completemusicupdate.com - 3 510 Showbiz News and Updates

CMU’s Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review key events in music and the music business from the last week, including the debate surrounding comments made by The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy on stage in Malaysia regarding the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws, and the latest developments in the battle over who will run the Leadmill music venue in Sheffield.

Kylie Minogue has announced a Las Vegas residency, becoming the first artist to play the new Voltaire venue at the Venetian Resort in the city. The run of shows will follow the release of upcoming sixteenth studio album ‘Tension’.“The spirit of Voltaire is one of pure, authentic fun”, reckons Minogue.

RELEASESCalvin Harris and Sam Smith have teamed up for new track ‘Desire’.Jessie Ware has released a new version of her song ‘Freak Me Now’, featuring Roisin Murphy. “It is a huge honour to have the queen of disco, Róisín Murphy, on ‘Freak Me Now’”, says Ware. “I messaged her hoping she may be interested in featuring on the song and before I knew it she was in the studio.

Continuing their run of revamped versions of old hits, Busted have released a new recording of ‘Year 3000’ featuring none other than the Jonas Brothers. As you will no doubt remember, the Jonas Brothers released their own version of the song back in 2007, with which they scored their first US top 40 hit.“’Year 3000’ has been such a big part of [our] journey for the last 20 years”, say Busted.

Two lawsuits filed against companies formally owned by Michael Jackson, which allege that the late pop star sexually abused two children in the 1990s, may be revived. A Californian appeals court issued a tentative decision to that effect earlier this week.James Safechuck and Wade Robson both accuse Jackson of abusing them as children.

This year’s Mercury Prize shortlist has been announced, with artists including Arctic Monkeys, Jessie Ware and Raye vying for the £25,000 prize for the best British and Irish album of the last year.As ever, twelve albums make up the shortlist, with one overall winner set to be announced during a ceremony at the Hammersmith Apollo in London on 7 Sep.The 2023 judging panel was revealed yesterday.

DEALSCTM Outlander has acquired a stack of music rights from producer/songwriter Fraser T Smith, including his interest in songs he worked on with the likes Tiësto, Rita Ora, Stormzy, Dave, Craig David and Raye. Says CTM Outlander CEO André de Raaff: “Fraser is a once in a generation songwriter and we look forward to shining a light on these compositions for years to come”.

Imagine Dragons have signed a new global publishing admin deal with Warner Chappell.“Songwriting has always been at the heart of everything we do as a band”, says frontman Dan Reynolds. “We’re excited to have great partners with our friends at Warner Chappell as we move into this next chapter”.In a joint statement, Warner Chappell Co-Chairs Guy Moot and Carianne Marshall add: “For more than ten years, Imagine Dragons have not only reached but maintained global stardom and connected with fans on a universal level”.“The band is the perfect example of what happens when you successfully work across genres and mediums to create a wide range of crossover hits”, they go on.

Travis Scott’s planned performance at the pyramids of Giza, Egypt this weekend has been cancelled, with promoter Live Nation citing “complex production issues” as the reason for pulling the show. However, the rapper himself subsequently said that the performance will still go ahead at a later date.In a statement, Live Nation said: “We regret to inform you that [Travis Scott’s] ‘Utopia’ show, originally scheduled for 28 Jul at the pyramids of Giza in Egypt, is cancelled.

The latest signing to Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder label, Hakushi Hasegawa has released new single ‘Mouth Flash (Kuchinohanabi)’.In the hands of another artist, the song could be very different. Gentle, perhaps.

Sinead O’Connor has died, aged 56. No cause of death has yet been made public.In a statement to Irish broadcaster RTE, her family said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead.

Former Anti-Flag frontman Justin Sane has denied allegations of sexual assault, following the recent sudden and unexpected break up of the band.Anti-Flag announced their split via the band’s Patreon page earlier this month. Although no reason was given, fans online linked the move to a podcast episode published earlier the same week that made serious allegations about the singer of an unnamed political punk band.Acknowledging that he was the subject of these allegations (while also denying them), Sane – real name Justin Geever – said in a statement: “Recently, there have been claims of sexual assault made against me and I can tell you that these stories are categorically false”.“I have never engaged in a sexual relationship that was not consensual”, he added.

Distiller Publishing and Stellar Songs have signed songwriter/producer Gil Lewis to a co-publishing deal. Warner Chappell is doing the admin.The new deal is part of a wider partnership between the Distiller Music Group and Stellar Songs, the publishing company founded by Tim Blacksmith and Danny D.

APPOINTMENTSCamden’s Roundhouse venue has announced Rowan Kitching as its new Venue Director. “I am THRILLED to be joining the team at the Roundhouse, at an exciting time for such an iconic music and arts venue”, he says. ”The uniqueness and heritage of the space excites me, but most importantly the support to our vital creative youth programme.

Music distributor IDOL has announced two new artist services deals.The first is with Nigerian afropop artist Yemi Alade and the label she runs, Effyzzie Music. IDOL will work with Alade on the release of her upcoming seventh studio album.

Squid have teamed up with comedian Tim Key to create an audio version of the Paul Ewen written story ‘Lessons’ – which was included as a pamphlet inside the sleeve of the vinyl edition of their latest album ‘O Monolith’.Key has previously worked with Ewen on a podcast version of his 2007 book ‘London Pub Reviews’. For the audio version of ‘Lessons’, Squid’s Anton Pearson also wrote some music.“We’ve loved working with these two people we really admire”, says Pearson.

The 1975 are facing a class action lawsuit in Malaysia after comments made by frontman Matty Healy against the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws caused an entire festival to be cancelled last weekend.Malaysian law firm Thomas Philip announced it was planning legal action on behalf of artists and vendors impacted by the cancellation the day after The 1975 played the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur. And yesterday the lawyers told NME that five artists and five vendors are now involved in that litigation.Addressing Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws during his set at the Good Vibes Festival last Friday, Healy told his audience: “I made a mistake.

The publication of Britney Spears’ upcoming autobiography ‘The Woman In Me’ was reportedly delayed due to legal threats from Justin Timberlake and Colin Farrell.Spears and Timberlake were famously a couple from 1999 to 2002, while she and Farrell were romantically linked in 2003 – although she has previously said that it was “nothing serious”. However, seemingly both men were unhappy with their portrayal in the singer’s book, with lawyers for both demanding that stories about them be removed.“Lawyers demanded to see her book in advance and were adamant that some of the revelations were removed”, a source tells The Sun.

APPOINTMENTSSony Music UK has announced the promotion of Negla Abdela to the role of Managing Director at its Ministry Of Sound label. She first joined the label in 2015 as Social Media Manager, becoming Head Of Digital in 2018 and General Manager in 2021.

Having released several solo albums under his own name, Here We Go Magic frontman Luke Temple took on the moniker Art Feynman in 2017, initially as a means of avoiding expectations when it came to the new music he was creating. Previously a purely solo project, for new album ‘Be Good The Crazy Boys’ he worked with a seven piece band, recording songs live in the studio.“Sonically, I was inspired by records that were recorded at the late Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas”, he explains, “such as Grace Jones’ ‘Private Life’, Lizzy Mercier Descloux’s ‘Mambo Nassau’, and Talking Heads’ ‘Remain In Light’”.Of new single ‘Desperately Free’, he adds: “I was thinking about the obsession with spiritual growth or with ‘curing’ death and the compensatory consequences that ensue as a result.

Tony Bennett’s son and long-time manager D’Andrea ‘Danny’ Bennett has spoken to People magazine following his father’s death last week.“Tony, my father, imbued the essence of the American dream”, the younger Bennett said in a People article that was published yesterday. “He taught us all that remarkable opportunities will reveal themselves and that anything is possible when you stick by your passion, believe in yourself and dedicate your life to quality”.“He was an artist, a humanitarian and an inspiration to anyone who experienced his elegance and grace”, Danny went on.

A drive-in movie theatre in the US has announced a week of events celebrating Taylor Swift, in an effort to finally convince her to acknowledge that it is its screen that appears in the lyric video to her 2020 single ‘This Is Me Trying’.Drive-in 32 in Greenville, New York inadvertently ended up in the lyric video thanks to a short piece of stock footage that the venue had seemingly been unaware of until it was used by Swift’s team.“Somewhere during the winter of either 2018 or 2019, an overseas-based freelance photographer entered our property without permission and began filming”, the cinema’s management explain in a new Instagram post. “He then placed that footage with Shutterstock advertising [it] as ‘abandoned upstate NY drive-in theatre’”.“Someone in Taylor’s creative team purchased a $75 license from the stock agency for the footage, enlarged it, slowed it down, stitched together fourteen loops of the original eleven second clip and then added the lyrics on our screen”, they go on.

S Club are releasing their first new single in 20 years as a tribute to late bandmate Paul Cattermole. The track has been written by the group’s original songwriting team – Cathy Dennis, Simon Ellis and Johanne Ellis – and producer John Nathaniel.According to The Sun, although they already had a reunion tour scheduled for later this year, the pop group had not originally planned to record any new music alongside those shows.

Young Thug was again denied bail last week as he continues to fight charges in the US state of Georgia over his alleged involvement in a criminal gang.According to ABC News, the judge overseeing the case, Ural Glanville, said that he believes the rapper’s release would pose a threat to the community, adding that he remains concerned about possible witness intimidation.Young Thug, real name Jeffery Williams, was charged in May last year – alongside fellow rapper Gunna and 26 others – with numerous counts of racketeering. Prosecutors allege that the rapper co-founded a gang that went on to commit murders, shootings and carjackings, which he then bragged about in his music videos.The latter part of the prosecution’s case against Williams has proven particularly controversial, as it’s part of a trend in criminal cases in the US where a rapper’s creative output is used as evidence against them.

The 1975 have cancelled shows in Indonesia and Taiwan after being banned from Malaysia following a performance there on Friday.While headlining the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur, frontman Matty Healy criticised the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws and kissed bassist Ross MacDonald. As a result, not only was the band’s set cut short but the Malaysian government also cancelled the remainder of the festival.The event’s promoters said in a statement on Saturday: “We deeply regret to announce that the remaining schedule of Good Vibes Festival 2023, planned for today and tomorrow, has been cancelled following the controversial conduct and remarks made by UK artist Matty Healy from the band The 1975”.“This decision adheres to the immediate cancellation directive issued at 1:20pm, 22 Jul 2023, by the Ministry Of Communications And Digital”, it went on.

US punk band Anti-Flag have abruptly split up without explanation, deleting their social media accounts and website in the process.The split was announced via the band’s Patreon page, with a statement saying: “Anti-Flag has disbanded. The Patreon has been switched into a mode where it will no longer charge the monthly fee.

DEALSWarp has signed Slauson Malone 1 – the musical project of artist Jasper Marsalis. “We’re elated to be working with Slauson Malone 1 at Warp”, says the label. “We support and believe in Jasper’s vision wholeheartedly and can’t wait for what’s to come”.————————————————–DIGITAL & D2F SERVICESYouTube Music has increased the price of a monthly subscription in the US from $9.99 to $10.99, with the wider YouTube Premium service also increasing its pricing, it going up two dollars a month to $13.99.

Absolute Radio has confirmed it is airing a second series of ‘Tim’s Listening Party’, the online album playback series launched by Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess during COVID that was turned into a radio show earlier this year.After an initial six part series, a second eight part run kicks off on Sunday at 10pm. This series will include Sparks, The The, Lloyd Cole and Haim.Says Burgess: “The response to the first series of ‘The Listening Party’ has been brilliant and it’s exciting to be back on Absolute Radio with series two.

Yves Saint Laurent’s Rive Droit brand has come under fire for selling a range of Nirvana t-shirts with prices stretching into thousands of pounds.The reason for the high prices is that these t-shirts are all “vintage”, rather than being brand new creations. And some are seemingly rare, particularly one featuring the artwork from Nirvana’s ‘Incesticide’ compilation, which is selling for over £3000.Still, while old band t-shirts can fetch high prices, some have suggested that these ones have seen their price tags inflated considerably above their market value, simply for the privilege of buying them from a YSL store.Oh sure, you could buy a brand new t-shirt with the same design on it for fifteen quid, but does it have that lived in look and feel? No.

The Chemical Brothers have announced that they will release their tenth studio album ‘For That Beautiful Feeling’ later this year. Alongside the news comes the video for recent single ‘Live Again’.Recorded at the band’s own studio, a press statement explains: “Each track on ‘For That Beautiful Feeling’ was born out of a desire to find that point of vision in the studio, a point that could then be refracted back onto the dancefloor through the music”.“As a result, it’s a collection of music that’s vividly colourful and confident and deeply psychedelic; impossible beauty carved from noise and chaos and endless fluid rhythm”.The visuals for ‘Live Again’ were directed by Dom & Nic, who have previously worked on Chems videos for tracks including ‘Hey Boy Hey Girl’, ‘Block Rockin Beats’ and ‘Wide Open’.Of their latest collaboration, they say: “Working with The Chemical Brothers is a dream for any video director.

Live Nation has insisted that a planned show by Travis Scott in front the pyramids of Giza in Egypt will go ahead, despite reports that the performance had been pulled following the intervention of an organisation called the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate.The show at the pyramids is due to take place on 28 Jul alongside the release of Scott’s new album ‘Utopia’, with plans to livestream the performance.Reports that the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate was seeking to block the show began circulating earlier this week. Egypt Today published a statement from the organisation that said: “As the Musicians Syndicate is part of the fabric of our beloved country, it works towards its stability and security and rejects any tampering with the societal values, customs, and traditions of Egypt and the Arab world”.“After examining social media opinions and feedback”, it went on, “as well as the news circulating on search engines and social media platforms, which included authenticated images and information about peculiar rituals performed by the star during his performance, contradicting our authentic societal values and traditions, the Syndicate’s president and board of directors have decided to cancel the licence issued for hosting this type of concert, which goes against the cultural identity of the Egyptian people”.However, Live Nation – as promoter of the show – while not specifically commenting on the remarks made by the Syndicate, has insisted that the performance will go ahead as planned.Posting to the Twitter account of Live Nation Middle East, it said: “There have been no changes to Travis Scott’s show in Egypt; any reports to the contrary are false.

Still only 22, Lili Also has nonetheless been releasing music under various monikers for the last decade. Currently working under the name Knife Girl, she returns this week with her first new track since last year’s ‘Uniform’ album, a track called ‘Estrogen’.An aggressively positive piece of left-field dance-pop, she says of the track: “‘Estrogen’ is an expression of gender euphoria, and a celebration of my life and friends”.“When I wrote the lyrics, ‘I love my tits, I love my dick’, I had to stop for a moment to think if it was too provocative to say”, she adds.

Queen have become the latest act to receive a BRIT Billion Award for surpassing one billion streams in the UK. The band accepted the trophy just as they reached the 50th anniversary of their debut album, which was released in July 1973, the same year that BRIT Billion Award giver the BPI was formed. Which is all very convenient.“Thank you for presenting Queen with a BRIT Billion Award”, says guitarist Brian May.

Marilyn Manson is set to plead no contest to a charge of blowing his nose at a videographer during a live performance in New Hampshire in 2019. The plea means that the musician does not contest the charge, but also does not admit guilt.

Everyone’s got a podcast these days, haven’t they? Everyone. Even Paul McCartney now.

A search warrant as part of a new investigation into the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur was served earlier this week, police in the US state of Nevada have confirmed.The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department carried out a search of a home in Henderson, a suburb of the city where Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting on 7 Sep 1996. No arrests have ever been made in relation to the killing, with police claiming in the past that their investigations quickly stalled because no witnesses were willing to cooperate.In a new statement, the police said: “LVMPD can confirm a search warrant was served in Henderson, Nevada on 17 Jul 2023, as part of the ongoing Tupac Shakur homicide investigation.