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

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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

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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

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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”

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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?”

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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

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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

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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”

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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”

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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)

Charlie Puth and Hikaru Utada Deliver Bilingual Gem “Home” Ahead of World Tour

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Charlie Puth releases “Home” featuring Hikaru Utada today via Atlantic Records, accompanied by an official music video directed by Hunter Moreno. The song arrives weeks ahead of his fourth studio album ‘Whatever’s Clever!’, due March 27. Written for his wife Brooke, who is expecting their first child, “Home” is among the most personal music Puth has released, and it lands with the kind of warmth and melodic precision that has made him one of the most consistent hitmakers in the game. Listen here.

The collaboration is genuinely special. Utada, one of Japan’s most celebrated artists and a figure with serious international credibility, contributed original Japanese lyrics to an English song, a challenge she describes as both surprising and joyful. “It was obvious to me when I first heard the demo that this is a deeply personal song for Charlie that comes straight from his heart,” Utada shares. The bilingual result is one of the most inventive vocal pairings Puth has brought to record.

‘Whatever’s Clever!’ features a remarkable guest list: Coco Jones, Kenny G, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Ravyn Lenae, and Jeff Goldblum all appear across the album’s twelve tracks. The project follows Puth’s Super Bowl LX performance last month at Levi’s Stadium, where he opened the game with a nationally praised rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” backed by a full orchestra and Kenny G.

The Whatever’s Clever! World Tour launches April 22 at Viejas Arena in San Diego, running through a full North American leg before a European and U.K. run in June and July. The tour hits Madison Square Garden on May 29, the Eventim Apollo in London on July 15, and the Anfiteatro di Pompei on July 24, among dozens of stops across both continents.

With 35 billion career streams, four GRAMMY nominations, and nine multi-platinum singles behind him, Puth is arriving at this album cycle with real momentum and something worth saying.


2026 North American Tour Dates:

April 22 – Viejas Arena – San Diego, CA

April 24 – Arizona Financial Theatre – Phoenix, AZ

April 25 – Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA

April 28 – Honda Center – Anaheim, CA

April 29 – Kia Forum – Los Angeles, CA

May 1 – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA

May 3 – WAMU Theater @ Lumen Field – Seattle, WA

May 5 – Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre – Vancouver, BC

May 7 – Veterans Memorial Coliseum – Portland, OR

May 9 – Maverik Center – Salt Lake City, UT

May 10 – Bellco Theatre – Denver, CO

May 13 – Starlight Theatre – Kansas City, MO

May 15 – Rosemont Theatre – Rosemont, IL

May 16 – The Armory – Minneapolis, MN

May 19 – Fox Theatre – Detroit, MI

May 20 – TD Coliseum – Hamilton, ON

May 22 – MGM Music Hall at Fenway – Boston, MA

May 23 – Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT

May 26 – EagleBank Arena – Fairfax, VA

May 29 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY

May 30 – Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena – Atlantic City, NJ

June 1 – Spectrum Center – Charlotte, NC

June 3 – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park – Atlanta, GA

June 5 – Hard Rock Live – Hollywood, FL

June 6 – Addition Financial Arena – Orlando, FL

June 9 – Ascend Amphitheater – Nashville, TN

June 11 – Moody Center – Austin, TX

June 12 – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory – Irving, TX

June 13 – 713 Music Hall – Houston, TX


2026 European & U.K. Tour Dates:

June 27 – Tinderbox – Odense, Denmark

June 30 – Gröna Lund – Stockholm, Sweden

July 1 – Allas Live – Helsinki, Finland

July 3 – Stavern Festival – Larvik, Norway

July 5 – Stadtpark Open Air – Hamburg, Germany

July 6 – myticket Jahrhunderthalle – Frankfurt, Germany

July 8 – Barts Festival – Barcelona, Spain

July 9 – Mad Cool Festival – Madrid, Spain

July 13 – Olympia – Paris, France

July 15 – Eventim Apollo – London, UK

July 18 – O2 Academy – Birmingham, UK

July 19 – Iveagh Gardens – Dublin, Ireland

July 21 – Usher Hall – Edinburgh, UK

July 22 – Manchester Academy – Manchester, UK

July 24 – Anfiteatro di Pompei – Pompei, Italy

July 25 – Villa Erba – Cernobbio, Italy

July 27 – Budapest Park – Budapest, Hungary

July 28 – Forum Karlín – Prague, Czechia

July 30 – Progresja Summer Stage – Warsaw, Poland


Whatever’s Clever! Tracklist:

Changes

Beat Yourself Up

Cry (featuring Kenny G)

Washed Up

New Jersey (featuring Ravyn Lenae)

“Don’t Meet Your Heroes”

“Home” (featuring Hikaru Utada)

“Hey Brother”

“Sideways” (featuring Coco Jones)

“Love in Exile” (featuring Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins)

“Until It Happens to You” (featuring Jeff Goldblum)

“I Used to Be Cringe”