Street Cred Magazine - May 2021

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MUSIC FASHION FILM GADGETS HOLIDAY EDUCATION HEALTH AND FITNESS

MAY 2021

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NOT IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

JULIA MICHAELS ANNOUNCES HER NEW ALBUM

Page 14 - The Phoenix Newspaper - May 2021

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Planet Earth II Live in Concert

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BC Studios and concert promoter FKP Scorpio UK have announced a new Bournemouth date on Saturday March 19th2022, adding to their previously rescheduled Planet Earth II Live In Concert arena tour of the UK & Ireland.

The original 2020 tour was postponed and rescheduled to March 2022 following continuing government advice and the closure of venues across the UK, as part of the nationwide effort to combat the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

This spectacular live concert tour will be hosted by science and natural history TV presenter Liz Bonnin, with special behind

the scenes insights from Mike Gunton, the executive producer of this BAFTA and EMMY® awardwinning BBC television series.

Featuring breath taking speciallyselected footage shown in 4K ultra high-definition on a gigantic LED screen, the City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra conducted

by Matthew Freeman, will perform the remarkable music by Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea & Jasha Klebe for Bleeding Fingers Music.

Host Liz Bonnin says: "I'm so delighted that Planet Earth II Live In Concert is now also coming to the Bournemouth International Centre, on Saturday March 19th 2022, as part of our UK and Ireland Arena Tour. As the restrictions

around live events lift safely, it will be a real joy to finally be able to host this celebration of the wonders of our natural world. I'm looking forward to visiting the South Coast again with this spectacular show!"

The rescheduled 2022 tour dates are as follows: Mar 18th Cardiff Motorpoint Arena Mar 19th Bournemouth International Centre (New Date) Mar 20th London The O2 Matinee & Evening Performances Mar 22nd Dublin 3 Arena Mar 24th Leeds First Direct Arena Mar 25th Manchester AO Arena Mar 26th Birmingham Resorts World Arena Mar 27th Glasgow SSE Hydro

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NEW INITIATIVE TO REMEDY RACIAL TENSIONS IN SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS

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ightpost Theatre Company, The Black Pounds Project and Titan Partnership, alongside Birmingham Repertory Theatre, have announced Lightbearers; a new initiative which aims to remedy some of the racial tensions that exist within school environments.

Lightbearers will provide a series of workshops to be developed by Black mentors, working alongside teachers in mainstream schools to jointly articulate their experiences and create a strategy for change.

Experienced drama and workshop facilitators will manage a series of workshops and, where applicable, use elements of performance to convey a message.

Black and mixed heritage pupils have rates of permanent exclusion three times that of the student population as a whole.

There are a multitude contributing factors to this disparity, including: staff being unaware of how microaggressions have a negative impact on culturally marginalised groups, the reinforcement of existing racial tensions; a lack of Black educators throughout the mainstream education system, from nursery to university level, so that Black children are not seeing themselves represented in environments where they spend the majority of time during key

developmental years; add to this next to no representation of Black figures, history and culture across Humanities curriculums, affecting esteem, attainment and aspiration.

The Lightbearers initiative aims to address the myriad of fundamental faults within the UK’s education system which act as a driver not just for exclusion, but also for the over representation of Black adults within mental health and criminal justice settings.

CJ Lloyd Webley, Lightpost Theatre’s Lead Artist and creator of Lightbearers said; “The Lightbearers initiative will allow us to remedy some of the racial tensions that exist within school environments between staff and students. The issues that the Black community face are very specific - this project allows us to raise awareness as we begin to tackle some sensitive issues.

“We will provide a space for staff to reflect on their own unconscious biases towards Black students in a safe space which will provide room for growth and transparency.

Conducting anonymous surveys during sessions will allow staff to understand themselves and each other better without fear of judgement. We hope that Lightbearers will begin to be a catalyst for similar initiatives throughout our schools and begin to drastically needed change.”

Coventry Food Festival’s ‘BIG FOODIE WEEKEND’

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oventry BID is thrilled to announce that Spice Girl, Melanie C, and M People’s Heather Small have been confirmed as the headline acts at Coventry’s “Big Foodie Weekend”, on Friday 23rd July and Saturday 24th July.

The pop superstars will be joined by artists Karen Harding, Rozalla, Shena, Booty Luv, Big Brovaz, Katherine Ellis and DJ Paul Morrell, bringing the party atmosphere to the Food Festival throughout the weekend.

Melanie C will be leading the line-up on the Friday evening, showcasing her DJing skills with an exclusive set. Melanie will be joined

by R&B singer/songwriter Karen Harding (‘Say Something’) 90’s pop sensation Rozalla (’Everyody’s Free’); legendary disco and house vocalist, Shena, and Coventry’s very own DJ, Paul Morrell.

Heather Small – the unmistakable voice of M People – will be the headline act on the Saturday evening. Naughties acts Big Brovaz and Booty Luv are also set to perform, along with Katherine Ellis (Freemasons vocalist), rounded off by another blistering set from Paul Morell.

Trish Willetts, Director at Coventry BID, says: “We are beyond excited to be welcoming so many amazing music acts to be part of the ‘Big Foodie Weekend’ in July.

When we started planning the event,

we never dreamed we would be able to attract the likes of Melanie C and Heather Small, but we aimed high, and it has paid off. This really will be a treat!

“Paul Morrell has done an amazing job in helping us secure such a high calibre of performers and we can’t wait to bring the joy to our great city this summer with lots of delicious food, cheeky cocktails, cooking demonstrations and now, sensational music, too.

“Of course, it’s our hope that everything will be back to normal at this point, but we are also working closely with our partners to ensure we are COVID-compliant and able to welcome people back safely.”

Running from Friday 23rd – Sunday 25th July, the Big Foodie Weekend aims to host the largest selection of artisan food producers in the region. TV Celebrity chefs, Theo Randall and Lesley Waters, will be leading cooking demonstrations throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday.

There will also be dedicated glutenfree and vegan produce, and visitors will be able to eat their way around the world with stunning street food and some of the finest producers of cheese, chutneys, eggs and sweet treats – all served with pop-up bars, cocktails, demonstrations and, of course, live music.

Tickets for the music acts will be available to purchase from Monday 31st May.

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Jagger & Grohl team-up for lockdown themed track

Guns N’ Roses Reschedule Summer Tour Dates To 2022

Rolling Stones legend Sir Mick Jagger has teamed up with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl for a lockdown-themed song written by the Stones’ front-man.

Easy Sleazy features the performer on vocals and lead guitar, backed by Grohl on drums, bass and backing guitar with a video showing them both performing remotely in separate studios.

Sir Mick teamed up with Grohl for the singer after he said he believed his adaptability has helped him "roll with the punches" through the uncertainty.

The track references Zoom calls, "football's fake applause" and "stupid" TikTok dances, as well as dealing with anti-vaxxers.

Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine, Jagger, 77, said: "It's a reflection on the last year - the physical and mental strains put on society.

"The whole year, we've been doing this and going through different emotions through it and having false starts and stops and openings and closings. The deep psychological ramifications of it on people and children not going to school and not socialising.

“We don't know what they're really going to be." On the track he hits out at anti-vaxxers, saying; "They don't get it."

GUNS N’ ROSES’ 2021 U.K. summer tour dates have now been rescheduled to 2022.

Performances on Friday 18 June and Saturday 19 June will now take place on Friday 1 June and Saturday 2 June 2022 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

All tickets remain valid and will be honoured for new the dates. The band says “We continue to be thankful for your understanding and support during these unprecedented times.

“Light is at the end of the tunnel and we are looking forward to getting back on stage...” Tickets for Friday 18 June 2021 will be honoured for Friday 1 June 2022 and tickets for Saturday 19 June 2021 will be honoured for Saturday 2 June 2022.

Limited tickets are still available for fans to purchase for Guns N’ Roses at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Friday 1 June and Saturday 2 June 2022 at LiveNation.co.uk now!

A Guns N’ Roses’ statement read: "Hey Gunners, unfortunately we need to ask for your patience one more time. Our summer European tour dates will be rescheduled to 2022, but with the added bonus of new shows and special guest Gary Clark Jr.”

STRICTLY COME DANCING: THE PROFESSIONALS UK TOUR 2021 fINAL LINE UP CONFIRMED

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trictly fans nationwide will be delighted to learn that 2020 Strictly finalist Janette Manrara and 2019 Dancing With The Stars (Australia) finalist Joshua Keefe will be dusting off their dancing shoes and completing the incredible line-up for this year’s highly anticipated official Strictly Come Dancing: The Professionals UK tour.

Janette Manrara joined the Strictly family in 2013 and has twice won the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas TV Special.

“I am so excited to be joining the Strictly Come Dancing Professionals Tour!” said Janette Manrara.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the show and to perform on stage across the UK again after so long! I cannot wait to finally see all the Strictly fans that come along the shows - it will be amazing!”

Joshua Keefe is part of the choreography team on the Strictly Come Dancing TV show.

He performed in all of the 2020 series’ group numbers and in the Strictly Come Dancing Live

Tour 2020.

“Having danced in the TV show and performed in the Strictly arena tour, I can’t wait to join the Strictly professionals on this tour,” explained Joshua “We’re all so thrilled to be able to perform in theatres again and I know our energy will show on stage. It’s going to be a brilliant show!

Directed by Strictly's Creative Director Jason Gilkison, Janette and Joshua join a stunning lineup of pro dancers all ready to race back to the dance floor.

Australian Open Champion

and 2018 finalist Dianne Buswell; Professional World Mambo Champion and 2021 Strictly finalist Karen Hauer; 2017 Strictly Champion KatyaJones; undefeated fourtime British National Champion Neil Jones; 2021 Strictly finalist GorkaMarquez; four-time Italian Dance Championship winner LubaMushtuk, South African champion and Strictly star Johannes Radebe and Dancing With The Stars Ireland professional dancer Kai Widdrington.

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Dance Partnership Announced

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he acclaimed, awardwinning Sonia Sabri Company, one of the leading contemporary South Asian dance and music companies in the UK based in Birmingham, has officially announced The Butterfly Project, a community dance partnership with Birmingham based Sähëlï Hub, a Social Enterprise charity dedicated to improving women’s health and wellbeing.

It is widely known that dance is one of the best activities for keeping fit and plays a pivotal role in delivering positive health benefits including improved moods and cognitive skills, increased strength and agility.

Sähëlï Hub operates in three wards with the poorest health outcomes in the city with female populations who are the least likely to take up physical activity, or sport.

The Butterfly Project will provide women, who would not normally have access to dance, a chance to step away from their daily lives, interact with other women from their community, build confidence, make friends,

and help improve their physical and mental health.

Sonia Sabri Company, an Associate Company at Birmingham Hippodrome, has an international reputation for presenting Kathak dance in a contemporary context, without diluting its integrity.

The company perform professionally across the UK and run regular workshops in dance

and music, currently presented online due to COVID-19.

Kathak is one of the major classical dances of India. Kathak, meaning ‘story telling’ originated from Northern India through a group of Nomadic Bards and is performed through mime and dance.

A professional dancer will train between 10-15 years full time Similar to someone training in

Ballet.

Kathak is a classical dance form which requires years of dedicated training, time and lifestyle adjustments in order to become a Kathak Artist.

Wolverhampton born - Awardwinning Artistic Director Sonia Sabri, one of the world’s leading Kathak dancers, recently appointed Resident Creative at CURVE theatre Leicester said:

“This year alone we have worked on project-based workshops reaching out to over 600 participants, many of whom feel vulnerable and isolated.

“At a time when women’s wellbeing and safety is much in the news, the announcement today platforms the company’s commitment to connect with more women, empower and support them through the arts and help them improve their lives, confidence and wellbeing.”

Shebina Gill, Sähëlï Hub Manager (Holistic Interventions Team) added: “We are delighted to be making this joint announcement during our 21st anniversary year.

“We have developed a thriving community empowerment model which enables people from seldom heard and isolated communities in inner-city Birmingham to address longterm health disparities and social disadvantage.

“We provide innovative and culturally sensitive activities that focus on improving women’s holistic wellbeing.”

carolesdaughter Unveils New Single And Video RISING ARTIST carolesdaughter returns with her new single, ‘Trailer Trash’ arriving today via Arista Records /Robots & Humans/Columbia Records UK. The track is paired with a striking music video shot in a deserted area in California and directed by Neta Ben Ezra.

It brings to life an abandoned trailer park with Ozark meets The Walking Deadinfluences. carolesdaughter’s eye-catching look for the video was made possible by makeup artist Jessie Edelstein, with styling by carolesdaughter herself. “Trailer Trash” marks the up-and-comer’s first official release of 2021. carolesdaughter says: "I wrote trailer trash 2 years ago when I was in rehab. The song is about accepting the unique and sometimes trashy parts of you.

Kanye West Yeezy Shoes The Most Valuable To Go To Auction

A PAIR OF SHOES designed and worn by musician Kanye West that are going up for auction are the most valuable to appear on the market, the auction house selling them says.

The Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototypes have an estimate of $1 million (£726,000).

West first wore the shoes while performing at the Grammys in 2008.

They are now being sold by shoe collector Ryan Chang, through Sotheby's auction house, and will be on display in Hong Kong. In recent years, sneakers have gained the same collectable status as wine or jewellery. Sotheby's, a global auction house, held its first ever sale dedicated entirely to sneakers in 2019.

Brahm Wachter, head of streetwear and modern collectibles at Sotheby's, said in a statement that the shoes were critical to the development of the Yeezy franchise, which became one of the most important sneaker and lifestyle brands in history. The sneakers are a US size 12, or a UK

11 - West's shoe size.

The seven-figure estimate for the Yeezys beats the previous record sale price for sneakers - a pair of 1985 Nike Air Jordan 1s, which were sold by Christie's last year for $615,000 (£446,000). However, there are no records for shoes that have been bought privately.

It is believed that the most expensive sneakers ever created were designed by Bicion and Mache Custom Kicks in 2016.

The shoes, which are embellished with diamonds and sapphires, were estimated at $4 million. The Yeezys are being sold as part of a private sale, which means neither the buyer nor the final sale price will be publicised unless the buyer themselves comes forward.

The sneaker range was developed with Nike between 2007 and 2009.

This was the first time Nike had collaborated with someone who wasn't an athlete. West wore the Prototypes during an emotional performance of Stronger and Hey Mama at the Grammys in 2008, just a few months after the death of his mother.

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Fifth Of All Songs Streamed In UK In 2020 Were Rap And Hip Hop

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ap music had its most successful year ever in the UK in 2020, according to new figures.

Data from the BPI - the UK's association of independent and major labels - shows over a

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fifth of songs streamed were rap and hip hop.

When BPI started recording data like this in the 1990s, rap music only counted for 3.6% of the singles market. In 2020, it was 22%.

Headie One, Dave and AJ

Tracey got up to 50 million plays in the UK each. The genre's growth in the album market has gone from 2.7% in 2014 to 12.2% in 2020.

KSI's Dissimulation album was the biggest-selling debut album of the year and reached number two in the charts in May. Rapper Nines got his first number one in September with Crabs in a Bucket.

"To know how much Black British music has impacted the music industry at large is something I couldn't be more proud of," says Joseph 'JP' Patterson, founder of TRENCH Magazine. "From the days when Grime and Rap was an afterthought in mainstream spaces, to now being a driving force in the UK's musical landscape."

Aitch, Tion Wayne and DigDat all made Top 10 in the charts and overall, British artists make up a third (33.6%) of all the Rap and Hip hop singles streamed in 2020. Not to forget international rappers like Pop Smoke whose album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon got to number one in the UK last year.

He was the first solo artist to achieve this with a posthumous album. The BPI also names new female artists making an impact in the UK rap scene, like Bree Runway who recently made top 10 on the BBC's Sound of 2021 list, as helping drive streaming figures for UK rap.

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rammy Awardn o m i n a t e d multiplatinum singer and songwriter Julia Michaels has revealed the title and track listing to her longawaited debut album, Not In Chronological Order, which arrives April 30th.

To accompany the announcement, she also shared a new song from the album, “Love Is Weird,” with the launch of the album pre-order via Polydor Records.

Over the past few years, no songwriter has had more of an impact on reshaping pop music than Grammy nominated and multi-platinum selling artist Julia Michaels, whose razorsharp perspective on love, loss, and the wide spectrum of the human experience has deservedly catapulted her to the forefront of her industry.

Lauded for her work on hit singles by artists like Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Niall Horan, Dua Lipa, Janelle Monáe, Shawn Mendes, P!NK, Ed Sheeran, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Hailee Steinfeld, The Chicks, Keith Urban, Jessie Ware, and more, Julia has spent the last decade honing her craft and delivering fans some of the most evocative music of a generation.

Offering another glimpse into what fans can expect from the upcoming album, “Love Is Weird,” weaves together airy production and soft acoustic guitar, while she delicately likens relationships to “Playing Operation trying to put me back together,” before candidly admitting, “Love is weird. Don’t know how I wound up here…It shows up and disappears.”

This honest and hypnotic melody highlights her uncanny ability to tune into raw emotion and unfiltered lyricism, with her signature vocal tone and delivery.

The new song sets the stage for the release of her anxiously awaited full-length debut album, Not In Chronological Order, out on April 30, 2021. Presenting a full 360-degree perspective on the critically acclaimed songstress, it examines every facet of her life emotionally and spiritually in a 10-song body of work that finds Julia piecing together the chapters of her life in one place work.

“When I was looking at the tracklisting, it literally was not in chronological order of the events that it took place in my life,” she says. “The way that I saw the tracklisting in my head, a lot of the heartbreak came in the middle, and finding new love came at the end.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Solihull Summer Fest 2021 Given The Go-Ahead “That's the arc of this album: I'm not bitter about love anymore.

I know what functional love is like and being in love and being hesitant about that love because it feels so perfect.”

In 2017, Julia embarked on a solo career separate from her work synthesizing the stories of the stars around her with “Issues,” her 5x-platinum selling debut single. A year later, her peers recognized her stunning work with Grammy nominations

for “Best New Artist” and “Song of the Year.”

Committing to her solo work, Julia released a series of critically acclaimed EPs, including 2017’s fan-favorite Nervous System and 2019’s critically acclaimed Inner Monologue Part 1 and Inner Monologue Part 2. She also embarked on The Inner Monologue Tour, which marked her first-ever headline tour throughout the U.S. following an enviable run touring the world

with an incredible array of artists including Maroon 5, Keith Urban, Shawn Mendes, Niall Horan, and P!NK. Julia’s current single “All Your Exes” arrived to critical acclaim upon its release. Co-written with Grammy nominated singer and songwriter JP Saxe, “All Your Exes,” Entertainment Weekly hailed it “a deliciously wicked delight,” with The New York Times praising it as “harsh, funny, sad and relatably petty.”

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olihull Summer Fest 2021 is set to go ahead and celebrate its fifth year at Tudor Grange Park on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 July.

The welcome announcement comes in the wake of the latest Government information on the roadmap out of lockdown.

Soul, R&B & Disco legends Kool & The Gang promise a soulful high-energy and funky set as they headline the main stage on the Saturday night with party hits such as Celebration, Get Down On it, Ladies’ Night, Jungle Boogie, Fresh, Let’s Go Dancin (Ooh La, La, La) and Cherish. They’ve earned

two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, 25 Top Ten R&B hits, nine Top Ten pop hits, 31 Gold and Platinum albums and sold over 70 million albums worldwide.

The first day of the popular music festival will also feature the voice of Wet Wet Wet, Marti Pellow.

A BRIT and Ivor Novello award-winning singer/ songwriter that’s had consistent chart-topping multi-platinum albums; over 25 chart hits including having a record for the 2nd longest Number One in UK chart history EVER, PLUS one of the four biggest selling songs in the UK of all time. Other artists appearing on the Main Stage on Saturday include Shalamar, The Brand New Heavies, Snap! and The Blow Monkeys.

Billy Ocean, one of Britain’s biggest-ever R&B recording stars, is headlining on the Sunday night. The Trinidadian-English singer-songwriter has sold more than 30-million records worldwide, achieving number one chart spots in the UK, USA, Australia, Germany and Holland.

He won a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for Caribbean Queen and in 1987 was nominated for the BRIT Award for Best British Male Artist.

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ENTERTAINMENT MOTORS

Ticket Sales Boom For The British Motor Show Sales of tickets for The British Motor Show have rocketed as Britain reopens for business.

The Show has seen a massive increase in demand as consumer confidence returns and families start planning their summer activities – with The British Motor Show offering an incredible value funpacked day out for all.

VIP packages, meanwhile, have seen a massive boom in demand, with 70% of the allocation for Saturday, August 21 already sold and Thursday allocation all snapped up.

Limited in numbers, the VIP package includes on-site parking just yards from the show’s dedicated VIP entrance in Farnborough, as well as exclusive access to the show’s celebrity guests (including Mike Brewer, Fuzz Townshend and Tim Shaw), entry to an exclusive VIP lounge, breakfast and a buffet lunch, free tea and coffee, exclusive arena paddock access, a private celebrity Q&A session and a VIP goody bag and car sticker.

The Show will also host the National Automotive `industry Day and the Automotive Careers Expo, which will run throughout the event to support the automotive sector and its employees as the Covid-19 Pandemic comes to an end.

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AKIO TOYODA – 2021 WORLD CAR PERSON OF THE YEAR

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l Akio Toyoda, President and CEO, Toyota Motor Corporation

i n e t y - t h r e e distinguished international journalists on the World Car Awards jury panel have voted Akio Toyoda, President and CEO, Toyota Motor Corporation, as the 2021 World Car Person of the Year.

Akio Toyoda is the charismatic President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation, where he has spent years successfully

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remaking his company.

In 2020, under his leadership, Toyota remained profitable, despite COVID-19, thus protecting jobs worldwide. He has maintained Toyota's pace of steady development for the Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electric era, and he has initiated construction of the Woven City, an exciting real-life prototype city of the future. All while actively participating in motorsports himself, as a driver.

Mr. Toyoda said, “On behalf of all 360,000 Toyota Team members around the world, thank you for this tremendous honor! If you don’t mind, however, I would like to change this award from car “person” of the year, to car “people” of the year… because it’s the collective effort of all our global employees, retailers and suppliers that has truly made Toyota what it is today! And I for one, couldn’t be a luckier… or a more grateful CEO.

I would also like to thank and recognize the contributions of the entire automotive industry.

At Toyota we are very fortunate that we were able to protect the employment of our team members during COVID and to continue our work to meet the future challenges of our industry.

As a company, we are dedicated to providing mobility for all… but we are equally committed to creating new ways to support the well-being of our planet and people everywhere.

This has been a difficult period in the history of the world, but it has also reminded us that people are what matters most… and if we at Toyota, can contribute

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some measure of happiness to their lives, it will be my neverending goal to do just that.

Thank you again for this award… and to my fellow car lovers, see you on the track!”

There were five finalists for this prestigious award that was created in 2018 to acknowledge and celebrate an individual who has made a significant contribution to the global automotive industry during the period January 1 to December 31, 2020. That contribution could include a significant impact to their brand or company or a significant safety, engineering, design or technical advancement.

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MOTORS

Tipping Point: Electric Dreams

l Kwik Fit marks 50th anniversary of first centre opening

Kwik Fit Marks 50 THE 16TH April marked the 50th anniversary of the first appearance of a brand that launched an entire automotive sector and today is familiar to every motorist up and down the land.

On 16 April 1971 in McDonald Road, Edinburgh, the first ever Kwik Fit centre opened its garage doors to motorists offering the new concept of ‘fast fit’ services, replacing components while drivers waited.

In its early days the centre focused on exhaust replacement, followed by tyres, but as automotive technology developed over the subsequent years, Kwik Fit has succeeded by ensuring its range of services developed in parallel.

From a single location and a team of five, Kwik Fit now employs over 5,000 people in more than 600 centres across the UK, as well as operating the largest mobile tyre fitting fleet, with over 200 vehicles.

In addition to the UK operations, today there are also more than 240 Kwik Fit centres in the Netherlands, Italy and Hungary.

Over 50 years the company’s apprentice scheme has grown to become a sector leading training programme which is rated outstanding by Ofsted and now trains 150 new apprentices every year – more than 4,000 people have started their automotive careers as Kwik Fit apprentices.

INSPIRED BY LEGO

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enault boasts over 10 years of success in developing and selling electric vehicles which, in combination with its experience in Formula One and its enthusiastic and passionate engineering, testing and control teams, has led to the development of the innovative E-TECH hybrid powertrains.

When Renault launched its first electric vehicle in 2010, it also set about gaining experience with electrified powertrains – to develop hybrid technology that would provide customers with a smooth transition towards going all-electric.

To do this, the engineers needed to demonstrate that they had the ideal solution for meeting a particular set of specifications.

It needed to be accessible, light, suitable for vehicles of all sizes and offer a minimum all-electric range of 31 miles. In other words, it needed to deliver an effective hybrid solution for all.

Introduced in 2020 across Clio, Captur and Megane models – and also featuring in the All-

How Renault developed its bold E-TECH powertrains New Arkana – the story behind E-TECH’s development is both unusual and inspiring.

Nicolas Fremau, Renault’s Hybrid Architecture Expert, looks back at how the E-TECH story all started with a LEGO model.

For Nicolas Fremau, it was important to consider the electric motor as the main component in the hybrid powertrain, enabling the car to start up purely in EV mode.

This presented a challenge in working out what transmission should be used between the electric motor and petrol engine.

With the need to keep things simple, compact and light, he imagined a radical solution.

It was to use a clutchless transmission with gearbox synchronisers, utilising dog clutch technology normally found in motorsport.

"When I saw my son playing with LEGO Technic sprockets at

home, I said to myself 'well, it's not so far from what I'd like to do'.

So, I bought what I needed piece by piece to have all the assembly elements", says Nicolas.

He used the Christmas holidays to make a model of the innovative transmission out of LEGO that he’d first imagined on paper. He explains: "I had the idea of doing this first to help me understand what to do. After about twenty hours of 'work' under the slightly surprised eye of my son, the model was born."

This wasn’t a case of just fitting bricks together. Nicolas had to assemble the different axes and transmission rings, glue them and drill them to fit into a cradle, as well as motorise the whole system. It was a piece of engineering that allowed him to live-test the different modes of operation between the engines.

The process of trialing the possible modes of operation also allowed Nicolas to discover new

ones that he hadn’t previously thought of in theoretical analysis.

This strengthened his conviction that he was on the right track with this prototype – most likely the least expensive in Renault’s history – which is as surprising and unexpected as the technical solution was innovative.

If we can make it out of LEGO…

It was a gamble presenting this model to the team, project manager Gérard Detourbet, who was the ‘father’ of the first Dacia range and knew all about simplified, low-cost solutions, and Director of Research Rémi Bastien.

"Renault has always been a very open company, especially when it comes to research. But the day I brought the model to the Gérard Detourbet and Rémi Bastien, I didn't know how they would react.

“They walked around the model, they touched it and they felt that we had a real object. And I will always remember Gérard Detourbet's remark: 'If we can make it in LEGO, it will work!’”

WHEN asked if they would consider buying an electric vehicle as their next car, 70% of European drivers say they would.

The most popular reason for drivers considering the change is the environmental benefits offered by a zero-emissions vehicle (49%).

The pan-European survey is Nissan’s most comprehensive investigation into the driving habits and charging experience of EV drivers to date.

Dispelling many of the myths currently preventing drivers from making the switch, the research demonstrates there are good reasons to change to an EV. In order to understand what motivates or prevents drivers to switch to electric mobility, Nissan surveyed 7,000 motorists across Europe, split evenly between EV and ICE (internal combustion engine) motorists.

The pan-European survey is Nissan’s most comprehensive investigation into the driving habits of EV drivers to date.

Initial findings released today, uncovered that EV driver satisfaction is promisingly high, with 89% of EV drivers saying the switch to EV was the right decision. 74% feel more relaxed and 77% find it smoother to drive than an ICE vehicle.

With 97% of EV drivers finding the transition from ICE to EV “as expected” or “easier”, it portrays a promising prospect for those willing to embark on their electrification journey.

Phantom Tempus Collection

T

he Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus Collection made its China debut in Shanghai on 16th April 2021.

This Bespoke masterpiece, which is inspired by time and the infinite reaches of the universe, is limited to only 20 examples worldwide.

The debut of the Phantom Tempus Collection in China also includes a unique experience, the ‘Journey of Time’, enabling clients to appreciate the Collection from the marque’s official WeChat account, as well as commit to commissioning one of these highly exclusive products.

For the Phantom Tempus Collection debut in China, RollsRoyce created an experiential

To advertise in The Phoenix

exhibition, offering a unique tour through a ‘Space Capsule’. This immersive installation provides a vivid illusion of time standing still where guests will experience a sensory feast with customised audio and visual interactions. This includes the provision for guests to create personalised ‘Tempus’ music with highly contemporary touch controls.

This unique installation is situated at the bustling Plaza 66 in the fashion district of Shanghai’s city centre.

Rolls-Royce Phantom, the marque’s pinnacle product, resides at the apex of luxury world. Producing a Collection Car is always a seminal moment for the marque. With the Phantom Tempus Collection, the sources of

inspiration are on an appropriately grand scale: time, deep space, and a theoretical physicist who changed the way to see the universe.

The design of the Phantom Tempus Collection encompasses various aesthetic and intellectual themes relating to time and the cosmos. A key component is a rare astronomical phenomenon, the pulsar, unknown until 1967 and found only in the deepest reaches of space (the nearest yet discovered is 280 light years, or 1,680 trillion miles, from Earth).

These very dense, white-hot stars emit electromagnetic radiation in extremely regular pulses, making them some of the most accurate clocks in the universe.

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ENTERTAINMENT

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF POSITIVE NEWS

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ABSOLUTELY TWINSANE

W

e caught up with the Twin P’z, Peter and Phillip of Twinsane Fitness to talk about all things Twin, Fitness and Entrepreneurship.

How long have you both been into fitness?

We have both been into fitness from as far back as we can remember, we first started off playing football from around the age 9 playing for Handsworth Panthers, during the play centre days. Then school football teams, Sunday league football teams and school athletics.

What was the earliest age you realized that this was a passion?

Your purpose and passion has a way of finding you and although we have been active in sports for several years this passion was met about 5/6 years ago (2016).

Do you both have a fave sport?

Don't really have a favourite sport in particular to participate in but a favourite sport to watch in our youngers years was definitely football, currently its Boxing, MMA and Athletics.

Being Twins do you both have near enough the same taste in things like Music or do you have differences?

We pretty much have a similar taste in music and in most things, naturally we’ll have a slight preference in other things but for the most part it's quite similar across the board.

When did you start to take your passion seriously as a full time career?

From 2018 we started working in the gym full time as Personal trainers, at the time of this interview we are still working as personal trainers at Pure Gym.

Was there ever a time that one of you was more passionate than the other about training or did you both decide that this is definitely where I want to be?

We both feel equally as strong about our passion, which helps motivate and inspire one another when it comes to generating new ideas and concepts to provide better products and services.

What do you feel is the ultimate purpose of Twinsane?

To motivate, inspire and change the mindsets of people from a “I can’t” to a “I can” mindset. Also to educate and create awareness that your health and well being is important and not to take it for granted as your life depends on it.

You have grown such a huge fanbase and insane media coverage, what moments in your career really stand out and made you feel proud?

Personal messages from people who engage in our services acknowledging how much we have change their lives in a positive and healthy way.

Twinsane fitness has grown to be a true fitness movement in Birmingham how does it feel to know that you have both inspired thousands of people?

I’m not sure if its thousands yet but we’ll speak it into existence, but knowing we’re inspiring people is overwhelmingly rewarding.

The training is intense yet a lot of fun. How did you come with this concept?

Just being creative and seeing what works and what doesn’t, seeing the response from different concepts we have tried already and building on which concepts seemed more popular and engaging

Is there anyone who inspires you from the fitness world?

Ezra Ace Fitness Taylor, T.C Fit, Mr I Get Results, Ace is Active, FC12, Defined by Paige, EP Fitness, HD Fitness, Power x Purpose (check them all out!)

Where do you see your company in the next 5 years?

Continuously growing, mastering and evolving in our passion and having a larger and more established presence within the fitness industry. We will be looking into opportunities of expanding business such as Franchise, adding more staff, having an established base where we are officially situated and focusing more energy into other areas of business such as nutrition and merchandise

What are some of the most amazing things people say about your courses?

Over the years there has been large amount of positive feedback on the services we provide, too much to put into sentences but to summarise it up most people say how much they have learnt about exercise and themselves, how fun taking care of your health can be and how important it is to live a health fulfilled life.

What would you say makes your training different to others?

Our style of training which creates a different and unique vibe, we always try to make it fun, challenging and educational, ensuring your understanding why and what you are doing this combination creates its own Twinsane uniqueness

Has there been any particular people you have trained and feel really proud of their achievements?

All members we are proud of, as they have taken the leap to do something positive for themselves, which for some of them the leap was a very challenging and uncomfortable decision to make so that alone makes of proud of all of them

What year did you establlsh Twinsane? and who thought of the name?

2016, we started off with a fitness class first which was called “Twinsane Tuesday” this later turned into Twinsane Fitness the brand and business

Its very interesting to see two young twins doing this movement, how do you both inspire each other and what keeps you going?

We converse regularly about ideas and concepts that will improve our services and how we can improve our clients and customers experience with us. This keeps us going as it's something we love to do.

Many trainers have a faith why they are so disciplined, Do you have one?

We don’t follow a particular religion if that’s what you mean but we do understand there is some form of higher power whether you label it God, the Universe or any other name associated with it. And do understand that Prayer, Gratitude, visualisation and meditation are all methods of being in alignment with that greater source.

Explain what you get signing up to Twinsane fitness and what would be the outcome?

We offer different services such as 1-2-1 training, online coaching, Fitness classes etc so its based on what you want to do. The desired outcome would be to achieve your fitness goal whether it is to lose weight, tone up, and meet new people or just in general leading a healthier lifestyle. But essentially during the onboarding process and finding out your desired goal a plan would be put in place to achieve that outcome.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Bottega & Coppola

F

l Sandro Bottega with Francis Ford Coppola

rancis Ford Coppola Winery, the extraordinary N o r t h e r n California winery, has created two limited-edition wines in honour of the 93rd Hollywood’s most prestigious cinema awards.

“The Family Coppola 93rd Awards'” limited-edition

bottles themselves have been produced by Bottega Spa and feature a mirror gold colour exterior.

Each bottle was crafted as a symbol honouring the significant talent, passion and hard work achieved throughout the entire film industry.

The Francis Ford Coppola

Winery wines selected for the 93rd Awards are a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon, both from 2019.

They come from grapes grown in Sonoma County, in the first year since 2011 that California did not suffer from drought, giving the wine a pleasing complexity, thanks to the high quality of

grapes from that year.

The Chardonnay is balanced and bold, with notes of stone fruit and white peach. The Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is earthy and spicy with good acidity.

Both develop an alcohol content of 14.5% vol.

The exclusive golden bottles have been produced by the Bottega S.p.A. winery in Bibano di Godega (TV), which for years has been developing an exclusive metallization process, thanks to the mirrored gold colour becomes "glass,", a patent recently recognised also by the Court of Appeal of Venice.

The friendship with Francis Ford Coppola and Sandro Bottega was born together with Stefania Sandrelli, who says: "mutual esteem and trust is the common thread that has allowed us to come together for a little big common toast" and in the same way Sandro Bottega tells of the uniqueness of Francis Ford Coppola "in every thought there is Italy, our culture (including food and wine): Francis sometimes drinks wine cut with water, a real spritz, like our grandparents; he is a man of great culture who spends a lot of time on history books to imagine the future'.”

From Molly-Mae Hague to Kylie Jenner: Celebs are dissolving their lip fillers WITH INSTAGRAM influencers all sporting the ‘perfect look’, many of us would try anything to look like our idols, even if it means spending £££ on cosmetic surgery.

Recently though, as a number of celebrities have decided to reverse their cosmetic fillers and dentistry, it’s had many of us wondering if the natural look is back in fashion…

Molly-Mae Hague is most well known for her stint in the famous ITV show ‘Love Island’ when she fell in love with her current boyfriend Tommy Fury.

Since she was 17 she has been injecting her lips with filler for a more ‘plump’ look. However, in October Molly took the decision to get her filler dissolved to look more natural.

In her recent vlog on her Youtube account she told her fans how she has had her composite bonding removed so she can take better care of her natural teeth.

Part of the world famous Kardashian clan, Kylie being the youngest sibling she is best known for her lip full lips which she achieved by injecting filler.

She took to instagram in 2018 to tell her fans that she also had her lip filler dissolved.

Gemma Collins, who has made her name from starring in The Only Way Is Essex, is now reportedly worth a huge £2.7 million.

She has never been shy in saying that she has had a number of cosmetic procedures including botox and filler.

The thought of her young female fans taking drastic actions to look like their idols, therefore Gemma made the decision to reverse both her lip filler and botox.

Waleed Taleb from Vera Clinic - the leading hair transplant and cosmetic surgery hospital in Europe - commented: “Any cosmetic procedure should be something that has been fully thought through and discussed with some you trust.

“As much as fillers and other cosmetic procedures can be reversed and dissolved this shouldn’t be something to be relied on.”

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Curtains Up! O

l Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter

SCSF continues ‘giving back’ THE SHAWN CARTER Scholarship Fund helps students advance their education by giving them the resources they need to enrol in college, pay the tuition, and successfully finish college on time.

Founded by Jay-Z and his philanthropist mother, Gloria, the program focuses on helping low income students who live in underserved areas across urban America.

The Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund (SCSF) was founded on the belief that any motivated individual in need should have the opportunity to

further his or her education.

It provides individual scholarships paid directly to the educational institution to any applicant who qualifies and reapplies yearly from admission to graduation.

The award may be used to cover tuition expenses and related supplemental educational expenses such as books, lab fees, travel and select costs of living.

All Shawn Carter Scholars are required to “give back” by performing community service and by serving as mentors to younger, aspiring Shawn Carter Scholars.

l Audience Development Consultant, Tonia Daley-Campbell

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ver a year since it fell, the curtain is set to rise again at Wo l v e r h a m p t o n Grand Theatre as plans are put into place for a reopening from Sunday 4 July.

In line with Step 4 of the Government’s roadmap, currently due to begin in June, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre plans to reopen on Sunday 4 July with The Elvis World Tour. The season that follows will begin in September and is full of hit musicals, many of the UK’s leading comedians and a huge variety of music acts.

These encouraging steps towards the full reopening of theatres mean that this year, Cinderella can finally go to the ball in the annual family pantomime!

The much-missed magic of panto returns to Wolverhampton with Cinderella from Saturday 4 December 2021 – Sunday 9 January 2022.

Throughout the past year, whilst audiences have not be able to attend, the Grand Theatre has been committed to its role within the community and has continued to reach out and support those who rely on the many benefits that live performance can give.

The Memory Café that forms the core part of the theatre’s Dementia Programme was able to continue

online but steps are now in place to safely reintroduce the patrons and their carers back into the theatre.

They will once again be able enjoy live performance and the many emotional and behavioural benefits that live music and entertainment has to those living with Dementia.

The launch and continuation of this project is only possible because of donations.

The theatre’s audience development programme has also continued throughout the past year and excitingly will continue to grow with the appointment of a second freelance Audience Development Consultant, Tonia Daley-Campbell.

Tonia is an actress, director, producer, author and community activist. In 2014 Tonia set up her charity Kuumba Arts Movement supporting disadvantaged young people by using the creative arts.

Tonia will help the Grand Theatre in its commitment to making its audiences as diverse as the communities in around the city of Wolverhampton.

On her appointment, Tonia said; “Change is coming! I'm so, so excited to be working with Wolverhampton Grand Theatre in my new role as Audience Development consultant.

“I've got such a strong vibrant community supporting me and I can’t wait to start the development work, watch this space.”

0208 865 1922 (London)