In 2019, Sam Smith and Normani joined forces to release their first collaboration “Dancing With A Stranger.” “It bottles everything I was feeling whilst juggling my personal life and touring,” Smith said about the song at the time. Unfortunately, three years later, the track has landed the duo in some legal trouble as they were recently sued for copyright infringement.
According to Rolling Stone, in a complaint that was filed in federal court in Los Angeles, songwriters Jordan Vincent, Christopher Miranda, and Rosco Banlaoi claim that “Dancing With A Stranger” copies important elements, including its title, chorus, composition, and music video, from Vincent’s 2017 song “Dancing With Strangers.”
“The hook/chorus in both songs — the most significant part and artistic aspect of these works — contains the lyrics ‘dancing with a stranger’ being sung over a nearly identical melody and musical composition,” they allege. “Both videos consist of a girl performing interpretive dance alone in a minimalist studio, interspersed with shots of the male vocalist.”
This is not the first time that Smith has had to reach a legal settlement over one of their songs. Back in 2015, Tom Petty was awarded a song credit on Smith’s 2014 song “Stay With Me” due its similarities with “Don’t Back Down.”
Justin Bieber has found himself working more with afrobeats artists in recent years, like when he jumped on WizKid’s “Essence” remix and recruited Alpha P and Omah Lay for “Peaches (Masterkraft Remix),” both in 2021. Now, Bieber and Lay have reunited, as Bieber features on a new tune from the Nigerian artist, “Attention,” which also arrives alongside a video.
“‘Attention’ is one of those songs where I’m just saying the truth, where I’m telling my story. It’s basically about sometime in everybody’s life, you’re lonely. You can’t just always have somebody all the time. Especially as an adult. That was actually the headspace that I was in when I made this song, a little lonely. I want the people that are going through the same thing to feel like I was talking to them. I’m human. I’m just like them. I feel exactly the same way they feel.”
Lay also explained how the track came together, saying of the fateful Los Angeles recording session, “I was in the studio one day with Harv [a frequent Bieber collaborator]. As soon as I heard the beat, the lyrics were already in my head. We didn’t even spend 30 minutes making the song. Harv called him and I FaceTimed Justin Bieber for the first time in my life. Later on, Harv got to play the song for him, and […] before I knew it, he sent in his verse and the song was good just like that.”
Lay also noted, “One thing I loved about working with Justin Bieber was how easy it was. I didn’t even expect it to be that simple.”
Watch the “Attention” video above.
Omah Lay is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
When it comes to Europe’s summer festivals, Glastonbury is the grandaddy of them all. Think Coachella, but bigger and across five days. Now Glastonbury has finally announced the long-awaited lineup for the June 22nd to 26th affair, and the festival also cemented the headlining slate with Kendrick Lamar and Paul McCartney.
McCartney and Lamar will be playing the grandiose Pyramid Stage, along with a previously announced performance from Billie Eilish. We’ll go ahead and take the Pepsi challenge on these headliners, because can this really be topped? Taking place at Worthy Farm in Pilson, Somerset, England for the first time since 2019, the camping festival had already been sold out before the lineup was ever announced. It’s a testament to the cultural significance of this massive gathering and the lineup is positively bonkers.
Here is the first Glastonbury Festival 2022 line-up poster, which includes our final two Pyramid Stage headliners: @PaulMcCartney (Saturday) and @kendricklamar (Sunday). Many more acts and attractions still to be announced. pic.twitter.com/Tgo4HYMb6l
Also on the bill are legendary diva Diana Ross; pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo; Mercury Prize winner Arlo Parks; jazz fusion legend Herbie Hancock; Oasis leader Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds; a TLC reunion; indie-pop queens Mitski, Phoebe Bridgers, and St. Vincent; Little Simz headlining the smaller West Holts Stage; and a whole lot more. Glastonbury says that there’s still more artists to be announced, including more headlining and emerging acts.
Check out the full lineup poster above and visit the Glastonbury website for complete details on the fest, lineup, and a final ticket pre-sale opportunity.
Lizzo might be the modern expert on twerking, never afraid to get her “heinie” (as she calls it) out there and get it shaking. And that’s especially important because of the Black history of twerking that has been all but erased from the modern understanding of it, where young white teens are imitating the dance on TikTok with no real understanding of the context they’re appropriating.
That’s part of why Lizzo felt so compelled to make a whole TED Talk about the history of the dance, rather gently bringing up how Miley Cyrus’ lighting rod performance, which included some twerking, at the 2013 VMAs catapulted the dance to mainstream attention — and did so in a way that didn’t do the best job of honoring its origins. And apparently, Miley actually took the conversation in stride, mentioning to Lizzo that she watched the TED Talk herself and “really loved it.”
“I mention Miley Cyrus in my TED Talk,” Lizzo told People in a recent interview. “And I’m very delicate with how I mention her because, at the end of the day, I didn’t want to have any bias in the way I talked about how she brought twerking to mainstream. The messenger is kind of how this thing spread like it did — seeing her at the VMAs. And I saw her recently and she was like, ‘I watched your TED Talk and I really loved it. Thank you for that.’”
Stay classy Miley, that’s the appropriate response. If you haven’t watched it yet, check out Lizzo’s love letter to twerking up top.
It’s a big day for Khalid. Five years ago today, his breakthrough debut album, American Team, came out into the world. Featuring titanic singles like “Young, Dumb & Broke” and “Location,” it soon topped quadruple Platinum status. Heck, it’s legit been on the Billboard 200 chart for every single day of its five years in existence!
.@thegreatkhalid‘s ‘American Teen’ becomes the tenth album in history to spend its first 5 full years of release on the Billboard 200.
The significance of this day is not lost on Khalid, who has not only shared an interactive retrospective called American Teen: The Yearbook,but also just shared the new single, “Last Call.” He said in a tweet that it represents “The first few steps of another chapter for myself,” adding, “Thank you guys for all of the love & support through my journey as an adult. This is my gift to you.”
Here it is! The first few steps of another chapter for myself. Thank you guys for all of the love & support through my journey as an adult. This is my gift to you. Last Call. song/music video out nowhttps://t.co/dSacYsXCOnpic.twitter.com/22c5uL5WPM
Produced by Digi, Khalid continues to express thanks in the tracks opening bars, singing harmonically: “Search for what will set you free, it’s not 2017 anymore. So you trust in a guy like me, to give you everything in store.” The video for the track features footage of the early days of the illustrious journey he’s been on to become one of the biggest R&B stars in the world.
“I’m really excited to share ‘Last Call’ with all my fans,” Khalid said in a statement. “It’s important to me to commemorate this day and look back at everything that has happened. I can’t believe it’s been 5 years already. I hope you guys enjoy it and celebrate with me and all we’ve done together.”
Last night, Billboard hosted its annual Women In Music event and Olivia Rodrigo was the evening’s big winner. In addition to taking home the Woman Of The Year award, she opened the show by performing “Deja Vu.”
Rodrigo took a different approach to this rendition than she did the studio version we’re familiar with, as this one has more of the rock influence seen on some of her other songs, most notably “Good 4 U.” The performance began with Rodrigo singing over acoustic guitar. As the song worked its way to the chorus, other members of her backing back worked their way into the fold for a more guitar-driven rendition.
Later, she accepted the Woman Of The Year award and gave a speech in which she showed her appreciation for the women in music who came before her, as well as her contemporaries and up-and-comers trying to find their way:
“It’s not always easy being a young woman in the music industry, but I found so much strength from the female songwriters and artists who have come before me and paved the way and opened doors for so many young women like me. And that’s what so amazing about this event. Every woman here today is working to break down those barriers and change the narrative and support each other, and I am so inspired by all the incredible women in this room. I want to thank you all for your support; I am supporting all of you.
I want to say to all of the young girls out there who are writing songs every day in their journals, on their bedroom floors: I am constantly moved by your vulnerability and your creativity and bravery, and I promise everyone here today is working to make this world and this industry a better place for you.”
Watch a clip of Rodrigo performing “Deja Vu” above (find the full performance here) and check out her acceptance speech below.
Getty Image / Alex Livesey – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
A new festival celebrating women in music, food, and comedy will launch this summer in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. Versa Festival boasts a line-up of women artists, chefs, and comedians across five different stages over the course of two days. Festivities kick off Saturday, June 11th and continue into Sunday, June 12th.
In the musical line-up are Ellie Goulding, Kim Petras, Young MA, Big Freedia, Liz Phair, and Kali Uchis. Meanwhile, delivering laughs are Chelsea Handler, Ilana Glazer, Aida Rodriguez, and Sydnee Washington. Chefs will be announced at a later date, however, the line-up and dishes are set to be curated by Top Chef judge Gail Simmons.
“Versa is a one-of-a-kind live experience that will bring people together for a purpose – to remind women of their value and their voice,” said Shelley Phillips, Executive Producer and Partner of Four Leaf Productions, in a statement. “It’s exciting to build something that offers people a chance to have a good time and fight the good fight, all at once.”
In addition to music, comedy, and food, Versa Festival will also feature lectures from the likes of Gloria Steinem and Alok Vaid-Menon. A Versa Ball, inspired by ballroom culture, hosted by ballroom icon Leggoh JohVera, will also take place at the festival on a to be announced date.
Tickets are available for purchase here. Check out the line-up poster below.
When Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019, her body became the subject of conversation. Often posing nude in her Instagram photos, Lizzo is comfortable in her body, and even proclaimed “I am body goals” on her 2021 Cardi B-assisted single “Rumors.”
In a recent interview with People, Lizzo called herself a “body icon” and expressed hopes to change beauty standards as we know them, saying:
“I think I have a really hot body! I’m a body icon, and I’m embracing that more and more every day. It may not be one person’s ideal body type just like, say, Kim Kardashian might not be someone’s ideal, but she’s a body icon and has created a modern-day beauty standard. And what I’m doing is stepping into my confidence and my power to create my own beauty standard. And one day that will just be the standard.”
In the same interview, Lizzo expressed the desire to be free from stereotypes, including “The funny, fat friend… Or the friend who is gonna beat your ass ’cause she’s big. Or it’s the big girl who’s insecure ’cause she’s big. I don’t think I’m the only kind of fat girl there is. I want us to be freed from that box we’ve been put in.”
This month, Lizzo is set to premiere her reality competition showWatch Out For The Big Grrrls on Amazon Prime Video, in which she searches for other “big grrrls” to join her troupe of background dancers.
We’re positively hyped for our March round-up of artists to watch. This column looks at artists from across the cultural spectrum that are rising in unique ways. And this month, we’re jumping from indie pop to electro soul, to Chicago R&B and a rapper on the tip of The Weeknd’s tongue. Check it out.
Deb Never
You might’ve already heard the commanding Korean-American vocalist on “Push” from Slowthai’s album Tyron, or perhaps you peeped last year’s sneaky excellent Where Have All The Flowers Gone? EP. Now Deb Never just dropped her first new tune of the year, “Crutches,” a hopeful, happy-go-lucky indie-electro pop jam about embracing your individuality and channeling your inner-drive. “No matter what they say ya, better hold your head up. No way out,” the now LA-based Never sings on the anthemic track over a shower of effects, strings and thunderous drum and bass that invite you to express yourself.
Yeat
When The Weeknd was celebrating his birthday in Vegas earlier this month, a clip surfaced of him singing along to Yeat’s “Get Busy.” The track, with its syrup-soaked video game beat, features the now-viral lyric “This song already was turnt but here’s a bell,” followed by clanging church bells. Portland-raised and now LA-based, Yeat’s career was born from SoundCloud, and then blew up on TikTok with tracks like “Sorry Bout That” and “Money Twërk.” His latest album, 2 Alivë, came out on February 18th and features appearances from Young Thug (on the melodic drums and bells of “Öutside”) and Gunna (on the woozy keys-driven “Rackz Got Më.) Unsurprisingly, the album’s LA listening party prompted a shutdown for crowd control issues illustrating that the hype is real. Now signed to Field Trip/Geffen, all the elements for a continued breakout are here.
On both Classical Notions of Happiness and Something To Say To You, Jordana’s first two releases, we were introduced to a witty songwriter, with an intrinsic knack for cynical, tongue-in-cheek indie pop. Now the 21-year-old has announced her proper debut studio album, Face The Wall, (out May 20th on Grand Jury) and she’s armed with an even sharper pop music knife. “Catch My Drift” is a catchy, glitzy jam with buoyant vocals that she says is “about going back and forth with your feelings for someone when they make you question whether they are even reciprocated.”
Khazali
When we highlighted Khazali’s track “Passion Controller” last month, we called it “a good fit for both the dance floor and the afterparty.” And the deeper I dive into the UK electro-soul singer’s catalog, the more he feels like a worthy star student of Sampha and Sbtrkt’s breed of vocal productions. But there’s a far more rhythmic step from Khazali and his second EP, The Rush, is made up of pieces of his dream journals expressed in the sonic universe of the romantically-woven characters he’s created. His latest jam, “Dance In The Rain,” is a liquid groove that further builds the anticipation for the release of The Rush, out March 11th via Kitsuné Musique.
Kaina
A Chicago native of Guatemalan and Venezuelan descent, Kaina’s take on R&B celebrates love, lineage, and heritage. The silky-voiced singer recently signed with City Slang and her latest two singles, “Casita” and “Apple,” were both co-written and co-produced with fellow Chicagoan Sen Morimoto. “Casita” is a bi-lingual ode to being with family and friends in simpler times, with Kaina singing “I’ve always dreamt about a place, big enough for us all to stay, so that we could be together.” While “Apple,” with a video that links it to a linear story that begins to unfold on “Casita” — has an upbeat swing over Morimoto’s guitar and Kaina’s layered vocals. She’ll be joining Helado Negro on tour in May and we’ll be keeping tabs on more heat from Kaina no doubt.
(@jojosmedia) 
