Tag: new music

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News Round-Up: October 13, 2020

Keegan Hirst (image via Twitter)
Some news items you might have missed: • OUT: Some residents of Heber, Utah, complained about rainbow banners being flown from lampposts on Main Street during Pride Month saying Pride and LGBTQ+ rights were political and did not represent the values or beliefs of the community. So the city passed a new ordinance raising the costs and generally making it more difficult to continue the practice. • AP: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Tuesday blamed South Dakota’s recent surge in coronavirus cases on an increase in testing, even as the state saw a new high in the number of people hospitalized by the virus. • New Music: In her new single, “Head and Heart On Fire,” Swedish singer/songwriter LÉON perfectly summarizes the instantaneous feeling one has the moment they meet someone and are immediately taken aback by their presence; aware of how strongly they set everything inside of you ablaze. The pop/folk track is both intimate and universal in expressing that moment:  “You set my head and heart on fire, wish I could go back to that night, you’ll be forever on my mind.”

• Washington Blade: Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett continued to have no comment Wednesday on whether she’d overturn LGBTQ rights decisions, including the milestone Lawrence v. Texas ruling decriminalizing same-sex relations or the Obergefell ruling in favor of same-sex marriage. • New York Times: Amy Cooper, the white woman who called the police on a Black bird-watcher in Central Park, made a second, previously unreported call to 911 in which she falsely claimed that the man tried to assault her. When the police arrived, Cooper admitted that her reports were untrue. She’s reportedly negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors that would allow her to avoid jail. • BBC: Keegan Hirst (top photo), who became the UK’s first openly gay professional rugby player when he came out in 2015, has announced his retirement from professional rugby. “Be brave, be bold. Embrace change and f*cking go for it.”

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New Music: Jessie Ware, DVRKO, Abby K, Emily Vu

This week’s New Music comes from just about every genre you can think of –  including a selection from ‘the future?’ From disco-pop to electronic dance to folk/Americana to bouncy pop bop, there’s something for everyone here 🙂

Check out these terrific new tracks from Jessie Ware, DVRKO, Abby K and Emily Vu.

In a recent Gay Times Magazine interview, Jessie Ware says her latest single, “What’s Your Pleasure?” is a big ‘thank you’ to the LGBTQ community as she echoes Disco divas of the past.

Noting that Dua Lipa and Lady Gaga have recently done disco music as well, Ware says she thinks “it’s the kind of music that… I think ‘elation’ is such a great word to use. It’s needed at the moment.”

The new track is definitely a recipe for club glory with its sleek disco influence, a touch of funk and the kind of free-roaming rubbery bass lines that would have you dancing relentlessly. It’s the perfect prescription for a world without dance floors.

I have to include the latest from mysterious and enigmatic electronic music producer DVRKO: “Lights Up.”

The masked artist (pronounced Dar-koh) recently told Billboard he “hails from a post-apocalyptic civilization in the not-too-distant future, roaming the earth outcasted from society for his wild past and naughty behavior.”

He uses pirated technology and his futuristic music as his only tools to communicate with the world. Asked to explain his backstory, DVRKO answered, “If I have to explain, you’re not paying attention. Take the trip, crack the code: journey’s worth it. But look, at its core, my message is simple: love and respect mother earth, and your mothers, your brothers and your sisters. I promise you, it won’t suck.”

And while he won’t share more on his identity, he does offer this advice to aspiring musicians: “Don’t listen to Polka and don’t pet squirrels, they will find you and touch you.”

Clever or mysterious, DVRKO’s “Lights Up” features an accessible chorus, bouncy syncopation, and exudes a soaring feeling of optimism that is sure to chase away the blues. Follow DRVKO on Spotify here.

I won’t put a label on indie artist Abby K as her music spans several genres including folk, Americana and alt-country.

She was inspired to write her latest single, “Mom’s Old Room,” after a transgender fan shared their story with her.

Noting the “silent prison” some trans people may find themselves in, the LGBTQ ally says, “Living a life where I couldn’t be myself would break me. This song is dedicated to all the human butterflies in the world. May they have the courage to transform and live their true beauty.”

The lilting song and whimsical music video pair perfectly to tell a lovely tale of self-discovery. Follow Abby K on Spotify here.

“Just Wait,” the latest from SoCal native Emily Vu, explores the vulnerability of falling in love with an engaging self-awareness.

“It’s about being aware of how susceptible I am to love and how being in love or just starting to get to know someone is a very vulnerable thing for me,” Emily explains of the inspiration behind the track. “I’m asking for them to wait for me and just trust the process.”

The music video stars the young pop artist surrounded by a multitude of women with each woman representing a past relationship and how Emily carries those experiences and lessons through life.

Vu launched her career in the summer of 2018 on TikTok playing around with cover songs. Since then, she’s amassed a fervent worldwide fanbase of 1.4M TikTok followers, 388K Instagram followers, and 4M+ Spotify streams.

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Out Music: VINCINT, Tommy Boi, Kim Petras & Kygo, Neon Trees

VINCINT (photo: Matthew Takes)
New music from top-notch out artists for your weekend… First up, acclaimed singer-songwriter VINCINT has teamed up with the cast of Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning series, Queer Eye, to unveil the music video for “Be Me.” Directed by Jake Wilson (Cher, Lizzo, Jonas Brothers), the video was filmed by VINCINT and the Fab Five using their iPhone cameras during quarantine. The track is pure musical joy. “It’s a celebration of the self!” says VINCINT. “A moment to believe that you can be more than what you thought you ever could. This video is a burst of light in a time where light is so needed.” “Be Me” premiered in the official trailer for Season 5 of Queer Eye – which is set in VINCINT’s hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I covered VINCINT’s earlier release, “Save Myself,” here.

California-based Tommy Boi serves up a bit of hopefulness with this heart-on-sleeve pop ballad, “blessing in disguise.” “I grew up as a pastor’s kid so coming out was always like this scary thing that I knew I was going to have to do eventually,” says the young out artist. “I was also made fun of in high school because I was new and kids assumed, I was gay before I was ready to come out. “It was really painful and hard to know people were making up rumors and talking about me,” he adds. “Anyways, I think this song was just a culmination. It’s me singing to myself while I’m going through it, hoping that everything turns out to be okay in the end.” I hear Tommy is currently working on a music video for the track, but to be honest – I like being able to experience Tommy’s open, plaintive vocals set atop the haunting, melancholy piano soundscape without a visual to distract me. Look for his new four-song EP due out late July.

Kim Petras in “Broken Glass” (screen capture)
Pop sensation Kim Petras has teamed up once again with producer and DJ Kygo to release the music video for their pop-tastic collaboration, “Broken Glass.” The video for the song, which appears on Kygo’s third studio album, Golden Hour, depicts Petras as the queen of a dystopian-inspired, post-apocalyptic nightscape. Kygo is certainly the artist of the moment. Last week, the producer/DJ held 16 spots on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart beating out Lady Gaga’s 13.

Neon Trees drops their new single, “Mess Me Up,” in advance of their upcoming album, I Can Feel You Forgetting Me due out July 24. “’Mess Me Up’ is the gut-punch of our new album,” says NeonTrees‘ lead singer, Tyler Glenn on the single. “It’s a plea to not let the pain of a break-up linger, set to the tune of a slow dance.” “What I love tonally is it sounds like that one last dance on prom night before we end it all,” adds the out frontman. “If you’re gonna mess me up, get me addicted, ruin a few good years of my life–Act like you know me and don’t do it slow.”

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New Music: Ty Taylor & Matt Zarley Reimagine ‘Close Every Door’ From JOSEPH…

L-R Ty Taylor, Matt Zarley (courtesy photo)
  Indie artists Matt Zarley and Ty Taylor have been friends for over 27 years – ever since they appeared on Broadway in the 1993 revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In fact, the two talented men were both understudies for the title role. Taylor and Zarley went on to additional featured appearances on the Great White Way (like Grease and Tommy, respectively) before moving on to successful careers as recording artists as well. The two had been discussing recording together and they hit on the perfect song for the duo considering their shared experience with Joseph. “When Ty and I first discussed collaborating on something together, he suggested we do a reimagined version of ‘Close Every Door,’ says Zarley. “We collectively agreed that we should do it with a more acoustic approach, sort of reminiscent of the Indigo Girls and that type of sound. As a result, we settled on just an acoustic guitar and bass as the instrumentation.” Set in a prison cell, Joseph laments his situation and assures himself he can make it to the other side of his imprisonment. But the coronavirus pandemic put the project on pause for a few months. When they reconvened for the project, both felt the new world of ‘sheltering at home’ coupled with the homicide of George Floyd had created a new perspective for the song. Taylor says he looked at issues like “brutality and imprisonment, things that are thrust upon us wrongfully” as he revisited the song. In the video’s introduction, he shares, “It’s fueled with a whole different backstory than I’d ever planned.” Shot in black and white (see what they did there?), the new guitar-driven track (thank you very much, Mike Messer, on guitar) is infused with a pop/soul flavor that instantly reinvents the song. Plus, check out the moments at the 2:40 and 4:30 marks as each singer respectfully takes note of the other’s riffs. Props to Zarley for the creative, current feel on the editing of the video.

Since 2015, Zarley has been producing his “UnCOVERED” series of cover songs requested by fans. In addition to reimagining pop songs by artists like Sara Bareilles, Sam Smith, Whitney Houston, and George Michael, he’s also explored songs from Broadway shows like Dear Evan Hansen, Ghost the Musical, and Waitress. Check out the full “UnCOVERED” series on YouTube here.

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News Round-Up: March 4, 2020

Billy Porter (right) on the set of ‘Pose’ (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • Instagram: Emmy Award winner Billy Porter (above) looks euphoric as the cast of Pose begins working on Season 3. “I couldn’t be more excited to be back on set with my @poseonfx family today to start shooting season 3 of this show that I’m so proud to be a part of. I can’t wait for y’all to see what we have in store for you this season – it’s going to be epic hennies!” • Washington Post: Bipartisan congressional negotiators reached an agreement today on a roughly $8 billion emergency spending bill to combat the coronavirus, hoping to send it to Donald Trump’s desk by the end of the week. The deal must still be voted on by the House later Wednesday and the Senate on Thursday. • New Music: Loving the latest from Malia Civetz, “Broke Boy,” a gospel-tinged, pop bop that finds Civetz extolling her guy’s assets even if they aren’t financial. Her raise-the-roof, full-throated vocals paired with a body-positive/sex-positive message is definitely a winning combination. I think we’ll be hearing a lot from the powerhouse vocalist. “I love my broke boy…there’s no credit card that’s gonna buy my heart, cuz I gave it all to a broke boy.” 

• Cape Town: Two teen boys, aged 14 and 17, allegedly gang-raped a lesbian over the weekend in an attempt to ‘correct’ her sexuality just a day before the annual Cape Town Pride Festival on Saturday. • NBC News: After failing to win any states on Super Tuesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is reportedly “assessing” her path forward. Her campaign manager sent an email to staff Wednesday morning, saying that they are “disappointed” in the Super Tuesday results and that Warren will be “going to take time right now to think through the right way to continue this fight.” • Dazed: Straight men, like InstaHunk Ryan Yule (below), are apparently joining content-hosting fan sites like OnlyFans making soft porn for gay men. Yule makes a strong case for doing so: “I used to have a wank and wouldn’t get paid for it, and now, I get paid for it.” He reportedly has 250 subscribers at $15 a month. Minus the site’s 20 percent fee, that adds up to about $3,000 a month.

 

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James Blunt’s Raw New Music Video “Monsters”

R-L James Blunt with his father, former cavalry officer Colonel Charles Blount
Whoa. Very powerful. From Yahoo News:

British singer-songwriter James Blunt is best known for his sentimental heartbreak ballads “You’re Beautiful” and “Goodbye My Lover,” but his latest single “Monsters,” a tribute to his ailing father, is his rawest and most poignant yet.

In his devastating new “Monsters” music video, an anguished Blunt, in an extreme close-up reminiscent of Sinead O’Connor’s iconic, one-take “Nothing Compares 2 U” clip, stares down the lens.

Blunt struggles to maintain his composure throughout the first half of video, so much much so that it’s almost uncomfortable to witness. And when the camera finally cuts to a wider shot, it becomes clear why he is so distraught, that he isn’t acting, and that his tears are very real.

Sitting stoically beside him is his real-life dad, former cavalry officer Colonel Charles Blount, who is battling stage 4 chronic kidney disease.

Blunt appeared on Good Morning Britain last year and shared his father’s serious illness. At the time, he addressed any possible organ donors: “I’ve come on here to ask you what blood group you are. Some things have been going on in my life that I needed to write about. My father has not been very well, actually. He needs a new kidney and a kidney donor. And I’ve come on here to ask you what blood group you are. If you are an O-positive, I’ll take it off you.” The artist later revealed that, sadly, he is not a match. The video went viral after Star Trek star William Shatner tweeted the clip to his 2.4 million Twitter followers:

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New Music: Michelle Kash “Personal Jesus”

I was immediately taken by the groovy, grungy, soulful cover of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus” by Michelle Kash. In alt-pop mode, Kash serves confident yet moody vocals across a sultry soundscape. The music video is a saturated, evocative vision that’s nearly psychedelic in seductive, shadowy style. “There’s a sensual vibe to everything,” says Kash. “It’s moody, but it’s also dark. Across the music, I feel like what I’m doing is just human.” “When I sing ‘Personal Jesus,’ I have a vision of a sexual savior within myself or whom I look for in others,” she explains. “It’s gritty and shadowy like an after-hours party. I hadn’t seen a woman cover the song, which added a different dimension. It paves the way for where I want to go musically.”

In addition to her music, Michelle has had a lifelong commitment to philanthropy and advocating for gender equality, female empowerment and is a fierce fighter for animal rights. You can follow her on Instagram here. (images via screen capture)

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MIKA Drops New Music Video “Dear Jealousy”

International popstar MIKA drops his latest music video, "Dear Jealousy"

International popstar MIKA drops his latest music video, "Dear Jealousy" Popstar MIKA releases a new video, “Dear Jealousy” today. The video follows the release of his critically acclaimed fifth studio album, My Name Is Michael Holbrook. “This album has been a rich and intense journey,” writes MIKA about the new collection. “Inspired by life in all its glory and all its dark challenges. It’s also inspired by love.” “My intention was to write about life as it happened. A sort of album made in ‘real-time,’” added the artist. “It’s an explosion of joy, color and emotion even though it was born in one of the most challenging periods for my family and I.” “Writing and recording this album was a form of medicine for me and my family. It is so deeply personal but also universal. I have come to realize that the only things that matters in life are the people we love and the stories we tell.” MIKA dedicates the new album to “those people I love and to the notion that although we all hopefully grow with age, we should do so without losing our colors, our warmth or whimsy. I hope my ‘Tiny Love’ stories somehow touch you or transport you, even just for an instant.” Hit the play button below.

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New Music: Robyn “Missing U”

Robyn

Swedish popstar Robyn is pop music royalty when it comes to making contemporary electronic synth pop. And the princess of EMD  just dropped her first single, “Missing U,” from her upcoming album.

The upbeat, synth-heavy track explores the yearning for someone who’s gone.

The Swedish-born artist said of the new track: “‘Missing U’ is a song about this trippy thing that happens when people disappear, it’s like they become even more clear and you see them everywhere.”

Written and recorded in Paris and Stockholm, the track re-teams Robyn with collaborators Joseph Mount (Metronomy) Klas Åhlund (Charli XCX, Madonna).

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New Music: Mary Chapin Carpenter “Sometimes Just The Sky”

In celebration of her 30-year recording career, Mary Chapin Carpenter (easily one of my favorite singer/songwriters in the history of time) will release Sometimes Just The Sky on March 30.

The landmark record features new versions of twelve of Carpenter’s most beloved songs – one from each of her 12 studio albums – as well as one newly penned title track.

All Pre-Orders come with an Instant Download of “Heroes and Heroines.” If you order the Vinyl product from the official store, you’ll receive a digital download card of the full album, available at midnight on March 30, 2018.

TRACKLIST:

1. Heroes and Heroines
2. What Does It Mean To Travel
3. I Have A Need For Solitude
4. One Small Heart
5. The Moon and St. Christopher
6. Superman
7. Naked To The Eye
8. Rhythm of the Blues
9. This is Love
10. Jericho
11. The Calling
12. This Shirt
13. Sometimes Just The Sky

Pre-Orders are now available in the Official Mary Chapin Carpenter Online Store & at major retail outlets here.

You can preview “Heroes and Heroines” exclusively at Billboard.