Beyoncé’s new album, Cowboy Carter, is out in the wild. In a press release, Beyoncé provided extensive insight into the making of the album and its variety of influences. Plus, read our review the album here.
Each Song Was Inspired by a Western Film
Notably, each song is its own version of a reimagined Western film, including Michael Matthews’ Five Fingers For Marseilles; James Bridges’ Urban Cowboy; Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight; Clint Eastwood’s Space Cowboys; Jeymes Samuel’s The Harder They Fall; and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Often times, they films were playing on a screen during the recording process.
Additionally, some aspects of the album’s percussion were inspired by the Coen Brothers’ ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
Beyoncé also found inspiration in traditional country, R&b, blues, zydeco, and Black folk music, as well as from her childhood trips to the Houston Rodeo.
Each Song Was Inspired by a Western Film
Notably, each song is its own version of a reimagined Western film, including Michael Matthews’ Five Fingers For Marseilles; James Bridges’ Urban Cowboy; Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight; Clint Eastwood’s Space Cowboys; Jeymes Samuel’s The Harder They Fall; and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. Often times, they films were playing on a screen during the recording process.
Additionally, some aspects of the album’s percussion were inspired by the Coen Brothers’ ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
Beyoncé also found inspiration in traditional country, R&b, blues, zydeco, and Black folk music, as well as from her childhood trips to the Houston Rodeo.
- 3/29/2024
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Music
Beyoncé has announced the release of her new album, Act II, which will be out on March 29th via Columbia Records. The first two singles, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” are out now and streaming below. Update: Read our review of the two songs here.
Marking the sequel to 2022’s Renaissance, Queen Bey’s eighth album to date is shaping up to be a foray into country music after she celebrated 1970s Black dance club culture in Act I of a planned trilogy.
Beyoncé teased the release of Act II in a Super Bowl commercial for Verizon, which culminated her in saying, “Okay, they ready. Drop the new music.”
Read our Behind the Boards interview with frequent Beyoncé collaborators Nova Wav, the producing/songwriting duo who contributed to half of Renaissance.
With a new album on the way, it’s highly likely that reports of Beyoncé lining up a residency...
Marking the sequel to 2022’s Renaissance, Queen Bey’s eighth album to date is shaping up to be a foray into country music after she celebrated 1970s Black dance club culture in Act I of a planned trilogy.
Beyoncé teased the release of Act II in a Super Bowl commercial for Verizon, which culminated her in saying, “Okay, they ready. Drop the new music.”
Read our Behind the Boards interview with frequent Beyoncé collaborators Nova Wav, the producing/songwriting duo who contributed to half of Renaissance.
With a new album on the way, it’s highly likely that reports of Beyoncé lining up a residency...
- 2/12/2024
- by Alex Young and Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
The last time Sean Combs’ music competed at the Grammys, a then-unknown Mark Zuckerberg had just created Facebook, Nipplegate occurred at the Super Bowl and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King garnered a record-tying 11 Oscars. It was 2004, and Combs, aka Diddy, won best rap performance by a group or duo — his third Grammy — for the thumping hit “Shake Ya Tailfeather,” featuring Nelly and Murphy Lee. The track appeared on the Bad Boys II soundtrack, which Diddy executive produced and released on his Bad Boy label.
So his return to the Grammys, two decades later with a nomination for best progressive R&b album for his The Love Album: Off the Grid, is a major feat — and a proud moment for the artist. Some would even call the nomination a win (though we should note that there is zero chance his album can compete with Sza’s...
So his return to the Grammys, two decades later with a nomination for best progressive R&b album for his The Love Album: Off the Grid, is a major feat — and a proud moment for the artist. Some would even call the nomination a win (though we should note that there is zero chance his album can compete with Sza’s...
- 1/12/2024
- by Mesfin Fekadu
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When hitmaking producer The-Dream got the call to write an original song for the remake of The Color Purple, he almost couldn’t do it. He was busy — busy with Beyoncé.
“We were working on the Renaissance film, and I got a call from [music executive] Larry Jackson. He was like, ‘Yo, man, I need a record and I don’t know if you could do this,’” The-Dream tells The Hollywood Reporter. “And I was like, ‘Ah, man, I’m in the middle of this Renaissance thing and I’m doing more.’ I think people have an idea of what they think I do and it just kind of stops there. Like, ‘Oh, he writes a song and he goes home.’ It’s like, ‘Nah, that’s not quite what I do.’”
But much like Queen Bey, The-Dream is a skilled multitasker, and he recorded a song so compelling it’s landed...
“We were working on the Renaissance film, and I got a call from [music executive] Larry Jackson. He was like, ‘Yo, man, I need a record and I don’t know if you could do this,’” The-Dream tells The Hollywood Reporter. “And I was like, ‘Ah, man, I’m in the middle of this Renaissance thing and I’m doing more.’ I think people have an idea of what they think I do and it just kind of stops there. Like, ‘Oh, he writes a song and he goes home.’ It’s like, ‘Nah, that’s not quite what I do.’”
But much like Queen Bey, The-Dream is a skilled multitasker, and he recorded a song so compelling it’s landed...
- 1/9/2024
- by Mesfin Fekadu
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nestled amid a tale of hardship and torment, “Keep It Movin'” is a bright spot in the newly released adaptation of “The Color Purple.” Just as sisters Nettie and Celie (Halle Bailey and Phylicia Pearl Mpasi) are about to be torn from one another, they find a brief moment of respite and optimism as they sing to one another on the beach. “Nothing’s gonna take you down, oh / Just let it go / Life can never break your soul,” sings Nettie, instilling a feeling of hope that flickers and wanes in Celie as the film endures.
As one of the few original songs included in director Blitz Bazawule’s revival of “The Color Purple,” “Keep It Movin'” has already emerged as a focal point for the movie, which earned the second-biggest Christmas Day opening in history following its release on Dec. 25. Beyond its buoyant charms, it’s resonated beyond the...
As one of the few original songs included in director Blitz Bazawule’s revival of “The Color Purple,” “Keep It Movin'” has already emerged as a focal point for the movie, which earned the second-biggest Christmas Day opening in history following its release on Dec. 25. Beyond its buoyant charms, it’s resonated beyond the...
- 12/28/2023
- by Steven J. Horowitz
- Variety Film + TV
This story about “The Color Purple” composers Nova Wav first appeared in the Race Begins issue of TheWrap magazine.
As far back as Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation of Alice Walker’s game-changing novel, “The Color Purple” has always had a musical legacy. In addition to being scored by none other than Quincy Jones, the film boasted an earworm of an original song, “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister),” that was co-penned by Lionel Richie. So it wasn’t shocking that “Purple” would spring to life in Broadway musical form, first in 2005 and then in a multi-Tony-winning revival 10 years later, which would launch the career of an exciting upstart named Cynthia Erivo.
When the prospect of an adaptation of the musical into an all-singing, all-dancing major film bloomed into reality, it was clear the team would need some new tunes to goose the already-rousing ones in the two-act musical. Enter Nova Wav,...
As far back as Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation of Alice Walker’s game-changing novel, “The Color Purple” has always had a musical legacy. In addition to being scored by none other than Quincy Jones, the film boasted an earworm of an original song, “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister),” that was co-penned by Lionel Richie. So it wasn’t shocking that “Purple” would spring to life in Broadway musical form, first in 2005 and then in a multi-Tony-winning revival 10 years later, which would launch the career of an exciting upstart named Cynthia Erivo.
When the prospect of an adaptation of the musical into an all-singing, all-dancing major film bloomed into reality, it was clear the team would need some new tunes to goose the already-rousing ones in the two-act musical. Enter Nova Wav,...
- 11/20/2023
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Trolls Band Together, The Crown, Saltburn and May December.
The Crown premiere
Elizabeth Debicki, Jonathan Pryce, Khalid Abdalla, Rufus Kampa, Fflyn Edwards, Ed McVey, Luther Ford and Meg Bellamy walked the red carpet on Sunday for the Los Angeles premiere of the sixth and final season.
Peter Morgan and Elizabeth Debicki Luther Ford, Khalid Abdalla and Ed McVey
Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes premiere
Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage and Jason Schwartzman attended the Los Angeles premiere of their Hunger Games prequel on Monday, with support from Olivia Rodrigo, who has a song in the film. On Wednesday, the cast attended another premiere event in NYC.
Peter Dinklage, Viola Davis, Josh Andrés Rivera,...
The Crown premiere
Elizabeth Debicki, Jonathan Pryce, Khalid Abdalla, Rufus Kampa, Fflyn Edwards, Ed McVey, Luther Ford and Meg Bellamy walked the red carpet on Sunday for the Los Angeles premiere of the sixth and final season.
Peter Morgan and Elizabeth Debicki Luther Ford, Khalid Abdalla and Ed McVey
Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes premiere
Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage and Jason Schwartzman attended the Los Angeles premiere of their Hunger Games prequel on Monday, with support from Olivia Rodrigo, who has a song in the film. On Wednesday, the cast attended another premiere event in NYC.
Peter Dinklage, Viola Davis, Josh Andrés Rivera,...
- 11/17/2023
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Musicians and entertainers flocked to the Beverly Hilton on Friday night to give their A-list peers their flowers at the second annual Femme it Forward Give Her FlowHERS Gala in Los Angeles. This year the organization — which recognizes leaders in music for their artistry and mentorship of the next generation of trailblazers — honored Sza, Brandy, Teyana Taylor, Flo Milli, Jordyn and Jodie Woods, and Monaleo.
“I want to say thank you to God and thank you to my mama for birthing an icon and always seeing the star in me,” said rapper Flo Milli, the 2023 Bloom Honoree, as she accepted the first honor of the night. “Along this journey, I’ve been doubted, I’ve been laughed at, I’ve been talked about, but I’ve been supported and loved as well. When I decided that I wanted to pursue this path, I never made a plan B, because that...
“I want to say thank you to God and thank you to my mama for birthing an icon and always seeing the star in me,” said rapper Flo Milli, the 2023 Bloom Honoree, as she accepted the first honor of the night. “Along this journey, I’ve been doubted, I’ve been laughed at, I’ve been talked about, but I’ve been supported and loved as well. When I decided that I wanted to pursue this path, I never made a plan B, because that...
- 11/11/2023
- by Brande Victorian
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Range Media Partners has signed Chinese actor, singer-songwriter, dancer and fashion icon Lay Zhang and will represent him globally across all areas.
The 31-year-old star, who operates under multiple pseudonyms including Lay and Little Sheep, rose to fame as a former member of K-Pop boyband Exo before launching a solo career, already is a household name in Asia, boasting more than 80 million followers across social media.
As an actor, he stars under his full name Zhang Yixing in the Chinese box office smash “No More Bets,” which has earned more than $527 million in China to date, becoming the country’s biggest hit of the summer. Zhang is now the youngest and fifth-ever Chinese actor to reach this box office milestone. “No More Bets” also received a limited release in the U.S. on Sept. 1.
Next year, he will be seen starring opposite Jackie Chan in the film “A Legend.
The 31-year-old star, who operates under multiple pseudonyms including Lay and Little Sheep, rose to fame as a former member of K-Pop boyband Exo before launching a solo career, already is a household name in Asia, boasting more than 80 million followers across social media.
As an actor, he stars under his full name Zhang Yixing in the Chinese box office smash “No More Bets,” which has earned more than $527 million in China to date, becoming the country’s biggest hit of the summer. Zhang is now the youngest and fifth-ever Chinese actor to reach this box office milestone. “No More Bets” also received a limited release in the U.S. on Sept. 1.
Next year, he will be seen starring opposite Jackie Chan in the film “A Legend.
- 9/19/2023
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety Film + TV
Range Media Partners on Tuesday announced its formation of a music publishing division headed up by industry vet Casey Robison.
Robison is just the latest to come aboard at the ever-expanding management and production company, which recently tapped William Lowery and Shawn McSpadden to help broaden the reach of label Range Music from Nashville.
He comes to Range from Hipgnosis Songs Group, where he served as Executive Vice President, A&r. Robison’s time there followed his work to cement 2020 Hipgnosis’ acquisition of Big Deal Music Group, the indie music publisher where he served as Co-President and Partner, building and overseeing the pop division, while solidifying joint ventures with Ricky Reed’s Nice Life Music and Julian Bunetta & John Ryan’s Big Family Music.
In a statement shared with Deadline on Monday, Range Media Partners co-founder and Range Music founding partner Matt Graham noted that “Casey and the team believe...
Robison is just the latest to come aboard at the ever-expanding management and production company, which recently tapped William Lowery and Shawn McSpadden to help broaden the reach of label Range Music from Nashville.
He comes to Range from Hipgnosis Songs Group, where he served as Executive Vice President, A&r. Robison’s time there followed his work to cement 2020 Hipgnosis’ acquisition of Big Deal Music Group, the indie music publisher where he served as Co-President and Partner, building and overseeing the pop division, while solidifying joint ventures with Ricky Reed’s Nice Life Music and Julian Bunetta & John Ryan’s Big Family Music.
In a statement shared with Deadline on Monday, Range Media Partners co-founder and Range Music founding partner Matt Graham noted that “Casey and the team believe...
- 9/12/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Diddy hit up his entire Contacts list on his new LP. On Thursday, the mastermind producer released the laundry list of artists he’s featuring on his upcoming The Love Album: Off the Grid — and the first single features a collab with The Weeknd.
“It’s official: @TheWeeknd’s last collab of his career will be on The Love Album,” Diddy wrote on Twitter, referring to the Ethiopian-Canadian’s decision to no longer do features unless Daft Punk reunites. Diddy posted a teaser of the track, “Another One of Me,...
“It’s official: @TheWeeknd’s last collab of his career will be on The Love Album,” Diddy wrote on Twitter, referring to the Ethiopian-Canadian’s decision to no longer do features unless Daft Punk reunites. Diddy posted a teaser of the track, “Another One of Me,...
- 8/31/2023
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
Beyonce, who led the pack at the 65th edition of the Grammy Awards, won two awards with Best Dance/Electronic Recording for her song ‘Break My Soul’ and Best Traditional R&b Performance for the song ‘Plastic Off the Sofa’. Both songs belong to her 2022 album ‘Renaissance’.
Beyonce wasn’t present at the ceremony to collect the award and her honours were accepted by the presenters.
‘Renaissance’, which was released on July 29, 2022, is the seventh studio album by Beyonce. It’s Her first solo studio release since aLemonade’ and is also the first instalment of a trilogy project.
Beyonce wrote and produced the album with Nova Wav, The-Dream, Symbolyc One, A. G. Cook, Honey Dijon, Beam, Tricky Stewart, BloodPop, Skrillex, Hit-Boy, No I.D. and P2J. Beam, Grace Jones and Tems appear as guest vocalists on the album.
Upon its release, ‘Renaissance’ garnered the record for the most single-day streams...
Beyonce wasn’t present at the ceremony to collect the award and her honours were accepted by the presenters.
‘Renaissance’, which was released on July 29, 2022, is the seventh studio album by Beyonce. It’s Her first solo studio release since aLemonade’ and is also the first instalment of a trilogy project.
Beyonce wrote and produced the album with Nova Wav, The-Dream, Symbolyc One, A. G. Cook, Honey Dijon, Beam, Tricky Stewart, BloodPop, Skrillex, Hit-Boy, No I.D. and P2J. Beam, Grace Jones and Tems appear as guest vocalists on the album.
Upon its release, ‘Renaissance’ garnered the record for the most single-day streams...
- 2/6/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Here’s a look at songs that have gone viral on TikTok and will also compete at Sunday’s Grammy Awards.
Lizzo
After the success of her major-label, Grammy-winning debut album Cuz I Love You, Lizzo — the self-proclaimed “Queen of TikTok” — came out with more feel-good songs that resonated on TikTok, especially “About Damn Time” and its viral dance by creator duo @brookeandjessie. The song launched 4.1 million combined creations on the platform, topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and is nominated for three Grammys, including song and record of the year. “It was really hard to sit still,” mastering engineer Emerson Mancini, who is nominated for two Grammys alongside Lizzo, admits to The Hollywood Reporter as he worked on the song. “I had to just sit there with a zipper over my mouth for a while until [the song] finally came out. I was like, ‘Ahh!’ You have to get up and dance.
Lizzo
After the success of her major-label, Grammy-winning debut album Cuz I Love You, Lizzo — the self-proclaimed “Queen of TikTok” — came out with more feel-good songs that resonated on TikTok, especially “About Damn Time” and its viral dance by creator duo @brookeandjessie. The song launched 4.1 million combined creations on the platform, topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and is nominated for three Grammys, including song and record of the year. “It was really hard to sit still,” mastering engineer Emerson Mancini, who is nominated for two Grammys alongside Lizzo, admits to The Hollywood Reporter as he worked on the song. “I had to just sit there with a zipper over my mouth for a while until [the song] finally came out. I was like, ‘Ahh!’ You have to get up and dance.
- 2/2/2023
- by Mesfin Fekadu
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In four years, Denisia “Blu June” Andrews and Brittany “Chi” Coney went from co-writing a song Beyoncé was featured on to working on more than half of her latest album.
Better known as the creative duo Nova Wav, Blu June and Chi first received a co-writing credit on “Top Off,” the 2018 DJ Khaled track that features Future, Jay-Z and Queen Bey. More sessions rolled in, and Nova Wav wound up penning four songs on Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s collaborative album, Everything Is Love, as well as Bey’s The Lion King: The Gift, including the Juneteenth anthem “Black Parade.”
On Renaissance, the superstar’s daring exploration of dance and house music, Blu June and Chi not only co-wrote eight of the 16 songs, they co-produced five tracks; Chi also engineered some of the songs, and Blu June sings background on “Alien Superstar” and “Pure/Honey.” Now the duo is nominated for three Grammy Awards,...
Better known as the creative duo Nova Wav, Blu June and Chi first received a co-writing credit on “Top Off,” the 2018 DJ Khaled track that features Future, Jay-Z and Queen Bey. More sessions rolled in, and Nova Wav wound up penning four songs on Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s collaborative album, Everything Is Love, as well as Bey’s The Lion King: The Gift, including the Juneteenth anthem “Black Parade.”
On Renaissance, the superstar’s daring exploration of dance and house music, Blu June and Chi not only co-wrote eight of the 16 songs, they co-produced five tracks; Chi also engineered some of the songs, and Blu June sings background on “Alien Superstar” and “Pure/Honey.” Now the duo is nominated for three Grammy Awards,...
- 1/31/2023
- by Mesfin Fekadu
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jazmine Sullivan recovers from the mournful self-recrimination of “Lost One,” a disconsolate ballad released at the end of August, to deliver a ferocious kiss-off in “Pick Up Your Feelings,” a new track released Thursday at midnight.
On some days, Sullivan seems like one of the few major-label acts still interested in maintaining R&b’s tradition of acrobatic vocals and electrifying ad-libs. Her voice is raspy, cutting, and pliable, capable of whiplash-inducing direction changes — listen to the way she moves from an earthy descending run (“no more benefits/pop-up visits”) into a sky-high chorus.
On some days, Sullivan seems like one of the few major-label acts still interested in maintaining R&b’s tradition of acrobatic vocals and electrifying ad-libs. Her voice is raspy, cutting, and pliable, capable of whiplash-inducing direction changes — listen to the way she moves from an earthy descending run (“no more benefits/pop-up visits”) into a sky-high chorus.
- 11/20/2020
- by Elias Leight
- Rollingstone.com
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