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BREAKING: ”Queen of rock ‘n’ roll’ Tina Turner dies at 83″

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American-born singer Tina Turner, who left a hardscrabble farming community and abusive relationship to become one of the top recording artists of all time, died on Wednesday at the age of 83.

She died peacefully after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, her representative said.

In the 1950s Turner began her career during the early years of rock and roll and evolved into an MTV phenomenon.

In the video for her chart-topping song “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” in which she called love a “second-hand emotion,” Turner epitomized 1980s style as she strutted through New York City streets with her spiky blond hair, wearing a cropped jean jacket, mini skirt, and stiletto heels.

With her taste for musical experimentation and bluntly-worded ballads, Turner gelled perfectly with a 1980s pop landscape in which music fans valued electronically-produced sounds and scorned hippie-era idealism.

Sometimes nicknamed the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Turner won six of her eight Grammy Awards in the 1980s. The decade saw her land a dozen songs on the Top 40, including “Typical Male,” “The Best,” “Private Dancer” and “Better Be Good to Me.” Her 1988 show in Rio de Janeiro drew 180,000 people, which remains one of the largest concert audiences for any single performer.

By then, Turner had been free from her marriage to guitarist Ike Turner for a decade.

The superstar was forthcoming about the abuse she suffered from her former husband during their marital and musical partnership in the 1960s and 1970s. She described bruised eyes, busted lips, a broken jaw and other injuries that repeatedly sent her to the emergency room.

“Tina’s story is not one of victimhood but one of incredible triumph,” singer Janet Jackson wrote about Turner, in a Rolling Stone issue that placed Turner at No. 63 on a list of the top 100 artists of all time.

“She’s transformed herself into an international sensation – an elegant powerhouse,” Jackson said.

In 1985, Turner gave a fictional turn to her reputation as a survivor. She played the ruthless leader of an outpost in a nuclear wasteland, acting opposite Mel Gibson in the third instalment in the Mad Max franchise, “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.”

Most of Turner’s hit songs were written by others, but she enlivened them with a voice that New York Times music critic Jon Pareles called “one of the more peculiar instruments in pop.”

“It’s three-tiered, with a nasal low register, a yowling, cutting middle range and a high register so startlingly clear it sounds like a falsetto,” Pareles wrote in a 1987 concert review.

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Regina Daniels Declares Family Crisis, Calls Ned Nwoko Ex-Husband, Vows to Fight for Her Children [VIDEO]

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Nollywood actress Regina Daniels has finally explained the crisis rocking her marriage with Senator Ned Nwoko.

In a lengthy video she posted on her official Instagram page, the actress confirmed that her family is currently in a turmoil.

Daniels, who referred to Ned as her ex-husband, also vowed to fight for her children, stating that she is capable of training them even without Ned’s support.

She said, “My family is actually in turmoil, it’s crazy but we will definitely come out of it. What gave me the courage to do this video is seeing how my family and everyone is fighting for me. My brother, mum and my sisters, everybody is fighting.

“My brother started a petition and in hours, there were a lot of people signing the petition.

“I’m going to fight for my children Ned, I tried to be calm, I tried to let go but I will fight and take them. I will train them with or without your support. You know that my ex-husband”.

Watch video on Facebook

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Why I don’t make political music – Angelique Kidjo

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Renowned Beninese singer and Grammy Award winner Angelique Kidjo has cautioned musicians against using their art to glorify politicians or political parties.

Speaking on a recent episode of the Female Poets Society podcast, Kidjo explained that she deliberately avoids making music for politicians because political power is temporary. She warned that artists who tie their relevance to political figures risk fading away once those in power leave office.

“My father always used to say to us, especially to me as a singer, do not write music for any political party because they come and they go, and once they’re gone, you go with it,” she recalled.

Kidjo urged her fellow artists to remain independent and use their music to represent the people, not political interests.

“Write your music with your opinions, be free writing your music. Don’t be sold to somebody because therefore, you don’t become the voice of the people anymore, you become the voice of the power. And when that power shifts, you’re off the window,” she said.

The celebrated singer emphasized that musicians should use their platforms to speak truth to power and reflect the struggles and hopes of ordinary people.

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Why I almost quit music after Mo’Hits ended -Don Jazzy

In an interview with ‘Rolling Stone’, Don Jazzy disclosed that the abrupt dissolution of Mo’Hits, triggered by irreconcilable differences between him and D’banj, left him convinced his career was over.

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Producer and music executive Michael Collins Ajereh popularly known as Don Jazzy has revealed why he nearly abandoned the music industry and relocated abroad following the 2012 collapse of Mo’Hits Records, the label he co-founded with singer D’banj.

In an interview with ‘Rolling Stone’, Don Jazzy disclosed that the abrupt dissolution of Mo’Hits, triggered by irreconcilable differences between him and D’banj, left him convinced his career was over.

“When Mo’Hits ended, I thought that was it. I almost packed up to move abroad. But friends encouraged me to stay and start again, and Mavin Records was born. Since then, I’ve learned not to let anything break me”, he said.

The split marked the end of one of Afrobeats’ most successful partnerships, which had produced hits like “Tongolo,” “Why Me,” and “Fall in Love.”

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