Month: May 2024

Anitta is slaying the game. Earlier this year, she dropped her new album, Funk Generation — her sixth overall, and her first under Republic Records. This past weekend, the Brazilian pop hitmaker kicked off her Baile Funk Experience Tour in Mexico City.

The tour is set to continue this week in Los Angeles and will go across the world over the course of the summer. So far, the tour has been well-received by fans — and as Anitta has shown to be one of the biggest international pop star of our time, we’re going to want to remember this era.

Here is the merch available at Anitta’s Baile Funk Experience Tour

According to a video shared by a fan, ticket holders at the Baile Funk Experience Tour can look forward to purchasing a wide selection of t-shirts. One of the t-shirts is a white shirt, with Anitta’s lettering logo, with imprints of her face, surrounded by text reading “I was there” and “Baile Funk Experience.” Another is a black t-shirt with her back facing forward, while she’s wearing a thong. Tote bags and hats will also be available for purchase.

You can see a video clip featuring the Baile Funk Experience Tour merch above.

May 21st marks International Tennessee Whiskey Day and here at UPROXX we’re definitely game to celebrate. Tennessee whiskey is one of the more misunderstood subsects in the American whiskey world with people often wondering, for instance, what separates it from bourbon. The eternal debates about whether or not Jack Daniel’s in particular is a bourbon can be maddening for anyone who cares about the category.

To quickly dispense with that question — yes, the method used to produce Jack Daniel’s means it can call itself a bourbon per Federal law. “Tennessee whiskey” is a category that was enshrined as a state law back in 2013 and it says essentially that for something to be labeled Tennessee whiskey, it must meet all the same requirements as bourbon and the liquid must undergo the Lincoln County Process before aging. Bourbon with an extra step, if you will.

You can argue until the blue in your face is the same hue as George Dickel’s Bottled in Bond label, but Tennessee whiskey, for the most part, is a category of bourbon. Yes, that includes Jack Daniel’s.

With that out of the way, you should also know that the world of Tennessee whiskey extends much further than just Lynchburg — with over 30 whiskey-producing distilleries in the state. Some of the country’s best whiskeys are being made in the Volunteer State and there’s no better time than today to explore everything it has to offer. To help with that, we picked the 10 best whiskeys that we’ve tried from Tennessee and ranked them just for you.

10. Uncle Nearest Rye Uncut/Unfiltered Straight Whiskey

ABV: 59.8%
Average Price: $63

The Whiskey:

Uncle Nearest’s best whiskey comes from…Canada? Sourced from Canada, aged in New York, and rested for an undisclosed period in used Uncle Nearest barrels in Tennessee, this whiskey is made from a 100% rye recipe.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Orange peel, singed mint, and chili pepper comprise the initial nosing notes but those are soon supported by some grain-forward aromas accented with a drizzle of honey. Overall the nose is very reminiscent of the lightness one expects with Canadian rye but aided by an additional punch of earthiness.
Palate: On the palate this whiskey stays true to its nosing notes but there’s also a flash of red pepper flakes at the outset that surprises. Furthermore, at midpalate there is a touch of bubblegum, and the notes of honey turn into sticky bits of butterscotch — making for a richer sipping experience than the aromas would have you believe.
Finish: The finish is flush with allspice and slightly drying oak tones that replace the light sweetness that was so evident at the front of the palate.

Bottom Line:

While this Uncut/Unfiltered rye may have taken the long road home the results are something that Tennesseans can be proud of. Uncle Nearest might be best known for their flagship whiskey but their rye is really where you should place your attention.

9. Sweetens Cove 22 Tennessee Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Speyside Scotch Casks

ABV: 57%
Average Price: $200

The Whiskey:

Sweetens Cove 22 is a bit misleading in that the big ol’ number on the bottle is indicative of the year this was first released, and not an age statement. Comprised of Tennessee bourbons aged for 10, 8, 6, and 5 years star blender Marianne Eaves curated, the whiskey was then finished in Speyside casks.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Clove-studded orange wheels greet the nose at first along with the aroma of raisins and a strikingly grainy undertone. It’s full of light sweet notes along with some peanut shells and a sturdy oak backbone.
Palate: On the palate it’s the citrus-and-clove accent that stands out. Honeyed toast and apricots also really pop at midpalate and as this transitions away from bright sweetness there’s a slight tartness that gives way to almond butter and mellow oak spice.
Finish: The long-lasting finish showcases the oak tones and baking spices as cracked black pepper provides a prickly mouthfeel allowing you to appreciate the robust proof without being overwhelmed by it.

Bottom Line:

Sweetens Cove 22 features a bevy of flavors but impressively it never becomes too muddled to pick them apart and appreciate. While the impact of the Speyside finishing cask is surprisingly difficult to pick up on, the whiskey itself is none the worse for it and the finished product is an undeniable success.

8. Rattle & Snap Tennessee Straight Whiskey Aged 8 Years

ABV: 47%
Average Price: $93

The Whiskey:

Rattle & Snap Tennessee Whiskey gets its name from an old Southern game of chance with one such game leading to the brand’s founding. It should be noted that this Tennessee whiskey is produced by Kentucky’s Log Still Cabin Distillery.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Full of caramelized bananas, brown butter, and maple candy, the nose on this whiskey is indicative of the Lincoln County Process deployed in its creation.
Palate: On the palate those notes of maple candy and caramelized banana detonate across the tongue before that overt sweetness is joined by allspice, black tea, and cinnamon bark.
Finish: The finish is surprisingly lengthy thanks to the baking spices growing in prominence while brown sugar supplants the rest of the sweet notes to offer balance on the back end.

Bottom Line:

While Rattle & Snap’s 4-year expression is surprisingly delicious in its own right, the 8-year version exceeds it by providing additional depth and a far longer finish. Taking a chance on this delicious whiskey won’t leave you snakebitten — it’s dangerously easy to drink.

7. George Dickel Tennessee Bottled in Bond Whisky

ABV: 50%
Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

Made up of a mashbill that’s 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley, this offering from George Dickel is an atypically well-aged Bottled in Bond expression. This latest version comes from the fall 2005 distilling season, making it 13 years old.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Warm brown sugar, sticky maple syrup, and fruity notes like stewed red apple and ripe bananas are abundant on the nose. There’s an almost smoky undertone that goes well with the mellow oak aromas here. Finally, there’s a touch of milk chocolate that gives this whiskey the distinct impression of being artfully aged.
Palate: On the palate you can expect to taste toasted pecans with more subdued brown sugar as the maple syrup aroma notes become more distinct in the mouth. Bruised banana notes and a faint bit of wet tobacco, nutmeg, and cornbread taste also stand out. The mouthfeel is surprisingly rich and robust despite being only 100 proof, a welcome surprise as you take a second and third sip.
Finish: On the finish there’s a growing influence of leather but also more fruit as a bit of waxy fig comes to the fore along with a few shakes of allspice.

Bottom Line:

George Dickel whisky is often maligned (and at times celebrated) for having a distinct waxy fruit note thanks to the yeast they use. That prototypical flavor is far more restrained in their older releases, with this 13-year expression featuring the note sparingly and instead pushing mature oak notes forward. Melding their classic flavor profile with the added depth from hyper-aging makes George Dickel Bottled in Bond an impressively rich and exceedingly affordable option.

6. Nelson’s Green Brier Maple Cask Finished Bourbon

ABV: 52.9%
Average Price: https://greenbrierdistillery.com/pages/distillery-exclusives

The Whiskey:

For its first special release of 2024, Nasville’s Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery opted to release this maple cask-finished bourbon as a distillery-exclusive small batch. Despite being sourced from Kentucky and Indiana bourbon, the whiskey in this blend rested in maple syrup casks for an undisclosed period in Tennessee.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Caramels and dark chocolate are immediately evocative on the nose before the maple syrup wafts in over the top of them. Rich oak notes, complete with bits of barrel char, are also obvious at the heart of this whiskey’s panoply of sweet aromas.
Palate: A big dose of vanilla extract lands on the palate before chalky dark chocolate and rich maple syrup notes tingle the tongue. There are polished leather notes that help to restrain the sweetness from becoming too prominent and flavors like tomato paste and black pepper further round out each sip.
Finish: On the medium-length finish you’ll find more tomato paste and some torched red pepper to go with chocolate-covered coffee beans, barrel char, and overarching maple syrup flavors.

Bottom Line:

This is a pour that forces you to pay attention as the initial expectation of heavy-handed maple syrup sweetness is instead met with nuanced semi-bitter chocolate notes. The fact that the maple syrup is buried beneath other sweet tones goes a long way as it undulates beneath every sip and only truly unveils itself on the finish. In the end, though this release wasn’t distilled in Tennessee it’s still an excellent example of Nelson Bros blending prowess and penchant for deftly deploying finishing casks.

5. Chattanooga Whiskey Founder’s 12th Anniversary Blend

ABV: 50%
Average Price: $61

The Whiskey:

Chattanooga Whiskey’s Founder’s Blend is always an intriguing peak into founder Tim Piersant’s mind. For this 12th edition, Piersant sought to blend past, present, and future. By combining 12% of Chattanooga’s original mashbill, 60% of their signature Tennessee High Malt recipe, and 28% of the liquid comes from their Infinity Solera barrel which is filled with a blend of malt and rye malt whiskeys from Chattanooga’s Experimental and Riverfront Distilleries.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is effusive with peanut brittle, malted chocolate, and jammy berries reminiscent of a blackberry compote. The malted liquid really forms the backbone of the aroma of this whiskey.
Palate: On the palate those notes become far richer and the velvety texture holds flavors like caramel cake, ginger candy, and creme brulee with a candied orange peel on top. A faint bit of spearmint and cinnamon also complements the chocolate wafer note that slowly grows in prominence as this pour transitions to the finish.
Finish: The finish is where the caramel, malted chocolate balls, and custard-like creaminess crescendo. The finish is rich and long-lasting, coating the palate in such a satisfying way that you can’t help but oblige repeat sips.

Bottom Line:

This unique blend from Chattanooga Whiskey does an excellent job of fusing the brand’s history into a flavor-packed pour. The depth of the aromas is only matched by the richness found on the palate, and with this being such an affordably priced pour it’s more than worth exploring the nuanced profusion of well-rounded whiskey notes.

4. George Dickel 15-Year Tennessee Single Barrel Whisky

ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $73

The Whiskey:

This 15-year-old offering from George Dickel is notable for both its price and its age. With bottles regularly clocking in well over the 15-year age statement, its modest cost makes it an incredible value. Made from the same mashbill that goes into Dickel’s Bottled in Bond expression, this hyper-aged single barrel version is bottled at cask strength.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: On the nose there are notes of leather, toffee, coffee beans, and maple syrup to entice the senses. Spin the glass then return to it to find an abundance of stewed stone fruits, vanilla extract, and waffle cones as well.
Palate: While the nosing notes travel to the palate, the real fun is in discerning the degrees to which they’re amplified or muted. Stewed stone fruits seem to pop along with flavors like maple candy, marzipan, and vanilla extract. There are also elements of hazelnut, barrel char, and rosewater to be found.
Finish: The finish has plenty of hazelnut spread, vanilla, and marzipan to offer before tapering off with moderate length.

Bottom Line:

George Dickel’s 15-Year Tennessee Whisky might just be the best value on this entire list — indeed it’s one of the most underrated values in all of American whiskey. There aren’t many if any other 15-year-old single barrel offerings out there and the ones that come close aren’t typically offered at cask strength. Value aside, George Dickel’s 15-Year-Old Tennessee Single Barrel Whisky is a delicious spirit that shows finesse and nuance, taking an iron-fist-in-a-velvet-glove approach in a marketplace that too often reaches for unrepentant bludgeons.

3. Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Rye Whiskey

ABV: 64.3%
Average Price: $62

The Whiskey:

If you thought Jack Daniel’s was all Old No. 7 then their single barrel barrel strength offerings are just what the doctor ordered to cure you of your ignorance. Made from a mashbill with 70% rye, 18% corn, and 12% malted barley this expression was released on the heels of Jack Daniel’s wildly popular Single Barrel Special Release Barrel Proof Rye.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: While it comes off a bit hot at first, it soon settles down and the aroma of gingerbread cookies, spanked mint, cinnamon bark, and sassafrass emanates from the glass. There are also chunks of butterscotch, a big hit of nutmeg, and a touch of black tea on the nose.
Palate: A total revelation on the palate, there’s a heavy dose of sticky caramel to go with some fresh mint and clove. The mouthfeel is truly robust on this chewy whiskey that coats your palate and makes you salivate courtesy of that high ABV.
Finish: The finish is slightly drying and introduces elements like Smarties candy part tart, part sweet flavor profile as the caramel cascades away. Look for an increased oak presence which is tempered by the herbaceous piquancy of fresh mint.

Bottom Line:

Another absolute stunner when it comes to value, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Rye Whiskey doesn’t deserve to be confined to the rye category or even just the Tennessee whiskey category. This is one of the best American whiskeys on the market today and the fact that it can almost always be found for less than $100 is an absolute gift to consumers. Don’t skip out on its sibling, the Single Barrel Barrel Proof Tennessee Whiskey either, but know that the rye flies a little bit higher.

2. Nashville Barrel Company Single Barrel Bourbon

ABV: 61.6%
Average Price: $115

The Whiskey:

Nashville Barrel Company has been up to no good since 2018 — that is to say, they’ve been great since the beginning. Using a model of sourced whiskey to bring incredible single barrels to market is their modus operandi and this particular bottle — selected by founders Mike Hinds and James Davenport — is proof positive that it’s working. This is cask-strength bourbon from Kentucky, stored in Tennessee, and released after 7 years of maturing.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose has a healthy helping of sweet maple and caramel on the sweet end of the spectrum with vanilla, butter, and oak serving to prop those up.
Palate: The thick and oily mouthfeel on this bourbon lends itself well to the notes of brown sugar, dark cherry, and cocoa that wash over your palate. If you stick with it, you’ll also find flavors like tobacco and oak creeping through as well.
Finish: Bold and long-lasting is the best way to describe the finish on this bourbon with maple, oak, and hints of leather all having their say.

Bottom Line:

Checking back on the notes you’ll see that boldness with balance is the name of the game here. Nashville Barrel Company does an excellent job of sourcing great whiskey, and the quality of their single-barrel bourbons speaks to this, with their superlative small batches providing supporting arguments. With Lynchburg so far out of the way, you’d be wise to visit NBC when in Nashville and discover their single-barrel bourbon and much more at their tasting room downtown.

1. Jack Daniel’s 12-year-Old Tennessee Whiskey Batch 2

ABV: 53.5%
Average Price: $92

The Whiskey:

Jack Daniel’s Age Stated Series began with a 10-year-old expression and has since blossomed to include this stellar 12-year-old Tennessee Whiskey as well. Now on its second batch, this whiskey clocks in at an elevated ABV of 53.5% showcasing Old No. 7’s classic grain recipe at both a higher age and proof.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Jack Daniel’s 12-Year is bolstered by a tobacco leaf and leather backbone which provides cover for pralines, brandied raisins, and brown sugar. Further exploration exposes a touch of blackberry and molasses to go with a bit of black tea and mature oak.
Palate: Blackberry jam and brown sugar seep into your tongue almost immediately as the viscous texture allows waves of sweetness to crest against the shores of your palate. The balance of each sip is the most remarkable feat of this whiskey along with the depth of the flavors it showcases. On the lengthy finish, you’ll find the maple candy sweetness transitions to a spice-laden extravaganza with clove and Aleppo red pepper flakes taking the lead before brûléed bananas usher you into your next sip.

Bottom Line:

If you want the perfect Tennessee whiskey you don’t have to look much further than Lynchburg, where they’ve been making masterful liquid since 1866. Jack Daniel’s Age Stated Series isn’t just superfluous fan service to modern tastes, it represents the pinnacle of the distillery’s current output. If International Tennessee Whiskey Day is all about celebrating the Volunteer State’s best, then it was almost inevitable that Jack would top the list.

BTS‘ mandatory time in the Korean military is almost complete. While their hiatus has been felt by their loyal fans, the boys have been keeping fans fed as solo acts, each of them dropping albums of their own.

Up next, RM is set to release his new solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person later this week. This marks RM’s second solo album since 2022’s Indigo. While fans are dying for a single iota of new music for BTS, RM has teased the album with its lead single, “Come Back To Me.”

Thankfully, we won’t have to wait much longer for new music.

Here’s everything we know about RM’s new album, Right Place, Wrong Person.

Release date

Right Place, Wrong Person is out 5/24 via BigHit. Find more information here.

Tracklist

1. “Right People, Wrong Place”
2. “Nuts”
3. “Out Of Love”
4. “Domodachi” Feat. Little Simz
5. “?” Feat. Domi & JD Beck
6. “Groin”
7. “Heaven”
8. “Lost!”
9. “Around The World In A Day” Feat. Moses Sumney
10. “ㅠㅠ (Credit Roll)”
11. “Come Back To Me”

Singles

So far, RM has released “Come Back To Me” as the lead single from Right Place, Wrong Person.

Features

Right Place, Wrong Person features collaborations with Little Simz, Domi & JD Beck, and Moses Sumney.

Artwork

You can see the Right Place, Wrong Person artwork below.

Tour

A tour in support of Right Place, Wrong Person has not been announced.

Are you the type of person who is always waiting on someone in the shower, or are you the one holding everyone up with your epic shower songs? Either way, Elisabeth Buecher has the perfect shower curtain for you. The London-based artist created an inflatable shower curtain that fills soft spikes with air if the shower is on too long. After four minutes of running water, a sensor on the tap triggers an inflator for the spikes, and the bather is immediately reminded that it’s time to get out.

Buecher created the installation to raise awareness about water conservation.

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“They aim at provoking a debate around water issues and making people more aware of their consumption,” the artist said on her website.

Check out the steps from peaceful showering to an alarming wake-up call below.

This article originally appeared on 09.23.17

The Charlotte Hornets have not had a great run in recent years, due in part to continued absences from LaMelo Ball as he’s dealt with a number of ankle injuries that have limited him to just 58 appearances in the last two seasons.

Charlotte will hope to build around a healthy Ball and Brandon Miller going forward, but their former Rookie of the Year and All-Star has some work to do to prove he can stay on the court. Off the court, Ball faces a different challenge in the form of a lawsuit from an incident that took place at last year’s Purple and Teal Day in October.

According to Jason Stoogenke of WSOC-TV in Charlotte, Ball is being sued for allegedly running over the foot of an 11-year-old fan, Angell McRae, who was seeking an autograph from the star as he left the arena. McRae suffered a broken foot from the incident.

The family’s lawyer said they would have just sought to file an insurance claim, but the police report from the incident didn’t include Ball’s name or insurance information. The Hornets are also named in the lawsuit given it was a team event, with the suit citing there should’ve been better safety measures in place for fans seeking to get close to players.

Just in time for Aminé’s The Best Day Ever Festival, genre-bending Toronto producer Kaytranada has announced the release date for his third studio album (fourth if you count Kaytraminé), Timeless. Kaytranada shared the pre-save link for the album from his official website, on X (RIP, Twitter dot com), with fan accounts taking note and sharing the link on the platform.

Kaytranada also retweeted (reposted?) the link to his November single release “Lover/Friend,” noting, “those were the first singles off the album, run that back.”

Timeless will be Kaytranada’s first full-length solo album since 2019’s Bubba, his second album overall, which won a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album and spawned the single “10%,” which also won a Grammy for Best Dance Recording. The album, which took influences from R&B, House, Afrobeat, and more, featured appearances from Charlotte Day Wilson, GoldLink, Kali Uchis, Masego, Mick Jenkins, Pharrell Williams, Tinashe, and more.

Since then, Kaytranada has released the 2021 EP Intimidated, the collaborative LP Kaytraminé with Portland rapper Aminé, the EP Simple with IDK, and performed at Coachella in 2023, raising his profile with production work for Anderson .Paak, Joyce Wrice, Ravyn Lenae, Victoria Monét, Channel Tres, and more.

Timeless is due on June 7 via RCA Records. You can find more information hereThe

Asexuality is often misunderstood.

In general, it’s believed to be the absence of any romantic interest, but asexual identity actually means that a person is not sexually attracted to anyone. Romantic feelings and the strength of those feelings can vary from person to person.

Currently, about 1% of adults have no interest in sex, though some experts believe that number could be higher. For a long time, information on asexuality was limited, but researchers recently have found information that gives us more knowledge about asexuality.

Being asexual can be tough, though — just ask the artists from Empathize This.

To demonstrate, they put together a comic on asexuality, defining it as a sexual orientation, not a dysfunction:

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This article originally appeared on 5.16.16

Matthew Vines’ “God and the Gay Christian” video at the bottom of this article analyses six passages related to homosexuality in the Bible. It does a really great job of contextualizing each reference (because we all know that Scriptures out of context can cause misinterpretation at best and d-r-a-m-a at worst).

We’ve also broken down each reference to homosexuality in the Bible here:

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The Story of Sodom & Gomorrah (Genesis 19)

This story in Genesis 19 is probably the most popular passage used to condemn homosexuality. Here is how Vines explains it:

“God sends two angels disguised as men into the City of Sodom where the men of Sodom threatened to rape them. The angels blind the men, and God destroys the city. For centuries, this story was interpreted as God’s judgment on same-sex relations, but the only form of same-sex behavior described is a threatened gang rape.”

So gang rape = not good (also not the same thing as homosexuality). But the recap of Sodom and Gomorrah found in Ezekial 16:49 highlights what Vines believes is the real point of the story:

“Now, this was the sin of your sister, Sodom. She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned, they did not help the poor and needy.”

In other words, everyone using this story as evidence of the sin of homosexuality, might be missing the point entirely.

When God calls homosexuality an abomination(Leviticus 18:22) (Leviticus 20:13)

Yep. We’ve all heard that Leviticus is where the Bible straight-up says that homosexual behavior is an abomination. And yes, it does. It also says that homosexuals should receive the death penalty (!!!). It also says the same thing about eating pork or shellfish, charging interest on loans, and a whole bunch of other restrictions that were a part of the Old Testament Law Code. But for Christians, the Old Testament doesn’t (dare I say “shouldn’t?”) settle any issue because Romans 10:4 says that Christ is the end of the law. Which is probably why most Christians today eat meat, use credit cards, wear makeup, and support equality for women. Because, as Hebrews 8:13 says, the old law is obsolete and aging.

When people turn away from God (Romans 1:26-27)

“Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones; in the same way, men committed shameful acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.”

This is where Vines really digs in on the the cultural context angle. In Biblical times, same-sex behavior was primarily seen as happening between adult men and adolescent boys (masters and servants — yikes), via prostitution, and by men who were married to women. In all of those cases, we can see why it would have been viewed as sinful, excessive, lustful, and against God’s law. But he makes no mention of love, commitment, faithfulness, or the type of same-sex relationships that are at question in the debate around marriage. (By the way, Paul also says that men having long hair is “unnatural” and that women shouldn’t speak in church, so it’s clear Paul himself may have had some issues of his own.)

Uses of the Greek works “Malakoi” and “Arsenokoitai”(1 Corinthians 6:9-10) (1 Timothy 1:10)

These words are included in the New Testament’s lists of people who will not inherit God’s kingdom. And there has been much debate over their original meaning. (Translating ancient words is hard, guys.) Some believe them to mean homosexuality and sodomy, whereas others have said that the closest modern translation would be “dirty old men.” Ha! Here’s how Vines explains it:

Many modern translators have rendered these terms as sweeping statements about gay people, but the concept of sexual orientation didn’t even exist in the ancient world. Yes, Paul did not take a positive view of same-sex relations (nor did he support women speaking in church…), but the context he was writing in is worlds apart from gay people in committed, monogamous relationships. The Bible never addresses the issues of sexual orientation or same-sex marriage, so there’s no reason why faithful Christians can’t support their gay brothers and sisters.

Fascinating, right? If you’d like to learn more about homosexuality in the Bible or hear Matthew Vines’ personal story check out his book “God and the Gay Christian.”

This article originally appeared on 06.27.14

When polarization starts to feel like a defining characteristic of humanity, sometimes we need a reminder that people really are capable of coming together as one.

Watching a stadium full of Green Day concertgoers bust out their best “Bohemian Rhapsody” when it came over the loudspeakers is just such a reminder.

As the person who uploaded the concert footage to Reddit noted: “For almost 6 minutes, the equivalent of a small city sang, with one voice, the beautiful song of a man who has been dead for decades. If you can do this, you’re not just a famous person, you’re a legend.”

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What could be more palette-cleansing than hearing thousands of people breaking into song together for an entire six minutes? What’s more unifying than a piece of music being so beloved and well-known that a whole stadium knows every note and word and sings it in unison with all their heart?

via GIPHY

As one commenter on Reddit wrote, “Ever notice how one crowd singing together always sound the same as other crowds, as in has the same tambre [sic] and sound quality? It’s like the recognizable and familiar voice of humanity. Regardless of how different the people in the crowd are, the crowd always sounds the same. I think the idea that we are listening to humanity’s voice when hearing a crowd sing is a beautiful concept.”

Listen to the voice of humanity. It’s truly a beautiful thing.

This article originally appeared on 03.03.20

Loneliness is one of the most dangerous health problems in the United States, although it’s seldom discussed. Psychology Today says loneliness has the same mortality risks as obesity, smoking, alcoholism and physical inactivity.

A meta-analysis from Brigham Young University found that social isolation may increase the risk of premature death by up to 50%. The problem with loneliness is that people suffer in silence and it afflicts the ones we don’t see.

A TikTok user who goes by the name Megan Elizabeth recently shared a touching story on social media about how her grandfather was feeling lonely so he reached out to her. The story shows what can happen when one person is brave enough to confront their social isolation and the important role grandkids can play in their grandparents’ lives.

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It started when Megan’s grandpa texted her to ask if she’d like to come over for a sleepover. “I haven’t been feeling well and miss you. We can order food and watch a mystery show. Love, grandpa,” he wrote.

Megan was happy to go see him, so grandpa made a series of requests to make the sleepover a hit.

“Could you pick up applesauce? The cinnamon kind,” he asked. “And if you go somewhere with mash potatoes, I would like that because I have no teeth and can only eat soft things. Ha!”

He also wanted some strawberry ice cream for dessert. “Thank you. You are my favorite granddaughter,” he ended the conversation. Megan later noted that she’s his only granddaughter.

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Megan came by with a big bag of food and some ice cream and the two hung out and watched his favorite black-and-white “mystery movies.” When it was time for bed, grandpa hadn’t forgotten how to put her to sleep. He got her a glass of water to put by the bed in case she got thirsty and left a flashlight on the nightstand just in case his 29-year-old granddaughter got scared.

The next morning, at 5:30 am, he watched her leave for work.

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Grandfather and granddaughter grew up close to one another. Megan lived with her grandparents when she was young while her parents saved up money for a house. When they bought one, it was right across the street.

“I am so lucky to have grown up with my grandpa and my grandma (rest in peace),” she wrote on Instagram. “I feel so happy. I am thankful for my grandpa and he will never understand how much love he truly has shown me. And more importantly, the love he showed my grandma while she was alive. I believe in love and loyalty because of this man. He is my hero,” she added.

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Megan’s time with her grandfather made her realize a valuable lesson about her life.

“I think one of the most important realizations I have had recently is that it’s important to live in the moment but it is important to live in the now with intent,” she wrote on Instagram, “so that when you are 92, you look back and smile at all the people you loved, the memories you made and the life you chose to live.”

This article originally appeared on 04.27.22