Tag: Grammy

  • Israel Minister Reprimanded Over Gaza Nuclear ‘Option’ Comment

    Israel Minister Reprimanded Over Gaza Nuclear ‘Option’ Comment

    An Israeli minister was suspended from government meetings “until further notice” Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said, after suggesting in an interview dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza.

    The comments by Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu advocating a fierce military response to Hamas’s October 7 attacks even at the cost of the lives of hostages believed to be held in Gaza also drew rebuke from families of the captives.

    Eliyahu, an ultranationalist politician part of Netnayahu’s ruling coalition, told Israel’s Kol Barama radio he was not entirely satisfied with the scale of Israel’s retaliation in the Palestinian territory after Hamas fighters carried out their deadly attacks inside southern Israel.

    The attacks killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, Israeli officials say.

    Israel’s military campaign in Gaza since October 7 has killed 9,488 people, most of them women and children, the Hamas-run health ministry says.

    When the interviewer asked whether the Israeli minister advocated dropping “some kind of atomic bomb” on the Gaza Strip “to kill everyone”, Eliyahu replied: “That’s one option”.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office quickly responded in a statement, describing Eliyahu’s remarks as “disconnected from reality” and adding that Israel was trying to spare “non-combatants” in Gaza.

    In a follow-up question about the estimated 240 hostages held in Gaza, Eliyahu said that “in war we pay a price.”

    “Why are the lives of the hostages… more important than the lives of the soldiers?” he said.

    “International law, along with fundamental principles of human morality and common sense, strictly prohibits the use of mass destruction weapons,” it said in a statement, calling for the release of all the hostages.

    Following the outcry over his remarks, Eliyahu said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that his statement about the atomic bomb was “metaphorical”.

    He also said that Israel was “committed to doing everything possible to return the hostages safe and sound”.

    Israel has never admitted to having a nuclear bomb.

    The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum, representing relatives of people snatched to Gaza by Hamas militants, slammed Eliyahu’s “reckless and cruel” statement.

  • Lorde speaks out for Gaza, praises Palestinian singer who covered ‘Team’

    Lorde speaks out for Gaza, praises Palestinian singer who covered ‘Team’

    Grammy award winning singer Lorde has spoken out against the genocide of Gaza by encouraging her followers to protest for a ceasefire. The death toll from Israeli air strikes reached 9000 after a school in Northen Gaza was bombed, killing 20 people taking shelter there.

    Lorde shared screenshots of the protests taking place in cities across New Zealand, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

    She further shared a screenshot of an open letter signed by Jewish public figures including ‘Barbie’ actress Hari Nef and filmmaker Emma Siegelman, which condemned equating criticism of Israel to antisemitism.

    Lorde also shared a video of the viral Palestinian-American singer Nemah Hasan, who was dropped by her label for calling for an end to Israel’s oppression of Israel. In the caption, the ‘Royals’ singer wrote that she was moved by Nemah singing her song ‘Team’ to highlight the Palestinian cause:

    “I was so incredibly moved by this poignant piece. I have been frozen in grief and shock. I’m aware of the dissonance between my thoughts and the words I am able to form. I am so grateful to my Palestinian sister for reminding me why I make art- it speaks when I cannot. It fills spaces where words are inadequate. She speaks through me; I speak through her.”

    Nemah, who goes by her stage name nemasis, shared this clip to write how moved she was by Lorde’s appreciation which felt like a reward after being told to remain silent on Palestine by others.

    “after being dropped by my new label for speaking up against the occupation of my homeland Palestine i was insecure. it was suggested to cooling down the pro-Palestinian posts. i didn’t stop. i kept going. i had nothing left to lose & i’m so happy i didn’t give into the pressure.”

  • Six universities are now offering courses on Taylor Swift

    Six universities are now offering courses on Taylor Swift

    ‘Well they didn’t teach you that in prep school so it’s up to me!”

    Looks like Taylor Swift has decided to take this lyric literally and influenced more than six universities across America, including NYU and Stanford, are introducing courses revolving around the pop mastermind and her works, ranging from literature to psychology.

    Arizona State University announced this month that they were offering a course titled “Psychology of Taylor Swift — Advanced Topics of Social Psychology” where the course revolves around connecting various themes from Taylor’s music like revenge, trauma, anxiety- and link it to psychology. PHD student Alexandra Wormey used Swift 2017 album ‘Reputation’ as an example:

    “Taylor’s sixth album, Reputation, is her comeback after disappearing from the spotlight due to conflicts with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. She enacts her revenge on them — and the broader media landscape — by dropping an incredibly successful album along with a stadium tour,” she explained. “The students know this — but do they know why we like revenge? Do they know how we enact revenge? Social psychology can tell us.”

    This decision to incorporate the singer-songwriter’s ballads into academic life has long started with places like New York University, when in 2022 the Clive Davis Institute introduced their first ever course on Taylor Swift, which will explore her evolution as a songstress, country, pop and indie legend, as well discourses surrounding girlhood, sexism and trauma from her work. The course is three months long, and Swift had also been invited as a guest speaker.

    In August 2022, University of Texas at Austin introduced “Literary Contests and Contexts — The Taylor Swift Songbook”, where the 12 time Grammy award winning’s music would be studied alongside the masters of literature like Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath.

    There are courses dedicated to dissecting some of her most critically acclaimed songs like ‘All Too Well’ (10 minute version) which Taylor had released on Red (Taylor’s Version). Stanford University announced the set up of their winter quarter course ‘All Too Well (10 week version)’ which would revolve around an in-depth analysis of Taylor’s hit.

    Berkley College of Music recently announced that the students could opt for a course that requires them to study the songs written by Taylor Swift and dissect each album and the themes it revolved around.

    And it’s not just the US now which is offering Taylor Swift courses now! Ghent University in Belgium called ‘Literature: Taylor’s Version’ which, according to the instructor Elly McCausland, would delve into how the ‘Anti Hero’ singer incoporates some of the most prominent writers of English literture like Jane Austen, Shakespeare or even Charlotte Bronte into her works.

    “The way she uses the war, like a metaphor for a relationship, made me a bit uncomfortable and it got me thinking about Sylvia Plath’s poem Daddy, which does a similar thing and also it’s very uncomfortable reading,” the academic said speaking to AFP. “Literature (Taylor’s Version)”, is a way to make literature “more accessible” and “not to create a Swift fan club”.

  • ‘Beyond thrilled’: Arooj Aftab becomes first-ever Pakistani to bag prestigious Grammy award

    ‘Beyond thrilled’: Arooj Aftab becomes first-ever Pakistani to bag prestigious Grammy award

    Brooklyn-based Pakistani vocalist Arooj Aftab on Sunday scored her first Grammy, winning a prestigious trophy for her song Mohabbat in the Best Global Performance category.

    The 37-year-old crooner who has lived in New York for some a decade and a half has been steadily gaining global attention for her work that fuses ancient Sufi traditions with inflections of folk, jazz, and minimalism.

    She’s also up for the coveted Best New Artist prize, which will be presented during the main Grammy telecast later Sunday.

    The artist told journalists backstage at the pre-gala ceremony, at which the vast majority of awards are handed out. “I am beyond thrilled, it feels great.”

    “I’ve been very nervous all day. And we’re off to a good start.”

    Born to Pakistani parents in Saudi Arabia, Aftab spent her teenage years in Lahore before relocating to Boston’s prestigious Berklee School of Music to study music production and engineering.

    She released her third studio album “Vulture Prince” to critical acclaim, and gained even more attention after former US President Barack Obama included the track Mohabbat on his 2021 summer favorites list.

    Aftab has performed at a number of major New York venues including Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, also opening for Mitski at The Brooklyn Steel in 2018.

    Speaking to AFP in the days leading up to the Grammys, Aftab praised her fellow artists nominated for Best New Artist, a crop that includes favorite Olivia Rodrigo along with rappers Saweetie and The Kid Laroi.

    “We’re all so cool — the group itself is kind of like a win,” she said.

    Earlier in November 2021, the Mehram star became the first Pakistani to receive a Grammy nomination.

    Arooj was nominated for the Best Global Music Performance and Best New Artist category which is described as a “category that recognises an artist whose release achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.”

    Other artists nominated for the same award were Jimmie Allen, Baby Keem, FINNEAS, Glass Animals, Japanese Breakfast, The Kid LAROI, Arlo Parks, Olivia Rodrigo, and Saweetie.

    Based in Brooklyn, Aftab has three solo albums to her credit. Her latest release is Vulture Prince. According to a profile published by a music app, the album is about “revisiting places that I’ve called mine,” said Aftab, “Places that don’t necessarily exist anymore. It’s about people, friendships, relationships.”

    A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Aftab established herself as an indie artist by covering Amir Zaki’s Mera Pyar and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. She promoted her music online in Pakistan and taught herself to play the guitar.

    Aftab has been nominated for her track Mohabbat. The song also made it to former US president Barack Obama’s summer playlist. As soon as Grammy nominations were announced, messages of support and love started pouring in for the artist.

    Singer Fifi Haroon showed her excitement for Aftab on Twitter.

    Veteran singer Hadiqa Kiani also celebrated Aftab’s nomination and urged her followers to listen to the artist’s music.

    Singer and song-writer Fakhr-e-Alam also congratulated Aftab on her achievement.

    Taking to Twitter, the singer has expressed her joy, saying: “Shock, awe, and happiness.”

    Arooj Aftab also shared her memorable moments on Instagram of the awards show where she met with other Grammy winners and the popular Korean pop group, BTS.

  • Arooj Aftab first Pakistani artist to perform at Coachella with mega stars

    Arooj Aftab first Pakistani artist to perform at Coachella with mega stars

    Grammy-nominated Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab has announced that she will be performing on April 15 at the music festival Coachella in California.

    ‘Mohabbat’ singer is also going to be the first Pakistani artist to be performing at the American art and music festival. The news comes after she revealed that she will make her first Coke Studio appearance this season.

    Aftab shared a list of artists who will be performing on the first day of the festival on two weekends including Harry Styles, Lil baby, Daniel Caesar, Phoebe Bridgers, Big Sean.

    The music festival has returned after a three-year break due to Covid-19. Coachella is one of the largest, most famous, and most profitable music festivals in the world.

    After the announcement, Pakistan celebrities came forwards to congratulate the artist.