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From one pink pony girl to another, drag icon Sasha Colby is sharing the love with breakout pop “Femininomenon” Chappell Roan.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15 reacted to the pop star’s interpretation of her now-iconic catchphrase, calling herself “your favorite artist’s favorite artist.”
“The night of the finale for season 16, when I gave up the crown, was also the night of the finale for my Stripped [tour], and that’s when Chappell said it at Coachella,” she said in the interview. “To see Jimmy Fallon say my name is kind of wild. I just talked to Chappell, we just talked for a little bit. We were very meet-and-greet-y, like, ‘I love you, I think you’re amazing.’”
Colby originally referred to herself as “your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen” during her “Meet the Queens” interview for season 15 of Drag Race. Roan later presented herself using the phrase during her Coachella set in April, with many of her fans spreading the clip of her introduction online.
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During her recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Roan made sure to give proper credit where it was due. “That was a reference to Sasha Colby, and Sasha Colby said, ‘I’m your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen,’” she told the host. “It just hit me through the heart. And so I hope one day Sasha Colby watches me, and that’s why I said it.”
Colby added that she appreciated seeing a major pop star directly credit her for her contribution, and said she hoped more pop stars would take notes. “Drag has always been a mirror of pop culture,” she said. “Since Drag Race, we are pop, the tastemakers, and pop girlies look to us for inspiration — much like Chappell Roan! All I can say is, goddess sees goddess, you know? Greatness sees greatness! Your favorite artist’s favorite artist, baby!”
One of the most powerful voices of the civil rights movement, Sweet Honey in the Rock co-founder Bernice Johnson Reagon, has died at 81. Daughter and musician Toshi Reagon announced the news in a Facebook post on Wednesday (July 17) in which she announced that the “multi-award-winning force and cultural voice for freedom” passed on Tuesday; no cause of death was given.
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“As a scholar, singer, composer, organizer and activist, Dr. Reagon spent over half a century speaking out against racism and systemic inequities in the U.S. and globally,” her daughter wrote of the singer who co-founded the civil rights vocal ensemble The Freedom Singers as well as the Grammy-nominated all-female vocal group Sweet Honey in the Rock.
Reagon was a key part of the civil rights fight in the 1960s, lending her voice to anthems illustrating the struggle by African-Americans via her founding of the Freedom Singers, who came together at Albany State College in Albany, GA in 1962. The group’s powerful combination of Baptist church-influenced singing and protest anthems, anchored by Reagon’s soulful, expressive vocals, led to a collaboration with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a group of Black college students who led peaceful direct action protests across the country, including Freedom Rides and voter registration campaigns that often elicited violent reactions from police and racist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.
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Johnson, the daughter of Baptist minster J.J. Johnson, was born in Dougherty County, GA on Oct. 4, 1942 and enrolled in the historically black public college Albany State College (now known as Albany State University) in 1959 at age 16. She was active in civil rights activities and protests on campus, though she was in jail when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in December 1961 in Albany along with hundreds of others on charges of obstructing the sidewalk and parading without a permit.
“I was already in jail, so I missed most of that,” she told WHYY’s Fresh Air in 1988. “But what they began to write about… no matter what the article said, they talked about singing.” Those revamped church songs, which Reagon would say often swapped “freedom” in for “Jesus,” as well as her activism got the singer expelled from Albany state after her arrest for protesting. That led to Reagon founding the a cappella Freedom Singers in 1962, whose songs often served as a record of the civil rights struggle, from tributes to fallen leaders (“They Laid Medgar Evers in His Grave”), to a revamp of the movement’s anthem, “We Shall Overcome” and “Free At Last,” which took its name from a quote in Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington. She also co-founded the Atlanta-based group the Harambee Singers in 1966, whose work was tied to the growing Black Consciousness Movement at the time.
Following her divorce from Freedom Singer’s co-founder Cordell Reagon in 1967, Reagon went back to school at Spelman College in 1970 to complete her undergraduate degree. A Ford Foundation fellowship to study at another HBCU, Howard University, led to Reagon receiving a Ph.D. from the school, one of a number academic honors she would collect over the the course of her life.
Among her many academic titles, Reagon was a Professor Emeritus of History at American University, Curator Emeritus at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Cosby Chair of Fine Arts at Spelman College. She was also the principal scholar and host of the 26-part Peabody Award-winning 1994 NPR series/Smithsonian series Wade in the Water and the score composer for the Peabody-winning 1998 film series Africans in America. She was awarded a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship in 1989 in honor of her work in music performance and composition, musicology and ethnomusicology as an upholder of the Black oral, performance, protest and worship traditions.
Reagon co-founded the six-member all-female a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock in 1973, a vocal ensemble that toured the world with a rotating group of singers who combined Gospel music, jazz, blues and African traditions, with hymns and song stories that touched on topics ranging from love and spirituality to racism and domestic violence. Among their signature tracks are “Ella’s Song” in honor of civil rights leader Ella Baker and “Biko,” a tribute to South African freedom fighter Steve Biko.
The group, which Reagon directed for three decades before retiring from in 2003, has released more than two dozen albums since their eponymous 1976 debut LP. Reagon wrote the group’s memoir, We Who Believe in Freedom: Sweet Honey in the Rock, Still on the Journey in 1993 and also compiled the booklet for the 2-CD collection Voices of the Civil Rights: Black American Freedom Songs 1960-1965 from Smithsonian Folkways Records. In addition to her work singing in and producing Sweet Honey in the Rock, Reagon released solo efforts, including 1975’s Give Your Hands to Struggle and 1986’s River of Life.
Check out some of Sweet Honey in the Rock’s songs below.
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As detailed in a Billboard feature profile this week, entertainment attorney John Branca represents many of pop music’s biggest legacy artists — most famously, the Michael Jackson estate, of which he is co-executor. But Branca is no lone wolf. His partners in the music department at Ziffren Brittenham — David Byrnes, David Lande, Mitch Tenzer and Kelly Vallon — make up, he says, “the most important contemporary music practice of any law firm in the world.” Certainly, along with Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, and Taylor Swift attorney Donald S. Passman’s firm, Gang Tyre Ramer, it is one of the premier law firms for the music industry.
Lande primarily represents Selena Gomez, Pharrell Williams, SZA, Olivia Rodrigo, Rosalía and Justin Timberlake (when asked if Timberlake called him after his recent DUI arrest, Lande answers, “No, I called him”), and Byrnes’ principal clients include Travis Scott, Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton and the estates of Kurt Cobain, Mac Miller, Tom Petty and Eazy-E — hardly even an exhaustive list of their or the firm’s clients. But the partners all work collaboratively to serve the firm’s clientele, which also includes industry executives.
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For example, Byrnes and Lande represent Beyoncé as a team. Lande — who served as a tour manager and tour accountant for such artists as Elton John and Madonna during breaks from his undergraduate and law school years — says he was involved in every aspect of the 2023 Renaissance world tour, “from making the initial deal with Live Nation, reviewing all of the business plans, working with her and her team on what that business would look like as a tour, to ultimately its execution.” Byrnes, who worked on the MTV show I.R.S. Records Presents: The Cutting Edge and as an editor at the now-defunct music trade publication Cashbox, consulted with the firm’s film/TV department to negotiate deals for Beyoncé’s 2019 and 2020 films, Homecoming and Black Is King, respectively. Tenzer and Vallon work on many clients.
Given the depth and breadth of their music industry experience, legal and otherwise — Tenzer was director of business affairs at Sony Music, and Vallon’s résumé includes roles at CAA, AEG, several labels and The Colbert Report, for example — “We have really good market knowledge of what’s cutting edge and what’s achievable, and we all end up being business advisers to our clients — helping them think through deal structure and the kinds of deals they ought to do,” Lande says.
With more artists preferring independence over label deals and labels holding off on signing acts until they build a significant fan base, the deals before the firm’s music department have evolved significantly. “There’s a plethora of independent distributors and labels out there offering development-type deals, and we’re dealing with those every day,” Byrnes says.
And Lande explains that artists are now more interested in building long-term value through equity. “Years ago, it was just, ‘Pay me this amount of money and I will endorse your product or service,’ ” he says. Those deals still happen, but “more and more, our clients are entering joint ventures, funding things themselves and building businesses that capitalize on their celebrity in an organic way. They take more risk by doing that, and it takes a longer time to build value,” he continues. “But the ultimate payoff is significant.”
This story will appear in the July 20, 2024, issue of Billboard.
It doesn’t matter that Travis Kelce can pretty much go to as many Eras Tour shows as he wants — he still has to take videos of Taylor Swift when she’s on stage so that he can remember every moment. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end was in attendance at the musician’s first concert in […]
BLACKPINK’s Rosé steps out in Puma, for her first official campaign with the sportswear giant.
Just weeks after Puma named the K-pop superstar as an ambassador, Rosé shows off the new Palermo range of low-top sneakers in classic “cobalt” and “black” colorways.
“Fusing music and style,” reads a statement, “Rosé’s ambassador role will bring her vision, voice, and unique insights to Puma’s global campaigns and storytelling.”
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Announced last month, Puma’s partnership with Rosé centers around the clothing brand’s catalog of silhouettes, and sees the pop star introduce its classic kit to a new generation.
“I am so excited to join the Puma family,” she said in a statement June 17, announcing her ambassadorial role, for which she joins the likes of Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Dua Lipa, and Skepta. “I cannot wait for my fans to join my next chapter with Puma.”
Since debuting in 2016, BLACKPINK has been on the express elevator to the top. Along the way, Rosé, Lisa, Jennie, and Jisoo have smashed records, dominated charts, filled arenas everywhere, and became not only the first K-pop girl to perform at Coachella, but the first Asian act to headline the festival.
Rosè (full name: Roseanne Park) was born in Auckland, New Zealand and raised in Melbourne, Australia. In interviews, her Aussie accent is unmistakable. At the age of seven, Rosè and her family moved to the Victorian capital. And at age 15 the world of K-pop came calling when, at her father’s suggestion, she auditioned for South Korean music company YG Entertainment. Rosè bloomed, she relocated to South Korea and in August 2016, made her debut as a vocalist with the newly-formed quartet. The rest is history.
More from Puma’s creative partnership with Rosé will be unveiled later this year.
In a genre-crossing beef we certainly didn’t have on our 2024 bingo card, Britney Spears has issued a scathing response to the Osbourne family after rocker Ozzy Osbourne criticized her dancing videos on social media.
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The “Toxic” singer took to Instagram on July 17 to express her disdain for the famous rock family, calling them “the most boring family known to mankind” and telling them to “kindly f*** off.”
The dispute began during a recent episode of “The Osbournes” podcast, where the Black Sabbath discussed TikTok dances before turning his attention to Spears.
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“I’m fed up of seeing poor old Britney Spears on YouTube,” he said. “Every f–king day. It’s sad, very, very sad.” His daughter Kelly echoed his sentiments, saying she felt “sorry” for Spears, while matriarch Sharon Osbourne added, “Poor little thing.”
Spears, who has been under intense public scrutiny since the end of her 13-year conservatorship in 2021, defended herself in a lengthy Instagram post.
She also came to the defense of actress Kate Beckinsale, who has faced similar criticism for her social media content.
“I adore Kate Beckinsale, especially because she’s from London!” Spears wrote. “I realized how incredibly cruel people were talking about her IG, saying she needs more age-appropriate content… it’s pretty badass how she responded.”
Addressing her own situation, Spears continued, “Not as bad as some of my comments saying it’s sad that I’m as old as I am and I’m dancing every single day on my IG! Number 1) I hardly ever dance… and number 2) I’m not poor at all! I have more ligature in my left toe than any grown man or woman on earth!”
The “…Baby One More Time” hitmaker has become known for frequently posting dance videos on her Instagram, often in revealing outfits. The posts have elicited mixed reactions from fans and critics alike, with some expressing concern and others celebrating her newfound freedom of expression.
Spears went on to note the importance of supporting one another in the post. “I know what it’s like to be judged, but I think it’s important to HELP EACH OTHER and invite each other to places that help our souls grow!”
Her post concluded with a sharp message to the Osbournes: “I’m gonna do a photoshoot with Kate and tell the Osbourne family who is the most boring family known to mankind to kindly f— off!”
Kesha is a free woman in the process of releasing music — including new single “Joyride” — under her own label for the first time in her career. But that independence didn’t come easily.
In a new interview with Forbes published Tuesday (July 16), the 37-year-old singer-songwriter opened up about the sense of relief she’s experienced since settling her legal battle with Kemosabe Records founder Dr. Luke, whom she accused of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse in 2014. The producer has consistently denied Kesha’s allegations and sued her for defamation, but the two settled the case before it went to trial last year.
“I feel free for the first time since I was 18 years old and I so appreciate every single person that has streamed it,” the star told the publication of her new song. “I’ve spent almost 10 years in litigation and millions of dollars in legal fees. This joy has been hard-fought for me, so I love that people are ready to ‘Joyride’ with me.”
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“I’ve seen a lot of problems and I’ve had a lot of people come to me privately, really big artists, and talk to me about the issues with this business,” she continued. “I think it’s really evident that there’s a problem. I’m working currently, actually as we speak, to try to find the right collaborators within the tech space because I have a plan and I’m going to fix this.”
The interview comes a couple weeks after “Joyride” fittingly dropped on the Fourth of July, marking Kesha’s first independent release following her departure from Kemosabe. “Don’t even try to give me s–t/ I’ve earned the right to be like this,” she sings on the splashy dance track. “Joy ride, joy ride/ I’m just looking for a good time tonight.”
As she continues pumping out music under her own label — simply named Kesha Records — the “Praying” artist says she hopes to shake up the industry by leading the charge on more artist-friendly practices. “It’s wild that a human being can lose the rights to their recorded voice in perpetuity in the universe,” she told the publication. “First of all, changing litigation around that is something that’s on my radar.”
“Second of all, I have to say, currently I’m really excited to build a safe space for artists because creation and fear cannot co-exist,” she added. “When you’re in a state of fear, you cannot create, and I know this from personal experience.”
She’s so lucky, she’s a star!
Halsey took to Instagram on Wednesday (July 17) to reveal that their new single, “Lucky,” will officially be arriving on July 26. The singer also shared the cover art for the album, which is a blurry, pink close-up of their face, featuring Y2K-inspired sparkles. See it here.
The nostalgic cover art is fitting, as Halsey interpolates Britney Spears’ 2000 hit, “Lucky,” an ode to the lonelier side of fame. “She’s so lucky, she’s a star/ But she cry, cry, cries in her lonely heart, thinking/ If there’s nothing missing in my life/ Then why do these tears come at night?” Halsey sings the chorus in the teaser clip, adding her own twist on the track.
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Halsey teased the song earlier this month with an Instagram snippet of the song’s recognizable chorus. “When I was 5, it always felt like Britney was singing directly to me,” they wrote over the video rocking pink hair and a t-shirt that says “Lucky” across the front. “24 years later, these words hit different. love you forever.”
In June, Halsey confirmed that their fifth studio album is complete and on the way, after fans noticed that she had unveiled a cryptic new website titled “ForMyLastTrick.com.” The page boasts several illustrated badges, some of them leading to what appear to be clues about the new album.
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Halsey’s new record will follow 2021’s If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The About-Face Beauty founder dropped a few singles in the three years since, including 2023’s “Die 4 Me” and 2022’s “So Good,” both of which charted on the Billboard Hot 100.
Chappell Roan has had one of the fastest, most organic rises to stardom that the music industry has seen in the past decade — but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. While talking to host Drew Afualo on the Wednesday (July 17) episode of The Comment Section podcast, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter got candid […]
Joe Jonas is ready to spread the love. The superstar revealed on Wednesday (July 17) that his upcoming solo album, Music for People Who Believe in Love, will be arriving on October 18. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news ”This album is a celebration of gratitude, hope, […]