#stream lizzo good as hell

[makethatelevenrings]

anyway, as Sza said, “ITS CUFFIN SEASON AND ALL THE GIRLS BE NEEEEEDIN I NEED A BIG BOY GIMME A BIG BOY I NEED A BIG BOOOOOOY”

if I see one more plus size reader fic where all they do is whimper and cry over their body because of the author’s fat phobic attitude, I will start beating kneecaps in

fat people can and do exist without, y’know, hating their existence every five seconds and needing constant reassurance from their partner. you’re just being fatphobic.

[destinyc1020]

Hey @destinyc1020 I don't know if you will post this or not but to the anon who said Ungodly Hour by Chloe and Halle went mainstream. No it didn't just cause they were trending on Twitter and people say they loved the album,like me, people didn't stream it or buy it the numbers weren't there. Which is why sirens(fandom name) get mad when outsiders tried to use that as a weapon to stop Chloe from going solo. If you ask people if they know Chloe and Halle most will still say no or say they only know the songs "do it" and "ungodly hour", which again didn't chart but people say they loved so much. Chloe and Halle are still a duo and are gonna drop a third project. They love each other too much to stop making music together. Words from Chloe and Halle. But since Halle went off to film Little Mermaid Chloe decided to make music by herself cause why not. Just like Halle will release solo stuff. Look I get being upset she is collaborating with Chris Brown cause I ain't supporting that song sorry to Chloe but not to Chris. Even though other artists like HER, Ella Mai and Summer walker did and got no backlash. Also Lizzo just spoke highly of Chris Brown and again no backlash. But there has been a hate train on Chloe from the beginning ever since they got separate instagrams. Same with Halle when it comes to her boyfriend. The anon. who said she is trying to see what sticks. Yeah Chloe said from the beginning she was experimenting. But I think people were gonna root against Chloe regardless because they don't like her being sexual they say it's too much. But then Pray it away her new single is too churchy or boring. She can't win with people unfortunately. I honestly think it comes from us being on social media and knowing them from a young age and envisioning them to act or make music the way we think they should solo or not. But I guess people are realizing you can't control who people make music with or date. They are human beings and we don't own them. Again not saying she doesn't deserve the backlash with Chris, but I hate that they only are doing this her and also Normani. But everyone else get a pass. I mean hell even Queen Zendaya collaborated with him. I didn't support the song then cause of Chris and still don't but I still support Z. Same thing with Chloe I will listen to the album but just not stream this next single. Sorry for the long rant lol. Also just wanted to let you know @destinyc1020 since you kind of asked or were unsure but Halle will still be making music she confirmed to her fans that she will release solo stuff and Chloe is gonna be acting still. I think she is gonna be in that new Donald Glover show that comes out next month with Dominique Fishback and Damson Idris called "Swarm".

Thanks Anon for your input regarding Chloe (and Halle)😊

I DO think that Choloe gets a lot of unnecessary hate for no good reason. 😔 I really don't like seeing people being ganged up on online for no apparent reason.

As someone who was bullied for NO good reason in Elementary school (just because I was shy and quiet 😒🙄), I always have a soft spot for people who are just ragged on for absolutely NO good reason at all. I'm glad Chloe is exploring her solo options, but yea, I feel like some people weren't ready for her to go solo so soon in her career. Again, I honestly don't know why she gets so much hate slung her way. So many catty remarks I see online about her... I just don't get it. 🥴

With that said...I'll admit, I'm not really liking Chloe's decision to pair up with Chris Brown. I don't care what people say, I will never forgive that man or look at him the same way again. 😤 I didn't care for Zendaya collaborating with Chris either years ago. 👀 But like I've always said before, you can LOVE your fave, but not necessarily "love" every single decision they've made in their life. 🤷🏾‍♀️ I think Z kind of backed out of heavily promoting their single (and to this day, I've never even seen the video) when Chris' behavior was getting a bit "out there" IIRC. 😒

Anyway...

I'm glad to hear that Chloe will also continue in the acting route (I think it's great honestly), and I'm also glad to hear that she and Halle still have plans to remain a singing duo.

They're younger than me, so I kind of look at them like my little sisters in my head lol.🥰 I'm just sick and tired of seeing black women being hated on or nitpicked on for miniscule/silly reasons. 🙄🙄

PLEASE people...DO better... 😩

[terriblelizbians]

okay i was tempted by overhearing it and found a livestream on twitch and started watching just in time to see lizzo win best record. hell yes good for her!!! oh fuck the stream was just ended in the middle of her acceptance speech

[beansonbread2]

BEANSONBREAD AWARDS 2022 - BEST SONG

AWARD NO.5 - BEST SONG OF 2022

PAST WINNERS

2021 > Self Esteem ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ (see full list HERE)

2020 > Jockstrap ‘Acid’ (see full list HERE)

2019 > Weyes Blood ‘Andromeda’ (see full list HERE)

2018 > Let’s Eat Grandma ‘It’s Not Just Me’ (see full list HERE)

2017 > Richard Dawson ‘Ogre’ (see full list HERE)

2016 > Solange ‘Cranes In the Sky’ (see full list HERE)

2015 > Kendrick Lamar ‘The Blacker The Berry’ (see full list HERE)

2014 > FKA Twigs ‘Two Weeks’ (see full list HERE)

2013 > Oliver Wilde ‘Perrett’s Brook’ (see full list HERE)

2010 > Untold ‘Stop What You’re Doing (James Blake Remix) (see full list HERE)

2009 > Joker - ‘Digidesign’ (see full list HERE)

2008 > Lil’ Wayne - ‘A Milli’ (see full list HERE)

2007 > Panda Bear - ‘Bros’ (see full list HERE)

2006 > Hot Chip - ‘Over And Over’ (see full list HERE)

-

RULES - A maximum of THREE tracks from any one artist. Songs can be tied in the same position.

-

*SPOTIFY PLAYLIST WITH (ALMOST) ALL THE TRACKS*

-

THE RUNNERS UP (in alphabetical order)..

100 Gecs ‘Doritos & Fritos’

A$AP Rocky ‘Shittin’ Me’

Alabaster DePlume ‘Don’t Forget You’re Precious’ / ‘Mrs Calamari’

Aldous Harding ‘Tick Tock’ / ‘Fever’

Alex G ‘Mission’

Alvvays ‘Pharmacist’

Angel Olsen ‘Big Time’ / ‘Ghost On’

Animal Collective ‘Walker’

Bar Italia ‘Banks’ / ‘Miracle Crush’

Bas Jan ‘Progressive Causes’ / ‘Sex Cult’

Batu ‘Atavism’

Beabadoobee ‘The Perfect Pair’

Beyonce ‘Alien Superstar’ / ‘Cuff It’

Bjork ‘Ovule’ / ‘Atopos’ / ’Ancestress’

Black Country, New Road ‘Chaos Space Marine’ / ‘Bread Song’ / ‘Basketball Shoes’

Black Midi ‘Still’ / ‘The Defence’

Blanck Mass ‘Italia ‘90’

Bolis Pupul ‘Neon Buddha’

Alan Braxe + DJ Falcon feat. Panda Bear ‘Step By Step’

Brockhampton ‘Big Pussy’

Caroline ‘Dark Blue’ / ‘Good Morning (Red)’

Caroline Polachek ‘Sunset’ / ‘Welcome To My Island’

Cate Le Bon ‘Moderation’ / ‘Harbour’ / ‘Running Away’

CHAI ‘Whole’ / ‘Hero Journey (feat. Superorganism)’

Charli XCX ‘Beg For You (feat. Rina Sawayama)’

Charlotte Adigery & Bolis Pupul ‘HAHA’ / ‘Mantra’

Crack Cloud ‘Costly Engineered Illusion’

Cryalot ‘Hell Is Here’ / ‘Hurt Me’

Dagger Brothers ‘That’s Magic’

Dean Blunt, Skepta, Novelist, A$AP Rocky ‘London Tonight Freestyle’

Delifinger ‘I Don’t Even Want To Know’

Denzel Curry ‘Walkin’

Dick Dent ‘Fun Times’

Divorce ‘Checking Out’

Dorian Electra ‘My Agenda (Anamanaguchi Remix)’

Dry Cleaning ‘Kwenchy Kups’ / ‘Gary Ashby’

Eartheater ‘Mitosis’

EASYFUN ‘Audio’

El Michels Affair & Piya Malik ‘Kabhi’

Ernold Same ‘The Reader’

Felicita & Kero Kero Bonito ‘Cluck’

Fences & Bonnie Prince Billy ‘Sympathy For The Devil’

The Financial Year ‘Serpenti’ 

FKA Twigs ‘Meta Angel’ / ‘Oh My Love’ / ‘Honda (feat. Pa Salieu)’

FLO ‘Cardboard Box’

FLOHIO ‘SPF’ 

Gabriels ‘One And Only’

Group Listening ‘Hollywood Dream Trip’ / ‘All Of A Sudden’

Gruff Rhys ‘People Are Pissed’

Hannah Diamond ‘Staring At The Ceiling’

Hercules & Love Affair feat. ANOHNI ‘Poisonous Storytelling’ (Giant Swan remix)’

Hot Chip ‘Eleanor’ / ‘Broken’

Hudson Mohawke ‘Intentions’ / ‘Bicstan’

John Cale & Weyes Blood ‘Story Of Blood’

JPEGMAFIA ‘Hazard Duty Pay!’

KAINA ‘Apple’

Kate NV ‘Early Bird’ / ‘Oni (They)’

Katy J Pearson ‘Talk Over Town’ / ‘Howl’ / ‘Float’

Kelela ‘Happy Ending’ / ‘On The Run’

Kelli Blanchett ‘Peaceful When You Sleep’

Kendrick Lamar ‘N95’ / ‘The Heart Part 5’

Kinlaw & Franco Franco ‘Crocs On The Plough’

Let’s Eat Grandma ‘Happy New Year’

Little Simz ‘Gorilla’ / ‘Broken’

Lizzo ‘About Damn Time’

Max Tundra ‘MBGATE (Kero Kero Bonito remix)’ / ‘Lights (A.G. Cook remix)’

Mura Masa, Lil Uzi Vert, PainkPantheress & Shygirl ‘Bbycakes’

NANORAY ‘Endless Higanbana’

Nilufer Yanya ‘Shameless’ / ‘Stabilise’

Panda Bear & Sonic Boom ‘Gettin’ To The Point’ / ‘Go On’

Pet Simmers ‘Sonder’ / ‘Edge Lord’ / ‘Stream Friendly Play Shifter’

Phoenix (feat. Ezra Koenig) ‘Tonight’

Pictish Trail ‘Natural Successor’

PinkPantheress ‘Do You Miss Me?’

Planet 1999 ‘Crush’

Pozi ‘Slightly Shaking Cells’

Pusha T ‘Diet Coke’

Richard Dawson ‘Thicker Than Water’

Robbie & Mona ‘Clapback’ / ‘Sherry Prada’

Rosalia ‘Saoko’ / ‘Delirio De Grandeza’

Rozi Plain ‘Agreeing For Two’ / ‘Help’

SAULT ‘Time Is Precious’

Savage Mansion ‘The Crucible’ / ‘Football Weather’

SCALPING (feat. DÆMON) ‘Tether’

Self Esteem ‘The Process’

Seraphina Simone ‘Milk Teeth’ / ‘Lovesick’

Shygirl ‘Nike’ / ‘Coochie (A Bedtime Story)’

The Smile ‘You Will Never Work In Television Again’

Snoop Dogg ‘Crip Ya Enthusiasm’

Sobs ‘Air Guita’

Soccer Mommy ‘Bones’ / ‘Shotgun’

Soft Lad ‘2 Know U Betta’

Sorry ‘There’s So Many People That Want To Be Loved’

Special Interest ‘Midnight Legend’ / ‘(Herman’s) House’

Spiritualized ‘The Mainline Song / The Lockdown Song’

Steve Lacy ‘Helmet’ / ‘Bad Habit’

Sudan Archives ‘Ciara’

Sweet Baboo ‘Hopeless’

Syd (feat. Lucky Daye) ‘CYBAH’

SZA ‘Shirt’ / ‘Kill Bill’

Tim Heidecker ‘Buddy’

Tirzah ‘Ribs’

Warmduscher ‘Fatso’

The Weeknd ‘Gasoline’ / ‘How Do I Make You Love Me?’ / ‘Take My Breath’

Wesley Gonzalez ‘A Taste Of Something New’ / ‘Greater Expectations (feat. Rose Elinor Dougall)’

Weston Allen ‘Girls From The Parking Lot’

Wet Leg ‘Being In Love’ / ‘Angelica’

Weyes Blood ‘Children Of The Empire’

Yama Warashi ‘Makkuroi Mizu’

Yeah Yeah Yeahs & Perfume Genius ‘Spitting Off The Edge Of The World’

Yeule ‘Bites On My Neck’

Young Fathers ‘Geronimo’

Zoee ‘Microwave (Voka Gentle rework)’

-

THE TOP 25 SONGS OF 2022

25. Tim Heidecker ‘Sirens Of Titan’

24. Panoram ‘Wandering Frames’

23. HAIM ‘Lost Track’

22. Panda Bear & Sonic Boom ‘Edge Of The Edge’

21. Charli XCX ‘Baby’

20. Animal Collective ‘Strung With Everything’

19. Charlotte Adigery & Bolis Pupul ‘It Hit Me’

18. Pictish Trail ‘Remote Control’

17. Sudan Archives ‘Selfish Soul’

16. Dry Cleaning ‘Anna Calls From The Arctic’

15. Steve Mason & Javed Bashir ‘No More’

14. Young Fathers ‘I Saw’

13. Alex G ‘Runner’

12. Weyes Blood ‘Grapevine’

11. Self Esteem ‘The 345 (acoustic version)’

10. Richard Dawson ‘The Fool’

9. Death’s Dynamic Shroud ‘Judgment Bolt’

8. Arctic Monkeys ‘They’d Better Be A Mirrorball’ / ‘Body Paint’

7. Black Midi ‘Welcome To Hell’

6. Weyes Blood ‘It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody’

5. Jockstrap ‘Greatest Hits’

4. Caroline Polachek ‘Billions’

3. Jockstrap ‘Glasgow’

2. Richard Dawson ‘The Hermit’

1. Jockstrap ‘Concrete Over Water’

[beaniebaneenie]

This.

While for her, this was not a performative action, because Lizzo does genuinely support trans rights, ultimately it will end up being a performative act- because it will have little to no impact in the cause she wants it to.

By continuing to perform in TN, and stating that this was not a one time thing, that she will repeatedly continue to perform in TN, she's confirming that she'll bring in millions of dollars in ad revenue, in tax dollars, in tourism dollars from people booking hotels, restaurants, etc when they come to see her shows, and that's literally all the GOP govt ultimately cares about.

Sure, they'll make the appropriate outraged pearl-clutchy "how very dare she" comments and videos. And hell, they may even make out some arrest warrants for the drag queens she performed with, because some of them may not have her star power to protect them.

I'd also like to point out that Ru Paul is not exactly the greatest ally for trans folks across the board... He's said some things that are iffy at best regarding trans and nonbinary folks, and has repeatedly refused to update his language when people have told him certain terms are offensive, and has given half-assed non-apologies for it when called out.

This is not me saying that Lizzo is a terrible person, or anti-trans, or anything like that.

This is me saying that I truly believe this decision came from a genuinely good place, but I think her choice was ultimately misguided for a few really important reasons, and that she ought to have chosen differently.

I absolutely think she should have chosen to boycott performing in TN.

Because no GOP politicians there are suddenly going to "hear her message" or learn to celebrate drag entertainers, our differences, or fat Black women just because she performed there. They're too entrenched in their ways.

We're way too far past "reaching across the aisle", and it's the same problem that the Democrats in Congress haven't learned yet. Trying to meet them where they are is never gonna do the trick, because they're just not fucking interested in ever changing their minds.

Anyone who is even halfway interested in listening to what Lizzo's got to say is willing to stream her concert, or travel out of state to see it anyway.

There's only one way you can make these people change anything, and that's by hitting them in the only place they care about: their wallet.

Lizzo defies drag ban  by inviting drag queens on stage in Tennessee

Pink News writes:

“In an act of defiance against Tennessee’s anti-drag law, Lizzo has performed in the state with a whole bunch of Drag Race faves and local queens, and yes, it was iconic.”

Lizzo said:

“In light of recent and tragic events and current events, I was told by people on the internet, ‘Cancel your shows in Tennessee,’ ‘Don’t go to Tennessee,’ ‘We don’t have to go there’.

“Their reasons were valid. But why would I not come to the people who need to hear this message the most, the people who need to feel this release the most?

“Why would I not create a safe space in Tennessee where we can celebrate drag entertainers and celebrate our differences? And celebrate fat Black women?”

Together we can beat the Fascists.

(Video from SBS News embedded above).

[scoobydoobway]

there’s not a lizzo song i wouldn’t enjoy like she literally hasn’t made a bad song

[rubylioness]

I still think Azealia mistaken about Lizzo. Oh well. Whatever.

[duuhrayliegh]

dm slide

pairing: sebastian stan x reader

warnings: alcohol consumption, language, nothing else really, it’s just really fluffy i think

word count: 1905

a/n: okay so my other stuff is coming, i stg, i’m just in the middle of finals and moving out of my dorm, and starting a new job, so i’m a bit stressy right now, but i’m getting there loves.

so if this one isn’t as good as it could be that’s why, but i’m hoping to add on to it later

p.s.: my requests and tag lists are open!!

xoxo ray

ray’s m.list

You were currently at your best friend’s birthday party, polishing off your third overfull glass of wine. Your best friend threw her hands above her head, shouting out “Shots on me!” She thrusted a shot glass in your hand, encouraging you to toss back the liquid. You set down your wine glass, picking up the smaller cup, not caring about the flashing cameras around you.

“I’m so glad you were able to get free from your oh so lavish lifestyle as a celebrity to come hang out with little ‘ol me!” She had to continue to shout for you to hear her over the loud music blasting through the club speakers. She grabbed your arm, pulling you towards the bathrooms. “Are you getting ready to go? The sound system is giving me a headache.” You smiled at her, grabbing your phone from your clutch.

“Absolutely, babes. Let me order the Uber and then we can go.” You held onto your phone tighter, walking up to the bar to settle your tab. “Hey, Gabe!” Gabe, one of the bartenders, turned to you.

“Hey, Y/N!” He went to grab a bottle of your favorite wine to uncork it, but stopped when you held your hand up.

“Just settling up and heading out.” You passed your black AmEx card over the counter to his waiting hand.

“You’re missin’ out, Y/N. The party is just getting started here.” You shook your head at the man.

“Nah, I’m celebrating my best friend’s birthday tonight, so this is her call.” He slid your card back to you, watching you push it into the slots of your clutch. “We’re getting outta here, but that doesn’t mean our party is ending.” You winked at him, meeting up with your companion. You linked arms with her, leading the way through the crowd. It was cold outside, which didn’t mean good things for you because of your almost too short dress. The Uber stopped beside the curb, rolling their window down for you to double check. You climbed in beside your friend, scooting closer to increase your warmth. The ride to your apartment wasn’t too long, thankfully because Uber’s creeped you out, no matter how safe you were.

Walking into your apartment was difficult to say the least. You both were stumbling the entire way to the elevator and then stumbling into your couch cushions. The two of you managed to make it to your bedroom, swapping out your tight garments for some more ill fitting attire. That was not before you took an absurd amount of photos together in your bathroom mirror. You sat across from each other on the black couch in your apartment, sifting through the pictures of the two of you. Your best friend was leaned over your shoulder, watching as you scrolled through.

“Oo! That one!” She pointed at the screen quickly, stopping your scrolling. It was of you holding the phone, leaning backward staring at the phone in your hand. Your best friend was facing you, her bare back displayed from the deep dip in the back of her dress. “We look so hot.” You both shared a look and then burst into a fit of laughter. You posted the picture to your Instagram, tagging your best friend in the corner, wishing her a happy birthday. She slid away from your, covering her lower half with a blanket.

“You want a water?” You asked as you rose from your spot on the couch. She smiled big at you.

“Can I convince you to mix up some margaritas?” Her bottom lip rolled inwards, waiting for  your response. You rolled your eyes, shaking your head before opening your liquor cabinet. You pulled down bottles of triple sec and tequila, reaching into your freezer for the bag of strawberries and limeade. You brought your Ninja Bullet out to make individual margaritas for both you and your drunk friend. Walking back over to her with containers in hand, you plopped opposite her on the couch.

“You’re literally the bestest ever.” She slurped on the drink through her swirly straw. The conversation faded between the two of you, allowing the both of you to go through your socials. “Did you see that Lizzo got a message back from Chris Evans the other day?” You laughed at her question, remembering your reaction to Lizzo’s TikTok.

“Mhm. Can you imagine getting a reply back from one of those hunks of men?” She shook her head while guzzling her margarita.

“I can’t, but I bet you can.” You scrunch your brows at her and she groaned. “You’re a celebrity too, dumbass. Girl, the amount of times that I’ve gotta remind you of that is insane.” You laughed at her, rolling your eyes.

“Babes, just because I’m quote, unquote famous, doesn’t mean that I’m on their level.” She pointed a finger at you.

“Hey, just shoot your shot, Y/N.”

“I literally don’t even know which one I would DM.” Your best friend scoffed loudly.

“Bullshit!” You choked at how loud she yelled. “You don’t know who you would DM? I know who you would DM in a fucking heartbeat.” You looked over at her with raised brows and in unison you said. “Sebastian Stan.” “Sebastian Stan.”

“Mm, he is a six foot tall Romanian God.” You shook your head while fake moaning, your friend laughing in the background. She reached for your phone before you could protest, typing away on your keyboard, smiling mischievously. She thrust the phone back into your hands, the empty DM screen of imsebastianstan on Instagram staring back at you.

“All you gotta do is send something.” She smiled at you while you glanced down at your phone screen nervously. You began typing something quickly then locked the screen, placing it facing downward on your lap, a giggly smile resting on your face. She scooted closer to you, folding her legs up to her chin. “Wait! What did you say?” You unlocked your phone, showing her the screen. She laughed at your message, drinking the rest of her margarita.

y/n.y/l/n: hi, i’m y/n and you’re the love of my life ;) <3

“That’s so fucking good, oh my God.” She glanced at the clock on your phone. “Oh girl, we’ve gotta go to sleep.” You checked it as well, dropping your head into your hands.

“Mhm, you’re right.” You stood from your spot, holding your hand out to your friend to help her up. “Let’s go to sleep.” You both crashed on your king sized mattress underneath your white fluffy duvet. You were about to drift off to sleep, when your best friend’s voice floated into your ears.

“Do you think he’s gonna reply to you?” Her voice was slurring more and more from the amount she drank and the sleep weighing on her mind. You smiled at her, it was a long shot that he would even see it, much less reply.

“We’ll have to see, babes.” She didn’t reply to you as you both fell off into a dreamless abyss.

********************

The sun streaming into your room woke you up in the morning, light hitting your eyelid just right. You blinked harshly, bringing your hand up to block the glare. A groan escaped your lips, stretching out from your best friends grip. “Fuck me.” You held your head in your hand, groaning about the headache blossoming at the nape of your neck. You left the bed, pulling a sweater over your tank top to catch some warmth. You tucked your phone into the waistband of your shorts. You padded into the kitchen, grabbing your Advil bottle, dumping two pills into your hand. You got a glass of water, settling down on the couch after gulping down the headache medicine.

You opened your phone while basically inhaling your water. Your memories of last night were fuzzy, you drank quite a bit. Did you drink too much? Maybe… but did you regret it at all? Not a second of it. You had the best time hanging out with your best friend. You check your Instagram post, replying to several different comments. A red bubble was pinned over your DM button in the corner. You tilted your head in curiosity, wondering who messaged you now. You swiped over, eyes widening at the new message.

imsebastianstan: Hi, Y/N. I’m Sebastian, thank you for professing your love to me.

The feeling of panic running through your veins didn’t last long, A gigantic smile spread accompanied by a giggle. What the fuck do you do now? Your fingers hesitated over the keyboard, thinking through what you want to say back.

y/n.y/l/n: hello sebastian, what do ya say we  figure out if it’s a match :)

You sent the message before you could chicken out, locking the phone shortly after, shoving it in your waistband. You got up, refilling your glass of water, leaning against your granite countertop, tapping your fingers impatiently. You squealed as you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket.

imsebastianstan: What do you have in mind?

y/n.y/l/n: 917-555-0545 <3

Oh my god, you can’t believe you just did that. Holy shit, what are you thinking? Maybe this will all work out in your favor. You really had nothing to lose but your dignity, right? A disturbance in the peace to the right of your caught your attention.

“Why the hell are you up so early? We drank last night, that’s an excuse to sleep in, you fuck baffoon.” Her hair was tousled on top of her head, shirt hanging off one shoulder. You turned your phone around, thrusting it towards her face.

“There’s been recent developments on the Stan front.” Her brows raised, face becoming shocked.

“Oh. My. God. Are you fucking serious?” She snatched the phone away from your hand quickly to scroll through the messages. “You gave him your number?” She yelled at you as she stretched across the couch, laying her head in your lap. Your phone buzzed in her hands and her eyes widened to unbelievable proportions. “Bitch, you just got a text from an unsaved number.”

“Shut the fuck up.” You looked at the phone in her hands. “I didn’t think he was actually going to text me, I sent it as a joke! What’s it say?”

“How are we going to figure this out?” You both shared a look, shrieking enthusiastically. “Y/N! Sebastian Stan texted you!” She jumped up and down on your couch, pulling you up with her.

“What do I say back?” You held the phone against your chest, staring expectantly at your best friend. She shook her head at you.

“Nuh-uh girl. This is all you.” She held her hands up in surrender. You looked down at your keyboard, the blinking cursor waiting for instructions.

“Okay, okay, how ‘bout, ‘discuss over coffee?’” You looked at your best friend for approval, still standing on your couch. You sent the message after she nodded. A message bubble popped up, three blinking dots inside.

There’s a coffee shop on 8th street,  just outside of Washington State Park.

wanna meet up around three?

I’ll be there, Y/N.

You turned to your best friend, holding the phone to your chest. “Babes.” She raised her brows, waiting. “I have a fucking date with Sebastian Stan!” You both squealed, excited for what would happen on your date.

[lovelucybradford]

All I Want for Christmas Is You

A/N: Happy Chenford Day!! Manifesting some actual Chenford scenes and not these 'crumbs' we've been forced to endure. Much love to you all and thank you for your support!

Chapter 2 Summary: Jackson's got loose lips. Lucy's suddenly got a fiancé she never knew she had. Featuring: Drunken Lucy's Lizzo Impression

Preview:

“Ryan and I are getting married!”

Tori and Lucy’s mother squealed in unison. Tamara poured herself a shot whilst Jackson choked on his. Lucy’s father watched me with a critical eye, gauging her next reaction like a hawk watching its prey.

As for Lucy, well, she couldn’t tell what she was going to do first—pass out or vomit. Every echo of the word ‘married’ in her mind felt like a bullet to the heart from Harper’s beloved AR.

She had to get out of there. And fast. Before she did something stupid, like cry. Or swear. Or throw up. Or all three. Yep, she was definitely feeling all three.

Lucy rose from her chair so quickly she couldn’t tell if the head rush was from the tequila she’d inhaled in the kitchen a few minutes ago or a sudden raise in blood pressure.

“Oh, fuck! Congratulations! Excuse me, I have to use the restroom. Too much Baijiu, you know?!” she blurted, practically toppling over the chair in a rush to get to the upstairs bathroom.

Lucy barely had time to slam the bathroom door shut before she emptied her guts in the toilet. The saltiness of the tears streaming down her face (when had she started crying, she wondered) mixed with the disgusting taste of vomit prompted Lucy’s stomach to retch again.

After catching her breath, Lucy let her forehead rest against the rim of the toilet bowl. She hoped that the coolness of the porcelain against her overheated skin would shock some sense back into her system, but all it did was make her wonder how in the hell she had gotten here in the first place: a pathetic, lovelorn loser crying on the floor of her parents’ bathroom.

Why was she so affected by this? Lucy and Ryan had been over for years. He’d made that pretty damn clear when she found him in bed with Tori on Christmas Eve three years ago. Her heart couldn’t help but whisper a truth that she’d been trying to bury since she dropped out of grad school: a small, foolish, hopelessly romantic part of her was still in love with Ryan.

Lucy knew that their relationship (and any attempt at rekindling it) was long over. Even if he’d miraculously come begging on his knees for forgiveness and ask for another chance, she would never be able to forget that feeling of absolute betrayal that had stuck with her ever since.

But late at night when Lucy was a little drunk and a lot in her feelings, she would think back to the good times they shared. The laughter, the warmth, the way that he made her feel-- like she was good enough. Like it didn’t matter what her parents thought of her, because Ryan thought she was the most amazing girl in the world.

And it was then, and even now, that Lucy wondered if she would ever find a man that would make her feel that way again, that would make her feel… whole.

(Lucy’s heart screamed that that man could be Tim Bradford. Her brain shouted right back that Tim Bradford being in love with her was just as probable as Ryan wanting her back.)

Read the rest on Ao3

[tallucine]

Lizzo launches a brand new era with her new “Rumors” video. Labelmate Cardi B, who beautifully rocks her baby bump, joins Lizzo on the song and video, where they both sarcastically sing that “all the rumors are true” while dismantling the gossip.

In a live video chat featuring the two collaborators that streamed before the video was released, Lizzo said she wrote the song back in February. The pair joked around about the rumors that surround them in a hilariously ASMR-styled whispered and naughty conversation.

In the Tanu Muino-directed clip, the duo appear as goddesses adorned in golden attire strutting their stuff as artwork gets animated on the futuristic set.

This is Lizzo’s first official single since 2019, when she released her acclaimed major label debut Cuz I Love You. The album, the third in her discography, featured the single “Juice” and later included the sleeper hits “Truth Hurts” and “Good As Hell,” originally released in 2017 and 2016 respectively. Both songs ended up accidentally rising to the top of the charts in 2019, later leading to a trove of Grammy nominations for the Texas-born star.

-- Via Rolling Stone --

[lizzcs]

❃〔stream now! 〕 ‣ ⋯ ⤿  single release 「 ❃」 JUICE

Nice Life Recording Company/Atlantic recording artist Lizzo has announced the release of her eagerly anticipated new single. “Juice” is available now via all digital music retailers and streaming services.  “COCONUT OIL,” Lizzo’s hugely acclaimed Nice Life Recording Company/Atlantic Records debut EP, was released in October 2020 to unanimous critical acclaim and popular success. “COCONUT OIL” is highlighted by the hit single, “Good As Hell,” Rolling Stone singled out the track in its “Best Pop Albums of 2021 So Far,” explaining that, “Despite these albums, pop still remains a genre for singles. Lizzo's boisterous ‘Good As Hell,’ produced by omnipresent 2020 producer Ricky ‘Wallpaper" Reed,’ is a straight-no-chaser shot of self-confidence with a call-and-response chorus.” 

[yanispopularmusicblog]

2016 in music

When thinking about Popular Music, my mind immediately goes back to 2016, a time that truly defined my musical taste. I have no idea why but I firmly believe that this year was one of the best, if not the best, for popular music. It saw some of the biggest pop stars explore new territories, such as Rihanna with her album Anti (in which she covers Tame Impala and Florence + The Machine!!!) and Lady Gaga who issued a stripped-down, pop-rock and country oriented album, Joanne.

I can’t deny that my love (and nostalgia) for 2016 is biased as, at that time, two of my favorite artists, the Knowles sisters, released my two favorite albums of all time. Beyoncé (whom I saw live for the first time on July 21, 2016) put out Lemonade, her second visual album and first in which she got truly ‘political’ while her younger sister, Solange, released the brilliant A Seat At the Table. 

I ought to mention that male artists, such as Frank Ocean, Childish Gambino, James Blake, Kaytranada and Kanye West (sorry), also released prodigious albums.

However, things did not solely look great. In a matter of months, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen and Prince passed away. The first two released amazing albums in 2016 (Blackstar and You Want It Darker). Both were put out a few days before the respective deaths of their authors, you should definitely check them out. 

Nevertheless, 2016 also marked the birth and growth of the careers of more or less new talents. Aurora released her first album All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend, Chloe x Halle released their first EP Sugar Symphony and Lizzo notably released the songs “Good As Hell” and “Phone”. Nao and Noname can be added to this list, while Mitski and Banks both released albums that solidified their talent and popularity. (Did you notice that these artists - especially Lizzo, Aurora, Chloe x Halle and Mitski - skyrocketed to fame or experienced new effervescence for their music in the past two years thanks to TikTok?) 

Finally, it is worth noting that three albums I mentioned (Beyoncé’s, Rihanna’s and Kanye West’s Life of Pablo) were first released as Tidal exclusives. Tidal is a streaming platform that was bought by Jay-Z back in 2015 and which aims at paying artist in a fairer way than Spotify, Apple Music or Deezer (on top of initially having a better sound). What also made it different was that it was supposed to belong to the artists themselves, that’s why among its co-owners you’ll find Beyoncé, Madonna, Daft Punk, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Kanye, Jack White, J. Cole, etc. Maybe the belief in the fact that it would revolutionize the music and streaming industries is one of the reason why popular music was so good in 2016!

Thanks for reading! 

[ipaulmusic]

September Most Played + Streamed preview

Lizzo scores her 3rd #1 on my monthly Most Played Singles as “Rumors” featuring Cardi B debuts atop, following #1s “Truth Hurts” and “Good As Hell“, while German singer/songwriter/producer Roosevelt’s “Polydans” rises 4-1 on my monthly Most Streamed Albums.

[licenselesswriter]

Ten Duel Commandments CH6

Leave a note for your next of Kin.

Friday, February 28, 2020

Maya was resting her head on Lucas when her phone starts to ring.

Lucas looks at her, disappointed, "Come on, it's Friday," he complains. 

Maya sadly smiles and kisses his lips, "Not the one who likes to follow the rules, but," she says, making a tiny pause, "It's a respect thing, he respect the secrecy of this relationship, I think we should respect his rules," she adds.

"Never said I wouldn't follow the rules," Lucas replies before gently getting up from his bed, "But that doesn't mean I like them," he adds.

"Uhhh, I love when you talk rule breaker to me," Maya jokes.

"Ok," Lucas softly replies.

Maya fastly catches the message that he wasn't joking about their relationship and get up to hug him from the back, "Hey, don't be like that, I don't like it either, but for the moment, we need to wait and hide," she softly says.

Lucas caresses her hands, "I know," he replies.

Maya hides her face on his back, "Anything I can do to make you happy?" he asks.

Lucas smiles before turning to her, "Nothing, you already make me happy," he replies before softly kissing her lips.

Maya kiss him back, "You make me happy too," she says, "More than I imagine you will," she adds.

Lucas gives her a fake offended face, "The audacity of that statement," he says with a smile on his face, "Want me to walk you home?" he asks.

Maya kiss him again, "Nah, I'm good," he answers, "Also, this is my city. I can handle it," she adds.

Lucas chuckles, "Funny. Texas is my city, yet, you still threaten me with stop talking to me when I ride a bull you signed me up to ride," he comments.

Maya glares at him and points at his face for a few seconds, "That's an excellent point. Please never use it against me again," she says before kissing him again.

"You're funny," Lucas comments while he walks her to his door, "But I'm still gonna use that to get myself out of trouble," he adds.

"See you Monday?" Maya asks.

"Your place?" Lucas asks back.

"Good boy," she says before kissing his lips one last time.

As soon as he closes the door, his mother looks at him with a concerned look, "Want some ice tea?" his mother asks.

"I must look terrible if you're offering ice tea at this hour," Lucas softly says, more to himself than to his mother, "No, thank you," he finally replies, "It's ok for me to go out with Zay tonight?" he asks.

"Sure," his mother answers, "Just let me know if you're staying over at his place," she adds.

"Thanks, Ma'," Lucas replies before walking back to his room.

Once he was in the privacy of his room, he fastly lays on his bed and grabs his phone, "Wandering around tonight?" he texts Zay.

Less than twenty seconds later, his phone buzzes, "For real?" Zay asks.

"Yeah," Lucas replies.

"What's your mood today?" Zay fastly asks.

Lucas takes a few minutes to think. Did he want to go out and left his night into his best friend's hands? "I'm in your hands tonight," he types.

Ten seconds later, his phone buzzes, "Oh, baby, we're going full Thin Lizzy tonight, but with a little twist of geniality," Zay text him back.

Lucas smiles seeing his text, only to laugh at his best friend's second text, "Be ready in twenty," he reads, "Well, that was fast," he says before getting up from his bed.

Maya was on her way home when her phone buzzes. She takes it out and sees the picture Riley send her, with Farkle and her having pizza with a little caption, "Join us? We can order the Spanish pizza," she reads. Maya fastly types back a short, "On my way," before hitting send.

Half an hour later, Maya arrives at Riley's home. With how weird things were now, making an unusual move, Maya knocks on the door.

Cory gently gets up, opening the door, only to face Maya, "Ok? Since when you knock on the door?" he asks.

"Good you keep your usual sense of humor Matthews," Maya replies, walking in.

"And you're back," Cory replies, looking at how she hangs her coat, "They in her room," he comments.

Maya, who finished hugging Topanga, smiled, "I know," she replies before walking to her friend's bedroom.

Maya opens Riley's door, only to find her friends in bed eating pizza with a depressed face, "Damn, this is depressing," she comments.

"Welcome to purgatory," Farkle comments.

"At least they have pizza in purgatory," Maya replies before jumping into bed with them, "So, what are we doing tonight?" she asks.

Riley and Farkle look at themselves at the same time.

"Movie?" Riley asks.

"Movie," Farkle answers.

"Cool, what movie?" Maya asks.

"Well, can't be horror," Riley starts.

"We know," Maya replies.

"Please don't put a romance movie," Farkle asks.

"We know," Riley says, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Suddenly they were interrupted by a notification on Maya's phone.

"It's uncle Shawn?" Riley asks.

Maya takes her phone out and looks at her notifications, "Nah, just Zay's TikTok," she before opening the notification, making the speakers on her phone blast 'Good as Hell' by Lizzo, "Oh boy," she says, watching the video.

"What? What happen?" Riley asks.

"Yeah, you're better not watching this," Maya replies before putting her phone back in her pocket.

"Maya?" Farkle asks.

Using feline reflexes, Riley takes her phone before Maya can't take her from the bed and look at Zay's TikTok, making Farkle look how Zay was lip-syncing Lizzo's song, turning between him, Isadora, and Lucas.

"That's fantastic," Farkle comments, "Just fan-fucking-tastic," he adds.

"Why you don't listen when I say things?" Maya asks, taking Riley's phone from her hands.

"And what's the point exactly?" Riley asks, "It's not like I haven't been stalking them to get more info about Lucas," she adds.

"For real?" Maya and Farkle ask at the same time.

"Hey, it's not my fault being in love with him," Riley defends herself.

"Oh God, did we seriously become the pity-sad party?" Farkle asks, "We used to have fun, the three of us," he adds.

"Well, it's been a long time since that," Riley says.

"Fuck seventh grade," Farkle says, getting up from Riley's bed, "Sleepover, my house, now," Farkle adds, refusing to keep being pushed down by his depression.

"That's growth," Maya says, pointing at Farkle.

"What are we gonna do?" Riley asks.

"The same, but with a way bigger TV than your laptop," Farkle answers, "Also, we can ride the train to the kitchen," he adds, looking at Maya.

"That's my boy," Maya replies with a smile.

Isadora smiles once she was able to catch her breath, "Honestly, giving impossible scenarios to improv artist it's enjoyable," she says.

"Zay, you're awful," Lucas says to his best friend.

"Honestly, this is the first time I've been called a monster in an improv show," Zay replies.

"A black gay couple in Harrison, Arkansas?" Isadora asks.

"Yeah, that's like a total, ''Dude, no," Lucas answers.

"Dude, yes," Zay replies, starting to laugh again, "I mean, did you their faces? Gold comedy," he adds.

"Remember me, never mess with this sociopath, please," Lucas says to Isadora.

"Noted," Isadora says before looking around, "So, what are we gonna do now?" she asks.

Lucas looks at Zay, "Please, man, I want to end the night with good karma," he says.

"Fine, fine," Zay concedes, "cofcof pussy cofcof," he adds with a fake cough.

"Unnecessary," Lucas replies, "So, what else you have for us?" he asks.

"I have," Zay starts before checking his phone, "Missy Bradford's party, meeting with Sarah, Billy, Darby, and Yogi for a Dance Central Two tournament, or Karaoke at Duet 48, where they have anime songs now," he adds.

"So, Isadora, you're up," Lucas says.

"Well, my parents are on their way to a conference in Massachusetts. We can do Karaoke at my house if you all promise to behave," she comments.

"Can I invite more people? Three people Karaoke sounds kinda lonely," Zay comments.

"If they behave, I don't mind," Isadora replies.

"Oh, Zay, it's time for me to take my crown back," Lucas comments.

Zay text Sarah, inviting her and the rest for Karaoke at Isadora's, "You can try, but we both know what happened the last four times," he replies.

"I have the feeling that this was a bad idea," Isadora comments.

Riley wanted to say that she was giving her friends enough attention. Still, every time they left her for a second, she went immediately to check Zay's TikTok, only to discover that, even when they had all the technology the Minkus family has to offer, they still were having a better time than them.

"Again?" Maya asks.

"Not my fault Zay is doing a live stream," she answers, "Also, they are playing Karaoke, and I had no idea Yogi had such a powerful voice," she adds.

"Oh my God, is that Isadora?" Maya asks, looking at her friend on camera, singing 'Apologize' with Billy Ross.

"Farkle doesn't need this," Riley says, getting out of TikTok.

"You mean Isadora doing Karaoke?" Farkle asks from behind them with his phone in his hands, surprising them, "Don't be. I've been watching since they started," he comments.

Riley hugs him, "I'm so sorry," she says, trying to comfort him.

"Don't be, I kinda deserve it," he confesses.

"Farkle?" Maya says, nervous about what the genius might confess.

"Maya, it's ok," he says before turning to Riley, "She's a free woman. She can duet with anyone she wants," he adds.

Riley looks at his friend in shock, "Yeah, but you don't need to rub it," she comments, "That's a total asshole move," she adds.

"I think we should call it," Maya says, trying to tone things down.

"Yeah, you're staying?" Farkle asks.

"Yep, you promise a three-star breakfast, not giving that away," she answers.

"Good," Farkle replies with a sincere smile, "Looks like we're back together," he adds.

Maya hides her face for a second, "Yep," she softly says.

.

A few hours later, once Farkle and Maya we're out on the couch, Riley takes out her phone and goes back to TikTok. She put on her AirPods and start watching the stream Zay keeps doing.

She took notice when it was Lucas's turn, having her eyes glued to the phone. 

"Ok, ok," Lucas says while looking at the camera, "This is for the thousands in attendance," he adds while pointing at his friends, "And the millions watching at home, especially for you," he adds, pointing at the camera, making the girls cheer. The guys start shouting 'call her,' "This is for you, my love," he adds before turning to the TV with his phone dialing to someone Riley didn't want to know.

She was surprised when Maya's phone starts to buzz. She saw Lucas hang up and then call again, only to start singing to his phone.

"You said there was nothing in the world that could stop it, I had a bad feeling, and darling, you had turned my bed into a sacred oasis," she listens to Lucas sing to his phone and felt her heart broke again.

"Please, no," she softly says while she keeps looking at Maya's phone buzz, "Please tell me it's not her," she begs the universe.

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Isadora wakes up on her living room floor, wondering why her head feels like there was a marching band inside. She opens her eyes, only to see Sarah spooning her, which makes her remember last night, and a soft smile grows on her face.

She gently gets off Sarah's spooning and carefully gets up before smelling something delicious. She walks into the kitchen, only to find Zay and Lucas having breakfast.

"There's our Cindy Lauper," Zay jokes with a smile on his face.

"I, as current Karaoke King, show you my respect for your voice," Lucas says, bowing his head a little, "You killed it last night," he adds.

Isadora looks at them, still confused, "Why my head feels like I'm being hit by a hammer every time you speak?" she asks them.

"That is what we call a hangover," Zay answers.

Lucas opens one of the bags on the table and gives Isadora a subway sandwich, "Have this, you're gonna need it, and you earn it," he says.

"Thank you?" Isadora says, still confused. She opens the wrap, finding a chicken and bacon ranch sandwich.

"Here she comes," Zay whispers to Lucas while they both watch Isadora give it a bite.

As soon as Lucas sees her eat, he smiles, "Yeah, you can thank us later," he says.

"Where can I get this?" she asks, making Lucas and Zay laugh, "Also, why you both look ok?" she says.

"We're seventeen," Lucas answers.

"Also, we are from Texas," Zay adds, "El Paso is close to us, and you know, we spend summer's back home," he continues.

"Can I go next time?" Isadora asks this time.

Lucas and Zay look at each other before laughing.

"We already got you a ticket," Zay says, making Isadora smile.

"Did you had fun?" Lucas asks.

"Yeah," Isadora replies, "Now I kinda understand why people do Karaoke with more people," she adds.

"They grow so fast," Zay says to Lucas.

Riley was the last one to wake up. She slowly walks to Farkle's kitchen.

Farkle and Maya look at her arrival, and in unison, they greet her with a soft 'morning' before she sits next to them.

"Morning," Riley replies before looking at Maya. She takes a toast while Farkle passes her the peanut butter. Riley slowly starts to spread it over her toast before deciding to break the silence, "Maya, I'm out of battery. Mind if I call my parents from your phone?" she asks.

Being a bit oblivious about what happened last night, Maya gives her phone to Riley, who went straight into the previous missed calls.

Riley was able to hear her heartbeat like never before. She was anxious about discovering something she knew would change everything between them forever.

Once her eyes notice her missed calls, her heart breaks again, "Fuck," she softly says before covering her mouth, sicker than ever before.

"Sweetie, are you ok?" Maya asks.

"Don't call me that," she answers, making Farkle and Maya look at her confused.

"Sorry, no idea you stopped liking that nickname," Maya apologizes.

"It was you all the time," Riley says.

"What I'm missing?" Farkle asks, feeling his stomach drop.

"Riles?" Maya calls her.

"He called you last night. He was singing that song to you," she states.

"Who's he?" Maya asks in a mixture of confusion and anxiety.

"Lucas, you idiot, you're with him," Riley says, feeling her tears going down her cheeks.

"Me and Huckleberry?" Maya tries to play down.

For the first time in her life, Riley looks at Maya with a wave of anger she didn't know she was able to feel, "Playing dumb? Great, let's have undeniable proof," she says, getting into her voicemail.

"Maya?" Farkle calls her, "Is that true?" he asks.

Ignoring her friend, Maya keeps her eyes on Riley, "Riley, stop," she warns her, only to hear Lucas on her voicemail, "You said there was nothing in the world that could stop it, I had a bad feeling, and darling, you had turned my bed into a sacred oasis," the three of them hear.

"I can't believe this," Farkle says, looking at Maya in complete disbelief. 

"In the end, you stole him from me," Riley says.

"No, no, no, I didn't steal anything from anyone," Maya defends herself.

"Maya, Riley has been in love with Lucas since they cross gazes in the subway," Farkle says.

"Wait, wait, wait, time out, Riley, this is not what you're thinking," Maya keeps trying to calm herself and Riley.

"So, you're not secretly dating the man I've been in love with since I was thirteen?" Riley, sarcastically, asks.

Maya looks down, refusing to answer.

"What a good friend I have," Riley adds with the same sarcastic tone.

"I'm not gonna apologize," Maya says, getting up from her chair.

"Excuse me?!" Riley shouts.

"Riley, I'm sorry that you're hurting from this, but I'm not gonna apologize for this," she states.

"Maya!" Farkle shouts.

"No!" Maya shouts back at the genius, "I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry that you find out this way, but he loves me," she says to Riley, "And I love him too," she adds, taking her phone from Riley's hand and fastly walking to the door.

"If you leave, you don't have a way back. You know that, right?" Riley says without looking at her.

"We had a good run, Riley," Maya replies before leaving the Minkus apartment.

"I can't believe it," Farkle says, looking at his front door.

"Have chocolate?" Riley asks.

Farkle nods and runs to his fridge.

And the cat is out of the bag

[thestupidhelmet]

 What do you think the characters favorite musician/bands would be if the show was set in modern day? 

Okay, this is a tough one for me since I myself have had trouble finding new music to enjoy since Melodyne/Autotune has become standard use in the music industry. Singers sound so synthesized nowadays -- and even people with great voices who don’t need any artificial help with their singing use it. For instance, Lady Gaga and Michael Bublé  -- who himself admitted in a radio interview he hates using Melodyne but has to, or his songs won’t get airplay).

I can hear even the slightest hint of Melodyne used in singing. (I have close to perfect pitch, not singing-wise -- even though I can always tell when I’m off-key --  but in playing instruments. I hear a song, and I can play the melody on the keyboard and piano [and some other instruments] almost instantly. I can get the chords after a little while longer. I don’t [and can’t] read musical notes [long, irrelevant story]. This is just an explanation. I’m no super-star musician. 😅)

(So I’m very sensitive to Melodyne. Listening to a singer’s voice processed with it sounds like the equivalent of nails scratching on a chalkboard. It’s physically painful. It’s even worse when it’s obviously being done to good singers. Just let them hit a slightly off-pitch note once in a while. It won’t kill anyone.)

Authenticity in music is super important to me -- although even some of my (*sob*) faves have ended up using Melodyne on their newer albums. *sigh*

With that in mind, however, I don’t think Jackie would give a crap about Melodyne. She’d enjoy Lady Gaga, Adele, Ariana Grande, Halsey, Beyoncé, and whatever female pop singer was hot at the moment. She’d likely adore BTS during her Kelso-dating days and Harry Styles.

Donna would be into Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Beyoncé (at least she and Jackie would have one singer in common), Courtney Barnett, Brandi Carlile. Cardi B. Alabama Shakes.

Fez would have the broadest musical taste of all. He’d like a ton of pop music, R&B, rap, and even some country. Too many songs to list, honestly.

Kelso, too, would be into rap. He’d dig Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. WAP would be playing non-stop at his house, and his folks would have no idea what the hell he’s listening to. He’d also listen to many more rap artists; again, too many to list. Rock is a tougher one. Rock is practically dead, and even the good newer bands have been wrecked by Melodyne, but he’d like Greta Van Fleet, Wolf Mother, and My Morning Jacket.

Eric and Hyde I’m grouping together. Except for Eric liking (and trying to imitate the singing of) Michael Bublé, they’d stick to late ‘60s to late ‘90s rock music. Some ‘90s rock bands are still making good music today, and they’d buy (or stream) those albums the first day they dropped. Melodyne would be a problem for both of them, more so for Hyde though. Like me, authenticity in music for Hyde is everything.

[ashadeintheshade]

Would you mind telling me more about Lizzo? 🥺🙏

Lizzo anon! OF COURSE I’LL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT LIZZO.

I’ve been thinking about your ask all week and was so excited to finally get a second to sit down and answer it. 

My caveats: 1) I am not in any way an authority on Lizzo, just a humble fan. There are definitely people who know way more about Lizzo than I do 2) If there are any controversies about her, I probably don’t know about them  3) I doubt my post will ever do Lizzo justice.

Okay, the rest under the cut because I can’t be responsible for how long my Lizzo rant might be:

Why does Lizzo inspire me? I first heard Lizzo’s music just casually listening to the radio when Truth Hurts came on. You probably know the song, you probably know the lyric:

So I didn’t know anything about her then, just that her song was suddenly all over the radio and I couldn’t drive anywhere without hearing it. Then, another song of hers went viral, Good as Hell, which you also might know lyrics from: “I do my hair toss/check my nails” and “if he don’t love you anymore/just walk your fine ass out the door.” Both of these songs were actually released years ago on her albums to limited attention, but then re-released in 2019 when they became sleeper hits. 

I couldn’t stop listening to Good as Hell. The style of the music was so different from everything else I was hearing on the radio, and I fell in love with it. Good as Hell is catchy, motivating, and fun. It’s about self-love and helping your friends (or letting your friends help you) through something rough. Good as Hell says even if you’re hurting, you can do it, you can get through it, and you can look and feel good as hell while you do it. Just look at the sheer joy she has in this music video:

So I had to learn more about her. Who was this artist who seemed to sing about positivity and loving yourself? Why did Time name her Entertainer of the Year for 2019? Turns out I don’t just love her music, I love her. And I’m not alone. 

Lizzo’s real name is Melissa Jefferson, and she has been singing and making music since she was a preteen. She has gone through a lot for her music: you can read about how she lived in her car for a year while she was trying to break into the industry. But she is resilient, and that is what is inspiring about her. She talks about how some days she really, really wanted to quit music, and some days she feels like garbage, and some days she’s uncomfortable in her own skin. And yet she sings about perseverance, she sings about learning to love yourself, she sings about learning to value yourself, she sings about loving your skin. 

Time magazine, in her Entertainer of the Year write up in 2019 said: “Attending a Lizzo concert feels like worshipping at the church of self-love, if your preacher was a pop star living joyfully in a big black body, delivering a sermon of self-acceptance that’s as frank as it is accessible. At a time when Instagrammers are shilling flat-tummy tea or pretending to eat a giant cheeseburger, Lizzo sells something more radical: the idea that you are already enough.” I mean, wow.

Lizzo has dedicated her life to making positive music. “Healing other people by healing myself,” she said in an interview with Live at the Current. “That’s my artistry.” And sharing her journey through struggle and loneliness and depression and happiness and joy has always been a part of what she shares on social media and how she runs her concerts. She tells her audiences that they are beautiful and they are enough, and it sticks with you.

At the 2019 American Music Awards Lizzo said, right before her (slamming) performance: “AMA, I don’t know where you’ve been and I don’t know where you’re going, but I know you’re here right now for a special reason. So everybody put your lights up. This light represents the love that you have for yourself. So shine bright.”

Pictured: Lizzo being an absolute queen at the 2019 AMAs

Not pictured: me losing my mind making the GIFs for this post because LOOK AT HER SHE’S AMAZING

But that’s not all. No, Lizzo is not just an inspirational songwriter, rapper, or singer making music about getting through life and loving yourself. She is also a very talented flutist. What? Yes! Lizzo attended band camp all throughout her formative years and went to college on a music scholarship to study flute. She talks about how she dreamed of attending the Paris Conservatory to study flute and play professionally in an ensemble. She says she had to choose between flute and her rapping, either staying up all night trying to rap at shows, or waking up early in the morning for flute rehearsal. 

But she didn’t really choose, because she never left her flute behind. Lizzo’s flute, named Sasha Flute, inspired by Beyonce’s “I am Sasha Fierce,” follows her onstage, where she often plays flute solos. Sasha even has her own Instagram page, SashaBeFluting (and you can be sure I am a follower of Sasha). Lizzo never wants a little girl or boy to feel embarrassed that they are in band or that they love to play classical instruments. Lizzo brings Sasha onstage because she says flute is part of herself, and when you are yourself and you love yourself, then you can love the rest of the world. And, she says, wouldn’t the world then be a better place?

Yes, Lizzo, it would. 

Lizzo at the BET Awards 2019, fluting with Sasha to a standing ovation

There is so much more to say about Lizzo. All I’ve talked about is how I personally came to admire her. But there’s so much more: the way she is changing what beauty means to the industry when she is unapologetic about her skin and her weight, when she casts large and curvy women and women of color as her dancers and back-up singers and talks with them about why they deserve to and need to be on stage. The way she lifts up her fellow performers and her followers with positive and inspirational messages, the way she writes and sings from her heart. The way she brings flute into rap and R&B music because, why not. Because she can. Because representation. The way I feel better about myself by just hearing her music. The way she puts a smile on my face, a genuine, happy smile.

She is inspiring.

I will never get everything I love about Lizzo into one post. Really, this Lizzo manifesto is lacking in so many ways. It honestly barely scratches the surface. I encourage you to go read about Lizzo yourself and listen to her music on YouTube or wherever you stream your music. But I can probably sum up what I love about her in one idea:

Lizzo means you don’t ever have to apologize for who you are. You and everything about you are already enough. So shine bright.

Ah. Look at that smile. Freeze frame.