News Analysis India

Tag: music

  • Exploring The Hottest Indie Music Releases Of The Season: Top Picks | Culture News

    In recent times, the Indian indie music scene has been a hotbed of creativity, producing a plethora of fresh and captivating releases that have captured the attention of music enthusiasts nationwide. From soulful melodies to experimental beats, and heart-rendering storytelling, the indie scene has been buzzing with creativity and innovation. Here are five recent releases that have struck a chord with audiences, showcasing the diverse talent and vibrant soundscapes brewing within the country’s independent music circuit.

    “No Complaints” by Prateek Kuhad

    Prateek Kuhad’s latest offering, “No Complaints,” immerses listeners in his signature indie folk style, weaving poetic expressions with heartfelt melodies. From the tranquil strums of acoustic guitar to the subtle percussion, the song sets a serene ambiance that lingers throughout. Kuhad’s poignant lyrics, delivered with emotive vocals, evoke a sense of longing and introspection, resonating with audiences on a deeply relatable level.

    “Farishta” by Seasons

    “Farishta” by Seasons is proof to the band’s musical prowess, blending infectious rhythms, soul-stirring melodies, and heartfelt lyrics flawlessly. Dhritiman takes the lead on vocals, backed by Teerthankar on guitar and backing vocals, with Sanidhya on keyboard, Taara on drums, and Abhishek on bass. The track, meticulously mixed and mastered by Ssameer at Rhythm Solutions, crafts a love letter to the guiding lights in our lives, celebrating the transformative power of unconditional love. It blends pop, rock, acoustic, and modern electronic elements to offer a multi-genre experience that captivates listeners.

    “Phir Bhi Bekarar” by The 9TEEN

    The 9TEEN, a dynamic boy-band comprising Lav, Arun, and Abhilash, storms the music scene with “Phir Bhi Bekar.” This soulful anthem captures the essence of a conflicted heart, embracing sadness and anger while clinging to hope. With infectious energy and beautiful lyrics, the song has garnered praise worldwide, resonating with listeners on a profound level.

    “Kahani” by Taba Chake

    Taba Chake, the popular Nyishi finger-style guitarist and singer-songwriter, shares a mesmerizing tale with “Kahani.” Through soulful melodies and introspective lyrics, he narrates the journey of two souls navigating the highs and lows of a relationship. With each note, Chake invites listeners to embark on their own narrative, embracing the complexities of love and resilience.

    “Teri Meri Raatein” by Shreya Sharma

    “Teri Meri Raatein” by Shreya Sharma unfolds as a heartfelt exploration of reconciliation after tumultuous times. With velvety vocals, passionate lyrics, and a haunting melody, Sharma crafts a touching narrative of longing and redemption. Collaborating with music producer Dronark and vocalist Shannon Donald, she delivers an enthralling ode to the enduring spirit of love’s journey.

  • “The Musical Maestro: Ravindra Singh’s Rise in Bollywood” | Internet & Social Media News

    Ravindra Singh is a name that resonates across various realms of the entertainment industry. With versatile skills as a singer and producer, he has left an indelible mark on the world of music and cinemas.

    Born and raised in Delhi,From a tender age, Ravindra’s fascination with music was evident. Growing up in Delhi, he immersed himself in the melodies of the radio and showcased his musical prowess through performances at school.

    Behind Ravindra’s remarkable journey lies a supportive family, including his parents, Hukam Singh and Veermati Devi, wife Amita Singh and siblings Vijendra, Ravindra, Rajesh, and one sister. His upbringing in Delhi, coupled with his education at Delhi University and schooling at Kotla Ferozshah and Mata Sundari, provided the foundation for his extraordinary career.

    Ravindra Singh’s journey in the entertainment world began with his entrancing voice. His Some of the popular music videos like Aankhon Ki Nami, Maan ja, Dhatt Teri Ki, DJ Ban, Jugaad and Haaye Tota on which he got millions of views on his YouTube channel ‘R-Vision’. Through his soulful renditions, he breathed life into lyrics, evoking emotions that touched the hearts of many.

    In addition to singing Ravindra Singh donned the hat of a producer. Through his production ventures, Some of his produced films are Pappu Can’t Dance Saala, I am 24, Nakshatra, In Rahon main and Udanchhoo became critical acclaim and commercial success.

    There was a time in Ravindra’s life took a new turn when he joined NTPC, where his musical talent continued to shine. Despite his professional commitments, he remained deeply connected to his musical roots, participating in cultural programs and captivating audiences with his soulful renditions. In a pivotal moment, Ravindra transitioned from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, embarking on a new chapter as a businessman. One of Ravindra’s notable ventures was the album “Dil Deewan,” a collaborative effort with renowned artists Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, and Shankar Madhavan. The album, released in 1997-1998, showcased his versatility as a producer and garnered widespread acclaim for the album. 

    Over the years, Ravindra’s creative footprint expanded across various genres and languages, including Bhojpuri cinema. His upcoming projects like “Buldozar Wali Saas” and “Motki Dulhaniya 2.”

  • What to stream this week: ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version),’ Emily Blunt and ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’

    By Associated Press

    Taylor Swift’s “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” a Paramount+ documentary on the duo Milli Vanilli examining one of music’s biggest lip-syncing scandals and the horror movie “Five Nights at Freddy’s” are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you

    Among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are Julian Fellowes’ “The Gilded Age” back for a second season on HBO and Hollywood’s latest attempt to delve into the opioid crisis with the glossy “Pain Hustlers,” starring Emily Blunt, Chris Evans and Andy Garcia.

    NEW MOVIES TO STREAM— Hollywood’s latest attempt to delve into the opioid crisis is the glossy, starry “Pain Hustlers,” starring Emily Blunt, Chris Evans and Andy Garcia. Based on a New York Times Magazine article (which then became a book) by Evan Hughes, “Pain Hustlers,” on Netflix on Friday, Oct. 27, centers on a pharmaceutical startup, Insys Therapeutics, which engaged in criminal activities like bribery and kickbacks and misleading insurers to push their addictive oral fentanyl spray called Subsys. Blunt plays a high school dropout who gets a job at the company, run by Garcia, where she excels. Directed by David Yates, “Pain Hustlers” was not generally well received by critics at its Toronto International Film Festival premiere, but Alyssa Wilkinson wrote for Vox that, though predictable, “’Pain Hustlers’ manages to be lively and moving.”

    — The video game series “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is now a movie, available both in theaters and on Peacock on Friday, Oct. 27. The horror pic, from Blumhouse Productions, follows a security guard (played by “The Hunger Games’” Josh Hutcherson) who accepts a job at an old family entertainment center, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, where the animatronic mascots are mobile and murderous after midnight.

    — Filmmaker Paul Schrader rounds out his unofficial Man in a Room trilogy (“First Reformed,” “The Card Counter”) with “Master Gardener,” arriving on Hulu on Thursday. Joel Edgerton plays a horticulturist named Narvel who works on the large estate of a wealthy dowager (Sigourney Weaver’s Norma). Narvel harbors some secrets under his gardening jumpsuits, though, including tattoos and a past with a body count. I wrote in my review that its ideas are many and perhaps not terribly coherent, but there are pleasures in the enjoyable performances from Edgerton, Weaver and Quintessa Swindell.

    NEW MUSIC TO STREAM— It was the album that fully cemented her move away from country-pop to mainstream pop superstardom. On Friday, Oct. 27, Taylor Swift will release the fourth release of the six albums Swift plans to re-record, “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” The Taylor’s Version albums, instigated by music manager Scooter Braun’s sale of her early catalog, represent Swift’s effort to control her own songs and how they’re used. Like the others in the series, Swifties can expect five previously unreleased “From the Vault” tracks written around the time of the 2014 album’s initial release, as well as the fan-favorite “New Romantics,” originally released as a Target exclusive.

    — Also on Friday: Barbra Streisand and Columbia Records will release “EVERGREENS: Celebrating Six Decades on Columbia Records” and “YENTL: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition,” arriving a few days before the publication date of her highly anticipated memoir, “My Name is Barbra.” Unreleased tracks abound. Welcome to Streisand season.

    — In preparation for his latest studio album, “Action Adventure,” DJ Shadow took crate digging to the next level: he bought 200 tapes on eBay, a collection that was recorded off the radio from a mix station in the Baltimore/D.C. area in the 1980s, and dove through his vinyl record collection for new music. (That latter is 60,000 records deep, so discovery at home is easy.) If that doesn’t speak to the producer’s dedication to evolving his craft, what could?

    — A new Paramount+ documentary on the German-French R&B duo Milli Vanilli (appropriately titled, “Milli Vanilli,”) examines one of music’s biggest lip-syncing scandals — and suggests Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan’s music producers were pulling the strings and knew more than they let on at the time.

    NEW SERIES TO STREAM— Apple TV+ has a new family-friendly animated series from Dreamworks called “CURSES!” in time for Halloween. When a centuries-old family curse turns Alex Vanderhouven to stone, his wife, Sky, and their two kids Pandora and Russ team up to save him, break the spell, and return stolen artifacts to their owners. John Krasinski is an executive producer. Voice actors include Reid Scott (“Veep”, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Rhea Perlman (“Cheers”), Phylicia Rashad (“The Cosby Show”) and Robert Englund (“A Nightmare on Elm Street”). “CURSES!” debuts Friday, Oct. 27 on the streamer.

    — Matt Bomer (“White Collar”) and Jonathan Bailey (“Bridgerton”) co-star as two men who meet and fall in love during the 1950s McCarthy-era. Their love story stretches across the cultural and political milestones in U.S. history including the Vietnam War protests, the age of disco, drug use and nightclubs of the 1970s, and into the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. The story is based on a novel by Thomas Mallon. “Fellow Travelers” will debut Friday, Oct. 27 on Paramount+ and on Showtime on Sunday, Oct. 29.

    — Julian Fellowes’ “The Gilded Age” is back for a second season on HBO. The show features a large ensemble cast including Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector and Taissa Farmiga and takes place in New York during the industrialization period in the late 1800s. This time of extreme wealth and also extreme poverty became known as The Gilded Age, though is often more remembered for its extravagance. The Carnegies, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts and Morgans are prominent last names from this time period that still have relevance today. “The Gilded Age” series follows two wealthy families, one with inherited wealth and the other with new money, along with their domestic workers. Season two debuts Sunday, Oct. 29 on HBO and will stream on MAX.

    NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY— In 2010, bestselling writer Alan Wake went on vacation in the Pacific Northwest and never came back. Turns out he’s been trapped all these years in “the Dark Place,” trying to maintain his sanity and write his way out of the nightmare. Enter Saga Anderson, an FBI agent investigating a series of ritual murders that she thinks might be connected to the missing novelist. That’s the setup for Alan Wake II, Remedy Entertainment’s long-awaited sequel to a game that’s become a cult favorite. If you were rattled by the David Lynch-meets-Stephen King vibe of the original, Remedy is promising to lean even further into the creepiness. The horror returns Friday, Oct. 27, on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S and PC. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

    Taylor Swift’s “1989 (Taylor’s Version),” a Paramount+ documentary on the duo Milli Vanilli examining one of music’s biggest lip-syncing scandals and the horror movie “Five Nights at Freddy’s” are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you

    Among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists are Julian Fellowes’ “The Gilded Age” back for a second season on HBO and Hollywood’s latest attempt to delve into the opioid crisis with the glossy “Pain Hustlers,” starring Emily Blunt, Chris Evans and Andy Garcia.

    NEW MOVIES TO STREAM
    — Hollywood’s latest attempt to delve into the opioid crisis is the glossy, starry “Pain Hustlers,” starring Emily Blunt, Chris Evans and Andy Garcia. Based on a New York Times Magazine article (which then became a book) by Evan Hughes, “Pain Hustlers,” on Netflix on Friday, Oct. 27, centers on a pharmaceutical startup, Insys Therapeutics, which engaged in criminal activities like bribery and kickbacks and misleading insurers to push their addictive oral fentanyl spray called Subsys. Blunt plays a high school dropout who gets a job at the company, run by Garcia, where she excels. Directed by David Yates, “Pain Hustlers” was not generally well received by critics at its Toronto International Film Festival premiere, but Alyssa Wilkinson wrote for Vox that, though predictable, “’Pain Hustlers’ manages to be lively and moving.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    — The video game series “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is now a movie, available both in theaters and on Peacock on Friday, Oct. 27. The horror pic, from Blumhouse Productions, follows a security guard (played by “The Hunger Games’” Josh Hutcherson) who accepts a job at an old family entertainment center, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, where the animatronic mascots are mobile and murderous after midnight.

    — Filmmaker Paul Schrader rounds out his unofficial Man in a Room trilogy (“First Reformed,” “The Card Counter”) with “Master Gardener,” arriving on Hulu on Thursday. Joel Edgerton plays a horticulturist named Narvel who works on the large estate of a wealthy dowager (Sigourney Weaver’s Norma). Narvel harbors some secrets under his gardening jumpsuits, though, including tattoos and a past with a body count. I wrote in my review that its ideas are many and perhaps not terribly coherent, but there are pleasures in the enjoyable performances from Edgerton, Weaver and Quintessa Swindell.

    NEW MUSIC TO STREAM
    — It was the album that fully cemented her move away from country-pop to mainstream pop superstardom. On Friday, Oct. 27, Taylor Swift will release the fourth release of the six albums Swift plans to re-record, “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” The Taylor’s Version albums, instigated by music manager Scooter Braun’s sale of her early catalog, represent Swift’s effort to control her own songs and how they’re used. Like the others in the series, Swifties can expect five previously unreleased “From the Vault” tracks written around the time of the 2014 album’s initial release, as well as the fan-favorite “New Romantics,” originally released as a Target exclusive.

    — Also on Friday: Barbra Streisand and Columbia Records will release “EVERGREENS: Celebrating Six Decades on Columbia Records” and “YENTL: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition,” arriving a few days before the publication date of her highly anticipated memoir, “My Name is Barbra.” Unreleased tracks abound. Welcome to Streisand season.

    — In preparation for his latest studio album, “Action Adventure,” DJ Shadow took crate digging to the next level: he bought 200 tapes on eBay, a collection that was recorded off the radio from a mix station in the Baltimore/D.C. area in the 1980s, and dove through his vinyl record collection for new music. (That latter is 60,000 records deep, so discovery at home is easy.) If that doesn’t speak to the producer’s dedication to evolving his craft, what could?

    — A new Paramount+ documentary on the German-French R&B duo Milli Vanilli (appropriately titled, “Milli Vanilli,”) examines one of music’s biggest lip-syncing scandals — and suggests Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan’s music producers were pulling the strings and knew more than they let on at the time.

    NEW SERIES TO STREAM
    — Apple TV+ has a new family-friendly animated series from Dreamworks called “CURSES!” in time for Halloween. When a centuries-old family curse turns Alex Vanderhouven to stone, his wife, Sky, and their two kids Pandora and Russ team up to save him, break the spell, and return stolen artifacts to their owners. John Krasinski is an executive producer. Voice actors include Reid Scott (“Veep”, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Rhea Perlman (“Cheers”), Phylicia Rashad (“The Cosby Show”) and Robert Englund (“A Nightmare on Elm Street”). “CURSES!” debuts Friday, Oct. 27 on the streamer.

    — Matt Bomer (“White Collar”) and Jonathan Bailey (“Bridgerton”) co-star as two men who meet and fall in love during the 1950s McCarthy-era. Their love story stretches across the cultural and political milestones in U.S. history including the Vietnam War protests, the age of disco, drug use and nightclubs of the 1970s, and into the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. The story is based on a novel by Thomas Mallon. “Fellow Travelers” will debut Friday, Oct. 27 on Paramount+ and on Showtime on Sunday, Oct. 29.

    — Julian Fellowes’ “The Gilded Age” is back for a second season on HBO. The show features a large ensemble cast including Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector and Taissa Farmiga and takes place in New York during the industrialization period in the late 1800s. This time of extreme wealth and also extreme poverty became known as The Gilded Age, though is often more remembered for its extravagance. The Carnegies, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts and Morgans are prominent last names from this time period that still have relevance today. “The Gilded Age” series follows two wealthy families, one with inherited wealth and the other with new money, along with their domestic workers. Season two debuts Sunday, Oct. 29 on HBO and will stream on MAX.

    NEW VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
    — In 2010, bestselling writer Alan Wake went on vacation in the Pacific Northwest and never came back. Turns out he’s been trapped all these years in “the Dark Place,” trying to maintain his sanity and write his way out of the nightmare. Enter Saga Anderson, an FBI agent investigating a series of ritual murders that she thinks might be connected to the missing novelist. That’s the setup for Alan Wake II, Remedy Entertainment’s long-awaited sequel to a game that’s become a cult favorite. If you were rattled by the David Lynch-meets-Stephen King vibe of the original, Remedy is promising to lean even further into the creepiness. The horror returns Friday, Oct. 27, on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S and PC. Follow The New Indian Express channel on WhatsApp

  • Country singer-songwriter Charlie Robison dies in Texas at age 59

    By Associated Press

    SAN ANTONIO: Charlie Robison, the Texas singer-songwriter whose rootsy anthems made the country charts until he was forced to retire after complications from a medical procedure left him unable to sing, died Sunday. He was 59.

    Robison died at a hospital in San Antonio after suffering cardiac arrest and other complications, according to a family representative.

    Robison launched his music career in the late 1980s, playing in local Austin bands like Two Hoots and a Holler before forming his own Millionaire Playboys. In 1996, he released his solo debut, “Bandera,” named for the Texas Hill Country town where his family has had a ranch for generations.

    When he was approached by Sony in 1998, Robison signed with its Lucky Dog imprint, which was devoted to rawer country. His 2001 album “Step Right Up” produced his only Top 40 country song, “I Want You Bad.”

    In 2018, Robison announced that he had permanently lost the ability to sing following a surgical procedure on his throat. “Therefore, with a very heavy heart I am officially retiring from the stage and studio,” he wrote on Facebook.

    Robison served as a judge for one year on USA Network’s “Nashville Star,” a reality TV show in which contestants lived together while competing for a country music recording contract.

    He is survived by his wife, Kristen Robison, and four children and stepchildren. Three of his children were with his first wife, Emily Strayer, a founding member of the superstar country band The Chicks. They divorced in 2008.

    Robison’s breakup with Strayer inspired songs on the 2009 album “Beautiful Day.” He recorded it while living across from the Greyhound bus station in San Antonio, in a loft apartment with mismatched furniture and strewn beer bottles, “the quintessential bachelor pad,” he recalled.

    “People come up to me and say they’re going through something right now, and it’s like this is completely written about them,” Robison told The Associated Press in 2009. “I wasn’t meaning to do that, but it’s been a residual effect of the record.”

    Robison’s final album, the rock-tinged “High Life” from 2013, included a cover version of Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece.”

    Memorial services are pending.

    SAN ANTONIO: Charlie Robison, the Texas singer-songwriter whose rootsy anthems made the country charts until he was forced to retire after complications from a medical procedure left him unable to sing, died Sunday. He was 59.

    Robison died at a hospital in San Antonio after suffering cardiac arrest and other complications, according to a family representative.

    Robison launched his music career in the late 1980s, playing in local Austin bands like Two Hoots and a Holler before forming his own Millionaire Playboys. In 1996, he released his solo debut, “Bandera,” named for the Texas Hill Country town where his family has had a ranch for generations.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    When he was approached by Sony in 1998, Robison signed with its Lucky Dog imprint, which was devoted to rawer country. His 2001 album “Step Right Up” produced his only Top 40 country song, “I Want You Bad.”

    In 2018, Robison announced that he had permanently lost the ability to sing following a surgical procedure on his throat. “Therefore, with a very heavy heart I am officially retiring from the stage and studio,” he wrote on Facebook.

    Robison served as a judge for one year on USA Network’s “Nashville Star,” a reality TV show in which contestants lived together while competing for a country music recording contract.

    He is survived by his wife, Kristen Robison, and four children and stepchildren. Three of his children were with his first wife, Emily Strayer, a founding member of the superstar country band The Chicks. They divorced in 2008.

    Robison’s breakup with Strayer inspired songs on the 2009 album “Beautiful Day.” He recorded it while living across from the Greyhound bus station in San Antonio, in a loft apartment with mismatched furniture and strewn beer bottles, “the quintessential bachelor pad,” he recalled.

    “People come up to me and say they’re going through something right now, and it’s like this is completely written about them,” Robison told The Associated Press in 2009. “I wasn’t meaning to do that, but it’s been a residual effect of the record.”

    Robison’s final album, the rock-tinged “High Life” from 2013, included a cover version of Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece.”

    Memorial services are pending.

  • Music Review: Olivia Rodrigo rages against the machine and bad men with humor on ‘GUTS’

    By Associated Press

    LOS ANGELES: On Friday, Olivia Rodrigo — the Grammy winner best known for her 2021 smash single “drivers license” — released her highly anticipated sophomore album, “GUTS.”

    It’s an apt title, because audacious she is: Across 12 tracks, Rodrigo builds off the life experiences of a pop superstar now in the throes of fame — and her early 20s — with an acute wisdom.

    From the bloodsucking piano ballad “vampire” to the cheeky backslide anthem “bad idea right?” (Rodrigo has kept the all-lowercase titles that styled her debut), “GUTS” is at times a pop-punk album unafraid of taking dynamic swings, and a diaristic bloodletting.

    But those lead singles hid greater moments: opener “all-american bitch,” inspired by a cast-off quote from a young hippie in Joan Didion’s “The White Album” essay collection, is pop-punk informed by Liz Phair or, like, the most obscure Rose Melberg record. Irony and anger are her swords: “I’m grateful all the time / I’m sexy and I’m kind / I’m pretty when I cry,” she sings.

    “pretty isn’t pretty” recalls The Cure’s dreamy guitar tones, a cutting treatise on the price of impossible beauty standards.

    It’s easy to hear your favorite rock bands represented here, but in a style completely Rodrigo’s own: Pavement punctuates “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” with lyrics that could double as a AOL away message. Pick your favorite: “Sеarchin’ ‘how to start a conversation?’ on a website (How to flirt?)”, or “Thought your mom was your wife / Called you the wrong name twice / Can’t think of a third line.”

    “the grudge” is born from “drivers license” — a courageous piano power ballad. Where whisper-singing has become the foundation for many contemporary young pop stars, whose biggest singles consequently feel restrained, Rodrigo’s performance is pushed to the limits. Rage and disappointment will do that to you: They’re perhaps pop’s most underutilized tools — and rock’s greatest asset.

    At the top of her debut album, Rodrigo asked “I’m so sick of 17 / Where’s my f—-ing teenage dream?” in “brutal.” On “GUTS” she answers it in the closer “teenage dream”: “I’m sorry that I couldn’t always be your teenage dream,” she sings, the same woman who made getting her driver’s license a pop music concern for the world. Could adolescence be more damning?

    Long has Rodrigo has been compared to her musical antecedent Taylor Swift, but the points of evidence on “GUTS” are few and far between — and in the album’s weakest moments, like “get him back!”, still far superior to a lesser artist’s greatest uptempo track. (Special mention goes to the lyric “I wanna meet your mom, just to tell her her son sucks.” Has devastation ever been so funny?)

    “For me, this album is about growing pains and trying to figure out who I am at this point in my life,” Rodrigo said in a press release when the album was first announced. “I feel like I grew 10 years between the ages of 18 and 20 — it was such an intense period of awkwardness and change. I think that’s all just a natural part of growth, and hopefully the album reflects that.”

    The musician once again teamed up with her close collaborator Dan Nigro, who produced “SOUR,” her first album that was a multiplatinum debut that won Rodrigo three Grammy Awards and made her the youngest solo artist ever to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

    Few forces are more potent than a young creative woman’s dissatisfaction — only, of course, if she chooses to wield it. For Rodrigo, it was never a question. She’ll just punctuate it with a laugh.

    LOS ANGELES: On Friday, Olivia Rodrigo — the Grammy winner best known for her 2021 smash single “drivers license” — released her highly anticipated sophomore album, “GUTS.”

    It’s an apt title, because audacious she is: Across 12 tracks, Rodrigo builds off the life experiences of a pop superstar now in the throes of fame — and her early 20s — with an acute wisdom.

    From the bloodsucking piano ballad “vampire” to the cheeky backslide anthem “bad idea right?” (Rodrigo has kept the all-lowercase titles that styled her debut), “GUTS” is at times a pop-punk album unafraid of taking dynamic swings, and a diaristic bloodletting.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    But those lead singles hid greater moments: opener “all-american bitch,” inspired by a cast-off quote from a young hippie in Joan Didion’s “The White Album” essay collection, is pop-punk informed by Liz Phair or, like, the most obscure Rose Melberg record. Irony and anger are her swords: “I’m grateful all the time / I’m sexy and I’m kind / I’m pretty when I cry,” she sings.

    “pretty isn’t pretty” recalls The Cure’s dreamy guitar tones, a cutting treatise on the price of impossible beauty standards.

    It’s easy to hear your favorite rock bands represented here, but in a style completely Rodrigo’s own: Pavement punctuates “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” with lyrics that could double as a AOL away message. Pick your favorite: “Sеarchin’ ‘how to start a conversation?’ on a website (How to flirt?)”, or “Thought your mom was your wife / Called you the wrong name twice / Can’t think of a third line.”

    “the grudge” is born from “drivers license” — a courageous piano power ballad. Where whisper-singing has become the foundation for many contemporary young pop stars, whose biggest singles consequently feel restrained, Rodrigo’s performance is pushed to the limits. Rage and disappointment will do that to you: They’re perhaps pop’s most underutilized tools — and rock’s greatest asset.

    At the top of her debut album, Rodrigo asked “I’m so sick of 17 / Where’s my f—-ing teenage dream?” in “brutal.” On “GUTS” she answers it in the closer “teenage dream”: “I’m sorry that I couldn’t always be your teenage dream,” she sings, the same woman who made getting her driver’s license a pop music concern for the world. Could adolescence be more damning?

    Long has Rodrigo has been compared to her musical antecedent Taylor Swift, but the points of evidence on “GUTS” are few and far between — and in the album’s weakest moments, like “get him back!”, still far superior to a lesser artist’s greatest uptempo track. (Special mention goes to the lyric “I wanna meet your mom, just to tell her her son sucks.” Has devastation ever been so funny?)

    “For me, this album is about growing pains and trying to figure out who I am at this point in my life,” Rodrigo said in a press release when the album was first announced. “I feel like I grew 10 years between the ages of 18 and 20 — it was such an intense period of awkwardness and change. I think that’s all just a natural part of growth, and hopefully the album reflects that.”

    The musician once again teamed up with her close collaborator Dan Nigro, who produced “SOUR,” her first album that was a multiplatinum debut that won Rodrigo three Grammy Awards and made her the youngest solo artist ever to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

    Few forces are more potent than a young creative woman’s dissatisfaction — only, of course, if she chooses to wield it. For Rodrigo, it was never a question. She’ll just punctuate it with a laugh.

  • Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist and songwriter of ‘The Band’, dies at 80

    By AFP

    NEW YORK: Robbie Robertson, guitarist and main songwriter of the seminal rock group ‘The Band’, has died, his manager said in a statement. He was 80 years old.

    As the ringleader of the Canadian-American group, Robertson penned The Band’s most iconic songs including “The Weight,” “The Night They Drove Ol’ Dixie Down” and “Up On Cripple Creek.”

    His manager said in a statement Robertson was surrounded by family at the time of his death, which followed “a long illness.”

    Prior to his work and leadership with The Band, Robertson was a key collaborator with none other than Bob Dylan, touring with him and playing on the album “Blonde on Blonde.”

    Born July 5, 1943, in Toronto, Canada with both Mohawk and Jewish roots, Robertson worked on travelling carnivals in his early teenage years, before joining and starting a variety of bands.

    “I’ve been playing guitar for so long I can’t remember when I started,” he told Rolling Stone magazine in 1968. “I guess I got into rock and roll like everybody else.”

    He joined the backing band of Ronnie Hawkins, a rockabilly star, when he was just 16, where he eventually met fellow musicians, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Levon Helm.

    The group formed a strong bond, and they became Dylan’s backing band in the mid-1960s for his infamous first electric tour.

    They also played with the icon on his much-bootlegged “basement tapes.”

    Statement from Robbie Robertson’s family.Luis Sinco pic.twitter.com/J9c79003D5
    — Robbie Robertson (@r0bbier0berts0n) August 9, 2023
    Robertson’s history-minded compositions were masterful yarns that evoked the wilds of America and the characters who coloured them, and in particular, focused on the American South.

    “The Weight” is a regular on all-time greatest song lists. A folk tune with country and gospel elements as well as Biblical allusion, it’s considered a classic of the American songbook.

    The group played Woodstock and cut a string of albums including “Music from Big Pink,” “The Band” and “Cahoots.”

    The Band split up in 1976 with a farewell concert in San Francisco, immortalized on film by director Martin Scorsese in “The Last Waltz.”

    The film, theatrically released in 1978, has become known as a critically acclaimed pioneering rock documentary.

    It also ushered in Robertson’s longtime collaboration and friendship with Scorsese, who hired the guitarist as a musical supervisor on a string of his films including “Casino” and “Gangs of New York.”

    At the time of his death, Robertson had been working on a follow-up to his memoir “Testimony,” and had just completed scoring Scorsese’s “Killers of The Flower Moon” which is set for release this fall.

    Hailing his friend as “a giant,” Scorsese called Robertson “a constant in my life and work.”

    “Long before we ever met, his music played a central role in my life — me and millions and millions of other people all over this world. The Band’s music, and Robbie’s own later solo music, seemed to come from the deepest place at the heart of this continent, its traditions and tragedies and joys,” Scorsese said in a statement.

    “His effect on the art form was profound and lasting.”

    Robertson didn’t tour again after “The Last Waltz” but did release a string of solo albums starting in 1987 when he dropped “Robbie Robertson.”

    He remained a beloved figure of American rock and folk, both for his guitar chops and his poetry.

    “I thought of a couple of words that led to a couple more,” he told Rolling Stone in 1969, asked how he penned the classic “The Weight.”

    “The next thing I know I wrote the song,” Robertson continued. “We just figured it was a simple song, and when it came up we gave it a try and recorded it three or four times.”

    “We didn’t even know if we were going to use it.”

    NEW YORK: Robbie Robertson, guitarist and main songwriter of the seminal rock group ‘The Band’, has died, his manager said in a statement. He was 80 years old.

    As the ringleader of the Canadian-American group, Robertson penned The Band’s most iconic songs including “The Weight,” “The Night They Drove Ol’ Dixie Down” and “Up On Cripple Creek.”

    His manager said in a statement Robertson was surrounded by family at the time of his death, which followed “a long illness.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Prior to his work and leadership with The Band, Robertson was a key collaborator with none other than Bob Dylan, touring with him and playing on the album “Blonde on Blonde.”

    Born July 5, 1943, in Toronto, Canada with both Mohawk and Jewish roots, Robertson worked on travelling carnivals in his early teenage years, before joining and starting a variety of bands.

    “I’ve been playing guitar for so long I can’t remember when I started,” he told Rolling Stone magazine in 1968. “I guess I got into rock and roll like everybody else.”

    He joined the backing band of Ronnie Hawkins, a rockabilly star, when he was just 16, where he eventually met fellow musicians, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Levon Helm.

    The group formed a strong bond, and they became Dylan’s backing band in the mid-1960s for his infamous first electric tour.

    They also played with the icon on his much-bootlegged “basement tapes.”

    Statement from Robbie Robertson’s family.
    Luis Sinco pic.twitter.com/J9c79003D5
    — Robbie Robertson (@r0bbier0berts0n) August 9, 2023
    Robertson’s history-minded compositions were masterful yarns that evoked the wilds of America and the characters who coloured them, and in particular, focused on the American South.

    “The Weight” is a regular on all-time greatest song lists. A folk tune with country and gospel elements as well as Biblical allusion, it’s considered a classic of the American songbook.

    The group played Woodstock and cut a string of albums including “Music from Big Pink,” “The Band” and “Cahoots.”

    The Band split up in 1976 with a farewell concert in San Francisco, immortalized on film by director Martin Scorsese in “The Last Waltz.”

    The film, theatrically released in 1978, has become known as a critically acclaimed pioneering rock documentary.

    It also ushered in Robertson’s longtime collaboration and friendship with Scorsese, who hired the guitarist as a musical supervisor on a string of his films including “Casino” and “Gangs of New York.”

    At the time of his death, Robertson had been working on a follow-up to his memoir “Testimony,” and had just completed scoring Scorsese’s “Killers of The Flower Moon” which is set for release this fall.

    Hailing his friend as “a giant,” Scorsese called Robertson “a constant in my life and work.”

    “Long before we ever met, his music played a central role in my life — me and millions and millions of other people all over this world. The Band’s music, and Robbie’s own later solo music, seemed to come from the deepest place at the heart of this continent, its traditions and tragedies and joys,” Scorsese said in a statement.

    “His effect on the art form was profound and lasting.”

    Robertson didn’t tour again after “The Last Waltz” but did release a string of solo albums starting in 1987 when he dropped “Robbie Robertson.”

    He remained a beloved figure of American rock and folk, both for his guitar chops and his poetry.

    “I thought of a couple of words that led to a couple more,” he told Rolling Stone in 1969, asked how he penned the classic “The Weight.”

    “The next thing I know I wrote the song,” Robertson continued. “We just figured it was a simple song, and when it came up we gave it a try and recorded it three or four times.”

    “We didn’t even know if we were going to use it.”

  • Grammy winner American singer Tori Kelly hospitalised after collapsing at dinner

    By ANI

    LOS ANGELES: Grammy-Winning American singer Tori Kelly is in the hospital receiving treatment for blood clots around her essential organs, a source confirmed TMZ adding that the condition was really serious.

    According to sources close to the Grammy-winning artist, she was out to dinner with friends in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday night when her heart began to race. Tori reportedly passed out and was out for a while.

    According to TMZ, Tori’s pals wanted to make sure she wasn’t sent to a hospital downtown, but rather to Cedars-Sinai, one of the country’s top hospitals, so they took her outside, loaded her into a vehicle, and rushed to the hospital instead of calling an ambulance.

    Doctors detected clots in Tori’s legs and lungs and are still attempting to identify if any clots are near her heart, according to a source in the ICU. Throughout her hospitalisation, the singer has been in and out of consciousness.

    Recently, Kelly released her first new solo single, ‘Missin u.’

    Kelly rose to prominence as a kid on several TV competition shows before breaking into the industry with her acoustic renditions on YouTube and a stint on ‘American Idol’ in 2010. She came just shy of the Top 24 on Idol, but she quickly established a successful pop career, releasing her debut album ‘Unbreakable Smile’ in 2015.

    She had successes with ‘Nobody Love’ and ‘Should’ve Been Us’ and was nominated for two Grammys in 2019. 

    LOS ANGELES: Grammy-Winning American singer Tori Kelly is in the hospital receiving treatment for blood clots around her essential organs, a source confirmed TMZ adding that the condition was really serious.

    According to sources close to the Grammy-winning artist, she was out to dinner with friends in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday night when her heart began to race. Tori reportedly passed out and was out for a while.

    According to TMZ, Tori’s pals wanted to make sure she wasn’t sent to a hospital downtown, but rather to Cedars-Sinai, one of the country’s top hospitals, so they took her outside, loaded her into a vehicle, and rushed to the hospital instead of calling an ambulance.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Doctors detected clots in Tori’s legs and lungs and are still attempting to identify if any clots are near her heart, according to a source in the ICU. Throughout her hospitalisation, the singer has been in and out of consciousness.

    Recently, Kelly released her first new solo single, ‘Missin u.’

    Kelly rose to prominence as a kid on several TV competition shows before breaking into the industry with her acoustic renditions on YouTube and a stint on ‘American Idol’ in 2010. She came just shy of the Top 24 on Idol, but she quickly established a successful pop career, releasing her debut album ‘Unbreakable Smile’ in 2015.

    She had successes with ‘Nobody Love’ and ‘Should’ve Been Us’ and was nominated for two Grammys in 2019. 

  • Korean culture minister proposes granting BTS exemptions from active military duty 

    By PTI

    Citing “conflicting pros and cons” ahead of the enlistment of BTS, Korean Culture Minister Hwang Hee has proposed that members of the global music sensation be allowed to substitute their mandatory military service for other alternative programmes.

    According to Korean news agency Yonhap, amid heated debate over whether the Grammy-nominated group should be given military exemptions, the culture minister asked the parliament to approve a relevant bill as early as possible.

    “It’s time to create a system for incorporating popular culture-art figures as art personnel,” Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hwang said during a press briefing in Seoul on Wednesday.

    In South Korea, all able-bodied men are required to serve in the military for about two years. Jin, the oldest member of the group, faces enlistment by December.

    The culture minister referred to the programme of allowing global award-winning athletes and classical musicians to do alternative services in their respective fields instead of serving in active military duty, in recognition of their role in promoting their country’s image abroad.

    ALSO READ | BTS announces new album, to be out on June 10

    “The system has been operated meaningfully to give those who have enhanced the national status based on their excellent skills more chances to contribute to the country, and there is no reason the popular art-culture field should be excluded from this,” he said.

    Citing the example of BTS, Hwang said, “I thought somebody should be a responsible voice at a time when there are conflicting pros and cons ahead of the enlistment of some of the BTS members.

    ” Forcing globally recognised pop culture artists to halt their careers at their peak in order to serve in the military would cause a great loss not only to the country but also to the entire world, the minister said as a reason for making such a proposal.

    The development comes as BTS is gearing up to release their anthology album ‘Proof’ on June 10.

    The proposed bill would grant male pop artists other alternative options pending at the National Assembly amid strong opposition from young men who have fulfilled or will soon begin their military service.

    In their past interviews and media interactions, the septet — also comprising RM, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook — have maintained that “they will accept the call of duty when the nation calls them”.

    The defence ministry has also stressed the need for “prudence” in considering whether to allow active-duty military service exemptions for the band.

    Hwang emphasised his proposal would be worth considering “if the country can give bigger obligations to the talented pop culture artists and create greater national interests through this”.

  • BTS announces new album, to be out on June 10

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: South Korean music group BTS will release their new album on June 10, their management agency BigHit Music announced Sunday.

    The development of the new album comes as BTS complete their ‘Permission to Dance On Stage’ tour at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, US.

    BigHit Music took to Weverse, the global fan community forum, to share the news. “BTS will be back with another new album on June 10, 2022,” the agency said in a statement. Details on the new album will be provided in a separate notice at a later date, they added. “We look forward to your love and support for BTS’ new album,” BigHit said.

    The official BTS Twitter page also dropped an announcement teaser covering the journey of the band that started in 2013.

    The 50-second-long video flashed ‘WE ARE BULLETPROOF’ and ‘2022.6.10’ towards the end of the clip. Many members of the ARMY, the fan group of the Grammy-nominated band, took to social media and asked if the name of the new album was ‘WE ARE BULLETPROOF’.

    [공지] #BTS (+ENG/JPN/CHN)https://t.co/Pxb2rZbyCc pic.twitter.com/qkuPPA4cmx
    — BTS_official (@bts_bighit) April 17, 2022
    BTS released the song “We Are Bulletproof: Part 2” in 2013 and followed it up with “We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal”, as a continuation of the previous track.

    The septet, comprising RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook, released their last album ‘BE’ in December 2020. Post ‘BE’, BTS released two back-to-back English singles “Butter” and “Permission to Dance” in May and July 2021, respectively.

    They were nominated for the second time for the best pop duo/ group performance Grammy for “Butter”, but lost out to Doja Cat and SZA’s “Kiss Me More”.

  • Ed Sheeran awaits verdict over copyright court battle

    By Associated Press

    An 11-day trial over the copyright of Ed Sheeran’s hit song “Shape of You” concluded in London on Tuesday, with the judge saying he would take some time to consider his ruling.

    The British pop star and his co-writers, Snow Patrol’s John McDaid and producer Steven McCutcheon, denies accusations that the 2017 song copies part of a 2015 song called “Oh Why” by Sami Chokri, who performs under the name Sami Switch.

    Lawyer Andrew Sutcliffe, representing the “Oh Why” co-writers, argued there was an “indisputable similarity between the works” and suggested the chances of two songs that “correlate” appearing within months of each other was “minutely small.”

    The lawyer claimed that Sheeran had “Oh Why” “consciously or unconsciously in his head” when “Shape of You” was written in 2016. He also alleged that Sheeran, who attended the hearing throughout, was dishonest and evasive in giving evidence to the trial.

    Sheeran and his co-writers say they have disclosed material to the trial and do not remember hearing “Oh Why” before the court case.

    Justice Antony Zacaroli said Tuesday he would deliver his judgment “as soon as I can.” “Shape of You” was the biggest selling song in the U.K. in 2017.