new words
NME: I. Jordan – ‘I Am Jordan’ review: dancefloor don uplifts with self-empowering bangers
On their long-awaited debut, Doncaster's I. Jordan pays tribute to trans joy in electric style
Metal Hammer: How grime-punk duo Bob Vylan became one of the UK's unlikely success stories
How London-based grime-punks Bob Vylan defied the odds, bagged a historic MOBO and are refusing to compromise on, well, just about anything
GAY TIMES: Towa Bird is a new kind of American hero
The British-Filipino musician on making the ultimate sapphic sex song, touring with Reneé Rapp and getting matching tattoos with Deb Never in East Hollywood.
GAY TIMES: For Fletcher, love isn’t the drug – it’s the antidote
The New Jersey singer-songwriter discusses the complexities of healing, reuniting with Shannon Beveridge, and her sophomore album, In Search Of The Antidote
Cosmo: Our festive experience-generator has winter nights sorted
Selection boxes at the ready. Our interactive quiz will reveal the chilly-season event that will add some festive sparkle to your December
Digital Spy: 5 must-watch Christmas movies, from retro classics to new releases
Get firmly into the seasonal spirit with this festive selection box
Kerrang!: Who the hell is lozeak?
Meet lozeak: the alt-pop sensation with ‘no plan B’ who has already caught the attention of Bring Me The Horizon and Frank Carter.
CLASH: Gracie Abrams cover story
Gracie Abrams is the fourth face of Clash Issue 124.
The Independent: How Taylor Swift mastered the singer-songwriter blueprint
Ahead of her 10th record, ‘Midnights’, Zoya Raza-Sheikh explores how Swift’s songwriting is the secret to her success
Kerrang!: How Ms. Marvel encouraged me to revisit my Pakistani roots
Disney+ breakout Muslim superhero series Ms. Marvel put me on a path of uncovering my family’s partition story and reconnecting with my ancestry
Rolling Stone UK: WILLOW wants you to be the beautiful, amazing person you’re meant to be
The Gen Z alt rockstar delves into the mystery and meaning behind her high-octane new record, ‘Coping Mechanism’
gal-dem: ‘Weirdo’ is the bold zine uplifting alternative South Asian voices in music and beyond
Naz Toorabally talks Zoya Raza-Sheikh through why she created a zine by and for all the South Asian punks, goths, metalheads and weirdos
GAY TIMES: MUNA: “We want to be the band we wished for when we were younger”
Newly signed to Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Record, the queer pop trio discuss their new album and the sanctity of MUNA
The Independent:
From SwiftTok to #Taylurking: How Taylor Swift redefined online fandom
As the global superstar releases Red (Taylor’s Version) and takes back control of her reputation, Zoya Raza-Sheikh talks to die-hard Swifties about how she paved the way for her legacy with a lot of help from social media fans
Kerrang!: Oli Sykes: “Rock and alternative is in the best place ever. I feel like it’s where it’s meant to be”
With Bring Me The Horizon bringing together their favourite bands for their recent Malta weekender, we grab frontman Oli Sykes for a sit-down in the sun to chat about the state of the scene, emo-futurism, and the next generation…
Kerrang!: Bimini: “To walk out onstage in a 40-inch wig, a high-rise thong, and f*cking perform Prodigy feels great”
Ahead of making her Download Festival debut this weekend, Bimini Bon Boulash talks recruiting an all-queer band, why Princess Diana is punk, and how Green Day inspired her old email address…
Kerrang!: Who the hell is renforshort?
Meet renforshort: the Canadian alt.pop star creating viral anthems through unapologetic storytelling…
CRACK: Digital artist WEBB on NFTs
"A self-described Black Mirror hacker turned artist, Thomas Webb – who produces visual art under the mononym WEBB – works with NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and AI curation.”
The Independent: ‘It’s the beginning of a new era’: the POC punk bands reclaiming pop-punk’
Punk has long been white and male-dominated, but a new wave of rising stars like Meet Me @ The Altar, The Tuts, and Proper. are putting paid to that
GAY TIMES: Queering Nostalgia: LGBTQ+ representation in a new era of TV reboots
Reboots, remakes and reimaginings are all the rage right now. Here’s a breakdown of how nostalgia has swept through LGBTQ+ shows.
i-D: Skateboobs are the femxle Scottish crew tackling skate sexism on TikTok
"The point is you can be a womxn and reach any level you want. You can be a queer womxn and you will be welcomed and find your people."
VICE: Seven Must-See LGBTQ+ Films to Watch This Lockdown
Good news: none of them have anything to do with white women living in the movies1800s
GAY TIMES: How Tik Tok Became the Gen Z tool of LGBTQ+ Education
Tik Tok has transformed into a place of education and self-discovery helping to reclaim the queer experience online
Cosmo: The truth about being single and buying your own home
Three single women share their home-buying experiences.
NME: How Posthumous Rap Became Big Business
The late Juice WRLD's 'Legends Never Die' made history, the latest in a long line of records from artists gone too young. Why are these releases so successful? Zoya Raza-Sheikh investigates
i-D: "The kids know what they're doing": Protesters on 50 years of LGBT+ activism
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.
GAY TIMES: Pale Waves are ready to show the world who they truly are
Digital cover: Heather Baron-Gracie and Ciara Doran open up about rediscovering themselves during a pandemic and how their identities shaped their Avril Lavigne-inspired second album.
NME: New TV shows like ‘Churails’ are helping Muslim representation turn a corner
There's a long way to go, but several recent series are fighting back against Islamophobic telly.
Metro: By introducing local lockdowns three hours before Eid, the Government unfairly penalised Muslims
Imagine: you’re chatting to your uni mates over Zoom about how tiring it’s been job-hunting during the Covid-19 pandemic – but at least you’ve got Eid to look forward to.
CLASH: FLETCHER is speaking her truth
Up close with the pop provocateur...
Cosmo: 5 of the best British dramas on NOW TV
From jaw-dropping explosions to gritty rivalries.
VICE: My Language Doesn't Have the Terminology to Describe Who I Am
English vocabulary is evolving with our understanding of LGBTQ+ identities, but its dominance risks alienating older languages.
gal-dem: Paramore’s Hayley Williams showed me self-expression was invaluable
With Paramore’s Hayley Williams releasing her debut solo work, Zoya Raza-Sheikh considers how the artist helped her find self-expression in the face of suppressed teenage emotions.
NME: LGBTQ+ romcoms are thriving online – so why aren’t the big studios interested?
Released on streaming platforms, 'Dating Amber' and 'The Half Of It' are part of a new wave of queer comedies.
NME: 2020’s Emmy nominations are a win for LGBTQ+ shows – but we shouldn’t stop here
There were plenty of positives this year, but the trans community - and 'Pose' cast - deserved better.
GAY TIMES: Leo Baker is the trans non-binary skateboarder paving the way for queer, underrepresented communities
Digital cover: Leo doesn’t want to be labelled as a trans trailblazer or a skateboarding activist; he’s just trying to live authentically as himself.
The Forty-Five: Lynn Gunn interview
Ahead of their highly anticipated third album ‘Use Me’, Zoya Raza-Sheikh chats to Pvris’ lead-singer Lynn Gunn about the band’s future plans, finding her voice, and debunking the troubled artist trope.
The Forty-Five: Pillow Queens interview
Ahead of their debut album ‘In Waiting’, Zoya Raza-Sheikh chats to vocalist Sarah Corcoran and lead guitarist Pamela Connolly about the band’s optimistic ambitions, their evolution in sound, and coming together during a turbulent time in Irish politics.