Valentino Garavani, founder of the luxury fashion house Valentino, who outfitted historic figures from Princess Diana and Audrey Hepburn to Julia Roberts and Beyoncé, died in Rome on Monday, Jan. 19. He was 93.

“Valentino Garavani passed away today at his Roman residence, surrounded by his loved ones,” the foundation Fondazione Valentino Garavani e Giancarlo Giammetti confirmed on Instagram.

Garavani launched Valentino in 1960 and, over the course of more than six decades, saw the brand cement its status as one of the most coveted in fashion history. “A woman with taste,” Valentino responded in 2011 when asked what makes a perfect model for the brand. “She must know what she wants, because it’s very frustrating for me if somebody says, ‘Listen, I’ll let you do what you want; I’m there like a piece of glass, and you have to do something nice for me.’ I think it’s better if a woman comes and she discusses with you, and she has personality, so you are more attracted to her to make clothes. This is the kind of woman I love.”

Elizabeth Taylor wore a floor-length white Valentino gown to the premiere of Spartacus in 1961, after which she made a personal trip to the Valentino headquarters in Rome to demand seven more outfits. Garavani and Giammetti, his business partner and close friend, happily obliged. Valentino also supplied First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy with couture pieces as she mourned her husband, John F. Kennedy. Garavani later designed the wedding gown she wore when she remarried in 1968 and the black tiered gown she wore to the 1979 Met Gala.

Julia Roberts made red carpet history in 2001 when she attended the Academy Awards in a black-and-white Valentino couture dress from 1992. Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, Anne Hathaway, and more followed suit, often selecting Valentino looks for Hollywood’s biggest nights. In 2022, Florence Pugh made headlines after wearing a sheer, pink Valentino gown, and Dakota Johnson launched her first campaign as a global brand ambassador for the house in November 2025.

Garavani stepped down as creative director at Valentino in 2007, passing the torch quite briefly to Alessandra Facchinetti, who was succeeded by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli in 2008. In 2024, Alessandro Michele made the move to Valentino from Gucci. “This place has such a specific story,” Michele told Business of Fashion. “That name, Valentino — it’s a real name, with real life, with real love. There is always Valentino somewhere with me.”

Valentino has its hooks in deep in the pop world, too. In 2022, Beyoncé attended the 2022 Academy Awards in Valentino haute couture just months before she would debut custom looks from the fashion house on the Renaissance world tour. Dua Lipa did the same on the Radical Optimism tour, wearing a lace bodysuit in that signature Valentino red. Sabrina Carpenter received her own custom red lace look for the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards and just this weekend wore a slip dress from Valentino’s Spring 2006 ready-to-wear collection for her surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live.

In 2008, the documentary film Valentino: The Last Emperor offered a glimpse inside the life Garavani lived, from his closest collaborators to his most treasured confidants. ”Valentino was one of the first designers to make himself the inspirational figure at the center of the story he was telling,” director Matt Tyrnauer previously said. “He is a born dreamer and the last true couturier, who let us in on his creative process and also let us in on the life he built around him to sustain this process. He lives as lavishly as his clients and set a standard for the industry. He shuts out all that is not beautiful, and we followed him around the world to capture that special world.”

Even after his retirement, Garavani continued to celebrate his own legacy. “I have always accepted with joy all the names and the titles that they have given me: The King, The Emperor, The Icon. I am Valentino,” he told The Talks in 2011. “I live in my own world. My life didn’t change; it’s always been the same. I still am like I was many, many years ago, the same person. I love to create clothes, I love beautiful things, I love beautiful houses, I love entertaining. If they want to call me an icon, okay, then I am an icon. What can I say?”

From Rolling Stone US.

The post Valentino Garavani, Fashion Titan Who Dressed Pop, Hollywood, and Royal Stars, Dead at 93 appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

Three days after releasing their seventh mini album, The Sin : Vanish, on Friday, ENHYPEN are back with a remix album that was released earlier today. Actually, make that seven remix albums, each one spearheaded by a member of the septet. You’d think that creating extra work for themselves would be exhausting, but ENHYPEN collectively view it as an artistic opportunity. 

“I actually loved working on my remix album, The Sin : Vanish (Sunoo ver.),” Sunoo tells Rolling Stone over a Zoom chat. “I feel like this was a great way to expand my own engagement in recording, so I loved the experience.” 

At this point, his bandmates nod their approval as they huddle together in a conference room at HYBE’s Seoul office. They are all dressed casually (T-shirts, baseball caps, beanies, and a parka or two), with none of the stage makeup they wear for photo shoots and music videos. Sunoo, Sunghoon, Jay, and Jake sit in the front, with Heeseung, Jungwon, and Ni-ki seated in the back. They are polite, waiting for their turns to talk about their respective remix albums, which all share the same title — The Sin : Vanish, with the parenthetical inclusion of each member’s specific name. 

As the interview continues, they clap and make finger hearts to show their appreciation, and are vocal about looking out for each other. For instance, when Sunoo inadvertently disappears from view, Sunghoon gently pulls him back into the frame. Since their November 2020 debut, ENHYPEN have cultivated a sexy vampire lore. But during this exclusive interview with Rolling Stone, they exude more of a golden retriever-style vibe than that of the sullen undead.

ENHYPEN’s digital remix albums contain all 11 tracks from the group’s mini album — six songs, including the lead single, “Knife,” plus four theatrical narrations courtesy of professional actors, and a skit — as well as their own remixes of “Knife,” an English version of “Knife,” and individual vocal notes.

Hailing from a country that doesn’t have a gun culture, ENHYPEN chose a knife as the central image in their lead track — reflecting not only on South Korea’s use of knives as the weapon of choice in K-dramas, but also how a normal knife isn’t strong enough to kill a vampire. The group’s vampire stories run deep, depicting the symbiotic relationship between the seven members and their loyal fandom, ENGENE. Which raises the question, if ENHYPEN are the vampires, how do ENGENE fit in?

“You know how there are always female characters that we include on our albums and trailers?” Sunghoon asks. “We are always mindful of ENGENE as we’re producing our work. So they could be equated to those female characters and could be our friends. Vampire friends.”

Ethnomusicologist Donna Kwon applauds ENHYPEN’s commitment to the vampire lore, which has traditionally been tied to Eastern European culture. “With their ‘Bite Me’ video from 2023, I think they also challenged K-pop conventions a little bit,” Kwon — a professor at the University of Kentucky and the author of Music in Korea: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture — tells Rolling Stone. “The presence or development of lore is one of a number of strategies that a group can employ to gain fans, stand out, and be competitive. For those fans who really like lore, they often link to other members of the fandom to figure out the various meanings and details.”

Asked how many songs ENHYPEN discussed before deciding that “Knife” would be the one they all remixed, Sunghoon says, “It was ‘Knife’ all along. From the beginning, we were all on the same page about that. We just worked on it in our different ways.”

For instance, group leader Jungwon blended industrial and metal for his remix. “My version is in the nu metal genre,” he says. “We do a lot of live shows, so obviously I had that in mind from the get-go. The original track ‘Knife’ itself has a really punchy sound, but I knew that the band sound goes really well with the hip-hop and trap undercurrent, so I wanted to mix that band sound to make it even punchier.”

“The remix began with Jungwon’s vision for the stage, where he wanted a track that radiates strong, playful energy for live performances,” adds producer Armadillo, who worked with him. “Since artists often perceive music differently from producers, we felt his initial idea was compelling and began shaping the track around that concept. During production, we worked together on the main guitar riff. Jungwon already had a clear idea of the drum patterns in mind. With virtual instruments set up with kick and snare, he performed the drum parts on the master keyboard, producing a rhythm and energy that exceeded expectations. The session felt less like formal production and more like a collaborative jam.”

Meanwhile, Heeseung’s remix has a hypnotic vibe that’s dance-driven, with an echoey backbeat. The vocalist also recorded additional vocals not on the original track.

“I collaborated with Apro, who’s a close friend and producer, on this electronic boom-bap remix,” Heeseung says. “I wanted to work with the BPM so that people can really enjoy it in a laidback, kind of chill manner. I wanted the song to have a catchy charm, so we mixed in a lot of effects, like the dice-rolling sound, to give it a dynamic touch. The reason why I did [some new vocals] was because I wanted to stick to bringing out the original charm, while adding a fun and exciting touch. I played the synthesizer myself in some parts. I’m really happy with how it turned out.”

“For the vocals, Heeseung’s input was central to the process,” Apro adds. “We reworked the arrangement around short, repetitive phrases to enhance catchiness, while newly recorded doubling and chorus pad layers were added to increase density and create a richer, more expansive vocal texture.”

Seattle native Jay had a clear vision for his “Knife” remix. That the guitar-driven banger sounds stadium-ready is intentional.

“I made this remix with my really close producer friend, Frants, who I made a lot of my recent music with,” Jay says. “He knows how I work and my style, so the progress was really easy and smooth to get kind of an aggressive metal vibe. I thought it would sound really good when we play this onstage or as an encore somewhere in the States or a country that really loves metal.”

“Jay had a clear vision of the remix’s overall direction from the very beginning, not only sonically, but also in terms of how it would unfold onstage at scale,” Frants says. “Rather than altering the essence of the original track, we focused on amplifying its energy and sense of scale, carefully shaping the sound to align with the powerful imagery and musical direction Jay had envisioned.”

For Korean Australian Jake, tapping into old-school Memphis hip-hop resulted in a song that sounds both retro and fresh.

“I feel like Memphis-style beats are very popular and hot right now,” Jake says. “There are a lot of young artists over in the U.K. and Europe who are making this type of music. I listen to them a lot and feel like it’s going to get loved even more from now on. I’ve always wanted to try making music with this type of beat. I feel like it’s very minimal. There are less sounds and sources in my track, but I feel like that’s the key to these types of beats.”

“While Jake naturally carries a soft, romantic image, he possesses a distinctly grounded core as an artist,” adds Ca$hcow, the producer he collaborated with. “He shows a high level of concentration in the studio and isn’t afraid to strip away anything unnecessary, which gave me the impression that he aims to convey presence and charisma through his music. To best reflect that mindset, we gravitated toward a minimal, loop-driven Memphis hip-hop style built on tension and repetition, which aligns perfectly with Jake’s controlled, understated energy.”

Sunghoon remembers contemplating which direction he wanted to go in before leaning into a vibrant baile funk sound. The former competitive figure skater says he hopes fans will enjoy his version, and shyly adds that it would be fun if his “Knife” remix went viral.  

“I was inspired by Brazilian funk,” Sunghoon says. “If you look at the challenges and the sounds that are really blowing up on TikTok, I noticed that baile funk was really popular as a genre, so I wanted to try it out, too.”

“Before working on this remix together, I had briefly met Sunghoon on another occasion, and he shared the vision he had been developing for a long time,” Armadillo adds. “His main focus was creating music that could be used for short-form content, making it interactive and engaging for fans rather than just a listening experience. As a producer, I found this approach both refreshing and unconventional. He was thinking more about how the music would be used than about the genre itself. Thanks to this clear direction, the track naturally took shape as high-energy baile funk. With the goal so well defined, when we finally met to work together, the main loop track was completed in under two hours. The energy, catchiness, and all the elements of the genre came together in a way that felt incredibly exciting and fun.”

While Sunghoon tackled baile funk, Sunoo opted to record a digi-pop version of “Knife” that’s optimistically upbeat, but with a dramatically tense side that belies the artist’s sunny disposition.

“My producer and I had a lot of conversations about what kind of direction we should go down,” Sunoo says. “The name of the genre officially is glitch pop. It gives a lot of heavy video-game vibes, which is something I’ve always wanted to try. It was a great experience and in terms of the storytelling, it’s very powerful. So, I just had a great time, overall.”

“Sunoo’s remix was initiated from his unpredictability and broad emotional spectrum,” says Ca$hcow. “At its core is his bright, uplifting energy, but we felt that his real charm lies in the delicate tension created by the anxiety and sensitivity that coexist within it. To capture that duality, we leaned away from overly polished sounds and instead used fractured textures to add character and edge. Sunoo tends to resonate more with tracks that openly reflect instinct and personal taste, rather than music with a clearly defined formula. With that in mind, we avoided locking the structure into something too rigid and focused on intuitively layering elements we felt he would connect with.”

Youngest member Ni-ki, who hails from Japan, had very specific ideas about how he wanted his remix to sound. His “Knife” starts off fast with vocal effects that give the song an urgent vibe. It’s an energetic and intense boom-bap song intended to get people dancing.

“I’ve been a dancer for a long time, ever since I was a trainee up until now,” Ni-ki says. “And the thing is, we listen to a lot of sped-up boom-bap-type tracks when we warm up before practice. So I did have in mind that I wanted that retro kind of old-school hip-hop vibe. There are some fun elements and details that we added, like the glitching sound of the radio when it starts out, which was intentional. I feel like at the end of the day, we have a great track to dance to.”

“For the opening vocals, which feature a fully resampled choir layer, we aimed for an old-school, vintage texture by using cassette-style plugins from Wavesfactory and vinyl-inspired processing with RC-20,” says producer BreadBeat. “While we initially considered both tech house and hip-hop, Ni-ki suggested starting the production in a sped-up format and allowing the genre to take shape naturally. That idea became a key turning point, and his innately heavy, groove-driven energy ultimately led us toward a boom-bap–style remix. As a strong dancer, Ni-ki gravitates toward rhythms with clear groove and momentum, and his input played a big role in shaping the arrangement and dynamics of the sped-up vocals.”

As the interview draws to a close, the group reflect on how much they’ve grown as artists in the past five years. I ask them, if they could go back in time and meet their 10-year-old selves, what would they tell them?

“I’m going to tell little me to fill your heart and be true to your emotions,” Ni-ki says. “Just do what you want to do, or what your heart wishes, and visualize your dream. And one day, you will meet a lot of great older brothers.”

Sunghoon smiles at the group maknae — or youngest member — and says, “I kind of struggled when I did figure skating. I had a tough time because of keeping track of the scores and how well I was doing. I just want to tell him to be confident and don’t obsess over the numbers and scores.”

“I want to tell myself to visualize your future,” Jay says. “What you think and how much you work will become your future, so try your best. You don’t have to be upset with your life path.”

“We had a tour called Fate in the past,” Jake says. “I believe in fate and that everything is done for a reason. So I would tell my younger self to just do what you’ve got to do.”

Jungwon says he doesn’t want to say anything specifically to his child self, except, “Trust yourself and have faith in yourself.”

Smiling, Sunoo says, “I wish I had exercised more when I was a child, because I think I could’ve gotten taller if I had worked out more, but I didn’t. So I’d like to encourage him to be an athletic kid.”

Heeseung contemplates the question, before answering. “I don’t think I’ll say anything [to him], because my MBTI is a T [thinking], and I’m a logical, rational person. I know that 10-year-old me has to follow the exact same route to get where I am today.”

From Rolling Stone US.

The post ENHYPEN Share the Secrets of Their Seven Remix Albums appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

Brooklyn Beckham has declared he has no interest in reconciling with his parents, David and Victoria Beckham, accusing them of trying to “endlessly ruin [his] relationship” with wife Nicola Peltz, sabotaging their wedding, and attempting to control the media narrative around the family’s fallout. 

“I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private,” Brooklyn wrote in a series of Instagram Stories on Monday. “Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed. I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.”

Brooklyn’s candid post is the latest escalation in the now very public feud between the 26-year-old and his superstar British parents, which has seen the family members noticeably absent from each other’s milestone events, blocked on social media, and rumors of legal notices being fired off. 

Rolling Stone has reached out to a representative for the Beckhams for comment. 

The aspiring chef seemed to tie the start of their astonishing rift to his Palm Beach wedding to Peltz in April 2022. Weeks ahead of the over-the-top affair, which was estimated to have cost upwards of $3 million, Brooklyn claimed his parents “repeatedly pressured and attempted to bribe me into signing away the rights to my name … they were adamant on me signing before my wedding date because then the terms of the deal would be initiated. My holdout affected the payday, and they never treated me the same since.” 

Brooklyn also claimed his mother, Victoria, who rose to fame as Posh in the iconic girl group the Spice Girls and has since become a celebrated fashion designer, “cancelled” making Peltz’s dress “in the eleventh hour … forcing her to urgently find a new dress.” On the day of the wedding, Brooklyn claimed Victoria further “humiliated” the newlyweds by “hijacking” his first dance with Peltz. 

He also accused his father, David, of ignoring a week’s worth of the couple’s attempts to spend “quality time” with the soccer legend to celebrate his 50th birthday last May. “He refused all of our attempts, unless it was at his big birthday party with a hundred guests and cameras at every corner,” Brooklyn wrote. “When he finally agreed to see me, it was under the condition that Nicola wasn’t invited. It was a slap in the face. Later, when my family travelled to LA, they refused to see me at all.” 

“My wife has been consistently disrespected by my family, no matter how hard we’ve tried to come together as one,” Brooklyn added. “My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first. Family ‘love’ is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo opp, even if it’s at the expense of our professional obligations.”

Brooklyn said he’s lived with overwhelming anxiety for a majority of his life, but after “stepping away from my family, that anxiety has disappeared,” saying he has since found “peace and relief.” 

From Rolling Stone US.

The post Brooklyn Beckham Accuses Parents of Trying to ‘Ruin’ His Marriage: ‘I Do Not Want to Reconcile With My Family’ appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

Put away your spandex, hairspray, and red bandanna. The Poison 40th anniversary — which Bret Michaels and others in the band spent years teasing — is no longer happening. Poison drummer Rikki Rockett has been strongly suggesting this was the case for several months, but he recently gave Page Six a very frank assessment of the situation.

“We had a great offer, I thought,” Rockett said. “But we left the table. It didn’t work…Really, what it came to was [guitarist] C.C. [DeVille] and [bass player] Bobby [Dall], and I were all in, and I thought Bret was, but he wanted the lion’s share of the money, to the point where it makes it not possible to even do it. It’s like $6 to every one of our dollars. You just can’t work that way…I don’t do this just for the money. I do have a love for this, absolutely. But at the same time, you don’t want to go out and work really hard just to make somebody else a bunch of money.”

Poison last toured in 2022 when they went out with Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts on a massive stadium tour. When it wrapped, Michaels went back to his solo band. They play a show consisting almost entirely of Poison hits. But in September 2024, Michaels wrote a letter to fans explaining his future plans with Poison.

“In 2026, I’m excited to say it will be Poison’s 40th anniversary since the release of Look What The Cat Dragged In in 1986…so it would make perfect sense to have the possibility of a reunion in 2026,” he wrote. “In my opinion, it would be the perfect 40th Anniversary Tour, with 40 awesome limited dates to go out, play real live hit songs, and rock the world…Again, although none of this is confirmed and it takes much coordination & planning to have a successful tour…good things happen in 4’s for Poison – 4 original band members, 40th anniversary, 40 limited dates, Parti-Gras 4.0 and May The 4’s be with you!”

This seemed relatively definitive, but he was hedging his bets with phrases like “it would make perfect sense,” “in my opinion,” “none of this is confirmed,” and “it takes much coordination.” In other words, he was willing to do it under the right conditions and with the right deal in place. It’s not uncommon for bands to split proceeds in an uneven fashion. But Poison are in the extraordinarily rare position of having a band where every single original member is still in the lineup. That’s great for the fans, but it makes the financial negotiations rather fraught.

Rockett has been unafraid to talk about the impasse with the press, but the others have been noticeably silent, clearly preferring to keep their business negotiations a private matter. It’s also impossible to know the exact money split that Michaels offered the others. Rockett told Page Six, “it’s like $6 to every one of our dollars,” but that “like” could be doing a lot of work, and he might be greatly exaggerating. We simply don’t know.

We do know that the 2026 summer concert calendar is rapidly filling up, and there’s not a single Poison date on it. Michaels, meanwhile, has a string of solo dates on the books. And Rockett doesn’t plan on sitting at home. He’s planning a tour with his band, the Rockett Mafia, that’ll feature a complete performance of Poison’s Look What The Cat Dragged In every night. Judging by all this, a Poison 40th anniversary tour looks extremely unlikely. There’s always the big 50th in 2036. Maybe by that time, they’ll figure out an equitable way to share the money. 

From Rolling Stone US.

The post Poison’s 40th Anniversary Tour Is Off Because They Can’t Agree on the Money Split appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

At the 76th Berlin International Film Festival (running from Feb. 12-22, 2026), while acclaimed German filmmaker Wim Wenders holds the fort as the Jury President, South Korean cinema is sneaking into the Berlinale’s halls with both the confidence of a seasoned auteur and the grit of a rising star. Beyond the mainstream buzz, South Korean directors are spread across the slate, with everything from haunting historical dramas to quirky meta-narratives. Whether it’s filmmaker Hong Sang-soo once again feeling right at home in Berlin or emerging indie voices making waves, here are the Korean films worth checking out at the 2026 Berlinale.

My Name (Chung Ji-young)

Director Chung Ji-young enters the festival’s Forum section, famous for experimental and brave filmmaking, with a movie that’s already being heaped with praises. The winner of the Jeju 4·3 Peace Foundation Scenario Grand Prize, it stars the incredible Yeom Hye-ran as a mother caught in a tug-of-war over her 18-year-old son’s identity while trying to protect his name — and his future. It unfolds against the backdrop of the immensely violent history of the Jeju 4.3 incident in 1948, a communist-led uprising on Jeju Island that was met with extreme government repression and led to mass civilian killings. My Name isn’t your light popcorn flick, but a deeply emotional journey that talks about long-held silences, generational trauma, and finding healing in the wreckage of history.

The Day She Returns (Hong Sangsoo)

It wouldn’t be a Berlinale without the festival’s favorite “prolific auteur,” Hong Sangsoo. Returning to the Panorama section after a string of Silver Bear wins in previous years, Hong brings The Day She Returns. It follows an actress (played by Song Sun-mi) who takes a break from her career after getting married, only to fall right back into the madness of an acting class. The film is part comedy, part existential crisis about the profession itself. It’s meta, funny, and likely going to leave you analyzing your own life choices.

En Route To (Yoo Jae-in)

Marking a bold international debut in the Generation 14plus section, this film doesn’t shy away from the messy parts of life. Yun-ji, a pregnant student, finds herself totally alone after her teacher vanishes. Desperate to pay for an abortion, she makes the heartbreaking decision to steal her roommate’s savings. It’s an unfiltered look at bodily autonomy, social isolation, and the brutal choices young people are forced to make, promising to bring a fresh, slightly uncomfortable, but necessary voice to the Berlinale.

Speedy! (Oh Ji-in)

This Korean short film has secured a spot in the Generation Kplus competition. As the title and section suggest, it’s a quick, punchy, and likely very visual story designed to resonate with younger audiences. Speedy! revolves around a young girl who wants to be the fastest reader, just like the local cool kid in 1989 Seoul, but in trying to be so, she realizes the whole “prodigy” thing is tougher than she thought. The movie’s inclusion in the international premiere lineup suggests it’s got that signature creativity that Korean shorts are famous for.

For the complete 2026 schedule and screening times, visit the Official Berlinale Program here.

The post RSI Recommends: Must-Watch Korean Films at the Berlin International Film Festival 2026 appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

On Jan. 16, 2026, rock band Human Bondage returned to the stage, but funnily enough, as a tribute act to themselves.

Call it marketing or just a careful reverence for their legacy. Still, longtime members are now back, performing with Mumbai act Rajeev Raja Combine as part of a three-city tour that kicked off in Bengaluru and will travel to Goa (Jan. 22 at Cohiba, Jan. 24 at Take 5, Jan. 25 at Chitra Museum) and Mumbai (Feb. 8 at Antisocial).  

Henry Babu Joseph (vocals and guitars) joins on all shows, while Ramesh Shotham (drums and percussion) has performed at two of the three Bengaluru dates. Meanwhile, Radha Thomas, although now known as a jazz vocalist, returns to rock and roll for a special show with Joseph and Shotham as part of BLR Hubba’s Kantha Festival on Jan. 19, 2026, at ADA Ranga Mandira in Bengaluru.

Shotham — who shuttles between Germany and India — points out that it was Babu and Rajeev Raja who first got in touch about putting the shows together. Barcelona-based Babu adds that talks began when Rajeev Raja Combine’s guitarist Paul Santiago and he were recording virtually. “We recorded some bossa novas and Spanish boleros. The recordings were not very satisfactory, so Paul suggested going to Bombay and doing it at Rajeev’s studio. Rajeev agreed to do that and came up with the idea of doing some concerts in Bombay as well as a tribute to Human Bondage,” Babu recalls.

The tour plan matched with Shotham’s India travels as well as Human Bondage’s keyboardist Fred Manrics, although the latter had to drop out due to health issues. The artists are backed by Rajeev Raja Combine’s eponymous flautist, Santiago, and Hitesh Dhutia on guitars, drummer Adrian D’Souza, and bassist John ‘JD’ Thirumalai. “I know Rajeev from Bangalore and have been following his musical journey. I put a setlist together and Radha added her songs to it. Our rehearsals with Rajeev’s band have been smooth and a lot of fun. They are a tight band and have been very enthusiastic,” Babu adds.

Raja, who grew up in Bengaluru and looked to Babu as a mentor, particularly during his shift from playing Carnatic flute to a more “Western key,” says the tour also came together with help from sponsors BLR Airport, Paul John Visitor Centre in Goa, and Air India Express as Travel Partner.

Thomas, for her part, is returning to perform rock songs for the first time since the Seventies. She recounts, “The very first time I sang with HB was, I think, 1973. Honestly, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. I idolized them and couldn’t believe they let me sing. But that’s a long time ago… We haven’t all gotten together in, I guess, 50 years, so this quasi-reunion is half a century later.”

Among the earliest rock to emerge from Bengaluru (then known as just Bangalore), Human Bondage included members Babu, Thomas, Shotham, along with his brother Suresh on guitars, keyboardist Steve Law, Manrics, Xerxes Gobhai (who passed away in 2023) and Vinty Bunyan on bass, all managed by Gasper D’Souza from 1970 to 1976.  Their setlist today, like back then, heavily leans into rock, ranging from Fleetwood Mac and Janis Joplin to extended jams.

Although there was a brief and private jam-led reunion in Goa in 2013, Babu says the last time Human Bondage played together was at the Blow Up disco at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai (then Bombay) in the Seventies.

Back then, touring was not nearly as easy as it is today, Babu says. “We traveled by train and carted all our equipment, but we had long contracts to play in hotels. Now things are a lot better; most venues have their own equipment and sound engineers. It’s very professional,” he explains. Shotham adds, “We had to improvise with standard situations like travel, rehearsal spaces, equipment, etc. Now things have changed, and things have become much more professional for bands on the road.”

What they’re happy about is that live music has only grown in the decades since, and “the standard of musicianship is very high,” as Babu observes. “There are rock music schools and good equipment is available now compared to our times,” he adds.

Shotham, who recently released his new album Weirdly In Time, says he’s been coming to India often over the years to interact with artists out here. “I’ve been impressed with the quality of music and equipment here,” the drummer adds.

Thomas, too, has been a regular in the Bengaluru and Indian jazz circuit for decades now, releasing albums on the regular and performing with pianist-composer Aman Mahajan. While she’s excited to perform with the Rajeev Raja Combine as well, she admits she’s “quite nervous to sing rock and roll again.” She adds, “It requires a different energy and feeling than jazz, which is what I’ve been up to… and I hope I can do it justice. But it is great fun. I’m enjoying it.”

Raja adds, “It’s been an amazing journey so far. The musicians in my band are enjoying re-creating the sound of Human Bondage, and we’re having a blast on and off the stage.”

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John Mayer delivered an emotional rendition of “Ripple” as well as a heartfelt eulogy for the late Bob Weir at a public memorial for the Grateful Dead guitarist on Saturday in San Francisco.

Taking the stage at the Civic Center Plaza celebration in front of thousands of Dead Heads, Mayer opened his eulogy by noting that he and Weir, his friend and Dead & Company band mate, were born on the same day (October 16) 30 years apart (1947 and 1977).

“In the 30 years that preceded me, Bob had become a countercultural icon. I was a child of the 1980s. I come from a world of structural thinking, the concept, the theorizing, the reassessing, the perfecting,” Mayer said. “Bob learned early on that spirit, heart, soul, curiosity, and fearlessness was the path to glory. We both found success with each of our templates, and then we found each other.”

Mayer then talked about joining Dead & Company, and how that gig turned into a friendship with the Weir family.

“Over the course of a decade, we came to trust each other,” Mayer said of Weir. “He taught me, among many other things, to trust in the moment, and I’d like to think I taught him a little bit to rely on a plan, not as a substitute for the divine moments, but as a way to lure them in a little closer. I guess maybe what I was really doing was showing him he could rely on me. Bob took a chance on me. He staked his entire reputation on my joining a band with him. He gave me musical community, he gave me this community.” Mayer then broke into tears as the Deadheads saluted him.

“He lent me his songbook, invited me into the worlds he’d constructed, and taught me what the songs meant and what it meant to perform them,” Mayer continued. “In return, I gave him everything I had night after night, year after year.”

Mayer closed out his eulogy by saying, “There are a lot of Grateful Dead lyrics that give comfort at a time like this, but the line I find myself thinking about the most is from a Leon Russell song called ‘A Song for You.’ I’d like to think I can hear Bobby saying these words to us all this afternoon: ‘But now I’m so much better, so if my words don’t come together, listen to the melody because my love is in there hiding.’ And so we will all keep listening together.”

Mayer was then joined onstage by Weir’s friends, family, and band mates — including the Dead’s Mickey Hart, Dead & Company’s Jeff Chimenti and Oteil Burbridge, and more — for the memorial-closing rendition of the American Beauty classic “Ripple,” a song seldom-performed live (by their standards) by the Grateful Dead but a perfect send-off for the event:

From Rolling Stone US.

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After years of delays and false starts, A$AP Rocky’s fourth studio album, Don’t Be Dumb, finally arrived. It’s the first major hip-hop domino of 2026, positioning him for a year likely filled with high-profile appearances, collaborations, and headline-making moments.

Once critiqued for sporadic releases despite being viewed as one of New York City and hip-hop’s prized talents, Rocky now presents a project that finds him seasoned and at ease, both personally and musically.

The album — featuring contributions from BossMan Dlow, Brent Faiyaz, Danny Elfman, Doechii, Gorillaz, Jon Batiste, Jessica Pratt, Slay Squad, Thundercat, Tyler, the Creator, Westside Gunn, and Will.i.am — balances cocky boasts and one-liners with introspection on love, fatherhood, and personal growth.

If you ask us, Don’t Be Dumb is a long-awaited, bold statement from Rocky that cements his status as a central figure in hip-hop.

In celebration of his return, VIBE highlights and ranks the best songs from the album that will stand the test of time.

7. “Robbery” Feat. Doechii

“Robbery” finds A$AP Rocky and Doechii pulling off a slick, sensuous heist atop production by Loukeman. Rocky leans into his fashion-forward bravado, firing off witty couplets that blur the lines between luxury, desire, and dominance with ease.

Doechii proves to be the perfect accomplice, delivering a standout performance that’s arguably the album’s most dynamic guest spot. Her sharp presence and playful confidence heighten the song’s tension, pushing it beyond a traditional collaboration.

Mixing sexual innuendo with clever wordplay, the pairing feels natural and electric, making “Robbery” an easy recommendation and a track that’s well worth revisiting.

6. “Whiskey (Release Me)”

“Whiskey (Release Me)” emerges as one of the more intoxicating selections on the album. It operates as a conceptual cut, centered on his complicated love affair with his chosen spirit.

Produced by T-Minus, Digital Nas, Zach Fogarty, and Rocky himself, the song sways with a hazy, late-night atmosphere that mirrors its subject matter. Rocky weaves boasts about influence and legacy with reflective bars that read like a breakup letter to a vice he can’t quite quit.

Westside Gunn’s ad-libs add texture, while Damon Albarn’s additional vocals lend a ghostly edge. Definitely the perfect soundtrack to pour a round of Mercer + Prince to.

5. “Stay Here 4 Life” Feat. Brent Faiyaz

“Stay Here 4 Life” stands out as a catchy and immersive addition to A$AP Rocky’s Don’t Be Dumb.

Produced by Hit-Boy, Brent Faiyaz, and Loukeman, the song glides over a hypnotic instrumental that gives Rocky space to explore the obsessive bond he shares with Rihanna, offering listeners a glimpse into moments of intimacy without oversharing.

His line about a “fairytale with a happy ending” captures the romantic tone cleanly. Brent Faiyaz adds another layer of allure, with his feathery tenor floating across the hook and bridge as he croons, “I wish that I could stay here.”

Together, the collaboration delivers a smooth, memorable record that’s already caught traction among listeners and become an instant favorite from A$AP’s latest long player.

4. “Helicopters”

“Helicopters” landed as the final gauntlet thrown before Don’t Be Dumb‘s arrival, and it finds A$AP Rocky firing on all cylinders.

Produced by Rocky alongside Kelvin Krash, Soufien 3000, and Dre Moon, the single captures Pretty Flacko at his sharpest, talking greasy over a rollicking, high-adrenaline soundscape.

Rocky sounds fully locked in, especially when he raps, “When tennis shoes had the check or three stripes on the side/ Way before Puma cut the check, yeah, three strikes, that’s your life/ Niggas runnin’ out of sweat.”

Pretty Flacko goes Peter Parker on “Helicopters,” a raucous offering that balances bravado with precision while paying homage to feuding Harlem predecessors Jim Jones and Cam’ron. If you were yearning for vintage A$AP Mob vibes from Rocky, this song delivers.

3. “Punk Rocky”

“Punk Rocky” finds A$AP Rocky confidently merging punk rock rawness with uptown swagger, resulting in a genre-blending salvo that feels natural rather than performative.

Produced by Cristoforo Donadi, Ging, Zach Fogarty, and Rocky himself, the track thrashes forward while leaving room for introspection. The usually cocksure lyricist exposes moments of vulnerability, admitting isolation and mistrust before pivoting into defiant self-questioning about love and regret.

Confiding in his Styrofoam cup, Rocky turns emotional turbulence into a clever anthem for lovelorn nights. On first listen, the song lands as a standout experiment—bold, emotionally grounded, and proof that his stylistic detours still feel rooted in authenticity.

2. “Playa”

“Playa” arrives as a syrupy groove and one of the week’s stronger releases from A$AP Rocky’s Don’t Be Dumb.

Produced by Cardo Got Wings, Johnny Juliano, Yung Exclusive, and Loukeman, the track feels like a sonic continuation of “Stay Here 4 Life,” but with a sharper thematic turn. The tempo is dialed up as tumbling 808s and glossy synths push Rocky back into braggadocious form.

His drawls about untouchable player codes and high-fashion nostalgia, scoffing at informants and haters along the way. Lines framing responsibility as true “player” behavior add bite, reading like a subtle jab aimed at a former ally.

1. “Stole Ya Flow”

“Stole Ya Flow” is a vicious diss track that positions A$AP Rocky at his most confrontational, aiming squarely at Drake with a barrage of calculated jabs that probe Drake’s alleged insecurities and public missteps.

Arguably the premier offering on Don’t Be Dumb, the song frames Rocky in a brazen yet noticeably unbothered state of mind, reflecting confidence rooted in both career longevity and personal stability.

Produced by Danny Elfman, ICYTWAT, and Kelvin Krash, the record’s menacing tone heightens its impact as Rocky escalates tensions beyond his earlier remarks on “Highjack.”

Lines like, “First you stole my flow, so I stole yo’ bi**h,” cut sharply, while mockery of Drake’s delivery and image — down to mimicking his “I’m Upset” cadence — only adds insult to injury.

This story was originally published on VIBE.

From Rolling Stone US.

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Two guitar greats, Slash and Joe Bonamassa, teamed up Thursday night for a bluesy jam session as part of the Soho Sessions. Video from the night shows the two busting out a rendition of Bobby Bland’s 1957 classic “Farther Up the Road.”

Slash takes the first lead, playing a creamy solo full of vibrato, a few pick squeals, and some impressively funky turnarounds. After a short breather, he kicks things up with a second go-around that charges forward in a higher register. While some notes sing, others grind, making for an impressive lead.

Larry Campbell then takes a turn, leaning into the rhythm to give his playing some extra swing, paving the way for keyboardist Eric Finland to fire off arrays of pentatonics. After a vocal break, the jam ends with Bonamassa playing his own lyrical solo, summarizing everything that came before it with deft, dexterous blues playing. Bassist Andy Hess and drummer Shawn Pelton anchored the jam.

The gig, an invite-only affair, was well attended. Michael J. Fox, Gina Gershon, Steve Guttenberg, Susie Essman, Hank Azaria, Don Lemon, Van Jones, and Bobby Flay were all in the audience. The event raised funds for Keeping the Blues Alive, a nonprofit organization whose aim is to keep music education in schools.

Slash told Rolling Stone about how he fell back in love with the blues in 2024, as he prepped to release a new album, Orgy of the Damned. “With the blues, you just get together and play and you don’t have the pressure of being a ‘super this’ or fucking ‘Grammy-winning that’ — you’re just jamming and having a good time,” he said. “That’s something that I really relate to in music, and sometimes it can get away from you. So having this has opened up the idea that I can do that all the time.”

From Rolling Stone US.

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Roger Waters reaffirmed the comments he made about Ozzy Osbourne following the singer’s death, insensitive remarks that drew criticism from Osbourne’s own family.

Following Osbourne’s death last summer, Waters said in an interview with the Independent Ink podcast, “Ozzy Osbourne, who just died, bless him in his whatever state that he was in his whole life. We’ll never know. The music, I have no idea. I couldn’t give a fuck.” Waters then added, “I don’t care about Black Sabbath, I never did. Have no interest in biting the heads of chickens or whatever they do. I couldn’t care less, you know.”

Those remarks drew the ire of the Osbourne family, with Jack Osbourne writing on social media, “Hey Roger Waters, fuck you. How pathetic and out of touch you’ve become. The only way you seem to get attention these days is by vomiting out bullshit in the press. My father always thought you were a cunt. Thanks for proving him right.” 

(The Osbourne family also briefly released a shirt mocking Waters; “Another Prick in the Wall,” the shirt read next to an image of Osbourne urinating on Waters’ The Wall: Live in Berlin album.)

In a new interview with Piers Morgan, Waters was asked about his Osbourne remarks, and whether he regretted the unempathetic timing in which he said them. 

“Those comments, I’m not denying that I said them, came in the middle of a long interview,” Waters admitted before doubling-down, “Do I have to like every rock group that ever was or people who bite the heads off bats?”

Asked whether he would apologize to Sharon Osbourne during the Morgan interview, Waters said frankly he would not. “I obviously had no idea that Sharon Osbourne would be watching a podcast,” Waters said. “Not that I have any time for Sharon Osbourne, she’s a raging Zionist… and she’s accused me of all kinds of things… because she’s part of the Israeli lobby.”

As for the rest of Osbourne’s family, Waters said, “Listen Jack… if he wants to have a chat, I’ll have a chat with him. And I won’t be nasty to him.”

From Rolling Stone US.

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