Music

As we adjust to life outside the EU, the government is busy positioning the UK as an outward-looking nation, creating international products and selling them around the world. Britain's music industry is already a genuine global leader – the world’s second biggest exporter of music, a major plank in our cultural identity and economy. The pandemic has devastated many musicians' livelihoods, particularly those heavily reliant on live performance. But for the industry’s sake the UK’s resilient recorded music sector must continue growing and punching above its weight on the world stage. Supplying one in 10 songs streamed worldwide, British artists are already overrepresented in music streaming, with a market share four times greater than the UK's overall share of global GDP. Stars like Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi, Adele, Harry Styles, Dua Lipa and Stormzy contributed to the 155 million albums (or their equivalent) streamed or bought in 2020 in the UK. The 139 billion individual audio … [Read more...] about We need British music to thrive after the pandemic – now is not the time to regulate success

Britain risks losing the next potential Paul McCartney or David Bowie because it is too expensive for many children to get a foothold in the music industry, a superstar record producer has warned. Paul Epworth , who has worked with stars such as Adele , Rihanna and McCartney, said youngsters without either financial backing or existing connections in the industry are being excluded from a career in music. He has now thrown his weight behind a new two-year diploma in Creative Entrepreneurship for students aged 19 years and over launched this week by the Ivors Academy. The diploma will offer means-tested bursaries for students from modest and underprivileged backgrounds and few formal qualifications to study all aspects of the industry, including music, technology and culture; live music; personal development; entrepreneurship and branding. Mr Epworth, who won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for ‘Skyfall’, along with seven Grammys, and will be a tutor and mentor … [Read more...] about Adele producer: Poor children have ‘no hope’ of breaking into music industry

We haven't compiled one of these roundups in a while, but no surprise — Louisiana's major and minor music players are still cranking out the tunes. Many used the months of pandemic isolation to work on new music, and now, with restrictions lifted, they've returned to live shows, new songs in hand. Here are the details landing in our inboxes about several new releases from this state's homegrown talent. Lainey Wilson Wilson, a native of Baskin, is steadily working on becoming a household name. In just the last couple of months, she's spent two weeks atop the country radio charts, was named the Academy of Country Music's New Female Artist of the Year and iHeartRadio Music Awards’ Best New Country Artist. Add to that Wilson's new single, “Heart Like A Truck” and its accompanying music video, both dropped this week. The song's described as semi-autobiographical and strong, written with self-awareness and clever metaphors. Produced by Jay Joyce, Wilson shares writing credits … [Read more...] about Add Lainey Wilson, Justin Champagne and more La. artists’ new music to your playlist

Former West Ham United ace Gavin Holligan is now a music superstar who has performed alongside legendary icon Stevie Wonder. The London-born artist, 41, enjoyed a journeyman's career in professional football before mixing it up in non-league during the latter end of his playing days. Holligan turned down a music scholarship at university to focus on football and was picked up by West Ham for a £150k fee after impressing at local side Kingstonian. He made his debut in February 1999 away at Anfield, replacing Joe Cole as a late second-half substitute, as the Hammers claimed a vital 2-2 draw in their pursuit of Intertoto Cup qualification. "It was a moment in time I will never forget," said Holligan, speaking to The Sun . "I could have scored too, but for David James pulling off a great save." But unable to break into the first team, the young striker was shipped out on loan to Leyton Orient and Exeter City though failed to re-kindle his goalscoring touch - a furth spell … [Read more...] about Ex-West Ham ace is now music superstar who has performed with Stevie Wonder

T he French composer Bruno Mantovani – definitely not to be confused with the Italian popular conductor Mantovani, he of the saccharine strings – is one of the young lions of French music and the subject of the last of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales' current composer portraits. His work in opera and ballet means that Mantovani concerns himself with narrative, but not in any obvious or gentle way: the elements of his music are disparate and dissonant, yet they have a powerful cumulative effect. The work Time Stretch (On Gesualdo) takes part of a Gesualdo madrigal to create a basic fabric of harmonic progressions on which Mantovani superimposes his own ideas. The full orchestra is used as a single colour, with two or three instruments for contrasting flourishes, and the clarinet emerging as a strong accent. The outbursts are explosive, with flashes of Stravinsky and Varèse. Here, and again in the Cello Concerto (Sonia Wieder-Atherton its persuasive advocate), the complex … [Read more...] about Bruno Mantovani

What music do you most associate with Harry Hill ? ‘TV highlight of the weeeeek’, Ken Barlow tribute Ken from TV Burp? Or maybe it’s the seminal I Wish My Brother In Law’s Voice Didn’t Go Up At The End Of Every Sentence. If you get involved with his latest project, it might end up being a catchy track called Kill The Infidel. Harry, you see, has written a rock opera called Tony! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] and it’s packed with songs that’ll take you right back to the heyday of New Labour. It opens with the former prime minister on his deathbed, calling for a priest to whom he can confess his sins, and the whole story is told in a flashback. He’s born in Scotland, forms the Ugly Rumours rock group at university, and then most of the action focuses on his time running the country. Downing Street parties attended by Britpop stars will likely feature too, and the war in Iraq will also get a fair bit of focus. Harry assures us that it’s very funny and fast-paced, packed … [Read more...] about Harry Hill on his Tony Blair musical: ‘A woman playing Bin Laden doesn’t feel like bad taste’

Strictly: Kevin Clifton reveals co-star for musical Sign up for the big storylines FIRST , star interviews and exclusive access SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info The former EastEnders star revealed she will be teaming up with Strictly Come Dancing professional Kevin Clifton for her musical debut. Maisie, who was runner-up in the 2020 series of the BBC ballroom competition with Gorka Márquez, shared the exciting news with Lorraine Kelly on her ITV talk show. Related articles BBC Breakfast's 'out of touch' Platinum Jubilee coverage sparks uproar 'I don't care' Jane McDonald opens up on appearance concerns Maisie first performed with Kevin during the Strictly's Children In Need special back … [Read more...] about EastEnders’ Maisie Smith’s details new role with Strictly co-star ‘It’s brilliant!’

‘Good evening, my name is Harry…’ begins the planet’s biggest male pop star as he swaggers into the spotlight at O2 Brixton Academy, tongue surely lodged in cheek. After all, this is a chap who doesn’t need an introduction. At this point, Hazza is a religion with an obsessive fanbase of (mostly female) diehard devotees. Outside the venue, anguished teenage girls desperately brandish boards begging for tickets to his sold-out One Night Only show – and it’d genuinely come as no surprise if they were also clutching the heads of sacrificial lambs to help the cause. It is easy to see why folks bow down at the altar of the former 1D heartthrob. From the moment he steps up to the mic stand, wearing white flared trousers, a polka-dot top and pearls, Styles has the audience eating out of the palm of his hand. Every single song on the setlist is ‘remixed’ with the deafening screams of a practically orgasmic crowd, piercingly punctuated by interchangeable iterations of ‘I love … [Read more...] about One Night Only with Harry Styles review: ‘Swoon levels were pandemic high’

Rogers performing at Coachella — er, presenting her graduate work. Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella If a musician is lucky enough to get booked at Coachella, the most prominent music festival in the U.S., it’s bound to be one (well, two) of the more important sets of their career. Maggie Rogers took the pressure even further when she played Coachella in April with the performance counting as a project for her master’s degree. Fans know the singer-songwriter has been studying at Harvard Divinity School, and she recently spoke to the school’s press department about her time there. Coachella fulfilled the required public presentation for her master’s in religion and public life, a new program that graduated its first cohort of students this year. “At the end of the day — creativity and spirituality — it’s about the process. Every layer, all of it, at the end of the day, is about intention,” Rogers said of the performance. After Coachella earned her a passing … [Read more...] about Maggie Rogers’s Coachella Set Doubled as a Grad-School Project

To celebrate the Queen’s 70 years on the throne, the Platinum Jubilee will encompass a wide-ranging itinerary of events scheduled across the long weekend. The central celebration is the Platinum Party at the Palace concert, which will see some of the world’s biggest entertainers come together for a performance at Buckingham Palace. The event is set to feature an impressive line-up, including global music stars with a live orchestra, as well as actors from many a well-known film and TV show. A number of pop-cultural figures will take to the stage to tell stories that will celebrate some of the most culturally significant moments across the Queen’s seven-decade reign. Tickets to the show were balloted and that ballot, unfortunately, closed on March 23 2022. For viewers keen to watch this special concert, here are full details of how to incorporate it into the Platinum Jubilee weekend celebrations . When is the Platinum Party at the Palace? The Platinum Party at the Palace … [Read more...] about Platinum Jubilee concert: Diana Ross and Sam Ryder among the full line-up of performers