A weekly update on all things music, advertising, and technology coming straight to you from Anthony Vanger at MassiveMusic. #TWIM
ARTIST OF THE WEEK: SASHA ALEX SLOAN
Anyone who sings into a hairbrush without cracking a smile has my vote. Sasha Alex Sloan (born Alexandra Artourovna Yatchenko), is a 27-year-old American singer-songwriter who spent her childhood summers in Siberia with her Russian grandparents. In a fitting backstory for our digital age, Sloan was discovered at the age of 18 when one of her Reddit posts went viral. Her debut album, Only Child, released in 2020 was met with critical acclaim, so there is quite a bit of expectation for this latest effort, I Blame The World. The single is the title track and the first impression is of a smooth and more mature sound. Simple melodies and hooky instrumental lines weave in and out of breathy vocals, but there is depth in her lyrics, such as “I’m a glass half empty kinda girl”. Sloan is a confident, albeit melancholy artist, but who with the backing of a major label, seems poised to join the likes of Katy Perry and Camila Cabello and become a star. It will be interesting to see if there is any more room left in the constellations for this type of artist.
@sashaalexsloan #sashaalexsloan #iblametheworld #sadgirl #katyperry #camilacabello #sadgirls
web: sadgirlsloan.com
AD OF THE WEEK: FRONERI COOKIE CONE ICE CREAM
This week’s ad is selected by its pure weirdness. Someone actually thought it was a good idea to have two girls dressed in pajamas fight, Matrix-style, with pillows. The action starts tamely enough in a girl’s bedroom in a high-rise flat in a city, but quickly escalates into the streets and finally the underground car park. You never find out who the girls are, what they are fighting about, or why they decide to eat ice cream at the end of the ad. But somehow, in a bat-sh*t-crazy kind of way, it sort of works. Which is what good ads do, right? They make you look, think and feel about an old product in a new kind of way. Underpinning it all is the music track, ‘Cherry Bomb’ by The Runaways, an all-girl rock band from the 70s who used to perform in sexy lingerie. Film advertisement created by Droga5, UK for Froneri.
SNOOP DOGG TO LAUNCH DEATH ROW RECORDS APP WITH STREAMING PLATFORM
Snoop Dogg has revealed plans to launch his own app and streaming platform for Death Row Records, which he recently acquired.
In his recent Drink Champs interview, the new Death Row owner explained that he removed several of the label’s albums — including his own Doggystyle, Dr. Dre‘s The Chronic and Tha Dogg Pound‘s Dogg Food — from streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music because he wants to put the records on his own platform that will pay much higher. “First thing I did was snatch all the music off those platforms traditionally known to people, because those platforms don’t pay,” Snoop shared. “And those platforms get millions and millions and millions of streams and nobody gets paid other than the record labels, so what I wanted to do is snatch my music off, create a platform which is something similar to Amazon, Netflix, Hulu. It’ll be a Death Row app, and then the music, in the meantime, will live in the metaverse.”
He continued, “I want to create an avenue to where I can show people how to not always have to go through the slave trade, but create our own trade where we’re engaging with our own fans that’s buying our music, that’s making money off of the music, and then making us money off of the music by it being traded and sold.”
THE WEEKND IS AUCTIONING OFF 25 “OUT OF TIME” VINYL RECORDS PRESSED ON REAL SAW BLADES
The Weeknd has teamed up with art collective MSCHF to release his latest single, “Out of Time,” as a limited-edition vinyl record pressed into a real, functioning saw blade.
The unique Vinyl Blade, of which there will only be 25 copies, is currently up for blind auction on MSCHF’s website until April 8, with a starting bid at $1,000 USD. The record is “not rated or intended” for actual use on a table saw, according to the company.
“Attempting to use Vinyl Blade on a saw could result in serious injury or death,” the Dawn FM vocalist states in a disclaimer, adding the caution, ”Do not operate while heartbroken.”
Check out the promo video above.
BILIE EILISH ANNOUNCED A SNEAKER COLLAB WITH NIKE
The “Happier Than Ever” singer and Nike have teamed up to create a sick, trendy sneaker and athleisure collab that is eco-friendly.
Since shooting to fame in 2015 for her breakout single “Ocean Eyes,” Billie has become synonymous with oversized clothing and a seemingly endless sneaker collection. With her amazing style top of mind, sneakerheads were totally stoked to find out on April 11 that the pop star put her spin on the classic Nike Air Force 1 as part of a four-piece capsule dropping on April 25 globally via Nike’s SNKRS app.
RØDE ANNOUNCE THEIR FIRST-EVER HEADPHONES
RØDE has announced a new pair of headphones called the NTH-100s. The new cans are the audio experts’ first pair of headphones in their 50-plus-years history and are designed for professional use in the studio, for video editing or for any kind of content creation.
The 100s feature memory foam earpads for isolation and for comfort, while the headband is also designed for long listening periods. RØDE also says the drivers are designed for low distortion and accurate listening, with a wide frequency range making them suitable for many creative tasks, especially ones that require a high level of detail.
The headphones feature user-replaceable components so they can last longer, and any repairs can be done yourself.
RØDE go as far as to say the NTH-100s are the “most comfortable headphones ever”. A bold statement, but worth a punt for anyone who’s used to long studio sessions and needs a reliable set of headphones for the job.
The NTH-100s will cost £149. Find out more on RØDE’s website.
Written by Anthony Vanger
Additional research and reporting by Adam “Badger” Woolf