INTERVIEWS
Madison Beer’s Moment of Truth Has Arrived
Madison Beer had been lying for way too long. She wasn’t trying to. It was completely subconscious. But for a moment in time, the now-21-year-old pop phenom didn’t believe the words she was singing. “I was only really putting out songs that were bad-bitch anthems or songs that were ‘get over your ex’ and ‘do your thing,’” Beer says. “Meanwhile, I’m sitting in bed crying over mine. So I felt like it was inauthentic. Especially being someone who’s so close with my fans. A breakup is so multifaceted. And life is so multifaceted. I really wanted to just encompass more of that.” On an afternoon call in early February, the Long Island-born vocalist, beaming with honesty, couldn’t be any further from that former version of herself. In just a few days, Beer unleashes her debut album, Life Support;...
How KSHMR’s Indian Roots Impacted Harmonica Andromeda, His Most “Magical” Body of Work Yet
Just two weeks before the release of Harmonica Andromeda, the anticipation for KSHMR‘s highly anticipated debut album is starting to bubble over. The album will symbolize his sonic growth from 2014 to now, and how his Indian heritage influenced his journey as an artist. Describing Harmonica Andromeda as “the most creative music” he has ever made, KSHMR is set to premiere his forthcoming debut album at Insomniac‘s Park ‘N Rave concert series on March 19th at San Bernardino’s NOS Event Center, his very first show since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ahead of the album’s release, EDM.com spoke with KSHMR about the goals of his Dharma Studio, his dream collaborators, and how his Indian roots im...
Porter Robinson Speaks on SOPHIE’s Passing, New Music and “Nurture” Live Show in Recent Interview
Fans have been eager to hear more news about Porter Robinson‘s forthcoming album, Nurture. The music video for the album’s latest single, “Look at the Sky,” just dropped, and Robinson took to RADIO.com‘s New Arrivals with Bryce Segall to chat about it, his early days with Skrillex, all things Nurture, and more. Speaking on “Bring It Back,” Robinson’s first demo he ever sang on with Skrillex, he told Segall: “That probably put my career in writing songs back a good three years, but that tour with Skrillex put my career 10 years forward in other ways, so, you know, we call it even.” Segall went on to ask about the divide between Robinson’s alias, Virtual Self, and his current music. Robinson claims that he ...
Jimmy Eat World on the Phoenix Sessions and the Future of Streaming Concerts
A typical album cycle for Jimmy Eat World finds them playing about 150 shows. For their latest album, Surviving, they got in 27. They had a big summer trek all mapped out, but when touring shut down do the pandemic, what could they do? They, like everyone else, were stuck, and their fans would have to impatiently wait to hear the new material live. That opportunity finally came last month when the band launched their Phoenix Sessions concert film series (don’t call it a livestream) with a full-album performance of Surviving. Futures followed two weeks later, and this week on February 12th, they’ll close it all out with their classic Clarity. Each show came with a virtual pre-show, meet-and-greet opportunities, and exclusive merch, approximating the real concert experience as much as possib...
How bandits made woman widow barely a month after marriage
A housewife Ramatu Idris of Unguwar Malam Lamu, Tankarau, Dutsen Abba Ward in Zaria Local Government Area (LGA), has narrated how bandits made her a widow barely a month after her marriage with late Yusuf Suleiman. Idris told newsmen, on Thursday that the incident happened on Feb. 4, at about 12.45 p.m., 28 days after her wedding to Suleiman. “There were about seven of them (bandits). They forced themselves into our home holding guns and a stick. “My husband and I went to find out what was happening on hearing noises and shouts for help,but he was shot on the neck in my presence and he died on the spot. Idris, who has been traumatised by the incident, claimed those who killed her husband were the same criminals that raided the residence of Alhaji Abdulaziz Sani, Councilor representing Duts...
Nigeria, UN partner on food availability, safety
To check the growing inequality in food systems in Nigeria and to meet certain components of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Federal Government is partnering with the UN to hold a food systems dialogue. The Nigeria National Food Systems Dialogue (NNFSD) 2021is preparatory to the Food Systems Summit scheduled to hold in September, the National Coordinator of the Dialogue and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Mrs Olusola Idowu said on Thursday. Speaking at a webinar to draw the attention of stakeholders to issues relating to food systems, Idowu said that convening the Food Systems Summit was part of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. “The Summit is aimed at launching a bold new action to deliver p...
200 Fractures Later, This DJ With Brittle Bone Disease is Beating the Odds
Electronic dance music is in DJ Huguito‘s bones. And while those bones are fragile, at the risk of fracture by contact with anything larger than a curious ladybug landing on his skin, his passion for dance music keeps them strong. Like the bone marrow that generates his blood cells, music serves as a catalyst. DJ Huguito is a Miami-based dance music producer born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or Brittle Bone Disease, a malady characterized by extremely fragile bones that break easily. While the condition can be mild, a person with a severe case could experience hundreds of debilitating bone breaks that happen out of the blue and for no apparent reason. Approximately 20,000 to 50,000 people in the United States live with the rare disorder. “I entered this world li...
Brent Faiyaz’s Hell of a Year
“Everything I do is organic,” Brent Faiyaz says when asked about his songwriting process. “I don’t even really calculate this shit like that,” he continues. “I’m actually surprised that I do put out music in a timely fashion.” The 25-year-old R&B vocalist has, in fact, put out plenty of music since his 2013 EP Black Child. The Maryland-based artist has since released five EPs, one of which was with his side project Sonder, and a studio album, 2017’s Sonder Son. In the meantime, he has a single, “Gravity,” with Tyler, the Creator, and an upcoming song titled “Show You Off,” slated for International Women’s Day in March. Even aside from his music, he’s spent time modeling for Calvin Klein as part of a collaboration with Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free’s new company, pgLang. “It’s cool...
NOFX’s Fat Mike on His Sobriety, Sexuality: ‘I Think I Came Out of the Closet Even More’
Fat Mike of NOFX has never been shy about voicing his opinions and speaking the truth about his reality, but he’s taken his honesty to a new level with “Fuck Euphemism,” the brand new single off of the upcoming Single Album. The song itself (and accompanying animated music video) is full of the thoughtful wordplay that’s made them one of the dominating forces in punk for over 30 years now, but the subject matter is a full-frontal look at Mike’s struggle of where he fits in with the current gender identity standards echoing throughout society. Of course, that makes sense for the second single off of their latest work, as Single Album (which was apparently supposed to be a double album before getting cut down) is likely the darkest and most personal material the band has ever put out. SPIN s...
Armin van Buuren, Ruben de Ronde, and Ferry Corsten Reflect on Landmark A State of Trance 1000 Episode [Interview]
It has been revered as a pinnacle of success for burgeoning trance artists – a coveted spot on this radio show has been known to catapult relative unknowns into superstardom. For fans of the genre, the show has become a weekly congregation, a sacred place to escape the turmoils of reality and succumb to the melodic, euphoric productions. As for the creators who have been broadcasting to their audience for twenty years, A State of Trance has emerged as not just a radio show, but a global phenomenon – the quintessential symbol of all things trance. Spearheaded by trance legend Armin van Buuren in 2001, ASOT consists of not just its namesake radio show but also encompasses a record label, music festivals, and annual compilation mixes. The brand dominates the dance music landscape wi...
Steven Wilson on Channeling Evil Spirits, Defying Expectations With New LP
Google Image search “Steven Wilson sadness meme,” and you’ll find plenty of hilarious results. His music rarely sounds depressing — despite the groans of the modern prog-rock community, he’s just as likely these days to channel Abba as Gentle Giant. But he does tend to explore the dark corners of the human psyche, from the ultra bleak conceptual framework of Porcupine Tree’s 2002 LP, In Absentia, to the tragic real-life story that inspired his 2015 solo LP, Hand. Cannot. Erase. If anyone could expertly channel the despair and division of the pandemic/Trump era, it’s this guy. And the songwriter’s perfectly titled new LP, The Future Bites, does traffic in the paranoia and general anxiety of our current dystopia. But Wilson finished writing the project in 2018 — it just happens to feel like ...
Amanda Shires Addresses ‘Our Problem’ on New Pro-Choice Song
Amanda Shires has never been afraid to showcase her personal life, which has made both her and her husband Jason Isbell entertaining follows on social media. And she’s also outspoken about their politics and personal opinions. In the past few months, Shires has been especially vocal about women’s reproductive rights, particularly abortion rights. She’s never been shy to share her personal experiences with the issue — and she’s willing to write about it, even if it alienates some of her fans. “I’m privileged enough that what little of a career I have, I can’t really fuck it up,” Shires tells SPIN over the phone from her Tennessee home. “What was gonna happen? Less people are gonna come? Good. I didn’t want y’all there anyway.” Last November, Shires teamed with Isbel...
