Publishing date: Apr, 15, 2022
If you’re anything like us, we see an interesting headline during our daily scroll—pause to read it—but then keep scrolling without reading the actual story. So at the end of each week, we’re rounding up all the buzziest, news-worthy headlines you might have missed. Think of it like the “saved” feature on Instagram but for news instead of aesthetically pleasing photos. Rihanna shared an update on new music, Questlove’s award-winning documentary brought good news to Harlem, and Kevin Parker joined the Wiggles onstage—this is what you missed this week.
#1
Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker Performs With the Wiggles
Kevin Parker took a break from Tame Impala’s Slow Rush tour to hang out with the Wiggles. Yes, you read that right as in the Australian children’s music group popular amongst those under the age of 10. The Wiggles made the first move in this unlikely collaboration last year by covering Tame Impala’s song “Elephant” for Triple J’s Like a Version cover series in Australia. They also included the cover on their ReWiggled album and the ball was left in Tame Impala’s court. This week, Kevin Parker returned the favor by performing “Elephant” and Yummy Yummy’s “Hot Potato” on stage with the Wiggles at their concert in Perth. Speaking about the collaboration, Parker said, “When the opportunity presented itself to perform live with the Wiggles—how could I resist? That was one of the most enjoyable things I’ve done!”
#2
Billie Eilish Collaborates With Nike on Air Force 1 Sneaker & Apparel
While I may not line up to buy one of Billie Eilish’s red carpet outfits (cc 2022 Oscars and Grammy awards), I’ve always related to her casual and oversized off-duty style. Taking to Instagram this week, Eilish announced her latest collaboration with Nike which includes her own version of the popular AF1 silhouette and three pieces of loungewear. Yes it’s casual, yes it’s oversized, and yes it’s in neutral tones—a ”mushroom” beige to be specific. Inspired by her personal style, the apparel will include a hoodie, sweatpants, and a T-shirt. Her AF1 shoe reimagines the classic hi-top sneaker with velcro straps and environmentally conscious materials. The entire shoe is made of 18% post-consumer recycled content, including a synthetic nubuck upper that uses 80% recycled materials and 100% recycled polyester details. Prices haven’t been announced yet but the collection is available to shop starting Monday, April 25th, on store.billieeilish.com and the Nike SNKRS app.
#3
Rihanna Is Looking At Her Next Album ‘Completely Differently’ After Pregnancy
I almost feel like Rihanna’s many public appearances and highly-documented maternity style is a way to distract us from the fact that she hasn’t released music since 2016. In a cover story with Vogue, she provided yet another ambiguous update on her forthcoming album R9. She credits her pregnancy as a fun challenge, adapting her style to accommodate her new plus one, and says it’s changed her perspective on music too. R9 won’t be the same album it was pre-pregnancy, “I’m looking at my next project completely differently from the way I had wanted to put it out before. I think this way suits me better, a lot better,” she said. On the topic of her last album, Anti, she shared that it’s her creative benchmark and best album to date—no debate there. This means all of the rumored features on R9 could be scrapped in lieu of new material but knowing Rihanna it’ll still be well worth the wait.
#4
Questlove’s ‘Summer of Soul’ Sparks Revival of Harlem Cultural Fest
After winning an Oscar for best documentary feature and a Grammy for best music film, Questlove’s Summer of Soul documentary continues to bring good news. For those who don’t know, the documentary unearthed never-before-seen footage from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival giving the cultural music moment the spotlight it deserves (our interview with Questlove dives deeper into the film). Back to the good news, the festival is being reimagined as the Harlem Festival of Culture and will take place at Marcus Garvey Park, the same site as the original, during the summer of 2023. Musa Jackson, who attended the original festival and is featured in the documentary, is one of the festival’s co-founders along with Nikoa Evans and Yvonne McNair. Speaking on the revival, Jackson said “Being rooted, watered, and grown in this village of Harlem, I believe HFC is our moment to show the world the vibrancy of today’s Harlem — the music, the food, the look, all of it”. The co-founders have also started a non-profit foundation to help foster Harlem’s next generation of creative leaders.
#5
Justin Bieber Designed His Own Vespa & It’s For Sale
Justin Bieber gets his peaches from Georgia and his scooters from Vespa. Following A$AP Rocky’s recent AWGE x Mercedes Benz capsule collection, Justin Bieber is the next musician to enter the chat of vehicle-maker brand collaborations. This week, Vespa unveiled the finished product: an all-white Vespa Sprint with a flame motif above the rear wheel—Bieber’s creative touch. In a promotional video, he shares some insight into his creative process saying the all-white color scheme is because monochromatic things are very “palatable” to him, and the flame iconography was “a way to give it a little bit of an edge” that he thought would set it apart. Very gender-neutral Bieber but I can’t stop imagining Hilary Duff jetting around Rome on this Vespa in an alternate Lizzie McGuire Movie universe. For those interested in purchasing said Vespa, it’s available with three different size engines and can be reserved starting April 20th.