Dakar, Senegal | AFP | A Senegalese singer was granted provisional release Monday after 10 days of detention for “offending the head of state and spreading fake news”, her lawyer said. Amy Colle Dieng, a well-known singer of Senegal’s popular mbalakh form of dance music, had been arrested on August 3 …
Read More »Country music legend Glen Campbell dead at 81
Washington, United States | AFP | Country music legend Glen Campbell, the mellow-voiced “Rhinestone Cowboy” who sold millions of albums over a career that spanned decades, has died at the age of 81. Campbell, who left his mark on the music, television and movie worlds, died in Nashville, Tennessee, after a …
Read More »Macron courts the stars; meets Rihanna on education
Paris, France | AFP | France’s Emmanuel Macron continued to reach for the stars Wednesday, hosting R&B icon Rihanna for what she called “incredible” talks at the presidential palace in Paris two days after Irish rocker Bono. Barbados-born Rihanna is an ambassador for the Global Partnership for Education, which is …
Read More »Justin Bieber abruptly ends tour
New York, United States | AFP | Justin Bieber abruptly canceled the remainder of a world tour Monday, citing “unforeseen circumstances.” The 23-year-old Canadian superstar — who in recent years has been as known for off-stage antics as for his music — had been due to resume his “Purpose” tour …
Read More »Rapper Akon to buy 50% of African music download service
Dakar, Senegal | AFP | Senegalese-American rapper Akon announced Saturday he would purchase 50 percent of African music download service Musik Bi, as the platform struggles to gain a foothold after its launch 18 months ago. Africa’s first home-grown platform for legal music downloads, Musik Bi launched in Senegal in February …
Read More »‘Gangnam Style’ dethroned by ‘See You Again’ as top YouTube video
‘Gangnam Style’ dethroned as top YouTube video New York, United States | AFP | “Gangnam Style,” the quirky South Korean video that spawned a global dance craze and went so viral it nearly broke YouTube, has finally been dethroned as the most watched video. After four and a half years …
Read More »Coldplay release song to support migrants
New York, United States | AFP | English rockers Coldplay have released a new song written with ambient legend Brian Eno, with proceeds to support migrants who make the dangerous journey to Europe across the Mediterranean. “Aliens,” released late Thursday alongside an animated video, is the latest single from Coldplay’s upcoming …
Read More »Week after exclusive, Jay-Z puts album on iTunes
New York, United States | AFP | A week after Jay-Z released his latest album as an exclusive on his Tidal streaming service, the rap mogul made it available Friday on Apple platforms — but not on rival Spotify. “4:44,” the 13th album by the leading name in hip-hop, was …
Read More »Uganda’s ‘Ghetto President’ music star becomes real life MP
Kampala, Uganda | Michael O’HAGAN | AFP | For the last decade Ugandans have known two presidents: Yoweri Museveni, the country’s long-time ruler, and musician Robert Kyagulanyi a.k.a. Bobi Wine, a.k.a. His Excellency the Ghetto President. But in a surprising turn the 35-year-old music superstar — who was just three when Museveni took …
Read More »Fête de la Musique closing night
Alliance Française’s Fête de la Musique came to a festive close on Saturday night with its main concert at École Française on Kampala’s Lugogo Bypass. The week-long music festival, which started in France in 1982, shone a light on some of Uganda’s greatest yet little know musical talents in the …
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