The track, originally written by Prince in 1985, was made famous by the Irish singer when she recorded it for her second studio album ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got’ in 1990. 2 years later, whilst fans were expecting the song to be performed by O’Connor on SNL, the singer famously staged a protest against the Catholic Church where she performed Bob Marley’s 1976 track ‘War’ a cappella. She then held up a picture of Pope John Paul II that she ripped into pieces as she declared “Fight the real enemy”. She later on shared that the protest act was a move to call out sexual abuse happening in the Catholic Church. Neither Miley nor Brittany referenced the event at the celebration.

The Irish singer-songwriter converted to Islam in 2018. In her memoir Rememberings released in 2021, she shares: “I’ve done only one holy thing in my life and that was sing. The Koran is like a song” and God “an incredible songwriter. The language and intelligence of the call to prayer led me to listen to the Koran. The language and intelligence of the call to prayer led me to listen to the Koran”. She was well-known for her ever-present openness in activism and socio-cultural issues, throughout her career, she used her platform to draw awareness to HIV/AIDs, campaigned on pro-choice issues and abortion rights, and showed her support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Remembering the moment that would make history, record label executive Daniel Glass said: “when she did War, and she ripped the picture of the pope. I will never forget it. Everybody froze at SNL. The music producer Liz Welch went from jubilation to tears. No one stopped it, no one knew what to do. We walked back to the artist’s dressing room. I don’t think she knew what she just had just done. The magnitude of it. She was in a room by herself which was kind of sad and lonely, because it was a heavy moment in history.”

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A post shared by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus)

Cyrus and Howard belted the song whilst letting their voice melt into one another as the Alabama Shake front woman added soulfulness to the tune with her guitar riffs and the Tennessee born singer added some of her well-known rasp to the tune. The artists choice of song was a sweet nod to the notorious performance that got Sinéad O’Connor banned from the show.

Cyrus moved on to sing her famous hit ‘Flowers’ from her 2023 album ‘Endless Summer Vacation’ and a rendition of Queen’s song ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’.

You can catch all the skits and performances over at the official SNL YouTube Channel.

Miley Cyrus led the way with her hit single “Flowers,” spending ten weeks at No 1. Other talented artists such as Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding, Kenya Grace, Raye, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, and Taylor Swift also enjoyed time at the top spot.

In fact, Goulding, Cyrus, Swift, Raye, SZA, PinkPantheress, and Libianca dominated seven out of the top 10 most popular tracks of the year. This achievement is the highest number of female-led tracks in the history of the Official Singles Chart, which spans over 70 years.

Goulding’s collaboration with Calvin Harris, “Miracle,” was particularly notable, and the rest of the top 10 featured artists like Dave, Central Cee, and Rema.

Dr Jo Twist, the chief executive of BPI, expressed her delight at this significant shift but also stressed the importance of not becoming complacent. She emphasised the need for continued efforts in the music industry, she said,“Our work in the music industry continues to ensure that this becomes the norm.” 

Furthermore, an impressive 48.5% of all songs that reached the Top 10 this year were either solo efforts or collaborations by female artists. This represents the highest annual share of Top 10 hits by female musicians in this century.

In 2023, the British music industry saw its ninth consecutive year of growth, with album sales and streams increasing by 10% to a total of 182.8 million. Streaming reached a record high with 179.6 billion audio streams, a 12.8% increase from the previous year. However, no new releases achieved platinum status, indicating a“crisis” in the industry according to music writer Patrick Clifton. He added,“A new generation of artists is not building fanbases that will buy gig and festival tickets in two, five, or 10-years’ time, and is not popularising songs that will have ubiquity in our culture once this generation of music fans reaches old age. The artists who succeed, he argued, are those who are able to cultivate a “two-way” relationship with fans on social media, and “don’t mind revisiting songs from their repertoire if those songs blow up”.

Vinyl records sales reached a remarkable milestone, surpassing 6 million units, marking the highest total since 1990. Additionally, CD sales remained strong with a staggering 10 million albums sold. Furthermore, cassette sales maintained their steady performance, exceeding 100,000 units for the fourth consecutive year.

However, it is undeniable that streaming has become the dominant force in the UK’s music landscape. Accounting for a remarkable 87.7% of the market share, streaming has experienced a substantial growth compared to 63.6% five years ago.

Sealing last year’s number one spot was none other than Miley Cyrus with her smash hit “Flowers”, which spent an incredible 10 weeks at the top of the Official UK Singles chart. “Flowers” was the lead single from Cyrus’ eighth studio-album Endless Summer Vacation, and went on to accumulate 198 million combined audio and video streams in the UK in 2023, making it the most-streamed song of the year. The 31-year-old’s single also went on to be the most-downloaded song of the year, with 91,000 UK downloads.

Joining Miley in a 10-week long reign at the number one spot were British rappers Dave and Central Cee with their single “Sprinter”. The track was a smash hit as it broke UK chart records as it clinched the biggest streaming week for any rap song in Official Chart history, and also claimed the title of the longest-running rap Number 1 in the UK. Since its release, the team duo have racked up 161 million UK audio and video streams, landing them the number two spot on the top songs of 2023.

The track claiming the number three spot in this list was originally the first Official Number One Single of 2023. When RAYE and 070 Shake’s track “Escapism” soared to number one, RAYE told Official Charts: “We are Number 1 in the UK! It’s the first Number 1 of the year, it’s my first Number 1 in my life. I’m an independent artist, this is sickening! This is proof you should back yourself, no matter what. Thank you, this is mad. These are happy tears!” 

Completing 2023’s top five was Taylor Swift’s resilient 2022 hit “Anti-Hero”, and collaboration trance track “Miracle” from Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding. Celebrating the success of the latter, Goulding told Official Charts: “This is just very cool. Thank you very much to everyone for listening to it and supporting it, Oontz, oontz…rave on!” 

The Official top 10 songs of 2023:

1. “Flowers” – Miley Cyrus
2. “Sprinter” – Dave & Central Cee
3. “Escapism” – RAYE feat. 070 Shake
4. “Anti-Hero” – Taylor Swift
5. “Miracle” – Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding
6. “Calm Down” – Rema
7. “Kill Bill” – SZA
8. “Boy’s A Liar” – PinkPantheress
9. “As It Was” – Harry Styles
10. “People” Libianca

Following Sinead O’Connor’s tragic passing in July 2023, Cyrus has reflected on the feud she had with the Irish singer-songwriter following the release of the “Wrecking Ball” music video a decade ago. Cyrus gained notoriety for the video in which she was shown swinging on a wrecking ball, naked. As of 2023, the video has over 1 billion views and marked a clear departure from Cyrus’s Disney Channel beginnings.

O’Connor penned a scathing open letter to Cyrus in 2013, despite writing “it is said in the spirit of motherliness and with love.”

O’Connor said, “I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way ‘cool’ to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos. It is in fact the case that you will obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped, whether its the music business or yourself doing the pimping.”

She continued, “Nothing but harm will come in the long run, from allowing yourself to be exploited, and it is absolutely NOT in ANY way an empowerment of yourself or any other young women, for you to send across the message that you are to be valued (even by you) more for your sexual appeal than your obvious talent.”

In her ABC documentary appearance, Cyrus has addressed how she felt at the time, saying, “At the time when I made ‘Wrecking Ball’, I was expecting for there to be controversy and backlash, but I don’t think I expected other women to put me down or turn on me, especially women that had been in my position before.”

Cyrus had shared in 2013 that O’Connor’s music video for her 1990 hit “Nothing Compares 2 U” had inspired her, and responded to the open letter by mocking O’Connor’s mental health issues following the backlash.

Cyrus has now shared, “I had no idea about the fragile mental state that she was in.”

She continued, “I was also only 20 years old. So I could really only wrap my head around mental illness so much and all that I saw was that another woman had told me that this idea was not my idea. Even if I was convinced that it was, it was still just men in power’s idea of me and they had manipulated me to believe that it was my own idea when it never really was. And it was. And it is. And I still love it.”

Cyrus concluded that she was making “my own choices and my own decisions. To have that taken away from me deeply upset me.”

Cyrus ended her reflection on the feud by saying, “God bless Sinéad O’Connor for real, in all seriousness” before performing her track “Wonder Woman” with “Dedicated to Sinead O’Connor” written across the screen.

Parton has collaborated with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Mick Fleetwood and Peter Frampton on the track. Listen below:

Parton’s “Let It Be” cover is the latest release from her 49th studio album, which is set to feature a mix of original tracks and cover versions of iconic rock songs. Speaking on the release, Parton said, “I’m so excited to finally present my first Rock and Roll album ‘Rockstar’!

She continued, “I am very honoured and privileged to have worked with some of the greatest iconic singers and musicians of all time and to be able to sing all the iconic songs throughout the album was a joy beyond measure. I hope everybody enjoys the album as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together!”

Featuring 9 original tracks and 21 cover versions, Rockstar is set for release on 17th November 2023.

I’m a rockstar now! My new album ‘Rockstar’ is coming November 17 and it’s available for pre-order. Let’s rock n’ roll https://t.co/9YSkRRTV0v pic.twitter.com/EEBii6BYCv

— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) May 9, 2023

Parton has collaborated with a number of iconic musicians to put the album together, including Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon, Elton John, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and her god-daughter, Miley Cyrus, amongst many, many others.

Parton had previously released her cover version mashup of Queen’s “We Are The Champions” and “We Will Rock You” from the album, giving an insight into the upcoming vibe of the album.

Rockstar is available for pre-order now. Find more information here.

See the complete track listing below:

1. ‘Rockstar’ (special guest Richie Sambora)
2. ‘World on Fire’
3. ‘Every Breath You Take’ (feat. Sting)
4. ‘Open Arms’ (feat. Steve Perry)
5. ‘Magic Man’ (feat. Ann Wilson with special guest Howard Leese)
6. ‘Long As I Can See The Light’ (feat. John Fogerty)
7. ‘Either Or’ (feat. Kid Rock)
8. ‘I Want You Back’ (feat. Steven Tyler with special guest Warren Haynes)
9. ‘What Has Rock And Roll Ever Done For You’ (feat. Stevie Nicks with special guest Waddy Wachtel)
10. ‘Purple Rain’
11. ‘Baby, I Love Your Way’ (feat. Peter Frampton)
12. ‘I Hate Myself For Loving You’ (feat. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts)
13. ‘Night Moves’ (feat. Chris Stapleton)
14. ‘Wrecking Ball’ (feat. Miley Cyrus)
15. ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ (feat. P!nk & Brandi Carlile)
16. ‘Keep On Loving You’ (feat. Kevin Cronin)
17. ‘Heart Of Glass’ (feat. Debbie Harry)
18. ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’ (feat. Elton John)
19. ‘Tried To Rock And Roll Me’ (feat. Melissa Etheridge)
20. ‘Stairway To Heaven’ (feat. Lizzo & Sasha Flute)
21. ‘We Are The Champions’
22. ‘Bygones’ (feat. Rob Halford with special guests Nikki Sixx & John 5)
23. ‘My Blue Tears’ (feat. Simon Le Bon)
24. ‘What’s Up?’ (feat. Linda Perry)
25. ‘You’re No Good’ (feat. Emmylou Harris & Sheryl Crow)
26. ‘Heartbreaker’ (feat. Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo)
27. ‘Bittersweet’ (feat. Michael McDonald)
28. ‘I Dreamed’ About Elvis (feat. Ronnie McDowell with special guest The Jordanaires)
29. ‘Let It Be’ (feat. Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr with special guests Peter Frampton & Mick Fleetwood)
30. ‘Free Bird’ (feat. Ronnie Van Zant with special guests Gary Rossington, Artimus Pyle and The Artimus Pyle Band)

The Doncaster born musician was asked about about a possible collaboration with Cyrus in The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column, he said: “Listen, I cannot disclose that information. Maybe, baby.”  It’s hard to tell exactly what this means but perhaps could suggest a collaboration otherwise Harrison could have just said no. He then went on to say of his third album, “It’s killer. Just you wait – it’s nearly done. I’ve got two albums ready but I’m just finishing the one to put out.”

The album may also feature a collaboration with Willow Smith. Yungblud was recently pictured in the studio with Willow, with the pair taking to Instagram to tease their own forthcoming collaboration.

Willow Smith via Instagram Stories. pic.twitter.com/Mlph341ynS

— YUNGBLUD Info Brasil (@yungbludinfo) December 17, 2021

As you can see, Willow uploaded a snap of herself and Harrison together in the studio, with the latter sharing a similar image on his Stories feed.

Yungblud’s Instagram story also included the caption “Red alert”. Elsewhere, the Doncaster musician was photographed standing behind a microphone and sitting next to a mixing desk with a red electric guitar.

Speaking to NME at Reading Festival 2021, Harrison revealed that “We’ve got album three and four done and ready to go. At the start of this year around Christmas when ‘Weird!’ went to Number One, everyone said ‘go on holiday, have a rest’, but I went straight up to Leeds to a studio 20 minutes from where I grew up and wrote an album, then went to America and wrote another one.”

He then went on to say “I can’t wait for you to hear it. A lot of people had an expectation of what I should do next and with success comes a lot of conversation around what Yungblud is and the perception of whatever the fuck I am and everyone’s got an opinion on it – but I’m so excited to release this because it’s just me. I went out to America and did a load of sessions but I came back because I didn’t want to do that so I made it in my mate’s bedroom. This is how it should be done.”

ATTENTION UK FANS!! We have some big news! We are thrilled to be sharing the stage with @BillyIdol on his 2022 Summer UK tour dates! We haven’t had an opportunity to play for our British fans in 26 years and can’t wait to see you all Tix go on sale this Thursday! pic.twitter.com/aW9qJx7dHn

— The Go-Go’s (@officialgogos) September 27, 2021

 

The tour is named after Idol’s latest EP The Roadside, the EP was released on September 17th and was inspired by the singer’s near-fatal motorcycle accident in 1990. William Michael Albert Broad professionally known as Billy Idol, is an English singer whose music career began in 1976 when he emerged as a guitarist for the punk rock band Chelsea.

The singer then went on to become the lead vocalist for the band Generation X, when the band disbanded in 1981, the singer decided to move to New York to pursue a solo career with the support of guitarist Steve Stevens who will also be joining the singer on his UK tour.

Idol’s debut self-entitled solo album Billy Idol was released on July 16th 1982 and spawned the single “Dancing With Myself” (1981). The singer is also known for memorable singles “White Wedding” (1982) “Rebel Yell” (1983) and “Eye’s Without A Face” (1984).

Idol’s latest work includes guest vocals on Miley Cyrus’s single “Night Crawling” from her Plastic Hearts album released on November 27th 2020. The singer also released his first single in seven years “Bitter Taste” in August from his The Roadside EP.

The Go Go’s are an all-female American Rock Band who formed in 1978 in Los Angeles. The band includes lead vocalist Belinda Carlisle, Charlotte Caffrey (Lead guitar and vocals), Gina Schock (Drums), Kathy Valentine (Bass Guitar) and Jane Wiedlin (Rhythm guitar).

The band’s 1981 debut album Beauty and The Beat is considered to be the cornerstone of new wave music in the US. The band disbanded in 1985 and have regrouped to record new music and tour. The band released their last single, “Club Zero”  in July with the single featuring in their documentary The Go Go’s. The band were also recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Idol said that he is looking forward to performing in the UK again, his UK tour with The Go Go’s kicks off in Glasgow on June 11th and ends on June 26th in Leeds. Tickets go on sale tomorrow September 30th.

See the tracklist below for Billy Idol’s EP The Roadside below and listen to the EP here

Rita Hayworth
Bitter Taste
U Don’t Have To Kiss Me Like That
Baby Put Your Clothes Back On

Listen to The Go Go’s single Club Zero here

See Billy Idol’s Tour dates for his 2022 The Roadside UK Summer Tour with The Go Go’s below and tickets are available here

11/06/22 The SSE Hydro- Glasgow
13/06 AO Arena- Manchester
15/06 Resorts World Arena- Birmingham
18/06 The SSE Wembley Arena- London
19/06 Motorpoint Arena- Cardiff
21/06 First Direct Arena- Leeds

We were delighted to hear of Miley Cyrus’ cover of Zombie at the Whisky a Go Go #SOSFEST in LA at the weekend. It’s one of the finest covers of the song that we’ve heard. We think Dolores would be very impressed! Check it out here: https://t.co/ysFxUZLKnl

— The Cranberries (@The_Cranberries) October 19, 2020

Miley Cyrus performed the cover as a part of the #SaveOurStages festival, at the famous LA venue Whisky a Go Go, which was a fundraiser to preserve grassroots music venues affected by the coronavirus pandemic in the US. She also did a cover of The Cure’s Boys Don’t Cry and performed her single Midnight Sky.

Fans were obsessed with the cover as they saw it as two worlds colliding. One fan replied to The Cranberries’ tweet saying; “covering Zombie and all my fave Cranberries songs is what I need RN – give us an album sis. A fresh take on the classics, with some delicious nostalgia thrown in.” Other artists have also commented on the cover. Kacy Musgraves commented on Miley Cyrus’ Instagram saying; “slaying the gd game, woman.” Jessie J added; “superstar.”

This isn’t the first time Miley showed off this rocker personality, she recently covered Heart of Glass by Blondie at the iHeart Music Festival earlier this month. The cover got such a huge reaction from fans that she decided to release it on Spotify.

The Cranberries were also in the news recently after they paid tribute to Dolores O’Riordan on what would have been her 49th birthday. Dolores passed away at a London hotel in 2018, with her death subsequently ruled as a result of accidental drowning in a bath, caused by alcohol intoxication. The band shared a picture of the late singer with the caption: “Happy Birthday Dolores, you’re in our thoughts and in our hearts, always. Ferg, Mike & Noel.”

Happy Birthday Dolores,
you’re in our thoughts and in our
hearts, always.
Ferg, Mike & Noel pic.twitter.com/pthOp8mK98

— The Cranberries (@The_Cranberries) September 6, 2020

You can watch Miley Cyrus’ cover of Zombie below. Her forthcoming seventh studio album, She is Miley Cyrus, will be out in November with collaborations from Dua Lipa and Billy Idol.

Dua Lipa, who’s breakthrough single ‘New Rules,’ reached number 1 in the UK charts and remained in the charts for 66 weeks, is already one of the biggest names in UK pop right now and collaborating with and established star like Miley Cyrus is likely to send her career soaring even higher. Cyrus, who made it to UK number 1 in 2013 with ‘Wrecking Ball,’ released the first single from the new album ‘Midnight Sky,’ which charted at number 7 when it dropped in August. The transatlantic collaboration with the UK’s Dua Lipa is likely to drive the coming single up even higher over here.

Dua Lipa’s hotly awaited follow up album to debut ‘Dua Lipa,’ was released on the 9th of March and spent four weeks at number one, despite the country being in lockdown. The new album, called ‘Future Nostalgia,’ has a disco feel along with futuristic themes which befit its title. The singer has not stopped creating irresistible hooks since her debut and the new album is full of them.

As well as ‘Don’t Start Now,’ which has already charted at number 2 in the UK as a single, ‘Levitating,’ is another standout track from the album and features a verse from DaBaby. Despite only being released on October the 2nd, the music video for ‘Levitating,’ has already clocked 14,970,730 views on the singer’s official Youtube channel.

Dua Lipa has always made danceable pop music which fits the UK club scene perfectly, from ‘New Rules,’ and ‘One Kiss,’ to her latest hits with ‘Future Nostalgia.’ Fans and clubbers alike will be praying for the pandemic to pass and the restrictions on music to be lifted so that they can get out and dance to some of the hottest new pop tracks of the year, including Miley Cyrus’ latest.

In spite of the ongoing restrictions, Dua Lipa’s does have a tour scheduled in support of ‘Future Nostalgia,’ with dates beginning as early as January the 3rd 2021; this shortly after a New Years Eve which will certainly feature singles from the album in clubs and at parties across the country, assuming restrictions allow it. Full UK tour dates for Dua Lipa’s tour in January 2021 are as follows:

03/01/2021 – Utilita Arena – Newcastle
04/01 – SSE Hydro – Glasgow
06/01 – M&S Bank Arena – Liverpool
12/01 – Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham
13/01 – Arena – Birmingham
15/01 – The O2 – London
16/01 – The O2 – London
19/01 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff
21/01 – AO Arena – Manchester
22/01 – First Direct Arena – Leeds

Playing two of her originals and two surprise covers, the artist’s signature warm and husky vocals were supported by an interesting musical arrangement for Cyrus. Each social distancing and wearing masks, the band consisted of a pianist, a cellist, a drummer, and two guitarists who also provided backing vocals.

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Honored to be the 1st performing for @bbcradio1 Live Lounge Month 2020! Link in stories to see more…. @billieeilish “my future”…..

A post shared by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus) on Sep 1, 2020 at 9:49am PDT

The songs of choice began with ‘Midnight Sky’, the most recent release from the singer and first single from her next album.  She commented, “There’s a lot of pressure when it comes to releasing the first song. I thought that lyrically and sonically this was a good reflection of where I’m going,” going on to reveal that the song was only written six weeks ago.

Following this was 2019 single ‘Slide Away’, which Cyrus belted out with beautifully emotive performance. She described the song as “a point of reference of the growth and of my journey over the past year and a half.”

Next came two covers, starting with The Eagles who were a huge influence to Miley Cyrus in the former years of her career. Originally steady and clean, ‘Take It To The Limit’, she stayed true to the heart of the song, tuning into the country feel.

Finally, a surprising cover from the artist, ‘My Future’ by Billie Eilish, only released at the end of July. Cyrus landed perfectly on the jazzier notes of the song, bringing her unique power to the vocals and a filled out instrumental. She explained how important self-acceptance is to her, especially as a woman, calling Eilish a “really healthy role model” for young girls. The reaction from fans was incredible, showing their support online and sending comments to the show. For those who missed it or simply want to listen again, the show is available now on Radio 1 Sounds, with three videos released on the Live Lounge YouTube channel.

As only the first live lounge performance of the month, it was an astounding success, with more to come. Artists including Yungblud, Little Mix, Biffy Clyro, Jorja Smith, Declan McKenna, Annie Maire, and Arlo Parks will appear on the show throughout September, so stay tuned for more.