Author: Chris Singh

The gestation period for high-profile hotels often gives me whiplash. Hotels, one of my favourite things about travel, always excite me, especially when news hits about a big new opening in a city as addictive as New York City. But when one is announced, I always let a huge sigh when I see that the…

L.A. comedy rapper Afroman hasn’t been in the headlines since his 2001 hits “Because I Got High” and “Crazy Rap”, both of which were taken from the self-produced The Good Times, a surprisingly potent major label debut that netted him a Grammy nod. He hasn’t had a recognisable hit since. And yet, this week, almost…

Cries of hip hop being “dead” have been around for over ten years, but they’ve never rang more true than in 2026. Last year, hip hop, for the first time since 1990, had failed to crack the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. That’s not the death-knell some claimed, but it marked a…

It’s hard to imagine something so beautiful can come from something so… ugly. And yet freedom is an ecosystem that rarely functions without friction. It’s the endpoint of a long, arduous and often cruel journey, and the beginning of a life so wonderfully and exclusively yours that it’s impossible not to take the good with…

Hip hop fans have been aching for a world tour announcement from J. Cole ever since the top-shelf emcee released The Fall Off last week, his already universally acclaimed double-album and allegedly his final release. “Don’t leave while you’re hot, that’s how Mase screwed up” – Kanye West. It’s rare to see an emcee that’s…

Can we call Cut Copy iconic yet? Given that “iconic” has become a nonsense filler word, I think it’s worth reclaiming it for these hard-working musos. I first saw the synth-pop outfit at Splendour in the Grass’ famous British invasion back in 2007. I’ve seen them 7 times since and still consider them one of…

Between classic Las Vegas residences in all the major resorts and scheduled concerts at The Sphere, the Entertainment Capital of the World isn’t slowing down with shows in 2026. It’s impossible to sink into the neon wash of Las Vegas and not want to see every type of show imaginable. The “Vegas cadence” is something…

There really isn’t much to Hilton New York Fashion District. It’s a simple, unfussy hotel that happens to hide one of the “best-kept secret” rooftops in the area. Rooms are comfortable but undorned, and the lobby is so distinctly lacking in any notable features that the nighttime journey from door to room is barely noticeable….

Throw that immortal “Insomnia” drop at any 90s kid and you’ll know how cherished this track is to those who have found it all across the dancefloors of the world. When UK electronica trio Faithless released that song in the mid-90s, they forever stamped their name on the history books of rave culture. The song’s…

Nelson, the third of six children, was the most intellectually ambitious of the Rockefeller family, whose staggering influence was best put to use as patrons of the arts. Although his legacy isn’t without its spots, the former US Vice President was less concerned with expanding industrial wealth than he was with using it to shape…

When I first reviewed the Hilton New York Times Square for another publication in 2023, I noted that space and height were the hotel’s biggest selling points. Having stayed again in 2025, following a multi-million-dollar refurbishment that mainly brightened the hotel’s street-level entry and recast the sky lobby with a cleaner, more modern design, that…

Did you know Grace Jones has never performed at the Sydney Opera House? Tragic, I know. Jones, one of the most enigmatic and diverse pop singers of our time, has performed in Sydney a handful of times throughout her career, but she has never filed into our most iconic performing arts venue. That’ll change in…

Santa Monica Pier is my bookend whenever I do a multi-city trip in the USA. At least my preferred one. I’m one of those masochists who actually enjoys having LAX as an entry point to any US adventure, because it sets the scene. The City of Angels is sprawling, sunny and varied. It’s the perfect…

Los Angeles’s swag of massive art galleries and museums isn’t talked about in the same way people talk about the art scene in dense urban centres like New York and Chicago. It’s clearly much different, in more ways than one. In New York, art is vertical. Museums and galleries play around with scale, weaving through…

As I wrote on the recent opening of IHG’s voco Gosford on the Central Coast, some of Sydney’s oldest seaside hotels are being dusted up for well-timed makeovers, some moulding into more premium brands, while others (like voco) sprout as brand-new builds. “A new chapter in coastal luxury” is what they’re calling it, with IHG…

Any complaints about Sydney’s nightlife vanish after a night at Carriageworks nowadays. It’s become the Inner West’s iconic warehouse-style venue, perfect for raves (as we witnessed with the The Works, kicked off by none other than Underworld) And so it’s no surprise that to see South Korean DJ and effortless cool-girl Peggy Gou set up…

Does anyone even trust celebrity chef restaurants? To me, they seem a bit like influencers. Had trust, lost trust, and now no one trusts any of them. The only people who trust influencers now are other influencers. I don’t think even chefs would trust celebrity chef restaurants. I’ve been stung more than once, I can…

What does my surprise at finding a superlative meal in Waikiki say about the most famous tourist area of Hawaii? Yes, that loud, colourful strip that flows south towards Diamond Head is jam-packed with all the top touristic textures. And that already says a lot. It’s the tourist area of one of the world’s most…

There’s a quiet coastal revolution going down around Sydney. First, Accor saw a mountain of acclaim when they reworked the old Novotel in Manly. transforming it into a more appealing, beach-friendly MGallery. They did the same over at The Brighton Sydney – again, lifting it from mid-range Novotel status and priming it for the premium…

Mixed flooring should always be the first question you ask when buying a vacuum. Not price. Not suction numbers. Flooring. Modern homes are increasingly a patchwork of timber, tile, vinyl and the odd rug, and that reality has fuelled the rise of wet-dry vacuums that promise to do everything in one pass. That category is…

I can’t help but think of Nicholas Hope in Bad Boy Bubby every time I watch a video of Nick Cave performing. The oddly obscure “classic” is the kind of hard-watch that leaks from the more unflinching corners of the Australian psyche. But unlike similarly disquieting films, such as Snowtown and Picnic At Hanging Rock, Bubby’s…

Now that we know that she’ll be down here as part of this year’s Bluesfest, it’s no surprise to see neo-soul queen Erykah Badu announce a few sideshows up and down Australia’s east coast to support her visit. Presented by Bluesfest Tours, the Walk Between Worlds tour will see Erykah Badu will touch down in…

The authentic 90s hip hop sound is at its most powerful when De La Soul are on the mic. Ever since their classic debut, 3 Feet High and Rising, three eccentric jazz rap purveyors have been a guiding force in discussions on what’s real and what isn’t in the world of hip hop. De La…

Underworld may be the biggest name on the lineup for a new Carriageworks live series, simply called The Works, but make no mistake about it: the headline is intelligent curation and the art institution’s wondrously well-suited warehouse. Over the next few weeks, Carriageworks will kick the new year off with a series of classic warehouse…

The Cricut Maker 4 is positioned as a versatile cutting machine for home crafting, and after spending time with it, that description holds up. It’s built to handle common projects like card making, vinyl decals, and personalised stationery, while offering enough depth to grow beyond the basics. From setup through to daily use, it feels…

The Ninja Luxe Cafe is a home coffee machine designed around flexibility rather than spectacle. It sits in the growing category of drip brewers that promise more control over strength, size, and iced coffee, without drifting into the complexity of specialty gear. On paper, it reads like a practical upgrade for people who drink coffee…

The over-the-top beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake that dominated pop culture last year is still paying dividends for at least one of its participants. Following his viral Super Bowl performance, which centred around Kendrick’s now-signature Drake diss “Not Like Us”, the Compton emcee’s star has puffed right into the stratosphere. He now commands some…

Santa’s state-sanctioned home invasions are just around the corner. The big ball of joy is going to be squeezing down your chimney in just a few weeks, but you don’t want him to spot a sad, empty Christmas tree when he makes it down, do you? Trees that shadow dozens upon dozens of wrapped presents,…

Class-leading brands tend to experiment more with value once they’ve reached a certain threshold of quality. Apple’s been doing it for years with the iPhone, for example. The company has already got smartphone production down to a tee, constantly putting out high-quality phones to fit all price points. Yet, Apple isn’t as adventurous as it…

I’m enjoying this neighbourly interplay between robot vacuums and stick vacuums. Both categories are moving forward, respectively, by borrowing liberally from each other in an ongoing attempt to change the way we think about home cleaning appliances. Since we started doing home tech reviews on the AU review, I’ve been able to test out plenty…