Month: January 2023

Rising Spanish pop star Pol Granch covered a song from one of his country’s superstars, Rosalía. Yesterday (January 24), Granch released his version of Rosalía’s “Dolerme” that he recorded for Apple Music.

As part of Apple Music’s Home Sessions, Granch released his version of “Dolerme.” Rosalía dropped that song back in 2020 in the middle of the quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. She notably channeled her angst through Auto-Tune with an alternative edge in that track. On Twitter, Granch expressed his excitement to take on “Dolerme.”

“Now available are two very cool and different pieces of music that I recorded for Apple Music,” he wrote in Spanish. “Thank you for the opportunity.”

Granch’s version of “Dolerme” is a more stripped-down version of the song. Solely backed by the piano, his voice soars as he sings Rosalía’s emotional lyrics. In addition to being Spanish, Granch is also French, and his French accent peeks out a few times during his beautiful rendition.

The second track that Granch recorded for his Home Sessions was his own song “Nena.” He also put an acoustic spin on the sweet love song from his latest album Amor Escupido. Rosalía, meanwhile, is set to release her next single, “LLYLM,” this Friday, January 27.

Listen to Granch’s Home Sessions on Apple Music here.

The Chicago Bears are in an interesting spot at the top of the 2023 NFL Draft. Much like the Jacksonville Jaguars last year, Chicago doesn’t need to use the No. 1 overall pick on a quarterback, as the team presumably has its signal caller of the future in Justin Fields. Of course, the Bears can try to trade Fields and use that pick on Alabama’s Bryce Young or Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, but in the event they don’t go down that road, they have two options: Pick someone at a different position, or look to trade the No. 1 pick for more draft capital that lets them address other needs on their roster.

On Wednesday’s edition of First Take, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo tried to lay things out just like I did. The catch: He did not use the phrase “draft capital.” Instead, he got lost in the sauce and made up the phrase “draft booty,” which got Stephen A. Smith laughing so hard that he nearly burst into tears on set.

Smith tried his best to hold it together, but after making eye contact with Molly Qerim, an understandably baffled Querim simply saying “what?,” and Mad Dog sheepishly admitting he “used the wrong word,” Smith couldn’t contain himself any longer. Things went off the rails for a few seconds after that, but even as Mad Dog got things back on track, Smith couldn’t stop laughing.

While Mac DeMarco is hot off the release of his latest album, the instrumental Five Easy Hot Dogs, it’s a 2019 song of his that’s garnering some traction: A song of DeMarco‘s called “Heart To Heart” just earned him his first ever placement on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Heart To Heart,” which was written as a tribute to late rapper Mac Miller, debuted at No. 98 on the chart dated January 28. The song saw an increase in streams and as Billboard notes, TikTok “has been instrumental in the song’s resurgence.”

While it seems DeMarco has TikTok to thank for his first Hot 100 chart placement, he revealed in a recent interview with Variety that he actually finds the platform “depressing,” saying:

“It’s very depressing. I think that that’s the problem is artists have slipped into this role of like, ‘Well, I do need those things.’ You don’t… but if you want to make money, I guess you do. I was always of the ilk of make what you want to make, and if money comes afterward, it’s a bonus. A lot of my songs actually do quite well on TikTok, but I never had to think about, [mocking voice] ‘Well this should sound pretty good sped up!’ At the same time… what do people say? Get that bag, or whatever? Live your life however you want to live your life, I don’t give a f*ck. But kids don’t seem to like going on tour anymore, either. Going on tour was the greatest gift of life for me. You get a van with your friends and drive around, party every night, share your music, see the weirdest parts of every city and meet other weird people. It’s like, ‘Would you like your life to become an adventure? Here you go.’ And now people are like, ‘I’m so tired…’ I don’t want to sound like a grumpy old uncle, but it’s strange!

That’s why making this record felt quite natural for me. It has its own weird little musical identity, and it doesn’t ‘slap,’ it doesn’t have ‘bangers.’ It just is what it is. I love music. I love recording music. I love listening to music. And I don’t need extra baggage to come with it. It’s a very simple pleasure of being alive. Maybe I’m waxing a little too poetic…”

Mac Miller is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Ariana Grande might be best known as a pop queen, but her musical theatre talents run deep. She was a performer on Broadway at the age of nine, long before she began racking up Grammys. And even throughout her adult career, she’ll wave that theatre kid flag once in a while, as she did for NBC’s “Hairspray Live!”

Grande is even currently filming a live adaptation of the musical “Wicked,” playing the role of Galinda, aka Glinda the Good Witch. While the movie might not release until Christmas of 2024, the singer treated fans to an early taste of Oz with a gorgeous rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” originally sung by Judy Garland in the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz.”

---

The video shows Grande chilling in a kitchen, completely covered up in a giant pink yarn sweater—equal parts for comfort and hiding her golden Glinda locks, to be sure—as she effortlessly captures that same kind of dreamy lilt that Garland once did for the tune. Perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise, since Grande is a whiz at musical impressions.

Listen. It’s stunning.

@arianagrande

wanted to sing you a little something but don’t want to sing anything that is not “Ozian” at the moment 🙂 keeping to my little bubble for now … done with lots of love.

♬ original sound – arianagrande

“Wanted to sing you a little something but don’t want to sing anything that is not ‘Ozian’ at the moment 🙂 keeping to my little bubble for now,” Grande wrote in the video’s caption. “Done with lots of love.” The cover comes as a polite response to a fan who asked, “Why aren’t you a singer anymore?” since Grande hasn’t put out a new album since 2020.

Understandably, filming two huge movies at the same time (“Wicked” director Jon Chu previously announced that the movie would be split into two parts) leaves little time to produce new music. But rest assured, Grande is, and probably always will be, a SINGER. (All-caps necessary to encapsulate all that talent.)

Grande’s clip quickly went viral, reaching yet another famous Glinda—Kristin Chenoweth. Chenoweth, who originated the “Wicked” role on Broadway, threw on a hot pink feathered sweater and performed a TikTok duet of the song, along with the caption, “Just two Ozians.”

Is there any better seal of approval than a duet with the OG Galinda herself? I don’t think so.

@kristinchenoweth Just two Ozians 🌈💞 @arianagrande #wicked #glinda #galinda #wizardofoz #overtherainbow ♬ original sound – arianagrande

“Wicked” boasts an impressive cast of not only Grande, but Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible and Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard of Oz. And if this cover is any indicator, it seems like it’s going to be a lovely retelling of the story…with one amazing soundtrack.

Insurance companies can be a frustrating maze for consumers and for providers. It’s not uncommon to call the number on the back of your insurance card and get a different answer every time you call with the same question. But for Dr. Tiffany Najberg, the fight with the insurance companies is a bit more personal.

Najberg is a transgender woman who has run into a multitude of problems in the insurance claims world—not as a patient, but as a provider. After changing her name legally and updating all of the required information on official websites, including the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare and the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, two websites insurance companies look at to verify providers’ credentials and ability to practice, her claims have been denied.

In the beginning of this year-long saga, Najberg was receiving checks, but the checks were in her dead name and couldn’t be cashed. After going several rounds with the insurance companies, the checks stopped coming and the insurance companies started denying her claims altogether. Of course, this prompted even more questions and frustration since Najberg updated the insurance companies with her legal name as required.

---

Najberg told Upworthy that on six different occasions, she and her billing company attempted to rectify the situation to no avail. These aren’t small companies that may have never encountered such a request. In fact, many Americans with insurance are likely covered by one of the companies she’s currently challenging. “Human, Cigna and Aetna flat out refused, but Medicaid, BlueCross BlueShield changed it immediately so it clearly has been approved through national databases,” Najberg said.

@tifftastic75

#greenscreen please share help me permanently fix this problem. here is the link for yall: chng🦋it/MLJcPRQNcc replace the butterfly with a dot #fyp #drtiffany #tiffocracy #urgentems #arklatexacceleratedcare #trans #lgbt #aetna #cigna #humana #callmebymyname

The insurance companies’ refusal to pay has been hurting Najberg and her practice, UrgentEMS, located in Shreveport, Louisiana. “My clinic treats everyone, but we aim towards communities that are underinsured and uninsured. I don’t have money to pay my rent next month because of this,” the doctor told Upworthy.

Najberg explained that between the three major insurance companies, she is currently owed nearly $200,000 in unpaid claims. Of course, she could turn patients who have these particular insurances away, but for Najberg, that’s not an option because she focuses on serving those who are underinsured and people in marginalized communities. She currently has over 100 trans patients who need continued healthcare with someone who makes them feel safe.

During the height of the pandemic, her clinic served as a place where people could get COVID-19 treatment, with Najberg proudly saying she treated everyone across the political spectrum. Najberg has built such a reputation on TikTok for her openness and ability to present public health issues in a relatable way that CDC officials have contacted her for pointers on how to engage the public.

But none of that matters if she can’t keep her doors open, and the fear that comes from recognizing that possibility keeps her up at night. Through tears, Najberg expressed her concerns for the most vulnerable population she treats, saying, “I’ll likely have to sleep in my car, and what about my trans patients? If my clinic closes, a few of them may kill themselves.”

Najberg actually found herself in the position to lose everything last month after once again not being paid, but thankfully someone anonymously paid the rent on her office space, which costs around $5,000 a month. Recently, she has relied on donations from her followers in order to keep her doors open until she wins her fight with the insurance companies.

During the interview, Najberg informed Upworthy that one insurance company is now complying. “Aetna has started processing all the back claims and a new contract has been signed. I have no retirement anymore. I have no savings. I’ll never own property. For a lifetime to be wiped away over a name change is ridiculous,” Najberg said.

A name change isn’t uncommon. People change their names for multiple reasons, the main one being marriage, so it would stand to reason that insurance companies know how to navigate name changes within their system. What makes this name change so different if other companies had no issue?

It took Najberg months of phone calls to find out the reason for her denials was due to her name change and she was advised to submit under her dead name. But submitting an insurance claim under a different name than your own is insurance fraud and kind of illegal, she protested.

For Najberg, who’s had a lifelong passion for helping people, the fight isn’t just for herself.

“If they’re doing this to me, they have to be doing this to other people. If they get away with this, they’ll do it to other trans providers,” Najberg told Upworthy.

If you’d like to support Dr. Tiffany in her fight against the insurance companies, you can sign her petition here, and if you’d like to donate to help her pay rent and get needed medical supplies, you can do that here.

If there’s a song — let alone an artist — that’s been topping the charts domestically in South Korea, and perhaps dominating TikTok and Instagram Reels at the moment, it’s NewJeans and their latest hit “OMG.” Some may counteract and say “hype boy,” as the dance continues to make waves on social platforms, but the recent track and infectious hand-to-forehead dance move — alongside “Ditto” — have set the internet ablaze with addiction.

Just six months after their debut, NewJeans’ rise in the Korean music industry has been continuously praised by the general public and K-pop fans globally. The group’s ongoing achievements only continue after Billboard unveiled the news of “OMG” ranking at no. 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart yesterday (January 24). This would mark the ADOR quintet’s highest placement ranked to date.

Last week, the group earned themselves the fastest K-Pop group to enter the Billboard Hot 100 with their pre-release single “Ditto.” The dance-pop and Jersey Club-inspired track debuted on the Billboard chart at no. 96.

With two songs landing on the Billboard chart, this not only makes NewJeans the fastest K-pop group to debut on the chart but also the fastest act to have multiple entries on the chart.

They are the third K-pop act to break into the Hot 100 chart, following pioneering acts BTS and Blackpink.

Pharrell is in his diplomatic era. Recently, he met with France’s president Emmanuel Macron at Élysée Palace to discuss cultural issues, including internet safety for kids. The two posed side-by-side in snappy suits in an extravagant room in the Palace.

“A safe place for all, secure and open, peaceful and democratic, which respects human rights,” Macron tweeted. “That’s what the Internet must be and remain, especially for our children. It’s one of our battles. Artists, join us, and speak out! Thank you @Pharrell for your commitment.”

Pharrell replied to Macron’s post with a prayer hand emoji.

According to RTL (which Billboard translated), a spokesperson for Macron shared that the two “got on really well. Pharrell Williams is very involved in the issues of the harmful effects of the internet and [smart] telephones on young people… It’s good because he [Pharrell] really reaches a big audience and he is very fine in his analysis.”

Tonight, Pharrell is reportedly set to appear at the Yellow Pieces gala — which benefits the Hospital Foundation, a charity guided by France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron. Blackpink and other French musicians are performing at the event.

In the past, Brigitte Macron has been an advocate against cyberbullying, a cause that her husband and Pharrell clearly support as well.

Marvel’s Spider-Man and its sort of sequel kind of spin-off, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales are two of the best superhero games ever made. Everything about them from the swinging, the combat, and the small details is a love letter to the IP and its fans. It even went so far as to tell two original stories utilizing the source material instead of just retelling previous adventures. It makes the experiences feel fresh and has left many fans wanting more.

What exactly are we going to get from the culmination of those desires in the upcoming all-new Spider-Man adventure? Great question. All we have is a single reveal trailer, promising a 2023 release date without any actual gameplay. We did see a teaser that the game will involve Venom in some way, which makes sense considering what the first game teased, but the size of his presence isn’t known yet.

So without much information to go on the best thing we can do is rattle off a wish-list that’ll make us look super smart if, by sheer coincidence, the devs working on Spider-Man 2 happen to already be working on these ideas. Here’s hoping! Let’s speculate!

A Full Story For Both Peter And Miles

Peter and Miles’ adventures both featured depth-y storytelling that left even the most stone-hearted fans sobbing. With the second game on the way, it may be a fair question to ask which of these two major protagonists is going to take the lead in this upcoming game. What we want to know is, why not both? Peter and Miles have each shown in their own games that they are more than capable of taking the lead, and Insomniac is no stranger to mixing multiple dominant character arcs in a single game as we saw in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart. This town is plenty big enough for two Spider-Men.

Less Stealth

As cool as it was to play as MaryJ and Miles in the previous game, their segments were hampered by stealth gameplay that just didn’t work. Nobody wants to be a superhero and have their superpowers taken away from them. At least not like that. The stealthier aspects of the previous game did work whenever you were playing as Spider-Man himself, but very few people enjoyed having that power taken out of their hands.

More Out Of Suit Sequences

The above gripe doesn’t mean there should be less out of suit moments. If anything there should be more! One of the great things about Marvel’s superheroes is they feel like people who are tasked with being superheroes instead of superheroes choosing to be people. This results in the characters themselves, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, feeling more relatable. This also elevates some of those character moments where Peter or Miles weren’t in their suit. So, in essence, they did the opposite of the stealth sections. They were fun character moments where we got to see Peter and Miles be themselves. It’s great to see the face behind the mask. More please!

New Powers And Gadgets

This one feels like a given but we need new powers and gadgets to play with. Miles’ Venom abilities give him a unique set of skills that Peter doesn’t have. Again we say, more please! Assuming time has moved between his game and this sequel, it would only make sense that Miles would be getting used to his powers and developing new ones. Likewise, Peter showed us plenty of gadgets in the first game that we got to use. He’s a scientist and always tinkering so he should definitely have some new toys to play around with.

Answer Some Of The Questions From The DLC

Those of us who played the DLC for Marvel’s Spider-Man know that it did not end so much as it created more questions that we wanted answers for. Characters made choices that are going to have a lasting impact beyond the DLC, and it definitely felt like it was laying the groundwork for this sequel. If Insomniac’s writers pulled this off right, they may have perfectly choreographed the entire next game to us through nothing but subtle moments in the two main games and the story beats of the DLC, creating the entire plot right under our noses. I could also be massively overthinking this, but when it comes to the sheer amount of moving parts it took to make the MCU work on the big-screen, would it actually be surprising to see Insomniac pull off something similar with Spider-Man?

While it’s hard to believe that we’re already so close to a new Spider-Man game without a clear view of exactly what we’re going to get, it also adds to the excitement. Hopefully, we’ll get a new trailer soon to satiate those of us who are eagerly awaiting an official release date. Preferably the sooner the better.

The hotly-anticipated music video for Camilo‘s “Ambulancia” with Camila Cabello is finally here. The Colombian pop star released the psychedelic video last night (January 24).

Last November, Camilo and Cabello performed “Ambulancia” live for the first time during his concert in LA. The sultry bachata-infused song was included on Camilo’s album De Adentro Pa’ Afuera which was released in September. Both fan bases were waiting for the “Ambulancia” video and it has finally arrived. Cabello revealed that she, too, was excited to release the video to the world.

“I love Camilo and he is such a close friend, which made teaming up with him on ‘Ambulancia’ so exciting,” she said in a statement. “The song is so special to us and I can’t wait for our fans to see the video!”

The video for “Ambulancia” was directed by Camilo’s wife, Evaluna Montaner. Camilo and Cabello bring the lyrics to life in a literal way. While singing about burning up the mattress together in a bit of passion, the two singers are shown on a bed that eventually catches fire. Camilo and Cabello also sing their song to each other while sitting on top of an actual ambulance.

Camilo is nominated at next month’s Grammy Awards. His De Adentro Pa’ Afuera LP is up for Best Latin Pop Album.

Björk is the first artist that should come to mind when you think of eccentricity and outer worldly creativity. There’s a reason why the Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress is revered as an inspiration or even the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) to some of today’s biggest acts, including SZA and Travis Scott.

Attendees of this year’s Coachella Festival will witness her in person on Sunday, April 16 and 23, as she makes her return to the California desert. As for what to expect from Björk’s set, set no expectations. In her music videos, she has taken fans to the tops of erupting volcanos and even flourishing fungal forests, so the world is her oyster as she plans for her upcoming performance.

The entertainer took to Twitter and revealed that the Björk Orkestral would accompany her stage, writing, “Dearest friends, we are so excited to bring Björk Orkestral to Coachella. We will bring on the stage a local orkestra and play arrangements from 30 years. Warmthness, Björk.”

There are still several weeks before music’s largest festival begins transforming its stomping grounds for attendees, so Björk has plenty of time to spill more tea about her featured performance.

Coachella is set for the weekends of April 14 to 16 and 21 to 23, in its usual location at Indio, California’s Empire Polo Club. For passes and more information, click here to be redirected to Coachella’s official website.