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Viral Microtonal Duo Angine de Poitrine Expands a Sold-Out 2026 Tour Into Late December

Eric Alper
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Viral Microtonal Duo Angine de Poitrine Expands a Sold-Out 2026 Tour Into Late December

Something genuinely strange and genuinely thrilling took over social media feeds earlier this year, and the music world is still catching up. Angine de Poitrine, a mysterious polka-dotted Canadian duo playing relentlessly experimental microtonal music, went viral in a way that algorithms rarely manufacture and audiences can’t manufacture at all. The buzz is real, the sold-out shows confirm it, and now the tour keeps growing.

The duo has extended their 2026 run deep into December, adding a wave of newly announced dates across North America on top of an already packed schedule of festival appearances and headline shows. The expansion includes a Toronto date at History on November 5, Brooklyn Steel on November 16 and 17, and a string of U.S. cities running through a December 8 stop at the Fox Theater in Oakland and a December 11 closing night at Crystal Ballroom in Portland.

Part of what makes Angine de Poitrine so compelling is what nobody knows. The identities of the musicians remain officially undisclosed. Their alternating black-and-white costuming and their math-rock-meets-prog-meets-microtonal sound create a presentation that stops scrolling cold. Popular music personality Rick Beato is among the many who’ve posted reaction videos, and the response chain online shows no signs of slowing.

Their second album, ‘Vol. 2’, arrived in April 2026 and landed directly into a wave of momentum the duo had already been building. The record gave a touring machine something new to feed into the live show, and the sold-out run across Europe and North America reflects an audience that arrived ready.

Among the highlights ahead, the duo plays the RBC Amphitheatre in Toronto on July 14 supporting Jack White, followed by three sold-out nights at the Mod Club. The festival run includes Fuji Rock in Japan on July 26, Field of Vision II in Colorado on August 14, and Levitation in Austin on September 12, among many others.

Remaining tickets where available are moving fast. The newly announced dates marked with an asterisk are the best chance to get in.

2026 Tour Dates:

Jun 20 – Joliette, QC – Parc Louis-Querbes

Jun 26 – Picton, ON – Base31 *

Jun 27 – Montreal, QC – Festival International de Jazz de Montréal

Jul 2 – Saguenay, QC – La Noce (SOLD OUT)

Jul 3 – Trois-Rivières, QC – Festivoix

Jul 8 – Edmonton, AB – Fan Park at ICE District *

Jul 10 – Winnipeg, MB – Winnipeg Folk Festival

Jul 12 – Victoria, BC – Phillips Backyard Music Festival

Jul 14 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre (supporting Jack White)

Jul 14 – Toronto, ON – Mod Club (SOLD OUT)

Jul 15 – Toronto, ON – Mod Club (SOLD OUT)

Jul 17 – Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Bluesfest

Jul 18 – Toronto, ON – Mod Club (SOLD OUT)

Jul 19 – Guelph, ON – Hillside Festival

Jul 26 – Niigata, Japan – Fuji Rock Festival

Aug 13 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre *

Aug 14 – Buena Vista, CO – Field of Vision II

Aug 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom (SOLD OUT)

Aug 18 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom (SOLD OUT)

Aug 19 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent (SOLD OUT)

Aug 21 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater (SOLD OUT)

Aug 23 – Vancouver, BC – The Pearl (SOLD OUT)

Aug 24 – Vancouver, BC – The Pearl (SOLD OUT)

Aug 25 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom *

Aug 28 – Lisbon, PT – Meo Kalorama

Aug 30 – Vlieland, NL – Into The Great Wide Open

Aug 31 – Nijmegen, NL – Doornroosje (SOLD OUT)

Sep 1 – Cologne, DE – Live Music Hall (SOLD OUT)

Sep 4 – Dorset, UK – End of the Road

Sep 5 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Psych Fest

Sep 6 – Edinburgh, UK – Edinburgh Psych Fest

Sep 9 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge (SOLD OUT)

Sep 10 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge (SOLD OUT)

Sep 11 – Elizabethtown, NY – Otis Mountain Get Down

Sep 12 – Austin, TX – Levitation

Sep 15 – Washington, DC – The Atlantis (SOLD OUT)

Sep 16 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts (SOLD OUT)

Sep 17 – Washington, DC – Lincoln Theatre *

Sep 19-20 – Richmond, VA – Iron Blossom Festival

Oct 13 – Bristol, UK – Prospect Building (SOLD OUT)

Oct 14 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy Glasgow (SOLD OUT)

Oct 16 – Dublin, IRE – Vicar Street (SOLD OUT)

Oct 18 – Leeds, UK – O2 Academy Leeds (SOLD OUT)

Oct 19 – London, UK – Troxy (SOLD OUT)

Oct 20 – London, UK – Troxy (SOLD OUT)

Oct 21 – Paris, FR – Élysée Montmartre (SOLD OUT)

Oct 22 – Paris, FR – Élysée Montmartre (SOLD OUT)

Oct 24 – Lyon, FR – L’Épicerie Moderne (SOLD OUT)

Oct 25 – Antwerp, BE – Trix (SOLD OUT)

Oct 27 – Berlin, DE – Astra (SOLD OUT)

Oct 28 – Hamburg, DE – Molotow (SOLD OUT)

Oct 29 – Heidelberg, DE – Metropolink (SOLD OUT)

Oct 31 – Amsterdam, NL – London Calling (SOLD OUT)

Nov 1 – Groningen, NL – VERA (SOLD OUT)

Nov 5 – Toronto, ON – History *

Nov 6 – Quebec City, QC – Impérial Bell (SOLD OUT)

Nov 14 – Montreal, QC – Club Soda (SOLD OUT)

Nov 16 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel *

Nov 17 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel *

Nov 19 – Boston, MA – Royale *

Nov 20 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall *

Nov 25 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade *

Nov 27 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl *

Dec 2 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue *

Dec 4 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern *

Dec 8 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater *

Dec 11 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom *

Stray Kids Bring the ‘STRAYCITY’ Experience to Latin America This September

Eric Alper
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Stray Kids Bring the ‘STRAYCITY’ Experience to Latin America This September

Stray Kids are taking their live experience to Latin America this September with ‘STRAYCITY’, a special series of performances hitting Bogotá, Buenos Aires, and Mexico City. Built around the group’s full festival production, the shows are designed as immersive, high-energy events with support lineups varying by city, featuring NEXZ, Bad Milk, Kei Linch, K4OS, Andrés Obregón, and RENEE across the dates.

‘STRAYCITY’ is a concept built around collective energy and self-expression, inviting fans known as STAY into a shared space designed for movement and full immersion. The series builds anticipation for which new city Stray Kids will stray into after this run, with each stop adding to the mythology of the experience.

These dates land in the middle of one of the biggest years in the group’s already record-laden career. On September 11, sandwiched between the Latin America shows, Stray Kids headline Rock in Rio in Rio de Janeiro, making history as both the first K-pop act to headline the festival and the first K-pop act ever to perform there.

Before that, they headline The Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City on June 6. Add their 2024 headline slots at BST Hyde Park in London and Lollapalooza in Chicago, and the trajectory here is impossible to ignore.

Their most recent release, ‘SKZ IT TAPE DO IT’, dropped November 21, 2025 via JYP Entertainment and Republic Records, and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. That made Stray Kids the first act in history to debut their first eight charting albums at number 1 on that chart, extending their own record as the K-pop group with the most Billboard 200 number 1 albums of the 21st century.

The catalog certifications keep stacking too. Six new RIAA certifications arrived recently, including Platinum for “God’s Menu” and Gold for “KARMA,” “LALALALA,” “Chk Chk Boom,” “S-Class,” and “Case 143.” No K-pop artist in history holds more RIAA Gold Album certifications.

Tickets for Bogotá and Buenos Aires go on sale May 27 at 10am local time. Mexico City tickets go on sale May 29 at 2pm local time. Both are available at livenation.lat.

Stray Kids Latin America ‘STRAYCITY’ Show Dates:

Wed, Sep 9 – Bogotá, Colombia – Vive Claro Distrito Cultural

Fri, Sep 11 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Rock in Rio

Mon, Sep 14 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Hipódromo de San Isidro

Fri, Sep 25 – Mexico City, Mexico – Estadio GNP Seguros

Video: Paolo Nutini’s TRNSMT Homecoming Reminds Glasgow Exactly Why They Never Stopped Believing

Eric Alper
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Video: Paolo Nutini’s TRNSMT Homecoming Reminds Glasgow Exactly Why They Never Stopped Believing

Paolo Nutini’s 2022 TRNSMT headline set at Glasgow Green was a full-circle moment, arriving one week after the release of his critically acclaimed fourth album ‘Last Night in the Bittersweet’ and eight years after his last record. The setlist moved from the atmospheric opener “Afterneath” through soulful crowd favorites like “Scream (Funk My Life Up)” and “Pencil Full of Lead,” with a raw acoustic stretch mid-show that drew one of the night’s loudest responses. The encore sealed it, closing on a cover of Dougie MacLean’s “Caledonia” before the emotional gut-punch of “Iron Sky.” Backed by a phenomenal live band, Nutini’s raspy vocals carried across the park with the confidence of an artist who never lost a step, and a hometown crowd that had been waiting years to hear it all again.

Maybe It Was The Roses Brings Three Days of Grateful Dead Magic to the California Coast

Eric Alper
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Maybe It Was The Roses Brings Three Days of Grateful Dead Magic to the California Coast

Three days. An oceanfront setting. A lineup built entirely around the music of the Grateful Dead and Bob Weir. The Maybe It Was The Roses Music Festival arrives in Ventura, California, May 29 through 31, and it’s shaping up to be exactly the kind of gathering the Dead community does better than anyone.

Presented by Golden Road Festival, the event takes over the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach at 450 E Harbor Blvd, putting the Pacific Ocean directly behind the stage. Few backdrops suit this music better. The setting alone makes this weekend worth the trip.

The 2026 lineup covers serious ground. Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Stu Allen and The Mars Hotel, Lebo and Friends, Spaga Plays Dead, Jerry’s Dead, Bone Diggers, No Simple Highway, Jax Plays Dead, The McCrees, and the Ventura All Stars are all on the bill. Special guest Don Was also appears as part of the weekend.

After the sun goes down, the festival keeps moving. Late-night programming includes DJ Logic, a Drums and Space Night, and DeadTronica. For anyone who knows how these gatherings work, the after-parties are as essential as the main sets.

This is a festival designed around community as much as music. Deadheads, Bob Weir fans, families, dancers, and first-timers are all welcome. The shared language here is the songs, and those songs have a way of making introductions unnecessary.

Golden Road Festival has built Maybe It Was The Roses around a straightforward idea: bring people together through live music, create space for connection, and let the spirit of the Dead do the rest. It’s a simple formula that the Grateful Dead universe has been proving for decades.

Tickets and package options are available now through Golden Road Ticketing at goldenroadticketing.com. Full festival information is at goldenroadfestival.com.

Maybe It Was The Roses Music Festival 2026:

Friday, May 29, 2026

Saturday, May 30, 2026

Sunday, May 31, 2026

Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach, 450 E Harbor Blvd, Ventura, CA 93001

Blue Öyster Cult Founder Albert Bouchard Drops Imaginos II Graphic Novel With Full Album Integration

Eric Alper
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Blue Öyster Cult Founder Albert Bouchard Drops Imaginos II Graphic Novel With Full Album Integration

Albert Bouchard has spent decades shepherding one of rock’s most ambitious mythologies, and the Imaginos saga just got a major new chapter. The founding Blue Öyster Cult member and Deko Entertainment have released the Imaginos II interactive graphic novel, an immersive experience built around all 14 songs from his ‘Imaginos II Bombs Over Germany’ album.

This isn’t a standard graphic novel with a playlist attached. The Imaginos II release connects readers directly to all 14 tracks, never-before-seen videos, and includes a download card for the full digital version, making it fully navigable on computer, phone, or tablet. It’s the Imaginos story delivered at its most complete and accessible.

The graphic novel covers the second third of the Imaginos saga, a concept rooted in the late Sandy Pearlman’s feverish, sprawling mythology about a shapeshifting figure moving through history. Bouchard has been the primary force translating that vision into music and now into sequential art, building on the foundation laid by the Imaginos I graphic novel.

One of the standout moments in the release is “Three Sisters,” featuring Buck Dharma. The song has deep roots, written during the ‘Fire of Unknown Origin’ sessions and held back for years. Bouchard reached out to Dharma for the track, and the response was enthusiastic. “He told me he was delighted because he always loved the song,” Bouchard says. The full video is out now and worth your full attention.

Bouchard is clear about what these graphic novels are designed to do. “These graphic novels expand on the saga of Imaginos, which is itself an extremely expandable story,” he says. “The videos expand upon both the comic and the songs, making this the most complete version of the Imaginos story to date.”

The Imaginos albums rework classic Blue Öyster Cult catalog deep cuts and fan favorites alike, including “Astronomy,” “E.T.I.,” “Godzilla,” and “Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll.” For longtime BÖC followers, hearing these tracks reimagined within the full Imaginos framework adds a new layer of context to songs they’ve known for decades.

The full Imaginos catalogue is available now, including ‘ReImaginos’, ‘Imaginos II Bombs Over Germany’, and ‘Imaginos III Mutant Reformation’. With Imaginos IV already on the horizon, Bouchard is moving with real momentum toward completing one of rock’s most singular long-form creative projects.

Order the Imaginos II graphic novel and the full catalogue at dekoentertainment.com/albertbouchard.

Bailey Zimmerman Turns Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” Into a Country Arena Moment

Eric Alper
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Bailey Zimmerman Turns Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” Into a Country Arena Moment

Bailey Zimmerman has turned a live-show fan moment into an official release. His cover of Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” is out now, arriving after months of audience response that made it one of the most talked-about moments of his current headline arena run. Listen here.

The cover entered Zimmerman’s set during the Different Night Same Rodeo Tour, his debut headline arena run, and the reaction was immediate. Fans took to social media in a wave, praising his rendition and making it clear this song had found a new life in his hands. That organic groundswell made the official release inevitable.

Zimmerman’s country-rock delivery brings a rawer edge to the song. Where the original leaned into pop uplift, his version carries genuine weight, rooted in the same gritty authenticity that built his following from the ground up. It’s a cover that sounds like it was always his.

The Different Night Same Rodeo Tour is already one of country music’s biggest live events of 2026, spanning more than 30 venues across the U.S. and Canada, with support from Hudson Westbrook and Blake Whiten. The tour is promoted by Live Nation, and the scale of it reflects exactly where Zimmerman stands in the genre right now.

Europe follows this summer. The run kicks off August 27 in Glasgow and moves through Dublin, Belfast, Manchester, London, Amsterdam, Hamburg, and Stockholm before closing September 12 in Oslo, with support from Chandler Walters. It’s a full international statement from an artist whose reach keeps expanding.

Earlier this year, Zimmerman released “Just Believe,” a collaboration with 6x Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Brandon Lake. The single marked the start of a new chapter, building on the momentum of ‘Different Night Same Rodeo’, his sophomore album that debuted in the Top 15 of the Billboard 200 and Top 3 on the Country Albums chart.

That album, produced by Austin Shawn, features a sharp roster of collaborations including Luke Combs on “Backup Plan” (which hit number 1 in September), The Kid LAROI on “Lost,” and Diplo on “Ashes.” It’s an album that confirms Zimmerman’s instinct for arena-ready country with rock at its spine.

His debut, ‘Religiously. The Album.’, remains one of the landmark country releases of this decade, delivering the biggest streaming debut for a country album in history and producing four consecutive number 1 singles, including the 5x-platinum, six-week chart-topper “Rock And A Hard Place.” The foundation he built there made everything that followed possible.

“The Climb (Cover)” is out now on all streaming platforms.

Different Night Same Rodeo Tour 2026:

Thu, Jun 4 – Airway Heights, WA – Northern Quest Amphitheater

Fri, Jun 5 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater

Sat, Jun 6 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater

Wed, Jun 10 – Abbotsford, BC – Rogers Forum

Thu, Jun 11 – Kelowna, BC – Prospera Place

Sat, Jun 13 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place

Thu, Jun 18 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre

Fri, Jun 19 – London, ON – Canada Life Place

Sat, Jun 20 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre

Thu, Aug 27 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy

Mon, Aug 31 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Olympia

Tue, Sep 1 – Belfast, UK – The Waterfront Hall

Thu, Sep 3 – Manchester, UK – O2 Victoria Warehouse

Fri, Sep 4 – London, UK – O2 Academy Brixton

Sun, Sep 6 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Melkweg The Max

Tue, Sep 8 – Hamburg, Germany – Docks

Thu, Sep 10 – Stockholm, Sweden – Fållan

Sat, Sep 12 – Oslo, Norway – Spektrum

Michael Keating, Beloved British Actor of Blake’s 7 and EastEnders, Dies at 79

Eric Alper
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Michael Keating, Beloved British Actor of Blake’s 7 and EastEnders, Dies at 79

Michael Keating, the warmly regarded British actor whose roguish charm and impeccable comic timing made him one of the most recognizable faces in British science fiction and television, died peacefully at home on April 26, 2026, after struggling with dementia. He was 79. His agent, Dan Ireson, confirmed the news to USA TODAY on May 21. Born Michael Frank Keating on February 10, 1947, in Edmonton, Middlesex, he began his acting career in the late 1960s with guest appearances across a wide range of British television productions, quietly building a foundation that would eventually support one of the most distinctive careers in the business.

His defining moment arrived in 1978 when he was cast as Vila Restal in the BBC space drama Blake’s 7, a series following a group of rebels in a dystopian future locked in struggle against a totalitarian regime that had taken control of Earth. Vila, a cunning and cowardly petty thief with a genius for picking locks and a genius equally developed for avoiding danger, became one of the most beloved characters the show produced. Keating remained the only cast member to appear in all 52 episodes of the series, a testament to both his talent and the hold his character had on audiences. The show ran until 1981 and became a touchstone of British cult television that fans carried with them for decades.

Long after Blake’s 7 ended its original run, Keating continued returning to Vila Restal through an extensive body of audio work. He reprised the role in an audio series, contributing to projects including Blake’s 7: The Liberator Chronicles, Blake’s 7: The Classic Adventures, and The Worlds of Blake’s 7, which ran as recently as 2021 and 2022. Big Finish Productions, which produced several of these projects, described him on their website as “one of the most recognisable and best-loved faces in British science fiction.” Producer Peter Anghelides offered a tribute that captured the spirit of working with him: “His cheery presence on studio days was always most welcome. I would sit at the back of the Audio Sorcery control room hooting with laughter at his comic timing in our recordings.”

A second generation of British television viewers came to know Keating through his long-running role as Reverend George Stevens on EastEnders, the BBC soap opera he joined in 2005. He played the vicar for 54 episodes across more than a decade, often appearing in connection with christenings, marriages, and funerals, as well as storylines involving regular churchgoer Dot Branning. His work on the show ran until 2017, giving him a presence on one of Britain’s most watched programs that introduced him to an entirely new audience who may not have grown up with Blake’s 7. He also appeared in Doctor Who, Yes Minister, Casualty, and Midsomer Murders across a television career that stretched more than five decades.

His stage work added yet another dimension to a career that refused to stay in one lane. Keating appeared in Alan Bleasdale’s 1985 play Are You Lonesome Tonight, about Elvis Presley, during its original staging at the Phoenix Theatre in the West End. Tributes poured in from fans and collaborators alike following the announcement of his passing. “A genuinely lovely man, and he was absolutely brilliant in every single episode of Blake’s 7,” one fan wrote. Peter Anghelides, reflecting on their years of collaboration, added simply: “What a joy it was to work with Michael.” He is remembered as an actor of warmth, wit, and lasting talent whose work brought enormous pleasure to generations of viewers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Scary Movie Is Back and It Brought the Most Unhinged Popcorn Bucket in Cinema History

Eric Alper
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Scary Movie Is Back and It Brought the Most Unhinged Popcorn Bucket in Cinema History

The popcorn bucket wars have a new champion, and nobody saw it coming quite like this. Paramount Pictures and Miramax just revealed the official collectible for Scary Movie, hitting theaters June 5, and it is exactly what you think it is. A bong. A full, gloriously designed, smoke-billowing, four-sizes-available water pipe shaped popcorn bucket. The official Instagram caption said it best: “Y’all weren’t ready.” They were correct.

The film, along with Miramax, Paramount and actor Marlon Wayans partnered on the Instagram reveal on May 21, showcasing what they called “the popcorn bucket theatres were never ready for,” debuting four different sizes for fans to choose “the piece that is just right.” A follow-up post then showed Ghostface himself holding the bucket with smoke swirling around it, accompanied by the line: “I’ve seen some popcorn buckets in my day, but this one smokes the competition.”

The internet instantly split into two camps. Half the comments assumed the post was a classic piece of viral parody marketing from a franchise built entirely on crossing lines. But director Michael Tiddes stepped in to kill the skepticism, taking to his own account to confirm the drop with a simple “Yes… It’s real!”

The design leans straight into the stoner comedy roots of the franchise, specifically referencing Marlon Wayans’ iconic character Shorty Meeks. Its elongated body with a globe-like base holds the popcorn, while a smaller tube appears to serve as the butter dispenser. The whole thing is an absolute masterpiece of committed promotional absurdity and the franchise’s fans are losing their minds over it in the best possible way.

The reactions online have been genuinely wonderful. “Does it work like a real one? My grandma is asking,” one comment playfully said. Others celebrated it immediately, with one Instagram user writing “Finally a multipurpose popcorn bucket!” and another declaring “This about to be EPIC.” A few fans in states with stricter laws noted with some regret that even owning a bong-shaped object could cause them legal headaches, which is a sentence nobody expected to write about a trip to the movies in 2026.

This sits inside a much larger and genuinely fascinating cannabis-forward marketing campaign for the film. PAX and Paramount teamed up on a limited-edition Scary Movie PAX Four vaporizer in an onyx colorway with Scary Movie-inspired artwork and co-branded packaging, aimed at “those who get elevated,” available while supplies last on pax.com. PAX is also producing a four-part parody series called “Don’t Kill, Just Chill” featuring Ghostface in, as the brand describes them, “absurdly chill scenarios.” A masked slasher who would rather pack a bowl than chase a victim is genuinely a great bit.

Strip away the jokes and there is a real signal here. A major studio is comfortable building an entire promotional campaign around cannabis, openly, with an official hardware partner, in a way that would have been unthinkable for a mainstream theatrical release a decade ago. The bong bucket, whether or not it ever physically arrives at a concession stand, is a cultural timestamp. This is where we are in 2026 and it is kind of remarkable.

Pricing has not yet been officially revealed, though the bucket will reportedly come in four different sizes, each with its own price point. For context, The Devil Wears Prada 2’s purse-shaped popcorn bucket costs around $40, putting the Scary Movie bucket likely in a similar range. As for where to get it, the bucket will be available when the film hits theaters on June 5 at major chains including AMC and Regal Cinemas.

After 13 years, the Wayans brothers, Marlon and Shawn, are returning alongside original cast members Regina Hall and Anna Faris. Like previous films, the new entry will parody recent hit horror titles including Scream VI, Sinners, Weapons, The Substance, M3GAN, Wednesday, Get Out, Smile, Terrifier, Longlegs, and more. The whole gang is back, the gloves are off, and apparently the concession stand will never be the same again.

How to Find the Right Producer for Your Music

Eric Alper
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How to Find the Right Producer for Your Music

Finding the right producer for your music is one of the most important decisions you will ever make as an artist. It goes far beyond finding someone with a great studio or an impressive list of credits. The producer you choose becomes a creative partner, a sounding board, a translator between the music living in your head and the recording that ends up in the world. Get it right and the results can be transformative. The music industry is full of stories of artists who found their voice the moment they found the right person to help them record it.

The first and most important step is knowing your own sound before you walk into any conversation. Producers specialize. Some live and breathe indie rock. Others have spent their careers perfecting hip hop production, country arrangements, or electronic soundscapes. According to MasterClass, the best way to approach a producer search is to start with your reference tracks, the recordings that sound closest to what you are trying to make, and work backwards to find out who made them. Producer credits are listed on streaming platforms, in liner notes, and on sites like AllMusic and Discogs. Start there and you will already be ahead of most artists who reach out cold with no idea what a producer actually does.

Once you have a list of names, the next step is research that goes deeper than a Google search. Listen to the full body of work of every producer you are considering. Platforms like SoundBetter and AirGigs exist specifically to connect artists with producers and engineers, and both include audio samples, reviews from past clients, and transparent pricing. Music Connection Magazine and Producers and Engineers Wing of the Recording Academy are also excellent resources for understanding what working professionals expect from these relationships. Pay attention not just to how the music sounds but to how consistent the quality is across different artists and genres. A great producer brings out the best in whoever they are working with, not just the ones who already arrived at the studio fully formed.

The conversation you have before any money changes hands matters enormously. A good producer will want to understand your goals, your timeline, your budget, and your vision before they commit to anything. They will ask questions. They will push back thoughtfully. Billboard has written extensively about the importance of creative compatibility in the studio, noting that the most successful artist-producer relationships tend to be built on mutual respect and honest communication rather than just technical skill. If a producer you approach never asks about your music and jumps straight to talking about their rate, that tells you something worth knowing.

Budget is a real conversation and there is no shame in having it openly. Producers work across an enormous range of price points, from established names who command significant fees to talented up-and-coming producers who are actively building their rosters and willing to work creatively on compensation. Some producers work on a flat fee per song or album. Others work on points, meaning they take a percentage of royalties in exchange for a lower upfront cost. The Berklee Online blog has a thorough breakdown of standard producer deal structures that is well worth reading before any negotiation begins. Knowing the landscape means you can have that conversation like a professional.

Chemistry in the studio is something that sounds abstract until you experience the absence of it. The Recording Academy recommends doing a trial session with any producer you are seriously considering before committing to a full project. Think of it like a first rehearsal. You will learn more about how someone works, communicates, and responds to your ideas in three hours together than you will from any amount of email correspondence. Producers like Rick Rubin, Quincy Jones, and Daniel Lanois have all spoken in interviews about how much of their process comes down to creating an environment where artists feel safe enough to take risks. That feeling of safety is not a luxury. It is the whole job.

The internet has genuinely opened up the producer search in ways that were unimaginable even fifteen years ago. Artists in smaller cities or rural areas are no longer limited to whoever happens to be within driving distance of a decent studio. Remote production has become a fully legitimate and widely accepted way of working, with artists sending stems and stems coming back transformed. Splice, Bandlab, and even direct Instagram outreach have all become real pathways to finding collaborators. The Timmins, Ontario artist who finds their perfect producer in Nashville or Bristol or Berlin is not a fantasy scenario anymore. It happens every day.

At the end of everything, trust your instincts and trust the music. The right producer will make you feel heard. They will challenge you in ways that make the work better rather than ways that make you feel small. They will care about your vision at least as much as they care about their own reputation. When you find that person, commit fully, communicate honestly, and make something you are proud of. The whole reason you started making music in the first place was to connect with people who feel what you feel. The right producer helps you do exactly that.

The Most Mesmerizing Songs Sung by Female Voices

Eric Alper
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The Most Mesmerizing Songs Sung by Female Voices

Music has always had the power to stop you in your tracks, but certain female voices take that a step further. They don’t just stop you — they hold you completely still, rearrange something inside you, and leave you changed when the song ends. These are the songs that people return to again and again, the ones that get recommended in hushed, reverent tones by people who feel personally responsible for making sure you’ve heard them. Here are 15 of the most mesmerizing vocal performances ever recorded.

Annie Lennox — “Why”

The Diva album belongs in every collection, but Why is the one that keeps coming up. Lennox delivers it with a control and emotional weight that makes it feel like a confession rather than a performance.

Massive Attack — “Teardrop” (feat. Elizabeth Fraser)

Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins brings something genuinely otherworldly to this track. Her voice floats above the production in a way that defies easy description. You just feel it somewhere deep.

Sinead O’Connor — “Nothing Compares 2 U”

Written by Prince, owned completely by Sinead. The video, the delivery, the raw ache in her voice mean this one still hits like the first time, every single time.

Tori Amos — “Winter”

Tori builds the whole world of a father-daughter relationship into a piano ballad and never once oversells it. Multiple listeners have mentioned tearing up, especially parents hearing it for the first time with new ears.

Nina Simone — “Feeling Good”

Nina Simone didn’t sing songs so much as inhabit them completely. Feeling Good remains the definitive version of this composition and one of the greatest vocal performances ever recorded.

Kate Bush — “Wuthering Heights”

Nobody sounds like Kate Bush and nobody has ever successfully copied her. This song remains one of the most distinctive vocal performances in the history of popular music, full stop.

Mazzy Star — “Fade Into You” (feat. Hope Sandoval)

Hope Sandoval’s voice has a gauzy, half-asleep quality that pulls you under completely. This song sounds like falling in love slowly and it hasn’t aged a single day.

Fleetwood Mac — “Sara”

The line “you’re the poet in my heart” lands differently every time. Stevie Nicks delivers this one with a vulnerability that makes you feel like you walked in on something private.

Linda Ronstadt — “Long Long Time”

Heart-wrenching is the word that fits perfectly here. Ronstadt’s vocal range and emotional transparency on this track are extraordinary, and the song found a whole new generation of devoted listeners in recent years.

This Mortal Coil — “Song to the Siren” (feat. Elizabeth Fraser)

Recorded in 1983 and still sounding like it arrived from somewhere outside of time. Elizabeth Fraser appears on this list twice for very good reason because her voice simply exists on another level entirely.

Portishead — “Roads”

Beth Gibbons delivers this vocal like someone running out of reasons to stay calm. The production surrounds her perfectly, but her voice is the thing that makes it impossible to walk away.

Billie Holiday — “Strange Fruit”

One of the most important recordings in American music history and one of the most vocally devastating. Billie Holiday carried the full weight of its meaning in every single syllable.

Pink Floyd — “The Great Gig in the Sky” (feat. Clare Torry)

Clare Torry was given almost no direction in the studio and came back with one of the most stunning wordless vocal performances ever committed to tape. It sounds like the whole of human emotion in under five minutes.

Eva Cassidy — “Fields of Gold”

Eva Cassidy recorded this quietly and without fanfare and it became one of the most beloved vocal performances of the last thirty years. Her version carries a tenderness that reshapes the song entirely.

Anna von Hausswolff — “Stardust”

Anna von Hausswolff possesses one of the most commanding and haunting voices in contemporary music. Stardust showcases her ability to move between fragile intimacy and overwhelming power within the same breath, and once you hear it, very little else sounds quite the same.

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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