Niall Horan‘s new music has everyone talking. As his new single “Heaven” is garnering much buzz, fans are hotly anticipating his new album The Show, which is set to arrive this summer. Of course, as we are months away from The Show, Directioners have already shared their theories about a potential reunion of One Direction, Horan’s former boy band.
While Horan has neither confirmed or denied these theories, he did break down the meaning of the album’s lead single. In an interview with SiriusXM, Horan explained what “Heaven” means to him.
“To me it’s very simply like not conforming to society,” Horan said. “Basically, you know, we live our lives and then we’ve also got other people telling us that we need to do this at this age and that, that age, hitting milestones and stuff like that. And basically then people in turn, people feel like they’ve failed if those milestones weren’t hit at those ages or whatever. So I’ve always been one of those people that like, I’m a cruiser. I just cruise through it and cross that bridge when I come to it, type guy. So that’s what ‘Heaven’ is about.”
You can check out the full interview above.
The Show is out 6/9 via Capitol. Find out more information here.
Suki Waterhouse has had a truly massive week. Not only is she starring as Karen in the new Amazon Prime show, Daisy Jones & The Six, that premiered last night, but she also dropped some new solo music for her fans.
The romantic new “To Love” proves she’s head-over-heels into a new era, as the song is seemingly about her longtime relationship with Robert Pattinson.
“Is there a universe / Where our paths never crossed? / Where I caught your eye / But then someone arrived and we both forgot,” she wonders on the dreamy opening lines.
As she describes, she also couldn’t keep this song on hold for long.
“‘To Love’ is a song that I wrote really recently that I was going to wait to put out on my second album,” Waterhouse said in a statement, via Rolling Stone. “But I felt like it is a very distinct portrait of my heart right now that I wanted to share. I started performing it on tour and got so excited that I wanted to share it with everyone.”
Waterhouse, who has most recently been on tour, hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down when it comes to new songs. In the past year alone, she put out her debut album, I Can’t Let Go, and a follow-up EP, Milk Teeth.
Surprise! There’s a debate going around social media, specifically TikTok, about mothers who would choose to save their own lives over their baby’s life if complications arose during birth. Apparently, the internet is having some big feelings, and surprisingly—or maybe not surprisingly—it’s coming from other women.
Honestly, when I first saw the videos going around about this very heated debate, I didn’t think much of it. But the conversation continued to grow and the judgment of moms who would choose themselves was abundant, so I decided to have a look-see. The debate started after Anabel Morales went viral on the platform for posting a video with a text overlay.
“To my husband: If I’m giving birth, and the doctor says you need to pick between me or the baby. Please save me. I don’t want Ethan to grow up without a mom, & I don’t want you to have to raise two babies alone while also grieving your wife,” Morales wrote.
Unsurprisingly, many moms agreed, myself included. The thought of leaving behind children to grieve the loss of their mother while being cared for by a father who is also grieving his wife seems unfathomable to some when there’s a choice involved. But to others, the clear choice is on the other end of the spectrum because they couldn’t imagine living without their child. Currently, the 6-second video has 6.6 million views and over a half million likes.
“My mom sadly passed away because it was either me or her. But no one understands how hard it was for me and my dad. Having him raise me alone and me having to grow up without a mom. So I will choose myself no matter how forced I am to choose the baby. Because I don’t want the baby going through what I did. It sucks,” one commenter shared.
“I used to say save the baby not me. Now that I have a daughter I think so differently,” another mom wrote.
“I had these feelings during my third pregnancy and felt so guilty. I’m glad I’m not the only one that feels this way,” someone else commented.
On the other side of the camp, plenty of people said they would choose their baby. While some were more respectful in their word choice than others, the sentiment was clear.
What you would do in a situation where the choice is between you and your soon-to-be Earth-side baby is completely personal. It’s something discussed in hopes that the choice never has to be made, but for some families it does, and it’s one of those instances where there’s no right answer. The choice between grief and grief feels impossible because no matter what, everyone will hurt.
Jon Stewart is a unicorn among interviewers, masterfully striking a balance between calm questioning and insisting on interviewees providing answers. Not deflections. Not pivots or side steps. Actual, direct answers to the questions he’s asking.
Anyone who has interviewed a politician knows how hard striking that balance can be. Politicians are rhetorical magicians, saying lots of words that seem like an answer to a question, without actually answering it at all. Sometimes their avoidance methods are obvious, but usually, they know how to manipulate and control a conversation, deftly steering it in the direction they want it to go. If allowed to, they will not only avoid directly answering a question, but they will manhandle the entire interview, filling the air time with their own messaging. Politely letting them talk allows them to pull all of their favorite tricks.
As such, if you want to make a politician actually answer a question, interrupting them is unfortunately necessary. While interrupting can seem rude sometimes, when it’s done to bring a lawmaker back to a question they haven’t actually answered or to point out a flaw in their argument before they move on to something else, it’s simply calling them on their b.s.
And few do that more effectively than Jon Stewart. One reason is that he is simply unfazed by politicians. He knows their game and looks at them like a parent whose child is clearly trying to pull a fast one. Another reason is that he thoroughly does his homework before the interview and can predict how they’re going to respond, so he’s able to catch them in their own web of illogic or hypocrisy in real time.
“State Sen. Nathan Dahm (R-OK) has penned several bills loosening gun restrictions, including the nation’s first anti-red flag law,” the caption of the clip reads on Twitter. “He thinks these bills protect the Second Amendment—and that they make us safer. We think it’s probably one or the other.”
The main premise of Sen. Dahm’s argument is “More guns make us safer.” Stewart challenges him to defend that point, given the basic facts about gun violence statistics.
Stewart points out that “More guns make us safer” flies in the face of what law enforcement officials have claimed. “When the police go to a house filled with guns, why don’t they breathe a sigh of relief knowing that this Second Amendment that shall not be infringed is being exercised so fruitfully in this home?” Stewart asks. Good question.
Stewart also shows Dahm how his argument about people, not guns, being the problem doesn’t make sense considering the fact that he shoots down all attempts at regulations that would help ensure those problematic people don’t have easy access to guns.
u201cState Sen. Nathan Dahm (R-OK) has penned several bills loosening gun restrictions, including the nationu2019s first anti-red flag law. He thinks these bills protect the Second Amendment u2013 and that they make us safer. We think it’s probably one or the other. Watch it on @AppleTVPlus.u201d
— The Problem With Jon Stewart (@The Problem With Jon Stewart) 1677841200
Can we have Jon Stewart interview all politicians on all issues, please?
On his newest song, “Coogie” singer and producer Dijon struggles with expressing his needs and emotions. Over a silky, guitar-driven beat, he admits defeat, as he battles with sharing his feelings, versus keeping them inside.
“I get scared that maybe needing is bad / And I get numb / And we do it over and over again / And days get bad, and I just push it inside / Is it bad that I just put it inside,” he sings.
By the time the song reaches its end, Dijon does his best to bear the pain he’s enduring, for the sake of the person he loves the most.
“Coogie” marks Dijon’s first original song since dropping his debut album, Absolutely, in 2021. In an interview with SSENSE last year, Dijon revealed how he wants to go about writing his second album.
“My only interests are to write affecting songs,” he said. “They have to fit within some sort of parameter —even just the simplest phrase. Is it memorable? Is it singable? Does it hook you? I have no interest in just flexing around…I don’t also want it to be necessarily fixed all the time on some sort of historical sonic template. I feel a responsibility now.”
You can listen to “Coogie” above.
Dijon is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Larry June and Grammy-winning producer The Alchemist are going full steam ahead into their very first new album cycle together for the recently-announced The Great Escape, which arrives later this month.
Just this week alone, the duo dropped two new songs — and fans are buzzing to hear more details about what to expect on the full project.
Continue scrolling for everything you need to know, including the release date, tracklist, features, and plenty more details that are still to come.
Release Date
Larry June & The Alchemist’s new album will drop on March 31 via Empire.
Tracklist
The tracklist for The Great Escape is still TBA.
Features
While there are no confirmed features on The Great Escape so far, Larry June & The Alchemist have a wide opportunity of artists to choose from for their debut. June’s 2022 album, Spaceships On The Blade, spotlighted artists like 2 Chainz, Syd, Duckwrth, Babyface Ray, and more. However, time will tell if any of these previous collaborators return on this record.
Artwork
The Great Escape artwork has yet to be revealed.
Singles
So far, there are two new singles: the extravagant taste on “60 Days” and the reflective take on June’s journey in “89 Earthquake.” Check out the music videos for both songs below.
Tour Dates
No tour dates from Larry June and The Alchemist have been announced yet.
An exciting new collaboration is underway. Today (March 3), rapper Larry June and producer The Alchemist have announced their upcoming joint album, The Great Escape, which is coming later this month.
In addition to the album announcement, the two have shared a new single, “89 Earthquake,” as well as its accompanying visual.
Over a breezy, piano-driven beat, June basks in his riches while reflecting on the journey that led him there. At this point in his career, his earned the reaping of what he’s sown.
“Real millionaire sh*t, might put it in the Benz / Write the sh*t off on taxes, have a five-star dinner / Tell it how it is, mane, livin’ how I live, mane / Rolls gold piеce just to complement thе drip, mane / Stay up on your toes, make sure the money straight,” he raps.
In the accompanying visual, June and The Alchemist, are seen in luxurious scenarios, like playing chess on a private jet, and driving through the city in vintage rides. These scenes are juxtaposed with clips of June in a bodega, and near other San Francisco neighborhoods, reminding fans where he came from.
You can watch the video for “89 Earthquake” above.
Gus Dapperton is soaring on his brand new song, “Horizons.” The alt-pop track is giving fans the first teaser of his album, which is expected sometime later this year.
“All we ever had on paper was a wild imagination, all we ever had to wager was my wild human nature,” he sings over the upbeat instrumental that gives “Horizons” a larger-than-life feeling.
In addition, Dapperton dropped (and directed) an accompanying music video for the track, where he doodles in a neon-drenched diner at night and encounters a unique cast of customers. As the video progresses, the crew of eaters eventually wind up breaking out in synchronized dance. Viewers also get to see what he drew in his notebook, during a mysterious and captivating sequence.
“The ‘Horizons’ music video highlights a brand new world for my next project,” Dapperton shared in a statement. “This world will expand and take on different shapes throughout the rollout. ‘Horizons’ in particular is about a stranger who is lost and trying to find a way out. Forces around him try to stop his quest, but he finally prevails. “
Check out “Horizons” above.
Gus Dapperton is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Maybe this is just the nerdy bookworm in me, but it feels particularly heartbreaking to see a bookstore struggling. There are few commercial places in this world that hold so much inspiration, knowledge, whimsy and quaintness all rolled into one.
Independent bookstores have their own unique magic on top of that—providing their neighborhoods with a specially curated wonderland available nowhere else in quite the same way. To have that snatched away due to financial hardship is just…devastating.
This was the dire situation that England-based bookstore owner Sapphire Bates found herself in. Her shop, Book Bodega, endured an abysmal winter with very few sales. A photo Bates posted to Twitter on Feb 25 showed the shop completely empty—and on a weekend afternoon, no less.
Book Bodega needed to make £800 ($956) in three days just to pay the bills and keep its doors open. Knowing that wouldn’t happen without some kind of miracle, Bates made one last ditch effort of reaching out online. Little did she know just how many people would rush in to show support.
Using the hashtag #BookTwitter, Bates wrote, “We need your help! I run Book Bodega, an Indy bookshop in Ramsgate. Winter is killing us, it’s soo quiet & we need to make £800 by Tuesday to pay our bills. This is my current view = no customers. Please shop with us and help us stay open!”
#BookTwitter we need your help! I run Book Bodega, an Indy bookshop in Ramsgate. Winter is killing us, it’s soo quiet & we need to make £800 by Tuesday to pay our bills. This is my current view = no customers 🥹. Please shop with us and help us stay open!https://t.co/zeYYTLM7Qzpic.twitter.com/wNuUqjEqML
It wasn’t long before the post went viral, spreading like digital wildfire throughout Twitter as people began advocating for Book Bodega.
“Instead of buying books from Amazon, let’s buy from an indy book store and keep the economy more local! Here’s a book shop that needs support!” one user wrote.
Authors began sharing Bates’ post on their own platforms, along with several other celebrities.
“Your shop looks beautiful! And this post gave me the perfect excuse to order a book from you for my sister,” author Hazel Gaynor wrote.
“Good luck! Your shop looks amazing and you all clearly have brilliant taste in books. We need you!” tweeted film producer Paul Fischer, along with a photo showing he had four Book Bodega items in his cart.
“No better time or place to order your next book,” added Tim Burgess, lead singer of the rock band The Charlatans.
Adam Kay, author of “Undoctored” and “This is Going to Hurt,” even offered to stop by and do an event.
I’ll come by and do an event for you later this year if that helps? DM me if so.
Eventually, one Twitter user named Jamil Qureshi offered to pay the full amount, which Bates was thrilled by but felt was too big an offer.
However, in an interview with Insider, Bates shared that she and Qureshi were able to reach an agreement—Qureshi would donate £1,000 ($1,119), a third of which would go towards a profit for the store and the rest of which would pay for books for customers who can’t afford them, so they can still shop for their favorite titles. Sounds like the ultimate win-win-win, if you ask me.
On Feb 28, Bates announced to Twitter that Mission: Save Book Bodega was a glorious success.
Again, using the hashtag #BookTwitter, Bates wrote, “I just paid our bills that were due thank you SO much for your support, this has given me faith that we can do this.”
#BookTwitter I just paid our bills that were due 🥹🥹🥹💛💛 thank you SO much for your support, this has given me faith that we can do this 💪🏼 . pic.twitter.com/laYw7zhd2b
For Bates, the lesson of this situation has been two-fold. First, the internet can help people show up for one another in big ways.
“[I] didn’t really expect anything to come from it. That was in my head, the best-case scenario—never in a million years would I have guessed it would be seen by 6.1 million people,” she told Insider.
Second, she thinks that her miraculous rebound shows just how important it is to support small businesses.
“Please continue to support independents when you can,” she said. “They will definitely appreciate it.”
The debate over the origins of the COVID-19 virus has overwhelmingly come down partisan lines. Democrats tend to believe it came out of a wet market in Wuhan, China. Republicans tend to support the theory that it came from a leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
It’s easy to see why partisans have come down on different sides of the divide. Conservative media tends to demonize China and position it as an enemy of the United States. In contrast, liberals are more sensitive to race issues and don’t want to demonize Chinese people. This concern was played out in real time after there was a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But shouldn’t people choose to believe how the virus originated based on facts instead of blindly supporting their political tribe? Especially when discussing a deadly disease that has killed nearly 7 million people?
Jon Stewart thinks so.
In 2021, he caused a big stir when he broke ranks with many liberals by endorsing the lab leak hypothesis on ‘Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
“Science has, in many ways, helped ease the suffering of this pandemic…which was more than likely caused by science,” he said to nervous laughter.
Colbert added there was “a chance” the virus leaked out of the lab.
“A chance? Oh my god!” Stewart replied. “There’s a novel respiratory coronavirus overtaking Wuhan, China. What do we do? Oh, you know who we could ask? The Wuhan novel respiratory coronavirus lab.”
“The disease is the same name as the lab! That’s just a little too weird, don’t you think?” he continued.
Stewart then put his theory in perspective.
“There’s been an outbreak of chocolatey goodness near Hershey, Pennsylvania—what do you think happened?” he said. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe a steam shovel mated with a cocoa bean…or it’s the f**ing chocolate factory. Maybe that’s it!”
The idea is gaining traction two years after Stewart’s admission. On Tuesday, February 28, FBI Director Christopher Wray publicly acknowledged that the Bureau considers the lab leak theory the likeliest cause of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Energy has also endorsed the idea saying it has “low confidence” that COVID-19 “most likely arose” from a lab leak.
Stewart addressed the controversy on the latest episode of his Apple+ TV show, “The Problem with Jon Stewart.” When it was brought up on the show’s accompanying podcast, he shared how the debate shows an inability for people to discuss complex topics in today’s political climate.
WARNING: Strong language.
u201cToday @JonStewart talks to some of our staff about the news that the COVID-19 virus may, in fact, have leaked from a lab in China and what it reveals about the problem with the media narrative machine. Full episode drops Wednesday on @ApplePodcastsu201d
— The Problem With Jon Stewart (@The Problem With Jon Stewart) 1677530549
“The larger problem with all of this is the inability to discuss things that are within the realm of possibility without falling into absolutes and litmus-testing each other for our political allegiances as it arose from that,” Stewart added.
“My bigger problem with that was, I thought it was a pretty good bit that expressed kind of how I felt, and the two things that came out of it were, I’m racist against Asian people, and how dare I align myself with the alt-right,” he added.
Stewart said the backlash he received from people on the left was “swift, immediate and quite loud.”
“The part that I don’t like about it is the absolutes and the dismissive like ‘f**k you, I’m done with you. I will never forgive you, you have crossed an unforgivable line. You’ve expressed an opinion that is antithetical to mine, or not mine,’” Stewart continued.
“What was stunning to me, I think, was the anger,” he added.
There are numerous lessons we can learn from the COVID-19 era if we decide to look at the hard facts. One of the most important has to be our ability to think critically about important issues, whether that’s the origins of the virus or the facts about masks and vaccinations. During the pandemic, these were life-and-death tests and sadly, far too many people put their politics before the facts and paid dearly for it.
We need to know how the virus emerged, no matter how uncomfortable it makes people, so that we can prevent it from happening again.
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