#Pop Music

A school custodian was doing a mic-check for a school assembly when someone with a cell phone began filming. Now, he’s gone viral for his epic rendition of Journey’s hit song, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” at a time when many just need to keep the faith.

On 26 September 1969, the last album recorded by The Beatles was released. More than five decades after the Fab Four split, the world is still fascinated by the music of the greatest pop group ever. During their lifetime, The Beatles released a dozen studio albums – I don’t include 1967’s Magical Mystery Tour as it was originally only released as a double EP in the UK, and was only bulked up for subsequent re-releases with various singles and non-album tracks much later. Almost all Beatles albums are great in their own way and I’m sure we all have our...

When everything shut down in 2020, Colombian multidisciplinary artist Manchado was in the middle of creating PANORAMA, his magnum opus that he's finally released into the world after years of fervently working and reworking. In the album, which he co-produced, Manchado leaves behind the bright and carefree pop textures he...

Given that her slot clashes with Paul McCartney, it’s fitting that Mitski opens her sundown set with the banger “Love Me More”.“I need you to love me more,” she sings, arms outstretched to the crowd, a neutral expression etched across her face. You suspect she could play as happily to 10 people as to 10,000. But with an intensely loyal fandom, she has enough people here at The Park stage to keep the vibes strong.“Working For the Knife” follows, its huge guitar line slicing through the evening air. It’s here that Mitski starts to break out some of the poised...

In the past year, Kevin Gates has attempted to experiment beyond the muddy, bass-slapping sounds of the South, specifically Louisiana. While his influence on a new generation of Southern rappers is evident, some of his recent efforts like “Move” and “Big Lyfe” created more anxiety than anticipation surrounding his next release. The 36-year-old’s attempt at chasing a radio-friendly record felt like an elder statesman at a crossroads in his career, uncertain of where he’ll go next. His vulnerability has remained his strongest suit in his career, though neither singles really capitalized off of it. Instead, it felt like he was experiencing a mid-career crisis in an attempt to earn more validation from the RIAA and Billboard charts than the streets. Now, Gates has peeled back the curtains to his personal life, providing context to both his situation and sound post-I'm Him, grieving the outcome of a failed relationship and embracing the uncertainties of the future.

When she was 13, Gracie Abrams uploaded a cover of “Waiting Room” by Phoebe Bridgers to Soundcloud. “It was the first thing I ever posted on the internet, and it was so s****y,” she laughs. “It was literally me recording into the computer speakers.” In October last year, almost a decade later, Abrams opened for Bridgers in Austin, Texas. The two musicians shared a bedazzled cowboy hat on stage.It was the latest in a series of pinch-me moments for the 22-year-old Californian. With the release of her debut single “Mean It” – a soft and sparse death knell for a...

On Sept. 10, 1982, the forecast called for rain — of a masculine variety. That date served as the release for the unforgettable disco track “It’s Raining Men,” recorded by San Francisco disco divas Martha Wash and Izora Armstead of the Weather Girls. Forty years later,...

There are Taylor Swift songs that lodge themselves eternally in your head after just one listen; there are others whose lyrics are destined to be quoted among fans and shouted back at concerts for perpetuity. But “Carolina,” her understated contribution to the upcoming film Where the Crawdads Sing, seems to have been written with one specific purpose: to set the scene. Swift sings about creeks and back roads, mist and clouds, mud and pines. Working once again with producer Aaron Dessner, she favors acoustic instruments and minor chords that conjure the same haunted, naturalistic imagery.

Image Source: Getty / Monica Morgan / Larry Busacca. Beyoncé's first single from forthcoming album "Renaissance," entitled "Break My Soul" and featuring Big Freedia, also features a sample of Robin S.'s house hit "Show Me Love." Before she was sampled on Beyoncé's "Break My Soul," Robin S. was a major hitmaker in the house-music world. Her track "Show Me Love" was a hit in the early '90s, and her singles "Luv 4 Luv" and "What I Do Best" also topped the charts and helped establish the house-music genre around the world.

In the past year, Kevin Gates has attempted to experiment beyond the muddy, bass-slapping sounds of the South, specifically Louisiana. While his influence on a new generation of Southern rappers is evident, some of his recent efforts like “Move” and “Big Lyfe” created more anxiety than anticipation surrounding his next release. The 36-year-old’s attempt at chasing a radio-friendly record felt like an elder statesman at a crossroads in his career, uncertain of where he’ll go next. His vulnerability has remained his strongest suit in his career, though neither singles really capitalized off of it. Instead, it felt like he was experiencing a mid-career crisis in an attempt to earn more validation from the RIAA and Billboard charts than the streets. Now, Gates has peeled back the curtains to his personal life, providing context to both his situation and sound post-I’m Him, grieving the outcome of a failed relationship and embracing the uncertainties of the future.