By Eric Gasa

It’s that wonderous time of the year again for festivalgoers, the always highly contested and anticipated Coachella lineup has been announced and with it comes the collective cheers, gasps, and sighs of the hundreds of thousands of people who will be attending in the sweltering California desert heat this April 12-15 and 20-22.

With it comes the hierarchy of headliners, characterized by the big named fonts (the headliners and Beyoncés of this world), the heavy hitters (Post-Malone, Fleet Foxes) until you go all the way down to the bottom of the list and hit the sleeper agents (Mild High Club, Japanese Breakfast, Princess Nokia).

This year’s lineup shows an expectant shift towards hip-hop and R&B. The three headliners, The Weeknd, Beyoncé, and Eminem could’ve been a big hint, along with other top acts like Cardi B, Migos, SZA, and Vince Staples. As the streaming culture shifts in favor of hip-hop we’ll see more and more of this, but this doesn’t mean rock & roll has left the desert festival forever. Alt-rockers like St. Vincent, The War on Drugs, Fleet Foxes, and Angel Olsen still bill high in the lineup, each act featuring dazzling guitar chops and fills.

This year also marks Beyoncé’s first performance since her pregnancy in June of last year as well as the first time a black woman has headlined the event. Eminem also tops the third day as he hits the festival circuit in support of his newest album Revival. His last appearance at Coachella was back in 2012 with Dr. Dre. The Weeknd on the other hand has been touring nonstop since 2016. This year also marks his third and highest-ranking appearance at the festival as the day one headliner.

As the festival grows bigger each year, its often looked to as mainstream music’s tastemaker. Compare to Coachella’s lineup 10 years ago which featured Jack Johnson, Prince, and Roger Waters, 2018 is a year dominated by hip-hop and R&B hitmakers.

By Armando

Music legends Queen, Neil Diamond and Tina Turner are set to be the honored with the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. They will join Hal Blaine, Emmylou Harris, Louis Jordan and the Meters as recipients of the award which “celebrates performers who have made outstanding contributions of artistic significance to the field of recording.”

“This year’s Special Merit Awards recipients are a prestigious group of diverse and influential creators who have crafted or contributed to some of the most distinctive recordings in music history. These exceptionally inspiring figures are being honored as legendary performers, creative architects and technical visionaries. Their outstanding accomplishments and passion for their craft have created a timeless legacy,” said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy.

Other honorees include Bill Graham, Seymour Stein, and John Williams for the Trustees Award, while Tony Agnello and Richard Factor will be the Technical Grammy Award recipients.

A special award presentation ceremony and concert which will celebrate the Special Merit Awards honorees will be held this summer. The Grammy Awards will be held at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on January 28.

Queen, led by the late Freddie Mercury, is one of the world’s best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of 150 million to 300 million records, including classic rock hits “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.” Often to as “The Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Tina Turner’s hit-making career spans decades, once as a member of the Ike & Tina Turner husband-and-wife musical duo with then husband Ike Turner, leading up to global success as a solo artist. In 1983, Tina launched “What’s Love Got to Do with It” which would become her signature hit single.

Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond scored numerous hits during the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s including “Sweet Caroline,” “America” and “Heartlight.” He wrote for chart hits for the Monkees and later hit no.1 with his own single “Cracklin’ Rosie” (1970).

By Niy Birden

Let it be known: Paloma Faith is ready to make her mark as an R&B popstar. Maybe not quite like Bruno Mars aesthetically, but with the same musical foundation and performance attitude.

And this time, it is imperative for our best interests that we pay complete attention.

With 4 albums in the game and more than 20 years as a performer, it is really quite a surprise that she hasn’t gotten up to the ranks such as her other fellow female British performers, like Adele and other singer songwriters. Even though her sound and imagery were quite literally similar to a circus act (which makes sense considering that she was a magician’s assistant), she had the full package: chops, dance skills, and the looks. But somehow, she was heavily overlooked.

Not anymore.

Debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart and selling over 40,000 copies, this is her first UK charting album.

The Architect, Paloma’s newest album, is a statement that is finding a unique spot amongst the 2017 album releases in the mainstream R&B and pop world.

It is a joyful surprise in many ways. With the album title being released in 2016 after a statement about her hiatus following her childbirth, many people did not expect to hear from our friendly singer from across the pond for quite some time.
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By Armando

Lady Gaga will have a two-year residency in Las Vegas in 2018, the six-time Grammy award winning artist announced. “The rumors are true!” Gaga posted on Twitter. “I will have my own residency at MGM’s Park Theater. Get ready for a brand new show!! It’s been my lifelong dream to be a Las Vegas girl, I’m so overjoyed! Love you little monsters we did it, meet me in Las Vegas!!”

Shows are scheduled to take place in 2018 at the city’s new 5,300-seat Park Theater at Park MGM resort on the Las Vegas strip.

According to Variety, Gaga will earn over $1 million per show, with the deal reportedly worth $100 million. The residency will reportedly feature 74 shows and may possibly run longer.

Specific dates and ticket prices for the show will be announced at a later date.

Gaga is the latest major recording artist to take on a Vegas residency following Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey and Backstreet Boys.

Gaga’s provocative and experimental work seem a good fit for the Vegas. Her career profile will undoubtedly pull in broad new generation of audiences, armed with 30 million followers on Instagram, and 75 million followers on Twitter.

She is still on the Joanne World Tour which is scheduled to conclude on February 2018. Recently, the 31 year old musicians received two Grammy nominations: Best Pop Vocal Album for “Joanne” and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Million Reasons.” She’s also set to star in the remake of “A Star is Born,” a film that marks Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut.

By Creative Media Times

A few weeks ago, Ed Sheeran teased that a remix of his latest single “Perfect” will soon be released. Its “a pretty big f***in deal,” says Sheeran. “I’m just basically gonna ‘Despacito’ ‘Perfect.'”

Today Sheeran reveals that the remix is in fact a duet with Beyoncé. Though the two have performed on stage before, this marks the first time the powerhouse musicians have collaborated on a single. The two performed on stage together during a tribute to Stevie Wonder in 2015.

The romantic ballad is from Sheeran’s recent album ÷ (Divide) which was nominated in the Grammy’s best pop vocal album category. The song’s original version is currently number five on Billboard Hot 100 and the duet version should definitely provide a boost to it’s chart performance.

In the romantic duet, Sheeran takes the lead verse and chorus which were essentially similar to the song’s original version, before Beyoncé comes in to sing the second verse, which then lead to harmonious blend of their vocals on the track’s last two choruses. The original do features more a orchestral sound than the acoustics on the duet.

The collab track is second for Sheeran this month, after his work with Taylor Swift on the latter’s latest “End Game”. Beyoncé recently collaborated with rapper Eminem on “Walk on Water” released last month, and with J Balvin and Willy William’s “Mi Gente” remix which was released in September.