#artist: jessica mauboy

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Tracklist:

First Nation • Gadigal Land • Change The Date • Terror Australia • Desert Man, Desert Woman • Wind In My Head (Makarrata Version) • Uluru Statement From The Heart / Come On Down

Spotify ♪ YouTube

[viperwhispered]

If you're still thinking of making a playlist, feel free to add "Be Mine" by Ofenbach and "Kick up Your Heels" by Jessica Mauboy ft.Pitbull.

Context: During the early 20th century, alcohol was prohibited in the United States. This lead to uncontrolled secret distribution of alcohol and secret bars everywhere (fun fact: it was alcohol dealing that made Al Capone so powerful). The most iconic of these bars were speakeasies: secret illegal clubs that sold good alcohol while playing jazz (fun fact: these bars went a long way to pushing gender and racial equality by having everyone being able to dance & drink together).

Which brings me to this scenario: Jamil sneaking out of weekends to dance the night away and enjoy precious moments of freedom without Kalim. During these escapades, he meets the reader and the two get closer of months of several encounters. At some point they meet outside of the bar, but they pretend to be aquaintances at most. They get so into each other that they start subtly flirting even outside the bar.

Eventually we get to the moment that ecompases the songs (Be Mine is Jamil's perspective and Kick up Your Heels is the reader's). After weeks of subtle flirting, the two are finally tipsy enough to flirt more openly. Jamil goes in first and the reader playfully flirts back. They dance the night away and end up leaving together back to reader's apartment (don't worry Jamil has the weekend off and Najma owes him so she'll cover for him).

Cue adorable morning after with kisses, cuddles, Jamil making breakfeat, and the reader wearing his clothes.

(Boy if the music video for the Ofenbach song doesn’t look like it was made for total wish fulfillment for the artists, lol. Song's a total banger, tho (after listening to it a lot while working on this).)

I’m also gonna add Shut Up and Dance by Walk The Moon to the list because the vibes totally fit (and I’ve definitely thought of it in regards to Jamil before).

I do love the idea of reader meeting Jamil in an environment where he can be more free. Just, how different of an experience is it, when the dance floor is your first impression of him, rather than the Jamil at NRC or the Asim estate? When he’s actually letting go, being himself and just having a good time.

Plus like, presumably in the Scalding Sands Jamil’s job is not so 24/7 anyway, since there’s other servants around too to look after Kalim. So yay for actual free time.

And because I totally vibe with this & have thought of something similar before, I wanted to turn this into a bit of fic.

Post-NRC, Jamil x reader, written with a fem reader in mind, nsfw

The club, 22:30

You surveyed the club, your eyes insisting on looking for one person in particular, but to no avail.

No matter. Whether or not your favorite dance partner - or your acquaintance, or your crush, or whatever the hell he was to you - would turn up tonight, you could still have fun.

So, when a good song came on, you slid to the dancefloor, determined to dance the night away one way or another. You still had the whole night ahead of you, after all.

Not that you would have minded the company.

The club, 23:12

While you were queueing up for a drink, Jamil was the one who found you.

“I was wondering if you’d turn up,” you said with a grin, leaning closer to be heard over the music.

“And miss you? No way.”

You laughed and shook your head. It really was unfortunate how attractive that cocky grin was on Jamil.

“Wouldn’t have been the first night I’ve had to make do without you,” you said lightly.

“Well, tonight I can be all yours,” Jamil replied, his hand ghosting at the small of your back.

You grinned - you had to admit, you quite liked the sound of that.

The club, 23:27

Over the past few months there had been times when you caught Jamil looking at you as if he was evaluating you, measuring you. Yet, whenever he actually got close to you, that was all gone, replaced by pleasantries and barely concealed playfulness.

Today, however, there was a particular determination to him, one that had him shamelessly inching closer to you as you were talking over your drinks - as much as one could have a meaningful conversation talking over the thudding music.

“You look like you’ve got something on your mind,” you said, looking at Jamil from under your lashes while you sipped your drink.

“Well… I’ve been thinking that I wouldn’t mind sharing more than a dance with you,” Jamil said, his own drink nearly forgotten in his hands.

“Oh? What are you thinking?” you asked, stirring the remains of your drink with your straw, trying to affect a casual air despite your curiosity.

Jamil got close enough that you thought you could feel his breath on your skin.

“That I want to get to know you much better,” Jamil replied, an unmistakable sultry undercurrent to his tone. His hand had found its way to your arm, tracing light patterns on your skin.

Your eyes widened, a surprised laugh bubbling to your lips. My, what had gotten Jamil so bold tonight?

“Oh, and here I was just looking forward to some dancing,” you said with a playful grin.

Jamil might have gotten your heart to flutter, an unmistakable heat rising to your cheeks, but that didn’t mean you’d be that easily charmed.

“Just be prepared that once I get hold of you, I might not let go,” he said, lightly squeezing your arm.

“Dance with me, and then we’ll see,” you said with an amused shake of your head.

“Let’s start the show, then.”

With a laugh you grabbed Jamil’s hand, dragging him to the dancefloor, the beating of your heart rivaling the thud of the music.

There was such confidence to him, like Jamil had already ensured he’d get what he wanted and was just biding his time.

And you had to admit, you kinda liked it.

The club, 23:51

The song was one of your favorites and you couldn’t help singing along, moving your body to the beat. People were trickling in, but there was still space for both you and Jamil to let loose.

It was its own kind of delight, seeing how well you two could synchronize your movements. Stepping back and forth, circling each other, claiming a part of the dance floor all to yourselves. You grinned, watching the way Jamil leaned to the side, shrugging his shoulder, and you copied the move to the other direction, adding your own flourish with the snap of your hips.

After a few repeats there was a stutter in the music and you leaned forward, Jamil coming in to meet you, chest to chest. You lingered there for the briefest moment, your eye meeting, noses nearly brushing, before you pulled back and threw your hands up in the air for the chorus. You sang out the lyrics, let your body move as it wished, full-heartedly just enjoying yourself - and your company.

Sure, there was a part of you curious to find out just what Jamil could offer. But you’d come out here to have fun, and have fun you would.

Whatever would come later, would come later.

The club, 01:25

You were sweaty, your feet sore, your hair undoubtedly a mess at this point. Yet, you couldn’t stop smiling, couldn’t stop relishing your time with Jamil.

Jamil’s hands were on your hips, following your movements, his chest flush to your back.

You had to admit, you loved the feeling of his body against yours, the way you swayed together. 

You also delighted in teasing him like this, feeling the hardness of his arousal when you ground your ass on him.

“I want you to be mine,” Jamil mouthed the lyrics of the song, his breath hot by your ear.

He brushed his lips by your skin, something akin to a kiss, and you could feel the warmth of it shoot straight to your core.

Idly, you wondered if Jamil would be able to hear your soft groan over the music as you leaned back, your hand fumbling in his hair to pull him even closer. That seemed to be all the encouragement he needed, his mouth now more insistent on the corner of your jaw.

At this point, it was getting harder and harder to remember all the other people around you, your decency slipping from your hands.

Oh, you had a good enough idea of how Jamil’s body fit against you, how it felt under your hands.

But it was not enough.

You wanted to see Jamil, every bit that was hidden under those clothes, wanted to pull his hair loose - or just pull it in general. Wanted to see how he’d look beneath you, above you, between your legs…

Just the thought of Jamil unraveling with you had warmth pooling in the pit of your stomach.

And the thought of his touch on you, unobstructed…

He really was such a temptation, one that you might not even want to resist at this point.

Your apartment, 01:44

You were not prepared for the hungry way Jamil devoured your lips, how firmly his hands pulled you flush against him.

Or the way he groaned into your mouth, the sound shooting straight to your core.

Oh, you needed more of that. Much more of that.

Your hands shot up, gripping onto him tightly, just as unwilling to let him go. You sought out that hair tie that had been taunting you all evening, your tongue sloppily meeting Jamil’s as you pressed yourself as close to him as you possibly could.

There were so many places you wanted to touch, so many spots you wanted to unveil, your hands racing all over Jamil in a desperate attempt to fulfill all your desires at once.

Jamil’s lips were so wonderfully kiss-swollen, his hair hanging loose and his shirt halfway off him. If you hadn’t been so eager for more, you would’ve stopped to admire the sight and commit it to memory.

Instead, your greedy hands slipped under his top, relishing in the skin to skin contact while Jamil was busy with getting you to a similar state of undress, his eyes burning as his lips descended upon you again, stealing your breath away.

Your apartment, 2:20

You rolled your hips, slowly, your palms resting on Jamil’s chest. He did indeed look absolutely ravishing beneath you, his tongue slightly sticking out through his parted lips, his gorgeous hair spilled over your pillows. Jamil’s hands on your ass were helping you move, urging you to take his cock even deeper.

You’d yield to him soon enough, but first you wanted to savor this. The hungry look Jamil bestowed upon you, the needy way his hands kept on mapping your body, the way his hips bucked beneath you.

At this point, simply calling Jamil your favorite dance partner certainly didn’t do him justice.

No, you’d love to have so much more of him, wanted to find out just how far you two could go.

You leaned down, your lips meeting once again. You braced your arms against the bed as you began to move in earnest. Your efforts were rewarded by Jamil’s needy groan, the way his grip tightened on you. He seemed to be just as drunk on you as you were on him, and just that fact was enough to make your head spin.

Your apartment, 9:40

It was a slow realization, remembering that you had company over, only to find the other side of your bed empty. However, as your senses slowly roused, you soon caught the sounds and smells coming from the kitchen.

Of course he had to be perfect enough to even cook for you, you mused with some amusement.

With a stretch you willed yourself to leave the comfort of your bed, freshening yourself up quickly before padding your way to the kitchen.

You kind of hoped you’d been the one to wake up first. At least you could’ve cleared some of the mess.

It was such a domestic sight, Jamil busying himself at your stove, and you unexpectedly felt your throat tighten with the impact of it.

“I’m amazed you found something to work with,” you said, your words somewhere between apologetic and joking.

“It’s not how I’d keep my own kitchen, but it’s workable,” Jamil said matter-of-factly.

You couldn’t help a snort. What a way to sugarcoat your messy counters and sparse cupboards.

“Well. I’m glad it didn’t drive you off, at least,” you said with dry amusement.

You walked past Jamil to the sink, letting your fingers trace along his back and upper arm as you passed him by, conscious of not bothering his work.

Jamil, however, grabbed you by the waist and pulled you close, making you yelp in surprise.

“Good morning,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to your temple.

All you could do was melt against him.

Bonus scene which didn’t really seem to fit the flow but I had to do something with these lyrics, too. A flashback to another night, maybe?

Jamil certainly knew how to move. Yet, there was still something carefully controlled about him.

You’d seen him, sometimes, when the night was late, how he really could let go and get swept up in the music.

Then again, you supposed you still hadn’t quite warmed up yourself, hadn’t forgotten about the way his eyes were on you.

Would another drink be a terrible idea?

Still, seeing the way Jamil was looking around, checking the crowds, made you frown. You tugged on his hand, turning his attention back on you.

"Oh, don't you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me."

“You’re holding back, yourself,” Jamil said with a knowing look.

“Shut up and dance with me,” you said, smiling even as you rolled your eyes. 

Ngl, I’ve not done much song fics and it was fun weaving in bits of the lyrics and vibes in here - even if I chose to be a silly goose and use 3 songs at once.

Tag list: @colliope @crystallizsch @diodellet @jamilsimpno69 @jamilvapologist

@perilous-pasta @twstgo

Do let me know if you'd like to be tagged for my future works!

[m-y--p-a-s-s-i-o-n-s]

Tag Game: 3 most recent earworms

Tagged by @lizzy0305 💙

What are the 3 songs/melodies you just couldn't get out of your head recently?

Grrrl Like - Dope Saint Jude

Mama Said Knock You Out - LL COOL J

Up/Down - Jessica Mauboy

I love discovering songs that I just vibe hard too :D

Tagging: @dayspring-askanison @fawn--queen @murphy-was-an-artist @heartshapedvows @devianta

[music-catalogue]

Refresh

Looking for something new to listen to? Refresh your current rotation of music with some artists you may or may not have heard of before!

Jaded - Ms. White

Memphis - Kitten

Anything But Me - MUNA

Hi, I'm Waiting - *repeat repeat

Genevieve - Pianos Become The Teeth

I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend - Ezra Furman

Bubbles - J4

The Ick - Panic Shack

Moment In The Sun - Sunflower Bean

Johny Says Stay Cool - Babe Rainbow

Don't Waste My Time - SAULT

Cherry Lips - Genes

Wine - Teenage Joans

Experience - VIctoria Monet, Khalid, SG Lewis

All Your Love - Kat Graham

Automatic - Jessica Mauboy

[qnewsau]

Karna Ford: An Exclusive Interview

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/karna-ford-an-exclusive-interview/

Karna Ford: An Exclusive Interview

As the reigning queen of Universal’s Slay 2 Stay drag competition, Sydney’s Karna Ford is one of Australia’s newest drag sensations and has taken the scene by storm since the end of the pandemic. 

Drag Royalty in the Making

This is a queen that you can’t miss. Karna Ford is a force to be reckoned with, sporting an impressive resume for an up-and-coming performer. Notably, Karna has featured in Jessica Mauboy’s Right Here Right Now music video and on the TV series NCIS Sydney.

QNews spoke to Karna in an exclusive interview about what drag means to her and why she got into the artform in the first place. 

How would you describe your type of drag to someone who’s never seen a spot from you before? 

I would call myself a club queen. Most of my work is performances at clubs. The inspiration that I draw from are powerhouse divas like Beyonce, Nicole Scherzinger, J-Lo, Rihanna… I also dance, and so I love to show off my dance moves. 

I have a Filipino influence from my family and from the Filipino community here, but it’s not something that I’ve really tapped into just yet. I’ve been wanting to do more culturally inspired performances, but I was born in Australia, so a lot of my influences are westernised. But it’s definitely something that I want to incorporate more into my performances. I do love it when I perform a Filipino artist like Nicole Scherzinger. 

Do you remember when you first fell in love with drag? 

I’ve always been a performer and I used to be a dancer before I started drag. 

I got booked for a show called Queens of Asia and there weren’t enough Asian drag queens that could dance and perform so they asked me if I wanted to be a drag queen in the show. This was my first paid opportunity to do a show, but it was in drag. But I loved the whole process straight away. Of course, I was obviously busted. It was my first time doing drag. That’s why it’s lucky for me that I had the dance training because that’s what people wanted to see on stage. 

For my first year of doing drag, which was in 2019, I only did it about five or six times. And every time that I’d done it had been because it was a paid gig. And then we got into lockdown in 2020. 

I was craving to do drag. I would just be at home practising my makeup, and then going online and sharing what I did during COVID. 

But I think it kind of showed what I saw during my era of starting out- it showed who really wanted to push for it. There were a lot of queens that dropped off during that time. 

There was no reason for them to do it. Whereas the ones who I’ve seen blossom during COVID are the ones that are working now. 

What did winning Slay 2 Stay mean to you and your place within the Sydney queer scene? 

It meant a lot to me. I actually wanted to do the season before, which was the third season of Slay 2 Stay, but then I had a lot of people in my ear being like, “Oh, don’t do that. You know what those competitions are like. It’s all about hierarchy and sucking at people’s asses!” 

And I let that get to me, and then I saw how the competition went. I was like, I totally could have slayed that! So I made the decision to just do it for myself. 

One, to push my creativity to create something new every week and two, to just do it for myself. If it wasn’t for Slay, I wouldn’t have built a team and support system behind me that I have right now. 

The people who came and supported me at Slay are people that are so important to me. I wasn’t new to the scene before Slay, but it felt more cemented after the competition. 

It was interesting how everything played out in the competition, but I think that’s the thing about competitions is that you just have to expect the unexpected. I obviously wanted to come in and make it to the end. But throughout the whole competition, I felt like it wasn’t mine, and then I made it to the end, and it was just that last little performance that made me go over the edge that made me win. It was a bit shocking, but in the best way! 

Photographer: Hamid Mousa

Do you have any inspirations for drag specifically? 

Well, my absolute idol in the Sydney drag scene is Coco Jumbo. She was one of the first queens that I saw who I could feel like I connected to- that was a person of colour, that was a bit bigger, and could bring the house down. 

And now at times I get booked on jobs with her. So I feel like it’s a full circle moment for me. This was years ago, before she was on Drag Race, when she was doing a lot of shows at Arq. She’s got this ability to make everyone feel so special, and yeah, she’s incredible. 

What are your hopes for the future?

It’s wild because I’ve actually hit a lot of my goals that I wrote for myself a few years ago. 

I wrote myself a five year plan, and each year I wanted to achieve one of those goals. I wanted to have a weekly show, which I do now. I was featured in a music video with Jessica Mauboy, I got featured in a role for a TV show- NCIS Sydney on Paramount+. 

And then my last goal that I really wanted to kick was to travel internationally for drag. And then funnily enough, that only happened recently. 

So it was very cool that we achieved all these goals. And the thing about that is that I achieved all of these goals without me being on Drag Race. 

I just feel like there are people who go on Drag Race to book those sorts of gigs, but these are all things that I’ve gotten on my own. 

So I think what I hope for the future is. I think I just want to travel the world more with drag, so do more touring shows and just go around the world. 

You can see Karna Ford in NCIS Sydney on Paramount+ Australia or later this year on Network 10. 

Read the Latest from QNews

Karna Ford: An Exclusive Interview

Bendigo Queer Film Festival celebrates twenty years

Victorian Pride Centre launches LGBTIQA+ Visual Arts Program

Death of nonbinary teen Nex Benedict ruled a suicide

Sydney FC celebrates Pride across weekend of festivities

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[crazychicke]

Happy #NaidocWeek2019 

[lepetitmondedeju]

My life according to The Veronicas

I used to do this a lot on my previous blog and on some forums. I usually do that when I write, read or when I’m bored. Feel free to repost and play. The rule, simple, choose one artist, put your playlist on shuffle and answer the questions without skipping a song. I have some more music games like this one with different questions I’ll post them too.

Are You Male or Female? Goodbye Describe Yourself: We Are One How Do You Feel? Ugly (Is that a personal attack or something ?) Describe Where You Currently Live: Supernatural Girl If You Could Go Anywhere, Where Would You Go: Monster Your Favorite Form Of Transportation: Chains (ft. Tina Arena & Jessica Mauboy) Your Best Friend: You and Me Your Favorite Colour is: How Long What’s The Weather Like? If You Love Someone If Your Life Was a TV Show, What Would It Be Called? Think Of Me What Is Life For You? Let Me Out Your Relationships: Runaways Looking For: In My Blood Have: Wrong Wouldn’t Mind: Teenage Millionaire Your fear: All I Have What Is the Best Advice You Have to Give? Alive If You Could Change Your Name, What Would You Change It to? Secret Thought For The Day: Human How would you like to die: Leave Me Alone My Soul’s Present Condition: Biting My Tongue Something bad happened to you: Speechless Regrets: More Like Me My Motto: When It Falls Apart

[blackkudos]

Babyface

Kenneth Brian Edmonds (born April 10, 1959), known professionally as Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He has written and produced over 26 number-one R&B hits throughout his career, and has won 11 Grammy Awards. He was ranked number 20 on NME's 50 of The Greatest Producers Ever list.

Early life

Edmonds was born on April 10, 1958, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Marvin and Barbara Edmonds. Barbara was a production operator at a pharmaceutical plant. Edmonds, who is the fifth of six brothers (including future After 7 band members Melvin and Kevon Edmonds, the latter of whom went on to have a modestly successful solo career), attended North Central High School in Indianapolis, and as a shy youth, wrote songs to express his emotions. When he was in eighth grade, Edmonds' father died of lung cancer, leaving his mother to raise her sons alone. At this stage, Edmonds became determined to have a career in music.

Music career

Edmonds later played with funk performer Bootsy Collins, who tagged him "Babyface" because of his youthful look. He also performed in the group Manchild (which had a 1977 hit "Especially for You" with band member Daryl Simmons) as a guitarist. In 1982 Edmonds played with funk band Redd Hott produced by Geoge Kerr. He played keyboards in the light-funk and R&B group the Deele (which also included drummer Antonio "L.A." Reid, with whom he would later form a successful writing and producing partnership). One of his first major credits as a songwriter for outside artists came when he wrote the tune "Slow Jam" for the R&B band Midnight Star in 1983. The tune was on Midnight Star's 1983 double-platinum No Parking on the Dance Floor album. Babyface remained in the Deele until 1988, when both he and Reid left the group.

His album Playlist consists of eight cover songs and two original works. It was released on September 18, 2007. It was the first album on the newly re-launched Mercury Records label.

On February 4, 2014, he released a Grammy Award-winning duet album with Toni Braxton titled Love, Marriage & Divorce on Motown Records.

Other ventures

Writing and producing

From the late 1980s to the early 90s, he wrote R&B and dance songs, writing and producing music for Bobby Brown ("Roni"), Karyn White ("Love Saw It"), Pebbles ("Girlfriend", "Mercedes Boy"), The Whispers ("Rock Steady", "In the Mood"), The Deele ("Two Occasions"), Johnny Gill ("My My My"), After 7 ("Ready or Not"), The Boys ("Dial My Heart"), Damian Dame ("Right Down to It") and Sheena Easton.

In 1989, Edmonds co-founded LaFace Records with Reid. Three of the label's early artists, TLC, Usher, and Toni Braxton, were very successful. TLC's second album CrazySexyCool, for which he wrote and produced some of the hits, became the best-selling album of all time by an American girl group. Under his direction, TLC sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, and a combined total of 75 million records. Toni Braxton's first two albums, Toni Braxton (1993) and Secrets (1996), for which he wrote the majority of the songs, went on to sell a combined total of over 10 million copies in America alone.

Babyface helped form the popular late-1990s R&B group Az Yet. Edmonds also helped to mold and work with some of his then-wife Tracey Edmonds' acts, such as Jon B and producer Jon-John Robinson.

Edmonds has worked with many successful performers in contemporary music. “I’m Your Baby Tonight” (1990), produced for Whitney Houston, was Houston's introduction to R&B music and Edmonds' first No. 1 Top 40 hit in the US. He also wrote and produced Boyz II Men's 1992 "End of the Road" and 1994 "I'll Make Love to You", both of which established records for the longest stay at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He co-wrote, co-produced, and provided backing vocals on Madonna's 1994 Bedtime Stories, which featured the seven-week No. 1 hit "Take a Bow", and shared billing with Eric Clapton on the chart-topping Grammy winner "Change the World" from the Phenomenon soundtrack. He also wrote and produced the No. 1 hit "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" for Houston as well as the rest of the critically acclaimed 10 million-selling Waiting to Exhale soundtrack in 1995, which spawned additional hits for Houston, Brandy and Mary J. Blige.

Additionally, Edmonds has produced and written music for many artists including Bobby Brown, The Whispers, Pebbles, After 7, Johnny Gill, Deele, Karyn White, The Boys, Damian Dame, Tevin Campbell, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Faith Evans, Beyoncé, Diana Ross, Sheena Easton, Toni Braxton, Michael Jackson, Michael Bolton, Paula Abdul, Eric Clapton ("Change the World"), Whitney Houston, Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Tamia, Shola Ama, 3T, Sisqó, Dru Hill, Fall Out Boy, Céline Dion, Samantha Jade, Backstreet Boys, Honeyz, Katharine McPhee, Mariah Carey, Vanessa L. Williams, Bruno Mars, Kelly Clarkson, Chanté Moore, En Vogue, Zendaya, Kenny G, Kristinia DeBarge, Lil Wayne, Kevin Abstract, P!nk, Marc Nelson, TLC, Ariana Grande, Jessica Mauboy, Xscape, K-Ci & JoJo, NSYNC, Jordin Sparks and Phil Collins, among others. He received three consecutive Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year from 1995 to 1997.

Babyface was in the studio for about two years with Ashanti to produce her album The Declaration (2008).

He worked on the Lil Wayne album Tha Carter III (2008), on the Kanye West-produced "Comfortable". He also worked with R&B singer Monica for her sixth studio album Still Standing (2010).

In 2013, Babyface served as producer for Ariana Grande's debut album Yours Truly, producing the majority of her songs, including her second single, "Baby I".

In September 2014, Babyface collaborated with Barbra Streisand on her album Partners, performing a duet on the track "Evergreen" and background vocals for other album tracks.

Babyface also collaborated with Foxes on her second album, All I Need (2016), producing and co-writing "Scar".

In July 2016, Babyface along with Bruce Roberts and Carole Bayer Sager helped write the song "Stronger Together" sung by Jessica Sanchez. The song was played after Hillary Clinton's speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. The song's title is named after the slogan that the Clinton campaign used as a show of uniting behind the Democratic nominee. The song was one of the top trending songs on Shazam that week. The song was widely perceived as positive by the listeners, and received praise by celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian.

Acting career and film producing

In 1994, he appeared and performed on an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 entitled "Mr. Walsh Goes to Washington (Part 2)".

In the mid-1990s, Edmonds and his then-wife Tracey Edmonds expanded into the business of motion pictures. Upon setting up Edmonds Entertainment Group, the company producing films such as Soul Food (1997), Josie and the Pussycats (2001), and also the soundtrack for the film The Prince of Egypt (1998), which included contributions from numerous artists, including Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. They also executive produced the BET reality series College Hill (2004-2009). Edmonds also worked with David Foster to compose "The Power of the Dream", the official song of the 1996 Summer Olympics, performed by superstar Céline Dion. Linda Thompson provided the lyrics.

Babyface also participated as a duet partner on the Fox reality show Celebrity Duets (2006).

He was portrayed by Wesley Jonathan in the 2015 Lifetime biopic Whitney and is portrayed by actor Gavin Houston in the Lifetime biopic based on Toni Braxton entitled Un-Break My Heart, which premiered on the network in early 2016.

On August 30, 2016, Babyface was revealed as one of the celebrities who will compete on season 23 of Dancing with the Stars. He was partnered with professional dancer Allison Holker. He and Holker were eliminated on the fourth week of competition and finished in 11th place along with Vanilla Ice and Witney Carson.

Soda Pop Records

Edmonds founded his record label Soda Pop Records in 2009. Since founding the label he has signed R&B icons K-Ci & JoJo, releasing their first album for the label entitled My Brother's Keeper. In 2013 Babyface secured a distribution deal with E1 Music for the label.

Personal life

Babyface married his first wife, Denise during his young adult years. In 1990, Babyface met Tracey Edmonds when she auditioned for the music video for his song "Whip Appeal". They married on September 5, 1992, and have two sons, Brandon and Dylan. On January 7, 2005, Tracey filed for divorce in Los Angeles County Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences. In October 2005, Babyface and Tracey announced that they were ending their marriage of thirteen years.

In 2007, Babyface began dating his backup dancer Nicole "Niko" Pantenburg (former backup dancer for and personal friend of Janet Jackson). Babyface and Pantenburg have a daughter born in 2008. The pair married on May 17, 2014.

In 2015, Babyface donated money to the presidential campaign of Republican Senator Marco Rubio.

Impact

In 1999, a 25-mile (40 km) stretch of Interstate 65 that runs through Indianapolis was renamed the Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds Highway.

Babyface was placed at number 20 on NME's "50 of the Greatest Producers Ever" list. NME wrote of his impact:

"One of the founding fathers of all the best bits of modern US R&B. And so you can't hate him if some of the schlock can be traced back to him also. Babyface was a pioneer of New Jack Swing in the 80s, before setting up LaFace with old mucker Antonio 'LA' Reid to give the world TLC, Usher and Toni Braxton under their guiding hand. There's barely a prominent artist in the genre he hasn't worked with, and as a result he's clocked up a mammoth 26 R&B number ones."

Discography

Studio albums

Lovers (1986)

Tender Lover (1989)

For the Cool in You (1993)

The Day (1996)

Face2Face (2001)

Grown & Sexy (2005)

Playlist (2007)

Return of the Tender Lover (2015)

Collaboration albums

Power and Love with Manchild (1977)

Feel the Phuff with Manchild (1978)

Street Beat with The Deele (1983)

Material Thangz with The Deele (1985)

Eyes of a Stranger with The Deele (1987)

Love, Marriage & Divorce with Toni Braxton (2014)

Accolades

On August 30, 2006, Babyface was honored as a BMI Icon at the 6th annual BMI Urban Awards. Throughout his career, Babyface has won the BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year trophy seven times and a total of 51 BMI Awards, which includes Song of the Year for his Toni Braxton hit, "Breathe Again", in 1994.

Babyface was honored with the 2,508th star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 10, 2013. The star is located at 6270 Hollywood Boulevard.

On October 18, 2018, he was conferred with an honorary doctorate degree from Indiana University Bloomington in recognition of his illustrious career in music.

[akajustmerry]

favorite musicians/bands?? ly!

solange, colbie caillat, bastille, dounia, halsey, thelma plum, cyn, of monsters and men, hayley kiyoko, mika, florence and the machine, noisettes, regina spektor, george maple, lorde, little mix, the wombats, vixx, janelle monae, two door cinema club, jessica mauboy, any score composed by ramin djawadi, ezra furman, wafia, honestly i just love movie soundtracks and scores lots too so my music taste is random af apart from these artists ashbasdjh

[shittystockholmstyles]

Hey love love your writing!! So I saw your requests are open so I was wondering if I could ask for a spooky request?? Idk if you would do this so disregard this request If you hate it- but there is this song called little things by an artist named Jessica Mauboy and it’s about making big things out of little things just to get some attention because if he has been distant you know, so like angst and then end with fluff. I hope it makes sense but please if you don’t like disregard this Thanks xx

Hii! So happy you like my writing! I appreciate that!! Just listened to the song and it made me tear up a little bit and already have some ideas for a story! Will post as soon as I can!

[meilleurevents-blog]

Meilleur events International celebrity performer, SARAH C.

International recording artist, Sarah C is known for her trademark powerful and soulful voice and dynamic stage presence. As a respected vocalist she has appeared as a guest judge on Channel 7’s “All Togther Now.” She has also performed backing vocals on shows such as Ex Factor and for some of the biggest names in the business such as Kylie Minogue, Jessica Mauboy, Daryl Braithwaite, Anthony Callea, Tim Campbell and Paulini. Recently Sarah had the exclusive honour of performing for Hollywood Royalty and Oscar winners Goldie Hawn and Ms Susan Sarandon.

Not booked your tickets yet!! Hurry and schedule a visit for an outlandish experience.

Get Tickets: http://bit.ly/2RdDxjo

[music-catalogue]

Down-under Australia: Australian Music

As a true blue Australian myself, I have found myself trying to actively listen to and discover more Australian artists recently. The music scene in Australia struggles to break into the mainstream, but there are some real gems out there that deserve the recognition!

The thing about Australian artists is that they most often move from Australia to the United States or elsewhere early in their career, and completely try to abandon their Australian identity (think Iggy Azalea, Kylie Minogue, Sia, Troye Sivan, The Bee Gees, Betty Who, and so forth). However, I have recently discovered some really fantastic Australia-based artists and bands that I thought were worth sharing (I have also included some of my other favourite Australian artists that I'm not too sure are well known outside of Australia)!

Down-under Australia: Australian Music

Fast Lane - J4

In As Many Minutes - Washing Line Economy

wwwwwhy - WIIGZ

Feels Like A Different Thing - Confidence Man

I Touch Myself (Like A Version Cover) - Lime Cordiale

Say Nothing - Flume, MAY-A

Young Like Me - Black Summer

Glow - Jessica Mauboy

Calypso - Spiderbait

All Of You - Betty Who

Nice To Meet You - Sophie Monk (yes THAT Sophie Monk)

Talk Deep - East

Hawaiian Party - Cub Sport

Nights Like This - Iggy Azalea

Super Single - Genes

Honest - Peking Duk, Slayyyter

Don't Fall In Love - The Ferrets

Take Yourself Home - Troye Sivan

Red Blooded Woman - Kylie Minogue

Differently - Cassie Davis, Tavis McCoy

Perfect - Vanessa Amorosi

I Never Liked You - Rogue Traders

Alive - Dami Im

Do What I Want - Donatachi, Evangeline

Wine - Teenage Joans

Not About You - Haiku Hands

[qnewsau]

2023: The Australian queer year in review

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/2023-the-australian-queer-year-in-revew/

2023: The Australian queer year in review

As the year comes to an end, we look back at some of the Australian LGBTQIA+ news, events and queer moments that made up 2023.

January

Midsumma: Melbourne held its annual multi-week Midsumma Festival where former premier Daniel Andrews marched with pride goers. 

Sam Stosur retires: Sam, who won the US Open singles titles plus seven Grand Slam doubles titles, retired at the Australian Open. Sam publicly came out later in her career in 2020. 

February

WorldPride: Sydney became the epicentre of the queer universe when hosting WorldPride. The two-week extravaganza featured an opening night concert, the traditional Mardi Gras parade, a Human Rights Conference, a Bondi Beach party, a pride march over the Bridge and a closing party. 

Big names like Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Sugababes, Agnes, Nicole Scherzinger, Kim Petras, Ava Max, Jessica Mauboy, Courtney Act and Casey Donovan featured throughout WorldPride. However, there was only one true icon of the event: Progress Shark. 

Queerstralia: ABC broadcasts the series Queerstralia. Hosted by Zoe Coombs Marr, it took a deep dive into the queer history of Australia. 

March

Australian Idol: Queer First Nations singer Royston Sagigi-Baira won Australian Idol. Royston is a Thanakwith (Aboriginal) and Wagadagam (Torres Strait Islander) man from Mapoon in Far North Queensland. 

Posie Parker rejected: Anti-trans activist Posie Parker was drowned out by counter-protesters during her tour of Australia. During her visit to Brisbane, hundreds rallied against her hateful views. While in Melbourne she was joined by neo-Nazis which saw widespread condemnation. 

In Our Blood: The musical drama inspired by Australia’s radical response to HIV/AIDS in the 1980s was broadcast on ABC with many scenes shot at Brisbane’s Sportsman Hotel. 

The Wickham reopens: After many months closed for renovations, Brisbane’s iconic LGBTQIA+ venue The Wickham reopened. 

April 

Censorship rejected: The Australian Classification Board rejected a call to ban or restrict a gender and sexuality memoir after a conservative activist complained to Queensland Police.

May

Archibald Prize: Artist Julia Gutman wins the Archibald Prize with a portrait of queer performer Montaigne. While queer musician and artist Zaachariaha Fielding (from Electric Fields) won the Wynne Prize for best landscape. 

Kylie’s back: Long-time queer ally Kylie Minogue released Padam Padam. The song charted in the Top 10 in the UK and the Top 20 in Australia. The first time the singer had achieved this in more than a decade. 

June

Queens Ball: The 62nd edition of the Queens Ball in Brisbane was held at City Hall. More than a dozen Queensland queer community advocates, performers and organisations were honoured in a ceremony hosted by Paul Wheeler and Chocolate Boxx. 

Trans legal win: The Queensland government passed a new law allowing trans and gender-diverse people to change their gender on their birth certificates without having to undergo surgery.

July

Logies: Out actor Tim Draxl was nominated for the Silver Logie as most outstanding actor while RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under received two nominations for Best Entertainment Program and Best New Talent for Kween Kong. 

Patricia Karvelas: Proudly out presenter Patricia Karvelas was named as the new host of one of ABC’s flagship programs Q&A.

Gymnast: Out Australian gymnast Heath Thorpe was controversially not selected for the World Championships despite winning the Australian All-Around title. 

August

Women’s World Cup: Australia and New Zealand hosted the Women’s World Cup with a record 96 publicly out players competing. The Matildas, who had 10 out players including superstar Sam Kerr, reached the semi-finals after a thrilling penalty shoot-out win against France. The Matildas broke attendance and ratings records, becoming the most-watched event in Australia since Cathy Freeman at the Sydney Olympics. 

Honour Awards: NSW’s largest annual LGBTIQA+ community awards were held and presented by ACON. 

September

Brisbane Pride: Brisbane hosted its annual pride event including fair day, rally and march, and other community events across the month. 

Drag Race: The third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under crowned the first-ever Australian winner. Isis Avis Loren from Melbourne took the crown with Ballarat’s Gabriella Labucci runner-up. The show was co-hosted by Rhys Nicholson and included queer Aussie guest judges Keiynan Lonsdale and Josh Cavallo. 

October

Big Gay Day: The Wickham held its annual Big Gay Day with Peter Andre and Rogue Traders headlining. 

Troye Sivan: The Australian queer artist released his album Something to Give Each Other featuring hit singles Rush, Got Me Started and One of Your Girls. It went straight to the top of the charts giving Troye his first Australian No.1 album.

Pride Adelaide: The annual event took place with a march and a celebration featuring artists Ricki-Lee, Crystal Waters, Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Samantha Jade.

November 

Gay Games: The 11th edition of the event was co-hosted by Hong Kong and Guadalajara in Mexico. This was the first co-hosting of the games and the first time it took place in Asia. Australian LGBTQIA+ athletes competed in both cities. 

ARIAs: Troye Sivan and G Flip dominated the ARIA Music Awards with four and two award wins respectively. Troye took out Song of the Year for Rush. 

Natalie Bassingthwaighte: The Rogue Traders lead singer and actress known for her work on Neighbours revealed she was in a relationship with a woman.

PrideFest: Perth held its annual pride events with events across the month celebrating the city’s LGBTQIA+ community.

BayPride: Despite protests the inaugural pride event in Wynnum, Queensland took place with a large family-friendly march.

December

Hate Crime Inquiry: The long-awaited Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes in NSW saw 19 recommendations made. Advocates welcomed the findings and called on the NSW Police Force to action the report’s recommendations.

JOY Media: The Melbourne-based LGBTQIA+ community radio station JOY 94.9 celebrated their 30th anniversary.

NT politics: The openly gay MP Chansey Paech made history as the first Aboriginal man to be appointed Deputy Chief Minister in the Northern Territory.

Olympics: Australian climber Campbell Harrison qualified for the Paris Olympics and shared a kiss with his boyfriend to celebrate.

For the latest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[borisbubbles]

19. UKRAINE

MÉLOVIN - “Under the ladder” 17th place

My feelings on Mélovin haven’t changed at all since the preshow. I always found his presence in this year’s Eurovision to be one I liked, but very little more. Know that I’m fully aware of all the little Mélovers reading this post probably ready to cry outrage and ugh... Why do I have this inkling I’ll have to spend more time explaining why I didn’t rank Mélovin higher, as opposed to why I like him? 

Anyway: why does Mélovin rank as high as he does? He was pretty laffos, I thought. He greeted us with THIS:

and then proceeded to do THIS:

which is one of the best entrances to any Eurovision performance, period. Mélovin as a performer, is largely focused on form, rather than function, and he’s pretty good at it: His performances are rife with high octane drama and incomprehensible English, which all builds up to his mysterious persona. His impromptu interview with Filomena where he basically came out as an irl vampire was hilar because it CLEARLY wasn’t a part of the script they had rehearsed beforehand and she had to instantly break it off <3 Ultimately, I would say there are two reasons to like Mélovin: His Cult of Personality and the Spectacle Show he brings with him. 

I like both, 

you know there’s a “but” incoming ;)

but unfortunately for Mélovin, he kinda underwhelmed me with both. During Vidbir he had to contend for my affection with coochie-flashing cougresses,

literal minotaurs:

and whatever these stonergods were <3

Therefore, Mélovin was always the second-to-fourth best option, depending on how I feel about Kadnay and Vilna at the moment. In Eurovision proper it only became worse, which gave us many colourful personalities (Zibbz, Elina, Eleni, Vanja, Lea Sirk, Benjamin, Netta, Sennek, Rasmussen, Ieva, Saara, AWS, too many to sum up) and amongst those the aloof weirdo in Dracula drag didn’t quite stand out enough for me. 

Mélovin desperately seeks fame and tries to accomplish this by being many things at once: singer, songwriter, activist, fashion designer, goth, perfume distiller, Dracula Impersonator, chandler, accountant, stunt driver, mechanical winch operator, mixologist, warlock, make up artist (posting this pic again because it’s my fave pic of the preshow:

) which is inherently INTERESTING but also much to take in, like... In Eurovision, where everyone’s individual backstage time amounts to 2-8 minutes of collective footage*, it becomes a wash of traits I care little for. (*interviews not counted, since ESC interviews are boring 95% of the time. The remaining 5% is when DebanGoddess does them)

As for the spectacle side, the act had the Best Start Ever, but “Under the ladder” is not a particularly strong entry; the fact that Mélovin is largely incomprehensible is a huge net plus because the song itself one of the usual “belief in yourself” anthems that make up 57% of this contest’s canon and it’s the Mélovinese that makes it distinguishable. Either way, the song is average, meaning that an epic act is NEEDED to keep interest going. Moldova, Cyprus and Germany all nailed this very hard, outgrowing their mediocre songs. Ukraine, not so much. Mélovin’s act peaks at second forty-five and then kinda falls flat, despite the backing choir’s best efforts. The showstopper, the Flaming Piano, looked way better during Vidbir. 

What I’m trying to say is: What we saw was good, but there’s something missing for me. Some spark. Some insanity. Some consistency. For all his promised drama and mystery, Mélovin is weirdly unmemorable within this year, which is a problem considering that “making a huge splash” is what he’s all about. I don’t think Eurovision is made for the Mélovins of our world. Put them inside glass cages  or on reality shows (precumming at the thought of Mélovin on Project Runway <3), but they’re wasted on Eurovision where their brand of crazy is, ironically, too ridiculous to thrive. 

VIDBIR ADDENDUM I probably could’ve written this with fewer words, but I really wanted to pay tribute to the best national selection in this year. It really speaks for Mélovin’s inherent goodness that he won it, even if he weren’t my favourite at any point during the show. If you’ve missed Vidbir, I’ve included links to the top four below: Melovin - Under the Ladder (Vidbir) Tayanna - “Lelya” Vilna - “Forest Song” Kadnay - “Beat of the universe” PS: There are days where I like Kadnay even more than Tayanna. VEND. FIYAH. GUY. DMEEEEEEEE. 

RANKING SO FAR:

19. Ukraine (MÉLOVIN - “Under the ladder”)

20. Macedonia (Eye Cue - “Lost and Found”)

21. San Marino (Jessika ft. Jenifer Brening - “Who We Are”)

22. Sweden (Benjamin Ingrosso - “Dance You Off”)

23. Austria (Cesár Sampson - “Nobody but you”)

24. Latvia (Laura Rizzotto - “Funny girl”)

25. Azerbaijan (AISEL - “X my heart”)

26. Israel (Netta - “Toy”)

27. Norway (Alexander Rybak  - “That’s how you write a song”)

28. Montenegro (Vanja Radovanovic - “Inje”)

29. Armenia (Sevak Khanagyan - “Qami”)

30. Poland (Gromee ft. Lukas Meijer - “Light me up”)

31. Greece (Yianna Terzi - “Oniro mou”)

32. Georgia (Iriao - “For you”)

33. Belgium (Sennek - “A matter of time”)

34. Italy (Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro - “Non mi avete fatto niente)

35. Romania (The Humans - “Goodbye”)

36. Ireland (Ryan O'Shaughnessy - “Together”)

37. Croatia (Franka - “Crazy”)

38. Belarus (ALEKSEEV - “Forever”)

39. Russia (Julia Samoylova - “I Won’t Break”)

40. Spain (Amaia & Alfred - “Tu canción”)

41. Iceland (Ari Ólafsson - “Our choice”)

42. Australia (Jessica Mauboy - “We Got Love”)

43. Czech Republic (Mikolas Josef - “Lie to me”)

[eurosong]

Hi there, folks, and welcome to one of today’s statistical maps - it’s something that I always enjoy making each year and releasing on Eurovision finals day itself - a thematical map that divides the year’s songs into groupings based on their lyrical content. There is a certain degree of subjectivity in doing this, and some songs could well fit into more than one category, but I try to take into consideration what the artists themselves have said about their songs (usually :v). 

Despite being brought to here in Lisbon by a song about love, and despite every year since 2015 seeing an increase in the number of positive love songs, this year is, quite abruptly, one of the least “loved up” that I can remember, with only 9 songs I would classify as positive love songs. Resolutely upbeat love songs, once a staple of the contest, now seem rather conspicuous, as is the case of those of Spain’s Alfred and Amaia or Lithuania’s Ieva. Many songs sorted into this category have some degree of darkness and shade that make them difficult to fit in precisely. Bulgaria sing about a love that goes beyond the physical realm, but do so within the parameters of a very dark song. Likewise, Austria has very moody and dark verses to counteract the bright, upbeat chorus (which nonetheless also raises eyebrows given the mention of his love running away). Belarus’ song, whilst lyrically very easy to slot into the positive love section, belies its categorisation with a downbeat feel and staging that seemed to indicate more heartbreak than romance.

Then there are the songs about interpersonal relationships that cannot be considered positive, which this year are so ubiquitous that I have split them into two categories. In navy, I’ve placed songs with about straightforward heartbreak, like Czechia’s Mikolas getting two-timed, Armenia’s Sevak who calls himself a madman with wounds opened by love, Sweden’s Benjamin who wants to dance heartbreak away, Latvia’s Laura who is fed up of being seen as just a friend, and Ireland’s Ryan, whose hopes of lifelong love were betrayed. I’ve then put in black other songs that talk about bereavement (Portugal, Germany, Hungary), saudade (Montenegro) or missing someone far away (Albania). They are singing about negative experiences, but ones borne out of missing someone one truly loved, so aren’t about negative interpersonal relationships per se.

What staggered me was the number of songs left over that don’t fit into any of those categories - such as motivational songs (like the UK’s Surie’s plea to not give up and get through the storm, Netherlands’ Waylon and his belief that there is the strength inside all of us to stand up for ourselves, Rybak for Norway singing about self-belief or Romania’s Humans’ plea to see the beauty in the world and not give into hopelessness), songs about perseverance (like San Marino’s anti-bullying track, Ukraine’s Melovin and his song about finding success through failures or Saara Aalto of Finland making peace with demons) or songs with a philosophical, political or existential message which often combine elements of both categories. 

From Israel’s Netta’s hymn to female empowerment, Lea Sirk of Slovenia praising truthfulness to oneself, Italy’s Metamoro’s anthem of defiance in the face of terrorism, Denmark’s Rasmussen and their pacifist song, Australia’s Jessica Mauboy and a song she wrote about the power of love and understanding in the face of the bad things in this world, Gianna Terzi’s “message to Greece”, Christabelle of Malta and her song about mental health and many more others, 2018 really is the biggest “year of the message” at Eurovision since the many politically-inspired hymns of Eurovision 1990 in Zagreb. With the world seemingly at a crossroads like back then, I’m not surprised.

Of course, there are a few songs that defy categorisation, like the bizarre love triangle song of Moldova - I gave up trying to judge whether that was a positive interpersonal relationship or not - and each year, I always pick at least one song out for self-aggrandising lyrics: this year it’s Cyprus, which has the kind of self-lauding swagger that reminds me of Cool me down -  though its categorisation could also have been “unfortunate drug innuendo” or “pyromania.”  Happy ESC day to one and all. Enjoy the show and good luck to your favourites!

[deep-hearts-core]

2018 - semifinal 2

originally posted 5/14/20

Thoughts before watching After being disappointed by semi 1's live performances yesterday I'm really hoping to be more impressed today. I've heard the studio versions of a lot of the songs and really like them, but I've never actually seen the live performances. Norway I had significantly more fun watching this than I did any of the entries yesterday (including the ones I liked!). It's definitely a catchy number. That said, I'm not so sold on the lyrics. They seem a little bit arrogant. Romania Pretty alright. I don't like the lead singer's voice but the song is okay. I liked the mannequins in the staging, they were a smart way to fill the stage and keep things interesting. Serbia I was really enjoying this until the beat kicked in. It wasn't bad after either but I feel like it took away from some of the ambiance of the song. It's overall nothing special but it doesn't really suck. Staging was good although some of the camera angles were a little clumsy. San Marino Jessika's live singing SUCKS. The song is actually not bad but the stage performance... oof. I thought the robot was cute but the staging was overall kinda tacky, which, what do we expect from San Marino at this point? I think Jennifer Brening could have done a really great job on the song herself. Towards the end where Jessika was riffing, she was singing the chorus, and she actually has a really great voice. Denmark Y'know, I listen to this song all the time and I only realized like two months ago that it's actually a Peace Song. It's really well composed. The staging was... a little weird. I kept laughing to myself at just the image of Rasmussen and his viking backup singers marching in place on stage. Rasmussen is a really good vocalist when he's showing off and I feel like this song could have done that more? Some of the best parts of this performance were towards the end where he was really just belting it out. If this song had been taken up a key or two it seriously would have been PERFECT.  Russia This is actually not a bad song. It's not good either, but it doesn't outright suck. It's hard for me to judge this impartially knowing the circumstances that led to this specific song and artist being selected. I guess one of the things about the PERFORMANCE that I don't really vibe with is that I don't think Julia is actually singing in the chorus. Moldova Song is eh, vocals are eh, but DAMN this is fun to watch! The whole concept of the staging, the sneaking around and slapstick of it all (as well as the backup singers dressed like the main singers), was just so funny and genuinely enjoyable. Netherlands Ok. I don't think it's my place to comment on the staging but suffice it to say I think it's questionable. HOWEVER. I love love love the song. Waylon is, as well, a really fun performer to watch that makes this really enjoyable in a way that even Bulgaria, my favorite from yesterday, just wasn't. I'm generally ambivalent on Dutch country music as a concept (it can be done really poorly, as in 2013, or really well, as in 2014, or be middle of the road, as in 2016), but this is a really nice song. I think with sliiiiiightly different staging this could be one of my favorites of the year. Australia This is really mediocre for an Australian entry. Jessica Mauboy is a really talented vocalist but this just isn't a great song and the staging was so, for lack of a better word, awkward. Whatever fun Jessica was having onstage didn't seem to translate once filmed. Georgia I think it's a pretty song with very satisfying harmonies. However, staging shot this one dead. It seemed like the camera was focused on the wrong person half the time and just overall it wasn't the good staging I've come to expect from Georgia. Disappointing. Don't hate it though. Poland I have a vague memory of being around when this song was announced, and listening to it, and hating it. Suffice it to say that my opinion has not changed. Staging leaves no impression, live vocals are bad, song is really nothing

special. Malta I genuinely don't know how to feel about this. I know I don't hate it, I know I don't love it, but I don't know what exactly it is I think. The staging and instrumental were really strong at the beginning and kinda went downhill from there, and Christabelle is a strong vocalist but the song wasn't constructed well. Everything seems to cancel out. Hungary Not my taste. That's all I have to say about it. Latvia This is another song I really love, but I was let down by this live performance. Laura is a little awkward onstage, and her staging really limited her. Like, she stands in front of the mic for half the song, and then she takes like five steps to the left and sings the rest of it there. I think this had the potential to be really great especially because Laura is such a good singer but it just fell flat. Sweden No LED background? That's fine, Sweden will just bring their own. The staging was really innovative, as I've come to expect from post-Heroes Sweden, and the song is well-produced and radio-friendly. Benjamin is fun to watch, although a little awkward at times. I think the one thing that really put me off the song is just HOW produced it is, if that makes any sense? Sweden's 2015 and 2019 entries have emotion behind them that this one just lacks. Montenegro Not for me. I can get behind Balkanpop in some instances, but this isn't one of them. Also, the sparkly blue suit was really a mood killer for me, lol. Slovenia I genuinely had to look up if the music going out was planned or not. This and Barei's 2016 stage fall seriously have to go down in Eurovision history. Lea is a fun performer to watch and the song, although not in a style I usually enjoy, is good nonetheless. Ukraine Melovin has one of my favorite voices in this year's ESC for sure. Under the Ladder is a great song, and the staging is fucking weird but it works, I think. I still prefer his 2017 bid Wonder to this, though. My personal qualifiers Netherlands Denmark Ukraine Latvia Slovenia Norway Sweden Moldova Serbia Romania Miscellaneous thoughts I'm not sure if I was just off my game yesterday or what, but all in all I enjoyed these songs a lot more than I did those in the first semi-final. Unlike with 2019's shows, though, I still don't have any that I think could be my winner of the year - maybe Netherlands, maybe Ukraine, maybe Bulgaria, possibly one of the autoqualifiers but that seems unlikely. It all depends on the final, I guess.