FEATURE: Mirror Mirror: Why Pet Shop Boys’ Claims Ageism in Music Doesn’t Exist Is Especially Ignorant

FEATURE:

 

 

Mirror Mirror

IN THIS PHOTO: Madonna during her current Celebration Tour

 

Why Pet Shop Boys’ Claims Ageism in Music Doesn’t Exist Is Especially Ignorant

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MAYBE they are referring to the popularity…

IN THIS PHOTO: Pet Shop Boys (Neil Tenant and Chris Lowe)/PHOTO CREDIT: Alasdair McLellan

of albums by artists over the age of fifty but, in a new interview from The Guardian, Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tenant has suggested ageism in music does not exist. Maybe he was meant to say that records are timeless and, therefore, ageism doesn’t exist in terms of legacy and modern relevance. New albums by older artists survive decades, whereas artists like Pet Shop Boys are still hugely popular:

“Tennant famously worked at Smash Hits pre-Pets, and this begs a Hits-style question: what does their new album smell like? “That is a good Smash Hits question,” says Tennant. “It’s not citrony or sweet. I think it’s slightly more musky.”

Nonetheless is a marked development from their last Parlophone record, 2012’s beautiful but melancholy Elysium, a slightly defeated collection about becoming invisible as older men and musicians, also made in the wake of the deaths of Tennant’s parents. In 2022, the Pets helmed a Palace fashion advert alongside Joan Collins, now 90; a Loewe advert starring Maggie Smith, 89, recently went viral. Madonna, 65, is no longer lambasted for ageing, but triumphantly touring her Celebration retrospective. Have attitudes to older people changed in the past decade?

“Weirdly, music ceased to be ageist,” says Tennant, as various chocolate cakes arrive and the pair produce an astonishing amount of crumbs. “Young people are listening to their parents’ records. It’s all up for grabs.” He credits YouTube. “You could have a fond memory of seeing the video for Strawberry Fields Forever on Top of the Pops in 1967, and then you never saw it again. But I could look at it now. Something happened then. It all existed at the same time.” They crashed into this last year when Drake released a song with an unlicensed quotation of West End Girls, which Tennant found out about through a young nephew: “He was quite impressed, actually.” It got sorted after a cross tweet. “They were very helpful and apologetic,” says Tennant. Did they get paid? “Oh we certainly did.”

He ventures a theory. “I think pop stars have managed to do what we used to think only old blues musicians could do – turn into sort of ‘authentic’, classic … I think the public accept that. You could call it nostalgia, but I think it’s a desire to witness an authentic movement recreated. Age doesn’t seem to matter any more because the music doesn’t seem to have aged”.

It is incredibly ignorant to suggest that ageism does not exist in music. Maybe not so much for men but, for women, it is something that affects them. Chuck D recently spoke about ageism Madonna received during her Celebration Tour world extravaganza. Laura Snapes’ short-sighted assessment that Madonna is celebrated and not slammed because of her age is strange! So many people have taken to social media to troll her. She has received so much criticism for ‘not acting her age’ and trying to recapture the past. Even though the tour is wildly popular, its star attraction is not immune to ageism. Same for Kylie Minogue. Her latest album, TENSION, is one of her best. Even given her success and legacy, she has had to fight against ageism. Even though she has said it is not cool to be ageist now, that does not mean it’s non-existent! Minogue knows this. So how can we say music is not ageist?! BBC Radio 1 was accused of being ageist by James’ Tim Booth. Belinda Carlisle has also said she had faced ageism. Is it ambiguous when we look at the word, ‘ageism’/’ageist’. In terms of sound and relevance, I don’t think that the scene is obsessed solely with young artists and anyone over thirty is seen as washed-up and irrelevant. I do think that artists over fifty especially are still subjected to ageism and have to battle to get heard. This is especially true for women.

IN THIS PHOTO: Belinda Carlisle/PHOTO CREDIT: Nick Spanos/The Guardian

In terms of women over the age of thirty, there are artists fighting against dusty ageism. This post from 2022 suggests how there is a tide starting to turn. Even though there is a tonne of ageism still in 2024 – it is very much available to view online if you think it has disappeared! -, at least there is a bit more flexibility towards featuring female artists over thirty:

“The pressures of an industry obsessed with youth applies to both men and women, but of course with women it’s particularly brutal. The entertainment business – from music to Hollywood – has always fetishised the “ingénue” (just look at the backlash against Billie Eilish when she unveiled her new ‘womanly’ look on the cover of Vogue, age 18, or the vitriol directed towards a just-turned-18 Millie Bobby Brown when she started dressing sexy). It is profoundly depressing to think that Smash Hits reviewed a 35-year-old Madonna with the headline, “Calm Down Grandma!” in 1992.

And then there is the question of motherhood: record label bosses worried about investing in an artist who might only have a year or two before they want to have a baby, while singers like Paloma Faith and Jessie Ware have revealed how mercilessly inflexible the business can be for touring mothers.

Faith has revealed she knocked four years off her age (from 27 to 23) after she read an article that described KT Tunstall as old – at just 27. Anastacia said she was 23 when she was actually 30. As Madonna said in a 2016 speech accepting a Billboard Woman of the Year award: “In the music industry…to age is to sin”.

But, in the last two years, there seems to have been a shift, with a crop of female musicians breaking into the business in their thirties. Lizzo’s name-making sleeper hit Truth Hurts (originally released in 2017) entered the charts in 2019 when she was 31. Rina Sawayama released her breakthrough album SAWAYAMA in 2020 aged 30. And that same year Jessie Ware – who almost quit the music industry after becoming a mother – released the most successful album of her career, What’s Your Pleasure, aged 35. In January Priya Ragu made the BBC Sound of 2022 poll – a poll journalists use to identify each year’s shiny new generation of musicians – age 36. And Self Esteem – who used to lie about her age – was in February nominated for a Brit in the Best New Artist category at the age of 35, writing on Twitter, “In an industry obsessed the with youth of women, I’m galvanised as fuck by this.”

If the tide is genuinely turning, then I am relieved. Yes, youth and a breathlessly fast ascent is an easier story to sell (to my editor, to the reader, in a headline), but interviewing a young star is always hard work. Not only is it difficult to tease out anything particularly enlightening from the average teenager (and nor do you want to mine them for unprocessed trauma), I always feel a little concerned about immortalising opinions that will surely change three times over in the course of their early twenties through quotes that will forever sit somewhere on the internet. Last year when I interviewed a 17 year-old “viral star” on Zoom from the middle of his messy teenage bedroom, he seemed so vulnerable the experience genuinely felt wrong.

And I am relieved for their sake too. Fame is always easiest to navigate once you’ve already grown up away from the spotlight – you only have to chart the rise and fall of most Hollywood child stars to see why. Last week, Lizzo spoke to Vanity Fair about how her arduously slow route to success meant that “I was almost 30 when all this shit started popping up on me. I had a chance to fuck up as a teenager and in my 20s.… I’m so glad I had a chance to grow up and then get hit with all this shit”.

So many women in the music industry would argue how ageism is very much still around. Madonna has been slagged off and trolled. So many women over forty and fifty are still not played on playlists. BBC Radio 1 is not exclusively for younger artists, though there is still this segregation when it comes to stations and the age of artists. BBC Radio 2 playlisting ‘older’ artists and BBC Radio 1 for younger artists. I have heard from women in their forties and fifties who are given less airplay or taken less seriously because they are not in their twenties or thirties. The rise of TikTok artists and a wave of fresh and young Pop shows that there is still a preference for artists of a certain age. This suggestion music’s ageism has gone is very naive. It has distinctly improved. Not as rampant as it once was. Older women largely missing from festivals, especially the headline slots. I struggle to see how things have drastically improved. They haven’t. This year should be one where ageism isn’t a factor but, if you look at radio playlists, features, festival bills and beyond, you will see that the industry has an age block. It is one where women are still being victimised and ignored. If journalists are less obvious in their ageism, look at online comments and criticism of artists like Madonna and there is ageism all around. Nobody can argue against that – as there is ample evidence -, so there is no way ageism doesn’t exist. Maybe in terms of older artists having their music embraced, ageism is less prolific there. When it comes to attitudes towards older artists, particularly female performer, sadly, we have a very…

LONG way to go.

FEATURE: Not Any Tom, Dick and Harry: Ringo Starr’s Beats & Threads, and Another Important Year for The Beatles

FEATURE:

 

 

Not Any Tom, Dick and Harry

  

Ringo Starr’s Beats & Threads, and Another Important Year for The Beatles

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I have been thinking about The Beatles…

IN THIS PHOTO: The Beatles (left to right: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison) in an iconic Paris pillow fight shot from 1964/PHOTO CREDIT: Harry Benson 

a lot recently. I think about The Beatles a lot all of the time. Whilst most of my neutral brain is dedicated to Kate Bush, I often have The Beatles in the background. Often, these two worlds intereact and I wonder why Kate Bush and Ringo Starr never did anything together, as they share a lot of musical and spiritual DNA. Same of her and George Harrison. Bush met and worked alongside Paul McCartney, though she did not have a lot of exposure to the other band members (once, Kate Bush said her favourite Beatles album was Magical Mystery Tour, so she appreciated the trippy and deeper cuts). You might be forgiven by being confused by the first part of the title. Tom, Dick, and Harry is used as a placeholder for unknown or unextraordinary people. In the context of Ringo Starr, the ‘Tom’ refers to a tom-tom; a crucial part of percussion kit. The ‘Dick’ is a distillation and alternative to Richard (Ringo Starr’s real name is Richard Starkey). The ‘Harry’ is a little more obscure: Harry Benson’s early-1964 photos of The Beatles in the storm of Beatlemania have their sixtieth anniversary coming. In fact, and before I get to the main objective of this feature, 2024 is another big year for Beatles fans – though, I guess every year is in some way! 1964 was a massively important year for the band. On 9th February, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in the U.S. and, with it, ignited a fire of screaming and passionate fandom/obsession! On 10th July, the band released their third studio album, A Hard Day’s Night. The first album of entirely oriignal compositions, the film of the same name came out in the U.K. on 6th July, 1964. With the release of The Beatles’ final single, Now and Then, last year, there is still plenty to look forward to in terms of anniversaries and various bits!

There is cynicism and cries of cash-grab when we get a Beatles reissue and remaster. Whether it is the iconic ‘red’ and ‘blue’ albums coming back out or a new book about them, there is sceptical reaction from some. It can be expensive being a Beatles fan! I would say that the books that come from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are essential. Personal perspective and very special releases that we need to keep and cherish. We are blessed they are both still with us. Any music legend like them, Joni Mitchell or Paul Simon. Those who were around in the 1960s and 1970s and changed the face of music. When it comes to the most important element of music history, I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that Ringo Starr’s drums were up there. Maybe the most important part of music history. As the driving force and, let’s face it, the heart of the band – in terms of the respect from the other members, and the fact he is such a special human -, anything he comes out with is alright by me! Starr announced on his Instagram that a new album is coming out. A Country-themed album that was meant to be an E.P. but is not a ten-track release (an E.P., Crooked Boy, is also coming out, with the tracks are written by Linda Perry). Also, a book that looks very exciting, Beats & Threads, is one I feel should have a wider release. I shall explain why. Here is some more information:

“Beats & Threads, a new limited-edition retrospective hardcover by legendary Beatles drummer and global music icon Ringo Starr, is to be sold exclusively by the publishing division of Julien’s Auctions, the industry’s leading Rock ‘N’ Roll memorabilia auction house. Ringo’s latest publication is an unprecedented chronicle of over 70 years of his legendary sonic and sartorial style, dedicated to his historic drum kits and era-defining garments that made music and fashion history.

Featuring nearly 300 images capturing iconic and many never-before-seen intimate moments of Ringo’s illustrious life and career, along with the musician’s warm memories told in his own words, this immense tribute to the enduring influence and time-transcending impact of the Fab Four member is a ticket to ride through fashion and Beatles history, and gets back to why Ringo’s trend-setting threads were as signature as the beat of his drums.

The 312-page book is available for purchase exclusively online at www.juliensauctions.com. Exclusive limited editions of the commemorative hardcover book with a special colour cover of the Beatles signed by Ringo Starr are available for $500, and exclusive Ringo Starr signed limited editions of the book housed in a special designed slip-case that also includes an exclusive video of Ringo Starr will be available for $750..

All proceeds of the book sales will benefit The Lotus Foundation whose mission funds supports, participates in and promotes charitable projects aimed at advancing social welfare in diverse areas including, but not limited to substance abuse, cerebral palsy, brain tumors, cancer, battered women and their children, homelessness, and animals in need.

Comprehensive

Ringo, in collaboration with noted historian, author, speaker, drummer, and vintage drum collector, Gary Astridge, offers for the first-time the most comprehensive look at his legendary Beatles-era drum kits in a book containing decades of research-based information with curated and detailed photographs of these pieces of music history.

Accompanied by archival documentation including drum specifications, contracts with drum making companies such as Ajax Edgware, music engagement schedules and more, the book uncovers new perspectives and untold stories of Ringo’s and the Beatles’ musical and style evolution, such as the remarkable revelation of The Beatles’ “Drop-T” logo and its actual creator, Eddie Stokes that includes the only photo that exists of the late freelance sign painter of one of the most recognisable logos in the world.

Nine of Ringo’s original drum kits are presented here featuring his 1958 Ajax Edgware drum kit, 1960 Premier Mahogany Duroplastic, 1963 Ludwig Downbeat Drum kit, 1963 Oyster Black Pearl Ludwig Jazz Festival Snare Drum– considered one of his most important and utilized instrument in Ringo’s assortment of drums throughout his Beatles career and heard on most of their recordings.

Instrumental

Alongside this treasure trove of information are pages bursting with dazzling images of Ringo’s iconic clothing worn playing behind his drums, his life off and on the road, in studio and at home. From the early influence of the Beatles manager and father figure, Brian Epstein, who was instrumental in creating their early modern look of the Beatles’ iconic three-piece black suit designed by Douglas Millings and Beatle Boots to the Fab Four’s individual and most photographed styles, such as Ringo’s “Hey Jude” green pinstripe three-piece ensemble worn in the filming of their iconic performance filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on August 4, 1968, to his custom-made embellished “All You Need is Love” lavender silk tunic, these photographs capture the decades’ spirit and the Beatles phenomenon.

Ringo’s unforgettable and inimitable style was created by the designers who crafted these artisanal pieces from London’s most distinguished designers on Savile Row to King’s Road, Chelsea to the hippie floral shirts and bold colour jackets from the Hung on You boutique as well as Ringo’s insouciant choice of wearing then-wife Maureen’s red vinyl raincoat to protect himself from the inclement weather in the Beatles’ 1969 mythic Apple Studios rooftop performance of the filming of Let It Be.

“I enjoyed getting it together with the help of Gary, Scotty and Julien’s and I hope you enjoy it too! Peace and love, Ringo,” said Ringo Starr.

The release of the book coincides with Beatlemania back on top of the charts with the recent record-breaking release of the Beatles’ final song Now and Then making history and Peter Jackson’s acclaimed Get Back documentary that continues to be seen by millions of fans around the world since its premiere on Disney+. In 2023, Ringo went back on the road with a 34th anniversary tour with his All-Starr Band, released Rewind Forward, his fourth EP release in three years that includes the track Feeling the Sunlight with Paul McCartney and collaborated with McCartney on Dolly Parton’s cover of the Beatles’ Let It Be”.

It is great that this book has come out. It would be great if it was made widely available to fans, as it seems like one of the most important books that has been put out about the band. It is noble that money is being raised for Lotus Foundation - though I wonder if it going to be at high street stores soon. Not only is the fashion of Ringo Starr and The Beatles iconic. His kits and knowing more about his drum set-up gives a greater understanding of the songs and his genius. Rather than it being a gallery and something you can browse, there is an immersive quality to Beats & Threads. Released on 24th November, 2023, the fact Ringo Starr has just promoted the book on his Instagram makes me wonder whether Beats & Threads is still available (I cannot find any copies listed at the moment) I was sort of hoping that there would be interview from Matt Everitt and Ringo Starr. A BBC Radio 6  Music promotion of this important and fascination collection of photos. As I am writing this on 3rd February, I am not 100% sure one hasn’t been recorded. We are marking sixty years of Beatlemania, so I feel greater accessibility to archives and books like Beats & Threads is important. Paul McCartney’s 1964: Eyes of the Storm is a book everyone should get. Snapshots from Paul McCartney and his unique perspective of the mayhem and chaos that greeted The Beatles as they travelled to Paris, the U.S. and beyond. Hearing from Ringo Starr is always a pleasure, so I am looking forward to new music. I was really intrigued by the book, Beats & Threads, and it would be awesome to own it. Regular copies of the book are, I understand, were available for $80 so, if there was another round of release where one could buy the book but proceeds went to charity, then it would give even more fans a chance to own it. I am keeping an eye out in terms of the book’s availability and whether it is the signed copies available or regular ones. Incredible insight and photography from, to me, the world’s most important drummer. If the amazing Ringo Starr put Beats & Threads back into the world, then his millions of adoring fans would offer him…

PEACE and love.

FEATURE: He'll Never Make The Sweeney: Kate Bush’s Wow at Forty-Five

FEATURE:

 

 

He'll Never Make The Sweeney

  

Kate Bush’s Wow at Forty-Five

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I am looking ahead…

to 9th March. One of Kate Bush’s biggest and most incredible singles, Wow, turns forty-five. Even though Bush does not mark anniversaries and would not take to social media to mark forty-five years of a classic, I know that so many fans would. Wow was a really important single. The third song from her second studio album, Lionheart, this is a track that Bush had ready long before recording the album. It is a song that could have appeared on The Kick Inside. Lionheart is an album that has never really gained the respect and love that it deserves. Many might know it for Wow alone. Rather than put out the most instant and most ‘radio-friendly’ song from the album first, Hammer Horror was released. Charting at forty-four in the U.K., it was an unsuccessful first release from an album that a lot of people were looking at with scrutiny. After the success of The Kick Inside – which had two major singles In Wuthering Heights and The Man with the Child of His Eyes -, Lionheart was quickly recorded and was not really what Kate Bush wanted or had in mind. Obviously, Wow was always going to be a single, though I often wonder why it was not the first one out. Even though Hammer Horror is a great song, maybe Bush and EMI felt that this was distinct enough from The Kick Inside. Rather than release something similar to the songs on that album, Hammer Horror is very much Kate Bush stepping into new sonic territory. Wow has elements of the sound and vibe of The Kick Inside, yet its subject matter is completely different. When it was released on 9th March, 1979, it was less than a month before she started The Tour of Life (the first date was 2nd April).

Kate Bush performed Wow live quite a few times. It was in the setlist for The Tour of Life. She also performed it during an ABBA T.V. special in April 1979. There does seem to be some confusion over the release date of Wow. Some say 5th March, 1979, whereas others say 9th March, 1979. On 5th March, 1979, the video for Wow was shown on television for the first time on The Kenny Everett Video Show. The tickets for The Tour of Life go on sale the same day (except for certain venues, which are to cause much embarrassment by jumping the gun). As we see, Bush is interviewed on 6th March, 1979 about her new single. As part of a new Arts programme on BBC 2, Musical Chairs, a documentary recording the making of the Wow video, is shown. Bush would not have time to perform Wow on Top of the Pops, so intense were the rehearsals for The Tour of Life. When The Whole Story was released in 1986, a video was made of Wow which was a compilation of Bush performing the song live. The original video for the single is Kate Bush in a blackened studio with a light behind her. It was directed by Keef (Keith MacMillan). Thanks to the Kate Bush Encyclopedia for providing detail about the track. The critical response of Wow are pretty mixed:

“Critical response

The music paper Sounds seemed a little underwhelmed by ‘Wow’: “I hear this mediocre chanteuse crooning her way through this silly song. (…) I realise that a lot of people would like to go to bed with her, but buying all her records seems a curious way of expressing such desires.” Meanwhile, The Guardian called ‘Wow’ the “undisputed highlight” of the Lionheart album. “An eerie gentle number with perceptive lyrics. The verses still sound a little muddled but get better with playing” said Record Mirror. And Melody Maker added: “The most precisely focused Kate Bush single since Wuthering Heights despite the self-indulgent lush production.”

Kate about ‘Wow’

I’ve really enjoyed recording ‘Wow’. I’m very, very pleased with my vocal performance on that, because we did it a few times, and although it was all in tune and it was okay, there was just something missing. And we went back and did it again and it just happened, and I’ve really pleased with that, it was very satisfying.

LIONHEART PROMO CASSETTE, EMI CANADA, 1978

‘Wow’ is a song about the music business, not just rock music but show business in general, including acting and theatre. People say that the music business is about ripoffs, the rat race, competition, strain, people trying to cut you down, and so on, and though that’s all there, there’s also the magic. It was sparked off when I sat down to try and write a Pink Floyd song, something spacey; Though I’m not surprised no-one has picked that up, it’s not really recognisable as that, in the same way as people haven’t noticed that ‘Kite’ is a Bob Marley song, and ‘Don’t Push Your Foot On The Heartbrake’ is a Patti Smith song. When I wrote it I didn’t envisage performing it – the performance when it happened was an interpretation of the words I’d already written. I first made up the visuals in a hotel room in New Zealand, when I had half an hour to make up a routine and prepare for a TV show. I sat down and listened to the song through once, and the whirling seemed to fit the music. Those who were at the last concert of the tour at Hammersmith must have noticed a frogman appear through the dry ice it was one of the crew’s many last night ‘pranks’ and was really amazing. I’d have liked to have had it in every show.

KATE BUSH CLUB NEWSLETTER, SUMMER 1979”.

With Full House as its B-side, Wow is one of Kate Bush’s finest singles. Reaching fourteen in the U.K., it can be considered a success. The musicians on the track are incredible. Lionheart was an album with a blend of musicians. Kate Bush wanted her band to play on the album though Andrew Powell, the producer of The Kick Inside and Wow, wanted the same musicians from her debut. In the end, Bush’s band had to be sent home. However, on Wow, we get Brian Bath on guitar and the late Del Palmer on bass. Both were in the K.T. Bush band and were among her chosen musicians. Ian Bairnson (the late great), who was on The Kick Inside, was on electric guitar. Paddy Bush, her brother – who too was on The Kick Inside -, played mandolin. With Charlie Morgan on drums and Duncan Mackay on synthesiser, it is a song that apparently took quite a few takes. Kate Bush never truly happy with her vocals, she endlessly searched for a perfect take. In 2012, The Guardian discussed how Lionheart was a rushed disappointment, though it had a clear highlight in Wow:

“Wow was the second single from Kate Bush's difficult second album, Lionheart. It was difficult not for the usual reasons – overindulgence, procrastination, artistic crises – but because it was rushed. Lionheart came out only nine months after her debut, The Kick Inside, and frankly, it's a bit of a stinker. It's fortunate she was starting out in the late 70s rather than the impatient music scene of today, or we may never have enjoyed the rich pickings of her subsequent work.

In late 1978 the 20-year-old Bush still seemed an ingenue and it was always going to be tough following an album that contained Wuthering Heights and The Man With the Child in His Eyes. She later complained she felt under pressure from EMI to release Lionheart too early, a problem she made sure she never experienced again. But Wow was always a song that stood on its own merits. It contains many of her trademarks: enigmatic intertextual lyrics, unfeasibly high-pitched vocals that fall unexpectedly to an absurd low note (the last "wow" of each chorus is particularly amusing), tantalising verses followed by a cascading chorus. Musically, Wow is typical of her early work, with pretty woodwind, piano and strings complementing a lyrical bass line.

The song, as far an anyone other than its author knows for certain, appears to be about struggling actors and the disappointments of fame. In the video its most famous lines – "He'll never make the scene/ He'll never make the Sweeney/ Be that movie queen/ He's too busy hitting the vaseline" – were expressed through her much-parodied mime-the-lyrics dancing style. The word "Sweeney" was accompanied by her firing a gun and "hitting the vaseline" by her tapping her backside. Viewers were invited to draw their own conclusions.

Bush is such a singular talent it has become too easy to dismiss her as an eccentric, peripheral figure. It was around the time Wow was released that the pastiches began, most famously by Pamela Stephenson on Not the Nine O'Clock News”.

On 9th March, it will be forty-five years since Kate Bush’s Wow was released. I do think that this is a song whose video deserves the HD treatment. One of her most distinguished and fascinating singles, it is arresting, cheeky and distinctly Kate Bush. Maybe not played as much as it should be, I hope that people revisit the song ahead of its anniversary. This entrancing and hypnotic gem is…

SIMPLY unbelievable!

FEATURE: Spotlight: Hana Lili

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

  

Hana Lili

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I am a big fan of Hana Lili…

and hope that as many people as people connect with her music this year. The Welsh artist supported the Cardiff leg of Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour last year at the Principality Stadium, together with Scottish group Chvrches. She has just (7th February) supported Circa Waves. This is an amazing name that everyone should know about. I am keen to get to some interviews with Hana Lili. I will start with an older interview. Going back to 2021. I will bring it up to date after that. I am interested in the NOTION interview, as they spotlighted an exciting rising talent:

“It’s been a busy year for Hana Lili. After her song “Stay” played on this year’s Love Island the young Welsh star was launched into the spotlight, picking up a legion of fans with her soulful acoustic sound. 

In October, Hana delivered her 4-track EP ‘Flowers Die in Summer’ after a year of going in and out of lockdown offered her the opportunity to knuckle down and get creative. ‘Flowers Die in Summer’ is an ethereal introduction to her mellow sound, brimming with ear candy melodies, touching lyrics and silky (self-taught) production. With the music video for “Don’t Try To Call Me” shot on her phone, it’s clear this artist revels in staying authentic, original and low-key.

Giving insight into her creative process on the track “Don’t Try To Call Me”, Hana explains: ‘I wrote this song in the middle of lockdown, all my communications we’re through my phone. I sat in my room for days on end, and the phone was the only means of communication. It was a frustrating, sad and lonely time for a lot of people. I recorded a guitar loop and sampled it. The sampled guitar riff runs through the whole song; it’s perpetual and reflects the emotions of a Groundhog Day. I wrote about the feelings of isolation, loneliness, and paranoia. Ironically it’s the most upbeat song of my EP.’ 

Notion got the chance to speak with Hana Lili about how she’s developed as an artist this past year, what song never fails to make her cry, and who – or what – would play her in a film.

How have you developed creatively over the past year?

The past year has allowed me to reflect a lot. When live shows and releasing music paused, it made me question why do I do what I do? It made me realise I just love writing songs, in the same way I did when I was 14. I think remembering that being creative is simply an enjoyable process and not all about output. The last year allowed me to enjoy the process again and remember the simplicity of being creative is just to create.

How can an artist stay original nowadays?

I think staying original comes with understanding that who I am when I’m making music in my bedroom when no one else is around is who I should stay true to as an artist. Inspiration comes from everywhere in the world, and I think that it’s something to celebrate, but staying original shouldn’t be the main focus, there should be a focus on staying true to your authentic self and not feel the pressure to adapt to the trends but also to let yourself be influenced by the world outside. It’s like a double negative, what I’m saying is a contradiction, but if it’s an automatic natural process, it will just be exactly that.

What is your biggest pinch-me moment so far?

Releasing music is always that moment for me. It’s been a bizarre year and creating and writing songs has been such an amazing outlet for me and my emotions. Also, my track ‘Stay’ was played on this year’s season of Love Island which was so unexpected and a massive moment in my career so far!

Finish the sentence: I feel happiest when…

I’m busy. When I’m performing songs to new audiences, when I release new music. This past year, although great to reflect, I’m done with the over analysing of my own emotions, and having the time to micro analyse it all. It’s catch 22. I feel like it’s been a sense of release and serenity being able to release music and perform live after such a long time without it”.

One of the best singles from last year was Hana Lili’s Small Talk. I thought that it deserved a lot more radio airtime. It is one of the best releases from this amazing artist. Women in Pop spoke with Hana Lili in November about Small Talk. She also looked ahead to this year and what she wanted to achieve:

“There is such a warmness and tenderness to the song, along with a sense of melancholy, set to a lovely indie pop sound. What was the soundscape, or feels, you were aiming for with the song?

I’m a massive fan of 90s indie music. Bands such as the Cardigans, No Doubt. I find with the production being nostalgic and slightly upbeat it correlates to the lyrics in some way. Hiding behind the melancholic feel of the track, is the earnest lyrics talking about going through a hard time and not being able to communicate that properly with others.

What was the creative process like for this song? Who did you work with and how long did the whole process take?

I always start with a trail of thought. Writing random thoughts and feelings. In the lyrical dump of that day I had “I hate small talk” written down which sparked the beginning of the song. I worked with producer Jez Ashurst and songwriter Mark Vallance and we wrote the song in that day's session. The process then involved adding production with Jez, building the track, and I layered the guitars… there’s even an omnichord tucked in the mix somewhere in the track!

Who were the artists that influenced you growing up?

I would always steal my parents CDs as a way of discovering new music. Bands such as The Pixies, Nirvana, Radiohead, No Doubt and the Cardigans.

The music industry has never been a particularly welcoming or safe space for female artists, mainly because it has been run by older, straight, white men for decades. What are your experiences and/or thoughts on gender (in)equality and sexism in music?

I’m currently working with a project called ‘Merched yn Gwneud Miwsig’ which translates to Women in Music. It’s a project where we as artists encourage girls to write and produce music,  and learn about different sectors in the industry. I’m off to North Wales tomorrow to run another camp. Being a part of the project and being able to encourage young women to produce and take on roles that may be deemed as ‘male led’ has been really cool. Seeing the young women go forth  after the camp, and start producing, writing songs or taking interest in the music industry is amazing.

Growing up and producing music, I felt this internal thought sometimes that was ‘yeah that’s not really producing though’ but in reality it was, I wrote the music and produced it all in my bedroom it was satisfying to be that independent.

‘Small Talk’ is out now, what else do you have planned for the rest of the year and into 2024?

Lots of songwriting! I’m also finishing up the next single which I’m excited to share. I’ll be playing a London show on the 15th of November in the Seabright Arms as part of the ‘The Great Escape’ First Fifty launch. Which of course will lead to playing the Great Escape next year. So there will be more shows, new music and more songwriting in 2024 for sure!”.

There is another article around Small Talk that I want to bring in before wrapping things up. If you need more convincing that the wonderful Hana Lili is worth following, then I hope that the final two interviews are enough. She is an artist that is going to have an amazing year. Do ensure that she does not pass you by. I love everything she has put out so far:

“What’s the title of your latest release, and what does it mean to you?

The song is titled ‘Small Talk’ and is about a time when I was lacking confidence and hiding behind small talk in conversation with people as a way to avoid feeling vulnerable. The song idea came to me when I was out in London meeting new people and realizing what I was doing, putting up a front in the hope that people would like me and I thought I need to stop this and be me!

What was the hardest part about putting this release together, and why?

I think it’s always the stage of finalising the song in the first place, and then letting go of the recording – basically saying “Here it is it’s finished”. The creative process is always an exciting space to be in and you always think you can make things a bit better. Then suddenly it’s time to let it go and put it out into the world.

Who produced the release, and what did they bring to it?

The record was produced by Jez Ashurst. My favourite part of making the record on the production side was when Jez and I started layering the production; adding guitars, a baritone guitar, and also an Omnicord. It’s a fun balance of adding enough new, and sometimes strange elements into the mix of the production, which is something I’ve always been a fan of!

What do you want the listener to take away from listening to your music?

If it’s something they relate to, I hope it, in some way, helps them. I find that with music that I love, it’s always an artist describing something I feel or that resonates with me so specifically that it helps me to heal and feel understood.

How does a track normally come together? Can you tell us something about the process?

I always start by writing a stream of thought about what I’m feeling that day. It’s then a process of finding melodies and putting the lyrics together, similar to playing a game of crossword”.

I am going to wrap things up in a minute. Actually, for the final interview, I am returning to NOTION. A couple of years after highlighting the Welsh artist, they chatted about Small Talk. Teasing new music in the future – I can imagine a new single will arrive fairly soon -, it is another great insight into the world and talent of Hana Lili. She is someone I can see atop huge festival stages in years to come. This is a phenomenal artist that you really do need to get involved with:

“Raised in a small seaside town on Wales’ south west coast, enveloped by a wealth of culture and history, it was there that her passion for creating music began to brew. From partaking in local folk singing competitions, to now supporting the likes of Coldplay and Tom Grennan, Hana has managed to weave the thread of storytelling—learnt from competing in folk music contests—into her artistry today. Viewing writing songs as a format to understand her emotions, it’s no surprise that her songs read like pages torn from her diary, as she navigates growing up whilst reflecting on  her childhood. Her introspective nature is paradigmatically exemplified in her single ‘Small Talk’, traversing vast emotional landscapes, hardships and realities—all to the rhythm of lo-fi elements laced with her teeming alt-pop vision. Dedicating the anthem to anxious over-thinkers, Hana expresses the emotions you are burdened with when you feel like you don’t fit in.

 Expect to witness the young artists’ sugar-sweet vocals lilted with a poignant nostalgic sensibility, which calls to 90s indie and grunge. Tentative guitar strings are plucked, whilst sliding guitar riffs swoop in occasionally, all the to the backdrop of an infectious drum beat. It feels vibrant and dreamy, like a perfect shimmery bedroom pop tune that ushers a new side to her artistry, whilst continuing her quintessential devoir to be her most authentic self.

To celebrate her latest single, we catch up with Hana to talk about her Welsh heritage, stealing her parents’ CD’s and all things ‘Small Talk’.

You’ve mentioned that ‘Small Talk’ is about hiding behind meaningless conversations to avoid being vulnerable. How important is vulnerability in your songwriting, and how do you also balance that with your music’s self-assured sound?

Writing songs is a way for me to process my emotions. It’s like a diary entry of some sort about different moments and feelings I’m going through, it’s massively therapeutic. I always tend to just write about what I’m feeling and in a strange way it becomes a silver lining being able to turn feelings of frustration, sadness or anger into a song.

You just supported Coldplay and Tom Grennan – what did you learn? How was the experience, and have they, in any way, influenced your musical journey and aspirations?

Supporting Coldplay was awesome. I think it’s a real testament to their ethos as a band, that they have local acts support them on their world tour. Being on stage is definitely my happy place, it’s where I feel most comfortable. I had so much fun supporting Tom Grennan! Performing in front of a crowd is such a fantastic feeling. I learned so much watching their shows, the energy they bring and how they connect with a crowd on such big stages.

Your music has been described as an introspective variant of indie pop and folk pop. Can you share more about the themes and emotions that you explore in your music, especially in your latest EP, Existential?

My latest EP Existential explores the inside of my mind, it’s a very introspective EP. Reflecting back, I think I had a tendency to overthink a lot in this period of writing the last EP and the process of writing these songs paved way to explore that, and ask myself why that was.

As a first language Welsh speaker, you sing in both English and Welsh. How does your Welsh heritage and language influence your music, and do you have any plans to incorporate more Welsh elements into your future work?

Growing up in Wales, I began performing by competing in the Eisteddfod which is a Welsh traditional festival held here every year in Wales. That’s definitely the point whereby I fell in love with music. I’d love to release a translated Welsh version of one of my songs. I’ll definitely get my mum to help me with that (she always checks over my grammar).

What else can we expect from you in the near future? Are there any upcoming projects, collaborations, or tours that your fans should be excited about?

I have more new music on the way! I’ve been in the studio over the past couple of months recording and finishing the new tracks which I’m excited to share. I’m also performing in London on the 15th of November at the Seabright Arms as part of Great Escape’s First Fifty launch.

You’ve received support from your local community, and your upbringing in Sully played a significant role in your musical journey. How has your small seaside town upbringing influenced your music and your connection with your audience?

Wales is such a special place to me. It’s a huge part of my heritage and the music community here really gave me the chance to develop and find myself as an artist. Performing live, writing songs and producing in my bedroom.

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians who are looking to make their mark in the music industry, especially in terms of staying authentic to their own unique sound and style?

Write about something that resonates with you. Go to shows. Enjoy the process of developing yourself as an artist. Have confidence in yourself. Oh yeah and PRACTICE your instrument!! Hahaha”.

The wonderous Hana Lili has been in my sight for a while now. I am compelled to see what she comes up with this year. Her music is so distinct and memorable. After some big supports slots this and last year, there is this faith in her music and performance ability. An incredible live artist, check out her social media and go and see her play if she is near you in the future. Make sure that you go and check out the wonderful music of…

THE one and only Hana Lili.

__________

Follow Hana Lili

FEATURE: Spotlight: Erin LeCount

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

  

Erin LeCount

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AFTER a string of…

incredible live dates last year, I know that there will be a lot of demand for the wonderful Erin LeCount. She is a singer songwriter, musician and producer from Chelmsford. I first heard her when the E.P., Soft Skin, Restless Bones, arrived in September of last year. One of my favourite E.P.s from last year, I was instantly struck by Erin LeCount’s music. Someone who instantly draws you in, I hope there is more new music this year. Among the acts booked for The Great Escape festival in May, she is someone that I would recommend you check out. Perhaps the first bit of news and buzz I heard around Erin LeCount’s music was when she released the awesome single, Heartbreak Hotel. It arrived in July. I was instantly struck by it. This is what Mystic Sons wrote when they spotlighted a stunning single from a hugely and accomplished artist:

“After originally breaking through with her spellbinding debut single 'Killing Time' last year, Essex-based singer, songwriter and producer Erin LeCount returns to deliver news of her eagerly-awaited debut EP 'Soft Skins, Restless Bones', featuring the wondrous new outing 'Heartbreak Hotel'.

Channelling a beautifully sweet and effervescent direction throughout her newest effort, 'Heartbreak Hotel' instantly cements her as one of the most exciting names on the rise right now. With her beautifully soul-infused voice layered across a progressive production from start to finish, she looks set to become one of 2023's most talked about new artists doing the rounds.

Adding about the track, she said, “‘Heartbreak Hotel’ is an upbeat, yet resentful reflection on the relationships in my life that have seen me trying to ‘fix’ partners and the expectation that is often placed on young women, to be rehabilitation centres for men, perform emotional labour and temporarily fulfil a mother or therapist role rather than be a girlfriend. All those built up frustrations and bitter feelings of being disposable or used gave me a chance in this song to get spiteful and vengeful rather than sad. ‘Check in, check out, I’m a hotel / My loves a rehab for boys who couldn’t save themselves’ is a playful retaliation against how unfair it feels to pour love into patching someone up, only for them to leave once they’ve received what they needed”.

In August, Wonderland. spoke with Erin LeCount was asked about her wonderful E.P., Soft Skin, Restless Bones. For anyone who has not heard it, do take some time out and experience this wonderful offering from one of our best young songwriters:

“Get to know the stellar talents of Erin LeCount with her new music that embodies a captivating journey, delving into emotions and self-discovery. Her debut EP, “Soft Skin, Restless Bones”, is a mesmerising blend of ethereal vocals, cinematic soundscapes, and poignant storytelling. The lead single, “Heaven” is a soulful gospel-infused track that explores finding solace in the support of women, community, and family during challenging times, a sentiment beautifully echoed throughout the EP.

LeCount’s songwriting is a revelation, offering a sincere and confessional glimpse into her experiences, growth, and heartaches. The EP’s tracks such as “Killing Time”, “Don’t Ask” and “Bday Blues” highlight her ability to navigate complex emotions with an introspective touch. With influences ranging from Fiona Apple to FKA Twigs, LeCount crafts an innovative alternative-pop narrative that resonates deeply.

“Soft Skin, Restless Bones” encapsulates the essence of youthful introspection and transformation. Erin LeCount’s artistry shines bright, and her debut EP is an intimate, melancholic, and ultimately uplifting masterpiece that establishes her as an artist poised for a remarkable musical journey. We sat down with the star to get to know her early days, creative processes and future plans…

Hey Erin! How are you? What does a day in the life look like for you currently? 

I’m well, thank you – excited! Most days are super routine, I wake up super early and walk or exercise because my brain needs the endorphins and I need activity all the time. Sounds boring but I spend pretty much all day, every day in my shed in the garden where I make music. I’ll be writing and producing or filming and editing or rehearsing, usually with a few zoom calls or walks or something dotted in between. It’s my little safe space. Every now and then there’s a few weeks where I come out of hermit mode, and I’ll be seriously on the go for meetings or sessions or gigs, all the social butterfly duties where I get some kind of outside world contact and then I retreat back to the shed with new things to write about and the cycle continues, I kind of like it that way.

Tell us about your early days. How did you fall in love with music? 

When I was little I was proper “away with the fairies” – I’d tell lots of stories, I’d write them down and they’d turn into weird long monologue songs and I took any opportunity to be as loud as I could and put on shows for anyone who’d give me the attention. Then I kept doing it wherever I got the opportunity. I always felt like I was winging it and I never committed to real lessons because I just liked making whatever noise I wanted to be honest and I was having fun so never felt the need to. A primary school music teacher owned this great local music venue, the ‘Hermit Club’ in Brentwood – and he let me and friends rehearse there every weekend, (I owe him a lot for that) and I feel like I kept ending up on stage making my noise since then.

Who have been main inspirations to you personally and musically throughout your journey so far? 

The artists I first loved were your standard British artist answers – Adele, Duffy and Florence as a kid, those big, loud voices and the drama of it all. They were the ones I sang along to all the time and they probably inspired me to start. Sampha, Kate Bush, BANKS made me want to produce. Then I feel like this sounds so soppy but my main inspirations are the people that I know personally who are doing music too – the people I’ve met the last couple of years and befriended, collaborated with, the producers I’ve worked with who just let me watch over their shoulders in awe and ask questions. When I started doing sessions aged seventeen / eighteen, I just remember thinking I wanted to be like them, seeing the way they’d mastered their craft gave me this excitement to want to start and I was so desperate to understand it all more.

Congratulations on your debut EP “Soft Skin, Restless Bones”! Tell us about the message and motive behind the EP?

Thank you! The songs on this are quite literally some of the first ones I ever made which is so fitting because this EP is about all the ‘first times’ I felt and experienced a lot of things, so it feels like reading my own diary. I had this feeling I’d missed out on most of my best years, so between 17-19 years old I kind of tried to make up for it by throwing myself headfirst into self destructive stuff – relationships (Killing Time, Heartbreak Hotel), making my first real bad mistakes and running away from them (Mind the Gap), having my first experience relapsing with my mental health as an adult where I suddenly realised I wasn’t a child anymore and I had more responsibility to take care of myself now (Don’t Ask, Bday Blues) and I was just documenting it all as I was feeling it. Each of the six songs on the EP are “aha” moments I had during that time, the big and small moments of self awareness or realisation”.

I am going to end with a recent interview from Ticketmaster. With a stunning single mashup in White Ferrari x I Know The End, there was new interest and curiosity around an artist always evolving. Someone who never sits still when it comes to her music. It is going to be amazing to see what comes from Erin LeCount this year. Even though she has been performing and writing for years now, I feel that the best is still ahead. Make sure you follow LeCount on social media:

“Erin LeCount’s debut EP, Soft Skin, Restless Bones, has garnered attention for its poignant lyrics, ethereal vocals and cinematic compositions. With a sold-out headline show in 2023, backing from the BBC, and a record deal with Good As Gold – a London label founded by music producer Kurtis McKenzie (known for his work with Kendrick Lamar, Doja Cat and Selena Gomez) – Erin is set for a massive 2024.
Her most recent release ‘White Ferrari x I Know The End’ is a stunning synthwave mashup of the respective Frank Ocean and Phoebe Bridgers tracks. It’s become a fast fan favourite on TikTok, with an intensity and build-up that will make you feel like the main character conquering a second act crisis. Recently unveiled as part of The Great Escape line-up and having just landed back in the UK following a writing trip to LA, Erin LeCount stopped by to discuss music, shows and more.

When did you first know you wanted to pursue music? Was there anyone in those early days who really helped nurture your passion?

I had a really great music teacher when I was in primary school who came in once a week. He let me use his music club venue every weekend. And I think doing that consistently when I was about nine made me hyper-fixate on music. I couldn’t really imagine doing anything else from that point.

Who are your influences?

Kate Bush, Fiona Apple, Imogen Heap, Sampha, Sylvan Esso. That’s a good list.

What’s been your biggest challenge so far?

Good question. I think the biggest challenge has been finding a balance between always wanting to improve, but also recognising how much you have learned and how far you’ve come already, and appreciating that.

You’ve got to celebrate the wins! Where do you see yourself in five years?

In five years? I would want to have a few more projects released, to have done a tour, and to do a support slot for an artist I really love… There are dream venues…”.

Someone who is ambitious and has the talent to fulfil those ambitions, it is always a treat getting new material from Erin LeCount. Keep your eyes peeled, as this year is going to be a busy one for her. She is an artist I connected with the moment I heard her music. Many others feel the same. If you are unfamiliar with the brilliant Erin LeCount, then do make sure that you check her out. She truly is…

A talent to cherish.

__________

Follow Erin LeCount

FEATURE: Spotlight: Dirty Blonde

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

  

Dirty Blonde

_________

ONE of the acts…

named for this year’s Great Escape festival in Brighton, Dirty Blonde are an act quite new to my ears. The Manchester duo are fierce and phenomenal. Consisting of Ailis Mackay and Hayley Tait, everybody needs to follow them. I think that they will have a huge year ahead. Their phenomenal Favourite Record E.P. was released in November. I am excited to see where they head as we move through 2024. I want to come to some interviews with the wonderful Dirty Blonde. I want to start with an interview from early last year. Broken 8 Records featured Dirty Blonde in June:

“Dirty Blonde are a fierce female alternative duo comprising members Ailis Mackay and Hayley Tait. Hailing from Manchester, the duo have quickly gathered pace amongst key tastemakers and were praised as ‘one of the most exciting acts to come through Radio 1’s Future Alternative'.

The pair met on Instagram in 2022 after Hayley kept seeing sponsored videos where Ailis combines the styles of two artists and makes a cover of them. “I knew she was really talented so I took the plunge and reached out to her and asked if she’d want to be in the band, and here we are today!”, says Hayley.

Following a packed out show at The Great Escape last month and a sold out debut headline at the Deaf Institute, Dirty Blonde are back with their new single ‘Run (When I Tell You)’, and we couldn't wait to find out more about it.

Wonderful to have you here, we've been absolutely loving the new single. We know you first met on Instagram, but how did you first start making music?

"Individually we had different routes that led us to being in Dirty Blonde. Hayley wanted to be Mark Ronson and Ailis wanted to be Dave Grohl. The band came together when we met on Instagram and realised we were as delusional as each other. We’d gotten used to working remotely throughout Covid so we worked on some demos together initially before turning it into Dirty Blonde."

The new single has been described as indie-pop in the recent past, but how would you describe it to the uninitiated?

"Indie rock anthems with a pop edge - picture Dua Lipa being dragged through a hedge kinda vibes."

I love that. There's definitely a distinct indie rock edge to things. What sort of bands have helped inspire that?

"We have a really big range of influences ranging from Oasis, Royal Blood and Kasabian to The 1975, Billie Eilish and Phoebe Bridgers."

I can imagine some amazing potential collaborations there. Do you have a particular favourite?

"Dirty Blonde X The 1975"

Let's talk a little about the new single, can you tell us a bit more about it?

"'Run (When I Tell You)' is a gritty song with big riffs and vocals. We love this song because it really resonates at our live gigs. A lot of people are shocked when they hear that two girls are writing and playing such heavy music."

What is your songwriting process? How does it all come together?

"It varies from song to song. Sometimes the whole song will just come together out of nowhere in a couple of minutes and other times it needs more work. With Run, the original version was very close to the end product. We took it into the rehearsal room to play it through and made a few changes that just really brought the song together."

What’s the most important thing for you when you’re writing a song?

"Just making sure that it’s a song that we genuinely like. If you can strip the song back to acoustic and it still sounds good and interesting then we know we’re not hiding behind the production”.

I with move on to an interview from Vents Magazine. They spoke with Dirty Blonde back in August. It is always interesting learning about their songs and how they came together. I am really keen to see the duo play live. If they are in London anytime soon, I will definitely try and catch them. One of our most promising and talented acts who are creating a lot of excitement:

“We’re excited to be speaking today with acclaimed Manchester alt-rock duo extraordinaire Dirty Blonde; greetings and salutations, you two!  Before we dive into the proverbial Q&A mosh-pit, could you each say ‘hi’ and introduce yourselves to readers?

Hey! I’m Ailis and I sing and play guitar and I’m Hayley and I play guitar and do backing vocals.

Major congrats and accolades for your brilliant new single Don’t Cry (It Doesn’t Suit You)! Ailis, what’s the story behind this amazing new release, how did it come into being?

Hayley actually found a meme that inspired her to write this song. She sent me a voice note of it so I naturally added a rap in the second verse and started to produce the song ready to take to the rehearsal room. Lyrically it’s about people only being sorry when they’ve been caught out and that it’s okay to be sick and tired of people’s BS.

Hayley, the new single has real tinges of beautiful nostalgia ingrained within the music and lyrics. Was this a deliberate choice on yours and Ailis’ part?

This song from the start was always me trying to write an Oasis song so I’m glad that nostalgia comes through. We see so many indie lad bands trying to be the next Oasis and we thought it was time for women to do it with a modern twist.

Ailis, who was your producer on Don’t Cry (It Doesn’t Suit You) and what did the collaboration between Dirty Blonde and producer look like in the studio?

I self produced this track when we recorded a demo earlier in the year. We then brought it into the studio with Gareth Nuttall at The Lounge and used his knowledge to amplify what we had started on. One specific part which was really good was when Gaz mic’d up the electric guitar strings to recreate a really scratchy and messy guitar that was in the demo where you could really hear the strings.

Hayley, what sets Don’t Cry (It Doesn’t Suit You) apart from anything else currently going on the 2023 music scene?

When we play this song live everyone expects it to be a slow acoustic song, but everyone is always really taken back when it kicks in out of nowhere. With this song we purposely wanted to give it that indie Oasis feel that a lot of other bands are trying to do but we’ve never seen any female fronted bands doing it. With added grunge and attitude obviously.

Ailis, can fans look forward to an EP or LP release from Dirty Blonde in the wake of the release of the new single?

Watch this space.

A question for the both of you: Who inspires you musically?

We’re both really inspired by new up and coming bands who are reinventing the wheel. It always pushes us to be better and challenges us. We’re really liking Queen Cult and Girlband.

Hayley, how did Dirty Blonde get its start? Is there a VH1-Behind the Music origin story you could share with our ever-inquisitive readers?

Myself and Ailis met on Instagram. We clicked straight away and started writing songs together which quickly became Dirty Blonde”.

I think it is only a matter of time before Dirty Blonde get spotlighted by a big publication or magazine. The likes of NME or Kerrang! come knocking. The interviews out there already are pretty illuminating and revealing. Rock the Joint Magazine featured Dirty Blonde last year. Labelling them as Your Dad’s Favourite New Band’, there was a lot of buzz around this phenomenal duo:

“Hailing from Manchester, Dirty Blonde represent a cool rock northern vibe with a twist of punk in the mix (think early Blondie before they became popular). The single shows how fast they are developing musically, and it is no surprise to us that they are gaining so much positive attention. Therefore, when we point our readers towards a must watch act in 2023, we mean it—they could become one of our new favourite bands!

With their new single, “Don’t Cry, It Doesn’t Suit You,” making waves on social media and the girls starting to make an impact on the live scene, we spoke to Ailis MacKay about the band, their single, and their future plans.

We thought a quick introduction to the band and their music would be a good place to start.

Ailis- As you said, we are from Manchester, and sonically, we are doing an Indie thing, but it is female-fronted and has an Oasis meets grunge vibe. Hayley and I met on Instagram, and the rest is history.

The new single “Don’t Cry, It Doesn’t Suit You” has a positive melodic rock vibe; it kicks in the mid-section and becomes a great riff-driven groove. We believe it is also the first time the band has filmed for a video.

Ailis- We just had my little vlogging camera; Hayley has a videography degree, so we managed to pull it all together and get it sorted.

The single has a positive commercial sound, and it follows a couple of earlier releases, “Run When I Tell You” and “Come Over.” We asked how the songwriting developed between the duo.

Ailis- I think it’s different every time, really. Sometimes it’s me that brings in something, and if it’s Hayley, she’ll play an acoustic guitar and send a voice memo. I have a sound engineering degree, so a lot of what I do is like a fully formed demo. With “Don’t Cry,” Hayley found a meme; I’m not sure what it was, but that set the track off. I then did a bit of production on it. At the start, when you listen to it, it is this slow acoustic song, and then it rocks. On the production side, I added that bit where the drums suddenly come in and finess the guitar tone, and then the second verse is similar to the first verse, but I added a Jamie T-style rap to it. So that is how that came about, but we are trying to be as organic as possible.

“Run When I Tell You” has a strong early Debbie Harry or Blondie feel to it.

Ailis- I’ll take that! Debbie Harry, who walked so that we could run, is, in my opinion, an inspiration for all women in bands. I feel like Hayley has a big rock and punk taste; she loves all the 90s indie bands. But then I was raised on Radio 1, so I listened to a lot of pop music, so I brought in a commercial pop side to things. I think where we are going is making it indie rather than rock, but personally, for me, my favourite band at the moment is “Nothing But Thieves”.

Playing Brighton’s The Great Escape this summer, there is going to be a lot more from Dirty Blonde this year. I am going to keep my eyes peeled for the amazing Ailis Mackay and Hayley Tait. They are primed for big things! A duo I can see appearing at some big festivals. After a string of terrific singles and an E.P. last year, there is no stopping the mighty Dirty Blonde! If they are new to you, then make sure that you follow them. This is an act that you cannot…

AFFORD to overlook.

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Follow Dirty Blonde 

FEATURE: Back on Track? The Scrapped Kate Bush Autobiography Makes Me Wonder If We’ll Ever Get a Personal Account from the Icon

FEATURE:

 

 

Back on Track?

 

The Scrapped Kate Bush Autobiography Makes Me Wonder If We’ll Ever Get a Personal Account from the Icon

_________

IN 1983…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1983/PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Griffin

many might not know that Kate Bush had started to write – or at least planned to write – an autobiography. A 144-page book, it was to be published by Sidgwick & Jackson. Likely written and ready to be published, the book was little known of and withdrawn in 1984. It is interesting seeing the cover and what it could have looked like. It is understandable why Kate Bush would have been asked and would have considered it. At that point in her career, she had released four studio albums. Hounds of Love would appear in 1985. Her autobiography was scrapped back in 1984. I wonder whether the need to record a new album meant that she had little time or effort to dedicate to it. I suspect that an autobiography was part of a new promotional drive after EMI felt that The Dreaming (1982) undersold or was taking Bush’s career in the wrong direction. That autobiography title, Leaving My Tracks, has a double meaning. Referring to tracks as songs, it also has this sense of being derailed. Maybe coming off the tracks into danger. In any case, whilst some say the book was written and ready to go and others say that hardly any was written, the fact that a number of pages was announced (144) makes me suspect that somewhere there is the book. Forty years after it was shelved, I wonder why it has not been published. In terms of insight into the career of Kate Bush, many fans would love to read this book!

In 2024, where there has been reissues and revising lately from Kate Bush, the release of Leaving My Tracks would seem like a smart move. It is hard to tell why the book was scrapped. That question around whether Kate Bush will ever write something like that again. Forty years since the autobiography was written/planned, a lot of has happened to her. I have mused before on this subject. Apparently the autobiography was written with a ghost writer, although there is really not much known beyond that. A lot of mystery and what-ifs. You know that there is something in the archives or held away that could be published. Maybe Kate Bush would not want Leaving My Tracks published now. I hardly hear anyone discuss it or consider what could have been in there. Perhaps very few people know about its existence. Interviews are often based around an album and can be quite limited. I know that there is a lot about Kate Bush, her writing process and early life that would be wonderful to read about. Whether Leaving My Tracks was very personal or a little more detached I am not sure. At sixty-five, Kate Bush has a lot to reflect on. I would like to think that, one day, there would be a revision. That she would feel comfortable putting into the world a memoir or autobiography. I feel the 1980s version was more pressurised by the label and a way of getting more people interested in her music.

Now, forty years later, Kate Bush has full control and can approach it from a different perspective. Even though Kate Bush has been busy the past few years with reissues and various stuff, there has not been a whole lot going on in terms of new stuff. You do wonder if she has been working on a new project. Maybe there will not be an album coming at all. The tantalising thought that she may be working on a book of some sort. It is weird that an autobiography might have been ready to go and then was called off in 1984. No real reason why that was and whether there were plans to release it at a later date. Whatever the truth behind it, I guess Kate Bush would not be the only major and legendary artist who has not released an autobiography. Paul McCartney springs to mind. He has put out a lyrics book where he explains his songs though, in terms of a traditional autobiography, nothing like that has ever come about – though there would be a huge demand if he were to consider it. I guess it is this very open thing that requires a lot of focus and time. Not all artists would want to commit to that. (in terms of time and exposing themselves). I just got curious about Leaving My Tracks and whatever happened. One of those great Kate Bush mysteries. A shame that there may be a lot of fascinating pages written that people will never get to see! As there would be great importance publishing the book or revisiting the autobiography, I hope that Leaving My Tracks, one day, finds its way…

BACK on track.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: The GRAMMYs Big Categories: The Playlist

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

IN THIS PHOTO: Victoria Monét/PHOTO CREDIT: Erik Carter for Variety Magazine 

 

The GRAMMYs Big Categories: The Playlist

_________

I am going to pick up…

IN THIS PHOTO: SZA/PHOTO CREDIT: Gianni Gallant for Rolling Stone

on an article from The Guardian. They have predicted the winners in the big categories at this year’s GRAMMYs. They take place tomorrow (4th February) in Los Angeles. Not long to go now, I will add to what they have written and predict a few more categories. I am going to end with a playlist of songs from the categories included. It is going to be a big night where we might get some unexpected winners. You can see all the nominees here:

“Record of the Year: Jon Batiste – Worship/boygenius - Not Strong Enough/Miley Cyrus – Flowers/Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For?/Victoria Monét – On My Mama/Olivia Rodrigo – vampire/Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero/SZA – Kill Bill

 

Will win: Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For?
Should win: Olivia Rodrigo – vampire

 

Album of the Year: Jon Batiste – World Music Radio/boygenius – the record/Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation/Lana Del Rey – Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd/Janelle Monaé - The Age of Pleasure/Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS/Taylor Swift – Midnights/SZA – SOS

 

Will win: Taylor Swift – Midnights
Should win: boygenius – the record

 

Song of the Year: Lana Del Rey – A&W/Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero/Jon Batiste – Butterfly/Dua Lipa – Dance the Night/Miley Cyrus – Flowers/SZA – Kill Bill/Olivia Rodrigo – vampire/Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For?

 

Will win: Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero
Should win: SZA – Kill Bill

 

Best New Artist: Gracie Abrams/Fred again../Ice Spice/Jelly Roll/Coco Jones/Noah Kahan/Victoria Monét/The War and Treaty

 

Will win: Victoria Monét
Should win: Victoria Monét

 

Best Pop Solo Performance: Miley Cyrus – Flowers/Doja Cat – Paint the Town Red/Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For?/Olivia Rodrigo – vampire/Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero

 

Will win: Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero
Should win: Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For?

 

Best Rock Performance: Arctic Monkeys – Sculptures of Anything Goes/Black Pumas – More Than a Love Song/boygenius – Not Strong Enough/Foo Fighters – Rescue/Metallica – Lux Æterna

 

Will win: Arctic Monkeys – Sculptures of Anything Goes
Should win: boygenius – Not Strong Enough

 

Best Rock Album: Foo Fighters - But Here We Are/Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher/Metallica - 72 Seasons/Paramore - This Is Why/Queens of the Stone Age - In Times New Roman…

 

Will win: Foo Fighters - But Here We Are
Should win: Paramore - This Is Why

 

Best Alternative Music Album: Arctic Monkeys - The Car/boygenius - the record/Lana Del Rey - Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd/Gorillaz  - Cracker Island/PJ Harvey - I Inside The Old Year Dying

 

Will win: Arctic Monkeys - The Car
Should win: Lana Del Rey - Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd

 

Best R&B Album: Babyface - Girls Night Out/Coco Jones - What I Didn't Tell You (Deluxe)/Emily King - Special Occasion/Victoria Monét - JAGUAR II/Summer Walker - CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE EP

 

Will win: Victoria Monét - JAGUAR II
Should win: Victoria Monét - JAGUAR II

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: The Iconic Brandy at Forty-Five: The Essential Playlist

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

 

The Iconic Brandy at Forty-Five: The Essential Playlist

_________

I have written about Brandy…

a few times before. I love her music and I grew up listening to her albums. As she celebrates her forty-fifth birthday on 11th February, I have put together a playlist of her best-known songs and deeper cuts. Her debut album, Brandy, turns thirty in September. She is an artist who has doubtless influenced so many other artists. I am going to pop in a playlist in the middle of this feature with songs from artists who have followed Brandy, cite her as an influence, or you can tell have some of her DNA in common. First, here is some biography from AllMusic:

“Brandy is among the few artists, contemporary R&B or otherwise, to achieve mainstream success as a teenager and make smooth artistic transitions across a multi-decade career. The singer and actor emerged during the post-new jack swing era like the kid sister of Mary J. Blige or TLC, specializing in pop-oriented R&B epitomized by her first two singles, "I Wanna Be Down" and "Baby," both Top Ten crossover hits that made her debut, Brandy (1994), a multi-platinum smash. The title role on the popular sitcom Moesha, a chart-topping and Grammy-winning duet with Monica ("The Boy Is Mine," the longest-running number one female duet in Billboard chart history), and the multi-platinum follow-up Never Say Never (1998) all reaffirmed Brandy's broad appeal through the end of the '90s. While she could have continued to crank out safe contemporary R&B as her acting career took precedence, she made the most out of her subsequent studio time, highlighted by Full Moon (2002) and Afrodisiac (2004), progressive stylistic hybrids that earned her consecutive Grammy nominations for Best Contemporary R&B Album. Since the mid-2000s, Brandy has recorded less often, with Human (2008) and Two Eleven (2012) maintaining her unbroken streak of Top Ten R&B/hip-hop albums. Amid constant work onscreen and on-stage, Brandy's musical output during the second half of the 2010s was limited to a handful of singles and featured appearances, but she issued her seventh full-length, B7 (2020), and first holiday album, Christmas with Brandy (2023), early the next decade.

Brandy Norwood was born in McComb, Mississippi, and began singing in church at age two. When she was four, her father was hired as music director at a church in Carson, California, and after a few years, she decided to pursue a professional singing career, inspired by Whitney Houston. With the help of her family, she began hunting for a record contract, and in 1992 began singing backup for the young R&B group Immature. Brandy enrolled in the Hollywood High Performing Arts Center and launched an acting career, appearing in films like Arachnophobia and Demolition Man. At the age of 14, she landed a record deal with a performance at an Atlantic Records talent showcase. Around the same time, she won a supporting role on the short-lived ABC sitcom Thea. In September 1994, Brandy released her self-titled debut album, which immediately produced Billboard Hot 100 Top Ten smashes in "I Wanna Be Down" and "Baby," both of which hit number one on the R&B/hip-hop chart; "Brokenhearted" and "Best Friend" went on to smaller successes. Brandy was certified quadruple platinum within two years.

In 1996, Brandy scored her biggest hit yet with "Sittin' Up in My Room," recorded for the Waiting to Exhale soundtrack; it hit number two pop and number one R&B/hip-hop. Early that year, she also debuted on UPN as the star of Moesha, for which she took a lengthy recording hiatus. Apart from "Sittin' Up in My Room," her only real activity over the next couple of years was the Set It Off soundtrack single "Missing You," on which she teamed with Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Tamia. In 1997, she branched out by taking the title role in Disney's made-for-TV version of Cinderella, appearing alongside her idol Whitney Houston; the film's star power and integrated cast made it a significant ratings success. Finally, Brandy set about recording her second album. Never Say Never was released in June 1998, and its first single, the Monica duet "The Boy Is Mine," was a mammoth hit, topping the Hot 100 for a staggering 13 weeks. In its wake, "Top of the World" (featuring guest rapper Mase) and "Have You Ever?" were both substantial hits as well, with the latter becoming Brandy's first solo number one Hot 100 hit. Never Say Never spun off three additional singles, including the Top 20 pop hit "Almost Doesn't Count," on its way to sales of over five million copies. "The Boy Is Mine" subsequently won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Meanwhile, Brandy's acting career continued to blossom. In 1998, she landed her first major theatrical film role in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and the following year, she appeared in another TV movie, Double Trouble, with Diana Ross. She concentrated mostly on Moesha until the show was canceled in the spring of 2001. The same year, she voiced a character in the animated film Osmosis Jones. In February 2002, Brandy released her third album, Full Moon, which entered the Billboard 200 chart at number two, spun off an immediate hit in "What About Us?" -- her seventh Top Ten pop single -- and was subsequently nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Contemporary R&B Album. That summer, Brandy gave birth to her first child. Her pregnancy was the subject of an MTV documentary series, Brandy: Special Delivery.

The singer's fourth album, Afrodisiac, was released in June 2004. Its lead single, "Talk About Our Love," was produced by Kanye West and peaked at number 36 on the Hot 100. Although it too received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Album, Afrodisiac was Brandy's last recording for Atlantic. Signed to Epic, she returned in December 2008 with Human, an adult contemporary-leaning set that entered the Billboard 200 at number 15. A couple years later, she starred alongside her brother and parents in the reality television series Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business, with a soundtrack of sorts following in 2011. She teamed up with Monica again in 2012 for the single "It All Belongs to Me" (which appeared on Monica's New Life), and months later issued the collaboration-heavy Two Eleven, which topped the R&B/hip-hop chart and entered the Billboard 200 at number three. The Chris Brown collaboration "Put It Down" became Brandy's tenth Top Ten R&B/hip-hop single as a headliner.

For the rest of the 2010s, Brandy devoted most of her time to acting, highlighted by roles on the series The Game, Zoe After Ever, and Star, as well as the lead role in the Broadway production of Chicago. Her limited recordings during these years included the bluesy belters "Beggin & Pleadin" (2016) and "Freedom Rings" (2019), a featured appearance on August Greene's cover of Sounds of Blackness' "Optimistic," and a duet with Daniel Caesar, "Love Again," which earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance. After she built more anticipation with the Chance the Rapper collaboration "Baby Mama," B7, her first album in eight years, arrived in 2020 and debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200. The Disney Princess anthem "Starting Now" appeared the following year. Christmas with Brandy, combinding holiday standards with a handful of original songs such as "Christmas Party for Two," followed in 2023”.

A legendary artist who I have a lot of respect and love for, I hope there is a follow-up to Brandy’s most recent studio album (barring last year’s Christmas album), B7, that arrived in 2020. Brandy’s albums always offer something incredible. I am not sure whether there are plans for an album this year, though I know her fans would welcome one. To mark the upcoming forty-fifth birthday of one of music’s greatest voices, below is a playlist of Brandy’s stunning hits and some must-hear deep cuts. It just goes to show…

WHAT an amazing artist she truly is!

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Alternative Valentine’s Day Songs

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

PHOTO CREDIT: Jonathan Borba/Pexels

 

Alternative Valentine’s Day Songs

_________

AS Valentine’s Day…

PHOTO CREDIT: Acharaporn Kamornboonyarush/Pexels

is a matter of days away (14th February), I wanted to put out a playlist that contains some alternative love songs. Rather than the traditional and overheard mushier songs, this one is a little bit different. I have nothing against Valentine’s Day, though it does rely on cloying sentiments and a bit of a Hallmark vibe. Love and affections comes in all different forms and shapes. I was keen to explore the playlists out there which have this different take on Valentine’s Day. The range of songs one might not necessarily think about when 14th February rolls by. Whatever you are doing for the day – whether you are single or with someone -, it can put quite a lot of stress on people. If you need a slightly ‘new’/nontraditional take on Valentine’s Day, these songs are a little bit different to the sweeter and classic songs you’ll hear on the radio. Below is a selection box of…

PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Samuel/Pexels

ALTERNATIVE Valentine’s Day cuts.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Naomi Sharon

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

  

Naomi Sharon

_________

LISTENING back to…

Obsidian, and it must rank alongside the best albums of last year. Released by Naomi Sharon, it is my introduction to an artist who warrants more love and attention. Songs that should garner more airplay on U.K. radio. If you have not heard about her music then go and follow Naomi Sharon. I am going to get to some interviews with her. There are a few to get to. I will end with an interview from last month. This Dutch and Caribbean singer and songwriter is a sensation. She was born in Rotterdam. Raised in a household that was heavily music-focused, it was a step and sign for Naomi Sharon to create her own. Upon leaving The Theatre School in the third year, she started her career as an actress in stage, where she performed in Dreamgirls and The Lion King. I will start with an interview from METAL. We get to learn more about this incredible artist and an album, Obsidiain, that will stay in your head and heart for a very long time after you finish listening to it:

“Born and raised in Rotterdam, with roots in the Caribbean, Naomi's musical DNA is both diasporic and constant, formatively cultivated in a household pulsing with the disparate sounds of artists such as Sting, Sade, and Marcus Miller. This rich heritage, combined with a profound connection to spirituality, forms the bedrock of her artistry.

With Obsidian, Naomi reveals an alchemical blend of introspection and catharsis. Naomi weaves a visceral tapestry of bittersweet nostalgia and existential yearning, each track being a testament to the ascendancy of art as a medium of healing, a sanctuary for the soul, and a catalyst for self-improvement. Naomi’s inevitable meteoric rise to R&B royalty will be supported through the spoils that come with an OVO Sound stamp of approval, opening doors to a truly global audience and collaborations that promise to push the boundaries of sound and genre.

A massive congratulations on this exquisite body of work you have released! Obsidian is a commanding exploration of rebirth, confrontation, and healing. How did you approach the creative process to convey these themes through your music?

The themes of rebirth, confrontation, and healing in Obsidian draw directly from my personal experiences. This emotional journey, which includes heartbreak, new relationships, self-discovery, and the challenges of a burgeoning career while traveling across continents, deeply influenced the album's content. You can hear this personal connection throughout the project, even during its most intense moments.
The music served as a shield, allowing me to express my feelings and confront emotional challenges. Take, for example, the lead single and album opener, Definition of Love. It's a hypnotic exploration of love, evoking sun-soaked childhood memories and belief in love. This song became a therapeutic and cathartic outlet during a period of heartbreak, adding a beautiful and vulnerable layer to the album.

Obsidian is described by you as “a protective stone that shields against negative energy.” Your visually striking cover art depicts you encased in what appears to be an obsidian shell ostensibly protecting you from this negative energy. How does this symbolism of protection influence the sonic and lyrical choices on the album?

The symbolism of protection represented by the obsidian shell on the album cover had a profound impact on both the sonic and lyrical choices in Obsidian. This idea of shielding against negative energy guided our selection of songs and lyrics, infusing the album with themes of strength, resilience, and self-protection.
In the music itself, you can feel this sense of fortitude and intensity, reflecting the transformative power of facing life's challenges head-on. The choice of instruments, the depth of the arrangements, and the emotional nuances in the vocals all echo the concept of confronting darkness and emerging stronger.
Ultimately, Obsidian is a testament to the ability of music to help us grow and heal, just like the obsidian stone's capacity to absorb and transform negative energy. It's about taking challenging experiences and turning them into something beautiful and meaningful.

Embracing your inner vulnerability and creating an album as deeply intimate as Obsidian is a bold artistic choice. Can you share how far having someone as influential as Drake backing your sound from the early stages of your career in 2019 helped you find the confidence to explore such personal themes? Did this support from an industry heavyweight help alleviate any imposter syndrome that often haunts emerging artists?

I was truly honored to have piqued his interest, and working with his team had always been a dream of mine. His input was exceptionally inspiring, and he went out of his way to ensure I felt entirely comfortable in every aspect of our collaboration and I feel really empowered by him to explore my own sound and follow my own path”.

COMPLEX spoke with Naomi Sharon last November. Discussing her fantastic album, this is an artist guided by love. Someone who should be on your radar. Even though I am new to the music of this splendid artist, I can definitely recommend it to everyone. She is a real gem that should be part of your music rotation:

“This is a snapshot of who Naomi Sharon is, an artist deeply in tune with her own energy and constantly seeking to understand the energies of others. She’s been surrounded by music for her entire life. She grew up with parents who would constantly flood her house with jazz music, giving her a natural inclination to artists like Bill Withers and Destiny’s Child as she would “make up my own type of English” to sing songs. Sharon also took theater classes in high school, which helped jumpstart her career in musical theater in shows like The Lion King and Dreamgirls. She also participated in the music game show The Voice Holland during the early goings of her career, which was an experience she says taught her more about herself as an artist.

“I think it kind of showed me that I wasn't ready back then,” Sharon says. “I remember the audition with the chairs, and I was so scared. I was so occupied with this feeling of, ‘Oh my God, are they gonna like me? Are they gonna turn their chairs?’ I was not present, and I think that once that was over, I realized that being present when you're performing, or just in general in life, is so important.” 

Now after years of refining her craft, the outside noise doesn’t bother Sharon. She eventually caught the attention of Drake, who discovered her on social media in 2019 and later reached out asking if she would join OVO, and Sharon officially became the first woman signee to the label this year. “I think [I add] some guts to try some new things because I went from neo-soul and a bit of alternative R&B to up-tempo things and I was like, ‘Oh, this is scary,’ but I did it and I think that's because of [Drake] as well, and the label, or even Noah, who told me like, ‘You should also try that, just try it,’” Sharon says of what she adds to OVO.

Her debut studio album under OVO, Obsidian, released on Oct. 20, is a reflection of years of emotional and spiritual growth. The project is named after the gemstone that is believed to have powerful healing and protective properties but also forces you to confront negative energy head-on. “And I was like, that's interesting because I love something that confronts me and puts me into a feeling of discomfort because then I can investigate what that is,” she explains.

When and how did you get involved with music?

I think from a very young age, from the age of like, 4. My cousin was performing, she did a show where you could win something and she was performing “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” And I was with my mom and dad and all of a sudden they were like, “Oh, where's Naomi?” And I was onstage, I don't know how at 4 years old, but I crawled up the stage and I was out there and performing.

I'm Dutch, so I was always making up my own type of English. And then later on, I wanted to become so many things, to be honest. Surgeon, designer, and whatever, but I always stuck to singing and I created my own songs in Dutch, but it was still small and innocent. Then I think during high school you could choose this extra thing [to do] in school and I did theater. So you explore what your voice sounds like and I was doing all these musical things. I never aspired to be a musical star or whatever, but I became one.

Even before you were on The Lion King and heavy in theater, you auditioned for The Voice Holland. Did that experience help prepare you for the competitiveness of the music industry?

I think it kind of showed me that I wasn't ready back then. I remember the audition with the chairs, and I was so scared. I was so occupied with this feeling of, “Oh my God, are they gonna like me? Are they gonna turn their chairs?” I was not present, and I think that once that was over, I realized that being present when you're performing, or just in general in life, is so important. And I think back then I was a little bit disappointed when I lost the battles, but I think it was good because I needed some time to be like, “OK, what was that? How did you feel and how can we improve?” I think that musicals really helped me feel comfortable with a bigger audience and just myself onstage every night.

Do you see any similarities between that experience and working in the American music industry now?

I think the pressure, but what I like right now is that I do it for myself and not for a show or a company. The pressure that I'm feeling is something that I can translate into this energy because I think it's good to feel something when you're performing. I'm never too nervous, but there should be some excitement going on in your body. And so whenever I feel a little bit like, “Oh, this is scary.” I use it to channel it down into this like, “OK, we're gonna do this. It's good that you feel something.

Why is “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers such an important song for you?

It brings back such good memories. It's such an uplifting song as well and I just love it. Every time I'm talking about older songs, I feel it as well. Like it unlocks something in me, and I think that whenever I listen to these songs, I have a lot of respect for artists from back then because they didn't have Autotune. It's really authentic, and so there's a lot of emotion in these songs. I think with “Lovely Day,” it makes me very happy.

Your voice has hints of Sade meets Yebba. Who are some of your musical inspirations?

A huge one is Sting, just the way he writes and his melodies and the way he is a big storyteller. He's so good at telling a story and being truthful. I think another one is Eva Cassidy. She died unfortunately at a young age, but she is so good and my mom used to play her songs, and then of course Sade. But I think later on when I was a little bit older, because these music genres, I grew up with that. But I thought it was so annoying every time I came back from school, I came back home and it was like jazz. Very intelligent music, but it makes your brain [flustered], so when I was younger, I was always like, “OK, whatever, let me just listen to “Destiny’s Child.” But when I grew older I really had so much love and respect for that type of music, of course. Sade is, I love her timelessness but I love that from Sting as well and all these other artists that I just mentioned. I love timeless music. You just mentioned Yebba, I think she does a great job at that”.

There are one or two other interviews from last year that I want to cover off before coming to this year. NME chatted with Naomi Sharon in October. Signed to Drake’s prestigious OVO label, this is someone who has already caught the eye and ear of a modern music giant. I think that she is going to go on to incredible things. Even though Naomi Sharon has been on the scene a little while now, her best days are still ahead. This is someone that you need in your life:

“How did you find it writing the album, given that your career as an artist was very much nascent when you got picked up by OVO?

“They’re very easy-going at OVO, they were like, ‘Just make as many songs as you can and then we’ll figure it out.’ I was like, ‘No, I need a goal’. I was planning to go to Toronto for three weeks to record a little bit, and I was already planning like, ‘They’re telling me not to go into album mode, but let’s do it. Let’s see if we can do an album in three weeks.’

“We ended up in the studio making a song every day, which is very special. It was a really tough period for me, ‘cos I was going through a lot of emotional turbulence when it came to my love life, but it really helped me to dig deeper and tell a truthful story which people can relate to eventually.”

Do you have any standout memories of recording ‘Obsidian’?

“I remember one of the songs, ‘Myrrh’. If you’re emotional and going through it, one of the toughest things is to use that in your music ‘cos sometimes you don’t want to talk about it. My producer, who is also a writer, was like, ‘Let’s go to the studio’, and I was like, ‘No, I need a day off.’ He was playing something and started a melody, and I was immediately activated and triggered by it. It was amazing, and one of the most emotional songs on the album.

“It’s a very special one, ‘cos how nice is it when you work with a writer who’s first of all your friend, but who also understands what you’re going through and can put that into words with you? It meant a lot to me; that day will always be a memory that will be very close to me.”

Your general musical practice is very much linked to spirituality. How do you work that into songs or writing?

“Wherever I am, I’m always looking for a spiritual shop where I can buy my candles and my crystals or whatever – we went into this shop in Toronto when we were making the album, we bought a candle, and we set our intentions in the studio. I think that with every song I make, I’m very aware of what I’m writing. Whenever I’m writing about a heartbreak, for example on ‘Myrrh’, or talking about how hurt I am, I set the intention for me to get better, to heal and to meet someone that can give me more.

“Whenever you’re writing something down or saying something, you’re speaking it into existence. That’s what I believe. So spirituality is flowing in everything that I do. Sometimes I like to use, not a spell but an intention in the music, and no one really notices – but it’s different frequencies that you play with”.

I actually want to come to that interview from The Face now. They spoke to Naomi Sharon around the release of the new single, Nothing Sweeter. The start of a new year and new chapter, it is amazing to see this artist evolve and continue to put out incredible work that goes deep and really does uncover so many different emotions. If you can see her on tour then do so. Naomi Sharon plays London’s The Lower Third on 9th April. That is a date I shall try and get along to:

“She’s just dropped her new single, Nothing Sweeter, an acoustic-guitar-led, stripped-back track mapping the vulnerability of being open to new love. ​“When you meet someone and you finally kiss each other, you’re mesmerised by it,” she continues. ​“It’s like finding hope in love after heartbreak or difficulty trusting people. That’s what this song is about.”

Sharon actually made Nothing Sweeter at the same time as most of the songs on Obsidian, her captivating, soulful debut album representing ​“a very intense moment” in her life, which dropped in 2023. It treads similar thematic territory, like heartbreak and acceptance; sonically, though, Sharon has kept things comparatively simple. ​“It’s just me and a guitar,” she says. ​“I thought it could have a moment on the album, but it felt stronger on its own.”

It’s little wonder why Sharon’s silky smooth vocals, reminiscent of Sade’s unmistakable lower register, caught Drake’s eye back in 2019. In that same year, he DM’d Sharon on Instagram and asked her to send over some music. As of 2023, she’s the first female signee to his label, OVO Sound, which he launched in 2012.

Born and raised in Rotterdam, Sharon grew up listening to Steve Wonder and Sting – her all-time favourite artist – before starting her career in musical theatre. She starred in productions of The Lion King and Dream Girls, before re-evaluating what was actually important to her. ​“It was so safe and comfortable. After three years of The Lion King, I was like, no more!” says Sharon. ​“I didn’t know who I was as an individual. It was time to do me, to find my voice again.”

“Over the last few months, I feel like I’ve really regained my power,” she continues. ​“When I listen to music, I do it because I need to, like some kind of medicine. I want to provide that for people. I hope it motivates them to make good decisions for themselves.”

10% What kind of emotions and experiences influence your work?

The other day on TikTok, someone was like, ​“Are you traumatised, making music like this?” Yeah! I’m a traumatised queen! Well, I’m a very sensitive person. So when it comes to feeling sad, I’m not afraid to feel it. But I don’t want to make songs that are like, ​“I can’t live without this person”. I can feel the pain, but I need a bit of hope. No disrespect to Adele.

20% What’s a piece of advice that changed your life?

We’re all projecting. Sometimes, when you do something and people comment on it, it’s based on experiences, fear or things they carry with them and project onto you. Stay true to your own compass.

30% If you were cooking to impress someone, what would you make?

I’m really into these Asian bowls at the moment – kind of like poke but with stuff like beef teriyaki.

40% You rule the world for a day. What goes down?

I would do a big reset. No more weapons, more evenly distributed power. Go back to basics.

50% Best hangover cure?

To make yourself a healthy breakfast and watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. My favourite is Adrian.

60% Who’s your favourite?

Adrian, I think. Kyle too.

70% Love, like, hate?

I love people who love unconditionally and are considerate. I like Bali. I hate dishonesty and when people don’t take responsibility for that. Everyone lies, but you have to own it.

80% What’s your favourite song of all time?

Fragile by Sting.

90% What’s a bad habit you wish you could kick?

Talking down on myself.

100% What can artists do to help save the world?

Start with themselves. Practise what you preach – we don’t all have to be activists. It’s important that you do things from a pure heart”.

I am going to end with an interview from Colors Studio. Having recently performed her COLORS SHOW, they were keen to find out more about Naomi Sharon her singing to OVO. Again, if you have not discovered her music and connected with her yet, then go and check out her social media. This is an artist who will go all the way in the industry:

“Could you share some of the best advice the OVO team has given you?

Before I began creating my album, I sat down with Drake. He said that he liked my sound, but wondered what I could do with an uptempo beat. He believes it’s important for songs to enter clubs, since there’s a huge audience there. He’s also a huge believer in trying new things, so he was advising me to step outside of my comfort zone. I took his advice seriously, and was challenged by it. I asked myself, ‘how can I attract an uptempo audience into my world while staying authentic to my style?’ That’s what I did with ‘Obsidian’.

The project is uptempo, yet your lyrics and storytelling still pull focus.

Thank you for saying that. For me it’s the biggest compliment when people comment on my lyrics because storytelling is so important to me.

A lot of people compare me to Sade. I get it, and it’s a huge compliment, but in many ways it’s a disservice to both of our writing to continuously draw this parallel. Sade is timeless, and deserves to receive her flowers on her own for the legend that she is.

Who are some of you biggest musical inspirations?

Whenever I get asked about my inspirations I always talk about Sting because of his writing. I was always drawn to him lyrically. It’s a dream of mine to collaborate with Sting, his melodies have always inspired me.

What’s your favorite Sting song?

‘Fragile’ is my favorite. I was listening to it recently and decided to check if he had any co-writers for the track. I discovered he was the sole writer, which immediately made me a bigger fan. I really believe he’s a genius.

“Healing can be very dark at times. You may feel like there isn’t an end to what you’re feeling, but there certainly is.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Brandon Bowen and Megan Courtis

On ‘Obsidian’ you address themes including healing, the resilience of love, and rebirth after heartbreak. What made you want to discuss these topics on your debut album?

I only make songs that are personal and honest. During that time, I used ‘Obsidian’ as a diary. The songs echo what I was dealing with in my own life. 

How did the release of those emotions help towards your personal healing?

I’m still healing. With every month the pain gets easier to deal with. When I look back, I respect the fact that I have survived some of my most depressing moments—moments I’ve had to push through to get to where I am today.

Healing is so huge. I didn’t want the whole album to be about heartbreak and sadness. I wanted to shine a light on hope so people know that they also deserve better.

Can you tell us about the song you performed for COLORS?

‘Nothing Sweeter’ was written by Liz Rodrigues and James Bryan while I was recording ‘Obsidian’. The track didn’t quite fit the album, and I knew it needed its own moment. Since it’s such a vulnerable song, I wanted to find a special place to perform it live.

I wanted to add an plifting song to ‘Obsidian’, but at the time I couldn’t wrap my head around something positive. Liz encouraged me to see the heartbreak as a lesson, and to be open to creating songs about love again; to manifest the love I want. That’s what ‘Nothing Sweeter’ is.

Is there a particular lyric from the song that resonates with you?

The opening line, ‘you flow through me, moving me’. I improvised this melody in the studio with the guitarist performing alongside me. It feels very personal.

If you could send one message to our listeners, what would it be?

Healing can be very dark at times. You may feel like there isn’t an end to what you’re feeling, but there certainly is. Whenever you are going through the darkest parts, know the end is near”.

Someone I cannot recommend highly enough, the wonderful Naomi Sharon can look back on a 2023 that saw the release of the acclaimed Obsidian. Reviewed by, among others, Medium and A Book Of, there was a lot of love for a special artist. This year could be an even bigger one for her. Make sure she is on your radar. I genuinely feel she is poised for remarkable success. A wonderful artist that should be….

HEARD by everyone.

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Follow Naomi Sharon

FEATURE: Silenced and Ignored: Misogyny in Music: An Urgent and Alarming Moment for the Industry

FEATURE:

 

 

Silenced and Ignored


Misogyny in Music: An Urgent and Alarming Moment for the Industry

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NOT it came as much of a shock…

PHOTO CREDIT: Karolina Grabowska/Pexels

to find that a new report and findings show that the music industry still favours men. It is a boys’ club where women are silenced or not believed if they report sexual abuse, harassment and misogyny. It is interesting that I read a social media post today that said misandry (hatred against men) by feminism is a myth. That feminists have the same attitude towards men as other men. This idea that there are man-hating feminists all over the world has been grossly exaggerated. However, it is clear that misogyny is very much alive and well. The music industry is decades behind other industries when it comes to protecting women and ensuring that there is equality. Even if there are some areas moving ahead regarding parity and recognition, one of the most serious and dark areas of music, sexual assault and ensuring women are safe, is in grave danger of not moving at all. An industry still run by men that protects men. The BBC reported on what MPs were told in a new report that shows the extent of the issue – and why urgent action needs to be taken:

“The music industry is still a "boys' club" where sexual harassment and abuse are common, MPs warned in a report.

The Women and Equalities Committee said musicians have to sit beside sexual abusers at parties and events, due to a "culture of silence".

It makes a series of recommendations to tackle the problem of misogyny, but also said that a shift in the behaviour of men is needed.

The government said the industry must ensure "a safe working environment".

The report by the Women and Equalities Committee follows an inquiry into misogyny in the music industry, which began in June 2022.

The cross-party group of MPs concluded that the issue was "endemic" and called for urgent action to tackle it.

The inquiry heard evidence from people including the former BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Macmanus, who said there was a "tidal wave" of revelations about sexual assault in the music industry waiting to be told.

The broadcaster and writer said there was an "unbelievable" number of stories that have not yet emerged, and warned the industry was "rigged against women".

Singer and former X Factor contestant Rebecca Ferguson said in her evidence that misogyny in music was just "the tip of the iceberg".

 

She said bullying and corruption was allowed to happen, and said she had been told rapes were going unreported.

IN THIS PHOTO: Annie Macmanus/PHOTO CREDIT: Stephanie Sian Smith

The committee warned that non-reporting of sexual harassment and abuse was high, and that victims who did speak out struggle to be believed or face losing their career.

They said female artists are routinely undervalued and undermined, endure a focus on their physical appearance in a way that men are not subjected to, and have to work far harder to get the recognition their ability merits.

"Much of the evidence we received has had to remain confidential, including commentary on television shows and household names," the report said.

"That is highly regrettable but demonstrates the extent of the use of NDAs [non-disclosure agreements] and the culture of silence."

It said women in the music industry have had "their lives ruined and their careers destroyed by men who have never faced the consequences for their actions".

More broadly, the MPs also said women face a lack of support and persistent unequal pay, and warned these issues are worse for women who already face racial discrimination.

 

In 2021, a BLiM (Black Lives in Music) report found that racism in the British music industry was "serious, upfront and personal".

IN THIS PHOTO: Rebecca Ferguson/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

Misogyny is 'endemic'

The report by the Women and Equalities Committee makes a series of recommendations to try and tackle misogyny and discrimination in the music industry.

The MPs called on ministers to amend the Equality Act, to ensure freelance workers have the same protections from discrimination as employees, and to improve protections for people facing intersectional inequality.

They also recommended the government legislate to impose a duty on employers to protect workers from sexual harassment by third parties.

The committee also urged ministers to prohibit the use of non-disclosure agreements in cases involving sexual abuse, sexual harassment or bullying.

Other recommendations in the report include increasing investment in diverse talent, and improving pathways to careers for women working in the industry.

The report welcomed the establishment of a single, recognisable body, the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority, which it said would help to shine a light on unacceptable behaviour in the music industry.

But the committee cautioned it is "not a panacea for all of the problems in the industry" and "time will tell whether it has the powers required to drive the changes needed".

The committee chair, Caroline Nokes, said women's potential "should not have limits placed upon it by 'endemic' misogyny which has persisted for far too long within the music industry".

She said the report focuses on improving protections and reporting mechanisms, and on making reforms.

"However, a shift in the behaviour of men - and it is almost always men - at the heart of the music industry is the transformative change needed for talented women to quite literally have their voices heard and be both recognised and rewarded on equal terms."

A government spokesperson said: "All women should be able to work in a music sector which is free from misogyny and discrimination. The industry must do all it can to ensure there is a supportive and safe working environment and to address any imbalances of power that exist.

"The government will carefully consider the Committee's recommendations, and it is right that the industry is taking action through work led by Creative UK and the formation of the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority”.

PHOTO CREDIT: MART PRODUCTION/Pexels

The report can be seen here. You should read the full report that shows the extent of the issue. The Summary makes it clear that the music industry is not doing enough to correct a decades-long ill and problem. Whilst women in the industry are speaking out, those in charge are not doing enough to make sufficient change:

“Women working in the music industry face limitations in opportunity, a lack of support, gender discrimination and sexual harassment and assault as well as the persistent issue of unequal pay in a sector dominated by self-employment and gendered power imbalances. Despite increases in representation, these issues are endemic and are intensified for women faced with intersectional barriers, particularly racial discrimination. There are legislative steps the Government can take to help tackle some of these concerns. The Equality Act should be amended to ensure freelance workers are provided with the same protections from discrimination as employees, section 14 of the Act should be brought into force to improve protections for people facing intersectional inequality. The Government should legislate to impose a duty on employers to protect workers from sexual harassment by third parties, a proposal the Government initially supported and then rejected last year. We received distressing evidence on the impact of non-disclosure agreements on victims of discrimination, harassment and abuse. Victims with little agency in the process are threatened into silence by organisations seeking to protect their reputation and the perpetrators of abuse who work for them. Victims described to us of being told they would suffer reprisals if they failed to sign what was put in front of them, often without independent counsel. The Government should urgently bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit the use of non-disclosure and other forms of confidentiality agreements in cases involving sexual abuse, sexual harassment or sexual misconduct, bullying or harassment, and discrimination relating to a protected characteristic. The Government should consider a retrospective moratorium on NDAs for those who have signed them relating to the issues outlined above”.

There has been a lot of reaction to these findings. I am not surprised to read the horrifying statistics and testimony. What is shocking is that we have to keep reading this. An industry dominated by women is also one watching them being harassed, abused and silenced. There is something quite warped when you think of everything that they give to music. Rather than them being celebrated, made equal, made safe and like they belong in the industry, it seems like this is not the case. How long is it going to take until a boys’ club built around misogyny is tackled and eradicated?! There does need to be a revolution. Change will not be instant. There is a lot to rectify and rebuild. What is evident is that things are broken and need fixing. Going back to the report, there is also the nature of equality across festivals and playlists. Women are not heard and seen. An entire report that clearly highlights how women are having to face to much discrimination and barriers:

“2023 saw a landmark year for female artists in the UK; seven of the top 10 tracks and 13 of the top 20 were by women. Nearly half (48.5%) of the tracks that reached the Top 10 of the weekly Official Singles Chart were by female artists, either solo or as part of a collaboration. This represented their highest annual share of Top 10 hits this century.8 However, behind these achievements, which are to be celebrated, lies a wider picture of deeprooted underrepresentation of women in key roles in the music industry. 7. Women represent less than a third of top-selling artists in music and only 14% of songwriters.9 In 2022, just 187 women and non-binary people were credited as either producer or engineer on the top 50 streamed tracks in 14 genres, compared to 3,781 men.10 Of all songwriters and composers who received a royalty in 2020 from their music being streamed, downloaded, broadcast, or performed, only one in six (16.7%) were women. Most recently, in summer 2023, only one in 10 headliners at music festivals in the UK were women. Responding to criticism of the lack of female headliners at the Glastonbury festival, Emily Eavis, co-organiser of the festival, who has long advocated for balanced line-ups, voiced her frustration at the lack of female artists being signed and supported: We’re trying our best so the pipeline needs to be developed. This starts way back with the record companies, radio. I can shout as loud as I like but we need to get everyone on board”.

I will leave it there. I am going to write more about this in the coming weeks. I wanted to react to a new report presented to MPs. The Women and Equalities Committee presenting the Misogyny in Music report should, one hopes, be a wake-up call. An alarm to the industry that things need to change. The more we read about misogyny, abuse and discrimination, the more women who will leave the industry. There have been a series of recommendations made as to how change can be affected. Steps and ideas that will, hopefully, be taken on board to ensure that the huge issue of misogyny ends. Maybe this tide will finally turn. It has been long overdue! This year needs to be one where…

WOMEN are a priority.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Flyana Boss

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: SJ Spreng

Flyana Boss

_________

EVEN if they are a new name to me…

the magnificent Flyana Boss have a growing and loyal fanbase. They are a Hip-Hop duo from Los Angeles consisting of Bobbi LaNea Taylor and Folayan Omi Kunerede. The duo signed to Atlantic Records in 2021. Maybe not as known and played in the U.K. and other countries as they should be, I want to bring in some interviews from Flyana Boss. There are a lot of interviews with Flyana Boss to choose from! Their name derives from the fact that they wanted to use a famous name. Halle Berry was the first I think. They then decided on Diana Ross and adapted that to get to Flayana Boss. The viral success of You Wish took them to new levels. They have famous fans in Missy Elliott and Megan Thee Stallion. Their latest single, Candyman, is another gem. I hope that there is an E.P. or album later this year. I will start with an interview from Ones to Watch. Last year was a big and dizzying one for Bobbi LaNea Taylor and Folayan Omi Kunerede:

“They’ve collected well-earned accolades, with “You Wish” hitting #1 on the US Spotify Viral 100 chart and countless celebrities, including Timbaland and Lupita Nyong’o, acknowledging them as peers. But the most profound, immeasurable accolade is the solace they’ve provided young Black girls too stunned by shame to live in the fullest expression of their awkward color. With pointed ear tips and fluorescent braids, they’re platforming weird in a way I wish little me got to witness but beams with pride knowing the generation ushering in is.

Sitting across from the two fairies come alive, there’s an impenetrable vibration between the two, a magnetism that heightens in charge when they’re together. With synchronized responses and mirroring astrology, the secret ingredient to their inevitable stardom is home-cooked love. With blinding smiles and eyes full of wonder, they keep the inner children within each other safe and leave everyone around them drunk with giggles.

We had the honor of discussing everything with the duo destined for stardom, from braiding their own hair to running around Drake’s house (pending Aubrey’s approval, of course.)

Ones To Watch: Congratulations on how big of a moment you guys are having right now! Have you gotten the time to breathe it all in?

Folayan: It really went from 0-100. I haven’t had my big cry moment yet and I’m a big crier. I’m waiting, like when is it going to happen?

Bobbi: Yeah, we’re both big criers. I’ve had a couple baby cries here and there, but I want that one that’s like, “THANK GOD I FINALLY DID WHAT I CAME ON EARTH TO DO.”

On your knees, ripping off your shirt, Ray J style.

Bobbi: Exactly. That hasn’t happened yet but I’m sure it will.

You’re taking over in a way that I think is important particularly for Black girls to witness, because you’re not pretending to be anything other than yourselves. And now you got the girls talking bout Kanekalon! What role does your hair play in your sense of expression?

Folayan: We both braid our own hair! Like we’ll just take two days off and be like, “We’re braiding our hair.”

Bobbi: A big part of our life is braiding our hair. We both feel a lack of self when our hair isn’t done. Like when neither of us is ready to change our hair we’re like, “Ugh, I hate myself.”

My brain shut off after you said that you braid your own hair.

Folayan: Yeah, my mom had a braiding salon when I was little! She had me doing other people's hair when I was like, 14 or 15?

Bobbi: I was a silk press girl for a long time. I didn’t know what to do with my curls.

It’s giving Kamala.

Bobbi: Exactly! It wasn’t until I started to accept my curls that I had to figure out how to do my hair. But I always had a knack for braiding, I used to braid my niece’s hair and my doll’s hair. I’m better at doing my own hair than anyone else, though.

Folayan: She can cornrow her own hair! I haven’t unlocked that skill yet. I’m not a parter. Like even when I do my own hair, I just grab.

Bobbi: I’m a big parter, parting is very important to me. This is where we differ.

Describe your “weird girl” style, who are some of your OG pioneers?

Bobbi: Our aesthetic is weird Black girls who are cute and rap.

Folayan: Missy Elliott was a big influence for sure, for both of us. Also Lizzo.

Bobbi: Tierra Whack was a big inspiration for us too. Rico Nasty, Doja Cat.

Missy Elliott shouted you guys out, didn’t she?

Folayan: WOW! Wow.

Bobbi: We haven’t fully sat in it. It’s so crazy and outrageous. Someone tweeted her a video of us and Missy replied “Fun!” and we both lost it”.

Big names already in the U.S., Flyana Boss have tour dates around North America. I hope that there is an opportunity for them to come to the U.K. soon. Teen Vogue chatted with Flyana Boss last year about their TikTok fame and rise to prominence. An act that everyone needs to watch for this year. They are going to go on to bigger and better things. They are definitely a hungry and ambitious duo. Make sure that you connect with them and listen back to the amazing music they have put out so far:

“Flyana Boss are plotting world domination. “We want to create a whole Flyana Boss world,” the pair tell Teen Vogue over brunch in L.A., joined by their videographer Evan Blum, who brings to life their instantly-iconic running video format. With the recent virality of their single “You Wish” on TikTok, that shouldn’t be too hard.

Bobbi LaNea and Folayan, who make up the hip-hop duo Flyana Boss, exude Black girl joy. Sitting at an outdoor table at Bacari in Sherman Oaks, Folayan is wearing her signature elf ears with dangling Cowerie shells and African beaded earrings. She’s giving a pan-African wood nymph vibe in a beige knit crop top, her hair nestled on top of her head in a messy bun and orange wrap with two single braids in the front secured at the bottom with wooden beads and seashells. Her style is effortless.

“What happened to the braids you had yesterday?” asked their publicist after seeing her new 'do. “It’s a wig,” she replied. The multi-faceted performer has become known for her eye-catching hair choices. That all tracks when at the end of brunch Folayan drops the bomb that her mom, a well-known and accomplished hair braider in Dallas, used to braid Erykah Badu’s hair. Folayan would sometimes help.

The yin to each other’s yang, Bobbi LaNea is effortlessly cool in a matching gray knit set, with her signature Herschel fanny pack slung across her chest. “Herschel needs to sponsor us, someone needs to reach out,” LaNea jokes. In a blink-and-you’d-miss homage to one of her inspirations Whoopi Goldberg, LaNea wears a pair of stud earrings with a picture of Ciely from The Color Purple on them. “They’re from Etsy,'' she tells me as I snap a quick picture.

The duo’s unique styles in both fashion and music have become a Flyana Boss calling card. You never know what fashion moments they’ll give, or where the next line in one of their catchy pop-culture reference-filled bars will take you. “When we're writing just us two together, I'll yell out something hard, she’ll yell out something,” LaNea says. “She'll say that's hard, I'll say that's hard, and we'll write it down and put it in the verse.”

That was the same formula used for “You Wish.” Working with up-and-coming producer Marky Style — “He touches everything we work on,” says Folayan — and writer Ellrod, the duo felt safe and heard. Skeptical about working with writers given past experiences with co-writers who didn’t cater to the duo’s vibe, their collaboration with Ellrod was a refreshing experience. “He matched our weird,” Folayan adds.

Their weird has impassioned millions with schoolyard lyrics like “Hello Christ?/I’m ‘bout to sin again/I said I love you to that man but I’m not feelin’ him/I’m made of sugar, spice, kanekalon and cinnamon/Me and my bestie are the same/Like a synonym.” A calling card to Black girls everywhere and a meme in one, this verse and their accompanying running videos haven’t slowed down with their cultural impact. In the few weeks since we sat down in Los Angeles, the pair have since been featured on billboards in Times Square, snagged featured spots on Spotify and Youtube, and let the girls who don’t know in on what kanekalon means (Black girls, we know).

At their truest heart of hearts, Folayan and LaNea are two Black girls living their dreams of making music and inspiring other young Black people to be unapologetically themselves. Born in Dallas and Detroit respectively, they met in L.A. at the Musicians Institute on Hollywood Boulevard. The duo wouldn’t become besties or start making music together until later when Folayan moved to California and they had a reunion that was the creative spark that formed Flyana Boss. Since then, they’ve been a dynamic bestie duo looking to make people laugh and experience intense bouts of joy whenever they listen to their music.

Along with millions of viewers, the duo has already caught the eyes of icons like Lupita Nyong'o recreating the video in Paris, Keke Palmer posting on her Instagram story, and Missy Elliott — who the day before we meet went on a multi-tweet thread defending them against haters who had a problem with the multiple video releases for their single “You Wish.”

“It means a lot. Words can't describe it, you don't even have the words for it, but it means so much because we grew up loving and admiring her,” LaNea says of Elliott’s acknowledgment and support.

This was a part of the catalyst for the video's virality across socials; people hate-shared the videos, complaining about their “repetitiveness.” That’s how I initially found them — they’d been RT’d in my feed by another Black woman clapping back at haters and trolls on the girls' behalf. “Protect Flyana Boss at all costs” has become a rallying cry among Black women online who see these girls as trailblazers, doing what they love and having fun”.

I will wrap up quite soon. There is an interview from Allure that caught my eye. Even though there is a lot of focus around You Wish, Flyana Boss’ other songs are just as compelling and strong. Marking them out as one of the most consistent and astonishing acts in the world. I am really excited to hear and see where they head as we move through this year. In September, Flayana Boss put out the E.P., hello christ? i’m bout to sin again. It is one that I would recommend everyone checks out:

“In the weeks since its Spotify debut, “You Wish” has charted in the Viral 50 playlist both in the USA and globally. And as a result of all this buzz, Flyana Boss's follower count has rapidly grown by hundreds of thousands, allowing them to officially enter the 1-million club on TikTok in July.

Beaming, the music school classmates turned viral rap duo can hardly contain their excitement. “We had this process before where we would tease a song and… see what the reception is like” Folayan says. LaNea chimes in to finish her sentence: “[‘You Wish’] was good from the moment we first teased it, so we knew it was going to do well…”

“But we didn’t know it was going to be like this,” Folayan exclaims. “We didn’t know our whole life would change,” LaNea adds. “TikTok has helped every song we’ve released. ‘You Wish’ is just like an astronaut on its own — it’s just out of this world.”

Since the viral success of “You Wish,” one of two songs featured on their new EP, Make It a Double, LaNea and Folayan have been on a constant swivel between their overflowing DMs, getting recognized on the street, and processing the brand deals that are rolling in.

While the duo’s vivacious performances and subsequent rise to the top might make you think they’re just a couple of extroverts taking over the rap world, the sudden publicity has been an adjustment for LaNea and Folayan, who both admit to being introverts.

“We’re introverts who like to perform, so a lot of this is very performative but in the most unique sense possible; the most authentic sense possible,” Folayan says. “We just balance it out with sleeping a lot or taking naps…”

“Or avoiding socializing,” LaNea adds.

“It’s a weird thing to be an introvert in this industry, but we have each other which is really nice — we give each other grace to just say no sometimes,” Folayan says.

Considering the duo has been performing together for the past four years , their balanced approach seems to be working.

At this point, you might expect me to make a casual mention of the girls’ ages; a throw-in stat used as an adjective to further illustrate just how wow-worthy their sudden rise to the top has been. While LaNea and Folayan undoubtedly have the baby faces of someone you’d expect to still be in school, if not just graduated, the pair is adamant about keeping their ages to themselves. Prior to our chat, their team made it clear that they weren’t looking to discuss their age, and it’s a veil they’ve consistently upheld throughout other interviews and online. The duo has posted a number of videos skirting followers’ questions regarding their age and comments about how young they look”.

There is love for them here in the U.K. NME are among those who have shown a lot of love and respect for the mighty Flyana Boss. They are an act that everyone needs to check out. Do go and spend some time with the music of Flyana Boss:

“You both share a great sense of humour – where does that from?

Folayan: “I’ve been getting my humour from Bobbi.”

LaNea: “Back when we first met,  said that somebody told her that she wasn’t funny and I think they’re the biggest liar on the face of the earth. She makes me laugh so much. But I will say I’ve always tried to be funny my whole life. Ever since I was a little kid, humour was a bridge for me, especially connecting to my dad and my brothers. I had to make them laugh to get their admiration and attention and affection.”

You’ve described yourselves as “two weird Black girls”. What’s the weirdest thing about you?

LaNea: “We call ourselves weird because we don’t fit like a stereotypical mould of whatever a Black girl is supposed to be – which I think is every Black girl, but we’re just outwardly projecting. We’re not whatever you think a Black girl should be. But I mean, we both have little quirks. I don’t like cheese. People think that’s weird about me.”

Folayan: “I usually wear my ears of some sort. I don’t have them on today because I left them at home.”

Folayan, where did you get the idea to wear elf ears?

Folayan: “I wanted to wear elf ears for a really long time, but I didn’t feel comfortable doing it. I was like, ‘Is it too weird?’. There was someone that worked at a dispensary with me, they wore elf ears, and they’re a cute Black girl too. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I can do it too!’. So they really influenced me to start just wearing them out everywhere. The ears just make me feel like the mystical creature that I feel like inside – and that makes me very happy.”

PHOTO CREDIT: SJ Spreng

Bobbi, you’re always carrying a bag in your videos. What’s in the bag?

LaNea: “I need to get a new bag. Everyone’s like, ‘Y’all got brand deals, why are you still wearing the same dingy bag?’ [laughs] Let’s see. I have hand sanitiser. My wallet. Some Vaseline – I hate to be ashy. Some manuka honey lozenges, keys and a pen. I had a mask in here up until last week. And a scrunchie.”

The Flyana Boss challenge has popped off. Have you ever nearly got kicked out of any locations for filming it?

Folayan: “So L.A. Fitness gym, that was on Hollywood Boulevard. We just decided not to ask for permission, but to ask for forgiveness. We had someone go up to the front desk and distract everyone. Her name is Julie – love Julie – and we just ran through it.”

LaNea: “The whole clip takes 25 seconds so you don’t have to ask for permission because by the time they’re yelling at you, we’re done.”

Folayan: “We went to Disneyland – we thought we were definitely gonna get kicked out. We thought everyone was gonna have a problem with it.”

LaNea: “That’s the only place we didn’t want to get kicked out or banned from because we love Disneyland”.

I am going to end with an interview from COMPLEX. Interviewed before they put out their latest E.P., Flyana Boss spoke about the viral running videos for You Wish, their origin story, and what's next. It is fascinating seeing these future legends take shape. A name that will sit alongside the biggest Hip-Hop names of today. There is no stopping them:

“What is the biggest misconception about you all? 

F: I'd say the industry plant one.

BL: Yeah, it's really annoying. Who plants industry plants? What garden is this? We both are from working-class families. We didn't have industry connections. We moved from our towns to L.A. to make our dreams come true, and somehow it happened.

F: Yeah, we met our managers four years ago. And they helped us put out our first song. Yeah, and then they started a JV with Atlantic. We were all just working at it.

Twitter/@rae_vans

What even is an industry plant? 

BL: I don't fully know either. And before we got called this, I thought maybe there was such a thing, but it’s not. You plant yourself — the industry can’t plant you.

F: You can have a lot of money and put a lot of money towards your stuff, and it still doesn't go viral, because that's how the algorithm works.

What are you two currently working on? 

F: A lot more music. Yeah. That's pretty much it.

BL: We want to go on tour.

F: Real bad… Brand deals are in our DMs.

BL: Yeah, they're percolating manifestation.

Are you all working on an EP or an album of any sort? 

F: We're not quite sure. We just know we're gonna have more releases this year.

BL: We want to build the Flyana Boss world. But we’re not sure what form it is — if it's a single project or album, we don't know yet. We're still running.

What would you name your fan base? 

BL: We were just talking about this in the car.

F: We want them to name themselves, because that's more authentic. But a couple of names that have crossed our timelines is Bossies, Besties, Fly Girls.

BL: Someone wrote the Sprinters. But we’re not going to run forever.

F: Yeah, my legs can’t.

Is there anything on your bucket list of career goals? 

F: Tour.

BL: I want to do the Super Bowl.

What is the most important thing people should know about you right now? 

BL: We're best friends in real life. That’s not fake. This is literally the best friend I've ever had in my life. And I'm so grateful to be on this journey with her.

F: I love you so much. We always have this moment when we look into each other’s eyes, and we start crying.

BL: Yeah, we love each other. We love doing this, and we're really grateful for everything that has happened to us recently”.

I can recommend that everyone spends some time with Flyana Boss. They are a name that may be unknown to some. I have not heard them much on U.K. radio. The Los Angeles dup are something very special. Go and follow them on social media and investigate their music. This year is going to be among their busiest yet. Fans around the world keen to see them play. This incredible music force are primed for…

WORLD domination.

____________

Follow Flyana Boss

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from Incredible Film Scores and Soundtracks of 2023

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

  

Songs from Incredible Film Scores and Soundtracks of 2023

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I did already cover this…

PHOTO CREDIT: Pavel Danilyuk/Pexel

back in September, but I wanted to expand on the great film scores and soundtracks from last year. Because the Academy Awards opened my eyes to some soundtracks songs and scores that I was unaware of, I have assembled a new playlist. The tracks are from films that were released last year. One new soundtrack, How to Have Sex, came out earlier this month. In any case, if you want an idea of some of the most powerful and important film music of last year, the playlist below should give you an idea. The Academy Awards take place on 10th March. The  Music (Original Score) and Music (Original Song) give you a flavour of the incredible and diverse sounds that scored some of the biggest and most powerful films of last year. From Poor Things to Past Lives to Barbie, below are a selection of songs and soundtrack moments that added extra gravitas and colour to…

SOME celluloid gold.

FEATURE: Groovelines: Sheryl Crow – All I Wanna Do

FEATURE:

 

 

Groovelines

 

Sheryl Crow – All I Wanna Do

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THERE are a few reasons…

why I want to spotlight one of the best song of the 1990s. Even though it does not turn thirty until 12th July, its voice, Sheryl Crow, celebrates her birthday on 11th February. The fourth single from Crow’s debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club, All I Wanna Do is perhaps her best-known song. The second single from Tuesday Night Music Club, What Can I Do for You, is thirty on 7th February. I really admire and vibe to Sheryl Crow’s debut album. I gladly marked its thirtieth anniversary last year. I have not come to its standout track yet. Before going on and exploring the song in depth, I am glad there is an HD version of the All I Wanna Do video. Until about a year ago or so, the video that was online was pretty blurry and bad. It looks nice and sharp now – thus, bringing the song to the focus of new listeners. Recorded at the brilliantly-named Toad Hall in Pasadena, California – the perfect blend of stuffy British aristocracy and the sunshine and perfection of the Los Angeles sun! -, All I Wanna Do was produced by Bill Bottrell and written by Sheryl Crow, Kevin Gilbert, Bill Bottrell, Wyn Cooper and David Baerwald. The recipient id the 1995 Grammy for Record of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, it was also nominated for Song of the Year. It is no wonder the song was an award-winning success and chart hit around the world. The video for All I Wanna Do was directed by David Hogan and Roman Coppola. It is full of charm and great moments! Crow has performed All I Wanna Do quite bit through the years. Another reason why I wanted to highlight All I Wanna Do is that Sheryl Crow unexpectedly announced the release of her twelfth studio album, Evolution. Out next month, many thought that her previous album, 2019’s Threads, was her last.

This iconic and beloved artist is going to get a wave of new fans as she is bringing out new material. People will look back at her previous albums. Tuesday Night Music Club is a brilliant debut. I was eleven when All I Wanna Do arrived. I was about to start high school and I was instantly intoxicated by this remarkable and insanely catchy song! I had not heard a load of Country Pop by 1994. I would be exposed to artists like Shania Twain eventually, though I think Sheryl Crow was among the first to reach my ears. I have always had a soft spot for All I Wanna Do. Maybe there will be a thirtieth anniversary release of the single of vinyl with B-sides like Solidify and I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday. Whilst I would place There Goes the Neighborhood and My Favourite Mistake (from 1998’s The Globe Sessions) and Everyday Is a Winding Road (from 1996’s Sheryl Crow) in the top five Sheryl Crow songs, I will still put All I Wanna Do top. Last year, marking thirty years of Tuesday Night Music Club, The Guardian placed All I Wanna Do at five in their top-twenty Sheryl Crow songs ranking. Also last year, this article crowned All I Wanna Do as her best song. Smooth Radio placed it top too. Before getting into the song, Sheryl Crow revealed in a 2021 interview how there was a time she got tired or playing All I Wanna Do. She came around to the joy and popularity of the hit single:

“All I Wanna Do, Sheryl’s megahit of 1993, also gets an airing, though she jokes that without her manager’s plea ‘it would not have seen the light of day’.

She explains: ‘I have to say that for a long time I didn’t enjoy playing All I Wanna Do every night, but what happens when you get older is that dissatisfaction with life sometimes gets replaced with gratitude. Although that sounds really hokey, it’s what’s happened with me.

‘I’ve gone through transitions in my life that were really public and I’ve come out the other side just being really grateful that I had a song that took me to Russia, Asia and all over South America and that people who didn’t have English even as a second language were trying to sing along with it”.

I am going to round off with some personal thoughts and memories of All I Wanna Do. Medium took a look inside a 1990s classic for a feature in 2018. I can imagine the writing process as being quite laidback. Crow, with her co-writers trading lines and noodling. Those distinct and immersive scenes, together with Crow’s distinct and character-filled vocal performance, makes All I Wanna Do such a winner. It is a song widely played to this day. One cannot help but fall under the spell of this song from the moment it starts:

“Writing credits for “All I Wanna Do” go to Sheryl Crow, Wyn Cooper, Dave Baerwald, Kevin Gilbert and Bill Bottrell.

Baerwald, Gilbert and Bottrell were founder members of an informal songwriting group which called itself the Tuesday Night Music Club. Sheryl Crow joined the collective whilst dating Kevin Gilbert — and “Tuesday Night Music Club” would go on to become the title of Sheryl Crow’s multi-platinum breakthrough album in homage to those gatherings.

At one of those casual songwriting events…literally on a Tuesday night after a few beers during the afternoon…Bill Bottrell brought along the words to a poem called “Fun” by Wyn Cooper.

You’ll recognise the opening verse from “Fun” as “All I Wanna Do” pretty much used this lock, stock and barrel…

“All I want to do is have a little fun before I die,”

Says the man next to me

Out of nowhere, apropos of nothing

He says his name’s William

But I’m sure it’s Bill or Billy, Mac or Buddy

He’s plain ugly to me

And I wonder if he’s ever had fun in his life

That pretty much set the pattern for “All I Wanna Do”. Wyn Cooper’s poem, with a few relatively minor adjustments along the way, formed the verses and, depending on whose version of events you choose to believe, either Sheryl Crow on her own or the entire Tuesday Night Music Club came up with the chorus…

All I wanna do is have some fun

I’ve got a feeling I’m not the only one

All I wanna do is have some fun

I’ve got a feeling I’m not the only one

All I wanna do is have some fun

Until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard

I say Wyn Cooper’s poem was the basis for the verses in “All I Wanna Do” — that’s only true for the first three verses, and a couple of lines from the fourth verse. The other verse-and-a-bit don’t make the cut.

Which may be part of the charm of “All I Wanna Do”. In Wyn Cooper’s poem, he brings the story to a close in the “missing” verses. Without them, the song never reaches a conclusion and just goes on into the indefinite distance, ambling towards the horizon but never quite disappearing over it.

“All I Wanna Do” is one of those intriguing songs which asks more questions than it answers. And Sheryl Crow’s delivery really makes the difference.

She conveys the sense that not only isn’t she going to explore any hidden layers, or answer any further questions, she has no interest in even contemplating the possibility that she might.

Whether that’s because she already knows the answer, or can’t find herself bothered enough to care, adds another layer of intrigue to an already intriguing set of lyrics.

As does Sheryl Crow’s delightfully idiosyncratic vocal delivery, especially on the verses, which she delivers half-sung, half-spoken with a heavy overtone of ennui, paying little attention to the insistent drum track propelling the song along, or the normal rules of music performance.

Sheryl Crow captures the mood of someone sitting in a bar all day watching a guy peel the labels off beer bottles for fun perfectly.

As always, creating a “one off” is difficult. It takes a lot more skill than just doing something broadly similar to whatever everyone else is doing.

IN THIS PHOTO: Sheryl Crow in 1994/PHOTO CREDIT: Gie Knaeps/Getty Images

Thankfully Sheryl Crow has a degree in classical music and spent some time teaching music before fame and fortune came her way, so we can take it she has a thorough enough knowledge of the rules to know how to break them successfully.

Bill Bottrell worked as a producer for some of the biggest acts in popular music — Michael Jackson, Madonna and Elton John among them. David Baerwald and Keving Gilbert were both accomplished, and critically-acclaimed, record-makers themselves. And Wyn Cooper was a great poet…if largely undiscovered until “All I Wanna Do” came along.

Somehow, the heady mix of people and talents at the Tuesday Night Music Club, after a few beers, I’m sure, pulled together the song that would become “All I Wanna Do””.

As a child just about to go to high school, I was nervous and unsure what I was in for. Whether I would settle in quickly. Music was a big help and source of comfort. A wonderful musical revelation that was played at a lot in my first year of high school in 1994, this iconic track is thirty on 12th July. Tuesday Night Music Club’s fabulous fourth single, I will end with Wikipedia’s critical reaction round-up of one of Sheryl Crow’s biggest single releases:

“Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Critical darling is poised for a long-deserved top 40 breakthrough with this breezy hand-clapper. Crow has a friendly demeanor that adds extra bounce to a sweet instrumental setting of jangly guitars and toe-tapping beats. Live-sounding jam is a fitting soundtrack to a day at the beach or speeding down the highway with the top down." Troy J. Augusto from Cash Box felt it should have been the first single from Tuesday Night Music Club. "Devil-may-care lyrics ("I like a good beer-buzz, early in the morning"), a cool country twang and Sheryl's friendly vocal style should all spell hit for this feelin'-good number. Rock, country, adult and, particularly, hits radio should all find lots to love about this low-key frolic. Don't miss the live show." In a second single review, he noted, "Seriously infectious hook, simple yet clever instrumentation and Crow's likable personality all spell a winner here. A perfect summertime track, "All I Wanna Do" could well be the song that kicks off Sheryl's run at the big leagues." In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton commented, that "All I Wanna Do" "certainly has potential to go further, not least with Lisa Loeb as a role model but my one overwhelming confession is that I honestly cannot see what all the fuss is about. It's a good record, but no more." Alan Jones from Music Week said "this cheery pop/rock smash is a wordy, but expertly delivered and invigorating confection with a catchy chorus." He added, "Brits may not smile as much as US rock buyers, but they'll grin enough to get this into the chart".

A song that has lost none its cool and brilliance almost thirty years since it was released, Sheryl Crow’s All I Wanna Do is one that I would urge everyone to play now. It will lift the mood and get you singing along! Insatiable and a fusion of sunshine and beer-stained brilliance, it is a track that means a lot to me. With Sheryl Crow releasing a new album soon, she will tour again. I hope that All I Wanna Do makes a setlist soon enough. This mighty and timeless song is one of the…

VERY best of the 1990s.

FEATURE: The Teen Prodigy: Kate Bush’s The Kick Inside at Forty-Six

FEATURE:

 

 

The Teen Prodigy

  

Kate Bush’s The Kick Inside at Forty-Six

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ON 17th February…

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush shot on 2nd March, 1978/PHOTO CREDIT: Mirrorpix

it will be forty-six years since Kate Bush released her debut album, The Kick Inside. Only nineteen when the album came out, it reached number three in the U.K. Produced by Andrew Powell, it contained huge songs like The Man with the Child in His Eyes and Wuthering Heights. I find it strange that this album is not better known or has a wider appreciation. Many people know about it, yet I don’t really heard it played much across radio. Perhaps the odd song or two. There are some real gems from the album that one never heard at all. It is a pity. Such a phenomenal introduction, here was this teen prodigy that put out an album like no other! I am going to get to some parts of a fascinating exploration of The Kick Inside. The album has never fully been embraced the same way as Hounds of Love. That is fair enough. I just feel that Bush’s debut is worthy of a lot more love. Rather than this being a promising debut or her first step to something better, The Kick Inside is a fully-formed and astonishing album in its own right! I will finish with a review for The Kick Inside. Obviously, with so much interest around this new and exciting young artists, there are a lot of interviews available from 1978. An interview that I have sourced before, Donna McAllister spoke with Kate Bush for Sounds in March 1978. There was a lot of curiosity around this new artists. Most not knowing how to write about her. Many of the early interviews are quite lurid and talk about Kate Bush’s sex appeal. Others are patronising and piss-taking. There are some that get the tone right:

“The story is not at all as overnight as it seems to be, it was in fact two years ago that Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour bopped around to Kate’s flat with a Revox -- goal in mind to get some of Kate’s tunes published. She wasn't, at the time, considered a singer but Gilmour, who is genuinely interested in giving undiscovered talent a shot-in-the-arm (with his Unicorn organization) felt that the bubbling under songs should have the opportunity to be heard. They recorded about 15 songs per tape, and took them around to various record companies. The unanimous opinion, then, was 'non-commercial', and after all . . . it's not creative unless it sells, 'eh?

How Kate and Gilmour hooked up is rather a vague 'girlfriends'- boyfriends'- girlfriends friend' sort of rigmarole, but the fact is that he never did lose interest in her er . . . talents, and decided that the only way to reach a record company's gold lined pocket was to produce finished product. Which is exactly what they did. Gilmour put up the money, and Kate went into Air studios complete with a band, and laid down the three tracks she and Dave both felt were best. This is the tape which eventually landed Kate her contract with EMI Records.

Despite the fact that she has been already wrongly built (no pun intended) in the media to be a mere child, she is surprisingly aware of what is going on around her, and is accepting the entire shindig with a pleased air of disbelief.

"They keep telling me the chart numbers, and I just kind of say 'Wow' (she sweeps her arms) . . . it's not really like it's happening. I've always been on the outside, watching albums I like go up the charts, and feeling pleased that they are doing well, but it's hard to relate to the fact that it's now happening to me..."

'WUTHERING Heights', Kate's self-penned song, inspired by the book of the same title, is literally catapulting up the UK charts, and looks as though it will be one of those classic world-wide smasheroonies, though it has yet to be released in most other countries. She recently took her first air-borne flight to Germany for a television appearance, as the single, apparently, has been chosen as whatever the German equivalent of 'pick-of-the-week' might be.

"It was mind blowing," she said euphorically, in reference to flying, "I really want to do more of that . . ." Wonder how she'll feel about in in two years’ time.

She writes songs about love, people, relationships and life . . . sincerely and emotionally, but without prostituting her talents by whining about broken hearts.

"If you're writing a song, assuming people are going to listen, then you have a responsibility to those people. It's important to give them a positive message, something that can advise or help is far more effective than having a wank and being self-pitiful. That's really negative. My friends and brothers have been really helpful to me, providing me with stimulating conversation and ideas I can really sink my teeth into."

For as long as she can remember she has been toying around with the piano, much, I reckoned, to her parent's chagrin. Can you imagine living with a nine-year-old who insisted on battering away on said instrument, wailing away at the top of her lungs in accompaniment?

"Well, they weren't very encouraging in the beginning, they thought it was a lot of noise. When I first started, my voice was terrible, but the voice is an instrument to a singer, and the only way to improve it is to practice. I have had no formal vocal training, though there was a guy that I used to see for half-an-hour once a week, and he would advise me on things like breathing properly, which is very important to voice control. He'd say things like 'Does that hurt? Well, then sing more from here (motions to diaphragm) than from your throat.' I don't like the idea of 'formal' training, it has far too many rules and conventions that are later hard to break out of . . ."

IT IS QUITE obvious from the cover of 'The Kick Inside', her debut album, that Ms. Bush is Orientally influenced, but apparently it was not meant to take on such an oriental feel.

"I think it went a bit over the top, actually. We had the kite, and as there is a song on the album by that name, and as the kite is traditionally oriental, we painted the dragon on. But I think the lettering was just a bit too much. No matter. On the whole I was surprised at the amount of control I actually had with the album production. Though I didn't choose the musicians," (Andrew Powell, producer and arranger did). "I thought they were terrific.

"I was lucky to be able to express myself as much as I did, especially with this being a debut album. Andrew was really into working together, rather than pushing everyone around. I basically chose which tracks went on, put harmonies where I wanted them . . . I was there throughout the entire mix. I feel that's very important. Ideally, I would like to learn enough of the technical side of things to be able to produce my own stuff eventually."

Kate has a habit of gesturing constantly with her hands, and often expressing herself with unspellable sounds and grimaces. Though this make tape transcriptions difficult, it does accentuate something which is very much a part of her, 'movement expression'. She has studied under the inimitable Lindsay Kemp, mime artiste, an experience shared with Kate's favourite musician, David Bowie.

"I admire actresses and actors terribly and think it's an amazing craft. But singing and performing your songs should be the same thing. At this point I would rather develop my music and expressing it physically, as opposed to having a script. I think I'm much better off as a wailer. . ."

She is, indeed a beautiful woman. Carved ivory, with nary a nick. So obviously there is no way she can avoid becoming the target for sexist minds. Although she does not advocate this reaction, she's not flustered by it. After all, it is a compliment.

"As long as it does not interfere with my progress as a singer/songwriter, it doesn't matter. I just wish people would think of that first, I would be foolish to think that people don't look. I suppose in some ways it helps to get more people to listen . . ."

'THE KICK Inside' suggests a keen interest in mysticism.

"I try to work on myself spiritually, and am always trying to improve my outlook on life. We really abuse all that we've got, assuming that we are so superior as beings, taking the liberties of sticking up cement stuff all over the place. I think there is a lot to astrology, and the effect the moon has upon us all' but I hate the way it's become so trendy now.

"I'm a vegetarian, and now that's trendy as well . . . but what annoys me the most is the way people are so automatically cynical about astrology. I mean, like the Greeks put an incredible amount of hard work into carefully planned geometric charts, based purely on mathematics. People just shrug off. It's the same with coincidence, as I said in the song 'Strange Phenomena',"

At first, Kate was opposed to having any sort of management, feeling strongly that less mistakes are made if you deal with situations yourself, directly. But she quickly found out that this sort of idealism does not work, and now has Peter Lyster-Todd handling her business affairs.

"He has worked more on the theatrical side of entertainment than music. I like that. I think most managers are crooks, greedy and non-musical, and that mixing with other music managers is contagious. I think Peter will be amazing . . .”.

Prior to getting to a review and my thoughts about The Kick Inside turning forty-six, Stereogum’s 2018 feature (on the album’s fortieth anniversary) takes us inside this beguiling and beautiful album. Not this Pop ingénue who was being led and relying on others calling the shots, Kate Bush was determined and had a clear vision of her own music. In terms of the singles that would be released from it. I do often wonder whether there were any photographs taken of Bush at AIR Studio in 1977, when she was recording The Kick Inside. It would have been fascinating seeing her captured in action:

“Bush, a cult figure in America who is regarded as a national treasure in the UK, created a legacy that has influenced countless musicians, many of whom might not even realize she made their work possible. How would most pop stars tour without the headset microphone, which was created for Bush’s 1979 Tour Of Life, using a wire hanger? Producing her own work in an industry in which a small percentage of women are producers, Kate Bush has maintained a level of control and integrity within her spellbinding music that few artists have matched. She opened the door for all artists, but especially women, to experiment more radically in their audio and visual work. As Imogen Heap once said, “When I was 17 and getting my first record deal, it was the likes of Kate Bush who had contributed to labels taking me seriously as a girl who knew what she was doing and wanted.” To be frank: Without Kate Bush, none of your faves would exist in the same capacity. That might sound hyperbolic, but there is so much, from turning live performances into multimedia, theatrical spectacles, to making music videos years before MTV’s debut, to wearing a swan dress — that Kate Bush did first.

Her groundbreaking legacy of experimental yet accessible, inspiringly individualistic work begins with the extraordinary debut album that turns 40 this weekend: The Kick Inside. Released when Bush was 19 in 1978, it included songs she had written as early as age 13 and introduced the world into Bush’s wild imagination. Arriving in a year otherwise dominated by disco and punk (“Wuthering Heights” replaced Abba’s “Take A Chance On Me” as the UK’s #1 single) this imagination felt “strangely out of time” and singular. The album’s focus on female sexuality, its use of voice as an instrument, and Bush’s unique storytelling techniques — particularly her exciting use of fluid narrative identity, in which she changes identities and narrative point of view with every song — created a new, unprecedented model for women in music. The Kick Inside (referred to as TKI from now on) made the world a safer place not just for women musicians but also for freaks and outcasts everywhere, and its anniversary is well worth celebrating.

Of course, first we need to address what will make most people either adore or despise TKI: That Voice. As the album begins, a wailing, impossibly-high-pitched voice grabs (or repels) the listener as it sings that opening line “mooooooviiiiiing straaaangeeeer.” Deborah Withers, author of Adventures In Kate Bush And Theory, wrote that the pitch of her voice is “an assault on the normal parameters of vocal modulation.” I feel it is no coincidence that, within a music criticism field dominated by straight white men, her most acclaimed album is 1985’s Hounds Of Love, on which her voice deepened enough for them to be able to handle it. Dismissive and condescending quotes from male critics about Bush’s early work, both from the ‘70s and now, are too numerous to collect here, but Suede frontman Brett Anderson’s assertion in the BBC’s The Kate Bush Story that in her early work she was “finding her way … she hadn’t quite found herself and all that early stuff of her dancing around in leotards is a little bit am-dram” (is he forgetting how he dressed in the early ‘90s?) and that Hounds Of Love is “the zenith” of her artistry, typifies the traditional critical approach to Bush’s work.

Reared in the country known for stiff upper lips and repressed sexuality (full disclosure: this author is part-English), Bush sang frankly in songs written in her teens about lust, and her narrative voice on TKI possesses an active feminine, sexual gaze. In the album’s second song, “The Saxophone Song” she imagines herself “in a Berlin Bar” as she watches a saxophonist play and becomes a voyeur filled with desire, a traditionally masculine position. On the album’s second half, Bush becomes franker, and downright explicit, about her active sexuality. In “Feel It,” she and her lover go “back to your parlour” where “Locking the door/My stockings fall onto the floor, desperate for more.” She stretches out the word “more” with her inimitable voice for as long as she can, mimicking the sound of a woman in ecstasy. She then sings, “The glorious union, well, it could be love/Or it could be just lust, but it will be fun/It will be wonderful.” In case there was any doubt that Bush was singing about sex, she then explicitly describes penetration: “keep on a-moving in, keep on a-tuning in/synchronize rhythm now.” What teenage girl was celebrating the “fun” of a possible one-night stand in pop music in 1978, much less the “sticky love inside” (a cringeworthy lyric, yes) it produces in “L’Amour Looks Something Like You”?

TKI is also revolutionary because it establishes Bush’s narrative style as fluid and multiple; her songs are short stories each written from a different narrator’s perspective rather than from her own point of view. This writing style stands in stark contrast to the traditionally personal style of music focusing on love and heartbreak that continues to dominate the charts. “I often find myself inspired by unusual, distorted, weird subjects, as opposed to things that are straightforward. It’s a reflection of me, my liking for weirdness,” she said in 1980. Unlike the majority of pop/rock artists, The “I” in Bush’s music is rarely Bush. Her songs are not confessional, but are rather short stories told from the points of views of a diverse range of narrators. From Bush’s songs, we can know about themes that interest her, but Kate Bush herself rarely speaks in her work; her narrators, who occupy multiple genders, races, and historical times, do instead. This is a deeply radical break from traditional “confessional “ songwriting, especially for women up to that point. Consider that the most acclaimed female musician of the time, and probably of all time, Joni Mitchell, is most-lauded for her confessional album, Blue”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: An outtake from The Kick Inside’s cover shoot, showing the metal bar and ropes that were constructed for the shot/PHOTO CREDIT: Jay Myrdal

That sense of confidence and having a say regarding her music and aesthetics comes across when it comes to The Kick Inside’s cover. Not merely a cover that was similar to what so many other artists were putting out in 1978, there was a story and something unique behind this one. Even though I think that a portrait of Kate Bush would have been a better choice, what we have for the cover – the U.K. cover anyway; various countries had different images on the cover – is, in part, inspired by Disney. Kate Bush News, when marking forty years of The Kick Inside, spoke with Jay Myrdal. He shot the ‘kite’ album cover:

“It must be remembered that when I shot the photographs of Kate for her first album, ‘The Kick Inside’, no one had heard of her before. She was very young and even EMI didn’t expect her first album to be anything more than a minor success. While the record company were confident that she was indeed a considerable talent, they were as surprised as anyone when she topped the charts. I had listened to the tape of Wuthering Heights before the shoot and my recollection was that, while it was interesting, I thought she had a rather shrill voice and I did not expect it to do very well.

What do I know?

Kate arrived at the studio with her father and a car full of bits of wood and painted paper from which he constructed the kite as it appears in the photograph. I rigged the rather fragile kite on the black painted wall of my studio with ropes and a metal bar which was strong enough for her to hang from.

In the meantime Kate was in the back room with a makeup girl being covered in gold body paint. The image was entirely Kate’s idea and Steve Ridgeway, the art director and I simply did more or less as we were told. The idea had come from the Disney animated film ‘Pinocchio’ and the scene when Jiminy Cricket floats past the whale’s eye using his umbrella like a parachute.

IN THIS IMAGE: A still from Walt Disney’s Pinocchio (1940) 

The shoot went well of course but I had never been fully briefed on just how it would be used. I had been instructed to shoot it on black which was how it appeared on the single. Used that way, it worked just fine. Unfortunately, when it was composited against the light yellow background of the eye, the dark shadows around her legs and on the bottom of the kite didn’t work for me. In spite of it being probably the most famous record cover I ever shot, I never used it in my portfolio, feeling that this technical problem was an embarrassment to a perfectionist like myself.

Again… What do I know?

Kate returned to my studio a few times after the shoot, once to collect the kite and a few more times just to say hello. Shortly after her record was released I held one of my well known studio parties and invited Kate but sadly by that time she was far too famous and busy to attend although she did send her apologies via the record company… (sigh!)  – Jay Myrdal FRPS”.

I will finish on yet another source I have included before. Laura Snapes reviewed The Kick Inside for Pitchfork in 2019. Even though it is playful and child-like at times, it is determined and complete. If many in the media portrayed Kate Bush as a hippy or doe-eyed (or worse) in 1978, they were overlooking the fact that this was a very strong young woman getting what she wanted. An artist who deserved a lot more respect than she was afforded:

“There’s not a fearful note on The Kick Inside, and yet there is still room for childish wonder: Just because Bush appeared emotionally and musically sophisticated beyond her years didn’t mean denying them.

“Kite” unravels like a children’s story: First she wants to fly up high, away from cruel period pains (“Beelzebub is aching in my belly-o”) and teenage self-consciousness (“all these mirror windows”) but no sooner is she up than she wants to return to real life. It is a wacky hormone bomb of a song, prancing along on toybox cod reggae and the enervating rat-a-tat-tat energy that sustained parodies of Bush’s uninhibited style; still, more fool anyone who sneers instead of reveling in the pure, piercing sensation of her crowing “dia-ia-ia-ia-ia-ia-ia-mond!” as if giving every facet its own gleaming syllable.

“Strange Phenomena” is equally awed, Bush celebrating the menstrual cycle as a secret lunar power and wondering what other powers might arrive if we were only attuned to them. She lurches from faux-operatic vocal to reedy shriek, marches confidently in tandem with the strident chorus and unleashes a big, spooky “Woo!,” exactly as silly as a 19-year-old should be. As is “Oh to Be in Love,” a baroque, glittering harpsichord romp about a romance that brightens the colors and defeats time.

She only fails to make a virtue of her naivety on “Room for the Life,” where she scolds a weeping woman for thinking any man would care about her tears. The sweet calypso reverie is elegant, and good relief from the brawnier, propulsive arrangements that stood staunchly alongside Steely Dan. But Bush shifts inconsistently between reminding the woman that she can have babies and insisting, more effectively, that changing one’s life is up to you alone. The latter is clearly where her own sensibilities lie: “Them Heavy People,” another ode to her teachers, has a Woolf-like interiority (“I must work on my mind”) and a distinctly un-Woolf-like exuberance, capering along like a pink elephant on parade. “You don’t need no crystal ball,” she concludes, “Don’t fall for a magic wand/We humans got it all/We perform the miracles.”

The Kick Inside was Bush’s first, the sound of a young woman getting what she wants. Despite her links to the 1970s’ ancien régime, she recognized the potential to pounce on synapses shocked into action by punk, and eschewed its nihilism to begin building something longer lasting. It is ornate music made in austere times, but unlike the pop sybarites to follow in the next decade, flaunting their wealth while Britain crumbled, Bush spun hers not from material trappings but the infinitely renewable resources of intellect and instinct: Her joyous debut measures the fullness of a woman’s life by what’s in her head”.

On 17th February, 1978, Kate Bush released The Kick Inside into the world. Everything would change. Performing and being interviewed all around the world, this unusual and unconventional young English artist was like nobody else. Forty-six years later, I feel The Kick Inside is underrated. Not as explored and admired quite as much as it should be. Laura Shenton’s book about The Kick Inside is a useful reference. It is my favourite album of all time. The more I listen to The Kick Inside, the more I know that…

WILL never change.

FEATURE: Meaningful Allyship: The Best Way to Support and Salute Women Through the Industry

FEATURE:

 

 

Meaningful Allyship

PHOTO CREDIT: Andrew Hawkes/Pexels

 

The Best Way to Support and Salute Women Through the Industry

_________

ONE of my main ambitions…

PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

as a music journalist is to do everything possible to support women and promote their music. To discuss important issues around inequality and discrimination. Doing as much to highlight the music and the amazing women around. There is a desire to try and make a difference when it comes to adding my voice to concerns that continue. How there is still so much discrimination and misogyny. I covered this recently. Rather than revisit that line of enquiry, I do wonder whether there is meaningful and clear allyship coming from the industry in general. I am going to deviate before coming back to music. Like so many who have an interest in film, it was gutting that Greta Gerwig was not nominated in the Directing category. Other female directors (such as Celine Song for Past Lives) missed out. A category that always struggles with gender inequality, many felt that she was worthy of nomination. The biggest film of last year, it was a massive oversight! From what the actors of Barbie said, Gerwig’s set was so much fun. This really energetic and happy space, it makes it super-crushing that she was not nominated this year. Ryan Gosling (who got an Actor in a Supporting Role nomination for playing Ken), made a statement expressing his disappointment that Greta Gerwig was not named in the Directing category. Also, his co-star, Margot Robbie missed out in the Actress category. That these two women who helped make and define one of the biggest films in many years did not get Oscar nominations (though Barbie was nominated in Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay). That sort of allyship and support from Gosling was incredible! What is clear is that Hollywood still excludes and overlooks female directors. Excuses about subjectivity and limited category spaces hid a fact: Hollywood still has a bias towards male directors when it comes to awards and recognition.

IN THIS PHOTO: Greta Gerwig/PHOTO CREDIT: Norman Jean Roy for Vanity Fair

It made me think about music. We have similar issues. Perhaps not with an award ceremony like the Oscars. Other areas like festivals maybe. Who is speaking out about the ongoing imbalance and sexism?! Women mainly. There are very few male allies (if any?). In terms of big names in the industry certainly. It does rile me that very few put their head above the parapet and voice their anger at how the industry is still misogynistic and does not value women truly! Even if some areas have improved, look at all the other areas that are rife with problems. My writing can only do so much. I know there are organisations and charities supporting women and fighting for equality. Here are organisations out there who support women in music. They do amazing work. I know about the incredible Cactus City Studio and The F-List (whose new President is Hannah Peel). We also have Why Not Her?, Women in CTRL, and Safe Gigs for Women. I would consider myself quite a passionate feminist. From spotlighting terrific women coming through and those queens established already, through to discussing sexism and misogyny through the industry, I wonder how best to filter and focus that passion. Whether it is feasible setting up my own organisation. How to best get more men in the industry speaking up and getting involved Whether there is a campaign or way of joining all the organisations together for a massive cause or campaign. On 8th March, it is International Women’s Day. I want to do something before then.

IN THIS PHOTO: Hannah Peel

It is still the case that the industry has so many problems to confront. Women, dominating the industry and really producing the best music, are in the minority when it comes to exposure and opportunities. Perhaps not quite a glaring hegemony as Hollywood, music is still male-dominated. A matriarchal music industry, rather than excluding men or causing problems, would genuinely create a more balanced and less toxic industry. So many amazing women (and men) doing important work to highlight injustice and issues. I don’t think we should be in a position, in 2024, where there is still so much work to be done. It is frustrating for music journalists like me and so many others continuingly hearing about drawbacks and inequality. Cases of abuse and discrimination. So many myriad problems that should not be such a problem in this day and age. One where women are creating such important and phenomenal music. Women behind the scenes and those in studios. Those label owners, D.J.s and all their sisters across music, constantly having to ask for change and being seen as less important or relevant as men. If I have said this a lot before, it does warrant repetition. It is a huge industry, and there are so many problems to tackle. I know that this International Women’s Day will both celebrate women throughout music but also call out an industry still unshaking in its discrimination and sexism – even if there are pockets of prosperity and progress. Men in the industry need to be more active and vocal! There are so few men in music that are continuingly and meaningfully protesting and joining the conversation. Maybe it is difficult to know where to start and how to help. I feel, as someone with a small following, it can be really difficult.

PHOTO CREDIT: Nicholas Derio Palacios/Pexels

This year, instead of having any resolutions – which are always meaningless and broken instantly -, I would try and use my platform to try and bring about change. However small that is. That may sound a little pious and self-important but, at a time when music journalism is in decline and being threatened (as so many cannot make money from it), the appetite for it grows. Each month seems to bring bad news and reports of women in the industry being negatively impacted. This sits against an industry thriving because of women. It is that cognitive dissonance that galls me! Not an industry that reflects meritocracy; that bias and unwavering and tone deaf lack of change. I do realise that there has been progress over the past few years in so many areas. Even so, when one thinks about the music industry, like Hollywood, it has a real problem when it comes to women. Many do not feel protected or safe. Many feel underheard and underpaid. Artists not given headline slots. Female D.J.s having to work tirelessly to get the same chances as men. Many women reporting sexism and misogyny they constantly face. Award shows fixing some problems but not addressing others. This very slow progress only happens because of women in music. They deserve a lot more than they are getting. I have a real drive and determination to do all I can. Transitioning from the written word to become more active and join forces with others. For women all throughout music, providing equality and true recognition is…

PHOTO CREDIT: Sound On/Pexels

THE absolute least they deserve.

FEATURE: Brother Stands for Comfort: John Carder Bush at Eighty: His Influence on Kate Bush’s Career

FEATURE:

 

 

Brother Stands for Comfort

ALL PHOTOS: John Carder Bush 

 

John Carder Bush at Eighty: His Influence on Kate Bush’s Career

_________

ALL of us are inspired and guided…

by our relationship with siblings. Whether it is an approach to life, a taste in music or something else, we take a lot from a brother or sister. This is true of so many musicians. When it comes to Kate Bush, her older brothers Paddy and Jay (John Carder Bush) opened her eyes to a whole new world of music. Beyond contemporary bands of the 1970s like Pink Floyd and artists such as David Bowie and Elton John, Bush’s brothers were playing English Folk and more esoteric sounds. Paddy Bush, who played on most of her studio albums, constantly brought weird and wonderful sounds to his sister’s attention. When it comes to John Carder Bush, there was a range of influences. A talented poet, his promise and imaginative writing clearly had an impact on the young Kate (Catherine/Cathy) Bush. Rather than writing in a conventional/traditional way, I feel a lot of her lyrical approach was influenced by her eldest brother and his poetry. A big reason why she wrote poetry herself, John Carder Bush also photographed his sister through her career. The book, Cathy, compiles photos from her earliest years (see above). Some wonderful childhood shots. Photographing images for 2011’s Director’s Cut, and iconic snaps such as the Hounds of Love album cover, you can see them all in KATE: Inside the Rainbow. There is another reason to talk about John Carder Bush. Born on 26th March, 1944, he turns eighty very soon. I know that the Kate Bush community will celebrate that nearer the time. I can only imagine how proud he was, as a fourteen-year-old, when his sister, Catherine, was born on 30th July, 1958. The two bonded very quickly. Although Kate Bush definitely inspired her brother, the influence of her brother in terms of her writing and performance can be traced to him.

I love thinking about the Bush household. All of them living at East Wickham Farm in Welling. You can see this video here of Kate Bush with her family. That was produced in 1979. I look back at photos from Cathy of John Caser Bush capturing his young sister in these intimate and brilliant photos. Entwined and interconnected throughout her career, I think the last input he has on her work was when he appeared in a speaking role on the album of Kate Bush’s 2014 residency, Before the Dawn. The narrator and writer on Jig of Life, he contributed to her most recent album release. That album came out in 2016. You wonder how much the two have worked together since then. Whether any new photos have been taken or there has been any musical coloration. Whether you feel John Carder Bush’s poetry and musical tastes is the biggest and most important association with his sister or the iconic and brilliant photographer, he clearly had a big impact on her. In fact, Kate Bush trained at Goldsmiths College Karate Club where John was a karate instructor. There she became known as ‘Ee-ee’ because of her squeaky kiai! I will wrap up in a second. I first want to bring in an Attitude interview. They spoke with John Carder Bush in 2017 about a lifetime of photographing his sister - and some favourite memories:

“John, Kate – Inside The Rainbow is just gorgeous. Why did now feel like the right time to put a book like this together?

I think the timing of this book was dictated by the reprint of Cathy [last year]. So many people had shown an interest in that book long after it went out of print, and it seemed logical to see what would happen if I brought it up to date. Originally, when I published Cathy back in 1986, I had planned to do three books – Cathy, Catherine and Kate, but like so many ambitious plans, it never happened.

Let’s start with those earliest photos you took of your sister, the ones that formed the book Cathy. Was it a case of your little sister being an easy subject to practice on, or were you aware even in those early days that there was a ‘star quality’ to her?

In those days I had only just started to feel that the camera could evoke something I wanted to express about childhood and the world of the imagination that so many children live in. I was also excited by my personal discovery of the pre-Raphaelites and had started collecting illustrated books of the turn of the century, which nobody was interested in in the early sixties and could be bought for next to nothing. My little sister was the perfect model, and although I was pleased with the results, I don’t think I detected star quality – we were a long way away from the her future career; when you know someone so well and see them every day of your life, you just don’t notice that kind of thing, although looking at them now it is quite clear she had something special.

This feels about as close to an ‘official’ retrospective book of Kate’s career as we might get. What are her thoughts on it?

I first discussed the book with Kate back in the summer of 2014. The live shows then swept her away for a few months. When I had done a preliminary selection of photos and written the text, I showed them to her for her comments and I then worked with her final selection of images for the rest of the project. As I remember, she pointed out that she had ten ‘O’ levels, when I had put nine.

When you look through the images in the book, do you see changes develop as the years go on? There’s a sophistication that seems to really develop in Kate’s imagery from Hounds of Love onwards…

Yes, I agree. You can see the development in the sense that she becomes more expert at conscious projection, more confident in knowing what works and what does not, and I think the same thing applies to my photography.

One thing that strikes me, looking through the book, is her willingness to try different things – poses, props, costumes etc – in the pursuit of a great shot. Did either of you take the lead in those situations, or was it quite a 50/50 partnership?

I think this is dictated by two different things. With album and single shots, there is a very specific intention to project a persona that matches the songs; with promotional shots, variety becomes very important otherwise every session would have looked the same. With album and single sessions, Kate always had a very definite idea of what she wanted before she stepped in front of the camera and it was a question of trying to realise that in a photographic context.

In the book, you mention Hounds of Love being a favourite record – it’s the album with perhaps the most iconic artwork of Kate’s career. What is it for you that makes that album / period a particular favourite? 

Hounds of Love seems to me to demonstrate the perfect combination of Kate’s power and ability to be able to operate successfully in the world of popular music, and at the same time create something iconic like The Ninth Wave that transcends the throwaway nature of the charts. I also had a lot more involvement with that album executively and creatively, and writing and performing the poetry section on the song Jig of Life meant that I had many happy memories of that time.

There is a big time gap in the book from The Red Shoes to Director’s Cut – eighteen years between photos. How had things changed when you went back to photographing Kate after all those years?

The big difference was that I was photographing her face and not her feet! But, seriously, nothing seemed any different except the machinery I was using; digital and not analogue. And, of course, she now had a son who was popping in to see what was going on, whereas it used to be the other way round”.

On 26th March, John Carder Bush turns eighty. It is cause to look ahead and celebrate. A few days before her brother’s seventieth birthday, on 21st March, 2014, that is when Kate Bush announced Before the Dawn. That is an anniversary I will mark. Even though her brother was not a massive part of that residency, you can see his influence through the set. The design, concept and feel. He would have inspired 1979’s The Tour of Life (see him in this video at 15:42) too. The way poetry and spoken word is in Before the Dawn definitely comes back to her oldest brother. These incredible photos that he took of a young Kate Bush, right through to more recent ones, are among the most striking and memorable of all Kate Bush photos. We discuss Kate Bush’s music a lot, though not in the context of her family. Her mother, Hannah, and father, Robert, had their part and influence. So too did Paddy. So tight-knit and supportive, I wanted to spend a moment highlighting John Carder Bush. Or Jay. How his photographers brought something from this incredible artist. His poetry and love of the arts and music had an immediate and early influence on his sister. In a year where there are going to be some important anniversaries – The Tour of Life (forty-five), The Sensual World (thirty-five) and Before the Dawn (ten) -, some might overlook a big birthday for John Carder Bush. I have been thinking about his relationship with his sister and how involved in her work he was. Even though Kate Bush is her own woman and a singular and extraordinary talent, when it comes to her beloved eldest brother, she definitely…

OWES a lot to him.

FEATURE: It’s in the Trees, It’s in the Skies: How Kate Bush’s Influence Is Everywhere

FEATURE:

 

 

It’s in the Trees, It’s in the Skies

PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Aris

 

How Kate Bush’s Influence Is Everywhere

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WITHOUT sign or promise…

PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari

of new material coming from Kate Bush, many are connecting with her work through reissues and retrospection. It is a way of keeping her music active and seen. I am not sure whether there will be new music ever again from Kate Bush. I guess the fact that she is revisiting her past work and ensuring new fans connect means that she wants her music to be heard and preserved. An artist who takes the time to ensure her music is as good as it could be, that is the mark of a dedicated creator. In terms of legacy and influence, one cannot say that it is small and in the past. It is obvious that a lot of artists have been inspired by Kate Bush. Even now, without there being new signs of material, artists are connecting with Bush’s past work and taking guidance from it. I will come to other artists who have been influenced by her. Far Out Magazine recently wrote about an interview where Santigold discussed her love of Kate Bush. How she has brought some of Bush’s distinct vocals and magic into her own music:

“There is no doubt about it: Kate Bush is one of the most influential artists ever to live. With her unique vocal acrobatics and rich storytelling lyricism, she’s a name regularly brought up when musicians share their inspirations.

In conversation with Los Angeles’ iconic record store, Amoeba, Santigold shared some of her biggest inspirations and favourite records. In the mix, she talks at length about the Nigerian musician Fela Kuti, calling him one of her “favourites ever in the world”.

Other artists like N.W.A, Chuck Berry and De La Soul get similar praise. Helping to build an image of all the influences and genres that inform her own alt-pop meets hip-hop sound. However, a vital puzzle piece to the world of Santigold comes in the form of Kate Bush.

Picking out a box set compilation that features her 1980s albums Hounds Of Love and The Sensual World as well as the 1993 album The Red Shoes, it features some of her best work. “I’ve just always been influenced by her,” the singer says.

“Particularly, I love ‘Rocket’s Tail’. It’s one of my favourites,” Santigold says of the 1989 track. A roaring, storytelling rock song that burst into one of the most dynamic crescendos of Bush’s career, it’s a criminally underrated cut. “It showcases her full vocal range and the theatrical element,” she adds.

As a vocalist, Bush’s unique stylings and incredible range have inspired so many. From the first time the world heard her high-pitched voice on ‘Wuthering Heights’ to all the creepy voices and characterful moments heard on her later records, she’s had the world hooked. Santigold is just one of generations of artists that can’t help but reference Bush’s work to add some weirdness and charm.

“On my song ‘Creator’, it’s really funny because one of the producers said ‘do some Kate Bush shit in the beginning,’” the singer continues. “So we did it, and I was like [squeals] and he was like ‘OK…’” she laughs. Talking about the high-pitched introduction to the 2008 hit, Bush’s influence is heard loud and clear”.

Look around modern Pop, and there are artists who are keeping Kate Bush’s music alive in the form of their original takes. Not only is Dua Lipa’s recent track, Houdini, the same name as a Bush track from her 1982 album, The Dreaming; promotional images of Lipa with a key on her tongue is almost the same as Kate Bush on The Dreaming’s cover (where she has a key on her tongue to pass to Houdini (Del Palmer). Even though there have been articles about Kate Bush’s influence through the years, there has not been much modern examination. Artists like Tori Amos and St. Vincent have been inspired by Bush. How many are discussing the crop of new artists coming through?! Even if they do not explicitly mention Kate Bush in interviews, there is no doubt that a spirit or aspect of Bush’s work and approach has made its way through modern music. Back in 2020, this COMPLEX article from Brianna Holt revealed how Bush might be away from the public eye – yet her influence is strong as ever and very much evident:

“She is highly praised by her peers, too. Big-time artists like St. Vincent and Adele have publicly expressed how Bush’s music influenced their own work. Prince noted her as his favorite lady. Even Tupac was a Kate Bush fan. Big Boi, a longtime stan of “Running up That Hill,” shared that he would listen to the song everyday on his bike ride to and from school. During a phone call earlier this month he told us, “I fell in love with her songwriting and how her songs would tell stories. It was deep. From there she became one of my two favorite artists." The connection he formed to Bush's music grew so deep that he spent a week in England trying to pin her down while he was in town for press meetings.

After texting and talking over the phone for years, the two finally linked in 2017 for dinner which the Outkast member tells me “was the coolest experience ever.” He continues, "We talked mainly about our children... She wasn't really recording at the time because she wanted to focus on her kid. That's another thing that really brought us together—centering our family. We had a nice little dinner and we just sat there and chatted for like an hour or two."

Big Boi was one of the many celebrities who attended Bush’s “Before The Dawn” show in 2014.  The 22-night concert residency, which was held at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, sold out within 15 minutes online, 35 years after Bush’s last tour. Big Boi has been hinting that a Kate Bush collaboration of some sorts might be in the works, but he's hesitant to say more. "And there's a big surprise coming as well," he told us. "I can't tell you all the details right now, but yeah, something is coming."

For fans, it can be quite frustrating to admire someone who is so distant, especially in the digital age. Very little is known about Bush’s day-to-day life, and social media doesn’t provide a stance on her political views or evolving taste and perspective. It isn’t even certain when and if another Kate Bush album will ever come, leaving fans with no choice but to be patient with her timeline and dive deeper into music that already exists. Luckily, powerful art coupled with a mystifying personality has left a lot to explore since the release of her debut album in 1978. Maybe that is why Bush has continued to persist over time. After all, an artist who is not yet fully understood can often be the most compelling”.

If you look at young artists coming through who are taking risks and producing music that has even a hint of Kate Bush, it shows that, consciously or not, her influence continues and is impacting after all of these years. Maybe Hounds of Love and the dominance of that album will narrow the sonic scope. Many using this album as a reference point, rather than broadening their horizons and discovering Kate Bush’s full range and brilliance. Regardless, when Bush was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year, it did help when it comes to visibility in the U.S. The nation finally embracing Kate Bush. With that, a whole raft of artists and fans were keen to share words about what Kate Bush means. This article mentions the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Considering the depth and breadth of Kate Bush’s artistry and talent, was she done full justice?! I shall come to a point later: how there needs to be a comprehensive salute to Kate Bush and what she has given the music world:

“Rapper Big Boi (“Big Sleepover”), whose real name is Antwan Patton, sponsored Bush’s induction, saying in his speech that he listened to “Running Up That Hill” every morning as a kid. Like with Clark, Patton should not be mistaken as yet another celebrity riding off Bush’s name to appeal to pseudo-nostalgic teenagers. Patton has long been a fun-fact within the Bush fandom as an unexpected superfan. Patton even name-dropped “The Dreaming” and “50 Words for Snow,” Bush albums that, despite the popularity of her big hit, have not received any resurgence by proxy.

“I know what some of you are thinking,” Patton said. “What does Kate Bush have to do with hip-hop? She is such a unique artist, you might as well also ask, ‘What does Kate Bush have to do with rock ‘n’ roll?’”

Patton’s question reflects the evolution of the RRHOF from a marketing tool to promote rock artists to a marketing tool to promote artists of all genres. Bush’s induction may seem long overdue for those who trust on the RRHOF as a rite of passage for musical legends. The RRHOF has only recently worked to compensate for its suspicious gender inequality–only about 22% of its inductees are women, as of the last induction–but Bush’s induction resonated not as a moment waiting to happen but a moment the organizers felt obligated to prepare. Bush does not need the RRHOF just as she does not need a Grammy. 

Bush’s induction ceremony will probably mark the end of a phenomenon collecting the cultural influence of ‘80s nostalgia, TikTok campaigns on behalf of Gen-Z and extensive promotional marketing outside of Bush’s direction. While Bush has always been a musical icon in her native U.K., where she performs in residencies instead of touring concerts, for the longest time her fame in America was as an eclectic foreign import, the likes of Björk (“Fossora”) and Florence Welch (“Dance Fever”).

The “Stranger Things” tie-in was not completely anachronistic, as Bush did have little but some presence on the American charts. “Running Up That Hill” originally reached no. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. It would be difficult, though, to find a non-hipster American alive at that time who remembers Bush as being as accessible as the show made her out to be. The phenomenon was the result of how music listening operates in the 2020s. The culturally diffusive capabilities of the Internet and the algorithm-based curation of platforms like Spotify and TikTok fostered two trends: the popularity of old music and the popularity of obscure music. These both converged to propel Schrodinger’s pop hit: a classic song that defined the ‘80s sound while not actually leaving a mark. Bush’s experimental but influential music placed her in the perfect zone for a new generation of listeners to adopt her as their Boomer alt-pop queen”.

It is humbling when artists like Dua Lipa, Santigold or even Björk mention Kate Bush and her importance. It is all around us. In the music of established and huge artists. Obviously weaving and working its way through so many new artists. From TikTok-focused Pop artists to experimental Folk and even modern Art Rock bands like The Last Dinner Party, you can hear and sense Kate Bush’s presence working and influencing. It makes me ask, once more, why it seems okay that all the documentaries and coverage about her from the past decade or so is sufficient. There have been podcasts and some short documentaries about her in the past few years. There really has not been anything comprehensive. No true or definitive career-spanning spotlight of this musical genius. Given everything she has achieve and how many years she has been around, why is there a reluctance to do justice to Bush’s legacy and importance? You do not need new words and footage of Kate Bush to make it valid. She herself would not object. It is frustrating when you know she is influencing so many artists, yet there is precious little in the way of documentaries. Regardless of Kate Bush’s clear influence, it will always be smaller and more limited if there is not wider knowledge of her entire discography. Radio stations are unwilling to push out of their comfort zone, so documentaries are a way of introducing people to her full body of work. Let’s hope that somebody is working on a documentary. In any case, a modern superstar like Dua Lipa clearly channelling Kate Bush shows that she is relevant to this day. I feel that Kate Bush’s music will move and compel artists…

FOR generations more.

FEATURE: The Next Movement: The Roots’ Things Fall Apart at Twenty-Five

FEATURE:

 

 

The Next Movement

 

The Roots’ Things Fall Apart at Twenty-Five

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A seminal album from…

the late-1990s, The Roots released Things Fall Apart on 23rd February, 1999. I wanted to look ahead to its twenty-fifth anniversary and spotlight an incredible work. Recording sessions for Things Fall Apart took place at Electric Lady Studios between 1997 and 1998. This was happening at the same time as recording for other projects of the Soulquarians collective, including D'Angelo's Voodoo (2000), Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun (2000), and Common's Like Water for Chocolate (2000). Expanding The Roots collective and membership, Things Fall Apart featured, among others, D'Angelo, Questlove, Erykah Badu and Q-Tip. One of the greatest albums of all time, features about the album are quite deep and expansive. I am going to select some segments from a few of them. Stereogum marked twenty years of Things Fall Apart in February 2019:

“Rap always had a heavy reliance on sampling since its younger days. In 1999, the Roots were manipulating samples while incorporating live instrumentation with leanings from other genres and ultimately packaging the hodgepodge of sounds as hip-hop. Lines can not only be drawn to the rest of the Soulquarian projects, but all the way to contemporary albums that synthesize a heavy dose of another genre with rap, like Chance’s gospel-doused Coloring Book, Noname’s neo soul-leaning Room 25, and Kendrick Lamar’s jazz-tinged To Pimp A Butterfly. When TPAB debuted, one of the album’s main producers, Terrace Martin, cited the Roots as a source of inspiration, giving him the confidence to know that “any genre can be folded into rap.”

Lyrically, Black Thought established himself as your favorite MC’s favorite MC on Things Fall Apart as well, long before he had a scroll from Jimmy Fallon for recognition (as if he needed one), cosigns from Harvard, articles in the New Yorker, or the title of the unofficial most underrated rapper of all time.

Thought is the backbone of the band — the ever-steady lyrical virtuoso who is often the binder of the group’s experimentation and eclecticism. Here, he’s often rhyming about how other rappers are going commercial, echoing the opening dialogue of Denzel Washington’s Bleek Gilliam and Wesley Snipes’ Shadow Henderson from Mo’ Better Blues, featured on Things Fall Apart’s intro. Gilliam and Henderson were debating what made artists popular in the jazz age. Henderson said, “The people don’t come because you grandiose motherfuckers don’t play shit that they like.” Thought and the Roots know that they are the “real” alternative to what’s ruling the radio, but the pocket that Thought sits in lyrically marries the unconventional combination of R&B-infused sonics with aggressive cadences listeners were more accustomed to at the time. Thought is the bridge between the old and new Roots, old and new soul, and old and new rap — all with a unique style and lyricism matched by very few.

Things Fall Apart is much more than the effort that established the Roots. It’s a blueprint for reinvention, genre-blending, sonic risk-taking, raw lyricism, and unflinching politics all in one. Conscious-leaning giants J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar would not have been able to grow so tall without the Roots anchoring them, and this album’s legacy will inspire many more to come. In a country and world where leaders are seemingly hell-bent on perpetuating divisive attitudes, policies, and systems, amplifying the voices of the underrepresented and disenfranchised becomes that much more imperative. The Roots have lifted those voices beautifully for over 25 years now, and continue to do so as the sole predominantly black band that appears on television regularly at the moment. Sure, they don’t have a voice or presence on TV more fitting for their legacy, but by taking up that space they’re making room for the next band to have that voice and presence. So you can see this band as sidekicks now, if you’d like, but you have to keep your ear to the ground to truly hear the Roots”.

A Deluxe Edition of Things Fall Apart was released in 2019. GRAMMY wrote about The Roots’ 1999 masterpiece in a 2019 feature. They argue how The Roots deepened Hip-Hop. Also, Things Fall Apart was only the start of a run of albums that were world-class and essential. 2002’s Phrenology is another masterpiece. The words throughout Things Fall Apart are as relevant and stirring now as they were back in 1999:

“We joke about it — there's that "J. Cole went platinum with no features" meme—but some of rap's overachievers end up doing just that. The Roots were perhaps one of the first acts in hip-hop history where maybe it wasn't immediately clear what the song was about. And while rap had always been built on borrowing and homage and one-upping, all sorts of open-source tools and watching a chant or catchphrase evolve into something else in real time, the Philadelphia group felt like its first meta commentators, deconstructing the medium as a whole and its tropes within their work itself. Lord knows they didn’t condescend to their peers (which matters when your lead vocalist is named Black Thought), though they occasionally indulged their bratty side (see the 1996 "rap video manual" "What They Do").

But just by existing, the Roots are often viewed as a fount of respectability politics: "They're rappers who play real instruments!" you’ve surely overheard one exasperated white rock fan say to another. Actually, let's zoom out entirely. How they're really viewed in 2019 is as Jimmy Fallon's house band and their elastic ability to perform on any guest's song, no matter the genre, possibly diminishes their artistic identity rather than augmenting it. Despite the fact the Roots tie Jay-Z as rap’s most consistent album artists for 20 years now, they’re rarely part of The Conversation.

You could say people so take the Roots' greatness for granted that whatever amazing thing they're currently saying or doing exists in a different universe than the one engaging luminaries from Drake to Nicki Minaj to Future to Juice WRLD. Or you could say they aren’t considered great at all. Black Thought is often referred to as an "MC's MC," which by definition means he’s undervalued by the audience. No one doubts Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson is a world-class drummer, but he's treated more as the Dave Grohl of rap, a genial everydude who’s friends with everybody and checks in with a predictable new album every few years. Sure, but only if greatness in itself is boringly predictable.

Things Fall Apart, which just turned 20, is rightfully celebrated as a groundbreaking collection of music; it courted real sales, and had a real hit. "You Got Me," a Jill Scott co-write that Erykah Badu's hook curled around like smoke, won a real GRAMMY in 1999. And 2002's expansive, almost psychedelically varied follow-up, Phrenology, continued the hit streak with "The Seed 2.0," though it was a larger staple of alt-rock stations' playlists than rap ones. And then quietly, respectfully, their next six studio albums were damned with strong reviews and consistent sales in the five-to-six digits without threatening radio or year-end lists ever again. This was particularly unjust for the incredible hot streak of Game Theory, Rising Down, and How I Got Over from 2006 to 2010, but the quality of The Tipping Point, undun, and …And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is also taken for granted.

Things Fall Apart is not the Roots' masterpiece, but rather the beginning of them making masterpieces. Its unforgettable cover art aside, with two terrified black people fleeing white police on foot, most of the album's depth is musical. Before Genius existed, Questlove was happy to fill the Roots' CD booklets with footnotes to help any listener place the cymbal-heavy opener "Table of Contents (Parts 1 & 2)" as a tribute to the "sloppy tambourine" of Marley Marl and "horrible mixing" of the Jungle Brothers. The drums on "Step Into the Realm" keep fading out as an homage to the breaks our heroes had to loop as kids from the ends of other songs where the only isolated drum sounds they could grab would fade out. The backing track of "Without a Doubt" is built entirely from a sample of their fellow hometown hero Schoolly-D.

Old-school rap was the foundation of Things Fall Apart, down to the back-and-forth mic-trading between Black Thought and Mos Def on "Double Trouble." But the hyper-time drum-and-bass that Questlove lays under the final chorus of "You Got Me," J Dilla's creaky deep-crate jazz on "Dynamite!" and the Jazzyfatnastees' hocketing vocals on "The Next Movement" were all expanding the sonic palates of millennial rap fans. The group embraced their progressivism visually, too, building on the subversive "What They Do" with two more Charles Stone III-directed videos: "You Got Me" remixed Radiohead's infamously open-ended "Just" clip, while the mini visual marvels of “The Next Movement,” rival anything Spike Jonze directed in the '90s.

The album cover and title of the Roots' third album were perhaps better suited to their darker later work, which became crucially political, but at least it established an urgency for the group, one they deserve to get back. Because the true theme song of Things Fall Apart is the centerpiece "Act Too (The Love of My Life)," whose titular inamorata is hip-hop itself, and that song's own music sounded like a successor to "The Cosby Show" theme, which at one time was another example of Philly pride. Making an album about how much you love what you do doesn’t sound like a radical concept, necessarily. But it’s an uplifting one, and when it busts open the doors that permit you to do so much more of it, well, that’s the beginning of a revolution, no”.

Prior to getting to some reviews, I want to bring in another twentieth anniversary feature around The Roots’ Things Fall Apart. Albumism pointed out how the album is so strong (among other reasons) because of its collaborative spirit. That collective mindset and sense of togetherness that runs through Things Fall Apart is clear:

“Things Fall Apart is the product of a particularly fertile creative time for the group. James Poysner became an integral component of The Roots’ production crew during this period, and continued to work with Questlove and others as a member of the Soulquarians. Meanwhile, Scott Storch, the group’s original keyboardist, was growing into his own as a producer, and continued to shape the group’s sound on Things Fall Apart from behind the boards. The album was recorded in Manhattan’s famed Electric Ladyland studios around the same time as D’Angelo’s Voodoo (2000), Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun (2000), and Common’s Like Water For Chocolate (2000), all classics in their own right. There was a lot of production and sound overlap between each of the albums, though each one maintained its own distinct and unique identity. The group allegedly recorded close to 150 tracks for the project, before whittling them down to 14 full songs and four interludes.

“The Next Movement” is a prime example of how The Roots have created hip-hop that satisfies the core audience as well as casual listeners. Centered around a graceful piano track and background vocals from the R&B group the Jazzyfatnastees, Black Thought conducts a lyrical clinic, likening his emcee existence to that of the life of a plant, rapping “The Black Thought, ill syllablist out the Fifth / This heavyweight rap shit I’m about to lift / Like a phylum lift up it's seed to sunlight / I plug in the mic, draw like a gunfight / I never use a cordless, or stand applaud-less / Sipping chlorophyll out of ill silver goblets.”

The Roots also have time to collaborate with their long-time musical kindred spirits. Black Thought passes the mic back-and-forth with the Mighty Mos Def on “Double Trouble.” Apparently, fellow Black Star-member Talib Kweli was originally intended to appear on the track, but it would have made the song too long. It turns out that keeping it limited to Thought and Mos is extremely effective regardless, with the duo kicking old school influenced routines and rhyme schemes over a beat that evokes Bob James’ classic “Nautilus” break. Mos starts off strong, rhyming, “A-yo I stop fools and drop jewels but never run it / Rock mics so nice I make you stock price plummet,” while Thought warns that “I burst your verses, your words is worthless / Only touching surface, the fuck’s the purpose?”

Common joins The Roots for the memorable “Act Too (The Love of My Life),” a functional sequel to Common’s “I Used to Love H.E.R.,” released five years earlier. It’s one of the album’s most beautiful and melodic songs, featuring a full string section and ethereal vocals. Black Thought and Common both continue to speak to hip-hop as though she’s their most steady love personified, marveling at the impact “she” has had on their lives, shaping who they are and defining how they view themselves. It represents a time before artists became so jaded and cynical that they were unable to talk about truly loving hip-hop music.

This sincerity is one of the key aspects that makes Things Fall Apart so memorable and such an enduring piece of work. Making an album that earns you the respect of peers, critics, the general public, and the award circuit is a difficult feat, but it’s one that the Illa-Fifth Dynasty pulls off without breaking a sweat. During an era dominated by jiggy rap and glossy fantasies, nothing about Things Fall Apart was disposable. The album presented The Roots as they were and still are today: a product of their influences with the ability to move forward and generate a lasting musical legacy”.

I will finish up with a couple of reviews. Audioxide shared their thoughts about the iconic and timeless Things Fall Apart in 2019. I don’t think it gets talked about as much as it should in relation to the most important albums of the 1990s. It is a work of genius:

“André

Things Fall Apart is a seriously solid offering of smooth hip-hop. Stop the presses. The third studio album by The Roots is comfortably their finest achievement, and it’s aged like a fine wine since its released 20 years ago. Given the melancholic tone, it’s amazing just how easy and enjoyable it is to listen to. Things Fall Apart is a fluid, continuous listen; understated to the point of being an excellent backdrop, which is both a blessing and a curse. It’s appropriately structured and remains focused throughout its 70-minute duration, and this is particularly alluring for a modern listener given the amount of over-bloated rap albums we’re dealt with every single year.

I don’t think it’s farfetched to suggest that To Pimp A Butterfly may not have existed if it wasn’t for this record. Jazzy instrumentals and thoughtful flows set it apart from the majority of hip-hop classics from the ’90s, most of which were gangster rap. But not many political albums happen to be this groovy. The sequencing flows wonderfully: it’s just track after track with no interruptions.

However, this also prevents anything from Things Fall Apart from truly standing out. I thoroughly enjoy the listening experience, but nothing particularly grabs me in the way I wish it did. There isn’t anything in the realms of “N.Y State of Mind”, “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” or “Regulate”. That’s not to criticise the record as much as it is to suggest that it’s perhaps not quite on the same level as other favourites that came out from the golden age of rap. Things Fall Apart is a very good hip-hop record all the same. Though it may get lost among a sea of classics, it still deserves your utmost attention.

Fred

In many respects it’s commendable that an album can last over 70 minutes and more or less maintain a high standard during that time. It is also strangely disappointing that that is the best thing I can say about Things Fall Apart. I wish I could wax lyrical about the audacity of this track and the bone-shattering truth of that track, but I can’t. The album is pure, unadulterated flow. Well produced, sprinkled with a rich variety of genre samples and beats, it seldom sets a foot wrong. Just one in front of the other until it reaches wherever it’s getting to.

We reviewed Midnight Maraudersa few weeks back and in that I hear an album that does what Things Fall Apart does far better. A Tribe Called Quest and The Roots are both audibly East Coast hip hop groups — calmer, more meticulous, and more textured than their West Coast kin — but the latter is understated to the point of anonymity. Maybe I’m too coarse. Maybe the record is too passive. It’s done fine without me for this long in any case. I enjoy it fine in the moment and then it’s gone.

Andrew

There’s a weight to Things Fall Apart that is well disguised by the smooth flow, slick production and attention-drawing hooks. While it’d be easy to let this album pass by, a closer listen will show its real depths.

For many of my listens, I’ve come for the likes of sinister twangs of “The Spark”, the smooth instrumental on “Dynamite!” and the punchy beat on “Adrenaline!”. However, I’ve stayed for the strong latter third which shows its truer colours, culminating in the closer, “The Return To Innocence Lost”, which has an emotive, spoken-word vocal.

What sets this apart for me is variety on display. For a late-90s release, there’s a healthy portion of hip-hop true to its era, but it’s the smatters of jazz, and the sparser instrumentals towards the end that all keep me engaged. For an album to manage that with a seventy minute runtime is an achievement not to be downplayed. Behind all the smooth instrumentals, there’s a darker, sobering side to the lyrics too, and it makes for a sweet counterpoint between the two.

I’ve had a great time with Things Fall Apart, and I’ll no doubt be returning to it. Heralded as the turning point for The Roots, it makes for an essential album in their discography. But I get the feeling it’s a victim of its own success, providing a record so smooth it can slip into the background and allow its potent lyrical content to go to waste.

I will wrap up with Pitchfork’s review of Things Fall Apart. They wrote how 1999’s Things Fall Apart was the moment they figured out what sort of band they were. A more confident and resonant follow-up to 1996’s Illadelph Halflife. Pitchfork explored the themes and meaning of the album. They also discussed its immediate aftermath and the next chapter:

“Despite being a breakthrough for their band and their scene, the Roots didn’t immediately build on Things Fall Apart’s success. Powered by D’Angelo’s sultry “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” video, Voodoo became a phenomenon, and ?uest spent most of 2000 on tour as the singer’s drummer. By the time the Roots re-grouped, ?uest’s closest peers were pushing their sounds to new places. D wanted to learn guitar; Common and Dilla wanted to experiment with electronic textures. The Roots responded by moving away from the movement they helped create; their follow-up record, Phrenology, was essentially the anti-Roots album, with a heavy emphasis on rock. And while it alienated the Roots’ core fanbase, Phrenology performed well, pushing the group further into crossover territory. The Roots became a more regular presence on TV and radio. Soon after, Rahzel and Malik B. left the group for good. In 2006, Dilla died at age 32 from complications of lupus, and the Roots’ album of that year, Game Theory, kicked off a series of releases with a darker tone, including 2008’s Rising Down, 2010’s How I Got Over, and 2011’s undun. Having secured a gig as Jimmy Fallon’s backing band—first on “Late Night,” then on “The Tonight Show”—the Roots finally and completely entered the mainstream. But they used the freedom to experiment and make the music they wanted.

Things go in cycles, and the approach the Roots pioneered came back around. In 2015, the “next movement” the Roots mentioned on Things Fall Apart seemed to arrive. Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly—a densely lyrical and allegorical exploration of Blackness and struggle, set to a live-jazz soundtrack featuring dozens of collaborators—is hard to imagine without this album in its rearview. Artists like Robert Glasper, Thundercat, Terrace Martin, and Kamasi Washington channel the same creativity as the Roots, D’Angelo, and company, banding together to push rap, jazz, soul, and more into atmospheric new places. The spirit of Things Fall Apart is in the air.

Looking back on it now, this record feels like both a love letter and a fond farewell to the Roots’ early days, acknowledging that they needed to evolve to stay relevant. And some of the album’s continued relevance is painful. Its closing poem, “The Return to Innocence Lost,” details the fate of a young man seemingly doomed to fail since birth. He dies tragically, leaving nothing but thoughts of a life that could’ve been. Nowadays, black men are dying at the hands of police with alarming frequency, and we’re left to mourn the dead in hashtags and shared articles, wondering what’s next—or who’s next—in this seemingly endless war. Things Fall Apart imparts a similar tone, even if the band didn’t address those issues directly. The black and white cover art, taken in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn in 1965, depicts a young black woman running from a waiting police officer, her face twisted in fear. The scene is sadly familiar 50 years later. As the Roots teetered between fame and purgatory, virtue and failure, Things Fall Apart captured the intensity of a group with everything to lose and the world to gain”.

I would recommend that people get a copy of Things Fall Apart. It tuns twenty-five on 23rd February. Maybe it will not get the same sort of focus and coverage as the twentieth anniversary. I hope that there is celebration of one of the greatest albums of its time. Considered to be one of the cornerstones of the alternative Hip-Hop movement, The Roots’ Things Fall Apart is probably not as played and known about now as it should be. Such an important album, I hope it is finding its way into the hands of a young generation. There is no doubt that this 1999 album is…

A true masterpiece.