Singer, songwriter and actress Angela Tremble has led an interesting life. For those who have never heard of Angela, she is rather better known as Deborah Ann ‘Debbie’ Harry, frontwoman of veteran new wave sextet Blondie.
The band were at the peak of their popularity during the late 1970s and early 80s. They enjoyed US and UK chart-topping singles with songs such as Heart of Glass, Call Me and The Tide is High. Atomic and Sunday Girl also topped the UK chart while Rapture was the first number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 to feature rap.
Blondie broke up in 1982. For the next 15 years, Debbie pursued a reasonably successful solo career. She also acted in numerous films and television shows.
With their earlier work being recognised by a new generation of fans, Blondie re-formed for a few shows in 1997. The positive response to these led to a world tour in ‘98 and a new album, No Exit, in 1999. Since then, the band have been recording and performing on a fairly regular basis releasing three more albums between 2003 and 2014. 
These records fared well without ever setting the world alight. But their newly released eleventh studio album has obviously struck a chord with British music fans. Pollinator has stormed straight into the chart at number four.
Now 71, but looking nothing like her age, Debbie sees little value in nostalgia. While Blondie do still play some old favourites in their concerts, the shows are about promoting new material.
“When we decided to re-form, it was with the intention that we would look to the future rather than the past,” Debbie explained. “I don’t like nostalgia. It doesn’t appeal to me. I understand why people want to see bands they grew up with. Hearing the old songs allows them to relive a little.
“But our lives have always been centred around music. Thinking about the old songs doesn’t do much for your creative mind. We always want to keep moving ahead.”
Debbie and her band constantly reinvented themselves. Categorised as new wave, Blondie had massive hits in various styles ranging from punk to reggae and disco-pop to rap. 
This diversity matches that of Debbie’s non-music jobs. They ranged from a secretary at BBC Radio’s New York office to a go-go dancer at a New Jersey discotheque.
She always had the ambition to be a singer but received surprising advice from her mother.
“I wanted to take vocal lessons when I was young but my mother said no. It wasn’t that my parents couldn’t afford to pay for the lessons. My mother felt I should develop my own vocal style. If I’d had lessons, she thought I would end up sounding like a singer from the Broadway stage musicals.”
Debbie entered the music business as a backing vocalist for folk rockers The Wind in the Willows. She later joined The Stillettoes in which she met guitarist/songwriter Chris Stein. The couple would go on to form Blondie, so named after the term of address by which some men referred to Debbie.
“In our early days, female vocalists tended to be placed in certain roles. I struggled to be accepted in a role which I effectively invented for myself. I wasn’t alone though. There were others changing the consciousness of female singers. Poly Styrene, Kate Bush and, of course, Chrissie Hynde, we all came up at about the same time.”
Debbie and Chris were also romantically linked for a number of years. Their personal break-up did not adversely impact their working relationship or even their friendship.
The other band members were said to resent all the attention and publicity focused on Debbie. If this was ever true, it certainly no longer seems to be the case. Chris is often interviewed with Debbie but drummer Clem Burke, guitarist Tommy Kessler, keyboardist Matt Katz-Bowen and bass player Leigh Foxx are apparently content to let their frontwoman do the talking.
Enthusiasm for the new album was not confined to Blondie fans. In addition to the band’s own work, other musicians and songwriters were keen to be involved. The songs on Pollinator feature contributions from artists such as Sia, Johnny Marr, Charli XCX, TV on the Radio’s David Sitek, Dev Hynes, Joan Jett and more.
“We’ve never done anything like this,” Debbie reflected. “We got different songs submitted by other artists and thought we should look around for more songs rather than write everything ourselves. It just sort of evolved and seemed like a good idea at the time.”
The critics and fans obviously agree.

in 
brief


Blink-182


Blink-182 released their US and UK chart-topping seventh studio album, California, last July. But the pop-punk trio plan to create a new album later this year and have just issued an extended deluxe edition of their last LP.
The latest version of California features 11 new tracks. This is more than many artists include on brand new albums. A lyric video for Parking Lot, the first song from the deluxe album, is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAQPU3hsqV4 
The second release, an acoustic version of their single Bored to Death, can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3h_uCMLQBM
Accompanying the album release is a third song, Wildfire. A lyric video is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_hzZKIjVu8
The band describe Wildfire as a marriage between the sound of California and their 1999 album, Enema of the State. They say of the track, “Think of your favourite song from Enema of the State. Now think of your favourite song from California. Now imagine them falling in love and starting a family of their own. That’s what this song is.”

Lord Huron

The Night We Met is the final track on Strange Trails, the 2015 second album from American indie-folk rockers Lord Huron.
The LP was well received by critics with one describing it as “enchanting from start to finish.” It peaked at number 23 on Billboard’s Hot 100, topped the US Folk Albums chart and reached number two on both the Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts.
Television and film directors have used several Lord Huron songs. They feature in shows such as Girls, Shameless and Togetherness along with movies such as Freeheld and Endless Love. Five of the band’s songs soundtracked the 2015 film, A Walk in the Woods.
It was the Netflix TV series, 13 Reasons Why, which showcased The Night We Met. The song has now entered singles charts around the world. A video for the track is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGF7PswOENQ
Parent album, Strange Trails, can be heard in full at www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiwWgN5O3WQ
Lord Huron’s 2012 debut album, Lonesome Dreams, is also available to hear in full at www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMBRHW9V_QI

Miley Cyrus

Life has been pretty good in recent times for American singer, songwriter and actress Miley Cyrus. The 24-year-old star revealed her engagement to Australian actor Liam Hemsworth near the end of last year.
The couple met while filming The Last Song in 2009. They had been an item for nearly four years until splitting up in 2013. But their relationship was rekindled last year and Miley was again seen wearing the three and a half carat diamond engagement ring Liam had given her during their earlier time together. She confirmed their engagement during an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show last October.
Happy again in her private life, Miley has been hard at work on what will be her sixth studio album. Unlike her last LP, 2015’s Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz, the as-yet-untitled new album is not expected to be given away for free on SoundCloud.
Lead single, Malibu, has now been released. The official video is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j9zMok6two
The song lyrics effectively relate to Miley and Liam’s love story. One scene in the video prominently features her engagement ring. 
The Malibu video certainly seems to be enjoyed by Miley’s fans. It registered 40 million views in the first seven days.

Katy Perry

Katy Perry has now issued the official video for her new single, Bon Appetit.
The number of first week views is similar to Miley Cyrus’ Malibu. But this time it is Katy whose video is causing controversy. Some critics have even suggested it promotes cannibalism.
Judge for yourself by checking out the video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPI-mRFEIH0