“a bounteous feast… he’s never sung better” – Pitchfork
Rufus Wainwright has established himself as one of the great male vocalists, songwriters, and composers of his generation. In a career peppered with critical acclaim, he has been praised by the New York Times for his “genuine originality”. The New York-born, Montreal-raised singer-songwriter has released ten studio albums to date, three DVDs, and three live albums. Also, this includes the Grammy-nominated Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall.
He has collaborated with artists such as Elton John, Burt Bacharach, Miley Cyrus, David Byrne, Boy George, and Joni Mitchell. Also, Pet Shop Boys, Heart, Carly Rae Jepsen, Robbie Williams, Jessye Norman, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Sting, Mark Ronson, and others. Further, he has written two operas and numerous songs for movies and TV.
His 2020 Grammy-nominated studio album of original songs, Unfollow the Rules, finds Wainwright at the peak of his powers. Here, he enters artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and a new-found fearlessness. In 2023, he embarked on a journey to his family folk roots with his Grammy-nominated album Folkocracy. This album features reinvented folk duets with Chaka Khan, Brandi Carlile, John Legend, Anohni and many more.
His first musical of John Cassavetes’ Opening Night for the West End with Ivo van Hove premiered at the Gielgud Theater in March 2024. During this time he also completed a Requiem, which premiered with the Orchestre Philharmonique de la Radio France in June of 2024. Co-commissioners for the Requiem are the Master Chorale in Los Angeles and the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona. Also, Helsinki Symphony Orchestra, the RTE Orchestra in Ireland, and the Royal Ballet London.
Beloved London-born, Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Teddy Thompson has returned with the exquisitely crafted Never Be The Same, his first collection of original material since 2020. Across ten tracks, Thompson refines his craft via an exploration of music’s enduring preoccupations — love, longing, and the uneasy passage of time.
This album wasn’t built upon a grand narrative. There was no self-imposed exile, no forced reinvention. Instead, it is centered around an exhortation that is threaded through the songs like a refrain: “Never Be The Same,” its title only revealing itself to Thompson after he’d completed the recording.
Recommended for fans of Regina Spektor, Ben Folds, Ingrid Michaelson and Harry Nilsson.
