bbnews
Page: 264
Related Images:
Related Images:
Related Images:
The late Jeff Beck’s career was marked by an abundance of excellence. And surprises.
From his playing choices to his stylistic maneuvering and frequent changes of personnel, Beck made a career out of keeping everyone guessing — including those who played with him. He was a restless chameleon, starting in rock and blues and then incorporating jazz – mostly of the ‘70s electric fusion variety – into his mix, achieving mastery on all fronts. But it was never just for change’s sake; Beck’s experiments and diversions almost always had purpose.
It worked out, of course. Beck – who passed away Tuesday (Jan. 10) at the age of 78 in England – was a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee (with The Yardbirds in 1992 and on his own in 2009) and won eight Grammy Awards, five of them for best rock instrumental performance. He also received the British Academy’s Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music in 2014 along with a slew of other honors. He’s universally acknowledged as one of the greatest guitar players of all-time, in any genre.
His skill on the instrument could and often did leave our jaws on the floor. But some of his decisions did the same — or at least made us raise our eyebrows. As we continue to celebrate one of (and to some, the) best proponent of the electric guitar, here’s a look back at a dozen of the most surprising moments in Beck’s long career.
It’s a New Year, and Nick Cave has the Bad Seeds on his mind.
Writing on his blog The Red Hand Files, the Australian alternative rock icon confirms his 2023 wishlist includes a new record with his long-standing band.
Responding to a fan’s question, Cave writes, “My plan for this year is to make a new record with the Bad Seeds. This is both good news and bad news. Good news because who doesn’t want a new Bad Seeds record? Bad news because I’ve got to write the bloody thing.”
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The album that transpires will be the followup to 2021’s Ghosteen, a two-disc album that explores Cave’s exposure to grief and pain, following the sudden death of his son Arthur in 2015. Ghosteen, the 17th recording from Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, cracked the top 5 in Australia (peaking at No. 2) and the U.K. (No. 4), and was shortlisted for several major music awards, including the Australian Music Prize and the U.K.’s Ivor Novello Awards.
Cave is making headway. The process started Jan. 1, and, by Jan. 6 he’d “written a few things but they aren’t very good, or maybe they are, it’s difficult to tell. A kind of doldrums has set in, perennial and predictable. It’s the same with every record, I feel that familiar feeling of lack, like I’m a big, dumb blank thing in a suit.”
The creativity is there, deep down, hopefully, he points out. “I have to call it forth, provoke it from its slumber. It becomes a nasty, punishing, baggy-eyed business. I’m starting to get an infuriating sing-song voice in my head that actually rhymes, like a madness. Like sadness.”
Those first few lines include a dark tale that harks back to 1996’s The Murder Ballads: “Ushering in the year he knelt down/And crushed his brother’s head with a bone.”
That “felt like an okay way to start a record,” he notes, and additional lyrics would flow.
Cave recently wrapped a well-received tour of Australia with his longtime Bad Seed and Dirty Trio collaborator Warren Ellis, in support of 2022’s Carnage, the first album of material they’d cut and released as a duo.
Last September, Cave announced the release of a new book Faith, Hope and Carnage, co-written with journalist Seán O’Hagan, in which the two examine questions of faith, art, music, freedom, grief and love over 40 hours in conversation.
The prolific singer, songwriter, bandleader, novelist and screenwriter is a national treasure in Australia, where he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007, and he’s considered something of a living legend in the U.K., his adopted homeland.
Read Cave’s blog post here.
Shakira and Bizarrap have blessed fans with their highly anticipated “BZRP Music Sessions #53,” which dropped Wednesday.
Truth be told, fans weren’t sure what to expect from the latest edition of the music sessions, which are popular collaborations between Bizarrap and artists such as Nicky Jam, Paulo Londra, Residente and Snow Tha Product where they rap over a unique beat created by the hitmaker.
Shakira doesn’t rap; instead, it’s very much a therapy session between Biza and his guest.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The singer-songwriter doesn’t hold back and is as blunt as ever about her ex, Spanish soccer star Gerard Piqué. “A wolf like me doesn’t have time for novices like you/ I was too much for you, that’s why you’re now with someone more like yourself,” she sings over a futuristic pop-electronica beat. “You left me the in-laws as my neighbors, media outlets at my door and in debt with the Treasury./ You thought you hurt me, but you made me stronger/ Women don’t cry anymore, they cash in.”
Shakira joins a number of artists who’ve jumped on one of Bizarrap’s zealously streamed music sessions. His session with Spanish act Quevedo, “BZRP Music Sessions #52,” scored both their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. Currently, it has more than 400 million views on YouTube. Bizarrap’s Music Session with Shak follows his latest sessions, including ones with Duki and Villano Antillano.
This new song will follow Shakira’s Ozuna-assisted “Monotonía,” which peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart (dated Nov. 5). It currently sits at No. 1 on the Latin Airplay chart, where it’s ruled for four weeks.
Recently, Shakira shared a heartfelt message of hope to start off the new year. “Even if our wounds are still open in this new year, time has a surgeon’s hands. Even if someone’s betrayed us, we must continue to trust others,” wrote the Colombian singer. “When faced with contempt, continue to know your worth. Because there are more good people than indecent ones. More people with empathy than indifference.”
The message came after a difficult year due to her separation from Piqué, the father of her children. The singer has spoken openly about the breakup since it was confirmed in June, and has posted material — including releasing the heartbreak song “Monotonía” — alluding to her pain. This music session is no exception.
Related Images:
It’s fair to say SZA’s “Kill Bill” has been killing it.
Lifted from the R&B star’s long-awaited sophomore album SOS, “Kill Bill” this week soars to No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart.
The fictitious murder-confession song marks her first leader on the list, and completes a rare chart double; SOS has lorded over the Billboard 200 for the past four weeks.
On the other side of the Atlantic, “Kill Bill” is a top 5 hit.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
As “Kill Bill” takes out the opposition on sales charts, a bloody new music video should give it extra firepower.
Directed by Christian Breslauer, the cinematic clip pays homage to Quentin Tarantino’s revenge film of the same name, and features a cameo from Vivica A. Fox, who played the kick-ass character Vernita Green opposite Uma Thurman’s Bride.
The result is a high-octane, high-caliber action fest — with splashes of anime, fantasy and flesh.
The New Jersey–born singer-songwriter is fan of Tarantino and his blood-and-guts work.
“I love Vivica A. Fox’s character. I love Lucy Liu’s character. I even love Bill because he’s super complex,” she tells EW of the original 2000s films.
“I feel like he doesn’t understand why he did what he did. He’s void of emotion, but he loved The Bride so much that he couldn’t stand her to be with anyone else. That was really complex and cool to me. It’s a love story. I just watched it again for inspiration for the music video that we’re gonna shoot for ‘Kill Bill.’”
Watch the music video below.
Related Images:
Taeyang’s upcoming Jimin-featuring single “Vibe” debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart dated Jan. 14.
Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by Twitter, track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across Twitter, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running Dec. 30-Jan. 5.
“Vibe” marks Taeyang’s first solo single since 2018’s “Louder,” recorded for the Winter Olympics. It’s his first release under THEBLACKLABEL.
BTS’ Jimin last appeared solo via the collaborative track “With You” with Ha Sung Woon, which topped Hot Trending Songs for seven weeks beginning in May 2022.
Though it’s scheduled for release Jan. 13, the announcement of the single on Jan. 4 via social media spurred enough online chatter to launch the song to No. 1 on Hot Trending Songs.
“Vibe” is followed by another song that hasn’t yet seen the light of day: Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” also scheduled for a Jan. 13 release. Cyrus announced the new single on Dec. 31 amid her hosting gig for Miley’s New Year’s Party on NBC.
“Flowers” precedes the release of Endless Summer Vacation, Cyrus’ eighth studio album, due March 10.
Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.