Month: August 2022

Calvin Harris is a Grammy winning producer and musical artist, and he took to social media on Friday (Aug. 26) to fire back at a Twitter user who questioned how compensation works, especially when stars like Harris and DJ Khaled are known to the public for their compilation records full of featured artists.

“I always wonder how DJs like Khaled and Calvin Harris make bread. Like all of their songs are other artists. Just production revenue?” the Twitter user wrote.

“Because I write, produce, mix, play every instrument and sometimes vocal,” Harris responded. “We found love, Summer, Feel so close for example 100% publishing because I did everything. Only reason I got Frank Ocean feature was he told me we found love was one of his favorite songs. I wrote that song.”

Because I write, produce, mix, play every instrument and sometimes vocal. We found love, Summer, Feel so close for example 100% publishing because I did everything. Only reason I got Frank Ocean feature was he told me we found love was one of his favorite songs. I wrote that song https://t.co/aIc0Wktscb

— Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) August 26, 2022

Six years after the first installment of Funk Wav Bounces — which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and spent 42 weeks on the chart — Harris returned with Funk Wav Bounces Vol 2 earlier this month. On the album, Harris enlists a whopping 23 featured artists, from Busta Rhymes to Charlie Puth to Dua Lipa, across 14 songs.

Out via Sony, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 is Harris’ sixth studio album, with his discography extending back to his 2007 classic I Created Disco and also including the era-defining Ready For The Weekend, 18 Months and Motion.

Lil Nas X is stepping into the beauty space.

The “Industry Baby” rapper took to Instagram on Friday (Aug. 26) to reveal that he is the newest ambassador for YSL Beauty. “Tho i don’t know what the word means yet i feel very accomplished,” he wrote in the caption, alongside a series of stunning shots of the Grammy winner’s flawless smooth skin amid a desert landscape.

See his post here.

In the fashion world, LNX is gearing up to join Hailey Bieber and Vogue to celebrate the publication’s 130th anniversary at New York Fashion Week. Vogue World is set to take place on September 12 in NYC. The first-of-a-kind event will feature a runway show presenting the publication’s favorite pieces from the fall 2022 style collections, including looks from Balenciaga, Dior, Gucci, Valentino, Burberry, Coach, Michael Kors, Brother Vellies, Bode, Conner Ives, Christopher John Rogers, Collina Strada, Matty Bovan, Ralph Lauren, Tory Burch and many other designers.

The “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” singer posed with Bieber for the global event’s promotional images, as the duo is seen in a phone booth next to a dressed-up Statue of Liberty. See the promo photo here.

Hold me closer, tiny trench coat!

On Friday (Aug. 26), Britney Spears took to Facebook to share a message with her fans while grooving to her new Elton John collaboration “Hold Me Closer.”

In the Facebook Reel video, the singer struts through what appears to be a hotel lobby wearing a short white trench with shiny black trim, oversize sunglasses and a floppy tan hat as her single plays over the scene. After heading to the elevator, she gives her walk another try on a separate floor, waving at the camera with a giant smile before the scene cuts to Spears perched atop a hotel bathtub, covered in just her hair and a towel.

“Keep smiling folks … KEEP SMILING !!!” she captioned the video with a series of happy face, rose and rocket emojis before adding, “Psss I LOVE YOU ALL !!!”

The Andrew Watt-produced reimagining of Sir Elton’s classic 1972 single — which also incorporates lines from 1992’s “The One” — marks Spears’ first music release since her fan-favorite 2016 album Glory. (In the interim, bonus tracks like “Mood Ring (By Demand),” “Swimming in the Stars” and the Backstreet Boys-assisted “Matches” were released by the overseers of the star’s now-defunct legal conservatorship, but she never actively promoted the songs on her social media or in the press.)

So far, the Britney Army has gone crazy over their queen’s new song, which has also found passionate fans in Brit’s husband Sam Asghari and pals like Drew Barrymore and Paris Hilton, with the heiress announcing via social media that she’ll be “playing it on repeat until further notice!”

Watch Spears practice her runway walk to “Hold Me Closer” on Facebook.

WagakkiBand is an eight-member hybrid J-pop rock entertainment group that produces songs blending elements from the traditional art of shigin — a form of reciting poetry as a performance — with music performed on Japanese and Western musical instruments. The band dropped a cover album of songs originally created using vocaloid software called Vocalo Zanmai 2 on Aug. 17, the eighth anniversary of the band’s debut.

WagakkiBand rose to fame for its live performance video covering the song “Senbonzakura,” now a ubiquitous number created by vocaloid music producer Kurousa-P using the vocaloid software Hatsune Miku. The cover dropped on Jan. 31, 2014 and quickly racked up views not only in the group’s native country but also among viewers overseas. The group’s rendition of “Senbonzakura” using Japanese and Western instruments helped publicize the existence of vocaloid music domestically and the existence of traditional Japanese performing arts abroad. Eight years after its release, the video has logged more than 150 million views.

Another key element that elevated the group’s popularity was its major-label debut album called Vocalo Zanmai, released in April 2014. The project covered a total of 12 songs, including vocaloid tracks that the band had previously performed live. Vocalo Zanmai reached No. 45 on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart, No. 5 on the weekly sales chart, and No. 4 on iTunes’ album ranking. Although the band now produces original pop-rock music with traditional Japanese influences, it has always had strong ties to vocaloid music. WagakkiBand has steadily built up its presence over the years, including various tie-ins with anime series and commercials, appearances on domestic TV programs and numerous shows outside of Japan.

Frontwoman Yuko Suzuhana shares the meaning of the number eight and the members’ decision to release a cover album at this time: “The name of our official fan club is ‘Shin Yaeryu,’ with the number eight (in the Japanese kanji characters). We place a lot of importance on the fact that we’re a band with eight members, so we’ve always discussed the possibility of doing something on our eighth anniversary. Releasing Vocalo Zanmai 2 at some point was another thing we’d always discussed, and since vocaloid music is getting popular again today, we thought it would be the perfect time to do so.”

The band members selected the songs for their latest cover album based on a list of vocaloid tracks from the last couple of years, written up by Machiya (guitar & vocals) and Asa (bass) who are avid listeners of the genre. Two songs that stand out among the covers included in the collection are “Phony,” a track originally released by vocaloid producer Tsumiki on June 5, 2021 that currently has over 24 million video views, and “Marshall Maximizer” by Hiiragi Magnetite, a breakout producer whose “Shuuen touhikou” won first place in the rookie category at The VOCALOID Collection 2020 Winter event in Dec. 2020. The original version of “Marshall Maximizer” was released on Aug. 21, 2021.

The original recordings of both of these songs feature Kafu, the new voice synthesizing software developed by CeVIO Project, and not its predecessors like Hatsune Miku, GUMI, and v flower that use the singing synthesis engine developed by Yamaha. Released on July 7, 2021, Kafu was developed based on the voice of real-life “virtual” singer Kafu (written differently in Japanese), and is characterized by a singing voice closer to that of a real human being than the earlier vocaloid softwares. Many vocaloid producers began incorporating it in their own tracks simultaneously, making Kafu one of the leading voice synthesizers since its release last year.

Since 2019, the trend of vocaloid producers featuring real-life singers on their tracks — Kujira was one of the first to produce hits in this format — expanded their range of expression, and Kafu became another tool that enhanced their expressive faculties without using actual people. In other words, “Phony” and “Marshall Maximizer” are tracks that represent the evolution of the Japanese vocaloid scene.

The selection of songs in WagakkiBand’s latest cover collection is also in tune with the current vocaloid trends in that there are far fewer songs with Japanese musical influences. The majority of the songs in the group’s debut album were Japanese-inspired in style, but this time there’s only one called “Akahitoha,” a track originally released by Kurousa-P (of “Senbonzakura” fame) in Feb. 2008.

This is because the current trend in vocaloid music is focused on EDM, hip-hop, and other Western-oriented music. “Japanese-style music was the mainstream (in the vocaloid genre) at the time (of the band’s debut album), but most of the more recent songs are fast-paced dance music-like rhythm tracks around 2 minutes and 40 seconds in length,” explains Machiya. “So we didn’t feel the need to choose songs with Japanese musical influences this time.”

In other words, with tracks originally created using CeVIO AI’s Kafu and songs influenced by Western musical trends, Vocalo Zanmai 2 can be said to be an interesting indicator of where the current vocaloid scene is headed.

Another important point is that Suzuhana doesn’t use her characteristic way of singing — influenced by her background as a shigin master — as much as she does on the band’s other songs. Instead, she flexibly changes her voice for each track, making the songs more accessible to teenagers not familiar with Japanese-style music.

In the current WagakkiBand, Suzuhana felt more comfortable using different voices for each song and expressing herself more freely without getting too caught up in formalities. “I really felt the need to make an impression at first, so I started off by trying to get people to know me rather than singing the way I like to sing,” she explains. “So on (our debut album), I made sure to include the technique of shigin vocalization in all the songs. But after putting out our original songs and testing out various genres of music, I reached a point where I felt I could express myself freely. Being able to think that way is how I’ve changed as a vocalist.”

The purpose of the band’s major label debut album, Vocalo Zanmai, was to make the existence of the group — with members who exclusively play wagakki, traditional Japanese musical instruments — widely known to the public, so the album naturally focused on Japanese-style music and showcased it as a defining feature.

Wadaiko (Japanese drums) percussionist Kurona notes that the group gradually settled into their current style through the process of producing a few albums. “Around the time of our third album Shikisai, Machiya began to play a central role in drawing up blueprints (for the band’s sound),” he shares. “And we became very conscious of creating a single sound with the eight of us. I think the culmination of this process is Vocalo Zanmai 2.”

In Vocalo Zanmai 2, the sound of each instrument, whether Japanese or Western, is made to stand on its own. By minimizing the traditionally Japanese style and using fewer notes, the individuality of each sound was made clearer, demonstrating the significance of each musician and their instrument. The result is an album that expresses the joy of being a group composed of the eight members of WagakkiBand. Even some throwback numbers such as 164’s “ama no jaku” (aka “A Born Coward”) from 2012 and Mikito-P’s “1 2 Fan Club” from 2013 have been reinterpreted into a more contemporary sound. WagakkiBand isn’t dwelling on the past; they’re looking towards the future.

The rise of the short video sharing platform TikTok among teenagers has also played a major role in the overall trend of more compact songs, and vocaloid tracks about two minutes in length have increased in the past few years. The tracks representing this trend on Vocalo Zanmai 2 are “Identity” by Kanaria and “Dokuzu” by Nakisono, the latter included as a bonus track on the album’s digital edition.

“It’s not just limited to vocaloid music,” Suzuhana notes. “J-pop songs in general are becoming shorter like the tracks from other countries, but there’s still that A-melody, B-melody, chorus progression. So we think that audiences abroad will find the developments on the short songs on our new album surprising and enjoyable. The Japanese flavor is still present in the short songs, so I hope we can convey to people overseas that these are the trendy songs of Japan today.”

While the project is positioned as a sequel to the group’s debut set, the new album reveals a completely different sound and attitude toward the band’s music. With Vocalo Zanmai 2, WagakkiBand is heading into a new phase of its career.

–This article by Mio Komachi first appeared on Billboard Japan

When Marcus King finished recording Young Blood, it was vitally important to him that he leave the listener with a sense of hope.

That wasn’t because he had conquered his own demons and wanted to share his positive outcome. It was just the opposite. The blues rocker was still so deep in his depression and substance abuse, he believed Young Blood, which came out Aug. 26, would be his last statement—musical or otherwise.

“I really didn’t think I’d be around long enough to make another record,” King tells Billboard over Zoom. “I was pretty convinced I was going to drink and drug myself to death, or another means of not being around any longer. So I wanted there to be a sense of hope and give people a feeling that they can get through it, even though I felt it was too late for me.”

Young Blood, for all its lyrical depths of despair, is a staggeringly confident work, with King easily referencing his rock and blues forebearers including Free, Jimi Hendrix and ZZ Top, both on guitar and vocally on the propulsive, dynamic effort.

The cathartic album chronicles a devastating break-up (chugging “Lie, Lie, Lie”), the yearning for a human savior from his destructive ways (the trippy “Rescue Me”), his descent into drug use (“I used to be a diamond, now I’m just a rolled up dollar bill” he laments on “Pain”) and finding new love (anthemic “Hard Working Man”), before ending on a bleak note (swampy “Blues Worse Than I’ve Ever Had”). His words may often pack a desponding wallop, but King’s surefooted playing is gloriously muscular and uplifting at all times.

Ultimately what saved King was finding love again. He had finished recording the album and was on the road last summer. On the second date of the tour, “I met a woman that I’ll be married to next year,” he says, a wide grin spreading across his face. “She pulled me out of a really dark, really dark place.”

While he will occasionally still have a drink, “I’m off the hard stuff for sure,” he says. “She knows how to keep me in check, that lady of mine, and remind me not to go off the rails.”

Though only 26, King is a music veteran. A fourth-generation musician, he picked up the guitar when he was three and by the time he was eight, he was performing alongside his family. For the last decade, he has played around 200 dates a year, including opening for Chris Stapleton at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Young Blood follows 2020’s El Dorado, King’s first solo album after four sets with the Marcus King Band, and it reunites the Greenville, S.C. native with that album’s producer, the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. The Grammy-nominated El Dorado became King’s first No. 1 on Billboard’s Blues Albums chart, spending six weeks at the summit. Three previous collections reached No. 2.

The first song King co-wrote for the album was wide-open rocker “Blood on the Tracks” (he was unaware of the classic Bob Dylan album with the same title) with Auerbach and iconic songwriter Desmond Child, co-author of such hits as Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On a Prayer” and Aerosmith’s “Dude (Looks Like A Lady).”

“[Dan and I] talked about making a big rock and roll record, something that was sonically really booming — but we wanted some hit caliber kind of material, stuff that we can really be proud to sign our name to at the bottom. Dan brought Desmond in and his energy is almost as big as the studio we were writing in,” King says. “He’s so unapologetically himself. I just really love that about the guy. He only got frustrated with me because I was clicking my pen because I fidget a lot and I lost my pen privileges. He took my pen away from me.”

Though he was in a bad place through much of the recording, King says he had learned to mask his pain, and blames no one for not stepping in to help. “You know how cats when they feel their time has come, they kind of go off and [die] in their own privacy?” he asks rhetorically, adding that he and his fiancé had adopted two rescue cats the day before. “I’ve always kind of been like that with my depression and dark thoughts. So I don’t think it was anyone’s lack of caring — I think it was my lack of sharing that was keeping people from intervening more.”

The album is King’s first for American Records/Republic, a move that came about after American Records owner and legendary producer Rick Rubin reached out to the artist in 2019 about a publishing deal. “It’s one of those situations where you get so nervous for a phone call that you put your shoes on for some reason,” he says. “I’ve only done that twice. That was when I was expecting Rick’s call, and when I called my father-in-law to ask for permission to ask his daughter to marry me. I was so nervous I put my boots and a belt on, like I’m going off somewhere.”

After he got over his nerves, King says he and Rubin “connected right away. He’s a soulful and beautiful human being.” He signed with Rubin’s publishing company, and when it came time to look for a new record deal a few years later, “Rick threw his hat in the ring,” he says. “That really meant a lot to me. I love the fact that I can speak to Rick directly.”

Through American’s partnership with Republic, King is getting a significant radio push. He previously charted three songs on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart — with 2020’s “The Well” reaching No. 12. (“Hard Working Man” from Young Blood peaked at No. 25.) “I think a radio hit would be just really validating and really wonderful,” King says, “But I think more about the live show.”

On stage is where King lives and where he has built his faithful following. Next month he’ll start a theater tour that includes multiple nights at New York’s Beacon Theater and Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. “The fans are Marcus King fans — they love the band, and that’s what’s important,” he says. “They don’t love us for one song or one sound. They come out and support us even if some nights we want to be a little more experimental and play less of the tunes that they may recognize.”

The set list may change but King’s show ritual does not. He never goes on stage without his “lucky” Zippo in his pocket and his “lucky” turquoise ring he’s worn since he was 11. “Those are a couple superstitious things,” he says. “Those two minutes before I walk on stage are the most terrifying for me. That’s where the stage fright hits me — and that’s why the nerves hit and I get the knots in my stomach. But as soon as I walk out when the lights come on, that’s when it’s time to show up. Once I get out there, it dissipates quickly.”

While he’s looking forward to playing Young Blood’s songs live and reaching “that transcendental state so I can really give the audience every part of myself,” some of the demos are tough for him to listen to, because of the anguish they recall. “The demo for ‘Rescue Me’ I never want to hear again,” he says. “But maybe it might be important for other people to hear someday because there’s no life in my vocals. I sound like a shell of who I am now. But to be able to relive those stories every night, it’s a blessing. It’s also a fair reminder to really be thankful for where you’re at when you sing about where you’ve been.”

King sounds and talks very much like an old soul — and given his musical touchstones, it’s tempting to think that he should have been born in an earlier time. It’s a notion he once believed himself.

“I felt like that before, when I was a bit younger,” he says. “But, you know, it’s a pretty tumultuous time in the world right now. So I think maybe I was born right when I needed to be.”

The MTV Video Music Awards’ Video Vanguard Award is widely regarded as the most prestigious honor that music video creatives and musicians can win from the organization.

It’s also, however, one of the most storied and controversial awards in the business. Since being introduced at the very first VMAs in 1984 (during which The Beatles and David Bowie both won it), the Video Vanguard Award has experienced several name changes and sporadic periods in which years went by without it being awarded to anyone at all.

Whether directly or indirectly, this is due to the award’s name being changed in 1991 to the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award — just three years after the King of Pop himself won it in ’88. In 2003, though, Jackson went under investigation by the L.A. Department of Child and Family services regarding suspicions he’d sexually abused children at his California “Neverland” Ranch.

The Vanguard — a gold-plated Moonman statue as opposed to the silver trophies awarded in all other categories — was presented that same year to Duran Duran, but under the title of “Lifetime Achievement Award.” Jackson, meanwhile, was later charged with seven counts of child molestation and went to trial, at the end of which he was found not guilty in June 2005.

In 2006, the Vanguard was simply referred to by MTV as the Video Vanguard Award when it was given to Hype Williams. And during the following five years, nobody won it — until Britney Spears did in 2011, around two years after Jackson’s death. The VMAs restored his name to the award that year in his honor, and it remained the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award until 2019 — when the abuse allegations against him were freshly brought to light in the documentary Leaving Neverland.

The VMAs still gave the award under Jackson’s name to Missy Elliott after the documentary’s release, but then went again without presenting it at all until 2022. In the initial announcement naming Nicki Minaj the year’s winner, Jackson’s name was included in the award’s title.

But no matter what it’s been called or when it has or hasn’t been given out over the years, the Vanguard’s purpose has remained the same: to recognize artists for their “outstanding contributions and profound impact on music video and popular culture.” From 1984 to 2022, from The Beatles and Bowie to Nicki Minaj — who’s set to receive this year’s trophy — keep reading to see the complete list of everyone who’s won MTV’s Video Vanguard Award.

Drew Barrymore can’t get enough of “Hold Me Closer,” Britney Spears‘ new collaboration with Elton John, and the Princess of Pop couldn’t be more grateful.

First, the host of The Drew Barrymore Show posted a video of herself geeking out over the song via Instagram on Friday (Aug. 26), writing, “Hold Me Closer” is out today and it’s already #1 in 33 countries!! Britney Spears & @eltonjohn,” with a red heart emoji.

But the ever-enthusiastic actress didn’t stop there. She also sent a personal shout-out to Spears in the form of an ecstatic video message courtesy of TMZ celebrating her first proper single since the release of 2016’s Glory. “F— yes, f— yes, f— yeeeeesss! Couldn’t send it in a text ’cause it’s too f—in’ important! Number one in thirty-three countries!” she cheered in gleeful sing-song before letting out a high-pitched shriek of joy.

Upon receiving the ecstatic message, Spears was quick to keep the back-and-forth going, telling her pal, “Hello crazy, sexy woman. I really needed to hear that this morning. I’m kind of proud too. I’m excited! Don’t tell anybody. Anyways, when are me and you gonna get together and have our own individual cool sexy mama picture? OK? I miss you and thank you so much for sending me that, that was brilliant. I love you, bye.”

Back in June, Barrymore was one of the lucky few celebs invited to Spears’ intimate wedding to Sam Asghari, along with friends like Paris Hilton, Madonna, Donatella Versace and Selena Gomez. After the wedding, Barrymore compared the event to her 1998 film Ever After, writing on Instagram: “What I learned from Ever After is that we must rescue ourselves and yet still want the fairy tale. And that’s exactly what Britney did! I couldn’t be happier for her intrepid journey !!!!!!!”

Watch Barrymore’s sweet reactions to “Hold Me Closer,” as well as Britney’s response, below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Drew Barrymore (@drewbarrymore)

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The MTV VMAs are back with a star-studded lineup of presenters, performers and honorees. Returning to New Jersey’s Prudential Center and airing live on MTV on Sunday (Aug. 28), the show will be emceed by Nicki Minaj, Jack Harlow and LL Cool J.

See below for everything you need to know about the 2022 VMAs, including broadcast information, how to watch online, performers and more.

When Are the 2022 MTV VMAs?

The VMAs will be airing live from the Prudential Center on Sunday, Aug. 28, at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on MTV.

The show will also be simulcast on CMT, Comedy Central, Logo, BET, BET Her, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, Pop, TV Land, VH1 and the CW.

How to Watch the 2022 MTV VMAs Online

Online viewers can stream MTV on Sling TV, DirecTV Stream, Philo and fuboTV. The streaming platforms offer free trials and discounted pricing, plus you’ll get instant access to MTV so you can watch the 2022 VMAs live or on-demand from your TV or stream the VMAs from your laptop, tablet or phone.

The VMAs will also be available to stream on Paramount+ the day after, on Monday, Aug. 29. If you don’t have a Paramount+ account, the streaming service offers a seven-day free trial for new customers, which allows you to watch the VMAs for free online the same day. After your first week, Paramount+ costs $4.99 a month for its Essential plan.

The monthly Essential plan does include ads, but you can pay $9.99 for Paramount+’s Premium package, which also includes a seven-day free trial and is mostly ad-free. Both plans include access to stream the MTV VMAs for free online as many times as you want, plus access to Paramount+ exclusives, CBS shows, live news and NFL games.

You can also subscribe to Paramount+ through Prime Video (streaming from outside of the U.S.? Try ExpressVPN or NordVPN).

Who Is Performing and Presenting at the 2022 MTV VMAs?

Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, Nicki Minaj, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack Harlow, Lizzo, Måneskin, Kane Brown, Anitta, Panic! at the Disco, Snoop Dogg and Eminem are all set to perform at the VMAs this weekend.

The list presenters for the 2022 VMAs include Avril Lavigne, Bebe Rexha, Becky G, Ashley Graham, Billy Eichner, Lili Reinhart, Chlöe Bailey, Dixie D’Amelio, DJ Khaled, Dove Cameron, Joel Madden, Latto, and Offset.