Adam England

J Balvin is a global superstar.
The "Prince of Reggaeton," known for huge hits like "Mi Gente" and "I Like It," was the most-streamed Spotify artist in the world in 2018 and was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in 2020.
Through it all, Balvin has been supported by his partner and the mother of his child, Valentina Ferrer. The Argentinian model has been dating the Colombian singer since 2018 after meeting on set of his music video.
But who is Balvin's number one fan? Keep readin...

Key Takeaways
• Some people are using TikTok to help in their substance use disorder recovery.
• Videos about recovery have amassed millions of views on the video-sharing app.
• It can be difficult to access formal treatment, so some are turning to TikTok as a substitute.
Getting formal treatment for substance use disorder can be difficult, and some people are turning to TikTok to help them in their recovery instead.
It’s no secret that TikTok is huge, and hugely popular. The video-sharing pl...

Arcade Fire are back. KOKO is back. What could be better?
The opening of Camden’s iconic KOKO is something that has been eagerly awaited for a long time, as has the return of Arcade Fire to the UK, so why not kill two birds with one stone?
It’s the Montreal indie icons’ first UK show since 2018, and their first without long-time member Will Butler, who departed last year. With their upcoming sixth studio album being their first since 2017, too, it feels somewhat fitting that they’re headlinin...

For Mental Health Awareness Week, Adam England speaks to James Kennedy, The Subways’ Billy Lunn, Jess Branney of indie trio Peaness and Natalie Wardle about the psychological effects of touring and asks how the pandemic has added another layer of pressure.
Touring can be lonely for artists — that’s hardly a secret. It’s something the likes of James Blake and Florence Welch have been vocal about in the past, and it’s not hard to see why a life of solitary hotel rooms and cramped vans might tak...

Cigarette sales have increased for the first time in two decades, as more people have taken up smoking during the pandemic, often using it as a coping...

While influenced by classic UK post-punk, the New York no-wave scene, and helpings of funk and dub too, Australian four-piece Loose Fit have a decidedly unique sound, and they prove it loud and clear on debut album Social Graces.
Vocalist Anna Langdon, who first met drummer Kaylene Milner in fashion school, is also the band’s saxophonist, the instrument making fairly regular appearances across the album, while Max Edgar and Richard Martin take care of guitar and bass respectively.
On their mo...

Cast your mind back to 2012. Among seminal releases from Frank Ocean, Taylor Swift and Tame Impala (not to mention the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics in London and Barack Obama’s re-election), there came Electra Heart.
As difficult as it might be to believe, Marina’s second album celebrates its tenth birthday on Wednesday (27 April 2022). You’d be hard-pressed to find an artist with such a consistently strong output, and the impact of Electra Heart — her real ‘pop’ album — cannot be ov...

Self-styled “author returning to escapism” Melanie Blake was a go-nowhere schoolgirl – but the stars aligned, she put the hours in, and now she’s writing randy romps that shoot to the top of the bestseller lists. What’s the story? Adam England found out.
“Every single thing in that book, and every way they behave, is exactly what it’s like with the real celebrities, the real actresses, and the real executives.”
I’m speaking to agent-turned-author Melanie Blake about her upcoming novel Guilty ...

Over the past decade, Kae Tempest has been cementing themselves as one of the UK’s most vital voices. They mix the personal, the political, and the everyday in such a way that other artists seldom manage, and The Line is a Curve is a continuation of that trend.
Tempest is the sort of talent who could easily give us 45 minutes of just them and have it be great, but as we’ve seen previously with the likes of ‘Guts’, featuring Loyle Carner, they shine when working with some of the brightest name...

Of all the artists to emerge from the Odd Future collective, Syd is easily among the most fascinating. First joining the likes of Tyler, the Creator and Matt Martians as a teen under the moniker Syd tha Kid, she went on to form The Internet with Matt in 2011, and released her debut solo album, ‘Fin’, in 2017. And now, five years later, comes ‘Broken Hearts Club’.
When she was first planning her second album, love songs were part of the plan, but following the breakdown of a two-year relations...

Key Takeaways
• The Mental State of the World Report has been published, and the US is near the bottom.
• The 'Core Anglosphere' region as a whole scored low, with the UK joint-bottom.
• More individualistic societies tended to score poorly, with collectivist societies ranking higher.
• Globally, the mental health of young adults is declining.
The Mental Health Million Project has published its annual Mental State of the World Report, and while there’s been a smaller decline in mental wellbei...

Tonton Zola Moukoko. Cherno Samba. Carlos Fierro. Tó Madeira. In reality, these rather obscure footballers have played for the likes of Atletico Morelia, Carlstad United and FC Haka – Madeira, it turned out, didn’t even exist – but for many fans of the Football Manager series, they’re better known for their in-game exploits.
Millions of copies of Football Manager are sold every year, and for those that play, it’s less of a hobby and more a way of life. A glimpse online shows just how big the ...