Top DJ Joel Corry demands overhaul of ‘out of control’ music industry as he warns online abuse is taking toll on stars
AFTER years touring the globe at a relentless pace, DJ Joel Corry knows more than most how damaging the stresses and strains of pop can be.
And he says it is only getting tougher for stars, who are under greater pressure when set against the backdrop of social media, where musicians are getting abused more than ever.
A petition has been launched for new legislation — dubbed Liam’s Law following Liam Payne’s sudden death — which would require artists to have access to mental health professionals and be given rest periods.
But Joel thinks there are even bigger problems in the industry.
In an exclusive chat, the Head & Heart hitmaker said: “Awareness of the pressure on artists is a good thing, because every year it’s getting tougher and tougher out there.
“It’s tough, man, because you’re constantly looking at negative stuff being said about you. It is out of control in a way. But I’m not sure how that would ever get reined in.”
Those pressures have inspired his new single, Be Alright, which came out on Friday.
And it is all the more poignant following a tough year.
Joel, who thankfully said he is now the happiest he has ever been, explained: “I got to a point where the touring was just so intense that you kind of do start to feel a bit of the burnout.
“I changed my management this year and I kind of made some changes.
“The music industry is a very high-pressure industry and I think now more than ever, especially with social media, the pressure on artists is really, really tough.
“I really struggle with the climate of today’s sort of music industry world.
“I was out in Australia when I heard the news about Liam.
“I was so shocked. I was with Liam at Soccer Aid in the summer 2023 and he was such a big part of the team.”
Joel certainly isn’t slowing down, having recently toured Australia, shot a video in Bali and then flown straight to the US for a tour, which won’t bring him back home until Christmas Eve.
But he is making the most of it — especially thanks to a newfound friendship with his biggest idol, Calvin Harris.
He excitedly told me: “I DJ’d at Scott Mills’ wedding. Calvin Harris is like one of my biggest idols and I’ve never met him before.
“I turned up at the wedding and Scott’s like, ‘Oh, by the way, Joel, Calvin’s going to be here’. And Scott had asked me to DJ.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God. So you’re just dropping this bombshell on me that I’m DJ-ing in front of Calvin Harris?’
“At the ceremony I sat down next to Calvin and we started chatting. And it was so nice to meet him and he gave me some really good advice.
“Later, he came to the DJ set. Calvin was on the dance floor, loving it.
“I was dropping all my bangers. He knew all the words. And then I had to obviously play one of his ones as well.
“We connected at the wedding and got chatting and then I went to see him in Ibiza a few weeks later.
“I ended up doing a remix for his single with Ellie Goulding called Free.”
Something tells me this could be the start of a very productive new duo.
THAT LOOKS RAYFUN JACK
SHE was the talk of the Paris Olympics with her questionable moves in the breaking event, but Raygun is clearly a star in Jack Whitehall’s house.
The comedian, who has grown a rather dashing tache, dressed up as the Aussie dancer for a Halloween party at the weekend and showed off his best moves before hitting the town.
I suppose dressing up as Raygun, who he dubbed “Australia’s greatest ever sports star and my hero of 2024”, is the perfect excuse for any dodgy dancing, so perhaps he’s on to something.
Going in a completely different direction, his model girlfriend Roxy Horner got in costume as Heath Ledger’s Joker.
She may have made more effort, but Jack wins this fancy dress contest for pure silliness.
MIMI WEBB is showing her ex-boyfriend exactly what he is missing after taking aim at him on her new song.
The British singer posed for this snap for the cover to One Eye Open, which has just been released.
The song is all about the hurt caused by her ex, who I revealed she had split from in February after a year together.
On the track, she sings: “You stole my innocence, ran with it. Was a mess, now I’m better for it.
“You were the death of me, but I learned to love it.
“Cause now I don’t give away trust like it’s nothing.
“Don’t fall so hard and not protect my emotions. Won’t let my heart get broken, I’ll sleep with one eye open.”
That is exactly how I feel about most of my dead-beat ex-lovers.
SHE’S DUA BREAK
THEY have been together for almost a year but Dua Lipa and Callum Turner still seem to be in the honeymoon period.
I can reveal the couple have jetted off on a romantic getaway to Barcelona before Dua flies to Singapore next week to kick off her Radical Optimism tour.
A pal of mine saw the Dance The Night singer and her actor boyfriend taking a stroll through Placa de la Vila de Gracia in the Spanish city at the weekend, looking even more loved up than ever.
They haven’t been able to spend much time together lately, with Dua being in the US for almost a fortnight for two performances at the Austin City Limits festival, before returning for a one-off gig at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Then she flew back to the States to perform with Cher at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction.
I thought the last thing she would want to do is head off somewhere else, but given Dua has been learning Spanish for the past couple of years, her holiday will have been a chance to practise the lingo.
She will spend the next month touring Asia before returning home in early December.
All those air miles will earn her plenty more holidays in 2025.
FANS of bands including Stone Roses, Chemical Brothers, The Who, Madness and The Verve will be in with a chance to win signed memorabilia on November 5.
The White Label Auction, which raises money for The Brit Trust, includes hundreds of rare items, such as test pressings donated by major record labels.
Last year, the auction raised more than £54,000 for the trust – and organisers are hoping they can go one better.
Johnny Chandler, who started the White Label Auction, said: “What started out as a bit of a fun, albeit with serious intent, has now become a key fundraiser for our industry’s main charity.”
HYNDE AND SLEEK AT GIG
JUST like the name of their most recent album, The Pretenders were on Relentless form for their set at the Palladium.
Wearing thigh-high fake leather boots over skinny jeans – into which she tucked her black rock n’ roll T-shirt – pop-rock icon Chrissie Hynde brought her sass and class to the evening’s performance as newer tunes Losing My Sense Of Taste and A Love popped the cork on a vintage performance.
Like an animated buzz saw, electrifying guitarist James Walbourne unleashed his highly charged riff energy on classic tunes Talk Of The Town, Back On The Chain Gang and Don’t Get Me Wrong, as Chrissie’s still impressive sultry, tremulous vocal skilfully narrated these big jukebox bangers, underpinned by Nick Wilkinson’s mesmerising bass.
Like an animated buzz saw, electrifying guitarist James Walbourne unleashed his highly charged riff energy on classic tunes Talk Of The Town, Back On The Chain Gang and Don’t Get Me Wrong, as Chrissie’s impressive sultry, tremulous vocal skilfully narrated these big jukebox bangers, underpinned by Nick Wilkinson’s mesmerising bass.
Everybody was swaying on their feet as Hynde and her gang closed their 20-song set with The Kinks’ Stop Your Sobbing and final torch song I’ll Stand By You.
KEEP an eye out for rapidly rising Californian indie pop band Your Favorite Color, who completed their European tour on Sunday.
They released debut album For You last month and have been getting rave reviews, so I am expecting big things as they prepare to release more music and tour again in 2025.
STONES STILL ROLLING IN IT
THE ROLLING STONES’ Hackney Diamonds tour has been confirmed as the most lucrative of their career.
The band, fronted by Sir Mick Jagger, played 18 shows across 15 cities in North America.
They sold 848,000 tickets for the gigs, which earned them £181million.
While The Stones have made more cash from longer tours, this is the first time that the rockers have made more than £180million in a single season.
It’s not bad going given their ages.
Now it’s time for them to head back to our shores, please.
MOORE PRAISE FOR DEMI
HER shocking horror movie The Substance is all about a quest to stay young, but I’ve been left wondering whether Demi Moore has a special secret up her sleeve to keep her looking youthful.
She looked incredible in a black dress at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival in the US on Sunday evening, where she was joined by her co-star Margaret Qualley.
Remarkably, despite a career spanning more than four decades, Demi has never been nominated for an Oscar.
But she has had rave reviews for her latest flick and there’s now lots of buzz around her bagging a nod for next year’s ceremony.
Demi will have to wait until January to find out whether she has made the shortlist for the awards next March.
I’m sure she will receive a plaudit or two before then, though.