Latest news with #Mua
NZ Herald
12-05-2025
- NZ Herald
JW Marriott Auckland officially reopens after $30m renovation: New look reviewed
First impressions: The hotel's grand entrance opens into a spacious lobby, with the Forum bar at the heart of the action. Reception desks have been moved to the far right of the space, so as not to take up any valuable floor space. There's a living moss wall providing a connection with nature, even when you're inside, and striking black and white etch-style artwork of a Waitākere forest scene at the back of the bar. Both make an impression. Rooms: There are 271 rooms and 15 suites across 10 floors. The top-tier accommodation is the 133sq m Presidential Suite, with features including a private balcony, a large dining table designed for hosting guests, and a living area with a fireplace. We were in a 66sq m one-bedroom Executive Suite on the 10th floor. An abundance of windows across three sides of the suite give views of differing cityscapes – we could see the Sky Tower, city terraces and rooftops, and out to the harbour. The sitting room and bedroom both have large flat-screen TVs, with coffee tables, sofa, dining table and chairs, free-standing lamps, and a leather stool with a foot rest in the living area. Blonde wood laminate floors are made cosier with stylish rugs. The muted cream, grey, white, and black colour palette is visually calming, while large photographic artworks of NZ scenery and ceramic vases add some style. The one flaw I experienced was that the curtains let light escape at their top – unusual for hotels these days, which usually offer complete blackout blinds for peaceful sleeps. Fortunately, silk eye masks were provided at turn-down service. Bathroom: It's relatively small compared with the suite space, but large enough to house a walk-in shower, bath tub, single vanity unit with ring-light mirror, and separate toilet. Toiletries are Aromatherapy Associates London brand. During our stay, it took a long time to bring hot water through to the shower and basin taps, which meant a lot of water wastage. Food & drink: Formerly a Thai restaurant, the hotel's flagship dining venue is now called Trivet and is helmed by executive chef Wallace Mua. It opened about nine months ago and has received great reviews – including from Viva's Jesse Mulligan. On special occasions, book a 'Front Row' seat for dinner; a 90-minute dining experience seated at a counter in the heart of the restaurant, with Mua and team cooking right before you. You'll dine on bespoke mini-versions of some favourite Trivet menu items, and might even get to taste-test dishes Mua is trialling for a new menu (he changes them every three months). We loved chatting to Mua over courses – he even invited us out of our seats to help shuck oysters and fillet fish. Dishes were wine matched by Argentinian sommelier Tony Suarez. It was fun, interactive, casual and unique, and we left incredibly full and happy. Trivet also serves breakfast, with either an a la carte menu or an extensive buffet. We enjoyed innovative cocktails at Forum bar, thanks to Chilean expert mixologist Vanessa. During the day, Forum serves barista coffee and baked goods from Wild Wheat. In-room food and drink amenities included a Breville barista-style Nespresso machine with milk frother, and a mini bar stocked with Tea Total herbal teas, exclusive edition craft beers by Urbanaut Brewing and half-bottles of wine. Facilities: Valet parking is available. There's free, fast Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. In-suite facilities included TVs with Chromecast, plus in-built streaming apps, and a bag of Technogym equipment (yoga mat, foam roller, resistance bands). The Wellness Centre on the 11th floor has state-of-the-art Technogym equipment, a 14m pool, cold plunge pool, hot tub, steam room and sauna, with floor-to-ceiling windows. In the neighbourhood: Commercial Bay, the Ferry Building, the Viaduct, Wynyard Quarter, and Queen St are all within easy walking distance, and there's the Britomart public transport hub nearby for everything else. Family friendly: Larger rooms can fit a 'teepee tent' the kids will love, and a chaise longue that can double as a bed for children. Adjoining rooms are available. JW Marriott hotels offer the Family by JW programme; curated experiences for travellers from all generations. The Auckland property has Celestial Dreams, a bespoke astronomy experience based on Maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar; and Birds & Beaks, an educational session about weaving harakeke and other nature-based activities. Bookings are essential at least seven days before arrival. The hotel also has a dedicated book menu featuring books by New Zealand authors, including Sally Sutton, Tim Tipene, Nan Blanchard, and Kat Quin. Accessibility: Accessible guest rooms have widened doorways, roll-in showers, grab rails, and lowered light switches. There is step-free access throughout the property. The reception and dining areas have flexible seating arrangements and space for mobility devices, and there's designated accessible parking. Staff are trained to sensitively assist all guests, wherever required. Sustainability: You can opt out of towel and linen changes during your stay. There were no plastics in the mini bar, but the provided amenities included dental and vanity kits in plastic wrappers. The hotel's rooftop has a herb garden and rescue bee hives. There are still and sparkling water stations on every floor for refilling drink bottles.
Los Angeles Times
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
TikTok's top artist Yeri Mua gets real on immigration, Bellakath beef
Inside Santa Ana's Yost Theater last Saturday night, the thick bass of gritty reggaeton beats turned the crowd into one sweaty, shimmering mass of limbs. Twerking at the center of the action was Yeri Mua: a fiery, red-haired Mexican woman holding court in a sparkling, skin-tight dress. After becoming the No. 1 global artist on TikTok — outperforming American superstars like Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish in total number of views on the platform — Mua took center stage at the Yost with a power stance, ready to win over the United States. 'Reggaeton mexa is what opened the doors for me to [enter] the world of music,' she says. 'It's allowed me to continue connecting with my people. We call it 'reggaeton mexa' because it's reggaeton that's hecho en México.' In the past decade, reggaeton has migrated from its spiritual home in Puerto Rico to Colombia, where the genre helped launch the careers of superstars like J Balvin, Maluma, Karol G and Feid. Mexico has since become a new hotbed for the genre; although dominated by men, it was initially a woman, Bellakath, who first brought global recognition to the Mexican scene with her viral 2022 hit, 'Gatita.' Since making the jump from beauty influencer to reggaeton mexa baddie, 23-year-old Mua is now running the scene. Born Yeri Cruz Varela in Veracruz, Mexico, the singer has become known for her Bratz-doll-inspired aesthetic and unfiltered approach to topics like her sex life, plastic surgeries and past beef with reggaeton mexa trailblazer Bellakath. Having counted over 26.4 million followers on TikTok last December, Mua was ranked by the social media platform as its No. 1 artist in 2024. Yet given the accelerating deportations of Latino immigrants under President Trump, Mua has opened up about a far more serious topic: her own deportation. At 13, Mua and her parents were deported at the border, after trying to re-enter the U.S. with expired tourist visas. 'When you get deported, you feel like you don't have any rights,' she recalls. 'I was 13 years old, but they treated me as if I were an adult. They gave us a kick in the ass and said, 'Don't come back here ever again.'' Ten years later, Mua is headlining her own 'Traka Tour' across the U.S. and Mexico. She worked a double shift last Saturday night — first, by appearing as a special guest at Luis R. Conriquez's concert at the Kia Forum, then speeding to Santa Ana for her own show, as part of the Reggaetonlandia Latin party series. During her 45-minute set, she powered through hits like the sexy 'Linea Del Perreo,' the freaky 'Brattiputty' and 'Traka,' a diss track to her legion of haters. 'Estoy coronando y ustedes llorando,' she taunted in Spanish, in a verse that translates to 'I'm rising to the top while you're all crying.' Mua puffed from a marijuana pen that was passed to her from the audience, who also showered her with dollar bills. (She later used them to wipe the sweat off her forehead.) She also teased her catty upcoming single 'Él No Es Tuyo' — set for release in early March, the song notably features her former rival, Bellakath. De Los caught up with Mua backstage, minutes after her show, to dish on her life and her career. How do you feel to be back in the U.S. and headlining your own tour across the country?This is the second time I'm touring the U.S. It's an honor to be here with my Latino community, especially at this moment in time, because now more than ever we need more visibility, support, and unity among us. I'm loving being here and I love California! Why do you think that millions of people are connecting with you on TikTok?I believe people connect with me because I'm authentic. I always show all the sides to myself, whether it's pretty or ugly, or that could scare people, or that they might not like. I'm never afraid to be myself and say what I'm thinking. That's something that a lot of people won't like, but I think the majority of them can relate to what I'm saying. As you were saying about this moment where many Latino immigrants in the U.S. are being deported, why was it important for you to speak out about this topic on social media?I believe a lot of Mexicans that don't live in the U.S. think that what's happening to our community here doesn't affect us, but it's definitely going to hurt many people, including us and our economy. How things work in Mexico are going to change if we keep ignoring this. We simply can't ignore that our Mexican brothers and sisters are suffering, they're being labeled as criminals, and being treated in the worst ways. I believe it's not fair. I feel like I have a responsibility to bring visibility to this issue. It's something I can't ignore because I've experienced being deported myself and the way they treat you and talk to you, so that you feel dehumanized. You feel like trash that doesn't belong in another country because of where you come from. I'm always going to talk about what makes people unconformable. If I believe something is important and unjust, I'm going to talk about it. How do you want the world to see Mexican immigrants?I want everyone to see that Mexican immigrants are not only good for cleaning, because that's what they always say. We're not only good for cleaning or bricklaying. We have a lot of talent. We have a lot of ways to entertain people. We can also appear on music charts, we can break records, and break down barriers. We can also win awards. America is not just the United States. America is this whole continent. It's time for people to open their eyes. I want the world to see that us Mexicans are very talented. There's a lot of men in the reggaeton mexa scene. What does it mean for you to represent the perspective of women in that space?Men are always talking about women in the ways that they want to and no one says anything, so why can't we do the same thing with them? It's very difficult because I'm judged a lot for being vulgar or people say that I only talk about sex. I'm doing the work to be more a part of my lyrics. Before, it was my male friends writing my lyrics. Now that I'm writing more of my music, I'm giving it a touch of empowerment and that feeling de chava (girly). I'm talking about things that could happen to any woman. My lyrics aren't as sexist now because I'm writing them. Now that I'm taking this more seriously, I'm doing the work to express myself freely while also showing love for myself. How would you describe the experience of burying the beef with Bellakath for your next single 'Él No Es Tuyo'?It was time. I could no longer take that fight with her to heart because at any moment, we were going to bump into each other. On top of that, she's my colleague and we're in the same genre. It had to come to an end and both reached a mutual agreement with each other. Now we're putting the song 'Él No Es Tuyo' together, which comes out next month. El Malilla, your collaborator on 'Avión Privado' and the 'G Low Kitty' remix, is going to perform at Coachella in April. Is there a chance that you could appear as a guest during his set?I've already told El Malilla to invite me to Coachella. I hope so. I believe it's very probable that will happen. I would love that. My dreams are to sing on even bigger stages in the U.S. and with artists from here like Ice Spice, Doja Cat and Kali Uchis. They're artists I share a lot of the same musical tastes with and I believe we could be a very good match and do interesting things together. You were recently spotted in L.A. with American rapper Rich the Kid. Will he be a part of your debut album? What can we expect? We have some songs that we recorded together in the studio. We got along very well. He's very chill. It's my second collaboration that I have with an artist from the U.S. I also have another one with Yung Gravy, who is also very lovely. Notice how I'm now mixing my style of music with the style of music from the U.S. This album will have perreo. There's also going to be what I call reggaeton pop. There's going to be a lot of songs that women can relate to. I've been thinking a lot about the situations in my life as well as those of my girlfriends. They're songs for my female fans. It's something I'm making with all of my heart for them.
