15/08/2025

LYFE FRIDAY | AUG 15, 2025

/thesuntelegram FOLLOW / Malaysian Paper

ON TELEGRAM m RAM

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Glittery orange dreams o Taylor Swift announces 12th studio album The Life of a Showgirl A MERICAN popstar Taylor Swift announced her 12th album, titled The Life of a Showgirl , for “pre pre order” just after midnight Tuesday in posts on her website. Her official website displayed blurred images of a record, CD and cassette tape overlaid with a glittery orange lock, explaining the album artwork would be “revealed at a later date”. A disclaimer also notes that the release date has not yet been announced, and the album will ship before Oct 13. “So I wanted to show you something,” the singer says in a video clip posted to her Instagram as she

Filipino artiste Gabba teams up with Singapore’s Alicia DC for new single Fall Gabba (left) and Alicia. FILIPINO multi-instrumentalist Gabba is treading uncharted territory with the release of his first collaborative offering Fall , alongside Singaporean singer-songwriter and producer Alicia DC. Co-produced by Francis Lorenzo, the three minute math-rock track tells the story of a lovers’ quarrel through vulnerable lyrics and dynamic shifts in its instrumentation. With what began as Alicia’s effort to collaborate with artistes outside of Singapore, Fall brings together two creative minds across seas. “Alicia and her team reached out about a potential collab. She sent over a handful of demos, and honestly, it was tough choosing one because they were all really good. But Fall stood out to me the most. It had this mood and structure that felt like the perfect space for both our styles to blend, and I’m really glad we went with it,” Gabba said. Despite the remote setup with Alicia in Singapore and Gabba in the Philippines, Alicia expressed that the collaboration was enjoyable. “It felt quite effortless to bounce ideas back and forth to figure out the additional music ideas we wanted to add into the song,” she shared. Meanwhile, Gabba shared that pursuing his first collaboration with vocals felt organic. “It was never like, ‘I want to do a song with vocals’. It was more about seeing and learning Alicia’s point of view in music and wanting to work with that kind of perspective. With my usual songs, everything is open to interpretation. But with this one, the vocals gave the track a clear direction, which really guided the production and made it more intentional, especially in relation to Alicia’s lyrics,” he said. Lyrically, Alicia shares the message behind the track: “You shouldn’t have to break down the door to your own house. If the door stays locked regardless of what keys you use, the house isn’t yours!” While the songwriting process was the same for Alicia, it was the production of Fall that brought the artiste towards another direction. “Finding a good balance between both our sounds was important, so that in the song it wouldn’t sound like one of us is overpowering the other in the song. It doesn’t sound like just Alicia’s song or just Gabba’s song, it very clearly sounds like an equal collaboration,” Alicia said. “I really enjoyed seeing music from Alicia’s perspective. Her approach and creative instincts are so different from mine, and it really opened my eyes to the fact that there are so many different ways to do things and they can all lead to great results,” Gabba said. Speaking about working with other artistes on music and future releases, Gabba is keen to further explore the horizon. “That’s definitely something I look forward to doing. Collaborating with Alicia on Fall was such a refreshing and eye-opening experience. I’d love to keep exploring that, working with other musicians I admire.” Gabba and Alicia made the live debut of Fall at the inaugural edition of Spur Labs at Salu Salo on Aug 2.

Swift has shattered records with her nearly two-year-long Eras tour. – PICS FROM INSTAGRAM @TAYLORNATION

and sold 1.4 million copies the first day. Since 2021, she has been making good on her vow to re-record her first six studio records in a bid to own the rights to them. This move has actively devalued her album masters as Swifties (Swift’s fandom name) only streamed and bought Taylor Versions – thus increasing value of the re-recorded albums. Then in May this year, the 14-time Grammy Award winner, who was locked in a feud with record executives since 2019 over the ownership of her music, shared she had bought back the rights to her entire back catalog for an undisclosed sum. The 35-year-old songwriting sensation has also shattered records with her nearly two year-long Eras tour that ended last year. It raked in US$2 billion (RM8.4 billion) over 149 shows around the world, making it the most lucrative tour in music history. Tickets for the tour sold for sometimes exorbitant prices, and it drew millions of fans. – AFP

holds up a vinyl album, its cover completely blurred. “This is my brand new album The Life of a Show Girl ,” she says in the clip from the New Heights podcast, hosted by her boyfriend, American football player Travis Kelce, and his brother, ex-NFL player Jason Kelce. The Life of a Showgirl is the follow-up to Swift’s last studio album The Tortured

The Life of a Showgirl is Swift’s 12th album.

P o e t s Department , which was released l a s t year

Harry, Meghan sign reduced deal with Netflix

PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle will continue to develop film and TV projects for Netflix but on more limited terms, the streaming giant announced earlier this week. The estranged British royal and his wife have worked with Netflix since 2020, producing documentary Harry & Meghan and lifestyle series With Love, Meghan. The latter showcased the Duchess of Sussex as a thriving domestic maven, hosting guests, harvesting honey and mixing bath salts against an idyllic California backdrop. It has been extended for a second season, and a holiday special due in December, Netflix said. But while the pair’s previous Netflix deal bought the streamer exclusive rights to their output, the new multi-year agreement is a “first-look deal”. In Hollywood parlance, this means Netflix has the right to say yes or no to a project before Harry and Meghan’s media company Archewell Productions can shop it around other studios. Typically, first-look deals are less lucrative than exclusive deals, though they also provide producers with more flexibility. “We’re proud to extend our partnership with Netflix and expand our work together to include the ‘As ever’ brand,” said Meghan, referring to her recently re-branded line of

lifestyle products, including rose wine and apricot spreads. Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer, described Harry and Meghan as “influential voices whose stories resonate with audiences everywhere,” in the statement. Harry and Meghan wed in a fairytale ceremony in 2018, before splitting from the British royal family and moving to California two years later. Cut off from the royal purse, the pair signed their first Netflix deal in 2020 for a reported US$100 million (RM421 million). That figure was never confirmed, and no financial terms have been revealed for the extension. The New York Times reported Monday that the new deal is worth less for Harry and Meghan than the previous agreement, citing a person familiar with the terms. Harry & Meghan , a six-episode tell-all about their relationship and exit from the House of Windsor, drew 23 million views in its first four days – a record for a Netflix documentary. Despite withering reviews from critics, With Love, Meghan had over five million views in the first half of 2025, making it Netflix’s most watched cooking show. The upcoming holiday special will feature Meghan hosting “friends and family” as they

Harry (right) and Meghan. – AFPPIC

“deck the halls, create holiday feasts, craft heartfelt gifts and share lots of laughs,” the statement promised. Later this year, Netflix will release a short documentary from Archewell Productions about a small orphanage in Uganda. The couple is also producing a “romance feature adaptation” of Carley Fortune’s novel Meet Me At The Lake , though no Netflix release has been confirmed. – AFP