AURORA is set to perform a special gig with Sky: Children Of The Light this week – find all the details below.

READ MORE: Five things we learned from our In Conversation video chat with AURORA

The in-game gig, to be held on Thursday (December 8) at 8.30pm PT (4.30am December 9 in the UK) comes as part of the game’s Season Of AURORA.

Through Season Of AURORA, players can “experience characters, stories, quests, themed items and more inspired by and featuring AURORA’s music.”

A synopsis continued: “Players journey through a story told in music and discover the song-filled memories of Spirits carrying hope through struggle and loss.”

Watch a trailer for the concert and the Season Of AURORA below.

Earlier this year, AURORA also shared a new song called ‘Hunting Shadows – Assassin’s Creed’, which features in the official trailer for Assassin’s Creed 15th Anniversary: Leap Into History.

“Assassin’s Creed is one of my favourite games and holds a special place in my heart,” AURORA said of her involvement in the 15th anniversary. “Its soundtrack stayed with me since I first heard it playing in Assassin’s Creed II especially the ‘Ezio’s Family’ theme and its signature singing melody. I feel excited and honoured to be opening the 15th anniversary celebrations with this song and cannot wait to see what’s next for the series!”

‘Hunting Shadows – Assassin’s Creed’ will be the singer’s newest release since July’s ‘A Potion For Love’.

The singer’s most recent album, ‘The Gods We Can Touch‘, came out at the start of 2022. In a four-star review, NME wrote: “‘The Gods We Can Touch’ is loaded with AURORA’s idiosyncratic quirks and enchanting notions, but it’s never purely a slave to whimsy. Now’s the time to give in to AURORA.”

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Tion Wayne spoke to NME at the 2022 MOBO Awards about his hopes for an enduring legacy. Watch our video interview with the North London rapper above.

Held at Wembley Arena on November 30, the MOBOs saw Wayne nominated for Best Male Act.

“It’s a blessing, but I work hard so to get some recognition for everything that I do is just good to see,” he said of the nod.

The 29-year-old said that he was grateful for his recognition as a pioneer and trailblazer in UK rap. “I’m blessed that I have people listening to my music, even if there’s ten people listening to me, it’s still a blessing because I’m doing what I love,” he said. “I’m proud of myself. I’ve come a long way. It wasn’t easy at the start but, it’s nice to be here, nominated on the red carpet, performing.”

Tion Wayne on the 2022 MOBO Awards. (Credit: Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

When asked what’s next for him, Wayne replied: “More enjoyment, more singles, more albums, more everything. This is just the beginning for me, you know”.

However, when prompted about his long-term goals, the ‘Green With Envy’ star responded with: “Personal goal? Just to go down as one of the greats. It’s a process, and I hope that at the end of it everyone sees me as a legend.”

Recently, Tion Wayne has been climbing the UK Top 40 charts. His debut album ‘Green With Envy’ was released in September 2021 and peaked at Number Five. This year, he released the La Roux-sampling ‘IFTK’ and performed at festivals such as Strawberries and Creem and Wireless.

This year’s MOBO Awards were held in the OVO Wembley Arena and marked the 25th anniversary of the integral award ceremony. Acts including Beenie Man, Eliza Rose and Tion Wayne performed on the night, while Craig David and Neil Rodgers won prestigious career achievement awards. David won the Outstanding Contribution Award, and Rodgers won the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tion Wayne will be performing with N Dubz at London’s Gunnersbury Park on August 11, 2023. Visit here for tickets and more information.

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Graham Coxon of Blur has opened up about his experiences of dealing with some of the Britpop legends’ more obsessive fans.

READ MORE: Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall on their debut album as The WAEVE: “We asked: ‘How could we forge forward through life?’”

In an interview with The Idler magazine, the guitarist recalled suffering from insomnia and anxiety at the height of Blur’s fame in the 1990s as the result of unwanted, intrusive attention from some “unhinged” followers of the band.

“You get unhinged people. People who are obsessive,” he said. “And until it happens to you, you don’t quite realise just what a nightmare that is. Months and months of not sleeping. Worrying every day, every hour of the day. It was awful.”

Coxon also encountered men who would make advances upon his girlfriends. “You’d be on tour and your girlfriend would have all these suitors, trying to get with your girlfriend. Because fair enough, if they like your girlfriend, but if they’re trying to get with her because she’s with you … well, I found that a world of super meanness that I didn’t realise was there.”

Blur have announced details of a 2023 reunion gig at London’s Wembley Stadium. CREDIT: Kevin Westenberg

He also discussed turning a spare room in his North London house into a quiet space for him to work undisturbed, explaining that he “really needed” the peace and quiet to preserve his mental health. “My own space became very important to me over the last few years. It was a place of peace and quiet. I knew who I was in there. I really needed it. Because out there it’s out of control.”

“It’s not that I’m a control freak,” he continued. “It’s just that it’s stabilising to be in a place where nothing really changes and you can be creative and you can feel reasonably safe.”

Blur will be reuniting for two shows at Wembley Stadium next summer and also have several festival appearances booked. Last week, they were announced as one of the headliners of next year’s edition of Roskilde Festival in Denmark and they will also be headlining Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Madrid. Elsewhere in the summer, they are set to play Beauregard Festival in Normandy, France, Lucca Summer Festival in Italy and a headliner at Dublin’s Malahide Castle.

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Skunk Anansie have spoken to NME about their 25 year career and “ushering in a new generation of Black music”. Watch our full video interview with the band above.

The rock legends were talking to NME on the red carpet of last week’s MOBO Awards, where they were nominated for the newly-introduced Best Alternative Music Act – but lost out to punk duo Bob Vylan.

READ MORE: Skunk Anansie on Grace Jones: “She said ‘If you don’t do it, I’m going to break your neck!’”

Speaking of their first-time MOBO nomination, the four-piece – consisting of lead singer Skin, bassist Cass Lewis, guitarist Ace, and drummer Matt Richardson – told us “good things come to those who wait”.

Speaking of their fellow nominees Big Joanie, Kid Bookie, Nova Twins, Loathe, and Bob Vylan, Skin said that “at first, you want to get everyone, and we feel like we’re ushering in a new generation of Black music at the MOBOs, and then we’re going to leave it to the kids.”

Asked if the nomination felt like proof of the rock icons’ continued relevance, Skin replied: “That’s the aim, isn’t it? The aim is to have a long-term career. I think now people have careers that are so short: music should be a long-term career”.

READ MORE: Soundtrack Of My Life: Skin

Lewis added: “It’s not something we take for granted. We’re blessed and appreciated it”.

This year’s MOBO Awards were held in the OVO Wembley Arena and saw the likes of Beenie Man, Eliza Rose and Tion Wayne all perform, whilst Craig David and Neil Rodgers won the prestigious career achievement awards. David won the Outstanding Contribution Award, and Rodgers won the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Fans are awaiting news on more new music from Skunk Anansie, after sharing the likes of the fiery single ‘Piggy’ earlier this year.

The post Skunk Anansie talk legacy and “ushering in a new generation of Black music” appeared first on NME.

Milo Yiannopoulos has confirmed he is no longer working on Kanye West‘s presidential campaign.

READ MORE: Inside the West Wing: What sort of President would Kanye West be? 

The alt-right commentator took to Telegram to confirm speculation that the pair had parted ways. “Ye and I have come to the mutual conclusion that I should step away from his political team. Ye is a genius whom I have come to love and respect. We remain friends. I will continue to pray for Ye and all his endeavors,” he wrote.

Yiannopoulos, however, denied that he had been fired, telling The Daily Beast that his departure from the campaign was a mutual decision. He also denied allegations that surfaced in the far-right media relating to him attempting to make “some power move against” Nick Fuentes, a political commentator with white nationalist leanings, who is also involved in West’s bid for the White house in 2024.

“Any suggestion that I tried to get anyone fired is false—especially not people I brought in myself, who owe me their gratitude, loyalty, and respect,” he said.

Kanye West. Credit: MEGA/GC Images.

West announced his run for presidency at the end of November, having promised to run again in 2024 after initially putting himself forward in 2020. He later withdrew from the race and pledged his support to Donald Trump.

He met Trump for a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where Fuentes was also present, and it was there West asked Trump to be his running mate. Trump, however, tried to dissuade West from running against him. “Trump started basically screaming at me at the table, telling me I was gonna lose,” West recalled in a video. “I mean, has that ever worked for anyone in history? I’m like, hold on hold on, you’re talking about Ye.”

West’s most recent spate of controversy came after he praised Hitler on a recent episode of far-right activist Alex Jones’s podcast, Infowars. He was also banned from Twitter for the third time in less than two months after posting an image of a Star of David inside a swastika.

On his newly reinstated Instagram account, West insinuated that Twitter CEO Elon Musk is a clone. “Am I the only one who thinks Elon could be half-Chinese?” West wrote. “Have you ever seen his pics as a child? Take a Chinese genius and mate them with a South African super model and we have an Elon.

“I say an Elon because they probably made 10 to 30 Elon’s and he’s the first genetic hybrid that stuck… Well, let’s not forget about Obama.”

The post Has Milo Yiannopoulos already been fired from Kanye West’s presidential campaign? appeared first on NME.

Arctic Monkeys have added new dates to their 2023 European headline tour – find details of the new gigs and ticket information below.

READ MORE: Arctic Monkeys: “We know more tricks now, but we’re still rolling on that same instinct”

The band are touring the world next year in support of recent seventh album ‘The Car’, with European dates with Inhaler already announced for April and May.

Now, the band have detailed new shows in Luxembourg, Spain and Italy for July 2023, with support coming from The Hives and Willie J Healey.

The new gigs kick off in Luxembourg at the Luxexpo Open Air venue on July 4, before playing Madrid’s WiZink Center on July 10.

Gigs in Milan (as part of Milan on July 15) and Rome (for Rock In Roma the following day) will then follow.

See the new gigs (in bold) alongside a full list of the band’s 2023 tour dates, including a UK stadium tour and North American dates with Fontaines D.C., below.

Arctic Monkeys announce further dates to their European Tour 2023 in Luxembourg, Spain and Italy with support from @TheHives and @WJHealey. Tickets on sale this Wednesday, 7th December at 12pm CET. https://t.co/T6jRZsB6Lp pic.twitter.com/vwa8B991Od

— Arctic Monkeys (@ArcticMonkeys) December 5, 2022

APRIL 2023
24 – Tipsarena, Linz
25 – Zenith, Munich
27 – Sporthalle, Hamburg
29 – Avicii Arena, Stockholm
30 – Spektrum, Oslo

MAY 2023
2 – Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin
3 – Rudolf Weber-Arena, Oberhausen
5 – Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam
8 – Festhalle, Frankfurt
9 – Accor Arena, Paris
29 – Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol
31 – Building Society Arena, Coventry
 
JUNE 2023
2 – Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
3 – Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
5 – Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
7 – Carrow Road Stadium, Norwich
9 – Hillsborough Park, Sheffield
10 – Hillsborough Park, Sheffield
12 – Swansea.com Stadium, Swansea
14 – The Ageas Bowl, Southampton
16 – Emirates Stadium, London
17 – Emirates Stadium, London
18 – Emirates Stadium, London
20 – Malahide Castle, Dublin
25 – Bellahouston Park, Glasgow

JULY 2023
4 – Luxembourg, Luxexpo Open Air
10 – Madrid, WiZink Center
15 – Milan, I-Days Milano
16 – Rome, Rock In Roma

AUGUST 2023
25 – The Armory, Minneapolis
26 – The Armory, Minneapolis
27 – United Center, Illinois
29 – Pine Knob Music Theater, Clarkston
30 –  Budweiser Stage, Toronto

SEPTEMBER 2023
1 –  Budweiser Stage, Toronto
2 – Bell Centre, Montreal
3 – TD Garden, Boston
5 – TD Pavilion at The Mann, Philadelphia
7 – Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia
8 – Forest Hills Stadium, New York
9 – Forest Hills Stadium, New York
11 – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, Alpharetta
12 – Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville
13 – Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville
15 – Moody Center, Austin
16 – Dickies Arena, Fort Worth
18 – Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison
19 – Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison
20 – Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City
22 – Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle
23 – Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver
24 – Moda Center, Portland
26 – Chase Center, San Francisco
27 – Golden 1 Center, Sacramento
29 – The Kia Forum, Los Angeles
30 – The Kia Forum, Los Angeles

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Dolly Parton has officially joined TikTok.

The singer has shared six videos on the platform to welcome followers to her account, with 370,000 people already following the country legend.

“I have arrived!” she captioned her first video, which was soundtracked by her hit ‘9 To 5’, adding: “Hi TikTok! It’s Dolly.”

Five subsequent videos have now been shared, including a video message from the singer asking them to “hit that follow button and stay tuned for more,” as well as videos from across her career.

See all her posts so far below.

@dollyparton

I have arrived! #heyitsdolly #dollytok

♬ 9 to 5 – Dolly Parton

@dollyparton

Hey TikTok! What did I miss? #heyitsdolly #dollytok

♬ 9 to 5 – Dolly Parton

@dollyparton

Better late than never! #dollytok

♬ Better Late Than Never – Dolly Parton

@dollyparton

Now, let’s have some fun! #DollyTok #heyitsdolly

♬ original sound – Dolly Parton

@dollyparton

I wasn’t kidding when I said, “get you a woman who can do it all” #heyitsdolly #dollytok

♬ original sound – Dolly Parton

@dollyparton

Looks like I missed a lot! You all are so creative. Now that I’m here, tag me! #heyitsdolly #dollytok

♬ 9 to 5 – Dolly Parton

Earlier this year, Doja Cat and Dolly Parton appeared in a new TikTok musical for Taco Bell about the chain’s notorious Mexican Pizza.

Mexican Pizza: The Musical aired on the social media site on May 26 to mark the return of the previously discontinued and much-loved item to the fast food chain’s menu.

Doja Cat has been a high-profile supporter of the Mexican Pizza, writing a “contractual” rap for Taco Bell in 2020 when the item was taken off the menu. “I will end you if you ever dare to go discontinued,” she rapped in the jingle, adding: “This ain’t even Mexican food.”

The seeds of Mexican Pizza: The Musical were then sown when TikTok comedian Victor Kunda took the jingle and created a parody version of a musical about Mexican Pizza starring Doja Cat.

Elsewhere, last month Dolly Parton was awarded $100million (£84.8m) by Jeff Bezos to put towards charitable causes after the Amazon founder revealed plans to give away most of his fortune.

The country music icon will be able to donate the money to charities of her choice, after it was announced that Bezos has pledged to give away the majority of his $124billion net worth (£105billion).

In 2020, Parton donated $1million (£844million) to successful research for the Covid-19 vaccine.

The post Dolly Parton has joined TikTok: “I have arrived!” appeared first on NME.

HYBE Labels has announced that it will be holding on-site auditions in collaboration with Universal Music Group’s Geffen Records for a new girl group.

READ MORE: How SEVENTEEN turned their Japan tour into buzzy city-wide extravaganzas

On December 3, the official HYBE x Geffen audition Twitter account announced the details of its upcoming audition tour, which will take place between December 2022 and January 2023.

The in-person auditions are set to take place in the Japanese cities of Osaka, Tokyo and Fukuoka later this month, followed by dates in Sydney, London, Seoul and Busan in January.

According to the information posted by the labels, anybody between the ages of 15 to 19 (16 to 19 for EU residents) using she/her/them pronouns will be eligible to audition. Participants may audition as singers or rappers with one acapella song, or as dancers by performing a freestyle. Details can also be found on the HYBE x Geffen audition website.

Specific venues and times will be announced at a later time. See the full list of audition dates below:

December 2022
10, Saturday- Osaka, Japan
17, Saturday – Tokyo, Japan
26, Monday – Fukuoka, Japan

January 2023
7, Saturday – Sydney, Australia
21, Saturday – London, United Kingdom
28, Saturday – Seoul, South Korea
29, Sunday – Busan, South Korea

Global #GirlGroup Audition Tour

On-site Audition
2022
Dec 10 OSAKA
Dec 17 TOKYO
Dec 26 FUKUOKA

2023
Jan 7 SYDNEY
Jan 21 LONDON
Jan 28 SEOUL
Jan 29 BUSAN

Stay tuned for more info#HYBEGEFFEN pic.twitter.com/l9V7D6GweP

— HYBE X GEFFEN AUDITION (@hybe_geffen_aud) December 3, 2022

This marks the second round of auditions by HYBE and Geffen Records for their upcoming girl group. The labels had opened up online auditions, along with a series of on-site auditions in the US from March to April 2022.

HYBE’s collaboration with Geffen Records was first announced in the agency’s “2021 HYBE Corporate Briefing with the Community” in November that year, where it revealed plans to debut a new girl group that will “transcend national, cultural, and artistic boundaries”.

In other HYBE news, rookie girl group NewJeans from subsidiary label ADOR are set to make their first comeback with a single album titled ‘OMG’ on January 2. It will be preceded by an as-yet-unnamed pre-release single on December 19.

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