SZA’s manager says MTV VMA Artist of the Year snub was “disrespectful”


SZA’s manager says the musician’s recent snub for ‘Artist of the Year’ at the MTV VMA Awards was “disrespectful.”

  • READ MORE: How SZA inspired a generation of R&B storytellers: “She’s a radical light”

Her manager, Terence “Punch” Henderson opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about MTV’s decision not to nominate SZA in the Artist of the Year category, despite the musician having one of the strongest years of her career to date.

“Obviously, she had one of the best years, if not the best year, of any artist at this point. I don’t see why she wouldn’t be nominated for artist of the year,” he told the publication. “It just really didn’t make any sense to me. It’s disrespectful.”

Those nominated for artist of the year included Beyoncé, Shakira, Nicki Minaj, Karol G, Doja Cat and Taylor Swift, who went on to win the prize.

Henderson told the publication that he contacted MTV about the lack of nomination in the category uring a call about a potential performance with SZA at the ceremony, but “they couldn’t give a clear answer as to why she wasn’t [nominated]. It was just, ‘Well, she’s nominated for all these other [awards].’”

He continued: “And they ended up saying, ‘OK, well we could do another call’ because there were people on [the call] about logistics for the show who didn’t have anything to do with [the nominations]. When we tried to set up the second call, they didn’t want to discuss artist of the year, which to me was really a slap in the face.

SZA performs on stage during her ‘The SOS North American Tour’ at Rogers Arena on March 19, 2023 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (CREDIT: Andrew Chin/Getty Images)

“Why wouldn’t she be nominated for artist of the year? Even with the other artists that were nominated for artist of the year, some of them were even off-cycle. They didn’t have an album out. I mean, no disrespect to them or anybody else; everybody’s great and all of that, but still, you can’t discredit what ‘SOS’ has done and is currently doing,” he added, about the musician’s most recent album which NME awarded five stars and described as a “comeback well worth the wait.” 

SZAs manager said after the snub, they pulled the MTV performance. “I figured, why go perform and do this if she’s not going to be respected to the highest level? So, it was my call to actually pull out of the performance,” he explained. “I felt it was disrespectful and I was very stern on that and influencing that. If there’s any issues or backlash and all of that, I’m taking all of that.”

SZA’s VMA nominations did include Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best R&B, which she won for her hit ‘Shirt.’ The musician didn’t attend the ceremony.
In other news, Drake has teamed up with SZA for a new single, ‘Slime You’.

The track is the first taste of Drake’s upcoming album ‘For All The Dogs’, which serves as the follow-up to 2022’s ‘Honestly, Nevermind’.

Despite the new single release, however, Drake has announced that the release of ‘For All The Dogs’ has been postponed from September 22 to October 6.





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CamelPhat disperse long-awaited album, ‘Spiritual Milk’


by: Alex Lambeau


Sep 16, 2023

More than a year in the making, CamelPhat has at last delivered their highly-anticipated studio album, Spiritual Milk. Served as a follow up to the critically acclaimed Dark Matter LP back in 2020, Spiritual Milk takes upon a brand new direction for the British duo. Spanning 16 tracks in length, Spiritual Milk serves a a powerful statement to the dance music community–they are more than “Breathe”, “Panic Room”, and “Cola”–Spiritual Milk paves the next wave of CamelPhat hits.

After years of producing records that fall under progressive, tech, and deep house, Spiritual Milk takes a piece of each style and assembles a masterful track list of genre-bending sounds. With their Pacha Ibiza residency theme closely resembling the album artwork, CamelPhat’s extended summer sets have shown the duo’s range across the spectrum of music. From spinning afro-house to melodic techno, the duo have captivated Ibiza tourists and residents for one of the most successful residencies of the 2023 season.

Speaking on the album, CamelPhat explains that Spiritual Milk “has definitely come from the heart and feels honest both as writers and musicians. We’ve had fun with it, we’ve made music less with the dance floor in mind and more with our emotions.” Even though many of the album tracks will fit their club-style sets, the project was created with intentions to first provide a great listening experience. Self-described as a “listening album, taking your mind away from everyday life”, Spiritual Milk is an expressive journey throughout the duo’s artistic catalog.

Released via When Stars Align, the ground-breaking LP has clearly established CamelPhat at the top of their game. Previously released tracks including “Hope” with Max Milner, “The Sign” with Anyma, and “Higher” with London Grammer have helped build hype behind the full length drop. Now released as special album edits, “The Sign” (Spiritual Milk edit) has been used as CamelPhat’s opening track at Ultra Miami–while “Higher” (Spiritual Milk edit) premiered as the duo’s opening track at Coachella. Presented with 13 new songs, “Many Times” with Mathame and Frynn and “Colosuss” with Kölsch have been two eagerly awaited IDs that have finally come to life. Fitting under the melodic techno style, both tracks are weapons for their festival performances breathing fresh beats into the crowd. Arguably the highlight of the album is the Ali Love collaboration, “Compute”. Kept under wraps until the album release, “Compute” samples Kraftwerk‘s “Compute Love” and has been touched up with energy filled four-on-the-floor kick drums.

In total, CamelPhat’s Spiritual Milk is a diverse body of work that needs to be listened to on repeat to fully appreciate. With unique vocal anthems and a fresh take on a classic, it’s easy to see why many believe Spiritual Milk is on its way to CamelPhat’s second Grammy nomination. As they have said themselves “take the trip & enjoy the ride.”

Featured image: Anthony Mooney

Tags: album, CamelPhat, house, techno, when stars align

Categories: Music





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Boy George reveals he’s a fan of Napalm Death: “Totally tight band”


Boy George has revealed that he’s a fan of Napalm Death in a new social media post.

Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), Boy George noted that he recently attended one of the band’s shows in Australia. In his post, he said how much he enjoyed the band’s performance and the work of the comments of the band’s singer, Barney Greenway.

“Saw the noise monsters @officialND last night and my ears are still ringing,” Boy George wrote on X.

“Loved all of the stuff Barney had to say. Totally tight band (no other way of saying it, lol) Hey Barney see you at the coffee counter! Comment of the night ‘shut up you fresh faced fucker.’”

You can see the post here:

 

Earlier this year, Boy George teamed up with The Lottery Winners on their single ’Let Me Down’.

In a interview with NME, The Lottery Winners’ frontman Thom Rylance shared: “George’s voice on ‘Let Me Down’ is chilling. I get goosebumps hearing it. I was supposed to sing the second verse, but George sang it all. I thought: ‘I can’t delete Boy George’s vocal and put mine on instead. Obviously not!’ I’m in the background somewhere instead.”

The release arrived after Boy George and his Culture Club bandmates agreed to pay £1.75million to their ex-drummer Jon Moss over lost profits.

Moss had brought legal action against Boy George, guitarist Roy Hay and bassist Michael Craig following his alleged expulsion by their manager in September 2018 after 37 years of playing together.





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ZHU’s ‘Take My Soul’ with Devault kicks off 2024 album rollout


by: Alex Lambeau


Sep 16, 2023

In 2021, ZHU released his cinematic and visionary album Dreamland. Now just a few years later, ZHU is back to Astralwerks to craft his ambitious new LP, GRACE. With a scheduled full length release date on January 24, ZHU will likely continue to release a handful of singles in anticipation of the upcoming album. To kick off the announcement, ZHU has teamed up with Devault for the lead single, “Take My Soul”. A dark and eerie record, “Take My Soul” does exactly what the name suggests and provokes chills through its deliberate and slow tempo.

Not to be forgotten, ZHU has also compiled three additional singles to jump start the album. “Blind Believer” with Reo Cragun and Rexx Life Raj is a vocal anthem laced with hypnotic synths throughout. “Devil’s Prescription” and “Days Before Grace” have pop-crossover appeal with ZHU’s own vocals and heavy kick drums. Overall, GRACE is an album that will mark a brand new path for ZHU. While his latest work has still leaned heavily towards his roots in deep house, GRACE will certainly carve out it’s own niche in the dance space.

Featured image: Jason Renaud

Tags: astralwerks, Devault, zhu

Categories: Music





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Pussy Riot and Nova Twins join forces for new single ‘Bad Trip’


Pussy Riot have teamed up with Nova Twins for a new single, ‘Bad Trip’, which also features Argentinian producer Mykka.

The track is the Russian feminist punk group’s first new single since May’s ‘Chastity’, which featured guest spots from Alice Glass and Boys Noize.

Pussy Riot leader Nadya Riot (formerly Nadya Tolokonnikova) said of the song: “Mykka played this beat for me and I got obsessed and begged her to give it to me. It sounds menacing and dominant.

“I’m a big fan of Bosch, so I wanted to imagine what would be my version of hell / bad trip in this track — being mansplained and totally dominated would be a version of hell for me, that’s why my verse goes: ‘Mansplain me! I don’t really know what am I doing with my life, how to be a woman, tell me how to be a wife, tell me how to kiss and tell me how to die. wanna be obedient, I wanna be your wife wife.’”

Meanwhile, Nova Twins added in their own statement: “We love Pussy Riot and all that they stand for, so when Nadya messaged us during lockdown, asking us to feature on ‘Bad Trip,’ we were super excited! The tune bangs and they are a force of nature!”

Check out ‘Bad Trip’ below:

Earlier this year, Pussy Riot were awarded the 2023 Woody Guthrie Prize. The award is presented to an artist who reflects the spirit of the late folk icon by proving themselves to be “a champion for the voiceless with an understanding of how a platform can be used to shine a light on our world, showing us what needs to be fixed and how to fix it.” In 2021, it was awarded to Bruce Springsteen.

“It feels fitting to be awarded in the spirit of Woody, I think he would love pussy riot’s anti-fascist message,” the band said in response. “Usually when Pussy Riot gets added to lists, it’s not always a good thing, but we are honoured to be on this one. We don’t really do folk, but we don’t really do punk either, we simply scream and protest as loud as we can, and hope we can show others they can do the same.”





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Guns N’ Roses add new dates to North American tour


Guns N’ Roses have announced more dates for their North American 2023 world tour – see the full list of new dates below and buy tickets here.

  • READ MORE: Guns N’ Roses – rank the albums

The North American leg of the tour began in Hershey, Pennsylvania on August 11 and runs until November when the band wrap up at Heaven & Hell Festival in Mexico City.

You can see the full list of remaining dates below and get tickets for the North American shows here.

SEPTEMBER 2023
17 – Atlanta, Music Midtown Festival 
20 – Biloxi, Mississippi Coast Coliseum
23 – Kansas City, Kauffman Stadium
26 – San Antonio, Alamodome
28 – Houston, Minute Maid Park

OCTOBER 2023
1 – San Diego, Snapdragon Stadium
6 – Indio, Power Trip Festival 
8 – Sacramento, Aftershock Festival
11 – Phoenix, Chase Field
14 – Seattle, Climate Pledge Arena
16 – Vancouver, BC Place
19 – Edmonton, Rogers Place
22 – Nampa, Ford Arena
24 – Salt Lake City, Delta Center
27 – Denver, Ball Arena

NOVEMBER 2023
5 – Mexico City, Hell & Heaven Festival 

In other Guns N’ Roses news, Slash’s Les Paul Hunter Burst guitar, which was used to write Guns N’ Roses’ iconic debut album ‘Appetite For Destruction’, is being auctioned for $1million (£796,105) later this month.

  • READ MORE: Slash talks Glastonbury, Guns N’ Roses and gory new horror movie ‘The Breach’

The guitar, which Slash also performed with onstage in 1985-86, was eventually sold in July 1986 and has since been exhibited at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

He picked it up from Guitars R Us and it has been retrofitted with Seymour Duncans, according to the listing. The guitar also comes with various documents of provenance and certificates of authenticity.

Meanwhile, Slash recently said he doesn’t see a Guns N’ Roses biopic happening anytime soon.

In an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, the legendary guitarist was asked if he liked the idea of creating a biopic, where he responded: “I just don’t see it happening anytime in the foreseeable future.”

He continued: “It doesn’t mean that it won’t happen ever, because who knows? I can only think down the line so far. But I’ve never been able to envision how you’re gonna get… I mean it’s one thing to try and find actors to represent the people in the band, but the other thing is all sort of theatrical depictions of life in the music scene and the everyday life of musicians and all that kinda stuff.”





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A Masterclass in Innovation, RL Grime's Third Album is His Coming-of-Age

In the midst of an era of electronic music when fans crave innovation and creativity above all else, RL Grime is the rare artist who has remained at its bleeding edge.

After months of cryptic teasers regarding his latest project, he has finally returned with his long-awaited third album PLAY, out now via his own Sable Valley imprint. Groundbreaking doesn’t even begin to describe Grime’s influence on electronic music, let alone the unique approach of the album, a career-defining work and his most inventive opus to date.

This is somewhat of a far cry from Grime’s previous work, as his first two albums, VOID and NOVA, portrayed a journey through concise stories that aligned with his enigmatic persona. PLAY, however, is a much more personal venture that gives us a clearer look not only into his deep-seated inspirations, but also his future. 

Comprising three distinct sections, PLAY is a coming-of-age for the elusive Grime, whose next move has always been impossible to guess. From his unmatched production talent to his masterfully-curated art direction, the record is cohesive in ways we often don’t see in electronic music, each of its segments serving as snapshots of the experiences that led him to this moment.

The first section, APEX, takes us to the apex of Grime’s festival-focused sound. With roaring collaborations alongside Juelz (“Breach”) and EDM.com Class of 2022 star ISOxo (“Jewel”), it’s an adrenaline rush from start to finish. “NME” (with JAWNS) is yet another raucous headline from this part of the album, as the soaring trap tune keeps the pace high with rumbling drums and warbling synths.

GRID serves as the second section of PLAY, embracing the anthemic elements of Grime we’ve heard on tracks like “UCLA” and “I Wanna Know.” Here we’re treated to some of the album’s best songwriting, weaving a beautiful latticework of soaring dance music led by “Borderline” (with Montell2099 and EMELINE) and “Pour Your Heart Out” (with 070 Shake).

The third and final section of RUSH is designed to induce a euphoric flow state. Pulling inspiration from breakbeat, UK garage and techno, Grime has reached deep into his arsenal to redefine the rave. Here, vintage, acid-fueled sound design meets frenetic drum programming, led by the stunning “Around Me” as well as “Push” and “Hikari.”

The cover art of RL Grime’s third album, “PLAY.”

c/o Sable Valley

The art direction of PLAY stays true to Grime’s persona, remaining mysterious but reflecting much of what inspired him throughout this album’s writing process. Embracing the nostalgia he’s evoked in the third section of the album, PLAY‘s artwork harkens back to the turn of the century. The artwork of each section features SD cards while the album cover itself showcases an imaginative rework of a portable music device. 

The video teasers similarly serve as bygones of a lost era, using bright lights and gritty filters to capture anachronistic visual aspects. The teaser for the album itself plays into its central theme the most, however. Reminiscent of PlayStation and Nintendo commercials of old, the trailer jumps through each of the musical sections as listeners plug in their headphones and are transported to its blissed-out universe.

You can find PLAY on streaming platforms here.

Follow RL Grime:

Facebook: facebook.com/RLGrime
Twitter: twitter.com/RLGRIME
Instagram: instagram.com/rlgrime
Spotify: spoti.fi/3hKdCfc





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Avicii’s debut LP ‘True’ celebrates its 10th anniversary with release of never before seen tour footage


Pophouse and Universal have teamed up to release never-before-seen concert footage in honour of Avicii‘s ‘True’ turning 10.

  • READ MORE: Avicii – ‘TIM’ review

The footage contains snippets from the Swedish DJ’s – real name Tim Bergling – ‘True Tour’ which will allow fans to experience the show from the audience’s point of view. Other Avicii content is set to be released soon, ranging from short-form pieces tailored for TikTok and YouTube Shorts, to in-depth long-form content providing a look into the creative process behind ‘True’.

Included with the content is never-before-seen studio footage of the creation of his 2013 hit ‘Addicted to You’, which features vocals from Audra Mae.

It was also announced that ‘True’ will be reissued as two new limited-edition vinyl pressings. The album will be pressed on an exclusive blue vinyl and the remix album ‘True: Avicii By Avicii’ will be available on vinyl for the first time. Visit here to pre-order both editions.

The late DJ died by suicide on April 20, 2018. Earlier this year, footage from his last-ever live show, which took place two years before he died, was shared.

The live video on his official YouTube account showed Bergling on stage at Ibiza’s Ushuaïa on August 28, 2016, playing his track ‘Addicted To You’ from his 2013 album ‘True’.  That same year he announced his retirement from performing live. “My path has been filled with success, but it hasn’t come without its bumps,” he said at the time.

“I’ve become an adult while growing as an artist, I’ve come to know myself better and realise that there’s so much I want to do with my life. I have strong interests in different areas, but there’s so little time to explore them.

“Two weeks ago, I took the time to drive across the U.S. with my friends and team, to just look and see and think about things in a new way. It really helped me realize that I needed to make the change that I’d been struggling with for a while.”

Last year, Avicii’s family announced that they had sold 75 per cent of the late musician’s recording and publishing rights to the Swedish company Pophouse.

Back in 2021, the estate of Avicii announced details around a new documentary focusing on the life and music of the late Swedish producer.





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Mau P Brings Smooth Grooves to Swedish House Mafia's "Ray of Solar" With New Remix

Mau P is fueling the heat of Swedish House Mafia’s latest single, “Ray Of Solar,” with another stellar remix. 

The opportunity sees Mau P returning to the center of his own dance music universe, remixing his creative idols in what he refers to as a “full circle moment.” The surging Dutch producer has been in high demand on the remixing end of things as of late, having recently inked fresh spins of songs by Calvin Harris and Armand Van Helden. 

With his latest, it’s easy to see why. Preserving the chorus of angelic voices characterizing the original track, Mau P expands upon the legendary trio’s work with the addition of his signature smooth grooves and twinkling arpeggiation. He goes on to masterfully interpolate on the original melody, repurposing some of its existing orchestral elements into a fresh lead synth that brings a transformative flair to the future classic. 

“Music is definitely in my DNA but I know for a fact that there wouldn’t be a Mau P without those early influences by the Swedish House Mafia,” he shared in a statement. “They’re the reason I went down this path and this remix is truly a full circle moment.”

FOLLOW MAU P:

Facebook: facebook.com/maupmusic
Twitter: twitter.com/realmaup
Instagram: instagram.com/maupmusic
Spotify: spoti.fi/3vHLn9Q





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When is Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour movie in cinemas?


Taylor Swift is bringing her career-defining ‘The Eras Tour’ to cinemas later this year.

Directed by Sam Wrench, the upcoming film is described as a “breathtaking, cinematic view” of Swift’s latest tour, which runs through her biggest hits and rarities across all ten of her studio albums.

  • READ MORE: Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour kick-off: top five moments from the star’s transcendent performance 

Following huge demand across the globe, the pop star announced in August she would screen a concert film of the tour in cinemas. “Eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing and dancing encouraged,” Swift wrote in the announcement post.

When will Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour release in cinemas?

The concert film will be shown in cinemas across the US from October 13, 2023. You can find ticket information here.

A UK release date has not been announced, although it’s likely the film will not be screened on UK shores until after Swift’s string of UK dates next year. The singer is set to perform in Liverpool, Edinburgh, Cardiff, London, Dublin and across Europe from June to August 2024.

Is there a trailer?

A trailer was released alongside the film’s announcement – check it out above.

“The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon,” Swift said.

In a five-star review of the tour, NME wrote: “Swift’s tour isn’t just about a new album, or a performance of songs her fans know and love, it’s a 17-year journey through a career fraught with massive highs and gargantuan lows, and yet here she is in front of an overflowing audience proving she can take a hit, make a hit, and not slow down.”





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