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The exhibition will take place on 3 May in Covent Garden, the same day as her live performance at OVO Arena in London as part of her What Happened To The Earth tour. In a recent press release, the singer revealed that the exhibition will be an artistic exploration that “blends art, fashion, and digital innovation in an intimate setting”.  The 28-year-old singer has been blending ethereal dark-pop sounds with electronic influence since her debut EP ‘Running With The Wolves’ in 2015. The collection of songs follows a thread of sombre folklore and a dreamy sonic integrity which the singer has held since she began writing the second track on the project ‘Running With The Wolves’ at aged 13. 

The song shows an authentic, unapologetic voice following the opening track ‘Runaway’, a fan favourite which AURORA has since released in piano and orchestral versions. She has also made a documentary on the impact this song has had on her career titled. The documentary, ‘Portrait of a Song’, is available to watch on YouTube.

Since her first release, the singer has made seven EPs and five studio albums including her latest in 2024 ‘What Happened To The Heart’. The album has a natural focus that has been prevalent throughout her discography, including the song ‘Some Type Of Skin’ – the namesake of her exhibition. The event is said to explore the evolution of her discography as well as display a curation of looks and props that have been integral to her musical narrative. 

‘What Happened To The Heart’ breaks down digital and human barriers for connection. In an interview with DIY magazine, she explains the thoughts that led to its creation, sharing “The world is dying; our home is rotting, burning up, and we are engaging in meaningless wars that put resources over human lives. I think a lot of us look at the world and wonder: what happened?”. Her commentary on the state of the world was highlighted similarly in her role as New Music Ambassador for War Child UK, as well has with her single ‘Through The Eyes Of A Child’ which featured on the hit show Adolescence– a staggering Netflix series commentating on the experience of youth in the digital age.  

Her latest album has seemingly inspired the singer to explore her place in the art world with this upcoming exhibition as well as her PAUSE collection of art prints and her latest book release, ‘What Happened To The Heart’. She has expressed the book’s vulnerability to fans stating, “I’d prefer if you’ve read it alone in your room”.

AURORA has recently released a fresh new single ‘The Flood’, a soft dreamy soundscape which she has shared alongside visuals of choreography in an angel inspired look.   

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Sign-up for tickets of the Some Type of Skin exhibition can be found here, along with tickets to her UK and EU tour on her website.

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  The titles are as follows:

• ‘PRINCESS OF POWER’
• ‘BUTTERFLY
•  ‘CUNTISSIMO’
• ‘ROLLERCOASTER’
•  ‘CUPID’S GIRL’
• ‘METALLIC STALLION’
• ‘JE NE SAIS QUOI’
• ‘DIGITAL FANTASY’
• ‘EVERYBODY KNOWS I’M SAD’
• ‘HELLO KITTY
• I <3 U
• ‘ADULT GIRL’
• ‘FINAL BOSS’

 MARINA has shared a sombre, synth-y affinity with her fans since her debut album ‘The Family Jewels’ in 2010. Since then she has released eight EPs and five studio albums, making ‘PRINCESS OF POWER’ her sixth. Her standout projects include ‘Electra Heart’, the singer’s first album to reach Number 1 in the UK. The album lifted her siren vocals to a satirical, moody and fun collection of songs in the eye of her self-created alter ego which existed solely for this album. The project also led to one of her most popular tracks ‘Primadonna’ which peaked at number 11 in the UK charts. 

MARINA’s thought-provoking ‘Electra Heart’ considers femininity and identity, which she has discussed in several instances. In an interview with Channel 4 News, MARINA explains how she uses pop to discuss her struggles in seeing the objectification of women in the media when she was growing up.  

Since then, MARINA has only topped herself with creative endeavours, sharing a thoughtful poetry collection on the artist’s musing of the heart, ‘Eat the world: A collection of poems.’ published in 2024. This was a welcomed pursuit considering her exploration of love and identity throughout her discography. 

The Welsh electro-pop singer has been teasing her latest album ‘PRINCESS OF POWER’ for several months, with the release of several track ahead of the full album, including ‘BUTTERFLY’ and ‘CUPID’S GIRL’, both with haunting, artistic accompanying videos. A fan favourite track, however, seems to be ‘CUNTISSIMO’. The song was shared with a period piece music video with a pink, theatrical personality that runs through the image of the album.

Her performance of the moody pop track debuted at Coachella this year with fans sharing the performance from all angles, revelling in her addictive stage presence.   

@mathias.swk First live performance of Cuntissimo live from Coachella #coachella #gagachella #marina #marinaandthediamond ♬ son original – mathias

Ahead of her Coachella performance, MARINA shared her film inspiration for the album with the film-based social media app, Letterboxd. The list she shared with Letterboxd includes several notable films across the decades, such as the cult classic ‘Death Becomes Her’, alongside recent award winning films ‘Poor Things’ and ‘The Substance’.

The artist’s inspirations give insight into a dark album ahead, surely providing a MARINA-esque commentary on womanhood and the self. 

The northern lasses, who rose to fame during the 2002 show Popstars: The Rivals have many accolades including twenty consecutive top-ten UK singles and being nominated for five BRIT awards, winning one for the 2008 song “The Promise” off album Out of Control. 

In 2009, The singers of the popular track ‘Can’t Speak French’  took a hiatus from their musical endeavours, only to make a comeback to celebrate their decade anniversary as a band. This exciting and momentous occasion marked the commencement of their Ten: The Hits Tour.

A year later, the group officially split to work on separate solo projects and individual career goals. This included Nadine Coyle taking part in the hit ITV show ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’ and Cheryl Cole becoming a familiar judge on X-Factor and pursuing a solo career.

During this time, former band member, Sarah Harding developed breast cancer and endured a long struggle with the disease until her passing, aged 39 in October 2021. She wrote about her journey from working with Girls Aloud, to her illness in her book ‘Hear Me Out’, which was one of the group’s first releases in 2004.  Buy the book here

Cheryl, of the group said “We all started talking about the possibility of doing something to celebrate Girls Aloud’s 20-year anniversary a few years ago. The anniversary seemed like an obvious thing that we would celebrate.” However, due to Sarah being unwell at the time, the group decided it wasn’t the right time. Cheryl continued “She passed away a year before the anniversary and it just didn’t feel right, it felt too soon.” 

The group have now explained they feel enough time has passed that they feel ready to celebrate the life of their late friend and band member, Sarah Harding. Cheryl elucidated“There is an energy that does make it feel right. It’s the right time to celebrate Sarah, it’s the right time to celebrate the band and the right time to celebrate the fact we can still do this 21 years later. That’s a big honour in lots of ways.”

There were rumours of new music, possibly a new album. The singers have shut this down early, stating “Making new music without Sarah would be odd but celebrating what we made together? Fabulous.” Nicola Roberts exclaimed, “We’re going to do our absolute utmost to celebrate her in the most enormous, magical way.” 

Girls Aloud has announced that the cities they will be performing in are Manchester, Dublin, Belfast, Cardiff, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Nottingham, Leeds, Birmingham, London and Liverpool. The tickets officially go on sale on the 1st of December although you don’t want to miss out! Pre-sale release starts at 9 am, Wednesday 29th November.

For pre-sale ticket access click here

Tour dates

18/05/24 – 3Arena, Dublin
20/05 – SSE Arena, Belfast
23/05 – AO Arena, Manchester
24/05 – AO Arena, Manchester
27/05 – Utilita Arena, Cardiff
31/05 – Utilita Arena, Newcastle
01/06 – Utilita Arena, Newcastle
04/06 – P&J Live, Aberdeen
08/06 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
12/06 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
15/06 – First Direct Arena, Leeds
18/06 – Birmingham Resorts World Arena
22/06 – The O2, London
23/06 – The O2, London
29/06 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool

Originally released in 2013, The Bones Of What You Believe boasts much of the Glasgow trio’s most beloved work, including their signature song “The Mother We Share”. In an Instagram post, the group reflected on their early days: 

“It feels quite strange that Bones is almost a decade old – in some ways, it’s like it just happened, but also like that era was a lifetime ago. Thank you to all the people who gave that album a special place in their heart, and still show us so much kindness today.”

The announcement of the special edition is accompanied by the release of “Manhattan,” one of the four album outtakes due to feature on the reissue. Check out the song below:

In another Instagram post, Chvrches revealed that “Manhattan” was “one of the first tracks the three of [them] worked on together”, adding that the song “instantly resonated, highlighting traits that became the signature sound throughout the debut album.” 

Band member Iain Cook elaborated: 

“It was the first time we messed around with sampling and chopping up our vocals which would go on to become one of the hallmarks of the band’s sound. Lyrically, we were playing around with pretty abstract apocalyptic imagery—in this case the Manhattan Project. This was right around the time we asked Lauren to come into the studio to try out some additional vocals.”

Cook and Doherty, who had been members of the Glasgow alternative rock band Aereogramme until their departure in 2007, reconnected four years later to work on a new synth-orientated project. After proposing Blue Sky Archives drummer/singer Lauren Mayberry record vocals with them, the duo played their soon-to-be frontwoman a handful of demos including “Manhattan”, and Chvrches was born. 

Following the immediate online success of their debut song “Lies”, the trio quickly began gaining popularity through word-of-mouth. Although initially only intended as a studio project, growing expectations from fans saw the band take to the stage as a live act. Within a year they had released “The Mother We Share” and signed a record deal with Glassnote Records. The Bones Of What You Believe followed in 2013, shooting Chvrches into the mainstream, where they have enjoyed consistent success ever since.

Listen to “The Mother We Share” below:

In 2023, Mayberry revealed plans to tour as a solo artist, but reassured fans that, while Chvrches will be going on hiatus, the trio isn’t done forever: “We are all confident that the Chvrches story has many more pages yet to be written.” 

The singer is set to release her debut single next month and tours the UK in October.

See below for dates:

05/10/2023 – SWG3 TV Studio – Glasgow
06/10 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
08/10 – Academy 2 – Manchester
09/10 – Koko – London

Get tickets here.

Pre-order The Bones Of What You Believe 10 here.

My new album ‘HIT PARADE’ will come to you on SEPTEMBER 8TH. Pre-order the album from my store to access the pre-sale for the headline show at ALEXANDRA PALACE. My new single ’THE UNIVERSE’ is in the world RIGHT NOW and available to stream & save here! https://t.co/GMU1gAwdjG pic.twitter.com/NZbuJI6VZb

— Róisín Murphy (@roisinmurphy) May 17, 2023

The Irish singer-songwriter has also today shared the LP’s lead single, “The Universe“, a breezy, funky and decadently summery ear worm of a song that comes with its own absurdist lyric music video.

Watch the music video for “The Universe” below:

Hit Parade will be Murphy’s sixth solo album to date and will be produced by German DJ and music producer DJ Koze. The two artists have previously worked together on the single “CooCool“, the releasing of which in March 2023 marked Murphy’s signing to Ninja Tune.

Watch the music video for “CooCool” below:

Murphy outlined the collaboration between DJ Koze and herself, saying, “We worked remotely, in different countries sending tracks/ideas back and forth for several years. I always have to approach a new collaboration with openness and a willingness to learn and never more so than with this. 

The singer continued, “The studio in this case was imaginary, in the airspace between Hamburg and London. That meant we were both in a personal, private place when working on the songs. For me that brought out a more intimate approach to the songwriting, I told this album my secrets. For Koze it meant total freedom and absolute focus without the distraction of my presence. He too took a deep dive into himself and I believe that’s why the music is so vibrant and alive. It is just exploding with colour!”

Murphy expanded her views on what the album means to her as she explains, “It’s a joyful record, I’ve never been happier, that is partly down to personal reasons but also in my work I’ve been very fulfilled. For me the record is about love and sensuality but also it’s about music itself and how it’s always been there for me. There are tinges of darkness, of the abyss, as well as all the joy. There’s contemplation of mortality which is meant to serve as reminder to me (and perhaps you the listener) to really live while we can“.

After moving to Manchester from her birthplace of Arklow, Ireland at the age of 12, Murphy entered the music world after joining a post-punk band briefly as a teenager before meeting Mark Brydon at a party in 1994. The couple started dating and formed the electronic dance pop duo Moloko, releasing four albums, the third of which, Things to Make and Do, being their most successful,  reaching number three on the UK Albums Chart and containing their most popular hit, “The Time is Now“.

Watch the music video for “The Time is Now” below:

After the disbandment of Moloko, Murphy released her debut solo album, Ruby Blue, in 2005 to positive critical acclaim, and has gone on to release a further four albums, with her last release, Róisín Machine, coming at the end of 2020.

Pre-order Hit Parade here.

Toying with dark sensualness, the first half of the song, “Playboy” starts with a dissonant melody with Shygirl cooling rapping over the top. In the video, a bikini-clad woman spins around a pole in a dark room an eerie face-printed mask obscuring her face. Shy introduces the second half of the song by uttering, “Wait let me just change positions quickly”, the beat quickening with the singer adopting a breathier vocal style. The video for the “Positions” portion features two tattooed men wrestling on a dry grassy football pitch.

Watch the video below:

Irish singer Cosha, English record producer Karma Kid, and English producer to the stars Mura Masa all worked with the singer on the single. London-based photographer Samuel Ibram teamed up with Shygirl once again for the haunting video. He previously directed the video for Shygirl and Björk’s “Woe (I See It From Your Side)” as well as photographed Shy for the cover for Nymph.

Nymph_o, the deluxe version of Shygirl’s 2022 debut album, Nymph, will be available on streaming on the 14^th of this month. The album will contain reimagines and remixes of songs on the original LP as well as some brand-new tracks like “Playboy/Positions”. So far, Shygirl has released three other songs that will feature on Nymph_o: a club mix of “Poison”, a reimagining of “Heaven” featuring the celestial vocals of alt R&B singer Tinashe, and Björk’s ethereal remix “Woe (I See It From Your Side)”. The genre-bending LP will also feature Eartheater and Arca. To preorder the album click here.

Southeast London rapper, DJ, and singer-songwriter Blane Muise, better known as Shygirl, entered the scene in 2017 receiving praise for her unique deconstructed club and experimental hip hop sound. Her debut EP Cruel Practice and her sophomore EP Alias caught the attention of Pitchfork, NME, Vogue, and Crack Magazine.

Currently, Shygirl is performing in North America on her Nymph World Tour. She will be performing at several festivals later this summer including Wide Awake Festival, Parklife, Flow Festival, and Øyafestivalen. For tickets see here.

For Shygirl’s UK & Europe dates see below:

27/05/23 – Wide Awake Festival – London
10/06 – Parklife – Manchester
09/08 – Øyafestivalen – Oslo
11/08 – Flow Festival – Helsinki

The song, which is the third single from last year’s triumphant Rituals showcases the foursome at their best, combining huge vocals with the kind of beats you’d expect to hear in your local nightclub. It works for Friendly Fires, it works for Delphic, and it works pretty damn well for Fenech-Soler. Despite hailing from the sleepy, quaint village of Kings Cliffe, this has not stopped them making movements in the burgeoning UK electropop scene and attempt to put their hometown back on the map.

Even though the best of the British summertime might have passed, this is still the perfect music to accompany a road trip, day at the park or just grooving around in the comfort of your own home. It is music that will put a smile on your face and make your body move uncontrollably. Fenech-Soler are appearing at a heap of festivals over the next couple of months, including the prestigious Reading and Leeds festivals, as well as Boardmasters and the Reeperbahn Festival in Berlin. After that they are travelling around the UK on a November tour, taking in gigs at Liverpool, Glasgow and several more. If you want a gig that will leave you with a permanent grin on your face for days after, these are the boys you want to see.

Check out the video for Last Forever below.