Category: Featured Music

Image source: Rolling Stone

As the world becomes progressive by the minute, the LGBTQ community continues to seek proper representation in the media. Although there have been queer stories popping here and there, such as Call Me By Your Name and Love, Simon movies, there is still so much needed to be done. Australian singer-songwriter Troye Sivan shares the same sentiments. More than two years after the release of his album called Bloom, it remains the top-tier track that tackles queerness in pop songs. 

His songs are a breath of fresh air. For so long, queer stories have revolved around unrequited love and forbidden relationships. However, Sivan’s Bloom album shies away from the traditional queer narrative. Instead, his songs explicitly tell he’s out and proud, and his LGBTQ fans can do the same too, that is, to be themselves no matter what. 

Right at the beginning, the Bloom album directly caters the modern listeners. For example, the “Seventeen” song relishes Sivan’s first sexual experience with an older man from a dating app. Instead of portraying the music in a predatory narrative as most mainstream queer stories do, it shows Sivan’s perspective of how he naively believed everything to be true. For his queer fanbase, the song depicts a queer boy’s discovery of his sexuality and identity. 

“My My My!” comes next in the album, which illustrates the first electrifying stages of a relationship. This theme is present in all relationships, especially queer ones. In the music video, Sivan plainly shows lust over his new boyfriend as he pens, “an ode to the boy he loves.” Like the first stages of love, the ‘80s aesthetic and tune of the song are purely euphoric. There is no argument that the track resonates deeply with Sivan’s growing fanbase.

Perhaps, one of the best songs on the album is “Bloom.” With its catchy tune, the song tells a story about losing one’s virginity and the beauty of gay intimacy. Troye Sivan openly admits in an interview, “You know, for me, this is really real life, being able to celebrate these things, being able to talk about these things, and just being as open and honest as you want, and I didn’t want to come to this album writing for anyone but me and my friends. I wanted to make an album that I was proud of, that felt exciting to me, and that felt honest to me, and felt like something that made sense of me. And a big part of that was exploring these themes the way I would amongst friends or whatever.”

On the other hand, there is the “Good Side,” a mature, slow ballad showing Sivan getting the best part out of a breakup. It juxtaposes the song “Bloom,” which is about lustful beginnings. “Good Side” is all about heartbreaking goodbyes. 

This whole album of Troye Sivan is one of his queer-positive projects. Over the years, he has earned loyalty from his LGBTQ audience because of his no-bullshit attitude. He does not try to preach his ways. He simply just lives. 

Follow Troye Sivan on Instagram and Spotify.

Sources:

https://www.them.us/story/troye-sivan-bloom-interview

Image source: Rolling Stone

Polo G’s song Rapstar skyrocketed to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 songs chart only a week after it was released, and it is currently maintaining its momentum. Produced by Columbia Records, Rapstar gained 40.3 million streams in the United States alone and sold over 2,400 downloads by April 22. The song also attracted three million radio airplay. Rapstar’s current status places Polo G at a higher league, making the single one of his most notable phenomena to date.

Rapstar features Polo G’s story of becoming a superstar rapper. It features the exhausting process the artist went through to reach his goals and how he overcame insecurities along the way. In an interview with Complex, the rapper said, “It’s about the ups and downs of this lifestyle,” referring to the life of a celebrity. “You know you can be winning, and even though all of the good shit that’s happening, you can still have those emotional battles,” he added. Rapstar became a monumental success, trending No. 1 on YouTube within its first 24 hours of release. 

Polo G previously told the press that he wrote everything he wanted to accomplish on a vision board at the beginning of his career. One of his goals was to create a chart-topping hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite the massive success the superstar rapper is experiencing today, reaching his goals did not happen overnight.

Born Taurus Tremani Bartlett, Polo G’s career began in 2018 when he landed his first record deal after gaining attention from the millions of streams his track called Gang With Me obtained on SoundCloud. Polo G kept the momentum by releasing more greetings such as Welcome Back, Neva Cared, and Finer Things, which quickly gained millions of views in the latter half of 2018. But before he found his way to music, Polo G struggled to overcome the lifestyle he had in the hood.

In May of 2018, Polo G was facing multiple arrests for selling weed and selling cars. After seeing how his struggles reflected other kids from his hometown Chicago, the rapper wanted to amplify the emotions of his upbringing and shed light on the stories of Chicago kids like himself who have been exposed and wounded by their environment. 

Polo G was raised in a humble home in Marshall Field Garden Apartments, one of the most impoverished housing projects in Chicago. He described his upbringing as impoverished from all material things and that his parents, who married young, were learning things as they go. Despite their family’s lack of financial stability, his mother aspired to great things for him after realizing that he was articulate and well-spoken even at a young age. 

“It was a really humble beginning. It was a family sense. Although a lot of things go on, we’d still show love off the strength of our parents, etc. I was seeing the typical things every Chicago kid sees but more up close and personal. You see the average things: drug dealings, drama, violence, things of that sort. I was just maneuvering, trying to survive, becoming a product of my environment, but also being able to quickly pull myself away from that,” Polo G shared in an interview.

Today, after overcoming the hood, Polo G wants to set an example to other Chicago kids who have been exposed to violence, drugs, gangs, and other challenging circumstances through his vivid storytelling. Polo G currently lives with his son Tremani. 

Sources:

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9562990/polo-g-rapstar-number-one-hot-100-second-week

https://www.complex.com/music/polo-g-rapstar-making-of-interviews/part-4

https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/polo-g-interview/

Image source: Glamour

With his chart-topping and award-winning songs, Thomas Rhett is one of the most notable icons in today’s country music scene. His captivating lyrics often leave fans eager to learn the narrative behind his music. The country star further intrigued global fans when he shared that his recent album, which topped this week’s new releases, is his most “personal” creation yet.

The country singer is dropping his new album called Country Again: Side A this month, and he revealed that the songs spring from deeply personal experiences and emotions in his life. Thomas Rhett has never shied from revealing his personality through his music, but the songs in his recent album feature raw stories and aspirations. One of which is the song called To The Guys That Date My Girls, which is the country singer’s ode to his three daughters Willa, Ada, and Lennon. 

Thomas Rhett shared in an interview, “I was riding around with a buddy of mine from Charleston in Nashville about a one year and a half ago, and we were just talking… about that whole perspective from the dad, being like what would you say to that person? What would you say to the guy who came up to your door, ‘Hey, I’m here to take your daughter on a date.’ Like, are you gonna be the real tough dad? Are you gonna be the dad who invites him in for coffee? Like which kind of version are you going to be?” 

“This [song] is kind of like a rough draft of a letter that I kind of felt like things a guy would need to know when you come over to my house to pick up one of my daughters for the first time,” the country singer added. To The Guys That Date My Girls speaks to fathers who are particularly anxious about the inevitable time when their daughters would begin to date and eventually marry someone to create their own family. The song is also said to be “making grown men cry.”

Country Again: Side A will also feature other songs such as Want It Again, Growing Up, and his recent single What’s Your Country Song. The album will also include Heaven right Now, Where We Grew Up, More Time Fishin, Ya Heard, Country Again, Put It On Ice, and Blame It On a Backroad. Furthermore, with the release of his new masterpieces, Thomas Rhett gained the ACM Male Artist of the Year award. 

“Country Again: Side A is everything I wanted to say when I was 19 years old but hadn’t lived enough to know how to say any of those things yet,” Thomas Rhett said in a press release. “It’s about the crazy journey that took me out into the world over the last ten years and ultimately brought me back home, more centered and content than ever, with a deep understanding for what’s important in life. I’ve had a blast sharing some of these songs in their acoustic form during quarantine and am blown away by the reaction the fans have already shown.”

Country Again: Side A will be available on April 30. Thomas Rhett is also eyeing the release of the album Side B later in the year. 

Sources:

http://www.cmt.com/news/1832996/thomas-rhetts-new-song-inspired-by-his-daughters-is-making-grown-men-cry/

https://www.etonline.com/thomas-rhett-on-his-emotional-song-for-his-daughters-and-most-personal-album-yet-exclusive-164753

https://people.com/country/thomas-rhett-two-songs-release-double-album-country-again/

Image source: Allure

Billie Eilish has caused a stir in the music industry with the launching of her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? in 2019, which reached the top 15 in the United States, UK, Canada, and Australia. Since then, the American singer and songwriter has won seven Grammy awards, two Guinness World Records, three MTV Video Music Awards, and many more notable accolades. This year, Billie Eilish brought exciting news to her global fans with the announcement of her second album, to be released in July 2021.

The Happier Than Ever Album showcases Billie Eilish’s growth as an artist. The 19-year-old singer even intrigued fans about her metamorphosis by releasing a photo of her new blonde shag cut on Twitter. Despite the change in her appearance, the artist still bears the air of familiarity, assuring fans that her upcoming songs will just be as relatable and memorable as those in her first album.

Billie Eilish has been teasing fans about her new project for months. She also captured the attention of music lovers across the globe with her genuine statements about the upcoming album on her social media platforms. On Instagram, the singer wrote: “This is my favorite thing I’ve ever created, and I am so excited and nervous and eager for you to hear it. I can’t even tell you. I’ve never felt so much love for a project than I do for this one. Hope you feel what I feel.”

Songs in Happier Than Ever are written by Billie Eilish together with her brother Finneas O’Connell. The songwriter and musical collaborator has also been instrumental in the success of her first album. With Finneas on board, Eilish aims to take listeners down a tranquil journey through music. The singer-songwriter has already given fans hints of what to expect with the soft, beige, monochromatic teaser videos she posted on multiple online platforms. The theme of the new album is in contrast with the dark and almost horror-like vibes of her debut album. 

Happier Than Ever was recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown, Billie Eilish told Stephen Colbert in an interview on Late Night. The singer shared that the songs are inspired by the challenging events of the past year, but they don’t necessarily revolve around the pandemic. Furthermore, Eilish told Colbert on the show, “I don’t think I would’ve made the same album, or even the album at all if it weren’t for COVID. That doesn’t mean it’s about COVID at all, it’s just that, when things are different in your life, you’re different. That’s just how it is. So, I have to thank COVID for that, and that’s about it.”

The pop star also announced that a new single from the upcoming album would be available on April 29, giving fans a taste of the 16-song album to be released later in the summer. Apple Music tracklist also revealed that the album would include songs entitled Billie Bossa Nova, my future, Oxytoxic, Lost Cause, and NDA. 

Sources:

https://www.lofficielusa.com/music/billie-eilish-new-album-happier-than-ever-instagram

https://www.billboard.com/video/billie-eilish-teases-new-single-happier-than-ever-billboard-news

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/billie-eilish-reveals-album-her-175059819.html