you seem pretty sad for a girl so inlove
Olivia Rodrigo

Favorite Songs: maggots for brains, cigarette smoke, expectations

One of my more anticipated releases for the year, and it did not disappoint. I think Olivia’s strongest suit has always been her songwriting. She’s an amazing storyteller, and I think that was showcased brilliantly in this album. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed her two previous albums, but I believe I rank this one higher than the others. I personally related to a lot of the subject matter. I feel like it came out when I really needed to hear it. She’s only 3 albums in and continues to impress with each one; and she’s only 23! I’m excited to see how her artistry develops through the years.

NO LABELS: PART 02 – EP
YEONJUN

Favorite Songs: Baby Wassup?, Fxxking Star

I’ve been following Yeonjun since his group debut with TXT back in 2019. I’ve always thought that he was (and the entire group, of course) was ultra talented, and I think this EP really highlights his ability. I heavily enjoyed his PART 01 edition of NO LABELS, but this second EP has a slight edge over it for me. The song choices, the concept, everything pairs together very well. I think it also really shows some of his own swagger and style, especially in songs like “Fxxking Star”. I love this sound for him, and I can’t wait to see him do some live performances of these songs soon.

It’s Me
ILLIT

I don’t listen to much of ILLIT, but this song was my vocal stim for the entire summer. The choreography is super fun, and they have a lot of great energy whenever I see clips of them performing it. I do have a thumbtack in my notes to check out more of their stuff, because there are some other singles of theirs that I do like.

LOOP
Yves

Yves just keeps sneaking her way on these lists even when she doesn’t release anything new. For this song in particular, I didn’t like it that much on the first listen because of the rap verse. After seeing her perform it live back in May, and now having it come on shuffle every now and then while I drive, I like it a looooot more now. The live experience definitely changed my perspective on it (which now just adds to my amno to attend every single concert that I can)

TOXIN
ATEEZ

My favorite song from GOLDEN HOUR Part 5. I did like the whole EP, but I’m sure I may return to this song the most. The lyrics and overall sound are grown and sexy. The line distribution is quite fair, especially since that was a huge topic of interest for the lead single on this EP. I’d love to see what choreography they come up with for it, assuming it’ll be performed on their next tour.

Ex-Factor
Lauryn Hill

Lauryn Hill’s BET Awards’ tribute is what brought me back to a lot of her music this season. This song I especially played because of her own performance of it during the tribute. There’s a certain rawness that only Lauryn can replicate in her music. The raspiness in her voice, the power, the emotion, she makes you feel each lyric she sings. If I ever saw her live, I think I’d have an actual out of body experience (20% trolling 80% serious).

a lot of Jay-Z songs

This is partly because of the tour he’s still on currently, and mainly because I was in NYC during his 3-day concert at the Yankee’s Stadium and FORGOT HE WAS COMING AND DID NOT HAVE TICKETS! I enjoyed my stay in NYC so much, but I was fuming in the back of my mind everyday. What do you mean that Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, Rihanna, and so many others were on a stage performing and I was barely 40 minutes away and NOT in attendance? In turn, I listened to a lot from the Jigga man. It started out as nostalgia and then I ended down a long road of really studying him. He’s one of the greatest of all time and I can’t believe I was so close to his show and did not make it :(((((

a lot of BTS songs

After 6 long years of waiting, I finally got to see BTS live! I will not go into my rant on how they did Arlington D1 dirty with the surprise songs; at the end of the day, I got see one of my favorite groups and overall artists of all time. It was such a memorable weekend that I won’t ever forget. To the very sweet elderly army we met in the airport and made me cry, I still think of your kind words everyday.