Latest news with #alternative
The Sun
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
I live in a caravan on a holiday park – it costs HALF of my old flat & there's great perks, I use the swimming pool too
A YOUNG woman has revealed that she lives in a caravan on a holiday park for 11 months of the year. Not only does it cost half of the price of her old flat, but there's loads of perks too, including full use of the park's swimming pool and sauna. 2 2 Posting on social media, Katrina, who lives in the south of England, opened up on why she chose to live this way - and it's not just that it's ' much cheaper ' and more affordable. The brunette beauty, who bought her caravan outright and spends just £528 a month, which includes her pitch, bills and insurance, revealed the five reasons why she chose to live in a caravan. Prior to this, Katrina was paying over double to live in a flat, as she expressed: 'It costs half of what my old flat did - my life quality is way better now, I can do things I could have never afforded to do before.' Not only is caravan life easier on her purse, but she also explained that it enables her to "be different", as she added: 'I like being alternative, I don't wanna follow what the societal norm is - I'm happy to break it and have people question me and that is fine, I get that it's not for everyone, but living this way really is for me.' Katrina then got candid on the additional benefits of caravan life, as she said: 'Living on a holiday park comes with so many perks - I love being able to use the swimming pool, the sauna all the time, I love just roaming the grounds, looking at all the different wildlife here.' But that's not all, as Katrina stressed that not having 'junk' around her has made life feel 'much more simple now.' 'Living in a small space really teaches you what is important and what isn't - I've had to minimise my life and I really like it this way,' she added. Finally, Katrina confessed her thoughts on the positive vibe of the caravan park, as she concluded: 'There's a really sweet community feel here - I'm loving that aspect of it and getting to know my neighbours and becoming friends.' Having said that, the content creator, who has amassed 29,900 followers since opening up about her life in a caravan, acknowledged that she 'can't do anything mischievous' without her neighbours noticing and questioning her. The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ katrinascaravan, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 112,200 views. Hidden gem Scots caravan park with luxury hot tubs that's just five steps from the beach Not only this, but it's also amassed 2,979 likes and 305 comments. Social media users were gobsmacked by Katrina's way of life and many eagerly raced to the comments to share their thoughts. One person said: 'I would love to live in a caravan.' Another added: 'I'd live in one… half the cleaning time and less stuff.' At the same time, one woman explained: 'We are looking to do this as a family of five! Like you said, it makes you appreciate things more and actually be able to afford to have a life and have fun, that's our main reason.' Meanwhile, someone else asked: 'How are you able to live on a holiday park? Didn't think it was allowed?' To this, Katrina replied and confirmed: 'I'm here for 11 months, I have a residential address for the other month.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sombr ‘Didn't Want to Just Do Ballads Forever' — So He Pushed the Tempo and Scored Two Hot 100 Hits
Shane Boose says that, if a piece of music can be described as 'alternative' or 'indie,' he's probably going to enjoy it. 'My favorite band of all time is Radiohead,' Boose, who records as Sombr, tells Billboard. 'And I'm a big fan of Jeff Buckley, Phoebe Bridgers, The 1975. I listen to a ton of alternative music — it's my genre.' Those influences help explain why Sombr's two fast-rising hit singles, 'Back to Friends' and 'Undressed,' have not only exploded on streaming services as crossover pop hits, but have also minted the 19-year-old singer-songwriter at rock and alternative platforms that have been starving for fresh new talent. On this week's Hot 100, 'Back to Friends' leaps up 14 spots to a new peak of No. 56, while 'Undressed' jumps 12 spots to No. 84; meanwhile, 'Back to Friends' hits the top 10 of the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart for the first time, bumping up to No. 9 with 'Undressed' close behind at No. 13. More from Billboard Ye Disses Kendrick Lamar & Tyler, the Creator Again: 'The Two Most Overrated So-Called Artist' Benson Boone Drops 'Mystical Magical' New Song After Its Live Debut at Coachella Chappell Roan's 'Casual' Reigns on Top Movie Songs After 'Novocaine' Appearance Sombr has been on the road over the past few weeks opening for Daniel Seavey in the U.S. — watching each day as his streaming totals grow (through Apr. 17, 'Back to Friends' had earned 40.7 million official on-demand streams, while 'Undressed' had earned 19.5 million streams, according to Luminate) and his crowd sizes swell. 'They 100 percent break my brain,' he says of the streaming totals. As for the crowds, 'You don't usually get to see it happening in real time, increasing every show, but being able to see that has just put it into perspective. When I've had moments in previous years, they've never been like this. And I've never gotten to visualize it while it was happening in real time.' Boose grew up on the Lower East Side and attended the prestigious LaGuardia High School, where he studied vocals while tinkering with GarageBand and Logic in his bedroom. 'I made the first few songs in a more shoegaze vein, and most of those songs aren't even out,' he says. 'And then I made the song 'Caroline' after listening to Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago album, and I'd like to think that's the first good song I ever made.' Released in mid-2022, 'Caroline' is indeed a sparse, wrenched folk song that Boose posted to TikTok before going to bed one night, and woke up the next morning to find thousands of reactions. He dropped out of high school, signed a deal with Warner Records in early 2023, then spent roughly two years trying to get lightning to strike for a second time with a string of singles, to little avail. Sombr, who still writes and produces all of his songs, says that he never got impatient while awaiting his breakthrough following his major label signing. 'I was just making music,' he says, 'and I'm a really hard worker. I like to think that, if you really put in the hours and manifest what you want, it will happen.' On the day that he made 'Back to Friends' in his bedroom, he played the finished chorus back, and felt that, with this song, it was finally going to happen for him. Released last December, 'Back to Friends' is a swirl of shakers, dramatic piano chords, fuzzed-out vocals full of post-hookup anxieties and harmonies that lob out rhetorical questions on the chorus. Along with March's 'Undressed,' a ghostly warble-along with an equally outsized chorus, Sombr has reinvented his sound over the course of two songs, moving on from the hushed singles released post-'Caroline' and toward slick, slightly swaggering alt-pop. 'I think they gave me a platform to make more upbeat music,' he says of the two tracks. 'Before 'Back to Friends,' all my music was very ballad-y — there was nothing with a beat. I was so tired of that. I feel like this is a lot more free, as far as the music I want to create. And I wanted my show to be more exciting. I didn't want to just do ballads forever.' After wrapping up his tour with Seavey last week, Sombr will next hit the road with Nessa Barrett, joining for a month-long European run that kicks off on May 26 in Dublin. Earlier this week, however, Sombr announced a fall headlining tour across North America that will start on Sept. 30 — and thanks to the surging momentum from 'Back to Friends' and 'Undressed,' pre-sale tickets apparently sold out within seconds. ('The response has been insane,' Sombr posted on Instagram. 'I hear you all. I am working on upgrades and new dates. Stay posted.') And while Sombr says that a proper debut album is 'definitely on the horizon,' he's trying to savor this singular moment. 'The last show in New York, it was the loudest it's ever been, and I got it in the pit,' he says before letting out a quick laugh. 'It's getting wild, and I love it. It's all I've ever wanted.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
News24
07-05-2025
- Politics
- News24
‘Give a middle finger': Trump administration crafting insular right-wing media bubble
The Trump administration is crafting its own media narrative. Traditional media are excluded from specific briefings. Social media influencers play a larger role in the strategy. From influencer-only briefings to memes of Donald Trump as the pope and a Star Wars Jedi master, the White House is creating its own alternate media reality. Since Trump's return to the US presidency in January, his team has given right-wing 'new media' an increasingly prominent place as it steps up its war on the traditional press. But now the White House is going a step further, effectively creating its own government-run media operation to stoke up Trump's loyal base. Last week Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt held three alternative briefings reserved for a hand-picked group of partisan outlets. These 'new media' sessions exist in a parallel universe from the traditional White House briefings, and are held in a special auditorium across the road that reporters cannot access freely. 'I absolutely agree with the premise of your question - which I usually don't when I take questions at a podium,' Leavitt told right-wing activist Jack Posobiec at a briefing on 30 April. READ | 'American policy from TV shows?' Trump mocked over plan to reopen Alcatraz prison Another question came from Dom Lucre, a proponent of the QAnon right-wing conspiracy theory. 'Is there any possibility for names such as Barack Hussein Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton to ever just possibly get investigated?' Lucre asked Leavitt. — The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 3, 2025 The White House did not respond to requests for comment on its strategy. Former reality TV star Trump and his team have had a strong social media game since his first presidency from 2017-2021. Then during his 2024 election campaign he reached out to podcasters and influencers, inspired partly by his 19-year-old son Barron. But the new approach is taking that campaign strategy and putting it at the heart of the US government's communications operation. News outlet Axios underscored the new strategy, saying that now: Trump's White House is the hottest right-wing media outlet. Axios That risked creating an 'echo chamber', said Sonia Gipson Rankin, a law professor at the University of New Mexico. Rankin said Trump's unique use of social media, AI images and 'direct appeals through partisan influencers' had 'created a space of alternate versions of events where governance is not tethered to reality'. 'In a second term, the concern is that this echo chamber could become even more insulated,' she told AFP. Last week also saw the launch of the 'White House Wire' - a website designed to look like the low-tech 'Drudge Report' but with links to favourable stories and the administration's social media. 'Give a middle finger to the fake news and check out WH Wire!!!!' Trump's son Donald Jr said on X with a link. It came as the White House reduces access for several mainstream news wires - most notably The Associated Press, following a clash over its refusal to call the Gulf of Mexico by Trump's designated name, the 'Gulf of America'. The White House has also taken control of deciding which outlets are in the 'press pool' that covers some presidential events in close quarters like the Oval Office or Air Force One. The White House is meanwhile leaning more and more on provocative memes to fire up Trump's supporters and 'own the libs' - gaining attention by angering his 'liberal' and left-wing opponents. Trump caused controversy after his Truth Social account posted an AI-generated image of himself in papal garb on Friday, less than a week after attending the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome. But while Trump insisted that he hadn't posted the meme himself, he also said that his wife Melania thought it was 'cute' and rejected any criticism. 'They can't take a joke,' Trump told reporters on Monday when asked about the pope image. Then on Sunday the White House's official account posted an image of a muscle-bound Trump wielding a light sabre to mark 'May the Fourth' day - when Star Wars fans celebrate in a riff on the movie's catchphrase 'May The Force be with you.' 'You're not the Rebellion - you're the Empire,' the post said, attacking Trump's left-wing rivals and comparing them to evil imperial forces of Darth Vader and others. There was just one problem, US media said. Trump's light sabre was red - and in the Star Wars universe that suggests he is aligned with the Dark Side of The Force.
