Arts & Entertainment
Queer ally Dua Lipa releases new single
LGBTQ ally Dua Lipa has released a new single from her current hit album, “Future Nostalgia.”
The UK songstress has been a queer fan-favorite since the early days of her career, when she released the singles “Be the One” and “Last Dance,” as explained in a recent article from the website, Means Happy.
Speaking to the site, an 18-year old London fan named Tom, who identifies as gay, said, “The gays definitely caught onto her first. Going to her concerts before and after “New Rules” was funny because before it was like 90% gays. After it was like a 50-50 gay-straight mix. I don’t think there’s been a British pop girl like her in a while. It was something that we wanted.
“I also think that because she’s young, she’s very relatable to us, especially on social media,” said Tom, who has seen Dua live six times. “That’s something that definitely appealed to me.”
The singer made headlines last year after she spoke up in support of fans ejected from her concert in Shanghai for holding up banners in support of LGBTQ rights, saying in a tweet, “I will stand by you all for your love and beliefs and I am proud and grateful that you felt safe enough to show your pride at my show. What you did takes a lot of bravery. I always want my music to bring strength, hope and unity. I was horrified by what happened and I send love to all my fans involved.”
She is slated to appear at Sydney’s 2020 Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
The new single, which is the title track from “Future Nostalgia,” is the follow up to the runaway success of her last single “Don’t Start Now,” which has has seen over 240m streams to date and sold over 1 million copies as well as getting its live debut on “The Graham Norton Show.” It’s described in the press material as, “A pure slice of 80s influenced brilliance,” that “drops more hints towards her forthcoming album and the next exciting era of her career.”
Of the track, Dua says: “ ‘Future Nostalgia’ is my album title track and is a little something to tide you over till the New Year. I wrote this one with Jeff Bhasker and Coffee one afternoon in LA. It’s all playful and fun and not taking ourselves too seriously but we loved it so much we wanted to share it with you.”
Dua’s debut 2015 album has eclipsed 4 million sales worldwide and spawned over 40 million single sales. It is officially the most streamed album by a female artist in Spotify history. She is also the youngest artist ever to hit 1 billion views on YouTube and has won 3 BRITS – for British Female Artist, British Breakthrough Artist in 2018 and Best British Single for “One Kiss” with Calvin Harris in 2019 – along with Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Dance Recording for “Electricity,” her collaboration with Silk City. She also opened the 2019 MTV EMA Awards with a breathtaking performance of last single “Don’t Start Now” in Saville, Spain.
You can listen to the new track below.
Celebrity News
Madonna announces release date for new album
‘Confessions II’ marks return to the dance floor
Pop icon Madonna on Wednesday announced that her 15th studio album will be released on July 3.
Titled “Confessions II,” the new album is a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” an Abba and disco-infused hit.
The new album reunites Madonna with producer Stuart Price, who also helmed the original “Confessions” album. It’s her first album of new material since 2019’s “Madame X.”
“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna said in a press release. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” continued the statement. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions. Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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