Melissa Kacar

Dangerous Woman continues to be one of the defining albums of Ariana Grande 's career. This record solidified her place in pop music history and delivered a run of some of the best and biggest hits of the decade. At this point in her career, she was fully taking over pop music, and this album truly solidified her status as the defining voice of a generation. On "Side To Side" , Nicki Minaj ends her verse with a proclamation that "Young Ariana run pop", which has only gone on to be more relevant in the decade to follow. In terms of pure pop aesthetics, Dangerous Woman still stands as the quintessential era of her career in so many ways, and is anchored by some of the strongest track runs she's ever released. It followed the classic hits that made up her 2014 sophomore album My Everything , and it built on that momentum with an even more fierce and empowered stance.  The branding and iconography of the album's cover is also an iconic piece of her career ...

"What You Want" is a bold electronic club anthem that serves as the perfect blend between Justice - the French electronic duo made up of Xavier de Rosnay and Gaspard Augé - and Belgian pop singer Angèle . It's such a seamless fusion of their two distinct sonic worlds, coming together in the most unexpected way. The collaboration itself came together organically after meeting for the first time backstage at Justice's show in Brussels in late 2024. There was an immediate creative spark between them, and that connection was translated so clearly into this track. The energy and adrenaline running through the song, along with the sleek electronic production all collide to create such a dynamic listening experience.  "I went to say hi in their dressing room after their show, which I'd loved. It was the first time we met, and we talked a lot about our careers and our creative visions. I spontaneously suggested they come to the studio. We spent an afternoon listenin...

"To Love Somebody" is a song rooted in heartbreak, but it approaches the feeling from a completely different angle than a typical breakup track. Instead of framing sensitivity and feeling all-encompassing deep emotions as weaknesses, Holly Humberstone instead writes from the place of these being the distinct traits that make us human. The bittersweet message is that the moments in life that leave you feeling the most exposed and emotionally vulnerable ultimately allow us to gain clarity and experience life in the fullest sense of the word. "They tell you that you feel too much, euphoria right down to the crush, it all breaks down, it always does, it all works out, it always does," Holly sings in the first pre-chorus. "And the shit they say in the songs you love, the greatest hits and the deepest cuts, it all breaks down, it always does, it all works out, it always does". At the heart of it, this song carries the age old message that it is better to have ...

run from the sunlight is a curated playlist I created to capture some of my current music obsessions. The title is inspired by a lyric from one of my favorite songs of the past year, "Dracula" by Tame Impala . His music has been on constant repeat lately, and I used that song in particular as a jumping off point to shape the rest of the playlist around. Lately, I've been listening to a lot more electronic music, with sounds and synths that give off the same kind of vibe being the focus of this playlist. There are also a lot of longtime favorites that I love and felt naturally fit the theme as well. Tame Impala 's music features heavily throughout, but other songs that shaped the direction of the playlist include "Stateside" by PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson , "Houdini" by Dua Lipa , "Dance No More" by Harry Styles , and more.  Other artists featured heavily throughout include The Dare , Djo , Magdalena Bay , and more. I wanted this play...