A Reader’s Feature hears from a very frustrated PlayStation fan, who feels he’s been priced out of the ecosystem by the new PS5 Pro.

I’ve had a few days to simmer over the PS5 Pro reveal and I have to say it’s alarming the number of people that are just ‘okay’ with the thing being priced at £800 with a disc drive.

The hardware itself looks good so far, and the idea that you can play PlayStation 5 games in a higher fidelity and, importantly, at a more consistent 60fps, is not only massively desirable but also feels fairly important at this stage that it has been recognised. Possibly a good thing moving forward.

Do I want one? Absolutely! If I could afford it, then I would be ordering it in a heartbeat. But at £800 I am locked out massively on price.

Gaming is a luxury or enthusiast hobby at the best of times, with a near £500 entry point, £60-70 games, expensive annual subs for basic functionality like online play, a multitude of accessories such as controllers and headsets etc. But this feels like a massive slap in the face. £800 is simply not affordable for an average consumer, even one deeply invested in the ecosystem.

Typically, I would consider myself a fairly core customer of the PlayStation ecosystem. Got the console at launch; a selection of accessories, including some premium; a mixture of physical and digital purchasing, I subscribe annually to their membership (Essential, but still). You might think I’m exactly the kind of person the Pro is for, right?

Wrong.

Sony has now drawn a line in the sand and told me that I am not really a good enough customer within their ecosystem, because I am not privileged enough to pony up for their iterative upgraded model of the PlayStation 5.

Last generation, the PS4 Pro offered largely the same benefits that the PS5 Pro is pitching – arguably more if you factor in the 4K compatibility – at a price that was accessible to everybody. Even the Xbox One X, at its higher price tag, wasn’t completely unrealistic, and it offered a similar faux bleeding edge approach to marketing.

The specific omission of the disc drive is also a signifier of future intent. You might think the Pro model was the be-all and end-all device that had all functionality? Nope. Removing the drive, making it an additive purchase, is another way to rip off the consumer, as well as trying to drive faster into the all-digital future that they want. The reality of next gen not having a disc drive has never been closer.

One final concern I have: future game reveals. It is fair to assume that from this point forward, all first party games revealed will be running at their highest possible fidelity on PS5 Pro, and the PlayStation 5 will become the second fiddle due to the ‘choppy’ gameplay, as per Mark Cerny’s comments.

Will the games still run fine? Yeah, no doubt. Yet there will always be that nagging carrot dangling overhead, knowing that the games will only ever look that good if you have the unaffordable-for-many high-end product in the range. This is the point that Sony becomes completely and undeniably out of touch with the consumer base.

Ultimately, my already wavering faith in Sony as a company has now pretty much hit rock bottom. I know the corporation doesn’t care about me individually, but there must be a huge subsection of the PlayStation 5 consumer base in a similar position to me and are now feeling a bit bewildered at the decision to just overlook them altogether and make them feel completely irrelevant.

By reader Ben

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

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A Reader’s Feature argues that Concord was a misunderstood masterpiece and that its only flaw was Sony’s marketing for it.

I’m one of the few people who bought and played the ill-fated Concord. Having heard little about the game prior to its release I stumbled upon it by accident and became curious when I learned it was a first party Sony game with a new IP. I’m writing because I feel the game has been misunderstood and dismissed, both by the gaming media and the gaming community as a whole.

The reasons for this are multifarious, but primarily it was a colossal failure of marketing on Sony’s part. At first glance, Concord looked like just another hero shooter in the style of Overwatch. However, those of us who actually played the game (all 25,000 of us) discovered it was so much more than that, and ultimately realised we had a real gem on our hands.

This may sound ridiculous to you, but I genuinely believe that Concord is one of the best games I’ve ever played, and I say that as someone who has been gaming regularly for over 30 years. I normally have no interest in online multiplayer games; however Concord drew me in with its weekly story updates, and a level of polish and attention to detail you would normally only associate with Sony’s first party single player games.

I’ve played Overwatch, Call Of Duty: Warzone, and many others, but none of them captured my attention the way Concord did, and one of the primary reasons for this was because I felt invested in the characters and their stories.

Gameplay-wise, I found Concord extremely engaging and incredibly well-balanced between all the different characters. Every character felt unique and fun to play, and I never felt that any particular one was over- or underpowered.

The gunplay felt smooth and snappy, and extremely satisfying in a way I’ve only ever felt in single-player shooters like Titanfall 2 or Doom. Movement was similarly joyful, and even when I was losing I was still having fun because moving around and engaging in gunfights was just so damn satisfying.

It was accessible for newcomers, but extremely deep and rewarding for those who wanted to master all of the game’s mechanics. In short, I was blown away by how good the game felt to play. I can understand that people were put off by a combination of factors, including cost, character design, and even culture wars.

Of these, the biggest factor was undoubtedly the price tag. We’ve become conditioned to the idea that live service multiplayer games should be free-to-play, even though we acknowledge that free-to-play often comes with significant drawbacks (microtransactions, pay-to-win, hiding important content behind paywalls).

Personally, I would much rather pay upfront and receive the entire game, rather than being milked for all I’m worth, however Sony didn’t do nearly enough to persuade people why they should part with their money for Concord, when they could just play their favourite free-to-play shooter. If they had released a demo, or made it available to PS Plus subscribers, I’m sure more people would have tried the game, the player-base could have reached a critical mass and it may have taken off.

However, it feels like Sony set this game up to fail, with poorly judged trailers that did little to convey what was interesting or unique about the game, and a price tag that acted as a barrier for anyone to even give it a chance. Much like its namesake, Concord was an incredibly well-designed premium product which ultimately went down in a ball of flames. I sincerely hope it returns in some form in the future.

By reader Adam West

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

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Shaboozey has had quite the year. With his massive hit “Bar Song (Tipsy)” currently spending its ninth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the singer has made it clear that he’s here to stay. With his unique blend of rap, country and pop, the Virginia-born artist occupies a distinct modern Americana lane that suits him well. As his Instagram bio reads: “COWBOYS LIVE FOREVER.”

This theme carried on at the 2024 Video Music Awards, where Shaboozey shined in a suave all-Margiela look that made heads turn on the red carpet. A twisted take on the cowboy aesthetic, he wore black Tabi boots with a leather Saint Laurent tie and Western-style button-up.

From the car to the carpet to inside the show, where he and Chappell Roan hugged and gabbed, he carried himself with an effortless style and signaled the makings of a true timeless star.

Check out photos of Shaboozey getting ready for the carpet, below, along with his personalized captions about the look and awards show.

Trust me, this takes longer than you think…

First essential: bonnet on to protect the hair.

On the way.

Another essential: Margiela Tabi.

Every cowboy needs a bolo tie.

It’s the little details that count. Jewelry by Hoorsenbuhs and Tiffany & Co.

OOTD. VMAs Carpet Ready.

Photography: Stone Taul
Stylist: Anastasia Walker

Full Look: Maison Margiela customized by Kathleen Pedro
Jewelry: Hoorsenbuhs, Tiffany & Co.
Eyewear: Jacques Marie Mage
Tie: Saint Laurent

The VMAs performers are going through a lot, so it’s great they had a therapist on stand by to vent to if needed. Jake Shane, the internet’s favorite amateur therapist (or therapuss, rather), attended this year’s VMAs and had some notable check-ins with the night’s biggest stars: Chappell Roan, Anitta, Camila Cabello and Addison Rae, to name a few. But just because he was there asking the questions fans wanted to know doesn’t mean Shane couldn’t get a little glam himself.

Wearing a Sandro suit and a Patek Philippe watch, Shane was able to have his own star moment. After the year he’s had, he surely deserves it. Since going mega-viral for his historical “reenactments,” he launched a podcast “Therapuss,” where he sits down with some of today’s biggest stars to get real on life, love and anxiety. Even though Shane digs into some tough topics, he always discusses them with the lovably chaotic ethos he’s known for.

That’s why we’re so thankful Shane decided to take PAPER behind the scenes and show us the reality (and chaos) of getting ready for the always iconic VMAs.

Saw God in the Alo cold plunge to start my morning.

Got home and ordered my favorite smoothie in the world (a PB&Joe from Juice Generation) and watched The Real Housewives of New York.

This looks like he’s clapping my face.

Took my meds! I take 50 mg of Prozac for my OCD, anxiety and depression and PrEP because I’m gay.

Glamming up because I am literally hosting the red carpet at the VMAs.

Took a mirror selfie with my film camera to be like one of those cool gays I see on Instagram.

Drinking a Celsius before I leave, so I can wake up because my eyes were actually shutting.

This is the suite life… wanted to get some more cinematic photos before I left.

Time to go!

TAXI! Just kidding, MTV scheduled me a car service.

It was so surreal to see one of my best friends on the red carpet. Tate was the final interview I did and it felt so full circle. I am so proud of Tate and everything she does, so getting to ask her about it at the VMAs was really special.

Photography: Henry Kornaros

I’m interviewing Dora Jar and she’s casually squirting a bottle of honey into her mouth. She imbibes the sticky sweetness as if it’s water and I see it all on my Zoom screen, but I still have to ask: “Is that pure honey?”

“Yeah,” she smiles, beaming. “It tastes like orange blossom.”

Jar has a childlike ability to see magic in the world. To those of us who have become weary in the face of life’s daily tedium, it can be equal parts refreshing and distressing to encounter such a wonderment. But after a few songs (or a few minutes talking with) the NYC-born, Nor-Cal-raised singer, you’ll likely find yourself converted. There is magic in the world, but sometimes it takes a gentle push to see it.

Throughout our conversation, Jar speaks of her encounters with voices and creatures almost like she’s reading from a storybook and not speaking about her own life. She recalls one experience she had when on mushrooms “that shook her to her core.” She was 19 and played music, but had not necessarily committed to the craft as a career. But then, during that trip, she heard a voice from the beyond: “It told me, ‘[You’re] a performer … You’re performing.’” Her voice turns gravelly to mimic the ethereal messenger. “My life flashed before my eyes, and I realized the ways I had not been acknowledging my grief and my confusion or shame.” That emotional opening led to a musical one and she dove further into her musical proclivities, reaching for the guitar to find new ways to process the emotions she felt so deeply.

The kind of musical output that followed is the kind that happens when wild talent meets hardened resolve, thus Jar’s style emerged. Her voice is soft yet cutting, and winds upwards towards a particularly powerful falsetto. Her lyrics tend to forgo simple play-by-plays, instead veering in and out of straightforward confession and cryptic symbology. Like on “Polly” a standout from her second EP, Digital Meadow, where she sings, “Imma rip my face and imma dance for you/ Lookin’ at the feeling of an empty room/ I wanna do everything a god would do.”

Jar cites Outkast as an influence, and indeed she has Andre 3000’s penchant for surprising yet apt references. But she also cites Stephen Sondheim’s deliciously emotive musicals as a touchstone. She remembers listening to the original cast recording of Into The Woods while observing a summer lightning storm in New York City. “The fear felt fun,” she says, recalling the thunder, before slipping into a wider reflection on her relationship to feeling and creation. “Sometimes sadness can feel meaningful in a good way.” She pauses to clarify. “Music decorates experience in a way that is totally validating.”

Her talent sparked bright and she harnessed it well, but nothing could have prepared her for the quick ascent to come. After releasing just a few songs, she was discovered by Billie Eilish, who would go on to ask her to open for her stadium tour. This all happened when Jar had barely played her first few shows. “[My career] was slow and then fast and then Whoa, what just happened?” Jar remembers. “I really embraced that moment, but I also had no experience. It was really cool to realize, Oh, I can handle this. I can perform in this giant space and stay present and still write songs.”

But even as her wild bravery led her to face the dragon of exposure with surprising ease, she still came home to a quiet world. It turns out the heat of thousands of screaming fans when you’re just starting out does have its toll eventually. “I was a deer in the headlight when all the action was over. [And then it was time] to write my first album.”

Her debut album, No Way To Relax When You’re On Fire became a chance to face a different monster, a quieter one, but a terror nonetheless: self-doubt, writer’s block, expectation, that dizzy feeling when you’re forging a path in uncharted water. Thankfully, though, yet another voice emerged to guide her.

“My mom and her best friend were doing ketamine therapy. Last minute, they invited me to do it with them,” she tells me. “I was lying on the floor in this Shibari bondage studio where they just happened to be having the treatment,” she laughs. “We were lying down with eye masks on. There was a sound bath happening. [And then there was] this voice saying ‘Life isn’t just about an album,’ over and over again,” she recalls. “I was like, Oh, I gotta go live a little bit.”

And live she did. Over the course of writing and recording the 13-track album, Jar found herself in studios and sessions around the world, in Poland, Alaska, Ojai, California, Tennessee and New York. And along the way, she found her guides, producers/sages like the 1975’s George Daniel, Dijon’s sonic architect, Henry Kwapis and Ralph Castelli who brought her to record and write in Alaska — its perplexing vastness sparking something deep within her.

A line from a haiku her mom’s ex-boyfriend wrote — “rough water is still water” — found itself on the album’s opening, “This Is Why,” and then became a quiet summary of her thinking. A fluid sensibility emerged and she found herself contending with what it means to flow with the tides of living, like on album standout “Ragdoll” where she gives up control and circles the drain of sexual escape. “Make me lose control/ Throw me like a ragdoll/nCatch my edge again,” she sings, her voice lilting towards fearsome bliss. But at other times, she manages to try to shift the rushing stream, like on “Puppet,” which she wrote after she shot a gun for the first time in Alaska. The rush and adrenaline inspired a new desire for control, and in the song she sings as the proverbial “puppet,” “cut[ting] the string” of a music industry that often discourages artists’ agency.

Sonically, the album took on similarly fluid gestures: fuzzed guitars blend with softer acoustic layers blend with retro mellotron synths blend with Jar’s vocals which often take on the rhythmic tick of rap music, her words bouncing against each other as both expressions of pure sound and meaning. Indeed, a resonant nonsense defines some songs, like on standout track, “Timelapse”, when she begins softly, yet spryly: “Don’t stop, jackpot, blacked out, float down/Keep on goin’ like a bubble in a bong/Don’t trip on the cord, this is NYC, step on out.” Her whispered words buzz and bang with syllabic fervor in the vein of Fiona Apple’s freewheeling poetics, but she always lands on a simplicity that can leave you stunned. Its chorus is a quiet repetition. She bluntly asks, “Who am I?” over beds of flute. “I’ve always been plagued with the big questions,” Jar shares. “And whatever I’m feeling, it’s the exponential version of it.”

Though we don’t necessarily find a final answer to that lofty pondering, we do get to listen to Jar’s inquiries, her experiments in understanding. It’s like staring at mushrooms or bugs or moss on a redwood. You can stare and stare and never know the “why” behind all that creation. But you can still learn something. You can feel something, too.

Photography: Haley Appell

Many of the team behind the ill-fated Immortals Of Aveum have joined a new studio at Absurd Ventures, including the game’s director Bret Robbins.

Immortals Of Aveum became one of the biggest financial flops of last year, which resulted in nearly half of the staff at developer Ascendant Studios being laid off just a month after it launched.

This was followed by reports of a further 40 staff being furloughed in April this year, leaving it unclear how many people actually remain at Ascendant. In April 2023, more than 100 people were said to be employed at the studio.

The studio’s co-founder, Bret Robbins, who was the director behind Immortals Of Aveum, has now announced he’s joined a new studio under Absurd Ventures – the company founded by former Rockstar boss Dan Houser.

The new studio, named Absurd Marin, is based in San Rafael, California and will be led by Robbins. Before founding Ascendant, he was best known for being the creative director on the original Dead Space and working on Call Of Duty titles at Sledgehammer Games.

A spokesperson for the studio (via GamesIndustry.biz) said ‘about 20 developers from the core team behind Immortals Of Aveum’ are now part of Absurd Marin. It’s said the team will ‘continue to staff up further as development progresses on the project’.

Absurd Marin is working on a story-driven adventure game based on an unannounced IP, which is said to be in the early stages of development. This is a separate project from Absurd Ventures’ previously announced title set in the new A Better Paradise universe, which recently started life as an audio fiction series.

‘We love the focus on storytelling and world building at Absurd Ventures,’ Bret Robbins said about the announcement. ‘We are thrilled to team up and bring our combined expertise to work on an original game set in an incredibly fun new universe.’

Following the departure of the studio’s co-founder, it’s unclear whether Ascendant Studios will continue to function with a new CEO. Ascendant was originally formed in partnership with businessman Brian Sheth, who is presumably still involved.

Absurd Ventures, meanwhile, was formed by Dan Houser in June last year. It’s described as a multimedia studio and, along with the A Better Paradise audio series, has announced projects across games and graphic novels.

Houser is best known as the co-founder of Rockstar Games, alongside his brother, Sam. During his time at the studio, he served as a lead writer across the GTA series, both Red Dead Redemption games, Max Payne 3, and many others.

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It’s impossible to be across all the new music out each Friday. Luckily, PAPER is here to help you out: each week, we round up 10 of our favorite new songs from artists — emerging and established — to soundtrack your life. From the surreal to the sublime, these songs cover every corner of the music world. The only criteria: they all have to absolutely rip.

Subscribe to our Sound Off Spotify playlist here and check out this week’s tracks, below.

FKA twigs – “Eusexua”

Seamy, sexy and finely-tuned, FKA Twigs’ first single from her third album is an all-out banger, building from darksided balladry to ecstatic trance.

Arca, Tokischa – “Chama”

“Chama” doesn’t feature Tokischa’s usual antics, but it’s a blast all the same, the rising rapper slipping perfectly into Arca’s weird world.

Four Tet, Ellie Goulding – “In My Dreams”

Four Tet and Ellie Goulding’s latest collaboration is a crunchy barnstormer, and only increases my desire for a full Kieran Hebden-produced EG album.

The Weeknd – “Dancing In The Flames”

The first single from the final installment in the Weeknd’s trilogy of albums that started with After Hours is euphoric and sleek, a change of pace from the weirdo Dawn FM.

Tate McRae – “It’s ok I’m ok”

Tate McRae still proves an able replicator of 2000s-style rhythmic pop – can’t wait to see the inevitably great dance-led music video.

Playboi Carti – “ALL RED”

The first single from Playboi Carti’s long-awaited I Am Music is dark and driving, a tantalising teaser for the full record.

Charli xcx, Troye Sivan – “Talk talk”

Charli XCX’s Sweat tour co-headliner jumps on this remix of an underrated Brat heater, turning it into a horny, all-out banger.

Christopher Owens – “This Is My Guitar”

This plaintive ballad from Christopher Owens’ first new solo record in years is wistful and sweet, Owens’ voice taking on new pathos and ache.

Fousheé – “feel like home”

Dazed, sun-dappled indie-soul from the endlessly genre-shifting young star.

Katy Perry, Doechii – “I’M HIS, HE’S MINE”

This song samples Crystal Waters, but it also reminds me of Friends’ “I’m His Girl” – never a bad place to be!

Photography: Courtesy Biz3/ The Weeknd

These days, Kacey Musgraves is stopping to smell the flowers. As she comes off the heels of her sixth studio album, Deeper Well, and kicks off her national tour this month, Musgraves returns to her grounded roots in all facets of her expression: musically, spiritually and visually.

On September 16, the singer/songwriter is adding fashion designer to her resumé, launching a collaboration with sustainable brand Reformation that’s perfect for a cottage getaway in the countryside or perhaps to a poetry reading in Fort Greene. Maybe it’s not made for the club, but neither are some people anymore, like Kacey, who are in their 30s. It’s made for slowing down and growing up.

Like the worlds she builds with her albums, Musgraves was able to focus on every little detail when designing the collection with Reformation, down to every single button placement, hook and zipper. There are pastoral dresses and denim separates, ethereal blouses, a custom floral print and leather riding boots — made with recycled and regenerative materials.

As we all seek the feeling of being grounded in an increasingly chaotic world, Musgraves hopes her collab will instill some peace within wearers. “The things that I’m seeking right now, in clothing and in fashion and also music and art, is just the feeling of feeling calm and grounded, because this world is so fucking crazy right now,” she tells PAPER.

On the day before she kicked off her tour, PAPER found some time to chat with Musgraves about her connection to music and fashion, Saturn Returns and finding inspiration in our shared human experience of joy, loss and love.

Hi Kacey! How are you? Doesn’t your tour literally start tomorrow?

Yes! The first tour day is tomorrow.

How are you feeling about it?

I am so excited. It’s been a minute since I have been heavily on tour, so I’m going to get back into the swing of it. It’s going to be a beautiful show.

I’m going here in New York in November!

Yay! Those are some of the shows I’m looking forward to the most. I just feel like, in New York, we always have incredible crowds. They show up, and they like to put effort into their clothes.

What was it like working on your first fashion collaboration?

It was so incredibly fun. I’m a very detail-oriented person, so I feel like I thrive in a situation like this. I love nothing more than shaping a vision little-by-little until you get it just the way you want it. And Reformation was great, letting me just get as detail-oriented as I really wanted to with every little thing down to every single button placement, hook, zipper we’re using. It was so fun to get so involved in the fit and feel of all these pieces. I would say I’ve been working on this for the better part of a year, and so it’s really cool to see it finally come to fruition.

Oh my gosh, that’s a long time!

I know, right? It’s almost like creating an album [which] takes about that much time too, and I definitely approached it in largely the same way: what feels authentic to me. And I approached it in the sense of wanting to create clothes that I would actually be interested in wearing.

It seems like a really good fit.

I’m really excited for everyone to see the collection. I’ve never done this before. Of course, like, I designed my merch and every piece of it put all of myself into those things. But as far as designing a collection like this, this is my first time, and I really appreciate that it’s with a company that also cares about the Earth. They definitely try to be as sustainable as possible. I’m grateful for this collab.

I’m always interested in the connection between music and what people are listening to at the moment and how that affects how they get dressed.

Fashion is definitely another layer in your expression. And much like my musical taste, the things I gravitate toward, in a fashion sense, come in cycles. There might be some chapters where I’m really interested in my Western roots, and I’m wearing my cowboy boots again. Sometimes I get a little bit further away from that, and I’m into something else. And then in the middle of all that, I’m sort of just running around in athleisure.

How do you think the collection reflects the music and the visuals of Deeper Well?

I’m a very visual person, and when I’m creating, I see chapters as like little worlds. And I love exploring how that world can come to life — all the senses, musically and visually. I’ve experimented with scents, taking songs and turning them into candles. That’s been really fun.

This [collaboration with Reformation] was another layer and piece of the puzzle, taking this aesthetic that has totally shaped this Deeper Well world and extending it into something that someone can wear. This album kind of brought me back to some of my folk and country roots, my softer side. There’s a lot of soft moments on this record, so I think these clothes are a natural reflection. It’s part cottagecore/pioneer woman, but in a modern sense, and a little bit of a feminine witch. There’s a bit of an equestrian nod in some of the pieces too.

What inspired you to dial things back and go back to your folk and country roots, especially after Star-Crossed, which was more pop-y and visually avant garde?

I have so many parts of me that are inspired by so many different sounds and things. And I change a lot, different chapters. I gravitate to different feelings and sounds, and star-crossed was definitely, I guess, harder-edged in some ways. I got to experiment with more electronic production on that record. It was really fun for me, and I think it was necessary for the kind of record that it needed to be. And that’s just what I was inspired to make at the time.

For Deeper Well, I was craving something softer and more organic and warm and a simpler palette instrumentation wise. What’s interesting is I created the record largely in New York City, which I love so much, and it’s quite a maximalist environment with humanity on 10 and colors and sounds and smells and stimuli. So I find it kind of ironic that I was able to tap into a simpler, more rural side in the middle of New York City. These clothes are a great representation of that, in this fashion world that we have played around with.

Going through my Saturn Return and living in New York and identifying with Deeper Well so much, I am always trying to feel more grounded.

Absolutely. The things that I’m seeking right now, in clothing and in fashion and also music and art, is just the feeling of feeling calm and grounded, because this world is so fucking crazy right now. It feels so out of control and chaotic sometimes. Those things that are steady, tried and true, like your favorite pair of jeans, your favorite pair of cowboy boots, the Bob Dylan record that’ll never get old, Simon and Garfunkel, your favorite coffee shop. They feel good; they’re solid, and they’re timeless. Those are the things that I’m especially craving right now.

What is it like to look back on the different eras of your life and style and music? Same Trailer Different Park to now?

I feel at once like I’m exactly the same girl, but I’ve also lived a million lifetimes since then. I’ve learned so much, and I feel like I’ve grown so much. But at my core, I do feel like I’ve really held on to who I am. I have the same friend group that I’ve had since the very beginning. I’ve got wonderful people around me, and I feel very grounded with my home life and my private life and my relationship with myself. I feel like it’s just getting better with time.

Another big force behind Deeper Well is getting into your mid-30s, clearing out and making room for only the things that completely serve you and removing resistance to growth of any kind, whether that’s your habits or friendships that might not be the most positive — whatever it is. For me, it’s always finding inspiration in that human experience. That’s the same girl that was writing Same Trailer Different Park as it is now. As my career grows and as this world gets crazier, the more it makes me want to turn inward and find inspiration in the smallest of things: human emotions, the human experience, just being alive and experiencing love and loss. That’s where I always come back to.

Available September 16 at all Reformation stores, Nordstrom and reformation.com.

Photography: Kelly Christine Sutton for Reformation

Summer may be over, but Brat is still on everyone’s lips — at least during H&M’s Thursday celebration ahead of London Fashion Week. The massive event, which highlighted H&M’s Fall 2024 campaign and collection, doubled as a proper Charli XCX concert made available for thousands of lucky fans to attend in Stratford, alongside DJ sets from Jamie xx and Sherelle.

Prior to taking the stage at 10:30 PM sharp, Charli hit the H&M red carpet with a full cast of ambassadors, including Lila Moss, Arca, Iris Law, Naomi Campbell, Zara Larsson and Amelia Gray. The evening dress code was clearly Brat-inspired, as VIPs mixed their “city sewer slut” vibes with a more demure office siren edge (all H&M, of course).

Charli looked powerful in head-to-toe leather, wearing a boxy jacket, pencil skirt and knee-high heeled boots (She’d later slip into a sexy jersey dress from H&M’s upcoming Studio Collection). Gray styled her mini skirt and jacket set with a ribbed tank she cut off herself. Party dresses were very short and tank tops very sheer — fun and flirty, but definitely not ideal for the night’s chilly autumn wind.

Once inside the Copper Box Arena, temperatures were much warmer with guests cast in neon green lights, and sipping open bar cocktails with cheeseburgers and fried pork buns. This wasn’t a traditional Fashion Week affair, with no overt H&M logos in sight. In many ways, September 12 served as a full reset for the global fashion brand, using a real club night as the primary platform to showcase their new fashion.

After a choreographed group dance in matching H&M tanks, Charli’s now-iconic Brat curtain dropped among a dramatic billow of smoke. Almost instantly, the crowd surged forward in an excited rush, as the singer emerged on stage. “Get the fuck up on someone’s shoulders,” she screamed and the audience immediately followed orders. As Charli’s longtime stylist Chris Horan posted on Instagram: “Have you ever seen people on shoulders for a brand event?” I, for one, have not.

She rolled through the majority of Brat, including her Billie Eilish-assisted hit “Guess” (produced by PAPER cover star The Dare). Behind her, the word “Party” hung in capital letters. Behind me, a fan nearly blew out my ears scream-singing the lyrics: “You wanna guess the color of my underwear!” Charli certainly has this effect on people, as noted by H&M Creative Advisor Ann-Sofie Johansson. “She is a symbol of the freedom, drive, self-confidence and reinvention that are essential to fashion,” she says, “and to all that H&M does.”

The party went beyond midnight, catered specifically to all the “365 Party Girls” in attendance — and Chicken Shop Date host Amelia Dimoldenberg self-identifies as one. “You’ve got to be ready at the drop of a hat to party,” she told PAPER, offering us a helpful life tip: “You also have to have the mindset that it could be fun, so just leave your house.”

As for Spanish actor Manu Rios, who arrived in a laid-back H&M jacket and jeans, his approach to partying is admittedly less intense. “I have my moments,” he said. “I’m a very chill person in general, but if I’m in the mood I like to party. It’s a balance.” When Rios does go out, his survival tip is quite simple: “Definitely drink some water, stay hydrated,” he said. “I like to mix my drink sometimes with water because it helps me not lose my mind so much.”

You know it’s a good party when The Cobrasnake can be spotted expertly weaving through the crowd and flashing his camera in guests’ faces, vodka spritzes sloshing onto the floor. You also know it’s good when Charli XCX, the club rat herself, openly approves: “H&M knows how to throw a cool party,” she said in black wraparound sunglasses, strutting confidently from stage right to left. “They really spent a lot of money on this.”

This marks the beginning of a series of 12 different H&M activations in eight cities around the world, including a stop in New York hosted by Gray. “These events are a perfect way to celebrate,” said H&M Creative Director Jörgen Andersson. “We are bringing together communities, celebrating local talent and making the case for H&M’s history in the amazing intersection between fashion and music.”

Photos courtesy of H&M

Growing up as a closeted queer Black kid in South Texas, LGBTQ+ representation was lacking, to say the least. I didn’t have any role models. I didn’t feel safe expressing myself at home or at school for fear of rejection, harassment, or worse. That’s why music was a form of escapism for me – it allowed me to visualize a world outside of my own, one where I could love and live freely.

The year was 1984.

Friday, September 14, to be exact. It was the very first time the MTV Video Music Awards aired. I was 9 years old at the time. MTV had become my channel of choice — a place where I could dance and imagine. After school and on weekends, I’d reach for our clunky 1980s remote and push the buttons one and six. The cable box perched atop our TV would glow with red digital numbers – channel 16, my passport to hours of musical escape. I would immerse myself in the music and artistry for hours on end. But September 1984 was the first time I witnessed it live. While I didn’t understand my queerness then, something about the award show made me feel free, liberated and rebellious. I found myself longing to embody the fierce individuality of Madonna and the edgy charisma of Billy Idol simultaneously.

Still, as a teen, there were no musicians that looked like me or made me feel truly seen. I often wonder how my youth could have differed if I grew up watching Janelle Monáe or Lil Nas X. What impact could it have had on my young, confused, insecure self to see Black LGBTQ+ artists living out and proud?

Now, in 2024, it brings me endless joy to see the new wave of LGBTQ+ artists openly thriving as their most authentic selves.

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the VMAs, and the show was unapologetically queer. Your favorite drag queen’s favorite drag queen Sasha Colby introduced Chappell Roan for her debut VMAs performance. Chappell went on to win Best New Artist and her acceptance speech was a love letter to the queer community: “I dedicate this to all the drag artists who inspire me, and I dedicate this to queer and trans people who fuel pop… And for all the queer kids in the Midwest watching right now – I see you, I understand you, because I am one of you. And don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t be exactly who you want to be.”

Bi visibility took center stage last night, with presenter Tinashe and performances by Halsey and Anitta. Billie Eilish won the award for Video for Good and bisexual nominees included Victoria Monét and Cardi B.

In accepting her Video Vanguard Award, LGBTQ+ ally Katy Perry thanked “the LGBTQ+ community, who I recognize I would not be here without.” The night was truly a celebration of our vibrant, talented, and beautiful community.

The VMAs have a long history of shaping pop culture as we know it, and many of those iconic moments have been rooted in queerness. In 1990, Madonna introduced the ballroom scene and voguing – a highly stylized form of dance originated by Black and Brown queer and trans folks in Harlem – to a global stage for the first time. (And while we’re on the subject, I’d be remiss not to mention that infamous kiss in 2003).

In 2011, Lady Gaga attended the award show dressed as her drag king alter ego, Jo Calderone, never once breaking character. The following year, Frank Ocean performed a vulnerable, stripped-down version of “Thinkin Bout You,” shortly after coming out as bisexual in an open letter. Fast-forward to 2022, when Lil Nas X, The Trevor Project’s 2021 Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year, used his performance to spotlight HIV awareness in the South and the stigma surrounding it.

MTV has also been vocal in its support of the LGBTQ+ community over the years. In 2017, MTV invited six transgender military members to walk the red carpet in a powerful political statement against a directive to ban transgender people in the military. That same year, MTV announced that they were renaming the “Moonman” trophy to a gender-neutral “Moon Person” to make the award more inclusive. At the time, MTV’s president Chris McCarthy said, “It could be a man, it could be a woman, it could be transgender, it could be nonconformist.”

These moments in pop culture aren’t just headline-grabbing; they can have real-life, positive mental health impacts on the young people who are watching. In fact, The Trevor Project’s research found that 79% of LGBTQ+ young people reported that musicians coming out as LGBTQ+ made them feel good about their own identity. Even more, 89% of LGBTQ+ youth reported that seeing LGBTQ+ representation in TV and movies positively affected how they feel about themselves. When LGBTQ+ youth have possibility models to look up to, it enables them to envision a bright future that they may not have known was attainable.

These findings are crucial, especially considering LGBTQ+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide compared to their straight, cisgender peers and at least one attempts suicide every 45 seconds. And, in another record-setting year of anti-LGBTQ+ policies being passed and the dangerous rhetoric surrounding them, it’s more important than ever for LGBTQ+ young people to see themselves represented in a world trying to erase them.

So far in 2024 alone, The Trevor Project found that hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills were considered in state legislatures across the country. LGBTQ+ young people, particularly trans and nonbinary youth, are being treated as political pawns as their very right to exist has become a national topic of debate. We know that young people are listening – a staggering 90% of LGBTQ+ youth said their well-being was negatively impacted due to recent politics.

That’s why award shows like the VMAs can be so powerful – it provides a global platform for LGBTQ+ artists and allies alike to advocate for change, inspire dialogue, challenge the status quo, and show LGBTQ+ young people that they are not alone.

Last night, LGBTQ+ musicians’ artistry and creativity was on full display. It was a testament to not only how far LGBTQ+ representation has come since the first VMAs in 1984, but how impactful and inspiring LGBTQ+ icons have always been to our culture and the young people watching.

Photography: Getty