Canadian rapper Drake has kicked off his UK tour. The opening night was a show at London’s O2 Arena, where he played the biggest headlining show of his career to date. The celebrities were out in force too, with the backstage area teeming with the likes of Florence Welch (of Florence and the Machine), cast members of British soaps Coronation Street and The Only Way Is Essex. JLS were also among the stars at the Drake show were also in the crowd enjoying the show, and tweeted their fans stating their adoration for the rapper.
“Tearin it up at the Drizzy aka Drake concert, #ULTIMATESWAG Ori x,” tweeted Oritse Williams, while Marvin Humes posted “Big night tonight @Drake tearing it up at the o2!” Marvin Humes also posted. JLS were sharing a box X Factor judge Tulisa Contostavlos. It was Tulisa’s first public appearance since her sex tape scandal, although she is allegedly planning an escape to Miami, where she will be visiting producer The-Dream.
British artists have been lining up to give props Drake as he entertains around the Blighty shores. Singer-songwriter Conor Maynard has dubbed Drake one of his biggest inspirations, and says he would love to collaborate with the “Headlines” rapper. “One of the greatest inspirations to me right now has got to be Drake,” Conor said to Capital FM during a webchat. “I think he’s an extremely talented artist and an extremely talented writer as well. The songs that he writes are so clever and really real, and you can really relate to it. He’s definitely someone I’m really inspired by.” Look out for Conor’s debut single “Can’t Say No”, which is being released on 16 April 2012.
Drake has enjoyed playing to sell-out crowds at his dates in London, Sheffield and Cardiff. Fans enjoyed a string of hits from his albums Thank Me Later and Take Care, and were treated to seamlessly linked versions of “Lord Knows” and “Over”. Drake has been doing a bunch of promo while in the UK, during which he has confessed that he can’t wait to catch Rihanna playing her first movie role in upcoming blockbuster Battleship – and he also revealed that he’s looking into getting away from music and back on the silver screen. In an interview with Capital FM, he stated: “I’m excited for her. You know I think that’s a big step to take – I plan on taking the same step very soon getting back into acting.”
Drake’s remaining UK tour dates are: Manchester MEN Arena – April 1 Glasgow SECC – April 2 Birmingham LG Arena – Apri 19 Liverpool Echo Arena – April 22 Newcastle Metro Radio Arena – April 23 Nottingham Capital FM Arena – April 25
Fresh from his first performance at SXSW, In demand Rapper A$AP Rocky took time out from his busy London schedule to briefly chat with shazam. Given a ten minute slot at the end of a day which the rapper probably spent doing a bulk of Q & A’s, We managed to talk to A$AP about his label deal with Sony, Upcoming “Sure to be a hit” titled Big Spender with Theophilus London plus more. Watch the exclusive Shazam video below. (Please be aware that there’s some bad language, viewer discretion is advised)
For anyone who’s ever been to SXSW, you’ll know that trying to dash between meetings in the Texan heat can be tricky; especially when your GPS has decided to direct you ten minutes in the wrong direction. While we managed to secure a valuable few minutes of Asher Roth’s crazy schedule, it was touch and go whether we’d make it or not. With the help of a local taxi driver, we arrived to find Asher huddled unassumingly in the corner of a Texan sports bar, the Def Jam signed rapper seemed relaxed and perfectly at ease with our time keeping.
While the ‘I Love College’ singer, grabbed some much needed SXSW sustenance, we discussed his experiences of the festival, the pressure of delivering ‘Is This Too Orange?’ and what happened when he decamped to Miami for a week, to work with Pharrell Williams. Read more…
Snowboarding fans who are planning to watch NBC’s Red Bull Supernatural competition – you can use the Shazam App to tag the show for exclusive Contour POV footage from the eyes of the world’s top riders.
Unlock and share dream runs, jaw-dropping landings and buttery transitions from the best mountain shredders in the world – including Travis Rice and John Jackson.
Check out the Red Bull Supernatural trailer here to unlock an never-before-seen Contour POV clip.
Supernatural is a first-of-its-kind backcountry competition designed to showcase the skills of the best all-round riders on the planet! Tune in this Saturday, March 31 at 1pm ET / 10am PT – look out for the Shazam logo on-screen and get ready to Shazam!
While the UK basks in unseasonable March heat, thoughts automatically turn to the forthcoming festival season. Bestival has come out of the blocks already with a strong lineup, without initially revealing the headliners on their first announcement. Over the last couple of weeks, curator Rob Da Bank teased us with the likes of The xx, Friendly Fire, Justice, Hot Chip and Bat For Lashes; none of whom will in fact take any of the three headline spots.
While it has been revealed that New Order, revitalised despite not reuniting with original member Peter Hook, will be taking Saturday; that still left a couple of headline-act shaped holes in the line up.
Now they have revealed the living legend Stevie Wonder will be closing this year’s event, taking the Sunday night headliner spot. This is a fantastic coup for not only Bestival, but for all of those who missed his – now legendary – Glastonbury set in 2010. In what will undoubtedly be a hit-laden performance, Stevie Wonder will ensure this year’s Bestival will go out with a bang.
After a wait of five years, fans of The Shins this week finally got to hear ‘Port Of Morrow’, their latest album since 2007’s ‘Wincing The Night Away’; and of course it delivers to their previous high standards. While we all enjoyed lead singer James Mercer’s collaboration with Danger Mouse, Broken Bells, it’s great to see him back in his day job. After a clutch of gigs last week at SXSW, the band are now well into a European tour, before heading back to the US for a string of dates, kicking off in Las Vegas on April 14th.
The album is the first since the departure of several founder members, but thankfully this has done nothing to dent their trademark sound; led by Mercer’s inimitable vocal delivery. For a sneak preview, check out the video for the single ‘Simple Song’; which pays homage to the 2001 Wes Anderson film ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’.
