RIP...

'I know why the caged bird sings! Maya Angelou lives on forever! #iconic #artforfreedom'

'A truly inspirational poet, writer, artist, woman, activist, human being! Thank you for your words of wisdom and your big beautiful heart! #rebelheart #artforfreedom' - MADONNA

RIP Maya Angelou

Another Sale Gone...

I was very much looking forward to the new Kyla La Grange CD - that is, until I saw that the CD version has 10 tracks, while the digital has 14! Now, I have no interest in buying digital so I asked Miss La Grange about this - she tells me that the record company, in their infinite wisdom, decided NOT to release the deluxe version on CD. Who on earth decides these things? Couldn't they have skipped the standard version instead, since the deluxe versions always seem to sell better anyways???

I was going to buy this album, but now I don't think I will, unless the deluxe version gets a CD release somewhere. I simply refuse to import a CD at additional costs, only to get fewer tracks - and I have no interest whatsoever in digital. A real shame, especially when the artist has no say in the matter...

Birthday...

Happy birthday to Kylie Minogue!

There is only one princess - and that's Kylie!

Tribute...

Madonna has written a tribute to her friend David Collins who passed away from skin cancer last year. The somber remembrance is a testament to Madonna’s writing abilities and will leave you feeling sad for a woman who lost a dear friend, something that all of us has, or will face at some point in life. The piece is to be the introduction to a new book about David Collins’ design work which will be published next month.

You can read Madonna's tribute here

Tease, Tease...

While fans wait for any official news on the upcoming Madonna album, it seems that the queen has been teasing possible song titles and lyric snippets:



An instrumental clip teased by Billboard has not been confirmed yet to be from the new Madonna album, but the gossip is going overdrive. Who it is responsible for this clip remains to be seen - but it could very well be Madonna, no?

The Violet Flame...

Erasure have announced their new album.

The Violet Flame is the duo's 16th studio album release and follows 2013's Snow Globe. The album was produced by Richard X and was recorded in New York and London. The first single from the 10-track album will be released in July and the album on September 22nd.

Erasure and Richard X??? This will be fabulous!!!

Here are the UK tour dates:

November 12 - Reading, Hexagon

November 13 - Southampton, Guildhall

November 15 - Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall

November 16 - Guildford, G Live

November 17 - Bristol, Colston Hall

November 19 - Aberdeen, Music Hall

November 20 - Edinburgh, Corn Exchange

November 21 - Glasgow, O2 Academy

November 23 - Brighton, Dome

November 24 - Cardiff, St David's Hall

November 25 - Preston, Guildhall

November 28 - Newcastle, O2 Academy

November 29 - Wolverhampton, Civic Hall

November 30 - Manchester, O2 Apollo

December 14 - London, The Forum

Two...

Been to the new Galaxy Tumblr page yet? New address, click here to visit.



There is also a brand new one, dedicated to Madonna magazine covers from 1983-present. Click here to check it out.

SOTD...

Brand new from Kylie Minogue - the charity single "Crystallize". Hope she will make it available on CD soon...

Give My Love...

Marianne Faithfull’s long-awaited new album is called "Give My Love To London" and will be released in September of this year. The album that was recorded in London as the title suggests features a band consisting of Ed Harcourt, Rob Ellis, Dimitri Tikovoi and special guests Warren Ellis and Jim Sclavonus.

Most of the lyrics were written by Marianne herself while the music was written by icons such as Nick Cave, Anna Calvi, Roger Waters, Pat Leonard, Tom McRae and Steve Earle.

Furthermore a luxury photo book by Rizzoli will be published worldwide on October 8th to commorate Marianne’s 50th anniversary as a recording artist. Rizzoli’s website has more information on it and you can already pre-order the book online on various websites. Lastly Marianne will be kicking off her world tour in October. 

Birthday Gals...

Three of my favorite divas are celebrating their birthdays - Sandra, Grace Jones and Cher. More here

Tracks...

A new batch of Galaxy tracks...

New Site...

The Galaxy is now on Tumblr - please check out the new site, which will feature all sorts of Galaxy things, by clicking here. (Of course the blog is not going anywhere though, the new site is more of an extension).

Absolutely Amazing...

The new Madonna photoshoot for L'Uomo Vogue! It's obviously AMAZING!







From Vogue.it:

Because of the Internet, or because we’ve acquired some kind of maturity vis-à-vis the mass media, celebrities’ social role has changed in recent years. It’s not that they’re less interesting but now we demand greater transparency.

Consequently, many have rediscovered art’s ancient function as a public conscience and they use their media leverage for social purposes. An example? Madonna; who is not only still the greatest pop icon of our time, but also the one most committed to the fight for human rights, as demonstrated by her frequent public statements, her humanitarian work in Malawi and her recent project Secretprojectrevolution and Art For Freedom.

Secretprojectrevolution is a short film co-directed with Steven Klein. It calls for a "Love revolution […] a revolution of independent thought, of having your own opinion and not giving a damn about what people say".

The movie has an autobiographical slant and reflects the many battles against stereotyping that Madonna has fought in her life. "How can you create art without becoming involved?", says Miss Ciccone. "I like to compare myself to Frida Kahlo: everything she did was a self-portrait".

The movie was intended as the advertising campaign for her lingerie range, but Secretprojectrevolution turned into a manifesto against oppression. It is founded on a sensuous, noir choreography featuring scenes of masochism shot in the labyrinth of rooms of a former prison in Buenos Aires.

Madonna alternately plays the roles of prisoner and torturer, accompanied by political messages about control and punishment. "Sometimes we are the victims of oppression, other times we imprison ourselves", she says. "The movie is an example of the paradoxical world we live in".

Art For Freedom is the next stage on from the movie. It is a digital platform in association with Vice Media that hosts videos, photos, illustrations and documentation of performances addressing intolerance and persecution. "There was a time when art reflected what was happening in society", she proceeds, pensively. "Artists like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Richard Pryor or Jean-Luc Godard made political statements through their art". The object of Art For Freedom is "to encourage people to believe that we can bring about change in the world through art" and a cry of protest against the commoditization of creativity.

Her greatest source of inspiration is the writer and activist James Baldwin, who has spoken at length of an artist’s responsibility in society. "By allowing ourselves to be consumed by corporate branding, worrying about having the approval of others and promoting only what is acceptable and popular, we destroy our art and everything about it that’s unique", Madonna states.

At the start of her career, in New York, she belonged to the East Village artistic community and she was friends with Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, who addressed social issues through art in a direct way, as do many artists in Art For Freedom. "Hanging out with Keith and Jean-Michel deeply influenced me", she recalls. "Their approach to art was aimed at making it accessible to people, in the subway, on the street. It wasn’t elitist, you didn’t have to pay for it, go to a museum or gallery or frequent rich people, you could be anyone".

Art For Freedom fights stereotypes, bigotry and discrimination, and promotes civil rights and the acceptance of diversity. "There are enemies, tyrants, fascists and dictators, people who destroy other people’s lives or take away their freedom: like Putin or the president of Venezuela", the star continues, fervently. "In actual fact, the enemy is inside us. Whether we’re aware of it or not, we constantly discriminate against and judge others. So the first thing we have to change is ourselves. All the great leaders said that, like Gandhi, Martin Luther King, John Kennedy and Nelson Mandela".

After Pussy Riot’s arrest, Madonna gave a speech defending gay rights at her show in St Petersburg in 2012. Eighty-seven people were arrested that evening and the star was fined one million dollars. Other times she’s been booed, censored and threatened with death, but nothing stops her. "I’m willing to sacrifice all in the name of human rights", she declares, "apart from my children".

Her next album will be connected with Art For Freedom. And we can expect to see her increasingly involved and committed. "I have no choice. At this point, there’s no turning back. This is my role in the world, my work as an artist. I have a voice and I have to use it".

Far from the walls of museums, which a growing number of pop stars aspire to cross, Madonna’s statements and her resolve echo the words of Baldwin. They are meant for other artists in the hope of awakening them to their potential as agents, if they so wish, of social change and leaders of a more democratic, civilized society.

L'Uomo Vogue, May-June 2014 (n. 451)

Fashion Assistant Esther Matilla, Rika Watanabe. 
Manicure Naomi Yasuda@Streeters. 
Hair stylist Andy LeCompte@The Wall Group for Wella Professionals. 
MakeUp Artist Gina Brooke for Intraceuticals. 
Personal Stylist Arianne Phillips. 
Fashion Editor Rushka Bergman 
Photo by Tom Munro

Date...

Lana Del Rey has (finally) confirmed the release date of her new album. She will release Ultraviolence on June 16 in the UK and a day later in the US.

The album will be available in standard and deluxe editions, as well as a collector's box version.

Lana Del Rey has sold over 7 million albums to date, as well as accumulating a billion total views on YouTube.



ULTRAVIOLENCE TRACKLISTING:

CRUEL WORLD
ULTRAVIOLENCE
SHADES OF COOL
BROOKLYN BABY
WEST COAST
SAD GIRL
PRETTY WHEN YOU CRY
MONEY POWER GLORY
FUCKED MY WAY UP TO THE TOP
OLD MONEY
THE OTHER WOMAN

*BONUS TRACKS:

BLACK BEAUTY*
GUNS AND ROSES*
FLORIDA KILOS*



The box set, priced at £39.99, can be pre-ordered here.

Release date: 16/06/14
Ultraviolence Boxset contains:

Deluxe LP Picture disc – 2 x LP’s on heavyweight vinyl
Deluxe CD digipack
4 x 12 x 12 art prints/

In The Studio...

Queen Madonna has been very busy in the studio working on her new album (she announced Diplo as another collaborator last week).

Carl Falk, Swedish songwriter/producer who previously worked with Nicki Minaj and One Direction, spilled some details about working with Madonna and Avicii to Swedens biggest newspaper:

- Eleven demos were recorded in one week at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood with accoustic guitars and a piano.

- Six people were selected and divided in two different teams (Carl Falk/Rami Yacoub/Savan Kotecha and Salem Al Fakir/Vincent Pontare/Magnus Lidehäll). Both collaborated with Avicii.

- Madonna came in the studio in the afternoon and stayed as long as needed, sometimes until 7am. She worked closely with both teams writing, changing melodies and was very much in charge of the procces.

- Carl Falk describes her as a warm and giving person, who is fully in charge of her musical vision but also open to ideas from her writing partners.

Madonna spent a week in the studio earlier this year with Toby Gad, MoZella and S1 and she has also been working with Natalia Kills. Rumored song titles include "Rebel Heart" and "Living For Love". Nothing is really known yet regarding release dates, but it should definitely be later this year. Here are some pics from the recording studio:

Rise Up & Shine Like A Phoenix With A Mustache...

Another Eurovision is over. And despite very boring interval acts (did the organizers NOT watch last year's show in Sweden?), it was a fun evening as usual. The songs have often been better, true. But this year saw what seems like a great/fair results.





The top 5 was the Galaxy's exact prediction after watching the final on Saturday. Armenia was not a favorite, but Sweden, Hungary and The Netherlands finishing in the top places was very welcomed. The same can be said for Ukraine and Russia who deserved a top 10 placing (of course people used ever opportunity to boo the poor girls from Russia, as if they had anything to do with what has been happening in their home country. Classy!).



That said, I would have liked to see a few songs finish a little higher - Greece brought a much needed fun element and the one from Slovenia was certainly better than, say, Poland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark or Italy. And I would gladly have seen any of these five at the bottom instead of France. The songs from Germany and UK weren't bad, but somehow fell flat when they were being performed. But overall, very good results.





As for the winner, the song was pretty good (I think, I still can't remember anything but the chorus) and very well performed. It was one of the songs I was rooting for, mostly because I wanted to see a big "fuck you" to everyone who had been going overboard in hatred against the performer. Some bloody F***book campaigns, especially IN Austria, had been very vocal about how "inappropriate" it was for someone like "that" to represent their country (and this is the "nice" version of what people were saying).




I usually hate it when the acts are chosen over the songs (the horrible Lordi winning for Finland comes to mind). I do think that the results this year had more to do with the singer rather than the song (had Conchita performed "Undo" and Sanna "Rise Like A Phoenix", I'm convinced Conchita still would have won). But in this case it was a package that worked on every level - good song, great performance, and a message that needed to be shoved down people's throats in some parts of the world. So congrats to the winner - and bring on 2015!

Here are the full results:



1. Austria: Conchita Wurst, Rise Like a Phoenix - 290 points

2. The Netherlands: The Common Linnets, Calm After The Storm - 238 points

3. Sweden: Sanna Nielsen, Undo - 218 points

4. Armenia: Aram MP3, Not Alone - 174 points

5. Hungary: Andras Kallay-Saunders, Running - 143 points

6. Ukraine: Mariya Yaremchuk, Tick - Tock - 113 points

7. Russia: Tolmachevy Sisters, Shine - 89 points

8. Norway: Carl Espen, Silent Storm - 88 points

9. Denmark: Basim, Cliche Love Song - 74 points

10. Spain: Ruth Lorenzo, Dancing In the Rain - 74 points

11. Finland: Softengine, Something Better - 72 points

12. Romania: Paula Seling & OVI, Miracle - 72 points

13. Switzerland: Sebalter, Hunter Of Stars - 64 points

14. Poland: Donatan & Cleo, My Slowianie - We Are Slavic - 62 points

15. Iceland: Pollaponk, No Prejudice - 58 points

16. Belarus: Teo, Cheesecake - 43 points

17. United Kingdom: Molly Smitten-Downes, Children of the Universe - 40 points

18. Germany: Elaiza, Is it Right - 39 points

19. Montenegro: Sergej Cetkovic, Moj Svijet - 37 points

20. Greece: Freaky Fortune feat. RiskyKidd, Rise Up - 35 points

21. Italy: Emma, La Mia Citta - 33 points

22. Azerbaijan: Dilara Kazimova, Start a Fire - 33 points

23. Malta: Firelight, Coming Home - 32 points

24. San Marino: Valentina Monetta, Maybe (Forse) - 14 points

25. Slovenia: Tinkara Kovac, Round and Round - 9 points

26. France: TWIN TWIN, Moustache - 2 points

SOTD...

The Eurovision/Gay Olympics final is almost upon us. To celebrate that (and the upcoming weekend), here is one of my favorite Eurovision entries - courtesy of Ukraine's #1 gay diva: Miss Svetlana Loboda!

Loboda represented her home country in 2009 with the fabulous "Anti-Crisis Girl" and finished in 12th place. The way over the top performance may have been too much for some viewers, but I was obviously rooting for her...



The cog system, or as Loboda refers to it "The Hell Machine" was taken back to Ukraine after the competition. Svetlana said that she didn't want it to go to waste - now it's apparently in her father's garage. "The pets play on it" she stated. I sleep better at night knowing this...



Here is Lady Loboda in all her glory - she's SO my anti-crisis girl!

Running...

The second Eurovision semi-final was last night - and it was one of the weakest one in recent memory. On Tuesday I couldn't believe that Iceland got through - last night, I gasped in shock/horror when Poland was one of the ten to get through.

In any case, here is the he Running Order for the Grand Final tomorrow night:

Ukraine
Belarus
Azerbaijan
Iceland
Norway
Romania
Armenia
Montenegro
Poland
Greece
Austria
Germany
Sweden
France
Russia
Italy
Slovenia
Finland
Spain
Switzerland
Hungary
Malta
Denmark
The Netherlands
San Marino
United Kingdom

This years winner seems less clear then in recent years. My money is still on Sweden, but I think that Austria could do well, along with Azerbaijan, UK, hopefully Hungary - and I think The Netherlands just might surprise everyone...

Here are the 26 finalists: