Later this month, on May 31, Netflix is hosting Tudum 2025. The livestreamed event, “packed with your favorite stars, first-look reveals, and can’t-miss live performances,” features news about the streamer’s biggest shows and movies, including One Piece, Squid Game, Wednesday, Happy Gilmore 2, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and, yes, Stranger Things.
Hopefully we’ll get a trailer for the final season, or at least a musical performance from Djo, Finn Wolfhard, and Maya Hawke. Until then, here’s everything to know about Stranger Things season 5.
Plot
Here’s what we know for sure about season 5 of Stranger Things: very little! There’s no official plot description yet, or even a trailer.
But we can gleam a few details about what to expect in the final eight episodes. First off, you will cry. “I’m so excited to see the world’s reaction to watching the finale because there’s not going to be a dry eye, it’s going to be sad,” Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers, told The Hollywood Reporter. “Not to be so negative, it is a really great season and people will love it.”
Co-creator Ross Duffer called season 5 “the end of a long journey, for everyone who made the show and also for those characters. It is thrilling and it’s our fastest start we’ve ever had — our heroes are in action right away, but I think ultimately, hopefully, it’s our most emotional season yet. Those final episodes, the goal is that they hit pretty hard because in a lot of ways it’s about the end of this journey we’ve all had and also the end of childhood.”
As you might image, the cast has conflicted emotions about Stranger Things coming to an end.
“I was satisfied, but I was also very confused and sad, but also very happy,” Finn Wolfhard (Mike) told People, while Joe Keery (Steve) admits to “a sense of relief” and “a sense of sadness.” He continued, “Everything has a beginning and the middle and an end. It’ll be nice to have the end of this, too.”
The biggest clue about season 5 comes from the episode titles:
Episode 1: “The Crawl”
Episode 2: “The Vanishing of…”
Episode 3: “The Turnbow Trap”
Episode 4: “Sorcerer”
Episode 5: “Shock Jock”
Episode 6: “Escape From Camazotz”
Episode 7: “The Bridge”
Episode 8: “The Rightside Up”
The complete title of episode 2 was intentionally left mysterious, but it’s a reference to the first episode of the series, “The Vanishing of Will Byers.”
Cast
Stranger Things season 5 will bring back Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Brett Gelman (Murray Bauman), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Jamie Campbell Bower (Henry Creel / Vecna), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), and Amybeth McNulty (Vickie).
The list of newcomers includes The Terminator / Terminator 2: Judgment Day legend Linda Hamilton, as well as Nell Fisher, Jake Connelly, and Alex Breaux in unknown roles.
Release Date
We know that Stranger Things season 5 will premiere in 2025. But there’s no date yet. Could it be on the nine-year anniversary of the series premiere, July 15, or maybe timed with Halloween? Hopefully we’ll find out soon.
Trailer
Check out a behind-the-scenes look at season 5 below.
Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.
Taylor Sheridan’s Zoe Saldana-starring spy thriller series has been streaming on Paramount Plus all along, but the series recently started climbing the Netflix English Language charts due to landing in limited (non-U.S.) territories. That has led to restrained success while Sheridan’s audience awaits word of a third season. The series co-stars Nicole Kidman, Michael Kelly, Genesis Rodriguez, Morgan Freeman, and Laysla De Oliveira and isn’t the typical Sheridan show although of course he makes a shirtless cameo.
Blake Lively’s recent wave of drama has overshadowed the plot of this sequel, which reteams her with director Paul Feig and co-star Anna Kendrick. In this installment, Lively’s Emily sets out for her lavish wedding to a rich dude, but of course murder pays a visit to the venue. This sequel co-stars Michele Mirrone and Henry Golding and is (unfortunately) forgettable from a story standpoint, but at least the scenery is enjoyable for living vicariously.
The greatest Star Wars show will return with Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor. The second season will take place over four years while Cassian continues his rebel-hero evolution in the face of the imperial threat as the show pushes forth toward Rogue One territory. In addition to Luna, this story will continue with Ben Mendelsohn (as Orson Krennic), Forest Whitaker (as Saw Gerrera), Stellan Skarsgård (as Luthen Rael), and Denise Gough (as Deedra Meero) among the ensemble cast.
Tom Hardy is having a moment, but isn’t he always? His current run as a fixer will probably continue for a second season of this Guy Ritchie series, but do not forget about the rest of the bang-up cast including Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Anson Boon, Annie Cooper, and Paddy Considine. Shakespeare could also be considered a figure lurking in the forefront, and The Bard might even be offended at the overuse of this curse word, but the action is still barreling toward what promises to be full-on war with a bloody season finale.
Well, if you haven’t already caught last week’s episode about Capt. Sully Sullenberger with a side of Evanescence, what on earth are you waiting for? It’s cinema on TV as the Gen Z-ers would say. This week’s episode arrives with the slightest of descriptions (“A young man’s romantic life poses a challenge for Nathan”), but you know that as with the rest of this season so far, it will be a doozy.
Nobody is having a better time rolling out this final season than a dancing Penn Badgley. Stalker Joe amassed quite a death toll over five seasons, and now, it’s time to find out how he fares against Madeline Brewer’s Final Girl, Bronte. Thank goodness that Netflix didn’t run with a split season to finish this series because that halfway point was devastating enough, and unfortunately, Dr. Nicky does not appear in the flesh to finish his story, but cameos from many of Joe’s victims do torture him, and some faces from the past even appeared in the flesh. It was a good-bad run that ended with perhaps the most fitting line possible. Goodbye, You.
Although Pedro Pascal is now moving onto non-Infected pastures after Joel’s demise, Bella Ramsey (as Ellie), Kaitlyn Dever (as Abby), and Isabela Merced (as Dina) are pushing forth within one of many crowd-pleasing video game adaptations. This week, it sure looks like spores are afoot, which should perk up the interest of gamers who might be tempted to tune out after Pascal’s departure. Also, it’s worth keeping in mind that showrunner Craig Mazin told viewers, “This is not the last we will see of Joel.” Just keep that in mind.
If you haven’t watched this yet, do beware of this wild spoiler, which is really only worth mentioning here because the showrunners “regretted” this move “immediately.” What that says for a potential second season, nobody can say, but this series takes another twisted turn down paths that will appeal to The White Lotus and Nine Perfect Strangers viewers, and Tina Fey co-created and stars in this series, so you can count on seeing her brand of humor. Steve Carrell and Colman Domingo are along for the ride, and of course privileged travelers don’t know how they lucky they are while still miserable. It’s TV tradition now.
Natasha Lyonne is doing Columbo-inspired things again while reeling in “a truly gonzo parade of guest stars” this season. They include John Mulaney, Alia Shawkat, Cynthia Erivo, Katie Holmes, Giancarlo Esposito, Haley Joel Osment, Melanie Lynskey, Taylor Schilling, Justin Theroux, and Kumail Nanjiani. If anybody had guessed five years ago that Lyonne would be collaborating with Rian Johnson in such an addictive way, would you have believed? Fortunately, we can thank Russian Doll (and Oatmeal the cat and maybe The Last Jedi) for bearing this mystery-solving fruit.
This long-gestating feature film happens to be the first arrival from The Raid franchise director Gareth Evans’ overall deal with Netflix. What shall come next? Nobody has spilled that news yet, but nobody would be upset if Tom Hardy didn’t sign on for a sequel. His jaded detective ended the film in the most ambiguous way possible with nobody knowing whether his partner would arrest him following the killing spree that came prior. Forest Whitaker and Timothy Olyphant co-star in this action picture that is also as bleak of a thriller as they come, and although there’s little character development to be found, the movie can still coast on charisma for miles and maybe a followup.
Users online believe Miley and her mother Tish Cyrus have hit a rough patch. Their supporting evidence was Tish no longer followed Miley’s official Instagram account. But according to Miley this fan-fueled theory is a gross exaggeration of events.
In a statement posted in her Instagram stories (viewable here courtesy of Pop Base), Miley slammed the rumor.
“I rarely comment on rumors,” she opened the letter. “But my mama and I are too tight for anything to ever come between us. She’s my best friend.”
She then went on to address concerns about her mother no longer following her online. “Like a lot of moms, she doesn’t know how to work her phone and somehow unfollowed me,” she wrote. “Simple, coincidental, and uninteresting.”
“My dad and I have had our challenges over the years,” she remarked. “Now, in my thirties, family is my priority above all else. I’m at peace knowing bridges have been built and times has done a lot of healing.”
She closed the message in an upbeat manner, writing: “Grateful for the good health and love that flows through my family.”
With his Hope On The Stage tour set to wrapped up soon, J-Hope has planned an international celebration for fans. On May 31, supporters can experience the grand final of J-Hope tour live in a city near them.
While J-Hope is scheduled to entertain thousands inside of Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka, Japan the show will be broadcast in select theaters around the globe. Over on YouTube, the trailer for the forthcoming Hope On The Stage In Japan: Live Viewing informed fans of the news.
Footage complied across J-Hope previous stops promise a thrilling theater experience. Select AMC & Regal cinema locations spanning New York, Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Prague and dozens of other cities will serve as the home for this one-night-only experience.
Watch the official travelers for Hope On The Stage In Japan: Live Viewing above. Find more information about the show’s broadcast and a full list of theaters here.
Primavera Sound 2025 is down one featured performer. Next month, music lover will descend on Parc del Fòrum in Barcelona, Spain to catch set from headliners Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Charli XCX. Another notable name of the multi-days festival’s lineup includes Clairo.
Unfortunately, the “Nomad” singer will no longer make an appearance at the event. In a note shared by organizers, the team confirmed Clairo had to drop out of her set.
Across the festival’s social media page a message from Clairo explaining her tough decision was revealed. “Unfortunately, I’m not able to make it to Primavera this year,” read the statement (secured by Pop Crave). “I’m so sad about it, because Primavera is iconic and returning to the fest is something I’ve been looking forward to for ages.”
She then outlined what lead to disappointing news. “There are some logistical issues with getting my show to/from Primavera that have forced my hand here,” she added. “I never want to give my fans anything but the absolute best set I can do, and that won’t be possible at this time. I’m so sorry again, and I hope to be able to make it up to you sooner than later.”
Primavera Sound 2025 is set to take place from June 4 to 8 and will be livestreamed exclusively via Amazon Music. Find more information here.
Alien: Earth will bring us a rare sight from the Weyland-Yutani saga. No, I’m not talking about Timothy Olyphant as a non-lawman character, although that fits the bill, too. Instead, this show will bring a Xenomorph (and more) to Earth. And after horror revival king Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus shook up the box office with a back-to-basics claustrophobic atmosphere and practical effects including facehuggers run amuck, Fargo and Legion showrunner Noah Hawley will inform the world that chestbursters are here to plague all of humanity, not simply scavengers and space truckers.
Let’s scream into space on what to expect from the sci-fi/horror thrills in this upcoming FX series.
Plot
Alien: Romulus was an interquel, but Alien: Earth is something of a prequel, as long as you pretend that Prometheus and Alien: Covenant never happened. To be more specific, Alien: Earth kicks off in 2120, and the world will soon see the so-called “perfect organism” land on the third rock from the Sun. What a welcome party it shall receive, no doubt, from the sound of the synopsis:
When a mysterious space vessel crash-lands on Earth, a young woman and a ragtag group of tactical soldiers make a fateful discovery that puts them face-to-face with the planet’s greatest threat in the sci-fi horror series ‘Alien: Earth.’ As members of the crash recovery crew search for survivors among the wreckage, they encounter mysterious predatory life forms more terrifying than they could have ever imagined. With this new threat unlocked, the search crew must fight for survival and what they choose to do with this discovery could change planet Earth as they know it.
What else, exactly, will this ship contain? This new teaser indicates that five deadly new species (including the perfect one) were collected inside Weyland-Yutani’s USCSS Maginot ship.
Don’t expect this series to be entirely filled with spectacle, however.
Hawley’s revelations to Entertainment Weekly suggested that series will not tread lightly regarding how the Weyland-Yutani corporation views their space truckers as a disposable commodity. This exploration will draw parallels to matters of “equality,” and as Hawley told EW, “In mine, you’re also going to see the people who are sending [the spaceship crews]. So, you will see what happens when the inequality we’re struggling with now isn’t resolved. If we as a society can’t figure out how to prop each other up and spread the wealth, then what’s going to happen to us?”
FX chief John Landgraf has gone on record about why Hawley was hired for this gig, and those reasons have everything to do with what Hawley did with Fargo, which demonstrates an “incredible ability to both find a way of being faithful and showing fidelity to an original creation.” Not only that, but Hawley has a knack for pulling off this feat for multiple seasons, and there’s certainly the appetite for plenty of Alien, so we can cross fingers that not only will this show remain spiritually faithful to both Alien and James Cameron’s Aliens but sustain that vibe if the audience keeps tuning in.
Expect to see full-on horror, too, with Hawley informing Deadline, “There’s something about seeing a Xenomorph in the wilds of Earth with your own eyes,” and since this show takes place around the same time period as Alien, that old-school aesthetic — both with the technology on display and with Hawley stressing that he was able to “really engage with the creature, bring some of my own thoughts to the design while not touching the silhouette, because that’s sacrosanct” — will be jarring in an unfamiliar environment. And Hawley wasn’t done yet: “That is truly chilling to think of it moving here among us, and so I can’t tell you under what circumstances you’ll see that, but you’ll see it – and you’re going to lock your door that night.”
Filming for the first season wound down late last summer, and star Sydney Chandler’s farewell Instagram post about “alien encounters” sent vibes about the hell that would break loose when a Xenomporph targeted a populous area. Deadline first revealed how Chandler’s character, Wendy, will be mentored by Kirsh, a synth portrayed by Timothy Olyphant. The Justifiedfrontman told Vanity Fair that the “the monster takes up a lot of screen time.” Right on.
Cast
Getty Image / Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty Images
This cast is enormous. Sydney Chandler and Alex Lawther lead with Timothy Olyphant in a prominent role. Regular cast members include Kit Young, Samuel Blankin, David Rhysdal, Moe Bar-El, Adarsh Gourav, Babou Ceesay, Erana James, Essie Davis, David Rysdahl, Lily Newmark, Diêm Camille, Adrian Edmondson, and Jonathan Ajayi. Guest stars include Karen Aldridge, Max Rinehart, Enzo Cilenti, Jamie Bisping, Tom Moya, Andy Yu, Michael Smiley, Amir Boutrous, Richa Moorjani, Tanapol Chuksrida, and Victoria Masoma.
Release Date
FX/Hulu
Summer 2025 is when hell breaks loose on Earth.
Want a specific date? Join the club.
Trailer
FX has gone teaser-happy, including this cat-collar POV exploration of the Maginot. Animals don’t always fare well during Noah Hawley shows, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed for curious kitty.
Bad Bunny rose to global pop star status following the release of his 2022 album, Un Verano Sin Ti. While singles “Tití Me Preguntó” and “Despues De La Playa” drew praise from music lovers around. On the other hand, track “Enséñame a Bailar” sparked a heated debate about creative ownership online.
According to documents obtained by Rolling Stone, Bad Bunny has been named in a copyright lawsuit infringement lawsuit centered around “Enséñame a Bailar.” In the filing, emPawa Africa’s Mr. Eazi accused Bad Bunny of sampling and interpolating “Empty My Pocket” by the label’s act Joeboy without proper credit or compensation.
“The team at emPawa Africa have attempted to sort this issue amicably since May of last year with our mutual legal teams,” said Mr. Eazi. “But the intent of [Bad Bunny’s record company] Rimas Music is clearly to blatantly appropriate young African creators’ work for their gain without attribution.”
Back in 2023, the track’s producer Dera called Bad Bunny outline. “It is not very often that a musical artist of Bad Bunny’s caliber and sophistication uses someone else’s music without permission, and then ignores the person’s efforts to resolve the problem,” Dera’s attorney Robert A. Jacobs told Billboard. “Such a response is especially surprising when the unauthorized use pervades the entirety of the musical artist’s work. Unfortunately, these are the circumstances here. Despite plaintiffs’ cooperation, these defendants stonewalled plaintiffs after receiving the requested information, making clear that plaintiffs’ only option for obtaining redress for the violation of their rights would be through the courts.”
Although Bad Bunny has not yet addressed the new filing. When the dispute was made public his team shut down the accusation claiming to have “obtained with permission from Lakizo Entertainment” the song’s distributor.
There’s a lot of good video game shows out there. The Last of Us? Excellent. Fallout? Love that Ghoul Daddy. Arcane? A perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.
But you know what those shows are missing? An ice cream truck-driving murder clown played by wrestler Samoa Joe and voiced by BoJack Horseman. And what if I told you the cast also included a Marvel Cinematic Universe star, Rosa from Brooklyn Nine-Nine (or Mirabel from Encanto, if you have kids), and one of the hosts of Doughboys? Sounds pretty good, right?
Well, that show is real, and it’s called Twisted Metal. Here’s everything to know about season 2, including plot details and the premiere date.
Plot
Peacock’s Twisted Metal season 1 was a lot of fun! But it occasionally felt like it was driving below the speed limit, so to speak, to delay arriving at the vehicular tournament the show and video game series is named after.
We’ve finally reached our destination in season 2.
The official logline for the new season teases John and Quiet, played by Anthony Mackie and Stephanie Beatriz, entering Twisted Metal, a “sinister demolition derby hosted by a mysterious man known as Calypso. As they try to survive an onslaught of dangerous new foes and familiar faces alike, including the murderous clown Sweet Tooth, things get complicated for John when he reunites with his long-lost sister, the vigilante Dollface.”
Showrunner Michael Jonathan Smith described Calypso (who is perfectly cast, as you’ll find out below) as someone who’s “always three steps ahead. He’s got great grand plans for the tournament. He’s a showman. He really loves showing off. I think this is a version of Calypso where he’s a performer. He’s got a little bit of P.T. Barnum in him where he loves to have those twists. But I think there’s definitely that element of he does not like being shown up and he does not like other people being the center of attention, which is great.”
But enough about the characters — will sh*t get blown up? Yes, yes it will.
“We blew up a lot of sh*t. Every day we blew something up,” Mackie told Esquire. “There were days where the police would come out and be like ‘Y’all can’t blow this up’ and we would wait for them to leave and we would blow it up anyway. It was insane. We blew up people, we blew up houses, we blew up cars. Just know some sh*t’s gonna get blown up in season two.”
To quote the Costco Guys (A.J. could play Sweet Tooth), Twisted Metal season 2 gets five booms: boom boom boom boom BOOM.
Cast
Twisted Metal‘s wildly-good cast includes Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, and Joe Seanoa and Will Arnett sharing duties as ice cream truck-driving clown Sweet Tooth. There’s also Doughboys legend Mike Mitchell, Lisa Gilroy (quite possibly the best podcast guest out there today), Saylor Bell Curda, Patty Guggenheim, Tiana Okoye, Richard De Klerk, and Michael James Shaw.
Season 2 also brings in Anthony Carrigan (NoHo Hank from Barry!) as Calypso, “the mysterious, charismatic host and creator of a dangerous demolition derby tournament, who invites all assassins, vigilantes, mercenaries, and joyriders to participate. To the winner, he offers the prize of making their greatest wish come true, but with Calypso there’s always a twist.”
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Release Date
Twisted Metal season 2 premieres on Peacock on Thursday, July 31.
Trailer
Check out the teaser trailer for season 2 of Twisted Metal below.
Based on a report from Deadline, the “Anti-Hero” singer is now wrapped up in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s ongoing legal battle by way of a subpoena. Now, a representative for Swift has issued a statement regarding the court order. The insider slammed the move made by Baldoni’s attorneys as a ploy to create “tabloid clickbait.”
“Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie,” the representative told Good Morning America. “She was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film, she did not even see ‘It Ends With Us’ until weeks after its public release, and was traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history.”
They continued: “The connection Taylor had to this film was permitting the use of one song, ‘My Tears Ricochet.’ Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift’s name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case.”
Naomi Sharon originally planned to have her second album and follow up to her acclaimed debut Obsidian out to the world at this point in time. However, things did not go according to plan, but that’s just how life goes sometimes. Instead, Sharon returns with a new EP The Only Love We Know, a six-track transitional piece that readies listeners for the full TK of what lies ahead in her newest era.
The Only Love We Know isn’t just a bridge between Obsidian and her second album, but also a mirror of her growth and healing progress. “This EP is more about finding happiness within yourself and embracing the positive things in life,” she noted in a press release announcing the EP. “Love still plays a role, but now there is a deeper understanding that true love comes from within. If something does not work out, that is okay too. It is about self-love and independence.” Where Obsidian struggled to see the light at the end of the tunnel, The Only Love We Know masterfully captures Sharon’s newfound hope and optimism toward the brightest days life has to offer.
With The Only Love We Know out now, we caught up with Naomi Sharon to talk about the project, how she perceives love nowadays, both internally and externally, and what lies ahead in her current era.
There’s a saying that artists spend their whole life making their debut album, but not so much time is allocated for the next projects. So, how has the experience been for you in working on this second chapter of your career?
Even with Obsidian, we were pretty quick with it. An album always takes time with the after-effects of editing and mastering – sometimes you miss a piece. This time with the EP, it’s six songs, it’s different. I’ve been making so much music in the meantime that I’m not releasing, so it actually feels like a relief to finally put it out in the world. There’s a different energy between Obsidian, and The Only Love We Know.
You previously planned to release your second album sometime last year. How do we end up with a new EP that, I assume, serves as a bridge between your debut and your upcoming second album?
That’s how we felt as well. I could have been pushing for a second album, but I think it needed a little break before that. I believe that it’s good for people to digest your music, and yeah, an EP felt like a good piece of work for now until the next one. Also, I think it’s important to have a piece that is that feels transitional to people as well.
When did you realize that Obsidian – a record that you vent and pour out your feelings about heartbreak – had helped you arrive at a new understanding of love, one that shows that true love comes within as well as the acceptance that each attempt at external love will not always last forever?
I think I had it while making it, but also it manifested itself afterward. I always say that making music is like doing shadow work. In this painful era in my life, I tried to stay hopeful and that was also something that I was putting into the music. I think that came true because right now I’m in a very different stage where I feel hopeful. Back then, it was more something that I wanted to be and that I might have maybe projected upon myself because I was like, “I need that right now. I need to be hopeful,” and now I am.
What song on this project was the guiding light that helped to make the others come alive and be compatible with the rest to create this cohesive EP?
To be honest, there is a gap between some songs. I made “Calm Waters,” “Bittersweet,” and “Soft Like Dawn” before everything else, but funny enough, it always becomes cohesive. That’s because I’m part of the production where I need it to be and feel cohesive. I chose these three songs to combine with the other songs because if I look back at the things that I’ve made, I’ve always played them because it gave me a wonderful feeling listening to them. If I have that with my own music, not to be arrogant, but just to be happy with what I make, it’s hopefully gonna transcend in the ears of my listeners into something that they’re feeling. I just picked those three songs with the other ones and it became cohesive.
I really enjoyed how you depicted that moment of being in limbo in love on “Can We Do This Over.” What’s the story, or the frustrating thoughts, that led you to write this song?
I think “Can We Do This Over” resembles a moment in a relationship where you tell yourself if we could do this over, I know with the knowledge that we have right now that it will be better. It’s almost a fantasy and romanticizing a better end maybe, but at the same time, it could be happening as well. Sometimes in life, you stumble upon a situation where you thought it was over, then certain things happen, and you stay with that person or a situation and you grow from that with each other or within the situation, but that’s not always the case. But for me, it felt like that.
With you being an admitted perfectionist, I thought “Feels Like Home” was an interesting record as you acknowledge the flaws but note it’s not enough to make you uncomfortable. You sing, “A little dirty, but it feels like home / A little unsteady, but it feels like home.” When talking about love, I think there’s a level of accepting and maybe even appreciating flaws in both yourself and a partner in love. What does that balance look like to you? Especially in an era where you promote true love from within.
I think that’s the journey. Being a perfectionist doesn’t really mean that you’re a perfectionist in every aspect in your life — with love, I’m definitely not. I’m definitely more flexible, but I’m learning now that that’s also because — making a bridge to now — that’s the only love we know. That’s exactly what the song [and] the EP is about. You start to realize that this is a pattern, and you only go for the things that you know, right? It’s something you attract. [In] most toxic relationships, I know it sounds f*cked up to say this, [but] you attract that. You make the decision every time to be with a person who treats you like that because that’s your history. That’s the software you’re running. I think it’s a realization more than something that I’m preaching. It’s something that I’m trying to understand more — that’s why I’m saying — it’s a journey. Hopefully, I can be that person more where I can be flexible [but] to a certain degree.
What areas did you heavily focus on to show your elevation as an artist with The Only Love We Know?
I think that I’m showing more of my voice. I think that I’m definitely channeling something else than [on] Obsidian, which was more based on vibes and, of course, good songs, and the way I sang them was also part of it. After my tour, I started to realize that, “Oh, I want to sing this,” and I want to be able to pour my heart out in the songs in a way that I can walk off the stage and be like, “Yeah…” and I started to do it with the tour.
What about The Only Love We Know do you feel is still connected to Obsidian and about this EP do you feel is completely detached and the start of a new chapter?
Let’s start with the sonics: I think it’s pretty obvious that it’s leaning towards other genres. Pop is one of them. I’m experimenting with that [and] I’m really having fun with that. It’s really nice to go there and step out of that comfort zone that I was in. I’m starting to realize that it’s maybe my thing as well, who knows? Then, like I said, it’s a transitional piece of work, so songwriting: I think that people see that there’s something happening. There’s something moving forward. As far as songwriting, as in the song structures, I think it’s way more focused on songwriting right now. You had “Definition Of Love” on the other album that didn’t really have a chorus, it was just like a vibe from the beginning till the end. I feel like the songs right now have structure and that might be a reflection of my own life as well.
Speaking of the next chapter, what do you think we should expect as we dive deeper into this new Naomi Sharon era?
To be honest, I don’t know because it’s ongoing and I am trying to embrace the uncertain. So who knows, but I hope it’s positive.
The Only Love We Know is out now via OVO Sound/Santa Anna Label Group. Find out more information here.
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