#maja kristina

[calmasyoghurt]

Yoghurt's joker out pride project.

I've already posted today's chapter a while ago on ao3 but now it's here too.

June 7, prompt 26. Gender dysphoria

There are pros and cons to everything. Easter is no exception. To Kris, the pros of Easter are the food and the candy. The cons are having to dress nice and grandparents visiting. Neither of the cons would be too bad if a few things would change.

For the dressing nice part, it would be a lot nicer if Kris actually liked any of the nice clothes she owned. Dresses always made Kris feel weird, wearing them was like wearing a shirt without pants. Add on the fact that most of the ones she owned were poofy or with floral patterns. She had owned a skirt that hadn't been too bad, a simple blue one with no frills or patterns. Unfortunately Kris had grown a lot since last Easter, and she didn't think her grandparents would approve of all the skin that would be visible in that.

Speaking of grandparents, they were the second problem. They always insist on calling her Kristina. Sure, it is her name, but no one else uses it. Kris doesn’t like being called her full name. It doesn’t fit her. The name Kris fits her. Kris is a way cooler name than Kristina. Kris wishes that the name thing was the only thing that made her uncomfortable when her grandparents where visiting. They always tried to relate to the things she was going through. When they had visited during Christmas, grandpa hadn’t been able to stop talking about how tall Kris was turning out. He kept saying that Kris must be the tallest girl in her school, asking if it felt weird to tower over everyone, even some of the guys. Being tall was one of Kris’ favorite things about herself. It made her feel powerful in a way.

Grandma however, she liked talking to Kris about boys and love and weddings and kids. Like, jeez grandma, 14 is way to early for at least two of those topics. But grandma insists to talk about what kinds of wedding dresses are in style at the moment, and when she does, Kris can’t help to think it would be way nicer to get married in regular pants, or at least a jumpsuit. Grandma also tend to ask Kris if she has a list of baby names yet, and insists that she had made her first list at the age of 11. Kris isn’t even sure she wants kids. Kids can be nice, Kris could sometimes even enjoy taking care of Maja. But the whole ‘being pregnant for 9 months’ freaks Kris out a bit. Maybe she could just adopt a kid. That seems like a way nicer thing to do.

As Easter Sunday rolls around, Kris feels like she definitely could be in a better mood. Sure, her mum had seemed to realize that Kris was to tall and to old for most of the frilly, floral dresses in her wardrobe, and together they had gone clothes shopping. However, Kris’ attempts of trying to let her mum wear pants during the holiday had not worked. Instead, they’d gotten a light blue skirt and a blouse. Unfortunately, the blouse was white and of a thiner material. It would not make it possible for Kris to hide a sports bra under there, so she would have to use the normal bra. On top of that, Kris got her period on the Saturday. It wasn’t her first period, she’d started getting them about a year ago. But periods just makes everything shitty and weird. But there’s nothing Kris can do about that now. She’s just going to pretend like everything’s alright. She’s going to pretend like she isn’t uncomfortable in the skirt, and like she isn’t on her period. Everything is going to be fine.

[fr0stbytes]

❛  𝚈𝙾𝚄  𝙲𝙰𝙽  𝙷𝙰𝚅𝙴  𝙼𝚈  𝙷𝙴𝙰𝚁𝚃  ...  𝙸𝙵  𝚈𝙾𝚄  𝙷𝙰𝚅𝙴  𝚃𝙷𝙴  𝚂𝚃𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙲𝙷  𝚃𝙾  𝚃𝙰𝙺𝙴  𝙸𝚃  . ❜

𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚃𝙸𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙲𝚂

full  name:  irina  kristina  leano

name  meaning:  of  greek  origin  meaning  ‘peace’

age:  twenty  -  five

date  of  birth:  march  22

zodiac  sign:  aries

gender:  cis  female  ,  she  /  her

sexuality  &  romantic  orientation:  bisexual  ,  heteromantic

family:  mother  -  maja  leano   ,  father  -  hannes  sandberg 

radiant  status:  not  applicable

duration  of  stay:  resident  ,  twelve  years

pre  -  mercy  job:  dancer , bartender

post  -  mercy  hopes:  biomedical  agent

playlist:  tokyo  drifting  by  glass  animals  ,  ain’t  no  rest  for  the  wicked  by  cage  the  elephant  ,  born  for  this  by  the  score  ,  i’m  so  sorry  by  imagine  dragons

𝙱𝙰𝙲𝙺𝙶𝚁𝙾𝚄𝙽𝙳

content  warnings  :  mentions  of  violence , alcohol  abuse

━  kicked  out  of  home  at  seventeen  because  her  mother  was  an  alcoholic + managed  to  get  out  of  foster  care  by  lying  about  her  age  and  with  the  help  of  the  talents  of  her  high  school  friends  in  making  fake  documentation ━  father  was  never  around  but  every  now  and  then  gave  a  fat  whad  of  cash  for  birthdays  and  holidays  which  she  had  saved  up  for  rent  at  a  grotty  little  place   ━  had  aspirations  to  become  a  dr  or  a  paramedic,  tried  to  save  up  a  lot  for  tuition  by  becoming  a  dancer  at  clubs/bartending/receptionist  at  18  -  met  some  dodgy  people   ━  was  invited  to  join  mercy  when  someone  witnessed  her  “overreacting”  with  a  customer  at  the  nightclub  she  worked  at  and  almost  beat  up  a  guy  twice  her  size   ━ has  been  a  junior  agent  every  since  the  age  of  21   ━  character  inspo:  alexis  rose  (  and  a  bit  of  the  hulk  tbh  )    she  loves  pretty  and  shiny  things  ,  she’s  quite  superficial  and  may  value  things  and  people  by  how  they  look . she  is  also  unapologetically  short  -  tempered  

𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂

━  ALL PLEASE

[pysankywrites-updates]

cerebrum — first look

Simon sat on the edge of the boat, leaned back on his arms as his legs dangled down toward the water below. Beside him, Maja sat with Kattis in her lap, playing with the little girl’s dark hair as she spoke with Kristina where the older woman sat further into the middle of the boat.

There was a gentle tug at his leg and Simon peered over the edge of the boat to find Wilhelm grinning up at him from the water.

Simon pushed his sunglasses down, looking back at his partner. “What are you doing?”

“You should really come into the water. It’s cold today.”

“If you say that then I’m definitely not coming in,” Simon said, shaking his head at the other.

“Simme,” Wilhelm said, ducking his head beneath the water for a moment and then re-emerging. He ran a hand through his wet hair and then grabbed the side of the boat, treading water as he looked up at Simon. Playfully, he tugged at Simon’s leg again and said, “Maybe I’ll just pull you in.”

“Yeah, do that and you’ll be sleeping on the other side of the house tonight,” Simon said drily, pushing his sunglasses back up and leaning back.

There was a harder tug at both of his legs and he slid down the boat slightly.

“Wille,” he said warningly, and the other started laughing hard as he let go of Simon’s legs.

A moment later, Wilhelm pulled himself up beside where Simon sat, perching himself on the edge of the boat for a moment. As he did so, Simon couldn’t help but watch him, eyes following the water droplets rolling down his pale, freckled skin. Well, pink-quickly-turning-red freckled skin.

“Precioso,” he said, reaching out and running a hand over Wilhelm’s back, “you’re so sunburnt. Didn’t you put sunscreen on earlier?”

“Yes,” Wilhelm sighed, before twisting around and looking Simon over. “Make sure—.”

“Unlike someone, I’ve been applying regularly,” Simon cut him off, pointing to the bottle of sunscreen sitting off to the side of where they both sat. “Actually, wait.”

He grabbed the bottle, squirting some of the sunscreen out into his palm and then spread it all over the other’s back.

“I’m already sunburnt, Simme.”

“I’m trying to make sure you don’t get even more sunburnt. I’d like to actually sleep tonight and not hear you complain all night long.”

“So caring,” Wilhelm teased, glancing over his shoulder. Simon stuck his tongue out at him. “Such a great bedside manner.”

“That’s why I do trauma, I don’t have to speak to the patient usually. Or at least they don’t usually speak back.”

Wilhelm hummed at this, huffing out a slight laugh. It wasn’t really funny, but to them it was in a weird way at this point.

After he’d finished applying the sunscreen, Wilhelm started to push off from where he was perched, but Simon stopped him.

“See, this is why you’re burnt. You’re supposed to wait, Wille.”

Wilhlem sighed like he was five years old rather than a grown, thirty-three-year old man. “Okay.”

Simon shook his head and laid back down, grinning as he heard Wilhelm start talking with Kattis and Maja a few moments later.

Maja’s fortieth birthday was the following week; however, she and Erik were going to be traveling for her birthday and their anniversary. So, they had all decided to meet up this weekend after the start of the kids’ summer holidays and celebrate her birthday at Kristina and Ludvig’s house. Which is how Simon had found himself on their boat, smiling as he listened to Wilhelm debate with his six-year-old niece about the merits of some cartoon.

His peace was shattered a few minutes later when Mikael came running over to where he was laying and stood over him, in the process dripping water all over Simon.

He blinked up at his nephew, who was grinning down at him.

“Simme! Come play with us, we need one more player!”

“Give me a few more minutes, Mikael,” Wilhelm called out from where he was still sitting by Kattis and Maja. “Simon doesn’t want to go into the water today.”

Mikael turned back to Simon, looking at him with big brown eyes. “Please, Simme.”

Beyond him, Wilhelm was also looking at Simon with big brown eyes.

Simon sighed. “What are you playing?”

Mikael’s grin widened and he jumped up and down excitedly. The boat rocked alarmingly and Simon reached out to wrap a hand around his ankle, signalling for him to stop jumping.

“Water polo!” His nephew exclaimed, fidgeting.

Oh hell no. No fucking way was Simon getting in the middle of that, especially when he knew that Erik and Mikael were both playing. Both of them, along with Wilhelm, had a competitive streak about a mile wide. Simon’s, on the other hand, was maybe about an inch, if that—when it came to athletics at least.

“I’m playing!” Wilhelm called out, immediately getting up from where he’d been sitting and following his nephew.

He stopped by where Simon still lay though, grinning down at him. “Will you come into the water later?”

Simon shrugged. “Probably not. I’m enjoying not having to do anything for a few minutes.”

Wilhelm held out a hand and Simon reached up to tangle their fingers together. The other squeezed his hand, rubbing his fingers over Simon’s. “Okay. Love you.”

“Love you too.” Simon grinned up at him. “Don’t get killed by your brother and nephews.”

Wilhelm barked out a laugh at this, letting go of Simon’s hand and running a hand through his hair. “No promises, älskling.”

[beardedmrbean]

Prime Minister Sanna Marin's (SDP) government is running out of time to fulfil its promise to make amendments to the Act on the Sámi Parliament, Swedish-language daily Hufvudstadsbladet (siirryt toiseen palveluun)writes.

By intervening into who can identify as Sámi, current laws hinder the indigenous and historically discriminated against people's right to self-determination, according to the paper.

"The current law is problematic because it does not in every way support the rights of the Sámi as indigenous people. The definitions of who is designated as Sámi are currently so extensive that people who do not really have a connection to the Sámi as indigenous people can vote and be elected to the Sámi Parliament," Non-Discrimination Ombudsman Kristina Stenman told HBL.

The UN has also condemned the Finnish state for violating an international convention on racial discrimination by interpreting the criteria for who is considered Sámi in a way that differs from that of the Sámi Parliament. 

A revision of the Sámi Parliament Act has long been on the agenda of the government, but has been repeatedly stalled. This is despite Marin's government programme stating that the Sámi Parliament Act must be revised during this government term to better secure the indigenous people's rights, HBL writes.

With parliamentary elections looming next April, the government only has a few weeks to put forward the bill if it is to be processed by Parliament during this electoral term. The new law would change the criteria that apply to those who may be designated as Sámi in the voters' register, meaning who may vote and run for office in the Sámi parliamentary elections.

One of the major issues that the multi-party government is struggling to agree on is who should be defined as Sámi, according to the paper. Minister of Justice Anna-Maja Henriksson (SPP) told HBL that internal disputes on the issue were preventing the reform from progressing.

"Negotiations are still ongoing internally in the government. I am doing my utmost to move the law forward, but it is no secret that the Centre Party has so far not approved the proposal," Henriksson said. 

Children in Finland are well-vaccinated

Some 97 percent of the children born since 2019 have been vaccinated with the diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and Hib combination vaccines, reports newspaper Ilkka-Pohjalainen (siirryt toiseen palveluun) (IP).

Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) expert Mia Kontio said she was pleased with the vaccination coverage of small children in Finland, and that rates have remained stable. There is however room for improvement regarding the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, also known as MMR.

"At the national level, the MMR vaccination coverage has remained around 95 percent for a long time. Wider epidemics are unlikely, but the risk of local epidemics increases, especially for measles, which spreads easily, if the MPR vaccination coverage is repeatedly at this level or lower," Kontio said.

In Finland, a child is considered unvaccinated if they have not received any rotavirus, pneumococcal, MMR and the 5-in-1 (DTaP-IPV-Hib) or 4-in-1 (DTaP-IPV) vaccines. Covid vaccines have not been administered to children under the age of five as of yet, but Finland should make a decision on that soon, according to Kontio.

Slippery road season commenced

Winter tyres can be put on as early as October, if the weather conditions call for it, tabloid Ilta-Sanomat (siirryt toiseen palveluun) (IS) reports.

People in Finland are legally required to use winter tyres between 1 November and 31 March. 

However wet and icy conditions in late autumn as well as poor tyre condition can easily make drivers lose control of the wheel. Water puddles on the roads, black ice and darkening days all have a big impact on road safety at this time of the year, said Mikko Pöyhönen,Fennia's head of vehicle insurance.

"If the road surface is slippery and the winter tyres have not been installed yet, the stopping distance of the car will be longer. This causes dangerous situations for yourself, other motorists and especially pedestrians," Pöyhönen said.

[shynmighty]

1,5,10,16 for whoever gives the most interesting answer

I mean, I think they all give interesting answers, in my TOTALLY objective, not-biased-at-all opinion! 😂 Let's see...

How about Aeseca?

1: What is their go-to comfort food?

She has a sweet tooth, so probably a huge dessert.

5: What is the song you most associate to them?

Jessica by Maja Kristina... The song itself has nothing to do with her, but I pronounce her name like "Jessica" so when my playlist puts it on it makes me think of her 😅

10: What is their favorite thing in the world?

She may not look like the type, but she has a speeder that she loves to tinker with. She named it "Lovely", and it's her pride and joy.

16: What was the happiest moment of their life?

So far it would be becoming a Jedi, but that's just because she hasn't met Rass yet...

Thanks so much for the ask!!! ❤

[leothil]

Any Finnish or Swedish language media you would recommend?

Oh I'm ALWAYS recommending the Moomin books by Tove Jansson! They are lighthearted and funny, but also surprisingly deep and heartwarming and philosophical (especially Moominpappa and the Sea, my beloved). The comics are fine too, but they lack the heart the books have imo. The 1990 animated series is also gold and a staple for any millennial (and i'd wager a lot of gen z and even gen alpha) kids in Finland. The real version is the fennoswedish dub, but it also exists as an english dub (in fact I think more episodes are dubbed to english than were released in swedish [executive decision by the local broadcast company]).

Maria Turtschaninoff has written some ya (-ish? idk how to classify them) fantasy books that I really enjoyed, and at least the Red Abbey Chronicles have been translated to English.

Stormskärs Maja is a book series that got turned into a beloved tv series in the 70's, and in January this year it got adapted into a movie. The titular track from tv series is well-known (you can hear my choir and our friend choir from Trondheim sing it here), and I've yet to watch the movie but I've seen it get good reviews! Afaik it's available internationally - look for Stormskerry Maja.

I'll throw in a Swedish recommendation too: the musical Kristina från Duvemåla by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (yes, the ABBA guys) has so many wonderful songs in it, and it's a shame it hasn't made its way onto bigger stages abroad. The original cast recording is available online afaik. I've sang Du Måste Finnas from this show, the titular Kristina's big number in the second act, several times, and got it recorded during a workshop I was part of last spring, so maybe I'll share it here sometime.

Ask me anything!

[majakall]

2020-  FÄRGEN FRÅN YTTRE RYMDEN Backa teater Av: Emma Palmkvist efter en novell av HP Lovecraft Regi: Lars Melin Musiker: Kristina Issa, Mats Nahlin Scenografi: Maja Kall Kostym: Karin Dahlstöm

foto: Maja Kall, Ola kjelby

[pojkflata]

ockupationen av socialstyrelsen, kung kristina, selma lagerlöf. men vem var det fjärde exemplet? hen med den berömda autobiografin. jag skulle gärna läsa den ^_^

Lasse-Maja!

[antmranking]

Martina

2. Sabina

3. Nikolina

4. Monika

5. Tea

6. Marina

7. Maja

8. Marija Š.

9. Dea

10. Neda

11. Marija A.

12. Julija

13. Valentina

14. Alin

15. Kristina

[uclpact]

For the Rights of the Soil not to be Exhausted: Ecocentric Practices for Land Restoration

Co-Directors of the Postsocialist Art Centre (PACT) Maja and Reuben Fowkes will be presenting ‘For the Rights of the Soil not to be Exhausted: Ecocentric Practices for Land Restoration’ on April 12th as part of the ‘Matter Matters: The Aesthetics and Politics of Soil’ panel at the 49th Annual Association for Art History Conference, taking place at University College London.

About the Presentation:

As climate breakdown tests the ecological limits of heavy agriculture, how have artists exposed the entwined colonial and environmental histories of land and proposed ecocentric practices based on more-than-human comradeship and care? These questions are addressed through Anetta Mona Chişa’s One Are (2021), which translated the Roman unit of territory into a 100m2 inverted cast of a ploughed field to reveal the materiality of the soil in its earthy imprint of tilling, cracking and erosion. Also considered is Cooking Sections’ For the Rights of the Soil not to be Exhausted (2019), which engaged with the histories of chernozem from the Ukrainian steppe, from the terror of Soviet grain requisitioning to the impact of shifting climatic zones. The artist duo also collaborated with lawyers to legally enshrine the defence of the soil against capitalist extractivism, encapsulating the planetary tipping point in attitudes towards what anthropologist Kristina Lyons calls the “complex self-organising system” underground.

Image: Anetta Mona Chişa, One Are (2021)

[aleksandarpaunovic]

Dobrodošla u tim, draga Kristina, čestitamo ti na završenoj obuci za Vacuum65Body, naš revolucionarni tretman za skidanje obima i otklanjanje celulita! Kristina Delić je poznata po odličnoj maderoterapiji i uvođenju inovativnog pristupa u manikir i pedikir, a sada će svojim klijentima pružiti i jedinstveno iskustvo mršavljenja uz Vacuum65Body tretman. Kristina, hvala ti na ukazanom poverenju, drago nam je što si postala deo pobedničke ekipe, ne sumnjamo da ćeš nastaviti da nižeš uspehe kao i do sada. Kristinu možete posetiti u njenom salonu @nugenesis_studio_artistry_lux koji se nalazi na Konjarniku, u Beograd. Prijavite se za obuku za Vacuum65Body i postanite naš saradnik već danas! Obuke se realizuju svakog radnog dana u našem Edukativnom centru u Beogradu, a za obuku se možete prijaviti putem telefonskog poziva, mejlom ili direktnom porukom. Srbija & Worldwide: edukacija@magiccrystals.rs ☎️+381 64 001 51 13 Aleksandar, CEO, Founder, Grand Master Trainer ☎️+38169680750 Master Trainer Maja Radonjić #vacuum65body #maderotherapy #beauty #education #cosmetics #weightloss #bodycare #bodytransform #fitness #training #serbia #worldwide #negatela #maderoterapija #mrsavljenje (у месту Beograd) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn6xPNOsmQP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bongoramadk]

GRØNT RASERI – OMVÆLT VERDEN!

Af Jens-André Herbener, Ursula Andkjær Olsen, Gritt Uldall-Jessen, Katrine Grünfeld, Signe Kierkegaard Cain, Viktor Tjerneld, Marie Bjørn, Christina Hesselholdt, Pablo Llambías, Jacob Skyggebjerg, Kristina Stoltz, Silja Henderson, Alexandra Moltke Johansen, Helene Johanne Christensen, Shëkufe Heiberg, Carsten Jensen (introduktion), Liz Jensen og Maja Lucas. Sammen med en række forfattere, bl.a.…

[mrrrdaisy]

New Music: Maja Kristina - Neighborhood

New Music: Maja Kristina – Neighborhood

2022 always promised to be a turning point year for Stockholm-based talent. She is a young, gifted standout who has made her way, step by step, towards independent artistry. A new phase of studio material begins for 2022 with the one clearest images of her very personal and incredibly accessible pop prowess. Her 2021 debut EP songs “The Idea of Me” and “Self Love Therapy” appeared on Netflix’s…

[shemakesmusic-uk]

Everyone needs to have Maja Kristina on their radar immediately. She is an incredible artist that is straight out of our pop dreams. Her whole self-titled EP is absolute perfection. Maja has released the song ‘Jessica’ off her EP as a single, and she couldn’t have made a better pick. ‘Jessica’ is a new take on a breakup song that we hope to see much more of. It’s written with the mindset that the person that cheated is at fault, not the person they cheated with. That is the mindset everyone needs to have! Maja sings, “Cause she seems really nice, and I think in the end, Me and Jessica could be friends.” We love to see women lifting up other women, instead of adding to the teardown. It’s a breath of fresh air. Normalize shaming cheaters, but not other manipulated women. [via The Honey Pop]

Lucia & The Best Boys have shared a new video for ‘Forever Forget’. It’s a cut from the band’s recent EP The State Of Things, it arrives alongside the news that their upcoming support tour with Dream Wife has moved back to 2022. Speaking about the video, director Rianne White says: “'Forever Forget' is a landscape of a feeling. Lucia and I wanted to create a piece of choreography that exists in a solo otherworldly space shaken up by an unsettling sensation of feeling trapped. Guarded by multiple camera perspectives, this movement sequence is shattered like a mirror into pieces and dominated by a blinding sensation of overwhelm, refracting the internal electricity of the brain into view. This video is a portrait of inner turbulence, liberated by Lucia’s untamed and magnetic expression of self. Frontwoman Lucia Fairfull adds: “The 'Forever Forget' video concept has kept completely true to the meaning of the song, 'Baby you've taken me to higher places. It hurts if it's just in my head', is the first lyrics of the chorus. The video portrays this with an other-worldly head trapped space, along with the choreography expressing a state of wanting to escape your own mind and thoughts. The lyrics throughout speak directly about wishing you still had what you once did, but having to face the reality that it is no more, and then trying to erase the memories from your head and move on. Making videos has always been one of my favourite parts about being an artist and over the last year I’ve really detached myself from the idea that I need to be perceived in a certain way and have enjoyed being more adventurous with Visuals. I have imagery almost as soon as I’ve written a song so bringing it to life, and creating different characters to go with them is something I really feel helps to get across what I'm saying. I couldn't have brought these ideas to life ('Perfectly Untrue' & 'Forever Forget') without Rianne and Furmaan, and can’t wait to make more with them.” [via Dork]

Foxes has returned with news of her forthcoming EP Friends In The Corner, alongside sharing new cut 'Kathleen' to accompany the announcement. 'Kathleen' is Foxes' first release of 2021, and follows December's 'Hollywood', which will appear on her upcoming EP alongside last year's 'Friends In The Corner', 'Love Not Loving You' and 'Woman' singles. The new track is produced by Courage (Stormzy, MNEK, Ray BLK) and Charlie Hugall (Halsey, Florence and the Machine), and is an ode to her grandmother Kathleen. Foxes, real name Louisa Rose Allen, says of the single, "My grandma, Kathleen, has always given really good advice so on one visit I thought, ‘why am I not recording this?’. A couple of weeks later in the studio I happened to be going through my voice notes of random melodies and lyrics I’d saved and stumbled across her words of wisdom and within 20 minutes we’d written it with all her advice from the notes. I kept that exact recording of her talking at the end of the song. I don't think I’d be a songwriter without her." She adds, "For me, 'Kathleen' closes the chapter of the last year. Focussing on creativity during lockdown has been essential for me – it’s given me so much strength and positivity. Almost without realising, I ended up writing a whole new album. The new songs have a really different energy and need to exist together as a record. But first I need to release 'Kathleen' as it’s such a special song for me and just seems so right for now. It felt right to wrap these songs up together as an EP before the new album gets released later this year." [via Line Of Best Fit]

The Sydney-based three-piece Middle Kids release the cinematic title track and video from their hotly anticipated second album, Today We’re The Greatest, out now via Lucky Number One. 'Today We’re The Greatest' features a heartachingly beautiful performance from lead singer Hannah Joy and showcases the juxtaposition of her compelling songwriting. The grandiose and romantic notion of the song’s title is offset by the repeated refrain “life is gory and boring sometimes” which both closes the song and also the album – reveling equally in the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. About the song, Hannah explains: “This is a simple song of people being TINY and our lives being FLEETING but in that we are EPIC and GREAT. It’s finding the beauty and majesty of the every day. Therein lies life and meaning. LIFE IS GORY AND BORING SOMETIMES: it’s both hectic and mundane and we have to accept both.” 'Today We’re The Greatest' is accompanied by a stunning music video directed by W.A.M. Bleakley and filmed on the Kiama costal path in Australia.

Pacific Northwest native pop singer ALITA has released her new music video 'I’m Not Your Mother'. The video is a 50's inspired homage to empowerment and subverting antiquated gender roles. It was co-produced by ALITA & Zach Nicita (VERITE, Anne Marie, MS MR), and co-written by ALITA & Grammy-award-winning songwriter Jesse Saint John (Lizzo - Truth Hurts). “I wanted to create a visual world that put the song into a little more context," exlplains ALITA. "The song has a lot of classic & almost retro influences, from the old movie voices of women to the genre-blending pop, r&b, soul production. I wrote, ‘I’m Not Your Mother’ as a reflection on my own relationships, but I also know how shared of an experience this is for so many women. I see it every day in my friends' relationships, in my own family dynamics, in media. It’s constant. So we pulled in moments from old movies & tried to sprinkle in some history into the song as well. For the video, I wanted to honor the sonic storytelling with an exploration of the modern and classic roles women play. I wanted it to be a little weird & left of center, so there’s a lot of strange Easter eggs throughout the video. We’ve evolved as a species over the years, thank God, but instead of women being expected to be a homemaker, for example, there’s still this expectation for women to take care of and take responsibility for the men in our lives. It just may look a little different than it did 50 years ago. The application has changed, but the subtleties and impact remain. My goal was to tip my hat to that in the video, and just make something that looked nice.”

Glüme's Instagram bio reads "Walmart Marilyn," offering a succint intro to the LA-based artist's DIY approach to old school Hollywood glamor. She recently signed to Italians Do It Better, making her label mates with Chromatics and Glass Candy with whom she shares a penchant for bittersweet and melodic synth-pop, the perfect backdrop for a struggling ingénue. This week she debuts 'What Is A Feeling,' taken from her forthcoming debut album The Internet, due next month. 'What Is A Feeling' was written after Glüme, who has the rare heart condition Prinzmetal angina, was informed that her emotional health was starting to affect her physical condition. Over a chugging bassline and drum claps she questions the very make-up of her existence, asking questions including "What makes me work?" and "What makes me hurt?" Not even a doctor's orders can keep her away from temptation though, with the chaos of conflicting feelings tied up tight in the song's restrictive confines. “I had a doctor once tell me my feelings were doing my heart more harm than good," Glüme says via email. "I left wanting to completely disassemble my emotions and throw them in the trash. I studied emotions from physical and philosophical perspectives to see if I could outsmart them. But feeling less wasn't an option.” The Internet is out on April 30 via Italians Do It Better. [via The FADER]

Singer, songwriter, and producer ZAND is known for their uniquely brash brand of self-described ugly pop, and the iconic look that accompanies it is almost as distinctive. New single 'Bald Bitch' is ZAND’s most compelling earworm yet, its crunchy synthesised bassline driving beneath Blackpool accented pseudo-rap and the buzz of an electric razor. It’s the fourth and final cut to be lifted from last year’s Ugly Pop EP. ZAND isn’t afraid of controversial subject matter, with previous singles tackling topics such as misogyny and the stigma of sex work. 'Bald Bitch' is no exception to this trend, with ZAND squaring up to and superficial detractor chosing to comment on their appearance. 'Bald Bitch' is the next installment in the story of an artist who refuses to cow to convention. [via Line Of Best Fit]

Korean-American musician Jessi says she hopes her new song ‘What Type of X’ will inspire listeners to be “more confident”. The singer-rapper noted that “the most crucial thing” for her is self-love and how important it was for ‘What Type Of X’ to reflect that. “I am a woman of strong mentality and for me, loving myself is the most crucial thing. If you do not love yourself, nobody will do so. On top of that, you have to be surrounded by people who give off positive vibes,” she said. “Through the song, I want to tell people to be more confident and hope they remember that being different is not wrong.” Jessi co-wrote ‘What Type of X’ with Psy, who is the head of her agency P Nation. Psy. She shared that the lyrics were originally written in English before Psy helped to translate them, adding that the duo “did not argue as much as we did in the past while working together”. The singer also noted that, compared to her previous releases, she did not have as much time to prepare for this comeback. Calling herself a “perfectionist”, Jessi added that she feels like she is not fully ready to perform the song on stage yet, although she says she’s “quite content with the single’s quality”. [via NME]

Newcastle-based trio Cat Ryan have shared the official video for their latest indie-pop stunner ‘Mary Shelley Song’. The band has this to say on the clip: “Our film student friends, Briana and Gabi offered to film a music video for us and it was the first opportunity we’d had to film a professional kind of video. The first thought I had was to have a film noir style video. I think Lucas came up with a loose storyline and the idea to have it in reverse. We all quite liked the idea of a murder plot and with some tweaking of the narrative and, with the help of Briana and Gabi, the ideas came to life.”

[streetwolf]

Listen: "Jessica" by Maja Kristina

Listen: “Jessica” by Maja Kristina

“Jessica” by Maja Kristina Uber-talented Swedish indie singer/songwriter Maja Kristina comes to Wolf in a Suit with the bittersweet yet honest track that is “Jessica”. With this refreshing exploration of relationships and heartbreak she talks to her ex in a way that really embraces what she feels deep inside. She emphasizes on the lie but also on the fact that she is not angry at who she was…

[swedishpop]

Maja Kristina’s cover of Slow Hand by The Pointer Sisters