FOMO came correct to Parramatta Park at the weekend and we’re still buzzing. Now in its third year running, the festival saw an incredible lineup hit Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne this year to help punters get their freak on with one stage, zero clashes and zero worries.
We breezed in just in time for Tourist to take the stage. The UK producer has been a festival staple in Australia over the last couple of years, having completed a run with Laneway Festival last year and returning recently for a string of events across both sides of the country. His buoyant brand of electronica swept out across the valley and kicked things off in an awesome wave.
Next up, TDE It Girl SZA ignited the crowd with a brief but electric performance. Her 2017 debut Ctrl stole the hearts of damn near everyone who had one, and with her live band in tow, she belted out pure favourites including The Weekend, Supermodel and Kendrick collab Doves In The Wind.
The legendary Post Malone shortly followed to an absolutely ecstatic reception. Motioning toward the audience, someone threw him a rank, muddy sneaker and he proceeded with his signature shoey move that we clearly couldn’t start the show without. His loveable personality shined through in his on-stage banter between hits like Rockstar, White Iversion, Candy Paint and Congratulations.
A sweet sunset slot from Kaytranada took us smoothly into the night. His deck was hidden behind a wall of LED lights with a GoPro perched on top to capture all of his quirky jives. His rework of Flume track Sleepless had the crowd in a frenzy.
Onto a pounding set from ZHU, the California based producer let rip track after banging track, including a dope edit of Michael Jackson’s Thriller which spared no one’s butts from grooving.
Finally, a wicked closing set from RL Grime was looming, pyrotechnics and all. Opening with the utterly dystopian 2017 single Era, we lost a firm grip on our minds before the fire balls had even kicked in.
If you didn’t attend this bootylicious spectacle, check all of the action below, and make sure you head out next year. We’re already thirsty for what 2019 will bring.
Tourist
SZA
Post Malone
Kaytranada
ZHU
RL Grime
Photos: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes
Kendrick Lamar and SZA have joined forced to release a new track, All The Stars. The collaboration between TDE’s king and queen has been released as part of the forthcoming soundtrack to Marvel’s Black Panther. One of 2018’s most anticipated films, it just grew even bigger with the news that Lamar and TDE head Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, will be both producing and curating the soundtrack.
In a press release, Lamar spoke about the importance of the film and its titular character—Black Panther was the first black superhero, and the film will be the first superhero movie to feature a predominantly African American cast. “Marvel Studios’ Black Panther is amazing, from its cast to its director [Ryan Coogler]. The magnitude of this film showcases a great marriage of art and culture. I’m truly honoured to contribute my knowledge of producing sound and writing music alongside Ryan and Marvel’s vision.”
“Working on such a powerful movie is a great opportunity,” added Tiffith. “We’re always working on new goals at TDE, so teaming up with Disney, Marvel Studios and the Black Panther film makes perfect sense.”
The press release also confirms that this will be the first time in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe history that several original songs have been written specifically for a Marvel Studios movie.
While the full soundtrack won’t be released until February 9, trailers released in 2017 featured music from Vince Staples and Run the Jewels. Watch below.
Black Panther will be released worldwide on February 15-16, including Australia. We can’t bloody wait.
Image: Marvel
Say NO to clashes and let your summer festival experience be epitomised by this absolutely delicious lineup brought to you by FOMO.
Returning for it’s third year running, the ever-expanding dance festival is bringing Kaytranada, ZHU, Post Malone, SZA, Tourist, The Kite String Tangle, Drezo, Stööki Sound, Nina Las Vegas, and Dena Amy together for one day of pure sensory overload next January, all with mastermind RL Grime taking the helm.
The deflation of Future and Stereosonic has left some room to groove in the dance festival sector, and FOMO has responded in sweet delight. Having kicked off in Brisbane last year with some eye-watering acts on the bill, they expanded to Sydney and Adelaide for their sophomore round, and 2018 is their biggest yet with the introduction of FOMO by Night in Melbourne.
If the one day, one stage, no clashes deal doesn’t quite swing it, Sydney and Adelaide punters can also opt for a payment plan to pay off their ticket in installments. There it is; literally no reason not to get in on this red hot action.
Tickets are on sale now and are selling fast. ¡Vamos!
Read our FOMO Adelaide 2017 review!
Top image: Mitch Lowe
SZA has unveiled a new song from her forthcoming album ctrl, titled Love Galore featuring Travis Scott. She first previewed the track back in January, but the full song – and an accompanying video, typical of the beauty and pristine production TDE visuals are known for – us now upon us. The video has been directed by Nabil, who also directed Kendrick’s DNA. video.
https://youtu.be/3OteKsbBeas
Top Dawg Entertainment appear to be living up to their promise of finally releasing SZA’s new album now that Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. is out. What’s interesting, though, is that the song has been released alongside the announcement of a new signing. That is, SZA’s album will be co-released by TDE and RCA Records, under the banners of Universal and Sony Music respectively. RCA is home to pop singers like Sia, Justin Timberlake and Zayn, as well as the likes of D’Angelo, A$AP Rocky.
Solana Rowe, aka SZA, the first and only female signee to the label that called Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock and Ab-Soul home, has been teetering on the edge of her new release since last EP Z came out back in 2014.
Following on from S and Z, many assumed her new release would be A, but we found out last year it’ll be titled ctrl instead. SZA dropped new track Drew Barrymore and performed on late night TV back in January, less than three months after announcing on Twitter, “I actually quit“, and blamed her label for holding up her release.
That said, TDE promised SZA’s album would be out back in February. It was also supposed to come out last year – but let’s focus on the future for now.
As an aside – what’s up with Travis Scott and TDE lately? He came out on stage at Coachella to perform Goosebumps with Kendrick Lamar. He’s been announced as the main support act for Kendrick on the DAMN. tour. And now this? Very, very interesting.
Exciting news recently broke about TDE singer SZA‘s long-anticipated new album CTRL. Following a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and a Billboard interview, it was announced that her album would be out today, February 3, after a tumultuous 2016 during which she nearly quit music altogether.
But it turns out the album won’t be out today. There’s been little album-based promo in the last few days, and no links are available on any streaming services, iTunes or elsewhere.
DJBooth reportedly contacted TDE to find out what’s going on, and TDE sent them back a statement: “We never said that [it would be out on February 3]… If it doesn’t come directly from TDE then isn’t official. [It’s] coming soon, very soon.”
The thing is, they kinda did say it would be out February 3. Or at least, Billboard did. DJBooth note that while the Billboard interview now says “out in February,” it did initially say February 3:
Currently, the opening line of her Billboard interview feature reads:
“With her debut album, CTRL, out in February, the 26-year-old R&B singer breaks down the experiences that shaped her music.”
Thanks to the internet, though—the internet is forever undefeated—I was able to track down the original opening line, which reads:
“With her debut album, CTRL, out Feb. 3, the 26-year-old R&B singer breaks down the experiences that shaped her music.”
It’s pretty unusual to make an under-the-radar change and subsequent denial like this without expecting people to notice, especially because there’s no note about the edit on the original Billboard article. Surely it would be better to either just admit that there’s been a delay, or for Billboard to note that they erroneously reported the wrong release date?
Hopefully we’ll be hearing CTRL before the month is out. I have no doubt it’ll be worth the wait.
For now, watch her performing new single Drew Barrymore live:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meka6L6qXzw
Image: Thankgod4cody
SZA only announced her new album a few days ago, but it will be getting released on February 3 according to a new interview with Billboard. The release has been rumoured and hungered after since 2014, when she released the stunning ten-track EP Z. It was initially expected that this album – her debut LP – would be titled A, (making up S-Z-A across the three releases), but we now know that it’ll be titled CTRL.
Last year, SZA released her own version of Drake‘s twoAM, and featured on tracks by Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Isaiah Rashad, ScHoolboy Q and Ab-Soul among others. Earlier this month she dropped a new single along with the album announcement, Drew Barrymore.
The Billboard interview also provided insight into SZA’s recent influences and experiences, including working with Rihanna and Rick Rubin. SZA featured on Anti’s opening track Consideration; she said, “[Rihanna] wanted to work with me, and I played some jams that I was working on for myself, and it went from there… Rihanna doesn’t give a fuck about anyone around her. She’s in her own space at all times. But she’s not rude — she’s comfortable. As a shy person, that was something cool to witness.”
Speaking about working with production mastermind Rick Rubin, she said, “I had this mentality that ‘more is more’ — more reverb, more background [vocals]. I played him a bunch of songs, and he would tell me, ‘The more you take away from any piece, the more room you create for everything else to be beautiful and grow.’ I never felt that before, the editing urge. Once you strip everything down, you’re forced to say something.”
SZA also spoke about the album’s themes, talking about how she speaks about her “haphazard” childhood: “being at sleepaway camp away from my parents, being the only black girl, not even noticing until I got older, dealing with boys, self-hate, growth and God. It’s the first time I’m literally writing about my life instead of figuratively writing about it.”
In the same vein, she also speaks about how she has learnt to “exercise in letting go,” citing hearing her own music and finding it emotion-less.
All in all, CTRL is shaping up to be spectacular, and we can’t wait to hear it.
Image: Thankgod4cody
After a fairly quiet and occasionally tumultuous 2016, the amazing SZA has announced a new album and shared a new single. Although her album was initially tapped for a 2016 release, it looks like we’ll be getting it some time in 2017, although nothing has been confirmed yet.
The album is to be titled CTRL, as opposed to A, which had been the expected finale in her three part trilogy, following S and Z. She announced the news on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where she premiered new single Drew Barrymore last night.
https://youtu.be/cH4K_aeVEW4
Drew Barrymore has been released on Apple Music and iTunes. It follows on from last year’s twoAM, a seductive take on Come and See Me by Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR.
Ahead of the Jimmy Kimmel performance, she also played an intimate concert in New York. Here, she also teased a new Travis Scott collaboration Love Galore (fan footage here), but whether this will be on her album or not is unknown.
SZA caused a stir last year when she abruptly announced “I actually quit,” indicating behind-the-scenes drama and implying that her album had been finished for some time, but was getting pushed back in the TDE release schedule by Terrence “Punch” Henderson. While empty threats are lame, we’re pretty glad she didn’t follow through with it.
Although she didn’t release much original music last year, she lent her uniquely enveloping rasp to a whole bunch of tracks including Consideration, the opening track to Rihanna‘s Anti, and every TDE release of the year (except for Lance Skiiiwalker): Neva CHange from ScHoolboy Q‘s Blank Face, The Law (Prelude) on Ab-Soul‘s Do What Thou Wilt, Stuck in the Mud from The Sun’s Tirade by Isaiah Rashad, and Kendrick Lamar‘s untitled 4 from untitled, unmastered.
You can purchase her new single here, and check out the artwork below:
Take a trip back to 2014 with our article There Needs To Be More Hype About SZA. It seems our wish is finally coming true.
Image: TDE
SZA has just taken to Twitter to announce that she has quit. She has said that Terrence “Punch” Henderson, Top Dawg Entertainment co-president, can release her upcoming album “if he ever feels like it.”
Edit: The tweet was deleted but luckily we screenshot it:
This is pretty alarming news considering that her upcoming album A was expected to be released soon. It is set to be the final in a three part trilogy, having already released S and Z.
We can only hope this is a knee-jerk reaction to, say, having a release-ready album sitting dormant for too long, rather than a permanent or definitive decision.
TDE have released records from Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q and Isaiah Rashad already in 2016, with releases from Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and TDE newcomer Lance Skiiiwalker all projected for the coming months.
In a year where two of this year’s best and most successful albums have come from one fiercely independent artist and one who silently abandoned in his label a day before release, the cracks in the music industry, particularly the relationship between artist and label, continue to unravel.
With that in mind, it’s not difficult to piece together the likelihood that her album has been ready for some time, and continues to be held back by TDE, be it for marketing and promotional reasons or other contractual obligations.
SZA is an incredibly talented artist and a much-needed voice in 2016 and beyond, especially considering she’s the only female signed to TDE.
SZA’s last release, Z, came out back in April 2014, and featured Chance the Rapper, Kendrick Lamar and Isaiah Rashad, all of whom have released stellar albums this year.
Earlier this year SZA released a new track twoAM, and she has featured on songs by Isaiah Rashad, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna and ScHoolboy Q this year.
Read more: There needs to be more hype about SZA
Image: InStyle
It seems like the team at the Top Dawg Entertainment camp just never sleep. After announcing the release date of the heavily anticipated sophomore album from Southern emcee Isaiah Rashad just days ago, label founder Anthony Tiffith has once again taken to social media to make even more announcements.
Taking to his Instagram, Tiffith posted a video of Jay Rock jamming out to one of his own upcoming releases, a dark and gritty boom-bap single which brings some serious heat, much like Jay’s verses from what we can tell. Accompanying the video is the caption telling us that Jay Rock’s project is 80% done, and since his last album 90059 was released only last year, he’s certainly been putting in some work.
Think it couldn’t get any better? Think again. Apart from the short teaser which came out a few days ago, label-mate and Black Hippy co-member Ab-Soul has been unusually quiet lately, but not to worry, Tiffith managed to cool all our fears by posting yet another teaser onto his Instagram. This time he mentions that he just got Ab-Soul’s final mixes for his album, and that the release date will be coming soon. This album would be his fourth studio project, the first since the 2014 release These Days… He even chucks in another teaser, saying that he’s about to call the incredible SZA, presumably to negotiate details with her upcoming album too.
A photo posted by gwadpot (@dangerookipawaa) on
It’s certain that Top Dawg ain’t slowing down at all, so we best just strap in for the incredible releases which are sure to come our way in the next six months. Be sure to keep your eyes out for more TDE news!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um5T1CLkx6Q
Image: 2DopeBoyz