Deborah Ayorinde returns because the star of Prime Video, the horror anthology series created by Little Marvin. The talented actress currently stars as Dawn Reeve, a homicide detective in Los Angeles in 1991. Last season was set in Compton in the early Fifties and highlighted a period when racism was rampant. The terror continues in the brand new installment of the series, titled .

This season, viewers will receive a first-hand account of Reeve’s experiences along with her personal and skilled struggles, in addition to the investigation right into a series of gruesome murders in Los Angeles. Ayorinde shines again in the lead role, showing off her range and versatility on screen. More essential, nevertheless, is her position among the many growing list of black women in the horror genre.

“I’m so grateful that I’m doing this at a time like this because, yes, a lot of people were running so that I could walk,” Ayorinde explains to ESSENCE during a candid conversation. “In many cases, I stand on their shoulders and I don’t take it lightly.”

Starring alongside a solid that features Luke James, Joshua Williams and the long-lasting Pam Grier, the film goals to remain true to its roots while still striking fear into viewers. “By doing this show, I learned how dedicated and appreciative horror fans are to this genre,” she says.

Ayorinde’s attention to detail and the cinematic genius of Little Marvin created the proper balance between history and horror. Whether one is a fan of the genre or not, this season of Them will keep viewers on their toes while exploring thought-provoking topics.

ESSENCE: Going back to the primary season, what was it about Livia’s role that intrigued you adequate to wish to proceed her?

Deborah Ayorinde: Going back to where I used to be in my profession at the moment, I instinctively knew I used to be on the verge of something great in my profession, but I just didn’t know what. I used to be really in search of a job that may really stretch me as an actor and allow me to point out what I could do, in addition to something that felt personal to me. And it was very near my heart. And once I got the script, I felt it was so big and so great and so beautiful that I truthfully didn’t think I might get it.

It’s that imposter syndrome thing, you already know what I mean? I literally read it and they said there have been a number of other people in the combo and I used to be like, “Okay, I’ll read it.” As I began to get further into the method, I just began to appreciate, “Oh shit, am I going to get this role?” But it was literally the role of a lifetime and I knew it once I read it. There are roles that you just just know are going to be big and wonderful and beautiful and impact loads of people.

You have appeared in projects similar to AND , but this might be essentially the most immersed role in the horror genre you’ve got ever seen. As you ready to enter ?

With the primary season, in case you remember, it was throughout the pandemic. So we’re almost done shooting. We literally had probably five days and needed to take a break. So that is who I’m as an actor and the way in which I used to be rocking with Lucky, I didn’t allow myself to completely come out of it and completely release it until we were done. So through all these months, I believe it ended up being six months off, I stayed along with her with one foot.

But for me, with all my roles, especially these, music has been an enormous preparation tool for me. I mainly create playlists for all of my characters. In season one, I created a playlist for Lucky of songs that I felt like she would hear on daily basis, songs that she may not have heard but that spoke to the moment she was going through, spoke to her emotions. I also made one for Dawn. There are loads of songs on this playlist that I consider bops. You know what I mean? But for me, it was only a throwback to a time in the ’90s once I was like, “Oh, music was just so…” Not that it’s like that now, nevertheless it was just so good. And also songs that talked about where she was emotionally, about loneliness, about this type of attempting to be a superwoman and so on.

I need to remain there because that is the primary time I’ve heard an actor use this method. How did you prepare the playlist?

Basically, I used to be born in London and as a family we moved to the Bay Area. For me, once I was in London, I remember being more into American music and then more into East Coast music, New York rap, Bad Boy and all that stuff. But it wasn’t until I moved to California that I began listening to songs that were very specific to California and very specific to the Bay Area. I picked a few of these songs from the playlist to remind me of the primary time I saw this completely different place, the primary time I drove across the bay from the San Francisco airport and my uncle played the soundtrack as he drove us. And literally from top to bottom, I can sing each lyric in this soundtrack due to it. It just brings you back.

I listened to loads of Tupac. Of course, Tupac is known everywhere in the world, but at the moment I listened to him rather a lot. I put it on a playlist. I put Too Short on the playlist and E-40 on the playlist. I say, God, so many individuals. I really like 90’s music so Brandy, Monica and all of them put it on the playlist. And again, I included some songs that appealed to more emotions. And interestingly enough, I managed to take heed to a number of songs from my Lucky and Dawn playlist. For me, it related to among the moments she goes through, the identical emotions.

What was it like working alongside Pam Grier during ?

It’s hard for me to even put it into words. It’s such an honor. And I do know she was like, “Just call me Aunt Pam.” It’s just the way in which she paved the way in which for therefore lots of us to exist in this industry, in case you just sit at her feet, she is going to literally inform you stories that can make you say, “Are you kidding? Me?” And just normal. She’ll say, “Oh yeah. Oh yeah, I sang in that. Oh yeah, once I did this and that… She tells you stories all day long and you simply sit there and say, “This woman is amazing and amazing. And I feel honored that she said yes. I feel honored that she blessed the universe with her legend. She really is. And she feels so safe, too.” Aunt.

So I felt very, superb working along with her. I felt very protected working along with her. I felt very seen working along with her. I do know she’s been through a lot in this industry and it makes me feel empowered to see her now and see her still working, still creating amazing art and just having fun. This is just amazing. That’s the easiest way I can put it, truthfully, because there are really no words to explain it.

Is there anything in particular that you just learned or took away from her, directly or not directly, as an actress?

I might say that the foremost, foremost, most significant thing is to enjoy what you do, because in case you don’t enjoy it, then why the hell are you doing it? She still enjoys it. He still tells jokes. He’s still fidgeting with this thing. And I feel like I’ve just seen loads of actors who only do it a fraction of the time that she does it, and I’ve probably only been through a fraction of the things that she’s been through each personally and professionally, and they’re already jaded . They don’t really like the method anymore. But she’s not like that. She still enjoys it.

And yet one more thing that I took from her, and that is the acting thing, nevertheless it’s a extremely personal thing to be honest with you. It was as if she was herself unapologetically. It just makes me feel, I do not know, it just gives me permission to take space and just be myself. Yes, she is amazing. Honestly, I could rave about her all day.

The role you play this season; you might be in a extremely essential position. I believe of ladies like Lupita Nyong’o, Betty Gabriel and the work that Angela Bassett worked on “Having Black people because the lead in these horror movies is basically culturally essential. What do you consider the representation of black women in the horror genre?

I believe it’s amazing. I just like the indisputable fact that we will make horror movies because often after we’re put on the forefront of horror movies and TV shows, we’re really capable of, like I said before, show what we will do, show our range, play complex characters, sometimes be the hero , and sometimes a villain.

I support us and proceed to do my best to represent us well in order that next time can be easier. But I believe that is exciting, not only in horror but in all genres. This really shows that we aren’t a monolith, that we don’t should be lumped into one or two bags. This excites me and I’m blissful to be a component of it. And the actual fact that you could say my name in the identical sentence as people like Pam, Angela, Lupita is an honor for me. I’m really excited concerning the work we have done and plan to proceed doing.

Country singer Mickey Guyton was moved to tears by the number of black faces within the audience at a Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) event in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

“I’ve been in Nashville for a very long time and my main thing is to welcome everyone to country music; it’s great that you’re finally here,” Guyton told the intimate audience. “We fought and worked hard to make people realize that black country music was popular. We’ve been working on this for years. I know you’re here now, but this is pre-2020, so I’m trying not to cry seeing you all here and the hard work we’ve done.”

BMAC President and CEO Willie “Prophet” Stigers kicked off the event focused on the historic exclusion of Black talent from country music despite the genre’s origins with a conversation with Guyton, who spoke in regards to the realities of the Nashville music scene and the role everyone can play in making it more inclusive. by streaming music from black country artists and attending their performances.

“We have been here before in 2020, in 2017 once we founded the ACM Diversity Task Force [Academy of Country Music Awards] and I’m attempting to work out the best way to bring country music to Black people and folks of color. They are closing the door on DEI, and if we do not speak about it and be intentional about our consumerism, we’re done. We’re actually done,” said Guyton, who spoke in regards to the personal toll of her years of efforts.

“I’m still recovering from quite a bit of the things that were said to me after I was attempting to fight for equality in country music. Nothing more nothing less. I didn’t let you know who to vote for. I have never told you anything aside from to provide people a likelihood not because of anything, but because they’re talented and deserve the identical opportunities, and that comes at a price.

Guyton’s words echoed those of BMAC co-founder Caron Veazey, who spoke in regards to the formation of BMAC after the 2020 deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery and the way the organization’s goal of rooting out racism within the music industry has turn out to be harder inside 4 years because the industry committed to improving.

“It’s not making the headlines like it was in 2020 and we knew this day was coming,” Veazey said. “DEI is being dismantled all over the place. So our job is, in some ways, tougher now than it was in 2020, and BMAC now has a good greater responsibility. We need everyone’s help, everyone’s attention, everyone’s support and partnership to proceed our mission and really make a difference.”

Guyton and Stigers emphasize that support on this moment is about not overlooking the eye Beyoncé’s album delivered to each Black country artists and racism within the country music industry.

“When this Beyoncé moment is over and all her country fans are done with their boots and spurs, these Black country artists that you see and like their posts, we will still be here,” Guyton said. “We are still mostly in white spaces. I’m still the one black person in lots of mostly white spaces on boards, attempting to help make decisions and at fundraisers. It is incredibly crucial for every of you, black, white or otherwise, to point out these corporations the monetary value of black art.

To further overcome the obstacles faced by Black country music artists – like Tanner Adell and Tiera Kennedy, who were dropped from their labels before appearing on the song “Blackbird” – Dr. Jada Watson, director of musicology on the University of Ottawa, broke down in regards to the origins of segregation within the music industry and its specific impact on the country genre.

“The recording industry was racially segregated when it was founded in the 1920s – Hillbilly Music and Race Records – and those records became the classification categories under which music was recorded and then sold,” Dr. Watson said in the course of the Grammy Awards panel. -winning artist and songwriter INK, explaining that the identical categories later expanded to radio, then the Billboard charts, and now digital streaming platforms (DSPs).

“Every decision made in connection with building infrastructure and promoting music on the market was related to racial segregation and is 100% still valid,” she added. “If you think that your DSPs are different, they don’t seem to be. Because the identical R&B and country classifications that exist today have their roots within the segregated industry of the Twenties.

Dr. Watson explained that by the numbers, over the past 22 years, songs by Black women have accounted for lower than 1% of airplay on country music radio. “We talk about 0.03% quite often. In 2023, Black women’s songs had 0.02% airplay, so when “Texas Hold ‘Em” came out, it was an opportunity for me, because it has such a global audience, for the format to pick up the song and for the industry to build around possibilities. It hit no. It’s going to start to decline on March 23, and I’m really concerned about that,” said Dr. Watson, who noted that if you add “Texas Hold ‘Em” to the mix of Black women’s songs currently on the air, that number increases to just 0.24%. “So we’re still not in a good place.”

Highlighting Guyton’s remark earlier within the evening in regards to the impact that might be made, “If every Beyoncé fan streamed our song at least once,” Dr. Watson said it isn’t enough to easily like and follow Black country music artists on social media or on the platform’s streaming platform.

“It’s one thing to browse and imitate, it’s another thing, as Mickey said, to keep listening, streaming, coming back, listening to new songs, listening to old songs, because the conversion rate is negative right now,” he says. he said. “On one hand, that’s fine because the follower count continues to grow, but things will plateau once Beyoncé gets to Act III, so Mickey’s advice was the best advice for me. In fact, stream them regularly, stay with them, follow them, go to their shows and buy their merch.”

Regardless of how long the road to equality for Black artists in all musical genres is, each Guyton and BMAC said they refuse to stop trying.

“Our goal at BMAC is non-existence,” Stigers said, stating that disbanding the organization would actually mean eradicating racism within the music industry.

Talking in regards to the journey ahead, Guyton added: “We may not see the real change we want to see in our lifetime, but what awaits us right here gives me so much hope.”

Zendaya is a robust presence as Tashi Duncan – her biggest departure yet – in her latest film. Tashi may be very independent with a laser focus, exuding confidence and sexuality, with a bent to be manipulative.

Not only does Zendaya capture this complex balance with expert precision, but she also does so by portraying the character at very different points in her life – from a pre-college teenager to a married mother in her 30s.

“I kept turning the pages,” Zendaya says of the film’s script. “It was like a challenge. The character was incredibly complex, chaotic and difficult.”

The tennis romantic drama directed by Luca Guadagnino and co-produced by Zendaya herself tells the story of the matches played each on and off the court between tennis prodigy turned coach Tashi and childhood friends and tennis partners turned distant enemies. Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick (Josh O’Connor).

Married to Art and currently on a losing streak after achieving greatness because of her training, Tashi’s plans to redeem his profession are thwarted when the couple meets Patrick, Art’s former friend and Tashi’s ex-boyfriend. As the past and present collide, tensions mount and Tashi must decipher what it can take to win. From 2006 to 2019, we see Tashi in various stages of early maturity as she navigates her profession, family, and sophisticated love life.

“For me, it was just about keeping track of who she was emotionally,” the actress said of taking Tashi from her teens to her 30s. “Who is she, where is she and what is this injury doing to her. When she’s younger, there’s a certain level of carefreeness and joy in her – there’s a spark in her that fades over time and she becomes jaded and desperate to hold on as much as she can to keep her life together.”

Maintaining what Zendaya describes as a “false calm,” Tashi strives to attain goals and take responsibility – a state of being the actress says is all too familiar to many Black women.

The film never directly addresses Tashi’s racial identity, despite depicting a love triangle between a black woman and two white men. However, as Zendaya points out, her Blackness influences several key elements of the story.

“It’s something that’s been done in a sophisticated way,” he tells ESSENCE. “Her connection to tennis and why she is so obsessed with it is due to her access to it. Because he doesn’t come from the identical privileged background as these two boys. Because there may be nothing left to lean on. Because her family couldn’t afford the varsity they went to, and so they didn’t want her to go there anyway.

“There are certain aspects specific to her experience that I think seem very genuine and also inform her relationship with the boys,” Zendaya says. “It may not be the first conversation, but yes [woven] all the time in a very beautiful, nuanced way, because it’s true. This is her reality, her psyche and the reason why she goes through life the way she does.”

is already in cinemas across Poland.