Do you remember the viral video that had Andrea Bocelli singing in an empty cathedral? I do, I watched it in the spring when Italy was in the news. It was pretty intense. Here is the video if you haven’t watched it. Anyway, he made some news again. The singer said he felt violated during Italy’s lockdown and that he felt ‘humiliated and offended’.

Here is what he said:

“I looked at reality and I saw that things were not as we were being told. When I started to express doubts about the seriousness of this so-called pandemic, the first to attack me were my children who told me to think about Tosca, because you don’t understand viruses.
He also was diagnosed with covid, but instead of following protocol, he spent time outdoors and took vitamin D and fully recovered with no issues.

He saved most of his outrage for the Italian government approach to reopening schools.
“I have an 8-year-old daughter and it’s unthinkable that these children will have to go to school divided by a piece of plexiglass and hidden behind a mask”.

“It’s unthinkable that schools were closed so quickly, and with the same speed nightclubs were reopened, where young people go not to learn, but to disperse their brains.”
“[My intent] was to send a message of hope for a near future in which – children first and foremost – can find a sense of normality again and hope to live ‘as children’, playing with and hugging one another, as they should at their age, and to be able to grow up happy and healthy.”

Billie Eilish released a new slow track titled “My Future“. It’s actually a bit a of departure of her previous material. She holds a longer note, more singing, less whispering, but still delivers that atmospheric listening experience. She is a true phenomena in this day and age when everybody is waiting for an instant hook.

She spoke to Apple’s Zane Low about the track.
“As much ‘my future’ is a song about personal growth and being content, it’s now, more than ever, I listen to it; I’m like, ‘Wow, this is actually is super relevant to right now.’ And our future as a world and as a people and I… It’s crazy when you can get to a point in life where hope itself feels hopeless,” she said. “It feels hopeless to hope for stuff. Should you even be wishing? Should you even be hopeful? It’s like, is it even worth it? That’s insane, but that’s where we are at this point. We can’t… We need the music. We need the hope.”

I quickly added Sad Sometimes by Emma Oliver who teamed up with loyalties to our Invaders Playlist. You’ll like it especially if your sad. Maybe you’ll find comfort. This is a debut song from the loyalties (Dan Stringer and Michael Kanne). The duo who has worked with with Lauryn Hill, X Ambassadors and Johnny Stimson while Emma Oliver who is a popular TikToker. If you want to know more about Emma you can check out this interview.

If the pandemic wasn’t bad enough for touring artists now we could be losing another great promotional avenue. It’s Ellen DeGeneres who is in the middle of a PR storm.

Warner launched an investigation into “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” after the release of a Buzzfeed News article. Other media outlets such as the LA Times and The NY Times also picked up the story which had staffers assert that the atmosphere of the daytime talk show behind the scenes is one of racism, fear, and intimidation.
You see folks, it’s a tough time for high profile figures. More and more we have to be self aware of our actions as well as our staffers. Social media leaves a digital foot print that can’t be erased. We have people that will take a blurb a soundbite and spin their own narrative. If it picks up steam then the dam breaks. The flurry of negative press begins and the A-list pals will desert you. They don’t want to be caught in a storm and it becomes everyone for themselves. It becomes the soldier die alone scenario.

Before Governor Andrew Cuomo prepares to take his own victory tour on the road after he spared the lives of New Yorkers from covid he has some things to tidy up. That’s investigating the EDM duo The Chainsmokers for playing a outdoor concert. It’s been reported that while commuting in a subway, a concerned citizen showed the governor a video he was appalled by videos showing crowds standing close together at a Hamptons concert over the weekend. Other witnesses saw a crowd of people who were socially distancing with masks. Of course, we know today that events are widely open for interpretation. Regardless, Cuomo says “We have no tolerance for the illegal reckless endangerment of public health,”.
Now, it will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Because some notable figures were also billed at this festivity. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman’s band performed.
Funnily enough, the charity event which was billed Safe and Sound is being called not safe, not sound. The Goldman Sachs CEO and Andrew Cuomo can duke it out and take it to the streets while Kanye keeps the score.