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From Barbie: The Album to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, soundtracks tied to blockbuster films have dominated much of the year. As 2023 draws to a close, Quincy Jones, Scott Sanders and Larry Jackson hope their new expanded soundtrack, released last Friday (Dec. 15) for the forthcoming Color Purple movie musical (which hits theaters Dec. 25), marks a new era for R&B soundtracks and continues the healing Alice Walker sparked with her paramount novel 41 years ago.
Walker’s story has undergone countless iterations over the past four decades: an Oscar-nominated Steven Spielberg-helmed film in 1985, a Tony-winning Broadway musical in 2005, a Grammy-winning Broadway revival in 2015, and now a new movie musical directed by Grammy nominee Blitz Bazawule. Led by Fantasia, Danielle Brooks, Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo and Halle Bailey, the new film offers a fresh perspective on the timeless narrative, as evidenced by its accompanying star-studded, globe-traversing Inspired By soundtrack. The new set is comprised of 21 new songs inspired by the film, in addition to 16 tracks taken from the Broadway musical. The genre-spanning set is heavily rooted in R&B — a conscious decision given the way R&B has been counted out by major labels over the past decade.
According to Sanders, who produced the 2005 Broadway musical and serves as executive producer on both the 2023 film and its soundtrack (released through Warner Bros. Pictures/WaterTower Music/gamma), Warner Bros. was always planning to do a soundtrack. “We knew it would be an opportune moment for them to add another dimension to The Color Purple brand extension,” he remarks.
And that’s precisely what the new soundtrack is. As cinematic universes continue to dominate mainstream media, The Color Purple has been crafting its own interconnected web of stories for 40 years — and the new soundtrack became a holy site for reunions and healing among the producers, artists, and cast.
The idea of a proper Inspired By soundtrack started to take form during an April lunch between Sanders and Jackson after the gamma. CEO had seen the film and felt its impact on early audiences. “Whatever veneer of impenetrable stoicism I had at that time, [the film] pierced it,” Jackson reflects. “To me, the great Black films are the ones [where] people are talking back to the screen, they’re applauding, there’s conversations going on, and whooping and hollering. It’s an interactive spirit, and this film has that.”
For Jackson, it was Fantasia’s performance that most moved him. The Billboard Hot 100-topping R&B star leads the film as Celie Harris-Johnson, a role for which she has already earned a Golden Globe nomination. Almost 20 years ago, Fantasia captivated America’s hearts and won the fourth season of American Idol. Shortly after her victory, she headed to the studio to record her debut LP, a Grammy-nominated effort on which Jackson would serve as A&R. That album featured singles such as “Truth Is” and the Missy Elliott-assisted “Free Yourself,” a collaboration that now has a three-way connection to The Color Purple universe.
“That was a lot for me at that time of my life — [Fantasia and I] were basically the same age and really related to what needed to be achieved,” Jackson reflects. “I was saying to Missy Elliott last night, she really helped me craft the sound for Fantasia’s first album.”
On the soundtrack, Elliott appears on two remixes: the Shenseea-featuring “Hell No,” a song from the original musical, and “Keep It Movin’,” a new addition to the musical co-written by Bailey. Like most of the artists involved in the soundtrack, Jackson says that the “Work It” rapper decided to join the project after a private screening of the film. It’s the same way he landed Alicia Keys, who co-wrote and co-produced the soundtrack’s lead single (“Lifeline”), Johntá Austin, whose “When I Can’t Do Better” marks his first collaboration with Mary J. Blige since their iconic “Be Without You,” and The-Dream. Fresh off a Grammy win for his work on Beyoncé’s Renaissance, The-Dream could be headed down to the Oscars thanks to “Superpower,” a new song he penned for the Color Purple end credits.
Often, end-credit songs are performed by artists who don’t appear in the film — but in the case of The Color Purple, everyone was in early agreement that Fantasia was the only correct choice to belt the closing ballad. For one, both the song and the movie are Fantasia’s formal re-entry into the public eye as a performer, but her specific voice and story were the best vehicle for The-Dream’s lyrics. “This is older Celie singing to her younger self — it is a quintessential ‘it gets better’ song,” Sanders gushes. “It’s so f—king moving. I can’t stop listening to it. I cry when I listen to Fantasia’s rendition.” For “Superpower,” Jackson told The-Dream, “I just want a spiritual, a song that will move on far past our time. Something that will be sung in high school graduations.”
Although the SAG-AFTRA strike almost prevented Fantasia from recording the song, the timing worked out and she was able to cut her vocal in time. Given that Fantasia played Celie on Broadway for eight months during the Broadway show’s original run, her rendition of the end-credits song is the kind of full-circle moment that most artists dream of. “Superpower” is a rousing song – one in which she deftly displays the expanse of vocal range and control – and a potential comeback vehicle for not just Fantasia, but the R&B soundtrack in general. In crafting The Color Purple (Music From and Inspired By), Sanders, Jackson and film director Blitz Bazawule drew inspiration from iconic R&B film soundtracks of decades past, including Sparkle, The Bodyguard, Boomerang and Waiting to Exhale.
“It had always been on my bucket list to do a soundtrack that felt like the great soundtracks of the 1970s, or the ones in the ‘90s,” Jackson says. “I’ve been involved in a few of them, but Clive [Davis] was always the one who was leading it. It never was something that I was driving with my own personal taste and sensibility, and this was an opportunity for that.”
The Color Purple soundtrack bookmarks a year that began with troubling layoffs for one of the most storied labels in Black music history. In the middle of Black History Month (Feb. 16), Billboard reported that Motown was set to be reintegrated under Capitol Music Group – hence the layoffs – making for a less-than-preferable outcome after the company attempted a run as a standalone label back in 2021. Despite a precarious start to the year, R&B artists have once again forged a spot at the forefront of the mainstream, thanks to acts such as SZA, Victoria Monét, Usher, Coco Jones and more. It’s a level of momentum, Sanders and Jackson hope to continue with their generation-bridging Color Purple tracklist.
In addition to the cast, The Color Purple soundtrack features contributions from Jennifer Hudson, Keyshia Cole, Mary J. Blige, Mary Mary, H.E.R., Ludmilla, Megan Thee Stallion and more. Like Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson’s track marks another full-circle moment for The Color Purple universe. Hudson took home the 2017 Grammy Award for best musical theater album thanks to the Broadway revival, and, of course, she was a contestant on the same season of American Idol as Fantasia. In another connection, Hudson herself also starred in a blockbuster Black movie musical that hit theaters on Christmas Day: 2006’s Dreamgirls, for which she won the Academy Award for best supporting actress.
Although Walker’s novel specifically highlights the stories of Black American women in the American South during the early 20th century, the new Color Purple soundtrack both globalizes those narratives and translates them to contemporary times. Megan Thee Stallion’s remix of “Hell No” — a selection from the original musical – carries a special weight given the way she has refused to let misogynoir drown out her voice over the past few years. Jamaican cross-genre star Shenseea appears on a different “Hell No” remix, and her inclusion on the tracklist – alongside Brazilian singer-songwriter Ludmilla – highlights how The Color Purple’s narrative resonates with Black women around the world.
“Every day was meeting to reaffirm why I’m doing this, to remind myself the importance of this work,” explains director Blitz Bazawule. “It’s daunting. You’re talking about a legacy that you don’t approach if you don’t have anything real to contribute.” Bazawule aimed to contribute new perspectives of childhood and Celie’s inner dialogue in his version of The Color Purple. In translating a Broadway play to the silver screen, Bazawule was pushed to think about which characters and moments in the plot needed songs. “Keep It Movin’,” co-written by Bailey and Grammy-winning songwriting duo Nova Wav, was one of those songs. “Nettie’s character, as I saw it, needed to impart to Celie some level of confidence that will stay with her sister before they reconnect at the very end,” Bazawule says. “[The song] shows a young girl’s innocence which will very soon be snatched away quite violently. I need that moment to be memorable and really reflect the love the sisters have for each other.”
Bailey, who starred as the titular Little Mermaid earlier this year, is, of course, one-half of the Grammy-nominated sister duo Chloe x Halle. The “Angel” singer drew from her relationship with her sister for “Keep It Movin’,” a dynamic that exemplifies the symbiotic healing nature of The Color Purple soundtrack. As artists completed their contributions to the project, they experienced moments of healing themselves. According to Bazawule, those moments occurred throughout filming, spurred by the omnipresence of faith and gospel music on set. Gospel music is a clear throughline between the original music, the Inspired By soundtrack, and the way the musical’s songs were reworked for the film.
“Gospel is the foundation. When you think about how our version of The Color Purple functions, which is the oscillation between joy and pain and turning our pain into power, it’s the definition of gospel,” remarks Bazawule. “You don’t have anything without gospel, so, for us, it was central to how we advanced everything. I also was very clear that I’d have to split my musical journey into 3 three parts: gospel, blues and jazz.” To bring a more cinematic, gospel-infused feel to the original Broadway music, Bazawule tagged in Billboard chart-topping gospel star Ricky Dillard; He also recruited Keb’ Mo’ to bring in the blues, and Christian McBride for jazz. He even made sure his DP (Dan Lausten) and production designer (Paul D. Austerberry) got an authentic Black church experience. With both Fantasia and Domingo regularly leading the cast and crew in prayer, The Color Purple transformed into “spiritual work that shows up in the amount of healing that a lot of us went through making this film,” says Bazawule.
“You cannot work on The Color Purple without understanding what anointing looks like,” Bazawule asserts. “When those singers open their mouths, that’s church talking. That was very clear and it stayed critical up until the end.”
Just days before The Color Purple is set to open in theatres, a Hollywood Reporter piece exploring the hesitancy of studios to promote movie musicals as musicals started to make the rounds online. Black movie musicals are few and far between, especially when holiday films and biopics are removed, and The Color Purple is hoping to dispel the notion that audiences aren’t interested in seeing musicals on the big screen.
“I hope [The Color Purple] opens the door to many more and I hope directors and studios take more chances with Black movie musicals,” muses Bazawule. “Again, when it comes to music, we are unmatched, so you just have to find the narratives. I hope and pray our movie will move the needle.”
Although The Boy and The Heron, the first film from beloved Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki in a decade, was released internationally in July, the breathtaking fantasy has caused quite a stir since its wide release in the U.S. on Dec. 8. The story of a troubled boy who enters a mysterious world following the death of his mother, The Boy and The Heron grossed nearly $13 million in its opening weekend to top the North American box office – the first Miyazaki film to do so.
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As more moviegoers discover the wonder of The Boy and The Heron, they’re also interacting with “Spinning Globe,” the moving end-credits song performed by longtime Japanese star Kenshi Yonezu. Years after Miyazaki first approached the artist about contributing a song to his long-awaited new film, “Spinning Globe,” a heartfelt ballad that blooms into a giant pop sing-along while incorporating element of Scottish folk music, has developed a following in its own right. The song earned 1.1 million official on-demand U.S. streams through Dec. 7, according to Luminate, and that number will surely rise following the film’s North American debut.
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Prior to The Boy and The Heron hitting North American theaters, Kenshi Yonezu discussed the creation of “Spinning Globe,” and how the song yielded one of the most unforgettable moments of his career, in an email interview with Billboard.
What was your reaction when Hayao Miyazaki first approached you to write the theme to his next project?
I was simply flabbergasted, like, “What!?!”
Naturally, I thought, “Why me?,” you know. I heard some background stories of the approach and it turned out that Mr. Miyazaki had heard “Paprika” [a hit song Yonezu produced] on the radio. At a nursery school run by Ghibli, children were singing and dancing to the song; one day, Mr. Suzuki noticed Mr. Miyazaki singing along with them. He thought this could be some kind of destiny and brought up the idea, “How about asking the one who wrote this song to make the theme song of The Boy and the Heron?” and Mr. Miyazaki said, “That’s a good idea.”
Actually, I remember little of the first impression I had on their proposal. It could have had an impact on my memory, but I don’t even remember most of the scene either. I wonder why, and come to think of it, it was an honor, but at the same time, it was very much a scary thing. While it was the biggest honor in my life, chances were, it would put an end to my life as a music maker. That vague anxiety remained intact throughout the four years of making the song. So, to be honest, I don’t really remember how I felt at first.
How much pressure did you feel to create a song worthy of his genius?
For the past four years, this movie has always been in the corner of my head. No matter what I did – when I was writing a song that had nothing to do with it, or just living everyday life, a thin membrane that had the phrase The Boy and The Heron on it was always screening my view. It certainly put a heavy pressure on me, and there was always a sense of preparation for it.
Upon making the theme song of The Boy and The Heron, I thought once again, about what Ghibli movies were, and furthermore, what Mr. Hayao Miyazaki was to me. Then I realized that I have never had anyone to call my master. For instance, in neither music nor art, I experienced being taught something clearly by someone. I have never been into schoolwork and hardly experienced senior-junior or boss-subordinate relationships. I took a look back at my life and realized that I had very little experience of learning from older people and being greatly influenced by them as I shaped my personality. So perhaps I was looking for a master-like figure in Mr. Hayao Miyazaki, as a great master, or if I would say further, a father-like figure.
While his movies are full of celebrations, his books are full of poignant remarks. So, his words do deny me, but at the same time, tell me, “It’s okay for you to live.” I realized only recently, but somewhere in my mind, I might have been seeking that sort of fatherliness in him.
Ever since childhood, his movies have saved my life. And into adolescence, I just started considering him my mentor without asking. Personally speaking, he is probably my all-time number one master. And now I get to work with The Man. Here I am, face-to-face with him, who is seated at the other side of the table… I must take in his every single move, deed, and word. At first, I was trying so hard to look big, strained with tension.
“Spinning Globe” was inspired by the story of the film, but also your passion for Miyazaki’s work. How did you try to capture that passion in the music and lyrics?
At the first meeting I had with Mr. Miyazaki, he said that he would depict all the parts he had “hidden” in his past works, which were “the darkness and mess inside” of himself.
I thought the movie was entirely focused on them. And I had been fully aware since day one that it was simply impossible to make a song by summarizing the story itself. Then how should I do it? I came to the conclusion that the only way to make sense of this song was to focus on the relationship between the two axes: myself, who had grown up watching his movies, enjoying them, and gazing at his back creating them, and Hayao Miyazaki.
Therefore, although the (Japanese) title of the movie could be translated as “How do you live?,” my stance on making this song was more like, “I have lived my life this way,” or, “This is how I will keep going on with my life.” The only way for me to do this was to recapture Hayao Miyazaki in that sense and turn it into music. Therefore, the lyrics were written in that way as well. Having said that, this song is, of course, not on personal matters. I wrote this song for the movie; it projects the main character and what had swirled in the story. But at the same time, all sorts of things, such as Mr. Miyazaki himself and myself growing up watching Miyazaki movies, are also unraveled here while still in opacity. The lyrics go all the way back to one’s birth and into how to live life.
I wanted to start the lyrics from absolute celebration. Mr. Miyazaki has made movies to this day to tell children that “this world is worth living.” Taking that into consideration, I was pretty sure that the song should start from “You were brought into this world to be wanted,” otherwise it wouldn’t make sense.
How did “Spinning Globe” evolve over the years between Miyazaki first approaching you about the theme and its eventual release?
I received the storyboard in 2019, and spent the next four years reading it over and over again, and seeing the rushes of the movie.
At the beginning, it was the time to see if there was anything I could take in from the storyboard, or what to take in. When I received the storyboard, the movie did not have a release date yet; it was probably going to be quite far away in the future. So, I didn’t start working on the song immediately, but instead, spent a very long time figuring out what the movie was all about, and how I felt through looking at it with my own eyes. In fact, for about two years, I had the storyboard at the back of my head while working on other songs and living everyday life.
Then I found myself gradually becoming unable to see the storyboard in an objective way. Even the songs I had been working on at that time, I wondered if they were really okay. Maybe that was the time I had the deepest experience of such things. And when you take a long time working on a song, your appetite comes with eating… you might wonder if you should make it more gorgeous. So, I told myself not to forget the primal sensation of when I first thought it was okay. I created a demo first, and always went back to the feeling of the moment when I thought it was okay, and took a long time disciplining myself, “Adding will do no good… Adding will do no good…”.
Mr. Miyazaki said to me, “Be ambitious when you make a song.” I interpreted it my way, and making “Paprika 2” or something splashy with strings [is] something lazy for me. If asked if such things are ambitious, I don’t think so. As a music maker, I have always sought for something that was not there at that time. With each and every song, I have made it by taking in new elements, no matter how many. Personally speaking, that is what I call ambition.
This time, I made the song extremely simple and earthy. In a sense, it may make the song less pop, but I believe there are things and words that can only be depicted that way. Therefore, to me, this song – “Spinning Globe” – is a very ambitious piece of music.
One day, I had Mr. Miyazaki listen to the pre-recorded demo on the CD I had burned. I went to see him as if I had been on death row, thinking, “Do I have to be there?” We sat around a table, and while listening to this song coming from the speaker, Mr. Miyazaki shed tears in front of me. That is the most memorable moment in the past four years. I will carry it in my heart for the rest of my life.
The film focuses on profound loss, among other issues. Was it difficult to translate that theme into a pop format?
From day one, I already had the foundation of the song, which started with an idea of “creating a Scottish folk tune.” Why Scottish folk tune? It’s very hard to explain, but I have always felt something close to Scottish folk tunes to Mr. Miyazaki’s movies. And at the same time, I wanted to make something simple. Rather than layering different instruments to make it sound gorgeous, I wanted it to be really simple, with minimal instruments like the piano, and use my voice for the rest. I should make music that won’t age but not novel either. In other words, I should make something that is old from the start, in the format that you can listen to it for a long time. That idea has been my focus from the beginning.
I wanted to take an elaborate [creative] process for this song. As pre-production, I crafted the demo as I did the recording at the studio. However, although I did a proper recording, I was trying different instruments, and the mic setting was not really fixed yet. Then, even the creaking sound of the piano pedal made it in the demo. It was not intentional, but when I actually had it, I really liked the sound. I recorded the piano under proper recording circumstances, but the results were always not enough. I tried recording in many settings too.
I went to different studios and tried many pianos. Still, I couldn’t wipe away the feeling that nothing could beat the first piano with that creaking pedal…
I ended up recording with the piano that Yuta Bandoh, the co-arranger of the song, had at his parents’ place. It was an ordinary piano at a very general household. We set up a mic in the room he had lived since childhood, using this old piano his mother had played and passed onto him. The piano had not been maintained regularly, but the texture of its sound was the best to me.
What has the reaction to the song been like since its release, from both your fans and Miyazaki fans?
What kind of presence was the song “Spinning Globe” in The Boy and the Heron? Was it able to serve its role? I consciously try not to be a part of such discussions. I had four years of working face to face with this movie, and in the course of time, many forms were born and gone. It has been several months since the movie was out; I see four years’ worth of flashbacks come and go. But those should not be told anymore. The song “Spinning Globe” should be evaluated by the fans. Now I’m ready to face the next songwriting process.
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Source: Avery Kelley / Handout
Filmmaker Avery Kelley—who is 15—is adding her name to the list of creatives eager to present authentic and respectable images of Blackness to the world.
Raised on Chicago’s South Side, she witnessed successful, enterprising Black businesswomen who inspired her to pursue the arts. Originally a dancer, Avery found her talent in film, writing and producing content. In the four years since she started her production company, Inspired Melanin, she’s garnered award after award for her works, which include a historic documentary on the impact of the Soul Train television show, as well as a documentary on Chicago’s storied Studio One Dance Theater.
Critically acclaimed, her most recent work, The All-Aroundz, is touring film festivals stateside and internationally. More than just a worker, she’s equally known for her commitment to social causes, which includes her Give Love and Carry On fundraiser, which donates clothing to foster children.
Hip-Hop Wired: How are you? Recently, your organization hosted a clothing drive for foster children, called “Give Love and Carry On.” What inspired you to choose this as a fundraiser for you and yours?
Avery: I found out about the plight of children in the foster care system from my mother, and from there I began researching to learn more about the situation. I know that I can’t just solve every single problem that goes on within the foster care system, but I wanted to start somewhere, so I knew this was a way that I could start. I started by deciding to raise duffel bags and luggage tasks. That’s where the idea came from. I did research, saw a problem and wanted to fix it.
It’s a great idea! Who were some of the sponsors for your event?
Oh my gosh, we have an entire list of sponsors. So I’m so incredibly grateful for it. I’ve never had sponsors for anything in my life. So to be able to have it for this event, to be able to help us raise these bags just really warms my heart. I can name the main six. First, we have Riley’s Way Foundation. They were not only a sponsor, but are also the fiscal sponsor for the Give Love Carry On event as it’s not a nonprofit. Next, we have Over Time Elite, which is an Atlanta-based basketball league with teenagers. They are amazing. For the event, they donated bags for foster children. They also donated swag bags filled with game day tickets and merch to be able to give to the guests.
Then we have True Star Media, which is a Chicago-based youth media program. We have Project Osmosis, which is also Chicago-based but works nationally. They help students throughout the arts. Fifth, there’s Project I Am, which works to be able to create blessing bags for the homeless. And last, we have my production company, Inspired Melanin.
You were born and raised in Chicago and recently moved down to Atlanta. What was life like for you growing up in Chicago, particularly on the South Side?
Growing up in Chicago is amazing. It’s the best. It’s the best city in the world. And I know, I know there may be just a little bit of bias to that because I’m from there, but I’m serious. I grew up in a very family-based environment. I lived no more than like six minutes away from my grandmother my entire life. Of course, I know there’s always the serious type of Chicago that has violence and shootings, but there’s so much more to it than that. I grew up around so many powerful black women who inspired me to be able to go after what I wanted. I went to great schools with great teachers who helped shape people and helped shape me. I loved growing up there, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.
Was film your first dream? If not, how long did it take for you to recognize you had a talent behind the lens?
It’s not something that I knew originally. I’ve always known that I wanted to do something that has to do with the arts. I’ve been dancing since I was 2 years old, and at my dance studio, I was around so many entrepreneurial-based mindsets that I always knew it was something that I wanted to do. I just didn’t necessarily know which art field yet. I originally assumed, “oh, hey, I’m going to be the next Zendaya or Viola Davis.” So I kind of went after that dream, and I did different auditions.
During one audition, we had to write our monologue. I wrote a little monologue, and I performed it. And I was like, “OK, the self-tape was OK, but this monologue was pretty good!” I was only like 9 or 10 at the time though, and so after writing that monologue, I told my mom I like this. I was able to find my passion from that. And it was very unexpected, but I’m so grateful for it because film is like one of the best things ever. And I’m so glad I get to be able to tell different stories through this art form.
I think the world is grateful that you found it, too. So from this seed of screenwriting, you started a production company, named Inspired Melanin. What’s the inspiration behind the name?
It’s such a funny story to me. When I knew I wanted to start a production company at 11, I completed my very first short film called Backrow, which is about a group of seven kids that all sat in the back row of class. I didn’t want to just stop here. So I researched what a production company was and said “OK, but what am I going to call it?” I knew what I wanted to do. I knew that I wanted to be able to represent the underrepresented, which is a kind of umbrella. But I didn’t know the name. That same morning I was talking to my mom about tattoos I wanted. I was 11. Why am I over here thinking about tattoos, I don’t know! But I was telling my mom I wanted a tattoo on both arms, one saying inspired, and the other saying melanin.
Suddenly, I was like, “oh, wait, that kind of has a nice little ring to it.” My parents were like, “Why don’t you name the company that? It aligns with the mission that you want to be able to do.” It’s two tattoos that I wanted at the time and two tattoos that I still want, not just because of the name of the company, but because through the work that I do, I want to be able to inspire melanated people.
There’s a constant theme of representing teenagers and making art for teenagers. As you begin to grow, is your focus going to remain on inspiring teenagers?
I’m a teenager right now so I want to be able to write work that’s for teenagers in the future. When I’m an adult, I want to be able to do that as well and tell adult stories. I want to be able to explore a bunch of different avenues and use them to inspire this generation. For example, my favorite show is A Different World. It’s touched so many people and left a positive impact on the black community. It affected everything from music, style and television and just changed so many different things. A Different World made my dad go to college. And so when thinking about just the impact that film can have, that’s kind of similar to the impact that I want to be able to have.
You grew up around the type of Black excellence that people associate with Atlanta. Why did your family move to Atlanta?
I moved right before my freshman year. So it was the very end of my eighth grade. My family and I decided to move to Atlanta because it is such a huge film hub. There are so many more opportunities in the film space in Atlanta currently than there are in Chicago. Once I arrived here, my mom mentioned the Black Girls Film Camp to me in 2022 after scrolling on Instagram. When those applications opened at the end of 2022, I was like, “this is the time for me to apply.” I applied on the last day, made a pitch video and submitted it at almost 11:59 p.m.!
And when I got my interview and found out that I was accepted, I was like, “oh my gosh, this is God.” Because I almost missed this amazing opportunity, Black Girls Film Camp has changed my life. It changed the way that I see myself as a storyteller, the way that I see myself as a writer, a director and a creative. It’s opened so many doors for me to be able to explore different fields of the industry and meet so many Black women powerhouses, like those who are heavy hitters in the industry currently in the past.
Tell me about the films you’ve made. What was your first work and how did it come to be?
Back Row, which I touched on a little bit before, was the first script that I ever wrote. It was my very first short film that I ever did. I was able to have it in a film festival and it got a lot of amazing feedback. Next was the Teen Dom Talk Show, which originally started as Teen Dom. It was my project. It was a talk show for the kids, the teens and everyone in between that I began back in 2020. It was non-scripted, and we had two full seasons of the show, one of which was all livestream while the other was pre-recorded. Then I have the Soul Train Soul Change documentary. It originally started as a school project for the Chicago Metro History Fair, but it advanced to the National History Day Competition and won one of the best Illinois entries. It was also highlighted in a week-long exhibit in the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
After that, I did a 10-minute documentary, called One Step at a Time, which is the first feature-length documentary I’ve done. It is one of the projects closest to my heart because it focuses on the story of my dance studio, Studio One Dance Theater in the Chicago area that highlights Black excellence, black love, black sisterhood and family. Due to the pandemic, it was unfortunately shut down. That brings me to my most recent work, The All Aroundz, which is a short film that I did as a part of the Black Girls Film Camp 2023 cohort. I’m so grateful and blessed and thankful to Black Girls Film Camp because thanks to them and thanks to this experience, I was able to enter into so many different festivals. Also, more projects are coming soon.
How have your parents helped you in your journey?
I’m so grateful because without my parents none of this would be happening. First, legally, I’m a minor. Beyond the legal aspect, they’re just my biggest supporters and they know that this is something that I genuinely want to do. They have done nothing but constantly support me throughout this entire process and helped me balance doing filmmaking, school, dance, and all of these other fantastic things; school, which is a top priority for them.
Do you have any final thoughts?
I do want to say that for the Love Carries On Drive, we still are accepting donations until the end of this year. We are looking for the goal to be able to raise 1000 duffel bags for foster children in need. My social media has a link labeled Love Carries On Drive, and you can learn all the information about the drive. From there you can click the Amazon wish list to donate and then just click the Love Carries On address and send a bag over. We are looking for as many bag donations as possible. Feel free to follow the Love Carries On Drive on Instagram. You can also follow my Instagram @askaveryk for Love Carries On Drive updates as well as for film updates and more. Last, check out the Inspired Melanin website. We’re updating it.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Avery Kelley / Handout
Filmmaker Avery Kelley—who is 15—is adding her name to the list of creatives eager to present authentic and respectable images of Blackness to the world.
Raised on Chicago’s South Side, she witnessed successful, enterprising Black businesswomen who inspired her to pursue the arts. Originally a dancer, Avery found her talent in film, writing and producing content. In the four years since she started her production company, Inspired Melanin, she’s garnered award after award for her works, which include a historic documentary on the impact of the Soul Train television show, as well as a documentary on Chicago’s storied Studio One Dance Theater.
Critically acclaimed, her most recent work, The All-Aroundz, is touring film festivals stateside and internationally. More than just a worker, she’s equally known for her commitment to social causes, which includes her Give Love and Carry On fundraiser, which donates clothing to foster children.
Hip-Hop Wired: How are you? Recently, your organization hosted a clothing drive for foster children, called “Give Love and Carry On.” What inspired you to choose this as a fundraiser for you and yours?
Avery: I found out about the plight of children in the foster care system from my mother, and from there I began researching to learn more about the situation. I know that I can’t just solve every single problem that goes on within the foster care system, but I wanted to start somewhere, so I knew this was a way that I could start. I started by deciding to raise duffel bags and luggage tasks. That’s where the idea came from. I did research, saw a problem and wanted to fix it.
It’s a great idea! Who were some of the sponsors for your event?
Oh my gosh, we have an entire list of sponsors. So I’m so incredibly grateful for it. I’ve never had sponsors for anything in my life. So to be able to have it for this event, to be able to help us raise these bags just really warms my heart. I can name the main six. First, we have Riley’s Way Foundation. They were not only a sponsor, but are also the fiscal sponsor for the Give Love Carry On event as it’s not a nonprofit. Next, we have Over Time Elite, which is an Atlanta-based basketball league with teenagers. They are amazing. For the event, they donated bags for foster children. They also donated swag bags filled with game day tickets and merch to be able to give to the guests.
Then we have True Star Media, which is a Chicago-based youth media program. We have Project Osmosis, which is also Chicago-based but works nationally. They help students throughout the arts. Fifth, there’s Project I Am, which works to be able to create blessing bags for the homeless. And last, we have my production company, Inspired Melanin.
You were born and raised in Chicago and recently moved down to Atlanta. What was life like for you growing up in Chicago, particularly on the South Side?
Growing up in Chicago is amazing. It’s the best. It’s the best city in the world. And I know, I know there may be just a little bit of bias to that because I’m from there, but I’m serious. I grew up in a very family-based environment. I lived no more than like six minutes away from my grandmother my entire life. Of course, I know there’s always the serious type of Chicago that has violence and shootings, but there’s so much more to it than that. I grew up around so many powerful black women who inspired me to be able to go after what I wanted. I went to great schools with great teachers who helped shape people and helped shape me. I loved growing up there, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.
Was film your first dream? If not, how long did it take for you to recognize you had a talent behind the lens?
It’s not something that I knew originally. I’ve always known that I wanted to do something that has to do with the arts. I’ve been dancing since I was 2 years old, and at my dance studio, I was around so many entrepreneurial-based mindsets that I always knew it was something that I wanted to do. I just didn’t necessarily know which art field yet. I originally assumed, “oh, hey, I’m going to be the next Zendaya or Viola Davis.” So I kind of went after that dream, and I did different auditions.
During one audition, we had to write our monologue. I wrote a little monologue, and I performed it. And I was like, “OK, the self-tape was OK, but this monologue was pretty good!” I was only like 9 or 10 at the time though, and so after writing that monologue, I told my mom I like this. I was able to find my passion from that. And it was very unexpected, but I’m so grateful for it because film is like one of the best things ever. And I’m so glad I get to be able to tell different stories through this art form.
I think the world is grateful that you found it, too. So from this seed of screenwriting, you started a production company, named Inspired Melanin. What’s the inspiration behind the name?
It’s such a funny story to me. When I knew I wanted to start a production company at 11, I completed my very first short film called Backrow, which is about a group of seven kids that all sat in the back row of class. I didn’t want to just stop here. So I researched what a production company was and said “OK, but what am I going to call it?” I knew what I wanted to do. I knew that I wanted to be able to represent the underrepresented, which is a kind of umbrella. But I didn’t know the name. That same morning I was talking to my mom about tattoos I wanted. I was 11. Why am I over here thinking about tattoos, I don’t know! But I was telling my mom I wanted a tattoo on both arms, one saying inspired, and the other saying melanin.
Suddenly, I was like, “oh, wait, that kind of has a nice little ring to it.” My parents were like, “Why don’t you name the company that? It aligns with the mission that you want to be able to do.” It’s two tattoos that I wanted at the time and two tattoos that I still want, not just because of the name of the company, but because through the work that I do, I want to be able to inspire melanated people.
There’s a constant theme of representing teenagers and making art for teenagers. As you begin to grow, is your focus going to remain on inspiring teenagers?
I’m a teenager right now so I want to be able to write work that’s for teenagers in the future. When I’m an adult, I want to be able to do that as well and tell adult stories. I want to be able to explore a bunch of different avenues and use them to inspire this generation. For example, my favorite show is A Different World. It’s touched so many people and left a positive impact on the black community. It affected everything from music, style and television and just changed so many different things. A Different World made my dad go to college. And so when thinking about just the impact that film can have, that’s kind of similar to the impact that I want to be able to have.
You grew up around the type of Black excellence that people associate with Atlanta. Why did your family move to Atlanta?
I moved right before my freshman year. So it was the very end of my eighth grade. My family and I decided to move to Atlanta because it is such a huge film hub. There are so many more opportunities in the film space in Atlanta currently than there are in Chicago. Once I arrived here, my mom mentioned the Black Girls Film Camp to me in 2022 after scrolling on Instagram. When those applications opened at the end of 2022, I was like, “this is the time for me to apply.” I applied on the last day, made a pitch video and submitted it at almost 11:59 p.m.!
And when I got my interview and found out that I was accepted, I was like, “oh my gosh, this is God.” Because I almost missed this amazing opportunity, Black Girls Film Camp has changed my life. It changed the way that I see myself as a storyteller, the way that I see myself as a writer, a director and a creative. It’s opened so many doors for me to be able to explore different fields of the industry and meet so many Black women powerhouses, like those who are heavy hitters in the industry currently in the past.
Tell me about the films you’ve made. What was your first work and how did it come to be?
Back Row, which I touched on a little bit before, was the first script that I ever wrote. It was my very first short film that I ever did. I was able to have it in a film festival and it got a lot of amazing feedback. Next was the Teen Dom Talk Show, which originally started as Teen Dom. It was my project. It was a talk show for the kids, the teens and everyone in between that I began back in 2020. It was non-scripted, and we had two full seasons of the show, one of which was all livestream while the other was pre-recorded. Then I have the Soul Train Soul Change documentary. It originally started as a school project for the Chicago Metro History Fair, but it advanced to the National History Day Competition and won one of the best Illinois entries. It was also highlighted in a week-long exhibit in the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
After that, I did a 10-minute documentary, called One Step at a Time, which is the first feature-length documentary I’ve done. It is one of the projects closest to my heart because it focuses on the story of my dance studio, Studio One Dance Theater in the Chicago area that highlights Black excellence, black love, black sisterhood and family. Due to the pandemic, it was unfortunately shut down. That brings me to my most recent work, The All Aroundz, which is a short film that I did as a part of the Black Girls Film Camp 2023 cohort. I’m so grateful and blessed and thankful to Black Girls Film Camp because thanks to them and thanks to this experience, I was able to enter into so many different festivals. Also, more projects are coming soon.
How have your parents helped you in your journey?
I’m so grateful because without my parents none of this would be happening. First, legally, I’m a minor. Beyond the legal aspect, they’re just my biggest supporters and they know that this is something that I genuinely want to do. They have done nothing but constantly support me throughout this entire process and helped me balance doing filmmaking, school, dance, and all of these other fantastic things; school, which is a top priority for them.
Do you have any final thoughts?
I do want to say that for the Love Carries On Drive, we still are accepting donations until the end of this year. We are looking for the goal to be able to raise 1000 duffel bags for foster children in need. My social media has a link labeled Love Carries On Drive, and you can learn all the information about the drive. From there you can click the Amazon wish list to donate and then just click the Love Carries On address and send a bag over. We are looking for as many bag donations as possible. Feel free to follow the Love Carries On Drive on Instagram. You can also follow my Instagram @askaveryk for Love Carries On Drive updates as well as for film updates and more. Last, check out the Inspired Melanin website. We’re updating it.
Jamie Foxx knows the true meaning of Christmas: lighting your house up so you can see it from space. The actor/singer who has been keeping a low profile since an as-yet-unexplained “medical complication” sent him to a hospital in April spread some holiday joy on Monday in a short video chronicling the North Pole-worthy decorations at his California mansion, a display he said was inspired by his more modest childhood Christmases.
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“When I was a kid the only lights we could afford for outside the house was a red light bulb… I said when I’m finally blessed enough. I’m GON LIGHT IT UP!!! Murrrrrrkrima,” Foxx wrote. The clip — cued to Nat “King” Cole’s iconic “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas)” — appears to be a drone-shot fly-over of the sprawling estate.
It opens with a swoop past giant red letters spelling out “JOY,” which leads to the snowman-flanked front gate, hung with snowflakes and Jewish stars. An overhead shot gives a glimpse of the long driveway studded with colorfully lit-up trees, leading up to a smiling Black Santa statue near the circular driveway outside the front door.
The flight then takes us for a spin around the house, which is festooned with lights from top-to-bottom and a final shot of the star’s tennis/pickleball courts and a last look from above proving that Foxx is no Grinch.
Foxx made his first public appearance since the medical issue on Dec. 4, where he told the Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Cinema and Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements that the incident was horrifying.
“I couldn’t do that six months ago, I couldn’t actually walk to [the stage]. And I’m not a clone, I’m not a clone. I know a lot of people saying that I was cloned out there,” the Oscar-winner told the crowd at the Fairmont Plaza Hotel in Century City in Los Angeles according to The Hollywood Reporter. “It feels good to be here. I cherish every single minute now, it’s different. I wouldn’t wish what I went though on my worst enemy because it’s tough when it’s almost over, when you see the tunnel. I saw the tunnel, I didn’t see the light. It was hot in that tunnel too, I don’t know where I was going. ‘S–t, am I going to the right place?’”
The unannounced appearance marked Foxx’s first official public appearance since his hospitalization; to date, spokespeople for Foxx, 55, have not given any details about what medical condition prompted the actor’s hospitalization. “I have a new respect for life, I have a new respect for my art. I watched so many movies and listened to so many songs trying to have the time go by,” he said. “Don’t give up on your art, man, don’t give up on your art. When you realize that it could be over like that… I got to tell you don’t give up on your art and don’t let them take the art from you either.”
Check out Jamie Foxx’s Christmas display below.
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie led the Astra Awards nominations with 15 nods, while Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer was a beat behind with 14. The films each received nominations for best picture, director and cast ensemble.
Barbie also took three of the six nominations for best original song for “Dance the Night,” “I’m Just Ken” and “What Was I Made For?”
The late Robbie Robertson is nominated for best original score for his work on Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. He is competing with Ludwig Göransson’s score for Oppenheimer, among others.
Taylor Swift’s Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which made history as the top-grossing concert film of all time, is vying for best documentary feature with two other music docs (American Symphony, about Jon Batiste, and Little Richard: I Am Everything, about the flamboyant rock legend) and three non-music docs.
Killers of the Flower Moon and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and each received 10 nominations in the awards, which are presented by the Hollywood Creative Alliance. The Holdover and Poor Things are tied with nine nominations each. The Color Purple had eight, including best actress for Fantasia Barrino.
Bradley Cooper’s Maestro, about legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, received seven nods including best actor and best director for Cooper and best actress for Carey Mulligan.
Winners of the 2024 Astra Film Awards will be revealed on Saturday, Jan. 6, during a live-streamed event from the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, beginning at 6:30 pm PT/9:30 pm ET. Comedian Jimmy O. Yang will serve as host.
The Astra Creative Arts Awards winners will be revealed on Monday, Feb. 26 at City Market Social House in Los Angeles.
Here are nominees for the 2024 Astra Film and Creative Arts Awards in 14 selected categories:
Best Original Song
“Camp Isn’t Home” from Theater Camp, Written by Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, and Mark Sonnenblick – Performed by Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Noah Galvin, Alexander Bello, Bailee Bonick, Donovan Colan, Jack Sobolewski, Kyndra Sanchez, Luke Islam, Madisen Lora and Quinn Titcomb (Searchlight Pictures)
“Dance the Night” from Barbie, Written by Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, Dua Lipa, and Caroline Ailin – Performed by Dua Lipa (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“I’m Just Ken” from Barbie, Written by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt – Performed by Ryan Gosling (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Peaches” from The Super Mario Bros Movie, Written by Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond, and John Spiker – Performed by Jack Black (Universal Pictures)
“This Wish” from Wish, Written by Julia Michaels, Benjamin Rice, and JP Saxe – Performed by Ariana DeBose (Walt Disney Pictures)
“What Was I Made For?” from Barbie, Written By Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell – Performed by Billie Eilish (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Best Score
Elemental, Thomas Newman (Disney/Pixar)
Killers of the Flower Moon, Robbie Robertson (Apple Original Films)
Oppenheimer, Ludwig Göransson (Universal Pictures)
Poor Things, Jerskin Fendrix (Searchlight Pictures)
Saltburn, Anthony Willis (Amazon MGM Studios)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Daniel Pemberton (Sony Pictures)
Best Documentary Feature
20 Days in Mariupol (PBS Distribution)
American Symphony (Netflix)
Beyond Utopia (Roadside Attractions)
Little Richard: I Am Everything (Magnolia Pictures)
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (Apple Original Films)
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (AMC Theatres Distribution)
Best Animated Feature
The Boy and The Heron (GKids)
Elemental (Disney/Pixar)
Nimona (Netflix)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)
Suzume (Sony Pictures/Crunchyroll)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Paramount Pictures)
Best Voice-Over Performance
Ariana DeBose – Wish (Walt Disney Studios)
Bradley Cooper – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Disney/Marvel)
Daniel Kaluuya – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)
Hailee Steinfeld – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)
Jack Black – The Super Mario Bros Movie (Universal Pictures)
Shameik Moore – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)
Best Cast Ensemble
Air (Amazon MGM Studios)
Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films)
Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The Holdovers (Focus Features)
Best Supporting Actress
America Ferrera – Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers (Focus Features)
Julianne Moore – May December (Netflix)
Rachel McAdams – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (Lionsgate)
Viola Davis – Air (Amazon MGM Studios)
Best Supporting Actor
Charles Melton – May December (Netflix)
Colman Domingo – The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Dominic Sessa – The Holdovers (Focus Features)
Glenn Howerton – BlackBerry (IFC Films)
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Ryan Gosling – Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Best Actress
Carey Mulligan – Maestro (Netflix)
Emma Stone – Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures)
Fantasia Barrino – The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Greta Lee – Past Lives (A24)
Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films)
Margot Robbie – Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Best Actor
Barry Keoghan – Saltburn (Amazon MGM Studios)
Bradley Cooper – Maestro (Netflix)
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Colman Domingo – Rustin (Netflix)
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers (Focus Features)
Best Original Screenplay
Air, Written by Alex Convery (Amazon MGM Studios)
Anatomy of a Fall, Written by Justine Triet & Arthur Harari (NEON)
Barbie, Written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Past Lives, Written by Celine Song (A24)
Saltburn, Written by Emerald Fennell (Amazon/MGM Studios)
The Holdovers, Written by David Hemingson (Focus Features)
Best Adapted Screenplay
American Fiction, Screenplay by Cord Jefferson (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Screenplay by Kelly Fremon Craig (Lionsgate)
Killers of the Flower Moon, Screenplay by Eric Roth & Martin Scorsese (Apple Original Films)
Oppenheimer, Screenplay by Christopher Nolan (Universal Pictures)
Poor Things, Screenplay by Tony McNamara (Searchlight Pictures)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Screenplay by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dave Callaham (Sony Pictures)
Best Director
Alexander Payne – The Holdovers (Focus Features)
Ben Affleck – Air (Amazon MGM Studios)
Bradley Cooper – Maestro (Netflix)
Celine Song – Past Lives (A24)
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Cord Jefferson – American Fiction (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
Emerald Fennell – Saltburn (Amazon MGM Studios)
Greta Gerwig – Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films)
Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures)
Best Picture
Air (Amazon MGM Studios)
American Fiction (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The Holdovers (Focus Features)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films)
Maestro (Netflix)
Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Past Lives (A24)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)
Garth Brooks is opening up (a little!) about the upcoming This Is Spinal Tap sequel, slated to feature a cameo from not only Brooks, but fellow musical heavy-hitters Elton John and Paul McCartney.
The original 1984 film, which roasted all things rock ‘n’ roll, is getting an update in the new project, which is slated to begin filming in February, with original stars/writers Christopher Guest (Nigel Tufnel), Michael McKean (David St. Hubbins) and Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls) reprising their roles as a jinxed metal band.
In a livestream as part of Billboard Live Shopping Week with talkshoplive on Dec. 4 (which featured custom merch from the country star’s Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk in Nashville), Brooks answered a fan question about his upcoming cameo. Brooks was understandably reluctant to spill any details on his appearance in the movie, saying with a laugh, “Oh, with McCartney, and who is it, Elton maybe? No. Can’t say anything about it.”
He then clarified: “‘Cause it’s not my deal. If it’s my deal, I’d spill my guts, but it’s not, so they swear you to secrecy and to silence.” He did say, however, “If you think you have laughed before, Jiminy Christmas… First of all, I was in love with Spinal Tap, in love with the original movie. The fact that it’s coming back, it’s gonna be neat to be a part of this. Because this is history, man.”
Last week, Rob Reiner revealed that a Spinal Tap sequel was in the works on the RHLSTP With Richard Herring podcast and also let slip that Brooks, John and McCartney would make cameos plus a “few other surprises.”
Brooks’ Billboard Live Shopping Week livestream celebrated the soft opening of his Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk — now open Thursdays through Sundays in Nashville — with exclusive bar merch only available through this shopping special. His live show also highlighted his new Bass Pro Box Set, which includes his new album Time Traveler and tickets to his Las Vegas residency, which just added 18 new dates next year.
It took Barbra Streisand 15 years to get Yentl into the world, but that journey seems almost brisk in comparison to the time her memoir spent in gestation. She wrote the first chapter by hand back in the ‘90s, lost it, and waited nearly another decade before starting up again. But on Nov. 7, her autobiography finally said “hello gorgeous” to shelves — and the New York Times Best Seller list.
My Name Is Barbra (which shares its name with a TV special and album she did in 1965) is more than just another book where a famous person puts their life story to paper. It’s the work of an incisive mind dissecting an EGOT-collecting career that started out in cramped Greenwich Village clubs in the early ’60s and soon exploded across Broadways stages, TV screens, movie palaces and the Billboard charts. (Billboard warrants several mentions in this book, though Streisand writes, “I was happy if a song went to number 1, but that was not my motivation” – not too bad for someone with five Hot 100 No. 1s and a dozen top 10s.)
Like any good celebrity memoir, smack is talked. Former co-stars such as Walter Matthau and Sydney Chaplin do not emerge unscathed, nor does ex-partner Jon Peters come out looking particularly good. And naturally, Streisand doesn’t hold back when it comes to assessing the good ole boys’ clubs that women in Hollywood – especially women who dare to direct – still face today. But the singer-actor-director reserves the lion’s share of dissection for herself, whether she’s bemoaning her early career interviews (“When I look at these articles today, I cringe. Did I really say that?”) or inviting us into her thought process as she agonizes over creative decisions made on decades-old projects.
Over the course of 970 pages (which, believe it or not, breeze by thanks to her clear, direct language and conversational tone), the book reveals a singular icon who is as concerned with creative control as she is self-examination.
Following the tome’s release, Streisand hopped on the phone with Billboard to share a few details that didn’t make the book and reveal one deliciously unexpected benefit of publishing her memoir.
Hello!
So, Joe, what do you wanna know?
In your book you talk about how you rarely relisten to your recordings or rewatch your movies. Once you finished this book, you had to record the audiobook – was that some form of torture?
I thought that was easier, of course, because I already wrote the book and now I could just read it and add what I want to here and there [the audiobook features various songs as well]. Half the time I was eating and I had to stop eating. I’m now eating blueberries while I’m talking, in case you hear it.
No worries. That’s healthy, certainly more than the coffee ice cream you write about in your book. Which, incidentally, is also my favorite flavor.
They stopped making my coffee ice cream, (McConnell’s) Brazilian coffee, and after they read — I guess it was in the New York Times — they said, “What can we do? How many can we send you? We’ll make a batch for you.” So I got 24 pints of my favorite ice cream. I’m gonna give some to my friends, too.
Thank you to @mccsicecream – they made me a batch of discontinued ice cream called Brazilian Coffee. It’s the best! P.S. If you all ask for it – maybe they’ll bring it back permanently! pic.twitter.com/GuLk3Ms4AA— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) December 1, 2023
That’s amazing. In one chapter, you float the idea that this book might be seen as a work in progress. Well, some folks update their memoirs every few years – Stephen King has added postscript updates to his On Writing book a few times since it came out more than 20 years ago.
Really? Hmm. That’s an interesting idea. At the moment, I’m so tired of myself. I’m so tired of writing a book I can’t think that way. But I bet you if we’re all around five years from now I might want to do that, update the book. That could be interesting. I have a lot of thoughts as I’m getting up in the morning — I grab a tape recorder or grab my pad, because my mind is fresh in the morning.
In the book, you talk about attempting to record your debut album at the Bon Soir in Greenwich Village but being uphappy with the results and shelving it. That album finally came out last year.
That was my easiest album – it was what it was. All I had to do was work on the album cover.
It sounded jaw-droppingly good to me. I know the audio was cleaned up thanks to modern technology —
My audio performance was not touched. Nothing was cleaned up. I sang a couple of weird notes, but it is what it is and I’m a purist in that sense. My A&R man of 25-30 years, Jay Landers, and my great engineer, he was able to separate the instruments. We could never do that (back then). He’s kind of a genius.
Right, the new technology helped make a better mix. Had that technology existed back then, might you have released this album back in the ‘60s?
No, I didn’t like the sound of it. Jay showed me a picture of what the speakers were like in the Bon Soir — they were like little boxes of tissues basically. It wasn’t to my liking. I was always thinking of my work as a whole at a very young age — at 19.
When writing about A Star Is Born, you share that Kris Kristofferson wrote some lyrics for “Evergreen” around the time of the film but he didn’t show them to you until years later because he wasn’t happy with them. When you finally saw those lyrics, could you have seen incorporating any of his words into the song, had he shared them back in 1976?
No, no. It was not memorable. I loved the idea that he and I would have written that song together. But the lyric was not memorable. I love that he tried, but it wasn’t quite right for me.
Well, you can’t argue with the results – it won an Oscar, a Grammy and topped the Billboard Hot 100.
It’s that amazing about my manager, Marty Erlichman? When I played it for a couple of my musician friends, they thought it was okay. I played it over the phone with my lousy guitar playing, and they thought it was nice. But when I played it for Marty Erlichman, he said, “That’s gonna be a hit.” I said, “How do you know, Marty?” He says, “If I can remember a melody, I know it’s gonna be a hit.” Isn’t that funny? He was a week off from when it became No. 1 (with his guess).
Courtesy Photo
Did you ever have the sense of what songs of yours would go No. 1?
Like “Woman in Love”? Not at all. It wasn’t my philosophy. “I’m a woman in love and I’ll do anything”? I couldn’t relate to that. What would I do, trick him? All those years it was No. 1, I never sang it in concert until the last time I did a concert. (Barry Gibb) was amazing. I just did a little film clip because he’s entering the Kennedy Center Honors, I filmed a little piece for him. That timing was perfect. I was writing Yentl, I didn’t have the time to make that album. It worked out perfectly when he said, “I’ll mix everything, sing the other parts — whatever it is, I’ll do it. You just have to sing the songs 10 times.” So while they were working on the arrangements, I was sitting there writing.
In the book, you mention that certain numbers are lucky for you. Did writing chapters that coincided with a lucky number feel different?
No. I’ve always known the numbers two and four seem to be lucky for me. When they first counted the pages I wrote, it was 1,024.
So they ended up cutting 50-60 pages?
I wanted them to cut more of it because I was aching to have two separate books and one cover, like a package. How are people going to hold a book that’s 970 pages? I wouldn’t want to hold a fat book like that.
Were any of the cuts hard? Did it sting to lose anything?
No, nothing I cared that much about. I thought more should be cut. I was so sick of writing a book already. During the pandemic it was fine, everybody was at home, but then I wanted to travel and could not. Had to stay on track.
A lot of people you write about in the book are still in your life. Did you ever show them what you were writing as you wrote it? Like Marty, for example?
No, I didn’t have time. I didn’t show it to anybody. I had no idea how it would be received. I mean, a couple people that had to do with my music — maybe to get certain things exactly right they would read a little bit of it. But I didn’t want anybody’s opinions, except my editor. It would have been too confusing to me to get opinions too early. It just felt wrong to ask anybody.
So you get the final cut, as always.
They expected me to write it in two years. In two years I was still thinking about it. I told you that I started writing this book by longhand in 1999. I kept many journals, like 35 of them. But I hate going backwards. I hate having to look myself up. Look at my journals again? I gave the journals to my editor in the process over the years who would say, “You said this in that journal in 2006 or whatever.” And I said, “Really? I said that?” I like to be — as I work as an actress — I like to be in the moment and present now. I wish it was something else I was talking about other than myself.
It’s finally here! After weeks of waiting, two premieres (one in L.A. and one in London), and three trailers, Beyoncé‘s highly-anticipated concert documentary, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, has hit theatres at long last.
The film provides a rare peek into Beyoncé’s behind-the-scenes process, namely how she runs her ship as the Mother of the House of Renaissance. Over nearly three hours, the documentary treats fans to pristine footage of several nights of the superstar’s record-breaking Renaissance World Tour. Seamless edits showcase the endless variety of haute couture costumes the “Break My Soul” singer flaunted across her 56 sold-out shows, and intimate black-and-white scenes present the Beyoncé her family sees offstage.
Written, directed and produced by Beyoncé herself, the film — which is evenly split between the concert (just about every track made the final cut) and behind-the-scenes footage — is as much about the enigmatic artistic genius as it is about community — the various intersecting communities that crafted the album and tour, enjoyed the music at the concerts, and inspired the throughlines of Black queer liberation that course through Queen Bey’s most recent musical era.
Nearly all of the tour’s special guests — Blue Ivy Carter, Megan Thee Stallion, Kendrick Lamar, Diana Ross, among them — make cameos in the film, alongside Beyoncé’s family (including JAY-Z, Ms. Tina Knowles and twins Rumi and Sir Carter!) and former Destiny’s Child bandmates Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson.
Even though we’re over a year removed from the release of Renaissance, it’s a body of work that continues to resonant deeply. The album ranked atop the 2023 Year-End Dance/Electronic Albums chart, and the tour helped Beyoncé earn the biggest touring year in Billboard Boxscore history ($570.5 million), making her No. 1 on the Year-End Billboard Boxscore Top Tours chart.
Clearly, the Renaissance is still in full swing, and now we can all see how Beyoncé got us here. Without further ado, here are seven of the best moments of Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé.
Barbie is likely to be well represented when the Academy Award shortlists are revealed Dec. 21. At least two (and maybe even three) songs from the box-office juggernaut could be in contention for best original song (though only two from a film can be nominated, according to a 2008 rule change).
Diane Warren and Alan Menken are each looking to score their 15th best original song nominations, a benchmark that only five songwriters have reached. If John Williams and the late Robbie Robertson are nominated for best original score, each could make history.
“I’m Just Ken”Mark Ronson, Andrew WyattBarbie, Warner Bros.
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Ronson and Wyatt won in this category five years ago for co-writing “Shallow” from A Star Is Born. “I’m Just Ken,” sung by Ryan Gosling, provided one of the funniest sequences in Barbie. Ronson and Wyatt could have a second Barbie song on the shortlist — the bubbly “Dance the Night,” which they co-wrote with Dua Lipa and Caroline Ailin.
“What Was I Made For?”Billie Eilish, FINNEASBarbie, Warner Bros.
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The siblings won in this category two years ago for their title song to the James Bond film No Time To Die. They’re likely to be nominated for this tender ballad, which Barbie director Greta Gerwig has described as her movie’s “heart” song. Barbie is vying to become the first film with two best original song nominees since La La Land seven years ago.
“Keep It Movin’”Halle Bailey, Denisia Andrews, Brittany Coney, Morten RistorpThe Color Purple, Warner Bros.
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Bailey (as young Nettie) and Phylicia Pearl Mpasi (as young Celie) sing this song onscreen in this new iteration of The Color Purple. “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister),” from the original 1985 film, was nominated in this category. Quincy Jones, who co-wrote that song with Rod Temperton and Lionel Richie, served as a producer of both films.
“Out Alpha the Alpha”Marius de Vries, Josh Sharp, Aaron Jackson, Karl Saint LucyDicks: The Musical, A24
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Megan Thee Stallion sings this ribald song onscreen in Dicks: The Musical, which is based on an off-Broadway show with an even more risqué title, F–king Identical Twins. The rap star is also in the cast, along with another famous Megan (Mullally), as well as Bowen Yang and Nathan Lane. Megan Thee Stallion took part in an all-star performance of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” on the Oscar telecast two years ago.
“The Fire Inside”Diane WarrenFlamin’ Hot, Hulu/Searchlight Pictures
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Warren has been nominated in this category the last six years in a row. If she makes it again this year, she’ll have the longest consecutive streak of best original song nods since Sammy Cahn was nominated eight years running (1954-61). The indefatigable Warren has a second song in play, “Gonna Be You” from 80 for Brady.
“High Life”Gary Clark, John CarneyFlora and Son, Apple
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In addition to co-writing this song, Carney wrote and directed the film. Two of Carney’s previous films, Once and Begin Again, yielded best original song nominees (and a winner in the case of Once). Clark, a Scottish musician-songwriter, was the frontman of 1980s pop band Danny Wilson. Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Orén Kinlan and Jack Reynor sing “High Life” onscreen in Flora and Son.
“Can’t Catch Me Now”Dan Nigro, Olivia RodrigoThe Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Lionsgate
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The Hunger Games franchise has yet to receive an Oscar nod in any category, but the red-hot Rodrigo is at the point in her career that the music branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is likely to pay notice. She and Nigro have received two Grammy nods for song of the year, for “drivers license” and “Vampire.” Will the moody and atmospheric “Can’t Catch Me Now” find favor here?
“For the First Time”Alan Menken, Lin-Manuel MirandaThe Little Mermaid, Disney
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Menken is an EGOT winner, and Miranda will be one as soon as he wins an Oscar. Menken won his first of four Oscars in this category for “Under the Sea” from the original 1989 iteration of The Little Mermaid. Halle Bailey sings “For the First Time” onscreen in the film. Two other Menken-Miranda songs from the film, “Wild Uncharted Waters” and “The Scuttlebutt,” are also in play.
“Find a Way”Linda PerryNyad, Netflix
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This would be the first Oscar nod for Perry, a two-time Grammy nominee for song of the year. Annette Bening and Jodie Foster star in the film, which tells the story of Diana Nyad who, at age 64, undertook a 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida. Perry named her song after the title of Nyad’s book, on which the movie is based.
“Road to Freedom”Lenny KravitzRustin, Netflix
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Kravitz, a four-time Grammy winner for best male rock vocal performance, could score his first Oscar nod for this song from a biopic about Bayard Rustin, a lesser-known but crucial figure in the civil rights struggle. The film’s director, George C. Wolfe, helmed the 2020 movie Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which received five Oscar nods.
“Addicted to Romance”Patti Scialfa, Bruce SpringsteenShe Came to Me, Vertical Entertainment
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Springsteen won an Oscar in 1994 for “Streets of Philadelphia” and was nominated again two years later for “Dead Man Walkin’.” This would be his first nomination with a collaborator — his wife, Scialfa. The original score was composed by The National’s Bryce Dessner. Peter Dinklage and Marisa Tomei star in the film.
“Am I Dreaming”A$AP Rocky, Metro Boomin, Michael Dean, Peter Lee Johnson, Roisee, ScriptpluggSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Sony Pictures
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Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse won an Oscar for best animated feature film five years ago, though its biggest hit, “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee, missed out on a best original song nod. Metro Boomin curated the soundtrack to this film, which reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 in June. A$AP Rocky’s partner, Rihanna, was nominated in this category last year.
“Peaches”Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond, John SpikerThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, Illumination/Nintendo/Universal
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This was the year’s second-biggest hit at the box office, behind Barbie. In addition to co-writing and performing the song, Black was in the animated film’s voice cast as Bowser. This would be the first Oscar nomination for Black, who won a Grammy for best metal performance nine years ago for a track he recorded with Tenacious D for a Ronnie James Dio tribute album.
“Better Place”Amy Allen, Shellback, Justin TimberlakeTrolls Band Together, DreamWorks Animation
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Animated characters portraying *NSYNC perform this song onscreen in the movie. Timberlake was nominated in this category seven years ago for co-writing “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” for the first Trolls film. He and the other members of *NSYNC are in the voice cast, along with Anna Kendrick, Kid Cudi, Troye Sivan, Camila Cabello and Anderson .Paak, among others.
“This Wish”Julia Michaels, Benjamin Rice, JP SaxeWish, Disney
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Michaels and Saxe received a Grammy nod for song of the year three years ago for their collaboration “If the World Was Ending.” It was Michaels’ second nod in that category; her first was for co-writing her breakthrough hit, “Issues.” Ariana DeBose, an Oscar winner for the West Side Story remake, sings “This Wish.” She’s also in the voice cast, along with Chris Pine and Victor Garber.
American Fiction (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM)Laura Karpman
Karpman could be headed for her first Oscar nod for her score to this satirical film that was written and directed by Cord Jefferson (in his feature directorial debut). The film stars Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae and Sterling K. Brown. Karpman won a Primetime Emmy three years ago for scoring The Discovery Channel’s Why We Hate.
Barbie (Warner Bros.)Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt
Ronson and Wyatt, who executive-produced the hit soundtrack album — and were involved in writing and producing several of its tracks — could be headed for their first nod in this category. Wyatt has co-written songs for several Ronson albums. In 2012, the two musicians collaborated on a ballet score for The Royal Ballet of London.
Elemental (Pixar)Thomas Newman
If Newman is nominated, this would be his 15th nod in the category, a total so far achieved by only eight composers in Oscar history. Unlike them, though, he has yet to win. Newman is the youngest son of the late Alfred Newman, who amassed 41 nominations in this category, winning a record nine times.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Disney)John Williams
This would be Williams’ record-extending 49th nod in a scoring category and his fourth for a film in the Indiana Jones franchise. In total, it would be Williams’ 54th Oscar nomination (the other five are for best original song), which would pull him closer to Walt Disney’s all-time record of 59 for an individual.
The Killer (Netflix)Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
This would be the fourth nod in this category for Reznor and Ross following The Social Network, Mank and Soul (a collaboration with Jon Batiste). David Fincher, who directed The Social Network and Mank, also directed The Killer. Reznor and Ross won for both The Social Network and Soul. Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton star in The Killer.
Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple)Robbie Robertson
This was the 12th and last Martin Scorsese film that Robertson worked on. Robertson, who died in June at age 80, would become the first composer to be nominated in this category posthumously since Bernard Herrmann was cited in 1976 for both Obsession and Taxi Driver. Two other Scorsese regulars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, star in the film.
Nyad (Netflix)Alexandre Desplat
This would be Desplat’s 12th nomination in this category, all since 2006. That’s more than anyone else has accumulated in that period. The French composer has won twice, for The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Shape of Water. This would be Desplat’s first nod in the 2020s, following three in the 2000s and eight in the 2010s.
Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)Ludwig Göransson
The Swedish composer won in this category five years ago for scoring Black Panther. He was nominated for an Oscar last year for co-writing a song for the sequel. Oppenheimer was the year’s fifth-biggest box-office hit, a strong showing for a three-hour adult drama. The Christopher Nolan film was based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Clockwise: Elemental, Killers of the Flower Moon, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Oppenheimer.
Disney/Pixar; Melinda Sue Gordon; Sony Pictures.
Origin (Neon)Kris Bowers
Origin is the fifth feature film directed by Ava DuVernay. Her 2014 historical drama, Selma, yielded the Oscar-winning song “Glory” by Common and John Legend. Bowers was nominated for documentary (short subject) three years ago for co-directing A Concerto Is a Conversation, which centered on his conversations with his jazz pianist grandfather. This would be his first nod in a scoring category.
Past Lives (A24)Christopher Bear & Daniel Rossen
Past Lives was written and directed by Celine Song in her feature directorial debut. The film, which stars Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro, follows the relationship between two childhood friends over 24 years. Bear and Rossen are members of veteran indie rock band Grizzly Bear, which has landed two top 10 albums on the Billboard 200.
Rustin (Netflix)Branford Marsalis
This would be the first Oscar nomination for jazz saxophonist Marsalis, who is a three-time Grammy winner. Marsalis received a Primetime Emmy nod two years ago for outstanding music composition for a documentary series or special for Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre, which aired on the HISTORY Channel.
Saltburn (Amazon/MGM)Anthony Willis
This would be the Australian composer’s first Oscar nod after building a reputation with his scores for How To Train Your Dragon: Homecoming (2019), Promising Young Woman (2020) and M3GAN (2022). Saltburn is the second film to be written, directed and co-produced by Emerald Fennell following Promising Young Woman. Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi and Rosamund Pike star in the psychological thriller.
Society of the Snow (Netflix)Michael Giacchino
This would be Giacchino’s third nomination in this category following Ratatouille (2007) and Up (2009). He won for the latter. Society of the Snow is a 2023 survival thriller about a 1972 flight disaster in Argentina’s Andes Mountains. The cast comprises Uruguayan and Argentine actors, most of whom are newcomers to the craft. The film is scheduled to be released in theaters on Dec. 15.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)Daniel Pemberton
The English composer has yet to be nominated in this category. His only Oscar nod is for co-writing “Hear My Voice” from The Trial of the Chicago 7, a best original song nominee three years ago. This film is a sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which Pemberton also scored.
The Zone of Interest (A24)Mica Levi
The English composer was nominated in this category seven years ago for Jackie. The Zone of Interest, based on a Martin Amis novel, revolves around Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his wife and their plans to build a dream life next to the concentration camp. The film, which was written and directed by Jonathan Glazer, is set to be released in the United States on Dec. 15.
Additional reporting by Melinda Newman.
This story will appear in the Nov. 18, 2023, issue of Billboard.