Sarah Dash, the singer and founder of the groundbreaking R&B group Labelle, has passed away. She was 76.
Dash was born on August 18, 1945 in Trenton, New Jersey. The daughter of a pastor, she got her start singing gospel music before moving to Philadelphia in the ’60s. After jumping between different girl groups and lineups, she joined Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, and Cindy Birdsong in the doo-wop quartet the Bluebelles in 1962. In 1967, Birdsong left to join the Supremes and the trio changed their name to Labelle, pivoting to funk and finding mainstream success with a series of albums released through Warner Bros. Records in the mid-’70s: Nightbirds, Phoenix, and Chameleon. Their biggest hit was ‘Lady Marmalade’, a single from Nightbirds that was recorded with Allen Toussaint in New Orleans and reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
After Labelle disbanded in 1976, Dash pursued a solo career that began with her eponymous 1978 debut, which was led by the disco hit ‘Sinner Man’. She would go on to release three more solo albums before establishing herself as a session musician, recording with the O’Jays, Nile Rodgers, the Marshall Tucker Band, and David Johansen. In the late ’80s, Dash toured and wrote music with Keith Richards, which also led to her singing on the Rolling Stones’ 1989 album Steel Wheels.
In the ’90s, Dash developed a one-woman show called Dash of Diva. After reuniting with Labelle in 1995 for the dance hit ‘Turn It Out’, the group reunited once again to release one more album, Back to Now, in 2008. Dash was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003.
“We were just on-stage together on Saturday and it was such a powerful and special moment,” Patti LaBelle wrote on Twitter. “Sarah Dash was an awesomely talented, beautiful, and loving soul who blessed my life and the lives of so many others in more ways than I can say. And I could always count on her to have my back! That’s who Sarah was … loyal friend and a voice for those who didn’t have one.”
Netflix, the giant of streaming services, has unveiled the official trailer for Luna Park. The series begins with the discovery of the bond between two lost sisters separated at birth. Following a succession of intrigues and mysteries, the two protagonists will attempt to shed light on why, still in their infancy, they were separated and destined to live two distinct lives, unaware of the strong bond that bound them.
Luna Park will be available on Netflix from the 30th of September.
Several UK TV formats and shows have captured global attention. As a result, some period dramas, reality series, game shows, and comedies have remained internationally. Here are a few categories of UK shows that have gained global variants
Scripted Films
Series, dramas, and sitcoms are classified under this category. Some of the most popular UK shows that have global variants include:
Luther
Doctor Who
Misfits
His Dark Materials
Doctor Foster
Chernobyl
The Office
Most of these shows have achieved astounding success on streaming services and broadcast TV. However, this is not always the case for all shows. Renowned UK shows such as Broadchurch, Skins, and Inbetweeners were unable to gain the same success in the United States as in the United Kingdom. This difference in success could be explained by the fact that these shows did not resonate with the viewers. Another aspect could be due to the unchanged scripts for the shows.
Unscripted Formats
This particular category includes everything ranging from talent competitions to reality dating shows. Some of the unscripted formats that have made it to worldwide markets include:
First Dates
Come Dine with Me
Gogglebox
Got Talent
Great British Bake Off
Love Island
Planet Earth
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Strictly Come Dancing
Though UK scripted drama is the leading source of revenue for TV export sales, unscripted formats have also contributed significantly. Based on research from online casino Betway, the UK unscripted format made up 42% of the international export sale in 2020.
What’s Next for UK TV Exports?
The UK media and entertainment revenue is expected to increase in the coming years. By 2025, the revenue will reach £ 87.9 billion from the current £71.3 billion. This will mean an increase in the TV export sales as well as the quantity and quality of UK shows.
Also, there is a projected increase in SVOD (subscription video on demand). In fact, by 2026, the worldwide subscription will reach 1.495 billion. Since these on-demand avenues make up 38% of the global sales, the UK industry is likely to benefit from the increased subscriptions.
Although Europe is currently the second-largest UK TV export market, this may take a different turn in the future. This will likely happen as the Brexit ramifications take effect. It is a well-known fact that the EU is keeping a check on the UK TV dominance throughout Europe. In doing so, there is a chance for smaller shows made by other nations to succeed in the region. This will also help promote cultural diversity.
However, this provides a chance for the UK to work on its partnerships with other exports markets including Asia, Latin America, and its current export market US. In 2021, GloboPlay from Brazil has agreed to a landmark contract with ITV Studios for over 400 hours of UK TV shows.
The Takeaway
More than ever, UK TV shows are recognized globally as world-class. UK producers are working on unparalleled quality. This could explain why audiences even from non-English speaking nations are quick to embrace this content.
The 2021 US Open announced a genuine sea change in the world of tennis as finally, it appeared that the dominance of players like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Serena Williams was well and truly over.
While the Serbian world number one will no doubt contest this, there can be no denying just how impressive the efforts were of young players like Emma Raducanu, Daniil Medvédev, Leylah Annie Fernandez, and Carlos Alcaraz. However, what also raised eyebrows was just how fashionable some of these new faces were, adding to the plethora of tennis pros who love their designer threads and accessories.
With this in mind, here are just some of the most switched on fashionistas that tennis boasts today.
Emma Raducanu
She eclipsed everyone at the US Open, and stunned betting tipsters, following up a strong showing at Wimbledon to not drop a set on the way to her maiden grand slam title at Flushing Meadows.
Having majorly upset the odds out on New York’s hard courts, she then turned her attention to the Met Gala fashion event in the Big Apple, turning heads in a classic black and white number from Chanel. Pulling the look off in an effortless manner, it pointed towards her one day stepping out as a genuine sports fashionista. There is no doubt she will be heavily backed by fans and their sports free bets for upcoming WTA and grand slam tournaments, and there will be no shortage of people fancying her to branch out into fashion too, in an equally dramatic fashion.
No doubt plenty of other huge fashion brands will also be hoping to sign her up to lucrative endorsement deals, especially as her grand slam odds plummet and her world rankings soar.
Naomi Osaka
Before Raducanu came along, all anyone could talk about in the world of tennis was Naomi Osaka, and many experts still see the grand slam winner as the most marketable individual in sport.
Her passion for fashion is well-known, having released her very own collection with Nike as well as being a global brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton. She was even co-chairperson for the 2021 Met Gala that was lit up by Raducanu.
Gael Monfils
This energetic French player is something of a veteran on the ATP Tour these days and is best known for his lung busting style of play and incredible feats of athleticism.
While he has an unmistakable style on the court, it is his flair off it that perhaps turns even more heads; being one of the most fashion-conscious men on the circuit. Not content with being a clothes horse like Nadal or Federer, the Frenchman blazes his own trail, donning the likes of Daniel Hechter alongside other pieces from companies such as Asics. He is also known to have an incredible watch collection, meaning he always has the perfect accompaniment to any outfit he dares to don.
Serena Williams
Although her star is waning in the face of injuries and other commitments, Serena Williams remains a serious proposition on the WTA Tour, especially seeing as she is motivated to get her hands on the final grand slam title that would confirm her as the undisputed best player of all time.
In her spare time, she has risen to the top of the fashion industry, having already worked with a whole host of top designers and houses. Her own website is now a veritable fashion resource, where she sells everything from her very own S by Serena fashion line as well as detailing the numerous endorsement deals she has with major brands all around the globe. Not wanting to be outdone by Monfils, she has released her very own jewelry line, showing there really is no limit to what this tennis fashionista can do.
Efterklang have shared the latest preview of their upcoming album, Windflowers. It’s called ‘Hold Me Close When You Can’, and it arrives with a music video created using photos fans submitted to accompany the song. Watch and listen below.
“Efterklang Developed and the video for ‘Hold Me Close When You Can’ is not about presenting our music in the most impressive and flashy way, it is about collaborating,” the band stated in a press release. “It’s something we realise has become centre of how we operate as a band. We want to create together with the listeners and concert attendees and we keep searching for ways of doing this.”
Tori Amos has announced that her next album, Ocean to Ocean, will be released on October 29 via Decca. The record will mark her first full-length since 2017’s Native Invader.
Amos wrote Ocean to Ocean during lockdown at her home in Cornwall, England. “This is a record about your losses, and how you cope with them,” she explained in a statement. “Thankfully when you’ve lived long enough, you can recognize you’re not feeling like the mom you want to be, the wife you want to be, the artist you want to be. I realized that to shift this, you have to write from the place where you are. I was in my own private hell, so I told myself, then that’s where you write from—you’ve done it before….”
Amos continued: “We have all had moments that can knock us down. This record sits with you where you are, especially if you are in a place of loss. I am fascinated when someone has gone through a tragedy, and how they work through their grief. That is where the gold is. When somebody is actually at that place, thinking ‘I’m done,’ how do you reach that person? Sometimes it’s not about a pill, or a double shot of tequila. It’s about sitting in the muck together. I’m going to meet you in the muck.”
Last year, Amos shared the four-track Christmastide EP.
With his debut full-length album, the artist born Montero Lamar Hill opens himself up to criticism. It’s a force he’s been all too familiar with before he was even at the center of it, one he’s learned to extinguish with the signature wit and playfulness that made him stand out in the first place; the value of his music, however, as undeniably catchy and ubiquitous as it was, seemed deliberately placed below that of the meme, inscrutable in its own way. And sure, the country-rap crossover smash ‘Old Town Road’ may have been a subject for debate two years ago when it catapulted Lil Nas X to fame, but no one could reasonably argue about the qualities of the song itself, much less the musical abilities of the young phenom who managed to turn a $30 beat and a Nine Inch Nails sample into the longest-running No. 1 hit in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.
Lil Nas X had no interest building an anonymous career making kid-friendly novelty hits, as some of his detractors would have it, so he made sure his next move expressed his full authentic self, not a comedic persona – even, and especially, if the backlash was once again inevitable. ‘MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)’, a comeback single that centered on queer desire and came with a video depicting Nas giving a lapdance to Satan, debuted atop the charts, and he had no issue keeping up the momentum with the triumphant, Jack Harlow-assisted ‘INDUSTRY BABY’. Nas’ debut album, also titled MONTERO, predictably attempts to offer a more intimate look into the pop-rap star’s life and past, but it also foregrounds the cultural significance its creator holds in the present moment – besides boasting guest appearances from Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Elton John, Miley Cyrus, and a production credit from Kanye West (on ‘INDUSTRY BABY’), it also features an unnecessary sound clip of his name being repeated in multiple award announcements.
“You’s a meme, you’s a joke, been a gimmick from the go,” Nas raps on ‘ONE OF ME’, and he spends much of MONTERO proving the opposite, largely by crafting an artistic statement that can be judged and enjoyed on its own terms. Executive produced by Take a Daytrip, the album does an effective job of balancing musical versatility and lyrical vulnerability, especially compared to his 2019 EP 7: genre-hopping is no substitute for a distinct sonic identity, and you still don’t get the sense that Nas is revealing his deepest thoughts, but the way he stretches the limits of genre to delve into his troubled upbringing, lingering insecurities, and anxieties about fame is certainly admirable. He leans on guitar-driven pop on the buoyant, Outkast-indebted ‘THAT’S WHAT I WANT’, briefly evokes the Postal Service before having you look for the obligatory (but non-existent) Travis Barker credit on the soaring pop-punk of ‘LOST IN CITADEL’, and goes full emo on ‘VOID’. Even more moving is ‘SUN GOES DOWN’, a tender ballad that sees him reflecting on his teenage years, singing with a calm but melancholy resolve, “These gay thoughts would always haunt me/ I prayed God would take it from me.”
Though its sensitivity never feels forced, the album’s most engaging tracks are still the ones that inject some of the playful personality he’s known for outside his music. The Doja Cat-featuring ‘SCOOP’ would be absurdly infectious whether or not it included the line “I ain’t talking guns when I ask where your dick at,” largely thanks to Nas’ unusually animated delivery. He brings the same joyous energy to ‘DOLLAR SIGN SLIME’, a collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion, who manages to stand out even with a verse that’s not among her brightest. For an album so preoccupied with loneliness, it’s incredible how packed with hooks it is, and its greatest accomplishment might be ‘DEAD RIGHT NOW’, which pairs the defiant horns and trap beats that dominate the album’s first half with the reflective, heartfelt lyricism of the second.
It’s all delivered with a touch of drama, which is precisely the point: Lil Nas X might be using MONTERO to introduce his real story to the world, but the reason it avoids the self-indulgence of some of today’s biggest rap records is that he’s aware of his role in the greater cultural landscape (the much shorter runtime doesn’t hurt, either). When he writes songs that function as letters to his younger self, he knows he’s also addressing thousands of queer fans looking for “something to lean on and relate to,” as one Genius commenter out it. He knows the resonance and impact of his place in pop culture goes beyond the actual music, but despite its flaws, MONTERO proves that also matters to him, as he’s clearly having fun jumping from one style to the next. The appearance of someone like Elton John might be partly symbolic, as is that of Miley Cyrus (whose father helped him claim the No. 1 spot with the ‘Old Town Road’ remix) on the closing track. But it’s also Nas pushing through the isolating uncertainty of stardom to make his message as loud and universal as possible: “Never forget me and everything I’ve done,” he sings, and this time, he’s not alone.
Throughout the week, we update our Best New Songs playlist with the new releases that caught our attention the most, be it a single leading up to the release of an album or a newly unveiled deep cut. And each Monday, we round up the best new songs released over the past week (the eligibility period begins on Monday and ends Sunday night) in this segment.
On this week’s list, we’re highlighting the strikingly dynamic new single from Snail Mail, ‘Valentine’, which leads her upcoming sophomore album; the majestically anthemic title track from The War on Drugs’ forthcoming LP, I Don’t Live Here Anymore; Hatchie’s new single ‘This Enchanted’, which uses a perfect mix of dance pop and shoegaze to convey a rush of emotion; ‘You Lose!’, another excellent offering from Magdalena Bay’s upcoming debut; Tonstartssbandht’s ‘What Has Happened’, the entrancing, groovy lead cut from the psych-rock duo’s 18th LP; ‘Under the Rolling Moon’, another driving, empathetic single from Ducks Ltd.’s debut full-length; ‘This Time’, an infectious slice of dream pop from Swedish band Makthaverskan; Marissa Nadler’s dreamy, hypnotic new track ‘If I Could Breathe Underwater’, featuring harp from Marissa Nadler; and Snarls’ ‘Fixed Gear’, the vibrant new single from the Columbus indie rock outfit’s upcoming Chris Walla-produced EP.
Jean-Jacques Beineix’s 1981 mystery, Diva, is a transportive viewing experience, not least because the film is set in 80s Paris. The film is an adaptation of Daniel Odier’s novel, published in 1979 under the pseudonym “Delacorta”. As one of the first films to depart from the 70s realist movement of French cinema, the film performed well at the box office but later became a cult classic.
The film follows Jules, a young postman, who is obsessed with opera – in particular, with Cynthia Hawkins, an American “diva” and opera singer. Cynthia doesn’t record any of her pieces, but Jules secretly records one of her performances. His tape ends up in the wrong hands, and he soon becomes the target of a mob.
Diva started its own cinematic movement, with its vibrant cinematography, unique sense of humor, mixed-genre plot, and gloomy settings. Here are fourteen quotes that help set the atmosphere of this memorable film.
Jules: Where are we? Alba: In a castle. Jules: What castle? Alba: Where the witch makes poisoned red apples to advertise the toothpaste movie stars use.
Gorodish:Abyssus abyssum invocat. Alba: What is “abyssus abyssum”? Gorodish: It means the abyss calls the abyss.
Jules: What are you doing with my watch? My Skelton! Alba: Don’t cry. I’ve got another – genuine plastic. Just right for a little brat like you.
Jules: It’s La Wally, by Catalani. In the mountains, there’s a woman. She wants to die. She had an unhappy love affair. She sings, “I shall go far away, very far, where the clouds are golden, where the snow is white. You will see me no more – never again.” It’s tragic. In the end, she throws herself into an avalanche. Alba: A real tear-jerker! Super!
Cynthia: What’s your name, Postman? Jules: Jules. Cynthia: Jules! “Jules” is old for a young man. I thought the French were modern. Jules: My father was old-fashioned. Cynthia: I’m kidding. “Jules” fits you so poorly that it fits you very well.
Le curé: I don’t like cars.
Le curé: I don’t like Beethoven.
Le curé: I don’t like garages.
Le curé: I don’t like parking lots.
Le curé: I don’t like your mug.
Le curé: I don’t like this.
Le curé: I don’t like elevators. Zatopek: You don’t like anything.
Cynthia: Do you steal the dresses of all singers? Jules: No, no. Cynthia: So, I’m the lucky one! I have a fan? Jules: I heard you in Bordeaux. And last year I went to Munich specially for the concert. Cynthia: You made the trip for me? Jules: Yes, on the moped. Cynthia: On the moped. So, you are a real fan.
Jules: It’s the only recording. Cynthia: It was you? Jules: It’s yours; it’s my gift to you. Forgive me. Cynthia: But…I’ve never heard myself sing. Jules: Listen…
Ezra Furman has shared a new EP of songs featured in the third season of Netflix’s Sex Education, which premiered yesterday. The 5-track collection includes three new songs specifically written and recorded for the show, as well as two tracks released in 2011 under the Ezra Furman & The Harpoons moniker. Stream Sex Education – Songs From Season 3 below.
Furman, who wrote and recorded the soundtrack for the first two seasons of the show, said in a statement: “The release of this show feels like a triumph. There were so many obstacles to making art during the pandemic. Nonetheless, my three bandmates and I found a way, in late summer 2020, to collaborate with Oli [Julian] and the Sex Education team, partly in person and partly across long distances, to play a small part in making another season of a great, original, and vital TV show. I’m proud of this music and I feel so lucky to be involved in Sex Education. Now let’s all watch and root for the queers.”
Ezra Furman’s last LP, Twelve Nudes, came out in 2019.
