Becoming a professional singer was not Hemlocke Springs’ plan. Born Isimeme Udu in Concord, North Carolina, the budding star had more academic plans for her future: After getting a biology degree from Spelman and thinking about a career in the medical field, her interest in bioinformatics led her to the …
Read More »Goose Cement Their Rep as the Hottest New Jam Band During an Epic Tour with Trey Anastasio
“There were definitely a lot more waffles than people that night,” says Rick Mitarotonda, the lead singer and guitarist for Goose. He’s reflecting on the band’s 2017 gig at Funk N Waffles, a 200-capacity venue in Syracuse, New York, just a half mile from where he and his bandmates are …
Read More »AOC on Ticketmaster: 'Fans Are Being Absolutely Fleeced'
Live Nation and Ticketmaster are once again facing severe backlash from music fans, this time following the disastrous on-sale period for Taylor Swift’s upcoming Eras tour that left thousands of Swifties angry as Ticketmaster’s website glitched and crashed due to the overwhelming demand for tickets. Customers lamented the same issues …
Read More »Chance The Rapper on Building his Black Star Line Festival in Ghana
“We don’t have no movies about Marcus Garvey and the Black Star Line,” Chance the Rapper tells me about the influential Pan-Africanist leader and his short-lived steamship company designed to facilitate travel and commerce across the Black diaspora. “I think it’d be really powerful for Black people to see and …
Read More »ATEEZ Do It All for the Fans
About half an hour after the Korean pop group ATEEZ finish an exhilarating concert at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena, the eight members of the group are probably exhausted. After all, they’ve just spent nearly three hours executing beautifully choreographed dance moves for 23 songs drawn from their four-year career. Management apologetically …
Read More »'I Might've Been The First Lizzo!': Fat Joe Looks Back
Every time Fat Joe has come back from a career brink with an unexpected hit song –and it’s been quite a few times –he’s as shocked as anyone. “Oh, I’m always surprised,” he says. “It’s like you’re in the middle of the ocean, looking for oxygen. I’m dying and outta …
Read More »Bruce Springsteen Breaks Down His R&B Covers LP — and Responds to Fan Outrage Over Ticket Prices
Seven minutes before Bruce Springsteen is scheduled to call Rolling Stone to talk about his new R&B covers album, Only the Strong Survive, a number I’ve never seen before from Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey pops up on my cellphone. This is usually the point where a manager or publicist …
Read More »Noah Cyrus, Saweetie, and All the Songs You Need to Know This Week
This week we’ve got a banger from Saweetie, a moving tribute to Takeoff from fellow Atlanta native Gucci Mane, Brockhampton‘s farewell, and great new songs from Noah Cyrus, Billy Strings, Don Toliver, and more. Cue it up on Spotify, or check out the full list, below. Gucci Mane, “Letter to …
Read More »Destroy Lonely Makes Whatever the Hell He Wants. He Plans To Inspire You To Do the Same
If you scrolled through TikTok this year, you’ve probably heard Destroy Lonely’s “NOSTYLIST.” The 21-year-old Atlanta native scored a viral hit when he crooned over a mesmerizing beat, boasting about waking up and “putting that shit on,” shouting out his favorite brands to wear and reminding us all that he …
Read More »Turnstile on How Their Grammy Noms in Both Rock and Metal Categories Break 'Arbitrary Rules'
Brendan Yates describes it as feeling like Christmas morning. After being roused by their manager’s repeated calls, the members of Turnstile assembled in the lounge of their tour bus — parked on an off-day in North Carolina — in their pajamas, where they learned that they had been nominated for …
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