Publishing date: Oct, 21, 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. Kendrick Lamar’s sold-out show at the Accor Arena in Paris is being live-streamed, Paramore brings out PinkPantheress at Austin City Limits, and Arctic Monkeys release their new album —this is what you missed.
#1
Kendrick Lamar to Livestream Paris Concert for 10th Anniversary of ‘Good Kid, M.A.A.D City’
If you couldn’t make it to Kendrick Lamar’s The Big Steppers Tour and videos floating around social media just don’t suffice, hold on there a bit longer because there’s good news. On October 22, Amazon Music and Prime Video will be live-streaming Kendrick Lamar’s sold-out show at the Accor Arena in Paris starting at 2 p.m. ET. The stream will be available in 240 countries worldwide on the Twitch Amazon Music channel and the Amazon Music app, giving fans unique access to the highly acclaimed tour. Wondering what the hype is about? Read I Can’t Stop Talking About Kendrick Lamar’s The Big Steppers Tour and you’ll understand why. The livestream of this special show marks the 10-year anniversary of Kendrick’s remarkable Good Kid, m.A.A.d City album that changed his career and the surrounding cultural landscape of hip-hop forever. Yes, it’s been a decade since that album was released and if that makes you feel dated—you’re not alone but on the bright side, it’s a rarity to see an artist of Kendrick’s caliber performing at his best so many years after a milestone album. This is not a “best of” or “anniversary” tour, this is an artist who has continuously beat the benchmarks he sets for himself album after album and tour after tour. While the livestream may be in celebration of a 2012 album, the tour itself is in support of his latest album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, although he does an immaculate job of weaving old classics with his newer material in the setlist. You’ve likely seen the videos of crowds losing their minds to Kendrick and Baby Keem’s live performance of “Family Ties” and that’s because Keem has been a supporting act for the entire tour. The livestream will include Keem’s opening set along with pgLang-signed artist Tanna Leone. Not available to watch it in real-time? The performance will still be available to view on-demand on Prime Video following the live event. And if it still doesn’t suffice, you might just need to buy a ticket to one of his upcoming shows as he continues his tour throughout Europe, UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
#2
Paramore Brings Out PinkPantheress for “Misery Business” at Austin City Limits
Following the drop of their recent single “This Is Why”, Paramore took the stage at Austin City Limits over the weekend, along with acts such as Kacey Musgraves, Diplo, James Blake, and PinkPantheress. During their time on the stage at ACL, Paramore brought out PinkPantheress, known for songs such as “Break It Off” and “Pain”, for a surprise performance of their beloved “Misery Business”. A pop-punk fan’s match made in heaven, I’d argue. How much the new breakout artist adores Paramore became apparent the second she hit the stage. Tears were shed. Shoes were taken off. Before Hayley Williams counted down to the song’s hook, PinkPantheress took a few moments to express gratitude and love, “Thank you for letting me on this stage, it’s so amazing. I’m doing music because of you. I’m not gonna get into it, I just love you so much!” I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get chills watching the video when it appeared on my TikTok fyp. Okay, fine, my eyes also teared up a bit, at the genuinely wholesome moment shared filling my black pop-punk heart.
#3
Arctic Monkeys Release Highly Anticipated Seventh Studio Album “The Car”
Rock band Arctic Monkeys turns stylish, charming, lovelorn, lounge act with their seventh studio album The Car. The album comes to us following the release of three singles “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball”, “Body Paint”, and “I Ain’t Quite Where I Think I Am”. Alex Turner champions a falsetto voice full of haze, longing, doubt, and paranoia, mildly familiar to Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, but a sure departure from the quintessential AM sound fans were accustomed to. To put it plainly, this album is the perfect soundtrack for a rainy autumn day, riding public transportation, or maybe taking a late-night drive, and feeling sorry for yourself, which we all need on occasion. A key takeaway from The Car is that not everything is made to last, whether it’s a distant lover, a carefree past, fame, or ego. Alex Turner masters the art of derailing a train of thought or idea, not fully formed but deeply felt, somehow. As a die-hard aficionado of writing styles across books and music that drop big sentiments in a minimal word count with limited supporting context, I resonate and give this album’s lyrics a big stamp of approval. And though Turner could be quick to pivot throughout the songs after showing us glimpses of vulnerability, The Car is full of raw and sincere moments, with a soft falsetto to match. Arctic Monkeys’ The Car is surely a firm settlement in this new era of their sound, and fans seem to be receptive.
#4
Early Aughts Canadian Pop Icon, Shawn Desman, Releases New Single “Maniac”
Shawn Desman made his mark on an entire generation of Canadians. He’s a top charting, multi-platinum selling, award-winning Canadian icon that exploded the R&B/pop scene. He made waves across the country collecting accolades and awards including a JUNO Award for R&B Sound Recording of the Year, 3 MMVAs, and multiple SOCAN Awards for his songwriting. Though Desman felt the world had left him “out to dry” in 2015, he shared in an Instagram post following his performance at Drake’s OVO homecoming kick-off last month, he is making an unprecedented return to the limelight and continuing his success story. To mark his return, he’s been selling out shows, signed to Wax Records, and releasing a new single called “Maniac”. In the aforementioned IG post, he also expresses gratitude for his incredibly loyal—this massively checks out—fan base and family, and for how his life has significantly been impacted, following the OVO show in July, by positivity. Ultimately, he says that everything happens for a reason. “Maniac” is just the beginning as Desman says he is making lots of music with other talented artists, and more announcements will be coming soon.
#5
BTS Will Go On Hiatus to Serve in South Korea’s Military
If you know someone who is a BTS fan, you might want to check in on them. They need support now more than ever as their favorite group is going on hiatus to serve in the military. The news broke after the boy group’s label, BigHit Music, posted on Twitter earlier this week confirming their enlistment, which left many fans heartbroken. The statement was shared in 4 languages, Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese, reflecting on the remarkable milestones the group and each member achieved and finding now the perfect time for the group to honor their obligations as South Korean citizens. Jin would initiate the process after his schedule wraps up for the promotion of his solo release, followed by other members, and they aim to reconvene again as a group in 2025. Although fans dreaded the prospects, the news didn’t come as a surprise. Back in August, the mayor considered alternative public duties for the six-time Grammy Award winners as PR ambassadors in the lead-up to Busan’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo. However, that decision never came to fruition, and the boys are soon to swap their red carpet wardrobes for camouflage prints. Rest assured, there is still much to look forward to before the group is entirely off-grid. Jin is confirmed to perform his new song “Astronaut” with Coldplay at their Argentina stop on October 28th, and the group is still set to attend the upcoming award season. Many fans quickly came to terms with the news, like this Twitter user who settled in her new role as a war wife waiting for her loved ones to return—Purple Hearts: BTS Version anyone? With this positive attitude, the boys will be back before we know it!