Billie Eilish

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Certain musicians are blessed with the ability to hear, see, feel, or taste music, a variant of the neurological condition known as synesthesia.

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MUSIC

These Famous Stars Hate Their Own Music

Jimmy Page isn't the only one who found his old songs cringe-worthy.

Miley Cyrus - Party In The U.S.A. (Official Video)

Legendary rocker Jimmy Page has had a lot to say over the years regarding Led Zeppelin's smash hit "Stairway to Heaven."

In 1988, the rocker told The New York Times that he'd "break out in hives" if he had to perform the song. Page has calmed down since then, but still confirmed to UCR yesterday that he simply "couldn't relate to the track anymore."

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CULTURE

Jameela Jamil's Fight Against Misogyny and Loneliness

In the space of two days, Jamil has attacked Piers Morgan's blatant misogyny and launched a campaign for Bumble friendship.

Jameela Jamil Fires Back At Piers Morgan Over Criticism Of Meghan Markle's British Vogue Issue

Jameela Jamil, the firebrand who became famous both for her breakout role on NBC's The Good Place and for her brand of fearless, anti-diet digital activism, did not mince words when clapping back at "irrelevant sh*t stain" (her words, not ours) Piers Morgan.

Jamil was one of the fifteen women featured on British Vogue's issue entitled "Forces for Change," guest-edited by Meghan Markle. She appeared alongside environmental activist Greta Thunberg, trans actress Laverne Cox, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and many more powerful female change-makers.

In response, Morgan published a shockingly embittered and almost unbelievably ignorant op-ed in The Daily Mail, which mostly consisted of poorly worded criticism directed at Markle and all the women of the world. "The women she's selected represent the greatest hits of virtue-signalling - with a nod to everything from 'body positivity', female empowerment, mental health, disability and race to transgender rights, climate change, diversity, and privilege," he wrote. "The last one made me laugh out loud. I'm sure the one thing we all need most in the world right now is a fabulously rich and entitled Princess lecturing us on privilege from her servant-laden royal quarters."

Morgan then turned his wrath from Markle to Jamil, criticizing the duchess's decision to post Jamil's face on the cover of the issue of British Vogue and citing some of Jamil's past mistakes. "The list of women Jamil has abused and shamed for falling short of her lofty moral standard is long," Morgan wrote, citing how Jamil has previously "hoped Cardi B and Iggy Azalea 'sh*t their pants in public,' "accused Miley Cyrus of being 'a vagina without a platform'" and "compared Beyoncé to a 'stripper.'"

Jamil was quick to respond. In her typically intelligent fashion, she didn't try to deny the problems with her past comments. Instead, she owned up to them. "My PINNED tweet is all of the mistakes I made, owning up to being problematic when I was young. I have nothing to hide," she tweeted Monday. "You are old, and still a problematic slut-shaming, fat-shaming, misogynist, irrelevant sh*t stain, smeared across our country."

Jamil's willingness to admit her own mistakes, as well as her fearlessness when confronting bigoted and dangerous ideas, has made her a beloved Internet personality and helped her gain the spot on Markle's cover. In Jamil and Markle's world, feminism is a constantly growing, expanding category, based on forward motion, learning, and change.

As for Morgan, despite his apparent desire to see more socioeconomically diverse female Vogue editors, it seems that, at heart, he's genuinely motivated by a hatred for feminism and all that it stands for, along with nostalgia for a time when being a white man meant he had an all-access pass to any space.

"We're informed the Duchess spent the past seven months creating 'an issue of inclusivity and inspiration, focusing on what connects rather than what divides us," he wrote. "How thoughtful of her! Yet of course her list excludes the planet's entire male population."

Enough said.

The exchange happened the day before Jamil launched her partnership with BumbleBFF's new campaign #AskingForaFriend, which is dedicated to ending the stigma around loneliness and making it easier for people to find friendship.

Ironically, Bumble itself has been accused of promoting a misogynistic company culture, but one would hope that Jamil has done her research—or another Twitter rant is coming quite soon.


CULTURE

Meghan Markle's Interview with Michelle Obama Is a Disappointment for Women's Media

They're two of the world's most powerful and inspiring individuals, after all.

Meghan Markle Interviews Michelle Obama For British Vogue | TODAY

What can't Meghan Markle do?

She's a new mom, a royal, and fervent defender of freckles—and now, she's the first ever guest-editor of British Vogue.

Image via Daily Express

Markle lent her editorial sensibilities to the magazine's September issue, which isn't too far of a departure from her comfort zone—she used to run a lifestyle blog called The Tig before royal duties called her away from the digital sphere.

Entitled "Forces for Change," the upcoming Vogue issue focuses on strong, game-changing women. It highlights the voices of some of the world's most inspiring, powerful ladies, and includes a number of awe-inspiring features, including an interview between Markle and Michelle Obama herself.

Michelle Obama has done her time with Vogue. Image via E! News

In the interview, Markle asked Obama a variety of questions, ranging from inquiries about what motherhood means to her, what advice she would give her daughters, what inspired her to start her girls' empowerment foundation, what she would tell her 15-year-old self, and more. While Obama's answers are eloquent and full of compassion, the interview is still somewhat disappointing in that it revolves mostly around classically feminine issues—motherhood, Mother's day, daughters, advice, kindness—when it could've gone much deeper.

Markle can be forgiven for focusing on motherhood, as she just gave birth to her first child. Plus, the issue itself is incredibly inspiring, featuring a variety of extraordinary women—many being women of color—on the cover. It's an amazing achievement, one that magazine editors across the globe should be scrambling to replicate.

Still, Markle and Obama's interview could've been so much more. These women are a lot more than wives and mothers: They're some of the world's most powerful and intelligent people.

To her credit, Markle offered a self-aware disclaimer in the introduction. "Had I known Michelle would be so generous in making this a comprehensive interview, my questions would have been lengthier, more probing, more engaging," she wrote.

Admittedly, criticizing women for talking about motherhood does the same kind of disservice to feminism as criticizing women for wearing pink. Obama and Markle had the right to focus on motherhood and women's issues, not on politics or more rigorous or personal ideas. Additionally, the two women clearly have a tremendous amount of mutual admiration for each other, and that fact alone makes the interview worth reading.

For her part, Obama seemed to want to push the conversation beyond the boundaries of gender. "My parents, particularly my father, taught my brother and me at an early age to treat boys and girls exactly the same," she responded when Markle asked if she would give different advice to sons than daughters.

In spite of its limited topical scope, the interview between Obama and Markle is important representation, and the British Vogue issue—from its cover design to its emphasis on diverse voices—is a wonderful achievement by Markle. Hopefully, we'll see more content like this issue from here on out. Soon enough, we'll be reading conversations between other female world leaders, such as Beyoncé and the next female U.S. president, that traverse more substantial territories. Perhaps, in the near future, women's voices won't be relegated to fashion magazines, and we'll see covers like this issue's on newsstands across the country. Markle's issue is a huge step in the right direction, but when can we see her guest-edit Time Magazine or take over the BBC?

On the whole, Markle's issue, which features a variety of incredible people, including Chimamanda Adichie, Greta Thunberg, and Laverne Cox, is a simply extraordinary achievement for humankind.

Now, it's time for women's media to move past gendered, women-only spaces and into positions of even greater power.

The fact that Obama and Markle spoke at all is still a gift and a blessing. Regardless of its content, the conversation reveals two extremely intelligent, sensitive, and inspiring women who have already given so much to the world—and who have only just begun.



CULTURE

World Leaders Beyoncé and Meghan Markle Broker for World Peace

Beyoncé and Meghan Markle finally met on the red carpet of The Lion King UK, and we have the video evidence.

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan meet Beyonce at UK 'Lion King' premiere | GMA

At long last, the US and the UK have finally overcome their bloody 243-year-old rivalry, thanks to the brief but powerful embrace of two of their most powerful leaders: Meghan Markle and Beyoncé.


The historic moment happened at the premier of The Lion King UK. Luckily, some observers caught the whole exchange on video., so we now have evidence that at long last, England and the USA are officially joining forces.

Apparently, Beyoncé began the exchange with an expression of love, causing the Internet's collective heart to swell when she called Meghan "my princess."

From there on out, the main topic of discussion was their kids. Beyoncé said that Meghan's baby "is so beautiful," and Prince Harry added that Archie had just started lifting his head up. He also informed Beyoncé, "You've been very busy." Jay-Z also jumped in with some helpful parenting advice for the royals, saying, "The best advice I can give you, always find time for yourself."

In case anyone's forgotten, these two couples consist of some of the world's most influential people. Jay-Z is the first billionaire rapper and Beyoncé's legacy speaks for itself. Meghan Markle, for her part, is the first mixed-race member of the Royal Family; and Prince Harry is sixth in line for the throne of England. Each of these people has become a powerful symbol—of pride, of culture, of success, and now, of diplomacy. They're of the sort that requires no explanation or introduction, and to see them humbled in each others' presences is to catch a glimpse into an echelon of power, wealth, and fame that most of us could never begin to comprehend. Like suns, their light powers our universe and our humble lives merely orbit theirs, and their union was a brief and potent supernova the witness was blessed to have captured.

While it's unclear when they'll meet again, we can all content ourselves by imagining a world where the USA and the UK are actually ruled by Beyoncé and Meghan Markle. Until then, we can just keep basking in the light of the sacred knowledge that the real queens of America and Britain love each other just as much as we love them.

MUSIC

Remembering 'Melodrama,' Two Years Later

If you know, you know: 'Melodrama' changed everything.

Lorde released her sophomore album, Melodrama, in the midst of a blazing June in 2017. With its vibrating synths and searing lyrics, it quickly cemented itself in the hearts of millions of young people (and the young-at-heart), giving voice to the extreme highs and lows of fast-burning summer love.

Yesterday, June 16, marked two years since Melodrama tattooed its neon insignia onto the face of pop music (and onto my freshly broken and wide-open heart). In celebration, Lorde teased a third album via an Instagram post of a screenshotted text. "Feels like I've grown a lot since then," she wrote, reflecting back on her experiences since dropping her second album. "i've been to antarctica, i have a dog now and a cat and i can bake bread and cook dinner and keep plants alive etc. It's a good life you've given me. Thankyou thankyou. Third one in the oven."

The message, with its array of quotidian details, sounds similar to the last statement Lorde released regarding her third album, back in November 2018. In the midst of a social media cleanse following two years of touring and promotion, she posted a newsletter for fans that read, "I haven't started properly on the next record yet, and I'm not sure how long it'll be. But I've been teaching myself how to play piano, and here and there little bits come out. I think this next one will probably be born around the piano in my house, me and my friends, keeping it simple…But know that for now I'm happy here at home, living quietly and simply, eating toast, going for walks, swimming. And you'll hear all about it soon enough."

Based on both of these statements, Lorde seems to be spending time enjoying the pleasures of an ordinary, grounded existence—cooking, hanging out, growing plants. Perhaps, then, her new album will be an ode to relaxing in one's hometown, full of lush, high-drama tributes to sleeping late, making coffee and lounging by the pool. If anyone could make those experiences glitter more brightly than the paparazzi section at the Met Gala, it's Lorde, who's always been an expert at spinning relatable, universal human experiences into dramatic, vivid, and breathtaking compositions.

After all, this is the girl who made an anthem out of her torn-up town on her first album and who turned a single party into a transcendent eleven-song journey on her second, always making common narratives feel fresh and vital. That was the true magic of Melodrama: it cut through cliche, zeroing in on the heady rush and steep plunge at the beginning and end of a night on the town, elevating these experiences to the height of how they truly feel when they're being lived. From "Green Light," which thrillingly celebrated the beginning of a wild night out after a breakup, to the shattering "Liability," which reached straight to the core of everyone who's ever felt like too much, Melodrama gave voice to the simple violence that comes with just being alive in the world, interacting with other volatile beings and dealing with experiences as they come. It's an album that legitimizes all the heightened experiences that come with being extremely sensitive—from the unexplainably perfect moments of euphoria to the tearstained rides home when it feels like the world is ending.

Melodrama came out when I was nineteen, and I listened to it for the first time on a subway speeding beneath Manhattan. Maybe that's why, in addition to the knowledge that it was recorded in Jack Antonoff's Brooklyn studio, Melodrama feels like a fundamentally New York City album to me. It feels handmade for everyone stupid enough to come to this city with a bag full of dreams and an open heart. It's a celebration of all those crazy enough to put their souls on the line for love, love of creativity or love of experiences, despite how they might leave you with scraped knees and bloody palms, drained and wasted and waiting for a delayed subway at the end of the night.

All this is to say that anyone who experienced Melodrama when it dropped—who really experienced it, listened to it as they cried and danced and drove on the highway as the sun set with the top down—truly wouldn't mind if Lorde decided to spontaneously re-release the album. On the other hand, I was a teenager when it came out, and now I'm embarking on adulthood, writing this article on my first day working a full-time job. Though I'm still overly sensitive, full of stupid dreams, and living in New York City, a third album about the importance of watering plants and paying rent could be exactly what the doctor ordered.

Though of course, I'm sure Lorde knows what all of us need better than we know ourselves, because that's what she's best at—along with peeling back every layer of bullshit and tapping into the marrow of the melodrama that is just being alive and feeling every little thing, from the rhythm of the city to the flicker of a quickening pulse—and owning it, spinning those feelings into modern hymns lit by pristine piano and electrifying beats.

If you know, you know: Melodrama changed everything. It's anyone's guess as to what the future, and album number three, will bring, but at least we know that our eternal Lorde and savior will be with us every step of the way.