#31 - The spring in his step 🌞

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! The economy is still in winter, but we finally made it to spring. What a time to be alive. Before we get started, we have a one-second poll - if you've been following us for a while, we'd love to hear from you!

Here's what we have queued up this week:

1. 🌶️ Review of Endless Summer Vacation by Miley Cyrus.

2. 🔀 Playlist updates: The Japanese House and Internet Money.

3. 💿 Industry updates: New entrants in music and music trending in film.

4. 🤘 Tours: Queen + Adam Lambert, Owl City, Lauren Daigle, and more.

5. 🎡 Festivals: Lollapalooza, Something in the Water, and more festivals.

6. 🎙️ Augustine interview from SXSW 2023.

Donya: In the last five years, Miley has played perfect puzzle pieces to where her music was headed with heartbreaking bangerz like “The Most” and “Slide Away,” and that’s made clear with the triumph that is Endless Summer Vacation. You hear the maturity in her vocal performance throughout the album and her most recent backyard session of “Flowers.” When I saw Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson were producers on the leading single, I knew we were in for a treat with Miley’s eighth studio album. They were the main collaborators on Harry’s House, which took home album of the year at the 2023 Grammys. Safe to say this one could be a strong contender in 2024. My favorite tracks are “Wildcard” and “Island,” but this entire album is worth a listen.

Chris: Miley’s much anticipated follow-up to Plastic Hearts dropped a couple of weeks ago, and after finally listening, I’m pleasantly surprised. “Flowers,” while a clever response to Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man,” loses slightly in the originality category and is… overhyped. Yes, I said it. It’s a contentious take, but what Endless Summer Vacation does excel in is its diversity of instrumentation, lyrical imagery, and bpms, all while maintaining the mood set by the album title. The dichotomy between “Thousand Miles” (the harmonica 👏🏼) and “Violet Chemistry” is stark but both are equally well-produced and evocative in their own right.

The Sunlighter Playlist 🔀

Industry Updates 💿

🏆 Here’s what happened this week in music: The Weeknd was officially crowned the most popular artist in the world by Guinness World Records. This comes as no surprise based on the real-time insights we reported from Chartmetric. 6ix9ine was beaten by a group of men inside a LA Fitness sauna in Florida 🤕 (we don’t feel that sorry). Jai Wolf drops his first single in 3 years. Three men were charged with first-degree murder in the shooting and robbery of XXXTentacion. Finally, artists (like Hayley Williams, Maren Morris, Hozier, etc.) and fans alike celebrated “Love Rising” in Nashville to support the LGBTQ+ community in resistance to Tennessee anti-LGBTQ+ laws 🏳️‍🌈

🔜 A few companies are expanding their presence in the music industry: Duolingo is working on a music learning app as part of their R&D efforts to help stimulate growth. It’s a turf war 😤 The New York Times is expanding its newsletter offering into music. Live Nation acquired Hong Kong concerts and festivals promoter Clockenflap as it continues its expansion in Asia. Ex-FTX auditor Armanino is making a splash in the music industry by acquiring music rights and royalty auditing firm Royalty Compliance Organization.

🎬 Apple reported this week that it plans to spend $1 billion per year on films - we wouldn’t be surprised if some are geared towards the music industry as musician biopics, live concerts, and short films have become increasingly popular: A KISS biopic is coming to Netflix in 2024. HBO’s Music Box will be releasing a documentary showcasing Jason Isbell’s creative journey for his most recent album, Reunions. Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX will be included as songwriters for the upcoming A24 pop music film, Mother Mary. Rina Sawayama released “Eye for an Eye” as part of the soundtrack to John Wick 4 while also making her acting debut in the feature film. Spotify’s RapCaviar Presents will be arriving on Hulu next Thursday with six episodes exploring issues that impact hip-hop culture. A new documentary, On Stage Off Stage, will depict Little Simz’ time on tour throughout 2022. Finally, Will Sharpe–Ethan from Season 2 of the HBO hit series, The White Lotus–will be directing a film adaptation of Japanese Breakfast’s memoir, Crying in H Mart.

Here’s everything else you missed:

• 🕊️ Keed Talk to ‘Em 2: Just under a year ago, Lil Keed tragically passed away from a fatal complication caused by eosinophilia. Signed to YSL Records at the time with his younger brother Lil Gotit, his posthumous album was released last Friday. Here’s a heart-warming story of how a village came together to release the album.

• 🔄 HYBE U-TURN: After previously purchasing 14.8% of SM Entertainment last month and then an additional 0.98% stake through a tender offer, HYBE is now looking to sell their entire SM stake after deciding against pursuing a controlling interest of their competitor.

• 👨‍⚖️ Another Class Action: Ticketmaster is back in the news again, this time facing a class action lawsuit over alleged Drake ticket price gouging.

• 🛌 Dreams Not Nightmares: Meek Mill watches old videos of when he was broke to stay hungry. Much respect 🫡

Tour Announcements 🤘

• Queen + Adam Lambert will return on The Rhapsody Tour.

• Everyone’s favorite band from high school Owl City announced their To The Moon Tour will begin in September 2023.

• Grammy award-winning artist Lauren Daigle will kick off The Kaleidoscope Tour this summer.

• The original performers of the classic “Wagon Wheel,” Old Crow Medicine Show, will embark on their 12-city tour throughout July and August.

• Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Steve Hackett announced the Foxtrot Anniversary Tour to celebrate 50 years since the album was released.

Festival Announcements 🎡

🌬️ Lollapalooza: Every year, we look to Lollapalooza as the leading indicator of what lineups might look like for other C3-organized music festivals. We can confidently say that this year will sound pretty good in the Windy City.

🦑 Something In The Water: No one’s had a better year than Pharrell, and it’s only a quarter of the way through 2023. It’s time to descend upon Virginia Beach to celebrate with Pharrell’s Phriends and the best upcoming artists in hip-hop. You can also find a live stream of SITW on YouTube; however, you probably won’t get the chance to Pull Up & Pitch with Black Girl Ventures or attend Pop-Up Church.

Here’s a little catch-up on other festival announcements:

• 🏠 Somerset House Series is back for its 20th year in the UK with performances by beabadoobee, Olivia Dean, Interpol, Young Fathers, La Femme, The Comet is Coming, and more.

• 🌊 Oceans Calling Festival returns to Ocean City, Maryland with headliners John Mayer, Jack Johnson, and The Lumineers. As part of the festival’s culinary experience, you’ll also have the chance to catch chefs Robert Irvine and Amanda Freitag.

• 🦍 After Sasquatch! Music Festival ceased operations in 2018, founder Adam Zacks reincarnated the Washington music festival experience by organizing THING Festival. In it’s third year, Fleet Foxes, Lil Yachty, Sylvan Esso, Thundercat and Cigarettes After Sex are heading to Port Townsend, Washington this August.

• 🔊 Sound on Sound is back this year with improvements. The festival grounds are expected to more than double and the stages will be consolidated into one massive turntable stage, meaning there will be no overlapping sets. Talk about the ideal festival experience. Headliners this year include Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Mayer, and Alanis Morissette.

• 📻 LOUDMOUTHS, Louder Than Life is back for its eighth year in Louisville, KY. This year’s 4-day lineup includes Foo Fighters, Weezer, Tool, Limp Bizkit, Turnstile, Pantera, Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold, Queens of the Stone Age, and many others.

Artist of the Week: Augustine 🎙️

Donya: SXSW is your United States debut — I’m honored to have the chance to chat with you this afternoon. Welcome to Austin! What have you been up to in the city since you arrived?

Augustine: We’re trying to find the best places in Austin for BBQ, tacos, and filming the music video for the next single from the upcoming album. If you have any places in mind with a desert vibe, we can talk after this…

Donya: That’s exciting! We’re happy to help with food and location recommendations. To kick things off, I discovered your music when I first heard “Summer Wine” on a Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify. I remember loving the falsetto timbre of your voice and the carefree, tropical sound of your music. Tell me more about how you started your journey with music.

Augustine: I was very young when I began learning music–both my siblings played instruments growing up, which inspired me to do the same. I went to a school called Musikmakarna, which means “music makers” in English. There, I met my co-writer and co-producer Rassmus Björnson, who was interning with Agrin Rahmani, who was already a producer at the time. Rassmus would show Agrin the ideas we worked on, which is what started the three of us working together. I’ve been so grateful to have them. I don’t think I would have finished a lot of songs otherwise. They help me open up new doors to the sound I want to create.

Donya: You’ve joked in the past that Rassmus is your personal chef. Any dishes in particular that are your favorite?

Augustine: He makes a wonderful lemon sausage pasta. It’s amazing. I was roommates with Rassmus–he’s almost like an older brother to me–cooking me food and getting me the right vitamins.

Donya: You’ve alluded to inspiration ranging from classic artists like Cass Elliot and Bob Dylan to today’s modern artists like Maggie Rogers, Foster the People, and Lana Del Rey. Who would you say are your top musical inspirations when creating music?

Augustine: I’d say the inspiration changes based on the sound I’m trying to create. Always Foster the People, though–they were the first purely alternative and pop band I ever heard. For this second album, I’ve been listening to a lot of Fleetwood Mac and The Bee Gees.

Donya: In early 2019, you published your songs on streaming platforms for the first time. What did it feel like to finally share what you’ve been working on with people?

Augustine: Very scary! I was very nervous for the first song, and I didn’t count on the response that it would get. First, from friends and family, then from people I didn’t know who found the music–it was kind of overwhelming, but an amazing feeling that they could connect. From there, we were inspired to start writing even more.

Donya: You started with a series of singles, then the Wishful Thinking EP that symbolized the last few years of your life. You’ve mentioned writing in the countryside of Sweden as well as while traveling — tell me more about your songwriting and production process.

Augustine: It changes a little bit all the time. Around two or three years ago, I started with my headphones in bed, writing demos, so most of the demos from the debut album came from that point of view. For the second album, Rasmus and I rented a cabin in the south of Sweden. I wanted to travel to a different location and be inspired. We started from zero and for ten days, said yes to every idea to see where it took us.

Donya: I love how your music videos add tremendous color to the songs you release. What do you enjoy most about the music video process and working with videographer, photographer, and co-director David Sahlberg?

Augustine: It’s really fun. When I write a song, I’m bad at seeing images, but my team opens that door up to me. They really push and encourage me to try stuff that’s crazy to me. Like the Luzon video, they asked me to dance around Italy. I was so embarrassed because tourists were looking at us, and it was uncomfortable. Now, it’s not as bad to dance around in public.

Donya: A few months after I first heard your music, you released your debut album in October 2021, Weeks Above the Earth, which became the soundtrack to my daily walks on Ocean Avenue. What was the process of creating that album?

Augustine: It was a long process from where we started in 2019. After the release of my EP, we put more songs together to try and see the story in it–it was like a little diary that wrote itself and took shape over three years. You could just see it.

Donya: One of my favorite songs is “Guts,” specifically because of how powerful the piano riffs are — sounds like you’re pouring your heart and soul into the crescendos of that interlude. You’ve mentioned you’ve had that idea in your head for a long time — how every time you sit at a piano, you play it. What inspired you to finally bring it to life with this song?

Augustine: I had put that riff on the shelf for a while because there was never a perfect fit for it. I really wanted to get that riff in a song, and as soon as we found the falsetto chorus, we knew it belonged there. So I’m really happy that the riff is in there.

Donya: You’ve played multiple festivals throughout Europe over the last 4 years — Popaganda, Way Out West, and by:larm festival in Norway. What does it mean to now be performing your first American festival here at SXSW?

Augustine: It means so much. Being able to play solo is definitely a childhood dream. It’s going to be so much fun to see if there’s any difference in the audiences in the US. I’m excited and a bit nervous, but that’s good, I think.

Donya: Throughout your releases, you explore themes of loneliness, anxiety, longing, and joy in the midst of sadness. Would you say fans can expect the same from your upcoming sophomore album?

Augustine: Yeah, I would say so, but even more introspective. This album is more about what’s going on in my head, and learning as I go.

Donya: You’ve had a lot of exciting moments in the last four years: Swedish Grammy nominations in 2022 for Best Album and Best Alt-Pop, Nordic RADAR artist of the year in 2021 (earning you a spot alongside 5 other artists on a billboard in Times Square), Wishful Thinking EP video debut on Billboard, and your first debut album. What exciting moments are you looking forward to this year?

Augustine: It’s definitely this week, right now, at SXSW. Releasing the second album, and playing more live shows! Throughout 2024, would love to get a really big tour in–we’re working towards it.

Wrap Up 👏

We're closing the newsletter this week with a country song, because as Nick Jonas says:

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See ya next Sunday 😎

Chris and Donya