Oct 2, 20202 min read

ON REPEAT

Graphic: Ella-Mae Earnshaw

New month, another new edition of ON REPEAT. Kick off October with this NEWS Special, featuring an extended industry news roundup.

NEWS

1) KIWANUKA Wins The 2020 Mercury Prize

The Mercury Prize is awarded to the best British album of the year by a panel of judges made up of experts. The prize has previously been awarded to Young Alice, Sampha and Young Fathers. Shortlisted artists performed tracks from their albums which were filmed live and showcased on the 24th of September.

2) Legendary Indian musician SP Balasubrahmanyam Dies at 74

Multiple National Film Award winner for his work as a playback singer, SP Balasubrahmanyam recorded over 40,000 songs. Awarded the highest civilian honours of the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, Balasubrahmanyam was diagnosed with COVID-19 in August and died of cardio-respiratory arrest

3) Yo-Yo Ma, J Balvin, Jennifer Hudson Make The TIME 100 List

Megan Thee Stallion, The Weeknd, Selena Gomez, LasTesis were featured on the list as well. Nadya Tolokonnikova, member of Pussy Riot, wrote about LasTesis “Chilean feminist performance collective, shows today how popular art can be about changing the world, not entertaining”. Stevie Wonder wrote about Yo-Yo Ma “his gift to us is his music wrapped in a blanket of kind understanding that transcends all boundaries: ethnic, geographic, political, class and genre.”

4) Biggie’s Plastic Crown Sold For $594,750

Sotheby’s first hip hop auction was hosted on September 15th. Tupac’s high school love letters, Basquiat’s original artwork, Questlove’s drumkit from the 60s were among the items auctioned. Notorious B.I.G’s iconic plastic crown was auctioned for nearly $600,000. The crown signed by Biggie was featured on Rap Pages Magazine in 1997.

5) Madonna Set To Direct Her Own Biopic

Topping the “Black-List” last year, Universal Pictures have picked up the biopic. The film with be co-written by Madonna and Diablo Cody (Juno) and directed by the her. Anne Winters (13 Reasons Why) has recreated the iconic Madonna looks in an attempt to land the lead role.

6) Scotland Bans Background Music In Venues

To avoid people leaning to be heard over the music, the Scottish government has banned playing background music in venues after an outbreak in Aberdeen. The #DontStopTheMusic campaign is calling an end to this ban. The campaign asking people to share their favourite songs on social media platforms. The chair of Night-Time Industries Association Scotland (NTIAS) stated “central to creating a welcoming environment for customers in already struggling venues right across Scotland and is also vital to mental health and wellbeing for staff and customers alike’.

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