#there was never a karma album

[foxes-that-run]

This is a must read for anyone who doubts (parts of) Reputation and Ready For It…? Weren’t written in 2015 and the delay for reputation wasn’t planned. Louder for the back: there never was a Karma album.

Every two years since 2006 she has released an album, followed by a tour, then moved onto the next one. But her latest album, 1989, might change plans a bit. “This album has produced more number ones than any album in the past, so we’re just going to go with it,” she says, going on to explain how the usual album cycle could be extended. “Then I’ll feel like I’ll need to give people a breather from me because at a certain point they’re going to get a little sick of hearing about me, so I’ll need to go away for a while then, depending on my gauge on how sick of me they are, I’ll decide when to put out the next album.”

It’s just a goal of mine to not try and be something I’m not.” Her next surprise? Coming to us in three, two, one …

Also the hair, black nail polish, infinity ring, back and white photos.

Vogue Australia, Zara Wong, 14 Nov 2015 (x)

Photographed by Emma Summerton

What does it mean to be a Taylor Swift fan? A few years ago, it was cool to like Swift, ironically, that is; to sheepishly divulge you actually enjoyed You Belong With Me, an admission that would require an eye roll and a faux-groan of some sort. You have probably sung one of her songs at karaoke before. YBWM’s music video was a miniature teen movie, with Swift playing two trope characters: the popular cheerleader and the nerd next door who pines after the boy. Perfect bait for rose-tinted-bespectacled teenagers and pre-teens. (Before you consider my judgement too harsh, it may be time for me to confess: I have all her albums. No shade here.) Liking Swift back then was like a double negative, proving that you were indeed so cool, secure and confident in your own right that you were open about liking a blonde American singer who sang country songs for teenagers. When Swift heard Lena Dunham professed a love of her music, even she was sceptical that the indie-cool Brooklyn-resident producer and director was genuinely a fan of her music, unironically.

Nowadays the tide has turned. This is sure to go down in musical history as a landmark year for Swift. She has won a multitude of awards, broken records, taken on Apple to fight for the rights of musicians and withdrawn her music from Spotify because of its approach to intellectual property. She confirmed her first serious romantic relationship, with the DJ Calvin Harris (their combined net worth trumps Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s), though after initially withstanding questions about her dating life, she now bristles at them and refuses to speak about it. It’s been a gradual change in image, too, seeing her shrug off the twee spangly princess dresses and ringlets for Mary Katrantzou playsuits and Oscar de la Renta gowns.

Most noticeable is her self-branding as a new wave of girl power not seen since the dubiously scented Spice Girls’ version in the 90s, banding together with other ambitious women. These women range from Dunham, to actors Hailee Steinfeld and Emma Stone, to the new breed of “Insta-models”: Gigi Hadid, Karlie Kloss and Cara Delevingne. “My friendship group is one of my favourite things about my life right now,” she explains over the phone during a break from her tour. “Our friends really have each others’ back. It’s the first time in my life that I’ve had anything strong like that in the friendship department.”

While many are old friends – she has known Selena Gomez and Lily Aldridge since she was a teenager – she is also active in pursuing new friendship, telling stories of how she began friendships with Serayah and Zendaya. “A lot of the time I’ll reach out to people to tell them they’re great and a friendship will come out of them. Ella and I – Lorde – we met on our own because her album came out and I sent her flowers and told her it was great and now she’s one of my best friends. Friendship often comes from admiration and that feels like a natural way to be friends with someone because you’ve established you respect what the person does.”

Her dedication to her fellow female friends – dubbed her #girlsquad – has even helped usher the word “squad” into contemporary vernacular, working conveniently as either its own entity or as both a suffix or prefix, something that surely makes self-confessed grammar fan Swift beam a little more brightly with pride. Try, for example, #squadgoals or #glamsquad. It’s cool to be a Swift fan today.

While to us it seems like a good time to be Taylor, she disagrees immediately. “Oh, that is such an illusion,” Swift says drily. “The public could change their minds about me tomorrow. If they decided that I was annoying tomorrow, they would use that angle and then a few other writers would use that and it would catch on,” she says, knowing how the media works. “Things are good right now but I’m never going to be stupid, foolish or ignorant enough to think I have control over the public. All I can control is making good music. I am so lucky that people seem to like me right now, but in no way, shape or form is it a permanent thing. And I think being aware of that is what keeps you smart and is what keeps you on the game.”

Every two years since 2006 she has released an album, followed by a tour, then moved onto the next one. But her latest album, 1989, might change plans a bit. “This album has produced more number ones than any album in the past, so we’re just going to go with it,” she says, going on to explain how the usual album cycle could be extended. “Then I’ll feel like I’ll need to give people a breather from me because at a certain point they’re going to get a little sick of hearing about me, so I’ll need to go away for a while then, depending on my gauge on how sick of me they are, I’ll decide when to put out the next album.”

1989 isn’t so much a twentysomething tell-all than a musical reflection from a very heightened self-awareness of not only her own emotions, but also of public perceptions. “I’ve been learning every single day what the right amount of sharing [of her personal life] is, and lately it’s been not natural because this album is such a snapshot of my life – it was so vivid, direct and honest.” The songs address dating rumours, like in Blank Space, and naysayers – “Got nothing in my brain, that’s what people say”, she throws back in the poptastically hypnotic Shake It Off. “One of my main goals is to trying to preserve my sense of reality,” she says of her career.

Her favourite television show while growing up was VH1’s Behind the Music, which profiled famous music groups and singers. “There was always this part of the show where they would show the decline and the moment where everything would fall apart, and I would expect it, even as a kid. It would always seem like the decline of an artist was attributed to a combination of things, but I noticed that the top elements were a loss of self-awareness and making bad art, and usually one led to the other,” she analyses. “That loss of self-awareness can be so dangerous, so that’s when I have days when I have healthy self-esteem and things are in a great place, and I have days where 
self-doubt is my primary emotion, and that’s okay, because that means you’re living a human, emotional, unaffected life.”

Like many high achievers Swift is hard on herself, but she’s refreshingly unfiltered and articulate about it. “When I think I haven’t done the right thing, haven’t done a good enough job, 
I will punish myself emotionally for it over and over again, going over it in my head,” she continues. “I always have to work on being easier on myself, because over-thinking is my greatest adversary when it comes to life, work, love, friendship, career. I’ve been a bit better lately and realising when I’m having a low-self-esteem day that’s because of how I’m wired, not because everybody hates me,” she says, laughing at herself.

Swift will be finishing up her tour in Australia just before her 26th birthday in December. Her stadium concerts consistently sell out, so she doesn’t get nervous on stage anymore (“If people bought tickets to see me, then they don’t necessarily want me to do badly,” she reasons) but admits instead: “If I’m being honest, at some awards shows, because if the energy out there is really competitive, I know exactly what people, who are my competition, how they might hear me and it’s a really stressful environment when you’re on stage. You feel like, maybe some people in the first few rows wish you would trip and fall, and then it would become a viral video. That’s a pretty stressful and hectic situation to put yourself in, but it’s my job so I deal with nerves and just do it and hope for the best.”

On her past tours special guests would be other artists whose hometown she was performing in, or who were touring at the same time. “But I figured, if I kept on doing the same thing, people would then expect who I was going to bring out, so I wanted to really amp up the element of surprise.” This tour has included everyone from Serena Williams, Julia Roberts and Joan Baez to Justin Timberlake and John Legend and up-and-coming artists, which additionally proves her pulling power and clout. “I’ll approach them and say: ‘I’ll fly you to a city on the tour, I’ll fly you there and back,’” she says, aware of the difficulty of surprising fans in 2015 (she describes how sound checks are done without speakers switched on, since fans are outside trying to guess who the surprise guest is). “Part of being an entertainer is to try and show people something that’s going to confuse them, delight them, surprise them.”

Another surprise of sorts was when she pivoted musically to embrace pop for her latest album, rather than going for her usual country. “You can take that in two different directions: you can take it in the direction of shock, or you can take it in the direction of surprise. I choose surprise every time because I would so much rather plan an elaborate surprise that’s going to delight them rather than trying to shock.” She’s thoughtful about what she wants to elicit from her fans. “Where shock value is your only trick, it’s harder to maintain a long career. I can keep surprising them, which is a big deal for me to capture that emotion because it’s so rare these days.”

There’s a lyrical quality to how she puts words together. Her favourite writer is F. Scott Fitzgerald, for the “beauty and eloquence of his language itself. His writing is more poet and songwriter in nature than novelist.” And, of course, we know that it’s there in her songs, where she inserts poetic conceits (“I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream”, as she taunts in Blank Space). It’s there in how she speaks, too: the cadences in her sentences, the unlearnable consciousness of rhyme, rhythm and repetition. But it’s undercut by a voice that’s lower in pitch and more serious in tone than her songs may suggest, though with just enough of that queen bee bite to it, an ideal accompaniment to those masterful turns of phrase in her song lyrics. “Being a songwriter is the reason why I approached all of this with such conviction. I don’t think that I would care 1/16th as much if I didn’t write every song lyric that you hear me sing,” she says, the words gushing out over the phone. “It drives everything, it drives creative ideas about what the music videos are going to be, it drives the production elements that are going to be on tour and the stories I want to tell. It absolutely determines everything; everything’s drawn from the lyrics.”

It was her writing abilities that ignited her musical career. She won a national poetry competition in primary school, and was the youngest ever songwriter to be hired by Sony, at the age of 13. Catchy songs aside, the way she communicates to her fans allows them intimate access through coded line notes and a social media account full of visual and literary witticisms about herself, internet memes and other in-the-know subjects. “Social media can be such an amazing tool to talk to fans. I go on Tumblr to read someone’s having a bad day and I’ll send them a message to try and cheer them up, or I’ll comment on a video of a little kid dancing to my song,” she says. “Another way is that I have friends who are models but are also loved by my fans because they have personality, which they can show fans on social media. Gigi [Hadid] and Kendall [Jenner] are really great at it and Cara [Delevingne] is amazing … [the fans] feel that they know these girls because they are so open about their lives and I think that element is great in my career too. People can go onto my Instagram and see weird videos of my cat as well as behind-the-scenes of the Bad Blood video. I like it to be a mix.”

She’s pinpointed this talent within herself. “I love being around people. It’s not something I can control; it’s like a genetic part of my personality that I was born with,” she explains. “What you don’t realise when getting into music is that a huge part of your job, your career and your industry is meeting people you’ve never met before, and having short conversations that have to be meaningful even though they’re short.” A fruitful career in any artistic pursuit is a mixture of talent, luck and perseverance, so Swift may well have highlighted another factor for the 21st century expected of celebrities: access for all. “My greatest strength is not disliking new people or being around people, even if I don’t know them.”

The road to pop music stardom is fraught with obstacles. Swift, of all people, knows this best. She lists the biggest misconceptions about her: “From 2012 it’s like: ‘Oh, she’s boy crazy!’ – I’m chasing this boy, or I’m desperate – and then the ones from 2010: ‘Too much too soon, is she even talented?’” Or, the ones from more recently: “You know, like: ‘Her friendship clique is just one group of mean girls!’ There’s too many to pick from so they drown each other out. There’s too many to pick a favourite,” she says in one breath, reeling off the list with startling timeline accuracy.

Casting an eye over her past two years, she acknowledges she’s changed personally. “I look back on that person I was and think of how I had such a different life, different priorities, different opinions on things.” For a more final iteration of her career, she’s lightly entertaining the idea of remaining in the music industry but behind the scenes. “If I were to say: ‘Okay, what am I going to be doing when I hit 40?’ I have no way of knowing but I hope I would still have music in my life,” she says as a caveat.

“But if I were to give you my best guess I’d say I’ll write songs for other people, or I’ll create an album that’s about what I’m going through at that point in my life. We’re people-pleasers, that’s why we became entertainers, so if people don’t want you to be on stage anymore in sparkly dresses singing songs to teenagers when I’m 40, then I’m just not going to do it. It’s just a goal of mine to not try and be something I’m not.” Her next surprise? Coming to us in three, two, one …

[lunar-years]

This is the pessimist jumping out of me but I think what irks me most about the level of rep tv hype is that I KNOW half these people are gonna be the exact same ones loudly complaining on rep tv release night because “delicate sounds slightly off at minute 1:34” or “how could they ruin getaway car :(“ or “this new photoshoot doesn’t even fit the vibe” or “why do these vault tracks sound like they belong on midnights :(“

[chasingfictions]

ive never been a oh i liked that before it was cool person but the way i feel about ms chappell roan . like ok cool you guys all love her now and you fucking should but you werent THERE. in my BEDROOM. listening to PINK PONY CLUB. for THREE DAYS with no BREAKS. in TWENTY TWENTY.

[kalashtars]

found my old ipod... tell me why I forgot about the absolute BANGER that is Back To Earth (feat. Fall Out Boy)

[blueskrugs]

man the way that some swifties are just. so delusional.

[thegentlesurvive]

Shocked to learn that there are people who think “karma is a cat / purring in my lap cause it loves me” is Taylor’s worst line. Maybe it’s my Cat Person showing, but it’s unironically the highlight of “Karma” for me.

[mynameisntlame]

I think I agree with a few actually

perfectly good heart - is one I think I'll love when it's in her mature voice on # debut taylor's version # but on the original it might be my least favorite

# fearless:

# I might agree about bye bye baby # but on the original fearless I think my least favorite would be change # I like it # but there's just something about it # the rest of the album is so good # it just doesn't hit as hard # like

# hey stephen taylor's version # goes so ridiculously hard

# for speak now:

# speak now taylor's version # is so hard to pick a least favorite # but if I had to I might pick never grow up # or timeless

never grow up - I like it as an adult but idk my inner child finds it kinda sad, like as a child I think I liked it but it hit different cause I wanted to grow up

timeless - I have to say, although I love the song (did she do a mashup with timeless??), I just think I would like it better if it wasn’t quite as long

# red:

# I’m sorry you’re so wrong about girl at home

# I think my least favorite might be # the very first night (Taylor’s version) # on the original I think it might have been # the last time # cause I like it but I just don’t like it as much as the other songs

# 1989:

# again I think I actually agree # bad blood # as in the original is usually a skip for me # HOWEVER # I love the version with Kendrick # and all the vault tracks slap so

# reputation:

# this one is so hard

# I definitely disagree tho # this is why we can’t have nice things # goes so hard

# but maybe gorgeous # or …ready for it? # but I still bop to them both

# I also can’t wait for the vault tracks on rep tv because I know they have to be fire

# also chat is karma real ??

# lover:

# ok I’m sorry but

# soon you’ll get better # I can’t listen to it

# it’s beautiful # but I cannot # it’s too sad

# folklore:

epiphany - it's a beautiful song and when I do listen to it it's really good but it's just usually a skip for me # like I don't actively skip it # but I do avoid it # like I always shift it down my shuffle queue

# evermore:

# truly a no skip album for me

# like I actually can’t pick a least favorite

# that said maybe I’d say my least played is Marjorie # simply for no other reason than I also miss my grandmother # so it’s kinda sad ok

# midnights:

# I’m sorry WHAT # no way is vilgilante shit a least favorite # I love it so much and I can see the choreography every time I listen to it

# I think it’d be snow on the beach

# cause again I like it # it’s just not usually my vibe # and I just like the other songs more

# the tortured poets department:

# I’d say most likely between robin and thanK you aIMee # I love but daddy I love him # robin just makes me anxious to listen to for some reason idk why it just feels like it’s about a kid dying or something and it makes me feel weird lol # and then I just kinda avoid/skip thanK you IMee sometimes

[taylorswift]

Um. SO much to tell you. I’m a massive fan of this brilliant artist and after getting to know her I can confirm: she is THE ONE to watch. So delighted to say that Karma Featuring the incredible Ice Spice will be out TOMORROW night at MIDNIGHT ET as a part of the new Midnights (Til Dawn Edition) deluxe album that you can pre-order now at taylor.lnk.to/thetildawnedition!

In addition to Karma Ft Ice Spice… You asked for it, we listened: Lana and I went back into the studio specifically to record more Lana on Snow on the Beach. Love u Lana 🥰😆☺️

But wait there’s more… for those of you going to the East Rutherford shows - we will have a new special edition CD available ONLY on site starting at 12:30pm ET on Friday! This CD will have a never before heard Midnights vault track called “You’re Losing Me”!

[decembermoonskz]

I love getting to lovingly make fun chan’s glitter filter pants so much I’m having a time still guys

[two-white-butterflies]

★ — loss of my life | charles leclerc

Description: You're the biggest superstar in the world. You break up with your longterm boyfriend. It's lonely at the top.

Pairing: singer!reader/charles leclerc

yourname: the love of my life. ❤️ @charles_leclerc

liked by 2,391,039 others

>comments

charles_leclerc: ❤️

yournameuniverse: ok drop the album its been 3 yrs

BirdsofAFeather: OMG OMG SHE'S A SINGER, HE'S A RACECAR DRIVER IT'S A WATTPAD BOOK.

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yourname: short n' sweet is out now 🍭

this feels really surreal, i kind of had to unlearn myself and learn myself again in order to make this album. it's the one i'm most proud of thus far in my life. it's the one i hope you listen to and feel like we were hanging and confiding in each other for an hour. me and the mic were like this the whoole time 🤞🏻 i never thought i would finish it because it was really scary to close the chapter. but i closed it so you can open it! and i hope you do. i hope you love it.

rant over now please stream this shit a lot if you don't mind, it took me years to make lol.

liked by charles_leclerc and 4,698,349 others

>comments

charles_leclerc: ❤️

jaylahespy: crying real tears

ynlnnation: WE'RE LOVING IT

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charles_leclerc: Happy 7th! @yourname

liked by 231,382 others

>comments

yourname: Happy 7th lovey! ❤️🥺

charlesuniverse: THE PERFECT COUPLE

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(MONACO, 2023)

You felt like Elvis Presley. Singing in sold-out arenas and having millions of fans that would constantly stream your songs. It was exhilarating. It was a different type of high. Being famous was 100x better than narcotics, because it gave you money.

Money that afforded lazy days like this.

Both sides of your pillow remained cold. The air-conditioning was in optimal condition. Charles' warm arms were wrapped around you, caging you in his warm embrace. "What time are we gonna get up?" you asked with a chuckle, seeing that his eyes remained closed.

"Brunch," he mumbled weakly - fighting against the sleepiness. "- now let's please get back to sleep." he pleaded, his arms wrapping tighter around your waist. A small giggle escapes your mouth.

"Okay, Mr. Leclerc."

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yourname: liverpool you're the apple of my eye ❤️🥺 thank you for being such a wonderful crowd!!

liked by 2,128,192 others

>comments

YourNameWorld: I LOVE YOU PLEASE NOTICE ME

allatflipflops: LIVERPOOL!

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liked by yourname

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yournamenation: Y/N L/N sings Miss American Pie.

liked by 128,392 others

prongsmoony: Oh it's confirmed

Headoverheels: She also liked that twitter post that's speculating over their breakup...💀

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Y/N L/N and CHARLES LECLERC: ALL WE KNOW ABOUT THE BREAKUP SO FAR. by Poppy Corinthia

When Y/N L/N first began dating Formula One racer Charles Leclerc more than seven years ago, the internet was not shocked. The pair first introduced each other as childhood best-friends, both growing up in Monaco, until L/N's eventual leave to NYC.

A love story like theirs did not stay behind closed doors.

Their relationship was first confirmed by an instagram post made by Y/N L/N (which has since been deleted following her karma album) that is captioned "the love of my life" with a picture of her and Charles Leclerc kissing passionately in Turks and Caicos.

This was followed by back-to-back appearances in the racing paddock, as well as Leclerc's attendance in all of L/N's concerts. July 10, 2024 the streak of attendance has been ruined. Leclerc has also not liked any of L/N's post about her Liverpool concert. Y/N L/N also liked a twitter post speculating their breakup.

But what do you think, reader? Is the IT Couple broken up? or are they simply taking a step back on their public appearances?

>comments

valenciaschitt: Yep I think they're over

HollaParker: I refuse to believe it :(

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yourname: Edinburg, you're the one for me! 🥺 thank you for listening to 'loml' for the first time. the song will be released...an hour after this post. loml is really personal to me, but please always choose to be kind and gentle.

liked by 4,213,912 others

>comments

CharlesandY/N: "Please always choose to be kind and gentle" THIS IS DEFINITELY ABOUT CHARLES 😭

charlesuniverse: YOU'RE THE LOSS OF MY LIFE

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Y/NUniverse: When I remember that Y/N got the breakup text 30mins before her show in Liverpool...

liked by 182 others

comments have been restricted.

[endurance1912]

eras tour setlist (detailed)

miss americana & the heartbreak prince (NOT full song)

cruel summer (chorus, bridge, chorus)

welcome/she's so happy to be on stage again + spoken introduction into

the man (full song)

you need to calm down (verse 2, chorus, bridge, chorus)

longer welcome speech, eras tour night 1, thanking fans for showing up & celebrating opening acts. telling crowd we're doing one era at a time!!!!

lover (full song) acoustic guitar

the archer (full song) + electric guitar solo for costume change

fearless (full song)

you belong with me (full song)

love story (full song)

video interlude - showing woods/trees - for costume change

'tis the damn season (verse 1, chorus, bridge, chorus)

willow (full song)

marjorie (verse 1, chorus, bridge, outro)

speech/ it's been so long that she's toured and so much has happened since (new albums + rerecordings) & she's missed us. says she loves evermore despite what people on tiktok think

champagne problems (full song) acoustic piano

introduction of new keys player

tolerate it (verse 1, chorus, bridge, 2nd chorus, outro)

snake video/visuals for costume change

...ready for it (full song)

delicate (full song)

don't blame me (intro, verse 1, chorus, bridge, chorus, outro) + extended outro leading into lwymmd

look what you made me do (full song)

snake visual + abstract pink/purple colors + enchanted audio intro for costume change

enchanted (verses 1 & 2, chorus, bridge, chorus, outro)

video interlude with red audio snippets

22 (whole song)

we are never ever getting back together (full song)

i knew you were trouble (verse 1, chorus, bridge, final chorus)

speech about the red album & taylor's version

all too well (full 10 minute song) acoustic guitar

interlude: spoken wildest dreams lyrics/spoken seven lyrics - for costume change

invisible string (full song)

speech talking about folklore album & wanting to do something different than autobiographical albums

betty (full song) acoustic guitar

the last great american dynasty (full song)

august (full song)

illicit affairs (bridge repeated twice, outro)

my tears ricochet (full song)

cardigan (full song)

interlude for costume change

style (verse 1, chorus, bridge, chorus)

blank space (full song)

shake it off (full song)

wildest dreams (verse 1, chorus, bridge)

bad blood (chorus, pre-chorus & chorus, bridge, final chorus)

interlude for costume change

speech - introducing surprise song & her goal is not to repeat any of these songs on tour

surprise song: mirrorball (full song) acoustic guitar

another speech at piano (my live cut out though so idk what she was talking about)

tim mcgraw (full song) piano acoustic

interlude - water/crashing waves turning into clouds

lavender haze (full song)

anti-hero (full song)

midnight rain (full song)

vigilante shit (full song)

bejeweled (full song)

mastermind (full song)

final song: karma (full song) + farewells & final bows

[shaniacsboogara]

jojo siwa claiming she's revitalizing gay pop and releasing 'karma' on the same night as conan gray's 'found heaven' and chappell roan's 'good luck babe' is so poetically ironic. it's like the universe WANTS to draw a comparison between jojo and queer pop artists.

the thing that makes queer pop compelling as a genre is the unique storytelling and experiences of queer artists told through their music. that doesn't necessarily mean every song by a queer artist has to be about their queerness. they don't have to scream "hey i'm gay!" in every single song they write. but claiming to be "reinventing gay pop" should mean you're telling interesting stories about your queer experience, right???

'found heaven' by conan gray is about growing up as a queer kid with religious guilt and disapproving parents. he equates being in love in an authentic way to "finding heaven", and the piece as a whole resonates with a TON of queer people in different stages of their lives. some people can look back at their childhoods and how much they've grown since then, some can relate because they're currently going through what conan's written about, and some people can sympathize with the way some queer people are treated, even if they aren't necessarily queer themselves.

'good luck babe' is a song about queerness and compulsory heterosexuality. chappell sings about a woman she was in a relationship with who decided to settle down in a conventional marriage despite being queer. the song reflects the denial a lot of queer people go through (specifically regarding the lesbian experience) and the unfortunate way a lot of them end up repressing who they are to conform to societal standards. it's fun, it's campy, but its message is still poignant.

as for karma… there's nothing inherently queer about that song. the music video for the original version, ‘karma’s a bitch’ by brit smith, featured a heterosexual storyline. jojo buying the rights to a song she didn't write isn't inherently a bad thing, a lot of mainstream artists do that all the time. however, if you're claiming to be a pioneer of the “gay pop” genre and your music doesn't reflect any queer themes or experiences, is it really “gay pop”? again, queer artists don't have to write exclusively about their queerness, but if you try to present yourself as a voice for the queer community without telling any of their stories, you're not going to be lauded as some revolutionary figure. if any of the songs on jojo’s album are actually about her experience as a lesbian or contain any queer themes, then i think she'd qualify as a “gay pop” artist. but so far, she's given us a faux edgy, generic pop song and tried to market it as some insane never-been-done-before feat. and honestly, if her entire album is like this and she continues to market herself this way, it's a slap in the face to all the genuine artists and storytellers in the queer community.

but let's stop talking about jojo siwa and start talking about the incredible queer artists who are truly breathing life into the "gay pop" genre: chappell roan, renee rapp, ben platt, conan gray, girl in red, kevin atwater, baby queen, mitski, clairo, dodie, and SO MANY MORE (feel free to add on some of your favourites because there are so many wonderful artists out there <3)

also: if you have a different perspective on this situation i would absolutely love to hear what you think and if you agree / disagree with this! i love discussing topics like this so feel free to reblog with your own take

[emsdevs]

If you had "dragged" Jack to the Eras tour he would have pulled out a bracelet he made based on your favorite song. It's a little sloppy but it's the thought that counts. He maybe also got you a clear bracelet to signify your invisible string and held you extra close when she performed it.

a/n: so sorry for the wait nonnie! I hope you like it still because I had wayyy too much fun with this one 🫶

All Too Nervous (Jack's Version)

Jack had been quiet all day. Well, he’s been quiet for the past week or so really. You thought he was excited to go to the Eras Tour with you, but now you weren’t so sure. He’d sat through the grueling ticket-buying process with you, even made you use his card. He had let you buy him matching outfits as well. Jack didn’t want to do anything too crazy for his half, telling you it would be your night so you should be the star of the show. While you had gotten the cutest custom bodysuit, boots, and karma jacket (in Devils’ colors of course), he simply wore a t-shirt with “KARMA” across the chest paired with his favorite pair of jeans and his well-worn AirForces. The outfits were even his idea, taking inspiration from the line “karma is my boyfriend.” 

What you couldn’t understand is why he suddenly seemed so hesitant to go. He was much quieter than usual, and it almost seemed like he was avoiding you for the past week or so. Now, the two of you were in an Uber, heading to MetLife for the show, and it feels like Jack is somewhere else. He has his knees facing away from you, and the only reason you two are even touching is because you grabbed his hand.

————————————————————————

Jack was a nervous wreck. If he’s this nervous about something so small and possibly insignificant, how bad will it be when he proposes? He feels like he might throw up, and he’s not sure why. You’ve always made him a little nervous. He’s always wanted to impress you, but it had never been this bad, not even when he kissed you for the first time. The worst part is that he didn’t even know when he should do it. Should he do it when you two arrive at the stadium? Should it be in between sets? Should he do it during “Love Story”? No, that’s too much like a proposal. Does she perform your favorite song? He could do it then. No, then you would miss your favorite song. He was spiraling while you were excited to see one of your favorite artists. He should not be freaking out so much over a friendship bracelet.

He’d spent the last week and a half working himself to the bone to make a bracelet perfect. He knew trading friendship bracelets was a big part of the fan experience at these shows, and you had mentioned that you’d be making a few to trade and give out. That gave Jack the idea to make you a special bracelet, from him to you. He spent a concerning amount of money on beads and strings, and he listened to more Taylor Swift in that time than he had in his entire life. 

Every chance he got, he was sitting at his kitchen table, trying his best to make a bracelet he thought would be worthy of sitting on your wrist. In between practices, before games, after games, no matter the time it was, if he was free, he was making your bracelet. The first one he made broke two seconds after he cleaned everything up. The second one, he just hated. He couldn’t give a reason, but he did not like it. The third he thought was perfect until he noticed half the letters were upside down.

He set in on the fourth bracelet, really taking his time. He took little details from your favorite songs and added the colors of your favorite albums. Eventually, he had a bracelet he was proud of, mostly. He knew it wasn’t perfect, and that was the main cause of his worries. He had run out of time, unable to make a fifth like he wished he could. This one was okay. It was cute but simple, and Jack knew he could do better. However, this would have to be the one he gives to you tonight, so he could only hope that you’ll like it.

————————————————————————

You and Jack had finally arrived at MetLife. You were walking to the line, ready to inside, when he grabbed your hand, pulling you aside. Just when you open your mouth to tell him the line is the other way, you notice the nervousness on his face and the way he’s keeping his hands stuffed in his pockets. 

“I umm… I wanna give you something before we go in. It’s not much, but I… I thought you might like it, and… yeah,” he felt like he couldn’t breathe, terrified you’d hate it. He pulls the bracelet from his pocket, slowly placing it in your now-opened hand. You weren’t saying much, only staring at the bracelet in your palm. “I’m sorry. I know it’s not the best, but I just wanted to do something for you. The beads are kinda of see-through, so you can see the string I used. It’s um… it’s one of the clear ones so it’s like all of our invisible strings. I tried to use the colors from your favorite album too since they’re all color-coded ya know? And-” he was stopped in his tracks when you looked up at him with that bright smile he loves to be the cause of.

“Jack, you made this for me?”  you look away from the blush that’s spread from his neck to his cheeks and the tips of his ears in favor of looking at the bracelet again. He wasn’t lying, you had seen and made better bracelets than this, but none of them meant what this one did. It had colorful, transparent beads in no specific order to pattern, and you could see the clear string he had used to tie them all together through them. In the middle of all the beads were three little white beads with letters on them, Jack's initial and your initial with a heart in between. Honestly, it looks like something an elementary school boy might give to his crush on Valentine’s Day, but you loved it all the same.

“Yeah! I uh spent a lot more time on it than I’m ready to admit,” he let out a chuckle hoping some of his nerves would go with it.

“I love it, Jack. It’s perfect,” you hug him tightly, kissing his cheek as you go in for the hug. You can feel the sigh of relief he lets out at your reaction.

“I’m so glad you like it. Let me help you put it on,” he pulls back grabbing your hand that had no bracelets on the wrist, ready to receive them in trades. He grabs the bracelet, moving to put it on your wrist when he notices something off. “Wait! Is the J upside down? Are you kidding me? I tried so hard to get all the letters the same way on that one,” he sighs as the bracelet finally sits on your wrist where it belongs.

“That one? Did you make more than one, J?”

“Let’s not talk about it. Aren’t you supposed to be giving me a bracelet now? That’s how trading works, Babe.”

You giggle before pulling the perfect bracelet off of your other wrist. You had made it with Jack in mind. It was filled with light green and a few light teal beads, the letter beads in the center reading “OUR SONG”. It was one of Jack’s favorite Taylor Swift songs, and although he’d never admit it to anyone, you two sang it to each other quite often. Well, it was more like you were yelling the lyrics at each other, but you two were having fun. You cherished the smile on his face when he realized what song the bracelet was themed after before grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the line.

————————————————————————

That was easily the best night of your life. You were practically buzzing by the time the timer had counted down, and when Taylor popped up from the floor, Jack was wondering how well he’d be able to hear at the end of the night after all your screaming. You two had swayed together during “Lover”, singing to each other while your head lay on Jack’s shoulder. You sang “Fearless” to him, telling him it always makes you think of him (“You run your finger through your hair, absent-mindedly making me want you”? If that isn’t Jack what is?), and he sang “Love Story” to you. You both dramatically sang “tolerate it” to one another, pretending you could relate. When the “reputation” set started, Jack was sure he’d lose his hearing. Either way, both of you were jamming out to every song in the set, Jack being a little more excited for “Look What You Made Me Do” since it reminds him of his career. 

The “Speak Now” era began, and you both sang your heart out to the only song in the set. “Enchanted” had been on your and Jack’s shared playlist since you got together, so it was a little surreal to be singing it with Taylor. In the “Red” era you were lucky enough to get a song added to the setlist, “Nothing New” with Phoebe Bridgers. Soon, you were in “folklore” and singing and dancing to every song. Next was the era you had been waiting for, “1989”. The entire album made you think of Jack, and it was one of the first you were able to talk him into listening to. You screamed the lyrics of “Style” and “Blank Space” to one another, dancing to “Shake It Off” and adding more drama for the “Wildest Dreams” and “Bad Blood” mashup.

Finally, it was time for the surprise songs. Before Taylor even sang anything, she debuted the “Karma” music video with Ice Spice. When she grabbed her guitar, you couldn’t believe your ears. She had begun playing one of your favorite songs, “Getaway Car”, and Jack Antonoff came on stage to help her perform it. When she moved to the piano, she played a song that Jack loved, “Maroon.” When you two finally made it home, you were still reeling.

“Did you enjoy your night, Baby?” Jack asked as he knelt to take your boots off for you.“I had the best night, Jacky! Thank you so so so much! I can’t believe we got all the surprises that we did!” you were still bouncing off the walls, although exhaustion was starting to settle in. After Jack took care of your boots, you both began undressing so you could get ready for bed. Jack watched you carefully take off the bracelet he had given you, placing it in your jewelry box with all the nicest jewelry you own. He’s sure he felt his heart stutter at that moment, but he ignored it in favor of getting ready for bed. Soon, you were both cuddled up in bed, sharing your favorite parts of the night before falling asleep, still tangled up in each other.

tags: @heartsforjh @fofiquierellorar @justxpaulina @alex-wotton @devilinpradaheels

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[ebsmind]

⏾ MEET ME AT MIDNIGHT | jack hughes x singer!reader smau

summary : trying to struggle releasing a new album and doing press can be too much, are people starting to speculate that it’s taking a toll on your relationship?

warning(s) : break up mentions (poor reader 😕), a couple of cuss words i think idk,

a/n : AHHHH HERES THE FIRST CHAPTER i’m so excited to start this series!! i did create this series around midnight (if the shoe fits) and i just knew i needed to get this first chapter out ASAP so here it is!!! im taking each chapter slow and steady since ive never done any type of series before. i also wanted to lyk that each chapter is named after a song but most won’t have a lot of correlation to the songs! also ik jack isn’t in this one (spoiler sorry) but he will soon! i promise i have a vision 😋 i hope yall enjoy and i love you!

series masterlist

liked by taylorswift, gracieabrams, vincedunn and others

ynuser surprise! Midnights out on october 21st! 🌌💜✨

view comments

user1 OMG OMG OMG ITS HAPPENINGGGGGGG

user2 CLAIMING LABYRINTH

taylorswift So proud of you my little bird!! Thank you for having me featured on an amazing album 💜

❤️ by author

user3 sweet nothing is def about vince 😋

yourbestfriendsuser she put blood, sweat, and tears into this!!! ya'll better not do her dirty EVERRRRRR

| ynuser clock it

user4 the album cover EATSSSSS

user5 DOES THIS MEAN UR GOING ON TOUR???

gracieabrams OMG (i knew about this for months)

| ynuser the best secret keeper EVER

yourmomsuser So proud you honey!!

| ynuser i love you mom!❤️

user6 taylor being featured on snow on the beach YESSSSSS

user7 KARMA IS MINEEEE

sabrinacarpenter ALBUM OF THE YEAR I FEAR???

❤️ by author

user8 what’s it like carrying the music industry on ur back queen?

| ynuser i need to see a chiropractor immediately

vincedunn 💜💙

on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon…

liked by jimmyfallon, vincedunn, taylorswift and others

ynuser kicking off midnights press with the best tv host ever!!

tagged : @/jimmyfallon

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jimmyfallon It was great having you on the show!

❤️ by author

user1 a duo i didn’t know i needed

user2 sweet nothings being the first song written and with vince 🥹

vincedunn sick asf babe!!

user3 i can’t wait another week for this album OMG

user4 why hasn’t she been liking vince’s comments :(

| user5 oh bye that is not our business

user6 her writing all the songs around midnight I LOVE THIS WOMAN

user7 am i the only one that notices that her eyes don’t light up anymore when she or anyone mentions vince???

| user8 oh ur REACHING

liked by yourbestfriendsuser, yourmomsuser, vincedunn and others

ynuser breaking news! Midnights is out now! maybe stay up until 3am for a little surprise!

view comments

user1 I LOVE THIS ALBUM SO MUCH

user2 u took my heart out of my chest and squeezed it with ur bare head with YOYOK

taylorswift Congratulations!! I can’t wait to see you at the Grammy’s this year 😉

user3 crying this is my album

user4 SNOW ON THE BEACH WITH TAYLOR??? EATSSSSS

yourbestfriendsuser TIME TO GET OUR SPARKLY DRESSES ONNNNNN

user5 we want more taylor pls

user6 KARMA IS THE GUY ON THE SCREEN COMING STRAIGHT HOME TO ME 💃💃💃

yourrecordlabel 🔥🔥

user7 bejeweled is THAT GIRLLLLL

user8 wait vince wasn’t at the midnights release party??

| user9 omg they better not have broken up istg

| user10 let’s not spread false information….

user11 THE OUTFITS CHANGES HAHAHA

| ynuser listen…i couldn’t decide

liked by yourmomsuser, vincedunn, _quinnhughes and others

ynuser cats out of the bag!! i wrote an extra 7 songs and created a 2nd version of my album ✨ welcome Midnights (3am Edition) 💜

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[mclacedes]

A Fading Echo (LH44)

CHAPTER I: Taste Karma.

hello beautiful babes! here's a little something i've been wanting to write for a while now and just flew out of me randomly!! hope you enjoy this and hope this makes any sense at all :)

warnings: breakup, abu dhabi ‘24, lewis leaving mercedes, lewis in ferrari, lack of XNDA songs, partner moving on.

“it isn't only how he died, but that he died believing. and so i try to be kind to everything i see. and in everything i see, i see him.”

— Hanya Yanagihara, “A Little Life”

this is slightly inspired by Hanya Yanagihara's book "A Little Life", but THIS IS NOT A RECOMMENDATION from me and THIS DOES NOT mean I like that book at all !!!

also, there's a part II for it, so lmk if you like it :)

End of season. Last race. Last race with Mercedes.

This was the end of an era, but the start of an age. A new chapter in this long book, filled with broken records and (un)fulfilled dreams.

There was only last thing he wanted though. A thing he’d never done.

To release an album.

+44, his first album, would come out in a few hours and nobody even knew it.

Lewis had poured countless hours into it, refining each lyric, melody, and harmony until every note fitted just right.

Every detail was thoroughly planned, every step thoughtfully envisioned. The photoshoot was booked, the interview responses rehearsed, the songs were ready. But one day, he realized the only thing that should be put together — his very self — was melting, breaking apart into millions of pieces of longing, sorrow, wrath and regret.

This should be a moment of fun, a moment of celebration, but the only thing he’d think about is how this album only exists because, at one point, he had you — the best thing that ever happened to him, his confidant, his partner in crime.

But, as of now, there's no you in his life and, apparently, no space for him in yours.

Now you’re a fading echo, a ghost haunting every inch of his life, lurking in the back of his mind so he can get a glimpse of your broken-hearted gaze in your salted-water-drowned eyes when he closes his.

Your laugh still echoes through the paddocks around the world; he still knows every word of the prayer you’d mutter every time he climbed into the cockpit. You are in his houses, cars, clothes, and everything he is now—a wreckage.

There's a simple routine he follows, absentmindedly, now that you're gone: he smiles when he sees you in a small detail of his life; then his heart tightens painfully, suffocating him. When the stars fall at night, he lies awake in the darkness of his room and his own mind, clutching the pillow you once slept on, desperately trying to grasp some semblance of solace and familiarity. Lewis lingers there, until your vanilla scent fades away completely as he drifts into the restless awareness of his subconscious—his dreams, in which you've never left and still loved him. In his perfect, tailor-made utopia, you can bring yourself to look into his eyes and say you forgive him.

But reality has other plans. Like always.

He just wanted to get through today.

Yes, the Universe is vast and gracious, munificent and indulgent, and Lewis knows this. But, today, his last race with Mercedes in a track that holds so much memory, the Universe had made its mind: the winds of fate would play a trick on him.

This morning, after waking from a dream of you in your favorite park in France, laughing about babies and tracing shapes in the clouds, he never imagined he’d want to leave the paddock as soon as he entered it.

On the drive to Yas Marina, it hadn’t crossed his mind that he might see you, hand in hand with that one actor—Jensen Ackles—who you used to gush over.

As he signed caps, mini helmets, and photos for his fans, not for a single moment did he expect to catch sight of you in the paddock, wearing rosso corsa, cheering on Ferrari—Ferrari, of all teams. The same red team you used to roll your eyes at. The same red team that the man beside you had so often boasted about supporting. The same team that he had signed a contract with.

None of it had been his choice, and yet his entire body betrayed him the moment his eyes landed on you; as though someone had fastened his feet to the ground, he was unable to walk. He not only couldn’t move, but he felt like air didn't get to his lungs so he couldn't breathe, and there was nothing more interesting than the scene in from of him so he couldn’t look away.

For a second there, he wished you were ugly. He wished your eyes didn’t glisten when you honestly found something funny, that your dress didn't perfectly frame your body, and your teeth were broken. He wished there were flaws he could cling to, reasons to justify hating you; he wished he could have the strength within himself to fall out of love. But you were too unattainable for him to let go.

And, God, you were glowing. Your smile beamed, your hair fell perfectly just the way he likes it, and then—what. is. that?

Your hand laid slightly over your belly.

Your left hand rested on your belly, right where your womb would be.

Your left hand, with its delicate fingers, bore a ring—a massive diamond that caught the sunlight in a cruel, mocking glint.

And then there was him. Jensen Ackles, the so-called antichrist, standing behind you with his arms wrapped around you like you belonged to him. His hold was possessive, unyielding, as though he’d fight tooth and nail to keep you. But he did seem like he was happy. And the worst part about it is that you seemed too.

Lewis’s heart rate spiked, pounding in his chest, his thoughts racing faster than the W15 ever could.

“Is she pregnant? They're engaged? Are they married already? When is the baby due?”

And then, just before he turned away, one final thought slipped through the chaos in his mind: taste karma.

[lesbianjohnlennon]

It's queer! by Nelson Motta (O Pasquim)

"o pasquim" was a brazilian alternative weekly, known for its paradoxical and satirical nature, published between 1969 and 1991. it was recognized for its engagement with the brazilian counterculture scene of the 1960s and for its role in opposing the military regime. in 1970, the magazine published an article about john and paul (and brian) affair, written by nelson motta. here's the translation (with adicional notes) 👇

It’s queer! by Nelson Motta

Paul McCartney loved John Lennon, who loved Brian Epstein, who loved Paul McCartney. All the whole London music scene (1) knows this, and there, the famous suspicion about Paul's “death”, which originated with an American DJ, didn't catch on.

The "death" theory is well-constructed, but the true story (the one about their faggotry (2)) makes much more sense. And it's much spicier. I prove what I said (3):

Everything was going great in the John-Paul-Epstein triangle. Everyone loved each other, they adored jelly beans, everything was rosy, smoke and mirrors, etc. Ringo and George Harrison were always on a different page. The duo was Lennon and McCartney — they sang together, composed together, did everything together. Together with Brian Epstein, of course, who was openly queer and quite relaxed about it.

Everything was fine until Paul and John decided that two's company and three's a crowd, etc., and kicked Epstein out of the bed.

It's not proven, but many serious and well-informed people claim that Epstein committed suicide after a fight with Paul. Epstein supposedly gave Paul a very valuable gift, which Paul not only ignored but also hung up on Epstein, who, in despair, killed himself.

But John and Paul had many arguments, especially when Paul was still single and John was already tied down with the Japanese woman. The nippo, who is very wild and forward-thinking (4), didn't mind sharing John with Paul, but McCartney (that face never fooled Sérgio Cabral (5)) had jealousy issues. They fought and made up many times, even through music.

To "show the proof"(6) (I'm not sure why this phrase keeps coming up): Paul made up by composing Get Back (To Me) (7), and Lennon responded with a passionate interpretation of Oh Darling that everyone thought was "darling" (in the female sense) but was actually "darling" (in the male sense)(8). These are some of the great ambiguities of the English language.

But the Japanese woman really tied John Lennon down; no one knows exactly how. Or rather, everyone knows how.

The press started reporting that they were fighting a lot, and the explanations were always about "business and musical matters." Only a fool would believe that, since it's known that Apple was never in danger, none of the Beatles were at risk of starving, and the duo's musical production never suffered any drop in quality or sudden change in style.

After his last fight with John, Paul met Linda Eastman, who, through talks and things like that, convinced him to re-establish his heterosexuality (9). Probably out of revenge, Paul ended up marrying her to get back at John with a "for your information, I've already found someone else to replace you." (10)

The final result: John recording solo (Instant Karma is third on the American charts) while Paul is also making waves as a solo artist with Let It Be, first place on the American charts, and Paul's solo album has already been released.

Some clueless people might ask, "But how do Lennon & McCartney songs keep appearing?"

Elementary, my dear Jaguar (11): The duo has an exclusive contract with the music publisher Northern Songs until 1972, and everything one does will carry the other's name, at least nominally, as a partner. This practice is very common among songwriting duos where both contribute to the lyrics and music interchangeably.

You must admit that, at the very least, this is a respectable theory. I can't prove it because I've never been involved in this affair, which is absolutely not my specialty.

They’re the ones who are queer; let them figure it out.

notes:

(1) in the original, “patota musical de londres”. “patota” has a kind of pejorative meaning of a group of people. also means a group of friends or colleagues.

(2) in the original, “bichisse”, and it was the best way of translation that i could find.

(3) in the original, “mato a cobra e mostro o (the) pau”. again the best i could find.

(4) in the original, “superprafrentex”, which was a common slang in brazil in the 70s, used to describe someone who was modern and progressive.

(5) sérgio cabral was a famous journalist in brazil, and one of the founders of “o pasquim”.

(6) again, in the original, “mato a cobra e mostro o (the) pau”.

(7) in the original, “Get Back (Volta pra mim)”, which is funnier in portuguese and i tried to keep the tone.

(8) in Portuguese, every noun has a gender. darling can be translated to “querida” (feminine) or “querido” (masculine). 

(9) in the original, “restabelecer a mão única”. “mão única”, which literally translates to “one-way street”, makes a reference to paul’s sexuality, implying he was going (or into) on both “ways”, men and women.

(10) in the original, “pra teu governo já tenho outra em teu lugar”, another idiom. but works in english, anyway.

(11) in the original, “Elementar, meu caro Jaguar”, a playful reference to sherlock holmes’ line.

disclaimer: this was written in 1970, so is full of outdated expressions (and slurs) so read carefully!