By Stacy Nguyen
Northwest Asian Weekly
From left: Ariana Grande, Britney Spears, Beyonce Knowles, Jay Z, Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Estefan, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Yoko Ono.
This year is the year of the fire rooster. Roosters are observant people guided by instinct and intuition. Never ones to dwell too long over worries, roosters are hard-working in nature and have a strong concept of time. However, this also means they can be short-tempered and bothered by tardiness and missed deadlines.
Never content with the easy path, roosters pick careers that are robust, challenging, and competitive. They love the spotlight, and they also tend to have luck with wealth — though they earn wealth rather than inherit it.
In the love arena, roosters are consistent, but can sometimes appear cold outwardly. However, roosters are also known for their loyalty and faithfulness, which can seem at odds in the often lascivious world of Hollywood. So which celebs exemplify their rooster traits and which defy them? Read on to find out.
FAMOUS ROOSTERS
Ariana Grande
June 26,1993
Water Rooster
Ariana Grande is a former Nickelodeon child star and currently a pop singer whose powerful four-octave voice has been compared to that of Mariah Carey’s. This water rooster has been busy since birth practically.
Her first role was as the eponymous protagonist in the musical, “Annie,” for the Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theatre, followed by roles in “The Wizard of Oz” and “Beauty and the Beast” before she even hit her teens.
Currently at 23 years old, Grande is slated to begin her Dangerous Woman tour to promote her third studio album of the same name next month. Grande has stated that, “To me, a dangerous woman is someone who’s not afraid to take a stand, be herself, and to be honest.”
The water rooster’s propensity to communicate well might be exemplified in an essay that Grande wrote on June 7, 2015, which she released via Twitter. Following a breakup with rapper Big Sean, Grande stated she comes from a long line of female activists and tore into the double standards that exist for women. She opened her essay with, “I am tired of living in a world where women are mostly referred to as a man’s past, present, or future PROPERTY/POSSESSION.”
Britney Spears
Dec. 2, 1981
Metal Rooster
Metal roosters are the rooster-iest of roosters. They have double-downed hard on all rooster traits, and Britney Spears’ intense work ethic is an oft-overlooked aspect of her persona.
will.i.am, of the Black Eyed Peas and also executive producer of Spears’ “Britney Jean” album, spoke of Spear’s rare personality trait in an interview with Pop Justice. When asked what surprised him the most when working with her, he said, “How focused she is when she’s working. How dedicated and disciplined she is.” He said it was surprising because, “most artists aren’t like that. I don’t want to name artists, but Britney is the most focused and disciplined of all artists in the industry.”
He went on to say that most other artists will go into the studio and mess around a little bit — they sit around and watch TV, order in food, joke around, and listen to music. In contrast, Spears says she’ll come to the studio at 2 p.m. — she shows up at 1:30 p.m. — and then it’s a steady stream of efficiency until stopping time. “I’ve never seen anything like that,” said will.i.am.
Beyonce Knowles
Sept. 4, 1981
Metal Rooster
Jay Z
Dec. 4, 1969
Earth Rooster
Interestingly, Jay Z and Beyonce Knowles are both roosters, born 12 years apart. Each of their respective work ethics are legendary.
In 2014, Harvard Business School put out a 27-page report entitled, “Beyonce,” which analyzed how the most successful female performer in the world (also the CEO of Parkwood Entertainment) does what she does.
Jay Z (real name is Shawn Carter) was 11 when his father left the family, and he and his mother had to fend for themselves. He sold drugs, rapped, founded Roc-A-Fella Records, and wasn’t content with just being a niche recording artist. He became a multimillionaire investor and is now estimated to be worth about $610 million, according to Forbes in 2016 (this does not include Beyonce money).
And they are also no strangers to rumors of marital strife. 2016 was the year “Lemonade” dropped, which simultaneously told us everything and nothing about the Carter-Knowles union. So how compatible are two roosters? Apparently not very, as the two can end up annoying each other and criticizing each other, rather than lifting the other up. However, Jay Z and Beyonce may be the exception that exemplify the rule. These two visionaries do mirror each other in their near-unmatched work ethics. We can’t imagine either of them being with less impressive people.
Jennifer Lopez
July 24, 1969
Earth Rooster
Jennifer Lopez has been known as many things — recording artist, actor, “American Idol” judge, and maybe also a person who is in love with being in love. Lopez has had a number of high-profile romances with famous (Sean “Diddy” Combs, Ben Affleck, Marc Anthony) and not-so-famous men and has been married three times. Lopez herself has admitted to the Chicago Tribune in 2001 that she was a romantic at heart, and she believed in the whole fairytale. This earth rooster is seemingly defying her reputation as being the most practical and sensible of all roosters.
Or maybe not?
In a 2015 cover story for Complex magazine, when asked about the fairytale quote, Lopez wisely expanded and said that while she still believes in the idea of happily ever after, she sees the belief in girls that Prince Charming will come along as a damaging one.
“Nobody teaches us the important thing from when we’re young,” said Lopez, “which is to value yourself and love yourself, and then you can share happiness and love with other people. That’s what we should be teaching kids, not fairytales about Prince Charming rescuing you.”
Gloria Estefan
Sept. 1, 1957
Fire Rooster
In the world of tabloids and public scandals, Gloria Estefan, the voice of Miami Sound Machine, has been quietly married to her husband (and one-time bandmate), Emilio, for nearly 40 years now. On “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” Emilio tells Oprah, “Number one, we got married for the right reasons. We were raised poor kids, immigrants that were coming to this country. So in a way… we have a big responsibility for the next generation.”
The pair, both Cuban immigrants, have been fiercely loyal to one another over the years. Gloria has said that her husband was her first and only boyfriend before marriage. Emilio also seems pretty content to let his fire rooster wife have most of the spotlight.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
March 15, 1933
Water Rooster
Ruth Bader Ginsburg almost needs no introduction and no expansion on how she exemplifies her rooster traits. She supported her husband Martin and cared for her 2-year-old daughter while she was in law school and he was battling testicular cancer. She graduated tied first in her class from law school. She initially couldn’t find a job, straight up because she’s a woman and Jewish. Then she made it happen anyway. She spent more than a decade arguing sex discrimination cases.
And then she rose to the post that we know her for now — Supreme Court Justice. She reportedly accomplished all of it by forgoing sleep. A lot. While the Notorious RBG is not a Hollywood actor or a recording artist, she’s on this list because she does have celebrity status and she’s really cool.
Yoko Ono
Feb. 18, 1933
Water Rooster
Yoko Ono, who is Japanese, is a performance artist, filmmaker, singer/songwriter, and activist.
In many circles, she is perhaps unfairly known as the woman that broke up the Beatles. It’s a moniker she reportedly does not think much of. And also one that Paul McCartney refuted in terms of its truthfulness in 2012.
Water roosters are known for being the gentlest and the most communicative of all roosters. In a 2015 interview with Ono, the Guardian printed that, “Communication with the world at large has been Ono’s lifelong mission — even when the world responded with hostility.”
Ono said in the interview that she uses art as a vehicle for activism. In more recent years, she has been lauded for her work and has earned near universal acclaim. “Art to me is a way of showing people how you can think,” she said.
Stacy Nguyen can be reached at stacy@nwasianweekly.com.
It’s elemental
Metal Rooster
– Steely, determined, and single-minded when their minds are on a goal
– Charismatic; they have what it takes to be famous
– Effective at bringing notable change
– Can be inflexible, arrogant, and stubbornWater Rooster
– Gentlest of all roosters, with an ability to communicate well
– Resourceful and level-headed
– Unceasing energy when it comes to work
– Can be a perfectionist who gets bogged down by detailsWood Rooster
– Very cooperative and congenial; easy to work with
– Very strong and can shoulder a lot
– In tune to the welfare of others
– Can set a very high standard, which is often impossible for others to achieveFire Rooster
– Natural leaders with sharp organizational skills
– The center of the attention and the life of the party
– Self-reliant and fiercely independent
– Can be overbearing, temperamental, and overly criticalEarth Rooster
– Has a keen sense of responsibility
– Great at multitasking
– The most practical, sensible, and mature of all the roosters
– Can be too efficient and work those around them down to the bone