Table of contents for No. 1382 in Music Week

Banks' account Well, a few days on, I’m just about recovered from the Music Week Awards 2023. Sort of. A few more weeks of sleep should do it. I said it on the night, but I’ll say it again: thank you to everyone who helped make the sell-out event our biggest one ever, and congratulations to all the nominees and winners. You can turn to page 68 to see our Awards gallery and don’t forget you can read all the winners’ interviews online, including our exclusive digital cover story with the latest winner of the Strat, Emma Banks. What wasn’t lost on me during Emma’s wonderful speech was that she selflessly used her moment in the spotlight to call on support for causes close to her heart, such as Nordoff…

THE BIG CHANGE IMPALA has honoured Women In CTRL with its Changemaker award in recognition of their work supporting music creators and professionals from underrepresented groups. Women In CTRL was founded by Nadia Khan to advance gender equality in the music industry. “This recognition affirms our work, inspires us to continue and highlights the independent community’s collective determination and passion in driving positive change within the music industry,” said Khan. THE BIG AWARDS Nordoff And Robbins has revealed that Stormzy will be honoured with the flagship O2 Silver Clef Award at the London ceremony on June 30. Wet Leg will receive the Ticketmaster New Music Award, while Biffy Clyro will collect the award for PizzaExpress Live Best Live Act. Neneh Cherry is to be honoured with the Tysers Outstanding Achievement,…

frontline “Project Nexus could become a global solution to data – that’s the aspiration” ANDREA CZAPARY MARTIN, PRS FOR MUSIC Following record results for 2022, PRS For Music is building on its success with new initiatives. Here, chief exec Andrea Czapary Martin reveals the collection society’s next steps on data, AI and global partnerships, and looks ahead to Glastonbury… The PPL-PRS JV has just marked its fifth anniversary. How would you assess it so far? “It’s a great success, they have done really well and you see it in our public performance results with 66% year-on-year growth. One of the positive things that came out of the pandemic was licensing big [fulfilment] warehouses. It’s making sure they appreciate that, for people who work in the warehouse, music is helping them get…

@ybeeez Have fewer friends and more intellectual sparring partners (Bello, manager, Central Cee) Sunday, May 21 @adexnq I want to own a football club one day (Michael Adex, NQ) Saturday, May 13 @raye Still deeping it tbh @IvorsAcademy, just thank you for a night of dreams (Raye, artist) Saturday, May 20 @mrnicklevine The Liverpool Songbook is a cultural reset lads. I may cry! #Eurovision2023 (Nick Levine, journalist) Saturday, May 13 @DaveRowntree Well that was a thing! Thanks so much Colchester – what a great night! (Dave Rowntree, Blur) Friday, May 19 @sarahvsshark At The Great Escape and a seagull shat on me. Good luck, right? (Sarah Maynard, Major Transmission) Saturday, May 13 @c_osazuwa If you do the walk from King’s Cross Station to Tileyard at 1PM on a weekday, you…

DUA LIPA Dance The Night (Atlantic) Making a comeback with the lead single from the soundtrack of one of the year’s most anticipated movies represents inspired thinking from Dua Lipa, even more so when the film in question is Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Dance The Night is a supercharged study in modern pop music that offers quite the appetiser for the star’s next move. Co-written with Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt and Caroline Ailin, it’s classy, confident and replete with a jewel-encrusted chorus. Contact: Rich Dawes richard.dawes@dawbell.com JORJA SMITH Little Things (FAMM) A UK garage beat, ample percussion and a simple vocal motif (‘It’s the little things that get me high’) make for an irresistible combo on Little Things, which suggests that Jorja Smith’s second album, Falling Or Flying, will have one…

The undisputed “Queen Of Rock’n’Roll”, Tina Turner will eternally be considered music royalty. One of the best-selling artists in history, the iconic American singer – who died aged 83 on May 24 after a long illness – sold 180 million records and received 12 Grammy Awards over the course of her extraordinary life and career in music, and was twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Turner’s career lasted for five decades, during which she released records spanning R&B, soul, pop and rock, making an indelible impact on music history. She was also the first Black artist and first woman artist to feature on the cover of Rolling Stone, and was awarded the Legion D’Honneur by the French government. “Tina Turner, the Queen of Rock ’N’ Roll…

When his passion project band Rubikon began to unravel, Josh Gruss’ parents asked him the age-old question: when are you going to get a real job? “I went to Berklee College Of Music and studied guitar, and I was in bands in high school and college,” explains the entrepreneur, retracing his steps. “When I left college, I started working at Warner Music in New York and after about a year-and-a-half I got a phone call from a good friend, who said, ‘Do you want to join my band? We need a new guitar player.’ They had established themselves a little bit and, at that point, I hadn’t really had that experience of being in a band and touring, so I dropped everything. That was the beginning of Rubikon in my…

“I don’t just nurture -I can bring home the bacon” Natalie Wade Natalie Wade is in an Ibizan hotel room on the first day of the International Music Summit, on assignment in her relatively new role as director of music industry engagement with PPL. “And I’m just past my probation,” she says, laughing as the Balearic sun streams through the window. Even as a joke, it’s hard to believe that someone with Wade’s skills would even think about a job’s probation period. “Oh, the imposter syndrome is real,” says the Music Week Women In Music Awards Roll Of Honour inductee, laughing more. The irony here is that Wade has built her impressive career by helping others overcome doubts and difficulties. In 2009, she founded Small Green Shoots, an organisation that helps…

THIS MONTH: WHEN THE LEVY BREAKS Grassroots venues and touring aren’t economically viable. They’ve been losing affordable amounts of money for years, but what they’re losing now can’t be tolerated. Venues, promoters, artists, agents and managers have done all they can to squeeze the pips out of the touring model, but no more money can be saved to restore events to an affordable model. With this in mind, Music Venue Trust is campaigning to encourage the music industry to take a fresh look at how we financially support grassroots venues and artists, in order to carry out the research and development on which the future health of our business relies. The number of shows from emerging talent taking place in the grassroots sector is down by 16.9% per year since…

IT ALL ADDS UP ED SHEERAN 01 - (Subtract) (Asylum/Atlantic) SALES: 106,302 Ed Sheeran was the only artist to top 100,000 album sales during May. The superstar singer-songwriter finished at No.1 for the month with – (Subtract), the final release of his era-defining mathematics series. Sheeran secured his sixth consecutive No.1 with –, which opened at the summit with sales of 76,263 (41,122 CDs, 8,124 vinyl albums, 4,970 cassettes, 7,792 digital downloads and 14,255 sales-equivalent streams). The No.1 result means that Sheeran edged ahead of The 1975 in the list of acts to have reached the summit with all of their studio albums. With two weeks at the top so far, -has amassed 106,302 sales to date. Lead single Eyes Closed finished at No.6 overall last month (115,408 sales). SECOND…

5 years ago… TOP STORY ME & YOUTUBE Five years ago, someone whom Music Week christened the “ultimate music business survivor” took to our cover, not only to reflect on his trailblazing career so far but also to outline his plans for an even bigger future. We are, of course, speaking about Lyor Cohen. Hot on the heels of launching YouTube Music in the UK, he was in a bullish mood. “We heard the labels loud and clear,” explained Cohen. “They said, ‘Why do you think just being experts in advertising and creating this global platform is enough?’” At a time when debate was rife around the so-called ‘value gap’, the streaming giant’s global head of music had a lot to say on the topic of whether the music business…

M. Shadows, (singer, Avenged Sevenfold) As the singer of Avenged Sevenfold, M. Shadows has scored No.1 albums on both sides of the Atlantic and headlined huge festivals. Fresh from releasing new record Life Is But A Dream…, the star reflects on his career so far… INTERVIEW: JAMES HICKIE The world changing has given us peace of mind as a band… “There are no drivers anymore, in terms of radio only pushing six bands or MTV shoving acts down your throat. Now, every artist can be on Spotify, plus, with Netflix, TikTok and YouTube, we have all these things that take up our time, so music has taken a backseat. You can look at that as a bum-out, or you can look at it as a chance to do whatever you…

Management: Stuart Camp/ Gaby Cawthorne/Nick Parry (Grumpy Old Management) A&R: Ed Howard/Cannelle Bencherqi (Atlantic) General Manager: Liz Goodwin (Atlantic) Marketing: Sam Spencer/ Tia Johnson (Atlantic) Digital Marketing: Will Beardmore/Fiona McAuley (Atlantic) National & Online Press: Claire Coster (Warner Music UK) MD & President Of Promotions: Damian Christian (Atlantic) National Radio: Will Puxley/ Carrie Curtis (Atlantic) Television: Deirdre Moran (Atlantic) Agent: Jon Ollier (One Fiinix Live) International: Liberty Wilson/ Victor Aroldoss (Warner Music UK)…

How did you get your first break in the music industry? “In my third year of university, I spotted an opening for a Google marketing summer internship on LinkedIn. After applying and getting an interview, I spent lots of time researching and taking a free online course to learn more about marketing with Google. That internship opened the door to my first graduate job at Meta. Again, I researched everything I could to better understand the role. My biggest advice to young people is to take risks, apply and prepare as much as possible. I now co-lead Meta’s partnership with The 93% Club, an amazing social mobility organisation that helps to close the gap for state school students like myself to be able to find incredible careers.” Could you sum…

TENN - TOUCH I’m loving the powerful resurgence of R&B music we’re seeing at the moment – with a new wave of British artists making a serious impact on the scene here and across the world. A new one to watch is Tenn – a 24-year-old singer, songwriter and producer from Sheffield who is gaining attention by racking up huge streams on SoundCloud with a unique style that nods to his Afro-Caribbean roots. If you like Bryson Tiller or Lucky Daye, you’re going to love Tenn’s sound, which has a similar vibe, but with his own fresh twist. I’m also loving that live vocals are back! A lot of the British R&B vocal talent that we have are representing on huge stages across the summer with artists like Shaé Universe…

JUNE 16 Dannii Minogue Neon Nights 20 London Django Django Off Planet Because Far From Saints Far From Saints Ignition Girls Aloud Sound Of The Underground (20th Anniv.) Polydor Killer Mike Michael Concord/Loma Vista Maisie Peters The Good Witch Gingerbread Man/Asylum Meshell Ndegeocello The Omnichord Real Book Blue Note/ UMG Queens Of The Stone Age In Times New Roman… Matador Texas The Very Best Of 19892023 PIAS Tom Grennan What Ifs & Maybes Insanity/Sony Yusuf Cat Stevens King Of A Land BMG/Dark Horse JUNE 23 Peter Hepworth Our Kingdom Of Summer Blue Bus Tour Ayron Jones Chronicles Of The Kid Big Machine/John Varvatos Jason Mraz Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride BMG Kelly Clarkson Chemistry Atlantic Kim Petras Feed The Beast Republic/Island Michael Bolton Spark Of Light Montaigne/Androver Portugal The Man…

CURATED BY GIR'S CARLA MARIE WILLIAMS SHAYNA MARIE (DJ & BROADCASTER, CAPITAL XTRA) A renowned DJ and broadcaster, Shayna Marie hosts the Capital Xtra Breakfast Show nationwide every Monday to Friday, alongside her weekly Friday night DJ mix shows. She started her career volunteering on community radio, and now has a well-established spot on a national station where she has interviewed the likes of Doja Cat, Penn Badgley, Michael B Jordan and Kehlani. As a DJ, Marie has also played for top names including Megan Thee Stallion, Wretch 32, Popcaan, Dexta Daps and Kranium, performed on stages at Caribbean Rocks and City Splash festival, and headlined Capital Xtra’s Reloaded night and Homegrown Live. Here, she shares her top five tips on how to make it in the world of broadcasting……

Dan Carey can’t remember the last time he had any free time in his schedule. He wouldn’t mind a day off here and there, but then someone suggests doing something that he likes the sound of and the time fills up again. As the label boss of Speedy Wunderground and producer of an inordinate number of great records from the past few years – including Fontaines DC’s entire output and Wet Leg’s all-conquering debut, as well as being Kae Tempest’s songwriting partner – Carey is much in demand. He recently picked up UK Producer Of The Year at the Music Producers Guild Awards, while the label that he formed a decade ago and runs alongside co-conspirators Pierre Hall and Alexis Smith won Best Small Label at the AIM Awards. Sticking…

Dan Fable’s second hit with Venbee, Messy In Heaven – featuring Goddard – became one of the biggest mainstream successes for dance music in 2022, sending it to No.3 in the Official Charts. Here, the songwriter goes deep on how the track came to life, turning dreams into lyrics and collaboration… T his song has changed my entire life as a songwriter. Leading up to Messy In Heaven, Venbee and I had already released Low Down together, which I featured on. It had done quite well, and we were at a good stage where everything was so open with her music, so quite soon after that, we just decided to have another session. We got into the studio, me, Venbee and Matteo [‘Tao’ Cinti], who I work with a lot,…

UNITED KINGDOM Chinchilla Little Girl Gone Video Creations: 125,500 Chinchilla’s latest track, Little Girl Gone, has become an anthem for empowerment on TikTok. The track is the London-born pop act’s first release since going independent and has resonated deeply with female creators, who have been inspired by the lyrics and her potent stand against misogyny. Little Girl Gone has also been embraced by creators with ADHD, who have found an outlet for their experiences through Chinchilla’s raw vocals. Fans have been using the heavy rage elements of the song to educate others on what can trigger ADHD-related anger. Chinchilla has also been eagerly engaging with audiences using her song, responding in comment sections and jumping on hashtags. Sheema Siddiqi, artist community manager at TikTok UK, highlights the way that, both…

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH For 24/7 music business coverage, go to musicweek.com Be authentic Flowerovlove [@flowerovlove] and needanamebro [@needanamebro] are both incredible examples of how to approach your Instagram content authentically. “We love how Flowerovlove integrates Instagram content with in-real-life moments with her fans, like a recent Reel where she invited fans to write on her billboard and she spent time chatting and filming content with them," notes Christina Theodoropoulou. Needanamebro are another act to follow on Instagram. The teenage trio started out by sharing covers filmed at home, and are now giving fans a sneak peak into the studio recording process through a series of relatable moments, including outtakes, all of which allows fans to really get to know them. Showcase your vocals and lyrics People follow artists to see…

The Last Dinner Party were treated to a fast-track experience of what it’s like to be thrust into the spotlight in the Age Of The Idiot when they released their debut single Nothing Matters in April. No sooner had a variety of publications and fans agreed that the song’s baroque-y indie-pop swagger - it sounds a bit like ABBA if they were the house band in an X-rated version of Wuthering Heights – was very good (and it is), than came Twitter’s bubble bursters. The fact that The Last Dinner Party had come out of nowhere and were signed to a major label (Island) and had a big time management company (Q Prime) behind them, meant they must be an “industry plant”, said one person, and they didn’t mean of…

THIS MONTH'S HOTTEST BRAND NEW ACT HERE AT LAST Meet the new boyband winning hearts on TikTok all across the world… Key Track: Bloodshot Label: Independent Management: Ben Karter Twitter: @hereatlastband Your new single Bloodshot feels different to your previous releases. Why did you explore a new sound? Pedro Santos: “Bloodshot is a kind of continuation of a few of our songs which have all been different to each other. As a band, we’re just finding our sound. There’s such a wave of mixing genres right now, we’ve released a ballad, a dance-house track, and Bloodshot is dark pop. It’s just about seeing where we go with it!” You started on TikTok, how have you found it adjusting to performing live? James Thomas: “One thing I found odd was seeing…

Management: Larry Rudolph, Jesse Peters, Katy Cooper, Claire Fisher, Shabnam Mohammad (724 Management) Label: Republic/Island CEO & Chairman: Monte Lipman (CEO, Republic), Avery Lipman (co-president, Universal Republic Records) Presidents: Wendy Goldstein, Jim Roppo (Republic), Louis Bloom (Island) A&R: Wendy Goldstein, Josh Berkman, Rhea Pasricha & Kenneth Jarvis III (Republic) UK Marketing: Amy Collins (Island) Digital Marketing: Sarah Gaupel (Republic) Publisher: Prescription Songs Agent: Ben Totis, David Bradley, Lara Christie (WME) Print & Online Press: David Lim, Milo Turnley (The Outside Organisation) Radio: Emma Segal (John Brogan Plugging) TV: Tony Fletcher (Island) Creative Director: Eli Sheppard Social Media Manager: Tori Agosta…

“I got interested in the idea of managing a dead artist as if he was alive” CALLY CALLOMON Ask Ben Harper for recollections from a lifetime of Nick Drake adulation and two spring to mind. The first is from childhood, of being at home, the sun streaming into the living room and Drake’s music rotating on the record player - ever-present yet evasive. “Of all the music I’d heard, it was the most mysterious,” the 53-year-old reflects now. “I had to find my way into those songs.” Decades later, Harper was still trying alongside another famous fan, his friend Heath Ledger. The pair would sit around the piano with a bottle of red wine and play those songs, isolating every component and element. “Heath’s passion for Nick was unrivalled,” reveals Harper.…

MIRACLE GROWTH CALVIN HARRIS & ELLIE GOULDING 01 Miracle (Columbia) SALES: 175,397 After entering Music Week’s monthly chart at No.11 thanks to only a week’s sales back in March, Miracle has now topped the list in both April and May. Seeing off the challenge from hits by David Kushner, Ed Sheeran and a barrage of Eurovision entries, Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding’s trance-influenced dance banger racked up 175,397 sales for May, topping the chart in every frame. As Music Week went to press, it had just topped the list for a fifth consecutive week, with a total of seven weeks at No.1. Miracle now boasts 488,699 total sales to date and is chasing down the 1,196,134 tally accumulated by 2014’s Outside, the pair’s biggest-selling collaboration to date. DAYLIGHT HOURS DAVID…