FEATURE: Cinematic Renaissance: Highlighting Beyoncé’s Immense Talents and Influence as a Filmmaker

FEATURE:

 

 

Cinematic Renaissance

Highlighting Beyoncé’s Immense Talents and Influence as a Filmmaker

__________

I have always felt…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Julian Dakdouk

how Beyoncé is a natural filmmaker. Rather than being an artist who has her visuals and aesthetic controlled and dictated, she is very much in charge! From her concert tours to documentaries, here is someone who is this hugely talented director and creative. There is a lot of interest around her following the Renaissance World Tour. The documentary film has been released and has broken box office records. It is a wonderful documentation of one of the greatest concerts of the past few years. An icon at the peak of her powers, the fact that Beyoncé wrote and directed it shows that she is someone who can ably blend between being this incredible and hard-working artist to a filmmaker who can create something hugely engrossing and big – but, also, it is a documentary with personal moments and intimacy. It is a hard job almost trying to distil something like a worldwide extravaganza into a documentary-film. A lot of filmmakers would misjudge things or would get the tone wrong. This is not the case with Beyoncé and her films. I will bring in reviews for Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé. I also want to finish by thinking about Beyoncé as a director and actor who could have this separate and really lucrative future in cinema. Like contemporaries such as Madonna and Taylor Swift who have also completed world tours this year – Madonna’s is still going -, Beyoncé has this cinematic passion and crossover. Swift’s film about her Eras Tour is another box office-breaking success. She has some more dates next year but, in the meantime, maybe some film work or another album. One suspects that Madonna’s The Celebration Tour (which runs until April) will be made into a documentary soon enough. When it comes to Beyoncé, I feel that there is more to Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé than an artist visualising a concert tour. It is a seeks to be a celebration of Black queer joy. Creating this safe space.

With a lot of new conversation out there about Beyoncé being this acclaimed and commercial filmmaker who has transcended from the stage to the cinema and is this wonderful auteur, it is worth highlighting not only how good she is at the moment – the fact is that she has been a talented filmmaker for many years. In 2020, The Guardian, highlighted the fact that she has always been a visually impressive and inventive filmmaker. Her cinematic résumé - though some of her acting roles were not quite right for her – is really impressive:

“Back in 2002, 20-year-old Beyoncé was appearing as Austin Powers’s love interest in Goldmember. She’s come some way since. In fact, as her visual album Black Is King drops, it’s safe to say that Beyoncé is now not just one of the biggest pop stars on the planet but one of the most significant film-makers too. Perhaps that hasn’t been recognised up to now due to her collaborative approach, which doesn’t fit into familiar “auteur” boxes, or because her visual work is not narrative-led, or presented through the usual cinematic channels, but as well as music, it’s clear Beyoncé has significant clout in film these days.

Exhibit A would be her outstanding Lemonade visual album of 2016 (as with all her work, she is credited as co-director). The film fused an array of influences – from Yoruba mythology to civil rights history and Afrofuturism – into a lush assertion of black femininity. It also demonstrated her deep knowledge of avant garde cinema. Among its references were Julie Dash’s pioneering 1991 indie Daughters of the Dust, Swiss video artist Pipilotti Rist, Jonas Mekas, David Lynch, Kasi Lemmons, Terence Nance and Terrence Malick (with whom co-director Kahlil Joseph worked). Another co-director, Melina Matsoukas, went on to direct last year’s Queen & Slim.

It hasn’t stopped there. Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s Apeshit video, shot in the Louvre, saw the couple brazenly claiming their place at western culture’s top table. The poster for their 2018 On the Run II tour – the couple astride a motorcycle with a horned cow’s skull on the front – referenced Senegalese director Djibril Diop Mambéty’s landmark 1973 film, Touki-Bouki. Even her 2019 Homecoming concert movie was a critical triumph that left no doubts as to Beyoncé’s creative clout.

Black Is King continues this journey. The film is a spin-off from last year’s album The Lion King: The Gift (itself a byproduct of the Disney film), intended to “celebrate the breadth and beauty of Black ancestry”. Beyoncé has, she says, spent the past year filming, editing and researching it, and her collaborators include creatives from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Peckham (Nigerian-British director Jenn Nkiru).

At the outset, some on social media were critical of the film’s vision of a homogeneous, stereotypical Africa of animal skins and facepaints, as opposed to, say, traffic jams, skyscrapers and people griping on social media. Beyoncé has “Wakandafied” Africa, say her detractors. But, you suspect, that’s kind of the point. Reviews are praising Black Is King as “a love letter to the black diaspora” and “designed to create debate, discourse and aesthetic iconography”. Beyoncé is not trying to capture the state of the continent; more to give black identity some utopian, universal form of visual expression. In the current moment, that’s a valuable undertaking. Once again, she’s sticking her neck out and putting her money (or at least Disney’s money) where her mouth is”.

I want to come to a feature that looks inside the Renaissance film and Beyoncé as this director/filmmaker who has control. That was not always the way when it came to her wishes and directives. First, Pitchfork looked inside a remarkable concert film:

“You see Beyoncé exchanging notes with stage hands, getting post-show leg rubs from physical therapists, and lounging with her children and husband JAY-Z, but the clips are never shown just to show off. Much like the tour itself, the film is organized into thematic sections, and its narrative moves at a steady clip across a multiyear timeline. Early on, Beyoncé highlights the importance of the stage crew, who wore reflective chrome jumpsuits so the audience could see how many hands it takes to keep things running. This pays off while watching the first two numbers, swooning renditions of “Dangerously In Love 2” and “Flaws and All,” and later when a blackout happens during “Alien Superstar.” Bey and the crew scramble to fix the problem, do a quick wardrobe change, and have her back onstage before the momentum sags; her face never breaks.

Moments like these make the times when Beyoncé does break character hit even harder. Vérité shots of her sitting in boardroom meetings find her at odds with creative teams one minute and warmly workshopping live arrangements the next. A decent chunk of the film’s second act is devoted to her hesitance at bringing daughter Blue Ivy into the show, and the fallout from her less-than-stellar debut performance—Blue unwisely reads the social-media comments—leaves Beyoncé visibly flustered. Later, a section devoted to a tour stop in Bey’s hometown of Houston blends old haunts and ruminations over plates of fried food with clips of conversation with her mother Tina about her late Uncle Johnny, a guiding light on Renaissance. Beyoncé has relished the roles of mother, daughter, and niece on record before, but the blessings and stresses of those relationships are on display more candidly here.

This familial warmth and good pacing extends to the Black queer community highlighted in the film. Beyoncé takes time to linger on the dancers and queer and femme figureheads of the Renaissance tour team during the show’s ballroom segment, including testimonials from head choreographer Fatima Robinson, dancers Honey Balenciaga and Jonté Moaning, and ballroom legend Kevin Jz Prodigy. When she stares into the stage cameras during her renditions of “Heated” and “Church Girl,” surrounded by the dancers and musicians who complete the show, the energy makes it easy to believe her when she extolls the virtues of community and creating spaces to “celebrate all of our differences”.

I will come to a review that likens Renaissance to a superhero film. One with a narrative and cast of characters. In addition to their being this celebration of the Black queer community and a salute to pioneers of the past, there are cameos from Blue Ivy Carter (her daughter), Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Kendrick Lamar, Diana Ross, Jay-Z (her husband), Tracee Ellis Ross, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson (her former and ‘current’ Destiny’s Child bandmates). Beyoncé is a unique and phenomenal filmmaker. Someone whose direction and producing is as passionate and compelling as her performances from the stage. The fact that Beyoncé is so invested in Renaissance makes it so wonderous and meaningful. This is what The New York Times wrote when they reviewed a visual spectacular:

“But what makes “Renaissance” unique among other great concert films is that she did not just star in it the way the Talking Heads did in Jonathan Demme’s classic “Stop Making Sense” or Madonna in Alek Keshishian’s provocative “Truth or Dare.” Beyoncé also wrote, directed and produced the film. In fact, she has created some of the past decade’s most memorable cinematic musical experiences and should be considered an auteur — in terms of both this film and her career.

In this way, “Renaissance” is the culmination of her film projects, beginning with the visual albums “Beyoncé” (2013) and “Lemonade” (2016); her intimate documentary “Life Is but a Dream” (2013); the 2019 Coachella concert film “Homecoming”; and “Black Is King” (2020), the visual companion she and Blitz Bazawule made for the soundtrack “The Lion King: The Gift.” But by offering the most in-depth document of her vision, preparation and personal sacrifice, the new film goes further than these productions”.

And yet even in “Homecoming,” she points out how her team tried to ignore her directives in the lead-up to Coachella. At one point, she expresses her frustration to a film crew that isn’t listening to her when she describes what it will take to translate the energetic performances from the stage to the screen. “Until I see some of my notes applied,” an exasperated Beyoncé warns, “it doesn’t make sense for me to make more.”

But in “Renaissance,” she explains her crew’s dismissiveness. “Communicating as a Black woman, everything is a fight,” she says, and adds, “I constantly have to repeat myself.” In back-to-back scenes, she shows what that looks like when she tries to buy two pieces of camera equipment to film her show. A team member informs her that a lens is unavailable, only to eventually admit that he can find it after she doubts him. In the next scene, she readies herself for the pushback. When someone else tells her a camera track does not exist, she reveals she has already found it online, so it just needs to be purchased. While this exchange is humorous, it is not minor. It is the frequency that makes the second-guessing larger-than-life and, unfortunately, far too relatable, especially for many Black women in positions of authority.

After these exchanges, “Renaissance” opens up more and allows its star to reject the idea of solitary genius. Through archival footage, photographs and shots of dancers onstage, Beyoncé showcases the Black queer ballroom culture that inspired her album and concert choreography. She also pays homage to iconic Black women like Diana Ross and Tina Turner, who influenced her career, and to her hometown, Houston, where she was a founding member of the girl group Destiny’s Child. By exploring her indebtedness to a people and place, she confidently embraces her own contributions alongside those of her community and her collaborators. The payoff: She paints a more transparent portrait of the creative process”.

There is no doubting the fact that Renaissance is a film that resonates beyond Beyoncé’s fan community. Its mix of celebration and this new beginning. A new era. Joyous love and togetherness mingles with some intimate moments with the superstar. I think that, as a filmmaker, Beyoncé grows more impactful and accomplished as the years go on. It does beg the question as to whether she will appear more in conventional films and confidently step behind the camera. I will end with that thought. First, Rolling Stone provided their take on the divine and epic Renaissance:

“Beyoncé’s Renaissance is so much more than a concert film. It’s a superhero epic—as if Bey is filling the void left by The Marvels or Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. It’s a glorious three-hour tour of the Queen in all her creative splendor, on her record-setting Renaissance World Tour from this past summer. The movie would be a blast if it were merely a jubilant live performance, but it’s also a documentary of a year in Bey’s life. “I spent so much of my life a serial people-pleaser,” she says at one point. “And now I don’t give a fuck. I have nothing to prove to anyone at this point.”

Beyoncé wrote, directed, and produced Renaissance: A Film herself. It’s not aimed to be a musical blow-out like the relentless 2019 Homecoming, one of the most astounding concert movies ever. Instead, it’s half live, half behind-the-scenes footage. It’s self-consciously designed as a celebration of her community, where the dancers, the audience, the whole creative team is as important as the star. “My ultimate goal,” she says, “is to create a space where everyone is free and no one is judged, and everyone can be their childlike selves, their sexiest selves. They can all be on that stage. They are the vision. They are the new beginning. That’s what Renaissance is about.”

The tour, like her instant-classic 2022 Renaissance album, is her celebration of Black music and dance culture through the decades, paying tribute to the queer ballroom legacy, honoring different styles and generations of club life. The tour drew controversy by refusing to settle for a greatest-hits tour: Queen Bey was not out to rest on her laurels or rehash her oldies.

Renaissance covers the whole 56-show tour, with nearly every song from the set list. It’s got appearances from the stars who joined her onstage, with Megan Thee Stallion in Houston, or Kendrick Lamar and Diana Ross, who joined for her 42nd birthday show in L.A. It has loving tributes to her late great heroes Tina Turner (“River Deep, Mountain High”) and Donna Summer (“Love to Love You Baby”). She even ends it with a great new song, which is why nobody runs out during the end credits: “My House,” a hard hip-hop banger with The-Dream. It’s a musical departure from the club sound of Renaissance, but as always, Beyoncé does everything her own way.

The movie chronicles how she brought the whole tour and concept together. So if you’re the kind of Bey fan, like most of us, who really loves seeing her give orders, there’s plenty to cherish here. She has a classic description of her management style, when she’s dealing with disobedient underlings: “Eventually, they realize this bitch will not give up.” She also gives tantalizing hints about her artistic process, like how she goes onstage after a ginseng shot and a “pregame sandwich.” We needs to know what the hell is in that sandwich—recipe, please?

Renaissance is the rare concert film to get a theatrical release, instead of debuting on HBO or Netflix. It comes six weeks after Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour movie, and it’s perfect how both megastars have treated the moment like a joint venture, making the scene together at Tay’s premiere in L.A. and Bey’s in London, bonding like the mutual fans they’ve always been. It’s another peak in the long sage of Tayoncé. Both were teen stars initially dismissed as flash-in-the-pan fads, but check on them now—in 2023, they’re the only two supernovae massive enough to get away with dropping their concert movies on movie screens.

One of the best scenes in any movie this year: Beyoncé meets up in Houston for a brief yet fascinating reunion with her old bandmates from Destiny’s Child—not merely Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, but also the long-gone LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett. Despite all their conflicts in the past, they’re presented as one big lovefest. Do they sing? Of course not—just a quickie hug. “It was like a new birth for us,” Beyoncé says. “And a lot of healing.” We don’t know how healed the other four feel, since none of them get to speak a word. It’s a delightful flashback to the Survivor “I’m better than that!” era. Oh, for a documentary on this hug alone.

She devotes much of the movie to her family, with her husband Jay-Z, their kids, her parents. There’s a long-running subplot about her 11-year-old daughter Blue Ivy, who beguiles her into letting her dance onstage to “My Power,” becoming a regular part of the show. Most poignantly, she speaks about about her late Uncle Johnny, a gay disco fan who schooled her early in house music, then designed costumes for Destiny’s Child before his tragic death from AIDS. He became her major inspiration for Renaissance.

IN THIS PHOTO: Kelly Rowland

She’s got lots of love for her collaborators—especially her dancers. Not since Madonna’s Truth or Dare has a concert movie given so much screen time to the dance squad, especially her MC, the ballroom legend Kevin JZ Prodigy. Beyoncé also undergoes surgery on her knee, for an onstage injury that goes back 20 years, and we see her work through her rehab to get back up to fighting form. “Usually I only rehearse in heels,” she says. But because of my knee, I haven’t gotten that far yet. It’s hurting like crazy, but the best thing to do is to just get back on the horse.”

In classic form, she’s the most obsessively private and emotionally self-controlled of stars. “The biggest growth in my artistry has come from overcoming failure, conflict and trauma,” she says, though if she’s had creative or commercial failures, they’re well-hidden. She speaks movingly about feeling free in her forties. “The next phase of my life, I want it to come from peace and joy,” she explains. “It’s the best time of my life. I thought I was there at 30, but nah—it’s getting better. Life is getting better.”

Renaissance feels like two films in one. There’s Beyoncé offstage, trying to show how she’s just another member of her big happy creative family—as she says, “There’s so many bees in this hive.” She wants to be a team player. But then there’s Beyoncé onstage, transforming into a goddess and proving why she’s an absolutely unique life form in the universe. On the movie screen, as on the stadium stage, Beyoncé is always the presence who reminds you exactly why you’re here. Renaissance is her tribute to the community around her, and the dance-culture legacy that inspired her. But as soon as she steps in front of a crowd and the spotlight hits her, there’s no doubt about who’s the queen”.

All of this focus on Renaissance and Beyoncé achieving something wonderful and life-affirming as a director, writer and producer makes me think about her as a director. In fact, she is a super actor who has not been afforded the opportunities she deserves. Maybe because of prioritising music and being busy there, she has had less time to act. I can see her in a range of different films and genes. Someone who is naturally magnetic in front of the camera, she would also make a tremendous director and producer. A woman who could helm inspiration films and be responsible for some of the most empowering and powerful cinematic scenes of this generation. I don’t think it is a big leap to come from directing Renaissance and achieving something similarly impactful and popular on a feature film. Millions would love to see that foray! Many see Beyoncé solely as an artist. Not that many appreciate her influence as a visual artist and her gifts (and consistency) as a filmmaker. Think about the critical reaction from other sources. How much praise has come the way of Beyoncé:

“In a five-star review for The Independent, Roisin O'Connor wrote that the film "shows a level of perfectionism beyond any other artist" through "a rare and remarkable" inside-look into the tour's production, comparing Beyoncé to filmmaker Steven Spielberg. O'Connor also lauds the "staggering" and "extraordinary" live performance segments of the film, concluding: "The tempo and sheer spectacle of it all leaves you breathless. No one compares." Philip Cosores of Uproxx described Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé as "masterful, brave and affecting" filmmaking."

IN THIS PHOTO: Beyoncé onstage during the Toronto stop of her acclaimed Renaissance World Tour/PHOTO CREDIT: The New York Times

The Guardian's Steve Rose praised the "affecting" and "intriguing" documentary segments of the film, which successfully "strip back the façade of perfection Beyoncé perpetually exudes" and provide insights into the "staggeringly accomplished" tour. Mark Olsen of the Los Angeles Times described the film as "startlingly candid", with the "notoriously guarded" Beyoncé revealing behind-the-scenes insights from the tour and intimate moments with her family. Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Angie Han praised the innovative editing and maximalist set design, making the film "feel like a spiritual experience unto itself".  Katie Campione of Deadline also likened the film to a religious experience, with its "immersive" visuals and "breathtaking" performance. Today's Arianna Davis agreed, writing that the film "stands apart in its breathtaking visuals" and noting that it was "made for the big screen".

I am not sure what next year holds in store for Beyoncé. It would be great to think that, after so much affirmation and celebration around Renaissance, that she embarks on film projects. Maybe as an actor. Though I think of Beyoncé as a director and producer who can bring to life films about social history and division. A modern-day inspiration who will compel other filmmakers. Someone who clearly has an eye for visuals and storytelling, there is nothing to stop her taking her talents to the big screen. The world would definitely embrace and support Beyoncé and…

HER cinematic renaissance.

FEATURE: Type Writer: A Brighter Future for Music Journalism That Should Be Built on Inclusiveness and Greater Visibility of Women

FEATURE:

 

 

Type Writer

PHOTO CREDIT: Godisable Jacob/Pexels

A Brighter Future for Music Journalism That Should Be Built on Inclusiveness and Greater Visibility of Women

__________

I hope that I can do this subject justice…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Min An/Pexels

as I read a fascinating feature on Rolling Stone’s website recently that really compelled me. It was originally published in October. Relating to the way newsrooms, including music journalism, are still mostly reserved for white men. There are more women critics than we have seen for a long time but, mostly, music journalism and criticism is male-heavy. You wonder whether things have improved in the past year or so. Last year, writing for The Quietus, Jude Rogers shared her experiences of a woman in music journalism. The barriers her and so many of her female peers face. Rogers was discussing her fascinating and brilliant book, The Sound of Being Human: How Music Shapes Our Lives. Her hopes are that, moving forward, women of all ages are embraces, included and not written off:

“Some people will never like my style, and that's absolutely 100% fine. What’s not fine is that so many female writers like me experience similar treatment on social media, or experience similar attitudes from editors – although I hope this continued rush of music books by women starts to cut through. Perhaps we'll finally be allowed into those closed-off arenas. Perhaps even the most impenetrable territories will slowly become welcoming.

Until that distant day that I still can't quite countenance, I will dream of Jen’s utopian magazine cover. I’ll let the image of so many of us female writers having fun – lounging around, with smiles on our faces, Smash Hits-style, in boss threads – linger long in my mind.

I also know a new generation of women is following writers like me who are squarely in midlife. If they embrace their enthusiasms with joy, rather than sink themselves simply in seriousness, they will make the future of music writing bright. They’ll be writing all the cover lines, dictating the narratives in their 21st-century equivalents of bold, punchy typefaces. I pray to them being listened to by everyone, properly, at full volume, embracing their similarities and many differences, having a ball”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Jude Rogers/PHOTO CREDIT: Brian David Stevens

I think about some of my favourite journalists like Laura Snapes, Hannah Ewens, Jude Rogers, and Elizabeth Aubrey. Phenomenal publications/websites like The Forty-Five, which are led by women. So much of the most essential and interesting music journalism is coming from women. Charlotte Gunn, a former NME writer who set up The Forty-Five, talked to The Quietus in 2020. She said that, although the site encourages female/non-binary creatives and that, in the industry, there is progress in terms of a new wave of creatives opening up progress and inclusiveness, there is still a boys’ club mentality at the top. That seems to be especially true across Rock criticism. Coming to that Rolling Stone article I mentioned, it is even more difficult for women of color to succeed and get their voices heard. In the U.S. and music journalism there, it is still a widespread landscape of white men. There are pioneering and talented women who have helped create conversation and change:

“PLEASE ALLOW THIS ASIAN AMERICAN music writer to articulate this at the level it deserves: Egregious racism and misogyny have a long history in rock & roll — from those on the industry side who have appropriated Black artists’ work to those at the top of the publications who dictated what has been featured. The gatekeepers have always been a boys’ club — specifically a white boys’ club.

Among the earliest influential U.S. music magazines, Rolling Stone was helmed by Jann Wenner from 1967 to 2018; Barry Kramer launched Creem in 1969 and published it until his death in 1981; and there was Spin, run by Bob Guccione Jr. from 1985 to 1997. So, many of us weren’t surprised when RS founder Wenner said he didn’t include women and Black artists in his recent book, The Masters, because they just don’t “articulate at that level” philosophically like the white male artists he highlighted.

Despite the narrow lens from which decades of music magazines were culled, women and BIPOC voices have been there, often behind the scenes, doing the work.

The historic bias speaks for itself, but there’s still a lack of diversity across newsrooms; a Digiday analysis published this year found several major U.S. publishers are still hiring primarily white people. Worldwide, women represent only 22 percent of the 180 top editors across 240 brands, Reuters Institute found.

Yet, despite the narrow lens from which decades of music magazines were culled, women and BIPOC voices have been there, often behind the scenes, doing the work.

IN THIS PHOTO: Percussionist Ollie Brown relaxing with a copy of Rolling Stone magazine in 1975/PHOTO CREDIT: Christopher Simon Sykes /Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Even in the early days, women were changing the paradigm. As Jessica Hopper wrote in Vanity Fair, in RS’s first decade, women made inroads on the masthead. In Detroit in 1972, Jaan Uhelszki was one of the women who defined Creem; and in 2022, she resurrected it alongside the co-founder’s son, JJ Kramer. In the Nineties on the East Coast, Kandia Crazy Horse covered Southern rock with a feminist sensibility and an eye toward its African American roots; she edited the 2004 anthology Rip It Up: The Black Experience in Rock ’n’ Roll; and she’s an artist herself, making what she calls Native Americana music. In the late Nineties on the West Coast, author and Yale professor Daphne Brooks co-launched what would become the template for the definitive music-critic/journalist event of the year: Pop Con; her recent book, Liner Notes for the Revolution: The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist Sound, was published in 2021. Brittany Spanos wrote for RS in 2014 as a freelancer, and rose to senior writer in 2019. In addition to writing groundbreaking covers, beginning with Cardi B in 2017, she’s helped shape our coverage, pushing RS’s focus to include younger and newer artists.

As for me, growing up as a first-generation Filipina American, music was the language through which I most connected with my family, and later, as a defiant teen with conservative parents, music was rebellion, freedom, and community I found at indie record stores and sneaking out to concerts. Despite not seeing people like myself on covers or in stories, let alone penning the articles, I wanted to write about music. I got my chance when I became the first woman editor-in-chief of the magazine Illinois Entertainer. In 2005, when I joined the Chicago Tribune’s music-critic team, I was one of two women and the only one of color (the late, great Chrissie Dickinson, who began before me, primarily covered country). And I helmed a “Women Rock” column for the now-defunct zine UR Chicago. From sexism experienced from interviewees and co-workers to fighting for more than what my friends and I dubbed “the vagina assigna” — because the choice assignments were often gifted to men — it wasn’t an easy or comfortable journey (and it’s still painful to recall). But I had allies and mentors, including men, without whose support I wouldn’t be here. Today, I’m senior news editor at RS.

There are many more women who forged a path and enriched coverage in a predominantly male space — and every day, exciting young women, BIPOC, and underrepresented voices enter the fold. I wish I could include them all here. For now, I’m honored to share the stories and insights of Brooks, Uhelszki, Crazy Horse, and Spanos.

IN THIS PHOTO: Daphne Brookes/PHOTO CREDIT: Joe Mabel

BROOKS: My parents were civil rights educators — they escaped the Jim Crow South in 1950 to the San Francisco Bay Area. Being able to hear music in the house, from my parents’ big-band and bebop music to my older brother’s passion for the Temptations to my sister’s American Bandstand,Soul Train era — [it all] trickled down to me. But then, I’m going to integrated schools, discovering punk rock and New Wave. Nobody wanted to talk to me about that in my house, even though I was so deeply passionate about the Police and the Clash.

I start going to Tower Records — moving from the bins over to the magazine racks, and that’s where I discover Rolling Stone and Hit Parade and Creem, but really Rolling Stone. Those covers were so intriguing to me, and it was about making sense of the music. I knew there was something about the Police sounding a little bit like Bob Marley — I was making those connections, trying to put it all together. So that leads me to rock-music journalism, and it became a side passion that twinned with my passion for African American literature. I really followed it, and I also struggled with it because I didn’t see myself in it, even though I wanted to be in the room.

CRAZY HORSE: I didn’t grow up wanting to be a rock critic. I really wanted to be a record producer when I was a little kid in the Seventies, because I read liner notes and I got fascinated with the process of making a record. I used to go to record stores and talk to the guys who work there — guys, of course. And I didn’t know any other women who were as caught up in music. It was just my isolated thing to do.

In the Nineties, I moved from Ghana to New York City to attend art school. Then I worked at the United Nations. And by the later Nineties, I [applied for] an internship at The Village Voice. I got the internship, and that’s where my career started to take off.

Being a Black female journalist covering rock music, it takes stamina, passion, and patience, because there’s loneliness in it and cultural isolation. I just pushed forth on what I wanted to do.

IN THIS PHOTO: Brittany Spanos

UHELSZKI: When I heard music, I understood. I understood what musicians are saying, how they’re tapped into something we’re not. But I’ve never had an ambition to do rock or to write music.

SPANOS: I was really of a one-track mind with becoming a music journalist from the time I was 12. My first full-time job was at The Village Voice. I started an internship, and then that morphed into assistant for the music editor. While I was there, I was freelancing [at] Rookie magazine, where I was brought in by Jessica Hopper. She connected me with editors at Spin and Vulture, and I eventually began freelancing for Rolling Stone in the summer of 2014.

BROOKS: We all develop thicker skin, right? My thicker skin came in the form of a style of writing. I went through stages of being combative and defensive — I needed to work to not center these voices of domination who don’t see me, but to be able to stylistically engage with them. And to also keep generating a kind of writing that acknowledged the bigness of the world that exists outside of their narrow viewpoints. That’s what a lot of my writing has been about. I had to model this for my students, to find a way to still speak to these people who I felt very entangled in battles with — to speak to them in a way that was not just respectful, but that could acknowledge and dissect the terms of who they were brd upon how they had come into the world as a cisgendered, white male critic. And to be generous in offering these alternative ways of being able to read and reckon with the music that they oftentimes heard through only one particular lens about Blackness and about gender”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Hannah Ewens/PHOTO CREDIT: Emilia Paré

Reading words by Kandia Crazy Horse and Brittany Spanos about their experiences and what they have contributed to music journalism. Breaking through that boys’ club. It is inspiring to see! It made me think about the racial and gender breakdown in music journalism today. Things have improved since the extremely male-heavy days of the '90s and '00s even. I do wonder, in terms of a dynamic, ideal or perception of what a music/Rock journalist looks like, it is still dominated by white men. Class issues/ceilings still exist in the music industry - which does extend to journalism. In terms of inclusiveness and diversity, there does need to be more of a drive next year to ensure that more women – and women of color – are heard and included. Steps have been made. Some inspiring female journalists have definitely opened doors. Even so, there is a racial discrepancy across music journalism. Particularly potent and visible when it comes to Rock journalism. A problematic past is being tackled and corrected. Female journalists looking ahead to a future they created. Even with this great work done, I do hope that next year is one where there is a lot more space and opportunity for women. That sites like The Forty-Five are both noticed and also seen as a sign that there are incredible and diverse voices that are not as present across music journalism as they should be. Maybe not quite as ragingly boys’ club as years past, we are still seeing some of it in 2023. We shouldn’t! It is evident and very obvious that there are tremendous and extremely vital female voices that are still labelled, sidelined and overlooked regarding cover stories, big interviews and being at the forefront. From a racial problem in Rock criticism that still has a little way to go before things are equal, through to the U.K. press, which is still largely white and male. Class-wise, there is a slightly less middle-class-heavy viewpoint, though I do feel there are far fewer working-class writers being hired and spotlighted. Music journalism is not about men. Not about white men. Not about middle-class men. It is at its strongest and most inclusive when women and women of color do not have to face barriers and discrimination. Music journalism should definitely not be something that is reserved for…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Min An/Pexels

A particular type.

FEATURE: Women’s Hours: The Feeling of Discovery in a More Inspiring and Safer Space

FEATURE:

 

 

Women’s Hours

PHOTO CREDIT: Gary Barnes/Pexels

The Feeling of Discovery in a More Inspiring and Safer Space

__________

THAT title might sound quite vague…

PHOTO CREDIT: Chris F/Pexels

but, when thinking about this feature, I was struggling to distil things and put my thoughts into words. I recently put out my third feature of the year about The Trouble Club. It is a member’s club comprised mostly of women – though not exclusively. One of the most inclusive member’s clubs based in London, it appealed to me because I get to be in this space composed mostly of women. That is not to say I dislike being around men. I feel, from social perspective, bars  around London can be rather loud and anti-social. There are gigs and events you can go to but, when it comes to a club or place where you meet and hang out, there are few that mix lovely conversation and events – without their being too much noise and this vibe that things could get out of hand. Rather than this being entirely music-related, I wanted to discuss how being in spaces and venues where most of the company has consisted of women has made me think more deeply about music in general. One of the most important part of my music journalism is focusing on gender equality and spotlighting female artists. In an industry where there is still imbalance and inequality in spite of an embarrassment of riches (from female artists), it is important to highlight faults and also spotlight great talent. Not to say there is a direct connection; though my deep and continued investment into addressing gender inequality and women’s rights in the industry can be traced to events I have attended (as part of The Trouble Club) and hearing women speak. A variety of events and venues where conversation from the stage and chat with fellow members has really opened my eyes and revealed so much! I have become a lot more conscious and engaged with so many struggles that women go through. That can be applied to the music industry. It has been rewarding for me!

There are some great women’s only members clubs in London. When attending events for The Trouble Club, there has been some crossover. AllBright is a venue that I have been to a lot and members from there attend events with The Trouble Club. Looking at the event calendar and what they do, it is wonderful that there are these safe and inspiring spaces. I know it is women’s-only – when it comes to many societies and clubs in London like this -, but I have been in the company of those who are members of women’s-only clubs and I am always so moved and feel connected. As I said in my recent feature about The Trouble Club, these rooms are full of an energy and mixture of people that I have not experienced anywhere else. I know there are gentleman’s clubs and societies all around London. Very few take my interest. I am very lucky and proud to be part of The Trouble Club, although the curious part of me also wonders about many of the fine women-only clubs there are. I can understand how it is paramount that there are these spaces. As a music journalist – and I consider myself to be a feminist – who writes a lot about gender equality and women’s rights, I often wonder what it would like being a fly on the wall at these clubs. The things I would learn and the conversation I would hear! One reason for writing this feature is, as the music industry still suffers so much from toxicity, controversy, sexism, inequality and misogyny, there is a great deal to be learned from incredible women’s clubs where some incredible events are taking place. Some powerful and hugely important people are speaking. Where there is this engaged and bonded community.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Pixabay/Pexels

There are a few men’s clubs in London especially, where there are events around social change and progression. In a lot of cases, these clubs are about exclusivity and prestige. I wonder how much cross-pollination there is between men and women’s clubs. I know there will be mixed clubs and hugely inclusive societies, but the influence and naturally warming and encouraging – and inspiring and compelling – nature of many women’s clubs does not really impact spaces for men. Of course, women’s-only clubs should remain that way. It is wonder the likes of The Trouble Club offers access for all – though men will be outnumbered most of the time (which is a good thing). Thinking about some of the negativity and horrible noise and tone you get around big cities, I am quite thankful that there are retreats and safe spaces where there is a mix of decorum and the laidback. Where you can hear so many interesting conversations and instant bonds taking place. Spaces for socialising, learning and amazing moments! I listen to Woman’s Hour as much as I can. A long-running and iconic BBC Radio 4 series that one can hear each weekday morning, its hosts are Emma Barnett and Anita Rani. Again, when it comes to my music journalism and the things I write about, I take so much from the programme. Writing about women’s equality and issues through music, Woman’s Hour is such an invaluable source of guidance and education – even if the guests, for the vast majority of times, are women.

Again, like Woman’s Hour, there seems to be little male option that has this constructive, broad, important and progressive sound. I do think that I write in an industry that could definitely benefit from greater progression. If things are improving when it comes to female artists being tipped and some radio stations balancing their playlists, there are still so many eras of concern. Sexism and misogyny across large swathes. Sexual abuse and assault still being quite common. Not that this issue applies to all men, yet there are relatively few that are reacting and voicing concerns and calls for change. It is largely because of the clubs and radio shows I have just written about that I have become even more engaged and proactive when it comes to documenting tough and darker subjects - and then asking what could be done. Every year, we read so many grim and, sadly, unsurprising reports about toxicity and inequalities through the industry. A dynamic and narrative where women are still not being fully embraced and supported. Where there is so much misogyny that detracts from all of thew wonder and positivity music provides. Rather than this being a call for therapy and all men learning from women, I wanted to share my thoughts and experiences. There definitely does need to be, in 2024, a much more proactive and impassioned approach from men in power – and right through the industry – to ensure that there is a greater understanding and commitment when it is sorely needed.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Sebastian Ervi/Pexels

In addition to men being in rooms together tackling issues and working together to get clearly problematic aspects of the industry addressed and improved, I do feel that there is something hugely beneficial and enriching about women’s societies. Not even a formal club. Their voices and conversations, in my experiences this year, have been hugely moving and self-improving. Living in London, when it comes to men’s spaces, there is either the pub/club environment or something exclusive or rather stuffy. You get men’s clubs and various music-related organisations and events. If anyone does know of a space and organisation like, say, AllBright, where we get these very considered, collaborative and enriching spaces and communities/events, then it would be great to know! My life has been transformed by my exposure of speaking with those in all-women’s clubs and, as I say regular, being part of The Trouble Club. As small and slight as changes are in the industry when it comes to gender imbalance and sexism, I do think that there are no natural barriers in place. It is either an unwillingness for those in power to do much. No incentive for quick action. So few male artists to say anything. That does need to change going forward! As the clear and unstoppable dominance of female artists is being highlighted by so many sites and publications, you do wonder if this is going to be reflected in the industry in terms of opportunities and equality. The ongoing position of abuse and assault that so many in music face. With mainly women fighting for their own rights, something major needs to occur so there is a lot great collaboration and allyship for men. That understanding of why things need to change and how they need to change urgently. Of course, there are more things that need to be done than ‘seeing things from a woman’s perspective’ as my words may suggest. What I am saying, from a personal angle – and what you can see in a lot of my writing –, is I have been so compelled to tackle and call out the industry’s ills (and celebrate women’s works) by being in spaces where women are sharing their experiences. Where their voices are being heard and celebrated. The industry is making changes and moving forward gradually. There is still a long way to go. Let’s all hope that next year kicks off a process and movement that offers the music industry…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Xavier/Pexels

A more equal and positive future.

FEATURE: Down to a Fine Art: The Importance of a Great and Distinct Album Cover

FEATURE:

 

 

Down to a Fine Art

IN THIS PHOTO: The cover for Glüme’s 2023 album, Main Character/PHOTO CREDIT: Andrea Riba

The Importance of a Great and Distinct Album Cover

__________

I have suggested in the past…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The cover for The Beatles’ Abbey Road (1969)/PHOTO CREDIT: Iain Macmillan

how album art has become less important. In terms of artists doing something innovative and eye-catching. Maybe that assumption most people stream albums and there will not be much artistic appeal or need. A thumbnail or an album cover that is wonderful and genius might get overlooked. I feel, as vinyl sales continue to rise and people are buying more and more albums to keep and play over and over, we are seeing artists react to this. The Best Art Vinyl 2023 has announced a longlist. It is going to announce their winner in January. There are some really amazing covers to behold. Compared to songs and albums, you do not get that many lists that spotlight the best album covers. Still this feeling they are not relevant today. I would disagree! Even if they do not stand the test of time the way the music will, an original and appealing cover can bring people to an album. It is part of the whole package. I have been put off by great albums with a terrible cover. I have bought others on the strength of their cover! I guess it is entirely subjective what a ‘great album cover’ is. Is it is impact with minimal intrusion and details?! Is it about having a striking single image or a composite that attracts the eye?! I don’t think there is a secret ingredient that makes an album cover stand out. Think about the classics and how different they are. Whether The Beatles’ Abbey Road or Nirvana’s Nevermind, each artist can make their mark with their own image. I feel the artwork and cover defines an album. They very much go hand in hand with the music. That relationship between the songs and the cover art.

I do know that there are a lot of music fans who think highly of album art. You have these albums – usually vinyl but also C.D. – in your collection. That is the first thing that you see! I would like to see more celebration and spotlighting of great album art and why, with vinyl and physical sales increasing, it should be a new priority for artists. Dig! have ranked their favourite album covers of this year. The top five are all very different equally striking:

“5: PARAMORE: ‘THIS IS WHY’

Five years after the release of their pop-inspired fifth album, After Laughter, Paramore erupted back on the scene with This Is Why, which plucked influences from 2000s Britrock, leaned back into the group’s own infectious guitar hooks and traded in the delicate lyricism frontwoman Hayley Williams has displayed across her solo projects. Written on the back of a global pandemic, the album is awash with paranoia, impatience and fear. Picturing Williams and her Paramore bandmates, Taylor York and Zac Farro, slammed against a condensed shower screen, This Is Why’s artwork earns its place among the best album covers of 2023 for encapsulating the chaotic pressure everyone has been under in the years leading up to the album’s release.

Photographer: Zachary Gray

 4: ASHNIKKO: ‘WEEDKILLER’

The follow-up to their electric 2021 mixtape, DEMIDEVIL, Ashnikko’s debut album, Weedkiller, charts a journey to selfhood, introducing audiences to every shade of the songwriter’s inner turmoil, but with a healthy helping of fun and whimsy. One of the best album covers of 2023, the portrait image echoes the vulnerability and mythology that the US artist has woven into the album’s subject matter, as Ashnikko cradles themself while entombed in an extraterrestrial egg surrounded by earth and burning skies. It suggests an inhospitable alien world resides within, but Weedkiller embraces listeners from the very first listen.

Photographer: Vasso Vu | CGI: @razorade

3: MELANIE MARTINEZ: ‘PORTALS’

Melanie Martinez’s third studio album, Portals, showcases the US singer’s unique and unconventional art-pop style as she sings of swamp-dwelling faeries and alien-like embryos. One of the best album covers of 2023, its sleeve boasts a striking image of dream-like surrealism, for which Martinez was photographed wearing pink prosthetics that give her a feline appearance. Remarkably, the album’s title is crafted from real-life hair, adding an eerie touch that’s both alluring and unsettling.

Photographer: Jimmy Fontaine

IN THIS PHOTO: The cover of Ashnikko’s Weedkiller

2: YOUNG FATHERS: ‘HEAVY HEAVY’

Straddling the line between hip-hop and rock, Young Fathers have never paid attention to typical genre boundaries, and Heavy Heavy is, as its title suggests, pretty heavy-heavy. Reverberating with thundering drums and gospel choruses, the album aims to leave listeners with wild thoughts and outrageous questions the likes of which its artwork does little to address. A truly arresting entry among the best album covers of 2023, the sleeve pictures an obscured figure pierced with sharp objects; it is based on the Nikisi figures found in many West and Central African cultures, which are believed to have spiritual capabilities that can banish evil.

Designer: Tom Hingston

1: GORILLAZ: ‘CRACKER ISLAND’

Returning after a three-year gap, Gorillaz remain in ultimately wacky form on Cracker Island, adding a raft of new collaborators to their roster, among them Tame Impala, Thundercat and Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks. Continuing to develop the group’s image, Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett has worked up one of the best album covers of 2023, drawing on themes in Damon Albarn’s lyrics as he reframes the group as members of a cult somewhere on the edge of the world.

Illustrator: Jamie Hewlett”.

I think that things have changed in the past few years. Maybe the pandemic had something to do with a shift. People turning more from streaming and getting music digitally to wanting to be at a record shop and buying an album. I think this will be the case going forward, as Spotify is laying off staff and is driving people away from their service. If buying albums is expensive, there is still true value to be found in them. They are an investment and something that is physical that you can keep for years. This feature/podcast asked about the use/need for cover art in a ‘post-album’ age. That was in 2019. A new appetite for physical albums means that album art is very much back in focus. I don’t like it when an artist does not take much time or thought to create an interesting album cover. It is very disappointing. The cover gives an idea to the content of an album so, if yours is boring or simple, how appealing is that going to be?! I will finish by returning to this year’s best album covers. There have been some fairly recently. This blog explains why album art is absolutely crucial in the modern age. That was published in 2022. Great album art can draw listeners in. They also reveal hidden meanings and symbolism. That means, years from now, discoveries can be made about some albums that bring them back to public attention.

In a modern age, there are more and more options when it comes to art. Whether using AI to generate unique and unusual images, making the cover animated or interactive, you can turn it into this moving and memorable experience. Last year, Parma Recordings went deep with the album art. Ways in which it is important:

“A Symbiotic Relationship

The relationship between music and artwork is symbiotic in that they both inform each other. Just as a painting is an extension and reflection of its creator’s influences and ideals, album art reflects the personality of the artist and the tone of their music.

The artwork on TELEMANN FANTASIAS from Navona Records uses a unique juxtaposition of photography, a popping color palette, and geometric shapes that all work in harmony with each other, a deceptively simple yet complex cover that’s reflective of the baroque works featured on the album.

Featuring mezzo-soprano Megan Marino, Evan Mack’s THE TRAVELED ROAD from Ravello Records features the singer’s silhouette fused with the titular concept on the cover, marrying the multiple facets of the album into a compelling visual presentation.

With so many musical genres and artistic voices contributing to music these days, the range of artistic styles in album art has expanded tremendously. Additionally, the tools needed to produce album art have greatly improved with better cameras, graphic design software, and an ease of access to sources and information through the internet.

This growing industry of musical expressions paired with modern technology has created a limitless world of possibility and originality for the visual side of music.

Illustration in Album Design

Even with all of these digital tools at our disposal, the use of illustration in album design still remains a prominent and viable way to stand out in the industry today.

There are a number of different directions a pen and hand can travel. Illustrated by Christopher St. John, the GRAMMY nominated album THE ARC IN THE SKY from The Crossing utilizes a neutral color palette for its cover, its focal point a cascading and imaginatively-drawn bird arcing its wings in flight.

An album title like HIPSTER ZOMBIES FROM MARS surely needs cover art that captures all of those enticing characteristics. Look behind the album’s arresting presentation to find interesting and musically complex works from composer Nicholas Vines.

Having unique, eye-catching visuals that both attract and hold the attention of your ideal audience is essential to making your work stand out from the crowd. Before streaming music digitally was the norm, consumers were thumbing through racks of cds and vinyls that grabbed attention far easier. Now that album covers are exposed to listeners in thumbnails on streaming platforms, developing artwork that draws the eye is as crucial as ever in garnering attention. 

Animated Cover Art

Streaming music has generated a wide array of options for visual mediums, most notably with the use of animated cover art. Animation adds another layer of originality to albums and can help them stand out in a sea of static covers. With Spotify Canvas for example, animated artwork can play along with a track in a three to eight second loop on the platform akin to a short music video. Additionally, opting for animated artwork in conjunction with a release can be directly applied to social media networks, making it an enticing asset for digital promotion.

In an ever-expanding, ever-evolving marketplace, nothing matters more than staying on top of shifts in the industry and culture. Even as trends trickle in and out and new technologies begin to surface, creating eye-catching, meaningful visual media for your music will always remain a vital part of the equation”.

One good point regarding why album covers are vital and should be a big consideration applies to new artists and getting attention. At a time when albums on streaming services might make them very little money, making the cover as good as possible can drive physical sales. When people might be less patient when it comes to listening to entire albums on streaming services, the artwork and cover can help convince people to listen. Stand one artist out from the rest! Also, as this 2022 article explores, album art is part of an artist’s brand and identity:

“Streaming Services And Dwindling Attention Spans

We all know the popular saying “never judge a book by its cover”, and many might argue that the same should apply to music. After all, listening to music is primarily an auditory experience, and as such, nothing is more important than the quality of the sound itself. Nevertheless, we also know that people do judge books by their covers, and certainly do the same with music. In fact, our cluttered, visually-dense social media timelines have created an environment in which we judge a ‘book’ by its cover several times a day.

Studies have shown that we’re living in a time when our attention spans are considerably low. And if an artist or musician wants to stand out from the crowd, they have to come up with elaborate new visual “hooks” to catch the viewer’s eye within seconds, since people only have that amount of time to be instantly attracted to what they see before scrolling on to the next thing. For decades, the cover artwork’s main purpose was to compete for attention with other albums on the same rack in the store. Now, not only does an album’s art have to compete with other covers from around the globe, it also has to stand out next to memes, innumerable selfies, TikTok challenges, animal videos, and everything else vying for attention on crowded timelines!

For upcoming artists that don’t have a big name or solid fan base yet, capturing the attention of listeners can be a daunting, but crucial task, and even the more popular artists still have to make the effort to retain the attention they have already garnered. When it comes to streaming services like Spotify (for example), the numbers are mind-boggling and go a long way in helping us understand the importance of impactful, well-considered album art. Take, for instance, the statistics that show that in 2021, United States users streamed over 900 billion songs. This means that album art popped up over 900 billion times as well, which is really where the aesthetic design takes hold: because people will almost always see something before they hear it, if an artist doesn’t make a lasting first impression with their artwork, then the connection is already lost.

PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexel

More Than Just Packaging

Thus, it goes without saying that album art is more than just the picture on the front of an album — it’s part of an artist’s online brand, which will forever be associated with them and their work. The importance of album art itself cannot be overstated, since the artwork can add to (or subtract from) the overall quality of music. Depending on what kind of cover it is, it can either spark interest or put off someone who is searching for something to listen to. From a listener’s perspective, it pushes the personality of the album to the fore, giving a glimpse into the content and flavor of the album, while simultaneously providing the listener with imagery that can be twirled around in their head while they listen. On a more aesthetic level (which many of us can confirm), if an album cover gives off a certain vibe or feeling, many listeners will be interested to hear how the music presents it.

Long gone are the days when cover art was simply a form of packaging per its original function. In 2022, it serves a much broader purpose in helping to curate an overall experience. Since music is spread along with the artwork, the two are intertwined in such a way that the art can retain interest and heighten the listening experience. Just as the title sets the tone before the listener even presses play, the album cover functions in a similar way.

So while it is true that music will always be the ultimate representation of an artist’s work, cover art should not be taken for granted. Although physical packaging is no longer considered a serious part of the equation when it comes to an album’s commercial success, the presentation of the album cover plays an increasingly crucial role in attracting potential listeners and ensuring the memorability of the work”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: The cover for Steve Mason’s Brothers & Sisters (2023)/PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Marshak/DESIGN CREDIT: Matthew Cooper and Paul J Street

I love thinking about the classic album covers and whether there are modern competitors that can match the best from time. It is interesting that the album cover size and dynamic has changed through the decades. Often now viewed as a small square on a screen, I think that there is this return and reversal. As physical music is increasing in popularity, the appeal and importance of the album cover is clear. If some wrote good covers off as irrelevant in a streaming age it is not the case anymore. I am going to finish with a feature from Far Out Magazine from August. They ask how important album artwork is. Even if the reason why artwork is important now is different today than decades ago, it all still comes down to standing out and capturing the senses:

“That doesn’t mean that album artwork has lost its spark, though, far from it. In fact, its significance has surged to new heights as artists must increasingly leverage visual elements to establish their identity and cut through the noise. Platforms such as Spotify have, in a sense, both equalised the field while somewhat muting creativity: in the past, albums thrived within the cocoon of their own artwork, blessed with graphics and fonts specifically chosen to epitomise their sound. Now, however, streaming sites have standardised works, confining them to a narrow spectrum of categories, all sporting the same font and presentation as the next title.

PHOTO CREDIT: cottonbro studio/Pexels

So, even though album artwork may seem a smaller task – literally, given the fact that sites present them within tiny squares – it’s actually still as important as it ever was, if not more so. In the midst of platforms where uniformity reigns, artwork stands as one of the few opportunities to truly distinguish yourself. In an environment that often leads to snap judgments, artwork frequently becomes the initial arbiter of our impression of a musical piece. For example, if a cover bears the hallmarks of amateurish 1990s aesthetics, coupled with a questionably composed photo of the artist, you’re probably going to assume the music is lacking in quality, too.

In reality, artwork is the bridge between that first engagement and diving deeper into the musician’s artistic realm. Artwork is a veil that should be treated as the gateway that it is – it’s a powerful way of extending creativity into something that holds profound visceral power. Then, if a fan really likes a piece of music, buying a physical copy of an album is akin to crafting a world around those interests.

Album art has evolved beyond being a mere image gracing a record’s front. It now stands as an integral facet of online brands. Within the realm of streaming, a visual dimension profoundly impacts a musician’s trajectory toward success: this is a void that needs to be elegantly filled with accompanying album art”.

Maybe a discussion we would not be having in 2019 or 2020 concerns the new relevance of the album cover. I think that we are almost going back in time. To a point when vinyl sales were big and, with it, so many great covers were there to be discovered. Features and lists like this highlight some really compelling covers. I have always loved the album cover but, in the past, I have asked whether it is still important. Many people felt that great album covers were pointless in a digital time. That is now shifting. It is wonderful to see some exceptional, memorable and enduringly original albums covers…

PHOTO CREDIT: Martin Parr

STILL being produced.

FEATURE: Uniting the Fish People: The Continuing Influence and Importance of Kate Bush’s Music

FEATURE:

 

 

Uniting the Fish People

IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at her home in Eltham, London, on 13th September, 1989/PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Cummins/Getty Images

The Continuing Influence and Importance of Kate Bush’s Music

__________

I am not sure about anyone else…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush received the Editors Award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards at the London Palladium on 30th November, 2014/PHOTO CREDIT: Alan Davidson/Rex/Shutterstock

but my past week or two has been pretty depressing. Without going into detail, it has not been an ideal one leading up to Christmas! I think that music in general is a good way of channelling frustration and depressing. It can be very therapeutic embracing good music at hard times. I think that our favourite artists are a natural go-to. One thing that has been noticeable the past couple of years is the influence and importance of Kate Bush. Last year saw Stranger Things catapult Hounds of Love’s Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) back into the spotlight. I have written about it so much, so I won’t repeat myself here! Kate Bush was interviewed by Woman’s Hour. This year has been one where her albums have been reissued with new designs by Bush herself. There has been more momentum and exposure of her music. Through these past couple of years, Kate Bush has posted updates to her website. She has been thankful for the support and new love, in addition to making sure that her existing work reaches these new fans. It is the crossover between Gen Z embracing her work more fully and the younger Generation Alpha who are also discovering her. Kate Bush was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year. There has been all this new exposure. Platforms like TikTok have taken her music worldwide. Younger generations being awoken when it comes to her influence and power. I will write about the healing and uplifting aspect of her music. The Kate Bush fan community, unofficially, is Fish People (that is the name of Kate Bush’s own label). If we are using this as a standard, the pond of Fish People is expanding. So many new fans discovering the wonders and delights you get from Kate Bush’s music.

One article I come to a lot when research Kate Bush is Brianna Holt’s 2020 piece for COMPLEX. It highlighted how, although Kate Bush had disappeared, her influence was everyone. I took issue at one point with the assumption Bush had ‘disappeared’. I guess, in terms of engagement with fans, there has not been a lot. In a digital age, the fact is that this is a common way to communicate with fans. I do agree that a lack of album news or engagement with fans via videos or audio can be frustrating when so many new fans are discovering her work. In terms of her influence, Holt noted how – even in 2020 -, it was pretty important and huge. What about this clash between this artist growing in popularity every year and someone who is very private:

“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.

“I think when you don’t give people anything, they make things up. It’s both flattering on lots of levels... The fact that people are still concerned about writing about me,” Bush said in a 1992 interview. “The fact that they still remember me and are hanging onto me, it’s very flattering.“ While her low profile has kept her out of the public eye, the public ear will continue to wait for the groundbreaking musician that is Kate Bush to reappear, whenever she decides it's time”.

As an artist who started her career in the 1970s, it is perfectly understandable that Kate Bush has earned the right to privacy. Not having to be out there and giving loads of interviews. She has been updating us via her website. Lots of retrospection and looking back. That is quite a positive thing, as it means that new fans of here work – who may not have been aware of her albums – now are being made conscious of her incredible body. It is a cannon of music among the most distinct in all of music. I find it amazing (though not surprising!) that Kate Bush’s popularity keeps growing and expanding. Twelve years after her current album (50 Words for Snow), she is influencing artists and being talked about so much. From established legends who are inspired by Kate Bush to a whole new wave of artists discovering her music and either covering her songs or being compelled by her sound, there is a real explosion happening! For listeners, there is a comfort knowing that Kate Bush is in the world and very much engaged with her music! Even if most new listeners are going straight for Hounds of Love and not venturing too far and wide, I hope that the new reissues will at least compel them to check out some of her other albums. There does need to be this new documentary or celebration of her career. Something that gives a great documentation of her importance and distinct talent. Maybe that will come next year.

For me and so many other people, the music of Kate Bush grows in strength and comfort. I can go back to my favourite songs of hers and have this instant sense of safety and assurance! A strength that can help lift the mood and provide guidance. I am spending more time exploring deeper cuts and going back in the archives. Not only her music. I am digging through interviews and looking at as much as I can. Getting a bigger impression of the artist. It is such a rewarding experience! Hearing from so many Kate Bush fans, it is evident how much she means to them. In spite of some radio silence and uncertainty regarding the future of her music and whether she will ever release another album, the continued relevance of Bush means that there are these rewards and talking points. We get to celebrate achievements like her Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. Look at the album reissues and how they are being discussed. I am going to write a feature about next year and whether we will get anything in the way of books, documentaries or anything that reacts to the new popularity of Kate Bush. The fact the past few years have been especially prominent and distinct. The fanbase is broader and more engaged than ever. I would urge anyone new to Kate Bush to check out this excellent podcast. The Kate Bush News website keeps you abreast of all the developments concerning the icon. As we await a Christmas message from Kate Bush, we are all thankful for everything she has given us. The more fans that find her work and the more artists that coming through are learning about her, the more Kate Bush’s legacy and importance will be cemented and highlighted. Someone who, as Brianna Holt wrote, might have disappeared from public view – though her influence is everywhere! It is going to be fascinating imagining what we may get from Kate Bush…

IN 2024.

FEATURE: Names to Remember… Inside BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2024 Longlist

FEATURE:

 

 

Names to Remember…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Tyla is among the ten fabulous names selected by BBC Radio 1 in their Sound of 2024 longlist/PHOTO CREDIT: Anne Reid

Inside BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2024 Longlist

__________

I will end with a playlist…

featuring two songs each from the ten longlisted artists who have just been announced for BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2024. It is a time of year when lists are being made that tip artists who are going to blow up next year. The ones we should all know about. The BBC Radio 1 (you can follow them on Instagram and Twitter) annual announcement is an exciting one, as it does signal to some very important artists who are going to be huge. A reliable insight into the very best rising artists. This year saw a hugely respected and judging panel decide which ten names should make the longlist. BBC Radio 1 Sound of 2024 Live will take place on Monday, 8th January. Before getting into the longlist more, here are details of the names who have made the longlist this year:

“The longlist for BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2024 has been revealed, tipping ten new artists for success next year.

This year’s longlist has been chosen by a panel of over 140 industry experts and artists, including Olivia Rodrigo, Declan McKenna, Chase & Status, Mahalia and more.

The acts are (in alphabetical order):

• Ayra Starr

• Caity Baser

• CMAT

• Elmiene

• Kenya Grace

• The Last Dinner Party

• Olivia Dean

• Peggy Gou

• Sekou

• Tyla

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BBC Radio 1 (@bbcradio1)

Last year girl group FLO were crowned the winner ahead of a strong longlist featuring the likes of Fred again.., Asake, Dylan and Cat Burns. Artists named on the list over the years include Stormzy, Adele, Lady Gaga, Dizzee Rascal, The Weeknd, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and Lewis Capaldi.

The countdown of the Top 5 will kick off across Radio 1 on Monday 1 January 2024. The winner will be revealed on Friday 5 January 2024 on Radio 1.

Radio 1 will also host a special event – BBC Radio 1 Sound of 2024 Live – which will be held at Maida Vale on Monday 8 January with performances from artists on the longlist. The application for tickets is now open on the BBC Shows and Tours website.

Jack Saunders says: "The Sound Of list continues to flex as a diverse list of music’s most exciting artists to watch out for over the next 12 months. All ten names are set to have an impact in 2024 and I’m really looking forward to celebrating that over the coming weeks with interviews and live performances."

Chris Price, Head of Music for Radio 1, says: “With so many female artists on the Sound Of list this year, I’m really encouraged about the next generation of festival headliners. The list is as diverse as ever, reflecting the genre-agnostic nature of BBC Radio 1, which has supported every single one of the acts on the longlist. 2024 promises to be a great year for new music!”

The list was compiled using recommendations from 149 influential music experts, including artists, DJs, radio and TV producers, journalists, streaming experts and festival bookers. All were asked to name their favourite three new acts, who could be performers from any country and any musical genre, whether or not they are signed. They cannot have been the lead artist on a UK number 1 or number 2 album or more than two UK top ten singles before 12 October 2023. They also must not already be widely known by the UK general public (for example, a member of a hit band going solo or a TV star) or have appeared on the Sound Of… list before.

Further details of the panel and how the list was compiled are available on BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2024 website”.

Ayra Starr

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Ayra Starr and I am the future”, declared the Benin-born newcomer in a 2022 speech, after winning the Viewer’s Choice at the Headies awards. Her self-confidence is not misplaced - at a time when new Afrobeats talents are emerging at breakneck speed, Ayra is one of the most exciting.

The Nigerian artist turned heads with ‘Rush’, a delicately-constructed slice of Afropop that showcases her one-of-a-kind, commanding vocal; instantly identifiable in a crowd.

Caity Baser

Few popstars arrive as unapologetic as Caity Baser, a Southampton-raised force of nature whose ascent shows no signs of stopping.

Her super-upfront style of songwriting has won her plenty of adoring fans (dubbed the “Slaysers”). And if Caity wasn’t already in their good books, she took things to new levels when she capped ticket prices for a recent UK tour, to reflect the cost of living crisis.

She is a rare pop force in that she seems to be 100% in tandem with those who love her music. A new mixtape, ‘Still Learning’, awaits in early 2024.

CMAT

Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson’s (CMAT’s) unique take on country-tinged pop is in a world of its own. Take this year’s ‘CrazyMad, For Me’ as an example; an album about a 47-year-old woman who goes back in time to stop herself from entering a toxic relationship that would eventually turn sour.

The album itself is just as engrossing as that plot might sound, filled to the brim with whipsmart storytelling and instant hooks. Both of the Dublin-born star’s albums have topped the Irish Albums Chart, and 2024 looks set to be the year she goes global.

Elmiene

Dubbed the future of UK R&B, Elmiene has already found himself praised by BBC Radio 1’s own Benji B, in the studio with Justin Timberlake, collaborating with Sampha, and remixed by Canadian electronic-jazz wizards Badbadnotgood. And back in 2021, his song ‘Golden’ ended up soundtracking the late designer Virgil Abloh’s final Louis Vuitton show.

His sugar-coated vocal is the calling card, capable of holding up just about any instrumentation and taking an intricate, studio-penned song into an intimate jam within seconds.

Kenya Grace

Greg James called Kenya Grace’s breakthrough track ‘Strangers’ a “rare example of a TikTok song actually being better in real life.”

The track, inescapable in summer 2023 whether you were browsing TikTok or not, is a glistening, drum-and-bass-fused slice of pop vulnerability; perfect as a snackable 10 second snippet, but even more enticing fleshed out into a full song. It topped the UK Official Singles Chart, making Grace just the second female artist to score a #1 hit as a sole writer, producer and performer. The first? Kate Bush.

The Last Dinner Party

2023 was a pure headrush for The Last Dinner Party. They released debut track ‘Nothing Matters’, played a packed-to-the-brim Woodsies tent at Glastonbury, sold out shows in the States and announced a headline gig at 3,000-capacity London venue Roundhouse - all in the space of a frantic few months.

While talk surrounding the five-piece increased to an extreme, they were busy behind the scenes recording debut album ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’, which showcases, in their words, “an archaeology of ourselves”. It's due out in February 2024.

Olivia Dean

“I enjoy imperfection,” Olivia Dean told Rolling Stone earlier this year. Her debut album ‘Messy’, rather than being a perfect realisation of youth or some coming-of-age stroke of genius, is enjoyable because it sees life for what it is - complicated, full of contradiction and unpredictable at every turn.

It deservedly earned itself a Mercury Prize nomination and a debut in the Radio 1 Live Lounge (where Olivia performed a seriously assured cover of Beyoncé’s ‘Cuff It’).

Peggy Gou

Following years of underground fame via house-inflected 12” singles, South Korean-born producer Peggy Gou went stratospheric in 2023 with the single ‘(It Goes Like) Nanana’. The instant earworm was arguably this summer’s standout song; a staple of clubs, house parties and radio playlists around the world.

After this brush with the mainstream, she followed it up with the ‘90s-nodding ‘I Believe In Love Again’, a collaboration with rock superstar Lenny Kravitz. Her next step is anyone’s guess.

Sekou

Every so often, a distinct voice marks an artist out as a superstar-in-waiting. Ashby, Leicestershire-raised newcomer Sekou has one of those voices. Recent ballad ‘Time Will Tell’ strips things back to showcase that vocal, gliding over minimal, reverbed guitars. 

At just 19 years old, his phone is probably reaching boiling point from the number of producers, rappers and pop overlords who want a piece of him.

Tyla

Johannesburg, South Africa-born star Tyla truly announced herself earlier this year with ‘Water’, a spirit-filled single that navigates the fast-growing sound of Amapiano, alongside Afrobeats and heart-on-sleeve R&B.

It landed a top five spot in the UK Official Singles Chart, before picking up a re-version with Travis Scott and a remix from Marshmello.

Now signed to Epic Records, a debut album of globe-spanning pop is poised for 2024.

I do like the fact that longlists like that feature a lot of female artists. BBC Radio 1 is a great station, yet it still struggles to balance its playlists when it comes to gender. I hope that lists like that show that there is incredible female talent out there who can make the playlist and show that inequality and imbalance in 2023 is hard to excuse. Maybe there are one or two artists on the Sound of 2024 longlist who have been around a while but may be newer to BBC Radio 1 – Peggy Gou has been putting out music for many years now -, but there is a good spread when it comes to genre. We will get the shortlist announced in January. The top artist named. Looking at those names, there are who particularly who stand out. In terms of them having particularly busy years. The Last Dinner Party and CMAT have been getting a load of kudos through 2023. Especially The Last Dinner Party. Award-winning and sure to be pretty much on everyone’s lists of the names to watch next year, I would be surprised if they did not make the shortlist. Regardless of who does and which artist is named the winner, the longlist is a great reference. I think all of the artists are going to have massive years ahead. It is the fact that some incredible women are named that gives me most hope for progress next year. At a time when radio playlists struggle to balance their playlists, having these longlists with incredible women means that things naturally will become more balanced. Anyway. Congratulations to all of the great artists named by BBC Radio 1 as those to look out for in 2024. It shows that the future of music is...

IN very good hands!

FEATURE: Saluting the Queens: Natasha Gregory

FEATURE:

 

 

Saluting the Queens

Natasha Gregory

__________

FOR this outing of Saluting the Queens…

I wanted to talk about the amazing Natasha Gregory. She is the co-founder of Mother Artists (you can follow them on Instagram). Without doubt, one of the most important figures in the music industry. I am going to drop in a playlist at the end from artists who are signed to the Mother Artists. There is a good reason for this feature. In addition to being a hugely inspiring woman in music, Natasha Gregory was a winner at the Women In Music Awards 2023 for Live Music. I am going to drop in a couple of interviews where she has spoken about Mother Artists and the ethos and ambition behind the live agency and artist management. In 2021, IQ Live Music Management spoke with Natasha Gregory and her brother Mark Bent (boss of Mother Management) about the then-new venture:

“The company – which is the latest in a legion of new UK agencies including Marshall Live Agency, One Fiinix Live and Route One Booking – brings together the pair’s combined four decades of experience under one roof, with Natasha spearheading the company’s live division and Mark heading up management.

Having taken their artists with them (Natasha’s live roster includes the likes of Cate Le Bon and The Magic Gang, while Mark manages Idles and Heavy Lungs among others), the pair have hit the ground running and have already expanded the team with Natasha’s former assistant James Tones.

Now, the pair tell IQ why they’re employing a no-bullshit policy, what kind of company they’re determined to build and how the pandemic created the perfect storm in which to launch. 

IN THIS PHOTO: IDLES

How did Mother Artists come to fruition? Was joining forces inevitable?

Mark: “We’ve always talked about working together as a kind of dream thing to do, but there was never any plan about when or how. And with everything that’s happening now and our situations, the timing felt serendipitous.”

Natasha: “Timing-wise, I feel like we’ve both got to the same level in business so that neither of us is carrying the other. We’re both strong in our own positions and in our own knowledge and skills…we’re on an even playing field. Mark and I are extremely similar in ethos and mind and ideas and we trust in each other.”

Given the current climate of the industry, why is now the right time to set up shop?

Natasha: “Obviously it’s a really, really tough time for the live industry – for artists, managers, agencies, agents, crews…it’s catastrophic. But we’re glass half full people.

“For 18 years, I didn’t ever have the time to think about anything but the job at hand because the live industry is so fast-paced so there was just never any time to make Mother Artists happen.

“The advantage of the pandemic is that neither of us is travelling so we have the space and mindset to get our heads together and make sure that Mother Artists is really the best to our ability.”

Mark: “Mother Artists is something that never would have happened without this pandemic.”

IN THIS PHOTO: CMAT

Why did you decide to stick with the name Mother? Is there a philosophy behind it?

Mark: “When I was a tour manager, I saw some artists being pushed to the limits for the sake of people’s goals and we’ve never wanted to have that approach. I had a full-blown breakdown halfway through a tour and everyone was telling me it was gonna happen but I didn’t listen but my artists stuck by me through that when they could’ve so easily moved on.

“That’s why the name, Mother Artists, is so important because we want the company to be like a family and, within a family, you can have those moments where you all have a difference of opinion or you drive each other crazy but that trust and that belief is always there in the background which is so important.”

Now you’re both running the show, what kind of company do you want Mother Artists to be?

Natasha: “We’re ripping up the old school contracts and the old school way of working, and really trying to be diverse in not only who we work with, but who comes on board in our team. It’s not only about clients but it’s about us and creating a company that – in my mind, wherever I’ve gone – always thought should exist. A place where ourselves, our families and those who decide to join in the future are really well looked after.”

What will you change about the status quo of the agency/management business?

Natasha: “This has always been quite a magical industry and that you know there’s this smoke and mirrors approach to what you do. When I started as an agent and there weren’t very many women, the only way that I’ve built this roster over 18 years is through hard work, kindness, respect and being honest with myself about who I am and what my capabilities are.

“Enough bullying. Enough shouting to get what you want – that doesn’t work so much anymore and actually that you should be proud of your differences and your vulnerability. Everyone is going to have bad days. Mistakes happen. Our number one rule is you put your hand up straight away so we can talk about it and deal with it. No ‘Oh my god I got that wrong, I’m going to be sacked’. We all pull in, sort it out, and it’s fine because we’re human.”

Mark: “You can achieve amazing things by being human. Besides, everyone’s winging it. If you’re not learning if you’re sitting there thinking you know everything, then it’s game over really.”

IN THIS PHOTO: Lily Moore

You’ve been vocal about Mother Artists having a ‘no-bullshit policy’. What does this mean to you

Natasha: “What we mean by no bullshit, is that there aren’t any shortcuts to being good at what you do. For example, when you pitch for a band. I can’t promise my bands that they’re going to get on another band’s support because I grow my artists to be in a position to pick their own supports. There’s no shortcut to building a great band – we deal with career artists.”

Mark: “Honesty is such a massive thing, especially on my side. Every artist I’ve worked with knows that they will get an honest answer out of me every time. Whenever we work with anyone, it’s never about the quick buck. The no-bullshit approach is the best way to achieve a long term career with anyone. Because if you don’t have the trust with the artists you’re representing, if you don’t have the trust of the team you’re working with, you’re not going to have those long term relationships with it which is exactly what you need for long term careers.”

How do the artists on your rosters reflect the ethos and business model of Mother Artists?

Mark: “[The business model] can’t be led by us, it needs to be led by our artists. So we’ll just have to see where their careers go and how they want them to go and then we’ll make sure all the pieces fall together when they need to. We want to make sure that we’re representing our artists in both of our fields, as well as they were before, but ideally better than they were before.”

Natasha: “The rosters that we both represent have very strong-minded artists in their own right. They’ve got something to say and they stand for beliefs that we have to be a reflection of that and do it ourselves”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Music Week (@musicweekinsta)

When thinking about the queens of the music industry and those who are affecting change and doing amazing work, Natasha Gregory should be part of the conversation. One of the winners at November’s Women In Music Awards 2023, I will come to an interview that she gave to Music Week in reaction to being awarded Live Music Inspiration. Someone whose Mother Artists homes a roster of incredible and acclaimed names. That stable will broaden and strengthen next year I am sure:

“How do you feel about winning the Live Music Inspiration Award?

“It’s actually the most important award I’ve ever received, because it’s about the human side of this business. We so often focus on the biggest gig that’s been booked or who is the best agent… I like work and working hard is a given if you want to do well in business. But to be called an inspiration is special. I can sometimes feel alone in how I do things and what I stand for, so to be given an award like this, to actually have someone say, ‘We see you, we hear you,’ is something of a relief, to know that you can have the right positive impact on the right people.”

You set up a live business in December 2020. Did that feel like a risk?

“I remember lots of people saying, ‘Oh, you’re so brave,’ and being fiercely independent, I remember thinking, ‘Are you saying this to the guys who are setting up businesses?’. But in hindsight, I was brave. The whole industry was in turmoil. The whole world was in turmoil. But also, what I was doing was also about self-protection and self-preservation. We all had time to consider what was important to us during that period. I thought the best thing to do was focus on my family, my kids, as a priority and to protect myself by making everything smaller around me. I had a small roster of artists I love, who loved me back and I could give them all the attention needed without burning myself out in the process. I was in business with my brother who is also my best friend and biggest cheerleader.”

You have said that you will only contribute to panels that create positive change in the music industry. Does that still stand, do you see change?

“There has been a big awakening to mental health, to the more human side of the industry. The pandemic has catapulted that up as a priority, and there are a lot of artists who are choosing their health first, which didn’t used to happen as much. But in terms of panels, we’re still in the small rooms. In the main room people will be talking about festivals and the business side. So we’re still in the small room, but we do have the panel there.”

IN THIS PHOTO: Alex Amor

What state do you think the live industry is in post-Covid?

“It isn’t like it was before. There’s still an immense collective trauma. There’s exhaustion from an incredible pressure to deliver in a time of immense stress. I mean, the list is endless. Nobody has any money, at all levels. Top acts will always do well, but for smaller bands breaking, they can’t afford to tour. The costs have gone up astronomically. Brexit has added visa costs. There are crew wages, production wages, trucking costs. But people can’t raise the ticket prices too much because the ticket buyers have no money. It’s really tricky. And that’s another reason I’m glad we’ve kept the roster small, so that we as a team can deliver on the clients we work with. There's a lot more pressure on people. “

Live is often seen as a sector where women are underrepresented. Do you agree with that?

“There aren’t a lot of female promoters. The women promoters I do know are fucking awesome. I absolutely love women, and I love men as well. I think having women at the table, as well as men, brings greater depth in conversation and opinions that you can't have when it's just men, or it's just women. That's what representation means”.

In addition to the mighty IDLES being signed to Mother Artists, there are other artists on the roster that I am familiar with such as Violet Skies and Alex Amor, in addition to names I am new to, such as Benjamin Booker and Durry. There are these terrific artists that I am now compelled to follow and spotlight. Such an impressive range of talent under this roof. With Natasha Gregory – alongside Mark Bent – supporting these amazing artists and also paving the way for other women who want to become involved in live management, I was really keen to salute this industry queen. Prior to Mother Artists, Gregory held positions as a booking agent at The Agency Group, UTA and Paradigm. Not only is she actively involved with expansion of Mother Artists' team; she also joined the newly-formed board at Independent Venue Week to help steer the event into 2024 and beyond. I have so much respect and admiration for…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Maruja

A hugely admired and important figure.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Keith Richards at Eighty: His Essential Licks

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

PHOTO CREDIT: Richard Burbridge for GQ

Keith Richards at Eighty: His Essential Licks

__________

ONE of music’s colossus talents…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Hogan

celebrates his eightieth birthday on 18th December. The mighty Keith Richards is, of course, guitarist and songwriter with The Rolling Stones. The band brought out their twenty-fourth studio album, Hackney Diamonds, earlier in the year. In honour of his big birthday coming up, I wanted to pull together some of his best work. Those tasty riffs and essential licks. His immense guitar work on full display. Before I get there, here is some biography about the one and only Keith Richards:

“If any one person could be said to embody all the glories and excesses of rock & roll, it'd be Keith Richards. During the heyday of the Rolling Stones -- the blues band he co-founded with life-long partner Mick Jagger -- Richards steered the group back to their roots in blues and rock & roll, writing such indelible riffs as "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash." During the 1970s, Richards began to favor ringing open-chord tunings along with an absurdly decadent lifestyle, qualities that could overshadow how he encouraged the Stones to experiment with country, reggae, and dub, not to mention his sharp songwriting skills and quick wit. How Richards complemented Jagger's strengths as a vocalist, conceptualist, and songwriter was key to the ongoing success of the Rolling Stones, but their close partnership occasionally fractured, most notably during a period in the '80s when Jagger was eager to carve a niche outside of the Stones. Keith countered by launching his own solo career with Talk Is Cheap, a record that celebrated his devotion to rock and blues basics. Richards supported the set by forming a backing band with drummer Steve Jordan called the X-Pensive Winos and they supported him on 1992's Main Offender before the Stones settled into a productive, profitable third act with 1994's Voodoo Lounge. The Rolling Stones proved so reliable over the next few decades that Richards rarely stepped away from the band, but he did pursue other projects, eventually releasing Crosseyed Heart, his third solo album, in 2015.

Keith Richards was born December 18, 1943 in Dartford, Kent on the southern outskirts of London. When he was just an infant, his family had to be temporarily evacuated from their home during the Nazi bombing campaign of 1944. In 1951, while attending primary school, Richards first met and befriended Mick Jagger, although they would be split up three years later when they moved on to different schools. By this age, Richards had already become interested in music, and was an especially big fan of Roy Rogers; in his very early adolescence, he sang in a choir that performed for the Queen herself, although he was forced to quit when his voice changed. Around that time, he became interested in American rock & roll and began playing guitar with initial guidance from his grandfather. Behavior problems at school led to Richards' expulsion in 1959, but the headmaster thought he might find a niche as an artist, and Richards was sent to Sidcup Art School. There he met future Pretty Things guitarist Dick Taylor, who at the time was playing in a blues band with Jagger. Discovering their new mutual interest, Richards and Jagger struck up their friendship all over again, and Richards joined their band not long after. Over the next couple of years, that trio evolved into the Rolling Stones, who officially debuted on-stage in the summer of 1962 (by which time Richards had left school).

The rest was history -- initially a blues and R&B covers band, the Stones branched out into original material penned by Jagger and Richards. The duo took some time and practice to develop into professional-quality songwriters, but by 1965 they'd hit their stride. "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" made them superstars in the States as well as the U.K., boasting one of rock's all-time great guitar riffs, which Richards played into a tape recorder in the middle of the night and didn't recall writing when he heard the tape the next morning. With their menacing, aggressively sexual image, the Stones became targets for British police bent on quelling this new threat to public decency, and Richards suffered his first drug bust in 1967 when police raided his residence and found amphetamines in the coat pocket of Jagger's girlfriend, singer Marianne Faithfull. Richards was convicted of allowing the activity on his premises and sentenced to a year in prison, but public furor over the trumped-up nature of the charges and the purely circumstantial evidence prompted a hasty reversal of the decision. The same year, Richards hooked up with bandmate Brian Jones' former girlfriend, model/actress Anita Pallenberg; although the two never officially married, they remained together (more or less) for the next 12 years, and had two children (Marlon in 1968, and Angela in 1972).

After the death of Brian Jones in 1969, the Stones became a more straightforward, hard-rocking outfit, and Richards' guitar took center stage more than ever before. By this era, he'd taken to calling himself Keith Richard, simply because he thought it sounded better without the s. Privately, the band was sinking further into decadence, clearly audible on its early-'70s masterpieces Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St. However, Richards' burgeoning heroin addiction began to affect the consistency of the band's recordings for the next few years. Additionally, he ran into more legal troubles; his French villa was the subject of a drug raid in 1972, as was his British residence the following year. (Rumors dating from this era that Richards had all of his blood drained and replaced in a cleanup effort, while entertaining, were not true.) In 1976 and 1977, Richards entered the studio for a few solo sessions, but the only result to see the light of day was the Christmas single "Run Rudolph Run" (issued in 1978). Perhaps the lack of productivity was due to the fact that Richards was in the middle of the most difficult period of his life.

In 1976, Richards' infant son Tara, his third child by Pallenberg, died suddenly; the official cause was Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), although unsubstantiated rumors that the couple's drug abuse was a factor circulated as well. In early 1977, Richards was busted for possession of cocaine, and faced the most serious charges of his life when, in Toronto, he was caught in possession of heroin. He narrowly escaped serving jail time, agreeing to perform a charity concert for the blind and enter drug rehabilitation in the United States. The scare convinced him to clean up, and when the Stones returned in 1978 with Some Girls, it was acclaimed as their strongest, most focused work in years, and helped rejuvenate their popularity as an arena rock attraction. Things went sailing along smoothly for the next few years, and Richards even officially married for the first time in 1983, wedding Patti Hansen, who would bear him two more daughters, Theodora and Alexandra (he and Pallenberg had finally split in 1979). However, around the same time, Jagger decided the Stones should take a new direction more in line with contemporary pop; Richards refused, and Jagger embarked on a solo career that began to take priority over the Stones. It ignited a very public feud between the two, and rumors of the Stones' imminent demise swirled over the next few years.

When Jagger refused to tour behind 1986's Dirty Work in order to record his second solo album, Richards retaliated by going out on his own, forming a backing band he dubbed the Xpensive Winos.

Richards released his first solo album, Talk Is Cheap, in 1988. Both critically and commercially, it was a far greater success than Jagger's Primitive Cool. Reviews were generally quite complimentary, calling it a solid rock & roll record; and, buoyed by the minor hit single and MTV favorite "Take It So Hard," Talk Is Cheap went gold. Richards embarked on a supporting tour that produced the concert album Live at the Hollywood Palladium, released three years later, and his success convinced Jagger to return to the fold (of course, the relative failure of his own solo venture helped). Their future thus seemingly assured, the Stones had their biggest success in some time with the 1989 album Steel Wheels and its blockbuster supporting tour. In the early '90s, Richards and Jagger once again began working on solo projects, but this time with the understanding that nothing took precedence over the Stones; Richards' second studio album, Main Offender, was issued in 1992, and again received fairly solid notices, although it didn't get quite the same commercial exposure.

Richards returned to the Rolling Stones for 1994's Voodoo Lounge and then spent the better part of the next two decades within the Stones' orbit as they regularly toured and sometimes recorded. During his downtime from the band, Richards indulged his interest in Rastafarian culture by producing and playing on the 1997 album Wingless Angels with reggae veteran Justin Hinds, documenting Rasta spiritual music that falls outside the strict boundaries of reggae. After 2005's A Bigger Bang, studio work for the Stones slowed -- they'd polish up some outtakes for deluxe reissues of Exile on Main St. and Some Girls in the 2010s -- allowing Richards to pursue some extracurricular activities. He appeared on various records, usually ones made by his blues or rock heroes, and had a cameo as Johnny Depp's pirate father in 2007's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. His next big project was the publication of his weighty autobiography Life in October 2010. Acclaimed as one of the best rock memoirs, Life was a best-seller and helped shore up Richards' reputation as a sharp, incisive musician and raconteur. The Rolling Stones began to celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2012, playing a handful of big shows, and they continued touring into 2015. During all this, Richards began work on his third album, once again playing with his band the X-Pensive Winos. Entitled Crosseyed Heart, the record saw release in September of 2015, accompanied by the release of a documentary called Under the Influence. A bit more than 30 years after its release, Richards brought out an expanded edition of Talk Is Cheap that included six unreleased bonus tracks from the original recording sessions. His second solo album Main Offender received a similar deluxe reissue treatment in 2022, appearing in a multi-disc variation containing a previously unreleased live London performance from the X-Pensive Winos from 1992. Richards celebrated its release by reuniting the band for a surprise concert in New York”.

To honour one of the greatest guitarists ever, and part of the legendary The Rolling Stones, I was keen to explore Keith Richards’s amazing guitar work ahead of his eightieth birthday on 18th December. One of the most characterful and distinct people in all of music, below is a selection of the master’s great work. There is no denying that there are no other guitarists…

QUITE like Keith Richards.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Ryan Destiny

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Micaiah Carter for Elite Daily

Ryan Destiny

__________

I have been reading about…

the wonderful Ryan Destiny. Someone who I feel is more than worthy of inclusion in this feature, I wanted to look back at some older interviews before bringing it more up to date. Here is someone who is a hugely positive role model for Black girls and women. You may know her best as an actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the Fox TV musical drama, Star, and the Freeform sitcom, Grown-ish. I am going to come to some interview from the past few years. She has released a few singles so far. There is that question when a debut E.P. will come out. I think we will see this next year. I am going to start out with a 2020 interview form Coveteur:

“Protecting our mental health, especially for Black women in the public spotlight who are constantly facing criticism, is essential during these racially and culturally trying times. Prior to the pandemic erupting within the nation, Ryan Destiny closed out 2019 on a strong note—joining the cast of Freeform’s Grown-ish, announcing her starring role in Flint Strong, and releasing new music. “Honestly, I have no idea. I’m taking it one day at a time,” Destiny says, laughing but serious, about how she’s been holding up mentally. Lucky for her, she has the luxury of being quarantined with family and has been using this time to recharge and give herself grace when it comes to productivity and work ethic. “Trying to find a balance with a lot of different things helps, for sure.”

A wise person once said, “With great power comes great responsibility”—it’s either Voltaire or Spider-Man’s uncle. In any event, Ryan Destiny has used her role to speak out against the various injustices of Hollywood and the music industry against Black culture and communities. “The beautiful thing about this whole time, and everything that we’ve been going through, I really feel like there’s an actual shift this go-round. It’s inspired a lot of people within our community to speak out about a lot of the things we’ve gone through and we experience in our work spaces,” Destiny says. She sought to use her voice to speak out against negative behaviors and encourage the Black community to no longer tolerate disrespect within entertainment. “I just hope that with me speaking up, along with so many other actors, singers, entertainers, it just helps the next wave of people and inspires to not take anymore crap from people and not hide what we feel anymore,” Destiny says passionately about being over the fear of being blackballed in the industry and transforming her fright into fight for the greater picture.

Born in the home of Motown Records, Ryan Destiny Irons can already be considered a millennial staple for Black Girl Magic in the industry as a talented singer, actress, and budding influencer. The Detroit native discovered her own unique talents at the age of 10, but decided to pursue her passions in the entertainment industry full-time at the age of 12. “I wasn’t one of those kids who flipped back and forth with what I wanted to do. I always knew it was this, I just didn’t know in what capacity,” she admitted. At a young age, she was involved in performing arts-centric extracurricular programs that ignited her fire to become who she is today. “Being from Detroit and my experiences in Detroit only helped shape me more, and I think luckily the people out of there who were part of my journey, they were super supportive,” she says about her Motown hometown in addition to praising its musical history. “To know who has come out of it is always something that helps you believe that it’s possible if you keep going and keep at it.”

Her father, Deron Irons, who was one half of the ’90s R&B duo Guesss, was a major musical influence in her earlier years of childhood, which gave her a taste of what would be to come in the following years for her own career. “His dreams kind of connected to mine,” she said of her father’s empathy for her vision for herself. Destiny was fortunate enough to have the everlasting support of both parents, which she further recognized as a staple once she saw that some of her friends did not have the same positive experience. “Without them, I literally would not be here. I would not be in this position where I’m at right now. They’ve been such an important part in my whole journey,” she praises her parents.

She also stresses the importance of reshaping and deconstructing the definition of “Black is beautiful” while empathetically pulling from her own experiences. “I know what it feels like to feel like you’re not being seen, heard, or validated. It’s a journey, and I don’t want people to feel alone in that,” says Destiny. She continues to tell me the importance of including as many young girls into the conversation as she can and how her purpose lies within creating positive narratives for young Black girls. Destiny recognizes her influence beyond her own age bracket and feels good to be part of a narrative that’s bigger than herself. “Young girls are always sending messages to me and telling me how much I’ve inspired them, and that’s what it’s all about. My mission is to hopefully open more and more doors like people have opened the door for me.”

Though we see Ryan Destiny the role model presented to us on screen and on social media, her self-love journey has taken a bit of time to create the confident brown-skinned beauty we see on our explore pages. She shared that her journey started at the age of 18 or 19, when she had an epiphany of sorts about acknowledging her feelings, how she had been perceiving herself, recognizing that she was not alone, and how to combat insecurities. Now 25, Destiny finds serenity in her journey to understanding, acceptance, and patience with herself as a human being who will not always have it together at every given moment. “Understanding that and being OK with the time where I’m not OK was something that helped me in those times. It’s OK to be that as long as you address it and then snap out of it as soon as you can,” she revealed. The industry, Destiny discloses from her personal experience, has taught her to have a strong mind due to the possibilities of being taken advantage of, manipulated, or controlled. “You need to keep a tight circle and understand that people are not always for you,” she says.

PHOTO CREDIT: Amber Asaly

Luckily, in her forthcoming debut EP, On One’s Own, fans can expect a potpourri of genres. According to the songstress, On One’s Own will be a clear reflection of her growth organically through her vocals and lyrics. “I never really want people to tie me down to one thing, and I think a lot of people do that with Black people, but Black women and darker women in general. I didn’t want that to happen with this.” Destiny’s latest throwback-inspired breakup bop and accompanying music video, “Do You,” has clearly been demonstrating to fans that she is here to stay. “I’m really excited for people to hear all of it and hopefully see the world that I’m trying to create within it. I just really wanted it to be a great introduction to who I am. It’s not all of me, but it’s part of me,” she said about her upcoming music.

“I see myself in more control of it all,” Destiny said about her plans within the next few years. Coming full circle in our conversation to discuss the mishaps of 2020, she is making the most out of what’s left of the year by being more introspective and challenging her independence. “Within everything that I’ve been learning, doing on my own and trying to figure out here while at home, I’m hoping there’s some type of liberation and feeling that a lot of other people are feeling like we’re unstoppable ourselves,” Destiny said calmly, proud of the strength of the community during these unprecedented times.

PHOTO CREDIT: Charlotte Rutherford

I want to take things back to 2021. Speaking for Wonderland. with one of her heroes, Brandy (Brandy Norwood), this was an actress-musician speaking with another actress-musician. The two share similarities for sure. It was an interesting exchange between two influential and hugely important cultural figures. Ryan Destiny discussing her career and how music is her first love:

“The 25-year-old started outperforming in girl groups throughout her teens, and after breaking away from her band Love Dollhouse in 2015, she auditioned for STAR — a musical drama that followed a trio of artists navigating their rise in the music industry. In many ways her character’s storyline mirrored her own experience, which at first put her off accepting the role at a time when she was looking to lean into her newfound independence. But rather than keeping her in patterns of the past, STAR propelled Destiny into a new spotlight where she could act, sing and dance on the same job every day, surrounded by co-stars and mentors including Naomi Campbell and Queen Latifah.

Since then she’s appeared in Freeform’s Grown-ish alongside Yara Shahidi, Luka Sabbat and Chloe x Halle, released her first singles as a solo artist and landed her first starring film role in Flint Strong, a Barry Jenkins-written biopic about boxing champion Claressa Shields. While filming has been postponed, Destiny has focused on finishing her upcoming EP “On One’s Own” — a fitting debut for an artist who’s carving out a multi-faceted career entirely on her own terms.

With clear 90s and early 00s influences, Destiny cites Brandy, who she got to know on the set of STAR, amongst her long-time inspirations — not just for her iconic music and films, but because she has created her own inimitable legacy in both worlds. Here, from their homes in the last heatwave of the summer in LA, they catch up over the phone to reflect on their experiences balancing acting and singing, refusing to compromise artistically and empowering their fans to do the same.

BN: I’m so happy to talk to you, and just first tell you how beautiful I think you are and how amazing I think you’re doing in your work, with your craft. I’ve always remembered being around you and you just being such a focus. Your work ethic is amazing, so I just wanted to acknowledge that.

RD: Thank you so much.

BN: I’m happy for everything that’s happening for you. Like, you’re doing it all!

RD: I’m trying!

BN: How do you feel?

RD: I feel cool. I mean, obviously this year is weird. But I’m just happy I’m here and still get to do the little things I can do. So I feel good.

BN: You should. I mean, I think that people [that] can see what you’re doing get inspired. It’s just like the people that you watched when you were coming up. Who were some of the artists and actors that inspired you?

RD: I was super intrigued by the artists that obviously combine the two. It wasn’t even on purpose, that’s just what happened, I just gravitated towards those people. And literally every single time someone asks me this question, I truthfully say your name every single time…

BN: Awww!

RD: Because it’s true! Aaliyah, Diana Ross. You guys all lived careers that have allowed you to blossom in different ways and not just one. Of course there’s a lot of other people I’ve looked up to in both fields, but your names pop up immediately and I just think that’s inspired me to want to pursue the things I do now. It’s just really, really real.

PHOTO CREDIT: Charlotte Rutherford

BN: I love that. Thank you for telling me that, that feels amazing. It makes me want to keep going, so I appreciate that. And that’s why you do what you do, right? To help somebody else realise that they can do it too?

RD: Exactly

BN: That’s why we’re here. I know it takes balance to be able to do both, and to do both very well and sometimes simultaneously. So how do you balance acting and singing?

RD: I think by just letting both flow the way they do naturally. Sometimes when I’m working on a project for acting it can get super time-consuming, so it gets a little tough trying to record and plan stuff out […] I try to plan out as far as possible when I know something’s about to come up and it’s gonna take months out of my year. So it’s a challenge! I mean, you know.

BN: It is!

RD: It’s different every time, too. Each project is a different type of challenge, it’s interesting.

BN: It’s almost like a part of your journey, and probably being the work of your life because you can do both. You can act, sing and dance all at the same time, so you might have to just juggle it all because you’re that talented, you’re that gifted. You know, it comes with great responsibility! Did you ever feel like people wanted to put you in a box or make you just choose?

RD: For sure, and I think people still try to do it now. But it was a blessing doing STAR because I think the way it introduced me was in a multi-type of way, where I was singing and dancing and acting. So it was easier for people to see that and not just see one thing. But I think people are always trying to box you in and make you pick something, whether it be somebody from your team or somebody from the outside. It’s hard for some people to see somebody do more than one thing. I just think as humans we have so much to give, so it’s just weird to me to just do one thing. It just doesn’t make any sense.

BN: No, and you should always do everything you can do. Give it everything you have. I feel like no one should put you in a box at all, because you don’t deserve to be in a box.

RD: Definitely

BN: So music, do you think it’s your first love?

RD: Well it started because my dad was a singer, is a singer. He was signed when he was younger and when he had me, so it was just naturally a part of me. I think looking up to him and seeing his journey with it… You know he didn’t, unfortunately, make it-make it how he wanted to, so a lot of it feels like I need to like finish it out for him. I feel like I’m inspired by him to continue to push and do what I do and just make sure I almost finish the dream off for him, in a way. It just was like a bug that bit me, and since I was super, super young it’s all I remember […] And being from Detroit, I think Motown was a huge part of me too, and just feeling inspired by the city itself.

BN: When did you know, like hear in your own ears, with your own feeling, ‘Oh my god, I can sing! I can do things that everybody can’t do?’
RD: Probably like around 15 years old when I was just entering high school. I think it was honestly because my parents started taking me serious.

BN: Because they’re your first audience, they’re your first believers. I get that. That’s amazing to have the support of your family, because it’s almost like if you can do everything upon your family, or tell your family an idea and they get it, you feel like you can go forward.

RD: Yeah, it’s so important. I’ve seen other people not have that support system, and how sort of rare it is, which is so crazy to me. I’m super thankful for it because I see now how much of a blessing it is.

BN: That’s awesome. Do you see what your future and your career and your life path is? Do you have this vision forward? Or do you trust that there’s a purpose that’s already happening, without you having to know exactly what you’re going to do next?

RD: Because of how the last 10 years of my life has panned out, I now definitely see that God has a divine plan for me. Things that I thought I was gonna do didn’t happen and it turned to a whole different route, which I’m super thankful for now, looking back. So I definitely think that there’s a higher purpose for me and it’s kind of already in the cards.

BN: Absolutely

RD: I don’t want to deny it and I don’t ever want to question it. I’m just trying to live and do what I can on my end [to] be the best version of myself”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Gladimir Gelin

I want to come to a 2023 interview from Elite Daily. If many know her best as an actress, like peers such as Brandy and Coco Jones, music is very much a love that sort of takes priority. Someone who is going to put out a lot of new music. She is someone who be a huge name very soon. I think that people need to get involved with her music. Ryan Destiny is a name that will be spotlighted and highlighted as one to watch next year by many:

“If you’ve slept on Destiny, no biggie. The 28-year-old treads the same sonic waters as other silky-saucy R&B girlies like Normani and Coco Jones, and she’s also known for her work in Star and Grown-ish. Impressively, she booked a lead role in the forthcoming Claressa “T-Rex” Shields biopic, Flint Strong, what she calls “her greatest challenge so far.” Destiny truly is that girl, and she’s on a roll. On the heels of her two spicy singles, “How Many” and “Lie Like That,” Destiny now has plans to release her long-awaited debut EP. But there’s just one elephant in the room: When?

Whether she’s writing from her own POV (“Do You”) or that of her hella-unbothered alter ego (“Lie Like That”), ya girl has so far delivered honest love songs that contain sharply playful lyricism with the kind of honesty that’ll make you unironically go “Dang, she’s so real for this.” It’s for this reason — her attention to detail — that she’s not in a rush to drop just anything.

“I feel like every time I do try to rush things, it feels a bit forced and it doesn’t come out exactly how I feel like it should have — and because things do live on the Internet forever, pretty much, you do want to make sure that it’s something that you’re really proud of,” Destiny says. “So naturally, I am going to take my time with [my music]. And it is hard, because of the times that we live in now, there’s so much content constantly [being put out]. So that can get in your head easily as a creator feeling like you’re not doing enough.” 

Destiny refuses to treat her art as a cog in a content-creation wheel, and the story behind her latest single illustrates the R&B princess’s mentality perfectly. “I recorded both of those songs, I want to say … in 2020 and at the end of 2019,” Destiny says. “I knew ‘Lie Like That’ was special to me, so I sort of wanted to take time with putting it out and make sure everything was right.”

Destiny explains one reason she drops less music than others is she’s largely doing this ish — wrangling resources and funding projects with her personal coins, which “makes things go at a different pace” — on her own, as in *without* major-label budgets. (She’s currently signed to November Yellow, which represents a small-yet-curated roster of rising R&B and rap acts.)

An example of how she makes lemonade out of lemons: the music video for “How Many,” which has amassed more than 650,000 views on YouTube alone. Despite setbacks like budget restrictions and her own internal war with perfectionism — issues she’s been super real about on TikTok — Destiny blessed the culture with a visual packed with dynamic choreo and a fly, Y2K pop star-esque blue leather ensemble.

For Destiny, the stakes for the “How Many” shoot were especially high since she did the dang thing solo: no backup dancers, no opposite. “I knew that I wanted to dance from start to finish, which can just be intimidating in general,” Destiny says of the video, which was choreographed by Sean Bankhead, the mastermind behind iconic Cardi B, Normani, and Doja Cat projects. “Just being in this box by yourself and having it all weigh on your shoulders — it’s just a little scary. But Sean believed in it. He believed in me, thank God. And I think we came up with something really special. It is a very simple video, and I kind of went into it knowing that — and loving that aspect of it, how minimal it was, and just sort of letting it all speak for itself.” 

Destiny’s genuine admiration of her creative peers (FLO, Tems) and iconic forerunners (Beyoncé, SZA) is an essential part of her refreshingly careful approach to her craft. Bey waited six years after Lemonade to drop Renaissance, while a five-year gap sits between SZA’s Ctrl and SOS, yet both 2022 LPs have broken chart records and received acclaim from critics and fans alike. “A lot of artists I look up to are kind of notorious for also taking their time,” she says. “And I think that sort of makes me be a little more at ease — and [I try] to recognize and understand that everyone’s path is different.” Indeed, patience pays off.

So when, exactly, is Destiny finally going to release her own debut project? “That's been the goal of mine for the past four years, honestly,” Destiny says. “When I was on Star, I was in a specific deal that didn’t allow me to put out music. So as soon as that was up, things just sort of started up for me creatively. Again, of course, the pandemic hit — that did something. So it’s just been a lot of different things that have happened in the meantime. But that’s always been the goal; an EP is supposed to finally come out this year”.

I shall round off there. A brilliant young artist whose first few singles shows that she is someone worthy of a lot of affection and respect, do not let her pass you by! As we look to next year and get a sense of the artists who are going to release great music and are names that stand out, I feel that Ryan Destiny is going to be among them. An inspiring role model and exceptional talent, the Detroit-born actress and artists will have her…

DESTINY fulfilled.

______________

Follow Ryan Destiny

PHOTO CREDIT: PacSun

TikTok:

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

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ryandestiny/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/ryandestiny

YouTube:

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

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5bKtvYqfmflyEKp2FhPXwf?si=kkxISi1hSLSTAtUpzx518Q

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/RyanDestinyOfficial

FEATURE: Spotlight: Kiana Ledé

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

Kiana Ledé

__________

MAYBE one of the more…

known and popular names I will include in Spotlight this year, I wanted to spend time with Kiana Ledé, as she is an artist I feel will do incredible things next year. Even if she has a big fanbase and is known to a lot of people, I still feel that she has not reached as many ears as she deserves. Some radio stations in the U.K. unaware of the brilliance of Ledé. I am going to bring together some 2023 interviews with the Arizona-born R&B artist. Someone whose latest album, Grudges, came out in June. A superb release that needs to be heard by everyone, it took her work to the next level (her 2020 debut, Kiki, was released during the pandemic, so it did not get the same attention and touring opportunity that it deserved). That is different now. With a wonderful second album out, Kiana Ledé is touring at the moment. By the time this feature is out, she will be near to wrapping things up. There are a few interviews I am going to drop in before I get to a review for the sensational Grudges. I am going to start off with the interview from FAULT. They spoke with Kiana Ledé in June about a hotly-anticipated album:

“As we gear up for the release of Grudges, what’s the biggest takeaway you want listeners to have from this body of work?

I want listeners to feel like it’s ok to feel emotions – to get them out and let them go. I want listeners to know that healing isn’t linear and to give yourself grace. But most of all… that men are trash.

What would you say was the most emotionally challenging song to write on the album?

I would say the most challenging to write was “Deserve.” I had to go back to the time I got raped and process all of the complexities of the situation. I had to choose to forgive myself for some of the choices I made following my rape. Including keeping in contact with the person who did it to seek some sort of closure since I know I wasn’t in a space to seek justice. I realized that putting the blame on myself was more about having control to protect myself. I had to release the grudge I held against myself and really put the blame on him. This song is the closest to revenge I’m gonna get and I am comfortable with that.

PHOTO CREDIT: Bonnie Nichoalds

What would you say has been the biggest change you’ve observed this album compared to your other bodies of work?

I think this album is just more grown. I have lived more life and processed my experiences from a more mature perspective. (Even though some shit still be toxic – ha.)

When you look back on your creative journey, both as an actor and musician, what’s been the most challenging hurdle you’ve had to overcome?

The most challenging hurdle I’ve had to overcome is not overthinking everything I write. It’s something I’m still working on because I want my stories that are personal to me to also be relatable to other people so they can feel the same healing I feel when I write the song. I always end up finding the right words at the end of it all.

What do you think the biggest misconception people have of you?

I don’t think I’ve given people an opportunity to have misconceptions about me because I am always just 100% me.

PHOTO CREDIT: Bonnie Nichoalds

With the music and film industry moving so fast, do you ever find yourself caught up in the rush of it all? How do you stay grounded if so?

I stay grounded by keeping genuine people around me. I love my little community I’ve built and we all are loyal as fuck and hold each other accountable.

What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

I would tell my younger self that the “no” is not a bad word. I got caught up in a lot of shit I could’ve avoided if I had the courage and the confidence to say no. Now it’s my favorite word.

KIKI was such a massive success, do you feel added pressure to meet and exceed that success with Grudges?

I definitely feel pressure to ATLEAST meet the expectations people will have of me with grudges.  I have to remind myself everyday that I do this to hopefully aids in the healing of the fans and myself. The industry shit and the money comes second.

What’s your biggest fear as it pertains to your music?

My biggest fear is being too happy to make good music. Some of my best songs come from heartbreak so I get nervous when I’m happy and have to stop myself from self-sabotaging.

What is your FAULT?

My FAULT is being too vulnerable with the wrong people in my personal life. I am learning how to create boundaries with how much I share right off the bat. I love connecting with people but it should not come before protecting myself and my piece.

If you do not know about the wonderful Kiana Ledé, then do spend some time looking up interviews and listening to her music. This is someone who will grow even stronger and more remarkable in 2024. In a brilliant interview with VIBE from June, Ledé explained how her second album was like a form of therapy. It is definitely a very open and cathartic album. One that will move every listener in some form. The songs throughout Grudges are so compelling and immersive. They deserve to be heard by as many people as is possible:

“Ask Ledé and she’d consider the album to be “one big journal prompt.” Grudges was a means to process pent-up anger and bitterness from her private life, including a romance with a “true Gemini man.” Life had been life-ing over the past few years and recording this project was her way through.

“The album was actually going to be called Closure, which is also one of the songs,” she shared. “And it felt like that song wasn’t true to me at that time. It was more wishful thinking and looking into what I want my future to look like.”  She realized she needed to give her problems a name in order to confront them—and did.

Grudges navigates through a series of what Ledè describes as “introspective reflective conversations.” With tracks aptly titled “Bitter B**ch (Introlude),” “Damage,” “Deserve,” and “Magic,” the Phoenix-bred songbird is rising from the ashes and into the light.

We caught up with Ledé to talk about her grudges, rebuilding herself from rock bottom, and the beauty in choosing her own ending.

VIBE: Grudges is a really solid sophomore album. Why this title?

Kiana Ledé: Grudges actually has multiple meanings in this album. Obviously there’s the [literal one]. I’m a bitter b**ch [who] definitely [has] grudges. I hold them very well. I’m working on it. I’m in therapy.

First step.

So grudges towards relationships, also grudges just in my life. It’s something that I feel like we all constantly have to work on, whether it’s relationships or within ourselves, within the world. But the album was actually going to be called Closure, which is also one of the songs. And it felt like that song wasn’t true to me at that time. It was more wishful thinking and looking into what I want my future to look like. I was definitely on my way there, but I didn’t feel complete closure until the album was actually done. I think you have to name what the problems are first before you work through them. This album is basically just me talking about all the grudges, so I can get to that real closure.

With the evolution from Selfless and Myself to Kiki, then Unfinished and Grudges, what was it like learning yourself throughout all of those different musical eras?

I wanted to tell a story with these albums. Selfless was really about my lack of—honestly, self— not knowing who I was and just giving whatever I didn’t have to everybody else, especially in my relationships. And then Myself was very much me doing the pendulum swing all the way to the other side and saying, ‘All I know is myself and I need to make everything about myself, and this is what this is.’ I got diagnosed with bipolar a little later on after that. But at that time, I realized I was in a manic state and I was pendulum swinging, because I am an extreme person. Not only because of my mental health, but also that’s just how I am. So I really wanted that to be true. I really wanted to feel like I was making my life about myself.

I guess me shouting that out to the world was a way to cover up all the things that I was really feeling inside and all the s**t that I was really going through. For Kiki, I needed to find a middle ground in between the two and really take a look at who Kiki is in an honest and authentic way, while also valuing myself. I wanted people to look at me as I was looking at myself and being like,  ‘You know what? I don’t f**king know, and that’s okay. We’re just going to start from zero again. Try to get rid of all the fake s**t and go from there.’ The next story I’m telling is just more mature. Gone through a lot more therapy. I can still be my toxic little self, but it’s more about holding myself accountable. I mean, even from the first song, “Bitter B**ch Interlude.” I am calling myself out. Now I have to look at myself and be like, damn.

Do you feel in some ways that you are protecting your vulnerability through what you choose to tell and how you choose to tell it?

I think the easiest way for me to write things is when [I’ve] processed it a little more. One thing that I wrote about in this album, that it took me years to be able to process, was being raped. “Deserve” is about that. The voicemail at the end of the song is a voicemail I had my friend recreate, word for word. That was something that I wouldn’t have been able to talk about before, let alone write it in a song. So there’s definitely some things where I can be vulnerable about and there’s things that are deeper than most. Music is a way for me to be vulnerable, yes, but there’s definitely some things that it takes me a little bit of time”.

I will get a review of Grudges soon. I am going to finish the interviews portion with one from UPROXX. It seems that the title of her album is a way of moving forward. Someone who is a hopeless romantic, Grudges sort of put a full stop there. A new chapter being embarked upon. I am compelled to follow Kiana Ledé and what she delivers next. One of the most fascinating young artists on the scene. Quite big in her native U.S., there is still a large proportion of people in the U.K. and elsewhere maybe not as familiar with her work. Let’s hope that this changes very soon:

“I went through a breakup actually, during COVID I went through two breakups, so I don’t know if I got the world record for modern relationships you can have in quarantine,” Ledé recalls with a laugh. “Was in both of them, and clearly they did not go so great, but it’s okay. It left me with great music.” Though it wasn’t immediately that Ledé knew these songs would become what we now know as Grudges.

“Maybe [after] a year, a year and a half of making the album we were just like, these are grudges,” she says. “It wasn’t just about me having a grudge about my [exes], it really just created this perfect headline of the grudges I hold against the world and everything that it encompasses.”

Kiana Ledé’s growth from her early days helped her reach this point of vulnerable and sheer honesty about herself and others. Even throughout Grudges, there isn’t a point where she is spiteful toward those who contributed to qualms in love. It comes from a level of accountability that exists in these situations, especially ones that the singer herself had a hand in creating.

“I think as I’ve gotten older, no matter how big my role was, in those relationships, and this way, I can acknowledge and accept the part that I played,” she notes. “Too Far” is a perfect example of this as she acknowledges the effects of crossing the friendship barrier to explore the once-forbidden fruit of intimacy.

Though spite and retaliation were absent, a loss of faith in love, people, and trust took its place for some time as she details on the album’s title track. “I went through so much and was put through so much pain by the people that I thought loved me the most,” she remembers. “When that sort of betrayal happens, it’s really hard to think – like if these people were supposed to love me, how will this person that I met on Tuesday that I think is a good person and could be a good friend, how are they not gonna screw me over?” In naming and eventually freeing her grudges, Kiana also found it necessary to do the same to overcome doubts.

“I realized that you can build a good community by just trying,” she says. “I had to accept that with love of any kind, is going to come pain, and we can’t escape loss. That’s just a part of life.” Here, Ledé speaks of having hope, hope that tomorrow will be better, hope that you’ll receive what you prayed would be eventually, and hope that it’ll all be okay. “My friends and my mom are like you just are hopeful,” she says. “I just hope that people are who they say they are. There’s gonna be that one in a million that really is, so there is some hope and love somewhere.”

Despite all that she goes through on Grudges, this hope comes alive to conclude the album with “Magic.” It plays a role similar to that of “No Takebacks” on Kiki, a record that pours out the hopes for a forever romance, and while “Magic” looks to do the same for Grudges, it does so with a new sense of reality.

I label Ledé as a bit of a hopeless romantic, a title she fully accepts and credits for her ability to hold a grudge so well. However, when Grudges comes to a close, we’re left with the feeling that Ledé wants to be more of a hopeful romantic – optimistic about love’s potential while being a bit more practical about its arrival. Look no further than “Where You Go” with Khalid for evidence of this transition Ledé wants to make in the future. Though that record is certainly romantic on the surface, underneath that is the reminder of an unhealthy codependence that Ledé used to have in a previous relationship.

“I do hold a grudge against my younger self that was codependent with people that I was in a relationship with,” she admits. “It feels so good to be able to rely on someone right? But once it gets a little too codependent, like ‘I go where you go,’ it can be a lot.” Simply put, recognizing your faults is the first step in eventually correcting them”.

Grudges is among the finest albums of this year. It got a lot of praise upon its release in the summer. I want to finish this feature off by sourcing one such review. We Plug Good Music did just that in their effusive and deep review of Grudges. A sensational and must-hear release from Kiana Ledé:

“When confined in a creative corner, Kiana creates diamonds. The Grudges album is truly a testament to raw talent. Picking up from where she left off with Selfless EP in 2018, this project strikes into a convivial “Bitter B*tch INTROlude” as presented.

It unloads an unfinished situation with an ex-lover that triggered her offensive side. Although it may seem she is still hung up on the ex, the track is a certifiable closure that sets the record straight about certain things. Like “I really tried to let it go and be bigger / You made a mess and it left me so bitter / You telling everybody lies on Twitter”.

Miss Ledé further clarifies her intent in writing the song: “don’t take it wrong / I can’t have you thinking I’m still in love.” Yes, she’s bitter and still hung up on the wrongs of the ex-partner.

This is her time to be petty and go below the belt. She succeeds in this, with help from breathy singing and lightly composed instrumentals. The pairing adjoins perfectly, making his intro a fitting opening to the album.

Track two titled “Irresponsible” also lead single for this album features reputable producers in the music scene. Kiana joins forces with Cardiak & WU10 – Cardiak who draws an impressive portfolio working with H.E.R, Drake, Kendrick Lamar etc; and WU10 who is Grammy-nominated.

The song narrates a one-sided love for a man who seems to not be ready to settle down. Her mellow register for this track coordinates with her deep thoughts-turned lyrics. She wastes no time admitting jumping blindly into her feelings, “I dove in blind, took a chance on us / Gave my trust (Trust), so in love”. Though she is heartbroken, she manages to call out the recklessness of his ex with perfectly balanced words and vocals.

In “Promise Me” Ledé changes gears to a toxic space, slightly so. Still talking to her ex, only this time pleading repeatedly that even if he finds someone else, “Promise me that you’ll always find me”. So of course, this is a natural back and-forth between a recently broken up couple that can’t fully let go.

And with just two minutes of asking, it’s almost an unintentional genius move. If you really think about it, these moments in real life happen infrequently. Hence the 2-minute filler goodness. I wanted more of this track, It ended too soon.

The album takes us to one of my personal favorites. Bryson Tiller synergizes with Kiana in this follow-up “Gone” track that exhibits the male vs female perspective of a convoluted fallout. And with Tiller offering vocals that don’t overpower the beat assortment, allowed Kiana to meet him in that vocal range.

Their back and forth between Bryson rapping-singing to her clean chanting. The song surprised me a lot, due to how it started, it switched up unexpectedly from the offbase beginning. I have no doubt “Gone” will be a streaming playlist favorite.

Kiana showcases her range on “Jealous”, “Grudges” and “Where You Go.” Duo collabs tend to become repetitive and too recycled, however, Kiana pushed her creativity on these tracks. Her pairing with Ella Mai on “Jealous” made sense sonically and style-wise. They both have similar vocal ranges that blended well.

In “Grudges” featuring Kiki & Friends, the production style almost mimics a ballad mixed with modern beats. I was a tad bit thrown off by the emotion on this one. She managed to take the “Grudges” theme to another level. And at this juncture of the album is when I realize Kiana isn’t on the aggressive delivery she was onto in the first half.

It becomes clearer on “Where You Go” featuring Khalid. Although the song is an unsurprising “Grudges” the album consists of various nuances that stick to the overall theme throughout.banger, you sense her letting go of the grudge she has held onto since track one. Now, she is finally getting closer to her closure.

She sings on the next track, “overcoming all my pain/close to saying I’m okay / A little more and more everyday”. Kiana wraps up the project with an opening to a new chapter. “Magic” is a little window that leaves the listener hanging, yearning for more. As I sit here on my last second, I fail to wrap my mind around it being the closing track.

As a whole, Grudges the album consists of various nuances that stick to the overall theme throughout. She took the listener on a voyage of emotions that led to closure. The project wasn’t rushed, or lazy in overrated instrumentals.

In fact, it is the rawness and the ability to “to call it, name it and work on it” – as she pointed out in her recent interviews that resonated with me while I was unpacking the album. Grudges is a must listen, a self-help artwork and therapy. Get into it”.

You all need to go and spend time with Kiana Ledé. This is an artist putting out music of the highest calibre. Someone, I feel, who will take massive strides next year. With a few dates to go on her current tour, I hope she gets time to unwind and look back on a successful and important year. With Grudges out, it has been a remarkable successful one! Such a strong and essential album, it is going to be exciting seeing where she heads next. If you have not got Kiana Ledé on your music radar, then make sure that this is righted…

STRAIGHT away.

___________

Follow Kiana Lede

PHOTO CREDIT: Katia Temkin

Official:

https://www.kianalede.com/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/kianalede/

TikTok:

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

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/kianalede

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7jZMxhsB8djyIbYmoiJSTs

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2YdlVOqOSxq-SNkcmqoZ1A

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/KianaLede

FEATURE: Spotlight: City Girls

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Joshua Kissi for Pop Sugar 

City Girls

__________

AN established…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Marcelo Cantu

duo that some might have heard of, I don’t think that City Girls are known to everyone. Maybe less acknowledged and played in the U.K., they are an American Hip-Hop duo consisting of Yung Miami and JT. Hailing from Miami, Florida, they came to prominence following an uncredited guest appearance on In My Feelings, Drake’s 2018 chart-topping single. Signed to Quality Control Music prior to their current album, they released one mixtape, 2018's Period, and two studio albums: 2018's Girl Code; 2020's City on Lock. Their latest album, October’s RAW, is one of their best work. Their most accomplished and diverse album so far, I hope that it brings them to the attention of more people around the world. With a huge U.S. following, I would like to hope that City Girls translates more in the U.K. With their sound quite intense and bold for many commercial radio stations, maybe that limits their playability. I want to wind back to 2020 and an interview with Rolling Stone. In spite of the fact one half of City Girls was incarcerated for a lot of 2019, this was a rebirth and fresh start:

“ALL THROUGH 2019, Jatavia “JT” Johnson tracked the rise of her duo, City Girls, by watching the size of the jewelry worn by her musical partner, Caresha “Yung Miami” Brownlee, in their frequent video calls. “Things were getting bigger,” she says with a giggle.

JT spent most of last year in a Tallahassee, Florida prison, serving out a sentence for credit-card fraud that began the day after City Girls’ feature spot on Drake’s smash “In My Feelings” introduced them to the world, in 2018. Hearing from Yung Miami, who handled all of the duo’s performances and promotional work on her own during JT’s time behind bars, was a lifeline.

The challenges didn’t end with JT’s release from prison in October. First she moved into an Atlanta halfway house, where she remained under travel restrictions until her sentence reached its final end earlier this month. She jumped back into her paused career at the soonest opportunity, recording and dropping the freestyle “JT’s First Day Out” and getting to work on City Girls’ second album. Yung Miami, meanwhile, had just given birth to her second child, so she spent most of her time back in their shared hometown of Miami, flying frequently to Atlanta to record with her best friend.

While their lifelong bond was the same as ever — “All we do is laugh, joke, play,” Yung Miami says — their recording process changed significantly since they made their two full-length 2018 projects (Period, a mixtape, and Girl Code, an album).

Back then, JT recalls, everything “was really stressful for me because I was indicted.” The pair had made their debut in late 2017 with the single “Fuck Dat Nigga,” which sampled Khia’s playful, sexual “My Neck, My Back”; JT was arrested a week later on charges of using stolen credit card numbers to buy clothes and shoes. Their lives were further flipped upside down when the track caught the attention of Kevin “Coach K” Lee and Pierre “P” Thomas, the founders of Atlanta’s influential Quality Control, who signed City Girls to join Migos and Lil Baby on the label’s roster that November.

Quality Control helped arrange a postponed start date for JT’s sentence, but that mean the pair of rookie rappers had to move swiftly to take advantage of their limited time. They recorded their first two projects in a hurry during what was technically 60 days, though JT says that their lack of seriousness meant it was more like 30.

“I was battling other stuff in my mind,” she says. “I’m not saying people didn’t have sympathy, but there was no sympathy. It was do or die, for real.”

JT was able to witness some of their work paying off with the release of Period in May 2018. “In My Feelings” arrived that summer with Drake’s Scorpion, and the simultaneous start of JT’s sentence spurred a movement. The song became a breakout hit, topping the charts as Yung Miami appeared solo in the video. Later the same year, Girl Code spawned the Cardi B-assisted “Twerk” and the surprise meme hit “Act Up.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Diwang Valdez for Rolling Stone

All the while, Yung Miami held down the business, touring and promoting City Girls’ budding career and keeping them a part of the conversation even while they were down one half of the duo.“It feels like a job now. It feels normal,” she says.

The first time the duo’s fame really hit her was on a Jamaican vacation, where she found that DJs recognized her and played their music. “The City Girls is really international!” Yung Miami says. “I didn’t expect people in Jamaica to know who I am.”

The pair have  lot to live up to, and it doesn’t help that they feel like their sound has been bitten and over-saturated by other artists before they could reunite. “I’ve been sitting back and looking for our sound,” JT says. They’ve recorded a number of tracks they’re excited to release, all on theme with the rest of their discography.

“It’s still women empowerment,” Yung Miami says. “City Girls don’t take no ish from a man”.

By 2022, City Girls’ JT (Jatavia Johnson) and Yung Miami (Caresha Brownlee) were back in the spotlight. Harper’s Bazaar spoke with the fierce Miami Rap duo. They, as Harper’s Bazaar wrote, have worked for everything they've ever wanted. Now, they're out for what they deserve. Two years after the release of City on Lock, the phenomenal duo were taking on new projects and reaching new heights:

“The City Girls push back against limited notions of who is deserving of luxury and stand as bosses in their own right. They are recognizable to women groomed in inner cities, who are inclined to speak with bravado to ensure survival. The pair's connection to Miami's rich hip-hop history runs deep. Their debut music video, "Fuck Dat Ni**a," features cameos from hometown heroes DJ Khaled and Trina (who is Yung Miami's godmother), and the song samples vocals from "My Neck, My Back (Lick It)" by another Florida emcee, Khia. Last year's breakthrough bop, "Twerkulator" (a callback to the 1992 house hit "The Percolator"), was even sanctified by another legendary East Coast emcee, Missy Elliott, who directed the video. A mega-popular mixtape, two albums, and prominent collaborations propelled City Girls to the Coachella Festival stage earlier this year. "We showed people we could work an audience," JT says matter-of-factly.

It was a triumphant return to performing for JT, who was arrested in 2017 while shoe-shopping at Nordstrom and charged with buying clothes and gift cards using stolen credit card numbers. She was ultimately convicted of aggravated identity theft and credit card fraud, and served 24 months in a federal correctional institution. (Her incarceration inspired the song "Intro (#FreeJT)" and an accompanying social media movement).

Fans rallied around her while she was in custody, and she and Yung Miami stayed focused on the next steps of their career. "When Caresha was on tour with [her] baby, she would send pictures of her costumes and with her dancers. I was always saying, 'Dang! I can't wait for us to go on tour together,'" JT explains. "This show with Jack Harlow will be my first time going on tour with her."

In addition to the Come Home the Kids Miss You Tour, City Girls have an album on the horizon. Their latest single, "Good Love," features Usher and interpolates "I Wanna Rock (Doo Doo Brown)" by Miami legends Luke and 2 Live Crew's track. "I'm excited," Yung Miami says of the era ahead. "Fans can expect a whole lot of City Girls shit and a lot of ass shaking. It's going to be the whole City Girls experience." Adds JT, "City Girls shit—fun, elevation, and bars!"

Each of their previous records is a master class in finessing. The City Girls get what they are supposed to acquire, and they are not shy about their expectations. That consistent "Nothing comes for free" doctrine rouses City Girls' core fan base, even if it might offend the listeners incapable of financing their lovers.

On "Top Notch," JT raps, "Say you gotta pay for this … I just got my hair did, then shit on hoes like it's a hobby … I ain't goin' there, that's an opp party / I'm a bad bitch, I'm a Black Barbie." When asked to elaborate, she says, "I really feel like everybody should know their worth. If you want somebody to pay for it, make them pay for it. If you are cool with whatever agreement y'all got going on, be cool with that too. But for me, I stand for getting what I deserve. I require a lot, because I give a lot. I feel like there are women out here that give so much of themselves and don't get much in return”.

RAW is the most authentic album from City Girls. More in control and released with fewer obstacles and issues, it seems like a new era. They are going to go on to be included in the pantheon of Hip-Hop queens. AP News discussed one of this year’s most potent albums. One that is among the very best Hip-Hop releases of 2023. Such a remarkable work from an astonishing duo:

“LOS ANGELES (AP) — You’d be hard pressed to find a rap duo doing it like City Girls. They’ve been bringing life-affirming, pretty-girl scam rap to the masses since they were featured on Drake ’s “In My Feelings” and launched into superstardom with their 2018 debut “Girl Code” and its hit single “Act Up.”

A lot has changed since then. Three years ago, the Miami-based duo of JT and Yung Miami released their sophomore album, “City on Lock” shortly after it was leaked. They’ve worked to make sure things move as smoothly as possible with their third full-length album, “RAW.” It’s City Girls, as fun as ever — with marked growth.

“‘RAW’ is just being authentic and being ourselves,” says JT, who did most of the speaking in their interview with The Associated Press.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the album — true to their spirited party records and moments of real vulnerability — came easy. Across the last three years, the duo hasn’t felt immune to the pressures that accompany fame and influence creativity.

“I feel like, when creating music, it relates so much to your life, and as your life change, your music change. So, it’s a lot of pressure from different sides, like people saying, ‘Oh, you don’t sound like your old self. Or people just basically saying, ‘I want to hear growth in the music,’” she continues. “It’s a line of division as an artist, when you’re creating.”

Of course, there’s a lot to celebrate here, from the NSFW club banger “Piñata” and “Tonight,” which samples Lil Kim, to the JT freestyle “No Bars,” her first solo single since 2019’s “JT First Day Out,” which led to the launch of a No Bars Reform initiative, created to provide resources to other formerly incarcerated women and help them rehabilitate into society.

There’s also an all-star list of collaborations on “RAW,” from the dizzying trap of “Static” featuring Lil Durk to the Dr. Luke pop record “Flashy,” with Kim Petras. “Kim Petras is beautiful. I love her songs. I love her music,” says JT. “(When) she sent the demo back in, she sounded amazing.”

Then there’s their track with future Super Bowl halftime performer Usher. “Originally Chris Brown was supposed to get on ‘Good Love,’ but I don’t know what happened with that,” says Yung Miami. “So, I personally reached out to Usher, I sent the record, he sent it back, and that’s how ‘Good Love’ came about.”

And a collaboration with fellow Floridian Muni Long on the sexy R&B tune “Emotions.” “I just hear her voice on it,” JT says. “She writes great music so we felt like she would be perfect for that song.”

That track follows the sing-along rap record, “Show Me the Money,” emphasizing the no-skip, smooth transitions of “RAW,” what JT refers to as “turn down, turn up, turn down, turn up” sequencing.

The math is working. When asked about their place in hip-hop — on its 50th anniversary, no less — JT is acutely aware of City Girls’ position. “Every time I think about, like, us being rappers, I always feel blessed. Like, damn, we are really rappers. We are really a part of hip-hop,” she says, expressing particular gratitude for being “the only female rap group right now. “And I think we were the first female rappers to go platinum since Salt-N-Pepa, and to chart over than Salt-N-Pepa... It’s a great feeling. I feel like we doing our thing and we will continue.”

As for their listeners: “I want them to feel good, you know, liberated,” she says. “I want our album to kind of be an escape from this world because it is always so serious and it’s always so stressful”.

I am going to finish with an interview from Variety. A lot of eyes were on City Girls this year. With a fierce and accomplished album out in the world, it is clear that there is nobody out there like them! I am fairly new to their work, so that is a reason why I was keen to spotlight them here:

“RAW” is precisely what its title suggests: a record comprised of classic City Girls, from the X-rated lyrics down to the familiar samples (like Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and Willie Hutch’s “I Choose You”). They also take new swings, swerving into the pop lane on the glitter-bombed “Flashy” featuring Kim Petras. “We never really did a pop record,” says JT, who explains she heard a few different people on the hook before deciding Petras was the best fit. “It’s an experiment for the both of us. You just never know, and I feel like it’s just us trying something new.”

The Miami natives, who got their mainstream start in 2018 after an uncredited feature on Drake’s “In My Feelings” raised their profile, have reached a point in their career where music may be the focus but their every move is scrutinized. The internet is constantly chattering about their relationships — Miami with Diddy, JT with Lil Uzi Vert — and they’re no strangers to a TMZ headline. But “RAW” is an attempt to recenter the narrative that they’re artists first — not social media talking points.

“Right now, it feels like there’s a lot of people doubting us,” says JT. “It’s just a bitter time for a lot of people coming out of the lockdown and people feel so entitled and opinionated and it’s just popular to be hateful right now. I won’t say that people are just hating on us, I just see a lot of hate in the world. I hope that this album puts fun back into music from our direction. I hope it makes them fall back in love with us.”

To that, JT and Miami are locked in on City Girls, and how to keep up the momentum. They’re planning their first headlining solo tour, complete with backup dancers, and hope to close the gap between this album and the next. Miami is feeling the love for her side hustle as host of the podcast “Caresha Please,” which has spawned countless viral moments since its launch in June 2022. She lets JT do most of the talking here but opens up about recently winning best hip-hop platform for the second year in a row at the BET Hip-Hop Awards.

“It feels good to do something outside of [music] and to be able to win an award so early and soon and to express something outside of my box,” she says. “I never saw myself doing a podcast, but now that I’m doing it, I’m starting to love it and I feel like that’s my lane.”

With “RAW,” City Girls remind listeners what they’re all about. They’re frank, and unapologetic, and hope that comes across in their latest body of work. JT says it plainly: “Shut the fuck up and enjoy the music and consume the music and love the music. That’s what I hope they take away from this — just the music”.

RAW is one of the most remarkable albums of the year. City Girls are going from strength to strength. Among the most importance voices in Hip-Hop, you need to follow this mighty duo. It is going to be interesting to see where they go now. I hope they do tour in the U.K. at some point. There are going to be plenty of people who would love to see them in the flesh. I will wrap it up here. If you are new to City Girls, go and play RAW and see why they are being heralded as…

LEADERS and queens of Hip-Hop.

____________

Follow City Girls

PHOTO CREDIT: Joshua Kissi for Pop Sugar

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/citygirls/

TikTok:

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

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/citygirls

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/CityGIrlsQC/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/37hAfseJWi0G3Scife12Il?si=e5A3i9hRT_-5H-LKfqxbmg

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_d9bHw1N7Y

FEATURE: Big Gifts and Stocking Fillers: A Selection Box of Christmas Classics and Alternative/Smaller Christmas Tracks

FEATURE:

 

 

Big Gifts and Stocking Fillers

PHOTO CREDIT: Arsham Haghani/Pexels

A Selection Box of Christmas Classics and Alternative/Smaller Christmas Tracks

__________

LOTS of people…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Julia Volk/Pexels

are sharing their Christmas playlists. It is a time of office parties and a week when many are looking to Christmas and seeing what tunes they will add to their playlists. I have been thinking of how many playlist to put out. Rather than do one of classics and a separate one of alternative Christmas tracks and those lesser-known gems, I thought I would combine them. A selection box of the established and hallowed Christmas songs, together with ones that are underrated or send out a different Christmas message. It is a time of year where not everyone will want cheer and that same sort of sound. They should be catered for here. Whatever your preference when it comes to Christmas music, there are various options out there. Some wonderful modern options sitting alongside those that have been ruling the airwaves for decades now. I have assembled some Christmas gifts together in a…

 PHOTO CREDIT: Ioana Motoc/Pexels

FESTIVE playlist.

FEATURE: Headline Font: At a Time When They Are Struggling with Available Options, Why Festivals Need to Take Risks Regarding Their Main Artists

FEATURE:

 

 

Headline Font

IN THIS PHOTO: Florence + The Machine in 2023 (they headlined Glastonbury in 2015 when Foo Fighters pulled out)

At a Time When They Are Struggling with Available Options, Why Festivals Need to Take Risks Regarding Their Main Artists

__________

WE are starting to hear…

a number of headliners announced for festivals next year. Primavera Sound have announced headliners including Lana Del Rey and SZA. Reading and Leeds announced some names. Their headliners also include Lana Del Rey. Other festivals have declared some names, though one of the big differences between Primavera Sound (Spain) and our Reading and Leeds is the gender discrepancy. The former booking female headliners. The latter only the one. It got me wondering how festivals decide who should headline. What budgets are in place and why a festival like Glastonbury this year featured three slightly older male acts. Not many fresh legs on that stage. I thought Lana Del Rey could have headlined Glastonbury, as she appeared at the festival. Gender equality is something all festivals should be mindful of next year. One issue that might affect things is budget and the availability of artists. I don’t think women are more likely to prefer solo tours to festivals or ask for a bigger fee. Though it is clear that many festival organisers are not taking risks when it comes to artists. Younger or less headline-looking acts that could be booked and make a big impression. I shall expand more on this. A week ago, The Guardian wrote a feature where it is reported festivals are struggling to book headliners. A range of issues that are limiting choices and causing some headaches:

“Set on the front meadow of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, minutes from the Guinness brewery, it is no surprise the first wave of tickets for Dublin’s Forbidden Fruit festival sold out within days.

The line-up – a heady mix of veterans, newcomers and nostalgia acts – is one of many festivals currently being announced for next summer. “We’ve got Nelly Furtado, who hasn’t played in Ireland for 24 years, Bicep and Barry Can’t Swim, who’s from that generation of artists with ironic names that audiences love” says festival booker Will Rolfe.

But behind the scenes, he says, it’s been a “real challenge”. The festival confirmed 90% of its first-choice artists, but that is rare. “The industry is struggling with a shortage of top headliners. The biggest and best artists are doing their own tours rather than festivals because it’s more lucrative.”

Forbidden Fruit is not alone. Festival organisers are reporting that the UK is no longer an appealing destination for global headline acts. With huge numbers of green spaces being given the go-ahead to hold events, organisers say there are struggling to find bands to fill them, and Brexit border delays are making matters worse.

Securing US acts is especially difficult. Many American shows operate a “dynamic” ticketing model, where the cost adjusts according to demand. As a result, prices can be astronomical. US tour tickets for Bruce Springsteen can go for several thousand dollars. For Taylor Swift, it is just shy of $900. Although an A-grade festival headliner in the UK can expect a fee of £2m-plus, financial expectations for US acts are far greater than this.

There will always be exceptions for artists who just want to do the show, such as Glastonbury, or who want the exposure and understand there is a fee difference. “Some will make less money and be OK with that,” says Rolfe.

The fear is that the UK is becoming irrelevant. “The UK just isn’t an attractive offer at the moment,” says Sacha Lord, co-founder of Parklife festival and night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester. “When you’re booking these huge global artists, you’re competing with the rest of the world. It’s really tough out there.” 

Noah Ball, programmer for Dorset’s We Out Here festival and Cross The Tracks in Brixton, says getting headliners locked in is trickier for next summer than it has been in previous years. “The cost of events has gone up 30-40% over the last few years. It was always a risky business and it’s become even riskier. It’s very important for events to hit the nail on the head and really get the line-up right.”

Artists may be asking for more money, but it is more expensive than ever for them to tour, says Claudio Lillo, booking agent for A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti, Priya Ragu and Ezra Collective: “Festivals are saying they don’t have the budget, but artists’ costs have increased too.”

Sarah McBriar, founder and creative director of AVA festival in Belfast, which is in its 10th year, says people still want to go to festivals and their tickets sell quickly, but the weekend they are on at the end of May, there are now “four or five others at the same time”.

Although electronic star Fred Again has managed to go from backroom pop producer to headline the Reading and Leeds festival in a couple of years, for most it takes years of touring to cultivate a fanbase. The problem, says Ball, is festivals want proven ticket-sellers. “There’s a disparity between the number of acts that build to a large scale and the number of events that have capacity for huge crowds.”

One of the big criticisms is that line-ups look similar, but Lillo thinks festival bookers are not taking risks: “They say there aren’t enough headliners, but how are you going to become one unless someone takes a chance on you?”.

I can appreciate how the factors and drawbacks mentioned in the feature are limiting some headliner choices. Maybe not enough budget for huge artists. Solo tours offer more in the way of sets and design. You can play in many countries and reach more people. You also get to design your own stage and create something intimate and spectacular at the same time. Festivals seem less personal and unwieldy. I can understand why the U.K. is not as attractive as, say, the U.S.. or Spain. I think our track record regarding a lack of female headliners also does not help when it comes to attracting women to play. I do feel like there are problems which need addressing. I am not sure an artist like Lana Del Rey would have been out of Glastonbury’s budget this year as a headliner. She is headlining Reading and Leeds next year, so I don’t feel a potential Glastonbury headliner set would be too expensive and lavish – so instead she played a more stripped back one. That last paragraph of the feature is especially standout. No festival has a measure when it comes to what a headliner is. I think that many assume an artist needs to have been playing for decades and is this monumental success. Too many festivals book the same headliners because they are safe, commercial and tried and tested. It is that lack of bravery and thought that leads to this ‘issue’ with headliners we are seeing now. Maybe some of the bigger acts like Taylor Swift prefer to tour and have sort of outgrown festivals (or feel they are limited and less fulfilling).

If you are going to be book the same headliners or have the same unnecessary standards, of course there will be pipeline issues! It is not the case a headliner has to be this legendary artist that everyone has known for years. Billie Eilish headlined Glastonbury in 2022. She was twenty and had released two studio albums. The youngest artist to headline the festival, that was a risk and chance that very much paid off. I suspect that Glastonbury may do the same thing next year and book Olivia Rodrigo as a headliner (who will be twenty-one when Glastonbury happens next year; she has released two studio albums). How many great artists still coming to their best are booked as headliners?! I posted to Twitter recently with a link to that article from The Guardian. It was pointed out that a few legendary headline slots came from artists booked last moment. Pulp replaced The Stone Roses at Glastonbury in 1995. Without doubt one of the most iconic headliner replacements came when The Stone Roses had to call off their headline set after guitarist John Squire broke his collarbone in a cycling accident. At that point, Pulp had established themselves - though maybe they were not seen as worthy headline material. I am going to mention Glastonbury a lot, though only because it is one of the best festivals in the world and most people will recognise it.

Also, in 2015, Florence + The Machine headlined Glastonbury spectacularly when Foo Fighters cancelled. Dave Grohl broke his leg, so it was a late replacement that truly delivered. Another case of an artist maybe not seen as commercial or stadium-sized as Foo Fighters proving that they were headline-worthy. Epic, passionate and exceptional, one would have hoped that iconic 2015 set from Florence + The Machine showed that unexpected headliners are everywhere. Artists that you may feel are better on other stages, in fact can command that headline slot with aplomb. They do not need pyrotechnics, lavish sets and a lot of set design and dramatics. Just their music connecting with the audience in a very real and powerful way! Right now, all major festivals need to take a chance. I think smaller festivals have more options, as their headliners are often artists not especially massive or on the same level as someone like Taylor Swift for example. It is not a case of promoting a tiny artist to this prestigious slot. Instead, as we have seen with a couple of classic examples, realising there are incredible artists who have produced exceptional music that smashed their headline slots. They were not considered at the time but, owing to unfortunate circumstances, they got drafted in. If artists are not considered and risks are not taken, then that shows festivals are not willing to take chances. They are sticking with the same type of artists. I can appreciate how things are hard and all manner of factors is restricting the options available. However, by opening up their horizons and maybe being less stringent when it comes to their ‘gold standard’, they will find that there are…

PLENTY of headliners out there.

FEATURE: December 25th Will Be Magic…Again: The Kate Bush Christmas Gift Guide

FEATURE:

 

 

December 25th Will Be Magic…Again

PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush

The Kate Bush Christmas Gift Guide

__________

IT is December now…

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

so many people are getting their Christmas presents ordered. Of course, there are many Kate Bush fans out there. I am going to recommend a selection of websites and gifts that could suite the Kate Bush lover in your life. These are books, albums, merchandise and rarities/miscellaneous. I did a gift guide last year but, since then, there have been new reissues and merchandise announced. It is an exciting – if quite expensive! – time to be a Kate Bush fan. These book recommendations might be familiar and ones I have spotlighted before. It is worth coming back to them. There has not been a new Kate Bush book this year – in terms of biographies etc. -, other than Bush re-releasing her lyrics book (which I will recommend). I want to start out with four books that are a cornerstone. There are a selection of books by Laura Shenton that I want to highlight first. A great writer who has penned album dives into The Kick Inside and The Dreaming. One of the essential biographies about Kate Bush, Kate Bush: Under the Ivy (2019), is a wonderful and fascinating book from Graeme Thomson:

“This latest edition of Under The Ivy is fully updated to include analysis of Bush's stunning return to live performance in August 2014. Her run of London concerts was the most unexpected and eagerly awaited pop event of the 21st Century. An acclaimed study of one of the world's most enigmatic artists, Under The Ivy combines a wealth of new research with rigorous critical scrutiny. Featuring over 70 new interviews with those who have viewed from close quarters both the public artist and the private woman, this compelling biography offers numerous fresh perspectives on a unique and elusive talent. Under The Ivy examines Bush's unconventional upbringing in south London, the youthful blossoming of her talent and her evolution into one of the most visually and sonically creative artists of the past 35 years.

It focuses on her unique working methods and pioneering use of the studio on landmark albums such as The Dreaming and Hounds Of Love, her core influences and key relationships, her profound influence on successive generations of musicians, and her most recent releases: Director's Cut, on which Bush reworked 11 songs from her back catalogue, and 50 Words For Snow, her first album of new material for six years”.

Someone who knows Bush’s work more than pretty much anyone else, I know there is an audiobook available via Audible. I wonder, given everything that has happened since the publication, there might be a revision at some point. For any diehard or new fan, you need to get this book.

A brilliant Christmas present! In terms of wonderful Kate Bush biographies, I would also urge you to seek out Tom Doyle’s Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush:

“Kate Bush: the subject of murmured legend and one of the most idiosyncratic musicians of the modern era. Comprising fifty chapters or 'visions', Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush is a multi-faceted biography of this famously elusive figure, viewing her life and work from fresh and illuminating angles.

Featuring details from the author's one-to-one conversations with Kate, as well as vignettes of her key songs, albums, videos and concerts, this artful, candid and often brutally funny portrait introduces the reader to the refreshingly real Kate Bush.

Along the way, the narrative also includes vivid reconstructions of transformative moments in her career and insights from the friends and collaborators closest to Kate, including her photographer brother John Carder Bush and fellow artists David Gilmour, John Lydon and Youth.

Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush is a vibrant and comprehensive re-examination of Kate Bush and her many creative landmarks”.

In all cases when it comes to these books, you may find them less expensive on Amazon. I am linking to other sites as a personal preference, though do shop around so that you can get the best deal for you. A book released in 2015 that was recently reprinted and back on the market is John Carder Bush’s wonderful coffee table volume, KATE: Inside the Rainbow. I think, when it comes to any artist, photography give you a real insight. They are always fascinating and say something unique. Who better than her own brother to capture her at her most natural or comfortable:

“MUST-HAVE COLLECTION OF RARE AND UNSEEN PHOTOGRAPHS OF KATE BUSH.

WITH ESSAYS BY HER BROTHER, JOHN CARDER BUSH, ABOUT KATE'S LIFE AND CAREER.

Stunning and unique images from throughout Kate Bush's career including:

Outtakes from classic album shoots and never-before-seen photographs from The Dreaming and Hounds of Love sessions

Rare candid studio shots and behind-the-scenes stills from video sets, including 'Army Dreamers' and 'Running Up that Hill'

Includes original essays from Kate's brother:

From Cathy to Kate: Describes in vibrant detail their shared childhood and the whirlwind days of Kate's career

Chasing the Shot: A vivid evocation of John's experience of photographing his sister

'For me, each of these images forms part of a golden thread that shoots through the visual tapestry of Kate's remarkable career. Storytelling has always been the heartbeat of Kate's body of work, and it has been a privilege to capture these photographic illustrations that accompany those magical tales' John Carder Bush”.

With photos from her early career up to 2011, this is a great chronicle and loving selection of photographs from someone who knows Kate Bush better than anyone. For fans, you get to see behind the scenes snaps and some wonderful portraits. It is a beautiful book that you can treasure and keep for many years.

The final book that is well worth getting – and would make a lovely Christmas present – is How To Be Invisible: Selected Lyrics. This is Kate Bush choosing lyrics from a range of her amazing songs. It must have been an impossible choice narrowing things down. Rather than it being a dry collection of song lyrics, you do get this beautiful and detailed book with illustrations. It was republished this year featuring a new introduction from Kate Bush. You do really need to add this to your collection. I feel it is a perfect present for anyone just getting into Kate Bush who wants to know more about her music. Perfectly illuminating her wonderful and unique words:

“Selected and arranged by the author, How To Be Invisible presents the lyrics of Kate Bush in a beautiful new paperback edition featuring a new cover by illustrator Jim Kay.

'The greatest singer-songwriter of the past 40 years, whose work is complex, ethereal and filled with so many secrets that one can listen to the albums for decades and still discover new delights every time[...] there's not a spare word anywhere in Bush's work. Everything means something.' - Irish Times”.

Take a look here when you need guidance and a reference point for Kate Bush’s studio albums on vinyl. She did bring her albums back to vinyl in 2018. This new reissue is special, as there are specially designed/coloured vinyl by Bush. She has created new looks and vibes for each album. There is a whole range of Hounds of Love (1985) reissues that I will come to. It is hard to say which albums you should own. I would say that it is a personal preference, though many might go straight for Hounds of Love:

“All ten of Kate Bush’s studio albums are being re-released through her new label The state51 Conspiracy on vinyl and CD, with special coloured vinyl editions being available via independent record shops.

The Kick Inside (1978), Lionheart (1978), Never For Ever (1980), The Dreaming (1982), Hounds of Love (1985), The Sensual World (1989), The Red Shoes (1993), Aerial (2005), Director’s Cut (2011) and 50 Words For Snow (2011) boast new ‘Ecopak’ CD packaging with booklets and reseable poly-sleves. All CDs feature the 2018 remastering by Kate and James Guthrie.

The vinyl editions also use the 2018 remasters, but with new lacquers cut by Bernie Grundman. These have been pressed at the Record Industry plant in the Netherlands.

The ‘indie editions’ are pressed on coloured vinyl which is sympathetic to the original album artwork and feature new Fish People label designs and special OBI strips with the pressing date on them. They are protected in resealable poly-bag liners with a ‘Fish People Reissue’ sticker, bottom right. Refreshingly, these coloured vinyl pressings are described as “unlimited editions” and will be in production constantly. The only thing that will change is the pressing date on the OBIs.

Sadly, the first three albums are USA-only, which is why you won’t find them in the selection on the SDE shop. It’s worth noting that the Hounds of Love that forms part of this reissue campaign is not the “special presentation” we were promised earlier this year, so we have to presume that that will emerge at some point in the future”.

Maybe a very special Christmas present, there is this new and big focus on Hounds of Love. This is understandable. Last year, Stranger Things helped elevate Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) to the top of the singles chart and, with it, Hounds of Love also found a new audience. Even if these special reissues are quite expensive, they are more of an investment. Something we will never get again:

“Kate Bush has delivered on her promise of ‘special presentations’ of her classic 1985 album Hounds of Love with three new editions, none of which offers any new audio.

The Baskerville Edition is a gatefold vinyl presentation with entirely new artwork by Glasgow-based design studio Timorous Beasties (who delivered some of the illustrations for Before The Dawn). Inside the gatefold is a LED light (“little light…shining”) which doesn’t require batteries since it’s powered via a solar panel on the rear of the product! Oh yes. You can see clearly what the product is like from the video below. There are no bonus tracks or anything like that and indeed this edition uses the same 2018 remaster as the recently announced black and coloured vinyl reissues. Interestingly, ‘The Big Sky’ is no longer indicated as the ‘single mix’ even though it must be, if they are using the 2018 version. The Baskerville Edition is retailing for £138 from Kate’s newly-designed website.

The other two editions actually split the album in half. The Boxes of Lost At Sea Edition consists of two boxes, each containing one side of the album. Each disc features a UV printed illustration on white vinyl and a battery powered LED light. Kate says: “The idea was to create a hybrid of an album and a piece of artwork you could hang on the wall. They’re based on something I designed for an auction for the charity War Child”. (In 1993 Brian Eno asked Kate to contribute to an auction for War Child, and she came up with the idea of two identical box frames, each containing a flashing red LED with text on brass plaques). A donation will be made to War Child from each new box that is sold.

These boxes are £285 each, so that’s £570 for the album, although there’s a bundle edition of this hybrid album/art edition available which costs £500.

All three new editions of Hounds of Love will be released on 1 December 2023 via The state51 Conspiracy. They appear only to be available via Kate’s site. Don’t forget you can order the standard coloured vinyl indie editions from the SDE shop as an alternative to the above!”.

You can get more detail on these album reissues via Kate Bush’s official website. I will wrap up soon. There is a lot of cool merchandise that is available. Ranging in price, I think that every Kate Bush fan should be accommodated and satisfied. It is an amazing array of prints, goodies and T-shirts. Some real rare gems alongside playing cards and other bits. There are some other Kate Bush bits available here and here. You can get memorabilia and some other cool things here. There are options depending on your budget. Maybe you already have your Kate Bush-related gifts sorted out. If you need any more guidance and late inspiration, I hope that the albums, books and merchandise I have mentioned above help out. You may just want to get a gift for yourself. I am going to publish a few other Kate Bush features before the end of the year. I am going to predict what may lay ahead next year. What sort of things might come along. It is exciting to see how next year differs to this one. As it is almost Christmas, we are not far away from getting the now-annual Kate Bush Christmas message that she posts to her official website. A chance for her to offer thanks and provide reflection. For any Kate Bush fan out there, there are ample options and great gifts that can fit neatly…

UNDER any Christmas tree.

FEATURE: Spotlight: Jazzy

FEATURE:

 

 

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Claire Boshell for Wonderland.

Jazzy

__________

I am at that point…

where I am trying to run as many Spotlight features as possible before 2024. Tipping artists who are going to make some big moves then. This takes me to the wonderful Jazzy. She is quite new on the scene, so I hope that she gets a Twitter, TikTok (there is one but no videos or content) and Facebook page. You can follow her music on the links at the bottom. I am sure that will change in 2024. The Jamaican-Irish artist is someone that everyone should check out. Signed to Polydor, she has already been highlighted as one of Vevo’s DSCVR Artists to Watch. I am going to come to interviews that she has been involved in. To be fair to her, Jazzy has only released a bit of material so far. Some singles and an acclaimed E.P., Constellations. It has been a busy year, mind. She was recently interviewed by The Times. Giving Me, her debut single, broke records recently. I am going to start with an interview from HotPress, where they celebrated what a remarkable feat this was. Showing, perhaps, what a male-dominated thing Spotify’s Ireland Top 50 is, Jazzy will pave the way for other Irish female artists:

“Currently sitting at No.2 in the Irish Singles Charts, DJ Jazzy's debut solo single 'Giving Me' has made the Dubliner the first Irish female artist to hit No.1 on the Spotify Ireland Top 50.

Achieving this incredible milestone, Jazzy knocked Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding’s 'Miracle' off the top spot this week. Thumping dance banger 'Giving Me' was released in March and has already been streamed 1.7 million times in Ireland and been certified platinum.

Arriving on the solo stage with a bold statement, the Irish-Jamaican newcomer Jazzy’s debut is soaring in the Irish and International Charts, with Jazzy earning the No.1 spot on the Homegrown Irish charts.

'Giving Me' is a club-ready slice of Irish house with lyrics that see Jazzy relinquishing the responsibility for the hurt experienced from a past relationship and getting back out on the town after having healed from all “the sunshine in the rain”.

On writing the track, Jazzy shares “my solo debut has been a really long time coming, so we made sure that we edited and tweaked the track until it felt perfect. I’ve been anticipating this moment for some time now and am buzzing to share 'Giving Me' with you all”.

Jazzy is no stranger to the dance music scene, having already graced massive collaborations with the likes of Irish dance duo Belters Only on their hit singles ‘Make Me Feel Good’ and ‘Don’t Stop Just Yet’. Her entrance into the music world has turned heads and connected internationally.

With over 1.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify, as well as a Top 5 Platinum certified single in the UK, it looks as though this will be the year that see’s Jazzy bring Irish house music to the masses. Having already built a community around her sound through consistent releases of her ‘GEWAH’ DJ mixes on Soundcloud, the release of ‘Giving Me’ see’s Jazzy entering a new sonic chapter; one that will see her create a musical legacy of her own”.

There are a few interviews that I want to cover off. The Irish Post spent ten minutes with an artist who is doing the country proud. One of the big and exciting names to watch closely next year, it has been a truly remarkable year for her. I suspect that a debut album will come at some point very soon. Her awesome debut E.P., Constellations, came out in October:

“What are you up to?

Right now I am spending as much time in the studio as possible - making new music!

Which piece of music always sends a shiver down your spine?

Everything But The Girl - Missing

Which musician has most influenced you?

Lauryn Hill would have been one of the first who influenced me to start singing. As of late we have so many amazing artists who inspire and influence me too though; RAYE, Eliza Rose, Carla Monroe, Hayley May, Karen Harding… the list goes on!

Who would be in your ideal band?

My ideal band would be with my friends because I’d just love to spend that much time with them messing about and working together, but sadly none of them sing.

How did you get started in music?

The school I attended had an amazing music programme so everyone had the chance to learn a string instrument. I went on to do all my grades in violin before I started to sing because of that, so actually I guess I started on the classical side

If you were told musicians are no longer welcome where you live, where would you go?

Anywhere with a temperature over 28 degrees. Answer inspired by the miserable Dublin weather as I’m writing this.

Where are you from in Ireland, and what are your roots?

I’m from the south side of Dublin - born and reared. My mam is originally from Swords

What’s on your smartphone playlist at the minute?

It’s Your Time - Bklava

Take It Easy - Spencer Ramsey

Shinin - Ethan Healy

More Money Girls - Joshwa

Pantomime or opera?

Pantomime for sure. I’m not an opera kinda girl!

What is your favourite place in Ireland?

Dublin is my home so that will always be my favourite, but if I had to say somewhere else it would probably be Galway. I love visiting, it always feels super homey and the people are so nice.

What would be your motto?

“Live in the now”

Which living person do you most admire?

My niece Savvanah, she’s more like a little sister to me to be honest. She’s only 4 but she could teach us all a thing or two I swear”.

The wonderful NOTION recently spent some time with an artist who, as they say, is just getting started. Such a fresh and original talent who is distinct and memorable - it is going to be exciting to see how she steps into 2024. I would imagine a mix of solo tracks and some collaborations to happen:

“Striking a friendship with DJ duo Belters Only helped Jazzy become the breakout star she is today. A few years ago, she tasted her first dose of mainstream success when their collaboration “Make Me Feel Good” soared to number 1 in Ireland and reached platinum-selling status in the UK. It became an overnight hit and announced Jazzy’s equally imposing and alluring vocal range to the world. Despite the instant triumph, she’s been biding her time, waiting in the wings to release her debut solo single. No one, not even the 26-year-old could have imagined what came next.

Where do you go after a number one debut single? For Jazzy, it’s a question with a simple answer. The Jamaican-Irish singer is hungry for more success, hungry for more chart-topping singles, and eventually, to produce a debut project with the same trajectory. But before she accumulates more accolades, Jazzy sits down with us to speak about Dublin’s music scene, reaching new heights and why she’ll always keep herself grounded.

Taking it right back, what were your experiences of music growing up? Can you remember your early musical infatuations?

I started to learn music at the age of 10 and quickly became eager for it to be my career. I also studied violin, which introduced me to the classical world.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jasmine Engel-Malone for NOTION

We read that you fell in love with clubbing and house music as a teenager. Where was good to go out in Ireland growing up and what are some of your fondest memories of that time?

There were so many amazing places to go out in Dublin a few years ago. Some of my favourites included the Hanger, and District 8. Going to see Kerri Chandler live was definitely one of my fondest memories.

And now, you’ve just played Longitude festival, pulling a massive crowd. How did it feel to play to such a large audience in your home city?

Honestly, I don’t know how to put it into words. It’s such an amazing feeling hearing everyone sing the lyrics back to you, and so loudly that you can barely hear yourself! I’m so grateful to have everyone’s support; it’s been amazing.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jasmine Engel-Malone for NOTION

When you made “Giving Me”, did you know that you had a hit on your hands?

I don’t know if you ever know when something will be a hit. All I know is that I absolutely loved it! So, I guess it’s about going with your gut, which seems to be working for me.

You now have two Irish number one’s under your belt. When working in the studio, what do you listen out for?

When I’m in the studio, I’m just vibing and hoping to create another Jazzy track, keeping with everything I have done so far.

An act you’ve worked very closely with is Belters Only, how do they bring out the best in you when in the studio and why do you think that you both work so well on tracks?

The first time I went into the studio with Belters Only, it was such a good vibe! We have worked so well together from the beginning, I’m a big fan of their style and everything they’ve made. They are super talented and I was delighted to be able to work with them. I think we go really well together in the studio and always come out with a banger!

From the underground to the mainstream, Dublin has a thriving electronic music scene. What do you think makes the city so special?

I’m so proud of everyone on the Dublin scene right now, there’s so many amazing Irish acts killing it and we love to see it. Dublin always gets behind their own and that’s something you don’t always see.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jasmine Engel-Malone for NOTION

Jazzy rules the world for the day, what’s going down?

It depends on how much power I have exactly. I’d want to get the biggest group of dogs together that the world has ever seen. And more generally, free flights for everyone who wants to participate and bring their dog to visit me.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

In five years’ time, I’d like to have two albums under my belt, to be working on a third, a European tour, breaking America and just doing my thing!

What’s next for Jazzy? Do you have any music, festivals or gigs coming up that you’d like people to know about?

I’ve got lots of gigs over the next few weeks and I’m in Ibiza rocks this weekend! You can find all the info on my socials. A new single will be coming out really soon, and an EP is in the works! I’m really excited to share with everyone!”.

Let’s come to an interview with Wonderland. They spoke with the extraordinary and rising D.J., producer and singer about the Irish scene, her introduction to the industry, and a truly and memorably busy summer. If you are compiling names of artists to follow through next year, there is no doubt that Jazzy should be on there:

“How would you describe your essence as an artist?

Passionate and fun. 

What’s your opinion of the Irish scene?

I absolutely love it, it’s amazing, there’s so much talent going in Ireland right now I’m super proud!

Do you think that the UK industry should be paying more attention to the scene over there?

Yes absolutely, I feel like it’s already drawing attention so it won’t be long before it happens!

You announced yourself to the industry with your work with Belters Only. How did that collaboration come about?

My partner grew up with Conor from Belters, and they had seen I was doing some singing bits, so he mentioned to me that he invited us to do a session with them, so we went, ended up recording make me feel good!

Was it a conscious decision to wait till now to release solo material after working on the collaborations?

I think this was the start of something new for me and it definitely happened organically!

Your debut solo single, “Giving Me”, went #1 in the Irish charts, how did it feel to achieve that, and why do you think the song resonated so widely?

Honestly it was such an amazing thing to happen to me on my first single, words can’t describe how it made me feel!

We love “Feel it (Club Edit)”! Talk us through the creative process of the track?

Feel it was a song that came around by chance, and when I heard it I fell in love! I knew it had to be a jazzy track.

What does the song mean to you?

This song is my second single as a solo artist, so it means a lot to me as I begin to grow.

Where do you want to take your artistry? 

Right now I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing, stay in the studio as much as possible and be consistent with the music that I’m releasing

What else is to come from you this year? 

I have lots of gigs and festivals coming. And also working on my EP right now for towards end of the year so lots going on!”.

A brilliant and stunning Irish talent, this artist and D.J. is going to be on the radars of many publications as they share their list of artists to look out for in 2024. It is interesting seeing which artists appear and whether there are standout names that feature on several. Jazzy is going to be one who will score a lot of kudos from a variety of publications and websites. On the evidence of what she has achieved so far this year, there is no denying the fact that she is…

PRIMED for greatness.

___________

Follow Jazzy

Polydor:

https://www.polydor.co.uk/artist/jazzy/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/jazzyofficial__/

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7zAAwgV5Wqmvpb4GzvlRkP?si=nab9KiNlQ1y22_PLRlpi0g

TikTok:

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

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCagcrKRy2laLZ6u3MD9z4Zw

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from the Best Albums of 2023

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

IN THIS PHOTO: Kylie Minogue

Songs from the Best Albums of 2023

__________

I already put out…

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

a playlist featuring songs from the best debut albums and E.P.s of 2023. This might be a subjective thing but, when it comes to the best albums of the year, there is some consensus. I am using Album of the Year, Time Out, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and PopMatters. I have also put in a couple of my own selections. We are going to get a few other lists coming out before the end of the year. It has been another really tremendous year for music. I think that this is one of the strongest year for music in quite a long time! You might agree with the selections below, though this is what critics are saying is the very best of 2023. Such a strong and varied year for music, the playlist below collates some gems from wonderful albums released…

IN THIS PHOTO: Gabriels/PHOTO CREDIT: Atlas Artists/Parlophone Records

IN 2023.

FEATURE: The Digital Mixtape: Songs from the Best Debut Albums and E.P.s of 2023

FEATURE:

 

 

The Digital Mixtape

IN THIS PHOTO: Victoria Monét/PHOTO CREDIT: Justin J Wee/Los Angeles Times

Songs from the Best Debut Albums and E.P.s of 2023

__________

I did a similar playlist…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Coach Party

earlier in the year, as there were a lot of great debut albums coming out. I may not be able to include all of them, though I should be able to capture most of them here. I am also going to include songs from the best E.P.s of 2023. It has been quite a busy and exciting year for music! So many tremendous debut releases have come out. I think that we will see a lot more next year. If you need a guide as to which debut albums and E.P.s have come out this year, then the playlist below should be able to help out. As we look towards Christmas and think about what is going to come along, I am keen to give you a reminder as to the wonderful introductory projects that have come our way. Some amazing projects from artists who are going to grow bigger and more established in the coming years. Among all the debut albums and E.P.s that have come out this year, the songs below are taken from…

 IN THIS PHOTO: HotWax/PHOTO CREDIT: Chiara Gambuto

THE absolute finest.

FEATURE: Kindred Spirits: Ending the Year in Style with The Trouble Club

FEATURE:

 

 

Kindred Spirits

IN THIS PHOTO: Poet Arch Hades photographed in 2021 (she spoke for The Trouble Club on 14th November at Kindred, Hammersmith)/PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Arch Hades

Ending the Year in Style with The Trouble Club

__________

THERE are a few constant reminders…

 IN THIS PHOTO: The Trouble Club Director Eleanor Newton (left) alongside journalist and writer Marina Hyde (who appeared for The Trouble Club at The Ned, London on 21st November/PHOTO CREDIT: Alice Lubbock

of The Trouble Club that I keep in my head and possession. A poetry book from Aija Mayrock, Dear Girl, that I got (signed) when I saw her speak for The Trouble Club earlier in the year. That is in my rucksack. Almost like a guide or sacred text. I do love it so. I also have various lines and memories that are with me that I bring to mind and have in my heart. I would suggest anyone that has not heard of The Trouble Club to check them out on their TikTok,  Twitter, Instagram. Also, go and check out their YouTube channel. This is my third and final feature about them this year. I will reexplore next year, of course. Similar to the first and second features, I am going to discuss the events that I attended and why they were so impactful. I will finish off with a look ahead to events yet to come this year; why I feel 2024 is going to be a big year for The Trouble Club. I will also, as I intend to do through this feature, make a real push for membership – in terms of anyone who is not a member is tempted to become one. You can see how to become a member. As someone who is a regular at events, there is no doubt how much I love The Trouble Club. How much it means to me! Sometimes, as the only man in the room (or borderline in a lot of cases), I do feel that there are a lot of men I know would fit right in. One of the big and great things about The Trouble Club – among many other things! – is that they are inclusive and open. Rather than it strictly being a women-only club, it is a one comprised mostly of female members…through it is open to all. In addition to the events that are held regularly, there are social and networking benefits too. Truly, something for anyone and everyone! Its absolutely incredible Director, Eleanor (Ellie) Newton conducts most of the interviews with the speakers who are the focal point of events. Francesca Edmondson, their amazing Marketing & Events Coordinator, has also interviewed some guests. In fact, she interviewed the aforementioned Aija Mayrock. They are a formidable duo who have huge passion and dedication to The Trouble Club (as she can see in this video of Ellie working 9-5!). Always working hard to bring new and interesting events to a range of locations throughout central London (there are a couple of venues further afield in London and plans for wider representation in the future, though most are around this area), they embrace all new members and ensure that everything they host is memorable and inclusive! A very warm and bonded space where this is this kindness and kindred spirit running through the air.

So many of the features I have written for my music website are inspired by The Trouble Club (including my deeper love and appreciation of my favourite film of 2023, Barbie). I am going to end by writing how The Trouble Club has impacted me through this year. Why it has made such a difference. I am looking forward to seeing what next year holds. Given the fact the most recent feature about The Trouble Club I published was out on 23rd September, that took us to the Trouble In Business: Triumphs & Challenges from the FTSE Women Leaders Review event (which occurred on Tuesday, 19th September at The Ned). I will go from there and work my way to everything else to come in 2023. There some bits announced for next year. I am going to write about them in a few moments. Before getting to that first event, I would say there are events and gatherings I have not attending this year in terms of the book clubs and drinks. I am going to rectify that in 2024. Just a matter of being double booked in lots of cases. From the Trouble Book Club: Unaccustomed Earth on 28th September to Members Picnic in support of Women's Aid from 19th August, there are so many ways in which members can connect. I love the fact that there are book clubs, coffee mornings, Friday Night News Roundup (on 6th October, The Trouble Club welcomed Naomi Smith). There are also outings, private screenings, members trips - and, in March, there will be a '70s/'80s Disco (for which I have a Harry Styles-type green jacket ready to pair with something period-appropriate). It is testament to Eleanor Newton and Francesca Edmondson that they have such a variety of events and speakers across some incredible venues in London. Great spaces for amazing faces…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Author Kate Mosse/PHOTO CREDIT: Hannah Harley Young Photography

On Tuesday, 3rd October at Kindred Hammersmith, The Trouble Club welcomed acclaimed author Kate Mosse. At an extraordinary and beautiful venue, an author whose work I was aware of – but not huge acquainted with – spoke about the Women's Prize for Fiction and why it is so important (“The Women's Prize for Fiction has grown into one of the most prestigious literary awards in the UK and it was co-founded by none other than bestselling author, Kate Mosse. As the prize enters its 29th year, we're thrilled that Kate will be joining us to talk about the impact of the prize and how it’s increased recognition for women’s writing across every genre”). Mosse’s excellent new book, The Ghost Ship, was/is out. In addition to talking about her work, we got to learn about this incredible cause. In terms of women represented at literary awards and the acknowledgement of their work, there are still gulfs and gaps. Like so many areas of the creative industries, we have gender imbalance and a real lack of appreciation of women’s work – though, with the likes of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and what they do impactging, steps are being made. It was thrilling hearing Kate Mosse talk about her experiences. The advice she would give to young women entering literature. It was inspiring for the women in the audience. For me – I might have been the only chap in attendance that evening I think?! -, it made me think more widely about the music industry and how there are the same barriers for women here. How there maybe needs to be a Women’s Prize for Fiction for music. There are award events that honour women though, with some shocking statics coming each year about representation and imbalance, much more can be done! Like every event with The Trouble Club, I come away more motivated, illuminated and amazed. Hearing Kate Mosse speak was a real treat!

 PHOTO CREDIT: Sabrina @ InTact Creatives

A couple of nights later – on 5th October at Mortimer House (completed with unwanted ‘ambience’ from the venue) -, there was The Trouble Club STORY SLAM. Thanks to Founder & CEO of InTact Creatives, the awe-inspiring Ciara Charteris. She is the Creator and Host of Story Slam Series. It is, as they say: “A safe stage to share your truth”. That is what it felt like! Even though I did not have a story to share (‘slam)’' myself, I was determined to be there so I could witness something very intimate and raw. From poetry to storytelling, these brave and amazing women took to the stage (essentially, the microphone in a small and safe space) and opened up. Revealing some harrowing recollections and funny memories, it was almost this sanctuary and confessional booth. Maybe they had not said these words in public before. Things that were private or had not extended beyond their family and close friend circle. It was a privilege and very special evening where I came away quite emotional myself! I do hope that there are many more collaborations between STORY SLAM and The Trouble Club. I would be very interested – and I know other people who would be too – attending again. The bravery it took for the women there to share their words in front of people who are largely strangers was very humbling! Until that point, I had not done too much personal sharing or interviews for my music website. Partly because of this event, I took steps and have rectified that. Taking leaps and using my voice in a different way. Like I said earlier: every event I attend teaches me something or changes me (positively) in some form.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Trouble Club (@thetroubleclub)

On 12th October, there was Sharing is Caring: Eleanor Tucker on the Sharing Economy. Held at Bloomsbury Tavern, Tucker spoke about her book, Thanks for Sharing. It is a book I have just finished reading and got so much from. At such a hard time for all of us, there are huge benefits when it comes to the sharing economy. Whether that is using food or clothes-sharing apps, you can cut costs, bond with people you have never met, and also help the environment. Incredible money-saving tips together with warm and witty personal insights. Eleanor Tucker’s experiences of using various apps and how she has embraced a sharing economy were motivating to say the least. A way of cutting costs and sharing rather than buying. As Waterstones say: “What is the Sharing Economy? How can it help us live more affordable, more sustainable, and ultimately more fulfilling lives?  What would happen if for one year a family pledged to share as much as they possibly can? Instead of owning more and more stuff, what it’s like to stop owning things and borrow, lend, rent and swap instead? These are big questions, but features writer Eleanor Tucker sets out to answer them in this thoroughly absorbing and entertaining guide to sustainable sharing, or as it is also known, 'collaborative consumption'. In this engrossing study, Eleanor straps us into on her year-long experiment along with her somewhat reluctant family. Over the course of the year, with the aid of various sharing apps, they will pledge to buy as few new things as possible, instead relying on the power of sharing, lending, renting and borrowing to supply their needs”. A brilliant book that I would recommend everyone owns. It provides so much value and worth in terms of how we can all be more cost-effective and conscious of the environment. It also made me question various things. Like how I am buying and wasting too much food and don’t need to. How I am buying new clothes and items and barely using them when, in reality, I can using sharing apps and save money, space and waste. Another terrific event that I am very glad that I attended!

IN THIS PHOTO: Camilla Nord/PHOTO CREDIT: Alice Lubbock

In terms of books I have bought at Trouble Club events and have either just read or are reading now, that takes me to a book I am actually in the middle of. The Balanced Brain with Camilla Nord took place on Thursday, 26th October at Mortimer House. The brilliant Camilla Nord is a neuroscientist at Cambridge University. She leads the Mental Health Neuroscience Lab there. Her book, The Balanced Brain: The Science of Mental Health, is extraordinary! I am reading it with huge fascination at the moment. I am someone who is neurodivergence and has several psychological disorders. I am aware my brain works differently from many other people. It is very revealing and revelatory. A terrific book that, again, everyone needs to own. (You can get it for £20 on Amazon). This is what Waterstones say: “In The Balanced Brain, Nord reframes mental health as an intricate, self-regulating process, one which is different for all of us. She examines a huge diversity of treatments, from therapy and medication to recreational drugs and electrical brain stimulation, to show how they work, and why they sometimes don't. In doing so, she reveals how the small things we do to lift our mood during the course of a day - a piece of chocolate, a coffee, chatting to a friend - often work on the same pathways in our brain as the latest pharmacological treatments for mental health disorders. Whether they help us to manage pain, learn from experience or expend energy on the things that are important for our survival, these conscious actions are part of a complex process that is unique to each individual and the constant backdrop to our everyday lives”. This was an event where I came away amazed and blown away (and a little bit heartbroken. A story for another blog. Bit of a moment I wish I could rewind to and do differently in terms of talking with someone and us getting separated!). Nord was such a compelling, funny and fascinating speaker. I think everyone in the room at Mortimer House came away enriched – and with a deeper knowledge of the ‘science of mental health’. In terms of my music journalism, the book has given me new perspective and depth when it comes to artists and the brain. In terms of its make-up and psychology. A deeper insight into the human mind and the brain’s working pretty much covers everything I write about. So it was a very valuable trip out!

IN THIS PHOTO: Alex O’Brien (far right) in her element/PHOTO CREDIT: Alice Lubbock

Okay. There are still a few events to cover off. I was gutted I could not get to Culture Club Dinner: Escapism with Mollie Goodfellow on 30th October. I am a massive fan of Goodfellow and I would have loved to have been there (other commitments etc.). I did get to go to How To Think Like a Poker Player with Alex O'Brien. Another book I am currently reading, the brilliant queen Alex O’Brien was part of this unique evening at SPACES in Finsbury Park. Talking about her incredible book, The Truth Detective: A Poker Player's Guide to a Complex World, O’Brien discussed the essential skills and disciplines you use as a poker player. This was applied to everyday life and how her toolkit can help in everyday life. This is what Waterstones explore: “At the poker table you need certain skills to win. The more Alex O'Brien played competitively, the more she realised those skills are essential in everyday life too. From reading body language to calculating risk, dealing with uncertainty and separating emotion from facts, her toolkit will help you make better decisions and understand what's happening around you. Offering insights from the latest psychology, neuroscience, game theory and more, you'll encounter new ideas and ways of thinking from pioneering researchers and experts in their field. With O'Brien as your guide, you'll learn to see clearly, think carefully and cut through the noise of a complex world”. Those in attendance also got to play a few hands of poker. Being on the novice/beginners table, there was a mix of more experienced players and newbies. O’Brien taught us and she was sat at my table. We each got to learn the rules and saw how the game worked. Even though I fumbled my first hand and folded too soon, I got the hang of it and actually become really invested! Maybe not for money (I’d be on the streets in days!), poker is a game I would like to get more into. I think it is, as O’Brien writes in her essential book, not about luck at all. It is a very skilful game that requires a lot of discipline, patience and intelligence – yet it is something everyone can learn. Body language and the whole persona and physique of a poker player is vital. I really love and admire the book. I would recommend this to everyone. A real pleasure to meet and chat with Alex O’Brien too!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Trouble Club (@thetroubleclub)

There have been some hugely emotional events I have witnessed at The Trouble Club. In addition to STORY SLAM, Reckoning with V and Sandi Toksvig was another one. V (formerly Eve Ensler) was interviewed by her dear friend, Sandi Toksvig. On Thursday, 2nd November at Soho’s Century Club, this incredibly emotional and often hilarious event unfolded. At such a gorgeous and distinct location – Toksvig explained how she had to pick up our special guest owing to a problem with the taxi driver and his sense of direction (“Rent-a-Dyke”, as Toksvig brilliant put!). There were a lot of laughs alongside literal tears. V was discussing her past and recalling traumatic events (incest and abuse at the hands of her father among them). It was so phenomenally moving! You could almost hear a pin drop at times. She was also discussing her new book, Reckoning. Hearing these two friends who love each other speak in front of an enraptured audience was something I will never forget. Reckoning is described by Bloomsbury thus: “The work of a lifetime from the Tony Award-winning, bestselling author of The Vagina Monologues-political, personal, profound, and more than forty years in the making. The newest book from V (formerly Eve Ensler), Reckoning invites you to travel the journey of a writer's and activist's life and process over forty years, representing both the core of ideas that have become global movements and the methods through which V survived abuse and self-hatred. Seamlessly moving from the internal to the external, the personal to the political, Reckoning is a moving and inspiring work of prose, poetry, dreams, letters, and essays drawn from V's lifelong journals that takes readers from Berlin to Oklahoma to the Congo, from climate disaster, homelessness, and activism to family Unflinching, intimate, introspective, courageous, Reckoning explores ways to create an unstoppable force for change, to love and survive love, to hold people and states accountable, to reckon with demons and honor the dead, to reclaim the body, and to see oneself as connected to a greater purpose. It reimagines what seems fixed and intractable, providing a path to understand one's unique experience as deeply rooted in the world, to break through one's own boundaries, and to write oneself into freedom”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Iona Marinca

In terms of the antepenultimate event I have attended, that would be Divided with Dr Annabel Sowemimo. It went down on Thursday, 9th November at the wonderful and always-beautiful AllBright. At a very popular event space for The Trouble Club, Dr. Annabel Sowemimo discussed Divided: Racism, Medicine and Why We Need to Decolonise Healthcare. I have not read the book yet – quite a pile to get through! – but, when she spoke about it and her experiences as a doctor, her words elicited real reaction and, at times, shock. You should order this book: “In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are all too aware of the urgent health inequalities that plague our world. But these inequalities have always been urgent: modern medicine has a colonial and racist history. Here, in an essential and searingly truthful account, Annabel Sowemimo unravels the colonial roots of modern medicine. Tackling systemic racism, hidden histories and healthcare myths, Sowemimo recounts her own experiences as a doctor, patient and activist. Divided exposes the racial biases of medicine that affect our everyday lives and provides an illuminating - and incredibly necessary - insight into how our world works, and who it works for. This book will reshape how we see health and medicine – forever”.

 PHOTO CREDIT: Alice Lubbock

Taking us to the human being you see at the very top of this feature. Even though she had a cold on the day, Arches Hades was tremendous, captivating and brilliant during An Evening with Bestselling poet, Arch Hades on Tuesday, 14th November at Kindred. She was being questioned about her career and what it was like being the highest-paid poet ever (as she said, she was a big fish in a small pond). Hades also discussed her current volume of poetry, 21C Human. A simply brilliant and eye-opening collection of poetry. I am currently immersed and addicted to this book: ‘21C Human’ is a collection of poetry and essays detailing the millennial perspective in three parts. Part 1 reflects on western political culture, including how social media is affecting democracy, on climate anxiety, on our disillusionment with populist politicians, and many others. Part 2 delves into a woman’s experience of navigating constantly contradicting expectations in the public and private sphere, including verse about domestic and emotional labour. Part 3 journeys through the depths of a pandemic-induced depression culminating in a turn towards existentialism and rebellion”. I am a big poetry fan - and so I got a lot from the event. It was amazing and moving hearing her read from the book. Someone who is so inspiring and important in the modern age and at these difficult and divisive times, I do hope there are more published interviews with Arch Hades soon. I really loved being in her company at Kindred. There was a lot of respect, appreciation and love for her in the building on 14th November!

PHOTO CREDIT: Alice Lubbock

The most-recent event I have attended for The Trouble Club was Marina Hyde: What Just Happened?! It occurred on Tuesday 21st November at The Ned. Marina Hyde writes for The Guardian/The Observer, and she is noted for her funny and hugely popular features and columns about political unfolding(s) and events. At the divine and grand The Ned, it was an evening filled with energy, electricity and laughter! One of the biggest events The Trouble Club has ever hosted. It was a packed and really excited audience who welcomed Marina Hyde to the stage. She was typically hilarious throughout! Asked about her favourite moments and columns, it was a real treat to hear one of this country’s most respected and brilliant journalists discuss her career and work. Talking about her writing routine and past, it was especially intriguing for me as a journalist. A lot to take away and apply to my own writing. If you have not got her book, What Just Happened?!: Dispatches from Turbulent Times, then Waterstones give some details about a must-own/read: “No other writer is more suited to chronicling the absurd times in which we live. In What Just Happened?! Marina Hyde slashes her way through the hellscape of post-referendum politics, where the chaos never stops. Clamber aboard as we relive every inspirational moment of magic, from David Cameron to Theresa May to Boris Johnson. Marvel at the sights, from Trumpian WTF-ery to celebrity twattery. And boggle at the cast of characters: Hollywood sex offenders, populists, sporting heroes (and villains), dastardly dukes, media barons, movie stars, reality TV monsters, billionaires, police officers, various princes and princesses, wicked advisers, philanthropists, fauxlanthropists, telly chefs, and (naturally) Gwyneth Paltrow. It's the full state banquet of crazy - and you're most cordially invited. Drawn from her spectacularly funny Guardian columns, What Just Happened?! is a welcome blast of humour and sanity in a world where reality has become stranger than fiction”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Trouble Club (@thetroubleclub)

That takes me up to date. I am going to see the brilliant Think Like a Tree with Arit Anderson. You can check out the schedule if you fancy attending an event. Applying for membership is definitely recommended if you like what you have heard here. On Wednesday (6th December), Arit Anderson (the British garden designer, writer, and television presenter (Gardeners’ World), this event will take place at The Hearth. I am looking forward to being back there – I saw Dr. Julia Grace Patterson earlier in the year – and hearing what Anderson has to say. It is an event that is billed like this: “We've all heard that trees can combat much of the climate damage humans have wreaked on our ecosystem, but only if we plant the right ones. Arit Anderson is a garden designer, writer and presenter on BBC Two’s Gardeners’ World and she'll be joining us to talk about her passion for gardening, the environment and the huge importance of tree planting”.

She is co-author of The Essential Tree Selection Guide: For Climate Resilience, Carbon Storage, Species Diversity and Other Ecosystem Benefits. I am really interested in it, as “At the heart of the book is a unique A-Z Tree Directory representing more than 550 trees chosen for their ecosystem benefits, resilience and a host of other criteria that will ensure their continuing contribution to our future gardens and landscapes. A further quick-reference Tree Selection Table provides key attributes for each species at a glance”. I think the book and the themes that it explores are very relevant - not just in terms of the environment and climate change; also in aiding and highlighting gardens and landscapes as beneficial to our mental health. This will be a really interesting interview and evening. If this is something that may interest you, then I am sure there are a few tickets left!

Two events in two days for me1 First is Fixing France with Nabila Ramdani on Monday, 11th December at The House of St Barnabas. That venue in Soho is gorgeous. Nabila Ramdani is going to be wonderful: “Nabila Ramdani is not from the establishment elite: she is a marginalised insider, born and raised in a neglected Paris suburb. With unflinching clarity, she probes the fault lines of her struggling country, exposing the Fifth Republic as an archaic system which emerged from Algeria’s cataclysmic War of Independence”. Her book, Fixing France: How to Repair a Broken Republic, is really engrossing and compelling. I have not got it yet – I will get a copy at the event -, though it does sound like it is an essential buy: “Nabila Ramdani is not from the establishment elite: she is a marginalised insider, born and raised in a neglected Paris suburb. With unflinching clarity, she probes the fault lines of her struggling country, exposing the Fifth Republic as an archaic system which emerged from Algeria’s cataclysmic War of Independence. Today, a monarchical President Macron shows little interest in democracy, while a far-right party founded by Nazi collaborators threatens to replace him. Segregation, institutionalised rioting, economic injustice, the debasement of women, a monolithic education system, deep-seated racial and religious discrimination, paramilitary policing, terrorism and extremism, and a duplicitous foreign policy all fuel the growing crisis”.

IN THIS PHOTO: Wellness professional, international TEDx speaker and acclaimed author, Adrienne Herbert/PHOTO CREDIT: Adrienne Herbert (via Marie Claire)

The following evening, Trouble In Business: Leaders in Tech is going to be another massive one. Featuring three hugely important and inspiring women in business, it will be an event to remember at Dartmouth House (on 12th December). I have never been to Dartmouth House. So this is a brand-new venue I am looking forward to seeing and exploring. It is going to be simply incredible: “Join us for an evening with three leading tech entrepreneurs. Our three panelists: Georgia Stewart - CEO and co-founder of Tumelo, Deirdre O’Neill - Co-Founder and Chief Commercial & Legal Officer at Hertility Health and Juanita Morgan - Co-Founder and CEO of Value Adders World – will discuss what drove them to start their own businesses”. I am really looking forward to seeing Georgia Stewart, Deirdre O’Neill and Juanita Morgan. Before the much-anticipated Christmas event, Networking Drinks Evening: Power Hour with Adrienne Herbert happens on Thursday, 14th December at DIAGEO. Herbert is a fantastic author who you can find out more about here and here (“Adrienne is a leading wellness professional, international TEDx speaker, Author and mother. Adrienne is the epitome of the modern digital entrepreneur, and former Director of Innovation at the UK's leading fitness app Fiit. Adrienne has delivered talks and workshops for brands such as Apple, Microsoft & WeWork to motivate and empower their employees to perform at their best in work and life”). This will be an amazing event that is also a networking evening. Preceded by drinks, it is going to be a pre-Christmas relaxation where new and established members of The Trouble Club can get together and chat!

IN THIS PHOTO: Caroline Criado Perez/PHOTO CREDIT: Stuart Simpson/Penguin Books

I shall finish with a brief nod to 2024 at The Trouble Club and thoughts on this year. One of the biggest events on the calendar is Trouble's Big Night Out: Featuring Caroline Criado Perez & Kelechi Okafor. You can follow Caroline Criado Perez and Kelechi Okafor. Taking place on Monday, 18th December at the splendid Conway Hall, this is going to be the centrepiece of an amazing evening! One that will combine cheer, emotion, inspiration and celebration. Caroline Criado Perez is author of Invisible Women. Here are some more details about this wonderful author: “Caroline Criado Perez is the author of the #1 international best-seller, INVISIBLE WOMEN: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men (Chatto & Windus, Abrams, 2019), highlighting the systematic biases behind the data and assumptions impacting our everyday lives. It is the winner of Financial Times Book of the Year Award 2019 and the 2019 Royal Society Science Book prize. Caroline is currently working on a new book, as well as an updated version of Invisible Women. She writes a regular newsletter that goes out to over 35,000 subscribers. Her first book, Do it Like a Woman (Portobello, 2015), introduces pioneering women from around the world and what it means to be female in a culture where power and basic freedoms are too often equated with being male”.

Kelechi Okafor is a Black-British actress, director and public speaker born in Nigeria and raised in London. Edge of Here: Stories from Near to Now is her latest book. Before moving on, I want to bring in parts of a recent interview from Afreada:

“NA: You chose to start your collection with an introduction, a sort of author’s note, where you said you never considered yourself as a writer — an actor and director, yes, but never a writer. I would love to know why this was, and when this changed?

KO:  I guess I hadn't considered myself to be a writer because writing always looked so grueling. It just seemed horrid. Anybody that I knew who was a writer would tell me that they were in the pits and it was really hard, so it was never something I planned to do even though I loved writing, and I loved deconstructing texts. I studied English literature, then I went on to study Drama and Theater Studies with Law at university. I'm really into words but, in my mind, the kind of person who was a writer wasn't me. I love to take other people's words and act them out, or direct them because I really understand what is happening, subtext and all of that. Obviously, I have my own specific way with words on social media but I didn't think that all of those things could come together and I would be an actual writer. I just thought that was somebody else's job and then I would do my job of deconstructing the text and conveying what I found during that exploration.

I started to think more seriously about writing a few years ago when I wrote a particular thread and Daniellé Dash sent me a DM, asking me to stop sharing my words for free. I just thought, what do you mean? She told me to write articles or something but to stop giving out all of this knowledge online for free. Of course, I believe that we should still have a way to share knowledge online, but the point she was making was that there are people who would come on to my page to get an idea of something that they didn't know about, and then they would pitch it to publications and they would get paid to write that thing. So she thought that I should know that it's important that I write these things for myself. When I was ready to write my first piece, she introduced me to the editor of a platform and that's how I started writing in that regard. It really just started from another Black woman, seeing me and saying, try doing this instead. I fell in line after that.

NA: I love that answer. I'm curious to know when you transitioned from writing articles online to wanting to become a published author of a book, because you could have easily stuck to writing online and found success that way. Why was a book something you wanted to pursue?

KO: Funnily enough, it started with a viral thread I wrote at the end of 2017 where I said I was going to move into the home of white people and colonise it. I basically used the infrastructure of how Nigeria came to be, really. I used that framework to write this thread about what I will do in this home, how I'd stop them from speaking their language, and they could only speak this, and they could only do that. People were just so fascinated by the thread. They were like, this should be a book, and I thought, oh, maybe it should be.

NA: Lol I’d definitely read that!

KO:  I spoke to my friend Dapo Adeola about it and he said, maybe I should introduce you to my agent, Sallyanne Sweeney. He introduced me to Sallyanne and I presented her with this idea. I wanted to call the story Ara Ile, which means ‘person of the house’ in Yoruba, translating to ‘family member’. I proposed the idea to her, and said I needed an advance to write it, but she told me that that’s not really how it works with fiction - you have to finish writing the whole thing before pitching to publishers. While all of this was happening, I'd had three different people who worked with publishing houses approach me and ask if I’d ever considered writing a book. Then a friend of mine was explaining to me that when editors are approaching you directly, it's a really good sign but I shouldn’t go with the editors directly. I needed to play it well and get an agent. I shared this with Sallyanne and I told her that there was some interest. She thought that was interesting and she said, you know when it comes to fiction, you're gonna have to write the whole thing first, but I was like I need money. So we talked about it and then it was suggested that I write nonfiction first, and then use that as a way in. Of course, there are a multitude of things that I like to talk about and feel that we need to have more public discourse about. Initially, I wanted to write about anger, and how anger can be a liberating force for Black women. When that was taken out as a proposal to publishers, just before 2020, they said, oh, but how do we make this universal? Essentially, if you're not talking about white women, that topic is not commercially viable. Offers were made, but I wasn't happy with any of the offers, because I felt like I deserved more for what I was about to write. Then 2020 happened.

Suddenly, the interest was back again. The publishers were asking if I still wanted to write that book and I just said no, I don't want to write it now. I'm seeing way too much happening in the world that I think I need to soak in, so when I do finally write that nonfiction book, it will be what I want it to be because there's still a lot to learn there. It was during that time that Sareeta Domingo approached me on Twitter, DMs again. She asked me if I wanted to write a short story for an anthology she was putting together, love stories by women of color. Immediately, I knew what I wanted to write. I just knew that I wanted to write The Watchers. That's how The Watchers came to be.

From the moment the idea of writing was presented to me when people read that thread and they said, this is extremely creative, you should do something with it, I think it was almost like I was waiting for permission, or for somebody to turn the light bulb or light switch on, for me to know that I could do something with all of the words that I was using on social media.

 NA: I hear it and I love it. Picking up on the Sareeta piece, she came to you and presented you with the idea of writing a short story, and instantly your spirit resonated with that idea. When we first met at the Caine Prize award ceremony, Ben Okri said something about the unique beauty and power of short stories and I remember you resonating with his words then too. So my question is, when you think about fiction, or when you think about writing a book, what is it specifically about the short story form that calls you? Why does it feel like home to you as a writer?

KO: Oh, I love that question. When Ben Okri gave that speech, it was definitely what I needed to hear at a time that I felt like I was contending with people over the validity of the short story form. It kept being presented as if short stories were merely a precursor to writing a novel. It was weird to me, because I love short stories so much. I love that you can delve into a world really briefly and then leave, but you're forever changed by that vignette. I love having the autonomy as a reader that wherever I'm left with that story, I just have to figure out the rest for myself. It really speaks deeply to me because I've always felt like it takes a lot of skill to be able to write short stories that don’t feel unfinished, even if we don't get to see the rest of these people's lives. It's beautiful. One of my favorite short story collections is Alexia Arthurs’ How to Love a Jamaican. I also really love Danzy Senna’s You Are Free and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s The Thing Around Your Neck. From all the short stories I've read, I just thought, yeah, that's what I want to do. I want to do that.

NA: That's a perfect answer. Now let's focus on this particular collection. The beauty of storytelling is that people can come to a piece of work, a piece of writing, or a collection of writing, and they walk away with their own conclusions about what it's about, but I would love for you to tell me, when we think about Edge of Here as a body of work, how would you describe it? What is it about and what is the intention behind it?

KO: Overall, I feel like the overarching sentiment is yearning.

I don't feel like Black women are given enough space to yearn and to desire, because we're too busy being strong, and too busy being ‘good.’ I wanted a space where the characters that we meet in the stories are yearning for something more. Across womanhood generally but specifically, when we look at Black womanhood, there’s this narrative that to want more or to desire more is uncouth. The constant question that you get is, how do you juggle it all? How do you do it all? There’s an idea that you're wanting too much, and you're not going to have the capacity to hold all that you are yearning for. I feel like we have enough capacity within us to be able to hold the expanse of our desires, so in each of the stories, we meet intelligent women, women who are embodied, yet, each of them is looking for something more.

Yearning needs to be normalized. We should feel okay to say, “I want more than that”. Whether it's money in terms of our work, whether it's our living situations, whether it's our romantic or intimate relationships, or our familial relationships, we should be able to say, I want more, and not be vilified for wanting that. That translates not just in the personal, but in the political as well. We don't have to settle for the way that for instance, the beauty industry is or the fashion industry is. We don't have to settle for things just because we've been told, that's the way that things are. It's time that we start making it clear that we want more”.

 IN THIS PHOTO: Emma Dabiri/PHOTO CREDIT: Stuart Simpson/PA (via Earwolf)

There are some amazing events already announced for 2024. Including An Evening with Emma Dabiri (5th March). I am looking forward to seeing Emma Dabiri speak at The Conduit in Covent Garden. The Trouble Club are hosting someone very special indeed: “Emma Dabiri is one of the most important writers in the UK today, known for her insightful and thought-provoking discussions on race, gender, colonialism, and cultural issues”. I am looking forward to what else comes in 2024. I have loved being a member. It has been a real pleasure and privilege being in various rooms across London witnessing some amazing women speak to a crowd of terrific and passionate women – and some charming chaps too. So many varied and inspiring creatives and leaders have told their stories and shared their memories and elicited so many emotions and reactions. The events I have attended since the second Trouble Club feature have been truly life-enriching and important in so many ways (in terms of what I have learned and the people I have met). I am looking forward to a few this month. If there was a dream guest list of potential future guests…obviously someone as huge, inspiring and iconic as Greta Gerwig or Margot Robbie would be the stuff of legends (thought, between availability of both and their fees, that may be far-fetched!).

I imagine that the sensational author, broadcaster and journalist Caitlin Moran would be a hugely popular guest. Not sure if she has spoken for The Trouble Club before?! Many would like to hear from actress and writer Michaela Coel. I am coming from at this from an entertainment bent…but there are so many other compelling and vital potential speakers I am sure so many members of The Trouble Club have in their minds (sort of like dream guests on Desert Island Discs!). It has been such a fabulous year where I have bought some wonderful, informative books from terrific women. I have met some great people, heard such powerful and stunning words across some of the most individual and interesting venues in London. Interestingly, literally as I am editing this (1st December, lunchtime), a new event for next year has been announced. The Power of Constraint with Novelist Christine Coulson takes place on Thursday, 18th January at The Groucho. I have never been to that iconic venue, so that will be really interesting! Christine Coulson’s new novel “is written almost entirely in 75-word museum wall labels and demonstrates how constraint need not limit storytelling”. I am really looking forward to hearing her speak. I have also reserved a signed copy of One Woman Show. It is a book that everyone should seek out: “Prized, collected, critiqued. One Woman Show revolves around the life of Kitty Whitaker as she is defined by her potential for display and moved from collection to collection through multiple marriages. Christine Coulson, who has written hundreds of exhibition wall labels for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, precisely distils each stage of Kitty's sprawling life into that distinct format, every brief snapshot in time a wry reflection on womanhood, ownership, value and power. Described with wit, poignancy and humour over the course of the twentieth century, Kitty emerges as an eccentric heroine who disrupts her privileged, porcelain life with both major force and minor transgressions. As human foibles propel each delicately crafted text, Coulson playfully asks: who really gets to tell our stories?”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Christine Coulson/PHOTO CREDIT: Taylor Jewell (via Christine Coulson)

One of the hopes of this feature – aside from taking The Trouble Club and looking back at some amazing events – is to get people who have thought about joining The Trouble Club to do so. It s really great value. Give the gift of Trouble. I think that would be a really excellent Christmas present. More of investment than something ephemeral. I joined earlier in the year and I have got so much out of membership in a short space! A lot of lifelong memories and really important evenings that I will cherish. I have learned so much about a lot of the inequalities and injustices women face. So many awesome guests who have brought their books and careers to life. I have become a more committed feminist. This has been applied to my music journalism. Some wonderful fellow members (and those who were not members but attended events) who I look forward to talking to. It is an amazing and close-knit community where everyone is welcomed in. Next year will surely be another busy one for The Trouble Club! There is this social aspect to events. You get to be part of events that are often moving and hugely educational and empowering. Book clubs, screening, drinks and some wonderful get-togethers should mean that, as part of your resolutions for next year, membership with The Trouble Club...

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Trouble Club (@thetroubleclub)

IS right near the top!

INTERVIEW: Anna Howie

INTERVIEW:

Anna Howie

_________

I have been speaking with…

the incredible Anna Howie about her new single, Searching for Christmas. She reveals the background behind it, what it was like recording in Nashville, some of the music and artists who have inspired her, correcting and tackling gender inequality throughout the industry, and what we can expect next. The London-born artist released the terrific album, The Friday Night Club (that title reminds me of Sheryl Crow’s wonderful debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club), and it is one that I would recommend everyone checks out. It is a rich and hugely satisfying and wonderful album that I have been revisiting quite a bit. With a recent single, How to Stop Crying, building on the momentum and brilliance of Friday Night Club, I was excited to hear what Searching for Christmas had to offer. Thanks to the amazing Anna Howie for discussing her latest track with me and revealing more about her musical path and loves. It has been a pleasure speaking with an artist that…

EVERYONE should follow.

___________

Hi Anna. How are you? How has your week treated you?

Hi, Sam. A good week, thank you. I am currently in a campervan just outside Cardiff.

Before getting into current music, can you take me back to your earliest years. Was there a particular artist that drew you to music, or something in you that you felt needed to come out?

I've always loved stories and writing things down; so before I ever wrote a song, I would write stories about people and places. On the music side, I would have to go first to Dolly Parton as she has been a constant. Many major milestones in my life - first car, first trip away from home, first flat - all feature Dolly as a soundtrack. Allso Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and more recently, I have come to love other really great storytellers: Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, John Prine.

When did that spark first appear?

At  primary school, I was the only one in my class who would ever sing on their own - so I was always being wheeled out when no one else would do it. But it was when I was at uni that I got to sing backing vocals for a band  for the first time - ad that was it, there was no going back!

Born in London, I can hear a lot of U.S. and Country influences. How did that genre come in your life?

My dad was a Johnny Cash fan. And, for me, it was Dolly. I fell in love with the stories.

“Also, I have so many fantastic women artist friends who should be heard by as much as possible, as often as possible”

Do you think that it is a style of music that is still underrated and underplayed in this country?

Yes! But ever-growing. The festivals popping up all over the U.K. dedicated to Americana and Country music are testimony to that! But we need a new name for it, I think, the U.K. version. Lots of my songs are about London and growing up there, so it always feels strange to call it ‘Americana’.

You have previously recorded in Nashville. What was that experience like?

I really enjoyed it. It’s quick. Very different to here. The structure of the Nashville day is set up around writing and recording sessions, but I was very lucky to work with Bob Britt and a band of fantastic session musicians. It was great.

I believe you have put on all-female showcases/events and are very much about empowering other women. How important is this to you, and what was it that kindled that particular passion and desire?

It’s hard trying to make a career out of music. It’s especially hard if you are a woman. I think the statistic is just 12% of people who play festivals in the U.K. are women. I think it’s really important to try and reset the balance. Also, I have so many fantastic women artist friends who should be heard by as much as possible, as often as possible.

“Just small venues, but it was so great to get out there and meet people and share songs”

You have had big support from various stations and publications. I still think stations struggle to create gender balance and genre balance. Is this an issue you think needs to be a top priority for 2024?

Yes, always. Not just in music - in everything -, I do feel like it is shifting slowly in the right direction. The next generation (I have two daughters) won’t stand for it. Also, I think the role of men plays such an important part in the shift. We all need to work together.

Looking back on this year, what memories stick in the mind? Do you have any particular highlights?

I am really glad that you asked this question because it has made me stop and think about it! And there are lots. I did my first solo tour this year. I was nervous to go to places where people didn't know me. At a time when audiences are down. But I really enjoyed it. Just small venues, but it was so great to get out there and meet people and share songs. Also, The ARC Songwriters Tour, which is myself and Kate Ellis and My Girl the River in a writers round, has been a joy - they are both great artists, and I feel very lucky to get on stage with them, sing on their songs, and have them on mine.  Also, being one of Black Deer Festival’s Emerging Artists was great.

I could go on…but all in all a good year!

Talk to me about your new single, Searching for Christmas. How did that song come together?

I actually wrote it last year, but not in time to release it properly. It’s about a night out in London a few years ago that ended up with me  alone, crying in a well-known church off Trafalgar Square. I recorded it with my fabulous band at Saltwell Studio in Cambridgeshire. And it is produced by my ARC Songwriter Series sister, My Girl the River (a.k.a. Kris Wilkinson Hughes). Yesterday, I filmed the video, in the actual church and all around the streets of London, which was loads of fun to do. I was swigging from a wine bottle at four in the afternoon on the Tube. People kept asking if I was ok. It was only Ribena, but I could tell they weren't convinced when I told them that.

It is almost Christmas now. How will you be spending it this year?

At home and with family and friends and mince pies.

How do you usually unwind at this time of year?

The single comes out on 1st December, so there will be lots of promotion around that over the next few weeks. But when it is time to unwind, dog walks, stupid family games, and time with friends will do it

What does next year hold in store?

I am going to write a new album (there, I've said it out loud as motivation).

Might we see some tour dates or new music in 2024?

Yes. Planning a spring headline tour in March. And we have more ARC dates too.

Finally, and for being a good sport, you can select any song you like (other than your own music) and I will play it here. What shall we go with?

Sheryl Crow has just been announced as a headliner at Black Deer Festival in June, which is great. Can I have Strong Enough, which is one of my favourites of hers?

Thank you, Sam. Big love to you x

____________

Follow Anna Howie

Official:

https://www.annahowiemusic.co.uk/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/annahowie/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/annahowiemusic

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@annahowie5089

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5WtC4DHUD2iXg384f9d98A?si=hhkW2cWqRGqst2merbvnFA

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/annahowiemusic

FEATURE: Good News Only: After a Traumatising and Challenging 2022, how 2023 Has Seen Megan Thee Stallion Enter Her ‘Healing Girl Era’

FEATURE:

 

 

Good News Only

PHOTO CREDIT: Adrienne Raquel for Elle

After a Traumatising and Challenging 2022, how 2023 Has Seen Megan Thee Stallion Enter Her ‘Healing Girl Era’

__________

I think that one of the most important albums…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Megan Thee Stallion at the GQ Awards Men of the Year Awards on 16th November, 2023/PHOTO CREDIT: Gilbert Flores

of last year came from  the mighty Megan Thee Stallion. Traumazine received huge acclaim and, with it, a new wave of interest in the Texan-born rapper. One of the modern Rap queens, born Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, this modern-day superstar is someone not to be questioned or messed with. An outstanding talent who is going to influence a generation of women in Hip-Hop, I wanted to react to an article that The Cut published recently. It is paywalled - so many people might not have the chance to read it. Someone who has received a lot of scrutiny and attack from those within and without the music industry, especially of late, there seemed like this defiance and self-love this year. A year that could not break the incredible Megan Thee Stallion! I wanted to bring in some sections of the feature by Tirhakah Love:

“Mainstream artists hardly take breaks from dropping new joints, and, even rarer, they don’t usually come out the other side of a hiatus shittin’ on their opps. In 2023, Megan Thee Stallion was able to do both with a level of grace and savoir faire that we’ve come to expect from the bubbly, confident, hellaciously fun rap superstar. With the release of her single “Cobra” earlier this month, over its slithering, synth-y guitar riffs, she has compelled our eyes and ears to consider what happens when an artist retrieves joy for themselves after an immense amount of public suffering.

If this new song sounds like testimony, that’s because it is. Eight months ago, when asked by Entertainment Tonight about new music — a rather impatient question, seeing as she had released her second studio album, Traumazine, only seven months prior — she answered with the prickly brevity of a public face aware that insatiable audiences, who love her or hate her, seem to always fiend for a piece of her, and that this is the imbalanced social contract she signed her name to when she first started this whole rappity-rap thing: “Oh, I am. New album. Fuck y’all hoes. Bye!”

Of course, this well-deserved sabbatical and standoffish posture came after years of receiving floods of hatred from folks within, outside, and adjacent to the music industry that only a few years ago seemed to fully embrace her energy with wide-open Henny-filled mouths. The turn on her wasn’t entirely unexpected; there were always jokes about her size, the shape of her face, the bop she liked to hit when she freestyled in those early days, her ’fits (before the high-end designers got ahold of her) — all of which spoke to the depth of anti-Blackness, misogynoir, anti-transness, and sex negativity internalized by music fans. But it wasn’t until Tory Lanez shot her in mid-2020 that rap blogs and commentators — egged on by that nebbish Canadian artist — began to spread lies around the incident, compelling her to betray her initial decision to handle the matter privately and take him to court. He was convicted to ten years in prison, but before, during, and after the case, tweets, blog posts, and dusty-ass rappers came out of the woodwork to gaslight her. She lost her best friend in that incident out of jealousy and lies, and earlier that year, her mother and her great-grandmother had passed away. We also learned that she had been stuck in an exploitative deal with a record label hardly anyone outside of Houston would even know if it weren’t for her.

But that was a primordial era when Megan, in her own words, “naïvely believed that everyone came with pure intentions and wanted to be my friend.” It’s fascinating to go back and watch those videos of Meg at the club pouring shots down the tubes of folks who would eventually abandon her in her time of need. Discerning hearts could feel how unsustainable it all was, that the entertainment industry is nowhere near as lighthearted and jovial as it appears. That the drinking, the Instagram love, the flings, the attempts at twerking alongside thee twerk empress would eventually fall by the wayside once the high subsided. Once she was rendered vulnerable, the vultures and leeches did the only thing they know: steal and consume. Her narrative became twisted. And if those years were about naïveté, 2023 was about taking her things back.

At the beginning of this year, Meg’s silence was louder than ever. After releasing Traumazine in August 2022, launching mental-health resource site Bad Bitches Have Bad Days Too (a reference to a bar in her elegy “Anxiety”), and being featured in Forbes’ top rap earners of the year, she had stepped away from the public eye to focus on recovering, spending time with pets and her small circle of remaining friends. By March, she had reemerged with the announcement of not only a new album, but that she was in talks to star in the next Safdie brothers film and would be performing at the March Madness Music Festival in her hometown. In May, she addressed the shooting for the very last time with a heartfelt column in Elle magazine.

She continued with a string of performances that showcased her growing talent and continued marketability among a diverse set of stages: at L.A. Pride, where she surprisingly reunited with a queer friend, Carlos Ruvalcaba from middle school (who later Instagrammed that Meg “stepped in and defended” them when they were “talked down being called Gay when I wasn’t out yet”); at the Essence Fest in New Orleans; and eventually the release and performance of “Bongos” at the VMAs with Cardi B (one of the only celebrities who has stuck beside Meg during her troubles), a second chapter to “WAP” that, naturally, moved from gooch to ass in the duo’s traversal across the taint. (Maybe they’ll co-write a final chapter on the tatas just to complete the holy trinity? One can only hope.).

Perhaps Megan’s biggest moment onstage this year came when she stood alongside her idol Beyoncé during her exalted Renaissance world tour. In hindsight, we should’ve known something more massive was coming, because October had been a banner month for the Hot Girl: The first Friday of the month, she starred in Dicks: The Musical; a week later, she announced that she’d be independently financing her next album; and six days after that, she and her label, 1501, finally parted ways. The very next day, the seventh season of Netflix’s horny animated hit Big Mouth premiered, wherein audiences were delightfully surprised to hear her deep verveful voicework as Megan, (thee) hormone monster. By the time we reached November, around 448 days since the release of Traumazine, Meg switched on the Snake Signal to let her rabid fans know new tunes would be rattling out November 3. She started with “Cobra,” a song conceptualized from the very public trauma that everyone witnessed her experience, anime nerdom (she references the Naruto character Orochimaru, a slippery snake-based villain known for reinvention, renewal, and chasing immortality), and a streaking guitar chord that immediately told us that she was trying something completely new here. (And the bars? Whew, the bars.)”.

I was affected by that feature and the realisation of what Megan Thee Stallion has gone through. As a women in Hip-Hop, a genre that still has an issue with misogyny and inequality, she has to fight and shout harder and louder than her male peers. There was this toxicity and backlash that came out of the shooting and court battle. Perhaps, as PBS noted, there is this misogyny that impacts Black women where Megan Thee Stallion was questioned and attacked. This misogynoir was highlighted by Associated Press. This prejudice where racism and sexism meet; this unique discrimination that is also present in the music industry, it is testament to Megan Thee Stallion’s strength and conviction that she stood up to artists like Drake – who questioned her version of events and felt she lied about being shot. Earlier this year, writing for Elle, Megan Thee Stallion looked back on a turbulent and horrific time:

“I could have let the adversity break me, but I persevered, even as people treated my trauma like a running joke. First, there were conspiracy theories that I was never shot. Then came the false narratives that my former best friend shot me. Even some of my peers in the music industry piled on with memes, jokes, and sneak disses, and completely ignored the fact that I could have lost my life. Instead of condemning any form of violence against a woman, these individuals tried to justify my attacker’s actions.

I wish I could have handled this situation privately. That was my intention, but once my attacker made it public, everything changed. By the time I identified my attacker, I was completely drained. Many thought I was inexplicably healed because I was still smiling through the pain, still posting on social media, still performing, still dancing, and still releasing music.

PHOTO CREDIT: Adrienne Raquel for Elle

The truth is that I started falling into a depression. I didn’t feel like making music. I was in such a low place that I didn’t even know what I wanted to rap about. I wondered if people even cared anymore. There would be times that I’d literally be backstage or in my hotel, crying my eyes out, and then I’d have to pull Megan Pete together and be Megan Thee Stallion.

It never crossed my mind that people wouldn’t believe me. Still, I knew the truth and the indisputable facts would prevail. I had worked way too hard to reach this point in my career to let taunts deter me. When the guilty verdict came on Dec. 23, 2022, it was more than just vindication for me, it was a victory for every woman who has ever been shamed, dismissed, and blamed for a violent crime committed against them.

But my heart hurts for all the women around the world who are suffering in silence, especially if you’re a Black woman who doesn’t appear as if she needs help. So many times, people looked at me and thought, “You look strong. You’re outspoken. You’re tall. You don’t look like somebody who needs to be saved.” They assumed that, per preconceived stigmas, “I didn’t fit the profile of a victim,” and that I didn’t need support or protection.

PHOTO CREDIT: Adrienne Raquel for Elle

Time after time, women are bullied with backlash for speaking out against their attackers, especially when they’re accusing someone who is famous and wealthy. They’re often accused of lying or attempting to make money from their trauma. From firsthand experience, I know why a lot of women don’t come forward. Any support and empathy that I received was drowned out by overwhelming doubt and criticism from so many others”.

An artist who is being name-checked by so many as influence, this year has been one where she has almost had to rebuild a reputation destroyed by some in the industry.

For anyone who has survived violence, please know your feelings are valid. You matter. You are not at fault. You are important. You are loved. You are not defined by your trauma. You can continue to write beautiful, new chapters to your life story. Just because you are in a bad situation doesn’t mean you are a bad person. Our value doesn’t come from the opinions of other people. As long as you stand your ground and live in your truth, nobody can take your power.

We can’t control what others think, especially when the lies are juicier than the truth. But as a society, we must create safer environments for women to come forward about violent behavior without fear of retaliation. We must provide stronger resources for women to recover from these tragedies physically and emotionally, without fear of judgment. We must do more than say her name. We must protect all women who have survived the unimaginable”.

She has had hot girl moments on the red carpet, released new music, and is looking ahead to 2024. A year where many would love to see her follow her 2022 masterpiece, Traumazine. A modern fashion icon, hugely respected and loved by fellow artists, and an icon who is inspiring women across multiple genres, this year has been a very different one for Megan Thee Stallion. I look back at articles like this from 2020, where she had released her debut, Good News. Many people unaware of what would come and how many would reframe her in light of the Tory Lanez shooting revelation and subsequent trial.  It is shocking and completely reprehensible what she had to face; how she battled to be believed and supported. It opens up questions around Black women; not just in music and the industry but right across the world. That discrimination and misogyny that is aimed at them. An artist who should have got justice sooner had to fight to be believed. 2023 has been a year for rebuilding, reflection and new ambition. Someone who, whilst not recovered and clear of the trauma sha faced, can at least look at a more positive and less turbulent 2024. After legal issues with the record label 1501 were settled recently, we all hope of brighter and more carefree days for Megan Thee Stallion!

Cobra sees Megan Thee Stallion rap about mental health. This inspiring and defiant song that was matched with an extraordinary video, it amazes me how this hugely important artist has survived! Someone who deserved a lot of support and understanding when she went through such a horrible and tough time was often met with criticism and prejudice. Misogynoir and prejudice. This year has been, as The Cut, brilliantly wrote, one that could not break Megan Thee Stallion. I feel next year is one where there will be new music, big touring and some wonderful and happy times for her – someone who deserves it more than anyone I feel. She is closing old chapters and, with it, embarking on a brighter future. There will be a lot of excitement regarding new music from one of Rap’s most powerful and inspiring names. Such a fighter and incredible brave woman, let’s hope that 2024 offers up…

NOTHING but good news!