Hi and welcome to our weekly news update ~ a round up of the musical events that got us talking this week! With the next stage of the roadmap unfolding from tomorrow, the creative industries are bracing for a gradual return to concert life as we know it, and I think we’re speaking on behalf of everyone when we say how excited we are to see our pals and enjoy some tunes without getting absolutely soaked!
Before that though, let’s kick things off with this week’s biggest event ~ the 2021 Brit Awards! On Tuesday evening, 4,000 maskless fans entered the The 02 Arena to attend the UK’s first indoor live music event for 14 months. Fan favourites Little Mix made history as the first ever girlband to win the coveted Best British Group award – pretty shocking and long overdue considering the BRITs were founded 40+ years ago! This clearly resonated with the band who poignantly addressed the dominance of white male artists throughout all intersections of the industry, going on to dedicate their award to all the female pop groups that came before them. Little Mix have dominated social media recently, with Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock announcing their pregnancies just days apart via Instagram last week, while ex-band mate Jesy Nelson appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine with an interview detailing her motivations for pursuing a solo career.
Dua Lipa proved she is the consummate British pop star, wearing iconic designer Vivienne Westwood and paying sartorial homages both to the iconic Amy Winehouse and Geri Halliwell. In a great night for female musicians, Dua Lipa won the award for Best British Album, as well as being titled British Female Solo Artist. In a speech that later went viral, Dua Lipa chose to dedicate her award to British nurse Dame Elizabeth Anionwu and offered her support to NHS frontline workers more broadly in advocating for a fair pay rise. You can listen to the full speech here:
A personal highlight of ours came with a duo we never knew we needed: the powerhouse combination of Elton John and Olly Alexander performed a touching rendition of the Pet Shop Boy classic It’s A Sin off the back of the success of the Channel 4 series of the same name which brought to fruition the massively stigmatised AIDS epidemic. Their track is out now, with all proceeds going to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
In other news, we have been working super hard at Apocalypse Music HQ and are delighted to bring you a brand new Apocalypse Session, featuring the brilliant GRAMN! In lieu of May being Mental Health Awareness month, it is our absolute honour to host the work of not only a phenomenal vocalist but one who touches on mental health so candidly in their own work. You can listen to the full session and read co-founder Hermione’s interview with GRAMN here (you really don’t want to miss this one!!!) :
Craving more new music? Fancy topping up your playlist? Have a read of our latest new music picks:
Thanks for reading! As ever, get in touch with us apocalypsemusicsite@gmail.com and follow us on our socials to stay up to date!
Words by Pia Rose Scattergood
Photo © Apocalypse Music
