Shifter Selects: Glitz + Grammys

Graphic by Samantha N. Olson. Photos from left to right: Hidden Canyons/TikTok, Alyssa (UHLEESUH.)/Instagram, Dua Lipa/Kevin Winter.

Welcome to Shifter Selects, a new addition to our digital component where we’ll highlight the latest trends in music, film/TV and fashion. Here’s how it’ll go down: on Monday of every week, we’ll be on the lookout for trending topics and give our hot takes on the matter. Sound like something you’d be interested in? Look no further than our Shifter Selects for the week of March 15–19.

Music's biggest night — a.k.a the Grammys — was March 14; Beyoncé made history, Harry Styles won his first golden gramophone, Lil Baby made a serious statement that needed to be heard and Taylor Swift took home Album of the Year for the third time. A brand new Black-owned streetwear fashion brand launched in Central Florida and we just found our new fave show right on TikTok. Ready to dive in?

Music

History Was Made At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards

by Brianna Bradley

Where to listen: The Recording Academy

Last night was the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards and in case you missed it, we’re recapping our favorite highlights from the show.

Beyoncé made history with her number of wins. She left the stage with four new awards: Best Rap Song (“Savage”), Best Rap Performance (“Savage”), Best Music Video (“Brown Skin Girl”) and Best R&B Performance (“Black Parade”). Over the course of her music career, Queen Bey has earned 28 Grammys.

Taylor Swift broke records by taking home one of the biggest awards of the night: Album of the Year for “Folklore.” This was her third album of the year award, with her previous wins being for “Fearless” (2010) and “1989” (2016).

Other notable wins include Billie Eilish’s “Everything I Wanted” for Record of the Year; Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas’ “I Can’t Breathe” for Song of the Year and Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” for Best Pop Solo Performance.

Film/TV

"Hidden Canyons," the 1-minute Gay Soap Opera We Can't Stop Watching

by Camille Ruiz Mangual

Where to watch: TikTok

Co-directors Brant Rotnem and Fawzia Mirza created the first one-minute-long LGBTQ+ soap opera on TikTok called “Hidden Canyons.” The soap centers 7 residents of a beachside community as they navigate issues such as infidelity, open relationships, mental health, family planning, and gender identity. The 26-episode first season was shot in 3 days and soon after, shared to TikTok where each episode has gained thousands of views.

In an interview with Deadline, Rotnem says, “We often see reductive depictions of the LGBTQ+ world in media.”

“I wanted to tell stories that speak to the nuances we don’t get to see. For instance, what is the community’s relationship to materialism and success? Should we structure romantic relationships like straight couples, or redefine them in our own way? What complications can arise when a same-sex couple asks a family member to help them conceive?”

Fashion

UHLEESUH, a Black Female-owned Fashion Brand in Central Florida, Launched March 15

by Valerie Galarza

Where to follow: UHLEESUH, Alyssa

Looking for an online black-owned fashion business to support? Look no further, the UHLEESUH fashion brand just launched today with streetwear clothing in the “Creation Collection.”

The brand was created and is owned by Alyssa, a young Black female entrepreneur based in the University of Central Florida community of Orlando. The online shop will feature street style clothing ranging from bucket hats such as the “Grey Fresco” which is a grey-colored bucket hat with an intricate design of the “Hand of God” art piece to other fashion necessities that will surely complement one’s unique sense of style.

In an Instagram post, owner Allyssa expressed her excitement for her fashion website that she worked incredibly hard on. You can check out Alyssa’s streetwear brand of clothing in her new online shop on UHLEESUH’s official website.

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Want to keep up with the latest trends?

Tune in next Monday for our next installment of Shifter Selects!