BEATDROP MAGAZINE by

ISSUE NO. 1

RIDE YOUR OWN WAVE

DECEMBER 2020

KID CUDI THE MAKING OF

REWIND

THE RETURN OF

CULTURAL RESET

SHAPING OF A STAR: KID CUDI

TAYLOR SWIFT: ARTIST OF THE DECADE

THE SPICE TOUR 2019

TIKTOK AND THE RENEGADE

KID CUDI

THE ROOM HEADLINES

THE MAKING OF THE SHAPING OF A STAR 14

REWIND HALL OF FAME

ON THE STEREO

THE SPOTLIGHT

BTS BACKSTAGE

STUDIO INSIDER ONES TO LISTEN

UPCOMING

LYRICS RUNDOWN

CUSTOM-MADE RED CARPET LOOKS

SOLD-OUT FESTIVALS

ALL AROUND THE WORLD 50 MUSIC AWARDS

PR FENTY BEAUTY

CULTURAL RESET BANGER

GAME CHANGERS

THE RETURN OF THE SPICE GIRLS

SOUND OF MUSIC HOMECOMING

OUR JAMS PLAYLIST

I guess it’s possible to live a happy life without music. But it’s not practical, or even worth trying. Music is everywhere and it gives us the best moments, ones that resonate forever, like a childhood memory, the joy of singing in the car with your family, the first artist or band you fan-girled over plus all the songs you danced to or even created your own choreography. Basically, music surrounds us, and it makes the good times even better, allows us to express our feelings in many many ways and most importantly, it cheers us up. In this issue we mainly explore Kid Cudi’s career, whom we’ve known for a very long time. Back in 2009, Kid Cudi was riding high. With the release of the first “Man on the Moon,” Kid Cudi was right up there with the likes of Drake — granted, Drake was on the come-up as well, but he’s still Drake. Under the mentorship of Kanye West, Kid Cudi grew a devoted fan base that latched on the emotional, loner appeal of his music. That era in Kid Cudi’s career was so big, you still here songs like “Day ‘n’ Night” and Steve Aoki’s remix of “Pursuit of Happiness” to this day.

Now, Kid Cudi is on seemingly every screen that’s left broadcasting through the pandemic and, somewhat counterintuitively for a 36-year-old rapper, enjoying a commercial peak musically. Despite the world being shut down, Cudi is having a banner year—the best of his career, to hear him tell it. But with it comes the responsibility to make sure he doesn’t find himself burning out again. Taking a step back is a luxury he didn’t allow himself in the beginning of his career, something he now recognizes won’t be fatal to the ongoing project of Kid Cudi. And with that knowledge comes the ability to try new things creatively. Kid Cudi has always been plenty outspoken about his struggles. But now, as he re-emerges with a new creative optimism, the 34-year-old is blissfully focused on something much more dynamic: his future. So, with that being said, let’s explore the journey of the man on the moon.

LUCÍA SHI FOUNDER/PUBLISHER, EDITOR, ART DIRECTOR, DESIGNER

SCOTT PETERS SECTION EDITOR/ DESIGNER

OUR TEAM

JOHN CAVILL MANAGING AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR

SIERRA JONES COPYEDITOR

HANNAH LUX DAVIS

IN COLL AB WITH

JAKE NEVINS

JADE GOMEZ

FRANKIE GRADDON

HEADLINES 20 Demi Lovato is set to host the 2020 E! People’s Choice Awards! Demi Lovato has been set to host the 2020 E!’s People’s Choice Awards, which will air November 15 live from Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. On Tuesday, the 28-year-old singer cheekily announced her upcoming hosting gig on Twitter when E! News tweeted at the star, “We can keep a secret could you, @ddlovato? Any plans on Sunday, November 15th?” “idk... maybe hosting @peopleschoice?!?!? #PCAs,” she replied adding several loving emojis to her tweet. Over the past decade, Lovato herself has racked up a total of 12 nominations and five wins at the People’s Choice Awards, across top categories like favorite female artist, favorite music fan following and favorite pop artist. She now will emcee a hybrid People’s Choice ceremony that will present awards in 44 categories across entertainment and pop culture. “I think just honestly, the biggest pinch me is like I am so glad that I will be on a stage at all this year. My biggest pinch me is being alive on a stage.”

Ariana Grande drops new album ‘Positions’ The reigning queen of trap-mumblesoaring-vocal pop has returned, releasing her new album, positions, in the early hours of Friday. The album “Positions” features guest spots from Doja Cat, The Weeknd, and Ty Dolla $ign.

Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air Reunion Trailer Will Make ‘90s kids emotional, the Banks family are back together.️ Get ready for the freshest reunion trailer. Will Smith just debuted the trailer and premiere date for the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion. The HBO Max special is set to premiere on Thursday, November 19 exactly on the sitcom’s 30th anniversary.

On her sixth studio release, her third in three years, Grande emerges with a decidedly mature and distinct R&B sound. The album is fearless and unapologetic; Grande isn’t vulnerable but explicit.Her lyrics are simple, honest, flippant and full of desire all at once. Positions reflects her and her taste through superior vocals, storylines and emotional messages. THE ROOM

THE ROOM

I think that in knowing him and being in the relationship I am in now, I have definitely made decisions that have made my life feel more like a real life and less like just a storyline to be commented on in tabloids

Wouldn’t it be fun if he was the 1?

HEADLINES 20 20 12

Chrissy Teigen shares daughter Luna honoring baby’s ashes Chrissy Teigen is continuing to be open about her family’s grief. Jack, her third child with her husband, singer John Legend, passed away before his birth. On Monday she posted a video of their 4-year-old daughter, Luna, with the box containing Jack’s ashes. She said Luna had placed a therapy bear and a piece of her favorite snack, Pirate’s Booty, with her brother’s ashes. In the video featuring Luna the youngster can be heard saying, “Hi guys. Hi this is baby Jack and I’m Teddy. I’m Luna. How are you doing today?”

The Weeknd to headline Super Bowl halftime show NFL, Pepsi and Roc Nation announced on Thursday that the three-time Grammy Award winner will be the headline performer on February 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. “I’m humbled, honored and ecstatic to be the center of that infamous stage” The Weeknd said on an instagram post.

“He’s really in touch with his feminine side because it’s something natural. And he’s a big inspiration to a younger generation — about how you can be in a totally free playground when you feel comfortable. I think that he’s a revolutionary.” Styles, of course, is genuinely being himself, but it’s worth pointing out that his gender-fluid style gets praised in part because he presents as a straight white male

The singer wears a tuxedo jacket and gown given to him by his friend Alessandro Michele, creative director of Gucci, and the story celebrates the way he breaks barriers with fashion. “[Harry] is the image of a new era, of the way that a man can look.”

Harry: The First Solo Male on the Cover of Vogue

MCDREAMY IS BACK. ABC’s promo for the Season 17 premiere of Grey’s Anatomy teased a “shocking, jaw-dropping ending.” That was an understatement. In one of the series’ biggest twists, a beloved character, Patrick Dempsey’s Derek Shepherd, whose tragic death in an April 2015 episode left fans heartbroken, came back. The late McDreamy appeared in a dream sequence, joining Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey on a beach seconds after she collapsed in the parking lot of Grey Sloan Memorial.

Emma Roberts becomes first pregnant Cosmopolitan cover star Hollywood actor Emma Roberts has become the first pregnant woman to grace the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine. Roberts, 29, is expecting her first child - a baby boy - with boyfriend Garrett Hedlund, which she first announced to fans in August. The “American Horror Story” star appears on the US front cover in a pink long-sleeve crop top and skirt.

The sweet Meredith-Derek reunion was the joyous coda to an emotional two-hour season premiere of the 17th season, dedicated to frontline healthcare workers, which marked the conclusion of a Station 19 crossover.

THE ROOM

KiD CuDi Learn from this, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Hell does have an exit, and I found it. For those who are still looking for a way out, I left the door open and I’ll be waiting for whoever wants to grow with me. In the end they’ll judge me anyway, so whatever and If you can’t do what you imagine, then what is imagination to you? Just a waste of space in your brain.

MAN ON THE MOON 16

THE MAKING OF

MAN ON THE MOON

KID

CUDI

A KID NAMED

CUDI Kid Cudi is hip-hop’s Peter Pan. As a founding father of alternative hip-hop. Hip-hop’s Cobain, so to speak. Cudi has been one of the most beloved acts in hip-hop for a decade. In rapper years, that’s practically a lifetime. Point being: He’s stood the test of time while most of his peers haven’t. And the new guard of ragers—like Travis Scott—rightfully consider him a god. Scott Mescudi, better known to the world as “A kid named Cudi” or Kid Cudi became a voice that spoke for and to everyone battling depression. When Cudi broke onto the scene in the late-2000s, undue pressure following the U.S. recession and an uncertain economic future led many to an overwhelming, and collective feeling of anxiety among millennials. His music arrived at a time when studies indicated that young people were coping with higher levels of depression than generations past.

Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi was born on January 30, 1984 in Shaker Heights, Ohio, United States, better known by his stage name KiD CuDi, is a Grammy award nominated rapper, singer and actor who first gained attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi which he released in 2008 in collaboration with New York street wear brand 10.Deep. Kid Cudi was born in Cleveland, Ohio and lived in the diverse upper class suburb of Shaker Heights. Just prior to receiving his GED he attended Shaker Heights High School in Shaker Heights, Ohio and also Solon High School in Solon, Ohio. Cudi first began rapping towards the end of high school, inspired by alternative hip hop groups such as The Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest.

SCOTT MESCUDI

He moved to Brooklyn, New York to pursue a music career. In July 2008, Kid Cudi released his first mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi, in collaboration with New York street wear brand 10. Deep as a free download in 2008. The mixtape has had so much continued success that on May 18, 2009 10.Deep announced they were going to be doing a re-release of the “Up There” t-shirt and hard copies A Kid Named Cudi mixtape in their webstore on May 20, 2009 at 12:00 PM EST. Shortly after the shirt went up for sale the server crashed due to heavy traffic of fans wanting to buy the t-shirt and the mixtape. Kid Cudi’s musical style has been described as “an atmospheric take on melodic rap, with a dollop of charming, off-key singing”. He has also been called “introspective, with the ability to lay his insecurities on record and expose his fallibility. And is a huge mental health advocate “my mission statement since day one […] all I’ve always wanted to do was help kids not feel alone, and stop committing suicide” Cudi says.

“DON’T LET THE SADNESS FROM THE PAST AND FEAR OF THE FUTURE RUIN THE HAPPINESS OF THE PRESENT” -KID CUDI

THE MAKING OF

MR. RAGER

FAST FACTS FAST FACTS FAST FACTS At the age of 10, he appeared in a youth theater production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Went to college planning to major in film but only attended for a year, he then dropped out. Originally dubbed himself Lil Scott before deciding on th stage name Kid Cudi or KiD CuDi. His music career took off after he moved to Brooklyn and released the mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. Scored an Internet hit with his 2008 single “Day ‘n’ Nite” that was later included in MOTM. KiD CuDi released his debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of the Day, in 2009. 19

DISCO GRAPHY

MAN ON THE MOON: THE END OF DAY Release date: September 15, 2009 Label: Dream On, GOOD, Universal Motown

MAN ON THE MOON II: THE LEGEND OF MR. RAGER Release date: November 9, 2010 Label: Dream On, GOOD, Universal Motown

WZRD Release date: February 28, 2012 Label: Wicked Awesome, Universal Republic

SPEEDIN’ BULLET 2 HEAVEN INDICUD Release date: April 16, 2013 Label: Wicked Awesome, GOOD, Republic

Release date: December 4, 2015 Label: Wicked Awesome, Republic

PASSION, PAIN & DEMON SLAYIN’ SATELLITE FLIGHT: THE JOURNEY TO MOTHER MOON

Release date: December 16, 2016 Label: Wicked Awesome, Republic

Release date: February 25, 2014 Label: Wicked Awesome, Republic

KIDS SEE GHOSTS[ Release date: June 8, 2018 Label: Wicked Awesome, GOOD, Def Jam

FILMOGRAPHY Kid Cudi has been tapped to star in Luca Guadagnino’s much-anticipated television debut, We Are Who We Are, which comes to HBO September 14. Ahead of the premiere, we’re taking a brief look at Cudi’s decade-long acting career, as he burst onto the scene in 2010 on another HBO program, How to Make It in America. Cudi, studied film at the University of Toledo before dropping out after one year. Since his role as Domingo Brown on How to Make It in America, Cudder has gone on to appear in multiple TV shows and feature-length films. Most recently, he featured in the long-awaited Bill & Ted reboot, Bill & Ted Face the Music, alongside Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. So to brush up on Kid Cudi’s theatrical credentials ahead of We Are Who We Are, you can dive into a brief look at his acting career below.

HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA (2010) Cudi’s Domingo Brown was one of the highlights of HBO’s short-lived series, How to Make It in America. Playing opposite Bryan Greenberg and Lake Bell, Cudi provided comedic relief to virtually every episode he appeared in. Unfortunately, however, the show got axed after just two seasons.

BROOKLYN 99 (2013) Cudi’s special guest appearance on beloved sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine saw the rapper/actor playing a criminal mastermind by the name of Dustin Whitman. In the episode, Andy Samburg’s Detective Peralta attempts to prove Whitman was involved in a jewelry store heist.

THE MAKING OF

GOODBYE WORLD (2013) Kid Cudi was thrust into the end times in the apocalyptic film, Goodbye World. Starring Adrian Grenier, who Cudi would meet again for the Entourage movie, Goodbye World finds both friends and strangers searching for answers after the collapse of a power grid led them all to a remote cabin.

NEED FOR SPEED (2014)

Kid Cudi replaced Lloyd as Ari Gold’s (Jeremy Pivens) new assistant in the lackluster Entourage movie. Unlike the countless other celebrities who appeared in the film, Cudder was chosen to actually take on a role as opposed to playing himself.

ENTOURAGE (2015)

Need for Speed catapulted Kid Cudi to the big screen alongside Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, and Rami Malek. Cudder portrays Paul’s best friend in the film, a role that spawned an admitted bromance between the two.

WE ARE WHO WE ARE (2020) It focuses on two American kids who live on a fictional U.S. military base in Chioggia, Italy in 2016. The series explores friendship, first love, identity, and immerses the audience in all the messy exhilaration and anguish of being a teenager – a story which could happen anywhere in the world, but in this case, happens in this little slice of America in Italy.

WESTWORLD (2020) Earlier this year Kid Cudi appeared in one of the most popular TV shows of the moment, Westworld. The program is one huge mindfuck, and his character, Francis, slid into that vibe pretty seamlessly.

THE MAKING OF

KIDS SEE GHOSTS Most of my albums were already made up of SOS messages that I launched to the whole world, and I was hoping that someone would pick them up and respond to me, making me feel less alone.

I know kids are used to hearing me talk about darkness, but I’m living in the light now. Of course, a chief source of Cudi’s happiness is his 8-year-old daughter, Vada “I can see my traits in her, but she’s her own person“She’s just a ball of love. She’s always happy. That’s a blessing”

I TURN MY PAIN INTO MUSIC, AND MY MUSIC IS HOW I AM DIFFERENT AND MY DIFFERENCE IS MY POWER

THE MAKING OF

“When you make music, you tell your truth: in the same way, when it came to talking about my depression, I wanted to tell my story so that people could connect with what I was experiencing, As far as I’m concerned it was already evident in my songs: I did nothing but be honest and sincere .”

Kid Cudi’s advocacy for mental health awareness and candidness about his own struggles with depression have opened a dialogue about mental illness and treatment. The Cleveland-bred rapper’s story has been so impactful that he’s even quoted in a psychology textbook. Cudi – whose real name is Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi – said that fame and expectations from fans and music industry figures resulted in a decline in his mental health: “I am not at peace,” he wrote at the time. “My anxiety and depression have ruled my life for as long as I can remember and I never leave the house because of it … Its time I fix me. I’m nervous but I’mma get through this.” The Cleveland native explains how, for a long time, attempted to self-diagnose the root of his unhappiness. “For a long time, I was not happy when I woke up in the morning,” Cudi says “Just being like, why don’t I feel okay? I thought maybe it was stress. At that point, I was doing like an album every year, so I thought maybe I was overdoing it and I needed to take a break. It took me a minute to realize there was something going wrong with me.” Cudi also touched on his past issues with drugs, saying that he used to take cocaine alone and hid the habit from friends. “It was a very private thing, I was dealing with my shit alone. I never did drugs around a bunch of people.” He continued: “I really went out my way to keep what I was going through hidden because I was ashamed. I think that’s why I quit the first time because I got arrested then everybody knew about it. But, at the moment, I didn’t quit for the right reasons. I didn’t quit because it wasn’t good for me.”

After rehab, Kid Cudi spoke to Billboard about finding peace in a 2018 cover story. “I have so much joy that I don’t feel like I’m fighting anymore,” the artist said. “It was this year, around my birthday [in late January]. I’m the best I’ve ever been in my life. I realized I was genuinely happy, and there’s nothing really going on in particular.” “Creating is making me happy again,” he added. Now clean from drugs for about four years. Meanwhile, after collaborating with Kanye West with the acclaimed Kids See Ghosts on 2018 Cudi explained that the creation of the album gave him a guiding light. “Working on that record saved me: at the time I didn’t know if I was going to continue making music or not, and Kanye was there for me, to help me get up. At that moment I really needed it,” “When we’re young, we face a lot of pressure to do things that harm us. We pretend to be happy when there’s a raging violent storm inside of our heart. Once it was difficult for me to find the words. I was scared, I was sad, I felt like a damaged human swimming in a pool of emotions. I knew I deserved peace and to be happy, but I didn’t know how It took me a while to get to this place of commitment, to say I’m gonna get through this. To know that we can take our pain and turn it into something bigger than that” Kid Cudi recently told fans he had begun working on his next LP. “Taking my time w it tho but I’m thinking next year sometime,” he said when one of his Twitter followers asked when they could hear new music and he also announced his podcast, entitled All Love No Shit Talkin, it will feature only uplifting artists and talkin w my friends and fans.

THE MAKING OF

TAYLOR SWIFT “Every day I try to remind myself of the good in the world, the love I’ve witnessed and the faith I have in humanity. We have to live bravely in order to truly feel alive, and that means not being ruled by our greatest fears.” Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Taylor Swift made a splash in the country music world in 2006 and has gone on to become one of the top acts in popular music. She rose to fame in 2006 with her self-titled debut album. Her album Fearless is the most awarded country and pop album in history and she’s now artist of the decade (2019). She has been one of the most famous singers in the past 10 years. She currently has an insane net worth of over $320 million from selling numerous copies of her albums, playing shows all over the world, and earning various endorsement deals. It’s hard to find many artists with such longevity and staying power like Taylor Swift. Taylor makes the job of creating music for millions of people look easy. It all comes from her — her belief in magic and love, and her ability to be as honest and raw as possible. She’s the master of putting the perfect amount of thought into not overthinking, and that’s why her music connects so well, her lyrics have always felt so personal, yet relatable at the same time. It is absolutely clear that she’s one of the most influential musicians today. HALL OF FAME

TAYLOR OF SWIFTARTIST THE DECADE 10 Years, 5 Albums & 1 Artist of the Decade: Taylor Swift’s Record-Breaking Career by the Numbers Taylor Swift was born in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania on December 13, 1989. Now, at 30 years old, Taylor Swift has spent quite a bit of time in the spotlight. In fact, we’ve been able to see the singer grow up right before our eyes — from her breakthrough as a 16-year-old country star to her reinvention into a full-blown pop icon. We’ve watched as she dated other stars and befriended, and sometimes unfriended, other celebrities. Let’s look back at her incredible evolution.

When Taylor Swift was 14 years old, her father moved his job to Nashville in order for her to be able to pursue her dream of being a country singer. In Nashville, Taylor eventually signed with a new independent label called Big Machine Records as one of its first artists.

Before Taylor Swift was even born, her parents, Scott and Andrea Swift, actually had big dreams for their daughter. They chose to name her Taylor because it was a gender neutral name that could be beneficial should she want a business career.

In 2006, when Taylor was 17 years old, her first album, Taylor Swift, was released. The album was full of catchy songs with lyrics about teenage love and heartbreak, and it became a massive hit with young country music fans. Singles such as “Tim McGraw,” “Teardrops On My Guitar,” and “Our Song” were played all over country music radio and put Taylor Swift on the map. Her first album even went on to chart in the top 10 of the Billboards 200.

As Taylor Swift grew up and showed a lot of interest in music her parents began to put things into motion. They set up a MySpace account for her. On Taylor Swift’s end, she learned how to play the guitar and wrote songs when she was only 12 years old, being inspired by country artists such as Shania Twain.

Taylor Swift became a country music sensation, but she did not stay in that genre for long. A couple of songs from her first album, were also played often on mainstream pop radio and acquired many fans who did not only listened to country music. Taylor’s music career did not slow down. Her second album,

Fearless, was even bigger than her first. It was the most downloaded country album in history at one time and had 7 songs in the top 100 at the same time. She continued to see success with the general public. Some singles like “You Belong With Me” and “Fifteen” were hits with young girls everywhere and helped make her a household name. In subsequent years, the trend would continue and, at some point in the early 2010s, Taylor Swift transitioned fully from being an artist with country influence to becoming a full-fledged pop singer with songs such as “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “Shake It Off,” and “Blank Space.” Throughout her career, Taylor Swift has sold more than hundreds of millions of copies of her albums and singles. She has been named one of the best-selling artists worldwide. With such a successful career, Taylor Swift is clearly one of the most influential musicians today.

HALL OF FAME

DISCOGR AP Taylor Swift stepped onto the country music scene in 2006 with a self-titled album, and she’s been wowing the world with her musical and lyrical talents ever since. After putting out three country albums, Taylor Swift impressively and seamlessly began making the transition to pop with her fourth studio album, Red. Taylor Swift’s greatest gift has always been the way her lyrics connect with her fans.

Red is her fourth studio album and iIt was released on October 22, 2012, by Big Machine Records. Inspired by past romantic relationships evoking intense, tumultuous “red” emotions that Swift was experiencing during the conception of the project, Red touches on the themes of romance and heartbreak, but represents a mature perspective, while exploring the pressure of being in the public eye.

It was released on October 25, 2010, by Big Machine Records. Swift wrote the album entirely by herself. She described the album as a loose concept about confessions, inspired by her personal life. The lyrics revolve around Swift’s recurring romantic themes of love, heartbreak and forgiveness. The album was released on November 11, 2008, by Big Machine Records. Swift wrote most of the songs during the time when she was promoting her self-titled debut studio album performing as an opening act for other country artists.

Taylor Swift is the self-titled debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 24, 2006, by Big Machine Records. Swift was 16 years old the year of the album’s release and wrote its songs during her freshman year of high school.

PHY 1989 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 27, 2014, through Big Machine Records. The songs on 1989 express lighthearted perspectives towards failed romance, departing from her previous antagonistic attitude. The album was supported by seven singles, including three US Billboard Hot 100 number ones: “Shake It Off”, “Blank Space”, and “Bad Blood”. It was released on November 10, 2017, by Big Machine Records. Swift wrote the songs inspired by her publicized personal life, categorizing the album’s content into two themes: one is vengeance influenced by fame and the excessive media gossip, and the other is peace and love amidst the tumultuous affairs. Lover is the seventh studio album by Taylor Swift, released on August 23, 2019, through Republic Records. She defined Lover as a “love letter to love itself” that celebrates the full spectrum of love. It also incorporates politically charged themes, such as feminism, disillusionment and LGBT rights. It was a surprise album, released through Republic Records on July 24, 2020. Written and recorded in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift called the album “a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness”

SHAKE IT UP TAYLOR SWIFT

CLOSER THE CHAINSMOKERS FT HALSEY

ROLLING IN THE DEEP ADELE

OLD TOWN ROAD LIL NAS X FT BILLY RAY CYRUS

ONE DANCE DRAKE SHAPE OF YOU ED SHEERAN

UPTOWN FUNK MARK RONSON FT BRUNO MARS

TAYLOR SWIFT Taylor Swift has won more American Music Awards than any other artist this decade, so it’s only fitting that the songstress be honored as Artist of the Decade at this year’s ceremony. Swift won six American Music Awards, taking her all-time total to 29 and breaking Michael Jackson’s record. Swift demonstrated her songwriting prowess early on, and her music only continued to get stronger all the way through her 2019 album, ‘Lover’ The pop star, who walked into Sunday night’s show with 23 AMAs, surpassed the King of Pop’s 24 wins at the fan-voted show. She rambled onstage as she won the final award of the night which was artist of the year and repeatedly thanked her fans for always showing up and the constant support — during both the good and bad times specially during the year. The artist of the decade honour was announced well before Sunday night’s ceremony, and she also scooped the biggest prize of the night: artist of the year. Accepting the award for the latter, an emotional Swift told the crowd that the previous 12 months had given her “some of the most amazing times” as well as “the hardest things I’ve gone through in my life”. One of the reasons Swift’s fans constantly latched onto her music this decade — leading to her chart-topping dominance — was because her lyrics always felt so personal, yet relatable at the same time. Swift wrapped her speech with a tribute to her fans and memories: “all anyone in this room wants is to create something that will last. The fact that this is an award that celebrates a decade of hard work and art and fun and memories — all that matters to me is the memories I’ve had with you guys, the fans, over the years. Because we’ve had fun, incredible, exhilarating, extraordinary times together and may it continue.”“Thank you for being the reason I’m on this stage…I’m so lucky to get to do this.”

SPOTLIGHT

Accepting the award for the latter, an emotional Swift told the crowd gathered at Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater that the previous 12 months had given her “some of the most amazing times” as well as “the hardest things I’ve gone through in my life”. The medley climaxed with the title track of August’s Lover album, where Swift channeled her inner Elton John. Sporting a bubblegum-pink cape adorned with gold detailing, she crooned the romantic tune while playing piano as a pair of ballet dancers sauntered in front of her.

Swift followed a video retrospective of her career with the performance of a medley of some of her biggest hits, opening with a brief portion of her song The Man, which debates how much more successful she would be if she were a male.

After opening with “The Man” from Lover. She then delved into her back catalogue with “Love Story,” “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “Blank Space” and “Shake It Off” — the latter featuring surprise appearances by Halsey and Camila Cabello.

THANK U, NEXT with Hannah Lux Davis

What’s it like to shatter two records on YouTube? Music video director Hannah Lux Davis can tell you. Over five days, the long-time creative’s latest project with pop singer Ariana Grande, the music video for “Thank U, Next,” has swept the Internet with more than 100 million views, breaking YouTube’s record for most-watched video premiere and most viewers within 24 hours. We go back in time with clever 2000s references, sourced from feature films like “Mean Girls,” “Legally Blonde” and “Thirteen Going on Thirty,” The music video pays homage to some of pop culture’s most iconic movie moments, complete with a catchy melody, high school nostalgia and spilled celebrity tea. Jane Claire Hervey: You’ve been working with Ariana Grande for a while now—and every collaboration has been a hit. Why do you think that is? I’ve done a lot of projects with her in the past. We’ve been working together since “Bang Bang.” Every project we’ve done is a different process—it just depends on how personal the song is or what’s going on in her world at the time. For this video [“Thank U, Next”], it was very much a collaborative process, and she was involved every step of the way. It’s great to work with someone like her, because she understands acting, editing and the whole picture. That pushes the creative positively. Hervey: How quickly did “Thank U, Next” come together—from planning through post-production? Davis: From start to finish, it was a really fast process. The concept was born when we were working on the “Breathin” video in New York. She played me the song and she was ready to jump right into “Thank U, Next”

after the shoot. So, we shot “Breathin’” in November or the end of October, and then we started planning “Thank U, Next” the next week. We began brainstorming on a Monday and shot that Saturday, Sunday and the Monday following. We ended up locking in our edit the following Sunday after Thanksgiving. It was just me and Ariana behind a computer with snacks all around us—just two girls behind a monitor. Hervey: There are so many easter eggs and hidden messages in the music video (like playful jabs at Grande’s most recent ex, Pete Davidson). What was intentional and what wasn’t? Davis: So much planning goes into these things, but you have to leave room for spontaneity on set. For example, that moment between Jennifer [Coolidge] and Ariana is actually all improv. I think, in general people, think we have an endless amount of money, time and resources to make these things, but it’s really a very very fast turnaround. This video was cut very quickly and it was shot in three days. So, if you start listing out the scenes, you have to really premeditate what those looks are going to be. Hervey: So, how does a music video as complex and collaborative as this one come to life? Davis: The biggest thing is communication. It can make and break a shoot. It’s also how you’re communicating. Are you using visuals and buzzwords? Is there a universal understanding of those buzzwords on your team? Things that may seem obvious, you just need tot have a checklist as the director, whether mentally or physically, about all of the things that go into the scene.

MEAN GIRLS Like any true queen bee, Mean Girls takes precedent as the alpha rom-com in “Thank U, Next.” Grande dresses up in full Regina George looks, down to the Louis Vuitton purses, silver initial necklace and long blonde hair. The video’s typography and the song’s original artwork mimic that of the film and, of course, its infamous “Burn Book.”

BRING IT ON

Additionally, some of the most high-profile cameos in the music video appear during the Mean Girls segments, with Jonathan Bennett returning as high school heartthrob Aaron Samuels and Stefanie Drummond as a major Regina enthusiast. Grande collaborator Troye Sivan appears in the video in a letterman jacket, while YouTube stars Colleen Ballinger and Gabi DeMartino and Grande’s former Victorious co-star, Elizabeth Gillies, round out the crew as Cady Heron and the rest of the Plastics. Kris Jenner makes a delightful appearance as Regina George’s “cool mom.”

Grande and her longtime friend and onetime Victorious co-star Matt Bennett re-enact the Bring It On scene where Torrance Shipman (Kirsten Dunst) and Cliff Pantone (Jesse Bradford) face off in a tooth-brushing competition before eventually dating. The 2000 movie saw two rival cheerleading teams face off, The Toros and The Clovers, a feud that reached a heated peak during a football game. Grande rocks the red Toros uniform but puts her unique spin on the original scene, dancing along with the Clovers. Grande’s been a longtime champion of the high ponytail, so it seems only fitting that she would channel the cheerleaders of Bring It On in “Thank U, Next.” Dressed up in a red cheerleading costume that reads “TUN” for “Thank U, Next” but looks quite similar to the one worn by the Rancho Carne Toros, Grande’s cheer squad faces off the East Compton Lovers, a reference to the beloved Clovers. Bring It On also included an unlikely romance between Toros team captain Torrance and guitar player Cliff. After Cliff gives Torrance a mixtape, she ecstatically dances around her room with pom-poms, a dance that Grande also does in her music video.

BTS

LEGALLY BLONDE

In the 2001 film, Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) makes it into Harvard Law School and brings her pup Bruiser along with her. Grande remakes Woods’ fabulous Harvard campus debut and includes her own dog, Toulouse. Elle Woods teaches her partner-in-crime Paulette Bonafonte (Jennifer Coolidge) the flirtatious bend & snap technique in Legally Blonde. Grande and Coolidge revisit the technique at a similar salon in “thank u, next.” Grande went full valley girl for the Legally Blonde-inspired segments of the music video, where she sported a pink maribou feather Adam Selman tube top that would have warmed the cockles of Elle Woods’ heart. From studying on an orange MacBook Pro while working out on the ellipticals like any hard-working Harvard student to hanging out with the legendary Jennifer Coolidge, who reprises her role as Paulette. The 2001 film saw Woods and Bruiser soaking up some sun at Harvard, complete with pink outfits and Woods’ tiny bikini. In “thank u, next,” Grande and Toulouse are just as fabulous in their fuzzy pink outfits. Among all the joyful fan reactions, Legally Blonde‘s Reese Witherspoon and Suddenly 30‘s Mark Ruffalo also took to Twitter to express their appreciation for the homages. Icons blessing an icon.

13 GOING ON 30 Then, Grande transforms into Jennifer Garner’s Jenna Rink from 13 Going on 30.S he carries a version of the 2004 rom-com’s Barbie Dream House with tiny cutouts of a photo of the singer with shoulder-length hair she teased on Instagram on Nov. 15. And she’s already scored the approval of 13 star Mark Ruffalo. Only one scene from 2004 time-travel film got a shoutout, but it’s the most emotional of the music video. In the original, Jennifer Garner walks sadly away from Mark Ruffalo’s wedding to another woman, clutching her homemade dollhouse and broken heart. The is displayed during the section of ‘Thank U, Next’ wherein Grande wistfully thinks of meeting the right person and getting married in the future.

BTS

CAMEOS CAMEOS CAMEOS

Elizabeth Gillies, Alexa Luria, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bennett and Courtney Chipolone: The Plastics

Jennifer Coolidge

Troye Sivan Colleen Ballinger

Gabi DeMartino Kris Jenner: The Cool Mom

Daniella Monet

Matt Bennett BTS

WRITTEN BY JADE GOMEZ

Two years ago, videos of a cypher on a Houston rooftop began appearing online that showed a lone 21-yearold woman among ten rappers. Her name is Megan Thee Stallion (stage name for Megan Jovon Ruth Pete), and she arrived in gold heels, Daisy Dukes and an attitude you can feel through the screen. At the time, she had only recently begun rapping professionally, but you wouldn’t guess it based on how confidently she delivered her explicit lyrics over an instrumental version of Drake’s “4pm in Calabasas.” The comments section responded in awe. “Chick goes hard,” said one viewer, summing up the general reaction. Since then, Megan has scored major streaming numbers, earned comparisons to the likes of Trina and Lil Kim and signed a record deal with 300 Entertainment. Her music is unapologetically Southern, with her thick Houston accent bouncing effortlessly over sensual and bare trap beats, allowing her lyricism and delivery to shine through. On releases like her 2018 mixtape Tina Snow, which has been streamed more than 11 million times across all platforms, she offers a refreshing female perspective to a Southern rap scene whose

stars remain largely male, and presents herself as a peer to unapologetically confident internet-first stars like Cuban Doll, City Girls and Saweetie. She cites the late Pimp C of UGK, a Texas rap icon, as one of her biggest influences. Megan remembers listening to his music when she was as young as a toddler, mesmerized by his effortless talk-rap delivery. As an adolescent, she used the internet to discover Pimp C’s 2006 solo album, Pimpalation. “[Songs like] ‘Take it Off’ made me feel so confident and cool” she says. While music is her main priority, one of her goals after she graduates (she is currently studying health-care administration) is to open up assisted living facilities around Houston — which she says will be staffed by her fellow classmates, since she understands the struggle of finding a job after college. “I try not to make me being a rapper a huge deal,” she says. “Just like I’m missing class sometimes because I have to do a show, somebody [else] missed a class because they don’t want to be there. They can’t treat either one of us no different. I just try to get all my work done and turned in as soon as I can.”

TOP TRACK S TOP TRACK S

“I feel like I have to put on for my city, because we have so many legends and so many greats, but I don’t feel like we ever really had a female rapper come from Houston or Texas and shut sh*t down. So that’s where I’m coming from with it.”

Girls in The Hood

Savage Remix feat. Beyoncé

Captain Hook

Hot Girl Summer ONES TO LISTEN

BILLIE EILISH

THEREFORE I AM

BEHIND THE LYRICS

THEREFORE I AM BILLIE EILISH Billie Eilish has dropped ‘Therefore I Am’, alongside a music video concept we’d all love to recreate. Just from the short clip fans knew it was going to be a smash, and she has definitely brought back her dark Indie/pop vocals we’ve missed. Promising it would not disappoint.

Billie quotes René Descartes’ aphorism “Cogito, ergo sum,” or, “I think, therefore I am.” Descartes initially coined the idea in the early 1600s and first explained it in his 1637 book, The Method of Discourse, where he attempts to answer whether the world is a dream.

And we were not ready, the song is just classic Billie, and the lyrics will be in your head in an instant. Billie is giving us all a philosophy lesson with her new song ‘Therefore I Am’, as the famous statement was coined by philosopher René Descartes. If we’re going really deep into the meaning, the statement demonstrates the fact you can’t doubt that you exist because you’re the one having that doubt.

Descartes argued that even if we are skeptical about the existence of our physical body and environment, the self-conscious of mind still inevitably exists as “we cannot doubt of our existence while we doubt.”

But in the context of Billie’s new banger she’s singing about not giving a damn about what other people think about her. In the music video for ‘Therefore I Am’, Billie is running around an empty shopping mall with a pretzel, helping herself to slush puppies and Chipotle, aka every young person’s dream, proving she marches to the beat of her own drum and won’t let anyone tell her otherwise! But what do they mean? Here’s a breakdown:

Billie uses the quote to confront people that want to control her and makes it clear that she has no regard for other people’s opinions about her. This might be related to the public scrutiny she’s received, which made her a victim of unbridled body-shaming. In March 2020, she took a stance against her body shamers while on tour in Miami: While I feel your stares, your disapproval or your sighs of relief, if I lived by them, I’d never be able to move. Interestingly, this idea might be linked to the music video as she mischievously grabs snacks from different stores, as if blatantly telling the audience she does not care about the criticisms.

“I’m not your friend Or anything, damn You think that you’re the man I think, therefore, I am I’m not your friend Or anything, damn You think that you’re the man I think, therefore, I am Stop, what the hell are you talking about? Ha Get my pretty name out of your mouth We are not the same with or without Don’t talk ‘bout me like how you might know how I feel Top of the world, but your world isn’t real Your world’s an ideal” 44

LYRICS RUNDOWN

MEATDRESS

LADY GAGAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

46 RED CARPET LOOKS

IT WAS A POWERFUL POLITICAL STATEMENT, RATHER THAN JUST ANOTHER ATTENTION GRABBING OUTFIT

WRITTEN BY ELLA ALEXANDER

It was 5 years ago that Lady Gaga rolled up to the MTV Video Music Awards having been nominated a record 13 times – a first in VMA history for a single year. Aside from becoming the first female artist to receive two video nominations for the year, and ultimately going on to secure 8 awards, it wasn’t really these accolades that made headlines for the Bad Romance singer on the night, rather than her choice for third outfit change. Before accepting her Video of the Year award, the singer donned the now (in)famous ‘meat dress’, took to the stage, asked Cher to hold her meat purse, and made her acceptance speech. Argentinian designer Franc Fernandez created the number, constructed using prime flank steak from his own family butcher, and stitched Lady into it whilst backstage moments before her big moment. The inevitable furore that surrounded the move had all corners chiming in. From PETA to Morrissey, everybody seemed to have an opinion – good or bad – on her beefy ensemble. A slightly confused sounding Gaga later made an attempt at high-browing the concept on the Ellen DeGeneres show, insisting ‘it has many interpretations. For me this evening, if we don’t stand up for what we believe in and if we don’t fight for our rights pretty soon, we’re going to have as much rights as the meat on our own bones. And, I am not just a piece of meat.’ One way or another, it secured its place on the zeitgeist tape for 2010, even becoming a fancy dress craze briefly. So, the question on everybody’s lips is, what on earth happens to a dress

made of cow after its had its moment in the spotlight? Jun Francisco – the Director of Collections at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – spoke to MTV this week, revealing that the dress wasn’t chucked out or barbecued. ‘Right after the VMAs, the museum contacted Lady Gaga about the meat dress and the plan for the future. They agreed to send it to us, but at the time it was still raw meat. So we had to figure out—we went back and forth with ideas— and the thing we decided on was to preserve it like a beef jerky. So it’s taxidermied.’ The meat dress was a powerful political statement, rather than just another attention-grabbing outfit. The star says the look referred to a speech she made, The Prime Rib of America, which urged the US military not to discriminate against gay men and lesbians from serving in the army. She says that the law prevents the military from enjoying “the greatest cut of meat my country has to offer”. “You saw the prime rib of America speech so you knew it was about equality, but nobody else knew that,” she told Stephen Fry in an interview for the Financial Times. “Everyone just saw pork. It wasn’t pork! It was prime rib and plain steak.” It is safe to say that Gaga made headlines all across the globe when she wore the infamous meat dress at the VMAs in 2010.

RED CARPET LOOKS

COACHELLA COACHELLA MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL: THE SURVIVAL GUIDE

Whether you’re a festival aficionado, a part-time raver or a newbie to the music scene, there’s no doubt you’ve heard of Coachella and you probably have it on your bucket list. If you’re going to Coachella, there are a bunch of things you NEED to know to survive. Okay, maybe we’re being a bit dramatic, but you’ll definitely have a more comfortable and less nerve-wracking time knowing these things beforehand! This Coachella Survival Guide will help you better prepare for your time in Indio. Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is located at 81-800 51st Ave., Indio, CA 9220. You’ll see signs and notice ample traffic on the way there, including signs for Empire Polo Club, VIP areas, and GA.

TRAVEL Whether you’re a festival-goer from out of state, out of the country, or right here in California, there are a bunch of options for getting into Indio, CA. If you’re in California and looking to save some money, you might be open to driving to Coachella instead of flying. The downside is the potentially long drives (not so bad when you’re going from San Diego or Los Angeles), but if you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, it can be more of a trek. We strongly advise driving if you’re car camping or tent camping because (duh) you’ll need or want your car to get all your things inside.

TICKET BUYING For a hyped event is the most stressful thing. We’re talking stressed out for 1-2 hours on the Coachella website in the queue when tickets are released (maybe even for longer) watching the little man slowly make his way down. If you’re lucky, you might get into the ticket-purchasing page sooner, but most of us will be sitting there staring at our browser for far longer. Warning: There’s a chance you might not even get through, but in the last couple of years, Coachella has increased the number of wristbands they sell. You can expectcrowded grounds, but tickets should be easier than it was before to get!

WHERE TO STAY Figuring out where to stay can be a daunting task. If you’re the planner in your group–good luck and kudos to you! Be sure to be conscious of your group’s budget and choose the right place to stay for your group. This could mean staying on the campgrounds if your group doesn’t want to have to drive anywhere, or even renting a house to stay at if your group values cleanliness and beds over convenience! Campgrounds: They don’t sell camping passes for no reason. The benefits to staying on the grounds are that you can easily walk back and forth from the venue to your tent/car to grab things you might’ve forgotten, or to take a nap in the middle of the day if the next artist you want to see is on in a couple hours. House Rental: Renting a house for Coachella may be the most comfortable way to do this. Whether you’re going weekend 1 or 2, be sure to book these as far in advance as possible, and work within a budget your group decides on. You can get an estimate of the rental rates early on from the homeowners, or easily on Airbnb. Hotels: Hotel packages for Coachella are available at various locations around Coachella Valley. These rates tend to spike during these weekends so this wouldn’t be our first choice if you’re planning your trip! The benefit is that most resorts and hotels offer shuttle services, or if you’re buying the shuttle pass, the hotel might be included in one of the stops. We only advise this for groups of 4 or less who don’t want to camp, or if it ends up being cheaper than booking a rental house for the weekend!

Tip #1: Use multiple devices to get in line (Incognito mode may work, too if you’ve only got one device and Google Chrome installed) – Get your group of friends to do the same, so if they get in on multiple devices, they can check out for you too. Note: the limit to wristbands you can buy in one checkout is 4. Tip #2: Purchase during advanced ticket sales if you can – This way, you’ll be able to make payments on your ticket instead of a lump sum (easier on your bank account). Just be sure that you’re using a credit card on autopay so you don’t have to worry about reaching a spending limit or missing a payment. If you miss even one payment, Coachella will cancel your ticket. Tip #3: Make sure you purchase the right ticket yes, this seems to be a no-brainer, but this is a warning for you to do your research. FESTIVALS

BIGGEST TOUR EVER Ed Sheeran’s third world concert tour, ÷ [Divide] Tour, has proved incredibly popular. So popular it’s earned him three Guinness World Records titles. As his show enters its final stages, the ever-popular singer-songwriter has achieved the highest attendance for a music tour, highest-grossing music tour by a solo artist and highest-grossing music tour. The British singer-songwriter achieved an overall gross of $775.6 million from 8.9 million tickets sold on six continents.Ed Sheeran’s Tour has been named the highest-grossing tour of all time, breaking a record set by U2 that stood for eight years. Coming off the back of the chart-topping album, the Divide tour began in March 2017. It has also been named the most attended tour of all time: more than 8.5m people across 43 countries will have seen.

Ed Sheeran put on 17 song shows every night, two which are part of the encore. The entire set lasted for about two hours with about an hour for the openers. He always closes with “Sing” and then returns for an encore of “Shape of You” and “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You.”

Supporting his latest album ÷ (Divide), Ed Sheeran’s Divide World Tour was split into two phases. For phase one, TAIT custom-built a 63 ft. wide main stage where Ed Sheeran performed alone in front of a massive, 55 ft. tall LED video structure shaped like a goblet. The LED video goblet was built with a curved touring frame that housed numerous LED video screens, four lighting pods and scenic fascia.

“The arena show concept we came up with is phase one of Ed Sheeran’s design. When we play stadiums in 2018 that will be phase two, so that will be at least a 180° design for the show. Turning our concept into reality was Tait Towers, who fabricated it. For phase two, the Divide World Tour transfers from an arena to a stadium setting. In order to support the tour outdoors, TAIT modified the LED video goblet to be completely weather proof.

ALL AROUND THE WORLD

Ed Sheeran’s Divide Tour has been named the highest-grossing tour of all time, breaking a record set by U2 that had stood for eight years. Coming off the back of the chart-topping album of the same name, the Divide tour began in March 2017, and will have encompassed 255 shows when it finishes with four homecoming gigs in Ipswich later this month. It has also been named the most attended tour of all time: when it finishes, more than 8.5m people across 43 countries will have seen Sheeran perform, breaking U2’s record of 7.3m.

OPENING ACTS - Anne-Marie (Europe) - Ryan McMullan (Europe) - James Blunt (North America) - Joshua Radin (North America) - Lauv (Asia) - Sebastian Yatra (Latin America)

LEGS AND ATTENDANCE 14 legs (North America, Latin America, Europe, Oceania, Asia, Africa) with an attendance of 8.787.000 people

ALBUM (÷) Is his third studio album, and it has now sold over 15-million copies worldwide.

ALL AROUND THE WORLD

By the end of it Sheeran will have spent 893 days on the road. He said it was “really weird and cool” to be performing in his home town. “I just love being here and I’m happy to end the tour here,” he said. Having performed 280 shows since March 2017, Ed said: “As you may or may not know, I’ve been on the Divide tour for over two years now and this is the last day of the whole thing. “There is something very bittersweet about it. I love that you guys are here and we are ending it in Ipswich. This is my last gig for probably 18 months.” It kind of feels like, breaking up with a girlfriend that you’ve been with for years.

START DATE - END DATE 16 March 2017 - 26 August 2019

TOTAL SHOWS 260 performances all over the world

BOX OFFCE It’s the highest-grossing tour of all time – reaching a staggering overall gross of $775.6 million from 8.9 million tickets sold on six continents

ALL AROUND THE WORLD

THE 2020

AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS 54

The AMAs brings together the music community to celebrate what really drives all artists - the fans One of the biggest nights in music, the American Music Awards, kicked off Sunday night with a series of worldwide premieres, big wins and even bigger surprises. Hosted by Taraji P. Henson from Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater, the audience looked a little different this year due to the ongoing pandemic. Along with a “small COVID-free audience,” cardboard cutouts of the who’s who within the music industry. Then there were the performances. There sure were. Many of them took place in the Microsoft Theater. Most of them were virtually lifeless, perhaps suggesting what a difference a crowd can make. However, the night wasn’t all about saluting new songs -- it was also a big night for rapper Nelly, who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his debut album “Country Grammar.” The “Dancing with the Stars” finalist performed a medley of his hits that propelled him to global stardom — “Country Grammar,” “E.I.” and “Ride Wit Me.” “The AMAs brings together the music community to celebrate what really drives all artists - the fans,” Henson said in a statement released after it was announced she would be hosting this year’s AMAs said Taraj. “I’m proud to take the stage as this year’s host -- and also a fan -- for what promises to be an electrifying night of music,” Henson added.

MUSIC AWARDS

Megan was among the most nominated artists this year, picking up five nods, including New Artist of the Year. She also earned two looks in the Collaboration of the Year category — one for “WAP”, the other for her “Savage” remix with Beyoncé — and was nominated for Favorite Female Artist (Rap/Hip-hop) and Favorite Song (Rap/ Hip-hop) for “WAP.”

Swift cemented herself as the most decorated winner in AMAs history, bumping her lifetime awards total to 32 on Sunday. The singer was unable to physically pick up her trophies which she eagerly confessed to in her acceptance speech: “I’m actually re-recording my old music in the studio where we originally recorded it!”

24kGoldn and Iann Dior brought the good vibes to the 2020 American Music Awards performing their Hot 100-topping hit “Mood.” Playing it cool, the duo performed on top of a mini stage that was decorated like a group of doors, making it appear as if they were standing sideways on a wall.

Opening the ceremony was Justin Bieber, who performed a soulful medley of his newest hits, first starting off with an emotional rendition of “Lonely” while staring at his reflection before switching gears for a more upbeat version of “Holy.” He remained on the stage to help Shawn Mendes officially debut their collaboration, “Monster”.

MUSIC AWARDS

Jennifer Lopez and Maluma also paired for a duet and used their energetic performance to tease their upcoming romantic comedy, “Marry Me” by debuting two songs off of the official soundtrack: “Pa’ti” and “Lonely.” Taraji P. Henson owned the stage as the host of this year’s American Music Awards. The Empire star brought her dynamic charm to the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, and emceed an incredible night of music and celebration.

As for the Weeknd, the Canadian artist picked up favorite male artist, favorite song, and favorite album within the soul/R&B category. The “Blinding Lights” singer shocked fans by taking the stage with his battered and bruised face wrapped in bandages, an ongoing theme within his latest music videos that support his “After Hours” album. MUSIC AWARDS

FENT Y BEAUT Y BY RIHANNA

Before she was BadGalRiRi: music, fashion and beauty icon, Robyn Rihanna Fenty was a little girl in Barbados transfixed by her mother’s lipstick. The first time she experienced makeup for herself, she never looked back. Makeup became her weapon of choice for self-expression—a way to radiate her ever-changing mood—and it powered a fearless take on beauty that helped her become the boundary-breaking icon she is. Rihanna was inspired to create Fenty Beauty after years of experimenting with the best-of-the-best in beauty—and still seeing a void in the industry for products that performed across all skin types and tones. She launched a makeup line “so that people everywhere would be included,” focusing on a wide range of traditionally hard-to-match skin tones, creating formulas that work for all skin types, and pinpointing universal shades. To say that Fenty Beauty completely changed the beauty industry is no exaggeration. Despite the fact that Rihanna is already a hugely influential global superstar with a phenomenal fanbase, this is far from being just a “celebrity beauty brand”, and diminishing it as such is to ignore the state of the beauty industry pre-Fenty. From unrealistic beauty ideals to the blatant lack of representation reflected in campaigns and product offe-

rings, the beauty industry’s relationship with diversity was problematic at best. But here’s the thing, fundamentally the issue isn’t really about foundations per se. It is about representation, inclusion and equality, and being penalised for not fitting the same mould as your fairer-skinned counterparts. Rihanna understood this, and decided to address it using the powerful vehicle of make-up. Fenty connected emotionally with women who had long been treated as though they didn’t exist by the beauty industry. It not only highlighted the importance of being seen, it proved to the industry that women of colour have huge spending power, and that black can, and does, sell. Fenty Beauty products are designed to feel lightweight, even as they deliver buildable coverage that effortlessly layers, to ultimately “make skin look like skin.” Most importantly, Rihanna creates makeup to inspire: “Makeup is there for you to have fun with,” she says. “It should never feel like pressure. It should never feel like a uniform. Feel free to take chances, and take risks, and dare to do something new or different.” Fenty Beauty relies on the proposition that beauty should be accessible to everyone, regardless of race, gender, or culture.

WRITTEN BY MCKENZIE JEAN-PHILIPPE

TikTokers might have mastered The Chunky Cheese, The 223, Spooky, Scary Skeletons, and more dance moves, but it’s now 2020, and the Renegade is what it’s all about. The Renegade dance challenge is a viral sensation that the biggest TikTok stars like Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae, Gemma, and more have had a blast recreating. But, did you know the Renegade song isn’t even called Renegade? It was named for the lyrics to “Lottery” by K Camp, which was inspired by Reazy’s producer tag “Renegade.” Yup, you read that right. The Renegade Dance song is actually a song called “Lottery” that was released by Kristopher “K CAMP” Campbell in year 2019.

Early in 2020, for example, the decision was made to change the track’s official title to ‘Lottery (Renegade)’ because that’s what kids were Google searching for. “It was very clear that ‘Renegade’ was what people were identifying it as. Viral dance moves created on TikTok have become a staple for the app, but the “Renegade” dance is one of the more challenging combinations to master. The complicated dance has attracted more than 300,000 videos on the app. This viral dance reportedly started on Instagram in September 2019. Social media user @_.xoxlaii shared a video dancing to the song, and many even commented on the clip claiming this was the “original.”.

In 2020 the decision was made to change the track’s title to ‘Lottery (Renegade)’ “It was very clear that ‘Renegade’ was what people were identifying it as.”

The real lift-off came in September 2019 though, when a 14 year-old girl in Atlanta called Jalaiah Harmon uploaded a clip of herself dancing to ‘Lottery’ to Instagram, which spawned a mini viral trend there, before spilling over to TikTok. The rap song quickly became one of TikTok’s most popular dance challenges, with so many posts being made that even professional dancers started to create step-by-step YouTube videos for social media users to learn it.

But, the “Renegade” dance reportedly did not catch fire until viral TikTok star Charli D’Amelio posted herself dancing to the song on her channel. With the now-famous teen performing the difficult dance, it soon inspired others to participate in mastering the fun moves. Therefore, the “Renegade” dance challenge was born... If you want to take on the “Renegade” yourself a YouTuber under the account name “Learn to Dance” created an easyto-follow, step-by-step tutorial that’ll have you posting that TikTok vid in no time.

BANGER

“What makes me really feel good is to make Latinos feel proud, to provoke that pride that a pop figure and someone so big in music globally like Drake would sing with me completely in Spanish is the best part of it” Drake is very, very good at knowing what people want. He’s also very good at utilizing the system that’s in place to ensure that he remains at the very top of the music game. He uses memes and albums with unnecessarily long track lists to pad his streaming numbers. He harnesses the popularity of global dance trends to boost his popularity outside of the country. He’s smart as hell. But there’s one thing that Drake is still missing: The number one music video on YouTube. Drake hopped on Bad Bunny’s “MIA,” for a full Spanish reggaeton dance hit. It has all the ingredients to be a global phenomena like “Despacito.” Drake’s support of Bad Bunny is just more evidence of the explosion of Latin music in the United States and beyond. It became the first song done entirely in Spanish to reach No. 1 on Apple Music’s Top Songs in the United States. The track is already a colossal worldwide hit, topping the charts in countries like Belize, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Paraguay. The track’s impact stateside represents a greater goal on Bunny’s mind. “Obviously this song is an achievement for me in my career, but what makes me really feel good is to make Latinos feel proud,” Bad Bunny told Apple Music, per Billboard. “To provoke that pride that a pop figure and someone so big in music globally like Drake would sing with me completely in Spanish and create this hit ‘MIA.’ That’s the best part of it.” The song “Mia” peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Bunny’s first top 10 single on the chart as a lead artist and Drake’s 26th.

GAME CHANGERS

Songs keep gett ing shorter In 2019, the average track length of the Top 40 was three minutes and seven seconds. That’s a whole 30 seconds less than the year before. This is largely a byproduct of streaming and discovery through playlists. Consequently, traditional pop song structures have been thrown out the window to reduce the chances of being skipped in a deck of 52 other artists.

ing a thing Genres are becom of the past Nelly and Tim McGraw might’ve been one of the first hip-hop/country crossovers to top mainstream charts, but in 2019 we saw Lil Nas X break record after record. Grammy gatekeepers disagreed on “Old Town Road” being eligible for Billboard’s Hot Country chart, the genre originally listed in its metadata. Still, this was not enough to keep the song from being an everlasting number one.

chanTechnology is rapidly ging music promotion If you feel like the latest platforms, technology, and gadgets are hard to keep up with, that’s because they are. The ways in which we discover and consume music is changing on a daily basis. The growing industry of live streaming. YouTube has been around for a long time and remains a king for video content. Though as the platform becomes increasingly saturated and commercialized, content creators thirst to connect with their fans on a personable level. That’s where live streaming sites like Twitch and Mixer come to play. commonly known for video game streaming, Twitch is home to musicians and artists of all sizes. Viewers often become super fans that stick by you for years to come.

Physical sales are down for the music industry If there’s one action item on this list, it’s this: upload your songs to Spotify and Apple Music PRONTO. According to Nielsen’s 2019 Mid-Year Report, streaming now accounts for 78% of music consumption. Vinyl continues to see a resurgence in popularity, however, with a 9.6% increase from the previous year. Consider bundling CDs and vinyl with your merch, as merch bundles now counts towards your record sales. Distributing your music online couldn’t be easier. You have nothing to lose and all to gain.

The 80’s are back in full effect It’s been a long time coming, as we’ve slowly watched the uptrend of funk and industrial rooted grooves. The New Year will fully embrace the 80’s both sonically and aesthetically. Thanks largely in part to pop culture, giant reverbs and classic analog synths are deserving of the spotlight once again.

LET’S SEE WHAT MUSIC BRINGS US IN 2021

GAME CHANGERS

THE SPICE GIRLS THE SPICE GIRLS

THE RETURN OF

MEL B

EMMA

MEL C

GERI

VICTORIA

“The biggest girl band in history proved that Girl Power is still alive and well as they made their triumphant return to the stage” After selling over 85 million albums worldwide, the Spice Girls managed to change the music scene, and pop culture. More than just a pop band, their message of Girl Power resonated with millions of fans during the 90s, ultimately also changing people’s lives. It seems those people have not forgot the impact the Spice Girls made on them, because when the band finally announced their highly anticipated return to the stage, tickets sold out in minutes. And we’re not talking small venues – the Spice World 2019 tour sold out 13 stadiums in the UK alone. In fact, they sold out London’s Wembley Stadium, which can hold up to 90,000 fans, three nights in a row. Some might say they’re even bigger now than they were in their heyday. Some are also surprised by the band’s successful return to the stage, their first tour since 2007, considering they’re missing a key ingredient to their winning formula – Posh Spice. While fans hoped for a full line-up, Victoria Beckham politely declined to return to her pop star roots, instead wanting to focus on her fashion career. But judging by the tour’s turnout and the concert reviews, Posh has not been missed. However, on the day the tour kicked off, Victoria Beckham reached out to her former bandmates to wish them luck. “Good luck to the girls today as they start their tour! #FriendshipNeverEnds,” she posted on Instagram. According to hubby David Beckham, it was an emotional day for her. Becks shared a pictu-

re of Victoria in the Say You’ll Be There video on his Instagram story and wrote: “As someone that has lived with POSH SPICE for the last 23 years I know how emotional today is going to be but I just want to wish all the girls good luck with their amazing tour. There will only ever be one POSH SPICE.” Hear, hear! In fact, Mel B, Emma Bunton, Geri Horner and Melanie C have made up for the missing member by going full out on their original Spice characters. Scary is kitted out in leopard print and has her afro back, Baby is embracing her love for pink, Sporty can high-kick again and Ginger has dyed her hair red for the first time in 12 years. It seems the power of four needs no more! After announcing six shows in the UK, and adding another seven due to popular demand, the big question on everybody’s lips is – will they take their stadium spectacular around the world? At this stage, the ladies have not confirmed or denied the possibility. They’ve been offered millions per show to take the tour to Australia and America, and they’ve even been offered a Las Vegas residency. However, as four mothers, they’ve insisted their families come first, and that they would see how they feel about extending the tour at a later stage. Here’s hoping the Spice Girls enjoy their time back together enough to bring Girl Power to the UAE in the future. Desert Spice, anyone?

THE RETURN OF

SPICE WORLD TOUR WRITTEN BY LAURA SNAPES

More than 20 years after their heyday – and ten years after their first reunion – the Spice Girls are coming back again. It is 24 years since the Spice Girls launched their debut single Wannabe, which swept the world and left everyone singing “zig-a-zig-ah” in its wake. Together, the girls sold more than 55 million records, registered six consecutive number ones and also made a successful movie named Spice World (1997). For at least three years, the band were ubiquitous, launching Channel 5, appearing on TV across the world and spreading the gospel of Girl Power, an ideology that amounted to believing in yourself but spoke directly to their fan base of girls, both teenage and younger.

WANNAB

The group began to fall from pre-eminence, however, with the departure of Ginger, Geri Halliwell, in 1998. Their third and last album, Forever, released in 2000, was their first not to get to number one. The following year, with the remaining members focusing on their solo careers, the band broke up. Since then, the individual members have done everything from ballroom dancing to launching their own range of clothing but, on 2019, they have announced they are back. “Girl Power is back and stronger than ever”. With these words the Spice Girls announced they are to reform and embark on a world tour. “We wanted to say thank you to our fans. It just feels very right for us”, said Mel C, explaining the decision. “Obviously it’s nostalgic. And if new fans want to come along, that’s fantastic,” Geri Halliwell said. “We ARE girl power. It doesn’t matter how old you are, 5 or 65. I like to think our songs are universal and timeless.” You’d have to be extremely cynical not to enjoy it. It was like a crowd of 90,000 seven-year-olds had shown up to watch their favourite band, except 20 years have passed and they’re now all adults who can drink cups of pink wine and scream and stay up all night.

THE RETURN OF

SPICE WORLD

GIRL POWER

GINGER

BABY

POSH

SCARY

“We’re all about putting forward positive ideas for girls and letting them see that they don’t have to conform to what people expect of them” -Mel C They know fans want nostalgia and don’t mess with the formula. It’s admirable that they haven’t done a Take That and written new, age-appropriate material, instead insisting on the silly pleasure of their youthful back catalogue as women in their 40s. Unpopular as the opinion might still be, the Spice Girls are one of the most important groups in history. And this isn’t just because of their sales – it’s also because they were the symbol of a new kind of childhood. The Spice Girls raked in millions of pounds each after touring the UK and Ireland last summer – without Victoria Beckham. Band members: Mel B, Emma Bunton, Melanie C and Geri Horner made a small fortune each after they performed a 13 date tour between 24 May and 15 June of 2019. On 10 November 2018 several ticket-selling websites, such as Ticketmaster crashed due to the overwhelming volume of people attempting to buy tickets. Ticketmaster later

stated that at one point, over 700,000 fans were simultaneously attempting to purchase tickets making it their busiest sale ever. The six original dates sold out within minutes, prompting the group to add additional dates in Manchester and London.More dates were soon announced to take place in Coventry and Cardiff due to further demand. The tour – which singer-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham (Push), 46, sadly declined to take part in due to other commitments – had been the groups first tour since their 2012 Olympics performance. The chart topping band have since teased fans that other tours could soon be on the cards – although the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has delayed plans. The Spice Girls encouraged us, millions of girls to live loudly and love each other fiercely, without irony. And we’re still doing it decades later. And so are they, it turns out.

SPORTY

SPICE WORLD TOUR First of all, Wembley Arena has a capacity of 90,000 people. Now, imagine all those people stampeding towards the stadium at 8PM. Now, imagine those people are mainly British women and gay men in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties. Imagine them wearing baby buns and Union Jack dresses and thigh-high boots and leopard print catsuits. Imagine them downing canned pink G&Ts, which then clatter on the floor behind them when dropped like tin rocks. Imagine some people vomiting, others crying, everyone screaming.

Photos by: Luke Dyson, Timmsy & David J. Hogan 70

THE RETURN OF

The only way I can describe the crowd is: big club toilet queue energy. It was cool to see this particular age group – who are regularly painted as depressed, anxious, generally too serious – absolutely lose their shit in a joyful, uninhibited way. And there was a tangible woman-to-woman camaraderie throughout. A perfect example of ‘the Spice Girls crowd’ was when I went to the loo and a girl started banging on the door with her heels which she had taken off and were now swinging in her hands. “Baaaaabe. Baaaabe,” she was shouting over the cubicle, before flinging some loo roll over to me, “Here ya go! They’ve run ooooout.”

2019 2019

THE RETURN OF

Very red, white and blue. A bit military. Sort of cultish. There was a giant, spinning red globe in the middle of the stage with SPICE WORLD emblazoned across the front. The general aesthetic of the whole thing sat somewhere between “Brexit” and “Scientology”. That said, the Spice Girls did keep saying things like “Girl Power is for EVERYONE” and were screaming out the different country names of flags they could see in the crowd.

“And It doesn’t matter how many months we’ve done it, how many times we’ve done it, there are notes every time because there’s always something that we can improve upon.” – Beyoncé WRITTEN BY JAKE NEVINS April 18, 2019

Throughout Homecoming, the new Netflix documentary chronicling Beyoncé’s monumental performance at the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival, quotes from distinguished black creatives and intellectuals appear at various points, serving as interstitial title cards between footage of the concert and its tireless gestation. They include WEB DuBois, Nina Simone, Toni Morrison and Reginald Lewis, suggesting not only Beyoncé’s reverence for her forerunners but her own by-now-unequivocal stature in the pantheon of black American greatness. The most potent of these quotes, however, the one most illustrative of the resplendent and genuinely paradigm-shifting show Beyoncé put on in Indio, comes from Audre Lorde. “Without community,” Lorde said in a speech delivered exactly 40 years ago, “there is no liberation.” Beyoncé, joined on stage by more than 200 performers, turns that soundbite into triumphant roar, crafting an experience whose emphasis on the whole – the masterfully synchronized and color-coordinated corps of dancers, back-up singers, majorettes, trumpet players, et al – gives it the feeling of visual, aural communion. And yet, despite her willingness to share the stage, Beyoncé is the priestess, the ringleader, insistent on her authorship of this one-of-a-kind spectacle, which marked the first time a black woman had ever headlined the music festival Coachella. The writer, director and executive producer of Homecoming, which runs 137 minutes and was released in concert with a 40song live album, has a way of reminding us of her unique ability to hold a crowd in the palm of her hand, to defy the trend toward cultural diffusion and force us to stand at attention. She did it first in 2013, with the surprise drop of her eponymous visual album. Then again with Lemonade, for which I and countless others forsook our Saturday night plans to watch im-

mediately, as though it were some kind of presidential fireside chat. Coachella 2018 was her hat-trick, and Homecoming, with its savvy structure, is a joyful celebration of the performance, if not quite the look-behind-the-curtain one expects of the typical concert documentary. This is, after all, Beyoncé, and her capacity for era-defining moments wouldn’t be what it is if she didn’t defend her right to privacy, to a room of her own. Homecoming is directed and performed with exacting precision, but it’s freewheeling too, its star favoring spliced and inventive arrangements of her hits, the totality of which make the film feel more like a pinnacle than a pilgrimage. Beyoncé speaks mostly in voiceover, maintaining a kind of phantom presence even in those rare moments of vulnerability, such as the revelations about her difficult pregnancy with twins, or her lifelong dream of attending an HBCU like her father. “My college was Destiny’s Child,” she says. “My college was traveling around the world, and life was my teacher.” So Coachella, Beyoncé explains, was the homecoming she never had, but also a paean to the rich culture and vibrant aesthetic of historically black colleges and universities. And is, alongside the gothic feminism of Lemonade, Beyoncé’s grandest articulation yet of her artistic mission Home, for Beyoncé, is the stage. It simply agrees with her, as does every light source, camera angle and audience member, many of whom are seen howling blissfully in the crowd, gobsmacked with pride and hero-worship. But Beyoncé, doesn’t ask us to bend the knee. Homecoming is about the collective. It’s about the experience of viral, transitory togetherness for which musical festivals are one of the last remaining conduits. Beyoncé lets us see as much of the sweat as she’s willing, and some will perhaps want more. But she’s less interested in unraveling the mythology than letting us plebeians revel in it. SOUND OF MUSIC

NOV OUR

PLAYLIST NOV

WAP Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion

Dakiti Bad Bunny feat. Jhay Cortez

34+35 Ariana Grande

Lemonade Internet Money & Gunna feat. Don Toliver & NAV

Savage Love Jason Derulo x Jawsh 385

Mood 24k Goldn feat. iann Dior

Blinding Lights The Weeknd

Laugh Now Cry Later Drake feat. Lil Durk

Positions Ariana Grande

Body Megan Thee Stallion

NOV

MUST WATCH NOV

34 + 35 Ariana Grande

Monster Justin Bieber feat. Shawn Mendes

Kool Benee

Fake Lauv & Conan Gray

Positions Ariana Grande

Resilient Katy Perry feat. Aitana (Tiësto Remix)

Hawái Remix Maluma & The Weeknd

Back to the Streets Saweetie feat. Jhené Aiko

Dákiti Bad Bunny x Jhay Cortez

Prisioner Miley Cyrus feat. Dua Lipa

20 TOP ARTISTS 20 76

TAYLOR

SWIFT

ARIANA

GRANDE

Taylor Swift took the crown from Taylor Swift at the American Music Awards and broke her own AMAs record, The singer won three awards, including Artist of the Year”.

The reigning queen of trap-mumble-soaringvocal pop made a huge return releasing her new album, positions after a relatively quiet year. On her sixth studio release, her third in three years, Grande emerges with a decidedly mature and distinct R&B sound. Early releases found the singer clumsily balancing sweet innocence, but positions is fearless and unapologetic

The singer won three awards, including fan-voted “Artist of the Year” she has also released her 8th studio album called “folklore” and is currently recording her old music after a feud with a celebrity manager.

BAD

BUNNY Bad Bunny, a Puerto Rican Trap King, Is the World’s Biggest Pop Star. The rapid rise of Bad Bunny underscores the tantalizing nature of music celebrity in the digital age. In just a few years, Bad Bunny has remade reggaeton with his inclusive politics, freaky fashion and moody trap beats, challenging the genre’s deeply rooted stylistic and social norms while becoming one of the most streamed artists on earth.

MEGAN THEE

STALLION Megan Thee Stallion has lost much of her family yet, she’s the epitome of tenacity, of pulling herself up by her bootstraps. It’s invigorating to see her become a platinum-selling artist with the viral hit “Hot Girl Summer” and multiple No. 1 songs like “Savage” and “WAP.” But you would be a fool to think that’s all there is to her. She’s deep. She’s enrolled in college. She’s an entertainer. She’s a free spirit.

BLLIE

EILISH

HARRY

STYLES

Shawn Mendes is only 22-years-old, but he’s already three albums deep into his career, he has made frequent appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 since he was a teenager and he’s about to make it four. Twoand-a-half years after his self-titled 2018 release, he’s coming back with “Wonder” this December, and on October 2 he debuted a new music video for the album title track.

Over the last half decade, Balvin has established himself as one of the global kings of the streaming era. He’s racked up more than 25 billion career streams.

With his debut album, “I was very much finding out what my sound was as a solo artist... I think with the second album I let go of the fear of getting it wrong and…it was really joyous and really free”. Meanwhile, Styles’s euphoric single “Watermelon Sugar” became an anthem for this summer of 2020.

The 18-year-old singer became the youngest artist, and only the second artist ever, to scoop the ceremony’s four biggest categories - Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best New Artist.

MENDES

BALVIN

In the music he has been working on in 2020, Styles wants to capture the experimental spirit he has.

Billie Eilish was the big winner at the 62nd Grammy Awards and has admitted and described her success was “like a dream”.

SHAWN

ROSALÍA Rosalía Vila Tobella aka Rosalía, is creating a new image for the two hundred year old artform, and it is becoming increasingly popular amongst a new global generation of fans. From bringing relevance to old tradition to dominating spotify playlists, this 25-year-old musician is breaking down barriers to the beat of cathartic palmas hand claps.

On 2020, Balvin was named one of TIME’s 100 most influential people. He released his 5th studio album and even teamed with Guess and Air Jordan to launch his collection and designs.

JUSTIN

BIEBER Bieber became a globally known name at the age of 13 through his home-made videos he put up on YouTube. He went on to become one of the world’s highest-selling musical artists. On 2020 he released his 5th studio album and after a break he came back with his single lonely which explores childhood stardom, or more specifically the dark side of childhood stardom.

Photo by: Drew Yorke

RIDE YOUR OWN WAVE

NEXT ISSUE

JANUARY 2021

THE MAKING OF

REWIND

THE RETURN OF

CULTURAL RESET

SHAPING OF A STAR: BILLIE EILISH

THE REAL SLIM SHADY: EMINEM

BACKSTREETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BACK, ALRIGHT!

THE JUJU ON THAT BEAT