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Rihanna to Headline 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show

Rihanna to Headline 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show

Singer Rihanna has been confirmed as the headline act for the halftime show at the 2023 Super Bowl.

The 34-year-old Barbadian singer, who has won nine Grammies and sold over 250 million records worldwide in her illustrious career, shared an image of her hand holding an American football on social media. The image was then re-posted the NFL and Roc Nation, her record label who are an executive producer of the half-time show.

“Rihanna is a generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn,” said rapper Jay-Z, founder of Roc Nation. “A person born on the small island of Barbados who became one of the most prominent artists ever. Self-made in business and entertainment.”

Seth Dudowsky, NFL’s head of Music, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Rihanna to the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show stage.

“Rihanna is a once in a generation artist who has been a cultural force throughout her career. We look forward to collaborating with Rihanna, Roc Nation and Apple Music to bring fans another historic Halftime Show performance.”

The NFL halftime show is one of the biggest spectacles of the year with the world biggest artists invited to perform. Over the years, the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Dr Dre, 50 Cent and Mary J Blige have all headlined the show with millions of people tuning in from across the world.

She had been offered to perform in the Super Bowl halftime show in 2019 but turned the opportunity down as a means of showing solidarity with the NFL star Colin Kaepernick following his decision to kneel during the national anthem before the game.

Earlier in the year, she welcomed her first child with her boyfriend, fellow musician ASAP Rocky.

The 2023 Super Bowl will take place at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on 12th February.

SEE ALSO: Who Were the Big Winners at This Years Emmys?

Rapper Kanye West Files to Legally Change Name to Ye

Rapper Kanye West Files to Legally Change Name to Ye

Kanye West has filed court documents to officially change his name to Ye.

The 44-year old music star and fashion designer from Atlanta, has filed court documents to a Los Angeles court to legally replace his name. His aim is to get rid of his current official full name, Kanye Omari West, in favour of Ye, the two-letter long nickname, which he has been referring himself for a number of years on his social media pages. This will be without any middle name or last name as stated by the Los Angeles Superior Court filing.

This comes around 3 years after he tweeted about his plan to change his named, following the release of his album titled Ye, in 2018. In various interview, West said that the as well as the name being an abbreviation of his first name, it is also a name which has religious significance to him as it is heavily referred to throughout the Bible.

“I believe ‘ye’ is the most commonly used word in the Bible, and in the Bible, it means ‘you,’” the rapper said explaining the changes in an interview with popular American radio host, Big Boy.

“So I’m you, I’m us, it’s us. It went from Kanye, which means the only one, to just Ye – just being a reflection of our good, our bad, our confused, everything.”

West is due to release his much anticipated tenth studio album, Donda, named after his late mother, imminently, despite there already being numerous delays for the release. A playback of it was recently played at Soldier Field stadium in Chicago last Thursday. The album is a follow-up to his 2019 gospel album Jesus is King, which was crowned best contemporary Christian music album at the Grammys earlier in the year.

In addition, West is currently in the centre of a divorce from reality TV start Kim Kardashian, who announced they are getting a divorce in February after nearly seven years together. They share 4 children, North aged 7, Saint aged 5, Chicago aged 3, and Psalm aged 2.

SEE ALSO: 5 Ways To Examine Your Listening Habits

5 Ways to Examine Your Listening Habits on Spotify

5 Ways to Examine Your Spotify Listening Habits

It is always a fun treat checking out the insights into which artists, tracks and genres filled your year, when Spotify release the annual Spotify Wrapped.

However, if you can’t wait until December to have a look over your Spotify statistics, here are 5 of the best third-party apps to connect to your Spotify to view your top artists and tracks as well as help you get a better understanding of your overall listening habits.

 

Visualify

Visualify is an app which will display the top 5 artists and tracks you have listened to from the last month, year and all time on Spotify. The app summarises your listening history by presenting clear and easy-to-read visuals.

One of the best features on the app is that you can produce your very own artwork formulated on your most listened artists and tracks and order a high-quality poster. You can customise with different designs such as vinyl wheels and grids. These posters have a starting price of $25 with free shipping worldwide.

However, there are some limitations of the app. Aspects such as genres and moods do not get displayed therefore you will not be able to get an insight in terms of those areas.

 

Obscurity

Obscurity is seen as one of the best apps on the platform to view your listening habits. Similar to many others, the app tells you your top artists and tracks from previous days, weeks, months and of all time, whilst also being provided with recommendations based on what you listen to. However, it also provides you with information on genres, listing out your top ten genres.

One of the most eye-catching features on the app is that it can compare the artists and tracks you listen to, to what others in your area listen to. On top of that, it also provides you with an obscurity percentage that analyses your music taste to the rest of the population in your country and worldwide.

 

Musictaste.Space

One of the standout features on Musictaste.Space is that you can send a unique code to your friends and the app compares the music you both listen to, taking a look at your compatibilities.

The comparison is based on the top 100 artists and tracks yourself and your friend have listened to.

In addition, the app also creates a playlist based on the genre of music both you and your friend have a liking for. However, this only transpires if your music compatibility rating is higher than 50%.

Therefore, if you are looking to share tracks and playlists with your friends, as well as willing to compare music tastes, then this is the app for you.

 

Judge My Spotify

This site provides a lot of fun for the user as it lets you know how bad your music taste is, by providing you with some light-hearted insults.

As your music library gets loaded up onto the site, expect to receive some cranky comments and some relentless roasts, whilst your music taste gets rated with every questions. This can range from asking if you’re a fan of a specific artist or if you were listening to a song ironically.

The final result is a summary filled with snarky insults regarding the type of music you listen to and provides you with which artists and tracks you listen to excessively, not hesitating to let you know how terrible your music taste is.

Whilst you will not be able to get a clear synopsis of what your top artists or tracks are, compared to the other sites, this is certainly more of an amusing way to delve into your listening habits.

 

Last.fm

Last.fm is seen as the ultimate third-party app that goes deep into your listening history. Compared to the other 4, this site is extremely complex, and it requires you to make an account first before connecting it to your Spotify.

Last.fm breaks down your listening habits into statistics after you have created your account. Not only does it tell you your most played artists, albums and tracks, but it tells you exact number of times you have played them. By doing this, the app builds a detailed program of your music taste.

Every time you play a song, it gets logged as a “scrobble”. The site gives you the ability to look at every song you have played and how many times you have scrobbled an artist or track.

Compared to the other sites, last.fm certainly provides you with the most information.

SEE ALSO: OnlyFans Announces Ban on ‘Sexually Explicit’ Content

 

Social Media sites Remove Offensive Comments following Lizzo Abuse

Social Media Sites Remove Offensive Comments Following Lizzo Abuse

Facebook and Twitter have withdrawn numerous comments from Lizzo’s pages following the abusive remarks she had sustained on the social media platforms.

Action has been taken as the singer-songwriter revealed the amount of ‘hurtful’ abusive comments she had received following the release of her latest song, Rumours.

After the release of the song on 13th August, which also features popular rapper Cardi B, Lizzo was instantly targeted with large amounts of negative and abhorrent abuse, specifically related to her race and her body.

Lizzo has come out on Instagram, breaking down in tears revealing: “On the days when I should feel the happiest, I feel so down. Sometimes I feel like the world just don’t love me back. It’s like it doesn’t matter how much positive energy you put into the world, you’re still gonna have people who have something mean to say about you.”

A spokesman representing Facebook has come out and told The Hollywood Reporter the comments had been pulled off the site because they broke the social media site’s regulations regarding hate speech, harassment and bullying.

The Detroit-born artist in an interview with Good Morning America on Wednesday explained how she doesn’t mind receiving critical messages on the different songs she delivers however, the some of the treatment she gets specifically fat-shaming comments are unfair.”

Lizzo continued to let viewers know that “self-love is a journey”, while also saying “vulnerability is sexy and extremely powerful.”

The singer has also gathered positive messages of support from many of her followers in the days after.

Lizzo’s collaborator, Cardi B, has heavily supported the singer amongst the negative comments, stating: “Body-shaming is mean and racist.”

“Whether you skinny, big, plastic, remember these are nerds looking at the popular table.”

This is not the only time where social media sites have had issues with celebrities experiencing large amounts of abusive comments. In recent years, countless celebrities have come out and questioned platforms such as Twitter and Instagram and whether they should remain on their sites.

SEE ALSO: Fast & Furious 10 Official Release Date Announced

 

 

 

sweet

The Sweet Bassist Steve Priest Dies Aged 72

Steve Priest, co-founder and bassist of the glam rock band The Sweet, has died at the age of 72. The news was confirmed via Twitter after the band tweeted a statement from Priest’s family. Andy Scott, the last surviving member of the Sweet, has also shared a statement on The Sweet’s Facebook page. In the statement, he calls Priest the “best bass player [he has] ever played with.”
“Then there was one! I am in pieces right now. Steve Priest has passed away. His wife Maureen and I have kept in contact and though his health was failing I never envisaged this moment. Never. My thoughts are with his family x. He was the best bass player I ever played with. The noise we made as a band was so powerful. From that moment in the summer of 1970 when set off on our Musical Odyssey the world opened up and the rollercoaster ride started! He eventually followed his heart and moved to the USA. First New York then LA. Rest in Peace brother. All my love. Andy” via The Sweet Official on Facebook
  The Sweet were arguably one of the biggest bands to emerge from the glam-rock era of the early 1970s. Some of their hit songs include The Ballroom Blitz, Fox on the Run, and Love is Like Oxygen. Although another music industry legend has left us, his legacy lives on. The band has tour dates set for the remainder of 2020 and into 2021. Starting in July, they will be visiting eight countries including Belgium, Slovakia, Denmark, Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, UK, and Austria. Visit the Sweet’s website for more info.   See also: 88rising Announces Livestream Festival, ASIA RISING Forever ‘One World: Together At Home’ Raises $127.9 million for COVID-19 Crisis Rapper Pop Smoke Killed By Four Masked People

Framing Hanley Are Back: On Writing Together Again With Kenneth Nixon

From a basement in Nashville to a breakout Lil’ Wayne cover, three studio albums, tours of the world and a final show in 2015, Framing Hanley are back on the rock scene and sounding better than ever. Calling it a career after ten successful years, the band have since found their voice again, almost by accident—or fate. Lead singer and songwriter Kenneth Nixon spoke to us about FH’s journey and upcoming album, his struggle with depression and how rock n’ roll is still a huge part of his life.

COLLEGE NEWS: After the announcement that the band would split in 2015, Framing Hanley have made a remarkable and unprecedented comeback in 2018. Could you tell us a bit about how you came to the decision to reunite and what kind of year it’s been as a result?

KENNETH NIXON: After about six months or so of being disbanded, Ryan and I started writing together again for what was originally going to be a new project entirely. That’s where our upcoming album title Sumner Roots came from; it was the name of our new project. I had gravitated toward more roots country/Americana/singer-songwriter stuff. However, as time went on, so did the gain knob on the amplifiers. We realized after a short time that we were writing Framing Hanley songs again—which didn’t come as a surprise, being the two main songwriters through the history of FH. We thought it would be silly to brand it as anything other than what it was: more Framing Hanley.

CN: You have also just released the second single, Baggage Claim, from the much-anticipated new album. How has the response been so far? 

KN: I think people are digging it. It’s a little different from what people have come to expect from Framing Hanley, I know that much. It’s one of my absolute favorite songs we’ve ever released. It’s funny because, while it’s a “relationship” song on the outside, it’s actually about our relationship with the music industry. Trying to walk away but there’s that allure—that stranglehold even—that always draws ya back.

CN: How would you say your sound has evolved and changed over the years?

KN: I always said I wanted our albums to sound like our band continued to evolve with every album we released. So, while the change is there, it’s been natural, and I think has a lot to do with always taking inspiration from what we like listening to. We’ve never been a “well we have to do this because everyone else is” band.

CN: You have spoken openly in the past about your struggle with depression. Could you tell us a bit more about that? Do you have any advice for readers going through something similar?

KN: When your identity as you know it is gone after a decade, it takes a toll on you, that’s for sure. I think there’s a dark place the majority of us get to in our lives, for different reasons. Fortunately, some never have to deal with that. Music was always what helped me write out what I was going through as a form of therapy. When that was gone, it was all bottled up and I didn’t know how to rid myself of it. I went to my doctor; they put me on pills, and holy hell that got scary. To know that there was a medicine that I was depending on to make myself feel happy again…I hated that feeling. I wanted to know that I had that control over myself, so I tossed the meds and started working on me. I picked up a guitar again…picked up a pen again. I spent time with my family more. Instead of just being in the room, I was actually “present.” Let me tell you something, witnessing the innocent laughter of adolescents will do wonders for your own happiness. My kids are all I needed to bring light to that dark place in my life. Before, I was a prisoner in my mind and had blinders on to what was going on around me. For me personally, it simply took embracing the blessings in my life to get out of that. Unfortunately, depression isn’t a one-stop shop. There are people who have it much worse than I did. Ultimately, I just didn’t want to depend on pills to make me smile. Because that’s a very scary line, I think. I’ve talked about that in more detail so I’ll get off my soapbox now—that’s what the song Puzzle Pieces is about.

CN: What do you and the rest of the band like to do in your down time to relax in preparation for a big show or tour?

KN: Well—outside of spending time with my family and watching my three boys grow—when it’s football season, you’ll find me glued in front of a television watching football all day. It’s been a rough six months for ya boy though, as a Jacksonville Jaguars fan. We’re all pretty avid video gamers. Me, not as much as I used to be because my six year old is always on my PS4, but FIFA, NHL…we’ve been known to rock some tournaments on the road to kill time.

CN: And finally, if you could collaborate with any artist (alive or dead), who would it be and why?

KN: This is a tough one. I’d say a collaboration with Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro, Jason Isbell, and Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic would make one hell of a song. I love all three of those artists (I’ll go to my grave saying that Jason Isbell is the greatest songwriter of my lifetime). So yeah, that would be a dope collab.

See also: The Lumineers: New Album Explores Addiction
Cocoon Central Dance Team is Pushing Frontiers of Dance and Comedy
Teen Actress Thalia Tran on Preparing for “Little”

The Lumineers: New Album Explores Addiction

“It’s like someone gently waking you up out of a deep sleep,” says Wesley Schultz, guitarist and singer of The Lumineers. He’s talking about “Donna,” the first track on their new album, III.

What Schultz means is that the piano part—written by Jeremiah Fraites, his bandmate of over a decade—is haunting and beautiful, an eerie sign of the heartbreak that lies ahead on III.

This latest work by the stripped-down folk band dives into deeper and darker waters than their previous albums. III tells a poignant and troubling story about the effects of addiction on a family. The album is divided into three chapters, with each chapter focusing on a different generation of the family, starting with the grandmother Gloria Sparks, followed by the son Jimmy Sparks and the grandson Junior Sparks.

“[The album] just shows a really kind of heart-breaking look at trying to love addicts, trying to love somebody that really can’t help themselves,” says Fraites.

III was largely inspired by a family member of Schultz’s who was dealing with addiction, although Fraites’ family has also been touched by addiction—his brother passed away of a drug overdose 18 years ago. For both of them, working on the album became a deeply cathartic process.

“You know how people sing about heartbreak?” Schultz askes me. “Singing about stuff that’s very real or true but hurts, it tends to bring out something in people. I think going there and saying your darkest thoughts or confessing or saying something that you’re going through that a lot of people aren’t talking about, I think it’s something about art and music that’s very healing, it’s very cathartic.”

III will be released on September 13.

On the inspiration for III

As I listen to the first few tracks of III, I understand what Schultz meant about waking from a deep sleep—the melody is beautiful, but the story grips my attention. In true Lumineers style, the music is stripped down and uncomplicated, letting the mastery of their talent shine through; while the lyrics are a complex story that call for many more listens.

I ask Schultz what it was like to bring such a personal story to a large audience, especially one as heart-rending as this.

“I think if you keep too much of a distance in how you’re talking about something—in other words if you’re not vulnerable or putting yourself out there, you’re not really telling the story, you’re not really painting the accurate picture,” he says. “I think initially I was trying to keep a distance between me and that person in the story, but as time wore on it became obvious that it would be a wasted opportunity to actually draw attention to something important. And if I don’t acknowledge that it’s part of my life, how do I expect people to acknowledge that either?”

“It’s kind of like if there’s something in your family, and then you are ashamed by it and you feel like it reflects on you and you don’t want to talk about it, then it becomes this problem that’s also like a secret, and it’s a heavier and heavier burden,” he adds. “I’m happy I did it because I’ve seen afterwards that a lot of people have said a lot of things in a short period of time of how they’ve witnessed this.”

When I ask Fraites, he says: “These lyrics, these videos, us talking about [addiction] in any way shape or form, sort of sheds some light on it or maybe gets people to talk about it and say, ‘oh maybe I do have a problem, maybe I can look for the signs, and help other people.’

“You know we never want to be preachy, and we’re not perfect people.

“But it was something that was real in both of our lives and it feels really sincere and genuine to be talking about it through the medium of this album as a whole.”

On those incredible videos

Adding another layer to the story, the band will release a music video for each song, directed by Kevin Phillips. Several have already come out, depicting the story from the first chapter of the album, and the visuals are stunning.

Schultz and Fraites discovered Phillips’ work on the film Super Dark and knew immediately that he could capture the tone of their new album.

“We knew that we has this album that was a lot darker than previous Lumineers albums, we knew that the subject matter was darker than previous Lumineers lyrics, and I think we wanted to make sure that the videos didn’t look too clean or glossed over with perfect looking model actors and actresses. We really wanted to make it feel authentic and sincere,” said Fraites.

Releasing a series of narrative music videos for every song on an album isn’t a traditional way of doing things, and the band initially had trouble getting the label on board with their plan. “We got a lot of pushback at first,” said Schultz. “And we decided to do it ourselves, and then they eventually got on board and really supported it…

“But I think if you really pour yourself and your resources into something like this it’s always worth doing you never look back and regret it.”

The response has already been overwhelming for the band, with fans reaching out with stories of their own.

On not being pigeonholed

The songs on III seem far away from “Ho Hey,” the sunny hit that launched the band into the mainstream several years ago, or their other upbeat songs, but it’s not, Schultz says.

“I think if you actually go back and go listen to the first album or the second, I can give you many, many examples of what we were singing about and why that was actually pretty dark,” he clarifies for me, when I ask. “I just think this is the first time we’ve maybe made that in music…it just sounds darker.”

The Lumineers are commonly compared to other folk bands, like Mumford & Sons, but Schultz is on record saying that comparison isn’t fair. He elaborates about why he thinks putting artists into categories doesn’t help anyone.

“If someone said to you, you’re this type of writer, I think your initial reaction would be to say don’t pigeon-hole me into this—I’m more dynamic than what you’re saying I am.”

On playing together for over a decade

Fraites and Schultz have been playing together since 2005, when they got their start in Ramsey, New Jersey. They now live in Denver—both are married now and both welcomed baby boys a year ago.

I’m curious about what it’s like to have such a long-standing and close working relationship, especially through all the change, from days of working tirelessly to make rent in NYC to being successful enough to play at the Obama White House twice.

“I feel like more the key ingredient to our relationship is that we’ve been able to not change the writing process,” reflected Fraites.

“When we first started out, we just wanted to write music together, we just needed a piano, some drums, a guitar… I think with album two we did a really good job of still figuring out a way to write music the way we’ve always done, and with this album it was the same thing. It’s a really kind of boring process.” (The band got together at a cabin in the Catskills to write III.)

“Ironically success was one of the most traumatic and difficult things to deal with,” Fraites tells me.

Schultz echoes this sentiment: “Sometimes the success of something actually throws people into a strange or destructive state of mind. And when you’re busy trying and failing, or trying but not having a ton of success, it tends to bring people together.”

“We want to write songs in a certain way,” Schultz adds. “We try to collaborate in this very honest way—like we cut a part or we cut a song—both of us know it’s because we think it’s the best thing for the song, and not for one of our egos.”

The process is clearly working for them.

III comes out on September 13 and is available for pre-order now.

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Michael Jackson Ten Years Later

On the tenth anniversary of “King of Pop” Michael Jackson’s death, we examine the inevitable question of whether we should continue celebrating the singer’s legacy in light of the documentary, Leaving Neverland’s. Prior to the release of the four-hour documentary, the Jackson Estate filled a lawsuit of more than $100 million against HBO, the producers of Leaving Neverland.

The estate alleged HBO had ignored a previous non-disparagement clause, that was part of a contract made over two decades in 1992. The contract prevented HBO from airing a film produced at a Bucharest concert for Jackson’s Dangerous tour and having stuck by the contract and not aired the film, HBO have dismissed any claims of making disparaging comments against Jackson.

Leaving Neverland portrays an account of sexual abuse, centering around two alleged victims, Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck, narrating their experience, putting to bed erroneous accusations against them and Michael Jackson. Leaving Neverland additionally speaks to the victims’ family members to locate concrete answers as to how the abuse all began.The shrouded claims of sexual abuse that have persisted throughout Michael Jackson’s career, were originally brought to public attention by Jordan Chandler, a thirteen-year-old boy. Gavin Arvizowas another earlier victim, who spent his teenage years accusing Jackson of molesting him, though Jackson was acquitted of all charges in a 2005 trial, involving Jordan Chandler as well.

Michael Jackson’s “grooming process”

Regardless of the acquitted status of earlier allegations, Leaving Neverland compels viewers to revisit the original allegations with its detailed depiction of the “grooming process” involving Robson and Safechuck. The details provided by the duo align with the first two allegations: endless gifts, the form of sex used in the abuse and a swift dismissal once hitting puberty. In the documentary, Jimmy Safechuck informs the camera that Jackson had staged a pretend wedding ceremony when he was aged ten and holds up a diamond and gold ring as evidence. The ring was supposed to represent a declaration of their lifelong commitment to each other. Robson added these gifts of love were common and Michael played into their childhood vulnerability by telling them, these were bonds outsiders would not be able to understand and would send them to prison for, if they knew.

Who is to blame?

Similarly, the families of the boys were presented with gifts, from holidays and expensive jewellery to new homes and cars. The gifts prevented suspicion from being aroused, and the families even hoped the boys’ careers in the future would benefit from Michael’s attention. The public adoration of Jackson from chart-topping successes such as Thriller and Bad convoluted the perception of blame. The documentary shares a remark from TMZ, where a commentator declares Robson should instead of suing the Jackson’s estate, sue his mother for allowing him to sleep in Jackson’s bed. In addition to the parents of Robson and Safechuck being blamed, both boys were accused of lying and mirroring the stories of earlier allegations for their own gain.

Wade Robson’s father, Dennis Robson, informed Vanity Fair in 1993 that he feared losing his son if he spoke out against Jackson and admitted to being molested during his childhood, himself. Plagued by the guilt following his son’s molestation, Dennis Robson committed suicide in 2002 and four months after Jackson’s death, the father of Jordan Chandler, Evan Chandler shot himself in 2009. Presented at the acquitted 2005 trial, Jordan Chandler also held the most incriminating evidence for allegations of abuse with his drawings of Jackson’s penis marking exactly areas of vitiligo or skin discolouration.

The tenth anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death makes the subject of blame more relevant, as fans of Jackson refute any blame on Michael’s part. For the first time, TV tributes for Jackson have not been aired in light of the documentary’s release this year. It cannot be denied that elements of Jackson’s music and choreographies were held as cultural icons and still hold influence; however, we cannot reject or shift blame to put ourselves at ease. Post-Leaving Neverland, listening to Michael’s music or dancing to his videos are all choices to be made by the individual.

Alongside blame, the other question Leaving Neverland forces us to consider is, if art can be separated from the artist.

See also: 

Teen Actress Thalia Tran On Preparing For “Little”

 

33 Years of Gaga: Our Round Up of Lady Gaga’s Record Breaking Singles

As Lady Gaga turns 33 today, here’s our list of top record breaking singles sizzling with Gaga drama, unrivalled fun and overflowing symbolism.

“Poker Face” – The Fame

Released in 2008, “Poker Face,” the second single of her album, The Fame features a strong melody with two unforgettable, defining hooks, “Mum mum mum mah” and in the chorus, “Can’t read my poker face.”

The robotic resonance, as fitting with the synth pop or techno pop genre matches the hit’s heading, “Pokerface” referring to an expressionless face. In an exclusive London gig, hosted by Belvedere vodka, Gaga explained to fans how the song came into play, “You know his song is actually about when I was making love to this guy that I was dating a long time ago…I was thinking about chicks every time we had sex.”

“Bad Romance” – The Fame Monster

Following Poker Face’s glory, Gaga managed to create another chart topping success with “Bad Romance.” Written and produced with the help of Nadir Khayat, the song lyrics combined with the music video’s sinister imagery offers a dark humoured portrayal of Gaga’s complex relationship history with men at that time.

The single itself became the most downloaded song in UK Chart history, while the music video for “Bad Romance” shot up to the most viewed video on YouTube in 2010.

“Born This Way” – Born This Way

As Gaga received international acclaim with her album, The Fame, she also courted attention for her unique sense of style. At the 2010 MTV Music Awards, she wore a now iconic meat dress made up of raw steak; in spite of the controversy from animal rights groups, the outfit was hailed by the Time as 2010’s top fashion statement, which led to Gaga being labelled the top fashion buzzword by the Global Language Monitor.

Inspired by the synth pop genre that paved the success of “Pokerface,” Gaga fuses disco, techno beats and metal into “Born This Way.” Her lyrics such as “You’re black, white, beige, chola descent,” “Don’t be a drag, just be a queen” and “God makes no mistakes’ merge the different identity markers of sexuality, race and religion.”

Gaga’s chorus hook, “Cause I was born this way” goes onto to eradicate the difference, through highlighting how we are all ultimately “born this way.”

“Applause” – Art Pop

Aired in 2013, “Applause” pays tribute to the on-going support from her fans, especially during her Born This Way Ball Tour, where she experienced immense pain from a hip injury. Their applause encouraged her to continue onwards with the tour, until her performance’s movements caused the injury to worsen and sustain a tear to the right hip.

Applause’s electro pop form of tech-pop and upbeat dance music was an international victory for Gaga, reaching the top 10 across music charts in South Korea, Turkey, Israel, Japan, Scotland and New Zealand.

In typical Gaga fashion, the music video is saturated with imagery. Una Mullally for Irish Times comments on the allusion to Botticelli’s Birth Of Venus and the hands across her breasts costume being reminiscent of Bowie’s 1973 green hands and cobweb costume designed by Korniloff, that was barred from American Television.

Although, what’s Gaga without the rich symbolism, dark humor, satire and glorious drama. Happy Birthday, Lady Gaga!

See also: Selma Blair’s Incredible Moment at The Oscars

Everything You Want to Know About Jennifer Lawrence’s Engagement

Sylvia Plath’s “Newly Discovered” College Story

Revolutionizing Music: beyerdynamic Your Way!

Using the latest sound personalization technology, beyerdynamic continues to produce unforgettable music.

Sound. It is your way of experiencing the world around you. Get ready to experience Mosaic sound personalization using Mimi technology! beyerdynamic now works with the best sound engineers on the latest sound personalization technology with their new consumer line. Products like the Amiron Wireless have allowed engineers to rediscover lost sound. They are like glasses for your ears making every sound crystal clear. However, beyerdynamic has not forgotten their history with industry standard studio products like DT770, DT880, and DT990 headphones still in production.

Since 1924 professionals have trusted beyerdynamic to create pro quality products to professionals in cities throughout the world. Fast forward and over 90 years later popular bands and professionals continue with that great legacy. Modern and classic music artists like 311, Foreigner, and Depeche Mode depend on beyerdynamic wireless microphones to produce a show their fans will never forget, an experience of sonic quality that will leave a lasting impact forever. Touring groups, on air broadcasting, recording studio, gamers, and audio professionals alike rely on beyerdynamic equipment to take the beating of regular use in the field, in and out of the studio. It is these relationships has built the foundation for beyerdynamic’s reputation as a high quality German manufacture. Keeping true to their standards beyerdynamic has a new line of products for the latest generation for music lovers, gamers, music artists, podcasters, and professionals.

You and your audience will experience crystal clear sound for years to come with beyerdynamic on your side. Come listen your way! Take advantage of this coupon code BDY10CN to save 10% at the beyerdynamic E shop.

On the Go

Have you ever wanted to listen to something way it was intended to be heard on the go? You may be considering new headphones. An avertible product yet provides the sonic quality you expect. After working with professionals in sound for almost a century beyerdynamic has now found the secret sauce to bring studio quality sound within the college budget. Built to German specifications the DT 240 PRO brings the reliability and durability to enjoy music on the go. Simply put these are meant to last. The durable metal headband, aluminum yokes and reinforced removable cables are ideal to withstand the demands of professional use.

Expect to experience every detail the engineers who mixed your favorite song intended for you to hear. The headphone hit all the right frequency’s just the way you were supposed to. The clean, deep bass, vivid midrange and precise treble ensures maximum precision while recording and playback. Allow the sonic experience to transcend you to another world. The around ear pads provide the isolation you need to concentrate on the next project and without distractions. This is perfect for film makers in the field who need great sound quality and isolation. Also perfectly matched for portable listening devices, it’s great to plug in your laptop, tablet, phone and listen anywhere. Your ears will smile whether you are listening to your favorite song, or traveling by plane on the journey home.

Uplink & Record

In the world of professional sound, microphones are known as the instrument of choice for vocalist. The FOX is clever and creative animal by nature and beyerdynamic has captured those qualities and brought it to the consumer world. The FOX USB microphone by beyerdynamic is nimble it is ability to go anywhere and be ready to record any time. All you need is the FOX and laptop, for this microphone to start recording right out of the box. The crystal clear accuracy of your recording will ensure not a note is lost and your audience with thank you for it. Durable yet perfect for on the go studio artist, the FOX will allow your vox to stand out as well as any music instrument you may have.

The large diaphragm condenser will pick up all the highs and lows of your sound for a full picture image. From 20-20k hz the full sonic spectrum is available to you to capture and recreate. And at studio quality 96k samples per second and 24 bit depth it will ensure the details of your recording are not lost in digital reproduction and will keep your dynamics subtleties intact. When you want to communicate emotion, like softness or loudness you will be heard. Whether you plan to stream your next event or gaming session the audience will have a 3D image of your sound. It brings studio quality for vocalist, streamers, gamers, and podcasting for professionals looking to interact with others and record rich sonic clarity any time any place. Keep a lookout for the clever and creative FOX as it may record you on your next event.

 

Beyerdynamic products are characterised by the company’s desire to innovate and continuously develop technology. And this desire is just as strong today as it was in the days of company founder Eugen Beyer, more than 90 years ago. 

beyerdynamic commits to a policy of continuous research and development employing a highly qualified team of engineers thus insuring the company’s future as a leader in the audio industry.

https://europe.beyerdynamic.com/