swifties are upset with olivia rodrigo for not attending the eras tour and have some… choice words for her. 😵‍💫

imagine getting called a “self absorbed witch” for not attending a CONCERT.

yeah, i wouldn’t pay to be around a bunch of swifties either.

Control the Noise {General One Shot}

Requested by: @lunchawx Wordcount: 1807 Summary: You’re a songwriter with quite a bit of acclaim but you tend to hide behind a pseudonym to keep your private life private. But it doesn’t stay that way for long.

In your rather spacious apartment, you played the piano softly. The Grammies were being premiered tonight on the television, but you weren’t paying attention just yet. The cameras were all focused on the glamorous people that were walking down the red carpet. Beautiful gowns in every color, suits with different color ties. A few of the men chose to wear something that wasn’t just a simple black suit, and people applauded them for it. But you didn’t care for the politics of the music industry. You were in it for the music itself. The lyrics. The chance to have someone with an amazing talent showcase the words that you wrote.

You were feeling inspired tonight. Your fingers glided across the piano, coming up with a melody - and the words were just popping into your head. You stopped playing and reached for the pen that you kept cocked behind your ear, and the notebook that you kept in place of the sheet music. You wrote down a couple of words, then continued on. It was that constant back and forth which took up a large part of your day today.

“Welcome to the Grammies!” The host of the night said, their voice coming from the television. You pressed your last couple of notes, then looked over your shoulder to where bright and smiling faces were looking down upon you. The host was someone that you had written for, actually. One of his major hits only two years before, but you have both since moved on. You had written three of the songs that were up tonight, which was the only reason that you were watching this. You’d be receiving a phone call at the end either way, but you might as well see how people responded to your music.

You were not the type for the famous life. The musicians that you worked with, save for a special few who had become friends, were given an alias. You wanted your personal life separate from your professional. Your neighbors just thought that you played music for fun, and knew nothing about your career. All in all - life was actually perfect this way. You got the money without the cameras.

It all seemed to go off without a hitch. You had a glass of wine, and some food delivered, so you could enjoy it all from the comfort of your couch. Your manager was texting you every once in a while, asking if you were watching, your opinion on some of the other songs, and some gossip on the big music couples that were there that night. You joined in - it was a little fun to gossip.

The night was going swimmingly. One of your songs had just won an award. You were up on your feet and dancing around, excited at the bit of a pay bonus that you were going to be getting from this. And the fact that the song would sell more now, and you’d be getting a little bit more of a percentage. It was nice to have your work recognized, even if only a small handful of people knew that it was someone else who had written the song.

The beautiful singer went up to the stage, among all of the applause. There, she was given the award. You were down on your knees in front of the television, all sparkling eyes and happiness. You had both put a lot of work into this, and she definitely deserved the fame and attention. The song had been written with her voice in mind. With her background in mind. You were especially proud of it.

“It’s an honor to be nominated alongside so many incredible female artists this year,” The beautiful young woman said into the microphone. “I guess this year we really stepped up. I have my mom to thank, my best friends obviously, y/f/n y/l/n for writing this amazing song, and the rest of the team....”

You fell back onto the carpet beneath your feet. Your name was the last thing that you had expected to come out of her lips. It was the last thing that you had wanted too. Your real name had been told to her in confidence. And here she was just spreading it out there.

You could just barely hear your phone ringing from behind you. You reached for it, without removing your eyes from the television. Nobody on the screen seemed to realize that anything had been wrong. People were still cheering, and the singer walked off of the stage after her speech. You raised the phone to your ear to hear your manager in an uproar.

“No - you tell them that this is unacceptable!” He was shouting at someone, that wasn’t you. “Y/N? Hey, just saw what happened - hold on - No, you tell her that we’re never working with her again! They broke the confidentiality agreement! Y/N, you still there?”

“Unfortunately,” You said, holding the phone a foot away from your ear. You could hear him sigh. He sounded as stressed as you felt. “What was she thinking?”

“She wasn’t. That’s the damn problem. All of that fame goes to their heads and they forget about the business side of things! Goddamnit - why do these award shows have to be live when so much can go wrong.”

“So what do we do?” You asked, turning off the television. You didn’t care about who won what anymore - you were just exposed for the world to know. No doubt your neighbors were watching. It was the biggest thing that was happening tonight, and plenty of people were going to see it. Oh God, even your friends who didn’t fully know what you did were going to find out.

“I’m going to call in a publicist, see what we can do. Don’t worry, it won’t be on your dime. The diva can take care of it,” He grumbled. “Just hold on tight and we’ll figure this all out.”

-

It had been three days. You didn’t leave your apartment. There had been a lot of phone calls but you only answered the ones from your manager. It was too late - the world knew that you were behind some of the biggest hits of the last couple of years. Your real identity had been discovered. It was unravelling. This was why you never went public, because of this sense of having no control.

You had to leave the house eventually though. You had to go out and get groceries. You psyched yourself up, picking a rather dull outfit from your closet so you wouldn’t get much attention. Even Lady Gaga sometimes gets her own groceries. Brad Pitt has been seen doing it. Besides, it’s not as if a lot of people would connect your name with your face, unless you had to show some identification. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.

You kept a hat low over your eyes nonetheless as you went through the aisles of the supermarket, picking out the things that you would need for the next two weeks. It seemed to be going well, no one was looking twice at you. It was when you went up to the check-out that things started to go awry.

Right on the cover of the tabloid magazines which were always surrounding the check-out counters, was your face. And your name. ‘Star Songwriter’s Identity Revealed!’ The picture wasn’t the most flattering one either. It was taken off of your personal instagram account, which as private. You maybe had fifty followers on there, all people that you know, but somehow, one of those pictures had gotten leaked.

While trying not to bring any attention to yourself, you picked up the magazine like you were inspecting it. Then you set it down, facing the wrong way. Instead of your own face, what you saw now was an advertisement on the back. Then you did so with the rest of them, making sure that each one was turned around. Some poor salesperson would have to fix them but it was horrifying nonetheless.

You got out of there as soon as possible, moving from using the check-out counter with a smiling person behind it, to the self-check out. At least there you didn’t have to talk to people. And you could get out with your head bowed and no one looked at you twice.

Once you were back in the safety of your car, just one of the many in the parking lot, you called your manager again. He had been getting a lot of calls from you lately. Most of the time he wasn’t picking up because he was too busy trying to fix this problem. You caught him at a spare moment though.

“There’s no use,” You sighed into it. “My picture is on the cover of the magazines. Like I’m Madonna or something.”

“Oh honey, Madonna is never on the covers anymore. You’re like Taylor Swift now,” Your manager said. This did make you smile a small bit but it was still unfortunate. “But I hate to say that you’re right. You’re trending all over right now. You made it big - so now it’s up to you what you do with it.”

“I guess I should get a publicist,” You groaned. You liked it when it was just you and your manager, who was the one who worked with the record labels to get your song out there. It wasn’t the size of your entourage, it was the quality. And after so long of it being just the two of you, you were reluctant to bring another person onto the team.

“Leave that to me,” Your manager grunted. “At least then I’m still good for something.”

“None of this is your fault. I shouldn’t get close to the artists, I know, it’s mine,” You let out a long sigh. “I guess I have some thinking to do.”

“Maybe you’ll find some inspiration and come out with some new songs, eh?” Your manager said, flipping the conversation to work, as they always managed to do. “Your last few were absolute hits. And now that your name is going out there, people are going to be looking for it. Lots of offers already. Just think about it.”

“Okay. Thanks - for everything.” You hung up your phone and checked yourself out in the rearview mirror, slapping your cheeks to get rid of that blood-drained look that seeing yourself in the magazines had given you. At least your manager was right about one thing.

Inspiration really was running through you now.

Me, Taylor, and The Search for Musical Legitimacy

Written by Lila Danielsen-Wong. Graphic by James Nida Grey.

As a child, whenever I took art classes, they were full of girls. I took group piano lessons with four other girls from my neighborhood. Any theatre I was involved in casted regardless of gender because there were never enough boys to fit a show. My middle school orchestra was about three quarters girls. 

It came as a shock that when I started getting involved in any songwriting I could do, I was suddenly in the minority. The few all-ages open mics I could go to were set up by dad-types and primarily populated by their friends of the same demographic. Teenage rock band-type boys dominated the non-classical learning spaces. 

However, this isn’t about them, this is about me, Lila Danielsen-Wong, a girl you’ve probably never heard of, and a girl you probably have heard of. Her name is Taylor Swift.

In 2010, I was a sixth-grade latchkey kid who spent a whole lot of time watching music videos on YouTube. Taylor Swift had just released her third studio album, Speak Now. Although many girls my age had been enchanted by Fearless, I was a pretentious and precocious preteen who was resistant to popular things, and was much more interested in niche Boston folk singer-songwriters like Antje Duvekot and Lori McKenna. 

However, niche Boston folk singer-songwriters don’t really make lots of YouTube content geared at middle schoolers, so the YouTube recommendations led me from my folk corner, to The Band Perry, to a song called White Horse. 

This snowballed into me listening to every Taylor Swift song on Youtube, to learning to play the piano chords to each of them, to writing complete songs of my own. Although I’d been writing simple piano melodies for years, songwriting now occupied every corner of my brain in nearly every free moment. When I learned Dear John, I decided it didn’t sound as good on piano, so I decided I needed to play it on guitar. I snuck into my mother’s room and learned to play an E chord. Soon, all I did was practice guitar and write songs. I wanted to write like she did, to articulate my feelings as well as she did, so precisely that everyone who listened understood not only me, but themselves better. However, I was not ready to publicly be someone who listened to Taylor Swift. Occasionally a YouTube comment would remove me from Taylor world and remind me “All of her fans are teenage girls.” At eleven I didn’t have the words or the context to understand why that so briskly discredited her. I knew it was an insult, and I knew it was an insult that worked. 

Flash forward two years, I was one of the youngest writers at a summer songwriter lab geared toward teens that one of the local theatres held yearly. Remember the rock boys I was talking about? This is when we became acquainted. We had just come back from writing songs in our randomly assigned groups. I had a hard time contributing, being a not-quite-high-schooler who’d never tried co-writing. One of the older girls was talking to the rock boys and I remember the conversation word for word. One of the rock boys asked her how the session went. She responded “eh, it was all girls,” to which the boy said “mine too, a lot of just-singer girls, you know cause of like, Taylor Swift.” They laughed and went on to complain about the younger songwriter girls who “don’t even know what they were doing.”

The conversation they were having, “Taylor Swift, a frivolous girly artist, is encouraging frivolous girls to come into our serious artist spaces and making them frivolous,” stuck with me through my teen years, and it wasn’t until recently that I started to understand. Taylor Swift found success because she could connect with girls like me, and I found my absolute favorite thing, my life calling, because of Taylor Swift; but Taylor Swift was being discredited because of me, and I was being discredited because of Taylor Swift. 

In older interviews, Taylor talks about how after the first time she went to Nashville to pitch herself to labels, she heard nothing. So she decided she needed to be different, and that’s when she started writing songs. At that moment, I realized that I was going to have to be (crucify me) “not like other girls” if I wanted to be taken seriously or have my ideas heard. The next day I came back to the young songwriters lab with my viola instead of my guitar, and managed to finesse my way into playing on nearly half the songs in the showcase. 

I don’t need a list of MLA cited sources to explain that art geared to girls and young women is dismissed. It is not a hot take to say that art created by young women is often instantly devalued. Taylor Swift wrote music about girls and young women for girls and young women, and she didn’t have much interest in being a sex symbol. Not that there’s anything wrong with female artists who use their sexuality, but Taylor Swift gave the men who gate-keep musical legitimacy nothing they wanted from her. Still, she wrote Speak Now with no co-writers before she was old enough to legally drink. She followed it up with Red, a diverse transition album that showed off her songwriting range. 1989 broke records, started an 80’s pop revival and seamlessly transitioned her into pop. Taylor Swift was everywhere, and yet I heard the same things echo. 

“She isn’t a real artist because she only writes about relationships.” 

“Her audience is just rabid fans who don’t know anything about real music.”

“She’s just a pop star who won’t stand the test of time.”

I spent the tail end of 2015 writing songs that emulated the rhythmic lyrics of 1989, but if anyone asked who my musical influences were, I’d often omit her and stick with niche Boston folk singer-songwriters. Me and my music were not going to get pegged as a naive and shallow fangirl.

It was my freshman year of college. I was at my local state school because I couldn’t really afford to go to any of the music programs I wanted to go to, when I ran into a friend who I knew from the songwriting labs. She invited me to the guitar club that she ran, and of course I went. Although the rock boys weren’t the majority numbers wise, they dominated the room. They asked about my beat up Guild guitar. Impressed with how I inherited it from a rocker guy my dad works with, they encouraged me to play a song. I pulled out my most meticulously crafted coming-of-age ballad, and let them hear my line, “we’re all cynics and romantics, it’s semiotics and semantics,” to which they responded “cute song.” 

With the release of Folklore and Evermore, there’s been a shift. After teaming up with Aaron Desner of the National and Bon Iver, Taylor got a bit of that male approval that she never really needed. Pitchfork commented, with surprise, that Folklore showed “some real signs of maturity.” Each album that an artist releases should probably be more mature than the last. Surprise at lyrical maturity from a 30-year-old songwriter who penned lines like “you come away with a great little story of a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you” as a teen, comes across a little underhanded. 

Much of the next generation of musicians have been influenced by Taylor. Conan Grey’s TikTok hit Heather was based on Last Kiss. Rising it-girl Olivia Rodrigo is a hardcore fan. Even Phoebe Bridgers, who has been memed as “Taylor Swift for girls with crumbs in their beds” or “Taylor Swift for people whose parents still love each other” lists Taylor Swift as an influence. Although this new shift is one for Taylor Swift and not a change in the ingrained biases against women and their art, I wonder if it’s going to trickle down to the artists she influenced. 

My favorite line in Evermore, Swift’s latest studio album ft. sad dad rock, comes in the second verse of Coney Island. In this song, Matt Berninger of The National slides in and out, singing lines in less predictable blocks than in other Swift collaborations. Together, Swift and Berninger coo “do you miss the rogue who coaxed you into paradise and left you there/will you forgive my soul when you’re too wise to trust me and too old to care.” It’s funny to hear one of the world’s biggest superstars share a line so monumental to the album. I wonder if it’s because she knows how much louder it will be when a man is holding up the low ends. 

Folklore perspectives ✨

As Taylor said, each folklore tale is told from either her perspective, her friends’s perspective or perspectives of those she has never met before.

Here’s who’s perspective I believe each tale is told✨

The 1- taylor’s perspective looking back at a past friendship (most likely in her 20’s) she may have thought would be more OR betty’s perspective on how she wished things worked out different with james (during the roaring 1920s?)

‘If you really wanted me then you really should’ve shown’

‘Roaring twenties, throwing pennies in the pool. And if my wishes came true, it would have been you”

‘It could have been sweet, if it could have been me’

‘In my defense, I have none. For digging up the grave another time’

‘It could have been fun, if you would have been the one’

cardigan- betty’s perspective on her & james relationship when she’s older (reflecting on what she was told she knew vs what she knew)

‘When you are young they assume you know nothing’

‘But I new you...’

‘When I felt like an old cardigan, under someone’s bed. You put me on and said I was your favorite.’

‘Chase two girls, lose the one’

‘Tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy.’

‘I knew everything when I was young’

‘I knew you’d haunt all of my what-ifs’

‘I knew you’d miss me once the thrill expired. And you’d be standing in my front porch light. And you’d come back to me’

the last great american dynasty - rebekah & taylor’s perspective on similar circumstances of being perceived as loud, mad and shamless

‘there goes the loudest/ maddest/ shameless woman this town has ever seen’

‘And then it was bought by me’

‘She/ I had a marvelous time ruining everything’

exile- james & betty’s perspective when they are a bit older on how they fell apart; how they refuse to listen to each other

‘I can see you standing honey, with his arms around your body’

‘I can see you staring honey, like he’s just your understudy’

‘I think I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending’

‘We always walked a very thin line’

‘Took you five whole minutes to pack us up and leave me with it’

‘Second, third and hundredth chances.’

‘You didn’t even hear me out’

‘You never/ I gave so many signs’

my tears ricochet- taylor’s perspective on the story of her masters being stolen from under her

‘Even on my worst day. Did I deserve, babe, all the hell you gave me?’

‘Cause I loved you, swear I loved you.’

‘I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace.’

‘And if I’m dead why are you at the wake? Cursing my name, wishing I stayed, look at how my tears ricochet.’

‘You wear the same jewels that I gave you, as you bury me’

‘I can anywhere just not home’

‘I still talk to you, as I’m screaming at the sky’

‘And when you can’t sleep at night. You hear my stollen lullabies’

mirrorball - taylor‘s perspective of her career

‘I’ll show you every version of yourself tonight’

‘I can change everything about me to fit in’

‘But I’m still on my tallest tip toes. Spinning in my highest heels, love. Shining just for you’

‘I know they said the end is near’

‘I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try try try’

‘I’m still trying everything to keep you looking at me’

seven- taylor‘s perspective as a child, before she is forced to grow up and become a woman

‘Picture me in the tree’

‘I peaked at seven”

‘We can be pirates’

‘Please picture me in the weeds’

‘Before I learn civility’

‘I used to scream ferociously’

august- james’ summer fling’s perspective on their summer romance

‘Are you sure? Never have I ever before’

‘I can see us lost in the memory’

‘August slipped away to a moment in time’

‘Cause you were never mine’

‘I remember thinking I had you’

‘For me it was enough’

‘So much for summer love and saying us’

‘Back when I was living for the hope of it all’

this is me trying- told from the perspective of James when he’s a little older, who feels he lost his way and is trying to find his way back after losing betty

‘I have a lot of regrets about that’

‘They told me all my cages were mental. So I got wasted like all my potential’

‘Fell behind all my classmates now I’ve ended up here’

‘But I’m here in your doorway’

‘It’s hard to be at a party when you feel like an open wound’

‘It’s hard to be anywhere these days when all I want is you’

‘You’re a flashback on a film reel on the one screen in my town’

illicit affairs- a young woman’s perspective on having an affair with someone older

‘I tell my friends I’m out for a run, you’ll be flushed when you return’ (makes me think she’s in college, living with friends)

‘What started in beautiful rooms ends with meetings in parking lots’

‘That’s the thing about illicit affairs and clandestine meetings and longing stares’

‘Take the words for what they are. A dwindling mercurial high’

‘They show their truth just one single time but they lie and they lie and they lie a million little times.’

‘Don’t call me kid, don’t call me baby’

‘Look at this idiotic fool that you made me’

invisible string- taylor’s perspective on fate bringing her to her lover, joe; time heals all things

‘isn’t it just so pretty to think, all along there was some invisible string, tying you to me’

‘a single thread of gold tied me to you.’

‘green was color of the grass where I used to read at Centennial park, I used to think I’d meet somebody there ’

‘Teal was the color of your shirt when you were 16 at the yogurt shop’

‘Bad was the blood of the song in the can on your first trip to LA’

‘Bold was the waitress on our three-year-trio getting lunch down by the lakes. She said I looked like an American singer’

‘Cold was the steel of my axe to grind for the boys who broke my heart, but now I sent their babies presents’

‘Time, mystical, time, cutting me open and healing me fine’

‘Gave me the blues then purple pink skies (lover)’

‘Gold was the color of the leaves when I showed you around Centennial park’

‘Hell was a journey but it brought me heaven’

‘A string that pulled me out of all the wrong arms and to that dive bar’

mad woman- taylor‘s perspective of how she (and other female artists) has been persecuted by the media, celebrities and her former record label

‘What did they think I’d say to that?’

‘They strike to kill and you know I will’

‘Does she smile? Or does she mouth “fuck you forever”’

‘Every time you call me crazy, I get more crazy’

‘Women like hunting witches too’

‘I breathe fire each time I talk’

‘It’s obvious wanting me dead has really brought you two together’

‘Cause you took everything from me. Watching you climb, watching you climb. Over people like me’

‘No one likes a mad woman, you made her like that’

epiphany- a soldier’s (her grandfather’s) perspective, a medial worker’s perspective, a hero’s battle story

‘crawling up the beaches now, I think he’s bleeding out’

‘some things you just can’t speak about’

‘hold your hands through plastic’

‘keep your helmet, keep your life son’

‘Something med school did not cover’

‘with you I serve, with you I fall down’

‘watch you breathin in, watch you breathin out’

‘doc, I think she’s crashing out’

‘only 20 minutes to sleep, but you dream of some epiphany’

betty- james’ perspective when he was seventeen, after he came back from his summer with ‘august’. He chased two girls and now he wants betty back.

‘would you tell me to go fuck myself or lead me to the garden’

‘you heard the rumors from Inez, you can’t believe a word she says, most times but this time it was true’

‘it was only a summer thing’

‘plus I saw you dance with him’

‘the worst thing I ever did was what I did to you’

‘I’m only seventeen I don’t know anything but I know I miss you’

‘I was walking home on broken cobblestones’

‘i slept next to her but I dreamed of you all summer long’

‘I’m here on your doorstep’

‘will you have me? will you love me?’

‘will this fix your broken wings?’

peace- taylor telling joe she knows she can’t give him everything he may need (peace) and is asking if that is still enough? Also a promise to do everything that she can do for him.

‘Would it be enough if I never bring you peace?’

‘You paint dream scapes on the wall, I talk shit with my friends. It’s like I’m wasting you honor’

‘People think love is for show, but I’d die for you in secret’

‘Give you my wild, give you a child’

‘The rain is always gonna come when you’re standing with me’

‘I’m a fire and I’ll keep your brittle heart warm’

‘You got a friend in me’

hoax- taylor making promise to joe that no matter what happens she will always be there for him; also makes references to how he’s the only one who understands her and her pain just like she understands his

‘Don’t want no other shade of blue but you’

‘No other sadness in the world would do’

‘I left a part of me back in new york’

‘You know it still hurts underneath my scars from when they pulled me apart’

‘Stood on the cliffside screaming “give me a reason”’

‘Your faithless love is the hoax I believe in’

‘My broken drum, you have beaten my heart’

Although so many songs are written from many character’s perspective, I absolutely adore how certain lines in most songs are clearly about taylor. She’s such a magical author to weave her life into her character’s lives in her folklore stories ✨🖤🧚‍♂️

I WILL NEVER GET OVER THIS ALBUM 🖤🖤🖤

@taylorswift @taylornation 🖤✨🧚‍♂️

Wading through more bullshit........

That Variety interview was quite telling. For me, it solidified a few things. They are trying to make it look like Roger negotiated her solo contract, with Epic. This year maybe, but not before. She really had no negotiating power, until after the success of "Camila".

Let me put something out there, I have been keeping to myself. It's time I give you my opinion on 5H's third album, "Fifth Harmony". It will piss some off, but I'm pretty sure in my thoughts.

No one wanted to produce and release "Fifth Harmony" (ST). The girls didn't "fight" for it. They didn't even want to make it. Epic didn't want it, either. They didn't want to pick up the option for 5H3, but they really didn't have a choice. They HAD to release at least one 5H album, without Camila.

Camila was basically forced into utilizing the "Leaving Member Clause" (LMC). Remember what I said about that clause? If Epic hadn't released at least one 5H album, without Camila, it would have given her and Roger legal cause to take them to arbitration, and get out of her solo contract with Epic, that they were entitled to, after she used the LMC, and left the group.

If Epic hadn't picked up the option for 5H3, and allowed 5H to go on hiatus after the 7/27 era, which is what the girls were actually planning and counting on, that would have allowed ALL the girls, including Camila, to get away from Epic for their solo careers.

Epic didn't have solo options in the girl's contracts. They only signed Fifth Harmony to a recording contract through a licensing agreement with Syco/Sony. The only way Epic was guaranteed a solo contract, with any of the girls, was to get them to utilize the LMC, that is built into every group contract.

Syco/Sony was the one that had solo options built into their contracts, with Camila and Lauren. NOT EPIC! Syco/Sony picked up their solo option on Camila, then Lauren. That's why they are both still associated to Syco/Sony. Epic only got to keep Camila through the LMC.

Epic only had to offer Camila a solo contract, "comparable" to the group contract. That means, there was three optioned albums left on 5H's contract when Camila departed the group. So, Epic only had to offer her a three album deal, at 75% the cost of what the group was getting. Camila would have had NO CHOICE but to accept the offer, if she wanted to continue her recording career. That's why Epic forced her into using the LMC!!!

What most are failing to see, is just like 5H, Syco/Sony is Camila's primary Label. THEY OWN THE MASTERS. Epic only has Camila as a solo artist, like 5H, through a licensing agreement with Syco/Sony.

Epic is granted exclusive licensing rights, through the licensing agreement, to release, market, and promote Camila's recorded music. This also gives them the right to use her likeness, name, and image to promote and market her recorded music, the way Epic sees fit.

Syco/Sony had Camila, and Lauren, locked in for their solo careers, with the solo options written into their original contracts. They didn't need for either of them to utilize a LMC. All they had to do, was get/wait for Epic not to pick up an optioned album, and put the group on hiatus, or get/wait for one, or more, of the girls to leave the group.

Remember, Epic's plan was to take Camila solo at the end of 2015, and pick up the option for 5H2 as a foursome, then put the group on hiatus after the 5H2 era. The girls may have been young, but they weren't stupid. They knew this was the plan. So, they figured out a way for Camila to stay with the group for the 5H2 era, and all planned to end the group on a high note, ALL TOGETHER, at the end of the 7/27 era.

That's why ALL the girls were making plans for their solo career in 2016. Every one of them, not just Camila. They all thought they were going on hiatus together. None of this fake narrative bullshit. All on the same page...Oops, Epic had other plans.

They were all informed via their "representatives" that Camila was going solo and 5H was doing another damn album, without her. Yes, people seem to forget, they have "representatives" from their Label, as well.

Why is all that shit important to what Camila supposedly said in her interview with Variety. 1) She couldn't put her hard feeling with the girls behind her, because there wasn't any. They all tried to end the group, just like they started it...Together!!! 2) They tried to make it sound like Roger got her out of her horrendous contracts, and re-negotiated.

There is probably a bit of truth to number two. I say a bit, because there was no clout for re-negotiation for her solo career, at first. But, I wouldn't doubt, that after the success of "Camila", she did have more negotiating power.

Remember, I said before, that it is customary in the Industry, that with each new album option picked up by the Label, there is an "option period" for re-negotiating the artists contract with the Label.

We also have to remember, that LA Reid was the one at Epic who orchestrated all the bullshit. He is no longer there, so I can see Camila and Roger re-negotiating with Epic. Especially because they have no other female artists on their roster that they are pushing and pumping money into, at the moment. She is Epic's priority female.

I'm more interested in any possible negotiations with Syco/Sony. Especially with the topic that was being discussed. My hope is, with the success of "Camila", Roger was able to negotiate eventual ownership of her masters.

If they haven't re-negotiated a new contract, already, then Syco/Sony/Epic is only guaranteed one more album, after the release of her now completed CC2. Depending on the success of this one, which they are technically promoting now, (That's one of the reasons we are getting Shmila shoved down our damn throats.) Syco/Sony/Epic will do what they feel is necessary to keep her at their respective Labels. They will work with her and Roger, to an extent, to appease her.

One of the things Labels will use to "appease" their artists, is by dangling their masters over their heads. That's why Labels always get their new and young artists to sign away their rights to their own damn music. THEY will use that ownership against the artists, by blackmailing them, and manipulating them with the possible/eventual chance to buy back their masters.

That's why Taylor Swift placed a huge ass spotlight on the topic, recently. She was telling EVERYONE, this is how the Labels get the artists to keep signing with them over and over again, even when the artist isn't really happy in their situation.

So, I'm hoping Roger negotiated a deal with Syco/Sony, that she can buy back her masters after 10 years from release. This is Industry norm, especially with the big labels. With smaller labels, you can negotiate ownership of your masters, in lieu of an advance. But, Syco/Sony isn't the one forking out the money for recording, marketing, and promotion, so they will have to use the other tactic.

Anyway, that's how we got here. That's how Camila is still with Epic, and not any of the other girls. That's how we got an album no one wanted to make.

Don't come at me saying I'm hating on ST and 5H. You know damn well, ST wasn't a priority to anyone. The Label didn't promote it, and neither did the girls. To this day, the girls pretty much have amnesia when it comes to ST. You know this, because I see people talking about it all the damn time.

Sorry if this one is a bit messy. Hopefully you can understand what I was trying to say. I've been very busy lately, and I'm trying to write this thing in a hurry. It shows, I know.

Vanity. Seems like a dated word and an old concept that has never been more prominent before today. What does vanity mean in a world of social media, cellphones and perpetual exposure? What does vanity mean in a world of lax morals and little dignity? What is dignity? What are morals? What are lax morals? Are they a bad thing? Who sets the bar? Everything is up for debate. Is it immoral to be so into yourself? Why is it frowned upon by some but glamourised by others? And if today’s world is characterised more and more by shameless vanity should we just all embrace it? Or should we be more critical of it? Is it an inherent thing that we learn to suppress due to societal standards or are we conditioned into it through societal pressure?

These are a few of my concerns and questions on the matter of vanity and to be honest I haven't been able to answer any. And to be even more honest every answer seems right. Depending on one’s point of view of course. In my case, my background and upbringing are a somewhat unorthodox mix of traditionality and forwardness that have made my confusion on the subject even more intense. My parents were raised in the rural town of Sparta, Greece. Greece, where I’m from, has always been a deeply traditional country that even though considered part of the western world, it has deeply rooted middle eastern influences that can be considered as more conservative. It has also been characterised throughout the years by a core dispute between communist and right wing parties and their respective followers which is still very prominent. Therefore the country itself is a nation defined by a series of conflicts and contradicting mentalities. However, the ‘westernisation’ that we espouse as a nation calls for an open-mindedness and progressiveness that Greeks were not eased into. And that has definitely created a sort of conflict for my peers and me. Because we are a generation that has grown up with the ideals and ethics of our parents and grandparents, family being a very strong institution in Greece, but with the need to keep up with current trends and norms and be more open to change. Moreover, carrying the weight of an ancient civilization that has shaped the entire humanity, we are expected to honour that heritage by adhering to expanding our intellectual capacities and disregarding superficiality. Therefore, it strikes me as odd and troubling when I see any greek girl my age posting pictures on instagram of her face accompanying it with a misspelled inspirational quote in english just to project a certain image of herself and simultaneously downplay the vanity angle by easing it with a ‘meaningful’ message. This is a common occurrence that is truly baffling to me which highlights the vast disparity between truth and image. This is also a recurring theme in many ancient greek written works such as the Odyssey; the concept of «είναι και φαίνεσθαι», the difference between reality and appearances.

On the other hand however, I wonder, am I just being an overly critical, contemptuous, angry person? I could cut people some slack. At the end of the day is vanity so bad? It has existed since the dawn of time and has been the driving factor behind many achievements I am sure. After all how can we distinguish vanity from self-love, ambition and confidence? They say be comfortable with your looks, love the skin you're in, but when does loving yourself become a little too much? These are questions that constantly trouble me and to which i have tried to give answers multiple times but to no avail.

Greek artist’s alter ego Anna Goula shown above is a trash pop singer who mocks contemporary Greek performers.

The most obvious and early tale of vanity is that of Narcissus. Enamoured by his own reflection but not being able to realise his feelings towards himself, he was burned by the flame of his own passion. This myth gave its name to what we now know as narcissism, the overt admiration of ones self and looks and their self-idealisation. Vanity, on the other hand, started off as a term referring to the futility and ephemeral nature of life and material things, however it has mostly become synonymous to narcissism and egomania in current times.

One very prominent example of how the social and cultural dynamics surrounding vanity have drastically changed over the past  few years is the rise of the Kardashian aesthetic and the reign of instagram culture. Kim Kardashian has almost single-handedly rendered shameless vanity an acceptable if not desirable trait, and has even managed to capitalise on it by not only using it to expand her followers which in turn translate into more money but by also publishing a book full of her selfies, titled ‘selfish’ and rightfully so. I think that current instagram culture has a lot to give when it comes to insight on the matter and probably more so when it comes to ordinary people rather than celebrities.

Kim Kardashian’s aforementioned book.

I am also interested in how female artists like Cindy Sherman and Nan Goldin explore the female image and sexuality in their photography, which could provide insight coming from either a pro or anti vanity point of view. I also once attended a talk by Juno Calypso, a young photographer who explores the issue of vanity, self-worship, the futility of beauty and its attainability at any cost, through her site specific performances and photographs. Her pinky pastel aesthetic also alludes to stereotypical explicit femininity and seamlessly blends the past with the present. I would certainly like to look at artists like that whose strong aesthetics are a source of debate and inspiration.

Juno Calypso’s Honeymoon Series.

I would also like to look at Yorgos Lanthimos, the only famous Greek director who is currently the pride and joy of Greece due to his accolades. Even though I have only watched some of his movies in fragments, I was surprised by his distinct aesthetics and concepts when I saw a magazine editorial he shot with Taylor Hill. The young model is posing in her underwear in her grandmothers utterly traditional home, resulting in an unusual but very real and gritty visual, that speaks volumes to Lanthimos’ greekness. I would definitely want to explore his earlier movies more in depth, more so because of his exploration of greek social and familial dynamics rather than his exploration of vanity, but at the end of the day aren’t they both related?

Lanthimos’ shoot for V magazine.

Last but not least, I would like to look at how vanity is related to fetish and explore their relationship to fashion and cinema. Looking at collections and runways from the 90s by Thierry Mugler, the sheer theatricality of the models, the way they have been directed to essentially perform instead of simply carry out a catwalk and of course the clothes, inevitably bring to mind dominatrix-y aesthetics. Of course latex also plays an important role in forming that aesthetic and is a big part of the fetish notion which is worth looking into.

Thierry Mugler’s fashion shows.

I believe that all the works I have done so far have more or less included the element of vanity and body ideals in one way or another. Combining latex with traditional victorian hoop skirts was a way for me to explore the relationship between the traditional and the contemporary and examining the dynamics between the conservative and the sexual. I also tried to explore that relationship in my manifesto project, where I looked at my upbringing and more specifically my rural roots and the agricultural background of my family and tried to explore the gap between the aforementioned traits to the more ‘liberal’ and modern upbringing I had in the city. I also tried to explore that relationship in two linked performance/photography pieces I did last year, combining again my traditional background to my sexuality and self-admiration; one was set in my grandmother’s house while the other one was set in a temporary stay sex hotel in Athens. I feel like my experience so far with latex and pvc will prove useful, at least as material exploration and experimentation are concerned and will pave the way for me to explore further the notion of vanity and fetish through their material realisations.

My ‘Portrait of a millenial’ project, set in Priamos sex hotel in Athens. I placed objects like family photos, christian icons and doilies from my grandmother’s house and did traditionally ‘grandmother’ things like crossword puzzles as if I were in my own home.

Second part of my ‘Portrait of a millenial’ project. I made a revealing burlesque costume and wore it around my grandmother’s house to highlight the difference between the sexual and the flamboyant and the religious and traditional.

Okay I’m about to spill some tea

SO “oh look, taylor swift is dragging up past drama to sell her new album, look at her playing the victim again, you’re still over”

is what all the haters happen to be screaming (among over ridiculous things) tonight, following the release of Look What You Made Me Do, the lead single to Swift’s 6th album: Reputation. But let’s take a little trip down memory lane to see if Taylor really is playing the victim. Hold on ladies, it’s gonna be a long one. 

2006-2008  

Taylor broke out in 2006, and when Love Story stormed the charts in late 2008 she became a global superstar and thus named “America’s Sweetheart” a bittersweet and dangerous title for any young female star, because it’s so easy to fall from the top. She was immediately held to an impossibly high standard of perfection, in every aspect of her life, and she handled this with grace. 

2009 - early 2012

We know what happened here, no real need to recap, but the result of this event was Kanye being thought of internationally as a horrific bully. Which he is and continues to be until this day. Taylor went on to be the youngest artist to win album of the year at the Grammys, the world so does love an underdog. 

Taylor responded to West the way she knows best: song-writing. she released her phenomenal 3rd album Speak Now and it featured a heart-breaking track named Innocent. 

It's okay, life is a tough crowd 32, and still growin' up now Who you are is not what you did. You're still an innocent.

Swift, aged only 20, twelve years junior to her bully, responded maturely, forgiving him. At the same time she wrote a grammy-award-winning anti-bullying anthem of the name “Mean,” said to be about a critic who wasn’t constructive in his criticism, just plain cruel. 

Soon after a standing ovation at the 2012 grammys, Swift brought the speak now era to a close.

Late 2012 - 2014

Taylor’s award winning curls disappeared with the release of her Hunger Games singles, and shortly after, she released We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. Now 22, Swift was growing up, and, if you’ll pardon the pun, the release of the Red album caused a swift departure for her “sweetheart” title. Suddenly the romantic theme to her music was causing people to role their eyes. 2013 was a year of jokes about lists of ex-boyfriends, “keep your sons, brothers, dads and boyfriends away from Miss Swift, she’s destroy them, try to bury them with a song.” This is where the words “Playing the victim” first appeared. She was no longer seen as an innocent princess, the grown woman began to wear less fairy-tale-esque clothing, in favour of her now infamous black shorts. she attended award shows, knowing full well she was going to have to take an insult on the chin, and no one would stand up for her. Everyone was laughing. Her unforgettable but brief romance with Harry Styles caused insane online backlash, his fans taking her reputation for writing about personal relationships as an excuse to tear apart their relationship. Just one of many examples of the opinions of people that don’t know her, have never met her, believe they have a right to bad mouth her because “she’s Taylor Swift” 

2014 - 2017

The released of the record-breaking 1989 album saw Taylor win back her popularity for the first time since before Styles. She declared that she could not be thrown off her game by her haters in “shake it off” insisting she will be herself more. But the real take down came in the form of “blank space.” Her satirical chart-topper saw her take back the narrative for the first time. She stated that she decided to play by their [the media’s] rules, writing and performing from the point of view of the “jet-setting man-eating psycho” they insisted she was. And the media, fickle as ever, lapped up every word. Impressed this silly little girl had played them at their own game, they placed her back on the pedestal.

Thus began the age of the “squad” 

Taylor’s Victoria Secret Performance allowed her to form friendships with the angels, and the media nicknamed her ever-growing group of friends a “squad.” People mistakingly believed Taylor had formed this squad as an clique, an army against her latest enemy, Ex-BFF Katy Perry. We all know the details of their feud and Taylor’s smooth take-down track Bad Blood. I guess I can forgive the confusion, but members of the so called squad have stated that it’s not a clique, it’s just a support group of mostly women. Taylor had bitten back at the media’s representation of her, calling them out for being sexist. I however, personally don’t see it as sexism. I see it as bullying. The simple fact is that no other celebrity on the planet get attacked so much for so little crimes as Taylor Swift. This “squad” theory began positively but soon took a dark turn, as numerous times Taylor Swift was referred to as a “Regina George” Who famously played the victim in the 2004 blockbuster hit “Mean Girls” despite secretly being the mean girl herself. 

 Following her new popularity, an old ghost made an appearance in her life. With encouragement from their mutual friend Jay-Z, Taylor Swift and Kanye West made up. 

Taylor even presented an award to him, mocking the infamous  statement: “Imma let you finish...” by ending it with “but Kanye West has had one of the best careers of all time” The legendary feud was over. Taylor was on top of the world. 

Or so we thought. With the release of Kanye West’s “Famous” came a rather degrading lyric: 

“I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex Why? I made that bitch famous (God damn) I made that bitch famous”

Once again, we know the details. Taylor’s not completely innocent, maybe she shouldn’t have claimed she knew nothing of it. But take away your opinions on Miss Swift. Imagine if someone who bullied you, humiliated you, suddenly wanted to end all strife and flaunt an alliance. You’d jump at the chance, I know I would, and have. Taylor has previously proved to be the forgiving type, and in that phone call you can hear how eager she is to please. I believe Taylor did not understand exactly how degrading the finally song would sound, brushing her off, taking credit for her success, coupled with a video depicting a life-like naked wax figure of her he commissioned thousands into making right beside him in large bed full of controversial figures, including sex offenders and abusers. Imagine that had happened to YOU. Not Taylor Swift Trademark, the untouchable millionaire business woman, but a real woman, with real feelings. You would be scared. You’d be filing restraining orders. She had trusted him and let him in. He humiliated her for a second time, and in her panic she responded badly. 

And yet, for some reason, the world took his side. This degrading song and disgusting video was somehow righteous over obscuring a little truth. Taylor’s response to the video release was such:

The internet wasn’t having it though. The final sentence became her death sentence, and thus began a meme and a #/taylorswiftisoverparty. Fans of Swift did try to defend her, but they also knew that Miss Swift was definitely not over. 

2017 (present day)

Finally I have reached the release of “Look What You Made Me Do” the lead single of Swift’s 6th and highly anticipated album “Reputation” 

So now we have tracked the history of Taylor “Playing the victim” I would very much like to address why LWYMMD is certainly not her playing it. I would like to push Kanye, Kim, and Katy aside, their actions were not to be admired, but this post is ultimately about the media and the public’s opinion of Miss Swift. 

SO LETS ANALYSE SHALL WE:

The role you made me play Of the fool, no, I don't like you I don't like your perfect crime How you laugh when you lie You said the gun was mine

It was the media and the public that insisted that Taylor was two faced, a snake, they forced her to play a role in their narrative. This public side of the role was like a villain, and the real way they played her was as a fool. The Media tricking her into trusting them, and then pushing her off the pedestal they put her on. 

But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time I've got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined

Swift is no longer playing nice. Did everyone really expect her to lie down and let Kanye win? She’s out for revenge, and so she should be. 

I don't like your kingdom keys They once belonged to me You ask me for a place to sleep Locked me out and threw a feast (what?) The world moves on, another day, another drama, drama But not for me, not for me, all I think about is karma And then the world moves on, but one thing's for sure Maybe I got mine, but you'll all get yours

This is a general address to those who supported her through her success at the start of the 1989 era, and then abandoned her when she fell from grace. They labelled it as Taylor getting what was coming to her, but she knows that eventually the tables will turn again and their time on the chopping block will come. 

I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me I'll be the actress starring in your bad dreams

Their betrayal has lead to her inability to trust, and as she says, they all believe she’s a snake, she’s two-faced, if they don’t get her first she’ll get them. Her insane success has made her “untrustworthy”  The world is forcing her to be someone she’s not. 

"I'm sorry, the old Taylor can't come to the phone right now." "Why?" "Oh, 'cause she's dead!" (ohh!)

This tongue-in-cheek spoken part is almost a throwback to Blank Space, she joins the taylor swift is over party, okay, we’ll play it your way, just before  I destroy you. It also sadly suggests that their cruelty and endless abuse killed the forgiving version of her. 

Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do

At first, I didn’t quite get this line. She hasn’t done anything yet? What have they made her do? But then it clicked. They made her be a part of the narrative she wanted to be excluded from. They asked for her to play the bad guy, they insisted on her Villainous persona. They insisted she was a snake. So they made her become the snake. 

Taylor has never once purposely “Played the victim.” Swift does not want to be the victim. So, this time around, she’s not forgiving. She’s not crying. She’s not ignoring it. She’s fighting it. Taylor Swift is angry, self-aware enough to know at this point she has no other route to take, bar buying an island and never being heard from again. She’s claiming her own fury, her own narrative, her own reputation. 

And she’s out for blood.

Hiss Hiss.

⧼   gemma chan, cis female, she/her   /   i did something bad by taylor swift + having so many secrets to keep and lies to remember that you’re afraid you’ll lose track of what’s real; long, empty corridors; green silk and black velvet; busy days and busier nights.   ⧽   ━━   hey, isn’t that LYRA ROSIER? i read a daily prophet article on them, once ; the FORTY-TWO year old [ pure blood ] WITCH is a [ SLYTHERIN alumnus who has gone on to be a DEFENCE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS PROFESSOR ]. i’ve heard they can be quite INTELLIGENT & ADAPTABLE, but i don’t know… they came off very SECRETIVE & MACHIAVELLIAN in that interview. it really is hard to know what to believe these days though, isn’t it?   [ carly, 24, gmt, she/her ]

Fast facts

Full name: Lyra Cordelia Rosier

Birthday: 7 July

Birthplace: Letterfrack, Ireland

Age: 42

Parents: Aurelius Rosier and Lavinia (Fawley) Rosier

Hogwarts house: Slytherin

Occupation: Defence Against the Dark Arts professor

Patronus: Chameleon

Boggart: Her true self

Amortentia: Fresh ink on parchment, roses, espresso

The story starts when it was hot and it was summer

The youngest of the Rosier children and the only daughter, Lyra Rosier was born on 7 July to Aurelius and Lavinia Rosier. The darling of the family, little Lyra could do no wrong in the eyes of her parents. But in reality, she did plenty of wrong. She constantly bugged her older brothers and even stole their toys on occasion. But then she’d put on her winning smile and claim innocence and, well, she’d get away with whatever she had done. This only served to further annoy her brothers until, one day, the four of them realised that they’d get more done if they simply worked together. From that point on, the Rosier children were on the same side. Always.

For every lie I tell them

Lyra Rosier has been a liar all her life. She isn’t a compulsive liar, though. No, every lie has a purpose. She always has a motive. And she has always known when to lie and when to simply spin the truth in her favour. Because of this, she has never been caught in a lie. Not once.

Her first lies were simple enough: saying someone else stole the toy, saying she never hit her brother. But they grew quickly. By the time she got to Hogwarts she was lying about where she had been and when. Slowly but surely, this turned into cheating on essays. Then cheating on boyfriends. Before even leaving Hogwarts she’d told one of the biggest lies of her life: saying she already had the Dark Mark. She did get the Dark Mark, of course, but not until after she was out of school.

Not until after Evan was dead.

Evan’s death affected Lyra more than she ever let on. When people asked how she was doing, she just lied. Said she was ok. That they weren’t that close. He was the oldest, after all. And people accepted this. But none of it was true. None. No one questioned her lies before and they had no reason to question them now. She was just as believable as she’d always been.

No one knew that she was devastated. That she could barely get up in the morning. That nothing seemed to have a purpose anymore. Because no one knew that Evan had been more than her brother, he’d been her best friend. All four Rosier children were close, but Lyra and Evan were closest, despite being the youngest and the oldest. (Even then, there was only 3 years between them.)

Eventually, Lyra started to believe these things too. She believed she was ok. She believed they hadn’t been that close, at least no closer than she was with her other brothers. This was the first time in her life that she’d ever lied to herself.

Made your mark on me a golden tattoo

On the day of her 18th birthday, Lyra received the Dark Mark. Mere days after finishing Hogwarts and a little under five months before the Dark Lord fell. Less than a year after Evan was killed. Suddenly, with this new tattoo on her arm, she felt like she had a purpose again. She’d believed the lies she’d told herself, but she’d still felt numb. With her new status as a Death Eater, that feeling was gone. She knew what she had to do ... and it was whatever Lord Voldemort wanted her to do.

In those few months, she did everything that was asked of her. And she did it well. She played to her strengths: defensive spells, duelling, protective enchantments. But mainly, she lied. To anyone and everyone, about anything and everything. Lyra had more names in those four and a half months than most people will ever hear in their entire lives. She was Sarah in the morning and Morgana in the afternoon. A Carrow on Tuesday and a Smith on Wednesday. Lyra liar pants on fire was finally putting her talents to good use. (That, of course, is what Evan called her whenever she lied to their parents.)

I can be a phantom

After Lord Voldemort fell, Lyra felt lost again. Like a lot of Death Eaters, she wasn’t sure what to do. It wasn’t well known that she had joined and her lies had kept her fairly anonymous, so she wasn’t hunted down. She didn’t feel the need to go into hiding like others did and she had no reason to claim that she had been under the Imperius curse. (Even if someone had tried to use the Imperius on her, it wouldn’t have worked. Lyra is unusually talented when it comes to controlling her own thoughts and actions and can resist the Imperius curse – she is also a gifted Occlumens.)

Even though she didn’t go underground, Lyra figured it was best to avoid trouble for a while. So she decided to hone the skills that had proved useful during those few months. She became a bit of a con artist, moulding herself into whatever type of person other people wanted to see. Instead of feeling lost in her own life, she became lost in her roles. She interacted with muggles mostly, fascinating them with her charm and beauty.

Eventually, word of what she was doing got back to her family. Her parents hated it and her brothers weren’t particularly fond, either. But it’s hard to track down someone who doesn’t exist. And, for all intents and purposes, Lyra Rosier didn’t exist. She switched identities so rapidly that there was simply no time for the real Lyra to emerge. Some jobs took a few months, others took years.

Lyra has always been adaptable, but she became malleable. At a moment’s notice, she could change everything from her name to her personality to the way she walked.

There’s nothing like a mad woman

Due to both her interactions with muggles and her ever-changing name, Lyra quickly gained a reputation of madness amongst the pureblood community. They couldn’t understand why someone of such a high station would stoop so low. Many theories were circulated, the most popular being that she simply cracked after Evan died and this was her way of coping. No one seemed able to understand that she just loved lying. It made life fun. It kept things interesting.

Lyra never cared to dispel the rumours. She liked the idea of madness. Of insanity. Of not being fully in control. She had never wanted to be in control, anyway. She was a follower. Evan was the leader. And then the Dark Lord was. And now, apparently, her madness was.

When the Dark Lord returned, the rumoured insanity proved very useful indeed. Although hers was no match for Bellatrix Lestrange’s, people came to expect the unexpected from her. If Lyra Rosier showed up at your door, you had no idea what you were in for. You had no idea who she was showing up as. Her anonymity that allowed her to fill any role during the First Wizarding War may have been gone, but it was replaced by something even more useful. The ability to insight fear.

On occasion, when Voldemort needed things done quickly and correctly, he would send both Bellatrix and Lyra to get the job done. Those missions were the most fun.

My castle crumbled overnight

And then, Voldemort fell again. Lyra couldn’t believe it. For the second time, she had put all her faith in someone and they had failed. He had failed. He was a failure. Again.

And it all reminded her of the story her grandmother, the great Vinda Rosier, used to tell her. About when Vinda had served Grindelwald flawlessly and he had been beaten by Dumbledore in a single duel. All that work, for nothing. All her loyalty and hard work and nothing to show for it. And Lyra found herself in the same situation. So she chose a different path than her grandmother had. She chose to stay loyal to the cause, but not to the man. Lyra said she had been under the Imperius curse, that she’d been under it for years. It made sense, the healers had said, given the apparent madness she had suffered.

Once again, her lying had saved her.

I’m so very tame now

Now, six years after the Second War, Lyra is the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. Why? Well, there are a few reasons. One, she is in a great position to influence young minds. Two, it’s about as far from her Death Eater past as she could get – it backs up her Imperius curse lie. And three (her favourite reason), it’s something that Lord Voldemort could never accomplish.

She hasn’t given up, not by any stretch. She’s simply biding her time. Waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Waiting for orders. From Bellatrix. From a woman, this time. She’s given up on villainous men, history has proved they’re of no use.

Welcome to Porthaven, Sophie! We can’t wait to meet Ariel Nyström!

Please look over the acceptance checklist and submit your blog within the next 24 hours. If there is a problem or a prior obligation and you need more time than provided, just message the main and we will gladly extend!

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　OUT OF CHARACTER　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Name: Sophie Pronouns: she/her Age: 22 Timezone: EST Activity Level: Admittedly, I have a remote internship that will keep me busy in the mornings and afternoons, but in the evenings I’ll be free, so I should be on quite frequently! Triggers: none, although please avoid pictures of clowns. They’re not exactly a trigger, but they make me very uncomfortable. Anything Else: n/a

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　CHARACTER INFORMATION　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Full Name: Ariel Nyström Born: June 1, 2001 Gender: cis female Faceclaim: Amybeth McNulty

Character Biography

Though there are many humans who would prefer to be beautiful, carefree, shiny-scaled mermaids, Ariel was always the opposite: a beautiful, carefree, shiny-scaled mermaid who wanted to be a human.

And sure, there are perks to being a mermaid, she’ll admit. Being able to breathe underwater is always a plus, as is getting to befriend all the fish and other sea creatures. But something about humans- their innovation and creativity, how they were never satisfied with the way things were and looked to how things could be- spoke to Ariel from a young age. Her father, the ruler of the mermaid kingdom Atlantica, was going to have none of that, as he was strictly anti-human. They ate fish and polluted the ocean! What was there to like about that?

Still, Ariel’s curiosity could not be contained, and so, when she could avoid her father’s watchful gaze, she traveled to the surface, gathering all the gadgets and gizmos for her collection, wondering what in the world each was for and how they all worked. This went on for about sixteen years, which led to a massive collection Ariel kept in a grotto.

That grotto, however, could not be kept hidden forever, and when Ariel’s father found it, he was furious- enough to destroy every last trinket and treasure in his daughter’s collection. Ariel was devastated, but also determined.

Determined to get as far away from her father as possible. Determined to become a human- and there was only one way to do that.

The sea witch, at first, seemed nice, friendly, even generous. After all, she was the only merperson Ariel knew who supported Ariel’s wish to become human…even if that meant she would have to give up her voice for a few days. Whatever. She’d get it back eventually, right?

Except that the sea witch was even more malicious than Ariel could’ve imagined, as her plan was that she would keep Ariel separated from her father forever unless he handed over the throne to Atlantica.

The king’s forces were able to defeat the witch, and Ariel, after three brief days on land, was given back her tail and sent back home. As awful as she felt about trusting the witch and almost destroying her own kingdom, the days she had spent in Porthaven were some of the best she ever had, and she didn’t want that to be her last experience on land.

Using her own positive experience as proof that humans were not as horrible as they seemed, Ariel was able to convince her father to let her, her sisters, and other merfolk use enchanted bracelets to go back and forth from human to merperson, in order to strengthen relations between merfolk and humans. Ariel was beyond thrilled, and best of all, her new job at Archimedes’ Antiques means she gets to spend all day among gadgets and gizmos of all kinds.

Headcanons

Her favorite human food is pineapple pizza, and it still doesn’t make sense to her why most humans seem to abhor it. It’s delicious!

Ariel loves music, especially pop, though she’ll listen to anything. Some of her favorite artists include Lizzo, Taylor Swift, Janelle Monáe, Florence + The Machine, and of course Beyoncé. (She also has a soft spot for ABBA.)

Ariel desperately wishes to go to college on land, even if she knows her father might not agree to it. She wants to study anthropology, because of her fascination with the human world. Then again, she already knows so much about sea life, so maybe marine biology is the way to go? Or how about music studies? Hey, why not all three? She’ll figure it out.

Inspiration

Mock Blog

Katy Perry vs. Taylor Swift Beef Debrief: Experts Declare Winner & Loser -- Or Call for a Truce

For almost three years, it was the Voldemort of pop diva beefs: a roiling public battle whose generals could not, would not be named, even if everyone had both on their tongues almost from the start. Taylor Swift came out first, swinging hard with "Bad Blood" in 2014, but in interviews she demurred when it came to describing the subject of the song beyond saying it was "about losing a friend" and that the person (ID'd as a fellow female pop star) did something "so horrible" they became "straight-up enemies."

Katy Perry, her alleged target, subtweeted a short time later about watching out for "Regina George in sheep's clothing" and then weighed in on a side beef between Swift and Nicki Minaj with another tweet in 2015. Fast-forward to last month, when Perry revved up the promo machine for her Witness album by menacingly telling Entertainment Weekly: "You can't mistake kindness for weakness and don't come for me."

It was the first of several shots fired from Perry, who went on to give the most complete rundown to date of the source of the duo's beef during a "Carpool Karaoke" segment -- it was, as rumored, over shared backup dancers -- during which she doubled down on her previous finger-wagging comments. The singer tripled and quadrupled down in subsequent interviews, telling the NME that Taylor tried to "assassinate my character with little girls" after releasing the not-at-all-subtle Minaj duet "Swish Swish."

So there's been a flurry of activity in a battle that everyone thought was pretty much over. In every war, there must be a winner and a loser, so Billboard asked some PR experts to weigh in on who they think came out on top, or whether two of the most powerful women in pop should just call a truce and work together to make a change.

Karen Civil, author, social and digital media strategist "I ran my first marathon listening to 'Roar' the whole time, and I loved how Katy was always so empowering, but with this project and her demeanor, I was confused," said Civil, who took particular issue with Perry's Migos collabo "Bon Appétit," which she said just confused her. "Her and Taylor had their quarrels, but they never said each other's names -- you had 'Bad Blood' -- but when you go public because you want it to be part of your press campaign? You always let the records talk."

Civil said Perry might have looked better if she had arranged a performance where the two women hugged it out, but with Swift keeping quiet, there is no clear winner or loser in this public feud. "Katy usually wins with her music, but this time, it’s not resonating, and Taylor coming back being petty releasing her music on Spotify [the same day Witness dropped], that's not what I want to see," she said. "These are both great women and I hate in our society that there can't ever be more than just one [woman who wins]."

Given the choice between Witness and grabbing all her favorite Swift songs on Spotify, Civil opted for neither, instead grabbing SZA's CTRL album. "It's just Katy beating a dead horse, and, you know, Taylor's not paying it any mind and will just come out with a hit record while Katy's album will come and go," she said. "Taylor needs ammo, and music is therapeutic for her. You're just giving her ammo for a No. 1 hit about you. I'm expecting 'Bad Blood... Continued.' This is a one-sided beef, and I'm not into it."

Verdict: Swift by a nose

Howard Bragman, veteran publicist and crisis manager, founder of Fifteen Minutes PR Bragman is a longtime proponent of the "everyone loves a good comeback story" line of reasoning when it comes to America's obsession with redemption tales. When it comes to this kerfuffle, though, he thinks it's mostly a teen-pop tempest. "I think in the world we live in, it depends on who you liked going in," he said. "The one you like better going in is probably the one you will like going out. We all have an amazing ability to see the world through partisan eyes."

Given Perry's massive career, including what she's done and what she will likely do in the future, Bragman doesn't see her shots fired at Swift -- followed by a series of olive branches and even a "Swish Swish" lyric swap during a performance Monday that switched "don't you come for me" to "God bless you on your journey" -- as a game-changer either way. "This is a non-controversial controversy," he said. "It benefits them both and it doesn't do any real damage. They're both laughing all the way to the bank. I think if they saw each other in the real world, they would hug each other."

Verdict: Both winners

Holly Baird, veteran publicist, crisis manager Baird isn't even really sure if the Taylor vs. Katy beef is as big a deal as Taylor's skirmish with Nicki Minaj over VMA nominations. Plus, she thinks the dancer tug-of-war is only half the story and that the real beef between the women might be the unspoken girl-code breaking that occurred when Perry dated John Mayer after Swift had a brief fling with him in 2009.

"When you're making friends in the industry, any woman, when you call someone a friend and that friend dates someone after you do... you have to wonder, 'Was that person my friend?' and wonder what their motives were," said Baird, who would also rather see women in the industry collaborate than bicker. That said, Baird thinks Swift has taken a "much more gracious route" in this latest digging up of dirt, especially for someone whose every move is placed under the microscope and analyzed in minute detail.

"I love Katy, but I'm not sure if these antics and the interviews where's she's saying, 'You can't mess with me' are really her. It's so edgy and it might not be who she is," she said. "Taylor releasing her music on Spotify is a smart cover move, but I think it would have happened whether Katy was releasing an album or not. I don't think the Spotify thing is a quick call that instantly releases everything. It's a longer process. It's not that deep, but maybe just a sh--ty coincidence."

The bottom line for Baird is that the silent moves are the best, in which case Swift's best one is to not mention, acknowledge or give it any attention. "If you do that, then the situation can't control you -- that's what I tell my clients," she said. "Just release better music and have better contacts and friends. Katy has always been such a great advocate for women standing up for themselves, but sometimes you get in a situation where your emotions are caught up. The best is if they say, 'Let's bury the hatchet and discuss ways we can work together to help other women.' Because that's the message she’s trying to get out. She's not being [counseled properly] and decided to get into dirt and that message isn't getting out."

Verdict: Swift

Marvet Britto, publicist, brand strategist and Britto Agency founder who has worked with Mariah Carey, Foxy Brown, Eve, Angela Bassett and many others

In a career aimed at helping female artists make the most of their brands, Britto has a very simple rule: Stay focused on you. "They're each fueling a beef that is not in alignment with their brand -- being a wholesome advocate for girl power," she said. "They should talk through it privately, because young girls are their base and they should focus on being champions for young women, girl power and feminism. That's what has allowed them to have such vast audiences."

Britto noted that Swift has stayed mostly above the fray this time, coming off as the more mature artist and following her golden branding rule: "The moon never barks down at the dog." In other words, when you're on top, you should focus on what’s ahead and not what's beneath or behind you. "Responding is a distraction that takes you off course," she said. "[Perry] should get back to music and why people fell in love with her in the first place rather than building her career on the back of someone else. True stars at the top of their game are focused and deliberate and don’t allow distractions to take them off course."

Verdict: Call it a truce

ts`989fanatic I personally don’t care what they say Taylor Swift stayed out of it and wins hands down.

just found out that there are people who hate taylor swift so much that they make videos on youtube explaining why they hate her.

so far I've only watched 3 and wow these girls know nothing about taylor but they hate her so much. I did rant in their video comment sections:

video 1:'why I hate taylor swift' channel: daniella

my rant:

 you literally say what you know about taylor is what the media portrays yet that set you off enough to make a video about her being a horrible, fake person. really? fucking really/ there are a lot of parody videos of taylor /fan made videos etc, and they have not been taken down. 1 famous youtubers video gets taken down and yall lose your shit. btw taylor's mgmt team is more than just her. taylor didnt have a guitar teacher. when she was about 11 a computer guy came over to fix her families computer before he left he taught her a few begginers chords then years laters trys to profit off of her name. taylor has a right to me pissed by that. taylor isnt the first or last celebrity to get thing copyrighted. kanye and beyonce for exaple have hunders of things copyrighted. also taylor isnt getting things copyrighted just bc, she's doing it so big companys cant used her image without her knowing. and ps she doesnt have any lyrics that say "party like its 1989" im guess youre getting that confused with prince's 1999, where he says 'lets party like its 1999' its called being HUMBLE do you not know the meaning of the word humble, i guess you dont, futhermore even tho taylor is surprised when she wins, she does not cry every time. and even if she did why does someone crying bother you? she literally wrote a message about why she took her music off spotify saying that "she doesnt need anymore money", she said she "has enough money to pay her dancers from her tour alone' she pointed out how smaller artist, like indepent artist dont get paid properly by spotify bc spotify takes most of the money for themselves, she also said music is art and art should be free.....adele too her music off spotify too, i'll be waiting for your video attacking adele... btw what your obsession with sticks being in asses? this video was pretty much just full of lies instead of going by the medias portrayal of a person how about try and look for the truth. who am i kinding you as well as everyone in the comments dont care about the truth do you? just sad and pathetic really.

 video 2: 'why I hate taylor swift' channel: july2ish

my rant:

 kim exposed taylor: taylor was not told "i made that bitch famous" she should clarified that was the lyric but she didnt lie --- omg you hate her bc she dated harry are you in 4th grade, he asked her out. "im about feminism" but you hate her for dating hs taylor doesnt like papa following her -- you hate her bc of her wealth --- dont people pay for spotify too???? -- she didnt sue fans they were sent ciest & disist letter until their copyright issues were straighted out --- the guy wasnt a guitar teacher he was a computer guy who came to the familys home and taught her a few chords before he left, and he wasnt sued -- she copyrighted a stylized version of the year 1989 that was made for her tour not the year or number 1989 here is who taylor swift sued: THAT GUY WHO SEXUAL ASSUALTED HER BY PUTTING HIS HAND UP HER SIRT AND ON HER ASS.

video 3: '6 reasons i hate taylor swift' channel: queen maryah watkins productions (comments were disabled so I left this on her channel)

1. her pr team didnt clarify which lyric she was offended by, she thought kanye was going to use "i made her famous" that is what taylor said in the video kim posted. kanye didnt tell her "i made that bitch famous" "perfessional victim" thats some bullshit. she writes aboutr her feeling, a majority of her songs are NOT about breakups but love songs. ps she isnt the only artist to write about break ups 2. taylor's dad invest in big machine records after she signed to the label. shes very talnted, she does work hard and she walked away from a record label who wanted to sign her because they would alway taylor to write her own music so she walk away then was discovered and signed by scott borschetta then her dad invested in big machine records

3. she doesnt have to dance, really why the hell does that matter? no her voice isnt like whitney or beyonce, its softer, she cant do big notes like they do that doesnt mean she can sing. shes a great guitar player why doent you actually watch her play and she plays multiple intruments well as fpr her lyrics she writers masterpieces, listen to something other than shake it off or wanegbt.

 and are you really saying you hate her because of her look and her fashion choices do you not hear how petty that is 4. calling out nicki is the ONLY time shes ever did anything like that. and are you seriously mad bc she gets excited for friends accomplishments? ed sheeran is her best friend. she didnt say she was looking forward to controversy, she said she was looking forward to telling people she knew about the song, not about wanting controversy from it. 5. "has not integrity for music.." she wants people to understand that music is art and should be treated as such, as for writing TIWYCF under a fake name, she and calvin agreed to do that together 'catfished, disillusioned, perplexed', are you fucking with me? swifties were excited when we found out taylor wrote it. you think she lies on her album credits bc of one fucking song? my god could you get anymore stupid? 6. im tired of this "greedy" bullshit. its a lie she didnt say she wants more money for youtube y\this is some bull you pulled out of you ass. she literally said in her apple music letter that she did not need anymore money. go fucking read the damn thing its on her tumblr page. i cannot tell you how pathetic and stupid you sound in this video, this video is filled with lies get a fucking life

video 4: 'rant why i hate taylor swift explicit' channel: lacye leuko

her pr team didnt clarify which lyric she was offended by, she thought kanye was going to use "i made her famous" that is what taylor said in the video kim posted. kanye didnt tell her "i made that bitch famous" therefore she did not have full compltee knowledge. kanye deserves shade but her point was to uplift young girls, something she been doing for years, she used kanye lie to her benefit

kanye is an ass who does & says bad things to many people dont act like he doesnt deserve to be shaded.

her rep leak the info, he should have informed first but why does that bother you?

taylor never confirmed bad blood is about katy, katy did that herself. taylor doesnt have a prolem with tina and amy she was just pissed about the joke.

she's not a snake the video proves kanye didnt say 'i made that bitch famous' the lyric she was told ' i made her famous'

nothing was wrong with selena defending her friend.

i cant believe how you and other taylor haters really dont want to see the truth about taylor.

a few etsy fans were sent Cease and desist orders because of copyright issues, there are still thousands a taylor swift fan artwork on etsy. if those copyright issues were fixed those fans art were probly put back on etsy.

the only female she is fueding with is katy and by that i mean, katy keeps findong ways to talk about her but she keeps her mouth shut about katy.

taylor swift: does charity work. ispires many young girls, is a great role model. you know nothing about how she influences her fans for the better. how she gives speeches and messages of positivity to her fans. you know nothing about the reall taylor swift, just tabloids and bullshit

// 'So, About Taylor Swift Getting Put On Blast... Watch white Feminism Work'

channel Sensei Aishitemasu // its a 33 minute video. this person wasted 33 mintues of their time to talk aout why they hate taylor (im definitely NOT going to watch that)

i still said something anyway: im not watching this video bc im sure its bullshit just like the others, but why did you waste 33 minutes of your time to bitch about a pop singer and her "white feminism" you hate taylor swift GET THE FUCK OVER IT AND GROW THE FUCK UP. and black people idk how this little white girl hurt you so damn much, I can say that be im black too and get bullied on twitter by other black ppl who are offended I like this white singer. she doesn't do the things you like, shhes not an activist, she writes breakup song songs, she cant sing like whitney, who tf cares? IGNORE HER!. change the channel, turn off the radio when shes on, don't pick up magazines with her face on them, stay off her twitter and instagram. just fucking leave her alone, its not that hard to do.

i just cant wrap my head around these people having so much hate for taylor. shes a good fuking person. no shes not perfect, yes she makes mistakes but for the ove of god there are worst people than her in the entertainment industry but shes treated like the devil

how does taylor have these people so easily pressed and bothered?

Memphis DJ Ashley Wimbush aka DJ Alpha Whiskey takes her talents to the lobby at Central Station this Friday night April 24 for an all-ladies soul music dance party—streaming live into your living room at 8:30 p.m. This is the second of four parties in the Memphis Music Hub DJ Series, which you can read more about here. See last week’s DJ Spanish Fly set in 360° Smell-O-Vision Magic here. This Friday night, I’ll share DJ Alpha Whiskey’s tunes via I Love Memphis accounts Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Photo by Gabrielle Duffie. All-Ladies Memphis Soul Dance Party This Friday Night Holly: I really want to know your story! But first, real quick—What can Memphis music fans from around the world expect during your set on Friday? Ashley: I’m going to spin classics from amazing women like Aretha Franklin, Carla Thomas, Anita Ward…women who paved the way for a lot of us female artists. I want listeners to feel the music as if they are at a real concert or show. I have records that will make you sing and dance nonstop! Holly: What can you tell us about the all-women soul theme? What does that mean to you? Ashley: I am happy that Memphis honors and recognizes female artists. These beautiful women inspire(ed) a lot of female artists to sing and pursue musical careers. Their voices were powerful and you felt every word they sang! I am very honored to be able to spin their records on Friday night and let world hear the Women of Soul!   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Stax Museum (@staxmuseum) on Apr 1, 2020 at 9:27am PDT Why “Alpha Whiskey”? Holly: I know you’ve answered this question many times, but: where does your name come from? Ashley: My name is Ashley Wimbush and I am an Air Traffic Controller. We use the phonetic alphabet to communicate with one another and my initials are Alpha Whiskey. Alpha Whiskey also describes me as a person. I’m an Alpha female, who believes in empowering women to have confidence and faith. Whiskey gives you life if you drink responsibly and that’s what I do as a DJ. I bring energy and life to people through music. Music is a release. A Little Background Holly: Where are you from? How long have you lived in Memphis/how did you get here? Ashley: I was born and raised in Virginia. I’ve been here six years. Holly: How did you get started as DJ? Ashley: I’ve always wanted to be a DJ because I love music and dancing. In 2017 my boyfriend who is a Business and Marketing Consultant asked me if I wasn’t an ATCer what would I be doing and I told him DJing. He talked to me about the importance of having multiple streams of income and from there we started having long conversations about how I could start as a DJ. I purchased a DJ board and started practicing and getting feedback from friends. He saw how passionate I was and he connected me DJ KJ (@djkj1973) and  DJ Crystal Mercedes (@therunwaydj) here in Memphis and from there they gave me great tips and got me my 1st gig! After my first gig I started getting more opportunities, building my brand, and perfecting my craft.  Photo by Gabrielle Duffie. “Memphis has truly taught me what hustle, grit, and grind is.” Holly: How has Memphis music inspired your artistic career? Ashley: Memphis inspired my artistic career at a very young age. I grew up listening to Otis Redding, Johnnie Taylor, BB King,  Little Milton and Three 6 Mafia. I used to dance and embarrass my aunt whenever she played blues music in the car. I loved pretending to play the guitar (laughs). I would tell her I was going to be a guitar player one day. Learning how to play the guitar is still on my list of things to learn. Holly: How has Memphis as a city inspired your artistic career? Ashley: Memphis is such a great city. Sometimes, I almost forget that I wasn’t born here. There are so many talented artists in this city, and I am just happy that I am able to experience first hand. When I first got here I saw DJ Spaceage spinning at a bar near U of M and she had some great music playing. Then I heard Big Sue on the radio while driving and I loved her voice and mixes. I saw there were twin female DJs (DJ Tootz) doing great things and I had never seen that before, so when I met DJ Crystal Mercedes I knew there was already a great female DJ presence in Memphis I could reach out to for needed advice. Memphis has truly taught me what hustle, grit, and grind is, and I am so thankful.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Central Station Hotel (@centralstationmemphis) on Jan 19, 2020 at 1:21pm PST Ashley’s Inspirations Holly: Favorite Memphis music artists (or overall genre) and why? Ashley: Three 6 Mafia (their energy and beats appealed to me at a very young age)  Aretha Franklin (greatest soul singer) , The Bar-Kay’s (one of my favorite bands, they have great music my favorite is “Holy Ghost”) . I love 90s hip hop. I was born in 88 and I loved the beats, lyrics, and vibes during that time. Holly: You have three jobs [air traffic controller, DJ, model]. How do you manage it? Ashley: 2019 was my first year of consistent DJing, ATC, and modeling. I am off on weekends from my ATC job so I am able to DJ during that time. However I’m working on a more structured routine that allows me to be more productive. Holly: During non-pandemic times, how can Memphians experience DJ Alpha Whiskey? Ashley: I DJ every Saturday at Sage Memphis (noon – 4 p.m.) for brunch. Every other Sunday at The WKND for After Brunch (5 p.m. – 9 p.m.). I rotate Saturday nights with two other local DJs at Tailors Union (9 p.m. – 1 a.m.) for Old School Saturdays. I also DJ Private events such as birthdays and corporate events, etc. DJing In A Pandemic Holly: How have you been coping personally and professional during the pandemic? Ashley: I have been working on improving my brand and quality of life. This time has allowed me to focus on organizing, disciplining myself, and innovating. Professionally, I partnered with Phillip Ashley Chocolates to host Themed Live Tasting events every Friday via Zoom. Also, The She DJs wanted to make sure we still could provide relief to the world during these tough times. So we started Ladies Love Day Parties Live Edition via our SheDJs Memphis Facebook Page and SheDJs901 IG Page. Every Saturday we have a line up of female DJs spinning every hour. Until this pandemic hit I never went Live because I wasn’t comfortable but now I’m more comfortable and I hope to go live more in the future. Photo by Gabrielle Duffie Ashley’s Recommendations Holly: Go-to food and drink orders after a DJ set? Ashley: Central Station makes a special cocktail for me . I told the bartender I love St. Germaine liquor and they took care of the rest. It was delicious! I ordered three. Everything at Sage is delicious. My favorite is the soul waffle. The bartenders are amazing there as well. I’m always looking forward to their brunch on Saturday. When I finish DJing at the Wknd on Sundays I grab myself and my boyfriend a Yardbird flatbread and the honey hot shrimp or chicken wings. Once we get home, it’s on! Holly: How can people keep up with your projects? Ashley: I have a website www.djalphawhiskey.com where I post free mixes and sell Alpha Whiskey products and events. You can also follow my Facebook Page and Instagram Page @DJ Alpha Whiskey . Just For Fun: Meet Ashley 1. What’s always in your bag? Business cards 2. Guilty pleasure? I love to cook too so I’m always at the grocery store ( almost every day) 3. Go to outfit? Leggings/comfy graphic tee/ comfy sneakers (Nike or Puma) 4. How do you drink your coffee? I stopped drinking coffee beginning of January for health reasons but I loved French Truck Coffee with French vanilla cream and sugar. 5. Favorite song(s) right now? Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes ft. Freddie Gibbs “Nightrider” Photo by @circleoflifephotos Follow DJ Alpha Whiskey / Listen Live Memphis Music Hub DJ Series Feat. DJ Alpha Whiskey Friday, April 24 at 8:30 p.m. Live on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Rebroadcast in 360 on Wednesday, April 29. Follow Ashley: website: www.djalphawhiskey.com Facebook Page Instagram Page Are you a home owner in Memphis, with a broken garage door? Call ASAP garage door today at 901-461-0385 or checkout https://ift.tt/1B5z3Pc

https://ilovememphisblog.com/2020/04/memphian-to-meet-ashley-wimbush-aka-dj-alpha-whiskey/

27 Facts About Kelsea Ballerini That'll Make You Love Her Even More

https://styleveryday.com/2018/04/13/27-facts-about-kelsea-ballerini-thatll-make-you-love-her-even-more/

27 Facts About Kelsea Ballerini That'll Make You Love Her Even More

1. If anyone could play you in a movie, who would you pick?

I would pick Reese Witherspoon. Because people say we look alike, and I just like her.

2. What’s the first album you ever bought?

I can’t remember the first album I bought, but the first concert that I went to was Britney Spears “Oops I Did It Again” tour, with the beads. Ugh, so good.

3. Describe your style in three words.

Flirty, fun, classy.

4. Craziest fan story?

They’re the best. So we played a show last night in Columbus, and it was a rescheduled ‘cause I got the flu and I had to cancel it. But they threw me a No. 1 party in the pit, like all the biggest fans. They made t-shirts that said like, “Legends No. 1” and they made signs for every song. They do that kinda stuff all the time but that’s just the first thing that comes to mind since it was last night. They like, threw a No. 1 party for me. It was like 20 of them, right by the pit. They’re amazing.

Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

5. Which emoji do you use the most?

Salsa dancer, ‘cause I feel like no matter what the tone of the text is, that makes it okay. It’s not too aggressive if the salsa dancer is present!

6. What’s your biggest pet peeve?

I hate being late, it drives me crazy when I’m late. Or when other people are late.

“I remember I was watching her sing one of these songs and I was having a moment of like, ‘That’s exactly what I’m gonna do with my life, this is it.'”

7. What’s the most memorable concert you’ve been to?

Oh my god, I was 14 years old, it was Kelly Clarkson’s “Behind These Hazel Eyes” tour and she had these two massive screens of her eyes above the stage, and so depending on the song they would cry or blink or wink or whatever. And it was right when I thought I was gonna move to Nashville and be a singer, so I was super into it, and I remember I was watching her sing one of these songs and I was having a moment of like, that’s exactly what I’m gonna do with my life, this is it. And I looked up and the eyes winked. And I was like, Kelly Clarkson just told me that I have to be an artist. I swear, true story.

8. Last person who texted you?

Morgan Evans.

Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

9. If you could team up with three other badass women to form a girl band for one performance, who would you pick?

I would pick Halsey, I would pick JLo, and I would pick Shania Twain.

10. Who’s your doppelgänger?

I get Reese all the time. I used to get Nicole Richie a lot too when I was younger. But now I get Reese a lot.

11. What’s one song out right now that you’d love to cover while on tour?

I cover songs all the time on my Instagram and I just covered “Delicate.” But I try to do like one a month, just cause it’s fun to like learn them on guitar and try to do my own little country twist on a song that isn’t necessarily country.

12. What’s one thing you can’t live without?

My dog, Dibs.

Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

13. Favorite reality show?

The Kardashians. I mean, when Kylie went away for 9 months I was very concerned. I wanted to know why, I wanted to know when she was having the baby because everyone knew she was with child. I was like, where is she!

14. What’s your idea of a perfect day?

Day on the road would be waking up late because sleep’s good, going to explore a city, maybe having lunch at a place within the city, and then playing a show. Day off would be sleeping late and hanging out with my dog, taking him to the park, and then maybe having a date night.

15. Go-to comfort food?

Fried chicken. In whatever form that might be – nuggets, tenders, on the bone, I don’t care.

16. Dream vacation spot?

I went to Bora Bora for my honeymoon, and it was beyond stunning.

Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

17. Do you have a hidden talent?

No. No I really don’t. If I did I would tell you.

18. What was one of your favorite moments while writing Unapologetically?

“I was like, ‘Okay, I think I fell in love.’ And it was like two weeks after I met him.”

There’s a few, but when I was writing the song “Unapologetically”, I had the title in my phone for probably a couple months and I thought it was gonna be this like girl power anthem kind of song, because that’s kinda what the title sounds like. And then I met my now husband, and I got back to america and I got in the room with Forest Glen Whitehead, who I’ve written most of my singles with who produces my stuff, and he’s just like my brother, and I went in and I was like, “Okay, I think I fell in love.” And it was like two weeks after I met him. And Forest was like, “Okay.” And I was like I have this title and I have this melody just like, I need you to write it with me. And we just started with, “I’m unapologetically in love.” And it was like one of the most freeing writes I ever had cause I was just like, this is how I feel! And I already know what it’s gonna be, you know?

19. Favorite place to go in Nashville?

Nashville has the best food! I’ve become such a foodie. There’s a place called M Street, and it’s all owned by the same people but there’s like one mexican restaurant, one sushi restaurant, one kind of bar food, one steak, one Italian. And I just always kind of am there.

20. Name something on your bucket list.

There’s a lot of things on my bucket list I haven’t done yet. I really wanna come up on a hydraulic lift. I’ve done it on other people’s stages, but I wanna do it on mine.

Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

21. Being a longtime fan of Taylor Swift’s, is there a song she’s written that inspired you when you first started out?

I mean her whole first album, she was like the only young female singer-songwriter in Nashville. And so she was kinda the one that me and I think a lot of the new girls in country music looked up to, and we were like, she’s doing it! So we can too.

“She was kinda the one that me and I think a lot of the new girls in country music looked up to, and we were like, ‘She’s doing it! So we can too.'”

22. Biggest fear?

Biggest shallow fear would be spiders. Biggest like, deep fear, would be looking back on my life and seeing very clearly that I missed something.

23. Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given by another artist in the industry?

It’s probably Taylor [Swift], really early on I was on radio tour and I had just gone through media training and stuff so I was trying to like answer everything perfect and just be perfect all the time. But that’s just not who I am, and it was exhausting. And I remember she was telling me, like, “It’s gonna feel like cool wins sometimes, and sometimes it really might win. But, in the long run, if you’re just yourself, and you don’t worry about being cool or being perfect or saying the right things, you’re gonna be A: happier, and B: in the long run that’s the win.” Which I thought was really eloquent.

24. Background wallpaper on your phone?

[A picture of] me and my husband playing the Ryman on Valentine’s Day, and then the other background is my dog running in a field.

Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

25. What’s the last song or album you listened to?

Demi Lovato, “Tell Me You Love Me.”

26. Guilty pleasure?

I’m a wine girl. Like I just love hanging out with people and drinking wine so that’s probably my guilty pleasure.

27. What do you hope for in 2018?

I hope to challenge myself more; with the songs that I put out, with the shows that I put on. I just wanna keep pushing myself to be better.

Check out Kelsea’s latest single “I Hate Love Songs” and her album Unapologetically, out now!

Taylor Miller / BuzzFeed

Not So Swift Taylor

I sit here, attempting to write this article, a bit perplexed. Allow me to explain.. As of this day in 2013, I am currently 23 years old, soon to turn 24 before the year ends, and will be eligible to have my right to a quarter-life-crisis next year once I turn 25. My life journey is a busy one, and seems to always form a lump in my throat that drops down to my stomach as I realize that I have to purchase a larger cake to fit my growing amount f birthday candles. Already I've attended baby showers, weddings, and graduate school graduations all of people who are of, or just a few years around my age. When I go on dates now, I can't help but actually take them seriously, in hopes that it might work out, date for about 2 years, get engaged for 1 year, wait to have children for 2-3 years after marriage, and give birth to all the children I want before 35. These things have to be planned now. I'm not a young girl any longer. – No one looks at me and thinks “sweet, young, innocent girl” and I am thankful that they don't. With this age comes responsibility and a grander level of associating with the world. However, one female in particular is thought of getting by as 'forever young'.

Taylor Swift, the American singer who banks on songs she writes about her ex-boyfriends and being a 'nerdy girl' delights in being thought of as the Madonna of the Madonna/Whore complex. She writes her music that speaks to the tween generation and will pout and call those “mean” who make even the tiniest bit fun of her. She loves being the thought of as that “sweet, young, innocent girl”. Theres only one problem that I have with that. Taylor and I are both the same age. Born in the same year. She is 23, and so am I.

I would love to present on academic journals of well thought out semiotic analysis of Swift's character, whether for the childish way she portrays herself, or against, but as I've searched the internet and book shelves high and low, I could not find one article on 'Swifty'. I'm unsure why her character has yet to be analyzed to a scholarly degree, perhaps she is still seen as too pure, and unfair game.

There was an article, however, that caught my fancy, granting me with a good amount of inspiration. Barbara Read's article, Britney, Beyonce and Me – Primary School Girls' Role Models and Constructions of the 'Popular Girl',is one that takes a truthful look at what it means to be a 'popular girl', any perks that come along with the status and its effect on young females. The article thoroughly explains why young females, as opposed to young males, may feel they need a role model to look up to, and takes a poll among the girls for data of who they admire at their certain age.  

Read argues with support of a poll from school children, that most young girls would like to be the 'popular' girl, such as Beyonce or Britney Spears because it seems as if they have power and status which is what females tend to desire even if only subconsciously. This comparatively is what Swift, by way of her “young, innocent girl” demeanor is using to her advantage to tap into the psyche of that girl who idolizes Britney or Beyonce. What Swift is attempting to do is take the stigma of being labeled a “young, innocent girl”, or more frequently as she refers to herself, a 'nerd', and use it as a badge of honor. This is not a horrible idea, and in fact, I say “kudos” to the resistance of accepting the weight that comes with a called name and changing its definition to fit one's self. Where I feel she goes horribly wrong is that after claiming her name, she then goes after the 'popular' girls and makes fun of them for being who they are. She clearly states that there is an obvious paradox between her and the 'popular girl' in her 2009 hit, You Belong with Me.

“But she wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts/ She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers/ Dreaming bout the day when you wake up and find/ That what you're lookin for has been here the whole time/ If you could see that I'm the one who understands you/ Been here all along so why can't you see?/ You belong with me/ You belong with me” (You Belong with Me, Swift 2009).

There's never any mention of how the said 'popular girl' has a bad personality, or may be a gold digger, or has a record of battery and brutality or anything. Swift leaves it up to the listener (and viewer by her music video) to come to the conclusion that because the 'popular girl' does cheerleading, wears skirts and is a favorite among school peers, that she for some reason is the enemy. The character that Swift portrays as the better option is the girl who is in the bleachers because the plays in the school marching band, wears t-shirts, and is lesser known around the school. There is a clear statement that one is better than the other, and that certain traits label the female that choses to take those traits on must abide to and hate her opposite, with no just reasoning, for. Is it that Swift is taking an eye for an eye in hopes of making herself look better than the one who called her the name in the first place? Possibly, yet it seems more that Swift put the 'nerd' label on herself rather than being her own woman. This is a song of hate, attempting to pit female against fellow female in strategy of winning a taken love interest by fighting dirty and hitting below the belt for no good reason.

One might have the argument that at the time You Belong with Me was written, Swift was 19 years old, and thus still being a teenager in her last teenage year, is granted the permission to still write songs as such to get her angst out. Yet, in 2013, as Swift is 23, her single, I Knew You Were Trouble, was released on the public with the same tone of whiney lyrics, giving the impression that she mentally remains a child and feels that the blame game is becoming.

“Once upon a time a few mistakes ago/ I was in your sights, you got me alone/ You found me, you found me, you found me/ I guess you didn't care, and I guess I liked that/ And when I fell hard you took a step back/ Without me, without me, without me” (I Knew You Were Trouble, Swift. 2013)

This is only one of the many songs that Swift has written where she plays the victim. Each time she writes a new song, it is unclear which of the 14 (yes, 14!!) men she has been romantically linked to since 2008 that she is singing about and whenever prompted to reveal who in an interview, she shys away from the question. Many of these love interests lasted for only a month or so, but still get a whole song dedicated to how shes so hurt, or they're mean, or she didn't know.. but what kind of sweet girl dates around so much and then, to add injury to insult, writes bashing songs about them. Not a very wise decision for someone of Swift's fame to do, especially when in the balancing act of wanting to get back at an ex and remain “America's sweetheart”, her balance may be becoming increasingly uneven to her once loyal fans as they begin to notice the many boyfriends and lack of mental growth in romance and the art of handling personal situations.

The image of a sweet, innocent, young, bubbly (and most often times) blonde singer singing songs of sweet love and dreams written down in her diary is one that is meticulously crafted by the big wigs of the entertainment industry, and once the perfect girl is found, the label will be attached to her until by her own demise, she messes it up by being human. This is, I feel, the case for Taylor Swift. Even though Swift is pop, has always been pop and has always had a very pop sound, when she first broke into the world of music back in 2007 with her first single, Teardrops on My Guitar, this girl from the city of Reading, Pennsylvania, was marketed as a 'good ole country girl from Nashville' who was brokenhearted because a boy broke her heart and now the only thing she could do was cry as she strums her guitar out in the country.

That single became a big hit with females who could empathize with Swift and felt that as a good American girl from the country, that the boy who broke her heart must've been a real jerk. But the single when released was in fact released as two singles. One with more of a country twang, and the other with light pop overtones, and since her debut back then, the music she has produced has been overwhelmingly induced with a pop vibe rather than her original market of country, yet she still is thought of as a country artist and is often nominated every year for the Country Music Awards. From time to time she might wear a pair of sparkly country boots on stage at one of her concerts and pretend to play guitar, but as far as being country goes, thats about it for her.

The more dominant pop stars of the 10's new millennium are wildly unafraid. Stars like Rihanna and Lady Gaga frequently forget their pants in favor of wearing a bedazzled pair of underwear on stage instead. Marijuana is the drug of choice that they without shame will publicly toke up. The world of pop music is dominated by females in their early 20s who are not afraid to show skin, sing songs filled with innuendo and move in a sexual nature. These females aren't thought of as young, innocent girls; they're fantasized as musical sex objects. So, with the perspective of how pop stars generally behave/dress/present themselves, it does make sense that to introduce a new pop star, but with a lighter, sweeter image, the music industry will attempt to sneak one in, faintly disguised as country music. Swift doesn't prance around in the latest fashion bikini, or flip off the paparazzi as they snap her photo, for she aims the keep her role of childlike innocence. But the problem is that Swift is a child no longer, and is only looking more pathetic with age. And attempting to keep up with the image, though growing older each day, might end up blowing up in her face by way of her fans not buying the role any more, as was the case that Melanie Lowe explains in her article, Colliding Feminism: Britney Spears, “Tweens and the Politics of Reception”.

Lowe's article is a study she conducted where in 1999, at the peak of American pop's wave, she surveyed the thoughts, comments and reactions to the most popular pop stars, with the most famous being Britney Spears, the happy blonde from Kentwood, Louisiana. She explains that as soon as she sat down with these “tween” (ages 10-12) girls and merely asked of their opinion on the pop princess that they had a wide variety of opinions ranging from waning admiration to most notably the calling Spears a “slore” (slut and whore). These reasons seemed to stem from Spears's progressively changing wardrobe from t-shirts and fashion-friendly cargo pants to belly baring crop tops and ripped jeans. Not only was it the fashion, but the way in which her songs were becoming more blatant of its innuendo. The tweens said of how they liked that she had and exercised her right to wear what she wanted, yet at the same time they found her promiscuous for doing so. The classic case of being dammed if you do, or dammed if you don't.

While I do feel that Britney Spears's path, one where she was initially and continuously marketed as an innocent, young but sexy pop princess, may have been a tad different from the road Taylor Swift is going down, I still feel that the reaction by the tweens and general public will be the same. As of lately, more and more fans of Swifts are beginning to take off their rose colored glasses they'd been disillusioned with and are starting to recognize Swift's stagnant ways in which shes not growing with her fans, but more trying to recruit whichever age is currently in their tween years.

Swift is not a nice, country girl. She never has been, but for a while she put up an almost believable front. There are only so many girls she can point the finger at before the ladies ban together and realize who the true mean girl is. There are only so many guys she can date before the public sees her as the common link and figures out that she is the problem. There are only so many times she can sing her hit single '22' until she realizes she's 44. It's past time to grow up, Taylor.. either join the real world, or save up enough money to purchase the Neverland Ranch.

Grammy Preview Issue: Kelsea Ballerini Talks Coming 'Out of Nowhere' & Taking Her Mom to the Ceremony

by Jewly Hight  February 02, 2017, 8:00am EST

You wouldn’t know that Kelsea Ballerini is jet-lagged. The 23-year-old country-pop star and best new artist nominee -- who just returned from a vacation with her new fiance, country singer Morgan Evans, in his native Australia -- strides into an open-air bar in East Nashville with a coltish energy that betrays the decade of dance lessons she took growing up in Knoxville, Tenn. Ballerini even spent the flight home picking apart tracks from her sophomore album-in-progress, the follow-up to 2015’s ­effervescent The First Time, written and recorded with collaborators as green as she was and released on a 5-year-old indie label, Black River Entertainment.

Ballerini says she “popped out of nowhere,” but there are clear parallels to her friend Taylor Swift’s ascent nearly a decade ago. This time, country radio knew better than to underestimate a driven young female songwriter who presents her pop-schooled songs like diary entries. Ballerini’s first three singles, “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Dibs” and “Peter Pan,” were all Country Airplay No. 1s. “She’s on fire right now,” says Jason Aldean, who invited Ballerini to duet on his 2016 song “First Time Again.” “She just has this really cool voice.”

“I love pop,” says Ballerini. “I’m the little girl who grew up on a farm in East Tennessee but also the girl whose first concert was Britney Spears.”

Along with Ballerini, Grammy voters recognized her fellow country-pop game-changer Maren Morris in the best new artist category. “Women are resonating now,” says Ballerini. “You turn on the radio and hear Miranda [Lambert], Carrie [Underwood], Martina [McBride], Trisha [Yearwood]. And then you hear new artists like myself, Maren, Cam and Lauren Alaina. It’s working.”

This isn’t the first year you have been eligible for a nomination. Why did “Peter Pan” make the difference? “Love Me Like You Mean It” and “Dibs” are the kind of songs you roll down the windows and jam. But you’re not going to put on your ­headphones and get emotional with them. “Peter Pan” was the first song that I showed that side of my ­songwriting. It’s a ballad, and it has depth to it.

Look at what those kinds of songs have done for Adele at the Grammys. Absolutely. There’s something really beautiful about a girl being vulnerable. So often we feel like we need to be defensive in our music. I love being able to just be like, “I’m hurt. This is how I feel.”

Was there a particular moment when you felt like you had found solid footing within country? I don’t think I have that yet. Because I still get in the room with people and feel nervous. I still feel like I need to get better.

What difference has it made that there were no big names attached to your debut album? A couple of months ago I was hitting a wall every time I tried to write, every time I tried to pick a producer, every time I tried to do something ­different than the first album. Then I just decided, “Make an album that you’re proud of. Make it with your friends. Just do it the same way again.” So the same two guys [Jason Massey and Forest Glen Whitehead] are producing it. I’m writing it with most of the same people.

No one was watching when you made the first album, unlike now.

It’s healthy pressure. It makes me want to make it really good. But it crippled me for a bit.

Have you learned from the way Taylor Swift handles the obsession with who and what her songs are about? I have been super cool with things being public. I think that’s part of being relatable. But I think I’ve had to learn to be OK with not being polished all the time. I don’t get to just share the pretty things. Now I’m learning what to keep to myself. I got engaged Christmas morning and had to wait until the night to post about it. Waiting almost killed me.

Why did you have to wait? Because we had to tell his parents, too! They weren’t up yet because they were in Australia.

Are you taking your fiance to the Grammys? I think I’m going to take my mom. Leave the fiance at home for this one.