Search results for u of soul

U of Soul Embraces Identity and Resilience in Latest Release “The Outsider”

San Francisco-based band U of Soul delivers a powerful message of self-discovery and perseverance with their newest single, "The Outsider."

Through classic vocals and a melodic, catchy chorus, "The Outsider" serves as more than just a song; it's a poignant lesson in life. With lyrics urging listeners to remain strong and keep moving forward, U of Soul captures the essence of resilience amidst life's challenges.

The track explores themes of identity and belonging, portraying the journey of an individual navigating the complexities of existence. While the lead vocals narrate the tale of a solitary figure, the instrumental track sets a mood that is simultaneously hopeful and uplifting.

"The Outsider" is a testament to U of Soul's musical prowess and their ability to craft authentic, soul-stirring performances. The band's meticulous attention to detail is evident in every aspect of the song, from the tight, solid arrangement to the soulful lead vocals that channel deep emotions reminiscent of blues and jazz roots.

Incorporating traditional band instruments like drums, bass, piano, and percussion, U of Soul infuses the song with rich layers of sound. Strings, Hammond B3 organ, guitar, synthesizers, and background vocals add depth and texture, creating a dynamic listening experience.

Throughout "The Outsider," the acoustic piano provides a warm, expressive backdrop for the lead vocals, while the drums and bass drive the rhythm forward with unwavering strength and simplicity.

As U of Soul continues to captivate audiences with their soulful sound, they are hard at work in the studio, preparing a slew of new and exciting material for release. While live-streamed concerts from their San Francisco studio are on the horizon, "The Outsider" stands as a testament to the band's artistry and commitment to delivering music that resonates deeply with listeners.

Listen to "The Outsider" below:

The The announce new studio album, Ensoulment

The The return with Ensoulment, their first new studio album since 2000’s NakedSelf.

Ensoulment is set for release through Cineola / earMUSIC on September 6, 2024.

You can hear the first single, “Cognitive Dissident“, below.

Peter KingKing: From Rhythm to Soul – A Fusion of Music and Business Brews Sweet Melodies

Los Angeles-born singer-songwriter Peter KingKing defies easy categorization. He's a multi-faceted talent who blends musical passion with sharp business acumen. While managing car dealerships across the country, KingKing finds solace and artistic expression through his soulful music.

KingKing's love affair with music began in his youth. The melodies of the guitar and the rhythmic pulse of the drums became his haven. This early influence translates into his music today, where his lyrics paint vivid portraits of love, longing, and life's complexities with raw authenticity.

His music resonates deeply because it cuts through the noise and connects directly with the listener's core. "Sweeter Than," his latest release, exemplifies this artistic power. It's a captivating exploration of infatuation, weaving a narrative of love and yearning with the skill of a seasoned storyteller. The track's infectious beats and catchy hooks perfectly capture the universal experience of desiring something just out of reach.

"True (You) Pt. 1" and "True (You) Pt. 2" further solidify KingKing's artistic versatility. These soulful compositions lay bare the intricate experiences of love and heartbreak. He welcomes listeners into a world of unflinching honesty and vulnerability, where lyrics shift between passionate declarations of devotion and somber reflections on loss. It's a journey through his emotional landscape, a powerful illustration of his willingness to be transparent.

KingKing's music isn't just entertainment; it's a catalyst for self-discovery. Each melody and lyric peels back another layer, revealing the depths of human emotion and offering a glimpse into his soul. His infectious energy and heartfelt music continue to propel him forward, leaving a lasting impression on the music scene.

KingKing's "True (You)" is a powerful two-part story. The first track pulsates with the exhilaration of new love, while the second confronts the sobering reality of heartbreak. This intentional contrast allows listeners to connect with the full spectrum of a relationship, from the initial spark to the aftermath.

What truly sets Peter KingKing apart is his vulnerability. He doesn't shy away from portraying the unfiltered emotions of love and loss. Through his music, he creates a space for listeners to not only be entertained but also to confront their own experiences with honesty and open-heartedness. This vulnerability is the key to his music resonating with such a wide audience seeking genuine connection in today's musical landscape.

KingKing's artistry extends beyond catchy melodies. He uses his music to forge authentic connections with his audience. By laying bare his vulnerabilities, desires, and struggles, he creates a space where listeners can connect with their own experiences. As Peter KingKing continues to navigate the world of music, his star is undoubtedly on the rise. His music leaves an indelible mark, a powerful reminder of the impact of honest storytelling and the unwavering pursuit of creative expression.

Peg Luke’s Latest Musical Offering, “The Church’s One Foundation,” Invites Soulful Reflection

Peg Luke, a distinguished artist with nominations for both Emmy and Grammy awards, unveils her latest musical creation, "The Church's One Foundation." With a career marked by performances at illustrious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Cadogan Hall, Luke's music resonates deeply with audiences worldwide, offering a soul-stirring journey of introspection and spiritual depth.

In the midst of grappling with a life-altering autoimmune diagnosis three years ago, Peg Luke turned to her music as a source of solace and inspiration. Despite the tumultuous landscape of the pandemic, she remains resolute in her mission to spread positivity and hope through her artistry. With an unwavering commitment to conveying messages of faith and connection, Luke's music serves as a guiding light in times of uncertainty, reminding listeners of the enduring bond between humanity and the divine.

From a tender age, Peg Luke exhibited a remarkable musical aptitude, mastering the piano at five and the flute at seven. This early passion for music propelled her to embark on ambitious projects, including her own Psalm Space and her acclaimed 2023 Christmas collection. With a magnetic stage presence and exceptional talent, Luke has earned accolades for her ability to captivate audiences with her emotive performances.

"The Church's One Foundation" seamlessly integrates into Peg Luke's illustrious repertoire of singles, each resonating with her unique blend of spiritual themes and melodic depth. Tracks such as "Dirt Under His Nails," "Amazing Grace," and "The Lord's Prayer" showcase Luke's ability to infuse her music with profound emotion and contemplative resonance. Collaborating with esteemed producers like Neal Merrick Blackwood and virtuoso Lucas Sader, Peg Luke's 2023 holiday album, "Sleep, Baby Jesus: A Peg Luke Christmas," further underscores her versatility and artistry.

In the accompanying music video for "The Church's One Foundation," Peg Luke delivers a poignant and evocative performance. Set against a backdrop of flickering candlelight and a tranquil ambiance, Luke's heartfelt melodies transport viewers on a journey of spiritual reflection and introspection.

As Peg Luke continues to inspire with her music, "The Church's One Foundation" stands as a testament to her unwavering dedication to uplifting souls and fostering a deeper connection with the divine through her art. With each note, she invites listeners to embark on a profound journey of self-discovery and spiritual renewal, solidifying her position as a visionary artist in the contemporary music landscape.

Stream “The Church's One Foundation” here:

Hear Paul Weller’s new single, “Soul Wondering”

Fans remember David Soul with his cover of The Fall’s ‘Hit The North’ with Frank Sidebottom and Paul Ryder

In the light of his death this week, fans have been sharing a bizarre appearance that David Soul once made on Frank Sidebottom’s talk show. Check out the footage below.

Soul, best known for playing Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson on Starsky & Hutch in the 1970s, died on Thursday (January 4), following what his wife Helen Snell described as a “valiant battle for life in the loving company of family”.

He went on to have his own music career, with the UK Number One singles ‘Don’t Give Up on Us’ and ‘Silver Lady’, but it is a very different musical performance that has been doing the rounds on social media this weekend.

Bobby Gillespie pays tribute to “Celtic soul brother” Shane MacGowan

Bobby Gillespie has paid tribute to Shane MacGowan describing him as my “Celtic soul brother”.

The Primal Scream frontman penned a lengthy piece in The Guardian on the day of The Pogues frontman’s funeral on Friday (December 8).

He wrote about how he first came across MacGowan in the late 1990s saying he had “a dark charisma, he looked tired and sad to me.”

Advertisement

“So one night I went up and introduced myself, and we just got on. It was easy. I found him a gentle soul, quite shy actually, not like I’d imagined him at all. I’d admired him as far back as ‘Gabrielle’, by The Nips. That was his first band, but his songs with The Pogues were on another level,” Gillespie explained.

“I was always in awe of his talent as a songwriter: his songs were highly literate stories of oppressed and downtrodden people marginalised by society; full of empathy and compassion for ordinary working men and women and their daily struggles – not forgetting the junkies and the drunks.”

Referencing MacGowan’s idol Lou Reed the Primal Scream frontman described his songs as “a mix of contemporary street vernacular and a real traditional poetic sensibility” and said his favourites were The Pogues’ ballads ‘A Pair Of Brown Eyes’, ‘A Rainy Night In Soho’, The Old Main Drag, and the festive anthem ‘Fairytale Of New York’.

Gillespie also said the late frontman’s more raucous songs such as ‘Transmetropolitan’, ‘The Sick Bed Of Cuchulainn’, ‘Sally MacLennane’, ‘Streams Of Whiskey’ and ‘Boys From The County Hell’ were also “all riotous celebrations of a life well lived, filled with crazed humour and ecstatic joy. Songs that make you want to get drunk and raise hell. Tom Waits once said The Pogues played like ‘sailors on shore leave’ – a perfect observation”.

Despite once telling MacGowan in 2000, that he was the “best lyricist in contemporary music; that no one, not Nick Cave, Morrissey nor Mark E Smith came close”, The Pogues man didn’t take too kindly to the comment snapping back “It’s not a competition!”.

Advertisement

Gillespie also recalled the time MacGowan once performed ‘Rocks’, ‘Loaded’, and a cover of ‘Born To Lose’ by The Heartbreakers at a Primal Scream in concert in Glasgow.

He added: “I remember the full force of his vocal dragging the band behind him as he tore into the verses of the song. When he sang he was a force of nature, all punk power and visceral emotion.

“A true rock’n’roller – and a Celtic soul brother of the highest order. ‘We’re Gaels!’, he proclaimed to me once. Every time he sang with us, and he did variously in Glasgow, Dublin and London over the years, we were honoured. We loved him. The fact he dug our band meant the world to us.”

Gillespie finally recalled his last memory of MacGowan in hospital in September and hailed his wife Victoria who he described as The Pogues frontman’s “rock” and “guardian angel.”

He added: “Underneath the rock’n’roll, rake-at-the-gates-of-hell image, the role of the Brendan Behanesque poète maudit, Shane was a good old-fashioned romantic. He saw the beauty of the spirit and the flaws in people, celebrated them and identified with their struggles. He felt too much probably, saw too much with the poet and songwriter’s gift of vision.

“And maybe that’s what all the drinking and drugging was about. He had to numb himself to get through his life. His greatest songs exist to help the rest of us get through our lives. Thank you, Shane. Thank you for the music and the good times. May God rest your beautiful Gaelic soul.”

The Pogues frontman passed away “peacefully” on November 30, having died from pneumonia aged 65.

His funeral in Tipperary, close to where MacGowan spent his childhood, saw The Pogues perform together for the first time since 2014.

Glen Hansard and Lisa O’Neill also performed a version of MacGowan’s 1987 festive classic ‘Fairytale Of New York’ at the service, backed by members of The Pogues, leading to members of MacGowan’s family to dance in the aisles of the church.

Nick Cave also performed at the funeral, playing a powerful, adapted version of The Pogues‘ ‘A Rainy Night in Soho’, while Johnny Depp delivered a personal reading to the man he descirbed as the “maestro” at the funeral.

Bolis Pupul shares new single ‘Completely Half’ and announces Soulwax-produced debut album ‘Letter To Yu’

Bolis Pupul has announced his debut LP ‘Letter To Yu’ and has shared its lead single ‘Completely Half’. Check out the video below.

‘Letter To Yu’ has been described as a love letter to his mother, who died in a traffic accident in 2008. Pupul was born to a Belgian father and a Chinese mother. In the wake of his mother’s passing, Pupul began to embrace and come to terms with his heritage.

“When I started to think about my roots, instead of being ashamed of them, I started to embrace them,” he said (per The Line of Best Fit). “And so it became more and more important for me to get in touch with them. I went to evening school here in Belgium and began learning Chinese. I did that for four years. That was the first step.”

Smeethan’s Recent Release “Soul Symphony” Inspire Hope And Action

Environmental activist and musician, Smeethan’s latest single "Soul Symphony" brings to light the magnificence of the natural world, with the aim of motivating a new generation to hope and take united action. To achieve this goal, the singer-songwriter recognized the need to remove his ego from the equation. 

He sought to construct an immersive auditory environment for the listeners, realizing that the inclusion of a human voice in music could potentially impose someone else's ego onto their experience. Instead, Smeethan incorporated the sounds of nature into his musical composition, allowing the audience to fully engage their senses and subconscious imagination.

Smeethan intends to employ a similar approach in his future releases, which highlight the positive potential of humanity. The artist hopes to weave together the sounds of human achievements and progress, as a way of paying tribute to the captivating and irresistible allure of the universe.

The LA-based talent hopes to evoke a sense of serenity and mystical connection to nature, with the ultimate goal of cultivating an appreciation for the natural world and acknowledging our reliance on it for survival. By instilling gratitude and a deep love for the Earth, his aspiration is that listeners will be motivated to take action and protect the planet.

"Soul Symphony" offers a captivating and multi-sensory experience that transcends just the auditory realm. Its accompanying video showcases the beauty of evolution and growth, featuring the transformation of baby animals into adults and the progression of streams into mighty rivers, vast lakes, and finally, the boundless ocean. 

Through the visuals Smeethan underlines the vastness of the sky and the stunning beauty of rain, reminiscent of a warm and delightful summer storm. The video serves as a stunning portrayal of the natural world's magnificence, power, and wonder, with the water cycle and the growth of life serving as the primary core elements.

Watch the Official Visualizer on YouTube:

Listen to “Soul Symphony” here:

Frank Turner’s touring band The Sleeping Souls release first single ‘Liar Lover’

The Sleeping Souls — Frank Turner‘s touring band — have debuted their first single, titled ‘Liar Lover’.

• READ MORE: Frank Turner on losing Scott Hutchison and finding “acceptance” on his new album

The four-piece outfit released the track on Friday (October 14), featuring Turner’s guitar technician Cahir O’Doherty on vocals. It’s a tender acoustic cut that captures a soft rock sound, with lyrics that reflect on a relationship breakdown.

“We lie to ourselves and each other as easy as drawing breath,” the band commented in a statement. “Every lover lies. Liar Lover is about that moment in the breakdown of a relationship when you accept that there’s no repair: only ownership of your own part in its failure.”

Buzzcocks Sonics In The Soul

will.i.am claims he inspired Beyoncé to release ‘Break My Soul’ remix EP

Will.i.am has claimed he was the inspiration behind Beyoncé’s ‘Break My Soul’ remix EP.

• READ MORE: Beyoncé – ‘Renaissance’ review: a celebration of love and Black joy

Earlier this year, Beyoncé released a four-track EP featuring remixes of the ‘Renaissance’ track from the likes of Honey Dijon, Terry Hunter and Nita Aviance.

According to will.i.am though, the whole thing would never have happened without him. Speaking to Metro, he said: “I was in France and her song (‘Break My Soul’) came out and I’m like, ‘I wish the beat did this.’ So I called my collab partner and we did it remotely on FYI, a collaboration tool.”

Adele says her postponed Vegas show had “no soul” and “lacked intimacy”

Adele has discussed the problems with her initial Las Vegas residency show, saying she postponed it because it had “no soul”.

The singer was due to start the residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on January 21 this year, with the run of shows extending through to April. However, Adele postponed the gigs the day before the opening night, telling her fans in a video that her show wasn’t ready.

Last month, Adele announced that all the previously postponed ‘Weekends With Adele’ concerts had now been rescheduled. In addition to the 24 previously announced shows, a further eight new shows were also unveiled.

Advertisement

After discussing how the cancellation left her “a shell of a person,” Adele has now discussed the specific reasons for the last-minute postponement.

Speaking to ELLE in a rare interview, Adele said: “It was the worst moment in my career, by far. By far. I was so excited about those shows. It was devastating.”

Of the problems with the show, she added: “There was just no soul in it. The stage setup wasn’t right. It was very disconnected from me and my band, and it lacked intimacy. And maybe I tried too hard to give it those things in such a controlled environment.”

Of the time after the announcement, Adele added: “The first couple of months was really, really hard. I was embarrassed. But it actually made my confidence in myself grow, because it was a very brave thing to do. And I don’t think many people would have done what I did. I’m very proud of myself for standing by my artistic needs.”

In a statement when announcing the rescheduled gigs, which take place across the end of 2023 and into early 2023, Adele said: “Words can’t explain how ecstatic I am to finally be able to announce these rescheduled shows. I truly was heartbroken to have to cancel them.

Advertisement

“But after what feels like an eternity of figuring out logistics for the show that I really want to deliver, and knowing it can happen, I’m more excited than ever! Now I know for some of you it was a horrible decision on my part, and I will always be sorry for that, but I promise you it was the right one.

“To be with you in such an intimate space every week has been what I’ve most been looking forward to and I’m going to give you the absolute best of me. Thank you for your patience, I love you, Adele.”

Adele’s shows at The Colosseum at Cesar’s Palace:

NOVEMBER 2022
18, 19, 25 and 26

DECEMBER 2022
2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 and 24

JANUARY 2023
20, 21, 27 and 28

FEBRUARY 2023
3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25

MARCH
3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25

Recently, Adele gave her first public concert in five years at Hyde Park in London. 

Ari Lennox unveils details of new album with soulful new single, ‘Hoodie’

Ari Lennox has today unveil details of her new album and has shared a video for her soulful new single, ‘Hoodie’.

The track, which has been produced by her Dreamville colleague Elite, is a preview of her second album titled ‘Age/Sex/Location’ that arrives on September 9 via Dreamville/Interscope.

Previously, Lennox wrote on Twitter that she’d finished a new full-length project. ‘Age/Sex/Location’ is the follow-up album to her 2019 debut ‘Shea Butter Baby’.

Beyoncé calls Madonna a “masterpiece genius” in thank you note for ‘Break My Soul’ remix

Beyoncé has thanked Madonna for allowing her to interpolate ‘Vogue’ in her ‘The Queens Remix‘ of ‘Break My Soul‘.

• READ MORE: Beyoncé – ‘Renaissance’ review: a celebration of love and Black joy

The pop star sent a note and a bouquet of flowers to Madonna, which the latter shared to her Instagram Story earlier today (August 9). “Thank you, Queen,” Beyoncé wrote in the thank you letter, “I’m so grateful for you. You have opened so many doors for so many women. You are masterpiece genius.”

The note continued: “Thank you for allowing me to sing in your song and thank you for naming the remix!!!! Love always and forever, B.”

Advertisement

Last week, Beyoncé shared the latest reworking of ‘Break My Soul’, the lead single from her seventh studio album ‘Renaissance‘.

‘Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)’ interpolates Madonna’s 1990 classic ‘Vogue’ and pays tribute to legendary Black female artists including Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross, as well as iconic ballroom houses including the House of Aviance and the House of Xtravaganza.

It marked the fifth official remix for ‘Break My Soul’, riding hot on the heels of a four-track remix EP that Bey dropped last Thursday (August 4), less than a week on from ‘Renaissance’ (released on Friday, July 29).

That release features new spins on the song, which initially arrived as the first preview of ‘Renaissance’ in June, by Honey Dijon, will.i.am, Terry Hunter and Nita Aviance.

Meanwhile, to celebrate the release of Beyoncé’s new album, a news anchor in Philadelphia snuck 15 of the R&B titan’s song titles into a live-broadcast traffic report.

Advertisement

‘Renaissance’ has also become Bey’s highest-charting album in every major market.

Beyoncé joins forces with Madonna for ‘The Queens’ remix of ‘Break My Soul’

Beyoncé has come through with yet another remix of ‘Break My Soul’, this time linking up with Madonna for a take on the lead single from ‘Renaissance’ dubbed ‘The Queens Remix’.

• READ MORE: Beyoncé – ‘Renaissance’ review: a celebration of love and Black joy

Clocking in at almost six minutes long, the track leans heavily into the original song’s house and disco influences. It marks the first proper collaboration between Beyoncé and Madonna, though the former did appear in the video for the latter’s Nicki Minaj-assisted 2015 single ‘Bitch I’m Madonna’.

It also comes as the fifth official remix for ‘Break My Soul’, riding hot on the heels of a four-track remix EP that Bey dropped on Thursday (August 4). That release features new spins on the song – which initially arrived as our first preview of ‘Renaissance’ back in June – by Honey Dijon, will.i.am, Terry Hunter and Nita Aviance.

Beyoncé shares a capella and instrumental versions of ‘Break My Soul’

Beyoncé has shared new a capella and instrumental versions of her recent single ‘Break My Soul’ – you can listen to both below.

• READ MORE: Beyoncé’s new song ‘Break My Soul’ is a confidence-oozing comeback that embraces nu-disco

The original track is the first taste of the singer’s seventh studio album ‘RENAISSANCE’, which comes out next Friday (July 29). This week, Bey’s revealed the full tracklist and composer credits for the record.

Today (July 22), the pop star has released both a capella and instrumental takes on ‘Break My Soul’. Tune in here:

Danger Mouse and Black Thought team up with Michael Kiwanuka on soulful new single

Danger Mouse and Black Thought have teamed up with Michael Kiwanuka for the latest track from the pair’s debut collaborative album, ‘Cheat Codes’.

• READ MORE: Michael Kiwanuka on his Hyundai Mercury Prize win: “It’s definitely encouraged me to keep dreaming big”

Due to be released on August 12 via BMG, the 12-track record marks Danger Mouse’s first hip-hop full-length since his ‘DANGERDOOM’ hook-up with the late MF DOOM back in 2005.

The forthcoming collection has already been previewed by ‘Because’ (featuring Joey Bada$$, Russ, and Dylan Cartlidge) and ‘No Gold Teeth’.

Alt-J tell us about working with Soulwax and Wet Leg at Mad Cool 2022

Alt-J spoke to NME backstage at Mad Cool 2022 about their desire to work with Belgian dance-rock heroes Soulwax, who they have described as “legends”. Watch our video interview in full above.

The London-based band have spent the past few months drip-feeding new remixes of tracks from their latest album, ‘The Dream‘. Released in February, the record was described by NME as “a rich collection of lush and uncharacteristically reflective songs”. Since then, the trio have teamed up with the likes of London DJ Maya Jane Coles to rework ‘Hard Drive Gold’ and producer Ben de Vries, who took on ‘The Actor’.

Soulwax are the next collaborators they’d like to work with, as keyboardist Gus Unger-Hamilton explained to us. “We’re trying to get a Soulwax remix at the moment, which would be really cool,” he said. “Our tour manager used to manage Soulwax, and we’re always pressing him to tell us crazy stories from touring with them – and he seemingly has a limitless supply of stories, but they’re all absolutely top-shelf. They can’t be revealed!”

Advertisement

The band continued to describe how they enjoyed Soulwax’s recent electro-pop remix of Wet Leg’s ‘Too Late Now’, lifted from their eponymous debut album. Vocalist and guitarist Joe Newman also revealed that he’s a fan of the Isle of Wight duo, having discovered them online last year.

“I found out about Wet Leg about eight months ago. I was looking on YouTube, and I saw this band playing ‘Chaise Longue’,” he said. “I thought they were Scandinavian at first, because they looked so cool. It was such a refreshing song that it made me think, ‘Who are they?!’

He continued: “I immediately began to delve into their other songs as I wanted to know who they were. [Wet Leg] are also from the Isle of Wight, which is not far from Southampton, which is where I’m from, so I immediately felt a kinship with them.”

Looking to the future, Alt-J told us that they’d “love to win another Mercury Prize”, and referenced how their 2012 debut album ‘An Awesome Wave’ won the award a decade ago. Newman quipped: “We’d certainly settle for a Grammy next year!”

Check back here at NME for the latest news, interviews, photos and more from Mad Cool 2022.

Advertisement

NME is an official media partner of Mad Cool Festival 2022

Download Festival Japan 2022 reveals final line-up with Soulfly and Code Orange

Download Festival Japan has revealed Brazilian metallers Soulfly and hardcore punks Code Orange will complete the lineup for this year’s edition of the festival.

• READ MORE: Download Festival 2022 review: metal’s fearsome energy rages on the smaller stages

Soulfly and Code Orange will join Dream Theater, Bullet For My Valentine, Mastodon, Steel Panther, At The Gates and The Halo Effect at the Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Center in Chiba on August 14. A performance by Japanese outfit BAND-MAID will open the festival.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Download Festival Japan (@downloadfestjp)

Big Freedia and Robin S. react to being sampled for Beyoncé’s ‘Break My Soul’

Rapper/dancer Big Freedia and singer Robin S. have both shared reactions to their songs being sampled on Beyoncé‘s comeback single, ‘Break My Soul’.

• READ MORE: Beyoncé’s new song ‘Break My Soul’ is a confidence-oozing comeback that embraces nu-disco

The single, which was released on Monday (June 20), prominently samples Freedia’s 2014 track ‘Explode’ from her album ‘Just Be Free’. Robin S., meanwhile, is sampled in the song’s beat by producer The-Dream via her Number One single ‘Show Me Love’. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Big Freedia expressed gratitude and honour to the singer for allowing her to be part of “something so iconic and so amazing”.

“My manager called and said, ‘Beyoncé wanted to use one of your songs on her new album’,” the rapper recalled. “I was like, ‘Holy crap, what is going on? Another one?’ I was like, ‘This is happening again?'” The song marks the second time Big Freedia has been featured on a song by Beyoncé. In 2016, the rapper provided additional ad-libs to the song ‘Formation’, which featured in its famous music video.

Michelle Obama shares high praise for Beyoncé’s new track ‘Break My Soul’

Michelle Obama has shared high praise for Beyoncé’s new track, ‘Break My Soul’, telling the star that she “can’t help but dance and sing along” to it.

• READ MORE: Beyoncé’s new song ‘Break My Soul’ is a confidence-oozing comeback that embraces nu-disco

The pop icon announced last week that she would be releasing her seventh solo album, ‘RENAISSANCE’ – the follow-up to 2016’s acclaimed ‘Lemonade’ – on July 29.

On Tuesday morning (June 21), she surprised fans by dropping the album’s first single, ‘Break My Soul’ – a house-inspired dancefloor cut that NME‘s Kyann-Sian Williams called “a groovy self-love track” that oozes confidence in a four-star review.

Beyoncé’s New Single ‘Break My Soul’ Will Soundtrack Your Summer — And Your Resignation

Chance The Rapper and Joey Bada$$ team up on soulful new cut, ‘The Highs & The Lows’

Chance The Rapper has released a brand new track, ‘The Highs & The Lows’, featuring Joey Bada$$ – listen to it below.

• READ MORE: Joey Bada$$ – Soundtrack Of My Life

The song – which serves as another preview of Chance’s upcoming second album – begins with a message from Chance, where he thanks his fans and supporters “that have been there since day one”.

“Your support has been fuelling me throughout these years and this next piece is something really special,” he says, before asking his fans to share the new track with five friends because “the people gotta know the return is now. The Rapper’s back. Jozif’s back. We back. Let ’em know Chano back in these streets.”

Listen to Danger Mouse and Black Thought’s soulful new single ‘Because’

Danger Mouse and Black Thought have shared a second song from their upcoming debut collaborative debut album ‘Cheat Codes‘ – listen to ‘Because’ below.

‘Because’ follows ‘No Gold Teeth’, which was released last month, and features guest turns by Joey Bada$$, Russ and Dylan Cartlidge.

Set to be released on August 12 via BMG, ‘Cheat Codes’ is Danger Mouse’s first hip-hop full-length since his ‘DANGERDOOM’ collaboration with the late MF DOOM which was released in October 2005.

Advertisement

Joey Bada$$ said: “I’ve always been a big fan of Black Thought and Danger Mouse. I think Black Thought is one of the greatest rappers ever, so when they asked me to get on this record, it was a no-brainer, plus the record is fire!

“I still remember the first time I heard ‘You Got Me’ the video was shot on my great-grandmother’s block and I was actually there that day when I was a child. It changed the way I looked at music. I’m very honoured to be a part of this track. We’re making history!”

Russ added: “Being able to collaborate with one of the greatest lyricists of all time is an honor and to do it in unison with Danger Mouse is something I’m just really proud to be a part of.”

‘Cheat Codes’, meanwhile, follows Thought’s pioneering output with legendary Philadelphia group The Roots and his critically acclaimed solo trilogy, ‘Streams Of Thought’ – the third volume of which was released in 2020.

Advertisement

The album, which was initially rumoured to be called ‘Dangerous Thoughts’, is something that the pair began the initial idea for “maybe 13 or 14 years ago”, Black Thought revealed when he first teased the project in an interview in 2020.

“It’s a feel-good record,” he said. “It’s a record for people who got into hip-hop and sort of evolved at the same period of time that we did. We’re the elder statesmen at this point, so I feel like this record is reflective of that too.”

Thought added that the album, which features A$AP Rocky, Run The Jewels, MF DOOM, Michael Kiwanuka, Kid Sister, Raekwon, Conway The Machine and more, is “a return for [Danger Mouse] to hip-hop and to sampling in this way”.

Winston Marshall says he “got his soul back” after leaving Mumford & Sons

Winston Marshall has spoken about his decision to leave Mumford & Sons, claiming he “got his soul back”.

Marshall helped form the folk-rock band in 2007 but faced backlash after tweeting praise for a book by controversial US journalist Andy Ngo, titled Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan To Destroy Democracy.

In a since-deleted tweet, Marshall said the book was “important” and hailed Ngo as a “brave man”. He intially took a break from the group but three months later, he quit Mumford & Sons.

Harlem Cultural Festival of Questlove’s ‘Summer Of Soul’ documentary to be revived next year

The Harlem Cultural Festival – the setting of Questlove’s decorated documentary Summer Of Soul – will be revived and reimagined as the Harlem Festival of Culture in 2023.

• READ MORE: Summer Of Soul review: forgotten festival of Black brilliance finally gets its dues

Per Billboard, the Harlem Festival of Culture will be an annual affair kicking off in the summer of 2023. It will take place at Marcus Garvey Park, the same site that hosted the original 1969 festival that was the subject of Questlove’s film. The park was called Mount Morris Park in 1969 and received a change in name in 1973.

Advertisement

Like the original 1969 event, the upcoming festival will be a multi-day outdoor celebration of African American music, pride, culture, beauty and fashion.

The Harlem Festival of Culture will kick off a yearlong series of events on April 15 with A Harlem Jones open mic night at the Museum of the City of New York. Live performances will be held at Marcus Garvey Park in May, although details have yet to be announced.

The festival’s revival comes after Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson’s 2021 documentary Summer of Soul (… Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature and a Grammy for Best Music Film. Last year, it won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance Film Festival.

Musa Jackson – who attended the original 1969 festival and features in Summer of Soul – is co-founder of the Harlem Festival of Culture alongside Nikoa Evans and Yvonne McNair. “With this initiative, we want to create something that evokes that same sense of pride in our community that I felt on that special day in 1969,” Jackson said in a statement.

“We want to authentically encapsulate the full scope: the energy, the music, the culture. We want people to understand that this festival is being built by the people who are from, live and work in this community.”

Advertisement

Questlove’s Summer of Soul received a five-star rating from NME. “The Harlem Cultural Festival needed not just recognition, but ownership. With Summer of Soul, it finally has both,” reviewer Leonie Cooper wrote.

Listen to Arlo Parks’ soulful cover of Kaytranada’s ‘You’re The One’

Arlo Parks has shared her cover of Kaytranada‘s ‘You’re The One’ – you can hear her rendition below.

The cover has been recorded for a special edition of the Spotify Singles series which is celebrating the Best New Artist category at this year’s Grammys, which will take place on Sunday (April 3).

• READ MORE: Five things we learned from our In Conversation video chat with Arlo Parks

Parks has been nominated in the category, one of two nods for the London singer/songwriter at this year’s ceremony (she’s also up for Best Alternative Music Album for her debut LP ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’), along with the likes of Glass Animals, Baby Keem and Finneas.

Watch Dave Gahan & Soulsavers cover PJ Harvey on ‘Fallon’

Dave Gahan & Soulsavers stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon this weekend to promote the release of their latest LP.

• READ MORE: Dave Gahan covers Cat Power and tells us about his “liberating” new album and the future of Depeche Mode

The Depeche Mode frontman and longtime collaborator Rich Machin released their new covers album ‘Imposter’ back in November under the guise of Soulsavers. Together they deliver unique takes on songs by the likes of Neil Young, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and many more.

Gahan recently told NME that the 12 selected tracks feel like they carry “a sense of wisdom and longevity that is just there in the song and very apparent in the voice”.

Soulja Boi and Lil Yachty among those sued over alleged cryptocurrency scheme

Rappers Soulja Boy and Lil Yachty, and YouTube personality Jake Paul, are among the defendants in a class action lawsuit over an alleged cryptocurrency “pump and dump” scheme.

As reported by ClassAction.org, a lawsuit claims that Soulja, Yachty and Paul, as well as musician Nick Carter and YouTuber Ben Phillips, were recruited by the company SafeMoon to misleadingly promote and sell the cryptocurrency token ‘V1’.

It is alleged that the endorsements were intended to artificially inflate the currency’s value, allowing founder and CEO Braden John Karony and other executives to sell their holdings for a profit while numbers were high.

Advertisement

The suit says that the so-called ‘pump and dump’ strategy saw the value of the SafeMoon token rise “astronomically” after its creation in March 2021. It claims that the trading volume for SafeMoon tokens shot up a staggering 875 percent within nine days of the celebrity-driven marketing campaign, peaking at $191.6 million on April 22, according to the complaint.

Central to the lawsuit is SafeMoon’s promise to create a designated ‘wallet’, in which investors would “have a better place” to hold their tokens. Repeated promises of the wallet allegedly helped to stabilise the cryptocurency’s value. However, when the wallet did not appear as promised on August 28, the token’s value plummeted.

By the end of the year, the value had bottomed out. “On Dec. 31, 2021, the price of the SafeMoon Token hit a low of $0.0000006521 per token, an over 80 percent drop from its height during the Class Period, which it has not been able to recover,” the lawsuit reads. “As of the filing of this Complaint, the trading volume for the SafeMoon Token has plummeted to around only $60,000.”

During the build-up to the failed release of the ‘wallet’, Hank Wyatt resigned as chief technology officer. The suit alleges Wyatt “knew or should have known” about the wallet’s failed launch.

NME has reached out to representatives for SafeMoon, Lil Yachty, Soulja Boy, Nick Carter, and Ben Phillips for comment.

Advertisement

Elsewhere, last month Yachty filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against the NFT platform Opulous.

The rapper – real name Miles Parks McCollum – claimed that the company “maliciously” used his name and likeness to raise more than $6.5million (£4.86million) in venture capital funds.

Raveena Cracked Open Her Soul For Asha’s Awakening

By Dani Blum

Raveena needs you to believe that you’re the only one who can heal yourself. The kaleidoscopic R&B singer-songwriter is adamant about this, anchoring her chin on her hand on the other side of the Zoom call, blinking at the bright pixels and saying, again, that nobody else can create your happiness. She knows. She’s tried.

Raveena went to the mountains every two or three days for the first stretch of quarantine in Los Angeles in 2020 and communed with aliens, or God, or both (she views these as “two sides of the same coin.”) She spends the first part of each day with 20 minutes of meditation, 20 minutes of yoga, and 5 minutes of writing down her affirmations and what she’s grateful for, a routine she developed when she got COVID-19 in December. She’s been focusing on herself, connecting to her ancestors, feeling, she says, like her soul cracked open. For the last two years, the work she’s put into her second album, Asha’s Awakening, out February 11, paralleled the work she put into herself. She weaves healing through each tingling track; she also makes a point of celebrating herself. “Our inner most self is bliss,” she says, “and bliss allows for this chaos and freedom and flow.”

The record glides through sugar-rush pop, trip-hop, Sade-inspired R&B, and spoken word intervals. The album even ends with a 15-minute long guided meditation — a move Raveena knew was risky, but she wanted the track to be a tool for her listeners. The meditations she’s found online often aren’ well-recorded, she says, and they use stock sounds; she wanted to make a high quality, well-mastered version, “top of the line produced.” Her speaking voice is steady, tranquil. (“Her voice is the type I'd expect to hear say ‘welcome to heaven’ as I hop down clouds of fluff,” reads the top comment on a video she posted of herself singing cross-legged in the grass during quarantine.) But the meditation also felt like a way to signal finding peace, the completion of a journey for the album’s titular main character.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Q_4I8dULA

Asha’s Awakening is a concept album that centers on a space princess from ancient Punjab, charting her revelations about love, restoration, and destruction over centuries. Raveena came up with the concept after completing six or seven songs and spending a year doing research, as she and her team studied and combed through Bollywood soundtracks. It was March 2020, and she was spiraling in the early weeks of quarantine, foraging for a way to be productive through both internal and external chaos. She had moved from New York to L.A. in the wake of a breakup, on the day the city announced shutdowns. Raveena was watching a bunch of sci-fi movies at the time, and in the span of a night, she wrote down the entire architecture for the album. A few months after, she asked an artist to illustrate Asha, so she could better grasp the character she created. For Raveena, “All the songs are personal, and then I find a way to connect it back to the story. None of the songs are really from a perspective of the character. It’s more like I could relate to the character at the end.”

Quarantine made Raveena slow down. She danced, she wrote lyrics, she put the sonic elements of songwriting on hold largely for the first six months. She would FaceTime her main guitarist, crying, and improvise songs with him while he plucked at a few chords; she called him “whenever the sobbing struck,” she says. Raveena had been working relentlessly in the years leading up to the pandemic. She started piecing together her 2017 breakout EP, Shanti, while still a student at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. In 2019, she released “Lucid,” a cozy, curatorial album that helped propel her following. The songs she recorded then were soft, velvety, churning through trauma with grieving and grace.

Asha’s Awakening, by contrast, bursts with joy and color, almost frenetic in its tempo. This is deliberate. Healing isn’t linear, Raveena says, and sometimes it can look like this kind of chaos, the hazy process of regaining confidence in your body. “After that internal work happens, there’s a kind of life and joy that erupts from you,” she says, waving her hands in the air. “And that’s what this album really was.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsNxr_88YZo

That eruption is evident in songs like “Secret,” which thumps and winds around a verse from rapper Vince Staples (she had his precise vocal tone and flow in mind for months before she even reached out to him) and the shimmering opener “Rush.” Many of these songs are psychedelic, literally; she wrote several of them following transformative acid trips. She based “Rush” on a visit she made to the Rubin Museum in New York while tripping, where she saw a sound installation with Buddhist chanting and South Asian art on the walls. “I realized that this is where I needed the next album to go,” she says. “I had to dive into my culture and intersect it with all the genres and all the art I grew up loving as a kid.”

Those connections came out of “so much historical research.” She bought eight or nine instruments from India, with no idea how to use them, and asked her bassist to figure out how to play them. They were all researching Bollywood records from the 1960s through the ‘80s, parsing the arrangements, and combing through the ways Eastern sounds inspired Miles Coltrane and the Beatles, Timbaland and M.I.A. and Jai Paul. She wanted to pay respect to the cross-cultural fusions of the past. On “Circuitboard” and “Asha’s Kiss,” which features the legendary Indian singer Asha Puthli, Raveena felt like she integrated the Bollywood influences in a way only she could, in a manner that left her mark.

Furmaan Ahmed

Partway through the album, the spoken word track “The Internet Is Like Eating Plastic” emerges from the twinkling soundscape. Over sinister, winking synths, Raveena murmurs like she’s dissociated or caught in a dream: “The internet makes me feel far away from my friends… The internet has me stupid and smart at the same time.” As she was writing the album, Raveena traded her iPhone for a flip phone for three months, relying on the radio and buying a GPS to help steer her way across L.A. She wanted to escape “feeling like a robot half the time,” but she also wanted to stop putting pressure on herself to put out the perfect second album. She’d been fixating on other artists’ sophomore records, and the insecurities that came with infinite scroll seemed too unhealthy to adapt to. She’d lived in the New York area for nearly her entire life, and moving to L.A. left her gasping for nature and eager to explore. Over those three, smartphone-less months, she felt her mind expand, her capacity to feel grow. She walked and walked.

These days, she’s back online, promoting her album; she flashes her iPhone at her webcam, tethered to its charger. But she takes comfort in knowing she’s capable of disconnecting and the ego death that comes with letting go. There’s a luxury in feeling small sometimes, tracing your boundaries and barriers. She laughs at the camera, dripping a curtain of hair in front of her face. “I’m just a tiny little bean on a space rock,” she says. “Trying to get through.”

Blues and soul icon Syl Johnson has died, aged 85

Syl Johnson – an icon of the R&B, soul and blues scenes in the 1960s and ‘70s – has died at the age of 85.

Johnson’s family confirmed his passing in a statement to Pitchfork, writing: “It is with extreme sadness that our family announces the passing of Soul & Blues Hall of Fame Legend, Syl Johnson (born Sylvester Thompson in Holly Springs, MS). “Dad, Brother, Grandfather, Great Grandfather, Uncle, Friend & Artist, he lived his life as a singer, musician, and entrepreneur who loved black music.”

Describing him as “fiery, fierce, fighter, always standing for the pursuit of justice as it related to his music and sound”, Johnson’s family continued: “He will truly be missed by all who crossed his path. His catalog and legacy will be remembered as impeccable and a historical blueprint to all who experience it. To his fans around the world, he loved you all. A lover of music and a Chicago icon, Syl Johnson lived his life unapologetically.”

At the time of writing, no cause of death has been confirmed. His death came less than a week after his brother, fellow bluesman Jimmy Johnson, died at 93.

Johnson cut his teeth playing with Magic Sam, a pioneer of the Chicago blues was best known for his tremolo-heavy playing style – Sam was Johnson’s next door neighbour, after the bourgeoning artist and his family moved from Holly Springs, Mississippi in 1950. Throughout the decade, Johnson would sing and play guitar for name like Howlin’ Wolf, Junior Wells and Jimmy Reed, recording with the latter in ’59.

That same year, Johnson made his solo debut with the track ‘Teardrops’, paving the way for a tenure at the legendary Twilight/Twinight label in the mid-1960s. Johnson made his first hit in ’67 with ‘Come On Sock It To Me’, which he followed later that year with ‘Different Strokes’.

Though it didn’t make substantial waves at the time, ‘Different Strokes’ would go on to become one of the sampled tracks in history – at least 330 songs sport elements of the track, according to WhoSampled, including Wu-Tang Clan’s ‘Shame On A N****’, Kanye West and Jay-Z’s ‘The Joy’, Public Enemy’s ‘Fight The Power’ and De La Soul’s ‘The Magic Number’.

1969 saw Johnson mint his biggest hit yet, with ‘Is It Because I’m Black’ peaking at Number 11 on the Billboard R&B Chart. Two years later, Johnson left Twilight/Twinight for Willie Mitchell’s Hi Records, which led to a surge of hit singles across the 1970s. His decade-long tenure with Hi spawned his three biggest hits, ‘We Did It’, ‘Back For A Taste Of Your Love’ and ‘Take Me To The River’, with the latter coming in at Number 7 on the R&B Chart.

Johnson launched his own label, Shama, at the turn of the ‘80s, releasing the eight-track ‘Bring Out The Blues In Me’ record in 1980. He moved to Boardwalk Records for the 1982 release ‘Ms. Fine Brown Fame’, the title track of which marked his last hit single. He’d be semi-retired by the decade’s end, popping up occasionally to perform blues clubs. Mostly, though, his passions had shifted to real estate and seafood restaurants.

After learning that ‘Different Strokes’ had become a staple of hip-hop sampling, Johnson was spurred to make his comeback in the early ‘90s, releasing ‘Back In The Game’ – which featured his youngest daughter, Syleena – in 1994. He was vehemently against sampling, however, and sued several of the artists who’d used elements of his work – including West and Jay-Z – well into the 2010s.

Various Artists Sacred Soul of North Carolina

Watch Dave Gahan showcase new solo material with Soulsavers and perform Depeche Mode classics

Dave Gahan & Soulsavers brought their new album ‘Imposter’ to London’s O2 Shepherds Bush Empire last night (December 7).

• READ MORE: Dave Gahan covers Cat Power, tells us about his “liberating” new album and the future of Depeche Mode

The Depeche Mode frontman and longtime collaborator Rich Machin were joined onstage by a full band and backing singers for the intimate show which saw the covers album performed in full from start to finish.

The performance featured the likes of Cat Power‘s ‘Metal Heart’, PJ Harvey‘s ‘The Desperate Kingdom Of Love’ and Gwen McCrae’s cover of ‘Always On My Mind’, the latter of which you can view below.

Soulja Boy says Kanye West got him kicked off other rappers’ albums

Soulja Boy has said that Kanye West is to blame for his not appearing on albums by other artists.

• READ MORE: Kanye West – ‘DONDA’ review: some gems among lots – and lots – of filler

He and West were involved in a public feud after the release of the latter’s tenth album ‘Donda’ earlier this year. After his contribution was left off the final version of the release, Soulja Boy gave an interview where he called Kanye a “coward”.

West then said the verse was left off because it was “trash”, to which Soulja responded on livestream calling the entirety of the ‘Donda’ trash. Last month, West publicly apologised.

Watch Silk Sonic perform ‘Fly As Me’ and ‘Smokin’ Out The Window’ at the BET Soul Train Awards

Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have continued riding the wave of their collaborative album ‘An Evening With Silk Sonic’ with new grin-inducing performances of ‘Fly As Me’ and ‘Smokin’ Out The Window’.

• READ MORE: Silk Sonic – ‘An Evening With Silk Sonic’ review: an unashamedly retro delight

The newly minted duo Silk Sonic opened the 2021 BET Soul Train Awards with two vintage-influenced live performances, which both took place at the Apollo Theater in New York.

This marks the latest of a string of live appearances the pair have made over the course of the album’s cycle, with Silk Sonic previously taking ‘Smokin’ Out The Window’ to the stage for last week’s American Music Awards.

Listen to Willow’s new ‘Transparent Soul’ remix featuring Kid Cudi

Willow has shared a new remix of ‘Transparent Soul’ featuring Kid Cudi – you can listen to it below.

• READ MORE: The musical evolution of Willow Smith: how a child star became a pop sensation

The pop-punk-inspired single appears on the singer’s fourth studio album, ‘Lately I Feel Everything’, which came out back in July.

Willow’s new take on the track boasts contributions from Cudi and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, the latter of whom appeared on the original track.

Omar Souleyman detained and held on terrorism charges in Turkey

Omar Souleyman has been detained in Turkey and is being held on terrorism charges, according to the Syrian musician’s manager.

According to a report from Agence France-Presse, Souleyman’s manager confirmed that the singer was detained due to alleged associations he has with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The PKK is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union and the United States, and has carried out attacks on Turkish soil in recent years. The musician’s manager added that he was being questioned over allegedly recently travelling back to Syria to an area controlled by PKK-affiliated group, the YPG.

Advertisement

The Syrian-born Souleyman fled with his family to southeastern Turkey over a decade ago, setting up a free bakery in a border town to feed the hungry on both sides of the border.

Souleyman’s most recent album, titled ‘Shlon’, came out in 2019. Reviewing the album, NME wrote: “‘Shlon’ allows Souleyman to lift the curtain into his culture, showing his artistry and why exactly he’s one of the most sought-after producers in the world. To pigeonhole him as a wedding singer is reductive.

“His ear for contrasting sounds, and his ability to bring joy, allows us to escape into his work. He shines a light on happiness – something we desperately need in today’s world.”

Back in 2015, Souleyman pledged to raise funds for refugees seeking to find a new home in Europe at all his future live shows. “All future Omar Souleyman shows dedicate to help Syrian people fleeing to a better life elsewhere,” a statement read.

Souleyman has collaborated with the likes of Damon Albarn, Björk, Four Tet, The Black Lips, Gilles Peterson and Modeselektor in the past.

Dave Gahan announces intimate London performance of new album ‘Imposter’ with Soulsavers

Dave Gahan & Soulsavers have announced an intimate live performance of their new covers album ‘Imposter’ in London next month.

• READ MORE: Dave Gahan covers Cat Power and tells us about his “liberating” new album and the future of Depeche Mode

The Depeche Mode frontman and longtime collaborator Rich Machin will make an appearance for an intimate show at the Coliseum venue on December 5. Tickets, which you can purchase here, go on sale at 9am this Friday (November 12), the same day the record is released.

“To get to play this special album on a stage in front of people, with the same group of musicians who recorded the album, that’s really important to me,” Gahan said. “I’m incredibly excited to present it live.”

Various Artists It’s a Good Good Feeling: The Latin Soul of Fania Records

IDLES make US TV debut with soulful performance of ‘The Beachland Ballroom’

IDLES made their debut appearance on US TV last night to perform ‘The Beachland Ballroom’ – you can watch the video below.

• READ MORE: IDLES: Don’t Go Gentle review: a touching portrait of fandom done right

The Bristol band appeared as the musical guests on yesterday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live (November 3). Joe Talbot and co. played the first ‘Crawler’ single, which they previously described as an “honest-to-goodness soul song”.

IDLES performed live in the studio, with the slow-burning track growing in intensity towards its finale.

Paul McCartney on the woman who inspired ‘Eleanor Rigby’: “Hearing her stories enriched my soul”

Paul McCartney has shared an excerpt from his forthcoming book The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present, in which he remembers the inspiration for one of his best-known Beatles songs, ‘Eleanor Rigby’.

• READ MORE: Paul McCartney: read the exclusive track-by-track story of ‘McCartney III’

Writing about his childhood in Liverpool, McCartney recalled doing chores for local residents during the Scouts’ ‘Bob-a-job week’, during which he met an old lady who would go on to inspire the song.

“Eleanor Rigby is based on an old lady that I got on with very well,” McCartney wrote in an extract published by The New Yorker. “I found out that she lived on her own, so I would go around there and just chat, which is sort of crazy if you think about me being some young Liverpool guy.

Hear Johnny Marr’s new single, “Spirit, Power And Soul”

Lion Babe shares soulful new single, ‘Going Through It’

Lion Babe have shared a soulful new single, ‘Going Through It’ – you can listen to it below.

• READ MORE: 20 essential tracks from the golden age of ’90s hip-hop

The song is taken from the alt-R&B/soul duo’s recently-released album ‘Rainbow Child’, which arrived earlier this month.

The Erykah Badu-inspired track hears front woman Jillian Hervey sing: “I’m going through it, we’re going through it, try not to lose it, we’re gonna do it,” and “we can let it fall away, we can learn from our mistakes, we can find another way…” over a soulful chorus.

Summer Of Soul (… Or When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Talib Kweli confirms De La Soul now own the rights to their masters

Talib Kweli has revealed iconic hip-hop trio De La Soul have acquired the rights to their master recordings following years of disputes.

On Instagram, Kweli shared the news after speaking to De La Soul’s Maseo. The post arrived with an excerpt of a Teen Titans episode originally aired in February, in which De La Soul made a guest appearance.

“After years of being taken advantage by the recording industry in the worst possible ways, De La Soul now owns all the rights to their masters and is in full control of the amazing music they have created,” Kweli wrote on Instagram.

Listen to Bryson Tiller’s soul-stirring new track ‘One Sided’

Bryson Tiller has dropped off a surprise new track, ‘One Sided’ – you can listen to it below.

• READ MORE: Bryson Tiller talks shunning the spotlight and how Kanye West inspired him to pursue his dreams

The Louisville R&B star’s latest track, which is produced by 30Roc, Bass Charity, Hue Strother and DaBlackMic, follows the release of last year’s ‘Anniversary’, Tiller’s third studio album.

Nurturing a broken heart, Tiller sings: “I don’t wanna make no scene, but yes I’m hurting (I’m really hurting now)/ If he swear you wanna be, I guess you deserve him (yes, you deserve him)/ And you don’t need no stress from me, I guess/ I should just leavе, I guess.”

Soulja Boy issued with domestic violence restraining order

Soulja Boy has been issued with a restraining order against a woman who is suing him for alleged sexual assault, battery and more.

The rapper’s domestic violence restraining order, which was detailed in documents obtained by TMZ, gives the claimant protection for three years until July 2024.

The unnamed, alleged victim is the same woman who filed a suit against the rapper, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, in January. She claimed that she was in a relationship with him that developed while working as his personal assistant.

The claimant has accused Cortez Way of sexual assault and battery, false imprisonment, gender violence, infliction of emotional distress as well as failure to pay her minimum wage and for providing a hostile work environment, among other allegations.

A representative for Cortez Way told TMZ earlier this year that he denied those claims: “Soulja would never put his hands on a female. He wouldn’t beat a woman or put his hands on a woman … this is non-sense!!!”

Neither party appeared at the restraining order hearing, with both represented by attorneys.

Soulja Boy has also been accused of sexual battery and domestic abuse by an ex-girlfriend, who alleged that she suffered a miscarriage after a bad beating. Cortez Way has also denied those accusations.

In court documents obtained by Radar earlier this month, Cortez Way’s lawyer wrote: “With respect to all causes of action, even if someone is liable for improper or illegal conduct, a fact which Defendant denies, Defendant is in no way or manner vicariously liable for that conduct.”

Soulja also claimed that any alleged action that his ex had issues with were consented to at the time.

Elsewhere in the documents, Cortez Way claimed the “willful, intentional, deliberate, malicious and fraudulent conduct of others was/were responsible for and proximately contributed to the damages alleged to have been sustained.”

He is asking for the case to be dismissed.

For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.

Janelle Monáe’s Soulful New Single ‘Stronger’ Will Move You To Action

Watch Griff’s soulful live cover of The Weeknd’s ‘Save Your Tears’

Griff delivered her take on The Weeknd‘s ‘Save Your Tears’ during her appearance on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge.

• READ MORE: Griff – meet Britain’s next great pop star

The BRITs Rising Star winner took a soulful, stripped-back approach to the synth-driven original for her performance, which you can watch below.

Elsewhere during her appearance, Griff performed live takes on her January hit ‘Black Hole’ as well as her latest single ‘One Foot In Front Of The Other’.

De La Soul’s back catalogue could soon be available online

De La Soul’s back catalogue could soon be available to stream online.

• READ MORE: Gods of Rap tour: Wu-Tang Clan reign supreme as Public Enemy and De La Soul roll back the years

Tommy Boy Music, the hip-hop and electronic music label which released music from De La Soul, Queen Latifah, House of Pain, Masters of Work and more, has been sold to music rights company Reservoir for £70 million ($100 million).

As reported in Variety, the sale now raises questions about the back catalogue of De La Soul, which has been under dispute due to contract negotiations between the group and Tommy Boy for some years.

Advertisement

A representative from Reservoir subsequently told Variety that the new label ownership wants to bring De La Soul’s back catalogue to streaming platforms.

“We have already reached out to De La Soul and will work together to the bring the catalog and the music back to the fans,” the statement said.

Back in 2019, Tommy Boy revealed plans to put De La Soul’s music online, but this was stopped after the group alleged “unbalanced, unfair terms” relating to the contract. 

The group, made up of Posdnuos, Trugoy and Maseo, took to social media in 2019 to announce that after seven months of “stalled negotiations” with Tommy Boy, they were unable to “reach an agreement and earn Tommy Boy’s respect for our music/legacy.”

“Our [catalogue] will not see the light of day by way of our involvement or consent,” they said at the time.

Advertisement

After the announcement was made about Reservoir buying Tommy Boy yesterday (June 3), De La Soul posted a cryptic update on Instagram, writing: “Woke up feeling a sense of greater peace of mind….”

Of the group’s nine studio albums, six were released through Tommy Boy Records, starting with their classic debut album, ‘3 Feet High and Rising’, and ending with 2001’s ‘AOI: Bionix’.

Watch Jorja Smith deliver a soulful rendition of ‘Bussdown’ for Radio 1’s Big Weekend

Jorja Smith performed a surprisingly intimate set for Radio 1’s Big Weekend on Friday (May 28), including a Shaybo team-up for ‘Bussdown’.

• READ MORE: Jorja Smith – ‘Be Right Back’ review: make yourself at home in this sonic ‘waiting room’

Playing in a colourfully lit BBC Radio Theatre, Smith joined Shaybo – described as packing “sure-fire punchlines that have shown she’s capable of great things to come” in the NME 100 2021 list – as well as a host of musicians and back-up singers to deliver the performance.

Watch her performance of ‘Bussdown’ below:

Tributes paid to deep house producer and “huge inspiration” Soulphiction

The electronic music world has been paying tribute to Michel Baumann, who recorded and performed as both Soulphiction and Jackmate, following reports of his death of Monday (May 24).

The Stuttgart-born DJ, producer and Philpot label co-founder had shared on Facebook that he was beginning chemotherapy treatment in hospital early last month.

Baumann’s career spanned over 20 years, with dozens of releases appearing on labels such as Perlon, Local Talk, Playhouse, UMag and Pampa. His sets were legendary for exploring boogie, hip hop, soul and funk, much of which he discovered in his early days working in a record story, prior to delving deeper into house music.

A fundraising campaign has since been set up to support Baumann’s family – you can donate to the campaign here.

Reports of Baumann’s death began circulating on social media yesterday, with tributes ranging from Defected Records to The Blessed Madonna.

“Truly saddened to wake up to hear about the passing of Michel Baumann aka Soulphiction / Jackmate,” Defected’s Twitter account posted. “An underground house legend… R.I.P.”

The Blessed Madonna praised Baumann as “one of the most consistent, inspiring, thoughtful producers in dance music for a great many years,” while Honey Dijon called him “a huge inspiration”.

“So saddened to hear the passing of Michel Baumann, aka SoulPhiction / Jackmate.. a consistently brilliant artist who’s music we played often that always excited and inspired us to push our own work further,” PBR Streetgang wrote on Twitter. “One of the best truly. Sincere condolences to his family & friends.”

See those tributes and more below.

Truly saddened to wake up to hear about the passing of Michel Baumann aka Soulphiction / Jackmate.

An underground house legend… R.I.P. ? pic.twitter.com/oJc7biUMzr

— Defected Records (@DefectedRecords) May 24, 2021

RIP Michel Baumann (Soulphiction & Jackmate) who was one of the most consistent, inspiring, thoughtful producers in dance music for a great many years.

— TBM (@Blessed_Madonna) May 24, 2021

RIP Soulphiction. Super gutted. A huge inspiration. ?

— Honey Dijon (@HONEYDIJON) May 24, 2021

So saddened to hear the passing of Michel Baumann, aka SoulPhiction / Jackmate.. a consistently brilliant artist who’s music we played often that always excited and inspired us to push our own work further.
One of the best truly.
Sincere condolences to his family & friends ❤️

— PBR Streetgang (@pbrstreetgang) May 24, 2021

Terrible news – Michel Baumann aka Soulphiction / Jackmate has passed. Loved his work.

— Jon Dasilva (@jondasilva) May 24, 2021

This one hurts. We lost a great one @soulphiction_official . Humble and prolific with a unique touch. Truly one of my favorite producers. Eternally grateful for your music. https://t.co/QeccdjNiIl

— Fred Everything (@fredeverything) May 23, 2021

RIP Soulphiction.
This was 1 of my favorite albums of yours ?? pic.twitter.com/5uCjxKfxwF

— kid Fonque (@KidFonque) May 24, 2021

RIP Michel Baumann aka Soulphiction. Whatever it was, he had it https://t.co/r06WMzHHql

— Ghostly (@ghostly) May 25, 2021

Bow Wow and Soulja Boy say their upcoming Verzuz battle is “bigger than life”

Bow Wow and Soulja Boy have teased their upcoming Verzuz battle, saying that the competition is going to be “bigger than life”.

• READ MORE: Timbaland and Swizz Beatz on ‘Verzuz’ battle series: “We want to celebrate the architects of good music”

Verzuz is the popular entertainment series that pits producers, songwriters and artists against each other in a rap battle style format on Instagram Live and Triller.

Competitors take it in turns playing a song from a list of 20 from their discography, as fans, friends and fellow artists watch on. A winner is later decided by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz.

Soulja Boy sued by ex-partner alleging sexual and physical abuse

Soulja Boy is being sued for domestic violence, assault, and sexual battery, among other charges, by a former romantic partner.

According to reports by Rolling Stone, USA Today and NBC News, the rapper – real name DeAndre Cortez Way – has been accused of punching and hitting the plaintiff, who is only identified as Jane Doe. The lawsuit alleges that Way assaulted Jane Doe when she was pregnant, and she later miscarried. Way also allegedly coerced her into sex through threats of violence.

Representatives for Soulja Boy have not responded to NME’s requests for comment.

Several instances of alleged abuse were detailed in the lawsuit, which was reportedly filed in civil court in Los Angeles on Tuesday (May 11). At the start of the reported incidences, Way allegedly “[punched the] plaintiff in the face and chest, until she could no longer stand on her feet” after becoming angry during a conversation. Afterward, she suffered a miscarriage and had to “undergo a dilation and curettage procedure to remove her uterine lining”.

In another incident, Way allegedly “became upset and ran to Plaintiff’s bed, stood over her and began to physically attack and yell at her”, which was caught on cameras.

Elsewhere the lawsuit accuses Way of threatening the plaintiff’s life, at least one time with a gun, physical assault “if she refused his sexual demands” and punching and kicking her when she would confront him about cheating on her.

The last alleged incident took place when Way, the lawsuit claims, “tightly gripped [her] neck and choked her while threatening her life” after trying to rekindle the relationship and being refused by the plaintiff.

The plaintiff is seeking general, special and punitive damages based on domestic violence, negligence, sexual battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress and gender violence.

“Our client is fortunate she was able to escape Way’s reign of terror and domestic abuse. Still, she struggles to rebuild her life as she deals with the stress, fear and humiliation she continues to suffer from the years she remained Way’s emotional and mental captive,” the plaintiff’s lawyer, Neama Rahmani, said in a statement.

Rahmani is also representing another woman who previously worked as Soulja Boy’s personal assistant and earlier this year sued him for sexual assault. Soulja Boy denied those allegations in a statement to TMZ. “I vehemently and unequivocally deny these allegations,” he said. “I am in contact with my legal team and the appropriate legal action will be taken against these lies.”

A year prior, Soulja Boy was accused of assaulting another woman.

For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.

Soulwax launch new online TV channel Deewee Teevee

Soulwax have created their own online TV show – watch the first episode of Deewee Teevee below.

The new show is named after the Belgian dance duo’s own label Deewee, and labels itself as “an audio & video broadcasting service”.

• READ MORE: Soulwax talk new single ‘Empty Dancefloor’: “We miss that emotion of making people lose their minds”

Created alongside directors Ill-Studio, Deewee Teevee is described as a “post television television programme that only exists when being watched”.

Listen to Little Simz’ soulful new single ‘Woman’ featuring Cleo Sol

Little Simz has shared a new track called ‘Woman’ – you can listen to it below.

• The NME Big Read: Little Simz: “People expect Black people to have all the answers”

The song, which also features Cleo Sol, is the second to be showcased off the London rapper’s upcoming fourth album, ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’.

Following on from the politically charged ‘Introvert’, Simz’ latest single is described as “a soulful love letter to women around the world”.

Klaxons’ James Righton shares Soulwax-assisted new single ‘Release Party’

Former Klaxons member James Righton has shared a new single called ‘Release Party’ – you can listen to it below.

• READ MORE: Charlotte Adigéry’s Soulwax-produced EP is a celebratory and thumping delight

The musician, who’s previously worked on music under his Shock Machine moniker, released his debut album ‘The Performer’ via Soulwax‘s DEEWEE label last March.

Righton has now shared a new track that will feature on DEEWEE’s new compilation ‘Foundations’, which arrives this Friday (May 7). It also serves as the first taste of Righton’s upcoming second record.

Snoop Dogg pays emotional tribute to DMX: “His soul and music will live on”

Snoop Dogg has paid an emotional tribute to his late friend and fellow rapper DMX after his death.

The hip-hop icon died last week (April 9) after being hospitalised on April 3 following a heart attack.

• READ MORE: DMX, 1970 – 2021: hip-hop giant who shone brightest in the darkness

Appearing on the Today show, Snoop paid an emotional tribute to DMX, likening him to an angel.

“I’d like to say that DMX was wanting to glorify his relationship with God, and he was always pushing the right thing, and he was always trying to help other people,” he said in a brief clip that was released yesterday (April 12).

“And that leads me to believe that’s why God chose His angel to come back home with him. He did his time out here.

“He did what he was supposed to do. He influenced, he inspired and he represented. So, DMX, his soul will live on and his music will live on, as well. We thank you, brother, for what you brought to us.”

Snoop added: “He was funny. He loved old-school music. He loved old-school cars. And when I say he loved old-school music, he loved old-school music and gospel music, probably more than rap music. And that’s what people didn’t know,.

“But if you listen to him talk and you listen to what he testify and what he’s always giving up, it’s either that R&B or the gospel music that always pushed the message behind DMX.”

Last weekend also saw fans remembering the pair’s classic Verzuz battle, which took place last year.

It is believed that DMX had been busy working on his much anticipated comeback album, the proper follow-up to 2012’s ‘Undisputed’.

Speaking in a number of recent interviews, DMX revealed that the album would include features from Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys, Usher, several members of the Griselda crew, and the late Pop Smoke.

In February, he also announced that he had a collaboration with U2’s Bono on the way called ‘Skyscrapers’.

BTS Shine Through The Grammys With ‘A Little Funk And Soul’

Emotional Oranges team up with Biig Piig on dreamy new track ‘Body & Soul’

Los Angeles duo Emotional Oranges have shared a new track featuring Biig Piig – listen to ‘Body & Soul’ below.

• Read more: “We’re going to be the biggest band in the world” – Meet Emotional Oranges, the Kanye-approved R&B collective

The track, which is the latest preview of the pair’s upcoming project ‘Juicebox’, follows recent singles ‘All That’ featuring Channel Tres and ‘Bonafide’ with Chiiild.

Featuring fellow fast riser Biig Piig (real name Jess Smyth), ‘Body & Soul’ is a hip-hop influenced R&B cut that the group have described as being full of “feel good, carefree energy”.

Watch De La Soul guest on superhero cartoon ‘Teen Titans Go!’

De La Soul have made a guest appearance in a new episode of the animated series Teen Titans Go!.

The rap trio appeared as characters in the latest instalment of the superhero cartoon, which aired on Cartoon Network earlier today (February 20).

• READ MORE: Gods of Rap tour: Wu-Tang Clan reign supreme as Public Enemy and De La Soul roll back the years

In the episode, the group come face-to-face with a monster who steals their music, despite their efforts to defeat it with a “sonic blast” – or sound waves amplified by a bazooka.

Listen to Soulwax’s new remix of Fontaines D.C.’s ‘A Hero’s Death’

Soulwax have shared their remix of Fontaines D.C.’s ‘A Hero’s Death’ – you can listen to the duo’s new reworking of the Fontaines track below.

The original song is the title track from the Dublin band’s second album, which was released back in July.

• Read more: Soulwax talk new single ‘Empty Dancefloor’: “We miss that emotion of making people lose their minds”

Soulwax have turned their attention to ‘A Hero’s Death’ with their latest remix, with the Dewaele brothers saying in a statement about the track: “Whatever the part of the brain is that sparks the idea for a remix when you hear a great song, even though it doesn’t always work, it was definitely fully functional when we heard ‘A Hero’s Death’.”

Kiss’ Paul Stanley previews debut Soul Station album with ‘O-o-h Child’ cover

Kiss vocalist Paul Stanley has shared the first taste of ‘Now And Then’, the debut album by his side project Soul Station.

‘O-o-h Child’, a cover of the Five Stairsteps’ 1970 hit, is one of nine covers on the forthcoming album that also comes with five originals. ‘Now And Then’ is released on March 5 via UMe.

Paul Stanley’s Soul Station is a 15-piece ensemble band led by Stanley on vocals. They’ve been active on the live circuit since 2015 but haven’t yet released an album.

Listen to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ new soundtrack for Disney/Pixar film ‘Soul’

Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross have shared their new score for upcoming Disney/Pixar film Soul – listen in full below.

The film comes to cinemas on Christmas Day, but the soundtrack has been given a digital and vinyl release a week prior (December 18).

• READ MORE: The roots of… Nine Inch Nails

Reznor and Ross have shared a handful of new soundtrack work across 2020. First, they scored the new Watchmen TV series, which they released the soundtrack for in three parts. Then last month, they reconnected with David Fincher to score Mank, after previously working with the director on The Social Network, Gone Girl and more.

Blossoms reveal new animated short film for ‘Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose)’

Blossoms have unveiled a new, animated short film, Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose). You can watch it below.

• Read More: Blossoms live in London: indie heroes get up close and personal with virtual reality gig

Released yesterday (December 11), the short film was created by Edwin Burdis and animated by Astrid Goldsmith of Mock Duck Studios.

As well as vocal appearances from Blossoms, the film also includes appearances from Manchester musician Rowetta and comedian Lloyd Griffith. Writing on Twitter, Rowetta said: “Really enjoyed being a part of the gorgeous Blossoms’ short film.”

Watch Moses Sumney’s captivating performance of ‘Bless Me’ at 2020 Soul Train Awards

Moses Sumney gave a captivating performance of his song ‘Bless Me’ at the 2020 Soul Train Awards over the weekend.

The track originally appeared on Sumney’s latest album ‘græ’, which arrived earlier this year.

• Read more: Moses Sumney on resisting definition and new album ‘græ’: “My identity is a kind of patchwork”

The Asheville-based artist was invited to appear at the annual event, which aired on Black Entertainment Television in the US last night (November 29).

Top Dawg teases video shoot and fans think it’s for Kendrick Lamar, SZA or Ab-Soul

Top Dawg Entertainment’s Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith has got fans speculating that a new video from either Kendrick Lamar, SZA or Ab-Soul could be on the way.

• Read more: Kendrick Lamar – ‘DAMN.’ review

The CEO posted an Instagram Story yesterday (November 26) that appeared to show a film crew wrapping up a video shoot. As people applauded a voice could be heard in the background congratulating everyone on set.

Top Dawg captioned the clip: “IT’S A WRAP! GOOD JOB…”

Soulwax to re-release new digital edition of ‘Nite Versions’ for its 15th anniversary

Soulwax are set to re-release a new digital version of ‘Nite Versions’ for the album’s 15th anniversary.

Originally released in 2005, ‘Nite Versions’ is a collection of remixes of songs from 2004’s ‘Any Minute Now.’ The 15-year anniversary re-release will be available digitally from November 27 via PIAS. A special re-pressing on pink and white vinyl is also set to “follow shortly” according to a press release.

The re-release will include a new digital re-working of ‘NY Lips’ which will feature a spoken word performance by LCD Soundsystem’s Nancy Wang.

Listen to Blossoms’ festive double A-side ‘Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose)’/’It’s Going To Be A Cold Winter’

Blossoms are getting ready for the festive season by releasing new double A-side, ‘Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose)’/’It’s Going To Be A Cold Winter’. Check out the two new songs below.

• On the cover – Blossoms: “We might be uncool, but so are ABBA and everyone loves them”

Having teased the release yesterday, looking ahead to the yuletide songs they wrote “on the hottest day of the year” back in summer, now the two new songs have arrived on streaming before coming out on a limited edition, 7-inch vinyl single on December 11.

Featuring their hometown’s Stockport Junior Voices Choir and with artwork by The Coral‘s James Skelly, ‘Christmas Eve (Soul Purpose)’ was produced by Skelly and Rich Turvey and recorded between Parr Street Studios, Liverpool and Hitsville Stockport – where the band themselves recorded and produced ‘It’s Going To Be A Cold Winter’.

Leslie Odom Jr. on playing soul legend Sam Cooke: “I’ve been a fan my whole life”

Leslie Odom Jr. has spoken about the challenge of portraying Sam Cooke on the big screen in the forthcoming film One Night In Miami.

Directed by If Beale Street Could Talk star Regina King in what is her directorial debut, the film is a cinematic adaptation of Kemp Powers’ 2013 play which imagines a meeting between Cooke, Malcolm X, Cassius Clay and American footballer Jim Brown during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

• Read more: One Night In Miami review: four Black icons meet at America’s cultural crossroads

Speaking to NME about how he prepared for his role in One Night In Miami, Hamilton star Odom Jr. explained that he’d “been a fan of Cooke my whole life” and that his music remains “omnipresent”.

Advertisement

“There’s never a time that I don’t remember ‘Chain Gang’ or ‘You Send Me’,” he said. “As I introduce my three-year-old to my music, what I hope for is the day that she goes to discover these artists on her own. I’m just exposing her to it, introducing her to it, but I long for the day she goes and digs in the crates and discovers the music and the albums for herself.

“That’s what happened for me with Sam Cooke: I heard a cover of ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’, and there’s power in the lyrics and melody even when he’s not singing it. But that sent me on the path to looking for the original, and so I discovered the Sam Cooke version. It was on loop for years after that! So you can imagine how daunting it was knowing that in this film I’d have to attempt singing it myself.”

Odom Jr. said he was “grateful” to King for how she planned the shooting of the film, given that he finished filming One Night In Miami just as the coronavirus pandemic shut down the vast majority of film production in the US back in March.

“[Cooke] was as close as he was gonna get to me by then, you know? I had really drawn him closer and closer throughout the shooting of the film, so I was the most full of Sam that I was gonna be on the day that we shot the ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ scene,” he explained.

Advertisement

Odom Jr. explained that he was drawn to the project by Powers’ ambition to hold “a private conversation publicly” with the cinematic adaptation of his play.

“I recognised Kemp’s desire to do a scary thing, a dangerous thing, an exciting thing: having a private conversation publicly,” he said. “It’s daring because it is pulling back the curtain; knocking down the fourth wall, if you will. It’s what this thing, this acting or performing thing, is supposed to be about, but it’s still very rare that I’ve been given the opportunity to do that.

“We can set aside for a moment that these are going to be portrayals of legends, as this is possibly a side of them that you’ve never considered and you’ve never looked at. So set that aside and look beyond that, I think the exciting thing — I speak for myself here — was to have a private conversation publicly.”

One Night In Miami, starring Leslie Odom Jr. has yet to receive an official UK release date.

Advertisement

The Mountain Goats share soulful new single ‘Get Famous’

The Mountain Goats have shared ‘Get Famous’, the second single from their forthcoming 19th album ‘Getting Into Knives’.

The new “anti-fame” song is a soulful turn, fleshed out by horns and vintage organ, and references the late Chicago outsider musician Wesley Willis (“Wesley Willis told me how to write about you“).

In a press statement, frontman John Darnielle said, “If I told you all how much fun we had making this one you wouldn’t even believe me, but we hope it comes through.”

Listen to Soulwax’s thumping new remix of Róisín Murphy’s ‘Something More’

Soulwax have shared a new remix of Róisín Murphy – hear their version of ‘Something More’ below.

The original version of the track appears on Murphy’s upcoming album ‘Róisín Machine’, which will come out later this month (September 25).

• Read more: Does Rock ‘N’ Roll Kill Braincells?! – Róisín Murphy

The new remix nudges ‘Something More’ towards the dancefloor, adding the Belgian dance duo’s trademark touch.

Adele praises self-help book for changing her life: “It will make your soul scream”

Adele has praised a self-help book for helping change her outlook on life.

Posting on Instagram, she praised Glennon Doyle’s Untamed: stop pleasing, start living and said it had helped her to find herself and “let go”.

Sharing an image of the book’s cover on Instagram, the singer wrote: “If you’re ready – this book will shake your brain and make your soul scream. I am so ready for myself after reading this book! It’s as if I just flew into my body for the very first time.

Jessie Ware shares huge new single ‘Soul Control’

Jessie Ware releases new album ‘What’s Your Pleasure?’ tomorrow (June 26), and has shared another new song from it.

The huge, poppy ‘Soul Control’ is the latest preview of the record, which was due out last week (June 19), but was delayed a week in solidarity with Black Lives Matter protests happening across the globe.

• Read more: Jessie Ware – ‘What’s Your Pleasure?’ review: future-facing production and heady ’80s sounds

Announcing that she was pushing the album – which was due to come out on US holiday Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in the country – back, Ware said: “It’s been brought to my attention that June 19 is in fact a special date in American history.

Manic Street Preachers share trailer for “raw” ‘Gold Against The Soul’ live film ‘Pieces Of Sleep’

Manic Street Preachers have shared the trailer for their new concert film ‘Pieces Of Sleep’. See it first on NME below, along with our interview with director Kieran Evans.

To celebrate the recent reissue of their second album ‘Gold Against The Soul’, the band will soon be releasing a concert movie from the era filmed on their 1993 tour of Japan. The film will be released on Youtube tomorrow, and is the latest to be made with the band’s longtime collaborator and BAFTA-winning director Kieran Evans – who also directed their acclaimed Be Pure, Be Vigilant Behave capturing of their ‘Holy Bible’ anniversary tour, and films to celebrate their classic albums ‘Everything Must Go’, ‘This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours‘ and ‘Generation Terrorists’.

“This new one started with Wire giving me a plastic bag of old DVDs and VHS tapes, featuring all of the rushes from their Japanese tour in 1993,” Evans told NME. “I had a little rummage around and found loads of live footage. There was a rawness and an immediacy to the performances and the crowd. It was Manicmania. It reminded of the no-holds barred energy of the early days of the Manics were people really lost themselves to them.

Advertisement

“A few of these Japanese kids in the film are seriously losing it. I was actually quite worried about them!”

Piecing together some never-seen-before footage from the band’s eight dates on their ’93 tour as well as backstage and interview clips, the film is fictionally narrated in the style of one of the many hardcore fans that followed the band around on the tour. Evans said that this all adds up to create a very “DIY intensity”.

“It’s very reflective of the times,” said Evans. “We deliberately chose to use just the camcorder footage and sound. If we were to overdub it, you’d lose the energy and sense of being there. The footage makes you really feel like you’re part of the crowd. It fucks with everything you’ve been taught about the hi-def everything of today.

“I recently went on a Japanese tour with the band and was just struck by the loyalty of the fans. I love how people write in that reflective Japanese style with minimal dialogue in the style of Beat Tekashi. I started writing a weird diary that could link the clips together, rather than just crashing from one performance to another. It’s laced with melancholy and the idea of trying to hold on to memories that are slowly disappearing.”

Advertisement

Asked about what it captures of the spirit of the band at the time, Evans replied: “You can see that they were very much enjoying it. Even though they didn’t sell 16million copies of ‘Generation Terrorists’ and split up straight away like they promised, they were still committed to a cause. You can see that they still loved being a band. Nothing was holding them back – especially on stage. There was plenty of life left in them. In James’ performance, you can see him leaning towards the style of ‘The Holy Bible’ with ‘Faster’ waiting to burst out him.”

Evans also admitted that there was a “sadness and responsibility” that came with handling never-before-seen footage of guitarist and lyricist Richey Edwards, who disappeared in 1995 and has since been legally declared dead.

“The sadness obviously comes from watching Richey perform and seeing him offstage behind the scenes, knowing what you know with him not being here now,” Evans told NME. “It reminds you about the gap and the hole in the band, as well as his contribution.”

He added: “It was really something to go through it all and see Richey for the first time in a long time. It took me a while to deal with that really because I was dealing with footage of him that had never been seen before and I felt like there was a responsibility on my shoulders to portray him in a sympathetic way. Just watching them as a four-piece and seeing Richey on the left-hand side as quite a visceral part of it all is amazing.”

Manic Street Preachers’ reissue of ‘Gold Against The Soul’ is out now. They are currently set to play two free shows for the NHS in Cardiff this December.

The Manics also revealed they’re working on the follow-up to 2018’s acclaimed ‘Resistance Is Futile‘ with bassist Nicky Wire telling NME that the record was sounding “expansive” and would be due in 2021, while frontman James Dean Bradfield prepares to release a solo album this summer.

Next year, the band also have stadium support shows booked with The Killers before heading to Scandinavia with Green Day.

Advertisement

Grimes Plans To Sell Her Soul For "Best Offer" In Art Exhibit

Grimes is showcasing her art for her “Selling Out” exhibit, and one major item is for sale: Her soul.

Affion Crockett Reminisces On His Days As a "Soul Train" Dancer

Affion Crockett is known as a comedic movie star, but in the early stages of his career, he was a “Soul Train” dancer for three years.

R&B & Soul Icon Betty Wright Dies At 66

Soul and R&B star Betty Wright has passed away.

Fabolous Uploads "The Soul Tape" On SoundCloud

On the ninth anniversary of “The Soul Tape,” Fabolous has come through with a special treat for the loyal fans.

Rapsody Declares Ab-Soul To Be A "God MC"

The old adage of “real recognize real” holds true once again as Rapsody shows some love to Ab-Soul.

From Tennis Player To Soul Artist: French Singer Lomijoh Shares The Recipe For Her Hit New Single

Hi Lomijoh, welcome to New Hit Singles! Where are you from? Where are you currently based? 

I grew up in Paris, I’m half Cameroonian/Belgian and French cause I’m born there. Currently, I live in New York, I’m based there, the city of my heart.

We are in love with your smooth soul sound! Is your new hit single “Don’t Let It Go” based on your own experience? 

I’m delighted that you love it. Yes definitely, after a break up I turned this experience into a self mind development and introspection about what a relationship is. To resume, for me even if things turn complicated by external factors we should keep our love previously no matter what if it is really important and not throw it away at the first wall. 

Rumor has it that you are about to release a new track? Can you tell us a bit about it? How will it be different from your debut single?

Yes, end of April I’m releasing my first rap single. You know as a human being I have different emotions and I’m full of contradictions too I can be sensitive but savage too. It’s my personality so it is important for me to transcribe my rap trap hip hop influences in my music too. I wanted a rap song that can empower women too while having fun and dancing and I really think I reached my goal. 

We have heard that you are also a model and a professional tennis player, how did you end up in the music industry? 

Yes, I was a pro tennis player until my 17s then I stopped and started modeling. For me it’s not “ ending up because before tennis I used to do and learn the piano, I had a teacher etc and I was writing little songs too. In my mindset, I didn’t take it very approachable so I chose another way but apparently what is destined to you can come back to you without really expecting it like a boomerang. So it’s more a continuation. 

What are three things that inspire you as a musician?

People. Emotions. Energy. 

What do you currently listen to? What’s your favorite music genre to vibe with? 

I put on repeat “No Idea” by Don Toliver. I love every kind of music. It really depends on my mood and feeling of the day. For example, if I want to dance and feeling that vibe I’m listing Hip hop and Afro beats. If I’m feeling a little bit moody I’m going to listen to RNB SOUL music. If I want to feel the quietness and focused on my energy I listen to classical music. For a chill vibe, I’m listing Jazz and if I don’t know how I’m feeling I’m listening to rock ahah. 

What’s your recipe for a hit single?  

I think there is no recipe we have to trust our heart feelings and being happy about what we worked on because self consideration is the most important and will attract consideration. 

If not music, then what? 

Then music in another life!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-fPRtKlkXm/

Jamie Foxx Stars As Musician Looking For His Big Break In Pixar’s "Soul" Trailer

Jamie Foxx makes history as the main character in Pixar’s first black-led animation film, and the studio recently shared the film’s full trailer.

Soulja Boy Has Tripled Soap Company Profits, Helps Youth Programs

Soulja Boy surprised fans when he recently shared he has a news soap company, but it’s reportedly doing well and even benefits youth programs.

Soulja Boy Is Selling Dish Detergent Now: "Everybody Needs Soap"

Soulja Boy is now selling dish detergent, and his logic for this questionable business venture is airtight: “Everybody needs soap.”

Soulja Boy Shouts Out Tyga & Drake On "The Breakfast Club"

After experiencing the biggest comeback of 2019, Soulja Boy returns to The Breakfast Club and speaks on Drake, Tyga, and more.

Soulja Boy’s New Look On Display

Soulja Boy grew out his hair and debuted a new look after his release from jail.

Boosie BadAzz Got Mistaken For Soulja Boy At The Mall

A pair of young fans got Boosie BadAzz super hot after they accidentally got him mixed up with Soulja Boy while shopping in the mall recently.

Soulja Boy Returns To Instagram With A New Look

Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em is back on Instagram as a brand new man.

Soulja Boy Accused Of Viciously Beating & Tying Up Woman In Lawsuit

She claims she was left with fractured ribs and a facial contusion.

K. Michelle Says "New R&B [Artists’]" Music "Has No Soul & [It’s] Boring"

She admitted that there were some good singles, but the albums were lacking.

DaBaby On Social Media: "Lost Souls Influenced By Lost Souls"

DaBaby weighs the pros and cons of him using social media.

HYUNJUN’s New Release “Backseat” Captivates Listeners

Rising South Korean sensation HYUNJUN is the latest pop phenomenon to hit with his new single "Backseat." With his infectious and soulful voice and a mix of memorable pop songs, HYUNJUN continues to captivate audiences both nationally and abroad. After tasting success with a K-pop band, HYUNJUN went solo with his eyes set on musical freedom and a new creative direction.

The journey has not been without challenges—an ankle injury even sidelined him for a bit. But while off his feet, it reignited his love for music and gave him new energy to chase his solo career. Working with sleeves rolled up, not only for singing but in all aspects of music production, gave him that just-right amount of confidence and control over his art.

Heavy on experiential music writing, fans are sure that the song will reach them at an emotional level. Best expressed on the track "Backseat," which paints new love as a whirlwind, "Backseat" offers an amazing lyrical view of the beginning of romance, touching upon the excitement and anticipation that can come with it. Lyrics like "You, me, kissing on the backseat / We got something like a movie" perfectly describe the consuming sensation of falling in love. No wonder this melodic-yet-fiery ball of romance is quickly becoming a favorite on American radio and digital streaming platforms.

HYUNJUN’s music style, although entrenched in the roots of K-pop, defies genre; he fills his music with pop sensibilities because he wishes to create a sound that appeals to a broad fan base. His most recent premiere on the influential music platform Culture adds another important point to his career, as he has been gaining more fans and influence. In speaking to the inspiration behind "Backseat," HYUNJUN shared, "This song is about the magic of new love and how thrilling it can be. I really hope it resonates with listeners and brings back memories of their own experiences."

HYUNJUN is poised to do even more great things with his devotion and talent. The thing that sets him apart is how authentic and connected he is. With growth and maturity, HYUNJUN will undeniably have a bigger impact on the global music scene.

Experience “Backseat” below:

GRAIVE Unveils Deeply Personal New Single “Nothing New”

Hailing from the small town of Ocala, Florida, GRAIVE now calls Los Angeles home as she begins to speak with her voice of music. Today, with the new single “Nothing New,” she follows that template of taking her own experiences and putting them into something stirring.

After some early success as a producer, GRAIVE quickly changed her lane toward singing and songwriting. This switch bore immediate fruit with the release of her first-ever track, “Can’t Stop,” and within minutes, she had inked her first deal with CMG. GRAIVE’s music is based on raw emotion and tales from her life, to which many can relate.

“Nothing New” speaks to the frustration of giving oneself to somebody who isn’t giving back that effort. GRAIVE uses her soulful vocals and heartfelt lyrics to paint a story that mostly everyone can relate to, giving its audience a moment to think about how they feel about their experiences with their self-worth. GRAIVE shares, “This song was inspired by nonstop trying for someone who just does not put in the same effort yet expects you to be there at their convenience. It’s about never feeling surprised by their actions because you’re always met with empty promises. Hence, that’s ‘nothing new.’ I hope my listeners feel a sense of empowerment when listening to this track and that it inspires those who can relate to not take that type of treatment from the person they love.”

The journey from Ocala to Los Angeles has been one of personal and, above all, musical growth for her. It is through her music that GRAIVE lets her experience flow to her audience. Her songs resonate with nothing but rawness and an intention to connect people with similar emotions or experiences.

“Nothing New” is now available on all major streaming platforms. The release just goes on to prove that GRAIVE has been more than dedicated to putting out music that entertains but also comforts and empowers her listeners. Its tune and message make “Nothing New” a favorite among fans and newcomers alike.

Keep up with all things GRAIVE through her website and social media. The thing that will ultimately make her one to watch over the next few years is the fact that she keeps on with her tireless work and music that speaks to people in a way that only the best can capture.

Listen to GRAIVE’s “Nothing New” here:

Introducing the latest Ultimate Music Guide: Black Sabbath

Our latest Deluxe, 148-page edition

It is, the internet tells me, shortly after Christmas 1987, and a few friends and I are huddled in a chilly corner of a pub in London’s Soho. We are here for various reasons. For one, we know that they serve pints of bitter even to self-evidently underage customers like us. For another, hard rock lore suggests that this is a spot we might run into Lemmy – surely an encounter to delight all parties equally. The main reason we’re there, though, is to find consolation after grave disappointment. We have failed to phone ahead before travelling from the provinces, and so have only within the last hour learned that the Black Sabbath show at Hammersmith Odeon we hoped to witness this evening has been cancelled. 

As you’ll read in this new 148-page deluxe edition of our Ultimate Music Guide to Black Sabbath, we certainly weren’t the only people to have been wrongfooted by Black Sabbath in the 1980s. In a new interview for the magazine, Tony Iommi launches a new box set which attempts to find some continuity in this era of the band, and explains some of what was going on in an era which was confusingly both post-Ozzy and post-Dio, but also post-Gillan, pre-Dio and pre-Ozzy.

Mdou Moctar Funeral For Justice

Framed answer today here’s the solution for May 1

Vampire Weekend Only God Was Above Us

Cleverness gets you only so far in life, and its limits become clearer with age. Vampire Weekend’s first album in roughly five years deals with that kind of reckoning. Its opening line: “Fuck the world” – spoken in context of a lovers’ sparring match, a geo-political negotiation, maybe both. Ezra Koenig’s vocals are dirty with distortion, draped in coiled feedback, and they build to a panic attack of galloping drums, presto orchestral strings and guitar squeals amid talk of soldiers, police, war and weaponised language. The song, “Ice Cream Piano” (note the “I scream” homophone), is bunker-mentality neorealism, and quite a way from the scenes of privileged youth “in the colours of Benetton” on the band’s 2008 debut, blithely spilling kefir on an accessorising keffiyeh and second-guessing last night’s hookup en route to class.

ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE NEW UNCUT, FEATURING AN EXCLUSIVE DAVID GILMOUR INTERVIEW AND A FREE CAN CD!

Fair enough: Vampire Weekend are nearly 20 years in, and these are dark times. Gone too is the wistfully upbeat jam-band vibe of 2019’s Father Of The Bride, an impressive pivot after the departure of co-founder Rostam Batmanglij, long on laidback guitar spirals, pedal steel sparkles, Danielle Haim vocals and their trademark boutique internationalism. By comparison, Only God Was Above Us is off its meds – grimier, sonically and spiritually; more compressed, more stressed. Lyrically, conflict is everywhere, and nothing is stable.

Glastonbury announce full 2024 line-up for West Holts stage

Glastonbury has shared details about its 2024 West Holts stage line-up, including a host of new names such as Nia Archives and 47soul. Check it out below.

The iconic Worthy Farm festival shared its official 2024 line-up for Glastonbury last month– with Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA confirmed as headlining the iconic Pyramid Stage this summer, while Shania Twain performs in the legends slot on the Sunday.

In the time since that main announcement, the organisers have begun counting down the weeks to this year’s edition by gradually announcing the artists playing at other stages around the site. This kicked off earlier this month with news of the artists set to headline the Acoustic Stage, followed by details on those who have joined the Field Of Avalon line-up and details on the 2024 Shangri-La area line-up, including a host of new names such as Kneecap, Bob Vylan and Lambrini Girls.

Check out the 2024 line-up poster for Glastonbury’s “outernational rhythm hub”, the ever-amazing @WestHoltsGlasto pic.twitter.com/2QjYM1gmOs

— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) April 26, 2024

Advertisement

Now, further details about the West Holts stage have been announced on Glastonbury’s official X/Twitter page. Previously announced Jungle, Jessie Ware and Justice are set to headline the stage with acts such as Danny Brown, Black Pumas, Britany Howard, Sugababes, Squid and more set to perform.

Along with Archives and 47Soul, new names such as Alogte Oho and His Sounds of Joy, Balming Tiger, The Skatalites, Jalen Ngonda and Matthew Halsall have joined the bill.

In other news, a stage called Nomad has also recently had its line-up revealed on X, an area described as “a place to unite and take up space, dedicated to performing the under-represented in festival culture. A Safe(r) space where alternative communities come together through a shared vision of the future.”

Recommended

Artists performing here include Benzo, Devolicious, Indy Rivers, Lea Lea, Pxssy Palace, Sippin’ T and Swana Collective.

Elsewhere, Fat Tony, Lil C, Gucci Girl, Architect, Blanco, Tina Edwards and Miss Mash will perform on Platform 23, while the Sistxrhood stage will feature appearances from Bexx, Ladygrey, Absolutely Flawless, Marla Kether, Sista Selecta, Vxrgo and many more.

A new ‘Arrivals’ stage will also be integrated into the 2024 edition of Glastonbury, its first dedicated South Asian space. The line-up for the stage includes 4resh, Angel D’Lite, Baalti, Bobby Friction, Daytimers, Gracie T, Pxssy Palace, Zeemuffin, Mamu and more.

Advertisement

With the Fields Of Avalon announcement earlier this month, Caity Baser, Frank Turner, Skindred and Lulu were all added to the bill, with the performance from the latter marking the last ever live show by the singer.

The Acoustic Stage was confirmed just days before that, and is set to see Scouting For Girls, Stornoway, Ocean Colour Scene, Angie McMahon, and Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ cover band, Red Hot Chilli Pipers perform, as well as Russell Crowe’s Indoor Garden Party. The latter that particularly caught the attention of festival-goers, with many taking to social media to share their thoughts on the Gladiator actor being added to the bill.

More artists set to perform at other stages around the festival site are set to be announced in the run-up to this year’s event. You can check out the full line-up and all individual stage and area splits so far for Glastonbury 2024 here.

Earlier this month, it was reported that this year’s edition has seen the “highest percentage of ticket balances paid ever”, meaning there will be “very limited” tickets available in the re-sale. The re-sale began last night (April 18) with ticket and coach travel packages selling out in under 20 minutes.

In other Glastonbury news, the eight finalists for the festival’s Emerging Talent Competition were recently announced.

Aurelance Rises with “Goodbye”

Aurelance, a name poised to leave an indelible mark on the music scene, has arrived with his latest single, “Goodbye.” This poignant ballad transcends the realm of a typical breakup song, instead offering a powerful exploration of self-discovery and emotional resilience.

Aurelance, fueled by a deep-seated passion for storytelling, weaves introspective lyrics with dynamic production in “Goodbye.” The track opens with a melancholic plea, a desire to cling to the solace of dreams rather than face the harsh reality of a failing relationship. Lines like “I was always a different kind / Proceed with caution / Try to change me you’ll run out of time” establish Aurelance’s unwavering commitment to his individuality.

The song pulsates with a steady beat, laying the foundation for Aurelance’s soulful vocals. As the chorus unfolds, a transformation occurs. “Goodbye” sheds its melancholic cloak, morphing into an anthem of empowerment. Aurelance demands “substance” and “soul,” a stark contrast to the emptiness of the past relationship. The lyrics resonate with a yearning for something deeper, a connection that transcends fleeting passion.

The bridge finds Aurelance reflecting on missed opportunities and the consequences his former lover faces. Yet, a sense of liberation emerges as he sings, “You were out of the plan.” This line isn’t just about severing ties with a past love; it’s a declaration of self-acceptance and a resolute step towards a brighter future.

“Goodbye” is proof of the human spirit’s ability to heal and evolve. The repeated refrain isn’t just about severing ties with a past love; it’s a goodbye to self-doubt and a hello to a future filled with authenticity. Aurelance doesn’t shy away from vulnerability but instead channels it into a powerful declaration of self-worth.

Aurelance’s debut album promises to be a captivating exploration of the human experience. With “Goodbye” as the opening act, music lovers can expect a journey that is both emotionally resonant and artistically invigorating. The song showcases Aurelance‘s ability to weave personal narratives into universally relatable anthems, leaving listeners eager to delve deeper into his musical tapestry.

Listen to “Goodbye” below: