Cher has stayed at the top of pop for six decades by reinventing herself again and again

the gist

Cher is an American singer and actress who has kept a career going for more than sixty years through constant reinvention. She rose to fame in 1965 with Sonny & Cher, whose hit I Got You Babe became an anthem of 1960s counterculture. Her 1998 album Believe introduced a stylised use of Auto-Tune, which became known as the Cher effect, and its title track was the number-one song in the US in 1999. She also moved into acting, earning an Academy Award for Best Actress for Moonstruck in 1987. Her records have sold more than 100 million copies, making her one of the best-selling music artists in history.

so what

She is the only solo artist with number-one singles on the US Billboard charts in seven consecutive decades, which is a rare kind of longevity in pop. Her use of Auto-Tune helped change how pop vocals sound, so her choices shaped the music many people hear today.

fun fact

Cher was the first woman to deliberately show her navel on American television, after fighting network censors in the 1970s.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗