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‘I Am Woman’ Trailer: Tilda Cobham-Hervey Takes On ’70s Sexism as Helen Reddy
The first trailer has dropped for I Am Woman, the upcoming biopic on Helen Reddy, the singer and songwriter whose 1971 song became a ’70s women’s movement anthem. Unjoo Moon, the director behind the 2012 Tony Bennett documentary The Zen of Bennett, helms this story about the ambitious female singer’s personal and professional life. In the preview, Helen’s battles with a sexist music industry are mirrored in the front line fight for women’s liberation, a parallel that helps inspire her role in the revolution’s soundtrack. I Am Woman begins its story in the mid-’60s as the Melbourne-born musician, played by Tilda Cobham-Hervey, struggles to balance her family life with a budding music career. Facing sexism at every turn, Helen determines to reject ot...
Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ CD Gets Early Release In U.K.
Game on. Taylor Swift has pulled out the big guns in her battle with Fontaines D.C. for the U.K. chart title. Swift’s latest album Folklore blasted to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart last week, based on streams and downloads alone (37,000 combined chart sales in total). Though at the midway stage in the chart cycle, Folklore had slipped behind Irish rockers Fontaines D.C.’s sophomore album A Hero’s Death (Partisan) and Creeper’s Sex Death & The Infinite Void (Roadrunner). {“nid”:”9428399″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Fontaines D.C. Push Taylor Swift From Midweek U.K. Albums Chart Summit”,”relative_path”:”\/articles\/news\/9428399\/fontaines-dc-taylor-swift-midweek-uk-albums-chart\/”,”...
Former Machine Head/Crowbar Drummer Tony Costanza Dies at 52
Former Machine Head/Crowbar drummer Tony Costanza has died at age 52. The news was confirmed by former Crisis bandmate guitarist Afzaal Deen, who paid tribute on Tuesday (Aug. 4) writing, “It is with a very heavy heart that I have to accept and inform everyone concerned that I lost my brother, band mate, home boy and family today. Tony Costanza was one of a kind. A man with a huge heart, love and loyalty for the ones close to him. I cannot relate to this reality of loss yet. I know he had a lot of admirers, and I was one of his biggest. He would have literally taken a bullet for me. Thats the kind of gangster brother he was. Tony died in his sleep this morning so I am sure he was at peace and in no pain.” At press time, no cause of death was available. Deen also posted a GoFund...
Marshmello Is One of the Most Adaptable Stars in Modern Music — And the Charts Prove It
Let’s start with a clunky but (arguably) relevant comparison, and say that while marshmallows seem to have only one fairly specific use as a food, the pillowy treats go well with a number of other desserts, and are enjoyed by a wide and diverse segment of humanity. The same can be said of the EDM producer named for and styled in homage to these fireside snacks. Since emerging in the EDM scene circa 2015, Marshmello has become a dominant brand not only in mainstream dance music, but in a grab bag of genres including hip-hop, rock, pop and country. Having worked with everyone from Tyga and Chris Brown to Chvrches to Svdden Death and Blackbear to Kane Brown to Bastille, the artist has scored hits on Billboard’s Hot 100, Country Songs, Rap Songs, Alternative Songs, Rock & Alter...
Makin’ Tracks: Danielle Bradbery Displays New Artistic Maturity In ‘Never Have I Ever’
When LeAnn Rimes came to national attention at age 13, she embarked on a wildly successful streak, selling millions of albums loaded with songs featuring adult viewpoints, even though she was too young to vote. Rimes arguably found her adult voice at age 22 with This Woman, an album produced by Dann Huff (Keith Urban, Brantley Gilbert) that lobbed three singles into country radio’s top five, a level she has not attained since. With “Never Have I Ever,” Danielle Bradbery looks to flip the script on that precedent. She similarly entered the national spotlight as a teen, winning NBC’s The Voice at age 16 in 2013. Her run over the next few years was nothing like Rimes’ — Bradbery’s debut single, “The Heart of Dixie” (No. 12, Country Airplay), is ...
One Direction Streams, Sales Spike In U.K. Following 10th Anniversary
The 10-year anniversary celebrations for One Direction were a lightning rod for the pop band’s sales and streams in the U.K., new data reveals. According to data published by the Official Charts Company, almost 25 million streams of the group’s songs were generated in the days leading to and following the July 23 anniversary date. As previously reported, three of their catalog albums — Take Me Home, Made in the A.M. and Four — last week returned to the Official U.K. Albums Chart Top 40. {“nid”:”9427696″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”One Direction Re-Enters Social 50 Chart After Celebrating 10th Anniversary”,”relative_path”:”\/articles\/business\/chart-beat\/9427696\/one-direction-return-soc...
Wayne Connolly, Celebrated Australian Producer and Engineer, Launches Scenic Drive: Exclusive
Wayne Connolly, the celebrated Australian producer, engineer and artist who has collected eight ARIA Awards — and counting — for his work, has launched his first label, Scenic Drive. Based in Sydney, Connolly’s latest venture begins life with its debut signing The Nagging Doubts, whose breezy first single “Shot In The Dark” is due out Aug. 20, supported by a gig that night at The Vanguard in Newtown. They’re an “impressively self-sufficient band who are really good at home recording and they have stockpiled dozens of ideas and demos that need finishing,” Connolly tells Billboard. Scenic Drive should be a breath of fresh air, hitting fifth gear at a time when creatives are feeling stifled by the health crisis and the troubling second wave currently pummeling the state of Victori...
Gracie Abrams Delivers Debut TV Performance With Emotional ‘I Miss You’ on ‘Fallon’: Watch
Gracie Abrams made her TV debut Tuesday night on The Tonight Show. If she was freaking out on the inside, she sure wasn’t showing it. Armed with a keyboard and a microphone, the 20-year-old folk singer and songwriter Zoomed in from her bedroom for a virtual performance of “I Miss You, I’m Sorry.” {“nid”:”7964717″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Gracie Abrams Releases New Single 'Spark' in Support of Pediatric Cancer Research”,”relative_path”:”\/articles\/news\/7964717\/gracie-abrams-spark-pediatric-cancer-jj-daughter\/”,”media”:{“width”:”1548″,”height”:”1024″,”extension”:”jpg”,”mime...
Macy Gray Ramps Up ‘My Good’ Nonprofit to Help Families of Victims of Police Brutality
In response to incidents of police brutality across the United States, singer Macy Gray is ramping up her nonprofit My Good. The organization, founded quietly earlier this year, seeks to help families and loved ones of victims of police violence with financial, emotional and mental health support. The org is also at work curating different platforms for the victims’ families to be heard including support groups with grief experts and ministers among other initiatives. One needn’t search far and wide to find examples as recent deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, to name a few, gripped the nation and helped inspire Black Lives Matter protests across the country. For Gray, this issue and the aftermath for families is personal. Gray watched her aunt and uncle struggle after their ...
Rufus Wainwright Soars With Socially-Distanced Performance on ‘Tonight Show’: Watch
Rufus Wainwright is like a reborn artist. The veteran singer and songwriter doesn’t shy away from confronting politics in his art and challenging his own talents. He’s done just that with his ninth and latest studio album, Unfollow The Rules. His latest follows a musical diversion into opera and Shakespearean sonnets, and it finds the singer in good form. “I’ve never sung better than now,” he told Billboard ahead of the new album release. “My voice is sort of at its very peak right now. That’s not unusual for someone in the opera world; It’s really in your forties when you kind of hit your stride.” {“nid”:”9365237″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Rufus Wainwright Brings 'Robe Recitals&#x...
Will Young’s Twin Brother Rupert Dies at 41
Will Young’s twin brother Rupert has died at the age of 41. Rupert Young was director of U.K. mental health charity The Mood Foundation, which he established in the late 2000s. Over the years, he spoke openly about his own battles with depression and alcohol abuse. A spokesperson for the pop artist confirmed Rupert’s passing to the BBC, and requested privacy for the Young family “during this very difficult and sad time”. The cause of death has not been disclosed. {“nid”:”8517491″,”type”:”post”,”title”:”Will Young Chases Fifth U.K. Albums Chart Crown With 'Lexicon'”,”relative_path”:”\/articles\/business\/chart-beat\/8517491\/will-young-chases-fifth-uk-albums-chart-crown-lexi...
Pandemic Exacts Toll on Sony’s Music Operations With Double-Digit Revenue Drop
In the company’s fiscal first quarter ended June 30, Sony’s music operations showed the wear and tear of the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with revenue declining 13.1% to ¥173.735 billion yen ($1.646 billion) from 2019’s first quarter revenue of ¥200.04 billion ($1.84 billion). While operating profit was also down to ¥34.89 billion ($325.3 million), the decline on a percentage basis wasn’t as much, coming in 8.8% down from the ¥38.3 billion ($348 million) tallied in the year earlier first quarter period. Consequently, the company’s already healthy operating margin showed a slight improvement, consisting of 19.7% of revenue this year, versus 18.9% in 2019’s first quarter, which shows the company kept a tight rein on expenses. During t...
