Melissa Kacar

A great range of artists were celebrated at this year's Grammy ceremony, making it one of the most stacked and memorable shows in recent years. The night was filled not only with incredible performances, but also with meaningful artistic statements that felt especially apt to be making for this moment in history we are living through. Music remains one of the most unifying forces we have, and the statements so many artists chose to make on this stage felt especially important. In a time marked by division, unrest, and the constant heartache of witnessing horrors around the world, moments like this remind us why we need music more than ever to bring us together. Kendrick Lamar was the most nominated artist of the year, earning nine nominations. His album  GNX  was absolutely incredible and truly deserving of all the hype and then some. At the main ceremony, he won for Best Rap Album and for Record of the Year for "luther" featuring SZA . When accepting his award for Best ...

"APT." by ROSÉ stands out as a major highlight from her debut solo album, rosie , which was released in late 2024. As a member of the K-pop girl group BLACKPINK , ROSÉ embraced a bold and experimental approach for the start of her solo journey, as the rest of her bandmates have as well. This was the lead single of rosie, released alongside the announcement of her solo album, which went on to become one of the biggest global hits of all time.  It has a strong pop punk vibe to it, which is mostly an outlier compared to the rest of the album, but serves as the perfect introduction to ROSÉ as a solo artist. With her solo debut, she experimented with so many new styles of music that showcased her versatility as an artist. Much of the album feels like a culmination of influences such as Olivia Rodrigo , Katy Perry , Selena Gomez and Avril Lavigne . I have really enjoyed hearing all of the new music each member of BLACKPINK has released over the past few months, and the unique ap...