World News
Broken Friendships, Family Fights and Prison Sentence Anguish: How Lori Loughlin Is Coping With Her New Normal
Whatever happened to the woman who once declared her family wasn’t interesting enough for prime time TV? “We’ve been asked to do a reality show a couple times,” Lori Loughlin revealed during an interview on E!’s Daily Pop last year, adding they had turned each one down flat because “we’re not that exciting.” Even at the time her words carried a sense of […]
Whatever happened to the woman who once declared her family wasn’t interesting enough for prime time TV? 
“We’ve been asked to do a reality show a couple times,” Lori Loughlin revealed during an interview on E!’s Daily Pop last year, adding they had turned each one down flat because “we’re not that exciting.”
Even at the time her words carried a sense of misplaced humility. After all, she was a key player on a ’90s sitcom with enough feel good nostalgia to merit a reprisal more than two decades after it went off the air, her husband Mossimo Giannulli a self-starter who turned a high school education (and a $100,000 loan from Dad) into the multi-billion dollar Mossimo clothing brand that enjoyed a healthy run in Target stores. And her daughters Isabella Rose Giannulli, 20, and Olivia Jade Giannulli, 19, appeared to have bright futures ahead of them as an actress and beauty influencer respectively.
So we’re thinking network execs may have been on to something.
Of course, now, any episode of Lori’s Full House (working title) would be must see TV. Everywhere you look, everywhere you go people have been talking about the 54-year-old Hallmark actress since March 12, the day a bombshell FBI affidavit revealed she and Mossimo, 55, were caught up in the aptly named Varsity Blues college admissions scandal. That they had, in fact, allegedly paid some $500,000 in bribes to get both Bella and Olivia into the prestigious University of Southern California, according to the affidavit, by falsely claiming they were crew team recruits.
Where the Fuller House star had once been able to slip around her upscale Bel-Air, Calif. community relatively unnoticed, her every errand (an Apr. 9 trip to a West Hollywood car wash! an Apr. 5 outing with Bella!) has become breaking news.
Not that she or Mossimo need even step foot outside their six-bedroom mansion to make headlines. On Tuesday it was announced the married couple of nearly 22 years—already charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud—were among 16 parents involved in the scandal that had been charged in a second superseding indictment with conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering.
As such, they now face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison—20 a piece for each charge.
As they await arraignment, the couple have plenty of time to ponder what might come next, having more or less secluded themselves in their tony enclave.
For awhile, as she rattled around the 12,000-square-foot spread they first snapped up for nearly $14 million in 2015, Lori was able to keep the worst of the “what ifs” at bay. Firm in her beliefs that surely she wouldn’t see the inside of a prison cell, a source tells E! News, she neglected to join the 13 parents (including fellow actress Felicity Huffman) and one university athletic coach who agreed to plead guilty to the charges of mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.
“She has been in complete denial and thought maybe she could skate by,” the source explains. “She refused to accept any jail time and thought the DA was bluffing. She was adamant she wouldn’t do any jail time.”
But without work to busy herself with—on March 14 Hallmark announced they were severing all ties with Lori, which is, perhaps, for the best considering she was forced to surrender her passport rendering her unable to travel to her series’ Vancouver sets anyway—she’s had more than enough time to stew and second guess her gut reaction.
“Lori is finally realizing just how serious this is,” says the source, noting the former child model is beating herself up for not accepting the initial deal. “She is seeing the light that she will do jail time and is freaking out.”
The past few days have marked a sharp departure from her earlier commitment to maintain a sliver of normalcy.
Though she spent large swaths of her day at home, the self-described “kid from Long Island,” a proud product of middle class roots, made it a point to keep up her regular workouts and social engagements. The difference being that when she exited her go-to yoga studio she had to brace herself for paparazzi and reporters, leaning on her professional experience to help her navigate the few steps from door to car.
“I’m sorry, I can’t talk to you,” she told a cameraman in a March 30 video posted by TMZ. “You can follow me around all day if you want, but I just can’t comment right now. But thank you for your time.”
Even when her day’s agenda contained the truly aberrant—a trip to a Boston federal courthouse Apr. 3 for a six-minute appearance that saw her and Mossimo waive their right to a preliminary hearing and agree to several pretrial conditions—she handled it in much the same way she’s dealt with the countless other public appearances she’s made over the course of her four decade Hollywood career.
The couple traveled across the country via private jet “because Mossimo wanted to,” an insider told E! News. “He is mortified by this whole thing and wants to avoid unwanted attention in public.”
But as they scaled the steps of the courthouse, the oversized gathering of cameras and fans made it clear that slipping under the radar wasn’t so much a possibility. And faced with the decision to lower her head and keep it moving as Huffman had done or acknowledge the intensity of the situation, Lori shifted into celebrity mode, signing autographs for those that had come out to show their support.
“She was obviously extremely nervous and the actress side of Lori came out. She doesn’t know how else to be in public,” the insider explained. “Her natural reaction was to just smile and try to be light-hearted. She’s always been so well loved and charming, that’s the part she knows how to play in public.”
With her entire world rotated on its axis, sticking to the tried-and-true whenever possible was the only thing that felt right. “She’s trying to keep a somewhat regular schedule—going to yoga and Pilates and seeing friends for lunch,” an insider told People. “She is very faith-based, and she knows her faith will get her through this.”
Thus far her relationship with God has proven stronger than some of the friendships she’s formed in L.A., a part of the country she’s called home since landing on Full House, the breakout gig that came after she spent her teen years as one of the youngest cast member on soap opera The Edge of Night.
“Lori and Mossimo are finding out quickly who their real friends are,” a confidante told People. “It’s not like they are the victims of a crime. They are the crime. Many of their friends don’t want to be associated with them right now.”
But count her most Hollywood of pals—her Fuller House costars—among those refusing to reach for a cheap Aunt Becky joke.
Candace Cameron Bure, whose own daughter Natasha Bure, 20, is close in age to Lori’s girls, seemed to speak for the entire clan at the 2019 Kids’ Choice Awards March 23.
“Where there’s a lot of heart, there’s a lot of love—and a loving family sticks together no matter what,” she said standing alongside Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber to accept the blimp-shaped trophy for Favorite Funny TV Show. “They stick together through the hard times, they support each other, they encourage one another, they pray for each other, and they stand by their side no matter how tough it gets.”
Questioned further about the situation on Today, Cameron Bure, once again, declined to throw her yoga buddy under the bus, telling Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford, “You know, it’s too personal to us, and you never want to talk about someone that’s such a dear and close friend. But I think, I’ve already said that we are family, and we stand by each other and pray for each other, and we’ll always be there for each other.”
It’s a pact Danny Tanner himself is in on. When TMZ cameras caught up with Bob Saget in late March, he opted not to share his thoughts on the specifics of the case, only telling reporters, “You know, you love who you love in your life,” adding, “Candace said it really good at the Kids’ Choice Awards. You love who you love.”
John Stamos, who followed Saget out the door moments later, also refused to pile on his costar, a woman he once mused could have been the one to get away. “I will [have something to say] at one point,” he said. “I’m just not ready to talk about it.”
An insider tells E! News her daughters are also members of Team Lori, this despite Olivia watching her influencer empire crumble to the ground in a matter of hours. Having initially launched her YouTube channel at the age of 14, she’d built up a presence so robust it appeared a college degree might not be necessary to secure a future as charmed as her childhood.
“She started a YouTube channel around makeup and beauty and now she’s an ambassador for Sephora and she wants to have her own makeup line one day and she’s totally moving in that direction, but she started that channel on her own. She did it all herself,” Lori boasted to Salon last year. “I laugh. She’s a one-woman production company. She hosts the show. She edits the show. She adds the music. She does the graphics. She comes up with the content. She produces the whole thing.”
But as details of the admissions scandal emerged, companies fell out of Olivia’s growing portfolio like dominoes, the teen losing endorsement gigs with TRESemmé and Princess Polly and watching as the makeup palette she had recently released with Sephora was discontinued.
Now, splitting her time between the family home in Bel-Air and singer boyfriend Jackson Guthy‘s pad in Malibu Olivia is finding herself at a loss as to how to rebuild.
“She is very distraught and is in crisis mode,” a source tells E! News. “Olivia is more embarrassed than anything and doesn’t know how to handle all of the stress and scrutiny that has been surrounding her and her family. She feels completely lost. Her and Lori are leaning on each other a lot for full support right now.”
Though the family is clocking a lot of together time, their days bear little resemblance to the sun-soaked weekends they enjoyed when the girls were young.
“It was great when they were little,” Loughlin said during a 2016 BUILD Series panel for her and Bella’s Hallmark holiday film Every Christmas Has A Story. “I loved Sunday afternoons so much…because we’d get up in the morning and we’d stay in our pajamas and they’d just play together by the hour and I would give them lunch and they’d go back and play. It was just so nice, we didn’t do a lot playdates; it was just our little group. It was lovely.”
Now the atmosphere surrounding the family is heavy with worry about what comes next (both girls have decided not to continue their studies at USC, while Lori and Mossimo’s days are consumed with thoughts about the impending trial) along with a heavy dose of marital strife.
“There’s a rift between Lori and Mossimo,” the first source tells E! News. “He is completely mortified by this whole thing and she is putting on a happy face and acting like everything will be OK.”
Unable to see eye-to-eye on how to best deal with the sort of “for worse” situation no one envisions when reciting their wedding vows, “They are blaming each other and disagreeing on things,” continues the source. “They are starting to turn on each other and there is incredible stress and tension.”
For Lori, seeking out the silver lining is a habit that’s been ingrained for decades. Asked by a fan at the BUILD Series how she manages to maintain a positive outlook, she replied, “I think it’s just my attitude in life and I’m going to say it has to do with my parents and how I was raised. My mom and dad were always really positive people and my mom always said, every day, ‘Count your blessings.’ I think I always go back to that. Even when I feel like maybe I’m under a lot of pressure or a lot of stress or the day’s getting my down…I always do stop and think, OK, count my blessings.”
But right now, even with all efforts put forth toward a sunny disposition seeking out those moments of gratitude has been difficult. More or less holed up in seclusion, save for the occasional errand or meeting with an attorney, it’s dawning on Lori how likely it is she’ll be saddled with a prison sentence.
“Their lives will never be the same,” says an insider. “They are scared and they don’t know what’s coming next. It all feels like a terrible nightmare.”
Tune into E! News weeknights at 7pm ET/PT on E!
World News
Shazam hits 300 million monthly active users worldwide
Apple today announced that Shazam has surpassed 300 million monthly active users worldwide, with more people than ever before using the app to discover the music they love.
Throughout the years, the music industry has relied on a number of signals to answer the question of what the world is listening to. And for the past 20 years, Shazam has been one of the earliest and strongest signals — and it’s one that’s growing even stronger.
With an increasingly global user base, Shazam is getting even better at truly answering what the world is listening to. African countries have been some of the fastest growing user bases on Shazam, and African genres have been some of the fastest growing genres, with many African songs topping the yearly global charts. On the Top 100 2023: Shazam chart, Rema’s “Calm Down” takes No. 1 after spending more time atop the global Shazam chart over the past year than any other song. “‘Finding’ takes strength and passion,” Rema tells Apple Music. “To everyone who took the energy to find this song I hope it’s giving you joy wherever you are today and I hope it sounds as beautiful as the first day you heard it.”
Ayra Starr also ends the year in the top 10 of the Top 100 2023: Shazam as she becomes one of Nigeria’s most-Shazamed artists.
The global reach of K-Pop has continued to increase on Shazam, and the app’s user numbers have also seen a notable growth in Korea. More K-Pop songs have made it to the Shazam global charts in 2023 than in any previous year, with emerging band FIFTY FIFTY reaching No. 3 on the Shazam global charts, marking the first time a K-Pop act other than BTS or one of its members has charted this high. Música Mexicana has also seen significant growth in the last 12 months, with the only five tracks from this genre to enter the US Shazam top 10 all doing so within the last year.
One of the longest-standing apps on the App Store, Shazam has also continued to innovate and introduce a number of new features to make it easier for users to discover music no matter how or where they are listening. Most recently, Shazam unveiled Concerts, a new space in the app where music fans can discover upcoming concerts that are happening in their area, providing personalized event recommendations based on their Shazam history or popular events around them. Fans can also discover events by filtering location, date and artists.
Check out Shazam’s new Concerts space here and listen to the most Shazamed songs of the year on Apple Music.
World News
SXSW Music Festival – Second Round of Showcasing Artists Announced including Camidoh
The South by Southwest® Music Festival (SXSW®) has announced the second round of Showcasing Artists invited to perform at the 38th annual event. The festival features compelling musical experiences showcasing rising talents and renowned artists from around the world performing in front of industry professionals, influencers, press and an abundance of engaged, open-minded fans. The first event on every music industry professional’s calendar, the SXSW Music Festival takes place March 11-16, 2024 in Austin’s iconic and offbeat venues.
SXSW Music Festival programmers present the best new artists and established acts from around the world offering a unique opportunity for national and international exposure. Artists in this announcement hail from Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Scotland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, and Wales. Second round highlights include Glasser (New York NY), GRÓA (Reykjavik ICELAND), Gruff Rhys (Cardiff UK-WALES), Ho99o9(Newark NJ), Holly Macve (Brighton UK-ENGLAND), Kikuo (Tokyo JAPAN), LAIR(Jatiwangi INDONESIA), Pink Pablo (San Juan PUERTO RICO), PVA (London UK-ENGLAND), Pylon Reenactment Society (Athens GA), Ralphie Choo (Madrid SPAIN), RUBIO (Mexico City MEXICO), Sinkane (Brooklyn NY), Sofia Kourtesis(Berlin GERMANY), Sycco (Brisbane AUSTRALIA), Tamera (London UK-ENGLAND), TENGGER (Seoul SOUTH KOREA), and 250 (Seoul SOUTH KOREA).
This is the second of several announcements of genre-defying showcases spanning six nights. Showcases are curated by SXSW programmers in collaboration with record labels, booking agencies, export offices, management and PR firms, publishers, media outlets, lifestyle brands and festivals. These showcases give attendees the opportunity to experience today’s and tomorrow’s headliners in small-stage performances. Showcase presenters include: Adult Decisions, All The Vibes, ATC Live, Atomic Music Group, Bayonet Records, Breakout West, CareFreeBlackGirl, Chicken Ranch Records, City Slang, Dear Life Records, Dedstrange, Don Giovanni Records, Everything R&B, Father/Daughter Records, Fierce Panda, FOCUS Wales, Island Wave, Italians Do It Better, Gorilla vs. Bear, High Road Touring, Jazz Re:Freshed, The Line of Best Fit, The Loyalty Firm, M for Montreal, Mint Talent Group, Music from Ireland, New West Records, Now Wave, Pop Montreal, Reeperbahn Festival, The Smoke Out, Space Agency, The Spanish Wave, Synásthesie Festival, Taiwan Beats, Tokyo Calling, Traffic Music and Wide Days Scotland.
The second round of artists invited to perform include:
| 250 (Seoul SOUTH KOREA) Afternoon Bike Ride (Montreal CANADA) Akira Galaxy (Los Angeles CA) Ako（a子） (Himeji City JAPAN) Alexander Biggs (Melbourne AUSTRALIA) Alex Nicol (Montreal CANADA) Amis du Teche (Breaux Bridge LA) Angelo Moore and the Brand New Step (Austin TX) Anna Smyrk (Melbourne AUSTRALIA) Anna Vaverková (Prague CZECHIA) Another Sky (London UK-ENGLAND) Arches (Hong Kong HONG KONG) Askew (London UK-ENGLAND) Axel Flóvent (Reykjavik ICELAND) Äyanna (London UK-ENGLAND) The Ayoub Sisters (London UK-ENGLAND) Bad Bad Hats (Minneapolis MN) The Beatbox Collective (London UK-ENGLAND) beccs (Warehan MA) Bee Bee Sea (Castel Goffredo ITALY) Being Dead (Austin TX) Benjamin Walker (Chile MEXICO) Bess Atwell (Brighton UK-ENGLAND) Bleach Lab (London UK-ENGLAND) BLK JKS (Johannesburg SOUTH AFRICA) Bloomsday (Brooklyn NY) Blue Lake (Copenhagen DENMARK) Boy With Apple (Gothenburg SWEDEN) BROTHER DEGE (Lafayette LA) Buffalo Nichols (Milwaukee WI) Caleb Landry Jones (Garland TX) Camidoh (Accra GHANA) Carla Geneve (Perth AUSTRALIA) Certainly So (Nashville TN) Cha’keeta B (Austin TX) Chalk (Belfast UK-N. IRELAND) Chartreuse (The Black Country UK-ENGLAND) Chelsea Carmichael (London UK-ENGLAND) Chiaki Mayumura (Setagya JAPAN) Chief Cleopatra (Austin TX) China Bears (Bridgwater UK-ENGLAND) Chxrry22 (Toronto CANADA) CLT DRP (Brighton UK-ENGLAND) Conchur White (Portadown UK-N. IRELAND) CURRLS (Brighton UK-ENGLAND) Danny Bonilla (Dallas TX) Dasom Baek (Seoul SOUTH KOREA) Daydream Twins (Austin TX) Dead Tooth (Brooklyn NY) Delights (Manchester UK-ENGLAND) DICE (Perth AUSTRALIA) Dirt Buyer (Brooklyn NY) Discovery Zone (New York NY) Divorce (Nottingham UK-ENGLAND) Dobrawa Czocher (Warsaw POLAND) DOMICO (Tokyo JAPAN) Do Nothing (Nottingham UK-ENGLAND) Dream Nails (London UK-ENGLAND) Dumb Buoys Fishing Club (London UK-ENGLAND) dust (Newcastle AUSTRALIA) Earth Tongue (Wellington NEW ZEALAND) Eleni Drake (London UK-ENGLAND) Elisapie (Salluit CANADA) Elle Shimada (Melbourne AUSTRALIA) Ellie Bleach (London UK-ENGLAND) Emily Barker (Perth AUSTRALIA) Emily Frembgen (Brooklyn NY) Emma Aibara (Yokohama JAPAN) Enola Gay (Belfast UK-N. IRELAND) Etta Bond (London UK-ENGLAND) fantasy of a broken heart (Brooklyn NY) Fat Dog (London UK-ENGLAND) FAZI 法兹 (Xi’an CHINA) Field Guide (Winnipeg CANADA) Folk Bitch Trio (Melbourne AUSTRALIA) FONTINE (Winnipeg CANADA) Forest Claudette (Melbourne AUSTRALIA) Friedberg (Berlin GERMANY) Fust (Durham NC) Gavin James (Dublin IRELAND) Glasser (New York NY) Glixen (Phoenix AZ) Good Looks (Austin TX) Grandbrothers (Berlin GERMANY) GRÓA (Reykjavik ICELAND) Gruff Rhys (Cardiff UK-WALES) Gurriers (Dublin IRELAND) HALLEY (Waseda JAPAN) Harvest Thieves (Austin TX) Hause Plants (Lisbon PORTUGAL) The HawtThorns (Nashville TN) HIEN (Budapest HUNGARY) HighSchool (Melbourne AUSTRALIA) Hinako Omori (London UK-ENGLAND) HMS Morris (Cardiff UK-WALES) Ho99o9 (Newark NJ) Holly Macve (Brighton UK-ENGLAND) Hooks & The Huckleberries (Albuquerque NM) Hour (Philadelphia PA) The Howdies (Athens GA) Humour (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND) HYPNOSIS THERAPY (Seoul SOUTH KOREA) IFE (New Orleans LA) Iona Zajac (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND) Iris Jean (Alkmaar NETHERLANDS) Izo FitzRoy (London UK-ENGLAND) Jack Barksdale (Fort Worth TX) Jack Harris (Cleveland OH) JADA (London UK-ENGLAND) Jad Fair and the Placebos (Manor TX) Jaimee Harris (Nashville TN) JÁNA (Stockholm SWEDEN) Jazz re:freshed DJs (London UK-ENGLAND) Jeannel (Berlin GERMANY) Jeshi (London UK-ENGLAND) JFDR (Reykjavík ICELAND) JM Stevens (Austin TX) Jon Muq (Austin TX) Jon Vinyl (Toronto CANADA) Juani Mustard (Viña Del Mar CHILE) JUANPALITOSCHINOS (Mexico City MEXICO) Justin Webb (Nashville TN) | Kali Claire (London UK-ENGLAND) Ken Yates (London CANADA) Kikuo (Tokyo JAPAN) Kroi (Tokyo JAPAN) LAIR (Jatiwangi INDONESIA) Laney Tripp (New Smyrna Beach CA) Larry Seaman (Austin TX) Laura-Mary Carter (Brighton UK-ENGLAND) Laura Misch (London UK-ENGLAND) Lauren Housley & The Northern Cowboys (Sheffield UK-ENGLAND) Lauren Lakis (Austin TX) L E M F R E C K (Newport UK-WALES) Library Card (Rotterdam NETHERLANDS) Lindsay Beaver & Brad Stivers (Austin TX) Lisa Morales (Austin TX) Logan Crosby (Milledgeville GA) Logan Halstead (Powell County KY) Los Cogelones (Mexico MEXICO) Lottery Winners (Leigh UK-ENGLAND) Madam Radar (Austin TX) Malugi (Berlin GERMANY) Mama Terra (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND) The Manatees (Southampton UK-ENGLAND) maxime. (Montreal CANADA) May Rio (Brooklyn NY) Meagre Martin (Berlin GERMANY) Mia June (Perth AUSTRALIA) Mick Flannery (Cork IRELAND) Minas (Cardiff UK-WALES) Miranda and the Beat (Brooklyn NY) Miranda del Sol (New York NY) MØAA (Seattle WA) Moody Bank$ (Austin TX) Nagasaki Swim (Rotterdam NETHERLANDS) Natalie Jane Hill (Asheville NC) Native Harrow (Brighton UK-ENGLAND) néomí (Den Haag NETHERLANDS) NeOne Wonderer (Wolverhampton UK-ENGLAND) Neon Waltz (John O’groats UK-SCOTLAND) Night Lunch (Montreal CANADA) NOBRO (Montreal CANADA) O. (London UK-ENGLAND) Omni (Atlanta GA) OSKA (Vienna AUSTRIA) PAPISA (São Paulo BRAZIL) Pelvis Wrestley (Austin TX) Perennial (Amherst MA) Pink Pablo (San Juan PUERTO RICO) Planet Giza (Montreal CANADA) Plastic Palms (Turin ITALY) poolblood (Toronto CANADA) Population II (Montreal CANADA) Presence (Camarillo CA) The Psychotic Monks (Saint-Ouen FRANCE) PVA (London UK-ENGLAND) Pylon Reenactment Society (Athens GA) Rainbow Girls (Bodega CA) Ralphie Choo (Madrid SPAIN) The Rare Occasions (Los Angeles CA) Redbud (Austin TX) rEDOLENT (Edinburgh UK-SCOTLAND) Robby Hecht (Nashville TN) Rodeo Boys (Lansing MI) Rory James (Edinburgh UK-SCOTLAND) RUBIO (Mexico City MEXICO) Sam Williams (Paris TN) San Gabriel (Austin TX) San Saba County (Austin TX) Seafoam Walls (Miami FL) Selfish Sons (Brisbane AUSTRALIA) She’s In Parties (Colchester UK-ENGLAND) Sinkane (Brooklyn NY) Skateland (Austin TX) SNACKTIME (Philadelphia PA) Soda Blonde (Dublin IRELAND) Sofia Kourtesis (Berlin GERMANY) Sofi Paez (Berlin GERMANY) Softee (Moorhead MN) South Summit (Perth AUSTRALIA) SPRINTS (Dublin IRELAND) Stuck in the Sound (Paris FRANCE) Styrofoam Winos (Nashville TN) Sui Zhen (Melbourne AUSTRALIA) The Sully Band (San Diego CA) Sultan Stevenson (London UK-ENGLAND) Swallow the Rat (Auckland NEW ZEALAND) Sycco (Brisbane AUSTRALIA) Talia Goddess (Brooklyn NY) Tamera (London UK-ENGLAND) Teenage Sequence (Fort-Worth TX) Telehealth (Seattle WA) TENGGER (Seoul SOUTH KOREA) t e s t p r e s s (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND) Texas String Assembly (Austin TX) TFD (Total Fucking Darkness) (Vancouver CANADA) This Is Lorelei (New York NY) THUS LOVE (Brattleboro VT) The Tiarras (Austin TX) Tokyo Syoki Syodo (Shimokitazawa JAPAN) TRACY DE SA (Sevres FRANCE) Tufan Derince (Diyarbakir TURKEY) twst (Barry UK-WALES) Venus Twins (Brooklyn NY) Vera Sola (Los Angeles CA) The Vices (Groningen NETHERLANDS) The View (Dundee UK-SCOTLAND) VLURE (Glasgow UK-SCOTLAND) Vulva Voce (Manchester UK-ENGLAND) Water Damage (Austin TX) William The Conqueror (Newquay UK-ENGLAND) Wyldest (London UK-ENGLAND) The XCERTS (Aberdeen UK-SCOTLAND) Yb. (Brisbane AUSTRALIA) YHWH Nailgun (New York NY) Yo Diablo (Valencia SPAIN) Yogetsu Akasaka (Tokyo JAPAN) YU-KA (Tokyo JAPAN) Zheani (Brisbane AUSTRALIA) Zoon (Winnipeg CANADA) ZÓRA (Budapest HUNGARY) zouz (Montréal CANADA) |
| (This list is subject to change. More performers will be announced at later dates.) Listen to the artists who will be performing at SXSW 2024 by subscribing to the official SXSW Spotify and YouTube Music Video playlists. Navigating within the music business and meeting the people who know how to advance careers is the focus of the Conference. All SXSW Music registrants receive primary access to music-focused Conference programming with emphasis on Music & Tech and Music Careers, Music Mentor Sessions & Workshops, Keynotes and Featured Speakers, Music Festival showcases, the Comedy Festival, exhibitions, networking Meet Ups, the Flatstock Poster Show, Registrant Lounge, Festival Shuttles, and Closing BBQ & Softball tournament. Secondary access is available for most Interactive and Film events. The online SXSW Schedule provides a complete rundown of 2024 programming, broken down by time and event category, with the ability to build a customized schedule. Please visit https://schedule.sxsw.com/. SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film and television, music, education, and culture. An essential destination for global professionals, the annual March event features sessions, music, and comedy showcases, film and television screenings, exhibitions, professional development, and a variety of networking opportunities. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together. SXSW 2024 will take place March 8-16 in Austin. Learn more at sxsw.com. To register for the event, please visit sxsw.com/attend. SXSW 2024 is sponsored by Porsche, C4 Energy, Venmo, and The Austin Chronicle. |
World News
Open-Air Festival Balaton Sound Announces 1st Phase Line-Up w/ Nico Moreno, Paul Kalkbrenner, Purple Disco Machine, James Hype & more
SOCIALS
Tickets: https://balatonsound.com/en/
World News
Alicia Keys Reflects on the 20th Anniversary of ‘The Diary of Alicia Keys’ With Apple Music,First Grammys Experience & Learning To Celebrate Herself
Alicia Keys Reflects on the 20th Anniversary of ’The Diary of Alicia Keys’…
I’m reflecting back to “The Diary of Alicia Keys”. I’m reflecting back to this being my second offering to the world. There was so much that changed for me. There was so much that was different than it had ever been before in my life. Obviously a girl born and raised in Hell’s Kitchen in Harlem, never had travelled like that. You don’t travel like that. Where do you go? You go to Jersey. Maybe you’re going to get to Connecticut. There’s not really a tonne of places that I had gone at the time, but thanks to the Songs in A Minor. I travelled the whole world.
Here I was kind of coming back. I remember things like washing my dishes, doing my laundry, going shopping.
On ‘Nobody Not Really’ being the first song she started to work on and it being the last song on the album…
I remember that moment so vividly. I was coming from whatever airport, because I was coming from whatever airport, getting into whatever car. There was a boy, a boy. He was selling candy. I was like, “Yeah, I’ll buy the candy.” You know what I mean? He was asking me if I would buy some candy. Then I was like, “Yeah, I’ll buy the candy from you.” I started asking him about himself. “What’s your name? Where are you from? Where’d you grow up?” I just asked him all these questions. His energy and his vibe at the time, I wonder if he remembers this the way that I remember this, but his energy and a vibe at the time, I could tell that things weren’t the easiest for him. He had been through a lot.
I also remember just feeling like who was asking him anything about his life? Who was asking him what he had experienced or caring about what he might be losing sleep over or scared about or anything like that? I remember leaving that moment with that young man, and that’s what made me write Nobody Not Really. The first line is, “Who really cares when I talk, what I think, what I feel? Nobody, not really.”
That was just what I felt, and even for myself, people care about what benefits them, but a lot of times people aren’t really actually interested in what you are really going through.
On Clive Davis…
Listen, I learned a lot from him. I’ve learned a lot from him and I really appreciate … He said to me one time, he interviewed me and he said to me that he always approaches everything with how can I, he’s talking, how can I ensure the win? He’s making sure that everything he puts his hand on is going to win. Every single thing. He’s going to make sure every dot is … Everyone one is dot, every T is crossed. He’s going to make sure that every … I learned a lot from when he said that because I think a lot of the times as a human, definitely as an artist, a lot of times we are just reacting to what’s happening to us as opposed to ensuring that whatever is coming our way is by design.
On what happened after she won at her first Grammys…
We were so shocked that I don’t even feel like we celebrated like that. I remember after the Grammys, that first Grammys, I remember we all just went home. I remember I sat in my hotel room. I was just like … Because it just felt like that. What are you supposed to do? It’s shock. It’s shocking. It’s literally shocking. I don’t know that we celebrated as much as maybe we should have even because I think I learned how to celebrate myself more way later. Way later, I started to celebrate, and that was more …
On her husband Swizz Beatz teaching her to celebrate herself more…
Swizz taught me that. He definitely taught me that. You know, he’s right. You do have to have take a moment to give thanks and be grateful. And enjoy the times that you have to enjoy because it’s rare that you get those moments.
On the difference between her first two albums ‘Songs in A Minor’ and ‘The Diary of Alicia Keys’…
Man, so much was different between that first one and that second one between, ‘Songs in A Minor’ and ‘Diary of Alicia Keys’. The second one, I was just starting to discover who else I could be beyond what I thought that I already was. I wasn’t ready to really be fully that person because it was new. If you even notice down to the details, it was the first time I… The Songs in A Minor, my hair was all braided. In Diary, my hair was half braided. Again, that was just me even first experimenting with what does it feel like when I change this? People knew me so specifically for cornrows.
It was a big, big thing. I spent hours and hours in my day braiding my hair. It was like a special ritual. You know what I mean? To become who I already was, but this kind of presented version of myself. Then I started to undo that, and in a lot of ways I was undoing what I thought that I was and discovering who I was becoming.
On classical music and her classical training especially when she was younger in her career…
It’s a pain in the ass. It just is. I know. I feel it is, but there was also like, yes, the action of practice, practicing anything, a practice that you’re dedicating yourself to and having to be dedicated to in order to find momentum in… Is definitely highs and lows. You have the joy of accomplishing something that you never thought you could at the beginning. The beginning when I would open these pieces or try to play them, I was so scared of them. I was terrified of them. You have to see the black and white notes on the page, and they look endless. There’s 16, 18, 25 pages of music that you’re needing to get through in order to complete this entire suite or this opus. Or whatever it might be, or these movements. At first I’d be terrified, but as you find yourself pushing yourself through one measure at a time, I’m going to learn these two measures. And I’m going to learn these next two measures, and then I’m going to put them together.
On the song “Heartburn” and working with Timbaland…
I cannot believe this, but I’ve really only made one record with Timbaland. But Heartburn is such a special energy. It really does capture the soulfulness of Timbaland. I’ve always loved Timbaland’s songs, and I think that there’s such a frenetic energy that he captures in even the most soulful ways. It just doesn’t make sense. Today, Swiss will be on the phone with Tim and be like, “Yo, listen to this.” And Tim will be in the studio doing something crazy. I think just being in that space with him and being able to create and taking that moment, it was so simple. It was just-
On keeping the momentum from her first album and bringing that energy into ‘Diary’…
I definitely saw my own growth between ‘Songs in A Minor’ and ‘Diary’ vocally. Vocally, because I was the first time that I was toured so extensively, and the first time that I was able to really understand what it takes. Probably the first time I was able to watch myself and say, “Ooh, we got to be tighter with this or better with that, or.” You don’t get to see that if you’ve never done it before. And so I really grew a lot from that experience, and I saw myself really growing. And part of what I think is one of my own writer techniques is that the song is always going to be a little bit out of reach.
And ‘Diary’ was an anomaly. It was definitely writing itself on the ‘Songs In A Minor’ tour. And I would sit down every day and I would be like… And I knew it came naturally. And I couldn’t write it for the whole time, I couldn’t write it. The chorus were there and I knew they were so beautiful, but I didn’t know what they wanted to say.
On “You Don’t Know My Name” and working with a young Kanye West…
It’s crazy, this record and I love this song so much. And I love how people have loved this song so much, even to the point where all over TikTok, you’ll see people reenacting the entire talking part of the record. It’s incredible. But working with Kanye at that time, he was a baby. We were both definitely babies. I’m still a baby. Exactly.But at that moment, we just were just all passion and all love and it was so cool to be able to experience that moment where we were both just finding out who we were. And so You Don’t Know My Name, which definitely was that vibe, I’ll never forget that day in the studio with him. That was the first time…
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