As Women’s History Month came to a close, Elle magazine dropped its second-ever “Women of Impact” list. Of the 14 women named among Elle’s 2024 Women of Impact, all have one thing in common: they are pioneers “just getting started.”

Among names like former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Glossier CEO Emily Weiss, the list features Vice President Kamala Harris, poet Amanda Gorman, Emmy-winning television writer, producer, and actress Quinta Brunson, and CNN anchor Abby Phillip.

The publication chose Harris for being the first member of the executive branch to speak out in support of abortion rights; Gorman for using her poetry to enact social change; Brunson for the ways her breakout hit show “Abbott Elementary” champions public schools; and Phillip for her empathic newscasts. 

Others on this year’s list include designer Tory Burch, Rep. Veronica Escobar, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, author and showrunner Jenny Han, activist Malala Yousafzai, singer and composer Shaina Taub, model and activist Cameron Russell, CEO and founder of Ecocitex Rosario Hevia.

According to Elle, this year’s list of names “prove there’s no one way to make a difference — you can start right where you are.”

The annual list, which began in 2023, highlights women from all walks of life making history now in their respective fields. Actress Keke Palmer, Olympic runner and shoe brand founder Allyson Felix, and reproductive rights activist Oriaku Njoku were among last year’s inaugural list.

2024 honoree Harris told the publication how she continues to approach her role as the first female vice president of the United States.

“I feel a very strong sense of duty to elevate and give voice to issues in particular where people are suffering and where there is an injustice, where there is harm,” she said. “I feel a sense of duty and responsibility in those moments to lift up voices, to build community and awareness about what we each should do and [how we] have a responsibility to look out for other people.”

Gorman, who was launched into the public eye after she was named the youngest inaugural poet in the history of the country, opened up to Elle about the unique position she occupies in culture.

“How I try to internalize it in my own head is to say, ‘Maybe I’m the first, but I refuse to be the last.’ I hope I’m not a model of all there is or all that is possible for young voices, but rather an example of just how different and daring we can be,” the poet explained. 

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Brunson discussed why uplifting the next generation of creators is important to her.

“I can’t just do whatever I want anymore,” she noted. “I’m excited when I see people who can do and say whatever they want. And that’s the importance of continuing to open doors for newcomers, who have more room and freedom because of the work that was put in by the people before them.”

Phillip, known for her vulnerable nature on air, shared with Elle how her broadcasting style has evolved with her self-awareness.

“I spent a lot of years in the early part of my career comparing myself to others in ways that didn’t reflect my core strengths,” she said, adding, “I learned some years in that I could lean into my ability, bring empathy to journalism, and offer something useful to the audience. If I had known that earlier, I would’ve spent more time nurturing that part of myself.” 

For the complete list of this year’s honorees and their interviews, head to Elle.com.

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Jon Batiste is giving Beyoncé all of her flowers. 

The Grammy winner, who collaborated with Bey on her newest project, “Cowboy Carter,” celebrated the “Break My Soul” singer for overcoming music barriers and embracing a new sound. 

Batiste took to social media on Saturday to share his admiration, emphasizing how “Cowboy Carter” dismantles “the genre machine.” Beyoncé released the 27-track, country-themed album on Friday to rave reviews. Just last month, Bey made history as the first Black woman to have a No. 1 single, “Texas Hold ‘Em,” on the Hot Country Songs chart, according to Billboard. 

“This is the moment yall, where we dismantle the genre machine,” Batiste posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Quincy Jones told me, as he also wrote in his forward to my WE ARE album, ‘it’s up to you to de categorize American music!! ‘ , which is what Duke Ellington told him. I really believe that is our generations role, led by a few artists willing to take this leap.” 

Batiste went on to share how he produced and wrote the first track on the album, “Ameriican Requiem,” alongside Beyoncé and Dion “NO ID” Wilson. He called the song “an example of extraordinary alignment — when many leading artists see a similar vision at the same time, that’s when you know a major shift is happening.” 

“Ameriican Requiem,” and the entire “Cowboy Carter” album, represent “a new era, long time coming,” according to Batiste. “Let’s liberate ourselves from genre and break the barriers that marginalize who we are and the art that we create.”

Batiste thanked the “once in a generation artist” for being able to contribute to her “brilliant album.”

“So glad that we finally got to collaborate with each other at this time,” he said. 

Batiste joins an impressive list of collaborators on the critically acclaimed “Cowboy Carter” album, including Linda Martell, Stevie Wonder, Chuck Berry, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Willie Jones, Brittney Spencer, Shaboozey, Reyna Roberts, Tanner Adell and Tiera Kennedy.

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“I think people are going to be surprised because I don’t think this music is what everyone expects,” Beyoncé said in a press release. “But it’s the best music I’ve ever made.”

It seems as though fans would agree. “Cowboy Carter” broke the record for the most-streamed album in a single day in 2024, according to Spotify.

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SZA’s album “SOS” has rewrote music history by becoming the first album by a Black female artist to spend an amazing 60 weeks in the top ten of the Billboard 200 charts.

The news is a testimony to SZA’s unquestionable skill and global respect for her pioneering work. “SOS” is now the second-longest-running top 10 album by a Black artist in Billboard 200 history, trailing only the legendary Michael Jackson’s famous “Thriller.”

“SOS” has remained a consistent chart-topper, demonstrating SZA’s lasting success and the timeless appeal of her music. The album spent ten nonconsecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart, cementing SZA’s position as a dominant force in the music business.

The achievement is especially noteworthy in light of Billboard’s chart history. Since 2010, only eight albums have spent at least ten weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 chart, and “SOS” has joined this exclusive group of record-breaking albums.

One of the outstanding tunes from “SOS,” “Kill Bill,” has also made ripples on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, bringing SZA her first number-one hit. The song’s popularity solidifies SZA’s standing as a chart-topping artist with an unquestionable ability to create music that connects with people all over the world.

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When Caleb Williams was caught dancing to Earth, Wind, and Fire during a recent USC basketball game, the world got a glimpse of his latest manicure: pink nails. He also wore lipgloss and had a pink phone case for the occasion.

While this is not the first time the USC star quarterback has lacquered his nails, this time, he began receiving backlash on social media. 

In a video posted to X, the Heisman Trophy winner, along with USC’s assistant athletic director Gavin Morris, addressed the haters head-on. 

“It’s been a long week for you,” Morris teased. “Let’s see what that phone look like; what the phone look like?” 

The expected No. 1 NFL draft pick responded, “The wallet’s white, the phone is pink, the case is clear.”

As for his nails, he added, holding up his hands, “Nails are clear.”

Then, leaning into the camera, Williams offered a quick retort to anyone hating on his style.

“Lips are pink — your girl love ‘em!” he quipped as Morris laughed.

When it comes to his nails, Williams, a Washington, D.C., native and the son of a former nail technician who used to paint his nails, has become known for buzzworthy game day manicures that often throw shade at his team’s opponent. 

While speaking to People magazine in August, Williams opened up about his penchant for painting his nails. 

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“I think the nails thing kind of took everybody by surprise,” he told the publication. “I’ve been doing it before college, but it took everybody by surprise, just because you don’t always see male athletes who play football paint their nails. But I think it’s just another way of expression.”

Considering how his game day manicures often feature explicit messages for his opponents, he added that he was going to be toning it down. 

“I’ve had a few talks with my coaches. But I’m gonna keep doing it and express myself,” he said.

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Name one singer in the history of Country music that Black folks embrace more than Dolly Parton. I’ll wait.

The Tennessee-born living legend has spent a nearly 60-year career racking up timeless hits and endearing herself to folks who adore her tunes and her trademark sass. She also deserves props for her philanthropic work and her overt appreciation for Black folks, which seems counterintuitive coming from a white Country star born in the mid-20^th century deep south.

At 78, Parton is being exposed to a new generation of music listeners via her presence on Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter,” her “country” album that dropped Friday. She shows up on two of the album’s 27 tracks, including an introduction to Bey’s version of her hit “Jolene.”

While Parton’s 1973 original pleads with the titular character to not steal her man, Bey’s version is more threatening: Jolene might just get cut for messing around.

Bey’s cover is receiving lots of well-deserved love (from folks who aren’t stodgy Country “purists” who may be just a little racist), so how much money does Parton stand to make on it?

It’s worth noting that Parton made shrewd business moves as a young lady in the 1960s that help fill her plate to this day: Because she founded Owe-Par Publishing Company with her uncle Bill Owens, Parton retains the publishing rights to all her songs – a claim many music legends can’t make. Since she wrote and recorded her own music, she continues raking in big bank from royalties alone: Forbes revealed in 2021 that “Jolene” and “9 to 5” alone net her as much as $8 million a year.

Her businesswoman chops gave us one of the best remakes of all time: Elvis Presley wanted to cover her 1974 chart-topping hit “I Will Always Love You” 50 years ago, but his people insisted she sign over half the publishing rights to the song. Parton wasn’t having it, so it didn’t happen.

Of course, Whitney Houston covered the song nearly two decades later for “The Bodyguard” soundtrack, and high-octave history was made.

Houston’s cover allegedly got Parton $10 million in royalties in the 1990s, though that number shot up when everyone started streaming the song again following Houston’s 2012 death by drowning.

Parton told Andy Cohen in 2021 that she used the money from the “Love You” remake to purchase property in a predominantly Black area of Nashville.

“I bought a property down in what was the Black area of town, and it was mostly just Black families and people that lived around there,” she said. “I thought, ‘This is the perfect place for me to be’, considering it was Whitney.”

‘Jolene, Jolene…’

“Jolene” is Parton’s most famous song and has been covered many times by the likes Kelly Clarkson, Olivia Newton-John, Miley Cyrus and Lil’ Nas X (!!!) It’s no reach to suggest that Bey’s cover will be the most popular, considering “Cowboy Carter” is already breaking major records – it’s Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day this year. The album also has the most first day streams for any female country album in the history of Amazon Music.

It’s never easy to determine exactly what an artist makes from any given track or album, let alone how much of a cut the writers of the songs get. But we know that Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music pay somewhere between four and eight thousandths of a penny per stream.

But figure “Jolene” will be one of the more popular streams from “Cowboy Carter” – certainly it’s been streamed millions of times in the time it takes me to write this – and that Parton gets some portion of those thousandths of a penny every time it streams.

Of course, Parton makes even more money from stream of her own original version of “Jolene,” which she urged folks to stream ahead of the “Cowboy Carter” release. There’s no telling how many young folks listened to her version for the very first time, though the track on her official YouTube page has 91 million views.

The music industry has changed dramatically since the early 1990s, so it’s uncertain if Parton will make the same amount from Bey’s “Jolene” that she did from Houston’s “Love You” cover. But considering that “Cowboy Carter’s” monster run is just getting started, we can safely assume that Bey’s “Jolene” will add more than a few coins to Parton’s rumored half-a-billion-dollar net worth.