Japanese skaters dominated the opening day of the ISU Grand Prix final in Turin on Thursday with world champion Shoma Uno leading a posse of three in the men’s short program while Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara made the early running in the pairs competition. Uno, who skated to John Mayer’s easy-going bluesy ‘Gravity’ opened […]
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Max Verstappen’s home Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort will stay on the Formula One calendar until 2025 after a contract extension was announced on Thursday. The sport returned to the seaside circuit in 2021 on an initial three year deal but Verstappen’s huge local popularity has made it a sell-out event. The 25-year-old Red Bull […]
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In a hearing about the future of OMEGA X’s contract with SPIRE Entertainment, the agency said it wasn’t “denying” the K-pop boyband’s allegations of verbal abuse against its ex-CEO and asked the group to give the agency “one more chance”.
On Wednesday (December 7), the first court hearing was held regarding OMEGA X’s application to terminate their contracts with SPIRE Entertainment. The group first announced plans to terminate their contracts with SPIRE during a press conference held last month, where their 11 members personally voiced allegations of abuse and mistreatment against the agency’s ex-CEO Kang Seong-hee. Kang is accused of “threatening, assaulting and exploiting” members of the group in the past year since their debut, and has repeatedly denied the accusations, most recently to the New York Times in a story published this past weekend.
According to an SBS News report, as translated by Koreaboo, SPIRE Entertainment and its legal counsel contested OMEGA X’s application to terminate their contracts with the label during Wednesday’s hearing at Seoul’s Eastern District Court. The company also asked the group to give it “one more chance” moving forward. Despite saying it wasn’t “denying” OMEGA X’s claims of verbal abuse, SPIRE’s attorneys maintained that the label “was not aware that Director Kang had cursed at the members”.
“[The] OMEGA X members had a special relationship with Director Kang and would call her ‘Mom’ and told her they loved her,” said the company’s lawyers, echoing statements Kang made to the Times. “The company hopes that implementing corrective measures will clear the misunderstanding among members, and [both sides] will be able to trust each other once more.
“We aren’t denying that we, as creditors, cursed at the debtors,” SPIRE Entertainment’s representatives reportedly told the court. “Although we could never justify the verbal abuse, we would like to state that there were various circumstances surrounding the incident,” they continued. SPIRE Entertainment did not clarify the nature of these circumstances.
Allegations that Kang had abused OMEGA X first surfaced in October after the group concluded their tour of the US. Korean outlet SBS News published several video clips said to depict Kang verbally abusing and manhandling members outside the concert venue and in their hotel lobby in Los Angeles. Shortly after these clips went viral, the band launched a new, independent Instagram account, where they claimed they were subject to “unwarranted treatment” from SPIRE.
OMEGA X members were also reportedly left stranded in the US by SPIRE staff after the clips made their rounds on social media. According to SBS News, the group’s pre-booked flights back to South Korea were cancelled the day of, leaving the 11-piece and one remaining manager to buy their own tickets at their own expense. It was claimed that some of the members’ parents chipped in to pay for their flights back.
In a statement to SBS News in October, Kang said the flights were cancelled to prevent members from being in close proximity with fans on the flight. “It is not true that we left the members behind on purpose,” she said, as translated by Koreaboo.
However, SPIRE’s legal counsel reportedly told the court on Wednesday that OMEGA X’s flights were cancelled because there were no available seats on that flight at the time. They also claimed that reports of OMEGA X’s cancelled flights were already circulating by the time they attempted to re-book the group’s flights back home. The band’s lawyers denied these claims, saying that Kang had previously threatened to cancel the flights.
Additionally, OMEGA X also alleged in the hearing that they have not been paid following the conclusion of their US tour. SPIRE Entertainment responded by claiming that OMEGA X’s albums have not generated any revenue, and costs for the tour have yet to be settled.
By the conclusion of the first OMEGA X hearing, the court ordered both parties to submit additional contract documentation concerning both exclusive and consignment contractual agreements by December 14 and 21, respectively. The next trial date for the case has yet to be decided.
The post SPIRE Entertainment asks OMEGA X for “one more chance” in court hearing about contract termination appeared first on NME.
NMIXX will continue as a six-member group after the departure of Jinni, who has also left their agency JYP Entertainment.
Jinni’s split from the rookie girl group was announced Friday (December 9) in a statement from JYP, per Soompi, which said that she was leaving “due to personal circumstances”. It also confirmed that “her exclusive contract has been terminated” and that NMIXX would carry out all future activities as a six-member group.
The remaining members of NMIXX are Lily, Sullyoon, Haewon, Jiwoo, Kyujin and BAE. Before her departure, Jinni was known as the ‘center’ of NMIXX, or a focal member of the group.
The statement apologised for causing any fans undue concern “with this sudden news” and asked that fans encourage Jinni in her new endeavours and support the six members of NMIXX.
NMIXX. Credits: JYP Entertainment.
JYP first unveiled NMIXX in January. The group then debuted in February this year with the single album ‘Ad Mare’, which featured the title track ‘O.O’ – which would end up number 35 on Spotify’s most globally streamed K-pop songs of 2022. Within months of their debut, the group were already performing abroad as part of the line-up of KCON 2022’s Premiere In Chicago.
They made their first comeback, the single album ‘Entwurf’ featuring title track ‘Dice’, in September, and most recently released the holiday single ‘Funky Glitter Christmas’. They also performed at the 2022 MAMA Awards.
In an investment report released by JYP Entertainment in November, it was said that NMIXX would release at least two albums by the first quarter of 2023. Days before that report, NMIXX dropped video teasers for a cryptic project called ‘New Frontier’.
The post Jinni leaves K-pop girl group NMIXX and agency JYP Entertainment appeared first on NME.
As they gear up for their massive performance at Los Angeles’ Memorial Coliseum this Saturday, December 10, deadmau5 and Kaskade took time out of their busy schedules to sit down with DJ Spider and Jonas Tempel on Beatsource’s ‘The 20’ podcast. The duo stopped by the studio to talk music production, open-format DJs, and groundbreaking Kx5 project.
In the rare interview, Kaskade and DJ Spider reminisce on Miami’s Winter Music Conference, specifically when DJ Spider won a contest to play at the event. While recalling the life-changing moment, DJ Spider finds out that Kaskade actually witnessed his upstart performance. See for yourself below…
The full episode of Beatsource’s ‘The 20’ with Kx5 premieres on Friday, December 9 at 8am PST. You can stream it wherever you find your podcasts: https://btsrc.dj/The20Podcast
‘Kaskade and deadmau5 Talk Music Production and Kx5 on Beatsource’s ‘The 20’
The post Kaskade and deadmau5 Talk Music Production and Kx5 on Beatsource’s ‘The 20’ appeared first on Run The Trap: The Best EDM, Hip Hop & Trap Music.
During Slipknot’s recent show in Guadalajara, Mexico, percussionist Michael Pfaff – better known to most as “Tortilla Man” – was mistaken for a fan who’d crashed the stage, and was subsequently accosted by security.
The band performed at the outdoor Calle 2 venue in Zapopan on Monday (December 5), delivering a 15-track set heavy on cuts from their first two albums (and 2008’s ‘All Hope Is Gone’).
During the bridge in ‘Spit It Out’ – when frontman Corey Taylor requests the crowd to “get down on the fucking ground” before the breakdown kicks in – Pfaff became involved in an altercation with multiple security guards. According to a caption in a video posted to Instagram, the guards had mistaken him for a fan cosplaying as a Slipknot member (a very common occurrence at their shows).
Two guards drag Pfaff away from the stage, with more becoming involved when the musician fights back. The guards only let up when fellow percussionist Shaun “Clown” Crahan steps in, appearing to berate the guards from the corner of the stage. When NME spoke to Clown recently, he mentioned as an aside that he often works directly with security at the venues Slipknot performs in.
Have a look at the crowd-shot footage of Pfaff’s struggle with security below:
Pfaff himself commented on the video above, noting that he’s “not mad” because the guards who accosted him were “doing their job”. He explained: “I was just trying to get to the maggots that couldn’t see me.”
Slipknot’s Latin American tour will continue on Sunday (December 11) with the Chilean edition of their travelling Knotfest series. From there, they’ll perform in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday December 15, and wrap up with Knotfest Brasil in São Paolo that Sunday (December 18). Tickets and more info can be found here.
Next year, the band will take Knotfest to Australia and Italy for the first time, with the latter coinciding with a broader European tour. They’ll also appear as one of three headliners at next year’s Download Festival, alongside Metallica and Bring Me The Horizon.
Slipknot are currently touring in support of their seventh album (and last on Roadrunner Records), ‘The End, So Far’, which arrived in September on the back of the singles ‘The Chapeltown Rag’, ‘The Dying Song (Time To Sing)’ and ‘Yen’.
In a four-star review of the album, NME’s Andrew Trendell said it “may rattle many of the metal faithful, but for the prowess and lasting impression of this record alone, this is a true Slipknot record”.
During NME’s recent chat with Clown, the artist revealed that Slipknot may soon look to abandon their traditional album-based release patterns, opting for more sporadic EP and single releases. Taylor responded to this in an interview of his own last month, saying that “whatever comes next will naturally be something that we want to do”.
Clown also discussed with us the possibility of Slipknot’s story being turned into a biopic – à la Bohemian Rhapsody or Rocketman – revealing that he has several ideas for a serial web series project.
The post Watch security mistake Slipknot’s ‘Tortilla Man’ for stage crasher and try to stop him appeared first on NME.
SZA has confirmed that the cover art for her new album, ‘SOS’, was inspired by a photo of Princess Diana.
READ MORE: SZA – ‘Ctrl’ review: TDE protégé makes a huge statement with her debut
The ‘SOS’ cover features SZA sitting on the edge of a white diving board, surrounded by deep blue water. The photograph of Princess Diana was taken in 1997, and sees her in a similar pose aboard a yacht during a trip in Portofino, Italy, also surrounded by the ocean. Fans spotted similarities between the two images earlier this week, sharing their observations with SZA on social media.
“Originally I was supposed to be on top of a shipping barge, but in the references that I pulled for that, I pulled the Diana reference,” SZA said when asked about the reference during a recent interview with Hot 97. “Because I just loved how she isolated she felt, and that was what I wanted to convey the most.”
SZA confirms theory that Princess Diana inspired her ‘SOS’ album cover. pic.twitter.com/61biLn7JXm
— Pop Base (@PopBase) December 7, 2022
Elsewhere during the same interview, SZA was asked how the collaborations on ‘SOS’ came about; the record features appearances from Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott, Don Toliver and late Wu-Tang Clan rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
“DMs and, like, begging people,” SZA replied. “Sometimes people turn in their verses and sometimes they don’t.” She continued: “And a lot of people just like did not turn in their verses, but I’m grateful for who did.”
‘SOS’, out Friday (December 9), arrives more than five years after SZA released her debut album ‘Ctrl’ in 2017. The singer released three singles from ‘SOS’ ahead of its release – ‘Good Days’ in 2020, ‘I Hate U’ in 2021 and ‘Shirt’ in October of this year – and debuted album cut ‘Blind’ during a Saturday Night Live appearance last weekend.
Last month, during an interview with Billboard, SZA opened up about the stress she experienced surrounding the album’s release. “To be expected to do anything at a high level while life is life-ing is fucking crazy. This isn’t meant for a person, it’s meant for a machine,” she explained.
“I like to create, I like to write, I like to sing, and I like to share. But I don’t know if chasing after superstardom or whatever I’m supposed to be doing right now is sustainable for me. I’mma take a good swing at it, and I’mma give ’em my absolute best.”
The post How Princess Diana inspired SZA’s ‘SOS’ album artwork appeared first on NME.
SZA is in full-on album mode. Her long-awaited sophomore album, S.O.S. is set to arrive this Friday (December 9). As she does her media run to promote the project, the TDE star appeared in an interview with HOT97 on Tuesday (December 6).
Subsequently, she revealed that she hoped for more features to be present on the project. “Sometimes people turn in their verses and sometimes they don’t. A lot of people just like, did not turn in their verses. But I’m grateful for who did,” SZA confessed.
However, the 33-year-old decided not to name any names.
The tracklist and album cover were revealed on Monday (December 5). The 23-track LP is set to have four features. Additionally, the songs with Don Toliver and Phoebe Bridgers will serve as first-time collaborations between them and SZA.
Furthermore, Travis Scott will make an appearance on the 20th track, “Open Arms.” These two have joined forces in the past, for 2017’s smash hit “Love Galore” off of Ctrl. The song is now Grammy-nominated.
A posthumous appearance from Wu-Tang legend Ol’ Dirty Bastard will also appear on the album’s outro, “Forgiveness.”
“I talked to his estate. It really just came from a piece of documentary footage. He was freestyling in the background of the footage so I took the audio. It’s cool,” the “Broken Clocks” singer told Nessa of HOT97 in the interview.
The album is backed by four singles, “Good Days,” “I Hate U” and “Shirt.” The fourth and final single, “Blind” was recently premiered during the singer’s second SNL performance.
Earlier this year, the St. Louis native dropped a deluxe version of her debut album, Ctrl. Its release coincided with the project’s five-year anniversary. Consequently, seven new tracks appeared on the deluxe, including an alternate version of “Love Galore” with previously unheard vocals.
Are you excited for S.O.S. to arrive later tonight? Comment down below who else you wish would’ve been a feature.
The Flaming Lips have added two more UK shows to their 2023 tour, where the US psych-rock band will play their seminal 2002 album ‘Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots’ in full to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Along with their previously announced, sold-out show at London’s Eventim Apollo on April 28, the band will perform at London’s Troxy on April 25, as well as the O2 Apollo in Manchester on April 29. Tickets go on sale this Friday morning (December 9) at 10am.
JUST ANNOUNCED https://t.co/IaT1H8e355
— The Flaming Lips (@theflaminglips) December 7, 2022
In addition to their UK dates, The Flaming Lips will be playing ‘Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots’ at North American headline dates in Chicago and Washington in May, as well as their appearance at the Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.
Last month, the band released a 20th anniversary reissue of ‘Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots’. Released digitally and a six-CD box set, that version includes 50 previously unreleased tracks, the ‘Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell’ and ‘Flight Test’ EPs, plus B-sides, demos, remixes, live versions of tracks, and hard-to-find covers of Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Kylie Minogue songs.
The Flaming Lips originally released ‘Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots’ in July 2002. In a four-and-a-half-star review at the time, NME described the album as “confident and imaginative”.
“‘The Soft Bulletin’ may remain their ultimate masterpiece – in the way that it referenced every other record in the Lips’ career – but try to name another band who have lasted ten albums, each one more visionary than the last,” it read.
The Flaming Lips’ most recent album of original songs was 2020’s ‘American Head’, which NME called “a soft, reflective moment of taking in and appreciating the vista once the trip has worn off… and the dust has settled” in a four-star review.
Last year, the band released a Nick Cave covers album titled ‘Where The Viaduct Looms’ in collaboration with young Canadian musician Nell Smith, performing ‘Red Right Hand’ together on Colbert earlier this year.
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