Music UK

The Weeknd is on track for his first U.K. No. 1 single.
The Canadian R&B singer’s “Blinding Lights” (Republic Records) snags top spot on the Official Chart Update, and is poised to vanquish Roddy Ricch’s “The Box” (Atlantic) and last week’s chart-leader, Lewis Capaldi’s “Before You Go” (EMI).

“Blinding Lights” is entering a second week at No. 1 in Australia, where it knocked off Tones And I’s giant hit “Dance Monkey.” In the U.K., The Weeknd has never fared better than a No. 2 peak, which he managed with 2016’s “Starboy.”

Homegrown pop artist Dua Lipa should have the week’s highest new entry with “Physical” (Warner), which sits at No. 12 on the midweek chart, while her previous single “Don’t Start Now” is at No. 4.
The race to the U.K. albums chart crown, meanwhile, is being led by Blossoms’ Foolish Loving Spaces (EMI), the English band’s third studio album.

According to the Official Charts Company, Foolish Loving Spaces has the most CD and vinyl sales in the week so far, and it races ahead on the Official Chart Update with an 8,000 chart sales advantage over the second placed set, Louis Tomlinson’s debut solo LP Walls (Syco Music).

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Britain's premiere music awards ceremony briefly paid tribute to former Love Island host Caroline Flack on Tuesday.

During his introduction at The Brit Awards, host Jack Whitehall remembered "member of the Brits family" Flack, who appeared at the 2018, 2015, 2013 and 2012 editions of the music awards show, as well as the 2010 Brits red carpet. "She was a kind and vibrant person with an infectious sense of fun," he said. "She will be sorely missed. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say our thoughts are with her friends and family."
Flack died Saturday at the age of 40, her family confirmed that day. "We can confirm that our Caroline passed away today on the 15th February," her family said in a statement. "We would ask that the press respect the privacy of the family at this difficult time." No cause of death was provided, and multiple British outlets reported that she was found dead in her London home.

The prolific presenter and actress kicked off her career by playing "Bubbles" on Channel 4's BAFTA-nominated satire Bo' Selecta, and went on to present CBBC at the Fame Academy, Football Challenge, European Poker Tour and Escape From Scorpion Island. She spent two years as the presenter to Sam & Mark's TMi Friday between 2006 and 2008, and between 2010 to 2013, appeared on Britain's Got More Talent. In 2011, she co-hosted The Xtra Factor, returning one year later to co-host once more; in 2015, she also co-hosted The X Factor.

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Warner Music Group is waiting to go public, will Madison Square Garden Entertainment hold its entertainment spinoff?

Stock market volatility sparked by fears over the novel coronavirus has caused music companies to pause their plans on Wall Street. Warner Music Group has postponed -- or is not rushing to -- its planned initial public stock offering, while Madison Square Garden Entertainment faces uncertainty for the spinoff of its entertainment division from its sports division.

Over a harrowing two weeks filled with news of increasing cases of COVID-19 infections and deaths around the globe, the S&P 500 dropped as much as 11.5% and closed Friday (March 6) down 10.9%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq, home of Apple and Amazon, closed Friday off 10.5%. It's a dangerous environment to woo investors more worried about a potential pandemic’s economic consequences.

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[Spoiler alert: This story contains the identity of the eliminated contestant on Wednesday night's (March 25) The Masked Singer.]

The Masked Singer did it again this week, serving up exactly the kind of guilty-pleasure entertainment we need as the world continues its COVID-19 lockdown. And for once, at least half the panel was dead-on when it came to their guesses about who was behind some very high-energy performances of Salt N Pepa’s “Push It,” P!nk’s “So What” and “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire.

Was the latter a bit of kissing up considering it featured judge Nicole Scherzinger’s group Pussycat Dolls? Sure. But considering the child star behind the mega-raptor knows a thing or two about making good TV, dancing and putting on a dazzling show, it’s no surprise she did a little extra to work the judges like a boss.
Plus, she had to hoof extra hard to grab the spotlight after the last two weeks' eliminations, which featured Swan Bella Thorne and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin rapping in a Bear suit. Scherzinger and Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg were both pretty on point with their guesses, while guest judge Will Arnett swung wildly from The Office star Ellie Kemper to gymnast Gabby Douglas.

And, in a shocking turns of events, never-right Ken Jeong was actually in the ballpark when he guessed reality TV star Honey Boo Boo. But being close doesn’t really count for anything, since the real face behind the not-so-terrifying Rex mask was 16-year-old actress/singer/YouTube star and hair-bow entrepreneur JoJo Siwa. The former Dance Moms star and “Boomerang” singer spoke to Billboard before her elimination, breaking down the surprisingly complicated physics behind doing high kicks in an 18-layer costume with a tail that has a mind of its own.

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The Weeknd is on target for a return to No. 1 with “Blinding Lights,” while Dua Lipa could land a hattrick inside the top 10.

“Blinding Lights” is in position for a sixth non-consecutive week at No. 1. It’s leading the Official Chart First Look, which compiles sales and streaming data from last weekend, with SAINt JHN’s “Roses” dropping one place from the summit.

Following the release of her new album Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa races out early with a No. 3 for “Physical,” No. 4 with “Don’t Start Now” and “Break My Heart” is new at No. 7.

Girl group Little Mix has the highest new entry in the early stages of the chart week with “Break Up Song,” at No. 5.

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La Linea, London’s emblematic annual Latin music event, has been rescheduled for the fall after organizers were forced to cancel original April and May concert dates due to the coronavirus crisis.
The concert series' 20th anniversary edition is now set to open on Sept. 4 with Cuban band Maykel Blanco y su Salsa Mayor, joined by Dorance Lorza’s London salsa band and a cast of DJs at Electric Brixton. Shows are now scheduled to go on in September and October include performances by Ana Tijoux, Argentine tanguero Melingo, Mexican jazz drummer Tino Contreras and fado singer Sara Correia. The festival is to wrap up with Juan Molina’s Dec. 4 date at the Jazz Café.

“We have built La Linea on a sense of celebrating the community in music and dance,” La Linea Director Andy Wood said in an announcement about the postponement. “With London in lockdown it is important to be able to look forward to a time when we can come together again and so we’re really happy to have been able to reschedule the entire La Linea 20 event for later on in the year”.

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Hayley Williams is out front in the race to the U.K. chart title.

The Paramore frontwoman’s debut solo album Petals For Armor (Atlantic) leads the midweek chart, with an advantage of 1,100 chart sales over its nearest rival, D-Day Darlings’ I’ll Remember You (Sony Music CG), according to the Official Charts Company.

Williams has tasted the high life on two previous occasions with her alternative rock outfit, bagging No. 1 with Brand New Eyes in 2009 and with Paramore’s self-titled 2013 set.

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The 1975 are edging closer to a fourth consecutive chart crown in the U.K. with Notes on a Conditional Form (Dirty Hit/Polydor), though it’s a tight race with KSI's debut album Dissimulation (BMG) close behind.
The 22-track Notes on a Conditional Form is the leader on the Official Chart Update, and takes an advantage on CD and vinyl sales into the final straight of the chart week.

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While coronavirus has halted large-scale live music events like summer music festivals and stadium tours, one U.K. racetrack is converting itself into the first “dedicated socially distanced venue.” The Virgin Money Unity Arena in Newcastle, England will modify the city’s racetrack to accommodate 500 viewing platforms, with a maximum of attendance of 2,500 people allowed. Each viewing station, positioned to face the stage, will be approximately six feet apart.

HOW IT WORKS: Safely park your car and join the socially distanced queuing system into the Arena. Follow directions to your personal viewing area. Have food and drink delivered to your area and enjoy the show!

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Jarvis Cocker has built one of rock’s weirdest, wittiest, most fascinating careers. But he’s still not finished experimenting. In the Nineties, he crashed the British charts as the frontman of Pulp, turning into an unlikely sex god purring hits like “Common People” and “Disco 2000” on classics like Different Class. His eagerly awaited new Beyond the Pale, out July 17th on Rough Trade, isn’t just his first album in a decade — it’s one of his most brilliant ever. With his new band Jarv Is…, he explores his favorite obsessions — lust, angst, neurosis, dancing, politics — over the louche grooves. It’s a masterful return for a true pop genius and the greatest U.K. songwriter of his generation.

The album was originally scheduled for May — but like everyone else, Jarvis got blindsided by a pandemic. The single, “House Music All Night Long,” became an all-too-timely ode to getting cooped up alone, listening to disco in your kitchen. (“Goddamn this claustrophobia!” Too real.) Always a prize live performer, he saw his summer tour get scuttled. So he’s spent the quarantine days searching out new creative avenues. He went to Instagram Live for his “Domestic Disco” series of DJ gigs, spinning vinyl faves direct from his living room. He’s written an upcoming guide to creativity, This Book Is a Song. He also began a “Bedtime Stories” series on Sunday evenings, reading selections from the works of Richard Brautigan, Tove Jansson, or J.D. Salinger in his distinctive Northern accent.

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