Latest news with #MidnightSun
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Scotsman
When Is The Longest Day 2025? Summer Solstice date, sunrise time, sunset time, cause and traditions
Summer Solstice at Stonehenge, one of the most popular places in Britain to mark the date. | Canva/Getty Images It may feel like summer has just started, but the nights will start to draw in before the end of June. It's all terribly unfair... Sign up to our History and Heritage newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... This week will see those people living in the Northern Hemisphere enjoy the longest day of the year. Also known as the Summer Solstice, it will be particularly pronounced in areas far north, with some countries such as Iceland barely experiencing any darkness - experiencing the so-called Midnight Sun. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And in parts of Scotland it will barely get dark - particularly if there are clear skies (unlikely!). Here's everything you need to know. What is the Summer Solstice? The Summer Solstice occurs when the Earth's North Pole has its maximum tilt towards the sun - meaning the northern hemisphere receives its maximum amount of sunlight. The closer you are to the North Pole, the more sunlight you will experience on the day of the summer solstice. Conversely the the Southern Hemisphere will receive the least number of daylight hours (progressively less the further south you go) - meaning it's their Winter Solstice. When is the Summer Solstice? This year the Summer Solstice falls on Saturday, June 21 - in particular at 3.41am. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad When will it get light and when will it get dark in Scotland? The exact times of the sunrise and sunset will vary slightly depending on when you are in Scotland. In Edinburgh sunrise will be at 4.26am and sunset will be at 10.02pm. In Glasgow sunrise will be at 4.31am and sunset will be at 10.06pm. In Aberdeen sunrise will be at 4.12am and sunset will be at 10.08pm. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In Inverness sunrise will be at 4.14am and sunset will be at 10.18pm. In Lerwick sunrise will be at 3.34am and sunset will be at 10.42pm. Given there's still a fair bit of light around both before sunrise and after sunset this means it's unlikely to become completely dark at any point in the far north of Scotland. What are the traditions of the Summer Solstice? Famously in England, people flock to see the sun rise at Stonehenge on the morning of the Summer Solstace - it's thought that the date had an impact on the positioning of the Noelithic stones. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Meanwhile in Scotland the main celebrations can be found in Orkney and Shetland, thanks to their strong links to the Scandinavian countries where the Summer Solstice is a key date in the calendar. Torches and fires are lit to symbolise light defeating darkness and ward off evil spirits, while ferns and St John's Wort are used to bring good luck, and elderberries are eaten to protect against witchcraft.
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Zara Larsson wants to be 'the number one'
Zara Larsson wants to be "the number one". The 27-year-old singer views her ambitious streak as a "blessing and a curse" because her success never feels "good enough" because she is always pressuring herself to do better, which she admitted can be "kind of annoying". She told the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast: ' When you're super-ambitious, I think that's the blessing and the curse. 'You can have so many amazing things happening to you, but nothing's ever gonna be good enough for your soul… I'm a very happy person in general, I love my life, but there is still that voice in my head that will always kind of be nagging on, like, 'You can do more. You can do better'…. "It's kind of annoying to live life that way, but I just want to be, like, the number one. Even just for a moment.' Zara regrets leaving four years between her previous albums, 2017's So Good and 2021's Poster Girl and admitted she scrapped a lot of material during that time period because she didn't feel it was good enough. She said: 'I think it's probably one of my biggest mistakes to have had such a huge gap between my albums. 'I definitely had that because I felt so pressured of having to have this huge commercial follow up. I must have had five albums in those four years that I was just like, 'No, no, no, not good enough. Let's start over.'' The Midnight Sun singer pays no attention to what her fellow artists are doing and deliberately avoids new music when she's in the recording studio. She said: 'Honestly, I don't really give a f*** what other people are doing. "[When I'm recording] I usually go into podcast mode, like I listen to a lot of podcasts and a lot of ASMR and just kind of tune out from what everyone else is releasing and doing. The trends of music go up and down.' When it came to the title track for her new album, Midnight Sun, Zara had spent years working on it and scrapped a number of concepts. She admitted: 'I've probably written five songs called Midnight Sun. I'm like, 'I like that title. I really want it. Because it just reminds me of home. And also I think the more I travel and the older I get, I wanna be reminded of home and my roots and a Swedish summer night.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Zara Larsson Doesn't Want Summer to End on New Song ‘Midnight Sun'
Swedish pop singer Zara Larsson has shared a new song, 'Midnight Sun,' which will serve as the title track from her upcoming fourth album, out Sept. 26. 'Midnight Sun' teeters the between ebullient and delirious, with production that nods to frenetic house breakbeats, serene trance synths, and big tent EDM build-ups. Larsson's vocals and lyrics, meanwhile, give the track pop gem of the summer potential: 'It's the midnight sun, kissed skin under the red sky,' she sings on the chorus, 'Laying on your chest like this/Hold me like the pebbles in your hand, initials in the sand/Summer isn't over yet.' More from Rolling Stone Zara Larsson Gets Glammed Up to Get Down and Dirty in 'Pretty Ugly' Video Tate McRae Prepares for Massive 2025 With Album, Tour Announcement How Dolphin Memes Revived a 7-Year-Old Zara Larsson, Clean Bandit Classic In a statement, Larsson said 'Midnight Sun' was inspired by the long summer days in Sweden where 'the sun never goes down.' She added, 'I wanted the whole album to feel like it's a summer night and it never ends. And it doesn't matter if it's December: the summer night will be there for you. It's waiting for you, it will come back for you, and you will come back for it.' This is the second song Larsson has shared from Midnight Sun, following 'Pretty Ugly,' which arrived back in April. Larsson recorded her new album over the lat year working with frequent collaborator MNEK, along with producers Margo XS and Zhone. Of the album, Larsson added, 'Throughout Midnight Sun, I get to just capture that total Scandinavian vibe, which is something that I have grown up with — it's a huge part of me, my happiest memories and my saddest ones, too. A part of my soul is a Swedish summer night. This record encompasses that, how life is so beautiful it makes you cry. It just feels like me—knowing myself, this album is just really, really me. And also. No one can do me the way I can.' Midnight Sun will follow Larsson's 2024 album, Venus. She's set to hit the road later this summer, providing support for Tate McRae on her headlining tour, which kicks off Aug. 4 in Vancouver and wraps Sept. 27 in Los Angeles. After that, Larsson will embark on a headlining European run of her own in October. Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Friday Music Guide: New Music From J-Hope & GloRilla, Lil Tecca, Gunna and More
Billboard's Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday's most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. This week, J-Hope kills it with GloRilla, Lil Tecca extends his viral success and Gunna makes a dramatic return. Check out all of this week's picks below: More from Billboard Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Head to Florida for Stanley Cup Final Twenty One Pilots Drop New Single, 'The Contract,' Detail North American Tour Dates j-hope Heads to Memphis to Recruit GloRilla for 'Killin' It Girl' Single: Listen j-hope feat. GloRilla, 'Killin It Girl' As the BTS members complete their mandated military services and their millions of fans wonder what will come next for the globe-conquering group, j-hope is enjoying a nice little run of solo singles right now: following 'Sweet Dreams' with Miguel and 'Mona Lisa,' 'Killin' It Girl' takes a time machine back to early 2000's hip-hop percussion, with j-hope flexing over the beat and GloRilla crashing the party midway through. Lil Tecca, Lil Tecca's Dopamine kicks off with 'Dark Thoughts' and 'OWA OWA,' a pair of sample-heavy singles that have recently gone viral and reinvigorated the New York rapper's commercial prospects — yet his fifth album sounds more self-assured than his previous output, with Tecca using his recent success as a springboard to refine his aesthetic instead of freezing in the face of expectation. Gunna, 'Won't Stop' An artist as prolific as Gunna typically doesn't wait until June for his first release of a calendar year, but 'Won't Stop' follows up last year's One of Wun with three minutes of calm determination, as if the rapper had been waiting for the right moment to once again strike; the single artwork depicts an ancient, decaying clock, a nod to how long Gunna believes his reign will last. Mark Ronson & RAYE, 'Suzanne' From Amy Winehouse to Miley Cyrus to Lykke Li, Mark Ronson has always excelled when presenting a magnetic female singer with a rich sonic tapestry, and 'Suzanne,' his new single with 'Escapism' star RAYE, provides her soaring voice with big-band opulence, creating a throwback soul-pop track that still sounds like it could very well crack pop radio rotations today. Brandon Lake, Is Brandon Lake ready to be the mainstream face of contemporary Christian music? After 'Hard Fought Hallelujah,' his absorbing team-up with Jelly Roll, cracked the Hot 100 chart, new album King of Hearts has primed the gruff-voiced, deeply passionate singer-songwriter for a much wider audience, with further collaborations on the full-length still allowing his solo spirit to make a lasting impression. Editor's Pick: Zara Larsson, 'Midnight Sun' Although Zara Larsson has enjoyed a winding career over the past decade, her finest moment remains her hit MNEK collaboration 'Never Forget You' — and fortunately, her upcoming album Midnight Sun, including the quiet-storm title track, was created alongside MNEK, as the studio polymath once again provokes the most immediate hooks out of the Swedish pop star. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Korea Herald
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Interview: K-pop idol-turned-actor Cha Hak-yeon comes into his own
From boy band leader to leading man, the former Vixx star carves a steady path on screen At 35, Cha Hak-yeon still carries the youthful spark that gave him a commanding presence in Vixx a decade ago. Turn back the clock to the days of the group's greatest hits, like "Voodoo Doll" and "Error," and that same electrifying energy, now channeled with more restraint, powers his transition from K-pop idol to seasoned actor. While fans may still remember him as the boy band's charismatic leader and main dancer, N, Cha has spent nearly a decade building his acting chops across television. Most recently, he's stepped into lead roles in the breakout hit "Castaway Diva" and the currently airing "Oh My Ghost Client." 'My experience with movement and choreography helps a lot with acting,' Cha tells The Korea Herald at a Samcheong-dong cafe. 'I can memorize a 5-6 minute action sequence in one rehearsal and nail it in a single take,' he laughs. Now he brings that confidence to "Midnight Sun," a remake of the 2007 Japanese tearjerker. In it, he plays Min-jun — a fruit vendor by day, aspiring actor by night — who falls for Mi-sol (played by Jung Ji-so), a singer living with a rare condition that prevents her from being exposed to sunlight. It's Cha's first lead role in a feature film, an opportunity that came rather naturally. 'The director said my energy aligned perfectly with Min-jun's,' he recalls. 'He told me to just bring what I already have rather than create something new.' Now, the actor exudes this relaxed assurance, articulating each word with quiet, thoughtful precision — but that wasn't always the case. 'When I first started acting, ignorance was bliss — I thought I could just wing it,' he says. 'Soon, I realized I needed to take a step back and really build my foundation.' After years of steady work, he's found his rhythm. 'I have this ease now that lets me trust the process and the people around me.' The film itself presents a difficult puzzle for the actors and viewers alike. "Midnight Sun" is largely a tonal misfire — its earnest, PG-13 wholesomeness feels awkwardly splattered across what should be devastating melodrama. The emotional crescendos, especially Mi-sol's inevitable goodbye, somehow manage to feel dead despite all the tragic weight they carry. It's the cinematic equivalent of watching someone cry through a gauzy, pastel-tinted Instagram filter. The role's earnest optimism seems to have left a lasting mark on the actor, though. Min-jun's try-anyway-even-if-you-fail attitude resonated so deeply, Cha claims, that it reshaped his outlook on future roles. 'Those lines felt like the character was speaking directly to me,' he says. 'It gave me the courage to take on more challenging roles' — including his upcoming lead in the BL (boys love) drama "The Killer Next Door." After more than a decade in the industry, Cha still finds strength in familiar places. Though he sat out Vixx's recent comeback due to scheduling conflicts, the group — and its fans — continue to be a grounding presence in his life. 'Starlight (Vixx's official fandom) gives me strength and motivation,' he says. 'I'm not someone who thrives in isolation. Having people who always believe in me — that's what pushes me forward.' The sentiment rings especially true following Vixx's 13th anniversary celebration last month, where the group shared a commemorative photo that had fans feeling all kinds of nostalgic. The members also showed up for him at the screening. 'Some of them even burst into tears,' he says. As for what's next, Cha prefers to keep things simple. 'Right now, I want to carry a full project on my own. I've learned so much from senior actors who create this amazing energy on set. I'd love to become that kind of presence.'
