Shakira to Receive Video Vanguard Award at This Year’s MTV Video Music Awards

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Shakira is being celebrated for leading the way…

The 46-year-old Colombian superstar singer-songwriter will receive the Video Vanguard Award at MTV‘s 2023 Video Music Awards on September 12, becoming the first South American artist to earn the award.

Shakira will accept the award and perform at the ceremony for the first time since 2006.

The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer is a four-time VMA winner and 30-time nominee.

She won her first VMA — the award for International Viewer’s Choice — Latin America (North) — in 2000 for “Ojos Así.” She snagged the same award in 2002 for “Whenever, Wherever/Suerte” and also scooped up the trophy for Best Choreography in a Video for 2006’s “Hips Don’t Lie” as well as Most Earth-Shattering Collaboration for 2007’s “Beautiful Liar” with Beyoncé.

Shakira has also earned three Grammys and 12 Latin Grammys in her career.

The Video Vanguard Award, named after Michael Jackson, went to Nicki Minaj last year. Previous winners include Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Kanye West, David Bowie, Madonna and Rihanna. The Beatles and A Hard Day’s Night director Richard Lester won the award at the first VMAs in 1984.

Shakira is nominated for four VMAs this year: Artist of the Year, Best Collaboration and Best Latin for “TQG” with Karol G, and Best Latin for “Acróstico.”

Earlier this year, her hit collaboration with Bizarrap, “Music Sessions Vol. 53,” set a number of streaming records on Spotify and YouTube.

Shakira first performed at the VMAs in 2002 with her rendition of “Objection (Tango),” and was the first artist to perform a song entirely in Spanish at the ceremony alongside Alejandro Sanz when they sang “La Tortura” in 2005.

Taylor Swift leads this year’s VMA nominations with eight, while SZA comes in second with six nominations. Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, Sam Smith, Olivia Rodrigo and Kim Petras each have five nominations, and Blackpink and Diddy tie Shakira’s four. Demi Lovato, Karol G, Måneskin, and Stray Kids are confirmed to perform at the ceremony, with MTV announcing more performers soon.

Amazon Releases Trailer for Sebastian Chacon’s New Series “Daisy Jones & The Six”

Posted on January 26, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Sebastian Chacon is jonesing…

Amazon has released the trailer for its upcoming Prime Video series Daisy Jones & The Six, starring the 29-year-old Latino actor.

Based on the novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, the series brings the band to life led by Riley Keough as the titular character.

In 1977, Daisy Jones & The Six were on top of the world. Fronted by two charismatic lead singers — Daisy Jones (Keough) and Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin) — the band had risen from obscurity to fame. And then, after a sold-out show at Chicago’s Soldier Field, they called it quits. Now, decades later, the band members finally agree to reveal the truth. This is the story of how an iconic band imploded at the height of its powers.

The trailer features clips of the band performing and writing music together, also hinting at the rocky relationship between Daisy and Billy.

The trailer also includes the band performing their hit single from the book, “Regret Me.”

The song is part of the fictional album Aurora, which has also been brought to life and will be released when the series debuts on March 3. Prime Video has shared that track list.

Grammy-winning songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Blake Mills led the production on Aurora with co-writing credits from Marcus Mumford, Phoebe Bridgers and Jackson Browne.

Tony Berg also provided additional production, and the album features instrumentalists from Rilo Kiley, the Who, Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam, David Bowie, Elton John, Jeff Beck and the Wallflowers.

In addition to Keough, claflin and Chacon, who portrays Warren Rojas, Daisy Jones & The Six also stars Camila Morrone as Camila Dunne, Will Harrison as Graham Dunne, Suki Waterhouse as Karen Sirko, Josh Whitehouse as Eddie Roundtree, Nabiyah Be as Simone Jackson, and Tom Wright as Teddy Price, with a special guest appearance by Timothy Olyphant as Rod Reyes.

From Amazon Studios and Hello Sunshine, Daisy Jones & The Six is executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter for Hello Sunshine and Brad Mendelsohn for Circle of Confusion.

James Ponsoldt directed the first five episodes and serves as an executive producer. Nzingha Stewart directed four of the remaining episodes, and Graham directed one.

Here’s the full tracklist for Aurora:
“Aurora”
“Let Me Down Easy”
“Kill You to Try”
“Two Against Three”
“Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)”
“Regret Me”
“You Were Gone”
“More Fun to Miss”
“Please”
“The River”
“No Words”

Nathy Peluso to Perform at This Year’s Montreux Jazz Festival

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Nathy Peluso is jazzed about her next gig…

The 26-year-old Argentine singer, songwriter and producer will perform at the 2021 edition of Montreux Jazz Festival, slated to roll out across 16 days next month in Switzerland.

Set to take place from July 2-17, Montreux Jazz Festival this year debuts a new stage, Scene Du Lac, on the banks of Lake Geneva.

In addition to Peluso, the lineup includes Woodkid, Inhaler, the Paradox project of Jeff Mills and Tony Allen, and many more.

Rag’n’Bone Man and Arlo Parks, and Detroit techno legend Jeff Mills are among the headliners booked for the event.

The festival, one of Europe’s best-known and longest-running live music events, was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.

In April of this year, organizers announced plans for the festival’s return, with a limited capacity and its new stage.

Montreux Jazz Festival was established in 1967 by the late jazz connoisseur Claude Nobs. Over time, the event has hosted performances by many of the greats of contemporary music, from Prince to David Bowie, Nina Simone, Quincy Jones, Marvin Gaye, Elton John and others.

Tickets for this year’s fest go on sale from June 8 via the Montreux Jazz Festival website.

Mariah Carey Honors New York’s Essential Heroes During Robin Hood & iHeart Radio’s ‘Heroes of New York’ Event

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Mariah Carey is celebrating the true heroes of 2020 the best way she knows how…

The 51-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning chanteuse appeared during Robin Hood and iHeart Radio‘s Heroes of New York event on Tuesday night (December 1) to perform a special medley of her chart-topper “Hero,” “Joy to the World” and David Bowie‘s “Heroes.”

“Seven months ago, New York had its back against the wall. Our neighbors needed help, and Robin Hood reached out to us for our support. New Yorkers answered the call and stepped up,” Carey said in her introduction, before dedicating her number to “the thousands of heroes in New York who did their part to help put our city back on the road to full recovery.”

From there, Carey launched into the hook of Bowie’s classic 1977 single before seamlessly transitioning into her own, similarly named, smash released 17 years later during her Music Box era.

“No nothing could tear us away/ We could be heroes just for one day/ We could be heroes just for one day/ And then a hero comes along/ With the strength to carry on/ And you cast your fears aside/ And you know you/ So when you feel like hope is gone/ Look inside you and be strong/ And you’ll finally see the truth That a hero lies in, a hero lies in you/ That a hero lies in you,” Carey sang from her home studio.

Finally, the star closed out the medley with a passionate, melisma-filled take on “Joy to the World” while backed by a virtual choir.

The one-hour special also featured appearances by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Andy Cohen, Jon Stewart, Kelly Ripa and more, with a special performance of “Smile” by Tony Bennett.

Eduardo Cabra Partners with Vicente Garcia on New Multimedia & Music Fusion Project Called Trending Topics

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Eduardo Cabra is trending…

The 39-year-old Puerto Rican artist and producer,known as Visitante, has teamed with Puerto Rican singer Vicente Garcia for his first post Calle 13 solo project, called Trending Topics.

A single is due Sept. 14, with an album to follow later this fall.

The album will be a joint release between Sony Music Colombia and Sony Music Spain, according to Billboard, through a new deal Cabra and Garcia made with the global company that partners the two regional offices for the project.

Cabra, who has produced 13 albums for other artists, in addition to his groundbreaking work with Calle 13, previously told Billboardthat Trending Topics is a collaborative recording whose “common denominator is the production.”

In addition to Garcia, who won the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist in 2017, the album will feature Ana Tijoux, Jorge Drexler, Li Suamet of Bomba Estereo fame, Amayo from Antibalas, Pucho and Guille from Spanish rock band Vetusta Morla, and musician and producer Carlos Alomar, best known as David Bowie’s guitarist.

Sony calls Trending Topics, “an innovative multimedia, music fusion project” with music “born from the traditions of Afro-Caribbean and Caribbean cultures and rhythms – intertwined with the sounds of boundary pushing contemporary/ experimental recording techniques and timely lyrical subject matter.”

Cabra previously told Billboardthat reggaeton, approached “in a different way” will be part of the mix.

In an announcement from Sony, Cabra called Trending Topics, “a project that was made with much love and with a brutal sense of art.”

Spalding to Perform at David Bowie Tribute Concerts

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Esperanza Spalding is paying tribute to a legend…

The 31-year-old part-Mexican singer and multi-Grammy winner has been added to the list of artists set to perform at the David Bowie tribute concerts at Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall, happening on March 31 and April 1, respectively.

Spalding joins a new round of performers that includes J Mascis, Patti Smith, TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone, Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hutz, Kronos Quartet, Bilal and Tariq.

They join an already stacked lineup that features Blondie, Laurie Anderson, The Roots, The Flaming Lips, and many others.

Both concert dates are sold out, but Radio City Music Hall has partnered with Skype to stream the latter date for a donation to the event’s charity partners.

Iglesias to Receive Honorary Degree from Berklee College of Music

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

It’s one degree of appreciation for Julio Iglesias…

The 71-year-old Spanish singer-songwriter, one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, will receive an honorary doctor of music degree from Berklee College of Music at the prestigious school’s commencement ceremony next month.

The recognition comes for Iglesias’ achievements and influences in music and for his enduring contributions to American and international culture, according to a press release.

Iglesias, a Grammy winner, has sold more than 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released more than 80 albums, with more than 2,600 gold and platinum records certified.

In April 2013, he was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Other honorees this year include Sony Music Entertainment CEO Doug Morris, jazz drummer Harvey Mason and singer-songwriter Dee Dee Bridgewater.

Past honorary degree recipients include Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, Smokey Robinson, Steven Tyler, Loretta Lynn, David Bowie and Duke Ellington, who was the first to receive this honor in 1971.

The ceremony will be held May 9 at the campus’ Agganis Arena.

Per Berklee’s tradition, on the eve of the commencement ceremony on May 8, students will pay tribute to the honorees by performing music associated with their careers at Agganis Arena. The concert and ceremony are not open to the public.

Tribeca Film Festival Launches Music Film Challenge Using Blacc’s “Ticking Bomb” Track

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Here’s your chance to create a special music video for one of Aloe Blacc’s songs.

The Tribeca Film Festival has launched a music film challenge, in which content creators and storytellers can create interactive music videos for songs by the 35-year-old Panamanian American singer, Ellie Goulding and Damon Albarn.

The winning project for each artist will be screened at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, which takes place from April 16 to 27.

Starting Tuesday, participants can go to genero.tv/Tribeca to create a music video set to a song by one of the three artists, using Interlude‘s self-service interface Treehouse.

Filmmakers can select from Blacc’s “Ticking Bomb,” Albarn’s “Heavy Seas of Love” and Goulding’s “Dead in the Water.”

Submissions are due by March 27. A jury will then select finalists for each of the three songs, with the artists helping to select the winners.

The winning filmmakers will receive $10,000 each and a trip to attend the Tribeca Film Festival.

“New technologies are unlocking a world of storytelling opportunities for filmmakers to captivate, engage, and entertain audiences,” Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal said in a statement. “We are always looking for ways to introduce new technology to the filmmaking community at the Festival.”

Blacc, who provided vocals for Avicii‘s “Wake Me Up” added: “I’m excited to see how ‘Ticking Bomb’ is interpreted by Genero‘s community of directors. Whilst the song is meant to shed light on an issue close to my heart, I’m interested to see how the song inspires and translates through Genero’s community. I’m definitely not expecting videos that offer a literal interpretation of the lyrics, and I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with!”

Genero.tv connects musicians with a global community of more than 250,000 filmmakers, providing a platform for artists to find video directors.

The Genero community has created more than 5,000 videos, including official clips for Moby, M83, James Brown, Muse, John Mayer, Duran Duran, David Bowie, David Guetta, Passion Pit and Linkin Park.

The finalists’ films will be showcased during the Tribeca Online Festival and displayed throughout Festival venues and lounges via interactive kiosks.

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