Check out Gang Of Youths’ festive cover of ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’

A.D. Amorosi The members of Blackpink suddenly seem like they’re almost angling for the title of Queens of Christmas, as the holiday season has seen a flurry of three big announcements or releases — including Lisa choosing Christmas Eve to drop her cover of a Britney Spears holiday perennial, “My Only Wish (This Year).” The group has big plans for the day after Christmas, too, with a virtual-reality concert showcase, “Blackpink: A VR Encore,” set to stream on Dec.

Having tragically lost two babies, Suzi and Joe Poulton wondered whether they would ever get the chance to start their own family.

Spotify has pulled out of two music festivals in France after the country changed its tax laws in relation to streaming services.The company confirmed that it was withdrawing its support from Francofolies de La Rochelle and Printemps de Bourges as of next year.Earlier this month (via EuroNews), French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the country was introducing a new tax measure on music streaming services that would be “based on a very low rate of levy on the turnover” of the services.The country’s Ministry of Culture confirmed the details on December 13, saying that the tax contribution would be “at a rate of 1.2 per cent of [streaming services’] turnover in France”, although platforms with turnover of less than €20 million would be exempt.In response, Spotify have argued for a voluntary contribution instead of the tax. “This is a real blow to innovation, and to the growth prospects of recorded music in France,” said a representative of the company.

K-pop singer Chung Ha has shared her rendition of Tori Kelly’s ‘25th’.On December 22, the singer released a new clip on YouTube of herself performing the 2020 Tori Kelly track. The video features Chung Ha singing on a sofa in a cozy, warmly lit room as her dogs, Aran and Bambi rest on her lap.“Don’t you know that Christmas would be incomplete / If you’re not here with me / Sugar plums ain’t half as sweet as you / Someone go tell Santa I don’t need no gifts / Got nothing on my list / Don’t you know my only wish / Is to hold you on the 25th,” she sings in the chorus.The new holiday cover is the first music Chung Ha has dropped since signing with Jay Park’s label More Vision back in October.

John Bleasdale Guest Contributor South Korean director Hong Sang-soo was awarded the El Gouna Gold Star for best narrative film for his meditation on art and relationships, “In Our Day,” as the delayed edition of the El Gouna Film Festival held its closing ceremony on Thursday. The Italian animated film “A Greyhound of a Girl,” directed by Enzo D’Alò, and the Brazilian director Guto Parente’s “A Strange Path” picked up the Silver and Bronze Stars respectively.

Bam Margera is opening up about how his new fiancée Dannii Marie helped get him back on the right path — when he was in his darkest hour. As Perezcious readers likely know, the Jack

NME below.DFA, creation of Tim Goldsworthy, Jonathan Galkin and LCD Soundsystem‘s James Murphy, was pivotal to the dance-rock explosion from New York at the turn of the century – putting on game-changing parties and world-shifting records by the likes of The Rapture, Black Dice, The Juan MacLean, Gavilán Rayna Russom, Delia Gonzales, and LCD themselves.The new book, DFA: The Early Years, features a huge selection of images ranging from candid Polaroids of Goldsworthy and Murphy to rare band press shots, to tell the story of DFA from 2003 accompanied by primitive Hotmail correspondence and a new anecdotal interview with The Rapture.The book also offers “a visual diary for fans, taking them back to a unique time in NYC’s music history – before streaming services and before price-gouging ticket hubs”.“I made DFA Records: The Early Years as the fan book for those who were there and those who came to the party late and wanted to go back 20 years to the start,” Soter told NME. “In my early music loving days I remember how vital it was to find a UK released small press book on say New Order, that had interviews and unseen photos and a discography.

K-pop girl group KISS OF LIFE has covered songs by Beyoncé, Meghan Trainor and more.Belle recently appeared as a guest on a new episode of music talk show Lee Mujin Service, where she introduced her girl group KISS OF LIFE and their latest mini-album, ‘Born to Be XX’.During the episode, the vocalist performed several songs, including a stripped-down cover of ‘Plastic Off The Sofa’ from Beyoncé’s 2022 album ‘Renaissance’, which traded the original’s R&B instrumental for a simple piano accompaniment.“Say, say you won’t change / I love the little things that make you, you / Ooh, the rest of the world is strange, stay in our lane / Just you and me and our family / I think you’re so cool,” she sings.She also covered South Korean singer Lyn’s ‘Ring Tone’, snippets of BLACKPINK’s ‘Shut Down’ and LE SSERAFIM’s ‘Unforgiven’, the latter of which she helped pen. Belle also sang ‘Says It’, a track she composed for KISS OF LIFE’s recent project.At the end of the episode, she teamed up with host and singer Lee Mu-jin to sing Meghan Trainor and John Legend’s ‘Like I’m Gonna Lose You’.

Madison Beer has said her song ‘King Of Everything’ is about her relationship with men who have “abused their power”.The pop singer spoke to NME about her album ‘Silence Between Songs‘, which was released in September this year. In particular, she gave the backstory to ‘King Of Everything’, which includes lyrics such as “Look what you’ve done / Taken advantage of people so young / Ridin’ the high road on everyone’s lows”.“There’s a few topics, honestly, within that song,” she said.

TikTok’s ‘Add To Music App’ is set to roll out to users in 19 more countries worldwide following its launch last month.Last month, TikTok announced a new feature that allows users to directly save sounds from the app to their streaming platform of choice.Users in the US and UK can already utilise the feature now, which allows fans to save music they’ve discovered to Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music.The social media platform has now announced plans for it to be available in the following countries: Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Sweden, Thailand, Malaysia, UAE, Argentina, Colombia, The Netherlands, Turkey, South Africa, Vietnam and the Philippines.“Add To Music App has been designed to help music fans capture songs that they love on TikTok in the moment of discovery, and to easily save the song to their preferred music streaming service to enjoy whenever they like,” read a statement from the video sharing platform.The feature can be used by tapping on a sound which is listed below a user’s name, then hitting ‘Add to music app’, where you can choose your preferred streaming platform.

Billie Eilish has sung two songs as the final musical guest of 2023 for Saturday Night Live – watch the footage below.The popstar visited Studio 8H last night (December 16) to give two intimate performances. Eilish opened with her Barbie soundtrack hit ‘What Was I Made For’, which was recently nominated for a Golden Globe.

Ryan Gosling has two big musical moments in Barbie – an original song titled “I’m Just Ken” and a cover of Matchbox Twenty‘s hit single “Push.”

Love Island power couple Jessie Wynter and Will Young have undergone matching hair transformations during their trip Down Under for Christmas, as engagement rumours continue to swirl for the pair. The duo, who rose to fame after meeting on the popular ITV2 dating show this year, have both ditched their brunette locks for bright blonde hair makeovers as part of their Australian summer adventure together.

Bright Eyes have shared a new cover of John Prine’s festive song ‘Christmas in Prison’ – listen to the track below.The song was first recorded by Prine for his 1973 album ‘Sweet Revenge’. Prine, often referred to as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, died in April 2020 from complications caused by COVID-19.The atmospheric, country-tinged track sees Oberst’s echoey vocal accentuated by plaintive pedal steel guitar. “It was Christmas in prison / And the food was real good / We had turkeys and pistols / Carved out of wood,” he sings.The song also includes an excerpt from ‘A John Prine Christmas’, a spoken word track recorded by Prine for his 1993 album of the same name that sees him reflecting on his memories of Christmases past.Proceeds from the track will be donated to Prine’s charity, The Hello In There Foundation and its current beneficiaries, which include the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Porters Call, the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans and Renewal House.

Valerie Wu Intern The Palm Springs International Film Festival has announced its 2024 lineup. Held by the Palm Springs International Film Society, the PSIFF aims to spotlight and celebrate a range of global films. The 35th annual festival’s opening night will host the U.S.

The Last Dinner Party, Tyla and Peggy Gou being tipped for success next year.The other acts rounding out this year’s list are Aya Starr, Caity Baser, CMAT, Elmeine, Kenya Grace, Olivia Dean and Sekou.This year’s longlist is largely dominated by female solo acts, with strong showings for British soul and R&B and artists from Africa. It was voted for by a panel of 140 music industry experts, including representatives from Spotify, Apple Music, Glastonbury Festival, the BBC and former nominees including Jorja Smith, PinkPantheress and Tom Grennan.The winner will be revealed in the new year on BBC Radio 1, with the top five revealed in reverse order between January 1-5.

The Last Dinner Party feature on The Cover this week (December 4) as we continue to renew our commitment to supporting emerging talent across the globe on a weekly basis. Every week, a rising artist will feature on The Cover, and the full interview with The Last Dinner Party can be read here.To celebrate, the five-piece have put together a playlist titled ‘Songs To Rip Pillows To’, featuring tracks from Lady Gaga, Nova Twins, Grace Jones, Mitksi and more.

Tori Amos has recorded a version of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’, with Buggles’ Trevor Horn. Listen to the track below. The new version is the opening track of Horn’s new album ‘Echoes: Ancient & Modern’, a record made up entirely of covers, with the famed producer teaming up with a host of other guest vocalists.

Two members of Fifth Harmony went into the recording studio together again for the first time in more than five years, and the result is a festive duet that you’ll want on repeat.

Lana Del Rey has continued her run of covers – this time sharing an emotive version of the John Denver classic ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’. Check it out below.Shared today (December 1), the track marks the second release shared by the singer since her hit ninth studio album, ‘Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd’, which arrived in March and earned her a Grammy nomination.Unsurprisingly, Del Rey’s take on the 1971 song sees her introduce aspects of her signature sound, including a more emotive approach to the vocals and hints of Americana throughout.It also follows on from the variety of covers that she has shared over the years.