Olivia Rodrigo, The New York Times, and a Cultural Banana Republic

Shaping up to be a Taylor Swift protégé in more ways than one, 20-year-old pop star Olivia Rodrigo is giving the Ticketmaster servers a run for their money lately. Just days after announcing a 57-date world tour, she quickly expanded it to 75 shows, with an overage of demand that has created nothing short of a mania.

Rodrigo is fresh off the release of her sophomore album, GUTS. Unlike her debut, the similarly titled SOUR, which saw the then Disney graduate halted into full-blown pop stardom, GUTS has real momentum – largely because Rodrigo, and her sole collaborator, Daniel Nigro, are apt at taking note.

SOUR’s energy peaked with its thrashing opener, “Brutal.” While not perfect (talking about those programmed drums in particular), “Brutal” showed a punk rock side that most weren’t expecting from the 18-year-old whose crowning jewel before SOUR was a musical extension of the Disney hit, High School Musical.

From there, the album slumped out. Barring its apex, “Deja Vu,” and the sneaky indie pop deep cut “Jealousy, Jealousy,” the rest of SOUR suffered from ballad-itis. None of the songs were bad in a vacuum, but as a whole, discounting the Paramore knockoff, the album lacked bravado and energy.

GUTS doesn’t have this problem.

Wasting no time getting into the instantly classic “All-American Bitch,” then headfirst into what is undoubtedly one of the most interesting rock tracks of the year in “Bad Idea Right?,” Rodrigo and Nigro hashed out a definition quickly. GUTS, coincidentally enough, has more guts than its predecessor. CONTINUE READING

Billy Ray Cyrus and FIREROSE released their new single, the love ballad “Plans.” The song was penned by Oscar winner Diane Warren, and it was produced by Justin Morgan. It was released via Damon Elliott’s record label, Kind Music Group.

“Firerose is one of the best lyricists I know and actually takes great pride in only recording songs that she has written,” Cyrus shares. “So when she came to me one day so excited about a song she’d just received from another songwriter, needless to say, I was quite surprised. Then I heard the name of the writer and she played me the demo, and I realized her exuberance was justified. ‘Plans’ by Diane Warren – legendary songwriter. When Firerose and I collaborate in our diverse musical styles, it makes a unique blend of pop-country. They say the rest is history, but in this case… it’s the future.”

“Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose have made a beautiful record that I have a feeling we will be hearing at weddings for years to come,” Warren shared in a press release.

The Killers have issued a public apology for the incident in which they invited a Russian fan to play the drums onstage during their performance in Georgia. In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the American rock band expressed their regret, stating, “To the kind people of Georgia, we want to clarify that causing offense was never our intent.” The band explained that involving audience members in drum performances has been a long-standing tradition for them, and they believed the crowd’s initial reaction indicated approval for the participant on that particular night.

Furthermore, the band, known for their hit “Mr. Brightside,” also addressed a comment made by lead singer Brandon Flowers during the concert. They acknowledged that Flowers’ remark, intended to convey a sense of unity among The Killers’ audience and fans as “brothers and sisters,” could have been misunderstood. The rock band emphasized that their intention was not to upset anyone and extended their apologies. They expressed solidarity with the audience and hoped to make a return visit in the near future.

It’s worth noting that Georgia, which has experienced Russian aggression, supports Ukraine in its ongoing conflict.

Oliver Anthony, the singer from Farmville, is gaining widespread attention for his politically charged song titled “Rich Men North of Richmond,” which has quickly gone viral with 8.5 million views on YouTube.

Recently, a user named radiowv posted an acoustic rendition of this blue-collar anthem on YouTube on August 11th. The video has already garnered over 8.5 million views at the time of this writing.

Anthony, a resident of Virginia, is striking a chord with fans over greed and inequality. The song’s lyrics capture the frustrations and anguish of the working class, vehemently opposing the avarice of wealthy individuals. CONTINUE READING

Anti Social Camp, the largest songwriting camp in the world, kicked off on Monday in New York City in spectacular fashion. At the Anti Social Camp Opening Ceremony Monday morning at The New School College of Performing Arts presented by Sound Royalties, special guests Moby, Andy Grammer, and Sam Harris of X Ambassadors spoke eloquently to inspire the hundreds of professional songwriters and artists in attendance. There was a live recording of the hit Vulture podcast Switched On Pop, where host Charlie Harding inquired about all things songwriting with special guests Nicholas Petricca of WALK THE MOON, Grace VanderWaal, Wolftyla and producer Alex Tumay.

And there was an historic conversation, Anti Social Women Running Music, with some of the most important women in the industry. The powerhouse panel included star artist Kimbra, smash songwriter Kara DioGuardi, Prince collaborator Susan Rogers, hip-hop star TT The Artist, country hitmaker Alex Kline, Joji songwriter Alexis Kesselman, Michelle Arkuski of She Is The Music and moderator Michelle Fantus of Spotify. They discussed the many inequities that female-identifying creators face in the music industry and in songwriting specifically, whether it’s power imbalance or the fight for better pay.

On Monday evening, the camp headed to Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right for the Industry Showcase supported by Spotify. Hundreds of fans lined up at capacity for the 20+ artists who headlined the stage including Two Feet, Kota the Friend, Zach Hood, Tenille Arts, Grace VanderWaal, Wolftyla, Lloyiso, Ant Saunders, Nicholas of WALK THE MOON, Emei, Chandler Leighton and Sofia D’Angelo of MICHELLE. Both events were hosted by hitmaker Will Wells.

“Anti Social Camp celebrates the age of collaboration in pop music,” said Danny Ross, Founder of Anti Social Camp and BerkleeNYC professor. “We started as a group of music producers Zooming during the pandemic and transformed into a global movement with the aim of building community, creating hit records and reinvigorating the New York City music scene in a way that’s inclusive and completely free. When New Yorkers — and songwriters — are united, we can do anything.”

Anti Social Camp 2023 official partners showed their presence at both events, including Title Partner, Amuse; Presenting Partners The New York City Mayor’s Office of Media + Entertainment, YouTube Music, SESAC and Cloud Microphones; and Contributing Sponsors Sound Royalties, The Orchard Publishing, Amazon Music, Oeksound, BMI, Spotify, Topo Chico, HIFI, Hipgnosis Songs Fund, ABKCO Music & Records and The Recording Academy New York Chapter.