Popular music festival Nest Fest, scheduled to be held in Hastings later this month, has been cancelled after several artists pulled out.
Organisers shared the news on social media on Thursday night and stated all tickets will be refunded for the festival.
It was scheduled to be held on Saturday January 14 at Tomoana Hawke’s Bay Showgrounds.
“Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons and circumstances out of our control (family, injury and health) we have had four of our family artist members pull out of Nest Fest at the last minute,” the post read.
“This includes Action Bronson, Pond, Methyl Ethel and DeWalta.”
Organisers explained that they had looked for replacement acts “which has proven near impossible this late into the game”.
“[It] would leave us delivering a show we feel doesn’t represent Nest Fest or what we have sold to you – our fans.
“We are gutted by this and have decided to cancel Nest Fest 2023 and to refund all current ticket holders.”
Another major music festival, Juicy Fest, was held on Thursday in Napier featuring artists such as American rapper Nelly.
Fortunately, the wet weather held out for most of that show in front of about 9000 fans.
After a punishing two years for the live music industry, pop shows returned with full force in 2022, with many of the world’s top-tier stars jostling to see their fans in a live setting once again. Punters have been faced with an embarrassment of riches, from Harry Styles’ multi-night US arena residencies to Charli XCX’s Grecian rave fantasia to Dua Lipa’s Studio 54-esque disco spectacular.
But even if you couldn’t afford the higher-than-ever price tags for big pop shows – the result of a significant labour shortage and the need for artists to recoup losses after two years without touring – it was also easier than ever, in 2022, to experience shows from afar. The year’s most-talked about tours – Lady Gaga’s Chromatica Ball, Lorde’s Solar Power tour, Rosalía for Motomami and the 1975’s At Their Very Best – felt as though they were designed to be shared on social media, with clips from each show proving inescapable on TikTok and Twitter.
Each night of Gaga’s tour trended on Twitter; each new 1975 show has led to a flood of new footage of frontman Matty Healy doing all manner of outrageous things from kissing fans to eating raw meat. For fans watching online, the beats of each show became as indelible as the actual hits.
The 1975 performing in Los Angeles, November 2022. Photograph: Jordan Curtis Hughes
Tobias Rylander, who designed the 1975’s tour, says he’s always trying to put together “a show that reads well on social media”. Over his time working with the band over the past decade, he says, his designs have become increasingly “Instagram-ready” – the band’s previous tour, for example, featured vertical screens, “so people could actually hold their phone the way they wanted to and take pretty pictures.” Rylander even says that he tries to design shows “so that any fans googling or YouTubing the show will be able to tell, by the colour of the thumbnail, what year it was and what song it was”.
For the 1975 At Their Very Best tour, Rylander and the band wanted to highlight the performers onstage – a shift from the bright LED screens and coloured lights of past shows – so he instead conceptualised a house set lit in white, like a theatre production. Part of this was due to Covid: Rylander says that because lighting technology, trucks and crews are “twice, if not three times” more expensive than pre-pandemic, “we couldn’t afford the big, expensive tech lights”. Rylander and the band were also conscious of their environmental impact, and the house set allowed them to build a show with few bespoke parts that would have to be shipped from continent to continent. Instead, the set is largely built of steel and aluminium, and has created “minimal landfill waste”. Still, one thing didn’t change: “We wanted the set to read well on camera, both moving image and still.”
‘Theatre and TV, and a rock show and a pop show’ … Lady Gaga performs her Chromatica Ball show. Photograph: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation
Rylander isn’t the only designer keeping fan footage in mind when working with pop stars. LeRoy Bennett, a lighting and production designer who works extensively with Lady Gaga, as well as Paul McCartney, Ariana Grande and the Weeknd, says that he and Gaga were “absolutely” thinking about social media when designing the Chromatica Ball. “I take that approach quite a bit because social media has become such a big part of the world,” he says.
When conceptualising the Chromatica Ball, Bennett was drawn to the “stark, strong, harsh” world of brutalist architecture; the resulting show featured a dramatic grey set bright enough to be perfectly captured for social media and neutral enough for Gaga’s outlandish outfits to stand in stark relief. “The people way at the back have to see the artist – so when you light an artist, you have to pretty much do what you would do for a television show,” he says. “It’s a combination of theatre and TV, and a rock show and a pop show. It lends itself to that social media-friendly atmosphere.”
The clean, dynamic design of the Chromatica Ball is mirrored in the sets of Rosalía, the 1975 and Lorde. Rosalía performs on a brightly lit white backdrop against which she and her dancers dance and scoot around the stage. Lorde’s show is architectural and geometric – and plainly striking enough for one fan to get a tattoo of the show’s bold centrepiece.
TikTok boom … Rosalía on her Motomami tour. Photograph: Mario Guzman/EPA
All four shows look great on TikTok. In Rosalía’s, the gigantic vertical screens on each side the stage outright mimicthe video-sharing app’s interface. Phones are situated around the stage for her musicians and dancers to broadcast to the screens throughout the show, with certain moments – selfie videos with fans taken from high-up, a spare ballad with a phone propped against the piano lid as she plays – echoing the familiar visual formatting and intimacy of popular videos on the platform.
Chiara Stephenson, a stage designer who has worked with Björk and the xx, and who worked on Lorde’s tour, describes herself as a “theatre creature” – she trained under Michael Grandage and Christopher Oram – and says she wanted to bring a “theatrical sensibility” to the Solar Power shows. Unlike Bennett and Rylander, Stephenson says that she wasn’t thinking about social media when working on the tour, despite the telegenic setup. “With the amount of people coming to see the show over the months, you can’t get away with it just being aesthetic,” she says. “What [Lorde] is doing is so rooted and grounded in the music that the law for us was: what’s enhancing the music? What’s telling a story?”
Lorde’s intention, she says, was to step away from the gargantuan LED screens that are often standard in pop shows and return to something more analogue, but still distinctive. “I’m most excited, when you’re in an arena or theatre, feeling the three-dimensionality of the light coming through whatever the sculpture or design is on stage,” Stephenson says. “That’s something you can’t ever really capture – I’m delighted that it photographed well, but that wasn’t the guiding reason.”
Even so, it’s undeniable that many of the year’s most viral moments on TikTok were derived from live shows this year: Rosalía elaborately chewing gum during her song Bizcochito, Healy relentlessly touching his crotch, Gaga belting a power ballad while wearing an Edward Scissorhands-style claw and standing on a flaming stage.
Perhaps these moments are reverse-engineered to go viral or, perhaps, fans are just sharing more content than they used to, thrilled to be back in arenas and metres away from their heroes. “Doing shows after all this time, it’s a joyous moment for the audience,” says Bennett. “People always want to go to see live entertainment. I mean – you can only watch so much TV.”
Tributes are pouring in for renowned Hong Kong composer Joseph Koo, who died in Vancouver on Tuesday.
Koo, 92, was dubbed the “godfather of Cantopop” or Cantonese pop music for laying the foundation for the genre through his TV drama theme song compositions.
He was also known for writing the scores to Bruce Lee’s Fist of Fury and The Way of the Dragon.
“Before him there wasn’t really such a thing as Cantopop,” said Allan Lau, a music producer from Vancouver, adding that most people in Hong Kong would listen to English or Mandarin songs.
“He is to Hong Kong music what Bruce Lee is to Kung Fu and martial arts.
“I guarantee you that there isn’t a single Cantonese-speaking person or a Hong Kong person who didn’t grow up listening to his music or have been influenced by his music,” he added.
Koo moved to Vancouver in the 1990s, and retired in 2015. He composed more than 1,200 songs in his decades-long career.
His farewell concert in Hong Kong — where Lau played keyboards and piano — drew about 12,000 people.
“I will always remember that that was my little gift for him,” Lau said.
Dominic Chung Siu Fung — Koo’s assistant in the 1970s, who continued to be friends with the composer while he lived in Vancouver — says Koo was a kind person, who was always eager to help young musicians.
“Anybody who wants to learn music from him, any question you want to ask him, he will answer you,” Chung said.
“He taught me how to use music to be a professional.”
Lau, who says he was inspired by Koo’s music to move to Hong Kong and pursue Cantopop as a career, recalls having lunch with the composer in Vancouver when he was in his late 80s.
“He was doing fine, but I knew that he was getting up there in age,” he said. “And so I knew that the time would be arriving, but I just never expected it to hit so suddenly.
“This is a monumental loss … You’re never prepared for the death of someone you admire so much.”
Cantopop is in good hands, he says, because of Koo’s everlasting influence on the many musicians he taught.
We hate to burst your bubble but Pop stars are here to stay.
Short for “popular,” these musicians representing genres that run the gamut from country and rap to R&B and of course Pop, have become some of the greatest icons of the modern day.
It’s no surprise that when it comes to some of the biggest celebrities on the globe, those who bring us our favorite tunes, pull on our heartstrings with powerful lyrics and speak the universal language of music, are indeed the ones that rule the world.
We become captivated by their albums, singles, stories and legacies, fascinated by who they are on—and off—stage. Buckle up as we dive into some of your favs!
To understand the world of pop music, the New York Post spoke exclusively with celebrity music producer Craig J Snider. As a team, we put our heads together to create the definitive list of pop stars astrology and the zodiac.
During our conversations, Craig discussed wanting to think outside of the box when it comes to his choices—so very few of the pop stars we’ve labeled actually are their particular zodiac sign. He wanted to spin it in a way that each of his choices mirrors the energy of each zodiac sign—and I totally applaud his creativity for that!
ARIES (MARCH 21 – APRIL 19): Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga embodies the archetype of Aries.Getty Images for Live Nation
When it comes to a powerhouse who was “born this way,” there’s only one Lady Gaga. Her legacy exemplifies a “no holds” barred approach to life, music, songwriting, fashion, acting and more. This is why she’s the perfect embodiment of the fire within an Aries! This queen has not only pushed the cultural and musical needle forward, but reinvented herself as an artist and performer numerous times. She’s a straight up warrior, for love and pop poetry! Anyone that can dominate remaking “A Star is Born” is a true legend.
TAURUS (APRIL 20 – MAY 20): Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj is a pop star not to be messed with.PA Images via Getty Images
When it comes to a pop star with a hard-hitting, stubborn edge, there’s none other than Nicki Minaj. As if she’s ruled by the planet Venus—just like Tauruses are—she brings a swag, confidence and feminine glamour to her work. Minaj is immensely strong and lives like a queen: just like the zodiac sign of the bull. However, the point that sealed the deal with this pop star pick is that she definitely has the temperament of the bull—peaceful and charming, and never someone to mess with. Beware her horns if you’ve pushed her too far!
GEMINI (MAY 21 – JUNE 20): Katy Perry
Katy Perry brings a mysterious, exciting edge to everything that she does.ABC via Getty Images
Spontaneous, hilarious and unique, Katy Perry is tremendously multi-faceted. The thing about her is that you can’t keep her in a cage! She is also the queen of camp, showing that she isn’t afraid of keeping things fresh and entertaining while having fun—just like a Gemini. She’s very smart and witty, always ready for her next big adventure. Also, anyone that jumps off the Auckland Harbour Bridge mid-tour in New Zealand is about as badass as it gets!
CANCER (JUNE 21 – JULY 22): Post Malone
Post Malone sings from the heart.Getty Images
Post Malone exemplifies the Cancer energy—and it also happens to be his actual zodiac sign! This is because on the outside, he can show he has a tough exterior, but underneath it all, he’s as sensitive, emotional and passionate as they come! This shows pure and potent Cancer vibes. He has the heart of a lover and even has found that becoming a parent is one of his greatest journeys: something that all Cancers thrive within.
LEO (JULY 23 – AUGUST 22): Beyoncé
Beyoncé is regal being that became a real life Queen.Getty Images For Parkwood Entert
When we talk about “the Queen B,” there’s no other Beyoncé! She embodies the raw fire and energy of a leader and the regality of royalty more than any other pop star on this list—and because of that, she’s the Leo pick! Since her first days in Destiny’s Child, she’s shown that she’s the main event and can carry powerful, deep musical narratives throughout her body of work.
Not only this, though, she knows how to break musical boundaries, truly create along many different mediums and “break my soul.” Another trait that links her to the Leo archetype is that she’s as loyal as they come—always standing by her man—Jay-Z. Talk about a power couple!
VIRGO (AUGUST 23 – SEPTEMBER 22): Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez has unlimited tenacity.Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images
When it comes to one of the hardest working pop stars on Earth, Jennifer Lopez embodies the unending tenacity, perseverance and desire for perfection that aligns with the archetype of Virgo. Her list of accomplishments—and skills—continues to go on and on as she pushes herself to be the best version of herself at all times. She’s a multi-talente dancer, singer, actress, fitness buff, business woman and mother. No one works harder with more esprit de corps than J Lo! What a force to be reckoned with!
LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 23 – OCTOBER 22): Jay-Z
Jay-Z has unlimited charm.FilmMagic
When it comes to a pop star who can spit rhymes, keep people on their toes and build an empire, there’s the king of hip hop for all time: the great Jay-Z! He knows how to work people—and crowds and the media—with the perfect sense of grace. Just as Libra is ruled by the planet Libra, Jay-Z knows how to blend art, music, business and pleasure! He can spin all the plates strategically and with ease!
SCORPIO (OCTOBER 23 – NOVEMBER 21): Madonna
Madonna slithers with sex.Getty Images for dcp
When it comes to a pop star who embodies pure and total sexual desire and raw power, there’s the one-and-only Madonna. Her ability to push boundaries—as well dive into her “shadow self” and emerge like a phoenix through her art and life—aligns her with Scorpio.
Scorpio rules sex—as well as transformation—something we’ve seen her do in her art, performances, video and other masterpieces, as well. She’s also “all or nothing” about everything with endless passion, drive, business-saavy and sexual libido in spades!
SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 22 – DECEMBER 21): Lizzo
Lizzo is unapologetic.AFP via Getty Images
Sagittarius energy is all about being big, bold, beautiful and unapologetic! This is why Lizzo embodies the archetype of always feeling “good as hell!” Jupiter, the planet of miracles and expansion, rules Sagittarius and is an optimistic, “go big or go home” vibe—and also aligns with how Lizzo has absolutely taken the world by storm. Lizzo’s persona bucks the current trend of lithe waifs that sing breathlessly in your ear. She comes roaring like a cannonball and dominates the stage! She is eager—and confident—as she breaks the barriers of what female artists should look and sound like. And then coming in hot with the flute? Slay, queen, slay.
CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 22 – JANUARY 19): DJ Khaled
DJ Khaled is a powerhouse.Getty Images
Capricorn energy is ambitious, long-lasting and business-saavy—so our choice for this zodiac sign is DJ Khaled! Not only has he built an empire over the last decade, he’s shown that he was a mastermind all along. This “big boss” energy—by orchestrating masterful collaborations with A-list “who’s who” music celebrities—has shown that he likes his luxury and can manifest swag forever.
AQUARIUS (JANUARY 20 – FEBRUARY 18): Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift is a revolutionary.Getty Images for Amazon
Multi-faceted, ever fluid and groundbreaking: there’s only one Taylor Swift. Aquarius is ruled by the planet of freedom and the future, Uranus. Swift brings a genre-bending and ever evolving approach to her music: from country to pop to dance to indie singer-songwriter!
The other reason we placed her here is because she’s unafraid of change and growth, as the Aquarius archetype always seeks progressive transformation. Community is also a big part of Aquarian energy, and when it comes to an artist who has inspired a generation of women—as well as a devoted, large and fierce fan base—Swift has done it all.
PISCES (FEBRUARY 19 – MARCH 20): Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber possesses tremendous levels of creativity.WireImage
Of all the icons that embody the multi-dimensional energy of Pisces, there’s only one Justin Bieber. Built from a passion to sing, express his creativity and lay his heart on his sleeve, Bieber has shown that he’s a feelings first kind of pop star! Not only this, but as Pisces is the zodiac sign most closely aligned with spirituality due to them being ruled by Neptune, he’s even found his divine connection to his “holy energy.”
Special thanks to celebrity music producer Craig J Snider for collaborating with me on this article!
Craig J Snider, Celebrity Music Producer. @CraigJSniderINKEDKENNY
Craig J. Snider is a Composer, Producer, Remixer, Songwriter, and Multi-instrumentalist who works between Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. His work includes 35+ Billboard Dance Chart #1 hits by artists such as Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake and Madonna. Recently, he and his band “The Shamanic” scored top ten hits with their first singles’ “Fire” and “FK Always.”
Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars
Kyle Thomas is a globally recognized pop culture astrologer who has been featured in “Access Hollywood,” E! Entertainment, NBC & ABC television, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Hulu, Bustle, Elite Daily, Marie Claire and more. He is known for his cosmic guidance for celebrities, business executives and prominent influencers. His work harnesses the power of the stars in regards to entertainment lifestyle and trends affecting people worldwide. For more information, visit KyleThomasAstrology.com.
Blackpink’s hit song “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” has made history for being the first music video of a K-pop group to surpass two billion views on YouTube.
The girl group’s achievement was noted by their music label YG Entertainment on its official Twitter account on Wednesday, Jan. 4.
Aside from Blackpink, the music video of “Gangnam Style” by soloist Psy was the other K-pop music video to achieve this milestone. The video, featuring fellow soloist Hyuna, has garnered over 4.6 billion views, as of this writing.
“#BLACKPINK ‘(DDU-DU DDU-DU)’ M/V HITS 2 BILLION VIEWS @Youtube. BLINKs worldwide, thank you so much,” YG’s tweet read.
#BLACKPINK ‘뚜두뚜두 (DDU-DU DDU-DU)’ M/V HITS 2 BILLION VIEWS @Youtube BLINKs worldwide, thank you so much!
The girl group also took to their official Instagram account to share the news on the same day.
The music video of “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” features Blackpink members Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa, and Rosé performing the song in a variety of glamorous outfits. The single was dropped in June 2018, along with the release of their first Korean EP “Square Up.”
A Japanese version of the single was released in August 2018.
Blackpink was formed under YG Entertainment and debuted in August 2016. The girl group is known for their hit songs “Pink Venom,” “Kill This Love,” “How You Like That,” and “Shut Down,” among others.
Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa are set to meet their Filipino fans at the Philippine Arena for their “Born Pink” world tour on March 25 and 26. EDV
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Love Shack is your ultimate 80’s party band featuring some of New Zealand’s finest and most experienced musicians. Relive the magical days of dancing the night away, rocking out to your favourite songs of the 80’s.
“I’ve performed at Gardens Magic before, most recently with my other band Hobnail in 2018.
“I’ve also been in the audience many times, most memorably to see the Warratahs, Sam Hunt, Darren Watson with Smokeshop, and The Frank Burkitt Band.
“It’s always a great atmosphere, family friendly, we usually have a group of us with picnic blankets and food. Great night out. For free!
“Playing to a large crowd in such a beautiful setting is a joy. I love playing with Love Shack and can’t wait to see how the audience will respond. We are an unashamed nostalgia show and our audiences are usually up and dancing from the first song.”
Gardens Magic Concert Series
Āhea | When 8pm–9.15pm, Tuesday 10 – Sunday 29 January 2023 Ki hea | Where Botanic Garden Ki Paekākā Soundshell | View on Google Maps Te utu | Cost Free
Kids Garden Trail
Āhea | When 10am-5pm daily, Tuesday 10 – Sunday 29 January 2023 Ki hea | Where Botanic Garden Ki Paekākā | View on Google Maps Te utu | Cost Free
Enjoy a free, fun summer’s day out with the kids, exploring the Kids Garden Trail. Join our Space Explorer in her voyage discovering the remarkable plants and animals of the Botanic Garden. Pick up a mission report activities sheet at the Tree House or Space Place or find online in January.
Light Display
Āhea | When 9pm-10.30pm daily, Tuesday 10 – Sunday 29 January 2023 Ki hea | Where Botanic Garden Ki Paekākā | View on Google Maps Te utu | Cost Free
As the sun sets see the gardens transform with a magical light display by MJF Lighting.
We encourage everyone to use public transport or walk, ride, scoot or car share to avoid parking frustration during this busy time. If you do drive, remember to Drive Safe, Drive Sober.
For more information about Gardens Magic and the full programme visit wellington.govt.nz/gardens-magic and keep an eye on Council’s social media channels for weather updates.
Two new songs took over the top three for the first Soompi Music Chart of 2023.
Debuting at No. 1 is NCT DREAM’s “Candy,” the title track from their winter special mini album. A remake of H.O.T.’s hit song released in 1996, “Candy” is reinterpreted with a refreshing and hip arrangement showcasing NCT DREAM’s own color added to the original song’s cheerful melody. Congratulations to NCT DREAM!
Holding steady at No. 2 is LE SSERAFIM’s former No. 1 song “ANTIFRAGILE,” marking its ninth week in the top two of the chart.
Debuting at No. 3 is rookie group NewJeans’s “Ditto.” A pre-released track from NewJeans’ single album “OMG,” “Ditto” is a song with a charming mesh of a warm and cozy choir pad sound together with a classic old school drum break.
Take Our Poll
Singles Music Chart – January 2023, Week 1
Rank
Song
Artist/Band
11 (-2)
WHEN I MOVE
KARA
12 (–)
Polaroid
Lim Young Woong
13 (+1)
Rush Hour (feat. J-Hope)
Crush
14 (-4)
Cheshire
ITZY
15 (–)
자격지심 (Complex (feat. Zico))
BE’O
16 (+5)
도깨비불 (Illusion)
aespa
17 (+1)
Monologue
Tei
18 (-2)
딱 10CM만 (Just 10 centimeters)
10CM, BIG Naughty
19 (–)
Yet To Come
BTS
20 (+2)
DICE
NMIXX
21 (new)
Celebrate
Super Junior
22 (+10)
잘가요 (Goodbye)
Juho
23 (-3)
CASE 143
Stray Kids
24 (new)
PRESENT
Moonbyul
25 (+3)
그라데이션 (Gradation)
10CM
26 (-3)
첫사랑 (Amor)
Baek A
27 (-3)
해요 (2022) (haeyo (2022))
An Nyeong
28 (new)
그대를 알고 (Since I knew you)
Song Ha Ye
29 (-2)
Talk that Talk
TWICE
30 (+1)
그때 그 순간 그대로 (그그그) (At That Moment)
WSG WANNABE (Gaya-G)
31 (new)
Snow Prince
MIRAE
32 (-19)
The Astronaut
Jin
33 (-3)
떠나보낼 준비해 둘걸 그랬어 (Get Ready To Leave)
Onestar
34 (new)
그 겨울이 잠든 거리에서 (The street where our winter is)
GyeongseoYeji, Jeon Gunho
35 (new)
나의 X에게 (Dear my X)
KyoungSeo
36 (new)
UTOPIA
Forestella
37 (-8)
정이라고 하자 (Beyond Love (feat. 10cm))
BIG Naughty
38 (-5)
우린 그렇게 사랑해서 (Because we loved)
Kang Min Kyung, Choi Jung Hoon
39 (+8)
놓아줘 (Chase)
Minho
40 (-6)
FOREVER 1
Girls’ Generation
41 (-16)
Back Down
P1Harmony
42 (-5)
사랑인가 봐 (Love, Maybe)
MeloMance
43 (–)
When I Get Old
Christopher, Chungha
44 (-5)
보고싶었어 (I Missed You)
WSG WANNABE (4FIRE)
45 (new)
숲의 목소리 (Voice of the Forest)
Maktub
46 (new)
푸른꽃 (Blue Flower)
Lia
47 (-21)
흩어지지 않게 (Eternity)
M.C the MAX
48 (-10)
내 기쁨은 너가 벤틀리를 끄는 거야 (My Pleasure Is That You Ride The Bentley)
Kim Seung Min
49 (-9)
That That (feat. Suga)
PSY
50 (new)
이별이 늦어져서 미안해 (too late)
Chunji
About the Soompi Music Chart
Soompi Music Chart takes into account rankings by various major music charts in Korea as well as the hottest trending artists on Soompi, making it a unique chart that reflects what’s going on in K-pop not only in Korea but around the world. Our chart is composed of the following sources:
Circle Singles + Albums – 30% Hanteo Singles + Albums – 20% Spotify Weekly Chart – 15% Soompi Airplay – 15% YouTube K-pop Songs + Music Videos – 20%
The brand new documentary series Sometimes When We Touch is all set to make its arrival this Tuesday, January 3, 2023, at 3 am ET/ 12 am PT on Paramount+. The show will consist of a total of three parts and chronicle the epic history of Soft Rock music.
The Lauren Lazin-directed documentary is written by Chuck Thompson. In addition, Sometimes When We Touch will see Pete Sepenuk as the narrator of the docu-series. The show is produced by Van Toffler, with Bruce Gillmer, David Gale, Chuck Thompson, and Vanessa WhiteWolf serving as the executive producers. Besides them, MTV Entertainment Studios and Gunpowder & Sky have co-produced the Paramount+ docu-series.
A still from Sometimes When We Touch (Image Via Paramount Plus/YouTube)
Ever since the official trailer for the show was launched by Paramount+, the audience, especially the admirers of the Soft-Rock genre in music, has been eagerly waiting to see what the documentary series will bring to the table.
The three-part docu-series Sometimes When We Touch will chronicle the development of Soft Rock as a music genre
Trailer and what can be expected from the docu-series?
The trailer of the much-anticipated docu-series was released by Paramount+ on December 13, 2022. Following this, fans of the Soft Rock music genre soon expressed their excitement to watch the series.
Apart from that, Paramount+ also published an official synopsis for Sometimes When We Touch, which read:
“Soft Rock dominated pop music. Then became a punch line. Now its influence is felt everywhere from hip-hop samples to TikTok. The exclusive new series charts a musical movement through its most treasured songs, stories and stars.”
Subtitled The Reign, Ruin and Resurrection of Soft Rock, the docu-series will delve deep into all the stages the music genre has gone through to date. Moreover, it will take the audience on a nostalgic journey to the colorful and thrilling world of Soft Rock music while also providing the viewers with insights into the lives of great artists associated with the genre.
A still from Sometimes When We Touch (Image Via Paramount Plus/YouTube)
While talking about the Paramount+ documentary series to Variety magazine, The Gunpowder & Sky CEO, Van Toffler, said:
“You can trash, bash and malign soft rock as much as you want, but I bet you know every song in the Hall & Oates catalog,…Personally, I’m happy that the kids are finally learning about the virtues of the Carpenters and Michael McDonald via their sampling in current hip-hop.”
Who will be featured in the docu-series?
A still from Sometimes When We Touch (Image Via Paramount Plus/YouTube)
The list of artists whose hit songs will appear in the documentary series includes John Oates, Daryl Hall, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald, Air Supply, the Carpenters, Ambrosia, Lionel Richie, and Captain & Tennille.
In addition, the artists who will be interviewed in the series entails Sheryl Crow, Run DMC’s Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Stewart Copeland of the Police, Susanna Hoffs, Richard Marx, LA Reid, Verdine White, Robert “Kool” Bell, Toni Tennille, Loggins, Ray Parker Jr., Dan Hill, and a few others.
Iggy Pop’s life and work constitute one of music’s most remarkable survival stories. The savage and hair-raising ruckus he made with the Stooges in the late 1960s and early ’70s was some of the greatest and most influential rock ’n’ roll ever, and it was basically ignored or derided by the mainstream during the band’s brief original existence. Pop’s solo work has been almost as artistically significant — and somewhat more commercially successful — with albums like “The Idiot” (1977) and “New Values” (1979) continually finding eager listeners among successive waves of young musicians. Still, he didn’t really get his due until middle age, occasioned by the cultural ascension of those artists he influenced and the Stooges reforming in 2003. But his musical perseverance is only half the tale. The other half is that he lived long enough to reach beloved elder-statesman status. Pop is infamously uninhibited as a live performer — tales of self-mutilation and physical abandon are legion — and as a person (also legion are tales of substance abuse). It’s neither glib nor callous to say an early death probably wouldn’t have shocked those who knew him. Yet here he is, with 75 years behind him and a strong new album, this month’s “Every Loser,” ahead. “When I started, the demand was very low,” Pop says with a conspiratorial smile. “Now I’ve got more than enough to do.”
I think a big part of why your music still radiates, especially the Stooges’, is that its feelings of danger and transgression don’t fade. You can’t listen to that stuff and think it was made by choirboys. But my question — and it’s more general rather than specific to you — is whether an artist needs to live outside the boundaries of polite society in order to make music that also exists outside those boundaries. I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s just that if you’re living in a different way, different situations are going to present themselves. I did hang and do drugs with some tough boys. I remember when cocaine came in the Detroit area — started coming in big, probably with the biker gangs — and I did some at a party where everybody was doing it and the music was loud and the drink was flowing and an inner voice said to me, “Jim, this isn’t what you do well.” It didn’t stop me, because I heard that other voice too. But I’ve been going to bed early for years now.
Iggy and the Stooges around 1969 — from left, Scott Asheton, Ron Asheton, Dave Alexander and Iggy Pop. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Is it interesting that the voice in your head said “Jim” and not “Iggy”? Because my understanding is that for a long time there was a Jekyll-and-Hyde relationship between Iggy Pop the persona and Jim Osterberg the real person. But to my ears, anyway, the space between the two seems to have collapsed as time has gone by. The music on “Avenue B” or “Préliminaires” sounds much less attached to a preconceived persona and much more like a guy singing about his life. Is that how it feels to you? I went on that Iggy path with the Stooges, and once you start and you get somewhere, you just go with it. But what happens is, if you do that over and over, it peters out. Finally it got to a point with “Avenue B” — I was hitting 50 and hitting a wall, and I was fed up, and as I said on the first song, “I didn’t want to take any more [expletive].” If you yell, “I ain’t gonna take any [expletive]” on a rock song that’s one thing. But if you quietly say it to some sepulchral music, that’s a different thing, because you’re facing darkness once you hit 50. I was also having a divorce, so I wanted to sing about a Nazi girlfriend and trying to [expletive] her on the floor. It was a dark feeling. But I always believed that if I did it — whatever it was — for real, then an audience was going to be there. And “Préliminaires” came about because I was at an age where Michel Houellebecq’s novels were important to me. There are some very comic, soulful and sensible solutions to middle-aged male problems in those novels. I was asked to contribute a song to a documentary about him, and then other songs on “Préliminaires” were triggered by Michel’s books. The point of all this is, if you keep going, possibilities open up.
Michel Houellebecq is a writer a lot of people disagree on. Yeah, I can never understand why. But that shows who I am.
Maybe it does. But one subject that makes people take issue with him is the way he writes about sexual power dynamics. Whether he’s accurate or not, who knows, but he’s opening a window on certain ways of thinking. And hearing you mention him makes me wonder if you can do that, too,because it’s clear from reading books about you that back in the ’70s you were pretty much living the stereotype of the sexual-free-for-all rock ’n’ roll lifestyle.How do you think about that experience now, when attitudes about sex have shifted so much? I’m even thinking of your own memoir, in which you were talking about a 13-year-old, and you said, “She looked at me penetratingly” and then “You can figure out what happened next.”Well, now I’m married to someone around 50 years old and I’m a much different person than I was.
I know you are, and I’m not judging or asking you to judge. But I’m asking if you can recall how you understood the sexual dynamics of the rock-music world back then. Maybe you had ambivalence, maybe everything seemed great, maybe you just didn’t think about any of this at all. I don’t have much to tell you. I’m not going to list in detail my experiences when they’re that private, other than in terms of what you read.
Pop performing in Cincinnati in 1970. Tom Copi/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
I’m definitely not asking you to detail private experiences. I’m asking about feelings and thoughts. I don’t think that I was really thinking about anything. Except I think most artists, when they’re young, pursue beauty when it presents itself. Things were much different in those times in general. Much, much different. That’s all I would say about that.
Ah, OK. The new album is kind of more meat-and-potatoes rock ’n’ roll than your last few. Why did you go back in that direction? It was Andrew Watt. We talked because he wanted me to work on a Morrissey record. I was speaking with Andrew, and after a half-hour on the phone, he says to me, “Are you ready to be yourself again?” I said, “Which one?” because I didn’t want to get nailed down by this kid. But I knew what he meant. I said, “Sure, send me some tracks.” As the tracks came, I saw the opportunity. For some time now, my M.O. has been like a chick at the disco, you know? You dress up, go sit by the wall, and see who asks. That’s pretty much it.
On the credits of the new album, you give special thanks to Taylor Hawkins. He’s not the only guy you made music with whom you lost prematurely. Do you ever wonder why them and not you? Is there a way you’ve tried to make sense of it? My doctor tells me I have a strong immune system, but I don’t think that’ll do it for you. By some miracle, at certain times I pulled back. The other thing — it’s hokey maybe, but maybe not — is my mother’s love and prayers. I believe that. Because there were times when it just — there was one time I was hanging out with a couple members of the MC5 and I turned blue. They didn’t know what to do. I just remember I woke up in a bathtub full of ice. They threw me in ice, and that didn’t work, so they shot me up with salt to bring me back. There were a couple of different times. Not just with that but also with drug-related boom-boom.
Pop in 1970. Tom Copi/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
What do you mean? Once, in Hollywood, the hotel that is now the Mondrian used to be a pretty edgy condo building, and I was in the same room with somebody who had a large vial of cocaine, and it turned out to be stolen. There was a knock on the door and the lady whose apartment it was opened the door a little and boom! A big guy burst in, and then a bunch of guys behind him all with guns. They put guns to everybody’s head, and while they were trying to figure out what to do with us, one of them said: “That’s Iggy! Let him go.” [Laughs.] Now, that’s just — whoa. That moment is one for which I’m eternally grateful.
And you believe your mom was looking out for you at times like that? Hovering over me. She never gave up on me. She would send me an envelope about once a week when I lived in Los Angeles with a $20 and a $5 in it. I could always talk to her on the phone. But there were dangerous times. Another time my arms swelled up because of poison in my system. Once I started seeing a doctor regularly, the doctor said, “Well, you’ve certainly done some drugs.” Then he said, “You had an infected heart, and you have healed.” He also told me it’s enlarged by about 50 percent — muscle-bound, because it had to work so hard. I think about these things sometimes and try to makelife worthwhile, try to enjoy something. Not everything. [Laughs.] Try to enjoy when you can be a good guy. Other than that, I don’t know. It was 1983 when I made a conscious decision: I have to stop the way I’m living. I have to clean up. I have to be with one person. I went that way, and for about a year I’d trip every month or two and make a big mess, but then it stuck.
What made you change? I could see the end of the road. My teeth were falling out, my ankles were swelling up, my music was getting [expletive]. I wasn’t satisfying myself or doing good for anybody else.
Pop around 1979. Allan Tannenbaum/Getty Images
You said your mother never gave up on you. Did you ever give up on yourself? Not consciously. There was a certain period when I had a mixture of frustration and it turned to anger, and as it turned to anger, the anger — once you give in to that then you’re not yourself anymore. Just like you’ve got to work on your music, you’ve got to work on yourself too. I don’t get a gold medal for anything, but I never gave up on making art. Never gave up that — one bit.
The other day I saw that an old Patti Smith song with a racial slur in the title was taken off the streaming services. And then I was listening to the “New Values” album and heard your song “African Man,” which doesn’t have anything nearly as bad as that slur in it but the joke of it sure hasn’t aged well. It made me wonder what you think about the idea of taking offensive material out of circulation. “African Man,” here’s what happened: I nicked a lyric, and I didn’t even mean to. I couldn’t think up anything else to go with that music, and I had seen an African artist play in a tiny club in Berlin, and it was totally different music. But he had that lyric, and I thought, Boy, that’s fun, and why can’t I sing that too? Right away, a lot of people, people like you, people who do the job of thinking and commenting, critics, said what a terrible song this is. I would put it this way: It’s the weakest song on the album. If the record company wanted to knock that off the album, I’d be all for that.
But my question is not about that one song so much as it’s about the bigger question of expunging material after the fact. I mean, I bet there’s also material on “Metallic K.O.” that maybe you aren’t thrilled about. But that’s also a historically important record the way it is. You mean would I try to suppress that? No. I would say that’s an individual decision and depends on the type of artist and person you are. I can’t see what possible value — OK, nobody would ever hear me say, “You throw all this [expletive] you want at me, your girlfriend’s still gonna want to blankety blank blank!” Big deal. We did a gig, it wasn’t going very well, and some guy thought, This is an interesting document, I’m going to put it out. At least it was different than the same old contrived [expletive]. If I decided I was going to go now and try to clean up everything I’ve ever done, that would make me Sisyphus. I’d be rolling that damn stone up the mountain until I die.
Pop during a performance in 1993. Catherine McGann/Getty Images
Whenever I watch old concert footage of you or look at old photos and see the way you were using your body — it’s this tool for confrontation. But these days, at least the times I’ve seen you play, your body evokes totally different feelings — joy and even solidarity. When did you realize your body meant something different than it used to? It came on as people first seemed to be accepting the music. Then I started noticing they were accepting me. That’s an awfully good feeling, especially after you’ve been at it for 50 years. I’m nicked up at this point. I broke a foot. I dislocated a shoulder. There’s osteoarthritis in the right hip and the body in general. There’s scoliosis in thespine. But I can center a song better than I ever could. I know what I’m doing. Since the Stooges re-formed I’ve had nothing but good bands. I don’t have to get drunk and stoned to make the music sound good. I did that for many years. But in 50 years maybe I did two bad shows. I remember one was at the Ritz in New York City. It was probably around 1980, ’81. I was feeling like I don’t have the energy for this tonight, and the bass player said, “I’ve got a hit of orange sunshine.” So I took a hit and — woo! I walked out on stage and the band started the first number. I looked to my left and I looked to the right and I waved my hands and said: “Stop! That sounds like [expletive]! Play something else!” I tried to walk offstage and my tour manager grabbed me and said — he’s Scottish — “Ye are going to stay on that stage for 45 more minutes or we’re not getting paid!” and he pushed me back out. I think that night I broke a Jack Daniel’s bottle over the microphone. It was a mess. I got cut up a little. But I’ve done good work when it comes to the gig. That’s always been the one place where I felt, OK, whatever you take away from me, I can control that. I don’t how I started on that rant, but you got me going!
That Scottish manager you mentioned before, was that Tarquin Gotch?No, no. Tarquin was at one of the record companies I was at for a while, wasn’t he? I’m talking about a guy named Henry.
I was curious because I thought Tarquin Gotch was involved in your career at some point and now he’s involved with AC/DC, which is a whole other side of the hard-rock coin. Actually, what’s his name, Scott, the AC/DC singer?
Bon Scott. Yeah, Bon. I had some very wonderful encounter with Bon somewhere, and we were both drunk and stoned. I see pictures sometimes. I go, I don’t remember, but that’s me with Bon! I loved what he did. They had a manager many years ago, when I hadn’t re-formed the Stooges, I hadn’t moved to England, and this guy said, “Are you interested in joining AC/DC?” They were looking for a singer.
Whoa, that’s a real what-if scenario. Did you consider it? No, because I listened to their record. I thought, I can’t fill that bill. I wasn’t like, ugh, I don’t like them. It was quite well made. They do careful work. But I’m not what they needed.
Pop performing in New York City in 2009. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
You said before that it wasn’t until relatively late in your career when you started to feel that audiences accepted you as a person. So back in like — I’m just throwing out years here — 1975 or 1983, what feeling were you getting from audiences who came to see you if it wasn’t acceptance?They were just kind of staring at me. In the era from ’75 to ’83 pretty much everybody just stared at me. All over the world, people stared.
You felt like a curiosity? I’m not sure. I was never sure what it was. I thought, Better this than not getting attention. But still, I wanted something more.
How much is your overall view of humanity and your own internal sense of worth dictated by the external response to your music? One hundred ten percent. I’ve been thinking, What is it about “Metallic K.O.”? And I remembered, Oh, [expletive], that’s got “Rich Bitch” on it. I was very angry and hurt, and I had somebody in mind, and I wasn’t doing well in my career, and I thought that person was the reason I wasn’t. So yeah, I went through negative stages until finally that got better by degrees and I wasn’t giving up on audiences or lashing out.
So now, when the career vibes are all good, it’s fair to say that you feel better about other people and the world? You betcha. [Laughs.] I’ve got to say, it makes all the difference.
This interview has been edited and condensed from two conversations.
David Marchese is a staff writer for the magazine and writes the Talk column. He recently interviewed Lynda Barry about the value of childlike thinking, Father Mike Schmitz about religious belief and Jerrod Carmichael on comedy and honesty.
SZA will perform in Oakland in March. Photo: Jamaal Ellis / Contributor
New year, new outlook on the live music scene.
As more people are becoming comfortable going back to mega concerts to sing along and sweat it out with thousands of fellow music lovers, some of pop’s biggest stars are embarking on ambitious shows that can help fans party like it’s 2019.
Here’s a look ahead at some of the biggest concerts, tours and festivals coming to the Bay Area in 2023.
SZA
SZA, who performed at this year’s Outside Lands Festival in Golden Gate Park, is set to head out on her first headlining arena tour in 2023, with plans to bring her “SOS” North American tour to the Oakland Arena.
The 17-city tour in support of the R&B star’s sophomore album of the same name, which arrives five years after her 2017 debut, “Ctrl,” and features collaborators such as Travis Scott, Don Tolliver and fellow Outside Lands veteran Phoebe Bridgers.
Depeche Modeplans to launch its first tour in five years — the first since the death of founding memberAndy “Fletch” Fletcher— in Northern California.
The surviving members of the British synth-pop band, which was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020, are touring in support of their forthcoming 15th studio album, “Memento Mori,” which is set for release in the spring.
7:30 p.m. March 23. Golden 1 Center, 500 David J. Stern Walk, Sacramento; 7:30 p.m. March 25, SAP Center, 525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose. www.ticketmaster.com
Blink-182
Tom DeLonge (left), Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus of Blink-182. Photo: Kevin Winter / TNS
Reunited with original guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, who left the band in 2015, Blink-182 plans to set off on an extensive world tour that is expected to kick off in March and include a pair of Northern California dates. The group is expected to release a full-length reunion album as well.
Blink-182 last performed in the Bay Area as part of the Outside Lands festival in San Francisco — with guitarist Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio — in 2019.
7:30 p.m. June 22. SAP Center, 525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose; 7:30 p.m. June 23. Golden 1 Center, 500 David J. Stern Walk, Sacramento. www.ticketmaster.com
Mosswood Meltdown
Mosswood Meltdown is slated to take over Oakland’s Mosswood Park on July 1-2, with the only Bay Area appearance of 2023 by the feminist electro-pop act Le Tigre.
The bill for the annual underground festival also includes local electro-clash band Gravy Train, indie-pop act the Rondelles, garage rockers Tina & the Total Babes and novelty dance music duo Quintron & Miss Pussycat.
Filmmaker and authorJohn Watersis expected to return as master of ceremonies.
Noon. July 1-2. Mosswood Park, 3612 Webster St., Oakland. www.mosswoodmeltdown.com
Dead & Company
Dead & Companysays its summer 2023 outing will be its last. But the members of the group — which include John Mayer and surviving Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, along with Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti — are unlikely to take much time off.
“Don’t worry, we will all be out there in one form or another until we drop,” Weir says.
7 p.m. July 14-16. Oracle Park, 24 Willie Mays Plaza, S.F. www.ticketmaster.com
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift will return to Levi’s Stadium in July. Photo: Joel C Ryan / Invision / AP
Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated return to the home of the San Francisco 49ers is set for July 28-29. The pop star previously performed at Levi’s Stadium during her “Reputation” tour in 2018 and “1989” tour in 2015, packing the outdoor arena with 55,000 fans each night. This time it’s for the “Eras” tour — which short-circuited the Ticketmaster site — in support of her latest chart-topping release, “Midnights.”
Openers for her Bay Area dates are expected to be Haim and Gracie Abrams.
6:30 p.m. July 28-29. Levi’s Stadium, 4900 Marie P. DeBartolo Way, Santa Clara.www.ticketmaster.com
Death Cab for Cutie/The Postal Service
Ben Gibbardplans to perform double duty on an upcoming co-headlining tour byDeath Cab for Cutieandthe Postal Service. Each act — Gibbard serves as frontman for both — is marking the 20th anniversary of their landmark albums by playing them in full.
For Death Cab, it’s 2003’s “Transatlanticism,” and for the Postal Service, “Give Up,” which was released the same year.
Anita Baker performs in 2007 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Photo: Stephen Chernin / AP
Anita Baker
Anita Bakeris set to embark on her first full tour in 28 years in 2023, playing 15 cities before closing out the limited run of shows at Oakland Arena next December. The Grammy-winning R&B singer’s tour marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the debut album, “The Songstress” . It marks the first time the 64-year-old has been on a full tour since 1995, and the first time she will perform her classic hits live, including “Giving You the Best That I Got” and “Sweet Love,” since winning back the rights to her masters.
