Melissa Kacar

"Camera" by Charli xcx Charli xcx has officially released not one, but two of my very favorite albums of the year - first with the stunning Wuthering Heights concept album / soundtrack, and now with the all‑time career highlight Music Fashion Film . It was also impossible to highlight just one song from this album ("2007" and the closer "No One Lasts Forever" being very close contenders as my monthly favorites too), but "Camera" felt like the most indicative of the entire ethos of what this music represents as a whole. It is such a deeply thought‑provoking examination of what it means to pursue a life of art and stardom in the modern age; while framing the question of legacy and what an artist leaves behind (or doesn't). Closing out the trifecta of singles for music ( "Rock Music" ), fashion ( "SS26" ), and film ("Camera"), it is fully representative of who she is as an artist and what her mission is with this ...

"the cure" by Olivia Rodrigo The second single off of Olivia 's you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love is such a cathartic, existential, and melodramatic masterpiece - all of which are traits that have continually made up so much of her best work to date. If the lead single "drop dead" is the embodiment of the girl so in love portion of the album title, then "the cure" in turn feels like the representation of the you seem pretty sad aspect of the time in her life that inspired her to write this. Coming in at the midpoint of the album's tracklist, it's definitely going to serve as a crucial transition piece for the album's overarching narrative. The build‑up to the bridge and the explosive final chorus is absolutely incredible and feels so powerful with every single listen. It's genuinely one of the best songs Olivia has ever written, and also one of the greatest pop songs of recent memory, which is not an overstatement in the slig...

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 ...

Released in 2015 as a sweet and unexpected interim EP between album cycles - about a year after My Everything and six months before Dangerous Woman  - Christmas & Chill  became one of Ariana Grande 's most beloved projects in her discography. In fact, she even called it "...my favorite body of work" on Twitter in 2019. Ariana recorded the entire project in less than a week at her home studio with her friends and frequent collaborators, including Victoria Monét, Tommy Brown, Ryan Tedder, and others. The idea for a full holiday project came after the success of "Santa Tell Me" the year prior, along with the rest of the Christmas Kisses  EP, which was a mix of originals and refreshed classics.  The opening track, aptly titled "Intro", sets the tone immediately as she sings, "Welcome to this Christmas, only comes one time a year, don't miss this...let me sneak into your speakers, listen".  While inherently festive, the EP also feels li...