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Alessia Cara Reimagines a Decade of Hits on New Jazz and Soul Album ‘Love Or Lack Thereof’

Eric Alper
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Alessia Cara Reimagines a Decade of Hits on New Jazz and Soul Album ‘Love Or Lack Thereof’

Showcasing yet another side of her artistry, GRAMMY Award-winning history-making superstar Alessia Cara shares a new compilation album entitled Love Or Lack Thereof via Def Jam Recordings. For the 12-track collection, she revisited, reimagined, and reinvented standout songs from her catalog, turning them into jazz and soul-inspired versions that capture more than a decade of her musical journey in an intimate yet essential body of work. Alongside the album, a series of live-in-studio videos is being released for each track.

The album also features collaborations with GRAMMY Award–winners Norah Jones and Nelly Furtado. Listen HERE.

This time around, she cut everything with a cohort of elite jazz musicians in the studio, leaning into some of her most formative influences across soul, jazz and blues. Simultaneously, this endeavor also spoke to years of demand from her fans who have clamored for such stripped-down renditions. The result is indicative of Alessia’s versatility, vitality, and vibrancy as both a timeless songstress and performer.

Love Or Lack Thereof includes the single “I’m In Trouble” featuring Norah Jones. Listen HERE. On the track, a smoky standup bassline wobbles beneath lovestruck verses from Alessia and Norah. Punctuated by snaps and smooth horns, it culminates in a confessional chorus soulfully sung by each vocalist, “I’m a closed door, but when I hold your hands, all of me comes spilling out. I’m in trouble now!” The very first collaboration between these two powerhouses is undoubtedly an event in and of itself.

Threading together a cohesive vision for Love Or Lack Thereof, Alessia carefully selected songs from seminal projects such as Know-It-All [2015], The Pains of Growing [2018], In The Meantime [2021], and her most recent full-length album, Love & Hyperbole [2025]. She also re-recorded and re-envisioned the 6x-Platinum smash “Stay”—originally a signature collaboration with Zedd. Additionally, each song is accompanied by a live-in-studio video.

2025 was nothing short of a banner year for Alessia. She delivered a powerful rendition of the Canadian National Anthem during Game 2 of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers. She also uncovered deluxe edition of Love & Hyperbole. Listen HERE. She notably added eight previously unreleased songs, including “Nighttime Thing” [feat. Julia Michaels], “(Isn’t It) Obvious” [feat. Lucky Daye], and more. Not to mention, she launched a sold-out North American headline tour. The original Love & Hyperbole earned widespread acclaim.  GRAMMY.com raved, “Love & Hyperbole is Cara’s most emotive album to date,” and DIY awarded it “4-out-of-5 stars,” proceeding to applaud, “Placed against a landscape of infectious basslines, sensual strings, and irresistible hooks, the record is a lesson in timings, accepting the past, and embracing an unwritten future.” Atwood Magazine christened it “her most intimate and raw work yet.” CLASH professed, “‘Love & Hyperbole’ is anthemic, self-aware and shows listeners how confident Alessia is in herself as an artist.” 
 
She paved the way for Love & Hyperbole with the single “Slow Motion.” EUPHORIA. wrote, “Cara has been experimenting more and more with jazz elements with this upcoming album, and “Slow Motion” is no different,” going on to profess, “The beauty is in the general song.” Billboard attested, “For Alessia Cara, emotion and connection is at the heart of her creative endeavors — hence why each of her three studio albums live in a unique world full of signature concepts, colors and themes built around them. Her music isn’t just a listening experience, it’s a feeling.” It arrived on the heels of the standout “(Isn’t It) Obvious,” which featured a guitar solo from John Mayer. The latter has already generated millions of streams and counting in addition to earning critical praise. Not to mention, she delivered a showstopping performance of the track on Good Morning America. Watch her performance HERE.

Thus far, Alessia Cara has generated billions of streams, earned dozens of multi-platinum certifications around the world, and notably made history as “the first Canadian to win ‘Best New Artist’ at the GRAMMY Awards.” At the same time, she has sold out tours on multiple continents and emerged as the rare force equally comfortable on a track with Logic and Khalid or Juanes, Bastille, Major Lazer, and The Warning.

TRACKLISTING
1. I’m In Trouble (LOLT Version)
2. Find My Boy (LOLT Version)
3. Not Today (LOLT Version)
4. Ready (LOLT Version)
5. Garden At Nighttime (LOLT Version)
6. Shapeshifter featuring Nelly Furtado (LOLT Version)
7. Out Of Love (LOLT Version)
8. Stay (LOLT Version)
9. Fire (LOLT Version)
10. (Isn’t It) Obvious (LOLT Version)
11. I’m Yours (LOLT Version)
12. I’m in Trouble featuring Norah Jones (LOLT Version)

Since catapulting to stardom with quintessential loner anthem “Here” in 2015, the singer/songwriter has matured alongside her audience, capturing the highs and lows of adolescence and young adulthood with camera-like clarity. In many ways, Cara’s new era is a snapshot of an artist finally processing her meteoric rise in the music industry. The Grammy winner’s debut single, “Here,” peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to sell three million copies. Her platinum-selling debut album, Know-It-All, delivered another smash hit with “Scars to Your Beautiful” and she memorably contributed “How Far I’ll Go” to the Moana soundtrack. She then added further platinum plaques to her collection with “Stay,” a dizzying club collaboration with Zedd, and an unforgettable feature on Logic’s “1-800-273-8255.” The Brampton, Ontario, native returned in 2018 with The Pains of Growing, which won a Juno Award for Best Album and Songwriter of the Year cemented Cara as one of her generation’s foremost singer/songwriters. Her last album, In The Meantime, that featured hit singles “Best Days” and “Sweet Dream.” The album was met with critical acclaim from Pitchfork, Billboard, Rolling Stone, with The New York Times calling it “Incisive and introspective as ever. Cara continues to position herself as both pop star and therapist.” Her recent release Love & Hyperbole solidifies her evolution as a powerhouse vocalist, empathetic songwriter and force of nature. 

Country Storyteller Kelly Lang Unveils Wine-Soaked New Single “I Reach For Red”

Eric Alper
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Country Storyteller Kelly Lang Unveils Wine-Soaked New Single “I Reach For Red”

Kelly Lang has a gift for finding a song in an unexpected place. The Nashville-based singer, songwriter, producer, and author has released “I Reach For Red,” the first single from her upcoming album ‘Jealous Green Eyes’, arriving later this summer. A modern track with a clear nod to the 1980s sounds of artists like K.T. Oslin, the song turns a glass of red wine into something both playful and deeply relatable.

Lang wrote the track years ago in a hotel room in Jackson, Tennessee, the whole thing coming together in about thirty minutes. “It was inspired by a woman I knew who loved her red wine, and I figured there were probably plenty of others who could relate to the story in the lyrics,” she explains. “I’m not much of a drinker myself, but I do enjoy singing a fun song for those who are.” That kind of self-aware wit runs through the track and makes it land.

‘Jealous Green Eyes’ marks Lang’s first album made up entirely of songs she wrote or co-wrote since 2017, an eleven-track set that covers life, love, heartbreak, and divorce with her signature storytelling style. The album may also include a surprise answer song to one of country music’s most iconic hits by a legendary artist she just happens to be married to, making this one of the more intriguing releases on the country calendar this summer.

Lang’s catalog runs deep. Her songs have been recorded by Ricky Skaggs, Lorrie Morgan, The Oak Ridge Boys, Crystal Gayle, George Jones, and Jerry Lee Lewis, among others. She has recorded duets with Barry Gibb, Olivia Newton-John, and Paul Shaffer, made her solo debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage in 2023, and had “Under a Tennessee Moon” named an official state song of Tennessee. She is also a member of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and a 20-year breast cancer survivor whose story informs everything she creates.

Additional singles from ‘Jealous Green Eyes’ will roll out through spring and summer, with the official release date to be announced soon.

Grammy-Winning R&B Star Ella Mai Brings the ‘Do You Still Love Me?’ Tour to North America This Summer

Eric Alper
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Grammy-Winning R&B Star Ella Mai Brings the ‘Do You Still Love Me?’ Tour to North America This Summer

Ella Mai is bringing her third studio album to the stage in a major way. The multi-platinum, GRAMMY-winning R&B singer and songwriter has announced 28 headline dates across North America on the Do You Still Love Me? Tour, with support from AMA and Girlfriend. The run kicks off July 7 at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto and wraps August 28 with Mai’s debut at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Tickets are on sale now.

The North American leg follows a run of headline and festival appearances across South Africa, Asia, and Australia announced earlier this year, including stops at the Greenroom Festival in Yokohama, the Seoul Jazz Festival, the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta, and VIVID LIVE in Sydney. By the time Mai hits Toronto in July, she will already have circled the globe.

The North American routing covers serious ground. Major stops include Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, The Anthem in Washington DC, and closing night at Radio City Music Hall, which marks Mai’s debut at one of New York’s most storied venues. Canada gets the tour opener, with Toronto kicking off the entire North American run.

‘Do You Still Love Me?’ is Mai’s third studio album, and the tour is a full-scale presentation of that record to audiences across two continents. For an artist who built her reputation on emotionally precise R&B songwriting, this is the kind of live campaign the music deserves.

Do You Still Love Me? Tour Dates:

Apr. 25 – North West, South Africa – Superbowl, Sun City (Festival)

Apr. 26 – Cape Town, South Africa – Grand Arena at GrandWest (Festival)

May 09 – Gros Islet, Saint Lucia – Pigeon Island National Park

May 23 – Yokohama, Japan – Greenroom Festival

May 24 – Seoul, South Korea – Seoul Jazz Festival

May 30 – Jakarta, Indonesia – Java Jazz Festival

Jun. 02 – Manila, Philippines – New Frontier Theater

Jun. 05 – Sydney, Australia – VIVID LIVE at Carriageworks

Jun. 06 – Melbourne, Australia – Margaret Court Arena

Jun. 09 – Brisbane, Australia – Fortitude Music Hall

Jul. 02 – Milwaukee, WI – Milwaukee Summerfest

Jul. 07 – Toronto, ON – Coca-Cola Coliseum (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Jul. 08 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE Outdoor (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Jul. 10 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed Fairgrounds (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Jul. 11 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Jul. 13 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Jul. 16 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Jul. 18 – San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Jul. 22 – Greenwood Village, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Jul. 24 – Las Vegas, NV – Resorts World Theatre (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Jul. 25 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Amphitheatre (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Jul. 28 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Jul. 29 – San Diego, CA – The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 03 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at the Moody Theater (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 04 – Grand Prairie, TX – Texas Trust Credit Union Theatre (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 05 – Sugar Land, TX – Smart Financial Centre (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 07 – New Orleans, LA – Saenger Theatre (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 10 – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live Orlando (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 11 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 14 – Atlanta, GA – Synovus Bank Amphitheater at Chastain Park (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 15 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 16 – Charlotte, NC – Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 19 – Raleigh, NC – Red Hat Amphitheater (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 21 – Washington, DC – The Anthem (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 22 – Cleveland, OH – Jacobs Pavilion (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 23 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live! Outdoor (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 25 – Philadelphia, PA – Skyline Stage at Highmark Mann (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 27 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Aug. 28 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall (w/ AMA and Girlfriend)

Bonnie Raitt Extends 2026 Tour Through October With New West Coast Dates Added

Eric Alper
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Bonnie Raitt Extends 2026 Tour Through October With New West Coast Dates Added

Bonnie Raitt is staying on the road well into the fall. The legendary singer, songwriter, and guitarist has extended her 2026 tour with a significant run of new dates that push the schedule through October, adding a West Coast stretch that includes her first headlining show in San Francisco in several years. Tickets for the newly announced dates are on sale now.

The expanded tour builds on an already substantial slate of shows running from late May through the summer. The run opens May 28 in Spokane and includes a stop at Brandi Carlile’s Echoes Through the Canyon at The Gorge Amphitheatre on May 30, before moving through the Pacific Northwest and into Canada with special guest Jon Cleary.

The Canadian run takes Raitt through Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg, all with Cleary in tow. The summer leg then picks up in August with Ontario dates at Massey Hall in Toronto, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and FirstOntario Concert Hall in Hamilton, before heading through the American Midwest and into the Mountain West.

The October dates, featuring John Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, anchor the West Coast run. Raitt plays San Francisco’s The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on October 10, followed by stops in Modesto, Santa Cruz, Paso Robles, San Diego, and two nights at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles on October 20 and 21.

For a complete list of dates and ticket information, visit Raitt’s official tour page.

2026 Tour Dates:

May 28 – Spokane, WA – The Fox Theater

May 30 – George, WA – The Gorge Amphitheatre (Brandi Carlile’s Echoes Through the Canyon)

Jun. 03 – Jacksonville, OR – Britt Pavillion

Jun. 05 – Sacramento, CA – Channel 24

Jun. 06 – Sacramento, CA – Channel 24

Jun. 08 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater

Jun. 10 – Salem, OR – Elsinore Theatre

Jun. 12 – Port Townsend, WA – Centrum Benefit Concert & Gala

Jun. 13 – Bellingham, WA – Mount Baker Theatre

Jun. 16 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre (w/ Jon Cleary)

Jun. 17 – Victoria, BC – Royal Theatre (w/ Jon Cleary)

Jun. 19 – Kelowna, BC – Prospera Place (w/ Jon Cleary)

Jun. 20 – Calgary, AB – Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (w/ Jon Cleary)

Jun. 23 – Edmonton, AB – Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium (w/ Jon Cleary)

Jun. 25 – Saskatoon, SK – TCU Place (w/ Jon Cleary)

Jun. 27 – Winnipeg, MB – Centennial Concert Hall (w/ Jon Cleary)

Aug. 12 – Hamilton, ON – FirstOntario Concert Hall

Aug. 13 – Ottawa, ON – National Arts Centre

Aug. 15 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall

Aug. 16 – Kitchener, ON – Centre In The Square

Aug. 19 – Grand Rapids, MI – DeVos Performance Hall

Aug. 20 – Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theatre at Old National Centre

Aug. 22 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Festival

Aug. 25 – Madison, WI – Overture Center

Aug. 27 – Saint Paul, MN – Minnesota State Fair Grandstand

Aug. 30 – Bonner, MT – KettleHouse Amphitheater

Sep. 01 – Bozeman, MT – Theatre at the Brick

Sep. 02 – Billings, MT – Alberta Bair Theater

Sep. 05 – Cheyenne, WY – Cheyenne Civic Center

Sep. 09 – Salt Lake City, UT – Venue TBA

Sep. 10 – Boise, ID – Outlaw Field at the Idaho Botanical Garden

Sep. 11-13 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender, Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino

Oct. 07 – Redding, CA – Redding Civic Auditorium

Oct. 09 – Reno, NV – Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra

Oct. 10 – San Francisco, CA – The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

Oct. 13 – Modesto, CA – Gallo Center for the Arts

Oct. 14 – Santa Cruz, CA – Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium

Oct. 16 – Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheatre

Oct. 17 – San Diego, CA – The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

Oct. 20 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Pantages Theatre (w/ John Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen)

Oct. 21 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Pantages Theatre (w/ John Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen)

Swedish Rock Trio Riddarna Return After Nine Years With New Album ‘Utomjordingar’

Eric Alper
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Swedish Rock Trio Riddarna Return After Nine Years With New Album ‘Utomjordingar’

Nine years is a long time to sit with an idea. Swedish rock trio Riddarna have returned with ‘Utomjordingar’, their first album since 2017, out now via Novoton on CD, vinyl, and digital formats. It is a record that moves between darkness and light, intensity and stillness, built around themes of relationships, friction, and the particular longing that comes from feeling perpetually slightly out of place.

Produced and mixed by Hasse Rosbach (Turbonegro, Highasakite), the core material was recorded live in Sandkvie with a stripped-down approach that puts the interaction of the trio front and centre. Dynamics and presence lead the way throughout, and the result is a record that feels immediate and physical in the way that only live-tracked rock can.

One of the more interesting creative decisions on ‘Utomjordingar’ involves the guitarist and bassist swapping instruments on parts of the album. The move introduces subtle shifts in arrangement and tone without unsettling the band’s fundamental sound, adding texture and new perspectives to the songwriting without drawing attention to itself.

The album is personal in subject matter but delivered with a direct, unsentimental voice, which is exactly the combination that makes it work. Songs about connection, estrangement, and the friction inside relationships land harder when they are not overexplained, and Riddarna understand that instinctively.

‘Utomjordingar’ holds together as a whole, consistent in sound and confident in form. For a band returning after nearly a decade away, it is a remarkably assured statement, one that sounds like no time was wasted.

Renée Fleming and Béla Fleck Announce Collaborative Album ‘The Fiddle and the Drum’ Featuring Dolly Parton

Eric Alper
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Renée Fleming and Béla Fleck Announce Collaborative Album ‘The Fiddle and the Drum’ Featuring Dolly Parton

Two of music’s most decorated artists have finally made the album they talked about for nearly two decades. Five-time GRAMMY-winning soprano Renée Fleming and 19-time GRAMMY-winning banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck have announced ‘The Fiddle and the Drum’, a collaborative album celebrating Appalachian bluegrass and folk music, out May 29 via Thirty Tigers. Pre-order and pre-save are available now.

The album arrives in time for the United States’ 250th anniversary, drawing from a deep well of American musical heritage. Mountain songs, haunting ballads, and folk hymns pair Fleming’s expressive voice with Fleck’s banjo, joined by leading voices from the bluegrass and country worlds. First discussed nearly two decades ago, the project was finally revisited in 2023 and recorded in Nashville with Fleck serving as producer.

The debut single is “In The Pines,” featuring 11-time GRAMMY-winning icon Dolly Parton. A traditional Appalachian melody dating back to the 1870s, it is a folk song of woe and tall tales, and the combination of these three artists on a single track is remarkable. “It was a dream to have the incomparable Dolly Parton sing on the album,” Fleming says. “Her artistry and goodness come through in every beautiful note.” Parton adds warmth and deep personal history to the recording. “I grew up singing that song in the Smoky Mountains,” she says.

Additional contributions across the album come from Vince Gill, Jerry Douglas, Aoife O’Donovan, Sierra Hull, and Sarah Jarosz, making ‘The Fiddle and the Drum’ one of the most impressive collections of bluegrass and folk talent assembled in recent memory. The performances are rooted, generous, and built for the long run.

Fleming and Fleck will bring the album to the stage with a series of special live performances featuring Fleck’s all-star bluegrass band My Bluegrass Heart, debuting at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry on May 16. The run concludes with a special concert at Carnegie Hall on December 3, with album guests joining the lineup along the way.

‘The Fiddle and the Drum’ Tracklist:

  1. He’s Gone Away / Storms Are on the Ocean
  2. In The Pines (feat. Dolly Parton)
  3. The Fiddle and the Drum (feat. Jerry Douglas)
  4. My Epitaph
  5. The Scarlet Tide (feat. Vince Gill)
  6. The Cuckoo (feat. Jerry Douglas)
  7. Blackest Crow (feat. Aoife O’Donovan)
  8. Scarlet Ribbons
  9. He’s Gone Away (reprise)
  10. Pretty Bird (feat. Sierra Hull & Sarah Jarosz)

Tour Dates:

May 16 – Nashville, TN – Grand Ole Opry

May 23 – Charleston, SC – Spoleto Festival

Jun. 19 – Telluride, CO – Telluride Bluegrass Festival

Aug. 20-22 – Chautauqua, NY – Chautauqua Institution

Dec. 03 – New York, NY – Carnegie Hall

Metal Force BIGMOTH Unleash Predator-Inspired Debut Album Title Track ‘Meggah Konstrukt’

Eric Alper
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Metal Force BIGMOTH Unleash Predator-Inspired Debut Album Title Track ‘Meggah Konstrukt’

BIGMOTH hit hard and they hit immediately. The Amsterdam-based progressive groove and hardcore-fusion metal outfit have released ‘Meggah Konstrukt’, the title track from their forthcoming debut album, out now on all major streaming platforms. Punishing riffs, dynamic shifts, intricate grooves, and unconventional song structures, the track is a full statement of what this band is capable of, delivered without compromise or warm-up.

The inspiration behind the track is specific and unexpected. “This song is inspired by one of my favourite characters since childhood, Yautja (aka Predator),” the band explains. “At the time I wanted to explore writing a more fictional lyric and have recently wrapped another marathon and a little read on Predator, so this was a fun little experiment.” The result is anything but casual. ‘Meggah Konstrukt’ channels that mythology into something genuinely ferocious.

The road to this single involved a deliberate step back. In September 2024, BIGMOTH temporarily stepped off the grid to focus on writing and recording their debut full-length, operating as a trio while conducting an extensive search for a permanent drummer. When that search proved more challenging than anticipated, they brought in acclaimed progressive drummer Mike Malyan of Monuments, who laid down the majority of the album’s drum tracks with precision and power.

With a full lineup now locked in, BIGMOTH are preparing to bring this material to the stage. The band comprises vocalist Zemfira Baghirova, guitarist Yannik Sieburg, bassist Misha Voeykov, and drummer Jynn de Jongh, each bringing a distinct musical background to a sound that fuses progressive metal, groove metal, and hardcore into something that refuses to be categorized.

Their debut album is coming in 2026, with further details to be announced. ‘Meggah Konstrukt’ is the opening shot, and it signals a band operating at full creative force with plenty more to come.

London-Born Indie Rocker Louise Aubrie Takes on Los Angeles With New Single “Midnight Calls”

Eric Alper
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London-Born Indie Rocker Louise Aubrie Takes on Los Angeles With New Single “Midnight Calls”

There is something charged about an artist stepping into entirely new territory and making it sound inevitable. Louise Aubrie, the London-born indie rocker who has spent years building a transatlantic career on sharp songwriting and guitar-driven instinct, has released “Midnight Calls,” the first single from her sixth studio album ‘LFA’, and the first record she has written and recorded entirely in Los Angeles.

Tracked at the legendary East West Studios on Sunset Boulevard and produced and mixed by Ken Sluiter, “Midnight Calls” is tight, punchy, and immediate. It captures the feeling of being on the brink of change, shaped by late-night drives through the Hollywood Hills and the mythology of a city built on reinvention. Lines like “I’m on the edge and you’ve got the looks that kill” carry both emotional weight and cinematic scale.

Aubrie is precise about what drives the song. “It’s always interesting when you have a life in both the UK and US as I find I am awake at all times of the day and night catching up with people, which can trick your brain into new areas of creativity.” That transatlantic tension is not just a backdrop. It is the engine of the whole record.

‘LFA’ is described as a love letter from London to LA, drawing from personal experience and classic film history in equal measure. Aubrie has recorded at Abbey Road and East West Studios, performed at The 100 Club in London and The Bowery Electric in New York, and worked alongside musicians including Keith Scott, Solomon Walker, and Roger Joseph Manning Jr. Her debut album ‘Fingers Crossed…’, produced by Boz Boorer, earned national radio airplay and praise from Billboard.

She has since built a steady international audience through airplay on BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music, Kerrang, and BBC Radio London. “Midnight Calls” signals exactly where she is headed, London grit meeting Los Angeles scale, and the result is one of her most confident releases to date.

Lizzo Launches New Era With Anthemic New Single “Don’t Make Me Love U”

Eric Alper
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Lizzo Launches New Era With Anthemic New Single “Don’t Make Me Love U”

Lizzo is not easing back in. The four-time GRAMMY and Emmy Award-winning singer, songwriter, rapper, and actress has released “Don’t Make Me Love U,” a new single and video that kicks off a brand new musical era. Produced by longtime collaborators Ricky Reed and Cheche Alara, the anthemic ballad is as emotionally grounded as anything she has released, and it lands with full force.

The video, directed by Tanner K Williams and shot by Bentley Rawle, is surreal, cinematic, and deliberately cerebral. It follows Lizzo alongside Lizzy, her alter ego, through a familiar internal struggle of confronting your past self, sitting with it, and eventually moving through it. Sincere and satirical in equal measure, it is a visual statement that matches the weight of the song.

The release follows a fully sold-out run of 12 performances at Blue Note Jazz Club locations in Los Angeles and New York. Variety called the shows a reminder of “what a major talent Lizzo is: a top-class singer, an engaging and entertaining performer, and to a degree we haven’t really seen before, a trained, serious musician.” She followed those dates with a sold-out performance at the Houston Rodeo in front of more than 70,000 fans.

Beyond the music, Lizzo has announced her first ever children’s book, ‘Lil Lizzo Meets Sasha B. Flootin”, published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and arriving September 8, 2026. The story follows a bubbly little girl who wants to belong and a brassy flute who cannot find her tune, winding up on a wild adventure through incredible sounds. It is a natural extension of an artist who has always led with joy and creativity.

Lizzo’s track record speaks for itself. Her Diamond record “Truth Hurts” dominated the Hot 100 for seven weeks, making her the longest running No. 1 solo female rap artist ever. “About Damn Time” made history at the 2023 GRAMMYs as the first Record of the Year win by a Black woman since 1994. Rolling Stone named “Truth Hurts” one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. “Don’t Make Me Love U” is the opening move of whatever comes next, and it is a strong one.

Soul-Pop Newcomer Chelsea Jordan Bares All on Debut EP ‘Better Late Than Not At All’

Eric Alper
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Soul-Pop Newcomer Chelsea Jordan Bares All on Debut EP ‘Better Late Than Not At All’

Chelsea Jordan has arrived with something worth sitting with. The Baltimore-born soul-pop singer-songwriter has released her new EP ‘better late than not at all’ today via Arista Records, a six-track project that traces the full emotional arc of a relationship’s end, from the uncomfortable grey area of still loving someone you have outgrown, to the harder, cleaner work of redirecting that love back to yourself.

The EP arrives on the strength of real momentum. Lead single “picky choosy” crossed 1 million streams in three weeks, landed best new music nods from Rolling Stone, NYLON, and VIBE, and secured the cover of Spotify’s “Chill Pop” playlist. Breakout track “halfwaythru” has surpassed 8 million streams since its release last August. This is not a slow build. Jordan is already moving fast.

‘better late than not at all’ pulls together Jordan’s most intimate songwriting to date. Tracks like “1 on 1” and “i’ll remember you” sit in the uncomfortable space of loving someone and knowing you have to leave. “halfwaythru” and “picky choosy” push in the other direction, forward-leaning and self-assured. The range across six tracks is genuinely impressive, soulful pop and R&B woven together with modern honesty.

“better late than not at all is the most honest and intimate body of work I’ve ever created,” Jordan says. “In it, both my softness and strength coexist. It’s sweet. It’s heartbreaking. It’s about redirecting the love I once gave away back to myself, while honoring the love that lingers for someone who’s no longer a part of my life.”

Jordan made her NYC performance debut at Terminal 5 as part of Australian pop sensation Ruel’s North American tour, which wraps at LA’s Palladium on April 8. She also attended Paris Fashion Week at both Miu Miu and Acne Studios, documented with L’OFFICIEL USA, who called her “one of the most exciting new voices in music.” With over 840K monthly Spotify listeners and half a million followers across platforms, the foundation is already in place.

‘better late than not at all’ Tracklist:

  1. 1 on 1
  2. level out
  3. halfwaythru
  4. if i’m lucky
  5. i’ll remember you
  6. picky choosy
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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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