SHOWBUZZ: Bieber and Hailey cancel wedding

Pop singer Justin Bieber and his fiancée, model Hailey Baldwin, have reportedly postponed their wedding for the third time.

The two were set to wed on March 1 this year, on Bieber’s birthday. However, they were forced to postpone the ceremony after several of their dearest ones confirmed that they wouldn’t make it on that date.

According to TMZ, about 300 guests who had already received invitation cards were informed last week that the wedding is being reschedule to a different date that they will be informed of in due course.

The couple tied the knot in a non-religious ceremony last September but didn’t confirm the news until two months later.

MDQ a 2019 TED Fellow

Female rapper and cultural maverick Muthoni the Drummer Queen (MDQ) has been selected as a TED Fellow 2019, for her work in developing the cultural landscape in East Africa through her barrier-breaking, genre bending music, as well as her game-changing Africanised music festivals Blankets & Wine and Africa Nouveau.

MDQ joins a class of 20 change-makers from around the world set to deliver a talk on the TED stage this April in Vancouver.

An excited MDQ said the opportunity means so much to her, as it’s a clear indication that the world takes note of what is happening in the Kenyan music industry.

“Being on the global TED platform will help me amplify this position as well as the political undertones to creators, investors, industry players, leadership the general population of Kenya, and Africa at large,” said the “Suzie Noma” hit maker.

Founded in 2009, the TED Fellows programme has 472 Fellows from 96 countries, whose talks have been viewed more than 250 million times overall. In its ten-year history, the TED Fellows programme has created a powerful, far-reaching network made up of scientists, doctors, activists, artists, entrepreneurs, inventors, journalists and beyond.

Avril: I just wanted time with my baby

Singer Avril has finally revealed why she turned down Naiboi’s request to feature in his “2 In 1” hit song video by disclosing that she didn’t “just want to work with him”. Avril was forced to respond after appearing on Otile Brown’s recently released song “Kenyan Girl”.

In a recent radio interview, the sassy lass said she found Naiboi’s request to be in bad taste as it came at a time she had just given birth and was trying to adjust to the new life of being a mother.

“It’s sad that a couple of men and, unfortunately, some women wouldn’t understand that once a woman gives birth she needs some time to herself and her child, away from work. I was in that state at that time. I found his comments to be in bad taste so I just chose to block his negativity and not respond,” Avril explained.

After the release of the song, Naiboi appeared in several interviews where he blasted Avril and Victoria Kimani for snubbing him when he requested them to feature on the song.

Naiboi claimed he sent his request to Avril on WhatsApp and the response he received was blue ticks.

Sorry, I'm not sorry: DJ Pinye

Legendary retired DJ Pinye last week celebrated his 48th birthday by apologising to all the local musicians who feel he derailed their careers. Last month DJ Pinye made headlines when he was quoted on NRG radio saying that he cannot play mediocre music.

He noted that back then he wouldn’t have played music from the likes of rappers Khaligraph Jones and DNA, and that hit songs like "Lamba lolo" or "New Position" by Ethic Crew would never make a cut on his playlist.

A number of artistes came out to blast him for being self-centred and never supportive when they were upcoming. Celebrating his birthday, DJ Pinye took time to offer his apologies to all the artistes who feel he let them down.

“On my birthdays, I usually reflect on a lot of things about my life. Today, I am thinking about my impact. My impact on other people’s lives, specifically those in the music industry. One thing is clear, I am aware of my influence. I apologise to those who feel I played a part in derailing their music career. But I am not apologetic for the values and standards I uphold for our music industry. It’s my birthday,” he posted on social media.

Artistes reject move on royalties

A sectionof local musicians led by gospel singer Rufftone and rapper Nonini rejected the move by Kenya Classification Board (Kecobo) to license three Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) — Performers Rights Society of Kenya (PRISK), Kenya Association of Music Producers (KAMP) and Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) to collect royalties on behalf of the artistes.

In a statement, the musicians faulted Kecobo boss Edward Sigei’s decision which they said went against Sports, Arts and Culture Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa’s directives.

The artistes stated that they had reached out to CS Echesa to understand how Sigei managed to issue the licenses to the three CMOs while there were concerns raised on royalty collection yet to be solved.

“The CS informed us that Kecobo CEO went against his directive not to issue any communication on licenses or the licenses before outstanding conditions that denied MCSK a license in 2017 were re-solved, and all stakeholders are on one page with a lasting solution to the problems that have existed in the whole business of royalty collections” the artistes lamented.