We'll be seeing a lot of the actress, Anne Hathaway over the next couple of weeks. First she will be seen on the big screen in "Mother Mary" from writer/director, David Lowery on April 24th. In this psychological-drama musical, Hathaway plays a pop singer called Mother Mary who reunites with her estranged best friend and former costume designer (played by Michaela Coel) on the eve of her comeback performance. The original songs in the film will be available on a soundtrack album, "Mother Mary: Greatest Hits" set for release on April 17th. Hathaway is performing the songs and a couple of the tracks have been released. "Burial" (written by Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX) delivers a "Lady Gaga" vibe while "My Mouth Is Lonely For You" feels like a "FKA Twigs" track and it should since it was co-written by the artist (who makes a screen appearance in "Mother Mary").
Then on May 1st, the long awaited sequel to the 2006 high-fashion comedy, "The Devil Wears Prada" hits theaters worldwide with Hathaway reprising her role as Andrea Sachs along with Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci and Meryl Streep as fashion editor, Miranda Priestly. An original song for the movie's soundtrack, "Runway" teams up Lady Gaga and Doechii for a euphoric house music song. Andrew Watt, Bruno Mars, Cirkut and D'Mile all co-wrote and produced this track.
The alternative R&B artist, Kelela makes her highly anticipated return after three years with "idea 1" who co-wrote and produced the track with PinkPantheress; Kehlani, who won two Grammy awards this year for her smash r&b single, "Folded", is back with new music delivering "Back and Forth" that features Missy Elliott; Saint Harison, the Brit singer/songwriter, has released a soulful ballad, "Stuck" from his upcoming EP, "Ghost"; another British act trying to gain some traction in the US is Flo, a classic girl hip-hop/soul group, that has dropped the lead single, "Leak It" from their upcoming second album
And I will close by paying tribute to the passing of two artists: Dash Crofts, one half of the the soft rock duo, Seals & Crofts, passed away on March 26th at the age of eighty-seven. Born Darrell George Crofts in Cisco, Texas, he got his nickname "Dash" when he was a baby. Crofts first started playing the piano as child before switching to the drums as a teenager. In high school, he played in a band where he met the saxophone player, Jim Seals. The two decided to try their luck as professional musicians by moving to Southern California in 1958. They briefly joined a rock band, the Champs before Crofts was drafted and spent two years with the Army. By 1969, they started recording under "Seals & Crofts" and by their second album, "Summer Breeze" with the title track becoming a top-ten pop hit in 1972, the duo had a string of popular songs. Seals (who died in 2022) and Crofts would part ways as an act in 1983 but would reunite for a concert tour in 1991 to 1992 and again in 2004 after the duo recorded their first new album since 1980 and also final recording together, "Traces".
And one of the pioneers that would greatly influence hip-hop culture,Afrika Bambaataa has passed away on April 9th. The Bronx native, who was was an originator of breakbeat DJing, died from complications of from prostate cancer and was sixty-eight. Born Lance Taylor, he was exposed to the ideologies of the Black Liberation Movement through his parents as a teen as well as the sounds of their eclectic record collection. After wining an essay contest that earned him a trip to Africa, Taylor was inspired by the sense of community while he was there and determined create one in his own neighborhood. Adopting the name, "Afrika Bambaataa Aasim", he set about creating the "Bronx River Organization" which was a positive alternative to the street gangs that infiltrated the Bronx and that he had once been affiliated. Bambaataa soon turned his attention to music after hosting several block parties and forming the Universal Zulu Nation which brought together socially and politically aware rappers and graffiti artists. Inspired by the emerging electronic music scene, he released "Planet Rock" in 1982 with the Soul Sonic Force that merged electro beats and hip-hop. The single, produced by Arthur Baker, reached the top five on the US R&B and Dance charts.
The nominees have been announced for the 2025 Grammy Awards with Kendrick Lamar leading the nominations with nine, including Record, Song and Album of the Year, for his album, "GNX". The rest of the Album of the Year nominees include Lady Gaga, also one of the most nominated artists for Grammys with seven for her recent studio album "Mayhem"; the Latin music superstar, Bad Bunny is up for three awards in the top categories for his latest album, "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" and a total of six nominations; Sabrina Carpenter also received six nominations for her album, "Man"s Best Friend" as well as fellow actor/musician Leon Thomas for his second studio album, "Mutt"; Justin Bieber has been recognized for his recent pop-soul collection, "Swag"; "Chromakopia", the album from alt-hip-hop artist, Tyler, The Creator, has a total of five nominations and the hip-hop duo, Clispe has been recognized for their fourth recording collaboration, "Let God Sort Em Out".
This year sees the introduction by The Recording Academy of two new categories: Best Album Cover and Best Traditional Country Album. While honoring album cover art seems long overdue, the splitting of the country music album category from "traditional" and "contemporary" seems to be as a direct result of Beyoncé's win in this category last year for her alt-country work, "Cowboy Carter", clearly disturbing some members of the Academy. However from the look of the nominees in these categories it appears to be very arbitrary on the selections with no obvious reasoning on the distinction of what makes an artist modern or traditional country.
The 68th annual Grammy Awards will be revealed on Sunday, February 1, 2026 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. CBS will air the award show and stream it live on Paramount+.
Here is a partial list of the nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards:
Album Of The Year:
"Debí Tirar Más Fotos" – Bad Bunny
"Swag" – Justin Bieber
"Man’s Best Friend" – Sabrina Carpenter
"Let God Sort Em Out" – Clipse
"Mayhem" – Lady Gaga
"GNX" – Kendrick Lamar
"Mutt" – Leon Thomas
"Chromakopia" – Tyler, The Creator
Record Of The Year:
"Debí Tirar Más Fotos" – Bad Bunny
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Anxiety” – Doechii
“Wild Flower” – Billie Eilish
“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga
“Luther” – Kendrick Lamar with SZA
“The Subway” – Chappell Roan
“Apt” – Rosé and Bruno Mars
Song Of The Year:
“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga (Songwriters: Lady Gaga, Henry Walter and Andrew Watt)
“Anxiety” – Doechii (Songwriter: Jaylah Hickmon)
“Apt” – Rosé and Bruno Mars (Songwriters: Amy Allen, Christopher Brody Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Omer Fedi, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Chae Young Park, Theron Thomas and Henry Walter)
“Debí Tirar Más Fotos” – Bad Bunny (Songwriters: Marco Daniel Borrero, Scott Dittrich, Benjamin Falik, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Hugo René Sención Sanabria, Tyler Thomas Spry and Roberto José Rosado Torres)
“Golden” – Huntr/x: (Songwriters: Ejae and Mark Sonnenblick)
“Luther” – Kendrick Lamar with SZA (Songwriters: Jack Antonof, Roswita Larisha Bacha, Matthew Bernard, Scott Bridgeway, Sam Dew, Ink, Kendrick Lamar, Solána Rowe, Mark Anthony Spears and Kamasi Washington)
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter (Songwriters: Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff and Sabrina Carpenter)
“Wildflower” – Billie Eilish (Songwriters: Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell)
Best New Artist:
Olivia Dean
Katseye
The Marias
Addison Rae
Sombr
Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
Lola Young
Best Pop Vocal Album:
"Swag" – Justin Bieber
"Man’s Best Friend" – Sabrina Carpenter
"Something Beautiful" – Miley Cyrus
"Mayhem" – Lady Gaga
"I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy" (Part 2) – Teddy Swims
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:
"Wintersongs" - Laila Biali
"The Gift Of Love" - Jennifer Hudson
"Who Believes In Angels?" - Elton John & Brandi Carlile
"Harlequin" - Lady Gaga
"A Matter Of Time" - Laufey
"The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume 2" - Barbra Streisand
Best Pop Solo Performance:
“Daisies” – Justin Bieber
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Disease” – Lady Gaga
“The Subway” – Chappell Roan
“Messy” – Lola Young
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
“Defying Gravity” – Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
“Golden” – HUNTR/X
“Gabriela” – KATSEYE
“APT.” – ROSÉ, Bruno Mars
“30 For 30” – SZA With Kendrick Lamar
"EUSEXUA" - FKA twigs
"Ten Days" - Fred again..
"Fancy That" - PinkPantheress
"Inhale/Exhale" - RÜFÜS DU SOL
"F— U SKRILLEX YOU THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT UR NOT!!" - Skrillex
Best R&B Album:
"BELOVED" - GIVĒON
"Why Not More?" - Coco Jones
"The Crown" - Ledisi
"Escape Room" - Teyana Taylor
"MUTT" - Leon Thomas
Best Progressive R&B Album:
"BLOOM" - Durand Bernarr
"Adjust Brightness" - Bilal
"LOVE ON DIGITAL" - Destin Conrad
"Access All Areas" - FLO
"Come As You Are" - Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon
Best R&B Performance:
“YUKON” – Justin Bieber
“It Depends” – Chris Brown Featuring Bryson Tiller
“Folded” – Kehlani
“MUTT (Live From NPR’s Tiny Desk)” – Leon Thomas
“Heart Of A Woman” – Summer Walker
Best Rap Album:
"Let God Sort Em Out" – Clipse
"GLORIOUS" – GloRilla
"God Does Like Ugly" – JID
"GNX" – Kendrick Lamar
"Chromakopia" – Tyler, The Creator
"SABLE, fABLE" – Bon Iver
"Songs Of A Lost World" – The Cure
"DON’T TAP THE GLASS" – Tyler, The Creator
"moisturizer" – Wet Leg
"Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party" – Hayley Williams
Best Traditional Country Album:
"Dollar A Day" – Charley Crockket
"American Romance" – Lukas Nelson
"Oh What a Beautiful World" – Willie Nelson
"Hard Headed Woman" – Margo Price
"Ain’t In It for My Health" – Zach Top
Best Contemporary Country Album:
"Patterns" – Kelsea Ballerini
"Snipe Hunter" – Tyler Childers
"Evangeline vs. The Machine" – Eric Church
"Beautifully Broken" – Jelly Roll
"Postcards from Texas" – Miranda Lambert
Best Country Solo Performance:
“Nose On The Grindstone” – Tyler Childers
“Good News” – Shaboozey
“Bad As I Used To Be” – Chris Stapleton
“I Never Lie” – Zach Top
“Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson
Best Country Duo/Group Performance:
"A Song To Sing" - Miranda Lambert And Chris Stapleton
"Trailblazer" - Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert and Lainey Wilson
"Love Me Like You Used To Do" - Margo Price & Tyler Childers
"Amen" - Shaboozey & Jelly Roll
"Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame" - George Strait & Chris Stapleton
Best Americana Album:
"Big Money" – Jon Batiste
"Bloom" – Larkin Poe
"Last Leaf On The Tree" – Willie Nelson
"So Long Little Miss Sunshine" – Molly Tuttle
"Middle" – Jesse Welles
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television):
"How To Train Your Dragon" – John Powell, composer
"Severance: Season 2" – Theodore Shapiro, composer
"Sinners" – Ludwig Göransson, composer
"Wicked" – John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, composers
"The Wild Robot" – Kris Bowers, composer
Best Album Cover:
"Chromakopia" - Shaun Llewellyn & Luis “Panch” Perez, art directors (Tyler, The Creator)
"The Crux" - William Wesley II, art director (Djo)
"Debí Tirar Más Fotos" - Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, art director (Bad Bunny)
"Glory" - Cody Critcheloe & Andrew J.S., art directors (Perfume Genius)
"moisturizer" - Hester Chambers, Ellis Durand, Henry Holmes, Matt de Jong, Jamie-James Medina, Joshua Mobaraki & Rhian Teasdale, art directors (Wet Leg)
Songwriter Of The Year (Non-Classical):
Amy Allen
Jessie Jo Dillon
Edgar Barrera
Tobias Jesso Jr.
Tyler, The Creator has brought an eccentric vision and innovative sound to hip-hop since his debut solo album back in 2009. Now with his ninth studio album, "Don't Tap The Glass", The Creator (born Tyler Okonma) has continued to push the sonic boundaries of what is considered hip-hop. Recorded during his Chromakopia: The World Tour that began earlier this year and the shortest album (at twenty-eight minutes) of his career, Tyler has delivered an unpredictable collection that boldly fuses house, techno and funk in exciting and colorful ways. Two singles have been dropped to support the album: "Sugar On My Tongue" is an electro-beat driven tune describing how tasty his lady is to him. While "Ring Ring Ring" is a blast of techno-funk that has him calling his lover who he misses, desperately hoping she'll answer.
Here is a round-up of new songs that is on my playlist: Sabrina Carpenter's follow-up album, "Man's Best Friend" is out now and the latest single, "Tears" is a disco-pop track with the video featuring actor, Colman Domingo in drag; After co-writing several songs for Gracie Abrams, Audrey Hobert has just released her debut single, "Sue Me"; Former American Idol contestant, Johnny Keyser, who now goes by John K, has continued his career in music with his recent third studio album, "Salt + Light" and the single, "Never Been in Love"; singer/actress, Reneé Rapp has delivered a soulful kiss-off with a live version of "I Think I like You Better When You're Gone" from her second studio album, "Bite Me"; r&b vocalist, Kehlani has a new single, "Folded" which asks a lover to reconsider after they're hasty break-up and Doja Cat has returned with an '80's inspired dance track, "Jealous Type" which is co-written and produced by Y2K and Jack Antonoff.
And a new single from Lady Gaga, "The Dead Dance" has been released. This pulsing synth-pop song is part of the soundtrack for the second season of "Wednesday" with the singer making an appearance on the supernatural comedy show based on the character in "The Addams Family". Tim Burton directs the black & white music video for "The Dead Dance" which features Gaga, in an eerie gothic setting, as a cracked porcelain doll that comes to life.
Lady Gaga has made her little monsters very happy with the release of her latest studio album, "Mayhem". After her venture into cinema power-ballads and jazz standards, Gaga has returned to her pop music roots, recapturing the dark-edged, dance vibe from her debut seventeen years ago.
With long-time co-creator, Andrew Watt and more recent collaborators, Cirkut and French DJ, Gesaffelstein, Gaga explores subjects that she touched as a aspiring musician on with her first album; drugs, sex and the dance floor. But now as a more mature and established artist, she returns to these ideas with a seasoned yet far from jaded attitude. We have her relationship with fame, still sweating on the dance floor, sly tributes to some of her early musical inspirations and influences (like the Cure, Yaz, Blondie, David Bowie, and Prince) and finally finding true love. Much like the title, "Mayhem" is a chaotic and messy collection and that's exactly what we love from Gaga.
This past Saturday, Gaga was the host and musical guest on "SNL" where she had the opportunity to display her gifts as an all-around entertainer. Here are a few of my favorite tracks from the album:
While music was the main focus of the 67th annual Grammy Awards, the wildfires that recently devastated the Los Angeles area was a top priority for the ceremony. Throughout the show, fundraising was being done for the California Fire Relief Fund, asking for donations to help. The evening began with the band, Dawes, an LA based, folk rock duo who lost their homes and recording studio in the fires, performing a version of Randy Newman's "I Love LA" with an all-star backing band that included John Legend, St. Vincent, Sheryl Crow, Brad Paisley and Brittany Howard. Later in the show, Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga paid tribute to Los Angeles with their take on the Mamas and the Papas' "California Dreaming". Comedian, Trevor Noah returned for the fifth consecutive time to serve as host and continued to deliver a feel-good mood and light humor to the show.
As it has been stated before on previous Grammys, some of the highlights on the show were moments you would not see anywhere else. Surprisingly for the very first time, all the nominees for Best New Artist performed live on the show with the psychedelic rock trio, Khruangbin, pop vocalists, Benson Boone, Raye and Teddy Swims, hip-hop country artist, Shaboozey and rising rapper, Doechii (who put on an amazing set and won Best Rap Album, for her mixtape, "Alligator Bites Never Heal" earlier), with each displaying exactly why they were nominated. Fellow nominees in this category, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan had their own big production showcases as they were two of the biggest acts from last year. And Charli XCX brought the rave scene to the Grammys with a kinetic performance of "Von Dutch" and "Guess".
A starry tribute to the late Quincy Jones, who passed away last year at ninety-one, with Will Smith providing commentary of the legendary producer who began in jazz and expanded to pop music with Cynthia Erivo along with Herbie Hancock doing a sensational version of "Fly Me To the Moon"; country singer, Lainey Wilson and jazz musician, Jacob Collier teamed up to perform the jump blues number, "Let the Good Times Roll"; Stevie Wonder played harmonica accompanied by Hancock on "Bluesette" and leads a version of "We Are The World" with backing by Los Angeles students who lost their school in the fires and Janelle Monáe throwing down with a thrilling version of Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".
The Recording Academy President, Harvey Mason Jr. came out to speak on the changes the Grammys have done to diversify and expand the group after The Weeknd had publicly criticized the awards for the lack of transparency in the award selection process and stated he would boycott the ceremony. And to prove that he accepted the efforts made to improve the Grammys, The Weeknd came out to perform his new song, "Cry For Me", followed by "Timeless" along with rapper Playboi Carti.
Female artists dominated the nominations this year so it's no surprise that they walked away with a majority of awards handed out. And it was these musicians that made some important and memorable statements about the vulnerable and marginalized during their moment in the spotlight. During her acceptance speech for winning Best New Artist, Chappell Roan took the opportunity to call out record labels to support developing artists with livable wages and health care, explaining the struggles she went through having no skills to fall back on after being dropped from her label. Lady Gaga continued her unwavering support of the trans community when she received Best Pop Duo or Group with Bruno Mars. Alicia Keys was the recipient of this year's Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, delivering a moving speech that drove home the point of the importance of female creatives being recognized for their contributions (and name checked several) and to fight back against shutting down the diversity in music, proclaiming rightly that DEI is not a threat but a gift.
The only male artist who received a major award was Kendrick Lamar for his popular diss track targeting his former friend, Canadian rapper Drake, "Not Like Us" who took home Song of the Year and Record of the Year and winning a total of fiveGrammys.
And Beyoncé, presented by members of the Los Angeles Fire Department, finally received Album of the Year for her country music concept album, "Cowboy Carter". After being snubbed by the Country Music Association, she was visibly stunned to receive the Best Country Album award earlier in the evening. So by the time of the final award of the night, Beyoncé, who became only the fourth Black female to receive this prize, appeared to be a bit overwhelmed yet managed to thank the fire fighters, acknowledge one of the first yet slighted African-American country singers, Linda Martell, slyly implying that the prize was long overdue and encouraged artists to keep pushing forward. And while I wouldn't say that "Cowboy Carter" was my favorite out of her eight solo studio albums to date, Beyoncé continues to boldly experiment, not willing to settle for the expected and unafraid to be a little weird. This alone makes "Cowboy Carter" the album of the year.
Here is a partial list of the winners from the 2025 Grammys:
Album of the Year: "Cowboy Carter" – Beyoncé
Record of the Year: "Not Like Us" — Kendrick Lamar
Song of the Year: "Not Like Us" – Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)
Best New Artist: Chappell Roan
Best Pop Vocal Album: "Short n' Sweet" — Sabrina Carpenter
Best Pop Solo Performance: "Espresso" — Sabrina Carpenter
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: "Die with a Smile" by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "Visions" — Norah Jones
Best Dance/Electronic Album: "Brat" — Charli XCX
Best Dance/Electronic Recording: "Neverender" — Justice & Tame Impala
Best Dance Pop Recording: "Von Dutch" — Charli XCX
Best Rap Album: "Alligator Bites Never Heal" — Doechii
Best Rap Performance: "Not Like Us" — Kendrick Lamar
Best Melodic Rap Performance: "3" — Rapsody Featuring Erykah Badu
Best Rap Song: "Not Like Us" — Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)
Best R&B Album: "11:11 (Deluxe)" — Chris Brown
Best Progressive R&B Album: "So Glad to Know You" — Avery*Sunshine and "Why Lawd?" — NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge) (Tie)
Best R&B Performance: "Made For Me (Live On BET)" — Muni Long
Best Traditional R&B Performance: "That's You" — Lucky Daye
Best R&B Song: "Saturn" — Rob Bisel, Cian Ducrot, Carter Lang, Solána Rowe, Jared Solomon & Scott Zhang, songwriters (SZA)
Best Rock Album: "Hackney Diamonds" — The Rolling Stones
Best Rock Performance: "Now and Then" — The Beatles
Best Rock Song: "Broken Man" — Annie Clark, songwriter (St. Vincent)
Best Alternative Music Album: "All Born Screaming" — St. Vincent
Best Alternative Music Performance: "Flea" — St. Vincent
Best Gospel Album: "More Than This" — CeCe Winans
Best Country Album: "Cowboy Carter" — Beyoncé
Best Country Solo Performance: "It Takes A Woman" — Chris Stapleton
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: "II MOST WANTED" — Beyoncé Featuring Miley Cyrus
Best Country Song: "The Architect" — Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
Best Latin Pop Album: "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran" — Shakira
Best Jazz Album: "A Joyful Holiday" — Samara Joy
Best Comedy Album: "The Dreamer" — Dave Chappelle
Best Musical Theater Album: "Hell’s Kitchen (Original Broadway Cast)"
Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording: "Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration" — Jimmy Carter
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media: "Maestro: Music By Leonard Bernstein"
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television): "Dune: Part Two" — Hans Zimmer, composer
Best Song Written For Visual Media: "It Never Went Away" [From "American Symphony"] — Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Jon Batiste)
Best Music Video: "Not Like Us" — Kendrick Lamar
Best Music Film: "American Symphony"
Songwriter of the Year (Non-Classical): Amy Allen
Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical): Daniel Nigro
We know that pop music royalty, Lady Gaga has been actively continuing her acting path with a role in "Joker: Folie à Deux", the upcoming sequel to the 2019 Oscar-winning comic-book based film, "Joker", playing Harleen Quinzel, the love interest to the notorious Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) where they are both patients at Arkham State Hospital. Their feelings are expressed through musical numbers performed throughout while the followers of the deranged Fleck attempt to break him out.
But what was unexpected was a companion album from Gaga, "Harlequin" that was just released and features songs performed in the movie. There are Gaga versions of Hollywood musical showtunes ("Good Morning", "That's Entertainment", "If My Friends Could See Me Now") and classic pop songs ("Get Happy", "That's Life", "Close To You"). The record also features two original tracks; "Happy Mistake" and "Folie à Deux" written by the singer and inspired by her character. But Gaga has also made clear that her next studio album is still on the horizon.
"Joker: Folie à Deux" is due in US theaters on October 4, 2024
Two musical artists that has been largely out of sight and greatly missed are Lady Gaga whose last album was released four years ago although she has been busy lately making movies and made a recent appearance performing in French in a musical number during the opening ceremony of this year's Olympics. And the last time we heard from Bruno Mars was with his collaboration with rapper, Anderson .Paak as a retro soul act, Silk Sonic about three years ago.
Now these two pop music superstars have come together to release a new song, "Die With a Smile". This guitar-driven soft rock track is about dying happily as long as you have the one you love in your arms, with the song charged by the powerful, soulful vocals that each is known to deliver. The music video for "Die With a Smile" (directed by Mars and Daniel Ramos) features Gaga and Mars playing characters of a lounge act in matching suits performing the song in a television studio set with manequins as audience members. Both of these artists are rumored to have new albums on the horizon and this might mean we should be seeing them out very soon.
Lady Gaga had released her sixth studio album, "Chromatica" in May 2020, which also happened to be right in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. At the time, it didn't seem like a great plan since she was unable to properly promote or tour for the album. But this record proved to be very helpful during this stressful period of time, offering pulsating dance grooves with the song lyrics providing some much needed themes of unshakable optimism and a pursuit of healing. Gaga was finally able to hit the road two years later with the Chromatica Ball, a twenty-date, all-stadium concert tour that took her across the globe.
Now "Gaga Chromatica Ball", the concert recorded during the stop in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium, has premiered on HBO and MAX on May 25th. This filmed live show covers the entire two hour concert with visual interludes directed by Nick Knight. I have to say I'm surprised that "Chromatica Ball" bypassed the possibility of a theatrical release, especially since Gaga has just of a rabid fan base like Swift and Beyoncé who I'm certain would have turned out to pay to see this performance on the big screen. Anyway at the end of the program, there is a plug announcing that new music from Gaga is on the way.
CYNDI LAUPER
With her thrift store attire and neon colored hair with one side of her scalp shaved off, most people didn't know what to make of Cyndi Lauper when she first appeared in the music scene. But once she revealed that formidable voice with her 1983 debut album, "Girls Just want To Have Fun", Lauper would become greatly admired for her style and talent.
Since the success of the dance-punk title track (which has since gone on to become a girl-power anthem) and the follow-up single, "Time After Time", a moving ballad that became her first number one hit, Lauper has continued to astonish with not only her music but even some acting appearances, winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series in 1995 and a Tony Award for writing the original score for the musical, "Kinky Boots".
The now seventy year old artist is the focus of a new documentary, "Let the Canary Sing" from filmmaker, Alison Ellwood that began airing on Paramount+ on June 4th. The film explores her emerging from a scrappy New York performer to a quirky pop music star to an outspoken activist who has been a long-time ally to the LGBTQ+ communities, aggressively pushing for greater inclusion and acceptance.
Lauper has just announced she's about to embark on The Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour to begin this fall, stating she wanted to properly thank her fans for sticking by her all these years while still in good shape.
KYLIE MINOGUE
Kylie Minogue has been a major worldwide pop star since the late '80's who has gone on to sell well over eighty million records. But it's taken until last year with her dance hit, "Padam Padam" for Minogue to be truly appreciated here in the US with the Australian singer winning her first Grammy Award for the song. To help celebrate Pride month, you will be able to catch the live concert special, "An Audience With Kylie" on Hulu beginning on June 5th. This show was performed at the legendary Royal Albert Hall in London back in December, with an audience that included some star-studded attendees, where she performed her greatest hits and songs from her latest album, "Tension". Here is a clip of Minogue performing live from the program one of my all-time favorites from her, "Love At First Sight".
And Minogue is also featured on the just released single from the masked country artist, Orville Peck. Slightly changing musical directions, Peck has also brought in dance music DJ, Diplo on the track, "Midnight Ride" a dance song that still has some twang, which will be featured on his upcoming duets album, "Stampede". The single made it's premiere live by Peck and Minogue during her set at Outloud Festival at WeHo Pride last weekend.
After showing off his acting chops in the widely watched yet much maligned HBO series, "The Idol" where he played the creative director for one of the biggest pop acts in the world, Australian pop star, Troye Sivan has returned to his own music career. "Rush" is a breezy, feel good dance track that brings to mind the sounds of 1980’s Pet Shop Boys. Sivan admits this song was partly inspired by that feeling that comes from inhaling poppers which a popular brand is called Rush. This is the first single off of Sivan's upcoming third album, "Something to Give Each Other", due out in October, which he promises will be a celebration of sexy, good times.
Here are some songs I'm into right now including Fall Out Boy's lyrical update of the 1989 Billy Joel classic, "We Didn't Start The Fire":
The actress and singer, Jane Birkin has passed away on July 16th at the age of seventy-six. While she was British born and raised, Birkin first found fame in France after meeting French musician, Serge Gainsbourg in 1968 while they were shooting a film. They fell in love and the couple recorded an album the following year, "Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg" which featured, "Je t'aime… moi non plus", a controversial song at the time due to it’s sexual content. And while it was banned in some countries, the song (originally written by Gainsbourg for French actress, Brigitte Bardot) reached number one in Birkin's native country, the first foreign-language song to do so in the UK. Birkin would go on to record several solo albums (mostly written by Gainsbourg) before their relationship ended in 1980. She would continue to act, appearing in French and English language films such as "Don Juan, or If Don Juan Were a Woman", "La Belle Noiseuse", "Death on the Nile", "Evil Under the Sun" and "Jane by Charlotte" which was her final screen appearance in this 2021 docu-drama directed by Birkin's daughter, actress Charlotte Gainsbourg. And yes, that handbag by Hermès was created for her in 1984 and the Birkin bag has become a much coveted status symbol.
And finally, I would like to honor the legacy of the legendary crooner, Tony Bennett, who we lost on July 21st at the age of ninety-six. Since his first number-one hit, "Because of You" in 1951 and his popular, signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" in 1962, the New York born and raised vocalist kept the sounds of jazz and traditional pop alive and well, even when it fell out of favor. Bennett successfully found relevance again with the MTV Generation in the late 1980s and 1990s without ever having to alter his music. He teamed-up with many contemporary artists, most notably Lady Gaga, and Tony Bennett was cool once again. Here is a highlight of Bennett performing duets with some of his biggest fans: Judy Garland, k.d.Lang (who recorded an album with him, "A Wonderful World" in 2002), Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga (who recorded two albums with Bennett which included his final album, "Love For Sale" in 2021).
In a matter of days, one of these five songs will receive this year's Oscar for Best Original Song, an eclectic bunch of compositions that adds some real intrigue to this category. There are a couple of nominees that created music for two of the biggest box-office hits of 2022 who also happen to be two of today's greatest pop superstars. Lady Gaga contributed the '80's styled, power-ballad, "Hold My Hand" to the long-awaited sequel, "Top Gun: Maverick" which displayed Tom Cruise still has a need for speed. After a few years away from working on new music, Rihanna returned with a mournful ballad for the soundtrack to "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" with the director, Ryan Coogler also nominated for co-writing the song. The teaming of the idiosyncratic artists, David Byrne, Mitski and Ryan Lott of the band, Son Lux was the perfect combination to come up with, "This is a Life" for the absurdist comedy-fantasy, "Everything Everywhere All at Once". Lott along with bandmates, Ian Chang, and Rafiq Bhatia were also recognized for creating the original music score for the film. I'm still shocked that the only nomination that the epic Indian action drama, "RRR" received was for the song, "Naatu Naatu", a Telugu-language song that was used in the high-energy dance sequence which is one of many highlights in this movie. And Diane Warren received her fourteenth nomination for the ballad, "Applause" from the little-seen, anthology film, "Tell It like a Woman". I'm afraid to say Warren will probably have to continue enjoying the Honorary Oscar she received last year.
As for the winner, I think it could be Gaga's "Hold My Hand" if the Academy is feeling safe but the more adventurous "Naatu Naatu" would be the more thrilling selection. Here are the five nominated songs to hear and judge for yourself:
"Applause" from "Tell It like a Woman" - (Music and Lyric by Diane Warren)
"Hold My Hand" from "Top Gun: Maverick" - (Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga and BloodPop)
"Lift Me Up" from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" - (Music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; Lyric by Tems and Ryan Coogler)
"Naatu Naatu" from "RRR" - (Music by M.M. Keeravaani; Lyric by Chandrabose)
"This Is A Life" from "Everything Everywhere All at Once" - (Music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; Lyric by Ryan Lott and David Byrne)
It has been over thirty-five years since Tom Cruise appeared in the action-drama, "Top Gun" which helped turn him into a major movie-star. Now there is a very long awaited sequel on the horizon with "Top Gun: Maverick" finally due to reach theaters on May 27th after the pandemic delayed the release by two years. And an unlikely artist has contributed a love ballad for the soundtrack of the film: Lady Gaga. "Hold My Hand" (co-written and produced by Gaga and Bloodpop along with additional production assistance by Benjamin Rice) is a rock driven track that initially brings to mind a classic power ballad of the '80s yet this is undeniably an offbeat, emotionally powerful Lady Gaga song. The video drives the nostalgic vibe even further home with Gaga, in her version of military drag, performing the song while clips from the upcoming movie that show us the now-Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell today, are played.
Baz Luhrmann, the filmmaker behind the colorfully vibrant works, "Romeo + Juliet", "The Great Gatsby" and "Moulin Rouge!", is delivering a movie based on the life of the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley with "Elvis" which is due in theaters on June 24th. The movie doesn't appear to be your typical bio-pic and much like what he did with the soundtracks for his previous films, there will be contemporary artists performing classic songs by Presley and music inspired by the musician. One of the songs recently released is "Vegas" by Doja Cat. Using a sample of Big Mama Thornton's 1952 hit song, "Hound Dog" (which Presley would later cover in 1956 and make even more popular), Doja Cat delivers a rap/hip-hop flavored track that has her taking down a lover who proves not to be worth her time. This great tune makes me curious to hear what else that will be on this soundtrack.
There is no doubt that 2020 was a very challenging year. But thankfully we had music to help soothe us throughout these turbulent last twelve months. One of the highlights was the resurgence of dance music which has always brought joy and comfort during difficult times. This music was certainly important during the AIDS crisis and it's not surprising that dance is the direction that people gravitated towards this year, even though you couldn't get anywhere near a dance floor.
There were several great albums released; Lady Gaga's "Chromatica", Jessie Ware's "What's Your Pleasure", Dua Lipa's "Future Nostalgia", Charli XCX's quarantine-created album, "how i’m feeling now" and Kylie Minogue's aptly titled, "Disco" to name just a few that unabashedly made dance a central part of their sound.
Vulture has assembled twenty-one of the best dance songs from 2020 that looked back on classic disco for inspiration and delivered fresh, reflective sounds that briefly assisted in helping us forget about all of the troubles happening in the world.
The latest single from Lady Gaga's "Chromatica" is "911". The song deals with mental health issues and the medication, olanzapine to help them cope which the singer has to taken. The music video for the track (directed by filmmaker, Tarsem Singh) perfectly merges her love of offbeat imagery and elaborate, quirky costumes with acting performance which she has put on display successfully in the movie remake of "A Star Is Born".
It's hard to believe but the Welsh soul singer, Tom Jones turned eighty a few months ago in June. Since his breakout hit, "It's Not Unusual" in 1965, Jones has enjoyed worldwide success and acclaim with many popular songs like "What's New Pussycat", "Delilah" and "She's a Lady". And he's still quite active, serving as a coach on the British version of "The Voice" and making concert appearances. To celebrate this legendary singer, here is a very unusual live appearance I found of Jones performing his hit tune, "It's Not Unusual" amongst dancers in a cheesy, wild animal setting:
Marianne Faithfull, the British vocalist, has been in the news recently due to the disclosure that she has recovered from COVID-19. This is the latest of many health issues the seventy-three year old performer has suffered throughout her life. But one thing is certain; Faithfull is tough and a survivor. She began singing professionally in 1964 as a folk music performer in coffeehouses in London. Her first opportunity came when she met Andrew Loog Oldham, the manager of the Rolling Stones at a party for the band. He produced Faithfull's first hit record, "As Tears Go By" that he co-wrote with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Even though she was married and had a baby, she would leave her husband for Jagger. Faithfull would enjoy a successful music career, make a few films and experimented with drugs.
By the time her relationship with Jagger ended in 1970, she was a heroin addict and lost custody of her son. Faithfull lived on the streets for a couple of years before friends helped get her in to rehab. She would return to music but her voice, once sweet and melodic, was now weathered and raspy. She released "Broken English" in 1979, a collection of punk and new-wave songs, that became a welcome comeback and now considered a classic recording. Listen to the title track and watch Faithfull in action:
And to close this out, I will give you the quarantine version of the Go-Go's performing their classic hit, "We Got The Beat" live on the "Today" show on September 15th. These ladies still got it, rocking out together while isolated at home, and it's pure magic. Also be sure to check out their documentary, "The Go-Go's" on Showtime from filmmaker, Alison Ellwood which gives a balanced account of their wild and crazy times as the most successful all-female rock band of all time:
With the recent pairing of two superstar pop artists together on a song served to be the perfect distraction as we shelter-in-place, why not have another one? Lady Gaga, who had decided to delay the release of her sixth album, "Chromatica" until the fall over COVID-19 concerns but will now drop the record next week on May 29th, has partnered with Ariana Grande (fresh off her hit single with Justin Bieber) on her second single, "Rain On Me". This throbbing dance-floor jam (with production by Bloodpop and Burns) was inspired by conversations these performers had about trauma and difficult situations they had both experienced while being constantly in the public eye yet still appreciating all that they have accomplished. This empowering song will surely become a classic and the dynamic music video (directed by filmmaker, Robert Rodriguez) is wild, colorful and full of dancing bodies.
Lady Gaga, after spending a little time focusing on an acting career and achieving great success (which included an Oscar), has finally returned to her Little Monsters with new music. While it had leaked a few weeks ago, "Stupid Love" is now officially released with Gaga returning to the EDM-inspired sound that first brought her fame. Written with Bloodpop, Tchami and Max Martin, Gaga delivers a song with big vocals and throbbing beats that will get your feet a-moving.
While I would love to shout-out that this is a triumphant return by the singer, "Stupid Love" feels anti-climatic. Much like Taylor Swift's first single from her long-awaited new album last year, "Lover", Lady Gaga's new song features lyrics and a song structure that is far too simplified coming from an artist of her standing. Perhaps a few more listens might help me appreciate "Stupid Love" better yet that didn't change my feelings about Swift's "Me!". I'm still looking forward to see what else Gaga will come up with for her upcoming sixth studio album which appears it will be called "Chromatica"(with this title appearing at the end of the music video). And the clip (boldly announced to have been shot entirely on an iPhone 11 Pro by director, Daniel Askill) is set in a post apocalyptic, hyper-colored world with Gaga surrounded by young, multi-ethnic dancers who seemed to have wandered in from Burning Man.
With the Kevin Hart hosting scandal creating some unwanted attention to this year’s Oscars, the Academy have found themselves in another mess but this time it appears to be of their own making. A rumor surfaced that the telecast would only invite two of the five Best Original Song nominees to perform (with the two being the pop hits from Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga). The issue intensified when the Academy did not deny this was accurate which created swift backlash. Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeted to the Academy his unhappiness with this plan and reminded them the importance of hearing all of the nominees on the program. I agree completely with Mr Miranda that the songs have always been an enjoyable part of the Oscars and feel strongly that you should either invite all or no one. I think it’s rude and disrespectful to the nominees to be picking and choosing who gets to perform on the show.
But it seems the Academy have come to their senses (and apparently with a little nudge from Lady Gaga) and announced that all the five Original Songs will be performed live although in a shorter 90 second format. I’m not sure yet what is worse.
So that means we will see Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper recreating their moment in the movie, "A Star Is Born" with "Shallow"; Jennifer Hudson performing "I'll Fight", the theme song for the smash documentary, "RBG" about Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsberg which was written by Diane Warren who has received her tenth nomination in this category (and most likely to lose for the tenth time); David Rawlings and Gillian Welch, the writers of the song, "When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings" from the Coen Brothers' western comedy, "The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs", will sing their nominated tune and a "Surprise Special Guest" will perform the song from "Mary Poppins Returns", "The Place Where Lost Things Go" since actress, Emily Blunt, who sang the song in the movie, declined. There is no official word yet if Kendrick Lamar and SZA will appear to perform their hit song, "All The Stars" from "Black Panther". As for the winner, I think "Shallow" has a slight edge to take the Oscar but my personal choice would be "All The Stars". But we will see on February 24th when the 91st Annual Academy Awards will be presented. Here are all five Best Original Song nominees for your listening pleasure:
"All The Stars" from "Black Panther": Music by Kendrick Lamar, Mark “Sounwave” Spears and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith; Lyric by Kendrick Lamar, SZA and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith
"I'll Fight" from "RBG": Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
"The Place Where Lost Things Go" from "Mary Poppins Return": Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyric by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman
"Shallow" from "A Star Is Born": Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt
"When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings" from "The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs": Music and Lyric by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch
Lady Gaga has impressed audiences and critics alike with her exceptional performance of an aspiring singer last year in the fourth movie version of "A Star Is Born". She has won several critics awards and might even be nominated next week and could potentially win an Oscar. This Number One Flashback looks back when Lady Gaga's early breakthrough single, "Just Dance" was on top of the U.S. Billboard chart this week in 2009. She co-wrote the song with Akon (who had his own successful music career) and RedOne who also produced the track and her first number one song helped kick off her amazing journey as an international pop superstar.
Much like the character she played, Stefani Germanotta struggled for years trying to make her career happen. She paid her dues by playing numerous small gigs around New York City and passing around her demos before actually getting a record deal with Def Jam Records. However, she was dropped a few months later.
Discouraged but not giving up, she was inspired by the Queen song, "Radio Ga Ga" and took on the name "Lady Gaga". She teamed-up with performance artist, Lady Starlight who helped her develop a stage persona and they performed together, most notably at the 2007 Lollapalooza music festival. Gaga got a publishing deal with Sony and began writing songs for the label's hot pop acts. After hearing Gaga sing, Akon was quite impressed. He began using her as a vocal guide on his demos and eventually helped her get a new recording contract. She later met RedOne and he worked on some tracks for her debut album on Cherrytree Records. The album, "The Fame" was released in 2008 and was met with some resistance from radio stations saying the record was too dance-oriented and underground. But Lady Gaga was confident that there was an audience for her music and the rest is history.
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