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Us, May 3

You can buy a brand new copy of this issue without the mailing label for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Pregnant Meghan Markle: My Baby, My Way

Page 2: Red Carpet -- rufflemania -- Hollywood style stars are tier-ing it up in this flattering design with feminine flair -- Tracee Ellis Ross, Kaitlyn Dever, Margot Robbie, Logan Browning, Nicola Coughlan

Page 3: Lizzo, Maude Apatow, Lucy Boynton, Jessica Alba, Lily Collins

Page 4: Who Wore It Best? Anya Taylor-Joy vs. Isla Fisher vs. Regina King in Stuart Weitzman Nudist sandal

Page 6: Loose Talk -- Shonda Rhimes on the intense backlash she received over Rege-Jean Page's exit from Bridgerton, Kelly Ripa on her most embarrassing interview, Luke Bryan on his mother LeClaire's Instagram fame, Blake Shelton on The Voice's new coach Ariana Grande, Reese Witherspoon joking about wearing bottoms that aren't sweatpants

Page 8: Contents

Page 10: A Final Farewell to Prince Philip, his four children Prince Charles and Princess Anne and Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were among the loved ones who participated in the emotional ceremony, feuding brothers Prince Harry and Prince William (and his wife Duchess Kate) put their differences aside after the intimate service, due to Covid-19 protocols the grieving Queen Elizabeth stayed socially distant from the other 29 people who attended the funeral for her husband of 73 years

Page 11: ACM Awards 2021 -- Maren Morris teamed up with her husband Ryan Hurd and won Female Artist of the Year, Thomas Rhett won Male Artist of the Year, Carrie Underwood took the stage

Page 12: Hot Pics -- Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wore an orange coat during a visit to NYC, John Stamos plays a coach on the TV show Big Shot, Zach Braff goofed around on the set of Cheaper by the Dozen in L.A.

Page 13: Eva Longoria on her trampoline while aboard a yacht in Miami, Howie Mandel arrived to the set of America's Got Talent dressed as a bug in Pasadena

Page 14: Jon Hamm and his rescue dog Splash strolled around the neighborhood in L.A., Heidi Klum in all white in Pasadena, Sara Gilbert and Linda Perry take a stroll in L.A.

Page 15: Eddie Cibrian and LeAnn Rimes held hands after dinner at Il Segreto in L.A., Patrick Dempsey shot a scene for his show Devils in Rome

Page 16: Rachel Brosnahan in a blue dress and carrying a clear umbrella on the set of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in NYC, Lin-Manuel Miranda at the opening of a vaccination center for Broadway workers in Times Square, Trisha Yearwood feeds one of her rescue pups

Page 18: Gen Z Has Spoken -- these celebs are making the young kids proud -- Baggy Jeans -- Hailey Bieber, Tracee Ellis Ross, Bella Hadid

Page 19: Middle Parts -- Busy Philipps, Lizzo, Jennifer Lopez, Kourtney Kardashian, baguette bags -- Dua Lipa, Elsa Hosk, Irina Shayk, Kendall Jenner

Page 20: Seeing Double -- stars bear a striking resemblance to their famous counterparts -- Elizabeth Banks and Chelsea Handler, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Nina Dobrev, Betty Gilpin and Jodie Comer

Page 21: Rob Lowe and Ian Somerhalder, Jaime Pressly and Margot Robbie, Isla Fisher and Amy Adams, Rupert Grint and Ed Sheeran, Kyle Richards and Kacey Musgraves

Page 22: Clueless Crew -- stars are totally buggin' over Cher Horowitz's style in yellow plaid -- Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, Katie Holmes was rollin' with her homie beau Emilio Vitolo Jr. in NYC, Vanessa Hudgens, Dianna Agron

Page 23: Gabrielle Union

Page 24: Stars They're Not Like Us -- Jay Leno took one of his vintage automobiles out for a spin in L.A., Chrissy Teigen and John Legend took a selfie with a fan while grocery shopping in Beverly Hills, Kylie Jenner has custom vending machines

Page 25: Carrie Underwood in her massive walk-in closet, Denzel Washington signs autographs for fans in NYC, Megan Thee Stallion on a private plane, Drake and his bodyguard in Beverly Hills

Page 26: Stars They're Just Like Us -- Sarah Jessica Parker catches a yellow cab after working at her shoe store in NYC, Brad Paisley picked up five pizzas to go in Montecito

Page 27: Kelly Osbourne handed out goods at a drive-thru food distribution event at the Islamic Center of Southern California, HGTV's Egypt Sherrod transformed her closet into a meditation space in Atlanta, in between filming Law & Order: SVU's Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T take a selfie

Page 28: Hollywood Dads -- Scott Porter on parenting his two kids McCoy and Clover

Page 29: Jonathan Tucker on life with twins Hayes and India, parenthood is a lot tougher than Jovi Dufren imagined, Maksim Chmerkovskiy can't wait to show son Shai his work

Page 30: Love Lives -- Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are showing no signs of slowing down -- the pair enjoyed a night out in L.A. hotspot Delilah where they were holding hands and laughing and they're not hiding the fact that they're dating but they just don't want people in their business -- they're a good match and are each other's best friend

Page 31: Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber may look like the picture-perfect couple, but Justin admits that their first year of marriage wasn't what he expected, saying it was really tough and there was just a lack of trust and he blamed the strain on his own personal struggles and said before he didn't have someone to love or someone to pour into but now, more than two years after exchanging vows with Hailey, he has that

* Kacey Musgraves' romance with Dr. Gerald Onuoha is giving her butterflies -- the pair are so happy they found each other and while Kacey, who split from her husband Ruston Kelly last summer, is trying not to get too ahead of herself, her connection to the Nashville-based doc is off the charts and it's got the potential to go a very long way

* Today's Savannah Guthrie is thankful to have husband Michael Feldman in her life, especially given the demands of her early morning work schedule

Page 32: Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker are getting serious -- all the details on their whirlwind romance

Page 33: Adapting to parenthood has been a breeze for Emma Stone and she's soaking in all the precious moments of being a mom for the first time -- she and husband Dave McCary welcomed their baby daughter in March and Emma is super protective and a very hands-on mom and Dave is also hands-on and helps with their daughter -- thanks to the little one, Emma's marriage with the comedian has also gotten stronger and having a baby has brought them closer in a way they never expected -- Emma is looking forward to getting back to work; she's taken this time off to embrace motherhood and her number one priority is to raise a healthy baby so that's what she's focused on right now

* Britney Spears is setting the record straight -- despite her ongoing conservatorship battle with her dad, Jamie Spears, she is doing totally fine, assuring fans that she's extremely happy and she has a beautiful home, beautiful children and she's taking a break right now because she's enjoying herself -- although the legal drama with her father is heating up, Britney is staying strong and she has this wonderful ability to see the positive even when the odds are against her

* Keeping Up With Us -- production for the Downton Abbey sequel is underway, Mossimo Giannulli is a free man, Chrissy Teigen returned to Twitter 23 days after announcing that she was leaving the platform, Vanessa Bryant remembered her late husband Kobe Bryant on what would have been their 20th wedding anniversary, Helen McCrory lost her battle with cancer at age 52 according to her husband Damian Lewis

Page 34: A Day in My Life -- Whitney Port

Page 35: Colton Underwood is ready to live his truth -- during an interview on Good Morning America, the former Bachelor came out as gay, saying he's run from himself for a long time and he came to terms with his sexuality earlier this year and he's the happiest and healthiest he's ever been -- now that he feels like he can finally breathe, Colton is excited for his next chapter, which fans will get to see on an upcoming reality show with Olympian Gus Kenworthy -- a huge weight has been lifted off of Colton's shoulders and he is looking forward to being his authentic self

Page 36: Moms Tell All -- Happy Mother's Day! From milestones and manners to rules and nanny-bans, celebs and insiders talk about raising kids in Hollywood

Page 37: Bindi Irwin says life at home with her daughter Grace Warrior has been positively blissful and her family with dad Chandler Powell is so full of love, adding that the newborn has already met some of the wildlife at the Australia Zoo where Bindi and Chandler live and work and of course she's seen some crocs and really lit up when she saw them -- while the Aussie conservationist is sad Grace won't get to meet her late dad Steve Irwin, Bindi's brother Robert Irwin and mom Terri Irwin have been by her side constantly and Robert is obsessed with Grace and has been helping out so much and her mom has been the biggest guiding light and she's already taught Bindi so much about being a mother, both in how she raised her and by showing her things day by day and Terri is quite the baby whisperer and she's so great a calming Grace down when she's crying -- first-time father Chandler is also a natural with Grace and he's been the most supportive and involved dad and together, he and Bindi make such a great team -- for now, Bindi, who stars with Chandler in Crikey! It's a Baby!, is hoping Grace will follow in her animal-activist footsteps, saying having three generations of strong women working as conservationists is a dream come true

* Jennifer Garner said teaching your kids is a lifelong job, and certainly values are something you have to show them -- Jennifer, who shares kids Violet, Seraphina and Samuel with ex Ben Affleck, is staying true to her word and has led by example when it comes to things like kindness and patience and she won't let anyone in the house to judge or speak ill of people, and she enforces the same wholesome, traditional values that she was raised with and the kids have been taught to be loving, hardworking and fair -- Jennifer has always taken a kids-come-first approach to parenting, and it shows as they bake together, enjoy movie nights, read books and have very active lives and it's a very healthy, happy household filled with laughter and love

Page 38: Gwen Stefani has her hands full with her sons Kingston, Zuma and Apollo with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, but she wouldn't want it any other way -- Gwen's a tomboy, so having three boys wasn't daunting for her at all, plus she has fiance Blake Shelton by her side to pitch in with parenting duties and Gwen and the boys have a blast at Blake's ranch in Oklahoma where they enjoy riding their ATVs, and they play baseball and football -- it's not all fun and games, though because Gwen is big on boundaries and manners and she doesn't want to raise Hollywood brats and it's important to her that her sons be gentlemen

* Meghan Markle's pregnancy with Archie was no walk in the park, as she revealed during her bombshell TV interview with husband Prince Harry, the couple had concerns over whether or not the royal family would provide security for their son and claimed there were conversations about his skin color -- but this time around, as Meghan and Harry gear up for baby No. 2 at home in L.A., she's doing everything her way, without the royals and Meghan and Harry feel blessed that they're able to raise their daughter in the U.S. and can live by their own rules and make the decisions they feel are best for their children; having independence is the most important thing for Meghan and she's got free rein to be exactly the kind of mom she wants to be -- her parenting style is really like most mothers out there, and she's been craving pasta and doing yoga two times a day as her due date nears and she keeps a lot of art supplies out to foster creativity and healthy snacks around and she's a devoted mom and wants the best for her kids

Page 39: Kate Hudson has a lot on her plate, so the mom of three, who shares son Ryder with former husband Chris Robinson and son Bingham with ex Matt Bellamy and daughter Rani with boyfriend Danny Fujikawa, knows when to put her foot down as things can get a little overwhelming at times for Kate, but when she says no, it absolutely means no, and the kids respect her very much because of that

* Gigi Hadid, who shares daughter Khai with boyfriend Zayn Malik, wants to spend every waking moment with her precious little girl -- Gigi could easily afford to employ a team of nannies but chooses not to and she prefers to do everything herself and besides, she can't bear to be away from Khai for more than a few hours

* Candace Cameron Bure's three grown kids are flying the coop, but she's still super involved in their lives, despite slowly becoming an empty nester -- the mom of Natasha, Lev, and Maksim with former hockey player Valeri Bure says it's been a very transitional time and she's been trying to help them make decisions they feel good about and it's challenging, but they're figuring it out

Page 40: Oh, Baby! Meghan Markle's due date is just around the corner, and here are all the details

* Bump Brigade -- Halsey, Gal Gadot, Shawn Johnson East

Page 42: 10 Years of the Cambridges -- a look back at Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton's solid marriage for their anniversary

Page 44: Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez: What Really Happened -- cheating and lies? The truth behind J.Lo's split from fiance A-Rod

Page 45: Friendliest Exes -- these former couples managed to stay close after going their separate ways -- Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux, Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr, Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz

Page 48: Gifts for Mother's Day

Page 54: Entertainment -- Ben Barnes on Shadow and Bone

Page 58: Fashion Police -- the most daring Oscars looks -- Bjork, Whoopi Goldberg, Charlize Theron

Page 59: Rachel Weisz, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lady Gaga

Page 60: 25 Things You Don't Know About Me -- Julia Michaels

[nuitapp]

💖 Summer Love Horoscopes 2021 🪐

What do the stars have in store for you and your love life this summer?

Whether Single or in a Relationship, read your Summer Love Horoscopes for 2021 and get insights for your perfect date, you summer song anthem & how this Cosmic Energy will manifest for you, primarily based on your Rising Sing (+ Sun Sign)

Aries ♈

Aries, you are in for a passionate, romantic summer!

Your ruler, Mars, will be in Leo for the majority of the summer, gathered with romantic, beautiful Venus. Since this will be transiting your 5th house of romance, fun, and entertainment, you can expect to feel much more flirty, creative and in the mood to party.

If you’re single, this is a passionate time of putting yourself into your hobbies, saying “yes” to the party and flirting unabashedly. You may not be in the mood for commitment, as you’re more inclined to keep things light and fun during this influence.

If in a committed relationship, this is a positive energy to reinspire the playful energy within your union.

Perfect summer date: Laser tagging so you can get a little competitive AND flirty!

Song of the summer: Kiss Me More by Doja Cat feat. SZA, the perfect flirty, romantic, and passionate anthem for your summer 2021

Taurus ♉

Taurus, this summer is about expanding your networks.

With Jupiter expanding the sector of your chart governing friendships, groups, and communities until July 28th, you are in the mood to network, socialize and widen your social circle, whether it’s in person or online. This is your summer for saying “yes” to the social invitations, as you never know how those connections can blossom!

Single Taureans can find love in unexpected social gatherings this summer, such as the business happy hour or saying yes to that open-air concert an acquaintance invites you to.

Committed Taureans, socialize with your partner’s friend group, or plan an event where your social networks can intermingle.

All bulls can expect the flirty creative energy to radiate significantly after July 22nd, when Venus enters fellow Earth sign, Virgo, impacting your 5th house of romance and flirting.  Connect, flirt and shine your light this summer, Taurus!

Perfect summer date: Group date to the movies, so you can connect with your friends AND your crush!

Song of the summer: Best Friend by Saweetie feat. Doja Cat is the perfect jam for the bulls social summer

Gemini ♊

Gemini, this summer, you have high standards and you’re looking for your partner to meet you at your current level of independence, ambition, and intelligence. As it should be!

This summer, you’re prioritizing yourself and your needs, and if the right person fits into the picture, great! But you aren’t stressing about making it work with anyone else, rather putting that energy into your passions and your life, which is making you even more magnetic. Much of your attention is being drawn to your career and to your knowledge base.

Single Geminis could have a social summer, of meeting love interests online, in-class, or elsewhere, as they pursue a topic that interests them.

Committed Geminis may want to learn with their love, enrolling in a joint class, and perhaps embarking on learning a new skill together.

Perfect date: Trivia night with your beloved 

Song of the summer: 34 + 35 by Ariana Grande is just the confident summer tune to remind you that you’re the main character of 2021

Cancer ♋

Summer 2021 for the Cancers is about building your confidence and connecting with your spiritual beliefs!

With the Venus-Mars conjunction in Leo lighting up your 2nd house, you may be putting much of your energy this summer towards investing in your confidence, self-esteem, and self-expression. You may be experimenting with new clothes or a new style to find what authentically feels best to you. With North Node in your 12th house, you may not feel as social this summer, but honor this call to come within and heal - true confidence is built from the inside out, and this is your focus this summer! Single Cancers could connect with someone like-minded while they’re on their spiritual journey, working to heal and build confidence. Committed Cancers can experience an incredibly soulful summer with their love, so long as they are forthright about needing space and time to invest in themselves. 

Perfect summer date: Taking a meditation class with your crush

Song of the summer: Good Days by SZA is the soulful song you’ll resonate with this summer. 

Leo ♌

Leo, are you ready for your hot girl summer? Because this summer, you are taking center stage...as it should be!

Venus and Mars will illuminate your 1st house of identity and appearance, so expect your confidence to skyrocket. You may feel more inclined to want to experiment with your style, stepping out in the boldest of styles, starting trends left and right.

Some Leos may get more into fitness, makeup or hair. One thing is for sure - you sun-ruled natives are going to shine in Summer 2021, and you aren’t willing to dim your light for anyone or anything.

Single Leos will have enormous amounts of romantic attention that they can pick and choose who is lucky enough to be a witness to their glow!

Committed Leos may be more into dressing up to the nines with their lover and heading out to the best restaurants and clubs, wanting to be seen. 

Perfect summer date: At the club, being seen by everyone in your finest 

Song of the summer: Up by Cardi B is the perfect song to hype yourself up before a fun night out

Virgo ♍

Virgos, this can be a MAJOR summer of deep, soulful love for you all, if you are open to explore it!

With Jupiter exploring your 7th house for the majority of the summer, you are lucky in attracting new partners to you and may feel extra inspired by the people you’re surrounded by. You may be getting tons of romantic attention, but you aren’t just satisfied with any old union - with Venus and Mars in your 12th house for the first part of the summer, you could find you’re craving a deep soulful bond, the sort of connection that inspires you to expand your mindset, the sort of relationship where you don’t even need words to express yourself.

Expect to feel more confident and beautiful after July 22nd, when Venus enters Virgo.

Single Virgos could find that they have a multitude of options, should they choose to move forward in a relationship.

Committed Virgos could travel with their lover, or have a desire for more freedom within their union.

Perfect summer date: Beach date, so you can be calmed, soothed and inspired by the waves while getting to know someone

Song of the summer: Peaches feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon by Justin Bieber is just the flirty, upbeat song to accompany your expansive summer

Libra ♎

With your Ruling Planet meeting up with Mars for part of this summer, you’re in for a passionate season! You may notice you’re a bit more forward in pursuing the people you’re interested in - don’t fear being direct, Summer 2021 is about being bold! 

The two planets will meet up in your 11th house of friendships, groups, and networks, so single Libras could definitely find love when they ask a friend or coworker to set them up with someone.

Trust in your community - your friends know you better than everyone, and you can find a great match when you dare to let your friends play matchmaker.

With Jupiter expanding your 6th house of health, you could feel more inspired to work out with your partner or meet someone special at the gym. 

Perfect summer date: Fitness class, then grabbing smoothies afterward

Song of the summer: Solar Power by Lorde, to inspire you to let your light radiate out as you socialize 

Scorpio ♏

Scorpios, you are a deep and intense sign - but you’re finding that this summer, you want to have FUN!

With Jupiter in Pisces deepening your 5th house, you are feeling more creative and more in the mood to party.

Scorpios are the most magnetic this summer when they are expressing themselves unapologetically, following what makes them happy and creating just for creation’s sake. ! Since your ruling planet, Mars, will mostly be focused in your 10th & 11th houses, which is largely associated with work and legacy, this is a work-hard / play-hard summer. Indulge in your hobbies, invest in your career, and be open to a fun time! You may be feeling more romantic and sensual, since your ruling planet is gathered with Venus. 

Single Scorpions could even meet someone when they choose to immerse themselves within their hobbies - meeting a fellow cinephile at the movie theater, or a fellow rollerskate enthusiast at the rink.

Committed Scorpions should indulge in their creative and entertainment pursuits with their partner

Perfect summer date: Drive-in with ALL of the snacks!

Song of the summer: Levitating by Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby is the perfect jam to dance to before creating some new art or going for a light-hearted date

Sagittarius ♐

Sagittarians, you ALWAYS are the life of the party, and this summer is no different!

You’re open to love, but it’s important that your lover can keep up with you. Your ruling planet is moving through your 4th house of home, so you can be feeling rather restless, wanting to move, renovate or even set up abroad.

With Venus and Mars co-transiting your 9th house, you may want to embark upon travel with your lover. You’re looking for someone who can keep up with your spontaneous summer adventures. You want to learn, explore and expand your wings and want an adventure buddy who’s down to be along for the ride.

Committed Sagittarians may want to plan a trip with their partner, single Sagittarians may meet their perfect match ON a trip!

When Venus moves into Virgo on July 22nd, you may find you’re more inclined to put time and energy into your career and public persona - you could even meet someone at work. 

Ideal date: Going on a cross-country travel with your lover

Song of the summer: MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name) by Lil Nas X is just the carefree summer song to accompany all of your adventures 

Capricorn ♑

This summer, love can be in the cards for you, but it needs to be the right kind of love for you to feel inspired.

You’re looking for a deep sort of intimacy, both physically, mentally, and spiritually. Otherwise, you’re content in stacking your money and focusing upon work, with your ruling planet in the 2nd house of money and resources and North Node in the 6th house of work and service.

You aren’t willing to lower your standards, so single Capricorns may find they aren’t interested in talking with people JUST to talk or flirting JUST to flirt. But the odds are, if you are open to a deep union, you can absolutely find it.

Committed Capricorns could experience a major deepening of their union, increasing the intimacy and depth they experience. 

Ideal date: Playing a question card game to learn more about your date or partner to see if it’s a match

Song of the summer: telepatía by Kali Uchis

Aquarius ♒

You’re in for a romantic summer, Aquarius, with the two passion planets, Venus and Mars, meeting up in your 7th house for the first part of the summer!

While typically Aquarius is more logical than emotional, this summer flares up your passionate and romantic side!

You may find you are feeling much more romantic, wanting to elevate every date and experience to make them as sensual, beautiful, and lovely as possible.

Single Aquarians could absolutely find that this summer, they commit to someone they’ve been crushing on.

Committed Aquarians could find the passion in their union is intensified. 

Perfect summer date: Going to an art museum with their lover, to witness beautiful art and hold hands

Song of the summer: Leave the Door Open by Anderson.Paak, Bruno Mars, and Silk Sonic is the perfect smooth song that describes Aquarius romantic summer

Pisces ♓

Pisces, you’re in for a dreamy summer!

With Jupiter in your same sign, you could be feeling more optimistic and faithful regarding your future. You’re willing to put in the time and energy to be the best version of yourself.  You may be feeling more independent, more inclined to want to invest in your healing and spiritual journey.

Honor your calls to spend more time in solitude, as you’ve been investing energy into your hidden, private world.

Single Pisceans could meet someone in their pursuit to be the best version of themselves.

Committed Pisceans may want to embark upon this journey of self-improvement with their lover.

Ideal date: Taking yoga class with their lover 

Song of the summer: Save Your Tears by The Weeknd & Ariana Grande is just the song Pisceans could benefit from while they working to process their emotions, and heal themselves, mentally and physically.

👉🏽 Check your Daily Horoscope, Astrology Forecasts & your Personal Traits in the App.

⭐ Connect with us on Social Media to follow up with our News  on Twitter and our Astro Lifestyle updates on Instagram.

[littlemixnet]

Jade Thirlwall on how Little Mix’s new era is all about having fun

Has there ever been a time when we’ve needed a glorious new Little Mix single more than right now? Probably not.

The UK’s biggest girl group are back for their sixth era and have brought with them an 80s-tinged pop anthem that’ll swoop you out of your isolation blues.

Written by Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock with Kamille, Frank Nobel and Linus Nordstrom, Break Up Song is a whopper of a return, pairing love-lorn lyrics with sky-soaring synths.

While working from home this week, we caught up with Jade over the phone to speak about Little Mix’s highly-anticipated new album, Leigh-Anne’s iconic new mullet, how they have protected the well-being of contestants on their upcoming BBC One talent show and, of course, which queens she’s enjoying on the latest season of Drag Race.

Hi Jade! How are you coping in isolation? Not too bad. I haven’t got cabin fever just yet.

I follow you on Instagram and saw that you’ve already completed a Disney castle Lego set… Oh yeah, what a dream!

That’s one way to keep yourself occupied. Have you got any more Lego sets left? No but I’ve ordered more! I’ve got jigsaws and board games and stuff like that, so as it stands I’m quite highly entertained to be honest.

I love how you’re going old school with it. None of this House Party app stuff. [Laughs] Well I am a bit of a Nana!

Well a new Little Mix single is exactly what we all need right now. Yes, 100%. I love that it’s a very uplifting, happy, cheery pop song. That’s what Little Mix are best at I think. I’m really excited for this new era.

Break Up Song is a brilliant return, so why did you decide on that track to kick-start the LM6 era? There was actually a different song that was the front-runner for the first single, and Break Up Song pretty much swooped in at the last minute. The video was ready and everything for this other song. We wrote Break Up Song over a year ago and we listened to it again in the playback session and we were like, ‘wait a minute – this should be the first single.’ So we called the label and was like, ‘This has to be it now.’ We got that jittery feeling that we had with Shout Out To My Ex and Black Magic where it just felt special.

It’s definitely one of those songs that you find yourself getting lost in – it kind of encapsulates you. Yeah, I love that. I agree. It’s one of those songs that you want to listen to again right after. I just had a really good feeling about it, so hopefully everyone else feels the same.

How did the 80s vibe come about? When we’re writing, we work really well when we’re given a definite brief. Whether it’s an era of music or a very strong concept, that’s when we write the best music. We were playing around in the studio with Kamille, Frank Nobel and Linus Nordstrom with the synths, and it just sort of happened. This was well before artists right now started coming out with more of the 80s vibe. I know The Weeknd brought out an 80s vibe song, and so has Dua Lipa. It was before that happened so it’s quite a coincidence. I guess it’s a good thing now that that’s where Top 10 is at at the minute.

Can we talk about Leigh-Anne’s mullet for a second please. What a serve. Honestly, it’s iconic isn’t it? Nobody else could’ve pulled that mullet off!

As soon as you see it you’re like, ‘I never knew I needed this in my life’. How did you all decide on which classic 80s look you’d get? Well hun, I’ve got a bloody mountain of hair on my head so I could never have squashed that mullet on! So I worked with what I’ve got and went for the side sweep and kept all me long hair out. Then obviously the video shoot as well – which is a shame it ended up getting cancelled because of everything that is going on at the minute – but we wanted to go the whole 80s hog and do the full shebang. We came up with the treatment and everything and it was really exciting, but we’re still going to do something really cool for the video. We just like going all-out, don’t we? If you’re going to do something, you’d better commit to it.

For you personally, what’s your favourite thing about 80s pop culture? I just love how full-on it was. I’m all or nothing, me. I’m either very androgynous – which really suits the 80s era with that Bowie vibe – or like drag queen vibes. I loved that in the 80s all the lads were rocking make-up and hair like it was nothing. It’s a shame it sort of died down. I loved a bit of Bananarama. I loved Diana Ross when she was going out of that sort of dancey era. Obviously I wasn’t alive in the 80s, but I have memories of sitting with my dad watching VH1 Classics where I’d see it all.

So you’ve been busy at work on the sixth album – what can you tell us about that? With this era we haven’t over-thought it. We’ve just gone with what feels good and not worried as much about what’s cool or what people will want to hear. It’s very much been, ‘OK, this is an amazing song – it’s going on the album.’ That has lifted a weight off our shoulders really. It was quite a stressful process for LM5 and the change of labels and everything. For this, we were very much left to have fun and get back to what we really love about being Little Mix.

The best music is always made when an artist is having fun with it and there’s an authenticity to it. Yeah, 100% – and that’s not to say we didn’t love LM5 because we wrote so much of that album and we put so much into it. That whole era was very much about what we stood for; female empowerment, women’s rights and it was very topical in that moment. It’s something we are very passionate about. We really did get that message across. But we’ve done that now, so now it’s time to let our hair down a bit and have some fun.

You’ve always pushed the Little Mix sound throughout your career, but have managed to retain a sense of identity with it as well. Whatever direction you go in, you always know it’s a Little Mix song. What do you think, at this point, is the key ingredient for a Little Mix song? Whatever sounds popular at that minute, we’ll also be like, ‘OK, let’s jump on it and do it, but make it Little Mix’ instead of just cloning what everyone else is doing. We’re a girl band so immediately it’s different for us. I wouldn’t say it’s harder, but we always have to make sure that we don’t sound too cheesy because we are a pop girl group and people automatically have this weird sort of opinion about pop groups in general. So it’s about constantly proving ourselves and it’s why we can adapt with the times. We’ve been together for nearly nine years now, so the proof is in the pudding that we’re managing to adapt and change with every era, while still remaining Little Mix-y. We’ve also maintained the fans who have been with us from the beginning, while keeping the younger audience as well. It’s about being authentic and sticking to our guns in who we are and what we want to do. It’s been a very gradual process. When we were 18, we very much looked 18! But with each year we’ve grown as women.

And now you’re searching for a new band! Little Mix: The Search is coming soon. Talk about coming full circle from being put together on a talent show to creating your own new group all these years later. How have you found being on the other side of that process? It’s so bizarre – it’s very strange. Obviously we’ve been in their position and we know how that feels to be standing in front of judges and singing for them. So I feel like we really relate to the contestants more and really empathise with them and make sure the process is as fun as it can possibly be for them. It’s been really difficult to say ‘no’ to people, because we’ve had those knock-backs before. It can be really crushing. It has been emotionally draining having to let people go. It’s hard telling people that they’re not quite there yet. But on the other side, we have found some insanely talented people and it’s just so exciting. Every single group that we’ve formed are special in their own way.

As you say, you’ve been through a process like this yourself, so did you all make sure you put in protections for the contestants from the off? We’ve very much been involved through the whole process. A massive chunk of the budget for the show has gone on after care and mental health. There’s going to be counsellors there constantly looking after the contestants in the house. Even if someone doesn’t get through we have an after care process where the researchers call them up each week to check in on how they are. There’s been a lot of focus on making sure they are looked after, which I think we could have very much done with back in the day! It was really very important to us to make sure that was put in place.

You said earlier that you’re heading into your ninth year as a group, which means that 10th anniversary is on the horizon. Have you started to think about how you’d like to celebrate that because it’s a huge milestone? Honestly I can’t believe it. Especially with the other girls because they’ve all got partners and they’re settled down and grown up, and I’m just sitting here thinking, ‘Bloody hell, when did this all happen?’ Obviously we’ll be putting on a big tour and we’ll have the new album. I don’t know exactly what we’ll be doing next year – especially with everything going on. Things are being pushed back. We just take each day as it comes to be honest. I’m still having an absolute ball.

Whatever it is it’ll be something celebratory because 10 years is a massive achievement. Oh absolutely – and you know me, I’ll be at every bloody Pride going next year! Especially now they’ve been cancelled this year. It’s all very upsetting, but hopefully we can perform at some big Prides next year.

Obviously I need to talk to you about Drag Race. You’ve been watching the new season so do you have any early favourites? Yeah! Who am I liking at the minute? Who’s the really model-y one? Is it Gigi?

Yes, Gigi Goode! We love her. She is really serving the looks. I do love a Look Queen. But to me, as it stands, there’s not any proper front-runners yet.

It feels like a very strong season from the off. Yeah exactly, which is amazing. Even last week when Rock M. Sakura got sent home, I was like, ‘Wow I didn’t expect that.’ I didn’t expect the first queen to go home either. It’s very entertaining and it’ll keep us all entertained while we’re indoors. Very much here for it. Who’s your favourite?

I really like Gigi too, and I actually really like Heidi N Closet. She’s really funny. Yes she is funny! I like the French one as well, Nicky Doll. I think she’s a bit of a dark horse.

When you were a guest judge on Drag Race UK last year was it everything you expected it to be? When I tell you that that was one of the best days of my life… I was in my absolute element. It was just heaven on Earth. I was proper fan-girling. I was trying my best to act really cool and be the glamorous pop star who didn’t care, but inside I was screaming! It was just perfect. It was amazing being on set and seeing how it all works. Seeing them lip sync to one of our songs was incredible! I made a few friends off the back of it as well. I still speak with The Vivienne quite a lot. I’d love to do it again.

Did you feel the pressure when they did the runway to come up with funny quips about their looks? When we were on set they actually said for the UK one that RuPaul, Michelle Visage and Graham Norton very much believe in it, so I told myself, ‘Oh here hun, shut your hole’. The last thing I want to do is try to crack a joke that doesn’t get a laugh, do you know what I mean? So I thought I’d just shut up for that bit! But I feel like I served some good lines during the critiques and stuff, so I was happy with that.

As a fan of the show for many years, did appearing as a guest judge change your perception of it in any way? If anything it made me love it even more. I was especially happy that my first appearance on it was for the UK one. If I’m totally honest, before I turned up I was thinking ‘I dunno how they’re going to make the UK one not feel less…’ But actually when I got there I was pleasantly surprised. After watching it as well, I feel like the UK was the best one for me. I loved the British humour and how they didn’t Americanise it too much. I loved seeing all the behind-the-scenes of the show. The studio is absolutely freezing so that none of the queens’ make-up melted! I was sitting with a hot water bottle on my lap under the desk.

The British queens really pulled through and I’m now really excited for the second season of the UK version. Absolutely, and now everyone has seen how amazing it is, even more queens are going to want to do it.

Little Mix’s new single Break Up Song is available to stream now.

[shawn-does-stuff]

Shawn Mendes: ‘I’m 20. I want to have fun’

by Michael Cragg

Shawn Mendes is the red-hot poster boy of pop. His videos have been viewed 6bn times and he has more than 42m followers on Instagram. But don’t worry if you haven’t heard of him… just ask a teenager

Shawn Mendes is standing in his underpants in a suite on the fifth floor of a London hotel as a 200-strong crowd of screaming teenage girls gathers outside. “Everyone who doesn’t need to be in the room, leave the room,” he says politely but firmly, in a soft Canadian drawl. Pop’s current poster boy should be used to causing a stir. His #MyCalvins campaign (following in the footsteps of Justin Bieber in 2016) broke the internet earlier this year, inching the 20-year-old teen phenomenon – three US chart-topping albums, 30m monthly listeners on Spotify, more than 6bn video views – closer to tabloid supremacy and global domination.

At the Brit Awards that night, Mendes will cringe as presenter Jack Whitehall ribs him about “suspicious packages”, so it’s curious to hear him describe the Calvin Klein opportunity – and the subsequent results pored over by his 42m Instagram followers – as “a goal of mine at the top of 2018. As much as it’s a stepping stone for me to play a stadium, it’s a huge moment for me to step in front of a camera and take my shirt off. I don’t see one being less meaningful than the other.”

The air is thick with earnestness as we sit down for lunch in the hotel restaurant. I blurt out a question about whether he had to wear extra padding. “No,” he says, eyebrow raised. “They’re really good underwear.” Did they send you some free ones? “Yeah, I have boxes of them at home.” He lifts up the bottom edge of his T-shirt and pulls at the waistband of his underwear before quickly pulling his shirt back down. You’re not wearing them today are you? “Not right now,” he says sheepishly. “I should be.”

Mendes’s boy-next-door appeal and laser-guided ambition feels rather wholesome, with his sensitive, heart-on-sleeve pop-rock bops such as 2015’s UK chart-topper Stitches, positioning him as perfect boyfriend material in pop’s all important fantasy world. If Bieber is the unknowable loose cannon, then Mendes is pop’s picture-perfect head boy. But it’s clear that exposing himself so literally has its downside. “The last 48 hours have been so consuming, just reading what people are saying about me [on social media],” he sighs. Do you have to read it? “No, but there’s something about being human that makes you. I’m scared of social media and how much it affects me,” he continues. “It’s literally become infused with who I am.”

Last October he apologised to his 21m Twitter followers, claiming he was worried that what he was posting wasn’t meaningful enough. “For the first time I realised how many people are listening,” he says. He now monitors how often he goes online and tries to take regular breaks, using meditation to relax. “I don’t think of myself as conceited, but I definitely spend a lot of time reading about myself,” he says.

Mendes famously has three daily rules – going to the gym, two vocal lessons and never saying no to a selfie with a fan. He’s managed the first two so far and “took about 200 selfies yesterday”. Despite this, his rise has chimed with a shift in the upper echelons of pop – its recent exponents being anti-pop stars Adele, Ed Sheeran and (with her goofy dancing style and eternal quest for relatability) Taylor Swift, who’s now a friend. Even One Direction – whose blend of teen-orientated, guitar-led pop paved the way for Mendes – always felt like they were trying to play down the pop star element.

“The more open the world is getting, the more people are craving real,” he says. “I don’t think people want to see a made-up person. [In the past] there’s been a lot of dressing up, and I still think that stuff is amazing – like I’ll wear a sleeveless top – but at the end of it, when it comes down to you, I think it’s about being authentic.” For all this talk of authenticity and being like everyone else, I tell him, you’re also a pop star begging people to look at you. Do you have to believe your own hype? “Of course,” he says, his eyes darting over my shoulder to the mirrored wall behind. “You have to. If you wake up every day and say, ‘I’m OK,’ you’re going to just be that. If you wake up everyday and look at yourself in the mirror and say, ‘I’m great, let’s go sell out that stadium,’ then you will.”

You could say he’s been in motivational training for a while now, having started out as a 14-year-old YouTube star, uploading acoustic covers of songs (Bieber, among others), before switching to the now defunct social media platform Vine. He taught himself to play the guitar via YouTube tutorials at home in the small town of Pickering, Ontario, while one of his first public performances was in a plaza in Portugal where his family – mum Karen, a British estate agent, dad Manny, a Portuguese businessman, and younger sister Aaliyah – were holidaying. While his parents were shopping, Mendes hopped up next to a statue and belted out a Bruno Mars song. “I was sweating and I thought, ‘Dude, if you want to be a singer, you’ve got to at least be able to stand on this statue and sing,’” he says of that moment.

Where was that pressure coming from? “It was from myself, which is pretty much a big statement on my personality at 14 years old.”

While he says he loved school, his early fame – after signing to Island Records his debut single, Life of the Party, was released when he was just 15 – meant he was bullied. “People were cruel at first,” he says, clearing his throat and fiddling with the rim of a cup of green tea. “They just thought it was so stupid.” He’d skip school every Friday to attend influencer events in which social media stars met fans who already assumed they were friends. “I was taking 1,500 selfies a night,” he laughs. “You quickly learn that what you love to do is a job, but I don’t resent what I do. I don’t hate taking selfies.”

Success was rapid, with his third single Stitches breaking the US top five and peaking at number one in the UK. That same year he supported Swift on her 1989 stadium tour. How did he cope? “This life is more real to me than anything,” he says. “If I were to walk down the street and no one recognised me, I’d feel something was wrong. When I was really young [fame] morphed who I was. If it was to become normal, it would feel un-normal to me.”

From the outside, I say, the other recent pop artists who can relate to that are Britney Spears or Bieber, people who have had issues with growing up in the spotlight. “A couple of times I’ve worried about that, too, but outside of all this I live a really normal life,” he says slowly. “You have to make an effort to carry your own bags, drive your own car and not be afraid of the public. I don’t blame people at all who stay inside. I understand how it could be terrifying to go to a restaurant and eat because you’re scared someone’s going to take a photo of you.”

Is that more intrusive than a selfie? “I’ve been so lucky that fans have been taking photos of me eating since I was 15, so I’m a little bit numb to it,” he says, his tone rarely deviating from preternaturally calm. There’s probably an Instagram account called Shawn Mendes Eating, I joke (I check later and while there’s no account, there is a hashtag to follow). Can it feel as if he’s being watched? “I’m inherently [aware of] that all the time.” If it ever gets too much, he leaves rather than making a scene. Are you a people-pleaser, I ask? “Yeah, is that bad?” he smiles. “It can lead to failure, but if I fail trying to please everyone, then that’s OK.”

Mendes spends a lot of time contemplating people’s perceptions of him. Last year he publicly criticised a Rolling Stone cover story, expressing his regret that “the positive side of a story doesn’t always get fully told”. I assume it’s because the piece mentioned his penchant for smoking weed, a detail that had upset some fans. “That didn’t bother me,” he smiles. “Actually, I was happy about that because maybe it’s OK for them to understand that weed’s not a big deal.” He says he hasn’t smoked in three months.

Another part of the story focused on rumours about his sexuality. “For me it’s hurtful,” he says. “I get mad when people assume things about me because I imagine the people who don’t have the support system I have and how that must affect them.” (In late 2017 he posted an emotional Snapchat story: “First of all, I’m not gay. Second of all, it shouldn’t make a difference if I was or wasn’t.”) He sighs and says: “That was why I was so angry, and you can see I still get riled up, because I don’t think people understand that when you come at me about something that’s stupid you hurt so many other people. They might not be speaking, but they’re listening.”

He says the reason he criticised the article was over a small detail in which he mentioned Dua Lipa and her boyfriend, and how amazing it looked to be in love. “It made me seem so creepy,” he says. “If anything, the article made me realise your career isn’t over if people think you’re not perfect.” You could see how the creepy singleton tag might irk him, and also why it might stick – a lot of Mendes’s biggest singles play on the idea of him as the emotionally needy bloke who gets messed around and comes back for more.

Are you bored of being The Nice Guy? He splutters, clears his throat and sits bolt upright. “Yeah, I am! It sounds so stupid – to be a nice person is the best thing in the world – but, yeah, I’m 20 and I just want to have fun. What I don’t want to do is live the rest of my life thinking, ‘I wouldn’t do that because I’m known as Prince Charming.’ The second that someone corners you into a personality, you don’t want to be that person any more.”

Two weeks later, Mendes is onstage in Amsterdam. In keeping with the floral artwork for his recent self-titled album, a 50ft rose snakes up to the ceiling from the so-called B-stage where he’ll later serenade the throngs of teenage fans and nodding dads with a handful of ballads. Replica light-up roses (€20 a pop at the merch stand) bob about in the dark as Mendes runs through a hugely entertaining, PG-13 simulacrum of a rock show to ear-bleeding screams (“God I’m so old,” a woman sitting behind me yells as she surveys the crowd).

Keen to further align himself with the pantheon of rock’s smiliest exponents, tonight Mendes segues from a cover of Coldplay’s big-hearted anthem Fix You into his own, the Kings of Leon-esque In My Blood, a song that surprised fans by touching on depression. Tonight it’s transformed – with the help of a ticker tape explosion – into something close to catharsis.

“There’s nothing like being on stage – you feel like Superman!” he’d said earlier, claiming it to be better than sex or any high. “My goal now is to enjoy what I do more and more because otherwise it doesn’t fucking matter. I used to think it was all about the crowd, but I have to be happy within myself.” As he takes his millionth selfie, his face radiating pure elation, you believe he might be.

Shawn Mendes plays London O2 on 16, 17 and 19 April

Fashion editor Helen Seamons; grooming by Anna Thompson using Bobbi Brown and Monat; lighting by Michael Furlonger and Tilly Pearson; digital operator John Munro; fashion assistant Penny Chan; shot at 12th Knot, seacontainerslondon.com

[puppeteerdion]

Relationship, in my POV

To be honest, it has never been easy for me to find someone that is worth to get my heart broken over. Like i know, relationship is so damn good in unexplainable ways but it isn’t supposed to be all rainbows and butterflies either.

It makes your heart’s palpitation out of rhythm for a while, for a moment it almost feels like your heart is not yours anymore except — in a VERY good way. AN INSANE ELECTRIC SHOCK THAT RISEN YOUR DOPAMINE LEVEL KINDA WAY if you know what i mean.

Ahhh the feeling of being in love. It’s amazing. Because you feel wanted and needed like never before. You actually are looking forward to hear about their day and to share everything with them like they’re your bestfriend and MORE. You feel like you’re being heard instead of being judged.

You look forward to meet him just to see the smile carved on his face because you know that the feelings are mutual ; he is looking forward to see you too.

You feel safe, like you could do anything with them without feeling insecure or threatened. And for the most part, you wanna do anything and everything with them. It’s like you two come in a package, a pair.

But, is it really love or just pure attraction that is so intense you can’t even brain you’ll ever attracted to someone like that?

Because at first, everyone wants to show their good side to impress another. What happens when the true colours unveil over time? Would you fight or flight?

Figuring out what you feel...sucks. Is it attraction? Is it love? Is it lust? Is it just mere infatuation? Or we’re just scared to be lonely (Dua Lipa, 2017) that we tricked ourselves into thinking that we’re in love?

Most of the time we think we’re in love when in fact it is just an infatuation over someone that is temporary. Confusing right? I know!

But wait, you know what sucks more than figuring out your own feeling?

Figuring out whether the other person holds the same feeling or not. FUCKING HARD RIGHT?! Tell me bout it.

Okay, when they said shoot your shot, how many shots are there? What’s the range like? What’s the possibility of getting it in anyway? There’s too many variables that we need to consider before even shooting right? Like how do you know it’s even worth to SHOOT?

What’s even worst? You’re not born with astounding personality nor dazzling look nor fame. You’re just...mediocre. Or at least you thought you are. Okay you know deep down you’re amazing in your own way it’s just people can’t seem to notice all these traits cus they want it to be super physical and superficial - at least at first. You wonder who is real and authentic anymore these days?

Like you have to look like a certain type of way, dress certain types of clothes, own a piece of paper to prove you have credentials that you don’t even have passion in — for what? To impress those people that aren’t giving you the benefit of the doubt to prove yourself that you are more than just a piece of paper that you really couldn’t care less because you know you want to do something else in life?

But are they wrong to filter who they wanna spend their time with? Not really. We do that all the time too. We choose the people we wanna hang out with because we think we deserve or belong to be in certain group of people that resonates at the same wavelength or as millennials would say ; we vibe.

In fact, we’ve been searching for that one person for the longest time ever. Trying to find the perfect match OR should I say the soulmate we are longing for?

What if the definition of soulmate is also one sided? You might think that person is yours but does he or she think you are his/hers? Tricky huh?

I once dated a guy who said “divorce is also a choice for me because my happily ever after dream was shattered when my parents’ marriage was a huge failure”.

Does a marriage confirm that you’ve found your soulmate. Well, yes and no? In my opinion it could be both. Marriage ends when one party or both stop trying to make things work. YES, if you keep your focus in BEING a better partner and NO if your focus is to FIND a better partner.

You might resonate with other people better after knowing your supposedly soulmate quite some time and you might actually think that the other person is your soulmate and what you have is not. Thing is, there’s no guarantee your idea of soulmate won’t change in the future because we are humans. We change depending on what we want and need over time. We gotta make do with what we have! Unless they’re toxic for you in so many ways. Let’s save it for another day, another chapter & another story.

So how do we stay in love with our partner? Both have to put work in it. It’s a two way street. But what’s the essence of a perfect marriage? It’s complex and not fixated on one recipe. It varies depending on one’s personality and wants.

AND THAT MY FRIEND, is why it’s hard for me to be in a relationship. Fear. Fear of failing in love. Because I know for a fact that when I’m in love, I would give my all and that’s not healthy. When you give your all without leaving nothing to yourself, you’re not only hurting yourself but you hurt other people too by being empty and lost because you lose yourself completely in that person until you no longer know yourself anymore. Your focus, priorities and goals shifted in a blink of an eye, to accomodate their needs instead of yours.

Not to mention you had just given that person the POWER to affect your life. Their slightest change of tone could affect your mood all day long. You have vested the power to them ; the power to make or break you.

I am not in the position where I think I am ready to be getting my heart broken over some guy that is not worth my time and effort because I have to focus on me. I have a lot to be focusing on right now. Self growth.

Truth to be told, we all are a little bit broken. I wanna fix mine before trying to mend another broken soul. We can’t help other people when we’re dying (inside) right? Remember that “you gotta put your mask on before putting on others” in case of a flightmergency? And for that, I choose myself.

I need to love myself first before trying to love another.

[loyolahcmass]

Homily on Scared to Be Lonely by Martin Garrix and Dua Lipa

Here is the preview of Fr. Rossi’s homily about the song Scared to Be Lonely by Martin Garrix and Dua Lipa:

Scared to Be Lonely Homily “Is it just our bodies? Are we both losing our minds? Is the only reason you're holding me tonight 'Cause we're scared to be lonely?” In the Martin Garrix pop song “Scared to Be Lonely,” a relationship seems to be falling apart. Dua Lipa, the vocalist, wonders if the couple are only staying together because they're afraid of being on their own. That’s a thorny question for any pop song to ask. __________ Sincerity is critical for most people when they describe what makes music good. Something about your favorite records feels ‘real’ and ‘genuine’.  You believe that the sentiment in the lyrics is an ‘authentic’ expression of the singer’s personal, emotional experience.  __________ You value this because you want the power of the song to come from something real.  You want to feel like someone else experiences life in the way you do. And that they’ve put your mutual experiences into music that sounds beautiful. __________ Martin Garrix and Dua Lipa have collaborated to make a truly great ‘pop’ record with “Scared to Be Lonely.”  I think it’s one of the best of the last few years.  To get why it is a great pop record, we need to understand why so many people don’t take pop music seriously. ___________ Pop music is the music that makes the most people in the world feel good at any time. But the genre has always been criticized for being ‘soulless’ and ‘empty’.  Often, listeners don’t believe that the message is sincere. __________ Nobody’s going to say that about “Scared to Be Lonely”. When Claire and Gabriella played it for me the first time, Dua Lipa's sincerity made me focus right away. And when Lipa launched into that howling crescendo hook, we looked at each other and said, “Oh, yeah! We’ve got to do this song at the Hopkins Mass.” __________ We all hear a lot of okay, but forgettable, pop songs.  This one hit me differently. But, why? The lyrics are beautiful, but fairly generic.  Garrix’s production is great, but not wildly better than many tracks that have come out recently. It has a formulaic lyric structure and content that is accessible to anyone. Great! It’s a pop song, so its music video has to get hundreds of millions of views. And, it has to be played in the clubs. __________ But, it was Lipa’s vocal that hooked me.  Her voice sounds genuinely tortured.  It had angst in it, and frustration and regret. All the moods she should be feeling, IF she’s really experiencing this trauma. __________  I felt she was really going through that sense of futility. That maybe she and her lover’s romance was only important because they were both scared to be lonely.  She sounds to me like she's suffering.  __________ Six writers put the lyrics together.  Lipa is not given songwriting credit.  Yet, the way she embodies the emotions in the words rises above the fact that she did not create the whole song.  __________ Sometimes an actor plays a part so well that you forget that he or she is only acting.  Singing is the same.  You want to believe that the character the vocalist creates in the song is real.  __________ Sometimes singers are like method actors.  Method acting finds the character and the situation in their own experiences. I believe Lipa is doing that. She’s channeling the relationship-heartbreak that is described in “Scared to Be Lonely.”  __________ Most of the best songs are not written by the artists who sing them.  But all the best songs make you feel like the vocalist is experiencing the meaning the way you are.  Very few pop songs take you to a personal-emotional edge. The greatest pop songs do though.  They feel real, and so you feel more of your reality when you listen to them.  __________ Dua Lipa does that for me, and I believe, many others on “Scared to Be Lonely.”  I don’t think we’ve heard another pop song in the last few years that does that as completely. And hers is the kind of performance that makes us want to re-evaluate our own lives and our own relationships. __________ It’s easy to say, “reevaluate your relationships,” but hard to do. Where do we get the strength and courage to examine our relationships in a meaningful way? And, Jesus said, “Do not be afraid.” __________ Remember the Gospel situation in which he made that statement? He’s telling the apostles to risk everything, take a chance and follow him. To give up their occupations—their livelihood—and go with him. __________ Jesus promises them only one thing. That he’ll be there with them in good times and bad. That sounds like a pretty close relationship to me. __________ As believers we have something in common with those first followers of Jesus: we’re committed to living a meaningful life with meaningful relationships. And in this, Jesus promises to be with us no matter what happens. Making Christ a part of our lives, and especially a part of our relationships, is what it means to be a Christian. And it certainly ensures one thing: we’re not going to stay in those relationships for the wrong reasons.

[surahdua786]

Dua for Good Life Partner and Spouse in Islam

Dua for good life partner is very practical because it helps you to meet your soulmate. Moreover reading this dua can pave the way for you to find a good husband/wife in future. That’s why we are going to introduce some duas for good life partner here, in Duajoo. The dua for good life partner are dua to meet your soulmate, dua for future wife, dua for future husband, and an authentic dua for marriage.

Surahs and wazifas for good life partner to meet your soulmate

· First, perform wudu.

· Next, recite two raka’ts Nafil prayer.

· Then, read Durood Shareef 5 times.

· After that, read Surah Fatiha 55 times.

· Again, recite Durood e Shareef 5 times.

· Finally, pray to Almighty Allah and ask Him to accept your dua.

· Perform this wazifa for 21 days.

· Inshallah, you will meet your soulmate.

Then most of the time, you will not get a good life partner without facing any hardship and trouble. If you fall in love with someone or a special one and your love for him/her is genuine. But here, that someone doesn’t know about your feelings and your love is one-sided. You don’t know anything about him or her, and you thought that can I propose to him/her? And what will happen if we will tell you the dua for getting good life partner?

Dua for Getting a Good Spouse

Everyone wants a good spouse because if you are a good partner, then a partner makes your life like a Jannat. If you love someone blindly and truly and you think he or she is the one who deserves me. Then go and marry that person if your love is true for himself or herself. Let us suppose that you got married to that person whom you loved so much. And you think the peace and happiness between you and your partner will always stay.

But if you think it’s not easy for you then brothers and sisters, don’t worry. Because I have the strongest and most powerful Islamic dua for getting a good spouse. It does not only help when you are single, but it also helps when you both get married. This dua will resolve all your issues related to marriage in your life. Because we all know that, dua is the most powerful and strongest way or a method to solve one-sided love problem.

Here is the dua for getting good spouse:

· Firstly, you have to take a shower and then pray 5 times namaz or we can say that SALAH in a day.

· Before making this dua, it depends on yourself when will you perform this dua for getting a good spouse.

· Choose one time, and after praying the Namaz, now you have to offer the two Rakat Nafal while making a dua.

· It is best if you will do this in Tahajjud time.

· If you finished the two Rakat Nafal, then recite the Darood Shareef 9 times continuously.

· After doing this, now recite the Surah Fatiha for 51 times continuously.

· And then recite this Dua:

“Inn Allaah Yusmiiuu Manyashhaauu” 41 times continuously.

· And then again recite the Darood Sharif 9 times.

· Before doing all these things, you have to concentrate on your love.

· In Sha Allah, the Almighty ALLAH will show his mercy on you.

This strong and powerful dua will work well In Sha Allah if you truly love your loved one.

Dua for Getting a Good Wife

Almost every boy or a man wants to marry a good girl and get a good wife. Islamic dua for getting good wife is for those people who want to get married to a good girl. His feeling for that girl or a lady is genuine and real. Islamic dua for getting good wife highlights the solid impression on account of someone’s heart. If you want to get a good wife, then you will easily apply this specific Islamic dua.

After that, you will get a good wife In Sha Allah. This dua in Islam will solve any type of married issue. These issues are maybe family issues, exchange issues, youngster’s issues, money issues, and so on.

Here is the dua for getting a good wife:

“Laaqadd Jaa akuumm Raasullumminn Aann Fusiikumm azizuunm

Aalaihee Maa Aanettumm Hareesunn Alaikumm Billmuu Mininaa

Rauufar Raahimunn”

· You have to recite this Islamic dua after every Namaz.

· Also remember this, before reciting this Dua for getting good life partner, offer all the Namaz I,e 5 times in a day.

Website @ Surah Dua

[islamicspecialistforloveback]

Wazifa To Make Someone To Do Something You Want

Today we will talk about wazifa to make someone to do something is one of the best wazifa to perform for such a hajat. This wazifa can be used to make someone agree with you. Being able to persuade a person to do something for you is one very beneficial thing. To begin with, it can help you in your career, business, and love. In addition, this Wazifa To Make Someone Do Something You Want can…

[onestowatch]

Mimoza Opens up About Her Songwriting Collaboration on “Kings & Queens,” Her Life Growing up, and New Single [Q&A]

Commanding pop artist Mimoza is recognized by her fiery, fervent offerings. Co-writer on the chart-topping single “Kings & Queens” by Ava Max, she is known for her inspiring anthems and this one is no different. Spending years writing for other artists, she has now taken time to focus on her own music. With her emotive debut single “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” her heartfelt hit “Love for Days” and newest release “Young Queen,” she has proven that she is a fierce force in the pop scene.

The multi-faceted singer’s cinematic songs shine with a vast vibrancy and alluring warmth. Her strong self-assurance and impeccable poise make for elevated releases that soar to success. Showcasing a rich vocal tone and honest lyricism, you cannot help but be hooked by her bold bangers. Each one of Mimoza's dynamic tunes takes you down a deep soul-stirring journey.

Born in Kosovo, Mimoza and her family fled the war-torn country, seeking refuge in Sweden. Spending much of her teenage years in Germany, she developed a deep love for songwriting. Influenced by musical greats like Dua Lipa and Rita Ora, Mimoza admires the Albanian pop talents of today, aiming to be next in line. We interviewed the stunning singer and discussed the colossal single “Kings & Queens,” developing her pop sound and more.

Ones to Watch: First off, Ava Max’s mega-hit “Kings & Queens” reached No. 1 on U.S. Pop iTunes, #1 on the Billboard Adult Pop Charts and went platinum in 12 different countries. How were you able to become a part of the writing team for the single and what was that experience like?

Mimoza: I actually wrote that song in 2015. I never would've thought that 5 years later someone would take it. I'm so happy she did, as I always believed in that song. The Chorus always stood out to me. I'm not just proud of the fact that it did incredibly well, but the fact that I wrote for another Albanian artist is what makes me so proud.

In addition to writing for other artists, your solo music includes the passionate pop anthem “Love for Days” and the empowering “Young Queen.” How did you develop such a powerful pop sound?

I took my time developing my sound. It was super important to me that it's authentic & honest. I always write songs that come from real life experiences. I put so much passion & heart into my music. Both songs are unapologetically honest. “Love for Days” was my hopeful romantic love song & Young Queen is my love letter to Kosovo, my mother & myself.

Talking about “Young Queen,” the track is a tribute to your mom and all the mothers who raised their daughters to see themselves as young queens. In what ways did your mother teach you this mindset and how has it helped you throughout your life?

I was raised by a strong mother who had incredible values. Everything I am is because of her. How I carry myself, how I walk through life with my head held high... - it's all from her. It's a big blessing to come from humble beginnings. It makes you work harder & appreciate everything so much more. My mom taught me to remember that on good & bad days.

The release is also an ode to your home country of Kosovo. Can you explain more about what life was like growing up there and also your move to Sweden?

I was born in Kosovo but raised in Sweden since my parents were refugees from Kosovo. They wanted to make sure they gave me & my siblings a better future, that's why I grew up in Sweden. I had the most amazing childhood growing up in Sweden. But at home we always spoke Albanian & my mom would also cook Albanian food 90% of the time! I grew up with two different cultures at the same time.

On “Young Queen,” your soulful vocals pair perfectly with the song’s explosive percussion. How was the tune concocted sonically?

I had the concept & the title. And I knew I wanted to have a song that reminds me to not drop my crown. And that's how “Young Queen” was written.

You have worked with notable producers such as Redone (Lady Gaga, J.LO, Jason Derulo) and Shea Taylor (Beyoncé). What have you learned from collaborating with such prominent players in the industry?

Both are incredibly talented and really humble people. They've both always treated me with so much kindness & respect. And I'll always have that for them. I've learned that the kindest people in the industry are the most successful ones.

At just 17, you showcased your flair for writing on a record that went No. 1 in Japan ("One in A Million" by Yamashita Tomohisha) and penned the Spanish hit "Who's Loving You" by Auryn ft Anastacia.  What advice do you have for other young songwriters just starting their career?

My advice would be to live by your own rules & always trust your gut feeling.

You have achieved a lot as a pop artist, but have you ever tried experimenting with other genres?

Thank you, that's very nice. But I feel like I'm just getting started.

Lastly, what can we expect going forward from Mimoza?

You can expect more unapologetically honest records that hopefully will be played years from now. I really care about my songs being timeless and hitting different.

[wellthatwasaletdown]

At the start of Harold’s debut promo, my sister said that we’re over paying for what we’re getting. That we’re being ripped off. And I fought her on that, and told her to a certain extent, she’s right. But, I argued that it’s who Harry is, and we know that and we still love and support him, blah, blah, blah. However, after seeing his promo and then the small venue tour, I started to see what my sister meant. I don’t know what Harry’s doing or what’s his endgame, but I don’t like supporting robots, or cookie cuter popstars, fucking give me authenticity. I’m not saying tell my your life’s story and constantly update me on your everyday life, but do more than just have your fans so fucking starved and depraved that a grainy ass photo from three months ago has us losing our shit. I expected more, his music played into every rumor about him. That three month relationship with Taylor, seems to still haunt his music, and Two Ghosts just basically provided the gp with new material to dig up that fetal relationship. And then all the sexed up songs, that play into that Lothario image he claims isn’t true. Sure honey, cause kiwi, only angel, and woman tell me otherwise. And his most deeply written songs, barely get any attention. Harry is doing what Liam is doing, and that’s trying to be the perfect popstar. Liam makes the music that will play at the clubs (and there’s nothing wrong with that I respect Liam’s solo career and what he’s doing), he’s doing the gimmicky interviews and answering the questions that have nothing to do with his music. Harry leaves his answers open ended so that he remains in conversations, so that people will continue to wonder, “is this song about taylor…?” I don’t know the true nature of their relationship, no one knows. But for him to continue to use that relationship even to this day (what almost five years later?) makes me wonder if he’s trying to guard his real self, or if there is a “real” harry, does he have anything “real” to say. I didn’t expect this to go as long as it did, I wanted to make that one point. I’m not saying I’m an “ex-harrie.” But, I am at that point where I want to see less and less of him. It really sucks when you really admire someone and they let you down. And I was willing to keep going until the BLM flag incident. I don’t know how the fandom really reacted after that, I know there were some fans who were really upset about it, but I left, because I was hurt and disappointed. If we can callout and drag Taylor and Selena and Dua and all the other female artists for little things, why not Harry? We cancel those girls like no tomorrow, but when Harry does something, it’s, “we bring it to his attention and help him understand what he did,” or any other blah blah bullshit. And don’t get me started on the bullshit reasons to attack and harass Zayn. Maybe Harry needs to step back and figure out who he is, and what he really wants to say. Because Harry Styles felt like a rushed album to capitalize off the 1D fandom before he tried to cut ties. It was rushed, and it wasn’t well thought out, and it was just a fandboy mimicking his legends. I really think, Harry should have taken more time to discover himself, maybe go through some more life experiences before writing this album, because it felt so empty. I’m not going to compare him to the other boys, because I hate it when critics and fans do it. I just hope Harry doesn’t think he can build a career on empty emotions and that image of the young man looking for his next cougar. I need Harry to be real, I guess is all I was trying to say. And I digress.

[back-to-louis]

theres a problem i see in the "anti fandom" that many anties, bc they are fans of 1d and love the band, put all the problems in the fandom in the larries, when they were in many ways encouraged to behave like this by the band itself, being queerbaited, which is very not ok. antis have a logical way of thinking but sometimes they have trouble being critical towards the band itself and not only the fandom

No. No "fandom," "larries," whomever, were NOT encouraged by the band to act like -- what? Like sending hate to family members and friends and peripheral contacts because the band isn't performing their careers the way we wanted them to?

Disregarding the words that come out of their mouths? Their denials of Larry? Them saying they had girlfriends, or children? Them saying that they were on hiatus and didn't know when they would come back together? Disregarding who their teams and reps are after they've been announced? Failing to trust the experience and competence of said teams based on .... [footage not found]?

What part of 1D encouraged fandom to do that? (it was the larries, who needed to attack the reality of every situation, dressed it up as business concern and lgbt activism, then peddled their ideas as being separate from larrie to greater fandom)

I also disagree that 1D queerbaited anyone. They acted like young men frequently do around one another (and how several of them STILL ACT around OTHER MEN). And they said they were not in relationships with one another. So frankly, the right response is, even if one thinks, hmmm, something might be hinky here, is to respect that they are not ready to talk about the nature of such a relationship if it exists. Instead, larries decided that they were being winked at and nudged and that it was their duty to uncover the conspiracy that was being forced upon their idols from the outside.

1D didn't do any of that to fandom. Fannish cynicism, tinhatting, conspiracy theorizing - some of that comes outside of larrie, but a large amount of it is fueled by larrie.

Now, was the band itself hugely successful in large part due to the illusion of their availability, their authenticity as portrayed on social media and through their banter and interactions? OHHHH YEAHHHHHH OF COURSE. And recognizing that that stuff is marketing and branding and that you're being sold a product is FINE, you don't have to HATE it. Do you like the product? Then congrats, it's fucking working, they did their job, buy and stream Just Hold On and request it from your local radio station!

It doesn't make 1D frauds or evil or whatever. We can be grownups about capitalism here. But I'm always going to roll my eyes at the idea that like, ugh, 1D made me believe they were all BFFs and then they had a falling out with Zayn so I wish I hadn't spent all that money on my front row TMH LA tickets. Nah, man. I got the show I paid for, and it included Zayn. I can be sad about the (rapidly repairing) distance between Zouis AND still fully respect what they had AND understand that some of it was performative. My sads aren't their responsibility, though.

Fandom's sads about FANDOM'S own dashed hopes about an imminent 1D reunion aren't 1D's responsibility. FANDOM'S sads about someone they really desperately wanted to be a gold star gay with another member of the band having a child with someone else are not HIS responsibility.

Now the comfort we have as a fandom with invasive social media monitoring, the pervasiveness of stalker/update accounts, the fact that everyone's baby sister's babysitter's classmate's social media is tracked for likes and follows, THAT is a greater problem within fandom, and I want to say that it too originates with Larries needing to find some peripheral person who might let slip something that proves Larry is real, but I do think it's bigger than that. Or that maybe it started with that but the rest of fandom is too comfortable just being like "yeah so and so followed Dua Lipa so maybe something's happening" when so-and-so is forty people removed from anyone in 1D.

But the full counterpoint to your argument about criticism is that larries NEVER EVER turn to look inward and change their behavior. They bleat about how much power they have and then jettison it as soon as anyone comes to them asking them to take responsibility when something falls out. They're the FIRST to say that if THEY believe something that THEY made up by playing 16 degrees of One Direction, that it was ONE DIRECTION'S fault for ENCOURAGING them to do that, when the encouragement came from a made up erotomania sign in the first place.

If you want to point out any examples of how 1D encouraged these outrageous bits of info, feel free, but I'm gonna lay down right here that just because Louis said fans figured out that he and Steve were collaborating because of their follows, it doesn't mean that he ALSO intends for them to discover that Briana's stylist had a baby boy who was standing in for his son in photographs via instagram likes.

[islamictantramantra]

Islamic Muslim Astrologer Abdul Rahman – Islamic Dua

In different religions astrology plays differently, basically, it’s the art of predicting the future events that take place in someone’s life in the coming scenario. Through astrology one is able to predict what all the planetary movements are all about through the birth chart of the person. Sometimes with the help of expert astrologers, one can easily detect what kind of actual problem is there that can affect a person’s life. Our Maulanaji Abdul Rahman is one of the Best Muslim Astrologer who can help in providing the best solutions to you that can give you stronger results for any kind of issues you are facing.

NO. 1 Muslim astrologer. Often we have seen that how due to fake astrologers a person tends to fall for deceit and can get no proper solutions. Many times people have to face the scam that can take you to the money-losing end. However, the belief system of our maulana Ji is such that one should not do any wrong and therefore he is often considered as one no 1 Muslim astrologer. There is widespread use of astrology that can take you to the effects that will bring great solutions. Sometimes the planetary movements can impact the astrologer which will make them have the real charm and can give you a certain amount of solutions. With the help of God one can get protected however through the right process only one can get the actual solution to the planetary problems. The only concern that can make the people problem is that through not making the actual concern with the help of greatness. People often tend to look after the Muslim astrologer nearby me that can make sure that you enjoy the real way of having a great answer and can take you to the next level of happiness. One of the most proficient people at work that one has to work out is that you are able to make what your astrology can take you to the real level of happiness. He is one of the most powerful Muslim Astrologers who can help you get the sciences and can get all your problems resolved with the black magic that can make all your negatives converted into positive ones so that you can make your problems to be resolved in the perfect segment. If your family or you are facing the issues with the black magic related things then our maulana Ji  Abdul Rehman is the perfect person as he knows great knowledge in  Islamic Astrology.

Muslim astrologer in India. Often you will see a lot of astrologers who can make sure as the esteemed expert and can bring perfect solutions in your relationships such that you will no longer have to suffer in such a way that can take you to the real bliss. If you are able to get connected with the help of love marriage and can help to take you to the way such that you can cure your life without much trouble and can give yourself a real solution. Not only this our astrologer can make all your disappointments converted into positive ones so that you face no troubles in life. He is the perfect Muslim astrologer in India. There are a lot of times when through the help of guruji you are able to ensure a perfect solution for yourself. The astrological science will bring a lot of helping solutions that can make sure that you have powerful solutions and can make you have a famous answer for the requirement. Not only the Islamic astrology related solutions you are able to get but can also get the solutions for things like astrology in Shia Islam. Any kind of problem can be rectified through the process of Vashikaran. Owing to the fame and happiness that a person can get our astrologer to get the visits from people from all across the world to avail of the astrological services. Known as the best Muslim astrologer in Hyderabad he is also the perfect person if you are trying to look out for great solutions and can make them feel blessed for various cities. He tries to present solutions for getting answers that can make you have the real kind of answers. The best thing about our astrologer is that he first check out on the core problem and then work on giving out the real solutions that will bring the great answer and can make you lead the solution such that if you are looking to get a perfect desire and can grow in the better life for the problems in a current manner. The kind of assistance that one can make sure is through the help of the astrologer.  In the most genuine manner, you can ensure that all solutions are provided in terms of astronomy in Islam.  A lot of problems of people have been resolved through the help of our astrologer who will ensure that you get the perfect solution and can bring the perfect bliss to your life that can give you the amazing results and can create a lot of happiness in your life. What problems generally people face are that they have no perfect solution which can create a lot of trouble in their ongoing lives such that one can be fully proud to help and can give the solution that you are able to ensure and can give in the perfect manner which will lead to answers and solutions to provide yourself in a great manner. What will make you get the benefit is through the help of making sure that a genuine person is helping to solve all the queries that can take you to enhance with the procedure that can make sure what exactly you are trying to get and can make you have the bliss of the moment such that all you can try out is to provide yourself a solution that can bring some kind of relief in yourself. Muslim astrology in Quran

With so many years of experience, he can give you a solution as per the astrology in Quran and can easily get guidance with the help of the things which can easily take you to the core problem solving on marriage or further related issues that can make you get the great benefits and will easily be able to resolve things which will make sure that all the solutions you are trying to get are achieved through the help of the bliss that can safeguard each problem and can provide you with great benefits thus building the actual problem-solving scenario to make yourself a complete bliss of the lifetime. Islamic astrology for marriage

Especially for love related problems, our Maulanaji Abdul Rehman can also share certain effective Islamic duas that have superb results and can bring you with most abundant results which will actually cause you with the level and can bring you to the most efficient manner that can actually make you have the great way to bring a lot of trouble in life at ease. Another most significant solution with which what is seen and perceived is through the help of people who can ensure to get the solutions with the real way of abundance and to the best of the solutions. You can easily get connected with guruji if you are actually trying to look out for Islamic astrology for marriage as guruji is very approachable all you need to look out is that how you are able to make sure that you connect with Muslim astrologer near me. What can make sure that you are able to get the solutions in the manner that can actually try to make you have a great solution in order to get the idea that can take you for the great achievements which will bring a great answer?

free muslim astrologer You might encounter with a lot of astrologers who will tell you that they provide free services and claim themselves as free Muslim astrologer however there is no guarantee of their services and whether it is authentic or not that can bring a lot of troubles and can take you to the next core of resilience. You will surely fall prey to such people but will not get you any kind of solutions or can make you get a great answer. There are so many things that can make sure that you will get the benefit of the perfect relations and can enhance to the core that can create you with the real worth such that you will find a perfect relationship and can gain the benefit of yourself. If you are facing any kind of trouble to get back to the love of your life then all you can get to yourself is the ways through which you can get the solution in the manner that can provide you with great solutions and can garner great strength and who can be better than Top Islamic Muslim Astrologer. Often there are issues that hamper our life and can bring you to the solution that can give you the real bliss. If you will ask anyone and can make you have the great power that can take you to the next core that can guide you to the great services. Our maulanaji who is the best Muslim astrologer with great answers.

Muslim astrologer in UK Not only in India he is known as best Muslim astrologer in UK too for great amount of services and can actually ensure to provide you with the happiness that can give solutions to people staying overseas and can help get the desired amount of results. For great amount of mantras and the expertise which he is sharing he can also be called as the powerful muslim astrologer for the work. Apart from that online muslim astrologer where you can get the solutions through skype or online consultations you can also book for your appointments for muslim astrology.

Beware of any kind of free Muslim Molvi Astrologer who can indulge you into money laundering without any kind of possible results and can create havoc in your life. Get ready for some amazing solutions with guaranteed results through the best Islamic astrologer which will provide great answers and amazing results. Want to connect with world no 1 Muslim astrologer all you can do is to book your appointment and get all your solutions without worry through best Islamic astrologer near me services.

[gpctoquedequeda]

Are we really who we say we are?

By design, we feel unique within our social networks. Social media makes us feel valuable, different, and unique. But, are we really unique, valuable, and different when so many other users have similar content to ours? Social media helps us create our better self, to create the person we want everyone to see, social platforms work not only for first impressions but to permanently keep the impression we want the world to see. We manipulate our identity, we decide what the world gets to see while keeping part of our real identity hidden. Social networks work to please people and help us fit in, feeling unique and authentic. Then again, how can someone be unique in a platform where thousands of other users think just like you? Even though I know social networks are just a performance of each user, including me, of course, I still feel I sometimes fall in the trap social networks provoke for their users. For me, that trap is when anxiety hits, when women feel the need to keep up with stereotypical standards created by society and reinforced by social media.  I start to feel as if I am not good enough when I see models and get jealous of their thin bodies when my boyfriend likes all of Dua Lipa's pictures, and I become jealous of a famous singer. This is the point in which nothing makes sense; my intelligence gets shattered by likes and by face tune edits. 

How do I react to this? I post a picture where I look good, I edit all my imperfections, and then I post it to boost my self-esteem back up where it belongs. But then again, is it really who I am? Is the person who I say to be in social media really who I am? Well NOOO!!! I just post whatever will make me feel good, I fall in the trap of posting for the "happy accident" and to be like all the other people I follow, to be an active user. There is nothing unique and authentic in that. I am just like all the other users. (Just a quick note, I am pretty awesome and unique and authentic in physical life). 

(That’s one of my few selfies on Instagram and comments of people telling me how beautiful I am. Effects of social media 🤦‍♀️ ) 

Moreover, I know how social media plays with one's head, but what I can't believe is I have let it get to me more than ones. The power it has over a user is extreme, it causes or high gratification or the complete opposite, it make you feel like s***. For this very reason I have detached myself from posting on my private social networks. A few months ago, I would post a picture at least twice a week, but now I haven't posted since late February. This slight detachment has helped me focus on my physical self more than on my online presentation. I still go online often, I like posts, I enjoy the content I see (even if I forget it 10 seconds later), but I have stopped branding myself.

Ok, now let's go back to online dating and social network in general. IT IS ALL ABOUT IMPRESSIONS. It is easy to keep one's performance online; it is easy to manipulate an image or to take forever to answer a message; you have hours to think about your perfect response. Online dating apps are easy to control, the physical self can be altered by technology, you are able to perform and be whomever you want online. Our physical body joins dating apps and social media when it is time to show how we look like, we put our best photos and hope we will match with someone or we will have tons of likes and comments. But what happens when it is time to meet up? Well, we are most likely to be unsatisfied, just like when we order food, and in the picture, it looks amazing, but then we see it, and it is just not the same. Emotions will not get you the perfect guy online or your most liked picture, what will guarantee a match or tons of likes is a provocative image of yourself. Then again, is that type of objectification to sell yourself online really worth it? Does it really make you happy to objectify yourself for users who don't even know you are able to judge you and praise you for someone you are not? Is the online self really the same as the offline self? It is incredible the way social networks of any kind have the ability to psychologically trick us into becoming someone we are not, and most importantly into appreciating things that have no core value, such as likes and constant circulation of memes and sticky content that only serves to avoid millennial boredom. I see millennial boredom as scrolling through social media because their is nothing better to do. I was feeling a bit negative about social media today, so today, you get my darkish perspective on social media's superficiality.

[jessicakehoe]

In Conversation With Dua Lipa, the New Face of YSL Libre

To say Dua Lipa’s star has had a meteoric rise would be an understatement. The 24-year-old London-based singer is one of the most streamed and celebrated artists in recent memory, and this fall she added another point to her career constellation as the ambassador of Yves Saint Laurent Beauté’s new fragrance, Libre. “When I got asked to do it, I was over the moon,” she says while sitting in Manhattan’s Classic Car Club, the location of the New York Fashion Week launch party for the scent in September.

While Libre’s campaign features Lipa strutting in some of the brand’s boldest pieces, her involvement with the launch isn’t simply about being the face. She reveals that she had an early-stage sniff test with a few options for what would become Libre. “When I smelled it for the first time, it was still when everyone was figuring out what the fragrance was going to be,” she says. “I smelled four different kinds, and I smelled one and was like, ‘This is my favourite!’ [It] ended up being the final scent. I’m super-grateful to the team for making me feel like a core part of the decision making. I really feel like we did this together. It’s super-exciting, and I’m so proud of it.”

Being linked to such an iconic brand is a heady opportunity for Lipa; it not only cements her status as one of pop music’s biggest success stories this decade but also perfectly aligns with her passion for self-expression and empowerment. “Yves Saint Laurent really made that big step in fashion to allow women to wear whatever they want and not feel like they have to be boxed in,” says Lipa when asked what resonates with her about Libre and its message of harnessing one’s loud, proud freedom.

“Yves Saint Laurent really made that big step in fashion to allow women to wear whatever they want and not feel like they have to be boxed in.”

It’s no surprise that Lipa, who has an effervescent social media and stage presence, values this notion of authentic energy. Whether she’s wearing a floor-length gown or a skin-tight bodysuit and denim cut-offs, she always looks like she’s in control of her own image and comfortable in her own skin. “I always throw on whatever feels good and makes me feel confident,” she says about the pressure—especially in today’s image-heavy cultural landscape—to look “done” when she’s out and about. “Before, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I have to wear makeup because if I stop and take pictures….’ But I’ve kind of laid back on that and just accept not wearing makeup. I need to be able to do that…. Sometimes you feel like you have to be superhuman.”

This idea of superhuman stardom naturally leads to a conversation about self-care. It’s hard to imagine someone with a schedule like Lipa’s being able to kick back and chill as often as the rest of us. When she does have an opportunity to take a break, Lipa says that spending time with friends and family is a preferred rejuvenation practice. “I could just sit around a table and catch up, order some food or cook some food, listen to music,” she says when asked about what makes her feel at peace given her hectic globe-trotting lifestyle. (For the record, she’d make seafood paella. “It’s the one thing I really know how to make, and it’s a crowd-pleaser,” she laughs.) “That’s what grounds me and makes me feel like I’m recharging and the most grounded. It helps me get back on my feet. No matter how tired I am, [I’ll] feel like I’m ready to go again.”

For Libre (French for “free”), Yves Saint Laurent enlisted the noses of two master perfumers, Anne Flipo and Carlos Benaïm. “I felt a deep connection with this masculine/feminine project because it expresses a lot of my own personality,” says Flipo. “I’m very feminine, but I have a masculine side that I completely own up to, which gives me a lot of freedom in my way of living. I feel more womanly, more seductive, more genuine in a pantsuit.” Libre’s roots dig deep into a history of gender defiance, too. Its mix of notes—orange blossom, lavender, neroli, mandarin, vanilla and amber—is inspired by the fougère, said to be the oldest modern fragrance family, initially marketed to women and then adopted by dandies. This new take on the fougère plays off a yearning for liberation and the power found in being many things at once. Libre is light yet seductive, distinct but mysterious, classic and fresh. It’s the scent of going beyond boundaries—just as Monsieur Saint Laurent would have wanted. Photograph by Daniel Harrison.

Being at home in London doesn’t just provide Lipa with a sense of comfort, though. It’s also where she developed her unique sense of style. “I’ve always been influenced so much by living [there]—walking around the streets and seeing people,” she says. The “punk rock” grittiness of Camden, the London borough where she grew up, ignited Lipa’s taste for the eclectic, and she notes that Chloë Sevigny’s quirky, individualistic style was highly potent as well. “She’s my queen,” says Lipa. “She’s still killing it, but her style in the ’90s was something that I reference a lot. It was youthful and careless. She was so authentic and so herself. It was more her attitude than what she wore.”

This kind of insouciant approach to dressing makes Lipa’s face light up just thinking about it, and it clearly connects with her collaboration with Yves Saint Laurent, a house devoted to promoting a do-as-you-please attitude. And having someone like Lipa, who’s in the spotlight, as an advocate for the celebration of individuality is a boon. “Everyone’s really embracing their own style and their own weirdness,” she says about today’s fashion landscape. “Everything’s really celebrated, and that is what’s so beautiful.”

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