Paak, who himself experienced homelessness, spoke on a promotional video where he explained his involvement in the project, its importance and how it reflects on his own past.

“As someone who’s struggled, who not too long ago had no job or place to call home, I know the importance of being given a fighting chance,” said Paak. “Music was my fighting chance. Now, I’m thankful to team up with Modelo to give those in need a shot at proving what they’re made of.”

He went on to say that “Together we’ll spread our message and support refugees, immigrants, and Americans in need. My music has given me the opportunity to help others who have a fighting spirit.”

.Paak released his fourth album Ventura in April this year. It’s been claimed as one of the best albums of the year and peaked at No. 4 on Billboard 200. 

The post Anderson .Paak Was Once Homeless, Now He Raises Money for the Less Fortunate appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

And it’s also given rise to some impossible mashups that should never work, and yet somehow they do.

Case in point: A YouTuber called William Maranci has released a viral mashup a few days ago, impossibly wedding “Circle of Life” from Disney’s 1994 The Lion King with Korn’s “Freak on a Leash” from their 1998 album Follow the Leader.

On paper, this should never have happened. These two songs are so tonally different it is hard to imagine they could ever co-exist, let alone support each other. “Circle of Life” is an African-themed anthem of optimism, while “Freak on a Leash” is a harsh and dark song, complete with Korn’s signature heavily distorted guitars. 

But this is where the magic takes place: When Jonathan Davis’ vocals are superimposed over the Disney music, they somehow harmonize in a way that takes out much of their poignancy — unless, of course, ones listen to the words rather than just the melody. 

The result is a surprisingly uplifting hymn that sounds almost like a prayer. In true mashup fashion, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. 

The only question remaining is how to name this hybrid; comments to the video seem to be divided between “The Lion Korn” and “The Circle of Leash”. What do you think?

The post Viral Lion King/Korn Mashup is Unexpectedly Awesome appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

It might be hard to believe, but the numbers are in: 35,000 cassette tapes were sold in the UK alone during the first half of 2019. Sales during the same period in 2018 were 18,000, less than half as much. 

The biggest names on cassette sales are Billie Eilish with When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (4,000 copies), Catfish and The Bottlemen’s The Balance (3,000), Madonna’s Madame X and Hozier’s Wasteland Baby.

As it turns out, manufacturers were just as caught by surprise by these figures as the rest of us, and have literally run out of a key component, the elusive and coveted gamma ferric oxide. Amazingly, there is exactly one factory in the entire world that produces this stuff, and it’s currently under construction, severely limiting its productivity.

The situation was laid down in a recent letter by the National Audio Company, America’s biggest producer of cassette tapes. In it, they assure that they “are presently keeping all customers supplied as fast as raw materials arrive here.”

Let’s hope this shortage is resolved soon. Until it does, this might be a good time to go look for your old trusty walkman. We think ours is in the basement somewhere!

The post Cassette Tapes are Selling Again, but We Don’t Have the Materials to Make Them appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders explained the event in a press release: “We are delighted to be playing this unexpected end of the year show with Suede in aid of our dear pal John Brandham, most trusted friend and deluxe crew member.

“John suffered a medical setback recently and will, therefore, be sadly missed during our 2020 tours – but to see him through in the mean-time, we’re doing the mother of all benefits. Should be a great night!”

Suede’s Brett Anderson has mentioned Brandham in his memoir, Afternoon With The Blinds Drawn, which came out recently. He described Brandham as “the perfect person with whom to spend long journeys; he is kind and respectful and very funny, possessing a bone-dry, self-deprecating Tottenham fan’s wit and the flattened, drawling vowels of a broad Estuary accent.”

We wish Brandham a quick recovery, and many more tours and long journeys to come!

The post Suede, The Pretenders to Co-Headline a Benefit Show for Mutual Crew Member appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

But recently, new evidence has surfaced that shed light on what really took place back in 1970 when the biggest band in the world called it quits. historian and Beatles expert Mark Lewisohn has uncovered a recording of a band meeting where McCartney brings up plans for a follow-up album to Abbey Road.

“The books have always told us that they knew Abbey Road was their last album and they wanted to go out on an artistic high,” Lewisohn said in an interview to The Guardian last month. “But no – they’re discussing the next album.”

And now we have additional confirmation from drummer Ringo Starr, who spoke with BBC 6. Starr said: “We did do Abbey Road and we was like, ‘Okay that’s pretty good…but none of us said, ‘OK, that’s the last time we’ll ever play together’. Nobody said that. I never felt that.

“So it was not the end – because in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make,” Starr quoted the song “The End” which seals Abbey Road.

The post Abbey Road Was Not Meant to Be The Beatles’ Final Album, Says Ringo Starr appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of their sophomore album, the band is planning to release a remastered double LP edition, together with nine demos that were recorded in their basement and have never been heard before!

The release date is expected to be on Oct. 25.

Talking about the creation of the album, singer and main lyricist Chris Conley spoke with Loudwire about how he came up with some of the often controversial lyrics:

“There are a lot of lyrics that I would not write now or even think of now, but the thing was that I was doing writing assignments,” explained Conley who was taking creative writing classes back then. “This might alter someone’s perception of the album, but this is true — some of the songs aren’t about things that happened, they’re about emotions.”

We don’t think Chris has anything to worry about — knowing that the angst-driven anthems of 1999 were essentially homework assignments only adds a new and interesting depth to their appeal!

The post 20th Anniversary of Saves the Day’s “Through Being Cool” Coming Up appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The show in question was at the Austin City Limits Music Festival on Saturday (Oct 12). According to the band’s announcement, Gallup had to return to the UK due to a personal situation.

“Another serious personal situation affecting our bassist Simon arose yesterday, and as a consequence, he had to return to the UK,” the band announced on its twitter page. “We would like to thank Eden Gallup for filling in on bass again at such short notice.”

As you can tell from the use of the word “another”, this wasn’t the first time in recent history that The Cure was on stage without their regular bassist. Back in July Gallup could not accompany the band to Japan to perform at Fuji Rock Festival. He was replaced by son Eden then as well, who played a total of seven shows before his father could resume his place in the line-up.

The post The Cure’s Simon Gallup Forced to Miss a Show, Replaced By His Son appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

Blake took to Twitter to complain about a tweet from Billboard regarding an interview he gave them. Billboard’s tweet read: “Backstage at ACL Music Festival, @jamesblake discusses his latest album ‘Assume Form,’ how his girlfriend Jameela Jamil inspired the record, and teases new music. #ACLFest”

“Not just inspired it – she actually worked on it,” Blake wrote back on his account. “I even said it in the interview, but people focus on ‘inspired’ because the idea of the ‘muse’ is so romantic and pervasive.”

The aforementioned album is Blake’s fourth which he released back in January and it made No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. According to him, Jamil had a much more active role in the creation of the album than simply “inspiring” it.

“Women who help their partners with their album, being a sounding board and often their only emotional support during the process, almost invariably go uncredited,” Blake went on to say in a follow-up tweet.

Jamil is currently starring on NBC’s critically-acclaimed The Good Place which started its fourth and final season just a few weeks ago.

The post James Blake Says Girlfriend Jameela Jamil is More Than Just a Muse appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

To begin with, this was Lavigne’s first live show in her native Canada in over 5 years, following a prolonged break from playing live. The singer was diagnosed with Lyme Disease back in 2014, an illness that is very hard to treat and can take years to recover from.

One special moment in the show was recorded when a surprise guest, Michael Clifford of the Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer joined her on stage to play “Sk8er Boi,” the beloved second single of her 2002 debut, Let Go.

But possibly the highlight of the evening was when Lavigne welcomed on stage her cousin Bernie who came escorted with a young woman. Bernie then proceeded to kneel before his companion with a ring in hand. Although the proposal itself was not captured on the amplifying system, she nodded and rushed to hug her chosen one.

“She said yes,” Avril announced with her arm in the air. “Welcome to the family,” she added and threw in a hug.

Truly a night to remember!

The post Avril Lavigne’s Very Special Night in Toronto appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The 22-year-old musician has been hitting his stride lately, and has now released a new video for the song “Talk Nice.” Currently on tour in Australia together with The 1975 (both are signed to Dirty Hit), No Rome found the time to talk to NME about the inspiration behind the song.

“The whole topic of the song is me singing about these emotions that relate to cost and money,” he explained. “The reality is that I don’t feel like money is everything, but money is kind of everything in the way that life has a price to pay.”

One could speculate that these feelings about money have risen due to No Rome’s ongoing success. “I have this frustration, because I feel like I’m growing up,” he added.

“I don’t know about the side of getting bigger as an artist but I can see that more and more people are being introduced to my music – especially through being on this tour with The 1975. That’s really helped to boost up my fanbase.”

No Rome has written songs which revolved around money before, but in “Talk Nice” he shows a newfound maturity regarding the subject. “I feel like these songs like ‘Cashmoney’ were solely written about making money, and this one is an explanation to me about wanting to get rid of that idea,” No Rome concluded. “Money is something that we have to live with, but so is emotion.”

Watch “Talk Nice” below.

The post No Rome Shares His Thoughts On Making Money in New Song “Talk Nice” appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

Paak, who himself experienced homelessness, spoke on a promotional video where he explained his involvement in the project, its importance and how it reflects on his own past.

“As someone who’s struggled, who not too long ago had no job or place to call home, I know the importance of being given a fighting chance,” said Paak. “Music was my fighting chance. Now, I’m thankful to team up with Modelo to give those in need a shot at proving what they’re made of.”

He went on to say that “Together we’ll spread our message and support refugees, immigrants, and Americans in need. My music has given me the opportunity to help others who have a fighting spirit.”

.Paak released his fourth album Ventura in April this year. It’s been claimed as one of the best albums of the year and peaked at No. 4 on Billboard 200. 

The post Anderson .Paak Was Once Homeless, Now He Raises Money for the Less Fortunate appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

And it’s also given rise to some impossible mashups that should never work, and yet somehow they do.

Case in point: A YouTuber called William Maranci has released a viral mashup a few days ago, impossibly wedding “Circle of Life” from Disney’s 1994 The Lion King with Korn’s “Freak on a Leash” from their 1998 album Follow the Leader.

On paper, this should never have happened. These two songs are so tonally different it is hard to imagine they could ever co-exist, let alone support each other. “Circle of Life” is an African-themed anthem of optimism, while “Freak on a Leash” is a harsh and dark song, complete with Korn’s signature heavily distorted guitars. 

But this is where the magic takes place: When Jonathan Davis’ vocals are superimposed over the Disney music, they somehow harmonize in a way that takes out much of their poignancy — unless, of course, ones listen to the words rather than just the melody. 

The result is a surprisingly uplifting hymn that sounds almost like a prayer. In true mashup fashion, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. 

The only question remaining is how to name this hybrid; comments to the video seem to be divided between “The Lion Korn” and “The Circle of Leash”. What do you think?

The post Viral Lion King/Korn Mashup is Unexpectedly Awesome appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

It might be hard to believe, but the numbers are in: 35,000 cassette tapes were sold in the UK alone during the first half of 2019. Sales during the same period in 2018 were 18,000, less than half as much. 

The biggest names on cassette sales are Billie Eilish with When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (4,000 copies), Catfish and The Bottlemen’s The Balance (3,000), Madonna’s Madame X and Hozier’s Wasteland Baby.

As it turns out, manufacturers were just as caught by surprise by these figures as the rest of us, and have literally run out of a key component, the elusive and coveted gamma ferric oxide. Amazingly, there is exactly one factory in the entire world that produces this stuff, and it’s currently under construction, severely limiting its productivity.

The situation was laid down in a recent letter by the National Audio Company, America’s biggest producer of cassette tapes. In it, they assure that they “are presently keeping all customers supplied as fast as raw materials arrive here.”

Let’s hope this shortage is resolved soon. Until it does, this might be a good time to go look for your old trusty walkman. We think ours is in the basement somewhere!

The post Cassette Tapes are Selling Again, but We Don’t Have the Materials to Make Them appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders explained the event in a press release: “We are delighted to be playing this unexpected end of the year show with Suede in aid of our dear pal John Brandham, most trusted friend and deluxe crew member.

“John suffered a medical setback recently and will, therefore, be sadly missed during our 2020 tours – but to see him through in the mean-time, we’re doing the mother of all benefits. Should be a great night!”

Suede’s Brett Anderson has mentioned Brandham in his memoir, Afternoon With The Blinds Drawn, which came out recently. He described Brandham as “the perfect person with whom to spend long journeys; he is kind and respectful and very funny, possessing a bone-dry, self-deprecating Tottenham fan’s wit and the flattened, drawling vowels of a broad Estuary accent.”

We wish Brandham a quick recovery, and many more tours and long journeys to come!

The post Suede, The Pretenders to Co-Headline a Benefit Show for Mutual Crew Member appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

But recently, new evidence has surfaced that shed light on what really took place back in 1970 when the biggest band in the world called it quits. historian and Beatles expert Mark Lewisohn has uncovered a recording of a band meeting where McCartney brings up plans for a follow-up album to Abbey Road.

“The books have always told us that they knew Abbey Road was their last album and they wanted to go out on an artistic high,” Lewisohn said in an interview to The Guardian last month. “But no – they’re discussing the next album.”

And now we have additional confirmation from drummer Ringo Starr, who spoke with BBC 6. Starr said: “We did do Abbey Road and we was like, ‘Okay that’s pretty good…but none of us said, ‘OK, that’s the last time we’ll ever play together’. Nobody said that. I never felt that.

“So it was not the end – because in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make,” Starr quoted the song “The End” which seals Abbey Road.

The post Abbey Road Was Not Meant to Be The Beatles’ Final Album, Says Ringo Starr appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of their sophomore album, the band is planning to release a remastered double LP edition, together with nine demos that were recorded in their basement and have never been heard before!

The release date is expected to be on Oct. 25.

Talking about the creation of the album, singer and main lyricist Chris Conley spoke with Loudwire about how he came up with some of the often controversial lyrics:

“There are a lot of lyrics that I would not write now or even think of now, but the thing was that I was doing writing assignments,” explained Conley who was taking creative writing classes back then. “This might alter someone’s perception of the album, but this is true — some of the songs aren’t about things that happened, they’re about emotions.”

We don’t think Chris has anything to worry about — knowing that the angst-driven anthems of 1999 were essentially homework assignments only adds a new and interesting depth to their appeal!

The post 20th Anniversary of Saves the Day’s “Through Being Cool” Coming Up appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The show in question was at the Austin City Limits Music Festival on Saturday (Oct 12). According to the band’s announcement, Gallup had to return to the UK due to a personal situation.

“Another serious personal situation affecting our bassist Simon arose yesterday, and as a consequence, he had to return to the UK,” the band announced on its twitter page. “We would like to thank Eden Gallup for filling in on bass again at such short notice.”

As you can tell from the use of the word “another”, this wasn’t the first time in recent history that The Cure was on stage without their regular bassist. Back in July Gallup could not accompany the band to Japan to perform at Fuji Rock Festival. He was replaced by son Eden then as well, who played a total of seven shows before his father could resume his place in the line-up.

The post The Cure’s Simon Gallup Forced to Miss a Show, Replaced By His Son appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

Blake took to Twitter to complain about a tweet from Billboard regarding an interview he gave them. Billboard’s tweet read: “Backstage at ACL Music Festival, @jamesblake discusses his latest album ‘Assume Form,’ how his girlfriend Jameela Jamil inspired the record, and teases new music. #ACLFest”

“Not just inspired it – she actually worked on it,” Blake wrote back on his account. “I even said it in the interview, but people focus on ‘inspired’ because the idea of the ‘muse’ is so romantic and pervasive.”

The aforementioned album is Blake’s fourth which he released back in January and it made No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart. According to him, Jamil had a much more active role in the creation of the album than simply “inspiring” it.

“Women who help their partners with their album, being a sounding board and often their only emotional support during the process, almost invariably go uncredited,” Blake went on to say in a follow-up tweet.

Jamil is currently starring on NBC’s critically-acclaimed The Good Place which started its fourth and final season just a few weeks ago.

The post James Blake Says Girlfriend Jameela Jamil is More Than Just a Muse appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

To begin with, this was Lavigne’s first live show in her native Canada in over 5 years, following a prolonged break from playing live. The singer was diagnosed with Lyme Disease back in 2014, an illness that is very hard to treat and can take years to recover from.

One special moment in the show was recorded when a surprise guest, Michael Clifford of the Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer joined her on stage to play “Sk8er Boi,” the beloved second single of her 2002 debut, Let Go.

But possibly the highlight of the evening was when Lavigne welcomed on stage her cousin Bernie who came escorted with a young woman. Bernie then proceeded to kneel before his companion with a ring in hand. Although the proposal itself was not captured on the amplifying system, she nodded and rushed to hug her chosen one.

“She said yes,” Avril announced with her arm in the air. “Welcome to the family,” she added and threw in a hug.

Truly a night to remember!

The post Avril Lavigne’s Very Special Night in Toronto appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The 22-year-old musician has been hitting his stride lately, and has now released a new video for the song “Talk Nice.” Currently on tour in Australia together with The 1975 (both are signed to Dirty Hit), No Rome found the time to talk to NME about the inspiration behind the song.

“The whole topic of the song is me singing about these emotions that relate to cost and money,” he explained. “The reality is that I don’t feel like money is everything, but money is kind of everything in the way that life has a price to pay.”

One could speculate that these feelings about money have risen due to No Rome’s ongoing success. “I have this frustration, because I feel like I’m growing up,” he added.

“I don’t know about the side of getting bigger as an artist but I can see that more and more people are being introduced to my music – especially through being on this tour with The 1975. That’s really helped to boost up my fanbase.”

No Rome has written songs which revolved around money before, but in “Talk Nice” he shows a newfound maturity regarding the subject. “I feel like these songs like ‘Cashmoney’ were solely written about making money, and this one is an explanation to me about wanting to get rid of that idea,” No Rome concluded. “Money is something that we have to live with, but so is emotion.”

Watch “Talk Nice” below.

The post No Rome Shares His Thoughts On Making Money in New Song “Talk Nice” appeared first on Hot Pop Today.