Focus Music Notes. "Out of the Blues". Popular music through the decades

Apple TV+ has announced “1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything,” an immersive, new docuseries that will explore the musicians and soundtracks that shaped the culture and politics of 1971. Executive produced by Academy, BAFTA and Grammy Award winners Asif Kapadia (“Amy,” “Senna”) and James Gay-Rees (“Amy,” “Senna,” “Exit Through the Gift Shop”), the eight-part docuseries will premiere May 21 on Apple TV+. An immersive, deep-dive rich with archival footage and interviews, “1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything,” will show how the musical icons of the time were influenced by the changing tides of history; and, in turn, how they used their music to inspire hope, change and the culture around them. The docuseries will examine the most iconic artists and songs that we still listen to 50 years later, including The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Joni Mitchell, Lou Reed and more. Hailing from Universal Music Group’s (UMG) Mercury Studios in as

Acclaimed British singer and songwriter JP Cooper, whose debut album “Raised Under Grey Skies”, and huge global hit “September Song”, introduced an artist of great depth with a voice and songs to match, returns with the release on May 21 st of his new brand new Island Records single “Holy Water”. You can listen to the single > > HERE . “Holy Water” is a deeply personal song for Cooper which explores the idea of picking yourself up whenever you fall, a great lesson he learnt from his dad. Speaking about the inspiration behind the new song JP says: “ Holy Water is a song that was half finished for about 5 years. I was raised in a strong Catholic household so questioning yourself and your choices was a big part of what was going on in my mind, especially in my teens, early twenties. There were a lot of things I was doing that I probably shouldn’t have been doing given the way that I was raised. There were lots of parts of myself that I guess I was at war with. M

UK visual artist Dreph has today unveiled a giant public mural in Brixton, London, as part of the global celebrations to celebrate the 50 th anniversary of Marvin Gaye's timeless album, What's Going On The stunning 16-foot piece pays homage to the 40th anniversary of the 1981 Brixton Uprising – a watershed moment for race relations in the UK. Growing tensions around racial inequality erupted into violent clashes between the predominantly Black youth of Brixton and the Metropolitan police force. The uprising was sparked by the same police violence and injustice that Marvin Gaye sang about in What's Going On . The riots took place over three days, devastating the community and injuring over 300 people. Dreph's art represents the musical message of What's Going On , which still held its significance amongst police brutality and racial inequality in 1981 and continues to encourage today's social justice movement. The picket signs reference the ly

Congratulations  The Weeknd accepts International Male Solo Artist Award from Michelle Obama and performs “Save Your Tears”  Michelle Obama Presents The Weeknd the 2021 BRIT Award for International Male Solo Artist WATCH HERE> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF_eW7ovTYI ----------------------------------   The Weeknd performs “Save Your Tears" (Live at The BRIT Awards 2021) WATCH HERE > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKm5-XtXcII

Ray Blk one of the realest, most challenging and important voices in music, drops her brand new single “Dark Skinned”, through Island Records.  Ray will also release a special live VEVO performance of the track. Speaking about the inspiration behind the song Ray says: “ This song to me is a celebration of being Dark Skinned. The conversation around race often feels heavy and negative, but I love my blackness and it is a privilege to be black. A lot of people told me it would be hard to break into this industry because of the colour of my skin, but I believe that whatever the situation, I am going to shine regardless and I refuse to cater to that ideology. I always try to remind people of this in my music, like with the ‘My Hood’ lyric ‘Through concrete flowers grow’ and now on ‘Dark Skinned,’ I say ‘I’m even glowing in the dark’. I want people to say yes to themselves when the world keeps telling them no. Listen to Dark Skinned here:   https://umusic.box.com/s/hr3anld7e

The Weeknd unveils the much anticipated “Save Your Tears Remix” with Ariana Grande via XO/Republic Records.  The diamond-selling superstar paired with Grammy winner  Grande , continuing a tradition of epic collaborations together such as  “Love Me Harder”  and  “off the table.” The original  “Save Your Tears”  remains a standout from  The Weeknd ’s multi-platinum 2020 opus  After Hours . The song not only went double platinum in the US and eclipsed 1 billion streams, but it also currently holds #1 at US Top 40 Radio. The Weeknd is the Most Streamed R&B Artist of 2021 and After Hours remains the most streamed R&B album of this year continuing on from its release in early 2020. He has the 2 songs in the Top 5 Most Streamed Globally with “Blinding Lights” and “Save Your Tears”. Grammy winning, multi-platinum recording artist and international superstar, Ariana Grande, is the first artist to hold the top three Billboard Hot 100 spots since The Beatles in 1964 with

In keeping with a promise made to the legendary artist/author and original and founding member of the Supremes, Mary Wilson, Motown/UMe release Mary Wilson: Expanded Edition , available now,  here . In time for what would have been Mary Wilson’s 77 th  Birthday, March 6, the project was announced to celebrate her birthday and honor her history and legacy with the first of her album projects. Ms. Wilson, who retained ownership of her solo recordings, wanted to make the album – and much more - available to her many fans around the world.  Mary Wilson: Expanded Edition  is a newly compiled version of her solo album, originally released by Motown in 1979, that will now be available on all digital platforms for the first time. Added to the album are eight incredible bonus tracks, four of them unreleased, including the legendary tracks recorded as a follow-up to the album produced by Gus Dudgeon (Elton John, Joan Armatrading, Chris Rea,  et al ).  Featured as the lead single