Body positive influencer and Only Fans creator, Karina Irby has irked her followers by revealing she ‘accidentally’ bought an investment property in a tone-deaf Instagram reel.
Gen Zers are growing increasingly concerned that their Stanley Cups are giving them wrinkles. They fear the constant sucking on the straw could give them smoker wrinkles around their mouth.
Meghan Markle’s mysterious, new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard is already ruffling royal feathers. This week, the Duchess of Sussex spread the love with friends and influencers by gifting them a taste of her new brand… Yet royal critics are speculating the lifestyle brand could breach an agreement with the royal family.
And all the clues from The Tortured Poet’s Department.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Coming up on today's show, Karina Irbi reveals she accidentally
bought an investment property, all the clues from the Tortured
Poets Department, and Megan Markle's fancy Jam. Hello and welcome
to Outspoken. It's your dose of the hottest influencer and
pop culture news twice a week. I'm Sophie tall But
and we are going to kick off today's show with
(00:24):
some hard hitting news. So apparently jen Zetters are growing
increasingly concerned that their Stanley Cups are giving them wrinkles.
And I, for one, have never felt so smug that
I do not own a Stanley Cup and I am
Frank Green all the way. Yeah, because people think that
basically the straw in the Stanley cup is giving them
smoke at wrinkles, because if you think about it, when
(00:45):
you suck on a straw, you kind of using quite
a lot of muscles around your mouth. Is this part
of the reason that millennials look so much younger than
jen zettas as well, because we don't use Stanley cuffs impulsively.
Now someone has tried to monetize this and they have
created an anti wrinkle straw which is kind of shaped
like a question mark, but it's a question mark like
(01:07):
on its side.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Yeah, I don't really get.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
How that means that you're not using the same muscles
that you would use to drink from a straw. That
I don't cat is gen Z is walking into work
with these drink bottles, which a lot of older people
think is already weird, and then pulling out these massive straws.
So can you add the question mark straw to your
Stanley cup or you have to buy this specific drink bottle. No,
(01:31):
the straws are only eight dollars on Amazon and you
can just add them to your Stanley cups. And influencers
are swearing by this straw. They say it's stopping them
from straining or pursing their lips, but to me, it
actually looks like it's causing even more ring. I love
that we can't even drink from a drink bottle without
being concerned that it's going to make us look older.
(01:51):
We're supposed to go through life sharing no facial expressions
and not laughing or smiling in.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
The fear that will look old.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
I suppose the genzt is a concern because there's a
lot of gen Zettas just get botox anyway, and I
would assume that the amount of water that people are
now drinking thanks to Stanley cups and also to Frank Green,
it would outweigh this issue. It's kind of ironic because
I remember in the twenty tens it was all the
rage to do the duck face selfie and people were like, oh,
better stop doing that because I might get wrinkles. Well,
(02:19):
it's funny you say that because an expert has weighed
into this story and they have actually warned against doing
the duck power as anyone do that anymore? Though, I
heard that gen Zettters have a new one. Oh yeah,
isn't it like raising one side of their mouth or something. Yeah,
they're essentially screwing up their face in a different way. Well,
another expert weighed in and he just basically said this
as a load of crap. It's a bit of a
(02:40):
stretch to think that you were going to cause such
severe wrinkles from literally sucking on a straw.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Plot twist.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Frank Green thought, how are we going to take down
the Stanley Cup? We are going to feed into gen
Zeta's biggest insecurities, and that is aging. Well, I actually
think it's just a clever marketing ployee by the creators
of this anti wrinkle straw.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
I've just had some shower thoughts just about the investment
property video.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
I mean, like I really wanted to share it. Ah.
I was just always flatten and also proud of myself.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Like guys, for the last nearly fourteen years, this November,
I've been hustling. I've been grinding.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Body positive influencer and Only Fans creator Karina Irbi has
irged her followers by revealing she accidentally bought an investment
property in a tone deaf Instagram reel. Now listeners will
remember that Karina is no stranger to controversy. Last year,
she was caught photoshopping her images despite urging her followers
to embrace their bodies, and now she has really ruffled
(03:41):
some feathers with this new video. I do want to
give the video justice, So let's throw to the real
in full.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
I might have accidentally, kind of on purpose, just bought
an investment property and I can quite literally see it
from my bed.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Oh see that? Do you see that?
Speaker 3 (04:06):
I kind of just bought it? Oh my god, I
now have two mortgages.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Am I the worst an adulting.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
If it was a massive risk, I'm sure my accountant
would have said, don't buy it. I don't even remember
thernd of the repayments. The real estate is called, and
she said she's going down there to put the sould
sign on. So let's go.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Let's go check it out.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Why now. In this video, Karina panned outside her own
bedroom window to the block of units right on the esplanade.
She then went on to film herself posing in front
of the sale sign and showed off the block of
units and the view. Now. A quick Google search revealed
that she paid one point two million for the two
(04:47):
bedroom unit. I just hate when you accidentally go out
and purchase an investment property. I mean it's so relatable. Yeah,
particularly you know when you can't even remember what the
mortgage repayments are because just so well for you don't
have to consider it. Well, it's easy to see why
the backlash was so swift. I mean, I'm made a
loss to understand how Karina thought that that reel would
go down. Well, especially when we're in the midst of
(05:09):
a housing crisis. Yeah, particularly when we are at a
stage where people are being forced to move back home.
In with their parents. It kind of reminds me of
when Sarah's datiste on social media that she had this
life changing announcement that was going to change everything, and
then she revealed to everyone that she bought this multimillion
dollar holiday home on the Esplanade that she was going
(05:30):
to use as a photo shoot place. And I just think,
can these influencers be more out of touch? It is
just so tone deaf and embarrassing to assume that everyone
would be so happy for them and be celebrating when
people are really struggling, and they always seem so shocked
when they get this backlash. Because Karina Irby, she has
come out and said that she's so disappointed that people
(05:52):
aren't allowed to celebrate their accomplishments. So she went on
to write a lengthy statement about how she didn't come
from wealth and she doesn't care consider herself well off now,
and she did add that she was sorry if the
video upset anyone, But then in the next breath, she
told her followers she wasn't holding them hostage and they
were welcome to unfollow her. Yeah. She then went on
(06:12):
to write money doesn't grow on trees and I'm very
grateful to have this opportunity, but it didn't come without
its hard work, tears, and sacrifices. I never came from money.
I was brought up to work hard for what you want.
This is thirteen plus years of that mindset, dedication and
pure passion. So forgive me for celebrating my own accomplishment.
I'd be happy for you. But nobody has an issue
(06:35):
with her buying the property. It's how she's told her
followers about it, being like, oh, I accidentally did it.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Yeah, that's the issue. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
For me, it's the use of the word accidentally that
has pissed so many people off because it's like it
was such a flippant decision, but it didn't take the
thirteen plus years. As what she's telling her followers, it's
like I have so much money that I just went
out and bought this property and no fucks given. Yeah
it's so true, because I think a lot of people
would be happy for her if she prefaced saying, blood, sweat,
(07:05):
and tears have gone into buying this house. It's been
a huge financial decision for me. But instead she's acted
dumb and said, I don't even know what the mortgage is.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
I actually bought this house now.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Later on, Karina jumped on her Instagram story after a
shower to share what she called her shower thoughts about
the investment property video. It was quite strange because she
said that she really wanted to share the original video
because she was excited and proud of herself, but then
prefaced it with a bunch of disclaimers. So she said
she'd been hustling for fourteen years, which she prefaced thirteen
(07:35):
years before, so that time had changed, and that she's
had anxiety issues, She's made sacrifices along the way, including
losing friends and having no social life, and she's decided
not to have kids.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Let's throw it to more of what she said.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
It's like we've made all these sacrifices along the way,
and like I've been in business now for fourteen years,
and I've made sure that I've got multiple income streams
and I just really have tried to set myself up
and I just got so started to share this and
I just got rip to shreds. I mean, like I
get their point of view as well, but I was
just trying to be silly and quirky about the whole
ordeal and not be so serious about it, and I
(08:11):
really wanted to share it, like I really didn't want
to offend anyone, and I just felt like, if you
guys are following me, you know that I'm a goofy gooba.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
You know I'm gonna like make light of my situation.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
I think this is a big learning curve for some influences.
People want to see that you have actually worked hard
for your accomplishment, and I feel like if she had
framed it in a different way, people would have been more,
I don't know, happy for her and her achievements. I
also think it helps if influencers are somewhat appreciative to
(08:40):
their audience. I really like when they preface and say,
although I have put in a lot of hard work,
it wouldn't be possible without my audience, who buy into
my lifestyle and who support me by buying my products
or buying products that I promote. I just think it's
clear that she has completely misunderstood the backlash. People aren't
having a go at her for her celebrating her a chief.
It's the way that she celebrated. It is the fact
(09:03):
that she bragged about accidentally buying a beachfront home that
has rubbed so many people up the wrong way. Surely
there was a better way to share this news with
her followers. It's almost like she thought, hmm, what is
the most unrelatable way to share this news and then
just ran with it. Hashtag rich people problems, hashtag blessed?
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Were you silent or were you silenced?
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Megan Markle's mysterious new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, is
already ruffling royal feathers. This week, the Duchess of Sussex
spread the love with friends and influences by gifting them
a taste of her new brand. Yet royal critics are
speculating the lifestyle brand could breach an agreement with the
royal family. So before we get into it, let's bring
(09:49):
listeners up to speed with her new brand, which she officially.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Launched in the middle of March. Yeah, it was.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Quite curious timing because she launched this brand right when
we were in the midst of the Middleton conspiracy theories.
So when Meghan decided it was the right time to
launch her latest business venture, which is a new lifestyle
brand called American Riviera Orchard Montecito. So Montecito is tacked
on in the logo. It is quite a mouthful, so
(10:16):
brand experts have criticized the name, saying it's too long,
too in your face, and too generic.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
However, sources say that Megan thinks.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
It's perfect as it's authentic to her because Montecito is
the new neighborhood that Meghan and Harry relocated to after
they left their old lives with the Royal family, and
American riviera is also a term used to describe the
Santa Barbara area where they live. It is wordy, but
I can see why they've chosen it because it does
have a real royal flavor to it. If they'd gone
(10:46):
with something short and punchy, it would have been too
similar to her old brand, TIG. Well, the brand is
being touted as TIG two point zero, which, as you said, Amy,
was Meghan's first lifestyle website before she married Prince Harry.
I do agree that the logo has a royal vibe
to it, so it's got gold cursive riding and what
looks like a crest. And so far there has been
(11:07):
quite a lot of mystery around the brand, as when
Meghan launched it in March, all we got was a
short video and a new Instagram account. So on the
Instagram account, the bio reads by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex,
established twenty twenty four and the only thing that has
been posted so far on this Instagram account is one
(11:27):
of those posts on the grid that makes up a logo.
You know there's one. Oh yeah. The individual posts don't
make much sense. That like a corner of the logo
old school Instagram Yeah, very twenty eighteen Instagram vibes. And
the account already has over six hundred thousand followers. Are
you one of them? Amy? Is that even a question?
Of course, I'm already following this account. I'm a huge
(11:48):
Meghan Markle fan. Now. There was also a short video
released which showed Megan in her kitchen arranging flowers and cooking,
and then she was randomly in a black ball gown
floating around her courtyard and Nancy Wilson song I Wish
You Love is playing in the background. And I really
think that this sense of mystery in the video is
(12:10):
very deliberate. She is trying to be alluring, She's trying
to get people interested in what she's putting out there.
I did laugh because the video also had this very
retro vibe. It looked like I had been shot on
an old film camera, which I think a lot of
jen Zetters like that vibe. Not that I think she's
trying to target jen Zetters, but it's kind of cool
(12:30):
to do something that's a little bit retro and old school. Well.
It's a real rebrand for her, isn't it, Because for
the past four years she has been labeled as a
bit of a home wrecker in terms of taking Harry
away from his family. It's all been very negative publicity
for her, and it seems she really is leaning into
her role as a wife and a mother.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
The whole new rebrand is quite confusing though, because she
is still using her royal title, so on the brand's
instrum account she describes herself as the Duchess of Sussex.
And I do think it would be a stronger and
more of a feminist move for her to just become
Meghan Markel again. I think that there would be so
much more weight in just being Meghan. I mean, we
(13:13):
all know who she is, and I do think it's
clear that they are trying to reposition themselves as almost
US royal. She know what pisss me off about that.
People act like she's a dickhead because she's using her
royal title, But why can't you that is her official title. Yeah,
but I think that it's quite different for Prince Harry
to use his royal title because he was born with
(13:34):
that name, whereas with Meghan, she was only a part
of the royal family for such a short period of time,
a couple of years, and then once she left, she
totally called out the whole institution, said it was racist.
So it just makes me question, why would you want
the title of an institution that you think is so
racist and backwards.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Ye, but to be fair, she didn't want to leave.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
She says that she was driven out of the royal
family and they didn't do anything to support her.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
So I think fucking use the title.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Yeah, well, it does appear she is going to be
using her title to help bring credibility to this brand. Now.
It's quite funny because super Sluts have scoured pending US
trademark applications to find that American Riviera Orchard plans to
sell cookbooks and home goods such as decanters and kitchen linens,
as well as foods. Including Marmalades and Jelly's Will. Commentators
(14:26):
have already begun comparing Meghan's brand to Gwyneth Paltrow's company
Goop and also Courtney Kardashian's company Pooche. I wonder if
this is why she chose a longer brand name, because
she wanted to stand out from these brands and position
herself in a different field. Well potentially, I mean, this
week we have been given an insight into Meghan's marketing strategy,
(14:47):
which has involved sending out fifty jars of strawberry jam
to a selection of friends and social media influences. And
the reason we know this is because so far, two
of the fifty have shared photos of the ja on
their Instagram stories. So Meghan sent a jar to her
friend Tracy Robbins, who was a fashion designer whose husband
is the boss of Paramount. She also sent another jar
(15:10):
to a friend, Delfina, whose husband plays polo with Prince Harry.
So royal commentators are pointing out that this is all
connected to the Netflix deal they signed. So the couple
have revealed they have two new programs on the platform,
one which is a cooking show and the other which
is a show about Polo, which Harry's friend is also
appearing in. Now back to the jam, which I feel
(15:31):
like we're all excited about. So Tracy, Meghan's friend, shared
two Instagram stories about the exciting PR delivery, and she
first shared a photo holding the jam and wrote breakfast, lunch,
and dinner just got a little sweeter and tagged American
Riviera Orchard. Now, in a second post, she showed the
jam sitting in a basket of lemons and wrote, thank
(15:52):
you for the basket.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I absolutely love this.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Jam, so not sure I'm sharing with anyone. Thank you
em and then tag the brand and hashtaged Montecito Goodness
and American Riviera Orchard. So clearly she has been given
the appropriate tags to put on there. I also thought
it was funny that she said thank you m because,
of course, in Harry and Meghan's documentary, everyone got up
(16:16):
in arms because Meghan kept calling Harry h and everyone
thought it was quite pretentious. I'm wondering, is this something
that everyone does in California? A?
Speaker 2 (16:26):
No, yes, that is not whatever. I don't think it
is what everyone does in California.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
It's a bit of subtle flex that she's able to
literally just drop one letter M, and everyone knows it's
about Meghan Mark. I mean, of course she has hashtag
the brand name as well. Yeah. Well, her friend Dylfina
also posted a similar story, saying Strawberry jam makes me
happy and I love your jam, and then tagged at
American Riviera Orchard. Now, after having to say that brand
(16:49):
name a number of times, I do think it is
a bad name. Surely they're just gonna.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Call it ar. It's a bit like Diary of a CEO.
How they are they abbreviated?
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Yeah. Now it's unclear who the other forty eight jars
of jam have gone to yet, and this is caused
intrigue if who will pop up with the batch next.
I'm guessing Kate and Wills won't be receiving one. No,
I can't see them receiving a jar of jam. It
probably would be a nice gesture at the moment, considering
all that Kate and Will are going through. I just
love how much this jar of jam has been analyzed
(17:20):
because people are looking at the label and they're saying
it looks like it's been handwritten. And we do know
that Meghan used to work as a calligrapher before she
got her break on suits, so people are speculating, did
she write each of these labels? Yeah, it sort of
buys into that homely and organic sort of vibe that
she's trying to bring out with this brand. People also
(17:41):
notice that the labels look like they were peeling off,
and some people hypothesize that that is because Meghan is
a sustainable girlie and it's not stuck on firmly, so
her friends can easily peel it off and use the
jar for other things, perhaps like their own homemade batch
of jam, for a cookbook that Meghan might be bringing out.
That's another sort of theory there, that she's not actually
(18:03):
going to be producing jam, it's a way for her
to launch a recipe book. Well, because I wondered when
I saw the jam, it just reminded me of King
Charles's brand, because he already sells jam as part of
his duchy of Cornwall estate. So it seemed almost like
a bit of a dig that she was selling jam now,
like is she going up against King Charles? Well, I
(18:24):
do have to point out it's unclear whether this jam
is actually going to go into mass production or if
it's just a way of creating interest and highlighting the
brand rather than Megan, because that's what people are saying.
They're saying that she wants everyone to focus on the
new brand and not her own personal brand. But I
do think it is an interesting move to bring out
a jam when your father in law already sells jam
(18:47):
and makes a shit ton of money for doing it.
Because the Duchy of Cornwall has generated more than forty
million pounds since two thousand and nine. But the money
from it is used to fund public and charitable and
private activity, so it does produce a lot of good. Yes,
some funds do to go to charity, but other funds
go to paying their own wages and that sort of thing.
(19:08):
It is interesting from a PR perspective that she's only
sent out fifty jars of this jam. It is giving
across the messaging that this is low key. It's a
very soft approach, and she knows people are desperate to
see what she's bringing out, so doing something as simple
as gifting friends from jam it is generating headlines. Yeah,
it also tells us that stock is limited and perhaps
(19:30):
this isn't going to be something that is mass marketed.
It is crazy to think about the buzz that she
has generated by just gifting a few jars of jam.
And while this is a pretty standard approach gifting products
to people, the key difference here is that there is
no call to action to purchase the jam, so there
is nothing available on the American Riviera website at the moment.
(19:52):
There is just a link to sign up to find
out more when she finally does reveal what is going on,
So it's clear that this is a brand building exercise,
not one to actually sell product at the moment, and
this pr exercise that has really excited Meghan Markles fans,
with one taking to Twitter to write, I don't eat
jam that much, but for you, Meg, I'm buying some.
(20:13):
In fact, hubby and kids will eat them on my behalf.
Another said I remember learning to make jam in cookery
class so much fun and also yummy. I just know
Megan is absolutely loving this new era with ar with
support from her amazing friends like Dlpina. It was nice
that you were able to go on Twitter and tell
everyone what you thought about her jam. Pose are like
(20:35):
die hard Megan market fans, so I'm sure there was
a lot of criticism as well. Oh definitely, One critic
wrote on Twitter did you not laugh at the pretentiousness
of the seventeen slash fifty label? It's not exactly limited
edition art, whilst another said fifty pots of jam do
not make a business empire. She is not creating anything
(20:55):
except a brand. Everything will be made by manufacturers and
get her labels on it now. LA based Royal correspondent
Kingsley Schofield slammed the jam as another pr stunt and said,
two years ago we were talking about this woman running
for president and now we're talking about her making jam. Oh,
how the Mighty have fallen. Critics are also speculating that
(21:17):
Meghan's brand could be in breach of an agreement with
the Royal family to not use their royal titles for profit,
so Buckingham Palace could complain if Meghan's products are seen
to be in competition with those who sell through their
own Royal Collection website. It is too early to say
whether a clash may occur.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
It's here. My version of the Aerostour is now streaming
only on Disney Plus.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Today is a very special day because Taylor Swift's new album,
The Tortured Poets Department is set to drop at two pm.
And this really is her most anticipated album because it
promises to give us an insight into her breakup with
long term boyfriend Joe Olwen and as swift as will know,
the album title references a group chat Joe Alwyn had
(22:03):
with two fellow actors called the Tortured Man Club. I
am so excited for this, but some part of me
does feel quite sorry for Joe. Can you imagine the
anxiety he would be feeling right now? I don't have
an ounce of sympathy for this man after reading the
names of some of these tracks. Well at the time
of recording, there are unverified reports that the album has
(22:24):
already been leaked ahead of its release, so the Daily
Mail are reporting that all seventeen songs were taken from
a Google drive link. However, there is speculation that these
leak tracks have all been mocked up using AI and
it's not actually Taylor.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
I have listened to some of them.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
I'm leaning towards the AI theory. They all sound a
bit weird and the lyrics are just fucked.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
So basically, there's.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
This lyric that's gone viral that says you smoked an
ate seven bars of chocolate. We declared Charlie Pooth should
be a bigger artist. I scratch your head, you fall
asleep like a tattooed golden retriever.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Surely this is a pit take.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Yeah, it's just so random, and I think we need
to look at the source this is coming from.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
It is the Daily Male.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
I think that this is one hundred percent AI generated.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
I think that there.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Would be so much secrecy over the launch of this
album that there's no way that tracks getting out there
on TikTok.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Well, some Swifties are.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Convinced that it is actually a real lyric and they're saying, oh,
don't you get it. It's clearly an in joke between
Joe and Taylor about Charlie Pruth.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
But it's all just very bizarre.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Yeah. Now, Taylor, as she does, She has been dropping
a lot of Easter eggs in the lead up to
this album release, and on Monday, she had a Spotify
installation open up in Los Angeles, which is an open
air Tortured Poets Department library which is full of Easter eggs.
So one of the most intriguing parts of this activation
(23:48):
is a wall of seventy two mail boxes, and many
believe that these represent Taylor and Joe's six year relationship,
which ran for almost seventy two months, so each mailbox
represents a.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Month of their relationship.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Yeah, and I saw that people were saying that in
six of the mailboxes they're overflowing with what appears to
be lace, dried flowers and invitation. So many people are
speculating that these look like unsent wedding invitations. I know
it sounds bad, but that made me really excited because
I think that we are in for an incredible album.
(24:23):
There's going to be so much emotion behind this because
Taylor has previously been writing a lot of breakup songs
from the perspective of someone else, so I'm really excited
to hear about her personal heartbreak. All ba to the
Easter eggs. There is also a statue of Diana of
Ephesus on the library shelves, and she is a goddess
of childbirth, fertility, and the moon. The original statue of
(24:45):
this goddess crumbled while waiting to be shipped to London
in the sixth century due to.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Years of neglect.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Now this ties in with some of the new song
lyrics which have officially been released, which says even status
crumble if They're made to wait. Another lyric also says
one less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen. There is
also a dried up bouquet of lavender and Cornelia Rose's,
which appear to be a direct reference to Taylor's past
songs about Joe, which are of course Lavender Hayes and
(25:14):
Cornelia Street. And fans are also going wild about the
ongoing references to the number two. So at the activation
there was a statue of a hand doing the peace sign,
and there were also two candlesticks, two lyrics, and the
clock was struck at two. Now Swifties believe Taylor also
referenced the number two when she announced the album launch
at the Grammys, because she gave the famous peace sign,
(25:38):
and the theory is maybe she's releasing a double album
or a poetry book alongside the album. I'd be more
wanting the second album, the double album. Yeah me too.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
I'm not into poetry.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
No. I get the songwriting is sort of like poetry,
but I would.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Prefer more actual songs. Now.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Fans also believe that Taylor has been giving subtle clues
about what style of album this will be, So Swifty
is spotted a quill and a fountain pen at the activation.
So previously, Taylor has spoken about the three different metaphorical
pens she uses to write songs, and they are a
fountain pen, quill, and also glitter pens. So she said
(26:18):
she uses glitter pens for her pop songs, quills for
folksy songs like on Folklore and evermore, and a fountain
pen for songs that are personal story so think about
all too well champagne problems. So this has led many
fans to speculate that the album will be I quote,
a slutty folklore. Oh, slutty folklore. I don't know how
I feel about that. Now, the last major easter egg
(26:40):
is the typewriter, which is on display. Now brace yourself
for the detective work that has been done on this one.
I think that a lot of Swifties have taken time
off work to go into all of these.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
So Swifties have.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Found the original promotional poster for the specific brand of
typewriter that has been displayed in this activation. And on
this poster, the typewriter is promoted as being built like
a big machine. Looks like a big machine, works for
a big machine. Now big machine is the record company
(27:12):
who Taylor Swift signed with at fifteen and who sold
her Masters to Scooter Braun, so we are expecting a
few more Scooter Braun diss tracks with I am very
much looking forward to. I'm also looking forward to the
fact that Taylor is dropping her music video on Saturday
morning at ten am Eastern Standard Times. So speculation is
(27:33):
it will either be for the song The Smallest Man
Who Ever Lived, so I'm assuming that's about Scooter Braun,
but it could also be about Joe or the song Fortnite,
which features post Malone. So Taylor shared a teaser for
the music video on her social platforms, and the video
is shot in a point of view style which leads
the viewer from her Midnight's album room, which shows some
(27:54):
crumpled up paper on the ground, a guitar and some
glitter pens, and then the person goes through the door
and they appear to be in a hallway of an
asylum before moving into the Tortured Poets department room, which
is an all white room featuring a desk with more
typewriters on it. So it is clear that Taylor is
saying she's leaving her Midnight's era behind and she's going
(28:15):
into this new era. The marketing of this release has
been extraordinary. We have seen QR codes released in different
cities giving clues. There's also, of course, all of the Easter.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Diregs that we've gone through.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
It really is a masterclass in how to build intrigue
and create engagement for an artist. Well, that is all
we have time for today. We better get out of
here because we do have two PM locked into our
calendar too. Listening to Taylor Swift's news songs, I hope
everyone enjoys them. Thank you so much for joining us
for today's episode. If you have enjoyed it, could you
please make sure you are subscribed on Apple Podcasts and
(28:49):
also Spotify, and please leave us a five star review.
This episode was recorded on the traditional land of the
Ghana people of the Adelaide Planes.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
We pay respect to elders past and present.
Coming up on today's show, Karina Irbi reveals she accidentally
bought an investment property, all the clues from the Tortured
Poets Department, and Megan Markle's fancy Jam. Hello and welcome
to Outspoken. It's your dose of the hottest influencer and
pop culture news twice a week. I'm Sophie tall But
and we are going to kick off today's show with
(00:24):
some hard hitting news. So apparently jen Zetters are growing
increasingly concerned that their Stanley Cups are giving them wrinkles.
And I, for one, have never felt so smug that
I do not own a Stanley Cup and I am
Frank Green all the way. Yeah, because people think that
basically the straw in the Stanley cup is giving them
smoke at wrinkles, because if you think about it, when
(00:45):
you suck on a straw, you kind of using quite
a lot of muscles around your mouth. Is this part
of the reason that millennials look so much younger than
jen zettas as well, because we don't use Stanley cuffs impulsively.
Now someone has tried to monetize this and they have
created an anti wrinkle straw which is kind of shaped
like a question mark, but it's a question mark like
(01:07):
on its side.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
Yeah, I don't really get.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
How that means that you're not using the same muscles
that you would use to drink from a straw. That
I don't cat is gen Z is walking into work
with these drink bottles, which a lot of older people
think is already weird, and then pulling out these massive straws.
So can you add the question mark straw to your
Stanley cup or you have to buy this specific drink bottle. No,
(01:31):
the straws are only eight dollars on Amazon and you
can just add them to your Stanley cups. And influencers
are swearing by this straw. They say it's stopping them
from straining or pursing their lips, but to me, it
actually looks like it's causing even more ring. I love
that we can't even drink from a drink bottle without
being concerned that it's going to make us look older.
(01:51):
We're supposed to go through life sharing no facial expressions
and not laughing or smiling in.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
The fear that will look old.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
I suppose the genzt is a concern because there's a
lot of gen Zettas just get botox anyway, and I
would assume that the amount of water that people are
now drinking thanks to Stanley cups and also to Frank Green,
it would outweigh this issue. It's kind of ironic because
I remember in the twenty tens it was all the
rage to do the duck face selfie and people were like, oh,
better stop doing that because I might get wrinkles. Well,
(02:19):
it's funny you say that because an expert has weighed
into this story and they have actually warned against doing
the duck power as anyone do that anymore? Though, I
heard that gen Zettters have a new one. Oh yeah,
isn't it like raising one side of their mouth or something. Yeah,
they're essentially screwing up their face in a different way. Well,
another expert weighed in and he just basically said this
as a load of crap. It's a bit of a
(02:40):
stretch to think that you were going to cause such
severe wrinkles from literally sucking on a straw.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Plot twist.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Frank Green thought, how are we going to take down
the Stanley Cup? We are going to feed into gen
Zeta's biggest insecurities, and that is aging. Well, I actually
think it's just a clever marketing ployee by the creators
of this anti wrinkle straw.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
I've just had some shower thoughts just about the investment
property video.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
I mean, like I really wanted to share it. Ah.
I was just always flatten and also proud of myself.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Like guys, for the last nearly fourteen years, this November,
I've been hustling. I've been grinding.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Body positive influencer and Only Fans creator Karina Irbi has
irged her followers by revealing she accidentally bought an investment
property in a tone deaf Instagram reel. Now listeners will
remember that Karina is no stranger to controversy. Last year,
she was caught photoshopping her images despite urging her followers
to embrace their bodies, and now she has really ruffled
(03:41):
some feathers with this new video. I do want to
give the video justice, So let's throw to the real
in full.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
I might have accidentally, kind of on purpose, just bought
an investment property and I can quite literally see it
from my bed.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Oh see that? Do you see that?
Speaker 3 (04:06):
I kind of just bought it? Oh my god, I
now have two mortgages.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Am I the worst an adulting.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
If it was a massive risk, I'm sure my accountant
would have said, don't buy it. I don't even remember
thernd of the repayments. The real estate is called, and
she said she's going down there to put the sould
sign on. So let's go.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Let's go check it out.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
Why now. In this video, Karina panned outside her own
bedroom window to the block of units right on the esplanade.
She then went on to film herself posing in front
of the sale sign and showed off the block of
units and the view. Now. A quick Google search revealed
that she paid one point two million for the two
(04:47):
bedroom unit. I just hate when you accidentally go out
and purchase an investment property. I mean it's so relatable. Yeah,
particularly you know when you can't even remember what the
mortgage repayments are because just so well for you don't
have to consider it. Well, it's easy to see why
the backlash was so swift. I mean, I'm made a
loss to understand how Karina thought that that reel would
go down. Well, especially when we're in the midst of
(05:09):
a housing crisis. Yeah, particularly when we are at a
stage where people are being forced to move back home.
In with their parents. It kind of reminds me of
when Sarah's datiste on social media that she had this
life changing announcement that was going to change everything, and
then she revealed to everyone that she bought this multimillion
dollar holiday home on the Esplanade that she was going
(05:30):
to use as a photo shoot place. And I just think,
can these influencers be more out of touch? It is
just so tone deaf and embarrassing to assume that everyone
would be so happy for them and be celebrating when
people are really struggling, and they always seem so shocked
when they get this backlash. Because Karina Irby, she has
come out and said that she's so disappointed that people
(05:52):
aren't allowed to celebrate their accomplishments. So she went on
to write a lengthy statement about how she didn't come
from wealth and she doesn't care consider herself well off now,
and she did add that she was sorry if the
video upset anyone, But then in the next breath, she
told her followers she wasn't holding them hostage and they
were welcome to unfollow her. Yeah. She then went on
(06:12):
to write money doesn't grow on trees and I'm very
grateful to have this opportunity, but it didn't come without
its hard work, tears, and sacrifices. I never came from money.
I was brought up to work hard for what you want.
This is thirteen plus years of that mindset, dedication and
pure passion. So forgive me for celebrating my own accomplishment.
I'd be happy for you. But nobody has an issue
(06:35):
with her buying the property. It's how she's told her
followers about it, being like, oh, I accidentally did it.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
Yeah, that's the issue. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
For me, it's the use of the word accidentally that
has pissed so many people off because it's like it
was such a flippant decision, but it didn't take the
thirteen plus years. As what she's telling her followers, it's
like I have so much money that I just went
out and bought this property and no fucks given. Yeah
it's so true, because I think a lot of people
would be happy for her if she prefaced saying, blood, sweat,
(07:05):
and tears have gone into buying this house. It's been
a huge financial decision for me. But instead she's acted
dumb and said, I don't even know what the mortgage is.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
I actually bought this house now.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
Later on, Karina jumped on her Instagram story after a
shower to share what she called her shower thoughts about
the investment property video. It was quite strange because she
said that she really wanted to share the original video
because she was excited and proud of herself, but then
prefaced it with a bunch of disclaimers. So she said
she'd been hustling for fourteen years, which she prefaced thirteen
(07:35):
years before, so that time had changed, and that she's
had anxiety issues, She's made sacrifices along the way, including
losing friends and having no social life, and she's decided
not to have kids.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Let's throw it to more of what she said.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
It's like we've made all these sacrifices along the way,
and like I've been in business now for fourteen years,
and I've made sure that I've got multiple income streams
and I just really have tried to set myself up
and I just got so started to share this and
I just got rip to shreds. I mean, like I
get their point of view as well, but I was
just trying to be silly and quirky about the whole
ordeal and not be so serious about it, and I
(08:11):
really wanted to share it, like I really didn't want
to offend anyone, and I just felt like, if you
guys are following me, you know that I'm a goofy gooba.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
You know I'm gonna like make light of my situation.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
I think this is a big learning curve for some influences.
People want to see that you have actually worked hard
for your accomplishment, and I feel like if she had
framed it in a different way, people would have been more,
I don't know, happy for her and her achievements. I
also think it helps if influencers are somewhat appreciative to
(08:40):
their audience. I really like when they preface and say,
although I have put in a lot of hard work,
it wouldn't be possible without my audience, who buy into
my lifestyle and who support me by buying my products
or buying products that I promote. I just think it's
clear that she has completely misunderstood the backlash. People aren't
having a go at her for her celebrating her a chief.
It's the way that she celebrated. It is the fact
(09:03):
that she bragged about accidentally buying a beachfront home that
has rubbed so many people up the wrong way. Surely
there was a better way to share this news with
her followers. It's almost like she thought, hmm, what is
the most unrelatable way to share this news and then
just ran with it. Hashtag rich people problems, hashtag blessed?
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Were you silent or were you silenced?
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Megan Markle's mysterious new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, is
already ruffling royal feathers. This week, the Duchess of Sussex
spread the love with friends and influences by gifting them
a taste of her new brand. Yet royal critics are
speculating the lifestyle brand could breach an agreement with the
royal family. So before we get into it, let's bring
(09:49):
listeners up to speed with her new brand, which she officially.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Launched in the middle of March. Yeah, it was.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
Quite curious timing because she launched this brand right when
we were in the midst of the Middleton conspiracy theories.
So when Meghan decided it was the right time to
launch her latest business venture, which is a new lifestyle
brand called American Riviera Orchard Montecito. So Montecito is tacked
on in the logo. It is quite a mouthful, so
(10:16):
brand experts have criticized the name, saying it's too long,
too in your face, and too generic.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
However, sources say that Megan thinks.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
It's perfect as it's authentic to her because Montecito is
the new neighborhood that Meghan and Harry relocated to after
they left their old lives with the Royal family, and
American riviera is also a term used to describe the
Santa Barbara area where they live. It is wordy, but
I can see why they've chosen it because it does
have a real royal flavor to it. If they'd gone
(10:46):
with something short and punchy, it would have been too
similar to her old brand, TIG. Well, the brand is
being touted as TIG two point zero, which, as you said, Amy,
was Meghan's first lifestyle website before she married Prince Harry.
I do agree that the logo has a royal vibe
to it, so it's got gold cursive riding and what
looks like a crest. And so far there has been
(11:07):
quite a lot of mystery around the brand, as when
Meghan launched it in March, all we got was a
short video and a new Instagram account. So on the
Instagram account, the bio reads by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex,
established twenty twenty four and the only thing that has
been posted so far on this Instagram account is one
(11:27):
of those posts on the grid that makes up a logo.
You know there's one. Oh yeah. The individual posts don't
make much sense. That like a corner of the logo
old school Instagram Yeah, very twenty eighteen Instagram vibes. And
the account already has over six hundred thousand followers. Are
you one of them? Amy? Is that even a question?
Of course, I'm already following this account. I'm a huge
(11:48):
Meghan Markle fan. Now. There was also a short video
released which showed Megan in her kitchen arranging flowers and cooking,
and then she was randomly in a black ball gown
floating around her courtyard and Nancy Wilson song I Wish
You Love is playing in the background. And I really
think that this sense of mystery in the video is
(12:10):
very deliberate. She is trying to be alluring, She's trying
to get people interested in what she's putting out there.
I did laugh because the video also had this very
retro vibe. It looked like I had been shot on
an old film camera, which I think a lot of
jen Zetters like that vibe. Not that I think she's
trying to target jen Zetters, but it's kind of cool
(12:30):
to do something that's a little bit retro and old school. Well.
It's a real rebrand for her, isn't it, Because for
the past four years she has been labeled as a
bit of a home wrecker in terms of taking Harry
away from his family. It's all been very negative publicity
for her, and it seems she really is leaning into
her role as a wife and a mother.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
The whole new rebrand is quite confusing though, because she
is still using her royal title, so on the brand's
instrum account she describes herself as the Duchess of Sussex.
And I do think it would be a stronger and
more of a feminist move for her to just become
Meghan Markel again. I think that there would be so
much more weight in just being Meghan. I mean, we
(13:13):
all know who she is, and I do think it's
clear that they are trying to reposition themselves as almost
US royal. She know what pisss me off about that.
People act like she's a dickhead because she's using her
royal title, But why can't you that is her official title. Yeah,
but I think that it's quite different for Prince Harry
to use his royal title because he was born with
(13:34):
that name, whereas with Meghan, she was only a part
of the royal family for such a short period of time,
a couple of years, and then once she left, she
totally called out the whole institution, said it was racist.
So it just makes me question, why would you want
the title of an institution that you think is so
racist and backwards.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Ye, but to be fair, she didn't want to leave.
Speaker 1 (13:56):
She says that she was driven out of the royal
family and they didn't do anything to support her.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
So I think fucking use the title.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Yeah, well, it does appear she is going to be
using her title to help bring credibility to this brand. Now.
It's quite funny because super Sluts have scoured pending US
trademark applications to find that American Riviera Orchard plans to
sell cookbooks and home goods such as decanters and kitchen linens,
as well as foods. Including Marmalades and Jelly's Will. Commentators
(14:26):
have already begun comparing Meghan's brand to Gwyneth Paltrow's company
Goop and also Courtney Kardashian's company Pooche. I wonder if
this is why she chose a longer brand name, because
she wanted to stand out from these brands and position
herself in a different field. Well potentially, I mean, this
week we have been given an insight into Meghan's marketing strategy,
(14:47):
which has involved sending out fifty jars of strawberry jam
to a selection of friends and social media influences. And
the reason we know this is because so far, two
of the fifty have shared photos of the ja on
their Instagram stories. So Meghan sent a jar to her
friend Tracy Robbins, who was a fashion designer whose husband
is the boss of Paramount. She also sent another jar
(15:10):
to a friend, Delfina, whose husband plays polo with Prince Harry.
So royal commentators are pointing out that this is all
connected to the Netflix deal they signed. So the couple
have revealed they have two new programs on the platform,
one which is a cooking show and the other which
is a show about Polo, which Harry's friend is also
appearing in. Now back to the jam, which I feel
(15:31):
like we're all excited about. So Tracy, Meghan's friend, shared
two Instagram stories about the exciting PR delivery, and she
first shared a photo holding the jam and wrote breakfast, lunch,
and dinner just got a little sweeter and tagged American
Riviera Orchard. Now, in a second post, she showed the
jam sitting in a basket of lemons and wrote, thank
(15:52):
you for the basket.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I absolutely love this.
Speaker 1 (15:55):
Jam, so not sure I'm sharing with anyone. Thank you
em and then tag the brand and hashtaged Montecito Goodness
and American Riviera Orchard. So clearly she has been given
the appropriate tags to put on there. I also thought
it was funny that she said thank you m because,
of course, in Harry and Meghan's documentary, everyone got up
(16:16):
in arms because Meghan kept calling Harry h and everyone
thought it was quite pretentious. I'm wondering, is this something
that everyone does in California? A?
Speaker 2 (16:26):
No, yes, that is not whatever. I don't think it
is what everyone does in California.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
It's a bit of subtle flex that she's able to
literally just drop one letter M, and everyone knows it's
about Meghan Mark. I mean, of course she has hashtag
the brand name as well. Yeah. Well, her friend Dylfina
also posted a similar story, saying Strawberry jam makes me
happy and I love your jam, and then tagged at
American Riviera Orchard. Now, after having to say that brand
(16:49):
name a number of times, I do think it is
a bad name. Surely they're just gonna.
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Call it ar. It's a bit like Diary of a CEO.
How they are they abbreviated?
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Yeah. Now it's unclear who the other forty eight jars
of jam have gone to yet, and this is caused
intrigue if who will pop up with the batch next.
I'm guessing Kate and Wills won't be receiving one. No,
I can't see them receiving a jar of jam. It
probably would be a nice gesture at the moment, considering
all that Kate and Will are going through. I just
love how much this jar of jam has been analyzed
(17:20):
because people are looking at the label and they're saying
it looks like it's been handwritten. And we do know
that Meghan used to work as a calligrapher before she
got her break on suits, so people are speculating, did
she write each of these labels? Yeah, it sort of
buys into that homely and organic sort of vibe that
she's trying to bring out with this brand. People also
(17:41):
notice that the labels look like they were peeling off,
and some people hypothesize that that is because Meghan is
a sustainable girlie and it's not stuck on firmly, so
her friends can easily peel it off and use the
jar for other things, perhaps like their own homemade batch
of jam, for a cookbook that Meghan might be bringing out.
That's another sort of theory there, that she's not actually
(18:03):
going to be producing jam, it's a way for her
to launch a recipe book. Well, because I wondered when
I saw the jam, it just reminded me of King
Charles's brand, because he already sells jam as part of
his duchy of Cornwall estate. So it seemed almost like
a bit of a dig that she was selling jam now,
like is she going up against King Charles? Well, I
(18:24):
do have to point out it's unclear whether this jam
is actually going to go into mass production or if
it's just a way of creating interest and highlighting the
brand rather than Megan, because that's what people are saying.
They're saying that she wants everyone to focus on the
new brand and not her own personal brand. But I
do think it is an interesting move to bring out
a jam when your father in law already sells jam
(18:47):
and makes a shit ton of money for doing it.
Because the Duchy of Cornwall has generated more than forty
million pounds since two thousand and nine. But the money
from it is used to fund public and charitable and
private activity, so it does produce a lot of good. Yes,
some funds do to go to charity, but other funds
go to paying their own wages and that sort of thing.
(19:08):
It is interesting from a PR perspective that she's only
sent out fifty jars of this jam. It is giving
across the messaging that this is low key. It's a
very soft approach, and she knows people are desperate to
see what she's bringing out, so doing something as simple
as gifting friends from jam it is generating headlines. Yeah,
it also tells us that stock is limited and perhaps
(19:30):
this isn't going to be something that is mass marketed.
It is crazy to think about the buzz that she
has generated by just gifting a few jars of jam.
And while this is a pretty standard approach gifting products
to people, the key difference here is that there is
no call to action to purchase the jam, so there
is nothing available on the American Riviera website at the moment.
(19:52):
There is just a link to sign up to find
out more when she finally does reveal what is going on,
So it's clear that this is a brand building exercise,
not one to actually sell product at the moment, and
this pr exercise that has really excited Meghan Markles fans,
with one taking to Twitter to write, I don't eat
jam that much, but for you, Meg, I'm buying some.
(20:13):
In fact, hubby and kids will eat them on my behalf.
Another said I remember learning to make jam in cookery
class so much fun and also yummy. I just know
Megan is absolutely loving this new era with ar with
support from her amazing friends like Dlpina. It was nice
that you were able to go on Twitter and tell
everyone what you thought about her jam. Pose are like
(20:35):
die hard Megan market fans, so I'm sure there was
a lot of criticism as well. Oh definitely, One critic
wrote on Twitter did you not laugh at the pretentiousness
of the seventeen slash fifty label? It's not exactly limited
edition art, whilst another said fifty pots of jam do
not make a business empire. She is not creating anything
(20:55):
except a brand. Everything will be made by manufacturers and
get her labels on it now. LA based Royal correspondent
Kingsley Schofield slammed the jam as another pr stunt and said,
two years ago we were talking about this woman running
for president and now we're talking about her making jam. Oh,
how the Mighty have fallen. Critics are also speculating that
(21:17):
Meghan's brand could be in breach of an agreement with
the Royal family to not use their royal titles for profit,
so Buckingham Palace could complain if Meghan's products are seen
to be in competition with those who sell through their
own Royal Collection website. It is too early to say
whether a clash may occur.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
It's here. My version of the Aerostour is now streaming
only on Disney Plus.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Today is a very special day because Taylor Swift's new album,
The Tortured Poets Department is set to drop at two pm.
And this really is her most anticipated album because it
promises to give us an insight into her breakup with
long term boyfriend Joe Olwen and as swift as will know,
the album title references a group chat Joe Alwyn had
(22:03):
with two fellow actors called the Tortured Man Club. I
am so excited for this, but some part of me
does feel quite sorry for Joe. Can you imagine the
anxiety he would be feeling right now? I don't have
an ounce of sympathy for this man after reading the
names of some of these tracks. Well at the time
of recording, there are unverified reports that the album has
(22:24):
already been leaked ahead of its release, so the Daily
Mail are reporting that all seventeen songs were taken from
a Google drive link. However, there is speculation that these
leak tracks have all been mocked up using AI and
it's not actually Taylor.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
I have listened to some of them.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
I'm leaning towards the AI theory. They all sound a
bit weird and the lyrics are just fucked.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
So basically, there's.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
This lyric that's gone viral that says you smoked an
ate seven bars of chocolate. We declared Charlie Pooth should
be a bigger artist. I scratch your head, you fall
asleep like a tattooed golden retriever.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Surely this is a pit take.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Yeah, it's just so random, and I think we need
to look at the source this is coming from.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
It is the Daily Male.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
I think that this is one hundred percent AI generated.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
I think that there.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Would be so much secrecy over the launch of this
album that there's no way that tracks getting out there
on TikTok.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Well, some Swifties are.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Convinced that it is actually a real lyric and they're saying, oh,
don't you get it. It's clearly an in joke between
Joe and Taylor about Charlie Pruth.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
But it's all just very bizarre.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Yeah. Now, Taylor, as she does, She has been dropping
a lot of Easter eggs in the lead up to
this album release, and on Monday, she had a Spotify
installation open up in Los Angeles, which is an open
air Tortured Poets Department library which is full of Easter eggs.
So one of the most intriguing parts of this activation
(23:48):
is a wall of seventy two mail boxes, and many
believe that these represent Taylor and Joe's six year relationship,
which ran for almost seventy two months, so each mailbox
represents a.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Month of their relationship.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
Yeah, and I saw that people were saying that in
six of the mailboxes they're overflowing with what appears to
be lace, dried flowers and invitation. So many people are
speculating that these look like unsent wedding invitations. I know
it sounds bad, but that made me really excited because
I think that we are in for an incredible album.
(24:23):
There's going to be so much emotion behind this because
Taylor has previously been writing a lot of breakup songs
from the perspective of someone else, so I'm really excited
to hear about her personal heartbreak. All ba to the
Easter eggs. There is also a statue of Diana of
Ephesus on the library shelves, and she is a goddess
of childbirth, fertility, and the moon. The original statue of
(24:45):
this goddess crumbled while waiting to be shipped to London
in the sixth century due to.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Years of neglect.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Now this ties in with some of the new song
lyrics which have officially been released, which says even status
crumble if They're made to wait. Another lyric also says
one less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen. There is
also a dried up bouquet of lavender and Cornelia Rose's,
which appear to be a direct reference to Taylor's past
songs about Joe, which are of course Lavender Hayes and
(25:14):
Cornelia Street. And fans are also going wild about the
ongoing references to the number two. So at the activation
there was a statue of a hand doing the peace sign,
and there were also two candlesticks, two lyrics, and the
clock was struck at two. Now Swifties believe Taylor also
referenced the number two when she announced the album launch
at the Grammys, because she gave the famous peace sign,
(25:38):
and the theory is maybe she's releasing a double album
or a poetry book alongside the album. I'd be more
wanting the second album, the double album. Yeah me too.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
I'm not into poetry.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
No. I get the songwriting is sort of like poetry,
but I would.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Prefer more actual songs. Now.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Fans also believe that Taylor has been giving subtle clues
about what style of album this will be, So Swifty
is spotted a quill and a fountain pen at the activation.
So previously, Taylor has spoken about the three different metaphorical
pens she uses to write songs, and they are a
fountain pen, quill, and also glitter pens. So she said
(26:18):
she uses glitter pens for her pop songs, quills for
folksy songs like on Folklore and evermore, and a fountain
pen for songs that are personal story so think about
all too well champagne problems. So this has led many
fans to speculate that the album will be I quote,
a slutty folklore. Oh, slutty folklore. I don't know how
I feel about that. Now, the last major easter egg
(26:40):
is the typewriter, which is on display. Now brace yourself
for the detective work that has been done on this one.
I think that a lot of Swifties have taken time
off work to go into all of these.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
So Swifties have.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Found the original promotional poster for the specific brand of
typewriter that has been displayed in this activation. And on
this poster, the typewriter is promoted as being built like
a big machine. Looks like a big machine, works for
a big machine. Now big machine is the record company
(27:12):
who Taylor Swift signed with at fifteen and who sold
her Masters to Scooter Braun, so we are expecting a
few more Scooter Braun diss tracks with I am very
much looking forward to. I'm also looking forward to the
fact that Taylor is dropping her music video on Saturday
morning at ten am Eastern Standard Times. So speculation is
(27:33):
it will either be for the song The Smallest Man
Who Ever Lived, so I'm assuming that's about Scooter Braun,
but it could also be about Joe or the song Fortnite,
which features post Malone. So Taylor shared a teaser for
the music video on her social platforms, and the video
is shot in a point of view style which leads
the viewer from her Midnight's album room, which shows some
(27:54):
crumpled up paper on the ground, a guitar and some
glitter pens, and then the person goes through the door
and they appear to be in a hallway of an
asylum before moving into the Tortured Poets department room, which
is an all white room featuring a desk with more
typewriters on it. So it is clear that Taylor is
saying she's leaving her Midnight's era behind and she's going
(28:15):
into this new era. The marketing of this release has
been extraordinary. We have seen QR codes released in different
cities giving clues. There's also, of course, all of the Easter.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Diregs that we've gone through.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
It really is a masterclass in how to build intrigue
and create engagement for an artist. Well, that is all
we have time for today. We better get out of
here because we do have two PM locked into our
calendar too. Listening to Taylor Swift's news songs, I hope
everyone enjoys them. Thank you so much for joining us
for today's episode. If you have enjoyed it, could you
please make sure you are subscribed on Apple Podcasts and
(28:49):
also Spotify, and please leave us a five star review.
This episode was recorded on the traditional land of the
Ghana people of the Adelaide Planes.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
We pay respect to elders past and present.
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