Category: Music

Florence Road are making a name for themselves and not turning back. The childhood friendship turned foursome Lily Aron, Emma Brandon, Alibhe Barry and Hannah Kelly, hail from Wicklow, Ireland. However, their captivating, raw vocal stylings and crushing, alternative rock arrangements have already begun to globalize them. The group gained popularity on TikTok after posting fisheye lens covers of classics by a range of hitmakers from Kate Bush to Dominic Fike. When they began teasing original music, fans waited with … Continue reading “Florence Road: Ireland's Rising Indie Sensation”

It’s Friday night at Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom and a sea of fans are wearing uniform black metal tees. This makes perfect sense considering the night’s headline billing, but as the evening goes on it’s clear that the clothing choices are where the typical hard rock show ends, and the Spiritbox gig begins. The pre-show playlist is a mix of saccharine pop hits, intermingling Beyoncé and Britney Spears. There’s a contrast between the sound of “Toxic” and the burly men in … Continue reading “Spiritbox's Courtney LaPlante Wrestles With Waves on 'Tsunami Sea'”

At last, the influencers and reality show contestants can hang up their bedazzled bodysuits and cowboy hats and Instax Minis, because Coachella is over! With the summer festival circuit just around the corner, however, I suggest they keep them in an easily accessible location, at least until Stagecoach, or wherever they’ve been flown off to next by the “Coca-Cola CREATE Lab in partnership with Frito Lays and Nerds Ropes™: ‘Stretch Your Imaginations.’” As that merry band of misfits jets off … Continue reading “The Coachella Week 2 Looks Worth Talking About”

poptropicaslutz! aren’t fresh to the scene, but their new sounds are. The duo, Nick Crawford and Christian Cicilia, have multiple projects and tours under their belt, but their single “mdma keeps the doctor away” from their sophomore LP, the new 925 is reigning in a new era. The piano intro on “mdma” fakes out listeners, easing them into what becomes a speedy, rap-heavy track that you might hear while shifting Grand Theft Auto radio stations. The song fuses Fall Out … Continue reading “poptropicaslutz! Are Reinventing Gen Z Alt-Pop”

Gloria Gaynor has always been a survivor. But in this era of her life, the 81-year-old music legend is more interested in thriving than surviving. “I’ve already survived,” Gaynor tells PAPER. “I don’t need anyone in particular to survive. Everybody is replaceable — except Jesus.” This belief is reflected in her new EP, Happy Tears, out June 6. Following her 2019 Grammy Award-winning gospel album Testimony, the new project holds onto her Christian values while simultaneously dipping back into her … Continue reading “Gloria Gaynor's Survival Story Isn't Over”

If you can’t stand the heat then get out of the desert — and this post, because we’re turning it up to a billion degrees… which, I’m pretty sure, was the exact forecast of Indio Valley last weekend as PAPER sprinted around the Coachella polo fields to talk to your favorite stars (you’re welcome!). From your favorite kid-friendly characters (we love you Yo Gabba Gabba), to PAPER fav Rhea Raj (can we please borrow your furry pink jacket, please Rhea, … Continue reading “Star Talk: Backstage Interviews at Coachella 2025”

Designer Asher Levine is both hyper and exhausted as we chat over Zoom. He’s calling in from his sunny Los Angeles studio. “This was the unit where the Mulleavy sisters started Rodarte,” he tells me, with a glimmer in his eye. “I found it on Craigslist.” He’s still “landing the plane” after a mind bending month, since stylist Brett Allen Nelson called him to request two looks for international superstar LISA’s big Coachella moment. LISA’s Coachella vision board was chock … Continue reading “Behind LISA’s Futuristic Coachella Looks”

“I’m a lucky girl/ I get everything I want/ Hands on the dashboard/ I trust everything is working out,” burgeoning pop star Magdalene sings at the top of her newest single, the aptly titled “Lucky Girl.” Part affirmation, part battle cry, but fully an anthem, the song is an encapsulation of the artist and producer’s ethos. Magdalene melds early-2000s Britney, Xtina and Madonna with her own distinct very 2025, DIY flavor. She even received input from Model/Actriz frontman and recent … Continue reading “Magdalene Is a Very 'Lucky Girl'”

When Charli xcx strutted in a white dress with a sash that said “Miss Should Be Headliner” across her body, the internet lost its collective mind, and rightfully so. In a single garment, designer Briah Artemis managed to spark a conversation about festival politics, pop culture and the power of fashion to make a statement, all with a fun sense of humor and taste. The Brat star hosted an A-list after party at the Guess Jeans luxury compound for the … Continue reading “Behind Charli xcx's 'Miss Should Be Headliner' Dress”

What do Anderson .Paak, Ariana Madix and PAPER all have in common? Other than great taste in music… obviously. We all spent the first weekend of Coachella hiding from the desert heat with a Heineken Silver (or Original, or for our sober friends, Heineken 0.0) in hand, as we danced under the shaded breeze and packed dance floor of this year’s Heineken House. If the promise of a refreshing oasis wasn’t enough to magnetize us to the house that Heineken … Continue reading “Heineken House: Coachella's Refreshing Music Oasis”