International
Masked Singer Sheldon Riley Shines With Billie Eilish Cover on ‘AGT’: Watch
Sheldon Riley doesn’t waste his voice on trifling matters. Like speaking, with America’s Got Talent judges. During Tuesday night’s auditions, the Sydney, Australia hopeful initially played the silent type, before revealing a voice which had Simon Cowell and Co. in raptures. Performing in an exotic black gown and a shimmering mask which could have been been lifted from Prince’s vault, Riley lit the torch with a dramatic rendition of Billie Eilish’s “idontwannabeyouanymore”. Riley later explained his quiet start. He’d rather let his performance do all the talking. Afterwards, Cowell praises Riley’s mystery and originality. “You have an amazing voice,” Howie Mandel enthused. “And the fact that I don’t know what you ...
Bigsound Will Go Ahead In 2020 With COVIDSafe Format
Bigsound is back on the industry calendar. While the health crisis wrecks the touring industry around the globe, Australia’s main music industry conference and showcase is set for a return to Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley in 2020 at a later date than usual, and in a condensed, COVIDSafe format. The announcement this week caught the industry by surprise. The southern state of Victoria and its capital Melbourne, widely regarded at the country’s cultural mecca, has just entered a second lockdown to try curb a worrying spike in coronavirus cases. And there are worrying signs of an outbreak or two in New South Wales. The Bigsound show, however, will go on. Originally announced for Sept 1- 4, this year’s event will be reduced to a two-day, two-night event from Oct. 21. All activities will fo...
Spotify’s Russian Push Targets New Market With Considerable Growth Potential
The streaming service has announced an expansion into 13 new markets, reaching potentially 250 million new users — if only it can sign them up. Spotify is launching its streaming service in Russia and 12 other countries in Europe, marking an important expansion that will bring the music streamer to nearly 250 million new listeners and effectively blanket Europe with the service. In addition to Russia, the 16th-largest streaming market, Spotify will push into Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine. The launch comes as the digital streamer has been expanding aggressively into new markets. It introduced the platform in India in 2019; in 14 markets in the Middle East and Africa in 2018 (inc...
Music Exec Andrew Jackson Partners With Sony Music Australia for Joint Venture Label Avoca Drive
Music executive Andrew Jackson has partnered with Sony Music Entertainment Australia to launch Avoca Drive, a joint venture label with A&R executives in both Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia. Avoca Drive’s first signing is Tanisha Tishawiana Sadewo and Osvaldo Rio Nugroho Aritonang’s new project Galdive, whose first single ‘Nescience’ drops Friday (July 17). Galdive is “this beautiful young male/female duo who just make pure ear candy – playful, sweet and universally appealing,” explains Jackson, who plans to work with a network of international songwriters and producers to find new artists and promote them “internationally with a hands-on approach tuned to artists’ needs commercially and creatively.” Jackson is the founder and direct...
The Streets, Juice Wrld Challenge For U.K. Albums Chart Title
Mike Skinner is streets ahead on the midweek U.K. albums chart. The Birmingham artist and producer, who records as The Streets, bolts to No. 1 on the Official Chart Update with None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive (Island), which takes the lead by almost 3,000 combined sales, according to the Official Charts Company. If it holds its position when the Official U.K Albums Chart is published this Friday, it’ll be The Streets’ first leader in 14 years. Skinner has tasted the high life twice. With his 2004 sophomore album A Grand Don’t Come For Free (for which he won the Brit Award for British male solo artist) and 2006’s The Hardest Way To Make A Living. In second place is Juice Wrld’s posthumous set Legends Never Die (Interscope), the leader on streams in the first half of the week, ...
Juice WRLD Set for Big Splash on U.K. Singles Chart
A trio of tracks from Juice WRLD’s posthumous album release Legends Never Die (Polydor) are pushing for top 20 berths on the U.K. singles chart. Following the weekend’s sales and streaming activity, the hip-hop artist’s “Come & Go” with Marshmello flies in at No. 10 on the Official Chart: First Look. Also, “Life’s A Mess” vaults 66-12 on the sales blast, and “Conversations” is at No. 14, according to the Official Charts Company. The 21-year-old rapper (real name Jared Anthony Higgins) died last December following an accidental overdose of painkillers. Juice WRLD has a posthumous U.K. No. 1 to his name, for his contribution on Eminem’s “Godzilla.” His next highest appearance on the Official U.K. Singles Chart is a No. 10 peak for his signature tune from 2018, “Lucid Dreams.” Legen...
The Strokes, Tyler The Creator & Gorillaz Confirmed for Splendour in the Grass 2021
The 20th anniversary edition of Australia’s Splendour In the Grass is more than a year away, though festival-fans just got a taste of what’s to come. On Monday, organizers confirmed Tyler, The Creator and The Strokes have signed up for the rescheduled Splendour dates, now set for July 23-25, 2021. Also, virtual British band Gorillaz will slot into the top of the bill. The Damon Albarn-led project replaces Flume, who was originally booked for Splendour’s 2020 edition, but isn’t available for the new dates in 2021. It’s something of a “Feel Good Inc” development from Splendour’s producers Jessica Ducrou and Paul Piticco, who had tentatively pushed back this year’s show by three months to October 2020 due to the pandemic. Last month, Ducrou and Piticco conceded those plans couldn’...
Pop Smoke Lights up Australia’s Albums Chart With ‘Shoot For The Stars’
Pop Smoke, the fast-rising hip-hop artist whose life was taken in a home invasion at the age of just 20, is the new leader of Australia’s albums chart. The Los Angeles-based artist’s debut LP Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon (Universal) bows at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, with three tracks from it impacting the national singles survey (“The Woo” at No. 25, “For The Night” at No. 32 and “Dior” at No. 48). Pop Smoke’s posthumous release follows two mixtapes, Meet The Woo (2019) and Meet The Woo 2 (2020), the latter debuting at No. 33 last week and rising to No. 24 on the current list. Shoot For The Stars is the first posthumous LP to top the Australian chart in more than two years. The last to do so was Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu’s history-making Djarimirri (Child Of The Rainb...
Paul Weller’s ‘On Sunset’ Heats up Midweek U.K. Albums Chart
Paul Weller shouts to the top of the U.K. midweek chart with On Sunset (Polydor), his fifteenth solo album. The former Style Council and The Jam frontman takes the lead on the Official Chart Update, with a 11,000 chart sales advantage over its nearest competitor, Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon (Republic Records). If On Sunset holds its position when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published this Friday (July 10), it’ll be Weller’s first leader since Sonik Kicks opened at the summit, eight years ago. On Sunset will be the veteran British artist’s 20th solo Top 10 album, and it’s the best-seller across physical albums and downloads in the first half of the chart cycle. Pop Smoke’s debut comes in at No. 2 on the midweek albums chart, and three songs ...
Tones And I, Julia Jacklin, Flume & More Score Nominations for 2020 AIR Awards
With three nominations, Tones And I has a fine chance of taking home silverware at the 2020 AIR Awards, to be held Oct. 1 in Adelaide. Tones’ global hit “Dance Monkey” is up for independent song of the year, her debut EP The Kids are Coming is in the running for independent pop album or EP and she’s nominated for breakthrough independent artist of the year. The former busker is coming off the type of year most artists can only dream of. “Dance Monkey” led the ARIA Singles Chart for a whopping 24-weeks, easily an all-time record. And in the U.K., the song led the national singles tally for 11 weeks, the longest streak ever by a solo female artist. The track has now raced past seven billion streams across all platforms. In May of this year, Tones snagged two APRA Music Awards — includi...
Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo’s ‘Savage Love’ Rules ARIA Singles Chart
Jawsh 685 claims a slice of history as “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)” (Columbia/Sony), his collaboration with Jason Derulo, climbs to the summit of Australia’s singles chart. The Auckland producer (real name Joshua Stylah) becomes just the third New Zealander to lead the ARIA Singles Chart in its 37-year history. And at 17 years of age, he’s the youngest. It’s been nearly a quarter century since a Kiwi act led Australia’s singles chart. OMC last did it with “How Bizarre,” back in April 1996. The first New Zealander to lead the chart was Dave Dobbyn with Herbs’ “Slice Of Heaven” in May 1987. “Savage Love,” which also rules the Official U.K. Singles Chart this week, becomes the fourth No. 1 single in Australia for U.S. R&B singer Derulo after “In My Head” (February 2010), “Talk...
Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo’s ‘Savage Love’ Takes Early Lead In U.K. Chart Race
Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo’s “Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)” (RCA) is on track for a second week atop the U.K. singles chart. The single, combining the talents of 17-year-old New Zealand producer Joshua Stylah and featuring the vocals of U.S. R&B artist Derulo, climbed to the summit in its third week on the tally. Following the weekend’s sales and streaming activity, “Savage Love” pulls ahead with a lead of 2,300 combined sales, according to the Official Charts Company. It’s the top title on the Official Chart: First Look, ahead of Dababy’s “Rockstar” (Interscope) featuring Roddy Ricch, and Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s “Rain on Me” (Interscope), respectively. AJ Tracey and Mabel’s “West Ten” should score the week’s highest new entry when the Official U.K. Sin...
