Courtesy of Rolling Loud/Respective Collective
Hay nombres que llegan al cine con una historia previa difícil de ignorar. El de Giulio Bertelli, heredero del universo Prada e hijo de Miuccia Prada, es uno de ellos. Pero su debut como director no se apoya en el peso del apellido, sino en una propuesta clara y definida desde lo visual y lo conceptual que reafirma el estrecho nexo entre el mundo de la moda y el buen cine, en un caso similar al de Tom Ford, el director creativo de Gucci y autor de esas magníficas obras conocidas como A Single Man y Nocturnal Animals.
Con Agon, su ópera prima, Bertelli construye un retrato del cuerpo contemporáneo atravesado por sistemas de control, disciplina y rendimiento. Ambientada en la antesala de unos Juegos Olímpicos ficticios, la película sigue a tres atletas que se preparan y compiten en tiro con rifle, esgrima y judo, revelando no solo la exigencia física del alto rendimiento, sino también las tensiones políticas, sociales y tecnológicas que lo sostienen.
Más allá del deporte, Agon plantea una reflexión foucaultiana sobre el poder. Cómo el cuerpo es medido, vigilado y llevado al límite dentro de estructuras que exigen resultados constantes. Inspirado en figuras como Juana de Arco o Cleopatra, Bertelli cruza lo íntimo con lo geopolítico, construyendo una cinta donde la competencia también funciona como un eco de la guerra.
En esta conversación, el director habla sobre su interés en el cuerpo como campo de tensión, la relación entre deporte y conflicto, y su búsqueda por explorar estas dinámicas desde el lenguaje cinematográfico.
En Agon el cuerpo femenino está constantemente moldeado y controlado. ¿Cómo decidiste encuadrarlo en pantalla?
Creo que había una idea de mirar ciertos patrones muy grandes del mundo. Los Juegos Olímpicos como un evento geopolítico enorme donde los países compiten como una especie de sustituto de la guerra, usando el deporte como un proxy de la guerra.
Pero al mismo tiempo, me interesaba observar cosas muy, muy específicas. Ir casi al extremo de lo microscópico, como si fuera un plano general y un primerísimo primer plano al mismo tiempo, si lo pensamos en términos de gramática cinematográfica.
Y el cuerpo, en relación con esta máquina del deporte, que es como una entidad que termina absorbiendo la vida del atleta. Durante muchos, muchos años estás dentro de esta máquina mental, física, clínica, que te mide constantemente, con la que tienes que lidiar todo el tiempo.
Entonces, a nivel fotográfico, la idea era trabajar mucho con encuadres fijos, como cuadros cerrados, y usar el movimiento de cámara solo en momentos muy específicos, en escenas que fueran importantes dentro de la historia, como transiciones clave.
Por ejemplo, el plano secuencia largo en la escena de la entrevista. La intención era tratar de meterse debajo de la piel de estos personajes, de estas atletas jóvenes, dentro de la gran máquina.
¿Dirías que es una película sobre el deporte, sobre la guerra o sobre el poder?
Sí… esa es una buena pregunta. No lo sé. Creo que es, de alguna forma, todas y ninguna al mismo tiempo.
Recuerdo que antes de hacer la película veía mucho Under the Skin de Jonathan Glazer. Y es curioso, porque es una película de ciencia ficción sobre un extraterrestre, pero no hay nave espacial, no hay nada de eso. Entonces, en ese sentido, para mí era una pregunta parecida.
Quería hablar del deporte desde una perspectiva distinta. Pero también sabía que no quería hacer la película si no había un ángulo político, esta relación entre el deporte y la historia de la guerra y la violencia. Eso era lo más importante para mí.
La idea era crear una especie de lienzo donde construir las historias de estos personajes, seguir a estas jóvenes, pero al mismo tiempo hablar de esta relación: qué es esto que todos amamos, la competencia, el deporte, y cómo tiene detrás una historia compleja, interesante.
Y sí, si lo pensamos como una película sobre la guerra, podría decir que sí. Porque es la idea de personas peleando en un escenario de guerra, pero en lugar de ir a la guerra, están practicando deporte. Es la otra cara de la moneda.
¿Cómo influyeron figuras como Juana de Arco, Cleopatra o Nadezhda Durova en la construcción de los personajes?
Al inicio, la película iba a ser una animación. La idea era: ¿qué pasaría si hiciera una animación sobre Juana de Arco, pero una Juana de Arco contemporánea? Una esgrimista que va a los Juegos Olímpicos, mata a alguien, y luego empieza su juicio, como el juicio de Juana de Arco. Ella no es culpable, pero al mismo tiempo lo es.
Ese era el núcleo de la idea. A partir de ahí empecé a investigar sobre el deporte y otras figuras históricas. Por ejemplo, Nadezhda Durova, una mujer que se hacía pasar por hombre en las guerras napoleónicas. De ahí viene uno de los personajes, esta idea de alguien con una segunda vida, con una mentira, alguien que mientras está en los Juegos o en la guerra, tiene otra realidad que nadie conoce.
Y en el caso de Cleopatra, me interesaba la Cleopatra histórica, una figura muy importante en la historia de la medicina, del cuidado del cuerpo. Entonces pensé en el atleta como un ejemplo extremo de alguien que cuida su cuerpo, pero donde no sabes si ese cuidado es para el rendimiento o para la belleza.
Y la pregunta era: ¿en qué momento esas dos cosas se cruzan? ¿Cuándo la belleza y el rendimiento se vuelven lo mismo?
¿Tus personajes compiten contra otros o contra ellos mismos?
Creo que en el deporte —depende del deporte, claro— pero en la mayoría de los casos, la competencia principal es contigo mismo. Si no tienes esa competencia interna, es imposible llegar a un nivel de élite.
Luego está el oponente, pero si primero no compites contigo mismo, ni siquiera puedes llegar a ese nivel.
¿Cómo trabajas la presencia de la tecnología sobre el cuerpo de los atletas?
Es algo que siempre me ha interesado, incluso en otros guiones que aún no se han convertido en películas. Me interesa mucho la relación entre la materia orgánica y la tecnología. Pero no me interesa como metáfora. Me interesa cuando se vuelve algo real.
Por ejemplo, la escena de la cirugía: ahí no hay metáfora. Es una máquina real, creada por el ser humano, que entra en el cuerpo. Me interesa cuando esa relación es directa, física, evidente.
¿Puedes hablar sobre la relación entre la belleza y la violencia en el lenguaje visual de la película?
Sí. Creo que es interesante porque en la guerra no hay belleza. Es el lugar máximo de la violencia. Pero el deporte toma elementos de esa violencia —la competencia, la confrontación— y los transforma en algo estético. Entonces el deporte tiene esa cualidad: es bello, pero si lo analizas, hay algo oscuro detrás.
¿Por qué enfocarte en el proceso y no en la victoria o la derrota?
Nunca me interesó la victoria. Me interesaba más cómo se siente no poder hacer lo que quieres. El proceso. Todo lo que tiene que pasar para que algo como competir en unos Juegos Olímpicos ocurra.
La gente suele enfocarse en esos segundos de gloria, pero para llegar ahí ya eres el 0.01% de los mejores. Y aun así, la mayoría pierde. Solo uno gana. Me interesa esa relación: cuánto trabajo hay detrás sabiendo que, en la mayoría de los casos, no se va a traducir en algo visible para los demás. Es algo que es solo para ti.
¿Cómo la presión y la disciplina moldean la identidad de tus personajes?
Si lo miras de forma analítica, las tres protagonistas fracasan de maneras distintas. Una por algo completamente fuera de su control, como un accidente. Otra por algo interno, como una enfermedad. Y otra por algo que sí depende de ella, pero que no quiere reconocer. Me interesaba mostrar esas tres formas de pérdida de control.
Finalmente, ¿quieres que el espectador sienta con Agon admiración, incomodidad o ambas cosas?
Probablemente ambas.
The post Giulio Bertelli y el cuerpo como territorio de poder en <i>AGON</i> appeared first on Rolling Stone en Español.
En el campo de la animación japonesa hay películas animadas tradicionalistas y preciosistas que intentan construir mundos perfectos y otras que prefieren la innovación formal, la anarquía y el caos. ChaO: La sirena pertenece claramente al segundo grupo. La ópera prima de Yasuhiro Aoki parece dibujada por alguien incapaz de quedarse quieto, con sus personajes deformes, fondos saturados de detalles, movimientos frenéticos y una sensación permanente de que todo está a punto de desbordarse, que nos recuerda a la maravillosa Tekkonkinkrteet de Michael Arias.
Precisamente ahí está su encanto. La película imagina una Shanghái futurista donde humanos y sirenas intentan coexistir después de años de tensión política. Stephan, un joven ingeniero obsesionado con desarrollar un sistema marítimo menos agresivo para las criaturas marinas, termina comprometido con ChaO, una princesa sirena que asegura haber estado enamorada de él desde siempre. Lo que arranca como una alianza diplomática pronto se convierte en una convivencia caótica entre dos seres incapaces de entender completamente el mundo del otro.
La premisa recuerda inevitablemente a La Sirenita de Hans Christian Andersen y a sus derivadas como la cinta animada de Disney, la serie Mako la sirena enamorada y Splash, la comedia romántica protagonizada por Tom Hanks y Daryl Hannah, así como a los animes Ponyo y Lu Over the Wall o incluso a ciertas comedias románticas clásicas donde el matrimonio funciona primero como contrato y después como descubrimiento emocional. Sin embargo, ChaO tiene una energía muy distinta, más nerviosa, absurda y mucho menos interesada en la perfección sentimental.
La relación entre Stephan y ChaO funciona precisamente porque nunca parece estable. Él está atrapado entre ambición profesional, presión corporativa y responsabilidades políticas. Ella, mientras tanto, opera bajo otra lógica: impulsiva, emocional, físicamente torpe y completamente fascinada por el mundo humano. Además, la película entiende algo muy contemporáneo donde convivir implica negociar ritmos distintos de existencia.
Ahí aparece uno de los temas más interesantes del anime. Aunque todo está presentado desde el humor y la fantasía, ChaO habla constantemente sobre el equilibrio entre la vida personal y el trabajo, sobre los sistemas económicos incapaces de detenerse y sobre las personas intentando encontrar afecto dentro de estructuras obsesionadas con la productividad. Stephan cree que necesita revolucionar el transporte marítimo para tener valor. ChaO, en cambio, parece existir desde otra necesidad mucho más simple y es la de conectar emocionalmente.
Visualmente, la película es fascinante. El diseño supervisado por Hirokazu Kojima evita casi todos los códigos habituales del anime contemporáneo. Los rostros son minimalistas, las proporciones cambian constantemente y la animación combina trazos manuales con movimientos digitales que convierten cada escena en algo cercano a un cuaderno de bocetos vivo.
Hay secuencias realmente extraordinarias con ChaO manipulando el agua dentro de una fuente como si estuviera bailando, unas persecuciones aéreas imposibles y calles abarrotadas donde cada personaje secundario parece existir dentro de su propia película. Todo transmite una sensación de movimiento permanente. Sin embargo, ese frenetismo hace que por momentos, especialmente en el tramo final, la película resulte agotadora.
Y es que Aoki dirige con una velocidad tan frenética que por momentos parece incapaz de detenerse a respirar. Las escenas se enciman unas sobre otras, los personajes entran y salen constantemente y algunas emociones importantes pasan demasiado rápido. La película tiene tantas ideas visuales y narrativas que a veces parece estar compitiendo consigo misma.
Pero incluso en ese exceso hay algo profundamente humano. Porque ChaO: La sirena no busca perfección narrativa; busca transmitir la sensación de vivir dentro de un mundo saturado de estímulos, ansiedad y cambios constantes. Y en medio de ese ruido, intenta encontrar algo parecido a la ternura.
ChaO, además, termina convirtiéndose en una protagonista difícil de olvidar. Su forma redonda, su torpeza física y su entusiasmo infantil podrían volverla simplemente adorable, pero la película le añade algo más: vulnerabilidad. Ella también teme ser rechazada y oculta partes de sí misma hasta sentir la confianza suficiente para mostrarse completamente. Eso vuelve mucho más interesante la metáfora central de la película en la que amar a alguien implica aceptar formas distintas de habitar el mundo. Y la cinta, debajo de toda su hiperactividad visual, termina siendo exactamente eso. Una historia sobre aprender a convivir con aquello que no entendemos del todo.
The post Crítica: <i>ChaO: La sirena</i> appeared first on Rolling Stone en Español.
Britney Spears made her first public statement since a March DUI arrest resulted in a stay in a rehab facility. Though she did not specifically reference the case or her time in treatment, Spears, 44, was back on Instagram on Saturday (May 10) with a post alluding to recent headlines.
It opened with a story about going to a pet store with her kids to look at a baby snake — with a shot of a beautiful albino ball python wrapped around someone’s hand — before pivoting into a more personal tone. “Snakes are symbolic of good health, higher consciousness, and pure luck … I’m so damn thankful to my friends and so many new beautiful people I have met through my spiritual journey,” Spears said without going into detail about her journey.
“all a blessing in disguise,” she continued. “I still have to learn how to be kind to myself and the way I speak to myself… It’s a never ending journey and sometimes I just stop, look up and say wow God I think that was you and smile on!!!!”
TMZ reported last week that Spears recently left a rehab facility in Maine after spending around three weeks there following a probation sentence stemming from her plea deal in the March 4 DUI arrest Ventura County, Calif.
Spears got a year-long probation sentence on May 4 after pleading guilty through her attorney to a misdemeanor charge known as “wet reckless,” which is a downgrade from the more severe count of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol due to her low blood alcohol level and lack of a prior DUI history. According to the Associated Press, a prosecutor stated during the hearing that Spears had taken “full responsibility” for the incident. During her year of probation, Spears will have to participate in a DUI education program and continue regular therapy and psychiatry; Spears did not appear in court for the hearing.
Spears was arrested on March 4 after the California Highway Patrol found her driving “erratically at a high rate of speed on southbound US-101.” At the time, her reps called the arrest an “unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable,” adding that “Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life.”
The next month, the singer voluntarily checked herself into a treatment facility.
The Beatles have got back to where they once belonged. In 2027, the world’s first official fan experience is set to open at London’s Savile Row, home to the band’s famous 1969 rooftop concert.
The Fab Four’s Apple Corps Ltd has announced that they will be returning to 3 Savile Row in the heart of London’s Mayfair district for a new fan experience and museum.
The seven floors of the Georgian townhouse will include “never-seen-before material from Apple Corps’ extensive archives, rotating exhibitions, fan store, and the recreation of the original studio where Let it Be (1970) was recorded,” according to a press release.
While a number of unofficial experiences exist in London, Liverpool and other key locations around the globe (including Hamburg, Germany), this is the first official experience managed by the band. The experience will open in 2027, with fans able to register for upcoming announcements here.
Since its inception, Apple Corps Ltd. has managed the group’s business affairs and was originally based on Savile Row. In 1969, the group played their final-ever concert on the rooftop of the building, as captured in the Let It Be film and revisited in Peter Jackson epic Get Back documentary. Apple Corps Ltd. is currently headquartered out of South Kensington, London.
Speaking of the opening of 3 Savile Row, Apple Corps’ chief executive Tom Greene said: “We’re thrilled to bring Apple Corps back to its spiritual home and give The Beatles fans something truly special. Every single day, fans are taking pictures of the outside of 3 Savile Row – but next year they can go in and explore all seven floors of the iconic building, including the rooftop where even the railings remain the same from that famous day in 1969.”
Paul McCartney added: “It was such a trip to get back to 3 Savile Row recently and have a look around. There are so many special memories within the walls, not to mention the rooftop. The team have put together some really impressive plans and I’m excited for people to see it when it’s ready.” Ringo Starr said, “Wow, it’s like coming home.”
In April, Apple Corps Ltd. announced a raft of new hires and promotions under the new leadership of Greene, who joined in 2025. In the coming years there’s set to be more Beatles action with the release of four films directed by Sam Mendes, with Paul Mescal (Paul McCartney), Harris Dickinson (John Lennon), Joseph Quinn (George Harrison) and Barry Keoghan (Ringo Starr) set to play the leading roles.
Singer Keli Holiday says he was denied re-entry into the United States during his North American tour, forcing him to cancel a planned New York City performance and return home early.
The Australian artist — the solo project of Adam Hyde from Peking Duk — shared the news with fans over the weekend after being detained at the U.S.-Canada border following shows in Toronto.
“Unfortunately I’m not going to make it to tonight’s show at Baby’s All Right in NYC,” Holiday wrote on Instagram. “I have spent all day detained at the Canadian border and denied entry back into the U.S. despite having the proper visa documentation in place.”
“I’m still trying to get clarity on the situation myself,” he added.
Holiday had been scheduled to play a short run of North American dates between May 1 and May 7, with the Brooklyn show set to close out the tour. A representative later confirmed he had since returned to Australia ahead of upcoming dates across New South Wales and Victoria.
The incident comes at a time of growing concern around U.S. border processing and visa scrutiny for international travelers and touring artists. Proposed changes tied to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) program have sparked discussion in Australia and New Zealand over stricter entry requirements and expanded screening measures.
Hyde launched Keli Holiday in 2021 as a more personal and indie-leaning counterpart to Peking Duk, the chart-successful electronic act he formed with Reuben Styles. Peking Duk broke through with hits including “High” featuring Nicole Millar, which reached the top five on the ARIA Singles Chart and helped establish the duo as one of Australia’s biggest electronic acts of the 2010s.
As previously reported, Holiday is the highest-flying homegrown artist on the latest ARIA Albums Chart with Capital Fiction, his second collection, which opens its account at No. 3. As a member of Peking Duk, he peaked at No. 12 with 2018’s Reprisal.
Capital Fiction houses the cut “Dancing2,” which recounts the story of how Hyde met his partner and love of his life, Sydney media personality Abbie Chatfield. The single came in at No. 2 on triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown for 2025, won for best video at the last year’s ARIA Awards, and Holiday performed it at the top of the recording industry’s annual ceremony.
Under the Keli Holiday name, Hyde has moved toward a moodier mix of indie-pop, dance and alternative music, releasing tracks including “Dancing2” while building a dedicated following through club shows and festival appearances.
Fans flooded Holiday’s comments with support after the canceled New York show was announced, with many urging him to reschedule the date once the visa issue is resolved.
When NBA YoungBoy announced he was dropping out of his headlining slot at Rolling Loud Orlando on Thursday (May 7), festival organizers were left scrambling. Artists like Rod Wave and YEAT were speculated to be floated, but RL ultimately settled on Ken Carson to close out Sunday night (May 10).
On its face, the decision made sense with fellow Opium titans Destroy Lonely and Playboi Carti performing on Saturday (May 9), so much of the label’s fanbase was already going to be on festival grounds for the weekend.
Carson, whose More Chaos topped the Billboard 200 last year, continued his elevation by taking advantage of the real estate using his newfound headlining Rolling Loud set to kick-start The Xperiment era.
The Atlanta native hit the smoky stage around 9 p.m. ET and premiered an unreleased track, which is expected to appear on his upcoming LP, that had the crowd going berserk and chanting along to the rage-filled production.
The 26-year-old kept the energy up, jumping around his catalog for the first 13 songs or so, which included the anticipated unreleased snippet “Grow Apart,” but understood the assignment as a headliner looking to make a statement to hip-hop and invite other fans who may not be as familiar with his discography.
Enter some star-studded guests, the first being Lil Tecca. The “Dark Thoughts” rapper was a seamless fit and was more than worthy of having his own set at the main stage this year, coming off a major 2025. The duo joined forces for “Tic Tac Toe” and “500lbs.”
Fellow Opium runningmate Destroy Lonely was next up in the lineup, as they connected for “The Acronym” and “Singapore,” the latter of which was without their mentor Playboi Carti. “That’s my song, too,” he quipped from backstage while watching his pupils.
Young Thug was all over Rolling Loud throughout the weekend and he didn’t even have his own set. Billboard spotted Thug enjoying some Popeyes near the festival earlier in the weekend. He popped out once again for Ken Carson, while they performed his UY SCUTI standout “Yuck” and then Thugger took the solo spotlight to revv up the crowd for his “Digits” classic.
Some might say they save the best for last, and Playboi Carti batted clean-up in the all-star guest line-up. He traded his YSL suit look for a 2Pac t-shirt, leather pants, and a pair of crispy white high-top Air Force Ones.
Courtesy of Rolling Loud/Respective Collective
The 00 connection premiered a pair of collaborations, including the bouncy “ARP,” which finds Carti utilizing his deep voice flow, while “Cover My Ears” leans into the Whole Lotta Red-esque production that’s been a mainstay for the rock stars.
Carson teased mere seconds-long snippets of unreleased grails “Boil” and “Stars” before finishing off his potent set with another new song, which is heavily influenced by 2hollis’ “Girl.” One poignant bar found KC getting vulnerable about critics boxing him into one genre. “No matter what I make, they gon’ call it rage,” he raps.
As the dust settled on another successful Rolling Loud weekend, one fan emerged from the moshpit warfare, lending his stamp of approval. “That was the greatest set of my life,” he said to a friend while coming down from a euphoric high.
Ken Carson notched his first No. 1 album last year and his recent tour stops across the globe have looked bonkers. If he plays his cards right heading into The Xperiment, rap could have another niche superstar on its hands that the mainstream won’t be able to ignore.
How do you celebrate your first trip to Saint Lucia? If you’re Ella Mai, you do so by absolutely killing your World Beats set at this year’s Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival.
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Just a few weeks after playing a pair of sold-out South African shows, the Grammy-winning British R&B singer descended upon the Caribbean for another international date ahead of this summer’s Do You Still Love Me Tour. The nearly 40-date trek will visit major cities across the United States, Europe, and the U.K., with ascendant R&B singers Ama and Girlfriend joining as support acts.
Set to kick off on July 7 in Toronto, this new tour also marks Mai’s first such outing since welcoming her baby son with NBA star Jayson Tatum. As she deftly floated between day-one bangers (“She Don’t”), certified classics (“Boo’d Up) and never selections (“Somebody’s Son”), Ella’s forthcoming tour began to form right in front of the Saint Lucia Jazz crowd.
“This is the first time that we’re doing a production; we want to step it up a bit,” she tells Billboard backstage after her performance. “Most of my shows thus far have concentrated on vocals. And not that we won’t be vocal heavy — because we absolutely will — but, with this album, I wanted to immerse people in my world a little bit more. We’re gonna basically bring that to life on the tour, and I’m excited to get on stage and sing new music and have people sing it back to me. And even if they don’t sing it back to me, this new album means so much to me that being able to share it alone is going to be incredible.”
In February, Do You Still Love Me? debuted at N. 44 on the Billboard 200, reaching No. 14 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums thanks to the Adult R&B radio hits “Tell Her” (No. 26) and “Little Things” (No. 19). Executive produced by Mustard, the 14-track album marked the official follow-up to the “Trip” singer’s sophomore record, Heart of My Sleeve, which hit No. 15 on the all-genre Billboard 200.
R&B boasted a dominant presence at this year’s Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival. In addition to Ella Mai, the island nation also enjoyed performances by Tems and Brandy & Monica, with more dancehall-leaning acts like Dexta Daps, D’yani and Valiant keeping R&B a foundational element of their sound. From last year’s R&B crossover hits like Leon Thomas’ “Mutt” and Kehlani’s “Folded” to buzzy new R&B projects this year from Durand Bernarr (BERNARR.) and Jai’Len Josey (Serial Romantic), the genre has been steadily regaining its footing in the streaming era — and Ella Mai is still rooting for it.
“It’s just such a great time for the genre, and it’s incredible to see since it gets so much [flak],” she says. “Nobody asks why today’s rock [music] doesn’t sound like the 90s. Every other genre, I feel, is allowed to evolve and become its own thing in its time. I get it — I love ’90s and 2000s R&B, and it’s nostalgic for us because we grew up on it, but there’s a real R&B resurgence going on right now. And it’s always been there, actually, you just might have to look a bit harder than usual.”
Eric Church spoke to the class of 2026 through song at UNC-Chapel Hill’s commencement ceremony on Saturday (May 10), where the country star gave an inspired keynote address and performance of “Carolina” for his fellow Tar Heels.
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Pieces didn’t fall into place for the commencement speech Church delivered at Saturday’s ceremony at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C., until he wrote the way he knows best. Sunglasses on, instrument in hand, he looked out at the crowd celebrating more than 7,000 graduates and turned their commencement speech into the most sincere guitar lesson they’ll likely ever experience.
“I have torn up multiple speeches,” said Church, who’s twice topped the Billboard 200 albums chart, and had three No. 1s and two No. 2s on Top Country Albums. “I have thrown things. And in one of my fits of frustration, I sat down with a guitar. And I thought, man, who am I kidding. I need to figure out a way to do this with a guitar.”
To begin, the Granite Falls, N.C., native told the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s graduating class, “I want to start with a sound. You know this sound. It’s a guitar that’s out of tune — something that almost gets there, it tries, but doesn’t. Some ancient, honest part of your brain knows it immediately. You don’t need training to hear it. You just know. That sound is the sound of something beautiful that has not been tended to.”
Then the metaphor that carried Church’s commencement speech came in: “Six strings. When all six are in tune, the chords they make can stop a conversation cold, carry a broken person through the worst night of their life, or make a room full of strangers feel for three minutes like they’ve known each other forever. But if even one is off, the whole chord unravels. Not gradually, not politely. The moment you strike it you know. I believe your life runs on this principle.”
In the singer-songwriter’s address to students, the six strings of a guitar represented faith, family, heart, ambition and resilience, community, and one’s sense of self. Church spoke of each guitar string and its significance to the life they’d construct post-graduation, encouraging the class of 2026 — 4,453 undergraduates, 1,608 master’s and 981 doctoral degree students, 5,594 of which are North Carolina residents — to aspire to flourish while tending to their roots.
“I want you to want things. You should want things. The world has more than enough people standing at the edge of their own potential waiting for a permission slip that was never gonna arrive. Want the thing. Say it out loud. Build toward it with everything you have,” Church said.
But he cautioned, “Your generation faces a temptation no generation before has ever faced. The temptation to perform to everyone and belong to no one. To be globally visible and locally invisible. To have thousands of followers and no one knows actually where you live. Resist it. Plant yourself somewhere. Put down roots with the full intention of growing there. Learn the actual names, not usernames, of the people around you. Volunteer. Coach the team. Build the thing your community needs even if the internet will never see it.”
In another section of his commencement speech, he reminded the class, “You were made uniquely, wonderfully, distinctly. There’s a sound only you can make. A voice that has never existed before you and will never exist again. A contribution only you can bring. A way of seeing that belongs to only you. The world does not need another cover song. It needs an original.”
“Six strings,” Church said in his keynote address. “Six strings of light and willingness to keep them in tune. Six principles. Six pillars. When all six are in tune with each other, the chord your life makes is full and resonant and true. All six will drift. Not one or two. All six. In their own time, in their own season.”
He continued, “Your faith will go quiet when you need it loud. Your family will get complicated in a way only the people that love you most can complicate things. You will go through hard seasons with your spouse. Your ambition will hollow out and your resilience will wear thin. Your community will start to feel like an obligation, and your world will try to sand down the edges of exactly who you are.”
“This is not failure,” said Church. “This is not weakness. It’s the inevitable, universal experience of living in an imperfect world that doesn’t stop to let us tune up. And the difference between a life that sounds like music and a life that sounds like noise is whether you stop and listen. Whether you’re honest enough to hear which string has drifted out of tune, humble enough to make the adjustment instead of just turning up the volume and hoping nobody notices. Because you will notice. The part of you that knows what the chord should sound like will always notice. It will not let you go. Life won’t be right until it is tuned. Trust what your heart hears and is telling you about your song.”
Of course, an Eric Church commencement speech at a North Carolina school wouldn’t be complete without a performance of “Carolina,” the title track of his second studio album released in 2009. Church played the song on guitar as rows upon rows of new grads put their arms around one another and swayed.
Watch Church’s full commencement address to UNC-Chapel Hill’s class of 2026 below. He’s one of several artists invited to deliver keynote remarks at graduation ceremonies this year, including country peers Riley Green at Jacksonville State University and Luke Combs at Appalachian State University. In pop, Hilary Duff gave a commencement speech to Northeastern University’s 2026 class.
MUNA‘s new album Dancing on the Wall tops this week’s best new music poll.
Listeners voted in a poll published Friday (May 8) on Billboard, choosing the LA indie-pop trio’s new record as their favorite music release of the week.
Dancing on the Wall rose to the top in a week that also featured Charli xcx‘s hotly anticipated genre-pivot single “Rock Music,” new full-lengths from J Balvin and Ryan Castro, Lykke Li, Little Simz and The Chainsmokers, plus new singles from The Last Dinner Party, PJ Morton, Ashley McBryde and more.
The win marks a significant moment for MUNA, the trio of Katie Gavin, Naomi McPherson and Josette Maskin, who return with their third studio album on Saddest Factory Records — their first release since their breakout 2022 self-titled record. That album broke through to mainstream audiences on the strength of the Phoebe Bridgers collaboration “Silk Chiffon” and earned widespread critical acclaim. Dancing on the Wall finds the band continuing to evolve their signature brand of euphoric, emotionally direct indie pop, with the title track arriving as one of the year’s most immediate and danceable releases so far.
Meanwhile, the second-place finisher Charli xcx’s “Rock Music” marked a deliberate departure from the Brat-era sound that defined her 2024 commercial breakthrough.
“If I’d made another album that felt more dance-leaning, it would have felt really hard, really sad,” she told British Vogue in April. ahead of the single’s release. “What’s interesting for me is to bend the possibilities of what my perspective on that could be.” The single arrives ahead of a still-unannounced new album.
See the final results of this week’s poll below.
La amistad no siempre es predecible o clásica. Sobre esto hablan muchas películas que nos presentan historias entre seres que se conectan, por alguna razón en particular, a pesar de que su vínculo no sea el más lógico. A continuación, 4 películas sobre amistades inesperadas para ver en Netflix. Okja 2017 – Dir. Bong Joon […]
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