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Shaboozey: country music’s newest star

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Photo source: Daniel Prakopcyk

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Shaboozey is carving out his own lane. Building on the success of her appearance on two of Beyoncé’s songs, “SPAGHETTII” and “SWEET HONEY BUCKIIN’,” the Virginia native’s country song “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” became a Top 100 hit on the Billboard 100. The album combines the sounds of hip-hop, country and folk right into a sonic melting pot that could be a microcosm of Shaboozey’s sound as an entire. In the face of his newfound fame, he desires to take his music to the subsequent level while highlighting all of the black talent that the genre of country music has to supply.

Born Collins Obinna Chibueze, Shaboozey grew up immersed in an eclectic mixture of music that included every little thing from classic hip-hop and R&B to country icons corresponding to Kenny Rogers and Garth Brooks. “My sound comes from this whole melting pot,” he tells ESSENCE. “He comes from Virginia. It’s just Virginia to a T. Honestly, I just wanted to lay the groundwork for other artists in the area to not be confused about what this sound is and should be.” Although his childhood dream was to turn into a novelist, he began experimenting with making music in highschool and shortly joined a collective of local artists – and the remaining, as they are saying, was history.

Now the Nigerian-born singer, songwriter, filmmaker and music producer is preparing to release his debut country album titled The upcoming project focuses on Shaboozey’s incredibly detailed storytelling and soulful vocals. Songs like “Let it burn“, a haunting song about heartbreak”Annabelle” and most recently “Vegas” were met with each critical and industrial acclaim, which raised expectations for the star’s recent work.

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“It’s some of the best music I’ve made in a long time,” Shaboozey says of the album. “I’m very excited about the collaboration I’ve had on this film; We introduce them slowly as we speak and they sound amazing. It’s cool to collaborate in this process and have access and talk to some of the people who inspired me to create this project, so I’m really grateful for that.”

With a slate of chart-topping songs, newfound fame, and infinite creativity, Shaboozey has a protracted profession ahead of him – and he desires to take the world with him.

ESSENCE: Your artistry could be very unique. Can you speak about your beginnings in music and what was the primary art form you were exposed to as a baby?

Shaboozey: I believe everyone listens to music, especially at a young age. You are exposed to every little thing, TV, radio, what your parents are playing, just different events, weddings, cooking. So I believe all of us encountered music quite early. It’s probably not the primary day we were born, but in my case, my parents immigrated here from Nigeria. I used to be born in Virginia. My dad, who also went to school in Texas, then moved to Virginia. He was also exposed to country music, in order that got thrown into the combination as well. So it’s hard to reply this query because I believe music has all the time been around me.

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In your earlier profession, your sound was more influenced by trap and hip-hop. Now it is a heavier mixture of country, folk-pop and more. When did this transformation in your music occur and what inspired this transformation in your sound?

I believe obviously growing up – I used to be an enormous hip hop fan. If I turned on MTV or turned on , I might see Ja Rule, Chingy, J Kwon and others. That’s why I do know every hit from 1999 to the current – every hip-hop song. In highschool, girls loved Drake and Future, so we began desirous about it. And then I believe sooner or later when it got here to me making music, all of us rapped because that was the thing you probably did. It was sort of what was around, what my friends were playing and every little thing, and within the football locker room, what I mean? You’re not going to pretend to be Garth Brooks simply to get hot.

So I believe playing sports gave me a predisposed must go to the studio. And then I believe after I began desirous about it, I asked myself, “What will set me apart? How can I stand out?” And then I ponder, “What do I want my message to be? Where am I from?” Hip-hop is very important depending on where you come from. You have people like Goodie Mob in Atlanta, Future, etc. You have your people in New York, you have people from the West Coast and the Midwest. So I asked, ” What does this mean for Virginia? Why do I need this where I come from?”

I believe that put me on a mission to see what was around me. What are some features of Virginia which might be unique to this region that usually are not found elsewhere? So I began in search of outdoor things. We have Cabela’s. Many people engage in outdoor activities. We fish, we wish to go to the bay, we go to the paths, to the Shenandoah Valley. We even have the Richmond International Raceway and NASCAR. We got some of these things too. And then there’s also Pharrell, there’s also Missy, there’s also Timbaland, there’s also Patsy Klein, the old country singer. Beyonce put her personal songs on “Sweet Honey Buckin.”

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You mentioned Beyoncé in your previous answer. I desired to ask you ways you two got together and what was your experience, recording process like while you made music together with her?

Yeah, after I got here into this place, there wasn’t a number of representation there. Of course you might have Darius Rucker, Jimmy Allen, Mickey Guyton and Charlie Pride, all those people. But it isn’t lots should you compare the variety of hip-hop artists, R&B artists. You go to country music, there’s about 4 or five. As for the brand new ones, again there usually are not lots of them. So I believe after I set out on this journey, I didn’t realize how difficult it might be to realize acceptance there, not only from white people, but in addition from black people and the industry as an entire.

When I did that, I saw it as a chance because people see that you simply are following your path. So I believe when Beyonce decided to take a risk and express that a part of her artistry, it made sense. When you concentrate on this music, genre and magnificence, my name comes up very often. So truthfully, I believe it made sense. Many fans have requested this. Many of her fans asked within the comments, “Oh, are you recording a country album? If you aren’t getting Shaboozey, this will likely be an issue. So the universe, man, a number of people put their energy into wanting this to occur and manifest – I believe it has come true.

You had a successful profession before, but I do know you are getting more attention now, you are energetic . How has your life and profession modified because you appeared on the album?

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Oh yes. He is certainly one of the best artists of all time, an all-time artist. Because I’m black, lots of my relations, especially the ladies in my life, are die-hard fans. She’s having a tough time. So to see your cousin, brother or member of the family on something like this can be a crazy move for me. But it has definitely modified. It had some of the famous projects and implementations of the yr. She was making history. We made history or are making history. And that is a blessing, man. My life has definitely modified, as you’ll expect. People are taking pictures and lots of eyes are on me, many ears are on me, individuals are what I say. If I say I ate turkey bacon this morning, it’d make the news. This is cool. It’s great to have such an enormous platform now, to give you the option to confer with more people and spread my message.

How do you’re feeling in regards to the recent popularity of black artists within the country genre straight away?

I believe this has already been done, but I still think there continues to be lots to do. We are still in its early stages. I still think individuals are listening and tuning in, but I still think there’s a number of work to be done. Even when all is alleged and done, I still don’t think there are that lots of us. There are other artists who have not even been tested, like Buffalo Kin, a black country artist who sings more traditional, classic bluegrass Americana music. Kashus Culpepper, War and Treaty, all these people who find themselves still making music that I actually like, bluegrass Americana. So I need to see more people talking about these guys and what they do, because they’re amazing voices that I believe are still misaligned.

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Hannah John -kamen on Thunderbolts* and always remains ready to get close – essence

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Killer Action Role on television, science fiction Odyssey Outlaws and Hyper-Dystopian Stories are stuffed with the movie Hannah John-Kamen as a performer with strength in her emotional performance on the screen. A 35-yr-old English actress known for her roles in movies similar to Andas, just like the television program, Likeand is ready to bring her to her because she had large roles supporting in lots of successful franchises. He represents his role Ghost (Ava Starr) in Marvel. Directed by Jake Schreier, The Asterisk within the title of the film is an actual show Way Marvel, and the filmmaker intended to be this story to be the departure of Disney franchise and resign how very different it’s from the more shiny repertoire of Marvel’s movies.

“Jake’s lens of this film was very, tonally specific”, he describes John-Kamen through the conversation. “It was like creating an independent film in the Marvel universe – Jake had a level of sensitivity and nurturing this story.” Re-reembodiment John-Kamena Ava Starr as a spirit, a killer for employment, is a key paria of the newly formed group, which was later recognized within the film as Thunderbolts, the name developed by the character of David Harbor, Aleksiej Andreovitch (Red Guardian).

Hannah John-Kamen on Thunderbolts* and always remaining ready for a rapprochement
(LR) John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian (David Harbor) and Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) at Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts*. Photo of Chuck Zlotnicka. © 2025 Marvel.

The family roots of John-Kamen reach her Nigerian father and Norwegian mother, who performed significantly different works as a criminal psychologist and fashion model. With her established experience in Performance’s art, she was able to introduce her history of upbringing in a house stuffed with beauty and brains in her roles on the screen. The English contractor doesn’t stop his roles on television and film and cooperated with the maestros cinema, similar to Steven Spielberg (), and now Jake Schreier. “It’s quite difficult, because when you filter abroad, you revolve with a time difference that is easier to say than to do,” says John-Kamen. “In this world it can be a lonely lifestyle that concerns the spirit, and I grounded, taking breath and seeing my loved ones, friends and hugging my dog.”

Hannah John-Kamen on Thunderbolts* and always remaining ready for a rapprochement
(LR) John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) in Thunderbolts Marvel Studios*. Photo thanks to the kindness of Marvel Studios. © 2024 Marvel.

Florence Pugh leads as Yelena Belova, a self -sighted super agent who suffers from disturbing episodes that recreate memories of the past that persecute her. The unusual childhood injury Belova led her to becoming a one who acts probably the most alone. Belova and Starr are a fortress behind Anti Hero Alliance of the Thunderbolts. They are the one women in a six -person organization who meets with controversial forces. “He, very, controls himself, his body and making decisions very much,” the John-Kamen explores. “She is Fort Knox and is a lonely wolf.”

Hannah John-Kamen on Thunderbolts* and always remaining ready for a rapprochement
(LR) Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), John Walker (Wyatt Russell) and Red Guardian/Alexei Shostakov (David Harbor) at Thunderbolts Marvel Studios*. Photo thanks to the kindness of Marvel Studios. © 2024 Marvel.

The unusual moments of the comedy from the forged, which incorporates Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman and many others, does so related and feel more human than OR. Without having shiny superpowers, which make up lightning, they’re forced to face their reality without pursuing fandoms and public support. In the film Arch Nemesis Thunderbolt is the vengeful figure of Louis-Dreyfus, Valentina Allegra de Fountaine-infiltrating director who tries to manipulate and remove the Marvel Hero team.

Hannah John-Kamen on Thunderbolts* and always remaining ready for a rapprochement
Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) at Thunderbolts Marvel Studios*. Photo thanks to the kindness of Marvel Studios. © 2024 Marvel.

During the 2 -hour journey, which makes up the history of Thunderbolt’s origin, the audience experiences the way in which these qualified warriors are still fighting for the worst problems. Ava Starr remains under the radar for many of the film because he has more sequences than words. “Her guard is very elevated,” says John-Kamen. Ava Starr appears when Yelena Belova needs her most to save the world overtaken by darkness. The character of Lewis Pullman, Robert “Bob” Reynolds, is armed against Thunderbolts, and his arch symbolizes how our minds may be as powerful because the uncomfortable villain.

Hannah John-Kamen on Thunderbolts* and always remaining ready for a rapprochement
(LR): Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbor), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and John Walker (Wyatt Russell) in Marvel Studios “Thunderbolts* © 2024 Marvel.

Schreier’s approach to this film within the Marvel series was to enlarge greater than outside, removes all glamorous aesthetics that makes the heroes so aspirative. Even in Thunderbolts marketing, a wheat box standing in the course of the box is caught to satirize the trail of superheroes created within the Marvel cinema. Each anti -hero character stands in front of its own internal battles created by the trauma and wounded within the script by Eric Pearson. “We really laughed between shots,” Hannah warns me, talking in regards to the heavier features of the film. “I really created this beautiful family in this cast.”

In general, it is a story that follows wounded individuals who learn to treat. Along the way in which, they establish a family bond and support system. In 2025, when people can feel more disconnected, the narrative of Thunderbolts hits the home harder, watching the characters construct sufficient confidence and mental Harta to stand in themselves and their newly discovered friends. “I think that at the end of this movie I want you to hug a loved one or make sure someone feels safe and informed him that they do not have to boldly smile,” John-Kamen says.

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Karen Pittman in the latest drama Netflix “Forever” – Essence

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Karen Pittman during the thirty first Guild Actors Guild Awards. Photo: Maya Dehlin Spach

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Karen Pittman is just too accustomed to prime quality content. From, to, she built a profession playing dynamic characters at the center of an intelligent, conscious society. But in the recent Netflix Pittman series, he enters the unknown territory – each skilled and emotional. Adapted by Mara Brock Akil and the performer produced by Regina King, the concert again imagines the iconic novel by Judah Blume from 1975 through a up to date lens, concentrating black love, family and growing pains of adolescence in America Pre -Floyd. This is a type of project that usually doesn’t come – and Pittman knew about it after the jump.

“I don’t have such a thing on my work on TV,” says Essence. “I did it in the theater, but not in this way with these colleagues.” When Akil turned to her regarding the role of Dawn Edwards-Reduer with a high power and fierce protective mother-she showed that the stars were leveled. “Not very often in your career, as an actress, people will allow you to break your mold and do something else,” he says. “And Mara is known for the concentration of black women. It meant to me.”

In the series Dawn is the mother of Justin, teenagers moving in the old flame, identity and independence. It is an effort that required Pittman to make use of his mother’s own instincts – but with restraint. “Dawn and I are two very, very different mothers,” he says with amusing. “But this level of cruelty in how it protects my children? I am completely adapted with it. There is no compromise for me in this way.” While Dawn emanates what Pittman calls “Razzle Dazzle” – a type of presence that makes people sit straight when he enters the room – she can be harsh, sensitive and struggles with the terrifying transition to permit her son to enter a situation that she will be able to’t control.

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Karen Pittman in the latest drama Netflix
Michael Cooper Jr., Wood Harris and Karen Pittman in “Forever”, courtesy of Elizabeth Morris / Netflix

The series takes place in 2018, and sometimes the Nominee Actors Guild awards as “preliminary sketch”. Before Pandemia, before he calls for racial justice, the series records quiet fears that defined so many black households. “This is an uncertain place for a mother,” he explains. “Watching your child goes to the hostile world. This program reflects where we were as a country and why Dawn is so focused on the development of the Son.”

This helps that Pittman’s stars are Wood Harris, who plays Father Justin. Two actors divide not only skilled chemistry, but a typical language that reaches their roots. “We spoke smoothly with each other,” he says. “Wood was simply an ideal star-open gentleman, accessible and full of respect for work. Our heroes love deeply, and the conflict between them concerns noble problems, not a small drama. This made the scenes rich.”

The dream team doesn’t end there. Pittman lights up, saying that he’s directed by King, whose artistic instinct and private experience have added work. “Regina grew up in Los Angeles, she was the mother of her son at this age – there was such a large synergy,” he says. “He is the director of the actor, completely commanding, but also related to the crew in a way that made the whole set feel grounded.”

But this Akil, says Pittman, who built the foundation. “Mara could write for everyone, do everything – but she decides to warm up her work around us,” he says. “She is intended in a way that I have never experienced. We saw her influence by: – ​​But this series gives us a different dimension of her vision. It is delicate. It is sharp. It is deep, deeply black.”

For Pittman, It’s greater than a brand new loan on her impressive CV – it is a type of return home. A probability to stretch, cooperation with creators that admires and tell a story that resonates at every level.

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“This is one of those rare times in which work, people and message are consistent,” he says. “And when it happens, you jump.”

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Tara Davis -woodhall reveals a rare photo of her essence

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Tara Davis-Woodhall reveals a rare photo of her afro

@_Taarra_ / Instagram

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From boxes to turns and extensions, Track Pro and gold Olympic medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall did all this. But “many of you have never seen my natural hair,” she wrote in an Instagram post.

In a rare appearance, a floating, frame -fate of Afro Olympians occupies the front seat when he works with Dove, Rise.365 and The Crown Act to bring black hairstyles to the emoji digital universe.

“With almost 4,000 emojis there is not a single emoji representing real people with natural or protective hairstyles,” Dove wrote in one other post. “Why exists emoji, but there is no hairstyle where you can use them? The meaning of textures, protective styles and those who proudly wear them cannot be overstated.”

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In relation to the #CodemyCrown movement, the hashtag used to persuade Unicode so as to add 4 latest emoji to our keys to our keys, Davis-Woodhall removed its extension to disclose the curls that all of us waited for. In the true representation of what – and who – is missing within the Emoji library, its hydrated, shrunken texture describes the wonder of our Afros – even in times after we rarely see them.

“There is no emoji that reflects my natural type of hair,” he says. “Or any hairstyle that I love to wear! Let’s change it!” With over 100 posts under the hashtag #codemyCrown, the longer term of hair integration means showing our natural texture – and all styles between them.

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