Imagine growing up in a small village in Armenia, moving to Wisconsin for a year and then moving back to Armenia. That’d be kind of disorienting, right? That’s what inspired Rosa Linn‘s breakout hit “Snap” — but she says people all over the world are telling her they can relate to it as well.
“I was 19 and I came back from the U.S. I was an exchange student for one year, and June 22nd was the day of my flight back to Armenia and it was mentally very hard to readjust,” Rosa tells ABC Audio, explaining why she wrote the lyric “Since June 22/My heart’s been on fire.”
“I was heartbroken. I was confused,” she says of leaving behind all the friends she’d made in the U.S. But also, she notes, “From 2019 [on], we started facing a lot of craziness in the world, too. So it kind of all led me to being at this snapping point, y’know?”
After Rosa sang “Snap” while representing Armenia in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, the song went viral on TikTok and is now a big hit. She’s the third Eurovision artist in as many years to score a U.S. hit, following Duncan Laurence‘s “Arcade” and Maneskin‘s “Beggin’.” She credits it to TikTok, plus Eurovision upping its game by finally starting to showcase “good pop songs” — the kind that everyone can connect to.
“I got a lot of messages from people all over the world saying, ‘Thank you, the song came right in time for me because I’m going through…the same thing that you were going through,'” Rosa tells ABC Audio.
“Some people are telling me sad stories. Some people are telling me happy stories,” she notes, adding, “It’s amazing to see people connected to it from different angles.”
Russell Dickerson says his upcoming album is a “soundtrack” to his life that he hopes fans apply to their own stories.
Following the release of 2020’s Southern Symphony, Russell is gearing up to share his third studio album. It includes his current single featuring Jake Scott, “She Likes It,” which is in the top 20 on country radio.
Russell admits he could’t help but have a robust track list of 15 songs, despite trying to whittle it down to 10 or 11.
“It’s 15 of the songs that I could not stop listening to over the last two years since I put my last record out,” he says. “I had to put 15 because I couldn’t choose and I was like, ‘We’re going to put a big ol’ fat album out there.’ I could not be more stoked.”
Russell says the self-titled project runs the gamut when it comes to subject matter, ranging from party songs to songs about fatherhood, as he and wife Kailey Dickerson became parents to their first child, son Remington, in September 2020.
“It’s heartbreak songs, it’s love songs, it’s family songs. I’m a dad now. It’s emotional songs, it’s party songs,” he explains. “It’s literally a soundtrack for whatever you’re feeling, dial up that song. If you’re ready to party, there’s a handful of songs for that. If you’re feeling down, there’s some songs for that. If you’re feeling emotional, if you need uplifting, there’s a song for that.”
Russell Dickerson will be released on November 4. He’s also shared one of the new songs on the album, “I Wonder.”
Historic collectibles associated with The Beatles, David Bowie, Elvis Presley and many other stars will be part of an entertainment memorabilia auction hosted by Propstore taking place November 3-6 in London.
The music-related portion of the sale is scheduled for November 4, and bidding will be accepted in person at the BAFTA 195 Piccadilly venue, as well as online and via the phone.
Among the sale’s many highlights are a pair of Altec 605A studio monitors from London’s famous Abbey Road Studios that were used by The Beatles and many other artists. They’re estimated to bring in up to 100,000 pounds, or about $116,000.
Also up for bid is a spacesuit costume that Bowie wore in his 1980 “Ashes to Ashes” video, which is expected to fetch as much as 80,000 pounds, or about $93,000.
The auction also a gun license application signed by Elvis, which is estimated to sell for up to 60,000 pounds, or about $69,000.
The potentially priciest music-related item being auctioned by Propstore is a Custom Silver Sparkle Gibson Les Paul Florentine guitar that belonged to Oasis‘ Noel Gallagher, which is estimated to fetch from 300,000 to 500,000 pounds, or about $347,000 to $578,000.
Other collectibles going on the block include a “Queen of the Night” outfit worn by Whitney Houston in the 1996 film The Bodyguard, a studded leather bracer that belonged to Michael Jackson, a striped blazer worn by Paul McCartney, a leather jacket that Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash wore in the “Paradise City” video and a booklet autographed by all four Beatles members.
You can check out the full list of items being auctioned atPropstoreAuction.com.
Billy Eichner is sharing his thoughts after his movie Bros‘ disappointing performance at the box office.
“Box office, as we all know, has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of a movie,” he tweeted Monday. “And tweeting about a movie you haven’t actually seen is meaningless. That’s just twitter bull****. The majority of people who see Bros really love it! Go check it out and see for yourself!”
The 44-year-old added that he will continue to post about the LGBTQ+ romantic comedy just to spite the haters.
“And yes I’m going to continue tweeting about Bros every day for the next year just to spite you! GO BROS!!! I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!#BrosMovie,” he shared.
Bros — co-written by and starring comedian Eichner alongside Luke Macfarlane — debuted over the weekend with an underwhelming $4.8 million.
(LONDON) — The third week of nationwide protests in Iran turned particularly violent Sunday when security forces besieged Sharif University, a prominent university in the country, and closed the main gates of the facility where hundreds of students were protesting.
The violent confrontation led to arrests and injuries, according to eyewitnesses who shared their accounts on social media sites such as Vahid Online.
The unrest swept the country after the suspicious death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in the custody of the morality police, which arrests women for not wearing a hijab properly. Protests, however, soon went beyond the condemnation of the morality police and turned into a movement against the Islamic Republic, with slogans demanding the toppling of the regime.
Reports from inside Sharif University Sunday night described the atmosphere as “dreadful.” Many shared accounts of students being trapped inside the university and told to leave the premises through a parking garage. Once they got there, however, the students found themselves encircled by the guards who were waiting to arrest them, the Sharif University Islamic Association reported. Students were tear-gassed and shot by pellet guns, paintballs and rubber bullets, according to the association.
In his first comments about the protests since they broke out on Sept. 17, Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed the U.S. and Israel for the unrest.
“The incident that happened in which a young girl died was a bitter one. Our hearts were also broken,” he said Saturday in a graduation address for the country’s armed forces.
Accusing protesters of making the streets “unsafe” by setting cars and banks on fire, he said people should have waited for the results of the “investigation.”
“I say clearly that the riot is designed by America, the Zionist regime and those on their payroll,” Khamenei said, alleging that some of the protesters have links to the country’s former monarch or some of its opposition groups.
According to the Iranian penal system, such accusations can put people behind bars for years or even put them at risk of execution.
According to Iran Human Right, the death toll from the protests was 133 on Sunday, 40 of whom were killed in an attack in the southeastern city of Zahedan on Sept. 30.
State-linked media, however, confirmed only 19 of the casualties in Zahedan and accused “separatists” of the attacks in the southeast.
The Islamic Association of Sharif University Students said it invited “students and professors of universities across the country to close their classes as a sign of solidarity with the professors and students of Sharif University.”
The call for the strike was received by many university students who kept protesting despite the crackdown on the Sharif University protests.
While other strikes were announced by small business owners, teachers and some labor associations, the excessive violence against university students has raised concerns.
The first open call for a strike was issued by the Coordinating Council of Teachers’ Cultural Associations on Sept. 26. The Council “strongly condemned” the violent action taken by the state against protesters, especially students, and asked all working and retired educators to stand with the protesters.
“Nationwide strikes cause psychological pressure on the repressive forces to realize that many people agree with the protesters,” a Health Ministry employee told ABC News. He asked that his name not be used for fear of retribution.
“I hope people understand they would be better off striking in the long run because nothing matters as much as togetherness and unity,” he said.
(WASHINGTON) — After her investiture at the U.S. Supreme Court last week, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson heralded her “seat at the table” and a desire to “get to work.”
During oral arguments Monday, the public got a glimpse of what that looks like: the nation’s first Black woman justice emerged as a remarkably active questioner in her debut on the bench, making clear she will not hesitate to make her mark on debate.
“Let me try to bring some enlightenment to it,” Jackson said dryly to an attorney challenging key parts of the Clean Water Act.
The law gives the Environmental Protection Agency authority to regulate “waters of the United States,” but there is widespread disagreement about the extent to which wetlands count.
The case, the first of the court’s new term, will decide the scope of EPA power over tens of millions of acres of marshland and swamp land. Environmental advocates say public health and safety hangs in the balance.
“Isn’t the issue what Congress intended?” Jackson pressed. “Why is it that your conception of this does not relate in any way to Congress’ primary objective?”
“The objective of the statute is to ensure the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters,” she added.
Attorney Damien Schiff, representing an Idaho couple that wants to build their dream home on a lot near Priest Lake, argued that the federal government should not have unbound power to regulate wetlands on Americans’ property without direct, physical connection to a major body of water.
“The Sacketts’ property contains no waters, much less waters of the U.S.,” Schiff said. The EPA contends marsh on the Sacketts’ property has a “significant nexus” to the nearby lake.
The court will decide early next year how to draw the line.
The dispute played out for nearly two hours inside a courtroom packed with attorneys, clerks, special guests, and members of the public for the first time in two and a half years since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the arguments to go virtual. Masks were not required, though Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan wore them on the bench.
The nine justices assumed new seating assignments, by seniority, for the first time since the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer. Flanking Chief Justice John Roberts at the center are Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Jackson, as the newest members of the court, hold the seats at each end of the bench.
Heightened security measures were visible throughout the courthouse, including a new requirement that water cannot be brought inside the building, but a steel security fence that had encircled the Court starting in June has been removed.
While the proceedings were again opened to the public in-person, the Court has decided to continue livestream audio online. “I think that’s a great compromise on transparency and a huge step for the chief justice,” said Sarah Isgur, a former Justice Department attorney and now an ABC News legal analyst.
The court gaveled in a new term and welcomed Justice Jackson as public confidence in the institution has slumped to a new low.
Jackson’s appointment does not alter the ideological makeup of the court — six conservatives, three liberals — but her presence could change dynamics in untold ways.
“Each new justice really changes the institution,” said Kate Shaw of Cardoza School of Law and an ABC News contributor. “By all accounts, she is a bridge builder and a warm and collegial person. I don’t expect any radical change, but it’ll matter for the public to see her on the bench, and I think it will matter as the court starts issuing opinions.”
Jackson spoke at least 21 times during Monday’s argument in the Sackett case, according to an ABC News review of the transcript.
“Although Justice Jackson might be more liberal in some respects than Justice Breyer, she won’t change the really polarized cases. But every new justice is a new court, and there could be some unexpected alliances,” Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, said.
(NEW YORK) — For the first time in state history, Asian American women will represent Texas at two of the most prestigious pageants in the country.
Averie Bishop from Dallas, made history in June when she became the first Asian American woman to be crowned Miss Texas America. She will compete for the title of Miss America, the long-running national scholarship pageant, on Dec. 15 in Connecticut.
Just one week after Bishop’s win, R’Bonney Gabriel from Houston became the first Asian American woman to earn the Miss Texas USA title, marking another historic milestone. Gabriel is currently in Reno, Nevada competing in the Miss USA beauty pageant. If she wins the national title tonight, she will go on to compete in the Miss Universe pageant.
The Miss America and Miss USA competitions have long welcomed state titleholders to their stages. But for decades, women of color were banned from participating.
“I never saw anybody as Miss Texas who looked like me, so I was very scared to take up space in an organization that is historically meant for white women,” Bishop told ABC News.
Bishop’s mother immigrated from the Philippines in the 90s. Her father, who is white and Cherokee, is a fourth-generation Texan. For years, Bishop said her family lived in “extreme poverty,” experiencing housing insecurity and relying on food assistance programs. She grew up attending a Title I school in Prosper, Texas.
“I was quite literally the only student that looks like the way that I did for almost, I’d say, a decade,” Bishop said. “I convinced myself that I wasn’t allowed to speak my voice, that I wasn’t allowed to dream or pursue the things I wanted to pursue.”
Gabriel, who is also Filipina, said she now feels a “big responsibility” to share her multicultural background and empower others to embrace their identities.
“My dad moved to America from the Philippines on a college scholarship with about $20 in his pocket. He wanted to pave a new life for himself. He met my mom in Texas, who is a country woman from Beaumont,” Gabriel told ABC News’ local affiliate in Houston. “I’m a very proud Filipina Texan.”
Texas is the second most diverse state in the U.S., with minority groups together constituting more than 50 percent of the state population. But in recent years, Texas has also been at the epicenter of national political debates and culture wars over the state’s controversial abortion restrictions, book bans, gun laws, and crackdown on border immigration.
For Bishop and Gabriel, representing the ‘Lone Star State’ means using their platforms to speak out about the pressing issues affecting their communities, including anti-Asian hate, environmentalism, and women’s rights.
“I am very strong in my beliefs and what I believe are important to my generation,” Bishop said. “But as a statewide representative, as Miss Texas, I will, as my first initiative, listen to any perspective and all perspectives.”
Bishop’s Miss Texas platform is “Y’all Means All,” which emphasizes diversity and inclusion. Bishop and her mother manage a nonprofit called the Tulong Foundation that provides scholarships and mentorship to girls in Southeast Asia to help them pursue an education.
After going viral on TikTok, Bishop, a law school graduate, is also an online influencer running her own social media consulting business.
Gabriel, a model and designer, currently owns her own fashion label R’Bonney Nola, using sustainable practices and even designing her own looks for the pageants she enters.
She also works with the Houston nonprofit Magpies and Peacocks, teaching sewing to women in under-served communities as well as survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.
“I foresee myself in really dreaming about having a bigger brand that is focused on sustainability and being a leading voice in the industry that’s helping the industry push to a more environmentally friendly practice,” Gabriel said.
After competing in Miss America, Bishop said she is considering pursuing a career in academia, hoping to continue serving as a mentor and role model to students who look like her.
“Now that I have become the thing that I dreamed of becoming, other young girls, other women from the Filipino community, from the AAPI community can look at me, look at R’Bonney, and think to themselves, I can do it too,” Bishop said.
(NEW YORK) — Before Hurricane Ian brought destruction to the Florida Peninsula on Sept. 28, federal and state officials urged Floridians to evacuate their homes and seek shelter because of dangerous winds and deadly storm surge.
Those warnings weren’t for nothing, as about 99 people in Florida and four people in North Carolina died when Ian moved up the East Coast.
This is how the evacuations took place:
Sept. 27 – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an evacuation order for 12 counties, including Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Putnam and Sarasota, when Ian became a Category 3 hurricane, threatening coastal communities.
Those who didn’t evacuate Hurricane Ian describe what it’s like to ride out storm
Before DeSantis decided to place 2.5 million people under an evacuation order, county officials issued orders for residents to leave as the powerful storm approached.
County evacuations
Sept. 26/Sept. 27 – Florida’s Charlotte County ordered residents in two zones to evacuate the area, including people who lived on Don Pedro Island, Knight Island, Little Gasparilla Island, Gasparilla Island and Manasota Key.
Additionally, people living in mobile homes and trailers, regardless of county, were told to leave the area.
Sept. 26 – Pinellas County issued its evacuation orders based on when Hurricane Ian was forecast to hit the Tampa Bay area.
Officials in Pasco, Hillsborough and Sarasota counties issued evacuation orders on Sept. 26 as Hurricane Ian still had Florida’s southwest coast set in its sights.
Sept. 27 – Criticisms have been lobbied against Lee County officials for issuing a mandatory evacuation for residents less than 24 hours before Ian made landfall as a Category 4 storm, a day after neighboring counties.
DeSantis defended Lee County’s delayed evacuation order on Saturday in Fort Myers, telling reporters that county officials were following the data, which showed the storm hitting Tampa Bay before shifting south to Lee County.
“When we went to bed Monday night, people were saying this is a direct hit on Tampa Bay, worst-case scenario for the state,” the governor said. “As that track started to shift south, and the computer models the next morning, they called for the evacuation, they opened their shelters and they responded very quickly to the data.”
Parts of Lee County, including Fort Myers and Sanibel Island, suffered extensive damage because of the hurricane.
At least 94 people in Florida died in the storm, according to data from local officials. Lee County suffered the most casualties, with 54 deaths, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday.
Upward of 700 people were rescued in the county, according to Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
Sept 30 – Following its destructive trek across Florida, Hurricane Ian made its way to the Carolinas, prompting South Carolina officials to issue evacuation orders for residents before it made landfall on Sept. 30.
ABC News’ Alexandra Svokos, Meredith Deliso and Mary Kekatos contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — North Korea has fired what appears to be a ballistic missile over Japan, the country’s Ministry of Defense said Monday.
The apparent ballistic missile was launched at 7:22 a.m. local time and passed over Japan at 7:29 a.m., the Japanese Ministry of Defense announced.
The government of South Korea confirmed that the Japanese government warned citizens to take shelter. The missile likely flew over Japan, but it is still unknown whether the missile fell into the sea.
Residents in Aomori and Hokkaido prefectures, toward the northern end of Japan, have been advised to be on alert and to notify police or fire officials if debris is seen.
People were also warned by officials not to touch or pick up any debris.
The office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has begun to gather members to analyze the situation.
A government spokesperson said no damage has been reported so far and a search is underway for debris. Officials are gathering information and will work South Korea and the U.S.
“North Korea’s actions threaten Japan and the international community,” the spokesperson said. “Missile launches like this go against the U.N. resolutions. Japan will launch a strong protest against North Korea in light of this. All new information will be shared promptly.”
ABC News’ Joohee Cho, Guy Davies and Anthony Trotter contributed to this report.
Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — At least 99 people in Florida have died due to Hurricane Ian, according to local officials.
Four additional people were also reported dead due to the storm in North Carolina, the governor’s office said Saturday.
The Category 4 storm slammed into Florida’s southwest coast Wednesday afternoon, causing catastrophic damage, fierce winds and dangerous, record-breaking storm surges.
Deaths from Hurricane Ian reported in Florida
The deaths span multiple counties in Florida, including 54 in Lee County, 24 in Charlotte County, five in Volusia County, four in Collier County, three each in Sarasota and Manatee counties, two in Polk County, and one each in Hardee, Hillsborough, Lake and Hendry counties, ABC News has determined based on information from the Florida Medical Examiners Commission and inquiries with local officials and authorities.
The death toll from the catastrophic storm has been rising amid ongoing search and rescue missions.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said that upward of 700 people were rescued in the devastated county.
“It’s what a heavy heart that I say that number,” Marceno, whose county is home to hard-hit Fort Myers and the barrier island Sanibel, said in video posted to Facebook.
The causes of the deaths in Florida were primarily drownings, as well as two vehicle accidents and a roofing accident, officials said.
It is unclear whether the state’s figure overlaps with ABC News’ analysis. The state confirms deaths by reviewing medical examiner records, which can take some time.
Confirmed deaths from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement occurred in Lake, Sarasota, Manatee, Volusia and Collier counties between Sept. 27 and 30. The victims ranged in age from 22 to 91. One, a 68-year-old woman, drowned after being swept into the ocean by a wave on Sept. 29, the department said.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office was among the first to publicly announce a fatality from Ian. A 72-year-old man in Deltona died after attempting to drain his pool during the storm, the office said Thursday.
The man, who was not publicly identified, “disappeared” after heading outside, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies found him unresponsive in a canal behind the home and he was pronounced dead at a local hospital, the sheriff’s office said.
Deaths from Hurricane Ian reported in North Carolina
The storm made landfall again on Friday in South Carolina, which has reported no deaths due to the storm so far, Gov. Henry McMaster said Saturday.
Though in neighboring North Carolina, four storm-related deaths have been reported, Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement Saturday. Three involved vehicle accidents on Friday, with the victims ranging in age from 22 to 25. Additionally, a 65-year-old man died Saturday from carbon monoxide poisoning after running a generator in his closed garage while the power was out.
Hurricane damage across the southeast, as rescue efforts continue
Florida Rep. Kathy Castor, who represents the Tampa Bay area, called the situation a “major catastrophe.”
“I’m afraid we’re going to be dealing with a larger loss of life than we anticipated,” she said on “ABC News Live” Thursday.
Florida Sen. Rick Scott told “Good Morning America” Thursday morning there were “thousands of rescue efforts going on right now.”
“We’ve got great sheriff’s departments, police departments, fire departments, state rescue teams. They’re working hard. But there’s a lot of people that need help right now,” he said.
He expressed concern for the state’s many low-lying areas.
“The water kills and I’m just — I’m scared to death of, you know, what’s happened here and I hope everybody stays safe,” he said.
Sheriff Marceno told “Good Morning America” Thursday they had thousands of 911 calls they were answering.
“We still cannot access many of the people that are in need,” Marceno said. “It’s a real, real rough road ahead.”
ABC News’ Jay O’Brien, Ahmad Hemmingway, Benjamin Stein and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
