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18 Oct 2022

Kim Petras Broke Records With ‘Unholy’ — Now She Wants to ‘Break The Cycle’ for Fellow Trans Artists

It’s been a rough morning for Kim Petras. “I have strep throat,” her voice croaks through a Zoom call. She chuckles at the sound of her own groggy delivery: “I am swollen and sick, but I will survive.”

The 30-year-old pop star is happy to push through the soreness, because she has plenty to celebrate — after five years of releasing fan-beloved club songs, Petras has scored her first Billboard Hot 100 entry with her featured appearance on Sam Smith‘s “Unholy.”

As the song currently sits at No. 2 on the Hot 100, Petras is quick to joke that she can practically taste a new No. 1 single. “I love you, Steve Lacy — I think ‘Bad Habit‘ is a great song — but move out of the way!” she cracks.

It’s a big moment for Petras, and also for the LGBTQ community — not only is “Unholy” a hit song brought forth by a non-binary artist and a transgender artist, but it makes Smith and Petras the highest-charting solo, publicly non-binary and transgender artists in the history of the Hot 100, respectively. (Smith also scored a No. 2 hit in 2014 with solo breakthrough “Stay With Me.”)

So where does Petras want to go from here? Billboard caught up with the singer, chatting about her upcoming Max Martin-produced single, creating a new debut album from scratch, and how she intends to “break the cycle” of trans artists being “paid dust.”

“Unholy” is at No. 2 right now! What was it like when you found out about the spot?

It’s crazy. When it debuted at No. 3, I was over the moon, like, “Wow, nothing like this has ever happened for me.” But to see it climbing? That was even better. It does look like a kind of [chart-topping] trajectory, not gonna lie — that No. 1 slot would be pretty sick.

Honestly, though, it’s such a magical collaboration for me, because it was really a situation where Sam and I were really just connecting and being slutty writers saying, “No, we’re gonna do it our way.” It’s been such a pleasant collaboration with someone I truly respect and feel very inspired by. I’m extremely happy for Sam — and of course for me, too.

This was a very sharp left turn for Sam’s music — how did you get involved on it, and did you find it at all jarring how different this was from their other work?

Well, Sam and I have been trying to collaborate for about four or five years. We’d been sending songs back and forth, and it was just never the right vibe. Then this song came along. Sam DM’d it to me, and I was like, “Yes, this is the one, when can we get in the studio?” Sam was so cool, saying, “I want to write it with you, I want it to feel like a complete story and really collaborate on this.”

It was so awesome, because I’m a writer first, I’ve been in songwriting rooms for the last 10 years. I’m lucky to be an artist, but I really connect with artists who write — like Sam, like Charli XCX, like SOPHIE. So it’s really cool to have worked with Sam and their extraordinary voice.

You’re building on the momentum with “Unholy” with your upcoming single “If Jesus Was A Rockstar” — it’s definitely a different vibe from your past releases, with a very fresh take. What can you tell us about how you made this new song?

It’s the first song I’ve ever written with Pop Jesus — Max Martin — which is such a life goal for me. He’s someone I’ve truly looked up to my entire life. Max and Savan [Kotecha] helped make this such a special song.

I just had to dig really deep for this. For me, religion and spirituality is such an intense topic, because I grew up trans, not fitting into any religion. All of my friends were pretty religious, and I kind of just wanted to write this song about how I wish religion would include me — and how it doesn’t, and how a lot of my friends in the LGBTQ community are forced to feel this way. That’s why I always looked for spirituality elsewhere. That’s why I loved music, because it gave me a similar sort of sensation, and gave me a place I belonged. So yeah, the song kinda says maybe if religion was cooler, then I would wanna be a part of it. So, if Jesus was a rockstar, maybe I’d want to be just like him.

It’s a pretty deep song for me, which is nerve-wracking — especially when I performed it at TwitchCon! I only make gay club songs, and I love doing that, because the gay clubs raised me, and they’re in me forever. But when everyone got their glow sticks out for that second chorus, it was crazy. It’s a big departure for me — it’s a brand new chapter!

Let’s talk more about Max Martin here — you got your start in the business as a songwriter, and have spoken about how you studied a lot of Max Martin songs early on. When you got in the studio with him, what was it like getting to flex those skills you learned from listening to his songs in front of him?

The main thing I took from those sessions was, “Wow, I am worthy of being in the room with these people.” I brought the same amount of ideas that everyone else did, I felt like I was being treated equally and fairly, and I couldn’t speak more highly of Max and Savan and Ilya [Salmanzadeh] and Omer [Fedi] and that whole crew, because I felt taken very seriously.

For me, in my writing process, it’s no ego — the best idea for the song wins. That’s something they have really perfected and stand behind as well. It was awesome being in the same mentality as everyone else, because a lot of the time, people are just obsessed with getting their line into the song so then they can say it’s theirs and collect some percentage of publishing. It was so great to see that, for this crew, the song came first, and every idea got measured, put into the mix and judged equally.

You have been a vocal LGBTQ advocate for years, especially looking back at something like your 2021 MTV EMA performance where you flew in the face of the Hungarian government for their anti-LGBTQ laws. Especially with a song like “Jesus” further critiquing the way some people treat queer and trans folks, how do you go about translating that advocacy into lyrics?

I think I grew up in a more difficult time than now — 10 years ago, I could not have imagined how accepted my presence would be. I used to get spit on on the street for being trans, got called a “tr—y,” all of that. It was always something that fueled me to prove that it doesn’t matter — as long as the music is good and you’re really freaking good at what you do, you can make it. I’ve built this fanbase over the last five years which is all kids that are like me; it’s my job to stand up for my community and my fans who have been there since the beginning.

But it’s also for myself — I want my point of view out there because it deserves to be heard, and frankly, it hasn’t been heard in pop music. It’s exciting that I get to do that on the highest level now with big-time players in the industry who believe in me, and are down to have me share my thoughts. I can’t not talk about it, because it’s a part of my life, and it will be forever.

Absolutely — and it’s working. You are the highest-charting solo, publicly transgender artist in the history of the Hot 100 with “Unholy.” What does that mean to you, not only for your career, but for the community you’re aiming to represent?

I just really don’t want to be the last. There’s always been incredible and talented trans artists, and they have been paid dust, you know? I mean, I was friends with SOPHIE — her influence can be heard on practically every popular song these days. But in her lifetime, she didn’t get what she deserved to get. Looking at artists like Amanda Lear in the ’70s and ’80s, who was an absolute disco queen, she got paid dust. People don’t talk about her the way they should. Ayesha Erotica has been so influential for me, and did not get what she deserved at all.

That same story just keeps repeating over and over for trans girls who have been making exceptional music and have been pushed under the rug while someone else takes credit from them. I’m just happy that Sam gave me the chance to shine here. I hope I can help break the cycle — it feels like people are finally ready for us to succeed, and that fills me with a lot of joy.

You’re 100% right, things are changing — but there are also things that haven’t changed, especially when you look at lawmakers taking aim at trans folks as of late. How tough is that for you to watch, while also experiencing this personal success lately?

It’s a huge step backwards; just when you thought we were headed in a better direction, we turn back. But, I’ve been around long enough to know that this is how it goes — it’s been this way before, and then it got better, and then it took a few steps back, and then it got better again. I’m hoping that this is just the latest wave before we get back to progress. Trans people have had to deal with this forever; It’s not new, and it’s dangerous to see it happening again. I’ve seen what this kind of discussion can do to your self-esteem as a trans woman when people are questioning everything about being transgender.

I am someone who, without the healthcare I received in Germany, would not have been able to transition. I had to go through countless meetings and evaluations with doctors in order to get hormones, to get my surgery, to get the help that I needed. I know what this kind of healthcare actually means for people, and it’s disgusting and devastating that people are trying to end it.

Earlier, you said that “Jesus” is the start of a “brand new chapter” for you. I know you’ve openly spoken about your struggle to put out your debut album; is this single a signal that you’re starting a new debut album from scratch, or a reintroduction of the album you’ve been trying to get out?

Yeah, it’s definitely the start of something completely new — a couple of the songs from the old album made it, but only a couple. Honestly, it’s been a cool experience, because for the first time, I’m not going out there on my own and hoping people like it. I’m really grateful to [Republic co-president] Wendy Goldstein, because she really took me under her wing and introduced me to a lot of people that I would have never had the chance to work with. It’s actually a blessing that I got to refresh everything — we knew the Sam single was coming, and I always believed it was going to be a smash, so we were like, “Okay, I have until then to be ready with the new music.” So I went in with Max and Ian Kirkpatrick and all of these incredible new people to put together this new thing.

I know for the fans, it was very hard to see a whole album go away — for me, too! That original album got me through the pandemic. But I also realized in that process that I was just doing what I always do; I was writing escapist pop songs about wanting to get away from everything. It was, once again, “The world is ending, let’s party.” I love that, but I’m at a different place now. It’s more important for me to talk about the things that are actually meaningful to me in real life. I’ve always been very guarded about letting people in, where I have the stage persona that’s kind of a b—h who gets whatever she wants. It’s a very different thing for me, and it’s vulnerable and strange to open up like this.

It’s worth noting that “Unholy” is your Hot 100 debut, and it does not feature any sort of writing or production credits from your past collaborator Dr. Luke [Lukasz Gottwald] — does that feel significant to you?

I’m just grateful that I have a hit, period. I’ve spent so long in this industry, and I feel like the music industry in general is just this weird game that people play, and it feels awesome to actually have success with an artist I adore. That’s been a really authentic journey for me, coming along the way that it did. So yeah, I’m just grateful people like a song I made.

18 Oct 2022

Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Everywhere’ Rides Back to Billboard Charts Thanks to Chevy Ad Synch

Fleetwood Mac continues its surge on Billboard‘s charts in the 2020s as its classic track “Everywhere” hits the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs tally (dated Oct. 22) at No. 25.

Originally released on the band’s 1987 album Tango in the Night, “Everywhere” has received renewed attention thanks to its synch in a commercial for Chevrolet’s electric vehicle line.

The track enters Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (where older songs are eligible to appear if in the top 25 and with a meaningful reason for their return), with 2.3 million official U.S. streams, up 16%, and 5,000 downloads sold, up 12%, in the U.S. Oct. 7-13, according to Luminate.

Prior to the commercial’s premiere, the song was generally averaging about 1.3-1.4 million streams a week in the U.S.

“Everywhere” concurrently rules Rock Digital Song Sales for a third week, all consecutively, and vaults 7-3 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales list.

“Everywhere” stands as Fleetwood Mac’s most recent top 20 hit, among 16 total, on the Billboard Hot 100, having reached No. 14 in February 1988. It also became the band’s second of three Adult Contemporary No. 1s. (Tango in the Night marked Fleetwood Mac’s last studio LP fully featuring its famed lineup of Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.)

The song follows the revival of another of Fleetwood Mac’s hits: In October 2020, “Dreams” re-entered the Hot 100 and rose as high as No. 12 after its inclusion in a viral TikTok trend. The song topped the chart for a week in 1977, marking the group’s second of nine top 10s.

Tango in the Night hit No. 7 on the Billboard 200 in 1987. Fleetwood Mac boasts seven top 10s on the chart, including four No. 1s.

18 Oct 2022

R&B Fresh Picks of the Week: Central Cee, Rini, Kirby & More

It’s Monday again, and you know what that means: We’ve got 10 new songs to help you power through the week. From the mellow sounds of Sebastian Mikael, Rini, and Kirby to hard-hitting bops by Lancey Foux and Reese LaFlare, there’s a song to cater to all of this week’s ebbs and flows.

Explore

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See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Don’t forget to share the wealth with our Spotify playlist, linked below.

Freshest Find: Central Cee, “One Up”

Now that Central Cee has convinced us he’s not homophobic, the U.K.-bred newcomer has moved on to new concerns: leaks. “[I’m] only dropping this cos they leaked it,” he says in a statement alongside his his surprise EP, No More Leaks. “One Up” presents itself as a standout moment of the four-track offering, highlighting the 24-year-old MC’s undeniably cool edge and witty bars.

Rini feat. Beam, “Selfish”

With “Selfish,” Rini is setting the tone for his growth over the past year. The L.A.-via-Australia singer taps Beam for the moody new single, on which he realizes that the only way to elevate is by prioritizing himself. “‘Selfish’ to me is a song where I learned that there’s more than one way to be selfish,” the singer said in a press release. “Often you think of it in a negative light — and of course it took me going through the negative — but there’s positive ways to be selfish too.” “Selfish” is a single off Rini’s forthcoming EP UltraViolet.

Lancey Foux, “All Night Long”

“All Night Long” is the moody, 808-driven introduction to Lancey Foux’s upcoming album Life In Hell. The U.K. artist is no stranger to cultivating music that blurs genre lines, often dabbling in trap and alternative hip-hop sounds.

Hoosh, “Slow Dance”

Despite its lighthearted and bouncy production, Hoosh’s new single “Slow Dance” has a message. After a conversation he had with a dancer, the Miami-via-Sudan artist wants others to understand that what truly matters is not what one does but how one carries themselves and their character. “Slow Dance” is deceptively introspective, but the musician doesn’t want listeners to understand his message without dancing and vibing to his upbeat new song.

Jordan Ward feat. Joony, “Idc”

Jordan Ward and Joony collided for a smooth, lo-fi track about letting go of their exes. “IDC” sees the two carelessly running around New York City in oversized suits as they trade nonchalant verses about being newly single. “I don’t care, I just want you to know/ I don’t like what you did, that s–t hurt/ I don’t care what you do anymore, anymore,” Joony sings for the chorus.

Sebastian Mikael, “Scene 1”

Celebrating the release of his new EP Phileo, Sebastian Mikael took to COLORS to perform his standout track “Scene 1.” The Swedish Ethiopian singer delivered a soulful performance of the song, which sees him falling for a woman who he says is “acting up.”

Reese LAFLARE, “Flu Game”

Atlanta rapper and producer Reese LaFlare receives the ultimate co-sign on “Flu Game.” “You gotta push right now to have a standout moment where it catapults you,” explains Drake in an audio note. The song title remains in line with the spirit of Drake’s message, referring to Michael Jordan’s 1997 NBA finals game in Utah — where the icon scored 38 points, leading the Bulls to a win, despite being severely ill. Produced by Mile Franklin, Maurice Nichols and Ronald Crawford, the track boasts a swoon-worthy instrumental, begging to be bumped from your car speakers for all to hear.

Mia Gladstone feat. Lance Skiiiwalker, “Swimming on the First Date”

Experimental artist Mia Gladstone re-emerges with a hypnotic new project, Loopy. Back together with longtime TDE collaborator Lance Skiiiwalker, the duo’s distinct tones and flows shine atop funky neo-soul instrumentation.

STANY feat. Rema & Offset, “Only You”

It’s a party of three. Afro-French producer Stany enlists Offset and Nigerian up-and-comer Rema to kick off his solo debut with “Only You.” Every Rema melody sounds like a hook, with Offset’s verse a refreshing change of pace on the Afro-fusion track.

Kirby feat. Dave Guy, “Take Care”

What’s there not to love about Kirby’s latest, transportive offering? “Take Care” sounds like a warm embrace, the singer setting the mood through environmental sounds of children playing, thick horns courtesy of Dave Guy, milky chords and her irresistibly smooth tone. “Take care of momma/ Know you gotta take care of brother/ You gotta take care and hustle/ But please take care of you,” she declares.

18 Oct 2022

Is Hip-Hop’s Dominance Slipping? ‘My Concern Is the Magic Is Gone’

In 2018, Nielsen Soundscan’s year-end music industry report confirmed that R&B/hip-hop was the most popular genre in America. Nine of the 10 most consumed songs in the United States were hip-hop/R&B songs, and as streaming became the dominant way to consume music, eight of the 10 most streamed artists were rappers. 

That report focused on 2017, but the period between 2015-2018 was a crescendo for the genre. Established artists like Ye, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne still had more in the tank; younger stars like Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Nicki Minaj put their mark on the culture; and rising stars like Pop Smoke, Juice WRLD, XXXTENTACION and Cardi B were already scoring RIAA plaques. Everything was pointing up. 

Looking at the hip-hop landscape today, you might get a different feeling. Rap is still enormously popular, but its growth is slowing. Luminate’s mid-year report revealed that R&B/hip-hop still has the largest overall market share of any genre in the United States with 27.6% — but that’s a decline from last year’s 28.4%, even though it widened its lead at the top in terms of overall equivalent album units. The genre’s total on-demand streaming growth is up 6.2% in 2022, but that’s lower than the rate of the market overall, which is up 11.6%. 

“I will say, I’m concerned,” says Carl Cherry, Spotify’s creative director and head of urban. Cherry says he’s been alarmed about rap since last year: “2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, those years felt magical. My concern is that the magic is gone.” 

There’s a variety of reasons the genre’s future feels precarious. First, rap’s superstars like Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone are aging into a different chapter of their careers, less invested in chasing hits. This year, Drake dropped the dancefloor detour, Honestly, Nevermind, while Kendrick made the deeply personal Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers and Post Malone released his darkest album yet, Twelve Carat Toothache. The albums debuted with respectable numbers, but slid down the Billboard 200 relatively quickly after — and while each of their previous albums spawned Hot 100-topping smashes (“God’s Plan,” “HUMBLE,” “rockstar”), this time, between the three of them, only Drake’s “Jimmy Cooks” went to No. 1, where it lasted a week. Post told Billboard earlier this year, “I don’t need a No. 1; that doesn’t matter to me no more, and at a point, it did.” 

Those artists are carrying even more weight because of rap’s second problem; a number of would-be superstars died young. The late Pop Smoke, Juice WRLD and XXXTENTACION were three of the most important rappers of the past few years, not only because they moved units but because they were stylistic innovators. Their premature passings leave a void at the genre’s center — one that has only widened with the further losses of Nipsey Hussle, Mac Miller, Lil Peep, King Von, Young Dolph and, most recently, PnB Rock.  

“Unfortunately, we have those tragedies that don’t let those culture-shifters see out their days and fulfill their purpose for the sub-genre they’re repping,” says Letty Peniche, who hosts Power Mornings on Power 106 in L.A. “We didn’t just lose [XXX, Pop, Juice], it also halted that wave.”

Then there’s rap’s third problem: There aren’t as many hot prospects among rap’s rookie class. 

“The last couple of years, we’re not seeing as many new stars emerge,” says Cherry. “[From 2015-2018], there were just a lot of guys we would see seemingly come out of nowhere and become huge stars and put up numbers that would rival people that have been established. We’re not really seeing that right now.”

It’s not like we haven’t seen breakout rappers in 2022 — artists like GloRilla, SleazyWorld Go and Yeat are talented and may have bright futures ahead of them. But with the exception of Yeat, their success is tied to hit singles and they haven’t established their bonafides via full-length projects. While they’ve performed impressively for newcomers, they haven’t put up near the superstar-type numbers Cherry refers to. 

Meanwhile, some of rap’s most promising upstarts have seen their fortunes turn quickly. DaBaby’s 2020 album, Blame It On Baby, moved 124,000 album-equivalent units in its first week; after a couple of underperforming projects rehashing the same formula, 2022’s Baby On Baby 2 moved a mere 17,000 in its first week. Megan Thee Stallion won the Grammy for best new artist, but her Traumazine album did lower first-week numbers than her debut and it hasn’t spawned a hit close to “Savage.” Roddy Ricch scored the last major pre-pandemic No. 1 hit with “The Box,” but his last single as a lead artist, “Stop Breathing,” has yet to hit the Hot 100. One of 2022’s bright spots was watching Gunna ascend from Young Thug protégé to standalone star as his “Pushing P” became the kind of cultural meme rap routinely produces, yet his achievement was overshadowed when he and Thug were arrested on a RICO charge that may land them both in prison for years.

Some of this might have been inevitable. In many ways, the rap audience was primed for the shift to streaming, resulting in the genre over-indexing in its early years. “The movement of mixtapes out of the free music world of LiveMixtapes, DatPiff and blogs into monetized, proper releases was really key,” says Signal Records founder and CEO Jeff Vaughn, about the 2015-2018 period. “You had this segment of music consumption that had always flown under the radar, but now it was trackable, and there was money being made.”

As the pendulum swings the other way, the playing field is beginning to even out — as country, rock, pop and Latin catch up to hip-hop’s streaming advantage. At the same time, many artists from those genres — including this year’s most dominant artist, Bad Bunny — are now undeniably influenced by hip-hop, but their wins don’t count towards hip-hop’s market share.

Upheaval has become the norm in all genres over the past two years. The biggest factor was the COVID-19 pandemic, which put a pause on the entire music industry and hindered the momentum of countless careers. But there’s also the rise of TikTok, which has had a seismic effect on marketing — turning songs into viral sensations seemingly overnight and creating all sorts of breakout hits, but few lasting careers.

“What I’m seeing is, people stick around for the piece of the song that they like,” explains Peniche. “They don’t want to hear the rest of whatever song TikTok put in their mind. You don’t even know if you’re going to like the full song or even the artist. You fall in love with the snippet — but after that, what happens?”

Peniche adds that things like TikTok have aided in radio’s changing role in music, from breaking hits to simply reminding people of their favorites. While TikTok has helped fuel 2020s rap hits like BRS Kash’s “Throat Baby” and Popp Hunna’s “Adderall (Corvette Corvette),” as well as more crossover-ready breakthroughs like Doja Cat’s “Say So” and Jack Harlow’s “What’s Poppin,” it may already be seeing diminishing returns. 

“There’s these songs that gain traction on TikTok but they don’t go all the way,” says Cherry. “They’ll have a lot of streams on Spotify, they’ll be added to big playlists maybe, but they don’t go the distance.”

Cherry also points out how TikTok has also helped keep older music, like J. Cole’s “No Role Modelz,” consistently successful. “The reality of the market is now, you’re not just competing with other new music, you’re competing with the best music period from past or present,” adds Vaughn. “In the meantime, you’re gonna have a lot of first week sales in the 10-30,000 range. Until something changes, that’s just probably the new reality of the business.”

These days, YouTube and TikTok celebrities are competing for attention with musicians, while today’s influencers may also be discouraging tomorrow’s would-be musicians. “People can get rich from their bedrooms now,” says Peniche. “People can get rich off of Twitch playing games. Like, ‘Why would I be out here hustling or going on the road for scraps if I can do something at home and get rich off of TikTok videos?’ ”

Vaughn thinks the problem goes beyond TikTok, though: “Is there more competition for people’s time now than there was five years ago? Yes. Are major [labels’] market share and influence declining relative to their ability to move the market? Yes. Is there more money, focus, attention and people in the hip-hop space now than five years ago? Yes. So all those things combined make it a very different landscape.”

The pandemic also upset the release schedule and forced concert cancellations. Cherry recalled a moment in 2021 when he asked two party promoters what was ringing off in the clubs. They struggled to come up with an answer besides Drake’s “Way 2 Sexy.” “What point in hip-hop history have we had a shortage of club bangers?” asked Cherry. “Never.”

Despite all these worries, there have been bright spots this year. Future is enjoying his biggest commercial year yet, with his I Never Liked You album posting the best solo first-week numbers of his career and “WAIT FOR U” becoming his first Hot 100 No. 1 as a lead artist. Lil Baby, Jack Harlow and Moneybagg Yo continue to be proven hitmakers. Rod Wave, Polo G and YoungBoy Never Broke Again are cult artists with huge followings. Doja Cat, Lil Nas X and The Kid LAROI toe the line of rap and pop, but have put up big numbers with their albums and scored massive crossover hits on the Hot 100. 

“Overall, I’m still incredibly bullish on the art form,” says Vaughn. “It’s been here for 50 years, I don’t think it’s going anywhere.”

Ultimately, as Luminate’s mid-year report notes, hip-hop is still No. 1. But culture can’t afford to be creatively stagnant. To stay fresh, it needs to find a spark. 

“I’m always worried about where it’s heading,” says Cherry. “But music is cyclical. I don’t think we’ll ever live in a world where hip-hop isn’t the most influential type of music and culture. That’ll never happen. Hip-hop will always be in this position where it just helps shape [culture] and makes everything move.”

18 Oct 2022

Kate Bush Reacts to Robbie Coltrane’s Death: ‘We’ve Lost One of Our Great Treasures’

Kate Bush is mourning the loss of a giant talent. The “Running Up That Hill” singer expressed her sadness after the news of Robbie Coltrane’s death. The Harry Potter star, known and beloved for playing half-giant Hagrid, died at 72 on Oct. 14, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed.

In a rare statement shared to her website, Bush revealed how she felt after learning about Coltrane’s death, and detailed the connection they forged after he starred in the video for her 2011 single “Deeper Understanding,” which hails from her ninth album, Director’s Cut.

“I was very upset to hear the news about Robbie,” the 64-year-old wrote. “I’m really grateful that he agreed to star in a video that we made some years ago. It was incredibly exciting to watch him at work and to be in the presence of his deeply profound intelligence and earthy wit. He was so much fun. I’m really going to miss him.”

She continued, “I had so much respect for his many talents and his generosity of spirit. We’ve lost one of our great treasures.” Bush is far from the first star to pay tribute to Coltrane. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and its film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Bonnie Wright and more extended their condolences via social media and statements.

While Coltrane’s cause of death has yet to be revealed, the late actor is is survived by a sister, Annie Rae, his children — Spencer and Alice — and their mother, Rhona Gemmell.

Revisit Coltrane in Bush’s music video for “Deeper Understanding” below.

18 Oct 2022

Rush’s Alex Lifeson Honors ‘Life Is a Highway’ Singer Tom Cochrane With SOCAN Cultural Impact Award

Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson presented fellow Canadian musician Tom Cochrane with the SOCAN Cultural Impact Award on Monday night (Oct. 17) for his 1991 enduring hit “Life Is A Highway,” which rose to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1992 and was No. 1 in Canada, winning Juno Awards for single of the year and songwriter.

The anthem, found on Cochrane’s second solo album, Mad Mad World, sold a rare million copies in Canada (a diamond certification), and has, in recent years, racked up more than 1 billion streams, according to SOCAN, the performing rights organization.

Lifeson and Cochrane have been friends for over four decades. “I played with him on occasion and performed ‘Life Is a Highway,’ as well,” Lifeson told some 500 members of the music industry at the private event at Sheridan Centre Toronto Hotel.

“I am a friend, a collaborator, and like many, many others of his millions of fans around the world, I am a huge admirer of his work. Neruda is one of my all-time favorite records,” Lifeson threw in of the 1983 album by Cochrane’s original band Red Rider. “Tom is an amazing artist and songwriter, and with ‘Life Is a Highway,’ he created the perfect analogy of what we all go through. It is a magical blend of music and lyrics with an infectious chorus that sticks with you, and a theme that is inspiring and uplifting. It truly captures our journeys down the highway of life, the high roads, the detours, the dead ends, the U-turns, and especially the fear of running outta gas, the challenges that we all face in order to reach our destinations.”

Lifeson said the song’s “joyous melody” is a hopeful reminder that no matter how many roadblocks life presents, “we will always find a way around them,” adding, “It is the perfect message, especially over the past few years and what we’ve all experienced.”

Among the many covers and adaptations, the song was covered by Rascal Flatts for the 2006 animated movie Cars and by Chris LeDoux for his 1998 album, One Road Man, was used in a now-classic segment of the animated TV series Family Guy, placed in Hollywood films like There Goes The Neighborhood and Cheaper by the Dozen, and more recently in the video game Lego Rock Band (Rascal Flatts’ version).

In 2016, a stretch of highway in Manitoba starting in his hometown of Lynn Lake to the city of Thompson was renamed Tom Cochrane’s Life Is a Highway.

Despite its buoyant, positive vibe, the song was born out of a life-altering humanitarian trip Cochrane took to southeastern Africa with World Vision Canada. Hence the lyric: “From Mozambique to those Memphis nights / The Khyber Pass to Vancouver’s lights / Knock me down and back up again / You’re in my blood, I’m not a lonely man.”

After a video tribute, which touched quite heavily on the inspiration for the song, Cochrane took the stage to accept the award from Lifeson, and dug out his speech, written “old school” on a piece a paper. “Talk about cultural achievement,” he said of Lifeson, calling Rush “one of the top five bands of all time.”

After thanking friends and associates, he said of Rascal Flatts, “What could I say about those guys? Everybody says, ‘That’s horrible, they stole that song from you.’ I said, ‘I wish they’d steal some more songs from me,” he laughs. “And I told [singer] Gary [LeVox] that and they flew us a bunch of writers down to Nashville. I mean such generous guys.”

He then thanked Red Rider and Mad Mad World musician John Webster, who insisted he take “the stupid little poppy demo” called “Love Is a Highway” and develop it into the anthem it is now.

“Indeed, the lyrics in the top line were written in the wee hours of the morning in my little home studio, the shed in Oakville…The lyrics were written in response to a trip to that I had taken to Africa with the humanitarian relief organization, World Vision. They do incredible work and I encourage everybody to support them. In 1989, after witnessing terrible suffering, in particular in war-torn Mozambique, it put deep scars on my psyche and I needed something ‘up’ and positive to pull me out of this funk and this soul searching,” Cochrane explains.

“And so that was what I was going through after that trip. Webby, John Webster, and I had recorded a bed track for ‘Love Is a Highway’ in that shed a few weeks earlier and I couldn’t find the proper words…I woke up that night out of a bit of a dream state and an epiphany occurred to me that we can’t control what happens to us here and there. All we can do is control what’s ahead of us and the people we come in contact with every day… And so, by five in the morning, the song was written, it was done and I felt better for it.

Since Canada removed all COVID-19 restrictions, Cochrane has been back out on the road — 38 shows to date, with more scheduled in November.

“When we play ‘Life Is a Highway,’ the energy that we get back from the crowd, from the audience, is intense. It’s powerful,” he reflects. “And the joy, the positive electricity, is cathartic and it’s immense. We feel elevated. But more than that, we feel privileged to be up there and very lucky to be the vehicle, excuse the pun, to deliver that energy.”

To cap off the three-hour awards, Lifeson jumped onstage to join musicians Bill Bell, Dala, Davide Direnzo, Molly Johnson, Jeff Jones, Sam Roberts and Julian Taylor on a version of the song.

18 Oct 2022

Christina Aguilera Celebrates ‘Stripped’ 20th Anniversary: ‘I Truly Made Music That Represented Who I Was’

Keep on singin’ her song! Christina Aguilera took to social media on Tuesday (Oct. 18) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her sophomore album, Stripped.

“My favorite memory was just, I mean, the freedom to finally do what I wanted to do,” the pop star reminisced over a montage of moments from the Stripped era on Twitter. “As an artist, telling my stories, my personal messages for the first time. It was so important to me on my sophomore album that I truly made music that represented who I was.”

Aguilera then gave a bit more context in the tweet itself, writing, “Stripped gave me the strength and freedom as an artist to tell my story the way I wanted. Thank you to all of my fighters around the world for amplifying that strength and giving me the space to continue to share myself in my truest forms, #20YearsOfStripped more to come.”

The 2002 studio set holds a special place for the singer as well as her legions of fans, having peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and delivered smash singles like “Dirrty” featuring Redman, “Beautiful,” “Fighter,” “Can’t Hold Us Down” with Lil’ Kim and “The Voice Within.” The album has since been certified 5x platinum by the RIAA.

Just last week, Aguilera announced a brand new music video for “Beautiful” to kick off the anniversary celebrations. And late last month, she took home the Spirit of Hope Award at the 2022 Billboard Latin Music, where she also performed ranchera anthem “La Reina.”

Check out Xtina’s memories of Stripped below.

18 Oct 2022

For the Record: Standing Up to Kanye’s Hate Speech

At this point, who would book Kanye West – especially to sit down with an interviewer who doesn’t generally challenge his guests?

On Oct. 7, West, now known as Ye, tweeted that he would go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.” Days later, Vice reported on unaired footage from the rapper’s Tucker Carlson interview, in which he made a series of bizarre and anti-Semitic comments, on how he wants to create “kinetic energy communities” and would rather his children celebrate Hanukkah, since “at least it will come with some financial engineering.” Then an episode of The Shop was canceled because West used the interview to “reiterate more hate speech and extremely dangerous stereotypes,” according to the CEO of the company behind the show.

After all this, West was booked to appear on the Oct. 15 episode of the podcast Drink Champs, which is shown on Revolt, the cable television and online media company founded by Sean “Diddy” Combs. (It was preceded by a disclaimer saying it does not reflect his views.) And guess what? West ranted about the “Jewish media,” called Planned Parenthood “our Holocaust Museum,” and said Jewish lawyers made so much money because they would divorce people when Catholics wouldn’t. He also falsely blamed George Floyd’s death on fentanyl, rather than on the police officer who murdered him. As West ranted, N.O.R.E., the show’s host — who has since apologized — basically just sat there, murmuring “mmm” and, occasionally, “hmm-mmm.”

Drink Champs is supposed to be informal, but a better interviewer would have at least pointed out that Drake, who West said in the interview was “the greatest rapper ever,” is Jewish himself.’Revolt pulled the show offline yesterday afternoon – the company has not issued any statement or commented to Billboard on why it did so – although it’s easily available on YouTube, which should take it down as well. It’s worth asking why it was shown in the first place. One clue: N.O.R.E. tweeted that “my Ye interview got more views then (sic) football haha!!!” Except this isn’t funny. At a time when media companies are being more careful about hate speech – a good thing in my view – why does there seem to be an exception for anti-Semitism?

It’s easy to dismiss West’s interview — along with his latest, with Chris Cuomo — as the latest chapter in the very public breakdown of an incredibly talented musician, which is upsetting to see. What’s more disturbing is that anyone could have thought it was OK to show this. N.O.R.E. apologized on Breakfast Club, and said there were “four Jewish people in the room” who showed an “understanding where Kanye was coming from.”

The disclaimer that ran before Drink Champs says the show does “not reflect the views or opinions” of Combs or Revolt. Fair enough. Presumably Combs also didn’t agree with the July 4, 2020 speech by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, whom Facebook banned in 2019, along with Alex Jones and some right-wing figures, for engaging in hate speech. (Revolt hasn’t shown any of his speeches since then.) Weeks later, Combs tweeted a job offer to Nick Cannon, who had just lost his deal with ViacomCBS after a podcast interview with former Public Enemy “Minister of Information” Professor Griff that trafficked in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Like West, Cannon said he couldn’t be anti-Semitic because Black people are “the true Hebrews.”

Cannon apologized, and good for him. Revolt hasn’t. After Cannon sat down with a rabbi to talk about anti-Semitism, Jay Electronica called the rabbi a “coward” and challenged him to debate Farrakhan. Neither Combs nor Jay Electronica, who sampled Farrakhan on his debut album and got an 8.4 from Pitchfork, seems to have faced any consequences.

Revolt bills itself as “the unapologetic, authoritative voice of Hip Hop culture,” which is important and valuable. But that doesn’t mean guests should be allowed to engage in anti-Semitic or other conspiracy theories without being challenged. One of the frightening things about West’s rants is how much right-wingers with a history of racism seem to love them. This episode of Drink Champs was anti-Semitic and disrespectful to the memory of George Floyd, whose family is said to be considering a lawsuit against West. Revolt needs to apologize, to both Floyd’s family and the Jewish community, and make clear that it has no tolerance for anti-Semitism — and other music and media companies should do the same.

For the Record is a regular column from deputy editorial director Robert Levine analyzing news and trends in the music industry. Find more here.

18 Oct 2022

Knitting Factory to Open New Los Angeles Venue

The Knitting Factory brand is returning to Los Angeles after more than a decade.

The new venue, Knitting Factory NoHo, will open on the second floor of the Federal Bar in North Hollywood. The venue is a 300-plus-capacity room that offers a patio and expansive local views from the historic building. Formerly a bank, the Federal Bar building was built in 1929 and has high-beamed ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows.

Since Knitting Factory Hollywood closed in 2009, Knitting Factory Entertainment (KFE) CEO Morgan Margolis has developed a hospitality division of the company. In Los Angeles alone, this includes The Federal Bar, El Tejano, Thirsty Merchant, Cantiki and Boomtown Brewery partnerships. KFE is also behind the Desert Daze festival with partner Phil Pirrone. Additionally, the company remains a longtime partner with local promoter and Spaceland Presents CEO Mitchell Frank on the Regent Theatre in Downtown L.A.

“While this is a more intimate venue than our partner venue, Regent Theatre (1,000 cap.), our team plans to bring incredible live experiences for musicians, comedians, artists, and fans alike, as our company has been doing for decades,” said Margolis in a statement. “In North Hollywood specifically, we’ve been in the area since The Federal Bar opened with a private performance from jazz legend Stanley Clarke in January 2011, and there is an appetite for more music-based programming as the neighborhood continues to grow into a distinct residential and entertainment district.”

Knitting Factory

Knitting Factory

Morgan Margolis

The space above the Federal Bar previously hosted private events and live shows from artists including John Doe, Kurt Vile, Big Thief, Ducktails, Cayucas, Sea Wolf, Chuck Prophet, Jenny O. and Motopony. Existing facilities are currently undergoing major renovations, including raising and widening the stage, improving sightlines, and upgrading audio-visual production. The new venue also hides a classic speakeasy, which will operate as a private VIP bar and green room.

Veteran music curator Chris Diaz will serve as Knitting Factory Noho’s consultant talent booker. Diaz got his start as a sound engineer and local booker at Knitting Factory Hollywood. Diaz moved from sound engineer to senior talent booker, moving to New York after Knitting Factory Hollywood closed to program the newly opened Knitting Factory Brooklyn. He returned to Los Angeles in 2013 to book two venues for California promoter Goldenvoice — The Roxy Theatre on the Sunset Strip and The Glass House Concert Hall in Pomona — before booking for Spaceland Presents at The Regent Theatre.

“Working with Knitting Factory Entertainment again, and specifically with Morgan, is like being reunited with a long-lost family member,” said Diaz. “It is very exciting to be a part of bringing this legendary brand back to Los Angeles, to help ensure its future legacy.”

Programming for the new L.A. venue is set to begin later this year. The news of the new North Hollywood location comes after the closure of Knitting Factory Brooklyn and the announcement of a new Knitting Factory venue that will open in New York’s East Village neighborhood in early 2023.