Music
Page: 28
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is a massive Ice Cube fan, and he brought out the dance moves for the West Coast icon’s performance at the World Series parade celebration last week. Roberts joined Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts’ On Base podcast earlier this week where he joked with his manager about being a backup […]
The winner of the best new artist category at the Latin Grammys this year is almost impossible to predict. The 10 nominees reflect a wide-ranging group of acts who are eclectic, offering a fresh breath of air in the Latin music scene. From Mexican trio Latin Mafia, to girl band Darumas, Spanish phenomenon Íñigo Quintero […]
At the end of the summer, A$AP Rocky released a music video that quickly took over the internet. The video for the song “Tailor Swif” was described as a surreal dream journey. However, anyone familiar with Soviet art, lifestyle, fashion, cinematography and aesthetics will notice many interesting references in the work. The video was filmed in Kyiv, Ukraine, just months before the war began. A particularly intriguing aspect is that the production company behind the video, shelter.film, is based in Kyiv. The company is co-founded and led by Albert Zurashvili, who is from Georgia. It’s even more notable that shelter.film now operates out of Georgia, continuing to work on numerous international projects.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Recently, shelter.film received several prestigious awards for A$AP Rocky’s music video at the renowned Ciclope Festival. The project was among the winners in five categories, including the Grand Prix in the music video category.
Trending on Billboard
Billboard Georgia interviewed Albert Zurashvili, who shared insights about shelter.film and the experience working on A$AP Rocky’s “Tailor Swif” video. shelter.film was founded five years ago in Kyiv, with a vision established by Zurashvili. He explains that the talented professionals, who are now part of the shelter.film team, helped him bring this vision to life. Today, Gena Shevchenko and Marina Karmolit are his partners, and together they manage shelter.film. The company launched on April 1, a date that led many to believe it was a prank. “We were too busy launching the project to look at the dates,” says Zurashvili.
The core team at shelter.film consists of six members, and since its founding, it has grown into one of Ukraine’s most well-known production companies. Its international portfolio includes work for several leading brands, such as Chanel, Coca-Cola and Samsung. Now, shelter.film is operating worldwide with offices in Kyiv, Tbilisi and Brussels and is constantly exploring new horizons for their clients.
Despite its service-oriented business model, shelter.film is part of the creative industries, known for its innovative and artistic approach. In today’s advertising landscape, competition is incredibly fierce, with impressive videos being produced daily. Brands consistently launch creative campaigns that capture attention. Even in this competitive environment, shelter.film has carved out its own niche. A signature style runs through their work, showcasing that its creators treat advertising as a form of art. The shelter.film team aims to produce projects that leave a lasting impact on society.
“Shooting videos is generally not too complicated these days. But bringing it to storytelling within commercials with a high-end cinematography or just ripping eye-candy art is somewhat not as easy,” says Zurashvili.
According to him, the company strives to express its creativity. For shelter.film, the process is more than just completing tasks and delivering projects—it’s something that each team member truly enjoys.
“We are blessed to have the opportunity to get involved in socially impactful projects,” Zurashvili says. “We always support new names and evolving talents, as true progress in our industry lies in people, not just tools. Working in international markets these days, we are still getting top Ukrainian specialists involved in every project (physically or remotely) to keep those gems of people around and on track.”
As mentioned earlier, shelter.film has collaborated with many leading companies across various industries. Advertising projects, by their nature, consider numerous client briefs. When we asked how the shelter.film team manages to preserve the artistic value of each commercial video, Albert Zurashvili responded.
“It may sound tall, but we’re doing everything possible to avoid compromises,” he says. “We’re not overpromising but over delivering and never under budgeting. So we’re pretty straightforward about that — we can do it best within the budget line or not. No one wants failures, and we can foresee and avoid them. It’s not just a reputational risk – it’s actual damage for specialists and the image of the country on a global stage as a destination for films and celebrities. So we’re not choosing between commerce and art, I’d say. We’re creating commercial art.
“In recent decades, Ukraine has become a well-known destination for major brands and artists to film their best projects. For that to happen, service production companies collaborating with extremely skilled specialists have put years of sweat and passion into proving that this is the way to do it. After years of hard work and establishing the highest level of service in Eastern Europe, along with the most experienced crew, we started to see significant income for the country through all those worldwide projects. Many talented directors and other creative professionals are eager to bring their work to Ukraine or Georgia, as the level of achievement they attain and the excitement and involvement of the crews are just incredible.”
Marina Karmolit, Albert Zurashvili and Gena Shevchenko of shelter.film photographed for Billboard Georgia.
Ninutsa Kakabadze
Despite numerous high-budget commercials and various projects, one of shelter.film’s standout achievements is the A$AP Rocky music video. The concept for the video was developed by directors Vania Heymann and Gal Muggia, a duo renowned for their work with many stars of the global music scene, including Coldplay, as well as brands like Nike and Apple. Shelter.film has previously collaborated with these directors on various projects, including a Dua Lipa music video.
“It was a freestyle of developing and polishing the details of every scene on the go in a short-term and extra-confidential manner,” says Zurashvili. “Most of the crew coming to the set were unaware of who we were shooting for and were surprised when they arrived. A few weeks later, A$AP and his gang arrived in town, and we spent a few amazing days in Kyiv shooting this crazy project, doing all the tricks possible, and filming it on a Kodak 16mm camera. Working with film is always exciting, as you don’t see the final result until the material is developed and scanned. It was an unforgettable experience.
“No need to mention there were tons of negotiations that took us more than half a year of constant discussion, but it was definitely worth it. One of the highlights for us is that we involved an incredibly talented Ukrainian director of photography, Denys Lushchyk, in shooting this music video.”
In one of the scenes of A$AP Rocky’s music video, a famous scene from the 1977 film Mimino, by Georgian director Georgiy Daneliya, is brought to life. As Zurashvili explains, this decision was made by the directors. “It’s a fantastic reference from Georgiy Daneliya and I’m happy we have it there,” mentions Albert. According to him, A$AP Rocky was deeply involved during both the filming and post-production stages, and the entire team worked to a high professional standard.
For the shelter.film team, visual communication is an art form and a unique way of telling a story. This approach is consistent whether they are working on a commercial advertisement or a music video. “Every art form, even if it’s commercial, has a timestamp,” Zurashvili says. “All great stories should be told. Art is about freedom of expression. I appreciate any brands and artists brave enough to be on the cutting edge of history. The loudness of your voice brings power and responsibility to those who trust and follow you. Positive change can happen only where there is responsible, kind, and intelligent dialogue. As I said, we’re happy to have our role in it and always contribute with full responsibility.”
Rosie Perez is the ultimate wingwoman. The White Men Can’t Jump actress sat down with Drew Barrymore on the latter’s talk show this week, where she recalled a pivotal moment in the 1990s when she and her late friend Tupac Shakur had each other’s backs. “So I was going to the Soul Train Music Awards […]
The investigation into Liam Payne’s tragic Oct. 16 death continues, and authorities have detained three people of interest in connection to the incident. “Police detained two hotel workers accused of supplying the drugs and raided the home of a friend, also detained,” David Muir reported from authorities on ABC World News Tonight on Nov. 6. The names of the people detained, […]
Hit it, baby, a billion times. One of Britney Spears‘ most iconic music videos — “…Baby One More Time” — has joined YouTube’s billion views club, making it the pop star’s second to reach the milestone after “Scream & Shout” with Will.i.am. First uploaded to the site in October 2009 — more than 10 years […]
BTS member Jimin will be in the solo spotlight in an upcoming exhibit in Los Angeles titled “The Truth Untold.” The immersive experience promises to give ARMY a unique look into the creative process behind Jimin’s solo albums, 2023’s FACE and this year’s MUSE, with a peek into his personal diaries, lyric notebooks and other […]
Tyrese ends a nine-year absence from the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart as “Wildflower” rules the list dated Nov. 9. The single rises from the runner-up slot and becomes the most played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the tracking week of Oct. 25 – 31, according to […]
With its first Latin Grammy nomination, the Mexican rock trio The Warning crowns 2024 as a great year after several proven achievements. The group’s latest album, Keep Me Fed, consolidated the Villarreal Vélez sisters on the international scene; in addition, it managed to debut on multiple Billboard charts, and embarked on an ambitious tour through Europe and the U.S.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Furthermore, Paulina Villarreal received the Drumeo Award for the best rock drummer, at only 22 years old.
“These achievements are the reaffirmation that as a Mexican I can also make a rock band and I can take it internationally,” Paulina says excitedly to Billboard Español. “It doesn’t have to stay only in my country, only in my community; I can explore new facets, meet new people, and I can have an international career. And for us to have achieved this, sometimes we don’t believe it!
Trending on Billboard
Their first Latin Grammy nomination, in the category of best rock song for the single “Qué Más Quieres”, represents a significant achievement in the history of the group –- also made up of vocalist and guitarist Daniela Villarreal and bassist Alejandra Villarreal — as it symbolizes the pride of singing in Spanish, their native language.
The Warning’s repertoire is mostly in English, their second language, since the band is originally from Monterrey, a city bordering the U.S.
“Singing in Spanish has always been fundamental to our musical and personal identity, and this nomination celebrates our dedication to keeping that connection with our roots alive,” Daniela says.
“Qué Más Quieres” was co-written by Anton Curtis Delost, Far and Crosses guitarist Shaun López, Kathryn Ostenberg, Mónica Vélez and The Warning. In it, the band captures the strength and energy that characterizes it.
The single is included on Keep Me Fed, The Warning’s fourth full-length album, recorded in Monterrey and released at the end of last June. In the words of the band’s vocalist: “It is the result of our rawest emotions and the most meaningful connections with the people we have met and worked with in recent years.”
With Keep Me Fed, The Warning has established itself on the international rock scene, debuting on a variety of Billboard charts, including No. 1 on Emerging Artists, No. 2 on Top Rock Albums, No. 4 on Top Hard Rock Albums and No. 6 on Top Album Sales. On sharing a rock band as sisters, Daniela says that it has been a pleasant experience, with many funny and enjoyable moments.
“Obviously sometimes we argue, but we work very well together,” she says. “We started music from a very young age, so we grew up with a mentality of taking care of ourselves and knowing how to work together for the goals that we want to achieve for all of us. We are very attentive to taking care of ourselves and our feelings.”
Recently, The Warning performed in October at the 2024 Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, California, where the group shared the bill with icons from the metal scene such as Iron Maiden, Pantera, Slipknot and Mastodon. They also opened shows for Evanescence in Canada.
In Mexico, tickets for their Feb. 6 and 11, 2025 shows at the capital’s Auditorio Nacional sold out in 48 hours. They will also perform on Feb. 13 at the Telmex Auditorium in Guadalajara, and on Feb. 22 in Monterrey, at the Citibanamex Auditorium.
Tyler, the Creator earns his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart with “St. Chroma,” featuring Daniel Caesar, which debuts atop the Nov. 9-dated ranking.
“St. Chroma,” which was released on Oct. 28, earned 24.3 million official U.S. streams in the tracking week ending Oct. 31, according to Luminate. That means the song was able to reign despite having three fewer days of tracking than the vast majority of its competition.
The rapper’s previous top-performing songs on Streaming Songs, which began in 2013, had been “Earfquake” and “Wusyaname” (the latter featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Ty Dolla $ign), both of which peaked at No. 3 in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
In fact, two songs from Chromakopia, Tyler, the Creator’s new album, top his previous bests. “Noid,” the album’s lone pre-release single (it premiered Oct. 21), appears at No. 2 with 23.2 million streams in its first full frame.
It’s the first time since the Sept. 7-dated Streaming Songs that the same act holds the top two of the chart. Sabrina Carpenter did so with “Taste,” which debuted at No. 1 that week, followed by “Please Please Please” at No. 2.
As for Caesar, “St. Chroma” is the singer’s second No. 1 on Streaming Songs, both coming as a featured act and also as No. 1 debuts; he previously appeared on Justin Bieber’s “Peaches,” alongside Giveon, which ruled for a week in 2021.
In all, Tyler, the Creator boasts 13 songs – including five of the top 10 on the latest Streaming Songs list. Only Chromakopia’s “I Hope You Find Your Way Home” misses the 50-position survey.
“St. Chroma” also becomes his second leader on R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs, following the one-week reign of “Wusyaname.”
Concurrently, as previously reported, “St. Chroma” sports Chromakopia’s top rank on the Billboard Hot 100 – No. 7 – and the album bows atop the Billboard 200.