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Wall Street Journal
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
‘Rachmaninoff Reborn' Review: A Russian in the New World on PBS
Russia never gets enough credit for its generosity, having donated so many of the best and brightest to the rest of the world for well over a century. Nabokov, Nureyev, Solzhenitsyn, countless Ukrainians, my friend Zach on the Upper West Side—they've all fled the Soviet and post-Soviet realms, enriching the rest of the world in countless ways. Among the more prominent of these exiles is the subject of 'Rachmaninoff Reborn,' which is partly biographical and partly about how the New World forged a new man out of one of the Old World's greatest composers. As related in the latest episode of 'Now Hear This'—the now-six-season-old series hosted by violinist Scott Yoo and an always entertaining entrée to classical music—Sergei Rachmaninoff was born into affluence in 1873, and became a New Yorker after fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. This is shorthand: The globe-trotting Rachmaninoff, the last of the great Russian romantic composers, made a circuitous route to America after leaving home. But he did, at age 44, reinvent himself as a concert pianist and became one of the most successful performing artists of the early 20th century. That itself is no small thing.
The Independent
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Tina Knowles hits back at claim about Beyoncé's solo career
Sign up to Roisin O'Connor's free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Tina Knowles, the mother of pop star Beyoncé, has opened up about her daughter's decision to embark on a solo career after the split of Destiny's Child. In a new memoir published on Tuesday (22 April), Tina delved into her own childhood, relationships and experiences raising not one, but two famous artists: Beyoncé and her younger sister, Solange Knowles. Tina, 71, began her career aged 19 as a makeup artist, dance choreographer, and hair stylist, later rising to prominence due to her involvement in Beyoncé's career with Destiny's Child, many of whose most iconic outfits she designed and made herself. Writing in the memoir, titled Matriarch, Tina addressed the common assumption that Beyoncé's original plan was to become a solo star, and that pop trio Destiny's Child – formed in 1990 in their hometown of Houston, Texas – was simply the vehicle through which she would achieve this. 'People oftentimes say that the goal was always for Beyoncé to be solo,' she wrote. 'But if that were the case, she would have done that out of the gate. She loved being part of a group.' Managed by Tina's then-husband, and Beyoncé's father, Mathew Knowles, the final lineup of Destiny's Child comprised Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, who achieved international fame with hits such as 'Bills, Bills, Bills', 'Say My Name' and 'Jumpin', Jumpin''. open image in gallery Destiny's Child performing in 2005 ( Getty Images ) They went on hiatus in 2002 in order to allow each member to pursue solo projects, then officially split in 2006 after completing their world tour in support of their fourth and final album, Destiny Fulfilled. 'Michelle was the first with Heart to Yours, which became the best-selling gospel album of 2002,' Tina wrote. 'Then Kelly took over the summer with her single with Nelly, 'Dilemma', our princess creating a classic and No 1 single in the United States and in places all over Europe, forever launching her as an international star in her own right. It was one of the reasons her album Simply Deep debuted as the No 1 album in the United Kingdom.' Tina said that Beyoncé pushed her own debut, Dangerously in Love, back so 'Kelly could take full advantage of the momentum of her own success'. Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply. Try for free ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When it came to Dangerously in Love, she claimed that music executives at Beyoncé's label, Sony, told her that there was 'not one single' on the album, and that they needed to push back the release date. The label suggested bringing in 'a few tastemakers' to hear their thoughts on the new music, with Tina recalling that 'only a couple people said something mildly positive'. She added: 'But even as they did, they looked around ducking for fear that they would be ostracised.' Tina revealed that Beyoncé wanted to get her future husband, rapper Jay-Z, on the song 'Crazy in Love' because the executives 'wouldn't talk to Jay like' they were allegedly talking to her daughter. Jay-Z apparently told Beyoncé that every song on the album was 'a smash', speaking 'as a fellow artist' who had 'the drive the suits could never understand'. open image in gallery Beyoncé and Jay-Z performing together in 2006 ( Getty Images ) 'It was my first time witnessing Jay work,' Tina wrote. 'He didn't write anything down, just listened to 'Crazy in Love' two, three times in a row, and went to the mic and started rapping. Beyoncé and I were dancing, screaming, throwing fists in the air. It was a solution – not a compromise of her artistry, but a doubling down.' While the label executives apparently conceded that 'Crazy in Love' could be a hit, they were still doubtful about the rest of the album. Still, Beyoncé refused to push the album back: 'I am the artist and I know that this is a hit record,' Knowles recalled her daughter saying. Dangerously in Love received positive reviews from critics upon its release and debuted at the top of the US Billboard 200. It won five Grammy Awards in 2004 and produced several hit singles including 'Crazy in Love', 'Baby Boy', 'Me, Myself and I', and 'Naughty Girl'. Years later, Beyoncé apparently joked about the label's opinion on the album not having one hit song: 'I guess they were kinda right… I had five.' Matriarch is out now.
The Independent
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Drake's record label files to dismiss rapper's ‘misguided' lawsuit over ‘Not Like Us' lyrics
Sign up to Roisin O'Connor's free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Universal Music Group Recordings Inc. has filed a motion to dismiss Drake's defamation lawsuit over the recording label's release of Kendrick Lamar's hit track 'Not Like Us.' In January, Drake accused UMG — which he is also signed to — of spreading the 'false and malicious narrative' that he is a pedophile with the release of Lamar's song, which includes the lyrics: 'Say, Drake, I hear you like em' young.' Lamar is not named in the lawsuit; however, Drake additionally claimed that UMG knew the accusations were false but chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists. Branding Drake's lawsuit a 'misguided attempt to salve his wounds' in a new filing seen by The Independent, UMG requested the rapper's complaint be 'dismissed without prejudice.' 'Plaintiff, one of the most successful recording artists of all time, lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated. Instead of accepting the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be, he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds,' reads the motion filed to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. It goes on to recount the details of Drake and Lamar's infamous rap battle, which kicked off in the spring of 2024. Drake (left) has sued Universal Music Group for defamation over its release of Kendrick Lamar's hit track 'Not Like Us' ( Getty Images ) 'Over the course of approximately two months, they exchanged increasingly vitriolic and incendiary 'diss tracks,' sometimes responding within hours of each other. Drake encouraged the feud,' UMG claimed. 'For example, when he felt that Lamar was taking too long to respond, Drake released a second recording in which he goaded Lamar to continue the public rap battle. Lamar did just that, and collectively Drake and Lamar released a total of nine tracks taking aim at each other. Multiple commentators declared Lamar to be the 'winner' of the battle.' The filing further states that 'Drake has been pleased to use UMG's platform to promote tracks leveling similarly incendiary attacks at Lamar, including, most significantly, that Lamar engaged in domestic abuse [in his song 'Family Matters'].' Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up 'But now, after losing the rap battle, Drake claims that 'Not Like Us' is defamatory. It is not,' it continued. It argues that because Drake's lawsuit is almost entirely focused on 'Not Like Us,' it 'disregards the other Drake and Lamar diss tracks that surround 'Not Like Us' as well as the conventions of the diss track genre, and, thus, critically ignores the context of the dispute.' Drake's lawyers denied The Independent's request for comment In February, Drake settled a separate lawsuit against iHeartMedia, in which he alleged that the Texas-based radio network had received illegal payments from UMG to boost radio airplay for 'Not Like Us.' The Canadian rapper had similarly sued UMG, claiming it used a network of bots, in conjunction with a so-called pay-to-play scheme, to 'manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves' with 'Not Like Us.' He later dropped the suit. 'The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue,' a UMG spokesperson said in a statement at the time. 'We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns. No amount of contrived and absurd legal arguments in this pre-action submission can mask the fact that fans choose the music they want to hear.'
