#and then i found out they put out an album in 2019

[loustyleshtommo]

Song Analysis of Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department: Track 28

Because Matty Healy is a stinky red herring. Let me tell you why Track 28 Peter is actually about Louis Tomlinson, and present the evidence that Taylor Swift really said: forget that guy on the chief coming straight home to me. Goddess Karlie can STEP ON ME.

ps. I blame this entire song analysis on Taylor releasing folklore on One Direction’s 10th HBD.

Forgive me, Peter, my lost fearless leader

“my lost fearless” could refer to Taylor’s second studio album. She lost that masters to Big Machine. Before she announced her re-release of Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Louis released his solo debut album Walls, with a song called Fearless, “Cash in your weekend treasure for a suit and tie, a second wife” seemingly referencing her Lover era (ME! mv) as well as her past relationship with Dianna Agron and her present with Karlie Kloss.

“Now I’m not saying that you could’ve done better. Just remember that I, I’ve seen that fire alight.” Louis knew Taylor was planning to come out and was well on her way to execute that plan before it all went wrong. (Re: The 2019 NYC Pride Parade Outfit She Never Wore)

His song was encouraging her to become that fearless again. To tell her that he knew she tried. But why did Louis have to reassure Taylor? Why did Taylor feel the need to apologize to Louis?

In closets like cedar preserved from when we were just kids.

Both Louis and Taylor were queer kids who got stuck in the closets as soon as they stepped foot onto the music industry scene. It’s not a pleasant place to be. Just listen to the anxiety in Taylor’s voice when she asked “Are we out of the woods?”

Was it something I did?

Who could ever forget the Haylor Winter Romance? One Direction dropped their second studio album “Take Me Home”. During that promo season, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift got papped together a lot. The fandoms were divided. Some fans still believed in Larry Stylinson and/or Swiftgron. But the tabloids insisted it gotta be Haylor. Is it Taylor’s fault that they’re still stuck in the closet today? If she hadn’t participated in handholding in Central Park/NYE kiss/Blue Dress on a Boat, would everything be different today?

The goddess of timing once found us beguiling

Both Louis and Taylor were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time for their music career to start like shooting stars (Louis: we were lucky once, I could be lucky again.)

The things about “beguiling” is that it doesn’t only mean enchanting/charming, it has the connotation of being deceptive. The goddess of timing did not find them to be truthful.

She said she was trying.

Actual deity is all powerful and rarely has to try. This is such a human quality. This person is comparable to a Goddess but she’s still just a person. I believe that the Goddess of Timing here is Kali, while the person Taylor is calling a Goddess is Karlie.

Kali is a Goddess from Hinduism aka the same place as the concept of karma (who is Taylor’s boyfriend when she wrote the songs. But once she put it out and performs it for the audience, she no longer thinks of the song Karma as her own. In her mind, it already belongs to the fans. And if that’s the kind of entertainment they’re expecting, she will continue to sing “Karma is the guy on the Chief coming straight home to me.” Because the Goddess already sees her as a liar, what difference adding one more lie is gonna make? (Did she forget about the last straw?))

Peter, was she lying?

For the Goddess of time, this is the same question about fame (what Taylor earned with the help of fortunate timing) that Taylor has been wondering about since her first Speak Now era: Never Grow Up (Keep this line in mind, it will come into play later: It’s so much colder than I thought it would be, so I tuck myself in and turn my nightlight on. Wish I’d never grow up. (Such a Peter Pan thing to think.) Continued into RED (Lucky One: Now my name is up in the light. I wonder if I’d make it out alive) All the way to Clara Bow in the tortured poets department. It’s the question that’s been haunting her for ages.

For the person comparable to the Goddess, was Karlie lying? Well, if she really is with Taylor then she’s also very deep in the closet and hiding a core truth about herself. So, yes, she was lying.

My ribs got the feeling she did

This is the line that cements it for me.

This Goddess must be Kali.

And Taylor fancies herself Kali’s consort.

One of the most popular form of Kali is Dakshina Kali. She is typically shown with her right foot on her consort’s chest. It’s a show of his devotion to her.

I got the information of Kali legend from Wikipedia, and this is what THE POETS got to say about the guy at her feet.

Here’s the thing, those who worship Kali are said to be able to overcome death itself. (Honey, I rose up from the death I do it all the time. Reputation is a Karlie album confirmed for a thousand times.)

Another thing about Kali is that she is not just a Goddess of Time. She is also known as Mother Goddess; Goddess of Time, Change, Creation, Power, Destruction and Death. (So basically, the entire theme of the Tortured Poets Department. Damn, girl. Way to talk about devotion.)

Another form of Goddess Karlie Kali with her left foot on her consort, Shiva, is much more violent. She was in uncontrollable rage. To stop her from destroying the entire universe, Taylor Shiva laid down on her warpath. When she stomped on him (and likely hurt his ribs in the process, ouch), she realized with horror that she had gone too far. (Taylor’s The Great War: The worst was over…I vowed, I will always be yours.)

And I didn’t want to come down.

I thought it was just goodbye for now.

The pre-chorus subject will later change from I to We, but the theme of thinking they would have more time keeps coming back around. Taylor still wanted her name up in the light. She thought she would have more time. She thought hiding crucial part of herself was just a temporary thing.

You said you were gonna grow up and you were gonna come find me.

This chorus is why I think the YOU in this song is Louis/Harry. The anxiety-inducing repetition is reminiscent of Out Of The Woods aka the song I believe was written from Louis’s perspective, and also contained one of her earliest blatantly queer-coded lyrics: The rest of the world was black and white but we were in screaming colors.

Said you were gonna grow up and you were gonna come find me.

In the early One Direction days, Louis once admitted that growing old is one of his worst fears. Isn’t that the most Peter Pan thing you’ve ever heard? Taylor be like “I think I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending” This is one of the many reasons why I think William Bowery has never, ever, ever been Joe, but rather was actually Louis William Tomlinson (who curses like a sailer so much that infects Taylor. She never dropped f-bomb before she started writing with WB). The ships passing in the night imagery is such a Louis and Harry thing, and Taylor started using it heavily from 1989 onwards. Aka the album she wrote Style and invited the fella over there with a hella good hair to come shake it off.

Said you were gonna grow up and you were gonna come find me.

But can they really shake off the tumultuous emotions of hiding the love of your life like a skeleton in your closets? No matter how many hiding places she knew?

Words from the mouth of babes

Exhibit A to infinity: baby boyfriends

Promises oceans deep

Rope & Anchor, Ship & Compass, Pirates and nautical theme couple tattoos. You name it, they got it. Louis’s Strong and Harry’s Happily lethal combo: My hand, your hand tied up like two ships. I don’t care what people say when we’re together.

But never to keep

Exhibit crying in a cool way:

1D’s Something Great: The script was written and I could not change a thing.

1D’s Story of My Life: Written on these walls are the stories that I can’t explain

Harry horse-noises-and-i-would-lean-towards-no Styles, Sweet Creature who? Never heard of her.

Louis doesn’t-know-what-tattoo-he-got Tomlinson, but this compass is so sweet for pointing home, innit?

Never to keep

How many times are they going to have to deny their love? How many times do they have to parade around with someone else for the camera? How many times do they have to bring up conspiracies and how unfair it is for their loved ones? They keep doing things that practically break a promise of ALWAYS IN MY HEART. Are they doomed to never keeping their promises?

Are you still a mind reader?

It’s not just Louis’s Fearless song before she unlocked the vault to Fearless (Taylor’s Version), just look at the way he wrote lyrics that Taylor clearly had in mind:

Louis in Don’t Let It Break Your Heart: I know you left a part of you in New York

Taylor in Hoax: You knew I left a part of me back in New York

Louis for 1D’s Love You Goodbye: Baby, go on, twist the knife

Taylor in Hoax: my twisted knife, my winless fight

Louis for 1D’s Midnight Memories first leaked: Diana, let me be the one to lift your heart up and save your life. I don’t think you even realize, but, baby, you’d be saving mine.

Taylor in reputation’s Call It What You Want: You don’t have to save me. But would you run away with me? Yes. And keep this line in mind: My baby’s fly like a jet stream.

A natural scene stealer?

I mean, I am very biased. But Louis has always stolen the scene. Whether it be “NO! Jimmy protested” on the staircase, Kevin the Pigeon, it said do not dial 9 so I dialed 9, or when singing/carrying 1D choruses, especially clear in What Makes You Beautiful and Story of My Life a cappella version.

In relation to Taylor, as soon as Haylor officially ended according to tabloid, Louis proceeded to get this giant Swift bird tattoo in his right arm.

And remember the game 1D played for FOUR promo? Louis wasn’t even trying to do anything funny and the universe was like let’s make sure the pulling-words-out-of-hats game has the funniest possible outcomes.

Harry: mine said Louis Tomlinson

Niall: got papped snogging

Zayn: Taylor Swift

*chaos erupts*

Louis: *incredulous laughter*

Harry: *seize the opportunity for the funniest joke ever* I mean, you could’ve told me

Louis: Jesus.

Anyhow, I digress. Niall said without Louis, 1D would be the most boring band in the world.

I’ve heard great things, Peter.

I mean, World Tours/Festivals/Faith in the Future. Yup, great things indeed. But it also implied that they hadn’t seen each other in person for a while. (That’s why I still on the clown train that WB is Louis. They wrote together in lockdown. Nobody was out to see anybody.)

But life was always easier on you than it was on me.

This is where I am extremely dubious of my own clown theory. I don’t believe Louis had it easier than Taylor, especially given how he lost his mom and his sister. But it helps that the next line made it clear which aspect of life she was talking about.

And sometimes it gets me, when crossing your jet stream.

This line really takes Harry out as a contender for being Peter/you. Because he already has his own place here. He’s the “your jet stream”. My baby’s fly like a jet stream. Harry is Louis’s baby. It’s been well-documented in the Larry Stylinson fandom/organization/conspiracy/call it what you want to. 😂

We both did the best we could do underneath the same moon in different galaxies.

Both Taylor and Harry did the best they could do under the same circumstance. From the point of view on earth, there is only one moon. It seems so big and just within reach. But when we zoom out to the level of galaxies, it’s practically impossible to pinpoint the same moon among billions of other celestial bodies. Yet, the dark night cycle for Taylor and Harry is exactly the same. They’re both stuck in the same style of closet from when they were just kids. (Womanizer/Slut aka someone with many different partners, before it shifted to long-term low-key/marriage material themes. Likely due to the songs they kept writing which couldn’t possibly be about one-night stands, no matter which angle anyone look at it. The messages are loud and clear. They are in love and deeply devoted to one person only.) The difference is Taylor didn’t get to meet Karlie before the industry broke her spirit down. (Let all your damage, damage me.) But Louis and Harry have always had each other to rely on. #welivetogetherdealwithit.

Harry was once asked if falling in love is the best part of a relationship. Well, he said he actually believed the best part after that initial rush of infatuation is becoming a team. If that’s not enough to sound like someone in a long-term committed relationship. Harry also has a habit of singing “I’m in love with Lou and all his little things”/ “You’re still the one I run to, the one that I belong to. You’re still the one I want for life.” /“Hopelessly devoted to Lou.”

So, yeah. No wonder Taylor believed life was always easier on Louis and Harry than it was on her. Not even mentioning the things she said on The Man: I’m so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man.

And I didn’t wanna hang around.

So Karlie and Harry was seen hanging out once and never again.

We said it was just goodbye for now.

I think Louis/Harry and Taylor/Karlie were always planning to come out at the same time, but that coming out schedule kept getting postponed.

You said you were gonna grow up and you were gonna come find me.

Said you were gonna grow up and you were gonna come find me.

Said you were gonna grow up and you were gonna come find me.

Words from the mouth of babes

Promises oceans deep

But never to keep

Never to keep

It’s the same ol’ shit, just different days. The anxious anticipation and fear of consequences for when they finally come out feel oceans deep. They can’t get rid of it. But they still can’t commit to it 100% either. All they could do was making promises after promises with blatant Easter eggs like Harry running around with rainbow flags on stage, Louis wearing a giant golden H on his chest for his livestream during COVID-19 lockdown, Taylor’s entire Lover era. The list goes on and on.

And I won't confess that I waited, but I let the lamp burn.

I’m gonna let the burning of Lover house in the Eras tour speak for itself. Their plan to come out was a failure time and time again.

As the men masqueraded, I hoped you'd return.

As Taylor kept switching out these Kens, while stuck in the same ol’ closet, she still hoped Louis won’t give up on their plan.

Well, here’s Louis in Just Like You aka the song he announced on National Coming Out Day saying: 25 and it’s all planned.

Did that plan include dropping his album Walls with Come so far from Princess Park & For every question why, you were my because on the last day that Harry was 25 years old? Because that happened.

And here’s Taylor in Lover for Death By A Thousand Cuts: Paper cuts sting from our paper thin plans.

Did that paper thin plan include Taylor releasing ME! on Lesbian’s Visibility Day? Because that happened.

Soon we will see the reason why Taylor would be asking for forgiveness from Louis. But let’s see first what she was hoping for and didn’t get.

With your feet on the ground, tell me all that you'd learned.

Remember Cloud lyrics from 1D: Some days you’re gonna see the things that I see… Never coming back down.

And from Louis’s Walls in We Made It: Never coming down with your hand in mine.

Because the thing about We Made It, is Louis still had to throw in a line for his girlfriend Eleanor. Yes, Harry and Louis made it. But they’re still stuck in the closet, anyway.

'Cause love's never lost when perspective is earned

This is when I realize that Taylor has been tracing the stepping stones, starting from most recent events and making her way back to the start in a non-linear manner. Well, she certainly did called this album a post-mortem study. But exactly whose death are we mourning in this particular song right here?

And you said you'd come and get me, but you were twenty-five

And the shelf life of those fantasies has expired

Lost to the "Lost Boys" chapter of your life

Remember Harry’s “Not That Important”? Or all the Rainbow Bondage Bear and Sugar Baby Bear RBB/SBB shenanigans? Louis and Harry were throwing themselves at the closet door, banging against it and making such loud noises. They wanted so badly to show the world that they’re together while still in the band. That fantasy was one hell of a drug. Especially after Zayn left and they felt like they’ve got nothing left to lose. That was, until Belfast and babygate caged them into ironclad closet. But it wasn’t only just those events and One Direction going on hiatus that ensured Louis was completely and utterly lost.

Louis was trying so hard to make everyone sees that he’s not the father. He was so, so loud about it. So loud that it’s still causing troubles every time he brings up Freddie TODAY. Way too loud to ever be shut down, basically.

Louis was doing everything he could to leave the closet. But in December 2016, he lost his mom and turned twenty-five.

How could anyone expect a grieving boy to have another fight left in him?

Forgive me, Peter, please know that I tried to hold on (hold on) to the days (to the days) when you were mine.

Louis performed Just Hold On for the first time only days after his mom passing. In front of the person who made damn sure he couldn’t be himself under the spotlight. It’s a testament to his strength and I will never stop admiring his resilience. And although Taylor didn’t come through with their coming out plan, someone else made sure to have done the leg work.

Before her passing, Johannah, Louis’s mother, took the time to delete all of Freddie pictures off of her instagram, two weeks after she told Louis that she had terminal cancer.

(How do I know this? Well, it’s a hindsight is 20/20 thing. When Jay did that, fans had no clue she was sick and dying.

Years later, Louis talked about his mom breaking the bad news when he was at Jamie Vardy’s wedding.

And that wedding happened a fortnight before Jay removed all of Freddie pictures.)

Louis’s mom took out the rose thorns and made damn sure her baby boy could walk down their memory lane with the least pain possible. Louis had a great mom who taught him how to get through the darkest nights.

And though it’s not acknowledged so publicly, Louis has had Harry by his side all this time. I don’t think Louis ever needed an apology from Taylor just because they couldn’t complete their plan to come out/“Speak Now” in time for his mom to hear it, too.

Regardless, it’s possible that Taylor still felt really, really shitty for failing to execute their coming out plan as grief-stricken Louis ran out of time. By the time her scathing reputation prologue letter came around (as if inspiration for music is as simple and basic as a paternity test), it seemed Louis was in too deep with the conspiracy from One Direction days to ever be rid of it now. Quite literally lost to the lost boys chapter of his life

But the woman who sits by the window has turned out the light.

And I’m not gonna lie, the sudden reappearance of present tense in descriptive lyrics here gave me a jolt of anxiety. Taylor already released Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) in which she repeated “So I tuck myself in and turn my nightlight on. Wish I’d never grow up.”

See, if we’re sticking with the original story of Peter Pan, Wendy grew up and Peter Pan didn’t. But in this version of the story, our Peter Pan aka Louis had been through such grief that pushed him to grow up first. He’s actually the one waiting now. Wendy aka Taylor had been playing catch up. (Fuck 🛴 for that.) Hence, this present tense about the woman who has turned out the light is the continuation of wait for the signal and I’ll meet you after dark.

By the way, how does the intro sequence of The Eras Tour go again?

It’s been a long time coming. It’s you and me. It’s Fearless. Big reputation. And they said Speak Now. Into folklore. My name is Taylor and I was born in 1989. Hey! evermore. Loving him was red. Meet me at midnight. Nice! Lover.

It’s you and me that’s my whole world. They whisper in the hallway she’s a bad, bad girl.

Taylor started her Eras Tour with Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince. The song I believe was written to Louis from Harry’s perspective. “You know I adore you. I’m crazier for you than I was at sixteen.” Corresponding nicely with the song 18 that one of her best friends, Ed Sheeran, wrote for One Direction. The one Louis used to sing as “I have loved him since we were eighteen.” And Harry immediately followed up by screaming “Sixteen!” at the crowd.

You said you were gonna grow up

Then you were gonna come find me

Said you were gonna grow up

You said you were gonna grow up

Then you were gonna come find me

Said you were gonna grow up

This set of repeating chorus above isn’t the same as the other ones before. Can you spot the difference? Here’s the rest of the chorus that actually looks the same as the ones in the beginning.

You said you were gonna grow up

Then you were gonna come find me

Said you were gonna grow up

Then you were gonna come find me

Said you were gonna grow up

Then you were gonna come find me

Both contain six lines, but I assure you, there are differences. The order changed. The last line changed. Devil’s in the details.

Words from the mouths of babes

Here’s the most surreal experience for me as someone who read too much between the lines. In Louis’s own documentary All Of Those Voices, out of all the song he has written, this is the one he chose to play as an opening segment for Freddie, aka his son who is arguably the most controversial and divisive topic in his fandom: Angels Fly.

This is a song about helping someone process grief, from someone who’s already been there before.

In hindsight, Louis’s babygate was a boon of sort. A blessing in disguise, if you will. Fans were so busy tearing this paternity narrative apart. Louis was able to keep quiet about the actual tragedy he was facing. Whatever drama Louis needed to keep his name on the papers, Freddie’s family helped provide it in spade. He was allowed to carve out truly private time to prepare for the inevitable. And when the news of his mom’s sickness broke, Harry was the one who got papped near the hospital that she was staying at. He took that publicity burden off of Louis’s shoulder. If that action did not speak of Harry’s immeasurable love for Louis, I don’t know what else will.

Promises oceans deep

Remember how Taylor almost had to go through the same thing Louis did? With her mom’s diagnosis? On my very first listen of Peter, I felt the same gut-punch of grief as when I heard her Soon You’ll Get Better, or Ronan, or Louis’s Two of Us. It’s the worst kind of heartbreak to recognize. And it doesn’t matter how long it’s been, that pain is edged oceans deep into your soul.

But never to keep

Fortunately, with time, anyone who has experienced such great loss will begin to realize that grief has ebb and flow, like ocean waves. You learned to live with the pain. You start to see silver linings. Maybe you quantify this grief with the size of the moon. So you build a galaxy around it and the eclipse doesn’t seem so daunting anymore.

TL;DR

I think Taylor is 1) apologizing to Louis for postponing their coming out plan over and over again, 2) acknowledging that the fear of consequences for coming out is nothing compared to the grief of losing your loved ones forever, and 3) confirming the plan to come out. Sure, words from the mouths of babes, promises oceans deep but never to keep. However, they’re both grownups now. So remember:

Wait for the signal and I’ll meet you after dark.

And now:

The woman who sits by the window has turned out the light.

Hello, darkness my old friend 👋

Most importantly, Taylor worships Goddess Karlie, byeeeeee.

#taylor swift #the tortured poets department #song analysis #track 15 #peace walked so #track 28 #Peter #can run #louis tomlinson #Karlie Kloss #is a goddess #goddess kali #gaylor #kaylor #blink and you miss it #swiftgron #larry stylinson #harry styles #every bait and switch was a work of arts #in this essay I will #louaylor #loutay #idk what else to tag #please like and reblog I need validation #I’m clowning again I’m clowning again I’m clowningggg #mine #ttpd #ts ttpd #my roman empire #are you ready for it?

[valyrfia]

f1 drivers as tracks from the tortured poets department: a very abridged and very biased list.

DISCLAIMER: this is all for fun and should be taken very lightheartedly. Not all drivers were included, but I am open to suggestions as well as constructive criticism.

Without further ado:

CHARLES LECLERC - I Can Do It With A Broken Heart

Absolutely suicidal lyrics that should be mildly concerning but all in all very upbeat and makes you want to run around doing side quests. Such as write an album, or open an ice cream shop. I'm thinking this is specifically 2022 Charles when he trusted no one at Ferrari, or mid-2023 when everyone was calling him washed and calling for his teammate to be n1 driver, and then he proceeded to put it on pole in a tractor multiple times and still hasn't finished outside the top 5 since. Either way, I am looking forward how this song will hit when Charles gets his eventual championship.

MAX VERSTAPPEN - Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?

This one is for Mad Max, who was thrust onto the world stage as an untested young prodigy at seventeen, who was called too young and immature and proceeded to win a GP upon debut in a top team, who was called Crashtappen from 2015-2019 and labelled as overly aggressive to his detriment, who was painted as a villain by every media outlet and documentary and DTS episode, who said "fuck the haters" and won championships anyway, who broke records, and made his own national anthem the expected song for every podium. A driver who is fast approaching greatest of all time status, for his win streaks alone. A driver that most others now just shrug about, because there's no shame in not choosing to fight the inevitable.

LEWIS HAMILTON - So Long, London

Ah, the heart-wrenching track of letting go of your long-term British relationship that doesn't serve you anymore. So many lyrics from here I could apply to the rumoured break down of amicable relations between Lewis and Mercedes, the team he won six championships with. From "My spine split from carrying us up the hill" to "I didn't opt in to be your odd man out. I founded the club she's heard great things about" to "you say I abandoned the ship But I was going down with it. My white-knuckle dying grip. Holding tight to your quiet resentment". Honestly, I could copy and paste all the lyrics here and they would apply to Lewis' Merc swan song. Taylor wrote "you swore that you loved me but where were the clues, I died on the altar waiting for the proof." about Abu Dhabi 2021.

CARLOS SAINZ - The Prophecy

Carlos has been delivering some of the best drives of his career this season, but it doesn't matter because he's not the chosen one, he's not il predestinato, he's not the son of Maranello. No matter what he does, he would never have kept that Ferrari seat over the mythos of Charles Leclerc. "Let it once be me. Who do I have to speak to, to redo the prophecy?"

LANDO NORRIS - Guilty as Sin?

Specifically given for half-flirting with Red Bull for most of last season, only to shake himself out of it and re-sign with McLaren, but I have one eye on him, not entirely sure he's given up on the Red Bull daydream, and Red Bull have been open about wanting to get him, if they can. It's all on Lando to stay faithful.

OSCAR PIASTRI - Fresh Out the Slammer

Piastrigate continues to inspire and compel an entire generation of F1 fans, and as such should form the basis of Oscar's song selection. What was the promises that Alpine made him, if not "Gray and blue and fights and tunnels Handcuffed to the spell I was under For just one hour of sunshine"

FERNANDO ALONSO - Florida!!!

Florida!!! is a big and powerful song about being a Shakespearean villain with a History and questionable morals and motives. Who is that if not Fernando Alonso? "Tell me I'm despicable, say it's unforgivable." "Is that a bad thing to say in a song?"

LANCE STROLL - But Daddy I Love Him

Yeah this one is self-indulgent and too good to resist. He's singing it about Fernando btw. Next.

DANIEL RICCIARDO - Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus

Someone is getting that Red Bull seat next year, and every name is on the list except Daniel Ricciardo. "As the decade played us for fools, you saw my bones out with somebody new." Who knows what would have happened if Daniel hadn't left Red Bull, all those years ago? "Just say you loved me the way you were" Oof. We could spend years living in the What Ifs of it all.

#taylor swift #formula 1 #charles leclerc #max verstappen #lewis hamilton #the tortured poets department #carlos sainz #lando norris #oscar piastri #fernando alonso #lance stroll #strollonso #daniel ricciardo

[bestgameostcrownduel]

Round 1, Side A: Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers (2019) vs Kingdom Hearts 3 (2019)

FFXIV | Kingdom Hearts

Campaigns under the cut!

Campaign for FFXIV:

oh my god where do I start. Final Fantasy XIV (FFXIV) is an MMORPG that's been going on 2013, or 2010 if you count the trainwreck that the current FFXIV replaced (the 2010 version's music was composed mainly by Uematsu, 2013 onwards is mostly Soken). Thus its OST is FUCKING HUGE and spans a whole lot of genres. If you like any kind of music at all you can probably find at least one track that speaks to you in this game. FFXIV has a category of incredibly difficult fights called Ultimate, comprised of multiple short phases that each have their own music. Because of the nature of how Ultimates are structured, they're the only fights in FFXIV where the music can actually be timed to the mechanics. If you're not afraid of story spoilers, look up any ultimate's BGM and you can see how cool this effect is. (I can't listen to Under the Weight without also hearing the sound of every mechanic and tankbuster.) (My personal favorite ultimate, music-wise, is The Epic of Alexander. Back when I was progging the fight I used to fall asleep listening to the BGM.) To The Edge is so so special to everyone who loves FFXIV. It's the theme of a boss in Shadowbringers; I can't give details without also giving major spoilers, but I will say that the story and this song deal with the themes of death and loss. If you look up the lyrics, which aren't too spoilery without context, you'll get what I mean. What makes this extra emotional is that FFXIV's main composer, Soken, was in the hospital fighting cancer when he composed this song. (To be clear: he kept working because it provided him with a desperately needed sense of normalcy, not because he needed to.) No one on the dev team knew aside from Yoshi P, FFXIV's producer + director as well as Soken's personal friend; the rest of the team found out the same time the fans did, months after the fact when Soken was in full remission, at the 2021 FFXIV Fan Festival (FanFest). To The Edge was already widely beloved prior to this because it's an incredible banger tied to an incredible story moment, but knowing what was going on behind the scenes during its composition, in addition to the story and song's own themes surrounding death, turns it into a piece that no one can listen to without getting wildly emotional about it. At the same FanFest, before Soken announced that he fought cancer and won, he performed this live: https://youtu.be/aBt4zT_PBmw?si=SgzTV9BvINfA0b-U Absolute king shit. With Hearts Aligned is also so so so special to me because it's the song that plays in the 'victory lap' second phase against the final boss that caps off a nine year long story arc. It features a leitmotif from The Maker's Ruin, a song from 2013, that represents the player and is often used when we overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. There are no words that can describe the sheer fucking emotion of fighting the final boss of a nine year long story arc while listening to the leitmotif that represents YOU, a leitmotif that you first heard however many weeks or months or years ago when you first started playing this game. The ultimate triumph, and the ultimate song of hope. Also if you like leitmotifs, FFXIV has /so many leitmotifs/. Have a spreadsheet of them: https://x.com/EENlX/status/1686043012353396736?s=20 Also also, Alex Moukala on youtube does more in-depth analysis of some of the best tracks in FFXIV! Great videos, I highly recommend checking them out.

I would put the entire game's soundtrack if I could but there's a LOT. The album I listed is for the "postgame" of Shadowbringers. Of particular note is the song "To The Edge" which was written while the composer, Masayoshi Soken, was battling with cancer.

Campaign for KH3:

yoko shimomura, the GODDESS, the LEGEND, her composing skills never fail to amaze! kh music is so so goodddddd

I’m not good with propagandizing but the OST for this series is so good. For KH3, I love so much of the soundtrack. The Disney worlds have some great tracks, but the endgame and dlc has almost nothing but bangers.

#polls #round 1 #side a #best game ost crown duel #final fantasy xiv #final fantasy 14 #ffxiv #ff14 #ffxiv shadowbringers #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts 3 #kh3 #shadowbringers

[herrlindemann]

Metal Hammer - June 2019

Interview with Paul, Schneider, Flake and Richard

How did you motivate yourselves to record an album again after the long absence from the studio?

Richard: It wasn't that easy. If we want to go into the studio or write an album, it can't be done within a few weeks. That's why we always think very carefully about whether we really have the strength and stamina to do it. At the end of the day, you never know where we'll end up. It's always an adventure with us! In 2015, the idea of making a new album came up for the first time. I really didn't feel like doing it at the time because I thought it would involve a lot of controversy. But then we pulled ourselves together and said: Let's try to take all the pressure off. We are free from any contracts, our own masters. So let's just have a look. We start rehearsing and then when we have three or four songs that are okay, we put them out. And if we are not satisfied, we let it be completely.

Schneider: I understand the fans who might be annoyed after the long wait. But we need the time to be really good. That is always our aim: to get the maximum out of every note. Sometimes it's just a few percentage points that we improve within weeks, but they make the difference. But it's not easy: I wasn't always sure whether this record would actually exist. We have now spent three years in the rehearsal room and in the studio. The nice thing about it: In no other phase of the band's history have we understood each other as well as we do now, didn't yell at each other at work and thus survived musical crises.

Paul: But honestly, if I had known beforehand what kind of process this was going to be, phew my god. (Laughs) There really is a lot of blood, sweat and tears, anger and stress in this album.

You have decided to go new ways for the recordings. How did that happen?

Richard: We just wanted to try something new. And also in the way we produce — first we went to France with Tom Talget and Olsen Involtini instead of Jacob Hellner and Stefan Glaumann as before. Change is always a fragile thing: On the one hand, you don't want to change what you're successful with. On the other hand, you have the desire to develop as a musician. We then decided to leave our comfort zone. That didn't go smoothly either, at first we didn't really get along with Tom and Olsen. And Jacob Hellner has been a father figure in a way; someone who properly directs a production. Olsen doesn't do that and Tom doesn't do that. For me it felt like: Nobody knows where we should go anymore... Here you realize again: Astrologically speaking, Rammstein is fire, water and earth at the same time. What we lack is air, i.e. lightness. We tried to get air in. Olsen Involtini is such an aerial person.

Schneider: He managed to lead us through the difficult development phases of the album. We often have deadlocks: three of us are for one solution, three for the other. Then we just didn't continue, one idea fell by the wayside. That's where Olsen came in — he was in charge as producer, and you can feel that in the songs. Through him we came to new inspirations that we would not have found on our own.

Paul: This development was very important for us. We didn't want to make another album without challenges. We were about doing it differently just to do it differently. With Jacob it was like with a teacher on a school trip. The longer we were on the road, the more respect for each other dwindled. I love trying something where you don't know at the beginning what it will be like at the end. So it was a good idea for Richard to involve Olsen. When we have someone we accept—and that's not always easy for us—then it feels good to hear an informed opinion. With the six of us, everything is always very uncoordinated.

Did these new paths also encourage your creativity?

Schneider: On this album, I played my instrument very slowly in order to get involved in a way that served the respective song. It wasn't important to me to show what I can do — I only play what's really required on the album.

Richard, did you feel that ideas you brought up were more readily accepted by others?

Richard: Nah, I felt like my ideas were being viewed extremely critically. Of course, that's also because I've tried to push certain things through in the past. That sticks. Because I work a lot, there is sometimes hardly any space for the others. In addition, I have to make a sound. This time I worked with Till on some ideas and then brought finished demos to our meetings. But they were also picked apart, of course.

Is Till your first point of contact within the band?

Richard: It depends. He's hard to get hold of at times, then the others come into play first.

So in your case primarily Paul?

Richard: It used to be that Paul and I thought completely differently. Simply because we are different types. This time we often agreed. There was a change between me and Paul, which I find incredibly refreshing and also very productive. I don't even know how it happened that there wasn't any competition in the songwriting phase this time... Maybe because I thought: «Hey, if this is a good idea, it will eventually catch on. And if not, I'll take them to another project. » That worked for the most part, and it gave me a certain balance.

Paul: We had quite a long time off, after the break we got closer again. With an undertaking as intensive as Rammstein, you have to take a break from time to time, otherwise you'll eventually become stupid in the head. Richard and I first had to learn, in a creative sense, to be in one room again — Schneider helped us a lot with that.

But aren't you really good when you can rub each other?

Richard: Yes, that's true for me. But that meant that no one could stand me anymore. Lots of loneliness. I've learned. Whenever I thought it wouldn't work anymore, now I really have to say something, I consciously withdrew.

Have you ever thought about not continuing?

Richard: Of course! 100 times! Played through in any form... I'm definitely only doing Rammstein because I really want to. And I can still take the time to do other projects. They are and were very important to me. I probably wouldn't have survived without it. I recently asked myself the question: "What else should happen in my life?" I am a person who loves challenges. And, yes, Rammstein isn't everything in my life. It shouldn't be everything.

How do the others think about it?

Flake: I noticed that I can do something at Rammstein that I couldn't do in another world, I would never quit there. It's not even important to me that I play. I could just drive around with the troops, that would be enough for me. For me, that's the most beautiful thing in the world, especially this walking feeling. I was lucky that it's a band and not a gangster gang. But I would have found it just as good from the heart.

Schneider: We always have those moments, especially before the production periods, when we ask each other what is important for each individual and what the future should bring for all of us. While we haven't actually talked about an ending yet, we recognize that Rammstein is a finite story, even if there's no plan for it yet.

Paul: As long as we feel that the ship is still sailing and that the port has not yet been reached, we will continue. Should we enter a port, I would not be sad. I'm very fortunate to have a life alongside Rammstein. My personal goals with the band have been achieved for a long time anyway: I wanted to play at the Huxley in Berlin once and get on the plane with my guitar case. (laughs)

After that you made a tick. It would be much more difficult not to repeat oneself, especially in terms of content. Was it difficult to work out the themes of the eleven songs?

Schneider: The topics only emerge towards the end: With us, the musical ideas always come first, then Till gets the tapes. He had some incredibly creative periods on this production where he would rush to write everything we came up with. That was a great pleasure for us — I personally didn't expect it in this form, after all these years.

Were you worried about failing with the album?

Richard: If you work on an album for three or four years, you logically lose the relation. You don't know anymore if it's good or bad. But because we said at the beginning: « We'll just do something and if it doesn't work, we'll throw it away », no such concern arose. It was important that we didn't put ourselves under any pressure.

The success, especially that of the first single 'Deutschland' plus video, proves you right. Do you think the song stands out?

Paul: Anyway, there were really long discussions about the song. We thought hard about how to make a song about Germany that isn't embarrassing. Especially with this song, every point, every word was fought for until everyone was satisfied.

Schneider: The song inspired everyone in the band. In the beginning there were two different versions, but thanks to Olsen we were able to collectively choose one. For me, the song is about the ambivalent emotional relationship to this country. People of my generation can understand that. First there were two countries, suddenly one was gone. There were also times when I couldn't get the word 'Germany' off my lips. There was the FRG and the GDR, not Germany. I'm getting better at it now. It's a topic that's been on our minds for ages. German lyrics with heavy music — that's what we stand for. And now we managed to make a song about Germany, it's a big step for the band. The video is also very special to me: a reminder not to forget what used to be — but in a Rammstein way. A wall full of emotional historical events that come together in one clip. Like a teaser for a monumental film that you want to see afterwards.

Aren't you afraid that the song might be misinterpreted? 

Schneider: For me, the song is an attempt to describe the state our generation is in. We live in a time in which many dare to express opinions that are no longer only propagated at the regulars' table.

Won't it feel weird when 80,000 fans on the stadium tour are chanting ‘Deutschland’ at the same time?

Paul: Our goal is for people who are as uptight as we are to shout out ‘Deutschland’ without feeling bad. It's very important that you can shout out ‘Deutschland’ once a year, at least at the Rammstein concert. You can go back to work the next day and feel ashamed. (laughs)

Flake: Playing in the stadium is actually something for opera. I've never seen a cool young band in the stadium, that's more for the half-dead, Rolling Stones or AC/DC. I would also never go to the stadium to see a band, it's not nice for either the performer or the spectator. That reminds me of the East with its cultural program. You see something, but you can't relate to it at all.

Will we hear explanatory announcements on the upcoming tour before you play the new songs, or will it stay with short and concise greetings?

Flake: I always scold Till when he’s too nice. (Laughs) I don't want to play in a band that's begging for applause either. I find that disgusting, I have to break up. I also think bowing at the end is stupid. The fans will clap if they want to, so I don't have to bow extra.

How does the new album compare to the earlier works?

Richard: I'm a big Mutter fan. This is 'our' album for me, that's why we play almost all the songs live. The new tracks also have this potential: I think that they are accepted live faster than the older albums because they are catchy. In hindsight, LIFAD wasn't our strongest album. I think the new album is much more interesting and musical, less controlled. Now we're kind of breaking out — at least that's how I feel about it. I'm often asked about the difference between the last album and the current one. I then answer: To me, the new album sounds like Rammstein in 3D. It has depth that we haven't had before.

And, still fancy another Rammstein album?

Schneider: You never know what the emotional set-up will be like in the next few years. We have learned not to limit ourselves too much on this topic. The desire is definitely there, but if not everyone wants it, then it may well mean the end.

Richard: There are five more songs that have already been written and mixed. Material is not so the problem. But another album? It's set in the stars.

#rammstein #paul landers #christoph schneider #flake #richard kruspe #till lindemann #interview #2019 #*translation #* #tumblr won't let me share the scans #sorry

[ericleo108]

Blog Navigation 2023

“The nation's greatness can be judged by how it treats its weakest members.” - Gandhi

Blog Navigation List: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019

Last Updated 12/29/2023

Summary

I make these navigation posts at the end of the year to give a wrap-up and a look back on the year. I post a long-form Update every sunday to YouTube that ends up being in my Friday song release blog post. (You can find the Sunday Update YouTube playlist here.) My book “108 The Story of Discovering Earth’s Consciousness” is still fundamental in understanding my story, perspective, and the content I talk about here in the blog. I put the cosmic luve log first this time because I think it’s the most relevant. If you actually understand what I’m saying about how these celebrities are reflecting me and I think the coincidences are how Gaia is communicating using them as a vessel, you get it. The only real new treatise editions are to FarmingHumans.com where I came out with a new rendition for the “American Inequality” song release and the “Corporate Rule” album expands upon the public reaction to this in an aggressive tone.

2023 Cosmic Luve posts: (In Chronological Order)

In Last year’s blog navigation (2022), I listed all the cosmic luve entries since the very beginning. This year, I will begin where we left off and the last entry about Taylor Swift’s Folklore.

CosmicLuve.com April 2023 - Sun: In this entry, I give more of a personal update and set goals while relating it to the semantics I’ve been experiencing and previously mentioned. 

CosmicLuve.com July 2023 - The Main Thing: In this entry, I talk about how Emma Watson is the main thing and the reason for all my aspirations, so we can become friends. I talk about her posts on Instagram and relate them as a response to my poem in the Hope Sept 2022 entry. 

CosmicLuve.com August 2023 - Orange: In this entry, I talk about how it appears as if Gaia got me a taco for my birthday. I came to this conclusion after getting semantics from Selena Gomez and Connor Price. 

CosmicLuve.com September 2023 - Bam: In this entry, I introduce Janelle Monae as a cosmic luve and explain how Blue has diabolical plans against Big Carbon. 

CosmicLuve.com November 2023 - Cosmic Bros: In this entry, I induct Connor Price as the first cosmic bro after relating new semantics to the previous entry, Slender Man, Connor’s new “Thrillin” video, and new Hailee Steinfeld reflections. 

CosmicLuve.com December 2023 - Deer: In this entry I give a prophecy by identifying semantics from Gaia that come from Emma Watson being referenced by a deer, a tree, the color purple, etc.

Media and Treatise List:

Sociology:

🏚️FarmingHumans.com 2023 - This was the “American Inequality” song officially released this year and posted as the official Farming Humans 2023 edition. In this post I talk about what socialism is, how money is speech, and how corporations are legal persons and farming humans for labor and money (through consumption).

🎃Corporate Rule Album - The “Corporate rule” album expands upon the information outlined in the “American Inequality” song. The album is a response to that assault on democracy with an Immortal Technique approach. The blog post expands upon how there is a conspiracy of the corporate rich working in unison (using far-right tactics) because it serves their self-interests.

🧾NouveauEconomics.com 2022 - In this post, I talk about how the economy needs to account for what the environment does naturally and give it a monetary value. A start is how certain parts of the environment, like Lake Erie, are being granted personhood. This will be updated semi-annually and can be found at NouveauEconomics.com

🍱 The Psycho Consumption Cage 2021 - In this treatise, I talk about how it’s hard to see environmental degradation that is not added to our economics, how you should be using your buying power strategically, how apex species need economic and congressional representation, some solutions, and examples of psycho tendencies from Christmas and hip-hop.

🏳️‍🌈 Gender Equality 2021 - In this essay, I break down gender equality into six categories: LGBTQ, Phobic, Sexual, Mental, Feminist, and Economic. To properly show the subject of gender equality I reference the 6 Netflix documentaries and linked and discuss related videos from Ellen, HeForShe, TED, Jordan Peterson, The World Bank, and the UN.

🏁 Dark Racism 2021 - In this treatise, I explain the science of racism, how it’s an arbitrary distinction that is socially constructed. Black people do have it worse due to institutionalized racism and white privilege. However, I talk about how black people create their own in-group morality around the word “nigga,” and my presented solution.  

🌎👣 Earth: Sustainability, How To Save Our Planet - If you want to know how to save our planet this post is the summation. Taking from the featured WWF video, I focus on a carbon tax and the three ways to save the planet. Along the way I discuss how it relates to The Psycho Consumption Cage.

🌲Marijuana Treatise 2021 - Published on April 20th and introduced with a discussion of my personal use, in this essay, I wrote about the versatility of hemp, the immorality and failure of the war on drugs, and the medical benefits of cannabis. 

Philosophy: 

🌍108 The Story Of Discovering Earth’s Consciousness (post) - This book is fundamental to understanding me and stands as the foundation in which I build my artistry. The book is nonfiction and autobiographical and about celestial consciousness, my personal story of struggling with schizoaffective disorder, atmospheric consciousness, sustainability, and eugenics, and finishes with what the number 108 means for the origins of life on Earth.

🚸🚜 Knhoeing 2020 -  The information is broken down into celestial consciousness, atmospheric consciousness, sustainability, and eugenics. Knhoeing states the planets, stars, and atmosphere are alive, and how humans can understand that through sustainability and eugenics. Knhoeing has to do with understanding your position in the universe and expresses and addresses human purpose through a eugenics goal. To survive & thrive as a species, we must support ourselves through healthy sustainability and breed to understand higher dimensions. 

🙏Sentientism 2022 - This post contains insights into my mind and the voice in my head, Gaia. Sentientism explores the belief (whereas knhoeing is the knowledge) that Gaia is conscious and communicating. I explain how sentientism is the religion of Gaia where you worship through action and create dogma through science and philosophy. If the planet earth is conscious how would she try to communicate considering she has no mouth or ligaments? How would Gaia try to communicate? I postulate and explain how Gaia could be communicating through a kind of telepathic randonauting.

📐 Expanding on Plato’s Philosophy: Forms and the Tripartite Soul (2020) - In this treatise, I explain how Plato’s forms are stored and strived for by Gaia and how Plato’s theory about the tripartite soul is similar to my theory about the will.

♟️ Logic - This post is a short introduction to logic. I use quotes and pictures of pages from the book “How Philosophy Works.” The content includes deductive, inductive, and abductive reasoning, fallacies, and formal logic. I have also embedded a couple of CrashCourse videos.

Releases

🕸️New Release Blog at EricLeo.org - Over the last year I have been releasing at least on the 1st, 3rd, and if there is a 5th Friday of every month if not every week. Each release has its own post in my new release blog which is constantly being updated. The same posts are also here on this Tumblr blog as I post them at the same time. A list of releases is cataloged as follows:

2021

Read 108 - about my book

Vibe on the Wave - catchy intro

Eat The Mind - intellectual rap

Bump This Banger - party music

Cloud 9 - about recreational drugs

2022

Who’s Hip-Hop - my perspective in hip-hop

Black Lives Matter - support for the cause

Smoke Blunts - high intellectual bars

Flossin - dance track

Hey Emma - dance track, made for Emma’s everywhere

Champagne and Chocolate - romance track

Just Us Two - expression on evolution and companionship

Make It Hip-Hop - Homage to favorite artists

My Word - Celebrating 10 years

Gaia and Blue - Expands on “108” book

Love the Mission - the purpose of my music

Hit Me with the Download - a great tune

Talk to Me - romance track about wanting more

Cunnilingus - dating life experience track

Just Dance - dance track

Just Like You - happy expression 

We Dance - play when dancing is a protest

Come On Dawg - what my music stands for

The Villain - playing the role of the villain

Rage - subjects will put you in a rage

Bounce with This - party music inspired by Charlotte

Take Your Medication - Kayne Diss

2023

Gold Shaw Farm - about Morgan and Alyson’s farm on YouTube

Betsy - about the character from Hulu’s “Dopesick”

Bo Peep - political rap about America

Atheist Raps - self-explanatory, rebuke’s Christianity 

Blow Me Up - asking for help with exposure

Michigan Love - romance track about love in Michigan

I Got You - Letter asking for help from my fans

Breaking Bad - Eminem and Dr. Dre homage

Bleed - heartfelt plea about ending mass shootings

Going Gaga - fun romance track with Gaga Gaga-inspired hook

Funk You - response track to Olivia Rodrigo’s “good for you” and “deja vu”

What Now - 6 track EP about and inspired by other artists

Bong Hits For Jesus - about how when you smoke, you smoke with Jesus

Up Wasted - subjects and getting “fucked up wasted”

God Damn - fun and energetic track showing skill

Love You Mom - A thank you to my mother for being a good mom

American Inequality  - about how America is an oligarchy

John Wick - gets out aggression toward sex traffickers

Philosophy 101 - based off Cornel West’s Introduction to Philosophy Masterclass

Yeah We Bang - about American imperialism

Legend - about my feelings toward the music industry

We Make The Party - Party music with global warming bars 

Freaky Naughty - emulating Dr. Dre’s sound with global warming bars

With You - Cmadd feature about riding with your girl

Vulnerable - Selena Gomez response to her song with the same name.

Mitten Kingz - a song with artists representing Michigan

Soldier For Love - a message to keep going out of love

Our Love - a break-up and get back together song

My Everything - how your lover is your everything

Be My Dream - how I want Emma Watson to be my dream come true,

Reputation - A response to Taylor Swift's reputation 

Karma - about your fate in terms of civilization

Corporate Rule - 8-track album in Immortal Technique style

Earth - my hit and best representation of my music

Back to Life - Hailee Steinfeld response and homage. 

Process, People, Product - about Marcus Lemonis 3 P’s business philosophy 

All Homo - An edgy and controversial take on support for the gay community

Cosmic Luve Brownies - A response to Taylor Swift’s Lover album

Praises - a sexually charged song from artists from Kalamazoo Michigan 

…

Chalice Mixtape side note: “Talk to Me” (2022), “John Wick,” “Be My Dream,” “Reputation,” “Karma,” and the “All Homo” ep, were all remakes from ‘The Chalice Mixtape. “Charlotte’s Web” drops April 15 2023 and the remake for “I Love You” is in production. I will probably never remake “Listen Alice,” “Loyal,” “Problems,” or “The Profit.”

Already uploaded and scheduled to drop in 2024:

Kyle Beats Collective EP - 6 tracks made with free beats from Kyle Beats. Jan. 5th

Check it out - track from the (unofficial) party politics era/album Jan. 19th

Kato & Wysh Album - 7 tracks made with Kato and Wysh beats. Feb. 2nd

The Industry Album - 12 tracks with 14 features some with big names over Anno Domini beats. March 1st

Sun poem - spoken word track I recorded from the Cosmic Love Sept 2022 hope post. March 19

Charlotte’s Web - Emma Watson-inspired track released on her birthday. April 15th

Westside Connection Album - 7 tracks with big name features over Anno Domini beats. May 3

YOU - Song based on John Gottman’s 7 principles for making marriage work. June 7th

Can You Hear Me? - Rap song about global warming and summer heat. June 20th

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Hello, you're someone I've come to respect to give honest and thoughtful answers to questions that may not be 'the general consensus' and I hoped I could get your opinion on the following. I was watching a translated version of an interview JK did during his solo era and I know we need to be cautious about accuracy of tone and meaning. He said he missed being on stage with BTS but instead of it coming across as ‘I love being solo but sometimes miss them' it was more 'thanks for the solo opportunity but I still prefer being with them'. I’m a newer fan – Dec 2019 – so I don’t have years of perspective insight on their personalities like some other fans but I sensed that this moment was at odds to the ‘I want to be the biggest popstar ever’ we got shoved down our throats recently. It niggled at me to the point that this last week I've been looking back on a lot of JK content and I'm a little startled by how much evidence there is that JK hasn't ever wanted to be a soloist. It's nothing major, just lots of little comments and behaviours that paint a big picture if you look for it. I know that confirmation bias happens, that once you have an idea you look for evidence and convince yourself you're right when you find it. But the more I look the more I see JK not being the 'cocky soloist bts sell-out' that many horribly seem to have tagged him with recently but as possibly the biggest OT7 in the group who was forced into a solo project. Looking back through BTS content, I'm actually a little startled how many times he says he prefers being on stage with the others than doing a solo performance. We all know he’s said he wants to be in BTS till they are old men, that he wants RM to always be leader (a little strange for the supposed soloist), he looked almost terrified when he found out that Dreamers was a solo project, he always hovers in the background in BTS content (again strange for THE soloist), and there is an overall impression he hates being on his own and is very much an introvert. He seems happy to show off his voice for solo material providing it’s mainly in a studio or a familiar/homely setting and he can get back to the group activities asap. There are many other things out there but I’m glossing to save word count. Now, looking back at his latest solo venture with an idea that maybe he didn’t even want to do it, the story becomes very different but I’d argue makes as much sense as the (horrible) current rhetoric. For years, the expectation from BigHit/Hybe/Armies is that JK could and should be the new global superstar. And let's be absolutely honest here, JK has the talent to be the biggest artist in the world if he wanted. I'm just wondering if he doesn't actually want it? That he just wants to sing and be the main vocalist for BTS – and while he enjoys being told he has the best voice and ‘could’ be a global superstar – he actually doesn’t want that, for whatever reason. If he didn’t want a big solo career and he put in some resistance to keep his career from going astronomical it explains some of the weirdness around his solo era – and choices. I’ve seen others mention a weird dichotomy with some of the choices made and I wonder, now, if it was down to a push and pull between JK and Hybe. Hybe wanted to rocket launch him into stardom and JK wanted a limit that didn’t put him in jeopardy of losing BTS as his main focus. I have to admit I get a chuckle out of the idea of JK dragging his heels writing an album to the point Hybe are like you will have a global solo project even if I have to get a western producer to write it for you. Then JK coming back with the trump card of, well, you do that and I’ll play along but oops I’ve applied early for the military so *timelimit* but hey I’ll be back in time for the promised BTS comeback! Obviously that’s some serious conjecture and I’m being a little tongue-in-cheek but I guess, what I’m ultimately wondering, is if this kind of conversation has ever hit your radar? Or if it’s something you’ve wondered yourself?

***

"Obviously that’s some serious conjecture and I’m being a little tongue-in-cheek"

I'm grateful for the small show of self-awareness. Really.

Thank you for taking the time to write all that. It helped me better understand your point of view, and while I can see where you're coming from, I disagree with many of the assumptions you've made and what you conclude.

First off, why is it so difficult to imagine Jungkook as a global pop star while active in BTS and fitting seamlessly in a group that keeps reaching new heights? Why must it be a zero sum game of one or the other? Why is it so difficult for people to believe this is a reality Jungkook might envision and work towards?

I've said before that I think Jungkook is a very simple and honest person. When he says something it's usually what he means. If you want to understand Jungkook, the easiest way is to simply listen to him. Anon, you said you don't get the impression that Jungkook wants to be a global pop star, but I think he does. There's an interview from 2020 that I strongly suggest you read in full. It explains so much of the kind of person Jungkook is. It made me fall a little more in love with him. The article is linked here but the excerpt I want to highlight is this:

Jung Kook: I think my heart’s telling me to. BTS was able to climb this high thanks to the group members, the company and our fans. But there’s always the question of whether I could receive that kind of recognition by myself, so I have this feeling of wanting to throw myself at some challenge alone. There’s a lot I want to do, and a lot I want to achieve.

By gradually improving yourself, what kind of person would you ideally want to become? Jung Kook: A person who’s crazy awesome in their field. (laughs) Those kinds of people look cool even when they do something different. I still have a long way to go. I feel like I could be more captivating and draw more out of people by improving any number of things, by trying hard to be confident about my singing, or the way I dance and perform. BTS is way more important and meaningful to me than I am to myself, so I’m not saying I want to do anything alone. But I hope I get to the point where I can perform alone for three or four hours in a venue full of people.

Italicized for emphasis.

Like I said, I honestly think anybody who is shocked by what they're seeing in Chapter 2 for any member, probably just wasn't really paying attention before. That's not a diss it's just what I think.

We agree that Jungkook has more than enough talent to be a global pop star; we agree that at the end of the day, going by his choices to enlist so much earlier than he needed to, among other things, Jungkook indeed prioritizes the group. But it's only in a fandom filled with insecure twats that Jungkook simply saying he wants to be a global pop star is treated like he denied the holocaust. In my opinion. Jungkook could be the biggest pop star and Jimin would be right there with him. On his own merits. Owning the world with him because they are BTS. Solos are obsessed with sorting out the popularity of the members within the group, but they forget that BTS are too ambitious to ever make it easy for the world to care about anything but them. I take issue with the very idea that Jungkook being the biggest pop star is somehow problematic for a group like BTS. Even more so when this is apparently the reality BTS have all agreed to, enough to renew their exclusive contracts early, twice.

I think you have a point about all the times Jungkook appears kinda reluctant to do a solo gig though. I mean, he's said it himself that he's actually kinda shy and feels most comfortable with the guys. They're all like that, you know? That's the thing about BTS that it seems only ARMYs get. BTS actually want to remain together, in a system designed to pull them apart. That's why they're one of the few anomalies in this ecosystem, an anomaly the system keeps trying to both replicate and eliminate.

Jungkook feels most comfortable performing with the guys, but he also has a desire to establish himself as a solo artist. I assume this is something everybody in BTS, Bang PD / HYBE, and Jungkook himself understands. Rather than the company dictating solo goals for Jungkook, I think this is something Jungkook is involved in and partly responsible for. As are the other members.

I'm already rambling but what I mean to say is that I think a lot of the discourse around Jungkook's actions in Chapter 2 have been either ignorant or in bad faith. And I think that's unfair to him given it came from his own fandom.

The only real disappointment I got from Jungkook in Chapter 2 is that his solo album didn't have a song he wrote or produced, especially when I know he'd done both several times before. I understand writing a song in a language he doesn't speak can make a difficult task even more intimidating. But I also think he just kinda choked. He'd been building expectations for his solo debut for three years and had to deliver something epic. But between the Busan concert, World Cup, OSTs, enlistment announcements/planning, etc I wouldn't be surprised if he just got overwhelmed and by the time he got his bearings he felt he didn't have enough time and got stuck. That sounds kinda long-winded but it's something I've seen happen often and a feeling I've experienced myself.

Sometimes people just get stuck. It takes a mini-intervention to get the ball rolling again. In this case, and to use a reference from the article above, Jungkook decided to tackle the idea of introducing himself as a solo artist, a bit at a time. In Golden we're given a selection of his pop tastes, songs that he feels represents him, in his beautiful voice. Bang PD gave him a challenge of an all English album and Jungkook more than delivered. Would I have preferred more direct involvement from him? Of course, and it's what I expect in his next project. But for his first work I'll excuse it given he does such a phenomenal job in his vocal delivery and the songs are bops.

Anyway, I appreciate that you felt there was something off in the bad rep Jungkook has been getting, and actually did the work of going back to watch original content. I just disagree with some assumptions you've made along the way because in my view, it's unneeded. Jungkook is very clear about the kind of person he is and what he wants for himself and BTS.

#jungkook #jikook #bts #bts chapter 2 #bts solo careers #bts solo music #bts solo stans #bts fandom #bts army

[jane-gunson123]

Shout out to my ex.

You and your band, Little Mix, perform your new debut song ‘Shout out to my ex’ at the Brits after seeing your ex boyfriend there. 

Main Masterlist 

Sam fender master list

2019 had been an absolute roller coaster to say the least, there had been many ups and downs in 12 months. Your band, Little mix had went on a world tour after releasing your most critically acclaimed album to date, performing in some of the most prestigious venues available before ending it in the utilita area in your beloved hometown of Newcastle. The success of your album had resulted in not only being nominated for 2 Brit awrds but also being asked to perform at the awards as well. This was definitely the better parts of your year. 

The less favourable moments of your year had been the very public and humiliating break up with your ex, Sam. You had been together since you were 19 and after a very rocky few months and a cheating scandal, on his part, published by The Sun you had decided to call it quits with your lover. 

At first you weren't sure how to live your adult life without him, after all it was something you had never had to do before but with your girls you began to put the pieces of your heart that Sam had broke back together. 

The first step and arguably the hardest had been moving from you shared flat in Whitley Bay that the pair of you had bought at 21 after Little Mix had won the X-Factor and Sam had signed his first record deal and into a brand new apartment with your best friend and fellow band member, Jade, in Manchester. 

 Next, was you deleting all off pictures of him you had. Weather they were on one of your social medias or just our camera roll. After that, you blocked him and cut off all contact with him and his family. You knew deep down that you would have ran back to him in a heartbeat if he ask and you couldn’t do that. You need to heal and you can’t heal while touching the same flame that has already burnt you. 

As luck would have it, however, your tactics of avoidance might not be able to continue for much longer and in a few short hours you and your band would be performing at the brits with yours and Perrie’s exs in the crowd.  The most fitting part would be the song you would be performing, A shout out to my ex. 

You had written the song when Perrie had went through her break up about a year earlier than you but as your own relationship fell apart you found your self relating to the lyrics more than ever.

You thought that you would be more nervous about the potential of bumping into your ex and having to perform in front of him but you weren't really fazed by it all. Cameras flashed and interviewers pulled you and the girls over to answer questions but you had yet to bump into Sam. 

The feeling of getting ready to go out and perform in front of a large crowd was one no matter how many time you had done it you hated. It always wore off as soon as the music started to blast out of the speakers and that was still the case now. the opening melody made its way into your ears as you scanned the crowd, catching that blue pair of eyes you had spent many nights staring into discussing your future. Never did you quite imagine it ending like this though.   

Jade and Perrie had sung their parts now it was your turn. At this point all five off you had disappeared into crowd, dancing around the tables filled with familiar faces in the music industry.  For some reason the table with your ex and his band had been alluring and you ended up directly in front off Sam’s seat as your verse began. 

“Oh, I deleted all your pics,” You sang staring Sam in his eyes, reaching out to put your hand under his chin to force him to keep looking at you. It didnt take long for you to have his full attention, “Then blocked your number from my phone, mm.” 

Putting your hand back down by your side as you leaned closer into Sam's face as if you were going in to kiss him, “ Yeah, yeah, you took all you could get But you ain't gettin' this love no more.” Sam’s face was an absolute picture as you swerved your head around his after finishing your lyric, leaving him high and dry. He had fully expected you to kiss him at some point but had been left disappointed. 

His band mate and best friend Drew, however, had found a lot of amusement in your tormenting of Sam. As you walked away you heard him shout, “Go on lass.”  

The song had finished faster than you would have like and so did the rest off the awards. The band had won the two they were nominated for and Sam had also won the one he was up for before performing Dead boys, a song about male suicide in remembrance of your late friend who had lost his battle with depression some years back in your early twenties.   

Little did you know at the time that your little stunt to wind up your ex would not only become viral overnight but also be responsible for elevating yours and Sam’s careers. It would first result in an appearances on Loose Women and The Jonathan Ross Show where you would admit to having consumed a bit of liquid courage before stepping on stage. 

So in all it wasn't a bad end to to a roller coaster of year but nothing could have prepared you or anyone for that matter for the absolute train wreck that 2020 would be.  

#sam fender #sam fender x reader #sam fender imagines

[kingstylesdaily]

Exclusive: Harry Styles Shares the Meaning Behind His New Album, 'Harry's House'

On his new album, Harry Styles explores themes of belonging, peace, and discovering domestic bliss wherever you can find it.

By Lou Stoppard

Looking back, it was undoubtedly risky suggesting to meet Harry Styles, the global music megastar, the apple of so many millions of eyes, at a public open-air swimming pool in London on an unusually sunny March morning—right when people were bouncing around the city with a vaguely manic, newly liberated energy, catalyzed by the total lift on COVID restrictions. But swimmers, particularly all-weather swimmers (the lido I chose is unheated and open year-round), take the meditative pleasure of swimming seriously, as Styles himself, who swims outdoors daily, knows well. "I feel like people who have discovered cold water swimming are just so happy for you that you've also found it," Styles said. In other words, no one is hassling you for water-side photos. Indeed, around us, most swimmers were doing an admirable job of feigning indifference to the fact that an instantly recognizable pinup (the hair, the face, the tattoos) was stripped off, poolside.

Styles has spent the last few years on a quest to enjoy things for what they are, to "be in the moment," as he put it. Swimming is good for this; it's hard to think about anything else when you are struggling to keep breathing. Just before the pandemic, in December 2019, Styles released his second solo album, Fine Line, to acclaim. The corresponding live shows, Love On Tour, were due to start in April 2020. But by then, the pandemic was raging; disaster declarations had been made across the U.S., and Europe was on lockdown. Styles had envisaged himself busy, playing packed shows each night, the music bellowing from his lungs, his pearls and sequins glittering in the light. Instead, nothing. "Suddenly, the screaming stopped," he said. Everything was canceled, an end to the relentless merry-go-round of attention Styles has been on since 2010—then a smiling 16-year-old in a skinny scarf that would hint at the kind of fey hip-wiggling rocker he would go on to become a decade later—when he appeared on the British talent show The X Factor and was set on a conveyer belt to stardom.

Now Styles was stuck in L.A. for months with nothing to do. "It was the first time I'd stopped since I left my mum's," he said. For a while, at the beginning of lockdown, productivity drilled into him, Styles felt like he should work, create. The ethos with One Direction (the boy band he was packaged into on The X Factor) was always more, next, bigger, better. It was "all about how do you keep it going and how do you get it to grow," he said. "There were so many years where, for me, especially in the band and the first few years coming out of it, I'd just been terrified of it ending, because I didn't necessarily know who I was if I didn't do music."

Styles came to see that COVID was out of his control, that he just had to ride it out. He bubbled with a group of friends and for about six weeks did "practically nothing." Didn't write any music. Didn't record. He was suddenly just another young guy in a house-share trying not to bug his roommates. Styles came to realize that his past schedule had facilitated avoidance. "Whether it was with friends or people I was dating, I was always gone before it got to the point of having to have any difficult conversations," he said. So he used lockdown to commit to being a better friend, son, brother. He pushed himself to confront things he hadn't brought up, had many long, honest chats. And like most people who found themselves suddenly very, very inside, he thought a lot about the idea of home—about belonging, peace, sanctuary. "I realized that that home feeling isn't something that you get from a house; it's more of an internal thing. You realize that when you stop for a minute," he said.

A few months later when he started recording in L.A., and later in Oxfordshire and London, he thought about what he was doing not as the creation of a new record but as an extension of that time kicking back with friends (he has a close-knit circle and was living with some of the same people he writes and plays with). "I've always made my worst, most generic work when I'm just desperate to get a single," he explained. So he tried to see what he was doing as open, speculative. That is, he has realized, his great skill as a musician; he's not naturally gifted at guitar or piano, not the most confident singer, can't read music, but he excels when it comes to bringing people together. He is at his best, he said, when he pulls away from what is formal or expected and does something playful, collaborative, instinctive, fun. While Fine Line is full of references to Styles' musical heroes (Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, Van Morrison), this time, when he started recording, he deliberately didn't listen to anything—except classical, music that cleansed him of sonic references—so he could start again with "a blank canvas."

He knew he had to commit to the reset, to the sense of a fresh start that was happening across his life. He is aware that this all sounds a bit pretentious, a bit airy-fairy, but then, who didn't get caught up in a rush of pandemic life-improvement epiphanies? "I think everyone went through a big moment of self-reflection, a lot of navel-gazing, and I don't know if there's anything more navel-gazing than making an album. It's so self-absorbed," he said.

Two years on, Styles and I are meeting because that album, titled Harry's House, is about to be announced to the world. The day before we meet, I listened to the album in a room at Sony's London headquarters under the watchful eye of a company executive. Only a handful of people knew then about its existence, and, overwhelmed by the pressure of secrecy, I briefly freaked out when I found myself audibly humming one of the songs on the train home. Harry's House is, as you can probably guess, about home. Not just home in the sense of a physical space—though there are plenty of references to kitchens and "sitting in the garden" and "maple syrup, coffee, pancakes for two"—but also to home "in terms of a headspace or mental well-being," as Styles put it. "It sounds like the biggest, and the most fun, but it's by far the most intimate," he said of the album.

At this point, Styles and I were sitting with a coffee on a patch of grass outside the pool, and I had begun to realize that I had kept him in the cold water way, way too long. He was visibly shaking. "Two lengths was too much," he agreed. I think we were both trying to show off—me, nonchalance to a popular heartthrob, and him, hardiness to another committed cold water swimmer. I became worried I had incapacitated him, something that would get me into great trouble, as a member of his team reminded me by text later, as he was due to perform at Coachella in a few weeks. "If you killed me, it would make for a good story," Styles said, eager to see the sunny side. We set off in search of heat.

Almost anyone who meets Styles will tell you how polite, breezy he is. Few interviews go by without mentioning his charm. Indeed, it is hard not to describe his boyish enthusiasm in the same campy, knowing cheesiness that enlivens his songs ("strawberries on a summer evenin'" or the exquisitely saccharine, "If I was a bluebird, I would fly to you; you be the spoon, dip you in honey so I can be sticking to you," from "Daylight" on Harry's House). Styles is teddy bears on your teenage bed, perfect handwriting on thank you cards, picked flowers on Sunday morning, puppies running on fresh-cut grass, Grandma's favorite homemade cake. At points, he is almost daffily nice, too attentive, as if held in the throes of a decade-long bout of imposter syndrome (he confirmed that he does, sometimes, expect that someone will tap him on the shoulder and say, "The jig is up. You're done now"). Surely a mask, you are thinking. No one that fancied can be that sweet. I asked Styles this myself: Is he actually pleasant, normal, sane? "My producer keeps asking me when I'm going to have my big breakdown," he said, laughing. "The most honest version I can think of is, I didn't grow up in poverty by any means, but we didn't have much money, and I had an expectation of what I could achieve in life. I feel like everything else has been a bonus, and I am so lucky."

That said, both Styles and his therapist have questioned why he cares quite so much about being likable. This is one of the things he thought about a lot in his big pandemic reflection. In part, it's a choice, he explained. He recalled moving to London after The X Factor and hearing tales of petulant celebrities screaming because someone got their coffee order wrong and deciding to never be that guy, to never give someone a petty reason to bad-mouth him. But more recently he's come to worry that the drive for approval came from a more complex place, a place of caution, fear, control. "In lockdown, I started processing a lot of stuff that happened when I was in the band," he said. He thought about the way he was encouraged to give so much of himself away, "to get people to engage with you, to like you." He thought about the fact that no baby photos exist of him that aren't on the internet (you give a bunch to an X Factor producer doing a piece on your backstory without much thought, and suddenly your childhood is online). He thought about the journalists asking questions, when he was still a teenager, about how many people he'd slept with and how, rather than telling them to go away, he would worry about how he could be coy without them leaving the room annoyed. "Why do I feel like I'm the one who has done something wrong?" he said to me, after we got up to shift spots in the park when a teenager started filming us for a prank video.

Styles said he often spent interviews terrified about saying the wrong thing until he stopped to question what abhorrent belief or bizarre opinion he was scared he'd accidentally reveal and realized he couldn't think of anything. He thought about how, when good things happened—say, a No. 1 album—he wouldn't feel happy, just relieved. And he thought about the cleanliness clauses in the contracts he used to sign, which would dictate that they would be null and void if he did anything supposedly unsavory, and about how terrified that used to make him. And about when he signed his solo contract and learned that the ability to make music would not be affected by personal transgressions, he burst into tears, a reaction he still seemed shocked by, retelling it to me now, years later. "I felt free," he explained.

Recently Styles began to work through issues related to intimacy, dating, love. "For a long time, it felt like the only thing that was mine was my sex life. I felt so ashamed about it, ashamed at the idea of people even knowing that I was having sex, let alone who with," he said. The life of a boy band member is something of a Ken Doll existence—a smooth nothingness where sex should be. One must be flirtatious (swoon!) without ever being seen to have sex, let alone casual sex. One must project the intrigue of a bad boy without ever doing anything bad; you are an object, an image, onto which people project fantasies, not a person who actually does things, who gets messy. "At the time, there were still the kiss-and-tell things. Working out who I could trust was stressful," Styles said. "But I think I got to a place where I was like, why do I feel ashamed? I'm a 26-year-old man who's single; it's like, yes, I have sex."

Styles has come to fame at a complex time for the idolized. When he emerged, the UK was at the height of its tabloid culture, when celebrities were being hounded, exposed. That gave way to social media, where everyone expected to see everything, where anyone could publish snapshots, footage, gossip. "I think we're in a moment of reflection," Styles said. "You look back, especially now there's all the documentaries, like the Britney documentary, and you watch how people were abused in that way, by that system, especially women. You recall articles from not even five years ago, and you're like, I can't even believe that was written." He has been thinking a lot recently about autonomy, ownership, privacy. About what he should be able to keep to himself, what he should be able to simply communicate through his music without follow-up questions or prying. Around the time of Fine Line, he faced scrutiny around his sexuality. People became incredulous that he wore dresses, waved Pride flags, and yet hadn't clarified with precision, publicly to a journalist or on social media, the specifics of who he'd slept with, how he defined. This expectation is, to him, bizarre, "outdated." "I've been really open with it with my friends, but that's my personal experience; it's mine," he said. "The whole point of where we should be heading, which is toward accepting everybody and being more open, is that it doesn't matter, and it's about not having to label everything, not having to clarify what boxes you're checking."

But Styles does not want to appear ungrateful or defensive, or even angry. All of this contemplation, this honesty, is not to say that he didn't love it, hasn't loved it all—because he has, he reminded me several times, "absolutely loved it." Despite the acceptance that some things could, should, have been different, he still feels lucky every day, he said, lucky to make music, lucky to do what he loves.

By now, we were snug in a local café; all the other attendees appeared to be in their late seventies, and no one gave us a second glance. In about an hour from now, just after we've parted, Styles' album's existence will be announced to the world on Twitter. The cover, on which he stands alone in an upside-down room, will go on within mere hours to receive over a million likes. The first single on the album, "As It Was," begins with a clip of a voice note from one of his goddaughters asking him to say good night to her. It is, he said, about "metamorphosis." About when you look back on life, and on your past selves, and barely recognize them. About when you realize everything has transformed, irrevocably. About when you grow up, change, begin to move on.

"Finally, it doesn't feel like my life is over if this album isn't a commercial success," he said. "You've never felt that way before?" I asked. He said, "Honestly, I don't think I have." With his first album, he explained, he was terrified to make fun music, "because I'd come out of the band, and it was like, if I want to be taken seriously as a musician, then I can't make fun music." He called it "bowling with the bumpers up, playing it safe." While the second album was "freer," he became concerned with making "really big songs," an objective he now questions. Now his goals are, on the surface, smaller but, to him, far greater: "I just want to make stuff that is right, that is fun, in terms of the process, that I can be proud of for a long time, that my friends can be proud of, that my family can be proud of, that my kids will be proud of one day," he said. We hugged goodbye, and he set off through North London on foot—a sex symbol, a fashion darling, a very modern rock star, weaving his way back home.

#kingstylesdaily #Harry Styles #hs: better homes and gardens #june 2022

[tomorrowxtogether]

TOMORROW X TOGETHER: How K-Pop’s Lost Boys Found Themselves — And Global Stardom

The Umeda neighborhood of Osaka, Japan is a trendy place. In recent years, the entertainment district has become home to a number of top restaurants and luxury stores surrounding the already legendary jazz clubs for which the port city is known. With its wanderable alleys lined with abundant food marts and vintage shops, Umeda is on the forefront of culture – making it the perfect place to meet up with one of the most voguish musical acts currently working.

The members of South Korean pop group TOMORROW X TOGETHER are in Japan smack in the middle of their 2023 “ACT: SWEET MIRAGE” world tour. It’s mid-morning the day before the show when the group rolls into a cozy hotel suite one by one, picking from the mountain of snacks and juices in the corner and bowing politely as they sit.

There’s Soobin, the soft-spoken, painfully endearing leader of the group, who reaches for a small bag of candy upon entering; Yeonjun, who can deliver a wink or a wave with professional precision; Beomgyu, the contagiously cheerful baritone; Taehyun, strikingly smart, with wide eyes constantly monitoring his bandmates; and Hueningkai, the sweet-voiced, hardworking youngest.

During our two hours of individual and group interviews, the members of TOMORROW X TOGETHER (often referred to as TXT) are markedly unguarded — it’s the most relaxed I’ve ever seen a K-pop group. Soobin’s hair is still tousled from sleep; Yeonjun is lounging on the couch in a loose-fitting black tank top. More than one member appears to have slid into the hotel slippers in lieu of footwear, and all are bare-faced. It’s a rare level of vulnerability and trust in an industry that values highly intentional aesthetics for its stars. The members appear not as the coiffed performers they can also become, but simply as five young men who just woke up, chatting about a particularly thrilling chapter of their story.

The group’s most recent mini-album, January’s The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION, finds them stepping into new adventures. The album’s closing song, “Farewell, Neverland,” ties together the effort’s concept and styling, inspired heavily by the story of Neverland’s very own Lost Boys. The Lost Boys, notably, are not Peter Pan, a figure alluded to in the song “Devil by the Window” — “Temptation touched my tongue, spread the wings of desire/ He's whispering, ‘Give up, don't you put up a fight.” Rather, the story of the young adventurers surrounding Pan does feel like a better analogy for this moment in TXT’s story: Lost Boys are brave and individually talented, defined by their camaraderie, and, in some tellings of the story, they eventually choose to leave Neverland and grow up.

Asked how they’d explain this new era to fans, Beomgyu points to the lyrics of the The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION anthem “Happy Fools” featuring Coi Leray, with its chorus of, “Even if it’s a little delayed, I’m not afraid/ I’m happy every day.” Says Beomgyu, “I really want to tell them that we once wandered, and overcame this teenage phase, and are still growing. Those are the stories and messages we want to convey.”

K-pop’s Lost Boys are indeed growing up — and blowing up in the process. The quintet arrive in Japan at the top of the steep and steady upward trajectory they’ve been on over the last few years. It began with their 2019 debut, The Dream Chapter: STAR, which introduced the world to a refreshingly joyful sound from a group ready to explore the highs and lows of youth through a different lens than many of their K-pop peers.

While some other groups at the time leaned into rebellion in their lyrics and noise elements in their sounds, TOMORROW X TOGETHER arrived on the scene with hopeful, playful pop. Their very first release, “CROWN,” takes the stress of feeling different and turns it into a strength: “There's a horn rising out of my head/ But I love it/ You became my crown.” Some artists distance themselves from early material, but that first EP’s “Cat & Dog” and “Our Summer” both appear on the set list for this year’s “ACT: SWEET MIRAGE.”

Even the screeching halt of 2020 didn’t prevent the members from building on the momentum from their debut. Although they couldn’t connect with audiences in person, their sparkling pandemic-era release, minisode1: Blue Hour, with its particularly addictive title track, helped the group find a footing in the global market.

By the summer of 2022, they’d stepped onto a yet larger world stage. They became the first K-pop act to perform at Chicago’s Lollapalooza, delivering such a successful set that they’ve already been bumped up to headliner status for 2023. The “ACT: SWEET MIRAGE” tour, which arrived in America in early May, is also an exciting step up from the group’s previous trek, 2022’s “ACT: LOVE SICK.” While the last tour had TXT in theaters that sold out comically fast, this year sees the group upgraded to arenas.

“I can feel that there are literally more MOA in numbers, right in front of my eyes,” Soobin says, referring to the shorthand for the group’s beloved fandom, Moments of Alwaysness. “The scale is bigger — I think it’s flashier.”

“Since we have more MOAs this time, we can have even more fun,” confirms Yeonjun.

The day after our conversation, the members take the stage at the 10,000-capacity Maruzen Intec Arena, where deeply immersive sets, dramatic lighting, pyrotechnics, moving platforms, and dazzling costume changes make for a hypnotic three-hour spectacle. When they return for a recently announced Osaka show in July, they’ll be at the Kyocera Dome, which has more than triple the capacity at 36,000.

Speaking to how the show will translate to their upcoming Lollapalooza set, Taehyun shares, “There’s still time to set some specifics, but you’ll get a lot of hints from this tour.”

​​”When we were performing for the first time at Lollapalooza last year, I felt a little pressured and worried, rather than excited, because I had to perform in front of a lot of people that don’t know us,” Soobin recalls. “But last year, I saw that people were just there to enjoy, and they enjoyed our show — so now that we’re going back with the title of headliner, I’m not worried this time. It’s also a good opportunity to present ourselves to people that don’t know us, so I think I’m going to enjoy myself even more this time.”

There’s a palpable sense of excitement among the bandmates around that idea of headliner status. “When I saw our name the biggest it could be, I thought, ‘Could this be real?’” says Beomgyu. “When I was performing there last year, I remember thinking, ‘Could there be more people than this?’”

Considering half of their four-year public existence was during lockdowns, TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s ascension has been remarkable. As K-pop has become ingrained in the musical mainstream and the crowd of idols continues expanding, there’s a clear global demand for TXT: Not only are they major festival headliners, but The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION was the group’s first project to land at No.1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. “I think I got more confident in our next album, and promotions, too,” says Taehyun of this latest achievement.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER formed through the former Big Hit Entertainment, which now exists as BIGHIT MUSIC under the umbrella of HYBE. If those names ring a bell, it could be due to the fact that HYBE is also the company behind BTS — but, although the members of TXT would be the first to heap glowing praise and thanks upon the artists they refer to as their “seniors'' in the industry, the two groups don’t have much in common beyond the offices they all share in Seoul.

HYBE founder Bang Si-hyuk, a businessman with an evident passion for songwriting, oversaw the formation of TXT and even co-penned the lyrics to that first track, “CROWN.” Under the direction of Bang, HYBE grew from a humble underdog running behind the other major K-pop players into an international force. The corporation has been named on Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential Companies list two years in a row now — and TXT’s own story is a major part of that journey.

“It's incredible to see how much they have grown to be incredible artists over the years,” shares HYBE producer Slow Rabbit when reached over email. He calls it “an honor” to have been working with TXT since before they were introduced to the public. “Looking back, it's surreal to think that they were the last group to debut in a small office building in Gangnam before moving into the HYBE headquarters in [the Seoul neighborhood of] Yongsan. It feels like we've been preparing for their success for a very long time, but it's all been worth it.”

As K-pop has broadened its global reach, it’s arguably become more competitive, too. With all the varied sub genres, aesthetics, team dynamics, and performance styles, fans can practically cherry-pick their ideal group. Ask MOA, and they’ll say there are a few things TXT does exceptionally well: There’s an unabashed joy woven into their sound, from the dreamy haze of 2019’s “Our Summer” to the infectious cheer of the dance break in 2021’s “No Rules.” As for their performances, TXT engender a communal feeling through constant engagement and communication with the audience, enticing their fans to join their young crew – if only for the duration of the show.

Since first coming together in 2017, the members have developed a tight-knit dynamic that makes them that much easier to root for, and makes MOA feel like more than just supporters. It goes beyond “fan service,” as TXT is always striving for authenticity in how they communicate with MOA. Beomguy notes the members “get a lot of energy from Weverse,” HYBE’s proprietary communication platform allowing direct communication and media sharing between artists and fans.

TXT’s pixie-dusted team dynamic, immediately discernible, also differentiates them from other K-pop projects. There are some that operate playfully, displaying their rapport through good-natured teasing. Others take a strictly professional approach, reasonably regarding their teammates more as coworkers who clock in, put on great performances, and clock out. TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s relationship could best be described as familial, displaying a reassured ease that stems from years of safety and trust. It’s a camaraderie that begets fearlessness, knowing that members of this brotherhood have each other’s backs.

“When we are on standby behind the LED screen between sections of the concert, I’m so out of breath,” says Soobin. “But when I hear the members’ voices in my in-ears, saying, ‘Hold on, we can do it, we’re almost there,’ they cheer me up and bring strength to me.”

“I’ve started leaning on my members,” explains Beomgyu. “Rather than feeling the strength of just one member, I feel the strength of the team.”

Throughout an incredibly demanding tour, which has a set list of over 25 songs (most requiring intense choreography), that reliance on one another is essential. “The things we have to do every day are not easy,” says Taehyun. “There are challenges on this tour that we can only do as a team.”

Hueningkai, who was only 16 years old when the group debuted, describes his bandmates as his “second family.” “Since we are five different people with five unique strengths, there are so many things to learn from each other,” he says. “I think I learned from Yeonjun how to use the stage as a whole and enjoy it — I don’t think I actually had a good sense of how to do that during the ‘ACT: LOVE SICK’ tour, but I learned from watching Yeonjun.”

Taehyun immediately jumps in, ready to hype up his bandmate: “Since our set list this time is so demanding with a lot of dances, I see Hueningkai and realize that he’s stronger than I thought — he has a lot of stamina.”

The members often spend their downtime with one another, too. Beomgyu shares that they enjoy going shopping and swimming, despite the fact that studio time, rehearsals, dance practices, and press moments already require them to be together nearly constantly. When asked what part of their work they most enjoy, dance practice or recording new music, Beomgyu goes with option C.

“Being home, in the dorm,” he says. Across from him, Soobin nods. “That’s a perfect answer.”

Although they enjoy their spare time, the boys come alive on stage – though the Japanese crowd behaves differently than what an American might find familiar. A concert here, even one at an arena like Maruzen Intec, is treated more like a Broadway show; upon checking in, a staff member explains that there is absolutely no video or photography permitted.

The lights go down and the Twitter meme “not a cellphone in sight” becomes unironic reality; throughout the nearly three hours the members spend onstage, I don’t spot a single mobile device or camera. The staff don’t even feel the need to lock up phones or provide the magnetically-sealed Yondr pouches you might see at certain shows in the US. People respectfully keep their technology tucked away.

I’m told to expect a difference in the way Japanese concertgoers interact with artists compared to crowds I’m more familiar with, and it’s distinct. There’s polite applause and a smattering of cheers between songs, but the audience often quickly falls silent enough that the sound of the members’ shoes squeaking across the stage is audible. While it might not have quite the adrenaline rush associated with a US show – “American MOAs really know how to party during a concert,” according to Yeonjun – there’s something undeniably intimate and sweet about the experience, a personal aspect that’s all too rare in the digital age.

As performers, understanding nuances like this and being able to tailor a meticulously planned show to global audiences requires hard work. The day before the concert, following our chat, TOMORROW X TOGETHER hold an extensive rehearsal in the empty arena. They run through almost the entire show, choreography and all, carefully preparing their comments in Japanese. (The members’ native language is Korean, and they’re also practicing their English, making this the third language they’ve worked with in just a few hours.) The concert’s Japanese lift includes introductions and opening comments, transitions between songs, audience interactions and games, and heartfelt closing remarks. While the bandmates take turns with the phrases, Taehyun diligently watches the monitors, quietly noting errors and helping when someone encounters a linguistic challenge.

In contrast with our time at the hotel, where only an interpreter and single HYBE employee accompany TXT, the arena is a flurry of equipment and criss-crossing staff. Despite their age — even the oldest of the group, Yeonjun, is just 23 — the bandmates move through the backstage maze of scaffolding and string lights like the seasoned professionals they are.

Throughout the days spent with their camp, staff members in their closest orbit speak of the group with utter fondness and pride. When showtime comes, and the same boys who took turns finding their light during rehearsal transform and step onstage in princely outfits, not a hair out of place, it’s easy to see why the people around them find such satisfaction and joy watching this young group of men band together and flourish.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER are similarly diligent in all elements of their career, particularly songwriting. As with past releases, the members were heavily involved with the development of The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION, which isn’t always the case in K-pop. That personal touch paid off in an album brimming with maturity, audible evidence of the group’s continued evolution.

The focus track, “Sugar Rush Ride,” is a high-octane jolt of adrenaline with eye-catching choreography that feels urgent and fresh, a true accomplishment for a group that has conditioned fans to expect top-tier performances. “Devil by the Window” kicks off the album with a throbbing dance beat and pushes the members into their lower registers to deliver lyrics wary of “a wolf in sheep’s clothes” seducing them to “stay when you’re tempted to leave.” “Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock)” is an exceptionally smooth bossa-nova bop delivered with bewitching confidence.

“When I look at the individual members, I see that they are all improving in their own unique ways,” observes Slow Rabbit. “Their songwriting, lyrics, and producing skills continue to mature with each project they undertake. They are constantly striving to get better at what they are good at… They have the confidence to experiment with bold ideas.”

“We’ve been performing a [new] song called ‘Blue Spring’ during our tour,” shares Beomgyu. “We started from toplining and incorporated the lyrics the members wrote, and the entire process was so fun and interesting. In the future, I hope I can write an entire track myself and continue to grow.”

Hueningkai wants to do more songs in the future that have a “band vibe” — think the group’s stellar track “0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)” featuring Seori. Yeonjun and Beomgyu want to dig into the hip-hop sound they played around with more during their debut era. Taehyun thinks the members would do a great job with a jazz song. He’s also grown to love toplining and lyric writing, and shares that he wanted to lug his production equipment on tour with him (it was, unfortunately, too heavy for his carry-on).

Following an album inspired by one of the most famous stories about fighting the temptation to never grow old, the group is determined to keep developing as they leave their “teenage phase” further behind. It’s only by maturing that they’ll continue to find new ways to explore the wide-reaching experiences faced not just by the group, but the audience growing up with them. Receiving the reactions to The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION has invigorated them and filled them with hope for the next stage of their career.

“I think right now, this moment, is TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s momentum,” observes Taehyun. “All five of us are ready — and we are confident.”

American fans who snagged tickets to the “ACT: SWEET MIRAGE” tour will be taken on a journey through TXT’s discography: the energetic, youthful Dream Chapter; the hard-hitting, sprawling Chaos Chapter; a dip into the playfully bad boy era of Thursday’s Child; and the recently introduced Temptation Chapter. With the setlist weaving in and out of these different periods, we witness firsthand how their various chapters are all part of an epic that’s still being written.

As Soobin mentioned, there are instances between dance numbers where the members are heard trying their hardest to catch their breath, offering the briefest glimpse of the hours of hard work required to pull off such an intense production. Details like the orchestral flourishes added to “Blue Hour,” a new dance solo for Hueningkai, and backdrops that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Disney theme park create an otherworldly, mystical atmosphere.

Eventually, though, the lights come up, the show ends, and the crowd begins to spill out as the streetlights of Osaka flicker on. By morning, the last few scraps of confetti on the arena floor will be the only indicator that the members of TOMORROW X TOGETHER were there. But that doesn’t mean our Lost Boys have returned to Neverland, never to grow up. They have too much still to learn and too many stories still to tell for that.

They’re only flying higher.

#txt #tomorrow x together #230512 #consequence #soobin #yeonjun #beomgyu #taehyun #hueningkai #article

[hoodharlow]

My Night

AN: I decided to split the Oscars and Grammys bc 🤭🤭🤭

Requested? No

Warnings: trashnitta and ANGST (Jackman needa to get it together lmao)

Word County: 3.5k words

Miriam knew she was being petty, but she was pissed at Jack. He should have known better than to let someone who he's not dating sit on his lap and take pictures, consequently posting them, when his actual girlfriend was in another continent working her ass off so she wouldn’t embarrass herself in front of Beyoncé at the Oscars. The only reasonable thing Miriam could do was post a video of her sparring with Beto. She captioned the video with ‘pre-Oscars workout <3’. Actually, if she really wanted to be petty she would have captioned it ‘when I see my man and the bitch that thinks she can dry hump him’ like Claudia suggested when they were at Mede's house celebrating Sebas's second birthday but she didn’t. 

Truthfully, Miriam was more upset at the fact that Anitta was always nice to her online and decided to pull that shit on her. She reposted the tiktok Claudia and she did the Envolver challenge with a bunch of heart emojis and keyboard smashes. Her parents were in Brazil to celebrate their friend’s birthday and brought Jack along because they knew he was a fan of Ronaldinho. Isabela facetimed Miriam so she could say hi to Ronaldinho. Anitta kindly asked her if she could say hi to her. 

Miriam fangirled of course, Kisses was one of her favorite albums back in 2019 and ‘Get to Know Me’ was in almost every playlist she had. They briefly talked and promised each other to hang out in Vegas because she was also attending the Grammys. Now she wasn’t even sure she wanted to be in the same city as her. 

“I think they’re dry now.” Mede said, tapping Miriam’s nails. “I’m gonna see if Soni has your dress ready.” 

“Okay,” Miriam nodded. 

She already got her hair and makeup done, in addition to her nails. All she needed to do was get dressed. Miriam got up and checked her phone. She read over the comments on her post, giggling at Aleena and Claudia’s comments both basically saying that they would thank her if she roundhouse kicked them like she did to Beto. She scrolled through more, a bunch of people were commenting that she was just being unnecessarily petty over the picture of Jack and Anitta, so she decided to delete the reel. 

Today was a big day for her and she wanted to put all her focus on the good. ‘In the Heights’ was nominated for Best Picture and Best Soundtrack, so the Academy requested that they perform for the show. The cast was performing the opening number. The choreographers added moving set props so the audience can get all the angles that were similar to the movie version. So while they were singing and dancing, they would have to be moving the set. 

Miriam was beyond nervous, not only because Beyonce was gonna be in attendance, and she had to sing in front of her, but because she felt like she had something to prove. After people found out she was essentially a nepotism baby, she was critiqued a lot for getting the role. To them it should have gone to someone who didn’t have any connections in the industry. 

In her defense the role kinda fell on her lap. It’s not her fault Lin Manuel Miranda happened to be attending the one theater she was performing at. Technically speaking she was just some college student volunteering. No one even knew about her until last year. 

“You okay mija?” Soni asked her. 

“Yeah, I just zoned out.” Miriam reassured her. 

“I have the dress ready.” she said, unzipping the garment bag.

Miriam was going to wear a Herve Leger dress from the archives. It was the black floor length dress Ines Rivero wore for the Fall 1997 fashion show. Originally she wasn’t going to wear that. She was going to get a custom dress, but the designer that was supposed to dress her fell through, leaving her without a dress. Luckily, Soni has connections and was able to get the Herve Leger dress for her at the last minute. For the Vanity Fair after party she was going to wear a Soni original, which she is excited for because her tits look really good. Next week she was also going to wear another custom look from her.

Soni helped her get dressed and checked if she needed to do any last minute adjustments, but she didn’t. The dress fit her perfectly. Miriam at the last minute decided to wear the chain Jack got her when ‘In the Heights’ came out along with the ring her parents gave her. Lastly slipped on her tall red bottoms and exited the bedroom of the suite. 

���BITCH!” Mede exclaimed when she saw her. 

“Stop!” Miriam covered her face in embarrassment.

“I didn’t even say anything!” she said defensively.

“Ya te conozco.” she pointed a finger at her friend.

“Fine, I’ll keep my opinions to myself.” Mede fake sniffled. 

“Thank you.” Miriam smiled softly, smoothing out her dress. 

“Okay, well we gotta get going. Your parents, Joseph, and Kata already left.” she said as she gathered all the things they would need. 

“They ditched me?” she asked, frowning.

“Girl were you not paying attention. Kata said they were all leaving early, so they wouldn’t overshadow you when everyone got there. This is your night, and no one is going to ruin that.”

*

Jack stared down at his phone. When he landed, he went straight to the studio. They were taking a lunch break, so he was watching the Oscars red carpet live stream on Youtube, waiting for Miriam to walk the red carpet. He would have joined her, but he didn’t want to ruin her day and have people be more focused on them. People were still adjusting to the fact that they were dating. 

Some were confused at how Jack was able to 'bag' Miriam because she's Miriam Dominguez. Others had predicted that they were an item and posted threads of the couple at events together, pointing out that they were under their noses. A few were also to connect that the random girl Jack was spotted with in New York of last year im the Berkeley hat was actually Miriam because a few days ago she posted a selfie of herself in said hat. Then there were 'antis'. These people either claimed that Jack and Miriam were in a PR relationship because days later Jack's Rolling Stone's cover was revealed as well as the teaser for Miriam's movie with Oscar Isaac OR they just couldn’t fathom that the couple was together. Those usually followed with some rude comments that Jack can do better because according to them Miriam was plain and ugly. Jack had to delete Twitter off his phone because he was ready to argue with anyone who said something bad about Miriam.

“Remind me why you’re not there?” Urban asked him.

“It’s her day. If I show up, it’s gonna cause a thing. I am meeting her at the after party though.” Jack explained. 

“Oh, I thought you were avoiding her because of what Anitta posted and deleted.” his best friend shrugged before lighting up a blunt.

“What did Anitta post?” he asked, confused. 

“Are you serious?” Urban asked him. Jack nodded. He held his finger up and pulled out his phone, looking through his bookmarks for the screenshot. He handed Jack his phone. He took a hit and said, “and your girl posted a video of her kickboxing with her bodyguard not even ten minutes after Anitta posted that.”

Jack cursed. He was caught off guard when the picture was taken. He was talking to Urban when she sat on his lap. He was trying to process that someone who wasn't Miriam was on top of him then he saw a flash. As quickly as she sat on him, Anitta walked away. He didn't think she was gonna post it, so he decided not to warn Miriam about it. 

“Here we have Miriam Dominguez.” one of the interviews said, making room for her.

Jack handed Urban his phone back and looked down at his.

“Hi!” she beamed. 

Miriam looked beautiful as always, but Jack could tell she was nervous. Her shoulders were up to her ears. She played with her yellow gold emerald cut diamond band that her parents gave her when she graduated from UC Berkeley, waiting for the interviewers to ask their questions. 

“Is the boyfriend here? Or is he in the dog house for taking pictures with Anitta.” a woman asked in a teasing tone that was usually reserved for friends. 

“They did not just ask her that.” Urban said in disbelief. 

They watched Miriam tilt her head and smile sweetly at the interviewers before saying, “Thank you for asking me something that has nothing to do with why I’m at the Academy Awards. If you actually read the note card that was provided, you would have read that I requested that questions about me and my partner were not to be asked. So thank you for wasting my time and yours.” 

With that she turned around and Mede ushered her to the next interview station.

The interviewers looked at each other with their mouths open in shock. “Uh, we’re going to go to a commercial break.” 

A Mercedes car commercial played, so Jack exited out of the app. 

“She’s fucking pissed.” He said, leaning back into his chair,  and pushed back his curls. 

“Why don’t you just go? I’m pretty sure her friends can sneak you in through the back or something.” Urban suggested. 

“But what–”

“Bro, just fucking go. We’re not doing much here.” 

Neelam walked over to them. “Jack, when you have a second, Metta wants to go through some of your options for the Grammys.” 

“I’m free right now,” he told her. He looked over to his producers. “Can we work on this tomorrow? I think we all need some rest.”

Everyone agreed and started packing their things. Jack grabbed his phone and texted Mede if she could get him in. She replied Kermit the Frog doing the middle finger, but then replied that he had an hour before Miriam had to be on stage. She also sent him directions and a QR code that he needs to get in through the back where all the trailers were parked. 

“Okay so here are–”

“Metta, you think you can get a suit ready for me right now?” he asked, cutting her off.

“Of course. Give me ten minutes and I'll have something ready.” 

In less than half an hour, he was on his way to the Dolby Theater, dressed in a black slim fit YSL suit with black matte boots. He wore a black turtleneck under and his KY necklace. He arrived soon after and spotted Mede waiting for him by the entrance. 

“You really decided to show your face after the shit you pulled.” She greeted him.

Jack scratched the back of his neck. “I know–”

“We don’t have time for this, c’mon.” She cut him off.

Jack followed her towards the theater. All the way to where Miriam’s family was. He was nervous to sit with them. They have obviously seen the picture.

“Is there somewhere else that I can sit?” he asked Mede.

“Probably, but you have to put on your big boy pants and sit with them.” she said calmly. Mede walked up to her family and motioned him to sit. “Les traje el sinverguenza.” 

“Hi.” Jack awkwardly waved at them.

Miriam’s family all gave him an unenthusiastic greeting. He took a seat in one of the three empty seats and pulled out his phone to check in with Chris. While he was at it, he ordered several floral and rose arrangements for Miriam to be delivered to her parents’ house by tomorrow afternoon. He put his phone away, not wanting to be one of those people that get caught on their phones during the Oscars and become a meme, and listened to Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes. 

They were talking from the audience while the set crew set up the stage. He spotted the back of Miriam’s head all the way in the front row, in the small table where Beyonce and Jay Z sat. 

The white lady, who’s name Jack was forgetting, who was hosting alongside Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes approached them and made an unfunny joke. 

She made a face at the lack of reaction to her joke, but quickly composed herself and announced, “Here to perform ‘In the Heights’ please welcome the cast of ‘In the Heights’ and everyone's favorite nepotism daughter, Maria Dominguez.”

Miriam’s family and Jack all turned to look at each other. 

“Did she say…” Jack trailed off.

“Why are people suddenly calling Miriam, Maria?" Joseph asked.

“Because they're racist bitches.” Katalina mumbled as she pulled out her phone to record her little sister. 

Jack turned to the stage and watched the performance. He had the song pretty much memorized because he jokingly told Miriam that he was going to watch the movie everyday until it was off HBOMAX. She didn’t believe him, so to prove it to her, he’d send her videos of himself singing along to random parts of the musicals. 

He knew Miriam’s solo was coming up when Corey Hawkins entered the stage and did his part with Anthony Ramos and the actor who played Sonny. They mentioned Miriam’s character and the lights went to her. She started singing her part from Beyonce and Jay Z’s table. Two of the background dancers lifted her up onto the stage and she made her way to Anthony Ramos and Corey Hawkins. She finished her part and took a prop coffee cup, walking to the back of the stage. 

Jack was mesmerized by how the dress looked on her as he watched Miriam sing and dance the big group dance in the song. It was similar to the green dress her character wore in the scene when there was a blackout in the salsa club. 

When they finished their performance, everyone in the audience stood up and gave them a standing ovation. Jack heard sniffling and turned to the side and found Miriam’s mom crying out of happiness. He dug in his pocket and pulled out a kleenex pack, handing her the packet. He looked back on the stage as Miriam’s eyes landed on him. She smiled brightly at him before turning her attention to the stage. 

After they walked off the stage, the white lady came back and tried to save face for calling Miriam ‘Maria’. She only made it worse, claiming that it wasn’t her fault that Isabela and Mateo named Miriam with a name close to another one, and that if they didn’t want people confusing her name, they should have named her something else. Regina Hall stepped in and said that they were going on commercial break. 

Jack got a tweet notification from Miriam. He unlocked his phone and read it. ‘If you’re gonna single me out, the least you can do is get my name right lmao.’ 

*

Jack was in an SUV en route to the Vanity Fair party. He and Miriam discussed and agreed that they didn’t feel comfortable walking the red carpet as a couple yet. So they’re going to walk in separately. 

The rest of the evening was uneventful, but the cast of ‘In the Heights’ did win their Oscar for ‘Best Soundtrack.’ When Lin Manuel Miranda went up to the stage to accept the Oscar, he called the cast members present and shared his award with them. 

The red carpet wasn’t as hectic as Jack anticipated. He was nervous that people were going to ask about Miriam or that picture that was going around. The interviewers mostly asked about the Grammys and if he was excited to perform with Lil Nas X. He was also asked about when he was in Turks and Caicos with Drake. He slipped inside to wait for Miriam. 

Jack ran into Timothee Chalamet. He was relieved to run into someone he knew because he didn’t want to be awkwardly walking around until Miriam got there. Kid Cudi went up to them and they all hung out with Jaden Smith and his family. A while later Miriam texted him telling him that she went in. He replied that he was with Timothee. A few moments later, he felt someone reach for his arm. 

“Hi.” she said, giving him a side hug. 

Miriam pulled away and went around to greet the group. Jack took a second to take her in her outfit change. She looked good as fuck in a tangerine asymmetrical full length sheer gown with a ruffle train and a slit down her left leg. She was practically naked, save for the nude thong she wore under. It was off the shoulder so the ruffles in the sleeve and neckline covered her nipples. 

She danced with her statuette as Timothee hyped her up and Jordyn Woods recorded her. She took pictures with the group. 

That’s what the night mostly consisted of. People would go up to Miriam, congratulate her and take a picture with her. Her and Jack barely had a moment to themselves. Not that he minded. He was extremely proud of Miriam. The movie deserved that win and so did she. He just wished they would have a moment alone to talk about the last twenty-four hours. 

At some point Jack lost track of Miriam. He scanned the venue and he instantly found her in the bar area. He frowned seeing her with Shawn Mendes. They were posing for a picture. Thankfully there was some distance between them or else Jack would have to be held back. 

It was obvious that she was getting back at him for the Anitta picture. Why else would she be posing with her old fuck buddy? And it’s not like Shawn didn’t know Jack and Miriam. In fact he’s known since the VMAs when he was trying to talk her up because they were presenting Jack and Lil Nas X for their performance. 

As if knowing Jack was looking at her, Miriam excused herself and walked over to him.

“Hey!” she said. “Do you wanna get going? I have the house to myself. The twins are going to another after party after this and then my parents are staying at the hotel they were at when we were all getting ready.”

“Sure,” he mumbled. 

They grabbed their things and left the venue. Jack shrugged off his jacket and draped it over Miriam’s shoulders as they made their way to his car. He opened the door for her and got in after her. She set her statuette down in the seat between her and Jack and let out a shaky breath. 

Tonight was such an overwhelming night for her. She was bouncing all over the place mingling and networking with everyone that she didn’t have any time to enjoy having Jack at her side. They took a few pictures, but one of the things she loved doing was being in crowded rooms with him and somehow existing in their own little world. 

“Hey I know tonight was chaotic and I wanted to apologize for–”

“Did you take that picture with Shawn to get back at me for the Anitta shit?” Jack asked, cutting her off.

“What picture?” Miriam asked, confused. The only picture she took with Shawn was a group picture with Eugenio Debrez, Sebastian Yatra, and Diego Boneta and that was because Sebastian Yatra asked him to join. She wouldn’t go out of her way to take a picture with him. 

“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about? I saw you earlier before you asked me if I wanted to go home.” he snapped at her. 

“It was a group picture.” she said, trying to contain her frustration. 

“But he was still in it.” 

“And? I didn’t ask him to be in it. Did you want me to tell Sebastian Yatra, ‘hey I don’t want Shawn to be in the picture. I used to let him hit it raw about four years ago and it’s awkward.’ like?” she said sarcastically. Before he could respond, she continued. “You have some fucking nerve to be even start an argument with me. You fucking let Anitta sit on your fucking lap and she fucking posted that shit like you were a fucking couple.”

“If you let me explain.” he said, rubbing his hand over his face.

“Okay, explain then.” 

Jack got quiet. There isn’t a good explanation, no matter how he spun it. At the end of the day, Anitta sat on his lap to take a picture. 

Miriam looked behind her, relieved to see Beto tailing Jack’s driver. “Pull over.” she said to the driver. 

“Miriam–” 

“Please pull over.” She repeated herself to the driver. The SUV parked in front of a ‘no parking’ sign. She turned to Jack, wiping tears off her cheeks. “Do not talk to me until you figure out your shit. I don’t want to pursue a relationship where we’re always second guessing each other. As much as I love you, respect myself enough to know that this isn’t what I want.”

taglist: @cherryxcreme @heavyhitterheaux @carma-fanficaddict @youngharleezyxo @deannaard @meyocoko @babyharleezy @whywontyoulovemecami @harlowcomehome @nattinatalia @youngharleezy @webinurcloset​ @alinaharlow​

#jack harlow angst #jack and miriam #jack harlow fanfic #jack harlow fan fic #jack harlow imagine #jack harlow x oc #jack harlow one shot #jack harlow oneshots #jack harlow fanfiction #jack harlow fan fiction

[bunnakit]

Not Me Episode 4 Music

Flares - Life in Colour

We immediately jump in with Flares as Sean is experiencing a nightmare. Stretch time but I guess if you wanted you could read this as Sean subconsciously sending up a signal flare for help.

Last Night, Last Night, Last Night - Well Then, Goodbye

This kicks in as Black is leaving Sean in the flashback; this could be a tie in with the 'Last Night' title as in it's a memory Sean is recalling that might feel like they just happened OR there could be a tie with the band name being 'Well Then, Goodbye' as Black very unceremoniously leaves Sean to his fate. (Either way, my ears don't particularly like this song, the reverb gives me ickies. Thank you misophonia.)

To Whom It May Concern - Rap Against Dictatorship (ft. Liberate P, Nazesus, and GSUS2)

The first time I saw the dance scene I got goosebumps and I could tell the show had done something big here. Allow me to infodump a bit. Rap Against Dictatorship uses their platform and their music to bring attention to the ongoing state of Thailand under military rule, especially during election time. They were founded in 2017 and released their first single in 2018. After the release of their single the members were threatened with arrest by police who later backpedaled after the music went viral and the group gained the support of the public. In 2019 they were awarded with the Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent* at the Oslo Freedom Forum. During the 2020-2021 Thai protests one member was arrested with other pro-democracy activists and later charged with sedition. Their music is often censored in Thailand due to it's anti-goverment and anti-monarchy message. (I love them so much, your honor.)

*Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent is an award established in 2012 by the New York City-based Human Rights Foundation (HRF). According to HRF President Thor Halvorssen, the prize recognizes individuals "who engage in creative dissent, exhibiting courage and creativity to challenge injustice and live in truth"

Downloaded Truth - Marten Moses

As White and Todd are discussing Eugene and Todd is persuading White to reach out to her this song comes in. It could be just a neat song, it could be that White found this downloaded little piece of truth in the video on Black's phone.

Crushed by A P O L L O

I'm fairly certain this, or a remix of it, is what is playing as White is on his phone texting Eugene? I know I've heard the song before and I have it stashed somewhere, Crushed sounds very close but I can't tell if it's quite right? Sometimes they put a little filter over the song or play an arrangement that's midway through the song and it trips me up a bit. If it isn't Crushed then it's very likely another Apollo piece (though none of the ones on that album, I checked.)

As Gram and White discuss the aftermath of the fire we get a little more Downloaded Truth.

As Nuch, Gram, and White all meet in the garage a bit more of Crushed's beat plays in the background.

3 (Instrumental Version) - Bambi Haze (ft. Lu Ni)

Just as White is hugging Eugene and trying to placate her this song comes in. There are truly no connections to be made here, no leaps or stretches to be found. (Though both this and several of Marc Torch's songs are on Epidemic Sound, a host for a lot of royalty free music, so this could be where GMMTV sources a good chunk of their music.)

Closer - Morphlexis

As Eugene climbs in White's lap this song plays and it could be a nod to Eugene wanting to be closer to Black or that she is physically closer to White, again, if we want to make some big stretchies.

When Eugene wakes up we're gifted with another appearance from Tripping over Danger which also wraps up the episode.

thank you so much to everyone who reads these! i recommend checking back at some older posts as i have made some updates (sometimes i miss songs and realize it later.) i promise to make a masterpost of these once we're done and i'll put together a little list of my favorites!

#not me #not me the series #nmrewatch23 #music #soundtrack #bunn meta

[ourpickwickclub]

LOL The trolls are mad about the hundreds of amazing comments from country/Judds fans on the Judds YT channel, and on FB/IG posts about LIA, that keep praising Gwen and Blake for doing LIA justice and being pleasantly surprised and really pleased with G's voice on it:

"Beautiful song big Judd fan this just makes me smile well done"

"Beautiful rendition and Gwens' voice is gorgeous! Her humility is precious and she really brings heart to this cover! Gwen has a great storyteller voice. Brava!"

"Love Is Alive is my favorite song by The Judds, and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but this song has made me a fan of Gwen!!! Her and Blake sound amazing together in their version!!! Y'all did this song justice, and you can tell that there was a lot of care and love taken while recording it!!"

"Wow Gwen you sound country and with Blake’s harmony it’s fantastic hope to be hearing this song in your concerts Beautiful Wow Loving IT"

"The original is a classic. Also love this version with Gwen on vocals. Her vocals shine through and Blake added another layer with the harmonies. Great artists to honor the Judds"

"Gwen had a beautiful voice . More Country from Gwen please"

"I think Gwen has found her place in country music. It suits her."

"Gwen, Miss Naomi would be tickled pink! I'm sure she's smiling on you right now! You did such A GREAT job! God Bless you & your family!"

"Perfect, she really did the song justice...Love is the reason, she is singing a country song and living in Oklahoma"

"That Ms. STEFANI-SHELTON best watch out or she's gonna find herself with a #1 country album soon! Sounds GREAT and definitely did justice to the original."

"Very nice. I believe somewhere Naomi is looking down and smiling at these 2 for their version of hers and Wynonna's song. Way to go Gwen and Blake!"

"They sound amazing!! Gwen's vocals are stunning & the harmony is beautiful!! Blake & Gwen's voices compliment each other so well. Fabulous job!!"

"Awards show here we come! Love it. A sure hit."

These are just a few from the Judds' YT. I could literally copy and paste 100 more comments, but you get the idea. So many Country fans, and the Judds fans are so pleased with this cover and heaping praise on G's vocals/delivery and B's harmonies, and I think that is what B is referring to in his tweet about it being a while since he felt this kind of reaction. I am sure he is reading the comments and sees how excited people are about it...and it's true people probably weren't THIS excited about MW, CBAACB, or NB (imo good but relatively non-personal songs that didn't generate as much buzz as GC/NBY/HA). It has been a few years since the GC/NBY/HA trifecta of media and fan excitement/awards/#1's in 2019/2020. LIA has been climbing the charts all day, and just jumped from 21 to 17 on the all-genre chart in the last hour, and is now #12 on the country charts, so it looks like it's still climbing. Although I will say, it would have been nice if G's team had put a link to it in the tweet, instead of just saying it's out. They did the same thing with True Babe... Like at least B's team put a link to LIA. B's team even put a link to True Babe on his tweet about it in June, but then look at G's pinned tweet. Maybe her team will read this and fix it. LOL

Thank you for taking the time to compile this. Very cool and yes, I am and have always been a Judds and Wynonna fan, and I have always been a Gwen fan. And I think Blake is one of the most talented artists around. LIA is just incredible to me.

- B

[someforzari]

Coloured Sky

Niki x black!gn!reader

Genre: fluff

A/N: My first work where the skin colour was specified, I hope its up to your standards.

Ep.1 | Ep.2

You started listening to kpop in 2019 but it was more of a casual liking in 1 or 2 groups, rather than the only thing you would listen to. So when the group 'Enhypen' came out you peaked a huge interest in them. You biased Niki for his cute persona and how he always found a way to lighten the mood.

In little time, you found yourself listening to them often and even buying an album now and then. When all of your friends started talking about going to a concert together, you suggested Enhypen's upcoming tour.

"_____, we're not made of money and plus that's in New York, only you have a place to stay there, what will the rest of us do?" Jen retorted looking at the price.

"She's right, _____" Another friend agreed.

Sighing, you knew you had to meet them at some point in your life and why not now since it was your gap year before starting college, but seeing how you had £50 to your name, you knew that wasnt happening anytime soon. You chose to go to New York anyway since you had already bought plane tickets to see your family there, texting your mum to tell her.

"Guys, I have to go pack my bags but I'll talk to you soon. Love you bye." You said leaving the café. A quick wave of goodbyes surging through your friend group.

Time skip: 11:34pm, Thursday 28th March

"Yes mum, I've packed everything. I know the trip is overseas, look, I'll be fine. I'm staying with aunt shay, I'll be alright." You explained to your mum, holding the phone between your ear and cheek. "The plane leaves at 4pm tomorrow. No, I'm getting a taxi. Look, I have to go I'll update you soon. Bye."

Putting your passports and luggage near the doorway and setting your alarm to 8am you crashed on your bed and slept soundly.

Time skip: 8:13am, Friday 29 March

Brushing your teeth slowly due to drowsiness and scrolling through instagram was a normal part of your morning, your eyes widening upon seeing a new post from Enhypens official account. It was a picture of Niki and Sunoo at the airport, nothing special except that the destination was New York. That left some excitement for your day, dreaming about running into him unexpectedly and becoming his friend. Of course, you knew your delusions were just that, delusions. But you were free to imagine, right?

Stepping into your room to double check that you had packed everything, you noticed that your nails looked terrible and decided to get them done later. A decision that would save you from embarrassment later on.

The nails you picked weren't too over the top, just french tips with a few charms. Looking at the time on your phone, you gasped. 2:09pm. You were going to be late for your flight. At your apartment, a taxi was already waiting for you as you had planned, pulling the luggage into the boot and sitting in the taxi, you sighed and hoped you'd make it in time for your flight as the airport was an hour and a half away, hopefully there wouldn't be much traffic.

Timeskip: 5:43pm, Saturday 30th March

"Yeah, I'll manage." You said as you left the house to go explore New York City.

Living in the UK, you never experienced anything close to New York, sure, London was just as busy, but the nightlife couldn't compete. Plus, you lived in Whitehall of all places. It was cold, and even though winter had finished, the sun still set by 7.

It was amazing. The street signs with vibrant colours and cute little pictures of cartoon characters and animals, the shops with the latest iconic trends and the souvenirs were so creative.

Looking around, you didn't notice the shouting and running around. It was New York, this was normal, right?

Wrong. You would've been able to look some more, if only someone didn't bump into you and both of you fell.

"Who the hell...?" You mumbled holding your ankle and looking at the person.

Niki Rishimura. He was the man who had bumped into you, making you fall and hurt yourself. The throbbing pain in your ankle was forgotten as you stared at him with your mouth wide open and eyes wide.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Is your ankle hurt?" He asked frantically, clearly worried.

You couldn't even answer, you just sat there, staring at him. Once the state of shock took over, you were quick to reassure him that you were fine and asked him if he was hurt at all.

He offered to get you coffee as an apology. Being a modest person, you refused at first saying there was no need, secretly hoping he would take you anyway. Him being the absolute angel he is, he insisted to treat you to coffee and you agreed. He reached out for his phone and asked for your number, you blinked a few times in confusion but not wanting to pass up this opportunity, you typed in your digits as fast as your sore hands could.

"I'll text you later, I have to go now." Niki said smiling sweetly at you and picking up a call from his manager.

You couldn't believe it, you had just met Niki Rishimura and gotten his number! And, you were going to see him for coffee! The whole way back to your aunt's house, you smiled and some people even looked at you like you were insane, but they wouldn't understand. You couldn't wait.

@microwvdstrawb3rri3s

#enha #enhypen #enhypen niki #niki #niki x reader #enha fluff

[causesciencethatswhy]

The way jimin presents is much more obviously queer than any other member (purely based on mannerisms, cause if you hear joon or yoongi talking about love for a few minutes you can put two and two together). And his overt queerness makes a lot of cis hetero shippers (or kpop fans ) uncomfortable because they're forced to confront their internalized homophobia and misogyny head on. So they find a way to diminish his importance to the other members or villanise to cartoonish levels to deal with that discomfort.

(I'm the anon you responded to with this^^)

Add onto that how a lot of ARMYs seem to assume that just being a BTS fan makes you an ally/intelligent/a good person, and it's the perfect scenario for some cognitive dissonance. Only that JM haters and Tkkers don't seem to have enough cognitive for it to be anything. Even (maybe especially, even) shipping two men doesn't automatically make you supportive of the queer community and understanding of the struggles just existing as a queer person brings about.

They always clamour "but two gay men wouldn't do xyz in a homophobic country", failing to recognise that queer people have existed through so much worse and still have done things wildly more gay than anything Jikook have done.

There's also a lot of them who only see JM's gender expression and "queer subtext" (meaning fashion choices, and the whole concept of his photofolio + album) while disregarding JK's. Like, that man pulled out the most feminine look and attitude in his "bobs+bangs" Calvin Klein shoot. And he fucking owned it. But instead, at least in my perception, the fandom is split on him: one half genuinely sees and appreciates JKs expression of himself, while the other mostly memes it to death and ridding it of meaning. Any perception of JK as a potentially non-hetero man is forgotten the moment he presents as classically masculine again, aka stereotyping the whole queer community to death.

The latter doesn't happen with JM, because - like you said - he fits the common perception of a gay man. Which is all fun and games for the many "The JM effect" compilations, but for cis shippers it starts sliding into homophobia the moment they need to stop perceiving the members as Ken Dolls and instead treat them as actual human beings with all their complexities, faults and incongruent behaviour.

Which brings me onto Hobi. Now, I don't think he gets it quite as bad as JM.

One reason being that there's simply not as many Yoonminers who aren't mainly tkkers. The latter often uses the former to not be seen as a JM anti, but aside from compilations getting spread to push the "married couple" agenda, they don't focus their attention on it. (Also can the "arguing a lot = being in love/married" thing plz die? As someone whose grandparents argue every 20 minutes (real numbers) it's the actual worst and not really a reflection of romance...)

Another one is that Yoonminers do not care about original content at all. From what I've seen during my baby army days, they pick and choose everything down to the tiniest detail. So they mostly ignore that Hobi even exists as a possible variable.

Which brings me to my next point, which kinda breaks my heart: I don't think a lot of shippers in general, and the tkk/ym crowd in particular, see Hoseok as someone to focus their attention on. He gets forgotten a LOT, relegated to the fun sidekick comic relief while the ships are the mc's. (Which is why, imho, it's always his releases a lot of the fandom doesn't care about/actively ignores). The actual deep founded love every single member of BTS has for him - to the point they should actually propose - is insane. How can you think Ym is more real than Sope or Jihope? How can people be that willfully obtuse?

As someone who thinks Jikook could be real (2019, I am looking at you), I had my doubts seeing Jihope interact a few times. But what gets me is how fucking whipped Hobi gets every time he watches Jikook be all adorable. He looks at them like the proud BFF who got them together. A lot of that is his general love for the maknae line and his personality, but that level? The instances of it happening?

...

.......

This was a lot. Okay.

Tl;dr: BTS are human beings, also Hoseok is the best person on the planet probably. Be gay, do crime🏳️‍🌈

Even (maybe especially, even) shipping two men doesn't automatically make you supportive of the queer community and understanding of the struggles just existing as a queer person brings about.

This!! Is so key to everything wrong with a large group of shippers and even solo fans. This idea that because you ship on m/m ship over the other, you are no way capable of making homophobic assumptions and statements. To a lot of shippers shipping a potentially queer couple is just another way to fulfill some forbidden romance fantasy of theirs and not actual concern for the lived reality of queer couples in conservative countries.

Which is why the painful torture of two boyfriends being torn apart from each other like star crossed lovers sounds more palatable and realistic to tkkrs than a queer couple deciding to stick by each other's side through thick and thin, despite the risks. It's less spicy I guess, but who cares of queer joy when the dramatics of the other possibility is so much more enticing.

Everytime I see tkkrs make the whole, "being gay in the military is forbidden so a gay couple would never risk going together" argument, a part of my soul dies. I don’t know what's more offensive, the idea that a closeted couple will just forget how to behave around each other after potentially years of being together because Gays and their crazy sex drives, am I right?

Or the alternative explanation that queer people in conservative countries just never make risky descions for the sake of their partners because the law forbids them from even existing.

Both explanations are tone deaf and ignorant of the lived reality of queer people. Its a direct result of straight people dominating shipper spaces. I do sometimes wonder what queer tkkr shippers make of these theories (cause I'm sure they exist as well). Are they perhaps more sane or do they subscribe to this bs as well ?

And oh my gosh yes about jungkook. That boy has very vocally played about with his gender expression and has been the one ignored the most by seriously cis heterosexual fans. This daddy Dom fantasy they project onto him is a bit much though I do think he does enjoy a more masculine cool image for himself as well. Which to the straight mind is confirmation for all their wattpad inspired fantasies of him. It's unfortunate but alas, stereotypes stick , especially those made by people with a very set view of the world.

As for hobi and the ynmner /sope dilemma, I totally get it. Ynmn shippers do tend to get on my nerves from time to time as well and it no doubt does have something to do with the correlation of them to the tkkr subgroup. I have grown fond of the ynmn dynamic since my baby army days I must admit though, because you can clearly see how much yoongi genuinely appreciates jimins presence and how jimin relies on yoongi for emotional comfort. It is sweet, but yeah I don't necessarily see anything else going on there.

Same goes for sope honestly. Nothing has ever made me seriously question them, except the sunshine bf with grumpy bf dynamic they do fit into very perfectly. They also clearly rely on each other for emotional support (Bring Hobi, hes my vitamin 🥺) but yeah Nothing as eye raising ig ? But yes, i can completely see why it's so frustrating to see how Hobi is dismissed within other shipping dynamics similar to the treatment j/m has gotten. Hobi does tend to get overlooked a lot in these bts dynamic discussions when he very much does embody the heart of the group and the members love for him is so heartfelt and grand, we really seriously underestimate his significance to keeping the bts spirit in line all these years.

I love my ball of sunshine who holds and even bottles up a lot emotionally for the sake of his fans and the team. And he always deserves more appreciation by everyone in the fandom (myself included)

Ps. Jihope in that one 2020 music bank live was definitely a 👀 moment lol.

#jikook

[thislovintime]

In the studio, 1967; (all?) photos by Michael Ochs Archives.

“I’m so fond of Headquarters because that was the one we actually got to play on, that was our album, that was the garage band that we actually became playing its debut album. And we had a good time and I thought we put some good records together, and I thought — it stands up. It’s a little thin, but what the heck. So were we at the time. (laughs)” - Peter Tork, GOLD 104.5, 1999 (x)

“[Peter] was obviously a bright guy and he was obviously a dedicated musician. He really brought Headquarters to life.” - Michael Nesmith, 2019

“Headquarters was by far the best album in the sense that it was us. It was honest, it was pure, and we had a great time. Peter says that the reason he quit was because after we did this album, we decided we weren’t going to be a group anymore. It broke his heart, because Headquarters was the whole reason why he’d become one of The Monkees.” - Micky Dolenz, Headquarters 1995 liner notes

“[Micky] did a great job [drumming] on Headquarters. [But] he wasn’t going to do it again, and there was nothing you could do [to change his mind]. We had to go back in the studio. He said, ‘Peter, you can’t go back.’ Eddie Hoh did the drumming [on Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., save for ‘Cuddly Toy’]. Chip [Douglas] got him ‘cause he could read [music]. The result is that you get directed stuff, there’s no group interaction, which is why I wanted the group to be on the album in the first place. You listen to Beatle albums and one of the things that makes them great is that they have found ways to use who they have to get what they want without asking anyone to do what they couldn’t do. That’s what makes group music happen. That’s all I ever hoped for, and I had it for like a minute on Headquarters.” - Peter Tork, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd. 2007 liner notes

“I like that song [‘Mr. Webster’] a lot,’ says Peter Tork, who threw himself into the album’s musical arrangements." - Headquarters 2007 CD liner notes

“Playing the tack piano [on ‘I Can’t Get Her Off My Mind’] was fun; that barrelhouse thing. It was a lot of fun playing [different] instruments on [Headquarters].” - Peter Tork, Headquarters 2007 CD liner notes

“‘I managed to talk to Tommy [Boyce] about that,’ says Tork. ‘He really was thinking about a specific person when he wrote that song [‘I’ll Spend My Life With You’]. You can tell. The song is heartfelt.’ Peter provided the song’s intricate acoustic 12-string opening, harmony vocals, organ, and celeste solo.” - Headquarters 2007 CD liner notes

“Designed by Bernard Yeszin, the back cover [of Headquarters] features session photos with a composite of Michael and Peter’s individual thoughts for a ‘group’ liner note. ‘[The liner notes were] a potpourri of the statements that all of us made to Don Berrigan, our publicity man,’ stated Nesmith in May 1967. ‘I was the one that named the album. It means it’s all from our heads. I wanted to put out an album of my own called Headquarters.’ ‘Yeah, it was Mike’s idea — Headquarters —it’s easy!’ later exclaimed Tork. ‘That’s where the head resides, it’s the command post. Michael said, “Command post,” and I said, “Where the head resides,” you know, we had a great flash together; that was a good idea.’ ‘The album had a tremendous effect on the morale of The Monkees,’ reflected Nesmith upon completion. ‘The fact that The Monkees’ morale was at such a low ebb because of the music was the fact that made us go to Don Kirshner and ask to play our own stuff and was the only reason we decided to take such a strong stand... This album made the group tighter and closer and proud as Punch, and I am ecstatic to be associated with such an album.’” - Headquarters super deluxe ed. liner notes

“We aren’t the only musicians on this album, but the occasional extra bass or horn player played under our direction, so that this is all ours. Each one of us has some musical thing, from Manchester to Texas, from the East Coast to the West, and when four people just go with their thing, what comes out is a whole. Don’t ask ‘a whole what?’, just listen. If only the smallest part of how much fun it was to make this record gets heard, it was all worthwhile.” - Headquarters liner note, 1967

Song spotlights: "For Pete's Sake"; "You Told Me"; "The Girl I Knew Somewhere"; "Randy Scouse Git"; "Shades Of Gray"; "Zilch".

#The Monkees #Monkees #Tork quotes #Headquarters #Peter Tork #Davy Jones #Michael Nesmith #Micky Dolenz #1967 #1960s #60s Tork #<3 #Peter deserved better #<333 #long read #Tork banjo #love his mind #WGLD Radio #can you queue it

[bangtanhoneys]

BTS MOMENTS: Hobi & Grace - Watermelon Nails

If there was one downside to comebacks, it was the nails. Everytime there was a comeback with music videos to shoot, photoshoots to do and then performances to do, Grace’s nails always had to be done. The nail technician took great delight in creating specific designs relating to the song or album but making sure they were workable as well. And Grace took great delight at having them cut off until the next time. 

But here was comeback season and they were in L.A to shoot their music video for Black Swan. Grace’s hotel suite had been set up as a wardrobe and a beauty parlour just for her since she had three (or even more, she had lost count at one point) outfit changes. Not only that, they were in the process of dying her hair to a honey blonde for the shoot. Beauty, as it turns out, took time. Which is why the stylists, hair team and nail team were getting an early start the day before the filming. 

“I’m hungry,” Grace pouted as the nail technician held onto her hand, painting the fake almond-shaped nails perfectly. The other hand was currently under some kind of UV light. 

“What do you want?” her manager asked from the couch, feet resting on the coffee table with the remote control on his stomach after he had found a channel that showed American baseball.

“I think Hobi had some watermelon so that would be nice. And another cup of tea would be great, maybe some squid jerky if we have any,” Grace asked. She would have turned her head to look at her manager but it was currently in the process of being dyed. 

“I’ll go and have a look at what we’ve got. Anyone want anything else?” he asked, slipping on his shoes. Once her manager got the staffs list of snacks, he closed the door to the suit behind him. 

It was nice to listen to the hair stylist and nail technician gossip, with Grace joining in when she could. Most of the time she was around the boys or even the male staff, who treated her as some kind of royalty and normally wouldn’t converse with her. Her manager didn’t give two hoots anymore and routinely shared the latest gossip and stories. Her bodyguard was just as bad.

“Snack delivery!” Hobi declared from the door, holding aloft a bowl of cut up watermelon and a tea cup with a straw. “Manager-nim is on snack store duty but he won’t be long.”

After bowing to the stylists, Hobi pulled a chair to his noona’s side and took a good look at her. Within a few moments, he grinned and hid his laugh behind his hand. “Ah noona, you always look funny during these times.”

“I hate you so much. Are you going to feed me or not?” she playfully glared, pulling out her hand from under the UV light to show Hobi her nails before she was instructed to put it back in. “I’m currently in nail mode.”

“Of course, that’s why I’m here,” Hobi said as he speared a piece of watermelon onto a fork and held it to Grace’s lips. The fruit was soon devoured. 

“Guess you were hungry. Must take a lot to have your nails and hair done?” he laughed, giving her another piece.

“You have no idea,” Grace muttered around the fruit. “This comeback is painful, in more ways than one.”

“But you look good. ARMY is going to have a field day when they see you blonde again with those nails and those outfits. I’ve just been having a look at them,” Hobi added as he angled the straw to Grace’s mouth. 

“I’ll end up dying but as long as the music video looks good who cares.”

“I’ll make sure to get plenty of photos of your nails and hair to show ARMY of your sacrifice. Those are pretty pointed though. You sure you’re not going to poke an eye out?” Hobi mused as he stood and leaned over the table to look at the technicians work.

In quick retaliation, Grace poked Hobi’s side with one of the nails in question causing him to jump and squeak. “Who do you think I am? Namjoon?”

#bts 8th member #bts additional member #bts eighth member #bts female member #bts scenarios #bts fic