Tag: music

Olivia Rodrigo Makes Music for the Teenage Girl in All of Us.

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By Bella Rainey

In 2021, Olivia Rodrigo stunned the world with “Sour” —a short but sweet record that journies through heartbreak and girlhood. It balanced immaturity and maturity in a way many thought would be impossible to top. 

Spoiler alert: She topped it. 

“GUTS” is one of the best sophomore pop albums I have had the pleasure of listening to, analyzing, and dissecting—and I’m still thinking about it six months after it debuted on September 8, 2023.

The album leans into hints of pop-punk we got in “Sour,” but it stays true to Olivia’s ballad-y roots. She focuses on topics such as hooking up with an ex, jealousy, and the difficult (but exciting) transition from teenage girl to young woman. It’s a lot to cover in just 39 minutes, so let’s hop in. 

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Why is Taylor Swift so popular? The karmic genius that led to her success.

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Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,”  announcement at the 2024 Grammy Awards is cosmic-level for this Swiftie.

By Emily Laptad

CW: Mention of domestic abuse/violence, complex trauma, and childhood trauma.

On October 22, 2022, I woke up to listen to the bonus tracks on Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album, Midnights (3am Edition). It was a spiritual experience that nudged my personal life story in a direction I never saw coming when the lyrics, “Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first,” crooned through my earbuds as I listened to “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” for the first time.

So, it’s fitting that it’s 3 a.m. now as I try to weave together the words to illustrate just how much the historical popstar, musical mastermind, and 14-time Grammy Award Winner means to me—and so many other Swifties too. This particular editorial has been in the making for over a year now, and after tossing and turning over the shear dismay that Taylor blindsided the Swifties with a brand new album, The Tortured Poets Department, that’s coming out on April 19 (we all thought we were getting reputation (Taylor’s Version) instead) now felt like a better time than ever.

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Leave the Gaylors alone, your internalized homophobia is showing

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By Emily Laptad
Photo by Travis Young

I never had an official “coming out” moment. In a way, this very article might be the closest thing I’ll ever do to officially “come out as bisexual.” But here’s the thing. I am already out to everyone who is paying attention. 

And it wasn’t until I was ranting to my husband about the latest drama around the dialogue of Taylor Swift’s sexuality that I came to a colossal realization. As words flew out of my mouth at 100 mph, my insightful spouse pointed out that I am so upset with what’s happening because I see myself in what seems to be Taylor’s story.

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How MUNA helped me find the inner fangirl I never knew existed

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By Ayanna Smith 
Art by Beks

Do you remember the date One Direction started their hiatus? Or the last time the five of them were seen together? 

Me either. But for thousands (millions actually feels more accurate) they could tell you those exact dates and more obscure facts without a moment of hesitation. And I’ll tell you a secret. I’ve never understood it. At least, I didn’t understand it until I found myself under the spell of a queer pop band.

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‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ is a Time Capsule of Adolescent Expression 

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By Hanna Ellington

Glittering, angsty, sparkling, and effeminate, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is an ode to girlhood and the unrestrained emotion that comes with growing out of it.

I sit here coming to you in my apartment in a big city reminiscing on who I was when Speak Now came out for the first time. Dark curly hair, ambition beyond the confines of Kansas, and an affinity for the unbridled twang of Taylor Swift. At 11, I had already paid my dues as a Swiftie with my copy of Fearless and her debut album tucked in the growing CD collection shared with my mom.

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