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During a recent appearance on Cam Newton’s show, Bow Wow opened up about the influence Karrine Steffans, also known as SuperHead, has had on his life.
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The conversation took an unexpected turn when Newton asked Bow Wow to give his “Baseball lineup” of women he’s been involved with, a playful reference to the number of attractive women Bow Wow has dated or been linked to. Without hesitation, Bow Wow mentioned Karrine Steffans, but not for the reasons many might expect.
Bow explained that when people hear her name, their minds often jump to her well-known past in the entertainment industry, particularly for her controversial relationships and work. However, Bow Wow emphasized the importance of looking beyond the surface. He pointed out that Karrine is much more than what the public perceives, noting that she possesses a unique ability to remain influential in one’s life without being physically present. He described it as “a different type of power,” a skill that makes her stand out.
The most surprising detail Bow Wow shared was that Karrine Steffans had taught him how to do laundry, which he described as a life lesson that has stuck with him. Every time he passes by a laundromat, Bow Wow says he is reminded of Karrine. This small yet significant moment highlights a side of their relationship that many would not associate with Steffans, revealing a deeper connection beyond the superficial fame and controversy often tied to her name. It also serves as a reminder that even in the most unlikely places, people can impart lasting wisdom that shapes others in unexpected ways.
What is the scent profile of Duran Duran? It’s an intriguing question that, until now, didn’t have a definitive answer. It feels safe to assume that the members of the always well-appointed new wave group would never leave the house with an unbecoming scent (or their hair just so).
But now you can get the actual eau du Duran thanks to the band’s collaboration with Italian luxury perfume house Xerjoff on two unisex perfumes created with Singer Simon Le Bon and keyboardist Nick Rhodes, along with bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor. Rhodes tells Billboard that the two scents, NeoRio and Black Moonlight, are the perfect parfum essences to encapsulate the long-running group’s dueling musical personas.
“We’ve spent our entire careers dealing with two senses: sounds and vision, which we’ve primarily used to communicate and try to excite other people’s sense,” says Rhodes, 62. “And the thought of adding a third, sense of smell in this case, was enormously appealing.” Rhodes says his band was inspired to work with Xerjoff after the company’s 2021 collaboration with Black Sabbath guitarist, and fellow Birmingham, U.K. native, Tony Iommi on his Monkey Special scent.
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Rhodes says the band approached the idea of a scent just as they would songwriting, with a “blank sheet,” providing the Xerjoff team with a list of smells they liked. “Some people like the smell of freshly cut grass, nobody doesn’t like that,” Rhodes says. “But it doesn’t mean you want to smell like that all day.”
Working with brand founder Sergio Momo, Rhodes says he and Le Bon were counseled to not just think of flowery scents like roses or gardenias, but to instead open their noses to anything from the smell of paint drying on the wall or that unmistakable whiff of a new book when you first crack it open to aromas you might not associate with a fragrance such as petrol or leather.
“It was more abstract, like if you’re in a room at a museum and staring at your favorite painting and getting the essence of that,” he says, with the discussion then moving on to imagery Momo gleaned from the feelings and moods Rhodes and Le Bon described, such as the funk of a nightclub or a field of flowers.
They narrowed their scent preferences down to five or six, three of them dark and mysterious and the other three sparkly, bright and full of energy, which resulted in two “radically different” fragrances, NeoRio and Black Moonlight. Rhodes says the latter — described as “an homage to the eerie and mysterious world that they so often explore through their music and videos, with a scent that oozes intrigue and sensuality” — was closer to his personality, while Le Bon was more tugged toward the sunshine.
That explains why the profile of Black Moonlight promises to wrap you in a “veil of sophistication” thanks to a mix that includes: “Bergamot and mandarin awaken the senses, whilst saffron, lavender, Sambac jasmine and hazelnut envelop you in an intimate embrace.” The scent is also grounded by base notes of patchouli, vetiver, Tonka bean, and benzoin “to create a rich, timeless scent that mirrors Duran Duran’s ability to blend art, innovation, and emotion.”
In an effort to mirror DD’s career-long musical balance of hopeful optimism with a darker, slinky feeling, the exhilarating NeoRio is described as being as “magnetic and unpredictable as the band itself,” [combining] an “irresistible burst of candied fig and rum with the sparkling freshness of elemi absolute, before unfolding with the fiery warmth of saffron and the elegance of soft rose oil, all anchored by the creamy richness of Tonka bean and the timeless depth of balsam from Peru.”
Rhodes says working with chemist Momo was a revelation, as the “Willy Wonka of perfume” brand boss “seems to have this lexicon of every single scent in the world at his fingertips.” In the end, he says the pair followed their instincts like they do when recording an album, with the resulting fragrances so perfectly representing the identity of the band that Rhodes thinks they could be two songs in DD’s catalog.
“Duran Duran have shaped music and style for over four decades, making them the perfectpartners for not just one, but two Xerjoff Blends creations. Their innovative spirit helped inspire every element of this project, from the scent to the packaging,” said Momo in a statement announcing the two fragrances, which are available to buy here now. “Both scents embody the essence of Xerjoff Blends – where artistic visions unite to create a truly unique, multisensory experience. Collaborating with the band members on every detail of this project has been a very special experience.”
As for the most important real-world test, Rhodes confirms that he’s worn his preferred scent out in the world and that at present he and his partner have been at odds over who gets to wear which one. “We have a battle at home because I’ve usually got the one on and my partner’s got the other one on and when we pass in the corridor they intermingle and some days we both end up with the the same one,” he says.
Duran Duran are gearing up for a run of European arena and festival shows this summer beginning on June 3 with the kick-off gig at the Nokia Arena in Tamepere, Finland.
Check out the promo videos for the fragrances below.
At last month’s Billboard Women in Music ceremony in Los Angeles, Breakthrough honoree Ángela Aguilar took a moment to express her solidarity with the Latin immigrant community, dedicating her award to women who cross the border to the United States “with nothing but hope in their hearts, only to find themselves living in uncertainty and fear,” she said in a poignant speech that prompted a standing ovation. “You deserve safety, dignity, the right to dream.”
Aguilar is part of a growing group of Latin artists — including Shakira, Maná and Alejandro Fernández — who are using their platforms to speak up for immigrants after President Donald Trump took office in January and immediately launched an aggressive crackdown on immigration, pledging to carry out mass deportations.
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But it was perhaps regional Mexican artist Tony Aguirre who addressed the situation more bluntly. “I’m scared that no one will show up to my shows,” he said during an interview with a Mexican podcaster when asked how things were going with Trump as president. Aguirre tells Billboard he is genuinely worried.
“Regional Mexican events have been directly impacted, and it’s not just me going through this, many of my colleagues feel this way,” says Aguirre, who tours mainly in the U.S. “When it all started, we were reaching out to each other just to see how things were going and everyone was saying the same thing, low attendance. People are scared to go out because of mass deportation threats, and I wanted to speak up because it seems like no one in our industry is willing to really to talk publicly about how this has impacted our industry, and it’s important that we do.”
While the effects of Trump’s policies on Latin music still remain to be seen on a larger scale, there is a real concern about the impact.
Abel DeLuna, California-based member of the veteran Mexican music association Promotores Unidos and founder of Luna Management, is once again dealing with a situation that’s historically effected regional Mexican bailes, which are small but mighty shows (and for many years the backbone of the genre) predominantly held in nightclubs catering to a specific demographic and booked by indie promoters. In 2007, Billboard’s Leila Cobo interviewed DeLuna about “stepped up” immigration enforcement under the George W. Bush administration, where he said then that the immigration situation alone accounted for 20% to 25% of the drop in his concert promotion business. He relived the same scenario 18 years later when Trump took office for a second term earlier this year, with that fourth week of January and first week of February being particularly brutal. DeLuna says shows in those weeks sold only around 10% to 15% of tickets, which ultimately led him to cancel some shows in Northern California.
“Our people are worried,” says DeLuna, speaking over the phone just weeks after Trump took office. “Many are afraid to go out, afraid to go out to work, afraid to go to the bailes, concerts, several having to get canceled because people are not buying tickets. I don’t know how long this is going to last, if it is really going to calm down soon or if it is going to go on for a long time and if it does, then our people are going to suffer a lot and the whole business is going to suffer.”
Low concert attendance aligns with a decrease in foot traffic in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods around the country since Trump took office, says Maria Teresa Kumar, president of Voto Latino, a non-profit organization that aims to encourage young Hispanic and Latino voters to register to vote.
“People are scared that they’re going to be targeted and rounded up, creating a chilling effect happening around a community that is getting internalized mentally but also physically in their decisions to not go shopping or go to concerts,” says Kumar, who in the past has teamed up with artists like Maná and Los Tigres del Norte to get Latinos more politically involved.
The Latin music industry thrives on a diverse fan base, and while it’s reaching a global audience now more than ever, its core listeners are still Latinos, and a significant portion of them are immigrants. Just as with previous administrations, when there are increased reports of immigration raids in U.S. cities, businesses inevitably suffer. That includes everything from flower shops and restaurants in Chicago seeing a notable decline in sales to schools and churches feeling the “chilling effect,” as The New York Times put it in a report about “immigrants in hiding” over fear of deportation.
DeLuna says the sobering topic came up at the annual conference for Promotores Unidos, a long-standing Latin concert promotion association with more than 300 members, in Las Vegas in January.
“[Immigration] is the most important conversation right now,” DeLuna says categorically. “With those I have talked to among the association, I recommend the same thing: We must take care of ourselves, but we have to work harder and try to do better promotion to get people to come to our events, even if that means keeping prices low. What I’m personally doing is lowering prices to see if people feel encouraged to come out.”
Enrique Ortiz of Luz Record, a management, promotion and booking agency based out of L.A., also attended the Promotores Unidos conference in Las Vegas and says that while misinformation on social media about alleged raids in certain cities has also affected concert attendance, he’s been following the situation closely. “We’ve been noticing that ICE is arresting those with a criminal record, yes, but also those who don’t [have one]. And that’s concerning. It has a direct impact on all of us as managers, promoters, musicians.”
Billboard’s reporting confirms that this is an ongoing topic of conversation in important Latin music spaces and is top of people’s minds — although many in the industry prefer not to speak on the record about it. Over the course of two months, Billboard reached out to more than a dozen industry leaders, from managers to agents to promoters, for this story, with the majority declining to give an interview about just how much the Trump administration could impact the business of Latin music. Some who agreed to speak on background on the condition of anonymity expressed the same sentiment: uncertainty. One source, a manager to a well-known regional Mexican act, said they had already seen the impact on live shows in certain markets, particularly concerts that mainly book more traditional (i.e. older) regional Mexican acts.
Josh Norek, president of Regalias Digitales, refuses to stay silent and blasted a wide email to his contacts in March with the subject line: “Latin music industry — the time to speak is now.”
“From venues and record labels to artists and crews, deportations create instability that threatens the economic power of Latin music,” Norek’s email reads, with messaging crafted by Voto Latino for artists and executives to share. “If our audiences and communities are at risk, our industry suffers.”
Norek is particularly focused on the impact Trump’s administration will have on royalties should his promise of mass deportations come to fruition. “I project in the next four years we’ll see a significant decrease in earnings,” he tells Billboard. “I care tremendously on a humanitarian standpoint, but when you think about the economic impact, it’s very simple math: A stream coming from Mexico is worth about 2% of a stream coming from the U.S. So, if you deport 5 million streamers and put them in places like Mexico, Guatemala or Venezuela, you go from paying $10 a month for Spotify to [the] free ad-supported tier in Mexico, and it will generate almost nothing. Meanwhile, Pandora exists only in the U.S. and if you take away those users, it will impact SoundExchange royalties. You shouldn’t have to be a Democrat, Republican or independent to be thinking about the economic impact of deportations.”
Adding to the precariousness of it all, Trump’s global tariffs, announced on April 2, could also affect the U.S. music industry, from musical instrument manufacturers to the vinyl business. They could also lead to a potential decrease in local tourism, directly impacting concert and festival attendance in the U.S.
“During these times [of uncertainty], people are double-thinking how to spend their expendable income and, sadly, concerts are one of those pieces that are disposable income,” adds Kumar. “It’s been only two months and we’re already seeing the implications in the music industry, in hospitality, retail industry — this is not tenable.”
Norek reached out to Voto Latino to help craft messages for industry leaders and artists to share, although the shareable posts have yet to garner wider traction. “I understand that it’s tough for some people to speak out because they don’t want to be demonized,” says Norek. “However, now there’s just outward hostility toward Latinos and immigrants. The least we can do is show our clients that we care. This is our audience.”
Metallica dropped the first trailer for their upcoming fan-focused documentary on Tuesday (April 8). Metallica Saved My Life, directed by the band’s longtime collaborator, Grammy-winner Jonas Åkerlund, will be screened in select cities on the band’s ongoing M72 world tour.
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In a statement, the group wrote, “Not quite finished yet, we want YOU to be among the first to see our latest film project by award-winning director Jonas Åkerlund, all about the lifeblood of this band: the fans. This documentary explores our world through the lives of fans who have supported each other through highs, lows, trials, and triumphs for over four decades.”
In the one-minute preview, drummer Lars Ulrich states, “Metallica is a state of mind” over mournful piano as the band’s other members begin the sentence “Metallica is…” as a series of fans offer up their thoughts on what the group means to them. “Unapologetically real, and vulnerable,” says one man, while a woman adds, “hope, freedom, escape.”
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A montage of long-time die-hards then open up about how the band gave them an identity as they describe themselves, variously, as a “dork… loner… a weirdo,” with one Black fan recalling how people would ask him, “why are you listening to this white people music?”
“I wanna hear ’em, I wanna hear ’em all,” singer/guitarist James Hetfield says of the variety of stories in the film directed by Åkerlund, who was also behind the camera for their 1998 video “Turn the Page,” as well as 1999’s “Whiskey in the Jar” and 2016’s “ManUNkind.” “Whatever you want to put on that… religion, cult, family, whatever label. I don’t care. It’s a gathering of like-minded people that are there to celebrate life.”
In a statement the band said, “As a few of you may know, we’ve been working behind the scenes the last couple of years on a new film that will be released later this year starring you guys! Metallica Saved My Life explores our world through the lives of fans who have supported each other through highs, lows, trials and triumphs for over four decades. And yeah, we’re in it a little bit too.” The full doc, which will feature all four band members as well as actor Jason Momoa, is slated for release later this year.
Click here to find out more details about the locations and dates for the North American screenings of the unfinished film from April through June, which will be phone-free and have a two ticket per person limit.
Metallica will get back on the road for the continuation of the M72 tour on April 19 at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. This week the band also announced a collaboration with the American Red Cross for blood drives on their upcoming 2025 U.S. dates. Donors of all blood types are encouraged to make an appointment to give by clicking here; donors must be 17 in most states (or 16 with parental consent where allowed by state law) and weigh at least 110 pounds and be in general good health to be eligible to donate.
Check out the trailer for Metallica Saved My Life below.
Nashville based singer-songwriter Jamie MacDonald scores her first chart-topper on Billboard’s Christian AC Airplay survey as “Desperate” ascends three places to No. 1 on the list dated April 12.
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The single increased by 3% in plays March 28-April 3, according to Luminate. MacDonald co-authored it with Jonathan Gamble and Jordan Sapp, the latter of whom produced it.
“It’s been life changing to carry a song that’s not only bringing healing to others, but deeply healing for me, as well,” MacDonald tells Billboard. “That was a promise God gave me for my music, and it’s been incredible to finally see it happening. In my weakness, He is showing Himself to be so strong, and that verse is what I’m clinging to and rejoicing in right now.”
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Meanwhile, as “Desperate” hits the summit in its 12th week, it completes the quickest trip to No. 1 by a female artist (not counting holiday songs) since September 2018, when Lauren Daigle’s crossover smash “You Say” needed just 10 weeks to sprint to the penthouse. It went on to rule for 15 weeks.
Plus, “Desperate” is MacDonald’s first Christian AC Airplay chart entry. It’s the first rookie single to reign since last April, when Seph Schlueter’s “Counting My Blessings” led for four frames. It’s the first freshman No. 1 by a woman since Jordin Sparks’ collaboration with for King & Country, “Love Me Like I Am,” dominated for five frames beginning in February 2023.
On the Christian Airplay chart, “Desperate” pushes 6-5 for a new best (3.4 million in audience, up 1%).
Hammond, Station & Cole Command Gospel Airplay
Three veteran gospel artists – Fred Hammond, Keith Staten and Marcus Cole, joining forces as FKC – ascend to No. 1 on Gospel Airplay with “Change Your Mind.” The single increased by 8% in plays.
The three artists co-wrote the song from their album Time Capsule-The Trilogy, released last August. The LP is the first of a three-part release, with the second expected this summer.
“Change Your Mind” is Hammond’s fifth No. 1 and first since “Hallelujah” led for two weeks in July 2022. He first led with “They That Wait,” with John P. Kee, for 15 frames beginning in December 2009.
As for Staten and Cole, “Change Your Mind” marks their first appearance as solo artists, but all three were part of iconic gospel act Commissioned. The group scored 11 top 10s on Top Gospel Albums, from I’m Going On (No. 5 peak, 1985) through The Commissioned Reunion “Live” (No. 3, 2002).
The Broadway cast album from Hamilton: An American Musical was inducted into the National Recording Registry this year. It’s the 15th Broadway cast album to receive this honor, and the first from a show that premiered after 1979.
Of the 15 cast albums in the National Recording Registry, four were released in the 1940s and four more in the 1950s, decades that are often thought of as the heyday of Broadway cast albums. That number dropped to just two in the 1960s and two more in the ’70s. And no cast albums at all from the ’80s, ’90s or ’00s have made it yet.
This makes Hamilton‘s achievement all the more impressive. The show’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, is going against the tide here. Miranda is also going against the current political tide. Hamilton was scheduled to return to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the third time in March and April of 2026. The show’s producers canceled the run due to President Trump’s recent takeover of the performing arts institution. “Given the recent actions, our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center,” lead producer Jeffrey Seller said in a statement shared to the official Hamilton X page.
In 2018, the Kennedy Center Honors broke format to recognize the creators of Hamilton – Miranda, Thomas Kail, Andy Blankenbuehler and Alex Lacamoire. Historically, the Kennedy Center Honors have recognized artists near the end of their careers. Here, they gave an award to talents mid-career to honor a specific achievement. (The National Recording Registry is administered by the Library of Congress, not the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.)
Miranda wrote both music and lyrics for the songs in Hamilton. The songs in five other cast albums in the National Recording Registry were the work of a solitary songwriter. Stephen Sondheim wrote both music and lyrics to all the songs in Sweeney Todd, as did Charlie Smalls (The Wiz), Frank Loesser (Guys and Dolls), Cole Porter (Kiss Me, Kate) and Marc Blitzstein (The Cradle Will Rock).
Sondheim and his mentor, Oscar Hammerstein II, both wrote songs for three of the 15 cast albums in the Registry. Sondheim wrote the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy before serving in both capacities on Sweeney Todd. Hammerstein collaborated with Jerome Kern on Show Boat before teaming with Richard Rodgers for Oklahoma! and South Pacific.
If you’re wondering why The Sound of Music (also by Rodgers & Hammerstein) isn’t listed here, that’s easy to explain. The 1965 film soundtrack with Julie Andrews is in the Registry, but the 1959 Broadway cast album with Mary Martin is not. At least not yet. We’ll update this list as more Broadway cast albums are saluted.
Here are all the Broadway cast albums that have been inducted into the National Recording Registry. They are listed in chronological order by show date. We show Billboard 200 peaks for albums that were released since that chart originated in March 1956.
Show Boat (1932)
FanDuel’s Kentucky Derby Party is returning to Louisville this year with Shaboozey headlining the event, Billboard can exclusively reveal. The exclusive, invite-only event is set to take place May 2 at Paristown Arts and Entertainment District in Louisville, Kentucky. “I’m hyped to be part of the Derby this year,” Shaboozey said in a statement. “It’s […]
The death toll from the roof collapse at the Jet Set club in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic has climbed to more than 113 people. According to the Associated Press, the iconic venue was packed with “musicians, professional athletes and government officials,” when dust from the ceiling began to fall into attendees’ drinks before the entire roof collapsed.
In addition to the scores of dead buried under concrete slabs, authorities said more than 255 were injured. Merengue superstar and concert headliner Rubby Pérez — who was on stage performing when the ceiling collapsed — was among the dead, according to emergency operation director Juan Manuel Méndez, who said the 69-year-old singer’s body was found early Wednesday morning (April 9). The collapse happened roughly an hour into Pérez’s midnight performance.
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Pérez’s official Instagram posted a tribute to the late singer on Wednesday morning honoring the beloved star born Arturo Pérez in Hato Mayor. “It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved Rubby Pérez. We sincerely appreciate all the love, support, and solidarity we have received from his family, friends, and fans during this difficult time. His musical and personal legacy will live forever in our hearts. May his soul rest in peace.”
As of press time rescue teams from Puerto Rico and Israel had arrived to help local authorities, who said they were still searching for any potential survivors, with Méndez telling the AP that “as long as they report that there is a missing person, we will be there.”
Among the dead were two former Major League Baseball players, pitcher Octavio Dotel and Dominican star Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera. An Instagram tribute to seven-time MLB All-Star Dotel from the Ministry of Sports and Recreation read: “We deeply regret the passing of former Major Leagues and Immortal of Dominican Sport, Octavio Dotel, 51. His legacy on and off the field leaves an indelible mark on national baseball history. Peace to his soul and strength to his family and loved ones.” Dotel pitched for 13 teams during a 15-year MLB career, including a pennant-winning season in 2011 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Ministry’s tribute to Blanco, 44 — who played in the outfield and as a first and third baseman, spending eight years in the minors, as well as one season with the Washington Nationals (2005) and 16 years in the Japanese baseball league — read, “We deeply regret the passing of former Major Leagues and Immortal of Dominican Sport, Octavio Dotel. His legacy on and off the field leaves an indelible mark on national baseball history. Peace to his soul and strength to his family and loved ones.”
Among the other reported victims were Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi, and sister of seven-time MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz, who called DR President Luis Abinader from underneath the rubble to alert him of the disaster and later died at a hospital. The AP reported that Pérez’s saxophonist Luis Solís, who was on stage during the collapse, also died.
The Jet Set club issued a statement on Tuesday morning, sharing condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the roof collapse. “Last night, a tragedy struck that has deeply shaken the hearts of everyone who is part of Jet Set and all Dominicans. The loss of human lives leaves us in a state of profound sorrow and grief,” the venue wrote on Instagram. “In this difficult moment, our prayers are with each of the affected families. We share their pain as if it were our own, as we too are in mourning. We are working fully and transparently with the competent authorities to assist the victims and clarify what happened … We join the country in expressing solidarity during this unexpected and painful situation.”
At press time authorities were still investigating the cause of the roof collapse. Only 32 people have been identified in what is being described as one of the worst disasters to hit the Dominican Republic.
In recent years, SHERELLE has made herself something of a leader in the U.K.’s electronic and dance scene. Through her DJ sets, original material and radio hosting gigs, the 31-year-old’s passion and curatorial skills have been instrumental in celebrating jungle, footwork and breakbeat, and ensuring the genres’ well-deserved place at the forefront of contemporary dance culture.Early in her role as a curator, SHERELLE championed the BRITs-nominated junglist Nia Archives, as well as avant-garde creator Loraine James on her radio show, and she was co-signed by the influential late designer Virgil Abloh. SHERELLE’s name is synonymous with an original, head-spinning sound, as well as being a passionate and thoughtful voice in a crowded space.
She’s now surprise-releasing With A Vengeance, her debut LP via London-based label Method 808, and over the past few weeks has been touring extensively with her club night SHERELLELAND in Newcastle, Edinburgh and Sheffield. This Friday (Apr. 11) she takes over London’s historic Roundhouse to complete the tour; tickets are capped at £10 ($13), with the goal to improve access and ease costs for music lovers.
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This period sounds as frantic as her preferred music mode (160 BPM is the benchmark), but she says a period of stillness and recalibration was what inspired her next phase. “I finally found myself in a place to be able to make [the LP],” she tells Billboard U.K., dialing in from the Media Centre in Salford, where she’s appearing at the BBC Radio 6 Music Festival. “I was in a good headspace, and had chosen things in life to make sure that I was looking after myself.”
SHERELLE had what many in the electronic space would consider a dream start. In 2019, a viral Boiler Room set quickly elevated her name and kicked off a whirlwind period of touring. She had little time to catch up with the enormity of the change, but saw bookings surge, and in late 2023 took on a presenting slot on BBC 6 Music on Saturday nights.
On reflection, however, she says she was overworked, and was spread too thin to enjoy the moments and to stay present. She calls that time “a blur” and speaks candidly about the toll it took on her wellbeing. “I basically had to silently deal with depression,” she says, adding that turning 30 triggered complex emotions. “All of a sudden I thought, ‘Oh my god, I’m going to be 30, and my life isn’t where I want it to be’ — or I was assuming it would be so much more different.”
The balance between vulnerability and the role of the DJ – bringing immaculate tunes and vibes – is a unique demand. Performers in the more traditional concert setting are permitted space for complex, knottier emotions seldom translated to a club performance behind the decks. “We have to put on a happy face — because if we don’t, then it will affect the crowd and their enjoyment,” she says.
Being revved up for a slot means that DJs and producers are putting up barriers and neglecting their mental health. “That can be quite dangerous, because then when you are constantly putting on a face when you are you are essentially acting,” she says. “Our scene doesn’t really lend many opportunities to check in on people.”
The period culminated with her laptop being stolen, which included all of her recorded music and demos – her livelihood as a musician, presenter and DJ was compromised. Understandably distressed by the theft, SHERELLE protected herself by avoidance, and kept music listening to a minimum. She changed management teams and sought to enter a new, healthier period of creativity. A desktop computer – a throwback for millennials – helped improve productivity, while a shift to a vegan diet gave her new energy.
Ready to create again, she also retooled her studio practices, and found creative inspiration in soul and funk greats Earth, Wind & Fire and jazz flutist Bobbi Humphrey. Advice came from jungle legend Tim Reaper, who encouraged her to work with efficiency, and not to spend more than 15 minutes on any song section. “Then lo and behold, I was just pissing out tunes left, right, and center — and then actually making stuff that I really liked,” she laughs.
Those tunes are With a Vengeance, a debut LP that continues the journey from her 2021 double A-side 160 Down the A406, and captures specific moments in her recovery period. The LP’s two-song suite “XTC Suspended” and “XTC,” for example, are evocative renderings of the burnout and depression, as well as the recovery period.
The former is emblematic of the moments where she would push through the chaos to put on a happy face, while the latter is brighter, warmer, and indebted to garage and two-step. SHERELLE wants people to feel the “raw energy and emotion” of her productions and songs, but also not feel overwhelmed either.
“I really hope people like it, but I’m not mad if they don’t get it,” she adds. “It’s personal to me and I’m just happy that I’ve got to the point of making something I actually really like. I really love all 10 songs and it’s not manufactured at all. I’m glad to add something authentic basically back into a space that can feel quite manufactured at times.”
SHERELLE’s vulnerability and candour stays true to her commitment to community. Growing up in Walthamstow, east London in a working class background, her experience of some of the dance scene and some of the more corporate, commercial trappings has given her renewed focus and drive to give back. She launched BEAUTIFUL in 2021, a community that supports Black and LGBTQIA+ creators, and over the years has hosted workshops and sessions to help demystify pathways for creators.
As industry discussions about music education in schools continue, SHERELLE is firmly on the side of fellow Brit artists Ezra Collective and Myles Smith, both of whom called upon the decision-makers and governments to empower young musicians. “It’s such a sad thing. There could be so many talented people who are just not going to get the same investment,” she says. “We need to allow for kids that don’t have the funds and the means to be able to create and create freely with no time constraints.”
SHERELLELAND culminates on Friday (Apr. 11) with the Roundhouse show and with its lower entry point for tickets. As reports say live music in the U.K. is booming, SHERELLE – and her new team and live agent – knew that someone had to buck industry trends. “Unfortunately the DJ scene makes a lot of money for people and they want to protect that at all cost. I would say that they do like music, but they definitely like money more.”
It is, she says, an opportunity to weave together the disparate threads of her career as a performer, curator and activist, but also just a testament to her mindset. “The main groups of people that I’ve worked with on this idea are all people who have come from a background where community is really important,” she says of the new era. “I felt supported, loved and that my ideas were protected; after that it was very easy and simple.”
Ed Sheeran joined Jimmy Fallon for the latest “Subway Busking” bit on Tuesday night’s (April 8) Tonight Show. As usual, there were costumes involved in a vain attempt to throw commuters off the scent. In this case, the pair went with an emo theme, with both men wearing all-black outfits and slouchy grey beanies accented […]