Linda Perry
Willa Amai Is Ready to Speak for Herself
At first glance, Willa Amai’s album title sounds like something an overzealous child might brag about to their babysitter (as soon as their parents leave). I Can Go To Bed Whenever. And to some extent, the folk-pop newcomer means it that way. At 17, Amai views her debut LP as a coming-of-age story — an exploration of adulthood as she finishes her junior year of high school. The deeper context, however, speaks to the Los Angeles teen’s mental health journey, and how a childhood diagnosis of anxiety disorder manifested itself, even as then-13-year-old Amai was going viral on YouTube for her ethereal cover of Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” in 2017. “I had a fear of not sleeping,” Amai tells SPIN over the phone. “From fourth grade to eighth grade, I made my mom promise me that ...
Bono Releases New Song ‘Eden: To Find Love’ for Citizen Penn Film
U2 frontman Bono takes a solo spin with his vocals on “Eden: To Find Love,” a song co-written and produced by Linda Perry. It’s the only artist-driven tune on the soundtrack of Citizen Penn, a film about Sean Penn’s organization J/PHRO (now CORE) in the wake of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake. Perry, of 4 Non Blondes fame, scored the soundtrack, which comes out via Lakeshore Records on May 21. Citizen Penn was directed by Don Hardy and is now streaming now on Discovery+. “My dream was not to be a big rockstar, it was to create music that would play a supporting role in films,” the “What’s Up” singer said in a statement. “Every song I write comes from a visual, not a word, not a strum.” “Eden: To Find Love” includes the lyrics “Out of the ash, out of the dust / ...
Women’s History Month: The Path Forward
As women claim space, power, and influence, there continues to be #MeToo reckonings in every business field, and none more so than the traditionally permissive music industry. It’s a world that values art and creation and catharsis, but along with it, the ’70s cliche of sex and drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. And with that came — and still comes — commensurate and all-too-true stories of abhorrent behavior both backstage and behind desks at record companies. There are triumphant tales: Tina Turner, ultimately, painfully escaped Ike Turner and his abuse to become one of the strongest, most successful and revered women not just in music, but in pop culture. And where one woman is brave enough to come forth and name her abuser, others are empowered to share their stories, as allegations against Mari...
