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Phoebe Bridgers Speaks Out About Abortion Access: ‘Shout-Out to Planned Parenthood’

You may know Phoebe Bridgers for tracks like “Kyoto,” “Moon Song” and “Motion Sickness” or her best new artist Grammy nomination, but the 28-year-old indie-pop darling is much more than a musician. Bridgers has been using her platform to speak out against injustices, and she’s staying vocal as Teen Vogue‘s October cover star.

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Bridgers chatted with Teen Vogue news & politics editor Lexi Mcmenamin on a variety of topics, including abortion rights and LGBTQ+ visibility in rock and pop.

Phoebe Bridgers

Phoebe Bridgers is Teen Vogue’s October cover star.

Chloe Horseman/Teen Vogue

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and with the rise of female and genderqueer artists in rock such as Mitski and Pom Pom Squad, Bridgers said it’s sad that the community has been forced to identify with white boys for decades.

“I think it shows you how desperate we’ve all been for any f—ing representation,” Bridgers told Teen Vogue. “I also think at the heart of it, it’s just wanting to be understood.”

Phoebe Bridgers

Phoebe Bridgers is Teen Vogue’s October cover star.

Chloe Horseman/Teen Vogue

As far as who has access to abortion, Bridgers believes white middle-class and upper-class people are always going to have access to reproductive-health resources, whether it’s flying to another state or family assistance.

“It’s just so much harder for the people that it was already hard for, so I like the organizations that are making life easier for those people,” she said.

Phoebe Bridgers

Phoebe Bridgers is Teen Vogue’s October cover star.

Chloe Horseman/Teen Vogue

In her interview with Teen Vogue, Bridgers notes that women shouldn’t let anyone freak them out about abortion “because unless you’re doing it in an unsafe way, there are resources for you if you’re trying to get one — and you should f—ing have one for whatever reason,” she continued. “It’s super safe. Shout-out to Planned Parenthood. I was very held during it.”

Bridgers, who has been open about her own abortion story, also discussed the experience with The Guardian ahead of her appearance at Glastonbury in June. The artist said she didn’t give much thought before posting on social media about her experience at Planned Parenthood, adding that her decision to have an abortion was not an emotional one. “I wasn’t f—ing emotional at all,” she told The Guardian. “Hormonally crazy! But I don’t think you should assign ‘it tore me up’ to me. No! I don’t think about it as a baby, of course not.”

Bridgers was inspired to first share her story via social media after Politico leaked the Supreme Court’s draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade. “I had an abortion in October of last year while I was on tour,” Bridgers tweeted. “I went to Planned Parenthood, where they gave me the abortion pill. It was easy. Everyone deserves that kind of access.”

Read the full story on Teen Vogue.

Celebrate Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ With New Augmented Reality Snapchat Lenses

Swifties now have a whole new way to take part in the Midnights fun.

Snapchat teamed up with Taylor Swift and virtual communications company BLNK to create three custom augmented reality Lenses, which transports users to the gates of Big Ben in London or Grand Central Terminal in New York City to unlock a hidden Midnights experience all to the tune of “Anti-Hero.”

The augmented reality experience will transform each clock face into Swift’s Midnights clock. Hands on each of the clocks will spin until they stop at midnight, and the entire structure will transform into a larger than life vinyl player, complete with gears, turntables, spinning vinyl and, of course, music from the album.

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Additionally, fans can use Snapchat to scan any edition of the album’s back cover art to unlock a filter in which the three missing pieces of the clock will appear to create a complete clock.

According to initial reports to Luminate, Midnights, which was released on Oct. 21, has sold more than 800,000 copies in the U.S. through its first day across all available formats (multiple digital album download, CD, vinyl and cassette variants). It has already logged the largest sales week for any album since 2017, is the top-selling album of 2022 year-to-date, and has set a modern-era record for single-week vinyl album sales. Spotify also announced that the album is officially the most-streamed album in a single day in the streaming service’s history.

At the time of publication, the album earned more than 1.4 million equivalent album units in the U.S.

Meta Joins Chorus of Tech Giants Feeling Advertising Pinch in Q3 as Net Income Falls 52%

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, reported $27.7 billion in second-quarter revenue, down 4 percent compared to the same quarter a year ago, continuing a trend of ad-supported tech companies feeling the pain of a tougher macroeconomic environment and renewed competition from competitors like TikTok.

However, the company beat Wall Street expectations for revenue. The company had previously forecast revenue of $26 billion–28.5 billion for the quarter, so it met its own guidance.

Going forward, however, things look tough. The company forecast Q4 revenue of $30-32.5 billion, below Wall Street expectations, sending its share price lower after hours.

Meta net income fell by 52 percent to $4.4 billion, while its daily active user base rose by 4 percent to 2.93 billion.

The company is in the midst of a strategic pivot toward the “metaverse,” which it seems to define as being driven by virtual reality and augmented reality. However, its early efforts in the space remain niche, even as it has committed billions of dollars toward investing in the space.

In its Q3 earnings report, the company said it was making “significant changes across the board to operate more efficiently,” including shrinking some teams and keeping others flat, so that it is “investing headcount growth only in our highest priorities.”

Those priorities will include developing its AI discovery engine, its ads and business messaging platforms, and its future investment in the metaverse.

In the near-term, the company expects savings as it “rationalizes” its office footprint.

The AI discovery engine is particularly relevant to Meta’s TikTok competitor Reels, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg says is stealing time spent from the other app. Reels is now a $3 billion annual run rate business, he added.

When the discovery engine is built out, the company will be able to “recommend photos, text, links, communities, short and long form videos, alongside posts from family and friends,” Zuckerberg said, differentiating it from TikTok.

“While we face near term challenges on revenue, the fundamentals are there for a return to stronger revenue growth,” Zuckerberg added in a statement. “We’re approaching 2023 with a focus on prioritization and efficiency that will help us navigate the current environment and emerge an even stronger company.”

Still, on the company’s earnings call, Zuckerberg also projected some optimism, telling analysts that “our product trends look better from what I see than what some of the commentary suggests.”

On Facebook specifically, the number of people using it each day is the highest it has ever been,” he added, noting that it now has nearly 2 billion users, and that WhatsApp’s fastest-growing region is now North America.

Meta’s quarterly report follows similarly disappointing results from Snap and Alphabet, which have also been feeling the pinch of the advertising environment. Snap cut about 20% of its staff last quarter, and saw its losses widen, as it seeks to restructure. It did, however, see double digit user growth.

Alphabet, the owner of YouTube and Google, also missed expectations, with YouTube revenue falling year-over-year for the first time since it was broken out by the company.

This article was originally published on THR.com.

Taylor Swift Joins Bon Iver Onstage in London to Perform ‘Exile’ Live Together for the First Time

Bon Iver took the stage in London at OVO Arena Wembley on Wednesday night (Oct. 26), and he surprised the crowd when he had Taylor Swift join him onstage to perform their song “exile” for the first time.

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The track was featured on Swift’s 2020 album, Folklore, which Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and The National‘s Aaron Dessner both contributed too. Dessner was also onstage during the “exile” performance.

Dessner recently collaborated with Swift on the 3am Edition of her freshly released 10th studio album, Midnights. Of the seven additional songs to the original 13 tracks, Dessner co-wrote and co-produced “The Great War,” “High Infidelity,” “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” and “Hits Different.”

“The most talented person in the world, Taylor Swift,” Vernon told the OVO Arena Wembley crowd following the performance, to which Swift sweetly replied, “The most talented person in the world, Justin Vernon. Also, the most talented person in the world, Aaron Dessner.”

“Alright, good night everybody,” Vernon joked as Swift left the stage. “We don’t know what to do now.”

Released as a surprise on July 24, 2020, Folklore represented a surprise pivot towards indie-folk that proved a critical and commercial blockbuster for Swift, earning the album of the year Grammy and topping the Billboard 200 albums chart for eight nonconsecutive weeks.

Swift followed up with Folklore‘s folky sister album, Evermore, in December of the same year. The album spent four nonconsecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200.

Watch the “exile” performance in London, captured by a fan and uploaded to Twitter, below.

Shakira & Ozuna’s ‘Monotonía’ Arrives in the Top 10 on Tropical Airplay Chart

Shakira returns to Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart as her latest single “Monotonía,” with Ozuna, breaks into the top 10 on the Oct. 29-dated list. It’s her first appearance on this chart since 2017.

“Monotonía” was released via Sony Music Latin on Oct. 19 and bows at No. 8 on Tropical Airplay with five days of airplay. It starts with 2.8 million in audience impressions earned during the tracking week Oct. 17-23, according to Luminate.

“Monotonía” marks Shakira’s first chart appearance and top 10 effort since “Déjà Vu” with Prince Royce closed its 42-week frame in the top 10 on December 2017. Out of those, the track took over atop the tally for 11 consecutive weeks (April-July 2017). Ozuna, meanwhile, reached a No. 3 high earlier in the year with “Señor Juez,” with Anthony Santos (Feb. 19-dated ranking).

Back to Shakira, she continues to hold the third-most top 10s among female acts on Tropical Airplay, trailing Olga Tañon’s 28 top 10s and India’s 25. Here’s a recap of the women with the most top 10s since the list launched in 1994:

28, Olga Tañón
25, India
20, Shakira
16, Giselle
16, Gloria Estefan
11, Paulina Rubio
11, Thalia

Elsewhere, “Monotonía” arrives at No. 25 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. For its first week on the multimetric ranking, the song registered 3.1 million official U.S. streams in the week ending Oct. 20. Sales, too, push the song to a top 30 start. Despite its only one day of activity, the song sold 2,000 downloads, yielding a No. 1 debut on Latin Digital Song Sales.

Further, “Monotonía” launches at No. 36 on the all-genre Latin Airplay chart. With a total of 63 entries on his career chart history, Ozuna extends his second-most appearances rank just behind Daddy Yankee’s 80 entries.

Adidas Plans to Sell Existing Yeezy Product Without Kanye West’s Name

Adidas may have severed ties with Kanye West, but it looks like they’ll still be selling the remainder of his Yeezy products — just without his name attached to them.

According to reporting by Bloomberg, the athletic brand’s parent company Adidas AG will rebrand all Yeezy designs under the Adidas brand at the start of 2023. “Looking ahead, on our understanding, the company will not sell any Yeezy-branded products and all Yeezy products will be branded under Adidas brand,” said Morgan Stanley analyst Edouard Aubin in a note to his clients on Tuesday.

“Adidas has the rights to existing Yeezy product designs and can sell these using Adidas branding (not Yeezy branding) following the termination of the Yeezy partnership, which Adidas intends to do,” RBC analyst Piral Dadhania added in a separate statement. “Speaking to the company, it believes it can limit the loss of revenues through this strategy, and will also save on expenses related to royalty and marketing fees no longer payable in 2023.”

Per Bloomberg, a rep for Adidas didn’t respond to the financial outlet’s request for comment on the news, which broke the same day Adidas issued a statement about dropping Ye following his recent barrage of antisemitic comments in the media. “Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the company said. “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”

Other brands and companies that have ended their relationships with West in the aftermath include Gap, Balenciaga, Foot Locker, TJ Maxx, CAA and more. Find a full list of the consequences West has faced here.

Kanye West Wax Figure Removed From Madame Tussauds London After Antisemitic Comments

Madame Tussauds is the latest brand to sever its ties with Kanye West amid his recent antisemitic comments.

On Wednesday (Oct. 26), the famous wax museum known for its celebrity figures issued a statement announcing its plans to pull Ye’s figure from the main display floor and into an archive.

“Ye’s figure has been retired from the attraction floor to our archive. Each profile earns their place at Madame Tussauds London and we listen to our guests and the public on who they expect to see at the attraction,” a spokesperson for Madame Tussauds told BBC.

Billboard has reached out for comment.

Though Madame Tussauds has several outposts around the world, there has never been a figure of the rapper in the United States, which includes locations in New York City, Orlando, San Francisco, Hollywood, Las Vegas and Nashville.

The removal of Ye’s wax figure from Madame Tussauds is one of the most recent developments in a week filled with actions against the rapper — on Tuesday alone, Adidas, Foot Locker and Gap all announced their respective brands would be making plans to remove all Yeezy products from their websites and physical retail stores. Losing the Adidas deal was a major loss for Ye, and resulted in his net worth dropping to $400 million and his removal from Forbes‘ billionaires list.

Earlier on Wednesday, TJ Maxx also announced that buyers for its retail locations have been advised to not purchase Yeezy products. Read our complete timeline of the consequences Ye has faced for his antisemitic comments and “White Lives Matter” shirts here.

Tory Lanez Placed Under House Arrest Ahead of Megan Thee Stallion Shooting Trial

A Los Angeles judge on Wednesday ordered Tory Lanez be placed under house arrest ahead of a trial over accusations that he shot Megan Thee Stallion, citing an incident last month in which the singer allegedly assaulted singer August Alsina in Chicago.

Lanez (real name Daystar Peterson) had been out on bail over the alleged shooting, but last month Alsina claimed that Lanez and his entourage attacked him following a Chicago concert. At the time, prosecutors in the Stallion case said they were “aware” of Alsina’s claims and were investigating them.

At a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, Judge David Herriford cited those accusations to revoke bail, ordering Lanez to be placed under house arrest until Nov. 28, when the trial is scheduled to begin. If convicted, he faces more than 22 years in prison.

A rep for Lanez did not immediately return a request for comment from Billboard.

Lanez was charged in October 2020 with one count of assault with a firearm and another gun possession charge over the July 2020 incident, in which he allegedly shot Stallion in the foot during an argument after a pool party in the Hollywood Hills.

Stallion had initially told police officers that she cut her foot stepping on broken glass, but days later revealed that she had suffered a gunshot wound. After media outlets reported that Lanez had fired the gun, Megan directly accused him in an August 2020 Instagram video.

Lanez pleaded not guilty in November 2020. At a December 2021 hearing, a Los Angeles judge allowed the case to move forward to a trial. During that hearing, a police detective testified that Stallion had told him that Lanez yelled “Dance, bitch!” as he opened fire around her feet, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Though he’d remained out on bail while awaiting trial, Lanez has repeatedly drawn the ire of the judge overseeing the case.

In August 2021, the rapper’s bail was increased from $190,000 to $250,000 after he made a surprise appearance at the Rolling Loud Miami Festival on July 25 just moments after Stallion departed the stage — effectively violating a protective order that requires him to stay at least 100 yards away from the “Savage” hitmaker. And this past April, a judge increased his bail again to $350,000 after some of the rapper’s social media posts were found to have breached court orders requiring him to avoid any contact with Stallion.

The incident with Alsina was apparently the last straw.

In a Sept. 18 post on Instagram, Alsina shared an image in which he can be seen standing in an elevator with blood coming from his mouth. In the caption, Alsina claimed Lanez physically assaulted him after he refused to shake his hand following a show the previous night.

A video published to Twitter a day later, which purported to document the lead-up and aftermath of the alleged assault, appears to show Alsina rebuffing a handshake from Lanez backstage. In the final half of the video, Lanez seems to be celebrating as a man off-camera can be heard saying Lanez “knocked him out.”

Alsina appears to have filed a police report with the Chicago Police Department, who confirmed to Billboard that they had received a report of a “30-ye[a]r-old male” being “punched in the face by a 30-year-old male after exiting a building in the 2300 block of S. Lake Shore Drive” – the location of a theater where both Lanez and Alsina were billed to perform that night.

The 7 Best Scented Candles: Pumpkin Spice & Other Fall Fragrances to Make Any Room Feel Cozy

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

From coffee to candles, pumpkin is arguably the most popular scent for fall. And it’s not just about the fragrance. Pumpkin-scented candles have a way of making the room feel cozier.

Candles never go out of season, but with the holidays right around the corner, and Black Friday deals already in motion, now might be the perfect time to shop for scented candles.

What’s not to love about scented candles? They smell good and look nice, plus they’re great for white elephant gifts, birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions.

In honor of National Pumpkin Day, we rounded up a collection of pumpkin-scented candles to shop for fall, along with a few other delicious scents, including banana bread, apple, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, and buttered maple syrup. See the list below.

Nordstrom

Spiced Pumpkin Latte Candle

$34

A pumpkin spice latte in a jar! The Voluspa Spiced Pumpkin Latte Candle blends notes of kabocha pumpkin, fluffy vanilla marshmallow, whipped coconut créma, and cinnamon spiced brûlée. This gorgeous candle is available at major retailers such as Nordstrom, Sephora, and Amazon. You might also like the Homesick Pumpkin Picking Candle ($28.50).

Nest

Pumpkin Chai Classic Candle

$46

Nest’s Pumpkin Chai Classic Candle captures the “cozy autumn ambiance” with blends of pumpkin, spicy masala chai, cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon. For a cheaper option, try the Better Homes & Garden’s Pumpkin Scented Candle ($10).

Yankee Candle

Pumpkin Banana Scone Candle

$31

“Scent form heaven.” The Pumpkin Banana Scone Candle from Yankee Candle is inspired by the smell of pumpkin banana bread, with a “drizzle of vanilla glaze and a dash of cinnamon.” The candle contains top notes of cinnamon sugar, gingersnap, apple spice, nutmeg, banana, baked pumpkin, buttercream, cashew milk, vanilla, malt, clove, and coconut milk.

Amazon

Sweet Water Decor Hello Fall Candle No. 17 | Scented Soy Wax Candle for Home | 9oz Amber Jar, 40 Hour Burn Time, Made in The USA (Hello Fall)

$19.95

$24.00

17% OFF

Sweet Water Décor’s Hello Fall Candle is perfect for the season! The candle features notes of hot cider, cinnamon, cloves, apple and nutmeg.

Amazon

Sand + Fog Scented Candle – Autumn Harvest – Additional Scents and Sizes – 100% Cotton Lead-Free Wick – Luxury Air Freshening Jar Candles – Perfect Home Decor – 12oz

$22.99

If you search scented candles on TikTok, Sand + Fog will land on the list. Perfectly scented for fall, the Autumn Harvest Candles features clove and cinnamon leaf top notes; cinnamon, hay and wood middle notes, and vanilla bean base notes.

Amazon

Crossroads Buttered Maple Syrup® Scented 2-Wick Candle, 26 Ounce

$25.80

Maple is another great scent for fall and winter. The Crossroads Buttered Maples Syrup Candle burns for 120 to 140 hours and features a blend of sugary maple syrup and warm butter.

Nest

Nest Crystallized Ginger & Vanilla Bean Candle, 8 Oz.

$46

A scent that will carry your from one season to another, the Crystallized Ginger & Vanilla Bean Candle channels the rich aromas that remind us of the holiday season. Notes of crystallized ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla bean make up this irresistible fragrance.