MTN South Africa has announced the launch of MusicTime!, which it says is a world-first offering from Simfy Africa. MusicTime is a time-based music streaming service, offering users premium trending and locally relevant music through partnerships with key music labels and providers. The offering includes a countdown timer, top trending music and data. The timer clocks down as users listen to music. MusicTime! is available for 120 minutes for ZAR 5 or 300 minutes for ZAR 10, both valid for seven days from purchase. There are no subscriptions, no hidden data costs and no advertisments. https://music.einnews.com/article/470430133/jPLJ5m-JxGbc0Jml?ref=rss&ecode=F71-eCp0PRGspQOT

NEW YORK, U.S. – Chinas largest music-streaming service, Tencent Music Entertainment Group has raised nearly $1.1 billion in its U.S. initial public offering (IPO). The music arm of the Chinese social network and gaming giant Tencent Holdings Ltd., said in a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange that the music streaming company raised close to $1.1 billion after pricing its shares at the bottom of a marketed range. The company said that in its filing that it had priced its American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) at $13 per share, which was at the low end of its indicated $13 to $15 per share range. According to the company’s statement, Tencent Music sold 41 million ADRs, and its existing shareholders sold a further 40.9 million, with a total of 82 million ADRs sold. So far this year, Tencent Musics U.S. IPO is the fourth largest among Chinese firms by deal value. For January-September, Tencent Music reported a 244 percent profit jump to $394 million. On Wednesday, Tencent Music will officially begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ‘TME.’ Tencent Music added in the filing that its IPO will debut the company at a valuation of about $21.3 […]

2018 will go down as a big year for music streaming services. Millions of people around the globe are transitioning to digital music as a subscription service, ditching CDs and even the pay-per-download model. Several of the biggest music streaming companies had initial public offerings this year, including Spotify Technology (NYSE:SPOT) and Tencent Holdings‘ (NASDAQOTH:TCEHY) recent partial spinoff of Tencent Music Entertainment (NYSE:TME). Here in the U.S., though, an old name reclaimed the top spot this year in the music streaming business. The biggest at home For the past couple of years, Apple‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL) growth strategy has been focused on its subscription services, and Apple Music is a tentpole in that segment. After surpassing 50 million users globally back in the spring, Apple Music just stole the top spot in America from Spotify. Both services have over 20 million paying subscribers in the U.S., according to a report from Digital Music News. It’s a tight race between the two companies, one that will probably continue to unfold over the coming years. At this point, Apple has more momentum in the States, though, getting a boost from cross-selling services alongside devices ranging from the iPhone to Beats headphones to the new HomePod smart speaker. […]

New York, NY (Top40 Charts) NPR First Listen is streaming Low Country Sound songwriter Adam Hood’s ‘Somewhere In Between’ (10.12) in full, here: https://www.npr.org/2018/10/04/653324422/first-listen-adam-hood-somewhere-in-between?t=1538746214643 “Over the course of 11 songs, he also teases out the tension that, for him, lies at the core of what it means to be a small-town, southern singer-songwriter: describing small displays of deliberateness in a thoroughly easygoing fashion,” says NPR Music’s Jewly Hight. The Alabama native’s first album in nine years is a pure reflection of Hood’s live show. It was produced by Oran Thornton (Miranda Lambert ‘Revolution,’ Eric Church ‘Caught In The Act: Live,’ Angaleena Presley ‘Wrangled’) and recorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studios. Known as the “go-to country songwriter” (Billboard) for songs like Brent Cobb’s “King of Alabama,” Anderson East”s “”Surrender“” and album cuts recorded by Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town and Lee Ann Womack, Hood is ready to be back on the road touring under his own name and with his music. Fri., Oct. 5 will kick off a run of headline dates through the Fall that will travel through New York, Chicago, Boston, Nashville and more. For more information and tickets, please visit adamhood.com. ‘Somewhere In Between’ tracklist:1. Heart of a […]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The owner of China’s largest music streaming services is looking to strike it rich in the U.S. stock market. Tencent Music Entertainment plans to sell its stock in the U.S. as part of an initial public offering. The IPO documents filed Tuesday propose raising $1 billion, but that preliminary figure often ends up being substantially higher. Investor demand is likely to be high, given the rising popularity of music streaming and Tencent’s success so far. Tencent says its services have more than 800 million users, including 23.3 million subscribers who pay to listen to its music library. Most Read Business Stories Unlimited Digital Access. $1 for 4 weeks. It’s also profitable, having earned $199 million on revenue of $1.66 billion last year. Tencent’s major shareholders include the leading music streaming service Spotify, which went public earlier this year.

You probably already know that listening to music no longer requires trips to a music store, or purchasing individual songs or albums from iTunes to download to your computer. Today’s best music streaming services have millions of songs in their catalogs, offer personalized playlists, and feature exclusive internet radio shows and podcasts. But which should you pick and pay a subscription fee for? A good streaming music service has a straightforward user interface that makes it easy to organize a library of thousands of songs or playlists across the web, Android, and iOS apps, and in some cases, a desktop Mac or Windows app. However, while most music streaming services have these features, most of them aren’t free, and nearly all services require paid plans that grant you access to a full on-demand library of music and other features. While testing these music streaming services, I considered factors like audio quality options, social integration, and built-in lyrics. It’s also absolutely necessary that your streaming app plays nice with more than one personal device. These are all important points when considering which music service to pick and ultimately, make for a better listening experience. Spotify is the best streaming music service […]

New York, NY (Top40 Charts / NetEase Cloud Music) NetEase Cloud Music, the popular Chinese music streaming platform owned by leading Chinese internet company NetEase, Inc., announced the signing of a copyright licensing partnership with Loen Entertainment, one of the largest entertainment firms in South Korea. With the signing, NetEase Cloud Music has been granted the license to the copyright of the firm’s music catalog, including a large collection of music as well as sought-after albums and tracks from popular performers, including IU, Apink, CNBLUE, GFriend, AOA and THE BOYZ. Loen Entertainment boasts a variety of music genres, covering the gamut from dance music, hip hop and R&B to folk, ballads, TV theme songs and electronic music. The collection will now become available on NetEase Cloud Music, including Palette and CHAT-SHIRE by IU, Miracle and ONE & SIX by Apink, 7°CN and BLUEMING by CNBLUE, Sunny Summer and Time For The Moon Night by GFriend, BINGLE BANGLE and ANGEL’S KNOCK by AOA, as well as THE START and THE SPHERE by THE BOYZ. In addition, NetEase Cloud Music has been granted the license to the copyright of popular albums including Post It by Loco, Gashina by Sun Mi, WHAT IF […]

EDITORS’ NOTES There’s a wistfulness to this album that emerges from its faded colours and the vintage feel of the muffled piano on many of its tracks. French-Canadian pianist/composer Alexandra Stréliski’s music is fragile and vulnerable, its surface optimism a mask for her deep introspection. But it’s also calming: The opening “Plus tôt” is a reassuring waltz, “The Quiet Voice” a lilting, innocent miniature. Stréliski returns to the full-throated sound of a grand piano for the beautiful “Burnout Fugue”, a mesmerising toccata, before delivering a gentle, rippling ballad, “Revient le jour”.

British rock band You Me at Six made their album debut in 2007 and rose to Top Five success in 2010 with their second effort. Founded in 2004 in Weybridge, Surrey, the band comprises Josh Franceschi (vocals), Max Helyer (guitar), Chris Miller (guitar), Matt Barnes (bass), and Dan Flint (drums). They made their recording debut in 2006 with We Know What It Means to Be Alone, a four-track EP that was followed by another, Untitled 4 Track EP. You Me at Six made their full-length debut one year later with Take Off Your Colours on Slam Dunk Records in the United Kingdom and Epitaph Records in the United States. Produced by Matty O’Grady and John Mitchell, Take Off Your Colours reached number 25 on the U.K. albums chart and spawned the hit singles “Save It for the Bedroom,” “Finders Keepers,” and “Kiss and Tell.” Thanks in part to heavy touring, including a performance at the 2007 Slam Dunk Festival, the band’s popularity grew steadily and earned them a nomination for Best British Band at the 2008 and 2009 Kerrang! Awards. Working once again with producers O’Grady and Mitchell, You Me at Six released their second album, Hold Me Down, in […]

twenty one pilots’ cathartic, kitchen-sink style—which folds in alt-rock, reggae, electronic music, and rap—is one of the most unique, unclassifiable commercial sounds of the 2010s. Formed by friends Tyler Joseph, Nick Thomas, and Chris Salih in Columbus, Ohio, the band took its name from Arthur Miller’s play All My Sons, in which a contractor knowingly sends off faulty airplane parts to Europe during World War II, resulting in the death of 21 pilots. The band self-released two albums before making the leap to a subsidiary of Warner Music Group in 2012, shuffling ranks along the way before settling on singer-songwriter Joseph and drummer Josh Dun as its core members. As a duo, they delved further into the idiosyncrasies of their sound—characterized by a minimal blend of keyboards, driving drums, and playful, self-probing lyrics—winning a Grammy in 2017 for their single “Stressed Out.” In 2018, they released the heavily anticipated Trench. A practicing Christian, Joseph credits his faith—and the sustained internal dialogue that comes with it—as a source of inspiration, using his art as a platform to wrestle directly with his demons. Touring behind 2015’s Blurryface, for example, he covered his neck and arms with black greasepaint on stage—a visualization of […]

Rapper Lil Baby grew up in Atlanta hanging with friends like Young Thug, Coach K, and Pee, leaning more toward a life of petty crime and street hustling while his friends went on to thrive in the music industry. In 2015, at age 19, Lil Baby went to prison for two years for a probation violation. Upon his release in 2017, he jump-started his rap career with a mixtape called Perfect Timing, released in April of that year. The mixtape featured cameos from friends like Lil Yachty, Young Thug, and Gunna, and strong production from 808 Mafia, Brickz, and many others, highlighted by Lil Baby’s woozy flows. The mixtape immediately brought the young rapper fame, in part due to his affiliations with friends in the Quality Control family of artists as well as the 4 Pockets Full clique. As his mixtape attracted more listeners, Lil Baby worked constantly on new music, releasing singles like “My Dawg” and the Young Thug collaboration “Pink Slip” in the summer of 2017. Other 2017 releases included Harder Than Hard, 2 the Hard Way (with Marlo), and Too Hard. Lil Baby’s debut studio album, Harder Than Ever, appeared in May of 2018. Featuring guest appearances […]

Glamorously gaudy, a self-made postmodern diva stitched together from elements of Madonna, David Bowie, and Freddie Mercury, Lady Gaga was the first true millennial superstar. Mastering the constant connection of the Internet era, Gaga generated countless mini-sensations through her style, her videos, and her music, cultivating a devoted audience she dubbed “Little Monsters.” But it wasn’t just a cult that turned her 2008 manifesto The Fame into a self-fulfilling prophecy: Gaga crossed over into the mainstream, ushering out one pop epoch and kick-starting a new one, quickly making such turn-of-the-century stars as Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears seem old-fashioned, quite a trick for any artist to pull off, but especially impressive for an artist who specialized in repurposing the past — particularly the ’80s — for present use, creating sustainable pop for a digital world. Perhaps unsurprisingly given her flair for grand gestures, Lady Gaga has deep roots in drama. Born Stefani Germanotta on March 28, 1986, the future Gaga played piano as a child and pursued musical theater in high school, regularly auditioning for New York-based television shows, notably landing a background role for a 2001 episode of The Sopranos. At the age of 17 she enrolled at New […]

British rapper Chipmunk began his musical career during grime’s first wave of artists in the U.K., eventually moving toward a more mainstream hip-hop sound that brought him success in his home country and America. After the release of his second full-length, 2011’s Transition, Chipmunk officially shortened his name to Chip, signifying a gradual return to his grime roots. The change coincided with the collapse of Jive Records and Chip’s subsequent move to T.I.’s label Grand Hustle. His first release for the label was 2012’s London Boy mixtape, which featured both U.K. and American guests, including Iggy Azalea, Meek Mill, Skepta, and Wretch 32. Over the next three years — and two further mixtapes, Get Dough or Die and Rap vs. Grime — Chip re-established himself as grime artist; in particular an artist who wasn’t afraid out call out his peers, as in 2015 when he called out Tinie Tempah during a freestyle on BBC Radio One. Later the same year he also began feuds with Bugzy Malone and Yungen, as well as releasing a two-part EP series called Believe and Achieve. By 2017, Chip was fully submerged in the London grime scene; signified by the release of his third album, […]

An imaginative and stylistically dynamic rap artist who emerged during the early 2010s, Logic launched his career through uploads and independent mixtapes prior to reaching the mainstream with a Def Jam record deal. Born Sir Robert Bryson Hall II in Gaithersburg, Maryland, the rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer dropped a mixtape as Psychological in 2009, then shortened his name. After the 2010 release of Young, Broke, & Infamous, Logic joined the independent label Visionary Music Group. A one-tape-per-year schedule continued with a trilogy of Young Sinatra releases, a period during which he toured internationally without label support and was selected for XXL magazine’s Freshman Class of 2013. Additionally, Logic and Visionary Music Group worked out a contract with Def Jam. Logic released his major-label debut album, Under Pressure, in October 2014. Executive produced by No I.D., it didn’t need any guest appearances to enter the Billboard 200 chart at number four, and was eventually certified gold by the RIAA. The Incredible True Story, an ambitious concept album based 100 years in the future, arrived in November 2015 and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200. The following year, Logic embarked on the Endless Summer Tour with G-Eazy, YG, and […]

“I wanted to write an album that could give justice to being someone complex in the pop world,” the surging French star sometimes known as Héloïse Letissier tells Apple Music. “Pop music is so much recently about trying to simplify narratives, and I was trying to complexify mine. Christine is really me taking your shirt and talking to you really up close. I just want to make sure you actually meet me.” If you have not yet made her acquaintance, you are about to: Her second album under the name Christine and the Queens takes her alter ego a step further with a bolder, more androgynous iteration named Chris. “The first album was born out of the frustration of being an aberration in society, because I was a young queer woman,” she says. “The second was really born out of the aberration I was becoming, which was a powerful woman—being lustful and horny and sometimes angry, and craving for this will to just own everything a bit more and apologize a bit less.” While the new album, also named Chris, undoubtedly works as an exploration of identity and sexuality and power—and as self-aware performance art worthy of touchstones like David […]

Armed with a mesmerizing, nimble soprano—and a vocal register often likened to Mariah Carey’s and Christina Aguilera’s—Ariana Grande began her career as a child star on Broadway and Nickelodeon before transforming into a pop and R&B powerhouse. Instantly recognizable thanks to her signature ponytail, cat ears, babydoll dresses, and breezy self-confidence, her slyly sexual personal brand has, like that of the Spice Girls before her, become an iconic image of young female power. But Grande is more than a symbol: Over the course of several albums and scores of hit singles—beginning with 2013’s “The Way” (featuring Mac Miler) through The Weeknd-assisted “Love Me Harder” and “Break Free” (featuring Zedd)—she has consistently outshined her male collaborators and deftly parlayed her stardom into activism. An LGBTQ advocate and outspoken feminist (“I’m tired of living in a world where women are mostly referred to as a man’s past, present, or future PROPERTY,” she tweeted in 2016), she uses her platform to confront issues like misogyny, sexism, homophobia, and bullying, spreading a message of love over all. Nowhere was this more clear than in May 2017: After terrorists attacked her concert in Manchester, England, killing 22 and injuring hundreds, Grande continued her tour. “Perspective […]

Kojo Funds emerged amid a number of rap artists mixing Afro-swing, dancehall, and R&B in the late 2010s. He was born and raised in East London — an area that also produced Dizzee Rascal, Kano, and Wiley — but was also of Ghanaian and Dominican Republic heritage, and African and Caribbean influences would later influence his work. Kojo’s music career began in 2014 when he started freestyling with friends, and their encouragement led him to take his musical aspirations seriously. His first track, “Want from Me,” was released in 2014 and featured his melodic rap style as well as demonstrating the impact of dancehall on his music. In 2016, Kojo released the track that would prove to be his big break. He collaborated on “Dun Talkin’” with Abra Cadabra, and it won the Mobo 2016 Best Song Award. ~ Bekki Bemrose https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/golden-boy/1434400391?app=music

Manchester duo Children of Zeus, a.k.a. Tyler Daley and Konny Kon, have said that when you live in a city that never stops raining, there isn’t much to do except sit inside and make music. Despite the gloomy conditions, the pair’s full-length debut is a warm and intoxicating fusion of hip-hop, jazz and soul. Their vocals float between rapping and singing with ease, maintaining a meditative pace made for Sunday-afternoon lazing. Keen to showcase more of Manchester’s rising talent, they invite R&B vocalist [ K S R ] to smother “All on You” with his honey-smooth voice, while rapper/singer Layfullstop contributes to the laidback ode to positivity “Fear of a Flat Planet”.

With a series of hits that bundled gangster rhymes, weed talk, pop hooks, and slick production, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania rapper Wiz Khalifa went from breakthrough single (“Black and Yellow”) to feature film star (Mac and Devin Go to High School) in the short span of two years. Along the way there were revered mixtapes, sports anthems, a friendship with West Coast legend Snoop Dogg, the proliferation of his crew referencing Taylor Gang or Die T-shirts, and a friendship with the late actor Paul Walker that inspired the massive hit “See You Again.” A military brat, Khalifa, whose real name is Cameron Thomaz, was born in 1987 in Minot, North Dakota. After his parents divorced when he was three, he lived in various places and military bases around the world. His first attempt at committing lyrics to paper was around age nine, and at 12 he was already recording and producing his own records in his father’s Oklahoma studio. Settling in Pittsburgh during his high school years, Khalifa laid down the groundwork for a solo career and kept busy recording music in a local studio, I.D. Labs. He stood out among the studio’s regulars, prompting the I.D. Labs’ staff to offer him […]

Known for a uniquely fluid and melodic yet mumbling vocal style, rapper Future busted out of Atlanta at the dawn of the 2010s with a flurry of mixtapes, high-charting albums, certified platinum singles such as “Turn on the Lights” and “Low Life,” and contributions to several other hits as a featured artist. Born Nayvadius Wilburn, he grew up in his city’s Zone 6 section with roots in the ATL’s Dungeon Family, who dubbed him “the Future.” Mentored by cousin and fellow Dungeon Family member Rico Wade of the revered Organized Noize, Future released his first mixtapes in 2010 and early 2011, which left him poised for a mainstream breakthrough. A few months after the January 2011 release of his third mixtape, Future was featured on YC’s “Racks,” a single that bubbled up to the Top Ten of Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Shortly thereafter, the rapper signed with major-label Epic, and “Tony Montana,” his proper debut single, subsequently peaked just outside the Top 20. Its parent album, Pluto, landed the following April and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, supported by the number two R&B/hip-hop hit “Turn on the Lights,” which earned Future his first RIAA platinum certification. No […]

Canadian songwriter, producer, rapper, and singer Drake sustained a high-level commercial presence shortly after he turned to rapping in 2006, whether with his own chart-topping releases or a long string of guest appearances on hits by the likes of Lil Wayne, Rihanna, and A$AP Rocky. Each one of the former child actor’s first four proper albums, as well as a 2015 mixtape, topped the album charts in his native Canada and in the U.S. Though he caroused with his most hedonistic contemporaries, Drake was frequently praised for his sensitive, introspective approach to rap and R&B. He also used his platform to support emerging talent like the Weeknd, and eventually formed his own OVO Sound label. Known initially for his role as Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi: The Next Generation, the Toronto, Ontario-born Aubrey Drake Graham stepped out as a rapper and singer with pop appeal in 2006, when he initiated a series of mixtapes. A year later, despite being unsigned, he scored major exposure when his cocky and laid-back track “Replacement Girl,” featuring Trey Songz, was featured on BET’s 106 & Park program as its “Joint of the Day.” He raised his profile throughout the next several months by popping up […]

The Hunna are a four-piece indie rock band from Hertfordshire, England. Singer/guitarist Ryan Potter, lead guitarist Dan Dorney, bassist Jermaine Angin, and drummer Jack Metcalfe quickly built a local following before teaming up with producer Tim Larcombe (Lana Del Rey, Halsey) to record their debut single. “Bonfires” and its B-side, “She’s Casual” were released in October 2015, coinciding with the Hunna’s first supporting tour with Bristol-based band Coasts. They spent much of 2016 in the studio recording their debut album 100, which saw release later the same year. Following headline slots at the Festival Republic Stage at Reading and Leeds Festivals, the band prepared for the release of their sophomore record with the lead singles “Summer” and “Dare.” The ten-track Dare was released in 2018. ~ Timothy Monger

South London’s 67 started life as a street gang before evolving into a music and media brand that involved a number of people from the Brixton Hill area in London. 67 strove to break away from the U.K. grime scene, instead pursuing a sound that had more in common with Chicago drill, in the process defining themselves as leading U.K. drill artists. The main players in the 67 family originally included six MCs — LD (with his iconic mask), ASAP, Dimzy, Monkey, SJ, and Liquez — the backing tracks were primarily handled by four main producers, known as Mazza Munroe, Gotti, LA Beats, and Carns Hill. They began to gain serious attention with their breakout track “Live Corn” in 2014; the following year they cemented their reputation with two high-profile singles, “Skengman” and “Take It There,” followed by their first acclaimed mixtape titled In Skengs We Trust, released just before SJ stopped appearing on releases for reasons that 67 refused to discuss. In 2016, the crew set their sights even higher. Their early single, “Let’s Lurk,” not only featured Giggs but set the table for their first charting mixtape, also titled Let’s Lurk, which ironically placed at number 66 in […]

Showcasing the melismatic vocals of Olly Alexander, London’s Years & Years artfully combine ’80s-style ambient synth pop with funky electronic beats. The group came together in 2010 in London when multi-instrumentalists/producers Michael Goldsworthy and Emre Türkman met online while looking to start a band. They eventually added vocalist and actor Alexander after hearing him singing at a friend’s house while taking a shower. The trio’s keyboard and electronics-based sound first gained exposure when the single Traps was released on Kitsuné Music in 2013. The group’s second EP, Real, came out in February 2014, and with some impressive live dates under their belts, Years & Years announced they had signed a deal with Polydor. Their first major-label single, Take Shelter, appeared in August 2014, followed by a collaboration with the Magician on Sunlight a month later and by the release of Desire in November. In 2015, on the heels of winning the prestigious BBC Sound Of award, Years & Years released their debut full-length album, Communion. Well received, the album debuted at number one in the U.K., and peaked in the Top 50 of the U.S. Billboard 200. The following year, they were nominated for four BRIT Awards and contributed the […]

Influenced by the Southern-style swagger of UGK and the rhymes of his hometown heroes the Diplomats, A$AP Rocky gave up slinging drugs in Harlem and moved to Elmwood Park, New Jersey, where he started rapping. By the time he had completed his GED, the self-proclaimed hood outcast had already gained comparisons to Wiz Khalifa and was being championed by Fader magazine, Stereogum, and rap superstar Drake, due to the Internet-leaked singles “Peso” and “Trilla.” In 2011, just after he turned 22, A$AP Rocky released the Deep Purple mixtape and followed it months later with the digital release of his debut effort, the street album Live.Love.A$AP. After signing a reportedly large deal with Sony, the album was re-released in February of 2012. Even without an official debut album, the rapper rounded out the year with a nomination for BBC Radio’s Sound of 2012 poll, performing alongside Rihanna at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, playing Lana Del Rey’s husband in the singer’s “National Anthem” video, and landing a spot in a television commercial for the popular video game FIFA Soccer 13. His official debut album, Long.Live.A$AP, finally landed in 2013 and featured the single “Goldie.” Santigold, 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar, and […]

It only took Shawn Mendes three years to realize his pop dreams. After catching a wave of fame on Vine, he steered it into solo stardom with two chart-topping albums, a world tour, and a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. Then, the Toronto-area native got right to work on his third album, an adventurous voyage of texture and tempo, with songwriting support from pop heavyweights like Ed Sheeran, Julia Michaels, and John Mayer. Lyrically, he’s still the same Shawn—brooding, broken, heart on his sleeve—but age and experience have emboldened him; heartbreak is no longer a curb on his powers, but his creative fuel. With a skillful balance of poise and risk-taking, he explores slick funk (“Particular Taste”), soulful piano ballads (“Perfectly Wrong”), and Kings of Leon-inspired pop-rock (“In My Blood”), showing us just how much he’s capable of. Get this now from: https://www.apple.com/uk/itunes

Chicago-area hip-hop musician Juice WRLD delivers introspective lyrics atop melodic production, echoing Travis Scott and Post Malone. Born Jarad Higgins in 1998, the Calumet Park artist grew up playing piano, drums, and guitar, turning to rap freestyling in high school. Influenced by rock music and Chicago drill from Lil Durk and Chief Keef, Higgins began recording as Juice TheKidd, a moniker derived from his haircut, which resembled 2Pac’s in the film Juice. His early tracks were all posted online, leading up to 2017’s Juice WLRD 999 EP. Produced by Nick Mira and Sidepce, the set included the singles “Lucid Dreams (Forget Me)” and “All Girls Are the Same.” Both tracks would also land on his official debut full-length, Goodbye & Good Riddance (Interscope), which peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 upon release in May 2018. ~ Neil Z. Yeung Get this now from: https://www.apple.com/uk/itunes

With her omnivorous musical tastes and cheeky attitude, London-based pop singer/songwriter Lily Allen made a name for herself almost as soon as she released her demos on the Internet. The daughter of comedian Keith Allen, Lily spent most of her childhood bouncing from one school to another; in fact, she attended 13 different schools between the ages of five and 15. This constant moving meant she didn’t have much of a chance to make lasting friendships, so Allen entertained herself with books and, especially, music: she listened to everything from T. Rex, the Specials, and the Slits to the Happy Mondays and drum’n’bass, and even ran away to see the Glastonbury Festival when she was 14. After she left school a year later, she realized that music was the only career for her. Allen concentrated on her songwriting and singing, developing a style that was equally sweet and bratty; late in 2005, she set up a MySpace page and posted demos of her songs, as both individual tracks and as part of two limited-edition “mixtapes” that also featured tracks by Dizzee Rascal, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Ludacris. The critical acclaim for her work fueled Allen’s publicity, leading to tens of […]

In the span of three short years, Kanye West went from hip-hop beatmaker to worldwide hitmaker, as his stellar production work for Jay-Z led to a major-label recording contract and, ultimately, a wildly successful solo career. West paired his beats with tongue-twisting raps and a self-assured, flamboyant personality. His dapper fashion sense set him apart from many of his rap peers, and his confidence often came across as boastful or even egotistical, albeit amusingly so. This flamboyance, of course, made for good press, something that West enjoyed in spades during his sudden rise to celebrity status. He was a media darling, appearing and performing at countless awards shows (and winning at them, too), delivering theatrical videos to MTV, and mouthing off about whatever happened to cross his mind. He frequently spoke out against the rampant homophobia evident in much rap music, posed for the cover of Rolling Stone as Jesus Christ, and even claimed during a televised Hurricane Katrina fundraiser that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” West courted controversy, no question about it, but his steady presence in the celebrity limelight couldn’t eclipse his musical talent. His production abilities seemed boundless during his initial surge of activity, as […]

Jorja Smith is an English R&B singer/songwriter whose soulful, jazz-tinged cadence, heartfelt lyrics, and retro sound invoke names like Alunageorge, Nao, Lulu James, and Amy Winehouse, the latter of whom the Walsall-based artist cites as her biggest influence. Smith issued her debut single, “Blue Lights,” in 2015, but it was 2016’s powerful “Where Did I Go?” that began turning heads. That track, and the follow-up single “Beautiful Little Fools,” eventually culminated in the late-2016 release of Smith’s debut EP, Project 11. The following year saw her international profile elevated via her multiple appearances on Drake’s surprise playlist/LP More Life, which saw her holding court among a bevy of high-profile guests like Kanye West, Young Thug, 2 Chainz, and Travis Scott. That same year, Smith released a pair of her own singles, “Beautiful Little Fools” and “Teenage Fantasy,” as well as the collaborative single “On My Mind,” with Preditah. In January 2018, she released the dark and moody “Let Me Down,” which featured U.K. grime artist Stormzy. ~ James Christopher Monger Get this now from: https://www.apple.com/uk/itunes

If ye, Kanye West’s solo album released one week prior, was him proudly shouting about his superpower—bipolar disorder—from the peak of a snow-capped mountain, KIDS SEE GHOSTS is the fireside therapy session occurring at its base. Both Kid Cudi and West have dealt with controversy and mental illness throughout their intertwined careers. It’s all addressed here, on their long-awaited first joint album, with honesty and innate chemistry. Kanye’s production pulsates and rumbles beneath his signature confessional bars and religious affirmations, but, centred by Cudi’s gift for melodic depth and understated humility, his contributions, and the project overall, feel cathartic rather than bombastic and headline-grabbing. On “Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)”, the sequel to ye highlight “Ghost Town”, both men bellow, “Nothing hurts me anymore…I feel free” with such tangible, full-bodied energy, it feels as though this very recording was, in itself, a moment of great healing.

Flame-haired singer/songwriter, beatboxer, and guitarist Ed Sheeran’s eclectic blend of acoustic pop, folk, and hip-hop has been championed by everyone from the underground grime scene to American Oscar winners. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England in 1991, Sheeran released his first EP, The Orange Room, while still at school, and his first two albums — his self-titled debut and Want Some — by the age of 16. After moving to London to gain more live experience, his performance of the self-penned “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You” on YouTube channel SB.tv gained half-a-million viewers and attracted the attention of actor/R&B star Jamie Foxx, who invited him to appear on his Los Angeles Sirius radio show. Securing a deal with Elton John’s management company, he supported Example on his U.K. tour and, after signing with Atlantic, became just the third artist to score a Top 75 album purely on download sales, when his No. 5 Collaborations project, a star-studded seven-track EP featuring Wiley, JME, and Devlin, charted at number 47 in 2011. That same year he released the Loose Change EP (which featured the smash hit single “The A Team”) and his major-label debut studio album + (“Plus”). + was […]

Rachel Podger, Baroque violinist, is known for her highly accurate, virtuosic playing, outstanding musicianship and understanding of period style, and a cheerful, warm, and decidedly non-stuffy stage presence. Her father was British and her mother German. She was educated in Germany at a Rudolf Steiner school and studied violin. When she returned to England she continued violin studies with David Perry, then was admitted to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Pauline Scott and David Takeno as her teachers. She asked to be allowed to study Baroque violin as well as the standard violin with modern set-up, but was told the only Baroque fiddle was already given out to another student. In addition, as she said, “It wasn’t really the thing to do in your first year. You were supposed to establish your technique.” She did not let this stop her, “So I got hold of an instrument and did it anyway.” She surreptitiously took Baroque violin lessons with Micaela Coberti at the Guildhall and often visited Cambridge where her brother, singer Julian Podger, had founded a small ensemble called Trinity Baroque and gave her a chance to play some of the central Baroque repertory. From her second […]

R&B-influenced pop singer/songwriter Bazzi hit the mainstream after finding viral success with his breakthrough single, “Mine.” Born Andrew Bazzi to Lebanese-American parents in Dearborn, Michigan, he was a natural performer from a young age, imitating Elvis and Ricky Martin as a child and later playing oud and acoustic guitar. At the end of high school, he moved to Los Angeles with his father to pursue a music career. In addition to building an audience online, he appeared on Fancy Cars’ single “Fun” in 2016. Influenced by the likes of Justin Timberlake and Bryson Tiller, he released his solo debut, “Alone,” soon after. In 2017 he issued the singles “Sober,” “Beautiful,” and “Got Friends?,” but it wasn’t until “Mine” went viral with the help of an Internet meme that his audience grew. With its smooth, breezy sound, the romantic “Mine” became a streaming hit and landed Bazzi on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2018. His debut full-length, COSMIC, arrived months later. Featuring additional singles “Gone” and “Honest,” the set debuted at 35 on the Billboard 200. ~ Neil Z. Yeung Get this now from: https://www.apple.com/uk/itunes

British MC and actor Plan B (real name: Ben Drew) came to notice with “Cap Back,” a playful, Wiley-referencing track produced by Roll Deep’s Wonder that appeared on the 679 label’s Run the Road compilation in 2005. Signed to 679’s roster, the London native proceeded to release a handful of singles across 2005 and 2006, which culminated in his debut album, Who Needs Actions When You Got Words. With its Meat Puppets-referencing title, and tracks featuring clever samples of Hall & Oates, the Prodigy, and Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (often with acoustic guitars over shuffling breakbeats), the album made it clear that there was no easy way to classify the MC. Released in 2010, The Defamation of Strickland Banks — not just an album but also a short film directed by and starring Drew — was to prove a breakthrough for Plan B. Led by “Stay Too Long,” a stomping, organ-led rock song depicting an alcohol-fueled tailspin, the record was also heavily influenced by soul and Motown. The Londoner’s formidable singing voice shared the limelight with his rapping, helping to make Plan B a household name in the U.K., where the album was the fifth best seller that […]

North West London rapper Nines drew a loyal fan base through a dichotomy in his music that celebrated the grim reality of the streets while expressing his aspirational drive to escape them. Hailing from the Harlesden area of London, the burgeoning star (real name Courtney Freckleton) steadily built up an audience through a series of mixtape releases. The first, From Church Road to Hollywood, arrived in 2012, and seemed to reference the notorious London Church Road gang that his murdered brother was allegedly a member of. He was awarded Radio 1Xtra’s People’s Choice award in 2013, and nominated for a Mobo in the Best New Hip-Hop category. That same year saw the release of his follow-up mixtape Gone Til November, but it also marked a period when his career was put on hold after he was sentenced to an 18-month imprisonment at Wormwood Scrubs for unspecified crimes. Despite this setback, the prolific artist went on to release a further two tapes, 2014’s Loyal to the Soil and 2015’s One Foot Out. Over the course of his four mixtape releases the rapper had increased his profile, thanks in part to millions of YouTube views, and he signed to XL Recordings, which […]