Hoku’s Breakout ‘Snow Day’ Hit Captured The Last Gasp Of Millennial Innocence

By: bitcoin ethereum news|2025/05/03 02:30:02

L-R: Schuyler Fisk, J. Adam Brown, Zena Grey, Josh Peck, Mark Webber, and Jade Scott Yorker in Snow ... More Day (2000) Nostalgia exists for every generation, of course, but given the fact that they were raised on a steadily increasing diet of internet access, millennials have found unique ways of communally expressing their almost indescribable longing for the past. A constant online juxtaposition between what is and what once was creates a wistful, and oftentimes jaded, dissonance for individuals who grew up in that sweet spot between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. Songs, film, television, toys, food, and even the quality of sunshine seemed more...vibrant. Yeah, it could be that we were all more present, more in-the-moment prior to the rise of social media and omnipresent screens, which negatively warped our perception of reality. And sure, it could also be a byproduct of rose-tinted glasses; our penchant to dampen the chaos of an eternally harsh world by forcing it through the naive simplicity of childhood, when the grown-ups would make all the tough decisions for awhile. But maybe, just maybe , there was something truly unique about that brief period in time. The musical artist known as Hoku (born Hoku Clements) was already a young adult when she got her big break at the turn of the millennium, and remembers it vividly. “I do look back on that time and it feels just like golden, innocent, bathed in teal and pink and summer and sunlight,” the Hawaii native tells me over Zoom as we discuss her self-titled debut album, celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary this week. Released under the Geffen Records banner, Hoku prominently featured the singer’s breakout pop single, “Another Dumb Blonde,” written by successful Rock Mafia co-founders/producers Antonina Armato and Tim James, the former of whom signed Clements to a production deal. “I had been recording all these [demo] songs and then all of a sudden, there was ‘Another Dumb Blonde.’ I was like, ‘Oh, this is it!’” Hoku says. “I just remember being really excited about it and feeling like, ‘Yeah, okay. This is something that feels like it could have some legs.’” The Billboard-charting song was recorded and promoted as the marquee track for 2000’s Snow Day , a Nickelodeon-produced coming-of-age comedy starring Chevy Chase, Jean Smart, and Chris Elliott. “I remember we got hooked up with Nickelodeon and that movie pretty early on,” Hoku remembers. “That really kicked things off, because then I did The Big Help with them, and that was my first big performance at the Palladium in LA. I noticed that once Nickelodeon was involved, once we were hitched onto that pony, things did go from there. It gave us a nice vehicle to rock it out with.” The American Graffiti -esque Snow Day , in which a group of kids discover love and freedom over the course of a wintry day off from school, was emblematic of the films Nickelodeon tended to make at the time. Like Max Keeble’s Big Move and Big Fat Liar in the years that followed, the movie celebrated the wonderful and rebellious possibilities of childhood. Despite being played by big name actors, the adult characters had no power in these worlds and were often the main source of conflict — not to mention the eventual butt of the joke. “It is kind of a bygone era now that you mention it,” muses Hoku. “I haven’t really thought of it before, but they’re not really making programming the same way ... And it was sad to hear about some of the scandals that came out Nickelodeon later because ... everyone [I worked with in those days] just seemed like they were having a really good time. This is not discounting anything that was that going on behind-the-scenes ... I mean, everything has to change. Things change and move on, but it did feel like this magical moment in pop cultural history.” While it technically has nothing to do with snow, “Another Dumb Blonde” — which plays twice throughout the movie (once in the story proper and then again during the end credits) — the song embodies the invigorating agency and crushing disappointments of youth. The super-catchy lyrics told from the perspective of a young woman finding the confidence to dump her cheating boyfriend recalls the impassioned pleas of Dolores O’Riordan in The Cranberries’ “Linger.” More than just a simple break-up song, it’s a fiery and touching tribute to the rollercoaster ride that is the adolescent experience. It doesn’t matter whether you’re trying to stop a snowplow driver from clearing the roads in order to get an extra day off from school, or working up the confidence to tell someone how you feel about them. “Another Dumb Blonde” somehow recalls those formative experiences, beautifully capturing the highs and lows of growing up. “Ultimately, it’s a really empowering song, which never goes out of fashion,” the artist agrees. “I think it did really resonate with people at the time. It had this sassy thing that lent to my image and that carefree kind of summer feeling. That’s timeless and something everyone goes through. The feeling of, ‘I’m not being appreciated, you’re dismissing me, you’re minimizing my value.’ So as long as that is a thing, I feel like ‘Another Dumb Blonde’ will have relevance.” A little over a year later, Hoku saw the release of a second hit single, “Perfect Day,” which played as the main theme for Legally Blonde . As fans have pointed out many times over the years, Snow Day should have swapped its main song with the Reese Witherspoon classic. “It’s so funny because I literally said that to my label when this was all happening back in the day,” Hoku reveals. “And they were like, ‘Oh no, no. It’s fine. No one will even notice.’ Literally, almost every single person who interviews me or talks to me about this asks about that. I wasn’t in charge of any of that stuff back then, but I would have flipped them, for sure.’” The carefree millennial illusion was shattered just two months after Legally Blonde in the wake of the 9/11 terror attack on the World Trade Center. For many who had come of age in the quietly prosperous ’90s, that terrible day marked the death of childhood innocence. There was no coming back. “It’s sad to think of that,” says Hoku, who was actually in New York at the time for the Disney Channel in Concert tour. “Things really did change. There’s just this layer of disillusionment and cynicism that couldn’t help but settle across everything. Pop culture is, in a lot of ways, a reflection of where we are as a society. Not perfectly, but it’s an art-form. It’s art reflecting back the world as artists see it. So you can’t help but have some of that cynicism make its way into it ... It was definitely a big before and after moment for everything, including pop culture.” With the passage of time, however, “Another Dumb Blonde” (along with its contemporaries) has become a comfortingly nostalgic time capsule with the power to transport the listener back to a simpler time. A time when kids were the masters of their own destiny with the entire world laid out before them. “It was a short period of my life and there were a lot of ups and downs at that time. But it’s these conversations, just hearing from people who connected with and have these beautiful memories attached to my music, [that I love],” finishes Hoku. “I’ve moved on with my life. I have a whole family and a whole life beyond that now ... but it’s really moving and touching for me. It’s been a blessing to see how it’s unfurled as time has moved on.” Hoku Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshweiss/2025/05/02/another-dumb-blonde-at-25-hokus-breakout-snow-day-hit-captured-the-last-gasp-of-millennial-innocence/

Foreword: Today, the People's Bank of China's website published the "Notice of the People's Bank of China, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Public Security, State Administration for Market Regulation, China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, China Securities Regulatory Commission, State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Further Preventing and Dealing with Risks Related to Virtual Currency and Others (Yinfa [2026] No. 42)", the latest regulatory requirements from the eight departments including the central bank, which are basically consistent with the regulatory requirements of recent years. The main focus of the regulation is on speculative activities such as virtual currency trading, exchanges, ICOs, overseas platform services, and this time, regulatory oversight of RWA has been added, explicitly prohibiting RWA tokenization, stablecoins (especially those pegged to the RMB). The following is the full text:

To the people's governments of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:

Recently, there have been speculative activities related to virtual currency and Real-World Assets (RWA) tokenization, disrupting the economic and financial order and jeopardizing the property security of the people. In order to further prevent and address the risks related to virtual currency and Real-World Assets tokenization, effectively safeguard national security and social stability, in accordance with the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the People's Bank of China," "Law of the People's Republic of China on Commercial Banks," "Securities Law of the People's Republic of China," "Law of the People's Republic of China on Securities Investment Funds," "Law of the People's Republic of China on Futures and Derivatives," "Cybersecurity Law of the People's Republic of China," "Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Administration of Renminbi," "Regulations on Prevention and Disposal of Illegal Fundraising," "Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Foreign Exchange Administration," "Telecommunications Regulations of the People's Republic of China," and other provisions, after reaching consensus with the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and with the approval of the State Council, the relevant matters are notified as follows:

I. Clarify the essential attributes of virtual currency, Real-World Assets tokenization, and related business activities

(I) Virtual currency does not possess the legal status equivalent to fiat currency. Virtual currencies such as Bitcoin, Ether, Tether, etc., have the main characteristics of being issued by non-monetary authorities, using encryption technology and distributed ledger or similar technology, existing in digital form, etc. They do not have legal tender status, should not and cannot be circulated and used as currency in the market.

The business activities related to virtual currency are classified as illegal financial activities. The exchange of fiat currency and virtual currency within the territory, exchange of virtual currencies, acting as a central counterparty in buying and selling virtual currencies, providing information intermediary and pricing services for virtual currency transactions, token issuance financing, and trading of virtual currency-related financial products, etc., fall under illegal financial activities, such as suspected illegal issuance of token vouchers, unauthorized public issuance of securities, illegal operation of securities and futures business, illegal fundraising, etc., are strictly prohibited across the board and resolutely banned in accordance with the law. Overseas entities and individuals are not allowed to provide virtual currency-related services to domestic entities in any form.

A stablecoin pegged to a fiat currency indirectly fulfills some functions of the fiat currency in circulation. Without the consent of relevant authorities in accordance with the law and regulations, any domestic or foreign entity or individual is not allowed to issue a RMB-pegged stablecoin overseas.

（II）Tokenization of Real-World Assets refers to the use of encryption technology and distributed ledger or similar technologies to transform ownership rights, income rights, etc., of assets into tokens (tokens) or other interests or bond certificates with token (token) characteristics, and carry out issuance and trading activities.

Engaging in the tokenization of real-world assets domestically, as well as providing related intermediary, information technology services, etc., which are suspected of illegal issuance of token vouchers, unauthorized public offering of securities, illegal operation of securities and futures business, illegal fundraising, and other illegal financial activities, shall be prohibited; except for relevant business activities carried out with the approval of the competent authorities in accordance with the law and regulations and relying on specific financial infrastructures. Overseas entities and individuals are not allowed to illegally provide services related to the tokenization of real-world assets to domestic entities in any form.

II. Sound Work Mechanism

(III) Inter-agency Coordination. The People's Bank of China, together with the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, and other departments, will improve the work mechanism, strengthen coordination with the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, coordinate efforts, and overall guide regions to carry out risk prevention and disposal of virtual currency-related illegal financial activities.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission, together with the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, the People's Bank of China, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, and other departments, will improve the work mechanism, strengthen coordination with the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, coordinate efforts, and overall guide regions to carry out risk prevention and disposal of illegal financial activities related to the tokenization of real-world assets.

(IV) Strengthening Local Implementation. The people's governments at the provincial level are overall responsible for the prevention and disposal of risks related to virtual currencies and the tokenization of real-world assets in their respective administrative regions. The specific leading department is the local financial regulatory department, with participation from branches and dispatched institutions of the State Council's financial regulatory department, telecommunications regulators, public security, market supervision, and other departments, in coordination with cyberspace departments, courts, and procuratorates, to improve the normalization of the work mechanism, effectively connect with the relevant work mechanisms of central departments, form a cooperative and coordinated working pattern between central and local governments, effectively prevent and properly handle risks related to virtual currencies and the tokenization of real-world assets, and maintain economic and financial order and social stability.

III. Strengthened Risk Monitoring, Prevention, and Disposal

(5) Enhanced Risk Monitoring. The People's Bank of China, China Securities Regulatory Commission, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Public Security, State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Cyberspace Administration of China, and other departments continue to improve monitoring techniques and system support, enhance cross-departmental data analysis and sharing, establish sound information sharing and cross-validation mechanisms, promptly grasp the risk situation of activities related to virtual currency and real-world asset tokenization. Local governments at all levels give full play to the role of local monitoring and early warning mechanisms. Local financial regulatory authorities, together with branches and agencies of the State Council's financial regulatory authorities, as well as departments of cyberspace and public security, ensure effective connection between online monitoring, offline investigation, and fund tracking, efficiently and accurately identify activities related to virtual currency and real-world asset tokenization, promptly share risk information, improve early warning information dissemination, verification, and rapid response mechanisms.

(6) Strengthened Oversight of Financial Institutions, Intermediaries, and Technology Service Providers. Financial institutions (including non-bank payment institutions) are prohibited from providing account opening, fund transfer, and clearing services for virtual currency-related business activities, issuing and selling financial products related to virtual currency, including virtual currency and related financial products in the scope of collateral, conducting insurance business related to virtual currency, or including virtual currency in the scope of insurance liability. Financial institutions (including non-bank payment institutions) are prohibited from providing custody, clearing, and settlement services for unauthorized real-world asset tokenization-related business and related financial products. Relevant intermediary institutions and information technology service providers are prohibited from providing intermediary, technical, or other services for unauthorized real-world asset tokenization-related businesses and related financial products.

(7) Enhanced Management of Internet Information Content and Access. Internet enterprises are prohibited from providing online business venues, commercial displays, marketing, advertising, or paid traffic diversion services for virtual currency and real-world asset tokenization-related business activities. Upon discovering clues of illegal activities, they should promptly report to relevant departments and provide technical support and assistance for related investigations and inquiries. Based on the clues transferred by the financial regulatory authorities, the cyberspace administration, telecommunications authorities, and public security departments should promptly close and deal with websites, mobile applications (including mini-programs), and public accounts engaged in virtual currency and real-world asset tokenization-related business activities in accordance with the law.

(8) Strengthened Entity Registration and Advertisement Management. Market supervision departments strengthen entity registration and management, and enterprise and individual business registrations must not contain terms such as "virtual currency," "virtual asset," "cryptocurrency," "crypto asset," "stablecoin," "real-world asset tokenization," or "RWA" in their names or business scopes. Market supervision departments, together with financial regulatory authorities, legally enhance the supervision of advertisements related to virtual currency and real-world asset tokenization, promptly investigating and handling relevant illegal advertisements.

（IX） Continued Rectification of Virtual Currency Mining Activities. The National Development and Reform Commission, together with relevant departments, strictly controls virtual currency mining activities, continuously promotes the rectification of virtual currency mining activities. The people's governments of various provinces take overall responsibility for the rectification of "mining" within their respective administrative regions. In accordance with the requirements of the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments in the "Notice on the Rectification of Virtual Currency Mining Activities" (NDRC Energy-saving Building [2021] No. 1283) and the provisions of the "Guidance Catalog for Industrial Structure Adjustment (2024 Edition)," a comprehensive review, investigation, and closure of existing virtual currency mining projects are conducted, new mining projects are strictly prohibited, and mining machine production enterprises are strictly prohibited from providing mining machine sales and other services within the country.

（X） Severe Crackdown on Related Illegal Financial Activities. Upon discovering clues to illegal financial activities related to virtual currency and the tokenization of real-world assets, local financial regulatory authorities, branches of the State Council's financial regulatory authorities, and other relevant departments promptly investigate, determine, and properly handle the issues in accordance with the law, and seriously hold the relevant entities and individuals legally responsible. Those suspected of crimes are transferred to the judicial authorities for processing according to the law.

（XI） Severe Crackdown on Related Illegal and Criminal Activities. The Ministry of Public Security, the People's Bank of China, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, as well as judicial and procuratorial organs, in accordance with their respective responsibilities, rigorously crack down on illegal and criminal activities related to virtual currency, the tokenization of real-world assets, such as fraud, money laundering, illegal business operations, pyramid schemes, illegal fundraising, and other illegal and criminal activities carried out under the guise of virtual currency, the tokenization of real-world assets, etc.

（XII） Strengthen Industry Self-discipline. Relevant industry associations should enhance membership management and policy advocacy, based on their own responsibilities, advocate and urge member units to resist illegal financial activities related to virtual currency and the tokenization of real-world assets. Member units that violate regulatory policies and industry self-discipline rules are to be disciplined in accordance with relevant self-regulatory management regulations. By leveraging various industry infrastructure, conduct risk monitoring related to virtual currency, the tokenization of real-world assets, and promptly transfer issue clues to relevant departments.

IV. Strict Supervision of Domestic Entities Engaging in Overseas Business Activities

（XIII） Without the approval of relevant departments in accordance with the law and regulations, domestic entities and foreign entities controlled by them may not issue virtual currency overseas.

（XIV） Domestic entities engaging directly or indirectly in overseas external debt-based tokenization of real-world assets, or conducting asset securitization activities abroad based on domestic ownership rights, income rights, etc. (hereinafter referred to as domestic equity), should be strictly regulated in accordance with the principles of "same business, same risk, same rules." The National Development and Reform Commission, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, and other relevant departments regulate it according to their respective responsibilities. For other forms of overseas real-world asset tokenization activities based on domestic equity by domestic entities, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, together with relevant departments, supervise according to their division of responsibilities. Without the consent and filing of relevant departments, no unit or individual may engage in the above-mentioned business.

(15) Overseas subsidiaries and branches of domestic financial institutions providing Real World Asset Tokenization-related services overseas shall do so legally and prudently. They shall have professional personnel and systems in place to effectively mitigate business risks, strictly implement customer onboarding, suitability management, anti-money laundering requirements, and incorporate them into the domestic financial institutions' compliance and risk management system. Intermediaries and information technology service providers offering Real World Asset Tokenization services abroad based on domestic equity or conducting Real World Asset Tokenization business in the form of overseas debt for domestic entities directly or indirectly venturing abroad must strictly comply with relevant laws and regulations. They should establish and improve relevant compliance and internal control systems in accordance with relevant normative requirements, strengthen business and risk control, and report the business developments to the relevant regulatory authorities for approval or filing.

V. Strengthen Organizational Implementation

(16) Strengthen organizational leadership and overall coordination. All departments and regions should attach great importance to the prevention of risks related to virtual currencies and Real World Asset Tokenization, strengthen organizational leadership, clarify work responsibilities, form a long-term effective working mechanism with centralized coordination, local implementation, and shared responsibilities, maintain high pressure, dynamically monitor risks, effectively prevent and mitigate risks in an orderly and efficient manner, legally protect the property security of the people, and make every effort to maintain economic and financial order and social stability.

(17) Widely carry out publicity and education. All departments, regions, and industry associations should make full use of various media and other communication channels to disseminate information through legal and policy interpretation, analysis of typical cases, and education on investment risks, etc. They should promote the illegality and harm of virtual currencies and Real World Asset Tokenization-related businesses and their manifestations, fully alert to potential risks and hidden dangers, and enhance public awareness and identification capabilities for risk prevention.

VI. Legal Responsibility

(18) Engaging in illegal financial activities related to virtual currencies and Real World Asset Tokenization in violation of this notice, as well as providing services for virtual currencies and Real World Asset Tokenization-related businesses, shall be punished in accordance with relevant regulations. If it constitutes a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued according to the law. For domestic entities and individuals who knowingly or should have known that overseas entities illegally provided virtual currency or Real World Asset Tokenization-related services to domestic entities and still assisted them, relevant responsibilities shall be pursued according to the law. If it constitutes a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued according to the law.

(19) If any unit or individual invests in virtual currencies, Real World Asset Tokens, and related financial products against public order and good customs, the relevant civil legal actions shall be invalid, and any resulting losses shall be borne by them. If there are suspicions of disrupting financial order and jeopardizing financial security, the relevant departments shall deal with them according to the law.

This notice shall enter into force upon the date of its issuance. The People's Bank of China and ten other departments' "Notice on Further Preventing and Dealing with the Risks of Virtual Currency Trading Speculation" (Yinfa [2021] No. 237) is hereby repealed.

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