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Artist News Business News Gigs & Festivals Industry People Labels & Publishers Media One Liners Releases
One Liners: Janelle Monáe, Queens Of The Stone Age, Liam Gallagher, more
By Andy Malt | Published on Friday 12 May 2023
LABELS & PUBLISHERS
Universal Music shareholders have agreed a new pay package for boss man Lucian Grainge, which will see his basic wage reduced by more than two thirds to $5 million. He will, however, be eligible for an annual performance bonus of $10 million, and is set to receive new stock options. So, you know, he’s not going to starve. This new arrangement was originally revealed when the major renewed Grainge’s contract back in March, but has now been approved. They also elected Haim Saban as a Non-Executive Director.
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MEDIA
The European Broadcasting Union has rejected a request by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to speak during the Eurovision Song Contest grand final tomorrow night. It said that granting the request would breach the event’s rules for remaining non-political.
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RELEASES
Janelle Monáe has announced that she will release new album ‘The Age Of Pleasure’ on 9 Jun. Out now is new single ‘Lipstick Lover’. “As we enter into the age of pleasure, ‘Lipstick Lover’ is our freeassmothafucka anthem inspired by FAM for FAM”, she says. “This is our oasis made with love, rooted in self-acceptance, throbbing in self-discovery, and signed with cherry red kisses from me to you”.
Queens Of The Stone Age will release new album ‘In Times New Roman’ on 16 Jun. Out now is first single ‘Emotion Sickness’.
Jorja Smith has released new single ‘Little Things’. “The song is pretty self explanatory, I had a lil concoction – rum, ting and a magnum”, she says. “When we started creating this song I was just imagining hearing this walking into a party and seeing someone I’d had my eye on. It’s fun!”
Obongjayar has released new single ‘Just Cool’. Speaking about the track he says: “Everyone is on edge! How could we not be? Where’s our united humanity? Where is our united love for our brothers and sisters and children looking for safety and opportunity? Where is the love for our planet? We’re constantly being lied to, used and squeezed of whatever energy is left in us. We’re in a pit fighting amongst ourselves while the bloodsuckers incite division and cheer from high above while poking at us continuously. Be cool and let cool”.
Chilly Gonzales has released new single ‘French Kiss’. He says of the track: “’French Kiss’ is the first song I wrote in French all by myself. I am writing and composing for the first time in this hard to tame language, and so, in this track, I wanted to express myself with ‘my’ French tongue. That is to say: by giving my vision of the culture, the literature and the music of the Hexagon. It’s my love letter to France, without gratuitous clichés”. He has also announced a show at EartH in London on 16 Sep.
Mandy, Indiana have released new single ‘Drag [Crashed]’, taken from their debut album ‘I’ve Seen A Way’, which is out next week. Frontwoman Valentine Caulfield explains: “‘Drag [Crashed]’ is a collection of things that were said to me or about me because I’m a woman. [It] is a personal exploration of what it means growing up a girl”.
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GIGS & TOURS
Liam Gallagher has said that he plans to mark the 30th anniversary of Oasis’s debut album ‘Definitely Maybe’ next year by performing it in full at “a few BIBLICAL venues”. Not sure if that means he’s setting up a stage in a cave in Jerusalem.
Check out our weekly Spotify playlist of new music featured in the CMU Daily – updated every Friday.
