Pop Talk: January, a Month of Music Awards

Shourya gives us a sneak peek into the pop music trends in January. He discusses two coveted awards, Golden Globe and Critics Choice – exclusively for Different Truths.

As we step into a new year, I hope we witness many memorable pop-culture moments this year that make it to the hall of fame. January was undoubtedly a buzzing month with the Golden Globe awards and Critics Choice awards, along with the nominations for the Oscars 2023.

India made history as Jenna Ortega presented ‘Naatu Naatu’ from ‘RRR’, the award for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes. There were many beautiful songs in the category, including ‘Carolina’ by Taylor Swift, ‘Lift Me Up’ by Rihanna and ‘Hold My Hand’ by Lady Gaga. This win was undoubtedly a surprise to me but not to the foreign public, where the Indian cultural influence in the song has finally rubbed onto them and internationally made a mark.

I recently saw a viral video from a movie theatre in Los Angeles where the crowd went insane during the song sequence, which I considered skippable. It is beautiful to see international recognition of Indian musical culture. This is undoubtedly a historic moment for our country.

Speaking of Jenna Ortega, she seems already sickened by all the questions on the viral dance from ‘Wednesday’ and visibly struggled to dodge questions from reporters who don’t have anything better to ask than “Can you show some of the dance to us?” Her new movie ‘Scream 6’ is coming soon to theatres, and so is ‘Wednesday: Season 2’ (honestly, I can’t wait for it, I watched the 1^st season twice). Another series I am very excited about is ‘Heartstopper: Season 2’ after its 1^st season melted my heart. The old man spirit in me is also eagerly awaiting ‘The Crown: Season 6’, which is its final season.

January was certainly a month of cameos where Taylor Swift surprised the audience at ‘The 1975’ concert in London on the 12^th (her signature number is 13, missed opportunity?). The crowd went completely nuts (as they should’ve) as she performed her hit song ‘Anti-hero’ for the first time. It had topped the Billboard charts for eight weeks, followed by a cover of ‘The City’.

Contrasting this very well-received surprise, Beyoncé surprising Dubai with a concert led to much controversy in her fan base, who scrutinised her for performing in a country where LGBTQ+ rights are limited. Talking about controversy, here’s another one for you. Indigenous American people appealed for people to boycott the upcoming ‘Avatar 3’ as they believe that “whitewashing” has been involved. At this point, it looks like people are determined to find something or the other to boycott everything – not at all speaking about the ‘Pathaan’ incident. The costume designer for ‘Pathaan’ might regret her whole life for choosing that colour for Deepika’s dress.

Miley Cyrus released her new song ‘Flowers’, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Charts, ideally in time for Valentine’s Day for us single people to put on our “I don’t give a damn” attitude (been listening to this song on loop, such a bop). She is putting the shade on her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth, who refused to be on friendly terms with her even when she tried to contact him (Liam?). A fan falls from the balcony of a Drake concert (yet again, even after the Harry Styles concert incident), and he pauses the show to make sure the fan is all right (very unlike him, honestly, especially after the Taylor Swift “crybaby” incident).

Selena Gomez is having fun increasing her fans’ anxiety by disclosing information about new music after brutally ending body-shamers who made fun of her weight at the Golden Globes, where she had a wholesome moment with her date, her younger sister (cannot stop watching the video, it is just that cute). Speaking of Selena, it seems like she has finally left Justin in the past and is looking joyful, dating Andrew Taggart from ‘The Chainsmokers’ (so happy for her?).

Doja Cat turns red at the Paris Fashion Week after being bejewelled with 30,000 Swarovski Crystals on her face, painted red, and a stunning red gown. The pictures of this outfit need to do justice and gave me a different idea. Doja sparked her way in this fashion statement as Kylie Jenner was clearly on the verge of crying in videos where she gets ignored by Doja, and Irina Shayk wears the same ‘Lion Head Dress’ as hers on the runway (poor Kylie).

Noah Schnapp, star of ‘Stranger Things’, officially came out as gay and received a heartwarming reaction from a family, who told him, “We knew.” The wife of famous country singer, Tim McGraw, shares a video of him dancing to Olivia Rodrigo’s hit song’ good 4 u’ in the car (as he should be), and honestly, this is the kind of behaviour we need from all males in this world. The Kardashians have become a hub for separations as Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott split right before Kylie gives birth to their child, only for Travis to snub her post about it. This is so messed up, but good drama for their show).

Rihanna silenced the public, who have been taunting her for a long time, asking for new music, as she dazzled in a green fur coat, teasing her performance at the Super Bowl 2023 (and this is going to be some epic performance).

Shakira, like Miley Cyrus, also released a song that has blown the internet, as she pokes fun at her ex, the footballer Gerad Pique (tracks about ex-boyfriends are certainly trending, not to mention the fantastic song, ‘Kill Bill’ by SZA).

BTS star, Jimin, is about to release a solo album in February, and it’s starting to look like One Direction again. BTS’s hiatus may become permanent. Sam Smith is releasing his new (and unholy) album, Gloria, on January 27^th, while ‘The Oscars’ are getting attacked for not nominating any female directors this year.

Here are my top pop culture moments of the month:

·       Jennifer Coolidge’s existence. At the Golden Globes, while presenting an award, she accidentally said, “And the Oscar goes to…” which made the crowd laugh over her nervousness, which stole our hearts. As a person rightly called her, “our mood on the weekend.”

·       Michelle Yeoh telling the Golden Globes orchestra to “shut up” after they started playing music to cut short her speech when she won the award for ‘Best Actress’ after a long struggle.

·       Jerrod Carmichael took a shot at racism in award shows, as he hosted the Golden Globes, saying, “I’m here because I’m black”, and we’re here for it.

·       Simon Cowell is cancelling his talk show due to “anxiety.” This is a surprise because he certainly doesn’t have anxiety about going against everyone and criticising contestants on talent shows.

·       Prince Harry releases his book ‘Spare’ and spills more unnecessary tea about royal family drama and gossip. Please don’t waste your money on it; watch our Hindi sitcoms instead. They have more than enough drama for you.

And I’m signing off till next month.

Thank you for sparing a moment and reading this month’s edition of ‘Pop Talk.’

Picture design by Anumita Roy

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