Latest news with #SonyMusic
What's On
a day ago
- Entertainment
- What's On
Michael Lives Forever is coming to Dubai this September
If you've ever wanted to see Michael Jackson live, this is the closest you're going to get. Rodrigo Teaser, one of the most acclaimed MJ tribute artists in the world, is bringing Michael Lives Forever to the Dubai Opera stage on Saturday, September 7. This isn't your average tribute act. We're talking full-scale production – iconic vocals, legendary dance moves, and stage presence that has even MJ's former choreographer calling it the real deal. The tracks you know by heart Expect to hear the tracks you grew up moonwalking to, Billie Jean , Thriller , Smooth Criminal , Beat It , Black or White – performed live and loud. Whether you know every lyric or just the hooks, this one will have you dancing all night. Who is Rodrigo Teaser? Not just a lookalike. Teaser is the only Latin American artist officially recognised by Sony Music as a Michael Jackson tribute performer. He's toured the world, performed with Jennifer Batten (MJ's longtime guitarist), and is now directed by Lavelle Smith Jr – yes, the same Lavelle who worked directly with Michael for years. The venue One of the city's most iconic venues, Dubai Opera is the perfect setting for this kind of show – theatre-level acoustics, comfy seating, and bang in the heart of Downtown. The details Location: Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai Times: Saturday, September 7 | Show starts at 8pm Cost: Starting from Dhs295 Booking: Get your tickets via Contact: @dubaiopera More big names If you're planning your concert calendar, the UAE is stacked: Jennifer Lopez at Etihad Arena on July 29, Lil Baby on October 18, Elissa at Dubai Opera on November 3, Enrique Iglesias in November, and Katy Perry closing the year in December. > Sign up for FREE to get exclusive updates that you are interested in
Japan Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Hitsujibungaku's pop-fueled rise to stardom
Moeka Shiotsuka remembers being amped for the 2016 Fuji Rock Festival. That year's three-day summer gathering at Niigata Prefecture's Naeba Ski Resort featured two of her favorite artists — James Blake and Sigur Ros — performing on the Green Stage. The lead singer and guitarist of rock band Hitsujibungaku recalls just one detail stopping her from fully getting into the Fuji Rock spirit. 'I had to prepare for our own performance on the Rookie A Go-Go stage, starting Sunday night at 1 a.m.,' the 29-year-old musician tells The Japan Times from a Sony Music office in central Tokyo. 'So I was nervous for all three days.' Hitsujibungaku's set went smoothly, so much so that 'we didn't want the festival to end at that point.' At the 2025 edition of Fuji Rock, the group — consisting of Shiotsuka, bassist Yurika Kasai (who joined a year after the Rookie A Go-Go performance) and drummer Hiroa Fukuda, who has been on hiatus since May 2024 — finds itself as the penultimate act of Sunday night on the White Stage, ahead of American trio Haim. It's the band's fourth appearance at Fuji Rock and its most prominent spot yet. 'Since it will be at night, we've prepared beautiful lighting and visuals to go with it,' Shiotsuka says, adding that the performance will showcase songs from across the group's career, dating back to its 2012 beginnings. Hitsujibungaku's promotion to a more coveted slot mirrors its evolution from indie-rock darling to an unlikely cornerstone of Japanese music's current global expansion. That's a theme underlining Fuji Rock 2025. The most prominent Japanese acts set to perform this year represent the sonic variety that has defined J-pop in the 2020s. Hitsujibungaku's blur of alternative rock and shoegaze coexists with the frantic rap of Creepy Nuts and the chameleonic pop of Vaundy, among others. Not one act sounds alike — but they all have, somewhat unexpectedly, shaped Japan's musical identity on the global stage. '(Going to the United States) was like diving into a new world,' says Kasai regarding the unfamiliar cultures and behaviors the band encountered during its first U.S. tour held earlier this spring, marking one of the project's bigger international leaps. 'It was freeing. Nobody would care if I was like, skipping down the street. It's not unusual.' Just a week ahead of Fuji Rock, the band traveled to London to play the Hyper Japan festival and announced its first European tour for this October , coinciding with the release of a still-to-be-named album. Hitsujibungaku's slow and steady rise feels like a throwback in the current fast-moving social media age. The band emerged from the Tokyo livehouse ecosystem to something bigger, thanks to feedback-glazed songs. The trio's absorbing concerts coupled with critical acclaim for its 2018 debut full-length 'Wakamonotachi E' ('To The Youth') helped land a deal with Sony Music's F.C.L.S. imprint in 2020. A major label connection didn't just get Hitsujibungaku's hypnotic rock in front of domestic fans but also brought the trio to the world. Its anthemic 2023 song ' more than words ' served as the closing theme for the incredibly popular anime series 'Jujutsu Kaisen,' while the following year the group provided the chugging ' Burning ' for 'Oshi no Ko.' This gave Hitsujibungaku the chance to reach a wider listenership via anime, the chief delivery mechanism of J-pop in the 2020s. Yet it also presented challenges for the band. 'We never really wrote pop songs before. Previously, if 100 people were listening to our music and 30 of them liked it, that was fine. But with a pop song, you have to please all 100,' Shiotsuka says, also noting that deadlines for these bigger projects can be hectic. This reality has sharpened the group's ability to write the hooks that anchor hits, while also teaching them how to use source material to craft a song that stands on its own. 'It's quite challenging, but I enjoy the challenge,' Shiotsuka says. Hitsujibungaku's latest releases ' Feel ' and ' mild days ' put the group to the test. The songs are respectively the opening and closing themes for the anime series 'Secrets of the Silent Witch,' a 'light novel' (a genre of young-adult Japanese fiction) adaptation currently airing on Tokyo MX. Shiotsuka says she followed a familiar path with 'Feel,' reading the original story and finding an angle that could be married with a driving rhythm. 'With 'mild days,' it was difficult because I had to use the same light novel as inspiration,' she says. 'I decided to take a break and have dinner with friends. It was really fun. In 'Silent Witch,' there's a bit about friendship, so I was able to apply my own experiences to the song.' Shiotsuka says that during the past two years, she often felt overwhelmed by everything happening to the band, from Fukuda's break and a series of critical shows across Asia to all those deadlines for prominent anime. 'Yurika was very supportive, and we talked a lot,' she says. 'I was able to gradually see that maybe this isn't so bad, maybe I can have fun with this.' The price of becoming one of the world's biggest Japanese rock bands means trading the sweaty intimacy of Shibuya clubs for a nonstop schedule. Yet it makes other moments sweeter — like being able to perform during a prominent slot at Fuji Rock. 'With other festivals, if we are playing on the second day of it, we wouldn't go on the first day,' Shiotsuka says. 'We'd just get ready in the hotel room. But all of us love Fuji Rock. For all three days, we are there. We enjoy being in the audience, watching bands from all over the world and being inspired by what we see.' Kasai notes that she goes to the same pizza stand outside of the Red Marquee stage year after year as a kind of tradition. Whereas other festivals find the band trying to please every punter in attendance, the Hitsujibungaku members see Fuji Rock as something closer to a solo show where they can dig into their older catalog and 'be a little more picky.' 'We can create the world of Hitsujibungaku, that's the most important thing,' Shiotsuka says. It's this ability for Japanese artists to simply be who they are and express the sounds they are drawn to that has helped the country's music stand out in recent years. Despite industry realities, the members of Hitsujibungaku still find rock magic in the Niigata festival, a reminder of what brought them to this point in the first place. 'Step by step, we just do what's in front of us. And once we reach a big stage — like playing Yokohama Arena, or touring abroad, or Fuji Rock — we realize we've come this far,' Kasai says. Fuji Rock Festival takes place at Naeba Ski Resort, Niigata Prefecture, July 25 to 27. Follow our coverage on our dedicated liveblog and on Instagram . For more information about the festival, visit . To learn more about Hitsujibungaku, visit
Time of India
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
No copyright violation in using Ilaiyaraaja's song: Producer to HC
Chennai: The makers of the Tamil movie 'Mrs&Mr', informed Madras high court on Wednesday that the song composed by maestro Ilaiyaraaja, 'Siva Raathiri', was used in the film after obtaining permission from its copyright-holder, Echo Recording Company. The company added that the name of the music director was removed from the credits of the movie after his objection. The issue pertains to a plea seeking to restrain the makers of the movie 'Mrs&Mr' from using a song composed by him titled 'Siva Raathiri'. Ilaiyaraaja alleged that the song composed by him for the Tamil movie 'Michael Madhana Kama Rajan' was used without his authorization. Counsel for the producer of the movie submitted that the rights to use the song were obtained from Echo Recording Company and, therefore, there was no copyright infringement. To this, the petitioner wanted the court to restrain the makers from using the composer's name in the film. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai Responding to the submission, the producer contended that Sony Music acquired rights to 4,850 songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja and that the song used in the film was obtained through Sony Music. He also informed the court that Ilaiyaraaja's name was already removed from the film credits. Recording the submissions, Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy directed that Sony Music be included as a party to the case and adjourned the matter to Aug 18 for further hearing.
The Star
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
This is a 'Sweet Spot' - Singapore-based Matilde G drops the summer's most irresistible pop surprise for music fans
Matilde G, the 20-year-old pop singer, songwriter, and performer originally from Italy, now based in Singapore, has unleashed her new single, "Sweet Spot," which is expected to be a big hit for the summer. Distributed by Sony Music, the song's catchy theme from the singer reads: " A moonlit spark. A tidal pull. A pop anthem you'll crave all season long. " The song, which officially arrived on July 18 but will be released worldwide on Friday (July 25), has already garnered more than half a million hits on YouTube and is also soaring in other online media networks. With this new single, distributed by Sony Music, Matilde G takes us to that magical moment when two people lock eyes and everything else disappears. Inspired by the night she met her boyfriend under a full moon, Sweet Spot is a lush, intoxicating track that pulses with attraction, confidence, and sonic heat. From the opening lines 'Saturday night / Met you under the full moon light,' you're transported into a world where desire glows like neon and the beat moves like warm waves. Produced by Julian Feifel and written by Matilde G with Shayna Zaid and Feifel himself, Sweet Spot blends smooth afropop grooves with glossy pop textures. It's rhythmic, sexy, and completely addictive, the kind of song that plays in your head long after the music stops. Matilde's voice dances between English and Italian, slipping in the sultry line 'Mi fai impazzire' ('you drive me crazy') with the ease of someone completely lost in the moment. There's vulnerability here, but also power, the sound of a young woman who knows exactly what she wants. 'This song is my favourite kind of memory,' Matilde says. 'Real, unexpected, and electric. I wanted to make a track that felt like falling, into love, into rhythm, into someone's arms.' A BOUT MATILDE G At just 20, Matilde G is crafting a world-class pop career from Singapore, with Italian roots and an international fanbase. With over 30 million global streams, over 500 ,000 followers, and performances across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the U S , and Latin America, currently, she's more than an artist, she's a movement. Her fandom — the MGs — is spreading from TikTok to every major platform. Her music, often born from deeply personal experiences, blends honesty with boldness, creating songs that connect instantly. She's sung about resilience, mental disorders, heartbreak, and now, with Sweet Spot, she opens a new chapter: pleasure, presence, and the power of a glance. -- Additional info on Matilde G - from Sony Music
The Star
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Travel deals, rewards and more at Ascott Star Rewards Festival 2025
THE Ascott Star Rewards (ASR) Festival 2025 is set to transform MyTown Shopping Centre into a playground for travel lovers, music fans and lifestyle seekers. Organised by Ascott Malaysia, the four-day festival will take place from July 24-27, from 10am to 9.30pm daily. It will bring together the best of hospitality, entertainment and exclusive lifestyle rewards, with major partners including MyTown Shopping Centre, CIMB, Sony Music, Astro's Rocketfuel Entertainment, ShopBack and Jaecoo by Weststar. The ASR Festival will host a series of engaging events and activities such as flash mobs, lucky draw sessions, happy hour sales, a karaoke competition by Sony Music and a human chamber game, where individuals can grab as much flying money as they can within 10 seconds. With free admission, visitors can also catch live performances by local artistes, including Naqiu, Wany Hasrita, Wany Kayrie, Afifi Tirmizie, HOW1E, Kidd Santhe, Vanessa Reynauld, Yulia and Ara Johari. For the first time ever, the festival, in collaboration with Sony Music Malaysia, will host a live music showcase and talent competition, where contestants will battle it out to be the lucky winner of a real music recording contract. Travel rewards Apart from the musical festivities, visitors can enjoy a slew of travel deals, rewards and perks at the festival. Among these exclusive offers are the best room deal sales across Ascott hotels in Malaysia and South-East Asia, rewards from CIMB, ShopBack and Jaecoo, and nightly happy hour sales. There will even be interactive games, hourly giveaways and an Ascott merchandise pop-up stand. Once a purchase has been made on-site, visitors will get the opportunity to play the human chamber game. Among the participating hotels with enticing room deals are Iyf Chinatown Kuala Lumpur, Domitys Bangsar Kuala Lumpur, Fox Hotel Glenmarie Shah Alam and Oakwood Hotel and Residence Kuala Lumpur. A pet-friendly lifestyle hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Iyf Chinatown offers a range of fun, spacious and functional rooms, ideal for independent, experience-led travellers. Domitys Bangsar, on the other hand, offers thoughtfully designed senior-friendly residences, ensuring comfort, safety and an active lifestyle for those who enjoy world-class services. Meanwhile, the cosy rooms and suites at Fox Hotel Glenmarie in Shah Alam are curated to meet the needs of modern business travellers, featuring plush bedding, ergonomic workstations and a fully equipped business centre. Finally, situated in the heart of KL's business district along Embassy Row on Jalan Ampang, Oakwood Hotel and Residence Kuala Lumpur offers 251 elegantly furnished rooms and serviced apartments for business, leisure travellers and families seeking a tranquil sanctuary amidst a bustling cityscape. The exclusive deals at participating hotels are for staying periods from July 21 to March 31, 2026. Festival-goers can make bookings during the event at MyTown Shopping Centre from July 24-27. For post-festival bookings, interested individuals can make reservations from July 28-30. Ascott Star Rewards Visitors are encouraged to sign up for the ASR loyalty programme on-site or online to enjoy exclusive benefits at the festival, such as room discounts, bonus points, priority bookings and special giveaways. To sign up as an ASR member online, click here. So, whether you're dreaming of a beach escape, a break from the city or simply exploring new lifestyle perks, Ascott Malaysia invites you to 'Travel Your Way' and experience the ASR Festival 2025. For event updates, visit
