Pop fans – the time has come to start updating your Christmas playlists.
This year, we’ve really been spoilt, with some of the biggest names in music unveiling brand new festive offerings, including seasonal tunes from the likes of Lizzo, Sam Smith and Alicia Keys.
Fortunately for those who don’t feel like sifting through every single new song to sort out the “naughty” from the “nice”, we’ve done all the hard work for you.
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Here’s our take on some of the biggest new Christmas releases for this year, starting with something very special indeed…
Lindsay Lohan – Jingle Bell Rock, feat. Ali Tomineek
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Oh, Santa has been good to us this year. Not only is 2022 the year we finally got a Lindsay Lohan comeback in the wonderfully cheesy Netflix original Falling For Christmas, it also came with a bonus stocking filler in the form of a new musical offering from the criminally-underrated artiste.
What’s more, the track is a cover of the festive staple Jingle Bell Rock, in a nod to one of the most iconic scenes of Lindsay’s signature film, Mean Girls.
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All in all, we’re very much here for her take on Jingle Bell Rock, and we enjoy what the musical team did in terms of bringing the song up to date without taking it too far away from the original. Still, we have had to deduct marks for the completely unnecessary addition of a rap verse (a bit of digging reveals Ali Tomineek originally rose to prominence on the Netflix talent search Rhythm + Flow, which may well explain how he came to be on the track in the first place).
Sample lyric: What a bright time, it’s the right time to rock the night away.
It can be the case that when a big-name singer releases a holiday album they spend the afternoon recording a few covers, slap some sleigh bells on it, pose in some fake snow for the artwork and call it a day.
Well, we’re happy to see that’s not the approach Alicia Keys has taken, with her new festive release featuring four original tracks (including a co-write with Emeli Sandé!) alongside covers of Santa Baby, Happy Xmas (War Is Over) and The Christmas song.
The stand-out is lead single December Back 2 June which mixes a retro R&B vibe with a modern sound in that way Alica does so well. It’s also a bit of a bop, with lyrics referencing how the festive season makes her feel nostalgic for the past year with a loved one. Ask us next year whether it’s made our permanent playlist, but we’ll definitely be giving it a spin this December at the very least.
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Sample lyric: “For this Christmas, don’t need wishes, not since I met you, every season, you’ll give reason to love you from December back to June”
As part of Amazon Music’s Christmas celebrations, Lizzo has chosen to delve deep into the festive vaults and cover Stevie Wonder’s classic Someday At Christmas, a full 55 years after it was first released.
While “peace on earth” is a pretty popular Yuletide lyrical theme, Someday At Christmas takes a more specific approach in its lyrics right from the opening line: “Someday at Christmas, men won’t be boys, playing with bombs like kids play with toys.”
The lyrics certainly pack a punch, and as you’d expect from a good Stevie Wonder cover, the production is definitely a 60s throwback. And there’s certainly no arguing with Lizzo’s vocal abilities here.
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Sample lyric: “Someday all our dreams will come to be, someday in a world where we are free, maybe not in time for you and me, but someday at Christmas time.”
Anyone looking for something new to cosy up to in front of the fire while slurping down mulled wine and looking out of the window at where snow would no doubt be cascading if climate change hadn’t stopped us from ever having a white Christmas again is in luck.
Sam Smith’s new slow jam is very much in their usual wheelhouse (it’s certainly more Stay With Me than Unholy, in case anyone is worried about a festive jump-scare), and there’s no denying it’s a pretty song that would be the perfect soundtrack to an under-the-mistletoe moment.
Still, it’s not exactly imaginative, which is a shame as just a couple of years ago Sam gave us the brilliantly unique Christmas tune The Lighthouse Keeper, which is definitely the superior of their two festive originals.
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Sample lyric: “Come rest your weary head on my chest, the year is behind us, we’re still at our best, the magic of Christmas is what’s coming next, so lean in and kiss me and all of the rest.”
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You might be surprised to see Sir Cliff on our round-up of contemporary festive tunes, but with three Christmas number ones to his name, and a new album out for 2022, we’d be remiss not to include him.
This track is the lead single from the crooner’s new album Christmas With Cliff, beginning with some pretty standard lyrics about how “the streets are glistening with lights”, “the air is getting cold outside” and “the snow is falling from above”, but by the time we get to the chorus it becomes apparent that the “Heart Of Christmas” Sir Cliff is singing about is, Jesus. To be fair, his most recent number one was a reimagined version of The Lord’s Prayer so we could probably have seen this coming.
“Hear the angels singing out, unto us a child is born,” he sings on the chorus. “Jesus, the heart of Christmas.”
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So, yeah – this one probably isn’t for everybody. But at the same time, we can’t pretend this isn’t among the catchier Christmas tunes on the list…
Sample lyric: “Listen and you hear the sound, the song they sang in Bethlehem is forever.”
Our rating: 🎄🎄🎄
Jinkx Monsoon And BenDeLaCreme – Looking At The Lights
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Fans of drag duo Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme might already know this original festive tune, as it was featured in their 2021 holiday special. This year, it’s been given a proper single release, which we’re over the moon about, as it hopefully means even more people will now discover it.
Written by BenDeLaCreme and performed by the recently-crowned “Queen of All Queens” Jinkx, Looking At The Lights is a sorrowful, musical theatre-inspired torch song that will certainly speak to anyone who finds this particular time of year difficult.
Still, don’t go thinking it’s all doom and gloom. Yes, Looking At The Lights does highlight the many reasons a lot of us struggle in the winter, but also highlights how having even just one person in your corner, whether that be a partner, friend or family member, can often be enough to get you through it.
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Sample lyric: “You may see a tree wonder what’s the use… maybe there’s no use, just a nice excuse for me to sit beside you on these cold and lonely nights.”
Our rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Rosie Thomas and Sufjan Stevens – We Should Be Together
","type":"video","meta":{"author":"Rosie Thomas","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7ONVTsnuzEk5De8kKL55lQ","cache_age":86400,"description":"Ltd Ed \"We Should Be Together\" Necklace Sets at https://rosiethomas.bandcamp.com/merch \nGet em while you can!\nCredits:\nWritten by Jeffrey Shoop, Rosanne Thomas\nProduced by Jeff Shoop\nPerformed by Jeff Shoop, Rosie Thomas\nGuest Vocals, Drums, and Additional Engineering by Sufjan Stevens\nSleigh bells by James McAlister\nEngineered by Jeff Shoop\nMixed by Yuuki Matthews\nMastered by Ed Brooks\nVideo by Jeff Shoop\n\nLyrics:\nMan why did I let you leave me alone in summer\nI should have known by fall Id finally finish your sweater\nAnd now it’s lying here on my bed\nAt night I wrap the arms around my waist\nPretend it’s you instead\nAnd cry into the shoulder\n\nWe’ve pulled this thread for so long\nTo let it come undone now\nI still believe \nWe still belong\nSomeway somehow so\n\nI’ll be home for Christmas time\n(Whatever the weather)\nYou be home for Christmas too\n(We should be together)\n\nMan why did I let my feet get cold and bitter\nToo scared\nInsecure\nUnsure if you were unsure \nThe pieces wouldn’t fit\nNot a tight enough knit \nFor us \nTo make it through the winter \n\nWe’ve pulled this thread for so long\nTo let it come undone now\nI still believe \nWe still belong\nSomeway somehow so\n\nI’ll be home for Christmas time\n(Whatever the weather)\nYou be home for Christmas too\n(We should be together)\n\nWe should be together\n\n\n\n#christmas #christianmusic #lovesong #breakupsong #rosiethomas #sufjanstevens","options":{"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"_end":{"label":"End on","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"_start":{"label":"Start from","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}},"provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_height":480,"thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xRxdaa0GBbE/sddefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":640,"title":"Rosie Thomas – We Should Be Together (feat. 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The second we heard that Rosie Thomas and Sufjan Stevens had teamed up to record a Christmas tune, we knew we were in for something truly devastating. And yet, there was still no preparing for quite how much of an emotional listen this would be.
On We Should Be Together, Rosie sings from the perspective of someone who’s hoping for a Yuletide reconciliation, after a pivotal relationship came to an end in the summer, with some truly heartbreaking lyrics comparing the relationship to a Christmas jumper the protagonist has spent the last year working on.
Between the lyrics and the beautiful way Rosie and Sufjan’s voices complement one another, We Should Be Together is an extremely effective festive effort. Admittedly, it’s probably a little too sad to stick on between Slade and Wizzard (unless you fancy crying into your turkey on Christmas day), but it’s the perfect soundtrack to a moody walk in the snow.
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Sample lyric: “The pieces wouldn’t fit, not enough fit to make it through a winter, we’ve pulled this thread too long to let it come undone now, I still believe we still belong someway, somehow, so I’ll be home for Christmas time…”
Adele fans from around the world described having “butterflies” about finally seeing her perform in Las Vegas but said they would “die happy” because of it.
Others said it “did not feel real” to be back at Caesars Palace for her previously cancelled show, but they were sure it would be “worth the wait”.
Hundreds gathered outside The Colosseum venue hours before doors were due to open, forming a long line for an exclusive merchandise store.
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The singer announced the last-minute postponement on Instagram earlier this year, telling fans in a tearful message that the show was “not ready”.
Adele performs onstage during the “Weekends with Adele” Residency Opening at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on November 18, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for AD)
Kevin Mazur via Getty Images
Among those queueing for the show was Rafael Faci, a 23-year-old medical student from Brazil, who had been in Las Vegas in January when he learned of Adele’s postponement.
Mr Faci told the PA news agency that despite missing multiple exams to travel to the US again, he could “die happy” after seeing Adele.
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“I’m pretty crazy about Adele,” he said.
“I don’t know how I’m going to react, I might cry…but I have no idea.”
He added: “This is my first time, that’s why I’m here. The last thing I have to do before I can die happy is see an Adele concert.”
Cousins Marcela de la Garza, 35, and Jesy Almaguer, 33, travelled from Mexico, also for the second time, to see the award-winning singer.
“We are happy that we are going to see her but we don’t believe it yet,” Ms de la Garza told PA.
“We don’t want to build up our expectations too much but we are happy. Right now I have butterflies.”
JJ Pollard, 24, from Seattle, told PA she was “so bummed” after Adele cancelled her first run of shows.
“I am super excited to be here, I was so bummed when she cancelled but I honestly think it’s going to be worth the wait,” she said.
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“I’m super excited to see the show and just be here, her fans are always so nice – there’s a good, positive atmosphere. I think it’s going to be insane.
“We’re here for the weekend and making a whole shebang out of it. I never thought I’d see her.”
Alison Hutchings, 51, and her partner Rhyddian Piles, 47, from Neath, in south Wales, said they had been in Las Vegas for a family member’s 50th birthday and had called every day of the week to secure tickets.
“We feel amazing, we’re chuffed to bits,” Ms Hutchings told PA.
On Thursday night Adele shared an Instagram post online, in which she said she had “never been more nervous before a show in my career” but could not sit still with excitement.
Fans waiting for the show described being “triggered” by another last minute post from the singer, before realising that her message had been a positive one.
Londoner Ross Taggart, 37, told PA: “It was awful.
“I woke up and I saw a long post and I thought ‘oh no she hasn’t done it again’ but then she went on to say how excited she was, so it was fine.”
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Amy Jaron, from Los Angeles, California, added: “It was very triggering, I got PTSD.”
Ms Jaron said she had just crossed over the state line into Nevada from California when she received news of the cancellation earlier this year.
“It doesn’t feel real, it’s finally here and it feels like forever ago that we were here,” she told the PA news agency.
“We met so many people so it was a great thing to happen out of a sad thing that happened…we’re happy to be reunited.”
Ms Jaron, 23, said she had been one of the lucky fans to have Facetimed Adele in January, adding that the experience had been “life-changing”.
“You could tell she felt so bad but the true fans understood,” she told PA.
Adele later declared she had “the best fans in the world” and thanked them after receiving waves of support for her decision to postpone.
Lizzo told a Canadian crowd on Friday that she’s minding her “fat Black beautiful business” following Kanye West’s comments about her weight in a bizarre Fox News interview with Tucker Carlson.
“Let’s get aside from the fact whether it’s fashion and vogue, which it’s not, or if someone thinks it’s attractive, to each his own, it’s actually clinically unhealthy,” the rapper said.
Lizzo used her Toronto stop during The Special Tour on Friday to seemingly address Kanye’s comments and expressed her desire to stay in Canada, TMZ reported.
“I feel like everybody in America got my motherfucking name in they motherfucking mouth for no motherfucking reason, I’m minding my fat Black beautiful business” the pop star said.
She later inquired if she can stay in the country and asked the crowd who she can marry for dual citizenship.
","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaQUimu_dCs","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"Lolahol – Lock&Key (Official Video)","author":"Chemical X Records","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAzh8XVC5RXL96V_j1G54Dg","provider_name":"YouTube","description":"Lolahol – Lock&Key.\n\nhttps://chemicalx.ffm.to/lockandkey\n\nVideo credits -\nDirector – Eartheater \nProducer – Eartheater \nVision – Eartheater \nDP – Moshpxt\nEditing – Moshpxt \nBig Locket – Minho Nukim \nLittle Locket – Minho Nukim \nStyling – Lee Christmas \nHair – Luisa Popovic \nMakeup – Dorian Ferrer \nPA – Tiffany Clark \nPA – Ish Couture \nCars – Tyler John\nDog – Kali \nDog dad – Raheem \nMuscle – Becky \nAdditional Footage – Becky \nVideo Vixen – Shawn Powers\n\nCreds by scene -\nCar:\nPlaysuit by Poster Girl\n\nOutside Car:\nDress – Christian Cowan \nSunglasses – Gentle Monster\nShoes – Giuseppe Zanotti\n\nGraveyard:\nEarrings – Martine Ali\nBracelet (R) – Bond Hardware\nBracelets (L) – Martine Ali\nRings – Martine Ali\nSneakers – Burberry\nSpecial thanks – David\n\nBeach:\nUppleva – Rivers McCall\n\nSong Credits -\nExecutive producer – Eartheater\nProduction – Samuel Burgess, Kiri Stensby, Eartheater\nLyrics – Lolahol, Eartheater\nWriting – Lolahol, Eartheater\nEngineered by Kiri Stensby \nMastered by Joe LaPorta\n\nLyrics- \nWhy can’t I just lock into a Polly pocket\nIt could all be crystal clear \nKeep a photo of you in my locket \naddicted to the comfort \nTill the comforter gets \ntoo hot too hot to sleep \nI’m tossing and tearing \n\n\nI need a breeze\nWhisk me away \nI need to breathe\nNothing to say\n\n\nSnap you in and out of my direction \nRunning to you from both ends \nWanna keep you close for my protection\nThe delusion keeps me safe\nNo sleep \nNext plane \nNo sleep \nMake up \nNext club \nNext car \nNext plane \nNo sleep \nNo fear \n\nI need a breeze \nWhisk me away \nI need to breathe \nNothing to say \n\nGimme that street rat \nStreet rat \nblack car \nwhite trail \nChem trail \nWhite line \nRub me Like a genie \nYou’re a genius \nAnd I need that \nCan’t fuck w a dummy \nYa you know that \nCus you know me \nKnow me like that \nLooking at each other like\nfreeze tag \nFreeze tag \n\nI need a breeze \nWhisk me away \nI need to breathe \nNothing to say t I just lock into a Polly pocket\nIt could all be crystal clear \nKeep a photo of you in my locket \naddicted to the comfort \nTill the comforter gets \ntoo hot too hot to sleep \nI’m tossing and tearing \n\n\nI need a breeze\nWhisk me away \nI need to breathe\nNothing to say\n\n\nSnap you in and out of my direction \nRunning to you from both ends \nWanna keep you close for my protection\nThe delusion keeps me safe\nNo sleep \nNext plane \nNo sleep \nMake up \nNext club \nNext car \nNext plane \nNo sleep \nNo fear \n\nI need a breeze \nWhisk me away \nI need to breathe \nNothing to say \n\nGimme that street rat \nStreet rat \nblack car \nwhite trail \nChem trail \nWhite line \nRub me Like a genie \nYou’re a genius \nAnd I need that \nCan’t fuck w a dummy \nYa you know that \nCus you know me \nKnow me like that \nLooking at each other like\nfreeze tag \nFreeze tag \n\nI need a breeze \nWhisk me away \nI need to breathe \nNothing to say\n\n2022 Chemical X","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZaQUimu_dCs/hqdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":480,"thumbnail_height":360,"cache_age":86400,"options":{"_start":{"label":"Start from","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_end":{"label":"End on","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}}},"fullBleed":false,"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[{"attribs":{},"scriptBody":"\r\n (function(){\r\n var c = document.getElementById(‘taboola-endslate-thumbnails’);\r\n c.id += ‘-‘ + Math.round(Math.random()*1e16);\r\n \r\n var taboolaParams = {\r\n loader: \"//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/aol-huffingtonpost/loader.js\",\r\n mode: \"thumbnails-b\",\r\n container: c.id,\r\n placement: \"Endslate Thumbnails\",\r\n target_type: \"mix\"\r\n };\r\n \r\n if (typeof window.modulousQueue === \"function\") {\r\n \twindow.modulousQueue.add(function(){ doTaboola(taboolaParams); });\r\n } else {\r\n \tdoTaboola(taboolaParams);\r\n }\r\n }());\r\n"}],"otherHtml":"
Madonna’s eldest daughter Lourdes Leon is breaking into the music scene with the release of her debut single.
On Wednesday, the 25-year-old released Lock & Key, her first ever musical offering, under the moniker Lolahol, which is presumably a nod to her long-held nickname, Lola.
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The dream-like song features production from Eartheater – who also directed the accompanying music video – and was co-written by Lourdes herself.
“Why can’t I just lock into a Polly Pocket,” Lola ponders in the song’s intro. “It could all be crystal clear.
“Keep a photo of you in my locket, addicted to the comfort. Till the comforter gets too hot too hot to sleep I’m tossing and tearing.”
Last year, Lourdes – who has previously dabbled in dancing and modelling – gave an interview admitting that she did not see herself pursuing a music career in the same vein as her famous mum.
She previously appeared in the music video for her mum’s song Celebration, as well as a moving video which was projected during Madonna’s performance of Frozen on her 2020 Madame X tour.
Lourdes is Madonna’s eldest child, and her father is the actor and personal trainer Carlos Leon.
Madonna has five other children: 22-year-old Rocco, whose dad is film director Guy Ritchie, 16-year-olds David and Mercy and nine-year-old twins Stella and Estere, who were born in Malawi and adopted by the Like A Prayer singer as children.
Coldplay have been joined by a whole host of guests on their current Music Of The Spheres world tour, including Kylie Minogue, Craig David and Natalie Imbruglia. But the band’s penultimate gig at Wembley Stadium featured a surprise guest that was slightly more leftfield.
Steve Coogan’s comedy character rocked up to lend his vocal errrm, talents to Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill, much to the delight slash bemusement of the thousands of fans packing out the stadium.
Alan, who was wearing a red Snow Patrol jacket (amazing), also treated everyone to a rendition of ABBA’s Knowing Me, Knowing You, obviously.
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Addressing the stadium crowd, Alan said: “Running up hills, up roads – it’s all cardiovascular. Not sure about running up buildings, unless you’re Spider-Man – excellent humour!
“Chris, what do you think the song’s about, because it can’t just be about running?” he asked.
The Coldplay frontman replied it was about overcoming problems, to which Alan said: “It’s a metaphor, got it.”
He ended his Wembley performance shouting: “Make sure you wear the correct footwear, goodnight and aha!”
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Alan Partridge singing Running up that Hill with Coldplay was not on my 2022 bingo card.
Beyoncé will remove an ableist slur from a track on her latest album following a backlash, a representative for the star has confirmed.
The singer faced criticism from disability charities for using an offensive term in her song Heated, which was co-written by Drake and features on her seventh studio album Renaissance, released on Friday.
The charity’s media manager, Warren Kirwan, said: “It’s appalling that one of the world’s biggest stars has chosen to include this deeply offensive term.
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“Just weeks ago, Lizzo received a huge backlash from fans who felt hurt and let down after she used the same abhorrent language.
“Thankfully she did the right thing and re-recorded the song. It’s hard to believe that could have gone unnoticed by Beyonce’s team.
“Words matter because they reinforce the negative attitudes disabled people face every day, and which impact on every aspect of disabled people’s lives.
“Beyonce has long been a champion of inclusivity and equality, so we’d urge her to remove this offensive lyric.”
Last month, fellow singer Lizzo said she had listened to feedback, apologised for using the slur in her track and recorded a new version without it.
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“As a fat Black woman in America, I’ve had many hurtful words used against me so I overstand the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally),” she said.
“As an influential artist I’m dedicated to being part of the change I’ve been waiting to see in the world.”
On the track Heated, which was co-written with Drake, the pop star can be heard singing an ableist and offensive term: “S**zzin’ on that ass, s**z on that ass. Fan me quick, girl, I need my glass.”
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It comes just months after singer Lizzo made headlines for using the same derogatory term in a song. Following an uproar, Lizzo listened to feedback, apologised for using it and recorded a new version without it.
Charities championing disabled people called on Beyoncé to edit the lyrics and record a new version.
The term derives from the word ‘spastic’ and is particularly hurtful to those who actually experience spasms, which can be incredibly painful and disruptive to daily life, as Imani Barbarin, who has spastic diplegia (a form of cerebral palsy), explains below.
Ok, so here’s what I have to say about Sp*z as a word: if you’re going to call yourself one, really go all in… pic.twitter.com/9VpwjK2lkT
— Imani Barbarin, MAGC | Crutches&Spice ♿️ (@Imani_Barbarin) June 13, 2022
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Words matter. Research by disability equality charity Scope found 72% of disabled people have experienced negative attitudes or behaviour in the last five years – with nine in 10 of these saying it had a negative effect on their daily lives.
Hannah Diviney, from Sydney, was one of the first people to call Lizzo out for her use of the word in a song.
The disability advocate and writer said the same mistake by Beyoncé – who is arguably one of the most famous people on the planet and a role model to many – “feels like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community and the progress we tried to make with Lizzo”.
“Guess I’ll just keep telling the whole industry to ‘do better’ until ableist slurs disappear from music,” she tweeted.
So @Beyonce used the word ‘spaz’ in her new song Heated. Feels like a slap in the face to me, the disabled community & the progress we tried to make with Lizzo. Guess I’ll just keep telling the whole industry to ‘do better’ until ableist slurs disappear from music 💔
In a piece published on Hireup, Diviney wrote: “It’s not very often that I don’t know what to say, rendered speechless by ignorance, sadness and a simmering anger born of bone-deep exhaustion. But that’s how I feel right now.”
She continued: “Beyoncé’s commitment to storytelling musically and visually is unparalleled, as is her power to have the world paying attention to the narratives, struggles and nuanced lived experience of being a black woman – a world I can only ever understand as an ally, and have no desire to overshadow.
“But that doesn’t excuse her use of ableist language – language that gets used and ignored all too often.”
Fans agree that it’s not about getting artists like Beyoncé and Lizzo cancelled, more about educating that the words they use matter.
David Swanson via Reuters
Lizzo poses on the red carpet at the BET Awards 2022.
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Journalist and author of Crippled, Frances Ryan, said it was “very hard to believe” neither Beyoncé nor anyone in her team didn’t recognise the ableist slur when Lizzo made the same mistake a month ago “and graciously corrected it”.
Krystal-Bella Shaw, writer and founder of Dyspraxia magazine, branded it “disappointing”.
“Beyoncé has no excuse for using the word sp*z in her new song. Considering how public Lizzo went for the use in her song and for her removing it… this is disappointing,” she tweeted. “Why are disabled people constantly having to fight for ableist slurs to stop being used?”
Charities supporting disabled people also condemned the use of the term.
Ahead of Beyoncé’s statement that she’ll remove the lyric, Bethany Bale, policy and campaigns officer at Disability Rights UK, told HuffPost UK: “Ableist slurs are unacceptable in any context, especially in 2022 when many artists have already publicly learnt from past mistakes and educated others on the power of derogatory language in the process.
“It’s disappointing to see Beyoncé using an ableist slur so soon after Lizzo’s new single ‘Grrrls’ highlighted the hurt this language causes the Disabled community and others.
“We hope that, like Lizzo, Beyoncé will educate herself on the meaning and history behind this language and decide to edit her lyrics.”
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Warren Kirwan, media manager at Scope, said it was “appalling” that ”one of the world’s biggest stars has chosen to include this deeply offensive term”. Like Ryan, he said it’s hard to believe that could have gone unnoticed by Beyoncé’s team.
“Words matter because they reinforce the negative attitudes disabled people face every day, and which impact on every aspect of disabled people’s lives,” Kirwan told HuffPost UK.
“Beyoncé has long been a champion of inclusivity and equality, so we’d urge her to remove this offensive lyric.”
In a statement to Insider, a representative for the Grammy award-winning singer confirmed the lyric will be changed.
“The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced,” the statement said.
Let’s hope that’s the last time a global superstar sings it.
Jesy Nelson has parted ways with her record company less than a year after the release of her first solo single.
The former Little Mix star signed with Polydor last May before putting out her first track Boyz in October.
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A subsequent album was said to be in the works, has so far not materialised.
Both parties have now confirmed they are no longer working together, with a spokesperson for Jesy saying she is headed “in a new direction”.
They told The Sun: “Jesy Nelson feels now is the right for her to move in a new direction. As a result, she has decided to part company with Polydor.”
A representative for Polydor, which is part of the Universal Music Group, issued a statement to Metro, which read: “Polydor have amicably parted ways with Jesy.
“We have enjoyed working with her and everyone at the label wishes her nothing but the best for the future.”
Lil Nas X and Harlow earned multiple nominations for their collaborative hit Industry Baby, which is nominated for video of the year.
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Both performers, along with Drake, Bad Bunny, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles and Lizzo, will compete for artist of the year.
Lamar, who is nominated for the first time since 2018, has two songs, family ties and N95, that will vie for best cinematography.
The rapper was also nominated for best hip-hop, direction, visual effects, editing, and video for good.
Styles and Doja Cat received the second-most nominations with six.
Sheeran, Billie Eilish, Drake, Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd each pulled in five.
Madonna, who is the most decorated artist in MTV history with 20 wins, becomes the only artist to receive a nomination in each of the VMAs’ five decades.
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She earned her 69th nomination for her 14th studio album Madame X.
The awards will have 26 first-time nominees, including Baby Keem with four along with Kacey Musgraves, GAYLE and Maneskin – who each have two nominations.
The VMAs will take place on August 28 at the Prudential Centre in Newark, New Jersey.
Fan voting begins on Tuesday across 22 categories at vote.mtv.com.
ABBA’s spectacular Voyage concert experience has been up and running in London for the past six weeks, winning rave reviews and bringing some much-needed joy and escapism to those who’ve already attended.
With the whole thing being pre-recorded, you’d be forgiven for thinking that once you’ve seen the show, there wouldn’t be any surprises if you decide to go again.
However, ABBA Voyage producer Ludvig Andersson (yes, Benny’s son) has told Retro Pop magazine the group actually recorded performances of more songs that didn’t end up being included in the finished concert.
ABBA pictured during the creation process for their concert experience Voyage
Baillie Walsh
“We did more songs than we knew we were going to use. So there is more material,” he revealed.
“If this keeps running and people keep wanting to come and see it, we are intending to change a song out or update the show, because that’s also fun to do.”
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That means if your favourite ABBA song didn’t end up being featured in Voyage, it might pop up in a later incarnation of the show.
Ludvig also revealed plans to recreate the custom-built ABBA Arena in territories like North and South America, to give more fans overseas the opportunity to experience Voyage themselves.
ABBA performing in 1979
via Associated Press
Voyage’s setlist already boasts a string of ABBA staples, as well as lesser-known tracks like Hole In Your Soul and Eagle, alongside their 2021 hits I Still Have Faith In You and Don’t Shut Me Down.
