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Taylor Swift on Sexism, Scrutiny, and Standing Up for Herself

Taylor Swift
Jason Tate

Abby Aguirre, writing for Vogue:

I ask her, why get louder about LGBTQ rights now? “Rights are being stripped from basically everyone who isn’t a straight white cisgender male,” she says. “I didn’t realize until recently that I could advocate for a community that I’m not a part of. It’s hard to know how to do that without being so fearful of making a mistake that you just freeze. Because my mistakes are very loud. When I make a mistake, it echoes through the canyons of the world. It’s clickbait, and it’s a part of my life story, and it’s a part of my career arc.”

Disney Announces $12.99 Bundle for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+

Disney
Jason Tate

Julia Alexander, writing for The Verge:

Disney will offer a bundle package of its three streaming services — Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ — for $12.99 a month starting on November 12th, the company announced today. […]

The streaming services is likely to be available through “Amazon, Apple, and other distributors,” according to Iger. Disney has not finalized any deals with the aforementioned companies, but told investors “we feel it’s important for us to achieve scale quickly, and we think it’s going to be an important part of that. They’re all interested in distributing the product.”

Vic Fuentes Named Co-Chairman/CEO of Living the Dream Foundation

Pierce the Veil
Jason Tate

Vic Fuentes of Pierce the Veil has been named Co-Chairman/CEO of the Living the Dream Foundation:

Living the Dream’s main focus is introducing sick children and young adults to their musical heroes and creating what the foundation calls Dream Days, which can include meet-and-greets with artists, VIP access to concerts and special events, or hospital visits. Hundreds of Dream Days have been realized since the foundation launched in 2007. In addition to Pierce the Veil, acts that have participated include Blink-182, Slipknot, Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson.

Toni Morrison Passes Away

Jason Tate

Margalit Fox, writing at The New York Times:

Toni Morrison, the 1993 Nobel laureate in literature, whose acclaimed, best-selling work explored black identity in America and in particular the experience of black women, died on Monday in the Bronx. She was 88.

Her death, at Montefiore Medical Center, was announced by her publisher, Alfred A. Knopf. A spokeswoman said the cause was complications of pneumonia. Ms. Morrison lived in Grand View-on-Hudson, N.Y.

I think about this quote from Song of Solomon all the time:

Perhaps that’s what all human relationships boil down to: Would you save my life? or would you take it?

R.I.P

Mark Hoppus Interviewed on 97X

Blink-182
Jason Tate

Mark Hoppus sat down with 97X to talk about Blink-182’s new album and mentioned that at one point they thought of leaving the album untitled, again:

We’d originally not wanted to call it anything, and were maybe thinking about just not titling it at all – but we already did that once, so we didn’t know if we should call it ‘Extra Untitled’ or what. So we’re like ‘let’s just call this what number album this is’, and depending on which you think is our first album and which you include, this is nine.

NF Tops the Charts This Week

Jason Tate

NF has the number one album in the country this week:

The set, which was released on July 26 via NF Real Music/Caroline, starts with 130,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 1 according to Nielsen Music — the fourth-largest week for a rap album released in 2019. Of that sum, 84,000 were in album sales, which made it the biggest sales week for a rap set this year.

Meg & Dia Return: Inside Their Post-‘Voice’ Struggle & New Surprise Album

Meg and Dia
Jason Tate

Chris Payne, writing at Billboard:

Those pressure-packed Voice performances drained Dia’s onstage exuberance over most of the past decade. “For years after The Voice, I had a really hard time performing,” says Dia. “Perfectionism took over my life.” Even worse, her newfound solo career ravaged her relationship with her older sister, once her closest confidante in an unforgiving industry. “It was like having my identity and my best friend taken away at the same time,” says the elder Frampton, now willing to criticize the way she reacted to Dia’s ascent.

For years, the sisters didn’t speak. “I had tied up all my self-worth in being famous, having money, and being a rock star,” says Meg. “I felt really jealous, thinking my sister was gonna be rich and famous, and I’d have nothing left.”

A Wikipedia for Generation Z

The Atlantic
Jason Tate

Taylor Lorenz, writing for The Atlantic:

If you want to know who the biggest TikTok star is right now, who is in Emma Chamberlain’s squad, or where Baby Ariel grew up, only one website will give you the answers: Famous Birthdays.

Despite its name, the site contains more than just birthdays—it’s more like a constantly updated, highly detailed map of who matters to the teen internet, featuring a mix of biographical information, photos, videos, rankings, and detailed statistics on every social-media star you could think of. And to teenagers, it’s a bible. “They have everything you want to know about everyone who is important,” says Grace, a 14-year-old in St. Louis.

Charles Porch, the head of global creative partnerships at Instagram, says that Famous Birthdays is like the younger generation’s Tiger Beat. “You might know about Famous Birthdays if you’re a parent,” Porch says. “But you definitely know about it if you’re a kid, and you definitely know about it if you’re a creator. Is it adult mainstream yet? No, but that doesn’t matter.” The site has 20 million unique visitors a month—more than a million more than Entertainment Weekly, and four times as many as Teen Vogue.

Well, reading this article gave me my daily “holy shit I’m starting to feel my age” moment.

Travis Barker ‘Disgusted’ Over Echosmith Drummer Allegedly Contacting His Daughter

Echosmith
Jason Tate

Echosmith’s drummer has allegedly been sending some creepy messages to Travis Barker’s daughter:

Barker tells The Blast, “When I found out a 20 year old man was trying to get in touch with my 13 year old daughter by filling her Instagram messages with party invites and compliments I was disgusted.”

Barker continues, “That’s predatory behavior and there is nothing cool, normal or ok about it at all.”

This does not appear to be the first time something like this has happened.

Read More “Travis Barker ‘Disgusted’ Over Echosmith Drummer Allegedly Contacting His Daughter”

Blink-182’s Peter Pan Complex

Enema of the State
Jason Tate

Alan Siegel, writing at The Ringer:

The story of Enema of the State, however, isn’t solely one about Blink-182’s big break. It’s also, like much of the most memorable pop music from 1999, about the perfect marriage of artist and producer as well as the profound influence of MTV. And yes, the tale contains plenty of gratuitous nudity.

This is a fun piece.

“Old Town Road” Breaks Billboard Hot 100 Record

Billboard
Jason Tate

Entertainment Weekly:

Lil Nas X has proven all those remixes were worth it now that his single “Old Town Road” is the longest-running No. 1 song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.

For 17 weeks, Lil Nas X’s fusion of country and trap has sat at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. That’s one week longer than previous record holders “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber and “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.