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Billboard Names SZA Woman Of The Year 2023

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Billboard Names SZA Woman Of The Year 2023

Solána Imani Rowe, more popularly known as SZA, is officially Billboard’s Woman of The Year. The star singer-songwriter has been unstoppable ever since she set foot in the industry. She went on to create history by providing her soundtrack for the famous Marvel film Black Panther 2018 early in her career. She has so far only released two studio albums, with the latest one being SOS in 2022. The album had 23 tracks on it and really showed SZA’s range when it comes to her genre. But what went into her being named Woman of The Year 2023? Let’s discuss

SZA’s Journey

SZA has been a great artist who has made her mark in the R&B genre. She has so far won 23 Grammy awards in multiple categories, including Melodic Rap Performance, Best Album, Best Song, and so many more. She is also very deeply rooted in her black culture, which is why she was the perfect choice for one of the artists working on Black Panther, a film that is overwhelmingly African-American in nature. SZA has developed a smooth flow in melodic rap that is amazing to witness. 

SZA

She is one of Billboard’s 200 chart-topping artists as well. She started off as a Marine Biology student at Delaware State University. Clearly, the subject did not interest her enough to keep her attention or motivation. She dropped out and moved to New Jersey, where she worked as a bartender and stripper after lying about her age. However, the news soon broke to her mother, who asked her to stop living in their home until she could figure herself out. 

A discouraged SZA ended up spending time sleeping on people’s couches and finding a way to survive. In her words:

“When I wouldn’t do the college thing they wanted, my mom kind of insinuated that I had to like, get out,” the 33-year-old singer said. “I started staying on people’s couches, and vibing aimlessly. That sent me into a crazy depression but also lit a fire under my a**.”

Her mother was also not particularly supportive of her dreams in the beginning. But later on, speaking in an interview with New York Times, she said:

“I wish I knew then what I know now about listening to what your child has a passion for, and supporting that, whatever it is. It’s so hard to follow your own dreams,” said Audrey Rowe, SZA’s mother.

“So many of us abandon it very young, especially if the people that we respect and love and trust think we could or should be doing something different. I’m so glad that she didn’t listen to me.”

Today, SZA is a celebrated artist which really goes to show how long passion and taking risks can take you. SOS immediately became no 1 on Billboard 200, which is a great achievement for a sophomore album. Fans and family now equally believe in her talent and potential. The artist clearly has a long line of accolades and praise awaiting her. 

Her Achievements And Praise

The album achieved 400 million streams just within the US in its very first week. This is the second-largest streaming week for any female artist in the US. Here’s what Billboard’s editorial director had to say about SZA and her amazing journey:

“Since she burst onto the scene in 2017, SZA has defied genres and continually released raw, powerful songs which have landed her music on the Billboard charts,” said Hannah Karp. “The release of her latest album, SOS, has solidified her as a distinct force in contemporary R&B, and catapulted her into superstardom. We can’t wait to honor her as Woman of the Year.”

Truly, SZA deserves everything she has earned.

Emma Jones is known worldwide for her awesome poetry. She was birthed in Sydney and went on to school in Sydney before heading to the University of Cambridge. In the year, 2014, she was ranked as one of the Poetry Book Society's Next Generation Poets. The Weekend Australian termed her as 'one of the most exciting new voices in poetry.' She hasn't disappointed those words ever since. She has gone on tour in multiple countries, and have amassed readers far and wide.

Music

Adele Extends Las Vegas Residency And Teases A Concert Film

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Adele Extends Las Vegas Residency And Teases A Concert Film

Adele is in Las Vegas, and it looks like she’s going to stay there for quite a while. The superstar singer is known for her hit performances and charming character. She’s the singer behind hit songs such as Hello, Someone Like You, and Water Under The Bridge. 

The singer was supposed to have her last show last Saturday, but she announced an extension to the delight of thousands of fans in Las Vegas who look forward to seeing the singer-songwriter perform again. The new residency dates begin in June and go on for months all the way until November.

New Dates

Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Vegas

Adele’s residency in Las Vegas will now go on from June 16 to November 4 at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Vegas. The singer has had a blast performing for thousands of people for days on end and wants to get as much of the experience as possible.

“Playing to 4,000 people for 34 dates is not enough, and I know that,” Adele said. “So I am coming back for a few weeks in June and I’m going to release it to make sure anyone who wants to see this show can see it.”

Her plans for the residency were delayed by a lot. She began her work in the November of last year, which was nearly ten months after the original schedule. This had a lot to do with the menace that was COVID-19. Her performances for residency were delayed by so long because her team was thwarted again and again because of the pandemic.

“We’ve tried absolutely everything that we can put it together in time and for it to be good enough for you, but we’ve been absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and COVID,” she said in a statement back then. She also mentioned how so many members of her amazing team had suffered a lot because of the infamous virus. 

“Half my crew, half my team are down with COVID, they still are, and it’s been impossible to finish the show. And I can’t give you what I have right now and I’m gutted. I’m gutted and I’m sorry it’s so last minute.”

Adele

Adele was one of the many artists who had to suffer with their canceled plans for live shows during the pandemic. Adele had managed to fight through the overpowering circumstances, but in the end, she found the setting to be creatively devoid of art and soul. It wasn’t the right place to perform for her, mentally or physically.

 “There was just no soul in it. The stage setup wasn’t right. It was very disconnected from me and my band, and it lacked intimacy,” she said. And maybe I tried too hard to give it those things in such a controlled environment.”

Later, when she finally opened in Las Vegas, Adele was more than happy and extremely sentimental. She and her team managed to bring out her vision for the performances and the nights to follow. She was overjoyed and thanked everyone present that night.

“I should be giving you a standing ovation, thank you so much for coming back to me. You look amazing, and it looks just like what I imagined it would look like. Just perfect. Thank you,” she said to the audience.  “I don’t get to go off stage for about 50 minutes so I’m going to have a shitty face of streamed makeup for the whole first part of the show.” 

Well, thankfully for her, the fans hardly cared about messy makeup. They were there for her performance, and it looks like they’ll get to see a whole year of Adele in Las Vegas.

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Selena Gomez’s Song ‘Lose You To Love Me’ Gets A Billion Streams on Spotify

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Selena Gomez Song ‘Lose You To Love Me

Selena Gomez has been a pop sensation for decades now. She has gained multiple awards and has recently, become the most followed woman on Instagram. She has over 400 million followers on the social media platform, after which the singer-songwriter announced that she would be taking a brief break from social media. Now, the singer has made headlines again because one of her songs, Lose You to Love Me, has crossed over a billion streams on the popular streaming app Spotify.

The news comes after fans across TikTok, and other social media apps figured that there’s some conflict between Gomez and Justin Bieber’s wife, Hailey Bieber. Fans were left wondering when Bieber released a video on TikTok that seemingly targeted Gomez. The singer did not officially react to it, but her success has spoken in volumes.

Crossing Billions and Millions

Selena’s Ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber is also an artist who has over a billion streams on a song. His song Ghost was the first one that crossed the billion stream mark. The two were very famously attached to one another, and their relationship was always the talk of the town. However, the two parted ways, eventually leaving fans and themselves heartbroken. 

Bieber then met Hailey, and the two instantly hit it off. The two got married, but it never seemed like Hailey had much of a liking towards Gomez in the first place. Gomez, who was born in the July of 1992, on the other hand, was recently seen enjoying her life with her friends Brooklyn Beckham and best friend, Nicola Peltz. The singer hasn’t quite reacted to her song crossing over a billion streams, but her fans are, as usual, very supportive of her. Hopefully, the singer is now in a better place mentally than she used to be before quitting social media. 

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BTS News- Jimin Releases Debut Solo Album ‘Face’

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BTS News- Jimin Releases Debut Solo Album ‘Face’

South Korea’s band BTS is best known for being the K-pop sensation that it is. It rose to popularity to the extent that they make millions in revenue off its music and merchandise. However, the band is now going on a break soon. This is to serve for the military in South Korea, which commands its citizens that all able-bodied men must serve a minimum time period of 18 months. The band is meant to reunite in the year 2025, however, how exactly that will come about is still unknown.

In the meanwhile, the band has asked its fans to expect more and more solo projects before they enlist in the military. One of those leading projects is by none other than BTS Park Ji-min, one of the youngest members of the band. Face is now out, which marks Jimin’s first solo debut album. Here’s all you need to know.

Faces album release dates

Faces release has made the fans very excited. It has now joined the list of a few existing BTS solo projects with other artists, such as SUGA and J-Hope, who put out their mixtapes and songs earlier than 2023. Face has six tracks in it which include two versions of the main title track, Like Crazy, an English, and a Korean version are on the album. It also includes the track that started the hype around Face, Set Me Free Pt. 2. 

Apart from these three tracks, there are Face-off, Interlude: Dive, and Alone. Artist Jimin has previously talked about how the album means so much to him. The artist has recorded multiple pieces in the United States to complete the album. 

“I gained the will and power to prepare for a new beginning by facing hollowness, loneliness and a feeling of being lost,” he said in a video. “This song carries a lot of lonely and empty feelings I felt while working during the pandemic.”

Every artist goes through a time of deep despair and unproductiveness. The same was true for Jimin, who felt unproductive and tired out during the pandemic. Being emotionally flat was also something he suffered with.

“It contains a lot of fears and worries that I felt during my lethargic days, and actually it was hard to get into the emotions when I recorded it,” he said while talking about the song Alone, which carries a deep dragging sense of sadness.

The album has been promoted by many artists, and the band’s leader RM also helped in the overall production of Face. It was all a brand new challenge for Jimin, who is only 27 years old. The singer had previously released Set Me Free Pt. 2 in order to get some attention toward his new project.

The song was an instant hit among fans, and Jimin really felt good about that. He appeared in an interview later to talk about the song and the album and what they meant to him. 

“When this song was made, I felt really attached to it,” he had said at the time. “I went to the US myself for the choir recording, and listening to it right next to them was truly amazing. I remember it as a really good memory.”

Along with Set Me Free Pt. 2, the song Like Crazy is also one of Jimin’s favorites which explains why it’s the main track. 

“It’s a song featuring the emotion of the moment when I turn a blind eye to reality to forget hurtful memories. I paid a lot of attention to convey the sad feelings of the lyrics when I sang it,” he said about it.

Clearly, a great example of BTS first album from artists, Face will likely see a lot of praise as sales tower. Now, fans wait for the band to finish their time in the military eventually so they can be seen performing together again.

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