Nicol Ostrc

Carly Rae Jepsen announces 2023 UK and Ireland tour

Carly Rae Jepsen has announced a UK and Ireland headline tour for 2023 – tickets will be available from here. The Canadian singer is due to hit the road early next year in support of her fifth studio album, ‘The Loneliest Time’, which is due out on October 21 via 604/Schoolboy/Interscope (pre-order here). READ MORE: Carly Rae Jepsen: “My relationship with ‘Call Me Maybe’ was a rollercoaster” Kicking off in Dublin on February 5, the UK/Ireland leg of Jepsen’s ‘So Nice’ tour will also include shows in Leeds (February 7), Glasgow (8), Manchester (9), Birmingham (11), Bristol (12) and Brighton (13). Advertisement The stint is set to culminate with a performance at Alexandra Palace in north London on February 15. Support will come from French musician Lewis Ofman, who collaborated with Jepsen on ‘Move Me’ this summer. Tickets go on general sale at 10am next Friday (September 30) – you’ll be able to purchase yours from here. Alternatively, fans can access a pre-sale on Wednesday (28) by pre-ordering ‘The Loneliest Time’ here before Tuesday (27). Jepsen’s UK and Ireland gigs will follow on from her 2022 North American tour, which began earlier this week. View this post on Instagram A post… Read More →

23SEPNews

Lewis Capaldi shares cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Driver’s License’

Lewis Capaldi has covered Olivia Rodrigo‘s ‘Driver’s License’ for Spotify Singles – hear the cover, recorded at Abbey Road, below. Capaldi recently returned with comeback single ‘Forget Me’, which went straight to Number One in the UK singles chart and came complete with a music video that recreates Wham!’s ‘Club Tropicana’ video shot-for-shot. READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Lewis Capaldi: “I make jokes because I’m comfortable with who I am” Alongside the ‘Driver’s License’ cover, Capaldi also shared a stripped back version of ‘Forget Me’ for the Spotify Singles release. Advertisement In a statement about the new song, Capaldi wrote: “I’m back. My new single is called ‘Forget Me’, and let’s just be honest here, lyrically it covers a lot of the same ground as before. I meet lady, lady leaves me, I whine about it in a pop song. Textbook. “After I was able to finally fucking move out of my parents house in 2020 after the success of ‘Someone You Loved’ and ‘Before You Go’, I thought it’d be wise to ring up my pals TMS again and see if they fancied writing some more tunes after I realised I’m contractually obligated to make more music for a large… Read More →

22SEPNews

Kanye West apologises to Kim Kardashian for “any stress I have caused”

Kanye West has apologised to his ex-wife Kim Kardashian for “any stress that [he’s] caused” her since their break-up. The former couple, who got married in 2014, were reportedly living “separate lives” by early 2021 before Kardashian filed for divorce the following month. They share four children: North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm. READ MORE: ‘Donda 2’: Kanye West’s ego is scuppering these half-baked, dashed-off sounding songs Kardashian later began dating Pete Davidson, but the pair broke up this summer. Over the course of their nine-month relationship, West was heavily critical of both his ex and Davidson online. Advertisement He released a video for ‘Eazy’, which saw him bury the comedian alive as he rapped the line “God saved me from that crash/ Just so I can beat Pete Davidson’s ass“, as well as spreading a rumour that Davidson had AIDS. Last month, Ye posted a fake New York Times front page announcing the death of “Skete Davidson” amid news that he’d broken up with Kardashian. West’s former wife at one point criticised the rapper for his “constant attacks” on her. The ‘DONDA’ star subsequently said in court that claims he’d harassed his estranged wife on social media were “double hearsay”. During an… Read More →

22SEPNews

We Are Scientists share punchy new single ‘Operator Error’

We Are Scientists have shared their first new music of 2022, ‘Operator Error’. READ MORE: We Are Scientists look back on ‘With Love & Squalor’: “It’s been a rollercoaster ride, in that we’ve been throwing up a lot” The new single is said to precede more news that is to be revealed “shortly”. The New York duo’s latest album was last year’s ‘Huffy’. Bassist Chris Cain said of the new track: “It starts with what sounds like a countdown timer for some kind of destructive alien device, but ends up being a countdown timer for one of the punchiest little pop songs on Earth. So the usual first-listen reaction is joy mixed with quite a bit of relief.” Advertisement “I have a tendency to deliver hot takes and to get extraordinarily overheated about utterly inconsequential things,” singer and guitarist Keith Murray said of the song, which nods to his “big mouth”. Murray continued: “I got into a multi-hour argument over whether Top Gun: Maverick is a halfway decent movie. Maybe it’s weird, then, that I also tend to be pretty sanguine over big issues. It’s fairly hard to drag me into a heated fight, or to get me to say something… Read More →

22SEPNews

Björk shares personal new single ‘Ancestress’: “This song is a letter to my mother”

Björk has shared a new single called ‘Ancestress’ – you can listen to it below. The song serves as the latest preview of the Icelandic artist’s 10th studio album ‘Fossora’, which is due for release on September 30 via One Little Independent Records (pre-order here). READ MORE: Björk’s ‘Cornucopia’ live in London: an audacious, expectation-disrupting spectacular from an artist unbothered with people-pleasing ‘Ancestress’ is one of two tracks on the upcoming record that Björk wrote about her late mother, the other being ‘Sorrowful Soil’. Advertisement Writing on social media today (September 22), the singer explained that she penned the deeply personal new cut “just after her wordly [sic] funeral”, adding “[It] is probably a common musician’s reaction, the impulse of making your version of the story, later.” Björk continued: “This song is a letter to my mother, her story seen from my point of view. It is written in chronological order, the first verse is my childhood and so on.” She went on to say that ‘Ancestress’ was “probably somehow inspired by an Icelandic song [called] ‘Grafskrift’, which is somehow a very direct and patriarchal account of someone’s life”. “I probably wanted to approach this in a more feminine way, her… Read More →

22SEPNews

Shakira denies tax evasion allegations: “I’ve paid everything they claimed I owed”

Shakira has responded to the charges of tax evasion that have been levelled against her by the Spanish government. READ MORE: Shakira on the movie of her ill-fated El Dorado tour: “I knew someday I’d lose my youth or my beauty, but I never thought I would lose my voice…” Authorities are seeking an eight-year prison sentence for the singer on the allegation that she made widespread use of shell companies to conceal her income between 2012 and 2014. Now — in her first response since the claims became public — Shakira has professed her innocence and deemed the charges “fictional.” In a cover story for Elle published yesterday (September 21), the pop star said she’d paid everything that the government had claimed she owed, revealing that “as of today, I owe zero to them.” Shakira went on to explain her confidence in being transparent about her earnings, since she “was advised by one of the four biggest tax specialist firms in the world, PricewaterhouseCoopers.” Advertisement Shakira later claimed that the allegations — which she deemed “false” and “without evidence” — are an attempt by the Spanish government to “to coerce settlement agreements” via “a salacious press campaign” and the… Read More →

22SEPNews

Watch Florence + The Machine receive a fake severed hand on-stage during show

Florence + The Machine frontwoman Florence Welch received a unique gift during a recent show, with a fan throwing a fake severed hand on-stage. READ MORE: The most awe-inspiring moments from Florence + The Machine’s set at Mad Cool 2022 The humourous incident took place while the band was performing at Madison Square Garden in New York City, as part of their ongoing ‘Dance Fever’ world tour. In a video posted to the band’s TikTok account, Welch is seen remarking at the gift – which has seemingly been thrown up alongside a bouquet of flowers. “It’s a beautiful bloody severed hand,” Welch says in the video, before joking: “How did you know?” She then jokes with the audience that she will “eat this later”, leaving the fake hand on a piece of staging behind her. Advertisement Watch the footage below: @florence I get the most beautiful gifts ? ♬ original sound – Florence The North American leg of the ‘Dance Fever’ world tour will continue on Friday night (September 23) in Orlando, wrapping up next month with a show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. From there, the tour will continue on to the UK and Europe in November, before heading… Read More →

21SEPNews

Liam Gallagher says he’s been “walloping the brandy” ahead of gigs over the last year

Liam Gallagher has said that he has been swigging “half a bottle of brandy” before he goes on stage over the last year. READ MORE: Oasis – every album ranked and rated The former Oasis frontman, who turned 50 today (September 21), said he had been drinking brandy with honey and hot water to warm up his voice. Speaking to Matt Wilkinson on Apple Music 1, he discussed his recent pre-show ritual but said he had attempted to “chill out” his drinking at his last few gigs. Advertisement “It’s half a bottle of brandy before I go on,” Gallagher said. “I have kind of backed it off now. But the last year I’ve been walloping the brandy with honey and hot water, and going on a little bit… Liam Gallagher at Cala Mijas 2022. CREDIT: Oscar Tejeda “I’ve been getting a bit battered on stage recently. Not battered as much but just… I wouldn’t say nerves but I think as you get older, you do get a little bit more… you’re not as cocksure. So, I’ve been having a brandy just to chill me out a bit. As you get on there, then you are sort of thinking, around about… Read More →

21SEPNews

Listen to The 1975’s tender new single ‘All I Need To Hear’

The 1975 have released another new single, ‘All I Need To Hear’ – you can listen to it below. The song is the latest preview of the Manchester band’s upcoming fifth album ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’, which is due out on October 14 via Dirty Hit (pre-order/pre-save here). READ MORE: The 1975 live at Reading Festival 2022: “It’s. Just. Fucking. Bangers” It follows on from the recent tracks ‘Part Of The Band’, ‘Happiness’ and ‘I’m In Love With You’. Advertisement “‘Cause I don’t need music in my ears/ I don’t need the crowds and the cheers/ Just tell me you love me/ Cause that’s all that I need to hear,” frontman Matty Healy sings in the romantic new cut. Speaking to Apple Music 1 about the ‘All I Need To Hear’, Healy explained: “A lot of my songs require me to perform them, but I think that I’d love to hear Joe Cocker [sing this] – not that we could have that, but it feels like one of those songs where it’s like I’ve stepped out of the Matty-ness of everything.” He continued: “And it’s something that Adele could sing, it would make total sense, and she wouldn’t… Read More →

20SEPNews

Kendrick Lamar, Megan Thee Stallion and Willow booked as ‘Saturday Night Live’ music guests

Kendrick Lamar, Megan Thee Stallion and Willow have been announced as musical guests for the new season of Saturday Night Live (SNL). READ MORE: 18 massive comedy stars who got their big break on Saturday Night Live The 48th season of the NBC’s sketch show begins on October 1, with Lamar kicking off the series premiere that’s hosted by actor Miles Teller. Willow is booked for the following week (October 8) when actor Brendan Gleeson hosts. Then, on October 15, Megan Thee Stallion will be on duty as both host and musical guest. Advertisement The new season of SNL features cast members Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker. Past members Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, Chris Redd, Kate McKinnon and Kyle Mooney, among others, have since departed the show. Lamar last appeared on SNL in 2018 when he performed ‘Tints’ with Anderson .Paak. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) Megan Thee Stallion made her SNL debut in October 2019 when she played ‘Handsome’ with host Chance the Rapper. The following year she performed ‘Savage’ and ‘Don’t Stop’. In related news, former SNL cast member Rob Schneider has said that he thinks Kate… Read More →

20SEPNews

U2’s Bono opens up in new memoir about losing his mother

U2 frontman Bono has opened up about the death of his mother in his forthcoming memoir Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story. READ MORE: U2’s 10 best albums, ranked The 576-page volume is due to land on November 1 via publishing house Alfred A. Knopf (and in audiobook form via Penguin Random House) – and, as its title implies, will explore the origins of 40 key songs in U2’s discography. Each chapter is named for the song it covers, with Bono’s life story weaved throughout the book. In a new extract published in the New Yorker, Bono opened up about the death of his mother Iris when he was 14 years old after she collapsed at the funeral of her father, “Gags” Rankin, in 1974. Bono recalled how she was “never spoken of again” by his father Bob and older brother Norman. Advertisement He added: “I fear it was worse than that. That we rarely thought of her again. We were three Irish men, and we avoided the pain that we knew would come from thinking and speaking about her. Even though it’s Grandda’s funeral, and even though Iris has fainted, we’re kids, cousins, running around and laughing. Until Ruth, my… Read More →

20SEPNews

Watch Big Joanie’s vibrant video for synth-driven new single ‘Confident Man’

Big Joanie have shared an animated video for their new single ‘Confident Man’, taken from their upcoming second album ‘Back Home‘. READ MORE: Big Joanie on how gigs can be made safer for women The Black feminist punk rockers veer into synth territory for the third single from their new album, which is released on November 4, and have accompanied the release with a vibrant video made by Rachel Amy Winton. In the clip, Big Joanie’s family photos appear alongside archive footage of the Caribbean in the ’50s, images of the ackee fruit tree, and live footage shot at Third Man Records London. Advertisement Guitarist Stephanie Philips said about the making of ‘Confident Man’: “This song came from a rare Big Joanie jam session when we were messing about with the synths in Margo’s [Broom – producer] studio. The song was inspired by Jia Tolentino’s book Trick Mirror and an essay in it about scam culture and how everyone’s obsessed with con men and their stories. “As the impact of capitalist culture becomes harder to avoid, it feels like many people would rather give in and admire those who work within the system and become the epitome of privileged, confident, white… Read More →

20SEPNews

Charlie Puth says his new album is his “most personal yet”

Charlie Puth has said his forthcoming third album ‘Charlie’ is his “most personal work” yet. The US singer-songwriter is due to release his new album on October 7, following singles ‘Light Switch’, ‘That’s Hilarious’, ‘Left And Right’ featuring BTS‘ Jung Kook, ‘Smells Like Me’ and ‘I Don’t Think That I Like Her’. Speaking in a new interview with Billboard, Puth explained how he tried to put more of his personality into the new album. Advertisement “Maybe a cliche statement for an artist to sit on this white couch and be like, ‘Oh, this is my most personal work’,” he said. “But it is for me because I’ve never had an entire body of work that was my personality with some melody attached to it.” “I want people to be familiar with these songs, like they’ve heard them before, because they have heard them before,” he added. The singer also explained how his ‘Left and Right’ collaboration with Jung Kook came about. “The song was done. I sat on it for a couple of weeks and then I texted him the mp3. We were able to really get it done,” he said. Speaking about what’s next, Puth continued: “Any song that… Read More →

20SEPNews

London’s HowTheLightGetsIn festival postponed until October due to Queen’s funeral

London’s HowTheLightGetsIn festival has been postponed until early next month due to its initial date clashing with the Queen’s state funeral weekend. The event, described as “the world’s leading festival of ideas and music”, was originally set to take place at Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath last Saturday and Sunday (September 17/18). READ MORE: Entertainment world reacts to the death of Queen Elizabeth II In an official statement, however, organisers wrote: “In light of the death of the Queen and the festival’s proximity to the State funeral, we have postponed HowTheLightGetsIn London 2022.” Advertisement They said the decision had been “made in agreement with English Heritage who care for Kenwood and has cancelled all its events at all of its sites”. HowTheLightGetsIn is now scheduled to run between Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2. All tickets remain valid for the new dates. The message continued: “We would like to thank our suppliers and contributors for their understanding and support in helping us meet the huge challenge of postponing the event, and enabling us to be confident the festival will be its usual spectacular self…” It has also been announced that Plumm, Léa Sen and [ K S R ] will… Read More →

19SEPNews

Seven fans arrested at Breakout Festival after Lil Baby cancels headline set

Seven people have been arrested after Lil Baby cancelled his headline slot at the Breakout Festival in Canada. READ MORE: Untrapped: The Story of Lil Baby review: an illuminating look at a rap superstar striving for change The rapper’s performance was pulled due to illness at 9.30pm local time last night (September 18), 30 minutes before the Vancouver festival was due to close. As a result, videos from the event following the announcement appeared to show attendees ripping down tents, throwing bins, toppling refrigerators, breaking tables and raiding a drinks tent. Advertisement Police said seven people were arrested for breach of the peace and a criminal investigation has been launched, reports the Vancouver Sun. Riot at the pne and @6ixAdemiks re tweeted me first so he gets footage Best in Vancouver cauze lil baby didn’t show pic.twitter.com/EEuEDCkxPJ — vancity (@vancity2023) September 19, 2022 Lil Baby apologised for pulling out earlier today (September 19), writing on his Instagram Stories: “I would like to start off by saying I truly apologise Vancouver, Canada, the Breakout Festival, and to everyone who was in attendance! I have been going so hard these past few months without any breaks that it finally caught up with me. And my body completely… Read More →

19SEPNews

Dua Lipa says she feels more in “control” on her forthcoming third album

Dua Lipa has admitted that she feels more in “control” on her forthcoming new album than ever before. The singer’s follow-up to her 2020 smash ‘Future Nostalgia’ was first teased back in January, when Lipa said she had “done a big chunk of writing” for the new record. In March, she then revealed that the album was “50 per cent done” and is “starting to take shape”. Advertisement Now, she has spoken further of the new record, telling Vogue Australia: “As I’m writing my new album, I feel even more liberated in a completely different way. And even more in control than I thought.” Asked what liberation means to her, she added: “Freedom, especially as a woman, means to be able to take things into your own hands, to have control over the things that you believe in. To really have a voice.” Dua Lipa performs at Sziget Festival 2022 in Budapest, Hungary, on August 10, 2022 CREDIT: Joseph Okpako/WireImage Her comments echo similar remarks she made to Vogue, earlier this year. “I’ve definitely grown up. Overall, whether it’s sonically or in terms of the themes, I’ve matured,” she said at the time. “It’s like I’m coming into my power and not afraid to talk about… Read More →

19SEPNews

Mariah Carey is set to release her ‘lost’ 1995 alt-rock album

Mariah Carey has “found” her ‘lost’ 1995 alt-rock album ‘Someone’s Ugly Daughter’ and is set to release it in full, according to a new interview. READ MORE: Mariah Carey: “You know what? I love Christmas!” Back in 2020, Carey revealed in her new memoir The Making of Mariah Carey that she worked on an alternative rock album in the mid-1990s. On Twitter at the time, Carey said she made the album “just for laughs, but it got me through some dark days.” She added that her friend Clarissa performs lead vocals on the album, but in a new interview with Rolling Stone, Carey confirmed that she has found the ‘lost’ version of the album with her own lead vocals. Advertisement In the video attached to the tweet, an alternative rock song plays, which is then revealed to be called ‘Demented’, by a band called Chick. Artwork for an album called ‘Someone’s Ugly Daughter’ is then revealed. Two Chick songs, ‘Demented’ and ‘Malibu’, are still available to stream on YouTube after being uploaded in 2009. Carey’s representatives confirmed to Pitchfork that the singer wrote, produced and sang backing vocals on every song from the album, except a cover of Cheap Trick hit ‘Surrender’ Listen to the… Read More →

19SEPNews

Russian pop singer Alla Pugacheva condemns war in Ukraine

Popular Russian pop singer Alla Pugacheva has spoken out against the war in Ukraine. The musician, who rose to fame in the Soviet era, has sold more than 250million records and is known as one of Russia’s most beloved artists. Taking to social media, Pugacheva addressed the Russian justice ministry, writing to her 3.4million Instagram followers: “I am asking you to include me on the foreign agents list of my beloved country.” Advertisement Pugacheva’s husband, the comedian, TV presenter and singer Maxim Galkin, is known for his vocal opposition to the war. She added in her statement: “Because I stand in solidarity with my husband, who is an honest and ethical person, a true and incorruptible Russian patriot, who only wishes for prosperity, peace and freedom of expression in his motherland” (via Guardian). She said her husband wanted “the end of the deaths of our boys for illusory goals that make our country a pariah and weigh heavily on the lives of its citizens”. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ALLA PUGACHEVA (@alla_orfey) Galkin was added to the foreign agents’ register by the authorities in Russia last Friday (September 16), having lost his prime-time TV show back… Read More →

19SEPNews

SEVENTEEN’s Jun teases new solo single ‘Limbo’

SEVENTEEN’s Jun will be dropping a brand-new solo single titled ‘Limbo’ later this week. READ MORE: SEVENTEEN – ‘Face the Sun’ review: seven years in, the K-pop stars are determined not to flame out On September 19 at Noon KST, Jun (real name Wen Junhui) announced the upcoming release via SEVENTEEN’s official Twitter account with a mysterious teaser image. The ‘Limbo’ teaser features the singer showcasing his back, while a gloved hand rests atop his shoulder. ‘Limbo’ is due out on September 23 at 1:00pm KST. At the time of publication, it is unclear if the release will be accompanied by a music video. JUN Digital Single ‘LIMBO’Release on 2022.09.23 13:00 KST#JUN #준#LIMBO pic.twitter.com/8ZTVp2Ga5j — 세븐틴(SEVENTEEN) (@pledis_17) September 19, 2022 Advertisement The forthcoming ‘Limbo’ will mark Jun’s fourth official solo single, following 2021’s ‘Silent Boarding Gate’. While the latter, as well as his previous singles ‘Crow’ and ‘Can You Sit By My Side?’ had been released in Jun’s native Mandarin, it is not yet known if the new song will also be in Mandarin. In addition to his solo singles, the idol has previously contributed tracks for television dramas, including the Chinese-language version of Paul Kim’s ‘Dream’ for The King:… Read More →

18SEPNews

Lady Gaga cancels Miami ‘Chromatica Ball’ gig midway through due to storm

Lady Gaga was forced to cancel the final gig of her ‘Chromatica Ball’ stadium tour midway through last night due to a storm. READ MORE: Lady Gaga live in London: a thrilling, high-concept return from pop’s finest The star was playing a gig at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida on Saturday night (September 17) when adverse weather conditions forced her to abandon the gig with six songs remaining. Taking to the stage to break the news to fans, Gaga said: “I’m sorry that we can’t finish but I don’t want to put your life in danger and I don’t want to put our life in danger. Advertisement “So thank you, get home safely, god bless you, and thank you for coming to the show,” she added, before departing and telling fans: “Please go home.” Lady Gaga addressing the audience after the announcement of the show’s cancellation. pic.twitter.com/eQM1YTXghw — Lady Gaga Now ? (@ladygaganownet) September 18, 2022 Following the announcement of the cancellation, fans then gathered in the stadium to sing Gaga’s Ariana Grande collaboration ‘Rain On Me’ in the pouring rain, which you can see below. Fans singing ‘Rain On Me’ as it rains in Miami. pic.twitter.com/bmi2zbCFuT —… Read More →

17SEPNews

Elizabeth Taylor podcast ‘Elizabeth The First’, narrated by Katy Perry, announces release date

The release date for the new Katy Perry-narrated podcast series about Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth The First, has been announced, revealed alongside a teaser for its first episode. With Taylor billed as “the original influencer”, the ten-part series will feature stories from those closest to Taylor (who died in 2011), as well as audio from the archives of the House of Taylor. Perry will reportedly cover topics such as Taylor’s time working in (and fight against) a male-dominated film studio industry, her activism promoting awareness of issues like HIV and AIDS, and alcohol and drug abuse. Advertisement The series will also look at Taylor’s rise to being the world’s highest paid actress in the 1960s, when she successfully negotiated the first $1million to star in 1963s Cleopatra. Produced by Imperative Entertainment, Elizabeth The First is set to arrive on Monday October 3, available on all major podcast platforms. Coinciding with the news of the release date, a teaser for the first episode of Elizabeth The First was released on September 15. Coming in at just under three and a half minutes, the teaser hears Perry call Taylor the “first true influencer… living a remarkable life”. “She had power, real power, influencing… Read More →