Pride
Page: 64
With every season of RuPaul’s Drag Race comes the long-awaited (for some contestants, long-feared) sewing challenge — and on season 15, the show decided to switch things up yet again.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
On last week’s episode (aired Friday, January 27), the 13 remaining queens were split into three fashion houses inspired by judges Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley and Ross Mathews, and tasked with turning unconventional home decor materials into runway-ready haute couture.
For Luxx Noir London, the challenge proved to be nothing short of triumph when she earned her first win for creating zebra-print pants and a flowing silk top. But for queens Salina EsTitties and Amethyst, their less-stellar looks landed them in the bottom two.
Facing off in a lip sync for your life to Janelle Monáe’s iconic single “Q.U.E.E.N.” in front of Monáe herself, Salina and Amethyst twerked, dipped and bounced their way through one of the most entertaining lip syncs of season 15, fighting for their right to stay. For her spot-on performance, Salina earned another week in the competition, while Amethyst was finally sent packing after her third time in the bottom.
Amethyst spoke to Billboard following her elimination about her grueling sewing challenge experience, her love of Lady Gaga, and how one piece of personal information turned into “high school” drama with the other queens while filming.
You’ve had quite the journey on Drag Race — what was it like getting to watch it unfold?
It doesn’t really feel real, if I’m being quite honest. I still get giddy over seeing myself on Drag Race — that’s actually still crazy to me. I’m still fangirl-ing a lot. I think that’ll go away soon. Otherwise, it’s been such a blast, connecting with the fans.
Were there any moments while you were filming in particular that made you go into full fangirl mode?
If the work room entrance didn’t do it for me, then I think walking the runway for the first time really did. It’s just the moment that it’s suddenly real.
Over the last few episodes, the queens have conducted a pretty thorough investigation into your prior relationship with Robin Fierce — was that a weird thing for you to deal with while filming this show?
It wasn’t weird, necessarily. Like, I didn’t mind explaining it to my sisters. I think the only super weird part to me was how much of a hot topic it was among them. Once I saw that Robin was on the show with me, my mind immediately was like, “Do we tell people? What’s the plan of attack?” So I told myself from day one that if somebody asked, I wouldn’t lie. I just never saw it getting to the point that it got to, weirdly — the whole “who broke up with who” conversation. It was just so high school to me. I didn’t mind giving my side of the story, but it was weird that this was our topic of conversation.
I gotta say, watching people try and unravel the “mystery” of your breakup despite you literally explaining that it was a mature, somewhat mutual situation is very funny to me.
Girl, it’s the gays, we just gotta make it a drama.
Before we get into this episode, I want to talk to you about the runway you served last week as Lady Gaga at the 2009 VMAs. You nailed the look — what made you choose this interpretation of the theme “Beautiful Nightmare?”
As we all know, Lady Gaga opened that performance by singing, “Amidst all of these flashing lights, I pray the fame won’t take my life.” That was the idea I wanted to run with for this, because when I saw “Beautiful Nightmare,” I thought, “Well, my beautiful nightmare is going to be watching myself look so good on TV and then having to deal with trolls online telling me I’m an early-out.”
I just think Gaga set that metaphor up so eloquently, and I’m a firm believer that if something isn’t broken, you don’t need to fix it. Or as RuPaul would say, “You ain’t gotta reinvent the wheel.” I knew, “Am I going to get read for recreating this look head-to-toe? Probably.” But I do feel like the performance of it all sold it and took it to that extra level, especially with the bleeding.
As soon as the blood came out, I said out loud, “Yep, she did that.”
Exactly! I knew people would forget the fact that I was walking down the runway in a bodysuit and thigh-highs if I could give them that gag. So I was really happy with myself.
To this day, that stands as one of the most iconic awards show performances of all time.
That’s why it was so far in the front of my brain and I was able to replicate it so quickly! Ever since I saw it in 2009, that’s just where it lives, girl. Like, pure horror, the audience was literally scared of her!
Speaking of looks, this week was our first sewing challenge of season 15. What was going through your mind when they announced the challenge, knowing that you’d already been in the bottom twice and you’re not a seamstress?
A lot of explicit language that I probably should not repeat in an interview. [Laughs.] I will say, when Ru said it was unconventional materials, my ears did perk up a little — because I feel like that’s weirdly easier? Then, I can get away with using hot glue because it’s weird objects. That just didn’t work out for me, as we can now see.
I would like to talk about that — I feel like this was a very strong showing from everyone including you, and that made it harder to single out a bottom two. There were no LaLa Ri’s on that stage.
Yeah, for sure. Ru even said while we were walking the runway, “Y’all are making this hard.” It wasn’t that I looked bad, it was just that it didn’t measure up to everybody. But that’s another reason why when they announced the sewing challenge, I was saying a lot of swear words; 11 out of the 13 of us were sewers. It was like, “Well, there’s simply no way for me [to win].” I got really in my head and I started to rethink things that I shouldn’t have been rethinking, because in a situation like that — having less than a day to put this look together — you don’t have time to sit around and stare in a mirror and rethink. You have to go.
I really want to commend you on your lip syncs this season — you’ve killed every lip sync you were in, especially this “Q.U.E.E.N.” one. What, to you, is the key to nailing a lip sync?
It’s so nerdy and boring, so be ready; I went to theatre school for acting, and my approach to lip syncs is actually how I would approach doing a monologue, or a scene. I was trained to have an action for every line, and you want every action to be different. So you’ll pick very descriptive lines of the song, and then figure out what it is that you’re going to sell with that line. That’s why I love lip syncing, because you’re telling a story through your performance of the song.
Another week, another opportunity to rock out to some of your favorite LGBTQ artists! Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
From Sam Smith’s glorious new album to PVRIS’s scintillating new single, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Sam Smith, Gloria
The old Sam Smith can’t come to the phone right now. Gloria, the long-awaited new album from the British pop phenomenon, is a full-on reinvention for Smith as they take a bold step into a new musical (and personal) era. Sure, there may be a few leftover heartbreak songs that fans have come to associate with the singer (“How to Cry,” in particular, stands out) — but the majority of Gloria revels in playing with new topics and new genres, from seductive disco anthems (“I’m Not Here to Make Friends”) to electro-pop pleas (“Lose You”) to chorales of self-worth (“Gloria”). With a bolstered sense of raw confidence, Smith sounds as though they’ve reached a new artistic breakthrough with Gloria — and we can’t wait to hear where it takes them next.
PVRIS, “Goddess”
Lynn Gunn is done waiting around for anyone’s respect — on PVRIS’s thrilling new single “Goddess,” the lead singer let’s her divine side out, excoriating the standards she’s expected to uphold. The relentless drums keep the song constantly moving, while a blown-out guitar line adds the urgency to the throbbing track. It’s Gunn’s killer voice, though, that makes “Goddess” so endlessly entertaining, as she growls out lyrics like, “I’ve been iconic since I started/ I keep climbing and clawing/ This s–t is so exhausting.”
Adam Lambert, “Getting Older” (Billie Eilish cover)
While Adam Lambert has made a habit out of covering old-school rockers and iconic divas, his latest rendition sees the American Idol alum taking on a newer sound to cover Billie Eilish’s “Getting Older.” For the majority of the track, Lambert remains largely faithful to Eilish’s original, adding in some drums and guitars for a little extra glam kick. But by the time he reaches the song’s bridge, Lambert goes all-out with his stratospheric voice, making the song sound entirely his own with some pure rock flair.
Khai Dreams, Absolute Heartbreak
To call Khai Dreams’ music “bedroom pop” feels incredibly reductive — “bedroom chaos” feels like a more appropriate descriptor. Nowhere is that more present than on Absolute Heartbreak, the rising singer-songwriter’s debut album; Dreams’ songs run the musical gamit from folksy ballads (“Panic Attack”) to pop-punk anthems (“May”), all while maintaining a cohesive identity under the banner of the LP. It may be named after romantic anguish, but make no mistake; Absolute Heartbreak will make you fall in love with Khai Dreams.
Blondshell, “Joiner”
While some other artist may write songs about aiming their romantic sights as high as humanly possible, indie up-and-comer Blondshell is perfectly content writing about a whirlwind romance founded near a dumpster. “Joiner” basks in the messy parts of romance, as Sabrina Teitelbaum knocks her distant, mesmerizing vocal performance out of the park.
Jordy, “Story of a Boy”
As interpolations and samples continue to flood our new music feeds every week, it’s nice to find one that feels like a genuine tribute to the original. Jordy’s “Story of a Boy” takes the iconic chorus of Nine Days’ 2000 hit single “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” and retrofits it with some queer messaging. Now detailing Jordy’s long-term, constant infatuation with a guy who simply doesn’t know he exists. It’s the kind of sweet-but-sad single that Jordy has already proven to be a master of, now with a smartly-chosen nostalgic twist to get you listening ASAP.
Dakota Jones, “Sugar Pie”
Let’s get some good old-fashioned funk in here: Brooklyn-based funk four-piece Dakota Jones’ new single “Sugar Pie” sees the band hitting their stride with a deliciously smooth sound. Bringing all of the drums, organs and bass together is lead singer Tristan Carter-Jones’ sultry alto tones, crooning about “sweet songs since day one” in a way that feels timeless and up-to-date all at the same time.
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
With the long-awaited release of their fourth studio album Gloria, Sam Smith is riding a massive high. But as the singer tells it, getting to where they are now took a while.
In a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Smith spoke at length about their coming out as non-binary back in 2019, and how they had to manage both the private and public parts of that process in full view of the world.
“In my personal life, there’s not one negative,” they said, pointing out that both their family and romantic lives have thrived since opening up. “Since changing my pronouns, it felt like a coming home. I wish I knew what the words were when I was in school, because I would’ve identified as that in school.”
But when it came to their public life, Smith says it continues to be a struggle dealing with bigotry on a regular basis. “What people don’t realize with trans non-binary people in the U.K. is it’s happening in the street. I’m being abused in the street verbally more than I ever have,” they told Lowe. “So that was the hardest part, I think, was being at home in the U.K. and having people shouting at me in the street. Someone spat at me in the street. It’s crazy.”
Continuing, the singer shared that their experience was one of the better ones by comparison to trans and non-binary people trying to get on with life around the globe. “What I find hard about it is it’s like, if that’s happening to me and I’m famous, I’m a pop star, can you imagine what other queer kids are feeling?” they asked. “And it’s just so sad that we’re in 2023 and it’s still happening. It’s exhausting.”
But it’s not all bad. In December, Smith performed “Stay With Me” at the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act by President Joe Biden at the White House. The new law enshrined marriage equality for same-sex couples into U.S. federal law, protecting against a potential overturning of the Supreme Court’s landmark 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that Justice Clarence Thomas recommended in June 2022.
“I was like, ‘I’m at the White House. I’m surrounded by the gays and the queers and we’re celebrating some good news.’ It’s sad, but it’s a rare thing sometimes within our community,” Smith said. “So it was really beautiful to be able to celebrate that.”
Check out Smith’s full interview with Zane Lowe above.
As the music industry evolves, so do expectations surrounding new music. With trends and listening patterns shifting at a break-neck pace, artists are expected to usher in each new project as a brand new “era,” creating a recursive loop of authenticity, followed by slight reinvention, followed by re-established authenticity.
But when Sam Smith reintroduces themselves on Gloria, the pop superstar’s long-awaited fourth studio album, it feels different. This is not a pop star merely trying to make headlines or fulfill a promise of something “new” — Gloria sounds like it’s coming from an artist who finally feels comfortable enough to take risks with their sound in the name of honesty.
For that reason, Gloria can sound a lot like whiplash. In one moment, you’re listening to a slowed-down, smooth R&B-tinged song about a selfish ex; in the next, the sonic landscape has shifted to reggae-pop, where Smith is singing frankly about sex and desire. Bouncing around from song to song with wildly different sounds, this LP refuses to be pinned down to any specific label of genre or lyrical atmosphere.
That spirit of eclecticism is not for its own sake; in creating a sound this varied, Smith is making a point. For the last decade of their career, Smith has often been perceived as the crooner-next-door: a soulful, comforting voice conveying their own heartbreak as a means of soothing their pain — and in the process, their fans’ as well.
But alongside that image has always been a sharper, more fun Smith, crafting dance-adjacent anthems of elation and anger and sex. Gloria is Smith’s proof of concept — they contain multitudes, not just the sad broken heart of the person from In the Lonely Hour.
To celebrate Gloria’s release, Billboard takes a closer look at each of the album’s 11 original tracks and ranks them (we’re not including the album’s “Hurting” or “Dorothy” interludes here — ranking two less-than-30 second tracks against the rest feels unfair). Check out our picks below:
Funnyman Randy Rainbow is set to co-host the Premiere Ceremony prior to the 2023 Grammy Awards, where the vast majority of the 91 Grammy Awards are presented.
The Premiere Ceremony will return to the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, which is adjacent to Crypto.com Arena, where the Grammy telecast will return. The Premiere Ceremony will stream live on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel and on live.Grammy.com.
Rainbow received his first Grammy nomination this year for A Little Brains, A Little Talent, which is competing for best comedy album. Fans of his wickedly funny song parodies know that he actually has a lot of both.
The opening number will feature a performance by Blind Boys of Alabama, La Marisoul from La Santa Cecilia and additional performers. Other artists scheduled to perform include current nominees Arooj Aftab, Madison Cunningham, Samara Joy, Anoushka Shankar and Carlos Vives. Joy is a surprise best new artist nominee this year. Aftab was nominated in that category last year.
Presenters include current nominees DOMi & JD BECK (another surprise best new artist nominee this year), Babyface (who received a trustees award from the Recording Academy in 2021), Myles Frost, Arturo O’Farrill and Malcolm-Jamal Warner, as well as five-time Grammy winner Jimmy Jam, a former chair of the board of trustees of the Recording Academy.
Additional talent and Rainbow’s co-host will be announced in coming days.
Tammy Hurt, chair of the Recording Academy’s board of trustees, will provide opening remarks.
This year’s Premiere Ceremony is produced by Chantel Sausedo, a veteran of Grammy Awards telecasts, along with three top Recording Academy executives — Branden Chapman, chief operating officer; Ruby Marchand, chief awards & industry officer; and Rex Supa, vice president, production and event operations. Greg Fera is executive producer and Cheche Alara is music producer and musical director.
Hosts of recent Premiere Ceremonies have included Margaret Cho, Shaggy, Jhene Aiko and LeVar Burton.
City National Bank has signed on as the first-ever presenting sponsor of the Premiere Ceremony.
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ at 8-11:30 p.m. ET / 5-8:30 p.m. PT.
On Grammy Sunday, fans can access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, including performances, acceptance speeches, interviews from the Grammy Live red-carpet special, and more via the Recording Academy’s digital experience on live.GRAMMY.com.
Sam Smith fans, lift your hands in exaltation. After three long years, the singer’s fourth studio album, Gloria, finally arrived on Friday (Jan. 27).
The new LP drops after almost a year of public preparations from Smith — the album’s first single, the tender “Love Me More,” arrived in April 2022. Smith then took TikTok by storm with their viral hit single “Unholy” featuring Kim Petras, marking Smith and Petras’ first No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Writing about the album on their Instagram back in October 2022, Smith shared that they were “feeling overwhelmed and emotional” about finally unveiling the set. “It has been magical in every way to make this piece of music, and by giving this record to you I am giving you part of my heart and soul,” they wrote. “Gloria got me through some dark times and was a beacon for me in my life. I hope it can be that for you.”
The new album charts Smith’s journey from heartbroken crooner to joyful pop superstar, with tracks detailing their self-image (“Perfect”), sex life (“I’m Not Here to Make Friends,” “Gimme”) and finally, learning to accept and love themselves (“Gloria”). Smith is joined on the album by Petras, Ed Sheeran, Jessie Reyez and Koffee as featured artists, while long-time collaborators Jimmy Napes, Stargate and ILYA helped Smith write and produce the project.
Speaking to Billboard for the August cover story in 2022, Smith explained that they wanted Gloria to bask in “queer joy of it all,” which meant taking a risk. “Maybe the music I make in the future won’t sit as well on the radio. It takes a bit of courage to maybe try something that maybe people aren’t going to like,” they said. “But I like it, and that’s all that matters.”
Stream Gloria here:
Sam Smith stunned onstage for a moving performance of “Gloria” during Saturday Night Live, and the four-time Grammy winner surprised fans when Sharon Stone joined them for a cameo.
During the song, the Oscar-nominated actress lounged on a gold-covered couch. Surrounded by a group of darkly robed singers, Smith — who was draped in a gold sequin blazer — beautifully crooned the track while Stone slowly rose from her reclined position and gazed off into the distance.
Smith opened up about the decision to have Stone join them for the performance in a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, airing on Thursday (Jan. 26).
“I wanted to do the hymn ‘Gloria’ that I wrote for the record, which is a wild one because I’m not even … I’m hardly singing on it,” they shared. “I sing at the end of it, but it’s a whole choir. On my tour, the stage is shaped like Aphrodite, so, like, the golden Aphrodite body. And that’s the shape of the stage. I was like, ‘How can we bring that vibe to SNL?’”
They continued, “Sharon Stone is going to be in the middle of the stage at SNL in gold as like a piece of life art. The whole performance is just the choir around her singing ‘Gloria’ to her in this golden light. Isn’t it so sick? … I was like, ‘It has to be Sharon Stone,’ and I messaged Sharon. She’s just such a powerful woman. But she’s a powerful woman, and she exudes vulnerability and beauty in a way that to me is real and authentic.”
Gloria, the follow-up to 2020’s Love Goes, features the previously released singles “Love Me More,” “Gimme” and the Kim Petras-assisted hit “Unholy,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2022 and is nominated for best pop duo/group performance at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Watch the full interview here at 10 a.m. PT on Thursday.
Janelle Monáe offered fans a sneak peek at her new single “Float” via social media on Wednesday (Jan. 25).
“No I’m not the same/ I think I done changed/ See, somethin’ not the same/ I used to walk into the room head down/ I don’t walk, now I float/ Float all of my/ Float all of this/ Float,” they sing in the 30-second clip posted to her Twitter account.
Monáe previously teased the themes of “Float” on her 35th birthday in December with a separate tweet from the recording studio that read, “Best way to describe how I’m feeling on this birthday. It’s float season for me baby. Floating in gratitude…feeling much lighter. F—ed around and got more FREE. I’m not the same n—a. I just … Float…Love you.”
Though Monáe didn’t share an official release date for the track along with the snippet, “Float” will mark the R&B star’s first new song since starring in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery alongside Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Madelyn Cline and more. Earlier this week, the Netflix murder mystery sequel earned an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay.
While the Screen Actors Guild Award winner’s most recent studio set remains 2018’s Dirty Computer, they released two singles in 2021: “Stronger” (from Netflix’s We the People) and protest anthem “Say Her Name (Hell You Talmbout).” Next, the nonbinary star will appear on Friday’s (Jan. 27) episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, where she’ll guest judge the season 15 queens on the runway in a fashion design challenge.
Hear a preview of Monáe’s “Float” below.
The library is officially open! Congressman George Santos found himself in a war of words with none other than Trixie Mattel on Monday (Jan. 23).
The Twitter feud began when the embattled junior Congressman (and alleged Brazilian drag queen) took to social media to complain about being skewered on late-night TV by everyone from Jon Lovitz on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to Bowen Yang on Saturday Night Live.
“I have now been enshrined in late night TV history with all these impersonations, but they are all TERRIBLE so far,” he tweeted. “Jon Lovitz is supposed to be one of the greatest comedians of all time and that was embarrassing— for him not me! These comedians need to step their game up.”
The RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars 3 winner couldn’t resist hopping into the fray by replying, “Maybe the source material was weak.” Santos didn’t take kindly to the read, and decided to respond with some shade about Mattel’s Snatch Game impression of Mama Ru, writing, “Clearly you know all about weak acting skills” next to a gif of the moment.
“I am not an actor! I was young and I had fun at a festival!” Mattel responded, but Santos insisted on getting the last word by adding, “It’s all good! I won my race against the fan favorite too,” in reference to his 2022 campaign against Democrat Robert Zimmerman.
Santos’ knowledge of Drag Race culture seems worth raising at least one well-manicured eyebrow over, considering he’s been up in arms as of late denying allegations he used to perform under the drag name Kitara in Brazil. (As an openly gay Republican, he’s also been a vocal proponent of Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which was signed into law by Ron DeSantis last year and inspired a rash of similar anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the country.)
Check out Mattel’s Twitter feud with Santos below.
I have now been enshrined in late night TV history with all these impersonations, but they are all TERRIBLE so far. Jon Lovitz is supposed to be one of the greatest comedians of all time and that was embarrassing— for him not me! These comedians need to step their game up.— George Santos (@Santos4Congress) January 23, 2023
It’s all good! I won my race against the fan favorite too. 💪🏼🇺🇸— George Santos (@Santos4Congress) January 24, 2023
The LGBTQ community has a long history of influencing music history for the better — be it through the creation of whole genres, the success of mainstream queer artists or otherwise. Now, Spotify wants to help amplify that influence.
On Tuesday (Jan. 24), the streaming service debuted their latest music program, GLOW. The project — much like fellow equity global music programs EQUAL and Frequency for female and Black creators, respectively — is specifically catered to LGBTQ artists, aiming to “elevate LGBTQIA+ creators, both on and off platform,” according to Spotify.
To fulfill that goal, GLOW will have a year-round hub on the platform housing LGBTQ-dedicated playlists for fans to discover new music from queer-identifying artists, with new playlists set to be introduced each month. One of these playlists is a global flagship playlist of the same name, featuring LGBTQ voices from around the world and refreshing each month with new offerings.
As with previous equity programs at Spotify, GLOW will also benefit from a “360 program,” which will provide opportunities for editiorial and marketing partnerships with other major brands as well as providing charitable giving to organizations benefiting LGBTQ arts causes, including QORDS, Black Trans Femmes in the Arts (The BTFA Collective), It Gets Better and more.
GLOW will additionally shine a spotlight on different LGBTQ artists every month, with 11 — including Sam Smith, Arlo Parks, Tove Lo and Pabllo Vittar — showcased at launch. Future spotlight artists will be featured on Spotify’s For the Record editorial channel as well as on a Times Square billboard.
Cahleb Derry, an associate manager of music marketing at Spotify, said in a statement that the aim of GLOW was to provide needed support for a community that often doesn’t receive it. “The question we go back to is, ‘How do we tangibly influence the resources that LGBTQIA+ artists have?’” he said. “We know that a lot of artists only get hit up in June during Pride to do campaigns. And then July 1 hits and there’s no work to be found again … we, at Spotify, have a responsibility as the largest music audio platform in the world to fill in these gaps.”
The GLOW launch is a bright spot that comes amid Spotify’s announcement on Monday that they would be cutting 6% of their global workforce and that chief content & advertising business officer Dawn Ostroff would be departing her role. “I hoped to sustain the strong tailwinds from the pandemic and believed that our broad global business and lower risk to the impact of a slowdown in ads would insulate us,” Daniel Ek said in a note to employees posted on the company’s website. “In hindsight, I was too ambitious in investing ahead of our revenue growth.”
Check out the official GLOW Spotify hub here.