The London-based independent hip-hop artist Retropxssy gets her inspiration from the late 90s electronica and will be launching a new album later this month.
In an exclusive interview for Euronewsweek, we chat X Factor, music influences, vaccine passports, and making music during the pandemic.
How was the process of making an album, during such unusual times, and how long did it take to bring ‘Road Ahead’ to life?
I couldn’t write anything at the start of the pandemic. I felt stuck and cut loose simultaneously.
Then the album kind of poured out of me.
I love making music, but don’t make it all the time. I feel like sometimes I just have to wait for it to come.
The album is pretty much in chronological order of when I wrote each track. It narrates the arcs of my emotions from March- November 2020.
Who influenced your music style and how do you describe your unique style?
Always such a hard question! I’d call my music intense, genre bending, eclectic. I think that’s partly because I have loads of different influences with varied sounds. I guess I like eccentric people doing their own thing!
A big chunk of my influence is electronica from the late 90s: Goldfrapp, Portishead, and artists like Sevdaliza. People who use music as part of their world making.
Of course, I’m massively influenced by hip-hop too – Odd Future (especially Earl), Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky – all those 2012 icons. Flying Lotus… too many to list.
Lily Allen and The Prodigy too!
Which track are you most proud of and why?
I love them all, they are my babies. ‘Part of Me’ is especially important to me. It’s a track which really charts a process of looking inward and doing a lot of self-work/healing. That track changes its significance for me each time I hear it.
The X Factor has been cancelled in the UK. Have you ever dreamed of going on a reality show or it would be more of a nightmare?
Nightmare!
I think that shows like that are much more about profiting from and exploiting people.
There’s already too much of that in music (and the world). We must band together and oppose this, always!
Who have you been listening to recently?
Actually, a lot of psychedelica – Khruangbin! I’ve been busy and a bit stressed so it’s soothing.
And my friends: JoeJas, Deijuvhs, LetKojoFly and Bisk.
Will vaccine passports put young people off attending music events?
I think vaccine passports are very controversial. They will definitely put some people off.
I feel this question is part of a wider conversation we need to be engaging with which includes questions of bodily autonomy, the role of the state, inequality, disability, and discrimination. These are definitely conversations we need to be having!
We also need to keep talking about, and finding ways to protect, live music in this strange world. It’s too important. So yeah, a big question that leads to many others!
On Wednesday 25th of August, Retropxssy will be hosting her album launch at 7pm at Low Profile House (Vale Road, N4 1PT), where alternative hip hop, punk, and UK garage will combine for her live music.
For more information on tickets, check Eventbrite here.
Jesse Darling at Turner Prize 2023, Towner Eastbourne | Photo: Viktor Frankowski
The Turner Prize 2023 has been awarded to Jesse Darling. The winner of the £25,000 prize was announced at a ceremony presented by musician, creative and broadcaster Tinie Tempah at Eastbourne’s Winter Garden, adjacent to Towner Eastbourne, the hosts of this year’s prize.
The jury commended all four nominated artists for their distinct and affecting presentations. Together their varied practices, so well represented in their Turner Prize presentations, are grounded in the realities of the world today, often giving voice to themes of uncertainty and vulnerability. Their work brings immediacy to the issues they respond to, realising these themes in powerful and unexpected ways.
They awarded the prize to Jesse Darling. His recent practice encompasses sculpture, installation, text and drawing. The jury commended his use of materials and commonplace objects like concrete, welded barriers, hazard tape, office files and net curtains, to convey a familiar yet delirious world. Invoking societal breakdown, his presentation unsettles perceived notions of labour, class, Britishness and power.
One of the best-known visual arts prizes in the world, the Turner Prize aims to promote public debate around new developments in contemporary British art. The prize is awarded to an artist born or based in the UK, for an outstanding exhibition or presentation of their work in the past twelve months. The shortlisted artists for 2023 were: Jesse Darling, Ghislaine Leung, Rory Pilgrim and Barbara Walker.
The members of the Turner Prize 2023 jury are Martin Clark, Director, Camden Art Centre; Cédric Fauq, Chief Curator, Capc musée d’art contemporain de Bordeaux; Melanie Keen, Director of Wellcome Collection and Helen Nisbet, CEO and Artistic Director, Cromwell Place. The jury is chaired by Alex Farquharson, Director, Tate Britain.
An exhibition of the four shortlisted artists is at Towner Eastbourne until 14 April 2024. It is curated by Noelle Collins, Exhibitions and Offsite Curator at Towner Eastbourne. This year’s prize is presented as part of Towner 100, a year-long celebration of arts and culture across Eastbourne and Sussex marking the centenary of Towner Eastbourne.
The prize will mark its 40th anniversary next year, returning to Tate Britain for the first time since 2018.
Rio Pearce, 21, from Rowley Regis, scooped the award whilst in her third and final year as an apprentice for WMR
A West Midlands Railway (WMR) apprentice technician has won “female apprentice of the year” at the 2023 Women in Rail awards.
Rio Pearce, 21, from Rowley Regis in the UK scooped the award whilst in her third and final year as an apprentice for WMR at Tyseley depot.
Rio’s hands-on role includes the diagnosis and repair of train faults as well as safety-critical briefings and working closely with technicians.
Working 12-hour shift patterns, including early starts and late finishes, Rio’s commitment to the job and determination to thrive in the rail industry has shone through and her confidence has grown to the extent that she is admired by young apprentices across the business.
Rio received her award at a gala presentation evening in London, where she recognised alongside inspirational female rail employees from across the UK.
“I am thrilled that Rio has deservedly won female apprentice of the year at the Women in Rail awards and everybody at West Midlands Railway is very proud of her. Rio is an outstanding apprentice who has pushed back boundaries and paved the way many more young women to join the rail industry in coming years.”, says Jonny Wiseman, West Midlands Railway customer experience director.
Founded in 2015, the West Midlands Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom operating passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands.
“I am delighted to win this award and I would say to anyone who wants to get into engineering or the railway to go for it. I don’t think being a female apprentice is much different from being a male apprentice. I get on with everyone really well, there’s no stereotyping, everyone is super friendly, and we all treat each other equally and with respect.”, says Rio Pearce.
More information on the Women in Rail awards can be viewed here.
Sophia Smith Galer (centre): London-based journalist got a ‘Innovation of the Year’ award for her pioneering use of TikTok
The average person spends 147 minutes per day on social media, scrolling through random videos, photos, and memes.
Our grandparents will say that this screen time is ruining our social lives and making the new generation unintelligent – and I will be the first to admit that some of the content I consume is pointless and strictly for mild entertainment. However, the social media landscape is changing.
Gen Zers (majority of TikTok’s users are aged between 18-24) are increasingly using TikTok as a personalised search engine to learn about the world and broaden their own horizons. TikTok is becoming Gen Z’s main source of information.
Richard Branson once said “Don’t become a slave to technology — manage your phone, don’t let it manage you.” TikTok is helping Gen Z embrace this quote’s mindset.
Not only are TikTokers learning about the latest money-saving methods, receiving information on safe abortions, raising awareness on child safety and listening to opera music, but they are also “reading the news”. More and more teens are turning to social media for their daily news content.
Meet the journalists on Tik Tok working hard to bring the news from the world to your smartphone in easily accessible, quick, and fun versions.
The explanatory one: Sophia Smith Galer
The winner of the British Journalism Awards Innovation of the Year 2021 presents breaking news and fun insights on a variety of topics on her page. She dives deeper into popular media topics to give clear and insightful explanations. For example, one of her popular videos is titled, “If Boris Johnson has resigned, why is he still PM?” Since 2020, her TikTok work has become extremely popular, with over 400.000 followers.
“Her TikTok channel is not ordinary like other news channels. Derbyshire is the only one speaking in all her videos with a polite voice and smart gestures. Her way of reciting news will excite you to know more about a particular topic. You can stay updated about everything happening all around the world just by following her and clicking for daily notifications on TikTok.”
Isaac Robertson – Fitness trainer & Co-Founder atTotalshape
Using a newscaster style of presenting, Victoria Derbyshire brings combines television news with social media styles to create catchy, interesting, and useful content. The UK-focused content creator produces popular videos including “Covid’s on the rise again” or “BREAKING: Russia has attacked Ukraine”.
Burrows is a former Mirror journalist who during the coronavirus pandemic became one of the most followed journalists in the world on TikTok. He is followed by nearly half a million people and his videos have been watched more than 100 million times. Burrows has moved from London to Abu Dhabi to work in the UAE as a journalist. His most viral videos are “The world’s most dangerous places”, “Places you’ll never visit”, and “What will happen when the Queen dies”. Most of his videos follow one of these three topics, with many parts for each one. His quirky, bitesize news stories have captivated the Gen Z audience.
Max Foster, a CNN journalist, is a frequent user of TikTok, where he shares personal perspectives on current events and displays his reporter life behind the scenes. His UK-focused TikTok profile establishes a connection with his audience through meme-style TikTok sounds to give commentary on current events. A fan favourite is a video titled “UK energy bills expected to more than double”, with Foster looking sad as the Titanic theme song plays in the background. These types of videos brilliantly contrast his other, more serious news-style videos with lighthearted playfulness. Both styles are equally engrossing, which is why he gets between 300 thousand to 3 million views on each video.
“Cleo Abram is a fantastic technology reporter who’s produced wildly popular series around topics like NFT’s, science and crypto. She also uses animations and graphics to further help illustrate her points and is periodically producing quality content for her followers on TikTok.”
Datha Santomieri – Co-founder at insurance agency Steadily
Abram’s focus on science and technology encompasses a wide variety of content topics like: nuclear fusion explained, artificial wombs, or the big bang. The self-titled independent video journalist’s soft-voiced, calm, and clear explanations of complex topics can get anyone hooked. With 1.2 million followers and counting, this pretty science nerd is dropping knowledge on TikTok in a fun and captivating way. If you ever wanted to learn about why your dog’s age isn’t what you think, follow Cleo Abram.
“I think everyone should have a look at Jeannette Reyes’ page! She has over 1,2M followers on TikTok. Jeannette is an Afro-Latina FOX5 morning news anchor and she likes to show a behind-the-scenes look at her life as a journalist. She TikToks her way through her working day, which I find very interesting. She uses her signature journalist body language to talk about little everyday things. She’s very entertaining and funny and always shares useful content. Highly recommended!”
The US-based content creates short videos from her everyday life, similar to an ordinary TikTok influencer. Instead of highlighting the news, she takes a different approach and gives insights into her personal life. She first went viral by posting her famous “News Anchor Voice” content. Reyes also creates funny and informative content like “The Different Types of Reporters”, “Random Facts about TV News Life”, and “Morning Sickness: What worked and what didn’t”. Reyes was even named one of Washingtonian’s DC TikTok Stars.
Based in San Diego, Megan Healy’s account has a whole host of behind-the-scenes videos – if you’ve ever wanted to try and read a prompter or autocue machine, there’s a chance to try it out at home. The Emmy-winning journalist and 3-time Golden Mike winner is FOX5 San Diego’s weather anchor and reporter. Similar to Jeanette Reyes, Healy gives her almost 500 thousand followers a behind-the-scenes insight into the life of a television journalist. She also creates light-hearted, funny videos about her job, as well as answers questions on viral videos she has covered, how they measure wind speeds, and many other aspects of journalism.
Marcio Delgado is a London-based journalist digging through the weeds of public relations. As he “tries to understand PR people”, Delgado shares tips on the dos and don’ts of PR. Delgado is one of the few media professionals highlighting how the relationship between journalists and communication agencies works. His main content is on how communications teams get it wrong sometimes through wonky press releases and failed pitches.
“Sandra Gathmann is the journalist people should follow on TikTok. She is a renowned journalist from Al Jazeera who does short videos explaining current events and historical moments that have shaped the world as it is today. With her videos not lasting more than 12 minutes, she analyzes and explains how issues such as the Ukrainian invasion began and why it happened.”
Ryan Yount – Founder at software companyLuckLuckGo
Using feature-length videos, Gathmann creates documentary-style, deep-dive explanatory content focusing on the world’s current events. With only 1 thousand followers, she is rising fast within the TikTok news space.
The one who wrote a book about TikTok: Chris Stokel-Walker
UK-based freelance journalist Chris Stokel-Walker is a WIRED contributor and author of two books featuring popular social media platforms: YouTubers, about the rise of YouTube and the creator economy, and TikTok Boom, about how TikTok is shaping the future of social media. His work has also appeared in New Scientist, the BBC, and The Economist. For his 555 followers, his videos focus on TikTok’s rules and regulations, history, and characteristics.
The Youtuber turned TikToker gained her fame with a viral video of her zero-waste journey of fitting two years’ worth of trash into a single mason jar. Now, Kellogg creates videos on what she no longer buys,how to not waste food, and sustainable habits and activities. For her almost 300 thousand TikTok followers, Kellogg is a supporting, comforting presence urging people to become more zero-waste in their everyday lives.
Happy GoodNewsFriday! Did you know Jaguars are native to the U.S.!? 1) Singapore has launched a reforestation campaign to plant 1 million trees by 2030. (World Economic Forum)2) The EU will end sales of vehicles with combustion engines by 2035 to reduce CO2 (France 24) 3) Jaguars, aa near-threatened species, could return to the Southwestern US to repopulate and improve existing ecosystems (EcoWatch) Which good news story was your fav?? #GoingZeroWaste#ecofriendly#eco#sustainability#climatechange#environment#zerowaste#goodnews#sustainabilitytiktok
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