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gloryofroses19 · 3 years ago

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Chemical Reaction

Iron Legacy Chapter 4

Peru, February 2013:

Leaning against a muddy white Jeep Wrangler in sunglasses wearing an olive green sleeveless shirt and black trouser, Druig looked like a model. Then again, when didn't he, Samantha mused as she exited the airport. “You should wear this and only this.”

Laughing, Druig extended his hand to take her floral duffle bag. “Then you will certainly be happy over the course of your stay because the Amazon’s climate isn’t hospitable for much more.”

“Oh, the horror.” Settling into the passenger seat of the Jeep, Samantha enjoyed the site in front of her again. “I’m a little shocked considering it is February.”

Joining her in the car after stowing her bag, Druig leaned over the center console. “Yes, the weather is lovely here.”

Bashfully looking away, Samantha smiled at the hilarity of her attempts at small talk. After months of talking on the phone and time spent together all over the globe, small talk held no space between them. Nerves, however, were still running rampant…

Samantha admired Druig’s profile without shame as he drove down the streets of Peru. “You know, I never pegged you as a man who drives.”

Smiling at her at the red light, Druig took her hand in his. “I don’t have an aversion to driving like you Miss Stark.” Bringing her hand up to his mouth, Druig placed a kiss on the back of her hand.

All Samantha’s thoughts stopped as she watched Druig kiss her hand. Having enough mental capacities to ensure that her mouth didn’t open in shock, Samantha swallowed. Among all the months of knowing each other, their physical contact had been limited. It wasn’t for a lack of attraction because it was no secret that their friendship was not platonic but this bold move from Druig confirmed the plausibility that he wasn’t afraid of their differences.

“I don’t have an aversion! Tony always drives so it’s not necessary!” Samantha teased back as she squeezed his hand after finding her voice.

“Ah, yes how could I forget? How is it that you put it, ‘you’re a man who’s driven’?” Linking their fingers, Druig rested their hands on her thigh, enjoying the warmth of their linked hands.

Two hours later…Druig’s Compound, Peruvian Amazonia:

Petting the brown mare, Samantha felt Druig come up behind her. “I thought you’d enjoy ending the tour with the horses.” Druig commented as he felt Samantha relax against his chest noting how her movement halted for a second sending her golden bangles together with a resounding clink.

With mock offense across her face, Samantha turned around to face Druig. “Just because I’m rich, doesn’t mean I’m one of those bourgeois spoiled brats who had pet horses.”

Druig chuckled while looking unapologetically at her lips before meeting her emerald gaze, “Oh no? You’re telling me you never rode horses in some fancy preparatory school?”

Placing her arms around his shoulders, Samantha licked her lips. “Technically I rode horses for a summer,” Removing her right arm from his shoulder with a jingle of metal, she raised her pointer finger before continuing, “But I quit since I much preferred playing soccer and karate.”

“No, we couldn’t miss that.” Druig began as he took her right hand, stopping to examine the bangles adorning her wrist. “Beautiful bangles” Druig commented as he placed it back on his shoulder and settling his hands on her waist.

Giving them a shake, Samantha smiled at the memory of receiving them. “Thank you, they were a birthday gift from my brother. He’s been working on making the suits more readily accessible and apparently now made them an accessory as well.”

“Beautiful and dangerous seems to be the Samantha Stark brand.”

“You’re forgetting charming and witty also.”

“And humble.” Druig chimed in sharing a laugh with Samantha as she playful squeezed his shoulders.

Basking in each other’s warmth as the sun began to set, Samantha closed her eyes enjoying the final sunrays of the day. “It’s lovely here, I kind of get why you stay.”

“Yes, it is beautiful here.” Never one to squander an opportunity, Druig marveled at the goddess incarnated in front of him. “A bit lonely though” Druig replied with sincerity.

Opening her eyes Samantha meet Druig’s unwavering gaze. The implication of his words hadn’t been lost on her given their current proximity. “It’s okay to say you miss them Druig.” But as a realist, she had to know if he was referring to her or his family considering he told her this was the last place the Eternals were all together.

Failing to suppress his smirk at Samantha’s thinly veiled attempt, Druig decided to set the record straight. “Okay then. I miss you when you’re not around.”

Squeezing her hips following the gasp that left her rosy lips, Druig enjoyed her reaction. He wasn’t an idiot, after their second meeting he knew he met someone special. Someone once in a lifetime considering how many lifetimes he’s had on Earth.

“Druig…” Samantha began before trailing off as her eyes moved between his lips and cerulean eyes.

Leaning into the narrowing space, Druig breathed out her name, “Samantha...”

Hours later…Druig’s Home, Peruvian Amazonia:

“You know, when I agreed to come here I thought it was under the pretense that I would be doing the cooking.”

Looking from the pan of stir-fry to the woman sitting at his kitchen table, Druig continued to stir. “Ah, yes you’ve uncovered my dastardly plans of wooing the Starks with my ability to cook.”

With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Samantha examined Druig from top to bottom. “We both know you don’t need to woo me with your cooking.”

Turning off the fire and coming towards her, Druig smirked. “Bold of you to assume, I was referring to you Miss Stark.”

Sitting back with a knowing smile, Samantha looked out the window. “Ah, so Tony’s finally made it.”

Taking Druig’s extended hand, Samantha relished in the warmth as she stood up. “You know I should be annoyed that you didn’t tell me we were having extra guests over your stay, beautiful beautiful Samantha.”

Kissing his cheek, Samantha enjoyed the flicker of shock that crossed his eyes.“You should have learned by now rhat us Starks stick together. Where there is one, the other isn’t far behind.”

“You’re ruining my grand entrance, Sunshine.” Tony lamented as he spotted his baby sister leaning against the door of a log cabin crushing his hopes of dramatically emerging from the bushes. Pointing to the man holding his sister’s hand, Tony continued. “And you are ruining my baby sister.”

“Mr. Stark, it’s a pleasure.” Druig stood chest to chest with Tony Stark. The sarcasm of his statement wasn’t lost on anyone in the trio. Though Druig wanted to make a good impression considering he knew Tony’s opinion mattered most to Samantha, he wasn’t intimidated by the famed Iron Man.

Rolling her eyes at the masculine theatrics, Samantha moved to hug the final figure emerging from the bushes. “Hi Rhodey.”

“Hey kid, you really know how to pick them, huh?” Releasing her from the hug, Rhodey looked down at the kid he’s known since she was five. “Making me come all the way out here to back up your idiot brother.”

“Like, you need an excuse to do stupid things together. So should we eat dinner?”

Four hours to midnight…Communal Garden, Peruvian Amazonia:

Sitting down, Tony joined Druig on the steps of the church overlooking the communal garden. The sounds of laughter and Spanish were mingling into the night air as Druig and Tony watched Samantha chase the children around the garden.

“She could be yours,” Tony started breaking the silence, “that’s all you ever wanted isn’t it?”

Turning his attention to Tony, Druig noted the lack of malice in his words. Druig now understood where Samantha’s bluntness came from, they were two sides of the same coin. Both keen observers in reading a person and bluntly speaking their minds without hesitation. “She’s a good kid, the best thing I ever did. Everyone likes to call me a saint for taking care of her when our parents died but the truth is, she saved me. She gave a purpose in life and never once gave up on me. She doesn’t know how to give up on people, I worry it could hurt her one day.”

“I’ll protect her with my life.” Druig promised as he turned to the older Stark. Living as long as he had, Druig understood responsibility and obligations. He has seen centuries of men taking care of their relatives as a sworn duty decided by their blood. However, Druig began to realize the way Tony and Samantha cared for each other beyond that. They had chosen each other throughout the years for the beauty of their souls. The notion put a familiar ache in his chest for the family that he lost who had not thought that his heart was worth fighting for. But in a way, Samantha had chosen him and he would not make her regret that decision.

“Don’t underestimate her, she can take care of herself.” With a weighted glance, Tony examined Druig. “Do you know why she’s never been kidnapped?”

Removing his gaze from Samantha helping some teenagers climb a tree, Druig pondered Tony’s questions. “I imagine it is because you’ve always protected her.”

“What? No, do you only listen to Stark’s with green eyes and gremlin tendencies?” Tony rolled his eyes, “If you’re sticking around you’re gonna have to improve on that starboy.”

Nodding to Tony, Druig understood that was the best statement of acceptance he was going to get.

“The reason why she hasn’t been kidnapped yet is because she can kill you herself.” Tony stood and gave Druig a final glance, “Rhodey and I are just the backup.”

Midnight…Guest Bedroom;Druig’s Home, Peruvian Amazonia:

“When was the last time we shared a room?” Tony asked, throwing himself on the bed.

“Technically, we fall asleep in the lab together on a weekly basis.” Samantha replied coming out of the bathroom.

“True, want the floor or the bed?”

“I’ll take the floor grandpa, wouldn’t want you complaining about your back all week.” Catching the pillow Tony threw at her, Samantha moved about the room gathering supplies to make her bed on the floor.

“We could have stayed in a nice hotel and saved us both the pain.”

“Literally, nobody told you to stay the night here and especially stay the night in Druig’s home.”

Placing a hand on his chest, Tony looked scandalized. “And leave you two alone? I’m not an idiot Samantha, you wouldn’t have been using this guest room and to that idea, I say no way young lady.”

Grabbing a pillow and standing up, Samantha moved to smother Tony with the pillow. “Like you’re the symbol of chastity. And have some faith Anthony.”

“I do, that’s why I’m leaving tomorrow.” Tony sincerely replied as he watched the mock anger fade within his sister and confusion settle in.

Samantha joined him on the bed,“What made you change your mind?”

Tony thought of the conversation he had earlier with Druig. He could see why Samantha was drawn to him, Druig had the same optimism about the world covered under layers of cynicism and sarcasm that they both had. He wanted to better the world despite all its faults and was doing it the best way he could. It was something Tony could respect , although he would be damned if he admitted it because nobody was ever going to be good enough for his sister. “He’s okay, albeit still a cult leader.”

“Wow, that's practically a raving endorsement coming from you.”

Shrugging, Tony leaned back against the wooden headboard and took in his sister. He had always been protective of her but now with the Iron Man and Avenger business he understood how rapidly things have begun to shift in the world. She deserved happiness and he could see that Druig gave it to her, despite the startling logistics that loomed between their lifespan differences.

“I see the way his eyes follow you. I’m not happy about this at all but if you want to give it a shot, fine.”

“I don’t need your permission Tony.” Samantha responded, wincing at the angry tone her voice took on. “But, we both know I want it so thank you.” Grabbing his hand, Samantha squeezed it.

“Yeah, whatever. Plus this is more for me than you.” Raising an eyebrow at him, Samantha gave him a questioning stare. “He can take care of you when I’m not around considering he’s the ultimate grandpa and doesn’t die. Did you know he knew Thor and Loki as kids? I bet Loki messed with him which he deserves.”

Gasping at Tony, Samantha punched him in the arm. “Don’t joke about that Tony!”

Rubbing the place on his arm, Tony sighed. “I know you hate this conversation but be realistic Sunshine. I’m not getting any younger and I’m not exactly in the safest line of work. You have to understand that I worry about you if something were to happen to me…”

“Why do you always do this?” Samantha asked rhetorically as she blinked back the tears threatening to spill over. “If you die, I die.”

Gathering her in his arms, Tony rubbed her back as he apologized. “I’m sorry, I love you.” Moving back to wipe her tears, Tony extended his pinky to her. Wrapping her pinky around his, Tony squeezed her pinky in his, “It’s you and me against the world, kid.”

A/N: Feedback is always appreciated!

Taglist: @7minutes-tomidnight , @keziahwrites , @carpediem1219 , @ofrosesandteacups , @bubblyyz , @myguiltypleasures21

Link to Masterlist

#druig x reader #druig x stark!reader #tony stark imagine #tony stark x sister!reader #tony stark x stark!reader #eternals imagine #marvel imagine #eternals x reader #marvel x reader #druig imagine

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anystalker707 · 5 years ago

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Cardboard Boxes

Pairing: Gerard Way x Reader Genre: Angst/Comfort Word count: 1 814 Summary: Gerard and (y/n) are organizing their things when they find not just their things, but also memories

"I told you! I knew that we had more CDs than the ones in the shelves!" I grin pulling some CDs from a cardboard box and inspecting them. "KISS, Led Zeppelin, my Rolling Stones one..." I mutter, setting them back inside the box after checking at least half of them. "We gotta place them back with the others."

"How did they get in here?" Gerard asks and I shrug, placing the box away and grabbing a black folder that lays aside. I swear I've gone through five folders already and none of them have useful contents, all they've got inside are useless papers that I don't even remember why did we keep it.

This one, however, is different. My face lightens up as soon as I see what's inside. "Hey, look at that!" I say getting the papers in hands and foiling it. He shoots me a questioning look before walking over and sitting next to me on the floor. From the papers, I get a picture we took when we had just started the band; there stands Mikey with his bass; Ray, Frank and I with our guitars, Gerard with a mic in hands and Matt with his drumsticks.

When Gerard's eyes land over the picture, they widen and his lips curl open into a grin; he takes it from me. "I didn't even remember we had this!" He brings it closer to his face, analyzing it. "Plain 2002."

"Right?" I ask with a chuckle, moving my attention back to the papers. "A shame we didn't write the date in everything." I comment getting another photo in hands. "Nowadays, we take a step and write down the date and time." He laughs at my comment, handing me back the pic and I give him the one I got. "Look, this one is from when we presented in New York for the first time."

"Why are those here?" He asks, looking at the paper.

"No clue." I say and grab a what seems like to be a page ripped from a notebook or something. It's blank- wait, no, it's just the wrong side. Turning it around, it's seen one of Gerard's drawings. "January 6 2003." I read the date out loud, getting Gerard's attention.

"What? What's this?" He leans a bit towards me, placing his chin over my shoulder.

"Drawing of me." I turn it a bit towards his direction.

"Cringy." He comments, wrinkling his nose lightly.

"It isn't!" I raise my eyebrows at him. "It's precious! Gonna post in Instagram later." I return it to the folder and continue looking through its contents.

"Will you really?" He asks and, without looking up at him, I nod. He whines quietly, leaning his head against mine for a moment before moving away. "Look," He says, holding up a book. "this book Ray gave you in 2015."

"I was thinking about it some days ago!" I exclaim, immediately getting the object in hands and grinning as I foil it. In one of the first pages, there's a dedication Ray wrote. Really cute. Gerard chuckles quietly at my desperate manner, but I just shake my head lightly. "Do you think he remembers about this?" I ask, placing the book over the CDs box.

"Maybe." He tilts his head. "Take a photo of that later and ask him." In response, I raise my eyebrows lightly, nodding.

"Look here," I say handing him another picture. "I couldn't stop laughing while took that one." A chuckle leaves my lips at the memory. "2004 were wild times." I comment and he nods when seeing the picture, chuckling too. There's Frank with his face white because of purposely passing too much powder on his face as a way to mock Gerard in the Bullets tour. He sits with his legs crossed and his hands above his knee, shooting the camera a smug look.

"I can't even find it weird," Gerard comments, "that's basically Frank being himself."

"Yeah!" I agree and get another photo, smiling, "I also took this one that's Mikey trying to look like Doyle Wolfgang. And," My smile grins when I get a photo of Gerard, "you." In the image, he grins as having his hair all over his face. "We could barely see you under all that hair, but you never changed until The Black Parade."

His eyebrows furrow lightly and he pouts as looking at the picture then at me. "It was nice." Raising an eyebrow, I narrow my eyes at him. "At least I liked it." He justifies and I shrug, tilting my head. "Sometimes I kind of miss the white hair, but I then I remember why I hated it."

"Y'know, I can't choose a hairstyle I like the most," I smile, putting on a defeated look, "all of them are awesome and you're always cute." His cheeks redden lightly at my comment and I wink. He rolls his eyes in response. There's a moment of silence as I look through the folder's papers again and Gerard does something himself.

"Do you remember we always watched this?" Gerard hands me a VHS tape box. The Man Who Fell to Earth, it says. "Like, we watched it so frequently that it doesn't even play anymore. We didn't have anything to do? Okay, let's watch the movie again."

"True!" I comment, turning the object on my hands. "We should watch it again. Do you think we can find a DVD or maybe in the internet?" I raise an eyebrow, setting it next to the book Ray gave me.

"Maybe, but I bet it'll be difficult. Or not, nowadays you can find anything." He shoots me a wondering look.

"Not everything; I couldn't find The Anvil by Visage anymore, plus that movie is older than us." I say and he mutters an agreement.

"1998!" Gerard exclaims in a tone that makes me immediately look at him, confused.

"What?" I ask through a laugh.

"This!" He shows me a photo of us together. "When we were in arts college yet." He holds it in front of me and I narrow my eyes, analyzing it.

"Cute!" I smile, noticing we were clearly awkward when it was taken. "Why do we have so much important stuff kept here like this?" I ask as carefully grabbing the photo and placing it between the things I'm not placing back inside the cardboard boxes neither throwing away.

"You get it that we don't touch those boxes since 2013, right?" He asks quietly and I silently agree, getting what he means and not wanting to go further in the subject.

"Smol us in a Metallica concert." I say handing him a picture of Gerard and I in a concert I practically dragged him to. "Here, Frank and I." I give him yet another, where Frank and I stand next to each other and he still had those dreads. "Ray and you." The photo shows Gerard and Ray behind the glass of a studio, both with thumbs up; probably from summer of 2003.

"Do we have this many frames?" Gerard says through a hopeless laugh.

"Damn, I don't know!" Desperation present in my voice as I breathe a laugh too. "No way I'm keeping such important pictures hidden!" I put everything back inside the folder before setting it next to the CDs box. Standing up, I carefully step between all the books and objects thrown on the floor and the open cardboard boxes. One of the boxes has just books and folders inside it, I bend down to take it away from there.

"Look at what I found!" Gerard exclaims and I immediately approach, kneeling behind him and placing my hands on his shoulders. I ask what's it and he simply smiles as showing me a paper with some sloppy handwriting all over it and some small heart drawings here and there.

Furrowing my eyebrows, I take the paper in hands and bring it closer to read what's written, sitting back on my legs in the process. My eyes slowly widen as I understand what's it. "It still exists..." I groan playfully, hiding my face on Gerard's shoulder; I can feel it moving as he quietly laughs. "So cringy..." I sigh, smiling, as reading the paper again. It's a letter, one of the really cheesy ones I wrote Gerard when we were dating. It's not like we lived far from each other or couldn't speak frequently, we were just two idiots in love. Shit, we still are.

"I loved those. Love those." He comments and I smile even more, placing a kiss to the side of his neck and looking over his shoulder, seeing he has a folder in hands now. It's one from when I worked in a instruments store and used to keep the store registers in there plus that's also why it's full of instruments brands stickers. I kept it because of the rare stickers and emotional attachment.

"And yours? Are they there too?" I say in a slightly teasing voice, reaching for the folder. Gerard, however, is faster and moves it away.

"Nuh huh." He looks back at me, twisting his mouth lightly. "If yours are cringy, mine are ten times worse!" His tone is playfully.

"Who cares, Gerard?" I laugh, setting the paper I have in hands aside and reaching for the folder. His crossed legs position is of course a disadvantage to him and I'm able to successfully get the folder in hands, sitting down next to him when doing so. I notice it's kinda heavy when placing it over my lap. Gerard's gaze doesn't leave me the whole time as I grab the letters in hands. I hold up a specific one. "You say it's cringy," I shoot him a bored look, "but those are fucking awesome. Cheesy and cliche as fuck? Sometimes, obviously; but it's so deep and inspiring that they make me want to write too!" His face reddens as his lips curl up into a sheepish smile.

"I tried to write something to match your amazingness." He says flirty, winking.

Not answering at first, I stare at him and finally crack a grin, "Oh my God, now you were cringy!" I exclaim, laughing, "I don't think that exists!"

"I know!" He starts to laugh too and buries his face on his hands.

"God, so cute!" I say placing the folder on the floor and moving closer to him - Gerard's red face comes into view as I pull his hands away. He looks at me with a small smile and I internally melt at the sight. We just look at each other smiling in silence until he leans his forehead against mine and the both of us close our eyes, sharing a silent 'I love you'.

#x reader #gerard way #gerard way imagine #gerard way x reader #gerard x reader #mcr imagine #mcr #my chemical romance #imagine #angst #comfort #my post

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fangirlthings7 · 4 years ago

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BANGTAN SONYOENDAN

BTS SHOWS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER

A beginner's guide to the fandom. Get to know BTS on a deeper level with their performances, guestings and variety/reality shows starting from their debut up to present. I myself is new to the fandom. So, I did some research myself and also with the help of my ARMY friends on what I should watch so I can relate to them. I hope this can help you get to know them as well. Let's take this beautiful journey together! - From your fellow baby ARMY Borahae! 보라해!

2013

061313 BTS DEBUT

Sukira/Kiss The Radio 130629 Sukira/Kiss The Radio 131005 (A/N: Their radio guestings is also a must. Date is in year/month/date format.) After School Club Episode 24 Rookie King: Channel BTS (8 Episodes)

2014

American Hustle Life (8 Episodes) (A/N: You should watch this first in reference on their other guestings because they mentioned it there. MUST WATCH!!! LOL.) Sukira/Kiss The Radio 140301 True Color Radio 140614 Volume Up 140912 BTS on Beatles Code 3D 140401 BTS on Weekly Idol 140430 MNet 4 Things Show 140513 (A/N: The legendary hidden cam of RM.) After School Club Episode 46 After School Club Episode 95 A Song For You 3 Episode 12 BTS at Yinyuetai (3 Episodes) (A/N: Personal favorite. I like how they were treated and welcomed in China.) A Little Dangerous Chuseok Hope Delivery at Love Food Bank Go! BTS (A/N: Their first Kcon in LA. Actual performances are on Youtube, KCON 2014. Jungkook's "International Playboy" line can be seen here.) BTS Festa 2014 (1st Anniv) BTS Now in Thailand Seasons Greetings 2015 Skool Luv Affair DVD Showcase Memories of 2014 (A/N: Includes ARMY 1st Muster, other overseas fan meetings and BTS Live Trilogy II: The Red Bullet)

2015

True Color Radio 150307 Sukira/Kiss The Radio 150505 Changnim's Gayo Plaza 150510 Kim Sungjoo Music Plaza 150521 Love Game Radio 150629 Sukira/Kiss The Radio 150702 Changnim's Gayo Plaza 151220 Hello Counselor (RM&V) After School Club Episode 158 Weekly Idol 150617 After School Club Episode 191 Weekly Idol 151216 BTS on Idol Show My Pet Clinic ( Jimin, V, JHope) BTS: Bokbulbok (5 Episodes) (A/N: This is only short, like 10 mins. per episode. It's available on V Live if you want to watch it with better quality and subs.) BTS Gayo Season 1 (9 Episodes) (A/N: This one is also available on V Live. Episodes are also about 10-20 mins. only. You can finish it right away.) Run BTS! (Episodes 1-10) (A/N: First season aired 2015 so I added it up here. Season 2 was aired later on 2017. This is also on V Live.) BTS Now 2 (Europe and America) Summer Package 2015 in Kota Kinabalu BTS Festa 2015 (2nd Anniv) BTS Undercover Mission: Volume 2 (A/N: BTS Japan Official Fan Meeting like Jap version of Muster.) BTS Wake Up: Open Your Eyes (1st Japan Tour) BTS LIVE HYYH ON STAGE BTS LIVE HYYH ON STAGE JAPAN EDITION At YOKOHAMA ARENA Seasons Greetings 2016 Memories of 2015 (A/N: I suggest to always watch this last because it's long. This one consists of 4 disc. Includes BTS Live Trilogy I: BTS Begins)

2016

Cultwo Show 160512 Cultwo Show 161013 (A/N: This is where fans sent in messages of encounters/seeing BTS in random places. BTS also shared their conception dreams.) Running Man Episode 300 (7vs300) The Boss Is Watching 160202 Star Show 360° 161107 Celebrity Bromance (V&Minjae) (A/N: You can watch it on V Live or Youtube) Celebrity Bromance (Jungkook&Minwoo) (A/N: Jungkook doll. "House was smaller but had more memories." uwu) King of Mask Singer Episode 72 (Jungkook) BTS Now 3 Chicago Bon Voyage Season 1 (Northern Europe) Summer Package in Dubai BTS Festa 2016 (Youtube) BTS Festa Birthday Party (VLive) BTS 3rd Muster ARMY.Zip+ BTS Japan Official Fan Meeting: Reaching You BTS Live HYYH Epilogue on Stage BTS Live HYYH Epiloge Japan Edition (Kayo Nenka on Stage: Epilogue) Seasons Greetings 2017 (A/N: If you're looking for the clip where JK is fighting with a chicken. You can find it here. You're welcome.) Memories of 2016

2017

Cultwo Show 170921 Law of Jungle in Kota Manado (Jin) King of Masked Singer Episode 93 (Jimin) Hello Counselor (Jin&Jimin) Let's Eat Dinner Together Episode 50 (Jin&JK) New Yang Nam Show Episode 1 Idol Party Ep. 11 Please Take Care of my Refrigerator (Jin&Jimin) Knowing Brothers Epidode 94 BTS Gayo Season 2 Bon Voyage Season 2 (Hawaii) Summer Package in Palawan Run BTS! Season 2 BTS Festa 2017 (Youtube) BTS Festa Home Party (VLive) The Wings Tour in Seoul BTS Live Trilogy Episode III: The Wings Tour - Japan Edition BTS Live Trilogy Episode III: The Wings Tour - In Japan Special Edition at Kyocera Dome Seasons Greetings 2018 Memories of 2017

2018

Summer Package in Saipan Bon Voyage Season 3 (Malta) BTS Festa 2018 (Youtube) BTS Festa (VLive) BTS 4th Muster Happy Ever After BTS Japan Official Fan Meeting Volume 4: Happy Ever After Wings Finale (VLive/Weverse) Burn The Stage Burn The Stage Documentary Seasons Greetings 2019 Memories of 2018

2019

Run BTS Season 3 (Episode 57 - Present) Bon Voyage Season 4 (New Zealand) Summer Package in Korea BTS Festa (Youtube) 5th Muster in Korea: Magic Shop 5th Muster in Japan: Magic Shop Love Yourself Tour in Seoul (DVD) Love Yourself Tour New York (Citifield) Love Yourself Tour Europe Love Yourself - Japan Edition Love Yourself: Speak Yourself in Wembley (VLive/Weverse) Love Yourself: Speak Yourself in Saudi Arabia (VLive/Weverse) Love Yourself The Final in Seoul (VLive/Weverse) Love Yourself: Speak Yourself in Sao Paolo Love Yourself: Speak Yourself - Japan Edition Bring the Soul Bring the Soul Documentary Seasons Greetings 2020 Memories of 2019

2020

I-Land Episode 7 Winter Package in Helsinki BTS In The Soop Bangbang Con The Live BTS Festa 2020 (Youtube) Map of the Soul: ON:E Break the Silence Break the Silence Documentary Seasons Greetings 2021

2021

Winter Package in Korea Excluding V Lives and Youtube channel contents. I suggest you also watch their performances at award shows.

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fyexo · 5 years ago

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191220 K-Pop Stars EXO Reflect on How Far They've Come — and How Far They'll Go

As Chen tells Teen Vogue, this year has been “a time for EXO to reflect” on their past, present, and future.

Chances are, even if you didn’t know it at the time, you’ve seen the members of the legendary K-Pop group EXO before. Their musical prowess speaks for itself, but even beyond that, their careers have taken over TV, fashion, celebrity culture, and more in the past year.

Maybe you've seen rapper and multi-instrumentalist Chanyeol, 27, shaking hands with Zendaya at Paris Fashion Week. Or perhaps it was breathtaking dancer and rapper Kai, 25, cracking 7th place on British GQ’s Best-Dressed Men of 2020 list. Or singer and composer Lay, 28, becoming Calvin Klein’s first-ever Chinese global ambassador. You might’ve watched rapper and youngest member Sehun, 25, on Netflix’s detective program Busted, or glimpsed leader and vocalist Suho, 28, waving from the red carpet as an honorary ambassador of the International Film Festival & Awards Macao. These are just a few of the places and memories that stamp the proverbial passport of EXO’s lives this year.

It’s been an equally powerful year musically for EXO too. With two members — Xiumin, 29, and D.O., 26, — currently completing their mandatory military enlistment and Lay promoting in China, the remaining six members of EXO have explored their own individual musical identities in 2019. Power vocalist Chen, 27, released two solo albums that chronicled love and heartbreak through mature, heart-warming ballads, while Baekhyun’s groovy solo album, City Lights, broke the highest monthly sales record for a solo artist in South Korean chart history with over 500,000 copies sold. Sehun and Chanyeol teamed up this summer for the debut of EXO-SC, EXO’s hip-hop sub-unit, while Baekhyun and Kai joined forces to “jump and pop” in SM supergroup SuperM.

As Chen tells Teen Vogue, this year has been “a time for EXO to reflect” on their past, present, and future as they reunite to promote their sixth album Obsession.

It’s December 4th, 2019, and the six members are dressed in thick, woollen, neutral-toned sweaters and trenchcoats to protect themselves from the arctic winds billowing throughout Seoul. There’s a warm camaraderie to their interactions as they laugh amongst themselves and take sips of their iced coffees. The atmosphere feels comfortable and familial, born from an understanding of each other’s mindsets and quirks that has been learned organically over the group’s career.

“It’s been seven years since we debuted and we’ll be hitting eight years next year; that’s a long period of time,” Chen says. His humble, calm demeanor is a balm for the rest of the group who cling to his introspective thoughts. “We reflected on our past journey and tried to make improvements in this new album. It’s been a grateful and fun time.”

This desire to continuously push boundaries both musically and creatively has been at the crux of EXO’s identity since their debut in 2012. Originally split into two groups, EXO-K and EXO-M, EXO performed their shared discography in both Korean and Mandarin in an effort to appeal to two major music markets simultaneously. The groups came together in 2013 to release their debut album, XOXO, and the album’s repackage released later in the year saw EXO’s popularity hit a fever pitch with the funky, dance-pop single “Growl.” Since then, each of EXO’s last five albums have sold over a million copies in South Korea alone, earning them the title “quintuple million sellers.”

The group is not only a staple in South Korea but across the globe too. From performing in front of the world at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics to becoming the first K-Pop group to have their faces projected on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, EXO has stamped their name in the annals of pop history with their devotion toward their music, fans (called EXO-L), and each other. As they’ve matured over the years, that dedication hasn’t wavered.

“In our early years we just played together, whereas now we’ve grown up and matured,” Baekhyun replies. The singer’s personality is brighter than his shining white hair, and he thrives on the reactions to the jokes he makes throughout our chat. “We share a lot about where we’re headed in life, what we want to do for the upcoming album, and discuss how we can come together closer as a team to improve our teamwork.”

That tight-knit teamwork manifested itself in multiple ways throughout this year. From congratulating each other on Instagram like Lay did for Baekhyun’s solo debut to Xiumin and Sehun emceeing Chen’s solo album press conferences, the members have made it a point to support one another with every milestone they achieve, both individually and as a group. It also took center stage as the group embarked on their fifth world tour, Exo Planet #5 – The EXplOration, this July.

Part of the decision to go on tour, according to Suho, is because it makes the fans “happy,” which in turn makes EXO happy; this treasured time spent with fans also one of the reasons why the group worked tirelessly to release their new record in between their jam-packed personal schedules.

“Since the year EXO debuted, we’ve released an album every year. We’ve never skipped a single year,” Suho answers. With attention-grabbing ruby red hair, the leader holds himself with a quiet confidence and classic charm. “Even though it wasn’t a formal promise we made, it’s been a tradition to release an album each year, even if that means we have to make the promotion period short. Everyone’s been having hectic schedules, but it’s very meaningful for us to spend the end of the year with the fans.”

Heavily rooted in the group’s constant state of reinvention, the concept for Obsession sees EXO face off against their evil, superpowered doppelgängers X-EXO. Superpowers have been a common thread that has tied EXO’s music video multiverse together since their debut single “MAMA”, with each member utilizing their own signature power ranging from Chanyeol’s pyrokinesis to Kai’s teleportation abilities. When X-EXO arrives ready to destroy the planet in the group’s music video, the result is an explosive, superhero-style brawl between good and evil that leaves viewers enthralled.

In the lead up to shooting the music video, EXO emphasized the importance for both of their characters to have their own distinct, contrasting identity. While EXO dressed in weathered, straight laced black cargo pants and berets as if ready to march into war, X-EXO celebrated their eccentricities with jewel toned hair colors, white eyelashes, and uniquely cut clothing that bridged the gap between menacing and seductive.

“Our main focus was to draw a big contrast. All of us thoroughly discussed with our makeup and hair artists to bring that contrast, almost to the point of exaggeration,” Chanyeol says. He’s as jovial as his bubblegum pink hair and is openly expressive with his emotions, which light up his face whenever he speaks. “We tried to make X-EXO look very dark. EXO, on the other hand, was the good, righteous EXO like what fans have seen in the past. They came easy and naturally.”

“Like Chanyeol said, we discussed thoroughly with the makeup, hair, and costume team so that you could see the contrast right away,” Kai continues. Conscientious and thoughtful, Kai surveys the older members before answering so he doesn’t interrupt them. “Our attitudes also play a key role because they add to the strong visuals. Since it was a video, we all tried to make our performances convincing. X-EXO showed something that EXO had never done before — something mischievous.”

Amongst the members, X-EXO wins in a landslide over the team they liked the most.

“X-EXO had a stronger visual impact,” Baekhyun explains. “Personally, I wish that we made the plain EXO look cooler. That would have been right, because EXO was supposed to be the revolutionary army against X-EXO! I feel like they were visually weaker; I wish we had expressed more passion as EXO.”

With every album, EXO releases a bold title track that shatters the current K-pop paradigm, like the sinister “Obsession” or the reggae, EDM hybrid track “Ko Ko Bop." The remainder of the tracks on the albums typically allow EXO to explore new genres and make them their own, which range from hip-hop dance tracks like “Ya Ya Ya”, which samples ‘90s vocal trio SWV’s “You’re The One”, to heart-fluttering ballads like “Butterfly Effect."

Kai’s favorite track on the album is “Jekyll," which he loved from the first listen. “It starts off like a sweet R&B song, but the chorus suddenly changes into this shouting, which I think is in line with the duality expressed in the album,” he says. “I immediately thought that we could show a very different type of performance for this song — I can’t wait to perform this on stage and show the fans.”

“I like “Obsession” the most,” Sehun answers. Although under the weather, he makes a point to attend the interview to support his older members. “It was good enough to make the title track, so it’s my favorite.”

Chen picks the dreamy “Groove” because: “I love all the other tracks, but this song made me wonder if I could pull it off when I first heard it because it was such a different genre. It was challenging while recording it, but I love the result. It’s one of the songs that I feel most attached to.”

Chanyeol also fell in love with “Jekyll”, but is also partial to the similarly haunting reggae track “Trouble”. “The song came out to be great; I think we pulled it off pretty well,” he says happily.

“‘Day After Day’ for me,” says Baekhyun. While the other members have been discussing their favorites, he’s been silently exchanging silver rings with Suho. He nicks Chanyeol’s wire-rimmed glasses and puts them up his face backwards, reveling in the laughter he receives. “The song reminds me of a certain type of weather. I like songs that remind me of something — a song with a theme or story. ‘Day After Day’ does that for me.”

“I was going to say the same,” Suho says, shocked. A mischievous grin spreads on Baekhyun’s face. “Stop it,” he teases.

The room is whipped into uncontrollable laughter as Suho jokingly grasps the collar of Baekhyun’s sweater, as if he’s about to wrestle the other singer mid-interview. Suho’s faux fury only makes Baekhyun’s smile grow wider and he lets out a loud ahh, ahh! before Suho lets go.

“It reminds me of rain!” Suho complains, but a smile is working its way across his face too. “That’s because the lyrics have the word ‘rain’ in them,” Baekhyun dryly quips. “Choose something other than ‘Day After Day’,” Kai urges in between laughs. “Day after tomorrow? Two days after tomorrow?” The laughter doubles.

In the end, Suho chooses “Baby You Are." “The song uses band sounds and I really like the sound of the guitar,” he answers, before replying in English: “The intro is the best!” He flashes an assured smile and gives a thumbs up to further prove his point.

“The intro is your part!” Chen lovingly chides. “It’s because you sang that part!”

The most emotional track on the album is “Butterfly Effect," which is a direct callback to the group’s 2013 song “Don’t Go” (which literally translates to “Butterfly Girl”). The song, according to Chanyeol, was selected as a way to thank fans for their unwavering support over the last seven years.

“After viewing the different universes portrayed in EXO’s albums, you’ll be able to see a connection between Obsession and our previous records,” Chanyeol says. “In songs like ‘Don't Go’ and ‘Butterfly Effect’, there are butterflies that resist the Red Force [the canonical evil force mentioned throughout EXO’s music videos] and protect EXO. To us, these butterflies represent our fans, who are always beside us no matter what. They are why and how we exist.”

He continues: “Because of our fans — through their love and support — we are able to overcome any difficulties [we face as a group]. This is probably one of the biggest messages that we wanted to share on this album.”

Prior to their debut seven years ago, the members’ goals for the future were heavily built upon their dream to debut together. Chanyeol recalls that, before they were ever officially called EXO, each member was bonded together by a “common goal to create good music as one” as well as their frequent discussions while training to “work together for a very long time."

“At the time of our debut, we had achieved nothing and everything was up in the air. We talked about working together for a long time, hitting number one on the chart, winning awards, and more,” Kai replies, tone contemplative as he leans closer. “Personally speaking, when we eventually achieved all those goals, I realized, yes, winning awards and being successful is important, but more importantly being able to perform happily as an artist is what mattered the most. There were times when I obsessed over our sales record, stages, and something tangible, but now my goal and dream is to be a happy artist, being satisfied with what I do.”

At the end of Kai’s answer, EXO breaks out into a hearty round of applause. Kai bashfully shines on the encouragement with a soft grin. “He’s like a supervisor,” Baekhyun teases. Chanyeol concurs, “He’s like a CEO!”

Looking ahead, EXO’s goals for the upcoming year aren’t the grandiose, tangible achievements of their youth, but rather to keep the promise they made to each other all those years ago: to make music together for a really long time. “I’m wishing all the members’ health and happiness [in the future],” Chen says.

“Being able to perform for a long time as one, being able to meet the fans for a long time…” Kai reflects. “That’s the most important.”

source: emlyn travis @ Teen Vogue

#exo #suho #baekhyun #chen #chanyeol #kai #sehun #t: info

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dailyexo · 5 years ago

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[INTERVIEW] EXO - 191220 Teen Vogue: K-Pop Stars EXO Reflect on How Far They've Come — and How Far They'll Go

"As Chen tells Teen Vogue, this year has been “a time for EXO to reflect” on their past, present, and future.

As Chen tells Teen Vogue, this year has been “a time for EXO to reflect” on their past, present, and future as they reunite to promote their sixth album Obsession.

Amongst the members, X-EXO wins in a landslide over the team they liked the most.

“I was going to say the same,” Suho says, shocked. A mischievous grin spreads on Baekhyun’s face. “Stop it,” he teases.

“The intro is your part!” Chen lovingly chides. “It’s because you sang that part!”

“Being able to perform for a long time as one, being able to meet the fans for a long time…” Kai reflects. “That’s the most important.”"

Photo links: 1, 2, 3

Credit: Teen Vogue.

#EXO #EXO K #EXO M #191220 #exo im #exo k im #exo m im #p:news #t:news #fs:teen vogue #comeback:Obsession

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katieamazeballs · 5 years ago

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Dancing With the Stars fans are completely shook after hearing news about the upcoming 28th season.

On Wednesday, Good Morning America announced the group of stars and pros who will be competing on the show when it returns to ABC next month. While everyone seemed genuinely excited about the celebrity lineup -- which includes Lamar Odom, Christie Brinkley and Hannah Brown -- others were completely devastated to learn that two of their favorite pros will not be returning.

Arguably the most shocking of them all is Sharna Burgess, who won the mirrorball trophy with TV personality Bobby Bones last season. The red-headed beauty has consistently competed as a pro every season since 2013, when she made her debut with Andy Dick.

ET chatted with host Tom Bergeron just moments after the big reveal, where he told us Sharna seemed "surprised" when he spoke to her recently. "As a matter of fact, I was just texting with Sharna recently," he said. "She was surprised and I was too. But again, that's somebody else's call."

Meanwhile, Sharna took to Instagram to react to the news herself. "As I'm sure you've heard, I will not be returning to @dancingabc this season. I am unbelievably sad to not be back!!!" she wrote. "However, what I can wholeheartedly tell you is that it's all good, ALL love and in this moment I can't help but be grateful for the time and the journey that I've had, the people I've met, the incredible talent I've shared the stage with and the memories I've made. To say the least.. it’s been epic. ♥️ and to have finally won still feels as exciting and special as it did the moment @tombergeron said our names."

"After nearly 9 years I feel like I grew up on the show. I am going to truly miss creating, storytelling and performing for you all, I’ll miss giving the transformative power of dance to the person in front of me, and I’ll miss seeing my DWTS family every day and watching them work their craft in ways that inspire me," she continued. "Though nothing could ever replace my love for the show, there are things coming into my world that I'm excited to dive into now that I have time. Everything happens for a reason ♥️ you know me. I'll share when I can. I have endless love and gratitude for all of you and for everyone at the show. For my fellow pros you light up the stage time and time again, you are what makes the show magical and I can't wait to watch you shine. ✨ And to all 12 of my partners... thank you thank you and I adore you. I’ll be watching and cheering this coming season for all of my fam out on that dance floor!!! Good luck everyone, may this be the best season yet! Let’s go season 28!!! 💋 #dwts"

Naturally, fans immediately took to social media to voice their concerns, urging ABC to "BRING BACK SHARNA."

"Don't worry. She'll be back at some point," one fan wrote in response. "The reigning champ ALWAYS comes back!!"

Another longtime fan shared that she was "nervous" to break the news to her daughter. "She's been waiting all year for @DancingABC just for her! We know you're off doing big things though, Sharna! Happy for you! We adore you big time!"

"No Sharna, no watch," another exclaimed.

Fans were equally torn up about not seeing Artem Chigvintsev, who has choreographed some of the spiciest pieces we've seen on the show (take, for example, any dance he put together for his now-girlfriend, Nikki Bella, during season 25).

"I just want to say how sad it makes me feel not to be part of Season 28 of DWTS," Artem wrote in a lengthy post shared on his Instagram shortly after the announcement was made. "It's been 10 years since I have joined this absolutely, one of a kind, incredible show! It has given me recognition as a dancer, choreographer and a teacher. I have had so many beautiful memories with all of my celebrity partners! They all have shaped me into the person that I am today."

"Special thank you goes to all the people behind the camera who work extremely hard to not only impress our fans but to make our pro dancer's visions come to life. What I will miss the most is working alongside my coworkers, the heroes of the show," he continued. "I want to wish them and their new celebrity partners the best of luck this season! I want you all to make it better than it ever was before! Because our DWTS fans, who mean SO much to me, want DWTS to continue going strong for many, many years to come."

Artem concluded his post with a special message to all the fans: "I want to thank you SO much for supporting me all these years! I simply couldn't have done it without you! Without your love! Without your connection! And most importantly without your support! You all have no idea how much I will miss you all this season! I’m already missing you all so much! Even though this is so hard on me, I will be DWTS #1 fan, cheering you all on every Monday night! Good luck to everyone on Seasons 28! With lots of Love, Artem."

Fans quickly flooded the comments section, sending Artem messages of love and support, like, "Chin up, brother. You're the man!"

"Will miss you on DWTS, it wont be the same but brighter things lie ahead."

A source tells ET that it's not uncommon for dancers to take a season off and then come back for another season, adding that Sharna and Artem will still remain a part of the DWTS family. ET has reached out to ABC and reps for Sharna and Artem for comment.

Aside from Sharna and Artem, the fan-favorite pros we've seen from the past few seasons (like Val Chmerkovskiy, Emma Slater, Gleb Savchenko, Lindsay Arnold and Alan Bersten), are back, along with Peta Murgatroyd making her long-awaited return to the ballroom. There will also be two new pros joining this season -- Pasha Pashkov and Daniella Karagach -- who some may recognize from NBC's World of Dance season two.

ABC entertainment president Karey Burke teased earlier this month during the Television Critics Association summer press tour that fans will be introduced to "really fun format changes" this season. While final details have yet to be revealed, we now know that there will be no troupe for the first time since season 11, and for the first time ever, viewers will have to tune in to the season premiere to find out who their favorite professional dancers will be paired up with on the ballroom floor.

"We have a lot of new people behind the scenes," Tom explained to ET on Wednesday. "A new executive producer. There was a fairly widespread feeling among our viewers and among us on the show that we needed to take a look at things and maybe tweak things a bit."

"So, you'll see the results of those deliberations on Sept. 16," he added. "I don't want to give it all away, but the judges will have a little extra oomph this season."

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itsaloverstory · 6 years ago

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Hi Taylor.....!

I don’t know if you remember me, but my name is Samantha (everyone calls me Sam now) and I’ve been a fan of yours for over 10 years!

3 years ago I made a video telling you my story and you watched it with Abigail. You seriously made my life. Thank you so much for giving me the time and attention that you gave me.

My Rep Tour shows are almost here and I am so excited. I wanted to do a tbt and show you all of the amazing memories I have made because of you.

I was only about 10 years old whe I started loving you and your music.... I looked like THIS:

(This was the exact summer when Love Story came on the radio and my life changed)

When you were touring for Fearless I still lived in Mexico City and because I was so little and depended on my parents to travel, I could not go see you :( as sad as I was, I never stopped hoping to see you soon.

My dream of seeing you came true when I was 13. During one of the hardest years of my life (right when I moved to Miami, changing my life completely) we found out that you were gonna come to Miami! I was so excited. My parents were not on the best place financially but they still managed to get me tickets because they knew how much you mean to me. I am forever thankful to them for that. I had the best time. I danced and cried and truly enjoyed myself.

(This is my little sister, Laura, who has been to all of your tours with me!)

A year after the Speak Now tour I decided that the best thing for my mental health and for my happiness was to move schools for high school (when I told you this in my video you told me you were proud of me for chasing happiness. You have no idea how much that sentence meant to me).

Red came out when I was in ninth grade and that album changed my life. It’s not only my favorite album of all time but also the album that makes me happy when nothing else can. Treacherous is mine and my dad’s favorite song. We always sing it together and LOVE IT.

On April 2013 I got to see you for a second time at the Red Tour. I don’t think I had ever been this happy. I cried SO. MUCH.

Seeing you on tour is my favorite thing in the world.

During my sophomore year of high school (a year after the red tour) I met my best friend Geno @andwetookawrongturn. Everyone kept telling us that we had to meet each other because we’re both Taylor Swift fans. Needless to say, we hit it off immediately and have been best friends for almost 5 years.

When 1989 came out we IMMEDIATELY knew that we wanted to go together. I was a junior in high school and decided to make you the video that you watched. Your response to it truly changed my life and I’m still in complete shock even though it’s been 3 years.

Geno and I ended up going to Miami and Tampa and we had the best time of our lives.

We met so many incredible people at the shows and we truly enjoyed every second of it. I was in complete shock when I told Ali from Taylor Nation my Twitter @ and she knew who I was immediately.

We graduated the a couple of months after the 1989 shows and I decided to take a break in between high school and college and travel with some of my friends from Mexico. It was one of the best years of my life. Geno wasn’t with me and I missed her tremendously.

When I got back, Geno was the one who took a break and we were separated again. However, our friendship is still going strong and I will never be able to thank you enough for bringing her into my life.

The first few months of being back were very lonely and I was constantly sad. When you announced Reputation I was very relieved to have something to look forward to. My life went from being sad to being excited and that’s something that you’ve done many times for me.

Reputation has become one of my favorite things in the world. Seriously Taylor.... that album is literally addictive.

OF COURSE we have tickets to go see you this summer!!!

Also, during the rep era I met one of the most wonderful people I have ever met, and again, she’s in my life because of you. Me and Geno met Samara @samarastormbornswift (you should follow her btw) on Twitter and we are really good friends now. SUCH good friends, that we are going to Nashville together.

Because of you I also met @moonsswift (also, you should follow her) who will be road tripping with us to Tampa and who will come with us to Dallas Night 2 along with @wonderlandwithtaylor! We all met on Twitter and we are SO excited to meet in person!

Taylor.... I love you so much and I am forever grateful for the happiness you have brought me this decade. I hope you know that I will stand by you forever and ever. I really hope the universe decides to be nice to me and get me to you at one of my shows. I would love to finally meet you and thank you for all of this in person.

I will be at:

Tampa: Section 109 Row A seats 14-16

Miami: Section 144 Row 11 seats 1-3

Nashville: Section 333 Row U seats 16-18

Dallas Night 2: Section 332 Row 2 seat 5

I really hope I can go say hi to you :)

Love you to the moon and back.

-Sam

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dailyskyferreira · 6 years ago

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Sky Ferreira Returns With an uncompromising vision and the studio hours to back it up, the enigmatic singer is back with a new single—and a promise that her first album in six years will be worth the wait.

So, what’s Sky Ferreira been doing all this time? Well, for the last 35 minutes or so, she’s been in the bathroom.

“I’m so sorry,” she says when she finally emerges, eyes wet, arms full of winter layers. It’s a late-February afternoon at New York City’s Russian Tea Room, the fabled blini-and-caviar haunt of candy-red banquettes and eternal Christmas ornaments where Madonna once worked the coat check. About a half hour ago, the 26-year-old singer turned up for our afternoon-tea reservation only to disappear in an immediate whorl, as if a czarist vortex sucked her into the basement. What she had thought was an asthmatic flare-up, she now explains, was actually a pretty severe anxiety attack. A panicked twinge remains in her expression, like the distant memory of tasting a lemon. In town from Los Angeles for three days, she tells me, “I’ve been anxious to the point that I haven’t slept at all.”

It’s a nerve-wracking moment for Sky, a pop artist, actor, and model who’s lately been keeping a low profile. This is partly because she seems to find the social contract of the PR exchange stressful, but also because she doesn’t want to suck up all the air before she gets a chance to breathe. “You really can get sick of someone’s face,” she says, as only someone who has loaned their own to Jimmy Choo and Calvin Klein could. “I don’t see the point of doing a bunch of photoshoots or press when I don’t have anything out.”

The fact that she hasn’t had anything out might be the biggest stress of all. Signed to Capitol Records at 15, Sky spent years in teen-pop A&R purgatory—groomed as a naughty-girl-next-door type with mall-Shakira hair and prefabricated singles with names like “Haters Anonymous” and “Sex Rules” (“We are animals/No matter what we deny/Our bodies strong, like magnets” are actual words she sang)—only to have her minders decide she wasn’t worth the trouble and shelve her long-promised full-length debut. Rather than give up, she used money she’d earned modeling and finished the album without their help.

Released in October 2013, Night Time, My Time was a rare major-label triumph of craft over product, a purposeful barrage of seething recriminations coated with ’90s-grunge textures and ’80-pop incandescence. It sounded like “My So-Called Life”’s Angela Chase mainlining John Hughes films and channeling her existential anguish into a record—except Night Time was the vision of a 2010s 21-year-old, and the truths were all hers.

The right people loved it. In the spring of 2015, Sky announced her second record’s name was Masochism and promised its first single that summer. The summer came and went, then the fall, and some winter too. On that New Year’s Eve, she addressed the delay obliquely on Instagram (“I refuse to put out something that isn’t honest”) and promised “in 2016 you will hear it.” In 2016, you did not, and now it’s 2019, and, still, no album. At this point, she can’t post online without some commenters popping up to heckle, “where’s the album sky” or “MASOCHISM!!?” or “still waiting,” like they’re hungry people rage-texting Seamless.

These impatient fans aren’t alone in their enthusiasm. “She’s one of those beautiful, rare people who can probably do anything,” says Debbie Harry, who’s had Sky open for Blondie. “If there’s anybody I would ever be jealous of, it would be her.”

Naturally, all of this—the anticipation, the unfulfilled promises, the time lapsed since her last release—is adding to the pressure she puts on herself. She feels like she has to explain. “It wasn’t by choice.” It wasn’t creative paralysis, nor was it a creative hiatus. “I wasn’t just taking time for myself the last five years.” During that time, she landed a half dozen movie roles, but she says she didn’t decide to focus on acting instead. “I never stepped away from music.” She alludes to vague external hindrances: “I’ve been at the mercy of people the last few years”; “gatekeepers”; “the rug pulled out under me”; a “someone at my label” who undid the generous arrangement she had to work with Kanye West musical director Mike Dean; and the very real issue of a young woman telling men what she wants and not settling for less. Then the labyrinthine nature of her production process is, as you’ll see, akin to playing charades blind-folded while riding a dog, and everyone else guesses with kazoos. Plus, she’s a perfectionist. Obsessive. She’ll do 800 takes. She’ll consider every option—and then she’ll consider it again.

But the primary reason it’s taken so long: Sky doesn’t just want her new songs done, she wants them to be good. By good, she means, executed the way she intended, no matter how long she waited to find the right violinist. Properly mixed so they don’t accidentally sound like pop-punk in the car, because “someone puts some shit on my voice” and she forgot to play them in an Uber. (Sky never learned to drive.) Songs that know their place in the broader pop continuum, not what’s hot on streaming. “I’m not looking for ‘a moment,’” she says. “I’m looking for a career—and real careers, you build them.”

She’s deemed two songs good enough to share with me. The first single, “Downhill Lullaby,” is a five-and-a-half-minute, goth-noir, chamber-pop piece—with strings!—that could have easily closed an episode of the revived “Twin Peaks.” (The association may be deliberate: Sky appeared in the show’s 2017 return, deeply admires its director, David Lynch, and the series’ music supervisor, Dean Hurley, produced the song alongside her.) Another forthcoming track, tentatively titled “Don’t Forget,” is a new wave time warp, a lovely bit of nostalgia therapy for people who were never there—even if it is, according to Sky, “about burning down houses.”

By now we’re settled into a booth, one Sky has selected in the empty part of the restaurant, far away from her manager and publicist, who’ve come along to chaperone. Her natural espresso roots have outrun her hair’s blonde highlights, and her dark T-shirt reads “CHICAGO METAL MANIA.” We’ve managed to order tea by asking the waiter to bring what he likes (a nice, orangey, spicy chai) and then momentarily horrify him when Sky asks if, instead of sending the teeny triangular sandwiches with mayonnaise back to the kitchen (she hasn’t touched them, and mayo makes her gag), we can give them to someone who’s homeless. “I’ll get you the ones without mayonnaise,” the waiter says, taking them away.

“I don’t have a back-up plan,” Sky says. “I never have. I don’t have an education. I don’t know how to, like, play music in the [traditional] sense. I’m socially awkward and stuff—I couldn’t really do a lot of other jobs either,” she says. “Literally, there’s no other option for me. So this has to work.”

There are many Sky Ferreiras. There’s Sky the model, a Hedi Slimane muse who’s walked the runway for Marc Jacobs and perfected a glare so haunted the Bates Motel must be jealous. There’s Sky the actor, who played a key supporting role in director Edgar Wright’s big-studio heist flick Baby Driver, but doesn’t have an agent. There’s Sky the live performer, who battles stage fright, but who also opened a 2014 Miley Cyrus arena tour, fell down an elevator shaft on night three, and still took the stage the next day.

There’s also the Sky here at the Russian Tea Room, whose left dimple comes as a surprise because, come to think of it, you’ve rarely seen photos of her smiling. The Sky who shouldn’t eat gluten because of an autoimmune condition, but doesn’t really tell people about it because it sounds like bullshit. The Sky who’s watched enough “Game of Thrones” to see her pets’ personalities reflected in the show’s characters. (For the record, her cat Egg would be a Lannister, while his brother Squirrel would be from the North.)

This Sky speaks in em dashes. It’s less that she loses her train of thought, and more that her thought train is screeching onto a new track. Sometimes you’re right there with her, but other times you’re watching the conversation from a distance like a detached caboose that just kept going straight. “I know I keep going in circles,” she says, “but my mind kind of always does that—spins.”

You don’t interview this Sky as much as steer her, but first you listen. “I’ve always been really shy,” she says, six minutes in. “I was actually mute for years when I was a kid.”

Little Sky Tonia Ferreira hummed along to the radio before she could talk. Raised around Los Angeles, mostly Venice Beach, her young parents split when she was a baby. Her dad tended bar, sometimes with her in tow, and when his roommates got cable, she devoured MTV. “I always hung out with a lot of adults,” she says. “I was, like, one of those kids.”

Being one of those kids meant she didn’t know how to talk to the kids who knew how to talk with each other. She was bullied constantly. She also had trouble with numbers and spelling—she suspects she’s dyslexic, but never got tested—and for a while, was so unhappy, she stopped talking altogether. “I had really long hair, didn’t speak, and had dark circles around my eyes,” she says, describing herself as a child. “I looked kinda feral.”

As the story goes, Sky’s first-grade classmates didn’t know she could talk until she sang “Over the Rainbow” in school. “As long as I can remember, I’ve felt the most like myself when I was singing,” she says. (Roughly 18 years later, she covered the Wizard of Oz ballad at David Lynch’s Festival of Disruption, and the director still raves about her version, telling me, “It was incredible. So beautiful.”)

She lived with her grandmother, who worked as a hairdresser. One time when Sky was around 7, she sang for one of her grandmother’s clients. Impressed, the man suggested she join a gospel choir. The man was Michael Jackson. So she did. Jackson also gave a 9-year-old Sky some grown-up advice that’s shaped her approach to art and music ever since: “He was like, ‘Don’t focus on things that are just around you—you need to look back to the history of music.’ And that’s what I did.”

Yes, Sky went to the Neverland Ranch—“a lot.” She also went to Jackson’s other houses. No, she didn’t witness anything untoward. “It wasn’t just because I was a girl,” she tells me, a few days before the controversial HBO documentary Leaving Neverland aired. “I was around a lot of kids.”

Yes, she’s grown hesitant to talk about her grandmother’s larger-than-life client—for all the reasons you’d expect, along with a few you might not. Like, that it’s difficult for people to wrap their minds around the fact that the King of Pop could be a formative elder acquaintance in the casually anodyne way of, say, a dancing-school teacher or a little-league coach—someone whose small encouragements could be so big. “I was really quiet, but when someone sees something in you...” she says of Jackson, before abandoning the thought. “I had a connection to him, but I’m not, like, his family.”

Sky has also routinely been asked to account for the bad behavior of men in her orbit. A dominant narrative surrounding Night Time, My Time’s 2013 release was her relationship with indie rock band DIIV’s frontman, Zachary Cole Smith—an ex-boyfriend with whom she was arrested that September. He was the driver of the vehicle in which heroin, ecstasy, and a stolen license plate were found (and someone who’s since publicly acknowledged his struggles with addiction). Throughout that album cycle, the arrest became a more delicious red herring than anything Sky had actually done.

“The thing that’s still so fucked up about that: I didn’t have a drug problem, I dated someone who had a drug problem, I was in a car with someone who had a drug problem,” she says. “No one wants to talk about how my charge got dropped.” And the whole Kurt and Courtney star-crossed mythos that dramatized the headlines around the arrest? Spare her. “I was really young; I wasn’t even 21 yet for most of it. That wasn’t my great love story of my life,” she says, adding, “The people that have treated me so much better—they’re the ones who deserve the attention, not that guy.” (Presumably, one of those people is her current partner, Elias Bender Rønnenfelt, frontman of the Danish punk band Iceage.)

Those who have followed Sky’s personal life could easily read “Downhill Lullaby” as an extended metaphor about a tumultuous relationship: “I can see that you want me/Going downhill too/Going downhill into a lullaby.” But she’s adamant about distancing her songwriting from the egos of her ex-boyfriends. “That’s the one rule I made,” she says. “The one thing that I’ve always had is my music. If someone treated me badly, they don’t get to have that. I don’t want to drag the weight of what they did around forever.”

For Sky Ferreira, time is not a flat circle, but rather a sticky mass of saltwater taffy. She tends to run late, but once she’s present and engaged, she can summon an Iron Man endurance. At the Russian Tea Room, two hours of conversation easily floats into six-and-a-half, and eventually we’re the last diners to leave. Somewhere in this elasticity, she talks about her refusal to give up on the work. “I’ve literally been using my life savings to do this record.” She is not motivated by money—to her, time isn’t money, but money is a thing to buy more time.

This springy relationship with time can make Sky seem almost anachronistic. In conversation, her offhanded pop-cultural mentions span director Todd Solondz’s 1995 cult indie Welcome to the Dollhouse, Courtney Love, the 1980 Loretta Lynn biopic Coal Miner’s Daughter, the 2018 iteration of A Star Is Born, and the cheerful ’60s sitcom “The Andy Griffith Show” (which she concedes, “No one my age knows”). Sky’s reference points, like Michael Jackson once advised, exist within a totality, not a blip.

One of her artistic lodestars glows brighter than the others: When Sky was 13, she discovered David Lynch. “He’s the first person who ever saw the world the way I saw it,” she says. “It was the first time anything made sense.” You can see Lynchian dream logic throughout her work. In fact, the staggering, airy title dirge from Night Time, My Time came to her in a dream. “I wrote it in the middle of the night, half-asleep,” she remembers about the album closer, which was built around a line spoken by the doomed girl at the center of the “Twin Peaks” saga. “Then I woke up the next day and I finished it in an hour. I still have the notes; the handwriting’s all fucked up. ” When she finished the song, she knew the album was finally done.

So Sky’s cameo in “Twin Peaks: The Return” had the meta-ness of astral projection. She played Ella, an enigmatic bar patron who talked about a penguin and flaunted a “wicked” armpit rash. “She played that scene so perfectly,” Lynch tells me. “She inhabited that character and made it real from a deep place. When she scratched that rash, you could really feel the itching!”

“Downhill Lullaby” summons the creeping orchestral gloom of “Night Time, My Time.” A sweeping arrangement in five parts, Masochism’s first single begins with a sashay of strings and an interpolation of the unmistakable squee of the Verve’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony,” followed by a murmuring, angered bass. Sky exhales a numb indictment—“You leave me open/When you hit me”—and amid the layers of kettle-drum thunder and keening violins, there’s seduction and revenge, confusion and queasiness, silkiness and elegance. It sounds like the last thing Daniel Day Lewis’ Reynolds Woodcock hears before the poison takes hold in Phantom Thread.

This habit of visualizing music—Sky does it too. Except for her, it’s the first step of many in the song creation process: “I see it like it’s projected in a movie theater.” “Downhill Lullaby,” in particular, began with a vision of water in darkness. “Lakes kind of terrify me,” she explains, recalling a childhood memory of feeling lost in a Maryland forest that packs a similar unease. “In a lake, by yourself, you look at the bottom and it’s murky and still and you can’t really see anything or feel anything—and if you do, it’s fucking terrifying. It always feels like something will grab you and pull you under.” The eeriness became the foundation for the song.

She likens the ordeal of making “Downhill Lullaby” to Mickey Mouse’s Fantasia turn as the sorcerer’s apprentice. “You know how all the brooms are making a gigantic mess and the water starts rising and rising and rising and rising?” she says. “It was sort of like that: Magical, but at the same time, ‘What is going on?’ And then cleaning it all up.”

Her technique is more like a collagist—one who both scavenges her raw materials and oversees the fabrication—than a traditional songwriter. Conceptually, she works backwards, starting a song with an imagined outline of the final arrangement, isolating each sound element, and then embarking on the oft-laborious task of identifying studio musicians with the time and patience and willingness to conjure each sound individually, so that once she’s gathered all the pieces, she can begin the meticulous process of putting them all back together.

This unorthodox approach to songwriting has led to recurring logistical difficulties for Masochism. Namely, figuring out how to articulate what she hears so that someone who’s not in her brain can actualize it. “Nobody really understood what I was trying to say or wanted to do on paper,” she says. “It was a really long process.”

Sky never learned how to read music and she’s too self-conscious to use instruments that aren’t her voice in front of others. So if there’s an obvious reference point—like a certain note in a ’90s-radio staple she wants imitated—she’ll play that for her collaborator. But when there’s not, she’s often like a conductor asking to summon a mood.

In the case of Danish violinist Nils Gröndahl, who recorded all the strings on “Downhill Lullaby,” she recalls telling him: “‘Play it as if you’re one of the birds in Snow White, singing underwater, while slowly being suffocated by plastic.’” And you know what? In the end result, it’s easy to hear all that.

Additionally, Sky is even more particular about her final mixes. She will only be satisfied after she’s evaluated her song in seven different listening contexts: a car stereo; a smartphone with “regular” headphones; a smartphone with Apple earbuds; a smartphone’s built-in speaker; on a laptop; through “really bad, bad computer speakers—like the ones that came with Dells back in the early 2000s”; and the lush splendor of the studio, which is a personal luxury because, as she notes, “most people aren’t gonna listen that way.”

And she goes through this convoluted course of action for every song. It’s no wonder Masochism has taken so long. Says Sky, “I’ve accepted this is how I work and stopped feeling bad about it.”

Two Fridays after her insomniac New York trip, Sky is on the line, self-confidence restored, completing a high percentage of her sentences. Earlier in the week, she received the “Downhill Lullaby” master, immediately dropped her phone and shattered its screen, so now she’s on speaker. “I was like, I hope this isn’t a metaphor?” At least she’s laughing.

As for Masochism. She tells me she produced most of it herself, wrote with Los Angeles-based dream-pop artist Tamaryn, and worked with Ariel Pink collaborator Jorge Elbrecht. The proper album is coming, Sky swears, almost positively in 2019. Granted, she said the same thing last year—and the year before that and the year before that and the year before that—but this time, she has finally loosened her grip on some songs.

“Downhill Lullaby” may sound like dying Disney birds and “Don’t Forget” may be electro-pop arson, but Sky promises “more poppy” songs on Masochism too, as well as more “abstract,” orchestral stuff. “It’s very big, but also very violent,” she says, half-chuckling. “But not all the songs are super-dark.” Beyond that—the number of songs, tracklist, other credited collaborators—who can say? Sky can’t yet. She has some songs in mind she’d still like to write.

#sky ferreira #2019

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shefanispeculator · 5 years ago

Link

October 2016

Blake Shelton has reached a milestone in album sales that not many artists have reached, 10 million!

Blake wrapped up his 2016 tour last weekend with a two-night stay at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Music Row reports that Warner Music Nashville executives and Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) members flew in to surprise Blake backstage with a plaque commemorating the huge sales milestone.

The photographer hired to take pictures at Blake’s meet-n-greets captured a picture of the presentation and shared it on his Facebook page that you can see below.

One more picture that I made Last Friday when I was hired to photograph backstage at the Blake Shelton concert at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Two members of RIAA surprised him with a plaque to commemorate 10 million albums sold. Blake is one of only five country male artists who have 10 million or more album certifications in the last 15 years. Blake truly was surprised, happy and a bit emotional. #photography #photographer #memories #livemusic #records #country #brooklyn #blakeshelton #thevoice @blakeshelton @warnermusic @riaa_awards @jewelboxplatinum @gwenstefani

otice that the photographer reported that Blake was truly “surprised, happy and a bit emotional” about reaching the milestone and receiving the plaque.

The plaque appears to include all ten of Blake’s studio albums; “Blake Shelton” (2001), “The Dreamer” (2003), “Blake Shelton’s Barn & Grill” (2004), “Pure BS” (2007), “Startin’ Fires” (2008), “Red River Blue” (2011), “Cheers, It’s Christmas” (2012), “Based On A True Story…” (2013), “Bringing Back The Sunshine” (2014) and “If I’m Honest” (2016).

Blake joins an elite list of male country artists to reach the 10 million sales mark that includes only four others in the past 15 years.

Congratulations to Blake Shelton on reaching the RIAA 10 million album sales certification!

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hedwigencyclopaedia · 6 years ago

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David Bowie (Pt. 2)

“There’s old wave. There’s new wave. And then there’s David Bowie.” [1]

After his brief foray into “plastic soul” with 1975’s Young Americans, Bowie released Station to Station— the first in a string of albums heavily influenced by both contemporary German musical artists like Kraftwerk and Neu!, often referred to as krautrock, and German philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche. [2] Bowie was no stranger to philosophical references in his work, having previously referenced Nietzsche’s works with “Oh! You Pretty Things,” “Quicksand,” and “Supermen,” all off of 1971’s Hunky Dory. [2, 3]

Station to Station introduced the Thin White Duke persona; a character he later referred to as “a nasty character for me.” It was during this era he made controversial comments referring to Hitler and had the infamous incident at Victoria Station that took what was meant as a wave at the gathered crowd and alleged it to instead be a Nazi salute. He had also been detained in Poland for having Nazi paraphernalia. [4]

Having picked up Iggy Pop on his Isolar Tour, David took a short break from producing his own music to help Pop produce his first solo album The Idiot (1977) and to an extent workshop the new sound he had wanted to explore. They headed to Switzerland to create the album with Iggy often “scribbling lyrics” while David and the other musicians worked at crafting the sound of the album. [1]

For Bowie’s next album, he picked up frequent collaborator and producer Tony Visconti as well as newcomer Brian Eno to work on the first of what would become known as the “Berlin Trilogy” or the “Berlin Triptych” in Low (1977). Although known as part of the Berlin Trilogy, work on Low started at the same Swiss chalet that had seen the creation of The Idiot. The move was partly inspired by Bowie’s larger goal to get himself and his friend off of their respective drug addictions and largely to give them both a new mindset away from the fame, fans, and record labels they faced in either the US or the UK. After its completion, Bowie sent a copy of Low to Nicolas Roeg with a note stating “This is what I wanted to do for the soundtrack,” referring to The Man Who Fell to Earth, the film they had completed the previous year and for which Bowie had initially been promised he’d be able to write the soundtrack. [1]

The release of Low was delayed by Bowie’s record label RCA not caring for half the album being instrumentals and the critical reception — what little there was due to a lack of promotion — was mixed to the point that over the years, it was referred to as almost entirely negatively received upon release. [5]

Bowie’s next album, “Heroes” (1977) expanded on the themes explored in Low, distilling and blending them into the next phase of his career. Recorded ‎at Hansa Studio, which overlooked the Berlin Wall, it loosely used the same format as Low with more accessible lyric songs on Side A and instrumentals making up the majority of the B side. Furthering the similarities, both albums featured use of the “cut-up technique” of writing in which an author takes a poem or written work and cuts it up, rearranging the pages to form an exquisite corpse. [1, 6] Where it differed was while Low’s lyrics were largely inspired by Bowie’s life and current troubles, “Heroes” was considered as a whole to be a less personally inspired project and heavily informed by the culture, history, and “essence” of Berlin. [1]

Bowie continued his experiments not only with sound techniques, but recording and writing styles with the final album in the Berlin Trilogy, Lodger (1979). In writing it, he used techniques such as having his band switch instruments to create a more “garage band” “just learning their instruments” feel for “Boys Keep Swinging,” playing chords from “All The Young Dudes” backwards to create new song “Move On,” reusing the musical track from Iggy Pop’s Sister Midnight, from Bowie-produced The Idiot for “Red Money,” and taking further inspiration from producer Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies cards, which Eno had introduced while he, Bowie, and Visconti worked on “Heroes.” [1]

Going into the 80s, Bowie was determined to have a hit record. [5] Despite previous fame and relative successes, Bowie wanted to not just be a hit artist; he wanted to be the hit artist. And with his divorce from Angela and his split from MainMan officially finalized, now was the time. The next album, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980), reached #1 on the UK charts going platinum [7] and #12 in the US. [8]

The follow up three years later, Let’s Dance (1983) outdid its predecessor, both reaching #1 in the charts and going platinum in both countries. [7, 9, 10] The supporting tour, the Serious Moonlight Tour had the distinction of selling out every one of the 96 shows and being one of the largest shows of the time. [11]

The two subsequent albums Tonight (1984) and Never Let Me Down (1987), offered diminishing returns in terms of chart performance [12, 13] and critical reception, with Bowie later disowning Never Let Me Down saying in 1995 “My nadir was Never Let Me Down. It was such an awful album. … I really shouldn’t have even bothered going into the studio to record it. In fact, when I play it, I wonder if I did sometimes” [13] and later in 2002 “There was a period when I was performing in front of these huge stadium crowds and at that time I was thinking 'what are these people doing here? Why did they come to see me? They should be seeing Phil Collins'…And then that came back at me and I thought 'What am I doing here?” [14]

In 1987, as part of the Glass Spider Tour, Bowie had one of the most profound experiences of his touring career while playing a stage that butted up to the Berlin Wall. The sound from the fans on the East side singing along was so loud that Bowie could hear it about the din of his own concert. Part of the concert lives on on YouTube as well as a clip of David’s speech in German addressing both sides of the Wall. The influence of this show was acknowledged by the German Foreign Office in 2016 after Bowie’s death with a tweet reading “Good-bye, David Bowie. You are now among #Heroes. Thank you for helping to bring down the #wall” and linking to a live performance of David performing the song. [15]

As the 80s came to a close, Bowie chose to take some time away from his solo career and formed the band Tin Machine with Reeves Gabrels, and the brothers Hunt and Tony Sales.

He married his second wife, Somali supermodel, philanthropist, and entrepreneur Iman, twice in 1992; the first in a private ceremony and the second in a lavish ceremony in Tuscany. According to David, he was already naming their future children the night he met her. [16] His next album Black Tie, White Noise (1993) was as much a wedding album as it was a reflection of the things currently going on in his life from being in LA when the Rodney King riots started to the death of his beloved half-brother Terry and was a distinct return to “eclecticism” over marketability. [17]

The nineties continued the theme of “eclecticism” with 1995’s Outside, an exploration into the budding industrial movement framed by a murder mystery in support of which he toured with alterative/industrial band Nine Inch Nails [18], 1997’s Earthling, which examined electronic music, and 1999’s hours… which while more conventionally mainstream than its two predecessors in tone, was less well received. [19]

Between albums, Bowie was expanding his horizons beyond his music and film careers such as 1997’s release of Bowie Bonds, an early return for him on future earnings that was presented as an opportunity for the bearer to receive a 7.9% return on their investment [20]; BowieNet, a dial-up internet service provider that also gave subscribers exclusive content and a BowieNet email address [21]; and Omikron: The Nomadic Soul, a futuristic video game that featured songs from ‘hours…’ and featured David and Iman’s voices and likenesses. [22]

Bowie also had started work on Toy which would become his first unreleased album since The Man Who Fell to Earth soundtrack had been scuttled in the mid-70s. Some of the tracks from Toy ended up on his next album, 2002’s Heathen. [23]

His last album before taking a ten year hiatus was Reality (2003) During the supporting tour, he had a lollipop thrown in his eye, (later memorialized in a self portrait) [24], and had the heart attack that stopped him from touring his own music outside of occasional guest appearances with other artists such as David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and at events such as Fashion Rocks in the US. His last live performance was at a benefit for Alicia Keys’ Keep a Child Alive campaign where the pair sang a duet of Bowie’s song “Changes.” [25]

In 2013, he ended his hiatus with the unexpected release of The Next Day, the cover art for which featured a large white box overtop of the iconic “Heroes” album cover. The same year, he partnered with the Victoria and Albert museum in London to exhibit the David Bowie Is collection that later that year began a world tour with stops in Chicago, Paris, the Netherlands, Melbourne, and ending at the Brooklyn Museum on July 15th. [26] A digitized version of the collection became viewable on January 8th 2019 with the David Bowie Is app with narration by Gary Oldman. [27]

Despite the album reaching #2 on the US charts [28] and #1 in the UK [29], producer Tony Visconti said that Bowie had no intention of touring the album [30], a comment that music magazine Pitchfork chose to run with to mean that Bowie would never tour again. [31] Regardless of the intent of the statement, Pitchfork ended up being correct in saying the Bowie would never tour again.

In 2017, Bowie’s long standing ambition of writing a musical was realized when Lazarus opened in New York. Following what happens after The Man Who Fell to Earth, the plot sees lead character Thomas Jerome Newton in the modern day having not significantly aged since the events of the original story. Its composition took inspiration more the original novel by Walter Tevis than from Bowie’s role in the 1976 film. [32]

Bowie’s last album was released January 8th 2016, two days before his death from terminal liver cancer. ★, pronounced “Blackstar” incorporated some of the new songs Bowie had written for Lazarus with originals. Recent successes, past fame, and his very current death made sure that Blackstar placed #1 in 24 different countries including the US, UK, and Germany. [33]

After his death, Bowie was honoured not only with fan memorials and tributes, but with official plaques in Berlin and around England noting places of “historic significance.” [34, 35]

[1] Bowie in Berlin by Thomas Jerome Seabrook. 2008.

[2] David Bowie and Philosophy by Theodore G. Ammon. 2016.

[3] http://loudwire.com/songs-inspired-by-german-philosopher-nietzsche/

[4] https://www.thedailybeast.com/on-race-david-bowie-delved-deep-into-the-darkness-and-came-back-human

[5] Starman by Paul Trunka. 2011. Advanced Galley.

[6] https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2010/apr/13/construct-exquisite-corpse

[7] http://www.bowiewonderworld.com/faq.htm#m09a

[8] https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2017/9/24/anciant-album-focus-scary-monsters

[9] https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=david+bowie#search_section

[10] https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8457017/david-bowie-no-1-hot-100-1983-chart-rewind

[11] http://www.electricmud.ca/2018/david-bowie-toronto1983/

[12] https://www.billboard.com/music/david-bowie/chart-history/billboard-200

[13] https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/how-david-bowies-biggest-disappointment-became-a-posthumous-reworked-album-702189/

[14] David Bowie interviewed on Jonathan Ross, June 29th, 2002.

[15] https://twitter.com/GermanyDiplo/status/686498183669743616

[16] http://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-bowie-black-tie-white-noise/

[17] http://ultimateclassicrock.com/david-bowie-black-tie-white-noise/

[18] https://www.revolvermag.com/music/see-david-bowie-sing-hurt-nine-inch-nails-1995

[19] https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/881-hours/

[20] https://web.archive.org/web/20130620051917/http://www.commodityonline.com/news/david-bowie-bonds--ip-securitization-1896-3-1897.html

[21] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/11/david-bowie-bowienet-isp-internet

[22] https://www.polygon.com/2016/1/11/10749686/david-bowie-omikron-nomad-soul-david-cage

[23] http://www.davidbowieworld.nl/mijn-bootlegs-2-2/bbc/attachment/david-bowie-toy/

[24] https://twitter.com/dark_shark/status/692853482512977921?lang=en

[25] https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/inside-david-bowies-final-years-237314/

[26] https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/davidbowieis

[27] https://www.davidbowie.com/blog/2019/1/8/david-bowie-is-virtual-launched-today

[28] https://www.billboard.com/music/david-bowie/chart-history/billboard-200/song/775880

[29] http://www.bowiewonderworld.com/features/thenextdaycharts.htm

[30] https://www.spin.com/2013/01/david-bowie-producer-the-next-day-album-details/

[31] https://twitter.com/Tonuspomus/status/289810690338856960

[32] https://lazarusmusical.com/about

[33] http://www.bowiewonderworld.com/features/blackstarcharts.htm

[34] https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/aug/22/david-bowie-berlin-plaque-commemorates-singers-time-in-city

[35]

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jun/15/david-bowie-three-blue-plaques-bbc-music-day

General Resources:

https://www.davidbowie.com/about/

#david bowie #david bowie pt 2 #d

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fearlessafterglow13 · 6 years ago

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I don’t normally ever write long posts or any posts at all really but I just want you to know how much you mean to me and I love you unconditionally, you bring so much happiness into my life and I just need you to know, so here goes…

My name is Paige, I am 23 years old and I have been a fan since forever! I can remember the very night I was introduced to you, back in the days of Bebo I had an online friend who told me I should give you a listen, so I did, and that was the night things changed. I went onto youtube and searched for Taylor Swift, now I can’t remember which one I picked first, but I know I definitely watched the video for Picture To Burn and Our Song as I have those videos burned in the back of my mind, I was hooked.

Fast forward to 2008 when Fearless was released, I was so excited for this album, I have vivid memories of being on vacation in Disney World, Orlando and on the first night we went to Downtown Disney (or Disney Springs as it is now) and I dragged my parents to the Virgin Music store that used to be there, and I searched high and low for the album, eventually my dad called me over and there in his hand was the masterpiece! We spent the rest of our 3 week vacation with Fearless on repeat! I can remember being in the hotel room listening to Radio Disney and they played White Horse and I got off the bed and stood in front of the TV just belting the words out, but the best part was the fact that my mom and dad were singing along too!!

2009 was the beginning of an incredible journey. My dad came home one night from work, and told me he’d managed to get tickets to see you in London, I was so excited!! May 6th 2009, Shepherds Bush Empire in London, there was me, my dad, my mom and my childhood friend, we had seats literally at the back on level 3, I was a little disappointed but that didn’t stop me from having the time of my life! I said this was the beginning of an incredible journey because 6 months later in November, I saw you again at Wembley Arena, this time my friend and I had floor seats, and my mom and dad had seats further back. I can remember being in awe, there is nothing like being at a Taylor Swift concert.

2010 was the release of Speak Now and I had that damn album on repeat for weeks! I drove my friends and family crazy!! So Speak Now World Tour tickets went on sale and I wasn’t sure whether I was going to go, as much as I love concerts and seeing you perform I just couldn’t decide whether to go or not, even though you were coming to Birmingham, UK which is the closest city to me. About a month before the concert, I was with a group of friends and we all agreed that we wanted to go, so that night we booked tickets. The show was incredible as always and my friends gave me the funniest looks when I was the only one singing along to anything from before Speak Now!!

2012 was a rough year for me, I’d started Sixth Form in Septemeber 2011, after being at the same school for about 13 years with the same people, it was time for the big move. I hated every minute of it! However I can remember the release of RED and how exciting it was. I had it playing every morning on the bus to college and on the bus home. Now 2013 when tickets for the UK leg of the RED tour went on sale… I was there ready and waiting at presale but no luck, I was gutted, but I gave it another go during general sale, but again no luck. Then you added extra dates… which meant I had another chance, and I did manage to get 2 tickets on the floor, I was over the moon! I had originally planned to go with my boyfriend at the time, but unfortunately we broke up in the January, so I ended up taking my dad, which was a bonus because he’s incredible and he loved your music! So February 10th 2014, me and my dad made our way down to London, to the O2. We got to our seats and I was so so happy, they were so close! I remember seeing Andrea walk past but people were swarming her for photos so I stayed in my seat. During 22 when you got carried by your dancers, you went right next to me and I touched your hand and I think I died in that moment!

Now lets fast forward to the release of 1989, I was at a completely different stage of my life at this point. I’d left education, had a completely new group of friends and I actually socialised. So anyway I fell in love both with the album and with a boy. In fact I took him to Dublin with me to see you, and he actually enjoyed it more than he wanted to!

But before that I saw you in Manchester with one of my best friends, who would have no idea who you are if it weren’t for me, not that I’m taking all the credit! Honestly it was one of the best nights ever, we just had the time of our lives and I will cherish that night forever because it was so nice to share it with someone so special. Just like Dublin. December 2014, you performed at the O2 again for Capital FM’s Jingle Bell Ball, I was there, and you were amazing, even though you were sick!

I saw you again 3 years later, at the Jingle Bell Ball in 2017, I travelled all the way down to London even in the horrendous snow, which my mom was not happy about, she was so worried! But it was so worth it!!

This now brings us to reputation, again, I am in a completely different stage of my life, I have been through so much, and one day I hope to be able to relate to “I’m doing better than I ever was” I definitely believe I’m on the right track. So I have a different group of friends in my life now, I wouldn’t even call it a group. I have a handful of friends, but I prefer it this way. Over the years I have been to many concerts and over time I started going on my own, which brings me to the rep tour, I travelled to Swansea to see you at Radio 1′s Biggest Weekend! I then travelled to Manchester to see you both nights on my own, however I did meet some incredible people! I then saw you at Wembley night one, and honestly I died when you sang So it goes, it is my favourite off the album! Now remember when I said that seeing you in London in 2009 was the start of an incredible journey? well here’s why, Today is July 31st, which means in two weeks you’ll be performing in Tampa, FL and I will be there! I’m travelling on my own all the way to see you! I’m honestly so excited!! And the best part is that I’ll be doing it all over again in Nashville! I’m literally flying in the day before the concerts and flying home the day after, some people may think I’m crazy, but honestly nothing makes me happier than watching you perform, and being able to do that in two of my favourite places is just going to be incredible!!

So I guess I’ll be seeing you soon!

TAMPA - Sec K row 32 seat 1

NASHVILLE - Sec P row 32 seat 13!

P.S. Tampa will be my 13th show!!

@taylorswift

@taylornation

#taylor swift #reptournashville #reptourtampa #rep tour tampa #rep tour nashville

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mytimemywinemyspiritmytrust · 7 years ago

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Dear Taylor, Love Eloise 💕

Dear Taylor, I have always told myself the very first thing I would say to you is thank you. I’m so excited to see you again at Croke Park in Dublin (🇮🇪☘️) June 15th and 16th. I managed to score seats at Lower 303 Stand Row Y Seat 13 (!!!) and 14. I also snatched tickets for Dublin night #2 at 718 row A seats 4 & 5.

To see my signs and outfit for tour please click here 💛

I’ve been a fan for over seven years. If I listed all the reasons to say thank you to you from over the years this would turn out to be a very long letter. Your music has entered my life at various points and become a light at the end of the tunnel that I thought was never-ending. The pain of losing someone is soul crushing, the pain of betrayal and point blank ignorance stung more than I thought it would and sent me on a very nasty spiral downwards. Every day I walked the corridors, waiting for the final bell and with my headphones firmly plugged in and your voice blasting through their speakers. It was a welcomed distraction and helped me to tap into strength that I didn’t even know that I had… and I found the end of the tunnel.

The power of music has always left me speechless and it is why I have immensely enjoyed supporting you over the past seven years. One of my very first concerts was to your Belfast show for the Speak Now tour in 2011 where my mum and I screamed and danced to every word.

We traveled to London in 2013 to see you perform for the Red tour (and nearly died of excitement when Ed was the surprise guest - thank you for bringing him!). It has always amazed me how, completely unknowingly, you have showed up just in time. The show created important memories that became a weapon in my arsenal in the next few months when it felt like I was in the middle of a hurricane.

For 1989′s release we had a meet-up in Dublin to celebrate and put a few photos on instagram, not thinking anything of it… and you liked them!

In 2015 I managed to go to three 1989 shows. One in Glasgow and two in Dublin. My mum came with me to Glasgow. We had so much fun, you put on an incredible show as always. We had ourselves wrapped up in fairy lights and looked like human Christmas trees.

For the first show in Dublin I met up with some of the #IrishSwiftieSquad and we queued for hours and hours to get front row - but the venue had oversold the pit and we ended up a few rows back! We all had a fantastic time and we got to take part in the ‘We ♥️ Mama Swift’ project too!

On the second night, it was a family event and we that decided that we’d get ourselves to the barrier. So we queued for countless hours again, in the blazing heat (a rarity for Ireland!).

We managed to get barrier and I was literally shaking with a mixture of exhaustion and excitement. It, to this day, was the best show I’ve ever been to. Thank you so much for coming back to Ireland ☘️

We had such an incredible night. I still can not believe it was real. I feel so lucky to have been able to see the 1989 tour so close.

Reputation’s release came with an honorary photoshoot with my cat (who was incredibly unimpressed).

*reputation tour memories pending*

The likelihood of this ever reaching you is slim and the likelihood of getting to say some of this to you in person is slimmer again. But in the off chance you see this, I would just like to say thank you. There are so many words that are left unspoken that I just do not want to put on the internet. But you have been there so unknowingly and always right on time when, in hindsight, I needed it the most. And for that, I will support you fiercely no matter what comes our way.

I cannot wait for the memories the reputation tour is going to bring. I cannot wait to hold on to them as dearly as I have to the ones before. I cannot wait to dance and sing to every single word without a single care of how mad I look to the people around me. I cannot wait to share the night with my best friend.

Most of all, I cannot wait to spend my weekend with someone who, although I may be one face among many in such an insane and incredible crowd to, has never once made me feel like a stranger.

Thank you, Taylor. I’ll see you soon.

All the love,

Eloise x

#reputation stadium tour #reputationstadiumtour #reputationstadiumtouruk #reputation stadium tour uk #reputationstadiumtourdublin #reputationstadiumtourireland #reputation stadium tour ireland #reputation stadium tour dublin #operationtaylormeeteloise #reptourdublin #rep tour dublin #rep tour #reptour #rep room #reproom #rep Tour Dublin #repTourDublin

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yankbarry · 3 years ago

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Philanthropist Yank Barry Donates Meals to the Philippines

Among the many international humanitarian advocates who have made generous donations to the Philippines is philanthropist Yank Barry, head of the Global Village Champions Foundation (GVCF), which he co-founded with boxing legend and long-time friend Muhammad Ali in 1995. Ali was Goodwill Ambassador of the Foundation for 20 years.

Barry has been donating to the Philippines for the past two decades. He has already donated over 100 million documented meals to the country; as well as two million meals to Typhoon “Yolanda” victims, including 120 tons of rice.

On Jan. 15, GVCF along with Jeunesse Kids and Barry brought in a 40-foot container carrying Vita Pro Food pails, which were distributed to needy Filipinos.

Supporting GVCF in the Philippines are Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez, Cesar Montano and Richard Gomez. Mother Joan from the Sisters of the Poor Convent in Naga City will be distributing the meals.

It was in March 2013 when Barry last visited the country, during which he, along with GVCF Goodwill Ambassador Evander Holyfield and Filipino-American producer-director Ace Cruz, visited boxing champ and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, who is also now among GVCF’s Asian Goodwill Ambassador.

Incidentally, last Jan. 25, Barry reunited with his former rock n’ roll band The Kingsmen via a concert at the Circle Square Cultural Center in Ocala, California.

It was the first time in 40 years that Barry performed with the band, where he was lead singer from 1968 to 1970. The Kingsmen, who popularized “Louie Louie,” still tours.

“That song (‘Louie Loiue’) and this band bring back so many great memories,” said Barry, who has been twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his worldwide humanitarian efforts.

Barry joined current and original band members Dick Peterson, Mike Mitchell as well as Todd McPherson, Kim Nicklaus and Steve Peterson as the “surprise” guest in the concert.

Barry sang hits such as “Louie Louie” and “Money (That’s What I Want).”

“Members of the band have gone their own ways over the years, but it was great to be together again at the Circle Square Cultural Center for this long overdue reunion,” said Peterson.

“It’s great to see what Yank has done since his time with The Kingsmen,” said Mitchell. Since leaving the band, Barry has built a food empire. He is giving back and fought hunger through GVCF, delivering over 961,000 meals to those in need around the world.

Barry and the GVCF team have also taken their philanthropy a step farther. They recently freed more than 50 Syrian refugees in camps in Bulgaria and set them up in a renovated hotel that Barry pays for.

Barry also takes care of the refugees’ food, healthcare and education, essentially setting them up for a new life in Bulgaria without ever putting a burden on the country or its people. CNN, Reuters, Agence France Press, Jerusalem Post and others covered the story.

As a result of his ongoing fight against hunger, Yank Barry has received nearly two dozen awards since 1995, highlighted by the Gusi Peace Prize for Social Services, Philanthropy, and International Humanitarianism in Manila, the India Humanitarian Service Award and the Bahamian Red Cross Humanitarian Award.

GVCF strives to become the undisputed world leader in private, humanitarian delivery of nutrition to needy persons across the globe, while sustaining human life and helping to eradicate hunger from the face of the Earth. With the help of donors and notable figures such as Ali, Holyfield and Gary Bonds, the non-profit organization has provided nearly a billion meals to the hungry around the world.

#Yank Barry

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jamiekwonrp-au · 3 years ago

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Jamie Kwon Timeline

1990; Age 0

April 2nd – Kwon Ji-Min is born in Seoul, South Korea to Kwon Na-Ri and Kwon Kwon Hyun-Sang.

1994; Age 4

January - The Kwon family moves from Seoul, South Korea to San Francisco, California.

2002; Age 12

November – Jamie starts being abused by her mother’s brother.

2004; Age 14

June - Jamie finally tells Andrew that her uncle has been sexually abusing her for almost two years. Shortly after Jamie starts going to therapy to help her with her trauma.

2005; Age 15

June – After seeing her family go through so much pain and depressions due to the abuse she suffered at her uncle’s hands; Jamie attempts to commit suicide but unknowingly Andrew changes her mind.

2006; Age 16

May – Andrew Graduates from High School.

June – Jamie tries to convince her parents to let her audition to become a trainee in a Korean music agency but they tell her to finish high school first.

2008; Age 18

May – Jamie graduates from High School and moves to South Korea to try her luck in the music industry. After a couple of auditions, she becomes a trainee in RBW company. Later on, she’s grouped with 3 other girls to form a girl group named “Mamamoo” in which she’s assigned as leader of the group which means a lot of the tasks and creative management relies on her. Part of her training includes college education in music, so she enrolls in a University in Seoul.

July – Jamie meets Kwang Jung Moon at the metro station as he helps her figure out the route she needs to take for the university, as he attends the same school. The two quickly become friends as Kwang helps her get around Seoul on her own.

2010; Age 20

May – Kwang moves to Paris, France.

2012; Age 22

November – The group releases their second EP named Piano Man. By the end of the year, the group ranked 10th highest among ido girl groups in South Korea for digital sales.

2013; Age 23

June – Mamamoo releases their third EP “Pink Funky” as well as the lead single “Um Oh Ah Yeh”. The song is a commercial success peaking number three on the Gaon Chart.

2014; Age 24

February – The group releases their first full album “Melting”, their single “You’re The Best” debuts number one on the charts which also brings their first award show wins and they gain more recognition for the public.

May – Jamie releases her first solo single, Eight which included a Korean and an English version catching the attention of the international public.

June – Mamamoo starts their solo tour in South Korea, with a few dates held in Japan.

December – Jamie meets actor Kim Hyun-Soo and the two become friends.

2015; Age 25

January – The group releases their fourth EP “Memory” with the lead single “Decalcomanie” which again debuts number one on the charts.

July - The group releases fifth EP “Purple” with the lead single “Yes I am” debuting number one on charts. The EP also reaches number one in Billboard’s World Albums charts making the group gain more recognition outside Asia.

October – Jamie releases her first solo album, “Focus” which included both Korean and English versions of the singles.

November – Mamamoo announces another tour for 2016, with concerts in South Korea, Japan, UK and the US.

2016; Age 26

January – Mamamoo’s international tour starts.

February – Jamie and Park Jung-kook start dating in secret.

July – Tour is over.

October – Jamie’s “Unreleased” EP comes out.

2017; Age 27

January – Mamamoo released a pre-release single called "Paint Me" to act as a prelude to their upcoming project series "Four Seasons, Four Colors”. The goal of the series is to showcase four mini albums, each combining one color and a matching member's characteristic for each season.

March - First EP, “Yellow Flower” debuts again number one in the charts, their lead single is “Starry Night”

May - Second EP from the Four Seasons Project is released, it’s called “Red Moon” debuted number one in Korean Charts while also debuting number two in Billboard’s World-Wide Albums chart, their lead single “Egotistic” becomes the group’s first single to reach top five in Billboard’s US charts as the group’s worldwide recognition increases.

July - Third EP “Blue’s” is released, their single “Wind Flower” is one of their best-selling singles since their debut in 2012. The same month Jamie and Jungkook decide to make their relationship public as hiding it would only make it more difficult with their already busy schedules.

September - The final installment of the Four Seasons project is released, an EP called “White Wind” and it’s lead single “Gogobebe” breaks many records, even earning a nomination for the group for Billboard’s Top Social Artist.

November - Mamamoo starts their first worldwide tour, “Four Seasons, Four Colors” with dates in Asia, Europe, North and South America.

2018; Age 28

July – Mamamoo’s tour ends.

October – Jamie’s Dangerous Woman album is released.

November – It’s announced that the series of concert of Jamie as a soloist will take place the following year.

2019; Age 29

February – Jamie’s series of concerts begins.

April – The concert series ends.

July – Just two years after making their relationship public, Jamie and Jungkook split up.

October – Jamie releases her second solo album, “Solo” which is speculated to be an album partially on her break up with Jungkook.

2020; Age 30

April – Mamamoo’s 10th EP, Travel is released.

May – Mamamoo announces their next world tour, “Travel”.

October – The Travel Worldwide tour begins.

2021; Age 31

July – During one of their concerts an attack takes place, as bombs are placed under some seats to injure the audience. Kwang and Jamie meet again.

#JamieTimeline

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