The artist, who just a month ago released his fifth album whose new maturity and introspection won him once-elusive critical acclaim, was found unresponsive at his Los Angeles home by emergency personnel who pronounced him dead, the coroner’s office said.

His family confirmed his death in a statement, calling the rapper born as Malcolm McCormick “a bright light in this world for his family, friends and fans.”

Neither side revealed his cause of death, but the celebrity news site TMZ, which first reported the death, cited unnamed sources as saying he had overdosed on drugs.

Miller’s death comes several months after he ended a high-profile, two-year relationship with pop superstar Grande, who was often seen as the inspiration for his songs.

She guest-starred on his 2016 album “The Divine Feminine,” and a year later Miller — sporting his signature baseball cap above his tattooed neck — welcomed Grande on the airport tarmac when she returned to the United States following the deadly attack on her concert in Manchester.

In May, shortly after their breakup, Miller crashed his car and was charged with driving under the influence.

Grande at the time wrote on social media that she had long tried to help Miller become sober but described their relationship as “toxic” and said, “I am not a babysitter or a mother and no woman should feel that they need to be.”

Grande, who quickly became engaged to comedian Pete Davidson after splitting with Miller, did not immediately comment on the rapper’s death but blocked comments on her Instagram page after a slew of critical remarks.

Open about struggles

Miller has been open about his trouble with substance abuse including an addiction to powerful cough syrup — known on the street as purple drank.

He addressed both his drug use and his fragile emotional state on his latest album, “Swimming,” and said he was improving.

He told Rolling Stone when the album came out: “Have I done drugs? Yeah. But am I a drug addict? No.”

In an interview published just days before his death, Miller told New York magazine he was trying to tame his negative emotions.

“I don’t want to be depressed. I want to be able to have good days and bad days,” he said.

Born in Pittsburgh, the rapper first found fame releasing music online as a teenager, choosing a minimalist style with heavy beats that harked back to early hip-hop.

His delivery was uber-masculine, with hard-spit lyrics that often graphically described sexual encounters. On his debut album “Blue Slide Park,” which went to number one on the US sales chart, he introduced himself: “I ain’t no hipster / But girl I can make your hips stir.”

But Miller gradually tried to evolve from his frat-boy image. His later work incorporated jazz elements and he was set to tour later this year with Thundercat, the wide-ranging bassist whose music has gone from experimental hip-hop to thrash metal.

– Feud with pre-White House Trump –

In 2011, Miller wrote a song about becoming fabulously wealthy and, seeking a metaphor, entitled the song “Donald Trump.”

The future president was flattered by the song, although he described the lyrics as “a little hard to understand.” Trump hailed Miller as “the new Eminem” — the most famous white rapper.

After Trump’s surprise political ascent, Miller reversed the message of the song and would vociferously denounce the mogul in concert. Trump in turn changed his mind about the song and said he deserved to be paid royalties.

Tributes to Miller came from rappers including Wiz Khalifa, a fellow Pittsburgh artist who took Miller under his wing. Khalifa tweeted, “Praying for Mac’s family and that he rest easy.”

Chance the Rapper credited Miller with helping him early in his career and called him “one of the sweetest guys I ever knew.”

He pictures himself going to the seashore to contemplate lost love, only to find Tul Waitoonkiat of Apartment Khunpa there rapping. Check out the “ilikeplayground” and “MeRecordslabel” pages on Facebook.

Not what he seems

Singer and TV reality star Norwood Young will be “Getting Back to My Me” at Chatrium Residence Riverside’s Culture Collective Studio on Charoenkrung Road Soi 70 in Bangkok on September 15.

He wants to tell you about a young man who lived a lavish lifestyle as a successful recording artist, owned a nightclub, starred on TV and chummed with Hollywood stars. And yet his life was filled with pain, guilt, shame and self-mutilation (through plastic surgery).

The stage show is written and directed by Loni Berry. Seats go for Bt1,000 at http://www.CultureCollective.com. Learn more at (089) 876 5400 or info@culturecollective.com.

It’s Be, Ben, Boy and Bow

The Four Bs – Peerapat “Be” Tenwong, Chalatit “Ben” Tantiwut, Anuwat “Boy Peacemaker” Sanguansakpakdee and Sunita “Bow” Leetikul – will perform “The Playlist Concert by Nueng Jakkawal” at Bitec in Bang Na on November 30.

Audience members will be able to share their favourite song on a playlist for Nueng to rearrange. Seats cost Bt1,500 to Bt4,500 at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com and (02) 262 3456.

Haunted mushrooms!

Fungjai is back for the sixth “Hed Sod” concert – so named because of all the indie bands springing up like mushrooms. This one’s at Voice Space on Bangkok’s Vibhavadi Road tomorrow and is all about ghosts. Phum Viphurit will croon his new single “Lover Boy” and Boyjozz will play jazzfunk, Inspirative post-rock, Telex Telexs synth pop, Retrospect heavy metal and Monotone pop love song.

Seats cost Bt800 and Bt1,200 at http://www.Ticketmelon.com. Have a look at http://www.Facebook.com/hellofungjai.

Leading conductor Zubin Mehta makes a welcome return to Thailand this month, taking part in the 20th anniversary celebrations of Bangkok’s International Festival of Dance & Music. He will wield the baton for the opera “Carmen” on Wednesday night and again on September 14 by the San Carlo Opera House from Naples, as well as two symphony concerts by the San Carlo Orchestra: An Evening with Beethoven on Thursday, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies on September 15.

Zubin Mehta was just 15 when he first conducted a rehearsal for a concert by the Bombay Symphony Orchestra to the backing track of his father Mehli Mehta, the founder of the orchestra yelling instructions at him. Terrified, he followed instructions and led the orchestra. The orchestra was practising for a concert with Yehudi Menuhin and while Mehli played Menuhin’s solo part on the violin, Zubin substituted at the podium.

Today, that terrified teenager is the most sought after conductor in the world with a career that has seen him heading some of the western world’s leading orchestras.

Now in his 80s, the maestro is planning on easing up on his punishing performance schedule and these four performances might well be the last time Bangkok, or for that matter Asia, gets to see him.

Eight years from that fateful day on the podium in Bombay, he had transformed from a terrified student to a conductor of heft – he was appointed Principal Conductor and Music Director of the Montreal Philharmonic and a year later Music Director of Los Angeles Philharmonic, a post he retained until 1978.

In between, he abandoned a career in medicine to attend the Academy of Music in Vienna. Seven years later, he conducted both the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics. Of his Vienna sojourn he said, “Vienna taught me my whole concept of music sound, it taught me classical music.” Ever faithful to the city, the conductor has returned every year since 1961 to conduct. And in 2009, he took the Vienna Philharmonic to Mumbai.

In 1978, Mehta took over as music director of the New York Philharmonic a tenure that was to last an astonishing 13 years. In 1985, Italy beckoned: he was appointed chief conductor of the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence; a position he retained until last year.

For Mehta, an attribute a conductor must possess is knowledge. In his biography “Conducting – A Labour of Love”, he declares this to be knowledge of at least 400 years of the various styles of music he is conducting; knowledge of musical forms, knowledge of the orchestra as an instrument. He must also possess the skill of communicating his knowledge to the musicians standing before him. The art of conducting for him is about inspiring, but not without necessary discipline. However, he sees the image of a conductor as a dictator as false. Those days he says are over, “I will always be available to my musicians for a talk”.

Perhaps why musicians flock to him. In 2016, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples appointed the charismatic conductor as its Honorary Music Director, writing another chapter in the theatre’s long history. Through the centuries of its existence Teatro di San Carlo, the guardian of Neapolitan tradition, has associated itself with leading musicians, conductors, singers and directors, among them Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Placido Domingo,  Jose Carreras, Niccolo Paganini, Mstislav Rostropovica, Sviatoslav Richter, and Yo-Yo Ma.

In line with that tradition, the opera house brings to Bangkok the leading opera singers in the world today.

Georges Bizet’s fouract “Carmen” stars tenor Saimir Pirgu as Don Jose, mezzo soprano Veronica Simeoni as Carmen, baritone Vito Priante as Escamillo, baritone Enrico Maria Marabelli as Morales, Soprano Federica Lombardi as Micaela, baritone Fabio Previati as Doncairo.

The San Carlo Orchestra, under Zubin Mehta’s direction will take on Beethoven on September 13 (Leonore Overture No 3; Symphony No 9 with chorus and singers), and on September 15 Tchaikovsky (Symphony No 4; Symphony No 6).

He conducts from memory and is famous for his “visually arresting style”. As he says, “It all comes from the music. I do as it demands”.

The festival is made possible with the support of Crown Property Bureau, Bangkok Bank (PCL), Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (PCL), BMW Thailand, B Grimm Group, Dusit Thani Bangkok, Indorama Ventures, Ministry of Culture, Nation Group, Major Cineplex, PTT (PCL), Singha Corporation, Thai Union Group, Thai Airways International, Tourism Authority of Thailand, and True Corporation PCL.

BOOK NOW

– Tickets are now on sale at Thai Ticket Major counters, online at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com, and by calling the hotline at (02) 262 3191.

– The venue is at Main Hall, Thailand Cultural Centre, Bangkok

– For more information, visit http://www.BangkokFestivals.com.

Boombox Cartel, one of the most anticipated new duos on the electronic scene with an interesting low-end, genre-blending sound, features Mexican-born producer and DJs Americo Garcia and Jorge Medina, who rose to fame two years ago with their release “B2U”.

Their tracks are played all over the world by the likes of RL Grime, Diplo, Skrillex, DJ Snake and their global tour has included sold out performances in the US, Canada, Australia, and Asia.

Cash Cash, an American electronic trio from New Jersey, features brothers Jean Paul and Alex Makhlouf, and Samuel Frisch. Their highest-charting song to date is “Take Me Home”, which features vocals by Bebe Rexha. As of 2016, the trio has released four full-length albums, an array of EPs, singles, and provided official remixes for acts such as Krewella, Capital Cities, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Showtek, and Icona Pop.

Based on their single “Gud Vibrations”, best friends NGHTMRE and SLANDER decided to build their Gud Vibrations brand together. After two sold-out Palladium shows and a 34-city tour across North America, Gud Vibrations has been growing exponentially and internationally.

The Him is a Dutch DJ duo and electronic music production team consisting of Jeroen Kerstens and Steven Berghuijs, whose offer a crossover between indie, electro, nu disco and pop. Earlier this year, the duo released a remix of the Avicii song, “Without You” which features Sandro Cavazza, and collaborated with Dutch DJ Jay Hardway to release the song “Jigsaw”.

Japanese-born, California-raised, Kaku boasts musical and artistic influences that span the width of the Pacific and two continents. With roots in hip-hop, Kaku began his venture into dance music seven years ago building a reputation as one of the Bay Area’s hottest upcoming DJ and producers.

Dutch DJ and producer Randy “Ran-D” Wieland has been active in hardstyle music since 2002, when he released his first track “D-Pression” on Special Records.

Tickets are selling fast. Check out what’s left at http://www.ticketmelon.com/retox/output2018.

Williams is a global superstar who has won 18 BRIT Awards – more than any other artist in history – and has sold more than 75 million records during his solo career.

Wife Ayda, an actress and presenter, will be competing with her husband to be the winning judge on this year’s show. As well as enjoying a successful acting career on US TV, she has an invaluable inside take on how the music industry works and knows first-hand what it takes to forge a successful entertainment career. It is the first time ever on The X Factor UK that a husband and wife have been judges.

Tomlinson is the first judge to have also been a contestant on the show. As a member of One Direction he has sold more than 150 million records worldwide and achieved more than 100 global No 1s.

Dermot O’Leary returns as host of The X Factor for his eleventh year. As ever he will be on hand to offer contestants words of advice and his coveted hugs.

Sharon Osbourne will return to the judging panel for the live shows.

This series will see the return of the arena auditions at The SSE Arena, Wembley, in front of the judges and a 4,000 strong audience.

This year each of judges has one guaranteed Safe Seat to give in the Six Chair Challenge by pressing a Golden X. The judge can only press the Golden X for one act in their own category. It means the act cannot be swapped out of their chair and they’ll go straight through to Judges’ Houses.

From there, contestants are whittled down for the chance to be on the live shows.

Blue Ant Entertainment is at True Visions 337 and the show can also be seen on AIS Play.

The formal part of the service stretching nearly eight hours, the celebration of the life and legacy of the US icon was packed with gospel, eulogies, music and sermons.

The 76-year-old singer, beloved by millions around the world, died of cancer on August 16, closing the curtain on a glittering six-decade career that spanned gospel, R&B, jazz, blues and even classical music.

Former US president Bill Clinton extolled her gifts, courage and compassion, sharing his memory of her final public performance, in November 2017, when she was already ill but performed with gusto.

“I hope God will forgive me but I was so glad when I got here, and I hope you will forgive me, when the casket was still open because I said I wonder what my friend’s got on today,” he said to laughter.

Franklin, loved not only for her powerful voice but her civil rights work, was dressed in a different outfit for each of three days of public viewings, visited by thousands in her Michigan hometown. For the funeral, she was clothed in a sparkling golden dress.

“She worked her can off to get where she was. She took the gift God gave her and she kept getting a little bigger every day,” said Clinton, playing a snatch of her singing “Think” on his cell phone.

“It’s the key to freedom. God bless you, Aretha, we love you.”

Letters from George W. Bush and Barack Obama were read out, praising her contribution to America. Gospel music and opera filled the rafters, congregants danced and one of her sons sang “Mercy Mercy Me.”

‘Make love great again’

Franklin’s gold-plated casket was escorted out of the church at 6:45 pm (2245 GMT), a simple posy of roses on top, nearly eight hours after the service officially began at 11am. VIPs had been in place at 10am.

Stevie Wonder performed a virtuoso harmonica solo and a rendition of his hit “As.”

“What needs to happen today, not only in this nation, but throughout the world is that we need to make love great again,” he said, one of several oblique or overt criticisms of Donald Trump at the service.

Pop star Ariana Grande powered through Franklin’s 1968 hit “Natural Woman,” while Jennifer Hudson stirred congregants with an impassioned delivery of “Amazing Grace.”

Singer/songwriter Smokey Robinson bid goodbye to his childhood friend, blowing a kiss toward her coffin and singing: “I miss you my buddy, I miss you my friend, I know that my love for you will never end.”

Franklin’s grandchildren spoke and a delegation represented the South African government. Franklin sang for Nelson Mandela in Detroit after he was released from prison.

Hundreds of members of the public invited at the last minute and who queued up — some through the night — to be the first in line were also admitted, mingling with the television stars and politicians.

Outside, dozens more crowded around a large screen broadcasting the funeral at a nearby gas station, reclining in beach chairs or standing in the sun, applauding and laughing at all the speeches.

“It’s better than Inauguration Day!” said Theresa Cranford, 62, a retired auto worker, in reference to Barack Obama’s investiture.

– ‘Our queen’ –

“This is something that I’ll be in history,” she told AFP. “We don’t have queens and kings in America, so she is our queen.”

Franklin influenced generations of singers from the late Whitney Houston to Beyonce, with unforgettable hits including “Respect” (1967) and “I Say a Little Prayer” (1968).

She won 18 Grammy awards and was feted for her civil rights work, raising money for the cause and inspiring activists with her anthems.

For African American women in particular, she was a role model and a benchmark for success, feminism and empowerment.

Pink Cadillacs — some having been driven across the country — parked en masse outside the church, expected to follow her cortege to the cemetery where she is to be buried alongside her father.

They are a nod to her 1985 hit “Freeway of Love,” an anthem to her Motor City hometown.

Franklin was expected to make her final journey in the same ivory 1940 Cadillac LaSalle used at the funerals of her father and of civil rights icon Rosa Parks.

The daughter of a prominent Baptist preacher and civil rights activist, she sang at the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the inaugurations of presidents Clinton and Obama.

She was awarded America’s highest civilian honor by Bush in 2005.

The series begins with “Ghost Hunt”, in which the Thai Ensembles, Young Artist Symphonic Band and Voice venture into a spooky cemetery. “Nightmare” arrives the next evening with the Piano Ensemble, Guitar Orchestra and Voice. And then the Young Artist Symphony Orchestra, Jazz and Voice investigate “Unconditional Love” (with a vampire).

Seats cost Bt500 to Bt1,500 at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com and (02) 262 3456.

Jay Sean rolls in

British super-star Jay Sean will make his Bangkok debut at the Levels club on Sukhumvit Soi 11 on September 13, performing “Down”, “Stolen”, “Make My Love Go”, “Do You Remember” and more.

The platinum-selling singer specialising in urban genres has collaborated with Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, Sean Paul, Mary J Blige and Hardwell.

Seats cost Bt890 with one drink at http://www.Ticketmelon.com. Book a table at (082) 308 3246 or http://www.LevelsClub.com/events.

Best of Spanish house

Spanish house scene stalwart JP Candela, one of the most influential house DJ and producers on Ibiza, returns to the Insanity club on October 31.

Having played Rock in Rio, Ultra Europe, Isle of Dreams, the Zurich Street Parade and WMC Miami, Candela has remixed “Turn Me On” for David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and “Memories” for Guetta and Kid Cudi.

Ladies pay Bt300 to get in and the guys Bt400 with a drink. Call (082) 731 8885.

Booty down with Boney M

American disco pioneers Boney M will perform in Hall 105 at Bitec in Bang Na on September 15, complete with original member Liz Mitchell. Get ready to dance to “Daddy Cool”, “Brown Girl in the Ring”, “Rivers of Babylon”, “Rasputin”, “Ma Baker” and many more. Thai allstar band the Palace will open the show.

Seats cost Bt1,500 to Bt6,000 at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com and (02) 262 3456. The first 10 people to call (081) 620 9172 on August 31 get a pair of tickets each.

With 10 years of success to their credit, Chiang Mai-born pop outfit Mild is busy getting ready for its second large-scale concert. The first, dubbed “1235”, was a sell-out and there’s every reason to believe that this follow up, titled “MI4DX” and taking place at Thunder Dome, Muang Thong Thani on September 14, will do every bit as well. And the band is also hoping to broaden its scope by collaborating with some international artists and taking their music abroad.

“We are actually marking two events with the concert – the launch of our fourth album and our tenth anniversary,” says Bodin “Pae” Chareunratch, the front man of the pop band.

“Moreover, it has been four years since our large-scale debut ‘1235’. The number 4 was missing in the title of our last concert and now we’re bringing it back. The show takes place on September 14 and launches our fourth album after a four-year hiatus. The title is taken from the MI4D Experience meaning more than sight, hearing, and taste. And we’re adding a sense of touch through audience mapping.

“We’ve set a dress code of white T-shirts for audience members standing at front of the stage and we will shoot mapping on their T-shirts. We are telling them that they aren’t just audience members but also performers in our show. The mapping show must be amazing. We would like concert-goers to dress in white. If you aren’t in white, we’ll distribute white T-shirt at the venue. We’ll be coming close to every segment of the audience so that they can touch us, no matter what zone they are in. We’ll all be walking around the hall,” he explains.

“MI4DX” is also the name of the pop band’s fourth album and follows on from their successful 2013 release “Master Peace” on the Spicy Disc label.

“The album will be released at the concert. We are selling the physical CD as a collector’s item as almost everyone listens to our songs through streaming. We think that the physical CD is touchable, and, in any case, we were born in the CD era. Some artists find it hard to release an entire album on streaming so come up with single after single. We think that we are lucky to get the chance to make the full-length album on the physical CD with the support of the record company.

“The concept of this fourth album is hip, rap and pop. It has more grooves and my rapping but still keeps Mild’s signature sound of saxophone and guitar solo. For the lyrics, the development of songs comes with our growing maturity. We have more experience and have played more concerts, and have also worked with other artists,” Pae continues.

The young singer and songwriter and his bandmates guitarist Jane “Tao” Manopiniwes, saxophonist Phaisit “Pae” Khamklan, bassist Pittawas “Khun” Khunthong, keyboardist Nathepat “Tom Tom” Prasertmanukitch, and drummer Thongchai “Mike” Timpool, released his first single, “Sayonara” in 2015, and this year came up with “Full Moon”, “Wolf” featuring Botcash and “TC (Take Care)”.

“We usually put 10 songs on an album but for the new one we’ve included special song, called ‘Full Moon’, in response to fans’ requests. It has a similar melodic sound to ‘Unloveable’ off our first album,” Pae explains.

“The three new singles are about the many different emotions that make up love. ‘Full Moon’ compares a woman to be like a moon beyond reach. ‘Wolf’, which we selected as the theme of this concert, is about desire and violence and is more danceable. ‘TC’ blends soul and R&B with lyrics about a man who still cares for his woman.”

Other songs on the fourth album include “Dee Tor Jai” (“To Get Her”), written by 60 Miles’ guitarist Supachok “Berm” Chuemuangphan, and “Over” by Mild’s guitarist Jane “Tao” Manopiniwes.

“In addition to this concert and our fourth album, we are planning to tour overseas and collaborate with artists in Asia and internationally,” says Pae.

MILD NIGHT OUT

– Mild’s concert “MI4DX” will be held at Thunder Dome, Muang Thong Thani on September 14 at 8pm.

– Tickets are from Bt1,200 to Bt1,900 at Thai Ticket Major counters and online at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

– Get updates and follow Mild at Facebook.com/mildband and Facebook.com/Spicydiscrecord.

He is best known for his collaboration with van Buuren on “Panta Rhei” as well as for his track “Requiem”, which was the most played trance track of 2013, as well as “Adagio” and his remix of Cosmic Gate’s “Falling Back”, both of which made it to the top spot on the Beatport chart.

Hailing from Breda, the Dutch city that has provided the world of dance music with scene leaders such as Tiesto and Hardwell, Sixma is responsible for some of the genre’s most revered anthems.

From his first notable forays into music production to delivering singing records that proved invaluable assets to van Buuren’s “A State Of Trance” radio show and meritorious mix albums, Sixma has proven himself to be among trance’s front-runners. His many productions in various genres of EDM have gained support from the majority of top DJs in the world.

On the live front, the long-time producer turned DJ played some of the biggest venues worldwide as well as at the world’s largest dance music festivals, such as Creamfields, Tomorrow-World, Dreamstate, A State Of Trance and Ultra Music Festival.

The music starts at 10. Tickets are Bt400 for male and Bt300 for female, both with one free drink. For table reservations, call (082) 731 8885.

The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, will kick off his Asian tour in Hong Kong on November 30 before heading to Thailand and will go on to perform in Singapore, Manila, Bali, Taipei, Seoul and Tokyo.

Fans can expect to hear cuts off “Beauty Behind the Madness”, his second studio album released in 2015 that featured guest appearances from Ed Sheeran and Lana Del Rey. The album includes the Academy Award-nominated song “Earned It”, which was released as a single from the soundtrack to “Fifty Shades of Grey”.

There’ll also be tracks from 2016’s “Starboy”, among them “I Feel It Coming”, “Party Monster” and “Die for You”.

“My Dear Melancholy” is The Weeknd’s first EP was released in 2018 and has been described as a return to the darker style of The Weeknd’s earlier work.

Ticket prices start at Bt2,500 available and are now on sale at Thai Ticket Major counters and online at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

For the latest updates, visit http://www.Bectero.com and Facebook.com/bectero.