Pride
A Year After Coming Out As Gay, Producer Spencer Brown Reflects: ‘My Life Completely Changed For the Best’
I was blown away when the article reached a half million people on social media and elsewhere. An outpouring of people around the world flooded my inboxes, expressing how much they could relate to my struggles. It still happens to this day, and, as a result, my creativity and confidence have been at new highs during the pandemic. The article proved the power of my voice as an artist — and its potential to make positive change. In a world where negativity, extremism, and fear feed clicks, I feel empowered to use my voice to spread positivity and peace. I never had an LGBTQ+ idol when I was growing up. In fact, I turned away from (and hated) anything “gay related” — something I later realized was called internalized homophobia. I am so grateful that I can now be that kind of figure in some p...
First Out: New Music From Joy Oladokun, Hayley Kiyoko, King Princess & More
Joy Oladokun, In Defense of My Own Happiness In the span of just a few years, Joy Oladokun has quickly grown to become one of the hottest new singer-songwriters making music. Her major-label debut with Republic, In Defense of My Own Happiness, expands on that growth even further, showing Oladokun at her apex thus far. The stunning, emotional album sees Oladokun wading through emotional trauma, sorrow, anger, solitude and, yes, eventually the happiness hinted at in the title, all with surgical songwriting and soulful vocals that will send chills down your spine on each repeat listen. Hayley Kiyoko, “Chance” Hayley Kiyoko has always thrived when writing pop songs that sound like diary entries set to the soundtrack of your favorite ’80s film. “Chance,” ...
Pink, JoJo Siwa, Kylie Minogue & More Perform for ‘Can’t Cancel Pride’: Watch
The stream also featured appearances from LGBTQ+ community members and advocates including Karamo Brown and Tan France from Queer Eye, Pete and Chasten Buttigieg, Busy Phillips, Demi Lovato, MJ Rodriguez, Gus Kenworthy, Jennifer Hudson, Marshmello, Nina West and Brandi Carlile. Near the end of the event, Odom offered a solemn performance of Rent‘s “Without You” in a special candlelight moment to remember the five-year anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub massacre that killed 49 people and wounded 53 more. Ricky Martin lent a heartfelt intro, noting that many of the Pulse Nightclub victims were Latinx. “Not all 49 were members of the LGBGTQ community. They were friends, lovers, families, all out celebrating their pride,” Martin shared before Odom performed. The show finale featured a sp...
Billboard Explains: Nonbinary Awareness In Music
Over the past few years, major artists like Sam Smith and Demi Lovato have come out as nonbinary, paving a new path for people to see themselves, their identities and experiences reflected. Smith and Lovato, each with multiple top 10 smashes, now use “they/them” pronouns to refer to themselves, while artists like Big Freedia use both “he” and “she” pronouns. But what does it mean to be nonbinary? And how can the nonbinary community best be supported? In celebration of Pride Month, the latest episode of Billboard Explains explores being nonbinary in the music industry, including common misconceptions, major recent gains and tips on effectively helping the nonbinary community. Representatives for GLAAD also sound off on the importance of understanding nonbinary distinctions as a means o...
Rina Sawayama, Lil Dicky, Olivia Rodrigo, BTS & More of the Week’s Biggest Winners (June 4)
Take a look at Billboard‘s new weekly roundup and the “awards” we gave to this week’s headlines. Funniest Music News: Lil Dicky unveils Dave season 2 trailer Lil Dicky teased what’s to come in season 2 of his FXX comedy series Dave with a star-studded trailer on Thursday (June 3). From hanging poolside with Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner to matching with Doja Cat on a dating site and showing her not-PG-rated pictures to his parents for their approval, Dicky’s character Dave is in for a crazier adventure all while trying to put out his debut album. Watch the trailer here. Tastiest Music News: BTS’ “Butter” hits No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 & comes with more remixes BTS was in for a real treat t...
Lady Gaga and Versace Celebrate Pride, ‘Born This Way’ Anniversary With Colorful Capsule Collection
Lady Gaga has teamed up with Versace for a colorful capsule collection celebrating Pride Month as well as the 10th anniversary of her landmark Born This Way album. A portion of the sales from the collection will benefit’s Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation. “Versace has always been a leader. Since Gianni, Donatella, Allegra, and still now they have celebrated the beautiful colors of love we have within us to offer each other,” Gaga said in a post in which she’s rocking a t-shirt from the collaboration, which features the album title in cursive over a rainbow-colored Versace logo. “We were all more different, and different is beautiful. Thank you Donatella for supporting LGBTQ+ mental health and the Born This Way tenth anniversary.” Her old friend...
Demi Lovato & Olly Alexander Join YouTube Pride 2021 Livestream as Hosts
Demi Lovato announced last month that they are non-binary and their pronouns are they/them. The “very personal” news came as part of Lovato’s new “4D With Demi Lovato” podcast, in which the 28-year-old singer explained, “Over the past year and a half I’ve been doing some healing and self-reflective work. And through this work, I’ve had the revelation that I identify as nonbinary.” Alongside H.E.R. and Brandi Carlile, Lovato paid tribute to Elton John by performing a medley of his biggest hits at last week’s iHeartRadio Awards. Speaking of John, Olly Alexander teamed up with the living legend at the 2021 Brit Awards last month to perform a cover of the Pet Shop Boys’ “It’s a Sin,” a collaboration the pa...
Lance Bass & Husband Michael Turchin Expecting Twins
The couple previously opened up in January 2019 about their attempt at expanding their family and how they were onto donor No. 7, but Turchin updated that number in their latest interview. “We went through nine different egg donors, which is rare,” he confessed. “We had to start all over again from the beginning. Not only did we need to get a new egg donor now because we found out she had early lupus, but on top of that, when we did our egg retrieval, we only had two healthy embryos. Normally, the number’s much higher. So we put both in and once she miscarried, we had to start all over from scratch again this past year.” The 34-year-old actor has a twin sister, which inspired their decision to go for twins. “He just loved that experience. I always w...
Grupo Firme, Bad Bunny & More Latin Artists Who Celebrate Same-Sex Couples in Their Music Videos
Danna Paola – “TQ Y YA” Mexican pop star Danna Paola wraps up Pride month with her empowering single “TQ Y YA,” which translated to “I love you. period.” Fusing reggaeton and trap beats with hints of Brazilian funk, Paola opens up about a love so real that sees no race, color, or gender. “Don’t let anyone tell me that you’re not for me,” she chants. “I don’t care what you think, love is love,” she concludes. The music video shows two women doing a sensual lyrical dance. Paola joins them in the choreography towards the end. Jesse & Joy – “Love (Es Nuestro Idioma)” Jesse & Joy kicked off Pride Month by dropping a new song called “Love (Es Nuestro Idioma).” “Our music will ...
First Out: New Music From Big Freedia, Wrabel, L Devine & More
Big Freedia, “Judas” (Lady Gaga cover) With a re-release of Born This Way on its way out, Lady Gaga decided to enlist a cadre of stars to help put their own twist on fan-favorite songs off of the album. Lucky for us, the first one to drop came straight from the Queen of Bounce herself, Big Freedia. “Judas,” a song that’s already impossibly good of its own accord, becomes an absolute banger in the hands of the Queen Diva — retrofitted with horns, choirs and a trap beat that will rattle whatever room your in, Freedia’s rendition of “Judas” is exactly the kind of shake-me-up a re-release like this should aim for. “Judas was my favorite song when it came out originally, so I really wanted to cover it. I am beyond excited that it’s...
UNILAG pro-chancellor: Evil times are behind us
File Photo Lanre Tejuoso, the newly-appointed Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing Council, University of Lagos, has prayed God to prevent any further crisis in the university. ”We pray that the evil witnessed in the times past, we shall witness no more; love will radiate within the council. ”It is our prayers that we will take this university, which remains one of Africa’s pride, to greater heights very soon,” Tejuoso, who represented Ogun Central in the 8th National Assembly, said in Lagos. He spoke at a church service to celebrate the 60th birthday anniversary of the institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Management Services), Obinnaya Chukwu, on Thursday night. Newsmen report that President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Tejuoso the university’s Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Governing ...
Andy Cohen Launching New SiriusXM Music Channel: Exclusive
Andy Cohen’s Kiki Lounge began to take shape after the success of Cohen’s Pride Radio takeover in June 2020, which lead to SiriusXM president/COO Scott Greenstein approaching Cohen with the idea for an all-music channel. The Watch What Happens Live host jumped at the opportunity, one he’s been preparing for since his teens: “I’ve been creating mixtapes, mix CDs, and playlists as each of the mediums have changed since high school, basically. I love sharing music and making playlists.” While Cohen is the channel’s primary programming force, it will also feature blocks from his celebrity friends and trusted DJs. “During the day is music I curated and every night we’ll have DJ sets from a different DJ I love,” Cohen says, name checkin...
