Photo Credit: Julia Jackson Irish musician and songwriter Hozier (full name: Andrew John Hozier-Byrne) didn’t quite score the same success on his last release, Wasteland, Baby! (2019) as he had achieved with his enormously successful self-titled 2014 debut album (or his debut single “Take Me to Church”). But continuing his apparent practice of taking several… Read more
Photo Credit: Dave Hogan via HBO Tina Turner, one of the most important and iconic figures in music in the late twentieth century, died on May 24th at age eighty-three. While a highly influential performer in R&B, Tina fully embraced rock ‘n’ roll and explored a variety of other music styles including dance and even… Read more
Photo Credit: Nolan Zangas via Interscope Records Summer Walker’s latest EP Clear 2: The Soft Life, is a soulful and introspective project that showcases her growth as an artist. While it may not be as groundbreaking as her previous works, it is still a solid collection of songs that fans of R&B and neo-soul will… Read more
Photo Credit: Jack Grange Could the timing possibly have been worse when Jessie Ware released her disco tribute What’s Your Pleasure? during the COVID-pandemic? Probably, yes. In fact, the album became a big success, giving people an excellent excuse to shake their hips indoors during the lockdowns. The album reached the Top 3 on the… Read more
Photo Credit: Jack Bridgland Chlöe Bailey, one half of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle, has just released her highly anticipated debut album In Pieces. With the success of her previous singles such as “Have Mercy” and “Treat Me” (which weren’t included on the album), fans have been eagerly anticipating this project. The album explores… Read more
Photo Credit: Michael Bailey Gates When Sam Smith first rose onto the music scene in 2013, they were marketed as yet another inoffensive, vocally impressive, soulful crooner – the sort that Britain has long excelled at generating. Smith, who then went by he/him pronouns, was seen as a sort of male equivalent to Adele –… Read more
Like everyone else living on this planet, successful artists also know what it’s like to be rejected – some better than others. Here are ten musicians rejected by record labels, the Army, classmates, and audition juries. #10. Tori Kelly Photo Credit: Elizabeth Miranda The Californian singer auditioned on season nine of American Idol back in… Read more
Photo Credit: Danny Clinch At the outset, a major artist doing a studio album comprised entirely of songs made popular by other artists may seem like a lazy way to stay in the public eye and/or take care of one contractually-obligated release. However, it’s probably closer to being a rite of passage, as Bob Dylan,… Read more
Photo Credit: David Levene Steve Lacy had a Grammy nomination before he had even finished high school, so the fact that he released two critically acclaimed albums before turning 25 years old is hardly surprising. Following up his funky, nostalgic coming-out debut Apollo XII with Gemini Rights, Steve here seeks unconditional love as he finds… Read more
Photo Credit: Mason Poole for Parkwood Entertainment The story of house music is one of liberation; of marginalized communities carving out a space where they could unapologetically be themselves. As a genre, its roots are radical – its formation can be credited to Black and Queer individuals who refused to conform to a society that… Read more