VANESSA Hudgens has given birth to her second child!
The High School Musical star, 36, is now a mom of two after going into labor and welcoming her second bundle of joy into the world.
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Vanessa Hudgens has given birth to her second child with Cole TuckerCredit: InstagramVanessa shared a photo of a blood vessel in her eye that had popped while in laborCredit: Instagram
She said it was a “wild ride labor” and also detailed how the labor caused blood vessels in her eyes to pop as she shared a graphic photo.
Taking to her Instagram, Vanessa shared a photo of her on a hospital bed.
She could be seen laying on her side in a black T-shirt while holding her husband Cole Tucker’s hand tightly.
“Well…. I did it. Had another baby!!! What a wild ride labor is.
The actress shared a stunning photo of herself on the beach on Friday (November 28) saying she was “very grateful”- but fans noticed something was missing.
Vanessa‘s baby bump appeared to be gone as she wore a white dress.
Vanessa’s followers responded with confusion over her missing baby bump.
“Did Vanessa already give birth to baby number 2?” one fan asked.
Another noted a clue in her caption.
“In her last 2 posts she has said how tried she is – so I’m thinking she has had baby,” they said. “2 under 2 years would be hard!”
FROM Three Lions to Vindaloo, England have their fair share of rousing football anthems.
But now that Scotland have qualified for their first World Cup since 1998, proud Tartan Army faithfuls Biffy Clyro are planning their own tune to cheer on their lads next summer.
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From left: Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro, Ben Johnston and James Johnston at the Rolling Stone UK AwardsCredit: GettyLewis Capaldi poses in the winners room with The Artist AwardCredit: GettyAshley Roberts on the red carpet at the eventCredit: GettyJessie J has a new album on the wayCredit: Splash
The trio scooped the Live Act gong at the Rolling Stone UK Awards at London’s Roundhouse on Thursday night and told me they are already putting plans in motion.
Asked whether anyone from the Scottish team had been in touch, frontman Simon Neil said: “Well, we’ve been in touch with them.
“We want to do Scottish Band Aid or Live Aid. This is a historic moment for Scotland.”
But on the team’s chances in the tournament, he said with a laugh: “Ninety minutes after the first game, with all of our heads in our hands, it won’t matter. But see, this next six months is truly magical.
“In this day and age, we all find so many reasons to fall out and disagree that it’s surprising it’s football that’s bringing people together. Lionesses last year, all of England would celebrate.
“I’ve got the lyric for the chorus: ‘The party’s starting because the tartan’s marching’. There you go. That’ll be in your head for now. I want that to stimulate the song.”
Sounds like a belter to me.
Meanwhile, the third annual ceremony was packed with celebs and saw FKA Twigs win the Album award for Eusexua, and Lewis Capaldi the Artist award.
Comedian Mo Gilligan was brought in to present Lewis with the prize, this time pronouncing his name correctly — after accidentally calling him Sam Capaldi on stage at the Brit Awards in 2023.
Jessie J was on top form as she gears up to drop her first album in seven years, Don’t Tease Me With A Good Time, this Friday.
She said: “It has been a long time. I finished writing it in 2022.
“I have a lot of music in my phone. So if someone wants to steal my phone, and put it out for me, it would save me a lot of agg. No, but I’m excited for people to hear it, you know?
“I just want to make people feel something.”
And now that Jessie’s back in the spotlight, she has found that her two-year-old son Sky has a taste for fame.
She added: “Oh, my God, he’s so funny. He’s like, ‘Can I come to work? I love when the people say, yay’.
“It’s so cute. I can’t tell him I’m going to work because he wants to come with me.”
It was typically chaotic, with Danny at one point vaping on stage and later dropping his cigarettes on the floor as he made his way home, despite the fact the whole thing was sponsored by nicotine pouch company Zyn.
He is in the middle of shooting series two of Eighties TV comedy drama Rivals, but promised to get “off his nut” and later celebrated at the after-party until 1am.
IN his opening monologue on the night, Danny said: “It’s been an amazing 12 months because I won a f***ing Bafta.
“There was only one thing that could top that, and that’s the fact that my first-born child married the captain of West Ham United.”
Danny Dyer did a cracking job on hosting duties at the awardsCredit: Splash
Welcoming Mo Gilligan on stage: “It’s the 11th funniest comedian in the country. He’s funnier than Joel Dommett, I can tell you that.”
Before handing out the Film award: “Here’s a fact for you, I’ve been in 50 films, 47 of them are s**t.”
Introducing the Television award: “They didn’t nominate me for this one, can you f***ing believe it? I’ll come down there and put a nut on ya.”
And while presenting the Festival award: “Deep down, we are all dreaming of being in a field somewhere, warm lager in our hand and off our t**s on mushrooms.”
Musicals Greatest Hits was released yesterday and it features a cover of Wicked’s For Good, just as the second film’s soundtrack, also featuring that song, came out.
Ben Forster is going head to head with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo with his new albumCredit: Supplied
Ben whose roles include playing the Phantom in The Phantom Of The Opera, told Bizarre: “I’m so excited that everyone can finally hear my album. Creating it has truly been a dream come true.”
Ben embarks on a huge tour next year.
He will play theatres up and down the UK from September.
NEIL YOUNG AND THE CHROME HEARTS are performing in the star-studded line-up for the new Blenheim Palace Festival on July 3.
They are joining acts including Katy Perry and Teddy Swims at the series of gigs in Oxfordshire.
ALBUM PERFECT FOR DOJA TAT
DOJA CAT was so impressed with tattoo artist Claudio Traina’s work that she decided to use his design on her latest album Vie.
Claudio, of Sixty Ink in London, told me: “I met her in a house in LA.
Doja Cat was so impressed with tattoo artist Claudio Traina’s work that she decided to use his design on her latest album VieCredit: Supplied
“We were doing tattoos for everyone there, and she got so excited, she decided to get her first tattoo. Two days later she called me for more.”
Claudio, whose clients also include Yungblud and Demi Lovato, added: “Now, every time she’s in London, she comes to the studio for fresh ink.
“She liked the word Vie, meaning ‘life’ in French, and decided to get it tattooed. A few months after, I got a message saying they had used that tattoo I designed for the album cover.”
CHRISTMAS will be arriving early for fans of Jade.
I can reveal that the former Little Mix singer is to announce a bumper deluxe edition of her debut album, That’s Showbiz Baby, which came out in September.
The new album, with fresh songs added, is expected to be available on December 5.
FOREIGN LINGO KEY FOR ALICIA
ALICIA KEYS has teamed up with Italian music great Eros Ramazzotti for his latest album.
But rather than sing in English, the 17-time Grammy-winning Empire State Of Mind singer learned the track in both Italian and Spanish.
Alicia Keys has teamed up with Italian music great Eros Ramazzotti for his latest albumCredit: Getty
Alicia told Bizarre: “We had such a fun time. We’re doing this beautiful song, L’aurora, and I was learning it in Spanish as well as Italian.
“And so, it’s really exciting to be able to sing in a whole different language and poetry and the beauty of how it goes and how it feels coming out is incredible.”
She added: “It felt very easy. It felt natural, it felt fun.”
Proving you may grow older but don’t have to grow up, she added of the 62-year-old Italian singer : “He’s a prankster, a jokester.
“He’s trying to scare me the whole time, but I’m tough. So, you can’t scare me. But it was beautiful. I love it and I’m so excited about this project.”
The record, Una Storia Importante, also features opera singer Andrea Bocelli, and Eros will kick off a tour in Paris on Valentine’s Day.
It seems only a matter of time before one of Becerra’s campaign rivals seizes the federal fraud case for attack fodder. I can hear it already: “If the man who wants to be governor can’t protect his own political funds, he shouldn’t be trusted to safeguard your tax money.”
That might not be fair, but this is big-time politics. And the word “fair” isn’t in the political dictionary.
Becerra is low-profile by comparison, although he has achieved a very successful and respectable career: U.S. Health and Human Services secretary under President Biden, California attorney general and 12-term congressman.
It was Becerra’s dormant state political account that allegedly got pilfered of $225,000 while he was health secretary.
Federal prosecutors allege that Williamson, former Becerra chief of staff Sean McCluskie and Sacramento lobbyist Greg Campbell illegally diverted money to McCluskie’s wife, funneling the loot through shell companies for bogus consulting services.
McCluskie and Campbell both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and have been cooperating with the federal government.
Williamson, who allegedly fleeced Becerra’s political kitty when she owned a government relations firm before joining Newsom’s staff, pleaded not guilty to bank and tax fraud charges. Besides raiding Becerra’s account, she’s accused of falsifying documents involving a COVID small-business loan and claiming $1 million in personal luxuries as business expenses on her income taxes.
After news of the case broke last week with Williamson’s arrest, Newsom’s office said the governor suspended her last November after she informed him of the federal investigation.
There also was a sophomoric attempt by a Newsom spokesperson to link the federal case to the combative relationship between President Trump and the California governor. It’s true Trump has been targeting his “enemies.” But this three-year FBI probe began under the Biden administration.
Becerra issued a statement saying that the “formal accusations of impropriety by a long-serving trusted advisor are a gut punch.” He also said he had been cooperating with the U.S. Justice Department‘s investigation.
The federal indictment alleges that McCluskie and Williamson misled Becerra about how monthly withdrawals from his political account were to be used.
The account stash of nearly $2 million was raised for a 2022 attorney general reelection campaign that never occurred because by then Becerra was health secretary. But the money could be used in some future state race, such as for governor.
Political operatives I talked with were stunned that $225,000 could be siphoned out of a politician’s campaign account without him noticing.
“Did the account have no one watching it except the consultants who were pilfering from it?” asked veteran Democratic consultant Garry South. “Those of us who have run campaigns are scratching our heads. I can’t imagine how this would happen.”
I asked the Becerra campaign.
A spokesperson replied that the health secretary had authorized payments for “campaign management” after being misled by trusted advisors.
Also, the spokesperson added, Becerra was counseled by a Health and Human Services attorney to distance himself from any “campaign or political activity” prohibited by the federal Hatch Act and ethics rules. So he delegated responsibility for managing the account to advisors.
And he got snookered and ripped off.
Will it tarnish Becerra’s image and hurt his campaign for governor? We don’t know yet. But probably not that much, if any. His only sin, after all, was trusting the wrong people and following an attorney’s advice.
Even big scandals don’t seem to damage politicians in this era — Trump being the unfathomable best example.
It could crimp Becerra’s fundraising if potential donors wonder where their money is actually going and whether anyone credible will be watching it.
The gubernatorial race is still wide open without a real front-runner. No candidate is captivating the voters.
A late October poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies showed paltry numbers for all candidates. Former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter led Democrats with 11% support among registered voters. Becerra was second with 8%. A whopping 44% of those surveyed were undecided.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Blanco, a Republican, was first overall with 13%. But no Republican need apply for this job. California hasn’t elected a GOP candidate to a statewide office since 2006.
Becerra has as good a shot at winning as any current candidate. He was the leading Democrat among Latinos at 12%.
But he’ll need a better answer for why he may have allowed $225,000 in donated political contributions to be grabbed and illegally spent by people he trusted.
It seems only a matter of time before one of Becerra’s campaign rivals seizes the federal fraud case for attack fodder. I can hear it already: “If the man who wants to be governor can’t protect his own political funds, he shouldn’t be trusted to safeguard your tax money.”
That might not be fair, but this is big-time politics. And the word “fair” isn’t in the political dictionary.
Becerra is low-profile by comparison, although he has achieved a very successful and respectable career: U.S. Health and Human Services secretary under President Biden, California attorney general and 12-term congressman.
It was Becerra’s dormant state political account that allegedly got pilfered of $225,000 while he was health secretary.
Federal prosecutors allege that Williamson, former Becerra chief of staff Sean McCluskie and Sacramento lobbyist Greg Campbell illegally diverted money to McCluskie’s wife, funneling the loot through shell companies for bogus consulting services.
McCluskie and Campbell both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and have been cooperating with the federal government.
Williamson, who allegedly fleeced Becerra’s political kitty when she owned a government relations firm before joining Newsom’s staff, pleaded not guilty to bank and tax fraud charges. Besides raiding Becerra’s account, she’s accused of falsifying documents involving a COVID small-business loan and claiming $1 million in personal luxuries as business expenses on her income taxes.
After news of the case broke last week with Williamson’s arrest, Newsom’s office said the governor suspended her last November after she informed him of the federal investigation.
There also was a sophomoric attempt by a Newsom spokesperson to link the federal case to the combative relationship between President Trump and the California governor. It’s true Trump has been targeting his “enemies.” But this three-year FBI probe began under the Biden administration.
Becerra issued a statement saying that the “formal accusations of impropriety by a long-serving trusted advisor are a gut punch.” He also said he had been cooperating with the U.S. Justice Department‘s investigation.
The federal indictment alleges that McCluskie and Williamson misled Becerra about how monthly withdrawals from his political account were to be used.
The account stash of nearly $2 million was raised for a 2022 attorney general reelection campaign that never occurred because by then Becerra was health secretary. But the money could be used in some future state race, such as for governor.
Political operatives I talked with were stunned that $225,000 could be siphoned out of a politician’s campaign account without him noticing.
“Did the account have no one watching it except the consultants who were pilfering from it?” asked veteran Democratic consultant Garry South. “Those of us who have run campaigns are scratching our heads. I can’t imagine how this would happen.”
I asked the Becerra campaign.
A spokesperson replied that the health secretary had authorized payments for “campaign management” after being misled by trusted advisors.
Also, the spokesperson added, Becerra was counseled by a Health and Human Services attorney to distance himself from any “campaign or political activity” prohibited by the federal Hatch Act and ethics rules. So he delegated responsibility for managing the account to advisors.
And he got snookered and ripped off.
Will it tarnish Becerra’s image and hurt his campaign for governor? We don’t know yet. But probably not that much, if any. His only sin, after all, was trusting the wrong people and following an attorney’s advice.
Even big scandals don’t seem to damage politicians in this era — Trump being the unfathomable best example.
It could crimp Becerra’s fundraising if potential donors wonder where their money is actually going and whether anyone credible will be watching it.
The gubernatorial race is still wide open without a real front-runner. No candidate is captivating the voters.
A late October poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies showed paltry numbers for all candidates. Former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter led Democrats with 11% support among registered voters. Becerra was second with 8%. A whopping 44% of those surveyed were undecided.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Blanco, a Republican, was first overall with 13%. But no Republican need apply for this job. California hasn’t elected a GOP candidate to a statewide office since 2006.
Becerra has as good a shot at winning as any current candidate. He was the leading Democrat among Latinos at 12%.
Japan had double the number of carries and forced Wales to make almost 100 more tackles than the visitors.
The Brave Blossoms were the more impressive team on show, although head coach Eddie Jones avoided a couple of attempts to say that afterwards.
“The only thing anybody ever remembers is the scoreboard,” said Jones. “That tells the story and is all that matters.”
Jones has suffered previous defeats in Cardiff inflicted by superior Welsh sides and has close-up knowledge of the current squad, having played them three times this year.
“Having spoken to a few people, the big thing Wales has to look at is the development system,” said Jones.
“Coaches can only coach the players they have got and Wales for a long period of time had a strong and tough team under Warren Gatland.
“It is obvious the young players have not been developed enough or as quickly as you would like, because now you have a gap in the team.”
Jones believes Wales can return to rugby’s top table.
“There are plenty of good players in Wales,” said Jones.
“Wales is one of the traditional hotbeds of rugby in the world, albeit it’s a small country.
“If they can improve the development pathway and get that right, Wales will get its place back in rugby.”
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota backup Jesper Wallstedt made 28 saves for his second straight shutout and the Wild beat the Ducks 2-0 on Saturday night.
Wallstedt extended his shutout streak to 141 minutes 9 seconds after beating Calgary 2-0 last Sunday night.
The 23-year-old Swede’s biggest save Saturday came when he robbed Frank Vatrano alone in front of the goal late in the second period. Wallstedt the backup to Filip Gustavsson, the fellow Swede who signed a five-year, $34-million extension Oct. 4.
Marcus Johansson scored in the second period and Matt Boldy added an empty-netter.
Minnesota improved to 5-1-1 in its last seven games, giving up only 12 goals in that stretch. The Wild are 19-1-0 against the Ducks dating to the 2020-21 season, including six consecutive wins since March 14, 2024.
Petr Mrazek made 29 saves for the Pacific Division-leading Ducks. They have scored only four goals in losing three in a row after winning nine of 10. Anaheim entered the day averaging 3.88 goals per game, second-best in the NHL.
Johansson opened the scoring 55 seconds into the second. Down the slot a stride behind Ryan Strome, Johansson got a pass from Boldy, went from forehand to backhand to deke Mrazek and lifted the puck past the down goalie. Johansson has seven goals this season after scoring just 11 goals each of the last two seasons.
The Wild have scored first in a franchise-record eight consecutive games.
Minnesota was 0 for 7 on the power play, the Ducks 0 for 2.
Ducks center Mikael Granlund, who returned Thursday after missing eight games because of a lower-body injury, missed the game because of the same issue. Wild right wing Vladimir Tarasenko missed his first game of the season because of a lower-body injury.
Up next
The Ducks open a six-game homestand against Utah on Monday night. The Wild host Vegas on Sunday night.
The latest series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! is due to hit our screens this weekend with celebs like Jack Osbourne, Martin Kemp and Ruby Wax set to take part
15:56, 14 Nov 2025Updated 15:57, 14 Nov 2025
Christine won’t be on I’m A Celeb this year(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Just weeks ago the mum-of-three hinted that she would be going into the jungle but she hasn’t been announced to be in the show by ITV. It has been said that ITV bosses are “angry” and “confused” after the star suggested she could be taking on the challenge.
The 37-year-old seems to say she would be on I’m A Celeb when she appeared on the Pride of Britain Awards red carpet back in October. Christine said she is usually asked “every year” but the thoughts of leaving her children has always been overwhelming.
But she said this year could be different as she said she thought “F*** it, why not” which many took as thought they could expect to see her on their screens.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Christine said: “I always get asked and it is one of those shows, every year, would you ever do it?
“And I always say there’s no way, I don’t think I could be away from my children, and I would be scared of the creepy crawlies, I have sensory issues and I have never been outside of Europe so just flying over there would be quite a challenge.
“Trying to get over to the jungle might be a bit of a mission but yeah, let’s see. I think this year most likely I’d be like f*** it, why not.”
The full contestant list was released this week and Christine’s name wasn’t on it. It’s thought bosses aren’t too pleased with Christine’s claims and instead think she should have shut the rumours down.
A source said: “ITV bosses were definitely confused when they saw the reports suggesting Christine had ‘signed up’ for I’m A Celeb.
“Usually, a celebrity would shut down speculation, so Christine appearing to confirm her appearance really infuriated those working behind the scenes.”
Christine shares three children, twins Penelope and Leo, and daughter Felicity, with ex-husband Paddy McGuinness. The pair still live together and co-parents their three children.
The parents have highlighted their children’s autism in recent years and Christine has also spoken about being diagnosed with autism and ADHS herself.
Christine has recently said that she had to consider whether she wanted to remain in the spotlight or not in order to protect her kids.
Speaking to The Mirror, she said: “I’ve had to think if I am in the right industry, and if I can continue. It may be what I enjoy and love, but when i think about my children and how the attention is going to affect their lives I have questioned it and if it’s right for me.”
RAPPER Chris Brown footed a £160,240 booze bill during a wild night out in London.
The US star — on bail for assault — partied with his entourage in the capital ahead of his trial next year.
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Rapper Chris Brown footed a staggering booze bill during a wild night out in LondonCredit: GettyBrown’s bill included five bottles of Cristal Magnum aT £2,900 eachA receipt from Brown’s wild night showed the total bill of more than £160,000Credit:
One session involved at least four bottles of £2,900-a-time Louis Roederer Cristal Magnum Champagne at the Selene nightclub, which promises “the epitome of ultimate pleasure”.
Days later, the West End club posted the anonymous megabucks receipt on social media.
Some of those who partied with him — including models and other rappers — have revealed Chris footed the bill.
His entourage also posted the receipt alongside shots of a private jet and luxury hotel suites from his ten-day visit, after he flew in on October 18.
Diane Ladd, the Oscar-nominated actor who received acclaim for her work in films including “Rambling Rose,” “Wild at Heart” and “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” has died. She was 89.
Oscar winner Laura Dern, Ladd’s daughter with Oscar-nominated actor Bruce Dern, announced her mother’s death in a statement shared Monday. “My amazing hero and my profound gift of a mother, Diane Ladd, passed with me beside her this morning, at her home in Ojai,” Dern wrote. A cause of death was not revealed.
“She was the greatest daughter, mother, grandmother, actress, artist and empathetic spirit that only dreams could have seemingly created,” “Marriage Story” star Dern said in her statement. “We were blessed to have her.”
This summer, Netflix’s animated hit “KPop Demon Hunters” might have created the most popular K-pop girl group in America. And seemingly the only people unaware of that distinction are its members.
“Is that what it is?,” asks Rei Ami, who with fellow artists Ejae and Audrey Nuna forms the film’s fictional trio Huntr/x. “Is that what it’s being labeled as?”
The stats are behind them: “Golden,” a contender for the Oscar for original song, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for more than eight consecutive weeks, with three other numbers earning a place in the Top 10. As a result, the film’s soundtrack hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and recently went platinum. With success has come an array of other opportunities as well. The group have since made a cameo on “Saturday Night Live” and performed on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
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But as Ejae points out, theirs has not been the usual route to K-pop stardom. A former K-pop trainee herself, she notes that many hopefuls spend years developing their craft and chemistry with future group members. “We were all individually our own person. They had their music career, and I have my career as a songwriter,” she says. “[Becoming a K-pop group] later is unheard of with K-pop training. You do it when they’re kids, before anything [can develop], so they can shape them together, whereas we’re our own individuals coming together. Having this synergy is incredibly rare.”
That’s what singing in the most-watched Netflix film of all time will do for you. Premiering in August, “KPop Demon Hunters” propelled the members of Huntr/x — all of them already established in the industry, Nuna and Ami as artists and Ejae, who recently released her first solo single, as a songwriter for K-pop groups — into a new intensity of spotlight. (Ejae also wrote several tracks for the film, including “Golden,” with co-writers Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24 and Teddy.)
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1.Rei Ami is the singing voice for Zoey.2.Ejae is the singing voice for Rumi.3.Audrey Nuna is the singing voice for Mira.(Justin Jun Lee / For The Times)
“We were thrown together, basically,” says Nuna. “I’ve seen photos of us and I [thought], ‘Damn, we look like we were perfectly calculated to be in this group.’ The balance is nuts. But to think how serendipitous it was that this happened — we didn’t audition in rooms or go through multiple rounds of pairings to find each other… It just speaks to the beauty of the universe and how things go and when things just happen.”
In fact, the singers did not even meet until nearly five months ago, on the carpet at the film’s premiere. They recorded their parts separately with executive music director Ian Eisendrath, who then worked with the music team to edit them all together.
Ami was the last to record her part, which meant she got to hear “This Is What It Sounds Like” in its entirety with all the voices meshed together. The moment recalled the film’s final scene, in which Huntr/x — whose members double as the demon hunters of the title — reunites to fight the main villain to the sounds of the very same song, when “This Is What It Sounds Like” plays.
“I got to hear the song in full and all of our harmonies for the first time,” she recalls. “I was completely moved. I knew in my heart that this was going to be great.”
Still, they never expected the film to become a global phenomenon, resulting in their now chaotic schedules filled with press interviews, panel engagements, media appearances and special performances. Ami smiles, “We’re doing our best.”
Through it all, they’ve hyped each other’s achievements and held hands while expressing their appreciation for each other.
“These women have worked so hard on their journeys individually,” says Ami. “The industry has been so tumultuous, and the amount of pain, struggle, blood, sweat and tears that we’ve individually had to deal with … These two girls are the only ones in the world who will fully understand what I’m going through. I can’t talk to anyone else about this. Only they understand, and I feel so supported and not alone.”
They all clasp hands, with Ami telling the others, “I love you guys.”
And, for all the challenging moments, they are immensely grateful for the chance to fulfill their dreams. They all express their gratitude for the opportunity, as it has always been their dream.
“Literally, a month before the movie came out, I was doubting myself as a songwriter,” Ejae explains. “My goal was to get No. 1 on the Hot 100. I was going to do that — move to California, write so many sessions, and get No. 1. It felt impossible.”
“Those are all things we have on our bucket list,” Ami, right, says of the prospect of performing at the Oscars or Grammys.
(Justin Jun Lee / For The Times)
Ami becomes emotional about the film’s success when she talks about its impact on her career.
“I’m so blessed,” she says, holding back tears. “It’s really introduced me to more fans and new fans. This whole experience has taught me a lot about myself and what I want to do as an artist. My dreams are coming true.”
That hasn’t necessarily been the experience for her groupmates, though. “It takes a very long time [for me] to process and metabolize emotions,” Nuna says of her own lack of waterworks. “I’ve never wanted somebody to cry so much in my life,” Ami chimes in, laughing. “Feel something!”
The “instant chemistry” displayed in their interview was recently on display when the three were asked to perform “Golden” together for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” — their first as a group. And the more they rehearsed, the more they cohered. Just like a real K-pop group.
“It’s really wild and weird,” says Nuna. “Honestly, the mesh of our voices just felt so intuitive. It was very organic and easy. The song is not easy, but the mesh and connecting were. It was literally our first time singing together, and I feel like we were hearing overtones in our harmonies and stuff, because they’re just really locked in.”
Awards buzz, for both the Oscars and the Grammys, has come as a surprise to the group, but it leads to questions about reuniting Huntr/x onstage at the biggest pop culture events of the year.
“[Performing at the Oscars or Grammys] would be the biggest deal,” says Ami. “I think we can all relate. That’s probably one of the highest accolades and achievements you can accomplish as an artist, songwriter, and producer. Those are all things we have on our bucket list.”
The trio hasn’t thought far enough ahead about an actual performance on either stage, as they’ve only recently begun rehearsing together.
“Jimmy Fallon will be a good practice,” Ejae laughs. “Good warm-up preparation.”
Indeed, though they have joked about forming a (real-life) K-pop group, all three are busy with individual projects — at least for now.
“If we were to get together, the charts better watch out!” Ami shouts. “You might not ever see another name other than us.”
