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Tag: beyonce

  • Beyoncé Officially Endorses Kamala Harris at Houston Hometown Rally: “It’s Time to Sing a New Song!”

    Beyoncé Officially Endorses Kamala Harris at Houston Hometown Rally: “It’s Time to Sing a New Song!”

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    “It’s time to sing a new song, a song that began 248 years ago,” she continued later. “The old notes—of downfall, discord, despair—no longer resonate. Our generations of loved ones before us are whispering a prophecy, a quest, a calling, an anthem. Our moment right now—it’s time for America to sing a new song. Our voices sing a chorus of unity. They sing a song of dignity and opportunity.”

    As usual, Harris entered the stage to the sound of Beyoncé’s “Freedom.” This time, she was greeted by Queen Bey herself along with her blaring song. Harris hugged Rowland and then Beyoncé, then took the podium to stump in a state with some of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws.

    Until Friday, Beyoncé herself had kept mum on her choice of candidate. Rumors of a performance by Queen Bey on the final night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention back in August turned out to be greatly exaggerated, but, months later, in the final days before voters head to the polls, it came to fruition in Bey’s hometown.

    The singer endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket back in the 2020 election, and in 2016, headlined a performance with her husband, Jay-Z, in support of Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid. Audiences have long waited for Beyoncé to speak out officially, though she’s signaled her support in other ways.

    According to Billboard, the singer’s label sent a cease and desist letter to Donald Trump’s campaign earlier in the election cycle, telling the Republican candidate to remove a video using “Freedom.”

    The singer’s endorsement is more than just symbolic—her stamp of approval could actually sway voters. A recent poll conducted by Newsweek found that some 40% of surveyed Gen Z voters said that they were “more likely” or “significantly more likely” to vote for a candidate who had earned Beyoncé’s endorsement.

    Bey joins other powerhouse musical acts such as Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Bruce Springsteen, and more by voicing her support for Harris.

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    Kase Wickman

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  • Beyoncé to appear at Harris rally Friday night in Houston

    Beyoncé to appear at Harris rally Friday night in Houston

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    Harris courts moderate voters


    Harris courts moderate and independent voters at town hall

    02:48

    “Who runs the world? Girls” — at least, according to pop star Beyoncé, who will appear Friday night in Houston at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris as she seeks to become the first female commander-in-chief, a source familiar told CBS News.

    The Harris campaign hopes Beyoncé’s persuasion can build a nation, or at least, get out the vote, with less than two weeks to go before polls close. The “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer’s performance in her hometown of Houston comes as the Harris campaign is trying to rally support around Democratic Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas in his race against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, and highlight Texas’ strict abortion laws. 

    A number of Texas-based stars are expected at Friday’s rally, including country singer Wilie Nelson and Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles. 

    Beyoncé’s song “Freedom,” released in 2016, is Harris’ campaign theme song and walkup song, as Democrats try to pitch themselves as the freedom party, given the overturning of Roe, red states’ abortion restrictions, and Trump’s governing style that his former White House chief of staff described as “authoritarian.”

    Harris has won the support of other big-name stars, including Taylor Swift, Lizzo and Charlie XCX.

    Fin Gómez


    fin-gomez.jpg

    Fin Gómez is the political director for CBS News. Fin oversees the day-to-day political coverage for CBS News. He has covered five presidential political cycles and multiple presidential campaigns. He was formerly a member of the CBS White House unit.

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  • Beyoncé’s dad shares fresh health update following cancer battle

    Beyoncé’s dad shares fresh health update following cancer battle

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    Beyoncé‘s father Matthew Knowles took a trip to Canada this week to appear on The Social, where he opened up about everything from forming Destiny’s Child to his breast cancer battle in 2019.

    The businessman has been an incredible advocate for raising awareness of male breast cancer, and told the hosts about his “tough year” back in 2019.

    “It was a tough year back in 2019, my wife Gena’s had just died, literally months before with breast cancer, and I was diagnosed…”

    You may also likeGet to know Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s family

    Matthew had spent 20 years selling medical imaging equipment, including mammography machines, and so when he saw discharge, he knew something wasn’t right. He went to get a mammogram and was diagnosed with breast cancer. 

    Luckily, Matthew caught the cancer early at stage 1, and is now in a good place. 

    © Instagram
    Beyoncé’s dad Matthew Knowles appeared on The Social to talk about breast cancer awareness

    He raised the importance of getting genetic testing and early detection during the interview, telling the hosts that he had a genetic test, which revealed he had the BRCA2 gene mutation, which means there is higher risk for developing pancreatic, melanoma and prostate cancers. 

    This has resulted in Matthew’s lifestyle change over the past few years. “I had lifestyle change, lost weight, exercise, had two knee replacements…” he said. 

    Matthew Knowles with daughter Beyoncé and ex Tina Knowles © Jim Smeal
    Matthew Knowles with daughter Beyoncé and ex Tina Knowles

    When asked how his health was now, he replied: “My health is really good, not just physically as there’s an emotional part that comes with any disease.” He then gave a shout out to his wife Gena, who was sitting in the audience. 

    Matthew shared a photo backstage on The Social after the interview, and shared it on his Instagram page.He wrote: “A great day with Canadian media – I stopped by The Social (Canada’s version of The View) as well as CTV eTalk.

    Matthew reflected on his health in a recent Instagram post
    Matthew reflected on his health in a recent Instagram post

    “We spoke about many topics, including my work in male breast cancer. This month is Breast Cancer Awareness month and a reminder to us all to prioritize our health and wellness.

    “Canada, thank you for having me. I have enjoyed meeting such a diverse group of wonderful people.”

    Matthew often shares posts about breast cancer awareness and attends fundraising events to help raise funds to further fund research for finding early prevention and to help with treatment.

    Matthew with Destiny's Child, including daughter Beyoncé
    Matthew with Destiny’s Child, including daughter Beyoncé

    Back in July, he reflected on his health in a poignant Instagram post which read: “Today, I want to begin by expressing my gratitude, a word that has become a frequent part of my vocabulary. Here in Houston, we managed to endure Hurricane Beryl just like numerous others. 

    “Yesterday was particularly meaningful for me. Being a survivor of male breast cancer, I underwent my 5-year mammogram which returned negative results, and for this, I am incredibly thankful. I urge all of you to prioritize your health and well-being. It is crucial to recognize the significance of genetic testing and early detection.”

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    Hanna Fillingham

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  • Beyonce Fans Call Out the ‘Bloodthirsty Need’ for Her to Be Dragged into Diddy’s Sex Trafficking Case

    Beyonce Fans Call Out the ‘Bloodthirsty Need’ for Her to Be Dragged into Diddy’s Sex Trafficking Case

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    Diddy and Beyonce have never collaborated. Sure, they’ve been at the same parties, and know a few of the same people—that’s what happens in Hollywood—but with his sex trafficking investigation intensifying, some corners of the internet are circulating conspiracy theories—and the Beyhive is not having it.

    Related: Inside Diddy’s ‘Freak-Off’ Sessions That Included 1,000 Bottles of Baby Oil & Lube

    “I have seen countless post on Reddit IG and of course YouTube of people trying to connect Jay z and Beyonce to Diddy and I find it disturbing how people wantt something bad to happen to her [sic],” wrote one post to Reddit. “I read Diddy indictment and lawsuits and Beyonce and Jay z name are no where on any legal paper work. Hell usher neyo and Mary j bridge names are on stuff but no one foaming at the mouth they want them arrested. [sic]”

    If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

    What happened with Beyonce and Diddy?

    Officially, nothing, but that’s not to say something could. It’s possible that people who have a friendship with Diddy, or anyone who has attended one of his parties, might be subpoenaed and asked to testify against him if his case goes to trial. Beyonce’s husband, Jay-Z, and Diddy have known each other since the ’90s.

    Sean Combs and Jay-Z attend 2020 Roc Nation THE BRUNCH on January 25, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

    “Jay-Z and other celebrities can be subpoenaed, but they will almost certainly assert their Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and refuse to testify,” former prosecutor Neama Rahmani explained to The US Sun. “People who participated in the sex acts should especially be afraid because they can also be charged with sex trafficking or prostitution, depending on whether they used threats or force against the victims.”

    He continued,  “If Jay-Z is just a witness who didn’t participate in the sex acts, he may be subpoenaed to testify at trial. But I don’t think he will be subpoenaed if he was a participant. He’ll either be charged or not called to testify. If you’re a prosecutor, you don’t want witnesses who participated in criminal activity but are getting a pass.”

    It’s important to note that Beyonce and Jay-Z have not been named in the 14-page indictment against Diddy, the one that detailed his “freak-off” parties that involved 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lube, not to mention the sexual abuse that took place.

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    Sophie Hanson

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  • I Miss The Old VMA’s

    I Miss The Old VMA’s

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    MTV’s Video Music Awards used to
    mean something. They’d be riddled with scandal, big performances, and newsworthy moments throughout. Last year, they even gave me a glimmer of hope that maybe the VMA’s would once again become iconic. Last night, they proved otherwise.

    Riddled with random performances, there were hardly any awards handed out on-stage last night. We only got a few words from Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Taylor Swift while the rest were quietly awarded off-camera. Lip-syncing left and right, an extra-long performance from Katy Perry, who was the recipient of the Vanguard Award, and random quips from host Megan Thee Stallion fell flat.

    @thesun What did you think of the performance? #sabrinacarpenter #vmas #mtv ♬ original sound – The Sun

    The VMA’s used to mean something. There once was drama, huge career-defining performances, and huge attendance from every artist in the industry. It was less formal than The Grammy’s, a little more MTV…raunchy, scandalous, and
    great television.

    @only_angel.a taylor mouthing “stfu” when one direction was accepting their award, harry eating an orange behind rihanna, miley’s whole performance (which harry later went on to dress as for halloween)… I remember it all too well #taylorswift #harrystyles #vmas #harrystylestitkok #taylorswifttikok ♬ I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift

    What happened to Taylor Swift doing a British accent in front of ex-boyfriend Harry Styles while singing “We Are Never (Ever) Getting Back Together?” Or Kanye West interrupting Swift as she accepted the award for Best Video? Or Miley Cyrus twerking with teddy bears and Robin Thicke?

    @tanaslaughter Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 VMAs #kanyewest #taylorswift #popculture #2000s ♬ som original – tana

    Performances used to take our breath away: Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi” changed lives, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, and more have had massive moments at the VMA’s. This year, we saw terrific performances from the aforementioned Carpenter and Roan…but the rest I will soon forget.

    @lilly.hailey.lee Talent👏👏 #ladygaga #hollywood #vmas #preformance #talent #fame #thefame #american #fyp #viral #paparazzi #2000s #hollywoodmusic #music ♬ original sound – Lady Gaga is your queen

    What we wanted, however, was a jaw-dropping moment. And yes, I saw Sabrina Carpenter make out with the alien. I’m talking about a headline worthy moment, like Miley stripping her Disney princess status for edgy popstar or Kanye completely stealing Taylor’s moment.

    Either way, I’m left yearning for drama. The VMA’s were never supposed to be taken seriously- they were meant to show which celebs hated each other, which wanted to ruin their careers, and which were just bystanders.

    This year was an hours-long concert medley including the Sabrina-Shawn Mendes-Camila Cabello love triangle…and yet, the cameramen gave us no dramatic cuts to Shawn or Camila while Sabrina sang a song about them. See what I mean? Where’s the
    drama???

    What made the VMA’s truly great was the fact that they weren’t trying to be serious. They let the artists get drunk and talk shit on one another, and that was okay. Now, we’ve lost the plot and it sadly shows.

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    Jai Phillips

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  • Beyoncé Shares Parenting Insights: ‘Prayer and Patience’ Essential – 247 News Around The World

    Beyoncé Shares Parenting Insights: ‘Prayer and Patience’ Essential – 247 News Around The World

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    • Beyoncé Shares Parenting Insights, highlighting that raising three children is challenging but fulfilling, requiring “prayer and patience.”
    • She emphasizes the individuality of her children as they grow, each developing unique needs and interests.
    • Family is a priority for Beyoncé, who structures her work around her children’s schedules.
    • The artist is committed to protecting her family’s privacy, ensuring that their lives remain separate from her public persona.

    Beyoncé recently shared her insights on parenting in a candid interview with GQ, revealing the challenges and joys of raising her three children: Blue Ivy, Rumi, and Sir. As one of the most recognized figures in the music industry, she emphasizes the importance of balancing her high-profile career with family life, highlighting the need for “prayer and patience” in her parenting journey.

    Beyoncé acknowledges that raising three children is no small feat. She describes the process as both “grounding and fulfilling,” yet admits that it is not easy. As her children grow, they develop unique personalities, needs, and social lives, making the parenting experience increasingly complex.

    Beyoncé Shares Parenting Insights: ‘Prayer and Patience’ Essential | Image Source: kalimpongcollege

    The artist reflects on how parenting constantly teaches her about herself, underscoring the transformative nature of motherhood. She states, “The older they get, the more they become their own individuals with unique needs, hobbies, and social lives”.

    Central to Beyoncé’s approach to motherhood is the belief that it requires significant “prayer and patience.” This perspective highlights her understanding that parenting is an evolving journey filled with both challenges and rewards. She expresses her love for the experience, noting that it provides a sense of grounding in her life. The acknowledgment of the spiritual and emotional components of parenting illustrates her commitment to nurturing her children while navigating the complexities of fame and work.

    Despite her busy schedule, Beyoncé prioritizes her family above all else. She states,

    “I build my work schedule around my family,”

    indicating a deliberate effort to ensure that her career does not overshadow her role as a mother. By planning her tours around her children’s school schedules, she creates opportunities for shared experiences, exposing them to different cultures and lifestyles. This commitment to family time reflects her desire to maintain a sense of normalcy amidst the chaos of celebrity life.

    Beyoncé is acutely aware of the challenges that come with fame, particularly regarding her children’s privacy. She emphasizes the importance of keeping her personal life separate from her public persona, stating,

    “I have made an extreme effort to stay true to my boundaries and protect myself and my family.”

    This proactive approach aims to provide her children with as much normalcy as possible, shielding them from the intense scrutiny that often accompanies celebrity status.

    Also Read: Selena Gomez Surprises High Schoolers at Volleyball Game Event

    Last Updated on September 12, 2024 by 247 News Around The World

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    247 News Around The World

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  • Snubbed? Of Course, Beyoncé Didn’t Get Any CMA Nominations

    Snubbed? Of Course, Beyoncé Didn’t Get Any CMA Nominations

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    When the nominations for the 2024 Country Music Awards were released, everyone was expected to see one name: Beyoncé. The pop megastar released her Country album Cowboy Carter on March 29th of this year. The album is a meditation on the meaning of Country music and a comprehensive study of the genre that takes Beyoncé back to her Texas roots.

    Yet, despite Cowboy Carter being one of the best albums of the year, it received a grand total of 0 nominations.

    Fans were outraged, saying Beyoncé had been “snubbed.” But this was no oversight. It was a clear message to Beyoncé saying: you are not welcome here. It’s the same message she received for that famed performance with The Chicks (more on that later), and the same message that spurred her to write the album.

    But the album is not some meek request for acceptance. It’s a defiant assertion that the gatekeepers of the Country music industry can’t bar her from the genre. So, of course, the Academy of Country Music didn’t like it. It was a diss track about them. Nominating her would be like Drake cheering for Kenrick Lamar at the 2025 Super Bowl. So, the CMA’s shutout isn’t surprising, but the deeper questions it provokes are intriguing.

    Why didn’t Beyoncé get nominated for the CMA awards?

    Simply put, the 2024 CMA Awards were never going to nominate an album that so blatantly calls them out. And it’s not just the Academy that shut out Cowboy Carter. Despite the commercial and critical success of the album literally everywhere else, Country music radio pretty much refused to play it.

    They were the only ones. Cowboy Carter spent four weeks on top of Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart — a historic achievement that marked her as the first Black woman to accomplish that. The album’s lead single “Texas Hold ‘Em,” which she surprised us with after the 2024 Super Bowl, was also a record-setter. It made her the first Black woman to hit the top spot on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart ever — where she stayed for 10 whole weeks. The single and album also dominated the all-genre Billboard chart, with 7 other songs on the 28-track album landing on the Country charts.

    Yet, many Country radio stations refused to play it. To me, that’s a sign that Beyoncé is on the right side of history (as if we needed proof) — Country music radio stations refused to play The Chicks, too, but look at them now.

    So, when it came down to voting for the CMAs, the jury was out. The process works like this: The CMAs nominations and subsequent wins are voted on by members of the Country Music Association. This committee includes artists, executives, songwriters, musicians, publicists, touring personnel, and assorted members of the Country music mafia. To qualify, the work must have been first released or reached peak national prominence during the eligibility period (July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024).

    Beyoncé qualified to be nominated for categories like: Single of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, and Music Event of the Year. It was clear that she deserved to win all of these categories, but would she? Would she even be nominated, we asked? The main contention was whether or not she would nab a nomination for Entertainer of the Year. This is the CMAs biggest award and is typically awarded to Country acts who have held a strong presence in the genre for years. But with this blazing album and the Country tinges of songs like “Daddy Lessons,” which landed her that fateful spot with The Chicks in 2016, Beyoncé was in the running for a nod at the very least.

    Would the Country Music Association side with the critics and the culture? Or with … racism.

    Unsurprisingly, they chose to continue the tradition of excluding Black women from the halls of Country music. In the words of social media realtor and cultural critic Blakely Thornton, “Duh.”

    “No numerical achievement could make these people want us in a room,” said Thornton in a recent video reacting to the news. “And quite frankly, f**k ‘em, because I don’t want to be there.”

    Beyoncé has been there and done that — singing at the CMAs was what traumatized her enough to write this album in the first place. But Cowboy Carter is not merely a protracted diss about the CMAs and the genre’s current gatekeepers. It’s about something the Country Music Academy probably wants to pretend doesn’t exist: institutionalized racism and a Black woman’s lived experience.

    What is Cowboy Carter about?

    Cowboy Carter is Beyoncé’s pettiest project yet. The first track is a masterclass in storytelling, a compelling abstract for the album that is to come. In “American Requiem,” Beyoncé begins with the lyrics: “It’s a lot of talkin’ goin’ on / While I sing my song.” This direct address makes it clear who and what the album is criticizing. Here’s the context.

    In 2016, Beyoncé shocked the crowd at the CMAs by singing “Daddy Lessons” from her acclaimed surprise album Lemonade. Alongside The Chicks, she graced the CMA Awards stage and was met with utter disrespect. While most of us would do pretty much anything to snag a Beyoncé ticket — people liquidated their 401ks to go to Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour — this crowd was downright rude, talking through her performance.

    But the backlash didn’t end there. Country music fans were in uproar for weeks after the event and to this day, the performance is scrubbed from the CMA website. Some people even threatened to boycott Beyoncé, which she mocked by making “Boycott Beyoncé” tee shirts for her fans.

    But clearly, our Virgo queen had much more to say. And she’s saying it through this album.

    When she announced Cowboy Carter in March, she said: “This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive.”

    With meditations on what the genre is or means and a deep exploration of the rich roots of Country music, the album was a hit for Country and non-Country fans alike, except for the CMA.

    That’s because its definition of Country music is tied up in the politics of race and Black womanhood. We live in an era where half the states streaming Morgan Wallen are trying to ban Black history, and some of the Country musicians being honored in Beyoncé’s place have been documented using racial slurs. Of course, Beyoncé’s deep dive into race theory didn’t resonate with them.

    The New York Times called Cowboy Carter a “Rosetta Stone for the hidden racial politics in Country’s aw-shucks exclusion that the C.M.A. performance put on display.”

    But despite its deeper concerns, Cowboy Carter does what all Beyoncé albums since Lemonade have mastered: blend the personal and historical into something infectiously fun to listen to. Cowboy Carter makes me want to learn line dancing. It makes me want to pull a Bella Hadid, wear a Cowboy hat and move to Texas. It’s also bursting with features from Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Linda Martell, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Shaboozey, and more, and interpolations of classics like The Beatles’ “Blackbird” and Parton’s “Jolene.”

    It’s a smart album, a heart-stirring album, a dance-ready album, and arguably the best damn Country album of all time. The CMAs were never going to get that. And at this point, I don’t think the Grammys will recognize it either. But the culture does. And that’s what matters.

    Who got nominated for the CMAs?

    If Beyoncé didn’t snag a CMA nomination, who did?

    Unsurprisingly, a whole lot of white men. The most nominated artist was Morgan Wallen, with the white boy song of the summer: “I Had Some Help,” featuring Post Malone. Wallen racked up 7 nominations overall, closely followed by Chris Stapleton and Cody Johnson, who each earned 5 nods, while Malone and last year’s Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson picked up 4 apiece.

    The question of who will be Entertainer of the Year is still at the top of people’s minds. Four of five nominees went up for the title last year: returning champion Wilson, plus Combs (who won in 2021 and 2022), Stapleton (who’s been nominated seven times but never won), and Wallen. The dark horse is Jelly Roll, the newcomer on the block who’s had an explosive year.

    While Post Malone’s song with Wallen, “I Had Some Help,” is the most-nominated song, his debut Country album, “F-1 Trillion,” was released too late to qualify for this year’s awards. However, despite being a rap artist first, Malone has been embraced by the Country community far more than mainstream radio. I wonder why…

    There’s one beacon of light: the undeniable talent of Shaboozey. Beyoncé collaborator Shaboozey — who got a major boost in streaming numbers after appearing on two Cowboy Carter tracks — scored his first-ever CMA nominations. He’s having an amazing year. Nominated for best new artist and single of the year for “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which has been at the top of the Hot 100 chart for 9 weeks and the top of the Country chart for 13 weeks. And he’s Dolly Parton’s godson — some people have it all.

    Since Beyoncé wasn’t nominated, I can only hope Shaboozey brings her out to sing during his performance at the CMAs. But either way, in the words of Issa Rae, I’m rooting for everybody Black.

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    LKC

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  • Can Beyoncé, Celine Dion and Foo Fighters stop Trump from using their music? It’s complicated

    Can Beyoncé, Celine Dion and Foo Fighters stop Trump from using their music? It’s complicated

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    (CNN) — The day after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Kamala Harris to become the Democratic presidential nominee, CNN reported that Beyoncé had given her sign-off for the Vice President to use “Freedom” as her official campaign song. So, it was a seemingly antagonistic choice when the Republican nominee’s campaign played the same Beyoncé song as the backdrop of a recent social media video to showcase former President Donald Trump.

    From Celine Dion and Foo Fighters to Bruce Springsteen and Prince’s estate numerous artists over the years have objected to the use of their music by the Trump campaign. But depending on how and where their music is used, musicians may have grounds to take action beyond rebuking, according to legal experts.

    In Beyoncé’s case, it wasn’t just a social media post. The Trump campaign has also used her music during at least one rally this summer, even though Beyoncé endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020 and is a longtime Democratic supporter.

    Her song “Texas Hold ‘Em” from the album “Cowboy Carter” was played at a Trump event on July 31 at the New Holland Arena in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, according to a video of the rally viewed by CNN.

    Beyoncé’s representatives did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment. But last week, Rolling Stone reported her label threatened to send a cease-and-desist to the Trump campaign after they had used “Freedom” in the social media video, which was posted by Trump’s campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung.

    Shortly after Beyoncé’s team reportedly threatened legal action, the video was taken down.

    In a statement to CNN, Cheung said he used “Freedom” to provoke the opposing party.

    “The purpose of the post just proved the point that Democrats are all about banning things, including freedom. They fell for it hook, line, and sinker,” Cheung said.

    Isaac Hayes performs on the Open Air stage during the third day of the Big Chill music festival at Eastnor Castle Deer Park in the Malvern Hills on August 5, 2007 in Herefordshire, England.  (Jim Dyson/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

    Music licensing and approval

    Licensing music and obtaining rights and clearances is an expensive, complicated and litigious business. Movie studios regularly pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to obtain the rights to a single song, while brands can pay millions to repeat a tune in commercials to help sell a product.

    Political campaigns are no exception.

    “A license is required for any use of music whether in a venue, convention, online via YouTube or social media platform,” attorney Heidy Vaquerano, a Los Angeles-based partner at the law firm Fox Rothschild who specializes in music, told CNN.

    Even if a license is obtained, artists may still be able to object to the use of their music by political campaigns.

    Just days ago, Foo Fighters said they did not authorize the Trump campaign to use their song “My Hero,” which was played at a rally in Arizona where Trump was joined by Robert Kennedy Jr., shortly after he endorsed the former president. A representative for Foo Fighters told CNN the band was not asked permission by the Trump campaign, and said any royalties received “as a result of this use will be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.”

    Trump’s spokesperson, Cheung, told CNN, “We have a license to play the song.”

    But the band’s representative reiterated, “Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were they would not have granted it.”

    There are some legal protections for artists around the use of their name, image or likeness. Even with a public performance license to play a song at a rally, the Trump campaign could be in violation of an artist’s publicity rights or a “false endorsement, where use of an artist’s work implies [an] artist supports the candidate,” Vaquerano said.

    In order for a political campaign to use an artist’s song on social media, the campaign would have to reach out to songwriters, the publisher and the artist’s label for approval, she added.

    When Trump ran in 2016 and 2020, Rihanna, Phil Collins, Neil Young, Pharrell, Rolling Stones, Adele, Guns N’ Roses and the estate of the Beatles all spoke out about Trump using their music. That pattern has continued this election cycle.

    Earlier this month, Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” was played at a Trump rally in Bozeman, Montana, along with a video of the star singing on the big screen. After videos surfaced on social media, the singer’s team spoke out.

    “In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use…And really, THAT song?” her team posted on X.

    The estate of Isaac Hayes took things a step further, filing a copyright infringement suit against Trump for using the soul artist’s songs at rallies, also naming the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee and the National Rifle Association among the defendants.

    In the complaint, Hayes’ estate said Trump began using Hayes’ material as “outro” music at campaign events in 2020 and have continued to use his music in 2024, as seen in one of Trump’s recent posts on Truth Social in which Hayes’ song “Hold On, I’m Comin’” can be heard playing at a rally.

    According to court documents obtained by CNN, attorneys for the estate claim that the campaign has not “obtained a valid public performance license,” and are asking for “compensatory damages for the unauthorized use” of Hayes’ music. Hayes’ estate was granted an emergency hearing on the matter in federal court on September 3.

    “See you in court,” Hayes’ son posted on X.

    Trump has not publicly commented on the matter.

    Vaquerano believes that the Hayes estate has a viable case.

    “If the campaign did not obtain the necessary licenses,” the attorney said, “then each use of the music constitutes a new infringing use and the respective copyright owners would be entitled to statutory damages and actual damages for loss of sales, licensing, revenue or other provable financial loss caused by the use of the music in the Trump campaign.”

    Trump is known to be selective about music. Sources with first-hand knowledge told CNN that Trump chooses some of his rally songs himself. At his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, he’ll pick out the patio playlist on an iPad set up for guests at his dinners, according to these sources.

    Back on the stump, Trump may be well-served to stick with music by artists who have endorsed him, like Kid Rock.

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    CNN

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  • Can Beyoncé, Celine Dion and Foo Fighters stop Trump from using their music? It’s complicated

    Can Beyoncé, Celine Dion and Foo Fighters stop Trump from using their music? It’s complicated

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    The day after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Kamala Harris to become the Democratic presidential nominee, CNN reported that Beyoncé had given her sign-off for the Vice President to use “Freedom” as her official campaign song. So, it was a seemingly antagonistic choice when the Republican nominee’s campaign played the same Beyoncé song as the backdrop of a recent social media video to showcase former President Donald Trump.From Celine Dion and Foo Fighters to Bruce Springsteen and Prince’s estate numerous artists over the years have objected to the use of their music by the Trump campaign. But depending on how and where their music is used, musicians may have grounds to take action beyond rebuking, according to legal experts.In Beyoncé’s case, it wasn’t just a social media post. The Trump campaign has also used her music during at least one rally this summer, even though Beyoncé endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020 and is a longtime Democratic supporter.Her song “Texas Hold ‘Em” from the album “Cowboy Carter” was played at a Trump event on July 31 at the New Holland Arena in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, according to a video of the rally viewed by CNN.Beyoncé’s representatives did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment. But last week, Rolling Stone reported her label threatened to send a cease-and-desist to the Trump campaign after they had used “Freedom” in the social media video, which was posted by Trump’s campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung.Shortly after Beyoncé’s team reportedly threatened legal action, the video was taken down.In a statement to CNN, Cheung said he used “Freedom” to provoke the opposing party.”The purpose of the post just proved the point that Democrats are all about banning things, including freedom. They fell for it hook, line, and sinker,” Cheung said.Music licensing and approvalLicensing music and obtaining rights and clearances is an expensive, complicated and litigious business. Movie studios regularly pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to obtain the rights to a single song, while brands can pay millions to repeat a tune in commercials to help sell a product.Political campaigns are no exception.”A license is required for any use of music whether in a venue, convention, online via YouTube or social media platform,” attorney Heidy Vaquerano, a Los Angeles-based partner at the law firm Fox Rothschild who specializes in music, told CNN.Even if a license is obtained, artists may still be able to object to the use of their music by political campaigns.Just days ago, Foo Fighters said they did not authorize the Trump campaign to use their song “My Hero,” which was played at a rally in Arizona where Trump was joined by Robert Kennedy Jr., shortly after he endorsed the former president. A representative for Foo Fighters told CNN the band was not asked permission by the Trump campaign, and said any royalties received “as a result of this use will be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.”Trump’s spokesperson, Cheung, told CNN, “We have a license to play the song.”But the band’s representative reiterated, “Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were they would not have granted it.”There are some legal protections for artists around the use of their name, image or likeness. Even with a public performance license to play a song at a rally, the Trump campaign could be in violation of an artist’s publicity rights or a “false endorsement, where use of an artist’s work implies artist supports the candidate,” Vacquerano said.In order for a political campaign to use an artist’s song on social media, the campaign would have to reach out to songwriters, the publisher and the artist’s label for approval, she added.When Trump ran in 2016 and 2020, Rihanna, Phil Collins, Neil Young, Pharrell, Rolling Stones, Adele, Guns N’ Roses and the estate of the Beatles all spoke out about Trump using their music. That pattern has continued this election cycle.Earlier this month, Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” was played at a Trump rally in Bozeman, Montana, along with a video of the star singing on the big screen. After videos surfaced on social media, the singer’s team spoke out.”In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use…And really, THAT song?” her team posted on X.The estate of Isaac Hayes took things a step further, filing a copyright infringement suit against Trump for using the soul artist’s songs at rallies, also naming the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee and the National Rifle Association among the defendants.In the complaint, Hayes’ estate said Trump began using Hayes’ material as “outro” music at campaign events in 2020 and have continued to use his music in 2024, as seen in one of Trump’s recent posts on Truth Social in which Hayes’ song “Hold On, I’m Comin’” can be heard playing at a rally.According to court documents obtained by CNN, attorneys for the estate claim that the campaign has not “obtained a valid public performance license,” and are asking for “compensatory damages for the unauthorized use” of Hayes’ music. Hayes’ estate was granted an emergency hearing on the matter in federal court on September 3.”See you in court,” Hayes’ son posted on X.Trump has not publicly commented on the matter.Vaquerano believes that the Hayes estate has a viable case.”If the campaign did not obtain the necessary licenses,” the attorney said, “Then each use of the music constitutes a new infringing use and the respective copyright owners would be entitled to statutory damages and actual damages for loss of sales, licensing, revenue or other provable financial loss caused by the use of the music in the Trump campaign.”Trump is known to be selective about music. Sources with first-hand knowledge told CNN that Trump chooses some of his rally songs himself. At his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, he’ll pick out the patio playlist on an iPad set up for guests at his dinners, according to these sources.Back on the stump, Trump may be well-served to stick with music by artists who have endorsed him, like Kid Rock.CNN’s Kristen Holmes contributed to this report.

    CNN —

    The day after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Kamala Harris to become the Democratic presidential nominee, CNN reported that Beyoncé had given her sign-off for the Vice President to use “Freedom” as her official campaign song. So, it was a seemingly antagonistic choice when the Republican nominee’s campaign played the same Beyoncé song as the backdrop of a recent social media video to showcase former President Donald Trump.

    From Celine Dion and Foo Fighters to Bruce Springsteen and Prince’s estate numerous artists over the years have objected to the use of their music by the Trump campaign. But depending on how and where their music is used, musicians may have grounds to take action beyond rebuking, according to legal experts.

    In Beyoncé’s case, it wasn’t just a social media post. The Trump campaign has also used her music during at least one rally this summer, even though Beyoncé endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020 and is a longtime Democratic supporter.

    Her song “Texas Hold ‘Em” from the album “Cowboy Carter” was played at a Trump event on July 31 at the New Holland Arena in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, according to a video of the rally viewed by CNN.

    Beyoncé’s representatives did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment. But last week, Rolling Stone reported her label threatened to send a cease-and-desist to the Trump campaign after they had used “Freedom” in the social media video, which was posted by Trump’s campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung.

    Shortly after Beyoncé’s team reportedly threatened legal action, the video was taken down.

    In a statement to CNN, Cheung said he used “Freedom” to provoke the opposing party.

    “The purpose of the post just proved the point that Democrats are all about banning things, including freedom. They fell for it hook, line, and sinker,” Cheung said.

    Music licensing and approval

    Licensing music and obtaining rights and clearances is an expensive, complicated and litigious business. Movie studios regularly pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to obtain the rights to a single song, while brands can pay millions to repeat a tune in commercials to help sell a product.

    Political campaigns are no exception.

    “A license is required for any use of music whether in a venue, convention, online via YouTube or social media platform,” attorney Heidy Vaquerano, a Los Angeles-based partner at the law firm Fox Rothschild who specializes in music, told CNN.

    Even if a license is obtained, artists may still be able to object to the use of their music by political campaigns.

    Just days ago, Foo Fighters said they did not authorize the Trump campaign to use their song “My Hero,” which was played at a rally in Arizona where Trump was joined by Robert Kennedy Jr., shortly after he endorsed the former president. A representative for Foo Fighters told CNN the band was not asked permission by the Trump campaign, and said any royalties received “as a result of this use will be donated to the Harris/Walz campaign.”

    Trump’s spokesperson, Cheung, told CNN, “We have a license to play the song.”

    But the band’s representative reiterated, “Foo Fighters were not asked permission, and if they were they would not have granted it.”

    There are some legal protections for artists around the use of their name, image or likeness. Even with a public performance license to play a song at a rally, the Trump campaign could be in violation of an artist’s publicity rights or a “false endorsement, where use of an artist’s work implies [an] artist supports the candidate,” Vacquerano said.

    In order for a political campaign to use an artist’s song on social media, the campaign would have to reach out to songwriters, the publisher and the artist’s label for approval, she added.

    When Trump ran in 2016 and 2020, Rihanna, Phil Collins, Neil Young, Pharrell, Rolling Stones, Adele, Guns N’ Roses and the estate of the Beatles all spoke out about Trump using their music. That pattern has continued this election cycle.

    Earlier this month, Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” was played at a Trump rally in Bozeman, Montana, along with a video of the star singing on the big screen. After videos surfaced on social media, the singer’s team spoke out.

    “In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use…And really, THAT song?” her team posted on X.

    The estate of Isaac Hayes took things a step further, filing a copyright infringement suit against Trump for using the soul artist’s songs at rallies, also naming the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee and the National Rifle Association among the defendants.

    In the complaint, Hayes’ estate said Trump began using Hayes’ material as “outro” music at campaign events in 2020 and have continued to use his music in 2024, as seen in one of Trump’s recent posts on Truth Social in which Hayes’ song “Hold On, I’m Comin’” can be heard playing at a rally.

    According to court documents obtained by CNN, attorneys for the estate claim that the campaign has not “obtained a valid public performance license,” and are asking for “compensatory damages for the unauthorized use” of Hayes’ music. Hayes’ estate was granted an emergency hearing on the matter in federal court on September 3.

    “See you in court,” Hayes’ son posted on X.

    Trump has not publicly commented on the matter.

    Vaquerano believes that the Hayes estate has a viable case.

    “If the campaign did not obtain the necessary licenses,” the attorney said, “Then each use of the music constitutes a new infringing use and the respective copyright owners would be entitled to statutory damages and actual damages for loss of sales, licensing, revenue or other provable financial loss caused by the use of the music in the Trump campaign.”

    Trump is known to be selective about music. Sources with first-hand knowledge told CNN that Trump chooses some of his rally songs himself. At his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, he’ll pick out the patio playlist on an iPad set up for guests at his dinners, according to these sources.

    Back on the stump, Trump may be well-served to stick with music by artists who have endorsed him, like Kid Rock.

    CNN’s Kristen Holmes contributed to this report.

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  • Beyoncé hype ran high then popped like a balloon at the DNC

    Beyoncé hype ran high then popped like a balloon at the DNC

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    (CNN) — You may want to avoid the Beyhive today, as it is buzzing and ready to sting.

    There was heightened excitement among many heading into the final night of the Democratic National Convention, not just because Vice President Kamala Harris was set to accept the party’s nomination, but because of hope the woman behind her campaign anthem would “rain on the thunder” and “wave through the waters” of Chicago’s United Center.

    Like most pop culture fantasies, speculation that Beyoncé would make an appearance at the DNC started – and ended – on social media.

    From the moment CNN reported in July that Beyoncé had granted the vice president permission to use her 2016 song “Freedom” for her presidential campaign, there were questions.

    Would Queen Bey make a formal endorsement? Might a concert in support of Harris happen? And even more mind blowing, could Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, two of the biggest artists on the planet, join together in support of Harris in Chi-town?

    Some people swore they saw signs pointing to an inevitable Beyoncé arrival at the convention – her private plane was rumored to have landed at O’Hare, the house band was practicing Beyoncé songs, there were “Cowboy Kamala” sashes in the Washington delegation. Surely, she would come.

    Shasti Conrad, the Washington Democratic Party’s chair, told the Washington State Standard that she is a fan of both the singer and the vice president – a Beyhive and “KHive” member.

    “The Beyhive is sort of what the KHive built themselves after — sort of this rabid fanbase for both,” Conrad said. “So we were like, let’s celebrate the two of them and this cultural moment, political moment — and these incredible women of color.”

    Delegates and attendees wear cowboy hats and “Cowboy Kamala” banners on the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19. Credit: Eva Hambach/AFP / Getty Images via CNN Newsource

    A bee emoji shared on X by White House political director Emily Ruiz further spiked the hype.

    And in fairness to the fans, there was a concert vibe running through the star-studded DNC all week. After Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance on Wednesday night, a post by the X account “Angry Staffer” promised a more momentous moment on Thursday.

    “I’ve been sworn to secrecy, but you don’t want to miss the DNC tonight,” the since-deleted post read. “If you thought the Oprah surprise was big, just wait.”

    On Thursday evening, TMZ reported that Beyoncé would indeed be performing. Media outlets, including CNN, reached out to representatives to confirm, while social media held its collective breath.

    After all, Beyoncé has appeared at numerous Democratic events in the past, including President Barack Obama’s presidential Inaugural Ball in 2008, Obama’s second presidential Inauguration in 2013, and a pre-election concert in Ohio for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Beyoncé also endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020.

    Then the fever dream ended and the pop culture balloon popped.

    The Hollywood Reporter was the first to have the news that the Grammy-winning singer would not be appearing at the DNC.

    “She was never scheduled to be in Chicago,” Beyoncé’s representative Yvette Noel-Schure told CNN in a statement.

    TMZ issued a mea culpa with “Texas Hold ‘Em” song lyrics to walk back its report.

    “To quote the great Beyoncé: We gotta lay our cards down, down, down … we got this one wrong,” an update on the original story reads.

    The X account that appeared to have gotten the initial ball rolling, Angry Staffer, also offered up an apology on the site, writing “Re: special guest rumor – I’m not sure where it started, but the people who told me aren’t prone to hyperbole.”

    The internet, however, is.

    CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed to this story.

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    Lisa Respers France and CNN

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  • Beyoncé’s Most Political Year Yet

    Beyoncé’s Most Political Year Yet

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    Beyoncé has been on her “Yeehaw, America!” tip from the very start of the year. With a country music album (Cowboy Carter) and a cover that features her in full-blown “Americana gear/regalia,” Beyoncé seemed determined to hold fast to her “ideals” of the U.S. even as it became increasingly apparent that Donald “Cheeto” Trump still had a strong chance of winning the election—even after everything that went down (insurrections, indictments, hush money, you name it). Especially because of the doubts cast on Joe Biden’s “mental competency” (even if Trump’s is hardly a “notch above”).

    And then, for a while, people seemed to forget about Beyoncé and her country foray. There were so many albums afterward, from Taylor’s The Tortured Poets Department to Dua’s Radical Optimism to Billie’s Hit Me Hard and Soft to Charli’s Brat. Even Megan Thee Stallion and Ice Spice have released new records in the time since Cowboy Carter vaguely dominated the chart. So maybe something activated within Beyoncé to remind her that she needed to reclaim her place in the spotlight—indeed, use her star power to invoke political change. It started with granting Kamala Harris permission to use Lemonade’s “Freedom” for her ad campaign. And then, as if that weren’t enough, Beyoncé jumped in for a Team USA Olympics ad that was aired the same week.

    As most people are aware by now, the Olympics remains one of the most politically fraught milieus…in spite of its cries of being a “source of unity.” Indeed, it can often become a political hotbed (e.g., Americans boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow and, four years later, Russians boycotting the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles—these two cities also appropriately representing polar opposite ideals). 2024 is no different, especially with the ongoing invasion of Palestine by Israel, as well as the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. But obviously, Beyoncé has much less interest in that than she does in what’s going on “in her own backyard.” And what’s going on, of course, is the 2024 presidential race.

    While some might feel that, with Kamala Harris as the frontrunner for taking on Donald Trump in lieu of Joe Biden, there’s no competition now, such thinking would be a severe overestimation of what America is “really about.” And that, of course, is what makes Trump still have a good chance of winning. With this in mind, the commercial Beyoncé participated in is rife with political undertones. Reworking “Ya Ya” from Cowboy Carter (a song that actually would have worked more effectively in Harris’ campaign ad), Beyoncé appears in yet another “Yeehaw, America!” getup (Western excess at its “finest”)—her very expensive-looking boots bedecked with glittery Olympic rings in addition to red, white and blue flourishes. She’s also wearing a sparkly American flag cowboy hat and a leotard with the word “USA” emblazoned across the chest (and yes, the crotch/waist part of it also has an American flag pattern). Never mind that people who love draping the American flag on themselves usually tend to be conservative rednecks (sort of like Lana Del Rey, who cosplays that persona). Beyoncé wants to prove otherwise. That even “liberals” can be garishly over the top when it comes to their patriotism.

    The singer quickly gets to the point vis-à-vis the subtext of what’s at stake for this election. She wants to remind the viewers at home that America isn’t as white as it would often like to believe. Or rather, as white as conservatives would like to “keep” it. So it is that Beyoncé touts to a montage of multicolored faces, “Get a look at America, y’all. These hopes and dreams, these superstars that represent us. The people of this big, bold, beautiful, complicated nation. All rooting together for them.” Of course, the word “complicated” feels like the biggest euphemism of all time. What she surely meant was “unapologetically racist, sexist, capitalist and jingoist.” Both Beyoncé and Jay-Z are prime examples of the unapologetic capitalist category, proving the theory that everyone becomes white once they get filthy rich. Even so, Beyoncé wants to make this commercial as “aspirational” as possible. Hence, her little characterization of it that totally glosses over why the U.S. will always be what amounts to a “failed British colony.”

    After she calls it “big, bold, beautiful and complicated,” the lyric, “You lookin’ for a new America” strategically plays in the background as the athletes are paraded. She then continues to boast, “We’ve got superstars and we’ve got legends. We’ve got big dreamers who fought their whole lives to get here. Who gave up everything, for one shot [here, she sounds like Eminem on “Lose Yourself”]. And made it. That pride and that joy, that’s what gets me about this team.” Of course, this is the sort of rhetoric that Bible Belt America actually loves to hear, even though it’s filled with white supremacists who probably considered boycotting watching the games because they’re in Gay Paris—and remember, the U.S. is the country that tried to rename French fries “freedom fries” in 2003 because of France’s (rightful) opposition to the invasion of Iraq. So yeah, let’s just say “average Americans” (the ones who are rotund and don’t have a passport) don’t really jive with France. Don’t quite “get” it. In contrast, a country like France gets everything about America. As James Baldwin put it (in relation to Black vs. white), “You never had to look at me. I had to look at you. I know more about you than you know about me.” Because America is overexposed, to say the least, there is little about its “character” that isn’t known to “foreign entities.”

    Meanwhile, Beyoncé keeps prattling on with subtext, wielding her talk of “Team USA” as a timely symbol of what America itself ought to represent in this forthcoming election. Thus, she adds, “That’s what makes me believe in this team… America, give it up for Team USA. The very best of who we are. What a vision to behold. What a team to believe in.” Especially when they’re all getting paid so well while the broke asses at home continue to be fed with the lie that everyone, no matter who they are, can achieve their dreams if they just work hard.

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    Genna Rivieccio

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  • Kamala Harris Takes Us Back To 2016 With Her Campaign Song Choice For A Pointed Reason

    Kamala Harris Takes Us Back To 2016 With Her Campaign Song Choice For A Pointed Reason

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    In sharp contrast to, say, Ronald Reagan using Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” during his 1984 campaign against the singer’s will and with a flagrant disregard for the intent behind the song, Kamala Harris actually got permission from Beyoncé to use her 2016 track from Lemonade, “Freedom,” in her first official campaign video (and throughout the campaign in general). The unveiling of the ad came swiftly after Joe Biden’s announcement that he would not be continuing in this year’s presidential race. Its message (which threw plenty of shade at Trump without ever mentioning his name), paired with the use of the song, saw Harris hit the ground running with strong momentum in her bid for the White House. Well, that and a rapid endorsement from Charli XCX declaring, “Kamala IS brat.” While that might automatically get the gays gagging (no pun intended) even more for Harris, it is always Beyoncé that makes all the difference—especially when it comes to Black women supporting Black women (even if the naysayers claim that Harris isn’t “really” Black). Because the only thing lower in currency than white men these days is white women.

    That said, Harris is pointedly taking us back to 2016 with use of this song, which was released as the fourth single from Lemonade in September, just two months before the election that came down to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The white woman with the apparently lower currency in this scenario (maybe because Trump reads as “orange” rather than white). Harris, whether intentionally or not, is, thus, harkening back to a key pop culture moment from ’16 (Lemonade was the album of that year—especially since Taylor Swift was “on break”), as though to remind voters, once again, what’s really at stake here. And that is: forking the nation over to a megalomaniacal dictator or the real-life version of Selina Meyer (skin color aside).

    Harris was already gaining traction as a viable replacement candidate for Biden, particularly as the meme furor around her “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” soundbite continued to take on a life of its own this summer (which doesn’t say a lot for what it “requires” to be popular among the “next generation”). The Veep parallel only seemed to help her cause all the more. Indeed, Harris is turning out to be the most “pop culture-centric” candidate to date (she even hangs with drag queens and lets them know she’s in on “Padam Padam”). Beyoncé is the crowning jewel of her ability to lay that claim.

    And, even though Harris could have chosen one of Beyoncé’s more recent songs from Cowboy Carter (including “Ya Ya,” which features the lyric, “My family live and died in America, hm/Good ol’ USA/Whole lotta red in that white and blue, huh/History can’t be erased, ooh/You lookin’ for a new America?/Are you tired, workin’ time and a half for half the pay?/Ya-ya/I just pray that we don’t crash, keep my Bible on the dash/We gotta keep the faith”), she opted for the more well-known, more musically accessible “Freedom.” Not just because it’s become the 2010s version of a 1960s-era civil rights anthem, but because it is part of the 2016 time capsule.

    Almost ten years on, it seems unfathomable that the U.S. should still be in exactly the same place: pitting a female candidate against Donald Trump. Harris, in this subtle (or overt) way, appears to be driving home that point, reminding the American people that it is still possible to make the same mistake twice. That the few short months leading up to this year’s November election are critical in determining the trajectory of the country. A “last best chance” for real, if you will. As her ad phrases it, “In this election, we each face a question: what kind of country do we want to live in? There are some people who think we should be a country of chaos, of fear, of hate. But us? We choose something different. We choose freedom.” And at that moment, the booming sound of Beyoncé’s voice arrives, declaring, “Freedom, freedom/I can’t move/Freedom, cut me loose/Freedom, freedom/ Where are you?/‘Cause I need freedom too

    Throughout the montage, Harris covers all the “Democrat gold” bases, from an Indian family sitting at a table together laughing to people waving rainbow flags. She then provides the lofty voiceover, “The freedom not just to get by, but get ahead [though we all know that’s not possible with capitalism]. The freedom to be safe from gun violence [right]. The freedom to make decisions about your own body [maybe]. We choose a future where no child lives in poverty [ha!]. Where we can all afford health care [an even bigger laugh]. Where no one is above the law [cue the image of Trump]. We believe in the promise of America and we’re ready to fight for it. Because when we fight, we win.” This sentiment about Americans having a fierce “can-do” attitude that extends to never backing down when it comes to achieving their goals is an old myth, but still, apparently, an effective one.

    The ad then concludes with Bey’s lyrics, “I’ma keep runnin’ ‘cause a winner don’t quit on themselves.” It’s precisely that type of saying that gets believers in the American dream real wet, of course. This idea that everyone can get “a piece” if they work harder, sweat harder. Even though we live in a time when the notion of becoming rich is all about how “easy” it is (a.k.a. through virality), and that you don’t actually need any skills or talent at all.

    Branded by Rolling Stone as “one of the most striking political statements of [Beyoncé’s] career,” “Freedom” was also used as an anthem during the George Floyd protests of 2020 (another election year). But it’s a song straight outta 2016, which, if all goes accordingly, should spark enough people’s memories to go in the opposite direction of how that election turned out. Not that anything about the electoral college setup has changed since then…

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    Genna Rivieccio

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  • Katy Perry Reflects A Man’s Vision of a “Woman’s World”

    Katy Perry Reflects A Man’s Vision of a “Woman’s World”

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    In 2014, Beyoncé posted an image of herself as Rosie the Riveter. The photo quickly racked up millions of “hearts” and, at the time, became the most liked offering on her Instagram account. It was the same year Beyoncé also took to the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards to perform an almost seventeen-minute medley of tracks from her then-new, then-groundbreaking self-titled album, famously “surprise dropped” on December 13, 2013. In the audience watching Beyoncé perform that night was none other than Katy Perry, dressed as Britney Spears in the famous denim dress from the 2001 American Music Awards. Her matching denim “Justin” was, of all people, Riff Raff (who was cashing in on a bit of “fame” at that moment after James Franco played a riff on him in 2012’s Spring Breakers). Yet another man in Perry’s life who hasn’t exactly been a ringing endorsement for her sense of feminism. That aside, it seems telling that the camera flashes to Perry while Beyoncé sings the portion of “Blow” that goes, “Turn the cherry out.” Words that Perry gleefully sings along with. It’s the kind of visceral, “fuck me as hard as you want” phrase that men are known for wanting to hear. And yet, like Perry with “Woman’s World,” Beyoncé was presenting it through a supposed “female empowerment” lens.

    The night of that performance also happened to be the one where Beyoncé was famously positioned in front of the word “FEMINIST” projected behind her in big, bold white letters. A word extracted from the “We Should All Be Feminists” speech delivered by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at a TEDx Talk in 2012 (later, the speech was adapted into a book-length essay and released the same year as Beyoncé’s self-titled album). That speech would become the centerpiece not just of “Flawless,” but of the entire record. This despite the fact that many of the lyrics on it reinforced traditional ideas of femininity, including being sexually desirable to a man (e.g. “Let me sit this ass on you/Show you how I feel/Let me take this off/Will you watch me?/That’s mass appeal/Don’t take your eyes, don’t take your eyes off it/Watch it, babe”).

    That Bey tapped Justin Timberlake to co-write three of the “sexiest” songs on the album, “Blow,” “Partition” and “Rocket,” is also telling of the fact that there is no pure sense of “female empowerment” here, so much as the perspective that a man lends to what that is “supposed to” mean in “safe,” color-within-the-lines patriarchal world. And yes, Timberlake would go on to become an even more overt symbol of toxic masculinity in the years since Beyoncé‘s release (while Ngozi Adichie would go on to negate some of her feminist cachet by being frequently accused of promoting TERF rhetoric). Though not quite as much as Dr. Luke, who has gone back to his original stage name after wielding another alias (Tyson Trax) for a while. This in the wake of some “bad publicity” from his long-standing Kesha vs. Dr. Luke legal battle, which only recently came to an end with a settlement on both sides, the details of which are unknown.

    At a certain point in the case, Katy Perry’s name was brought into the fray when texts that Kesha sent to Lady Gaga stated that Dr. Luke raped Perry as well. Perry was then brought in to give a testimony saying that the claim was false. She also mentioned that she felt “pressured” in general from both sides, but in particular to support Kesha because otherwise, she was “supporting rape” instead. In order to distance herself from the entire affair, Perry avoided working with Dr. Luke on her 2017 album, Witness, considered her biggest flop…until 2020’s Smile. She did the same with the latter album, but now, it seems, she feels enough time has passed to return to the collaborator who has “given” Perry her biggest hits. And yes, it’s not implausible that she’s gone crawling back to him precisely because she’s interpreted his absence on her last two records as the reason why they weren’t as successful as previous ones.

    But she must have lost her damn mind if she believed that, of all the songs to bring him in for, one called “Woman’s World” would be the most appropriate choice. As the title—one that Cher already used for the better in 2013—suggests, it’s supposed to be an anthem of feminist triumph. But, like Dr. Luke producing the majority of a record called Planet Her, any attempt at “empowering” the “divine feminine” is automatically lost with the presence of this nefarious man. One who, as Abigail Breslin rightly pointed out, represents how “working with known abusers in any industry just contributes to the narrative that men can do abhorrent shit and get away with it.” And, in case there was any doubt about how she was referring to Perry’s new song, Breslin added, “On another note, I love @KeshaRose and she gave one of the best shows I’ve ever been to last year <3 stream Kesha!” Sadly, such support from Perry, despite being—once upon a time—good friends with Kesha (who even appeared in the “I Kissed A Girl” video), has never been openly displayed.

    As if a certain writer and producer credit on the song weren’t already a strike against it, then come the banal lyrics, “It’s a woman’s world and you’re lucky to be livin’ in it/You better celebrate/‘Cause, baby, we ain’t goin’ away.” Ummm, was there ever a threat that women were supposed to “go away”? Because it’s not like they haven’t been “on the scene” at least since the Rosie the Riveter days (after all, people are only “counted” in this life if they work for pay). Which brings us back to that problematic trope Beyoncé also proudly touted back in 2014—one that Perry has seen fit to reanimate for her totally nonsensical “Woman’s World” video.

    Directed by Charlotte Rutherford, the “concept” (if one can even call it that) presents Perry as a sort of hybrid construction worker/welder (in the spirit of Jennifer Beals from Flashdance). This largely because it gives someone the opportunity to add a “WO” to the “MEN” in a “MEN AT WORK” sign. From there, Rutherford cuts to an image of Perry in Rosie’s signature muscle flexing pose while perched on a suspended beam in the center of eight other women. Like Beyoncé, however, Perry didn’t seem to get the memo that Rosie the Riveter isn’t really all that feministic. The entire reason for her existence, first of all, is because of a man’s “marketing” idea.

    Originally “created” by J. Howard Miller, the intent of the design and poster was never to “empower” women, but merely to get those who were already employed in factories during WWII to work harder and more compliantly. In short, to tell them to “giddy-up” without complaining. More sexist still about the beloved image is the fact that women were only invited to work “men’s” jobs when society was absolutely desperate because those with dicks had to be sent abroad for a brief time. And when those men came back, the women who had taken over and done just as well (if not better) at the job, were told to simply go back to the kitchen. Where they had also still been working anyway—expected to embody both gender roles in the absence of men. Something that men themselves are never asked or expected to do, even in the most crisis-heavy situations.

    So yes, it does say something that Perry has opted to dress in this guise. A guise deliberately made to look like a sexy pinup rather than a worker. One who would actually appear beleaguered and decidedly unsexy. Because, let’s be honest, it’s hard to look sexy on minimum wage. Or even medium wage, for that matter. So it is that rich women like Beyoncé and Perry cosplay at embodying the “everywoman,” the “hard worker” without understanding what that really looks like. And yet, they expect to be lauded for championing “women’s equality” by reverting to a symbol that represents anything but that.

    As for the other nonsensical elements in Perry’s video, there’s the scene of her drinking from a bottle of “Whiskey for Women”—as if, what, she couldn’t handle a bottle of so-called Whiskey for Men? Is the Whiskey for Women slightly diluted or something? Just in case she doesn’t want to get taken advantage of by Dr. Luke? In the next scene, Perry and her backup dancers are shown swinging their nonexistent dicks in front of a urinal while still clad in their sexy construction worker outfits. Only adding fuel to the flames of the Freud-backed male belief that all women have “penis envy.”

    The urinals are soon “swept away” in favor of another set (something about it also smacks of Britney’s “Joy of Pepsi” commercial), an industrial rooftop that gives Perry the chance to rip off her already scanty “worker’s” vest and showcase an even scantier jeweled (and star-shaped!) American flag bikini top. The effect? More pandering to the male gaze. This compounded by additional moments that will have viewers asking: is she for real? Including, giving a porno expression while holding a drill, drinking the “Whiskey for Women” in such a way so that it “sensually” pours all over her body and deciding to throw in an arbitrary message about self-pleasure by momentarily parading a vibrator as she makes the moanier sounds of the track.

    When an anvil drops on her head as though to indicate this portion of the video was all just a satirical joke, things don’t improve much when we see a flattened Perry in a white-knit bikini top and robot-esque “pants” (designed by Victor Clavelly). Because she then, of all things, blows herself up. Not “explosion-style,” but balloon-style. In other words, she’s positioning herself as that other male fantasy: a blow-up doll. Even though the intent, in her mind, seems to be that women can reanimate no matter how many times they’re knocked down, or literally squashed.

    In the next iteration of the completely cracked-out video, Perry wanders the streets of an apocalyptic-looking realm, making her way to more middle-of-nowhere territory. Whereupon her body “breaks down” and she stops at a gas station to “pump herself.” With gas. So again, more male fantasy imagery involving a woman being pumped and “thing-ified.” An entity designed solely for something to be inserted in. To make the video even more incohesive, Trisha Paytas shows up out of nowhere pulling a monster truck with a rope behind her so that she can give Perry a ride. That Paytas has come out to identify as a man rather than a woman also lends more “women through men’s eyes” meaning to this video.

    From there, the two take a bumpy ride while Perry applies makeup in a “sloppy” way—this being her lone (and, yes, very flaccid) attempt at showing the women don’t have to be “pretty.” Subsequently, they roll up to a random house that Perry infiltrates (with Paytas disappearing as haphazardly as she appeared). Walking through it, she breaks through a glass door (one assumes that’s her lazy metaphor for shattering the glass ceiling) that leads to the backyard of a girl doing some TikTok bullshit. The girl’s selfie stick also “happens” to be in the shape of a female gender symbol (♀), which such products already kind of are to begin with.

    As Perry joins in to dance with her, she abruptly decides to steal the stick (no comment on what would go down if the shoe were on the other foot and a Black girl stole something from a white woman) before hopping on a helicopter that conveniently materializes to take her away. When the girl shouts out to her, “Who are you?!” Perry “roars,” “I’m Katy Perry!” A name that, thanks to this song and video, is now forever synonymous with misogyny. She might as well have done a cover of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” A song that Brown took all the credit for despite it being written by Betty Jean Newsome, whose misogynistic lyrics reflect the time she grew up in. The same can’t be said for Perry and this abhorrent visual, paired with lyrics and music co-helmed by an abuser.

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    Genna Rivieccio

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  • These Can’t All Be The Songs of the Summer: Summer Hit Showdown

    These Can’t All Be The Songs of the Summer: Summer Hit Showdown

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    Each new song is claiming to be
    the song of the summer. This is not random TikTok singers doing their obligatory self-promo with the tried-and-true hook: “Did I just write the song of the summer?” But don’t blame them. Blame the labels that are vying for a number-one hit. Blame TikTok for making songs viral overnight. Or blame each and every one of us who exclaims “song of the summer!” whenever our favorite songs come on the radio. There’s even a Spotify playlist power ranking all of this years contenders.

    Everyone’s seeking the perfect summer soundtrack. I make a new playlist once time April hits (overeager, I know) with all the songs I have on repeat for the season. It ranges from UK Drill to Alt-Pop bangers. If you don’t have Central Cee and Clairo playing back-to-back this summer, what are you even doing?

    But yet, come summer one song stands out as
    the song of the season. It’s the song that’s on everyone’s mind and everyone’s playlist. It’s the song everyone requests at parties, that plays every hour on the hour at the club, and the song we find ourselves humming mindlessly at the pool and on the beach.

    Some years, it’s obvious. But this year, we’re spoiled for choice.

    Dare I say it: we’re having a Summer 2016 Replay. For Gen Z and younger Millennials, Summer 2016 has taken a mythical quality online. Fall and Winter were when everything started to go wrong — some even say the killing of Harambe that May was the catalyst to all the ceaseless tragedy that’s happened since. If you’d told us then what the world would look like now, I would
    not have believed you. It was the rise before the fall. It was a summer of possibility, incredulity. And it was a summer of really good music.

    Leading up to Summer 2016, we had new albums from Beyonce (
    Lemonade), Rihanna (ANTI, her last project), Drake (Views), Justin Bieber (Purpose), and Ariana Grande (Dangerous Woman). Those albums gave us summer hits like “Sorry,” “Work,” “One Dance,” “Controlla,” “Love Yourself,” “Into You,” and so. Much. More. Not to mention, right at the end of summer, Frank Ocean finally dropped “Blonde” and changed music forever. He ushered in the genre-less, experimental sound to mainstream music and is on the inspo board of everyone you love, I promise.

    The radio was also blasting singles that still get regular play at clubs. Mike Posner’s “I Took a Pill In Ibiza,” “This is What You Came For” by Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa’s first hit “Hotter than Hell,” “Cheap Thrills” by Sia, and “Panda” by Desiigner. Doesn’t that take you back?

    Since then, no other summer has matched the vibes and the soundtrack of Summer 16. Last summer was the summer of cinema — with
    OppenBarbie taking over the box office and the planet. It was the summer of the girl, too. But summer 2024 is promising to have it all.

    The summer festival circuit is in full swing with lineups that people are actually excited about and performances that are making and reigniting stars. Chappell Roan at
    Coachella blasted her way to success, going from a niche, “gay famous” singer to a mainstream hitmaker. Lana Del Rey is so back in a big way after headlining Coachella with a special appearance from Billie Eilish. Billie released her best album yet, full of summer bangers and ballads alike.

    But we can’t talk about Summer 16 without talking about Sabrina Carpenter. “Espresso” has been sitting pretty at the top of the charts since spring. It’s everyone’s hyperfixation song. It’s been played and played and I’m not even close to tired of it. While Sabrina has been writing music for years, her 2023 album
    emails I can’t send has been a gamechanger for her career. Her mainstream success was slowly climbing with hits like “Nonsense” and “Feather” but nothing can compare to the level of fame she’s seeing in the wake of “Espresso.”

    Out of nowhere, the lead single from her upcoming album became the unexpected song of pre-summer. But as we head into the season’s later months, can it keep up its momentum? Only time will tell. We’re spoiled for choice this summer with a bevy of hits from artists of every genre. Of course there are expected summer stars like Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, and Post Malone, but other more surprising contenders are vying for the Song of the Summer Title.

    Here’s what we think of all of summer’s most infectious songs:

    Espresso — Sabrina Carpenter


    The perfect summer anthem. “Espresso” is a feel-good bop that I can listen to on repeat. I doubt I’ll ever get tired of it — no wonder it won’t exit the Billboard chart. The only thing keeping it from being the definite song of the summer is that it came out in early Spring. But don’t worry, Miss Sabrina has more than one card up her sleeve.

    Please, Please, Please — Sabrina Carpenter

    After announcing her next album, Sabrina released her latest single, “Please, Please, Please,” alongside the video with her boyfriend, Barry Keoghan. “Don’t embarrass me, motherf*cker,” she croons in the song — talk about relatable. Taking a different tone than “Espresso” but no less infectious, Sabrina’s close-to-Country crooning displays that she’s a versatile star who won’t be banging out versions of the same song forever.

    I Had Some Help — Post Malone ft Morgan Wallen

    Speaking of Country Music, Post Malone’s country era is going swimmingly for the former-rapper with his new song, “I Had Some Help,” featuring Country star Morgan Wallen. Post Malone is no stranger to songs of the summer with hits like 2017’s “Congratulations,” 2019’s “Circles,” and his
    Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse song “Sunflower” in 2019. This summer, he’s switching up genres but still racking up streams. Be prepared to hear this at every barbecue, beach house, or lake house or this summer.

    II Most Wanted — Beyonce and Miley Cyrus

    When Beyonce released her own Country album, it came with the infectious hit, “TEXAS HOLD EM.” The song’s opening line, “This ain’t Texas,” was on the tip of my tongue for months. Now that the album’s finally out, the surprising hit is her unexpected collaboration with Miley Cyrus, “II Most Wanted.” Miley had the song of the summer last year with “Flowers” and teaming up with Beyonce on this emotional ballad is pure magic.

    Nasty — Tinashe

    Tinashe has been toiling for years aiming for a hit, and now she finally has one. A true TikTok song, this summer anthem went viral in a hilarious video of TikTok user Nate Di Winer when he posted a video of himself dancing to Hey Choppi’s “Blind.” Tinashe took the video’s success, overlaid her own video and audio over it, and it went crazy-crazy-viral. The rest is history. Now it’s a sneaky, sleeper hit of the summer. And the TikTok sound “I’ve been a nasty girl” is sure to outlive it and head into the golden days of Autumn — at least.

    Million Dollar Baby — Tommy Richman

    We can’t talk about TikTok songs without mentioning Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby”. No, not the 2004 brutal boxing film starring Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman. It’s a viral hit that instantly became an earworm. Who is Tommy Richman, you might ask? The 24-year-old singer and rapper is brand new to the scene — and what a debut. I wish it
    really was 2016 so everyone’s Instagram captions could be “Million Dollar Baby.” Simpler times.

    Too Sweet — Hozier

    TikTok is also responsible for Hozier’s first #1 hit in the US. Hozier’s been bringing his Irish accent-tinged voice to the charts since his massive debut single, “Take Me to Church.” But it took a post-album EP to skyrocket him to #1. After releasing
    Unreal, Unearth in late 2023, Hozier dropped a 4-song EP this April with some extras that didn’t make the album. And thank goodness he didn’t let these songs languish because “Too Sweet” is the folksy summer anthem we need.

    Good Luck Babe! — Chappell Roan

    The gays won with this song. Chappell Roan has been belting out her ballads and bops of yearning since her extended album promotion in 2020. Finally,
    The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, her debut album came out in late 2023 but it took until her 2024 single “Good Luck Babe!” to get people to tune in. But now that the masses are listening, they cannot stop. This unapologetically queer hit has transcended the gay pop genre and is a chart-topping summer anthem for all of us entering our eras of yearning.

    LUNCH — Billie Eilish

    Speaking of unapologetically queer, this new Billie Eilish era is unmatched. Billie’s brand-new album,
    HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, is a masterpiece and already gaining Grammy buzz. Album of the Year? Probably. And she deserves it. She traverses genres and moods with this album, managing to create a sound that’s refreshingly unique and a album that feels cohesive despite its leaps and bounds. “LUNCH” is the sapphic song of my dreams, and “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” is a pop ballad that shows her range and her ability to create pop songs that last forever. [Read our full review of HIT ME HARD AND SOFThere.]

    Cinderella — Remi Wolf

    Remi will always be on my summer playlist so it’s exciting to hear her getting mainstream play. “Me and the boys in the hotel lobby,” is an infectious hook. And paired with her belting the chorus, it’s a textured song that I want to scream along to in my car with the windows down. [Read out interview with Remi Wolf at Spotify’s Lorem party
    here.]

    Houdini — Dua Lipa

    Queen of Vacationing. Queen of Red Carpets. Formerly, Queen of Summer. After 2017’s “New Rules” made her a certified pop girl, and “Levitating” was the post-covid anthem, we all expected Dua to have the Song of the Summer with hits from her latest album,
    Radical Optimism. Although hits like “Houdini” and “Training Season” have charted moderately well, they didn’t seem to stick. The vibes are good though, earning them a spot on my summer playlist despite everyone falling asleep on the job.

    Houdini — Eminem

    While Dua’s “Houdini” remains in the middle of the charts, Eminem’s return to music with his song, “Houdini” is climbing up the charts. It debuted at number #2 and is reaching for #1. This is his best showing on the charts in over a decade and bodes well for his upcoming album,
    The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce). The song is classic Slim Shady controversy bait. If cancel culture were actually real, Shady would be canceled for this one for sure — there’s a line about Megan Thee Stallion being shot (can rappers leave her alone?) and calling everything “gay.” But it’s catchy so it’s definitely going to stay in the charts for a while.

    Not Like Us — Kendrick Lamar

    By far, the most buzz-worthy rap hit is Kenrick Lamar’s diss track, “Not Like Us.” One of the final songs in the weeks-long saga that was his beef with Drake, it’s the final nail in the Drizzy coffin. You know you lost a rap war when one of the diss tracks becomes the song of the summer. Ouch!

    BAND4BAND — Central Cee, Lil Baby

    Wanna know who else is beefing? The US and UK rap scenes. The collaboration from Central Cee and Lil Baby isn’t bringing the two countries together, but tearing them apart. Each side is claiming their country carried the song. The British claim Lil Baby doesn’t sound as tough or “hard” as Cench, while Americans are making TikToks dancing to Cench’s verse in Bridgerton-like garb. I just want everyone to have fun. After Central Cee teamed up with Dave for my personal favorite song of
    last summer, “Sprinter,” they could never make me hate him.

    places to be — Fred Again.. Ft Anderson .Paak and CHIKA

    I wanna hear this at the club. I wanna hear this on a rooftop. I wanna hear this while sprinting through a field or rolling down a hill or doing something else to fix my inner child. “places to be” is fun, refreshing, and sounds like the endless possibilities of summer. [Read our review of Fred Again..’s Stanford show here.]

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    Langa Chinyoka

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  • #BOSSIPSounds Fresh Face Friday: Country Crooner Shaboozey Is The Cowboy Mrs. Carter Called On For His Rootin’ Tootin’ ‘Tipsy’ Tunes

    #BOSSIPSounds Fresh Face Friday: Country Crooner Shaboozey Is The Cowboy Mrs. Carter Called On For His Rootin’ Tootin’ ‘Tipsy’ Tunes

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    Everybody’s in the club getting tipsy; at least when Shaboozey’s on the scene–and that’s why he’s BOSSIP’s Black Music Month pick for Fresh Face Friday.

    Source: Daniel Prakopc / Daniel Prakopc

    The Nigerian-American country crooner got the world yippin’ and a yammerin’ when he appeared on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album but he was already making his mark in the country music world for over a decade.

    Shaboozey thrives in the Alt-Country/Hip-Hop space and he told Billboard that his earliest musical memory is listening to Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up”, something that stood out for the Virginia-raised artist born, Collins Chibueze, in between hearing his dad play Kenny Rogers and Garth Brooks.

    Long before wranglin’ and ripping vocals for Bey on the tracks “Spaghetti” and “Sweet * ­Honey * Buckiin,” Shaboozey went viral for his 2015 track “Jeff Gordon.”

    He recently told PEOPLE that he met the race car driver himself in Charlotte.

    “I get off the stage and someone said, ‘You mentioned Jeff Gordon. He’s here. He missed your show but he wants to see you. He wants to meet you.’ I’m like, ‘Jeff Gordon wants to meet me?’ I’m like, ‘Jeff Gordon’s heard that song? And he didn’t send a cease and desist,’” he said jokingly about the full-circle moment. “But it was cool, man. That was awesome.”

    He’s also (of course) met Beyoncé (musically at least) who he says heard his current single “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”, a country twist on J-Kwon’s 2004 hit, and was intrigued enough to work with him.

    “Someone at Parkwood or in Beyoncé’s camp heard [“A Bar Song”] from me playing it live and was like, ‘We have to bring him in the studio,’ ” Shaboozey who’s signed to Republic recalled to Billboard. “Then the Beyoncé [album] came out, and we were like, ‘Oh, it’s time. Drop it.’ ”

    That track is currently breaking records and recently entered its fifth week in the top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and seventh week on the chart overall. An official press release notes that it peaked at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart, debuted at #3 on Billboard’s Song of the Summer Chart, and has amassed over 400 million streams. Shaboozey also recently celebrated it going platinum.

    If that’s not enough, he and Beyoncé also made history as the first two Black artists to lead the chart with back-to-back #1 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

    Now with eager eyes on him, he’s promoting his “Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going” album that reps for the artist report debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

    Shaboozey

    Source: Republic Records

    The project is described as taking listeners on a “cinematic road trip through the wilds of the American West, bringing a powerful new depth to his storytelling while pushing further into the country/folk-inspired sound he’s explored in recent years.”

    It’s also been called a “sophisticated self-help journey” and standout tracks included “Let It Burn,” the “haunting heartbreak” track “Anabelle,” and “Vegas,” a sing-along-ready single straight from the Wild West.

    Shaboozey’s star is on the rise and we’re pouring up a double shot of whiskey to celebrate.

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    Danielle Canada

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  • Kaleah Lee Won’t Pull The Fire Alarm (But She’ll Think About It)

    Kaleah Lee Won’t Pull The Fire Alarm (But She’ll Think About It)

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    When Kaleah Lee tells me she only started writing songs during the pandemic, I can’t hide my surprise. Her lyricism has the practiced sharpness of someone who has been honing their craft for decades. And her production — which she does herself in her bedroom — is subtle and simmering with emotion. This is bedroom pop at its peak, but not what you’d expect.

    She wasn’t the only one to pick up a guitar, a pen, and a camera during the pandemic. But she’s one of the most deft lyricists to emerge from the confessional-folk, alternative-ambient side of TikTok Music.

    Perhaps it’s because she had been writing poetry for years before she set her musings to music. Maybe it’s because her themes are startlingly relevant. Lee sings about getting older, about nostalgia, about yearning for your old life and a new one.

    The title of her debut EP, Birdwatcher, comes from a song of the same name. “Thinking with grace about what I’ve become / A birdwatcher,” goes the song’s refrain. Indeed, her lyrics have the sense of being outside yourself, watching your life like you’d watch the birds.

    But don’t confuse this perspective for disconnectedness. Her songs jump from embodied descriptions of selfhood to abstractions and meditations on life and growth. Her ability to seamlessly weave personal details with universal emotions makes her music feel intimate and refreshingly full of perspective.

    As a student of the school of social media covers, her music is heavily influenced by her listening habits. She cites an eclectic mix of Dijon and Adrianne Lenker as some of her inspirations. And she covers Beyonce’s “Daddy Lessons” on stage.

    With influences like Bon Iver and Taylor Swift, we won’t be surprised to see Kaleah Lee packing stadiums with her hypnotic vocals, gut-wrenching lyricism, and ever-evolving sound.

    Fresh off an intimate show in LA and a few supporting gigs, Kaleah Lee is gearing up to support Del Water Gap on his summer tour. These will be the largest shows Lee has played so far in her career. And while she might joke about pulling the fire alarm, her gradual growth has prepared her for bigger stages.

    Popdust talked to Kaleah Lee from her bedroom/production studio, about writing, Taylor Swift, touring, and more.

    Birdwatcher EP Kaleah Lee

    POPDUST:

    You started making videos in your bedroom. Do you still record there?

    Kaleah Lee:

    Yeah, I don’t leave my house. Get me out. [Laughter] But yeah, I do everything from my room.

    POPDUST:

    So do you self-produce?

    Kaleah Lee

    I do everything. My project coming out is the first batch of songs that I’ve made myself fully produced myself. So I mean, I love GarageBand. And yeah, it is all from the room.

    POPDUST:

    What’s it like to go from recording alone in your bedroom to performing on stage?

    Kaleah Lee

    I’m just always nervous. But I think it’s all been very gradual. Which is nice. Like, I say everything’s scary, but nothing’s super scary. It’s been a nice glide into things. Like my first time performing in front of people was at a coffee shop. I did an open mic. And then after that, I played like a little restaurant show and it was just really small. I like the pace it’s going up because I would get overwhelmed fast. But yeah, I’m loving it.

    I toured with Leith Ross last spring. That was my first show-show in front of more people in an actual venue. I was threatening to pull the fire alarm before I went on, like, two seconds before. My managers were like, no, don’t do that. I was freaking out. It depends, I guess on the audience. But Leith has a very warm, welcoming community that supports them. So to have that as my first experience was very beautiful. It made me enjoy it. So almost immediately I was like, Oh, I feel okay here because everyone’s very nice. I didn’t get booed off the stage. So that’s a good sign.

    POPDUST:

    The worst thing didn’t happen.

    Kaleah Lee

    Now I know I love performing. I do love it once I’m up there, maybe a couple songs in, and I’m having fun. I’m just still nervous about being watched by people right in front of me. Being perceived. Like, do not perceive me. I’m not real. [Laughter] Having the audience like …right there. It’s crazy, but we’re getting by.

    POPDUST:

    Well, you mentioned Leith has a very warm community. Do you feel like you’re on your way to cultivating a similar community?

    Kaleah Lee

    I do. And it’s fun to watch. It’s very cool to watch. There’s a solid group of people online that I can recognize by username, which is cool. And like they’ve made group chats and like accounts, and it’s fun interacting with that, and kind of getting to watch it and be in it with them is cool. It’s cool to see a small, little community growing, which is nice. And they all like, just become so close to each other. So I’m like, that’s cool to watch you guys making friends through music and the different artists that you like.

    POPDUST:

    How does that influence — if at all — your process? Since you know who your audience is in some ways.

    Kaleah Lee

    I don’t want to say I don’t think it does at all. But it’s not a big thing that I think about, I think, when I’m making a song or writing, especially. It’s a very personal thing. It’s something I need to do just to process things. It’s like coping. Yeah, it is very personal. So I think more so after the writing, maybe. When I started doing production, if something sounded different than what I had previously put out, I would think about it a little bit. But yeah, it’s not huge. It doesn’t impact my process, at least not in a negative way. It’s exciting. Just to know that there are people who are anticipating something or wanting to hear something. So that just makes it more exciting.

    POPDUST:

    So when you’re writing, you’re not thinking about the audience.

    Kaleah Lee

    Fully myself. I’m like, super selfish. [Laughter] But no, if you think about it, it’s really crazy. So not that I’m not thinking about them, but it feels more like just like a coping mechanism. Like, I’m going through it. I’m like, Oh, my God. I’m actually spiraling. [Laughter] I think it’ll be more fun once I’m also just more comfortable in this to be able to let myself have more fun with it.

    POPDUST:

    As you write and release snippets online, are those posted when the song is finished? Or is it extemporaneous? Like you wrote it minutes before posting.

    Kaleah Lee

    It’s both. When I first started, I would write and immediately share it. I’ve gotten more hesitant to do that as time has gone on. I don’t know if it’s just fear or that there’s more people watching. But it’s definitely a mixture of both. Like, “Where’d the Time Go?” That’s on the EP. I had written it like, a few days before I posted. But some of them are not done at all. So it just depends.

    POPDUST:

    Do you ever get feedback from an unfinished song? And people are like, put this out right now. How does that feel?

    Kaleah Lee

    That’s encouraging, because I’m like, Oh, you like it? That’s great. But there’s pressure for sure.

    POPDUST:

    Do people ever comment on a song that you don’t want to release?

    Kaleah Lee

    All the time. I’m like, I don’t want to put that out ever. Actually, I’m gonna delete the video. [Laughter] That’s a little bit hard, because I physically can’t put something out that I’m not fully proud of or fully into. I just feel bad sometimes.

    POPDUST:

    What’s the song that you’re most proud of?

    Kaleah Lee

    Most of the stuff on my EP, I’m very proud of just because it’s new. But like, I was listening to it the other day — I rarely listen to myself; I cringe for some reason. But I was listening through and the last song on the project called “Wake,” I was like, Oh my god. I like this. I’m proud of this. I think that was like the first song I intentionally wrote also for the project. So there were a lot of emotions, and it was a very specific time. And I think I had fun with the production on that one. It’s a little different. Not too different. But for me, the topic. That one and “The Same” has been a favorite of mine. I think that’s like the oldest song on the project.

    The past three singles I’ve put out are on there. And then there’s a few new ones that I haven’t put anywhere. Not even snippets. So that’s gonna be fun. Yeah, I think I like having it be more of a surprise for people. But then I also am like an oversharer. So like, I always want to post them before.

    POPDUST:

    How long have you been writing?

    Kaleah Lee

    I’ve always written poetry and I’ve always enjoyed writing, since I was young, but never music. That started around like COVID time. So not too long ago, really. I got into it by adding the music to poetry. That was helpful at the beginning. I still do that now. But yeah, it’s fairly new ish music writing, I guess songwriting.

    POPDUST:

    The poetic aspect definitely comes through because your writing transcends the personal into the universal. How do you go about writing?

    Kaleah Lee

    Every time it’s different. I have to be alone. I have to be in bed, most likely. I’ve noticed that I love riding in cars if I’m in the backseat or in the passenger seat. I’m on a long drive and I don’t need to be talking or anything, I can kind of make a little space for myself. I can get into a little space when I don’t necessarily need to be physically alone but if I feel comfortable enough that I feel alone. But usually it’s my room. I think the process itself, I’ll have things I’ve written or saved in different places — whether it’s my notes app or my journal — or lines of different things and I’ll revisit them if I need to. But a lot of it is like how am I feeling right now? What is going on? And then I’ll go from there. But yeah, it’s different.

    POPDUST:

    In terms of your sound, who are your influences?

    Kaleah Lee

    I feel like the main or like the biggest, foundational influence of mine has been Bon Iver, since I was a teen I’ve loved his music. It’s just so depressing, but if you relate to that … [Laughter] He’s been a big a big one for me. More recently, I’m so obsessed with Dijon. Totally does not sound like my music at all, but I’m very inspired. I love Adrianne Lenker and Big Thief, huge fan.

    POPDUST:

    Do you have a preference? Adrianne herself or Big Thief?

    Kaleah Lee

    I listened to more Adrienne I think. And when I started playing the guitar when I was like nine, I loved Taylor Swift. Of course. She was an initial big influence — just to feel comfortable writing about personal things. It was cool to see a young woman doing that. Now I’ve branched out to what I listened to a lot more. So I’m like, this is a new world. Like, I can do so many different things. I don’t have to feel super boxed in, which is helpful, but also kind of scary if you want to change up what you’re doing. I feel like I love everything. Like, I find something from everything that I’m like, I love that. And I can build on that in my own way.

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  • Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Steve Jobs, buys Malibu estate for $94 million

    Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Steve Jobs, buys Malibu estate for $94 million

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    Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple visionary Steve Jobs, just paid $94 million for an oceanfront estate in Malibu’s Paradise Cove, The Times has confirmed.

    The billionaire businesswoman has been on a Malibu spending spree over the last decade, amassing a compound spanning multiple parcels in one of the most affluent enclaves in the country.

    Real estate records show that Jobs has spent around $80 million on three adjacent properties since 2015. Her latest acquisition is the biggest home sale in Southern California so far this year and the priciest since last May, when Jay-Z and Beyoncé dropped $200 million on a minimalist mansion just up the street.

    The blockbuster deal was a quiet one, completed off-market. As a result, there aren’t many photos of the property, but records show the parcel spans roughly four acres and holds an L-shaped home built in the 1950s.

    Spanning four acres, the long, slender property overlooks the ocean and beach from Malibu’s Paradise Cove.

    (Google Earth)

    The house has four bedrooms and four bathrooms across 3,399 square feet, opening out to a lawn overlooking the cliffs and beach below. It will probably be razed as Jobs continues building her compound.

    The billionaire philanthropist broke into the Malibu market in 2015, spending $44 million on a double-parcel property and demolishing the 13,000-square-foot home it held. She bought the house next door two years later for $16.5 million, and in 2021 she added an adjacent five-bedroom cottage for $17.5 million.

    In 2018, the Real Deal reported that the mansion she was building was among the many homes damaged in the Woolsey fire.

    Over the last decade, Paradise Cove has emerged as the most valuable stretch of coast in California and one of the priciest pockets in the country. WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum paid $87 million for a three-acre spread there in 2021. Later that year, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen broke the state price record when he dropped $177 million on a sprawling estate between Paradise Cove and Escondido Beach — before the record was broken again by Jay-Z and Beyoncé.

    In 2016, a triple-wide trailer in Paradise Cove Mobile Home Park traded hands for $5.3 million.

    A native of New Jersey, Jobs manages the Steve Jobs Trust and founded the Emerson Collective, which doles out grants and investments in education, immigration reform and environmental causes. Forbes puts her net worth at $14.3 billion.

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    Jack Flemming

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  • Lil Nas X Speaks On His Country Music Success In Comparison To Beyoncé And Shaboozey

    Lil Nas X Speaks On His Country Music Success In Comparison To Beyoncé And Shaboozey

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    Lil Nas X is here for Beyoncé and Shaboozey making their mark in country music! But he reportedly wishes he could’ve had the same opportunity. The ‘Old Town Road’ artist shared these sentiments in a recently released BBC interview.

    RELATED: Lil Nas X Responds To BET’s Statement About Why He Wasn’t Nominated

    Lil Nas X Shares His Country Genre Thoughts

    Five years after dropping ‘Old Town Road,’ the song remains Lil Nas X’s most memorable hit. To this day, the remix featuring Bill Ray Cyrus is still the longest-running number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, with 19 weeks reigning, per Business Insider.

    The song’s rap elements caused chaotic conversations back in 2019, and Billboard even removed it from the country charts because it didn’t “embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current form.” 

    Lil Nas X told BBC he’s “happy” for Beyoncé and Shaboozey’s success in the country genre but wishes he experienced the same.

    “…I wish this would have happened for me. I wasn’t even able to experience this,” Nas X said.

    As for reverting to country music only, Lil Nas X revealed he’s been testing out relevant sounds in the last few years. However, he added that he wants to feel “connected” and “not force it.”

    It’s worth noting that following the release of ‘Old Town Road,’ Lil Nas X made a hard pivot regarding his public image and sound. His seemingly Devil-inspired graphics and lyrics, especially in his album ‘Montero,’ and promotional stunts have caused many controversial takes in the last few years.

    RELATED: Lil Nas X Says His Debut Album ‘Montero’ Served As Therapy For Him

    Context On Beyoncé & Shaboozey’s In The Country Space

    As previously reported, Bey has been making history in the genre ahead and following the release of ‘Cowboy Carter.’ Though the album has country influence, the superstar previously clarified that it’s a “Beyoncé album” rather than simply a country one.

    “The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work,” Queen Bey said.

    Still, the album earned her the honor of being the first Black woman to come in at No.1 on Billboard’s Top County Albums chart, per CNN. She also topped the Billboard 200 Albums chart for the eighth time in her career.

    Before the album’s release in February, the single ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ earned Bey her first No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

    RELATED: Peep All The Artists Featured On Beyoncé’s New Album ‘Cowboy Carter’

    As for Shaboozey, he’s a Black country, hip-hop artist who’s all the rave on social media right now! His latest single, ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy),’ recently peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on May 11. In April, he earned the No. 1 slot on the Emerging Artists chart because of his single.

    His album, ‘Where I’ve Been Isn’t Where I’m Going’, is reportedly set to drop on May 31.

    Outside of this personal hit, Shaboozey also caught a lil’ viral boost following the release of ‘Cowboy Carter.’ He is featured on two of Beyoncé’s songs, ‘Spaghettii’ and ‘Sweet *Honey* Buckiin,’ which peaked at spots No. 31 and 61 on the Hot 100 chart, respectively, in April.

    RELATED: WATCH: Audience Goes LOCO After Sexyy Red Twerked On-Stage At Country Singer’s Concert

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    Cassandra S

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  • 7 Spring Albums That You Don’t Need to Fight About Online

    7 Spring Albums That You Don’t Need to Fight About Online

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    One assurance of navigating the vast expanse of social media is that The Discourse never stops. It’s: death, taxes, and never-ending discourse. Mass consensus is all but extinct. More than anything, fandoms dictate so much of conversation today.

    Even so, spring has been a particularly fertile time for music drops: Drake released a diss record that featured an AI 2Pac (it’s terrible), Taylor Swift issued her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (also not that great), and Pharrell, the ultimate polymath, quietly released an album that was available exclusively via a promotional website, forgoing the route of major streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music (which is probably why you are just now hearing about it). Oh! Song lyrics, apparently, are also getting dumber.

    Chatter has only intensified around all of these things—and so much more—in the previous weeks. There are days where finding common ground feels like a concept of a bygone analog world. Of course, good music is all around us, despite what one study claims. Maybe even more so than at any recent time I can think of. I myself have a hard time keeping pace. What can’t be denied is the uncanny originality of the following seven albums on our Spring Music List. Each project is a showcase of distinct artistic evolution. Think of them as small leaps of invention.

    This is what the future is meant to sound like—all potential and unlimited imagination.

    When Kendrick Lamar decamped from TDE to start pgLang, a creative agency with his manager Dave Free, there was speculation that TDE’s best days were over. Even with an impressive roster—ScHoolboy Q, SZA, Isaiah Rashad, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock—there was no guarantee that the LA record label could preserve its dominance and reputation, a sizable portion of which was owed to Lamar’s prowess: five albums, 17 Grammys, and a Pulitzer Prize (the first for a rapper). With Blue Lips, an essayistic blend of Black history and brutal reality, Schoolboy Q confirms what we’ve all been wondering: he’s the future of TDE, and it’s in good hands.

    The second installment in a trilogy of musical reclamation, Cowboy Carter is all high points. Spurred by confrontation and grounded in the lore of Southern tradition, the album unravels like the best Beyoncé records do: pure sensation, total astonishment. (Have you heard the operatic flex on “Daughter”? Chills.) Only, this time it’s personal. Years ago the scions of country music said she had no place in its walled garden. So she paved a path all her own and became the first Black woman to top the country albums chart as a result. What’s not to love?

    Maggie Rogers will probably never make a better song than “Say It”—from 2019’s cosmic Heard It in a Past Life—but her latest, Don’t Forget Me, is a nirvana-inducing project full of transporting earworms. The swooping cinema of “It Was Coming All Along.” The serene contemplation of “All the Same.” The blissful regret of “On & On & On.” Don’t Forget Me is the high priestess of indie pop at the summit of her powers.

    Canadian experimentalist BADBADNOTGOOD never plays it safe. Their music is full of big ideas, near-impossible swings, and arching feats of imagination that sometimes leave listeners woozy with delight. (Go listen to Talk Memory right now.) Throw Baby Rose into the mix—who is one of R&B’s most promising young acts, and sounds like Nina Simone (yes, that Nina Simone)—and the result is Slow Burn, a six-track opus of utter, unforgettable feeling.

    None of it mattered. The historic placement on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. The inaugural Grammy win for Best African Music Performance. The fact that “Water” was on almost every 2023 best songs list. Or the whispers that she might be the second-coming of Rihanna. There was no album, and because there was no album, many wondered if she was just another one-hit wonder. But we can put that chatter to bed now. Sunkissed and sultry, the South African singer’s self-titled debut is a slow-winding hybrid of amapiano, R&B, and pop that courts themes of love, loss, and longing (to say nothing of its impressive guest list: Tems, Gunna, Becky G, and Travis Scott). Get comfortable, because Tyla’s not going anywhere.

    “Earth Sign” is a rocket ship that kicks off What Now, Brittany Howard’s sophomore album, and lucky for us it only keeps ascending, soaring higher and braver into a cosmos of astrological tenderness. As frontwoman for the Alabama Shakes, Howard was an immovable force, with a quaking and transcendent voice. As a solo act, she has tapped into a new dimension of musicianship—one that feels more elemental than artistic. Vulnerable and supernaturally forward-moving, What Now may as well be a question, because it doesn’t get much better than this.

    Hip hop’s resident trickster debut album is a mashup of sound, color, and sensation. There’s a reason Tierra Whack songs feel so lived-in: she wants to build a theater in your mind. One where you can roam, play or rest at will. World Wide Whack is exactly that, a funhouse of fantasy and swirling originality. “Accessible,” “Imaginary Friends,” and “Two Night” are my current favorites but there are no wrong answers. Go ahead and hit Play.

    And because there is an abundance of good music right now, seven more albums worth your time:

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    Jason Parham

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  • Beyoncé sends 2-year-old Philippines boy flowers, stuffed toy after viral “Where’s Beyoncé​?” TikTok video

    Beyoncé sends 2-year-old Philippines boy flowers, stuffed toy after viral “Where’s Beyoncé​?” TikTok video

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    Most of us wouldn’t dare ask the question, but Tyler Fabregas is a confident 2-year-old boy. “Where’s Beyoncé?” he asked his mother in a viral TikTok video she posted last week from Manila, Philippines.

    “Beyoncé’s in her house, baby,” his mother, Bea Fabregas, replied.

    “She’s our friend,” Tyler insisted.

    The toddler was rewarded with a bouquet of blue and white flowers alongside a stuffed dinosaur toy sent by Beyoncé herself, who watched the video and reached out to the family through her representatives.

    “For the record @beyonce and Tyler are now actually, officially friends!” Fabregas captioned an Instagram post on Wednesday. “Through the power of Queen B’s internet (millions of views and likes it’s crazy!) she saw the video and sent over some of her favorite blue flowers, a new animal best friend for Tyler and the sweetest message that our family will now always treasure.”

    According to Fabregas, Beyoncé’s note was addressed to “my friend Tyler” and included the message, “I see your halo, Tyler,” a reference to the superstar’s 2008 hit, “Halo.”

    The Instagram post included screenshots of an exchange between Fabregas and Beyoncé’s publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure.

    “I am writing to you about the cutest video you posted with the little boy wanting to visit Beyoncé’,” Noel-Schure wrote, according to the post. “Are you his family? She would love to send something to him.”

    The original 1-minute TikTok video features a conversation between Tyler and his mother at what appears to be a shopping mall food court. 

    In between bites of pizza, Tyler asks, “Can I visit Beyoncé?” and assures his mom, “You know her personally! She’s my friend.” The video ends with Tyler playing with toy animals while “Texas Hold ‘Em,” Beyoncé’s 2024 barrier-breaking country single, plays in the background.

    “I mean with the amount of mentions and videos Beyonce gets everyday, it still blows our mind to know time was set aside to send this sweet gift over,” Fabregas wrote, adding, “Tyler maybe too young to remember all this, but i’ll always remind him to dream big and shoot for the stars!! BEYONCE SENT MY BABY FLOWERS!!!!”

    Beyoncé has created buzz several times in recent months by sending flowers to various celebrities and collaborators, including Jack White, K. Michelle, Reneé Rapp, Katie Couric, Megan Thee Stallion, Mickey Guyton and others.

    —Leo Rocha contributed reporting.

    S. Dev

    S. Dev is a news editor for CBSNews.com.

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