‘Physical’: Dua Lipa Is Putting the Pulse Back in Pop
Introspection and somber reflection regarding the State of Things Today are important elements of modern pop. But in the current climate, which often feels heavy with personal confessionals, anxiety and depression-themed anthems and worldweary political commentary (and, well, that general…
'Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys)': Rina Sawayama Gives Love to the Gays
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dqPKBJ6GvE&feature=emb_title Rina Sawayama is feeling so confident, and she's got her boys to thank for that. The rising London-based pop star has kept her fans fed with her fresh, early '00s-meets-future pop sound, which she's continued to refine for years. I first…
'Bikini Porn': Tove Lo Shakes Her Disco Tits Around the Desert
Tove Lo's a freak, and that's why we love her. It's only been a few months since the release of her fourth studio album Sunshine Kitty, but the Swedish singer-songwriter is already set on serving up something new. (Speaking of, did you know she co-wrote Girls Aloud's "Something New"? A God-tier…
Gabrielle Aplin & Nina Nesbitt's 'Miss You 2' Is the First Great New (Old) Pop Song of 2020
I'm Barbara Walters, and this...is 2020. This year is all about a fresh start, new beginnings and Classic Blue. So, what better way to kick off the New Year than by dusting off a four-year-old song and re-releasing it with a little makeover? (Look, it worked for Lizzo.) Gabrielle Aplin is an…
'Please Don't Touch': RAYE Makes a Pretty Vulnerable Pop Plea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-R6vC5bxCA So, here's the thing: only recently have I discovered that I am a RAYE stan, and have been for years. A RAYEbot? A RAYEnbow? One of her RAYEs of light? Still workshopping. Will report back. It snuck up on me quite suddenly: the 22-year-old British…
Billie Eilish Got Everything She Wanted, For Better or Worse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm0MGnuRnH0 "I had a dream. I got everything I wanted. Not what you'd think. And if I'm bein' honest, it might've been a nightmare." There was a Vanity Fair video that came out last year, called "Same Interview, One Year Apart" with Billie Eilish. The concept was…
Dua Lipa Is Having a Genuinely Exciting Disco Moment
Back in early 2016, I pondered whether a newly debuted singer named Dua Lipa could Be The One. It's nearly 2020, and she's now a Main Pop Girl™. But with great chart moves comes great responsibility. Accordingly, the pressure was on for the 24-year-old star to deliver with "Don't Start Now," the…
Hikaru Utada & Shiina Ringo Reunite With 'Roman to Soroban'
The last time Hikaru Utada and Shiina Ringo got together, they were taking a trip into outer space for a brief, but necessary two hour vacation on Fantôme's "Nijikan Dake No Vacance" in 2016. Having returned back down to Earth - or, more likely, arrived at some far-off planet accessible only to…
The Sugababes Are Back, And They've Brought Us 'Flowers'
View this post on Instagram A post shared by mutya buena (@official_mutyabuena) on Oct 17, 2019 at 4:31pm PDT Mutya Keisha Siobhan no more: the Sugababes are officially back. It's been ages - over six years, officially - since we last heard anything from…
'When I Wasn't Watching': Mandy Moore Returns After a Decade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5yM8lHoOAk "What I became when I wasn't watching..." After over a decade of craving, crying, hoping, lifting our hands and praying with nothing but pennies in our pocket, Amanda Leigh Moore has returned to us - as Mandy Moore, The Singer - at last. Barring a…
'Violence': Grimes, of All People, Is Giving Us Choreography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9SGYBHY0qs "Baby, it's violence..." It's, uh, difficult to predict what Grimes is going to do next, especially as of late: one minute she's accompanying a multi-billionaire to the Met Gala wearing a Tesla choker, stanning LOOΠΔ and duking it out with Azealia Banks…
'Like the Way I Do': Cascada Returns to Rescue the Dance Floor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_sfIM0Y9mA Cascada, the legendary "Everytime We Touch" troupe, is back. When it comes to German chart-toppers stateside, there are, admittedly, not many that spring to mind. But that barely matters when there's one iconic dance trio that has allowed the nation to…