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Viral news: Zepotha, Scooter Braun, & Selena Gomez

A peek into the topics buzzing at Cassandra

The music industry takes the spotlight this week amid more legal drama for Lizzo, and Peso Pluma earning Spotify’s Song of the Summer crown. In a swiftly evolving culture, we, at Cassandra, strive to stay ahead, keeping up with the topics that Gen Z can't stop discussing. Today, we'll explore how a music artist developed a fake craze to promote their music, the significant departure of A-List clients from a music manager's roster, and surprise new music releasing today. All this and more in this week's edition of Viral News.

FAKE TIKTOK MOVIE

With a mighty 212M TikTok views in recent weeks, the 1987 horror flick "Zepotha" has entrenched itself as a cult classic. Fans are cosplaying as characters, reacting to gory scenes, crafting fan edits, and spinning wild sequel theories. But hold up, if you're a horror buff who's never heard of it or can't find it online, relax – it's just Gen Z being in, on the inside TikTok joke. In avideo using the sound of her new song 'Do You Remember Me', musician Emily Jeffri wrote: "Ok so new bit idea: What if we created a fake '80s horror movie called Zepotha and started commenting 'omg u look EXACTLY like _______ from Zepotha on every thirst trap we see." However, in a smart marketing move, it appears that Emily orchestrated the faux Zepotha trend to promote her music. With the complete soundtrack dropping today, it seems her strategy has paid off.

BYE-BYE SCOOTER BRAUN

Ooph, someone’s been having a bad week. Scooter Braun, the famous music manager known for his Taylor Swift feud, is in the news again due to a wave of top clients leaving him. The internet buzzed when rumors spread that Justin Bieber and Braun were parting ways after 15 years, which both Bieber and Braun's reps quickly denied. However, Billboard confirmed that Braun's other high-profile clients, Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande, have indeed split from Scooter Braun Projects. Lovato had been with Braun since 2019, while Grande had been represented by him for a decade. Reggaeton star J Balvin left in May for Roc Nation, and the Hollywood Reporter just revealed that Broadway's Idina Menzel quietly exited in January. Now, fans and industry insiders are questioning if Braun's career can recover from this major departure of A-list artists.

— Moshe, 19, MX (Cassandra Collective)

    ONLY MUSIC IN THE BUILDING

    As she has long promised, Selena Gomez is about to drop new music today, and to promote her single, “Single Soon,” the Only Murders actor posted a curious lip-dub video to a Kim Cattrall audio from Sex and the City and it’s already amassing over 5.3M views on Instagram. Cattrall herself delightfully responded to Gomez's use of the clip on X, writing, “I approve this message…💋” However, the clip has left fans speculating if the tease is referring to a specific ex lover? Justin Bieber perhaps? Or maybe The Weeknd? Nevertheless, the song will be the superstar’s first taste of new music since 2021 in what she tells fansI wanted to put out a fun little song I wrote a while back that’s perfect for the end of summer.” One of Gen Zs faves, we’re betting Ms. Gomez won’t disappoint!