Consider my pink pony clubbed. Apocalypse Noir – an immersive, modern and fully belted drag cabaret – knocked my jock off.
The 63rd annual Young Concert Artists Gala honoring Damian Woetzel was a night filled with music and skilled artistry.
From a wide range of fashion to energetic performances on the runway, The Model Experience Fashion Week Festival transformed the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sept. 30. Brands like Cough Syrup by Desto Dubbs took the stage, along with performances from Doechii and Kaliii, lighting the stage with an electrifying fusion of music and style.Β
Victoria MonetΒ took over Atlanta Tuesday night at the Buckhead Theatre, where she performed on her first, official headlining tour, The Jaguar Tour. On Aug. 25, the singer-songwriter released her debut studio albumΒ Jaguar II, the sequel to her 2020 EPΒ Jaguar.
The Jaguar Tour kicked off Sep. 6 in Detroit and quickly made its way through the northeast until landing in her birth city of Atlanta. They packed the venue at every corner with fans dressed in Victoriaβs signature brown hue. Once she opened the show with βMoment,β we were in for a legendary night.
The audience belted out every word as she danced along with her backup dancers to βCoastin’β, βFUCKβ and βJaguarβ in a sheer brown two-piece embellished with crystals.
As she transitioned into βParty Girlsβ featuring Jamaican Dancehall artist Buju Banton, the audience could hear the familiar melody of Beyonceβs βBaby Boyβ featuring Sean Paul intertwined with the track; a nod to one of her biggest inspirations.
Highlights from the night included her entrance during βCadillac,β decked out in a bedazzled Zoot Suit and a fedora. Her signature dance break to Trillvilleβs βSome Cutβ sparked a viral online dance challenge last year. Last, she couldnβt end the night without performing the standout track βOn My Mama,β a song with a nostalgic early 2000s vibe and a heavy mix of R&B and Hip-Hop. The song samples Chalie Boyβs 2009 hit single βI Look Good.βΒ Β
Victoria Monet by Chanel Moye
Later, it was revealed that the VMAs felt it was βtoo earlyβ for the Grammy-nominated artist to make her debut on their stage.
This isnβt the first time fans have had to work overtime to give their favorite artist the (rightful) recognition they deserve. Fans pressured MTV into allowing Normani to perform at the 2021 VMAs after they discovered they did not invite her to sing her new single “Wild Side” featuring Cardi B.Β
Following her highly expected single βMotivationβ and a messy split from the popular girl group Fifth Harmony, they set Normani to make her debut as a solo artist. Her 2019 VMA performance of the song was one of the best of the year, and naturally, expectations for what would come next were high.
So, when she and the eclectic rapper joined forces to release their chart-topping collaboration “Wild Side”, it surprised fans that the VMAs didn’t extend an invitation for her to perform, especially considering the waves the music video made online. However, MTV’s apparent snub left fans questioning the network’s influence in today’s music industry landscape.
There was a point when performing at the Video Music Awards was a pivotal moment in an artistβs career. Now, we arenβt so sure. There is something to be said about MTVβs long-standing culture of excluding black artists, but thatβs a conversation for another day.Β Β
While MTV was undermining her star power, she was preparing to embark on a sold-out tour. For the next three months, The Jaguar Tour will hit 22 cities across North America before ending in London on Nov. 15.
Amidst all the excitement around Jaguar II, the song was most excited to see Victoria perform on tour, is βStop (Asking Me 4Shyt).β It is truly one of a kind and was the fan favorite of the night as the crows sang every word.
βStop askin’ me for money, get your own
I barely even just got on
Do I look like a tree to you? Well, leaf me alone if I doβ
β¦
βI need you to stop, askin’ me for shit Ooh, I put this on in case you forgetβ
As the show concluded, eager fans quickly exited the theater to glimpse the next spectacle: the massive billboard towering over the Buckhead Theatre. There, Victoria MonΓ©t lays in a seductive pose, clad in an all-black catsuit, and beneath her image, in bold letters, the sign proudly announces “SOLD OUT” with “Victoria MonΓ©t’s The Jaguar Tour” written below.
Were the whole of Brooklyn Made a βhouse,β as they say in ball culture, Durand Bernarr most certainly was the father of that house last week.
Almost fifty years after its first run on Broadway, the theater piece is back and just as heartbreaking as it was before.
New York Universityβs Tisch School of the Arts is only getting bigger and better. On April 8, Tisch held a gala at St. Annβs Warehouse in Brooklyn to raise money for the schoolβs future which includes an expansion that will be opening in Brooklyn in the fall, as well as two additional curricular degrees that will bring advanced field work to classrooms.
The month of March is a time for celebrating the Spring season and the high spirits that come along with it, as well as reflecting on the winter months and events both personal and of nature that have come to pass.
Nick Graham is man with an imaginative mind- whether it be in his use of innovative fabrics or his themed collections that propel onlookers into the depths of space.
Putin Critic and writer Boris Akunin writes Hamlet. A Version, directed by Irina Gachechiladze and translated by Ileana Alexandra Orlich. On now at Theatre at St. Clements.
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