According to Big Hit Music, BTS’s music video for their smash hit “Dynamite” surpassed 1.6 billion views on November 22 at approximately 4:26 a.m. KST—making it their second music video to do so after “Boy With Luv,” which reached the milestone earlier this month.
BTS originally released “Dynamite” on August 21, 2020 at 1 p.m. KST, meaning that it took just over 2 years, 3 months, and 15 hours to hit the 1.6 billion mark.
“Dynamite” has now become the fastest K-pop group music video ever to reach 1.6 billion views, breaking the previous record of 2 years, 11 months, 19 days, and 13 hours set by BLACKPINK‘s “DDU-DU DDU-DU.”
Congratulations to BTS on their historic achievement!
Watch the record-breaking music video for “Dynamite” again below:
Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.
Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got new music from Weyes Blood, Phoebe Bridgers, Fred Again.., Andy Shauf, and more.
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Weyes Blood — And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow
Weyes Blood makes music for people who want to transcend. Somehow she never misses. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow is a stunning, sprawling dive into a new world. “Hearts Aglow” feels like slow-dancing on another planet; “Twin Flame” has the texture of an electrifying love. Every song soars with ambition and sincerity.
Phoebe Bridgers — “So Much Wine”
It’s the holiday season, which means we get new covers from Phoebe Bridgers that will break our hearts. “So Much Wine,” a Handsome Family cover, accomplishes this off the bat: “I had nothing to say on Christmas day / When you threw all your clothes in the snow / When you burnt your hair, and you knocked over chairs / I just tried to stay out of your way,” she sings.
Tennis — “One Night With The Valet”
In 2020, Swimmer, the latest Tennis album, was a bit overshadowed by the pandemic. But it was full of beautiful, timeless tracks like the enchanting “Need Your Love” or the mesmeric “Runner.” They just announced a new record for next year, Pollen, and previewed it with “One Night With The Valet.” It’s a breath of fresh air, swirling with beauty, atmospheric and sweet.
DIIV — “When You Sleep” (My Bloody Valentine Cover)
DIIV are paying their dues with this cover of My Bloody Valentine’s classic hit “When You Sleep,” which was performed live at Murmrr Theater in Brooklyn. Somehow they make the words decipherable, trading in heavy noise for lighter instrumentation. They bring a new sense of clarity to the song, making it their own.
Andy Shauf — “Wasted On You”
In “Wasted On You,” Andy Shauf opens the new song by asking, “What happens when they die? / Maybe eternal life.” His voice is soft and thoughtful against tame instrumentation, accompanied with a playful music video taking place in heaven in the clouds. The four-minute ballad is a reprieve, but it also has a subtle layer of darkness.
Maz — “Maybe Love”
“Maybe Love” by Maz is a skittish pop song, compelling with her ethereal, curious vocals and a sputtering rhythm. An unexpected, electrifying guitar solo halfway through jolts the listener into an even more intrigued state; at fewer than three minutes, “Maybe Love” doesn’t waste a single second.
The Wombats — “Dressed To Kill”
The Wombats are celebrating 15 years since their classic debut A Guide To Love, Loss & Desperation, which contains their timeless hit “Let’s Dance To Joy Division.” They haven’t lost any of their spark since then; their newest track “Dressed To Kill” is as ebullient and infectious as ever, determined and still dedicated to chaos: “Let’s have the best worst night / We’ve ever had in our lives,” sings bandleader Matthew Murphy.
Phantom Youth — “Stay And Run”
“Stay And Run” by Phantom Youth is a nice dose of disorientation. The song moves freely, interspersed with jittery sounds and hypnotic vocals. It makes time stop; all that exists is the boundless music.
Fred Again.., Romy — “Strong”
Fred Again.. is having a good year with the release of his new album Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022). Now, he’s teamed up with Romy for this atmospheric earworm that’s buoyed forward by an infectious rhythm and stunning vocals, putting the listener in a trance.
King Isis — “4Leaf Clover”
King Isis is an up-and-coming artist whose new song “4Leaf Clover” is enough to convince a listener of her expertise. Her vocals are sincere and compelling as she sings vulnerably against the sparse chords of an acoustic guitar; her lyrics hit the sweet spot: “What’s the rush? / You do too much / Or not enough.”
Fred Again.. is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden has once again transformed into a garden of light with the return of its Lightscape holiday event.
The after dark walk-through experience has taken over a mile-long path of the 127-acre Arboretum with a display of 18 elaborate installations that mix light sculptures and special effects with upbeat holiday-themed music.
“It’s a marriage of spectacular lights and the natural beauty of landscape and plants,” said Richard Schulhof, director at Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. “Each experience is quite different, so it’s sort of a journey.”
Here is a look at five experiences guests will come across in Lightscape, which runs select evenings through Jan. 8, 2023.
The Los Angeles County Arboretum welcomed back Lightscape, an after-dark light installation that covered some of the park’s trails, in Arcadia, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2022. The one mile walk-through, which is made up of several light installations that are coupled with music and special effects, runs until January 8. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
The Los Angeles County Arboretum welcomed back Lightscape, an after-dark light installation that covered some of the park’s trails, in Arcadia, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2022. The one mile walk-through, which is made up of several light installations that are coupled with music and special effects, runs until January 8. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
The Los Angeles County Arboretum welcomed back Lightscape, an after-dark light installation that covered some of the park’s trails, in Arcadia, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2022. The one mile walk-through, which is made up of several light installations that are coupled with music and special effects, runs until January 8. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Guests make their way through the Lightscape, an after-dark light installation at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2022. The one mile walk-through is made up of several light installations that are coupled with music and special effects that covers part of the 127-acre property. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
The Los Angeles County Arboretum welcomed back Lightscape, an after-dark light installation that covered some of the park’s trails, in Arcadia, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2022. The one mile walk-through, which is made up of several light installations that are coupled with music and special effects, runs until January 8. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
The Los Angeles County Arboretum welcomed back Lightscape, an after-dark light installation that covered some of the park’s trails, in Arcadia, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2022. The one mile walk-through, which is made up of several light installations that are coupled with music and special effects, runs until January 8. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
The Los Angeles County Arboretum welcomed back Lightscape, an after-dark light installation that covered some of the park’s trails, in Arcadia, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2022. The one mile walk-through, which is made up of several light installations that are coupled with music and special effects, runs until January 8. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
The Los Angeles County Arboretum welcomed back Lightscape, an after-dark light installation that covered some of the park’s trails, in Arcadia, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2022. The one mile walk-through, which is made up of several light installations that are coupled with music and special effects, runs until January 8. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Guests make their way through the Lightscape, an after-dark light installation at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2022. The one mile walk-through is made up of several light installations that are coupled with music and special effects that covers part of the 127-acre property. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Guests make their way through the Lightscape, an after-dark light installation at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2022. The one mile walk-through is made up of several light installations that are coupled with music and special effects that covers part of the 127-acre property. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Guests make their way through the Lightscape, an after-dark light installation at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2022. The one mile walk-through is made up of several light installations that are coupled with music and special effects that covers part of the 127-acre property. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
The Los Angeles County Arboretum welcomed back Lightscape, an after-dark light installation that covered some of the park’s trails, in Arcadia, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2022. The one mile walk-through, which is made up of several light installations that are coupled with music and special effects, runs until January 8. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Guests make their way through the Lightscape, an after-dark light installation at the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2022. The one mile walk-through is made up of several light installations that are coupled with music and special effects that covers part of the 127-acre property. (Photo by Trevor Stamp, Contributing Photographer)
Another world
Located in the Arboretum’s tropical forest area, which is made up of large trees and lush green plants, guests will feel like they’ve entered another dimension when they come upon the Laser Garden. Fog machines combined with subtle dark blue lighting set the tone for a walk through this installation that features hundreds of green, fast-moving laser lights being reflected on all the tropical trees and plants. In the background there’s ambient music and the sound of running water. As you slowly walk through the dark space, it’ll be easy to imagine that maybe you just landed in the middle of a fairy tale forest, or maybe even in the movie “Avatar.” It’s really that cool.
Get the selfie
The entire Lightscape exhibit is a selfie lover’s dream, but one particular installation seems to be attracting lines of selfie snappers. The Whole Hole is a tunnel made up of hundreds of white LED strips that light up in sequence to make it appear as if they’re drawing you into a sort of wormhole. During a recent visit, about a dozen people waited in line so they could stand in front of the tunnel and snap a pic. “It’s pretty magical,” said 34-year-old Sandra Lopez, who had just taken a picture with her family in front of the installation. “It almost looks like something from outer space.”
The party spot
Feel the rhythm of the trees at the Jungle Disco. With pop music playing in the background and a giant disco ball hanging from a tree, this spot had visitors shaking their hips on a recent chilly night as disco lights of all colors moved and pulsated on the floor and on the trees and nearby plants.
The tunnel of love
Made up of more than 100,000 LED globes and inspired by arched church windows, the Winter Cathedral tunnel is the only returning installation from last year, and that’s good news for couples. The installation is not only a visually stunning walk-through experience, but perhaps more significantly, it’s become the tunnel of love, too.
“In the Winter Cathedral last year I think we had about 10 wedding proposals,” Schulhof said.
Waterworks
During our visit, dozens of people began to gather around a viewing area near the park’s Baldwin Lake to watch a show inside the Venus installation. Suddenly, beams of light in various shapes and colors were reflected on rows of water shooting from cannons in the lake. The water beams rose about 50-feet in the air and spread out about 100-feet across the lake, with the programming all synchronized to a booming version of the holiday song “All I want for Christmas Is You.” People danced and sang along as they were hit with gentle clouds of mist from the lake.
“It’s this kaleidoscope of forms and color. It’s a spectacular effect,” Schulhof said.
Lightscape
Where: 5:30 p.m.-8:45 p.m. select evenings through Jan. 8
Where: Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, 301 N. Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia
Tickets: Tickets start at $37 for adults and $18 for children ages 3-12 at arboretum.org.
When St Louis-born soprano Julia Bullock was 10 years old, her singing teacher explained that her vocal powers would not mature until she reached her late 30s. “I baulked at that, because who in the world wants to wait that long!” says Bullock, laughing. “But I’m now 36 . . . and yeah, I’m able do more than I was even six months ago. Because it’s not just about biological development and technical understanding, it’s also about giving yourself space to organise in every respect.”
Bullock has progressively emerged as a thrilling talent in the classical and opera world — and beyond it. Her sound pulses with electricity and empathy and she has embodied an array of roles onstage, inspiring US composer John Adams to call her his “muse” (and select her for his 2017 opera Girls Of The Golden West, which returns to LA in the new year). Her devastatingly beautiful lead in Handel’s oratorio Theodora at London’s Royal Opera House was a highlight of 2022. She has proved a spirited collaborator — with the San Francisco Opera, and as an artist-in-residence at the New York Met — and a singular curator; her recitals reveal a vivid bond between poetry, politics and protest songs. Somehow, all these qualities are encapsulated within just seven tracks on her debut album, Walking in the Dark. She has an elegant way of making things click.
We meet on a crisp afternoon at a Munich biergarten, not far from where Bullock lives with her husband, German pianist/conductor Christian Reif. The pair originally met while studying at prestigious NYC conservatory Juilliard, and Reif, along with the London Philharmonia, accompanies her on Walking in the Dark. She seems warmly settled in Munich, though her home life has been heavily punctuated with international projects. Since we met, she has given birth to her first child.
Bullock barely paused her live schedule; during the brief period when she couldn’t be onstage herself, she remotely curated this November’s Rock My Soul Festival at the LA Phil — and uploaded a joyous Instagram clip where she shimmies around her apartment to “I’m Every Woman” by event headliner Chaka Khan. Her album, though, taps into a life-long passion for the recorded form.
Julia Bullock onstage with Ryan McKinny in ‘Girls of the Golden West’, in 2019
“I really came to love music through recordings,” she says, between sips of fruit soda. The first gig she attended — Tina Turner, when Bullock was eight — set a high bar (“She was incredible; I would weep if I met her now!”) and she grew up replaying her musical inspirations through stacks of CDs and film footage. “I watched the video of Tina Turner’s Private Dancer tour so many times,” she laughs, “and wow, her energy and presence inspired me.”
She has arguably found a kindred spirit label in Nonesuch Records, which was originally established as a classical label with a non-exclusionary ethos, and its contemporary catalogue places Bullock in expansively creative company, alongside John Adams, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, KD Lang, David Byrne, Buena Vista Social Club and many more. The label’s chair emeritus Bob Hurwitz first met Bullock at a recording of Adams’s nuclear opus Doctor Atomic. “It wasn’t just her musicality, the clarity of her diction, her ability to embrace a wide range of music she deeply cared for in an authentic way,” says Hurwitz. “Above all, Julia produced a sound that instantaneously drew you in.”
I came to love music through recordings, I watched the video of Tina Turner’s ‘Private Dancer’ tour so many times and wow, her energy and presence inspired me
“Bob said, ‘I think the most important thing is for the album to be a reflection of where you’re at right now’,” says Bullock, smiling. “I went through tons of material.”
While Bullock is rightly praised for her technical range — the intricate coloratura of her vocals for Adams; her gloriously gutsy blues delivery — she also deserves credit for her seemingly infinite playlist of influences. Her parents, without much money, encouraged her to explore dance classes, performing-arts camps, and community theatre. She recalls growing up with her parents’ collections of ’60s pop, folk and soul; although her father died when she was just nine, his sense of activism and art made an impact. Later, her stepfather would introduce her to classical western European music and indie cinema, while she simultaneously got into ’90s girl groups and neo-soul.
She has personal history with each of the songs she has selected for her album. Its track-listing opens with her tender rendition of Oscar Brown Jr’s “Brown Baby” (also memorably covered by Nina Simone in 1962, and enduringly resonant in the contemporary Black Lives Matter era); it spans powerful African American spirituals and symphonic works, including a startling excerpt from Adams’s 2000 “nativity oratorio”, El Niño, and closes with her dreamy take on Sandy Denny’s 1969 classic “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?”.
Walking in the Dark derives its title from lyrics in another of its tracks, “One By One”, originally by 1950s NYC singer-songwriter Connie Converse. Bullock has previously drawn parallels between Converse’s poignant melody and the emotional directness of 19th-century lieder songs; on record, she seems to unfurl every detail of its meaning.
“Converse writes so much about solitude, isolation, self-protection, and needing connection, without casting darkness as negative, frightening or ugly, and lightness as the optimal force, as it’s often been positioned culturally,” she says. “Instead, darkness is a place of protection, intimacy, desire.”
For Bullock, raised with mixed heritage in what she describes as a segregated St Louis and rising through what remains a frustratingly homogenous industry, this strikes an undeniably heavy chord. “Whether conscious or not, the racist, prejudiced, oppressive, sexualised, exoticised messages I received, both within my home and outside, were social-conditioning tactics that took me years to recognise and process as damaging,” she says quietly. “Going into the arts was a real space of release and relief for me.”
When she first discovered that she could immerse herself in texts and scores and start making connections, the effect was illuminating. “Synapses in my brain just started to fire,” she beams. “And it excited the hell out of me.”
It still sounds revelatory. Bullock’s voice and identity resounds; her creative routes feel limitless. “Music helps you channel very clean emotions in super direct ways, and to go through transitions very quickly,” she says. “The emotional metabolism of music is so fast.” But her expressions stay with you — and they are always worth waiting for.
‘Walking in the Dark’ is released by Nonesuch Records on December 9, juliabullock.com
Blake Shelton says 16-year-old Brayden Lape has “a future in Country music” after an epic country cover on NBC’s The Voice.
Prior to taking the stage during rehearsals, the small-town Michigan teen recalled the moment that made him fall in love with music and made him realize that a career in country music is the path he wanted to pursue.
“My dad was talking to this band playing at this bar, and they let me go onstage. I think I was 14,” Lape explained. “I was so nervous. I got up on the microphone, did a little sound check, and I started singing. That day changed my life. It’s made me fall in love with performing and led me to where I am today.”
Lape then allowed his unique vocals to shine during Monday evening’s (Nov. 21) Top 13 Live Playoff show with an impressive cover of Kenny Chesney’s “Come Over,” a chart-topping Chesney hit that was co-written by Sam Hunt.
The fast-rising country star, who is the youngest contestant on the show, made his way around the stage as he belted out the lyrics to the massive country hit.
“I told you I wouldn’t call, I told you I wouldn’t care / But baby, climbing the walls gets me nowhere / I don’t think that I can take this bed getting any colder / Come over, come over, come over, come over, come over,” Lape sang on the chorus of the tune.
Following his performance of the country hit, The Voice coaches Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani praised his vocal abilities.
“He’s so naturally gifted,” Shelton gushed, before his Shelton’s wife Stefani added, “so gorgeous and so tall.”
“Wow, There’s just something about you, you don’t really have to do much, and that’s rare,” Stefani added. “Honestly, you just be you. I want you to remember that about yourself, because you’re 16, and you’re just gonna get to know yourself better. I think what you do is so pure. That’s what people love about you.”
“You just have that thing, she’s right,” Shelton said, agreeing with Stefani’s comments.
Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton; Photo Courtesy of The Voice/NBC
Blake Shelton went on to rave over his unique vocal range before declaring that he has what it takes to succeed in Country music.
“Trust me. Other people on this panel really like you, too, just so you know,” Shelton added. “Man, you just have that thing. You have a solid country voice that’s different and unique. You have a future in country music, not to mention how far you’re going to go on this show. You’ve got it all, man.”
Since the show was a live playoff, Lape needs America’s vote to move onto the next round of the competition. The fate of Lape’s future on the popular singing competition show will be revealed during Tuesday evening’s (Nov. 22) one-hour episode of The Voice on NBC.
Brayden Lape; Photo Courtesy of The Voice/NBC
Lape has been a fan-favorite on The Voice since he first took to the NBC studios stage during his blind audition, where he put a country twist on Niall Horan’s “This Town.”
The Voice returns on Tuesday evening (Nov. 22) at 8/7c on NBC.
In those days, the young groups who played in Bangalore’s clubs and at parties mostly used wooden guitars and were all inspired by the Beatles, the Ventures, and the Rolling Stones, reminisces the author.
JS, the Statesman’s iconic youth magazine published in the 1960s and 70s, gave me some of my very first freelance writing opportunities. And I had the most fun doing them too. I was in the same age group as the magazine’s target audience and the wonderful editor of JS, the famous Desmond Doig, gave me a free hand to write what I liked.
Usha Uthup (or Usha Iyer as she was known then) featured in one of my earliest articles as the girl with the fantastic voice who sang pop songs dressed in a sari. I realised then that she and I were the same age. I met her when I was covering a two-day show called Sonorific Fantastic at the Lido theatre in Bangalore (before it became Bengaluru). Advertised as a “kinky, freaky musical blow out”, it was meant to showcase young musical talent. Music bands from other cities like Trichy, Mangalore and Madras had come down to take part in it.
In the 60s and 70s, pop shows were simple, laidback events. The young groups who played in clubs and at parties mostly used old-fashioned wooden guitars and were all inspired by the Beatles, the Ventures and the Rolling Stones. Trini Lopez was another hot favourite and every band included ‘Lemon tree’, ‘La Bamba’, and ‘If I had a hammer’ in its repertoire.
It was on the second day that I met Usha backstage and heard her for the first time. She was accompanied by a Madras group called the Spartans. It was a strange medley. Usha in her traditional sari and short-sleeved blouse stood out in the crowd of jeans-clad, long-haired singers. As her superb voice soared through the auditorium, it silenced the restless young audience who was prone to singing ‘Raghupathi Raghava Raja Ram’ whenever bored.
I went to many more Usha Uthup concerts over the years, though I never met her personally again. I heard her sing in other cities like Trivandrum and Bombay. I watched her grow from a fresh young singer to a much loved and talented diva. And recently I saw her on YouTube singing as vibrantly as ever, at the age of 74, with her daughter and granddaughter.
Usha’s journey to the top has been quite spectacular and well-documented. However, I don’t know what happened to most of the other young groups that played at that festival. Maybe they disbanded and moved on to other things. Maybe some migrated to Bombay and Calcutta, where the nightclub scene was more happening. In those pre-synthesiser days, many of these young musicians also got a foothold in films.
Another musician I heard in those early days was Biddu Appaiah, a Bangalore boy who studied in Bishop Cotton. He started his musical career as a teenager, playing in restaurants much before he became internationally famous. In the 1960s, Three Aces was one of the most popular restaurants on MG Road (or South Parade, as it was once known). My classmates and I from Mount Carmel would bunk class and cycle up to this favourite hangout of ours to play the jukebox and share ice creams. This is where Biddu started off when he was in his teens. He formed a small group called The Trojans with two friends who later dropped out.
In his late teens, Biddu migrated to Bombay where he played in a popular nightclub called Venice for a while. I remember hearing him at a pop concert at the huge Shanmukhananda Hall in the city. He was calling himself the Lone Trojan by then. Soon, still in his late teens, he made his epic journey to London by hitchhiking and playing in nightclubs along the way. Many years later after he had achieved international fame, he told an interviewer in his hometown Bangalore that his only aim then was to meet the Beatles in London and play music.
But Biddu’s ascent was not so smooth. He reached London the hard way. He first sailed to Mecca on a Haj ship, then made his way across the Middle East to Beirut and then on to France. When he finally reached London in 1969, he found there were no takers for his music. For a couple of years, he had a day job selling hamburgers while he composed and sang music at night.
Biddu hired a studio with the money he had saved and began recording his own compositions. His first few creations sank without a trace. He first tasted success in the mid-1970s when he hooked up with the famous singer Carl Douglas and produced ‘Kung Fu Fighting’, which topped the British pop charts. From then there was no looking back.
It was another Bangalore boy, Feroz Khan, who gave Biddu his biggest break in India when he asked him to collaborate with him for the music for his Bollywood film Qurbani in 1980. This led to the discovery of the teenage Pakistani sensation Nazia Hassan, who also lived in London. Her ‘Aap jaisa koi’ was an instant hit. This was followed by the insanely popular ‘Disco deewane’. After a hiatus of a couple of years, Biddu resurfaced with indie pop songs like ‘Made in India’, and in the process launched a couple of singers like Alisha Chinai.
Time rolled by and I too moved on. I lost touch with the Bangalore music scene as I had moved to other towns and other subjects. Bands came and went. The nature of music changed. When I came back to Bangalore in the late 1990s, huge rock shows were in vogue. These productions were nothing like the more intimate little shows we had in the 60s and 70s. Their highly advanced stereo systems combined with their electronically enhanced musical instruments blasted music across the open grounds where they played and destroyed the eardrums of those living in the neighbourhood. By the 2000s, DJs with their mixers ruled the roost in clubs where the music was mostly synthetic. In the bars, canned music blared often drowning the conversations.
But there were other bands too. Some quietly played in hotels and at festive club events. Many bands switched over to a mix of Bollywood and Western pop. Some added dappan koothu, the popular Tamil dance music to the mix. Some restaurants still had retro nights.
Some weeks ago, I was invited to a Blues evening at the RCB Bar and Café on Church Street. It turned out to be a very pleasant experience listening to the two live bands in which 14 artistes were playing. The oldest band was The Chronic Blues Circus, which has performed without a break since 1991. They said their music depicted the ‘Bangalore mood aka the Bangalore Blues’. Joshua Lance, a bass guitarist, has been performing since 1990. MoonArra (meaning three streams), the fusion band created by Jagadeesh MR and his wife Madhuri in 2006, was also part of the programme. Unlike the bands of yore, these mostly played their own compositions.
As the evening wore on, the music and the ambience stirred up memories of listening to the bands of the 60s and 70s. Not just the Bangalore bands, but also the famous and talented Anglo-Indian bands of KGF who would come into their own during the Christmas season when there were dances in all the clubs. It evoked a pleasant nostalgia for a time gone by. A time when we were all young and life was more slow-paced and Bangalore was still a garden city where we could enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
Gita Aravamudan is a journalist and the author of Baby Makers: The Story of Indian Surrogacy.
SEOUL – The 2022 Qatar World Cup kicked off on Sunday with K-pop sensation BTS’ Jungkook unveiling a tournament song, Dreamers, during the opening ceremony.
He is the first South Korean singer to release a World Cup song, which he performed with Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi during the opening ceremony at Al-Bayt Stadium.
The seven-act ceremony lasted about 30 minutes, paying tribute to the 32 participating nations, previous World Cup hosts and volunteers.
Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman and Qatari social media star Ghanim Al-Muftah started the ball rolling with their appearances.
A team of dancers performed the traditional Ardah (sword dance), followed by a parade of the 32 national football teams displaying their flags and mascots.
Appearing below the Qatar World Cup’s mascot La’eeb was Jungkook, dressed in black from head to toe. The 25-year-old singer jumped around the stage with dozens of dancers, singing Dreamers. Fahad, 41, joined midway through the performance.
Dreamers is produced by Grammy-winning Moroccan producer RedOne and the lyrics celebrate “those who boldly follow their goals and dare to dream”, according to Fifa (Federation Internationale de Football Association).
Dreamers was officially released a few hours before the ceremony, and it conquered the iTunes Top Song chart in 100 countries in 12 hours.
In the final article of this series, Boogie Mites’ Sue Newman talks about how to bring communities together through music
Music is a wonderful way to help us celebrate Christmas together in our family, nursery and community groups. And as we know at Boogie Mites, when people get together, the joy is multiplied when we start singing and dancing. Smiles break out, people are more animated, and suddenly there is a lot more human connection.
We use music and dance at all sorts of social functions and celebrations including church, weddings, parties and football matches, and there is actually a very good reason for this. Music-making together has been proven to create important social bonds and encourages positive emotions in those who take part.
According to several studies (for example, Hove and Risen, 2009; Wiltermuth and Heath, 2009; Valdesolo and Desteno, 2011; Launay et al., 2013), when humans ‘synchronise’ with each other, social bonding can occur. ‘Synchronising’ is defined as performing movements simultaneously with someone else. This could include dancing, clapping, and tapping rhythm sticks in time with one another.
When people have rhythmically matched timing, social closeness is established, which in turn has a lasting impact on how close they feel to another person. So as well as improving your rhythmic skills, tapping your rhythm sticks along to Hickory Dickory Dock can help you to feel closer to everyone else. This is especially powerful for children with EAL or SEN who find it more difficult to integrate socially.
One study (Kirschner & Tomasello, 2010) points towards four-year-olds behaving more pro-socially (positive, helpful and promoting co-operation and friendship) after taking part in music activities together. They become more empathetic and helpful, which suggests group music is a way to help your children to play more co-operatively and inclusively together.
If you have ever sung in a choir, or at a sports match, you will recognise that feeling of bonding as a group. Children will have the same feeling from making music together at nursery, at home or in social groups. Not only do we create social bonds by synchronising rhythmically; there is also evidence to suggest that social-bonding activities, which include music and dance, trigger us to release endorphins, as well as other neurohormones and oxytocin. These make us simultaneously feel good (think of the high you feel after exercising) and socially connected to others. All the time you’re shaking your shaker, you’re producing endorphins to make you feel good – while supporting brain development and keeping fit.
Maybe those football fans have a point – sing when you’re winning, or maybe it should be win when you’re singing!
ACTIVITIES
What festive musical fun do you have planned this year? Here are some Boogie Mites festive music activity ideas:
Use a recording of jingle bells and act out galloping with the reindeer across the skies. You can use shakers to make a jingling sound or the sound of snow falling.
We Wish You a Merry Christmas is a great sing-a-long for parents to join in; you can change the words of the verses to fit the event, for example:
We all like to sing together,
we all like to sing together,
we all like to sing together,
so let’s hear you cheer…
We all like to dance together,
we all like to dance together,
we all like to dance together,
so let’s hear you cheer.
Sing Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush, making a circle and changing the words to fit a Christmas theme:
This is the way we dress the tree,
dress the tree, dress the tree,
this is the way we dress the tree on a cold and frosty morning.
This is the way we wrap the presents…
This is the way we dance and sing!
Boogie Mites Core Music Programmes
Boogie Mites music programmes provide everything you need to boost your music provision in the setting and outside, for each age group, boosting movement, mood and cognitive development for all involved – staff and children.
School Ready Music Programme (3-5 years), https://bit.ly/3qqSO2G
Minis Music Programme (2-3 years), https://bit.ly/3RZePBr
Teenies Music Programme (crawlers to 2 years), https://bit.ly/3RtEZMJ
A curated assortment of menswear that celebrates the return to Polo Ralph Lauren’s origins, Polo Originals blends British tailoring blends seamlessly with a rugged style, and refinement shaped by centuries of academic tradition. From Fair Isle Wool Sweaters inspired by the fishermen of the Shetland Islands, to Trench Coats tailored in Italy from British Millerain oilcloth, to iconic silhouettes cut from custom-made Shetland tweed crafted by Abraham Moon & Sons, Polo honours the subtle, the sartorial, the discerning, in a powerful return to distinctive products entrenched in history and imbued with modernity.
Collector’s knives
Italian knifemaker Emmanuel Esposito collaborates with The Hour Glass to produce an exclusive set of collectible folding knives called The Elemental Project. Exquisitely crafted by hand — mixing materials like titanium, gold and mother of pearl — the exceptional care and finesse in craftsmanship manifest in the immaculate details in engineering and finishing. A unique patented folding mechanism, the Double C-Lock, ensures the blade run with maximum precision and smoothness, that can be locked in open or closed positions. Available in three designs, each Elemental knife ($34,400) is presented in a custom display box made of solid wood coated with more than 30 layers of lacquer. Discover them at Malmaison by The Hour Glass.
See also: Montblanc looks to new artistic director Marco Tomasetta to inject coolness into its leather goods
Musical tribute
German luxury penmaker Montblanc pays tribute to rock legend, Jimi Hendrix, with a limited collection of three fountain pens bearing elements of his storied career. Our favourite is the Montblanc Great Characters Jimi Hendrix LE99, which refers to the 30th anniversary of Woodstock in 1999, when Hendrix’s posthumous album Live at Woodstock was released.
Cream-coloured lacquer is used on the cap to mirror the look of his favourite Fender Stratocaster guitar, while an engraved Au 750 solid white gold plaque is etched with the names of the songs from his Woodstock set. The tremolo bar that Hendrix used so expressively to create his soul-stirring sound encouraged the shape of the palladium-coated clip. His portrait is engraved on the handcrafted Au 750 solid bi-colour gold nib, while the Au 750 solid white gold forepart is engraved with his signature alongside the same geometric pattern that decorated Hendrix’s guitar strap at Woodstock. The pen comes together with a calf leather notebook and violet-coloured ink recalling his timeless hit, Purple Haze.
See also: Red carpet glam: Why red carpet events are important to Chopard
World’s lightest laptop
The Acer Swift Edge (SFA16-41) supports the work demands of on-the-go professionals combining performance and durability in a sleek 16-inch lightweight laptop. Weighing only 1.17 kg and measuring 12.95 mm in height, it sports an ultra-slim magnesium-aluminium chassis, making it significantly more portable and durable.
Supposedly the world’s lightest 16-inch 4K OLED laptop, the Swift Edge laptop is powered by AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U. Built-in Windows 11 Pro is integrated with security processor Microsoft Pluton, which features biometric authentication to help safeguard sensitive user data.
On this, you’ll be able to enjoy cinema-grade visuals on a 4K OLED display with 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut support and 500 nits peak brightness. The laptop also features a narrow bezel with a 92% screen-to body-ratio.
Commute in style
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For the urban man on-the-go, Berluti has created a new, functional backpack for everyday wear inspired by its iconic Jour line. Called Working Day, the bag is made of patinated Venezia leather worked into a minimal yet essential design. Sufficiently-sized to carry a laptop with padded compartments, the spacious bag offers plenty of zippered pockets to carry everything from mobile phones to passports. Working Day comes in two shades — Nero Grigio and Cacao Intenso — engraved with its signature Scritto Swipe motif.
Retro music player
British-owned Ruark Audio unveils the latest version of its award-winning R2 music system, the R2 Mk4 ($799) — a complete music system to suit the music needs of every generation and occasion. Known for its class-leading sound quality, this model has a 20% smaller footprint (compared to the previous model), as well as a retro Scandinavian-inspired slatted wooden grille design to add a luxurious touch to homes.
Aside from being able to support major streaming services via Bluetooth 5.0, the R2 Mk4 gives users an extensive selection of ways to connect the music system between devices, such as a USB-C port for playback from a flash drive, an auxiliary line input, and a headphone output. The USB-C port can also be used for charging devices.
To top it off, the colour LCD screen displays time, alarm, and programme information, including station and album artwork, and automatically adjusts the brightness to suit ambient light levels.
St Paul Chamber Orchestra has shared news of the death from cancer of the cellist Bruce Coppock, its former President and Managing Director. Bruce led the ensemble from 1999 to 2008 and again from 2013 to 2016.
The SPCO says:
Under Coppock’s leadership, and because of his vision and tenacity, the SPCO moved away from the traditional orchestra artistic leadership model, centered around a music director, to a musician- led model complemented by artistic partners. Coppock believed that by empowering the orchestra members to make the important artistic decisions, including selecting repertoire, that concerts would be even more compelling and dynamic for the community.
“It is no exaggeration to say that no single person had a greater role in the SPCO’s artistic trajectory over the last 20 years than Bruce Coppock,” said SPCO Artistic Director and Principal Violin Kyu-Young Kim. “His fervent belief that the SPCO’s ultimate success as a chamber orchestra was dependent on the SPCO musicians themselves rather than a single conductor led to a complete transformation of the ensemble. Without the force of his intellect, musical knowledge and expertise, managerial acumen, and innate leadership skills, this kind of transformation could have led to a steep decline in artistic quality and distinctiveness. Instead, the SPCO today is playing at its highest level ever with fantastic artistic partners and a clear artistic profile, and we owe so much of this to Bruce’s vision and leadership.”
