Artemis II launched successfully on the 1st of April, embarking on a test run to take new images of the lunar surface and lay the foundations for future moon landings. The Orion spacecraft ‘Integrity’ has travelled around the moon, taking humanity the furthest from Earth they’ve ever been, and is due to return to Earth tomorrow, the 10th of April. The milestone flight marks NASA’s first crewed mission outside low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.

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The mission has been a huge cultural event across all media platforms, from the spectacle of the launch in Florida last week, to the fascinating new photographs of the far side of the moon. At the heart of the project has been the four-person crew, a diverse set of astronauts each defying convention. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and specialist Jeremy Hansen have each endeared themselves to a global audience over the last week and a half, through emotional moments and their sheer wonderment at life in space.

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Yesterday NASA revealed the astronauts’ bespoke wake-up playlist, a collection used to rouse them each morning in outer space. In a post on Instagram, the organisation said “Each track was selected by the Moon crew, continuing a tradition that started more than 50 years ago. Stay tuned to find out which songs they’ll choose next.” For yesterday’s selection, the crew started the day with Queen and David Bowie’s 1981 collaborative masterpiece ‘Under Pressure’. The single was the second UK Number One for Queen and third for Bowie, whose lifelong fascination with space saw him create alien alter-ego Ziggy Stardust and write numerous songs themed around astronauts, like tracks ‘Space Oddity’, ‘Life On Mars’, and ‘Ashes To Ashes’.

Another song that has drawn attention on social media is British indie-rock group Glass Animals 2019 single with US rapper Denzel Curry, ‘Tokyo Drifting’. Glass Animals replied to NASA’s update with a simple comment reading “this is the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me in my life ever.” but it has been Curry’s ecstatic raving that has captured the spotlight. On social media site X, he has enthusiastically declared himself “The First Rapper Played in Space” and made the fantastic statement “even aliens f*ck with my sh*t!”

The playlist currently sits at 9 tracks, with NASA suggesting more may be added before the mission’s completion. Other cuts include Chappell Roan’s 2020 single ‘Pink Pony Club’ which became an international mega-hit several years after its release, the appropriately gentle track ‘Sleepyhead’ by Young & Sick, and emotive, atmospheric country tune ‘Lonely Drifter’ by Charley Crockett.

The Orion spacecraft is currently nearing the end of its journey home, and is due to splash down near San Diego tomorrow night at 8PM EDT (1AM BST). You can follow the updates from NASA and the crew of ‘Integrity’ through their official Instagram and X accounts, with plenty more photos and maybe a playlist add-on yet to come.

Alongside the announcement of his marriage, he also shared the playlist he is planning on playing while his wedding guests will hear during the dinner service. The playlist only features instrumentals as Byrne has claimed that “words and lyrics can be distracting – the ear goes to them, especially if it’s a song one knows.” Byrne’s dedication to music knows no bounds as he has even curated the soundtrack to his own wedding. Byrne has always had an ear from music made around the world, evidenced in his early Talking Head days.

The Talking Heads album ‘Remain In Light‘ features percussion inspired by Nigerian icon Fela Kuti, German experimental rock band CAN and polyrhythms featured in Afro-Caribbean music. ‘Remain in Light‘ is only one example as his worldwide influences reach through all his music.

This new playlist, titled ‘David Byrne Radio Presents; Dinner Music‘ features 42 songs and runs for just under two and a half hours. This playlist features lots of Latin-inspired instrumentals such as ‘En El Caribe Estoy Triste’ by ‘Meridian Brothers‘, ‘Pa Japón’ by ‘El Alfa‘ and ‘Guajira Sicodélica’ by ‘Los Destellos‘.

He also includes instrumentals from well-known artists such as Brian Eno (‘An Ending (Ascent)’), Jeff Beck (‘Corpus Christi Carol’), Herbie Hancock (‘Watermelon Man’) and Post Malone (‘Wow.’). Even though the playlist consists of only instrumentals, the quality is so high that guests may still be distracted while they ask their neighbours what song is playing or subtly use Shazam.

Included on the playlist is the orchestral ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra. David Byrne is currently working with Ghost Train Orchestra to release a new album. The new album, titled ‘Who Is The Sky?’ will be released this Friday September 5 and is a full collaboration between the two artists. The album is available for pre-order here. Byrne and Ghost Train Orchestra have currently released three singles from the new album, ‘Everybody Laughs’, ‘The Avant Garde’ and ‘She Explains Things To Me’. A fourth single titled ‘What Is The Reason For It?’ featuring Hayley Williams (Paramore) will be released tomorrow September 3. See the music video to ‘Everybody Laughs’ below:

Byrne is also touring in the UK next year with his latest album, tickets are available here. His UK tour dates are as follows:

David Byrne 2026 UK Tour Dates;

March 2 – Cardiff Utilita Arena

March 3 – London Eventim Apollo

March 4 – London Eventim Apollo

March 6 – Glasgow Armadillo

March 7 – Glasgow Armadillo

March 9 – Manchester O2 Apollo

March 10 – Manchester O2 Apollo

March 11 – Manchester O2 Apollo

March 15 – London Eventim Apollo

March 16 – London Eventim Apollo

As UK raps biggest success story in the States, Central Cee made the cut with his Lil Baby collaboration, “BAND4BAND”. Irish singer-songwriter Hozier was featured with his soulful jam “Too Sweet”, and his fellow countrymen Fontaines D.C appeared on the list with their bouncy post-punk tune, “Favourite”.

The UK artists received a nod alongside some of the biggest international stars of the year, such as Kendrick Lamar with “Squabble Up”, Billie Eilish with “Lunch”, and Beyonce with “Texas Hold ‘Em”.

Here are my favorite songs from this year! Check them out if you’re looking to shake up your playlist – and let me know if there’s a song or artist I should make sure to listen to. pic.twitter.com/MK51Z77uEb

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 21, 2024

Belfast rapper Jordan Adetunji also grabbed a spot with drill-R&B tune “Kehlani”, as did Ezra Collective & Yazmin Lacey with “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing” and alt-pop star Artemas with “I Like The Way You Kiss Me”.

Last year, Obama promised that the playlists were genuinely curated by him, saying in an interview with comedian Hasan Minhaj that he’s “very scrupulous about making sure that this is stuff I actually like”, while confessing that there are times where he gets suggestions. Earlier this year, he featured recent releases from UK artists Charli XCX, Enny and Artemas on his summer playlist, as well as classic tracks from Nick Drake, Sting and The Rolling Stones.

With summer winding down, I wanted to share some songs that I’ve been listening to lately – and it wouldn’t be my playlist if it didn’t include an eclectic mix. I hope you find something new to listen to! pic.twitter.com/aL400Ctpde — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 12, 2024

He’s kept this annual tradition up since 2015 while he was still in office, sharing both a list of his favourite tunes of the year and an extensive selection of books he’d been reading.

Fontaines D.C have had a successful year, touring the UK and US, playing a packed-out Glastonbury set, releasing their fourth album Romance to critical acclaim, and picking up two grammy nominations – for Best Rock Album and Best Alternative Music Performance.

Hozier made a commercial comeback this year, with his single “Too Sweet” propelling him back into the spotlight, topping the Billboard Hot 100 a decade after his breakout hit “Take Me To Church”. He played a sold-out tour in the US, appeared at several festival slots and topped the charts in the US as well as several European countries.

Central Cee has remained UK raps biggest export in 2024. At home, he won multiple MOBO’s and gathered four Brit nominations, all before releasing his debut album, the fittingly named Can’t Rush Greatness, which is scheduled for January 2025. He put out several singles and collaborated with American artists such as J. Cole and Lil Baby.

Cench’s transatlantic success has seen him featured before on the 2023 XXL Freshman Class, the first UK rapper to claim a space on the magazines yearly list. He’s also collaborated with Drake for an “On The Radar Freestyle”, and received recognition from US stars such as Tyga, Travis Scott and Doja Cat. He recently performed alongside Lil Baby at Rolling Loud Miami – read here for our coverage on his appearance and this years festival.

Celebrate #Pride with your favorite George Michael songs reimagined by @palewaves, @yearsandyears, @MNEK, @theebillyporter, and more.

Listen now to all the covers in #SpatialAudio with @Dolby Atmos. https://t.co/15lheVMHIu pic.twitter.com/DnFoPe45Zp

— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) June 28, 2022

Opening the playlist is “Faith” covered by English indie outfit Pale Waves, the 1987 smash hit is widely regarded as the start of Michael’s long and storied solo career. Next up is “Outside” covered by Olly Alexander’s solo project Years & Years. Originally released in 2006 the track was accompanied by an infamous music video which cemented Michael as a cultural hero. Alexander has spoken on the importance of Michael and the power of his enduring legacy, “One of the things I love most about George Michael was his ability to own his narrative. He was a huge, huge star. I’m sure he struggled with some of the attention and issues that come with worldwide fame, and he still remained so iconic, so true to who he was.”

The singer continued to discuss the impact of the music video for “Outside”, “He still had fun with it. He was always trying new things and taking risks and unashamedly himself. And I take so much inspiration from that … He got arrested in 1998—I think the terminology is ‘soliciting a police officer in a public toilet’—then goes and writes a song about it. And it’s such a banger. Wow! I just think it’s so incredible for him to just own that narrative and really go, ‘Yeah, I like to have sex outside.’ And it’s such a bop.”

 

 

 

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The next hit to receive a makeover is the 1996 track “Fastlove”, included within the playlist is a cover by Grammy-nominated singer and producer MNEK. The fourth song within George Michael Covered is” Praying For Time” covered by English singer-songwriter Self Esteem, the track was originally released in 1990 and was taken from the seminal album Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1.  Apple Music’s playlist also features celebrated figure Billy Porter, the multi-talented American artist can be heard within his cover of “Monkey”. Originally released in 1988, the track was featured on the iconic album Faith and was the sixth single to be released from the album.

Faith was Michael’s debut solo album and is now a landmark release within popular music, Apple’s playlist also contains the album’s final single “Kissing A Fool”. Originally released in 1987, Apple’s curated collection features a cover by Brooklyn-based artist serpentwithfeet. Michael’s anthem and cherished love song “Careless Whisper” is also included within the playlist and has been covered by 26-year-old singer Tiana Major9. Britain’s Got Talent contender Calum Scott provides a cover of “One More Try”, the third track from Faith to be included within the playlist. The specially created compilation concludes with “Amazing” covered by Jake Shears, best known as the lead singer of pop-rock group Scissor Sisters.

For Pride, Apple Music are honouring an icon. Hear my cover of George Michael’s #Amazing now on their #GeorgeMichaelCovered playlist here: https://t.co/otq0XZHBiH pic.twitter.com/krRkFVk1z7

— Jake Shears (@Jakeshears) June 28, 2022

In celebration of the playlist’s release, Apple Music teamed up with Gay Times to host a special party. The event took place on Wednesday 29th June 2022 and was held on the rooftop of London’s The Standard hotel. Those in attendance included guests such as Ella Vaday and Kitty Scott-Claus, stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race and English electro pop artist Girli. The event also included DJ sets from ABSOLUTE and Nimmo and performances by LGBTQIA+ dance troupe Sue Veneers Club.

Along with the specially curated playlist, fans have also been treated to the inclusion of Michael’s back catalogue in Spatial Audio. This is the first time that the singer’s music has been made available in the cutting edge 3d audio technology and is accessible to stream now via Apple Music.

As well as clear influences on Keaton Henson’s songwriting style, the playlist also offers much insight into his guitar playing. Folk guitar legend Davey Graham’s ‘Angi,’ is infamous amongst guitar players as both fiendishly difficult and incredibly influential and makes an appearance in the playlist, as well as the tricky standard ‘Classical Gas,’ which is another tune often used to mark a person’s prowess on the instrument. Some more Rhythm and Blues based influences can also be found in Henson’s playlist in tunes such as Nina Simone’s ‘Baltimore,’ and Booker T. & The M.G.’s’ famous instrumental ‘Green Onions.’

Famously few of words when speaking outside of song, Keaton Henson recently conducted a Q&A session during his live streamed gig ‘Live From The Sanctuary where he answered queries from fans in his typically enigmatic style. When asked by a fan ‘do you ever wish you could write and release your music without actually having to be a known artist?‘ he simply replied ‘more than anything.’ Keaton Henson is also known to suffer from Anxiety which causes him to struggle with stage freight, when asked about this and how he overcame it to perform a live streamed event he replied ‘i didn’t, but it certainly helps when you’re all far away.’

Live From The Sanctuary was an intimate affair, with Henson making himself comfortable, surrounded by guitars and with other homely objects around the performance space. There was a definite vibe of an artists retreat about the location chosen to shoot the video which was suitable for the lonely and isolated style of his music. The concert was available to stream live last week and then for the following 24 hours at a discounted price.

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The performance featured classic song’s from Keaton Henson including ‘You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are,’ which was released on his 2010 album ‘Dear…’ 10 years later Keaton Henson has released his latest album called ‘Momentum,’ which features new hits such as the emotional ‘Ambulance,’ which is a definite throwback to his 2010 days. If today’s playlist, the Live From The Sanctuary Show and Q&A and ‘Momentum,’ were not enough, fans can also get to know the mind of Keaton Henson even more by purchasing a copy of his book of poetry ‘Accident Dancing.’

Michelle Obama announced the playlist in an Instagram post and said; “Excited to share with you a new @Spotify playlist inspired by the first season of my new podcast. It’s filled with incredible new artists and a whole lot of #BlackGirlMagic. I hope you’ll give it a listen and follow some of these terrific musicians. #MichelleObamaPodcast”

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Excited to share with you a new @Spotify playlist inspired by the first season of my new podcast. It’s filled with incredible new artists and a whole lot of #BlackGirlMagic. I hope you’ll give it a listen and follow some of these terrific musicians. #MichelleObamaPodcast

A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on Aug 7, 2020 at 2:08pm PDT

Other artists featured on the playlist include; Tayla Parx, Ivy Sol, Lady Bri and friend of the Obama family, Beyoncé. The playlist is a perfect mix of R&B, hip hop and neo-soul, which would appeal to all types of listeners. This is not the former first lady’s first playlist, in January, Michelle shared her workout playlist that included big artists like Lizzo, Ariana Grande and Childish Gambino.

The Michelle Obama Podcast is the first podcast to come out of the deal the Obama’s signed with Spotify last year that would ensure the family’s production company Higher Ground Productions would make podcasts exclusively on the streaming platform. Michelle has already had huge guests on her podcast including US journalist Michele Norris and former, and husband President Barack Obama. The aim of the podcast is to explore personal relationships and how they shape you as a person.

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So excited for you to hear the first episode of The #MichelleObamaPodcast with @BarackObama! I wanted to start this season off by discussing a relationship that a lot of us are spending a lot of time thinking about right now and that’s our relationship with our community and our country. Given everything that’s going on in the world, I think that these days, a lot of people are questioning just where and how they can fit into a community. And how you answer those questions is unique to you, your experiences, and your communities––but the important thing is that you do go through the process of reflecting and reaching out to loved ones to talk through what you’re feeling and what you’re hoping for. Because once you do those things, I think you’ll have a better sense of your community, your country, and yourselves. And if enough of us can do that—and if enough of us can empathize with one another—then over time––and it will take a long time, we can come up with some solutions and create the change we’re all hoping for. Click the link in my bio to hear my conversation with Barack!

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On a recent episode with Michele Norris, Michelle Obama revealed she is suffering from “low-grade depression” because of the pandemic, racial injustice and the “hypocrisy” of the Trump administration. She later took to Instagram to assure her audience that she is okay and they shouldn’t worry about her, saying; “I’m thinking about the folks out there risking themselves for the rest of us—the doctors and nurses and essential workers of all kinds. I’m thinking about the teachers and students and parents who are just trying to figure out school for the fall. I’m thinking about the people out there protesting and organizing for a little more justice in our country.”

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I just wanted to check in with you all because a lot of you have been checking in on me after hearing this week’s podcast. First things first—I’m doing just fine. There’s no reason to worry about me. Like I said in that conversation with @Michele__Norris, I’m thinking about the folks out there risking themselves for the rest of us—the doctors and nurses and essential workers of all kinds. I’m thinking about the teachers and students and parents who are just trying to figure out school for the fall. I’m thinking about the people out there protesting and organizing for a little more justice in our country. The idea that what this country is going through shouldn’t have any effect on us—that we all should just feel OK all the time—that just doesn’t feel real to me. So I hope you all are allowing yourselves to feel whatever it is you’re feeling. I hope you’re listening to yourselves and taking a moment to reflect on everything that’s coming at us, and what you might be able to do about it. And to all of you who’ve reached out—thank you. I hope you’re also reaching out to all those you’re closest with, not just with a text, but maybe with a call or a videochat. Don’t be afraid to offer them a shoulder to lean on, or to ask for one yourself. Love you all. : Adam Garber @garbr

A post shared by Michelle Obama (@michelleobama) on Aug 6, 2020 at 1:18pm PDT

Michelle Obama is the former First Lady of the United States, her husband Barack Obama was in office from 2008-2016 before current POTUS Donald Trump. You can listen to her podcast here and check out her playlist below.