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Tracy Young Drops Remix of Anabel Englund’s “See The Sky” in Honor of Pride Month
In honor of Pride Month, Grammy Award-winning producer Tracy Young has released a remix of Anabel Englund‘s spring 2020 single “See the Sky.” While the original pairs best with a relaxing day on the beach, Young’s rendition trades the sunshine for a neon-soaked nighttime skyline. Englund’s vocal talent combined with the intricate production of Young creates a bittersweet tune that will have you longing for those sweaty, crowded dancefloors. Touching on themes of wanting to escape and be free, the lyrics hit close to home for many of us. Back in February, Young made history as the first female to ever be nominated and win the Grammy for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for her remix of Madonna‘s “I Rise.” “I’m thrille...
Alicia Keys & John Legend to Face Off in Juneteenth ‘Verzuz’ Battle
R&B superstars Alicia Keys and John Legend will face off in a Verzuz battle on June 19. “Let’s celebrate Juneteenth with a special edition #Verzuz! @AliciaKeys vs @JohnLegend,” the popular online battle series announced Saturday (June 13) on Instagram. The Verzuz Instagram battle series — co-helmed at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic by legendary hip-hop producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland — has seen showdowns between such all-stars as Nelly and Ludacris, Lil Jon and T-Pain, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu and many more. Starting as a 20-song showdown between evenly matched producers, the series has also come to encompass writers and now performers, as hip-hop and R&B fans have been glued to their IG feeds on countless weekend nights to watch the d...
Lena Waithe, Jonica Gibbs on How Lesbian Representation Creates a ‘Space of Understanding’
Lena Waithe, the award-winning Master of None and Queen and Slim scribe, said that while she feels accepted as a Black, gay woman in the entertainment industry, she believes audiences need to see even more Black queer representation. “If you look at how many people that are known and that are Black in the industry, and then if you can count on like maybe one or two hands how many of them are out? The numbers just don’t add up,” Waithe said at Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter’s second annual Pride Summit and Prom. On Saturday, Waithe joined her mentee, Twenties breakout Jonica Gibbs, for a conversation that touched on expanded lesbian representation in television, the recent Black Lives Matter protests across the country and the role of the industry in the movement. Th...
Wilson Cruz and ‘Visible’ Team on LGBTQ Representation In 2020: ‘There Is a Lot More Work to Be Done’
Actor Wilson Cruz, producer Jessica Hargrave and director Ryan White participated in Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter’s Pride Summit on Saturday. During a live-streamed panel — titled “Apple TV+ Presents: Visibility” — the team behind Apple TV+’s docuseries Visible: Out on Television discussed the importance of LGBTQ representation in a time of unprecedented divisiveness. According to Cruz — an executive producer on the project — uplifting marginalized voices feels particularly meaningful as Pride marches are beginning to overlap with protests for the Black Lives Matter movement, reignited by the killing of George Floyd and unceasing police brutality against Black people. “In this moment, given everything that we are experiencing globally — not just here i...
Lilly Wachowski and Abby McEnany on the Power of Showcasing ‘Unpalatable Queers’ on TV
Lilly Wachowski and Abby McEnany — stars, writers and producers of Showtime’s LGBTQ-centered series Work in Progress — participated in Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter’s Pride Summit on Saturday. During their live-streamed discussion, titled “Work in Progress: Being Your Authentic Self in This Business” and sponsored by Wells Fargo, the talented duo spoke about the power of showcasing “unpalatable queers” in 2020. But first, Wachowski and McEnany touched on the intersection of Pride marches and protests for the reignited Black Lives Matter movement, a direct response to the killing of George Floyd and unceasing police brutality against Black people. “I think Lilly and I have been talking and we don’t know what we’re going to say. Th...
Jay Pharoah Reveals LA Police Officer Recently Kneeled on His Neck
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police, Jay Pharoah took to Instagram to share his own recent horrific run-in with cops. The Saturday Night Live alum told his story of LAPD officers mistaking him for a suspect, and kneeling on his neck as they cuffed him. “Coincidentally when the footage dropped of Ahmaud Arbery, a week prior to that I was actually on Ventura, I was exercising,” he explained. “As I’m walking across the street, I see an officer to the left of me. I’m not thinking anything of it cuz I’m a law-abiding citizen. And also keep in mind I’ve got my Bose headphones on – noise cancelling – so I’m in my zone right now. I look to my left, the officer – I see him coming with guns blazing. I see him say, ‘Get on the ground. Put your hands ...
Taylor Swift Calls for Permanent Removal of “Racist” Confederate Statues
The Black Lives Matter protests spurred by George Floyd’s murder aren’t stopping anytime soon — unless, of course, racial equity magically appears overnight. While marching for racial justice and calling for the police to be defunded, protestors have begun taking it upon themselves to dismantle, if not destroy, statues honoring white supremacists from history like Robert E. Lee and John B. Castleman. As it turns out, they have a huge celebrity supporting that cause: Taylor Swift. On Friday, the Grammy-winning pop star released a statement calling for the permanent removal of all Confederate statues in Tennessee. “As a Tennessean, it makes me sick that there are monuments standing in our state that celebrate racist historical figures who did evil things,” Swift wrote on Twitter. “Edward Car...
Petition Launched to Replace KKK Leader’s Statue in Tennessee Capitol with Dolly Parton
Back in December, Tennessee state senator Jeremy Faison proposed replacing a bust of former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest currently on display in the state’s capitol building with one of an actual Tennessee hero: Dolly Parton. Now, amid racial unrest across the country spurred on by a rash of unarmed Black people being killed by police, the idea is picking up steam. This week, a petition was launched calling on local officials to replace problematic statues of Forrest and other Confederate leaders with ones of Parton. “History should not be forgotten, but we need not glamorize those who do not deserve our praise,” the petition reads. “Instead, let us honor a true Tennessee hero, Dolly Parton.” The petition goes on to note Parton’s many accomplishments beyond music, such ...
Christine and the Queens Performs “I Disappear in Your Arms” on Fallon: Watch
Christine and the Queens stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday night to play “I Disappear in Your Arms”, a bonus track off this year’s La Vita Nuova EP. Héloïse Letissier, the artist behind the moniker, used the opportunity to turn the song into an emotionally moving performance in the middle of an empty venue — a stark reminder of all the concerts the coronavirus pandemic has canceled. In the live performance, Letissier belts out the lyrics to “I Disappear in Your Arms” while the booming synth percussion from the Christine and the Queens track echoes behind her. She finds herself standing in a shadow-laded venue, completely alone, while dolled up in a frilly white blouse. That’s when she begins pacing around the empty room, locking eyes with the camera, before she co...
Song of the Week: John Prine’s “I Remember Everything” Offers One Last Goodbye
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify New Sounds playlist. Artists and fans have been searching for the right way to say goodbye to John Prine and gain closure ever since the beloved songwriter passed away in April due to COVID-19. There has since been an outpouring of heartfelt messages, wishes, and tributes from around the world. Here at Consequence of Sound, we put on our own Instagram festival for Prine, which featured artists like John Darnielle, Colin Meloy, and Norah Jones and benefitted several charities handpicked by Prine’s family. As recently as Thursday night, celebrities like Bill Murray and Stephen Colbert joined artists such as Kacey Musgraves and Sturgill Simpson in a lives...
Stormzy Announces Plans To Finance British Black Empowerment Organizations
Source: Paul Bergen / Getty Stormzy has announced new plans to donate funds to a number of organizations and causes in support of British Black empowerment. Over the next decade, the popular rapper will donate 10 million pounds to various groups as the fight against racism continues to swell worldwide. In a new piece from The Guardian, the artist born Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. shared a statement in regarding his new initiative in conjunction with the rapper’s #Merky company and brand. From The Guardian: The uncomfortable truth that our country continuously fails to recognise and admit is that black people in the UK have been at a constant disadvantage in every aspect of life – simply due to the colour of our skin. I’m lucky enough to be in the position I’m in and I’ve heard pe...
Jay Pharoah Shares Video Of LAPD Accosting Him With Guns Drawn After A Jog
Source: Screenshot / Jay Pharoah Jay Pharoah found fame as a former cast member of SNL and has parlayed that notoriety into a booming acting career, but even that didn’t shield him from the cruel reality of racism in America. In a new short film, the actor and comedian detailed how he came close to losing his life at the hands of the police simply for being a Black man. Working with @TheOnlyCarey to shoot the video piece, Pharoah is seen narrating the incident in question, which he says took place a week before Ahmaud Arbery was murdered in Georgia while jogging. While going about his workout routine in Los Angeles and getting in some exercise, Pharoah shares security video footage of Los Angeles officers surrounding him with their guns drawn. At one especially uncomfortable portion of the...
