Pop Music Catch-Up (with DJ John Michael)

Transcript

Speaker: Oh my God, sluttery. Sluttery. Sluttery. Okay, where do we even start? Welcome back to Homophonic, everyone. John Michael is with us again. Hello. We just went on a tirade about some personal stuff that we've been experiencing. all ah We're all good. it was yeah silly. It was fun.

Speaker: We can't divulge on it on the episode. Maybe one day we'll open like a Patreon or something and that'll be like uncensored. Right, right, right. Completely, yeah. think would be nice to talk a little bit deeper about some stuff.

Speaker: Yeah, I think so too. And I think that we can on ah right now, but, but that stuff stays behind. right, right. right Behind closed doors until we get millions and millions of money coming our way. Then we can dispute, talk our shit all we want.

Speaker: um But okay. We were just talking though before where the, there's been kind of a lull in, in pop music and whatnot. However, at the same time, like within the last week, there's just been a lot happening.

Speaker: And I don't even know where to start. So I have a list. given I mean, I, I, well, first of all, let me start with Beyonce. We've got Miz. Oh, look at that shirt. I tell you, it's so good.

Speaker: That's kind of like it's so inception because she's wearing, she's wearing her merch on a merch shirt. Right. And I love that for her. Yeah, I love that too. because i Because I wanted to get that crop top, but then I was like, oh, $50 for a crop top.

Speaker: Let me tell you. like So Brian went online after because he wanted to get the Cowboy Carter art book because it came back in stock. Oh, it did? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just this week. so The art book or the tour book? The art book.

Speaker: Okay. Yeah. So I think i don't there was no tour book that I saw. There is a tour book now. So there's a tour book and an art book, but I believe the tour book is full sold out. Oh, this woman, I swear to God. Yeah.

Speaker: And I'm like, you're Beyonce. How are you not making enough? What do you mean you're sold out? Like, I don't even understand what that means. cause this happened when we went to the show, like you get to the merch table, the line was ridiculous. And then they had a New York specific shirt and that was obviously the one that I wanted.

Speaker: Yeah. And then get there, get up to the front. By the time that I got to the front, completely sold out. All of the merch booths in all of MetLife Stadium completely sold out of that one. And then they had another shirt that said like Jolene's on it that I really wanted, but that sold out too.

Speaker: And I'm like, how are we selling out of shirts like this? I do not understand. i think it's because, don't know if you've seen this, but like Parkwood announces that the merch truck will be there but outside the stadium all day.

Speaker: you no ticket required. And I bet you that that's what people do is that they go and buy a bunch of merch to re then resell online. Oh, for sure. I'm already seeing it. they're good The t-shirts are going for like $150, $200 now. Yeah. Which i mean like. That's ridiculous.

Speaker: It's ridiculous. And it's like i like, I respect the hustle, I guess. But at the same time, I'm like. Watch how quick I become a screen printer. Right. I'm not even kidding. I'm not even kidding. You're like, look at this quality as it's chipping off. Wait, wait, wait. So T, so I used to work for a company very, very long time ago called Island Embroidery.

Speaker: And it was an embroidery stand in the Staten Island mall. And we used to do like, for like a year and a half, I worked there and I would like embroider shirts and like do all this other stuff and like blankets and jackets and whatever. Once I learned how to put images into the machine, because would literally upload an image into this machine and then it was, it would just,

Speaker: translate it to thread and put the colors and do like whatever. I bootlegged everything as a teenager. No I was like, look at my Louis Vuitton shirt.

Speaker: Oh my God. I'm obsessed. I was like obsessed. I like, this is great. I was, and then I looked back and I'm like, why do I have so many of these tan? Terrible, terrible shit. Right. So you're saying that this is all thread. It's not like screen. It's not like ink or anything. No, no, no. This is a huge machine. What was it called? Amaya, I think it was. The Melko Amaya. God, I don't even know why I remember that. This is like 1999.

Speaker: Wow. um but So yeah, so you would just upload like these images. They had like a catalog of different things. We had a woman that, and this is so random, but we had a woman that would come in all the time, and obviously something was a little off with her.

Speaker: she would bring in clothes that she had worn and got stains on and then she would just come to the embroidery stand to have embroidery put over wherever the stains are. Okay.

Speaker: every time she would come, it would be like a shirt with like a random thing here and a thing here and down here and over here. And I'm like, okay, girl. I was like, we'd do whatever you want. That's fine. Whatever you want. This is your, this is your, yep. This is your moment. You're happy. Right. yeahp Yep. Yep.

Speaker: Anyway, but, um, I don't even know why we were talking about that. We were talking about Cowboy Carter. Oh, yes. i I'm like, how did we get here? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I gotta be honest, the guys, you know like when you go to a concert and the guys that are outside that sell like the the cheap shirts?

Speaker: Yeah. Some of them were better. Oh, okay. There's actually one I'm mad I didn't get. One had like complete, like it said Cowboy Carter across the top and was all in like rhinestones, like sparkly. And I was like, and I'm mad I didn't get it at the time. Yeah.

Speaker: Because they were like $10 and I'm like, hmm. And I just walked in. I'm like... oh You're like, i want I want the cheap screen print right right me for 75. Yeah, no thanks. No thanks. Save your rhinestones.

Speaker: Well, so this is what I'm curious about because I haven't... This is my first time putting this on and I'm curious how it's going to wash. I mean, it's already a little worn, which is the thing, but... I gotta be honest, Beyonce, some of your renaissance Renaissance shirts didn't really hold up that well as I've worn them.

Speaker: Ooh, okay. Noted. Noted. I mean, But when Brian ordered the art book or tour book, whichever one it is, because now I don't know. Now I'm confused.

Speaker: um He also ordered a t-shirt that was like $90. But let me tell you, when the shirt came, i have never felt t-shirt material like this. Interesting. that was going to say that there there are some things that I see, some in the merch at the tour and some online,

Speaker: specifically like the shirt that she's wearing and yeah the shirt that you're wearing yeah um it looks the quality it seemed at least online that the quality seemed pretty good yeah no like it arrived yesterday and it's like a really like a thick t-shirt and like the screen printing is perfect it's really really good so yeah i'll give you that one beyonce okay so they need to like figure they're probably i would say probably like the the site specific shirts and things like that are probably cheaper youre Well, right. But I was going to say, I think that there's probably like, ah okay, if you buy this from the site, like these shirts are much more quality, but the tour shirts are probably going to be less because it's like they got a mass make them like that. Right. whatever Yeah.

Speaker: yeah Yeah. But you went to the show. Girl, let me tell you, i I really, really hope and I don't say this lightly that I enjoyed this one more than Renaissance. Yeah.

Speaker: Because Renaissance is like, as far as I'm concerned, that's 10 out of 10 album. like there's It's no skips for me. It's just perfect from start to finish. yeah And I love Cowboy Carter. But there ah there's I would say i I revisit the majority of the album. There's maybe like one or two songs I don't really listen to as much.

Speaker: Sure. But what she did in this show. Okay, so I'm going to try to not go on an extremely long tirade here. With Renaissance, what I noticed was that this was her sort of...

Speaker: and I don't even want to say reclaiming the ballroom scene, maybe a little bit because it was like, this is clearly comes from gay black culture. This is where it originated. I'm going to give you this history. We're going to bring it modern. We're going to do all the things. Honey Balenciaga, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Speaker: yeah And that was it. It's the Paris is burning of it all. And it was phenomenal. Yeah. What I felt, and again, this is my interpretation as a cis white man,

Speaker: what I felt like she did in this was not only trace an incredible history through black music and all of the contributions that black people have given to pop culture, to poetry, to music, to just all different types of art, but it felt like to me, she went out of her way to specifically make sure that she was putting black bodies in moments of the show where typically white people are usually the representation.

Speaker: So there was a girl that did an Irish jig, black dancer, a girl who did ballet, black ballet dancer, like ah the cowboys, like almost everybody in her company, like not everybody, but a lot of the people were.

Speaker: people of color. And yeah it was just like, when you when you sort of zoom out and you look at this, Renaissance felt like it was for us, the gay community, and Cowboy Carter feels like it's for white people.

Speaker: in the way interesting. In the way that you need to look at this and understand. But the other side of that is that it's clearly for black people and people of color to celebrate and uplift and like,

Speaker: But there are there are, when she did the national anthem. Oh my God. Girl, girl, girl. I was freaking out. That into freedom was unbelievable with the Jimi Hendrix guitar that she's singing over behind.

Speaker: Nuts. Unbelievable. I was like, you the the energy in the place was, I can't. So. Set List was fantastic. And what I also said is that what's crazy about this tour and where she is in her career is that by this point, she could be doing her greatest hits tours and just cashing it all in and just giving all the hits and doing all the things and There was a little bit of that. She did Why Don't You Love Me. She did Crazy in Love. um There was like little bits of things here and there, but like nowhere near was it a Greatest Hits tour.

Speaker: if there If there was like maybe five or six of her biggest hits, maybe that was a lot. And the rest of it was mostly just Cowboy Carter stuff. Yeah, I love that. i love I love what that she did because if I remember correctly, it was kind of like a mashup with Yaya, right? It was like Yaya, then it goes into Why Don't You Love me and then it goes back into Yaya. It was so good.

Speaker: And love that like because i i was you know i didn't I wasn't able to see the show, so I have been just watching rigorously online and just like looking at everything that I see people post. um And I also loved that she did – She like and ah included little elements of Bills, Bills, Bills in Thick. And she um I loved that there was a I think it was in Buckin, in Sweet Honey Buckin, I should say.

Speaker: It goes from Buckin into ho Pure Honey. Yes. Into Summer Renaissance. Yes. And then I think back into Buckin. Yep. Which the are her the arrangements that they do for this show are... It's unbelievable.

Speaker: insane. And I love that you mentioned too, that she could easily be doing a greatest hits show. I feel like there was a moment in Beyonce's career where it was kind of headed that way for a little bit. I would say like Mrs. Carter show era and a little bit beforehand, yeah she was kind of there. She definitely performed her newer material, but there was very, it was very heavy on older material. Right.

Speaker: But then there was a shift where she started focusing more on her newer material. And especially now with like the Renaissance and the Cowboy Carter tour, she is focusing on the brand new material. And I love that even with this tour, even though it is Cowboy Carter, I think that she performed, if not snippets or full song, between snippets and full songs, almost the entire Renaissance album still.

Speaker: Right. Which is like insane. so Because I didn't know if we were going to get any of that because I didn't really look at the set list. I watched a couple of clips, but I didn't really kind of go into it. But she did the whole like Renaissance section at the end where it was like cozy into alien superstar. And yeah, I will never get sick of that. Every time I hear this a reminder, I lose my mind.

Speaker: Cozy is that girl. The live arrangement that she does of it is that girl. And... it's but It's all the details. Not only in just the arrangement. Like, you know how she has the robot things with the frames that come in? Now the frames are... um What were they? They were, they' somebody said they're Renaissance style frames.

Speaker: Oh, cool. Before they were just plain. Now have like Renaissance style like things on them. The bed that she sleeps in now is made of gold fabric and it's like, it's so good. Like they they just tweaked little things.

Speaker: hu um I will say in all transparency, I think she hurt her knee. Okay. I think that something has happened to to her knee and I suspect it's the right one. Okay. Okay. What happened? So she seems to favor one leg and it's not, if you notice, like something has, while she's dancing and she's moving, a lot of it is the hair and the top, like she doesn't really go down as much. And I feel like she's not bending her knees as much because of it.

Speaker: I mean, look, let me tell you, i have i don't know that I've ever heard a vocal performance for three hours like I heard at this show. Like, Yaya is a good example of that.

Speaker: There are just moments in the show where I'm like, I don't, I just don't like, how do you, how do you even keep that to do this level of three hours of singing? And I mean, this is not quiet singing in the beginning of Renaissance. Like sometimes she had the ballad bits where it would be a little softer here and there.

Speaker: yeah This is like full chest, full throat for yeah two hours and 45 minutes. Yeah. It's insane. It, her and Z machine had pointed out that like, All of our vocal favorites, you know, from Whitney to Mariah to anyone usually experiences a vocal decline at this point. It's not that they're bad singers, but they're, you know, they're for whatever reason, there's a vocal decline. sure And we are not experiencing that with Beyonce.

Speaker: No, actually, it feels like the opposite. If she is just whatever she is doing to keep, to preserve her voice, it is working. Right. She's arguably the best singer.

Speaker: Easily. Easily. Like, and I'm not, after seeing this show and I said this too, like I, I cannot entertain that conversation anymore. Like I can't sit here and you're going be out saying who, like who, like if you want to even talk Whitney, like, and this is not, I will never speak a bad word against Whitney, even in the rough years.

Speaker: yeah, Whitney's voice for the incredibleness that it was, it was open and clear like a bell and it was like, it was a church voice and it was, but what Beyonce has that I feel like Whitney never really had because her voice was so pretty was that grit, that Tina Turner fire that just lives inside Beyonce. And sorry, those like, Yaya is a perfect example of that where it's like, yes But then there's the fact that she's able to then switch it and go into opera during Daughter.

Speaker: Right. Like that people just don't understand. Or then just go into like rap like in Spaghetti. like Like she – the diversity – the diversity. are they her The way that she's able to do all these different genres, all these different styles, do it flawlessly, do it well. Right.

Speaker: Right. She's got the range. She's got the range. it's not It's not us being biased. This is – you i This is what's so frustrating. It's like you don't have to love Beyonce. Her music doesn't have to be fair You don't have to be intended audience, right? as like i say There's plenty of people who that I recognize that I am not the intended audience for, but I still respect their art and their craft and recognize that, yes, they're a great musician and yadaia yada, yada, yada.

Speaker: And we need to start doing that for Beyonce. There's so many people that try to sit there and say, oh, she's this or that, whatever. I'm like, like you okay you're not making sense. Right, and like yeah that's why that's why I feel like at this point, if you have something to say, I'm just gonna go, okay, and shrug.

Speaker: yeah i'm not I'm not talking about this with you because there's nobody living right now that I feel like you could put her up against. No one is performing at that level. No one is performing with that level of detail. yeah it is is I think that when it comes to tour planning, her and Taylor,

Speaker: When it comes to tours, that's probably the only comparison that I could possibly come up with for Beyonce is that the level of their touring is so yeah unbelievable. Intricate. women Yes.

Speaker: These two women are untouchable. The Easter eggs and what they do for their fans and how much they give their fans is unreal. Well, Beyonce specifically, though, with the adapted to detail to all the visuals from the costumes to the screen projections to the props that they are using to the staging. I mean, to the actual design of the stage. Like it's.

Speaker: What am I trying to say? Like, there's a lot of criticism that I see online of people being like Beyonce isn't quote unquote a good performer. This is so stupid. Isn't a good performer because she quote unquote needs all of these things.

Speaker: And I was like, listen, you criticize Adele for just standing there in a gown. Right. You criticize male singers for just standing there in a t-shirt and and a guitar. Right.

Speaker: We, there is, this is art. Like Beyonce is not only celebrating music like music, she's celebrating dance. She's celebrating fashion. She's celebrating the film industry.

Speaker: And then some with ah technology, with everything that she's doing in her stage shows. And there should be more of this. Obviously she's got the budget and the backing to be able to do this.

Speaker: um And hopefully that other artists in the future are able to somehow get there as well. God, I hope so. But like, yeah, like this, there's this, that's nothing to bash anyone for.

Speaker: Well, but that's the thing is that it's not, you know, when, when stans look at this as like a zero sum game, it's silly to me because like, there is so much room for everybody at the table because none of these girls do the same thing. No, like not at all.

Speaker: Like I went this morning just to make sure that I was up because I know that we had chatted a little bit about this for the podcast and I listened through all of the Addison Rae songs that were on, that have been released so far on her album because I saw your Instagram story this morning. Oh yeah, yeah, was all right, let me just go through and make sure that I've listened to all of this.

Speaker: And I'm like, there's a lot of people that love her. She does the opposite, the complete opposite of Beyonce. There's nothing wrong with what she does. Right. You put your music out, it will find its audience. She will find her people.

Speaker: Mm-hmm. It's just silly. I just, the comparisons, and it's, again, it's always with women. Because even with the Benson Boone of it all, like, I'm not hearing constant, oh, Harry Styles, oh, Harry Styles, like,

Speaker: I don't hear it like I hear it about other women. Right. Yeah. It's it's the Stan culture of it all has gotten to a point where i I refuse to engage at this point. Like the other day, what would I post about?

Speaker: i had posted about... Oh, oh I had done ah one of the... I did a TikTok trend where it was like propaganda I'm not falling for. And one of the things that I said was that JLo can't sing. right And a and ah people were...

Speaker: This is the thing. Again, you don't have to like an artist, right? You also don't have to go out of your way to tell me how much you hate an artist. right It's weird to me when you do that.

Speaker: It's weird to me when you, it comes from, seemed because as a receiver, a lot of people think that they know me because they follow my page and, or vice versa that I know them because I'm, they're one of my followers.

Speaker: Um, I don't know you that way. So when I'm getting in my unread messages box that you are going on and on about how much you hate an artist.

Speaker: It's fan behavior. That's obsessive. It's weird. heard I'm like, and these are, and I'm like, you guys, you're full grown adults. Again, you're allowed to have opinions and you're allowed to have a discourse. Right.

Speaker: But I'm just sitting here and I'm like, what the hell did Jennifer Lopez do for you to feel this strongly about someone. And I have to say, we mentioned this before, and I have to say, i love Mariah Carey, but Mariah Carey in her book didn't do any favors to this by going on and on and on. I think it's really important to understand that J-Lo was at the mercy of Tommy Mottola And that's where Mariah's energy should have been going towards, not JLo.

Speaker: And I understand the frustrations. Totally. Totally. fine and and and But here's the thing. You can, like you said, you can feel however you want about J.Lo, but I'm just going to run some numbers here just for a second because I happened to look at this before because I wanted to catch up on the AMAs.

Speaker: Yeah. Yes. Yes. This is something that I wanted to talk since we're so talking about J.Lo. We can segue. Yes. I looked at the numbers on YouTube of the performances just because they were in front of me to see. Now, yeah ah there was a lot of performances that were fine. i don't know how you felt about the AMAs this year. Oh, I've got thoughts, but I'll let you finish. I mean, I didn't i still have not watched the full thing, but I watched through pretty much all of the performances.

Speaker: So Benson Boone, who is... yeah You know, Pop's golden boy right now. yeah I thought his outfit was fantastic, by the way. That purple suit was phenomenal. It was very well tailored. Very well tailored. yeah And when I say this, I'm not saying this to compare and I'm not saying this to shade or judge. I'm just purely speaking about the numbers in regards to J-Lo.

Speaker: His performance currently, all of these were uploaded four days ago. His performance currently has 99,000 views on it. Okay. Okay. okay Alex Warren, who's another sort of like, I heard, I don't know if it was you or who, maybe Z Machine said it, but ah called it voice audition pop.

Speaker: Interesting. I don't know who said it. Somebody said that to me and it was like I didn't love that. They were like, it's voice audition. Teddy swims, like all of that type of stuff. like And it's not a bad thing. It's just that very sort of like- Voice audition pop. You what I mean? Like it's the dramatic sort of vocal. It's very, very that. So Alex Warren, who's another like up and coming whatever, he had 66,000 on his performance.

Speaker: Rod Stewart. Okay. Auntie Rod, who I love. Uh-huh. She's got on Forever Young 385,000.

Speaker: Okay. On YouTube. which is Interesting. Which is interesting to me because I don't i don't particularly think of people like Rod Stewart's audience being on YouTube. Right. Yeah. So there's that.

Speaker: Then um Janet Jackson, currently $925,000. Let's celebrate that, Ms. Janet. Let's celebrate that. And J-Lo, for her performance, $1.8 million.

Speaker: So I'm not interested in what the internet has to say because the internet clearly already speaks. Like, and I'm not sitting here like a JLo stan either, but at the same time, like y'all going to make me defend this woman to the death because I don't think she deserves it.

Speaker: And if your thing is that, oh, well, you know, stole stuff from Ashanti, stole stuff from blah, blah, blah. You don't even like Ashanti that much. Yeah. You don't like Ashanti that much and you don't know your history. you don know you You don't know your musical. You do not know your musical history if that's your if that the spew that you're spewing. you know So then it's like Gwen Stefani, $57,000. Oh my um my god We'll talk about that in a minute. yeah. The Whitney Houston Legends moment, 173k. And then the bit where Shabuzi and Megan Maroney did the thing where she was like, the Carter family is responsible for country. And he's like, what? And it's side eye. 200,000.

Speaker: Iconic. Yeah. And Gloria's performance is not up yet. But her, what I did notice is that the the only thing that was up about it on Entertainment Tonight, three hundred and ninety five k Oh my God. So, that's her right. But I say all this to say is that the ones that the stands and the new up and coming are, are not, they're not the ones pulling the streams here.

Speaker: No, it's the legends. Yeah. It's the legends. And, and the thing is, is like JLo is a solid performer. Her performance was incredible. Incredible.

Speaker: Um, She, like the way that she dances, the way that she moves, she's what? She's just, she's just, she's just 56, 57. I was going to say, I think 56. It's, it's I don't know what she's doing.

Speaker: Obviously, she's a millionaire and she's got her monies. But like if I need to sacrifice some something or someone- It's the death becomes her of it all. to To look the way that she does, like I'll do it.

Speaker: Right. like I'm not above it. Nope. She looks amazing. But the way that she's moving, she's so physically in shape. But the dancing that- I don't see a 25-year-old moving the way that she does. But this is what I mean. like This is somebody like- and I don't want to say that the... Let me let me rephrase this. um This is somebody who has clearly not stopped practicing their craft.

Speaker: Because, I mean, you've been a fly girl since the 90s. And now this entire time, you're still clearly moving your body. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to move like this. like You know Tony Basil from the 80s who did Hey Mickey? She's an extremely famous choreographer. That's what she's known for mostly around the world. She's 80 something right now. If you go to her Instagram, she is still full on routines, like just doing the dancing. I thought she died. no she't dying no She we What?

Speaker: Hold on. Tony Basil. Tony Basil. Are you sure? i'm pretty sure. Oh my God, and she's alive.

Speaker: could have sworn it was reported that she had died. Thank God. Well, let's celebrate Tony Basil. But like I said, when you go to her Instagram and you look, she's dancing like a crazy person. I went to go see New Kids on the Block and Paula Abdul last year. Paula Abdul still dancing like a mad woman.

Speaker: Yeah. Like doing all of the original choreography. Janet Jackson still doing all of the original choreography. like Oh my God, yeah. there's a dedication that you need to get to that level of longevity to get to be able to even perform as well as JLo.

Speaker: Yes. Correct. We'll see who's going to do it. But yeah, as of right now, I don't know many of the young girls like, and don't sit here and tell me Tate McRae. Nope. I'm not. I like her, ah but I'm Nope.

Speaker: I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it with you yet. I'm not doing it. and So here, okay. So here's my thing on the, and the AMAs. What the fuck AMAs. The show was fucking awful.

Speaker: Okay. Even with the incredible performance by JLo, her dancing was off the chain. yeah Off the chain. i sound so old. um Was her dancing was incredible. Janet was incredible. Yeah.

Speaker: i mean You know the the performance the performance that surprised me the most, who I was like, okay, stage presence, was Renee Rapp. I love her so much. Renee, I'm not like completely sold on her music, but like i where I was watching her and I was like, oh, yeah she's got some stage presence. And again it's not like she again, it's not like she's dancing the way that you know Tate is even. right But she there this just goes to show that there are some people who have that Star Power and Renee has it. Oh, yeah. but But here's the thing.

Speaker: It's very clear that the entertainment industry is in shambles with money and everything. And I don't know what's going on. I mean, I have an idea about it. But like um the production of the show is terrible. Yeah. Everything from I mean, like from the camera angles to the set designs, like the opening number with J. Lo and like the the like the diamond of the like the LED light thing that they were. It looked like.

Speaker: terrible well i was like what was that and then just like at janet's performance i love janet but the what was that even the camera angles of renee's i just agree i that was sucked the fact that no one was there right they gave out like maybe six awards throughout the night Like, and this isn't the Grammys, you guys. This is the American Music Awards. And this used to be a big deal.

Speaker: Yeah, it was. 25 years ago, this was a big this was a big award show. Yeah. I don't know what's going on. And maybe I've got thoughts about this too. But like, you know I think that we're just in a time where award shows are just no longer a thing.

Speaker: I don't even know if it's that. I think that they could be a thing. But I think that it's like, it's it's one of those, I feel, traditions in American history, history, whatever.

Speaker: That just has not evolved. And it's like the technology is better. The places, the venues are better. Like you can do so much more stuff now, but you're just not. And look, I get how budgets work and i understand all that, but you can't mean to tell me that the American Music Awards being broadcast on a prime time slot, like that they're not making money.

Speaker: I don't know. And it's really interesting because of the way that they, the way that the media, so the day after it was very clear that the internet had thoughts on the AMAs. oh yeah everyone Everyone thought that it was terrible. And I think that they are spot on with that is overall as an award show. The fact that Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton pre-recorded their performances and were played while. Oh, is that what it was?

Speaker: Yeah, they were played. So they were playing Gwen Stefani's performances. They were setting up for Janet's performance. That's what like the TikTokers were showing. i was like, oh my And here's the thing.

Speaker: Pre-records, that is not that's unusual. that is that That has happened before. and and in fact, i would argue that there was a lot of pre-recorded performances from previous award shows in the past that we probably just didn't know about. We didn't know.

Speaker: um But that was just the way that they had marketed that that they were there live performing and then they weren't there at all. The fact that there's certain presenters, Cara Delevingne was announced and ah announced as a presenter and she was not there.

Speaker: um The fact that no one was there to accept the rewards except for like Becky G and SZA. SZA who came from backstage, which it was felt like. To me, it's those types of things where I'm kind of like, okay, it feels like this was all pre-planned. Right, right. So it doesn't feel authentic. It doesn't feel like, I don't know.

Speaker: i just. Well, and also, you know what? I'm surprised that and what I didn't, what I didn't like was. And I don't want to be that person that's complaining about phones, but like when the performers, like I saw this a lot with Benson Boone's performance, when he came into the audience, like the cameras are following him him around, he's doing this thing, and there's people in the front row doing, and I'm like, you're on national TV sitting here like this, not in, like it's just so bizarre to me that I'm like, you're literally on national television, you don't need the phone clip.

Speaker: No, exactly. You can just clip this out from the performance and be like, look, I was there. Right. Yeah. Like it's so weird. And it's just, I don't know. And maybe i think part of why I feel like award shows are becoming irrelevant is because of social media, because these were the moments where we used to, with like, we didn't have a day to day with our favorite celebrities and and favorite artists.

Speaker: Right. Now with social media, you see everyone's day to day doing whatever. And so it's no longer exciting when you see them on the red carpet or performing because you're like, oh, I can just go to their,

Speaker: Instagram and I'll see that the the highlight the next day, you know, or in 45 minutes or whatever. And I don't know, i it was very disappointing. i ended up turning it I didn't even see Rod Stewart's performance. I think I ended up turning it off because I was just like after Gloria, I was just like, I am good.

Speaker: And I mean, and and I, you know, there's a lot of things I could say about Gwen Stefani, but even like the first song she did out of her medley, she didn't even sing live. Right. the first song was Lip Sync from the new album.

Speaker: Yeah. And I'm like, that's the one you would want to push, no? Right. Like it was super weird. Like she looked beautiful. Like she always looks good. But at the same time, like, I don't know, this this performance is giving a Republican. It gave so Republican. and I was like, I was like, I'm good.

Speaker: I'm good good. I don't even even, and you know, I love Janet. Janet's acceptance speech at the very end where she was like, Keep God at the center of everything that you do because that's where he wants to be. I was like Janet, a girl you have 25 songs where you're simulating an orgasm. Right.

Speaker: like right like what Were you keeping God in the right place during any time, any place? Right. Yeah. I know where he's at. Right. Was God who you were talking talking about when you wrote Throb? Right. Literally. oh my God. Boom, boom, boom until a newon noon, noon, noon.

Speaker: i love that shit, though. But that's been ah award shows for like time immemorial. Yeah, I'm just like, okay. But, but you know, and and also, if I'm going to be honest, Janet, like, you, I get that someone to call my lover is having a moment on TikTok. And I get that that's probably the reason why you performed it, whatever. But just that and all for you.

Speaker: Well, here's the other thing. The way that the show felt as I was watching it, not only was like the production value giving no budget, right? It's like the side room in a Vegas casino.

Speaker: Yeah. It was kind of giving. Everything was giving. We had a week to plan this whole thing. And it's possible. And that's very possible. And I know that she has her residency and things going on.

Speaker: um One of my followers, shout out to Gero, Uh is janet's dancer and is also dancing for tate mccray which is why i'm always like got a dancer on my tate mccray thoughts um But he was back for janet's performance and I messaged him and I was like, oh my gosh, I was like I didn't expect to see you I was like, i know that you're on tour with tate right now.

Speaker: Um shout out to him. He's lovely and um But yeah, I was like like watching Janet's performance. I was like, yeah, there they probably had four days to put this together.

Speaker: And which ah is no one's fault in Janet or JLo or anyone, but it's just kind of like we're setting we're kind of almost setting these people up to i don't want to say fail because I don't think that they failed, but like.

Speaker: to get these types of criticisms. Right, right, right. Because people aren't like you and I where we have the wherewithal to understand like, oh yeah, there's there stuff beyond just them.

Speaker: Right. it's not It's not like they just have all the time in the world to just be like, let's plan a performance. sure because Because I will say one thing that I was watching in preparation for Janet's Icon Award performance is I was watching her Doesn't Really Matter Award show performance at the 2000 BMAs. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker: she opened the show with that. And like the fact that she, that there was like a three, I don't, three stories, an exaggeration, but it's like a three tiered, like platform thing that like goes down to the bottom of the stage and then comes back up. And like the fact that there's this tight choreography and the costumes, I was like, it's a clear that there was more of a budget back then than there is now for a word. Oh, without a doubt, without a doubt, because everybody's gotten stingier. Every record label is trying to,

Speaker: maximize the profits with putting out the least amount of stuff, which is why, like, again, when I see certain album covers or artwork or singles or things, and I'm just like, this is so low rent.

Speaker: Yeah. Like, I don't even, like, there's been no no thought into this. so Right. and and And it's not like in ah in a brat type of way where it's very intentional and and whatnot.

Speaker: No, but even Addison. Yeah. I hate to go back to her, but like that album cover, the photo's gorgeous. She looks great. yeah But like that her name? yeah What is that? it' like i don't know. It just looks cheap.

Speaker: It does look cheap. And if you're putting your art out there and you and you have spent all of this time writing music, recording music, producing music, taking the photos, getting everything ready, writing the liner notes, doing all of this, just to have that be the representation of what the label is going to say, hey, this is what we're approving. Like, what...

Speaker: Yeah. It just feels like, why would you skimp there on it, on, on, on all of that? Right. Yeah. And speaking of her, I had mentioned this on Tik TOK, but I watched an interview with her this morning on, um, pop, uh, popcast the New York times, uh, pop culture, popcast or podcast. And I love her as a person. Yeah. It was a fascinating interview. She knows her shit. She's so down to earth. She's kind, she's bubbly, she's fun.

Speaker: She has great taste. And and we've said that before. But I have to say, and this again, this is not, I don't think, on Addison, but the choice to release half of the album prior to its release, I understand in a way as she's a new artist, right? And she's got to build her brand. And that's just the the promotional world that we live in right now.

Speaker: But it feels so anticlimactic to, because like I was looking at the track listing while I was watching the the interview. And so she just released Fame is a Gun. We already have Diet Pepsi, Aquamarine, High Fashion, and Headphones on.

Speaker: There are going to be seven additional tracks that we get to hear next week when the album drops. And two of those are interludes that are like under a minute. So I'm kind of like this feel, and then the other songs, there's a couple three minute songs, but then like two or three of them are like two, two and a half minutes. So I'm like,

Speaker: It just feels anticlimactic to me. Right, right. yeah Especially because I feel like it's been coming for so long now. It has. Cause I think that she released diet Pepsi last year. yeah Right. And so, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm excited for her and I'm excited for the people that love her, that, they that ride hard for her. But as I mentioned in my tick tock this morning too, I was like, it's not that I dislike the music, the music's fine. Right. But it, but it's, it's specifically with a song like headphones on. I was like, this is clearly referencing Madonna's bedtime stories.

Speaker: I already have a full album of songs that sound like that, that I personally prefer. Cause Madonna is my artist. It's funny because that's exactly what I thought when I listened to that this morning. And I was just like, oh, I said this has that sort of like bedtime stories, lo-fi hip hop kind of quality.

Speaker: Yeah. And same with like Aquamarine being like this like 90s house track. Again, i love i love that. That's probably still my favorite one of the bunch that she's released. Yeah. But still...

Speaker: i I have so much 90s house music that I like to revisit that I think is like the pinnacle of like greatness. right So I'm like, I don't, it's just not, nothing that she has released for me has been making me be like, I need to go back and read this over and over and over again.

Speaker: and it's I kind of also thought like when the, like hearing all the Stan discussion online and seeing how much, how much people love her, I kind of thought that things were going to be like bangers. Yeah. Like, and that it's not that like, and I was just like, okay, like I don't,

Speaker: I'm curious about how, like, where Stan culture is going into this sort of, like, R&B space with her. if i yeah I don't even want to say R&B. That's not right. But it's down tempo. Well, something that noticed, we always say, you know, oh, I'm gagged. I'm gagged, right? Well, a lot of times I don't think that we are disclosing the fact that our reflex is very sensitive. Because I'm like, you're gagging, but, like, what's there to gag on? Right, right, right. And so that's, yeah. Yeah.

Speaker: So, the and that that's just me being like, again, back to the earlier bit of the conversation, we're talking about Beyonce, this incredible performer who is giving stage presence, choreography, fashion, blah, blah, blah, blah. Right. And obviously there's money involved and sure, but she is so invested in her craft. And I'm not saying that Addison's not invested or that these new artists aren't necessarily invested, but there's clearly a disconnect.

Speaker: I don't think they are getting the support that they need ah two fully and ah to fully execute and and put out the the expectations that we have to fulfill those expectations. you know What I've realized now, as I'm almost six years on in my role at Peloton and dealing with record labels and stuff, is that In my meetings, what I notice is that it's just not even a question. The indie labels are giving that level of support.

Speaker: As soon as you go to a major, it's sort of like, you know, unless you're... Lady Gaga, Beyonce, whatever, like you're getting some support, but it's like everything is tiered. And now I think Roc Nation is coming out with a new distribution platform where it's like you can pay to have different tiered distribution. And it's like, you know, if your numbers get to this point, then we'll add this. And if you get to the, and it's just, it's everything just feels like a competition show. And I'm like that, what we are seeing right now, as best as I can tell is

Speaker: It's art, but it's art by capitalism. Everything right now is art by capitalism because everybody in every industry, specifically the music industry, is only interested in money. And I'm sure they always have been.

Speaker: But it's gotten to the point now where it's like, you know, the ones at the top, I don't have to. I mean, this is the classic American story. You know, it's just a constant wealth transfer from the bottom to the top. Yeah. So and I think that.

Speaker: that is probably the biggest thing that is hurting the music industry right now is the greediness of the people at the top of these major labels. Because you're really like, unless you're frontline, you're really not getting anywhere near the support that you deserve, to be honest. And that's why like when I deal with smaller labels, Mad Decent, Ninja Tune, like there's a bunch of them.

Speaker: And there are, when I hear about the plans and how they come up with strategies and they tell they talk about rollout things. and ah And I'm like, you are so much more hands-on involved. And of course you are because you're a smaller label, but it's like, it feels like there's a team that has sat down and talked about this where it's just sort of like the majors feel like they're just throwing something over the wall.

Speaker: Right. If it works, it works, and we'll throw money at it. If it doesn't work, stop it and move on to the next. Like, it's just – it's terrible. Yeah, it it it is. And it's it's it's a shame. It's a shame beach just because, I mean, for the for music fans, I think that, especially the newer generations, this is all they know. Right.

Speaker: And so they don't understand, like from our perspectives of the fact that like, yeah, like artists would put out a single and then you would like chill with that for three to four months. Right. And then, and then you'd get the next single right now. It's like, let's throw out a single every three weeks and see what sticks.

Speaker: yeah And, and then here's the album with the five singles that you've already heard with, you know, four to five extra songs. Maybe we'll get one more single and then that's it. There's your era. Yeah.

Speaker: And your music videos are actually visualizers because we don't really have a budget for it It's just like, oh, it sucks. Right. yeah And if you think AI ain't making some of those, you're crazy. ah Lord Jesus. Right.

Speaker: Lord Jesus. This is what I mean. So it's like until we find a way to get out of this. And I i mean, this does feel like a uniquely American problem for the most part, although I do think it happens in other places. It seems like it's not as toxic in other countries, I've noticed.

Speaker: Well, I think one person is leading the charge to hopefully make some positive change through all of this, which is Ms. Taylor Swift, who famously now owns her master's again.

Speaker: Surprise announcement. yeah We are recording this on Saturday. Yesterday, she announced that she ah she said, let her on my website. And we both were like squinting. ah Because I'm looking at it on my phone. I'm like, girl, you've got to be kidding me. I'm like zooming and i'm like I'm like having to use a decoder. I'm like, what is going on here?

Speaker: um But she, you know, there's there's been rumors. I don't know how how tied into the rumors of her releasing Reputation to Taylor's version. But like there have been rumors for months. Mm-hmm. that she's been leading, that teasing this announcement.

Speaker: And two of my coworkers are giant Swifties. So like every week they're updating me on all the fan theories and the numbers and like the Easter eggs. And it's, it is wild. Like the the things that I'm just like, I'm like, do I call someone to let them know that they're like going insane?

Speaker: But um no, but like, so like, and especially with this American music awards, there was a huge rumor swirling that she was going to not only be present, but that she was going to announce ah either debut Taylor's version or reputation Taylor's version.

Speaker: Anything that woman does, they're like, she's going to debut reputation. She's going to debut it and And so, but so to all of our surprise, she announced that she has her, she was able to purchase her masters for 360 million. I believe it was reported.

Speaker: um And here's, I'm so excited for her. I did say not too long ago, I said there the real gag, speaking of gagging, I was like, the real gag is that she's going to use the money from these rerecordings to purchase back these masters.

Speaker: And I was right. And I was right. And in this letter, she had basically said that the debut Taylor's version has already been re-recorded and finished. But she said that she barely hasn't even gotten to a quarter of reputation. right And she said in this letter...

Speaker: that she felt like that was the one of the six albums that couldn't really be improved upon, which was not the purpose of the re-recordings. Let's be really clear. right The purpose of the re-recordings was to replace the originals so that she could get, you know, all the royalties, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Speaker: And, um but here's the thing. She did have a, she for a couple years now has ah debuted a snippet of Look What You Made Me Do um because that was used in a couple of trailers and things like that.

Speaker: and arguably the worst of the re-recordings. Oh, really? The angst and the energy behind, because the ah Reputation is a very angry, angsty album for her because of all the things so that she was going through with the snake of it all, with Kanye West and her breakup with Calvin Harris.

Speaker: um it that Basically, like and it just goes to show that like when you are recording something, there's there is going to be an emotion and an energy that you're bringing into the song, regardless if it's a sad song, angry song, happy song, whatever. yep So re-recording these things is always going to be challenging and it will almost always not be better than the original because you can't always, you can't re thats you can't recreate that. You're in a different place, right? You're in different studio. Your voice is different.

Speaker: Yeah. And so with Look What You Made Me Do, I just remember hearing the snippet and it was like, so, you know, the original, it's like, I'm trying to think about how it goes. It's like, oh, oh look what you made me do leave could you mean you know like yeah that the new one was like look what you made me do look what you made i'm not even kidding like if you listen to them back to back and so have to see the snippet i haven't heard of this yeah and it's just funny too we hear seeing the swifties go online they're like and clearly a lot of them were like okay can we admit that the originals were better and like yes they were better right but they were so like horrible online when they were coming out

Speaker: Yeah, yeah so you cannot tell me that, sorry to this man, but Christopher Rowe's version of style is better than Max Martin's version. oh none of that, none of that. and I will not have that slander in this house. You're never going to be able to go up against Max Martin like that. You cannot. It's not going to happen.

Speaker: You cannot. remember Remember when Janet said you need to keep God at the center of everything that you do? She was talking about Max Martin. She was talking about Max Martin. Like, come on. Oh, God. i But I really like, and and for as much as I do not listen to her music, really, like I'm so excited for her as an artist.

Speaker: I'm so excited for her as a businesswoman, yeah as a songwriter. Like this is, everything about this was terrible, that this could even be a thing. And so... I have to say, now that she's got it all back, I feel like she's going to be guns blazing the next time because she's got all her shit.

Speaker: yeah Yeah, absolutely. Girl, good for you. I applaud you. I cheer you on. And I hope that this sends a shockwave to other women in the industry to not put up with bullshit from men.

Speaker: Absolutely. And i I love that in this letter, there was a part where she says this and there's 12 eyes. So of course, the Swifty Easter eggs. um So I personally think that she has a 12th studio album on the horizon, which I'm very excited for.

Speaker: And here's the thing. Swifties, I understand the re-recordings were exciting because of the vault tracks. The vault tracks, yeah very, very cool. Very fun. Loved that. yeah But here's the thing. the re-records like like i personally as a more casual fan i which would be way more excited for a studio album versus absolutely ah vault track now i will say reputation i'm very interested to hear the vault tracks for that album yes because there was allegedly a completely different album that she was recording prior to reputation yeah which is the whole like the the um because there's like a plane and then look what you made me do video that she cuts the wing off and then she spray paints reputation over it so

Speaker: people have theorized that that was originally a different album that she was creating and then when everything happened she shifted gears and did reputation instead these women are so crazy and you so not but that the amount of easter eggs like i don't like i i would love to just be a fly on the wall in one of her team meetings but oh yeah when it comes to planning this oh yeah and i think that part of it i think that taylor swift i mean she definitely was the instigator for a lot of her easter eggs and i think still is But I do think now that she's conditioned her fans to think this way. So now I think that she will probably pull from fan theories. Oh, for sure.

Speaker: You know? For sure. Because there there are things that that even, like I said, as somebody who doesn't really listen to her music that much, there are times where I'll see fans writing things online and I'm like... that's exciting. I was like, maybe I should go listen to this. I'm like, that's pretty cool. I hope that that's what it is. Right. Yeah. And I have no idea what Taylor has planned up her sleeve. I dear i hope to God it is nothing like Tortured Poets Department.

Speaker: I need something different from her. yeah i would look I don't think that she... and here's the thing. I think Jack Antonoff is a fantastic producer, but it's time to try something new.

Speaker: Right. and's to say It's the same way I felt with Janet and Jermaine Dupri. Yeah. For a long time. I was like, oh God, I was like, you're giving us the exact same song over and over again. And even Mariah has a little bit of that too, but you did, this is what happens when you stick with the same producer for so long.

Speaker: I mean, a lot of Timbaland stuff sounds similar. Yeah. And, and so it's time to, to liven things up. I don't know what she has up her sleeve, but I will welcome, I will welcome with open open arms. I can't speak. I'm excited. Well, and here's the thing, like, not that she cares, not that, not, not, not that it matters to somebody like Taylor Swift, but like, I don't,

Speaker: I could be wrong. I would imagine that 1989 is her most successful album. I think or at least so in terms of- Or at least has the most successful singles. Most successful singles, commercial I would say commercially, culturally, right globally would argue that that's the most successful album. Even though like Tortured Poets Department, I mean, debuted with like over 2 million copies in its first Right, but it's not doing anything for the culture.

Speaker: it's not It's not doing anything for the culture outside of the Swifties. And I don't think it would have gotten there without the Aeros tour. Oh, without a doubt. And also wouldn't have gotten there with the 9,000 different reissues.

Speaker: Like, I'm sorry. Like, there's, like, week we could we've had discussions about this before, and we could talk about that. But I... Yeah. And... I don't always fault the artist because you don't know because, I mean, one again, when I talk to record labels and I hear the plans and stuff, like they're really trying to juice the the berry as much as they can.

Speaker: Yeah. you know So I really do believe that that's part of ah part of the record label's fault. But, you know, whatever. She's getting her things. She's doing her thing. And i'm I'm always excited to see what she's going to do next because I think that she's putting out a good example.

Speaker: Yeah, I do too. Which I like. I do too. um Miley released a new album this week. I just listened to it this morning. Did you? Yes. I haven't listened to it in full yet. I guess I kind of have because she had a few pre-release singles. Yeah. um She had pre the prelude.

Speaker: She'd released. she released More to Lose and- Something Beautiful, End of the World. Something Beautiful and End of the World. Yeah. So like the first four songs. Yeah. And so guess I have listened to it almost just not like not in sequence. Right, right.

Speaker: But I've listened to almost the entire thing. um i so i So I am a casual Miley fan. And in the last episode, I mentioned to my friend Jesse, I was like, I don't I am not super familiar with Miley's music in the sense of like, I can't just go out there and name a billion deep cuts the way I can with like Janet Jackson.

Speaker: Right. Right. Right. I am familiar enough with the fact that like, I know myself and I know Miley's music to the, where it's like, yeah, if something's not going to capture me, I'm not really going to go revisit it. Right. ton Um, and this album holds true with that for me. There are certain songs that i really like that I think that are really good. And I applaud the experimentation of it all because we got six minute song on this album. Yeah, we did.

Speaker: I know easy lovers, one of her best in a minute. Easy Lover is fantastic. um Walk of Fame, yeah fantastic with Brittany Howard. So good. So unexpected. Yeah. I was ah with Brittany Howard. I was not expecting that to go that way.

Speaker: Right. Same. Because when I was announced that she was a collaborator, I was kind of imagining it going to be a little bit more of like a- Countryish. Folk. Yeah. Folksy, maybe little bit rock kind of. Yeah. So getting like kind of like this- Disco. Dance disco house track. Right.

Speaker: Like I was like, let's go girls. Yes. Well, because I saw an interview with Miley and I don't know if it was the Zane Lowe interview or no, I think it was something else where somebody asked her how gay her album is and she was like, oh, it's the gayest one ever. And i'm like, okay. And I'm listening to it. I'm like, I don't know if I agree with that, but it's fine. But it's it's definitely, it's there's stuff for the girls in there.

Speaker: I would say but with that song, Every Girl You've Ever Loved with Naomi Campbell. Yes. um And then Reborn are kind of like, I would say that the latter part is like the three, the gay songs. Right, right, right.

Speaker: Every Girl You've Loved Before, i think is f fantastic. Fantastic. Another five minute song, Naomi Campbell's like dialogue throughout it is fantastic. and i And I was saying to one of my friends, I was like, anytime someone tells me to pose in a song, I'm probably going to I'm probably gonna like it a little bit, you know?

Speaker: So yeah, I loved that song. There are 10 credited writers on that song. Let's celebrate that. Let's celebrate that. I think it has a, I think it samples. Yeah. Yeah. It's definitely song.

Speaker: There's a sample. if It's the soul wax remix of someone. I forget it. And the the only way I knew this song was uh, Oh my gosh. What's the drag queen's name? Evie oddly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker: ah She performed that remix here in Grand Rapids when she was here for like a World of Winter performance. Oh, work. Yeah. Yeah. um No, but I love it. And I love her. and And I haven't I've gotten like three quarters of the way through the Zane Lowe interview, which if you have not seen, you should watch. It's really, really so good.

Speaker: So good. um And I don't know, like she's somebody else. Like I was not I was a casual fan for a while. But as she's gotten older, I'm like, oh, no, this is for me. This is definitely for me. And I feel like where a lot of these girls are now, where you have Miley, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, even with Mayhem, it's like, vocally, these three, i mean, and there's more, but like vocally, they as far as I'm concerned, the peak.

Speaker: This is the peak of where they're at. And they're all kind of in the same sort of age range. And I'm like, it almost feels a little bit like, as a society, and don't get me wrong, society is always terrible. They're always going to say terrible things about women, and they're always going to criticize female pop stars, yada, yada, yada.

Speaker: Yeah. But... It doesn't feel like, I always reference the the famous Madonna article where she was 35 on the girly show and they said, you know, calm down grandma. i don't see that happening now.

Speaker: Correct. So now at 35, the girls don't seem like they're aged out. They actually seem like fully developed and like this is a fully realized artist. Yeah, absolutely. yeah and ah and And we're not seeing – still think that they're – well, i don't I don't know how important radio is right now.

Speaker: i don't It feels like it's not very important. but um I think that there i think it's that they it it makes less money than than regular streaming, I think. Yeah, but i but you're right. There's still criticisms of of age, but i there has been a shift, which I really appreciate.

Speaker: Yeah, because i nobody's saying that about Beyonce. Nobody's saying that about Gaga. No. yeah and and they should And you shouldn't. I mean, um we got we we got some of the best work right now. Imagine be imagined looking at erotica and bedtime stories and being like, you should calm down. What?

Speaker: Oh, my God. I'm like, shut the fuck up. right like those the it's just ridiculous It's as ridiculous as somebody seeing Renaissance and Cowboy Carter and being like, oh, calm down, Grandma. Yeah.

Speaker: Like what the, get out of here. You would never. Right. Right. for Yeah. Yeah. So let's celebrate that because yeah And, and, and I really appreciate, I really want to see the film that she has made for something beautiful. I think it's going to be in in theaters this coming week or something like that or like in a couple of weeks.

Speaker: um But I heard it's a limited release. i don't know if it's like one day or something like that or like one weekend. Oh wow. But, but yeah, but I, I need to look in at getting tickets because I think that'd be a lot of fun to go see. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker: And I just want to give a shout out to someone else that I don't think we've ever really talked about on the pod, but just put out a remix album that I was really enjoying today too. Miss Paris Hilton. ah There was a whole remix album? but A whole remix album for Infinite Icon.

Speaker: Oh, I didn't know that. there There was so much that came out. Oh my God. I saw that in my Spotify release radar, which I check every Friday, um because it always does suggest remixes for me. rightm I'm like, thanks, Spotify.

Speaker: um Apple Music, get it together. um But they had suggested a remix of, what was it, BBA, a Bad Bitch Academy? me Yeah. um Of that, and which i was I thought was fun. I love. ah Yeah, but there's a lot of really good, nine remixes.

Speaker: Okay. And there's even, they did the remix for I'm Free with Rina Soayama too, which is nice. We love that. love that. Yeah. um But yeah, no, I was really, really excited for her. And I'm like, yeah I actually really, I mean, it's silly, but I enjoyed the album.

Speaker: Yeah. Infinite Icon, it's fun, it's silly, it's thing, you know, whatever. Yeah. That's why I feel like if, if, if, t if Paris Hilton can do this. I understand she's got a lot of money, but there's no excuse.

Speaker: Right. No, exactly. yeah like I don't mean to shade her because I do think that she's good at what she does and I love everything about her. But, you know. Yeah. Yeah. Prosciutto voice.

Speaker: Prosciutto voice. It's so thin. It's so thin. Well, and then and i mean and the Emancipation of Mimi re-release came out, which... I, you know, i know we talked about this. We talked about this last time. It's really hard to talk about such an iconic album because i mean, how many things can you say about just the full body of work? But now that we have all the the the extra stuff, well, couple of extra stuff.

Speaker: I love yeah Mariah. because obviously she's listening to this, Mariah, just keep putting out your acapellas, please. Yes. Because at the end of the day, when I listen to that, I'm like, it just reaffirms where i'm like, yeah, that's why I don't want to hear a discussion about her either.

Speaker: I'm not interested in what you have to say. I'm not interested in you being like, oh, I'm only like old Mariah. Shut up. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear it. It's great. we don't have time for that. No. And shout out to Eccentric for his mix of It's Like That, yeah totally vibey, very sort of like dark lounge- It kind of reminds me of Kei Trinata's music. Totally.

Speaker: Totally. Yeah. Totally. So, very good. Love that. The Say Something Salon remix. That's also included.

Speaker: She is there. She is present. She came to the party. She did. She did. She wore the wrong outfit, but she came to the party. She she didn't know the theme. She didn't she didn't understand it. And that's okay. Sometimes we don't. And we start we still welcome you. we We do because you know what? Solange and Mariah, that means to me, no shades of Solange. You're one step closer to Beyonce.

Speaker: Exactly. And that's the one that I really want. That's the collaboration I'm waiting for. Yes. yeah Yeah. I don't know what that was, but i you know. You know what? It's not even like, I just, I don't even, who is that for?

Speaker: That's what I was like, who is that for? Where are you playing that? It was kind of like when I was listening to it, I was like, and she even released a video of her playing the keyboards, like the the synths to the remix.

Speaker: And it just, it felt like they took the Say Something original version produced by the Neptunes, turned down the instrumental slightly, right and then put over these new synths.

Speaker: And maybe some new background vocals. Yeah. But i was like... Yeah, I was like, this so it does not sound good, I'm sorry. No, the background vocals at points are not great.

Speaker: Some of the, and i don't I'm assuming it's Solange trying to harmonize. And again, and I like Solange, I think she's actually really talented and I like a lot the music that she's put out. um But i the drum programming is what I have the hardest problem with because it's like, it almost feels like it's off. Like it's just, it's hard to get into because it's so like, where is the groove? Like this remix never gets in the pocket for me.

Speaker: And I'm like, it's such a great vocal too from Mariah. And I'm like, all right, well, whatever. You can't win them all. um And then a lot of the remixes that have already been out, you know, it's not really like a time. Yeah. That vault track, When I Feel It, oh my God, it's so good.

Speaker: Yeah. And it's so good to hear like a newer song with that Mariah vocal on it. Yeah, for sure. so yeah Girls, release your vault tracks, please. We all want to hear them. We love the vault tracks. and And as you've mentioned before, no one handles their catalog like Mariah Carey.

Speaker: Nobody. She knows what her fans want. Right. And it's just, it's so cool to see someone go back and reflect and remaster and give the fans everything that, you know, right they could ever, ever want and more because like, because now we're getting, she's not only releasing the old stuff, but she's commissioning new stuff. And it's just, it's, it's really cool to see.

Speaker: Yeah. so No, I got to give it to her. Yeah, it's it's really, really good. i um i just have I am very curious whatever happened you know to the Tony Moran remix because as we discovered yesterday, used to be on you know unofficially on YouTube and as I can't even find it there.

Speaker: So I'm like, is there a special something coming up with with that or what? I don't know because i feel like well what what I feel like a lot of times they did is that they would commission these remixes or that they would ask remixes to make things on spec, it's called. And so basically they just like send them the stems.

Speaker: They make it, and they'll promo it like to DJs, and they'll do like yeah promo CDs that aren't officially released in vinyl releases with their mixes on it. But then when the actual mixes come out, they're not on it. So I think that's what happened here, I'm going to guess.

Speaker: But it really is a shame because... It's a great remix. It's a great remix. And I'm like, and I love Peter Rohhofer R.I.P. so much. Like, I miss you forever. But I prefer Tony's over Peter's on that one.

Speaker: do too. Yeah. sorry. Peter was in his weird, like, electro phase at that point. Yeah. Like, even, like, his Me Against the Music remix. I was like, well, it's fine. Like, this, like, electro clash thing. Yeah. Yeah. i I know exactly what you mean.

Speaker: Hmm. Well. We need to do an episode where we just talk about, like, the the old gay dance music. so Yeah. Don't tease me a good time. i'm I'm just saying. I'm saying. I think it has to happen. I think we'll find it. oh I think we'll find our audience out there. Yeah. No, for sure. Yeah. um And one final release that I want to give a shout out, friend of the pod, Z Machine and Bentley Robles with Tears and Gears, their new single, George Michael. Fantastic.

Speaker: So good. And the promo, boys. I have to say the promo has been so great to see on my newsfeed. Yeah, it's so much fun. This song kind of reminds me that the synth in the background kind of reminds me of the synth that is sampled in Heidi Montag's body language. It's some 80s song. I forget what it is, but it's like that. don't don't do do don't Kind of like that. Like the yes.

Speaker: Yeah. some Yeah. But it's the song is so fantastic. It's so I love the um when when Z goes and go down on me like the sun. Yes. George Michael. I was like, oh, my God. i was like i was when ah when he had sent me a very, very, very rough demo of the song when they first started working on it.

Speaker: um i had said i really hope that you guys do some wordplay on here because i think that the song lends and he did so yeah it's so good and you know what what else is is nice is not only that you're you get to support like queer artists which obviously i love but a they're talented yeah and b it's just fun like they're having so much fun like i know it's a lot of work and like it's it's not easy to be an indie artist by any means because you're really doing everything you're wearing every single hat and it's nuts but at the same time it's like It just presents so well and they're just so like owning who they are and it feels so like, this is exactly like, ah we've we're friendly enough with Z now where it's like hu who I see him online and who we are like when we chat all day long, like in the group chat, like it's just him. Like you're not presenting somebody that you're not. in Same thing with Bentley, I haven't met him yet, but he gives that same thing. Actually a girl that I work with knows him.

Speaker: um But it's like, this is what it should be. Support queer artists. Support queer artists, which I'm very excited to say that I am next weekend. I'm so mad I can't be there. I know next weekend I am going to be in Detroit.

Speaker: um I am what it's just, this is just the universe where it does work out really great, which is so lovely. um i have an early 40th birthday celebration. Both my stepbrother and I were both turning 40. Amazing. um Later on in June. So our families are getting together.

Speaker: um in early June to celebrate over um in Bloomfield Hills, which is very close to Detroit. And so that Sunday, Z he was like, he was like, what are you doing that weekend? And I was like, well, I have this birthday celebration. I was like, why what's going on? And then he yeah told me that he's performing on Sunday. And I was like, I'm there.

Speaker: but Where's he performing? Is it Pride? ah He's performing at Motor City Pride. oh Amazing. So, yeah. And a Queen's Pride is here this Sunday. I hope we're going to get to go. Yeah. Oh, fun. And you know, like, I love this type of shit. And this is why, like, like I'm going to go down for World Pride next weekend and I'll be there. I'm actually, I've just found out that I'm playing with Jess King.

Speaker: um So that will thing. I love Okay. it's going be Jess King and Friends. So I'm going to go down there. And I think Friday night, I got to find out the time. I'm still getting the details from her. Everything. You see, this is what I like when you talk about how things come together so quickly.

Speaker: This just happened this past week. Wow. The event is next weekend. Wow. Okay. So it's like things are moving constantly. So it's just sort of like you're picking up information as it goes along. Why is no one ready? and Basically. With these run throughs, you people have had hours and hours to prepare.

Speaker: It's so confusing to me. Just the way she says that. Right? It's so confusing to me. It's confusing to me. You people have had hours and hours to prepare. Wow, that's so cool. yeah, yeah. yeah So that'll be fun. So if you're if you're hearing this when this comes out on Tuesday, come find me. I'll probably, I'll post about it on Instagram when I have all the details about what's going on. But I will be at the protest at the march in D.C. These are crazy times, so we're going to be loud, but yes excited. Yes, yes.

Speaker: Going be a very loud pride this year. Absolutely. um Yeah, I'm going to be wearing something. I don't think I'm going wear it to Detroit Pride, but to Grand Rapids Pride. we're We're letting things hang out. Girl. And and I'm ready.

Speaker: I'm ready for the long rainbow cape. like I want it to be like a whole, like you know how you always wear the pieces on the side? Oh, sure. That would be fun. That would be really fun. But not even like a cheesy like a rainbow, like ah like an ombre cape.

Speaker: Oh, I have to send you the picture of the shirt just bought you. That'd be fun. Oh my God. Yeah. um No, actually right now i'm i'm i have this, it's basically ah ah it's a women's romper.

Speaker: Work. um It is like this like electric teal blue, like a rod, like an electric Robin's egg blue is what like what it is. um And I completely forgot that about it.

Speaker: And I was like, What if I wore this? Because the thing with pride is that I want to be comfortable and oftentimes right I'm not comfortable. I love dressing up. I love dressing up and I love doing all my looks.

Speaker: But like it's not really sensible for like an eight hour day. Right. Right. Like being out in the streets and then out dancing at night and whatnot. Girl, if I had if i had your stomach right now, I would be in a crop top.

Speaker: My nipples would be out. Like it would not even it would not even be normal. i would be so out of control. We're going to be doing, it's not going to be a crop top, but I will show you. um it's We're going be showing off things. Oh, yeah. You are.

Speaker: Yeah. We're going to be. We're going be showing. I was like, i was like, you know what? We're about to be 40 and the body is bodying. We're going to. We're going all out. This is yeah this is my sandwich board. I'm just advertising. This is it. There we go.

Speaker: Who wants a piece? And then like someone will like like gently touch me. like, do not assault. like Consent. Consent, bitch. Oh my gosh. Well, um John Michael has gotten to the point of the show famous segment where we talk about a song we don't talk about enough it could be a deep cut remix bonus track if you will.

Speaker: ah Are there any songs we don't talk about enough that you feel need need to get highlighted today. I'm going to go so left turn here. Yes. Only because I saw, and I don't recall what magazine i saw ah that she just did a photo spread in and looks so incredibly beautiful. And I'm so rooting for her in every aspect of her life.

Speaker: But my song that we don't talk about enough is Magnet by Lindsay Lohan. oh Oh my God. It's so good. Was it the old Navy spread that she did or was it something else? Was it? I don't know, but like her hair was blonde and gorgeous and she just looked incredible. I saw it on Instagram.

Speaker: Oh, I think that she just did a ah magazine cover for Elle. That's it. that one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. She looked incredible. Oh my God. She, she, I shout out to Lindsay Lohan. Right. the way that she, her career, I mean, we, I don't even think that she, I mean, she clearly has had had some substance abuse issues and things like that, but I want to be really clear.

Speaker: I think everything that she went through was because of the media and how treated her. 100%. The similar, the way that Brittany did. Yep. The media owes a huge apology to her. um I'm so glad that she's she seems so happy so happy and so like in her body and just like I love it for her so much and I would love if she went back to music please yes but Magnet is so good and it's just like such a it's like that pop rock type of like it's just such a good feel Cara Diaguardi wrote and produced it like Yeah. And it's kind of got like an 80s synth vibe to it. Like it's, oh my God. this And this was like a bonus track. It's on streaming now, but when it was first released here or first released, the album was first released in the US, that was not a US.

Speaker: think it was like a UK bonus track or something like that. Yeah. And that's where I found it. And I was like, how is this not on the album? Yes. That was my favorite song. Yeah. I love Rumors, but that's my second favorite ah Lindsay song for sure.

Speaker: But then she's got a lot of, I have to say, she's got a lot of songs in her catalog that I really do like. Yeah, no, she does. Her cover, and I will say this, and it's no shade to Stevie Nicks or anything, but like her cover of Edge of Seventeen, I think is phenomenal.

Speaker: Oh, it's it's phenomenal. The orchestration, the arrangement of it is beautiful. Like she sounds fantastic. That's really Even her cover of I Want You to Want Me is really fun. Yeah, no, she she did that very, very well. yeah and it's and And I think it's like, you know, I hear what you're saying about like me, like, no shade to Stevie Nicks. I know that Stevie Nicks is an icon. Right, right, right. I'm not trying to compare.

Speaker: No, it's just one of those songs, though, that like, like you can't just cover it. right Like, you've got to do it well. And Lindsay Lohan, I think, outdid herself with that cover. Oh, for sure. and Unless I said, like, until I had not heard a good or at least a good or better cover of that song until Miley did it with Midnight Sky. Yeah.

Speaker: Oh yeah. That such a good mashup. Right. yeah But it's like, but either way, like those two, like those are the best other versions that I've heard next to Stevie's. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So good. Lindsay, we love you. Please put out more music, more music and come on the pod. Let's talk about bossy. And the nine, the nine remixes of bossy that aren't on streaming.

Speaker: Cause why it was like Mike Rizzo, Jason Evans. Let me add that to my list. Right? I know. got like I know. I'm like, i think that there was like four different remixers and that each, it was like a club mix and a radio edit and maybe a dub. but Anyway. i love it. See, this is why we need to do that episode. Exactly. Exactly.

Speaker: um Okay. I know I'm never prepared for my own segment. um Songs we don't talk about enough. iy go where but but but um I to go with... So I had texted you the that the other day.

Speaker: Because of this segment, we often talk about different songs that we were like, oh, we wish this was on streaming or wish this was on streaming, whatever. whatever Kylie Minogue put out Tightrope.

Speaker: With no announcement, no just... Just a little like sprinkle. That's it. you go. It's the In Your Eyes single. It has both Tightrope and Good Like That. two so two bonus tracks from the Fever album.

Speaker: Both excellent songs. Tightrope specifically, though, is just this really good, lush dance song. Borderless has ah elements of electronica in it.

Speaker: And I always feel like this is a song that I like to listen to that I feel like when the sun is starting to set, like that yeah kind of the vibe that it gives me. yeah And it's just such a great song on her discography. She had performed it at her auntie tour. Yep. back in like 2015, which was the set of shows that she did where she just did bonus tracks and deep cuts and things like that.

Speaker: um And then she sang a snip of it snippet of this at one of her shows recently. And I think that's maybe why. Because I think that there was a little bit of chatter on the internet, for fans being like, she did tightrope. And so maybe that's why that she just did a little like, here you go. That makes sense.

Speaker: Yeah. So I'm glad that she did. Hell yeah. Yeah. Love tightrope. Nobody has ah bonus tracks and unreleased stuff like Kylie. Truly. like it is unbelievable the amount of unreleased music that woman has.

Speaker: Yeah, it is it is wild. But the amount of B-sides that she used to put out with each album cycle, specifically during the light years and fever and body language periods, I mean, each... Oh, and X. Oh, yeah. like Each of those albums had...

Speaker: Between B-sides and and bonus tracks on various versions of the album. I mean, it was basically almost an album's worth of material. Right. I want to say that I have something like ah nearing like 30 some odd tracks for X or something.

Speaker: Yeah. It's like something really crazy. Like they have so much. ah Yeah, so much. And so, I mean, yeah, shout out to her. And I don't know what what that would ever be like to go to be like, okay, let's narrow this down to an album length.

Speaker: Well, and I'm so curious to see now, like with all of the success that Kylie has had, like, where are we going now? What's next for Kylie Minogue? You know, you' yeah you've woken America up a little bit. What is next for Kylie Minogue? She has alluded to in her own interviews, she has alluded to wanting to go down a more, she was calling it kind of like a 90s house trip.

Speaker: Yes. She had mentioned that she was going to do this for the tour, which she did not end up doing, which is fine. Totally. I'm not i'm not mad. We'll get there. I'm not mad. But it did excite me.

Speaker: Yes. It did excite me. But I think that she would still do that at some point. Yeah, and i think and i think that I think that now moving forward, i she's done the... People have been calling Padam, Padam Electro. I don't know if I would call it that necessarily, but like the club like the club sound ah the of this. yeah she's She's done it now for Tension and Tension 2. I think that it's time to move. I i would love to see a more, maybe an edgier, darker...

Speaker: Doesn't necessarily need to be darker, but like just what I'm thinking of like the ah Brothers in Rhythm remix of Confide in Me. Right. Like the houseier stuff that she did do in the 90s, because that is really in vogue right now. And why not do it?

Speaker: What I need is just the same thing I need from Kylie is the same thing that I've always wanted from Madonna, is I want you to just come up with a bunch of songs that you've written. We know that you write a lot of songs you can get. Biff Standard to help you and all your team and all the same people that that that write music with you. But then for producers, I want each track to be given to a different DJ.

Speaker: Oh, that would be sick. the collaboration. I want it to be the Blessed Madonna. I want it to be Adam Port. I want it to be whoever. like It doesn't matter. like but every I want it to be Hex Hector. I know. And it could be. and it could like Absolutely. like and it But I think that that would be like, you would get a varied album with all different, like imagine Kylie and B.T.,

Speaker: Your brain would explode. Right. Don't right even go there. Like that would be. Right. I just got. See, it's those types of things that I get so excited. Yeah. And I get. And I'm like the magic that BT and Kylie Minogue put out.

Speaker: And here's the thing. It would probably be the most experimental. Because you know what I love about. I mean, I love experimental Kylie. Hell yeah. Impossible Princess. princess But I mean, I bring it up a lot via meme.

Speaker: GBI. German bold italic. I love it. I've always loved it. And the other, their other collaboration, sometimes Samurai, yep like such great music. I would love that her. Oh my God. I'm putting this up. This is going to be the social media clip. BT and Kylie Minogue.

Speaker: I don't know whose dick I need to suck. I don't know if there's a multiple dicks that need to be sucked. I'm, I'm there. i am so there. I am ready. I'm willing. I am complete consent. This is where I, this is where I want Andy from the fire festival to come up.

Speaker: but Right. Yes. I need a collaboration between BT and Kylie Minogue right now. That would be absolutely fucking fire. And I would love, here's what it needs. Here's what I need.

Speaker: The, like the single version will be like a three and a half minute song. Sure. Right. But what BT is so good at is creating an eight to nine minute extended mix of the song.

Speaker: Holy shit. This is going to happen. And we're going to be the executive producers of this. Oh, But I mean, but but she's worked with so many of these types of artists throughout her career. Like, it feels like it's such a wheelhouse. Like, and let's just do it. And instead of waiting for remixes, let's just make the thing the thing.

Speaker: Right, because she sampled a BT song in ah the – it was in the Fever – Kylie Fever tour. It was either for Come Into My World or Shocked. think it was and thing was Shocked.

Speaker: Oh, my God, what BT song was it? It was one of his songs from his 2000 album, a Movement and Still Life. And, yeah, and so, I mean, hello. Let's it happen. Right. I just think that there' is there's – There's a way to do that, which which would be really, really cool. but Yeah. and i was wanted I always wanted a collaboration between Madonna and BT. yeah Oh, absolutely.

Speaker: Because of the remix that he did with Sasha for a Drown World. Well, not even that, but I mean, even like when she put out the, whatchamacallit, as the main version of what it feels like for a girl. Oh yeah, the Above and Beyond remix.

Speaker: Oh my You know, she's dabbled in her tranceness. Yes. So it's like, girl, let's just make it happen. And I mean, she's performing the Sasha remix of Ray of Light on tour, so. Yeah, yeah. And there you go, Z Machine. Right.

Speaker: we Right at the end. Ray of light. Right at the end. Ray of light. Boom. ah Okay. Well, this was... that this We needed this episode. This was... this is We needed a little catch up in the pop zeitgeist because there's a lot. And you know it seems like there's going lot coming our way soon.

Speaker: Oh, yeah. um there's There are rumors that by the time this episode is out, we will know whether or not ah Lady Gaga has performed a new song at this Netflix event that's going on today. um Allegedly, there's a new song being performed that's going to be a part of the...

Speaker: Wednesday soundtrack ah for her cameo, but we'll see. Who knows? That's the rumor on the streets. by the yeah It's going to be a jazz song. Watch.

Speaker: I've got you under my skin. And I'm a hand. I don't know. ah Well, on that note, until next time, everyone, have a blessed day. Bye.