JADA: The international vibes are more than alive with a hard-hitting 'KO' anthem

Feel like losing yourself to the music? Look no further than what international crooner JADA is serving up for The Culture with anthems like her new ‘KO’ tune. An absolute repeat-friendly audio gem.

JADA completely bodies it up with her ‘KO’ anthem

It’s a fire song worthy of finishing up your summer love goals strong and getting you ready for what fall has to offer. Plenty of chill vibes from the start to the last moments of this tune.

Rising East London songstress JADA is back with her second single of the year, ‘KO’. Co-produced by Perry, and Venna, this floaty yet intense track seamlessly fuses elements of New Wave R&B, Hip Hop, and Alt-R&B, showcasing JADA's distinctive futuristic vocal style. Following the success of ‘Magic’, which garnered support from tastemakers like Victoria Jane, DJ Ace, COLORS, and Notion, JADA returns with this masterpiece, co-written with JVCK James, ‘KO’ captures her playful yet introspective take on the complexities and frustrations of relationships. Describing her style as New Wave RnB, JADA breathes new life into the genre by experimenting with unconventional drum patterns and vocal arrangements, creating a truly individual sound.

eJADA grew up in a musical household where Gospel music was ever-present, thanks to her mother and uncle, who frequently sang. Her passion for performance began early—she started ballet at just five years old and soon found herself singing at school assemblies. This early exposure to music naturally led her to songwriting and eventually to study at Elam Music College. There, she crossed paths with now Grammy-winning Venna and JVCK James, kindred spirits who shared her dedication to music and have since remained close and influential friends. Drawing inspiration from icons like Jill Scott and Angie Stone and contemporary stars like Kehlani and SZA, JADA infuses her music with a vibrant yet gritty London edge. Her breakthrough came with ‘June's Cry,’ a collaboration with JVCK James, Emil, and Venna on his 2021 EP ‘Venology.’ This partnership deepened with their work on ‘Tam Tam,’ a standout track on Venna’s sophomore EP ‘Equinox,’ released in 2023. Their artistic synergy led JADA to join Venna on his ‘Est.99’ European tour, performing in Amsterdam, Paris, and Islington Assembly Hall in London. Early on in her career, she has so much to celebrate already, including her performance at SXSW this year in Austin, where she proudly represented the UK on DJ Ace’s ‘EverythingRNB’ showcase, sharing the stage with talents like Tamera, Ayanna, and Etta Bond. 

Rooted in East London's vibrant music scene, she is part of a new wave of groundbreaking artists reshaping the landscape, JADA is quickly making a name for herself as a solo artist with a distinctive sound that sets her apart. A perfectionist at heart, JADA is deeply involved in every step of the music-making process, insisting on a genuine connection to her work. For her, creating music with friends is always a joyful and organic process, free from pressure, allowing her to express herself and release her emotions fully. Though naturally introverted and inclined to internalise her feelings, JADA has discovered that music provides a powerful outlet to evolve, share her feelings, and embrace her vulnerability. As JADA continues to carve out her path, her latest single, ‘KO’, is a bold statement of intent. Driven by passion and a desire to share her unique sound with the world, JADA is poised to make a permanent mark on the music scene. For more info on JADA please visit: Spotify Instagram 

Apple Music Live: Brent Faiyaz's full London performance streams this week

Low-key and high-key? Brent Faiyaz is my favorite crooner in The Culture. Simply said. So seeing buzz about Apple Music Live gearing up to stream his entire London performance to the masses? Pumped.

Apple Music Live’s exclusively delivering a Brent Faiyaz must-see

It’s more than just a few fire tunes. Apple Music Live has things completely locked and loaded with a full-fledged must-see from Brent’s Eventim Apollo set in the United Kingdom.

R&B superstar Brent Faiyaz is the next artist to take the stage for Apple Music Live — the live performance series that gives the biggest stars in music a platform to connect with audiences around the world. 

The multiplatinum R&B iconoclast’s performance at the Eventim Apollo in London as part of his ‘F*ck The World’ European tour will debut Wednesday, November 29th at 7:00pm PST / 10:00pm EST exclusively on Apple Music at apple.co/BrentFaiyazAML and Apple TV+. Fans can also stream the Apple Music Live performance anytime on demand on both Apple Music and Apple TV+. 

During the performance, Faiyaz showcases his biggest hits and fan favorites including, “Clouded”, “Jackie Brown”, “F*** The World (Summer In London)”, and “Dead Man Walking”, plus additional selections from his album ‘Wasteland’. As a special surprise Faiyaz also performs his new single, “WY@” off the recently released “Larger Than Life”  project. 

Ahead of the show, Brent said, "We had a time on the road. Thank you Apple Music for allowing me to bring the 'F**k The World, it’s a Wasteland Tour' experience to millions. Hope you enjoy the show."

In the past two years, Brent Faiyaz’s Essentials has been one of the fastest growing R&B playlists on Apple Music worldwide, with an 84% lift in streams. From November 1, 2022 through October 31, 2023, Brent Faiyaz's music reached the Daily Top 100 in more than 50 countries worldwide, and he launched eight songs into the Global Daily Top 100. His song "ALL MINE" finished among the top 100 Spatial songs of the year. 

The second season of Apple Music Live kicked off this past May with a special performance by Ed Sheeran, which was followed by Burna Boy’s historic London Stadium show from earlier this summer and most recently Dominic Fike gave an electrifying show  . Additional Apple Music Live standout performances have included Harry Styles’s One Night Only in New York performance, Billie Eilish’s Live at the O2 performance; Alicia Keys’s first-ever Holiday Masquerade Ball; and riveting performances from chart-topping artists Lil Durk, Mary J. Blige, Luke Combs, and Wizkid. Explore the full lineup of past performances in the Apple Music Live archive.

Get exclusive wallpapers for your phone on Brent Faiyaz's concert page in Shazam. Tap “Save" to unlock the Apple Music Live setlist, tour photos, and more after the show.

21 Savage: The much-needed London return is already getting expanded

Atlanta rapper 21 Savage must be feeling the love. The hip-hop heavyweight is gearing up for a massive London debut and ahead of the November adventure going down he’s already expanded the international trip.

21 Savage’s international run is already expanding

Forget just touching down in the United Kingdom, 21, 21, 21 has all types of plans for touring the continent with nearly 10 additional tour stop dates.

Today, it’s announced that Grammy-nominated 21 Savage will expand his highly anticipated homecoming tour into Europe with eight dates across five countries. Produced by Live Nation, the tour will now kick off in Paris, France on 14 November 2023 at Zenith Paris La Villette, before heading to Dusseldorf, Zurich, Berlin, Amsterdam, Manchester, and Birmingham, closing the tour at London’s The O2 on 30 November 2023 for his biggest headline show to date. 

This exciting news comes just a week after the Atlanta-based rapper announced to his fans that he will return to the UK with a show at London's The O2. The announcement was teased with a special homecoming Instagram post, soundtracked by Skylar Grey's 'Coming Home', where 21 Savage declared to his fans 'London, I'm coming home’.

Now a permanent US resident and free to travel internationally, 21 Savage made a triumphant first international performance in Toronto earlier this month, joining Drake on stage at his highly anticipated ‘It’s All A Blur’ tour stop, giving fans a taste of what’s to come overseas next month. 

Tour support comes from fellow Atlanta rap stars Baby Drill and 21 Lil Harold across all UK & EU tour dates. 

The tour presales will start Wednesday, 18 October, at 9am local time, with general on-sale following Friday, 20 October, at 9am local time via 21savage.com

21 Savage, UK/EU Tour 2023: 

14 November 2023 Paris, France Zenith Paris La Villette

16 November 2023 Dusseldorf, Germany Mitsubishi Electric HALLE

17 November 2023 Zurich, Switzerland THE HALL

19 November 2023 Berlin, Germany Max-Schmeling-Halle

21 November 2023 Amsterdam, Netherlands AFAS Live

23 November 2023 Manchester, UK Depot Mayfield

24 November 2023 Birmingham, UK Forum

30 November 2023 London, UK The O2

Fashion: Here's the Top 10 most fashionable cities this year

New York City. London. Sydney. It’s all about the fashion goals around the globe and seeing what the top 10 spots are throughout the world in terms of fit flexing? Mind-blowing.

Here’s the Top 10 most fashionable cities around the globe

It’s a massive salute to the folks over at Lilac St. for coming through on the stats and an equally large salute to all of my Big Apple natives for helping make the best city in the world top the list in regard to fashion, of course.

A new study has revealed New York as the most fashionable city of 2023.

Experts at Lilac St.  analyzed various cities to identify the most fashionable city of 2023 evaluating key metrics, such as the number of annual fashion shows, fashion brands, schools and city-specific fashion hashtags on Instagram. A score was assigned to each city for every factor and summed up to determine the final ranking. The city with the highest total score was ranked as the most fashionable city of 2023.

New York gets the 1st spot as the most fashionable city in 2023 with the highest number of annual fashion events and fashion brands. It holds more than 680 fashion events every year, including New York fashion week, which is also one of the most attended fashion events in the world.

London takes the 2nd spot in the ranking as the most fashionable city of  2023. It secures its top position with 500 annual fashion shows and 4.3 million fashion related hashtags such as #LondonFashionWeek and #Londonfashion.

Paris holds the 3rd place due to the amount of fashion brands worldwide, including “Chanel”, “Louis Vuitton” and many more. Moreover, the hashtag #ParisFashionWeek was used over 3 million times, which is 75% of overall hashtags for fashion in Paris.

Milan, ranking at the 4th spot, stands out with the highest number of fashion institutions and schools including 22 fashion schools that significantly contribute to its ranking. Milan also secures its position with hashtags like #Milanfashion and #MilanFashionWeek on Instagram.

Dubai ranks 5th, having the highest number of fashion-related Instagram hashtags. Hashtag #Dubaifashion single handedly was used more than 5 million times when the overall hashtag count is 6 million.

Sydney places as the 6th most fashionable city of 2023. It owes its position to a range of fashion institutions, including the University of Sydney, which takes a spot  in the World University Rankings 2023. 

Seoul stands at the 7th position of the most fashionable cities of the year. The number of fashion schools along with fashion brands significantly contributed to its ranking. Even though Seouls fashion hashtags are way lower than the previous cities’, it is still impressive with 800k hashtag engagements on Instagram.

Rome claims the 8th spot due to the number of fashion schools including one of the most famous Roman universities - Higher Institute for Artistic Industries, where famous designer Stefano Gabbana studied.

Los Angeles is the 9th most fashionable city and claims the rank with the 3rd highest number of fashion shows annually, from which the most attended one is Los Angeles Fashion week. 

Tokyo rounds out the top ten with the number of fashion schools and brands. There are also 760k mentions on Instagram for the hashtags #Tokyofashion and #TokyoFashionWeek contributing to its ranking.

21 Savage: Drake's BFF is heading to the United Kingdom for the first time... ever

Atlanta rapper 21 Savage is ready to make history in the best way possible - of course. The hip-hop heavyweight is gearing up to touch down in London for the first time - ever, ever, ever - at the legendary O2 this fall.

21 Savage’s ready to make history in London

While Savage is an international star, he’s never pulled through at the iconic venue and is definitely slated to spark a massive amount of attention. Fresh after Thanksgiving Day, 21, 21, 21 is slated to hit the stage with his crew of Baby Drill and 21 Lil Harold.

Today, it’s announced that Grammy-nominated artist 21 Savage will play The O2 in London next month on Thursday, 30th November 2023. 

The Atlanta-based rapper teed up this announcement by sharing a special homecoming Instagram post on Friday evening, soundtracked by Skylar Grey's 'Coming Home' whilst declaring and teasing the exciting news to his fans with his comment 'London, I'm coming home.' 21 Savage will head to the UK for his first and biggest headline show to date at London's The O2 this November.  

Now a permanent US resident and free to travel internationally, 21 Savage made a triumphant first international performance on Saturday evening (07.10) in Toronto, joining Drake on stage at his highly anticipated ‘It’s All A Blur’ tour stop giving fans a taste of what’s to come overseas in the UK next month.  

The show’s presales will start Wednesday, 11th October, at 9am, with general on-sale following Friday, 13th October, at 9am local time via LiveNation.co.uk. 

Need to know more about 21 Savage? How about the November 30 showcase? Say less.

Thursday 30th November   London, United Kingdom   The O2   

Grammy Award Winning multi-platinum artist 21 Savage, one of the most sought-after rappers of this generation, landed his 2nd #1 album in 2020 with the release of Savage Mode 2, the follow up to 2016’s platinum certified record Savage Mode. His 2019 album i am > i was, which received platinum certification and was nominated for Best Album of the Year in 2020, earned him a Grammy for Best Rap Song for “A Lot.” In 2022 the collaborative album with Drake, “Her Loss” also went on to debut on Billboard 200 Album Charts at No.1 making this his 3rd album to top the charts with a total of 3 billion overall streams to date.  

Through his award-winning foundation Leading by Example founded in 2018, Savage provides financial literacy education to underserved youth nationwide providing thousands of scholarships, access to bank accounts and job placement for teens and students alike. In December 2022 the state of Georgia recognized December 21st as 21 Savage Day in recognition of his extraordinary philanthropic efforts. 

Albertina: Sometimes you just have to press 'RECORD' and let loose

I really love fire tunes and songs you can just keep on repeat - whether for the workout goals or for those long drives around the city. Fortunately, musician Albertina knows how to set the tone with her new ‘RECORD’ song.

Albertina’s new ‘RECORD’ anthem is all about the lyric video

While we’ll have to wait for the full-fledged visual, it’s clear the England native is building a steady buzz and pushes to help people learn her newest tune courtesy of the ‘RECORD’ lyric video.

Setting UK sound system culture ablaze with infectious afro-textures and an eclectic vocal range, “Record” instantly defines Albertina’s multi-dimensional soundwaves as a standout. Taking clear inspiration from innovative talent incl. J Hus and Rihanna while pulling touches from her Caribbean heritage, Albertina effortlessly glides atop sharp percussion and mellow rhythmics, displaying vibrant harmonies that shift to assertiveness when exploring an exciting new love interest.

Born to creative parents in West Yorkshire, Albertina developed a clear passion for expression as her artistic environment found refuge in a busy London setting. Establishing her talents through dance, acting and music, she quickly ignited a flame as a DJ gaining residency at BALAMII while playing some of the hottest clubs across London’s underground circuit. Turning her focus onto developing a multidisciplinary skillset flourishing across producing, song writing and performing, Albertina recently showcased her artistry across her stunning EP Waiting 4 Life. Already boasting critical acclaim from the likes of THE FACE, WONDERLAND, CLASH, NOTION, RADIO 1 and RINSE.FM, Albertina is carving her own path as a significant talent on the verge of mainstream realisation

Ella Mai: The UK crooner is expanding a jam-packed 'Heart On My Sleeve' tour run

There’s no denying Ella Mai is for the people. The popular award-winning is singer is showing out for her day ones by expanding her upcoming The Heart On My Sleeve tour run.

Ella Mai expands her new tour with more dates and shows

Rather than planning out a separate tour, Mai has decided to throw in some extra show dates for people plannisn on seeing her in spots like New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta.

‘i am very excited to announce that we’ve added some new dates and venue upgrades to the #heartonmysleevetour and i can finally scream from the rooftops that the AMAZING @thuymusic is joining me on the road!
presale for the new dates starts TOMORROW, general on sale FRIDAY. venue upgrades are on sale NOW!
SEE YOU IN 3 WEEKS ❤️‍🔥’

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DWY has your weekend soundtrack covered with his new 'Self-Contained' mixtape

Need some new tunes to churn out all weekend long? Look no further than what DWY has put together for his Self-Contained mixtape and it’s packed with anthems.

DWY’s new ‘Self-Contained’ mixtape has arrived

It’s only six songs deep but each anthem hits hard. From going into his love bag to letting the soulful production take over, it’s all must-hear tunes from start to finish.

Today, South London singer/songwriter/producer DWY shares an intimate 6-song mixtape titled Self-Contained. Over stripped-down soulful production, the R&B artist delivers emotionally vulnerable lyrics about love, relationships and human connection. Self-Contained follows DWY’s acclaimed debut mixtape and short film 8-Bit Memories released in 2020.

“On 8-Bit I felt I was hiding in the music a bit, so on this mixtape I stripped it all back,” explains DWY. “I’m way more confident in my voice than I was before, my voice is defo front and center. I produced or co-produced almost every song and really feel it sounds like me more than before. I wrote from a much rawer and visceral place this time around, I guess had a lot of time to think and search my feelings about my relationships and my own depression. I really want to bring back the rawness of the R&B mixtape.”

To celebrate the release DWY shares a Bedroom Live Performance of “dreamlike, tranquil and other-worldly” Self-Contained track “Pull Up” here. The song was added to TIDAL’s playlist Rising: R&B. He’ll continue to release live bedroom performances for other songs from the project on his YouTube channel. Additionally, he released a music video for the alluring “Badu Feels” that follows him reflecting on a Summer day and joining friends for some fun in the sun at a backyard pool party that is available here. Lead single “Solid Gold” is a self-reflecting romantic jam written while he was experiencing some of his brokest and lowest moments.

^ Stunning pics. All come courtesy of Independent Co., Khaleel Smith and Gershom.

DWY describes, “Most people didn’t know during the writing of ‘8-Bit Memories,’ and at the start of ‘Self-Contained’ I had periods of not having a place to stay. I was couch surfing, sleeping in studios, spent a night or two in a diner…I just put all the pain and fear into the music. I feel like I was fighting for my life."

Jeshi's much-needed Universal Credit debut drops in 72 hours

Memorial Day Weekend is close-close and what better way to get excited than gearing up for Jeshi’s new studio album? Even better, how about gearing up for his official debut release?

Jeshi’s new Universal Credit album drops Friday

Barring any delays, the world will finally get to hear a full-length effort from the international hip-hop artist. The project comes stacked with anthems and some notably dope singles like his hit ‘Protein’ record.

This Friday May 27th, East London’s Jeshi proudly releases Universal Credit, his long-awaited debut album, on Because Music. The LP was preceded by a string of hype-building singles: “Protein” feat. Obongjayar, “3210” (along with the Ross From Friends remix), “Generation," “Hit By A Train,” and “Sick.”

On Universal Credit, Jeshi captures the young UK condition with his crisply enunciated English accent, a youth prophet for a new decade. For an album inspired by financial hardship and largely composed during the pandemic, the project can be as gloomy as its inspirations, yet at other turns becomes quite humorous and hopeful. Described by the Guardian as “ rival[ing] the Streets’ Original Pirate Material or Dizzee Rascal’s Boy in Da Corner for frank, sometimes bleak but often funny framings of UK city life,” its contents are considerate and insightful in its depictions of complicated realities.

Jeshi’s explanation for what you’re going to hear

No idea of what’s brewing for Jeshi? Just check out what he feels his new project is going to mean.

“People are often in a situation where they’re a couple of decisions away from tricky situations that are no fault of their own,” he says. “Life is difficult for everyone. It’s the pick of the draw.” 

And what else?

By focusing on the immediate world around him, including his own memories of being broke and unlucky, or simply trying to make sense of an unforgiving world, Jeshi has been able to make a wider statement. “I didn’t want it to be me saying ‘Look at the state of the country,’ he argues. “There’s no political messaging on there. I just wanted to take the phrase ‘Universal Credit’ and make it empowering. Putting some pride into words that often have been weaponized against people.” 

The ‘Protein’ music video

Over the past few weeks and months, Jeshi has put out ample tunes and visuals. One of his latest - 'Protein’ - really hits different and comes through as a must-hear and must-see.