Latest news with #ABBA
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Blusher Announce ‘RACER' EP, Share New Single And Headlining Tour Dates
Blusher have blessed fans with a hattrick of goodies this past week, sharing new music, announcing a forthcoming EP and unveiling celebratory tour dates to boot. The beloved Melbourne pop trio's forthcoming extended player, dubbed RACER, will reach our eardrums on Friday, 31st July. As well as previous singles, 'RACER' and 'WHATEVERWHATEVER', the record will also feature a freshly released cut, the euphoric electro-synth-pop ode to late nights on the dancefloor that is 'LAST MAN STANDING'. ''LAST MAN STANDING' is a celebration of passion, determination and grit,' Blusher explain in a press statement. 'We formed this band because we wholeheartedly love making music and we do it for the love of the sport. As long as we can say we have put all our sweat and conviction into the art, who cares if anyone else likes it.' The trio continue: 'Jade grew up performing in an ABBA tribute band with her family, and it feels like some of that nostalgia has melted into the DNA of this song. We hope it fills you with the sparkly, scrappy energy you need to stay late, dance harder and give your all. If clubbing is our sport, this song is the team anthem'. To toast the release of their forthcoming RACER EP, Blusher will hit the road for a trio of East Coast headline dates across Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney this November. Tickets to those shows are on sale now. You can peep all the details down below, pre-save RACER here, or take 'LAST MAN STANDING' for a spin up above. Saturday 15 November – The Night Cat, Melbourne VIC Sunday 30 November – The Brightside, Brisbane QLD Friday 5 December – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney NSW Tickets on-sale now via Blusher Share 'Euphoric' New Single 'Racer' Blusher Release New Single 'Accelerator' Blusher Announce Debut EP 'Should We Go Dance?' The post Blusher Announce 'RACER' EP, Share New Single And Headlining Tour Dates appeared first on Music Feeds.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
War-weary Syrians and Lebanese watch Iran-Israel conflict from sidelines, hoping to stay out of it
DAMASCUS: In a park overlooking Damascus, 25-year-old Khaldoun Hallak has spent the past few evenings with his friends, drinking yerba mate, snacking on nuts, smoking hookah pipes and watching the sky for missiles streaking overhead. 'We've been through 14 years of war, and this is the first time Syria has nothing to do with it and we're just spectators,' Hallak said. Since Israel launched a barrage of strikes on Iran last week and Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks against Israel, neighboring countries have been in the flight path. Outside the scope Downed missiles and drones have fallen in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, damaging houses, causing fires and reportedly killing one woman in Syria. But those countries have so far not been dragged directly into the conflict — which had killed at least 224 people in Iran and 24 in Israel as of Tuesday — and many in their war-weary populations are hoping it stays that way. In Lebanon, which is still reeling from last year's war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, videos making the rounds on social media have shown revelers dancing and drinking on rooftops while projectiles flash across the sky in the background. Firas Maksad, managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Eurasia Group, a New York-based risk consultancy organization, happened to be visiting Lebanon when the conflict broke out and was attending a wedding when a parade of missiles began lighting up the sky as the DJ played ABBA's disco hit 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)'. He posted a video of the scene that went viral. 'Certainly most in Lebanon and also Syria are very satisfied to be outside the scope of this,' Maksad said.
Nahar Net
3 days ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
War-weary Lebanese watch from sidelines as missiles fly in Israel-Iran conflict
by Naharnet Newsdesk 17 June 2025, 18:03 Since Israel launched a barrage of strikes on Iran last week and Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks against Israel, neighboring countries have been in the flight path. Outside the scope Downed missiles and drones have fallen in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, damaging houses, causing fires and reportedly killing one woman in Syria. But those countries have so far not been dragged directly into the conflict — which had killed at least 224 people in Iran and 24 in Israel as of Tuesday — and many in their war-weary populations are hoping it stays that way. In Lebanon, which is still reeling from last year's war with Israel, videos making the rounds on social media have shown revelers dancing and drinking on rooftops while projectiles flash across the sky in the background. Firas Maksad, managing director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Eurasia Group, a New York-based risk consultancy organization, happened to be visiting Lebanon when the conflict broke out and was attending a wedding when a parade of missiles began lighting up the sky as the DJ played ABBA's disco hit "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)". He posted a video of the scene that went viral. "Certainly most in Lebanon and also Syria are very satisfied to be outside the scope of this," Maksad said. In a park overlooking Damascus, 25-year-old Khaldoun Hallak has spent the past few evenings with his friends, drinking yerba mate, snacking on nuts, smoking hookah pipes and watching the sky for missiles streaking overhead. "We've been through 14 years of war, and this is the first time Syria has nothing to do with it and we're just spectators," Hallak said. No longer in the spotlight, a sense of relief For some in the region, there is also measure of schadenfreude in watching the two sides exchange blows. There's a Syrian expression that literally translates as, "The fang of a dog in the hide of a pig." It means that two people perceived as despicable are fighting with each other. The phrase has surfaced frequently on social media as Syrians express their feelings about the Israel-Iran conflict. Watching from a park Many Syrians resented Iran's heavy-handed intervention in support of former President Bashar Assad during the country's civil war, but are also angered by Israel's incursions and airstrikes in Syria since Assad's fall. The Sunni-majority Syrian population also widely sympathizes with the Palestinians, particularly with civilians killed and displaced by the ongoing war in Gaza. "May God set the oppressors against each other," said Ahmad al-Hussein, 18, in Damascus, who was sitting in a park with friends waiting to see missiles pass overhead Monday night. "I hope it continues. We've been harmed by both of them." Hallak echoed the sentiment. "Every time we see a missile going up, we say, may God pour gasoline on this conflict," he said. "If one side is hit, we will be happy, and if the other side is hit, we will also be happy. We will only be upset if there is a reconciliation between them." In Lebanon, where last year's Israel-Hezbollah war killed more than 4,000 people, including hundreds of civilians, and left destruction in wide swathes of the country's south and east and in Beirut's southern suburbs, some see retribution in the footage of destroyed buildings in Tel Aviv. "Of course I am against the Israeli occupation, and Iran is an Islamic country standing up to it," said Hussein al-Walid, 34, a welder in the southern coastal city of Sidon. Al-Walid shrugged off the possibility of a new war in Lebanon. "The war is already present in Lebanon," he said. "Israel isn't abiding by the agreement and is striking every day." Shouts of jubilation Hassan Shreyf, a 26-year-old student from the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, where Hezbollah has a strong base of support, said that after last year's war in Lebanon and the heavy losses suffered by the militant group, many of its supporters "were clearly anguished and didn't feel vindicated." "So anything, even a window breaking in Tel Aviv, is (now) a victory for them," he said. Every time Iranian missiles pass overhead, he said, people in the area break out in shouts of jubilation. At the same time, Chreif said, "there's always a silent group hugging the wall as we say in Arabic, treading carefully and praying we stay out of it."
Elle
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
Step Into Lorena Pipenco's Wild, Wonderful Universe
Lorena Pipenco has always been bold and imaginative, more at home with bright colors and maximalist patterns than basic black and white. The 24-year-old graduate of the Parsons School of Design creates collections that pop with layered texture, theatrical structure, and absurdist proportions—and there's always a strong storyline, too. Unsurprisingly, musicians love her work: She dressed Karol G for her tour and has outfitted Doja Cat's dancers. Pipenco's debut collection was inspired by the 1972 Romanian musical Veronica, a movie she loved as a kid. What she thought was whimsical, Pipenco now recognizes as propaganda. For fall 2025, she reimagined the tale of Dracula, fantasizing about what the women in the vampire's life might have been like and what they would have worn. There's real tension between appreciating a classic and critiquing it through a modern lens, and this space is where Pipenco thrives. Likewise, the designer sees fashion as a means to explore the cultural tug-of-war she felt growing up in the U.K. with Romanian roots. When she was younger, she remembers 'feeling quite ashamed of my heritage,' she says. There's that theme of tension again, that pull between feeling ostracized by peers and the desire to be proud of where she came from. As she's started collaborating with her mother and grandmother (a lifelong seamstress), Pipenco has grown to embrace her background and now even sources textiles from her motherland. 'I want to be a Romanian brand. I want there to be space to push my culture, and for people to feel connected to two different heritages. I think it's important to have these stories within fashion.' Whether she's making pop culture commentary or expressing a personal reckoning, Pipenco offers a universal mantra: Two things can be true at once. As for her next big inspiration, she's still trying to work that out. It might be 'grannycore,' but then again, it could be linen. Either way, it's sure to be entirely her own. 'When it comes to the collections, I really try to block out the noise of what other people are doing. It just gets in your head. If I'm not working on my collection, I'm doing things that are completely unrelated, like watching reality TV or just really silly things.' Because I know you're curious—'silly things' include karaoke three times per week. (ABBA, often, but she's looking to refresh her repertoire.) No matter what this emerging star dreams up next, you can be Lorena Pipenco will stay true to herself.
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Carpenter doesn't care about criticism
By now, Sabrina Carpenter fans will be counting down the weeks until August 29, which is the date the pop star's seventh studio album, Man's Best Friend, is scheduled for release. As Carpenter's Instagram followers will be well versed, the announcement was made during an Instagram Live session last Wednesday, with Carpenter making the announcement as she flipped through vinyl records by artists such as Donna Summer, ABBA, and Dolly Parton. A sizzling cover Even more than news of the album reveal itself, however, has been the cover art photograph of the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine, with the singer's provocative pose (in which she appears to be dressed in nothing but a pair of stockings), having set tongues wagging. Carpenter is no stranger to online criticism, having already been subject to backlash for her songs with sexually explicit themes and bold stage performances. Now, in an interview with the publication, the star has addressed the criticism head on. She is unable to see any basis for any complaints about modesty (or lack thereof) on her part – certainly not given how in-demand her tracks are across streaming platforms. "It's always so funny to me when people complain," mused Carpenter. "They're like, 'All she does is sing about this.' But those are the songs that you've made popular. Clearly, you love sex." Carpenter reminded fans of own range, pointing to her shows that include not just playful tracks, but also introspective ballads. Since it is her more provocative moments that attract attention, the singer highlighted the irony of critics obsessed with the sexual nature of her performances despite driving up her sales figures regardless. Citing her hit track, Juno, as an example, the pop superstar remarked, "There's so many more moments than the Juno positions, but those are the ones you post every night and comment on," she remarked in the interview. " I can't control that." Difficult time for women As someone whose personal life and career is splashed across the public eye, Carpenter did not miss a beat when speculating over the difficulties faced by women living under the harsh glare of the spotlight. "I truly feel like I've never lived in a time where women have been picked apart more, and scrutinised in every capacity," she lamented. Pointing out the paradox of so-called 'girl power' juxtaposed with the constant judgement women must endure over their appearances and actions, the Disney-child-turned-pop-star stressed the importance of growing a thick skin to survive such brutal attention to detail. "We're in such a weird time where you would think it's girl power, and women supporting women, but in reality, the second you see a picture of someone wearing a dress on a carpet, you have to say everything mean about it in the first 30 seconds that you see it." she noted. "It's something that keeps coming back. We just have to grow thicker skin, but they don't have to learn how to shut their mouths." In Carpenter's view, it is impossible to survive under such unremitting attention without that armour of thick skin. "What people probably don't realise is the more eyes you have on you, the harder it is to love what you're doing, and you have to keep fighting to still love making things and to still love performing," she explained. "Because the critical sides start to taint it, and they start to make things less fun. They start to make friendships and relationships less fun and enjoyable. [But] there's still so much light and goodness in this, if you're doing it for the reason of 'you love it and can't live without it'." Carpenter's busy diary Being on the verge of releasing her seventh studio album, it is clear that Carpenter, at least, does love what she is doing, regardless of censure from critics about her mode of expression. News of Carpenter's upcoming album comes on the heels of her latest single, Manchild, released on June 5, which rocketed to the top of the Spotify US chart, having accumulated nearly 2 million streams. No stranger to churning out records in quick succession, Carpenter's latest offering follows on from last year's wildly successful album Short n' Sweet, of which the deluxe edition was released in February this year. Man's Best Friend is poised to be a major milestone in her career, following the success of Short n' Sweet, which sold over 10 million copies globally and earned her six Grammy nominations. After performing at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Carpenter will continue her summer festival circuit, with notable performances in London, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits. Later this year, she will embark on a North American tour, performing in major cities such as New York and Los Angeles, with multiple nights scheduled at Madison Square Garden and Arena. Man's Best Friend is now available for pre-order, with a special picture disc featuring artwork by Jacob Rochester, depicting Carpenter alongside a man. Carpenter herself, clad in a black dress, is kneeling on the ground, with an off-centre man holding onto a lock of her hair as he would the leash of a dog. In conclusion: for any wallflowers wanting to know how to do anything with a bang, look no further than Carpenter.
