Month: April 2022

Over the past several weeks, Britney Spears has been very active on social media, writing a number of posts featuring long captions or chunks of text revealing many of her past struggles with her career, her past relationships, her self-image, and her family. While some have questioned the seemingly erratic behavior, it turns out she had a good reason for sharing — and occasionally deleting — those posts. As she revealed in her latest Instagram post, she’s writing a book about her experiences, a process she calls “healing and therapeutic.”

“I want to address my recent post captioning my past,” she wrote. “To my understanding, to most it’s confusing… why express NOW??? Well, I’m writing a book at the moment and as it’s actually healing and therapeutic… it’s also hard bringing up past events in my life… I’ve never been able to express openly.I can only imagine that I do sound childish but I was extremely young with those events took place … and addressing it now … I’m sure it seems irrelevant to most and I’m completely aware of that !!!”

It was previously reported that Spears had signed a book deal with Simon & Schuster which was called one of the biggest ever at an estimated $15 million. Apparently, Spears’ tweets have been something of a rough draft, her way of organizing her thoughts before committing them to print. As she notes in her post, both her mom and her sister Jamie Lynn have sold memoirs, something she initially didn’t approve of. However, it seems she’s finally ready to talk about it after baring her soul — as well as as much of her body as Instagram will allow. One thing is for sure: If ever there was a guaranteed day-one best seller, Spears’ book would certainly fit the bill.

Looking for the most anticipated indie album of 2022? Here it is. You see, where hip-hop heads are constantly fawning over every rumor surrounding the next Kendrick Lamar album (which is, quite frankly, understandable), indie fans are constantly yearning for the next Radiohead drop. Now with The Smile, Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and Sons Of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner have created a spin-off supergroup that is pretty damn close to the storied band behind OK Computer and In Rainbows. They’ve even got Radiohead’s go-to producer Nigel Godrich on board. And while an official announcement on the debut album from The Smile has yet to be made, the group just delivered their fourth single today in the paranoia-driven “Pana-Vision.” And like its three predecessors, it totally rules.

“Pana-Vision,” which debuted last night on the final episode ever of BBC One’s show Peaky Blinders, opens with an eery piano. It slowly unfolds alongside Yorke’s high-pitched delivery into something more inviting, before materializing into a track that is decidedly sinister. (Sound familiar?) Skinner’s smoky drumming feels akin to what you’d hear past 2 am at a London underbelly jazz club. But it’s Greenwood’s piano that really challenges your mind to understand how the song is supposed to make you feel. Altogether this is another fine companion piece to previously released singles in “You Will Never Work In Television Again,” “The Smoke,” and “Skrting On The Surface.”

The track was released along with a spooky animation by Sabrina Nichols, which you can watch above.

A big part of being a music fan is keeping up with the music of the moment; There’s a reason popular artists have gotten to where they are, after all. Another equally important aspect of being an informed consumer of music, though, is maintaining an awareness of the up-and-coming artists who are primed to shape the industry in their own ways.

That’s what Uproxx’s new Next Up series is all about.

Over the course of ten feature profiles, you’ll learn about artists currently laying the foundation for some major things to come, things that will both establish themselves as forces and influence those who come after them. Before those features start rolling in, keep reading for a rundown of who we decided needs to be a part of this conversation.

Dove Cameron

The pipeline from Disney Channel star to music icon has been fruitful over the years, as folks like Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Ariana Grande have started on the network and gone on to tremendous musical success (also Olivia Rodrigo if you count her High School Musical series on Disney+). Now it’s looking like Dove Cameron, whose lengthy acting resume includes the lead role in the Disney Channel series Liv And Maddie, could very well be next. Her debut EP, Bloodshot / Waste, arrived in 2019 and she just recently had her biggest hit yet in February with the dramatic single “Boyfriend,” which was her first, and likely not last, song to grace the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Saya Gray

With her recent signing to Dirty Hit, Canadian-Japanese singer-songwriter Saya Gray finds herself in great company: The label’s esteemed artists include The 1975, Beabadoobee, Wolf Alice, and Rina Sawayama. Her first album for the label, 19 Masters, is on the way in June and based on songs like the recent single “If There’s No Seat In The Sky (Will You Forgive Me???),” it’s easy to see why Dirty Hit brought the innovative young artist on board, who’s adept at switching genres not just between songs, but sometimes right in the middle of them.

PinkPantheress

TikTok has become a real proving ground for up-and-coming artists as the young generation gets exposed to a lot of new music on the platform. PinkPantheress managed to stand out above all the noise and earn herself a record deal with Parlophone. Her music definitely embraces the fast-paced nature of TikTok: Most of the songs on her 2021 debut mixtape To Hell With It are shorter than two minutes. That didn’t stop the multi-genre project from performing particularly well, as it landed in the top 20 of the charts in PinkPantheress’ native UK.

Kali

Speaking of TikTok, Atlanta rapper Kali also found success on the platform and now she’s breaking new ground beyond it. As Uproxx’s Aaron Williams notes, she’s moving into a space traditionally dominated by male rappers, one that is “marked by passive aggression, avoidant attachment, and audio gaslighting, with rappers and singers delighting in keeping their significant others guessing in the narratives of their songs.” Kali parlayed her breakout single “Mmm Mmm” into a debut EP, Toxic Chocolate. The Yung Bleu-featuring “UonU” is a highlight, on which she turns the tables and asserts dominance, rapping, “It’s a two-way street, we in the same lane / Play you ‘fore you play me, that’s just my mind-frame / But you still mine, babe.”

Tobi Lou

Odds are you’ve already heard Tobi Lou working with one of your favorites, as the Chicago-via-Nigeria rapper has collaborated with some of his biggest hometown peers, like Chance The Rapper, Dreezy, and Saba. He was on the ballot for the 2020 XXL Freshmen list and while he didn’t make the cut, he’s on to bigger and better things, like his recently released new album Non-Perishable, which mostly features Lou shining on his own but also alongside guests like T-Pain and Chika. All the name-drops are to illustrate that Lou has support from folks in high places, co-signs that show Lou is worth consideration.

Omah Lay

A lot of things have been going right for the 24-year-old Nigerian afrobeats star lately. Since landing a record deal a couple years ago, Omah Lay’s ascent has been quick, as he had a social media hit with “Bad Influence,” dropped some EPs that landed on Apple Music’s charts in Nigeria, and caught the attention of Justin Bieber, with whom he recently released the collaborative single “Attention.” Furthermore, Lay’s status as an afrobeats favorite was cemented with the launch of Billboard’s new US Afrobeats Songs chart in March. On the inaugural ranks, he had two songs in the top 30, including “Attention,” which graced the top five. Basically, Lay’s on an upward trend, so if you haven’t been paying attention so far, now’s a good time to start.

Bakar

Like many artists before him, Bakar got his start uploading songs on SoundCloud. That’s really one of the few ways the experimental UK indie rocker is like other artists, though. He gradually worked on his craft, forged a distinct aesthetic identity, and had himself a bit of a hit in 2019 with “Hell N Back,” which popped up on multiple rock and alternative Billboard charts, including a No. 1 placement on Adult Alternative Airplay. Things have only gotten better since then, as he had a feature on one of 2020’s most esteemed indie/pop albums in Benee’s Hey U X and released his debut album, Nobody’s Home, in February. He got some hometown love for that one, as it was a top-40 album in the UK. Now it feels like just a matter of time before the rest of the world catches up.

Horsegirl

Chicago trio Horsegirl formed in 2019, when its members were all teens. While many teenage endeavors are best left forgotten, Horsegirl has built on their start in a major way. They’ve since signed to Matador Records and so far released two singles for the label: 2021’s “Billy” and this year’s “Anti-Glory.” As for the sound, the group falls somewhere between post-punk and shoegaze, a zone that has clearly worked for them given the aforementioned examples of their success. It’s the kind of music that begs to be heard live, so there’s good news there, as one of the year’s buzziest bands has a slew of tour dates set for this summer.

Caracara

The 2019 EP Better was big for Caracara, as the rocking effort landed them on many people’s radars. That includes renowned producer Will Yip, who has worked with everybody from Lauryn Hill to Keane to The Wonder Years. He also linked up with Caracara on their recently released album New Preoccupations (As The Gods Descend), which is highlighted by the single “Colorglut,” which features Circa Survive’s Anthony Green. The company a band keeps can say a lot about them, and so far, a lot of top-tier folks have found their way to Caracara’s corner. Now that the new album is out and music fans have something fresh to sink their teeth into, the Caracara corner is about to get even more crowded.

Zack Fox

As social media has become a primary method of fan interaction for celebrities, a lot of musicians have emerged as legitimately hilarious social media personalities. Then there’s Zack Fox, who’s approaching things from the opposite direction: He was a comedian first, but in recent years, he’s found some solid footing in hip-hop: His debut album, Shut The F*ck Up Talking To Me, came out last year and he’s touring with Freddie Gibbs this year. On top of all that, he’s still acting and has a recurring role in one of the most acclaimed comedies of the moment, Abbott Elementary. He’s even an accomplished visual artist, as he illustrated the album sleeve of Thundercat’s Drunk. Basically, Fox has done something you’d probably enjoy in just about every artistic medium, which is something very few people can say.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Vince Staples has been relentlessly teasing his new album, Ramona Park Broke My Heart for the past several months (or years, really), and today, he finally lets fans get a glimpse of what the album will contain. The Long Beach rapper shared the tracklist, revealing song titles such as “DJ Quik,” named for the Compton producer who helped craft the sound of West Coast G-Funk in the 1990s, and “Mama’s Boy,” which sounds like it promises to be one of Staples’ most (only?) vulnerable tracks to date.

Incidentally, the real DJ Quik may actually appear on the album, as Vince posted a photo of himself in the studio with Quik to announce that the album was finished. The project clocks in at 16 tracks, marking a compromise between the monstrous, double-disc runtime of his debut album, Summertime 06, and the ultra-short projects he’s released since then, including the groundbreaking Big Fish Theory, the nostalgic FM!, and his most recent album, 2021’s somber Vince Staples.

The album also features his recently released single “Magic,” which was produced by Mustard and gave Vince as close to a pop radio-friendly single as he’s ever had. The new production style used on “Magic” and Vince’s latest single “Rose Street,” along with his recent appearance on Tyler The Creator’s Call Me If You Get Lost Tour, suggest that this could be the outspoken rapper’s most commercially successful album yet.

Ramona Park Broke My Heart is due 4/8 via Motown. Pre-save it here.

Summer is on its way, which means festivals, “song of the summer” debates, and warm-sounding tunes are coming. Before that, though, let’s not forget about spring, as this transitional season has plenty of releases worth looking forward to, especially when it comes to indie music.

(For our purposes, “spring” is defined as the period between this year’s vernal equinox and summer solstice, so from March 20 to June 21. Of course, we’re also excluding albums that got an early start this spring and were already released before today, since we can’t really anticipate them anymore; Pup’s The Unraveling Of PupTheBand and Destroyer’s Labyrinthitis come to mind.)

The next few months have a packed release schedule full of noteworthy projects by some beloved artists, so we combed through them and came up with the ten albums we’re most anticipating. Presented in order of release date, they are:

Father John Misty — Chloë And The Next 20th Century

Release Date: April 8

Save for the odd release here and there, Father John Misty has kept mostly quiet since releasing his 2018 album God’s Favorite Customer. He put himself back out there towards the end of 2021, though, when he covertly announced his new album via a spoken-word vinyl he mailed to some fans. He made a formal announcement in January this year while also sharing the album’s lead single, “Funny Girl.” Since then, he’s dropped some more singles, made some late-night TV appearance, and done other album promotion things, which is nice to see from Misty after a few years spent primarily out of the spotlight.

Wet Leg — Wet Leg

Release Date: April 8

It’s not often a debut indie album as as anticipated as the upcoming self-titled effort from Wet Leg is. Their catchy brand of rock has earned them acclaim already thanks largely to their debut single “Chaise Longue,” which managed peaks in the top 20 of Billboard‘s Alternative Airplay charts. If you want a co-sign, Wet Leg recently received maybe the best one in rock: In an interview, Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl said, “Wet Leg are about to take over America. I really do dig them. […] Sometimes we’ll hang out at a friend’s house and just dance until four o’clock in the morning, and we’ll play ‘Chaise Longue’ on repeat, like over and over and over and over and over again.” If the guy from Nirvana is over the moon about an exciting young band, you should be, too.

Kurt Vile — Watch My Moves

Release Date: April 15

Kurt Vile is in the midst of the longest between-albums cap of his solo career, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been busy. Since releasing Bottle It In in 2018, Vile has found himself working with other artists, most notably producing and performing on Dinosaur Jr.’s 2021 album Sweep It Into Space. Vile’s getting back to focusing on himself now, though, as Watch My Moves is quickly on the way. He has preceded the album with singles like “Hey Like A Child” and “Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone),” which tease an album featuring Vile comfortably in his languid rock wheelhouse.

Fontaines DC — Skinty Fia

Release Date: April 22

Fontaines DC are a mainstream success in their native Ireland, where their first two albums have enjoyed top-four chart peaks. They’re thriving on this side of the pond, too, as both of their full-lengths have earned them acclaim pretty much across the board. Now, their third LP, Skinty Fia, is just weeks away and the anticipation is palpable. It’s deserved, too, as the group is doing some fascinating things with post-punk on singles like the catchy “Jackie Down The Line” and the album’s brooding, rhythmic title track.

Toro y Moi — Mahal

Release Date: April 29

Fads come and go, especially in indie music, but Toro y Moi has been one of the most consistent forces of the past decade-plus: Since 2010, he has released eight albums, and now he has a ninth on the way at the end of the month. Given that spring is a bit of a transitional season, it’s appropriate that Mahal also sees Toro y Moi entering a new phase of his career, as the album is his first since signing with Dead Oceans. Based on recent singles, it looks like Toro y Moi is trying a variety of things this time around, as evidenced by songs like the funky “The Loop” and the more rock-inspired “Déjà Vu.”

Arcade Fire — We

Release Date: May 6

Arcade Fire didn’t really handle their previous album, 2017’s Everything Now, that well. To be clear, that’s not something the band themselves haven’t said. Things are different with the recently announced We, though. While Everything Now had some prominent dance influences, lead single “Lightning I, II” sounds more like a return to the anthemic indie rock that put the band on the map in the first place. Also noteworthy is that unless minds are changed, this will be the band’s last album with Will Butler, as he recently left the group.

The Black Keys — Dropout Boogie

Release Date: May 13

Save for a five-year gap between albums in the mid-to-late 2010s, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney haven’t really stopped making Black Keys music for an extended stretch since their debut in 2002. Ever since 2010’s Brothers, the group has been a regular presence in the top ten of the charts and they’re looking to continue that streak with Dropout Boogie. As you’d expect from the duo, singles like “Wild Child” are another example of the highest quality blues rock on the market today, and on the full album, there’s surely more of that to be had.

Florence And The Machine — Dance Fever

Release Date: May 13

Florence Welch and her band are looking to continue a hot streak, as their previous album, 2018’s High As Hope, was their second straight top-two album in the US (but also their first non-No. 1 in the UK, although it still managed to top out in the second spot). One thing you can also count on from a Florence And The Machine album is a set of grandiose experiences, which they have offered with pre-album singles: “Heaven Is Here” is driven by stomped rhythms while “My Love” is more of a dance-inspired number, an aesthetic that meshes well with Welch’s signature vocals.

Angel Olsen — Big Time

Release Date: June 3

After a bit of time away, Angel Olsen has been going basically non-stop since releasing All Mirrors in 2019. She followed it with Whole New Mess in 2020 and had some fun in 2021, too, both with her Sharon Van Etten collaboration “Like I Used To” and her covers collection Aisles. Now, she’s getting back to regular business, as just a few days ago, she announced her next album, Big Time. Arriving alongside that news was lead single “All The Good Times,” a soaring alt-country-inspired tune that puts a soaring vocal performance from Olsen front and center.

Perfume Genius — Ugly Season

Release Date: June 17

Of the albums on this list, Perfume Genius’ upcoming LP is perhaps the one we know the least about. No singles have been shared yet, so really, all we have in terms of an indication of the record’s nature is a statement from Jacolby Satterwhite, who is directing an accompanying short film. He says, “Mike [Hadreas] and I are both writing scripts. My visual narrative serendipitously mirrors the lyrical direction in his music; it’s a rare, like-minded bond. It’s a creation myth. How do you architecturally mold and render an idealized version of utopia? It’s about making something that you desire so beyond your scope that it’s hard to grapple into a concrete form.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Is Kid Cudi’s rise as an action star around the corner? He’s certainly got a foot in the door with his next role. After impressing as a version of himself in Don’t Look Up and a horny adult film star in X, Cudi will play a police detective in veteran director John Woo’s upcoming action thriller, Silent Night, according to Deadline. Woo, known for such heart-pumping classics as Hard Boiled, Hard Target, Face/Off, and the unfairly maligned Mission: Impossible II, is directing Cudi alongside Joel Kinnaman, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Harold Torres in a genre-staple revenge story with a twist; there will be no dialogue in the film.

“Its a good day when Deadline posts about u,” Cudi tweeted. “Can’t wait for y’all to see this masterpiece from the GOD John Woo. Joel what’s good!!”

Silent Night will be Woo’s first American production since 2003’s Paycheck. However, he’s had an outsized impact on action cinema here, as well as on hip-hop; his Hong Kong classic A Better Tomorrow was referenced by Wu-Tang Clan for their 2014 album of the same.

Kid Cudi, meanwhile, has been racking up Hollywood credits, including a role in his X co-star Brittany Snow’s upcoming directorial debut, September 17th. His own directorial debut, Teddy, is also currently in pre-production with backing from Jay-Z and The Harder They Fall director Jeymes Samuel.

Trump’s attempt at creating a Twitter alternative for his MAGA cult members has suffered yet another blow.

After his longtime ally Roger Stone accused Trump’s Truth Social of censorship, two key tech executives who helped launch the platform have just quit. The company’s chief of technology, Josh Adams, and its chief of product development, Billy Boozer, resigned this week at their departure couldn’t have come at a worst time. Along with censorship claims from other users, the platform’s sign-ups have dropped by 93% since it launched.

According to Reuters, both Boozer and Adams’ departures were announced after the platform’s dismal iPhone app launch. Though the app hit the Apple Store on Feb. 20th, some users are still on a waiting list, trying to gain access. The plan was to expand the app for Android users but losing their top two tech guys might further delay that promise. According to many sources, Trump is big mad over how badly Truth Social is performing — word is it only averages 650,000 users per day and all of the bad press is really hurting Trump’s ego.

Maybe some new management will turn things around though? Or maybe, a barebones social media site run by narcissistic reality-star-turned-politician was just never gonna work in the first place?

(Via Reuters)

Last night’s Grammy Awards were supposed to be big for Lil Nas X. He was nominated for five awards including Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best Music Video, and Best Melodic Rap Performance (the latter with Jack Harlow for “Industry Baby,” which they performed together at the awards show). But sweet Montero was shut out. A zero-for-five night for Lil Nas X seemed a bit of a travesty, considering what a massive year it was for the “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” singer. You’d think he could’ve at least claimed the Best Melodic Rap Performance award over Kanye West’s “Hurricane?” But I digress. Because it’s not about losing, it’s about how you lose.

The always unpredictable Lil Nas X took to his Instagram Story to sing a song he had written especially for this losing moment. Shirtless, he recorded himself singing into the mirror: “I ain’t win no Grammys, that sh*t hurt my feelings, that sh*t finna make me cryyyy,” the ditty begins. “I’m fittna cry. I didn’t win no Grammys. Zero-for-five Grammys. Zero out of five, that’s how many Grammys I won. I didn’t win no Grammys. That sh*t made me cry, that sh*t me cry. Ahhhhhh.”

A fan grabbed the video from Instagram, tweeted it, and Lil Nas X obliged with the retweet. Once you listen to the short impromptu number enough times in a row, it becomes rather hypnotic. Almost like it’s a mantra he might very well be singing to himself the next time he’s up for more Grammys. Because let’s face it, he’ll definitely be back. And even though he didn’t win last night, Lil Nas X was still all smiles.

With his debut album, B.I.B.L.E., dropping this Friday, New York rapper Fivio Foreign has shared the album’s tracklist. B.I.B.L.E., which stands for “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth,” features guest appearances from a balanced selection of emerging artists and established veterans including Alicia Keys, ASAP Rocky, Blueface, Chloe, Coi Leray, DJ Khaled, Kanye West, KayCyy, Lil Yachty, Lil Tjay, Ne-Yo, Quavo, Queen Naija, Polo G, Vory, and Yung Bleu. The album was previously pushed back by Fivio, who said he wanted it to be “perfect” — which is an admirable ambition for a debut album.

Fivio previously released the singles “City Of God” featuring Alicia Keys and Kanye West and “Magic City” featuring Quavo. Quavo also features on one other track, “Through The Fire.” Meanwhile, Fivio, who received a big boost from Kanye after appearing on the producer’s Donda album, will work with two other Ye-approved newcomers in KayCyy and Vory, who also both appeared on Donda.

In addition to finishing up his album, Fivio lent his voice to a new song on Kanye’s Donda 2, as well as collaborating with both Nicki Minaj and City Girls on “We Go Up” and “Top Notch,” respectively.

B.I.B.L.E. is out 4/8 via Columbia. You can see the full tracklist below.

1. “On God” Feat. KayCyy
2. “Through The Fire” Feat. Quavo
3. “Magic City” Feat. Quavo
4. “City of Gods Feat. Ye & Alicia Keys
5. “What’s My Name” Feat. Queen Naija & Coi Leray
6. “For Nothin”
7. “Hello” Feat. Chlöe & KayCyy
8. “Confidence” Feat. ASAP Rocky
9. “Slime Them” Feat. Lil Yachty
10. “Feel My Struggle”
11. “World Watching” Feat. Lil Tjay & Yung Bleu
12. “B.I.B.L.E Talk” Feat. DJ Khaled
13. “Changed On Me” Feat. Vory & Polo G
14. “Left Side” Feat. Blueface
15. “Love Songs” Feat. Ne-Yo
16. “Whoever”
17. “Can’t Be Us”

As someone who writes about the entertainment industry and has been around his share of famous people (yeah, I’ve met Chris Kattan, no big deal), the question I’ve been asked by friends maybe more than any other is: who is the most attractive actor or actress you’ve ever met? Without a moment’s hesitation, I always answer Alexander Skarsgård. There’s a reason he’s playing a ripped viking in The Northman and I’m… me.

Skarsgård has been named Sweden’s Sexiest Man Alive five times, but his tall handsomeness proved to be a deterrent to sustained success early in his career. “I don’t really know if that was the reason I wasn’t getting roles. Starting out in Sweden, there was stuff about being tall and blond. But most people here are tall and blond,” he told the Sunday Times. “Still, after my first job, I was on a stupid ‘sexy hunky hot list’ and then people didn’t take me seriously. If you want characters with depth but have been labeled ‘a dude who takes his shirt off,’ you’re not going to get those offers.”

Things changed for Skarsgård when he was cast in HBO’s Generation Kill miniseries in 2008, the same year that True Blood also premiered. A decade-plus later after “questioning why I was in the industry,” he’s in both dumb, fun movies where a giant lizard beats up a big monkey (Godzilla v. Kong) and historical epics from acclaimed indie directors (The Northman), all the while managing to retain his sexy, hunky hotness.

(Via the Sunday Times)