Youthquake TGIF Mixtape #1
TGIF Mixtape Includes: The Style Files ft. Andre 3000 and New Music Friday ft. Sleater-Kinney, Bella Poarch, POND, Griff, IAMREBELWILL, & Madeline the Person
Channel your inner Bianca Jagger at Studio 54 and put on your most fiery playlist(s) on shuffle; you’re welcome.
Subjectively, one of the best things about shuffle is the spontaneity of not knowing what will play next. It’s about one of the few surprises I tolerate as an anxious person; surprises aren’t ideal for me. However, my music stays on shuffle. So for New Music Friday on Youthquake, we shuffled some of the newest tracks you should hear now.
🎧 Sleater-Kinney High In The Grass
Sleater-Kinney shares their second offering High In The Grass, from their forthcoming 10th studio album, Path Of Wellness which is due out June 11th via Mom+Pop. To coincide with the track release, the band also shares the Kelly Sears above-directed video.
🎧 Bella Poarch Build a Bitch
After taking over the internet as the third-biggest TikTok star and #1 Asian-American influencer globally, Bella Poarch is continuing to break records left and right with the release of her debut single, Build a Bitch. The acclaimed Andrew Donoho directorial and creative directed by Sub Urban scored the biggest debut ever on YouTube for a new artist, entering both the Global and U.S. YouTube Video charts at #1, with a whopping 75 million views and counting.
🎧 POND America’s Cup
Today, Pond announces their ninth studio album, 9, available October 1 via Spinning Top Records/Secretly Distribution. Alongside the news, Fremantle, Australia’s five-piece reveal the elastic-hipped Robo-funk new single America’s Cup and the track’s accompanying video.
🎧 Griff One Foot in Front of the Other
Seeing Griff’s pop star trajectory ascend is as captivating as her voice. I’ve been under her spell since covering her whenever I could at Play Into It.
Following Griff’s historic BRIT Awards debut earlier this month, where she performed her smash hit Black Hole (she also won the highly coveted ‘Rising Star’ Award), breakout UK star Griff releases a brand new song. Oh, and accompanying video too via Warner Records from her forthcoming debut mixtape out on June 18th.
🎧 IAMREBELWILL Addicted
Bilingual Toronto-based pop entertainer IAMREBELWILL is influenced by the showmanship of Janet Jackson, the eclectic artistry of Andre 3000, and the vibes and feels of Kaytranada. Now unveiling his new project, RebelFuturism, the artist uses his voice to challenge the stereotypical perspective in mainstream pop music and help empower the underrepresented LGTBQ+ and POC community to be fearlessly themselves. “It’s a soundtrack for modernity, addressing sexuality, sexual fluidity, identity, and equality. As a proud queer Black man, I wanted to create something that gave a voice to my experience and a voice to folks whose stories the majority of the times are not told,” expresses Rebel. Consider us tantalized.
🎧 Madeline The Person Haunted
19-year-old fellow Texas native Madeline The Person tells the story of her coming out, which coincidentally happened the same year her father passed away while she was in high school. Love, self-love, and love of others is very much the theme of Chapter 2: The Shedding, which is out now (perfectly timed for Pride next month).
About the single, Madeline The Person shares, “‘Haunted’is a song for all of the hidden love that wants to be set free. I remember so badly needing to exclaim my love for the first time. It was hard to realize that coming out has to happen on your time. Be patient with the people close to you. They will tell the world who they are eventually. When they do, it will be so beautifully joyous. ‘Haunted’ is the story of my first love and its painful but beautiful secrecy. I want this song to be a reminder that love carries no shame and is meant to be celebrated instead of hidden.”
Outkast was truly ahead of their sound, stylistically and musically— they’re cosmic and otherworldly; they were a big part of my adolescent music taste. Big Boi and Andre 3000 were part whimsy and part grit; they blurred the lines within genres, highlighting southern rap while making their own fashion rules and emphasizing Black culture through it. I’ve yet to meet a person that doesn’t like at least one Outkast song other than Hey Ya, and truth be told, I don’t think I’d trust someone who doesn’t like them. So in honor of Andre 3000’s birthday yesterday, which he shares with my sister, here are some of our favorite looks from the icon.
I’m prepping for Tribeca Film Fest™ chaos this weekend; my inbox is already crying for attention, so please bear with me. Also, yesterday’s Thursday special edition of Youthquake and other fun features (like pictured below) will be exclusive to paid Youthquake subscribers starting June 30th.
You can upgrade to a paid subscriber for exclusive reviews and interviews for $5 a month (or annually of $50), including upcoming exclusive Tribeca insight. So, please think of me as your virtual triple AAA pass into the 20th anniversary of the film fest. Please send me an email if you cannot financially; we’ll happily sort something out.