Latest news with #JessieMurph
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Jessie Murph is posting through the outrage
For about two months when she was a kid, Jessie Murph wanted to go to Harvard. 'I watched 'Legally Blonde,' and I was like, 'This is lit,'' the 20-year-old singer and songwriter says of the Reese Witherspoon law-school comedy that came out three years before she was born. But wait: Growing up in small-town Alabama, Murph was a talented and dedicated cheerleader. Does Harvard even have cheerleaders? 'They probably do,' she says, tilting her head as she considers the question. 'I don't know if it's like the main thing, though. It's true you don't really hear about it. They have all the expensive sports: lacrosse, polo, horse riding.' She laughs. 'Horse riding would be lit too.' Whatever the case, Murph soon cast aside her Ivy League aspirations — not to mention her devotion to cheer, though that's come back more recently — and refocused on her first love of music. Now, instead of preparing for sophomore year, she's just released her second major-label album, 'Sex Hysteria,' which includes the top 20 pop hit 'Blue Strips' and which — true to the LP's title — has set off a minor internet controversy with the racy music video for her song '1965.' An Amy Winehouse-ish retro-soul number with a ringing malt-shop piano lick, '1965' is about longing for romance the way they did it in the old days: 'We'd go to diners and movies and such,' Murph sings in her scratchy Southern drawl, 'We'd just hold hands and I'd love every touch.' Elsewhere in the song, the nostalgia darkens as Murph acknowledges that 'I might get a little slap-slap' from her man and that 'I would be 20, and it'd be acceptable for you to be 40.' ('That is f— up, I know,' she adds of the age gap.) The song's NSFW video goes even further, with traces of pornography and suggestions of domestic violence that have invited criticism that Murph is advocating (or at least aestheticizing) a kind of tradwife oppression at a precarious moment for women's rights. Murph addressed the blowback in a video on TikTok, where she has 11 million followers, writing, 'This entire song is satire r yall stupid' — proof, perhaps, that her point didn't quite land as she'd hoped. Yet this week, 'Sex Hysteria' debuted on Billboard's album chart at No. 8, not long after Lana Del Rey — a key influence on Murph with a long history of online outrage — posted a video of herself pole dancing to 'Blue Strips,' whose title refers to the security marking on a $100 bill that might be tossed at an exotic dancer. All the attention has combined to put Murph in the conversation for a best new artist nod at February's Grammy Awards. 'Writing this album, I was in the studio every day for like six months straight,' she says on a recent afternoon near Venice Beach. 'Didn't go out, didn't do anything — was just grinding.' We're talking at the end of a long day of promo for 'Sex Hysteria'; she's wearing jeans and a Hysteric Glamour T-shirt, her inky-black hair hanging loose around her face. 'But it's so cool because you go in there with nothing and you make something out of thin air,' she says. 'Then you get to listen to it, and it's therapeutic for what you're feeling.' Though it opens with a track in which she attributes her becoming a songwriter to 'my father and the f— up s— he did,' 'Sex Hysteria' is a more playful record than last year's 'That Ain't No Man That's the Devil,' which Murph says exorcised 'a lot of anger and hurt that I needed to get out, even just for myself, before I could move on to the next phase.' (A representative lyric from 'Dirty': 'I woke up this morning kind of mad / Flipped the switch, I had the urge to beat your ass.') Here, in contrast, she's singing about her interest in 'whips and chains' in the sock-hoppy 'Touch Me Like a Gangster' and bragging about the Malibu mansion she just bought in 'Blue Strips' — a mansion, she clarifies, she does not actually own. 'Not yet,' she adds. 'That line was just the first thing that came out of my mouth when I was writing the song. It feels so glittery, the thought of living in Malibu. It's always been something I've wanted to do.' What shaped her ideas about the storied coastal enclave as a child in the Deep South? 'I'm a really big fan of 'Property Brothers' — I'm sure I saw it on there.' Murph moved to L.A. about a year and a half ago from Nashville, where she established a foothold in the music industry with collaborations like 'Wild Ones,' a duet with Jelly Roll that has more than 300 million streams on Spotify, and 'High Road,' a No. 1 country-radio hit by her and Koe Wetzel that led to a nomination for new female artist of the year at May's ACM Awards. 'Sex Hysteria' dials down the explicit country trappings in favor of thumping bass lines and woozy trap beats; her guests on the album are Gucci Mane and Lil Baby. Yet the album demonstrates a certain stylistic blurriness that's comes to define country music no less than any other genre in the streaming era. 'Whether it's country or pop or whatever, I think Jessie Murph is just Jessie Murph,' says Bailey Zimmerman, the Nashville up-and-comer who teamed with Murph last year for the rootsy 'Someone in This Room' and whose own music shares a casually hybridized quality with Murph's. 'It may not sound country, but what she's talking about usually is.' Like many in her generation, Murph found her voice posting covers of popular songs online. The oldest video on her YouTube is titled '11 year old sings titanium' and, sure enough, shows a young Murph squinting into the camera as she performs Sia and David Guetta's 2011 stadium-rave jam. At 16, having built a following on Instagram and TikTok while in high school in Athens, Ala., she signed to Columbia Records and started releasing singles; by 2023 she'd dropped a mixtape called 'Drowning' and recorded songs with Diplo and Maren Morris. For 'Sex Hysteria,' she drew inspiration from Patsy Cline, Wanda Jackson and both Presleys — Elvis and Priscilla. Murph says her mother told her that when Jessie was 3, she came into the kitchen and announced that she'd been Elvis in a past life. Has Jessie been to Graceland? 'No, but my mom went there when she was pregnant with me,' she says, widening her kohl-rimmed eyes. She titled the album in reference to the dismissive way women were described as 'hysterical' in the 1950s and '60s — 'women who were depressed or anxious or just feeling normal emotions,' she says. Does she think women are more free to express themselves half a century later? 'I definitely feel free if I'm feeling some type of way — obviously I'm saying it in songs and not holding anything back. But I think everyone's experience is very different. I'm sitting in a different spot than somebody three doors down is, you know? And different countries and different political settings — I'm sure it's something that's a problem in places.' To a degree, the backlash to Murph's '1965' has overlapped with the criticism Sabrina Carpenter drew when she revealed the cover of her upcoming 'Man's Best Friend' album, which depicts Carpenter kneeling before a man who's pulling her hair. 'The weirdest part about it is that it's a lot of women who are hating,' Murph says. 'But I think some people are weirded out by my age. A lot of people met me when I was 16 or 17 and a much different person — which, thank God I'm a different person.' She sighs. 'I don't know. When people find you at a certain age, it's like you need to be frozen in time. Let me live.' This week, Murph launched a world tour behind 'Sex Hysteria' that she previewed with a buzzy performance at April's Coachella festival in which she brought some of her old cheerleading moves into the choreography she's emphasizing for the first time. (She'll circle back to Southern California for a Sept. 27 stop at the Shrine Expo Hall.) 'Certain things come naturally to me and certain things don't,' she says. 'The dance stuff is one of the things I'm grilling myself on.' Another of her goals this year: spending less time on social media. 'That s— is terrible for your mental health,' she says even as she admits that YouTube and TikTok have been crucial to her ascent. 'I'm on World War III TikTok right now, where they're talking about World War III. And I just keep scrolling, because now I'm nervous about World War III. 'I think it's scary how young kids are getting phones,' she adds. 'That YouTube video you brought up — I could have posted something crazy at that age, right? Even being 16 and having TikTok — I look back at some of the things I posted, and I'm like, Why would you post that, bro?'
Metro
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Country star sparks outrage after singing for women to 'take a slap'
Rising country singer Jessie Murph has been heavily criticised after debuting her nostalgic ballad about 'loving like it's 1965'. The 20-year-old singer's yearning for a bygone era included 'handwriting letters' and 'showing up at the door with flowers', while also 'giving up rights'. In another shocking lyric, she sings: 'I might get a little slap-slap, but you wouldn't hit me on Snapchat.' The song, titled 1965, also romanticises her partner potentially being 40 years old while she is still 20 and that she would have 'nine daughters'. Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jessie danced around dressed in a short silk and lace pink dress, with her hair mimicking the iconic beehive look of the era. Her performance on the late-night talk show sparked backlash over Jessie's 'glamorising of misogyny and abuse'. On X, australbird said: 'Jessie Murph is 100 percent a right wing propaganda plant lmao I know that sounds crazy but this girl no one has ever heard of shows up and starts talking about how she'd give up her rights and BE OKAY with being abused and cheated on by a man with a 20 year age gap? C'mon.' Libraavenuus posted: 'Jessie Murph new song '1965' has a lyric that says 'I might get a little slap slap but you wouldn't hit me on snapchat' referring to how she would rather be subject to domestic violence in 1965 than modern day dating and I cannot stop thinking about it. That's so insane.' 'I thought this was an SNL [Saturday Night Live] skit, what…' added Ioudeluxe as MeghanMcCarthy_ shared: 'What is this sad attempt at Amy Winehouse garbage.' Many said Jessie was leaning into the 'tradwife' aesthetic, a movement in which some women are choosing to remain at home and adhere to traditional gender values. im convinced jessie murph is a social experiment like there's just no way — mara (@idleavealone) July 20, 2025 Tradwives stay at home and raise the children (as well as being influencers for this niche) while their husbands go out to work, with many also promoting conservative and right-wing views. 'Alright so she's always rubbed me the wrong way bc I feel like she's a far right industry plant,' added bittergoodbye. 'People saw the success of Sabrina Carpenter and said 'what if she was conservative?' and that's Jessie Murph. She's pushing the tradwife agenda while also trying to get mainstream-' The comparisons to the Espresso hitmaker were flying after the recent backlash she faced over her album cover for Man's Best Friend. Sabrina, 25, controversially posed kneeling on the floor in a short black dress and heels while a man roughly gripped a fistful of her iconic blonde hair. Sharpestpoet wrote: 'I think it's funny that people tried to cancel Sabrina Carpenter for her album cover 'setting back feminism' but Jessie Murph (the same artist people say they're raising their kids on instead of Taylor Swift) can glamorise the misogyny and abuse of 1965?? right…' At the time, Sabrina took matters into her own hands and hit back at the criticism on social media, after an X user questioned whether she has 'a personality outside of sex'. Without skipping a beat, she quoted the post to add: 'Girl yes and it is goooooood.' Knowing Sabrina's innuendo-filled humour and intentional aesthetic, many claimed the whole thing was satire — something that Jessie's fans are also stating. In response to a fan on TikTok asking if she was 'joking', Jessie shot back: 'That is quite literally the point.' However, satire only works if it's understood as such. As ship_psychosis wrote: 'After listening to that Jessie Murph song and watching the video, I do think it's satire but I don't know if it's satire done well.' One accusation hurled at Jessie is that she is an 'industry plant', who has come out of nowhere with her controversial song. While she hasn't hit the dizzying heights of a number one track, she has other popular songs climbing the charts. She was discovered in 2021, releasing debut single Upgrade before Pray, which was her first breakthrough into UK charts and peaked at number 66. Jessie has since released two albums, That Ain't No Man That's the Devil and Sex Hysteria, with the latter coming out earlier this month and landing her first top 10 album in the US. More Trending On Spotify, she has just under 18,000,000 monthly listeners with her biggest hit, Blue Strips, at over 100million streams. Lana Del Rey shared the track on her Instagram story, to which Jessie said: 'She's my icon. I love her so much.' Jessie has also collaborated with artists like Diplo, Gucci Mane, Jelly Roll,Sexxy Red, and Teddy Swims. Metro has reached out to Jessie's reps for comment. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: American musician and satirist Tom Lehrer dies aged 97 MORE: Dame Cleo Laine, first lady of British jazz, dies aged 97 MORE: Last surviving main Hogan's Heroes cast member Kenneth Washington dies aged 89
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Country star causes outrage after singing for women to 'give up rights' and 'tale a slap' in controversial talk show appearance
An American musician sparked outrage after singing she would 'give up a few rights' and 'take a slap' if it meant she'd be treated more respectfully by men - in some divisive lyrics. Country star Jessie Murph, 20, performed the controversial tune on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, with the lines yearning for her beau to 'love her like it's 1965'. Her ballad was also nostalgic for a time period where courting gentlemen were 'handwriting letters' and 'showing up at the door with flowers' instead of 'hit[ting] [women] up on Snapchat ' at 2am. The star donned a Priscilla Presley beehive and a baby pink mini dress with patterned tights as she danced on a stage with a retro sofa in what appears to be a recreation of the 'tradwife' lifestyle, charming husband on hand. The term refers to women who perform 'traditional' gendered roles, often likened to the archetypal 1950s 'housewife'. Recent interest in the aesthetic has seen millions on social media calling for girls to ditch corporate life and instead, dedicate their days to cooking, cleaning, wearing modest and feminine dress, and practicing traditional etiquette - as well as being submissive to their husbands. Jessie's tune attracted fury online, with many branding the remark 'tasteless' for making light of a time in which women endured horrific misogyny. In both England and the US, marital rape was still legal during the era, and women could not open their own bank account, among other restrictions. 'In 1965, it was legal for men to rape their wives. I don't care if this is meant to be ironic or satirical or whatever, I absolutely hate it,' one commenter on social media penned. Another added: 'Like what does loving like it's 1965 even mean? Getting your a** beat? having no rights is romantic? I hate the white woman 50s-60s "aesthetic".' A third simply exclaimed: '"I think id give up a few rights if you would just love me like it's 1965" SORRY?????' 'Call me too woke but "I would give up rights if you love me like it's 1965" at a time where women are actually losing rights is so insane???' another offered. Others similarly agreed, writing: 'Has anyone else heard the song 1965 by Jessie Murph? 'Read the lyrics, it's literally far right propaganda that is encouraging women to give up their rights. People are saying it's satire but given everything going on, why say this while we are literally at risk of losing our rights ??'. She's not the only performer to have attracted backlash for similar aesthetics in recent months. In June, Sabrina Carpenter announced her new album Man's Best Friend - but the cover art for the upcoming release sparked fierce criticism from fans. During an Instagram Live, the 26-year-old pop singer shared a video of herself flipping through a stack of records by Donna Summer, ABBA, and Dolly Parton, before stopping on her own, revealing Man's Best Friend. Jessie's lyrics attracted fury online, with many believing the remark was tasteless and made light of a period of horrific misogyny for women Earlier this year, Jessie turned up at the ACM Awards 2025 in Texas with a baby piglet in her arms The teaser gave a peek at the album cover, showing Carpenter on all fours while a person dressed in black slacks — whose face is not visible — pulls her blonde hair. She also posted a close-up image of a heart-shaped dog collar engraved with Man's Best Friend. The highly sexualized and provocative album art quickly drew backlash, and she later released a more conservative alternative. After her performance, Jessie thanked the Tonight show for a 'dazzling' and 'grand time'. The Alabama-born singer first rose to fame from uploading vlogs and song covers to TikTok and YouTube - which led her on to releasing her two albums: That Ain't No Man That's the Devil in 2024 and Sex Hysteria in 2025. She also received backlash when the music video for her song, 1965, was released - with some accusing the footage of being pornography, Taste of Country reported. In the retro-inspired clips that shows a family around a table - and Jessie forlornly singing to a child - as there is also a brief shot of a couple having sex. The clip - which has to have age verification to be watched - drew comments like 'the fact that YouTube removes videos for way less and this is still up is insane' and having a child in this video, especially just before a sexual scene, is wild'. The track also includes risque lines like 'I might get a little slap-slap, but you wouldn't hit me on Snapchat' and 'I would be twenty, and it'd be acceptable for you to be forty'. Jessie resorted to taking to TikTok to insist that 'the entire song is satire', quipping: 'Are y'all stupid?'. It's not the first time Jessie sparked attention in the media. In May, the singer turned heads at the ACM awards 2025 after she bizarrely rocked up on the red carpet with a baby pig. Talking to Entertainment Tonight before the show, she introduced the 'little guy' as Wilbur. 'I just decided that I wanted a pig, and I've always wanted one my whole life,' she explained. 'I've always wanted a mini pig, and then I find out that miniature pigs don't exist.'
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Jessie Murph sparks outrage over controversial music video depicting domestic violence, pornography
Jessie Murph has fans in an uproar. The 20-year-old singer, who has been compared to Amy Winehouse, sparked a social media firestorm over the music video to her risqué new song 1965. The video, which came out July 18, has been accused of glorifying pornography and domestic violence due to its graphic nature. Fans are particularly upset over a shocking sex scene that takes place in the middle of the video. In addition, a woman who appears to be Murph is depicted tied up while face down on a couch in the video. Fans flooded the comments section of the song's YouTube upload — which has over 7 million views — to express their displeasure. 'The way my jaw dropped the floor, there's still time to unrelease this,' one fan wrote. 'The fact it's been 5 days or whatever since the video had been uploaded and YouTube still hasn't blurred that out is crazy work,' a different comment read. A third person said, 'I didn't think it would be this bad. I am forever traumatised this is diabolical.' 'Since when is pornography allowed on YouTube?' someone else asked. More fans slammed Murph for including a child in the video right before the sex scene. 'So so messed up,' a fan said. 'Not only is this song ahh, putting a child before such an explicit scene is crazy,' a different fan noted. 1965, which is from Murph's newly released second studio album Sex Hysteria, is filled with raunchy lyrics. 'We'd go to church on a Sunday, wake up on Monday/You'd go to work and I'd stay home and sing and do fun things/I might get a little slap-slap, but you wouldn't hit me on Snapchat,' Murph sings. 'I think I'd give up a few rights/If you would just love me like it's 1965,' she also sings. The Post has reached out to Murph's reps for comment. In a recent interview with Teen Vogue, Murph spoke about the intense reactions her music evokes from fans. 'I'm glad that I make people have some sort of reaction. I'd rather them be like, 'I hate you,' or 'I love you,' rather than, 'I feel indifferently,' I guess,' the Alabama native stated. 'But still, I just find it f***ing weird … I don't have any hate in my heart … That's been something that I've been trying to figure out how to navigate and not react and get mad because it totally makes me be like, 'F**k you, b*tch,'' she added. Days after releasing her new album, Murph's performance to 1965 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon was similarly bashed by fans online. 'how dare anybody be comparing this to Amy … you should all be ashamed smh,' one fan wrote. 'everything about this feels like an SNL skit. how is this real,' another fan said. Murph was discovered by uploading vlogs and covers on TikTok and YouTube. She had her breakthrough with her 2021 single Always Been You, three years before releasing her debut studio album, That Ain't No Man That's the Devil. She's collaborated with Diplo, Maren Morris, Teddy Swims and more.
New York Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Jessie Murph sparks outrage over controversial music video depicting domestic violence, pornography
Jessie Murph has fans in an uproar. The 20-year-old singer, who has been compared to Amy Winehouse, sparked a social media firestorm over the music video to her risqué new song '1965.' The video, which came out July 18, has been accused of glorifying pornography and domestic violence due to its graphic nature. 11 Jessie Murph in her '1965' music video. Jessie Murph/YouTube 11 Jessie Murph puts a gun in a man's mouth in the '1965' music video. Jessie Murph/YouTube 11 Jessie Murph lounging on a bed in her '1965' music video. Jessie Murph/YouTube Fans are particularly upset over a shocking sex scene that takes place in the middle of the video. In addition, a woman who appears to be Murph is depicted tied up while face down on a couch in the video. 11 Jessie Murph's '1965' music video has sparked intense backlash with fans. Jessie Murph/YouTube 11 Jessie Murph has been accused of glorifying violence and porn. Jessie Murph/YouTube Fans flooded the comments section of the song's YouTube upload — which has over 7 million views — to express their displeasure. 'The way my jaw dropped the floor, there's still time to unrelease this,' one fan wrote. 'The fact it's been 5days or whatever since the video had been uploaded and youtube still hasn't blurred that out is crazy work,' a different comment read. 11 Jessie Murph released '1965' on July 18. Jessie Murph/YouTube A third person said, 'I didnt think it would be this bad. I am forever traumatized this is diabolical.' 'Since when is pornography allowed on youtube?' someone else asked. More fans slammed Murph for including a child in the video right before the sex scene. 'So so messed up,' a fan said. 11 Jessie Murph with a young child in her '1965' music video. Jessie Murph/YouTube 'Not only is this song ahh, putting a child before such a explicit scene is crazy,' a different fan noted. '1965,' which is from Murph's newly released second studio album 'Sex Hysteria,' is filled with raunchy lyrics. 'We'd go to church on a Sunday, wake up on Monday/You'd go to work and I'd stay home and sing and do fun things/I might get a little slap-slap, but you wouldn't hit me on Snapchat,' Murph sings. 11 Jessie Murph attends Spotify's 2025 Songs of Summer Celebration in Los Angeles on July 23. Getty Images for Spotify 'I think I'd give up a few rights/If you would just love me like it's 1965,' she also sings. An insider told the Daily Mail that Murph's song and music video sparked outrage in the country music scene, with some comparing her to Kanye West. 'If she continues this and goes completely off the rails like Kanye, then people should have more conversations about the person she is rather than the artist she is,' the insider told the outlet. 11 Jessie Murph performing during The ACM Country Kickoff at Tostitos Championship Plaza in Frisco, Texas. Getty Images The Post has reached out to Murph's reps for comment. In a recent interview with Teen Vogue, Murph spoke about the intense reactions her music evokes from fans. 'I'm glad that I make people have some sort of reaction. I'd rather them be like, 'I hate you,' or 'I love you,' rather than, 'I feel indifferently,' I guess,' the Alabama native stated. 11 Jessie Murph seen in New York City on July 21. GC Images 'But still, I just find it f—ing weird… I don't have any hate in my heart… That's been something that I've been trying to figure out how to navigate and not react and get mad because it totally makes me be like, 'F–k you, b-tch,'' she added. Days after releasing her new album, Murph's performance to '1965' on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' was similarly bashed by fans online. 'how dare anybody be comparing this to Amy… you should all be ashamed smh,' one fan wrote. 11 Jessie Murph performs during Spotify's 2025 Songs of Summer Celebration. Getty Images for Spotify 'everything about this feels like an SNL skit. how is this real,' another fan said. Murph was discovered by uploading vlogs and covers on TikTok and YouTube. She had her breakthrough with her 2021 single 'Always Been You,' three years before releasing her debut studio album, 'That Ain't No Man That's the Devil.'
