Rihanna becomes first female artiste to hit a billion streams on Spotify, Selena Gomez thanks Rema for changing her life, Liverpool complete £60m Dominik Szoboszlai transfer. Stay in the know with our Rave News Digest which summarizes five of the hottest global news you need to catch up on, saving you time and energy. Consider it your daily news fix.
1. Rihanna becomes first female artiste to hit a billion streams on Spotify
Bad Gal billi …
— Rihanna (@rihanna) June 30, 2023
wit no new album…
lemme talk my shit 😜🇧🇧 pic.twitter.com/Jr2fMJwOaT
Rihanna just became the first female artist to break a billion streams on Spotify and she took to Instagram to celebrate the moment. The achievement marks another win for the 35-year-old singer and beauty mogul who was the halftime performer at this year’s Super Bowl and will also soon be celebrating the birth of her second child with boyfriend rapper A$AP Rocky.
And rightfully so, she has chosen not to be humble about the effortless career flex. “Bad Gal billi … with no new album… lemme talk my s**t,” she wrote in a Twitter post on Friday, June 30. Fans applauded the singer for her continued success, with comments congratulating her on the feat.
2. Selena Gomez thanks Rema for changing her life
View this post on Instagram
Amidst the continuous rise of Rema’s “Calm Down,” American popstar Selena Gomez has taken to her social media to express her gratitude to the Nigerian superstar for giving her what she describes as a life-changing experience. “This man has changed my life forever. Rema, thank you for choosing me to be a part of one of the biggest songs in the world. Love you forever @heisrema,” Selena Gomez posted on her Instagram account on July 2. Since its release in February 2022 as one of the lead singles of Rema’s debut album “Raves & Roses,” “Calm Down” has enjoyed impressive global success including holding the Guinness World Record as the first artiste to top the inaugural Middle Eastern and North Africa (MENA).
“Calm Down” has charted in multiple countries including in the United States where it peaked at NO. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 which is a Nigerian record and the second highest charting African song. It also reached a NO. 3 peak on the UK Official Singles Chart while also topping charts in India and the Middle East. The hit single also holds the streaming record for an Afrobeats song on Spotify while also being the music video with the most views by a Nigerian artiste on YouTube. The song has earned multiple plaques including in the US, UK, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Austria, Canada, and other countries.
3. South Africa: Focalistic gives fans a look into his globetrotting life with new YouTube series
Amapiano star Focalistic is a globe-trotter of note and now he is letting his fans in on his life with his YouTube series. In a short clip on his Instagram, he shared glimpses of his Europe tour and other spots he has been to in South Africa. “My Life Lately. Straata Ke Straategy Euro Tour Edition. Oska #Khekheleza,” he captioned his post. With a new single out called “Khekheleza” and another show coming up at the Pretoria National Botanical Gardens on September 16, Focalistic is booked and busy.
4. Jada Pinkett Smith announces the return of ‘Red Table Talk’
Jada Pinkett Smith Gives Update on Future of 'Red Table Talk': 'It's Definitely Coming Back' (Exclusive) https://t.co/v0q0478BIN
— People (@people) June 29, 2023
When Meta shut down its Facebook Watch platform and all of its original content, fans instantly wondered what would become of Jada Pinkett-Smith’s popular, and sometimes controversial talk show, Red Table Talk. The series was co-hosted by Jada, her mother Adrienne Banfield Norris, and her daughter Willow Smith. Now Jada says to expect new developments and assures fans that the show is “definitely coming back.”
“We’ve had a couple platforms reach out to us,” Pinkett Smith said. “And we have some interesting avenues that we’re looking at now. You know me, I’m always looking for the next innovative thing. Actually, there’s one idea that we have in mind that I’m kind of excited about that will probably be happening, maybe, close to the release of the book,” she says. “We’ve got some really interesting stuff happening with RTT. I’m excited about that journey as well.”
5. Liverpool complete £60m Dominik Szoboszlai transfer on a five-year contract
#SzoboSigns 😁 pic.twitter.com/LAQBCy1vRt
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 2, 2023
Dominik Szoboszlai is now a Liverpool player, with the Reds confirming that a £60 million ($76m) transfer has been completed. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has reportedly signed a five-year contract at Anfield, with those terms set to keep him on Merseyside until the summer of 2028. Jurgen Klopp had made the acquisition of another creative influence a top priority for the latest window, having previously been linked with Mason Mount, and has ticked that box in a big-money deal that saw Szoboszlai’s €70m release clause at RB Leipzig triggered.
Newcastle had been heavily linked with the Hungary international at one stage, but their decision to pull out of the race for a much sought-after signature left the path clear for Liverpool. They have now landed a player that scored 10 goals for Leipzig last season through 48 appearances and one that has earned 32 senior caps for his country.
Featured image: @badgalriri/Instagram
Our Weekday News Digest brings you a summary of five of the hottest news topics across the world––including celebrity news from Hollywood to Nollywood, the latest trending global headlines from American reports to top African news today, and the best sports stories in 2023.
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