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Tove Lo has been a silent force in pop music for years. The Swedish star expresses her candor through her self–reflective lyrics and her escapism through club–ready beats, giving pop music the breath of fresh air it sorely needs.
Over the past few weeks, a certain orchestral tune may have crossed your TikTok For You page. Typically accompanied by either pleased or horrified reactions to the Face Zoom filter, the sound has nearly 300,000 videos on TikTok, yet many remain unaware of its origins. If you grew up in a Hispanic household, though, you may recognize the hymn as an orchestral version of "Hijo de la Luna," or "Son of the Moon," a song by the Spanish '80s pop group Mecano.
When I was 16, I burned my first CD. Rapt to undergo this rite of passage that my fangirl predecessors all experienced, I impatiently sat on the cold wooden floor of my room while Billy Corgan and Mitski smiled down on me with encouragement from my wall. I had no doubt in my mind what would be my first CD: the unattainable self–titled EP by boygenius. I longed to possess that part of “Me and My Dog,” where Phoebe belts accompanied by Lucy's perfect harmony while Julien shreds the guitar: “I dream about it.” Admittedly, I account for half the streams of boygenius’ performance at Brooklyn Steel Pitchfork Live on Nov. 7, 2018. Since then, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus have earned stardom in their own right as individual artists. Critically acclaimed and adored by cult followings, boygenius is the definition of the famed supergroups of the 20th century.
“BLACKPINK in your area!” goes the group’s mantra. However, for the last two years, the biggest girl group in the world has not, in fact, been in your area. Their last album, aptly titled THE ALBUM, was released in October 2020. In the K–Pop world, it’s unfathomable for a group, assuming they’re not suffering from low popularity or management issues, to wait two years for a comeback.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are the alt–rock group that has maintained relevance for nearly 40 years. The RHCP have earned many accolades over the course of their career, including 82 music award nominations and 25 wins, six of which being Grammys. The group currently holds the record for most number one hits on the modern rock chart, with 13 number one singles. In 2012, their place in rock history was cemented when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Writ large, East coasters (and West, for that matter) don't seem to know much about my home state of Kansas. Whether you’re picturing endless wheat fields and grazing cows or absentmindedly humming “Over the Rainbow,” it’s safe to say that there’s another lesser—known side to this midwestern state (although the tornadoes are very real). As a Kansas girl now living in the Northeast, I'm legally obligated to defend the better parts of my hometown—and it’s a pleasure to introduce you to The Greeting Committee.
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) opens with shots of curls, coils, kinks, and fros being glazed by the New York City summer rain. Fresh presses are covered by bright, patterned scarves. Brown hands with fire engine red nails dance in the air. A sea of dark eyes bounce from corner to corner of the stage, and a different kind of light comes from the smiles of dark faces when a 19–year–old Stevie Wonder steps on stage in a cocoa brown suit.
B-sides were once a byproduct of mid–to–late 20th century music distribution methods. Now a purely elective format, some modern artists have chosen to use B–side albums as a vehicle for creative exploration.
Earlier this year, a debacle among the unlikeliest of foes came about when Neil Young gave Spotify a major ultimatum: him or me. Him being Joe Rogan, the epitome of middle–aged man with a beer belly sitting in a basement making a podcast. Rogan’s wide array of guests on the Joe Rogan Experience have included Elon Musk in the blunt rotation of my nightmares, and Robert Malone, an alleged vaccine scientist turned notorious critic of mRNA vaccines. Young threatened that if Spotify continues to allow Rogan a platform, he would remove his discography from the app.
Harry Styles has arguably reached the upper echelons of pop royalty. Starting off in the boy band One Direction, Styles was the perfect teenage heartthrob to multitudes of young girls in his fanbase. When the group went on indefinite hiatus in 2016, Styles’ solo material took off. The singer has since amassed a large following with multiple number–one hits and albums under his belt.
Before the release of the album Ctrl in 2017, if you said the name SZA, you’d probably be met with a confused stare and an “excuse me?” Now, she’s a prominent name in female R&B, with a diehard fanbase who's hung onto her every word for the past five years—even though it’s been just as long since she’s put out a full–length project. Her debut release captured the world’s attention, with her lilting yet strong vocals leading Ctrl to five Grammy nominations and widespread critical acclaim. The album’s timelessness has allowed her to maintain relevance without putting out fresh content: it appeals to listeners from ages 13 to 30, with relatable lyrics and comforting tunes that apply to middle school drama just as well as a mid–20s break up.
Rina Sawayama’s career is all about defying odds. Sawayama, a Japanese immigrant, tried to break through the British music scene with her debut single “Sleeping in Waking” in 2013. She went under the stage name “Rina” for quite a few years, calling her last name “an inconvenience,” up to her debut self–titled EP, RINA, in 2017.
A few years ago, my mom visited Royal Izakaya, a Japanese bistro in Old City. She described a warm atmosphere, good food, and an overall positive experience, but she was especially excited to hear several of her favorite songs on the restaurant’s playlist: “Can I Kick It?” by A Tribe Called Quest, “Brown Sugar” by D’Angelo, and the entirety of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. She asked the manager for the playlist, he sent her a Spotify link, and she kept listening for months after her meal. My mom’s R&B throwbacks listening spree was the most defining part of her dining experience that night.
Five years after his breakthrough release The Never Story, Atlanta–born rapper JID has been praised for his undeniable potential. His ability to effortlessly flow and tell stories on any given beat earned him a signing to J. Cole’s Dreamville Records, with hip–hop fans noticing the move as an endorsement of the highest level.
Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift. Lady Gaga wearing a meat dress. Madonna and Britney Spears kissing. Miley Cyrus twerking. These are just a few of the iconic moments from past MTV Video Music Awards. In an award show that celebrates memorable music videos—from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to Missy Elliot’s “Work It”—the annual event is a hub for the artistic visionaries of the music industry.
K–pop as an industry is like a continually revolving door. In goes fresh blood, challenging the status quo with new ideas and sounds, and out goes the old, filled with nostalgia and memories of the distant past. As the industry favors debuting younger artists like NewJeans and Kep1er, aging groups are threatened with disbandment in an ever–competitive environment.
Recently, celebrities have been more empowered than ever to open up about their struggles with mental health. Musicians and actors alike, from Demi Lovato and Lizzo to Bo Burnham and Lady Gaga, have come forward and tell their stories. While openness is always welcome, there are still more steps needed to ensure that artists can feel safe and comfortable with themselves. An incident that confirms this thought is Kid Cudi’s viral departure at Rolling Loud Miami.
Ella Jane is your typical Taylor Swift–loving, city–dwelling, anxiety–ridden 20–year–old. She loves to write and sing, mindlessly scroll through her TikTok feed, and make Spotify playlists catering to her moods. But, Ella has a unique second life; she's a rising popstar, with one EP released, an album on the way, and a headlining tour starting next month.
Music can make or break a party. From trap and house to teen pop and EDM, a single energetic song can revive an otherwise dead atmosphere. For this issue on party culture at Penn, Street staff is sharing some of their favorite party anthems, including the most overplayed tracks at formals and the most underrated bops while pregaming.
After rendering Pharrell Williams speechless in a New York University masterclass with the lilting folktronica song “Alaska,” Maggie Rogers became famous in the way that singer–songwriters only dream of—overnight and all at once. But instead of capitalizing on her newfound fame, she disappeared after her 2019 tour, retreating to coastal Maine to cope with burnout. Rogers enrolled in Harvard Divinity School and began creating music once again, culminating in her second album, Surrender, which is aptly titled after her master's thesis—an examination of the almost spiritual relationship among artist, audience, and performance.
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