Pride

23 May 2023

Cardi B Asks ‘Drag Race’ Stars Violet Chachki & Gottmik to Direct Her Next Music Video

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We don’t know when Cardi B will release new music, but we do know who she wants to be behind the cameras for her next video.

At a private party at The Bungalow in Santa Monica, Calif., on Monday night, Cardi B introduced a new summer-ready lime flavor to her Whipshots boozy whipped-cream line — and she wasn’t alone behind the bar. The superstar rapper invited RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni Violet Chachki (season 7 winner) and Gottmik (season 13 runner-up) to mix some cocktails with her, including a Cardi-rita topped with lime Whipshots.

Cardi B

‘We Just Went Double Platinum’: Cardi B Celebrates Vodka-Infused Whipshots…

Cardi took the opportunity with the queens to do a little business. “Can I ask you guys something?” Cardi said to the pair. “Can you guys direct my music video?”

The pair were definitely game. “Bi—, I would pay you to direct it!” Chachki shot back. “That would be my dream job!”

“Are you kidding me?” Gottmik chimed in, grabbing on to Cardi’s Pucci-bodysuited waist. “The way we’re going to cinch this little waist even smaller!”

“I love you guys,” Cardi added. “You guys are so creative, so amazing. And I really want you to direct my music video.”

“Y’all heard that, right?” Chachki confirmed, making sure the moment was captured on video.

When Cardi first joined the Bungalow crowd, she explained why she decided to team up with Starco Brands on Whipshots, which celebrated selling 2 million cans of the alcoholic whipped cream back in March.

“I remember when we were discussing this product during the pandemic, I just knew it was going to work,” she said. “I mean, who doesn’t like whipped cream? I thought it was sexy and fun like me. I’m just a fun-ass bi—.”

About the new lime flavor, Cardi added: “I hope you guys enjoy this flavor. It’s really cute. It tastes like Fruity Pebbles to me. But it’s strong, don’t get it twisted. This ain’t your f—ing Fruity Pebbles!”

It remains to be seen when Cardi will release her next album — which will be her first since her debut project, 2018’s Invasion of Privacy. Since then, she dropped the four-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion in 2020, plus her solo chart-topper “Up” in 2021. She also teamed up with GloRilla on the Hot 100 top 10 “Tomorrow 2” late last year.

Watch Cardi make her way through the Bungalow crowd below:

23 May 2023

Fletcher, King Princess & More Join the Lineup for L.A.’s Pride in the Park: Exclusive

Fans, rejoice: You’re going to get to see a lot more than just Megan Thee Stallion and Mariah Carey at this year’s L.A. Pride celebrations.

On Thursday (May 18), Christopher Street West Association (the organization that produces L.A. Pride) shared with Billboard the full slate of performers set to take the stage at this year’s Pride in the Park, its annual Pride concert series. Along with Mimi and Meg, artists including Fletcher, King Princess, Drag Race alums Sasha Colby, Symone, Violet Chachki, Gigi Goode and Gottmik, Dorian Electra, VINCINT and G Flip are set to appear throughout the two-day festival.

Pride in the Park first announced Carey and Megan as their headliners for the festival back in March. In a statement, Mariah expressed her excitement at getting to “come together to celebrate love, inclusion, and Pride” with the community, while Megan said in her own statement that she was “honored to perform and have a blast with all of the Hotties in attendance.”

Earlier this week, the organization also announced its official marshals for the annual L.A. Pride Parade. Comedian and actor Margaret Cho will join the annual march as Icon Grand Marshal, while the late actor Leslie Jordan will be honored posthumously as the event’s Legacy Grand Marshal.

Check out the full lineup for both days of L.A.’s Pride in the Park below:

June 9 Artist Lineup

Main Stage:

  • Megan Thee Stallion
  • Fletcher
  • Symone
  • Gigi Goode
  • Dorian Electra
  • The Scarlet Opera
  • G Flip
  • Foudeqush
  • Saturn Risin9
  • The Iconic House of Miyake-Mugler + Friends

All Out Stage:

  • The Party By Ostbahnhof
  • Miki Ratsula
  • Jeffrey Eli
  • Codi Smith
  • Pain Behavior

June 10 Artist Lineup

Main Stage:

  • Mariah Carey
  • King Princess
  • Violet Chachki
  • Gottmik
  • Sasha Colby
  • JENEVIEVE
  • VINCINT
  • Alex Chapman
  • Mad Tsai
  • Minke
  • Ah Mer Ah Su
  • Bobby Newberry
  • The Iconic House of Ninja + Friends

All Out Stage:

  • A Club Called Rhonda
  • Emeryld
  • Neyva
  • Lyle Anthony
  • Chanel Joie
  • Soltera
  • The Mannequins

23 May 2023

Kim Petras Is Ready to ‘Feed the Beast’ With New Album Art & Tracklist Reveal

With a few hit songs and a headline-making Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover under her belt, Kim Petras is ready to make her next big move.

On Tuesday (May 23), Petras unveiled the album artwork and tracklist for her forthcoming debut album, Feed the Beast. In the new art, the “Coconuts” singer can be seen standing with damp hair and wearing nothing but a wrought-iron chain wrapped around her torso, as she covers herself with her well-manicured hands.

If you were getting damsel-in-distress vibes from the image alone, it seems that was intentional. On the back cover of the forthcoming album as shown on Petras’ Twitter account, the official tracklist is shown next to a picture of a glowing, crystalline sword leaning against an obsidian rock. Paired with the pop star’s use of a castle emoji in announcing the project’s art — as well as the fact that there’s a song called “Castle in the Sky” on the project — it would all seem to hint at a more fantastical setup for the album.

As for the tracklist, Petras’ recent set of collaborations with Sam Smith and Nicki Minaj — “Unholy” and “Alone,” respectively — both make appearances on the forthcoming project. The pop princess is also teaming up with alt-pop singer BANKS for an upcoming song titled “BAIT.”

Feed the Beast is out June 23 via Republic Records/Amigo Records. Check out the official album art and full tracklist for Feed the Beast below:

Kim Petras 'Feed The Beast'

Kim Petras ‘Feed The Beast’

Courtesy Photo

Feed the Beast tracklist:

  1. “Feed the Beast”
  2. “Alone” feat. Nicki Minaj
  3. “King of Hearts”
  4. “Thousand Pieces”
  5. “Uh Oh”
  6. “Revelations”
  7. “BAIT” feat. BANKS
  8. “Sex Talk”
  9. “Hit It From the Back”
  10. “Claws”
  11. “Minute”
  12. “Coconuts”
  13. “Castle In the Sky”
  14. “Brrr”
  15. “Unholy” with Sam Smith

22 May 2023

Janelle Monáe Speaks Out About Queer Representation: ‘I’m Not Obligated to Share My Story’

Janelle Monáe spoke out about bucking expectations of being a queer icon in a new cover story on Monday (May 22).

“I’m not obligated to share my story,” the proudly non-binary artist told Rolling Stone for the magazine’s June 2023 issue. “Nobody’s obligated. But I do think it’s powerful for me to talk and give a name to some of these things.”

Elsewhere in the interview, though, she cautioned against putting any musician or public figure on a pedestal. “You cannot project onto artists. You have to understand that experiences will be had and people will change and evolve and not be the person you look up to,” she said. “As much as you love and care about me, I’m on my own journey that has nothing to do with music, has nothing to do with art.”

Monáe is on the precipice of releasing her fourth album, The Age of Pleasure, which is due out June 9 via Atlantic Records. Pivoting from the futuristic narrative of her early releases such as 2010’s The ArchAndroid and 2013’s The Electric Lady, the forthcoming studio set is rooted in the sounds of the Black diaspora in the here and now.

“It was inspired by all of my friends, my community of folks who are from South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, the Caribbean, Atlanta, L.A., Chicago,” the singer said. “Seeing all of us together in our Blackness, in the love that we had in our eyes for each other. People from the continent f–k around with trap from Atlanta. You know what I’m saying? I love how the diaspora — we talk to each other.”

Check out Monáe’s Rolling Stone cover below.

22 May 2023

Lizzo Sends Love to Nebraska Fans After Anti-Trans & Anti-Abortion Bills Passed: ‘You Are Valid’

Just hours after the Nebraska senate voted to further restrict access to abortion and gender-affirming care for minors, pop superstar Lizzo had something to say about it.

Performing at Omaha’s Chi Health Center on Friday (May 19), Lizzo paused the show for a moment to talk about the news of the day, according to a fan-captured video of the moment. “There have been some anti-trans laws passed, some anti-abortion laws passed,” a visibly upset Lizzo told her crowd. “And anybody who comes to a Lizzo show should know that I am for people to have the right to healthcare, reproductive and gender-affirming.”

The bill, which is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Jim Pillen later this week, restricts access to abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, and bans gender-affirming surgical procedures for anyone under the age of 19. The bill also stipulates that the state’s chief medical officer will create “limitations” on other forms of gender-affirming care — including hormone therapy and puberty blockers — for minors.

During her speech, Lizzo made it clear that she felt a responsibility to speak out for those who were being directly affected by these bills. “There’s times where I get very political, and as adults, we feel it. But there’s children here tonight,” she said, fighting back tears. “It really breaks my heart that there are young people growing up in a world that doesn’t protect them.”

Shouting into her screaming crowd, Lizzo called out directly to her young fans. “Let me be your safe space tonight and just tell you young people, don’t let anybody tell you who you are. Don’t let any laws tell you who you’re not … You are who you are, OK?” she said. “I see you. You are valid, you deserve to be here in every form. You contain multitudes. These laws are not real — you are what’s real, and you deserve to be protected.”

Watch the full moment from Lizzo’s concert below:

22 May 2023

Tool’s Maynard James Keenan Dons Fake Breasts, Lipstick at Florida Festival in Defiance of Ron DeSantis Anti-Drag Bill

Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan is not afraid to make a bold statement on stage. And at the Welcome to Rockville Festival on Sunday night (May 21) in Daytona Beach, Florida, the singer who often dons elaborate costumes during his band’s sets slipped into something that seemed aimed at making Florida Gov. and likely Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis feel uncomfortable.

During Tool’s first show of 2023, Keenan took the stage in a blonde wig, smeared red lipstick and a body-hugging shirt that showed off his fake breasts. The outfit appeared to be a reaction to a controversial bill signed by DeSantis last week, one of which bars minors from attending drag shows, as well as measures that severely restrict discussion of personal pronouns in schools and ban gender-affirming care for minors.

As noted in Consequence — which posted a series of photos of Keenan — because Welcome to Rockville was an all-ages festival, the singer was, technically, in violation of the new law.

Keenan isn’t the first artist to mount a public protest against the latest bill from a conservative lawmaker looking to make headlines with legislation based on hot-button culture war issues. Husband-and-wife team Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick danced around the living room to Taylor Swift’s “Karma” last month while wearing shirts that read “drag is an art and drag is a right” over the image of a drag performer in protest against a Tennessee anti-drag law.

Reba McEntire has also spoken out against the Tennessee law, while Cyndi Lauper and the B-52s made statements in March against what the group called were bills that promote “transphobia and discrimination against transgender individuals and drag artists.”

Check out images of Keenan below.

16 May 2023

Maren Morris Dunks on ‘Recently Unemployed’ Tucker Carlson Again at 2023 GLAAD Media Awards

Maren Morris is not ready to make nice. The country star took another swipe at her ultra-conservative nemesis, Tucker Carlson, on Saturday night during the 2023 GLAAD Media Awards, where she drew loud cheers from the room packed with LGBTQ rights supporters while accepting the Excellence in Media Award.

“Maybe I felt a little badass taking Tucker Carlson’s calling me a lunatic for standing up to transphobia, turning it into a T-shirt and raising $150,000 for LGBTQ+ charities,” Morris said while accepting the award that recognizes allies who have “made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people” in their work. “That made me feel a little cool, but I don’t want to gloat. I would never insult the recently unemployed.”

According to The Huffington Post, the swipe at the former Fox News prime time host known for his xenophobic and homophobic rants inspired the crowd to erupt in applause. Carlson was unceremoniously fired, reportedly with little warning, last month in the wake of the conservative network’s $787 million loss in the Dominion Voting lawsuit.

“The crowds at my shows are a sea of diversity, from race, identity to age,” Morris added in her GLAAD acceptance speech. “It is a loving, safe space for my band, crew, venue staff and most notably, my fans. This community stood up for me and made me feel safe when I felt alone and I’ll never be able to repay them, but I hope I get to spend the rest of my life and career settling up.”

Morris’ ding of Carlson was a reference to the host dubbing her a “lunatic” and a “fake country music person” last year when “The Bones” singer was in the midst of a public spat with Jason Aldean’s wife, Brittany Aldean, after the latter posted comments deemed offensive to the transgender community. “I’d really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life,” Brittany Aldean wrote in a makeup video. Morris initially reacted to Carlson’s firing in late April by posting an Instagram Story in which she wrote “Happy Monday, MotherTucker.”

Morris decided to turn Carlson’s haterade into sweet tea last fall by selling t-shirts with Tucker’s “lunatic” insult that raised more than $150K for Trans Life and GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program. Morris wasn’t done after that, either, going on to join the loud chorus of stars denouncing Tennessee’s anti-drag legislation during a performance at March’s Love Rising benefit concert for LGBTQ causes in Nashville.

Check out a portion of Morris’ speech below.

15 May 2023

Hayley Kiyoko Says Her Role on ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ Was ‘Naturally Very Gay’

Hayley Kiyoko stopped by Wizards of Waverly Pod on Monday (May 15) to reminisce about her time on the Disney Channel sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place, her co-star Selena Gomez and more.

Speaking to co-hosts and fellow former Disney Channel actors Jennifer Stone and David DeLuise, the pop singer dubbed Lesbian Jesus recalled how the magical sitcom granted her one of her first jobs in Hollywood.

“Those who saw me as Stevie, I had my very specific haircut, so I had this very short pixie cut,” the pop star said. “And I remember that haircut was almost like a pigeonhole where I’d go on auditions and people would be like, ‘We just can’t see outside of this look.’ And I was just like, ‘Gosh, I’m just never gonna book anything being myself, looking like myself.’ And Wizards of Waverly Place was one of the first opportunities I had to be booked for what I looked like.”

Kiyoko was in the closet at the time, and she insists she never meant to inject Stevie’s relationship with Gomez’s Alex Russo with any type of romantic undertone — even though fans of the series later dubbed the pairing as “Stalex.”

“I was just, like, naturally very gay,” the singer joked. “I had no notion or thoughts that there was some kind of, like, undertone or underlying storyline that was going on. When I rewatch the episodes, I see that. The lesbian energy was really thriving at that moment.”

Nowadays, Kiyoko is out and proud and in a relationship with former Bachelor star Becca Tilley, who even joined her on the road recently for part of the singer’s ongoing Panorama Tour.

Watch Kiyoko’s full sit-down on Wizards of Waverly Pod below.

15 May 2023

Watch Randy Rainbow Give a ‘Hairspray’-Style Middle Finger to Ron DeSantis in New Parody Video

While tensions continue to flare between former president Donald Trump and embattled Florida governor Ron DeSantis, internet sensation Randy Rainbow is pulling out his popcorn to watch the chaos ensue.

On Monday (May 15), Rainbow unveiled his latest parody video, “Welcome to DeSantis,” taking jabs at the governor as the politician prepares to announce his long-awaited 2024 presidential run. Kicking things off with a classic Randy Rainbow fake interview, the comedian points to the controversial policies DeSantis has passed into law before sarcastically saying that he would make a great president.

“Who needs cultural advancement, diversity, compassion, or Trixie Mattel?” Rainbow mockingly quips. “This country is in a slow-burning UberX headed right back to the dark ages, and baby, you’re just the heartless, autocratic wannabe to drive us there!”

As is custom, Rainbow launches directly into song with a hilarious re-invention of “Welcome to the 60’s” from the 2002 musical Hairspray, but this time with DeSantis’ all-but-announced presidential run in his sights. Addressed jeeringly to former Trump voters (referred to simply as “MAGA” throughout the video), the song derides DeSantis’ policies and teases what a potential presidency from the governor would look like.

“Welcome to the bigoted old-timey days/ Where we ban all the books, and we hate all the gays,” Rainbow croons on the song’s bridge. Later, he piles on even more, singing that voters ought to “Hide your wife and children when DeSantis runs/ ‘Cause our lives are secondary to their godd–n guns.”

Putting a button on his top-tier parody, Rainbow takes a final swipe at DeSantis as his polling numbers continue to plummet. “Put an end to those pesky old human rights,” Rainbow says with a caustic smile. “‘Cause we know that he’ll fight for our nation/ ‘Til at last it’s safe for wealthy Christian whites — ugh, finally!”

This marks the second time that Rainbow has taken aim specifically at DeSantis through his videos. Back in April 2022, Rainbow dedicated his parody video “GAY!” entirely to Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

Check out Rainbow’s full video for “Welcome to DeSantis” below:

15 May 2023

Kim Petras Announces New Album & Models for ‘Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’ Cover

Woo-ah, indeed! Kim Petras shared two major bits of news on Monday (May 15): Her major-label debut is finally on its way and she’s on the cover of the 2023 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

Titled Feed the Beast, the German pop princess revealed the album’s release date and what looks like the cover art on social media, writing, “The story begins on June 23rd. Feed The Beast” and offering a link for fans to pre-save the album on streaming platforms. The accompanying artwork is missing Petras altogether, though, opting instead to show a fantastical sword propped up against a giant obsidian rock against a midnight blue sky.

So far, Feed the Beast is expected to contain Petras’ previously released singles “If Jesus Was a Rockstar,” “Brr” and “Alone” featuring Nicki Minaj.

The singer’s loyal army of Bunheads were ecstatic over the announcement, with one writing, “CMON DEBUT!” in the comments, and another joking, “Kim don’t turn around the beast is behind you.”

Meanwhile, for this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, the trans Grammy winner joins Martha Stewart, Megan Fox and model Brooks Nader as one of four cover models, wearing an iridescent gold bikini top designed by Natalia Fedner.

To celebrate her groundbreaking cover, the recent Billboard Women in Music Chartbreaker honoree — who’s also on the May/June cover of Out — is set to perform a special concert presented by Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Friday (May 19) at Hollywood, Fla.’s Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood.

Later this summer, Petras will mark the release of Feed the Beast with another high-profile show — this one as part of Today‘s 2023 Citi Summer Concert Series on the day of the album release.

Check out Petras’ announcement of Feed the Beast below and get a look at her stunning SI Swimsuit cover here.