Melissa Kacar

"California" is a strikingly candid reflection on Chappell Roan 's life and early career, written right as she was on the cusp of her music breakthrough she had spent years chasing. It captures the pursuit of making a name for herself, and the fear that everything she wanted most might still be just out of reach. The weight of disappointment is at the center of this song - both the disappointment in herself, and in the fear that she's letting others down by walking away from the version of her dream she had always imagined. There is a distinct heartache to her performance as she captures the loss of hope and in wondering whether the thing she poured her heart into simply isn't going to work out. If her story in the years that followed says anything, it's that no dream is ever too far out of reach. The way that "California" was written as a moment of reflection is so relatable, especially for anyone chasing a life in the arts, and endlessly trying to...

"The Subway" is deeply heartfelt and unflinchingly honest as Chappell Roan recalls the kind of specific, intimate details of a love that got away. All of the memories still linger, almost as if she's haunted by them. The long‑awaited official release feels like such a major moment in her career. It's truly the best song she has released thus far with so much emotion packed into every single lyric.  After its live debut at The Governor's Ball in New York City in June 2024 where she performed it, of course, dressed as The Statue of Liberty in a taxi‑patterned dress, the song quickly went on to become a beloved fan favorite. Even though Chappell debuted it in summer 2024, the official release didn't arrive until summer 2025 , after nearly a full year of performing it at festivals and shows around the world. At the time of its debut, she performed it without any plan for an official release and hadn't even recorded the song yet. The studio version, which sh...

Chappell Roan 's breakthrough single "Good Luck Babe!" is a poignant and sarcastic farewell to the girl she once loved that couldn't love her back. In an email she sent to fans prior to the song's release, Chappell said that "Good Luck Babe!" is a song "about wishing good luck to someone who is denying fate". In the song's chorus she sings, "You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling". It was released in April 2024 as the first song in the next chapter of her career. At that point her debut album, The Rise and Fall of the Midwest Princess , had started to gain massive popularity around six months after its release. She was experiencing one of the biggest overnight success stories the music industry has ever seen, completely taking over pop music with her unique sound, powerhouse vocals, and captivating live performances. Of course, I say "overnight success" lightly, as Chappell has been working for nearly ...

looking like an angel on the walls of versailles is a curated playlist inspired by Olivia Rodrigo 's  you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love lead single "drop dead" - an infectious all encompassing love song that perfectly bottles the lightning‑strike first rush of a new crush and the flood of emotions that come along with it. The lyricism of this song has been feeling particularly inspiring since it was released, especially the vivid imagery she threads throughout the verses. With her long‑awaited new album finally out today, it felt like the perfect moment to put together a collection of songs that echo the feeling of "drop dead", the track that opens the album and plays such an integral role in its larger narrative. Even as the song shifts in tone and meaning across the record, "drop dead" is an incredible opener for the flood of emotions she was experiencing at this point in her life. She captures the rollercoaster of this relationship throug...

"we fell in love in october" is a quintessential autumnal declaration of love. Throughout the song, girl in red captures a sense of unbridled devotion in the most simple and personal way possible, repeatedly returning to the phrase "you will be my girl". The song is such an intimate and unapologetic embrace of the love that defined this point in her life.  "Just screaming, "My girl, my girl!" twenty times in the chorus and sort of just owning it because I struggled a long time accepting it, and there was so much shit going on with this girl, there was just so much drama," she said in an interview with Fader. It's about when things have kind of settled and I'm like Fuck yeah, this is my girl. And you will be my girl. I don't know, I love this girl." Although she released the song independently in 2018, girl in red began writing it in 2015. It was the first song she ever wrote about a girl, marking a significant milestone in both...

"Secret Language" is a beautiful portrait of what it means to love before you can even put it into words. It feels so singular to Ryan Beatty 's voice and artistic vision, especially in the way he writes with such specificity for his own partner, but still makes the feeling so much larger than himself in a way that can connect to anyone who has ever tried to capture such a specific form of emotional intensity.  The song's backdrop is rooted in stunning Americana imagery and sweet, poetic lyricism. There is a deep sincerity and openness in the way he expresses himself throughout all of  Sweet Fortune , his fourth album this song is apart of, even though he often writes about how closed off he can be emotionally. "All the ways I say it in a secret language, did you hear what my words couldn't tell? I keep it all to myself," he sings in the beautiful chorus.  "It's an arms-open-wide song," Ryan said in an interview with Vogue alongside its re...