Four-song EP by Late Singer Faithfull to Be Released in April
A new four-song EP by British singer and actor Marianne Faithfull, who died in January, is to be released in April, with the title track out on Friday, her family announced.
"As we grieve the loss of Marianne, we are pleased to announce the release of these songs which she worked on during the year before her death," said her son Nicholas Dunbar.
"Marianne lived to create and perform music –- it was her driving force and she never stopped. Right up until the end she was looking forward to this release which now completes and celebrates her remarkable artistic career."
Faithfull was an icon of Swinging Sixties culture and was known for her tempestuous relationship with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, said AFP.
The "Burning Moonlight" EP will be released as a limited-edition vinyl on April 12 and worldwide digitally on June 6.
The EP was originally due to be revealed in February but the announcement was put on hold following the singer's death on January 30.
"We decided to bring the music full circle. One side of the EP would be inspired by her debut pop LP 'Marianne Faithfull' while the flip would honor her folk roots on 'Come My Way'," said the EP's executive producer Andrew Batt.
The title song, available from Friday, is described as a "moving ballad of resilience and acceptance".
"It's a good time to look back," Faithfull said after completing the project, according to the press release.
"It helps me to remember all the things I've done. I can't say I'm a particularly nostalgic person, but I am enjoying this period of reflection."
The singer got her first break in 1964, after being discovered by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham.
Her first hit "As Tears Go By" written by Jagger and his fellow Rolling Stone Keith Richards, was followed with a string of successful singles, including "Come And Stay with Me", "This Little Bird" and "Summer Nights".
She also acted in films including "The Girl on a Motorcycle" and theatre productions.
She fell on hard times that included living in a squat and a heroin addiction following the end of her relationship with Jagger in 1970.
But she returned with the classic album "Broken English" in 1979 and later reinvented herself as a jazz and blues singer with 1987's critically acclaimed "Strange Weather".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
02-06-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israeli Forces Block Journalists from Palestinian Oscar Winner's Village
Israeli forces on Monday blocked an international media tour in the occupied West Bank, preventing journalists from entering the village of Oscar-winning Palestinian director Basel Adra who decried worsening Israeli violence. Adra's film "No Other Land" chronicles the forced displacement of Palestinians by Israeli troops and settlers in Masafer Yatta, an area in the southern West Bank that Israel declared a restricted military zone in the 1980s. Journalists from AFP and other international media travelled to Tuwani at the invitation of Adra, who lives in the village, and co-director Yuval Abraham, seeking to draw attention to a spate of house demolitions and violent incidents in recent weeks. At the entrance to Tuwani, the journalists as well as a Palestinian Authority delegation were blocked by Israeli forces, who said they had a warrant to set up a one-day checkpoint. Abraham called the roadblock a "good example" of what he said was Israeli authorities' involvement in attacks against Palestinians in Masafer Yatta. Adra said the violence was "getting worse and worse". "Settler violence increased, the demolitions carried out by Israeli soldiers and authorities against our homes and schools and properties is increasing in very crazy and high numbers," he told AFP. An Israeli officer who refused to give his name told AFP the force was at the entrance to Tuwani to "keep the public order". "There were violent clashes between settlers, Jews, Arabs, journalists, and to prevent these violent clashes, we decided not to allow passage today," the officer said. Adra said that last week, settlers had entered the nearby Palestinian hamlet of Khallet al-Dabaa, which was bulldozed by the Israeli army in early May, with the Israelis harassing the residents who remained despite the destruction. To Abraham, blocking the media tour was a "good example of the relationship between settler violence and the state". "These police officers and soldiers that are here now to prevent the international media, not only do they not come to prevent the settler violence, often they partake in it," the Israeli co-director told AFP. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and violence there has soared throughout the Gaza war, which broke out in October 2023. The West Bank is home to about three million Palestinians, but also some 500,000 Israelis living in settlements that are illegal under international law. Since the start of 2025, attacks by Israeli settlers have left at least 220 Palestinians injured, the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA has said. According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 937 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war began. Attacks by Palestinians and clashes during military raids in the West Bank over the same period have killed 35 Israelis, including soldiers, according to official figures. Abraham said he had been trying to hold on to hope that the film's success would bring change on the ground. "Unfortunately, the world now knows, but there is no action," he said.
Leaders
18-05-2025
- Leaders
In Photos: Highlights from 1st Week of Cannes Film Festival
The 78th Cannes International Film Festival has witnessed the usual glitz and glamour, along with a special focus on politics, according to AFP. The festival highlighted several controversial moments that took place during the first week. Red carpet dress code US actress Halle Berry The 2025 festival has banned extravagantly large dresses and 'total nudity' on the red carpet. Hollywood star Halle Berry was the most high-profile victim of this ban as she was forced to change her wardrobe on opening night. This change came after she judged her dress by Indian designer Gaurav Gupta to be too long. However, other people have broken the rules such as German model Heidi Klum, who appeared in a frilly pink evening gown with a train that was nearly three meters (10 feet) long. Cruise show Tom Cruise After screening his film 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,' Tom Cruise has achieved remarkable success in the festival. Director Christopher McQuarrie stated that Cruise, who decided to perform dangerous scenes by himself, took his risk-taking a little far during a shoot in South Africa and could have died. 'He was laying on the wing of the plane. His arms were hanging over the front of the wing. We could not tell if he was conscious or not,' McQuarrie added. Actors-turned-directors Kristen Stewart's directorial debut 'The Chronology of Water' premiered at Cannes Film Festival. This year's edition features three works by actors who have recently started their careers as directors. The event has commended Harris Dickinson, the 28-year-old 'Babygirl' actor, for his first film 'Urchin'. Meanwhile, 'Twilight' star Kristen Stewart, 35, has surprised audience with her talent behind the camera in 'The Chronology of Water'. Furthermore, American A-lister Scarlett Johansson is set to reveal her debut film 'Eleanor the Great' to audiences on Monday. Gaza War Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna On the eve of festival, approximately 400 top film figures signed an open letter condemning both Israel for committing 'genocide' in Gaza and the film industry for its 'passivity'. Therefore, Gaza War has become a crucial topic during the festival. Importantly, the festival has screened a wrenching documentary about Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, killed in an Israeli air strike on her home in Gaza. Before her demise, Hassouna collaborated with Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi to produce a documentary on how people live in Gaza during Israel's ongoing genocide. The Israeli airstrike that targeted Hassouna's family home in Gaza came just a day after Acid, a Cannes sidebar dedicated to independent cinema, announced the selection of her work. Moreover, the attack killed nine of her family members. 'If I die, I want a loud death. I don't want to be in a breaking news story, nor in a number with a group. I want a death that is heard by the world, a trace that lasts forever, and immortal images that neither time nor place can bury,' Hassouna wrote this post before her death. Trump era Pedro Pascal at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes The US President Donald Trump has been also one of the major topics in Cannes after stating on May 5 that he wanted to take 100-percent tariffs on movies 'produced in foreign lands'. As a response, actors, directors and producers have rejected the idea and described it as bad and self-defeating. Meanwhile, others have joined De Niro's calls to resist Trump, including Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal, who urged Hollywood to fight those who tried to make them scared. Related Topics: Saudi Film Norah Screened at Cannes Film Festival Israel Kills Gazan Photojournalist Selected to Screen Doc at Cannes Festival Saudi Film Commission Showcases Industry Growth at 78th Cannes Film Festival Short link : Post Views: 2
Asharq Al-Awsat
18-05-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Eurovision Says 'Wait And See' on Celine Dion
Just hours before Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest grand final, organizers were tight-lipped about whether ailing superstar Celine Dion might make an emotional appearance, 37 years after winning the competition. "Father Christmas exists, and you'll have to wait and see," Eurovision director Martin Green told a press conference, when asked directly if Dion might show up. At both of Friday's dress rehearsals for the final, as at Tuesday's semi-final, a video message from Dion was played, with the presenters announcing that she could not be with them in Basel, Switzerland for the world's biggest televised live music event, AFP said. But Eurovision 2025 co-executive producer Moritz Stadler said on Saturday that the show was still being adapted. "There are constant changes. Our team has been working overnight until very late," he said. "We continue changing it for the grand final." BBC television reported that Dion's private plane was in Basel, but did not know if she was on it. And Swiss newspaper Blick said that selected staff with printed schedules for the final "can see that the recorded greeting from the rehearsals and the first Eurovision semi-final is no longer included". "This indicates that the clip played during rehearsals has been replaced," the tabloid added. Dion's health 'top priority' Dion, 57, is now a global music icon. But she has never forgotten the role the song contest played in launching her on the international stage. Dion was 20 and little-known outside her native French-speaking Quebec province in Canada when she won Eurovision in 1988, representing Switzerland with the song "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi". Switzerland duly hosted Eurovision 1989, where Dion opened the TV extravaganza with her winning French-language song. She then premiered the single "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" -- heralding her career switch into English, which set her on the path to global chart domination. With Eurovision 2025 returning to Switzerland, organizers reached out to Dion. However, the singer is now battling a debilitating health condition and rarely appears in public. "We are still in contact with Celine Dion. As always, her health remains our top priority," a Eurovision 2025 spokeswoman told AFP on Friday. 'Music unites us' Dion first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, a painful autoimmune disorder which is progressive and for which there is no cure. She was forced to cancel a string of shows scheduled for 2023 and 2024, saying she was not strong enough to tour. But she gave a surprise, show-stopping performance from the Eiffel Tower at the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony. "I'd love nothing more than to be with you in Basel right now," Dion said in her video clip. "Winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland in 1988 was a life-changing moment for me. "Music unites us -- not only tonight, not only in this wonderful moment. It is our strength, our support, and our accompaniment in times of need."
