Latest news with #Newsbeat
BBC News
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Three chords and the truth: Where country's moment might go next
They say the recipe for a good country track is simple - just combine three chords and the the past year though, a growing number of artists have been adding their own sprinkles with pop stars including Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter leaning into the genre. Chappell's The Giver went straight to number two in the UK charts when it was released in March, with the self-proclaimed Midwest Princess saying she wanted to give country music a new take with "a little gay yodel".Figures from streaming platforms suggest that cooking up a country song has also been a recipe for success, with listening time up by 25% over the past year in the artists are hopeful that'll act as a giddy up to the UK scene and help them replicate some of the success of their US country cousins. "It only benefits me and other country music artists in the UK because more people listening to country music just means they're going to take an interest - hopefully - in what we're doing," 20-year-old singer Neeve Zahra tells BBC Newsbeat. Her love for country music comes from two sources: her grandad and Hannah Disney Channel school-girl-by-day-pop-star-by-night character played by Miley Cyrus "probably started me off", she says. "I can now officially say I was country before country was cool."Neeve, from Manchester, is already noticing a spike in people coming to gigs and hopes the hype could build to a point where British country acts can be recognised with a category at the Brit Awards. "That's definitely the dream." Izzie Walsh is currently recording her debut album and tells Newsbeat it's important fans support country artists "at a grassroots level" to ensure it can continue to grow in the UK. "Everyone's been sleeping on it and now it's become this big thing."There's a lot of support for the big US artists and it can be hard to compete with that budget, the press. "There's a big gap between people like me and these massive artists." In as far as a trend can ever be attributed to one person, this resurgence in the mainstream is "100%" down to Beyoncé, according to country music podcaster Matt 2024 album Cowboy Carter "very much splits opinions with country fans", Matt tells Newsbeat, but "it has introduced new country artists to a country audience and gives a different perspective".Artists and critics predicted last year Cowboy Carter could "open the floodgates" for country music fans and Spotify credits "viral tracks" from 2024 with the sudden uptick in there's actually been a gradual increase in listenership going back much further it says, with streams of the genre in the UK growing by 154% since 2019, the year Lil Nas X released Old Town Road with country singer-songwriter Billy Ray Cyrus. Apple Music says it's noticed similar trends and both streamers report its rising popularity is particularly striking in the UK, where according to Apple it's growing five times as quickly as in the US. 'It's about telling our own story' That's reflected in some of the biggest songs of the past Carpenter's country-pop hit Please, Please, Please, which she re-released with Dolly Parton, spent five weeks at number one in the UK and Shaboozey's A Bar Song was a fixture of the top 10 for country music is even set to be represented on one of the world's biggest stages next month thanks to the UK's Eurovision entry, Remember Monday. "Storytelling is so important to us and that is really rooted in country music," singer Lauren Byrne tells Newsbeat about why the trio felt drawn to the genre."We never wanted to feel like we were trying to replicate or copy, we wanted to always make it feel our own."It doesn't all have to be 'yeehaw'." Matt says the next step will be to see British country artists headlining bigger festivals as the fan base continues to as it does, he says it'll have to embrace the different points of view feeding into is often associated with being dominated by male artists, but the musicians driving it into the mainstream are mainly week Lana Del Rey joined Beyoncé, Chappell and Sabrina with her country song Henry, come on, but before them it was Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Shania Twain making country more popular. "We're in the year of women in general for music," says Neeve. "I think now it's time for the country women."As British country music grows, there are a few differences too with the traditional US scene that will also need embracing. "We're often seen as, 'Why are they making country music? They don't live the country lifestyle'," Matt says. "We don't all live on farms, we don't all drive tractors."But country is all about storytelling and everyone wants to write their own story."It's evolving all the time so we have to be open to different styles and different perspectives." Neeve agrees that authenticity is the key to British country. "It's about telling our own story," she says. "I can dream about Nashville and maybe write some songs about it but I'm not gonna say I'm gonna pick you up in my truck because I don't have a truck. "You've got to stay real to yourself. We try to keep it country but in our own way." Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Viral Apple dance creator sues Roblox over its use in the game
The TikToker behind the viral Apple dance has taken legal action against Roblox. Kelley Heyer's choreography, inspired by Charli XCX's hit song of the same name, appeared in TikTok videos by the likes of Kylie Jenner, actress Daisy Edgar-Jones and even the singer herself. Ms Heyer's legal team claims Roblox made $123,000 (£93,000) from selling the moves as an "emote" - a celebratory animation used by players in the game - without her permission. Roblox tells BBC Newsbeat it takes intellectual property "very seriously" and is confident it hasn't done anything wrong. An estimated 80 million people play Roblox every day and it has more monthly users than the Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation combined. Roblox made a deal with Charli XCX last year to use her music and likeness as part of an in-game concert within Dress to Impress - one of the most popular experiences on the platform. According to reports shared by Ms Heyer, she'd been in talks with Roblox to license the Apple dance but hadn't given final approval before it appeared in the game. Ms Heyer previously told Newsbeat about kicking off the trend when she debuted some moves for the "unappreciated" track from Charli XCX's award-winning album, Brat. At the time she said she had seen "large brands or huge creators" capitalising on the trend without crediting her. "And that sort of bums me out a little bit," she said. "That could have been a really good opportunity, really good exposure for me." A Roblox spokesperson said: "As a platform powered by a community of creators, Roblox takes the protection of intellectual property very seriously and is committed to protecting intellectual property rights of independent developers and creators to brands and artists both on and off the platform," a spokesperson says. "Roblox is confident in its position and the propriety of its dealings in this matter and looks forward to responding in court." Newsbeat has contacted Ms Heyer and her representatives for further comment. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here. Tearing other women down isn't brat, says Apple dance creator Brits go Brat as Charli XCX wins five awards Brat crowned Collins Dictionary 2024 word of the year
BBC News
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Charli XCX Apple dance creator sues Roblox over emote
The TikToker behind the viral Apple dance has taken legal action against Heyer's choreography, inspired by Charli XCX's hit song of the same name, appeared in TikTok videos by the likes of Kylie Jenner, actress Daisy Edgar-Jones and even the singer herself. Ms Heyer's legal team claims Roblox made $123,000 (£93,000) from selling the moves as an "emote" - a celebratory animation used by players in the game - without her tells BBC Newsbeat it takes intellectual property "very seriously" and is confident it hasn't done anything wrong. An estimated 80 million people play Roblox every day and it has more monthly users than the Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation made a deal with Charli XCX last year to use her music and likeness as part of an in-game concert within Dress to Impress - one of the most popular experiences on the to reports shared by Ms Heyer, she'd been in talks with Roblox to license the Apple dance but hadn't given final approval before it appeared in the Heyer previously told Newsbeat about kicking off the trend when she debuted some moves for the "unappreciated" track from Charli XCX's award-winning album, Brat. At the time she said she had seen "large brands or huge creators" capitalising on the trend without crediting her."And that sort of bums me out a little bit," she said. "That could have been a really good opportunity, really good exposure for me." A Roblox spokesperson said: "As a platform powered by a community of creators, Roblox takes the protection of intellectual property very seriously and is committed to protecting intellectual property rights of independent developers and creators to brands and artists both on and off the platform," a spokesperson says. "Roblox is confident in its position and the propriety of its dealings in this matter and looks forward to responding in court."Newsbeat has contacted Ms Heyer and her representatives for further comment. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The 'bored nightclub girl' has recreated her iconic meme seven years later
Arms crossed, lips pursed and a deeply unimpressed look – the 'bored nightclub girl' meme is instantly recognisable to anyone who was online in 2018. The snapshot from a blurry Scottish venue shows a scowl that became an internet icon, plastered across social media with captions lamenting everything from bad dates to existential dread. Lucia Gorman, an 18-year-old Strathclyde University student at the time, became an internet sensation overnight seven years ago thanks to the now infamous picture taken on a night out at Milk Club in Edinburgh. Since it was posted online, the shot has been shared millions of times and is easily one of the most famous memes in history. Its appeal is perhaps best explained by its relatability – Gorman's blank stare and crossed arms perfectly encapsulates some of the unwanted chatter in a noisy club. However, unwanted chatter doesn't just come in nightclubs and the picture has been widely shared on social media to express the disinterest people feel towards certain people. The shot is often posted online with captions like 'Me listening to my mate's breakup story for the 10th time,' or 'When your boss calls a meeting that could've been an email'. Gorman told Newsbeat in 2018 that she had no idea that the picture of herself and Patrick Richie – the man doing the talking – had been taken. However, she admitted that while she and Richie knew each other and were catching up during the night out, she was very much ready to go home at that point – hence the expression. She said: "I don't know what he said but I know I definitely wasn't having any of it. 'I feel like it was probably the end of the night and I was definitely ready for my bed. I probably just thought, 'I'll nod at anything at this point'." She added: "I'm just glad I did my make-up that night." Fast forward to 2025, and Gorman is back – deliberately striking the same pose – as well as recreating some other famous memes – for Samsung. The tech giant has enlisted her help to bring to life the common face fails to highlight its Best Face technology on the new Galaxy A56 5G. Gen Z will snap nearly 1,100 photos a year and take an average of eight attempts at taking the perfect shot before they are happy to post it on social media. Around the time 'bored nightclub girl' took off in 2018, the internet was also churning out plenty of the decade's most iconic memes. Perhaps one of the most recognisable and shared memes in history is 'distracted boyfriend,' a stock photo of a man ogling a passing woman while his girlfriend glares at him that has been shared millions of times. Its structure – three characters with clear emotions – has made it a perfect template for expressing distraction, temptation, or shifting priorities. Antonio Guillem, a Spanish advertising photographer who took the picture in Barcelona with three models (who've decided to remain anonymous, disappointingly), admitted he didn't really know what a meme was when his image went viral in 2017, but said afterwards the picture was successfully spread far and wide as it is a "good foundation as a metaphor that works for almost everything." The 'blinking guy' meme is another that sits in the internet hall of fame. A gif of video editor Drew Scanlon blinking in an apparent double take - a gif taken from a YouTube video which Scanlon took part in in 2013 - has become the internet's go-to for moments of shock, scepticism or sheer disbelief. Scanlon even used his unlikely online fame to raise money for charity. Another universal feeling is that of celebration – step forward the 'success kid' meme. Taken by his mother when he was a baby in 2007 and innocently uploaded, the image of an 11-month-old Sammy Griner, now aged 18, clenching his fist on a beach, became a go-to image used any time something is worthy of celebrating a win – big or small.
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Atomfall: How a forgotten nuclear disaster inspired a video game
Fukushima. Three Mile Island. Chernobyl. Places that will forever be remembered as the sites of nuclear people will have heard of them. But fewer are aware of the Windscale was one of the world's first - and remains the UK's worst - nuclear accident.A nuclear reactor at the site in Cumbria caught fire and burned for three days, releasing radioactive material into the details of the event were kept quiet for decades, and it is far less famous than some of the more recent a new video game has brought the disaster, and the area where it happened, back into the spotlight. Atomfall is the latest release from Oxford-based Rebellion, best known for its long-running Sniper Elite Jason Kingsley tells BBC Newsbeat he was walking in the Lake District when the idea of using the real-life Windscale story "as a trigger point for a fictionalised version of the disaster" began to take is set in the rolling green landscapes of the beauty spot, but on an alternative sci-fi inspired timeline where the area surrounding the plant has become a quarantine zone."It went pretty wrong in real life, but it was controlled," says Jason. "It was a proper disaster, but it didn't cause strange glowing plants or mutants or dangerous cults to emerge." Although the Windscale fire was "very serious", Jason says it's not something that is especially well-remembered, even among is estimated about 240 cases of thyroid cancer were caused by the radioactive leak and all milk produced within 310 square miles (800 square km) of the site was destroyed for a month after the was eventually renamed Sellafield and produced nuclear power until 2003. It still employs about 10,000 people in the local Newsbeat visits Cumbria, most young people we speak to say they haven't heard of the indie game developers Hannah Roberts and Harry Hawson say that they became more aware of it once the game was two people like them, who hope to break into the games industry, they're excited to see a game set in the place where they 26, says it's evident Atomfall's makers have done their research. "The actual environments are spot on, they've got fantastic Morris dancing stuff going on - it really tickled me when I saw that," she says. Hannah says other small details - like black and white Cumbrian signposts - were also pleasing to setting and its inspiration have made it an anticipated title since it was first revealed last year, and Harry, 23, says that's been encouraging for him. "Seeing that such a small space like Cumbria can be taken by the games industry and built upon and people are receptive to that, it's exciting for the future and I look forward to seeing what's next for me," he says. It's fairly unusual for high-profile games set in the UK to be set outside London. While indie games - such as the Shropshire-set Everybody's Gone to the Rapture and last year's Barnsley-based laughfest Thank Goodness You're Here! - have ventured further north, bigger games haven't tended to stray beyond the says the US is about 40% of the video games market, so it's important to appeal to players there, and there's a "natural tendency" to follow the an independent company, he feels, allows Rebellion to do things differently, and Britain offers lots of inspiration for new settings - if you're prepared to look for them."The UK, I think, to understand certain aspects of our culture, you've got to dig into it a little bit because we tend to understate things quite a lot."Head designer Ben Fisher says the goal was to create a "slightly theme parkish" version of the Lake District with accurate details."There are things that, as locals, it's easy for us to forget are unique to Britain, that are unusual," he team that worked on the game has members from various countries, Ben says, which helped to highlight things the UK natives might have missed."The lead artist on the project is from Seattle and was mystified by dry stone walls," says adds the team spent time recreating the structures - which are constructed without the use of mortar - to "capture those local details".Featuring a local area in a film or TV show can expose a new audience to that place."Ultimately, what's incredibly rewarding about this industry is you can put your ideas down and they can be played by people across the globe," Jason says."And you know, how wonderful is it to sort of talk about the Lake District to people that live in Africa or Southeast Asia or Canada or wherever it might be. "That's a kind of form of soft power that very few types of media have." Oliver Hodgson, 21, can see Sellafield from his bedroom hopes that the local area will benefit from some of the soft power Jason describes."I think it's just an incredibly powerful thing for young people in west Cumbria," he says. "I think it's really positive to see such a big gaming developer set a story in Cumbria, which is normally just known for its lakes and mountains," he who runs his own PR firm, is working with the creators of a project to create a £4m gaming hub in Whitehaven aimed at boosting digital skills in the says he's glad the game has taken its inspiration from Windscale and is drawing attention to the area, as well as switching locals on to their history."I think we should own it,' he says. 'The story of the Windscale disaster obviously isn't a positive one but we can't rewrite history. "So acknowledging what happened and teaching and letting young people learn about that history, if this is what brings it into the classroom or on to young people's phones or their social media, then so be it." Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.
