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Latin Artist on the Rise: Elena Rose on Going From Songwriter to Recording Artist
Elena Rose will perform August 2 as part of Lollapalooza’s four-night virtual fest. At age 11, rising Venezuelan singer-songwriter Elena Rose began writing poetry as an outlet to express her emotions. “Everything I was feeling or what I thought someone else was feeling, I would write it down,” Rose told Billboard. “While doing poetry, I started playing around with rhymes and that’s when I got into songwriting.” Now, at 25 years old, Rose has written songs for artists like Becky G, Rauw Alejandro and CNCO. But these opportunities didn’t come easily and it wasn’t until she moved to Miami in 2014 that she got her foot in the door. “Since I was a little girl I had the dream of being an artist. I always wanted to be singing bu...
Who Should Win Artist of the Year at the 2020 MTV VMAs? Vote!
The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards revealed its nominations Thursday (July 30), with DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Post Malone, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd and Justin Bieber as the six choices for artist of the year. But who’s your top choice? DaBaby already nicknamed himself “Billboard Baby” after his Roddy Ricch-assisted hit “Rockstar” has been No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard‘s Songs of the Summer chart for the last seven weeks. Fellow Interscope Records artist Lady Gaga leads the whole pack with nine nominations (tied with her “Rain On Me” collaborator Ariana Grande), as her sixth album Chromatica lands her back as one of the biggest pop stars on planet Earth. The Weeknd also comes for the title for one of the bigges...
From Bonaire to the World, Ir-Sais Talks ‘Dream Girl’ Success & His Latin Roots
Two years ago, Ir-Sais (real name: Irgwin Placido Sluis) released his single “Dream Girl,” singing about the girl of his dreams in his native language, Papiamento. Fast forward to now, the song is a global hit, fueled by a 2019 remix with Rauw Alejandro. Born and raised in Bonaire, an island municipality of the Netherlands, Ir-Sais is also half Dominican, telling Billboard that his favorite artist of all time is Romeo Santos and that he was raised with Latin music. “Dream Girl (Remix)” marks his first collaborative effort with a Latin artist. Fusing the best Caribbean rhythms found in Bonaire and Puerto Rico, the remix is a sultry dancehall-meets-reggaeton sung in Spanish and the Portuguese-based creole language. Currently with over one billion views on TikTok and over one million views on...
Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande Lead 2020 MTV VMA Nominations
Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande lead the nominee field for the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, earning nine nods each. The ceremony is set for August 30 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center with “limited to no audience,” as detailed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The “Artist of the Year” nominees are Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Justin Bieber, and DaBaby. Up for “Video of the Year” are Gaga and Grande (“Rain on Me”), Billie Eilish (“everything i wanted”), Taylor Swift (“The Man”), Eminem featuring Juice WRLD (“Godzilla”), The Weeknd (“Blinding Lights”), and Future featuring Drake (“Life Is Good”). The “Song of the Year” category features Gaga and Grande (“Rain on Me”), Eilish (“everything i wanted”), Megan Thee Stallion (“Savage”), Post Malone (“Circles”), Doja Cat (“Say So”)...
Krill Offshoot Knot Contemplate “The World” on New Single: Stream
Earlier this summer, the three members of Boston rock group Krill reunited under the moniker Knot and announced their debut self-titled album. Now, they’re back with another new single from that record called “The World”. With guitarist Joe DeManuelle-Hall now joining them in the band, vocalist and guitarist Jonah Furman, guitar and bass player Aaron Ratoff, and drummer Ian Becker sound fuller than ever as they pry into political indie rock. That much was evident on their lead single “Foam”, and it stays true on the newest track, too. Over trickling guitar melodies that diverge and rejoin with one another, Knot spend the runtime of this math rock number contemplating anti-escapism and fighting for a better planet, way of life, and ideal community. “‘The World’ is supposed to be about the e...
Mining Metal: Bedsore, Defeated Sanity, Drouth, EMBR, Havukruunu, Maggot Heart, Rebel Wizard, and Skeleton
“Mining Metal” is a monthly column from Heavy Consequence writers Joseph Schafer and Langdon Hickman. The focus is on noteworthy new music emerging from the non-mainstream metal scene, highlighting releases from small and independent labels — or even releases from unsigned acts. Metalheads, permit me a brief digression into hip-hop fandom: Do you remember that last year rapper extraordinaire Megan Thee Stallion declared these months Hot Girl Summer? I sure do. In contrast, this year feels more like the Hot Seat Summer, with not much to look forward to besides an endless stream of anxiety-inducing news articles chronicling dire political and social climes, and not much anyone can do about it though there’s a constant fire under our butts to at least try to do something — anything. There’s n...
Sam Smith Shares New Single “My Oasis” Featuring Burna Boy: Stream
Sam Smith has released the latest single from their upcoming third album. It’s called “My Oasis” and features guest contributions from Nigerian artist Burna Boy. Glimmering, euphoric synths pave the way for the emotive pop number and Smith’s unparalleled vocals. Burna Boy, meanwhile, provides the kind of reggae sway found throughout his acclaimed 2019 album African Giant. Check it out below. “My Oasis” will appear on Smith’s next album, though its release date is still unknown. The record, originally titled To Die For, was supposed to hit shelves back in May, but the London native decided to scrap all of those plans due to the global pandemic. Editors’ Picks “The title of my album and imminent release doesn’t feel right,” the Grammy winner said in a statement at the time. “...
John Carpenter’s Halloween And Two of Its Sequels Returning to Drive-In Theaters
Sadly, Michael Myers won’t be returning in Halloween Kills this October, but he will be back at drive-ins across America. As Bloody Disgusting reports, John Carpenter’s 1978 original and two of its sequels are being dusted off for the holiday. Which sequels? 1981’s Halloween II or 1983’s Halloween III: Season of the Witch? Wishful thinking. Instead, they’re bringing back 1988’s Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and 1989’s Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. Fans of the series will no doubt recognize this lineup from past years; in fact, the print of Halloween is the one that Dean Cundey remastered and restored a couple of years ago. Nonetheless, it’s always nice to see The Shape on the silver screen. And the best part is you don’t even have to wait. Already, several locations...
Fountains of Wayne’s Jody Porter Shares New Single, Announces Album
While Fountains of Wayne’s future may be put on hold, the band’s former lead guitarist is going solo…kind of. Jody Porter is teaming up with his new backing band, the Berlin Waltz, for their latest single “Sunsick Moon” and new album, Waterways, out this fall. The LP, which Porter recorded in London, features his former Fountains of Wayne bandmate Brian Young on drums. The three-minute track showcases Porter’s distorted shredding abilities and lead vocals. In a statement, he detailed how the track evolved over time. “‘Sunsick Moon’ was birthed on the North Sea,” he said. “It was meant to be an instrumental, but then the lyrics started to flow.” This isn’t the only time Porter and Young have recently shared space on wax. Earlier this year, after Fountains of Wayne’s ...
The War on Drugs, Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold to Play Voter Registration Stream
The War on Drugs, Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold, Waxahatchee, Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen and Christopher Bear, and TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone and Jaleel Bunton will all participate in an online concert. The only price of admission? Verifying your voter registration status and, if necessary, registering. The Vote Ready Live event — set for Friday, Aug. 14 at 7 pm ET — will feature original, self-recorded performances. The lineup also includes Kevin Morby, Hand Habits, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, Ciggy, The Suffers’ Kam Franklin, The Building, and Our Native Daughters’ Allison Russell and Leyla McCalla. The event was created by voter registration nonprofit HeadCount, along with Fort William Artist Management and Live From Out There. In a statement, HeadCount executive director Andy Bernstein des...
True Life Premiere: This Couple Is Awaiting the Birth of Their Child During Quarantine
Chris and Ameide were in the midst of purchasing a home when the world was turned upside-down by the COVID-19 pandemic. And now, they’re showing their true life on MTV as they live with Chris’ family and await the birth of their second child. “Due to COVID-19, I’m quarantining at my mom’s house with my mother Danielle, my sister Stephanie, my daughter Khaleesia and my girlfriend Ameide, who is eight months pregnant,” Chris reveals in the clip above from the four-part, self-documented series True Life Presents: Quarantine Stories (premiering on Wednesday). So what’s it like having “five big personalities in one house”? And how would Ameide describe being pregnant during a global pandemic and going to doctor’s appointments without h...
Feed Me Debuts New Drum & Bass EP “Anachronic” Under Spor Alias
Feed Me diehards plead for new music from the mastermind’s original alias, Spor, more than YouTube commenters recommend that drum & bass tracks be featured in the latest Need For Speed game. Well, the day of new Spor music has finally dawned, to the delight of all. The Anachronic EP is the first offering from Feed Me’s Spor alias since 2018’s “Pull The Sun Down.” Fans will be elated to hear the new six-track release, which spans many different drum & bass subgenres in classic Spor fashion. Spor’s signature, glitched-out, and detailed sound is omnipresent throughout the entirety of Anachronic, with punchy and relentless drums and gritty reese bass lining every track featured. Heavier selections include the record’s titu...
