Although she is on course for pop stardom, with two nominations at next week's Brit awards, 22-year-old Skye Newman lives in a cabin at the bottom of her sister's garden in London. It's the backdrop for the music video to her song Hairdresser, which has 7.5m views on YouTube. In the clip, she is made up, her hair in rollers, lounging with a gaggle of friends.
I'm listening to the latest Stephen Spencer song when suddenly I burst into tears. Was it the falsetto vocals? The swirling harmonies? No, it was the lyrics: What did Apple-the-Stoola say? He said I love you' twenty-sixty times. Spencer, you see, has a unique lyrical collaborator: his three-year-old daughter. Over the last four months, he has been posting short songs online based on her stream-of-consciousness stories.
A magazine sent me to the ATP festival at Pontins in Camber Sands to interview the Beastie Boys of noise, Wolf Eyes. The interview fell to pieces when the band, in a state of great psychic refreshment, all wearing Manowar T-shirts, refused to stop watching a Manowar DVD and signalled they would only answer questions if they related to Manowar. The rest of the day was exemplary one of the best ever walking on the beach, visiting record shops.
Tickets go on sale at 10 am unless otherwise noted. MUSIC The Afghan Whigs 40th Anniversary Tour with Mercury Rev Aladdin Theater (Fri May 15) Audrey Hobert: The Staircase To Stardom Tour Roseland Theater (Tues Aug 11) Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms with Spin Doctors Cuthbert Amphitheater (Thurs July 9) Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers: Indigo Park Tour Revolution Hall (Thurs June 4)
President Trump claimed he'd reached "the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland" amid talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Details are, as usual, scant, but are likely to fall far short of his demands that the US own the territory. ( Washington Post) Rutte said the question of whether Greenland would remain a sovereign territory of Denmark "did not come up." ( Reuters)
Cosmic Princess Kaguya! is an adaptation of a Japanese folk tale, the story of a princess from the moon discovered inside a bamboo stalk in a poor rural village. A decade ago, Studio Ghibli adapted the tale into a gorgeously animated movie with a traditional, lovingly hand-painted feel. This film could not be more different, a trippy, high-energy, techno anime set in the near future, half of it in a virtual reality world and TikTok-ifed with emojis and stickers exploding all over the screen.
"What was so beautifully done about House of the Dragon is this epic scale at which the story is told. So to have this big booming orchestral score was very important," Kingdoms showrunner Ira Parker says during a roundtable interview. However, for his series, "we realized early on that we're telling a small story here - a small story about a simple person who has smaller ambitions. And so, certainly our sound had to suit that."
NEW YORK -- John Forté, the Grammy-nominated musician known for his work with the Fugees and the Refugee Camp All-Stars among others, has died at age 50. He was found dead Monday afternoon in his home in Chilmark, Massachusetts, according to police. Chilmark Police Chief Sean Slavin said in a statement that there were no signs of foul play or "readily apparent cause of death." The case is being investigated by the state medical examiner's office, according to Slavin.
A double dose of alma is on tap at the library's West Branch with tamales karaoke, a song session for tweens, teens and anyone who wants to unleash their inner Bad Bunny (or Selena), combining pop songs with a yummy Mexican dish.
One of the great Irish songs is The Parting Glass. Nobody performed it better than Liam Clancy. At the end of every December, he sang it to remember those who had been lost during the year.
Music has long served as both a mirror and a refuge-reflecting private pain while offering language for experiences that feel unspeakable. Few songs have embodied this dual role as powerfully as Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful." Released in 2002, when mainstream pop rarely centered vulnerability or marginalized identities, the song and its music video offered something quietly radical: affirmation without conditions. Psychologically, representation matters because being seen supports emotional regulation and belonging.
But I do think, for me, the cold definitely does bring out a different set of music tastes. There are certain, I think, organic sounds, certain gloomy sounds, cozy sounds. If you think about the way that you spend the winter - and what do I want to hear while I'm sipping hot cocoa on my couch? What do I want to hear while bundled up and walking through the neighborhood as the snow falls?
"I went into a meeting the other day and mentioned that I'd watched 'Wild at Heart' the night before," says Rae, who's 25. She's wearing tight jeans, heels and a baggy Harvard hoodie and twirls the sweatshirt's drawstrings in her fingers as she speaks. "They were so astounded. I was like, 'Is this not just one of the things you should know if you're in this business?'"
December. What is it about this most wonderful time of the year? Lights appear. Playlists shift. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas or It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year spark memories and singing. A musical phrase takes us back to a childhood living room, a parent singing in the kitchen, a snowy sidewalk, the smell of cookies waiting to be decorated, a gathering long past. Nostalgia, celebration, reflection, gratitude, joy.
What do you want to express that you feel you can't in everyday life? That's the question composer and producer Max Cooper posed to his audience in hopes of unearthing some of the hidden parts of our shared emotional landscape. In return, he received more responses than expected, many of which tapped into passionate displays of pleasure and pain. "It was like finding a secret window into our collective psyches," he writes.
She enjoyed a distinguished career in public education, remembered for her intelligence, articulate teaching style, and dedication to preserving history and culture. Beyond the classroom, Ms. Boyce was celebrated for her joy in singing and her beautiful operatic voice. She performed widely, bringing to life African American spirituals, operatic arias, Broadway classics, and art songs. Her recitals often included sing-alongs, inviting audiences to share in the music and storytelling traditions she cherished.
Rapping rocker Poorstacy is dead at 26. TMZ reported that the Floridian performer appears to have died from suicide in Boca Raton based on social media posts. Police and medical examiners there haven't responded to a request for comment. Poorstacy, also known as Carlito Milfort, was reportedly staying in a hotel with a woman and a toddler when he was rushed to an area hospital Saturday.
Pam Hogg, the fashion designer who brought together fashion and music on the catwalk in the 1980s, has died aged 66, her family have said. Hogg, whose bold, futuristic designs were worn by stars including Rihanna, Kate Moss and Blondie's Debbie Harry, died surrounded by the loving care of cherished friends and family, her family posted on Instagram. We wish to thank all the staff of St Joseph's hospice, Hackney for the beautiful support they provided for Pamela in her final days, they added.
