Posts made in December 2019

The Weeknd Captures #1

Logging a pair of entries on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, GRAMMY® Award-winning diamond-certified Toronto R&B / Pop icon The Weeknd captures #1 on the chart with his latest single “Heartless” as “Blinding Lights” takes the #11 spot, also making him the only R&B artist to hit #1 in his first full week on the charts in 2019. “Heartless” immediately shot up to #1 making it his 4th #1 to date, and both tracks have earned over 550,000 consumption domestically, and over 1 million globally.

To date The Weeknd has notably tallied a total of 9 career Hot 100 Top 10 hits. Both “Heartless” and “Blinding Lights” are also the #1 and #2 Streaming / Sales Tracks overall in the US, making him the first R&B artist to claim both spots in 2019 with “Heartless” alone being the biggest one-week debut for an R&B song this year.

His presence can be felt everywhere. He recently joined Mercedes-Benz as the Creative Director for the EQC electric SUV Campaign, took over the Las Vegas strip in order to film the “Heartless” music video, and delivered back-to-back powerhouse performances showcasing some of the most unparalleled creative ever done on late night television on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Meanwhile, his big screen debut happens next week as he joins Adam Sandler in the critically-acclaimed Safdie Brothers film Uncut Gems in select theaters on December 13th and available nationwide on December 25th.

WENGIE × EILL

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POP STAR WENGIE RETURNS WITH A VIBRANT REMAKE OF “TALK TALK” AND DRIVES FANS WILD WITH HER REVAMPED MUSIC VIDEO

Teams up with J-pop artist eill
Just when you thought you couldn’t love a song any more, YouTube sensation turned music artist Wengie revives her K-pop bop “Talk Talk” featuring J-pop artist eill with a colorful music video. The new and improved single will make fans dance like nobody’s watching between the vivacious beats and vibrant background in the music video. This version of the music video is completely new and reshot fully on location in Japan featuring a lively aesthetic that sparks a mystical take between the two artists.

eill has an increasing influence in the J-pop world collaborating on the song “721” with Korean hip-hop artists Rheehab and Ocean. Rolling Stone Japan magazine picked eill as “the top 20 artists to pay attention to internationally and domestically”. She released her debut album “SPOTLIGHT” last month to rave reviews and her music has been on a rotation at more than 30 different radio stations across Japan since the release. The recent music video was also featured and played on “POWER PUSH” by Space Shower TV and “Recommend” by M-ON! With outstanding feedback, the hit reached number 1 for two weeks in a row on the All Japan Radio On-Air chart. eill also participated as a composer/lyricist in a popular Korean girl’s group EXID’s 2nd single with Taku Takahashi (m-flo).

David Amber, the songwriter and producer for global superstars like TWICE, SF9 and NCT, who originally wrote “Talk Talk” makes a cameo in the new music video showcasing his guitar skills.

Wengie: “I loved J-pop music when I was younger so to be able to collaborate with such a talented Japanese artist named eill was such an experience she really added a unique twist to ‘Talk Talk’ that I was surprised with and loved! She’s so cute and fun, just really down to earth and having David be part of the music video was really the icing on the cake.”

eill: “Working with Wengie felt so surreal. She is so wholehearted and does everything with passion. There are not enough people like her in the world. She is a great artist and really loves her fans.”

Creating a channel back in 2010, Wengie has amassed a loyal YouTube following of over 19 million subscribers across her channels, over 25 million combined followers among all social channels and over 2.1 billion views total on YouTube. Since then, she has released seven singles and music videos, each of which have seen huge success and she will continue releasing new music this summer.

ABOUT WENGIE

As one of the most influential YouTube stars and personalities, Wengie’s unique ability to deliver vibrant, informative, and highly-relatable content (including her wildly popular life “hacks” series) to a global audience—with signature quirk and humor—keeps her zealous ‘Wengiecorns’ wanting more. This unparalleled closeness and trust with her fans has cemented Wengie’s power as a leading content collaborator for both high-profile and emerging brands. Wengie has leveraged her prominence on YouTube to tackle other creative realms—she recorded her first music album in China in 2017 and is the voice of the fourth “Powerpuff Girl” on the Cartoon Network. With Wengie’s single ‘Oh I Do’, hitting #5 on the Honggebang charts in China, her music career continues to blossom with each music release skyrocketing to the top of international music charts. She has accumulated over 26 million views on YouTube with her first three releases of “Oh I Do,” “Cake,” and “Déjà vu,” which continues to grow daily. Following those, Wengie dropped her holiday anthem “Ugly Christmas Sweater” song, which hit the #1 spot on YouTube’s trending list and garnered nearly two million views in its first day, and 8.8 million to date. Wengie’s first collaboration “Mr. Nice Guy” features Filipino star musician Iñigo Pascual, which reached #1 on the OPM Top 10 Chart in the Philippines! Wengie’s single “Empire” featuring k-pop superstar Minnie of (G)I-DLE debuted at number 22 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales Chart week of November 2, 2019. Wengie’s music channel “Wengie Music” has over 75 million total views (as of December 2019). For the majority of her life, she has had multicultural musical taste, listening to mainly J-pop, C-pop, and K-pop. Wengie’s main goal in music is to create fun music that is “East meets West” / K-Pop-fused-with-American-pop, which is essentially all the things she loves. Her musical influences include BLACKPINK, TWICE, ITZY, HyunA, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift. Wengie is managed by RARE Global, music by Asian Agent, and her agency is UTA.

Tim Draper Invests in Blockchain Venture

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Goren Holm Ventures, the Los Angeles blockchain accelerator and incubator known for producing one of the world’s leading blockchain investment conferences, Crypto Invest Summit, announced today that renowned venture capitalist Tim Draper has invested in Goren Holm Ventures and has expanded his partnership with the firm, now rebranded to Draper Goren Holm.

“I am excited about doubling-down on Los Angeles and blockchain with the premiere blockchain conference and accelerator team in LA,” said Tim Draper. “Josef and Alon are ingrained in the LA community and have created a funnel of some of the top talent and entrepreneurs in the world. And we welcome the rebranded “Draper Goren Holm” to the Draper Venture Network.”

Draper is known throughout the world for his early investments in notable companies such as Tesla, Hotmail, Skype and Coinbase. He is also known for his early support of Bitcoin.

Founding partner, Alon Goren, discussed the platform’s ability to identify early-stage, high-quality entrepreneurs in an emerging market and bring them all together.

“We’ve built a platform that enables us to find, identify and support the most amazing entrepreneurs in the blockchain space, at the earliest stage,” said Goren. “Having Tim Draper, one of the most successful and legendary early-stage investors on our team, further amplifies our efforts and growth.”

The announcement follows Goren Holm’s acceptance into the Draper Venture Network(DVN) earlier this year. DVN is a one-of-kind alliance of self-governed, independent venture funds that cooperate on investor diligence, market intelligence, corporate relationships, and co-investments.

However, the relationship between Goren, Holm, and Draper has evolved since then into Draper investing and becoming a board member of the firm.

After the announcement, GHV co-founder Josef Holm spoke about the opportunities and insight that Draper brings to a team.

“Tim is one of the most respected voices in not only cryptocurrency but throughout the investment world. We’re honored that he decided to join our firm and bring the world-class knowledge he has to offer.”

About Draper Goren Holm:

Draper Goren Holm was founded as Goren Holm Ventures in 2018, a limited partnership between founders Alon Goren and Josef Holm, then later joined by Tim Draper and rebranded to Draper Goren Holm in 2019. The firm is a venture studio focused on accelerating and incubating blockchain and crypto startups, while simultaneously producing leading blockchain and cryptocurrency events, Security Token Summit and Crypto Invest Summit (CIS). Portfolio companies include Totle, Ownera, Innovesta, LunarCrush, Giftz, Vertalo, Coinsquad, CasperLabs, Element Zero, Blockchain Credit Partners and more. More information can be found right here: http://drapergorenholm.com.

Miami Art Week Reception

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Sober Collective Art Gallery Pop-Up
80 NE 29th Street, Wynwood

Tonight, Sunday, December 8
7 p.m. – 12 a.m.

Eight of Holland’s greatest creative minds have joined forces to create a visual playground in their pop-up art gallery in the heart of Wynwood during Miami Art Week 2019.

There’s a VIP Opening Reception on Sunday, December 8th from 7 p.m. – 12 a.m. for an exclusive tour of the collection curated by Sober Collective’s Tim Boin in the heart of Wynwood.

#RIP Juice WRLD

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Recently signed Interscope Records artist, Jarad A. Higgins aka Juice Wrld, dies at 21. The Lucid Dreams × Robbery rapper passes soon after being admitted into a Chicago hospital. Details as to what actually caused death is still unknown.

According to TMZ, he suffered a seizure and died shortly after landing his private jet in Chi-town.

A statement from his label can be found HERE.

Additional information on story can be found HERE.

Artist spotlight HERE.

His JuiceWRLD 999 album uses powerful angel number which means a chapter of your life will come an end.

Final moments captured HERE.

Draya Michele + Mint Swim + STYLE X

Celebrity, influencer, entrepreneur Draya Michele flooded the Mondrian South Beach Pool Deck yesterday with an A-list eclectic crowd adding a fresh new vibe to Art Basel Miami.

Influencers and notables including Dj Clue, Fabulous, Justin Combs among many others came out to support the Mint Swim Pool Soirée produced by STYLE X with sounds by Kieto and Rich Medina.

Guests sipped on Hennessy and Notorious Pink Rosè while viewing art from incredible artists including Leidy Mazo, UnCutt Art, Sayco Williams and Zack Laine. Amazing massages were provided by Guy and Girl Spa and beauty station by Style The Runway.

A Special Thanks to our Partners and Sponsors: Hennessy, Notorious Pink Rosé, Style The Runway, Vysen Eyewear, Hemp Wellness, Nirvana Group, Alioop Network, Guy and Girl Spa, Redbull and GTS Kombucha.

Photocredit: Eva-Maria Guggenberger

X-MEN – HELLIONS

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NEW X-MEN TITLE HELLIONS UNITES MUTANTKIND’S BIGGEST TROUBLEMAKERS!

Zeb Wells and Stephen Segovia bring you the X-Men team you’re going to love to hate!

New York, NY— December 6, 2019 — Earlier this year, Jonathan Hickman revitalized the X-Men franchise in HOUSE OF X and POWERS OF X, ushering in a new age of stories for mutantkind. Dawn of X kept the momentum going with six exciting launches, each exploring the X-Men’s new status quo in distinct ways, and this March, this bold era continues with the most unexpected lineup ever seen in an X-Men title… Introducing the new HELLIONS!

When the X-Men invited all mutants to Krakoa, they meant ALL mutants, even forgiving the past sins of some of their fiercest enemies. Chief among them was Mister Sinister who now tasks himself with finding purpose for mutantkind’s most dangerous outcasts: Wild Child, Nanny, Orphan Maker, Empath, and Scalphunter! Also on hand to do Sinister’s dirty work will be X-Men favorites Psylocke and Havok! Will they be able keep these murderous baddies in line or will the team’s deadly missions have them succumb to their own sinister natures?

Taking us along for this twisted ride will be writer Zeb Wells (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, NEW MUTANTS). No stranger to dark humor and in-depth character studies, Zeb is the perfect guide into the unhinged minds that round out this cast. “I can’t believe I get a chance to play in the sandbox Jonathan Hickman and company have so brilliantly created,” says Wells. “For my money it’s the most exciting game in town and I can’t wait to let this merry band of psychopaths loose in it.”

Joining him on this journey will be artist Stephen Segovia who’s made a name for himself in high octane books like CONTAGION and SUPERIOR CARNAGE. “I am HUGE fan of Zeb Wells’ work. The moment I read his HELLIONS pitch, I was blown away,” says Segovia. “It’s a new level of mutant stories and I was overjoyed and pumped to begin drawing it immediately. I can’t wait for you guys to see the magic we’re cooking up and I promise you’ll enjoy the ride!”

If you think the book’s lineup is shocking, you ain’t seen nothing yet! Brace yourselves for more jaw dropping revelations and twists when HELLIONS #1 hit stands in March!

HELLIONS 1
Written by ZEB WELLS
Art and Cover by STEPHEN SEGOVIA

To find a comic shop near you, visit www.comicshoplocator.com

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com.

Kanye West – New Original Opera ‘MARY’

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KANYE WEST TO STAGE NEW ORIGINAL OPERA ‘MARY’ THIS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8TH IN MIAMI

DIRECTED BY VANESSA BEECROFT, NEW OPERA FOLLOWS ‘SOULFUL, SPIRITUAL’ OPERA DEBUT, NEBUCHADNEZZAR

On Sunday, December 8th, Kanye West will debut the new original opera Mary at the Miami Marine Stadium. The opera, directed by Vanessa Beecroft, follows on the heels of Nebuchadnezzar, West’s first opera, which premiered last month at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. For West, opera is a new medium through which to express his commitment to faith and his ever-expanding musical and visual palette.

Mary is an original opera, based on the biblical story of the miraculous events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. The Books of Matthew and Luke recount the story of Mary, who was divinely chosen by God to bring forth the Messiah.

West’s Mary brings together elements from different worlds – including opera, fine art, modern dance, and gospel music – to create a new visual interpretation and innovative performance structure. Mary is performed by the Sunday Service collective, a ministry formed in January of 2019, in collaboration with Access Opera. With the Sunday Service Collective working alongside a cast of professional opera singers,Mary represents an innovative interpretation of West’s own music, gospel standards, and traditional opera alike.

For ticket information, please go HERE.

Introducing The Kid Laroi

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LA based rapper by way of Australia makes his major label debut with new single “Let Her Go.” The official music video was directed by Cole Bennett and is live on Lyrical Lemonade.

At only sixteen years old, The Kid LAROI is one of his city’s most promising acts. He’s already received many notable co-signs including JuiceWRLD, 6LACK, and Lil Skies and provided tour support for a number of artists.

WES PERIOD – NU SHOES

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West Coast rapper/alt-pop artist Wes Period returns today with a new song “NU SHOES”, along with an accompanying video shot by Logan Meis (Trippie Red, NLE Choppa, Lil Tecca). “NU SHOES” is the third release this year from the Orange County-born and bred artist-songwriter-producer, following, “Beautifully Broken,” and “My Benz”, which was released in September and whose video has over 600,000 views. A full-length album will follow in 2020. Check out the video for “NU SHOES” HERE.

In 2017, Wes caught the attention of GRAMMY-nominated songwriter Justin Tranter (Imagine Dragons, Yungblud, Camila Cabello) who saw a video of Wes performing at a pizza shop. Justin quickly signed Wes to his label Facet Records. Last year, Wes toured arenas across North America in support of Kesha and Macklemore, and released his debut album Pretty Words on Facet Records / Interscope Records.

Wes Period – “Nu Shoes”
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