Home Blog Page 111

Neo-Soul Icon Jill Scott Returns With First Album in a Decade and a World Tour to Match

0

Jill Scott is back, and she is doing it at full scale. The Philadelphia-born neo-soul icon has announced To Whom This May Concern, her first album in over a decade and the follow-up to 2015’s Woman. Alongside it comes a world tour of genuine ambition, running from early June through November and touching the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, and South Africa.

The domestic run is extensive and deliberately paced, with multiple nights booked in Nashville, Washington D.C., Atlanta, New York, Philadelphia, Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago, and more. Scott plays her hometown of Philadelphia across three nights at The Met in late July. These are not quick in-and-out market stops. This is an artist giving her audience real time and real access.

The international stretch carries the same weight. Scott hits Birmingham, Manchester, Brussels, Berlin, Paris, and Amsterdam before two nights at the Royal Albert Hall in London on October 13 and 14. The tour closes with dates in Pretoria and Cape Town in November, rounding out one of the most geographically complete tours any artist has announced this year.

To Whom This May Concern arrives after more than ten years of quiet, and the demand behind this tour reflects exactly how much that absence has meant to Scott’s audience. The venues are large, the nights are stacking up, and the appetite is real.

Jill Scott has always understood the relationship between a song and the person it reaches. This tour is that philosophy made physical, city by city, night by night.

To Whom This May Concern World Tour Dates:

June 4 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium

June 5 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium

June 11 – Washington, D.C. – The Theater at MGM National Harbor

June 13 – Washington, D.C. – The Theater at MGM National Harbor

June 14 – Washington, D.C. – The Theater at MGM National Harbor

June 16 – Charlotte, NC – Belk Theater at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center

June 18 – Raleigh, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center

July 10 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre

July 11 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre

July 16 – New York, NY – Kings Theatre

July 18 – New York, NY – Kings Theatre

July 19 – New York, NY – Kings Theatre

July 24 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met

July 25 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met

July 27 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met

August 6 – Oakland, CA – Paramount Theatre

August 7 – Oakland, CA – Paramount Theatre

August 11 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theatre

August 12 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theatre

August 15 – Las Vegas, NV – Pearl Theater

August 20 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre

August 22 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre

August 23 – Chicago, IL – The Chicago Theatre

August 26 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre

August 30 – Houston, TX – Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land

September 3 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory

September 29 – Birmingham, England – O2 Academy

October 1 – Manchester, England – O2 Apollo Manchester

October 5 – Brussels, Belgium – Bozar

October 6 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom

October 9 – Paris, France – Zenith

October 10 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – AFAS Live

October 13 – London, England – Royal Albert Hall

October 14 – London, England – Royal Albert Hall

November 7 – Pretoria, South Africa – SunBet Arena

November 11 – Cape Town, South Africa – GrandWest Arena

K-Pop Solo Star Yves Brings Her “Soft Era: X” North America Tour to U.S. Stages This Spring

0

Yves is bringing her 2026 North America Tour to major U.S. markets this May, one of her most expansive solo runs on American stages to date. The South Korean singer-songwriter, widely recognized as a former member of LOONA, has built a compelling solo catalog since striking out on her own, and this spring run gives North American fans the fullest picture yet of who she is as a standalone artist. Tickets are on sale now at shptickets.com.

The tour draws heavily from Soft Era: X, Yves’ acclaimed recent album, which includes collaborations with PinkPantheress among others. The set spans powerful pop anthems and introspective ballads, showcasing the kind of range that has driven her international profile steadily upward. This is a live show built around an artist in full creative command of her own story.

The U.S. leg opens May 8 in Los Angeles and hits seven major markets before wrapping May 23 in Chicago. Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas, Atlanta, and New York City all feature on the run. Additional dates spanning Canada, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia round out the full tour, underscoring just how far Yves’ reach has grown since going solo.

The tour is promoted by Sean Healy Presents, an independent national K-pop promoter operating since 1996 with a track record that includes Taemin, ONEW, ARTMS, and P1Harmony. That is a serious pedigree behind a serious touring artist.

Yves has earned every stage she is stepping onto this spring. The solo era is fully underway, and this tour makes that unmistakably clear.

2026 North America Tour Dates:

May 8 – Los Angeles, CA – Alex Theater

May 11 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SODO

May 13 – San Francisco, CA – Palace of Fine Arts

May 15 – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory

May 17 – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage

May 20 – New York, NY – Palladium Times Square

May 23 – Chicago, IL – Copernicus Center

EMF Are Back in North America and “Unbelievable” Is on the Setlist

0

EMF are returning to North America for a ten-date East Coast run this May, their fourth visit in two years. The British dance-rock quintet kick off May 7 in Philadelphia and work their way through Buffalo, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, New York City, and more before closing out May 16 in Hamden, CT. NYC art-rock outfit Ecce Shnak supports throughout. Tickets are on sale now at most dates.

The tour carries real weight. This year marks 25 years since Schubert Dip, the debut album that launched “Unbelievable” to Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and made EMF a global household name. Guitarist Ian Dench puts it plainly: “You all in the U.S. will always hold a special place in our hearts because you took us into yours.” Expect “Unbelievable,” “Lies,” “I Believe,” and “Children” all in the set.

The classics share the stage with newer material. The Beauty and the Chaos (2024) and EP Reach for Something Higher (2025) both factor into the setlists, including “Hands in the Air” and “LGBTQ+ Lover,” two tracks inspired by the band’s last U.S. run. EMF have been building momentum steadily since their return with Go Go Sapiens in 2022, and a new album is already on the way.

Formed in 1989 in Cinderford in England’s Forest of Dean, EMF built their sound from a combustible mix of dance, rock, and pop energy. James Atkin, Ian Dench, Derry Brownson, Stevey Marsh, and Aid Todd have been at it for over three decades now, and their live show has lost none of its voltage.

This is a band that earned their place in the ’90s canon and has spent the last few years reminding everyone exactly why. May is going to be loud.

East Coast Tour Dates:

May 7 – Philadelphia, PA – Nikki Lopez

May 8 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom

May 9 – Toronto, ON – Dance Cave

May 10 – Montreal, QC – Le Ritz Montreal

May 11 – Boston, MA – City Winery

May 13 – New York, NY – Sony Hall

May 14 – Millersville, PA – Phantom Power

May 15 – Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery

May 16 – Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom

My SiriusXM Show This Week: Ani DiFranco, Dr. Margena A. Christian, Peter Ormerod, and The Space Between

0

My SiriusXM show: Interviews with musician/author Ani DiFranco; Dr. Margena A. Christian, author, It’s No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown’s Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy; Peter Ormerod, author, David Bowie and the Search for Life, Death and God; Rising rockers The Space Between!
Sat 8am + 2pm, Sun 12pm, Wed 2pm + 7pmET, Channel 167, and anytime on the SiriusXM app.

Rising Rocker Cody Jasper Gets Loud and Personal on Scorched-Earth New Single “Dirty”

0

Cody Jasper releases “Dirty” today via Megaforce Records, the latest single from his forthcoming third album ‘Rock Is Dead,’ arriving April 10. The track is exactly what the title promises: huge distorted synth bass, fuzzed-out guitars, and amps pushed to the edge of collapse. Jasper wrote it about a toxic relationship with a narcissist, and the production channels that experience into something that sounds, as he puts it, like revenge.

“‘Dirty’ is a personal song about a very toxic relationship I was in,” Jasper shares. “It ruined me but also forced me to look inward and figure out who I really was. In the end, it brought me out on top.” The song features one of the most ferocious guitar solos of his career, and the sonic architecture around it holds nothing back. This is rock music with genuine grievance behind it, and that distinction matters.

‘Rock Is Dead’ was produced and engineered by Aleks von Korff, whose credits include Muse, Coldplay, and U2, and recorded at Red Room Studio, the home studio of Muse’s Matt Bellamy. The 10-track album moves through alternative, hard rock, punk, classic rock, and blues without breaking stride. Warren Haynes appears on “American Dream,” and the title track earned a notable endorsement from Billy Corgan, who called it “a banger.” RIFF Magazine described that song as “a swaggering middle finger” that “sounds like it was captured in one blistering take.”

The album is a deliberate argument. Rock is not dead. Jasper makes that case with guitar tone, songwriting muscle, and the kind of full-commitment performance that the genre was built on.

Blues Rock Powerhouse Joanne Shaw Taylor and Orianthi Deliver a Searing, Soulful Gut-Punch With “What Good Is My Love?”

0

Joanne Shaw Taylor releases “What Good Is My Love?” today via Journeyman Records, a slow-burning blues rock collaboration featuring Australian guitarist and singer-songwriter Orianthi. Two of the most formidable guitarists in modern blues rock on the same track, trading solos over a groove built around heartbreak and hard-won emotional honesty. The result is exactly as powerful as that pairing deserves.

The song sits with a specific kind of pain. “We’ve probably all been in the position at some point in life when the love we had and give isn’t returned,” Joanne says. “I wanted to write a song for those of us who have had to question, ‘What good is my love if it’s not enough?'” That question drives every bar of the track, from its simmering opening to the electrifying guitar exchanges that erupt as the song builds toward its emotional peak.

Orianthi’s solo carries the full weight of the song’s central wound. Her playing adds dimension and fire to an already charged performance, her melodic leads cutting through the blues grit with precision and feeling. The chemistry between the two guitarists is immediate and genuine, two distinct styles finding common ground in the emotional truth of the lyric.

“What Good Is My Love?” follows “Hell Or High Water,” a blues gospel anthem about perseverance that has been gaining traction across streaming platforms and radio. Both tracks preview Joanne’s forthcoming studio album, due later this year, and together they signal a record with serious range and real emotional depth.

Joanne Shaw Taylor has been one of blues rock’s most consistent and commanding voices for years. This single, and this collaboration, confirms she is operating at a career-best level.

Eve and Gwen Stefani Break Down the Making of Grammy-Winning Classic “Let Me Blow Your Mind” for Vevo Footnotes

0

Eve and Vevo have released a new Footnotes episode dedicated to “Let Me Blow Ya Mind,” the Grammy-winning 2001 collaboration with Gwen Stefani that remains one of the most iconic records either artist has ever made. The episode features exclusive commentary from both women on the recording process, the collaboration, the music video, and the song’s lasting place in hip-hop and pop history.

Eve is candid about what the record meant to her at the time. “The record is meant to be fun and cocky and celebratory,” she says. “I was in the music business and here to stay.” The session came together at Interscope through Dr. Dre, with Scott Storch adding keys that locked the track into place. Dre’s insistence shaped the final result directly. “You’re not leaving the studio until this song is done,” he told her. “I hated him that day, but I’m so happy he made me stay.”

The Gwen Stefani collaboration was not a given. Eve was actively advised against it. “I got told that that was never going to work, that people would be like, ‘Why are these two chicks together?'” She pushed back on instinct, trusting that the chemistry would translate. It did. Stefani echoes the feeling: “We appreciated each other’s worlds and coming together, we knew we were going to create something new and have this fresh energy.”

The music video brought its own mythology. Jadakiss and Styles P, fellow Ruff Ryders, make cameos at the bar. Dr. Dre appears at the end bailing both women out of jail. The video won the 2001 MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video. The following year, the song won the Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, the first time that category had ever been awarded.

Eve’s instincts were right on every count. The Footnotes episode is a sharp, generous look back at a record that still sounds as confident and alive as the day it was made.

Mike Posner Returns to Ibiza 12 Years Later, and This Time Everything Has Changed

0

Mike Posner releases “I Went Back To Ibiza” today via Warner Records, a direct and deliberate reinterpretation of his billion-streaming global hit “I Took A Pill In Ibiza,” written exactly twelve years after the original. Where that song documented a man unraveling under the weight of fame and emptiness, this one documents what came after. The growth, the sobriety, the hard rebuild. It is a sequel in the truest sense, and it earns every note of its optimism.

Posner is candid about what the original meant and what this one represents. “On my 26th birthday, I wrote ‘I Took A Pill In Ibiza.’ It was a sad but honest song about the state of my life,” he says. “Twelve years later, I feel proud to look at the song lyrics and know that none of them are true anymore. I’ve grown into a completely new man, one that I’m proud of.” That kind of transparency is not easy to pull off. Posner does it without flinching.

The appetite for this track was already evident well before its release. Since Posner began teasing “I Went Back To Ibiza” in January, combined preview views across platforms crossed 30 million, with a single Instagram reel hitting 7.8 million and a TikTok clip reaching 15.1 million. Fan response leaned heavily into the emotional and nostalgic weight of the lyrics, and the push for an official release was loud and consistent.

The original “I Took A Pill In Ibiza” reached Number 1 in five countries, charted top 10 in over 27, peaked at Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, spent 37 weeks on the chart, and topped both the Billboard Pop Airplay and Dance/Mix Show Airplay charts. It also hit Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart, earned 6x Platinum RIAA certification, and received a GRAMMY nomination for Song of the Year in 2017.

“I hope this song is a vehicle for transformation for other people,” Posner says. “If you’re reading this and you’re going through some version of suffering, keep going. You might just be amazed at who you become.” Twelve years of living that out loud gives those words real weight.

Emerging Singer-Songwriter Lola Bates Commands Attention With Dark, Sultry Debut Single “Girl’s Girl”

0

Lola Bates launches her recording career with “Girl’s Girl,” the first single from her forthcoming debut album ‘Love and Power,’ due spring 2026 on Gravel and Echo Recordings, distributed by Virgin Music Group. Built on a hypnotic groove anchored by electric bass and drums, the track is dark, sultry, and emotionally layered, exploring loyalty, desire, and moral complexity through the lens of a three-person romantic entanglement. It is a bold opening statement from an artist who clearly knows exactly what she is doing.

Bates wrote the song as a direct creative challenge. “When my producing partner was keen on hearing a steady groove track on my debut album, I accepted and wrote ‘Girl’s Girl,'” she explains. “The groove leaves space for the vocal melody and harmonies to weave like a serpent through the song. It’s dark and sexy.” The result is a track that feels both carefully constructed and completely alive, the kind of debut single that reframes every expectation.

The single arrives with an art-forward music video co-produced by Bates alongside director Chandler Clamp and producer Isabel Mesko. Her involvement at every creative level, performance, songwriting, visual direction, signals an artist with full command of her own world. This is not an introduction managed by committee.

‘Love and Power’ was recorded between Bates’ Laurel Canyon studio and the legendary EastWest Studios in Los Angeles. Co-produced by Maxwell Joseph and engineered by Robert Carranza (Jack Johnson, Ozomatli), the album carries genuine pedigree. Executive producer Tyler Bates, whose credits include Jerry Cantrell and the John Wick franchise, co-founded Gravel and Echo Recordings alongside Carranza specifically to bring this project to life.

“A musician, writer, composer, and vocalist,” Tyler Bates says of Lola, “her journey in becoming a unique and authentic artist with the capability to perform at the top of her game, under extreme pressure, is absolutely inspiring.” On the strength of “Girl’s Girl” alone, that assessment holds up completely.

Singer-Songwriter David Nail Bares His Soul on Small-Town Heartbreaker “The Crown”

0

David Nail is back with “The Crown,” a new single that ranks among the most emotionally direct work of his career. Written with Anderson East, the song grew out of a real conversation Nail had about a former classmate from his hometown of Kennett, Missouri, and the weight of that truth is present in every line. It was the first song the two artists wrote together, and it launched a creative partnership that stretched across two-plus years and an entire project.

The lyric cuts straight to the bone. A woman who once wore a homecoming crown, a life that went sideways, and a hometown that still sees her clearly. “Sad and true stories are never fun to write,” Nail says, “so I really wanted this to have an endearing and hopeful aspect to it. I think we achieved that as honestly as possible.” He’s right. The song earns its tenderness without a single false note.

Nail is currently on the road with his “Down To The Studs Tour,” a solo acoustic run through small-capacity venues across the country. No band, no production buffer. Just a guitar, his voice, and the stories behind the songs. For an artist whose catalog is built on emotional weight and plainspoken delivery, this format suits him completely.

The tour runs through late spring with full-band festival appearances in June and July. Dates span from New England through Texas, the South, and up into the Midwest, hitting intimate rooms that put the audience close enough to feel every breath of the performance.

“The Crown” is the kind of song that reminds you why country music, at its core, is built on storytelling that refuses to look away. Nail has never shied from the difficult or the personal, and this one is among his finest.

“Down To The Studs” Tour Dates:

April 8 – Dosey Doe – The Woodlands, TX

April 9 – Tulips – Fort Worth, TX

April 10 – The 04 Center – Austin, TX

April 11 – Sam’s Burger Joint and Music Hall – San Antonio, TX

May 13 – Open Chord – Knoxville, TN

May 14 – The Harvester Performance Center – Rocky Mount, VA

May 15 – The Rex Theater – Galax, VA

May 16 – The Evening Muse – Charlotte, NC

May 20 – Elevation 27 – Virginia Beach, VA

May 21 – Bird’s Nest Listening Room – Dunn, NC

May 22 – Victory North – Savannah, GA

May 23 – Peace Center, The Mockingbird – Greenville, SC

May 24 – Eddie’s Attic – Decatur, GA

June 13 – Goodhue Volksfest – Goodhue, MN (full band)

July 11 – ND Country Fest – New Salem, ND (full band)