Melissa Kacar

For Cryin' Out Loud!  marks the beginning of a new era for Finneas as a solo artist with this freeing and uplifting body of work. It is heartfelt, honest, and introspective - as he fully embraces a more collaborative approach than ever before. It features a blend of modern pop and alternative rock, along with classic, rich orchestral elements as well.  Stylistically it expands upon parts of his 2021 debut solo album, Optimist , but in many ways is much sharper and more focused than that that record because of the ways it was made in basically the complete opposite way than before.  Optimist  was created solely by Finneas - every single song was written, performed and produced completely by himself alone in his home studio during the pandemic. The ability to do all of that alone is a massively impressive feat in itself, but is now what he described to Rolling Stone as a lonely experience and not necessarily creatively fulfilling in the way he hoped it would have been...

Seeing Billie Eilish perform live for the first time on the second night of her HIT ME HARD AND SOFT Tour in New York City was such an unforgettable experience! I have been lucky enough to have seen so many of my favorite artists live over the years, but this was truly the greatest show I have ever been to. Billie is a once in a lifetime talent and it was so surreal to get to see her on this incredible tour.  Hearing Billie's music for the first time in 2017, right when her first EP  don't smile at me  was released, was one of the most formative musical experiences of my life. All of her music has come to mean so much to me during that time and has been such a massive source of inspiration for me throughout those past seven years. She is truly the voice of our generation, and it is such an honor to be able to witness her talents in person for the first time. She has the most gorgeous live vocals and is such a captivating performer. The entire setlist was so perfect, i...