For those of a certain age and inclination, that iconic phrase – sing-songed by the equally quintessential Kristen Bell – represents a weekly escapist retreat into the fictional lives of the young, rich and scandalous of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Based on the Cecily von Ziegesar novel series,
Gossip Girl debuted in September 2007, just before the economy collapsed and Barack Obama won the presidential election – respectively, the ruinous and uplifting milestones that kicked off a rollercoaster of a decade for millennials. In its six seasons, the infamous teen drama thrilled and frustrated a generation. It was aspirational in style and taste: characters like Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf became style icons who helped move serious units of alice bands for New York-based designers and beyond.
The musician has revealed that she considered quitting music after the icon passed away in 2011, on the same day that Del Rey received her first review
19February 2021
Nadiah Adu-Gyamfi has always been interested in the spaces between cultures and sounds. Growing up, the London-based artist would walk through New Cross on her way to school, passing Goldsmiths, where Blur’s “Parklife” would be blasting out the student’s union, before crossing the road to hear muffled dub bass vibrations coming from the local Cumin Up. “I guess I’ve always grown up sandwiched between British culture and African and Caribbean Black culture,” she explains.
One half of electronic duo NULA, which she formed in 2017 along with friend and fellow Goldsmiths graduate Luke Osbourne, Adu-Gyamfi channels the classic sounds of her gospel and soul forebears, as well as the warm, velvety tones of R&B and the electronic alchemy of 90s groups like Portishead and Massive Attack. The music oozes with quiet lust and introspection. On “Moon Chasing”, Adu-Gyamfi’s voice is like velvet as she sings, “