Music news

• Homecoming review – Beyoncé documentary is a triumphant celebration

  18-04-2019 21:52 via theguardian.com
  The Netflix film, featuring rehearsal and live footage of her 2018 Coachella performance, is one of the all-time great concert docsThroughout Homecoming, the new Netflix documentary chronicling Beyoncé’s monumental performance at the 2018 Coachella music festival, quotes from distinguished black creatives and intellectuals appear at various points, serving as interstitial title cards between footage of the concert and its tireless gestation. They include WEB DuBois, Nina Simone, Ton
  
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• ‘It’s basically inaccessible without a phone’: are kids losing their love for music?

  22-05-2024 13:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Children used to obsessively put CDs and 7-inches on repeat, but streaming means they need digital devices and parental permission to play music. And there’s little being done to helpMy daughter is nine years old. When I was her age, in 1989, I had my own small cassette player and a beloved pile of my own tapes – brand new, or made up of songs from the radio – that I could listen to whenever I wanted. The same went for my parents’ modest CD collection (Genesis’s Inv
  
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• New Orleans rapper BG won’t go back to prison – but judge will scrutinize lyrics

  22-05-2024 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Musician is on supervised release, and judge’s reading will decide whether he is adequately attempting to ‘re-enter society’The rapper BG is no longer at risk of a return to federal prison after performing alongside fellow artists with prior felony convictions while on supervised release from custody, according to prosecutors.But a federal judge is prepared to scrutinize every lyric the musician, whose legal name is Christopher Dorsey, has written since he got out of prison on
  
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• Benson Boone review – echoes of Harry Styles in pop’s newest star

  22-05-2024 12:18 via theguardian.com
  
  Kentish Town Forum, London
  His song Beautiful Things has been a global hit this year and, looking like Paul Mescal meets Mario, the US singer has the voice and charm to go even further‘I see you winning American Idol if you want,” judge Katy Perry told Benson Boone when he was on the show in 2021. He pulled out of the running, not wanting to be known for being a talent show winner, but fame was written in the stars regardless. Soon he had viral tracks on TikTok and had been taken und
  
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• Unheard Louis Armstrong recordings to be released

  22-05-2024 11:26 via theguardian.com
  
  What a Wonderful World and You’ll Never Walk Alone are among five unreleased tracks on compilation Louis in London, performed at the BBC in 1968 Unheard performances by Louis Armstrong at the BBC in 1968, regarded by Armstrong aficionados as some of the jazz legend’s greatest work, are to finally be released.A compilation titled Louis in London, available in July, will feature well-known numbers The Bare Necessities, Mack the Knife and Hello, Dolly!, the latter of which premieres tod
  
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• The spy, the songbird and the sham that wasn’t: how I restored broadcasting history

  22-05-2024 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  In 1924, cellist Beatrice Harrison caused a sensation when her duet with a nightingale in her garden was broadcast live. When the truth of this groundbreaking event was questioned, I decided to investigateOne hundred years ago this week, a cellist sat in the gathering gloom of her garden in Surrey, and played. She did so most evenings, by the ivy-clad tree in the woods surrounded by bluebells. But that evening she was not alone. More than a million people were listening. This was Beatrice Harris
  
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• ‘My songs spread like herpes’: why did satirical genius Tom Lehrer swap worldwide fame for obscurity?

  22-05-2024 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  In the 1950s and 60s, his songs stunned and delighted listeners with their irreverence, wit and nihilism. Then he gave it all up to teach mathematics. Lehrer is still alive at 96 – so I went in search of answersIn 1959, at the stifling, snobbish Jesuit boarding school to which my loving parents had unwisely subcontracted my care, Tom Lehrer’s songs burst upon my consciousness like a clown in a cathedral. Days there began with mass, and ended with an uplifting homily in the chapel fro
  
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• Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces new lawsuit from ex-model alleging sexual assault

  22-05-2024 04:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Crystal McKinney’s suit is sixth complaint in six months against rapper, claiming he assaulted her in 2003 at his New York studioHip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is facing a new lawsuit from former model Crystal McKinney who says she was forced to perform oral sex on him at his recording studio in New York City in 2003. This comes just days after Combs says he took “full responsibility” for beating ex-girlfriend Cassie after a video of that incident surfaced.The new
  
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• ‘We got the energy’: Irish children’s rap video goes viral

  20-05-2024 15:22 via theguardian.com
  
  The Spark, a song created by a group of nine-to-12-year-olds including refugees, has amassed 8.6m viewsIt is called The Spark and has been declared the song of the summer – a viral sensation from a group of children in Ireland who filmed the video in a day.Since launching on 15 May, the song has amassed 8.6m views and been hailed as a drum’n’bass-beat masterpiece with infectious energy. Continue reading...
  
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• Frank Ifield obituary

  20-05-2024 13:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Singer who topped the charts in the 1960s with hits including I Remember You, Lovesick Blues and The Wayward WindFor British pop fans, the summer of 1962 was dominated by the sound of “I remember yoo-hoo”. I Remember You, which topped the singles chart for seven weeks, was sung and yodelled by the British-born but Australian-raised entertainer Frank Ifield, who has died aged 86.In the year that followed, there were four more hits. The first of these, Lovesick Blues (originally made f
  
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• Barry Manilow review – mellow master glides through his hits with grace

  20-05-2024 13:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Co-Op Live, Manchester
  On his final tour, the 80-year-old gives fans a slick but satisfying treatment of his pleasantly cheesy oeuvreThere’s jubilation in the air tonight. Tens of thousands of Manchester City fans file out into the Etihad campus in a sea of blue as they celebrate winning the Premier League. Moving in the other direction towards the newly opened Co-Op Live arena is a crowd dotted with pink fluffy cowboy hats and Barry Manilow T-shirts, as people flock to see the 80-year-old
  
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• ‘It became a beacon of hope’: the incredible story of Stax Records

  20-05-2024 10:33 via theguardian.com
  
  A new docuseries traces the highs and lows of the Memphis record label, soaring with major acts like Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes but a victim of both capitalism and racismDuring its breakout phase in the mid-1960s, Stax Records seemed to be soaring. The small company from Memphis managed to score huge, international hits with the new stars it introduced, like Booker T & the MGs (Green Onions), Otis Redding (I’ve Been Loving You Too Long), and Sam & Dave (Hold On, I’m Coming)
  
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• Jon Bon Jovi’s honest playlist: ‘You couldn’t help but learn the moves to Gangnam Style’

  20-05-2024 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The arena rock frontman on his friendship with Ed Sheeran, an embarrassing early Christmas song, and the 80s hit he wishes he’d writtenThe song that changed my life
  Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen. I grew up in New Jersey, so the E Street Band was how you were indoctrinated to rock’n’roll – they were the local heroes.The best song to play at a party
  Livin’ on a Prayer because everyone else knows the words. How do I feel when I hear it
  
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• Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs admits he beat ex-girlfriend Cassie: ‘I take full responsibility’

  19-05-2024 21:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Music mogul says in video statement that he is ‘truly sorry’ after CNN released clip of him attacking Cassie in hotel hallway in 2016The rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs admitted in a video apology that he punched and kicked his ex-girlfriend in 2016 in the hallway of a hotel after CNN released footage of the attack, saying he was “truly sorry” and his actions were “inexcusable”.“I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disg
  
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• Bruce Dickinson review – metal’s charismatic star indulges his goofy side

  19-05-2024 15:43 via theguardian.com
  
  Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow
  Letting rip with that still thrilling and propulsive voice, the Iron Maiden frontman performs an all solo material set – keytars, bongos and demonic laughter includedBruce Dickinson, as is well known, is a qualified pilot – and there is something of the captain preparing for take-off in his interactions with the crowd. “In a moment,” he instructs Glasgow, “we will commence furious jumping.” Then, as the riff to Dark Side of Aquariu
  
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• Richard Hawley: ‘If I stopped what I’m doing the songs would still come’

  19-05-2024 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  On a beer-fuelled tour of Sheffield that begins ‘at the crack of midday’, the musician discusses the strange magic of his home city, how his musical, Standing at the Sky’s Edge, hit a nerve in austerity-ravaged Britain, and his main hope for Keir StarmerOn 8 November 2007, the great Pelé visited Sheffield. The occasion was the 150th anniversary of the world’s oldest football club, Sheffield FC, which was celebrated with a match between the hometown team and Inter M
  
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• Jasmine Myra: Rising review – gently insistent jazz

  18-05-2024 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  (Gondwana)
  The alto saxophonist leans into her soft and subtle sound with newfound confidence on this second albumWith the release of her 2022 debut album, Horizons, saxophonist Jasmine Myra became a breakout star of the UK jazz scene. Weaving soft and subtle alto saxophone lines through compositions that paired luscious harmonies with snapping rhythms, Myra showcased her skill as a composer rather than an instrumental virtuoso. On her second album, she continues to produce this gently insistent
  
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• One to watch: Myles Smith

  18-05-2024 13:30 via theguardian.com
  
  A passionate purveyor of anthemic folk-pop with an alt-country vibe, everything this Luton singer-songwriter has released so far sounds like a hitMyles Smith has arrived at just the right time, as if scheduled by an algorithm. The 25-year-old graduate from Luton first surfaced in 2022 with judiciously chosen TikTok covers – Amber Run’s I Found, Neighbourhood’s Sweater Weather – that suit his passionate, expressive voice. Smith learned guitar aged nine, did the singer-song
  
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• Girls Aloud review – a glorious pop institution still calling the shots

  18-05-2024 12:35 via theguardian.com
  
  3Arena, Dublin
  Returning for their first concert since the death of Sarah Harding, old lyrics now have new poignancy – but with motorbikes and mic-stand moves, the mood stays upbeatEleven years have passed since Girls Aloud performed together as a five-piece for the final time, but adoration has endured in the interim – perhaps even intensified in the glow of 00s nostalgia. The group not only hauled themselves out of TV talent show Popstars: The Rivals, but then had 20 back-to-back U
  
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• Lil Nas X: ‘Who do I most admire and why? I have to say myself’

  18-05-2024 10:30 via theguardian.com
  
  The singer on eating junk food in bed, a $100k holiday he didn’t even go on, and the perks of fameBorn Montero Lamar Hill in Georgia, Lil Nas X, 25, rose to fame in 2019 with his single Old Town Road, which won many awards, including two Grammys. In 2021, he released his debut album Montero, which featured the hits Montero (Call Me By Your Name), Industry Baby and Thats What I Want. The following year, he completed his first worldwide tour. The documentary Lil Nas X: Long Li
  
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• Video shows Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs assaulting singer Cassie in 2016

  18-05-2024 02:18 via theguardian.com
  
  Hotel surveillance cameras at InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles captured incident Combs had vehemently deniedA newly released video shows Sean “Diddy” Combs manhandling and kicking singer Cassie Ventura – his former girlfriend – in plain view of hotel surveillance cameras in 2016, before the rapper, music producer and businessman rapidly settled a lawsuit that she brought against him this past November, according to footage exclusively obtained by CNN.The video in que
  
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• Will Taylor Swift provide a £1bn boost to the UK economy?

  17-05-2024 15:33 via theguardian.com
  
  Barclays’ analysis may be slightly off the mark, but the megastar is tapping into a new trend in spendingTaylor Swift has long been credited with an outsized influence on music, celebrity culture – even politics. But reviving the UK’s flagging economy may be too much to ask, even of the sequinned megastar.Research published this week by analysts from Barclays pointed to the extraordinary spending surge that ensues when Swift touches down, and suggested she could bring a £
  
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• Rhythm Nation: how music gives Haiti hope amid the chaos

  17-05-2024 15:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The country has been hit by decades of crises and catastrophe, but its culture continues to thrive across the diaspora. Here, Haitian musicians celebrate its ’sounds of freedom’Even before March this year, when gun-toting gangs overran the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, dictatorships, poverty, health crises and earthquakes had defined the country in the eyes of global media. It passes for the archetypal failed state, a place where Unicef has declared that
  
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• Shaznay Lewis: Pages review – All Saints star returns with polished second solo album

  17-05-2024 13:00 via theguardian.com
  
  (1.9.7.5)
  Twenty years after her solo debut, Lewis delivers a mostly sumptuous set of turn-of-the-millennium-style popWhen you have the main writing credits on two of the great turn-of-the-century British pop songs – Pure Shores and Never Ever – a follow-up is no easy task. Indeed, in 2004, three years after girl group All Saints announced their breakup, founding member Shaznay Lewis’s debut solo album, Open, felt a bit tepid.Two decades on – years encompassing motherhood
  
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• Zayn: Room Under the Stairs review – Nashville-produced minimalism suits him

  17-05-2024 12:30 via theguardian.com
  
  (Mercury)
  The former One Direction singer continues to intrigue with an introspective, acoustic-leaning set with more highs than lowsSince disembarking from the One Direction juggernaut in 2015, Zayn Malik has taken the path less travelled. His 2016 solo debut, Mind of Mine, housed the global smash Pillowtalk, but was followed by the 27-track concept album Icarus Falls. While his former bandmates have toured the world, Malik only recently played his first ever gig as a solo artist. This fourth a
  
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• Arooj Aftab: Night Reign review – all the heat and mystery of nocturnal life

  17-05-2024 09:15 via theguardian.com
  
  (Verve)
  Mercurial and moody soundscapes are infused with wistful romance in one of the Grammy-winning singer and composer’s most spirited records to dateFew singers can match the delicate warmth and quiet power of Arooj Aftab’s voice. Over the past decade, the Pakistani-American singer has released four albums that showcase her gossamer cadence in ever-quieter settings, from jazz to Sufi qawwalis and finger-picking folk. Her debut Bird Under Water in 2014 paired Urdu poetry with sita
  
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• ‘World domination is a big thing for me’: pop superstar Becky Hill on raving to the top – and her new album’s dark past

  17-05-2024 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  She’s won two Brits and rivalled Dua Lipa and Adele for streams, but the public is still getting to know the ex-reality TV singer. She explains why snobbery has held her back, but trauma won’tBecky Hill Hill glides up on an ebike in full pop star clobber: leather flares, black strap top with enormous silver buckles, immaculately tousled hair, light green contacts that bestow a feline air. We were supposed to be meeting at her tour manager’s flat in London, so she seems slightly
  
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• Everyone’s Getting Involved review – tepid all-star Talking Heads tribute

  17-05-2024 08:10 via theguardian.com
  
  (A24 Music)
  Cult film company A24’s tie-in merch to its rerelease of seminal documentary Stop Making Sense sounds either like karaoke or disconnected from the source materialResponsible for indie hits like Midsommar, Moonlight and Everything Everywhere All at Once, American film company A24 has created a vast lifestyle brand around its cultish reputation, flogging everything from branded shorts ($48) to a Hereditary gingerbread kit ($62). Now, following its rerelease of Jonathan Demme&rsqu
  
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• Billy Idol: ‘I stole the master tapes for Rebel Yell – and gave them to my heroin dealer’

  16-05-2024 16:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Generation X punk turned arena rocker answers your questions on near-misses in Hollywood, his overlooked electronic period and how Marc Bolan helped launch his careerIs it true that you stole the master tapes to the Rebel Yell album during a spat with the record label? VerulamiumParkRanger
  It was because of the cover. I was saying: “There’s a flaw in this picture, and if we blow this up it will get worse.” The record company started to say: “We’re leaving it. It
  
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• Jimmy James obituary

  16-05-2024 15:59 via theguardian.com
  
  Soul and ska singer best known for his dynamic live performances with his band the Vagabonds in the 60s and 70sThe singer Jimmy James first arrived in London in 1964 as frontman of the Vagabonds, a Jamaican dance band booked to perform at West Indian clubs across Britain for six months. However, the band’s dynamic performances – they mixed ska and calypso with R&B and big band standards – quickly gained them a sizeable British fanbase, a residency at the Marquee Club in Soh
  
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