Taylor Swift announces new album, The Life of a Showgirl
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CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
This foundation is helping 2SLGBTQ+ artists kick-start their careers
For many 2SLGBTQ+ artists, a successful music career can seem like a distant goal. With increasingly discriminatory laws and policies around identity, general harassment and lack of safety, the hurdles often feel insurmountable. It's why producer and DJ Velvet Code founded the You Do You Foundation: to give 2SLGBTQ+ musicians a chance to thrive. Velvet Code is a music producer and DJ from Burketon, Ont., who now calls Toronto home. He's known for his work with Lady Gaga and drag artists including Icesis Couture, and he founded music label and entertainment company So Fierce Music in 2020. When the pandemic hit, Velvet Code realized that he wanted to give back to his community, and saw the need for an organization that would help kick-start the music careers of 2SLGBTQ+ artists. "I started receiving a number of emails when I started So Fierce Music," he said. "Those emails were deeply troubling at times when people were telling me about the lack of funding, the lack of opportunities and how artists were being discriminated against and marginalized." Velvet Code started the You Do You Foundation in 2021 to support 2SLGBTQ+ artists facing hurdles including mental health challenges and barriers to inclusivity. It has offered mentorship on social media and finances, and given artists access to producers and recording opportunities. "As a queer, gender-fluid music artist and producer, I live the unique struggles and triumphs of 2SLGBTQIA+ and QBIPOC creators firsthand," he added, "and You Do You Foundation exists to help ease those struggles and provide the necessary tools to future proof artists for a better life." The foundation's first cohort of six mentees has just completed the program, and you can meet them all below. Velvet Code has just started mentoring a second cohort of queer artists, with hopes for funding to continue his work. He's also hoping to build the Fierce and Fabulous Expo, with a launch slated for Toronto's 2026 Pride. Seyoncé Knows Seyoncé Knows has been working as a drag performer in Toronto for eight years. They have been featured on the drag competition show Call Me Mother but, despite this success, have felt the pressure of being an alternative, " extra-large medium" drag artist up against mainstream performers. "Everyone has their specific niche idea of what drag is," Seyoncé Knows shared. "I've realized that drag can be literally anything. I've run with that and the people who like it, really like it, and some people don't understand that — and that's OK." Seyoncé Knows worked through these barriers with You Do You while expanding their music career. You Do You guided Seyoncé through social media marketing, taught them business acumen, and allowed them to step into a recording booth for the first time. The organization also helped Seyoncé Knows research programs for additional support to make more music. Océane Aqua-Black Océane Aqua-Black grew up outside of Quebec City, and only experienced a gay bar for the first time after moving to the city. In 2014, while dancing in a club, she was asked if she would be willing to try drag. When Océane Aqua-Black finally said yes, the response was so intense that she was hired on as a paid performer. She has now been doing drag for 21 years, and her talent even landed her a spot on Canada's Drag Race — though she was sent home after a singing competition. "That gave me the kick to look for people who could make me improve if I wanted to sing again," Océane Aqua-Black said. You Do You helped Océane Aqua-Black produce, write and record, leading to her first two singles. She has gone on to record a full-length album, Shameless, which will come out this fall. It includes almost 30 tracks, laying bare Océane Aqua-Black's personality, identity and experience as a Black drag queen and queer person. She also wants to dismantle the idea that she's unable to perform to the calibre of a thinner drag queen: " I dance my ass off. It's not because I am a bigger size that I'm unable to do this and that. I want to destroy those ideas." Having felt tokenized in her work, Océane Aqua-Black created the show Black Excellence Superstars, featuring and celebrating only Black drag queens, which sold out to more than 600 attendees in 2024. With the help of Velvet Code, Océane hopes to tour the show globally. Lady Nova After 12 years of singing, Lady Nova started doing drag in 2022, which allowed her to pursue sewing, makeup and more creative outlets. Unfortunately, a few months into performing in Toronto's gay village, Lady Nova tore her ACL. She performed while sitting to work around her injury, which led to experimenting with her voice. "I would take my crutches, go to the gig, sit down on the stool and I would sing my songs and just try to make it work," she said. Velvet Code saw Lady Nova perform and encouraged her to apply for the You Do You Foundation. With its help, Nova has built a new skillset and said she's felt different while performing — and thoroughly enjoys it. She plans to work on an EP, and could see herself crafting a one-woman show as Lady Nova. Brayo Bryans Brayo Bryans is a multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, singer-songwriter and activist originally from Uganda, now based in Toronto. His work spans music, film, photography and live-event hosting, often within the themes of identity, resilience and liberation, which are inspired by his lived experience as a queer refugee. He helped organize Uganda's first Pride event, and used music and visual arts as tools for visibility and resistance. Bryans is signed to So Fierce Music, and has been rebuilding his artistic career since moving to Canada, while continuing his advocacy. "The You Do You Foundation has been an incredible support system," he shared. "They've helped amplify my story through their platform, creating visibility at a time when I was still finding my footing in Canada. Beyond that, they've offered genuine encouragement — reminding me that my voice matters, and that there's a place for my art". Jaymze Harvey Jaymze Harvey has been recording music since the late '90s, and feels it is a fundamental part of his being: as a survivor of domestic abuse, music has helped him heal. He was in the middle of a 10-year hiatus when he discovered the You Do You Foundation. "It wasn't a healthy environment for me to do music or to concentrate on it," Harvey said. "I was also my nana's primary caregiver for 16 years, and as her health declined, I stopped performing." While dealing with so much, Harvey found it hard to believe in himself. Through various workshops, You Do You and Velvet Code supported Harvey out of his hiatus, and made him feel like he could get back into music and market himself. "I'm so grateful because it covered not just social media," said Harvey. "There was songwriting, production as well and marketing." Harvey wrote two songs, which Velvet Code produced, and is currently working on an EP. Samantha Campbell P.E.I.-based musician Samantha Campbell wanted to take her time building her music career. She has dealt with multiple traumas and addiction for years, and eventually received multiple mental health diagnoses, including anxiety, depression, and bipolar II disorder. Music is where she turned to heal, and going slowly was important. " Let's move at a slow pace, and make sure everything's done right," she explained. The You Do You Foundation helped Campbell afford to record her songs. She worked on them remotely with Velvet Code, and is hoping to finish her album and possibly play some East Coast music festivals, including Cavendish Beach Music Festival.
National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
NBA all-star goes viral after struggling to use a can opener for an hour on Instagram Live
There aren't many people in the world who can do on the basketball court what Tyrese Maxey can do. Article content Prowess in the kitchen, however, is a completely different story. Article content Article content In fact, if you can use a can opener, you have the Philadelphia 76ers star beat. Article content And, while many people probably would keep their struggle with a simple kitchen tool to themselves or use a search engine for a quick answer, Maxey showed that he has no problem asking for help from his followers. Article content Article content In fact, the Sixers star went on Instagram Live for an hour asking for help to use his can opener, explaining he was trying to feed his dogs. Article content 'I don't even get on (IG) Live, but I need your help. I need to feed my dogs. Normally (my) chef helps me use the can opener for my dogs. Tell me what I need to do,' he said Monday night. 'Somebody on here, help me out. Show me how to work this thing.' Article content Tyrese Maxey on live trying to use a can opener for the first time to feed his dogs 😂😂 "Everybody over here trying to laugh, I'm being so serious. Everybody's gone. Myra's gone, chef's gone, my mom's not here. I'm trying to open this can." Tyrese, we've all been there fam... — Vince Wolfram (@vincewolfram15) August 11, 2025 Article content Article content Maxey then tried using the bottom of the can opener on the top of the can, twisting the handle to no avail. Article content Article content The 2023-24 NBA most improved player shared that his mother, his girlfriend and his personal chef all weren't around, adding he didn't know how to use the item because he 'spent all (his) life working out.' Article content ''Dude doesn't know how to use a can opener?' No, I don't. Sorry,' he said after reading on of the stream's comments. 'I spent all my life working out … Everybody over here trying to laugh, I'm being so serious. Everybody's gone. Article content '(Girlfriend) Myra's gone, chef's gone, my mom's not here. I'm trying to open this can.' Article content Maxey continued to struggle with the can opener and even tried flipping the can upside down at one point. Article content He also posted on X that he had been 'in the lab' since May 13 and was hoping to enjoy a couple of days off. Article content Many followers pointed out that a fire alarm in Maxey's kitchen had been chirping, to which he said he would try to fix that as well. Article content I've been in the lab since may 13th no break … i got two days off time to have some fun 😂 — Tyrese Maxey (@TyreseMaxey) August 11, 2025
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
How to watch Taylor Swift's first appearance on the Kelces' ‘New Heights' podcast
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, right, appears with singer Taylor Swift after the Chiefs victory over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game in Kansas City, Mo., on Jan. 26, 2025. (Charlie Riedel / AP Photo) NEW YORK — Taylor Swift's latest era is almost upon us. The superstar isn't just releasing new music — she's appearing Wednesday on 'New Heights' for the first time. Part of the rollout for Tuesday's announcement of 'The Life of a Showgirl' involved the popular, typically football-focused podcast hosted by Travis Kelce — Swift's boyfriend and Kansas City Chiefs tight end — and his brother, Jason Kelce, the former Philadelphia Eagles center. The show teased 'a special episode with a VERY special guest' on social media Monday, sharing an orange background and a mysterious silhouette that many believed to be Swift. It turned out to be true, the show's social media accounts confirmed later, at the same time Swift announced her 12th studio album. Here's everything you need to know about Swift's episode. How to watch — or listen to — Taylor Swift on the 'New Heights' podcast Swift's episode of the 'New Heights' podcast will premiere at 7 p.m. Eastern. It will be available to stream in full on YouTube. Fans who would prefer to listen to the show, instead, can do so via most podcast-streaming platforms: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Audible, Spotify and Wondery, which produces the show, among them. Episodes can run up to two hours. It is unclear how long Swift's episode will be or how long she will be present. What we know about Taylor Swift's episode Not a whole lot. After the initial tease, the podcast shared a short video clip to its social media platforms early Tuesday. In it, Swift told the Kelce brothers she wanted to show them something, revealing a mint-green briefcase that featured her initials in orange. Jason Kelce asked what's in it, prompting her to pull out a vinyl record with a blurred cover. 'This is my brand new album, 'The Life of a Showgirl,'' she shared. Soon afterward, the 'New Heights' podcast shared another clip featuring Swift to tease Wednesday's episode. In it, Swift complimented the color of Travis Kelce's sweatshirt, who responded, 'It's the color of your eyes, sweetie. It's why we match so well.' Swift retorted, 'We're about to do a (expletive) podcast.' Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
