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Taylor Swift and Shawn Mendes release “Lover” remix, Blackpink breaks another YouTube record

15.11.2019

By Ronn Tan

Taylor Swift and Shawn Mendes release “Lover” remix, Blackpink breaks another YouTube record

Hello pop culture junkies! Welcome back to another edition of Pop Culture Catch-Up as we discuss the biggest news of the week in the entertainment circle. This week’s headlines include: Taylor Swift’s remix of Lover featuring Shawn Mendes, Blackpink’s new YouTube record and the upcoming Netflix series on Selena Quintanilla. Now on to the top trending news!

The remix of Lover is here and it’s… lovely

Did you see this coming? Shawn Mendes, who recently performed in Kuala Lumpur, collaborated with Taylor Swift on a new version of Lover—a single off her latest album of the same name. The remix features new lyrics from the In My Blood singer. For example, he sings in the song, “Pictures of when we were young hang on the wall. We’ll sit on the stoop, I’ll sing love songs to you”. Lover is touted as one of Taylor Swift‘s most endearing record and the revamped version has only made the song sweeter. Shawn added backing vocals while Taylor left her parts in the tune untouched.

Both have worked together when they sang Shawn’s There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back on Taylor’s Reputation Tour in 2018. Fans have been anticipating a new project from two of the biggest pop stars and now—they are blessed with one. What do you think of the song?

Blackpink breaks another YouTube record—again!

They are really in your area, aren’t they? In fact, the South Korean girl group is everywhere. The girls have led K-Pop to another milestone—Ddu-Du Ddu-Du hit one billion views on YouTube. The song, which was released on 15 June 2018, took 17 months to achieve this. Blackpink is the first K-Pop group to attain the record. Psy is the only other Korean act to reach one billion views, with both Gangnam Style and Gentleman.

As of writing, the video now has 1,005,002,508 views on the video platform. YG Entertainment has announced that Blackpink will not be releasing any new material until 2020. However, Blinks still have numerous hits to vibe to while waiting, such as As If It’s Your Last, Playing With Fire, Boombayah, and Kill This Love. Congratulations to the girls for this achievement!

The trailer for Selena: The Series is here

Netflix’s upcoming programme on Selena Quintanilla is definitely something to look forward to, especially if you’re a fan of the Como La Flor singer. Who is playing Selena? The Walking Dead‘s Christian Serratos. Selena: The Series is a coming-of-age show about one of the biggest Latino crossover stars in the world. Executive Producers include Moisés Zamora, Abraham Quintanilla Jr. (Selena’s father), her Suzette Quintanilla (Selena’s sister), and Simran A. Singh (family attorney). Watch the trailer above to see a glimpse of Christian Serratos as the legendary Queen of Tejano music. The exact release date is still unknown.

Jennifer Lopez played Selena in a 1997 musical drama film—and paid tribute to the I Could Fall In Love singer. If you didn’t know yet, Selena was murdered in 1995 by Yolanda Saldívar, her former manager. She was only 23 and was at the height of her career.

Talitha. drops music video for new song Maple

The Malaysian singer and songwriter released the official video for her latest tune, starring fellow Malaysian musician, NYK (Nick Yungkit). Maple, from the Boys EP, is written by Talitha. herself and composed alongside Darren Ashley. The mid-tempo pop track touches on the intricacies of love and attraction. Both the music video and song are brilliant and prime examples of why we should always support the local music industry.

Also—listen to NYK’s new track My Baby (Loves Me) here.

Festival de Cannes Film Week arrives in Asia

Festival de Cannes Asia Elana Khyra

After a long wait, the Festival de Cannes Film Week made its debut in the continent—with its opening night at Hong Kong’s K11 Musea. Present at the ceremony were Hong Kong’s film industry elite, such as director Wong Kar Wai, filmmaker Ann Hui, director Johnnie To, director Yonfan, director Teddy Robin, director Flora Lau, producer Yvette Tang, and cinematographer Christopher Doyle.

YM Tunku Elana Khyra was also there, making her the first Malaysian to attend the event the prestigious event—alongside big names in the film industry, including the likes of Fala Chen, Janice Man, Hanna Chan, Adam Pak, Rachel Leung, and Himmy Wong.

Asia’s inugural Cannes Film Week features film screenings, presentations, and masterclasses with legendary filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne as well as Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate of the Festival de Cannes. The week-long occasion runs from 12 November to 17 November 2019. Read more about that here.

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