Queer Jams of the Week: New Music From Reneé Rapp, St. Vincent, Christine and the Queens & More
Before you head off on your three day weekend, take a moment to add some new tracks to your playlista from your favorite queer artists. Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ+ artists.
From Renee Rapp's cheeky return to St. Vincent's Spanish-language reimagination, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
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For every fan of Reneé Rapp's that's been asking, ad nauseum, 'where's the single,' the singer has a definitive answer — 'leave me alone, b—h, I wanna have fun.' On this rollicking, tongue-in-cheek meta-commentary, Rapp gives her fans everything they could have asked for with her return. The lyrics are just as unhinged and provocative as the singer herself, the production adds some rock vibes to her established pop'n'b sound, and the vibes are simply, immaculate. We don't predict anyone will be leaving
While St. Vincent has already shared a Spanish-language version of her standout track 'Violent Times' from All Born Screaming, the singer-songwriter certainly hasn't done so with rising singer-songwriter Mon Laferte. Now, 'Tiempos Violentos' is given a new edge, as the pair trade lines in English and Spanish, while expanding the jazzy, dark track to a new, broader world of sound that fits both artists like a glove.
It turns out when you take disco legend Cerrone and pace him with avant-pop chameleon Christine and the Queens, you get one of the most immediately enjoyable tracks of the year. On 'Catching Feelings,' the pair lean into their strengths and create a guitar & drum-driven disco-pop track that will have you grooving along within moments.
Goldfrapp fans, wake up! We got a new banger from Allison herself! 'Reverberotic,' the latest off the singer's forthcoming new album Flux, sees Goldfrapp embracing synth-pop, trance and a touch of soul to make for one of her most unique-sounding tracks to date. 'Reverberotic, wanna feel that again/ Vibrating light, a supernatural ascent,' she croons on the undulating chorus. 'Reverberotic, all your dreams in the cloud/ Your sweet elixir is a part of me now.'
It's been a good week for rising heavy metal rocker PINKNOISE. Not only did the fast-rising artist (known off-stage as Kacey Foxx) sign with Nettwerk Music Group, but they decided to celebrate that fact with a new track. On 'Bittersweet,' Foxx delivers the full range of their artistry, starting the song from a cool, quiet space before blowing up the premise and delivering a hard rock ballad that feels like it's being powered by jet fuel. If you haven't listened to PINKNOISE before today, let this be your official notice to go press play now.
Check out all of our picks below on Billboard's Queer Jams of the Week playlist:
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Fox News
41 minutes ago
- Fox News
Costco shoppers rave about 'deliciously addictive' summer treat that's gone viral
There's a new cake at Costco this summer – and members are raving about it. The Kirkland Signature Peaches and Cream Bar Cake offers three layers of vanilla cake that are packed with peach compote and whipped cream. Introduced to Costco warehouses in June, the cake also features white chocolate curls and peach glaze that are lathered on top of the dessert. It sells for $18.99. On a Reddit community of 1.3 million Costco members, some people have offered their thoughts on the cake. "It's good! Tasted like canned peaches, not peach candy flavor, which I appreciated," one user wrote. "Also, the frosting felt and tasted like whipped cream, not too sweet!" "The peaches [ingredient] has a nice tang," another reviewer said. "Not too sweet. Reminds me of an Asian-style cake, but has a denser sponge. Sweet and tart and great for the summer." "I was apprehensive the peach part would taste fake, but it's perfectly captured the sweet tang of stone fruit." A third reviewer wrote that the cake is "very deliciously addictive." The person bought three so far this month, according to the post. "It's got the perfect balance of cake, whipped icing & peach compote," the Redditor said. "I was apprehensive the peach part would taste fake, but it's perfectly captured the sweet tang of stone fruit." Jacquelyne Devine, a content creator from Pennsylvania, spoke to Fox News Digital about the new offering. Devine posts under the handle @shopclubcostco and reviews Costco products. (See the video at the top of this article.) The new cake is "one of Costco's best seasonal desserts," she told Fox News Digital. "It's sweet, refreshing and such a great value at $18.99," she said. "It feels fancy enough to bring to a party, but also easy enough to polish off at home." "I want to be buried in a casket made of these." The mother of three also said that, in her household, the dessert was gone "within days." "[We] are huge peach fans and we devoured it." The reviews enticed customers who were intrigued by the combination of tartness and sweetness. "I want to be buried in a casket made of these," one hungry customer said. "Rest in Peach," another replied. "Oh my ... I might actually buy this," another wrote. "I'll look for that! I love desserts that are not too sweet," a different Costco user said. One person offered a critical take, saying the cake did not evenly distribute the peaches and thus "was kinda bland." "The whipped cream filling tasted a bit artificial," the critic added. "The white chocolate shavings taste like old Easter 'chocolate.' The cake itself was fine and light, but might benefit from a soak of some kind." The cake is one of many new offerings that Costco has introduced to members this summer. The wholesaler recently began selling a new "Combo Calzone" for $6.99. The meal is stuffed with pepperoni, sausage, cheese, onions, peppers, olives and mushrooms. Costco also recently began selling a frozen strawberry lemonade drink, which is made with real fruit and no artificial flavors or colors. It costs $2.99. Fox News Digital reached out to Costco for comment.
Fast Company
43 minutes ago
- Fast Company
Billie Eilish's next act: Getting music labels to give unsold concert T-shirts a second life
Have you ever wondered where the unsold concert merch from decades worth of tours end up? For artists associated with Universal Music Group's merchandise arm, Bravado, it often winds up in a massive Nashville facility, gathering dust. 'It's like the warehouse at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark,' says Matt Young, president of Bravado. 'This stuff predates me—I believe it was just forgotten.' From an environmental perspective, decades worth of apparel sitting in a warehouse is among the least harmful options. 'Typically that stuff gets donated to Goodwill—but they don't even want that much, especially if it has a band name,' Young says. 'Some artists may want it destroyed, or you do a sale on a website—which is usually the first wave of defense.' Like fast-fashion, donated clothes that can't be sold in stores ends up in landfills or the global South, where countries like Pakistan, Kenya, and India import millions of pounds of used clothing every year from the West. Often rather than donate clothes, companies will incinerate them. UMG's head of sustainability Dylan Siegler says the company has so much deadstock in storage partially because it only donates or incinerates unsold merchandise as 'the very last resort.' Looking to find a new option for its unsold apparel, Bravado is now sending 400,000 shirts from its Nashville warehouse via cargo ship to Morocco, where Spanish clothing designer and manufacturer Hallotex will turn many of them back into cotton yarn, which it will then spin into new, 100% recycled cotton shirt. It will also shred what can't be recycled, and turn that fabric housing insulation. At the end of the process, Bravado will have some 280,000 new shirts that will debut as artist merch for European fans in the fall, ahead of the holiday season. The effort was spearheaded by one of UMG's most influential artists: Billie Eilish. Eilish and her mother, Maggie Baird, have long focused on making both touring and merch more sustainable, encouraging fans to bring reusable water bottles to shows and eat plant-based, all while working with smaller designers on upcycled merch collections and sourcing organic or recycled cotton for apparel. With the T-shirt recycling effort, they're helping UMG use recycled fabric on a wider scale. 'We are drowning in clothes on this planet, much of which is in landfills, much of which is shipped to other countries to pollute their waters and their land,' Baird says. 'I think we have to be extremely thoughtful about what merch gets put out in the world—why does it exist, how is it made, and what happens to it in its second life?' Selling sustainability Merchandise—tour shirts, posters, and hats, among other products—has long been central to how artists connect with fans. But in the streaming era, these physical items have become increasingly critical for musicians as the music industry shifts away from relying on album sales for revenue. Entertainment analysis firm Midia Research projects that the global market for artist merchandise, which was roughly $14 billion at the end of 2024, will hit $16.3 billion by 2030. Industry sources say top artists can make in excess of $10 million selling merch annually. For a company the size of Bravado, the challenge is feeding this demand while embracing more sustainable practices. Bravado president Young is no stranger to the merch business. Before he joined Bravado in 2021, he spent 13 years building Warner Music Group's in-house merch arm, Warner Artist Services, which he led from 2016 till his departure. But he admits that he wasn't well-versed in sustainable sourcing until he connected with Eilish and Baird. In the past few years, Eilish has pushed Bravado to use nontoxic clothing dyes and water-based graphic inks in place of synthetic ones, which consume a lot of resources and include toxic chemicals that make them the world's second-largest polluter of water. Recently, Eilish has been exploring smaller partnerships focused on sustainable merch. In the spring, she worked with designer Iris Alonzo, who overdyed old tour shirts and hand-painted them before adding the tour title in water-based ink. Clothing upcycler Lost Love made unique sweaters and shirts entirely from postconsumer materials. And L.A.-based textile recycler Suay upcycled work shirts into Eilish merch by overdying them and adding an embroidered 'Billie' name tag on the chest. Baird says her daughter's focus on sustainability dates back to the start of her career. 'We asked for [sustainable merch options] even before she was big,' Baird says. 'It was a little bit like pushing a boulder up a hill for a long time.' There is one challenge that comes with stocking sustainable merch—sticker shock. 'Sustainable usually means more expensive—for the company and for the fan,' Young says. (Such options can require a premium of as much as 30% more than an all-new product). As a result, artists play a role in educating their fans about why their shirt costs more than another artist's might. Eilish plays a video before her shows explaining how her merchandise is made with an emphasis on sustainability. Her fan base has responded enthusiastically. Young notes that Eilish's stop at Quebec City's Centre Vidéotron last September broke the venue's record for single-day merch sales. Last summer, Bravado worked with Target to sell a limited-edition apparel line that included tees made with a blend of organic and recycled cotton. Young says the Target products sold strongly enough that the retailer placed multiple follow-up orders. With more UMG artists, including Shawn Mendes, Lorde, and the Rolling Stones, asking for eco-friendly merch, Young says the company is laying the groundwork for a bigger commitment. UMG has been assessing Hallotex's capabilities via several small-scale test runs for the past several years. Now it's putting its deadstock on a boat to see if it can, Young says, 'unlock the economies of scale that come with mass production of sustainable options.' Making it scale Hallotex, based in Barcelona, has for years been a go-to manufacturer for brands like Zara, Eileen Fisher, and Mara Hoffman who want sustainable options. Through a partnership with textile fiber maker Lenzing, Hallotex can incorporate the nontoxic, cellulose-based Tencel in products for retailers. Its partnership with Bravado, though, is built on its own process, which it calls 'the Loop.' The company is able to break down garments and other textiles into small pieces that can then be spun into new yarn. 'The fibers that are made in the process will be 100% cotton regardless of what the constituents of the waste T-shirt were,' says UMG's Siegler. Hallotex estimates that its process saves 15 liters of water per shirt created—a small portion of the 2,700 liters needed to make a new shirt, from growing cotton, to processing the material, to manufacturing the final product. That adds up to 4.2 million liters of water saved for the shirts that Hallotex will make for Bravado. At first blush, the idea of sending nearly half a million T-shirts across the world by boat to be recycled in Morocco doesn't seem like the most eco-friendly move, but it came down to which company was capable of processing the sheer volume of fabric Bravado had on hand. 'The technology at that scale is not available in North America,' Young says. 'We know putting it on a boat isn't the best for the world, but having it rot in a warehouse or go to a landfill is way worse,' he says, noting that to mitigate the ecological impact of the journey, Bravado is planning to keep the new T-shirts in the nearby European market. For now, UMG hasn't calculated the actual emissions savings of the process for recycling its 400,000 shirts. But Siegler and Young both say the effort is focused on the Hallotex partnership as a better way to utilize deadstock clothing. Young also says that, for now, Bravado will absorb any additional costs associated with the shirts that Hallotex creates. Getting more artists on board is a crucial next step to scaling the capabilities of companies like Hallotex, and even ones closer to home. 'If we get more participation [from artists], we can figure out how to get companies with the technology in America to scale to where we can do this locally,' Young says. 'Our ultimate goal is to get this to be such a widely accepted practice that the price drops to the point where people won't even care or notice that a shirt is an extra couple bucks.' The extended deadline for Fast Company's Next Big Things in Tech Awards is this Friday, June 27, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
New York Times
44 minutes ago
- New York Times
Inside Newcastle's kit-launch video: First-teamers dancing, a fan flown in from Japan, and Plato philosophy
'Was that any good?' Alexander Isak asks, hoping for an acting appraisal from the director. 'Estuve excelente,' comes a voice. Tino Asprilla is chuckling to himself. The Newcastle United cult hero, famous for his acrobatic celebrations and off-field antics, is sat beside Isak in the downstairs bar of the Tyneside Irish Centre, a pub-turned-social-club directly opposite St James' Park. Advertisement April 30 has delivered the hottest day of the year, yet Asprilla is wearing a thick fur winter coat and is visibly sweating. It is not quite that iconic fur coat he wore in the snow upon his arrival in England in February 1996. The original was auctioned off and, when attempts to contact the current owner proved fruitless, a replica costing thousands was commissioned using multiple photographs. Underneath, only just visible, Asprilla is donning Newcastle's new blue and orange third kit for 2025-26. 'The shirt is nice, but the coat is better,' Asprilla says in broken English, winking. Isak laughs — which comes as a relief to the crew, who were unsure how he would embrace half an hour of amateur dramatics — and chats to Asprilla in Spanish, one of several languages he speaks fluently. Fortunately, a crew member is also well-versed in Spanish. Earlier, Asprilla had nodded along to acting instructions provided in English, but evidently had no comprehension of what was being said. 'They're absolute legends,' the director says as filming finishes. Isak walks around the room and shakes hands with the 100-plus extras, while Asprilla hastily changes into a stylish blue shirt, ready to head straight out and (re)sample the Newcastle nightlife. Chants of 'Tino, Tino' follow Asprilla and he signs a few beer mats (which display the specially made 'Newcastle Originals, Est 1892' logo) as he goes. 'Please, no asking for autographs with the players,' comes the directive. 'We have a limited time with them.' Time may be short, but money, it seems, is little object for Adidas here. The company understandably regards its budget for this two-minute advert for Newcastle's third strip as too commercially sensitive to disclose — even to The Athletic, which has been granted rare behind-the-scenes access to the filming of a Premier League kit-launch video. But alongside Asprilla's airfare from Colombia is Jonas Gutierrez's from Argentina and a fan's from Japan, while the entire Irish Centre has been booked out for an initial three days (with another added later) and completely transformed by the 60-plus crew members with purpose-made decorations. Conservatively, tens of thousands must have been invested for just one of the three annual kit launches. The promotional kitty dwarfs that of Castore, Newcastle's previous kit supplier. A rekindling of the Adidas partnership last year was celebrated by fans as confirmation of the club's 'return' to the elite. Adidas boasts Real Madrid, Manchester United, Liverpool and Bayern Munich among their top-grade stable, yet bespoke adverts such as this, alongside long-sleeved shirts being reintroduced, provide further evidence of Newcastle's increasing commercial pull. Standing on Gallowgate in the baking sun, Irish Centre regulars are unimpressed. 'I'm here every Wednesday for a Guinness or three!' a grey-haired man exclaims to the security guard, having just read the 'CLOSED' signs. 'Howay, I come in here every f***ing day,' says another, ironically wearing a Newcastle United cap. Advertisement Externally, the pub looks no different, the white equipment van permanently parked up notwithstanding. Inside, however, the usual decor — basic and ageing — has been transformed. 'Sam Fender, Live at The Irish Centre — for one night only' posters adorn the walls. The North Shields-born singer is a world-renowned rock star with black-and-white-striped credentials. He played three sold-out St James' gigs last month. A regular wearer of Adidas retro outfits, Fender is part of the company's 'talent' and this fictional gig provides the advert's theme, with players past and present, male and female, in attendance and providing 'Easter eggs' by recreating moments for which they are renowned. On the bar, 'Mackem Tears' cider and 'Newcastle Originals, 1892' beer are 'available' on draught. Above, scarves celebrating March's Carabao Cup final victory — 'We're going to Wember-lee, Tell me ma, me ma' and '2025 League Cup winners: Newcastle, the Geordie Boys' — hang proudly. Throughout the room, blue-and-orange flags, a nod to the kit's colours, and a framed 1997-98 shirt — the one which inspired this latest jersey — are hanging. Behind the makeshift stage, garish golden glittery ribbons droop down. Someone (accurately) comments that 'it's like a scene from Phoenix Nights', a British sitcom set in a working men's club. Unfortunately, Fender's schedule has changed, meaning he cannot make the first two days of filming, so 'Scam Fender', a popular tribute act, is entertaining the crowd between takes. Before the players arrive, the director outlines his vision to the extras, who are not being paid and have had to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to be involved. 'We're going for an intimate Sam Fender gig vibe,' he says. 'Make the footballers feel part of your family.' The 100-strong crowd are dotted around the room, some in their own Newcastle shirts, others wearing the new retro tracksuits (with some asked to change because they are donning clothes from rival brands), and are told to 'act as normal as possible'. They are warned not to 'turn and look' whenever someone famous enters the room, but few can help themselves and first takes are always unusable. Advertisement On the first floor, crew members are watching a live feed and relaying information back downstairs, while an array of drinks and snacks are available to all. The second floor is a maze. One room has been turned into the make-up department, while another contains 'wardrobe' — with Adidas clothing, plus the new kit and tracksuits, hanging up on rails — and three temporary photo booths for promotional shots. At the end of the corridor, there is a 'breakout room' for players. Everyone is drinking water, except Johnny 'Bluehat' Davis, Fender's saxophonist, who is living up to his rockstar image by requesting Guinness. As Sandro Tonali and William Osula sit scrolling their phones, Davis plays 'Tequila' on his saxophone and shouts 'Osula', recreating the chant Newcastle fans sing. Next to them, Bruno Guimaraes is playing pool against Dan Burn. The Brazilian, wearing a bucket hat, flits from decrying that 'this is not my f***ing game' after missing a pot, to 'I'm so good, man' after he flukes one. While Burn is trying to stay focused, Guimaraes attempts to put his rival off, waving his hands over the pockets. Burn bets Guimaraes that there's 'no chance' he can pot a double, but his captain manages it. 'I'm a f***ing machine, man,' he laughs. 'He's jammy,' Burn says, 'he beats me at everything.' But Burn, for once, emerges victorious. 'I'm sad, man,' Guimaraes says, laughing as Davis plays them out of the room to a mocking 'bah, bah, bah' tune. Premier League players usually have a day designated for commercial activities every month. On this Wednesday, six first-team players appear at the Irish Centre. Even Adidas only has limited access to players and must maximise the time. After Isak and Asprilla, Anthony Gordon is the focus. The winger religiously reads psychology books and is handed a copy of Plato's 'The Republic'. Three separate covers have been made — in the colours of the new home, away and third kits — and are trialled during takes. Davis, in a blue-and-orange tracksuit, is playing 'Local Hero', a song associated with Newcastle, while Gordon, his hair slicked back, reads to his left. Advertisement For the clip, Gordon has to chat with the fans. The crew comment that rather than pretending to read the book, Gordon is actually doing so and discussing the intricacies of Plato's arguments regarding justice. Next, Tonali and Guimaraes arrive — and play up to their respective personas, with the former expressionless and the latter geeing up the crowd. The pair are standing at the bar chatting, before Davis stops playing 'The Blaydon Races' and throws a custom-made blue hat five metres to Guimaraes, who must catch it and place it on his head. This is a reference to the 'magic hat' he supposedly wears, according to the chant. After successfully catching the hat, the extras applaud, ruining that particular cut. 'Come on, I'm Nick Pope!' Guimaraes says. 'We did it in one time!' Tonali, deadpan, is asked to rub Guimaraes' head for some takes but not others, while Guimaraes continues to thrive in front of an audience. 'I should be having ice cream,' he says, 'but you've got my magic hat.' The final shot of the day pairs Burn with Osula. Burn is a regular at Fender gigs and is asked to stand among the crowd. The defender taps Osula on the shoulder and recreates his famous dressing-room dance moves, before the forward is asked to replicate it (badly). The two players may have contrasting personalities, but they have natural chemistry and bounce off each other well. 'I don't usually dance,' Burn says to Osula. 'But if you give me five pints, I'll do whatever you want.' Day two sees Gutierrez performing his memorable scarf-waving celebration for Shania Hayles, Beth Lumsden and Jasmine McQuade from the women's team to copy. Beforehand, Gutierrez dons an 'I've never seen a Mackem in Japan' top for a photo with Satoshi. During Newcastle's tour of Japan last year, Satoshi gained fame when he revealed his support originated from Alan Pardew's headbutt of Hull City's David Meyler in 2014. Advertisement 'Let's Get Ready to Rhumble', by Geordie television presenters Ant and Dec, is among the songs to play in the background. A crew member reveals the playlist was sent by the club and claims some feature in the changing room on matchdays. Alongside famous Newcastle-themed tunes, songs that fans have repurposed to be about their favourite players or moments — Abba's 'Gimme, Gimme, Gimme' (Isak), 'Pretty Green Eyes' (Burn) and 'Pump It Up' ('Newcastle's won the cup') — can also be heard. The advert's tagline is 'Once a local, always a hero', which is why Asprilla, Gutierrez and Satoshi have been flown in. To the right of the stage, photos of other 'adopted Geordies' are displayed, including David Ginola, Laurent Robert and Philippe Albert, as well as the late Gary Speed, Pavel Srnicek and Cheick Tiote. Before filming has even wrapped, the temporary decorations are being removed, televisions are being screwed back onto walls and pictures rehung. It is a military operation. The Irish Centre reopens for business the next day and, aside from another closure for Fender's cameo, the locals can resume their usual drinking habits. Four days of filming, dozens of retakes, hours of footage and tens of thousands spent — and all for a two-minute advert. Newcastle may not yet be Madrid or Bayern, but this underlines how seriously Adidas is already taking this relationship. (Top photos: Newcastle)
