Month: June 2023

Listening to “Empire State of Mind” while driving past the Empire State Building was something XG always wanted to do. Now that dream has become reality.

“‘Wow. This is New York!’” XG’s main English speaker, Maya, shares the group’s first impression upon arriving to “the concrete jungle where dreams are made of.” “This is what we were all dreaming about!”

While it seems like their heads are in the clouds at the moment, the seven-member ensemble still has their feet firmly on the ground. They’ve come a long way figuratively and physically to where they are in their careers. But the fact they’ve done it in a year and some since their debut? Especially coming from a new and small company, and debuting during a time K-pop and J-pop markets are continuously expanding at a fast pace? Undoubtedly impressive.

“This may be a little too much information, but yesterday Jurin asked for permission to scream during rehearsals,” Harvey, XG’s youngest member, recalls giggling. Looking over to her leader, Jurin simultaneously mouths and reenacts the supposed loud “AH!”, with her hands to her head, to express how she felt getting ready for their first ever US performance. The five other members sitting around them instantly laugh remembering what happened 24 hours ago.

“Because we were so tense!” leader Jurin explains in Japanese. “We were so nervous the whole time so we had to release stress and I just shouted and I felt better.”

Tensions are running positively high, as smiles and loud laughs flowed out of pretty packed press trailer at Forest Hills Stadium. But you can’t tell how nervous Jurin, Chisa, Hinata, Juria, Cocona, Maya, and Harvey are behind the all the hair, glam, and bedazzled black and white suits that shine brighter than the clear skies and sun that day. (You can’t even know that Chisa and Juria overslept and woke up 5 minutes before call time, either. “It was jetlag!” Chisa says.)

Just last weekend, the group performed in their home country for KCON Japan for the first time ever, now they’re three hours away before taking the main stage at 88rising’s Head in the Clouds New York. (”It was our first time performing in our homeland Japan,” one of XG’s lead vocalists Hinata expresses. “We were honored and it was such a big stage, we were nervous but at the same time, it was a lot of an adrenaline-rushing moment. We really enjoyed ourselves.”) Day 2 is sold out, and a majority of the anticipation and hype among attendees are for XG.

“No, it’s crazy because I didn’t know a lot of people are giving us so much love and support and it’s– we’re always so happy and grateful you know?” Maya pauses to find the right words to say. “We can’t describe this in words right now. It’s crazy — just crazy.”

“The fact that we’re performing here as a group,” XG’s charismatic young rapper Cocona begins to explain, “it was such a surprise, it made us so happy, when the decision was made that we were performing here. Everyone has been rooting for us, so we wanted to surprise and do our best.”

All of the praise and record-breaking success the group has received has led to this moment. The crowd that filled the brims of Forest Hills stadium sang along to their 40-minute set, answering Chisa’s question in “Shooting Star.” (“Babe, if I give it my all, will it pay off? / Workin’ overtime, no days off.”) About 12,000 people reportedly gathered, and according to one of the group’s main producers Chancellor, the septet were so overwhelmed with the love, they cried after getting off the stage. “We came here expecting to go to a festival,” he says to me after their set. “But we weren’t expecting this!”

Hailing from Japan, promoting in South Korea, all while performing in English is probably the literal cliff note version of describing XG. But there’s obviously more where that came from. (You can check out the group’s ongoing docu-series on their official YouTube channel for a glimpse of it all.) The seven members, who trained together for five years, from 2017 to 2021, traveled back and forth from Japan and South Korea all while learning more about their second home’s culture, language, and entertainment industry. Then in January 2022, Avex Japan’s affiliate entertainment company XGALX and the company’s executive producer Simon Jakops, best known as JAKOPS, announced the debut of the seven-member girl group.

Finally debuting in March of 2022, XG hit the ground running with their single “Tippy Toes” and quickly became a standout act amongst the large roster of groups promoting in South Korea. Their women-empowering, Pussycat Doll-like follow up “Mascara” only supported the group’s endeavor to be different and refreshing in a game where the Korean language or Konglish dominated. While the group proudly flexes their god-tier synchronization and performances, along with their trilingual skills, what XG has proven is that they can absolutely prove that music is one language. (However, it is worth noting that the group doesn’t identify themselves as K-pop or J-pop. Rather, X-Pop.)

“So the name is Xtraordinary Girls that’s what it stands for,” leader Jurin begins to explain, especially for those who’d wish to dive into them. “So, we’re a group of girls who want to think outside the box all the time. XPOP is what they call us and that’s what really represents — how we mix R&B and hip-hop. This is original to us, we are unique in that we combine different genres. So, all this time we want to be ‘Xtraordinary’ because our possibilities are infinite. There’s no end to our possibilities. That’s what we want to tell the audience about ourselves.”

Perhaps a video of Jackson Wang reacting to the group’s viral GALZ XYPHER video earlier this year — then calling the septet “the future” — foreshadowed the abundant success the group was about to receive in 2023. Releasing their single-album SHOOTING STAR in January, with a lead single of the same name and their supporting track “LEFT RIGHT,” the tides were turning in their favor. XG managed to enter the Mediabase Top 40 Radio Airplay Chart with “LEFT RIGHT”’s Y2K R&B sound and visual, making them the first Japanese female act to chart and receive airplay in the US for 10 weeks straight as of early May.

“We want to be ourselves and enjoy the moment,” one of XG’s vocalists Juria responds to charting. “We want to be XG the whole time. Our music has to be XG and the fact that we’re being ourselves and the Western audience is accepting us is an honor and we’re so happy.”

The song’s virality only followed when Jackson’s Coachella set surprised the crowd with a remix of the track with R&B songstress Ciara. Weeks later, official remixes of both singles were released with Rico Nasty getting tapped to hop on “Shooting Star.”

“When I heard her [Rico Nasty] voice I just screamed,” Harvey, who sang her songs during her training period, said. “That was amazing.” “We screamed!” Maya, follows up right after, talking about the “LEFT RIGHT” remix. “Those two legendary artists. We also practiced a lot of Ciara songs when we were training. ‘Level Up’ was definitely our song too!”

But amidst the influx of support from ALPHAZ, their fans, artist co-signs, and radio play, is there any type of pressure felt?

“For us, sometimes,” Chisa honestly expresses. “We feel pressure and we get nervous sometimes but most of the time what we do is we enjoy the moment. We talk to each other about how we can have fun and that’s how we stay motivated. For the future, our goal is to meet and entertain ALPHAZ all around the world. HITC has been a good opportunity for us to start meeting all the ALPHAZ in the world.”

But whatever the pressure or nerves felt, XG has taken it to their advantage to show off the pinnacle of what makes them — them: teamwork.

“In our space meetings (team meetings), we always talk to each other about how our week was; to keep ourselves updated,” Maya explains. “And if there are any problems, we have to solve them together and work things out. We want to show them our teamwork, how we communicate on a daily basis, how we build and create our synergy for our performances.”

“This may sound serious but before we hit the stage, we’re actually not serious, we just celebrate,” Jurin says right after as she gestures huddling with the group. “We kinda just balance the seriousness and the joyfulness. Sometimes we fight and bicker, but we have to [go through it and] be serious to strengthen our bond that is only getting stronger and stronger. And that’s good since it is all to achieve our goals.”

With an album currently being worked on, all eyes are on XG waiting to make their next move. (“We have a lot of songs and you will love them, and I think we can show new XG,” Chisa hints on the new music coming. “I feel like it shows more of XG’s true colors, so I hope you guys are excited,” Maya swoops in right after.) Whatever it may be, just like the story behind their name and their songs, the sky’s the limit for pop music’s shooting stars. Or rather, whatever is beyond the galaxies far, far away.

Aside from their similar names and Uproxx cover features, British singer RAYE and New Jersey rapper Coi Leray have one other thing in common. Neither has any time for noncommital men. In their vindictive song “Flip A Switch,” they not only dismiss a would-be lover after he messes up one too many times, they outright threaten his life, with the title forming a double entendre meaning not just a change in attitude, but also referring to the selector switch on some semiautomatic weapons.

They take things one step further in their newly released video for “Flip A Switch,” which opens with RAYE lying on the floor bleeding out from a gunshot wound to the heart (not subtle, this one). However, the scene plays out in reverse before the song kicks in, implying that we’re going to “flip a switch” on this all-too-familiar narrative. The rest of the video plays out as a bus ride with Coi and RAYE’s girl gang with some neat choreography. Coi’s driving and doing so in a way that makes me think the streets of London are not safe. At the end of the video, they reach their destination, where RAYE turns the tables on her attacker, finishing him off with a shot to the back.

RAYE’s profile is rising rapidly in the states thanks to her new album My 21st Century Blues and impressive performances on shows like Kimmel Live and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Meanwhile, Coi Leray continues to cruise like a high-altitude missile; her video for “Bops” drops later this week and her album Coi is due later this month.

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is on the way, and this afternoon (June 5), Taylor Swift shared the back cover. She looks at peace as a ballerina, tilting her head to the sky with her eyes closed. But as always, she’s a master of chaos because the post also reveals the re-recorded album’s “From The Vault” tracks. There are two featured artists: Fall Out Boy on “Electric Touch” and Paramore leader Hayley Williams on “Castles Crumbling.”

“I’m VERY excited to show you the back cover of Speak Now (my version) including the vault tracks and collaborations with @yelyahwilliams from @paramore and @falloutboy,” Swift wrote. “Since Speak Now was all about my songwriting, I decided to go to artists who I feel influenced me most powerfully as a lyricist at that time and ask them to sing on the album.”

She continued, “They’re so cool and generous for agreeing to support my version of Speak Now. I recorded this album when I was 32 (and still growing up, now) and can’t wait to unveil it all to you on July 7th.”

Swift announced that Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) would be her next re-recorded album release while performing at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium in early May. Speak Now originally arrived in October 2010 as Swift’s third studio album.

Paramore graced the cover of Billboard at the top of this year. Within the story, Swift explained the significance of welcoming the Williams-fronted band as openers for the first two dates of her The Eras Tour on March 17 and 18.

“Having Paramore join me on tour is such an honor,” Swift told Billboard. “We came up alongside each other as Nashville teenagers writing our own music, so it feels insanely special to kick off the tour together nearly two decades later. I just remember being constantly floored and inspired by their writing, originality and artistic integrity. Hayley is such a riveting performer because she’s so multifaceted — bold and playful and ferocious and completely in command. It’s a dream come true to join forces like this.”

Check out the full Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) tracklist below.

1. “Mine (Taylor’s Version)”
2. “Sparks Fly (Taylor’s Version)”
3. “Back To December (Taylor’s Version)”
4. “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)”
5. “Dear John (Taylor’s Version)”
6. “Mean (Taylor’s Version)”
7. “The Story Of Us (Taylor’s Version)”
8. “Never Grow Up (Taylor’s Version)”
9. “Enchanted (Taylor’s Version)”
10. “Better Than Revenge (Taylor’s Version)”
11. “Innocent (Taylor’s Version)”
12. “Haunted (Taylor’s Version)”
13. “Last Kiss (Taylor’s Version)”
14. “Long Live (Taylor’s Version)”
15. “Ours (Taylor’s Version)”
16. “Superman (Taylor’s Version)”
17. “Electric Touch (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault]” Feat. Fall Out Boy
18. “When Emma Falls In Love (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault]”
19. “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault]”
20. “Castles Crumbling (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault]” Feat. Hayley Williams
21. “Foolish One (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault]”
22. “Timeless (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault]”

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is out 7/7 via Republic. Find more information here.

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

Fast X isn’t the best Fast and Furious movie. It’s also not the worst. It’s somewhere in the middle, but it does feature one of the franchise’s greatest villain performances with Jason Momoa’s flamboyant turn as Dante Reyes.

The actor and liquor connoisseur was commended as the MVP of the film by numerous critics, including The Wrap‘s William Bibbiani, who wrote, “He’s the polar opposite of Dominic Toretto, wild instead of taciturn, colorful instead of monochrome, femme instead of masc. More, please, I beg of you.”

We agree — but Vin Diesel doesn’t. Radar reports that Diesel is “blaming his new co-star Jason Momoa’s performance in the new Fast & Furious for causing the film to be trashed by critics… Sources revealed desperate Diesel is unwilling to accept that he might have played a role in the poor reviews and is throwing Momoa under the bus — even though Jason is one of a few aspects of the film that critics praised!”

A source told Radar, “Vin is embarrassed Jason is being branded the only bright spot in the film and stealing his thunder in the franchise he built himself.” Diesel is allegedly telling those in his circle that Momoa “overacting” and “scene-stealing” undermined the artistic integrity of Fast X, a movie where someone tries to blow up the Vatican.

Is the rumor playing fast and furious with the facts? Maybe. But it’s not like this would be the first time Diesel has objected to a co-star upstaging him…

(Via Radar)

Mike Pence is running for president. Yes, it’s the former VP who is best remembered for the fly that landed on his head while debating Kamala Harris. He’s also known for his religiously conservative views, and those include a staunch opposition to abortion rights. However, the MAGA crowd cannot stomach him after he declined to overthrow democracy on January 6, so let’s just say that Pence probably doesn’t have too many takers from any party. It’s no wonder that the New York Times reported this filed-paperwork news as a “long-shot campaign,” which nicely sums up the situation.

Still, Pence is in it, although not to win it. He even attempted to warm up the crowd over the weekend ^^ while riding a Harley Davidson at Iowa’s Joni Ernst’s Roast and Ride. It was the worst Sons Of Anarchy spinoff ever. Pence will go up against Bobblehead DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, and more. Oh, and Chris Christie will probably hop in as well, and don’t forget that one guy, #45. Trump has refused to debate any primary candidates, so get ready for friction on that front.

CNN reveals that Pence will “formally announce his candidacy” on Wednesday in Iowa at an event that will happen before the cable news network’s presidential town hall. And then… let the good times roll?

Or at least, let the jokes roll now. Pence has little to no chance at gaining any traction in the primary, and people have plenty of thoughts about this impending mess. Jordan Klepper leads the reactions with a zinger.

(Via New York Times & CNN)

Udonis Haslem has spent almost his entire life in Florida, growing up in Miami, playing college ball in Gainesville, and then spending the last 20 seasons as a member of the Miami Heat.

He is the embodiment of “Heat Culture” but more than that he’s a massive presence in the Miami community, and of late he’s grown tired of the national perception of his state and the people that live there. Over the weekend, Haslem aired his grievances about Florida governor Ron DeSantis (who is now eyeing a presidential run) to the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn.

“Well first and foremost I’m going to ask people out there to stop Florida-shaming us,” Haslam said as the Heat prepare for Game 2 of the NBA Finals. “Everybody ain’t down with what’s going on in Florida. People think that because you live in Florida, like you just down with the [expletive]. We’re not. I’m not down with it. I’m not happy about it.

“I happen to live there and I was born there. It’s not my fault. So please stop Florida-shaming us people. We’re not happy about what this man [DeSantis] is doing. Diversity and inclusion and taking the [books away]. We’re not happy about that. I sit at home on the couch with my wife and raise hell.”

Haslem noted his particular frustration with DeSantis and Florida Republicans focusing on book bans and school curriculum, while stripping back gun laws in the midst of rising gun violence.

“You complain about what’s being taught in school but we took away the gun [law] where you can buy a [expletive] assault rifle at 18,” Haslem said. “I’m confused about what’s the priorities. We’re talking education and in the midst of all of this gun violence going on around the world, how about we just drop the gun laws and make it easier for them to get guns? The [expletive] is confusing to me, that’s why I’m not a politician.”

Haslem explained that he tries to focus his efforts on making change in the community where he can, partnering with organizations in the Miami area that focus on mental health, drug rehabilitation, and creating affordable housing, while also encouraging people to vote and take their frustration to the polls when presented the opportunity.

BTS’ hiatus is ongoing to allow for each member to serve South Korea’s mandated military service. While the world-beating K-pop is making an exception this month to celebrate their 10-year anniversary, members are fully engaged in solo pursuits. The latest example has been Suga, released his debut solo LP, D-Day, under the pseudonym Agust D.

Jungkook might be the next BTS star to drop a solo album, as chronicled and translated to English by Soompi:

“On June 4, Korean news outlet Sports Chosun reported that Jungkook was preparing to release a new solo album on July 14 — and that his upcoming album would include an English-language song. Later that morning, Big Hit Music responded by stating, ‘We will make an announcement once the release schedule for Jungkook’s solo album has been confirmed.’

Big Hit’s statement was issued to Star News (as noted by NME).

Jungkook performed his solo single “Dreamers,” which served as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 official song. He performed it at the opening ceremony last November with a cameo from Qatari singer Fahad Al-Kubaisi. The “Dreamers” video captured the song’s dazzling, larger-than-life essence.

More recently, the 25-year-old was introduced as a face for Calvin Klein’s Spring 2023 campaign in March.

ARMY is ready for whatever Jungkook announcement comes next, as evidenced by this call to action on Twitter.

This August, Yankee Stadium will host Hip-Hop 50 Live, a star-studded concert paying homage to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. To call the lineup “star-studded” would be doing it an injustice; it’s fair to say that the names billed include nothing short of hip-hop legends. Headlined by rap pioneers Run-DMC, the lineup includes Common, Eve, Fat Joe, Ghostface Killah, Ice Cube, Lil Kim, Lil Wayne, Lupe Fiasco, Remy Ma, Slick Rick, Snoop Dogg, T.I., Trina, and more.

Hip-hop pioneers Grandmaster Caz, Kool Herc, Melle Mel, and Roxanne Shante will headline a Pillars of Hip-Hop set, while Eve, Kim, Remy, and Trina will front a Queens Of Hip-Hop set. DJs such as Battlecat, Clark Kent, Mannie Fresh, and Marley Marl will spin, as well.

The event is billed for August 11, 2023 — which is what’s remembered as hip-hop’s official 50th birthday, the anniversary of the Kool Herc-led block party widely recognized as the moment the culture officially gelled into the foundation of what came after. Tickets go on sale this Thursday, June 8.

In a statement to Rolling Stone, Run said, “I am honored to hit the stage in the Bronx, the birthplace of Hip Hop and celebrate all of my heroes,” while his partner-in-rhyme DMC added, “August is Hip Hop’s 50th birthday! So ’Up in the Bronx’ where it all started we will be celebrating this historic moment in history! I am honored to pay tribute to the culture that allowed this little shy kid from Queens to grow up and become The Mighty King of Rock! Thank you Hip Hop!!!”

You can find more info here.

Chefs have always been at the back burner of things, but thanks to The Bear, they are finally getting their moment to shine in the spotlight (thanks to all of the sweat and grease). Even Jennifer Coolidge, who is the epitome of calm, cool, and collected, used to lose it over chefs. There is just something about cooking and being covered in oil that just makes you irresistible.

Coolidge and Jeremy Allen White had a fun interview for Variety, for which they discussed the upcoming season of The Bear. In season two, we are all hoping that Carmy will get a little bit of action beyond the kitchen, though White doesn’t seem to think so. “In the second season, Carmen tries to pursue some joy outside of work, and it doesn’t work out great. These people are working 15-hour days. It didn’t seem real that Carmy could find love.” Even though viewers at home would happily love Carmy, Coolidge knows first-hand how hard it is to be involved with a chef.

“That is actually real,” Coolodge responded. “I think 99% of my jobs were all restaurant jobs. I was a waitress, and I always fell in love with the angry chefs. I don’t know what it is,” Coolidge said. When pressed for more, she explained, “I just like the way they throw the food down. It was so sexy. They’d be like, ‘Take it. Just take it.’ And there’s something about a man who can do something fast.” Perhaps she has yet to see The Menu, but it seems like a lot of people agree that being a chef is the sexy new profession. Being a crypto bro is OUT, being a smelly chef is IN!

Coolidge then admitted that she had pursued many chefs, even with their eccentric behaviors. “There were a lot of chefs in my life. I have to say that when you see that hostile, tough person in the kitchen, it does transfer to real life when it’s out of the restaurant.”

Since everyone and their cousin has been watching The Bear, White admitted that he does get referred to as chef a lot. “We didn’t expect the show to do as well as it did,” he told Coolidge. “We were in New York last summer, and so I was always just walking around. And it happened in a week. All of a sudden, people shouting, ‘Yes, Chef!’”

As for Coolidge’s lines, it seems like fans are finally moving on from making jokes about hot dogs. Now they are screaming about the gays! “I’m so thrilled,” Coolidge said in response to the line from The White Lotus, “These gays, they’re trying to murder me!” becoming a viral moment. Even the Bratz dolls got involved.

She continued, “Mike was very confident about Tanya being pursued by these seemingly friendly gays that seem to be fans of hers. And then Mike was like, ‘We don’t see the gay men as being evil. This is a bad group.’ But it’s interesting because there was a whole group of gay men in New Orleans that went out on Mardi Gras as Tanya. Some of them were on scooters, and they all had ‘These gays, they’re trying to murder me.’ It’s happened in other cities — even in Boston when I did Hasty Pudding. So it really did somehow strike a chord.”

The moment has since gone viral all over and will likely inspire memes for years, if not decades, to come. Now that’s how you stay relevant in 2023.

(Via Variety)

Kyrie Irving is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and despite his considerable talents no one is quite sure what market will be out there for him.

The Dallas Mavericks are the one team we know will be trying hard to sign Irving, simply because they gave up so much to land him at the trade deadline back in February. Outside of Dallas, it’s not abundantly clear what teams will have interest in giving Kyrie the kind of long-term, big money deal he’s seeking. One of the teams expected to be in the mix was the Los Angeles Lakers, who have been connected to Irving for the last year as both he and LeBron James seem very open to a reunion, but with L.A. apparently focused on bringing back the likes of Austin Reaves and some of their other free agents, they won’t have the money to extend Irving a significant deal.

That apparently hasn’t ended Kyrie’s quest to play with LeBron again, and after James made eyebrow raising comments about his future after the Lakers’ loss in the Western Conference Finals, Irving has reportedly tried to convince LeBron to try and make a move to join him in Dallas, per Shams Charania and Chris Haynes.

If your first instinct here is to laugh, you are not alone. That has been the general response from everyone to seeing these reports.

How the Mavs would convince the Lakers to trade LeBron James to them without sending either of Kyrie or Luka Doncic back is beyond me. This is the best package Dallas could offer to make it work financially (and it could only happen on or after Draft night).

That certainly doesn’t seem like a deal the Lakers would be jumping to make, but we’ve seen crazy things happen before. Having this out there a month before free agency opens is going to lead to some very funny conversations and arguments on sports talk television and radio, so congrats to them for having something to talk about beyond the Finals. It’s also incredible how both Haynes and Charania got this nugget of info at the exact same time, and I’ll let you, the reader, try to figure out how and why that might happen at this very moment in time in the midst of the NBA Finals.