#30 - SXSW 2023 🌞

Happy Sunlighter Sunday! We’re winding down after a week at SXSW in Austin, TX. 🤠 We’re tired, but it’s good to be back.

Here's what we have queued up this week:

1. 🌶️ Review of Amelia by Mimi Webb.

2. 🔀 Playlist updates: sadie, FLETCHER, JVKE, Leikeli47 and more.

3. 💿 Industry updates: New music and a pizza restaurant starting a label?

4. 🤘 Tours: Co-headlining tours galore this summer.

5. 🎡 Festivals: Outside Lands, Boardmasters, and plenty of other announcements.

6. 🎙️ The Best of SXSW 2023.

Chris: Mimi Webb continues to prove that the British music industry is dominating the American music industry. Her self-titled album, Amelia, is as pure pop as it gets and reminiscent of the new wave of contemporary pop from the likes of Griff, FLETCHER, Sigrid, etc. After opening for Tate McRae last Spring, I expect Mimi to ascend into mainstream popularity, especially on the heels of hit singles “House on Fire” and “Ghost of You.”

Donya: Behold, the newest pop album I have on repeat. Another popstar in the making from the UK, who’s surprised? Mimi Webb’s voice is strong with a side of rasp and pop with a side of jazz–a promising debut with producers who’ve worked with the likes of Katy Perry, Maroon 5, and The Weeknd. I’m a big fan of all the female empowerment songs over the last couple of years, and this album sings that same tune with standout tracks like “Freezing” and “Red Flags.” This album reminds me a lot of Dua Lipa’s self-titled debut, and if that’s any indication of where Mimi’s career is going, I’m here for it.

The Sunlighter Playlist 🔀

Industry Updates 💿

🎵 This week, we’ve got a lot of new music and collaborations: 

• Taylor Swift dropped 4 new tracks and kicked off her Eras Tour with a 44-song show in Glendale, Arizona lasting more than 3 hours–don’t worry, no spoilers here.

• Fred again…, Four Tet, and Skrillex are back again with new track, “Baby again..”

• Kaskade and deadmau5 dropped a new album under the name “Kx5.”

• Childish Gambino dropped his first song in 3 years in support of Amazon Prime series, Swarm (Billie Eilish will be making her acting debut through the show).

• Usher released his first song in 3 years.

• Matchbox Twenty announced their first album in 11 years.

• Killer Mike debuted a few new solo tracks at SXSW.

• 03 Greedo dropped a new track and performed live at SXSW for the first time since being released from prison in January.

• Anderson .Paak played a SXSW set as DJ Pee .Wee and in May, will be reuniting with Knxwledge as NxWorries for their first show in five years at the Blue Note Jazz Festival in NYC.

• JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown announced a collaborative album.

• Ric Wilson, Chromeo, and A-Trak have released a new project called CLUSTERFUNK.

🧑‍🔬 SPIN unveiled a new incubator, SPIN Labs, to support early-stage music technology businesses. Apple is launching a new music streaming service exclusively focused on classical music. Spotify and SoundCloud are both redesigning their home screen into a TikTok-style feed. SiriusXM is planning a massive reboot of its in-vehicle streaming product, leaning on its acquisition of Pandora. UMG is working with both TIDAL and Deezer to explore innovative economic streaming models to better reward artists. Warner Records launched its first flagship EDM label, Major Recordings, after signing PARISI. AudioSalad, a metadata and media asset management platform for music labels and artists, was acquired by SESAC (one of the big three performance rights organizations in the US).

🍕 We all know you can’t out pizza the hut, but in the UK, PizzaExpress has more than better ingredients. They’ve launched a new record label, PX Records, alongside their live music arm PizzaExpress Live. Why can’t the US have live music with pizza?

Here’s everything else you missed:

• 🪦 What You Won’t Do For Love: Iconic R&B and soul vocalist Bobby Caldwell passed away earlier this week.

• 🤫 Quiet Quitting: PinkPantheress was accused of quiet quitting her sole performance at SXSW. We were there, and it’s true, it was all lip-synced so we left early.

• 💸 Don’t Stop Believin’: French-based music company, Believe, released their fiscal year 2022 results, highlighting 31.8% revenue growth YoY to €760.8 million.

• 💿 We’ve Gone Retro!: Vinyl has outsold CDs in the United States for the first time since 1987, prompting Metallica to buy vinyl factory Furnace Record Pressing to take advantage of vinyl growth.

Tour Announcements 🤘

• Hello and badeeyah! Lionel Richie and Earth Wind & Fire are going on a Sing a Song All Night Long Tour later this year.

• Popular K-Pop group MAMAMOO announced 9 U.S. stops during their My Con World Tour throughout May and June.

• JVKE will be setting off on his what tour feels like in August, playing 24 shows throughout the US.

• South Korean girl group NMIXX announced their Nice to MIXX You Tour, stopping in 8 select cities throughout the US.

• Drake and 21 Savage will be going on their IT’S ALL A BLUR Tour.

• Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Too $hort, Warren G, and Berner are taking the stage during their High School Reunion Tour from July through August.

• Logic will be taking Juicy J on The College Park Tour, spanning 23 dates from May through the end of June.

• TLC and Shaggy announced they will be co-headlining the Hot Summer Tour.

• Benny Butcher will be going on his Thank God I Made It World Tour from April through May.

• Don’t you wanna rally again? Sam Hunt will be going on The Outskirts Tour with Brett Young and Lily Rose who are joining as supporting acts.

• Hear you me, my friends. Jimmy Eat World and Manchester Orchestra are co-headlining The Amplified Echoes Tour, spanning 29 dates across July and August.

• Love and Rockets announced 5 tour dates for this spring across the west coast. It’s their first time on tour in 14 years.

• UK singer-songwriter, Eloise, is going on a UK/European tour this June starting in Paris and ending in London.

• Sigur Rós will hit the road with 12 shows to promote the release of their first album in a decade.

• Rüfüs Du Sol is kicking off their SUMMER ‘23 TOUR this August in Boston.

• BLOND:ISH is making 11 tour stops before wrapping up the month of May with a Lightning in a Bottle performance.

• Black Coffee will be playing at Madison Square Garden on October 7th as part of his upcoming tour.

• Gov’t Mule is going on their Dark Side of the Mule Summer Tour with Led Zeppelin’s Jason Bonham starting in August.

• Slightly Stoopid and Sublime with Rome will celebrate 25 years of friendship by going on their Summertime 2023 Tour together from July through September.

• Peter Gabriel announced 12 dates on the North American leg of his i/o – The Tour for this upcoming fall.

• Pierce The Veil and The Used will be co-headlining The Creative Control Tour, which kicks off this May in Austin, TX.

• MAN WITH A MISSION announced their WOLVES ON PARADE TOUR is coming to North America with 8 dates throughout May.

• Helloween announced 13 tour dates throughout May and early June, kicking off in Dallas.

• Machine Head plans on playing more intimate venues with tour stops across the US from May through June.

• Amidst a busy festival season, My Morning Jacket announced the My Morning Jacket 2023 Tour, which will wrap with two performances at Red Rocks.

• Grammy-nominated Italian rock band Måneskin is kicking off their RUSH! World Tour this September at Madison Square Garden.

Festival Announcements 🎡

🏞️ Outside Lands: It’s the 15th year of Outside Lands this August and organizers, Another Planet, are celebrating the return to Golden Gate Park with a strong core of headliners, upcoming hip-hop and indie artists, and as always, an eclectic mix of house music at the SOMA Tent.

🛹 Cowabunga, dudes: What started as a surf/skateboard festival back in 1981, Boardmasters added music to the mix in 2005 (24 years later). The festival takes place at Watergate Bay in Cornwall, with music spanning across three days on ten different stages. This year’s lineup includes a strong mix of headliners like Lorde, Florence + the Machine, and Liam Gallagher, with up-and-comers like Little Simz, S.G. Lewis, RAYE, Four Tet, and Shygirl.

Festival announcements are in full swing, so this week, we have a longer update:

• 😔 While Rolling Loud won’t be returning to New York in 2023 due to “logistical factors,” founders Matt Zingler and Tariq Cherif are looking to expand internationally with festivals scheduled in Thailand, Portugal, and Germany.

• 🧿 Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky Festival returns to the Riviera Maya (Mexico) for four nights with Father John Misty and Sylvan Esso.

• 🦆 On May 6th, R&B and Afrobeats music festival, Across The Pond, will be premiering in Brooklyn at Coney Island Amphitheater. Tiwa Savage and Nao will be headlining with performances by Arya Starr and Tyla.

• 🏕️ Willie Nelson will be headlining Summer Camp Music Festival at 90 years old alongside Umphrey’s McGee, moe., and Excision. He’s also going on a 16-date tour to celebrate his 90th birthday with the Outlaw Music Festival. God Bless.

• ☁️ Head in the Clouds music festival by 88rising is (finally) coming to New York City and will be headlined by ITZY, Rich Brian, and NIKI.

• 🌙 Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors are back in Chattanooga, Tennessee to host their annual 2-day Moon River Music Festival, this time headlined by Hozier and Caamp.

The Best of SXSW 2023 🎙️

Music week was one for the books in Austin, TX. We loved seeing artists and companies we’ve previously covered, like Armani White, Roosevelt, and Royal. We’re even more excited about the artists we discovered at the festival:

JVKE

NME and Bose sponsored a showcase together, and dare we say this was the best lineup of the entire festival? JVKE was a clear standout artist. His performance brought his debut album’s concept to life, guiding us through his feelings with the help of his emotional intelligence “friend.” In what he called his “bedroom fit,” he effortlessly transitioned from piano, to ukulele, to synth board, conducting them to the conclusion of every song. He perfectly timed performing his most popular hit, “golden hour,” as the sun was setting over the Austin skyline.

Danielle Ponder

Another artist from the NME and Bose showcase stood out in her own right as a former defense attorney turned singer-songwriter, proving it’s never too late to follow your dreams. Ponder showcased the best vocal performance of the festival while expressing her firecracker personality, embracing themes of empowerment for black women throughout her performance.

Jordy Searcy

We had heard Jordy’s massively successful single, “Love & War in Your Twenties” back in 2021, but stumbling upon his set at Bangers on Rainey Street shortly after midnight was one of the most pleasant surprises of the festival. His set was everything you’d want from an acoustic performance: pure vocals, multiple instruments, and a full band singing around one mic–mashing up their latest single, “Daylight” with The Beatles’ classic “Here Comes The Sun.” If you’re familiar with Ben Rector, Jordy Searcy will remind you of his sound, which is fitting since the pair are on tour throughout 2023.

Nicky Youre

If you haven’t heard Nicky’s viral TikTok hit, “Sunroof...” yes you have. The song was the top track on TikTok for all of 2022, and it was his closer during his TikTok SoundOn showcase performance at 3TEN ACL Live Theater. Admittedly, we hadn’t heard many of Nicky’s songs other than his big hit, but he was undoubtedly the performer who looked like he was having the most fun on stage. He alluded to a number of unreleased songs hopefully to be released later this year.

Balming Tiger

Everyone’s heard of K-Pop but have you heard of alternative K-Pop? Balming Tiger is at the forefront of leading this South Korean music subculture, and the six-person collective showed off its high-energy, punk-influenced style at the annual Doc Marten’s showcase. It was by far the most crowd-engaging show, and it feels like perfect timing for Balming Tiger to continue their momentum as both Punk and K-Pop have become leading genres within the music industry.

sadie

Sadie was a newcomer to SXSW this year, scoring a coveted opening spot for Kelela at the “Porsche X The FADER: Where Genres Collide” showcase. Through the jitters and nerves of performing on a big stage, she showcased her raw talent derived from her hyperpop sound. Inspired by the likes of Charli XCX, A.G. Cook, and Bladee, it’s incredible that sadie is able to re-create and combine both the lyrical intonations and earmarked sounds of PC Music and their collaborators on her own. Her upcoming EP will be dropping on April 7th.

Wrap Up 👏

We're closing the newsletter this week with work ethic motivation from Leikeli47.

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See ya next Sunday 😎

Chris and Donya