Commenting on her upcoming tour, Grace says: “I’m so so so excited. I’ve only ever done one other tour of my own and I had the time of my life. It blows my mind every time I see my fans singing all of my lyrics back at me. They’re the best!”

Having previously toured with Haim, Dua Lipa, Jorja Smith, Mabel, Dermot Kennedy + Rag N Bone Man, she is no stranger to the stage and first began performing her own material in public at the age of fourteen. “I’ve had the best time supporting so many amazing artists they’ve all been so good to me,” Grace adds.

“I’m probably closest with Dua. Since touring with her she’s supported me with everything I’ve done. It’s so amazing to have someone a few years ahead of you to look up to. She’s fab.”

Grace has also recently released a video for her latest single ‘Heal Me’. The visual sees Grace reminisce on her younger years, featuring snippets of her as a child.

This video comes off the back of coming third in BBC’s Sound of 2019 as well as being tipped by the likes of MTV, YouTube Music, Amazon and Ticketmaster in their coveted one-to-watch lists. The song’s premise is about feeling the pain of rejection and abandonment, but not letting it hold you back.

This is something says she felt as a child, being raised solely by her mother, as her relationship with absent father grew more distant. This track follows on from previous release ‘Why Her Not Me’, which tackled the notion of jealousy and abandonment Grace felt for her father, whose lack of presence in her early life inspires a lot of her music.

She says: “All of my songs are about my life and the things I’ve experienced. I grew up with a single mum and had a lot of unanswered questions growing up so music has always been a tool for me to process my situation and feelings. The video is basically my journey so far compacted into a three-minute video.”

The singer explained that music is instrumental in keeping her sane and feels blessed to have such a strong support network. “It’s important for everyone to have an outlet. If I didn’t speak about my feelings in my music I think I would’ve lost the plot by now,” Grace adds.

“I’ve always been encouraged to talk. I’ve been blessed with an amazing friendship group and family who I have always been very open with.”

See below for Grace Carter upcoming tour dates:

Tue 26 March – Gorilla, Manchester, UK

Wed 27 March – O2 Institute Birmingham, UK

Thurs March 28 –  Electric Brixton, London, UK

Fri March 29  – Concorde 2, Brighton, UK

Mon April 1 – Luxor, Cologne, Germany

Tue April 2 – Stage Club, Hamburg, Germany

Wed April 3 – Lido, Berlin, Germany

Fri April 5 – Exil, Zurich, Switzerland

Sat April 6 – Dude Club, Milan, Italy

Mon April 8 – La Boule Noire, Paris, France

Tue April 9 – Bitterzoet, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Commenting on this, the 17-year-old singer, said: “Wish you were gay is about wanting to be with someone so bad it hurts, and not wanting to accept that this person doesn’t want you in return. At least if they were gay, I’d have a valid reason for their rejection and lack of interest in being with me.

“I wrote the song when I was 14 and madly in love with a boy. It’s supposed to be a fun and playful way at dealing with rejection.”

‘A Snippet Into Billie’s Mind – wish you were gay’ has also been released and is the second of three episodes in a short-form mini-series available exclusively on YouTube. Each episode will bring new insight into a song from her debut album, helping fans understand her process and shine new light on her music.

The singer announced that a portion of the proceeds from the sales of her BLOHSH apparel album will benefit The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth. Billie Eilish is currently on her sold-out tour across Europe before returning to her native California for two very special performances at Coachella Festival in April, then embarking on her North American tour in May.

Starting in San Francisco on May 29, her When We All Fall Asleep World Tour continues with American rapper Denzel Curry joining as direct support with the exception of Vancouver, where Billie’s brother Finneas will be opening. For more details on her upcoming tour dates and ticket information around the world, go to: http://www.billieeilish.com

When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Track list:

1. !!!!!!!

2. bad guy

3. xanny

4. you should see me in a crown

5. all the good girls go to hell

6. wish you were gay

7. when the party’s over

8. 8

9. my strange addiction

10. bury a friend

11. ilomilo

12. listen before i go

13. i love you

14. goodbye

Joining multi-million-selling headliner Chaka Khan – alongside iconic acts like previously confirmed All Saints and Bananarama are the likes of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ winner Trinity The Tuck, singer-songwriter, Kate Nash and electric Australian duo Confidence Man.

The festival also promises floor-filling sets from dance legends like Crystal Waters, Ultra Naté, Livin Joy and Artful Dodger. Other experiences also include a dance class from Frame and movie choir Some Voices, Bongo’s Bingo, Ultimate Power, Savage Disco and Fleetmac Wood. The LGBTQ+ themed festival will take place in Brockwell Park on June 8th 2019.

Organisers said: “Mighty Hoopla’s is a philosophy that looks set to be bigger, better, wilder and free-er than ever this June. Since its inception in 2016, Mighty Hoopla has led the charge to become not only the most colourful party in the town but a thrilling space in which all walks of life, not to mention pop royalty, stand side-by-side with London’s most subversive, alternative nightlife.

“And it’s this fine balance which is the essence of Mighty Hoopla, the singular festival in which truly anything is possible and truly everyone is welcome. A festival that celebrates pop and club culture.”

Other acts and club-nights confirmed for Mighty Hoopla 2019 also include, with today’s additions in bold: Alice Chater, Basement Orchestra, Buttmiztvah, Fleetmac Wood, Gay Garage, George Michael Disco, Goldierocks, House Gospel Choir, Hungama, Jamelia, Karaoke Hole, Liberty X, Livin’ Joy ft. Luzahn, Masseoke Musicals, Old Dirty Brasstards, Pluma, Push The Button, Ryan Ashley, Samantha Mumba, Savage Disco, Sink The Pink, The Chateau, The Cocoa Butter Club, The Glory, Tove Lo, Trinity The Tuck, Ultimate Power and We Love Pop.

Since it all began in 2016, Mighty Hoopla has pioneered celebrations which amplify the capital’s subversive and alternative nightlife. Hoopla prides itself on being a celebration of diversity and “queerdom” and champions all things love, pop and glitter.

Commenting on last year’s event, Glyn Fussell, co-founder at East Creative, said: “Everything we’ve been working towards, felt like it came to fruition at last year’s Mighty Hoopla. It was the happiest day of my life.” Mighty Hoopla was initially set out in 2016 to provide support for performers, dancers, DJs and creatives in the nightlife industry.

All of whom, at East Creative, are brought together under the wider manifesto of inclusivity, equality, and change. Jamie Tagg, East Creative co-founder, said: “This is a new ecosystem for LGBTQ events. We had to invent it because nobody else had.” Early-bird tickets are on sale now at www.mightyhoopla.com and prices start at £45 minus booking fees.

This follows Mighty Hoopla’s glorious first wave of artists announced for this year, with early names spanning pop icons like All Saints, Bananarama, Samantha Mumba, Tove Lo, Jamelia and Liberty X. The festival will take place in Brockwell Park, South London, on Saturday 8th June.

Since it all began in 2016, Mighty Hoopla has pioneered celebrations which amplify the capital’s subversive and alternative nightlife. Hoopla prides itself on being a celebration of diversity and “queerdom” and champions all things love, pop and glitter.

Having brought the likes of Years & Years, Lily Allen, TLC, Melanie C and a host of household names and underground icons to the stage during previous years, organiser have said that Mighty Hoopla is set to be “bigger, better, wilder and free-er” than ever this June. Mighty Hoopla was founded by the collective minds of East Creative, Sean Rowley (Guilty Pleasures), Ally Wolf (The Grand) and John Burgess (Bugged Out).

Commenting on last year’s event, Glyn Fussell, co-founder at East Creative, said: “Everything we’ve been working towards, felt like it came to fruition at last year’s Mighty Hoopla. It was the happiest day of my life.” Mighty Hoopla was initially set out in 2016 to provide support for performers, dancers, DJs and creatives in the nightlife industry.

All of whom, at East Creative, are brought together under the wider manifesto of inclusivity, equality, and change. Jamie Tagg, East Creative co-founder, said: “This is a new ecosystem for LGBTQ events. We had to invent it because nobody else had.”

Just as important across its first artist lineup reveal, Mighty Hoopla looks set to pull its celebration of London’s alternative club culture into even clearer focus. Festival-founders Sink The Pink return, the vanguard collective whose anything-goes-parties have taken a burgeoning underworld into the thrilling, transgressive point of cultural dialogue that drag finds itself in 2019.

Guilty Pleasures, too, will travel their unapologetic, endlessly entertaining club-night from their iconic monthly KOKO residency to the celebration. Mighty Hoopla will also welcome nights including Cocoa Butter Club (burlesque, comedy, and music celebrating performers of colour), The Grand (Clapham’s premiere pop experience) and Hungama (queer culture meets Bollywood in a name loosely translates to ‘chaos’ in Urdu).

Only at Mighty Hoopla are punters as likely to stumble into Massaoke (indie singalongs set to a live-band) or pop-up-turned-Camberwell-staple The Chateau as they are Barcelona’s fiesta of flamboyance, Pluma, or We Love Pop’s Fascination-helmed floor-fillers.

Hoopla organisers said: “This is, still, just the tip, with an array of familiar and emerging talent set to be announced in the weeks ahead. And it’s this fine balance which is the essence of Mighty Hoopla, the singular festival in which truly anything is possible and truly everyone is welcome.”

A series of intimate and exclusive shows will begin at London’s Camden Roundhouse in May with additional dates in Newcastle, Birmingham and Manchester.Tickets are on sale from Friday, February 15th at 9 am at livenation.co.uk and ticketmaster.co.uk.

Last year the dynamic duo brought The 44/876 Tour to North America, South America and Eastern Europe. Critics hailed it as “one of the most anticipated concerts of the year” and “a reggae rock dance party that never lets up.”The show sees the pair collaborating on each other’s most celebrated hits such as “Every Breath You Take,” “Englishman In New York,” “Message In A Bottle,” “It Wasn’t Me,” “Mr Boombastic” and “Angel”. Alongside new favourites, they will also perform an array of new hits from album 44/876.

In spring of 2018, Sting & Shaggy made UK headlines with a memorable performance of ‘Don’t Make Me Wait’ at the Queen’s 92nd birthday celebration at the Royal Albert Hall. The track also featured on their collaborative Top Ten album release, which the pair also performed live on BBC’s The One Show and in the latest series of Mrs Browns Boys.

Last year also saw the release of “Skank Up (Oh Lawd)”, a further collaboration from Sting & Shaggy that featured dancehall music sensation, Ding Dong. The pair’s latest music video, “Gotta Get Back My Baby” is available to watch here. For this year, the couple will soon see the release their next single, ‘Just One Lifetime’.

Sting and Shaggy will be joined on The 44/876 Tour by Sting’s longtime collaborators Dominic Miller (guitar), Josh Freese (drums) and Rufus Miller (guitar), as well as Shaggy’s band members Melissa Musique (backing vocals), Gene Noble (backing vocals) and Kevon Webster (keyboards).

Tickets are on sale this Friday, February 15th at 9 am. Members of the artists’ fan clubs will have the opportunity to access tickets starting February 12th at 9 am until February 13th at 5 pm by visiting www.sting.com. The tour is produced by Cherrytree Management and RZO Entertainment and promoted by Live Nation Global Touring in association with Solo.

STING & SHAGGY’S 44/876 2019 U.K. TOUR DATES:

19/05/2019 – Roundhouse – London

22/05 – O2 Academy – Newcastle

24/05 – O2 Academy – Birmingham

25/05 – O2 Apollo – Manchester

]]> https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/sting-shaggy-announce-uk-tour-dates-following-grammy-win/feed/ 0 https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/years-years-and-mnek-collaborate-on-fuck-boy-inspired-song/ https://www.mxdwn.co.uk/news/years-years-and-mnek-collaborate-on-fuck-boy-inspired-song/#comments Thu, 14 Feb 2019 14:40:22 +0000 http://www.mxdwn.co.uk/?p=10179 Years & Years and MNEK have broken new ground with their new release, a timely track named ‘Valentino’. The flamenco-inspired song is about former flames who have messed the musicians about in the past.

Years and Years frontman and now a friend of MNEK, Olly Alexander, wrote the song with the Grammy-award winning dance-pop artist Uzoechi Osisioma “Uzo” Emenike, MNEK, last year and have since performed it live on a few of the Years & Years arena tour dates. Olly said: “Uzo and I were inspired to write a song about the many fuck boys who have done us dirty.

“I’m lucky to have a friend like Uzo – somebody I talk to when I’m upset about a boy and working together was basically an extension of us hanging out. Particularly proud of the message it sends across and how “unashamedly gay” the song is, Olly goes on to explain why the song is not quite the norm in regards to other mainstream pop hits.

“I’ve known Uzo for a while now and I’m just in awe of his talent. I hope the lyrics connect with people regardless of their sexuality – we all know a Valentino – but I am so proud of this song for how unashamedly gay it is.

“Two men singing about a boy is still disappointingly uncommon so it makes me very happy to be putting this song out with MNEK.”It’s safe to say the feeling is mutual as MNEK admits to having the “best time” producing the new song and was excited when Olly suggested releasing Valentino in a timely fashion.

MNEK said: “Olly has become a really good friend of mine, so I had the best time not only producing this record but also writing and singing it with him. He invited me to perform the song with him on a few stops of the Years & Years’ tour last year which was amazing. He texted me a few days ago saying, ‘we need to put Valentino out on Valentine’s Day’ so of course, I said, let’s go!”

The video for Valentino has also been launched today which involves the two friends getting over their “fuck boy syndrome” by going on an anti-Valentine’s mission to purge the nefarious ‘Valentino’ character for good. The visuals were shot in Stockholm which was a stop on Years & Years’ European tour and was directed by Olly, Uzo and Jordan Rossi.

Years & Years has also recently released ‘Play’ with Jax Jones which went Top 10 in the UK singles chart ad alongside this has received a nomination for Best British Band at this year’s BRIT Awards. Years & Years are currently bringing their wonderful world of ‘Palo Santo’ to Russia and Ukraine before they head to Asia and South America for a further string of live shows.

Listen to ‘Valentino’ HERE / Watch the video HERE.

The star has been labelled the UK’s biggest selling female artist following huge online success and racking up 1.7 billion YouTube hits. She is also known for her fun-filled performances and passionate on stage presence, so she says it often comes as a shock to people to find this out.

In an interview with The Sun, Anne-Marie, said: “I have a lot of things going on. I have anxiety, I have obsessive compulsive disorder, I have attention deficit disorder and I have dyslexia. I have a lot of things going on in my brain.”

The performer has been incredibly open about her struggles and how they have impacted her day-to-day life and as a result her career. She said: “I suffer really badly with anxiety. It’s something that affects this career so much because people expect you to be confident.

“You’ve chosen this career, which obviously means you’re very confident because you have to go on stage in front of thousands of people and do all these interviews and meet fans. It’s very odd, because it’s so scary to me, every aspect of this career is scary to me. It got to the point where I couldn’t answer the phone or walk into a room by myself.”

Even though her fan base, the ‘ninjas’, adore the chart-topping solo artist for her honesty and openness surrounding mental health, she still worries about giving off the wrong impression to those who have propelled her to her pop platform. Anne-Marie has admitted that she finds it difficult to keep up appearance and her popstar persona when she is off stage and she often walks into venues, pre-gig, without entertaining floods of her fans.

She continued: “On stage, I am who people think I should be. Then you’re off stage and you meet someone – a fan – and think, ‘oh god, they don’t know me like this. “When I’m walking into a venue and avoiding people, I’m not being a diva. I’m just terrified.”

In the past, Anne-Marie has also opened up about her sexuality on album track Perfect with the lyric: “I’ll love who I want to love, ’cause this love is gender-free”. When quizzed on this, she said: “I feel like for me, I’ve never really even thought about it. I’ve just been attracted to who I’ve been attracted to and I feel like I fall in love with people’s souls more than anything.”

The artist first came into the spotlight in 2015 with single Do It Right, since then she has released numerous chart-toppers including Alarm, Ciao Adios, Clean Bandit’s Rockabye and 2002. Her UK tour, Speak Your Mind, will pop up across 14 locations nationwide beginning May – June 2019. She will also be performing at Soundscape festival this summer, as well as Ise of Wight and Longitude.

Top acts will include Ms Lauryn Hill with rock-rap supergroup Prophets of Rage, who combine members from Rage Against the Machine, Cypress Hill and Public Enemy, pioneers of alternative hip-hop meets garage The Streets, and drum and bass royalty Chase and Status with their RTRN II JUNGLE takeover. Other major acts which have been confirmed for the 5-dayfestival are British electronica duo Groove Armada, female rap crew Salt-N-Pepa, and reggae band UB40 ft. Joining these are Ali Campbell and Astro, unapologetic punk from Slaves and the very welcome return of the riotous Gogol Bordello for their third appearance at Boomtown.

Commenting on the announcement, a Boomtown organiser said: “This is by far the most eclectic and diverse line-up we’ve ever had, it’s even more ‘Boomtown’ than ever before. There is something really special about completely different artists, who are at the top of the genre they represent all together on the same bill. It feels like a true privilege to be able to introduce thousands of people to a huge amount of totally different music from all over the world and the entire spectrum of musical tastes.”

Performing on the main live stages in the Town Centre, Whistlers Green and Copper County districts will be Swedish electronic quartet Little Dragon, multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd; poet, rapper, playwright and novelist Kate Tempest and Canadian influenced Bedouin Soundclash.

In Hangar 161, the district’s squatted ex-military aerodrome, expect energetic crust-punk from Leftöver Crack, pioneering dub punk from Inner Terrestrials and hardcore punk from Russia’s The Svetlanas and Siberian Meat Grinder as well as the return of Moscow Death Brigade with their unique politically charged blend of techno, rap and punk. The brand new techno focussed district, ‘AREA 404’, will host some of the genres most influential figures with headliners including Amelie Lens and FourTet and techno-house founding father Carl Cox.

At the Metropolis district, the main house and disco stage, Horse Meat Disco return to the festival on Saturday alongside Mighty Mouse and The 2 Bears. On Sunday, Patrick Topping makes his Boomtown debut with a world exclusive all day long set, with closing show appearances from garage and bassline producer Flava D.

Boomtown has said that the 2019 festival will include its biggest drum and bass lineup so far with the likes of Bad Company UK, Meftjus and Break all performing across its two main stages. Other DnB allstars across the weekend include Calyx & Teebee, Black Sun Empire, Total Science b2b DLR as well as Boomtown favourites My Nu Leng returning for the Sunday night closing set.

Emily Ford Sustainability Coordinator at Boomtown, said: “It’s about the bill. We deliver a headline line up that guarantees artists from international superstars through to grassroots talent. It’s a programme that takes the public on a musical journey of discovery that isn’t found anywhere else.”

Image taken by Mike Massaro at Chris Lorenzo’s 2018 Boomtown set.

Boomtown is one of the UK’s largest independent music festivals, with over 500 artists from over 80 subgenres performing across its 27 stages. Drumcode will host Area 404’s new mega stage Nucleus on Friday, August 9 and Bugged Out will host celebrations on Saturday, August 10.

This year’s festival will take place on Matterley Estate in Hampshire on August 7-11 2019. The five-day festival is known for its musical diversity, immersive theatrics and for following a themed storyline which is spread across all 14 of Boomtown’s districts.

The festival will host a multitude of genres such as reggae, punk, metal, ska, house, techno, disco, folk, acoustic, world, funk and soul, tropical, electro swing, balkan, hip hop, bassline, grime, jazz, soul, bass, electronic, hardcore tekno, gabba, breakcore, DNB, jungle and dub.

Hundreds of actors will also be implemented throughout the grounds of Matterley Estate with the aim of enhancing the customer experience of thousands of festival-goers.

A spokesperson said: “Actors bring the film-like street sets to life and alongside enjoying the extraordinary musical programme. They encourage the public to explore all the city has to offer, to become their inner character and be a part of the story themselves.”

The Hampshire-based festival will also feature 80 interactive street venues and will focus on improving its impact on the environment, having grown from 1,000 to 66,000 capacity.

A spokesperson added: “Our main priority for this year is to focus fully on what we can do within the festival and our audience reach, we have been completely rethinking the event in
every aspect to radically reduce the impact.

“For 2019 and beyond, we are putting the imminent environmental crisis front and centre of our messaging and deep into the fabric of our event planning and infrastructure.”

The festival is addressing campsite waste, transportation and fuel emissions, single-use plastic eradication and consumer behaviour.

The spokesperson added: “One of the main missions we’re on is to inspire change in ourselves and everyone in
attendance at the festival to ensure that, together, as one huge community, we can do everything in our power to halt the devastating outlook for all life on this planet. Together, we really can make the difference that is so urgently needed.”

Adult tickets are priced at £229, whilst teens can scoop them cheaper at £196.50 and children 12 and under can go for free. For more details visit https://www.boomtownfair.co.uk/

Jesse Glynne and The Human League will take the stage kicking the festival off the on Friday night. Followed by Nile Rodgers and Chic who will bring “feel good” vibes on Saturday. BBC Radio 1 DJ, Annie Mac, will hit the decks ending the weekend of celebrations on Sunday night.

For younger fans, pop duo and YouTube stars, Max and Harvey will also perform a live set and Q&A session at the Castle Stage.

Camp Bestival curators Josie and Rob da Bank have been working hard to build the festival’s success, which first started in 2008. Rob da Bank, said: “We’re really proud to unveil two of the world’s biggest party starters in their own fields – Nile and Chic go back a long way with us and they’re going to have everyone dancing at Lulworth Castle.

“BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac is one of the UK’s best DJs, tastemakers and a mama to boot so we know she’s going to press all the right buttons. This year we’ve got some whacking great headliners and loads of amazing family activities, we will be prioritising our teens to keep them happy with a new screen free area avoiding technology.”

Other acts which have joined the lineup are Sister Sledge, Sara Cox, Big Shaq, Vengaboys, East 17 and Spice Girl’s Melanie C. Camp Bestival will also host entertainment for younger children with appearances from Big Fish Little Fish, Mr Tumble, Mister Makes and The Shapes and CBBC presenters Sam and Mark.