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Forbes
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Idol Psychology
How does one conquer inner demons? Not the TikTok scrolling kind. I'm talking real, animated demons. The kind taking over Netflix and Spotify. KPop Demon Hunters is annihilating records while inspiring us to ponder surprisingly philosophical questions. The movie is newly crowned Netflix's most-streamed original movie of all time and recently surpassed 100 million views. And it's not just a movie. The main song Golden has topped the Billboard 100 and together the songs of fictional bands HUNTR/X and Saja Boys have beat a billion streams across Spotify and YouTube. Spoilers ahead! Perhaps it's not surprising that the movie went viral. The songs are fire. The characters and story? Fantastic. It's hilarious. Gorgeous. Unexpected. The choreography is borderline inhuman. The boy band? Definitely not human. Yet oddly satisfying. And can we talk about the tiger and hat wearing magpie? The tiger and magpie are inspired by Korean folklore. Learn more from kenji_kun on TikTok: ... More ©2025 Netflix The secret sauce that makes this movie stick, in my opinion, is that the audiovisual pizzaz is matched by the film's philosophical undertones. It echoes themes of conquering doubt, accepting self, and of course saving the world. Does any of it make the leap to real life? Heroes in movies inspire us by standing up for what they believe is right, even against huge crowds and majority opinion. Many researchers say that moral engagement, which is an activation of one's values to a degree that it drives behavior, can be the influencing factor in whether or not someone takes the terrifying step of standing up against a crowd. I wondered, is it possible to make oneself braver? Turns out, the answer is yes. Enter the numerous research findings of how Value Affirmations improve people's lives. From helping students score higher on tests to helping overweight women lose weight to reducing stress, a wide range of peer reviewed publications have found that reflecting on core personal values can strengthen an individual. How then does one embrace their inner Rumi with a little mental tai chi? Take a few minutes to write or record a voice memo about whatever comes to mind. Be kind to yourself. Reflect on who you are and what matters to you, and why. It appears that the mere act of contemplating itself makes a mind stronger. And helps the mind grow philosophically over time. Science backs this up. Affirmation of personal values literally alters one's neuroendocrine system. One study found a significant reduction in the stress hormone cortisol when participants did value affirmations before a stressful task. Self affirmation 'counteracts ego depletion' and some have referred to affirmation as a form of 'self-defense' against adversity. Turns out that fictional heroes aren't too different from us. Rumi's musical lyrics beautifully parallel her personal journey of self acceptance. The songs were written and lead vocals performed by EJAE, who has been called the Benny Blanco of KPop. She may be a master of her own mind. No one can doubt that she is a master of voice. If you want to be humbled, try to sing along to Golden. We can only hope that the song receives award nominations so that we'll get to see it performed live. EJAE's soaring voice as Rumi singing is so phenomenal that the character losing it is core to the conflict in the movie. And of course it comes with a dash of philosophy: Rumi loses her voice as she tries to hide herself. When they aren't selling out stadiums, Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use their secret ... More identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet – at first glance, an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise. But the biggest battle is the one within. ©2025 Netflix ©2025 Netflix Toward the end of the movie, when Rumi returns to her group bearing demon patterns and posture, she is perceived as having collaborated with 'them.' I get demonizing the demons. I mean, eating souls does not land one on the nice list. But as she begins to question what is 'known' about demons, Rumi is shunned… but later her bravery and boldness activates a response in the stadium that is replicated in social science. Albeit, not as stylishly. You've probably heard of the infamous 1960's shock experiment by Milgram whereby participants were told by authority figures to administer (what they didn't know were fake) electric shocks to others. Many continued to shock other study participants (who only pretended to be shocked) even after they screamed and it seemed that they had passed out from pain. It's been referenced in every 'I did it because they told me to' situation and cited nearly 10,000 times. But it's not just authority that shapes behavior. Witnessing resistance also changes us. A 2025 study showed a 30 % jump in willingness to confront bias after witnessing an act of courage from someone else. A highly cited social simulation found that if 10% of a population are 'zealots' (i.e., agents that promotes their own ideas without allowing their mind to be changed), the consensus of the crowd can be flipped. Another study of online groups found a higher threshold, though still perhaps lower than expected. When 25% of people go against consensus, they can flip majority opinion. It's like the classic dude dancing on a hill. One bold leader making a clear, concise, continuous point. Dude got the hill to dance. Leaders do the same, just on a bigger scale. They become the gravitational pull that forms a group. So why has the world fallen for KPop Demon Hunters? Because beyond the beautiful animation and herculean heroines lies a mirror. Not just who we are, but who we could be if we faced our inner demons. May "your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more," as John Quincy ... More Adams said. ©2025 Netflix Finally, since we're all about conquering demons, I would be remiss to end this post without a little pop poetry. I'll leave you with these lyrically luminous lines to live by from HUNTR/X:
Calgary Herald
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Paul Simon in Vancouver: Concert to highlight new album Seven Psalms plus timeless classics
Article content Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Article content Paul Simon opened his 2018 Homeward Bound: The Farewell Tour on May 16, 2018 at Rogers Arena. Article content Choosing the more intimate confines of the historic theatre was a deliberate choice for an artist who normally plays large arenas. After all, this is the star who, on the Simon & Garfunkel reunion tour in 1983, broke the existing attendance record for B.C. Place with 45,000 fans in the venue. Article content Article content His website notes under the announcement for the A Quiet Celebration tour that 'Simon, who has been dealing with severe hearing loss, has chosen intimate venues with optimal acoustics for this tour.' Simon had planned to retire from music altogether after his 2018 goodbye shows, but then returned to recording and touring with the release of the Grammy-nominated 2023 album, Seven Pslams. Article content When the 83-year-old finally strums off into the sunset, it will mark the end of a career that first saw him enter the Billboard 100 charts in 1961 when the single Motorcycle by Tico and the Triumphs hit number 99. Article content Article content Article content Beginning with the duo Simon & Garfunkel, the platinum-selling albums just kept coming. After a widely reported acrimonious break up, Simon's solo career took off with his 1972 self-titled Paul Simon. Since then, he has consistently created iconic albums, from Still Crazy After All These Years to Graceland and Stranger to Stranger. He is a rare double-inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with 16 Grammy Awards to his credit. Article content That legacy is one that the artist is constantly reassessing, as he told Vancouver Sun writer Neil McCormick in a September 2018 interview that ran with the headline 'But is it really over?' Even on the eve of his farewell, Simon was excited about his latest recording, In the Blue Light.
The Age
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
It's hardly breaking news, people: Sex sells and Sabrina's a savvy vendor
In case you've been living under a rock while the world quite literally blows up around us, for reasons unbeknownst we are still talking about Sabrina Carpenter, the 'woman who ruled most of 2025'. If you need me to fill in the gaps, she's that pint-sized ex-Disney princess producing earworms and pornographically suggestive album covers where she's crouching on all fours in front of a man who's grabbing her hair (and please give me the number of whoever designed the cave you're living in). In fact, there was so much hoo-ha around the aforementioned album cover, she's released an alternative one 'approved by God': a classy black-and-white Marilyn Monroe-esque pose of Carpenter holding a man's arm. It's a tale as old as time (or at least the internet): a pop starlet comes crashing into our collective consciousness, producing catchy but non-memorable songs and we scratch our heads, trying to work out what her secret sauce is. We did it to Miley Cyrus (I endured her tongue-twerking 2014 Bangerz tour as a support worker accompanying a fan), Tay Tay and Rihanna. Carpenter is the latest incarnation, and it's no mystery what part of her strategic brand is selling (her first Man's Best Friend album cover might give you a clue). Yet, we discuss ... Some argue the cover, and by extension, Carpenter's brand identity, is 'secretly satirical'. Others have suggested her secret sauce is 'comedy'. Loading Her recently released single Manchild is hanging on the pointy end of the Billboard 100 charts (No. 2 at the time of writing) and, sure, it's catchy. Some lyrics are funny ('Why so sexy if so dumb? And how survive the Earth so long?') But let's not kid ourselves or ignore the Daisy Dukes (very short cut-off jeans) in the Manchild video: sex is still the main brand pillar, and it's getting old. I just learnt that Carpenter is a Disney graduate, which makes sense; I should have picked it. This is a classic brand evolution playbook: somewhere in Hollywood there's a seedy PR dude ripe for a #metoo exposé after years of ushering Disney princesses out of the castle and into the red-light district. Love her or hate her, right-wing commentator Candace Owens nailed it when she said of that album cover: 'If she had wanted to be controversial, she'd have kept her clothes on, gotten married and had some kids on the cover of her album, like she just had a nice family shot.'
Sydney Morning Herald
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
It's hardly breaking news, people: Sex sells and Sabrina's a savvy vendor
In case you've been living under a rock while the world quite literally blows up around us, for reasons unbeknownst we are still talking about Sabrina Carpenter, the 'woman who ruled most of 2025'. If you need me to fill in the gaps, she's that pint-sized ex-Disney princess producing earworms and pornographically suggestive album covers where she's crouching on all fours in front of a man who's grabbing her hair (and please give me the number of whoever designed the cave you're living in). In fact, there was so much hoo-ha around the aforementioned album cover, she's released an alternative one 'approved by God': a classy black-and-white Marilyn Monroe-esque pose of Carpenter holding a man's arm. It's a tale as old as time (or at least the internet): a pop starlet comes crashing into our collective consciousness, producing catchy but non-memorable songs and we scratch our heads, trying to work out what her secret sauce is. We did it to Miley Cyrus (I endured her tongue-twerking 2014 Bangerz tour as a support worker accompanying a fan), Tay Tay and Rihanna. Carpenter is the latest incarnation, and it's no mystery what part of her strategic brand is selling (her first Man's Best Friend album cover might give you a clue). Yet, we discuss ... Some argue the cover, and by extension, Carpenter's brand identity, is 'secretly satirical'. Others have suggested her secret sauce is 'comedy'. Loading Her recently released single Manchild is hanging on the pointy end of the Billboard 100 charts (No. 2 at the time of writing) and, sure, it's catchy. Some lyrics are funny ('Why so sexy if so dumb? And how survive the Earth so long?') But let's not kid ourselves or ignore the Daisy Dukes (very short cut-off jeans) in the Manchild video: sex is still the main brand pillar, and it's getting old. I just learnt that Carpenter is a Disney graduate, which makes sense; I should have picked it. This is a classic brand evolution playbook: somewhere in Hollywood there's a seedy PR dude ripe for a #metoo exposé after years of ushering Disney princesses out of the castle and into the red-light district. Love her or hate her, right-wing commentator Candace Owens nailed it when she said of that album cover: 'If she had wanted to be controversial, she'd have kept her clothes on, gotten married and had some kids on the cover of her album, like she just had a nice family shot.'
Hype Malaysia
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hype Malaysia
ATEEZ Makes Debut On The Billboard Hot 100 With Title Track 'Lemon Drop'
The Billboard 100 charts, also known simply as the Hot 100, are the standard music industry record charts of popular streamed tracks around the world. Predominantly championed by songs from the US, recent years show the emergence of K-pop groups on the charts, such as the likes of BTS (방탄소년단) and Stray Kids (스트레이 키즈). In a winning feat, ATEEZ (에이티즈) have made their appearance on the Billboard 100 charts with their title track 'Lemon Drop' on 24th June 2025. Debuting at No.69 on the Hot 100, the win for ATEEZ marks them as the third K-pop boy group to appear on the charts, alongside BTS and Stray Kids. Notably, 'Lemon Drop', the title track to their 12th mini album 'Golden Hour: Part 3', also appears on other Billboard tallies. They debuted at No.1 on Billboard's 'World Digital Song Sales' chart, while the album stole another No.1 spot on the 'Top Album Sales' chart and 'World Albums' chart. 'Lemon Drop' also made headlines with their feat at No. 9 on Billboard's 'Digital Song Sales' chart. Netizens flood the comments with congratulations and love for the group. Twitter user @/WiseTroof commented, 'From the underground to the Hot 100, ATEEZ did not just join the list, they earned their place in gold. The climb is real, and so is the impact'. Despite their groundbreaking achievement, netizens have also come out to speculate the standings of the Billboard 100 with Twitter user @/DelindaMangwa commenting, 'No radio, no US chart entry, no Spotify entry. How did ATEEZ debut at 69? I'm really curious!'. Despite speculations and controversies, we wish ATEEZ a big congratulations on being the 3rd K-pop boy group to appear on the charts! Sources: Soompi, Forbes, Twitter Alyssa Gabrielle contributed to this article What's your Reaction? +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0
