It’s an exciting week because for the first time in Pop Cult history we wrote the issue together in the same city! 💕This week Daysia writes about Willow Smith and her new music and Hannah can’t help but wonder about the movies and TV shows that shaped how she sees New York City.

Happy weekend and happy reading!

<3

Daysia and Hannah

This Week's Fixations

What’s taking up our brain space this week?

Daysia: In addition to being the sweetest, most thoughtful Mother’s Day gift ever, Willow Smith’s cover of “Bleed All Over Me” was… really really incredible? ICYMI, the latest episode of Red Table Talk was the Mother’s Day episode (and the three year anniversary of the show’s debut!). The episode featured a handful of mothers who shared stories about their children, and the RTT trio gifted each mom with a surprise gift. The episode ended with Willow surprising Jada by reuniting Jada’s old nü-metal band Wicked Wisdom and covering one of their old songs. It was a touching and sweet moment, but it also was an amazing showcase of Willow’s musical prowess.

Willow, as we all know, is a talent and a vision (only an icon could create “Wait a Minute!” at such a young age, honey!). Her new single “t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l” and her joint project with her partner Tyler Cole called THE ANXIETY signaled a shift toward rock and punk influences. Listening to her cover her mother’s own metal band—who she cites as one of her inspirations—solidified how well she works with these heavier sounds. It also reminded me of a great Switched on Pop episode about modern female pop artists using nü-metal as a reference point in their music, both as a tongue-in-cheek way and to add surprising elements into their tracks. In the episode, Rina Sawayama (<3) talked about blending a bit of nü-metal with pop influences like Britney Spears, Jojo, and the Pussycat Dolls. I’m definitely sensing some of that experimentation in Willow’s upcoming work (maybe with a mix of the vibey, R&B influences she’s known for), and I’m super excited for what’s to come in her next album!

Hannah: After over a year, I’m back in New York City and as I’m writing I have the soundtrack of the city in the background: honks, construction and sirens. I famously have always said that New York is a place that I would love to visit but not live and I still stand by that. It’s just Too Much! However, it is one of my favorite places to be and pretend that I'm the main character in a movie with the city as my co-star.

For better or worse, a lot of my feelings about the city come from the films and shows I watched growing up (despite the intro I have not watched Sex and the City—a pop culture blindspot for me!). One of the biggest influences was, of course, Gossip Girl (“Hey, Upper East Siders…”) which perhaps skewed my perspective of what it means to have a good time in New York and also about the value of real estate in Brooklyn. And no matter how many times I go to The Met I have to take a photo sitting on the stairs and can’t help but imagine Blake Lively eating yogurt. When it comes to transportation Uptown Girls (RIP Brittany Murphy!) taught me about taking the subway and New York Minute made me wonder how anyone would make the decision to drive in the city (also about taking the train into the city). Plus, before anyone was doing it Little Manhattan showed me the power of getting around the city on a scooter. There are so many other movies I could name but here are a few of my favorites: Enchanted, Just My Luck, and Step Up 3D.

Has Lorde Dropped a new album?

No, but the rumors are SWIRLING, baby! Where did these accounts get this info?? Deux Moi???? What do they know that we don’t?? Are we being trolled…

In the meantime, listen to Jessie Ware’s “Please” off of the new deluxe version of What’s Your Pleasure? (it’s a disco summer!).

Too Many Tabs

Our fav reads of the week

For W’s music issue, Lynn Hirschberg talked to Saweetie about her breakup (which the rapper announced while in the makeup chair for this shoot!), her roots, and her trajectory. 

Vogue’s Lilah Ramzi gave a quick prediction on what to expect in this year’s American-inspired Met Gala, hosted by Timothée Chalamet, Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman, and Naomi Osaka.

Matthew Jacobs wrote an oral history of Madonna’s Truth or Dare, the pop musician documentary blueprint, for Vulture.

Tom Holland’s Lip Sync performance of “Umbrella” is iconic and to celebrate its fourth anniversary Ashley Spencer for Insider investigates how it all came together.

Plus… Bennifer in 2021?!, Kim K might have smuggled a Roman statue into the States, Alexander Skarsgård will be in season three of Succession,  a review of Saddle Ranch Chop House (good to spot celebs, but not to eat), and Pose’s costume designer reflects on three seasons of iconic looks.