Posts tagged with "The Guardian"

TAYLOR SWIFT TOPS UK CHARTS

TAYLOR SWIFT SCORES NUMBER 1 ON THE UK OFFICIAL ALBUMS CHART WITH MIDNIGHTS

“ANTI-HERO” TOPS THE UK OFFICIAL SINGLES CHART

MIDNIGHTS IS THE UK’S FASTEST SELLING ALBUM OF 2022 AND ACCUMULATES THE BIGGEST FIRST WEEK VINYL SALES IN MODERN UK CHART HISTORY

“ANTI-HERO” IS THE BIGGEST SPOTIFY UK DEBUT FROM AN INTERNATIONAL ARTIST

TAYLOR BECOMES THE FIRST FEMALE ARTIST IN ALMOST A DECADE TO DEBUT AT NUMBER 1 ON BOTH UK CHARTS SIMULTANEOUSLY

Following a record-breaking week for Taylor Swift, her critically acclaimed tenth studio album Midnights tops the UK Official Albums Chart, while lead single “Anti-Hero” tops the UK Official Singles Chart.

Taylor’s Midnights is the fast-selling album of 2022 in the UK, with 204,000 sales, more than doubling her previous biggest opening week in the UK (with 1989 in 2014). Meanwhile, “Anti-Hero” is the Biggest Spotify UK debut from an international artist in history. Taylor is the first female artist to debut at Number 1 on both the UK Singles and Albums Charts simultaneously since Miley Cyrus in 2013.

Taylor also rewrites UK Official Charts history this week as Midnights accumulates the biggest first week vinyl sales since modern chart records began (in 1994). Midnights was certified gold in the UK after just two days of its release.

With nine consecutive Number 1 albums now under her belt, Taylor Swift sets a new all-time Official Chart record, generating the fastest succession of nine UK Number 1 albums of any female artist.

Earlier this week Taylor broke records across all the major music streaming platforms. She became Spotify’s “Most Streamed Artist in a Single Day”, while Midnights became Spotify’s “Most Streamed Album in a Single Day” (with 185M+ Streams). Taylor Swift now holds the top 5 biggest streaming debuts in Spotify’s global chart history. Midnights also broke the record for the biggest pop album of all time on Apple Music by first-day streams. On Amazon Music, Taylor received globally the most first day album streams, the most first week album streams and the most Alexa requests of any artist ever.

Globally, Taylor’s Midnights has accumulated over 2.5 million album equivalents that includes over 1 billion streams, after scoring 67 #1’s on iTunes.

In the U.S., Midnights is already the best-selling album of 2022. It has sold over 1.4 million overall and over 1 million physical albums, with 500,000+ of that sum attributed to Vinyl sales. It has also accumulated the highest week 1 sales since Taylor’s Reputation in 2017 and is the biggest week 1 seller on vinyl since the ‘90s. While “Anti-Hero” became Taylor’s 55th #1 hit on iTunes singles – the most of any artist in history.

Midnights also marks a first for Taylor in Europe, as it sees her score her first ever Number 1 debut in the album charts of both France and Germany.

Right out of the gate, Midnights earned 5 star reviews from The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The Independent and more. It has already gathered some of the most enthusiastic and unanimous praise of her career to date from critics and fans alike.

Listen to Midnights —HERE.

WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT Midnights

“5 Stars” – The Guardian, Alexis Petridis

“With its confident songwriting and understated synth-pop, Swift’s sophisticated 10th album indicates that she no longer feels she has to compete with her peers.” – The Guardian, Alexis Petridis

“5 Stars” – The Independent, Helen Brown

“Midnights will make you feel as though you’re sleeping over at her house while she spills secrets and settles scores into the night.” – The Independent, Helen Brown

“5 Stars” – Rolling Stone, Brittany Spanos

“Her tenth album returns to the dazzling synth-pop of records like ‘1989’ and ‘Reputation,’ with lyrics caught between a love story and a revenge plot” – Rolling Stone, Brittany Spanos

“‘Midnights’ heralds the return of a pop-music mastermind.” – Los Angeles Times, Mikael Wood

“4 Stars” – The Sunday Times, Dan Cairns

“Swift’s leaning-in vocals and neat lyrical twists elevate her songs far above the pretenders that crowd round her.” – The Sunday Times, Dan Cairns

“4 Stars” – Rolling Stone UK, Mark Sutherland

“The latest remarkable album in Swift’s current white-hot streak gently presents itself as a sort of greatest hits composed of songs you’ve never heard before.” – Rolling Stone UK, Mark Sutherland

“4 Stars” – The Times, Will Hodgkinson

“Midnights appeals because, for all its modern touches, it is essentially an old-fashioned singer-songwriter album about human weakness.” – The Times, Will Hodgkinson

“4 Stars” – NME, Hannah Mylrea

“A shimmering return to pure pop.” – NME, Hannah Mylrea

“4 Stars” – The Telegraph, Neil McCormick

“The songs are strong. Indeed, I’d go as far as to say that Swift has never written a bad song…” – The Telegraph, Neil McCormick

“8/10” – Clash, Matthew Neale

“It may reasonably go on to be recognized as her best album to date, a reminder that magic prevails beyond the frustrations, fantasies and damnations she casts across her latest near-perfect body of work.” – Clash, Matthew Neale

“4.5 Stars” – American Songwriter, Alex Hopper

“Taylor Swift Delivers Her Dreamiest and Most Introspective Album to Date with ‘Midnights’” – American Songwriter, Alex Hopper

“The superstar has delivered a focused, legacy-extending new project” – Jason Lipshutz
Billboard

“You’d be beyond cynical not to realize that there’s a real heart being exposed here, amid an adroitness for honest self-revelation that’s as canny as anything we’ve gotten out of a reigning superstar since John Lennon told us he didn’t believe in Beatles.” – Variety, Chris Willman

“Midnights is the mastermind’s ultimate power move” – Rolling Stone, Rob Sheffield

“4 Stars” – The Irish Times, Ed Power

“Swift has, with Midnights, made a tangled, twisting tour de force…” – The Irish Times, Ed Power

“8/10” – Esquire, Alex Bilmes

“’Midnights’ Is an Instant Classic.” – Esquire, Alex Bilmes

“4 Stars” – Metro, David Bennun

“She’s back – and boy does she deliver…” – Metro, David Bennun

“4 Stars” – The i Newspaper, Kate Solomon

“On one of her most personally revealing albums yet, Taylor Swift invites us into a woozy, soft-focus world of self doubt and moonlit conversations. Midnights sounds and feels like a grown-up sequel to the synthy, ‘80s pop world of 1989; she is no longer the wide-eyed ingenue twirling onto the New York streets but a hardened adult with all the self-awareness (and liberal swearing) that goes with it.” – The i Newspaper, Kate Solomon

“5 Stars” – Dork, Abigail Firth

“She’s consistently confessional, but ‘Midnights’ finds Taylor Swift at her most human.” – Dork, Abigail Firth

“4 Stars” – The Mail On Sunday, Tim De Lisle

“It’s breathy, twitchy and thoroughly catchy”– The Mail On Sunday, Tim De Lisle

“4 Stars” – The Observer, Kitty Empire

“Poised between self-flagellation and pure bliss, Pastoral phase behind her, Swift is back in the city with an album of fascinating small-hours contemplation.” – The Observer, Kitty Empire

“4.5 Stars” – The Sun, Jacqui Swift

“The singer-songwriter knows just how to make her millions of fans happy” – The Sun, Jacqui Swift

“5 Stars” – Daily Star, James Cabooter

“Back to her confessional best, Taylor Swift’s 10th album Midnights is her crowning glory.” – Daily Star, James Cabooter

“10/10” – Gigwise, Lucy Harbron

“The strongest reinvention we’ve seen from Taylor Swift in the most honest way.” – Gigwise, Lucy Harbron

“5 Stars” – The Sunday Mirror, James Cabooter

“This is as close as you get to pop perfection” – The Sunday Mirror, James Cabooter

“In the loneliness of the dark, Taylor is just as exposed, flawed and anxious as the rest of us. You can’t help but wonder what else might be keeping her up at night — here’s hoping she’ll tell us about it soon.” – i-D, Alim Kheraj

“4 Stars” – DIY Magazine, Ben Tipple

“In keeping with the record’s theme – thirteen tales of individual sleepless nights – it’s arguably her most candid release to date.” – DIY Magazine, Ben Tipple

“This makes Midnights the closest thing to a concept album Taylor Swift has ever created, and also lends a dreamlike, transient quality to the record as a whole.”- Consequence of Sound , Mary Siroky

“Despite the restless-slumber concept that drifts through its songs, a serene acceptance lurks beneath the singer’s 10th studio album.” – Entertainment Weekly, Marc Hirsh

“Atmospheric. Subtle. Introspective. Painful. Triumphant.” – HITS, Holly Gleason

“Swift uses Midnights as a way to rethink the sonic rhetoric of first-person storytelling and shake off habits that have served her artistically and commercially for more than a decade.” – NPR, Ann Powers

“8/10” – Hot Press, Paul Nolan

“Midnights sees Swift comfortably retain her status as one of modern pop’s most fascinating and compelling artists.” – Hot Press, Paul Nolan

“Taylor Swift releases the record of the year with ‘Midnights’” – Marie Claire, Bree Player

“Midnights might be her most relatable album yet, and it comes at a time where we all feel so disconnected. Politics has become farcical, the cost of living crisis means stress levels have never been higher, and we’re all healing from the fact we literally just came out of a pandemic. In a world of change, Taylor is my continuity, despite the fact she always surprises us.” – Stylist, Chloe Laws

“Much like 1989 before it, this album will stand the test of time, and will be enjoyed increasingly in the years to come.” – AV Club, Saloni Gajjar

“The new album finds the superstar bringing together the best of Folklore with the best of what came before.” – Slate, Carl Wilson
“She’s not only offering us her most personal reflections – a high bar in Swift’s world – but imparting them with poetic grace and an elevated level of storytelling.” – USA Today, Melissa Ruggieri

“Swift at her best, reminding you of her unparalleled ability to make any emotion feel universal.” – AP News, Elise Ryan

“Midnights is perhaps her most self-aware work to date (with some of her best writing to boot)…” – Paste, Ellen Johnson

“Midnights is Swift at her finest, using her quill/fountain/gel pens to write some of her most vulnerable lyrics, screaming at the top of her lungs even through whispers.” – Alternative Press, Ilana Kaplan

“4 Stars” – Sydney Morning Herald, Giselle Au-Nhien

“There’s a self-discovery within this record that feels incredibly satisfying to bear witness to, and it doesn’t hurt that the songs, clever and eclectic, get more addictive with each listen.” – Sydney Morning Herald, Giselle Au-Nhien

“Midnights” is Taylor Swift’s best album. Midnights has the confessional, diaristic elements of Debut, Fearless, and Speak Now; it has the storytelling prowess of Folklore and Evermore; it has the sonic multiplicity of Red; it has the synth-laden bops of 1989 and Lover; and it has the no-fucks-given attitude of Reputation.” – Buzzfeed, Ryan Schocket

“Impressively finding yet another new way to reinvent herself as an artist, Taylor Swift has crafted an intoxicating concept album shimmering with honesty and creative experimentation.” – The Forty Five, Cordelia Lam

“Taylor Swift opens her long-awaited album Midnights by inviting listeners to “Meet me at midnight.” And goddamn it, we will be there, ma’am. We will be there with 13 bells on.” – Pedestrian, Matt Galea

“She is one of pop’s most distinctive vocal melodicists, able to sound conversational and highly tuneful at the same time, with a wonderfully deft use of tone and phrasing.” – Financial Times, Ludovic Hunter-Tilney

“On Midnights, Taylor Swift sounds more herself than ever” – New Statesman, Emily Bootle

“As is Swift’s creative fingerprint, Midnights is as lyrically taut, literary and tongue-twisting as any of her projects.” – SPIN, Bobby Oliver

“Midnights is something brand new, while still ultimately encapsulating all that Taylor Swift is known for – songwriting that leaves her listener feel comforted, understood, and content, in the most beautiful way.” – Notion, Rachel Martin

“I’ve really come to admire and respect Taylor Swift’s approach, both to music and to celebrity.
After all the shit she’s copped, she’s decidedly removed herself from the minutia that comes with being a celeb and only engages with the public on her own terms: every few years through her albums.” –Matt Galea, Pedestrian

“4 Stars” – Toronto Star, Aisling Murphy

“Midnights might be the best album of Swift’s discography.” – Toronto Star, Aisling Murphy

““[Midnights] a return to sleek pop.” – The Australian, Andrew McMillen

“The album is like a confession uttered in the depths of night: It’s honest and authentic in a way that bares the soul.” – Harper’s Bazaar, Dani Maher

DOMi & JD BECK – NOT TiGHT

DOMi & JD BECK have released their highly anticipated debut album NOT TiGHT, which is out now on Anderson .Paak‘s new label APESHIT in partnership with Blue Note Records. The duo keyboardist DOMi Louna and drummer JD Beck are joined on the album by a line-up of special guests which includes .Paak, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Herbie Hancock, Thundercat, Mac DeMarco, and Kurt Rosenwinkel. NOT TiGHT is available now digitally and on CD, with a vinyl release to follow on November 11.

Following their sold-out shows at the Blue Note Jazz Festival in NYC last month, DOMi & JD BECK will be performing at the Napa Valley festival this weekend. Last week the band made their TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with an incredible performance of TAKE A CHANCE featuring .Paak. Watch them perform WHATUP live at VEVO, and don’t miss the unforgettable official videos for TAKE CHANCE and SMiLE.

See what the critics have been saying about DOMi & JD BECK:

bold, bizarre, and intriguing just as every great new band ought to be. NME

Ambitious and accessible, fearless and endearingly freaky. The Guardian

a duo of virtuosic post-jazz Zoomers who seem to have leaped out of a cartoon, and whose wow factor is suited to the small screen… Redolent of lounge, 70’s fusion, trip-hop, and breakbeat, this LP offers [a] nonstop dopamine drip…New York Times

Since they first started breaking the internet with their hyperarticulate strain of beat music, DOMi and JD BECK have gradually burrowed their way into the jazz mainstream. Or maybe it’s that the mainstream has sidled up to them? However you want to put it, there’s no doubt that DOMi, the ponytailed keyboard savant born Domitille Degalle and Beck, the mop-headed drum virtuoso are now turning heads beyond the funhouse perimeter of viral stardom. NPR Music

The future is here. DOMi & JD BECK are two jazz prodigies signed to Anderson .Paak‘s Apeshit label, who are starting to build some serious buzz… they infuse child-like fun into complete and utter mastery of their instruments and itߣs them who will surely continue to spread the gospel of real next-level jazz music to future generations. UPROXX

LOUNA’S iNTRO
WHATUP
SMiLE
BOWLiNG (feat. Thundercat)
NOT TiGHT
TWO SHRiMPS (feat. Mac DeMarco)
U DON’T HAVE TO ROB ME
MOON (feat. Herbie Hancock)
DUKE
TAKE A CHANCE (feat. Anderson .Paak)
SPACE MOUNTAiN
PiLOT (feat. Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Anderson .Paak)
WHOA (feat. Kurt Rosenwinkel)
SNiFF
THANK U

Before now, if you wanted to learn about DOMi & JD BECK the internet’s most hyped jazz duo you had to visit their website, click a rat playing saxophone, and read a story about a 12-year-old physicist (DOMi Louna) and a 6-year-old sheep investigator (JD Beck). Let’s fix that. My philosophy of life is don’t take shit too seriously, says DOMi Louna, born Domitille Degalle. And that’s fair. But the vibrant world she and her collaborator have given us demands exploration.

They would reveal a bit more on their Instagram profiles, via clips of their jams, with JD on a simple drum kit and DOMi Louna on MIDI keys. She favors sounds that evoke ’70s jazz fusion and the colorful blips of 2000s Pokemon soundtracks, while he tunes and plays his snare in ways that can sound electronic, channeling IDM and boom bap. Sometimes they’re stuffed into a bathroom and sometimes the drums are muffled by pretzels stacked on the hi-hat, or toilet paper tossed on the snare. Their music finds both humor and greatness in harmonic complexity and rhythmic shiftiness, abruptly adopting and ditching tempos, toying with time signatures, and sneaking extra beats into bridges.

The collaboration began under silly circumstances. DOMi Louna was a teen proteg at Berklee by way of the Paris Conservatory; JD, four years her junior, had gigged since grade school around his hometown, Dallas first in producer Jah-Born’s band where he duetted with MPC beatmakers and DJs spinning Dilla. In 2018, they were both invited to join an ensemble performing at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) trade show and played in a room full of blaring instrumental demos, surrounded by a chaotic din. It was so bad, we couldn’t hear anything, JD laughs. They bonded over gauche keyboard effects and mom jokes, and a more audible jam that night sparked interest in working more.

Along the ride, DOMi & JD BECK have sat in with Herbie Hancock and backed Thundercat, Ariana Grande, Mac DeMarco, Eric Andre, and more. They also co-wrote Skate on .Paak’s GRAMMY-winning album with Bruno Mars as Silk Sonic. Neither can believe what’s happening, but leave it to them to skewer the moment. When JD suggests people might hate the new album, DOMi Louna says, That would be sick! Booo. They suck!

FLETCHER – NEW SINGLE

Critically acclaimed queer icon FLETCHER shares her new single Becky’s So Hot; a thrillingly intimate portrait of lusting after her ex’s new girlfriend. The track is the latest single from her forthcoming debut album Girl Of My Dreams, due out via Capitol Records on September 16. Download/stream Becky’s So Hot HERE.

Built on a feverish vocal performance from FLETCHER, Becky’s So Hot explores a particularly complex form of passion.

Says FLETCHER, I wrote Becky’s So Hot a couple years ago after I was creeping on my ex’s new girlfriend’s Instagram while I was in the studio. I accidentally liked a picture of her wearing a vintage t-shirt of my ex’s, one that I’ve worn before. The complexities of moving on were something I wanted to explore and it felt more interesting to me to write something from the perspective of being in awe of her; sort of like damn it kinda stings that she’s so hot, but I can’t even be mad about it because I get it, she’s hot. Girl Of My Dreams picks up where THE S(EX) TAPES leaves off and weaves through my dreams, fears, fantasies, messy moments, and all the fleeting feelings in between. It paints a picture of how pain can evolve and so can you.

Becky’s So Hot sets FLETCHER‘s expression of desire to an intense sonic backdrop (scorching guitar work, trembling rhythms, fiercely pounding drums) with production by long-time collaborator One Love and newcomer Pink Slip. With its dizzying collision of longing and frustration, jealousy and pleasure, the track affirms FLETCHER‘s gift for bringing the most nuanced emotions to wildly dazzling life (from the chorus: Are you in love like we were?/If I were you I’d probably keep her/Makes me wanna hit her when I see her/Cause Becky’s so hot in your vintage T-shirt.

The second song released from Girl Of My Dreams, Becky’s So Hot arrives as the follow-up to Her Body Is Bible (a June release praised by EUPHORIA as a sexy yet emotional single that shows the tenderness of a WLW relationship using religious themes that she manages to give a complete 180-turn to). Executive-produced by Malay (Frank Ocean, Lorde) who also helmed FLETCHER‘s you ruined new york city for me and THE S(EX) TAPES, a 2020 EP that hit No. 1 on iTunes across all genres Girl Of My Dreams reveals her inner world more fearlessly than ever before, documenting the deeply transformative experiences on her way to self-discovery. Fans can pre-order the album HERE and watch the album trailer HERE.

FLETCHER has become known for her magnetic live show, with nearly 100,000 tickets sold globally this year.

FLETCHER will hit the road this fall for the Girl Of My Dreams Tour, a 25-date headlining run of North America. Kicking off on October 10 at House of Blues Orlando, the tour will continue through November 18 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, with sold-out stops at legendary venues like the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. All tickets are on sale now; go HERE for more info, and check out the tour trailer HERE.

About FLETCHER

Praised by leading outlets likeTIME, Wonderland, Harper’s Bazaar, Interview Magazine, GQ, NME, The Guardian, and more, acclaimed singer/songwriter FLETCHER hails from Asbury Park, New Jersey, where she cultivated her passion for music and her unforgettably candid storytelling. In 2019 she released her debut you ruined new york city for me. The widely lauded EP features her breakthrough hit Undrunk, a track that spent several weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, scored the #1 spot on Spotify’s Viral Chart, and emerged as the fastest-rising song at pop radio from a new artist in the past five years. Released in September 2020, FLETCHER’s THE S(EX) TAPES hit No. 1 on iTunes across all genres and drew praise from outlets likeTeen Vogue, SPIN, PAPER, GQ, and more, with the EP’s gold-certified lead single Bitter fast approaching 200 million global streams. FLETCHER continued her triumphant run with recent singles girls girls girls a bold reimagining of Katy Perry’s iconic I Kissed a Girl (released with Perry’s early stamp of approval) and Cherry featuring trailblazing pop star Hayley Kiyoko. FLETCHER was also nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist and landed on Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2022. FLETCHER‘s music as amassed over one billion combined streams worldwide. She will release her debut album Girl Of My Dreams via Capitol Records on September 16 and her new single Becky’s So Hot is out now.

How Graphic Design is Used for Online Gaming

Leave a reply

When most individuals are asked what graphic designers do, they are likely to say they create logos, business cards, t-shirts, or other 2D images. Even though we engage with visual designers’ work every time we choose which games to play online, few people will mention their importance in game design.

However, graphic design has taken on new dimensions in the twenty-first century, and with the growing online digital environment, it now plays a more critical function than ever before. Graphic design may be seen everywhere on the digital screen, from building web interfaces to online marketing, social media to online games.

The gaming industry is perhaps one of the most challenging fields in digital design. Of course, you need motion graphics, but you also need to pay attention to detail for credible elements and gaming instructions. Nevertheless, it’s safe to conclude that the gaming industry has progressed significantly. This article will look at how graphic design is vital in online gaming.

Marketing

Because many graphic designers work in marketing, their ability to create appealing visuals could benefit video games. Design specialists will capture people’s attention and enhance revenue long term by developing gorgeous banners. As users’ attention spans have shrunk dramatically in recent years, a visual approach gradually takes over written content.

User Interface

A graphic designer creates a game’s user interface (UI). The user interface is a collection of visual elements that allow the player to interact with the game and access various tools and settings. Several user interfaces are frequently found in a single game. When you initially start a game, the first UI you see is usually the launch screen, which sends you to the Menu, which is another UI. Each menu item opens to its own UI, which uses components like volume sliders and mouse sensitivity to assist you in navigating through each setting.

A graphic designer is responsible for selecting where all of these visual components and text should be placed so that they do not obstruct the player’s main view. Therefore, an excellent understanding of visual hierarchy is one of the most crucial skills a graphic designer possesses.

Gaming

So far, we’ve looked at how graphics are utilized in online games to attract attention and convey instructions, but what about the game itself? The motion graphics are well-articulated to guarantee that they achieve their full potential in terms of authenticity. Because online games are frequently adaptations of real-life games, such as casino games, getting them as similar to the real thing as possible is critical to ensure the gamer has a good time. Some of the most well-known gaming studios have reaped the benefits of advances in graphic design and computer technology, producing games that are as immersive as they come.

Video games are multi-faceted bodies with a semiotic landscape as one of them. Signs, display panels, visual announcements, and various other features distinguish games. These graphic objects are frequently employed in real life, such as in ads and the in-game world. As a result, it’s critical to pay close attention to them, enlisting a graphic designer’s help.

Graphic designers’ responsibilities do not end with the elements mentioned above. These designers will always be in demand for a variety of projects. In addition, graphic design is an integral part of gaming since it allows you to fully immerse yourself in the experience. We may take the technology employed in the graphical design component of games for granted, still, it has taken a long road of experimentation in line with general advances in computer technology to get to where we are now.

Overall, graphic design has become an essential part of many industries. It has been established via the study of online gaming that graphic design is critical to the success of the digital game. Consider this: without design in marketing, fewer people will be drawn to the game; without design in instructions, people may be confused about how the game works; and without design in the game itself, people may be dissatisfied with the game they have played.

GAME THEORY F/ BOMANI JONES

Leave a reply

GAME THEORY WITH BOMANI JONES continues its first season SUNDAY, APRIL 3 (11:30 p.m.-12:00 a.m. ET/PT). New episodes debut each Sunday on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

The episode features topical commentary on this week’s most-talked about issues in sports, a one-on-one interview with actor and comedian Tracy Morgan and a deep dive into the Master’s Tournament.

Praised by The Guardian as “a sports savant and a sharp cultural critique” who is also “thoroughly engaging,” the Emmy®-winning Jones shares his satirical takes on the intersection of sports and culture through topical monologues, sketches and deep dives. Jones has been regarded by GQ as a “star with something to say” and “the most insightful sports commentator on television.”

About Bomani Jones:

Jones is currently a contributor on HBO’s “Back on The Record with Bob Costas” and has made appearances in HBO Sports documentaries “The Battle for Tobacco Road: Duke vs. Carolina” and “Runnin’ Rebels.” As the co-host of ESPN’s “Highly Questionable” and “High Noon” and host of the podcast “The Right Time with Bomani Jones,” Jones has enriched sports commentary with his own unique style.

GAME THEORY WITH BOMANI JONES is executive produced by Bomani Jones, Adam McKay and Todd Schulman from Hyperobject Industries, Stuart Miller, Morgan Murphy and James Davis.

Maometto Secondo and La Sonnambula

Leave a reply

Teatro Nuovo, the innovative young company that brought New York its first opera performances since the pandemic shutdown, announced its return to full indoor activity in July 2022 with Rossini‘s towering Maometto Secondo and Bellini‘s beloved La Sonnambula. The pair of operas will be performed July 9 and 10 at Montclair State University (New Jersey) and July 13 and 14 at Jazz at Lincoln Center‘s Rose Theater.

The company will also resume its renowned training program, giving an immersive course in Bel Canto style and technique to 22 elite young singers who will serve as the understudies and chorus of the two operas. As before, the performances will be accompanied by Teatro Nuovo’s own hand-picked orchestra of period-instrument players, with its groundbreaking restoration of the performance setup used in the Bel Canto era.

“Our approach was radical but unproven when we rolled it out in 2018,” said Artistic Director Will Crutchfield in announcing the new season, “and I’m thrilled to say the results were even more exciting than we could have hoped. We have spent the whole pandemic period working together to take it to the next level, and we can’t wait to share it again with the public.”

Maometto (1820) depicts the Siege of Negroponte by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, a tale of doomed valor, forbidden love, and heroic self-sacrifice under the shadow of war. Sonnambula (1831) is a story of village life and wedding bells, whose joyous finale is postponed by the frisson of a sleepwalking bride mistaken for a ghost.

The headliners of the Maometto cast will be three returning artists—bass Hans Tashjian in the title role, mezzo Hannah Ludwig as Calbo, and tenor Nicholas Simpson as Paolo Erisso – who won accolades last summer as Figaro, Rosina, and Almaviva in The Barber of Seville. They are joined by the brilliant Canadian mezzo Simone McIntosh in her Teatro Nuovo debut as Anna Erisso.

The Sonnambula cast is led by soprano Teresa Castillo as the titular sleepwalker, returning after her debut as Creusa in Medea in Corinto in Teatro Nuovo’s first season in 2018. Elvino will be sung by the Mexican tenor Enrique Guzmán in his New York debut, and returning artists Dorian McCall (bass-baritone), Meagan Sill (soprano), and Allison Gish (mezzo-soprano) will be heard as Rodolfo, Lisa, and Teresa.

Associate Artistic Director Jakob Lehmann emphasized the significance of Maometto, one of the nine serious operas composed by Rossini for the Teatro San Carlo of Naples, and the first one in Teatro Nuovo’s repertory: “We all know the pure delight of Rossini,” he said, “with his melodies, his brilliant orchestral colors, his virtuosity, his strokes of drama. And the farther you get into his mature operas, the more you stand in awe of the architecture. He pushed his blueprints to their limits—the structures grow until they reach as far as the eye can see, but they never bend or break.”

Crutchfield spoke of a complementary quality in La sonnambula: “Bellini never had to invent a musical form in his life—Rossini had done it all. So, he could take that inheritance and fill it to the brim with his unique gift, which was a kind of melody the world had never heard before. People found it hypnotic. Even supposed opposites like Verdi and Wagner were under Bellini’s spell.”

Teatro Nuovo’s orchestra, like those of Italy in the age of Bel Canto, is led jointly by a violinist and a keyboardist, without a standup conductor. In 2022, Crutchfield will serve as maestro al cembalo (keyboard director) for the Bellini opera and Lehmann as primo violino e capo d’orchestra (violinist-director) for the Rossini. They will be joined by two musical directors and co-directors, making Teatro Nuovo debuts: Australian violinist Rachael Beesley in La sonnambula and Lucy Tucker Yates, the company’s Director of Language Studies, as keyboard leader for Maometto. Biographies of these two and the singers mentioned above can be found HERE.

Audiences and critics have been quick to recognize what a difference this makes. At Teatro Nuovo’s debut in 2018, Heidi Waleson reported in The Wall Street Journal that “the effect is transformative.” The following year she returned to observe “an unusually flexible sense of pacing… remarkably different from conventional performances of these operas.” In 2019, James Jorden in The Observer called it “revelatory…the orchestra seemed to beat with a single heart.”

In 2021, Anthony Tommasini in The New York Times wrote of “a fresh, lively performance full of ideas and rich in subtleties” by performers emboldened “to start from scratch and think for themselves.” Philip Pierce, the company’s Executive Director, underlined the ensemble nature of the experience: “Last summer we faced the extreme challenges of the pandemic, with strict health protocols and a fifty-plus company living more or less in a Covid bubble—and never have I seen such discipline and esprit de corps. The joy of making music together in this group is irresistible.”

Robyn × Mapei – Buffalo Stance

Leave a reply

Neneh Cherry graced us with “Buffalo Stance” in the late 80s, a generation-defining song about inner city life that turned music on its head. Paired with her ferocious energy and a punk attitude like no other, the genre-defying track dominated the world, reaching No.3 in the UK and the US, where it went Gold. It took the No.1 spot in Neneh’s native Sweden and The Netherlands plus Top 5 in Belgium, Canada, Finland, Greece, Norway, Switzerland and more. “Buffalo Stance” switched up the game not only in music but in culture and fashion too and we’ve not looked back since, until now via Republic Records.

An artist that’s ever evolving, exploring and collaborating, Neneh hands the creative reins over to long-time friend, one of pop’s treasured musical geniuses and woman behind some of the most memorable songs of recent decades, Robyn, for a new version of her seminal track. It’s the first single from the Grammy-nominated artist since the release of her acclaimed album Honey, and is the product of one Swedish icon passing the baton on to another. In true Robyn fashion, “Buffalo Stance” has been transformed into a slinky, scandipop song—slowed down and stripped back with electronic shimmers and layered vocals. It’s an intoxicating re-imagining. Robyn also enlists polymath musician Dev Hynes to add his special touch on the production and Mapei for a fresh take of iconic rap. Listen to “Buffalo Stance” HERE.

Neneh says: “I love that I could write an essay with all the things I could say about Robyn and I love that she leaves me speechless at the same time. Her talent is soulful because she leads with her heart and spirit. She is absolutely there, ever present with honest intensity in her offerings which leave me blubbering with hairs standing erect on my arms and legs, dancing on my own, talking to myself, with a feeling that everything is going to be alright. The first time I saw Robyn live in Stockholm with my daughter Mabel (then a young struggling teenager) she only said two things that night: ‘Hej Stockholm’ and in the middle of a song shouted out ‘MABEL!’”…she stole my heart. I’ve known Robyn for 3 decades, she is my sister, my friend, my family, a creative inspiration. So to have Robyn doing her version of a new life interpretation of ‘Buffalo Stance’ is an absolute honor…and with Dev Hynes and Mapei, this is what dreams are made of!”

Robyn‘s new take on “Buffalo Stance” marks the start of an exciting new chapter for Neneh and is the first release from a forthcoming collaboration album out later this year.

Last night, Neneh Cherry received the honorary Icon Award at the NME Awards 2022, following previous winners Courtney Love and Shirley Manson, in celebration of her continual contribution to music and unmatched individuality over the past three decades. The award was presented to her by UK top 10 charting artist, BRIT Award winner and Neneh‘s daughter, Mabel, an iconic moment within itself.

Neneh Cherry has continued to define and redefine culture, style and music, releasing five studio albums, including 2018’s Broken Politics, produced by Four Tet, which was met with critical acclaim by the likes of The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The Times, Q, and Pitchfork. 2020 saw her reissue her radically influential debut album Raw Like Sushi to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Shenseea × 21 Savage – R U That

Leave a reply

It’s a big week for rising global artist Shenseea. On the heels of her debut album release, the young artist and songwriter has shared a new offering featuring 21 Savage titled “R U That.” The track, which showcases Shenseea’s pension for hip hop, follows the release of her earlier single ”Lick“ featuring Megan Thee Stallion (over 7 million views on Youtube). Both tracks will appear on Shenseea’s upcoming project titled ALPHA, out March 11th, which is now available for pre-order HERE.

In addition to the new track dropping, Shenseea was also crowned as iHeart Radio’s “On The Verge” and Apple Music’s “Up Next” artist this week. In her “Up Next” short, Shenseea opens up about her late mother, the ambition that was instilled in her by the women who raised her, and the motivation that keeps her going: her son Rajeiro. To watch the full short, click HERE, and to listen to her Apple Music radio interview with Nadeska, click HERE.

About Shenseea

Shenseea has ascended through Jamaica’s dancehall ranks to become one of the genre’s most sought-after artists. She broke through the scene with her viral single “Loodi” feat. Vybez Kartel; the following year, Shenseea toured Europe with dancehall superstar Sean Paul. In 2019, Shenseea signed with Interscope Records (under Rick Immigrants Records) and released her first label single “Blessed” featuring Tyga (now with over 57M views on Youtube). The track which came with a music video was praised by the likes of Hypebeast, FADER, PAPER Magazine, VIBE, and more; it quickly racked up over 1,000,000 views overnight. While at work on her debut album, Shenseea has been feeding her fans with one-off singles like “Bad Habit,”, “Good Comfort,” “Sidechick Song” and more, racking millions of plays across DSPs and Youtube. In 2021, she rose up the ranks further being tapped by Kanye West to add her rap and vocal stylings to two different songs on the Grammy-nominated DONDA (“Ok Ok Pt 2” and “Pure Souls”) as well as playing her first-ever U.S. festivals with Rolling Loud in Miami and New York. With a Billboard “Up Next” title under her belt, and “rising” profile by the FADER, New York Times, The Guardian, and more, Shenseea is rapidly proving that she is a true artist to watch on an international scale.

DREAMS IN GOLD TOUR – GRETA VAN FLEET

Leave a reply

GRETA VAN FLEET ANNOUNCE DREAMS IN GOLD TOUR 2022

TICKETS ON SALE THIS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12 AT 10 A.M. LOCAL TIME

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED SOPHOMORE ALBUM THE BATTLE AT GARDEN’S GATE OUT NOW

Following this year’s sold-out headline events and a #1 Billboard Rock Album, Grammy-winning rock band Greta Van Fleet are confirmed for their forthcoming Dreams in Gold tour, which kicks off March 10 with the band making a triumphant return to their original stomping grounds in Michigan for a string of arena shows followed by Midwest dates and international shows in Mexico, Europe and the UK. Grammy-nominated group Rival Sons and critically acclaimed rising artist The Velveteers will support the North American shows. Tickets are on sale this Friday, November 12 at 10am local time at LiveNation.com. There will be a Fan Presale on November 10, and a Local Venue Presale on November 11. Strange Horizons, the band’s specialty events in 2021, saw sold-out shows in Nashville, Bridgeport, Chicago and Los Angeles. The group’s critically acclaimed album The Battle at Garden’s Gate was released earlier this year to extensive chart success and fanfare, debuting at #1 Billboard Rock Album, #1 Billboard Hard Rock Album, #1 Billboard Vinyl Album, #2 Billboard Top Album Sales and in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200.

“An hour of rock music that touches on their familiar themes of war, grief, and spirituality…it contains plenty of the intellectual flights that inspired an active subreddit of superfans who devote serious brainpower to textual interpretation of their lyrics. But mercifully, it’s genuinely enjoyable outside of those contexts too.” – Vanity Fair

“There’s something winning about the members’ earnest intentions, as well as their unwavering commitment to them. Their sincere love for the history of rock shows in the depth of their knowledge about it.” – The Guardian

“aim to bust down old walls.” – Rolling Stone

“one of the best straight-up rock albums to come down the pike in many moons” – Variety

The Battle at Garden’s Gate explores the boundaries of the group’s artistry and reflects heavily on the individual members’ personal and spiritual growth during their rapid rise. “There was a lot of self-evolution happening during the writing of this album that was prompted by experiences I had, experiences we all had,” explains vocalist Josh Kiszka. “It’s reflecting a lot of the world that we’ve seen, and I think that it’s reflecting a lot of personal truth,” says guitarist Jake Kiszka.

Forming in Frankenmuth, Michigan back in 2012, Greta Van Fleet consists of three brothers, vocalist Josh Kiszka, guitarist Jake Kiszka, bassist/keyboardist Sam Kiszka, as well as drummer Danny Wagner. Together they have performed across multiple continents, sold over two million albums worldwide, performed on late night television shows, topped the Billboard U.S. Mainstream Rock and Active Rock charts and won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2019.

GRETA VAN FLEET DREAMS IN GOLD TOUR DATES

March 10—Kalamazoo, MI @ Wings Event Center

March 12—Grand Rapids, MI @ The DeltaPlex Arena

March 13—Saginaw, MI @ Dow Event Center

March 16—Flint, MI @ Dort Financial Center

March 17—Ypsilanti, MI @ EMU Convocation Center

March 19—Huntington, WV @ Mountain Health Arena

March 22—Madison, WI @ Kohl Center

March 23—Green Bay, WI @ Resch Center

March 25—Omaha, NE @ CHI Health Center Omaha

March 26—Peoria, IL @ Peoria Civic Center

March 29—Cincinnati, OH @ Heritage Bank Center

March 30—Hershey, PA @ GIANT Center

April 1—Atlantic City, NJ @ Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena

April 2—Atlantic City, NJ @ Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena

May 3—Rio de Janeiro, Brazil @ Qualistage

May 16—Mexico City, Mexico @ Pepsi Center

June 5—Stockholm, Sweden @ Grona Lund

June 11—Vienne, France @ Theatre Antique de Vienne

June 14—Cologne, Germany @ Tanzbrunnen

June 15—Frankfurt, Germany @ Jarhunderthalle

June 23—Dublin, Ireland @ Fairview

June 25—London, UK @ Alexandra Palace

June 28—Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo

June 29—Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo

ABOUT REPUBLIC RECORDS

A division of Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music company, Republic Records is home to an all-star roster of multi-platinum, award-winning legends and superstar artists such as Ariana Grande, Black Thought, Drake, Florence + the Machine, Greta Van Fleet, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack Johnson, James Blake, James Bay, Jessie J, John Mellencamp, Jonas Brothers, Julia Michaels, Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, Lorde, Metro Boomin, NAV, Nicki Minaj, Of Monsters and Men, Pearl Jam, Post Malone, Seth MacFarlane, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd and more. Founded by brothers and chief executives Monte and Avery Lipman, it is also comprised of innovative business ventures, including American Recordings, Boominati Worldwide, Brushfire, Casablanca Records, Cash Money, Lava Records, XO, Young Money, among others. Republic also maintains a long-standing strategic alliance with Universal Music Latin Entertainment (J Balvin and Karol G). In addition, Republic has expanded to release high-profile soundtracks for Universal Pictures (Fifty Shades of Grey), Sony Pictures (Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse) and NBC TV (The Voice), as well as other notable film and television franchises. Extending further into the worlds of film, television, and content, Republic launched Federal Films in order to produce movies and series powered by the label’s catalog and artists. Its first production was the Jonas Brothers documentary Chasing Happiness for Amazon Prime Video.

Moonchild Sanelly – Undumpable

Leave a reply

Moonchild Sanelly shares her new addictive single “Undumpable, out today via Transgressive Records / [PIAS]. The track, produced by her label mate Debruit (KOKOKO!), follows the release of her highly acclaimed single “Yebo Teacher,” which garnered international praise for her refreshing and unapologetic take on female desire and sexuality.

On “Undumpable,” Moonchildmusi Sanelly muses on relationships and self-assuredness. An infectious beat accompanies Sanelly’s confident and plucky lyrics while playful vocals bring it all together. “Undumpable” is a jam through and through, destined to get you out of your seat and dancing.

On the track, Moonchild Sanelly shares: “Undumpable is a jam about a relationship where the couples’ tempers are frayed in lockdown, in a super intense atmosphere. They’re fighting but they each feel like they’ve invested too much to be easily dumped.” Sanelly, who has earned a reputation for female empowerment, defiantly sings, “You’re not gonna dump me/ I won’t let you dump me / Oh bitch / You’re gonna fix this”.

About Moonchild Sanelly

Moonchild Sanelly is South Africa’s “Queen of Gqom,” a superstar with a flow so unique it’s earned her recent collaborations with Beyonce, Ghetts, Die Antwood, Gorillaz, Diplo, and Wizkid.

Her iconic personal style combined with her outspoken approach to female sexual desire has earned her collaborations with the aforementioned Beyonce and Gorillaz as well as the likes of Diplo and Wizkid and built her a devoted fanbase. She is “a global superstar waiting to happen,” according to Damon Albarn.

With her recent releases, we see Moonchild Sanelly embark on a new and exciting chapter with a global spotlight on her. Praised for her electrifying music and unique style, she’s seen international praise everywhere from the Evening Standard, The Guardian, and Conde Nast, to The Observer, DIY, Complex, COLORS, and more.

Fearless, inclusive, and a whole lot of fun, Sanelly is just getting started.