New Reports On Justin And Hailey Bieber's Relationship
On July 11, Justin released a surprise album, Swag, featuring guests like Gunna, Sexyy Red, Lil B, Cash Cobain, and more. Dijon and Eddie Benjamin were also featured on the album and worked alongside Justin on the production.
It's been more than four years since his sixth album, Justice, and the EP Freedom, and it was well worth the wait because Swag is an album reportedly made on his terms. It's an experimental blend of pop and R&B that's personal, raw, and dare I say — swaggie.
According to a source obtained by People, the 31-year-old Grammy winner and his wife, the founder of Rhode, are in celebration mode in honor of the album's creation — a project that rose from the ashes of a tumultuous last few months of rumors and speculation.
"Hailey was by Justin's side for the whole creation of the album," the source told the publication. "Everyone knows Justin as a star and a performer. They now get to know the artist that Hailey has known all these years."
Justin apparently had a new creative process where he got to "run his own show" by selecting his producers and musicians, and only used "stripped-down" live vocals.
"Hailey supported Justin to follow his artistic instincts," the source adds. "She helped him to trust himself and do what Justin knew he wanted to do as an artist."
People reported that the source felt like Justin could create the album he wanted after significantly changing his career, regaining control of his creative direction, and parting with his former manager, Scooter Braun.
On July 12, Rolling Stone reported that Justin had no regrets parting ways with his former manager. Justin and Scooter had worked together for over 15 years before ending their business relationship in 2023. "Breaking away from Scooter Braun and his team has been something that Justin has wanted for so long, and now that he's fully free, he could finally share this album with his fans and with the world," a source told the publication.
"Having full creative freedom, sadly, is something new for him as an artist," the source continued. "Not having to stress about creating the perfect single, or perfect album, allowed for him to create the best body of music he's ever made."
While Justin's busy celebrating his release alongside Hailey and their son Jack Blues, Scooter supported Swag in a post on his Instagram Stories. "Been having a beautiful start to the weekend and been getting a lot of texts about how I feel about Justin's new album," Scooter wrote. "So I will just leave this here.. This is without a doubt, the most authentically Justin Bieber album to date. It's beautiful, raw, and truly him. And that matters."
Scooter continued, "I've had the privilege of witnessing his growth for almost two decades. Along every journey, there comes a time when an artist fully steps into their own — and that's what he's done here. He's poured his soul into this project, and you can feel it in every single run.""The way he chose to release it is just as intentional as the music itself — and I'm happy to see him do it this way. I have played no roll in this one, but as someone who's always believed in him, I'm incredibly proud and impressed and genuinely enjoying the music," he said.
On July 10, another source told People that Swag was supposed to be a "darker, more vulnerable and less polished" album compared to his previous work. But, dark and vulnerable doesn't mean it's "depressing."
I've already listened to the album five times with no skips. Justin took back control of his narrative from all the gossip, speculation, haters, and being constantly stalked by paparazzi.
Congratulations, Justin! The album is 🔥.
We reached out to Justin and Hailey's team for further comment, and we'll let you know if we hear back.
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Chicago Tribune
14 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Review: Alabama Shakes is back, reuniting for a Chicago audience outdoors at Salt Shed
Why rush the pace on a warm, humid evening? Alabama Shakes eased into its first scheduled show in eight years Tuesday at the outside Fairgrounds at Salt Shed. Performing the opening of a two-night stand and their first local gig since 2016, the reunited rock 'n' roll band received a warm welcome from a packed crowd. It returned the favor throughout a 90-minute concert that contained a few surprises sprinkled amid the familiar. In news that will shock no one, vocalist-guitarist Brittany Howard led the way. Wearing a smart pair of glasses and a hybrid overalls-dress ensemble, she flashed an ear-to-ear smile and openly channeled enthusiasm. And while the 36-year-old belter largely skipped the banter, she expressed gratitude in multiple ways, from blowing kisses to taking formal bows. Happy to be playing with her old friends, she evoked a small-town native who, after moving to the big city for a stretch as a young adult, gladly returned home to comfortable surroundings. While she's been receiving critical acclaim for her solo excursions, Howard looked jazzed to re-engage with her former mates and resurrect long-dormant songs. Save for a surprise one-off event in Alabama last December, the group has been on indefinite hiatus since early 2018. During the break, the two other current permanent members maintained a low profile. But former drummer Steve Johnson dealt with domestic violence issues and was arrested for suspicion of child abuse, a charge subsequently dropped. He's no longer with the band. Alabama Shakes keeps picking Chicago for key stops. During a spring 2015 tour well in advance of its sophomore 'Sound & Color' LP, the band previewed all the album's songs in a Chicago Theatre show for an audience unacquainted with the material. Months later, the group upped the ante with a celebrated set at Lollapalooza. Howard later chose the city to launch her 2024 tour at Thalia Hall with a pair of winter concerts that preceded the release of her most recent effort, the Grammy-nominated 'What Now.' 'What now' for Alabama Shakes is the past, and a small taste of the future. At this show, with pressure and anticipations at a peak, some spots of rust understandably emerged. Ditto a handful of pragmatic choices that can easily be amended and improved as things evolve. Namely, the flow of the set, which at times sagged, and the arrangement of the band onstage. The interplay between Howard and guitarist Heath Fogg helps separate the Alabama Shakes from many lesser bands. But by placing the primarily immobile Fogg behind and to the side of her front-and-center position, the group shut itself off from some spontaneous opportunities. Often, Alabama Shakes Version 2.0 bordered on being too cautious for a band that last issued new original music a decade ago. Chalk up the buttoned-down tactics to nerves, perhaps, or the simple desire to get their sea legs back. Whatever the reason, Howard and company never worked their fare into a sweaty lather or sustained any explosive energy longer than one tune. Three auxiliary instrumentalists (drummer Noah Bond, organist Ben Tanner, keyboardist Paul Horton) and a trio of backing vocalists fleshed out the arrangements, yet this inaugural showing favored restored symmetry over reignited chemistry. An abundance of diligent textures and delicate balladry, a shortage of let-it-all-hang-out looseness and fiery intensity. Of course, with Howard as the center of attention, sparks still flew. Present her a song and she'll stamp it with sincerity, personality and soul. Make that an extra helping of the latter. In complete control, Howard demonstrated a mega-watt range that veered from a quiet, ultra-high register only canines might detect to low, throaty howls that would command the respect of a street tough. She appreciated the role of subtlety, and the rule of 'less is more.' Howard preferred simmer to boil, sugar to sass, and never lacked spunk. Her alteration of one syllable in a verse or chorus usually changed the temperature of the song, and prompted the rhythms to follow suit. Bond and bassist Zac Cockrell held down the low end with workmanlike aptitude, leaving plenty of room for bluesy fills, fuzz-distortion accents and pregnant pauses to enter undetected. For all their graduate-level knowledge of roots rock, vintage R&B and Southern boogie, Alabama Shakes served notice they're just as much students of the art of the build — and of how tension inherently begets deeper grooves. Howard essentially narrated the approach on 'Hold On,' whose steady purr, knee-bending flexibility and slight funkiness contributed to its fabulous sense of restraint — to say nothing of its verbal push-pull tug between patience and pleasure, increasingly relevant in an age where instant gratification reigns supreme. Indicative of the title, 'Dunes' rose and fell akin to a coastal landscape, its ebbing melody threatening to drift away and requiring the band to reel it back as the three-piece vocal choir repeated the refrain. At other times, Howard pushed her singing until it teetered on an imaginary ledge, peering over precipices at once exhilarating and dangerous. Delivered in a scratchy tone, 'Don't Wanna Fight' strutted and swaggered even as it briefly snuck inside a disco club. Framed as a sentimental hymn, 'This Feeling' floated through static-charged air as Howard's soft, breathy shiver twined with minimalist percussion and twinkling keys. A waltzing 'Gimme All Your Love' found the singer begging and demanding, and tempos that bounced between similar extremes. The Alabama Shakes chased synesthesia on the big-sky shimmer of 'Sound & Color,' yet the brand-new 'Another Life' registered a more formidable impression. Its slinky, stacked-block architecture ultimately gave way to Howard testifying and a stomping outro. Another apparent debut, the haunted 'American Dream,' waded into psychedelic territories via dissonant elements and clashing themes. All told, a solid start to an Act 2 that needs a few tweaks — including the exchange of some mellow fare ('Someday,' 'Over My Head') for a couple of garage-rock howlers sitting on the shelf ('Heavy Chevy,' 'The Greatest'). Or an occasional stab at a rollicking cover or an attempt at a cut from Howard's side-project hardcore band, Kumite. Those shifts would grant Howard extra chances to turn her head from side to side, throw her head back and visibly vibrate with excitement. All signs of an impending eruption of uncontainable emotion and fierce determination. In the world of Alabama Shakes, that's always from the Salt Shed Fairgrounds on July 15: 'Future People' 'Don't Wanna Fight' 'I Ain't the Same' 'I Found You' 'Guess Who' 'Hang Loose' 'Hold On' 'This Feeling' 'Dunes' 'Another Life' (unreleased) 'Gimme All Your Love' 'Over My Head' 'Rise to the Sun' 'Shoegaze' 'Drive By Baby' 'Be Mine' 'American Dream' (unreleased) 'Gemini' Encore 'Sound & Color' 'Someday' 'Always Alright'
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How Lionel Boyce and Ayo Edebiri Wrote ‘The Bear' Season 4's Standout Episode
Lionel Boyce is almost surprisingly soft-spoken and mild-mannered, just like the quietly dedicated pastry chef he plays on The Bear. But Boyce swears he and Marcus Brooks are not that similar. With four seasons of playing the character under his belt — complete with a 2024 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor — he's quick to parse the nuances of where they overlap. 'Marcus is much more of a perfectionist than me,' Boyce clarifies over Zoom from Los Angeles. 'But being reliable and having people's backs is something we share.' More from Rolling Stone 'The Bear' Renewed For Season 5: Will Carmy Be Back? 'The Bear' Season 4 Finale Leaves Us With Plenty to Chew On 'The Bear' Season 4 Goes Big and Goes Small in Two Very Special Episodes. Both Work So when Boyce's co-star Ayo Edebiri, who plays Chef Sydney in the series, called him up one night with an idea for a new episode, Boyce stayed on the call, talking through his opinions, instincts, and honest thoughts on her plans. After the two hung up, he got a text from Edebiri asking him to co-write the episode. 'I ultimately said yes, but I was reluctant,' Boyce says. 'It was a scary thing to me, because even though I've written with friends and done my own things, I've never written on a show that was already on. I was like, 'This is a ship that's working. And I don't need to insert myself.' That's all I could think about.' What sold him? That mutual spirit he shares with Marcus, the same one that's made his character a fan favorite — being the gentle but steadfast voice of support in people's corners. The end result is the slow-moving yet captivating fourth episode of Season Four. Directed by Janicza Bravo (Zola), 'Worms' follows Sydney on a rare day off. Her hair isn't braided, she hasn't made a decision about whether to stay at The Bear or go work with chef Adam Shapiro on a new project, and reminder … her hair isn't braided. The long day ahead is only made longer when her braider and cousin Chantel (Danielle Deadwyler) runs out to buy more hair halfway through the process, leaving Sydney alone with her daughter TJ (Arion King) in a house empty of food. The episode is a humble (in all the best ways) slice-of-life snapshot — specifically, of Black life in a part of Chicago rarely shown in the series, which is otherwise hyperfocused on the Berzatto family on the city's north side. There's the tender way Sydney and TJ guide each other, first through a recipe, and then through upcoming big decisions (whether to attend a sleepover for one, whether to change jobs for the other). There's code switching, strict Black parenting, and plenty of jokes about just how long it takes to install a full head of box braids, giving another rare glimpse into Sydney's life outside of the chaotic kitchen. But the genius of 'Worms' also lies in how deftly Boyce and Edebiri lay out some of the most treasured and joyous parts of Black community onscreen without explaining them to death. The Bear is a show about all of the different ways a group of strangers can become family. 'Worms' turns that same silliness, banter, and heartwarming energy radical, by placing the Black home in a place of soft reverence. Boyce chatted with Rolling Stone about his first experience co-writing an episode, the timeless (and time-intensive) process of a hair day, and how Marcus is going to handle that crazy season finale. It's been almost two weeks since Season Four of premiered. How are you feeling? Like anything with creation, it's made in a bubble. You can have all these ideas before, but once it's out in the world, your ideas no longer matter, and it takes on a life of its own. It's organic. So it's cool seeing the things that people respond to, what's sticking out. It always goes back to the romantic things people put on the show. It's always expected, but I feel like this year it came back even stronger than it was in Season One. So I thought that was funny. Are you thinking of the loud and proud fans who think that Carmy and Syd should be in a romantic relationship, or the people who think Marcus and Chef Luca could give it a go? Oh, all of that. People will make fan edits. It's just funny how people have made up their minds, like, 'This is what should be.' Romance aside, this is the first season where you've co-written an episode. What made you interested in contributing in that way? I wanted to support Ayo, because I truly loved the idea and where it was going. It just seemed like so much fun. But it also just seemed like a different kind of challenge. That was enough of a reason for me to [try] my hand at it, because I hadn't done it before. I really enjoyed writing it with Ayo. It's just cool when you get to experience that with a friend. It's like playing tennis. Just back and forth and building on ideas — even the ones you discard, it's just functioning in a way that's so easy. What do you think audiences get when they see this day off for Syd that they wouldn't see in the kitchen? It's the exhale. Seeing how it looks for her to be relaxed. I think that came in large part from Janicza, Ayo, Danielle, and Arion. Getting everyone on board really brought it to life. [Chantel and TJ are] these pillars who have known Syd in such a different way than Carmy or anyone in the kitchen's known her. When anyone gets around family, they just exhale. And they slowly return to who you knew them as before they left home. Janicza Bravo has such a strong directorial voice. What was it like working with her for such a personal episode? We just wrote a road map. Once we finished the script, it was just a direction to point us in. I was like, 'You guys take this and continue to build from there.' [Bravo] brought so much warmth and color. Her decisions, her instincts, whether it was references or just the ideas with casting — it was always so graceful. It's one of her superpowers. She adds this layer of grace to anything. Whether you're playing Marcus or we're seeing you at a premiere, your aesthetic is pretty consistent, mostly sharp lineups and hats. But tell me a bit about how your own relationship with your hair intersected with what people saw onscreen. I have an aunt who's a beautician. She's owned beauty shops since I was a kid. So I think that's just a person you understand is a pillar in the community. Barbershops, beauty salons, they're third spaces. You see different people you know at different points of your life in there. The power of a haircut makes you feel invincible. You go in feeling on the fritz, and then you come out, you're like, 'Yeah, I can do anything. I can tackle this world.' Chantel, Syd's braider, is both her hairstylist and her actual family. What was it like to have Danielle Deadwyler bring her to life? The character [Chantel] is a close family member to Syd. You couldn't feel any more comfortable than being around this person. That was one of my favorite things that I think Danielle brought to it, where you saw this dynamic organically form. You see her busting Syd's balls a little bit, for fun. You could see that dynamic, like they're eight years old in the backyard, running around. I was personally grateful that Danielle was down to come on board and play such a funny character and show this other side that we don't see that often from the characters that she plays. She's just such a great actress. I was hanging out on set when they were filming and just getting to see take after take of different things she's doing. I'm like, 'Wow, she's really just a jazz player.' I also loved how time didn't seem to really exist in the episode, which I felt very keenly — mostly because I was braiding my hair while I was all know how long it is. I remember being a kid, like six years old, and I don't go to school that day because my mom got to get her hair braided. You get there at seven in the morning, and you're there all day at this person's house you don't know. You playing their son's Super Nintendo and like, 'What games they got?' Time and space don't exist. So if you've ever gone through the experience, you just know it takes a minute. It wouldn't be if there weren't a cooking scene — and that sort of nostalgia continues when Syd shows TJ how to jazz up Hamburger Helper. What's your version of that instant-comfort nostalgia food?Low-key, Hamburger Helper. The beef stroganoff one, or the mac and cheese one. That's what I was living with. There's such a specific time where that ruled the world. Like, Nineties to early 2000s. And when you're really young, you get mad, like, 'Oh, we gotta eat this?' And then as you get older, it's like, 'No, I want that. That's what I'm looking for.' When's the last time you had it? I haven't had it in years. Every once in a while I'll think about it, like, 'It'd be good to get it.' but I don't want to make it. It's, like, got to be made by my mom, because I know it's not gonna be the same. It's like boxed yellow cake. I love it, and I can make it all alone. But there's something she does to it. Or maybe it's just the fact that she makes it. Is your dynamic with Ayo as co-stars different from your dynamic as co-writers? When we started doing this show, I was like, 'This is cool. I feel like we're on the same wavelength.' I feel that way about pretty much everyone who collaborates on the show, like the writers, the actors, even behind the cameras, it's such a tight-knit family. But with Ayo, we had a lot of friends in common. It's no different than Tyler [the Creator, Boyce's former bandmate in Odd Future] or any of my friends who I collaborate with. Having a professional community, you have friends that you want to work with and always just feel like, 'I respect and admire your work, and we don't even know we don't know each other.' So I think having that thing and you just also can be stupid together, it just made it so much more fun. Do you think that friendship and connection changes the final product for the better? It's funny. With creative people, it's sensitive. A lot of their time is trying to feel something out before they jump in. So when you have a shorthand with someone you already feel comfortable with, you can just get right into it. It just becomes much more of a singular voice when you have that shorthand. Because it's like we speak the same language. I love the mention of creativity, because one of the moments I found so pivotal in the season is in Episode Seven, when everyone crawls under the table at the wedding and goes around sharing their fears. Marcus says his fear is 'running out of creativity.' Is that something you found yourself relating to? That's a fear of mine. You've tapped the well and you're like, 'Is this it? Was this thing I did the last time I have it in me?' It's a fear of running out of passion. Where you feel like a hack or you're rehashing ideas or whatever. Fears are things you can't control. As long as you want to be open and let things in, you'll always have a well that doesn't run dry. But it is a fear. It's a fear of disconnection to me. 'Will I just close myself off to the world and let nothing else in?' Well, if disconnection is the fear, and this episode is an example of you being connected with friends, with collaborators, what was most exciting or joyful about actually watching the finished product?As I watched it, I texted Ayo because I was so impressed with Arion. That was the thing, when we wrote it, Chris [Storer, creator and showrunner of The Bear] was like, 'Yeah, I love it, but you gotta find a great kid.' Jeanie Bacharach, who's the casting director, and everyone did such a good job at finding Arion. Because that relationship is a tentpole of this episode, and you'd see it unfold. Watching it, it felt lived-in, and it reminded me of my sister in ways. I loved the moment when we get to the house and Syd's getting her hair done and Chantel is like, 'Where's the hair upstairs?' And Arion goes, 'There ain't none. Damn!' And it just holds on everyone's face. You don't have to explain it. Everyone understands and it's such a universal thing. I love that moment. In this episode alone, you get Arion as the scene-stealing newcomer, and two standout voices with Deadwyler and Bravo. At this point, people know to expect starry cameos from . So for you, was there a favorite of the season? Jamie Lee Curtis. Even though she's already been in it and doesn't count as a new one, all of her scenes were incredible. And Rob Reiner. I didn't get to meet him, but watching his scenes with Ebraheim [Edwin Lee Gibson] was so cool. I loved seeing his arc this season. The charts! Ebraheim was not fucking around. Yeah, he came in ready to handle business. Being on a show all about food also means the joy of some pretty gorgeous prop foods and the pain of plenty of desserts that you can't eat because they're fake. But sometimes there's a sweet treat for you in return. What's the most delicious thing you had on set this season? It wasn't even made for shooting! I'd sent this video I'd found on Instagram of someone making a cinnamon focaccia to [The Bear culinary director] Courtney Storer. She's like, 'Someone else just actually sent me that. We got the kitchen here — let's make it.' That was delicious. Marcus has also had a pretty incredible and skyrocketing arc through this most recent season, being named as one of 's best new chefs in America. What do you think it does for him emotionally at the end of the season to receive that recognition at the same time that his mentor, Carmy — the person who challenged him creatively — is planning on leaving? That's a good question. In that moment he wins, and he looks around, he's like, 'Yeah, winning the award is cool. But getting to share it with this group of people is the thing.' That's why I'm curious. I always say I'm a fan first of this show. So I have all of the same thoughts that other people do. Like, 'How does this affect things?' You build something out of pure passion, and then you step away from the thing you build — what happens? I want to see the scripts for Season Five, because I'm curious, too! Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century Solve the daily Crossword
USA Today
44 minutes ago
- USA Today
Gannett taps former People editor-in-chief as executive editor of entertainment
USA TODAY parent company Gannett named Wendy Naugle, former editor-in-chief for People, as its new executive editor of entertainment. USA TODAY parent company Gannett has tapped former People editor-in-chief Wendy Naugle as its new executive editor of entertainment. Naugle will oversee the entertainment strategy at USA TODAY and Gannett's 200-plus local publications with a focus on driving audience and revenue growth. She will report to Monica Richardson, senior vice president of USA TODAY, starting July 28. 'Wendy's exceptional editorial vision and deep industry knowledge will be instrumental in shaping the future of our entertainment coverage," Richardson said in a Gannett news release. 'We are confident that her experience will help connect with our audiences in meaningful and innovative ways across all platforms.' Naugle's introduction to the company comes amid a shift at Gannett toward deep engagement with readers on a local level across its national network of community-based newsrooms and a strategic focus at the national level on competitive subject areas like entertainment and sports, in addition to national breaking news, wellness and consumer-focused coverage. 'We're giving our consumers more reasons to come to us, more reasons to stay, more reasons to engage with our partners and more reasons to subscribe,' President of Gannett Media Kristin Roberts said in a May earnings call. Naugle's role in that strategy includes transforming the USA TODAY Network into the country's leading entertainment brand, going head-to-head with top entertainment sites. Naugle's arrival is the latest change in Gannett's leadership team. The company in June named Joe Miranda, former executive vice president, chief digital and technology officer of Herbalife, as chief technology and data officer. Trisha Gosser was named chief financial officer in March after serving as the deputy CFO, succeeding Douglas Horne. A graduate from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, Naugle joined Dotdash Meredith's People in 2019 as deputy editor before moving into the role of editor-in-chief in 2022. She helped transform the brand into a top 10 site in the U.S., reinvigorated franchises like Sexiest Man Alive, and led issues on climate change, LGBTQ+ Pride, Black History Month and People of the Year, according to Gannett. She left the company in January to complete a novel. Previously, she worked as executive editor at Condé Nast's Glamour for nearly 20 years, where she managed its transition into digital-first content, as well as its annual Women of the Year awards and summit. She also oversaw the launch of Glamour's first podcast series and an award-winning campaign against domestic violence. Her stories on subjects like breast implants, health insurance and reproductive rights won two National Magazine Awards for Personal Service and a National Press Club Consumer Journalism Award, among other honors, according to Dotdash Meredith. Naugle also served on the board of the NYU Center for Publishing. Naugle said she aims to use entertainment news to connect communities across the country. 'It's an incredible opportunity in entertainment right now. Of course, we all think of Hollywood and Los Angeles, but entertainment is so much more than that,' she said. 'We see exciting things happening in music in Nashville, and there's more filming than ever in Atlanta. So, entertainment is changing, and I think Gannett and the USA TODAY Network are really uniquely suited to capitalize on all of those opportunities in the entertainment landscape.'
