Latest news with #TimesLikeThese
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hayley Williams Celebrates Doechii's ‘Bold, Unmistakable Talent' in Heartfelt Tribute
Real recognizes real. According to Hayley Williams of Paramore, rising rap star Doechii is as real as it gets. In a touching tribute penned for Them, the 'Ain't It Fun' singer offered plenty of praise for the 'Denial Is a River' rapper, sharing that she's been closely watching her career since her performance at the 2022 BET Awards. 'Watching her on that stage, I had the same feeling I did the first time I saw Missy Elliott on MTV as a kid,' Williams said. 'It was raw, bold, unmistakable talent — the kind that doesn't wait for permission. She came out swinging, and I remember thinking, Oh, she's taking it. This is hers.' More from Billboard Meet the Drag Performers Teaching Everyone How to Fight Back Against Anti-LGBTQ+ Threats in 2025 You Can Shop Addison Rae's 2000s-Inspired Look From Her 'Times Like These' Music Video Now with Free People Mariah Carey Celebrates Pride Month in Style With Rainbow Merch Available on Amazon Prior to Williams' discovery of Doechii, the rapper had already paid tribute to Paramore through a sample of the band's hit ballad 'The Only Exception' on her 2020 single 'Yucky Blucky Fruitcake.' Williams pointed out in her tribute that she 'hadn't even caught' the interpolation when she first saw Doechii's performance. The singer went on to praise Doechii's self-assured artistry, and even added that she still aspires to that level of confidence more than 20 years into her career as a performer. 'People sometimes assume because of how I am onstage, that I carry that same confidence. But the truth is, that kind of boldness is something I still have to work to access,' she said. 'With Doechii, though, that energy feels inherent. When I listen to her, I feel it — like it transfers through the speakers. And I think a lot of her listeners feel the same way.' Williams added that the rapper's openness about her sexuality is just another example of how Doechii is doing music stardom on her own terms. 'It's powerful to watch an artist like her speak openly about identity in the public eye,' she said. 'We need that. We need women who are unapologetic about who they are, who they love, what they believe.' Closing her tribute, Williams thanked Doechii for giving performers everywhere — including herself — something to aspire to. 'Watching someone emerge with that kind of confidence, that kind of clarity, is a gift,' she said. 'She reminds me — and probably a lot of people — that moving through the world with certainty doesn't mean you stop learning or growing. It just means you know your worth as you go. And that, to me, is something to look up to.' Doechii is coming off yet another big win, this time at the 2025 BET Awards, where she took home the trophy for best female hip hop artist. During her speech at the ceremony, Doechii called out President Donald Trump activating the National Guard in response to the ongoing Los Angeles protests around ICE raids in the city. 'I want y'all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that?' she asked the crowd. 'People are being swept up and torn from their families, and I feel it's my responsibility as an artist to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people.' Best of Billboard Kelly Clarkson, Michael Buble, Pentatonix & Train Will Bring Their Holiday Hits to iHeart Christmas Concert Fox Plans NFT Debut With $20 'Masked Singer' Collectibles 14 Things That Changed (or Didn't) at Farm Aid 2021
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meet the Drag Performers Teaching Everyone How to Fight Back Against Anti-LGBTQ+ Threats in 2025
On a chilly evening at the start of March, drag king Blaq Dinamyte found himself looking out at a crowd of young activists eager to make change. He was certainly proud of the turnout — as the president and co-founder of drag activism group Qommittee, Dinamyte had organized that evening's march on the Kennedy Center weeks after President Donald Trump replaced 18 board members of the arts organization with MAGA loyalists, was appointed chairman by those new members and vowed to end any and all drag shows or 'other anti-American propoganda' featured by the center. More from Billboard The 100 Greatest LGBTQ+ Anthems of All Time You Can Shop Addison Rae's 2000s-Inspired Look From Her 'Times Like These' Music Video Now with Free People Mariah Carey Celebrates Pride Month in Style With Rainbow Merch Available on Amazon But the D.C. drag performer also couldn't help but think about his fellow protester's safety. What would the consequences of protesting outside the center look like for them? 'There were a lot of young faces protesting for the first time, and a lot of things that they didn't realize could happen,' he tells Billboard. 'We really wanted people to understand what it is they are risking, what could actually happen to them, and how to counter that effectively.' Three months later, Dinamyte and his colleagues at Qommittee have created exactly the kind of guidance he wanted to provide those protestors. The organization published the Drag Defense Handbook in May, a 43-page guide for drag performers around the country dedicated to providing tools on how to respond when met with threats, harassment and violations of their personal freedoms. 'We want to address all of these elements that you can't really think of when you are literally in the middle of it,' Dinamyte says. 'We want everyone to have a plan ahead of time before all of this happens.' Separated into seven sections — including 'crisis response,' 'threats of violence and harassment' and 'protections against defamation' — the handbook offers step-by-step guides for what performers can do when dealing with different, unwelcome scenarios. Each of those sections were created, Dinamyte says, with the help of drag performers who have experienced firsthand what the latest wave of right-wing backlash looks like. 'I am in such support of this handbook,' says Miss Cali Je, an Idaho-based drag performer who volunteers with Qommittee. 'It has a lot of vital information that I was grasping for two years ago that I did not have available.' Je serves the Idaho-based non-profit Reading Time with the Queens, where she and her fellow board members perform a 45-minute drag storytelling events for kids and families at a local library. But in February 2023, a group of Christian churches and anti-LGBTQ+ groups began opposing the event, staging sit-in protests at the public library where the event was held, harassing the performers online and claiming that the event was putting the children attending in danger. 'It's ironic when a lot of that hate is coming from a group of people who seemingly are there to 'protect the children,' when in actuality, at the time that they were protesting the loudest by taking up all of the space in our room at the library, they were scaring children that were there,' Je recalls. 'I didn't want that to happen anymore.' Je kept the performances going, even with protestors taking up space in the room with her. But when city officials refused to provide the resources necessary to make the reading event safer for everyone involved, the performer decided — with the help of a number of community members — to move the event to a local synagogue. 'What it boils down to is not giving your oppressors what they want. They want you to not exist, and that can look as simple as you just not holding your program anymore,' Je offers, matter-of-factly. 'Sometimes the solution that is easiest and is the most safe is to not hold that program, which I get. But I think all of us had a feeling that it was just like … everything was fine until a Christian-nationalist hate group decided to rain on our parade. The idea of backing down and not being ourselves, of bending to their will and their understanding of where queer people are allowed to be and not to be, was out of the question.' That experience helped inform a section of the handbook, which instructs performers to put in the work building a community around them that, if and when the time comes, can offer support where necessary. The guide asks performers to not only establish those connections, but to create action plans with those community members by creating 'clear roles and communication protocols,' while also training those community members about de-escalation techniques. Yet some of the most pervasive threats for LGBTQ+ performers don't come in-person — they're instead issued online, via social media accounts mounting hate campaigns that result in persistent threats of violence and death. It's a tactic that Los Angeles-based drag king Jack King Goff knows all too well. 'I wouldn't even recommend having a personal social media page at this point,' they say. Back in 2024, Goff was starting his fourth year as a public school teacher in Washington state. Their co-workers and bosses all knew that they were a drag performer on the side, but they kept that information from students and parents, feeling that it wasn't important information for them to know. But, when a student discovered a years-old tagged photo on Goff's out-of-drag Instagram page, they created a fake account and started a cyberbullying campaign against him. 'That's the fun thing kids do now,' Goff says. 'They make anonymous Instagram pages, and then they will take photos and videos of people without their consent and write terrible stuff about them.' Before long, the campaign caught the attention of far-right activist group Moms for Liberty as well as a number of conservative influencers, who began petitioning for Goff to be fired from his job. In the process, he was also inundated with anonymous threats on his life, some of which required the intervention of the FBI. Goff ultimately decided to leave his job and his home, moving down to L.A. to try and start over. Today, Goff recognizes that the situation could have been much worse than it already was, thanks to the fact that they and their partner were already paying for a data removal service to scrub as much of their personal information from the web. 'Who knows if people would have shown up to my apartment if they found my address online, or if they called me or something,' they say. 'Cybersecurity is super important, but unfortunately, I think this country is absolutely terrible at it.' After working with Qommittee to help navigate their hate campaign, Goff consulted on the handbook, reading over the guide's lengthy section on online harassment and digital security and offering feedback. The section advises performers to keep their personal and professional accounts entirely separate, reminds performers to always document any threats issued against them, and to drive their community members to report and block all hate accounts involved. Goff adds that, with recent news of the the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) being granted greater access to Americans personal information — as well as the Trump administration's recent expansion of data technology firm Palantir's access to federal programs — cybersecurity ought to be the first step queer people everywhere take to protecting themselves. 'With DOGE taking all of this data and giving it to Palantir, and now having more biodata being stored, we have to be really careful,' he says. Dinamyte agrees, pointing out that because younger drag performers rely heavily on platforms like TikTok and Instagram to gain a following, cyberbullying has become one of the most common forms of anti-LGBTQ+ threats in recent years. 'They're going to be reluctant to lock that down, to make that non-visible,' he explains. 'So, being able to show them, 'Hey, here's some things you should think about when you're online,' feels like it's having the biggest impact on the community.' While attacks on the LGBTQ+ community have been steadily rising over the last few years — whether in the form of coordinated legislative attacks, online threats or actual instances of physical harm — a recent report from GLAAD revealed that, in 2025, attacks on and threats against drag performers dropped by 55%. Some attribute this sharp decline to the numerous court rulings that have affirmed drag performers' First Amendment rights to perform in public, without restriction. But Je cautions against thinking that the courts alone will solve the problem, pointing to the federal appeals court that overturned a previous decision allowing a drag performance in Naples, Fla. to take place outdoors. 'This is why I have so much trouble really trusting anything coming out of the courts,' Je says with a sigh. 'If there's this much disagreement about what a First Amendment right is, then something is inherently flawed.' Goff also points out that the 55% drop in threats may account for the fact that many venues and organizations have pulled back on hiring drag artists in 2025. 'Just with Trump being back in office, I've watched shows that I've been booked for being cancelled, shows that have been going on for years and years,' they say, as Dinamyte joins them in agreement. 'The political implications of having a drag performer come to your event have fundementally changed.' That's why Dinamyte hopes drag performers — and everyone else in the queer and trans community, for that matter — adopts the strategies within the Drag Defense Handbook to better prepare themselves for the scary new reality we're living in. 'Violence happening to a minority group is not specific to drag. There is nothing 'new' in this handbook,' he says. 'So, I really hope other groups take the information in here and help protect their communities with it.'Best of Billboard Kelly Clarkson, Michael Buble, Pentatonix & Train Will Bring Their Holiday Hits to iHeart Christmas Concert Fox Plans NFT Debut With $20 'Masked Singer' Collectibles 14 Things That Changed (or Didn't) at Farm Aid 2021
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Addison Rae Debuts Armani Beauty Product in a Behind-the-scenes Look at Her ‘Times Like These' Music Video
Addison Rae is an Armani girl. The 24-year-old pop artist, who released her debut album 'Addison' on Friday, made her love for the luxury beauty brand abundantly clear in the music video for her moody hit, 'Times Like These,' directed by photographer Ethan James Green. In the footage, she's seen dancing across a ferry boat and in a dressing room with pinched, pink cheeks and pouty lips, both painted in the new Armani Luminous Silk Cheek Tint Shine in shade 62S Magnetic Mauve, which launched in May. More from WWD James Read Brings Skin Care-focused Self-tanning Line to the U.S. With Credo Partnership Why Guava-themed Beauty Launches Are Going to Be Everywhere This Summer From Cole Escola's Glittery Eyes to Cynthia Erivo's Stiletto Nails, a Look at the Best Beauty Moments at the 2025 Tony Awards Rae paraded the bottle in front of the camera and dotted the pigmented makeup on her face. In a behind-the-scenes look on TikTok, she — again — highlighted the product, adding another layer to her cheeks before flashing a smile in the mirror. 'Can't get enough of @Armani beauty cheek tint shines,' her caption read. The bright hue on her face was contrasted with a misty shadow on her eyelids and dark brown brows. The shadow was courtesy of Armani's Eye Tint Long-Lasting Liquid Eyeshadow in shade 32S. Meanwhile, her skin was dressed in Armani's Luminous Silk Foundation in shade 5.75 and the Luminous Silk Concealer in shade 5.25 to achieve an even and natural finish. Makeup artist Jenna Kuchera created Rae's aesthetic for not only her new video, but for 'Headphones On,' too. Her hair, styled by Lucas Wilson, gets more grandiose as the video goes on, starting with combed beach waves and ending with mile-high, majorly teased extensions à la Tracy Turnblad in 'Hairspray.' Rae's not-so-subtle Armani advertisement comes at a time when music videos are increasingly being used like product infomercials. On the frontlines of this movement are Sabrina Carpenter and Prada Beauty. Carpenter hard-launched her partnership with the Italian brand in her 'Please, Please, Please' short film last year, revealing Prada's first mascara and the Color Changing Lip Balm in Astral Pink. She was then seen using a Prada Beauty lipstick in 'Taste,' and just recently dropped a major Easter egg for the brand's upcoming product in 'Manchild,' which sees her snacking on a Prada-stamped bag of banana candies. Best of WWD Which Celebrity Brands Are Next for a Major Deal? Lady Gaga, Beyonce and More Possible Contenders for the Next Corporate Prize The Best Makeup Looks in Golden Globes History A Look Back at Golden Globes Best Makeup on the Red Carpet, From Megan Fox to Sophia Loren [PHOTOS]
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Addison Rae just released her debut studio album, solidifying her status as pop music's latest ‘it' girl
Addison Rae is ready to reintroduce herself. Since amassing more than 88 million followers on TikTok, the 24-year-old has effectively pivoted her career from social media influencer to full-blown pop girl — and her self-titled, debut studio album, Addison, released on June 6, is proof of that. Rae, a former cheerleader from Louisiana, is living out her nostalgic "noughties" dream — and she's making music that captures that feeling. On Addison, Rae serves up her now signature trip-hop meets synth-pop sound. 'Diet Pepsi,' Rae's first release since 2021's 'Obsessed,' marked a turning point in the young star's career: It showcased Rae's artistry at its most sophisticated. Addison's 12-song tracklist, through its exploration of fantasy, fearlessness and doing what feels good and right for you, solidifies Rae as both a student of pop divas past and the genre's latest 'it' girl. ''Addison' is out now and alive everywhere in the universe for you to receiveeeeeee!!! This is my most personal and intimate possession,' she captioned an Instagram post. 'Making music is vulnerable, energetically sensitive, electric, gratifying, challenging…… pure magic. I am unbelievably proud.' At midnight on album release day, Rae debuted her sixth single along with the song's accompanying music video. Showcasing Rae at her most vulnerable, 'Times Like These,' which delves into her past and current tribulations, sounds like something you'd hear in a Josh Schwartz teen drama from the 2000s. Hours before Addison hit streamers, Rae performed a private show at the Box in New York City, where she played the album's singles and previewed some previously unreleased tracks. She then stopped by a Matchaful to unveil her limited edition 'Summer Forever' drink with the café. Early listeners have spoken: The album is filled with bangers. 'The very fact that addison rae just released a skipless debut album and managed to carve out a signature sound and artistic niche for herself in the oversaturated climate of today's music market,' one fan named Vidya wrote on X. 'Imagine I just told you that there was a female pop album that just dropped, that talks about familial love, the general angst and confusion you feel in your twenties and radical acceptance, and did it in a way that was really artistically intelligent,' a TikTok user named Sam said. 'Now, imagine I just told you that was Addison Rae.' Another X user raved about Rae's song 'New York,' writing, 'obsessed with everything about this track. her starting her debut album with the phrase 'take a bite of the big apple,' not only referencing new york but also adam and eve and the beginning of human civilization.. like there's LAYERSSS. addison rae you are a genius.' In an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1, Rae discussed how precious Addison is to her, and how she wants to give the album its moment. 'I think I'm in the space right now where I'm just really anticipating it coming out, and I'm like, trying to hit all the stops,' she said ahead of its debut. 'And even with posting and feeling like, 'Okay, well, I really want to make sure I give this the credit and the energy that it deserves.' I think sometimes I shy away from that because I'll be like … 'Is it going to be too much if I'm just like, 'Alright, everybody! The album's this many days away' … Sometimes I get onto myself about that and I'll be like, 'No, it deserves that.'' Focusing on her passions was more of a risk than a given. 'I just had this really strong intuition and gut feeling that, as unrealistic as it seemed, I needed to do it — there's no time like now to try and chase those dreams,' she told Elle earlier this year of her decision to pursue music. The pursuit of those dreams seems to have paid off. Long before she was lauded as a pop princess, Rae was a mainstay on the video-sharing platform, TikTok. The Louisiana native first joined the app in July 2019, where she posted a slew of content that ranged from TikTok challenges to dancing and lip-synching videos. She racked up a million followers within a matter of months and made the decision to leave Louisiana State University shortly after. The rest, as they say, is history. Rae made her film debut with 2021's He's All That, the same year she released 'Obsessed.' She starred in the horror flick Thanksgiving in 2023, three months after dropping her EP AR, which features the Charli XCX-assisted track '2 Die 4.' The release of Addison comes a year after Rae famously collaborated with Charli on the 'Von Dutch' remix. From there, she went on to garner widespread acclaim with the debut of her first major single 'Diet Pepsi,' a hypnotic, synth-pop track about young lust, in August 2024. The song's release was accompanied by a black-and-white video conceptualized by Rae herself. 'I think even going [and] watching old movies, and appreciating them for what they are, and how strongly you had to communicate through a black-and-white video, for people to take their time and watch it,' Rae told Lowe of making the video. 'And I think the song deserves that treatment of like, 'I get it. You're gonna have to focus really hard on it,' but I want you to have to focus really hard on it to get it.' Suddenly, after 'Diet Pepsi,' it felt as though Rae was inescapable. She joined Charli onstage during her 'Sweat Tour' stop at New York City's Madison Square Garden that September before dropping 'Aquamarine,' her single about transformation and rebirth, in October, followed by its remix 'Aquamarine/Arcamarine' in November. Rae ushered in the new year with the release of her third single off the album 'High Fashion' in February 2025. On the track, Rae sees no appeal in embarking on a drug-fueled bender and instead opts for the finer things in life: a closet full of couture. She sings, with her soft, atmospheric vocals atop a darker, synthier sound, 'I don't need your drugs/I'd rather get high fashion.' After gracing the cover of Vogue France, the singer dropped her fourth single in April 2025. With 'Headphones On,' Rae gives listeners a peek into how she relies on music as an escape from crisis and reality. The 24-year-old singer then reunited with Charli XCX at Coachella, where she performed the 'Von Dutch' remix. 'Fame Is a Gun,' Rae's fifth and final single — and music video — ahead of album release day, hit streaming platforms in May 2025. The track's artwork is a photo of a young Rae posing with sunglasses indoors, likely a nod to the fact that Rae has always been drawn to living a glamorous life. Rae's album, more than anything, is about arrival. 'It's arrival to who I feel like I've become,' she told Lowe. 'I've experienced all these trials and ups and downs, and great high moments to land here.' Whether you're a fan of Rae or a fan of music in general, Addison reflects an undeniable truth: We're watching an artist come into her own before our eyes.
Irish Examiner
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Wedding of the Week: J1 in San Fran leads to Kerry proposal and big day in Clare
Once school's out, it's summer romance season. For Megan Lawlor and James Ensor, their sunshine chapters have unfolded into a life-long love story. Megan, a primary school teacher, says: 'We met in San Francisco while we were on our J1 in the summer of 2016. We were introduced by a mutual friend, Tomás Barry.' Six years later, another holiday trip set the scene for the engagement. As Megan and James — who works for Google — motored around Kerry in a campervan, they decided to stop off at Dingle marina, which is where James popped the question in August 2022. Megan Lawlor and James Ensor. Pictures: Awake and Dreaming Their pal Tomás played a key role yet again, as groomsman; as Megan, from Ballinasloe, Co Galway, and James, from Sandymount, Dublin, were married recently by celebrant Gráinne McGibney, Atlantic Vows, at the Armada Hotel, Spanish Point, Co Clare — with a reception at the same venue. 'Gráinne made the ceremony so personal. Everyone was raving about how great she was,' says Megan. 'A golf cart transported me, my dad, and the bridal party the short journey across from Armada House [where they got ready] to the Armada Hotel. The ceremony music was by Rachel Goode and the flowers were kindly sourced and arranged by the groom's mother, Lydia Ensor.' Megan Lawlor and James Ensor. Pictures: Awake and Dreaming Lydia and the groom's father Simon Ensor, along with Megan's parents Caroline and Robert Lawlor, celebrated with the newlyweds, as did the bride's grandfather, James Lawlor Sr. 'It was very special to have my grandfather in attendance on the day, in his 87th year,' says Megan. 'The speeches were also a highlight, especially my dad's — as I am an only child, it was an emotional day for him and my mam.' Megan's close friends Áine Kinsella, Ciara Corbett, Claire Keane, Jane Corbett, and her cousin Sinéad Doherty were her bridesmaids. James had his friends by his side also, with Christian Stevens as best man and Andrew Cloonan, William Shanahan, and Oran Mulvey joining Tomás as groomsmen. Megan Lawlor and James Ensor. Pictures: Awake and Dreaming Their big day was 'full of laughter, love and lots of dancing', says Megan: 'The food at the Armada Hotel was a standout highlight for the guests, especially the drinks reception snacks [tacos and bao buns] and the duck starter at the meal.' Brian Dalton performed the entertainment for the drinks reception. 'He set the perfect vibe, accompanied by his friend Johnny,' says Megan. Mixtape had everyone dancing later in the evening. 'Our first dance song was an acoustic version of Times Like These by the Foo Fighters [James's favourite band].' Megan Lawlor and James Ensor. Pictures: Awake and Dreaming Megan bought her dream dress at The One by Sinead Corcoran in Rathmines: 'It is called 'The Hamilton' by Moira Hughes and was so comfy to wear! The veil and earrings were from Kyna Maree online, and I wore shoes from Asos.' Eilish Moran was the makeup artist. 'My own hairdresser from Dublin, Kelly Griffin, assisted by her friend Ruth, did my hair,' says Megan. Megan Lawlor and James Ensor with their wedding party. Pictures: Awake and Dreaming The groomsmen's suits were from Tector, Rathmines. Photography was by David Olsthoorn and Laurie Brosnan of Awake and Dreaming ( with videographer Kevin Caffrey of Little Bear Film. The newlyweds spent a week in Morocco as 'part one' of their honeymoon. 'We plan to go away somewhere else in the summer for 'Honeymoon: Part Two'.' says Megan. She and James live in Harold's Cross, Dublin, in the house they bought and renovated last year. If you would like your wedding to feature in Weekend, email
