A-level music education in schools could completely disappear in just over a decade, new research has claimed. Falling access to the music qualifications has been accelerated by cuts to local and central government funding, according to researchers at Birmingham City University. They now warn that the qualifications could disappear entirely by 2033, cutting off an entire pipeline of future talent from the UK. Advertisement Lead researchers Dr Adam Whittaker and Professor Martin Fautley’s findings have now led music academics and music industry professionals to call for an urgent intervention and package of policy and funding measures to support the UK’s...
Adele is reportedly set to join the pantheon of iconic artists who have undertaken their own residencies in Las Vegas. The singer is said to be taking up a lengthy performing stint in Sin City, and will even be able to stay at her Los Angeles home – with a private jet flying her to each show in around 40 minutes. According to the Mail On Sunday, the singer hopes to start the lengthy performance stint when international coronavirus restrictions eventually begin to ease. Advertisement “Adele has very recently been talking to musicians that she has worked with before...
KSI has added another superstar collaboration to his repertoire, teaming up with Lil Wayne for new track ‘Lose’. READ MORE: KSI – ‘All Over The Place’ album review: does exactly what it says on the tin The release of ‘Lose’ comes just under a month since KSI released his second studio album, ‘All Over The Place’, which saw him link up with Future, 21 Savage and more. ‘Lose’ is tinged with pop-punk and emo elements, coming with a music video that sees both rappers attend a therapy session as animated scenes showcase their dreams and nightmares. Advertisement Watch the...
Lynyrd Skynyrd have revealed that their guitarist Rickey Medlocke has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the band to cancel and postpone a string of upcoming concerts. In a statement on Facebook, the band wrote: “Longtime band member Rickey Medlocke has tested positive for COVID-19. Rickey is home resting and responding well to treatment.” The band confirmed they will no longer be playing their forthcoming shows in Ohio, Missouri and Alabama. Their scheduled show in Atlanta, Georgia on August 13 has been postponed to October 23. Advertisement Read the band’s full statement below: Skynyrd Nation,Due to unforeseen circumstances, Lynyrd Skynyrd...
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...
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has cancelled its 2021 event, as the region experiences an “exponential growth” in COVID-19 cases. The festival was to take place between 8-17 October and feature a line-up of Stevie Nicks, Foo Fighters, Lizzo, H.E.R., Demi Lovato, Ludacris, The Beach Boys and Brittany Howard, among others. It marks the second time the festival has been cancelled, after its 2020 event was axed earlier on in the pandemic. “As a result of the current exponential growth of new COVID cases in New Orleans and the region and the ongoing public health emergency, we...
Lorde has shared an origin story of her comeback album ‘Solar Power’, explaining its transformation from “this big acid record” to “a weed album”. It comes just weeks after the release of her second single of 2021, ‘Stoned At The Nail Salon’. The New Zealand pop singer appeared in The New York Times’ latest episode of Diary Of A Song, alongside snippets from ‘Solar Power’ producer Jack Antonoff, where she detailed the inspiration for her forthcoming album. “The references are so deep, conjuring that slight sort of cult leader, ‘take the drug I’m about to put on your tongue’ sort of...
UK house duo Sigma have soundtracked a highlights film for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics with a new original song called ‘HOPE’. The summer Olympics, which was delayed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, came to a close today (August 8). As part of the Closing Ceremony, a film also called ‘HOPE’ premiered capturing some of the tournament’s victories and highlights, and featured natural sounds from the competition like athletes’ breathing or screaming as they won. Advertisement The video was also soundtracked by Sigma’s song ‘HOPE’, which features vocals from singer-songwriter Carla Marie Williams. You can watch it...
Fans have shared their support for Delays’ Greg Gilbert after the musician shared news of his “uncertain future” in his battle with cancer. The singer and guitarist was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2016, with the cancer also found to have spread to his lungs at that time. Sharing an update on his health via Twitter earlier today (August 8), Gilbert said he had been taken off treatment and was being treated for pain relief at Countess Mountbatten Hospice. “The pains are mostly under control and the nurses here are nothing less than angels,” he wrote. “But...
Michael Stipe has spoken about R.E.M.’s classic song ‘Losing My Religion’, saying he “didn’t realise it would be a hit single”. The band released the track in 1991, with it hitting Number Four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and Number 19 on the Official UK Singles Chart. READ MORE: R.E.M. tell us about 25 years of ‘Monster’: “We needed swagger – to be loud and raw” In a new interview with the New Yorker, Stipe was asked about some of the lyrics in the track and his “kind of old-fashioned diction” in phrases like “losing my...