Amazon’s City Sessions have hosted a number of intimate events across the United States and Latin America, giving viewers an intimate and unique experience to witness exclusive sets from some of music’s biggest and greatest artists. Amazon Music has welcomed performances from Kings of Leon, Glass Animals, Wallows, Nelly Furtado, Andra Day and The Black Crowes, prior to the announcement of Franz Ferdinand’s performance.

The upcoming event follows the recent release of Franz Ferdinand’s newest album, ‘The Human Fear’ which released last week (January 10). Hailing from Scotland in 2002, the Scottish rock band have become renowned for their stylish and catchy rock tracks with infectious beats. Their biggest and most notable hit ‘Take Me Out’, released on a LP of the same name in 2004, placed their name on the map as ones to watch. With their reputation in modern rock, it is no surprise Amazon Music will be featuring an exclusive set from the band given the recent experimentation present in ‘The Human Fear’.

Aviva Studios will host the event alongside their ongoing partnership with Factory International. Factory International are the prominent organisation behind Manchester International Festival (MIF) since 2007, a biennial programme which showcases work within the arts from creatives that are from diverse backgrounds and experiences. The upcoming event at Aviva Studios aims to develop dynamic venues and creative spaces across Greater Manchester, to establish the prominent presence of arts in future culture.

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Franz Ferdinand’s exclusive one-off performance at Aviva Studios for Amazon Music’s UK City Sessions will be streamed on Prime Video, providing viewers with an unmatched experience from the comfort of their own homes. The ‘No You Girls’ performers will no doubt treat fans to lots of well-loved tracks alongside new tracks from their latest release, ‘The Human Fear’.

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The Amazon Music programme is aimed at supporting up-and-coming artists by amplifying the best new talent and helping them through crucial moments in their careers. Amazon Music works with each Breakthrough artist and their teams to develop long-term plans that are unique to each artist, with no two Breakthrough campaigns looking the same.

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21-year-old Dean broke onto the scene with the release of her debut EP ‘OK Love You Bye’ in 2019. The singers soulful voice and passionate storytelling clearly made an impression at Amazon. The singer hasn’t slowed down in the last year either, pulling off a unique socially distanced tour in a bright yellow truck, released her follow up EP ‘What Am I Gonna Do on Sundays?’, and sold out two upcoming headline shows at London’s Jazz Café that are set to take place in June 2021.

Olivia said in a statement: “I am so excited to be announced as Amazon Music’s Breakthrough artist. I am so grateful for their support and excited to work with their amazing team. We have so many fun things planned and I know they’ll be the best partner for realising them. Thank you for choosing little ol’ meeee.”

Watch Olivia Dean’s performance video for song ‘Echo’ below:

Their first musical mash-up includes UK garage classic ‘Has It Come To This?’, taken from their 2002 debut  ‘Original Pirate Material’, and ‘I Wish You Loved You As Much As You Loved Him’, taken from their 2020 mixtape ‘None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Alive’. The second medley then features their iconic track ‘Fit But You Know It’, which originally appeared on the Streets’ 2004 sophomore album ‘A Grand Don’t Come For Free’, alongside ‘Take Me As I Am’, another cut from their recent mixtape.

Supported by his band, Skinner’s spoken word rap still carries the same charm that it did when it first appeared nearly 20 years ago. This off-kilter brand of rap, one that ignores conventional flows, pockets, and rhyme schemes, is sustained throughout any project that Skinner has ever released. In fact, it is something that is particularly emphasised by this recent ‘Lockdown Sessions’ set. Performing new and old material alongside one another, Skinner highlights the paradox of his music: it is music that is effortlessly contemporary but holds on to components that have remained unchanged for 20 years.

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The 41-year-old’s willingness to embrace the ever-changing landscape of music was epitomised in an interview that he did with Hot Press last year. When prompted to discuss how music has changed over the last twenty years, he said, “The difficult thing now is to get noticed and to stay noticed as there is so much choice. But everything else has become so much easier. It’s a pleasure to have done it in the old way and also to do it in the new way as well.”

He added, “It’s a bit like DJs who used to DJ on vinyl, they’ve got no interest in going back to vinyl because vinyl means massive heavy boxes and you have to choose the records you are going to play before you get to the club. Now, you can play anything you want anytime. I am the same with making and promoting an album, I would never go back to the old ways.”

The effect that The Streets’ cinematic debut ‘Original Pirate Material’ has had on the UK scene is immeasurable. Beyond the undeniable impact that it had on garage and 2-step production, it changed both UK hip-hop and electronic music forever. Having not released an album since 2011, fans will be desperate to see what a full-length LP from The Streets’ might look and sound like in 2021.

Check out The Streets’ two performances for Amazon Music’s ‘Lockdown Sessions’ below:

The singer also included some artwork for the single and a short snippet of the song which features him singing the title of the song in the line ‘look at what you’ve gone and done, baby baby now i’m numb.’ Pre-saving the track, the singer announced, will also give fans early access to tickets for an exclusive, virtual live performance which will feature tracks from his upcoming album. With 2018’s ‘Jubilee Road,’ the last studio album released by Odell, fans have been waiting two long years for a follow up and finally now it has been confirmed that his fourth is coming very soon.

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Tom Odell, who’s debut album ‘Long Way Down,’ reached number 1 on the UK official album charts is known for his simple yet effective combination of piano and vocals to deliver his potent songwriting. However, the clip which he has provided us to preview new song ‘numb,’ features rich production with thumping kick drums and synth sounds added to the simple keyboard and vocal lines which are reminiscent and familiar of the sound he is known for. This suggests a much greater time being spent in the studio experimenting with different sounds, perhaps inspired by the additional time he was able to spend in there throughout lockdown, and gives fans hope for an album which is both original and breaking new ground but also nostalgic and familiar for fans who fell in love with ‘Long Way Down.’

With the UK sill in a full national lockdown and live music in person still of the cards for the foreseeable future, it is only right that British artists like Tom Odell continue to make use of the possibilities of live streaming to create interactions with fans and also to generate an income for themselves in these difficult times. While vaccine passports may bring some hope for the return of live music sooner than expected, with the UK government’s focus entirely being on vaccinating the population and generally refusing to answer any questions regarding when things might be reopening, it may be wise of all of us to settle in to another long few months of live streamed entertainment.

The video’s retro styling which takes us back to the dusty days of paper, desks and telephones are a breath of fresh air in a music industry saturated with hypermodern cliches or equally gadget laden 80s throwbacks and gives us something to really think about. The gentle nostalgia evoked by the video combines perfectly with the simple yet emotive song which tugs at the heart strings in both its musicality and its lyrical content and marks Celeste once again as a master of combining music with the moving image, a skill she first demonstrated with her incredible song composed for the Waitrose & John Lewis Partnership’s Christmas advert 2020 ‘A Little Love.’

While the John Lewis Christmas ad showed Celeste’s talent for writing to a brief, the work she has done on ‘Love Is Back,’ is very much her own, with the laid back R&B style fitting perfectly to her dusty, emotive vocal style which is in all ways unique and incredibly powerful. The video comes just over a week before Celeste’s debut album ‘Not Your Muse,’ is due to be released a month earlier than planned, a surprise announcement which delighted and pleasantly surprised fans who will find their pre-ordered copies arriving much earlier than expected.

While the exact reason’s behind this decision are not known it is likely that the ongoing coronavirus crisis in the UK, which is now claiming more lives on a daily basis than during the peak of the first wave, which has been the cause of another national lockdown without a clear end in sight may have played a role in this decision. As music fans in the UK settle in for another few months without their beloved live music, Celeste has been kind enough to gift us with one of the most highly anticipated works of recorded music of the year so far, and indeed it was hotly awaited throughout 2020 as well when Celeste was becoming the UK’s newest rising star.

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Celeste’s debut album ‘Not Your Muse,’ releases on the 29th of January and is available to pre-order here, there are also exclusive bundles including hand drawn prints and alternative covers available from the official store, signed copies available from Amazon on CD or Vinyl. The album will also be available on all major streaming platforms from the 29th and can be pre-ordered as a digital download from the iTunes store. With Celeste already looking to be one of the biggest British artists of 2021 this is definitely one to get your hands on.

The event will include a Q&A with band members Josh Franceshci (vocals), Max Helyer (guitar), Chris Miller (lead guitar), Matt Barnes (bass), and Dan Flint (drums). Furthermore, viewers will be treated to exclusive footage from their 2019 Live From Gunnersville show at Gunnersbury Park in London.

After the release of the ‘Live From Gunnersville’ EP bundles – available only from the official website – sold out, the virtual evening with You Me At Six was arranged as a “thank you” to their fans who bought it. Now that the EP bundles have all sold out, which the band said they “didn’t really think would happen”, anyone who pre-orders the new album ‘SUCKAPUNCH’ by 4pm GMT on Saturday 16th January will also gain free access.

Along with both the live footage and chat with the band, attendees will be able to watch 20-minute documentary ‘Made In Thailand’ about the process of creating the new album, shot by Amazon Music. They posted all the information to Twitter today, while Max Helyer wrote, “Thanks to everyone so far who’s pre ordered the record!! Hope you guys enjoy it as much as we had making it and can’t wait for you all to hear it finally!”

SIXERS. The Live From Gunnersville EP bundles have all sold out. Which we didn’t really think would happen! So as a thank you, we’ve decided to make A Virtual Evening with… available to anyone who orders SUCKAPUNCH from our store, before 4pm GMT on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/72mQKfreAp

— You Me At Six (@youmeatsix) January 13, 2021

As well as the live-stream, the band are holding a lock-in on Instagram tomorrow, 14th January, so that they can chat to fans as the album drops. To watch, fans must follow by 5pm GMT tomorrow as their Instagram account will be made private and sharing a sneak peak of each track from the album every half and hour until the full release at midnight. Find more details on the band’s Instagram below.

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Could it be @JustinBieber vs. @JessGlynne for this year's Christmas Number 1? #XmasNo1 https://t.co/tq8THYdZ0l

— Official Charts (@officialcharts) November 23, 2020

Jess has previously had seven UK Number 1’s, which is the most ever for a British Female solo artist. Her new festive song is in the running for a Christmas UK Number 1 hit. Signed CD and Vinyl copies of the single will be available to purchase from Amazon UK from the 18th December, a week before the Christmas Number 1 is revealed.

Official Charts have reported Jess to have said about her new Christmas song, “I chose ‘This Christmas’ by Donny Hathaway as I love the tone of this record and I’m thankful that Amazon Music have given me the opportunity to do my own version of it for them. This year has been such a hard one and there’s no doubt this Christmas is going to be difficult for so many people. Music is so important as it gives us moments of escapism and I think more than ever having an uplifting feel good song is so necessary.”

Bieber has had recent success with his new release ‘Holy’ featuring Chance the rapper, taken from his sixth ‘new era’ studio album, which went straight to Number 1 in the UK’s Official Trending Chart. Speaking about his new Christmas cover, Bieber said to NME, “‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ has always been one of my favourite songs to celebrate the holidays and I’m excited to team up with Amazon Music to share my own version, with my fans.” 

As well as these two tracks exclusive to the streaming service, other artists taking part in the programme include Mary J Blige, who has covered Whams ‘Last Christmas’ and Jamie Cullum who is releasing a version of ‘In The Bleak Mid Winter.’ Lennon Stella has also joined the programme with her rendition of the Carpenter’s song ‘Merry Christmas Darling,’ along with Carrie Underwood who’s releasing her original track ‘Favourite Time Of Year.’

The vice president of Music Industry at Amazon Music, Ryan Redington said to NME, “This Christmas season, it’s important for us to bring our customers more reasons to smile, and to create ways for them to connect with their favourite artists while at home with family.”  Katie Perry was the artist to put out a festive tune through the Amazon original series with ‘Cozy Little Christmas,’ which peaked in the charts at number 22. Last year Ellie Goulding celebrated her first chart topper in four years with her rendition of the Joni Mitchell song, ‘River’ which went straight to Number 1.

Patrick Clifton, head of Amazon Music UK  told NME, “After Katy Perry’s top forty Christmas Original in 2018 and Ellie Goulding’s ‘River’ topping the charts last year, we’re really excited for our listeners to hear Jess Glynne’s take on the Donny Hathaway classic, as well as the rest of the collection of Christmas Originals that will connect music fans with some of their favourite artists.”

The artist hinted at the release last week, posting, “Yes guys, got something cooking from my live Brixton show on @AmazonMusicUK@AmazonMusic tomorrow. As we can’t get to gigs figured you guys will like this.” Sure enough, fans are loving the live recordings, especially of inspiring song ‘Not Giving In’, from debut album ‘What a Time To Be Alive’.

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Yes guys, got something cooking from my live Brixton show on @AmazonMusicUK @AmazonMusic tomorrow. As we can’t get to gigs figured you guys will like this  The memories! 

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Live music performances have been few and far between since the Covid-19 pandemic made it difficult to ensure safety, so the sound of the crowd singing along to each song, as well as Walker’s emotional delivery, brings a different atmosphere from the studio recordings. Introducing his tracks, the singer gave a small speech about the idea behind each one; before ‘Leave a Light On’, he said, “Brixton, we love you,” bringing on a few screams from the audience. He went on to say, “I can’t tell you how emotional this is, it’s absolutely mental – thank you.”

Describing the song, he explained that it was written for one of his closest friends, “when he was going through a really tough time…mates don’t come around too often, especially the good ones and you’ve gotta look after them, for real.” Other songs included on the EP are ‘Just You and I’ and ‘Fly Away With Me’.

Throughout lockdown, Walker has been very active online, releasing a new single, ‘Wait For You’, and lifting his followers’ spirits with his humorous Tweets and livestreams, in which he performs cover songs such as Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’.

Walker graduated from the London College of Creative Media and went on to sign with Relentless Records, releasing his debut album in early 2019. The album reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart, while his single ‘Leave a Light On’ reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart.