Melissa Kacar

"Evolve" by 5 Seconds of Summer 5SOS finally released their long‑awaited sixth album together, and it might be my favorite thing they've ever made. EVERYONE'S A STAR! fully leans into this fun, tongue‑in‑cheek energy that they have been perfecting all throughout their career, but this time through an even more refined and mature lens. I've been so obsessed with so many of their new songs, but I especially love the momentum that "Evolve" brings to the latter half of the album. It's going to be so incredible live and I can't wait to experience it next summer in New York City ! "Showbiz" by Hayley Williams Hayley Williams released yet another bonus track from her incredible Ego Death at A Bachelorette Party , which first came out this summer as a series of singles. This new song was included as a bonus alongside the vinyl release, and it serves as such an emotional closing note to the album and the larger narrative she's been build...

Wicked: For Good is such a beautiful celebration of the people who enter your life and leave an indelible mark on you forever. It's a powerful representation of friendship and sisterhood in their purest forms, as well as a reminder of the younger versions of ourselves that continue to live within us years later. Once again, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo deliver truly incredible performances. I said this in my review of the first part too, but it bears repeating: there is no one else in the world who could have embodied Glinda and Elphaba the way Ariana and Cynthia did. They were made for these roles, and their commitment shines through every moment. Jonathan Bailey also stood out as Fiyero, bringing depth and growth to his character arc in ways that was so crucial to the overall story.  The second part of Wicked is undeniably darker than the first, but it builds beautifully on top of it, adding new layers of complexity to each character's journey. It's not only a creati...

"What Was That" by Lorde Lorde summer is officially here! The lead single from her forthcoming album, "What Was That", feels like a true rebirth for Lorde as an artist. Collaborating with Jim-E Stack and Dan Nigro for the first time, she's brought a fresh yet deeply emotional energy with this new song, and I couldn’t be happier that she's back. Listening to this gave me the same joy and euphoria I felt when I first heard Melodrama at 17 years old. It's hard to put into words right now, but this is such an exciting time for pop music and Lorde is one of the key voices that are really shaping this transformative and exciting new era for the culture.  "Egg" by Djo An early contender for my favorite album of the year is absolutely The Crux by Djo . Every song is incredible, and I can't recommend checking out the entire album enough, but one that really struck me is "Egg". It is such a profound and thought-provoking exploration of ide...

"Scared of Loving You" by Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco , her fiancé and the producer of some of the most iconic pop songs of the past 15+ years, announced a brand-new collaborative album titled I Said I Love You First   that is set to be released in March! The album is going to chronicle their entire love story, starting with the first song released from their project titled "Scared of Loving You". It is a simple and sweet ballad about wanting to finally fall in love again but fearing that the past may repeat itself. It was also co-written and co-produced by Finneas , who is another one of my favorite artists ever and takes the song to a whole new level. Just last month in my anniversary review of Selena's 2020 album Rare , I wrote that as much as I would love for her to come back and make more music again, I assumed she would be taking a long hiatus from it because of how vocal she's been about wanting to focus more on act...