Latest news with #PolydorRecords
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Raye to receive Ivors Academy Honour for her songwriting advocacy
Raye, 27, whose real name is Rachel Agatha Keen, will receive the honour at a ceremony in central London in October for 'using her platform to demand greater transparency and fairer pay between labels and artists.' The seven-time Brit Award winner, known for her hit songs Prada and Escapism, has been described by the academy as 'one of the most outspoken and influential advocates for songwriters, using her platform to inspire fellow musicians and bring about positive change.' This comes after the singer called out label executives at the Ivors 2024 ceremony, urging the music industry to reward the 'voiceless beating heart of the industry, which is songwriters'. Roberto Neri, chief executive of The Ivors Academy, said: 'An incredible multi-award-winning artist, RAYE is one of the most gifted songwriters of her generation and always gives full respect and voice to fellow writers. 'She has consistently called for better pay and greater recognition for songwriters, championing structural change to protect the talent behind the music we love. 'We're proud to honour her with this well-deserved recognition.' The Ivors Academy Honour aims to celebrate people who champion songwriters and composers and help 'build a stronger, fairer and more inclusive music industry.' Previous winners include songwriter and campaigner Carla Marie Williams, producer Rupert Hine and Glastonbury Festival founder Sir Michael Eavis, and radio presenter Jo Whiley. The Brit School graduate signed with Polydor Records as a teenager, where she went on to write lyrics for Beyonce and Rihanna, along with lending her vocals to top five hits by David Guetta and Jax Jones. Despite her talent, her solo work did not reach the same heights, and in 2021, she expressed frustration at her label not letting her release her debut album yet. By the end of 2022, she had struck out on her own and her dance track Escapism featuring 070 Shake went viral on TikTok, shooting up the charts to number one. She later released her album My 21st Century Blues in 2023, which reached number two on the UK album charts.
Rhyl Journal
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
Raye to receive Ivors Academy Honour for her songwriting advocacy
Raye, 27, whose real name is Rachel Agatha Keen, will receive the honour at a ceremony in central London in October for 'using her platform to demand greater transparency and fairer pay between labels and artists.' The seven-time Brit Award winner, known for her hit songs Prada and Escapism, has been described by the academy as 'one of the most outspoken and influential advocates for songwriters, using her platform to inspire fellow musicians and bring about positive change.' This comes after the singer called out label executives at the Ivors 2024 ceremony, urging the music industry to reward the 'voiceless beating heart of the industry, which is songwriters'. Roberto Neri, chief executive of The Ivors Academy, said: 'An incredible multi-award-winning artist, RAYE is one of the most gifted songwriters of her generation and always gives full respect and voice to fellow writers. 'She has consistently called for better pay and greater recognition for songwriters, championing structural change to protect the talent behind the music we love. 'We're proud to honour her with this well-deserved recognition.' The Ivors Academy Honour aims to celebrate people who champion songwriters and composers and help 'build a stronger, fairer and more inclusive music industry.' Previous winners include songwriter and campaigner Carla Marie Williams, producer Rupert Hine and Glastonbury Festival founder Sir Michael Eavis, and radio presenter Jo Whiley. The Brit School graduate signed with Polydor Records as a teenager, where she went on to write lyrics for Beyonce and Rihanna, along with lending her vocals to top five hits by David Guetta and Jax Jones. Despite her talent, her solo work did not reach the same heights, and in 2021, she expressed frustration at her label not letting her release her debut album yet. By the end of 2022, she had struck out on her own and her dance track Escapism featuring 070 Shake went viral on TikTok, shooting up the charts to number one. She later released her album My 21st Century Blues in 2023, which reached number two on the UK album charts.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Buckingham Nicks, the missing link of the Fleetwood Mac saga, is back
The 1973 album set out the duo's Laurel Canyon-inflected sound, which convinced Fleetwood to ask Buckingham to join his band. Fleetwood sought out the guitarist after hearing Frozen Love at Sound City Studios, and Buckingham told him that he and Nicks – musical and romantic partners – were a package deal. The pair quickly joined Fleetwood Mac. 'That album holds up pretty well,' Buckingham said in a 2024 interview with Dan Rather. 'It did not do well commercially, but it certainly was noticed. And more important, it was noticed by Mick Fleetwood.' The apparent reissue, which Buckingham and Nicks teased frequently throughout the 2010s, follows decades of fan bootlegs. After Polydor Records let Buckingham Nicks go out of print, it endured as a coveted find at used record stores and in bits and pieces scattered across Nicks' and Buckingham's discographies. The duet Crystal was remade for Fleetwood Mac's 1975 self-titled album, a notch more polished than the more biting Buckingham Nicks arrangement. The bouncing Don't Let Me Down Again appeared on almost 15 years of Fleetwood Mac set lists, finding a home on 1980's Live. When touring in 1974 as Buckingham Nicks, the duo tried out a handful of future Fleetwood Mac hits, including Rhiannon and Monday Morning, for the first time live. The original Buckingham Nicks record remains the best place to understand how Nicks and Buckingham would shake up Fleetwood Mac and classic rock. Nicks' assured, fierce voice shines throughout, while Buckingham's steely, fingerpicked acoustic guitar anchors a majority of the songs. But you can also hear what's missing. As good as Nicks and Buckingham sound together, it's natural to long for Christine McVie to round out their harmonies. Meanwhile, the session musicians – including ones who played with Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Bob Dylan – don't match drummer Fleetwood's might or John McVie's supportive, thoughtful bass lines. (But how many ever did?) Just last year, singer-songwriters Madison Cunningham and Andrew Bird released Cunningham Bird, their full-length cover of the Buckingham Nicks album, where the arrangements focused on Bird's violin parts and Cunningham's muted guitar playing. Yet the melodies still jump out, especially on the stripped-down renditions of Crystal and Lola (My Love), which Cunningham described as a 'sex blues ballad'. Bird said the lack of a Buckingham Nicks rerelease was a good reason to record it. 'It's this storied prequel to Fleetwood Mac, and you hear all the kind of drama brewing in the songs,' Bird said to Variety. 'So that appealed to me, that it was inaccessible to a lot of people.' That drama would become almost as famous as the music. After dating in the early 1970s, Buckingham and Nicks broke up after joining Fleetwood Mac, and theirs wasn't the only contentious relationship in the group (that's a whole other article). Shrapnel from the romance damaged their working relationship, and Buckingham eventually left Fleetwood Mac after the success of 1987's Tango in the Night, while Nicks followed in 1991. The golden-era lineup reunited in the 90s, but Buckingham was eventually kicked out in 2018. (Christine McVie, who had already stepped back from the group, died in 2022.) Just last year, Nicks said, 'There is no chance of putting Fleetwood Mac back together in any way' in an interview with music magazine Mojo. The music, of course, endures, and the intra-band intrigue was most vividly captured on 1977's Rumours, one of the most successful albums of all time (it is still charting, hitting No 21 on the Billboard 200 for the week of July 26). But the group's tense power is previewed on Frozen Love, which erupts into a solo so dramatic and wailing that it can only be seen as a precursor to 1977's The Chain. During the jolting, stirring chorus, Nicks and Buckingham sing, 'And if you go forward/ I'll meet you there,' which is the line they shared on their respective Instagram accounts. After years of animosity, Nicks and Buckingham seem to be putting aside their differences to share some of this early, thrilling material.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Buckingham Nicks,' the missing link of the Fleetwood Mac saga, is back
Lineups came and went, but only one version of Fleetwood Mac became a legend. After joining the group in 1974, vocalist Stevie Nicks and singer-guitarist Lindsey Buckingham supercharged the then-B-tier British blues act with a California folk sensibility. What resulted was the glistening, drama-spiked pop rock of 'Dreams,' 'Don't Stop,' 'Gypsy' and more than a dozen other hits over the next 15 years. But before Fleetwood Mac — and way before their creative partnership ruptured, seemingly permanently — Buckingham and Nicks made an album together. And for years, hearing it wasn't easy. That's seemingly about to change. Last weekend, the two musicians each posted a line from 'Frozen Love' across their social media accounts. It's an aching tune from the album 'Buckingham Nicks,' the commercially unsuccessful album they released in 1973. Mick Fleetwood, the band's drummer, joined in on the fun and posted a video of him listening to 'Frozen Love,' prompting glee from fans. Their 'marriage of coming into Fleetwood Mac when they did, it's all in this song,' said Fleetwood in the video. 'It's in the music, played on for so many years. It was magic then, magic now. What a thrill.' The questions began: Would they finally put 'Buckingham Nicks' on streaming services, from which it has been absent? Is it getting remastered? What about a reunion? On Monday, a billboard of the 'Buckingham Nicks' album cover and the date 'Sept. 19' appeared on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, all but announcing its rerelease. Beyond Nicks and Buckingham's social media posts, they haven't confirmed anything. The 1973 album set out the duo's Laurel Canyon-inflected sound, which convinced drummer Mick Fleetwood to ask Buckingham to join his band. Fleetwood sought out the guitarist after hearing 'Frozen Love' at Sound City Studios, and Buckingham told him that he and Nicks — musical and romantic partners — were a package deal. The pair quickly joined Fleetwood Mac. 'That album holds up pretty well,' Buckingham said a 2024 interview with Dan Rather. 'It did not do well commercially, but it certainly was noticed. And more important, it was noticed by Mick Fleetwood.' The apparent reissue, which Buckingham and Nicks teased frequently throughout the 2010s, follows decades of fan bootlegs. After Polydor Records let 'Buckingham Nicks' go out of print, it endured as a coveted find at used record stories and in bits and pieces scattered across Nicks's and Buckingham's discographies. The duet 'Crystal' was remade for Fleetwood Mac's 1975 self-titled album, a notch more polished than the more biting Buckingham Nicks arrangement. The bouncing 'Don't Let Me Down Again' appeared on almost 15 years of Fleetwood Mac set lists, finding a home on 1980′s 'Live.' When touring in 1974 as Buckingham Nicks, the duo tried out a handful of future Fleetwood Mac hits, including 'Rhiannon' and 'Monday Morning,' for the first time live. The original 'Buckingham Nicks' record remains the best place to understand how Nicks and Buckingham would shake up Fleetwood Mac and classic rock. Nicks's assured, fierce voice shines throughout, while Buckingham's steely, fingerpicked acoustic guitar anchors a majority of the songs. But you can also hear what's missing. As good as Nicks and Buckingham sound together, it's natural to long for Christine McVie to round out their harmonies. Meanwhile, the session musicians — including ones who played with Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Bob Dylan — don't match drummer Fleetwood's might or John McVie's supportive, thoughtful bass lines. (But how many ever did?) Just last year, singer-songwriters Madison Cunningham and Andrew Bird released 'Cunningham Bird,' their full-length cover of the 'Buckingham Nicks' album, where the arrangements focused on Bird's violin parts and Cunningham's muted guitar playing. Yet the melodies still jump out, especially on the stripped-down renditions of 'Crystal' and 'Lola (My Love),' which Cunningham described as a 'sex blues ballad.' Bird said the lack of a 'Buckingham Nicks' rerelease was a good reason to record it. 'It's this storied prequel to Fleetwood Mac, and you hear all the kind of drama brewing in the songs,' Bird said to Variety. 'So that appealed to me, that it was inaccessible to a lot of people.' That drama would become almost as famous as the music. After dating in the early 1970s, Buckingham and Nicks broke up after joining Fleetwood Mac, and theirs wasn't the only contentious relationship in the group (that's a whole other article). Shrapnel from the romance damaged their working relationship, and Buckingham eventually left Fleetwood Mac after the success of 1987′s 'Tango in the Night,' while Nicks followed in 1991. The golden-era lineup reunited in the '90s, but Buckingham was eventually kicked out in 2018. (Christine McVie, who had already stepped back from the group, died in 2022.) Just last year, Nicks said, 'There is no chance of putting Fleetwood Mac back together in any way' in an interview with Mojo. The music, of course, endures, and the intra-band intrigue was most vividly captured on 1977′s 'Rumours,' one of the most successful albums of all time (it is still charting, hitting No. 21 on the Billboard 200 for the week of July 26). But the group's tense power is previewed on 'Frozen Love,' which erupts into a solo so dramatic and wailing that it can only be seen as a precursor to 1977′s 'The Chain.' During the jolting, stirring chorus, Nicks and Buckingham sing, 'And if you go forward/ I'll meet you there,' which is the line they shared on their respective Instagram accounts. After years of animosity, Nicks and Buckingham seem to be putting aside their differences to share some of this early, thrilling material. Solve the daily Crossword
Scotsman
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Album reviews: Haim Loyle Carner Water Machine
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Haim: I Quit (Polydor Records) ★★★ Loyle Carner: hopefully! (Island EMI) ★★★★ Water Machine: God Park (Fat Cat) ★★★★ M John Henry: Strange is the Way (Gargleblast) ★★★ Haim | Contributed 'Can I have your attention please?' Haim's fourth album opens with a polite request from singer/guitarist Danielle Haim, but this San Fernando sister act already do have the world's attention, with their insidious rhythm-led pop stretching its tendrils across various musical styles. Danielle, Este and Alana simply draw the listener in again on first contact with Gone, a song for the newly singletons. 'You packed my shit, but it's nothing I needed' goes the brush-off lyric, hammered home by a sample of George Michael's Freedom! '90 and garnished with some tasty desert blues guitar. I Quit is titled not in capitulation but carries the sense of moving on from a situation that isn't working to a new beginning. Working again with former Vampire Weekend member Rostam Batmanglij as co-producer, the Haim sisters have finessed another diverse collection with some sophisticated bells and whistles. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The MOR pop of All Over Me is standard fare but they move from there straight into some cool Nineties-inspired R&B on Relationships, featuring airy vocals which imply rapture but communicate uncertainty: 'feels like we're not even friends in this relationship'. They entertain nostalgia for their high school years on Take Me Back, which begins as a peppy minimal jam but builds into a junkyard orchestra of fuzz guitar, choppy harmonica, chiming percussion, woodwind and insistent vocal chants. Their southern Californian roots are all over the west coast folk rock of The Farm and the yearning soul emanating from Love You Right but the spry beats of Million Years and loveable shuffle of Try to Feel My Pain demonstrate that the Haim sisters still consider rhythm as the key to unlocking their easy celebratory sound. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Loyle Carner | Contributed South London rapper Loyle Carner also steps into new territory on hopefully! singing as well as rhyming about fatherhood while making use of a full band palette. The vibe is loose and laidback with Carner leaning into the low-slung tempo and stripped back guitar on in my mind, with a woozy vocal chorus which fades out on a murmur. This is intimate stuff, capturing the squeak of acoustic guitar accompanying Carner's chilled vocal on Lyin. Time To Go is a song to bathe in, with soft rapturous guitar strums and Carner's gentle encouragement that 'making your own mistakes if really the only way to know'. Horcrux is a rare moment of taut urgency, with skittering jazz drumming, limpid piano and elegant gospel vocals. Benjamin Zephaniah guests on the drum'n'bass title track, meditating on the power and potential of youth, and guest American rapper Navy Blue exhibits the same gentle authority on Purpose, accompanied by finger clicks, wordless soulful backing vocals and a bare piano pattern. One to file next to Little Simz' latest for Brit-hop creativity. Water Machine | Brian Sweeny Fun Glasgow five-piece Water Machine arrive with confidence, irreverence and a debut album stacked with singalongable tracks on a tranche of offbeat topics, from rabies to road rage. The song Water Machine is a rollicking synth-led ditty about finding love at the office water cooler which carries a sting in the tale, while their purest indie pop moment Tiffany offers the consolation 'sorry your Fiesta is a little worse for wear'. Singer Hando spits out a satire on desirable locales on Hot Real Estate, gets their violin out for the plaintive, lo-fi Jimmy's Waltz and fronts an eponymous country coda in tandem with bandmate Flore which ends on a punky flourish. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad De Rosa frontman Martin John Henry returns as M John Henry with exposed solo album Strange is the Way. A number of bare guitar excursions and spindly sonorous piano ballad Yet-Agnes contrast with the fuller indie pop flow of Heart of Coal, gently beseeching Vessels and the banjo colourings of The Lord Is Here. CLASSICAL Ligeti: Violin, Piano and Romanesc Concertos (Harmonia Mundi) ★★★★★ When future generations look back on the 20th century, György Ligeti's music will stand out as a monument to vision and originality. Here are two works that bolster such a claim: the 1988 Piano Concerto and the 1993 Violin Concerto, both written when the composer was in his 60s and demonstrating a newfound maturity after a critical rethink of his compositional style in the late 1970s. Where the Violin Concerto arises from a sea of warped tonality to reveal a mesmerising contest of blistering fire and haunting beauty, the Piano Concerto wastes no time in establishing a compulsive, mechanised momentum. Violinist Isabelle Faust and pianist Jean-Frédéric Neuburger respectively know exactly what they want to say, doing so with piercing insight, emotional clarity and rhythmic precision. Ligeti's succinct Concert Romanesc (with Neuburger) and two of Kurtag's Aus der Ferne pieces (with Faust) provide useful wrapping for the central attractions. Ken Walton FOLK Odette Michell: Queen of the Lowlands (Talking Elephant Records) ★★★★ Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
