In a triumphant London return, JAŸ-Z reminded us exactly why he is widely regarded as the greatest of all time on his JAŸ-Z 30 tour. Carrying the pulse of New York with him, H.O.V. took us on an awe-inspiring drive down memory lane to celebrate three decades of his debut album.
“How many people in here have been down since day one? This album changed my life thirty years ago, and hopefully some of these words touch you,” he tells the crowd.
Thirty years on from Reasonable Doubt, you still can’t knock his hustle.
His first solo tour in nine years featured a mix of classics, fan favourites, and deep cuts. Hits like “Izzo,” “Empire State of Mind,” “Dirt Off Your Shoulder,” “Hard Knock Life,” and “Run This Town” ignited the crowd.
When “99 Problems” dropped, a helicopter swept low over the stadium. JAŸ-Z has a magnetic stage presence that few artists can pull off and spent most of the show alone on stage.
He possessed the command and aura of a legend thirty years deep in the game who still knows how to connect. “I see a lot of faces that were here yesterday, welcome back,” he says on stage.
Backed by his band and orchestra, he fed off the crowd before peeling back his armour with rare, vulnerable cuts of “Song Cry” and “Never Change. ” A glance across Tottenham Hotspur Stadium showed a sea of hands throwing up his iconic Roc-A-Fella diamond sign and fans dressed in throwback Yankees jerseys and Timberlands, mirroring the old-school New York visuals displayed on screen. JAŸ-Z honoured London too, recalling 1989 when he spent two months in a flat in Notting Hill with mentor Jaz-O: “I knew there was a bigger world for me out there… so this place has a special significance to me… And I really appreciate you from the bottom of my heart not only for the inspiration but for the love,” he says.
Surprise appearances came from Dave and Sampha, who battled a faulty mic on “No Church in the Wild” as the crowd carried him through it. Night two of his London shows may not have featured the legacy guests of the first evening, but it did prove that three decades in, JAŸ-Z is still the whole show.
photography. Courtesy of Roc Nation words. Sam Quashie-Idun music editor . Shama Nasinde
Straight off the stage at Iceland Eclipse Festival , Brazilian DJ Anna headed out into Iceland with a few days to explore what lay beyond the festival site. Waterfalls, volcanic landscapes, geothermal pools and wide-open stretches of countryside made up the route, with stops at Skógafoss, Hvammsvík Hot Springs and the Blue Lagoon along the way.
There was time for a record-shop detour at Reykjavík’s 12 Tónar, an encounter with Icelandic horses, and plenty of time spent taking in a landscape that feels almost entirely its own. Here’s a look at her journey.
Right after my set at Iceland Eclipse Festival. Seeing the Northern Lights had always been a dream of mine, and even though they’re not so common in August, I was gifted with this moment right after I finished playing. ✨
East Forest is probably the artist I listen to the most; his music is pure medicine to me. We’ve collaborated three times and have become good friends, but rarely get to meet in person. He was also playing at Iceland Eclipse, so we finally got to spend some proper time together in Iceland. So special. ❤️
Skógafoss. Stunning, powerful, and almost unreal. It was also a filming location for Game of Thrones, and standing there, you understand why. There’s something about the raw power of nature in Iceland that makes you feel very small, but deeply connected at the same time.
Hvammsvík Hot Springs. Warm geothermal pools surrounded by cold air, freezing ocean and incredible nature. The contrast feels amazing. Visiting the hot springs was definitely one of my favourite things to do in Iceland.
At 12 Tónar record shop in Reykjavik holding a vinyl from one of my favourite Icelandic artists, Ólafur Arnalds. The soundtrack of my whole trip was basically Ólafur and his Kiasmos project. I’m a huge fan and had the pleasure of remixing him twice. His music feels like the perfect soundtrack to the beauty of Iceland.
I have such a deep connection and reverence for horses. While exploring Iceland, I suddenly came across these beautiful Icelandic horses and had to stop and connect with them. Seeing them surrounded by so much open space and wild nature made me so happy. They are such beautiful, powerful beings.
Iceland feels like another planet. So much of the landscape has been shaped by volcanic activity and lava, creating the most incredible textures. Everywhere you look, the colours and scenery completely change. I was so impressed by it all, it felt like seeing colours, textures and forms of nature I had never come across before.
There was something about the stillness of Iceland that made me feel deeply grounded. So much of the land feels untouched and raw, like nature is simply allowed to be exactly as it is. Being there slowed everything down for me. I felt very present, very connected to the Earth and to myself. There was something deeply healing about just being there, surrounded by so much space, silence and beauty.
On my last day, I visited the Blue Lagoon and could not believe my eyes. The milky blue geothermal water, surrounded by black lava fields, feels almost unreal. The water is naturally rich in silica and minerals that are known for their benefits for the skin. The perfect way to end my time in Iceland.
Learn more about Iceland Eclipse Festival at explore.icelandeclipse.com .
In her first official solo London show, Syd transported fans on a journey down memory lane. The London stop of her “Beard” tour at Islington Assembly Hall celebrated the songs that made us fall in love with her and her growth as an artist.
She hit the stage with “2 Many Days ” and “Always Be Mine” from her first solo album in four years, “Beard.” Syd’s set was filled with slow jams, mellow tunes and tender vocals. She amped up the room with songs from her second studio album, “Broken Hearts Club,” which left the crowd screaming.
London’s crowd was the first to hear her sing “My Love” performed live, before Syd took fans all the way back to 2017. “I never got to perform ‘Fin’ out here or ‘Always Never Home,’ so let’s take it back.
Let’s take it way back,” she told the crowd. Vulnerability and connection was central to the show with Syd sharing that she’s “trying to not let my insecurities hold me back anymore, y’all.
I think we should all do that.”
Syd catered to her OG fans with some The Internet throwbacks like “Girl,” “Hold On” and “Special Affair.” Syd even teased that there is some new music from the group on the horizon and shouted out band members Abraham [Daniel Abraham Jr.] and Simba [Scott] for their contribution to her latest project. “That’s who you hear all over the album playing base and keys, all over Beard,” she said.
“You’ll hear them on the next Internet album too. That’s coming out soon.” Ending the show with “Any Time” from Beard felt like a full circle walk through the evolution of Syd before she thanked her audience.
“I’m really grateful for you London. I’ll never stop playing here.” From the energy of the crowd, it’s clear the feeling is mutual.
photography. Simone Clay words. Sam Quashie-Idun
There is a type of pressure that comes with being handed the reins of a Brazilian primetime novela — the novela das nove, the slot that has, for decades, functioned as a national ritual. It’s a shared appointment for tens of millions of viewers a night.
It is a genre built on grand gestures and grander emotions, and leading one for the first time is less a job than an inheritance. Leticia Colin , who is years into a career that began before she was old enough to fully understand what she was starting, has just taken it on.
As Adriana in ‘Quem Ama Cuida’ — a physiotherapist stripped of her job, her home, and her husband within the show’s opening episodes, only to claw her way back from prison and betrayal toward something resembling justice — Colin is doing more than anchoring a hit. She is renegotiating what a leading lady is allowed to be: angry, flawed, resentful, unfinished.
It’s a role that asks her to sit inside emptiness and loss, territory she admits has always pulled at her, long before she had the language or the craft to explore it on screen.
That range is, in many ways, the throughline of her career. Colin has moved between television, film, and theatre — from ‘Novo Mundo’ to ‘Onde Está Meu Coração’, which earned her an International Emmy nomination. She speaks about comedy and devastation with the same seriousness, treating both as forms of intimacy: ways of getting close to an audience, or to herself.
Ahead of a pivotal chapter — one she is stepping into as one of Brazilian television’s most closely watched actresses — Colin sat down with Schön! to talk about rebuilding a character from nothing, the costumes that tell her who someone is before she does, and more.
jacket. Prada skirt. Penha Maia boots. Fernando Pires opposite full look. Zimmerman shoes. Valentino sunglasses. Swarovski
You’re currently leading TV Globo’s primetime slot as Adriana in ‘Quem Ama Cuida’ — your first lead role in a novela das 9. After years of standout supporting and ensemble work, what does it feel like to carry a story on your shoulders for the first time at that level?
It’s beautiful to be the backbone of such a powerful story. To honour the tradition of the Brazilian telenovela and bring conversations about justice into the homes of 40 million people every day — not to mention everyone watching us on streaming platforms.
She is a truly Brazilian character: a woman who takes care of everyone around her and supports her household. She loves her work as a physiotherapist because she understands the revolutionary power of care — of listening to others and, above all, of healing pain.
I’m also interested in exploring new directions within the archetype of the leading lady — finding new possibilities and desires within such a powerful symbol of our dramatic tradition. That has been incredibly stimulating. Rethinking femininity, rethinking vulnerability, rethinking the driving forces behind action. Exploring anger, resentment, and mistakes to tell this story in a richer, more complex way.
Adriana loses almost everything in the first episodes — her job, her home, her husband — before fighting her way back. What did you need to find in yourself to play a woman rebuilding from that kind of devastation?
Emptiness and loss have always intrigued me deeply. I’ve never experienced that kind of deprivation myself, but through empathy, I’m able to imagine it and embody those manifestations of profound pain.
It’s no coincidence that I love Beckett and identify with the starkness and loneliness of his characters. Ever since I was a child, I’ve often felt out of place, as though I didn’t quite belong wherever I was.
That also helps me tap into that feeling of helplessness and abandonment. The rest comes from researching references, mimesis, and imagination.
full look. Rick Owens boots. Femme LA opposite full look. Gi Macedo shoes. Valentino
You’ve moved between television, film, and theatre with real ease — ‘Novo Mundo,’ ‘Segundo Sol,’ ‘Todas as Flores,’ ‘Onde Nascem os Fortes.’ Is there a medium that feels most like “home” to you, or does each one ask something different of you as a performer?
I wouldn’t exactly call any of them “home,” because even though they are all environments I’m familiar with, there is always a fair amount of discomfort throughout the creative process. I think film and television series are where we have more tools and more time to think through and build the scenes.
Your International Emmy nomination for ‘Onde Está Meu Coração’ introduced you to audiences well beyond Brazil. How has that global recognition shifted the way you think about your career, or the kinds of stories you want to tell next?
Our industry is fantastic! I’ve always made a point of seeking out and engaging with work from different countries, beyond the Americas. Exchanging ideas, having conversations, and discovering both the differences and the common ground between cultures and different approaches to storytelling is what has fascinated me the most. Ultimately, being around interesting people who share the same passion for what we do is incredibly stimulating.
full look. Coperni boots. Fernando Pires opposite jacket. Prada skirt. Penha Maia boots. Fernando Pires
Brazilian storytelling — the novela in particular — has such a distinct emotional register and pace. How do you think that tradition is being reinterpreted for a generation watching on streaming, in fragments, across borders?
People love what is made with authenticity. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a TikTok video or a TV Globo masterpiece: wherever there is heart and genuine commitment, there is a connection — and the audience stays with you.
You’ve played everything from period drama to broad comedy, most notably in ‘Os Saltimbancos Trapalhões.’ What draws you to comedy, and does it use a different muscle than the dramatic work you’re best known for?
Comedy creates intimacy very quickly. It brings people together. And few things in life are as pleasurable as a good laugh! I love laughing while I’m working, because when I do, I feel that what we’re creating will genuinely be funny to someone else too. And beyond that, being able to dance with the ridiculous — even your own — is something very special. Few professions invite you to do that as much as acting does.
full look. Gi Macedo shoes. Valentino opposite full look. Zimmerman shoes. Valentino sunglasses. Swarovski
Fashion clearly plays a part in how you present your characters and yourself publicly — you’ve just shot this editorial with us. How do you think about the relationship between costume, image, and identity when you’re building a role?
Costume is essential in shaping a character. I usually wait until the character’s first fitting before I really start making choices about who she is.
It begins with the clothes — the type of fabric, the cut, the shoes we choose for her to walk in. If the costume designer is talented and proposes something very different from what I had originally imagined, I completely rethink my approach and follow the direction of what they intuitively understood the character to be.
Is there a role — Brazilian or international, past or present — that you look at and think, “I have to find my way into that story eventually”?
I carry with me many performances that have shaped and inspired me. There are filmmakers whose work — Almodóvar, Tarantino, Bong Joon-ho, Michel Gondry, Charlie Kaufman, Luca Guadagnino, Paweł Pawlikowski, Kleber Mendonça Filho, and Bárbara Paz — makes me long to inhabit those deeply distinctive and captivating worlds.
Looking at where you are right now, with ‘Quem Ama Cuida’ just underway and this level of visibility at home and abroad — what does success look like for you at this stage, beyond ratings and awards?
It means having even more freedom to choose the passion projects I truly want to pursue, while also having more time to spend with my son and my family. That is what power means to me: being able to choose how we spend our time.
photography. Cassia Tabatini @ Beltrame MGMT fashion. Gi Macedo @ Capa MGT talent. Leticia Colin hair + make up. Dani Hernandez @ MLAGES retouch. Rz Studio pr. Stratosfera photography assistant. Renato Machado + Marcelo Andrade