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04 Feb 2025

Trixie Mattel Is Giving Fans a Reason to Dance This Spring With ‘Solid Pink Disco: Blonde Edition’ Tour

For anyone looking to escape the onslaught of terrible news in 2025, drag superstar Trixie Mattel has an offer: Why not come dance with a drag queen for a while?

On Tuesday (Feb. 4), Mattel announced her upcoming North American tour for her live DJ show Solid Pink Disco: Blonde Edition. Set to start on April 5 in Toronto, the 16-date trek will take the Drag Race All Stars winner through Atlanta, Denver, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Chicago and more cities, before closing out on June 3 in Washington, D.C.

Mattel’s new rendition of her live DJ sets will feature an array of other artists across different dates, including DJ Mateo Segade, Daya, Rebecca Black, Shea Couleé, Snow Wife, Vincint, Zolita and more special guests.

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“We need something to feel good about right now, and what better way than to put on your brightest pink and your blondest wig and dance surrounded by homosexuals?” Mattel tells Billboard in an exclusive statement shared with the news. “This Solid Pink Disco is going to be better and gayer than ever before.”

Mattel began performing DJ sets live after she discovered her passion for the artform during the pandemic. She revealed in a 2024 episode of her podcast The Bald and the Beautiful that she had decided to take a break from her career as a recording artist because she felt the “glass ceiling” of the music industry weighing on her.

“I recently have been taking a break from music because I feel the glass ceiling so fiercely,” she told Monét X Change in the episode. “We’re only ever taken seriously about one month a year. And it kind of takes the wind out of your sails. I want to make music, but if I don’t have this wig on, no one will pay attention. But because I have this wig on, no one will take it seriously.”

Tickets for Mattel’s Solid Pink Disco: Blonde Edition tour go on-sale starting Friday, Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. local time on the star’s touring website. Check out the full list of dates below:

Solid Pink Disco: Blonde Edition tour dates:

  • Saturday, April 5 – Toronto – History
  • Sunday, April 6 – Austin, Texas. – ACL Live at The Moody Theater
  • Thursday, April 17 – San Antonio – Boeing Center at Tech Port
  • Friday, April 18 – Brooklyn, N.Y. – Brooklyn Paramount
  • Saturday, April 19 – Atlanta – The Eastern
  • Thursday, May 1 – Denver – The Ogden Theatre
  • Friday, May 2 – Montreal – MTELUS
  • Saturday, May 3 – Pittsburgh – Stage AE
  • Thursday, May 8 – Los Angeles – Hollywood Palladium
  • Friday, May 9 – Oakland, Calif. – Fox Theater
  • Saturday, May 10 – Salt Lake City – Rockwell at The Complex
  • Thursday, May 15 – San Diego – Observatory North Park
  • Thursday, May 29 – Chicago – The Salt Shed
  • Friday, May 30 – Minneapolis – First Avenue
  • Saturday, May 31 – Nashville, Tenn. – The Pinnacle
  • Tuesday, June 3 – Washington, D.C. – Echostage

04 Feb 2025

Trump Falsely Accuses South Africa Of “Confiscating Land,” Cutting Aid

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WASHINGTON, JANUARY 19: Tesla Founder Elon Musk walks on stag

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President Donald Trump accused South Africa of “confiscating land” in a social media post and cut aid to them, prompting that country’s government to fire back with a denial.

The nation of South Africa is the latest target of President Donald Trump’s wrath, as he falsely attacked the country in a post on Truth Social Sunday night (Feb. 2). “South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY,” he wrote, continuing by stating that he would be cutting off aid as a response: “I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa briskly denied the allegation in a post on X, formerly Twitter, writing: “South Africa is a constitutional democracy that is deeply rooted in the rule of law, justice and equality. The South African government has not confiscated any land.”

https://x.com/CyrilRamaphosa/status/1886319401101910311

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Trump would repeat the claim to journalists, and allegations were echoed by his backer, tech billionaire Elon Musk (who was born in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1971) who wrote in a post on X that South Africa had “openly racist ownership laws.” Musk, through his actions with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has already announced the shutdown of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), claiming it was a joint decision with Trump. David Sacks, the billionaire PayPal co-founder and Trump ally, also hails from South Africa.

Land ownership in South Africa has been a hotly contested issue for over a century since the British restricted Black ownership of land beginning in 1913 with the Natives Land Act, transferring large swaths of land to white settlers including, the Afrikaner community and confining Black people to townships and homelands. Currently, Black people (who compose 80% of the population) constitute 4% of landowners in South Africa, while three-quarters of the land is owned by whites who constitute 8% of the population.

Trump has spoken out about this issue before in his first term, but having Musk as a supporter suggests that he’s inclined to be more aggressive in cutting off aid. Members of the African National Congress, the ruling party in South Africa, have also pointed to the right-wing AfriForum group as having lobbied Trump and others in the U.S. AfriForum, who represents the Afrikaner population in South Africa, has fought for Ramaphosa to change the new law but has opposed Trump’s proposed removal of aid to the country.

04 Feb 2025

Kanye West Releases New Yeezy Commercial After GRAMMYS Red Carpet Stunt

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67th GRAMMY Awards - Arrivals

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It seems Kanye West looked to GRAMMY weekend as a big moment for his brand. Ye released a new Yeezy commercial after getting removed from the event.

As spotted on Page Six, the self-proclaimed goats of all goats had time this weekend. After showing up to the GRAMMY Awards uninvited and his wife Bianca bearing it all on the red carpet, the high profile couple was asked to leave by staff. It appears this was a very calculated move by Kanye West as he had a new commercial for his Yeezy label run on select broadcasts of the live show.

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As expected, the spot aligned with the brand’s minimalistic ethos and simply showcased a range of athleisure pieces over a white backdrop. Included were t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, socks and more. Also included in the drop are select merch items for his forthcoming album BULLY. To the surprise of many all the pieces are priced at $20.00 dollars prior to shipping and taxes.

You can shop the Yeezy collection here and view the commercial below.

04 Feb 2025

Dawes Release Grammys Cover of Randy Newman’s ‘I Love L.A.’ to Benefit Wildfire Relief

A day after performing an all-star version of Randy Newman’s 1983 pop classic “I Love L.A.” to open Sunday’s (Feb. 2) 67th annual Grammy Awards, Dawes announced that they are releasing their version to help with Los Angeles wildfire relief. The proceeds from sales of the song will go to the Recording Academy and MusiCares’ Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to Support Music Professionals.

The band honored the first responders and the communities affected by the deadly fires with the cover of Newman’s beloved song at music’s biggest night. They were joined by a backup band that included Brad Paisley and Brittany Howard on guitar, as well as John Legend on the piano, St. Vincent on keys and Sheryl Crow on bass. They also tweaked the lyrics to the song to reflect the moment, singing, “Look at this city getting back up off its knees/ Look at these firefighters/ Ain’t nothin’ like them nowhere.”

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“Recorded this just a few days ago to make sure we could all continue to relive this moment together. Proceeds going to Musicares.org in support of those affected by the LA Fires,” the band wrote on Instagram. “What a wild few days it’s been. Can’t wait to share some thoughts once I catch my breath. I love you all so much. Thanks for showing the love and support the way you always do. And for anyone new here – welcome to the family. It’s pretty tight knit. Hope you all like the new track.”

Dawes also performed their 2011 single “Time Spent in Los Angeles” at last week’s FireAid benefit concert at the Kia Forum in L.A., before teaming up with Stephen Stills and Mike Campbell for Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.” They were later joined by Stills’ longtime musical partner Graham Nash for a cover of CSN&Y’s “Teach Your Children.”

Singer Taylor Goldsmith and brother Dawes drummer Griffin Goldsmith were both affected by the fires, with Taylor losing his home studio and much of the band’s musical equipment and Griffin losing his Altadena home in the Eaton fire. Former Dawes bassist Wylie Gelber also lost his home in the fires that killed 29 and destroyed 16,000 homes and structures.

04 Feb 2025

Pentagon Halts Observing MLK Day, Black History Month

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President Trump Announces Aviation Safety Executive Orders In The Oval Office Of White House

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An agency at the Pentagon has paused observing Black History Month and Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the behest of President Donald Trump.

According to reports, the Defense Department’s intelligence agency has halted observances of Black History Month, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and other cultural and historical events. The directive, revealed in a leaked memo, is following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on his first day back in office on Jan. 20. An unnamed official verified the memo’s authenticity.

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“We are receiving questions across the workforce on the way forward,” the memo said. “DIA will pause all activities and events related to Agency Special Emphasis Programs effective immediately and until further notice.” The memo calls for a halt of observing 11 events including Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, National American Indian Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Women’s Equality Day, and Women’s History Month. 

The source said the change would not affect the holidays being celebrated nationally, and it’s not policy across the Department of Defense. But Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth instructed his staff last Wednesday (Jan. 29) to create a task force to eliminate DEI programs from the Pentagon. “We’re not joking around,” Hegseth said in an interview Wednesday with Fox News when asked about it. “There’s no changing of names or softly manipulating something. DEI is gone.”

The backlash has hit the White House, particularly as Black History Month kicked off Saturday (Feb. 1). White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the controversy Friday (Jan. 31)  and tried to downplay it. “As far as I know, this White House certainly still intends to celebrate, and we will continue to celebrate American history and the contributions that all Americans, regardless of race, religion, or creed, have made to our great country,” she said. Trump would then sign a proclamation later that day declaring that Black History Month be observed by “public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities,” although there were no further details on what those programs would be.

04 Feb 2025

Kendrick Lamar Teams Up With Willy Chavarria For A Super Bowl Capsule

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KENDRICK LAMAR HALFTIME MERCH

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Kendrick Lamar is upping the ante when it comes to his Super Bowl appearance. The “Not Like Us” rapper has partnered with Willy Chavarria for a capsule collection in honor of the big game.

KENDRICK LAMAR HALFTIME MERCH

Source: Diego Bendezu / Diego Bendezu

As spotted on GQ, the 2025 edition of football’s biggest night will come with some very unique wearables. Designer Willy Chavarria has curated merch in conjunction with Kendrick Lamar. While the drop covers your usual streetwear staples (i.e., t-shirts, shorts, hooded sweatshirts, etc.) it is clear the creative had a specific narrative in mind he was trying to convey with the overall aesthetic.

Featured throughout all the items is bold typography that incorporates some of Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics from GNX. “FOOT UP ON THE GAS, BUT SOMEBODY GOTTA DO IT” is featured on the hoodies. This collection is also is a nod to sports. We not only get some NFL emblem integration but apparel like performance jerseys and a satin varsity jacket.

The Kendrick Lamar Super Bowl Halftime performance capsule collection is available now. Proceeds from this drop will go support to those impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires.

04 Feb 2025

Charli XCX & Martha Stewart Support Matthew McConaughey’s Super Bowl Conspiracy in Uber Eats Ad: Watch

Matthew McConaughey has a conspiracy theory about football that dates back hundreds of years — and he’s recruiting Charli XCX, Martha Stewart and more stars to convince people it’s true in a hilarious Super Bowl commercial for Uber Eats.

Premiering Tuesday (Feb. 4), the 90-second spot — which will air during the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles game on Sunday (Feb. 9) — opens with the Interstellar star telling viewers, “From the very beginning, football has been a conspiracy to make us hungry.”

He then defends his thesis by starring in flashbacks to important moments in his version of football history, including the inception of the “pigskin” nickname — to “make people crave bacon,” as McConaughey and costar Kevin Bacon explain to a group of players in the 1800s — and the decision to name the Green Bay Packers after meatpackers, while their fans are called “cheeseheads.” At one point, Hot Ones host Sean Evans makes a fitting cameo as he and the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days actor decide on the Buffalo Bills’ team name over a plate of Buffalo wings.

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Flash forward to 2025, and McConaughey says that the Super Bowl gods “aren’t even hiding it anymore.” Presiding over a conference table where the “Von Dutch” singer sits next to Stewart, the Oscar winner points out that this year’s Halftime Show is “presented by an apple” — at which point Charli takes a smug bite out of a Granny Smith, a reference to both her Brat song “Apple” and the name of the tech company sponsoring Kendrick Lamar’s highly anticipated mid-game performance Sunday (Feb. 9).

One person who doesn’t buy McConaughey’s theory, however, is filmmaker Greta Gerwig, who tells him at the end, “No one believes that football is just some conspiracy to sell food.”

It was first announced that Charli and the domestic doyenne would star in the McConaughey-led Super Bowl campaign in late January. At the time, the Grammy winner also joined Stewart for a round of “We Listen and We Don’t Judge” for the food delivery company, as well as broke down football positions in club terms.

“It was cute filming my first Super Bowl campaign with Uber Eats!” Charli said in a statement at the time. “Matthew and Martha are obviously legends, so I felt right at home.”

The musician is just one of several music stars fans can expect to see grace their TV screens come Super Bowl Sunday. Also appearing in lucrative game-day ads are Post Malone — who appears alongside Shane Gillis and Peyton Manning in Bud Light’s 2025 campaign — and Mountain Dew partner Becky G.

See Charli and Stewart in Uber Eats’ Super Bowl commercial below.

04 Feb 2025

Taylor Swift Dancing With Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz’s Son at 2025 Grammys Was Adorable Throwback to Their First Meeting

Taylor Swift is well-known for her enthusiastic awards show audience dancing. But at Sunday night’s (Feb. 2) 67 Grammy Awards the singer had an unexpected dance partner: Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz’s 10-year-old son, Genesis.

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Cameras caught Swift holding hands with the young man and jumping up and down during Shakira’s career-spanning performance, with Genesis even pulling a pro move and spinning the pop superstar around as his older brother, Egypt, 14, looked on with a smile.

People reported that proud papa Beatz also posted a snippet of the dancing video on his Instagram Story, captioning it “Gen & @taylorswift jamming.” In another picture from the Story, both boys are seen standing with Swift, with Egypt appearing to be showing the “Down Bad” singer something on his phone while Genesis stood between them.

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X user @wishescametrue posted a video noting that Swift and Genesis first met cute six years ago at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards. In that video, Swift is seen waving to toddler Genesis as he sits on his dad’s lap, with Genesis waving back. Back in March 2024, Keys talked about the video, telling Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon that in that earlier video Genesis, then three, was “flirting, like actually flirting.” She also noted that the pals had met up again at one of Swift’s Eras Tour shows and that Genesis wondered, “is she going to remember me?” Fallon then pulled out a pic from that night of Swift giving Genesis a sweet kiss on the cheek.

Keys posted pics from their Eras Tour excursion in August 2023, including snaps of Swift posing for snaps with the mother-son duo and giving Genesis a special handwritten note. “Gen, Hi my friend!!” read Swift’s card. “I was so excited when I heard you were coming tonight!! I hope you have so much fun at the show. I’ll be waving at you. Love, Taylor.

Genesis had a pretty big Grammy night with his mom. When Keys took the stage to accept the Dr. Dre global impact award she brought her youngest along with her. Standing behind his mom wearing a pair of shades, Gen watched as Keys gave shout-outs to the many people who believed in her prodigious talent early in her career.

“I just want to give big love to my brother Dr. Dre who created a sound that began a movement, and your sound told me that if you’re a creative growing up in Compton or Hell’s Kitchen, you can touch the world,” Keys said. “I always had to fight for a certain level of respect as a songwriter, a composer and especially a producer. It’s strange that we don’t think of women as producers like Quincy or Dre or Swizzy, but female producers have always powered the industry,” she added, shouting out foremothers and contemporaries Patrice Rushen, Missy Elliott, Linda Perry, Grimes and Solange.

Keys also made a point of criticizing President Trump’s executive orders rolling back the government’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as part of its first two weeks blitz of activity. “This is not the time to shut down a diversity of voices. We’ve seen on this stage talented, hard-working people from different backgrounds with different points of view, and it changes the game. DEI is not a threat — it’s a gift,” Keys said as the audience roared with supportive applause. “The more voices, the more powerful the sound. When destructive forces try to burn us down, we rise from the ashes like a phoenix. And as you see tonight, music is the unstoppable language that connects us all.”

04 Feb 2025

Spotify Adds Highest-Ever 35 Million Monthly Users In Fourth Quarter

Spotify added 35 million monthly active users in the fourth quarter last year — the most ever in a single quarter — bringing the total number of people streaming on the Swedish music and audiobook platform to 675 million, the company reported on Tuesday.

Premium or paying subscribers totaled 263 million as of the end of last year, an 11% increase over the prior year, and ad supported subscribers rose 12% to 425 million.

The company has been on a cost-cutting mission, including letting go of about 17% of its workforce last year, said 2024 was its first full year of profitability. It reported that quarterly revenue of 4.2 billion euros ($4.34 billion), up 16%, “was ahead of plan,” thanks to favorable foreign exchange rates and subscriber revenue.

Those cost cuts helped cut Spotify’s expenses by 16% from last year to 891 million euros ($920.48 million), while revenue from premium subscribers rose 17% to 3.7 billion euros ($3.18 billion). Revenue from ad supported listeners rose 7% to 537 million euros ($596 million). Average revenue per user rose 5% year over year to 4.85 euros ($5.01).

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Spotify’s gross margin — a key measure which strips the cost of sales out of the company’s revenue — came in above target at 32.2%, compared to 26.7% a year ago. Gross profit totaled 1.37 billion euros ($1.42 billion), and the operating income rose to 477 million euros ($495 million).

The first quarter they expect first quarter revenue to hold flat at 4.2 billion euros ($4.34 billion), as subscribers are expected to rise just 2 million in what is typically a slower-growth quarter for Spotify.

Spotify’s Q4 Topline Results:
• Monthly active users were up 12% to 675 million, contributing to the addition of 35 million MAUs for the quarter — a new record
• Premium subscribers rose 11% to 263 million, capping a year that added 27 million paid users
• Ad-supported users rose by 12% to 425 million from the year ago period
• Total revenue rose 16% to 4.24 billion euros ($4.34 billion)
• Revenue from premium subscriptions rose by 17% to 3.7 billion euros ($3.18 billion). Ad-supported revenue jumped 7% to 537 million euros ($596 million)
• Operating income of 477 million euros ($495 million), up from losses a year ago, which were due to one-time charges

04 Feb 2025

A 14-Year-Old Chappell Roan Totally Predicted Her Future Grammy Glory: ‘Going to Do Whatever It Takes to Get It’

Chappell Roan knew it all along. After the “Pink Pony Club” singer capped a stellar year with a best new artist win and a headline-making performance at Sunday night’s (Feb. 2) Grammy Awards, an X user resurfaced an old video of a then-14-year-old Kayleigh Rose Amstutz accepting the first-place prize at 2012’s Springfield’s Got Talent show contest, which netted her a $1,012 novelty-sized check and a priceless quote.

“I want to win a Grammy,” the teen singer said at the time in the video shared by X user @m1dwestprincess. “So that’s my goal. And I’m going to do whatever it takes to get it. So that’ll be the fight for me.”

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Fast forward to Sunday, and not only did now-26-year-old Roan put on a kaleidoscopic, Broadway-worthy performance of her hit “Pink Pony Club” that Billboard called a “queer country clown fantasia,” but she also won her first Grammy. In keeping with her determination to use her platform to spread love and always push the needle, she called for proper healthcare for musicians in her acceptance speech.

“I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and healthcare, especially for developing artists,” she said, reading out of a notebook.

She then shared that when she was dropped from a major label earlier in her career the lack of support had a major impact on her. “I got signed so young … and when I got dropped, I had zero job experience under my belt, and like most people, I had a difficult time finding a job in the pandemic, and could not afford health insurance,” she said. “It was so devastating to feel so committed to my art and to feel so betrayed by the system and to be so dehumanized to not have healthcare. If my label would have prioritized artists’ health, I could have been provided care by a company I was giving everything to.”

She also later spoke to GLAAD and made a call to support trans rights as they face an unprecedented attack from the Trump administration, which has spent the past two week erasing web pages that mention LGBTQ people and removing the last two letters from government websites. “Trans people have always existed and they will forever exist. They will never, no matter what happens, take trans joy away,” she said. “I would not be here without trans girls. Just know that pop music is thinking about you and cares about you. I’m trying my best to stand up for you.”