Category Music

Certain young women wish to gain recognition, whereas others opt to maintain an aura of mystery. The Scottish-origin artist and producer Sophie resonated with those who chose to stay behind the controls despite weaving their own enchanting creations—and Sophie, her posthumous album, endeavors to balance these contrasting philosophies.

Renowned for her gritty, glitch-infused production style in her forceful music, Sophie nurtured a markedly private public persona, staying largely enigmatic outside her artistic moniker until her announcement as a transgender woman in 2017. She was both composer and curator of her own visual and musical identity; however, she exuded more than anything an ethereal alien uniqueness. During her time, Sophie produced one studio album—the highly regarded, Grammy-nominated Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides (2018)—and a mixtape, and both were heavily instrumental, with several tracks anchored by a singular phrase reiterated endlessly, stretched near linguistic breaking point until robotic chaos and distortion took the helm. Her initial releases, such as 2015’s “BIPP” and “Lemonade,” lingered in the air without clarity on their context or creator. (In 2021, Vince Staples recollected that numerous people conjectured Sophie was simply another venture by A.G. Cook.) The 2017 video for “It’s Okay to Cry”—introducing Sophie’s visage to most admirers for the first time—situated her against a dynamically changing environment of clouds, rainbows, and a star-speckled night sky, embracing a state of in-betweenness, while the exuberantly avant-garde video for “Faceshopping” from 2018 delighted in vivid transformations of her image. Harron Walker has earlier commented on the “dissociative” nature in Sophie’s compositions, illustrating how it encapsulates the experience of being concurrently present and absent, within the same physical form. Sophie tapped into a more celestial dimension, where forms weave in and out of perception amid the pulsating lights of the club.

Liam Payne, the vocalist and composer who gained global acclaim as part of the British pop ensemble One Direction, passed away on Wednesday aged 31 following a fall from the third storey of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Although specifics surrounding Payne’s descent remain unconfirmed, a wave of sorrow from both celebrities and admirers has swiftly emerged across social media in response to the announcement of his demise.

At times, when Remi Wolf discusses her brand-new album, Big Ideas, she seems to enter autopilot mode, her form functioning without any commands from her mind. During a recent chat, while she elaborates on studio arrangements in her smooth alto (“We recorded at Electric Lady in New York, also at Conway in LA…”), she casually reaches over and swipes a french fry from my plate.

“Would you like some ketchup?” I offer her.

Instantly, the trance is shattered, leaving Wolf in a state of sheer surprise. She bursts into laughter. “Oh my gosh, I’m just, like, chit-chatting and eating your fries!” she exclaims. “I was just…zoned out.”

There exists a humorous disconnect between 28-year-old Wolf’s angelic visage, framed by a halo of dark curls, and her inclination to sprinkle her dialogue with “fucking” and “dude.” (She also possesses a wonderfully unique fashion sense: for our meal, she sports a long-sleeve tie-dye shirt, a pearl choker with a sizable silver pendant, and mini platform Uggs.) It’s thoroughly endearing: Entering the Hollywood diner where we’re seated, she’s met with a broad smile and a heartfelt “Welcome back!” from the waitress. Wolf has transformed this modest eatery into her workspace as of late, holding discussions with different label representatives leading up to her album’s debut on July 12. “I wish she was present for this conversation,” she states regarding one waitress who, without prompting, shared with Wolf—and a table of execs—details about her handmade “Lorena Bobbitt Rules!” T-shirt. “She said, ‘Do you folks need more coffee? Also, I crafted this shirt. She severed her boyfriend’s penis.’ And we just responded with, ‘Neat.’”

Big Ideas amplifies Wolf’s impressive repertoire of crystal-clear vocals, funky sounds, and colorful wordplay. While her initial LP, Juno, was crafted entirely in a bedroom amidst the COVID pandemic’s peak, Wolf eagerly seized the chance to record Big Ideas in revered studios like Electric Lady, whose esteemed legacy she hoped would infuse the tracks. In this new album, she portrays vibrant narratives of spewing frogs and sharing a love-struck Halloween in Chicago amidst quirky guitar riffs and synths. The album also features strong jazz and disco influences, enhanced to complement its lively essence.

A recurring motif in Wolf’s music is her fluid approach to sexuality. Since her debut EP, You’re a Dog! (2019), she has articulated interest in both men and women as subjects of her yearning (and often, exasperation). “Upon entering the music sector, it was a battle to be acknowledged,” she remarks. In the nascent stage of her profession, she confesses a hesitancy to be labeled as an LGBTQ+ artist. “I’m striving to remain authentic. Much of my writing reflects my real-life experiences,” she explains. She feared that a label would constrain her identity and compel her to represent more than just herself. “I possess no expertise on anything, genuinely—neither on gender politics nor on queer politics. My only message is you do you, and I’ll do me.” In the five years following You’re a Dog!, she observes that the perception of sexuality—and queerness in general—has evolved “to a point where it’s like, who cares?” she shares. “There’s no need to make it a significant issue—which I thoroughly enjoy.”

Charli XCX, having transformed the cultural mood in her slime-green, that-bitch persona, and revealing she’ll be inaugurating London Fashion Week with an H&M-backed rave, is now taking her Parliaments and heading to Hollywood. She will be part of the ensemble in Gregg Araki’s addition to the growing May-December repertoire, I Want Your Sex.

Scripted by Vogue columnist Karley Sciortino and named after George Michael’s 1987 chart-topping hit, the narrative revolves around Olivia Wilde’s character, Erika Tracy, an imagined artist possessing the cultural weight of Marina Abramović. She begins a relationship with her significantly younger employee, Elliot (Cooper Hoffman). (If you ponder why Cooper’s name seems familiar, he portrayed Gary Valentine alongside Alana Haim in Licorice Pizza—and, indeed, he is Philip Seymour Hoffman’s offspring.) Initially, Elliot is ecstatic to be Erika’s “gentle lover with a heart of gold,” but their liaison soon drifts into Adrian Lyne territory as “Erika leads him on a journey more profound than he could ever envision, delving into a realm of sex, obsession, power, betrayal, and murder.” Baby, you’ve been so unkind, indeed. There’s still no word regarding Charli’s character role, but I hope she gets to don a bodysuit as chic as Kathy Jeung’s in George’s softcore ’80s music video.

But it’s Faces of Death that will serve as Charli’s official film debut with co-stars Barbie Ferreira, Dacre Montgomery, and Josie Totah. Directed by How to Blow Up a Pipeline’s Daniel Goldhaber, the work is inspired by the highly contentious 1978 shockumentary sharing the same name, which begins with an alleged pathologist, Dr. Francis B. Gross (Michael Carr), presenting a sequence of clips showcasing gruesome fatalities—some fabricated, some genuine. “For the first time in movie history, the utmost fear of all humanity will be vividly exposed,” declared the trailer. “Now, a cinematic piece dares to take you beyond the boundary of the living.” Naturally, it became a viral sensation, with millions of VHS copies distributed nationwide, cementing its status as the landmark film of the decade’s “video nasty” trend. Thankfully, Goldhaber has no intention of recreating the mondo movie (whose horridly graphic visuals resulted in it being banned in numerous countries, including the UK). Instead, he adopts a meta perspective, with his story trailing a content moderator for a YouTube-like platform who unearths a group recreating scenes from the ’70s classic for their audience.

Curiously, Charli personally contacted Goldhaber about a part in the film, and he isn’t the sole writer-director she has approached for a partnership in recent months. Just earlier this (Brat) summer, she ventured to Poland to film another project she is reportedly co-writing with Slave Play‘s Jeremy O Harris. Luckily, she’s already equipped with enough movie-star sunglasses to navigate at least a dozen paparazzi-laden press junkets.

Lady Gaga is globally renowned as a pop sensation and performer, an Academy Award recipient, and a cover icon for Vogue, yet she possesses an extensive understanding of humble origins. Growing up in the vibrant city of New York, the 38-year-old celebrity has been captivating audiences both on stage and in films since her adolescence. Not every one of her initial acting parts and music concerts were particularly glamorous, but now that she’s triumphed in both Hollywood and the music realm, they’re a joy to look back on.

Below, explore our compilation of Lady Gaga’s finest early and pre-Gaga-name appearances:

Year unrecorded: Participated in an anti-harassment video

Throughout her journey, Gaga has consistently voiced opposition to sexism, misogyny, and rape culture, but this easily-missed role in a classic anti-harassment educational clip often shown to secondary school pupils about consent illustrates her principles truly extend far back. (To catch a glimpse of young Gaga resisting the inappropriate advances of an unsettling individual, navigate to 0:40.)

2001: Minor character in a Season 3 episode of The Sopranos

The rapper known as Sean “Diddy” Combs has had a history of inappropriate actions that trace back to 1999 (when an accusation of assaulting music executive Steve Stoute was made against him), but his legal challenges escalated significantly this week upon his indictment by a federal grand jury in New York. Below, review the full revelations that have emerged thus far regarding the 54-year-old music mogul’s detention—and the alleged series of abusive conduct that has led him to this juncture.

When and at what location was Sean “Diddy” Combs detained?

Combs faced detainment in a Manhattan hotel’s lobby late on the night of Monday, September 16, following his indictment by a federal grand jury that same day. The apprehension came after searches conducted in March at Combs’s residences in Los Angeles and Miami, during which Homeland Security Investigations agents uncovered several AR-15-style firearms, high-capacity magazines, and over a thousand containers of baby oil and lubricant at his premises.

Combs was denied bail by a judge on Tuesday, indicating he is anticipated to stay in detention until his trial.

What are the charges on which Combs was indicted?

The indictment, consisting of 14 pages and revealed on Tuesday, encompasses three counts of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transporting to partake in prostitution. It is alleged by prosecutors that Combs “abused, threatened, and manipulated women and others” to “satisfy his sexual desires” in a “consistent and well-known” abuse pattern from at least 2009. Several of the allegations currently directed at Combs originate from “freak offs,” which is Combs’s term for coerced acts of sex that he reportedly arranged and filmed.

Who has publicly addressed Combs’s alleged misconduct?

Cassie Ventura, a singer and past girlfriend of Combs, filed a lawsuit against him for sexual abuse in November, claiming that Combs was involved in sex trafficking by “forcing her into non-consensual sexual acts across various locations” and “holding [and transporting Ventura] for sexual purposes through force, deception, or duress.” (That legal action settled within one day, with Combs refuting any misconduct.) Six months later, footage emerged showing Combs physically assaulting Ventura in a hotel corridor in 2016. (Combs issued an apology for his actions following the video’s release.) After Ventura’s lawsuit, five women filed suits against Combs for sexual assault—including one who alleged that Combs raped her two decades ago when she was 17—and three other suits mention allegations of sexual misbehavior.

Has Combs made a public statement regarding the indictment?

No, but his legal representative has spoken on his behalf. “We are disheartened by the choice to initiate what we consider to be an unfair prosecution of Mr. Combs by the US Attorney’s Office,” Combs’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo stated on Monday, characterizing his client as a “devoted family man” and noting: “He is flawed, but he is not a criminal. Please withhold judgment until all facts are presented. These actions belong to an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he is eager to vindicate himself in the judiciary.”

As this blazing summer draws to a close and autumn’s days shorten while cooling winds usher it in, musical playlists will also shift from energetic dance tracks and catchy pop songs to melancholic, more autumn-like selections. Say goodbye to “sad-girl summer”—fall provides an ideal seasonal setting for sadcore tunes.

Sadcore emerged in the 1980s to describe young artists who veered away from punk and hardcore’s aggressive tones to adopt somber lyrics, bittersweet harmonies, and more intricate and ethereal soundscapes. Labels such as 4AD, Postcard Records, Sarah Records, Creation Records, K Records, among others, were frequently associated with this genre. While sadcore typically had a guitar-based style, the term eventually broadened to include a variety of sub-genres and sub-scenes like dream pop, twee pop, shoegaze, folktronica, slowcore, chillwave, ambient pop, and chamber pop. These styles were united by an emotional sound designed for reflective headphone-listening, fostering daydreaming or nostalgic reflections, dancing alone in the shadows, or lingering beneath the sheets.

Starting in 2020, sadcore playlists and mixtapes have skyrocketed in popularity among Generation Z, booming on platforms and websites such as Spotify and Youtube. Many of these are meticulously curated and feature both professional tracks and songs created by anonymous bedroom musicians, or others remixed with tags like “slowed and reverbed” (referred to as daycore), “super slowed,” and “corecore,” or tracks looped endlessly for maximum mesmerizing effect.

This year has witnessed a diverse array of new and seasoned artists releasing moving works that honor life’s somber melodies. Here, Vogue presents a roundup of some of the finest or most promising of these albums. Their dreamy and sorrowful sounds together provide an ideal melancholic soundtrack for the autumn days that lie ahead.

Dj Salinger, Voyage Voyage Voyage

En la noche del 16 de octubre, se informó que el cantante, compositor y ex estrella de One Direction, Liam Payne, había fallecido a la temprana edad de 31 años, tras caer desde el tercer piso de un hotel en Buenos Aires. La noticia causó conmoción, con dolientes reuniéndose frente al edificio donde ocurrió el trágico suceso para encender velas en su honor. Mientras tanto, en las redes sociales, el derramamiento de dolor continuó, con amigos, admiradores y músicos compañeros expresando sus condolencias y rindiendo homenaje a su enorme talento.

Mira algunos de los mensajes que se han compartido hasta ahora:

Following British customs, over 200,000 attendees—among them celebrities—traveled to a dairy farm located in Pilton, Somerset, during the weekend for Glastonbury, where the headliners this year were Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and SZA. Get up to speed on this year’s key moments here.

Little Simz made a mark as a potential future headliner

The rapper from London and past British Vogue cover model performed on the Pyramid Stage before the headliners Coldplay (later joining them onstage to unveil a fresh track, “We Pray”), but undoubtedly, it’s merely a matter of time until Simz is headlining herself. With minimal extravagance (no dance routines here), the artist kept the Glastonbury audience captivated throughout her performance. “I need you to recognize that you are witnessing greatness,” she declared on stage. “And I don’t utter that with arrogance; I declare it confidently.” No one is disputing her—least of all the music critics.

Michael J. Fox delivered a top-tier guest appearance

What might stand out as the pinnacle of Coldplay’s undeniably grand set on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday evening? A guest appearance by Michael J. Fox, who joined the ensemble to play guitar on “Fix You.” The 63-year-old icon from Back to the Future, who has been confronting Parkinson’s disease for over 30 years, holds a significant role in the band’s inception story, as remarked by frontman Chris Martin, who found inspiration in Fox’s version of “Johnny B Goode” from the iconic 1985 movie. “Thank you immensely, our hero,” Martin expressed on stage. Even the most ardent Coldplay critics couldn’t resist being touched.

Dua Lipa found some post-Pyramid relaxation time

Earlier this annum, St. Vincent’s Annie Clark unveiled All Born Screaming, a record that skillfully encapsulates the chaotic whirlwind of sentiments encompassing existence in 2024 through a concise 10 tracks over 42 minutes. This self-produced album is both raw, gritty, sensual, experimental, and amusing. It highlights Clark as an artist at her pinnacle, possessing full command.

This is why the announcement of her releasing a Spanish-language adaptation of the album, named Todos Nacen Gritando, is so thrilling. You see, St. Vincent speaks only un poquito de Español. “I studied Spanish in junior high and high school, and I mean Soy de Tejas, vivo en California,” she expressed in a recent phone chat playfully sprinkled with Spanish, (which worked as Spanish is my primary language). “However, I’ve always aspired to achieve fluency. Now I use Duolingo simply to maintain practice.” She collaborated with her closest friend and frequent partner-in-creation, Alan del Rio Ortiz, to translate the album, refining the wording to align with existing melodies, before re-recording each song. The outcome is exhilarating—Clark’s thick accent and occasional mispronunciation of words add to the album’s charm and significance. Here stands St. Vincent showing a fragile facet, engaging in a grandiose concept purely driven by her desire, and as an expression of affection and appreciation towards her Spanish-speaking audience in Latin America, Spain, and worldwide. “I contemplated the locales I most love to perform. I’ve encountered countless formative moments playing in Mexico, Latin America, and Spain,” she mentions. “It’s incredible to see people, for whom English isn’t the first language, singing along to every word. In many cases, English might be their second, third, or fourth language, who really knows? So I thought, if they are coming to me, why shouldn’t I attempt to reach out to them? And it served as a reason for me to initiate improving my Spanish towards eventual fluency.” Prior to the launch of “Pulga,” available today, St. Vincent discusses the album’s assemblage and how translations sometimes bestowed new significance to the tracks.