Category: Music

Breakout Dallas rap star BigXthaPlug brought his gritty, Southern energy to the desert this weekend, as he took over Coachella’s Gobi Stage on Sunday and collabed with Amazon Music for his very own “The Plug Shop” — a real-life, Southern Luxury pit stop that took over Quick & Easy Convenience in Indio, California. Earlier this month, Big X dropped his first-ever country single, “All The Way,” with Bailey Zimmerman, a track that blends Southern hip-hop and raw country emotion. “Right … Continue reading “BigXthaPlug Brings Southern Hospitality to Coachella”

According to science, each year there is a noticeable uptick in candid photo capture during the first weekend of Coachella. Okay, so maybe not according to science — but definitely according to our Instagram feeds where we can see celebs, TikTok stars and artists gathering backstage to take a selfie, post a video, or share other exclusive content. Amid the running back and forth to stages, waiting in line at the VIP bar and complimenting festival looks — it can … Continue reading “Coachella Photobooth Exclusives by YouTube and Booth By Bryant”

The West Coast heard a faint rumbling, as hordes of chunky boots and mini-skirts went clomping from Los Angeles to Indio, California this weekend for the first week of Coachella. Seismologists say there’s little risk of aftershocks, considering the fast fashion en route aren’t fit to last for a return journey. Thankfully, pictures last forever! And while the Instagram crowds huddled around pool floats shaped like miscellaneous branded goods, celebrities were onstage miles away in fits both thrown together and … Continue reading “The Coachella Looks Worth Talking About”

PAPER is back at Coachella, interviewing, reviewing and soaking in all the branded, influencer (and dare we say) authentic music moments mixed with chaos and MAYHEM (see what we did there?) the fest can offer. Keep it locked here all weekend long as we tell you what really went down at the desert’s biggest, best fest. Day One: To Wake Her Is To Lose Her Let’s get right into it. I am so grateful, humbled, shocked that I got to … Continue reading “Coachella 2025: PAPER's Version”

Last night, NYC’s LGBT Community Center held its annual Center Dinner at Cipriani Wall Street, celebrating the Center’s continued service to the local and global queer community. This year’s Dinner honored Susie Scher, Senior Advisor in the Financing Group within Global Banking & Markets at Goldman Sachs; Ruth Jacks, Executive Vice President and Head of Diverse Segments, Commercial Banking at Wells Fargo & Company; and global superstar (and recent PAPER cover star!) Kesha . Since opening its doors in 1983 … Continue reading “Kesha Accepts LGBT Community Center Visionary Award”

If you’re reading this PAPER is already in California. Tomorrow is the first day of the first weekend of Coachella 2025. For some of us, the annual trip to the desert is a much-needed escape from New York’s sprawling winter. For others, it’s a shot jaunt away from the California coast and a nice break from LA traffic. And, for others — the festival experience will consist of YouTube live streams we’ll come back early from our lunch breaks to … Continue reading “We're Going Back to Cali: PAPER's Coachella Picks”

Days before Los Angeles fled to the California desert for Coachella, the city had a festival of its own with H&M — only this one was open to the public and stationed downtown, but still packed with performers and DJs that kept the party going well into the morning. Headliners included PAPER cover star Doechii, PinkPantheress and Jamie XX, who brought out Swedish pop icon Robyn to sing their track “Life,” before she unleashed her classics “Dancing On My Own” … Continue reading “Robyn on New Music, Charli xcx and Motherhood”

Rising R&B star David Burke, who you may know as d4vd, started his career by making gaming videos on YouTube. Now, he’s preparing for Southern California’s hottest music festival. The 20-year-old singer-songwriter fostered his musical talents at the request of his mom. Homeschooled in Houston, Texas, he was having trouble sourcing songs to pair with the Fortnite edits he was making and posting to YouTube. Burke’s videos were getting flagged left and right with copyright strikes; his mom’s advice to … Continue reading “d4vd Makes His Coachella Desert Debut”

J Balvin’s “Back to the Rayo” tour is part victory lap, part rebirth. After a quiet stretch and a few loose singles — like last year’s “Gaga” and “Triple S” — the reggaetón star is stepping back into the spotlight on his own terms. At the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, that meant a packed arena, heavy fog, flashing strobes and a surprise Ed Sheeran cameo. But for Valentina Ferrer, the night started much earlier — with glam, her sleepy dog … Continue reading “Valentina Ferrer Takes Us Backstage at J Balvin's Barclays Show”

Comet and her band are standouts in New York City’s most recent resuscitation of rock n’ roll. (She is also my wife and twin flame, probably.) Nearly two years after her underground hit EP Two-Winged, she has unearthed her latest single, “Opium.” Truly gritty with a polished patina, this hymn of dejection tears through the listener like a fresh needle, delivering a euphoric hit of satisfying highs along with frigid groans of indifference. It is accompanied by a crimson-and-gold soaked … Continue reading “Comet, the Princess of Nu-Grunge”