Most of the time it’s retrospective; but I know this is a really pivotal point in my music career and my relationship with my listenership, and that’s amazing. I feel very lucky to be aware of it as it’s happening.”

When people listen to your music, how do you want them to feel?

“I think I want them to feel heard, or held, and whether they’re listening to something like ‘Labour’ and it’s something so angry, I want them to feel like their anger is valid. If it’s something else, I want them to feel comforted, if it makes them cry I want them to feel held while they do that. I hope that my music can serve as a vehicle for a protective sphere in which to feel any emotions that need to be felt”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Nicole Nodland for Billboard

Not to entirely base this feature to one song – as she has released other tremendous and equally brilliant songs -, though there is one more interview I want to come to before I move on and wrap up. Billboard heralded the meaning and importance of labour and how it has resonated with women and men alike. Even though it has been out almost a year, it is still enormously relevant and so powerful and moving every time you hear it:

“Those early signs proved right on the money when the full song was released through Nettwerk in March, drawing not only millions of streams but countless responses on TikTok from fans who found the themes to be resonant — and not just from women. “I’ve got several messages from men who’ve realized [from the song] that they should be doing better in relationships,” Paloma says. “That’s amazing. Because I keep getting asked, ‘What can we do to solve this?’ And it’s not up to women: That’s the whole point. It’s up to men to listen and to take action.”

Through the success of “Labour” and Paloma’s other songs, she has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok. But Fernandez is insistent that neither he nor Paloma want her to be seen as a “TikTok artist” — which is part of the reason they declined to release sped-up or slowed-down versions of “Labour,” instead opting to record a totally reimagined, more orchestral version of the song with production duo MyRiot that’s dropping soon. “It’s just not falling into that trap of, ‘Let’s copy what everyone is doing right now,’ ” Fernandez says. “Let’s try to forge our own way. And if it works, it works, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

Paloma is now getting ready to play some live shows at 300- to 500-capacity spaces in London and upcoming festival dates at Summerfest and Bonnaroo. She’s also beginning to think about a debut album, which Fernandez says fans can most likely expect in July or August. By then, it will have been about a year since she wrote “Labour.”

“It’s already been a lot of time in between,” she says. “In that time, I’ve written a lot newer music, which — not to say that it’s better, but you always think that your most recent stuff is the best because it’s the most accurate reflection of where your creativity is. I’ve got so much work I want to get out”.

I will end up with DORK. In October, they spoke with an artist who was all about women coming together. The Derbyshire songwriter and artist has been blown away by the success of her music and how songs like labour have taken off. Paris Paloma was looking ahead to her first tour dates outside of the U.K. I am fascinated to see what is coming next from this astonishing artist:

“Paris always knew she wanted to tell stories with her music. Big, meaningful and powerful stories. “The music I started listening to in my teens was very lyrics focused. When I was little, my dream was to be a creative writer,” she says. “I’d write stories all the time, and at some point, those stories started becoming poems, and those poems became songs. That transition happened out of influences in literature as opposed to influences in music.”

The formative music of her childhood was the soul and jazz her mum would play, but for Paris, she naturally gravitated to people who liked to play with words and language, whether florid and wordy or incredibly pure and simple. “When I was 12, I started looking up to songwriters like Ed Sheeran and people I thought were really using words and telling stories,” she remembers. “Following on from that, people like Florence + The Machine and Hozier, people who I really look up to and who use their words in such a considered way. That massively influences me.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Jennifer McCord

As she started making more and more songs, Paris’s songwriting began to evolve. “I’ve become a lot more considered,” she reflects. “I’ve got to a point where I understand that it’s ok not to say everything. The main driver for my music when I started was catharsis and feeling heard. It was an emotional outlet to use whatever it was that was incredibly difficult to go through, pain and grief and struggles with power in my own life and the strife of growing up as a girl. It’s made me feel that I can be considered in what I want to share and how I want to share it. You just have to be giving something genuine. I think I’ve decentred myself a lot more than when I was writing bedroom songs about my feelings on things I’m going through. I’m still staying true to that but not beating myself up when I want to keep some things.”

She now sees her songwriting as a true body of work which allows her to focus on each song as a part of a world she’s creating. “I think of my songs informing each other now rather than being specific,” she says. “It’s now this considered thing which all have relationships to each other and inform each other. My next songs stand on the shoulders of my previous songs.”

 Indeed, her next single, ‘As Good A Reason’, carries on some of the big themes of ‘Labour’ but from a slightly different perspective. More triumphant and defiant and with a rollicking groove to it. “I wanted to write a song about the power of women learning from each other,” she explains. “There were lots of things I was thinking about in terms of misogyny being eradicated through the generations, and that’s happening because of work that women are doing. It’s happening because of women of older generations giving space to women of younger generations to see how peaceful their life can be when decentering patriarchy.”

It’s clear that Paris is an incredibly passionate and thoughtful songwriter who thinks carefully about what she wants to say and recognises the impact and engaging quality of her words. “I was thinking a lot about ageism and misogyny and this fear of being an older woman or any type of woman that doesn’t correlate with patriarchy’s idea of what women should be,” she continues. “Also, the manufacturing of insecurity in women and the trends in body types and all of this exhausting stuff which women are really only realising is obsolete through talking to each other and seeing other women who are living as outside of it as they possibly can and seeing how peaceful that is.”

 ‘As Good A Reason’ is a song with a different kind of energy to ‘Labour’ but no less inspiring. “I wanted to write a joyful song,” she smiles. “It was written prior to ‘Labour’. Female rage is an incredible thing, but it can also feel like it’s not for everyone, and I don’t want to reduce the meaning of being a woman to our capacity for pain and anger. ‘As Good A Reason’ speaks to your reasons for doing things and your reasons for self love. The idea that if self-love is too difficult for the sake of oneself if you are a woman living under this patriarchy that is manufacturing insecurities and telling you that you have to do things to be loved. Loving yourself out of spite for those who would profit out of you doing the opposite is as good a reason in the interim while you’re learning to do it just for yourself.”

For the rest of the year, Paris is getting on with the important business of being a pop star. “I’ve got my first European tour in September,” she beams. “I’ve never played outside the UK before. It’s going to be incredible to get over to see a whole new space of people who’ve been listening to my music.” And is there anything else planned for the rest of the year? Well, we’ll just have to wait and see. There’s definitely a whole lot more music coming,” she teases. Engaging with meaningful conversations and making music that resonates across generations, Paris Paloma is full of ambition and confidence, ready to tell her stories to a mass audience”.

Follow the brilliant Paris Paloma. I started by mentioning how there was a divide between commercial/TikTok Pop artists and deeper or different artists like Paris Paloma. That may sound snobby. What I mean is that songs that have a particular energy and sound are seen as more desirable and worthy as other types of music – that might be more impactful and important. Even if Paris Paloma has got a load of fans and is a popular artists, you feel like her music warrants a bigger platform and the same sort of kudos reserved for the largest Pop artists in the mainstream. Let’s hope this happens this year, as she is an artist to behold and cherish. Once you hear her phenomenal music, it will…

STAY with you forever.

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Follow Paris Paloma

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs to Warm the Winter Weather

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

PHOTO CREDIT: Jennifer Enujiugha/Pexels

 

Songs to Warm the Winter Weather

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AS we had a very cold week last week…

PHOTO CREDIT: Brigitte Tohm/Pexels

and a somewhat wet one this week, it seems winter is very much here for now.! We are hoping that the weather improves soon! Looking ahead to spring, this is a time of year that, in spite of the days getting longer, is pretty awful and draining. Nearing the end of the first month of the year, I think everyone needs a boost of energy and motivation. Because of that, I have compiled a playlist with some uplifting songs that should get the mood lifted. Songs that have a distinct energy and positivity to them, it is what we need for a decidedly bleak January. It is not long to go until the days get properly long (in terms of daylight) and warmer! Something to hold onto. For now, we just need to keep going and get through the worst. I really hate winter, so I am always looking for ways to keep in a better mood. Try and get out of that funk. I hope that these tracks do the job! If you need some great tracks to add something warmer to the cold and wet winter weather, then I think that this mix below should…

Darcy Lawrey/Pexels

GO some way to achieving that!









FEATURE: Spotlight: Chxrry22

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

  

Chxrry22

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AN immense artist…

who has just been tipped by Spotify as a rising names to watch, there is a lot of love behind the brilliant Chxrry22. I cannot recommend her highly enough. Her Siren E.P. came out in October. It is one I would advise everyone to listen to now! Chxrry22 is such a remarkable artist who is not going to be stopped. You just know she will go all the way in the industry. I adore her music. The Canadian definitely has some huge fans here in the U.K. I hope that she gets to see us soon. Prior to getting to some interviews with her, it is worth getting some background to this amazing artist:

“Singer Chxrry22 is known for her sultry and atmospheric blend of pop and R&B. After signing a major-label deal in 2022, she issued The Other Side EP, followed a year later by Siren.

Born in Toronto to Ethiopian immigrants, Chxrry22 (pronounced Cherry) became interested in music at a young age and began posting videos of herself singing online. By 2017, several videos had gone viral and, after moving to Atlanta, she caught the attention of label executives who signed her to the Weeknd's XO Records. In April 2022, Chxrry22 released her debut single, a lush and moody ballad called "The Falls." A second single, "Call Me," followed several months later, and both appeared on her debut EP, The Other Side. Over the following year, Chxrry22 issued a string of similarly dreamy singles like "Worlds Away" and "Never Had This" featuring Vory, the latter of which appeared on her sophomore EP, Siren, in October 2023”.

Understandably, there was a lot of interest around Chxrry22 and Siren. With her 2022 debut E.P., The Other Side, getting acclaim and putting her on the radar, Siren is a work that takes her to new heights. Confirmation that she is a major talent to watch. I am going to come to some interviews soon. First, this feature from Rolling Stone Australia highlighted just why Chxrry22 is the first woman to sign to The Weeknd’s record label:

“Two weeks after our interview, Chxrry22’s excitement was curtailed by the news that The Weeknd had postponed his Australia and New Zealand shows “due to unforeseen circumstances.” The wait is on now until she gets to support him Down Under once the shows are rescheduled for 2024.

Luckily, though, Chxrry22 was an artist who had so much more to discuss aside from the tour in the meantime, including a recently released EP, Siren. And as the first woman signed to The Weeknd’s XO Records, big things are definitely in the emerging artist’s future.

Siren contains two huge collaborations: “Favourite Girl”, which features a guest spot from Offset, and “Never Had This”, a joint effort with Vory. “I actually made the song years ago. I sat down with my team, and for the first time ever, I had them pick their favourites. I could tell the direction of the music that they were choosing,” Chxrry22 revealed about the latter track.

The connection Vory, facilitated by her cousin, added an extra dimension to the track, Chxrry22 expressing her excitement at discovering a perfect match. “He [her cousin] DMd it to Vory. Vory texted me and he was like, ‘I want to get on this,'” she recalled, emphasising the organic nature of the collaboration.

The Canadian was quick to highlighted the collaborative aspect of the EP as a whole. “This project was very much a mishmash of a lot of people working on it at different times,” she explained, a far cry from her usual style. “I do generally like writing alone and I do like starting things with a very tight knit team,” she added.

Drawing parallels between her current release and her previous EP, The Other Side, Chxrry22 spoke of her artistic growth. “I feel like I’ve reached a new level in my career and in my life,” she insisted. “I think when I made it, I was very lonely, fighting to be seen, and wondering like, ‘Will any of this work?'”

Chxrry22’s experienced a somewhat meteoric rise in her career, rising from posting covers on social media to signing with the aforementioned XO Records. “I didn’t really have a plan,” she admitted. “I didn’t know what I was doing, and I think that’s why it worked out so well!” It was this fearless approach that allowed her to navigate the tricky terrain of the music industry with determination.

The subject of XO Records naturally came up in conversation, and Chxrry22 was only too happy to acknowledge the transformative impact signing with a record label associated with one of music’s biggest names had on her.

“I’m very lucky because I know that there are two sides to this industry,” she said. “It’s very scary for women.” She expressed gratitude for the level of protection and respect provided by the label, enabling her to navigate the industry with a heightened sense of assurance. “I feel very lucky,” she added.

Working with The Weeknd – or Abel to Chxrry22 – was also a huge influence on the artist’s musical journey. “When Abel and I speak, I learn a lot from him,” she said.

Both The Weeknd and Chxrry22 grew up in Toronto, and the Canadian city proved formative to the latter’s rise. “Growing up in Toronto is very interesting because you do see a lot of different people that come from different walks of lives and different cultures,” she explained. “The music you hear is kind of all over the place.”

“It makes you feel like – especially as a black woman – I can make any type of music. It’s very liberating knowing that you can make anything you want.” For Chxrry22, iconic artists such as Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Nickelback, Shania Twain, and Avril Lavigne proved instrumental to the development of her own sound.

She might be dropping stylish EPs and touring – until postponement, of course – with R&B superstars, but that doesn’t mean Chxrry22 has stopped working on herself. “I have a vocal coach, and she is very big on me trusting my own style and not singing like anyone other than myself,” she revealed. As for her future projects, there’s lots on the way, including a debut album.

What advice does Chxrry22 have for artists looking to follow her path to musical success? “Stick to what you like and stay very rooted in your decisions,” she advised, also stressing the significance of authenticity in one’s journey, and the need for genuine connection with fans”

Rated R&B hailed a burgeoning R&B artist who was finishing off a huge year. Chxrry22 discussed her upcoming tour with The Weeknd, in addition to a magnificent E.P. that showcases her staggering voice. This is an artist I am new to but compelled to follow for as long as possible. I know there are a load of people in London that would love to see her on the stage. Maybe that will happen later in the year. I am pumped to see just how far she can go in the industry:

“How would you compare your mindset going into The Other Side vs Siren?

I didn’t even have a mindset for The Other Side. I was like, “God, I hope this works.” With The Other Side, I was definitely more unsure and more hungry. I think you could hear that in songs like “The Other Side,” where I’m talking about: “You never know where you’ll be in five years.” I was really manifesting [and] talking myself down the ledge because, at the time, I didn’t believe half the things I was singing about.

I didn’t have that confidence. Now, I do because I’ve seen the growth. I see some results. I know what my fans want out of me. I know what they think of me. I want to put that in my music and get closer to them. Making Siren was a lot easier and fun because I got to be myself and tell all the fun stories that I wanted to tell without the pressure of, “Am I gonna make it?” (laughs).

I feel like once you’re in the door and you have somewhat of a fan base, it feels good to know somebody’s waiting on something from you. Honestly, my fan pages keep me going. They talk to me every day. They update me on things that I don’t even see. They’ll post my accomplishments. It makes you feel like, “Oh, okay, somebody’s watching and somebody’s waiting.”

What’s the inspiration behind the title Siren?

Originally, I didn’t name it Siren. I had a different name, which I won’t disclose because I might use it in the future. It was a very dominant and powerful name. I was talking to my friend and describing myself. I was like, “I just have siren energy.” Then I was just thinking on it like, “I need to name this project Siren because there’s so many women and people in general that fit the description of what a siren is.” I think it’s a cool way to tie it all in and put a name to this type of energy.

Sirens are known for their enchanting voices. How intentional were you with incorporating the sense of allurement into this project?

Very intentional. I feel like my perspective, my ways of writing, and the way I approach music is very much due to my upbringing. I was raised by three men in one household. I had to figure out how to get my point across or how to get my way without being too aggressive. I feel like that’s carried me through my adult life and my teen years. The way I write is based on that and a lot of my experiences.

I think there’s a misconception that sirens are very manipulative and that they use their beauty to get what they want. It’s almost like a negative thing, but I feel it’s a very smart way to get what you want out of life. I don’t think it’s just about beauty. I think it’s about the way you carry yourself and saying things the right way to get the result that you want.

What was your creative intention for the Siren cover art?

I was in a studio in New York. I don’t remember the name, but I walked in and saw this picture. It was huge, and it was this girl lying down for a Playboy cover. Her hair was really long [and] covered in her body. I looked at my boyfriend and was like, “That has to be my album cover one day or cover for something I do.” I took a picture of it, and I sent it to my manager. I was like, “Keep this in your phone.” When it came time to do the cover and we had a creative meeting, I was like, “I think this is what I want to do.” Everybody was like, “This is fire. Do it.”

My friend [Alexandra Alva] shot it, and it turned out perfect. It became my own interpretation because, like I said, I don’t think I had the name Siren at that time. I was just going off of the picture and my own taste. It just happened to be long mermaid hair, like a siren, and it all tied together. This project is really me. Everything is really me. I don’t have an A&R [or] a big creative team. It’s just very much my taste and my story. I think the cover is another representation of, “Oh, that’s some Chxrry sh*t,” because it’s very me.

What message do you want to leave to fans after listening to Siren?

I want them to feel like: “I want to be this girl’s friend” and “I feel like my best self when I listen to this person. I feel like I could do anything and be anybody I want to be.” This project wasn’t to be sad. I didn’t want it to be super emotional. I wanted it to be a declaration of confidence, dominance and fun. I want people to have a good time with it. In the album, we’ll dive into stories and sad stuff.

What can you tell us about your upcoming stadium tour stops in Australia with The Weeknd?

Well, my set list is fire! It’s so large and dramatic. This is a project that when people see it live, they’ll really connect to it and it’s really going to make a lot more sense. But, I feel excited. I’m trying not to have imposter syndrome anymore, where I’m like, “Well, why me?” And it’s like, “Bitch, because you’re fire!” I think I’m stepping into the role of like, “Okay, I work my ass off. I do everything myself. I deserve to be here.” I want to keep working hard and being the best artist ever.

You mentioned your debut album. Have you started working on it?

I’ve started making some songs. There’s definitely songs from the past that I know are very fitting for an album. I don’t have a name yet. That usually comes later in the process. But I know that I’m going to be a lot more vulnerable on this album and just more hits. My songwriting is evolving. I’m working with more artists now. I think when you do a lot of things yourself, you forget there’s a world of people out there [who] want to work with you. I’m definitely tapping in with more artists and just building”. 

I am going to wrap up with this interview from Russh. If you do not know about Chxrry22, then you really need to tune in! Connect through social media and listen to Siren. Definitely a name in music who will define 2024. This year is going to be made so much richer by incredible women putting out the most wonderful and strong music. I love what Chxrry22 is doing:

“Posting a video of yourself to the internet and reaching the kind of virality that changes the path of one's life and career is a relatively common experience in today's TikTok-driven climate. But back in 2017, before Gen Z took over the internet with choreographed dances and political hot takes, a story like that of Justin Bieber (who was discovered on YouTube as a pre-teen) was hard to come by.

But that's exactly what happened to Chxrry22 (pronounced 'Cherry'), the Ethiopian-Canadian singer-songwriter who posted a video of herself singing song covers to Instagram and soon became the first woman signed to The Weeknd's record label, XO. Growing up, Chxrry22 knew she wanted to be famous — she just didn't know what for. But singing was always what she was known for, whether that be in church or in the choir, she just didn't realise it was possible until she got the call to come to Los Angeles for a meeting — something she initially thought was a joke.

Now, technically, living in L.A. with time split between her home city of Toronto, Atlanta and New York when she's not on the road, Chxrry22 released her highly-anticipated EP, Siren, last week to a cult-like audience — who already knew every word four days later at the intimate release party in L.A. on Monday evening. She's been announced as the opening act for the Australian and New Zealand leg of The Weeknd's tour (which was recently postponed with dates to be announced in 2024), counts SZA as a fan (if IG follows are anything to go by), and sat front row, beside Emily Ratajkowski, at New York Fashion Week in September

Here, we speak about the creation of Siren, communication with fans, and what's to come.

Congrats on your EP, I’ve been listening to it all weekend. It’s really so good. The response online has been amazing, too. How did it feel to finally play it live last night?

I was very taken aback. I wasn't expecting everyone to know all the words already. But they knew every single word. I was honestly so shocked. I think that's why there were so many points where I would stop singing because I was looking at them very puzzled, like, 'Huh?'

You have really great stage presence. Do you get nervous beforehand?

As I do more performances, I get less nervous. But I definitely get overwhelmed sometimes when I see so many faces in the crowd. I feel like I have out-of-body experiences when I'm on stage sometimes. Because I'm like, 'How are all these people here? To see little old me?'

You looked amazing last night and have such a specific aesthetic in general, how much do clothes and beauty have to do with the way you communicate with your fans?

I think it plays a big role because they love me for my music, but I think they really appreciate the whole package. They appreciate how much I put into my creative and how intentional I am even just with colours. A girl at the show yesterday came up to me and said that she'd made me clothes, specifically in red and black. It just made me realise that they really appreciate all the little things that go into it. I think it plays a huge role in the way we connect and communicate.

What did she make you?

She made me bunch of designs. But the one that she was really excited about was this strapless dress which was sheer in the middle and had belts and lace on it, it was very intricate.

So cute! So back to Siren, can you talk me through the process of making it? How long did it take? An how did it all come together?

I started making this project last year. Once I finished my first project, The Other Side, and it came out, I let it live for a couple of months. It was my first project ever. So I was just seeing how people reacted to it and what people gravitated towards, and just naturally living with the music in the real world. I took a lot of notes. And around December, I started making Siren. I would say, honestly, until a month before it came out, I finally was like, 'Okay, this is done.' I'm very picky and very particular, so I was going back and forth about which songs I wanted to put in and which songs I didn't”. 

I shall leave things there. It is going to be a busy and huge year for Chxrry22. With some massive tour dates ahead and the likelihood of festival demands, it is no wonder she is begin tipped as someone to watch very closely. I have not heard her much on U.K. radio. I hope her music gets more airtime here. Siren is a stunning E.P. that should be played far and wide. Confirmation that she is a very special artist indeed. Many might see her as ‘rising’ right now, though it is clear that…

MAINSTREAM success awaits.

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Follow Chxrry22

FEATURE: Spotlight: Bel Cobain

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

  

Bel Cobain

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I hope that more interviews…

PHOTO CREDIT: Milo Matthew for i-D

go up this year with the amazing Bel Cobain. She is someone who is fascinating to hear. Her music is incredibly powerful and brilliant. Learning more about the woman behind the music. I think there are a lot of new fans who want to know more about Cobain and her influences etc. How her music comes together. I am going to end with a fairly recent interview with her. Before that, there are a couple of other things I can bring in that give us some background and insight. An amazing artist who is definitely going to go very far, I am tipping her for great things this year. The Radical Forgiveness E.P. was released in November. The dreamy and gorgeous opening, Pressure to Exist then leads to the finale, Awakening. With heavier beats and the sense of something more intense, you flip through different moods and sounds; at all times, it is Bel Cobain and that amazing voice that buckles the knees and brings every song vividly to life. Here is a little more on this wonderful artist that everyone needs to know:

“Bel Cobain, a rootsy, organic storyteller rejecting the prevailing status quo has proven herself to be a multi-dimensional artist, translating her message through stories, artwork, poetry, and, most favoured, her emotive musicality.

Bel has marked her territory in the UK neo-soul scene, with her intimate lyrics and smooth melodies creating a truly unique sound and her entrancing yet soft and mellow vocals have carried her across various genres, highlighting her enigmatic presence, which all comes alive when she performs”.

Before moving things up to date, in 2022, Bel Cobain released the brilliant double single, Leader/Unsafe House. Being fairly recent to her music, I am sort of listening back and seeing where she has come from and how her music has developed. Always such a compelling and wonderous artist, there is something very special about her. More eyes need to be on this London artist who is going to be playing some massive stages before long. With this magic inside of her, I can see worldwide tours and awards in her future. New Wave Magazine reflected on an incredible double-single release from the one and only Bel Cobain:

“Emerging from East London with the combination of artistry, an angelic voice and spiritual soul, we are introduced to the fascinating songstress, Bel Cobain, who has recently released the double single ‘Leader’ and ‘Unsafe House’. Bel has been breaking new ground since her debut single 'Introverted Stoner' placed her on the map in 2019, followed by a collaboration with Lex Amor the following year that established her spot in the scene.

When it comes to music, Bel is encircled with poetry, the debate of societal and political narratives…intertwined with such iconic and mystical inspirations like Pink Floyd, Greentea Peng, Kate Bush, Angie Stone, Erykah Badu and Fela Kuti. We receive these inspirations due to the Afrobeat, Latin and psychedelic vibrations that rise from her music. Bel's 'Leader' is known to have been created at a home studio in an intimate affair in under an hour, with her giving in to the enchantment and letting the words flow freely out of her, earning her recognition from acclaimed musicians such as Lex Amor and Hak Baker.

The mesmerising and jazzy ‘Leader’, allows listeners to feel the vast power of submission as Bel expresses through an empowering and liberating way. The composition of how the instruments such as the piano, trumpet and bass guitar blend together are orchestrated and curated beautifully, and accompany Bel’s voice that has an added depth of raw musicality. The feeling is prominent, spiritual and makes you feel whole, makes you feel warm.

On the surface, ‘Unsafe House’ creates the imagery of an intimate environment; your mind is wandering on a warm evening overseas whilst the trumpet (played by Juan Carlos Montiel) and Bel’s voice serenades the crowd within a cafe. Delving beneath it, the track subtly tackles ancestral trauma and what it means to feel insecure in places you should feel safe”.

Born in Hackney, Bel Cobain is now in Kent. Perhaps living a life with a different type of energy and influence, i-D spoke with her about the new E.P., Radical Forgiveness. It is a great interview, as we get to know more about the many sides of the intriguing and inspiring Bel Cobain. Someone who wants to be seen as more than someone with a pretty face and great voice (paraphrasing her). Deep messages and a sense of spirituality and truth that runs through her music. Again, there is demand and need for more interviews with Cobain. She explained to i-D how she is releasing a series of E.P.s before her debut album:

“She’s articulate and poetic, much like her lyrics, but the 22-year-old Londoner is also outraged: “There is no sense behind this world that we're living in.” She’s thinking about Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza and a war in Ukraine, among other conflicts. “How the fuck, on one side of the world, can the worst atrocities be existing and simultaneously, we're sitting in a coffee shop having a laugh? All of our families are at home safe.”

“One brain cannot quantify the reason for life when those two things are going on,” she continues. Written earlier this year, her song, “Worldly Bliss”, tries to make sense of it all. It opens with haunting synthesised vocals that sound almost like the morning call of a bird, while she raps: “No need for the mindless weapons/ they make in a blink of a second/ and call this heaven/ How can I question this?/ Worldly bliss.” She reflects on her privilege — why does she deserve to be warm, fed and safe while others do not? “I’m not ready for this minefield,” she sings, “we live but you die slow.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Milo Matthew 

Following in the footsteps of artists like Kendrick Lamar, who she calls one of the “modern greats,” Bel is dedicated to building a collection of EPs before she releases her first album. “I like the idea of that freedom before you say to the world, ‘I’m ready to give you a message’. When I say ‘radical forgiveness,’ I’m not there yet, it’s just something I’m exploring,” she explains. Bel wants the EP to feel like a journey: the main single, “Pressure to Exist”, is soulful and rootsy and depicts the artist as a victim. “Unlikely” is much more jazzy with a drum and bass rhythm throughout, while “Worldly Bliss” and “Came Over Me” distil alternative R&B and hip hop. The last song “Awakening”, is a lighter dance track that encourages the listener to move, and for her to move on.

Bel often straddles the line between the academic and the spiritual. It helps her “merge colossal feelings with the academic essence of science”. “Spirituality is just one step from science. In science we learned that energy is never lost, it’s only borrowed and transferred. It’s completely connected with the physicalness and the manifestation of things and understanding how we all interrelate,” she says. “The moment you completely surrender to that, that's when you can start doing magic and manifestation because you've surrendered from your attachment to these things.” 

Bel grew up on Pembury Estate, a series of 1930s walk-up blocks in Hackney Downs, with her mum, who used to play a lot of progressive and psychedelic rock. That ilk of music had political elements to it, she says, with bands like Pink Floyd proving to be formative for the singer. She was also dragged on marches for much of her childhood: “back when Tony Blair was doing his fuckery.”

Radical Forgiveness is Bel’s attempt at telling the world she cares. “I don't just want to be a pretty face with a voice,” she says. “I want to make sure that if there's anything I leave, it's a clear message for people to wake up, smell the coffee and do something about it. I'm on radical energy,” she says. “Maybe not always radical forgiveness, but radical energy”.

I really love what Bel Cobain I putting into the world. One of those artists that everybody needs to discover and have in their life, I do hope her music gets more exposure. Too good to be reserved to a certain few, we are going to hear a lot more from this phenomenal artist. Acquaint yourself with a sensational and stunning artist whose words cross between the academic and spiritualty. With a rich and sumptuous voice that holds beauty and power, there are these combination of assets and dynamics that means her music gets right into the heart and head. She has some tour dates coming soon. Do catch her if she is playing near you! The wonderful Bel Cobain is someone to watch very close this year. Do make sure you connect with her and follow the path of…

THIS extraordinary artist.

___________

Follow Bel Cobain

FEATURE: I'm Gonna Set It Straight, This Watergate: Beastie Boys’ Sabotage at Thirty

FEATURE:

 

 

I'm Gonna Set It Straight, This Watergate

 

Beastie Boys’ Sabotage at Thirty

_________

THE first single…

from Beastie Boys’ fourth studio album, Ill Communication, Sabotage turns thirty on 28th January. Considered to be the best song from the iconic Hip-Hop trio (Adam ‘Ad-Rock’ Horovitz, Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch and Michael ‘Mike D’ Diamond), its incredible energy and quotability was matched by a legendary video. Directed by Spike Jonze, it pays homage and tribute to 1970s crime dramas like Hawaii Five-O and Starsky and Hutch. Without doubt one of the most memorable videos ever, there was this perfect combination that makes Sabotage such a genius song. One cannot think about it without visualising that video! I wanted to bring in some features around Sabotage and its making. I will come to a feature that takes a deep dive into that Spike Jonze-directed video for Sabotage. In 2021, Rolling Stone declared Sabotage to be the 245th-best (out of 500) song ever:

“The Beasties started raising hell as a New York hardcore-punk band before evolving into hip-hop kings. “Sabotage” shows off their mastery in both domains, a rap-rock bombshell from their 1994 hit Ill Communication. The three MCs jam on Yauch’s fuzzed-out bass riff, while Horovitz gets ill on the mic. As he said, “This one called for some old-fashioned screaming, that’s for sure.” “Sabotage” also inspired one of the coolest videos ever, a Seventies trip full of bad wigs and cheap suits — as big an influence on comedy as it was on music”.

In 2013, Sound on Sound went inside a classic track. Co-producer and engineer of Sabotage, Mario Caldato Jr. (Mario C), discussed the making and evolution of the song. it is interesting learning about how the classic came about. The recording and creative process of Ill Communication sounds fascinating and eventful. I am always interested learning about Sabotage and any revelations. An insanely good song that is almost like an explosion. It hits you the first time you hear it and sounds as powerful every time you come back to it:

“The standout track from the Beastie Boys' smash hit Ill Communication album nearly didn't make it onto the record at all — and when it did, it was the eight-track ADAT mix that made the final cut.

Released on 28th January 1994, a full four months ahead of the hip-hop trio's fourth studio album, Ill Communication, 'Sabotage' is a prime piece of rapcore, featuring Adam 'Ad-Rock' Horovitz's manic yelling backed by a compelling blend of hard rock, rap and scratching. As such, it's the high point of a US chart-topping album that's heavy on rhyming, word battles and funky grooves. It's therefore interesting that, according to Ad-Rock, "'Sabotage' was recorded as an instrumental, and the vocals weren't added until two weeks before the record was completed. It was the last song on Ill Communication to be finished.”

"Musically, that record had a lot of dynamics and impact,” says Mario Caldato Jr, who engineered and co-produced the album. "We lived it and all of the pieces came together.”

Too Rock?

According to Caldato, none of the songs were completely written prior to the band entering the studio. Instead, the material either evolved out of jam sessions or was created later with loops and editing.

"'Bobo On The Corner' was created live while jamming,” he says. 'The same for 'Sabrosa', 'Futterman's Rule', 'Eugene's Lament', 'Ricky's Theme', 'Heart Attack Man', 'Shambala', 'Transitions' and 'Sabotage'. We didn't have any of those numbers when we went to New York. When we returned to LA, we had them as basic tracks and then crafted them into fully fledged songs. The other tracks I didn't mention were all rap songs created with loops, and within those loops we'd add an acoustic bass, a live drum or something like that. However, those numbers were mainly based on loops.

"The starting point for most of the songs was an idea that came from touring, and in some cases we even pulled up cassette recordings of the soundchecks. However, there were also tracks that evolved out of nothing, and a prime example of that is 'Sabotage', which just happened. Adam Yauch was in the studio, working on his bass sound with the Superfuzz pedal that he loved, and he came up with that riff and kept jamming it for a while. He'd really get deep into stuff and focus hard on it. Eric Bobo heard that riff while sitting in the control room and he ran out and started playing a rhythm on the timbales, at which point Mike D entered the control room and said, 'What's going on?' 'Go in there,' I told him. 'Follow Bobo.' So, that's what he did, accenting the bass riff with his drums, because it's really the bass riff that drives and makes the song.

"After that, Mark came in, heard what was going on and jumped in on the organ. He hit just one chord and started turning the organ all the way up, causing the Leslie to distort while he moved the drawbars in and out, modulating the drone. When Ad-Rock heard what they were playing, I told him, 'Go for it!' Immediately, he began droning on the guitar and added some rock chord and it was like wow! The track just came together, forming from Adam Yauch's bass line, and within a couple of minutes it became this heavy thing with one chord and some hits. We kept working on it a little bit to form a quick arrangement and just recorded it. Then boom, it was done, and we were like, 'Oh, that was fun!

"When we first played it back, the guys were saying, 'It sounds too rock. We don't really want to go down that route.' There was a long discussion about it, with everyone also acknowledging it was pretty energetic and pretty cool. While we were listening, the owner of the studio — a guy named Chris — walked in. He was an older rock dude with super-long hair, and although he'd never normally comment much about what he heard when checking to see how things were going, he heard the 'Sabotage' rhythm track and said, 'Now that's what I'm talking about! This is rockin' right here! This is it!' He was super-excited about it because that's the kind of music he was into, so we ended up naming it 'Chris Rock' and it kept that title for the longest time. You know, 'It's Chris's theme.'

"In terms of the vocals, there may have been an attempt by Ad-Rock to do something, but the song still had no theme and no concept, and he finally said 'Nah, it ain't happening. Forget it.' So, we kind of left it alone, went back to G-Son in LA and continued working on the rest of the record. We had a bunch of tracks, a bunch of looping stuff that needed to be done, and I was also mixing some of the instrumentals; adding different elements while finding little parts that we liked to create a finished track. We were at G-Son from Monday to Friday for five months and throughout that time, even when we weren't working on the music, we'd hang out, shoot basketball and girlfriends would show up. At other times, Biz Markie and Q-Tip would also show up to record their vocals, along with the Jungle Brothers and whoever else was in town.

Ad-Rock Saves The Day

"'Sabotage', meanwhile, was still just an instrumental. I did one rough mix of it and it stayed there as our reference. Every once in awhile we'd put it up and listen to it, and they'd go, 'We don't know if it fits the record. It may be a bit too out there. We don't want to get back into screaming or any of that rock stuff.' You see, the guys were still sensitive to the first album having a lot of rock elements and rock guitars, so they were very cautious about how to proceed with the song. At some point, Ad-Rock again attempted to do some sort of vocal thing which just didn't pan out, and then, when we were already sequencing the songs and about two weeks from wrapping up the record, he called me and said, 'Dude, I want to try one more time to sing on that Chris Rock jam. I've got an idea for the lyrics.'

"He didn't want to do it at their studio, so I said, 'Fine, we can demo it at my house.' As I had a little home studio, I took the two-track mix that I had made of the song, threw it down on to an ADAT on two tracks — left-right — and had six tracks on which to mess around with vocal ideas. Then I set up the Sennheiser 421, Ad-Rock came by and he performed the lyrics that you hear on the record. He nailed it in one or two takes and I was like, 'Oh, my God, that's it! You did it!' It was perfect. He had done his homework and he was screaming it with the exact amount of energy and attitude needed.

"Being rappers, the Beasties felt comfortable using hand-held vocal mics. They didn't like the idea of singing into a big mic with the pantyhose [pop filter]. What's more, Ad-Rock and Mike D have those high voices, so cuffing the mic actually made them sound a little thicker and roughened them up. It worked out good, I'd compensate with EQ and, as there were no playback speakers to feed back, it just had a different sound. I don't think I ever used condenser mics with those guys. They used hand-held SM58s and MD421s, as well as cheap karaoke mics. Our secret weapon for 'So What'cha Want' [the second single from Check Your Head] was a $29 Sony Variety karaoke mic.

"The day after Ad-Rock recorded the 'Sabotage' lead vocal at my place, we took the track back to G-Son and said, 'Hey guys, check this out.' When they listened to it they said, 'Oh, sick! Yo, let's do the bridge part!' So we added the backing refrain: 'Listen all y'all, it's a sabotage'. Then Yauch did some terminating scratches, Ad-Rock also cut in some scratching — 'Our backs are now against the wall' — and we finished it on the eight-track ADAT. I didn't even dump it to a 24-track master tape. I was like, 'Let's just mix it right off the ADAT.'

"The rough left-right stereo mix was fine: vocals on one track, two background vocals and some stereo scratching — boom. So, after we did a couple of mixes to DAT everyone was excited about the song. You know, 'This is really good. It'll sound great on the record.' It just had so much more energy and sounded so different. When we'd play it to people, they'd freak out. That's what the record needed”.

There is a good argument to suggest that Sabotage is the greatest music video ever. It is in my top three. Such is its charm, humour and watchability, it can be appreciated by anyone. You do not need to know what the video is referring to get a lot out of it. It is brilliant watching the video and realising what fun they must have had! Beastie Boys and extras putting together this mini-masterpiece. In 2019, Kerrang! did a shot-by-shot examination and salute of the majestic Sabotage video:

“Art is subjective, so there’s no such thing as the definitive best music video ever, but if there was, it might just be the Beastie Boys’ clip for Sabotage, a joyously silly video that is pretty much one joke dragged out for three delightful minutes.

Directed by Spike Jonze, who would go on to make films like Being John Malkovich and Her as well as co-creating Jackass, the low-budget video sees MCA, Ad-Rock and Mike D running around the streets of Los Angeles in a pastiche of 1970s detective shows.

That’s kind of all there is to it, but it’s magnificent, as much due to the video as the track itself, an incredibly catchy punk/metal/rap hybrid that partly stemmed from Ad-Rock’s anger at dealing with paparazzi at his friend River Phoenix’s funeral.

It’s one of those songs that everyone loves (and features in two Star Trek films), and the video helped kickstart the career of a guy who became one of the 21st century’s most interesting filmmakers (and made Weezer’s Buddy Holly video), so let’s dive right in and see what we learn.

0.01
Now-obscure 1970s cop shows are referenced all through this, including Hawaii Five-O, The Streets Of San Francisco, S.W.A.T., Baretta, and Starsky And Hutch.

0.11
Hey look, it’s the Beastie Boys – Adam 'MCA' Yauch, Adam 'Ad-Rock' Horowitz and Michael 'Mike D' Diamond. Director Spike Jonze met the Beastie Boys photographing them for Dirt magazine. They mentioned an idea they had for a photoshoot which Spike loved it.

“For years, Adam Horowitz had been talking about doing a photoshoot as undercover cops, wearing ties and fake mustaches and sitting in a car like we were on a stakeout,” Yauch told New York Magazine in 1999. Spike did the shoot in character despite being behind the camera the whole time. “When he was taking the pictures, he was wearing this blond wig and mustache the whole time for no apparent reason” said Yauch.

The band enjoyed the shoot so much that they decided to revisit it in video form. "We'd done videos where the production people came up with these elaborate budgets, and it started to feel really awkward on the set," Yauch said. "So we asked Spike to work with just a couple of people, so we could fit the whole production in one van. Then we just ran around L.A. without any permits and made everything up as we went along."

0.25
Spike Jonze co-created Jackass, which started in 2000, and you can really see some shared elements – the fast and loose approach to filming permissions, for instance, and this bit looks a lot like it’s been filmed from a skateboard travelling next to the car.

0.40
According to the eagle-eyed experts at Dafont, this font is called ITC Machine. So now you know.

0.58
MCA is the one Beastie that gets a dual role, as both Sir Stewart Wallace and Nathan Wind.

1.04
Trainspotting director Danny Boyle cites the energy of this video as a big influence on the famous opening credit sequence of Trainspotting, where Ewan McGregor runs through the streets of Edinburgh.

1.15
Two rented cameras were accidentally broken during production. One was placed in a ziplock bag for an underwater shot – a bag which leaked. Another fell out of a van window. The budget ended up being three times what it was meant to be, almost entirely due to these accidents.

1.21
So it’s MCA as Nathan Wind as Cochese, Ad-Rock as Vic Colfari as Bobby 'The Rookie' and Mike D as Alasondro Alegré as 'The Chief'. Layered, you know?

1.47
There were additional knife fight sequences that were left on the cutting room floor due to what could and couldn’t be shown on MTV. Some of the extra footage can be found in this blooper reel.

1.57
The ol’ dummy switcheroo is always fun, isn’t it?

2.13
That’s DJ Hurricane as Fred Kelly as Bunny. He stopped working with the Beastie Boys a few years later, before the release of 1998’s Hello Nasty.

2.24
Sabotage was nominated for five MTV Video Music Awards, and somehow didn’t win any of them. As a particularly John Malkovichian Michael Stipe of REM headed to the stage to receive the Best Group Video award, MCA came out of the wings in an amazingly convincing Swiss person costume, in character as “Nathaniel Hörnblowér”, to protest Sabotage being skipped over.

Yauch used the Hörnblowér name for his work directing several other Beastie Boys videos (including Body Movin’ and Intergalactic) and their full-length concert film Awesome; I Fuckin’ Shot That (which also features comedian David Cross as Hörnblowér in some behind-the-scenes extras). Stipe described the stage invasion as “a little bit of revolution” while Jonze described it as “an appalling situation”.

2.30
As a really successful, beloved track, it’s been covered a lot, by bands including Phish and Korn, but Cancer Bats’ 2010 cover is the best, accompanied by a video featuring the band abducting various Beastie Boys lookalikes.

2.42
Buddy Rich was a famous jazz drummer and bandleader known not only for his talent but also for his temper. Bootleg tapes were circulated of him shouting at his band members, swearing his head off, threatening to fire them for things like having beards.

2.49
Promoting the single, Beastie Boys performed Sabotage live on The Late Show With David Letterman, and holy shit, it’s amazing. It’s exhausting and brilliant and undoubtedly one of the best performances from a chat show ever.

2.54
Following Adam Yauch’s 2012 death from cancer, artist Derek Langille converted this video into comic form by way of tribute. The 7-page comic is free to download and print.

3.01
There we go. Great band, great song, great video, great fun”.

On 28th January, Sabotage turns thirty. I vaguely remember it coming out in 1994. The video instantly stuck in my mind! The album it is from, Ill Communication, was released on 31st May, 1994. The finest track from one of the group’s best albums, it is no wonder that Paste, NME, and American Songwriter ranked Sabotage as Beastie Boys’ best track. It is hard to argue against that! Thirty years after its release and it remains hugely popular on radio stations and among fans. I will leave things with the final words of an all-time classic: “What could it be? It's a mirage/You're scheming on a thing…

THAT’S Sabotage”.

FEATURE: Take Me Out, Play It Loud: The Incredible Franz Ferdinand at Twenty

FEATURE:

 

 

Take Me Out, Play It Loud

 

The Incredible Franz Ferdinand at Twenty

_________

ONE of the most important and essential…

debut albums of the 2000s, Franz Ferdinand arrived on 9th February, 2004. As it turns twenty very soon, I wanted to spend time with a classic that won the 2004 Mercury Music Prize and was nominated for Best Alternative Album at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards. Reaching number three in the U.K. album chart and spawning huge singles like Take Me Out, The Dark of the Matinée and Michael, this album still sounds awesome today. I am going to get to a couple of critical reviews for Franz Ferdinand. Before I get to those reviews, Tone Deaf marked a decade of Franz Ferdinand’s hugely acclaimed debut album in 2014. The Glasgow band’s fifth studio album, Always Ascending, was released in 2018. I wonder how they will mark twenty years of an album I would recommend people go and buy. The twentieth anniversary pressing arrives on 9th February:

“Music that girls can dance to.”

This is how Alex Kapranos concisely described the sound of his then unknown band all the way back in 2003.

Five months later, Franz Ferdinand’s debut album would be released, catapulting the Scottish foursome to the forefront of the Brit indie rock scene, and quickly becoming recognised as a modern classic of the genre.

The record would go on to sell over 3.6 million copies worldwide, win the 2004 Mercury Music Prize, sweep the Hottest 100, cement the band’s riffs and unique sound in popular culture, and contribute hugely to the revival of the post-punk genre.

Not bad for a band that only wanted to make girls dance.

Despite the lead singer and guitarist’s simple aims, the album is much more than just music that you can dance to.

It is the frantic, catchy guitars, imposing drum and bass combinations, confident vocals, and complex, intriguing lyrics that combine to form the wholly unique and, at the time, revolutionary sound of Franz Ferdinand – one that would be constantly imitated, and still influential to bands today.

It all began at a party in 2002, when Kapranos met drummer Paul Thompson and sparked a close friendship. Fellow friend Bob Hardy was taught the bass guitar by the frontman, while guitarist Nick McCarthy befriended the trio after returning from studying jazz in Germany.

The four friends were quickly signed to independent label Domino Records, and released their first EP, Darts Of Pleasure, at the end of 2003, before moving to Gula Studios in Sweden to record the album that would start it all.

Although ‘Darts Of Pleasure’ would also be the first single, it was the now-renowned riff featured on ‘Take Me Out’ that kick-started Franz Ferdinand’s success. It is a riff that would be constantly imitated by an array of bands inspired by the Glasgow-based pioneers.

The smooth, vocal driven track doesn’t really seem all that special – not until the frenetic, up-tempo guitar interjects one minute and four seconds in. From that moment, it was obvious that Franz Ferdinand were onto something special.

The ten-year-old record’s effects are still being felt today, and have helped to craft the likes of Kaiser Chiefs, The Zutons, and The Futureheads. The huge, diverse riffs are evident on much of Bloc Party’s work, who have also experienced a similar career trajectory towards more electronic sounds. Franz Ferdinand also proved influential on many other indie rock acts, including Friendly Fires, Klaxons, Kasabian, Editors, and nearly every other guitar rock band that has followed them.

Although it may be a shock that the record is already ten years old, it certainly feels somewhat dated listening to it, but that is more a comment that relates to how often and prevalently it is imitated, and should take nothing away from just how new and revolutionary it was in 2004.

While Kapranos and co may have set out just to make “music that girls can dance to”, on their debut, Franz Ferdinand helped to craft and revitalise an entire genre with a unique, clever, and concise record that is still as important and influential now as it was ten years ago”.

In 2004, Pitchfork reviewed an anticipated and wonderful debut album from an exciting British band. Even though Franz Ferdinand have inspired bands since, I am not sure whether there was anyone quite like them on the scene twenty years ago. The Franz Ferdinand album stands out as one of the first from the first decade of the 2000s:

“Not content to kickstart their career on an album laden mostly with potential, the Glaswegians have banged out a celebratory LP with lyrics bearing surprising satire, wit, and unabashed romance. On the upcoming single, "Dark of the Matinee", Alexander Kapranos positions himself as a bitter cynic who eventually gives in to fame (though it may be, as the title suggests, in the dimmer regions of the spotlight) after being charmed by an attractive optimist, and, one would imagine, the unapologetic funk of the track itself. By the last verse, Kapranos imagines himself smiling wide, sitting with Abba-loving AM talk show host Terry Wogan. With their meteoric rise, Franz Ferdinand could very well be within a year of it. They're poised to be the next Duran Duran or the next Pulp. Or they could be the next Menswear. In any case, it will be a spectacle.

"Jacqueline" opens the album deceivingly with gentle acoustic strums and student poem prattle before raygun guitars and splashing cymbals annihilate any notion of plaintive reflection. Kaparanos soon blurts phrases like "it's so much better on holiday," "I'm so drunk I don't mind if you kill me," "I'm alive, I'm alive," and "we need the money." The pace never lets up. Even their breakthrough single, "Take Me Out", blatantly changes its mind from Pixies-like pop to squiggly guitar disco a quarter of the way through. Only on "Cheating on You" do the drums drop their high-hat riding for stuttering punk.

Franz Ferdinand rarely stray far from the dueling-guitars-with-occasional-keyboard approach, granting even the bounciest dance floor numbers pleasantly rough edges, but the final two tracks peak with greater arrangement and studio flourish. Flashy flanger-flecked guitar and layered, lachrymose keyboards add an epic air to the tale of confused post-relationship emotions of "Come on Home", while "40 Ft" tiptoes in on spy guitars. Like the overlooked brilliance of Parklife's Side B, the song turns back to triumphant, operatic music spiked with pessimism and noise. Even Damon Albarn's beloved melodica makes an appearance 2\xBD minutes in.

Like all lasting records, Franz Ferdinand steps up to the plate and boldly bangs on the door to stardom. There's no consideration for what trends have just come and gone. There's no waffling or concessions for people who won't get it. As with all great entertainment, it will divide opinion. I honestly couldn't remember Volodrag, The Hold My Coat, Santa Schultz, or the bands in whose reviews they appeared. I'd made that stuff up to amuse myself during boring albums. As I told Ryan, Franz Ferdinand didn't need a concept. We would all remember this one. Like that wizard's cap”.

I am going to round things off with a review from AllMusic. They showed a lot of love and respect for the mighty Franz Ferdinand. I think that the fact quite a few of its songs regularly feature on radio now shows what a respected and enduring album it is. If you have not heard it in a while then spend some time spinning an album that got huge kudos back in 2004. It is considered one of the best albums of that decade:

“While the Darts of Pleasure EP proved that Franz Ferdinand had a way with equally sharp lyrics and hooks, and the "Take Me Out" single took their sound to dramatic new heights, their self-titled debut album offers the most expansive version of their music yet. From the first track, "Jacqueline," which begins with a brooding acoustic prelude before jumping into a violently vibrant celebration of hedonism, Franz Ferdinand is darker and more diverse than the band's previous work suggested. "Auf Ausche" has an unsettling aggression underneath its romantic yearning, its cheap synth strings and pianos underscoring its low-rent moodiness and ruined glamour. And even in the album's context, "Take Me Out" remains unmatched for sheer drama; with its relentless stomp and lyrics like "I'm just a cross hair/I'm just a shot away from you," it's deliciously unclear whether it's about meeting a date or a firing squad. The wonderfully dry wit the band employed on Darts of Pleasure's "Shopping for Blood" and "Van Tango" is used more subtly: the oddly radiant "Matinee" captures romantic escapism via dizzying wordplay. "Michael," meanwhile, is a post-post-punk "John, I'm Only Dancing," by equal turns macho and fey; when Alex Kapranos proclaims "This is what I am/I am a man/So come and dance with me, Michael," it's erotic as well as homoerotic. Love and lust make up a far greater portion of Franz Ferdinand than any of the band's other work; previously, Franz Ferdinand's strong suit was witty aggressiveness, and the shift in focus has mixed results.

There's something a little too manic and unsettled about Franz Ferdinand to make them completely convincing romantics, but "Come On Home" has swooning, anthemic choruses guaranteed to melt even those who hate swooning, anthemic choruses. Fortunately, the album includes enough of their louder, crazier songs to please fans of their EPs. "Darts of Pleasure" remains one of the best expressions of Franz Ferdinand's shabby glamour, campy humor, and sugar-buzz energy, and "Tell Her Tonight," which debuted on the Darts of Pleasure EP, returns in a full-fledged version that's even more slinky, menacing, and danceable than the demo hinted it might be. And if Franz Ferdinand's aim has always been to get people dancing, then "Cheating on You"'s churned-up art punk and close, Merseybeat-like harmonies suggest some combination of slam dancing and the twist that could sweep dancefloors. Despite its slight unevenness, Franz Ferdinand ends up being rewarding in different ways than the band's previous work was, and it's apparent that they're one of the more exciting groups to come out of the garage rock/post-punk revival”.

On 9th February, we celebrate twenty years of Franz Ferdinand. Released through Domino and produced by Tore Johansson and Franz Ferdinand, this 2004 debut does not sound dated or of its time. It is so relevant and fresh still. You can hear the bands who were listening to this album and took inspiration from it. Hardly surprising. So full of masterful songs, I know we will be speaking about Franz Ferdinand and its relevance…

DECADES from now.