(Editor’s note: SPIN contributor Marissa R. Moss’s book, Her Country: How the Women of Country Music Became the Success They Were Never Supposed, is out today. Moss interviewed 70 sources for it, which traces how difficult it is to win when there are so many obstacles to clear. In this exclusive excerpt from Her Country, she outlines how Brandi Carlile engineered yet another historic moment in Newport Folk Festival history by putting together the first-ever female-only set in 2019.) It was a fall of both empty gestures and important strides: the CMA Awards would announce in August that Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire would be taking over hosting duties from Brad Paisley to join Carrie Underwood in “celebrating women” when the show aired in November (though plenty dismissed this as lip servi...
For most of the 2010s, singer-songwriters Yola and Natalie Hemby worked in relative obscurity, mostly known by country-music enthusiasts and insiders. But in the last two years, all of that has changed. Yola’s 2019 country-soul debut Walk Through Fire was a surprise hit, earning the British newcomer four Grammy nominations in 2020. Since then, her career has taken off. Her follow-up, Stand For Myself — one of SPIN’s best albums of 2021 — is in the running for Best Americana Album at this year’s Grammy Awards. One of the best cuts on Yola’s album, “Diamond Studded Shoes,” is nominated for Best American Roots Song. The song was co-written by Natalie Hemby, a prolific songwriter who has written hits for country stars like Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert. More recently, Hemby has been writ...
There’s a staggering sentence in the bio that accompanied the sample of singer-songwriter Yola’s sophomore album, Stand For Myself. In discussing a perspective shift since the release of her 2019 Grammy-nominated debut, Walk Through Fire, she says she was persuaded from being her true self, sharing, “There was a little hiatus where I got brainwashed out of my own majesty, but a bitch is back.” With her bright voice, ear-to-ear smile, and face framed with big violet hair, it’s hard to imagine the 38-year-old British songstress as anything other than self-assured, even as she describes what it took for her to get to that place. “A big part of the brainwashing was just white supremacy. We all get the same brainwashing. So if you’re a white person, you’re totally valid in every space, regardle...
Ahead of this holiday weekend, we welcome you back with open arms as we get ready to light up the night with pretty patriotic explosions. Aside from including a stellar group of artists who are on the brink, this week’s roundup captures the lively spirit of the summer heat. With colorful sound textures, soulful sonic grooves, and experiential instrumentation/production, these artists master the art of what it is to be freeform and true to their versatile identity. Genreless has become the new genre and this collection of musical wizards are here to consciously (or unconsciously) dominate the realm. This week’s highlights include Minneapolis based rhythmic songwriter, Miloe who brings out his signature sound in “Solo,” dreamy producer/multi-instrumentalist Olan, who hypnotizes and gets vuln...
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized 46.8 kilograms of suspected Tramadol capsules worth N50 million in Mubi, Mubi North Local Government area of Adamawa. The NDLEA Commander in the state, Mr Idris Bello, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Yola. Bello said that the drug was seized in a house at Unguwan Madina, Mubi town. Bello explained that the command had also seized 82 blocks of compressed substance, weighing 79 kilogramme, believed to be cannabis sativa, popularly known as Indian hemp, in Lafiya-Lamurde in Lamurde Local Government area of the state. “The Adamawa Command of NDLEA, on Feb. 19, successfully arrested a suspect, with 225mg of Tramadol tablets, 100mg capsules and Diazepam tablets, all weighing 46.8 ...
Former Adamawa Governor Bala James Ngilari, said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has no future in Nigeria because it is a dying party. Ngilari said this at the state All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders meeting on Saturday in Yola. The former governor who defected to APC in 2020, was the PDP’s Adamawa North Senatorial Candidate at the 2019 general election. ” One of the reasons why I dumped PDP for APC is that PDP is a dying party. In fact, PDP is dead and it will be buried in 2023. ” Secondly, I don’t see PDP as an alternative for the future of Nigeria, because the contradictions in the party will make its members go to the graveyard and we will help them bury themselves. ” And the reason why I identified myself with APC is because of its laudable objectives that will take us t...
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (Binani), on Friday commended President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the Modibbo Adama University bill into law. Binani, who initiated the bill in the 7th National Assembly, said the university can now run all approved academic programmes like any other conventional University. She said the bill will also create more placements for youths seeking admission into the university. Binani, who made her feelings known in a statement in Abuja, said the assent of the President was heart-warming. She said: “It is heartwarming to note the gracious assent by Mr. President to this bill. Precisely on the 6th of January, 2021, Mr. President assented to the bill converting MAUTECH to a Conventional Univers...