Apple today unveiled Time to Walk, an inspiring new audio walking experience on Apple Watch for Fitness+ subscribers, created to encourage users to walk more often and reap the benefits from one of the healthiest activities. Each original Time to Walk episode invites users to immerse themselves in a walk alongside influential and interesting people as they share thoughtful and meaningful stories, photos, and music. Time to Walk can be enjoyed anytime and anywhere with Apple Watch and AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones.
Each Time to Walk episode is shaped by the guest’s personal, life-shaping moments and includes lessons learned, meaningful memories, thoughts on purpose and gratitude, moments of levity, and other thought-provoking topics, recorded while walking outside or in locations that are meaningful to them. The narrative comes to life through photos that appear on Apple Watch, perfectly timed to amplify a corresponding moment the guest shares. Following the guest’s stories, the experience extends with the guest introducing a short playlist of songs that has given them motivation and inspiration, so the listener can continue their walk to a soundtrack intimately connected to each guest.
Time to Walk launches today with four episodes from the following guests:
Country music star Dolly Parton has won nine GRAMMYs and is also a celebrated actor, businessperson, and humanitarian. Dolly reflects on her career, family, and growing up in rural Tennessee. “I’ve loved walking ever since I was a little girl in the Smoky Mountains,” Parton says. “I think it’s so important to be able to get out and walk if we can during this time. I do my best thinking when I walk. And while many of us feel confined during this time, I’m hopeful that people will take a walk down memory lane with me and we can all feel a little more freedom taking the time to walk together.”
NBA player Draymond Green won three basketball championships with the Golden State Warriors, helping to change how the game is played. He reflects on the virtues of failure and tuning out criticism. “There’s nothing better than a walk in nature, getting lost in my thoughts, and taking a deep breath of fresh air,” Green says. “Take all the stresses of your day and let them blow away with the wind. I hope sharing my stories with those who go on a walk with me will give them the same drive to chase their dreams that I had in chasing mine.”
Musician Shawn Mendes went viral on social media at 15, had his first platinum album by 19, and has toured the world. He shares how a slower pace has helped him personally and creatively. “Taking a walk is a great way to clear your mind,” Mendes says. “It’s the most simple thing you can do to calm the body and soul, reflect, and slow down. I hope people get to feel the same sense of calm I do while walking and can bring that to their own experiences.”
Emmy Award winner Uzo Aduba found stardom on the series, “Orange Is the New Black,” but only after many rejections. She talks about lifelong relationships and keeping the faith. “I love walking either by myself or with my dog,” Aduba says. “It’s a time to connect and have the conversations with myself that can often get overlooked throughout the day, and bring peace of mind. The experience of walking and telling my stories gave me that familiar feeling that walking brings, answering questions that need to be answered, and addressing topics that need to be addressed. I’m so excited to share that with those who take the time to walk with me.”
New episodes will appear in the Workout app on Apple Watch from a different guest each Monday through the end of April. Users can browse and enjoy previous Time to Walk episodes when it is most convenient for them.
Time to Walk episodes are automatically downloaded to Apple Watch with a Fitness+ subscription, and users can start an episode directly from the Workout app. Once a Time to Walk episode is selected on Apple Watch, a Walk workout automatically begins and users can go at any pace that suits them while listening with AirPods or paired Bluetooth headphones. New episodes ranging from 25 to 40 minutes will appear automatically in the Workout app on Apple Watch, and users can also browse episodes in the Fitness+ tab in the Fitness app on iPhone. For Apple Watch customers who use a wheelchair, Time to Walk becomes Time to Push, and automatically starts an Outdoor Wheelchair Walk Pace workout.
One of music’s most historic record labels, Philadelphia International Records will be having a year-long celebration for their 50th anniversary. The campaign will highlight the extraordinary musical output of this storied label and spotlight milestone musical moments, artists and songs from the remarkable Philadelphia International Records family that have defined the landmark label and its incredible impact over the past 50 years. Throughout the year, Legacy Recordings, Warner Chappell Music and Philadelphia International Records will collaborate on an exciting series of exclusive partnerships, product and content releases, artist initiatives and much more.
The groundbreaking label, founded in 1971 by innovative and prolific songwriters/producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, became the birthplace, incubator and launching pad for the sophisticated Philly Soul sound also known as “The Sound of Philadelphia.” The duo amassed an extraordinary array of producers, songwriters, musicians and engineers including Thom Bell, Dexter Wansel, Bobby Martin, MFSB, Joe Tarsia and more to help craft some of the most memorable lyrics and melodies of the past five decades. The legendary roster of music stars who helped bring these chart-topping disco, R&B, soul and funk sounds to life included The O’Jays, Patti LaBelle, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Billy Paul, Teddy Pendergrass, Lou Rawls, McFadden & Whitehead, The Three Degrees, Phyllis Hyman, The Intruders, the ultimate “house band” MFSB, and many others.
“It’s a blessing to celebrate all of the writers, musicians, engineers, disc jockeys, and all the people that were on our team,” said Philadelphia International Records co-founder Kenny Gamble. “When I listen to this music now, I can close my eyes and the music brings us all back together again. Hearing this music reminds me of all the hard work and dedication our team went through to make such a long lasting catalog, that has been embraced by the world and I’m thankful.” Philadelphia International Records co-founder Leon Huff shares the sentiment saying, “Long live the music of Gamble and Huff!”
To get the anniversary party started, Legacy Recordings teamed up with renowned producer/DJ/musician Eric Kupper and executive producer Brad LeBeau to release inspiring new remixes of one of the label’s most iconic hits which has been adopted as an anthem for a new generation, the McFadden & Whitehead staple “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.”
Additional partners who are coming on board the Philadelphia International Records “Love Train” in 2021 to help celebrate the label’s rich musical history include:
In celebration of the 50th anniversary, leading sound experience company Sonos will premiere a new station on Sonos Radio HD, the ad-free, CD-quality audio tier of Sonos Radio, the popular streaming service available to all Sonos customers globally. The new station, titled the Sound of Philadelphia, will be hosted and hand-curated by Kenny Gamble himself. In partnership with Warner Chappell Music, The Sound of Philadelphia will explore the label’s greatest hits from artists including The Jacksons, Patti LaBelle, the O’Jays, and more. The Sound of Philadelphia will take listeners behind-the-scenes with Gamble, who will share stories from his time writing, producing and working on 120 internationally-beloved albums and over 40 gold and platinum records. The station will feature special guests, as well unique programming for Black History Month, Women’s History Month and more. The Sound of Philadelphia will be available February 24 on Sonos Radio HD.
VMP (Vinyl Me, Please) in conjunction with Legacy Recordings will partner on VMP Anthology: The Story of Philadelphia International, an exclusive vinyl box set celebrating the renowned Philly Soul label coming in 2021. The Story of Philadelphia International reinvents the box set experience to take listeners on a sequential journey told across eight albums remastered from their original tapes and paired with liner notes and an exclusive podcast interview series in celebration of the label’s 50th anniversary.
Snapper Music-United Souls in conjunction with Legacy Recordings will release a volume series of limited edition 8-CD sets throughout the year celebrating the 50th Anniversary of PIR. Each set will contain a unique giant poster, exclusive 12” single, endorsed numbered certificate, a lavish 48-page hardcover book with a comprehensive archive of rare photographs compiled and curated in association with artists, engineers, and producers relevant to the label’s story. All discs will be mastered from original tapes bringing together the entire PIR studio album collection for the very first time.
In 2014, Sony Music Entertainment announced their historic deal with Philadelphia International Records, securing global ownership of all recordings made for PIR. The landmark deal added all post-1975 PIR recordings to the PIR titles already owned by Sony Music Entertainment, reuniting the entirety of the Philadelphia International Recordings catalog under a single global licensing and reissue entity.
For nearly 30 years, Warner Chappell Music has had the privilege of representing Gamble and Huff and their legendary music catalog, spanning approximately 3,000 songs.
For updates on more anniversary news and releases throughout the year, fans can visit www.SoundOfPhiladelphia.com and on Facebook or Instagram @soundofphiladelphia
Multifaceted producer, singer/ songwriter and DJ, Idris Elba has collaborated with some of the world’s biggest musical talent via his London imprint 7Wallace – Skepta, Little Simz, Damon Albarn’s Africa Express, Che Lingo, Q-tip, Sean-Paul, Stefflon Don – the list is extensive and impressive.
Elba’s first release of 2021 champions new and up and coming Canadian talent and hip-hop enthusiast Connor Price on their collaborative record ‘Courteney Cox’. Released by 7Wallace, Price’s Toronto based imprint, 4 of clubs, and baselineMUSIC, ‘Courteney Cox’ is high-octane and an infectiously hooky slice of synth-soaked trap – a playful and tongue-in-cheek homage to Connor’s favourite actress and childhood crush.
The collaboration came from an Instagram challenge Idris created after being diagnosed with Covid-19, where he posted a rap and left the third verse open. Connor responded with a freestyle of his own and woke up to a DM from Idris the next morning. From there Idris sent the track to Courteney Cox who wrote and recorded her own lyrics to Idris and Connor’s skit and performed it in the video – what results is a huge serving of fun, wit and humour which doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Hailing via Toronto, Connor Price started releasing music independently under his self-owned ‘4 of clubs’ brand. He began to further develop his sound and fanbase by putting out a brand-new song every two weeks. His self-directed/edited video ‘Typical Rapper’ accumulated over 1 million Facebook views in the first month.
7Wallace is the record label founded by Idris Elba in 2015, with the aim of breaking boundaries in dance and hip-hop. Since then, the company has expanded to include music publishing, in a joint venture with Universal Music Publishing, and has also set up studios in Central London and Oxford.
Here’s a wonderful outtake from DA Pennebaker’s documentary “Don’t Look Back”. Joan Baez and Marianne Faithfull create brief but spellbinding harmonies while Bob Dylan taps away on a draft of his first book, “Tarantula”.
Pack it up, pack it in, let me begin by telling you House Of Pain’s Jump Around will forever be popular among dancehall DJs and widely regarded in the United Kingdom and North America as a club classic.
“This is a love song, even though it makes reference to a felony or mischief,” multi-Gold and Platinum-selling Canadian rock star, author, songwriter, manager, producer, human and animal rights activist Bif Naked says of her new single, “Broke into Your Car.”
“Whoopsie!” she continues. “But yes, it really is a nod to the lengths a smitten person — in this case, moi — would go to to gain the attention and affection of their crush.
“I love the imagery of sitting in the back of one’s love interest’s car, perhaps leaving Polaroid pictures (among other things) behind…
“The height of romance!”
The song follows 2020’s release of “JIM,” and a year of continued immersion in the community as a prominent activist. “Originally I considered releasing this track last Spring,” Bif recalls, “but with the ongoing pandemic, it seemed unimportant to me.
“As the summer went along and all of the social unrest and racial awakening that was beginning to really make change, my focus became less about my new album and more about being in the community.
“That has not changed.
“Eventually, we had scheduled a live performance December 30th that was postponed due to a new lockdown to try and curb rising COVID-19 numbers. This song was set to be a surprise during that performance, but I decided to release it now anyway and share some joy.”
Both “Broke into Your Car” and “JIM” serve as prime preview into Bif’s forthcoming full-length offering, CHAMPION.
Her eleventh studio release, the album wastes no time revealing Canada’s ‘Princess of Everything’ remains in her rightful throne, reigning rock supreme and as strong as ever.
“When writing new songs for CHAMPION, I always try to meet every song where it is, both in style and vibe,” she shares. “‘I Broke Into Your Car Last Night’ is definitely a departure from the rock songs on the rest of the record, but love the chance to do lots of different things on each release, and CHAMPION is no different.”
As a title for Bif, CHAMPION couldn’t be more fitting for arguably one of the nation’s most recognized and beloved entertainment industry icons whose personal story provides endless inspiration.
As detailed in her highly intimate, Internationally best-selling memoir, I Bificus (Harper Collins International), the multi-disciplinary artist and businesswoman — and notably, a vegan who lives a straight-edge lifestyle — has arm-wrestled breast cancer, heart surgery, and kidney failure. Inspired by her myriad of life experiences and ardent interest in wellness, she has recently launched MonaLisa Healing, a premium, organic all-hemp CBD online boutique available in Canada, the United States, and soon to the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
And it’s not as if she’s not busy elsewhere; a contributor to such national publications as the Globe and Mail and Huffington Post — and as seen on shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno — Bif is fresh off a series of talks at Vancouver’s The Wellness Show.
A podcast series, New Riot Girls, a book of poetry and illustrations, and a book designed to help empower patients and their families while navigating cancer treatments and the Canadian healthcare system are also in the works.
For the entirety of her prolific career — and interconnected in such a woven way only one of the country’s most unforgettable and inspiring women can accomplish — Bif has documented her journey in a deeply personal, highly relatable and inclusive way, covering topics that allow her truths to be a source of empowerment for fans.
“Broke into Your Car” and CHAMPION are no different.
“I’m still fighting,” she says of the album, and career at large. “I’m still swinging as a legacy artist… An O.G.
“At this stage of the game, I am a CHAMPION.
“I’ve never allowed myself to be limited, and the direction of this new album was from experimenting and being fearless. I’m excited by it, and fiercely proud of these tracks.”
Singer, songwriter, actress, and designer, Sabrina Carpenter, signs with Island Records and makes waves with stunning new single “Skin” – out now.
“Sabrina Carpenter is a star,” Island Records President / CEO Darcus Beese states on the signing of the artist. He continues, “Her powerful vocals, infectious personality, and successful career as a singer, songwriter and actress attest to that. We are thrilled to welcome such a talented young woman to the Island Records family.”
On joining the Island Records roster, Sabrina explains, “I’m so excited to join the Island Records family, Darcus and the team really understood my vision from the moment we first met. They just got me and have been super supportive. It’s the perfect place for me to start the next chapter of my music career and evolution as an artist. I can’t wait for everyone to hear what we’re working on for this year!”
With a new label and a new felt freedom to express her growth as an artist, Sabrina has found a confidence in her writing that clearly shows in her new hit single. “Skin” quickly went viral, garnering over 17 Million Streams, 10 million in the first 48 hours, hitting Top 5 USA Debut on Spotify at #4, Top 5 iTunes Pop Genre, Top 10 iTunes Overall, Top 3 Apple Music Pop, Top 15 Apple Music Overall, and Top 35 on the Spotify Global Chart. The track also received immediate support on radio spinning at Z100, Sirius Hits, and made its debut on the The Vibe iHeart syndicated show.
“Skin” instantly took the internet by storm, trending #1 on Twitter worldwide and hit #1 on both the Genius Artist Chart and Song Chart and as well as trending at #7 on YouTube. The track was also met by high praise from the likes of Billboard, Variety, People, USA Today, E!, Cosmo, Bustle, and many more.
Produced alongside Aaron Dessner (The National, Sharon Van Etten, Taylor Swift), Collections From The Whiteout heralds the first time Ben Howard has opened the door to production outside of he and his bands closer confines. To coincide with its announcement, the first single “What A Day” is now available.
The foreboding darkness that coated Ben’s second record I Forget Where We Were and thinly veiled its follow up NoondayDream, isn’t so evident on Collections. These are songs written from headlines scanned, or news stories scrolled past. Ben has taken those snippets and let his curiosity take control, creating an aural scrapbook that reverberates with tape loops and guitar FXs. Those stories sifted from the news provided inspiration for a selection of vivid narrative snapshots – the death of amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst (Crowhurst’s Meme); Russian fraudster Anna Sorokin (Sorry Kid); Richard Russell, the man who stole and crashed a plane in Seattle (The Strange Last Flight Of Richard Russell); and the dismembered body a friend of his father found in a suitcase floating along the Thames (Finders Keepers). An England puffed up into absurdity by political outrage and infighting all fed these songs. Alongside them, the personal anecdotes from the same scattered period living between Paris, Devon and finally Spain. There are sounds akin to Brian Eno, Durutti Column and Steve Reich in there, but also Neil Young and Townes Van Zandt. It’s a million miles away from Ben’s multi-platinum selling debut, but a path plotted from Ben’s then to his now isn’t so far removed.
The door was also left open to some new players too. Yussef Dayes, one of the UK’s most innovative young drummer/producer’ especially in the field of jazz features, as does Kate Stables from This Is The Kit, James Krivchenia from Big Thief, Kyle Keegan from Hiss Golden Messenger, and the aforementioned Aaron Dessner lent his hand too where needed. Long-term guitarist to Ben’s band, Mickey Smith, remains a reassuring presence. Rob Moose, a long-standing arranger of strings for Bon Iver and a collaborator to Laura Marling, Blake Mills, and Phoebe Bridgers is also present, peppering the mix.
It’s a substantial record. A sonic adventure that continues this nagging suggestion that Ben Howard is one of the UK’s most inventive and naturally talented of songwriters. Collections From The Whiteout is his latest opus, and arguably his most fully realised to date.
SoundON is a province-wide campaign and funding mechanism to help British Columbia’s music community by providing desperately needed support to those deeply connected to the sector – artists, presenters, production staff and venues.
The highly successful project was initially launched by Music BC during the summer of 2020 in response to the financial devastation COVID-19 invoked on the sector and received an incredibly positive response from the creative community.
To date, more than $186,000 of funding has been awarded to 44 recipients. This equates to 579 industry jobs being funded and 266 artists being supported through the grants across British Columbia. Of those recipients 154 were female, 165 were Black, Indigenous or Persons of Colour, and 58 were from the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
“Over the past ten months we have seen the devastating impact that the pandemic has had on British Columbia’s vibrant music scene,” explains Lindsay MacPherson, Executive Director of Music BC. “Through SoundON funding, we were able to put money directly into artists pockets and help them get back to performing. We saw firsthand the effect COVID had on our industry and how instrumental the SoundON funding was in supporting the creative sector in our province. The criteria for applications is broad because the urgent need for financial support is vast. It allows us to continue to showcase the diversity in British Columbia’s music scene, while offering real tangible support.”
“People in the music industry have been deeply impacted by the pandemic,” said Bob D’Eith, Parliamentary Secretary for Arts and Film. “Our government understands the challenges they are facing and provided $510,000 through Amplify BC for SoundON. These grants are vital because they get funding to artists fast and support what they do best – making and performing music to inspire us all.”
SoundON is providing direct support to those within the creative community most affected by the pandemic. Unlike other funds and grants, which have lengthy application processes, SoundON aims to get money into presenter’s hands quickly, within the next 30 – 45 days. The fund will continue its mission to showcase the diversity of BC – helping bring together music communities from across the province digitally.
“Being a musician over this past year has been incredibly stressful and left a lot of our community with doubts about the future. With live shows being cancelled, our primary source of income and creative release disappeared overnight. Receiving SoundON funding provided a release for a months-long dry spell of performing and created a safe space for us to continue to engage with our fans. The added investment into the fund is essential to sustaining this vibrant community, so that more artists and hungry music fans can benefit from this financial aid.” —Alexis Young, Blonde Diamond
Successful applicants will be awarded $5,000 and the fund will support more than 70 performances. Successful applicants will also be able to add a ticketing element to their shows, an aspect that is new for this round of funding.
Applications for presenters open TODAY and can be found at https://soundon.ca/