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☆ Judith Hill Sang With Pop Royalty. Now She Is Composing Her Own Story.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Melena Ryzik | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The first time the musician Judith Hill performed her anguished requiem “Black Widow” for an audience, she wept, right onstage. She was Michael Jackson’s duet partner and performed at his televised memorial in 2009. And for two years before Prince’s fatal overdose in April 2016, she was his protégée, collaborator and more. They shared what she has called “an intense relationship”; he told her he loved her. It took years before she was able to face what happened, personally or musically.

Persons: Judith Hill, ”, Michael Jackson’s, —, “ Dame De La Locations: Lower Manhattan

CNN —British singer Ed Sheeran wowed the stage in Mumbai with Diljit Dosanjh over the weekend as the pair sang a rendition of the Indian artist’s hit track “Lover” in Punjabi, a duet that promptly lit up India’s social media. Both artists posted videos of their performances on Instagram, with huge cheers from the crowd as Sheeran invited his singing partner onto the stage. “Got to bring out @diljitdosanjh tonight in Mumbai and sing in Punjabi for the first time. I’ve had such an incredible time in India, more to come!” Sheeran wrote in a post. Fans and Indian celebrities on social media praised Dosanjh for getting Sheeran to sing in an Indian language.

Persons: Ed Sheeran, Dosanjh, Sheeran, “, I’ve, ” Sheeran, Singer, Diljit, ”, Varun Dhawan, Sahil Bulla, ” Dosanjh, “ Hass Hass, Sia Organizations: CNN, Spotify Locations: British, Mumbai, India, London, Australia, Punjab, Pakistan

☆ Usher Brings Precise Details to Pop’s Biggest Stage: The Super Bowl
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Jon Caramanica | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A few minutes into Usher’s dynamic and sly Super Bowl LVIII halftime show performance Sunday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas came a moment of uncommon, almost startling calm. Alicia Keys had just appeared, in a sequined red jumpsuit and matching encrusted gown, and rather gratuitously flubbed the opening note of her hit piano ballad “If I Ain’t Got You.”She recovered, and as she approached the end of the chorus, you could hear Usher singing in quiet harmony as the camera panned back, settling on the two of them at opposite ends of Keys’s piano. Usher picked up the final line of the chorus — alone, smooth and confident, almost whispered — before Keys returned to share the last note.

Persons: Alicia Keys, Usher, Keys Locations: Las Vegas

☆ Popcast (Deluxe): Lil Nas X, Ariana Grande and 21 Savage Kick Off 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Popcast (Deluxe): Lil Nas X, Ariana Grande and 21 Savage Kick Off 2024 Pop’s premier troll returns while one of its biggest voices turns her attention to gossip, and the first blockbuster rap album of the year arrives. Hosted by Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli. Produced by Sawyer Roque and Pat Gunther. Editing by Jamie Hefetz. Audio editing by Pedro Rosado.

Persons: Nas X, Ariana Grande, Jon Caramanica, Joe Coscarelli, Sawyer Roque, Pat Gunther, Jamie Hefetz, Pedro Rosado

☆ Jung Kook, BTS and English Language K-Pop
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A few weeks ago, Jung Kook — a member of the world-beating K-pop group BTS — released his solo debut album, “Golden,” a sleek affair notable for high-profile collaborators on its tracks and behind the scenes, as well as for the fact that it’s sung fully in English. That’s a logical extension of the shift undertaken by BTS beginning in the late 2010s and into the early 2020s, when it became the biggest pop act in the world, and focused its energies on the American marketplace. But it also is part of a longer story about how K-pop has been expanding its global reach, which has in turn altered the priorities of some of its biggest stars and record labels. On this week’s Popcast, a conversation about K-pop’s long march to American awareness and embrace, the earlier acts that began making inroads with American pop audiences, and whether there’s a point at which K-pop delivered fully in English ceases to be K-pop at all.

Persons: Jung Kook —, it’s Organizations: BTS

☆ Doja Cat Makes the Leap From the Internet to the Arena Stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Lindsay Zoladz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than most artists on pop’s current A-list, the 28-year-old rapper and singer Doja Cat is a child of the internet. Born Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini, she spent much of her youth making beats and rabble-rousing social media posts. 1 on Billboard — retains the glint-eyed, anarchic spirit of an internet troll. She has been a near constant presence on the charts for almost four years, but as a live performer she is still largely unproven. Her dreamy, disco-inflected breakout hit, “Say So,” was released in January 2020 and, during the pandemic, became a TikTok sensation.

Persons: Doja, Amala, Zandile Dlamini, ”, doesn’t Organizations: Billboard, Barclays Center Locations: New York City

Her voice sounds utterly guileless as she sings about lust, betrayal, revenge and healing. 3. boygenius, ‘The Record’Synergy reigns in boygenius, the alliance of the singer-songwriters Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. Paul Simon, ‘Seven Psalms’“Seven Psalms” comes across as a farewell album from Paul Simon, 82. Simon sings about mortality as a “great migration” and extols the presence and purpose of “The Lord,” as the biblical psalms do. The songs on her second album, “Guts,” combine pop’s concision and melody with rock’s potential to erupt.

Persons: Karol G, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, mentorships, Paul Simon, ‘, It’s, Simon, ”, Olivia Rodrigo, Oliva Rodrigo, Feist, ’ Feist Locations: Colombian, Dominican, Afrobeats, boygenius

Built using AI technology, Eternity is one of the latest South Korean acts pushing the boundary between real and virtual entertainment. And she’s a natural-born actress.”Video Ad Feedback Are AI-powered virtual bands the future of K-pop? Using deepfake and motion capture technology, Pulse9 then produced the band’s first music video (to accompany the ironically titled track “I’m Real”) in 2021. Metaverse EntertainmentMetaverse Entertainment used AI technology to generate faces, merging the features and hairstyles deemed most desirable into four final characters. The music video for MAVE’s first single, “Pandora,” has already racked up 25 million views on YouTube since its release in January.

Persons: “, ”, Ji, Zae, Pulse9, Lil Miquela, “ I’m, Lee Soo, Netmarble, Metaverse, Kang Sung, MAVE’s, Pandora, Kang, Siri, ” Kang, ” Eternity's, — they’re Organizations: CNN, Pulse9, YouTube, South, SM Entertainment, Metaverse Entertainment, SM, Kakao Entertainment, Entertainment, Wall Street, Park Locations: “, South Korean, ”, Indonesian

☆ ‘Guts’ by Olivia Rodrigo Review: Pop’s Princess Rocks Out
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Mark Richardson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/music/guts-by-olivia-rodrigo-review-pops-princess-rocks-out-b98b380c

Persons: Dow Jones, olivia, rodrigo

☆ Olivia Rodrigo, Pop’s Brightest New Hope, Just May Be a Rock Star
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Caryn Ganz | More About Caryn Ganz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Olivia Rodrigo, the bearer of perhaps the most famous driver’s license in Los Angeles, piloted her black Range Rover to Westwood on a scorching late July afternoon. Six weeks remained before the release of her second album, “Guts,” and she was racked with anxiety — about finding a spot for her SUV. The car was her dream purchase, her favorite place to listen to music and yes, she feels guilty about the gas. When Rodrigo awoke on a January 2021 morning to news that her first single, the octave-climbing weeper “Drivers License,” had rocketed to No. At the 2022 Grammys, three of her seven nominations turned into wins, including best new artist.

Persons: Olivia Rodrigo, ”, Rodrigo, Alanis Morissette, Gwen Stefani, Billy Joel, Avril Lavigne, Cardi, Halsey Organizations: Disney, Twitter Locations: Los Angeles, L.A

☆ Feminist Stories Are Being Set to a Pop Beat. But Are They Empowering?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Alexis Soloski | More About Alexis Soloski | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

All of these musicals use a pop vernacular, “Bad Cinderella” somewhat less so. Is pop, particularly pop written and produced by men, a useful form for feminist discourse? Martin and the generation of pop architects who followed him treat lyrics almost as an afterthought. COLLINS-HUGHES Inattention to lyrics is a limitation of jukebox musicals, but it doesn’t hold for original pop songs, which can be whatever the writer makes them. It would help, though, if more of the songwriters getting musicals produced were women.

Persons: Max Martin, Martin, “, Juliet ”, Shakespeare, TILLET, I’m, COLLINS, HUGHES, ZOLADZ, Ariana Grande Organizations: Backstreet Boys

☆ ‘Madonna’ at 40: An oral history of the Queen of Pop’s debut album
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

“Madonna” the album served as an explosive entry for the trained dancer-turned-singer on the road to being so much more. There was a boombox in the room, and Rosenblatt played her demo again for Stein while Madonna was there. But before that it didn’t (exist).”Still, Rosenblatt knew a star when he saw one, and Stein agreed. “We met everybody and everybody loved her, everybody just loved her. “I wanted to make people happy, I wanted to be famous, I wanted everybody to love me.

Persons: CNN —, “, Michael Rosenblatt, Madonna –, –, ” Rosenblatt, ’, ‘, ” “, ”, Madonna, Michael McDonnell, ” Bobby Shaw –, Mark Kamins, Danceteria ” Rosenblatt, George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley, we’re, ’ ” Rosenblatt, Mark, Peter Noble, Rosenblatt, I’m, ’ ”, it’s, Dick Clark, Seymour Stein, Stein, Seymour, wasn’t, Debbie Harry, Everybody’s, Bobby Shaw’s, didn’t, ” Shaw, there’s, Shaw, Reggie Lucas –, John ‘ Jellybean ’ Benitez, ’ ” Stein, “ We’re, Michael Ochs, Mo Ostin, Lenny Waronker, Lucas, Benitez, Christopher Ciccone, James Colburn, Madonna’s, Olivia Newton John, ‘ Seymour, she’s, she’d, Barbara Streisand, Marilyn Monroe, ” Madonna Organizations: CNN, Sire Records, Garment, Alamy, ‘, Warner Bros . Records, Warner Records, Warner Bros, Warner, Garden, Michael Ochs Archives, West, ”, MTV, Radio City Music Hall, ZUMA Press Locations: New York City, York City, New York, Michigan, Paris, England, Danceteria, , New York City, Munich, Los Angeles, LA, West Coast, “, Florida, Fort Lauderdale, Key

☆ Britpop’s Back. But What Happened to Cool Britannia?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Alex Marshall | More About Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The comebacks have received euphoric reviews, but they are occurring at a starkly different moment for British pop music, compared with the ’90s. In 1996 Newsweek declared London the world’s coolest city. Instead, news articles about the country’s music scene are more likely to touch on venues shuttering — at a rate of one a week this year, according to the nonprofit Music Venue Trust — or the country’s bands, DJs and rappers struggling to tour abroad after Brexit brought in a tangle of red tape. Local news outlets have also lamented the British government’s cuts to arts funding, and warned about the decline of music teaching in schools. Sitting in his West London recording studio recently, Albarn said some things hadn’t changed since Britpop’s heyday.

Persons: ”, Ed Sheeran, Adele, Harry Styles, Brexit, Albarn, hadn’t, “, ” Chuva Organizations: Newsweek, Yorker, shuttering Locations: United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, Europe, London, Britain, West London, Portuguese

☆ Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ (Lindsay’s Version)
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Dear listeners,This past weekend, along with more than 200,000 people in the New York metropolitan area, I attended Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. I saw sights I will never forget: more than one person, in late May, dressed head to toe as a Christmas tree (an inside joke about Swift growing up on a Christmas tree farm … I think? ); a father proudly wearing a handmade shirt that read “Real Men Listen to Taylor Swift”; enough sequins per square inch that, when the sun hit it right, MetLife Stadium could probably be seen from space. But, of course, I also saw a generation-defining pop superstar performing at the top of her game, throughout a sprawling, near-three-and-a-half-hour set that highlighted her stylistic versatility, physical stamina and ongoing evolution as a songwriter. Though Swift has long had a flair for both spectacle and intimacy in a live setting, what I couldn’t shake (shake, shake) during this marathon 45-song set was how completely she’s come into her power as a performer.

Persons: Taylor, Swift, Taylor Swift, Jon Caramanica, “, ” Organizations: MetLife Locations: New York

☆ How Reuters pinpointed bat-virus risk zones worldwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Areas where conditions are similar are more prone to spillover, scientists say. The Reuters analysis, which assessed spillover risk through 2020, has proven to have some predictive power. Similar statistical models are used widely to analyze data in ecology, and researchers use them to understand spillover risk. More than one of every five people on the planet is living in areas where the risk is highest for spillover. Using epidemic modeling software called GLEAMviz, the news agency simulated a worldwide pandemic originating from the spillover of a theoretical novel virus.

☆ Beyoncé Returns to the Stage With a ‘Renaissance’ Spectacle
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Alex Marshall | Ben Sisario | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The star’s eagle-eyed fan community speculated online that the singer was injured. A spokeswoman for Beyoncé did not respond to questions about her performance. Kristin Hulden, a Swedish fashion student who was wearing an embroidered jacket she had made that depicted Beyoncé riding a horse (the image on the cover of her latest album, “Renaissance”), said she had noticed the star’s more limited movement, but it hadn’t bothered her. Competition for tickets to pop’s biggest, priciest concerts has been stiff, and many in the crowd had traveled far — even thousands of miles — to guarantee that they would see Beyoncé this time. Rhoyle Ivy King, 26, an actor wearing a fluorescent turquoise jumpsuit and shades, said before the show that he had come from Los Angeles for the concert, spending about $2,500.

☆ Ed Sheeran Lets His Tears Flow on ‘-’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jon Pareles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In February 2022, Sheeran’s close friend Jamal Edwards died at 31; he was a YouTube tastemaker, producer, entrepreneur and D.J. Over the last decade, he has proved himself to be a consummate, driven 21st-century musician: gifted, career-minded and supremely adaptable yet easily recognizable, writing songs that revel in direct language and big feelings. Sheeran has made himself the USB port of pop songwriting, connecting with virtually everything. His new album completes a five-album arc of arithmetic symbols, with “-” following “+” (2011), “x” (2014), “÷” (2017) and “=” (2021). Per its title, “-” was intended to be a stripped-down singer-songwriter album, though Sheeran has by no means renounced big pop choruses.

☆ Taylor Swift, Pop’s Maestro of Memory, Returns to the Stage
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Jon Caramanica | More About Jon Caramanica | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Of late, Swift — obsessive about memory and even more obsessive about lore — has made revisiting her old work integral to her public presentation. Her ongoing rerecordings project layers a veneer of artistic liberation atop a business tug of war with the owners of her master recordings. And Swift herself tackled each period of her career — the dynamic ones and the flaccid ones alike — with real gusto, in outfits covered in glitter, or fringe or glittery fringe. Her stage was set up for both big-tent power and maximum intimacy; it jutted out into the crowd for almost the entire length of the floor. She concluded with a selection of songs from “Midnights,” a challenging album to wrap a show of this magnitude — it’s more an amalgam of old Swift ideas than a harbinger of a new direction.

Persons: ”, Swift, —, ” “, John, “, King Locations: Nashville, King Kong

It plans to offer SM shareholders 150,000 won ($115) per share. The artists are represented by SM Entertainment, which is currently in the midst of several shareholder disputes. Kakao and its Kakao Entertainment unit already currently hold 4.9% of SM, the company told CNN in a statement Tuesday. Kakao’s gambleKakao is pressing forward nonetheless, inviting SM shareholders to accept its tender offer, which ends on March 26. Its shares closed 3% lower in Seoul on Tuesday, while SM’s shares soared 15%.

☆ K-Pop’s Corporate Battle Royale Is Just Getting Started
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Jacky Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

South Korea’s Hybe, the agency behind boy band BTS, is seeking to gain control of SM Entertainment. The Korean pop music industry’s corporate-takeover drama is getting juicier—and the plot twists more outrageous. But shareholders in one of K-pop’s corporate titans will likely end up with a fat payoff when the dust finally settles. South Korea’s Hybe, the agency behind boy band BTS, is attempting to gain control of one of its biggest rivals, SM Entertainment. On Thursday, it upped the ante ahead of SM’s shareholder meeting at the end of March with a bespoke website featuring an open letter to SM investors.

☆ What to know about 'Naatu Naatu,' the song that beat out Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga at Golden Globes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Brahmjot Kaur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

“Naatu Naatu,” a song from the hit Telugu-language film “RRR,” was the unexpected and historic winner for best original song at the Golden Globes Tuesday, beating out Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Rihanna. Majumdar said she was surprised but thrilled “Naatu Naatu” took home the award. “Earlier, that was seen as a feature that was strange about Indian cinema. Keeravani accepts the Best Original Song award for "Naatu Naatu" from "RRR" during the Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Tuesday. “When I envisioned the ‘Naatu Naatu’ song,” Rajamouli told Variety.

☆ Iggy Pop Isn’t About to Whitewash His Past
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +18 min

Mamadi Doumbouya for The New York Times Talk Iggy Pop Isn’t About to Whitewash His PastIggy Pop’s life and work constitute one of music’s most remarkable survival stories. Iggy and the Stooges around 1969 — from left, Scott Asheton, Ron Asheton, Dave Alexander and Iggy Pop. But if you quietly say it to some sepulchral music, that’s a different thing, because you’re facing darkness once you hit 50. I don’t think that I was really thinking about anything. My doctor tells me I have a strong immune system, but I don’t think that’ll do it for you.

☆ Why 'KPOP,' the first Broadway show to tell a Korean story, closed in just two weeks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Kimmy Yam | Kimmy Yam Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

The production was the first on Broadway to tell a Korean story, written by Korean creatives, centered on one of the most popular forms of music in the world. Cast members of KPOP perform during a press preview at Circle in the Square in New York on Oct. 11. And Covid-19 illnesses among some cast members canceled some previews, which were almost sold out, Kim said. Kim said the “built-in” Broadway audience also wasn’t reached by the show’s marketing. “We were going to try and save the show.”The show closed on Sunday and currently, the future of “KPOP” is still uncertain.

☆ ‘Hip Hop Homicides’ didn’t intend to be timely
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“Everyone who gets the culture knows that hip hop is not just violence,” Lathan told CNN in a recent interview. Yet gun violence has claimed the lives of at least one hip hop artist every year since 2018. “So, whether we like it or not, there’s something to talk about…there’s something to talk about and we have to discuss it.”That discussion has come in the form of WEtv’s new series “Hip Hop Homicides,” which looks at the shooting deaths of hip hop artists including Pop Smoke, XXXTentacion and King Von. “And he felt suspicious about some of the details about Pop’s murder.”Williams told CNN it was important for the show to feature interviews with friends and family of the late artists. And if we really attack a couple of things, then we might be able to have better outcomes for future generations.”“Hip Hop Homicides” airs Thursdays at 9 p.m.

☆ Lego Owner to Acquire Education-Technology Firm Brainpop
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Trefor Moss | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lego owner Kirkbi A/S is buying U.S. video-learning firm Brainpop for $875 million, according to the companies, as the family behind the world’s largest toy maker expands into the education business. The Danish company said the purchase of Brainpop, which produces short animations used in schools to help children learn everything from math to music, was part of a plan to build a new business pillar. The deal—through which Kirkbi is acquiring Brainpop’s owner FWD Media Inc.—is expected to close Tuesday, the companies said.

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