Music - The Graceful Boon

Taylor Swift: Everything We Learn From Her About The True Essence Of A Healthy Friendship – And The Complexities Of Mixing Friendship With Business

Taylor Swift just hit a major milestone in her career: she bought back all her first 6 albums back from Shamrock Holdings for $360 million. Swift was initially signed with Big Machine in her career beginnings. Scott Borchetta signed Taylor Swift to Big Machine Records, which he founded, in 2005, launching her career. In 2019, Borchetta sold Big Machine to Scooter Braun for $300 million, which included the rights to Swift’s master recordings of her first six albums. Braun then sold the masters to Shamrock Holdings for $360 million, the amount Swift bought the masters for just recently from the company. Following Swift’s purchase, Braun’s simple reaction was, ‘I am happy for her,’ according to Page Six. Following Braun’s purchase of her life’s work since she was a teenager, Swift made a statement. It said, ‘For years I asked, pleaded for a chance to own my work. Instead I was given an opportunity to sign back up to Big Machine Records and ‘earn’ one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in. I walked away because I knew once I signed that contract, Scott Borchetta would sell the label, thereby selling me and my future. I had to make the excruciating choice to leave behind my past.’ And not only that, but Swift also revealed that she learned of the purchase the same way as everyone else did – online. Here, we breakdown the entire ordeal of Swift’s journey to get her masters back from beginning to end. We explore everything that her friendships had to do with it. And we explore the complexities that come with mixing business with friendships. Let’s discuss…

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Jennifer Lopez: The Business Of A Woman Making A Career Out Of Her Love Life – Why She Failed Where Taylor Swift Succeeded

It’s pretty fair to say that year’s AMA’s Awards show was very much a disappointment. Perhaps the most exciting thing that happened was that Gloria Estefan came back to perform for the first time in 30 years. Another big surprise came when Jennifer Lopez performed a rendition of 2025 greatest hits, including ones by Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and more, and kissed her male AND female dancers during her set. She was this year’s host. The biggest disappointment, or even two disappointments, was when Taylor Swift didn’t show up at the event, as well as didn’t win ANY of the awards she was nominated for. The singer holds the record for the most AMA wins with 40 under her belt, a groundbreaking achievement. Swift has seen a massive success in her career as an artist in the past two years, which saw her break records in the music industry. Lopez, on the other hand, has seen a career low; the lowest in her entire almost 30-year career. Here, we breakdown JLo’s fall from grace in the music industry. We explain the root cause of her failures, especially in recent years during her marriage to Ben Affleck. And we explore how she failed where Taylor Swift succeeded. These two women are the same in a sense that they’ve made money out of their love lives. Their outcomes, however, were completely different. Here, we analyze exactly why. Let’s discuss…

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Kelsey Parker: A Deep Exploration Of What Women Go Through In The Aftermath Of Widowhood – And Why Women Get Judged More Than Men Do When They Move On With Their Lives

Widowhood is a very complex concept in life that can only be understood and explained by those who’d gone through it. As of late, we see more and more widowed celebrities finding their happy again; particularly female celebrities. These include Amanda Kloots, Michelle Williams, and Kelsey Hardwick (Parker). Kloots was married to Nick Cordero, a Broadway star, between 2017 and 2020. They have a son, Elvis, who was born 9 months before Cordero fell ill and eventually passed away due to Covid-related complications. While Michelle Williams isn’t TECHNICALLY a widow, she did lose the person she initially thought she’d spend the rest of her life with. It was when Health Ledger passed away in 2008 of an accidental drug overdose. Together they had a daughter, Matilda, born in 2005. They were engaged to be married, but broke the engagement of just a few short months before his passing. Hardwick was married to the late Tom Parker until his untimely death of cancer in March 2022. Here, we break down the essence of heartbreak of what women go through in life in the aftermath of their losses through their own individual stories. We explore the hardships of moving on, finding a new path in life, and making room for a new partner. And we explain why women get judged a lot more than men do in the circumstances of widowhood. Let’s discuss…

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Cardi B: The Essence Of A Toxic Partner Overstaying Their Welcome In A Marriage – And The Effect A Meddler With A Dark Personality Has On The Relationship When Kids Are Involved

After rumours swirled that Cardi B was in a new relationship, she finally made things official with Stefon Diggs after she and the NFL player were seen together at the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden earlier this month. The new couple were seen attending the same events these past few months, like the Met Glass and Coachella, but never together or side by side. And finally, we saw her smiling ear to ear, something we hadn’t seen her do in a long, time. And aside from this new outing, the rapper flaunted her newfound happiness on social media. She posted on X, previously known as Twitter, ‘You know when you got a gorgeous n***a loving and f*** you from head to toe. It’s like, I don’t give a f*** what anybody say when you got a real fine n***a that loves you from head to toe.’ This marked to be a great milestone for the rapper, as it marked the official end to her relationship with Offset. Here, we break down Cardi B’s entire relationship and marriage to Offset. We explain his 2018 grand gesture was out of line, toxic, and a good enough reason for Cardi B to NOT take him back. And we explore the effects of meddlers with dark personalities on a relationship and marriage, especially when kids are involved. Let’s discuss…

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Bobbi Kristina Brown: How She Became A Victim Of Stockholm Syndrome In Her Relationship With Nick Gordon – And How She Never Had Even The Slightest Chance At A Normal Life

Bobby Brown appeared on ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’ on May 19, and he opened up to Hudson on the loss of two of his seven children, Bobby Brown Jr. and Bobbi Kristina Brown, as well as his ex-wife, Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina’s mother. The 10th anniversary of her passing is coming up in July. She passed away at just the young age of 22 after being found in a bathtub; eerily, almost the same exact manner in which Whitney Houston passed away 3 years prior. After 6 agonizing months of being on life support, she finally passed away while being in hospice care. It was a truly tragic death. But her life was, in a sense, also tragic. It was filled with both triumphs and struggles. She had a lot to look forward to at the time that her life was viciously taken away. She was finally excited for the future, but someone in her life couldn’t handle all the positive things that she was about to achieve. Here, we break down Bobbi Kristina’s entire life, from beginning to end. We particularly explore the 3 years that followed Whitney Houston’s death and everything that happened thereafter – specifically her relationship with her ‘brother’ and ‘husband’, Nick Gordon. We then explain how Bobby Brown, as well as Whitney Houston, indirectly played a role in her early demise. Let’s discuss…

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Cassie: What Her 5 Day Testimony Against Diddy Tells Fellow Female Domestic Violence Survivors Around The World – And What Justin Bieber And Machine Gun Kelly Have To Do With It

Just recently, Cassie testified against Diddy under oath in his sex trafficking trial. For 5 days straight, she told the jury of agony she’d endured at the hands of Diddy throughout their 11+ years long relationship, which finally came to an end in 2018. Since her split with Diddy, she married Alex Fine, an actor and a fitness trainer, in 2019, and together they have two daughters and one on the way. Cassie, a singer in her own right, testified for 5 days straight and relived the horror she’d experienced at the hands of Diddy, as well as came face to face with him again, all while 8 months pregnant. It’s not even remotely imaginable the strength that it took her to do all this at such a vulnerable time. Before that, 2023, Cassie filed a lawsuit against the rapper and business mogul. He initially denied any wrongdoing, but settled the lawsuit just a day after it was filed for $20 million. Cassie was publicly shamed for the lawsuit, and was subsequently told by the world that she just wanted the money. Let it be known: the $20 million was NOTHING but hush money in comparison to the abuse she’d endured for an entire decade of her life. Here, we break down Cassie’s entire 5 day testimony against Diddy. We explain what her brave testimony tells fellow survivors around the world. And we explore what Justin Bieber and Machine Gun Kelly have to do with it all. Let’s discuss…

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Lea Michele: How Her Role As Fanny Brice On Funny Girl Became Her Redemption Arc – And Why She’s The Perfect Example In The Importance Of Giving People Second Chances

Lea Michele is a Broadway veteran who gained fame and recognition in her role as Rachel Berry on ‘Glee’, a musical TV series which also starred Cory Monteith, who sadly passed away in 2013 of an accidental drug overdose. Michele recently appeared on the ‘Therapuss with Jake Shane’ podcast, where she talked about Monteith’s passing and the grief she’d endured in the months and years that followed. Michele and Monteith were in a longterm relationship at the time of his death. She also spoke about her work on ‘Glee’ particularly in the aftermath of Monteith’s passing, and how her relationships with her co-stars were affected by it. In 2020, Samantha Ware, who guest-starred on ‘Glee’ following Monteith’s passing, called out Michele’s toxic behaviour at work that almost made her quit acting. It was her first-ever opportunity in the industry. Michele apologized, but Ware didn’t take the apology too well, and neither did she take the news of her being cast as Fanny Brice in the ‘Funny Girl’ revival two years later too well. Here, we break down Lea Michele’s entire career from the very beginning to now. We fully explain the 2020 Lea Michele vs. everyone scandal. And we explore why it’s so important to give people like Lea Michele second chances. Let’s discuss…

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Rihanna: Everything We Can Take Away About Men From Her Past (Abusive) Relationships With Chris Brown And Hassan Jameel vs. Her Life Now – And What The Media Has To Do With It

May is the month where fashion geeks and freaks come together and either attend the Met Gala on the first Monday of the moth, watch it live, or talk about it non-stop on the internet or in person. This year was absolutely no different. The show was absolutely stunning. Attendees included the Kardashian-Jenner clan, Ciara, Miley Cyrus, Gigi Hadid, Hailey (Baldwin) Bieber, Bebe Rhexa, Pamela Anderson, Mindy Kailing, Zendeya, Diana Ross, Demi Moore, Nicole Kidman, Megan Thee Stallion, Lisa, Anne Hathaway, Tracee Ellis Ross, Cynthia Erivo, Cardi B, Simone Biles, Zoe Saldaña, Ayo Edebiri, Kerry Washington, Madonna, Joey King, and many, many more great talents. But perhaps the person that made a REAL grand entrance this year was none other than Rihanna. She was the last person to arrive at the gala and walk the red carpet. Lord and behold… her greatest accessory that night was her baby bump. Yes, my all; that was where Rihanna announced her third pregnancy. She previously announced her second pregnancy in 2023 when she performed at the Super Bowl half time show. It was absolutely iconic. Though her personal life is at an all time high, it wasn’t always the case. Her love life was filled with chaos and turmoil in the past; starting from 2009. Here, we break down Rihanna’s entire relationships with Chris Brown and Hassan Jameel. We explain what we can learn about men through Rihanna’s story of abuse and her getting back together with Chris Brown following the 2009 assault, as well as the alleged reason for her breakup with Jameel. And finally, we explore what media has to do with it all. Let’s discuss…

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Danielle Fishel: Getting To Know Her As A Woman Through Her Connections With Ben Savage, Trina McGee, And Maitland Ward – And What Each Friction Tells Us About The Other Person

In 2022, Danielle Fishel started a podcast called ‘Pod Meets World’ alongside Rider Strong and Will Friedle. It’s a podcast where the trio re-watch their work on the beloved 90’s sitcom, ‘Boy Meets World’, which ran from 1993 to 2000. In the series, Fishel played Topanga Lawrence, Strong played Sean Hunter, and Friedle played Eric Matthews. The main star of the show, the one who was first billed, was Ben Savage, who played Cory Matthews. The podcast opened doors to new fans and audiences alike, as well as updated the original ones on the cast members’ lives. More particularly, on their friendships and such. We learned that Ben Savage has completely ghosted his once tight-nit friends in 2020 with no explanation. We learned that Maitland Ward felt that Fishel was jealous of her throughout the years since the show ended. And we got an update on Trina McGee and where she now stands with her former co-stars after the was made to believe they were responsible for her character’s early departure. Here, we break down each of these friendships, misconceptions and frictions on all sides. We explain what each of these miscommunications and frictions tell us about who Danielle Fishel is as a person and a woman. And we explore how generally, women are constantly turned against each other because they’re made to believe they’re meant to fail, and therefore, are always in competition with one another when, really, it should be the other way around. Let’s discuss how we can unite women bring them together, and how men can be of help…

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Taylor Swift: The Real Beauty And Value In Age-Gap Friendships – And Why They’re Actually Necessary For A Woman’s Growth

Legendary actress Jane Fonda has been very vocal in recent years on the importance of female friendships. In 2024, she said, ‘Women’s friendships are very different from men’s friendships. And they’re very important to our health. Because you guys, you kind of sit side by side and watch sports or cars or women. Women sit facing each other eye to eye, and they say, ‘I’m in trouble. I need you. Can you help me?’ We are not afraid of being vulnerable.’ Her husband, Ted Turner once said to her that he figured women didn’t make friends past 60, to which she said he was really wrong. She continued, ‘What you have to do is you have to be intentional. Like, I never used to be intentional. I would meet Sally Field, for example, but not pursue – well I did pursue you. You have to pursue people that you want to be friends with. And you have to say, ‘I’m intentionally wanting to be your friend.’ And it works. People hear that and then stick around, and you develop new friendships.’ Here, we take things into perspective and take a deep dive into Taylor Swift’s many friendships, including with the likes of Sabrina Carpenter, Gracie Abrams, And Jamie King. We particularly explain the underlying necessity of age-gap friendships by exploring Kourtney Kardashian’s friendship with Addison Rae. And we compare them to the likes of friendships with people closer to our own age group. Let’s discuss…