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The woman who is believed to have inspired beloved Mamá Coco, the grandmother in Pixar animated musical film Coco, has died. María Salud Ramírez Caballero was 109 years old when she passed away Oct. 16 at her home in Michoacán, Mexico. Her death was confirmed by Michoacán’s Secretary of Tourism, Roberto Monroy, who on Twitter referred to Ramírez Caballero as “a tireless woman and life example who inspired this beloved character that went around the world.”
Pixar has not formally acknowledged that Ramírez Caballero was the inspiration for Mamá Coco, but the similarity between the real life woman and the animated character was undeniable. The similarities led many over the years to declare she had indeed been the template for Mamá Coco, and tourists were known to go to her home and take photographs with her next to a Coco poster.
Ramírez Caballero, a potter by trade, was born and died in the small town of Santa Fe de la Laguna, in Michoacán, one of Mexico’s many beautiful and colorful small towns. And like the film’s Mamá Coco, had children (three), grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Her picturesque hometown is very close to Lake Pátzcuaro, one of Mexico’s best-known destinations for Day of the Dead, the crux of Coco. In the 2017 film, a young boy named Miguel goes into the land of the dead on Nov. 1 – Día de los Muertos — to find his great grandfather, father to Mamá Coco.
Ramírez Caballero is expected to be buried Tuesday in her hometown.
Mamá Coco was voiced by Mexican actress Ana Ofelia Murguía, who is now 88 years old.
The gloves are off, the Battles round is upon us on NBC’s The Voice, and the remaining contestants are wearing their big boy/girl pants. It’s no time for a slip-up.
On Monday night (Oct. 17), Grace Bello went head-to-head with Reina Ley for a performance of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time,” a timeless gem that went all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1984.
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Ley, a thirteen-year-old hopeful from San Tan Valley, Arizona, is a member of Team Camila Cabello, catching the Cuba-born pop star’s attention in the Blind Auditions with a mariachi song, “Cielito Lindo”.
Bello, a 21-year-old who raised in Cibolo, Texas, and now based in Lacey, Washington, announced herself on the talent show with an audition of Justin Bieber’s “Ghost,” a performance that was rewarded with a four-chair turn and a spot on Team Cabello.
With the lights a little brighter in the Battles, and the pressure ratcheted up a notch, it was Ley who impressed.
“Reina, your voice is unbelievable,” Gwen Stefani enthuses. “I was shocked. Your tone is so warm and deep and rich, and I could feel you, that you understood what the lyric was doing and saying.”
John Legend remarked on how “secure” and “confident” she was in the melody and the moment. “I was really impressed.”
Blake Shelton cut to the chase. “I wish you could get in your head how super-talented you are,” the country star says. “I just felt like you’ve lost some confidence at some point between the Blind Auditions and right now. You seem scared up there, which, by the way, is ridiculous because you’re so good.”
Whereas Reina, he continues, “she’s 13 and she doesn’t even realize how much pressure this should be… She just came out here and did her thing and owned it and because of that your voice just came through stronger.”
The pressure then fell on Cabello, who had a decision to make. “This is just a sucky situation because I have two really talented people,” she remarks. “I don’t think one was better than the other. If I had a ‘Save,’ neither of you would be going home.”
Just before the axe fell, she added, “I hate this so much. This is the most terrible I’ve felt literally in all of these Battles.”
There could be only one winner, and that was Ley.
Watch below.
https://www.billboard.com/artist/cyndi-lauper/
ABC is rounding out the cast of its live Beauty and the Beast special.
The Dec. 15 special, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the film’s best picture nomination — the first animated feature to earn that honor — has added Martin Short, David Alan Grier, Shania Twain, Rizwan Manji, Jon Jon Briones and Leo Abelo Perry to its cast. They join an ensemble led by Grammy winner H.E.R. as Belle and Josh Groban as the Beast; Joshua Henry also stars, and Rita Moreno will narrate the special.
Only Murders in the Building star Short will play Lumiere. Tony winner Grier (A Solider’s Play, The Patient) will play Cogsworth, while Grammy winner and country music star Twain will play Mrs. Potts and Perry her son, Chip. The news of Twain’s casting comes less than a week after Angela Lansbury — who voiced Mrs. Potts in the 1991 animated film — died at age 96. Manji (Schitt’s Creek) plays Gaston’s (Henry) sidekick, LeFou, and Briones (Ratched) will play Belle’s father, Maurice.
“I am unbelievably honoured… and excited… and all of the emotions(!!) to announce that I will be joining the cast of #BeautyAndTheBeast30th to play the part of my favourite character – Mrs. Potts,” Twain wrote Monday (Oct. 17) on Instagram. “And of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t pay tribute to the iconic Angela Lansbury, I mean she IS Mrs. Potts and the reason why this character is so beloved. To follow in the foot steps of such an icon is a huge honour and I hope to do the part justice.”
The special, which ABC ordered in July, will feature a mix of live action and animation and new musical performances along with sets and costumes inspired by the movie. Jon M. Chu (In the Heights, Wicked) is executive producing, and Grammys and Super Bowl halftime show helmer Hamish Hamilton will direct.
Done + Dusted is producing the special with Walt Disney Television Alternative and Electric Somewhere. Caitlin Foito, Hamilton, Raj Kapoor, Richard Kraft and Katy Mullan also executive produce. H.E.R. serves as producer.
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Catching her breath as she opens up a Zoom call, Rina Sawayama is quick to offer an explanation.
“Sorry if there’s some slight background noise,” she says, as a low rumble of hushed conversations echo behind her. “I’m in rehearsals right now and trying to step out. Everywhere else is too cold, so I have to sit in the corner of the rehearsal room for this.”
It’s indicative of the British pop star’s life as of late — when she speaks with Billboard, she’s putting the final touches on her Hold the Girl Tour, an international set of live dates that began Wednesday, Oct. 12 in Glasgow, Scotland that will see her perform in Great Britain, North America, New Zealand and Australia through January 2023.
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The show simply continues on the momentum Sawayama has been building throughout the year — along with completing her long-delayed U.S. tour of her debut album Sawayama, the star has been hard at work promoting and releasing Hold the Girl, her critically-acclaimed sophomore set dealing starkly with mental health and childhood trauma through the lens of alternative pop songs.
For Sawayama though, the release of Hold the Girl has felt more like putting out two albums at once — since COVID-19 effectively shut down much of the promotional work surrounding her debut in 2020 (as well as her original European tour), the star has been working double duty when it comes to unveiling the new project.
“It’s the fans who couldn’t come and get their records signed the first time are coming round with two vinyls now,” she explains. “They’re talking about their experience about how both albums have helped them through difficult times, so it really feels like I’m promoting two albums in a way.”
A lot has changed for the singer since debuting Sawayama — back then, for example, the star says that because she didn’t have a live opportunity to commune with her fans, she found herself diving deep online to figure out what the response to her work looked like.
“It was all online, it was all tweets, and back then I used to read every tweet and YouTube comment and all of the stuff like that,” she says. “I was reading every review and comment, and I did that for the first record — I read so many and I really cared about what everyone thought. I’ve very happily moved on from that.”
The subject matter has also evolved — throughout the new LP, Sawayama explores the idea of parenting her inner child and coming to terms with traumatic events from her childhood. Songs like the title track and “Forgiveness” seek to create reconciliation, while others like “Your Age” and “Frankenstein” seethe with rage at having gone through pain in the first place.
It’s an album dappled with personal truths and revelations that Sawayama was ready to share after a few years of therapy. The therapy process itself was “really hard,” she says, as she was encouraged to “come to a realization that your whole world is turned upside down.” But once she had moved past that, the writing and producing process of her album “was very good for me.”
Then, it came time to promote the project, which came with its own complications for the singer. “I talked about the very deep, emotional parts of the record to too many people, and it felt like I was sort of re-traumatizing myself every time,” Sawayama offers. “I think I did 120 interviews for this record, and I really thought I could handle it emotionally — but it was quite a lot. I never got specific, but even just alluding to the trauma, your body sets up this little reaction inside of you where it’s getting ready for fight or flight.”
But instead of succumbing to the emotional exhaustion of reliving some of her darkest moments over and over, Sawayama is choosing to find the silver lining in the promotional push. “I think it was a lesson that you can be boundaried about what you talk about; you can share it with the people who understand, but you don’t have to share it with everyone,” she says, relief hanging off each word.
As a cadre of excited voices begin to rally behind her once again, Sawayama is more than happy to refocus onto the task at hand — creating a show that fans are going to love. “It’s my favorite bit of what I do,” she says, excitedly.
The Hold the Girl Tour promises to be a spectacle in and of itself, with Sawayama describing the everything as “bigger.” She’s teamed up with production company WFB Live — who helped craft Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia Tour as well as Post Malone’s 12 Carat Tour — to take the same number of people on stage (two band members, two backup dancers, and Sawayama) and make it feel more extravagant.
Sawayama quickly rattles off just a few examples of the amped-up production — new lighting rigs, stunning choreography, interesting stage pieces — before coming to her own conclusion of what they’re accomplishing. “We’re now maximizing the sound, maximizing the slay,” she says, before laughing at her own joke.
It’s a strange experience for the star, especially with her U.S. tour set to kick off on November 1 in Brooklyn, NY — despite having spent the earlier part of this year touring the States, Sawayama is returning a mere six months later and playing venues doubled in size. Plus, she adds, they’re traveling to states they didn’t get to hit the first time around.
“There’s cities like Nashville, and places in Texas, and North Carolina, where we’ve never been to, and we’re having to scale down the show quite a bit,” she says. “Even thinking about, if we’re walking five steps in the New York show to get from one end to the other, let’s say, you have to cut it down to two steps in these other places. It’s a weird puzzle, and it keeps things exciting.”
That excitement remains in the singer’s voice throughout the interview, as she remains in awe of the task at hand. “For a U.K. artist, being able to tour the U.S. and have success doing it is a dream,” she says. “I feel so lucky that I can do multiple tours and festivals in the same year.”
“Success” is an important word to associate with Sawayama at the moment — after unveiling Hold the Girl in September and earning a No. 3 debut on the U.K. Albums Chart, the singer officially became the highest-charting Japanese artist in the history of the U.K charts.
It’s especially important for an artist who fought publicly for recognition as a British artist back in 2020, prompting the BRITs to change the rules for their eligibility regarding British citizenship. “When I heard that, it was like, ‘Oh my god, maybe I’m helping make that happen for someone else right now,’” she explained, adding that BLACKPINK earning their No. 1 position on the chart that same week felt appropriate. “Just to see all of this East and Southeast Asian representation like that is something I never would have thought could happen five or six years ago.”
With the whiplash of her tour-to-album-back-to-tour schedule weighing on her, Sawayama takes a moment to breathe as she lays out her plans for the future. “I’m allowed to take time with my third record,” she says, audibly relaxing as she does. “It’s been a very crazy, very fast journey; with the first and second albums, I felt like I was working with a lot of limitations in terms of writing and promoting it. I feel like I’ve made a lot of different mistakes with the first and second record — I’m immensely proud of them, but on the third record, I want to consolidate and take time to really focus on what I enjoy and love.”
Robbie Coltrane, the veteran comic and actor known for his star turns in the British crime series Cracker and the Harry Potter movie franchise, died Friday (Oct. 14), The Hollywood Reporter has learned. He was 72.
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Coltrane’s agent Belinda Wright called him a “unique talent,” whom she’ll remember as “an abidingly loyal client.”
“As well as being a wonderful actor, he was forensically intelligent and brilliantly witty, and after 40 years of being proud to be to called his agent, I shall miss him,” Wright added of Coltrane in a statement.
The boisterous and decidedly eccentric Scotsman, who began his career in comedy and theater, also commanded the screen in two James Bond films during an illustrious career on both sides of the Atlantic.
Coltrane was born Anthony Robert McMillan on March 30, 1950, in Glasgow, Scotland, as the son of a doctor and a teacher. After graduating from Glasgow Art School, he continued his studies in art at Moray House College of Education in Edinburgh.
But as his attempts to become an artist failed to pan out, Coltrane took up stand-up comedy in Edinburgh clubs. And he changed his last name in honor of the jazz legend John Coltrane as he turned to acting in London.
Coltrane’s early TV credits include Flash Gordon, Blackadder and Keep It in the Family. His other comedy credits included series like A Kick Up the Eighties, The Comic Strip and Alfresco as he became a mainstay on British TV screens.
Coltrane’s breakout role was playing Dr. Edward “Fitz” Fitzgerald, an anti-social criminal psychologist with a gift for solving crimes, in Jimmy McGovern’s Cracker series, which ran over 25 episodes between 1993 and 2006.
Coltrane won three consecutive BAFTA best television actor awards for that role, sharing a record for most wins in a row.
That performance led Coltrane to roles in two James Bond films, playing Valentin Zukovsky in GoldenEye and The World Is Not Enough. But most know Coltrane from his other big supporting role: Rubeus Hagrid, the giant groundskeeper at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in the Harry Potter films, starting with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling took to social media to remember Coltrane, writing, “I’ll never know anyone remotely like Robbie again. He was an incredible talent, a complete one off, and I was beyond fortunate to know him, work with him and laugh my head off with him. I send my love and deepest condolences to his family, above all his children.”
Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter alongside Coltrane’s Hagrid, said in a statement, “Robbie was one of the funniest people I’ve met and used to keep us laughing constantly as kids on the set. I’ve especially fond memories of him keeping our spirits up on Prisoner of Azkaban, when we were all hiding from the torrential rain for hours in Hagrid’s hut and he was telling stories and cracking jokes to keep morale up. I feel incredibly lucky that I got to meet and work with him and very sad that he’s passed. He was an incredible actor and a lovely man.”
Emma Watson, who played Hermoine Granger in Potter said in a statement shared on her Instagram story, “Robbie was like the most fun uncle I’ve ever had, but most of all, he was deeply caring and compassionate towards me as a child and an adult. His talent was so immense that it made sense he played a giant — he could fill ANY space with his brilliance. Robbie, if I ever get to be so kind as you were to me on a film set I promise I’ll do it in your name and memory. Know how much I adore and admire you. I’ll really miss your sweetness, your nicknames, your warmth, your laughs, and your hugs. You made us a family. Know you were that to us.”
Other Potter stars including Tom Felton, Bonnie Wright, Matthew Lewis and more also paid tribute to the late actor on social media.
Others sharing their memories included Hugh Laurie, who wrote on Twitter, “I used to ride with Robbie Coltrane between Manchester and London in his sort-of-restored MGA. I’d roll him cigarettes while he discoursed on the ways of the world, and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed or learned so much in my life.”
Stephen Fry said, “I first met Robbie Coltrane almost exactly 40 years ago. I was awe/terror/love struck all at the same time. Such depth, power & talent: funny enough to cause helpless hiccups & honking as we made our first TV show, Alfresco. Farewell, old fellow. You’ll be so dreadfully missed.”
Coltrane penned an autobiography, Coltrane in a Cadillac, and also starred in the TV series of the same name in 1993, where he drove across America from Los Angeles to New York City in a classic 1951 Cadillac.
Coltrane is survived by a sister, Annie Rae, his children, Spencer and Alice, and their mother, Rhona Gemmell.
The family, Wright said, “would like to thank the medical staff at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert, Scotland for their care and diplomacy.”
This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Kelly Clarkson kicked off the Friday (Oct. 14) episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show with a beautiful and mellow rendition of Alec Benjamin‘s2018 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Let Me Down Slowly,” featuring Alessia Cara, for “Kellyoke.”
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The American Idol winner looked stunning under blue lights, rocking a black T-shirt, cheetah-print skirt and black boots while singing her heart out with her piano player in the background.
“Could you find a way to let me down slowly?” Clarkson sang. “A little sympathy, I hope you can show me/ If you wanna go, then I’ll be so lonely/ If you’re leavin’, baby, let me down slowly.”
Clarkson earned a standing ovation from her impressed crowd for her powerhouse vocals on the cover.
“Let Me Down Slowly” appeared on Benjamin’s 2018 mixtape Narrate for You and is the singer/songwriter’s lone Hot 100 hit, peaking at No. 79. The Arizona native said the song illustrates his first relationship. “I wanted to talk about one moment where I felt especially vulnerable, which is something I don’t think a lot of people talk about,” he told Billboard in 2018.
Benjamin collaborated with Cara after the songstress said she liked the song on Twitter. “I sent her my phone number. I said, ‘Want to do a verse?’ Two days later, she sent me a voice memo she recorded at home,” Benjamin said. “You can record her voice on an iPhone and it sounds as good as anything. She added a lot of really cool harmonies, and her perspective brought new meaning to the song.”
Watch Clarkson’s “Let Me Down Slowly” cover on The Kelly Clarkson Show below.
There’s a killer on the loose in this week’s episode of Atlanta.
Titled “Crank Dat Killer,” the season’s sixth episode revolves around Soulja Boy’s 2007 hit single and dance craze “Crank That (Soulja Boy).” That song, which earned the rapper his first and only No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, is played at the very beginning of the episode — just before Young Thug’s “Tick Tock” is heard over the opening credits. Later, when Earn reveals that the eponymous Crank Dat Killer — a serial killer operating in the Atlanta area — preys on people who have previously recorded themselves dancing to the song, Al remembers that he, too, made a video to the hit and could be the killer’s next victim. He then calls Soulja Boy, whose cameo is backed by the rapper’s 2021 song “Whip It,” to ease his nerves.
Meanwhile, Earn and Darius try to buy a sold-out pair of sneakers from a local reseller who it turns out is not interested in taking their money. K-Ci & JoJo’s “All My Life” soundtracks that encounter, as the two men put aside their dignity for the shoes.
As Atlanta has evolved, music synchs have played a big role in the overall scene-setting of the show. Throughout the seasons, music supervisors Jen Malone and Fam Udeorji have chosen a variety of songs by old and new artists from various genres including OutKast, D4L, Gunna, Troye Sivan, Dua Lipa, Kodak Black, Jennifer Lopez and many more.
Atlanta airs on FX Thursday nights at 10 p.m. and is available to watch on Hulu the following day. Check out all of the songs used in season four so far below.
Episode Six, “Crank Dat Killer”
Soulja Boy, “Crank That (Soulja Boy)”
Young Thug, “Tick Tock”
Soulja Boy, “Whip It”
K-Ci & JoJo, “All My Life”
Episode Five, “Work Ethic!”
Anita Baker, “Sweet Love”
Janelle Monae, “I Like That”
Little Simz feat. Obongjayar, “Point and Kill”
Coco & Clair Clair, “Wishy Washy”
Episode Four, “Light Skinned-ed”
Dorothy Norwood, “Somebody Prayed For Me”
Chicago Mass Choir, “God Is My Everything”
Yolanda Adams, “The Battle is the Lord’s”
8Ball & MJG, “Top of the World”
The Ebony’s, “I’ll Try”
The Chi Lites, “I Want to Pay You Back (For Loving Me)”
Fivio Foreign & Polo G, “Bop It”
Gil Scott-Heron, “Save the Children”
Episode Three, “Born to Die”
Megan thee Stallion, “Money Good”
Al Green, “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart”
Kodak Black, “Let Me Know”
Episode Two, “The Homeliest Horse”
Ciara, “Ooh Baby”
Japanese Breakfast, “Kokomo, IN”
Young Stoner Life, T-Shyne, Lil Keed feat. Big Sean, “Warrior”
PinkPantheress, “Attracted To You”
Rick James, “Cold Blooded”
Episode One, “The Most Atlanta”
Chief Keef, “B—h Where”
Deborah Cox, “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here“
Pell, “Tew Much”
Sly & The Family Stone, “Runnin’ Away”
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Rihanna is back and better than ever, and Prime Video announced on Friday (Oct. 14) that the highly anticipated Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 will be returning on November 9.
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The follow-up to the Emmy-winning Vol. 3 iteration of the fashion show will feature the latest Savage X Fenty styles from the music icon, and will stream exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories. The trailblazing event will include a new all-star lineup of models, actors, some of the biggest names in music and more.
RiRi posted a teaser snippet to Instagram announcing the news, in which she’s seen lounging around in dim, lavender-toned lighting in lacy black lingerie. “VOLUME [clap emoji] MF [clap emoji] FOUR [clap emoji],” she captioned the clip. Rihanna serves as executive producer and creative director of Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4.
In addition to the show airing on Prime Video, the entire Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 4 collection, which pays tribute to self-expression and personal empowerment, will also be available to shop in the Amazon store and at Savage X Fenty’s website. on November 9.
In addition to the fashion show, Prime Video lets users access countless hours of content including action and adventure movies, dramas, comedies, documentaries, sci-fi, mysteries and thrillers, and kid-friendly programs. Not signed up for Amazon Prime? Join today under a free 30-day trial ($14.99 a month after the trial ends) and enjoy tons of great perks such as fast and free shipping, exclusive deals on millions of items and a free one-year subscription to GrubHub+. There’s also an option to join Prime Video by itself (free trial included, but you won’t get as many perks as you would with a Prime membership).
Earlier this week, Blake Shelton revealed that after the next season of The Voice, he will be leaving the show. Now, fellow coach John Legend is opening up about the country superstar’s exit and his own future on the show.
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“Well, you know, he’s been doing the show for 22 seasons, it’ll be 23 when he’s done, and you can’t do something forever,” Legend told ET. “We’re gonna miss him though. He’s been the heart and soul and anchor of the show for a long time, and he’s a friend of mine, and I really enjoy working with him.”
He added that “we’re all going to miss him.”
Legend is also not returning next season, as he’s set to tour in support of his newest album Legend and will soon be a father of three. “My family’s growing, I have a new album out, I’m gonna do a little bit of touring, and so it’s probably better that I take a break,” he explained. “We took a break last season because we had another show in our slot that the network tried — and I thought that was gonna happen this season, but it ended up that they wanted us back…but I’ll be back on The Voice, just not this coming season.”
Shelton took to Twitter on Tuesday (Oct. 11) to announce his The Voice exit after season 23. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me,” Shelton wrote in a statement. “It’s been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns and I want to thank everyone at The Voice from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew and catering people, you are the best. It takes a lot of work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week.”
He continued, “I’ve made lifelong bonds with Carson and every single one of my fellow coaches over the years, including my wife Gwen Stefani!”
NBC revealed its coaches for season 23, which includes Shelton and The Voice veteran Kelly Clarkson. Newcomers Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper will also join the judges panel.
As we head into the weekend, why not start it off right with a few songs from your favorite queer artists? Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of First Out, our weekly roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
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From Girl in Red’s continuation of an old classic to Tove Lo’s masterful new single, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Girl in Red, “October Passed Me By”
Despite already having a song about the month of October in her repertoire, Girl in Red is ready to revisit the autumnal season with her latest single. “October Passed Me By,” at its core, feels like a follow-up to her breakout song “We Fell In Love In October,” reflecting on the relationship that inspired the latter with a wistfulness unbecoming of her age. The bare-bones production gives way to the singer’s high-quality lyricism, as she looks back on a love that she thought would define her.
Tove Lo, “Grapefruit”
With her highly-anticipated new album Dirt Femme due out in a week, Tove Lo is making sure her fans are as ready as possible with “Grapefruit.” The new synth-driven, infectious pop track sounds like an in-line offering from an artist making a dance-pop comeback. It’s writing marks something much deeper; Lo gets incredibly real as she sings honestly about bulimia, as she painfully counts out the reasons she despises being stuck in the abusive cycle of living with an eating disorder.
Doechii, “Stressed”
For her last few releases, alternative hip-hop star Doechii has been making sure to let fans know exactly how much of a boss she really is. On “Stressed,” though, the singer takes a step back to address a moment of insecurity. Letting her words flow effortlessly out, Doechii spits on maintaining a public image of composure and confidence, while internally battling doubt and distress. It’s a tender moment backed up by the kind of R&B production that will have you immediately vibing right along with with her.
MUNA, Live at Electric Lady
Not everyone is going to get the chance to see MUNA while they embark on the rest of their U.S. tour. So, the band is making sure everyone gets a taste of their live sound. With their new Live at Electric Lady EP, the group takes five songs — three from their latest self-title album, one from their sophomore effort Saves the World, and even a cover of a fan-loved Taylor Swift track — and interprets them live in studio. It sounds even better than you would expect, proving yet again the trio’s penchant for performance.
Hope Tala, “Stayed at the Party”
Neo-soul star Hope Tala has been singing a lot about parties lately, and it makes sense why; parties act as microcosms of human interaction, making them rife for storytelling. Enter “Stayed at the Party,” Tala’s latest track that takes a left turn at the concept and examines why she’s at the party in the first place. Set as a quiet, internal dialogue between her and a romantic interest, “Stayed at the Party” forces Tala and her audience to come to terms with the things that they’re avoiding, rather than dancing the night away.
Betty Who, BIG!
For Australian pop act Betty Who, revelation is the name of the game. On her latest album, aptly titled BIG!, Who takes massive swings only to see them regularly pay off. Whether it’s on her anthem of self-acceptance (“Big”), a sweeping ode to moving on (“Someone Else”), or a heartbroken ballad of losing friends over time (“Grown Ups Grow Apart”), BIG! never feels unwieldy — it’s always squarely in the singer’s corner.
