View this post on Instagram

A post shared by James Blunt (@jamesblunt)

In a recent interview with US People magazine, Blunt stated: “In the States, I am a one-hit wonder. You have to understand, I am so happy with that because, as I put on my social media profiles, one hit is all you need. I’ve been called a one-hit wonder by people who are none-hit wonders. And so I’m thrilled with that. The moment I think I might be a big shot in any way, you, as an American, can tell me, ‘No. You’re just a little one-hit wonder, James. Get back in your box.’ And that’s healthy.”

The singer went on to have other really famous songs such as ‘Goodbye My Lover’ and ‘1973’ but his rise to popularity wasn’t without difficulties. Blunt recalled how he was often rejected by labels due to his posh accent and classism in his home country of England. Upon being signed to Linda Perry Custard’s Record, he recalled: “I hadn’t really understood how this was the very last chance I was probably ever going to have. I’d been rejected by every UK label based on my speaking voice and the kind of class issues that we have here, and the basis that they would think that just no one would relate to me. They might’ve been right to a degree. It’s taken a long time after ‘You’re Beautiful’ and the backlash for the public to know that, ‘Okay. I might speak with a stupid voice, but I am a normal, grounded human being.’ So maybe the UK labels were right. [But] for some reason Linda was there. She came in with a hard sell, and we went out that night and got drunk.”

The song changed the singer’s life for the better with him even joking about how the single bought him the house he resides in to this day. Known for his charm and fun nature, James Blunt still receives a fair share of criticism to this day. “I think I’ve always been silly. I think I probably did set out in interviews when we were talking about music because it was the one thing I was serious about. I probably then spoke quite earnestly in my interviews about the music, and now I’ve learned that that’s probably not the best thing to do. So now, I still take my music seriously. I don’t speak earnestly about it.”

The singer is currently on tour with tickets available on his website.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos)

“We’re gonna do one song here – we’re filming a bit of content – and then we’re going to do a parade and walk down and play some songs, if you want to come with us,” the Brit said, per local news website Nola.com. “I’ve got a new song coming in a couple weeks that no one’s heard. This will be the first time it’s ever been played live. We’ll play it once now and then we’ll walk down, play some songs that you know, and I’ll play this song again. Thanks for coming out. It’s nice to be back here.”

Backed by the brass band and pulling the amp around, Sheeran sang his famous tunes ‘I Don’t Care’ and ‘Don’t’ in-between high-fives and pictures with fans, ending the event with a singalong of his song ‘Shape Of You’.

This isn’t the first time the ‘Thinking Out Loud’ singer surprises his fans. Indeed, last month, the hitmaker attempted to perform on the streets of Bengaluru, India where he had performances planned for his ongoing tour +-=÷x. A performance that was quickly shut down by local authorities due to security concerns.

Ed hasn’t announced any release date for his new song ‘Azizam’. This would be his first music release since his last album Autumn Variations back in September 2023.

Singer songwriter Dua Lipa has taken the modern pop world by storm since her first studio album ‘Dua Lipa: Complete Edition’ back in 2018. Her second studio album ‘Future Nostlagia’, which was released in March 2020 by Warner Records, raised that bar even further for the artist. ‘Future Nostlagia’ was reviewed by mxdwn, and can be read about here. The popularity and critical acclaim that the album granted Dua, is now even more apparent as it has awarded her with the title of most played songs on UK radio and television.

It’s no wonder Dua Lipa has become a household name in the last few years. Her introduction onto the music scene was met with a lasting success back in 2017, which has carried her through until now. This year the artist won two BRIT Awards, one for Mastercard Album and another for Female Solo Artist. As well as this, Dua won Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2021 Grammy’s. The 25-year-old is the recipient of numerous other awards and nominations – so the news of her being the most played artist of 2020 is no surprise amongst the array of her previous achievements.

In becoming the most played artist of 2020, Dua Lipa has taken over from Ed Sheeran who had been the UK’s impressive most-played artist repeatedly since 2017. The unique disco pop and youthful energy of Dua Lipa shows for a promising duration with her newfound title. Her music, specifically the singles ‘Don’t Start Now’ and ‘Physical’, have also earnt her a place amongst the 10 most popular songs on UK airwaves. It’s safe to say that the UK cannot get enough of Dua Lipa and that her mainstream success is undoubtable.

Dua Lipa’s mainstream success, and hard work exerted to achieve this, is recognised by in her label boss Joe Kentish. In an interview with Kentish about Dua Lipa, he stated that “you’re half-expecting that she might want to take a break or go about things differently but she’s like ‘Right, what’s next?’ Her interests, her knowledge, her thirst to learn new things and to be in control of what she does just grows and grows She’s taking time to fully realise the album conceptually, but her belief in herself and the belief that she can pull off something completely different and at scale has only grown.”

Dua Lipa’s growth as an artist and an individual is celebrated by PPL’s recognition that her second studio album ‘Future Nostlagia’ has granted her the title of most played artist of 2020.

Kero Kero Bonito first came onto the scene with their debut mixtape in the summer of 2013, the cutesy hyperpop style of music became a hit with many, catapulting the band and especially vocalist Sarah Bonito into a cult figure. Their first album arrived in 2016 titled ‘Bonito Generation’, this album released on Double Denim Records featured some of KKB’s most notable tracks to date including ‘Trampoline’ and ‘Lipslap’. 2018 saw them start shifting their sound from the hyper-pop vein they once populated to incorporating elements of lo-fi, shoegaze and dream pop into the mix. The albums sound was influenced by legendary bands such as shoegaze pioneers My Bloody Valentine and electronic and dream pop crossover act Sweet Trip. After a handful of other extended plays including Civilisation I in 2019, fans have been waiting for the sequel, and over a year later it has arrived.

KKB described the Civilisation II EP to Pitckfork as “representing past, present, and future, respectively, a concept that feels unnecessary when the music is as intellectually salient and catchy as ever.” With the world still in disarray, the topics on this project stay true to reality with a brighter viewpoint. The entire extended play was produced with vintage hardware that and the hands of Gus Lobban (also known as Kane West), one third of the band. You can listen to Kero Kero Bonito’s new fourteen minute long project on all major streaming services today.

In a recent interview with MyLondon news, Steps said, “This album really nods to our back catalogue and fans have heard that with the singles, which to us are up there with that ‘classic Steps sound’ like ‘After the Love Has Gone’ and ‘Love’s Got a Hold on My Heart’. But then we’ve got new songs on the album which are more mature-sounding, like ‘Hold My Heart’ and ‘Under My Skin’ – which is favourite of H and Claire’s – so it’s a very mixed bag for Steps fans”.

The album release has come at the same time as Miley Cyrus releases her 7th album ‘Plastic Hearts,’ therefore there will likely be another pop battle for the Number 1 chart spot next week, which occurred earlier this month between Kylie and girl group Little Mix. Steps said to MyLondon news that,  “It doesn’t feel like we’re in competition because of the way the charts are now, not everyone is chasing for a number one at the end of the week. These days we’re more doing it for the fans and it doesn’t feel like we have to ‘take over the world’, because the people that want us are able to hear us and we can release great new stuff for them and people that don’t know us are getting to know us via all these amazing platforms”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Steps Official (@officialsteps)

The group have confirmed that they have added extra dates for their ‘What The Future Holds‘ tour in Birmingham, Manchester and London. Fans can expect to see the group perform songs from their latest album as well as classic Steps tracks such as ‘One For Sorrow,’ ‘Last Thing On My Mind,’ ‘Tragedy,’ and ‘5,6,7,8.’ The band told BirminghamLive, “We know what the stage is going to look like and that’s really exciting because it’s something we’ve never done before. But in terms of the setlist we think we’re going to have our work cut out because we’ve got so much material to choose from now and it’s impossible to keep everybody happy isn’t it? So we’ll try – but there might be quite a few melodies in there”. Tickets will go on sale from 27th November and can be brought here.

2021 Tour Dates

2/11/2021 – FlyDSA Arena – Sheffield
3/11 – Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham
5/11 – Resorts World Arena – Birmingham
6/11 – Resorts World Arena – Birmingham
8/11– Utilita Arena – Newcastle
11/11-  AO Arena – Manchester
12/11 – AO Arena – Manchester
13/11 – P&J Live – Aberdeen
15/11 –  SSE Arena – Belfast
18/11– M&S Bank Arena – Liverpool
19/11 – First Direct Arena – Leeds
22/11 – The SSE Hydro – Glasgow
23/11 – The SSE Hydro – Glasgow
25 /11– Centre – Brighton
26 /11 – The O2 – London
27/11 –  The O2 – London
29/11 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff
1/12– International Centre – Bournemouth