#teddy malone

[coldshrugs]

I haven’t played infamous yet either but I am looking forward to the day that you try it out! Your OCs are always so cool!

AAAAAA RIGHT BACK AT YOU TOAD!!!

i'm not one for reusing ocs because i feel mine are so informed by their settings of origin? however, i would probably use my blooming panic oc for infamous since she's just sitting there now.

her name is teddy malone and the moment i can think of a band name that encapsulates the vibes i imagine (think yolk lore meets joy oladokun, alabama shakes meets diana ross, with vocals like adia victoria or valeria june idk i haven't thOUGHT ABOUT IT MUCH AT ALL!!!!!), it's over. quick and speedy teddy vibes 😭

[theweirdkidinside03]

Sabrina Carpenter topped this week's Countdown Top 40 for the first time with Espresso

Espresso - Sabrina Carpenter

I Had Some Help (feat. Morgan Wallen) - Post Malone

Fortnight (feat. Post Malone) - Taylor Swift

Salamin, Salamin - BINI

청춘에게 (To Youth) - EPEX

Illusion - Dua Lipa

LUNCH - Billie Eilish

I LUV IT (feat. Playboi Carti) - Camila Cabello

we can’t be friends (wait for your love) - Ariana Grande

Stardust - ZAYN

MASC (feat. Teezo Touchdown) - Doja Cat

FAMILY MATTERS - Drake

Karma - JoJo Siwa

Eyes Closed - Imagine Dragons

My Oh My - Ava Max

Make You Mine - Madison Beer

Too Sweet - Hozier

obsessed - Olivia Rodrigo

Mikansei - zakinosuke

redrum - 21Savage

HE KNOWS (feat. Lil Nas X) - Camila Cabello

Nice to Meet You - Imagine Dragons

Alienated - ZAYN

I WANT YOU - SB19

thing u do - Tori Kelly

Spicy Margarita - Jason Derulo & Michael Bublé

KING KONG - TREASURE

Groin - RM

Popular - The Weeknd, Madonna & Playboi Carti

To The Moon - Meghan Trainor

After Hours - Kehlani

Friday - The Chainsmokers & Fridayy

BOA - Megan Thee Stallion

Press Me - Chris Brown

TEXAS HOLD ‘EM - Beyonce’

Beautiful Things - Benson Boone

Lose Control - Teddy Swims

Love On - Selena Gomez

Like What (Freestyle) - Cardi B

ART - Tyla

[sweetlycharlotte]

MALONE. ♡

Teddy's Nerdy Prudes Must Die Countdown (34/38)

funny little private investigator who had 1 minute of screentime, my beloved <3

[brucebocchi]

Persona characters as NBA fans

my reasoning for each decision beneath the cut

Celtics/Akechi: Driven by an inhuman amount of spite and need to prove themselves when talent alone is more than enough to do the job. Just an insane amount of homophobic slurs

Nets/Labrys: She has a Brooklyn accent. Don’t overthink it.

Knicks/Ryoji: Say the name of the team out loud. You get it.

76ers/Maruki: “The Process” really was just mass brainwashing if you think about it

Raptors/Kamoshida: No hate to the Raptors organization but they really need to eat crow for letting Drake hitch his wagon to the franchise

Hawks/Ruferu: I don’t know shit about P5X but look at the birdy! Trae Young is also small and annoying,

Hornets/Eikichi: I thought the colors matched. I have never played a Persona game.

Magic/Elizabeth: She thinks the team name is literal. Are you going to tell her otherwise?

Heat/Akihiko: You just know he would be really fucking annoying about “Heat Culture”

Wizards/Yusuke: The hat has cherry blossoms on it and that was enough to shape his rooting interests. I’m enjoying giving him hilariously inept franchises.

Bulls/Erina: Nostalgia is all we have left.

Cavaliers/Haru: Haru is extremely rich and speaks exclusively in Comic Sans, just like Dan Gilbert

Pistons/Junpei: Found out about the “Bad Boy” days and was hooked, only to find out he was born a couple years after that era ended.

Pacers/Ken: Young and surprisingly potent on offense, just needs a few years to toughen up a bit

Bucks/Ohya: beer

Mavericks/Izanami: An unfairly powerful being, capable of manipulating the truth, who must be defeated swiftly. But enough about Miriam Adelson

Rockets/Lisa: She’s an enormous Sinophile so you know damn well she latched onto Yao Ming and never let go

Grizzlies/Kanji: “Uh, hell yeah! Grit n’ grind! Whoop that trick! Be a man!” (actually he just really wants to feel Grizz’s fur)

Pelicans/Chie: You cannot convince me that Chie Satonaka is not a pelican herself.

Spurs/Takemi: A color scheme favorable to goths, a history of solid fundamentals, and a total freak on the up-and-up. Victor Wembanyama is over two feet taller than her.

Nuggets/Yukiko: She just keeps picking the good ones man idk what to tell you

Timberwolves/Koromaru: dogy :) 

Thunder/Nanako: Youngest team in the NBA gets everyone’s favorite baby sister

Trail Blazers/Adachi: I like making him suffer with these

Jazz/Teddie: You’d think it’s because he’s the whitest boy imaginable but he read the “Personal Life” section of Karl Malone’s Wikipedia page and was inspired

Warriors/Sophia: If Silicon Valley gets its way, every Warriors fan will be replaced by an AI by 2035

Clippers/Metis: Perpetual younger sibling syndrome. May not actually exist

Lakers/Shido: He’s been courtside at every home game since 1985. You never noticed?

Suns/Konoe: Eternally at the mercy of the whims of an arrogant tech bro when an AI would probably do a better job

Kings/Yosuke: I like giving him moribund franchises but he’s actually picking up some W’s lately. Good for him!

[brokecorviknight]

Hatchetfield Pokémon AU - Partner List:

Main Characters:

TGWDLM:

Paul Matthews - Exploud

Emma Perkins - Porygon

BF:

Tom Houston - Donphan

Becky Barnes - Comfey

Lex Foster - Zigzagoon (Cressellia is also here)

Hannah Foster - Mew

NPMD:

Pete Spankoffski - Stoutland

Steph Lauter - Luxray

Grace Chasity - Hatterene

Max Jägerman - Passimian

LIB:

Wiggly (Wiggog Y’rath) / Wendell (Dark/Psychic)

Nibbly (Nibblenephim) / Nicky (Dark/Psychic)

Pokey (Pokotho) / Porter (Dark/Psychic)

Blinky (Bliklotep) / Blaine (Dark/Psychic)

Tinky (T’noy Karaxis) / Theo (Theodore) (Dark/Psychic)

Webby (Queen in White) / Wendy (Psychic/Dark)

Important Characters:

TGWDLM:

Ted Spankoffski - Volcarona

Bill Woodward - Leavanny

Alice Woodward - Skitty

Prof. Henry Hidgens - Liligant

Gen. John MacNamara - Genesect

BF:

Ethan Greene - Cyclizar

Linda Monroe - Vespiqueen

Tim Houston - Cubone

NPMD:

Richie Lipschitz - Gallade

Ruth Fleming - Sprigatito

Solomon Lauter - Honchkrow

Detective Shapiro - Pikachu

NT:

Henry (Fake Prof. Henry Hidgens) - Mimikyu

Lucy Stockworth - Gholdengo

Wooly-Foot - Galrian Darmanitan

Konk (Ted Spankoffski) - Darmanitan

Pryce Perkins (Paul Matthews 23) - Ditto

Emilia Matthews (Emma Perkins Android) - MissingNo

Time Bastard / Homeless Man (Ted Spankoffski) - Iron Moth and Slither Wing

Jane Houston (Perkins) - Revaroom

Miss Holloway - Hypno

Duke Keane - Snorlax

Gerald Monroe - Vivallon

Perky (Emma Perkins) - Aribolva

Ziggy - Shiftry

Jeri - Nidoqueen

Jerry - Nidoking

Lumber Axe (Lil’ Jerry) - Witchwood Haxorus

Shelia Young - Froslass

Rose - Toxtricity

Melissa - Meowstick (Female)

Puss - Espeon

Named Characters:

TGWDLM:

Greenpeace girl / Harmony Jones - Shaymin

Ken Davidson - Grumpig

Charlotte Sweetly - Oinkalogne

Sam Sweetly - Braviary

Nora - Minccino

Zoey Chambers - Alcreamie

Deb - Liepard

BF:

Frank Pricely - Sableye

Sherman Young - Salazzle

Gary Goldstein - Meowth

Uncle Wiley / Wilbur Cross - Tentacruel

Man in a Hurry / Barry Swift - Yanmega

Dude with Peanut - Pachirisu (Peanut)

Xander Lee - Empoleon

President - Unfezant (Male)

NPMD:

Mark Chasity - Flapple

Karen Chasity - Appletun

Off. Bailey - Skarmory

Kyle - Chesnaught

Brenda - Oricorio (Electric)

Jason - Bastiodon

Caitlyn - Altaria

Ms. Mulberry- Audino

Ms. Tessburger - Corsola

Rudolph - Sawsbuck

Brook - Finneon

Trevor Lipschitz - Magcargo

NT:

Allison - Lanturn

Madame Iris - Reuniclus

Craig - Tropius

Barker - Coalossal

Rupert - Gigalith

Jonathan Brisby - Tyrantrum

Sylvia - Floatzel

Andy / Executive Kilgore - Aggron

Jenny - Milotic

Dan Reynolds - Karrablast

Donna Daggit - Shelmet

Tony Greene - Klingklang

Jacqueline Frost - Glaceon

Pamala Foster - Komala

Roman Murray - Morpeko

River Monroe - Combee (Male) or Teddyursa

Trent Monroe - Venomoth

Seaton Monroe - Ninjask

Jordan Monroe - Shuckle

Malone - Octillery

Hailey - Skuntank

Zach Chambers - Gogoat

Liz - Beartic

Judith - Butterfree

Martha - Clawitzer

Mary - Bibarel

Mima Chambers - Drampa

Bob Metzger - Witchwood Aegislash

Carl Metzger - Witchwood Doublade

Larz Metzger - Witchwood Doublade

Louie Metzger - Witchwood Honedge

Mary - Medichan

Noah - Furret

Gabe - Sudowoodo

Marco - Copperajah

Kale - Chatot

Thrash - Noivern

Skud - Rillaboom

Courtney - Zebstrika

Russ - Scovillain

Beth - Centiskorch

Eddie Chiplucky - Krookodile

Stopwatch / Daniel - Phantump

Spitfire / Sophia - Blaziken

Charles - Type: Null

Bruno - Pangoro

Otho - Flamigo

Freddie Biggs - Corviknight

Mina - Pyroar (Female)

Chrissy - Alolan Persian

Aubrey - Purugly

Teddy Bear - Mabosstiff

Jerrie - Golurk

Different Actors:

Hot Chocolate Boy (Peter Spankoffski) (TGWDLM) - Polteageist

Pete Spankoffski (AC) - Aromatisse

Prof. Henry Hidgens (HQ) - Jigglypuff

Prof. Henry Hidgens (WB) - Spinda

Max Jägerman (TGWDLM) - Cinderace

Ethan Greene (YJ) - Goodra

(I’ve been working on this for a few weeks. I thought it would be fun to share. Hope you all enjoy it)

[lgbtqreads]

Any stories any genre that feature butches? Besides gideon the ninth

This is extremely nonexhaustive (and you can always find more at The Lesbian Review, which does a great job categorizing which books have butch MCs), but: https://lgbtqreads.com/representation/gender-identity/

And just for ease, pasting the non-Gideon books currently on the site here:

YA

Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler

The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum

Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard

Radical by EM Kokie

Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin

NA/Adult

A Masc for Purim by Roz Alexander

Rooting for You by Roz Alexander (Amz)

The Unbroken by CL Clark

Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole (Stud)

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg

Sizzle Reel by Carlyn Greenwald

Season of Love by Helena Greer

D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins (Stud)

*A Little Kissing Between Friends by Chencia C. Higgins (Teddy Bear Stud)

Departure from the Script by Jae

The Unspoken Name by AK Larkwood (Fantasy)

Against All Odds by Cara Malone

The Night Off by Meghan O’Brien

The Butch and the Beautiful by Kris Ripper

Last Chance by Lily Seabrooke (Amz)

Perfect Pairing by Rachel Spangler

Spanish Surrender by Rachel Spangler

Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stetz-Waters

Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon (NA)

Eight Kinky Nights by Xan West z”l

Shattered by Lee Winter

Stud Like Her by Fiona Zedde (Amz)

Opposites Attract novella collection (Amz)

[gonnasmashupurbike]

⭐Album Of The Year⭐ New Blue Sun – André 3000 COWBOY CARTER – Beyoncé Short n' Sweet – Sabrina Carpenter BRAT – Charli xcx Djesse Vol. 4 – Jacob Collier HIT ME HARD AND SOFT – Billie Eilish Chappell Roan The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess – Chappell Roan THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT – Taylor Swift

⭐Song Of The Year⭐ "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" – Sean Cook, Jerrel Jones, Joe Kent, Chibueze Collins Obinna, Nevin Sastry & Mark Williams, songwriters (Shaboozey) "BIRDS OF A FEATHER" – Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish) "Die With A Smile" – Dernst "D'Mile" Emile II, James Fauntleroy, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars) "Fortnight" – Jack Antonoff, Austin Post & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone) "Good Luck, Babe!" – Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Daniel Nigro & Justin Tranter, songwriters (Chappell Roan) "Not Like Us" – Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar) "Please Please Please" – Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter, songwriters (Sabrina Carpenter) "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" – Brian Bates, Beyoncé, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow, Nate Ferraro & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Beyoncé)

⭐Best New Artist⭐ Benson Boone Sabrina Carpenter Doechii Khruangbin RAYE Chappell Roan Shaboozey Teddy Swims

⭐Record Of The Year⭐ "Now And Then" – The Beatles "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" – Beyoncé "Espresso" – Sabrina Carpenter "360" – Charli xcx "BIRDS OF A FEATHER" – Billie Eilish "Not Like Us" – Kendrick Lamar "Good Luck, Babe!" – Chappell Roan "Fortnight" – Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone

⭐Best Pop Solo Performance⭐ BODYGUARD – Beyoncé Espresso – Sabrina Carpenter Apple – Charli xcx BIRDS OF A FEATHER – Billie Eilish Good Luck, Babe! – Chappell Roan

⭐Best Pop Duo/Group Performance⭐ Us – Grace Abrams feat. Taylor Swift LEVII’S JEAN – Beyoncé feat. Post Malone Guess – Charli xcx & Billie Eilish The Boy Is Mine – Ariana Grande, Brandy and Monica Die with a Smile – Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars

[chaos-vulpix]

Legacyerse: Lloyd - Evergreen Fate

I haven't been keeping up with Legacyverse lately, but I'm sure Ren is putting this boy through it & doing it so flawlessly~

(Like, the place is obviously on fire, but that's just a natural occurrence around here.)

So, this music may or may not coincidently sync up with the current story beats? I dunno lol.

1,000,000 TIMES - MY FIRST STORY ft. chelly

All That Really Matters - Illenium ft. Teddy Swims

Be Like You - Whethan ft. Broods

Behind Your Eyes - Bishu & Juneau

Circles - Post Malone

Cold World - 8 Graves

Die For Me - Post Malone ft. Future & Halsey

Escapism. - RAYE ft. 070 Shake

Feather - Sabrina Carpenter

Grapes - James Marriott

Insanity - Illenium & American Teeth

L'AMOUR DE MA VIE - Billie Eilish

Left Behind - The Plot In You

Like in the Movies - Ameryh

No Going Back - Openside

Shivering - Illenium ft. Spiritbox

Still Here - Forts, Tiffany Aris & 2WEI | League of Legends (Season 2024)

THE GREATEST - Billie Eilish

Third Eye - Emma Blackery

Vampire - Olivia Rodrigo

[hogwartsthenextgeneration]

Teddy Remus Lupin

Edward “Teddy” Remus Lupin 

Nicknames: Teddy, Ted, Tedward (James)

Sexuality: Demisexual

Ethnicity: 1/2 English , 1/4 Welsh, 1/4 Hungarian

DOB: 11/04/1998

Parents: Remus Lupin & Tonks

Siblings: James, Albus & Lily

Godparents: Harry & Ginny

Best Friends: Yusuf Bashar, Sophia Greene, Imogen Schäfer

Started Hogwarts: 2009

House: Hufflepuff

Wand: Unicorn hair, Ebony, 11 1/2

Patronus: Stag

Boggart: Bellatrix LeStrange

Ex curricular: quidditch beater, VC from 6th year

Best Subject: Transfiguration 

Worst Subject: History of Magic

Hair: Naturally mousy brown but usually wears it turquoise and short and spikey

Eye colour: Light brown

Build: 6ft, average/ athletic

Favourite music genre: Doesn’t have one

Favourite artist: Muse/ Adele/ Post Malone/ Boygenius

Favourite song: Starlight - Muse

Favourite colour: Turquoise/ dusty pink 

Health: Seasonal affective disorder/ heightened senses (son of a werewolf)/ Dissociative Disorder

Career: Auror

Family: Married Victoire Weasley age 27 (2025). They finally became a couple age 19 & 21 after Teddy threw Vic a surprise birthday party for her 19th as she had never wanted to celebrate her birthday out of respect for everyone, especially Teddy who lost his parents on that date. They live in Cornwall, England and have 3 children-

•Matilda Dora Lupin (Female, b. 2028)

•Freya Ander Lupin (Female, b. 2030)

•Aiden Remy Lupin (Male, b. 2032)

[goldenmusicmoments]

The GRAMMYs 2025 Nominations:

The Grammy nominations were just revealed and like always there were a mixed bunch of choices. Some deserving, others unexpected and some that left you wondering how they made the cut. There were a few snubs that would have been stronger choices than the ones that ended up being picked. The recording academy do the something as always and you can tell that they consider much more than solely the quality of the music. Lets discuss the major categories and some of the other genre specific ones.

Record of the Year:

The Beatles - Now And Then.

Beyoncé - Texas Hold ‘Em.

Billie Eilish - Birds Of A Feather.

Chappell Roan - Good Luck, Babe!.

Charli XCX - 360.

Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us.

Sabrina Carpenter - Expresso.

Taylor Swift Ft. Post Malone - Fortnight.

Six of the nominations are understandable as they were big moments in music. However The Beatles track ‘Now And Then’ isn’t one that you’d think of when you look over the releases during the consideration period. It managed to chart high after the first week of release, however the song then disappeared. Due to that it is an unexpected appearance in this category. The next one that you wouldn’t really consider as record of the year is Charli XCX’s single ‘360’. She did have a big year with her album Brat which become a huge pop culture movement. However that song isn’t one that again comes to mind when remembering the year. ‘Apple’ would have been the more appropriate choice here as it had virility through a TikTok trend making it memorable and having a greater reception beyond social media hype. 

The rest of the nominees in the category are all understandable picks as they were major moments in music. ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ kickstarted Beyoncé’s dive into country music and gained momentum through TikTok trends eventually finding its way to the top of the charts. Billie Eilish had an interesting start to her new era, as she released ‘Lunch’ as the lead single with a visual and all which allowed for it to debut high. The general public then took charge and made it be known that ‘Birds Of A Feather’ was the song that stood out to them the most. Chappell Roan burst into stardom this year with the release of ‘Good Luck, Babe!’. A live performance of the song drew her attention and people then went out of their way to check out her music. The song was one that quite a few artists decided to cover. A deserving nominee for sure. Kendrick Lamar was a prominent part of pop culture this past year due to his beef with Drake. The dual between the two gave birth to ‘Not Like Us’ which ended up become more than just a moment. As the song became an anthem of sorts and that helped the song have longevity, rather than be a track that just served the purpose of making a momentary statement. Now no one could escape ‘Expresso’ and it surely cemented itself as 2024’s song of the summer. It also propelled Sabrina Carpenter to a new level of stardom, as it become her biggest hit. First to break the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and though it didn’t make it to the pinnacle position, it had greater memorability than a lot of the tracks that did hit the top spot this past year. Taylor Swift’s lead single ‘Fortnight’ which features Post Malone was a memorable release this year and it was a great song, so it comes as no surprise that it received a nomination here.

There are snubs that come to mind such as ‘We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)’ by Ariana Grande, ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ by Shaboozey, ‘Beautiful Things’ by Benson Boone, ‘Lose Control’ by Teddy Swims or even ‘Die With A Smile’ by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars to name a few that would have been stronger choices when comparing to the likes of ‘Now And Then’ or ‘360’ in particular.

Now predicting a winner is tough as the recording academy do love to surprise everyone with who they select in the end. I feel that the strongest contenders for the win would be ‘Not Like Us’ or ‘Good Luck, Babe!’.

Album of the Year:

André 3000 - New Blue Sun.

Beyoncé - Cowboy Carter.

Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard And Soft.

Chappell Roan - The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess.

Charli XCX - Brat.

Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 4.

Sabrina Carpenter - Short N’ Sweet.

Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department.

This was an interesting bunch of choices as most of the records that made the nominations list were predicted or listed by many music outlets to be chosen. New Blue Sun by André 3000 was one of the unexpected ones, as maybe the reception it received from critics was positive. However it didn’t generate much of a conversation amongst the general public, thus many are only now discovering it due to it receiving a nomination here. Another surprise was Djesse Vol. 4 by Jacob Collier, he is a greatly talented artist who is fully hands on in the creation of his own music and has produced for other known names as well. He also seems to have become a grammy favourite as they seem to find a way of throwing him a nomination. The album didn’t make much of a commercial mark and the critics seemed divided over it. Jacob needs to find a balance where his bold production choices work together seamlessly and come across as creative choices that enhance the record, rather than being in pursuit of showing off his talent. 

Short N’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter and Brat by Charli XCX were two very successful albums of the past year, the former made quite the commercial mark and the latter became a prominent moment in pop culture. However artistically the records aren’t really much more than solid pop records. As they don’t do anything revolutionary, even though many on social media (mostly Stan twitter and Charli herself) who seem to believe that Charli XCX is doing something beyond artistic comprehension. Some of her creative choices may seem fascinating, however they don’t make much of an impact outside of her fanbase. The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift is easily one of the biggest album releases this year. Its commercial impact and the level of reaction it received beyond her fans whether good or bad showcased her scale of stardom. A lot of people ran to criticise it, however in the chase of scurrying for something to pick apart they didn’t bother to actually listen to the album. It actually is a great body of work that continues to highlight Taylor’s talent when it comes to songwriting. The album is sonically and thematically cohesive, though you may find that there are moments that feel familiar which most likely is down to her sticking to the same producers she has been working with for the past couple of albums, this album still manages to feel different. So it is an understandable choice here.

Billie Eilish’s new album Hit Me Hard And Soft was a standout release and a body of work that was executed really well. It also performed well commercially so it being nominated was no surprise. It is one of the stronger contenders on the list as it is one that has longevity to it and feels timeless rather than momentary. Billie proves that she is an artist that is in it for the long run and that she really loves making music. Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé was another one that many expected to show up here. It was a major moment in music as Beyoncé put together an album that was genre bending, though it was pushed as a country album it drew influences from other genres as well. She labeled it as her take on country music and not only that she managed to open the door for other black country artists through having them feature on the record. The album is a full on experience from start to finish with diversity that keeps you focused. Thus it is easily one of the most deserving records to be nominated for album of the year. Last but not least is Chappell Roan’s debut album The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess that was released late last year. There was chatter when it came out, however that didn’t do much for the records reach. However after she gained attention early this year with a live performance of ‘Good Luck, Babe!’, the album finally made its chart appearance. It continued its ascend and managed to peak at number two on the Billboard 200 chart and the top ten worldwide. It was great to see a record have a journey like that, which highlighted that the listeners were actually drawn to it because of the music and nothing else. The album is quite the record and proves that she is an artist that knows herself and her sound. Now this wasn’t entirely an expected choice thus it showing up felt like a surprise still. 

There were albums that should have been on this nomination list and could have very easily replaced some of the ones that did make the cut. The main one being the stunning record that was Deeper Well by Kacey Musgraves. The album was one that many outlets had predicted as a strong contender. Eternal Sunshine by Ariana Grande and Submarine by The Marías were another two that should have been nominated here.

Djesse Vol. 4 and New Blue Sun though made it this far, do not deserve to win. Cowboy Carter deserves to take home the award. If not then The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess would make for a worthy winner.

Song of the Year:

Beyoncé - Texas Hold ‘Em.

Billie Eilish - Birds Of A Feather.

Chappell Roan - Good Luck, Babe!.

Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us.

Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - Die With A Smile.

Sabrina Carpenter - Please Please Please.

Shaboozey - A Bar Song (Tipsy).

Taylor Swift Ft. Post Malone - Fortnight.

Here ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ by Shaboozey and ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ by Beyoncé are interesting choices for a category that is supposed to award songwriting. Though both are catchy and enjoyable tracks that were big hits, but they don’t offer much lyrically. The former would have fit better in the record of the year category. 

The rest are fair enough choices in this category. With ‘Not Like Us’ by Kendrick Lamar, ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ By Chappell Roan or ‘Fortnight’ by Taylor Swift Ft. Post Malone being the strongest choices to take home the award. 

Again there were snubs in this category and one of the main ones that spring to mind is ‘We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)’ by Ariana Grande. ‘Lose Control’ by Teddy Swims, ‘Too Sweet’ by Hozier or even ‘Beautiful Things’ by Benson Boone could have made for better picks here. 

Best New Artist:

Benson Boone

Doechii

Chappell Roan

Khruangbin

Raye

Sabrina Carpenter

Shaboozey

Teddy Swims

Apart from Khruangbin, the rest of the nominees came as no surprise. Benson Boone who had first introduced himself to the world through auditioning for American Idol, who himself ended up withdrawing from the show. However he continued on with pursuing music. He had been releasing music since 2021 and none of it managed to make much impact. He then released ‘Beautiful Things’ at the start of this year and thanks to the power of a trend that took off featuring the song, it went on to become a big hit. That opened him up to a bigger audience and allowed his debut album that he released a couple of months later to have a big opening. So he is deserving of the nomination. 

Doechii has been around for a moment, she released her third mixtape this year and is yet to release a debut album. However this year she managed to create a lot of conversation around herself, which in turn resulted in her being asked by other artists to feature on their singles. So she is an understandable choice here as well. Chappell Roan’s spot here had been cemented and there was no doubt that she’d be nominated for the award. After releasing her debut album last year, she truly broke out this year after a live performance was well received by the general public. That led to her debut album finally charting on the charts and it managed to climb all the way into the top ten. The organic growth of the record was refreshing to witness and she’s been a breathe of fresh air in general. An artist that managed to make quite the impression through both her music and her raising her voice to fight for humanity. 

Raye’s journey as an artist has been inspiring and she has been at it for a moment now. Starting as a songwriter and she still is writing for artists, one of her most recent writing credits are on Beyoncé’s album Cowboy Carter. Though initially signed, the label was holding back the release of her debut album that she had been working on. When she revealed the news about the label holding her back, she received support from her fellow artists. She eventually parted ways with the label. About two years later she released her debut album as an independent artist in 2023. The album was preceded by her viral hit ‘Escapism’ and since then she’s continued to make news for her talent. Her live performances have made quite the impact resulting in more and more discovering her. So the past year has really been her most prominent year as an artist. She truly deserves the nomination and if she takes home the award it would be well deserved.

Sabrina Carpenter has been around for quite significant amount of time, she’s released a couple of albums over the years. However though her talent has always been spoken of by those who listened to her music, she wasn’t that widely known to the general public. She gained some buzz after she found herself to be the talking point when Olivia Rodrigo released her debut single ‘Driver’s License’. Even then she only achieved a moderate level of success with the album she released soon after. She then become an opener for The Eras Tour and that helped her find even more connection with the general public, her single ‘Feather’ started to gain momentum on the charts due to its controversial music video going viral. When she announced ‘Expresso’ it came as a surprise, however the song took off immediately. Since then she broke into a new realm of stardom. Short N’ Sweet then opened up with strong first week sales and on the Billboard 200 nabbed multiple weeks atop. So since the year has been her breakout moment she was expected to be a contender here. 

Shaboozey has Beyoncé to thank for introducing him to the world. Though he has been about for a moment, none of his releases prior to his feature on Cowboy Carter made any sort of impact. He really best utilised the attention the opportunity brought him and released a new single immediately after. The single was ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ that reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, it has since spent seventeen weeks atop the chart. Then he followed with his third album which opened up in the top ten on the Billboard 200. He has definitely had a standout year so far and so his appearance here is no surprise. Teddy Swims really took off with ‘Loose Control’ this year and the song achieving huge success made him a known name. He released his debut album late last year and had been releasing music for a moment already. Most of which were covers that had gone viral, which is how he built a fanbase. He is talented as a vocalist and his ability to be both a powerhouse and emotive in his delivery is moving. So him being nominated is deserved.

Now Khruangbin were the ones that came as a surprise. It was also the first time I had heard of them, so I looked them up and found out that they have been around since 2010. They’ve released five albums so far, achieving a moderate level of success. However they still haven’t had a breakthrough moment, neither did the album they released this year make much noise. So there nomination is rather questionable as to what exactly put them in contention this time around. I did listen to their latest album and they did surprise me, it wasn’t what I expected. It was however a fascinating body of music that features very little vocal moments. Even then they don’t necessarily seem deserving of this nomination. 

Someone who definitely was snubbed is Tyla, after the success of her single ‘Water’ in 2023, she then released her debut album this year. Which has then created so much buzz around her and has propelled her into every space. So she would have been a great choice. Megan Moroney is someone else who comes to mind that would have made for solid pick.

Producer of the Year (Non-Classical):

Alissia.

Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II.

Ian Fitchuk.

Mustard.

Dan Nigro.

This is quite the mix of choices. Alissia is the only female nominee so props to her for getting the recognition, however her production credits this past year didn’t make much noise. D’Mile and Mustard, had a few big production credits. The former produced ‘Die With A Smile’ and the latter produced ‘Not Like Us’. Beyond those two they’ve had production credit on a handful of releases from known names this year, however those records in particular don’t standout when comparing to the next two producers nominated.

Ian Fitchuk and Dan Nigro are the competing two in this category. As they have produced some of this past year’s most artistic releases. The former produced Kacey Musgraves’s album Deeper Well and Maggie Rogers’s latest Don’t Forget Me. Whilst also producing songs for Beyoncé & Leon Bridges to name a few. Dan Nigro’s prominent production credits are with Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan, as he worked on both their albums and some of their additional single releases. 

So Ian or Dan are the strongest choices here, though Ian Fitchuk would be the ideal pick. In terms of snubs Jack Antonoff not being nominated was a surprise to many. However him not making the cut this time around isn’t a big deal.

Songwriter of the Year (Non-Classical):

Jessi Alexander.

Amy Allen.

Édgar Barrera.

Jessie Jo Dillon.

Raye.

This one is quite the flip on the producer of the year list as here we have four female nominees and only one male nominee. Édgar Barrera the only male in this category has songwriting credits predominantly in Latin music, so it is great to see the academy recognise beyond a singular language. The selection here is solid. 

Jessi Alexander and Jessie Jo Dillon have both mainly had songwriting credits on quite a handful of major country releases this past year. Releases from the likes of Megan Moroney, Morgan Wallen, Keith Urban, Post Malone, Kelsea Ballerini & Luke Combs to name a few. So they definitely have had big moments as songwriters during the consideration period and standout ones at that. So if either one took home the award they’d be great choices. 

Amy Allen is one of pops most notable songwriters and from the recent releases she’s been a writer for Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRea, Olivia Rodrigo and Justin Timberlake. So she could end up taking home the award for working on some of the biggest hits of 2024. Raye who’s had a big year due to her own music and artistry, has also had some known writing credits during this past consideration period. She started out as a songwriter initially, however with the desire to become an artist herself. Her biggest songwriting credit has to be on Beyoncé’s album Cowboy Carter. Though talented she wouldn’t be the front runner here. 

Best Pop Solo Performance:

Beyoncé - Bodyguard.

Sabrina Carpenter - Expresso.

Charli XCX - Apple.

Billie Eilish - Birds Of A Feather.

Chappell Roan - Good Luck, Babe!.

These are strong choices, however Ariana Grande should have been nominated with ‘We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)’ in the place of ‘Apple’ by Charli XCX. As that was one of the years most standout pop performances hands down. 

Billie Eilish with ‘Birds Of A Feather’ and Chappell Roan with ‘Good Luck, Babe!’, are definitely the strongest contenders. Either one taking home the award would be deserved, though the latter is the likely winner.

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

Gracie Abrams Ft. Taylor Swift - Us.

Beyoncé Ft. Post Malone - Levii’s Jean.

Charli XCX & Billie Eilish - Guess.

Ariana Grande, Brandy & Monica - The Boy Is Mine.

Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - Die With A Smile.

The choices here are rather interesting. All but ‘Die With A Smile’ were surprising picks. ‘Levii’s Jean’ and ‘The Boy Is Mine’ in particular throw you off. They wouldn’t spring to mind if you were picking for this category. However we aren’t spoilt for choice with picks that could have made for great nominees.

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars will surely take home the award with ‘Die With A Smile’. However ‘Us’ by Gracie Abrams featuring Taylor Swift is actually a great pick here as it is a beautiful track. Personally this would be the track I’d award the win to.

Taylor Swift’s ‘Fortnight’ which features Post Malone could have been a given pick here, however since the two appear as features the academy may have been hesitant for a double feature. Another pop track that springs to mind and would have made for a great nominee is ‘New Woman’ by LISA featuring Rosalía. 

Best Pop Vocal Album:

Sabrina Carpenter - Short N’ Sweet.

Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard And Soft.

Ariana Grande - Eternal Sunshine.

Chappell Roan - The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess.

Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department.

All five come as no surprise. Great choices for sure and finally Eternal Sunshine by Ariana Grande is recognised. Billie Eilish & Ariana Grande’s albums could both make for worthy winners. However The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess is surely the most deserving one to take home the award. As it sets itself apart from the rest of the nominees. They could very well surprise everyone and give the award to Short N’ Sweet.

Best Country Solo Performance:

Beyoncé - 16 Carriages.

Jelly Roll - I Am Not Okay.

Kacey Musgraves - The Architect.

Shaboozey - A Bar Song (Tipsy).

Chris Stapleton - It Takes A Woman.

All five are actually pretty solid choices for nominees in this category. ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ is definitely one of the biggest moments in music this year as it still sits atop the charts. It could very well be the one that wins. However Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, Jelly Roll and Chris Stapleton give stronger performances on the songs they are nominated for. 

Kacey Musgraves’s track ‘The Architect’ and Chris Stapleton’s ‘It Takes A Woman’ are the two most deserving ones to take home the award. As they really draw you in vocally and make an emotional impact on you. 

Best Country Song:

Kacey Musgraves - The Architect.

Shaboozey - A Bar Song (Tipsy).

Jelly Roll - I Am Not Okay.

Post Malone Ft. Morgan Wallen - I Had Some Help.

Beyoncé - Texas Hold ‘Em.

An interesting bunch of choices, however ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’, ‘I Had Some Help’ & ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ seem to have made the cut based on the commercial success they received. So if we look at it on that basis then yes they’d be the best picks here. 

However when looking at the quality or artistic nature of a song, and how it connects with or moves the listener. ‘The Architect’ or ‘I Am Not Okay’ are the top two contenders. With the former being the one that should win here.

‘Cowboys Cry Too’ by Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan would have made for a great pick here.

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:

Kelsea Ballerini & Noah Kahan - Cowboys Cry Too.

Beyoncé & Miley Cyrus - II Most Wanted.

Brothers Osborne - Break Mine.

Dan + Shay - Bigger House.

Post Malone Ft. Morgan Wallen - I Had Some Help.

‘Cowboys Cry Too’ and ‘II Most Wanted’ are the top two picks here. Either one taking home the award would be worthwhile. Now Brothers Osborne and Dan + Shay who seem to appear often in this category are decent choices, however neither track truly stands out. The weakest nomination here has to be ‘I Had Some Help’, a catchy track that managed to become a hit is all that it is. However when considering it here it doesn’t stand its ground.

A snub here that should have made the cut and could definitely have taken the last picks place is ‘You Look Like You Love Me’ by Ella Langley featuring Riley Green.

Best Country Album:

Beyoncé - Cowboy Carter.

Post Malone - F-1 Trillion.

Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well.

Chris Stapleton - Higher.

Lainey Wilson - Whirlwind. 

All apart from Post Malone’s album are great picks here and do deserve the nomination. Kacey Musgraves does deserve the win as Deeper Well is a stunning body of work. 

In terms of albums that didn’t make the cut, however would have been more deserving than F-1 Trillion, are Megan Moroney’s sophomore album Am I Okay, Ella Langley’s debut Hungover, Brittney Spencer’s debut My Stupid Life or even Carly Pearce’s latest Hummingbird.

Amongst other categories where I won’t take much of a dive into, however want to briefly mention. Starting with Best Dance Pop Recording, ‘Make You Mine’ by Madison Beer and ‘Got Me Started’ by Troye Sivan are great picks. Troye’s album Something To Give Each Other should have gotten a lot more appreciation from the academy and the general public. 

Clairo getting her first grammy nomination for Best Alternative Music Album with her latest release Charm is well earned. Both her debut and sophomore should have received nominations. With the latter being snubbed for album of the year in the 2022 grammy nominations. 

SZA deserves to take home both Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song with ‘Saturn’. That is definitely one of the nominations the academy got right. However there are some other solid nominees such as Muni Long. 

Doja Cat was snubbed as ‘Agora Hills’ should have had a guaranteed spot in the Best Melodic Rap Performance category as it easily was the better pick from the ones that made the cut. 

Congratulations are due to Charley Crockett and Waxahatchee both receive their first ever grammy nominations. Their albums $10 Cowboy and Tigers Blood are nominated for Best Americana Album.

Kali Uchis receives a nomination with her latest album Orquídeas for Best Latin Pop Album, the album is a solid body of work that earns its place in the category. When looking at the others nominated in the field, she should be given the award.

It is great to see Arooj Aftab make an appearance in the Best Global Music Performance category, she’s become a favourite and deservingly so. Her music style is beautiful and one that you feel fully immersed in. Even if you are unable to understand the language it still manages to move you, leaving an emotional impact on you.

The Best Music Video nominees are a bit of a mess. ‘Tailor Swif’ and ‘Houdini’ don’t come to mind when you think of the word best whilst looking through all the visuals released over the consideration period. ‘We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)’ is again the one that immediately springs to mind that should have made this category, it should have been a given. There most definitely are other choices that could have made the list as well. Out of the ones nominated ‘Fortnight’ seems to be the most likely winner.

We will have to wait till February 2, 2025 to see who takes home the trophies. However who do you think deserved the nominations, which ones weren’t worthy and who was snubbed. Please drop your thoughts in the comments.

[emkayewrites]

Another update to my very slow-burn #Lukola fanfiction, inspired by these two and their banter...

(Excerpt taken from Chapter 11 of 'Curtain Fall')

27th July 2022 – London (UK)

“Oh. My. God. What have I walked into here?”

Nicola stood still, mouth agape.

Luke rolled his eyes at her reaction.

They were in the living room of the apartment he shared with his girlfriend.  Dark blue curtains framed a big bay window that bought daylight into the room.  A dark green sofa and armchair faced the window and a flatscreen TV.  Further back in the room, there was a modest-sized dining table with two chairs.  All in all, it was a small space that felt lived in and cosy.

Nicola was still stood at the entryway, her eyes fixated on what had been artfully arranged across the well-worn sofa.  There was what seemed to be at least six different soft toys of varying shapes and sizes; there was a large Dalmatian dog, a brown-coated teddy bear and a few Squishmallows.  They were positioned around what seemed to be the centerpiece which was a large bouquet of red roses already placed into a deep blue vase and a few separately framed photos of Jade dressed in various costuming from theatre productions she had been involved in.  One of the photos was from the opening night of 101 Dalmatians which Nicola had attended only a few weeks prior.  Accompanying the flowers and photos was an impressively sized box of Lindt chocolates and a gift bag that had a Champneys Spa logo on the front. 

“Alright, get it out of your system.” He said with some amusement in his voice. 

“It’s giving shrine.” Nicola stated.

Luke laughed good-naturedly.  He moved towards the table where there was an already-lit Jo Malone candle, an orange ceramic teapot, two small teacups and a lot of paperwork strewn about. 

 “I was hoping it was giving your boyfriend loves you very much, well done on all your hard work, I’m really proud of you – oh and sorry I’m going to be working so much for the next couple of months.” He started to pour what looked like green tea into each of the cups.

“Well, I guess a harem of plushies is easier than fitting all that on a card.” Nicola quipped, following him towards the table.

He laughed again. “Alright, I get taking the piss but do you have to cheapen it by calling it a shrine and a harem?”

“Deal, as long as I can keep taking the piss because this is just... I mean, I’m going to need some time to absorb you in your natural element.”  Nicola gestured around the room.

“My natural element? Do I want to hear this?”

“The little pot of tea, the candles, the definitely-not-standing-in-attendance-for-a-ritual-sacrifice-cuddly-toys – it’s all very cute. Jade is a lucky woman.” She did mean the words she was speaking.  It was all very sweet.  It was just even easier to mock.  He could tell she was trying to keep her face straight.

“I’m never inviting you here again.” He stated matter-of-factly, taking a sip of his tea. “I pity the man who buys you flowers.”

It was a lighthearted remark but something about it stung. 

Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Ezra remained hot and cold in his messages with her.  There were days where he would text and call prolifically, bestowing every ounce of attention on her.  Then came the days she had dubbed the drought. She was aware she felt neglected, and her feelings were getting hurt.  She responded to these emotions with frustration at herself for placing too much expectation on the situation and on him.  Why can’t I just be cool? She thought.

She forced a small laugh in response to Luke’s remark as she shook off her jacket and sat down opposite him.  They were sat around a table so small their knees were practically touching. 

She suddenly felt conscious of her outfit choice.  She was dressed in jeans and a black low-cut top that flattered her body.  She had not put too much thought into her clothes; favouring something comfortable and somewhat stylish was her go-to protocol for getting dressed.  Now in such close proximity to him, something about how ample her cleavage was in that top felt inappropriate.  In fact, she felt as if she had seen his eyes travel across her body as she had seated herself, but when she looked at him directly, he was studiously rifling through the pages in front of him.  She had to remind herself that her mind often played tricks on her when she felt self-conscious; it made her feel as if the entire room was eyeing her up, judging her and her body.  She tried to shift her mind from focusing on how intimate the setting felt and onto the work they were there to do.

“I’ve got Lizzy’s questions for consideration, and then I put down some of my own thoughts. We could go through it?”  He asked, his mind seemingly a million miles away from hers.

“I did the same.” She dug out a small notebook and pen from her jacket pocket. “So, the question is - how can I help you get through the scenes?”

He eyed the page before him. “Right. Well, firstly, I’m scared you’re just going to laugh in my face when we film – God knows where I got that complex from.” He shot her a look, and she smirked back.

“Then, it’s the obvious one.  I just want to not feel weird when I’m naked, man.”  He shrugged.

“Yeah, reasonable request and I’ll co-sign that one.” She agreed.

“I think we were getting somewhere in the New Forest with the first one though.” He continued. “I’ve not been method before but something about being in Colin’s head like that was good, and I think you were warming up to him too.”

She considered this.  “You’re right. And we have a proper script now, we can get comfortable with saying the words to each other and then layer in the emotions – rehearse the romance into the scenes. I think that practice will help me stay in scene.”

“Another obvious one – touching each other.” He was reading off the paper in front of him. “In a few episodes we go from a pretty chaste kiss to – well carriage scene.”

“Oooh yeah, Pen and Colin get pretty comfortable pretty quick.” She laughed. “So we have just the teeny tiny task of acting out passion that goes zero to one hundred.  Not easy.”

“I think the more we act scared of it and build it up, the worse it’s going to be” He spoke in tone that suggested he was trying to convince himself as much as her.  “It’s acting, it’s a touch that means nothing to us and we should just get comfortable with that.” 

“Fully down with that.”

“Have you ever done the intimacy hierarchy?”

Nicola wracked her mind.  “I don’t think so.”

“It’s a warm-up for intimate scenes.” He explained. “You start with touch that’s less intimate like a handshake and gradually work your way towards more intimacy – within your boundaries obviously – so you might end with a kiss on the cheek.  My last theatre gig, the romantic leads were starting with a hug and ending with a French kiss!”

As he spoke, the familiarity of the approach dawned on her.  She had indeed worked through acting exercises like this, albeit the Galway Acting School had a slightly less sophisticated name for the technique.

“That’s an excellent idea, Luke.”  She took a sip of the tea, the tart taste felt refreshing on her tongue.

“I feel like we’re close enough to just start with the kiss.”  He said the words in a casual manner. Regardless, something about them caused her throat to constrict and the tea to flow straight back out of her mouth; she spluttered onto the table and onto him.

“Jesus!” He pushed his chair back, moving away.

“Sorry, sorry.” She placed a hand on her chest. “I’ve just never been propositioned in front of a gaggle of Squishmallows before.”

For the second time that afternoon, he rolled his eyes at her.

“Note that I called the very sweet toys a gaggle when the words demon-spawn and cultists were right in front of me?”

“Yeah, no you’re right, this is a vast improvement.” He replied dryly.

“Truth be told, I hadn’t thought much about where I stand on the intimacy hierarchy with you, so it took me a bit by surprise.” She added.

“Really? It’s all I’ve been thinking about.” He smiled.

There was something about the way he said those words that gave her an odd feeling in her stomach.  She found herself thinking about how deeply thoughtful he was.  He often described himself as an introvert and an overthinker.  She was starting to see what he meant.  There was something nice about having someone be considerate of you in this way. 

“Well, I’m going to be thinking about it too.” She assured him.

In any other setting, telling someone you would be thinking about kissing them whilst you were sat in the home they shared with their long-term partner would be a incredibly odd thing to do.  It was one of the beautifully weird things about being an actor that she had long come to accept.

They spent the rest of the afternoon refuelling with green tea and tea cakes and scribbling notes onto their respective scripts.  As the hours flew by, their chairs gradually drew closer, their knees touched, and their hands brushed the others’ arms and hands in physical gestures that felt second-nature.  Laying out their worst fears together felt a lot more intimate than any physical touch that was happening between them. 

Read more here: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emkayewrites

[theweirdkidinside03]

Taylor Swift and Post Malone spent another week on top of Countdown Top 40

Fortnight (feat. Post Malone) - Taylor Swift

Espresso - Sabrina Carpenter

Popular - The Weeknd, Madonna & Playboi Carti

I LUV IT (feat. Playboi Carti) - Camila Cabello

we can’t be friends (wait for your love) - Ariana Grande

TEXAS HOLD ‘EM - Beyonce’

Alienated - ZAYN

Karma - JoJo Siwa

obsessed - Olivia Rodrigo

Illusion - Dua Lipa

Beautiful Things - Benson Boone

Love On - Selena Gomez

Like What (Freestyle) - Cardi B

Doctor (Work It Out) - Pharrell Williams & Miley Cyrus

I WANT YOU - SB19

Salamin, Salamin - BINI

Eyes Closed - Imagine Dragons

Lose Control - Teddy Swims

 청춘에게 (To Youth) - EPEX

MASC (feat. Teezo Touchdown) - Doja Cat

My Oh My - Ava Max

Hands On Me (feat. Meghan Trainor) - Jason Derulo

overcompensate - twenty one pilots

Enough (Miami) - Cardi B

Been Like This - Megan Trainor & T-Pain

Spicy Margarita - Jason Derulo & Michael Bublé

MY MIND - Sarah Geronimo & Billy Crawford

Never Be The One - Olivia O'Brien

redrum - 21 Savage

ART - Tyla

Make You Mine - Madison Beer

thing u do - Tori Kelly

yes, and? - Ariana Grande

Friday - The Chainsmokers & Fridayy

Training Season - Dua Lipa

Ruin - Usher & Pheelz

Deeper Well - Kacey Musgrave

No Angels - Justin Timberlake

Friendly Fire - Linkin Park

Back To You - B1A4

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: EUROVISION SPECIAL 2024 (18/05/2024) - also feat. Post Malone/Morgan Wallen, Myles Smith, Gunna and... Macklemore?

For the third week on the UK Singles Chart, Sabrina Carpenter reigns at the top with “Espresso”, and it’s the one week where my two main interests of pop music and geopolitics combine: the Eurovision final. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

content warning: Israel-Palestine conflict, sex, language, Morgan Wallen

Rundown

As always, we start with our notable dropouts, songs exiting the UK Top 75 - which is what I cover - after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40 and this week, we bid farewell to… “These Walls” by Dua Lipa? Already? Yikes. Aside from that, we can bid adieu to “Feel It” by d4vd, “Outside of Love” by Becky Hill, “Type Shit” by Future, Metro Boomin, Travis Scott and Playboi Carti, “Worth It.” by RAYE, “Training Season” by Dua Lipa, “Thank You (Not So Bad)” by Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Tiesto, Dido and W&W, “Whatever” by Kygo and Ava Max, “Back on 74” by Jungle, and of course, “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers. Honestly, not much I can complain about, and I’d predict some of it ends up coming back anyway.

As for our gains, we see some notable boosts for “The Door” by Teddy Swims at #58, “Love Me JeJe” by Tems at #45, “As it Was” by Harry Styles at #33 (yep, it’s still around), “Saturn” by SZA at #32 and “Slow it Down” by Benson Boone at #16. Sure, that doesn’t seem like a lot, but this is quite a busy week so naturally, the gains are minimal, and there are no returns, but a bunch of new songs.

And in our top five this week on the UK Singles Chart, we have “Too Sweet” by Hozier at #5, Shaboozey at #4 with “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”, Tommy Richman shooting up to #3 with “MILLION DOLLAR BABY”, and a star-studded debut right at #2, with Post Malone and Morgan Wallen on “I Had Some Help”. “Espresso” of course is at #1 but more on Post and Morgan later… for now, let’s discuss the biggest night of the year when it comes to gay people representing war criminals in a competition to see who wrote and performed the better track: the Eurovision Song Contest.

Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Naturally, I end up talking about this every year, and this Eurovision was particularly controversial - at least amongst the very online, though very much also amongst the Eurovision fans who have protested some rulings by the European Broadcasting Union and their chairman in relation to the participation of Israel amidst the ongoing invasion of Gaza, as well as the disqualification of the Dutch participant for being aggressive towards a camerawoman, allegedly, though apparently there wasn’t any violence, he didn’t want to be filmed - it’s a bit of hearsay involved. I’m not here to discuss that though, I’m not a gossip blog - even if that last episode about the Kendrick-Drake beef might have teetered on it. Instead, I’ll focus on the music presented this year at Malmo, Sweden, and its impact on the UK charts, which remains relatively uncontroversial. Our entry, “Dizzy” by Olly Alexander of Years & Years, returns to #48 after peaking at #42 earlier this year - kind of embarrassing it couldn’t land in the top 40, especially since there are several other Eurovision songs in that region - though not many - this very week. A muted Eurovision year for sure when it comes to its tangible impact on the charts, but also just a messy overall Eurovision year, here’s me ignoring the vast majority of that and telling you all these songs kind of sucked.

#67 - “Doomsday Blue” - Bambie Thug

REPRESENTING: Ireland

Ireland sent a non-binary witch to Eurovision. If that isn’t woke going too far, I don’t know what it is. Jokes aside, it was a very theatric performance that gained traction simply for being weird, out there, extraordinary and camp, as well as having a soundtrack that, to many people I’m sure, was listenable. The performance, the staging, the camera work, it was all amazing. This alt-metal joint produced by Tylr Rydyr fell into what many heavier acts do at Eurovision: try and fit everything in the short time they have allocated. Norway fantastically avoided this by making a slower and more dramatic, maybe even epic, track but that cost them any chance of winning so from Ireland - and Croatia, we’ll get to it - we have some vaguely industrial mess and yes, I know the dynamic shifting between the two “modes” is most of the point, but I’m sorry, I just can’t stand this. It’s not a good metal song because it fails to reach any catharsis in its refusal to progress upon itself, and it’s not a good pop song simply because it refuses to construct itself as such. It’s not awful, at least by an objective standpoint, but apart from a pretty solid bridge where Mx. Thug devolves into the screeching noise of the outro, the song just teeters into different ideas without gaining a tight grip on any of them, and it’s probably a result more so of ESC limitations than Bambie Thug’s artistic intent, which makes it all the more frustrating.

#37 - “Europapa” - Joost

INTENDED TO REPRESENT: The Netherlands

My favourite Eurovision songs were Czechia, the Netherlands, Norway and Greece. Greece did okay, Norway… made the final at least, Czechia didn’t and the Netherlands were disqualified from performing. Just my luck, hey? Maybe I should stop making endorsements. Regardless, I still really like the Dutch entry, performed by Joost Klein and produced by Tantu Beats and Paul Elstak. It frames itself as a bit of a meme but it’s really one of the few entries that connects to the contest’s theme this year of uniting by music, narrating a story of an orphan travelling Europe getting the chance to prove himself, a story that has its origins in Joost himself losing his parents at a young age and now attempting to prove himself at Eurovision, which of course, sadly didn’t occur and makes the song even more bittersweet than it already was. There’s an even harsher dissonance at play, but outside of the context, it’s just an undeniable Eurodance jam. He even goes for the exact cheesy rap flow every Eurodance rent-a-rapper would use, and the nonsense chorus and vocal chop over the delightfully predictable happy hardcore pianos and synths are just a cherry on top, especially before it sprinkles into the messy instrumental outro. The fact that the lyrics are personal and cleverly written, with a reference to a Stromae song that is also about lacking a father figure, as well as a sample of a classic Dutch film, adds that little speck of intimate detail that makes a goofy song like this hit the right note. It’s fantastic, it’s a damn shame it couldn’t be performed at the final.

#36 - “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” - Baby Lasagna

REPRESENTING: Croatia

This one should be easy to ring off, because it is incredibly one-note. A self-produced Neue Deutsche Harte record from Croatia with goofy lyrics and an impassioned yet somewhat restricted performance that I feel is a bit tied up in the grinding, danceable nature of its unmoving instrumentation that it can’t have nearly as fun as it should. The chorus is a bit self-serious as well, and whilst tonal clash is definitely not stranger to Eurovision, and can be implemented well like with “Europapa”, it’s only when the goofiness comes as a direct result of the more serious backstory or they’re inseparable, and given this barely constructs a full song out of just repeating yourself, it feels half-baked.

#18 - “The Code” - Nemo

REPRESENTING: Switzerland

This one I don’t really like either, and I’ll admit that it’s purely because it’s not my favourite brand of camp: the operatic performance is bombastic and impressive, sure, but it just annoys me. The breathing especially from Nemo, it feels a bit much, if there is a limitation for that in Eurovision. I should mention, probably, that this is the winner for Eurovision this year, and Nemo is another non-binary individual from Switzerland, but they also rap so that’s like five woke points detracted. Their performance once again is impressive but comes from a very Disney-esque school of theatrics and I’ve never been able to relate too well to lyrics about triumphantly finding yourself, mostly because it’s a lot messier of a process than this streamlined breakbeat over soaring strings would have you believe. You would clearly be able to tell that Nemo is one of six producers (the others are Lasse Nymann, Benjamin Alasu, Tom Oehler, Wojciech Kostrzewa and NYLAN) and that’s far from a bad thing: it sounds epic. I absolutely understand why it won, it’s got the energy, the bombast, the straight-up talent, it’s just far from my thing. I think I just watch Eurovision for the politics and Graham Norton at this point, so the songs that’ll hit closer to home are those that try for subtlety, which we honestly didn’t get a lot of this year.

New Entries

#70 - “Miles on It” - Kane Brown and Marshmello

Produced by Digital Farm Animals, Earwulf, Connor McDonough and Marshmello

We really don’t have to do this, guys. If we’re going to actually import some country from Stateside, let’s stick to their biggest and brightest. I’ll take Luke Combs, I’ll take Morgan Wallen and I’ll take Zach Bryan and then some. Kane Brown making yet another half-hearted pop pivot - if you can even call it a pivot at this point - with a slowly fading Marshmello at the helm does not need to be included in the shipment. Given how many fully competent producers are here, I question what Melloboy even did, apart from maybe the grating, ugly processed guitar in the drop because that sounds straight out of his playbook. The snap intro sounds more like Loud Luxury’s “Body” than it does anything even resembling country and I don’t think the decidedly unsubtle lyrics from Kane Brown here as he elbows you asking if you know what it means, or the tropical house wank vaguely pretending to be in any way related to Nashville, is going to make for a fitting sex song separately, let alone together. I’m usually one that complains about songs being too short but this one loses steam a minute and a half in, and just ends up embarrassing for Kane Brown and… more of the same garbage for Marshmello. At least “Body Like a Back Road” had the kindness to keep it more relaxed.

#68 - “Take a Bite” - beabadoobee

Produced by Rick Rubin and Jacob Bugden

So this new beabadoobee song is about finding peace and comfort in toxic or negative situations that are simply the norm, feeling like you have to repeat behaviours that may be unhealthy or unwieldy, with an introspective chorus where she wonders why she’s stuck in that cycle, never truly finding an answer but she still wants to do it over and over again in spite of her ambitions. It’s a great conceit for a song that’s convincingly sold by beabadoobee’s constantly uncertain, softer tone often buried by the production, which is my main issue with this track: Rick Rubin’s on the boards, which means the dreamy gaze of these guitars doesn’t shine nearly as well as it should, and the overdubs feel a bit… random? It’s hard to describe, but despite the chaotic tone of the song, I think it would benefit from being more refined and less scrappy, primarily because that is an absolutely killer chorus even if, like much of the rest of the song, it’s pure worship of 90s and 2000s adult alternative. That’s a genre I miss being on the charts though, I love all that kind of stuff, so I’m fully happy with this being here. I wish there was either a poppier or crunchier sound to it - feels a bit weird lodged between the two extremes, and the fact the guitar doesn’t get to really roar in the bridge does bother me - but as a song, still fantastically written and infectious. Even if I doubt it’ll stick around, I hope more of this sound is coming, because if this is close to being great, I imagine what beabadoobee has left might just reach that.

#64 - “on one tonight” - Gunna

Produced by Kenny Stuntin and Nash Beats

We actually have two Gunna songs. His most recent album One of Wun debuted at #4 on the albums chart and took that week it was out to grow on me. I was initially very lukewarm on it but a few surprisingly impactful experiences with the album - namely, being sleep deprived and trying to use it force me to sleep - have allowed me to gain a respect for it. Sadly, my favourite tracks haven’t debuted, at least not in the top 75 - “hakuna matata” is in the top 100. What we do have still isn’t bad, and definitely contributes to the semi-motivational oceanic feeling of the record overall. In fact, I will say the album is better experienced as a whole due to the seamless tracklist sequencing and overall mood that carries on way more effectively when spread out across 20 tracks. Without each other, sole songs can definitely feel a bit empty, and this is absolutely a great example since it’s only one and a half minutes. Its watery Dirty South beat is slick, Gunna is surprisingly focused in his rags-to-riches story that involves a cute little melodic hook towards the end of his one verse, as well as some genuine lines about staying independent and keeping a relationship with God to stay motivated. It’s a real bite-size example of what I liked about the Gunna album, but not too impressive as a sole piece.

#55 - “one of wun” - Gunna

Produced by Kenny Stuntin, Byrd and ProdByQue

Yup, two consecutive Gunnas, and I hate to say it but it’s more of the same, as the title track is one of my least favourites here, mostly because it tries to be a “banger” with its unmoving, frankly quite dull trap beat and cheap percussion that falters when it comes to replicating the wavy atmosphere of much of the rest of the album. Gunna is still fun here declaring that he’s not a lil-bitty shrimp but I’ve never been anything but repulsed by his brand of sex bars, and they’re not exactly anything fancier here, so it’s just a bit of a dud. Sorry. Wish I could talk about some of my preferred tracks at length but I’ll just shout out my favourites, those being the opener “collage”, “whatsapp (wassam)”, “treesh”, “conscience”, “let it breathe” featuring Roddy Richh and the very genuine closer “be careful what you wish for”.

#51 - “HIND’S HALL” - Macklemore

Produced by Macklemore

I do feel pretty damn good about how the Israeli entry to Eurovision failed to chart but raising funds for the United Nations relief agency in Palestine can take Macklemore of all people nearly in the top 50 with a very non-commercial song. It may seem petty but hey, I’d rather be petty on the side of freedom, and I’ve been caring about Palestine’s independence long before the recent war in Gaza - you can check my coverage of Israeli Eurovision entries from even just last year - so part of me is really happy that this song exists and is charting. In fact, all of me is, and I’m surprised that Macklemore has taken such a public and assertive stance on this considering he’s mostly a comedic rapper, whose political statements I remember most being 1.) the time he wore an antisemitic costume because he thought he was Humpty Hump, and 2.) the time that he thought he was gay because he liked drawing. I’m hyperbolising those events, obviously, they’re both just mismanagements of genuinely good intentions, but that’s kind of been what Macklemore is defined by, at least to me, and “HIND’S HALL” is a much more focused attempt at expressing those feelings in a cohesive way. I still don’t like it.

The idea to sample a respected Lebanese Arab singer is clever, but the beat is droning and aggressive in a very old-school rap way, which means it can get on the nerves easily if the guy over it is struggling to keep compelling - see Eminem’s “Mosh”. I agree with the vast majority of what Macklemore says about white supremacy and I absolutely agree that Palestine should be free - and I think he makes a very good point not many are doing in comparing Israel’s treatment of Gazans to police brutality in the USA, even if he doesn’t really expand on that, and makes it more about himself than it probably should be. That’s the main issue with this song for me, and it’s clear even in Macklemore’s delivery, which can be aggressive and gritty, clipping in the mix, but can also just sound goofy, especially in the intro where the rhyme schemes are a bit dragged out. Otherwise, whilst I have no problem with the vast majority of his lyrics, some nitpicks get to me in a way they wouldn’t if it weren’t for the unavoidable corniness of Macklemore and a song that teeters on obnoxious, mostly through the TikTok references, the idea that white supremacy wasn’t on blast until Macklemore made this song, the random Drake mention that feels attention-grabbing, the plea not to vote for Biden as if a good third party exists and the other option isn’t going to make Gaza worse and embolden white supremacy domestically, and most annoyingly for me, “You can pay off Meta, but you can’t pay off me!”… You’re fucking Macklemore! As much as I really don’t like the song, I do recommend it. Stream it, buy it, give the lyrics a read, there’s not much art being made about this in the public eye and even what we are being given is by imperfect allies (if there is such thing as a perfect ally), it should give us the opportunity to raise money and awareness by the suffering by those on the ground, corniness be damned. I have a lot of respect to Macklemore for trying this out and what he does, even if I don’t like it, is way more impactful than anything I could even try. It’s free Palestine until the colonisation and murder stops, and my hope is that eventually, it will, though the suffering faced in that excruciating timespan may not even balance the eventual freedom when so many who struggled won’t get to live a second of it.

#41 - “360” - Charli XCX

Produced by A.G. Cook and Cirkut

I think I’m supposed to know who, well, any of the women in this music video are. Regardless, it had a bit of a viral moment and helped propel Charli’s newest single from her upcoming Brat album to nearly reach the top 40. Here, the Eurodance keys are placed alongside a demanding electroclash beat that makes it sound a lot darker than they would in a more upbeat, party-friendly context, and this is really an example of A.G. Cook taking elements of electronic dance music and either blending them with different ideas or taking them so far out of context that they emit an entirely different idea than would be otherwise intended. It’s a brilliant idea, especially with the vaguely Jersey club percussion effects in the chorus and that weedy 2000s synths-- did she shout out Sewerlsvt? No? Okay, thank God. Uh, swiftly moving past that, I think this is a very effective way of balancing the carefree and paranoid elements of showbiz together into a relatively ugly yet still accessible and catchy, even hypnotic, tune with a cute little reference to her producer in the second verse and hooks out the wazoo. This is more lowkey perhaps than what the album’s title and cover would imply, but for me, its brattiness is much more charming than in “Von dutch”. Also, apparently there’s a remix with Robyn and Yung Lean coming which is insane and I desperately need to hear that.

#12 - “Stargazing” - Myles Smith

Produced by Peter Fenn

I had no idea who this guy was until just a few weeks earlier and now we’re giving him a free top 20 hit. Sure… man, we’re really back in 2013 pop, aren’t we? This doesn’t directly sample or interpolate anything, but it sure felt derivative and looking back towards a monogenre we ditched back in 2015. It mixes the stomp rock of that time with the dance-pop of that time in a blend that could potentially be interesting if this wasn’t just something that Avicii did back in the day, and by keeping the fake claps, anthemic choruses, ugly vocal processing and wooshing sound effects but not the commitment to electronic sounds, it ends up sounding less like an attempt to warp genres together like Avicii was doing and instead just a mangled attempt to manufacture a pop version of what Hozier and Noah Kahan are already doing to great success without dumbing themselves down. Also, the mix is just terrible, that lifeless yet still inexplicably propulsive kick drum frightens me. This’ll probably be a hit but God, it’s not deserving of it. Next.

#2 - “I Had Some Help” - Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen

Produced by Charlie Handsome, Hoskins and Louis Bell

To anyone surprised that Post Malone is able to pull the streaming and radio numbers he has in the past week for this single… to quote a great post on the Pulse forums, “he had some help.” It’s not fair to say it’s all Morgan though - after all, he’s not a massive pull globally. The song has genuinely latched on pretty well and had an amazing couple first days, it could still stick around, and I honestly think that sometimes a song’s success can be explained pretty simply: it’s just good enough. There’s a lot you CAN hate about this, especially given Post Malone’s origins in rap that I’ve already seen start discourse about this single, and Morgan Wallen as a presence is always going to turn people off… but this is just a driving-down-main country pop-rock sing-a-long, and I feel that’s really difficult to mess up. The drums don’t sound that organic, even if they are - they could very well fit in a synthpop tune as well - but Post has never been one for organic instrumentation, more so an immersive blend between the acoustic guitars he’s familiar with and soundscapes that prefer synthbeds, strings and trap percussion, so this is considerably more organic for the guy, who warbles through the verses and pre-choruses that are probably about a breakup but… does it matter? Once the drum fills into the undeniable chorus that really only has one flaw in that it might be too wordy, but is otherwise an anthemic ode to teamwork more than anything else, I could not care less about what the song is actually about. The fiddle that backs Morgan Wallen is a nice touch, even if a bit on-the-nose that designate that he’s the country singer on the track, and the chorus sounds perfectly written based on both artists’ catalogue. I can see right through this in terms of it being a slight reinvention of Post’s image, a clear attempt at being a surefire hit, but the song backing it all up has too much genuine chemistry and is way too well constructed for that opaqueness to ever get to me. Especially with that chorus, God, it’s a great chorus.

Conclusion

Best of the Week goes to Joost here for “Europapa”, with Charli XCX grabbing the Honourable Mention for “360” though, again, those Post Malone and beabadoobee songs are pretty damn good. As for the worst, it should be pretty damn clear which two tracks are there, but it’s a toss-up to who gets what. I think Kane Brown and Marshmello get Worst of the Week on the pure egregiousness of “Miles on It”, but Myles Smith’s “Stargazing” might just sound worse and takes the Dishonourable Mention. That was a heavy few weeks but hopefully things will calm down, for now - thank you for reading, rest in peace to Steve Albini, free Palestine and I’ll see you next week!

[weeklydoseoffeelgoodtunes]

September 21, 2024 (217)

Top 30

1. Chappell Roan- HOT TO GO!

2. LAUREL- 45 Degrees

3. Hozier- Too Sweet

4. Wallows- Calling After Me

5. Sabrina Carpenter- Taste

6. Deorro- Me Caes Muy Bien

7. beabadoobee- Beaches

8. Quavo & Lana Del Rey- Tough

9. almost monday- can’t slow down

10. Beach Weather- High In Low Places

11. The Beaches- Takes One To Know One

12. Tommy Richman- DEVIL IS A LIE

13. XG- SOMETHING AIN’T RIGHT

14. Artemas- dirty little secret

15. Roosevelt- In The Dark

16. The Chainsmokers & Kim Petras- Don’t Lie

17. Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars- Die With A Smile

18. Teddy Swims- Bad Dreams

19. Sigala, Trevor Daniel, 24kGoldn- It’s a Feeling

20. Zedd & Bava- No Gravity

21. Cheat Codes & Train- Bloom

22. BENEE- Sad Boiii

23. Post Malone & Morgan Wallen- I Had Some Help

24. Milky Chance- Naked & Alive

25. Jungle- Let’s Go Back

26. SOFI TUKKER- Spiral

27. Koe Wetzel- Casamigos **DEBUT**

28. Danny Ocean- Si no no

29. Suki Waterhouse- Supersad

30. WesGhost- BORED **DEBUT**

Close Calls

1. Ava Max- Spot a Fake

2. Neon Trees- Bad Dreams

3. FIFTY FIFTY- SOS

4. 4batz & Lil Baby- roll da dice

5. Nessa Barrett- DIRTY LITTLE SECRET

[procyongrey]

🎶 ✨ When you get this, name 5 songs you actually listen to, then post your answer. Send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers... if you want to! 🎶 ✨

Oh goodness uh, some random ones (more than 5 cuz I'm indecisive) from my driving playlist I listen to fairly often, trying to get some from a few genres, in no particular order:

Señorita- Shawn Mendes and Camilla Cabello

Sloppy seconds- Watsky

Loose control- Teddy Swims

Murder on the dance floor- Sophie Ellis-Bextor

You need to calm down- Taylor Swift

Willow tree march- Paper kites

Shotgun- George Ezra

Diamonds- Sam smith

Trampoline- SHAED & ZAYN

Flowers- Miley Cyrus

Too sweet- Hozier

Better now- Post Malone

RITMO- Black eyed peas

Way down we go- KALEO

Fallin- Alicia Keys

Feeling good- Michael Buble

That's what I like- Bruno Mars

Holy- Justin Bieber

Beggin- Måneskin

When the darkness comes- JP Cooper

Bad at love- Halsey

Bad guy- Billie Eilish

Warning if you just take this and play it as a playlist you will get musical whiplash repeatedly.

And if you see this and want to play go for it, I'm too socially anxious to bother people lol. @ me if you do it I'm curious!

And because this is the pissing on the poor website, mandatory disclaimer that these songs were not selected for the moral purity of the artists or lyrics, not selected with any demographic or genre in mind, or any other secret hidden meaning, I just scanned through a playlist of songs that slap that I can sing without paying attention to while driving.