Damon Albarn has opened up about his emotional journey while recording Gorillaz’ upcoming album.
The singer and his bandmate Jamie Hewlett poured the grief of losing their dads into their ninth record, The Mountain, and Damon revealed he scattered his father’s ashes in India while making the collection.
“Both Jamie and I lost our fathers,” Damon said.
“We did two quite amazing, magical trips to India.
“India is a very interesting place to carry grief, because they have a very positive outlook on death.
“England is just really bad at dealing with death.
“In a way, I think this record is in that tradition of celebrating their lives.
“I did things I’d never done before. I swam in the Ganges in Varanasi.
“I watched the bodies being burnt on the banks of the Ganges.
“In England when we cremate a body we don’t even look at the bodies, it’s covered up immediately and then it’s put in the fire, the little curtains close and that’s it.
“On the banks of the Ganges, every family is there with the body wrapped in a shroud and they’re burnt, and it’s going on everywhere. It goes on 24 hours a day and it’s been going on for thousands of years.
“I took my dad’s ashes there and I cast them in the river. It was very beautiful.”
Indian culture helped shape the record — which will be released in March — with the album’s cover art featuring the title in Devanagari, a script used to write the Indian Sanskrit language.
And this time around the pair will not make their famous, animated music videos and instead are creating a one-off production.
Damon added: “We’re making a full eight-minute thing.
“This is why there are no videos at the moment, because it’s serious stuff. It’s really great that Jamie is concentrating on doing one animated thing.
“It’s a big amount of work, any animation. It’s kind of our Achilles’ heel because no other band has to spend that kind of time just to produce one small thing.
“So let’s make it a piece of art in itself and not really rely on it for the promotional aspect of things and let it breathe in its own way.
“I think fans are going to love every aspect of this record.”
Personally, I cannot wait.
Jen’s perfect pairing
Jennifer Lawrence put on her poshest frock to party in the Big Apple after promoting her new film, Die My Love.
The Hunger Games star appears alongside Robert Pattinson in the black comedy, out this Friday.
And the pair coordinated their outfits for the New York premiere at the AMC Lincoln Square Theater.
J-Law then changed into a blue gown before heading out for a night on the town with her pals.
The actress has a busy few months coming up. She is starring in and producing upcoming murder-mystery movie The Wives, before kicking off a new project with legendary director Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Jen and Leo are set to play the leads in a terrifying film adaptation of Peter Cameron’s ghost story, What Happens at Night.
She did the chart double last month but Olivia Dean is keeping her feet firmly on the ground.
The singer scored No1s with her album The Art of Loving and single Man I Need, becoming the first British solo female artist to top both charts simultaneously since Adele in 2021.
Asked whether she’s let her success go to her head, she said: “I don’t think so. I feel like I try really hard and think all the time about not becoming a p***k. That would just be horrible.
“I’ve met some and it’s just like, ‘Oh no, it got to you’.”
On how success depends on the people around you, Olivia continued: “A lot of people work really, really hard. It’s really important to recognise that yes, you’ve worked on your skill or your craft, but all the people around you had to believe in it and be there to make it happen as well.
“It takes a village of people to make an album or do a campaign. There’s a lot that people don’t see.”
It sounds like Olivia has a lot of goals in the future, though – including headlining Glastonbury and releasing an album of standards.
On the And The Writer Is… with Ross Golan podcast, Olivia was also asked if she had written a musical yet.
She said: “No, but I would like to in the future. It’s definitely on the bucket list for me.”
Time to say ’ello to Eli
Hot prospect Eli released debut album Stage Girl at the weekend, jam-packed with infectious melodies.
It looks like her label, RCA Records – also home to Britney Spears, P!nk and Shakira – has unearthed another gem.
But her collection of tunes also features references to a battle with her identity, which the American singer has now overcome.
In an exclusive interview, Eli, who is a trans woman, said of her album: “It was made in a flow state.
“But that was after a year or two of complete wits’ end, last straw, end of the rope, repressing everything under the sun as a human being for 20 years of my life.
“I was just like, ‘I need this joy and I need this super-extravagant pop’.”
Part of her journey of discovery is related to listeners in album highlights Girl of Your Dreams and Falsetto, and Eli now hopes that her music will help people to accept those in the queer community.
She explained: “I like the idea that this is going to play in Walmart in Kansas, for the lady who thinks I’m the spawn of Satan.
“And she’s going to be like, ‘Wow, this song is so good’.
“I feel like there is a sort of trickle-down effect of awareness of my humanity and trans humanity in general.”
Eli is already feeling the love following her album release – Mark Ronson, Demi Lovato and Zara Larsson have all voiced their support and her fan base is growing and growing.
Eli added: “I feel so excited by the community I’m existing in in LA right now.
“I feel like everyone is so supportive of each other.
“And it’s so refreshing and so cool.”
THE WEEK IN BIZ
Today: Jack Whitehall and David Duchovny will be at the BFI on London’s South Bank for the world premiere of their new psychological thriller Malice, ahead of its launch on Prime Video next Friday.
Wednesday: Bastille launch their From All Sides tour in Plymouth, celebrating 15 years of the band.
Thursday: Bums on sofas for the finale of The Celebrity Traitors on BBC One at 9pm.
Friday: Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Sabrina Carpenter are all expected to receive nods as the nominations are announced for the Grammy Awards ahead of the ceremony in February.
Dazzled by Doja
Doja Cat looked a true member of the glitterati as she joined A-listers for a night out.
The rapper sported a sparkly orange dress at the LACMA Art+Film Gala in Los Angeles and completed the ensemble with a curly blonde wig in a nod to Marilyn Monroe.
This is not the first time she has gained inspiration from the Hollywood legend. At the 2022 Grammys, she wore a custom-made crystal Versace gown – which took 475 hours to make.
Doja attended the fundraising bash alongside a host of stars, including actresses Demi Moore, Salma Hayek and Cynthia Erivo all of whom dazzled in their ’fits.
Keep sparkling, ladies.
Robyn’s return so sexi
Singer Robyn is planning to drop a new single in the next few weeks, then her ninth album in 2026.
It is seven years since the Swedish-born star put out her last collection, Honey, and an industry insider tells me the new one, with alluring title Sexistential, promises to be bigger and better than ever before.
They said: “Robyn has spent years working on this music and has been really inspired by loads of up-and-coming artists.
“She has worked with some very cool people and all the stops are being pulled out for this to be her biggest record in decades.”
Robyn has joined Gracie Abrams and Charli XCX on stage for surprise performances over the past year.
But by the sounds of it, next year she will likely be performing plenty of big gigs of her own.
Cat Burns opens up about losing her grandad and breaking up with a long-time girlfriend on her new album How to Be Human.
The singer and Celebrity Traitors star told The Sunday Times’ Style mag: “While grieving, a quote that stood out to me was: ‘Grief is just love with no place to go’. That helped guide the message of the album.”
A Brum deal for Benson
Benson Boone is due back on stage tonight at London’s O2 Arena after he was forced to cancel his Birmingham show on Saturday.
The Beautiful Things singer, who is on his American Heart World Tour, told fans he wouldn’t have been able to put on the show at the Utilita Arena due to problems with his voice.
In a statement, he told fans: “Birmingham I am so so sorry but I will not be able to perform. I have tried everything I can to revive my voice, but I cannot give you the show I’d like to be able to give you with the condition of my throat right now.
“I’m working with my team to find a date to reschedule as soon as possible. I promise I will do everything in my power to make it up to you. I love you guys so much.”
We’re sending you our best, Benson, and we hope you can make the show tonight.