Hello everyone! You may have noticed that the send-out time for the Now Hear This newsletter has moved to 9.30am GMT (you thought I was just having a lie-in? I wish). Don't worry, I'll still be bringing you a weekly dose of music news, updates and recommendations for all the good stuff you should be tuning into.
Speaking of: who watched the Super Bowl halftime show? Bad Bunny was just phenomenal, I thought, delivering a vibrant, joyous performance that celebrated Latin American culture, in particular his beloved Puerto Rico.
What else have we covered this week… Well, Ellie Muir spoke with fast-rising underground star Ledbyher about her experiences of homelessness, feelings of isolation in the male-dominated rap scene, and being championed by stars including Skepta and Central Cee. We also had Annabel's fantastic interview with Peaches, for which they had a rain-soaked but fun jaunt around Soho, speaking about the Canadian pop provocateur's first album in a decade. I'm thrilled because The Independent is also hosting Peaches' headline show at The Great Escape festival in Brighton, taking place on Friday 15 May at the Dome. See you there?!
Over in Glasgow, writer Blue Kirkhope went to see the first night of Florence and the Machine's new tour (five stars), and I saw Mika perform at Wembley Arena last night, WOW, he was incredible. I've been muttering about the lack of truly brilliant male entertainers in pop for a while now, Mika is certainly an exception (and Harry Styles owes him a lot, just saying - the outfits, the stage mannerisms, all of it). Favourite moments include Mika being spun around in a giant wheel (I did worry we were going to have a Eurovision Song Contest: Story of Fire Saga moment), dancing on top of a grand piano, and spectacular renditions of "Grace Kelly", "Love Today" and "Elle Me Dit". Also, I haven't seen a London crowd be that enthusiastic and joyous in forever, it was amazing.
Finally, I managed to find a way to introduce my obsession with the show Heated Rivalry to my job, so yes, this week's episode of Good Vibrations has two guests: Heated Rivalry creator and director Jacob Tierney, and original score composer Peter Peter. Out now, wherever you get your podcasts.
Now for the new music I love this week: a few fantastic albums, including Jill Scott's glorious To Whom This May Concern, her first album in a decade. It was worth the wait: the production is lush, full of gorgeous textures, while Scott explores themes of love and self-worth with a stunning specificity. Also, the debut album from Cardinals, Masquerade, is a bloody triumph - one of the best rock debuts in years, it's spiky but melodic, at once serious and playful. The songwriting is great, while the trad influences keep them on the right side of pioneers like The Pogues - there's a ramshackle, punkish nature to the whole thing ("St Agnes" is a favourite). Brilliant.
Also: Charli XCX's Wuthering Heights album. I loathed the film - Emerald Fennell's been going on about how it's her 14-year-old self's interpretation, well, let me just say there's a reason they don't let 14-year-olds make big-budget movies based on complex literary masterpieces. Anyway, on first listen it feels like Charli grasped the ideas in Emily Bronte's book better than Fennell - I'm keen to see what our albums critic Helen Brown makes of it (review up later today).
Last bits: Muna are back with "Dancing on the Wall", love that, and I adore Victoria Monet with "Let Me". Newcomers Sarah Julia (a Dutch sister duo who just signed to Nettwerk) are fantastic on "Bigger Picture", with the swoop of the cello paired with some fantastic call-and-response vocals. I love The Leaving (Chvrches' Martin Doherty and Jonny Scott) with "Pray", "Kiss Me on the Line" from all-star collective Tarragon, and "Teenage Famous" from Feng's surprise debut album release Weekend Rockstar.
That's all for now, have a fab weekend everybody x
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