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How Taylor Swift inspired a new generation of singer-songwriters, in their own words

Every song on Clairo's new album 'Sling,' ranked from worst to best

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A tourist told TikTok she had "accidentally spent $100 on the most disgusting breakfast."</li><li>Some viewers said it should be "illegal" for breakfast to cost that much.</li></ul>A TikTok video of an American woman documenting her experience of paying $100 for the "most disgusting breakfast" in Paris has sparked debate and highlighted some cultural differences when it comes to breakfast food.The <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@dasiavu__/video/7253862433897467179" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a> was posted on July 9 by a TikToker called Dasia Jacobs, whose bio says she is based in Los Angeles and Atlanta. "Tell me why I have just spent $100 on the most disgusting breakfast I've ever had," she said to viewers. "Paris, you have let me down yet again." Jacobs filmed herself walking to a café and drinking a glass of orange juice. "It was actually tasty and I should have drank every little inch of it if I would have known what was gonna happen," she said. Then she showed viewers the French toast she'd ordered, which was a thick slice of bread covered in fruit and ice cream, and expressed shock at its appearance."What the frick is that?" she asked viewers as she showed off the plate of food. "Disgusting. Zero out of 10." She also pointed to a small bunch of red berries, which Jacobs said looked like "the fake fruit on those little trees." These were most likely redcurrants, a type of berry that is often found across Europe but is uncommon in the US.Another difference is that unlike in the US, in France French toast is <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-14-fo-64345-story.html">typically made using stale bread</a> that would otherwise be wasted. It is highly sweetened and is often served as a dessert item, as opposed to a breakfast dish.Jacobs' order also included a side of bacon, which was on a separate plate, and she wasn't a fan of it either."It was tasty-ish. But it was super fatty and now my stomach hurts, not gonna lie to you," she said. American bacon is typically served crispy, whereas <a href="https://www.myrecipes.com/extracrispy/whats-the-difference-between-american-and-british-bacon">in the UK and Europe</a> it's typically thicker and more chewy. Jacobs went on to show a buffet-style breakfast, which she said she assumed was free as it was in her hotel. She filmed herself eating a slice of watermelon, a croissant, a pancake, some cheese, and a piece of salami, and then said she was charged €48, or $52.50. Breakfast buffets are not always included with the cost of a room, and hotels will typically charge a flat fee to guests for access. "Are you freaking joking? I was sick, y'all, I had to go to bed," she told viewers. The video has been viewed over 475,000 times and has received a mixed response in the comments. Many viewers were shocked by how much money Jacobs had spent on the food. One top comment, which has over 5,800 likes, read, "Breakfast costing 48 dollars should be illegal." Several people suggested that the hotel breakfast cost that much because it was a buffet, and she could have got much more food for that price if she had chosen to. Others pointed out that they thought all food in Paris was expensive.The average cost of breakfast in a hotel is €13, or $14.20, <a href="https://www.france-hotel-guide.com/en/blog/daily-cost-food-paris/#:~:text=The%20average%20cost%20of%20food,approximately%20%E2%82%AC65%20per%20day.">according to the travel blog France Hotel Guide,</a> although they added that the average cost of breakfast in a "luxurious hotel" is €40, or $43.70. But some commenters disagreed with Jacobs' perception of her meals, saying that they didn't understand what she was unhappy with.One viewer wrote that the video was an example of an "average American visiting Europe moment," while another suggested that Jacobs' reaction was why Americans "aren't all that well-liked in Europe."Stories of culture shocks often go viral on TikTok. Many Americans have used the platform to <a href="https://www.insider.com/americans-fear-gun-violence-vacation-overseas-tiktok-2023-6">share their stories</a> about how flinching at loud noises when traveling abroad made them realize they are instinctively scared about potential guns. People who had recently visited or moved to the US also used TikTok to <a href="https://www.insider.com/america-tipping-culture-confusing-tiktokers-2023-6">share their confusion over US tipping culture.</a>Jacobs did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

An American tourist said she 'accidentally' spent $100 on breakfast in Paris, and was left baffled by what she was served

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Claud recently spoke to Insider about their sophomore album, "Supermodels," released in July.</li><li>In 2020, Claud made a splash as the first artist signed to Phoebe Bridgers' Saddest Factory Records.</li></ul>Mere years ago, Claud was a college-radio DJ spinning <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/phoebe-bridgers">Phoebe Bridgers</a> songs."I saw her <a href="https://www.thefader.com/2018/02/23/phoebe-bridgers-covers-sheryl-crow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Music Hall of Williamsburg show</a>, way back in 2017 or 2018," Claud recently told Insider via Zoom. "I was a fan, a huge fan."Flash forward to a not-so-ordinary day in early 2020, when a friend of Bridgers sent her the link to — you guessed it — a Claud demo. Before she had even finished listening, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/phoebe-bridgers-saddest-factory-records-label-artists-interview-9649143/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bridgers texted her manager and proposed a team-up</a>. She was drawn to Claud's unique voice and melodic style, describing the young singer-songwriter as "<a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/video/watch/playlist-of-my-life-tv-playlist-of-my-life-phoebe-bridgers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the god of their art.</a>""We had no mutual friends, I had never met her in my life, it was just totally random. And so we got lunch, and I was shaking to my core," Claud recalled. "But then we talked about that lunch a year later, and she said she was shaking. She was so nervous because this was her first meeting talking about a record label that she was going to start."Later that year, Bridgers officially <a href="https://www.billboard.com/pro/phoebe-bridgers-saddest-factory-label-dead-oceans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launched</a> her independent label, Saddest Factory Records, with Claud on board as her first signee. Claud's studio debut "<a href="https://youtu.be/SiXQyIbaPa0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gold</a>" arrived shortly after, followed by the tender-hearted single "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjqTrZUL_2U">Soft Spot</a>," produced by <a href="https://www.insider.com/olivia-rodrigo-sour-best-album-of-the-year-2021-12">Olivia Rodrigo's go-to collaborator Dan Nigro</a>.Of course, what we might see as "overnight success" is never truly instantaneous, but the product of much practice and passion behind the scenes. As a high schooler in Chicago, Claud cut their teeth playing music in coffee shops and bowling alleys, where the sound of clattering pins would drown out their voice.When Claud enrolled at Syracuse University, they started a band — Toast — and booked a slew of local gigs. That snowballed into bigger shows opening for Claire Cottrill, their fellow student and friend, also known as <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/clairo">Clairo</a>.Eventually, Claud's following spread into a safety net, strong enough to take that storied musician's leap: leave school and pursue music full-time."There was such a good music scene there at the time I was there. It was serendipitous," they said of Syracuse. "It definitely feels like it's been a slow burn for me, in a way that feels healthy."<h2>Claud's sophomore album 'Supermodels' is a testament to growth and transformation</h2><div type="image" title="claud supermodels press photo" height="2317" width="3090" msid="102427163" hostid="261" sizebytes="1688242"></div>Claud created their debut album "Super Monster" before they turned 20 years old. It was released in 2021, and praised by critics as "<a href="https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/claud-super-monster-review-radar-2877289" target="_blank" rel="noopener">intensely genuine</a>" and "<a href="https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/claud-super-monster/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a manifestation of the potential they hold as an artist</a>." Two years later came "Supermodels," which arrived in July. Claud's sophomore album was written largely between the ages of 22 and 23, during a swirl of sticky summer days, fresh brushes with fame, and chronic bouts of self-doubt."I think they're hard to compare," Claud said of the albums. "That's a huge age difference. It's not a huge year gap, but it is huge in age, in terms of maturity. Things you go through. And it's a lot of extra years in therapy to have under your belt."Still, it's hard to ignore the semantic connection between the titles. The similarities invite comparison: both phrases evoke an entity that's larger than life, inspiring fear or awe.But the latter's confident connotation belies the true heart of the album. While the phrase "Super Monster" was inspired by Claud's own life and personality, all of the chaos and color of being a sensitive teen, "Supermodels" actually refers to what Claud is not — or at least, everything Claud is scared they can't be."You caught me looking at photographs of supermodels / Trying not to cry when I look back at myself," they sing in the closing track.In many ways, Claud's sophomore album is a true sequel: an ode to growth, as well as a young adult's illusion of growth. Twenty-three-year-olds are certainly more mature than teenagers, but never as mature as they present themselves to be.Claud is the rare person who understands this dichotomy. They capture the age's fickle sheen with bait-and-switches littered throughout the tracklist. "The Moving On" is a song about the inability to move on. A screwdriver is a sharp tool, a potential weapon, but Claud's "Screwdriver" is a vodka-and-orange-juice-fueled existential crisis. Even the most plain-spoken lyrics — "We argued about Regina Spektor / I said I loved her but you think she could be better" — are tinged with uncertainty, a begging to be understood."It wasn't about Regina Spektor, it was about the relationship," Claud explained. "We're arguing about something that's just stalling before we have the actual argument."Indeed, "Supermodels" is music in limbo — between childhood and adulthood, between insecurity and conviction, between the honeymoon phase and the breakup. It's overthinking against a backdrop of absurd beauty. Claud wrote the second pre-chorus of "It's Not About You" as a literal reflection of this feeling: "Purple, the sky is pink and purple / But I can't fall asleep quite yet / Circles, my questions round like circles / And I miss our innocence.""When I wrote that down, I was sitting in my bed at 6:30 in the morning when the sun was coming up and I couldn't sleep, and I was going through a lot of change and I had just moved, and there was a lot going on, and I was doing a lot of pondering. And also a lot of journaling," they explained."That's where my questions were just going in circles," Claud continued. "Did I make the right decision? Am I going to be happy here? Is leaving this place and this person, was that something that I should have done? And I just miss when I didn't have these questions to ponder, and when I didn't feel guilty for my actions affecting somebody else."The result is an album that's more open-ended than its predecessor, but also, paradoxically, more self-assured. There is power in admitting what you don't know."Supermodels" has also arrived at an auspicious time: the summer of Clairo's "Bags" taking over TikTok, of <a href="https://www.insider.com/boygenius-the-record-album-review-tracklist-breakdown-2023-4">boygenius</a> landing on <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/lucy-dacus-barack-obama-war-criminal-boygenius-summer-playlist-1235376522/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barack Obama's yearly playlist</a>, of <a href="https://www.insider.com/24kgoldn-tate-mcrae-muna-gov-ball-music-festival-interview-2021-9">MUNA</a> singing gay anthems for <a href="https://www.insider.com/taylor-swift-eras-tour-unpopular-opinions-setlist-outfits-2023-6">stadiums full of Swifties</a>.The queer community has always made a point to uplift our own, but recently, there's been a visible surge of love and support for queer artists, even beyond our hazy borders. Claud feels it too."If I compare what being an artist in the music industry was, even three or four years ago, to now, there's definitely a huge shift," they said. "I think because of the success for other queer artists, people are able to legitimize my success a little bit more. Legitimize me as an artist a little bit more. There's always a long way to go, but I definitely feel a shift."<h2>Claud's unexpected costar in the 'Supermodels' cinematic universe? Paul Rudd.</h2><div type="image" title="claud supermodels press photo" height="2261" width="3015" msid="102427166" hostid="261" sizebytes="865662"></div>Part of admitting what you don't know, or the progress yet to be made, is confronting what you want, or who you hope to become. Claud does this brilliantly with "Paul Rudd," named after <a href="https://www.insider.com/who-has-been-sexiest-man-alive-people-2018-11">the ageless "Clueless" star</a>.In the shimmering bop, Claud adopts the role of a rom-com heartthrob, wrapped in the protection of a pre-destined love story."The song 'Paul Rudd' is not about my life at all. It's actually just me trying to imagine myself playing a Paul Rudd character, and being a Paul Rudd-type guy," Claud explained. "I'll get the girl, and I have this crazy love story that's going to work out in the end, because it has to work out, because it's a Ross-and-Rachel thing.""I love the idea of, 'It's just going to work out because it's us and we're us,' and that doesn't really happen in real life. It does, but it's rare," they added.In a twist of real-life fate, Claud randomly met Rudd in passing at Taylor Swift's Eras Tour — and as if the spirit of a rom-com hero possessed them, Claud seized their moment. They told Rudd about the song he inspired and received Rudd's email in return. The actor wanted to hear the album.When Claud sent him "Supermodels," Rudd responded with praise, so Claud took another shot. They asked if Rudd had a moment in his busy schedule to film a cameo for a music video. Instead of popping by the set, Rudd arrived 15 minutes early to the shoot and stayed for five hours."Paul Rudd was exactly what you'd imagine him to be," Claud gushed. "He was so nice, he was so charming, everybody on the shoot had a crush on him."The resulting video for "A Good Thing," Claud's latest single, <a href="https://www.insider.com/paul-rudd-music-video-claud-a-good-thing-2023-7">costars Rudd as a flustered mailman</a> who delivers a sweater from Claud's girlfriend. And if you're wondering, the answer is yes, duh: Rudd improvised the line about his sick ferret."There was no script," Claud confirmed. "I just want to improvise with Paul Rudd, is that so bad?"So it's safe to assume the age-old advice, "Don't meet your heroes," doesn't apply here."Not to this situation, no," Claud said. "This one was like, hell yeah."But Rudd's pristine reputation aside, Claud's "optimistic take" is that, as society improves, more heroes will deserve to be met — that we're headed towards an era when decent, kind, hard-working people will prosper."Less and less shitty people are going to be successful as we've learned to speak up for ourselves," they said. "There's a lot of horrible people in Hollywood or whatever, but I think less and less so, hopefully."In conclusion, Claud added: "There's no tolerance or room for people who suck."

Indie artist Claud has already worked with stars like Paul Rudd and Phoebe Bridgers. They say it's OK to meet your heroes.

<keyword id="10879" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Youtube" source="Orion">YouTube</keyword> has announced the new <keyword id="316990" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="foundry" source="Orion">Foundry</keyword> <keyword id="14587422" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Class-of-2022" source="Orion">class of 2022</keyword>, the company's global artist development programme that focuses on discovering and supporting talent around the world. <keyword id="10569922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Noor-chahal" source="Orion">Noor Chahal</keyword> and <keyword id="2103988" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kayan" source="Orion">Kayan</keyword>, both Indian artists, are among the 30 artists from various genres and continents chosen for the Foundry class of 2022. Foundry, founded in 2015, is YouTube's independent music incubator, supporting indie artists at all stages of their careers through annual artist development classes and ongoing release support campaigns. Foundry artists are next generation entertainers, recognized for their innovative approach to music and storytelling. To date Foundry programs have supported 250 independent artists, with alumni including Arlo Parks, beabadoobee, Clairo, Dave, Dua Lipa, ENNY, Eladio Carrion, girl in red, Gunna, Kenny Beats, LostStories, Natanael Cano, Omar Apollo, REI AMI, Rema, Rina Sawayama, ROSALIA, <keyword id="8799842" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="seedhe-maut" source="Orion">Seedhe Maut</keyword>, Snail Mail, Tems, Tenille Arts and many more talented musicians. Pawan Agarwal, Director, Music Partnerships (India &amp; South Asia), YouTube, "Helping discover and break new artists, while helping them navigate every stage of their career is one of YouTube Music's core goals. This is especially important for independent artists, who are navigating today's increasingly digital landscape to find stability, creative fulfillment, and a global community of fans. Foundry gives independent artists a springboard to success and we're excited to support such emerging artists and reduce barriers along their journey." The latest Foundry class includes a global collection of artists from the US, India, Korea, Japan, Brazil and Sub-Saharan Africa. Featuring genres such as country, afropop, soul, latin urban and many more, the new class of musicians includes: . Amari' Noelle (US) . Ashley Cooke (US) . ART (DE) . AVUA (BR) . BabyTron (US) . BIBI (KR) . Black Sherif (SSA) . Bruses (MX) . Danielle Ponder (US) . French The Kid (UK) . Genesis Owusu (AUS) . HaruNemuri (JP) . Joeboy (SSA) . Jossman (CO) . Kader Diaby 4Real (FR) . Kaike (BR) . Kayan (IN) . Magdalena Bay (US) . Mehro (US) . Nemahsis (CAN) . Noor Chahal (IN) . Obongjayar (UK) . RIMON (NL) . Roxane Bruneau (CAN) . Skiifall (CAN) . Snow Tha Product (US) . <keyword id="14587421" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sudan-archives" source="Orion">Sudan Archives</keyword> (US) . Thuy (US) . TSHA (UK) . <keyword id="14587420" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="yoss-bones" source="Orion">Yoss Bones</keyword> (MX) Noor Chahal said, "Being an independent artist always comes with an essence of absolutely being true to your music as well as your audience. An artist's success cannot be measured by definite parameters, everyone has their own definition of success. I see Foundry helping my music reach new people and ensure that my potential does not go undiscovered or unacknowledged. Every independent artist needs a push like that and I am nothing but grateful to YouTube for this opportunity." Kayan said, "Freedom. To do what I want. It also challenges me in so many ways which teaches me a lot. I guess if you're happy doing what you're doing you're successful, having said that. It doesn't hurt if I can pay my bills, fund my own music, own all of it and still have the drive to want to do better. YouTube is a crucial platform for artists. To connect with my audience and fans and to have a place to share my work with them is super important. Also to understand my audience better and work with that kind of information is such a great strength to have. Foundry is the perfect program to help me really grow what I'm working for." Foundry is intended for independent artists with a vision for their own success, as well as to assist them in navigating the demands of today's music industry. YouTube offers partner strategy support, marketing promotion, and seed funding for content development, which can be used for anything from trying out new music to diversifying video creation formats. 2021 Foundry alumni Seedhe Maut shared, "We constantly strive to push our creative limits to the maximum, and our vision has always been about creating as well as experimenting with music that pushes our boundaries. Being selected as part of Foundry gave us the opportunity to expand our vision and share our music with a wider community. YouTube as a platform has been exponential in sharing our work and connecting with more people across the globe." SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/top-10-most-chosen-fmcg-brands-of-india-as-per-kantar-report/slidelist/93206746.cms">Parle, Amul and Britannia are the most chosen FMCG brands of India in 2021: Kantar report</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/explainer-why-is-americas-largest-crypto-exchange-coinbase-in-trouble/articleshow/93207659.cms">Explainer: Why is America's largest crypto exchange Coinbase in trouble?</a>

Noor Chahal and Kayan, as part YouTube's Foundry class of 2022

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1895128" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lorde">Lorde</keyword> opened up about her relationship with <keyword id="1878716" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Jack-Antonoff">Jack Antonoff</keyword> in an interview with the New York Times.</li><li>Antonoff coproduced Lorde's new album "Solar Power," but she said he "deferred" to her vision.</li><li>"I haven't made a Jack Antonoff record," she said, adding, "To give him that amount of credit is frankly insulting."</li></ul><a href="https://www.insider.com/category/lorde">Lorde</a> recently opened up about her "really unique" relationship with <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/jack-antonoff">Jack Antonoff</a>, as well as reductive assumptions about their creative partnership. The two musicians have been working together for seven years. Antonoff coproduced Lorde's sophomore album, 2017's "Melodrama," as well as her forthcoming follow-up, "Solar Power."He has also worked closely with artists like <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/taylor-swift">Taylor Swift</a>, Lana Del Rey, <a href="https://www.insider.com/clairo-sling-album-songs-ranked-review-2021-7">Clairo</a>, and St. Vincent, which has earned him a reputation as a pop star's go-to collaborator.As <a href="https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/jack-antonoff-polarizing-nice-guy/">Pitchfork's Quinn Moreland wrote</a>, "Antonoff's perceived grip over the introspective pop girlies has given birth to many memes at this point," and some fans believe "his omnipresence has flattened the sound of that niche between mainstream pop and indie <keyword id="6354530" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="music">music</keyword>."However, Lorde strongly objects to the notion that she's one of several female musicians in "Jack's stable.""I haven't made a Jack Antonoff record," <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/12/arts/music/lorde-solar-power.html">she told New York Times reporter Joe Coscarelli</a>. "I've made a Lorde record and he's helped me make it and very much deferred to me on production and arrangement. Jack would agree with this. To give him that amount of credit is frankly insulting."<div type="image" title="Lorde performs &quot;Stoned at the Nail Salon&quot; on &quot;Late Night With Seth Meyers&quot;" height="1666" width="2222" msid="85305508" hostid="261"></div>According to Coscarelli, she used the terms "retro" and "sexist" to describe the narrative, "which has also included <a href="https://mashable.com/article/lorde-jack-antonoff-powerpoint">speculation</a> about the pair's romantic and sexual life."Back in 2018, <a href="https://www.insider.com/lorde-jack-antonoff-hugging-fans-freak-out-dating-2018-2">Antonoff dismissed dating rumors</a> as "heteronormative gossip," while Lorde simply told fans, "He's awesome, but we're not dating.""No one who's in a job that isn't my job has a relationship like the one I have with Jack," Lorde told Coscarelli. "He's like a partner to me. We're in a relationship. It's not a romantic relationship, but we've been in it for seven years, and it's a really unique thing, so I don't begrudge people maybe not being able to understand it."She also said there are "certain hallmarks" of Antonoff's production that she likes, and some that she does not."I beat them out of the work that we do together," she explained. "I say this with so much love and affection, but I feel like we're doing up a house together and he's like, 'Look at this serviette that I fashioned into the shape of two swans! Look at this set of woven baskets!' And I'm like, 'Great - one per room.'"Lorde's third studio album "Solar Power" will be released on August 20. Read <a href="https://www.insider.com/lorde-solar-power-new-album-details-release-date-2021-6">Insider's full breakdown of what to expect here</a>.

Lorde says it's 'sexist' and 'frankly insulting' how much credit people give Jack Antonoff for her music

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Some Singaporean TikTokers are jokingly advertising themselves for rent as <keyword id="12833689" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="chinese-new-year" source="Orion">Chinese New Year</keyword> dates.</li><li>Many singles face dreaded questions about their relationship status from relatives during this time.</li></ul>For S$50 (US$36.88) a day, Wayne Chia will drive you around, play mahjong with your relatives, and peel shrimp for you so your hands won't get dirty.More importantly, he'll pretend to be your boyfriend so that you can avoid the dreaded "why are you still single" question from relatives — almost bound to happen at family gatherings during Chinese New Year. The 21-year-old <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@_wayneee_/video/7055355754320121090?is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1&amp;refer=embed&amp;referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftnp.straitstimes.com%2F&amp;referer_video_id=7055355754320121090">advertised himself</a> as a date for Chinese New Year on <keyword id="11894125" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tiktok" source="Orion">TikTok</keyword> as part of a meme that has taken off in Singapore ahead of the festive season. Celebrated according to the lunar calendar by China and the Chinese diaspora, Chinese New Year is an annual 15-day celebration that kicks off this year on February 1. In his video, which has racked up more than 230,000 views so far, Chia lists all of the things he'll do as your date, including dealing "with people who keeps annoying u" and playing mahjong with your relatives.Although the freelance photographer told Insider that he did it as a joke, he said he received dozens of takers. "After I posted the video, I woke up to all these people messaging me to say they were interested and whether I was available. Some said they were not in town this year and [asked] if I could save the date for them next Chinese New Year," he said."I believe I have something to offer — as a photographer, I can also help to take nice OOTDs (outfits of the day) for them," he added with a chuckle. Chia, who is single, said he hadn't taken up any officers because he doesn't actually want to "sell myself" for dates, but he hopes his video gave people something to laugh about. <div type="image" title="TikTok screenshot" height="1384" width="777" msid="89237892" hostid="261"></div>Jokes aside, the TikTok trend highlights the pressures many young people face during the Chinese New Year when older relatives bombard them with questions about their relationships and jobs. "I think the video blew up because people could really relate to it. We've all faced these questions before. They're an inevitable part of the season," Chia said.National University of Singapore sociology expert Mu Zheng told Insider that the pressure comes from a clash of expectations between the "modern individualism" among the young and "traditional familism" among the older generation. "Although many young people may be free to live the life they choose when they are away from their extended families, they can hardly avoid their relatives' questions regarding their relationship status at family reunions," she said. "Given the entrenched norm of universal marriage, remaining single at later ages may place those young people in the spotlight at family reunions, which can be disturbing, embarrassing, and upsetting."Singaporean <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@f0xypony/video/7055590224423832833?is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1&amp;refer=embed&amp;referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftnp.straitstimes.com%2F&amp;referer_video_id=7055590224423832833">TikToker @f0xypony</a> said she would go to a potential date's home for S$288 ($212.37) and cook him dinner for an additional S$188 ($138.63). Some TikTokers have also extended the meme to include Valentine's Day, which falls within the 15-day Chinese New Year period. Sherry Lee, 23, advertised herself as a Valentine's date starting from S$80 because "all of my friends were doing it," she told Insider.<div type="image" title="Sherry Lee" height="983" width="828" msid="89237893" hostid="261"></div>"It's so common to get asked about your love life during this period, so I just thought that this was a funny meme. I didn't realize that people would actually reply," she said, adding that she had received an "overwhelming response" from potential takers.In fact, her video got so much traction that she eventually hid it from public view."People downloaded my video and started sharing it on other platforms without my consent, for example on Telegram," she said. "I guess people can really relate to feeling lonely during this time."

Singaporean TikTokers are renting themselves out as dates for Chinese New Year to help strangers avoid the dreaded 'why are you still single' question from relatives

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1895128" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lorde">Lorde</keyword> dropped a new song titled "Solar Power" on June 10 after teasing her return earlier that week.</li><li>It's the lead single from her highly anticipated third album, also called "Solar Power."</li><li>The 12-track album will be released on August 20 and was inspired by "the natural world."</li></ul><a href="https://www.insider.com/category/lorde">Lorde</a> has finally unleashed her first song since "Melodrama," her <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-albums-lost-aoty-grammy-awards-snubs">Grammy-nominated album</a> that dropped almost exactly four years ago.The new single, titled "Solar Power," was surprise-released on June 10. She had teased the cover art <a href="https://www.lorde.co.nz">on her website</a> earlier that week, alongside the phrase, "Patience is a virtue." It's the first taste of Lorde's forthcoming third album. Here are all the details we have so far about her new era of <keyword id="6354530" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="music">music</keyword>.<h2>'Solar Power' is a beachy earworm, cowritten and coproduced by Lorde and Jack Antonoff</h2>Antonoff is <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-most-important-artists-of-the-decade-2010s">the most-trusted collaborator</a> of both Lorde and her close friend, <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/taylor-swift">Taylor Swift</a>. He executive produced "Melodrama" and cowrote nearly every song on the tracklist, save for "Homemade Dynamite.""Solar Power" is primarily driven by a choppy strumming pattern on acoustic guitar, vaguely reminiscent of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFCL6f7hy2s">"The Louvre,"</a> the fourth track on "Melodrama.""I hate the winter / Can't stand the cold / I tend to cancel all the plans," she sings to open the song. "But when the heat comes / Something takes a hold / Can I kick it? Yeah, I can."Back in November 2020, Lorde told fans in an email, "The beginning of summer is my favorite time in New Zealand, and this year in particular it feels like a gift."The song is notably warmer and more stripped of theatricality than her previous releases. It's probably safe to assume this reflects Lorde's current musical direction. Her previous lead singles, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlcIKh6sBtc">"Royals"</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMK_npDG12Q">"Green Light"</a> - both of which landed in the top 25 of <a href="https://www.insider.com/best-songs-of-the-decade-2010s-ranked-2019-11">Insider's best songs of the decade ranking</a> - were sonically and thematically true to their parent albums.A Jack Johnson-esque snare drum arrives in the second pre-chorus, while the chorus boasts triumphant melodies that <a href="https://etcanada.com/news/793747/george-michaels-estate-releases-statement-regarding-those-lorde-solar-power-and-freedom-90-comparisons/">recall George Michael's "Freedom! '90."</a>In the minute-long outro, every instrument swells in volume while Lorde harmonizes with herself, chanting the titular phrase. <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/phoebe-bridgers"></a><a href="https://www.insider.com/category/phoebe-bridgers">Phoebe Bridgers</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/clairo">Clairo</a> contributed backing vocals, marking the first time a Lorde song has included any voice aside from her own.In <a href="https://youtu.be/If-VG2s0lX8">an interview with Zane Lowe</a>, Lorde called Bridgers and Clairo her "god-tier female vocalists" and revealed "Solar Power" also includes vocals from a few male musicians from New Zealand."I just knew it had to be a gang," she said. "This record, more than any that I've made, isn't just about me. It's my friends and my family and my country, and I knew the sentiments were not just mine alone to deliver... It's fun not to be alone, finally."<h2>The song seems to contain a nod to her long-rumored boyfriend, which could mean a loved-up album is on the way</h2>In the pre-chorus of "Solar Power," Lorde sings, "No shirt, no shoes, only my features / My boy behind me, he's taking pictures."The 24-year-old New Zealand native, whose real name is Ella Yelich-O'Connor, is reportedly dating Universal Music executive Justin Warren.Warren, who is 17 years Lorde's senior, <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/lorde-romance-rumours-ridiculous/GYEGM3X3VZI2ZOZSIDDJW5DJNQ/">denied relationship rumors</a> when the pair were first seen in 2016. However, they've been photographed together several times over the past few years, most recently in October 2020, when <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8886939/Lorde-seen-time-EIGHTEEN-months-kisses-boyfriend-Justin-Warren.html">they were spotted kissing in Auckland</a>.Lorde's studio debut "Pure Heroine" deals largely with the fears and ecstasies of being a teenager; "Melodrama" was a pure breakup album, presumably inspired by <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/reports-lorde-has-split-from-boyfriend-james-lowe/IJW34YLMGXFBCEYBXATEK6SO4Y/">her split from James Lowe in 2015</a>. With Lorde apparently in a long-term relationship, her third album could mark a major departure from the existential, daggered songwriting of her past.<h2>The album is also called 'Solar Power' and will be released on August 20</h2>Alongside the song's release, Lorde sent an email to fans with the subject line, "Hey, cuties.""There's someone I want you to meet," she wrote. "Her feet are bare at all times. She's sexy, playful, feral, and free. She's a modern girl in a deadstock bikini, in touch with her past and her future, vibrating at the highest level when summer comes around. Her skin is glowing, her lovers are many. I'm completely obsessed with her, and soon you will be too.""It's my divine pleasure to be introducing you, at long last, to my third studio album, SOLAR POWER."Lorde described the album as "a celebration of the natural world, an attempt at immortalizing the deep, transcendent feelings I have when I'm outdoors."She revealed that her "best mate," <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CP1eFIIDXSx/">Ophelia Mikkelson Jones</a>, took the cover photo in a spontaneous moment of joy on the beach. The era's music videos were all directed by Joel Kefali, who directed her "Royals" visual back in 2013. Lorde also noted how the lead single was released on the same day as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ring-of-fire-solar-eclipse-how-to-watch-2021-6">the year's only solar eclipse</a>, and told fans to "look to the natural calendar for clues" about the album."I want this album to be your summer companion, the one you pump on the drive to the beach. The one that lingers on your skin like a tan as the months get cooler again," she wrote.In a follow-up email on Monday, June 21 - the day of the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/summer-solstice-2021-traditions-scn-trnd/index.html">Summer Solstice</a> - Lorde announced that her new album will arrive on August 20.<div type="image" title="lorde solar power photos tracklist" height="1500" width="1500" msid="83730733" hostid="261"></div>"Solar Power" will include 12 songs and two bonus tracks. The titles indicate themes of natural beauty ("California," "Oceanic Feeling"), surrealist storytelling ("Stoned at the Nail Salon," "The Man With the Axe"), spirituality ("Big Star," "Mood Ring"), and epic poetry ("Helen of Troy").<h2>The album was partially inspired by Lorde's 2019 trip to Antarctica, but was postponed when her dog suddenly died</h2>Lorde began working on new music about two years ago, after she returned from Antarctica in early 2019. She said the trip was galvanized by her <a href="https://www.insider.com/photos-antarctica-ice-melting-highest-temperature-climate-change-2020-2">increasing awareness of climate change</a> and environmental responsibility. "When I went to Antarctica, I hadn't yet started writing again after finishing 'Melodrama.' I realized after the trip that what my brain had been craving was a visit to an alternate realm," she wrote in an email to fans."Albums live in their own realms in a way, and Antarctica really acted as this great white palette cleanser, a sort of celestial foyer I had to move through in order to start making the next thing."Shortly after she sent that email, <a href="https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/entertainment/2020/12/lorde-s-trip-to-antarctica-inspired-the-name-of-her-new-album.html">Lorde told New Zealand's Newshub</a> that her experience directly inspired the title of her next album."I actually decided on the album name right around that trip," she said. "Just coming back from that trip I thought, this is what it is."Lorde was accompanied by her friend Harriet Were, who photographed their journey on film. The shots were compiled into a photo book titled "Going South," which was made available for purchase in limited quantities. Recently, fans began to receive their pre-ordered copies, and some noticed a hidden message on the inside cover: "Blink three times when you feel it kicking in - 2021." This has revealed itself to be a lyric from "Solar Power."In her email, Lorde described the book as "a sort of perfect precursor to this album in an abstract way," so it's safe to assume that a good chunk of it was written in the trip's immediate aftermath.However, she stopped making music in November 2019 when <a href="https://www.insider.com/lorde-email-fans-postponing-next-album-death-dog-pearl-2019-11">her beloved dog, Pearl, suddenly died</a>. As she explained in another email, her grief impacted her vision for the album."I have lost my boy, and I need some time to see the good again, to finish making this for you," she wrote. "It won't be the same work - as anyone who has felt loss can understand, there's a door that opens that you step through, and everything is different on the other side."Lorde later said she returned to the studio that December "just for something to do.""To my surprise, good things came out. Happy, playful things," she wrote in a May 2020 email. "I felt my melodic muscles flexing and strengthening. Jack came over to work in the studio in Auckland, and I went to LA. It flowed. A thing started to take shape."She said they had continued to work remotely during the pandemic, adding, "The work is so f---ing good, my friend. I am truly jazzed for you to hear it."

Lorde just announced the release date of her new album 'Solar Power.' Here are all the details we have so far.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Breakout <keyword id="11894125" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tiktok" source="Orion">TikTok</keyword> star PinkPantheress mixes bedroom <keyword id="12021085" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pop" source="Orion">pop</keyword> with old-school UK electronic genres.</li><li>Her latest, "Just for me," is TikTok's "breakout track of the summer" and no. 26 on the UK Top 40.</li><li>PinkPantheress is known for her enigmatic persona, rarely revealing any personal information.</li></ul>8 months ago, British musician PinkPantheress started to upload song drafts to TikTok.They were short and addictive snippets featuring a catchy hook sung over frantic drum loops. PinkPantheress spliced these mini-songs into off-the-cuff clips that usually showed her looking into the camera, sometimes while using a zany filter."Day 2 of posting my song until someone notices it," the 20-year-old wrote in on-screen text for one of her <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@pinkpantheress/video/6910251567421639937?is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1p=v1">earliest TikToks</a>.Now, she's climbing the UK Top 40 chart while scores of stars - including Bella Poarch, Charli D'Amelio, and Lizzo - use her <keyword id="11898471" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="music" source="Orion">music</keyword> with their TikTok videos.<a href="https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-gb/tiktok-uk-summer-hits-of-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TikTok</a> announced in August that the artist's latest release, "Just for me," saw the largest percent increase in creators using it for videos from June 21 to August 10, making it the platform's official "breakout track of the summer." The song, a slow-moving ballad with gentle guitar strums and snappy drums, has over 20 million plays on Spotify globally and peaked at 55th place on Spotify's <a href="https://spotifycharts.com/regional/us/daily/2021-08-18" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Top 200 chart</a> in the United States on August 18. PinkPantheress' unique style of pop music, which she described to <a href="https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/m7e3xa/pinkpantheress-" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">i-D Magazine</a> as "new nostalgic," evokes a combination of Lily Allen's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WxDrVUrSvI">sulky mood</a> and Clairo's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9HYJbe9Y18">intimate vocals</a>. Her songs mix fast-paced <a href="https://www.magneticmag.com/2015/10/electronic-music-101-what-are-breakbeats/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">breakbeats</a> with <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-asmr-can-help-with-anxiety-panic-and-loneliness-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ASMR</a>-like refrains, striking a balance between rowdy club music and confessional-style bedroom pop.The enigmatic star has also remained somewhat anonymous, releasing hardly any information about herself. Her real name isn't even public knowledge. She's a 20-year-old university student from London, according to <a href="https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/53416/1/pinkpantheress-new-nostalgic-vocalist-blowing-up-tiktok-passion-interview">Dazed,</a> and she told i-D that she was born in Bath, England. That's pretty much all fans know as of now. The artist and Parlophone Records declined Insider's interview requests. "Social media is a very crowded place. I don't feel like I need to overshare and I do really respect my own privacy," she told the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-58319555">BBC</a>. "I don't like the idea of… my face being thrust in people's faces."Though there's something incongruous about a social media star who ostensibly doesn't want to be online, her reticence has helped her build an <a href="https://twitter.com/dangelno/status/1431664539993530373">alluring aura of mystery</a> as fans have clamored to learn more about her.<h2>PinkPantheress went <keyword id="11896837" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="viral" source="Orion">viral</keyword> on TikTok with multiple hit songs</h2>PinkPantheress told the BBC that she only shared her early songs to TikTok because she wanted "closure" after toiling on them for so long. But instead of closure, it opened up an unexpected career.Her first viral hit was "Break It Off," a chaotic remix of Adam F's 1994 song "Circles," a staple of drum and bass music - a fast-paced electronic genre with drum loops that creatively uses synthesizers and samples. To make the song, PinkPantheress lifted the jazzy beat from "Circles" and recorded her own bright vocals over it, adding a heap of reverb so the mix sounds misty and dreamlike. She recorded most of her music in her university halls at 3 a.m., according to i-D.The tune soared on TikTok from March to May, becoming the soundtrack to a viral fashion-<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@bellapoarch/video/6950346143582784774?lang=en&amp;is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1ebapp=v1">montage</a> trend.Around April, PinkPantheress was <a href="https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/nick-burgess-mark-mitchell-parlophoneits-about-the-outsiders-and-the-weirdos-thats-kind-of-what-this-label-is-for/">signed</a> by the German-British label Parlophone Records."Just for me" is her biggest song thus far. It went viral on TikTok in July and August and has soundtracked over 1.5 million videos. "Just for me" hit the UK Top 40 chart on August 26 at 36th place, according to <a href="https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/59943/pinkpantheress/">OfficialCharts</a>, and climbed to 27th place on September 2.<h2>PinkPantheress combines genres and harnesses nostalgia</h2>PinkPantheress' rise comes as similar <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZhn-6WfPhM">internet-driven artists</a> are also blowing up within the "new nostalgic" genre, which filters UK electronic music from the mid-90s and early 2000s through the lens of <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/music/what-s-bedroom-pop-how-online-diy-movement-created-musical-n1131926">bedroom pop</a>, a lo-fi pop subgenre full of young artists making professional-sounding music from laptops in their bedrooms.There's something alluring and refreshing about how PinkPantheress' uniquely "hushed" vocal style transforms speedy electronic genres like drum and bass into an introspective, romantic bedroom sound, especially considering the <a href="https://www.beatportal.com/features/beatports-definitive-history-of-drum-bass/">longtime association</a> of drum and bass music with large crowds of dancers and late-night raves.For <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw_XFnk5kwU&amp;ab_channel=Pinkpantheressress">"Pain,"</a> another one of her most popular songs, PinkPantheress flipped the instrumental music from duo Sweet Female Attitude's 2001 UK garage song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR2tIyj8_y8">"Flowers,"</a> which itself borrows its <a href="https://www.songmeaningsandfacts.com/pain-by-pinkpantheress/">main chord sequence</a> from Erik Satie's 1888 piano composition <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyUNbrgLezI">"Trois Gymnopédies."</a> The result is a mishmash of genres and time periods that evades easy categorization.Some fans have marveled at how PinkPantheress' music makes them feel nostalgic for a time they never lived through, a phenomenon John Koenig labels "anemoia" in his <a href="https://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/post/105778238455/anemoia-n-nostalgia-for-a-time-youve-never">Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.</a> "For some strange reason this song is giving me 2004 nostalgia and flashbacks of that era," one comment on a video for "Just for me" reads. "It's new but feels like a throwback.""This song resonates with me in a weird way," a commenter wrote on an upload of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Szr5Dcwn4Y&amp;ab_channel=Pinkpantheressress">"Passion,"</a> another PinkPantheress hit. "I think it unlocked some memories from my childhood [that] my brain blocked out." <a href="https://www.insider.com/culture">Read more stories from Insider's Digital Culture desk.</a>

How a 20-year-old student used TikTok to become the summer's breakout pop musician

<ul class="summary-list"><li>One of <keyword id="11894125" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tiktok" source="Orion">TikTok</keyword>'s many niches is #<keyword id="12007221" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="book" source="Orion">Book</keyword>Tok, which has billions of views. It's been a boon to the book industry.</li><li>Even Barnes &amp; Noble locations now have TikTok-inspired displays featuring popular <keyword id="12003102" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="books" source="Orion">books</keyword> on #BookTok.</li><li>"Many authors I follow say their sales have never been as high as they are now, thanks to BookTok," user Sydney Blanchard told Insider.</li></ul>In a world full of new technology, digital <keyword id="11894119" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="media" source="Orion">media</keyword> and traditional media seem to sit on competing sides of the spectrum. Audiobooks and ebooks are instantly available on our phones or tablets, while print books require a trip to the nearest store or at least a waiting period at the mailbox. TikTok, though, may be on the verge of reconciling them.#BookTok is an online community of readers that's carved its niche on TikTok recently. The hashtag has billions of views and climbing from users across the world sharing their favorite "enemies to lovers" arcs, BIPOC authors, and even their own writing.<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@isabellagerli?lang=en">Isabella Gerli</a>, who has 50,000 followers on TikTok, posted her first #BookTok video in <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@isabellagerli/video/6974919797645593862?lang=en&amp;is_copy_url=1&amp;is_from_webapp=v1ebapp=v1">June</a>. "I decided to start book videos then because I had recently discovered the world of reading," she told Insider. Some joined the book side of TikTok in the hopes of sharing their longtime favorites. "Why not show off all these books I have and have loved and recommend some new titles in hopes of finding some readers like me?" <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@sydneyyybean?lang=en">Sydney Blanchard</a>, who has about 120,000 followers on the platform, told Insider. Other readers joined #BookTok to provide a platform for underrepresented authors. <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@balloonbreath?lang=en">Simone Siew</a>, who has about 12,000 followers, made it a personal mission to highlight Asian writers on her account. "I would love for more people to read Asian writers and listen to our stories," she told Insider, noting the sparsity of Asian narratives she'd read in school. While #BookTok began as a casual community of readers, it's paving the way for an economic phenomenon. When BookTokkers share their recommendations, they subsequently widen the market for those books. This has led to reading trends that have curated the #BookTok "canon," such as users posting their sob-inducing reactions to Madeline Miller's "The Song of Achilles," which <a href="https://twitter.com/eccobooks/status/1379932121712713731?s=20">recently became a #1 New York Times Bestseller</a> - exactly a decade after it was first published in 2011. This reading renaissance is also occurring at a time when books have become a kind of "aesthetic," with Pinterest boards switching out the purse for the tote bag and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@isabellagerli/video/6993782907697368326?lang=en&amp;is_copy_url=0&amp;is_from_webapp=v1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;sender_web_id=69667245778463964216724577846396421">bookstore hauls</a> becoming all the rage. Gen Z is approaching its peak of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-is-smartphone-generation-2019-7">overstimulation</a>, with many turning to a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@readlikeagranger/video/6944009377187695878?is_copy_url=0&amp;is_from_webapp=v1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;sender_web_id=6966724577846396421577846396421">Sunday picnic read</a> as the highest form of self-care. Is this movement of romanticizing reading enough to save a tottering <a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/86010-publishing-industry-insiders-share-insights-into-opportunities-challenges-ahead.html">book industry</a>? It well might be, and a stroll through your local Barnes &amp; Noble shows how this is already happening. Barnes &amp; Noble locations across the country have erected <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/booktok/_/N-2vdn">#BookTok displays</a> of the most talked-about books on TikTok, from Adam Silvera's "They Both Die at the End" to Colleen Hoover's "It Ends With Us." Shannon DeVito, the director of books at Barnes &amp; Noble, told Insider that the idea for the #BookTok displays first came up last summer, when they noticed a resurgence in backlist paperbacks (a publisher's older books that are still in print). DeVito said Stephanie Pinheiro, Category Manager for YA, happened to see a lot of #BookTok videos and noticed the reading trends that were circulating, opening significant opportunities online and in-store. While the #BookTok displays initially began with only a few books, they now boast more than 80. "The impact has been massive for us in terms of sales," DeVito said. B&amp;N's Top 10 titles have been in their Top 50 for the last year, and their Top 10 have sold tens of thousands of copies - "The Song of Achilles" more than 100,000. In fact, the Victorville Barnes &amp; Noble TikTok account shared a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@bnvictorville/video/6999360907658775814?lang=en&amp;is_copy_url=0&amp;is_from_webapp=v1&amp;sender_device=pc&amp;sender_web_id=69667245778463964216724577846396421">comedic video</a> of restocking "The Song of Achilles" on their shelves "for the 1,000th time" because of the #BookTok demand. Gerli, Blanchard, and Siew all cited BookTok as the reason they've discovered and bought more books. "Many authors I follow have stated that their book sales have never been as high as they are now, thanks to BookTok," Blanchard added.#BookTok speaks to the inimitable power of social media in curating niche communities like the bookish community. "Readers want to find what's trending, what to make a video about next, whether to be ahead of the game or just part of the conversation," DeVito said. Books present a unique conduit of content capitalizing on content. From a retailer's perspective, #BookTok is also the pinnacle of organic marketing. Book sales have shot up because readers are genuinely intrigued by the books pitched to them. DeVito said monetizing #BookTok might take away the integrity of an honest recommendation, but she has noticed that paid advertising for books gets fewer views than when readers feel strongly about a book anyway. "It's clear there's genuine emotion behind the videos that are working," she said. What makes TikTok such an appealing app for readers? The answer lies in the accessibility and convenience of <a href="https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/how-tiktok-recommends-videos-for-you">the algorithm</a>. "The more you interact with certain video styles or genres of books, it lets the algorithm know to bring more of that to your For You Page, so you never ever run out of book recommendations," Blanchard said.#BookTok's community aspect also adds an empathetic dimension for readers. "Reading can be an insular activity," Siew said. "But once you've read the same book, you feel like you're in on a collective conversation." #BookTok has offered new and longtime readers all over the world the opportunity to build relationships at a time when we have never been more isolated.Will #BookTok lead to an <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-world-ahead/2020/11/17/will-2021-be-another-strong-year-for-books">industry boom for bookstores</a> that have long been struggling to compete with a digitizing world? "The advent of ebooks was harbored as the death of the written word, but it leveled out, print sales have been up," DeVito said. She's cautiously optimistic about the future of the industry, but she's definitely optimistic about how they're doing on it with TikTok. "I'm hopeful it will continue to sustain and spark interest in books," she said. Perhaps Shakespeare's early odes that the written word never dies remain true, even in the age of media.

TikTok is turning decade-old books into bestsellers for the first time as it inspires a reading renaissance

<ul class="summary-list"><li>We launched the <keyword id="9131107" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="stay-insider-sessions">Stay Insider Sessions</keyword> to connect with artists while the world practices social distancing.</li><li>Next up, <keyword id="9413657" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="girl-in-red">girl in red</keyword> (whose real name is Marie Ulven) tells us about the new <keyword id="6354530" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="music">music</keyword> she's perfecting in quarantine — and why she refuses to write a "coronavirus song."</li><li>"There will be no Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber song from me," she says. "People are literally like losing their jobs and lives and 'Stuck With U' is romanticizing this thing."</li><li>Ulven recently received praise for her song on the soundtrack for "The Turning," which was inspired by homelessness in the US — but admits she wouldn't have agreed to write it if she'd known it was for a horror movie. </li><li>"I had never read the script. I had never seen any clips from the movie," she tells us. "I realized I want to be more selective, because I want to know what I'm working for, visually."</li><li>She says she would be open to producing a soundtrack for "any good movie. Not a Marvel movie, not a DC movie. Something Timothée Chalamet would play in. He is such a great actor. I would go straight for him. I mean it."</li></ul>Insider launched the <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/stay-insider-sessions">Stay Insider Sessions</a> to connect with musicians while they, like many of us, are grappling with isolation and unprecedented downtime. Next up: girl in red.Marie Ulven has plenty of experience making music at home, alone.After all, the 21-year-old Norway native is known worldwide as girl in red: the harbinger of fiercely intimate, grainy bangers like "Girls" and "We Fell in Love in October," just two of the many songs she made in her bedroom, nestled contentedly in queer hearts everywhere.But while she's been feeling productive during self-quarantine, Ulven says she hasn't felt particularly "inspired.""I've been making songs, but mostly I've just been finishing songs that I'd already started working on," she explains, her phone propped on her folded knee, head tilted thoughtfully. "It's not like I've got the great next hit idea right now, which feels kind of shitty, but you've just got to wait for inspiration to come sometimes."Ulven had envisioned 2020 as the year of "World In Red," which is the name of her plan for indie-pop domination. So, even though the world doesn't exactly feel stimulating or exciting right now, she's got plenty of material to tinker with."I know that there is more important s--- in the world than my music, of course," she laughs self-consciously, "but I think the world still needs music. Everyone is like turning to art right now, watching movies or reading books or listening to music. Everyone is turning to things that give them meaning.""I'm not going to make any coronavirus songs though," she adds.No songs about being stuck in the house, I ask, with your partner or parents or something?"No, there will be no Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber song from me."I was alluding to it, but I wasn't going to say it."Girl," she grins, "I'll say it."<div type="image" title="girl in red interview" height="900" width="1200" msid="76415027" hostid="261"></div>Ulven, ever charming and disarmingly honest, explains that she has nothing against Grande or Bieber, or even the song itself."I don't think I've even heard the song," she muses. "But who wants to revisit the worst economic time, or this emotionally painful time, you know what I mean? People are literally like losing their jobs and lives and 'Stuck With U' is romanticizing this thing.""This is actually a disaster for a lot of people. So I definitely don't want to make a love song of it, when there's people who are dying."Still, Ulven admits that she doesn't want to put her life and career "on pause" — especially because her music has the power to make people feel less alone."I know that a lot of musicians and creators have felt the same: 'Should I be promoting myself now?' That's everybody's question, or everybody has that question on their mind," she explains."But for me right now, I don't want 'World In Red' or my concept or, just, girl in red to stop. I hope to still connect to others through music."<h2>Ulven is known for her DIY diaristic pop, but her debut album promises a more developed and mature sound</h2>Ulven adopted her all-lowercase stage name in 2017, largely because she'd already released music under her real name in Norway and wanted a fresh start. Of the stylistic choice, she says simply: "I just don't like capital letters and I still don't. They just feel very formal to me."Like many of her young, internet-raised peers —some of whom, like Clairo and Beabadoobee, she now counts as friends — Ulven found attention and acclaim by releasing music on SoundCloud and Bandcamp.Her first official single was 2018's "I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend." The very first line sees her addressing a female love interest by name."Oh, Hannah / I wanna feel you close / Oh, Hannah / Come lie with my bones," <a href="https://genius.com/Girl-in-red-i-wanna-be-your-girlfriend-lyrics">she sings</a>. "I don't wanna be your friend, I wanna kiss your lips."Ulven's sexuality is woven distinctly, yet similarly matter-of-factly, throughout her music.This elegance, combined with her raw talent, sounds a lot like the future of music — especially in a world that cares less and less about labels or traditionalism.Ulven's newest original single, "Midnight Love," is the first taste of her forthcoming debut album. It tells the story of a girl who feels used and unimportant in a relationship, finally refusing to be treated as a "consolation prize."In real life, Ulven saw herself on the opposite side of this equation. She flipped the perspective for the song, choosing to write from her ex's point of view."It took some time for me to understand that this is probably how she must have felt," Ulven explains. "I was thinking a lot more about it, rather than just experiencing it, so I had to put dots together to sort of create this narrative that would translate as hurtful for me as well, and listeners."Ulven says the cinematic, piano-dusted song is her "best work yet.""I'm actually really proud of 'Midnight Love.' Every time I say that, 'my new song, "Midnight Love,"' it sounds like I'm doing like some promo, like it's some rehearsed promo line. 'Listen to my new song, "Midnight Love!"' But actually," she laughs."I really like the line, 'I can't be your midnight love / When your silver is my gold,' because I feel like it's not cheesy. It's not too metaphoric, but it's also a little bit of that. It's just a mixture of poetry, but also being accessible in a way."Ulven's official debut album, expected later this year, will continue holding that torch."It's definitely more mature," she says of her new music. "My grandma even said it: 'Marie, you've grown so much this past year.' So I feel like my new music sort of reflects that growth, that's sort of been off-screen. Nobody has seen it because it's not really been in my music yet.""So I feel like people will definitely get to know a more mature version of me. I've been able to reflect way more on things that are not only happening on my behalf, but also understanding other people's feelings."<h2>Ulven has received praise for the song she wrote for 'The Turning,' even though she hates horror movies</h2>Ulven was approached to write a song for "The Turning," a modern take on Henry James' horror novella "The Turn of the Screw," starring "Stranger Things" actor Finn Wolfhard and "Black Mirror" favorite Mackenzie Davis — but she wasn't given any of those details."That was a bit weird. Because I had never read the script. I had never seen any clips from the movie. I didn't know anything. So I was sort of working in the dark," she says.The <a href="https://www.nme.com/news/music/girl-in-red-shares-surging-new-song-kates-not-here-2601073">song she created for the acclaimed soundtrack</a>, "Kate's Not Here," was actually inspired by the homelessness she saw while on tour in the US."I live in Norway and we have an incredibly good welfare system here. So if you lose your job and you lose everything, you still get $2,000 a month to pay rent and to live somewhere," Ulven explains. "I've never seen that many homeless people in my life. So I had this idea, I just had this line, 'Who's going to check up on you tonight? Will you be sleeping with open eyes?'""I wanted to have this sort of caring voice, this caring person talking to this girl that I had in my head, who was just roaming around, just walking around, who didn't have any place to stay.""I didn't even know it was going to be for a horror movie. I don't really like horror movies," she adds. "If I knew that, I probably would have been like, 'I don't want to do a song for a horror movie,' but it was interesting. Definitely. I ended up really liking it, but I realized I want to be more selective, because I want to know what I'm working for, visually."I mention a few soundtracks curated by artists I admire — Lorde for "The Hunger Games," Kendrick Lamar for "Black Panther" — and ask what kind of movie would convince her to take on a similar project."Any good movie. Not a Marvel movie, not a DC movie. Something Timothée Chalamet would play in," she grins. "He is such a great actor. I would go straight for him. I mean it."I agree. He and Harry Styles both seem to be having a real cultural moment."Yes! Oh my god. I love those two. They're, uh, great men. Or young fellows, young boys. I don't even know how to talk about men. Holy s---."<h2>'I'm shy when it comes to anything that's remotely about love'</h2><div type="image" title="girl in red zoom" height="900" width="1200" msid="76415028" hostid="261"></div>When I ask about other <keyword id="729067" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="LGBTQ">LGBTQ</keyword> artists that Ulven admires, she immediately replies: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoLwyWi7Z4c">"The Japanese House."</a>"So good. I love Amber Bain. I'm just waiting for her to recognize my existence."I agree, and suggest: maybe you should slide into her DMs?"Oh, dude! I'm so not going to do that. I'm not the person to slide into anyone's DMs. I'm way too shy."I don't fully believe that, and I tell her so."Well, I'm shy when it comes to anything that's remotely about love," she replies, smiling. "I'm so bad at love. I'm terrible. I'm am a bit of a romantic person, I love doing big lovey gestures, but I'm so bad with love. So I'm never going to slide into anyone's DMs.""I should probably take a love course. I need to learn how to love," she adds, before she seemed to catch herself and release a self-aware giggle. "Oh, that was a great note! That's a great note to end this on."Well, I offer, you don't seem shy to me. If anything, you project confidence."Honestly, that does help! Thank you. That boosts my confidence and my ego a lot."

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