Category: Worldwide

Scientists in India have made a major medical breakthrough by producing the first “thermostable” variety of insulin that doesn’t need to be refrigerated. The research was led by two scientists from the Bose Institute and the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB) and two others from the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT).

This development is fantastic news for diabetics because it will make it a lot easier for them to store this life-saving medication. The product labels from all three of America’s insulin manufacturers state that insulin should be stored in a refrigerator at approximately 36°F to 46°F.

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If the insulin gets too warm or too cold for an extended period of time, it begins to break down and become ineffective. When insulin has broken down, it doesn’t show any signs of being ruined. But when it’s injected by the user it can be ineffective at managing their blood sugar levels. This can lead to serious health problems.

This means that insulin users have to take extra caution when traveling, so they’re sure their medication stays at the correct temperature. It can also be a major problem during natural disasters when refrigerators go out and insulin users can’t keep the temperature of their medicine low enough.

The researchers claim this new version of insulin will be able to withstand temperatures up to 149 °F.

via Unsplash

They created a thermostable version of the drug by introducing a matrix of four amino acid peptide molecules. These molecules prevent the solidification of the insulin molecules when not refrigerated.

“You will be able to keep it outside the refrigerator for as long as you want, something that will help diabetes patients across the world because carrying insulin along with them was considered impossible all this while,” said Subhrangsu Chatterjee, a faculty member at Bose Institute.

“Though for the moment we are calling it ‘insulock’, we are in the process of appealing to the department of science and technology (DST) to name it after Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose,” he added.

The scientists hope that their research will lure investors to help them mass-produce the new medication.

Cost to manufacture 1 vial of insulin: Around $6
Cost of 1 vial of insulin for consumers:
🇫🇷: $9
🇩🇪: $11
🇯🇵: $14
🇦🇺… https://t.co/ffXQ3tepc0

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders)
1618587240.0

There’s no telling when or if the new drug will be approved for safe use by the FDA and made available in America. But there’s a compelling reason to bring it stateside. The researchers say that it will make the drug more affordable. In the U.S. that’s big news because the price of insulin has been steadily increasing for the past 15 years.

A report in Health found that the price of Eli Lilly’s Humalog insulin has increased 1,200% since it was first produced. In 1996, a one-month supply cost $21; by 2019 it had risen to $275. The ever-rising price of insulin in the United States is unprecedented given its cost throughout the rest of the developed world.

According to a 2020 study by RAND Health Care, the average gross manufacturer price for a standard unit of insulin in the United States in 2018 was more than 10 times the price of a unit in 32 foreign countries.

When Benny Mendez asked his middle school P.E. students why they wanted to participate in STOKED—his new after school program where kids can learn to skateboard, snowboard, and surf—their answers surprised him.

I want to be able to finally see the beach, students wrote. I want to finally be able to see the snow.

Never having seen snow is understandable for Mendez’s students, most who live in Inglewood, CA, just outside of Los Angeles. But never having been to the beach is surprising, since most of them only live 15-20 minutes from the ocean. Mendez discovered many of them don’t even know how to swim.

“A lot of the kids shared that they just want to go on adventures,” says Mendez. “They love nature, but…they just see it in pictures. They want to be out there.”

Mendez is in his third year of teaching physical education at View Park K-8 school, one of seven Inner City Foundation Education schools in the Los Angeles area. While many of his students are athletically gifted, Mendez says, they often face challenges outside of school that limit their opportunities. Some of them live in neighborhoods where it’s unsafe to leave their houses at certain times of day due to gang activity, and many students come to his P.E. class with no understanding of why learning about physical health is important.

“There’s a lot going on at home [with my students],” says Mendez. “They’re coming from either a single parent home, or foster care. There’s a lot of trauma behind what’s going on at home…that is out of our control.”

Photo courtesy of Yoplait

What Mendez can control is what he gives his students when they’re in his care, which is understanding, some structure, and the chance to try new things. Mendez wakes up at 4:00 a.m. most days and often doesn’t get home until 9:00 p.m. as he works tirelessly to help kids thrive. Not only does he run after school programs, but he coaches youth soccer on the weekends as well. He also works closely with other teachers and guidance counselors at the school to build strong relationships with students, and even serves as a mentor to his former students who are now in high school.

Now Mendez is earning accolades far and wide for his efforts both in and out of the classroom, including a surprise award from Yoplait and Box Tops for Education.

Yoplait and Box Tops are partnering this school year to help students reach their fullest potential, which includes celebrating teachers and programs that support that mission. Yoplait is committed to providing experiences for kids and families to connect through play, so teaming up with Box Tops provided an opportunity to support programs like STOKED.

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“We know that Box Tops believes that a child’s education is the foundation to achieving their fullest potential,” says Rachel Letsche, assistant manager of Brand Experience at Yoplait, “so we thought that by coming together, we could help schools and parents both teach and raise ‘good little humans’.”

Photo courtesy of Yoplait

In recognition of his extraordinary dedication, Yoplait and Box Tops recently surprised Mendez by paying for every item on his Amazon teacher wishlist, including a tent, chairs, two portable basketball hoops as well as colorful bands, balls and cones.They also presented Mendez with $10,000 in Box Tops for his school to develop and support more programs like STOKED, along with a note praising his efforts:

Dear Mr. Mendez,

Your passion for physical fitness has inspired hundreds of View Park students to lead healthier lives! You’ve used your own story to relate to and mentor students who need it most. You’ve used your passion to help bring new and interesting sports like Skateboarding, Surfing and Snowboarding to your school.

Your dedication to your work leaves little free time, yet you still spend your weekends coaching youth soccer. Your influence will continue to change the world and lives for years to come.

As a thank you for being a role model in the classroom, Box Tops for Education has purchased every item on your wishlist and is giving ICEF View Park Middle School $10,000 that can be used toward bringing even more incredible programs to your students.

Thank you, Mr. Mendez!

Sincerely,
Yoplait & The Box Tops for Education Team

The award is particularly meaningful for Mendez as securing funding at a Title 1 school can be difficult.

“In order to provide these opportunities for students at no cost, the athletic director and I work on the funding, getting grants, and making sure that the students don’t have to put any of their own money,” Mendez explains.

“Funding has continued to be a challenge just in order for me to have the equipment here at the school. Writing the grants is very time consuming. Applying for certain scholarships has been a challenge.”

Over the past 25 years, nearly $1 billion in Box Tops has gone to K-8 schools in the US. As part of General Mills’ commitment to advance equity in education, Box Tops now has a renewed focus to help the students in schools where support is most needed.

Within the Box Tops app, shoppers can now use the search feature to find and select Schools in Need to receive funding from purchases of Box Top products. This back-to-school season, in addition to Mendez’s school, Box Tops and Yoplait also donated $10,000 in Box Tops to another School in Need, Jefferson Elementary in Lennox, California.

Mendez is no stranger to the financial realities his students face, having grown up in a poor family himself. His own middle class P.E. teacher would waive his fees for cross country running competitions, which enabled him to participate in a sport he loved. Mendez credits that teacher with helping him come out of his shell and build confidence, something that Mendez now tries to do with his own students. The key, he’s learned, is opening up to them about his own life and his own challenges, which helps them relate to him and feel comfortable opening up to him.

All of these accomplishments are quite extraordinary for a man who didn’t even intend to become a teacher. When Mendez started college, his goal was to become an athletic trainer for professional athletes. But as he advanced in his studies, he realized that his true passion was working with student athletes, helping them develop their skills and talents, and trying to make a positive impact in their lives.

Mission accomplished, Mr. Mendez. Thank you for being a shining example, not only for your students, but for the rest of us as well.

For more information on how to help schools in need, download the Box Tops app today.

Rootin’ tootin’ Lauren Boebert thinks that she’s separating god and government, but people are letting her know that she has no idea. Yep, the Republican representative can’t quit Twitter after recently being dragged after a particularly hysterical tweet about the U.S.-Mexico border situation. This followed closely after a disastrous toilet joke, and interestingly enough, she recently let everyone know that it’s basically God’s fault that she’s sitting in Congress.

Where does that leave Boebert this week? She’s changed her mind, as you can see below with this tweet: “Government is not God.”

Yep, it’s another doozy, a day after Boebert decided to use an Office Space reference to suggest that Covid is comparable to a headache, and that Tylenol makes for a great metaphor, and so on. It also must be mentioned that Boebert, a U.S. representative, did not graduate high school and has discussed passing the GED in recent years. This hasn’t excused her from not understanding the fundamentals of U.S. civics.

So, people aren’t letting her slide when it comes to never really caring about the separation of church and state, unless it fits with her argument, and people are calling her out for hypocrisy, especially trying to push religious beliefs into government when it comes to the abortion issue and more.

Another relevant question: did Boebert take too much Tylenol?

Sometimes the best new R&B can be hard to find, but there are plenty of great rhythm-and-blues tunes to get into if you have the time to sift through the hundreds of newly released songs every week. So that R&B heads can focus on listening to what they really love in its true form, we’ll be offering a digest of the best new R&B songs that fans of the genre should hear every Friday.

This week’s edition is highlighted by British singer Nao’s gracious return with her third album, And Then Life Was Beautiful. It’s a powerful body of work that arrives nearly three years after her excellent sophomore effort, Saturn. On the singles side of things, Giveon and Lucky Daye kick off what appears to be new eras in their careers with “For Tonight” and “Over,” respectively.

Nao — And Then Life Was Beautiful

Nearly three years after she impressed with her sophomore album Saturn, British singer Nao is back in action with her third album And Then Life Was Beautiful. The 13-track album is supported by guest appearances from Adekunle Gold, Lucky Daye, Lianne La Havas, and Serpentwithfeet. Altogether, it’s an excellent project that offers hope to those who have grown immensely skeptical about life.

Giveon — “For Tonight”

Long Beach’s Giveon was, without a doubt, one of the best gifts the music world received in 2020 thanks to his two EPs, Take Time and When It’s All Said And Done. With just a few months left in the year, Giveon is back to make his mark on 2021 with his latest single, “For Tonight.”

Lucky Daye — “Over”

While Giveon was 2020’s best R&B gift, Lucky Daye was 2019’s. The singer, who is in the midst of an impressive guest feature run, returns with “Over.” The track sees Daye attempt to navigate an on-and-off-again relationship with quite the indecisive partner. It’s a solid follow-up to Table For Two, a project he released earlier this year.

Hitmaka & Queen Naija — “Quickie” Feat. Ty Dolla Sign

After standing beside Eric Bellinger for their solid 2021 project, 1-800-HIT-EAZY, producer Hitmaka takes control of things as a lead artist once again. He’s back to work with Ty Dolla Sign and Queen Naija with him for their new single, “Quickie.” The bouncy track promotes and a brief moment of love as Ty and Queen search around for someone who can fulfill their need for a “quickie.”

Amber Mark — “What It Is”

It’s with great happiness that I inform you that singer Amber Mark has finally unveiled plans for a future album. While it’s not slated to arrive until 2022, it’s awesome to hear that the singer will deliver a full body of work after more than three years of ear-grabbing singles. Three Dimensions Deep drops January 28, and to build up anticipation for its arrival, she delivered her latest single, “What It Is.”

Alina Baraz — Sunbeam

Last year, Alina Baraz blessed the world with her strong sophomore album It Was Divine. Fast-forward to the present and she’s returned to do the same with her new EP, Sunbeam. Equipped with just four songs, the project provides more evidence that supports Baraz’s appealing artistry.

JoJo — JoJo

More than 15 years after its release, JoJo’s beloved self-titled debut album is finally on streaming services. It comes thanks to a new distribution deal between Empire and her former label, Blackground Records. The imprint was also home to the likes of Aaliyah and Tank, artists who also saw their past works added to DSPs in the past few weeks. While it may be a celebratory moment to some fans, JoJo was dismayed by the move as she would not receive profits from the upload.

Anthony Hamilton — Love Is The New Black

Five years removed from his last full-length project, Anthony Hamilton returns with Love Is The New Black. Complete with 14 tracks and features from Rick Ross, Lil Jon, and Jennifer Hudson, Hamilton’s latest body of work is the singer’s attempt to “lessen the heavy load and allow everyone to celebrate again.” He added in a press release, “I wanted this album to feel like what was missing throughout the pandemic. This is the restoration. We’re making this thing called life, sexy, beautiful, and powerful again.”

Asiahn — “Fall Back”

Leave it to Asiahn to beautifully share a story about falling in love too fast. That’s what the singer-songwriter provides on her latest single, “Fall Back.” In regards to how much she relates to the song, well, Asiahn kept it straightforward in a press release. “The story behind the song is, well, true,” she says while laughing before adding later, “It’s a song telling that person to ‘fall back, you doing too much.’ Let’s just get to know each other and see if getting serious is even something we want to do.”

Kirby — “Can We Be Friends?”

Following “Coconut Oil” and “Break Her Heart For Me,” Kirby extends her streak of quality 2021 releases with “Can We Be Friends?” On this record, the singer lets her vocals shine while seeking peace between her and a past lover who have spent far too much time on bad terms. Here, she places her hand out for a potential truce that will hopefully calm the high tensions.

Sakura — “I Can’t Call You Baby

Towards the end of June, Atlanta’s Sakura delivered her debut project, Don’t Overthink It. In her continued effort to promote it, she returns with a visual for the project’s closer, “I Can’t Call You Baby.” The video flaunts the singer’s innocence while she sings about letting go and closing the door on a past love that’s caused her too much pain.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

La Brea, a show that drops a group of humans from contemporary LA into a primeval hellhole, debuts this week to continue a few dubious traditions. First up, the show’s premise unmistakably resembles Land of the Lost, a 1970s TV series that got an awful 1990s film reboot with Will Ferrell being sucked into a vortex and landing in a dinosaur-populated land. More importantly, though, here’s the second concern: it’s an NBC sci-fi show. This does not bode well, if recent examples are any indication for the network that also prematurely canceled Manifest and Debris while leaving loyal viewers on the hook for a resolution. In the case of Manifest, fans will see a resolution (a fourth and final season) after Netflix decided that it was worth rustling up a handful of episodes to wrap up a wildly popular show that’s been sitting atop their most popular list for months. Has NBC learned its lesson? We’ll see.

So, there are two strikes working against La Brea already, yet I am here to tell you that, somehow, the common ground with Manifest is both a plus and a minus.

Like Manifest, this new show’s pilot doesn’t make any logical sense whatsoever, nor does it do much in the world-building department to make use of the sci-fi label. Instead, this new show sets up a group of characters with semi-convincing emotional plights to tee up some personal drama. That, right there, is where La Brea might hook some people. I’m offering that up as a plus because, in the case of Manifest (for me), I found myself a lot more invested in the soap-opera aspects of how those people trapped upon the time-warp flight would handle their f*cked-up personal lives. Also, finding out how things worked out for the people-who-assumed-their-significant-others-were-dead-and-moved-on, and so on (oh boy), was a lot more entertaining to me than attempting to care about why a detective heard mysterious voices while solving crimes. The amped-up drama was key to Manifest‘s audience appeal, which could also be a saving grace to help La Brea move past its gimmicks and watch the show.

However, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that the show’s gimmicks are a real doozy so far. There are a number of straight-up nonsensical things that happen in the pilot, which doles out some necessary groundwork. The show wastes no time in opening up the enormous sinkhole, which looks to be at least one-square-mile in area, right smack-dab in the middle of Los Angeles. The chronically underappreciated Natalie Zea portrays the main character, who falls into the sinkhole in a whirl of terrible CGI.

She lands with her son and a group of god-knows how many other people. They’re flanked by pterodactyl-type creatures and vicious, man-devouring breeds, and many ridiculous things continue to happen on the surface of earth, where Natalie Zea’s daughter and husband remain. Let’s just say that the husband goes through something that makes all those “Set Them Free” messages in Manifest look awfully well-executed in comparison. And down below, chaos reigns. Many dumb displays happen, which I shall not spoil because shouting at the TV should be a spontaneous act. You see, a lot of modern-day items fall into the abyss, along with all the people. Those things include entire vehicles and things that should not belong inside of those vehicles. You’ll see what I’m talking about, but these things, honestly, make me wonder whether the show’s writers are serious or decided to troll the audience from the beginning.

The cast does give it their all with what they’re given from writers. I’m not convinced that this will be the vehicle that will finally give Winona from Justified her due, but we’ll find out how much people embrace this show and whether the personal drama of these characters turns out to be sensational enough for the show to survive.

La Brea is an odd cat of a show so far, not only because of the nonsensical happenings but because these preposterous moments border on what one would see in FOX’s 9-1-1 franchise. Yet the show doesn’t really ask its viewers to wonder whether it’s aiming for parody. There’s no wink-wink to the camera, even as Natalie Zea beats the holy-CGI hell out of a creature that she encounters while also mulling over the initial shock of surfacing in a strange land and whether she and her son might ever go home. Zea gets to drop a little bit of the wry humor that she pulled off so well in Justified, but this show clearly isn’t a prestige offering, and it ain’t Lost with Damon Lindelof in a writing seat.

Instead, this is a ludicrous, hot mess and, as far as I can tell, intended to be one. Yet that intent never surfaces as cheeky, which is why it’s unlikely to ever win acclaim, but it’s probably going to attract the same audience as Manifest. That is, people won’t give a lick whether (generally speaking) critics won’t stomach this type of content when deciding whether or not to watch this show.

It all comes down to this: Manifest fans, are you looking for your next screwy sci-fi fix while waiting for the final Netflix season? La Brea is here to fill that gap. I’m intrigued enough to monitor it while hoping that NBC will nurture this show, rather than letting it wither on the vine, only to be resurrected by a streaming service in, say, five years.

NBC’s ‘La Brea’ premieres on Tuesday, September 28.

From her debut moment back in 2016 with the release of her debut album, For All We Know, there hasn’t been a moment where Nao’s work failed to impress her audience. From her tender voice to her sharp songwriting as well as her ability to create an enchanting picture with her projects, there’s no doubt that the British singer takes tedious care of her artistry and it results in very memorable bodies of work.

It’s why her 2018 sophomore album, Saturn was one of the best R&B projects from that year. The 13-track release saw Nao shine brightly on solo records and collaborative efforts alike. Almost three years later, she’s back in action with And Then Life Was Beautiful, a project that watches Nao take another step upward thanks to life-changing moments she experienced over the past couple of years.

On And Then Life Was Beautiful, Nao receives help from Adekunle Gold, Lianne La Havas, Lucky Daye, and Serperntwithfeet, with each providing just what the singer needed to complete this work of art. In an interview with Uproxx, we spoke to Nao about the new album, motherhood, what makes life beautiful for her, and more.

Your 2018 album Saturn was based on the concept of Saturn’s Return, a period set for “letting go of what doesn’t serve you – relationships, jobs, and past regrets,” as an interlude on that album says. What results from this return made life beautiful as this album discusses?

I think that time of being in my Saturn’s Return, which is what the album’s about, it was a tumultuous time. Lots of crazy things were happening — good, bad, and confusing. Stepping out of that, being a few years old, and looking back, in hindsight, I really understand that life is beautiful. I understand now that all the good, the bad, that sort of ugly and sticky bits that come up from under the carpet, all of that mixed in with life’s happy and beautiful moments. It’s all beautiful and it’s all one big painting and I really understood that coming out of my 20s and into my 30s. I just wanted to put that train of thought into this project.

You labeled And Then Life Was Beautiful as a “hopeful album, in an honest way.” You added, “It’s hopeful in that through every rough patch, every dark patch or struggle we always come out again. That’s what life is. You keep going.” It’s an important message, especially when you realize it was born during a pandemic year. What were the events in your life brought you to this revelation?

You’re right, the album is about offering hope and I basically have a sunflower theme that runs through the album, photos, videos, and things like that. When I used to go on walks during the pandemic last year, the sunflowers were blooming and I just started reading about them. Some flowers always look for the sun, and no matter what direction they’re facing, they’ll always turn to face the sun. They do it in the nighttime as well. So when the sun is down, they’re constantly searching for it and they never give up until the sun rises again. I thought that was a really beautiful analogy of hope. As we all go through this pandemic, and obviously it means lots of different things to everybody, like everybody experience the pandemic in different ways, I think most people can take from it like some tough moments and food for thought. I love the idea that the sunflower offers hope, so that’s kind of that in a nutshell.

For me, I transition into motherhood during that time as well and I found that transition quite difficult. Again, going on my walks with my daughter, seeing the sunflower, and just knowing that while these moments might feel infinite, they don’t last forever, everything passes.

“Burn Out” is one of the early standouts to me cause it strikes me as perhaps one of the more clear results of your Saturn’s Return. It’s a record that I feel has multiple ways to understand it. What inspired this record and what’s the general idea you wanted to get across on it?

For me, it’s talking about being young, especially in your 20s or your 30s, and just being on the hustle and the grind, constantly having these boxes to tick, and having to somehow present that all on social media. We’ve grown up in an age where social media really intensifies our lives, even if you’re not a person to show your life on social media, you’re still absorbing it, you’re still watching other people, and you’re still comparing it [to yours]. I feel like all of those things are leading to burnout in adults at such a young age. People shouldn’t suffer burnout anyway, if it does happen, I would expect it to be people in their 50s or their 60s who’ve been working all their life with five kids and two jobs and have gone through health issues and all those sorts of things, but it’s not happening. That’s something I’m experiencing physically, so I wanted to write a song about it because that’s how I understand what it is that I’m going through. I think it’s more about finding the lesson in it. It’s to go slow, it’s to prioritize, it’s to put boundaries up, it’s to say no, it’s to reevaluate like what’s important to you and you only. What does success mean to you? That’s what I wanted to explore with that song “Burn Out.”

I found a connection between that record and “Better Friend.” In the sense that for someone who has a busy life filled with things that require your attention, what did it take for you to realize that you needed to be that better friend?

It was just being busy with things and things going so fast that I was just missing small details that are important to my friendships. I had a conversation with one friend and she was just like, “Where the f*ck have you been?” and I was like, I don’t know. Just thinking that I had been a good friend, but realizing that I hadn’t really been a good friend at all. I knew the surface stuff of what was going on in her life, but I didn’t really know where she was at and what she needed for me. That’s the message, you know? Now that we’re coming back together, I can better friend for you.

When you recorded “Woman,” your collaboration with Leanne De Havas, you said that your daughter was in your arms because she was in a phase of only wanting to be held by you. What other unique moments occurred with your newborn as you recorded this album?

A big one was recording “Antidote” with Adekunle Gold. He had put out a song called “Something Different,” I was listening to it at the time that my daughter was born, and that was the only song that she would stop crying to. The first time it happened I thought it was a fluke obviously, I was like that’s not real, but she would really stopped crying every single time I would play it. She stopped crying and I thought wow, there’s something really special about his voice. I took it as a sign to hit him up and see if we could make a tune together. I hit him up, and funny enough, he had also had a daughter just three weeks after me. It felt like a really lovely sign that it was the right time for us to do something together and we made “Antidote.” I feel like that in a strange way that was a little gift from my daughter.

Songs like “Antidote” and “Nothing’s For Sure” bring so much flavor to the album at just the right time. What’s your thought process behind including and placing these songs on the album?

“Nothing’s For Sure” was the last song that I wrote for this record. Once I had picked out all the songs, and just listening to them as a whole, I just realized I needed something that was lighter, more tempo, and that breathed a bit more with a subject matter that wasn’t heavy. I purposely sought out that song because I wanted something that was more easy-breezy. So that was my thought process behind that.

Which song on And Then Life Was Beautiful would you say is the most memorable or unique in your eyes?

“Amazing Grace.” I wrote “Amazing Grace” back in 2018, everything else was fairly new, like late 2019 or 2020. So “Amazing Grace” feels like a different time, I was in a different space when I wrote that song, so I think that one kind of stands out to me as quite unique. At that time, I was really battling with the fear of failure, that’s probably why I’m pushing myself above and beyond. When I come to that record now, it’s kind of sad, it’s melancholy. It’s sad that we have to deal with that in our lives and be scared of it and that we’re not taught from an early age from school and from our parents that like failing is okay, failing is safe. When you fail, you just start again, and more times than not, you end up in a better place. I wish that it was grounding for us growing up. Now I listen to that song and I’m happy that I’m past that moment, but I still feel like that was an important life lesson that I wanted to share which is why “Amazing Grace” made the album.

Shifting back to the album’s message of hope, there are many songs (“Wait,” “Good Luck,” and “Nothing’s For Sure”) that tackle hope from different angles. From having it to knowing it’s needed and more. What’s something you hope your listeners gain after listening to this album?

That’s such a good question. Oh, I don’t know, I guess I hope that they get something from it. Whatever they’re going through or whatever transition they’re in their life, I hope that they feel like they have a friend, a diary, and a person on the other end of the phone. I hope that these songs can really hug people when they’re going through these life journeys. Yeah, that’s all I could ask for.

You have your daughter, you have a new beautiful album, what are some other things that make life beautiful for you?

Being able to spend more time with my family and friends. That’s something I haven’t been able to do for quite a few years, that’s pretty beautiful. I think stepping back, and just for once, saying well done instead of the opposite which usually “that’s not good enough.” I think that’s quite beautiful. Probably the last thing is I really got into growing vegetables and fruits in my garden and just being closer to nature. That, to me, feels really beautiful as well.

And Then Life Was Beautiful is out now via Little Tokyo Recordings. Get it here.

Texas indie-folk duo Hovvdy are set to release their latest studio album, True Love, this Friday via Grand Jury. In the lead up, Charlie Martin and Will Taylor have shared a poignant video for their new song “Blindsided,” which is directed by Hayden Hubner and features black-and-white, handheld-camera footage that draws inspiration from home movies both past and present.

“There was a huge magnolia tree across the street from the house where I grew up,” Martin says of the clip. “I have this vivid memory of a storm rolling in and climbing up so high I stuck my head out the top. This song is filled with similar memories, the kind that push and pull you. I was so scared and I was so happy.”

Back in July, the duo shared their fourth album’s title track. In a statement, they shared, “For each Hovvdy record there’s always been a song that kinda shocks my system, kinda jolts me into a brand new and inspired place. This was definitely that song for me. I remember writing it and feeling a rush of excitement — crying a lot honestly. it feels so good to express love and appreciation when you really fucking mean it. but it’s hard to feel worthy of love, of something so rare, and all we can do is try to measure up — that’s what that last part is all about.”

True Love is out 10/1 via Grand Jury. Pre-order it here.

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett’s second and final collaborative album, Love For Sale, is out in just a few days, and now there’s a new album trailer featuring both performers in the studio singing Cole Porter songbook classics.

Gaga and Bennett are shown singing tracks like “Love For Sale,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love),” “Just One Of Those Things,” “Night And Day,” and “Do I Love You?” The pair also talk about their cross-generational friendship, performing together, and keeping the great American songbook going for future generations.

“I hope that I can make Tony proud throughout my career by carrying jazz forward and continuing to sing it,” Gaga said in the trailer. “This has been really special and it’s a time I’ll never forget. And I can only hope and pray that when people hear this record, they know the value of that sort of intergenerational friendship.”

In August, it was announced that Bennett, who is 95 and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, had formally retired from touring. In addition to Love For Sale, however, he and Gaga did team up for a trio of new TV specials; One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett And Lady Gaga, will air on CBS (and later stream on Paramount Plus) on November 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The special will also include performances from the Radio City Music Hall concerts the pair put on in August.

Following that will be MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, which is set to air at some point this upcoming winter. The performance was filmed around the time of the Radio City Music Call concerts. Wrapping up the specials will be the documentary The Lady And The Legend, which is set to offer “an intimate look into a beautiful friendship and musical partnership that transcends generations,” featuring footage from the making of both of Bennett and Gaga’s joint albums.

Love For Sale is out 10/1 via Columbia Records. Pre-order it here.

Erykah Badu has been a legendary force in the music industry for a few decades now, so it’s no surprise that the ultra-hip speakers brand Sonos wanted to partner with the artist. In a new initiative that includes 20 additional stations and shows, Sonos has announced Badu will have her own artist-curated station called Badubotron Radio. According to a press release, Badubotron will “celebrate her 2021 live tour with tracks to help you unwind and expand your mind — from reggae lulla-vibes to induce relaxation to experimental R&B promoting exploration of the mind, body and soul.”

Further description of the station from the brand references all the psychedelic vibes that a Badu-curated mix is going to include: “Erykah Badu’s Badubotron Radio blasts off as Badu takes you outta this world and into her sonic orbit. A space where music genres are stars and the galaxy is filled with psychedelic funk, retro soul, classic rock, spiritual jazz and experimental hip hop. A trip to Badu’s curated station will take your mind exactly where it needs to go.”

For her part, Badu gave a very typical-of-her answer. “WELL Listeners can expect whatever they please,” she began. “I just want them to feel something. Something new, something good, something unfamiliar, something triggering, something that inspires them to peace… Or war, or whatever they may need. Music makes me feel soooo great. There are billions and trillions of atomic memories in these notes. I curated this station especially for me… WITH you In mind, of course. I’m grateful. Push up the faderrrrrrrrrrrrr.”

Yeah, this is going to be good. The station will be debuting sometime in October. As usual, the Sonos Radio offerings are only available on Sonos speakers. If you’re a massive Badu fan and want to find your way in, check out the options here.

Kanye West is (in)famous for making changes to his albums after they have been released, and Donda seemed especially prone to that given that West claimed his label released the project without his approval. Now, West has indeed made alterations to Donda, some of which are significant, including the removal of Chris Brown from the album.

Users in the r/hiphopheads subreddit noted that two versions of Donda appeared on streaming platforms, one being the original version and the other being the altered edition. Now, though, it appears only one version of Donda remains. As for the changes, fans noted that Brown’s vocals on “New Again” were replaced by new ones from West and the Sunday Service Choir. Meanwhile, on “Keep My Spirit Alive,” a new hook from West also replaces the original from KayCyy. Beyond that, there are some more subtle mixing changes throughout the album.

Brown is of course a controversial figure given his various legal and personal issues over the years, but it’s not clear if that was part of why West removed him from the album or if other factors were in play. West has yet to offer a public statement about what compelled him to make these new Donda alterations.