Latest news with #soloartist
Daily Mail
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock reveals why she struggled to enjoy working as a solo artist as she opens up about industry pressure
Leigh-Anne Pinnock has said that the 'pressure and expectation' that came from being in a successful girl band stopped her from 'enjoying' her work as a solo artist. The former Little Mix star, 33, embarked upon her solo career in 2022 and admitted that she initially felt the weight of 'impossible' expectations. After joining the group on the X-Factor, the former Pizza Hut waitress went on to have an impressive 19 top-ten singles and five number ones with the band. She told Capital XTRA Breakfast on Monday: 'The pressure is what stopped me enjoying it as much. 'Obviously, coming from such a massive group and having the pressure to do just as well as that massive group did is kind of impossible to do overnight. 'That took 10 years. It takes work. And also, I'm not doing music like the group did. 'Like, I've gone down a different route, and I just think those expectations kind of like weighed on me and it was like, "This is just not fun!"' Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 33, admitted on Monday that the 'pressure and expectation' that came from being in a successful girlband stopped her from 'enjoying' her work as a solo artist The former Little Mix star embarked upon her solo career in 2022 and said that she initially felt the weight of 'impossible' expectations after the band's success (pictured with Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall and Jesy Nelson in 2015) The singer said that as a solo artist, she wanted to make music without feeling like she was under the same kind of pressure she felt in a girl band. She said: 'I'm doing this solo because one, I want to have fun. You know, I deserve to have that without feeling like this horrible pressure on me.' Little Mix announced in December 2021 that they were going to part ways after finding success on X Factor in 2011. The Little Mix star was then quizzed about how she is managing to alleviate the natural pressure she feels coming from an established act by radio hosts Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie. She admitted that she has had to 'change' her way of thinking since Little Mix went on a hiatus in 2021. Leigh-Anne stressed that, to her, being successful is being happy and having the ability 'to make music that I love and I'm proud of.' Compromise, she added, is no longer a priority for her as a soloist and she said she doesn't want to make music that is 'a little bit like how I want it to sound'. She said: 'That's not how I want to do this anymore. So, yeah. It's just to be fully proud and back and to love what I'm doing. 'I really feel I can really say that now with chest.' Leigh-Anne stressed that, to her, being successful is being happy and having the ability 'to make music that I love and I'm proud of' Leigh-Anne was appearing on the breakfast show to promote her new single 'Been a Minute'. Describing her new track as 'the song of the summer' to Rolling Stone, she promised that it is so catchy that it is impossible to listen to without wanting to dance. She told the outlet: 'It represents freedom, being fully in control and a sound that I feel needs to be heard and celebrated this summer.' The Little Mix star said she is welcoming in a new era in her music career and is doing everything on her terms and taking more risks. She said: '[I'm] worrying less about what people think and other people's expectations of me. We're coming to disrupt. No more miss nice girl…'
The Independent
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Renée Elise Goldsberry talks new album, whether 'Hamilton' return is an option and EGOT aspirations
Renée Elise Goldsberry is most inspired by artists bold enough to take a career leap, even when there's no guarantee of a safe landing. Over the years, Goldsberry spent her celebrated career surrounded by fearless risk-takers. Now, the Tony and Grammy winner, best known for her breakout role in the Broadway musical ' Hamilton,' is taking a bold move of her own. She's stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist: Her debut album, 'Who I Really Am,' was released Friday. 'I'm surrounded by friends that do really crazy, brave, 'I could fail miserably' things,' said Goldsberry, whose role as Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton won her a Tony in 2016 for best featured actress in a musical. In that same year, she earned a Grammy for best musical theater album. 'They jump off cliffs, they start to fly, we get to see it and it's so inspiring that you put out an album,' she said. Goldsberry has made her presence felt in other Broadway projects including 'Rent' and 'The Color Purple.' She's had standout work on 'Girls5Eva' and 'The Good Wife ' and was on the daytime soap 'One Life to Live.' With 'Who I Really Am,' Goldsberry is carving her own musical path. The album is a 13-track project filled with soul, funk, blues and gospel vibes featuring a reimagined version of her iconic 'Hamilton' song 'Satisfied,' which was originally penned by Lin-Manuel Miranda. In a recent interview, Goldsberry talks to The Associated Press about finding her identity through the album, whether returning to 'Hamilton' is an option and aspirations for an EGOT, a term for the rare person who's won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award during their career. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. ___ AP: You wrote 11 songs on the album. While creating this project, what did you discover more about yourself? GOLDSBERRY: I need to give myself license to be more than one thing. I think that's always been the case with recorded music for me. I've been writing since I was a kid. The challenge for me has always been feeling like you have to be extremely specific about a box when you're a recording artist. It has to all sound like one mood, one vibe. I had to give myself permission to not try to fit into a box that exists, or even a box that's specific. I gave myself license to express myself in all the ways it naturally comes out. AP: You started the album process in 2020. What was your initial thoughts on re-recording 'Satisfied'? GOLDSBERRY: Somebody said to me 'You could probably get a record deal and do an album if you re-record 'Satisfied.'' I said 'Absolutely no.' I'm absolutely not doing that. It already exists. It's perfect. The show is perfect. AP: What shifted your thinking? GOLDSBERRY: In the process of recording all the music, we rented a studio in Nashville. It's where Dolly Parton recorded 'Jolene.' It felt like all this history was there. We had all these great musicians there. We booked the studio for a week or two and we finished early, and they were going to let everybody go home. And I was like 'We might as well record this version of 'Satisfied' that I do in my concert, because we're sitting here.' And these cats are amazing. We started playing. They started playing, and our minds exploded. The control booth. Our brains exploded. It was so good. Then I started singing it. I said to us 'This belongs.' AP: Your 'Girls5Eva' co-star Sara Bareilles wrote the song 'Smiling.' How was it reuniting with her? GOLDSBERRY: I think she is one of the greatest singer-songwriters that has ever existed and might ever exist. I had the privilege of being in a concert with her. I opened for her at the Hollywood Bowl a couple of months ago. She was doing something new. I love artists and I'm one of them in this moment. But I love artists that do new things that might not work, bravely. She had orchestrated all of her music. She had a huge symphony orchestrated show. All the music that she had written. AP: What happened next? GOLDSBERRY: We got to see her jump off a cliff for the first time. It was one of the greatest things I ever saw in my life. I could start crying right now. It was so great. It's so brave. I'm surrounded by people like that, and it's so inspiring. They're all doing crazy things. All of them. Leslie Odom Jr. decided to go back to 'Hamilton.' Like that's insane. AP: Would you ever return to 'Hamilton'? GOLDSBERRY: That's what Leslie taught us: Never say never. AP: You're halfway to EGOT status. Is that something you feel like it's achievable? GOLDSBERRY: I'm not going to lie, I've thought of different ways I could slip in the back door, you know what I mean? Like I have a documentary called 'Satisfied' (which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year) about the journey in my life when I was part of the original company of 'Hamilton' and also trying to raise my young family. We were like, 'What original song can we put in this movie to contend for slipping in the Oscar category. ... It's possible. But I'm less interested in the results of a journey than the journey itself.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BTS' J-Hope makes it to the cover of Billboard magazine
21 May - BTS' J-Hope recently became the first South Korean male solo artiste to grace the front cover of the Billboard magazine since PSY. On 20 May, Billboard posted the cover, which has the singer sitting by the window overlooking a city, and the words "J-Hope: From BTS to Solo Stadium Stardom" written as the cover lines. "With his groundbreaking solo tour and new singles, [J-Hope] is forging a deeper connection with fans, expanding his own path beyond BTS and looking toward even bigger milestones ahead," the caption read. A sneak peek into the interview had J-Hope speaking about his music, saying, "I believe my music should evolve as I grow. Before my enlistment, I leaned into my roots in dance, experimenting with a variety of sounds to express different facets of myself," he says. "This is just the start - I have plenty more musical experiments in store." It is noted that BTS themselves have made the cover twice, in the special 2018 edition as well as the August 2021 edition. J-Hope is currently on his solo tour "Hope on the Stage" that has begun back in February in Seoul. PSY became the first male solo artiste from South Korea to grace the cover, back when his song "Gangnam Style" became a hit in 2021. (Photo Source: Billboard IG)
CTV News
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘We just kind of rock and roll': East Coast Music Awards set to kick off in St. John's
Mick Davis, a solo artist and frontman of the band Mick Davis & Thin Love, is pictured. (Source: Mick Davis/Instragram)
