Trendy Artists of the Week: Boz Scaggs, Les Dudek, James Blunt, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, BAD HOP, Justin Timberlake

Les Dudek Talks Collaboration with Boz Scaggs in Interview

American Southern rock and blues singer-guitarist Les Dudek, formerly of the Steve Miller Band, has recently talked to the music site Hit Channel. In the interview, he was also asked about his collaborations with another music great, Boz Scaggs. Scaggs is also a Steve Miller Band alum, who, just like Dudek, has had considerable success after going solo.

However, that mention was brief and very specific: Dudek was asked about the 1976 song ‘Silk Degrees” by Scaggs, on which he played the slide guitar, a typical instrument used in the blues genre. His answer was rather unremarkable, saying: "I had worked with Boz for about five years. When they decided they needed a slide guitar on that song, they invited me to play it". However, Boz Scaggs has received a lot of traction on our site lately, so we included it in our article.

James Blunt Turns 50

James Blunt melted a lot of teenage girls’ hearts with his 2004 classic “You’re Beautiful" back in the day. However, time is passing for everyone, even pop stars - the British singer just turned 50 on February 22nd (sharing a birthday with the first US President George Washington). He is still active in the music scene as well: his latest album, titled “Who We Used to Be”, came out just a few months ago, in October 2023.

Speculations of Olivia Rodrigo-Taylor Swift Rivalry Ensue

Taylor Swift is the person to catch in the American music industry these days - she has been dominating sales for a couple for years now. Naturally, someone in her position is bound to spawn some envious foes - however, could one of them be fellow pop superstar Olivia Rodriogo, who had described Taylor as the biggest early inspiration for her music in the past?

The alleged bad blood comes from Rodrigo “interpolating” (meaning re-record a part of a song, then sample it in your own) some of Swift’s old songs, for which she only got credited retroactively on her album. After the incident, Rodrigo has stated in public that she’s “frustrated” with the comparisons to Swift.

However, if you take Olivia Rodrigo’s word for it, the two pop stars are all good now - she said in an interview at the 2024 Grammys that “I don’t beef with anyone”. To further elucidate that point, she even performed a duet with Swift at the award show.

BAD HOP Dismantles After Sold Out Show in Tokyo

We have some bad news for Japanese hip hop fans: the hip hop collective BAD HOP, going strong since 2014, has announced its break-up. At least the eight-member rap group bid farewell to their collective fans in style: at a sold-out show at the Tokyo Dome in February 2024, in front of 50,000 people.

Justin Timberlake Releases New Single “Drown”

Justin Timberlake’s music or acting career is not where it used to be these days. However, the pop superstar of the early 2000’s is still active in the studio. He just put a brand new single with the title “Drown”. Take a listen below, and judge for yourself if you think JT’s still got it.