Voices of the future: Griff to Polo G

Voices of the future: Griff to Polo G

By the time Eurovision introduced her to the world stage, Portugal had already fallen for Cláudia Pascoal’s whimsical take on pop. But her talent doesn’t end with breezy ballads and charming wordplay. To paraphrase José Saramago, Pascoal is an artistic tsunami: she’s experimented with painting, stand-up, directing video clips and tattooing. Of these side hustles, she says nobody should “confuse diversified tastes with the inability to dedicate themselves to just one thing”. But Pascoal acknowledges that her artistry has evolved with her. “If, at the beginning, music was just something funny, and a way I had of communicating with people, along the years it became something way more serious,” she says. “It became like taking something out of my chest, having an almost therapeutic effect.”

Last year, she shored up her place in the Portuguese pop sphere with ! (she sometimes calls it Blah), a playful, sunny debut album. Now almost 28, Pascoal says that her teenage self couldn’t dream of the spot she’s landed in. “I want to show myself to the world as an artist in a way that no one knows me – not even myself.” GQ Portugal

Photographed by Gonçalo F Santos on Avenida da Liberdade, Lisbon. Styled by Maria Falé. Hair by Edgar Venâncio. Make-up by Elodie Fiuza. Special thanks to Tivoli Avenida Liberdade Lisboa Hotel

GQ Middle East nominates… Wegz

North Africa’s wavy new sound

Age 23

Hometown Alexandria, Egypt

Key track ‘Bel Salama (Lorry Pt2 Remix)’

Sweater. Hat. Both by Fendi. fendi.com. Trousers by Kojak. kojakstudio.com. Shoes by Zee. zee-official.com

Born and raised in Alexandria, Wegz blends trap and mahraganat – Egypt’s answer to EDM – as an ode to his home turf. “Life in Egypt can be chaotic at times and moves at an insane pace,” he says. “There’s always something happening. It’s full of stories, and that makes for some serious inspiration.”

He grew up no stranger to the party and it only made sense to mix global influences with local tradition to create something new. “Life is life, Egypt or anywhere else,” he says. “It has its ups and downs, the good days and the bad. I write music about all of it.”

Four years into his career, the young musician is challenging Egypt’s old guard and the gatekeepers of the music industry. Last year, he was Egypt’s most streamed artist on Spotify. “I didn’t plan for any of this,” he says with a shrug. “I write music that means something to me and I never think about it beyond that. However, it is very fulfilling to realise that people can relate and that they want to listen. It serves as motivation to push my culture forward and take it to the global stage.” Rusty Beukes

Boohoo drops rapper DaBaby following HIV comments

UK fashion giant Boohoo has ended its partnership announced earlier this year with rapper DaBaby following comments he made about people with HIV during a concert in the US.

Boohoo, which announced in June its menswear brand had struck a deal with the US rapper for a limited-edition 100-piece collection, announced on Wednesday the partnership has been scrapped.

The group said on Twitter: “BoohooMan condemns the use of homophobic language and confirm we will no longer be working with DaBaby.

“Diversity and inclusion are part of the boohoo Groups DNA and we pride ourselves on representing the diverse customers we serve across the globe.

“We stand by and support the LGBTQ+ community, and do not tolerate any hate speech or discrimination in any form.”

It comes after footage emerged of DaBaby at the Rolling Loud festival in Miami on Sunday telling the audience to put their phone lights in the air unless they had HIV or AIDS, or were gay men who performed sex acts in car parks.

DaBaby apologised for his words on Twitter, saying: “Anybody who done ever been effected by AIDS/HIV y’all got the right to be upset, what I said was insensitive even though I have no intentions on offending anybody. So my apologies.

“But the LGBT community… I ain’t trippin on y’all, do you. y’all business is y’all business.”

Neighborhood ‘Karen’ Goes Viral After Taking Issue With Tigger Flag in Woman’s Front Yard

Another day, another Karen drama taking over the internet.

A video featuring an older woman (a “Karen,” if you will) complaining about a flag featuring Winnie the Pooh’s good friend Tigger on another woman’s porch is currently going viral on TikTok.

Yes, you read that right. She was triggered by Tigger!

A Karen (so dubbed by social media) took issue with a flag featuring the universally beloved cartoon character. (Tiggers are wonderful things, after all.) The interaction was captured on TikTok user @TizzyBizzy92’s Nest camera before being uploaded to the platform.

In the video, you can see the visibly bothered Karen knock on @TizzyBizzy92’s door and launch into a whole spiel about the flag featuring the iconic, bouncing tiger.

“I wanna talk about this Tigger flag,” the woman said. “I don’t like it.”

Instead of losing her cool, the TikTok user (whose real name appears to be Ambrosia) remarkably maintained her composure as the diatribe continued.

“I thought the American flag was real nice. I don’t say nothing about the shrubbery being cut. I don’t say nothing abut the back yard. But now, I don’t like this,” the woman continued said, adding that the decoration was “tacky.”

Maybe this Karen’s more of a Piglet stan? Or maybe she was kicked out of the Hundred Acre Wood once upon a time and still carries a grudge.

Either way, Ambrosia recognized that everyone (even a Karen) is entitled to their own opinions, even though the unidentified woman revealed how little she knew about local zoning laws.

“We have rules. I don’t want to have to find out what they are, but I don’t like that,” she added.

The impressively calm TikTok user pointed out that they didn’t have a local homeowner’s association, which would enforce rules about what can be displayed in one’s yard, but the Karen was not deterred.

“I’mma find out about it,” she warned as she walked away.

In a second video, Ambrosia showed viewers the offensive flag in question. The colorful turquoise flag featuring Tigger is every bit as pleasant, charming and non-threatening as you’d expect.

In a third video that was uploaded after the original went viral and was covered by the news, Ambrosia revealed that the woman eventually apologized in her own way. Referring to it as a “drive-by apology,” the previously offended woman repeatedly said she was sorry through the window of her car.

Of course, the laughable interaction spurred equally funny conversations on Twitter.

“Look out, they’re comin' for Tigger and Winnie the Pooh next,” one user warned.

“Are white women okay,” another asked. Still others lauded the homeowner’s patience under pressure.

Watch the original interaction and ensuing videos up top and check out some additional tweets about the incident below.