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  • Tell Me Más: Grammy-Winning Goyo’s Rise to Fame Has Been a Win For Afro-Latine Artists

    Tell Me Más: Grammy-Winning Goyo’s Rise to Fame Has Been a Win For Afro-Latine Artists

    [ad_1]

    In our Q&A /feature series Tell Me Más, we ask some of our favorite Latine artists to share some inside info about their lives and habits, revealing everything from their most recent read to the songs that get them hyped. This month, Grammy-winning artist Goyo, a member of legendary group ChocQuibTown, drops in to talk about her latest turn as a solo act, Afro-Latine representation, and what she’s got in store for us in 2024.

    As reggaetón, afrobeats, and trap become global, their distinct sounds and formulas become more cemented. However, rapper and singer Goyo has always defied the confines of a single genre. As a member of the award-winning group ChocQuibTown, the sound that she helped craft along with her brother Miguel “Slow” Martinez and Carlos “Tostao” Valencia, combined elements of traditional African percussion, Colombian folk, hip-hop, dancehall, and reggaetón. Now, as she continues her musical journey, this time as a solo artist, Goyo still finds it difficult to put a label on exactly what her sound is.

    “The truth is that it’s difficult for me to classify myself as one single thing . . . I can easily do a song that’s straight hip-hop or a song that’s straight folkloric. It’s part of what I am,” says the artist.

    When she first arrived on the scene, it was just as difficult for the industry to classify her and her fellow group members. They won their first Grammy under the rock/alternative category for the song “De Donde Vengo Yo,” as there was no urbano category at that time. But since that time, the genre has exploded allowing young artists from barrios across the globe to chase their dreams and allowing female emcees to show what they are capable of.

    Yet, despite this influx of new talent, there is a fluidity and maturity to Goyo’s sound that immediately sets her apart.

    “Within the urbano movement, hip hop, rapping, singing, that’s where I feel most comfortable,” she tells POPSUGAR.

    For long-time fans of ChocQuibTown, this should come as no surprise, as Goyo’s talent for melodic hooks and precise lyricism has been evident since ChocQuibTown’s debut album “Somos Pacifico” in 2006. However, now that the spotlight is solely focused on her, she’s able to fully embrace her versatility, crafting songs and exploring concepts that highlight a more personal journey.

    “With ChocQuibTown, what we wanted to do was put Chocó on the map, to vindicate our culture, and in some way say that ‘hey, we’re here.’ We’re representing our hood.”

    “With ChocQuibTown, what we wanted to do was put Chocó on the map, to vindicate our culture, and in some way say that ‘hey, we’re here.’ We’re representing our hood,” Goyo shares. “The difference now [as a soloist] is the experience, everything that I’ve lived, showing everything that I am as a versatile woman.”

    It’s a journey that has many parallels with a certain hip-hop legend and one of Goyo’s idols: Ms. Lauryn Hill. Both were the sole female members of powerhouse rap groups. Both burst onto the scene to immediate acclaim and not only could harmonize and provide R&B elements to compliment their male group members’ raps, but they were also powerhouse spitters in their own right. The similarities aren’t lost on Goyo as she admits to looking to Ms. Hill, not only as a source of inspiration but a teacher of sorts, helping her build confidence as a young emcee.

    “For me, she’s a teacher in the way that [listening to her music] was able to rid me of a lot of fear and allow me to be myself when it came time to write [my verses],” Goyo says.

    Along with Hill, Goyo mentions Foxy Brown, and Rah Digga as major influences. On the Latin side of things, artists like Tego Calderon, Celia Cruz, and Grupo Niche have all had a tremendous impact on her.

    “I grew up surrounded by music, my mother and my aunts always singing in the house. So while I was growing up influences would always come to me from all different sides,” she recalls.

    These different sides were something she got to showcase in the HBO special, “En Letra de Otro,” where she put her spin on classic songs like Don Omar’s “Otra Noche” and Tito Puente’s “Oye Como Va.” But don’t get it twisted, these weren’t just Goyo’s interpretations of classics. She truly made them her own, rearranging them with completely original lyrics and beats.

    Now, she’s ready to follow up that project with a new album of all original tracks. And if the first two singles are anything to go by, Goyo is using the deep waters of the urbano genre as her playground.

    “Tumbao” gives reggaetón de la vieja vibes with its simple dembow and traditional percussion elements. Insomnia on the other hand is a complete 180. Produced by hip-hop producer IllMind, it starts with a heavy rock riff before leading into some snappy snare drums and driving a Jersey-style bassline over which Goyo flows between a melodic chorus and more pointed raps with ease.

    “Within the creative process, it’s important to have a concept, a beginning, and an end,” she says.”But in rap, sometimes you’ll have a punchline that doesn’t have anything to do with the concept but you can make it connect with the next verse. It’s a beautiful game and it’s the thing I most enjoy, that it’s not rigid. That I can start a song melodically and when I get bored, switch to rapping.”

    But despite the growth that she’s undergone and despite her career entering a new chapter, Goyo affirms that she’s still the Goyo her fans were introduced to back in 2006. And as an Afro-Colombiana in a genre that, despite its Afro-Latine origins, has become increasingly whitened, she understands that the representation that she’s championed ever since her ensemble days is just as important now as it was in the earlier days of her career.

    “I think that the process [by which Afro-Latines find success] is a process that takes time, that maybe in my generation, I won’t see as many changes as the next generation will, but [the work is being done],” she says.”And the important thing is that we are conscious of that work . . . that we understand where we come from and take beauty from that … so that we can keep advancing and make the load lighter for [future generations].”

    When it comes to lightening the load, Goyo has played a significant role since stepping onto the world stage. Not only did she help put the historically Black neighborhood of Chocó on the map, but her continued success helped to make room and provide a blueprint for the next generation of Afro-Latine artists, showing them that commercial and critical success is possible while still staying true to your sound and where you come from.

    Yet, for an artist who has already achieved so much and stands as an inspiration to her people, Goyo wants her fans to know that she’s still got more to achieve at this stage of her career and is looking forward to bringing them along for the ride.

    “We’re putting a lot of love into the album, “La Pantera,” and I hope that the fans like it and connect with [it] . . . ,” she says. “Something I’ve always wanted to achieve is to have a solo album — to perform, to tour as a soloist and reconnect with the fans who have followed us and also to find along this new route more people to accompany me in the process. Now, I’m able to materialize that dream.”

    Now that we’ve got you hyped for Goyo’s upcoming project, keep reading to get the deets on who she’d like to collaborate with, what she’d be doing if she wasn’t rapping, and what she does cuando la insomnia se la pega.

    POPSUGAR: Where is your happy place?

    Goyo: Wherever my family is.

    POPSUGAR: What song would you play to get the party started?

    Goyo: Blessings (Remix) by Victor Thompson.

    POPSUGAR: What do you do when you can’t sleep?

    Goyo: Write. Read.

    POPSUGAR: Who’s your most listened to artist right now?

    Goyo: Fridayy. I’m crazy about Fridayy

    POPSUGAR: Which artists would you like to collaborate with in the future?

    Goyo: Don Omar. Tego Calderon. And Eladio. He goes super hard.

    POPSUGAR: If it wasn’t music, what passion would you dedicate yourself to?

    Goyo: Writing.

    POPSUGAR: What was the best thing about being in a music group?

    Goyo: Being the only woman.

    POPSUGAR: What was the most difficult thing?

    Goyo: Being the only woman.

    POPSUGAR: Finally, how would you define the word “Tumbao”?

    Goyo: Tumbao is that special something that I have and that you have but is different for everyone.

    [ad_2]

    Miguel Machado

    Source link

  • Tell Me Más: Grammy-Winning Goyo’s Rise to Fame Has Been a Win For Afro-Latine Artists – POPSUGAR Australia

    Tell Me Más: Grammy-Winning Goyo’s Rise to Fame Has Been a Win For Afro-Latine Artists – POPSUGAR Australia

    [ad_1]

    In our Q&A /feature series Tell Me Más, we ask some of our favorite Latine artists to share some inside info about their lives and habits, revealing everything from their most recent read to the songs that get them hyped. This month, Grammy-winning artist Goyo, a member of legendary group ChocQuibTown, drops in to talk about her latest turn as a solo act, Afro-Latine representation, and what she’s got in store for us in 2024.

    As reggaetón, afrobeats, and trap become global, their distinct sounds and formulas become more cemented. However, rapper and singer Goyo has always defied the confines of a single genre. As a member of the award-winning group ChocQuibTown, the sound that she helped craft along with her brother Miguel “Slow” Martinez and Carlos “Tostao” Valencia, combined elements of traditional African percussion, Colombian folk, hip-hop, dancehall, and reggaetón. Now, as she continues her musical journey, this time as a solo artist, Goyo still finds it difficult to put a label on exactly what her sound is.

    “The truth is that it’s difficult for me to classify myself as one single thing . . . I can easily do a song that’s straight hip-hop or a song that’s straight folkloric. It’s part of what I am,” says the artist.

    Related: Prince Royce Talks Life After Divorce and How It Inspired His New Album, “Llamada Perdida”

    When she first arrived on the scene, it was just as difficult for the industry to classify her and her fellow group members. They won their first Grammy under the rock/alternative category for the song “De Donde Vengo Yo,” as there was no urbano category at that time. But since that time, the genre has exploded allowing young artists from barrios across the globe to chase their dreams and allowing female emcees to show what they are capable of.

    Yet, despite this influx of new talent, there is a fluidity and maturity to Goyo’s sound that immediately sets her apart.

    “Within the urbano movement, hip hop, rapping, singing, that’s where I feel most comfortable,” she tells POPSUGAR.

    For long-time fans of ChocQuibTown, this should come as no surprise, as Goyo’s talent for melodic hooks and precise lyricism has been evident since ChocQuibTown’s debut album “Somos Pacifico” in 2006. However, now that the spotlight is solely focused on her, she’s able to fully embrace her versatility, crafting songs and exploring concepts that highlight a more personal journey.

    “With ChocQuibTown, what we wanted to do was put Chocó on the map, to vindicate our culture, and in some way say that ‘hey, we’re here.’ We’re representing our hood.”

    “With ChocQuibTown, what we wanted to do was put Chocó on the map, to vindicate our culture, and in some way say that ‘hey, we’re here.’ We’re representing our hood,” Goyo shares. “The difference now [as a soloist] is the experience, everything that I’ve lived, showing everything that I am as a versatile woman.”

    It’s a journey that has many parallels with a certain hip-hop legend and one of Goyo’s idols: Ms. Lauryn Hill. Both were the sole female members of powerhouse rap groups. Both burst onto the scene to immediate acclaim and not only could harmonize and provide R&B elements to compliment their male group members’ raps, but they were also powerhouse spitters in their own right. The similarities aren’t lost on Goyo as she admits to looking to Ms. Hill, not only as a source of inspiration but a teacher of sorts, helping her build confidence as a young emcee.

    “For me, she’s a teacher in the way that [listening to her music] was able to rid me of a lot of fear and allow me to be myself when it came time to write [my verses],” Goyo says.

    Along with Hill, Goyo mentions Foxy Brown, and Rah Digga as major influences. On the Latin side of things, artists like Tego Calderon, Celia Cruz, and Grupo Niche have all had a tremendous impact on her.

    “I grew up surrounded by music, my mother and my aunts always singing in the house. So while I was growing up influences would always come to me from all different sides,” she recalls.

    These different sides were something she got to showcase in the HBO special, “En Letra de Otro,” where she put her spin on classic songs like Don Omar’s “Otra Noche” and Tito Puente’s “Oye Como Va.” But don’t get it twisted, these weren’t just Goyo’s interpretations of classics. She truly made them her own, rearranging them with completely original lyrics and beats.

    Now, she’s ready to follow up that project with a new album of all original tracks. And if the first two singles are anything to go by, Goyo is using the deep waters of the urbano genre as her playground.

    “Tumbao” gives reggaetón de la vieja vibes with its simple dembow and traditional percussion elements. Insomnia on the other hand is a complete 180. Produced by hip-hop producer IllMind, it starts with a heavy rock riff before leading into some snappy snare drums and driving a Jersey-style bassline over which Goyo flows between a melodic chorus and more pointed raps with ease.

    “Within the creative process, it’s important to have a concept, a beginning, and an end,” she says.”But in rap, sometimes you’ll have a punchline that doesn’t have anything to do with the concept but you can make it connect with the next verse. It’s a beautiful game and it’s the thing I most enjoy, that it’s not rigid. That I can start a song melodically and when I get bored, switch to rapping.”

    But despite the growth that she’s undergone and despite her career entering a new chapter, Goyo affirms that she’s still the Goyo her fans were introduced to back in 2006. And as an Afro-Colombiana in a genre that, despite its Afro-Latine origins, has become increasingly whitened, she understands that the representation that she’s championed ever since her ensemble days is just as important now as it was in the earlier days of her career.

    “I think that the process [by which Afro-Latines find success] is a process that takes time, that maybe in my generation, I won’t see as many changes as the next generation will, but [the work is being done],” she says.”And the important thing is that we are conscious of that work . . . that we understand where we come from and take beauty from that … so that we can keep advancing and make the load lighter for [future generations].”

    When it comes to lightening the load, Goyo has played a significant role since stepping onto the world stage. Not only did she help put the historically Black neighborhood of Chocó on the map, but her continued success helped to make room and provide a blueprint for the next generation of Afro-Latine artists, showing them that commercial and critical success is possible while still staying true to your sound and where you come from.

    Yet, for an artist who has already achieved so much and stands as an inspiration to her people, Goyo wants her fans to know that she’s still got more to achieve at this stage of her career and is looking forward to bringing them along for the ride.

    “We’re putting a lot of love into the album, “La Pantera,” and I hope that the fans like it and connect with [it] . . . ,” she says. “Something I’ve always wanted to achieve is to have a solo album – to perform, to tour as a soloist and reconnect with the fans who have followed us and also to find along this new route more people to accompany me in the process. Now, I’m able to materialize that dream.”

    Now that we’ve got you hyped for Goyo’s upcoming project, keep reading to get the deets on who she’d like to collaborate with, what she’d be doing if she wasn’t rapping, and what she does cuando la insomnia se la pega.

    POPSUGAR: Where is your happy place?

    Goyo: Wherever my family is.

    POPSUGAR: What song would you play to get the party started?

    Goyo: Blessings (Remix) by Victor Thompson.

    POPSUGAR: What do you do when you can’t sleep?

    Goyo: Write. Read.

    POPSUGAR: Who’s your most listened to artist right now?

    Goyo: Fridayy. I’m crazy about Fridayy

    POPSUGAR: Which artists would you like to collaborate with in the future?

    Goyo: Don Omar. Tego Calderon. And Eladio. He goes super hard.

    POPSUGAR: If it wasn’t music, what passion would you dedicate yourself to?

    Goyo: Writing.

    POPSUGAR: What was the best thing about being in a music group?

    Goyo: Being the only woman.

    POPSUGAR: What was the most difficult thing?

    Goyo: Being the only woman.

    POPSUGAR: Finally, how would you define the word “Tumbao”?

    Goyo: Tumbao is that special something that I have and that you have but is different for everyone.

    [ad_2]

    Miguel machado

    Source link

  • None of Us Should Have to Be as Brave as Nex Benedict, the Nonbinary Teen Who Died – POPSUGAR Australia

    None of Us Should Have to Be as Brave as Nex Benedict, the Nonbinary Teen Who Died – POPSUGAR Australia

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    I wish I could say I was surprised. Shocked, hurt, appalled, disgusted. I wish I could feel furious, seething, incandescent with rage, irate. All of those would be appropriate responses – or maybe not. Maybe there is no appropriate response to the death of a child. Maybe I just want to be able to communicate the true depth of the grief that is felt by the trans community at the loss of Nex Benedict, who died on Feb. 8, a day after a fight at their Oklahoma school.

    Maybe I want to be able to explain just how much it hurts to hear news of a child being beaten senseless simply for standing up for themselves, what the shape and texture of that feeling really is, how it sticks between the ribs of every trans person, how it cannot be metabolized, how it sits and rots within us for a lifetime. How to name the weight of the acceptance that violence remains an immutable part of the trans experience. I wish I had the luxury of horror.

    “Nex’s death illustrates the kind of bullying and hatred these laws make space for.”

    As Benedict’s guardian and grandmother, Sue Benedict, told The Independent, 16-year-old Nex had been bullied at school for at least a year, ever since the Oklahoma bathroom law that requires public-school students to use the bathroom that corresponds with the gender on their birth certificate had been signed into law. Sue said she had urged them to “be strong and look the other way,” although she admits that she “didn’t know how bad it had gotten.” In text messages to a family member obtained by FOX23, Nex described getting “jumped” at school by three girls who had been bullying him and his friends: “I got tired of it so I poured some water on them and all 3 came after me,” they wrote. Nex was suspended for their role in the fight, according to their grandmother. They were also the only participant who had to go to the hospital for the injuries they sustained, and the only participant who dropped dead the next day.

    The rise of anti-trans legislation in the past four years has been record-breaking, and the majority of the laws target trans children specifically. Sports participation and bathroom bills seem innocuous – who cares if some trans kid in Nebraska can’t play girls soccer? What does it matter where that same kid goes to the bathroom? But the reality is much more sinister. Nex’s death illustrates the kind of bullying and hatred these laws make space for. Nicole McAfee, the executive director of Freedom Oklahoma, told The New York Times that bathroom bills like the one passed in Oklahoma can encourage students themselves to police bathrooms. Kids who don’t present as their natal gender are questioned, and “there is a sense of, ‘Do you belong in here?’”

    For what it’s worth, Nex identified as nonbinary and was complying with the law by using the women’s bathroom. They belonged “in there,” but that didn’t count for very much in the end.

    In 2024, there have already been 468 anti-trans bills introduced across the country, according to the Trans Legislations Tracker. These cover everything from gender-affirming care to bathroom usage to sports teams to the use of pronouns in the workplace. Oklahoma is the most active state in the country in this category, with 59 bills introduced this year alone. With numbers like this, I shudder to think how many more Nex Benedicts there could be. In his push to pass the bathroom bill back in 2022, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters said “it puts our girls in jeopardy.” The idea that teenage girls need to be protected from trans people isn’t new – that all trans people are de facto pedophiles is one of the oldest pillars of transphobia — though that assertion used to be reserved for adults. Clearly, the safety of children like Nex is not a concern for Walters or others like him.

    Every trans adult has been a trans child whether they were out or not – I was Nex once. Kicked out of the girls’ locker room by other girls because I was too butch, asked to leave health class because my queer presence made other kids uncomfortable, told again and again and again to turn the other cheek when I was spat on, insulted, abused. This was 20 years ago, before anyone had really heard of Chaz Bono or Caitlyn Jenner, when the idea of asking for pronouns would have been absurd. I’m not asking for sympathy here; I had it relatively easy. I am saying that the experience of being bullied for your identity is nearly ubiquitous in the trans community. I am saying that it should not be that way.

    Related: It’s a Dangerous Time For the LGBTQ+ Community; Here’s How We Can All Help

    As a trans adult, my truest ambition has been to make the world a little safer for other trans people. I’m not the only person in my community with this ambition. So many of us feel like ambassadors, hoping that if we answer enough questions, explain clearly, demonstrate our humanity, cis people will understand that no trans adult or child is a threat to anyone based solely on their transness. All of us hope to make a gentler world – not just for our teenage selves, but for kids like Nex. All of us hope that for every cis person we explain ourselves to, we save a trans person violence and hatred. But it doesn’t work, and Nex’s death shows us clearly that it never will.

    I said earlier that I was Nex Benedict once, but that isn’t entirely true. I didn’t come out until adulthood. The truth is, I wasn’t as brave as Nex Benedict.

    Few of us are.

    None of us should have to be.

    Rest in power, Nex.

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    William horn

    Source link

  • Black Women in Country Are Grateful Beyoncé Is Entering the Genre

    Black Women in Country Are Grateful Beyoncé Is Entering the Genre

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    Tanner Adell fell in love with country music young.

    She grew up splitting her time between Los Angeles and Star Valley, WY, which created a stark contrast — but it was the country lifestyle, and specifically the music, that held her heart. Adell remembers falling in love with Keith Urban when he released “Somebody Like You.” And every summer, when she and her mom would set out to drive back to LA from Star Valley, she’d sit in the back of the car and “just silently cry my eyes out as we’d start on this road trip back to California,” she remembers.

    These days, Adell is a rising country music star. And ever since Beyoncé released “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” on Super Bowl Sunday and announced her forthcoming country album, “Act II,” the spotlight has been on Black women country artists like her. A lot of that attention has been positive; Adell and others say they’re incredibly excited about what this will mean for the genre. But it’s also been a bit contentious. After an Oklahoma radio station refused to play Beyoncé because it “is a country music station,” an online uproar convinced the station to reverse its decision — and ignited a larger conversation around inclusion within the genre.

    “Country music is how you feel, it’s your story, it’s part of you.”

    For Black women artists like Adell, pursuing country music often transcends the difficulty that might come with navigating their identity in a genre dominated by white men. As she puts it, “Country music is how you feel, it’s your story, it’s part of you.”

    The same was true for Tiera Kennedy when she started writing songs in high school. She was a big fan of Taylor Swift at the time, and she just fell into expressing herself through the genre. “I always say I don’t feel like I found country music, I feel like country music found me,” she tells POPSUGAR. “When I started making music, it just came out that way. I was writing what I was going through at the time, which was boy drama. And I fell in love with all things country music and just dove into it.”

    Moving to Nashville seven years ago was “a big deal” for Kennedy in terms of building up her career: “Everyone told me that if you want to be in country music, you have to be in Nashville.” When she got there, she was surprised she was so welcomed by others in the industry, which doesn’t necessarily happen for everyone, given how tight-knit the city can be. “I was super thankful and blessed to have met so many people early on who have opened doors for me without asking for anything in return,” Kennedy says.

    For Adell, too, moving to the “capital of country music” almost three years ago was huge in pushing her career forward. And an essential part of that has been finding a community of other Black women artists. “Oh, we have a group chat,” she quips. “We’re extremely supportive, and I think sometimes people are trying to pin us against each other or even pin us against Beyoncé, but you’re not going to get that beef or that drama.”

    “Country is just as much a part of the fabric of Black culture as hip-hop is.”

    But while these artists have been able to foster a strong community within Nashville, it’s no secret that country music has been facing a reckoning when it comes to racism and sexism. Chart-topping artists like Jason Aldean and Morgan Wallen have recently weaponized racism as a marketing tool, per NPR. In September, Maren Morris said she was distancing herself from the genre for some of these reasons. “After the Trump years, people’s biases were on full display,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “It just revealed who people really were and that they were proud to be misogynistic and racist and homophobic and transphobic.”

    But the reality is that Black artists have always been part of the foundation of country. As Prana Supreme Diggs — who performs with her mom, Tekitha, as O.N.E the Duo — says, “Black Americans, so much of our history is rooted in the South. Country is just as much a part of the fabric of Black culture as hip-hop is.”

    Diggs grew up in California watching her mother, a vocalist for Wu-Tang Clan, host jam sessions at her house. She’s been wanting to perform professionally with her mom since she was a teenager, but it wasn’t until the beginning of the pandemic that they really committed to their joint country project.

    For Diggs, there’s been nothing but excitement since Beyoncé’s commercial came on during the Super Bowl. She immediately ran to her computer to listen to the songs. “And the second the instrumental came on for ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ came on, I was like, oh my god, it’s happening,” she says. “We are finally here.”

    Tekitha felt the same way. “In the Black and country community, we’ve really been needing a champion,” she says. “We’ve been needing someone who can kind of blow the door open and to recognize our voice is important in this genre.”

    Adell says that given how iconic Beyoncé is, the criticism she’s received speaks volumes about how far country still has to go. “For her to have given so much of herself to the world and when she decides to have a little stylistic change to not just be supported — I don’t understand it,” she says. “I don’t understand why people aren’t just like, ‘This is cool, Beyoncé’s coming out with a country album!’”

    Kennedy tries to focus on the positives of the industry (if she gets shut out of an opportunity, for example, she won’t dwell, she’ll just go after the next), but being a Black woman in America will always come with systemic challenges. “No, it hasn’t always been easy,” she says. “There are so many layers tacked onto that: being a new artist, being female, being Black in country music. But I think if I focused on how hard that is, I would fall out of love with country music.”

    That positive thinking has been paying off; the past week has been really exciting for Kennedy. She released a cover of “Texas Hold ‘Em,” which has since gone viral. After she posted the video, new fans streamed into her DMs, telling her they didn’t even know her type of country, which is infused with R&B, existed. It’s something other Black women country stars are echoing: that the new focus on their contributions to the genre is a long time coming — and a huge opportunity.

    “I’m super thankful that Beyoncé is entering into this genre and bringing this whole audience with her,” Kennedy says. “And hopefully that’ll bring up some of the artists that have been in town a long time and grinding at it. I don’t think there’s anybody better than Beyoncé to do it.”

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    Lena Felton

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  • Prince Royce Talks Life After Divorce and How It Inspired His New Album, “Llamada Perdida”

    Prince Royce Talks Life After Divorce and How It Inspired His New Album, “Llamada Perdida”

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    “I get way more scared and embarrassed having to talk about my personal life in interviews than saying it in a song,” Prince Royce admits during an interview in Los Angeles for his new album, “Llamada Perdida,” which dropped Friday. With a decade-plus career that has generally been free of controversy, the Dominican American bachata artist and pop star is wearing his heart on his sleeve in his first LP since a very public divorce. Prince Royce says he has found healing through music while re-prioritizing himself and pushing the bachata genre to new places.

    “Right now, I feel like I’m in a good place,” he tells POPSUGAR. “Everybody has problems. It’s just how you deal with them, and I think it’s all part of growth. That’s how I took in this experience in my personal life that happened in the last two years.”

    Royce is referring to his split with ex-wife and Mexican Lebanese actress Emeraude Toubia. After their fairy-tale-like wedding in 2018, the two announced their divorce in 2022 after 12 years together. For Prince Royce, it was the first time that a difficult moment in his private life had gone very public.

    “Some of these things in my personal life had been going on for a while. You’re kind of battling this thing in private until it actually explodes to the people.”

    “A lot of people thought when they saw it on Instagram, that’s when it actually happened,” he recalls. “Some of these things in my personal life had been going on for a while. You’re kind of battling this thing in private until it actually explodes to the people. Fans want to know what happened, and what if I don’t want the fans to know? I tried to stay away from social media for some time.”

    Prince Royce’s vast catalog of hits includes love songs alongside bachata tracks about heartbreak. There’s classics like 2014’s “El Amor Que Perdimos,” and “Culpa al Corazón,” which was released a few years later. He admits that while he didn’t experience any breakups while writing those songs, they struck a different chord when he revisited them after his divorce.

    “I started listening to songs of the past, and I started to believe I was living what I wrote,” he says. “I was living my past songs in the present. It was actually mad weird and scary. I cried to one of my old songs, and I felt like I was vibing with a Prince Royce that saw Prince Royce’s future.”

    Prince Royce’s divorce, compounded with the COVID-19 pandemic, left him with a lot to reflect on. He temporarily stepped away from the spotlight and surrounded himself with loved ones. During his brief hiatus from music, the bachatero reevaluated how he wanted to move on with his life and his career.

    “I started listening to these podcasts about manifestation,” he says. “When problems come, I just try to be positive. I’m genuinely trying to be a better person, make better decisions, and take care of my health. I want to try to put out the best music that I can do. I want to feel good about it. I want to do new things.”

    For Prince Royce, creating “Llamada Perdida” was a cathartic experience. On the 23-track LP, there are several bachata songs about heartbreak: he sings about suffering from heartache in “Sufro” and later wanting to numb the pain with morphine in the R&B-infused “Morfina,” featuring Paloma Mami. But he maintains that “not every song has to be real.”

    “Some songs are fictional. Some songs are just inspired by [something]. Some songs are not 100 percent. I like to hide myself behind the artistry of what if it is or what if it isn’t,” he explains.

    Throughout his career, Prince Royce has proudly represented bachata music from the Dominican Republic. While recording the album, he rediscovered his joy for making music and innovating the age-old genre in his own way. One of the most poignant collaborations is “Boogie Chata,” featuring A Boogie Wit da Hoodie. The song seamlessly blends bachata with elements of hip-hop.

    “[A Boogie Wit da Hoodie] is such a talented dude,” Prince Royce says. “He’s from the Bronx. I wanted to do something that was like Bronx representation. That’s another one of my favorites. It was a great fusion. We did it just kind of doing our thing and having fun.”

    Prince Royce also taps into the música Mexicana explosion with the song “Cosas de la Peda.” Rising Mexican singer Gabito Ballesteros is featured in the heartbreaking song, which is a freshly unique mix of bachata with corridos tumbados. In the music video, Prince Royce also embraces a Mexican vaquero style as he sings with Ballesteros in a cantina.

    “I did ‘Incondicional’ that had mariachi, and I recorded before with [Mexican singers] Roberto Tapia and Gerardo Ortiz,” he says. “I wanted to push the envelope even more and have a bachata song with a deeper regional Mexican influence. I got to do that on this album. I just felt more free. I wanted to represent bachata and where I’m from with this type of album and still give a little bit of everything.”

    Prince Royce was also excited to explore more Dominican genres — like dembow in “Le Doy 20 Mil” and merengue típico in the fiery “Frío en el Infierno.” One of the songs that mean the most to him is the empowering “La Vida Te Hace Fuerte,” where he sings about the hard knocks of life making him stronger.

    “We all go through very difficult things in our lives very differently,” he says. “We all go through problems, but how do we solve them together? This is an album about overcoming obstacles. I want to just be here, do my thing, do things that make me happy, and try to keep touching people’s hearts.”

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    Lucas Villa

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  • Blind Fashion Designer Natalie Trevonne Just Launched Her Own Brand

    Blind Fashion Designer Natalie Trevonne Just Launched Her Own Brand

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    POPSUGAR Photography | Sarah Wasilak
    POPSUGAR Photography | Sarah Wasilak

    When I first met Natalie Trevonne, she was working in consulting and moonlighting as a writer eager to share her frustrations with the fashion industry. Trevonne, 33, began her journey as a legally blind woman at age 18, following struggles with corrective surgery after being diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. She went on to report about the ways in which online shopping lacks in accessibility for POPSUGAR in 2021, and about the poor audio description in popular fashion TV shows the following year. In 2023, she wrote about her experience walking in an inclusive, all-blind runway show. Meanwhile, she was preparing to launch her own brand, NYI, which stands for Not Your Inspiration.

    After working with Ernest Spicer, the company’s CTO and designer, on an NFT wedding dress (shown at the first-ever Meta Fashion Week), the two put their heads together to create a clothing brand that Trevonne felt was missing from the physical world. For her, that meant creating pieces with creative embellishments and emphasizing texture, hence the slogan “Style You Can Touch.”

    “Take the disability out of it. Would I still be inspirational? If not, then maybe it’s not the compliment that you think it is.”

    “As a blind woman, I identify my clothes through textures, so we’re playing with a lot of fun fabrics, like we have silks and lace and leather and corduroy. We have this really sexy tweed dress,” Trevonne explained when she guest-starred on my podcast, “Dinner for Shoes,” in December. “[We’re] really modernizing some classic textures and being able to feel them, so that when you do go into your closet, you’re like, ‘OK, this is NYI.’” Trevonne further elaborated on why texture is key for the blind community, and how it differentiates her label from others. “For a blind person, we can’t have 10 cotton shirts, we’re not gonna know what’s what,” she said. “I have a tweed skirt from Zara that I love, and I know it’s red because it’s my tweed Zara skirt. So I’m adding the color to the texture so I never forget.” Trevonne hopes her customers will be able to do the same with her inventory.

    Days ahead of New York Fashion Week, she introduced her first drop to the East Coast at an intimate showing among family, friends, brand supporters, editors, and influencers. I was honored to lead an interview segment and discussion about NYI’s long-term goals, one of which is an advocacy branch called Access Chicks, which will foster community by inviting those with disabilities to in-person sessions where they can learn about fashion and beauty from industry insiders. Trevonne knows how meaningful these NYI-hosted events will be for folks who aren’t as familiar with cultivating personal style and may have questions they don’t normally feel comfortable asking in other settings — while shopping, for instance.

    While you’d be hard-pressed to find an accessible brand today with such a specific, driven mission, adaptive clothing lines do exist. Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria’s Secret, Skims, and Target are all big-name companies that have recently made headlines for introducing small batches of products equipped with details like magnetic closures, functional vents and openings, and adjusted fit points. But they’re falling short, according to Trevonne.

    NYI

    CEO of NYI Natalie Trevonne wears the Bossy tweed dress.

    “Adaptive fashion is great, and I’m not arguing against adaptive fashion, because I think it’s helpful,” Trevonne started. “But what I’ve been trying to get brands to do is just to design with function in mind. Like, we don’t need a separate line. People do not want to feel othered. People are not going to go and buy your adaptive stuff, I’m going to be honest. They don’t tend to be that stylish. And I’m not trying to be rude, but usually it’s a button-up and some jeans. My friends who have dexterity issues who are in wheelchairs, they shop at Fashion Nova . . . They want to be included in the regular style. Just add the functionality to your [pre-existing] collections, and the websites.”

    [Trevonne is] someone who creates clothing that’s equitable in both style and accessibility, without depending on micro-collections that are othering.”

    Trevonne worked with designers Sky Cubacub of Rebirth Garments and Project Runway alum Kyle Denman on the I AM: Inclusive Fashion Experience hosted by LaVant Consulting in October 2023, where NYI first made its runway debut. “[Denman] did not bat an eye when we were like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna have some disabled models.’ He jumped in and made sure that his clothes were functional for everyone,” Trevonne said. “That’s what I loved about these designers: they didn’t make a whole new line, they just incorporated the people with disabilities into their collection to make sure that things fit.”

    This idea is significant to the meaning behind the name of Trevonne’s company, Not Your Inspiration. “As a person with a disability, I could be walking down the street and somebody will be like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re so brave. You’re walking out here by yourself? What an inspiration!’ And I’m like, I’m walking like you,” she said. “Take the disability out of it. Would I still be inspirational? If not, then maybe it’s not the compliment that you think it is. And I don’t want to be inspirational for just being blind. Everyone has the opportunity to wake up every day and choose to show up, and I don’t see that as inspiration.”

    In the coming months, Trevonne will continue to use her platform and her brand to spread the word about accessibility, while working to launch her advocacy program, Access Chicks. She also hopes to eventually open storefronts, because online shopping is not accessible for everyone. “I would love for blind people to have an actual place to go in and just feel everything and have a good time. And it won’t just be for blind people. I think a lot of people enjoy that about fashion,” she notes. It all proves Trevonne is the type of founder and designer she hopes to see more of in the industry — someone who creates clothing that’s equitable in both style and accessibility, without depending on micro-collections that are othering.

    And just like that, Trevonne has realized her own dream. If there’s anything inspirational about her, it’s that.

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    Sarah Wasilak

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  • Gabriela Berlingeri Is Focused on Self-Love — and Her Jewelry Line Celebrates That

    Gabriela Berlingeri Is Focused on Self-Love — and Her Jewelry Line Celebrates That

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    Even for those who seek to be the center of attention, the spotlight often comes with a heavy price. In a world where gossip rules much of the mediasphere, even non-celebrities can end up caught up in the maelstrom of intense public attention. Especially if they’re closely associated with someone famous and recognizable. Gabriela Berlingeri experienced that, and to a degree very few can relate to, during the time she dated one of the most famous people on the planet — Bad Bunny.

    The story of how Berlingeri and the Latin trap artist had a chance meeting and started up a relationship back in 2017 has become part of his lore. The two were together for several years and even collaborated on a handful of songs. She was even shouted out in “Acho PR,” a single off his latest album “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana.”

    The details of when and how the relationship ended have been kept close to their chests, in tune with what was already a highly private romance. And while media outlets have covered every last one of Bad Bunny’s moves in the last year, Berlingeri has immersed herself in her passion project — her jewelry line, DiciembreVeintinueve. Named after her birth date, the brand has also aided her in discovering new and healthy perspectives on self-love and life beyond a high-profile relationship.

    Raised all her life in the beachy Isla Verde neighborhood of Carolina, Puerto Rico, Berlingeri has always counted herself as close to nature. She describes her family as one filled with “creators,” a trait that she feels proud to follow.

    “My grandmother makes stained glass, my dad designed all his tattoos, plus he loves painting. My aunt is an architect. My family has been quite creative,” Berlingeri tells POPSUGAR. “The act of making something yourself, with your hands, is amazing.”

    In her case, Berlingeri gravitated toward jewelry. “Lots of people say they can’t sleep with their jewelry on, but I always sleep with them,” she says. “I wake up, and even if I’m not wearing anything else, I’ll have my jewelry on me.”

    Her interest only increased after she worked alongside a local jewelry designer and learned how to craft pieces herself. In 2019, she began to plant the seeds for what would eventually become DiciembreVeintinueve (or D29, as it’s also known). The brand launched in November 2020 following pandemic-related delays, and since then it’s churned out beautiful necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, and more, all made in-house by Berlingeri and her team using locally sourced materials.

    Berlingeri says she has long-term ideas for collections but prefers to be inspired in the moment when it comes to individual designs. When asked how she comes up with them, she says: “It’s very random. I’ll sit down, go over what pieces I have at hand, put on my AirPods, and start linking them together. It’s like building a puzzle.”

    This month D29 is releasing its Valentine’s Day collection with pieces such as the Nabelle “Unicorn” Necklace, and a two-piece “Thelma and Louise” Necklace to share between best friends. This year’s theme is dedicated to self-love, healthy friendships, and the important bond between one’s mind, body, and spirit when you begin to focus on you. Last July, they dropped the Rhea Collection, a line inspired by the colors of Puerto Rico’s natural basins, rivers, forests, and beaches. It was an idea that suddenly sprang to Berlingeri only a few months ago. She decided to take a road trip around the island to look for further inspiration. It shows in a variety of the pieces — just look at the green tourmaline stones that make up the collar of the Medare Necklace, which she points out can represent not only the green of the flora but also how river and ocean water can sometimes take on a green hue.

    “The stones we use in our collections are natural, semiprecious,” she shares. “I’ve had lots of beach inspiration before, but this time I wanted to include more of the rivers and forests. Puerto Rico is known for its beaches, but we have many beautiful rivers and I wanted to capture their colors.”

    Another piece, the Casa Necklace, shows a palm tree in the foreground and a mountain range in the background, which reflects a view many locals live with every day — the coast on one side and the central mountains on the other. As Berlingeri puts it, “Lots of people will relate because we’re a small island. Getting to a beach is not that hard, although I know there are vicissitudes.” She recalls a news report she saw once about communities in the highest points of Puerto Rico, where people had gone their entire lives without leaving their towns. “There’s lots of poverty in Puerto Rico, up in the mountains, more than people realize,” she adds. “There are families living there who have never seen the ocean, and they have no way [to visit the coast].”

    As she speaks candidly and enthusiastically about this collection and future projects, including soon expanding D29 to sell bathing suits, her excitement is palpable. She’s surrounded by a dedicated all-women team of people she considers close friends, including head designer Shelby Díaz Esquerdo, who spearheads the waste-conscious One of One initiative, which reuses discarded elements to create one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces.

    Berlingeri knows escaping attention for whom she was with in the past will take a while, but she’s adjusted her life around what helps her ignore the noise and move forward with her goals.

    “What’s most important for me right now is maintaining myself happy and at peace,” she says. “You have to push through a lot in order to feel well and stable. And I want to create things that fulfill me, and focus on my work.”

    Berlingeri is putting that into the theme of her new line, too, framing it around the idea of having her customers buy Valentine’s Day gifts for themselves.

    “I’m in an era of: love yourself! It’s a great moment to say, ‘I’m going to get this for myself,’ during this season of consumerism, [which was] created to make you spend money.”

    “I’m in an era of: love yourself! It’s a great moment to say, ‘I’m going to get this for myself,’ during this season of consumerism, [which was] created to make you spend money,” she says. “It’s a great opportunity for someone to think about themselves for the first time and not think about other people.”

    Building up D29 and making it successful was exactly the kind of healthy distraction Berlingeri needed the last year, adding that it was “100 percent” a form of therapy for herself.

    “I get [to the office] and I’m happy. To me, getting here frees me from everything else; it keeps my feet on the ground — busy,” she says. “Sometimes I have days off and think, ‘What do I do?’ I don’t want to depend on anybody to make plans.” Right now, she loves to go to the beach by herself; she knows special spots where she can have privacy, avoid overeager fans, and simply enjoy the surf.

    That’s what this whole era is about for Berlingeri: focusing on herself, what brings her joy, and what makes her excited about the future. And that’s never too much.

    Although one of designer Coco Chanel’s famous quotes goes, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off,” Berlingeri begs to differ. “I’m sorry to Coco Chanel, but more is more,” she laughs. More work, more happiness, more time with friends, and all for the sake of no one but herself.

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    Juan Arroyo

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  • Dr. Amaka Wants to Demystify Myths About Plastic Surgery and Patients of Color – POPSUGAR Australia

    Dr. Amaka Wants to Demystify Myths About Plastic Surgery and Patients of Color – POPSUGAR Australia

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    Nneamaka Nwubah (Dr. Amaka)

    There are so many aspects of health that disproportionately affect the Black community, and yet less than six percent of US doctors are Black – a deficit that only further harms public health. Many of the Black folks who work in healthcare have dedicated their careers to combatting inequities. That’s why, this Black History Month, PS is crowning our Black Health Heroes: physicians, sexologists, doulas, and more who are advocating for the Black community in their respective fields. Meet them all here.

    It’s not uncommon for doctors to know from a very young age that they’re destined for medicine. That was certainly the case of Nneamaka Nwubah, MD, better known as Dr. Amaka. After experiencing hospitals and loss at a young age, the board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon knew she wanted to help people. She just didn’t know how, exactly, until her third year of medical school. The moment of clarity came after observing a mastectomy for breast cancer, followed by two plastic surgeons completing reconstructive surgery.

    “I was like, ‘How is this even possible?’” Dr. Amaka tells POPSUGAR. “At that moment, I was like, this is what I’m doing. It was that crystal clear.”

    At first, she was told it would be too hard and too competitive, and that it would be impossible to ever have a family while working in the field, but thankfully, she stayed the course. “I had to just silence all that noise and focus on the vision in my heart for it,” she says. She ended up matching in plastic surgery, just as she had dreamed, and the rest fell into place. Now she owns a private practice in Nashville and has become known as the person to go to for “mommy restoration,” which is her preferred name for “mommy makeovers,” or customizable procedures that address physical changes that can occur during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. Not to mention, she has more than 231,000 followers on TikTok, where she regularly shares informative videos demystifying the world of aesthetics.

    We spoke to Dr. Amaka about her career evolution, how “mommy restoration” surgeries accidentally became her signature, and the importance of representation in the industry – not just on the professional side, but on the patient side as well.

    POPSUGAR: Tell us how you started in the plastic surgery and aesthetics field.

    Dr. Amaka: After residency, I realized I liked aesthetics and cosmetics. So I did a one-year fellowship focusing on the aesthetic aspect of plastic surgery, the refinement; all of the cosmetic aspects of it. We get a ton of reconstructive stuff in residency, but we don’t get a ton of aesthetics, and I just knew I wanted to start out at the top of my game. I didn’t want to learn on the go – I wanted to start off with excellence.

    PS: What made you want to start your own practice?

    Dr. Amaka: After my fellowship, I joined a practice and enjoyed it. But then the goosebumps came again, and it was like, “You’ve got to start your own practice.” I never thought I wanted to do this – I was OK being an employee, clocking in and clocking out. But my heart was set on it, and I couldn’t shake it. So I went ahead and did that in March of 2023. We opened up the practice, and that’s where I am now.

    PS: How did mommy restoration surgeries become your signature?

    Dr. Amaka: It just came naturally. That is the population I relate heavily to. When you walk into a room and it’s another mother, you automatically have a bond. And I felt like I was really good at it. Along the way, I was meeting and talking with moms, and I was like, “This makeover stuff we’re talking about just makes people nervous and makes it sound vain.” So then I just thought, “Why don’t we call it restoration?” So that’s how that whole thing came about. Mothers go through a lot . . . it’s this mindset that I’m supposed to always take care of people; I shouldn’t be doing this for me; this is selfish.

    PS: What does mommy restoration surgery entail?

    Dr. Amaka: Seeing the transformation with everything we do is powerful, but mommy restoration surgery is the most powerful because it’s very functional. You’re walking around and you still look pregnant even though your youngest child is 10, and it impacts you every day. And it’s not just the physical, but everything does look great. The breasts are lifted; the tummy’s nice; they have nice waistlines; but it’s an internal change that you see as well.

    PS: In the plastic surgery field, Black people are underrepresented on both the patient and the surgeon side. How does that impact and influence your mission?

    “A lot of people seek me out from all over the country because of the fact that I am a Black woman and my work is good. They feel like they can trust that I’m going to give them results that they desire.”

    Dr. Amaka: It’s even fewer females, too. I think the surgery fields, in general, tend to dissuade females. When I was trying to come into the field, a lot of people told me, “You really shouldn’t do it. You’re just going to be the only one.” So it was really important to have a presence that people could see. I just always say: “I’m a Black woman with an Afro. There’s no question of what I am, and I’m doing this, and that means you can do it, too. And not only can you do it as a surgeon and be very successful, but also as a patient.”

    It helps justify the patient aspect of it. A stigma, in general, in the Black community is, “Oh, plastic surgery is not for us.” But a lot of times, just being there, being present, makes people feel heard. A lot of people seek me out from all over the country because of the fact that I am a Black woman and my work is good. They feel like they can trust that I’m going to give them results that they desire, but also that I’m going to keep them safe just from that common shared experience.

    PS: In what ways do you think the industry needs to catch up to encourage more Black women to seek out plastic surgery and surgery?

    Dr. Amaka: A way to start is just showing more women of color having surgery. Some surgeons will show a good range, but some of them are just one race. If you don’t see yourself in the before-and-afters, then you think this is just not for me. There are some myths out there. I’ll see women who were told that they’re just going to scar badly because they’re Black, and that’s just not true. So I think another part of it is just demystifying all these myths around women of color and plastic surgery. Even when it comes down to nonsurgical procedures and injectables – showing more women of color getting these treatments or talking about it demystifies it. It makes it seem like it’s for everyone because it is. When plastic surgery first came out, it was very much this elitist thing, but I think people are seeing that it’s doable for everybody and that no one needs to be excluded.

    PS: What inspired you to start creating content on TikTok?

    Dr. Amaka: I actually started doing it as education. Getting new patients wasn’t my initial goal, although it happened naturally. During my first year in practice, I saw a lady in the emergency room who went out of state for plastic surgery, had a really bad outcome, and couldn’t get in touch with anybody. I was like, “What happened?” and she was like, “I just didn’t know.” I felt like she was taken advantage of because of her lack of knowledge, which happens, and that was the pendulum shift where I started talking more and educating. That’s how the platform grew, and then it just kind of evolved into what it is now.

    PS: What’s one specific memory in your job that has really stuck with you?

    Dr. Amaka: That’s tough when there’ve been so many. I’ll say, there was a breast reconstruction situation where it was a patient who had been to multiple different places and just kept having problems and complications. The interesting thing was she had been with some very experienced surgeons. I was new – this was my first year of practice. And you have this thing to overcome whenever you start anything – and even if you’re established in something, too – where you question, am I good enough? Do I belong here? I think a lot of people go through that, and I think people of color probably go through that a little bit more. It’s just reality. So I was like: “Gosh, why me? How am I going to help this lady? She’s already had so many experienced hands on her.”

    So I remember that it was a big surgery, like 10 to 12 hours, and it required a lot of technical expertise, and it was very nerve-racking. But going through that process, getting her healed and to a point where she was doing really well and happy was a big milestone. I still see her yearly just because she feels like she needs to see someone in medicine that she can trust.

    That one stuck out as a moment where you realize it’s not about your experience with this or that; it’s just about your willingness to see a problem and try to fix it and not take no for an answer.



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    Jessica harrington

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  • Tell Me Más: Neysa Blay’s Sobriety Journey Has Transformed Her as a Music Artist

    Tell Me Más: Neysa Blay’s Sobriety Journey Has Transformed Her as a Music Artist

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    When indie rock musician Neysa Blay sat down to start writing songs for her new album, “Nada es Suficiente,” she found herself in an unusual predicament. She’d been sober for nearly a decade at that point, putting considerable distance between her turbulent past and the more placid present. “I’m really good at writing when there’s chaos and noise in my head, and when things are kind of bumpy,” she says. But now she’d overcome so many of her inner demons. “How do I learn how to write from a good place?”

    The LP, which drops in May, bridges the gap between her innate rebellious spirit and the more conscientious Blay that has emerged over the past few years. Previous singles, such as the softer “Te Gusta/Me Gusta” and no-nonsense “Quise Que Fueras Tú,” toggle between vulnerable and headstrong; she might be rough, but her heart is undoubtedly open. Her newest track, “Úsame,” channels 1980s hair metal in its sound and visuals. But to get to where she is now, the budding rock star had to survive a difficult road.

    Raised in the beach-friendly town of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, Blay’s adolescence was marked by an inner tug-of-war between the love she has for her hometown and the constraints it imposed not just on her career, but on her as a person. As an openly gay woman who recognized her orientation very early on, she felt hampered by the societal mores of her surroundings.

    “That created a lot of angst because I didn’t understand why. I felt like a part of me had to pretend. The town all of a sudden would become too small for me,” she shares. As time passed and she grew into her teenage years, the colors of Cabo Rojo began to take on a different shade. “I remember [being] young, free, happy, fulfilled, and then I started growing up. [And a] sense of doom started falling in,” Blay adds.

    Her only respite then was music, which she began to explore between the ages of 8 and 10 after seeing students who were taking music classes out of an office space her father rented to a local music academy. From there she began to take guitar and singing lessons, which didn’t surprise her parents who noticed during her younger years that she had a knack for song.

    “[They] would play a lot of boleros, and I would love that music,” she recalls. “They’d hear me singing along and they’d be like: ‘There’s so much passion there. There’s so much emotion. You’re not a 40-year-old chasing a married man.’”

    As she grew older, the encroaching pressure of how she was expected to live her life was beginning to push her towards volatile spaces. As with many people who go down the same path, Blay found herself searching for ways to abate the anxieties that were overwhelming her. This led to what would become a years-long stretch of substance abuse that would nearly derail her relationship with her family, with partners, and her career dreams.

    For nearly seven years, Blay spiraled through a life almost entirely dominated by extreme drug and alcohol use. She moved to San Juan, where she found herself in circles that directly and indirectly encouraged her lifestyle. She would attempt to lean into her music but found herself unable to.

    “Because of my addiction, I wasn’t functional, so I couldn’t do gigs. I wouldn’t show up. I would miss a lot of opportunities,” she says. She admits to crafting unreasonable ideas about how to become a working artist — ideas spurred by the effects of her vices. “I had a very distorted idea of what [pursuing music] would look like. I thought I could be singing while pumping gas and somebody would discover me. I had a very romanticized fantasy vision of how you do this.”

    Eventually, she hit what she refers to as her “ultimate emotional bottom”.

    “I was very broken. I lost everything. I couldn’t keep a job . . . My parents had just kicked me out of the house, and they had stopped any financial help,” she says, adding how she had also just gone through a breakup as well.

    That Christmas she was invited over to her parent’s home, where she was given an option: enroll in a wilderness therapy program and try to overcome her addictions. As Blay tells it, she felt “beat” at this point in her life, and accepted, deciding she had nothing else to lose. “That was a Thursday. Saturday, I was flying out.”

    She recognizes what stage of the addiction cycle she was in at this time, and how difficult it was for her loved ones to get her there. “Dealing with an addict, it’s like you can’t save them, you can’t rescue them. But when the time is appropriate, you got to let them hit that bottom,” she reflects. “If you take a person that’s unwilling into treatment, [the help is] going to go in this way and out this way. You don’t want to get better, and you kind of have to want it for yourself.”

    Looking back, Blay credits wilderness therapy with saving her life. As opposed to rehab, which she says can sometimes be “cushy,” wilderness therapy is an outdoor program of intense activities for people suffering from behavioral disorders and substance abuse that include hiking, camping, and more, with the goal of “enhancing personal and interpersonal growth.”

    “They broke me and then built me back up,” she confesses. “When you go in they don’t tell you when you leave, which is different from treatment because when you go to treatment, you’re like, ‘I’m going to do 30 days,’ and you’re already one foot in, one foot out . . . Here [there’s] no future information. I don’t know when I’m getting out. I don’t know what we’re doing today. I don’t know where we’re hiking today. And that really helped release a sense of control of my life.”

    After three and half months, she was finally deemed ready to leave the program. From there, she spent another three months at a treatment center in Chicago, to underline the progress she had made. Eventually, the day came when she was told she could relocate to wherever she wanted. “I’m already thinking in my head, what do you really want to do? Music. Music has always been in the background. Music has always been the priority,” she says.

    She convinced her parents to trust her to move to Miami, despite it being as they called it, the “cocaine capital.” Initially living in a treatment center followed by a halfway house, Blay soon found herself in her own apartment, with a job, going back to school, and getting around with a scooter.

    “I was pretty much learning how to be a person; how to be a normal, functioning human being. And I think it was one of the greatest experiences,” she says.

    In 2017, she connected with Sam Allison, an engineer at the iconic Criteria Recording Studios, and recorded “Veneno,” her first official single. That song made its way to experienced producer Marthin Chan, who became a fan and produced her debut EP, “Destrúyeme.”

    Songwriting and working on her craft while sober opened up an entirely new world of possibilities for Blay, who says “All of a sudden I was able to finish things, and not stop because anxiety was too crippling.”

    Not too long ago, she chose to move back to Puerto Rico, settling back in Cabo Rojo. She jokingly referred to it as “returning to the scene of the crime.” But there were earnest reasons behind the decision as well. Her relationship with her parents had grown stronger and more accepting since they saw how much she’d grown in the last decade and even embraced her new partner as well.

    But for Blay, there was another, deeper reason: “I wanted to tackle the sense of not belonging, to tackle the feeling of, as a lesbian, I’m not welcomed and loved in the community. I wanted to tackle all of the negatives. I wanted to take that narrative, change it, and own it,” she says. “I wanted to create new memories. I came with a mission of reclaiming Cabo Rojo for myself.” Her first gig after moving back? Onstage at Cabo Rojo’s Pride celebration, with her father in attendance supporting her.

    Before that was a creative sojourn to Mexico City, where she teamed up with producer Felipe “Pipe” Ceballos and cooked up “Nada es Suficiente.” Making this album, years into sobriety, was a learning experience. She realized the way she accessed and channeled her emotions had changed considerably. Where she once wrote from a place of a chaotic mindset and “spitting fucking venom,” she now approached the same scenarios from a contemplative, self-reflective angle.

    “I think that’s been one of the biggest changes in sobriety in terms of creativity,” she says. “I’ve grown and I’m also allowing my songwriting to grow along with me on this journey of being a good person.”

    Juggling the responsibility of maintaining her sobriety while also working through the anxieties of being an independent artist, without the privilege of self-medicating, has led Blay to incorporate new tools she hopes to share with others. She’s a proponent of DBT, or dialectical behavioral techniques, which allow her to face anxiety in healthier ways.

    “There’s simple stuff like realizing when you’re anxious and how it’s manifesting, and taking ownership of it by self-soothing. Self-soothing can be taking a nice hot bath for 10 minutes. It can be some breathing exercises,” she shares. “And then there’s… radical acceptance, [which] is when you have to accept that things aren’t under your control. And I love the word radical. Because it is. It’s just, ‘Shut the fuck up. You’re not in control. You have to accept that this is the way that things are. You can either cope with it, accept them, or you can just spend the whole day trying to fight something you can’t.’”

    It’s a rule that sums up her journey so far—one that led her to emerge from darkness and now points her on the path toward making her longtime dreams a reality.

    “With time, what I have learned is that whenever I’m feeling anxious or fearful, that’s the direction I have to run towards. Right now in my life, I see the anxiety and I’m like, ‘Buckle up,” Blay says. “That’s where we got to go.’ Like, ‘Oh, this is terrifying. I have a lot of anxiety.’ Okay, keep fucking going. This is where you need to be.”

    POPSUGAR: First celebrity crush?

    Neysa Blay: Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” 💖

    POPSUGAR: Favorite mocktail?

    Neysa Blay: Ginger beer, lime juice, mint leaves and soda water

    POPSUGAR: Favorite beach in Puerto Rico?

    Neysa Blay: Playa Buyé on a weekday at 9 a.m.

    POPSUGAR: Three artists you have on repeat right now?

    Neysa Blay: A very gay playlist: Charli XCX, Troye Sivan, and Slayyyter

    POPSUGAR: Favorite mantra?

    Neysa Blay: “If they can do it, so can I.”

    POPSUGAR: Favorite guitar?

    Neysa Blay: Gibson SG (played by Angus Young)

    POPSUGAR: Dream collaboration?

    Neysa Blay: Marilina Bertoldi



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    Juan Arroyo

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  • Black Women Are Giving Themselves the Flowers They Deserve This Awards Season

    Black Women Are Giving Themselves the Flowers They Deserve This Awards Season

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    Black women are consistently underestimated, disregarded, and overlooked in the entertainment industry, but I’ve been so inspired by Black stars’ joy and self-love this awards season. From Quinta Brunson to Niecy Nash, our favorite actresses have already celebrated their well-deserved flowers — and I’ll be watching the upcoming Grammys to see if that trend continues.

    If you’ve missed all the bright points of this awards season, let me remind you of what’s happened so far. During the Golden Globes on Jan. 7, we saw Ayo Edebiri take home her first major award as this year’s best female actor in a television series for her work in “The Bear.” Her acceptance speech made its way around social media for her relatable delivery — but mainly for her acknowledgment of her agents and managers’ assistants. Despite this being a momentous occasion in her career, she took the time to humbly thank and uplift those in “smaller positions” who make doing what she loves possible.

    The following week, entertainers reunited for the 2023 Emmys. It felt serendipitous that the show landed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, given that multiple Black women won in their respective categories while simultaneously breaking long-standing records.

    The brilliantly hilarious Quinta Brunson took home the award for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her role as Janine Teagues in “Abbott Elementary,” becoming only the second Black woman to earn this achievement. Isabel Sanford won in 1981 for her iconic role in “The Jeffersons,” so Brunson broke the 43-year-long streak with her win. That’s far too long a gap. In the intervening years, so many Black women have been snubbed for their work: Tracee Ellis Ross was nominated five times for the award for her work on “Black-ish,” for example, while Issa Rae was nominated three times for “Insecure.”

    Brunson actually broke two records that night — because of Edebiri’s win for best supporting actress, the pair were the first Black women to hold both comedy titles simultaneously in Emmys history. We also can’t talk about history-makers without mentioning Keke “Keep a Bag” Palmer. She was the first Black woman to not only be nominated but win an Emmy for outstanding host of a game show. As the host of NBC’s “Password,” she was also the first woman in 15 years to win in the category. Palmer’s win spoke volumes to me; I never realized how much game shows were a male-dominated space until I saw her win. With one award, she broke a streak for all women — while also breaking a glass ceiling for Black women.

    The true showstopper of the 2024 Emmys was Nash. After winning her first Primetime Emmy for outstanding supporting actress in a limited series for “Dahmer,” she gave an awe-inspiring speech — you’ve probably seen it all over social media by now. What made the moment so special is that it wasn’t about an outside force recognizing her star power; she did that herself. “I want to thank me — for believing in me and doing what they said I could not do. And I want to say to myself in front of all these beautiful people, ‘Go on girl with your bad self. You did that,’” she told the crowd. It was beautiful to see Nash unapologetically celebrating herself, especially after the incredible work she has put into her almost three-decade-long career.

    She continued to accept the award on behalf of “every Black and Brown woman who has gone unheard yet overpoliced. Like Glenda Cleveland. Like Sandra Bland. Like Breonna Taylor.” Seeing Nash highlight self-love so boldly while also acknowledging the trauma that Black women in America deal with daily was incredibly poignant, and paved the way for what I hope we see more of in the entertainment industry.

    “Slowly but surely, Black women are receiving their flowers.”

    Looking ahead to February, we are kicking off Black History Month with the Grammys on Feb. 4 and the BAFTAs on Feb. 18. The Oscars have already come under fire for snubbing Black women, including leaving out Ava DuVernay in the director’s category for “Origin” and Fantasia Barrino and Taraji P. Henson for their roles in “The Color Purple.” But for now, I’m focusing on the monumental year we’ve already had and the celebrations that could come — specifically during the Grammys. My focus will be on Coco Jones, Victoria Monét, SZA, and Halle Bailey; these four powerhouse musicians are bound to dominate this year.

    SZA is leading the pack with the most nominations — nine — for any artist this year. Her critically acclaimed sophomore album, “SOS,” is set to snag a handful of the coveted awards. And after years in the industry as a songwriter, Monét is receiving the attention she deserves for her debut studio album, “Jaguar II.” Alongside her seven nominations, her 2½-year-old daughter, Hazel, has also made history as the youngest nominee ever. Meanwhile, watching Jones being nominated for five Grammys, including best new artist, makes me extremely proud. I grew up with her and have watched her evolution in real-time. Bailey, similarly, continues to shine. Following a monumental year in which she starred as Ariel in the live-action “Little Mermaid,” her debut single, “Angel,” is up for best R&B song, making this her first solo Grammy nomination.

    It is validating to see such talented Black women receive — and win — nominations for their craft. The average Black woman is told to be humble and gracious, never to boast or boldly celebrate our wins. But as Nash, Brunson, and hopefully more stars to come have proven, the tides are shifting. Slowly but surely, Black women are receiving their flowers — not only from leaders in the industry, but also from themselves.

    As a young Black woman, I’m taking notes. I will proudly celebrate my wins as I work toward my dreams and continue to foster my creativity. This awards season has just started, but I am excited to see what else is in store. As Rae would say, “I’m rooting for everybody Black.”

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    Daria Yazmiene

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  • The Art of Black Hair in Period Films – POPSUGAR Australia

    The Art of Black Hair in Period Films – POPSUGAR Australia

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    Image Source: The Color Purple, Fantasia Barrino, 2023. © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection

    It’s not uncommon to hear Black actors lament terrible experiences with hairstylists on set. From not knowing how to work with coily or curly textures to being microaggressive toward talent, stylists in Hollywood often leave much to be desired. This is why when a film makes it a point to highlight natural hairstyles and do it really well, it stands out – particularly in a period piece.

    “I love being able to show off the creativity of Black hair in the film,” Nakoya Yancey, hair department head for “The Book of Clarence,” tells POPSUGAR. “From the styles that we chose to the adornments that we used, it was all to further the plotline while staying true to the time that this was set in, which was during the era of Christ.”

    Still, hairstylists who work on Black period films have a particularly unique hurdle to overcome: a lack of reference photos. “There are virtually no pictures of Black people in biblical-era films or shows,” Yancey says. “I looked back at TV shows that my grandmother would watch, like ‘The Ten Commandments,’ to get a feel of the kind of ambiance that we were trying to create, but I mainly relied on pictures of African communities from periods like the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s.” In the film, you’ll notice hairstyles inspired by the Hamar and Afar tribes of Ethiopia; Fulani braids, which are popular in West Africa; and even Bantu knots hailing from Southern Africa. “I wanted to take all the styles that we knew and add a flair to them,” Yancey says.

    This flair underscores the importance of Black hairstylists working on Black period films. Rather than trying to cover or hide an actor’s natural texture, they make it a point to embrace it. “We wanted to pay homage to natural hairstyles for ‘The Color Purple,’” hairstylist Andrea Bowman previously told POPSUGAR about the film, set in rural Georgia during the early 1900s. “Regardless of the looks that we were doing, both our department lead Lawrence Davis and I wanted to make sure that the look was texture-forward while showing off all of the creativity that can be achieved with coily, natural hair.”

    Styling natural Black hair is one thing, but caring for it between scenes is another. Yet it’s a practice that both Yancey and Bowman say is nonnegotiable. “I am a big stickler about making sure that the actors’ real hair was taken care of and moisturized from the constant styling,” Bowman says. “Detangling and keeping the hair hydrated was an absolute must. It was how we could continuously manipulate their hair and create those period-appropriate looks.”

    Frequent steam treatments are Yancey’s secret weapon for this. “I have a secret oil-in-moisturizer concoction that I created, and pretty much everyone I’ve used it on has fallen in love with it,” she says. “A few dollops of the mix combined with the steam treatment goes a long way in keeping each person’s hair healthy.”

    Styling Black hair is an art, one that should be taken more seriously in the entertainment space. Black talent shouldn’t have to worry about whether beauty professionals will know how to work with their texture. As evidenced by “The Book of Clarence” and “The Color Purple,” when hairstylists and makeup artists are invested in their craft and truly inclusive, the results leave a lasting mark.

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    Ariel-baker

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  • How Arcángel Is Grieving His Brother's Loss and Transforming Through the Process

    How Arcángel Is Grieving His Brother's Loss and Transforming Through the Process

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    Eighteen years ago, before his debut on the 2005 compilation album “Sangre Nueva,” not many were familiar with Puerto Rican reggaetón artist Arcángel. In the early days of his music career, Arcángel would sing on mixtapes for his friends and for locals in the rough San Juan neighborhoods of Villa Palmeras and La Perla, where he grew up. But these days, he has millions of listeners tuning in to his music, making him one of the biggest stars of the genre.

    As Arcángel sits down for our virtual interview, his usual sunglasses are off. He looks straight at the webcam — not the screen — as if having a face-to-face conversation.

    There’s a startling amount of empathy in his eyes, which is both surprising and not when you consider his tumultuous early years, marked by hustling on the streets and finding ways to get by. People tend to associate that kind of life with cynical personalities, but there’s a fine line between cynicism and empathy, and what breeds one can easily lead to the other. You can’t have either without pain as a catalyst. As he talks, his eyes also betray another emotion swimming somewhere in his gaze — a latent sadness.

    Just past midnight on Nov. 21, 2021, a car accident in San Juan took the life of Arcángel’s younger brother, Justin Santos. Only 21 years old at the time, he was driving a vehicle that was struck by another, driven by a woman who prosecutors later alleged was under the influence. In the time since, the case has been marred by setbacks and delays, with the driver’s defense counsel successfully suppressing the alcohol blood level test results on various grounds. The process has been slowly moving its way up the judicial ladder, most recently into the hands of the Court of Appeals. A recent ruling reinstated the test results, paving the way for the start of a trial this year, more than two years after the incident.

    Since his brother’s tragic death, Arcángel has been vocal about how it has devastated his family and his own life. Still, he got back to recording, releasing “SR. SANTOS” in 2022 and “Sentimiento, Elegancia y Más Maldad” in November of last year. He’s gone on worldwide tours, continuing to fill up stadiums in dozens of countries across Europe and North America. But behind the scenes, he’s frank about how he’s not the same person people have known him as.

    “Sometimes, the better things are going for me, the sadder I feel.”

    “Sometimes, the better things are going for me, the sadder I feel,” he says. “I see all these great things happening and all I can think is if the kid were here, he’d be so happy.”

    While he’s still more than adept at rapping, as he proved during his Christmastime beef with Anuel AA, Arcángel acknowledges that the spark he once had has dimmed.

    “The creative process isn’t the same anymore and never will be again. I used to say I had a gift because in the studio I could listen to a beat and write [a song] like magic, out of thin air. I didn’t need a pen or paper. Lots of producers could tell you that,” he says. “I don’t have it anymore. It abandoned me.”

    He has no illusions, either, about why he’s been overcome by such creative doldrums.

    “After November [of 2021] it all went to sh*t, and since then nothing has changed. I need a team now to help me. I used to only need a music engineer and a good beat, and I took care of the rest,” he shares. “But I don’t have that touch anymore; it left, and maybe it’ll come back. But I hope it comes back soon because I don’t have 20 more years of career left.”

    Only a year passed between the accident and the release of “SR. SANTOS” — a time during which Arcángel submitted himself to getting a full-torso tattoo of his brother’s visage in his memory. The album was more trap- and rap-oriented, exploring street-level themes. His most recent project, “Sentimiento, Elegancia y Más Maldad,” includes more uptempo tracks that are more in the vein of his cheekier reggaetón roots.

    When asked if this is due to an improvement in his emotional state, he shoots down the notion.

    “My mind is f**ked up, understand? But I have to work. My mental health is not in good shape.”

    “My mind is f**ked up, understand? But I have to work. My mental health is not in good shape,” he shares. “I never knew what it was to doubt myself. I was someone whose self-esteem was always so high that people confused it with arrogance. Now people tell me I’ve changed so much, and I tell them I haven’t changed. It’s just that my self-esteem is not the same. I know people say I’m more humble now, but it’s because I’m more insecure than before.”

    At this, the also-Latin trap artist takes a pregnant pause. “I have to be mentally unwell for people to see me as humble,” he says incredulously. “I would love to recover my mental health and self-esteem so I can be arrogant in people’s eyes again.”

    In past interviews, old comrades like De La Ghetto would reminisce about the old Arcángel and be impressed by how brash he was, no matter who he was talking to.

    “I don’t like [being like that] anymore,” says Arcángel. “Everything I say, people take it like . . . there’s always a misinterpretation of everything, so much that now I prefer to not say anything and stay quiet. Or I doubt what I’m going to say, if it’s right or not, so I don’t say anything. And it bothers me because I’m not like that.”

    This past summer, Arcángel’s social media was littered with photos of his tour stops, with dynamic shots of soldout crowds everywhere from Spain and Italy to Baja California and Chicago. In some, you can spy fans holding up placards with Justin’s name, or messages of condolences and emotional support. It’s a genuine display of affection from his fans, and Arcángel recognizes that, but he’s also blunt about the limits of others’ support.

    “Bro, I don’t want any more gifts that have anything to do with my brother. I don’t want any more jackets, any more shirts, any more hats, any more keychains. They don’t change anything . . . “

    “How is a sign going to make me feel better? Because it has my brother’s name on it?” he asks candidly. “Bro, I don’t want any more gifts that have anything to do with my brother. I don’t want any more jackets, any more shirts, any more hats, any more keychains. They don’t change anything. What am I gonna do, open a museum? What I would like is to have him next to me.”

    Despite this inner anguish, he still sees a faint silver lining. “I feel I’m good at adapting and I’ve learned to feel comfortable in uncomfortable circumstances. And that’s what’s happening now,” he says. “You’re seeing an Arcángel who’s comfortable in a very uncomfortable situation. That’s what time has taught me.”

    He won’t share whether he’s sought out therapy or other forms of mindfulness to work through his feelings, but he does point to two manners in which he distracts himself.

    “I work. I make music. I’ll go to the studio,” he says, adding: “I have a very big house, and sometimes I’ll just walk around for a long time. So much so that at 8 or 9 p.m., my feet hurt, and I ask myself why and it’s because of all the walking I’ve been doing. I’ve been walking all day and didn’t even notice. I walk a ton, fast, and I start thinking so much that my brain gets tired and that helps when I get one of those intrusive thoughts that f**k me up. I don’t have space for those.”

    Instead, he gives that space over to planning for the future, and that includes his inevitable retirement. He knows there will come a point where he won’t be able to rap about what he usually does in a way that feels earnest, and he intends to go out on top before that happens. But despite everything, does he still feel optimistic about the future? “Yes,” he says before pausing. “But it’s because of [the team] I have around me. Because I trust I can pass the baton to them and they’re gonna know what to do. All I want to do is win. And now I’m learning to be a team player. The panorama has changed, and I’m not interested in being just the solo captain. I want to contribute to a team and do my role.”

    One role he’s eyeing: being a producer of new talents. His biggest one right now is Chris Lebrón, a young Dominican artist whom he’s taken under his wing. When he envisions a second career in his post years, he’s filled with dreams of hearing his name but under a new context.

    As he puts it: “If and when one of the artists I developed wins a Grammy, and they thank me in their speech, that’s gonna feel f**king great. More than even me winning one myself.”

    There’s no doubt that Arcángel would trade just about anything to have his little brother back, and not a soul would blame him. But the mightiest of hearts can’t change reality. All one can do is change for the better, depending on whatever life throws at you.

    “I don’t like the Austin I used to be. I much more like the one I am now. I love the one I am now. I respect the person I am now more than who I was 10 years ago,” he says. “I’ve been through a lot.”

    For Arcángel, this is solace and peace: this new self, his work, his family, the memory of his brother, and his dreams for the future. It’s all he has, and for him, it’s more than enough.

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    Juan Arroyo

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  • Maria Thattil Is on a Mission to Redefine Power, Strength, and Worthiness – POPSUGAR Australia

    Maria Thattil Is on a Mission to Redefine Power, Strength, and Worthiness – POPSUGAR Australia

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    Warning: This article deals with the topic of targeted violence and/or discrimination against a group and may be triggering for some readers.

    Last November, I stood on a stage in front of Australia’s most powerful women and received Marie Claire’s ‘The Voice of Now’ award at their annual Women of the Year Awards. It was surreal to be recognised alongside game-changing women for my voice — when as a queer child of immigrants, I didn’t believe that it mattered.

    Growing up, every space I looked to was poisoned by racism and homophobia. Poisonous ideologies that I ingested which made me believe I didn’t matter.

    These beliefs were reinforced by a society where the most prominent representation of South Asian people was Apu on “The Simpsons” — an exaggerated caricature, racism was spewed rampantly and there was no representation of people like me in powerful spaces.

    From business to politics, fashion to media, I was nowhere to be found and felt like I needed to occupy skin that wasn’t my own to be enough.

    Exploring My Sexuality

    I felt this way when it came to exploring my sexuality too. Coming from a culturally conservative and religious family, I inherited my beliefs from limiting frameworks that taught me to be ashamed of my full capacity for love as a queer woman.

    Despite weakening in thrall to poisonous stories, I still had hope that one day, the landscape would change and it would allow me to feel powerful, strong and worthy. One day it hit me: instead of waiting for this to happen, I could initiate it by first amplifying my truth and including myself in my concepts of power, strength, and worthiness.

    That realisation led me to strategise and venture to the Miss Universe stage. As only the third woman of colour to represent my nation, I brought Australia to the top 10 and challenged international discourse about what it is to be ‘Australian’. I then used the platform to forge a media career where I’ve since become a published author with “Unbounded”. As well as a TedX speaker, actor, presenter, and columnist who partners with brands in meaningful capacities. It’s the stuff that dreams are made of.

    The Power of Using Your Voice

    I went from being a little girl using skin-bleaching creams to an openly queer, brown woman headlining campaigns like Olay’s 2023 Sydney World Pride campaign, featured alongside my parents. People who were once conditioned to believe that my community was ‘wrong’ and had no place in the faith they held close stood alongside me and declared to the world that my community teaches the world to lead with love.

    That’s the power of using your voice. It can evolve even the most rigid perspectives. I used mine with the intention of being the public voice that I needed. Because the only way to suck the poison out is by telling your stories.

    No matter who you are, your voice matters because using it births possibility. My Women of the Year Award sits proudly on my mantle, but the true reward is the impact that one’s voice has. I encourage you to fearlessly claim yours.

    If this article brings up any issues for you or anyone you know, or you have experienced targeted violence or discrimination, please contact Lifeline (13 11 14), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), both of which provide trained counsellors you can talk with 24/7. If you are in immediate danger, call 000.

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    Maria Thattil

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  • Ivy Queen Is Manifesting 2024 to Be Her Year

    Ivy Queen Is Manifesting 2024 to Be Her Year

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    The legendary Ivy Queen — often referred to as the Queen of Reggaetón or La Caballota — once said in an interview, “In the life of every woman, there’s a point when you blossom and when you flourish.” And for Ivy Queen, after decades of cementing her place as a pioneer of the genre, that time is now.

    Born Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez, Ivy Queen first became recognized in the reggaetón scene back in the ’90s, when the genre was still considered underground. She was the first female member of the all-male rap collective formed at the studios of The Noise, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. And her first live performance — where she rapped “Somos Raperos Pero no Delincuentes” (“We Are Rappers Not Delinquents”), wearing what would then become her signature style of oversized jeans, a T-shirt, braids, and long acrylic nails — launched her on a legendary career. She has since created music that has empowered generations of women, inspiring today’s reggaetón feminist wave and artists like Karol G, Becky G, Natti Natasha, RaiNao, Young Miko, Villano Antillano, and more.

    Today, La Caballota is in her blooming era and finally receiving her much-deserved flowers. Just look at her accolades in the past few years, from hosting Spotify and Futuro Studios’ “Loud,” a podcast that reveals the true history of reggaetón, to being honored at the 35th edition of Premio Lo Nuestro with the Premio Lo Nuestro Legado Musical Al Genero Urbano Award last year, to receiving the Icon Award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards for her contributions to the male-dominated genre.

    We recently caught up with Ivy Queen backstage at San Juan’s Distrito T-Mobile right before rehearsals for Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest in Puerto Rico. The reggaetonera looked more peaceful than ever with a white candle lit right in front of her. Ivy refers to herself as a very spiritual person, and she doesn’t go anywhere without a vela blanca. (In October, for example, she appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk and lit a candle during her performance that had an image of Bad Bunny on it.)

    “The vela represents light and those that have passed,” Ivy Queen tells POPSUGAR. “For instance, my father passed away, and I feel his spirit is always with me. My father was a musician. He used to play guitar . . . when he passed, I was at a concert and I had this feeling before when I was taking a bath [earlier that day], that I had to visit him at the hospital. Through my mind I kept saying, ‘Wait for me, wait for me, please papi, wait for me.’ I just had that [intuitive feeling].”

    Ivy explains that the candle also serves as a spiritual tool she uses to cleanse any space that she enters to protect her energy. It was something she learned very early on in her career, as she navigated a genre and a world that was entirely dominated by men.

    Part of that navigation came via the stars — literally. In the early days of her career, Ivy started diving into astrology to understand her strengths and her weaknesses as she moved up in the music industry. “I learned the elements. I learned my birth chart. I asked my mother what time I was born,” she says. “It was around the ’90s, [and] I used to love Walter Mercado. Every time his show would come on, they’d show the wheel and I was like, what the f**k is this? So, I started to learn my sign and I was always ruled by my sign. I know it’s a water sign. I know what signs don’t match when it comes to business.”

    Ivy’s sun sign placement is in Pisces; her moon is in Sagittarius; and her rising is in Scorpio.

    “With the Scorpio, I have to protect my energy,” she says pointing to the white candle. While Mercado was one of the only mainstream figures at the time who had an entire program dedicated to Latine spirituality and astrology, he wasn’t the only one who inspired Ivy’s spiritual journey.

    “My favorite artist was Celia Cruz. She came from Cuba, which is one of the houses of the spirits. It comes from Mother Africa — la madre tierra. So literally I learned watching these people,” she remembers. “Walter was also a Pisces. I was like, let me see if he only talks about the good parts of that sign because he’s a Pisces but no. These are stuff I wish that they taught us at a young age to embrace. You know the moms and abuelas that were curanderas — I was raised by that.”

    At 51, Ivy Queen looks better than ever. Her skin is still youthful and radiates from within. Her long blonde extensions hit past her hips. Ivy also still sports the long and artful acrylic nails she’s become known for, but her most noteworthy trait is how she carries herself with grace, confidence, and poise. She credits her spirituality to playing a huge role in how she’s learned to embrace her divine feminine energy.

    “You have to attract the energy,” she explains. “If you feel like you’re all f**ked up, vieja y jodida [old and messed up], your body will react to that. La mente es bien peligrosa, pero tambien es bien poderosa [the mind is very dangerous but it is also very powerful]. Like, [it’s about] how are you going to use your powers, you know?”

    It’s no surprise that Ivy is a big believer in the law of attraction and manifestation. For her, that comes in the form of writing and praying — to God, to the Angel de la Guarda, and to her ancestors. La Caballota has also learned to be still and pay attention to the signs. This year, she wants to finally check some major goals off her bucket list.

    “I will be touring [this year]. I wanted to start in Puerto Rico because I’m from here. Then I announce the tour in the US — the dates,” she says. “And then I decide if the story of my life is going to be a series or a movie. I will be producing it.”

    Right before Ivy Queen rang in the new year, she already noticed some signs confirming that 2024 is going to be the year she spreads her wings and sees all those goals manifest into reality.

    On Dec. 30, her daughter landed in Puerto Rico, a day before Ivy Queen performed at Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve, and gifted her a monkey plushie with a little hat and the Puerto Rican flag. The reggaetonera decided to take the plushie with her everywhere for good luck, and at the beach, she noticed a black and white feather that appeared out of the blue. She also noticed a crow standing on a branch right behind the plushie. For her, these were all signs.

    “I was asking for 2024 [to be the year] I need to elevate. I was asking the spirits like Venus because she’s the Goddess of love, I was asking for signs . . . send me a sign,” she says. “I see it as maybe the feather is a sign that I’m flying to another step. I want to be moving a lot, and birds, they go everywhere. So, I pay attention to signs and I put my own meaning behind it. I took it like, OK 2024, I’m going to be busy and I’ll be doing well.”

    Considering la reina’s track record for manifesting all the career milestones she’s set for herself, we have no doubt that 2024 will be the year of Ivy Queen

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    Johanna Ferreira

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  • The New “Mean Girls” Cast Looks Different Than the Original — and That's the Point

    The New “Mean Girls” Cast Looks Different Than the Original — and That's the Point

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    The very first shot of the 2024 musical reimagining of “Mean Girls” is a vertical frame. Two characters, Janis (played by Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey), film themselves singing a song that sets the stage for the story to follow. They’re troubadours for the TikTok set — and this is a “Mean Girls” for a new generation.

    The Cady Heron, Regina George, and Aaron Samuels of the original film, released in 2004, had never seen an iPhone — those wouldn’t debut for another three years. “Instagram,” “Twitter,” and “Snapchat” would have sounded like gibberish. Karen was just a name, and Donald Trump was just a business mogul.

    Twenty years later . . . well, things are different. We’ve seen not just a technological revolution, but a cultural one. More Americans have become more aware of how rampant racism and discrimination — from microaggressions to hate crimes — are in this country. And while we still have a long way to go, people have a greater understanding of the harm caused by failing to adequately represent a diversity of identities on screen.

    In 2004, the original film did make jokes about racial stereotypes (“If you’re from Africa, why are you white?”), but it didn’t go so far as to cast a person of color in any of the main roles. (Actually, that was a joke in the original movie, too: Kevin G asks Janis if she’s Puerto Rican. “Lebanese,” answers Janis, played by Lizzy Caplan, who’s white.)

    The new “Mean Girls” cast is notably more diverse than the original, and the cast tells POPSUGAR that they’re grateful for the ability to bring their characters into 2024 by integrating more of their individual identities.

    “I got to bring a little bit of myself to the character,” says Bebe Wood, who plays Gretchen Wieners. “I was talking with [director Arturo Perez Jr.] and he was like, ‘Wait, I heard somewhere that you’re Latina . . . We should just add something in there.’”

    “[I]t was exciting to add just a little nod to my heritage within the role.”

    The addition to the script was small — a single mention of her abuelito — but for Wood, the impact was huge. “I’ve never been able to play Cuban American before,” she says. “So it was exciting to add just a little nod to my heritage within the role.”

    Avantika, who plays Karen Shetty in the new film, was similarly grateful to be able to embrace her background on screen. “It really meant a lot when . . . at the initial table read, [screenwriter Tina Fey] was like, ‘Is there anything about the name like Karen Smith that you want to change?’” Avantika says. “And I was like, ‘I’m South Indian, I’ve never gotten to play someone who’s openly South Indian, and I speak Telugu at home; would it be possible to bring in the last name from my culture?’ . . . And so we decided on Karen Shetty. That’s really special to me that [Fey] gave me the space and freedom to bring that.”

    Karen isn’t the only character to get a new name: Janis Ian is now Janis ‘Imi’ike, reflective of Cravalho’s Hawaiian heritage. Cravalho wants to get to a place where diversity in film is the rule, rather than the exception. “Every film that I’m in, I get asked about: ‘Why is representation important in films?’” she says. “Thank you for asking me that question — but can we move on a little bit? A space that I’m trying to move out of is being asked always about, ‘How important is it to you to be the first pioneer?’ I am excited to open the doors and just break through. [But] I don’t want to be the first.”

    This name-claiming is especially meaningful in a film where name-calling and misnaming cause so much harm. The Plastics, “fugly slut,” “dyke” (in the new version, updated to “pyro lez”): they’re all names and labels doled out like candy-cane grams, and the students of North Shore High feel the burn.

    “Maybe you don’t label me and I won’t label myself and I can just be whatever I want.”

    Spivey says that he tries to ignore labels that other people stick on him; they aren’t the truth, he says. “Even in the film, Regina calls Karen stupid, so therefore Karen feels like she’s stupid. But I have a strong feeling if Karen didn’t listen, she wouldn’t feel stupid. You know what I mean?” Spivey tells POPSUGAR. “So for me, I think a lot of people can be like, ‘Oh yeah, you’re a plus-size queer actor.’ I am, but I’m also just an actor. So maybe you don’t label me and I won’t label myself and I can just be whatever I want.”

    This sentiment is echoed by this generation’s Regina George, Reneé Rapp. Rapp is openly bisexual (and has hinted in prior interviews and on social media that her Regina might not be as straight as the character’s relationships with Aaron Samuels and Shane Oman might indicate). But she also makes clear that only she has the right to comment on her sexuality.

    “I’ve come out a lot of different times in my life and with a couple of different things, and it recently has changed a lot for me,” says Rapp, perhaps referring to her portrayal of Leighton Murray, a college freshman who comes out as a lesbian on “The Sex Lives of College Girls.” “But I cannot tell you how many times I’ve received comments in the last month or two that are just like, ‘Oh, congrats on [coming out] again,’” she says, her tone changing to the vocal equivalent of an eye roll. “And I was like, bro, actually fuck you. You suck.”

    There’s power in claiming and coming into your identity. And the people who try to put you in a box or use your individuality to hurt you? Rapp is right: they suck.

    Angourie Rice says she’s learning to let go of the opinions and expectations others have of her — not unlike her character, Cady Heron. “When I was 17, I had a really great year in terms of work and publicity, and it was my final year of high school and I graduated. And that felt like a really successful year for me. I think when you’re a young person working in the industry and you get success at a particular point in your life, there’s maybe a pressure to sort of stay at that point in your life,” she says. “[You think], ‘Oh, that’s when I got the most validation, therefore I should be like that always.’”

    But Rice is looking to grow and sees how relying on external affirmation for her sense of self-worth could be holding her back. “For me, [I’m working on] releasing that constant need for validation because I got it so much at this particular point in my life,” she says. “I’m not 17 anymore.”

    Stepping into the role of ultimate teen heartthrob Aaron Samuels came with similar pressures for Christopher Briney. But in playing Aaron, “I just tried to be Chris,” he says. “I really wanted to break free of expectations of what I thought people wanted to see when they see Aaron Samuels.”

    It takes a special kind of environment to be able to foster so much freedom and vulnerability in the actors’ performances — and the cast says they felt supported by one another immediately.

    “The friendships came easy. It was so easy, so fun to work with these people. I loved it so much,” Rice reminisces. “I think also we were all so committed to making the movie the best it could possibly be, and I learned a lot from both Jaquel and Auli’i. Auli’i stands up for herself so much. Jaquel is one of the funniest performers I know. And so just being in a room with these two people and learning so much from how they work and who they are was a treat.”

    Spivey agrees. After all, he says, Fey set the tone from day one that the whole film is about high school — that you have to have fun for it to really translate. As he puts it, “It’s an actor’s dream to be able to step into a space and feel comfortable enough to play — and to play as much as you can and discover.”

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    Abbey Stone

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  • 10 of Shakira's Best Fashion Moments: From Low-Rise Jeans to Voluminous Dresses

    10 of Shakira's Best Fashion Moments: From Low-Rise Jeans to Voluminous Dresses

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    You can’t talk about Latin music without mentioning Shakira. The Colombian artist broke into the music scene back in 1991 after dropping her debut album, “Magia”; embraced her rock en español roots with her 1995 hit album, “Pies Descalzos“; and started taking the world by storm after crossing over with hits like “Hips Don’t Lie” and “Beautiful Liar,” contributing to Latin music becoming a global phenomenon. While she’s produced many era-defining moments throughout her three-decade-long career, her style is just as referential and unforgettable. Since attending the first Latin Grammy Awards in a vibrant red ensemble with one of her signature waist belts, Shakira has become a red carpet style mainstay. She continued with a streak of sultry, risk-taking looks that only she could rock, including naked dresses, ab-baring crop tops, and low-rise jeans (even shredded), becoming the epitome of Y2K fashion.

    Apart from her unmatched imprint on fashion in the early aughts, the Colombian star has also donned classic silhouettes while mixing in modern trends. In 2009, she memorably made minidresses red-carpet worthy with a yellow strapless number at the American Music Awards, a gold shattered-glass dress for an album release party in 2017, and an iconic LBD from David Koma for her big win at the 2023 Latin Women in Music Awards. She’s even fostered relationships with designers like Burberry, making her fashion campaign debut in the brand’s 2022 holiday project, as well as Viktor & Rolf, infamously wearing a white “no” trench coat during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week, effortlessly embracing the no-pants trend.

    Shakira continues to prove her timeless beauty and staying power with looks that match her professional evolution. Most recently, she wore an open-back, sequined Versace dress with side cutouts at the 2023 VMAs and turned heads in a black, strapless Mônot gown for her first Cannes Film Festival last year.

    Ahead, take a look at Shakira’s best style moments — dating back to 2000.

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    Naomi Parris

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  • “The Brothers Sun” Star Sam Song Li Shares Why His Breakout Role Is Deeply Personal

    “The Brothers Sun” Star Sam Song Li Shares Why His Breakout Role Is Deeply Personal

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    When Sam Song Li came across the role of Bruce on “The Brothers Sun,” he felt like the character was written uniquely for him. In Netflix’s new action-packed drama series, Bruce’s life is upended when his older brother, Charles (Justin Chien), who turns out to be a Taiwanese gangster, comes to LA to protect their mom, Eileen (Michelle Yeoh). When Li first read the script, he quickly learned he shared a number of “shockingly close” similarities with his onscreen counterpart. Like Bruce, the 27-year-old actor and content creator was raised by a single mom in the San Gabriel Valley, CA, a predominantly Asian American community where the series partially takes place. Similarly, he also dreamed of being an actor and improv comedian, despite his mom’s hopes that he’d become a doctor. “I feel like that especially is just really relatable for a lot of Asian Americans,” he tells POPSUGAR.

    That’s why Bruce’s story was personal to Li, who was born in Guangzhou, China. He drew from his own experiences to authentically portray Bruce — and the character’s relationship with Mama Sun in particular. “I was raised by a single mom, and my mom in real life is my hero,” he says. “She raised me and my sister all by herself. To see a single parent have all the weight of the responsibilities of raising a kid, you take it for granted when it’s happening. I brought that energy and perspective into Bruce in his love for his mom.”

    Against his mom’s best wishes, Li ultimately decided to pursue acting. Amid creating comedic content and racking up a following on TikTok and Instagram, he booked smaller roles on shows like “Never Have I Ever” and “Better Call Saul.” When he landed “The Brothers Sun,” it was a welcome surprise; he didn’t imagine a role like this one to come about so early on in his career.

    The Brothers Sun. (L to R) Sam Song Li as Bruce Sun, Michelle Yeoh as Mama Sun in episode 104 of The Brothers Sun. Cr. James Clark/Netflix © 2023
    Netflix

    As if securing his first major role – and one he related to so deeply — wasn’t exciting enough, “The Brothers Sun” was also the first time Li worked alongside an all Asian writers’ room and a majority Asian American cast. “Our production was uniquely Asian American in so many facets, but I think one thing that really stood out to me was that we really practice what we preach on the show,” he says. “In the show, the family, and how you treat people as a family, is the focal point of the story. We as a team really had that connection. We felt really passionate about what we were doing, what was happening in front of us, regardless of if the show was a success or not. I think the one thing we were all holding onto was that this was a very special moment.”

    The cast’s strong connection was also sustained by food — a hallmark of many Asian cultures. There were Asian snacks and food available on set all the time, including boba at least once a week. According to Li, Yeoh would order food from a different local Chinese spot every week. “She would always surprise us with something,” he says.

    “I’ve always felt I was not Westernized enough for Hollywood, and not Asian enough to work in Asia.”

    Growing up, it would’ve been difficult for Li to imagine an experience like the “Brothers Sun” set. Asian and Asian American representation on screen was few and far between. “I’ve always felt I was not Westernized enough for Hollywood, and not Asian enough to work in Asia,” Li says, describing a struggle all too common for Asian Americans, both in and out of the entertainment industry.

    But with the influx of APIA projects in theaters and on streaming platforms in the past three years, Li’s perspective on his future in acting has changed drastically. “I’ve realized the direction that Hollywood and the world is moving is connecting the globe in so many ways,” he explains. “Content is no longer just for a Western or American audience right now. Content is for a global audience.”

    As a result, he’s been able to seek out roles that are tied to his upbringing and identity. “The one common thread between all of the roles I gravitate towards is that they are part of my identity, not just based on race, but literally who I am as a person or the experiences that I’ve had,” he says. Aside from playing Bruce on “The Brothers Sun,” he shot a pilot in 2023, “Marvin Is Sorry,” in which he plays a mega influencer and content creator who gets canceled. “A lot of the elements and nuances of that story I felt like I gravitated towards because it was just something I knew very intimately,” he says.

    Looking forward to the future, Li feels optimistic about more cultural projects like “The Brothers Sun.”

    “That freshness, the authenticity of storytelling, is more important than ever,” he says. “Any time we can show new perspectives, have a fresh take on something, or show the world something they’ve never seen before, that is what I think Hollywood and global audiences are craving.”

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    Yerin Kim

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  • “The Brothers Sun” Star Sam Song Li Shares Why His Breakout Role Is Deeply Personal – POPSUGAR Australia

    “The Brothers Sun” Star Sam Song Li Shares Why His Breakout Role Is Deeply Personal – POPSUGAR Australia

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    Image Source: Ziyang Wang

    When Sam Song Li came across the role of Bruce on “The Brothers Sun,” he felt like the character was written uniquely for him. In Netflix’s new action-packed drama series, Bruce’s life is upended when his older brother, Charles (Justin Chien), who turns out to be a Taiwanese gangster, comes to LA to protect their mom, Eileen (Michelle Yeoh). When Li first read the script, he quickly learned he shared a number of “shockingly close” similarities with his onscreen counterpart. Like Bruce, the 27-year-old actor and content creator was raised by a single mom in the San Gabriel Valley, CA, a predominantly Asian American community where the series partially takes place. Similarly, he also dreamed of being an actor and improv comedian, despite his mom’s hopes that he’d become a doctor. “I feel like that especially is just really relatable for a lot of Asian Americans,” he tells POPSUGAR.

    That’s why Bruce’s story was personal to Li, who was born in Guangzhou, China. He drew from his own experiences to authentically portray Bruce – and the character’s relationship with Mama Sun in particular. “I was raised by a single mom, and my mom in real life is my hero,” he says. “She raised me and my sister all by herself. To see a single parent have all the weight of the responsibilities of raising a kid, you take it for granted when it’s happening. I brought that energy and perspective into Bruce in his love for his mom.”

    Against his mom’s best wishes, Li ultimately decided to pursue acting. Amid creating comedic content and racking up a following on TikTok and Instagram, he booked smaller roles on shows like “Never Have I Ever” and “Better Call Saul.” When he landed “The Brothers Sun,” it was a welcome surprise; he didn’t imagine a role like this one to come about so early on in his career.

    Image Source: Netflix

    As if securing his first major role – and one he related to so deeply – wasn’t exciting enough, “The Brothers Sun” was also the first time Li worked alongside an all Asian writers’ room and a majority Asian American cast. “Our production was uniquely Asian American in so many facets, but I think one thing that really stood out to me was that we really practice what we preach on the show,” he says. “In the show, the family, and how you treat people as a family, is the focal point of the story. We as a team really had that connection. We felt really passionate about what we were doing, what was happening in front of us, regardless of if the show was a success or not. I think the one thing we were all holding onto was that this was a very special moment.”

    The cast’s strong connection was also sustained by food – a hallmark of many Asian cultures. There were Asian snacks and food available on set all the time, including boba at least once a week. According to Li, Yeoh would order food from a different local Chinese spot every week. “She would always surprise us with something,” he says.

    “I’ve always felt I was not Westernized enough for Hollywood, and not Asian enough to work in Asia.”

    Growing up, it would’ve been difficult for Li to imagine an experience like the “Brothers Sun” set. Asian and Asian American representation on screen was few and far between. “I’ve always felt I was not Westernized enough for Hollywood, and not Asian enough to work in Asia,” Li says, describing a struggle all too common for Asian Americans, both in and out of the entertainment industry.

    But with the influx of APIA projects in theaters and on streaming platforms in the past three years, Li’s perspective on his future in acting has changed drastically. “I’ve realized the direction that Hollywood and the world is moving is connecting the globe in so many ways,” he explains. “Content is no longer just for a Western or American audience right now. Content is for a global audience.”

    Related: There’s a Sinister Truth to the Stereotypes of Asian Men Depicted in “May December”

    As a result, he’s been able to seek out roles that are tied to his upbringing and identity. “The one common thread between all of the roles I gravitate towards is that they are part of my identity, not just based on race, but literally who I am as a person or the experiences that I’ve had,” he says. Aside from playing Bruce on “The Brothers Sun,” he shot a pilot in 2023, “Marvin Is Sorry,” in which he plays a mega influencer and content creator who gets canceled. “A lot of the elements and nuances of that story I felt like I gravitated towards because it was just something I knew very intimately,” he says.

    Looking forward to the future, Li feels optimistic about more cultural projects like “The Brothers Sun.”

    “That freshness, the authenticity of storytelling, is more important than ever,” he says. “Any time we can show new perspectives, have a fresh take on something, or show the world something they’ve never seen before, that is what I think Hollywood and global audiences are craving.”

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    Yerin kim

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  • The Magic of Hairstylists Affirming Your Natural Hair – POPSUGAR Australia

    The Magic of Hairstylists Affirming Your Natural Hair – POPSUGAR Australia

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    Image Source: Courtesy of Dove

    For most of my career as an editor, I’ve had a recurring nightmare. In it, I go to a hair event, and instead of being happily welcomed into the hairstylist’s chair, they stare at my natural, type-four hair blankly before exclaiming, out loud, that they don’t know how to work with my texture. Mortified, I leave the event fuming because, admittedly, my hair is rather “difficult” to deal with.

    In reality, this has never happened to me so blatantly, but I would be remiss not to mention the many times that I’ve forgone having my hair washed to stay within the allotted time of the appointment or have had a stylist claim that they have experience with type-four hair, only to be left with terribly blended extensions or a half-done “silk-press” that frizzes up an hour later. It’s the reason I barely accept these invitations to begin with – I sometimes leave feeling worse about my hair than when I went in.

    With this background, when I have an experience for work that goes well, it stands out. At a recent event with Dove, I had the pleasure of sitting in celebrity hairstylist Lacy Redway’s chair. From the moment I sat down and her assistant, Shoshana Contaste, washed my hair with the new Dove Scalp+ Hair Therapy Density Boost collection, the duo constantly reaffirmed how much they loved my hair, and how manageable and how soft it was. At one point, they even said how easy it was to work with and I, very unexpectedly, found myself almost starting to cry.

    As someone who grew up with combs breaking in my hair and people telling me how much they fear doing any sort of hairstyling on me, this was the first time that I had ever heard the words “your hair” and “manageable” in the same sentence. Before sitting down, I had begun to apologize to them because I didn’t get a chance to detangle my hair ahead of time, and Redway’s response was, “I will stay here until midnight if I have to – you won’t be leaving my chair unsatisfied.”

    The experience underscored just how important the role beauticians, especially hairstylists, play in people’s lives. Redway made me feel seen and, more importantly, affirmed. Everyone should be granted that luxury when they go in for a service, whether they are a beauty editor or not – and especially no matter their hair texture. To me, that’s just as valuable as walking out with a great hairstyle (which, of course, I did).

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    Ariel-baker

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  • The Ewing X Yandel Collab Celebrates the Latine Community's Love For Sneaker Culture – POPSUGAR Australia

    The Ewing X Yandel Collab Celebrates the Latine Community's Love For Sneaker Culture – POPSUGAR Australia

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    Uptowns. Jordans. Foams. Classics. Maxes. Gazelles. Stan Smiths. In today’s world, these aren’t just sneakers – they’re cultural legends. These iconic kicks helped elevate what began as a daily aspect of life for Brown and Black folks living in inner cities to a global culture. But as the masses have embraced sneaker culture and streetwear, the roots and the people at the heart of the movement tend to get overlooked. In their latest collaboration with reggaetón superstar and legend Yandel, Ewing Athletics and Product Line Manager, Jonas Guerrero are trying to change that, by paying homage to a community that has worked alongside the Black American community in elevating sneakers to becoming the art form that they are today: Latines.

    “As a Latino, I’ve always been big on [shining] light on our community. I want to tell Latin stories,” the 37-year-old designer tells POPSUGAR.

    Telling Latine stories through sneakers is a sentiment that Guerrero admits, that even to him, at times sounds ironic. After all, sneaker culture has its roots in hip-hop, an art form that has included contributions from Latines since its inception. But, akin to the way genres like rap and reggaetón have become more commercial over the years, Guerrero has observed a similar transformation in the sneaker game.

    “Before it used to be more about individuality, standing out, you know, having a voice. Now, it’s all monetary,” he adds. “You can have x amount of money and buy anything, whereas before you had to know someone to know where to get it.”

    Related: Explore PS’s Best Feature Stories of 2023

    But while Guerrero brings that old-school passion and mentality to his work, his latest sneaker design, the Ewing x Yandel Rogue, which is set to drop in early 2024, bridges the gap between the past and future. Guerrero cites the Nike Mag, a shoe he refers to as the “holy grail” of sneakers, along with reggaetoneros Wisin y Yandel’s classic album “Los Extraterrestres,” as influencing his design process and getting him into a more alien, futuristic mindset. This is reflected in the Yandel Rogue’s gray, white, and scuba blue colorway.

    “It’s a shoe for the future,” he says. And at a time when Latine artists like Bad Bunny have become some of the biggest stars in the world, a collaboration with an icon like Yandel, who not only remains relevant but helped reggaetón reach global heights, is a fitting way to acknowledge where Latines are going while honoring the many contributions our culture has made to street style over decades. The Puerto Rican artist has been having quite a successful year. Yandel became a two-time nominee at the 2023 Latin Grammys, recently signed a deal with Warner Music Latin, and also made history at the Empire State Building in New York by becoming the first Latin act to perform at the venue during Hispanic Heritage Month.

    “A big portion of [the Ewing Athletics] consumer base is Latino. And while we’ve done all these rap collabs, I wanted to pitch something based on Latin music.”

    “A big portion of [the Ewing Athletics] consumer base is Latino. And while we’ve done all these rap collabs, I wanted to pitch something based on Latin music,” says Guerrero. So he pitched them the Yandel collab. And as fate would have it, the reggaetonero was already a fan of the brand, having purchased a pair of Ewing Athletics kicks a week prior.

    “I’m a big fan and collector of sneakers and a big fan of NY Knicks legend and NBA Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing. Now, I get to have my own shoe in collaboration with one of the shining stars in the sports world,” Yandel states in a recent press release.

    But for Guerrero, who is Puerto Rican and Dominican, this project is more than just a collaboration with an artist he grew up idolizing. It’s the culmination of everything he is – his story. The child of first-generation immigrants, Guerrero grew up in the Bronx. Unable to afford the more expensive brands like the Jordans and Nikes his peers were wearing, he would take markers to draw his own “Jordan” or “23” on his Filas and British Knights. As he got older, his creations became more complex with bandana print and or knock-off Gucci print.

    “I was trying to make it my own,” he says.”I’ve always been into sneakers and individuality. I’ve always been unique and wanted things a certain way.” But despite this early penchant for customizing kicks, Guerrero never thought that he’d be in a position to design his own.

    “My goal was never to be a designer. I always thought, ‘I’m a poor Dominican kid from the Bronx, I can’t be a designer.’”

    “My goal was never to be a designer. I always thought, ‘I’m a poor Dominican kid from the Bronx, I can’t be a designer,’” Guerrero admits. Not only did he not have the right college degree for it, but he also never saw people like himself in those positions. Fortunately, he was able to beat the odds and leverage his passion for kicks into an internship at Complex Magazine, where he wrote about sneakers. This opportunity would eventually lead him to Ewing Athletics.

    “With time, as the people here started seeing what I was capable of, they gave me an opportunity,” Guerrero recalls. That opportunity started small, giving his opinion on new samples. But his earnest passion for sneakers was evident, and eventually led to more responsibility and the opportunity to turn his creative vision into a reality. Even so, Guerrero is candid about his struggles with imposter syndrome and having to work to overcome them.

    “It’s something that’s been difficult for me because, like I said, I never saw myself doing what I’m doing now. A lot of it was not believing that I could do it. Now, I know what I bring to the table,” he says. “I go super hard, and I don’t take it for granted because I know that this could all end in an instant.”

    With that mentality, Guerrero knew that it was important to nail the collaboration with Yandel, not just for himself, but for the brand that believed in him and their customers. The Yandel Rogue marks the biggest Ewing collab so far, and it’s also the brand’s first time partnering with a Latin music star. Therefore, Guerrero felt extra pressure to do his due diligence and tell the story as best as he could. And that meant telling it in Spanish.

    “When you open the box, the comic that comes with it is in full Spanish. The little hang tag that comes on the sneaker is in full Spanish. It’s something that we’ve never done before. It’s us telling our story through the sneaker,” says Guerrero.

    And at the end of the day, the narrative of that story doesn’t belong to any one person or group. It’s the story of the underdog. It’s Patrick Ewing’s story, who put the city on his back and is forever loved and honored even without bringing back a championship. It’s Yandel’s story, going from being a barber in the town of Cayey, Puerto Rico to being one of the most successful Puerto Rican artists of all time. And it’s Guerrero’s story, every immigrant’s story, really, of people coming to a big city full of danger and promise and finding a way to make it. But even with a successful collaboration under his belt, Guerrero knows that he can’t stop pushing, and that success is not something you achieve, it’s something you do every day.

    “I just want to inspire the youth, you know, people that look like us,” he says. “You know, like it’s never too late. You can’t put an age on success.”

    The Ewing x Yandel Rogue will be available for purchase at 10 a.m. ET on January 5, 2024, via ewingathletics.com and yandel.com.

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    Miguel machado

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