Happy weekend!

This week Daysia writes about the quiet conclusion to the drama that all started with "driver's license" and Hannah is loving Sam Sanders' new podcast, Into It.

Plus some great reads to get you through the weekend.

Happy reading,

<3

Daysia and Hannah

This Week's Fixations

Daysia:  I don’t know why it’s so shocking, but the resolution of the Olivia Rodrigo-Joshua Bassett-Sabrina Carpenter triangle drama was so… quiet?

You’d think after the whole hubbub of “driver’s license” that people would care more about the follow-up songs and make-ups. They do care, to an extent. Rodrigo and Bassett were trending the other day because of their amicable pictures at the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season premiere. Rodrigo and Carpenter were spotted chatting at this year’s Met Gala, spawning various news reports (although, no one knows what was said). Still, nothing was as momentous as that initial “driver’s license” release. Granted, it was pre-vaccine, and people didn’t have much to care about outside of the internet and the pandemic. But you’d think that Bassett’s heart failure or “Doppelgänger” music video (with a Rodrigo lookalike!) and Carpenter’s recent album confessionals would’ve… cause more conversation? I guess, ultimately, the moment has passed. Although, in any case, it’s nice to see there’s no bad blood. It’s the friend comeback not seen since Miley and Selena’s rebound! Cheers to all involved, and to everyone getting some good press!

Hannah: I’m notoriously bad at listening to podcasts— I go through phases where I will religiously listen to my favorites each week on the day they come out or suddenly decide that it’s worth catching up on the last three to four weeks of episodes. That’s why my preference for podcasts is non-serial so I can jump around or jump back in on a whim. In my “regular” rotation is Longform, Who?Weekly, The Cut and The A24 Podcast. I’m also a huge stan of the early episodes of Anna Faris Is Unqualified—the episode with Chris Evans and Jenny Slate is 58 minutes of pure delight and candid conversation. 

But my new favorite is Sam Sanders new podcast with Vulture/New York magazine, Into It. If you like Pop Cult (hopefully you do!) then you’ll love Into It. The first episode included a deep dive between Sanders and music journalist Danyel Smith on the release of Beyoncé in 2013 and how it changed the music industry forever. It gave me a whole new appreciation for Beyoncé not only as a artist but a businesswoman. 

Sanders was always on the periphery of my Twitter feed but I mostly knew that he had a popular show on NPR and was surprised when he announced his departure. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he does with Into It. 

I suggest reading Reggie Ugwu’s interview with Sanders about his new podcast and what he hopes to achieve as well as looking back at his career for The New York Times. 

Has Lorde Dropped a New Album?

According to Billboard, “Supercut” is the third best breakup song of all time </3

ICYMI: It’s impossible to miss—Beyoncé’s Renaissance is out now! There are no words to encapsulate the joy packaged in this album, but some of our standouts are "Alien Superstar," "Church Girl," and of course, "Virgo's Groove." 

Too Many Tabs

The New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan interviewed Nope’s Brandon Perea about struggling after the OA, missing out on Euphoria, and crying with Jordan Peele. 

Writer Seija Rankin spoke to Sydney Sweeney about her Emmy nominations, prepping for Madame Web, and struggling to pay her bills for the Hollywood Reporter.

Vulture’s Craig Jenkins and Usher assessed the singer’s most iconic songs and career moments.

i-D’s Jenna Mahale and Maggie Rogers talked Surrender, pleasure, and finishing grad school.

Plus… 100 years of Norman Lear, Kelis speaks out against Pharrell and Beyoncé’s sample of her song, a new Blonde trailer, underrated Black horror films, what is Beyoncé’s definitive album?, and Funk Wav. Bounce Vol 2 is coming… we hope it’s good!