Music
Page: 22
For the past five years, producer D’Mile has been on a hot streak. In 2021, he won a song of the year Grammy for his work on H.E.R.’s “I Can’t Breathe.” Shortly after, her “Fight for You” (from the film Judas and the Black Messiah) won D’Mile and H.E.R. the Academy Award for best original song. Then, in 2022, he became the first songwriter to score back-to-back song of the year Grammy wins when Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open” took home the prize. And now, he could potentially claim that same landmark award again: He’s nominated for it at this year’s Grammys for his collaboration with Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga on the retro power ballad “Die With a Smile” — one of three nods he received, in addition to producer of the year, non-classical and best engineered album, non-classical (for Lucky Daye’s Algorithm).
But for the artist born Dernst Emile II — who, at 40, has now accumulated 20 career Grammy nominations — what may seem like overnight success actually took nearly two decades.
Trending on Billboard
His entry into the music industry was in many ways charmed. His late mother, Yanick Étienne, was a singer who toured with Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music, while his namesake father still works as a music producer and teacher. D’Mile himself joined the business at 19 and notched his first production credits in 2005 on projects by Rihanna and Mary J. Blige, before pop-R&B heavyweight Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins (Destiny’s Child, SZA) took him under his wing as a mentor. In the years that followed, D’Mile logged songwriting and production credits for Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber and Usher, among others.
But for D’Mile, “chasing what was hot to get on projects” during those early days wasn’t satisfying. “I was slaving away making five to 10 tracks a day,” he recalls today, sitting in the cozy reception room in his Burbank, Calif., studio. “But things weren’t moving at the pace I would have liked.”
In 2008, he decided to take a mental break and recalibrate. He amicably ended his publishing agreement with Jerkins and made a pledge to himself: to do “what I love, and if it goes anywhere or doesn’t, it’s something I’m proud of.” Lo and behold, things started falling into place that had seemed elusive — like getting more opportunities to work directly with artists instead of “guessing and throwing spaghetti against the wall” when pitching songs. In turn, D’Mile was able to foster long-term relationships with future Grammy winners like Victoria Monét and Daye.
Despite that positive momentum, D’Mile still considered quitting around eight years ago, after “reaching a point of frustration” with industry politics. “It seemed like it was more of a popularity contest or knowing the right people to get in certain rooms or positions that I’d worked so long for,” he says. “I just felt like things weren’t progressing.” He posted his feelings on Instagram Stories, which elicited supportive comments from friends and colleagues telling him that he couldn’t give up.
That’s where Daye came in. Then only a songwriter, he told D’Mile that he wanted to become an artist in his own right — and to bring D’Mile on for a project. “Doing what we wanted to do was a life-saving kind of project for me,” D’Mile recalls of producing and co-writing what became Daye’s 2019 debut album, Painted, which then went on to receive a Grammy nod for best R&B album. “That was the battery in the back that I needed,” he says. In 2022, Daye’s Table for Two, which D’Mile executive-produced, won the Grammy for best progressive R&B album; now, the singer’s third studio set with D’Mile, Algorithm, is vying for best R&B album (which could give D’Mile another Grammy if Daye wins) and best engineered album, non-classical.
Joel Barhamand
What role have your Grammy wins played in your career thus far?
It’s funny. Every time Grammy season comes around, I’m always nervous. I’m so grateful to have the wins, but then I’m like, “One day, that’s going to stop.” With these new nominations, I’m happy that people still like what I do. The attention you receive is something I had to get used to, especially the first time, because I’m kind of a quiet guy. My phone was blowing up and I had to do interviews. It was crazy. But I also feel it has made things easier because a lot of people are coming to me more than I’m trying to get to them, which is great. Yet navigating that can also be overwhelming.
What do you feel is the secret behind your success as a songwriter and producer?
I always just try to bring out who the artist is by getting to know them. It could be a conversation that sparks something before we start or while we’re working together. Or I’ll hear a conversation between the artist and another songwriter, and I’m feeling the vibe, feeling them both out. I like to say that I don’t talk; I listen. And when I create, it’s like my interpretation of who the artist is.
You’re in strong company in the producer of the year, non-classical category this year. Is there more camaraderie among producers now compared with when you were coming up?
Growing up in this business, and being with Rodney, I feel like it was way more competitive back then. And maybe some people might feel that’s better, but it can be negative to be so competitive. I’ve heard horror stories about what people can do just to get something over somebody else. For me, even though I’m up against you, we could probably work together tomorrow — so let’s do something great together. I don’t think that was happening as much back in the day.
I’ve worked before with Mustard. And Dan Nigro and I always talk. I’m such a big fan of his and what he’s done with Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo. I met Alissia a few years ago; it’s great that a female has been nominated. I know a lot of people might not know her, but she’s super-talented. I haven’t met Ian Fitchuk yet but I have heard his work. I learned that he’s a fan of me as well, and that’s cool.
What kind of change would you like to see the industry as a whole embrace?
Streaming is the biggest way that people are listening to music, but it’s not translating that way for songwriters and producers. We’ve just got to make it make sense. That’s the main thing as far as income is concerned. I’ve donated to small companies that are fighting for that, like the organization a friend of mine, Tiffany Red, founded called The 100 Percenters. It advocates for the rights of songwriters and producers. I want to get more involved in that fight for sure.
Given the hot catalog-sales climate, have you been approached about selling yours?
People have talked to me, but it’s never gone as far as “I want to do a deal with you.” I guess it’s situational. Yet in the grand scheme of things, why would you do that? But I don’t know… I’m still learning about all of it at this point.
As one of today’s principal architects of R&B, what’s your take on the state of the genre in 2025?
The most important thing is really caring about the song that you’re writing as an R&B artist. There’s a lot of great stuff happening, but sometimes I feel like some R&B songs topicwise only cater to a certain demographic of people. It’s about finding the balance in keeping the integrity of R&B/soul while making it so that all walks of life can relate. Toxic R&B, that’s a Black thing, and I don’t know how much many other people in the world relate to that. So I think it’s important to make a great song but leave it open a little more for interpretation. We just need to make songs that connect with more people. Then if the songs are more open, it will cause a domino effect. I would like to think that there isn’t really a wall for us not to get bigger than we can be. We’ve just got to be more intentional and not comfortable with where we are. That will change the game, because the industry just follows what’s making the most money. And I feel there’s a world where R&B will be that.
This story appears in the Jan. 25, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Wyclef Jean will be honored at an upcoming benefit on behalf of Music Will. The non-profit music education program for public schools will hold its annual event on April 9 in New York at Gotham Hall. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In a release announcing the […]
Dressed to the nines, bottle-blonde hair coiffed, black cab parked across the street. Rebecca Lucy Taylor — a.k.a. Self Esteem — is stepping outside the front door of her London flat, heading to “one of them fancy ‘dos,” when mild calamity strikes. Attached to the collar of her gown is a large, grey, electromagnetic security tag – one that would take a delicate operation to remove. Grey skies and a dash of brolly-ruining wind certainly aren’t helping the situation, either.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“I just stood there like, ‘F–k this. When will it not be like this?,” she says, recalling the memory. To help illustrate what it felt like in the moment, Taylor talks with her palms pressed against her head. “I have a saying for times like this, like when you get toilet paper on your shoe: ‘That’s very Self Esteem.’
Trending on Billboard
“There’s part of my ego that wants to tell myself all of this is not a f–king joke,” the Rotheram-raised artist continues. ”But then I also can’t help but be present in reality. What would have helped me was if one of the indie girls I used to look up to and be intimidated by had just… farted, or something. That would have been amazing!”
Taylor has learned how to take such indignities with humour and good grace. There was the time, she says, that she walked the BRITs red carpet to a muted response. Or when her sublime second LP Prioritise Pleasure narrowly missed out on the Official U.K. Charts’ top 10 in 2021, landing at No. 11. (“That was the most ‘me’ thing ever.”) Leaving the following year’s Mercury Prize ceremony – which was already hastily rescheduled following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II – empty-handed, meanwhile, was “another ‘no, not quite you’ moment.’” When asked in a subsequent Standard interview about what she collects for a hobby, Taylor playfully responded: “Awards you get for being nominated for something, but not quite winning them.”
There was a time back there, shortly after the pandemic began to wind down, when Taylor was everywhere in the U.K.’s music press. Prioritise Pleasure, with its big, ambitiously constructed choruses that contextualized vivid emotional flashpoints in Taylor’s life, was met with unanimously glowing reviews, leading to its author being subjected immediately to weighty predictions about her future. Along with Taylor’s rich voice, the record shone through its fluorescent electro flourishes and euphoric pop feel. Predecessor Compliments Please (2019) was much more of a cult concern, introducing a promising new star content looming in the wings.
Taylor has gone from existing as an underground darling to being recognized as a pre-eminent alt-pop icon. Though her singles rarely scale the charts, they remain ubiquitous at major festivals (Glastonbury, Green Man, Parklife) and in safe spaces for her devout LGBTQ+ following. There are many jobs, too, that comprise her career – she’s also a West End actress (Cabaret), video director, theatre composer (Prima Facie), panelist, radio host, TV personality – to the point that it feels like she’s hardly disappeared since her last record. This level of graft and visibility has earned her widespread industry recognition and a dazzling public reputation.
“There’s long been this weird underdog [reputation] that has echoed around me,” she says.
This back-and-forth internal monologue plays out through her forthcoming third LP, A Complicated Woman (due April 25). It contains plenty of epic, thrillingly weird music that only Taylor could create: songs about transcending fear and blowing up your life set against glowing choral melodies (“Focus Is Power”) and thumping club beats (“Mother”).
“Musically, my album sounds mental,” she jokes. “Sometimes, I think, ‘You f–king idiot. You should have just made a shoegaze album that would do well on [radio station BBC] 6Music.”
Across the new record, there’s a sense that Taylor is reckoning with her humor, dreams and anxieties while charting the next stage of her evolution. By the time she returned home after the Prioritise Pleasure tour, she says she found her world had changed, and not in the way you usually associate with an acclaimed album. “Not having a day off in almost two years” had left her feeling burnt out, and she was unable to commit to any hobbies or day-to-day routines.
At the start of creating A Complicated Woman, Taylor felt alienated from her own feelings – a strange paradox, perhaps, for an artist who has never minced her lyrics and one whose powerful live shows, for many, feel like akin to a spiritual reverie. “For me, this has absolutely been the hardest album yet,” she says. “I was saying ‘yes’ to every offer that came my way, so it was written from a place of almost being against my will. It felt like teeth being pulled at times. It was difficult and complicated.”
She picks up and puts down a cup of tea without drinking. “Though it also saw my defiance meet my depleting, ‘I want to give up’-ness, which I think you hear in the record,” she continues. “That’s how the whole [creative] process has been for me: a sense of ‘F–k this’ as well as me saying to myself, ‘Come on, woman!’”
Self Esteem
Scarlett Carlos Clarke
To hear Taylor discuss these contrasting mindsets feels very fitting. Because for A Complicated Woman, she has decided to embrace the mechanisms of the industry around her in a new way entirely. Having released her first two solo records via indie label Partisan [Idles, Laura Marling], she recently signed with Polydor, a move that places her on the brink of the big time – 15 years after she first started putting out music as one half of now-defunct indie duo Slow Club.
We meet in Universal’s north London HQ; after pulling Billboard UK in for a swaying bear-hug, Taylor slouches on a long sofa for our conversation, wearing a soft grey hoodie, trainers and a pinch of makeup. Despite her formidable onstage presence, Taylor radiates self-effacing candour and she is transparent about her business rationale.
“I feel as though I’ve done my end of the deal,” she says of her decision to step up to a major label. “What has been frustrating about the music industry for me is: I’ve done everything to the best of my ability and have worked flat out, and then my life has been spent watching artists supersede me over and over again. You know, I’m older now, so it doesn’t bother me – like, it all comes down to money and the people who can market you. I know now that getting signed doesn’t mean you’re gonna be a huge artist, but anything that helps bolster my work makes me feel hopeful.”
It’s this steadfast approach that has helped Taylor to understand the deeper roots of the unhappiness that cast a shadow over the road to album three. Having weathered a breakup and a more gradual, but eventually near-debilitating depression, she went into writing sessions wanting to rebuild herself after these experiences. Last summer, she enjoyed holidays in Dubrovnik and Crete, occasionally jotting down lyrics while she was away but otherwise remaining off-grid. In the capital, meanwhile, she remains heavily immersed in the arts and the world of drag, both of which have helped shape her musical M.O.
Later in the year, Taylor had an emotional epiphany while watching the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man. She’s effusive as she explains how its warts-and-all tale – which charts Williams’ working-class childhood in Stoke-on-Trent, through to the fallout of his departure from Take That and resulting substance abuse issues – stirred up feelings in her about her own journey, despite having gone through different hardships.
The film sees Williams, represented via a CGI monkey, start to reconnect with childhood friends after briefly hitting pause on his solo career. Taylor says that she recently made the same move, as part of wanting to envision a more sustainable future for herself in the industry. The resulting insights she’s gleaned about her relationships and mental health are encapsulated within A Complicated Woman’s core objective of accepting how it feels to be a flawed, vulnerable public person.
“None of this is about me wanting to be a c–-ty little pop star anymore. It’s sort of deeply embarrassing to me to remember the version of myself who wanted to be famous.” Taylor says. “This whole journey has taught me that what’s important is people and community. That’s what the music means to me.”
A Complicated Woman’s conclusion seems to be that hope is still worth fighting for. The melodies are adventurous, and the contradictions of Taylor’s inner psyche loom large, as she confronts both her shadow self and ego. A loud, nail-paint emoji-esque articulation of desire and asserting agency in the bedroom, “69” finds her looser and more liberated than ever. And then there are more poignant tracks like “The Curse,” which navigates despair and exhaustion with an unvarnished frankness.
Recording the latter in the height of 2024’s Brat summer – where Charli XCX’s “365 partygirl” energy felt ubiquitous – caused a minor moral dilemma for Taylor, she laughs: “I felt so embarrassed when I was making my album. I f–king love Brat, but there I was in the studio making my songs like, ‘Get up and try your best! Maybe try and drink less!’”
Taylor is looking forward to seeing her own personal ambitions evolve as her profile continues to rise. Maintaining a private life is at the top of the agenda, and she wants to remain engaged with and curious about what’s around the corner. New opportunities are keeping her “booked and blessed,” while she is working towards buying a flat and has also written a new book.
In the pipeline is A Complicated Woman Live, a “quasi-theatrical” performance art show. Directed by the Tony award-winning Tom Scutt, the run (Apr. 16-19) will see Taylor perform tracks from her back catalogue at London’s Duke of York Theatre. She remains tight-lipped about what the set-up will look like, beyond that she sees it as “my version of [David Byrne’s] American Utopia,” and will be backed by an 11-women band.
“I want women to leave these shows and go, ‘I’m not scared about getting older, f–cking bring it on,’” says Taylor. “I want queer people to feel like that too. And I want straight men to feel really worried and scared.”
Taylor will enter this new era, too, with a stronger self-preservationist streak. Her hope is to keep the goalposts firmly in one place, knowing that she feels at peace with her relative obscurity on the world stage. “Everyone’s telling me, ‘You should go to America,’” she says with a sigh. “Obviously it’d be nice because of the sheer money there is to be made out there, but Slow Club toured America so many times. I can’t go back to playing to like, 50 people!”
Well, remember Better Man? Robbie didn’t ever quite crack the States, Billboard UK posits. “Exactly,” Taylor responds. She smiles. “And that’s okay.”
A month after a California judge deemed them officially divorced, Traitors star Sam Asghari is speaking out about his seven-year relationship with ex Britney Spears. Asghari appeared on this week’s episode of Kate and Oliver Hudson’s Sibling Revelry podcast, describing how he went from appearing on Brit’s 2016 “Slumber Party” video to marrying the singer […]
Bruno Mars is currently killing it on the charts with a trio of smash collaborations, but “The Lazy Song” singer just can’t sit on his laurels. Mars has extended his long-running residency at the Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas by adding seven more shows to his run this spring and summer. The […]
Cardi B delights in surprising and confounding us. Case in point: on Monday (Jan. 27) the rapper announced on X, “sooo….. i got my butt crack pierced.” Naturally, fans had a lot of questions, with one asking, “that’s possible?,” while another said simply, “you WHAAAAT.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest […]
He probably already knows, but here’s a helpful tip for A$AP Rocky about some potential Valentine’s Day gifts to skip this year when shopping for his longtime love Rihanna: no corny love songs please!
In a 90-second video captioned “Savage X Fenty Presents: Love Your Way!” the “Birthday Cake” singer slips into some revealing pink and purple lingerie from her Savage X Fenty collection to frost a cake and answer some sentimental, silly and sexy questions about the upcoming romantic holiday, while dropping some real talk about what she definitely doesn’t want.
After wondering if the frosting is edible — then taking a bite before finding out anyway — RihRih gets right to the heart of the matter when asked if she prefers a valentine or galentine celebration. “I’ve done galentines for, um, several years,” said the mother of two young children. “But it’s very nice to have a valentine.”
Trending on Billboard
Popping some sprinkles on top, Rihanna was on the fence when it came to choosing between lace or latex, though. “Depends on the day,” she said with a wink, noting that if given the choice between a get-away and staying at home she views staying put as its own kind of get-away.
“I just want to stay home… and watch reality TV,” the billionaire fashion and cosmetics mogul relatably said in the clip captioned “it’s not even my birthday [birthday cake emoji].”
In another useful tip for rapper Rocky, Rihanna made it crystal clear that there is one thing she never, ever wants on the day most dudes spend running out to the local Walgreens to find the last, saddest bouquet of flowers after grabbing the lamest card left on the decimated racks.
“Ugh, please! Never make me a love song!” she huffed when asked to choose between a love tune or a love letter. “That is corny, trust me. I’ve seen it,” she added conspiratorially, without hinting at who she was hinting at.
A few more tips: walk on the beach or movie night? “I say make a movie on the beach,” she said while popping raspberries on her perfect confection. Flirty banter or heart-to-heart? On that one she couldn’t even keep a straight face when trying to solemnly suggest that it’s definitely the latter, because, “I’m a very vulnerable… person.”
In the end, all that frosting was for naught, as the cake slipped from RihRih’s hands at the end and another romantic gesture bit the dust.
Check out the full video here.
Parklife Festival has confirmed its full line-up for 2025, including its second headliner. 50 Cent will top the bill alongside the previously-announced Charli XCX at the event in Manchester on June 14-15.
They’ll be joined by other new names including Jorja Smith, Peggy Gou, Lola Young, Overmono, Pawsa, Ewan McVicar, FLO, Andy C, Mella Dee, Hybrid Minds, Joy Orbison and more. Northern Irish electronic duo Bicep, meanwhile, will be bringing their Chroma AV DJ set to the weekender.
The announcement coincides with the news of Parklife’s 15th anniversary. Since its beginnings in Manchester’s Platt Fields area in 2010, the event has expanded to become one of the U.K.’s biggest weekend festivals, now operating in the 80,000-capacity Heaton Park in a northern suburb of the city.
Trending on Billboard
Last November, Parklife announced its first wave of acts, which featured Confidence Man, Antony Szmierek, Interplanetary Criminal and Jodie Harsh. View the line-up in full below.
Tickets for the festival will go back on sale on Friday (Jan. 31) at 10am (GMT), following a sold-out first release last year. Weekend tickets start at £135 plus booking fees ($168), while day tickets begin at £85 plus booking fees ($105).
The general on-sale will follow a number of presales that begin tomorrow (Jan. 29) for customers of Three, as well as those signed up to Parklife’s official mailing list.
In 2024, Parklife was headlined by Doja Cat, J Hus and Disclosure. In recent years, artists such as The 1975, Aitch, The Prodigy, Megan Thee Stallion and Tyler, The Creator have also led the charge.
New additions for this year include a brand new stage, Matinée, featuring a 360° DJ booth, as well as a more central location on the site for VIP & Backstage areas.
Check out the full lineup below.
In response to the devastating wildfires that have swept through Los Angeles, an all-star lineup of artists will come together for “G*ve a F*ck LA“, a benefit concert aimed at supporting relief efforts and aiding displaced communities.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Set for Feb. 5 at the Hollywood Palladium, the event will feature Hayley Williams, St. Vincent, and Finneas, with additional performances by Lucy Dacus, MUNA, Perfume Genius, The Linda Lindas, Phantom Planet, Courtney Barnett, Christopher Owens, Reggie Watts, Fred Armisen, Jenny Lewis, Juliette Lewis, and Scout Willis.
Trending on Billboard
Actor-comedian John C. Reilly will host the evening, which will also include surprise guests and DJ sets from Harmony Tividad and Fat Tony. Following the concert, Rico Nasty and Dylan Brady host an official afterparty.
Proceeds from the concert will support local organizations, including Altadena Girls, Friends in Deed, One Voice, and the Pasadena Humane Society. Tickets are now available, as well as an option to stream the concert with a minimum donation of $5.
The announcement follows a wave of philanthropic efforts from the music community. Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD foundation has donated $2.5 million to wildfire relief, while Paris Hilton has launched a fund for displaced families. Artists such as Dave Grohl and Flavor Flav have also been involved in initiatives to assist those affected.
The concert also comes on the heels of the “FireAid” benefit concerts on Jan. 30, featuring Billie Eilish, Joni Mitchell, Green Day, Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gracie Abrams and many more. The event will take place at two iconic venues, the Intuit Dome and the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.
Los Angeles has faced unprecedented destruction this month, with five wildfires displacing over 150,000 residents and causing 28 fatalities, while many remain missing.
Latto has tapped Playboi Carti for the remix of her 2024 track “Blick Sum,” giving a fresh spin on the standout from her third studio album Sugar Honey Iced Tea. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Released at midnight on Jan. 28, the remix arrives with a visually […]