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![Founder of Women’s Initiative GRL GANG on Building a Community of Female Empowerment [Interview]](https://www.wazupnaija.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/founder-of-womens-initiative-grl-gang-on-building-a-community-of-female-empowerment-interview-1050x600.jpg)
![Founder of Women’s Initiative GRL GANG on Building a Community of Female Empowerment [Interview]](https://www.wazupnaija.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/founder-of-womens-initiative-grl-gang-on-building-a-community-of-female-empowerment-interview-80x80.jpg)
Founder of Women’s Initiative GRL GANG on Building a Community of Female Empowerment [Interview]
In 2018, Jeanette Kats had an idea to create a production workshop for female producers. As she spent more time thinking about the initiative, she became inspired to start a bigger group to connect music professionals from all facets of the industry. In February 2019, Kats officially created GRL GANG, an initiative and platform that lives in Discord, with the goal to expand the presence of women within electronic music. Currently consisting of over 200 members, the GRL GANG community is comprised of music producers, DJs, managers, publicists, journalists, label coordinators, A&Rs, promoters, and virtually every other music-related role. Through its various projects such as sample packs and virtual events, GRL GANG has empowered female producers and music professionals to network and le...
Diplo Partied with Madonna for the Pop Icon’s 62nd Birthday in Jamaica
After Madonna‘s 62nd birthday, the myth of EDM Renaissance man Diplo continues. The Grammy Award-winning music producer and DJ recently celebrated the Queen of Pop’s 62nd birthday, joining her for a night of debauchery in Jamaica. The pop icon’s six children, Lourdes Leon (23), Rocco Ritchie (20), David Banda (14), Mercy James (14), and Estere and Stella (both 7) were also along for the ride in addition to her 26-year-old beau, Ahlamalik Williams. Madonna shared a number of photos from the party on social media, including one in which she smokes a joint while holding a plate full of cannabis, celebrating the milestone in style. Diplo produced 5 tracks off Madonna’s 2015 album Rebel Heart, including the international hits “Living for Love” and “...
Wuhan, China Pool Rave Attracts Thousands in City Where COVID-19 Was First Identified
Wuhan, China, the purported fountainhead of COVID-19, hosted a massive pool party over the weekend as the city tries to go back to normal following a period of stringent lockdown. According to a report by Complex, the rave took place at the Wuhan Maya Beach Water Park over the weekend. Footage widely circulated on social media shows thousands of revelers floating on inflatable tubes, flouting social distancing measures and partying in close proximity in the water with virtually no masks in sight. It’s important to note that the city of Wuhan hasn’t reported any new coronavirus cases in three months. Considering Wuhan’s notoriety as the city where COVID-19 reportedly first originated, though, the concert’s timing is dubious as many other nations, including Italy...
REZZ Announces She’s Working on a New Album
Just days after releasing an explosive edit of a Porter Robinson tune, REZZ has dropped another bomb in the form of an announcement that she’s working on a new album. Space Mom took to Twitter to share a selfie along with the news, writing “Just want you to know I’m working on an album !” She has been quite busy in the studio lately, releasing a spellbinding remix of Melanie Martinez‘s “Tag, You’re It” in late July before dropping the serendipitous Porter edit. Both reworks are signature REZZ, with hypnotic sound design that eventually culminates in her rip-roaring blend of electro and midtempo flavors. Earlier this summer, REZZ took home her second JUNO Award for “Electronic Album of the Year” for her remarkable Beyond the Se...
Angel Olsen Shares ‘Waving, Smiling’ From Upcoming Whole New Mess Album
Angel Olsen’s “Waving, Smiling” is the latest single to emerge from her 11-song Whole New Mess album, due out Aug. 28. The stripped-down release, recorded in October 2018, is the singer-songwriter’s fifth album and features alternate versions of nine of the songs from 2019’s lush and cinematic All Mirrors record. The “Waving, Smiling” video was shot by Ashley Connor at Asheville, North Carolina’s Masonic Temple, and the song finds Olsen digging deep. She explained in a statement that, “‘Waving, Smiling’ in my head is the last scene, a slow-motion realization of love not lost but at peace somewhere within myself. It’s the bittersweet end of a chapter of my life — it is the final acceptance that despite coming to an end all of that time was not lost or wasted.” Watch the song below: [embedde...
Luke Bryan’s ‘Born Here Live Here Die Here’ Launches at No. 1 on Top Country Albums Chart
Plus, Mary Chapin Carpenter extends her history on Top Country Albums. Luke Bryan banks his ninth No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Country Albums chart, and his eighth to arrive at the pinnacle, as Born Here Live Here Die Here soars in at the summit on the survey dated Aug. 22. The set earned 65,000 equivalent album units (48,000 in album sales) in the week ending Aug. 13. On the all-genre Billboard 200, it enters at No. 5, marking Bryan’s 11th top 10. Released Aug. 7, the album, co-produced by the father-and-son team of Jeff and Jody Stevens, was originally due April 24 but was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [embedded content] Three singles, all of which topped Country Airplay, have been released from the new LP so far: “Knockin’ Boots” led for two weeks i...
Soundtrack Your Brand Signs Global Licensing Deal With Universal Music
The Swedish company, which operates in 73 markets, is pushing to disrupt the background music segment of the market. The growing segment of music streaming for businesses has taken another step forward. Soundtrack Your Brand, a cloud-based music service that is trying to become the Spotify of the business streaming world, signed a global licensing deal with Universal Music Group to use its catalog of music on the platform. The Stockholm-based company, which says it is the world’s fastest growing B2B music platform, delivers the flexibility of music-streaming technology to brands and businesses. Founded in 2013 with Spotify as a co-founder, Soundtrack Your Brand operates in 73 countries and competes in the background music segment with startups like Rockbot as well as with entrenched player...
Taylor Swift Becomes First Artist to Spend 40 Weeks Atop Artist 100 Chart
Plus, Cardi B re-enters at No. 5 and Megan Thee Stallion jumps to No. 6. Taylor Swift scores her landmark 40th total week at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated Aug. 22), thanks to the continued success of her new album, Folklore. The set notches a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 136,000 equivalent album units earned, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data, two weeks after it debuted with 846,000 units, the biggest single-week sum for any album since Swift’s last LP, Lover, in September 2019. Swift concurrently charts three songs from Folklore on the latest Billboard Hot 100 (after all 16 tracks from the set’s standard edition debuted in its opening chart week). “Cardigan” leads at No. 24, after it soared in at No. 1, followed by “The 1&#...
12 ‘WAP’ TikTok Challenges You Need to See
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion “WAP”ped to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 this week (dated Aug. 22), and their fans tried following in their footsteps via TikTok challenges. Cardi shared one on her Instagram Monday (Aug. 17) shortly after the news of her No. 1 hit broke, but this fan broke something else besides records. “Please guys be safe while doing the WAP WAP WAP,” the 27-year-old rapper instructed in the caption of the video showing a girl going to the hospital after a failed attempt of the “WAP” challenge. Others got creative and opted out of the viral dance for memes about visiting the dentist’s office and sparkly beauty challenges, while a couple of dads created their own remixes. And Vanessa Hudgens put her own classy spin on twe...
Jack White’s Third Man Records to Auction White Stripes Swag, Guitars, Drums and Clothing
Jack White and Third Man Records will auction off guitars, amps, personal items, stage equipment and other one-of-a-kind items from the label’s archives and White’s musical career and collection. Included in the online “garage sale” will be drum sets used in the White Stripes’ “Hardest Button To Button” video. The auction starts at 9 a.m. CST Aug. 26 and runs to 9 pm CST Aug. 30, and takes place here. Visitors must register an account to bid, and bids of $1,000 or higher will be approved by an auction house. Items on offer include stage monitor covers and pedalboards used on tour by the White Stripes, guitars from White’s personal collection, clothing used in video shoots, and other curios and equipment. All items come directly from Third Man Records and have a certificate of authenti...
Carly Rae Jepsen Pays Tribute to Her Bandmates With ‘Me and the Boys in the Band’
Carly Rae Jepsen won’t be touring anytime soon for obvious reasons. And she’s sad not only about being unable to perform but she also misses hanging out with her bandmates. So, she wrote a song, “Me and the Boys in the Band” about how much they have meant to her and just shared a fun video that features the guys playing from their homes. The clip also shows Jepsen lounging around and trying to entertain herself at home as well as photos and clips from previous times on tour. She talked about the song in a statement: “On the road. That was the life. I miss travel and performing and my band mates who over the years have become my adopted brothers. Through romantic relationships good and bad I have always found myself again in the late-night conversations with my band. Here’s to all the shows...
The Truth Of I May Destroy You Is The Difficult Mess Of Healing
Warning: This story contains descriptions of traumatic events, including sexual assault, which some readers might find upsetting. By Steven Underwood In the eighth episode of I May Destroy You, the harrowing BBC drama brought stateside by HBO Max, the series’s star character, Arabella, played by showrunner Michaela Coel, finds herself looking to the camera, her head wrapped in a colorful scarf, and speaking to a support group for survivors of sexual assault. But what she has to say isn’t heartfelt or healing, but rather a definitive declaration of war against “Bob,” who stands in those who have socialized a deceptive kind of violence. “He’s gone exploring to see for himself what boundaries and violations these women might be banging on about because ‘Bob’s’ thorough… ‘Bob’ found the l...
