Melissa Kacar

"I thought that I was dreamin' when you said you love me" opens the emotional journey of Frank Ocean 's "Ivy", setting the tone for all that is to follow. This is a song that feels like a memory unraveling in real time. Featured on his 2016 sophomore album Blonde , "Ivy" is a beautiful ode to young love and the lingering ache of its aftermath. It's minimalistic in production but emotionally expansive, pairing alternative R&B textures with stripped-down instrumentation.  The song connects deeply to the overarching themes of love and loss throughout  Blonde.  His raw and emotional performance on "Ivy" makes it clear that the song is rooted deeply in a specific, personal experience, even though he is known to be a very private and elusive artist that rarely speaks about the inspiration behind his music. Still, the feeling behind "Ivy" is universal and largely speaks for itself. "Ivy" feels like an ode to a first l...

"Training Season (Extended)" // Dua Lipa Training season's (finally) over! Dua Lipa is back with another smash hit, "Training Season", which serves as the second single for her upcoming album. She previewed it at The Grammy's this month and I was counting down the days until I would be able to listen to it again! It's been on repeat ever since!  Much like "Houdini" , she also released an extended cut of the song, which I absolutely love even more than the standard version. The production is absolutely incredible!  I am so excited for the rest of her album ! "Deeper Well" // Kacey Musgraves Last month I mentioned that we were long overdue for new music from Kacey and it seems like she heard my call! "Deeper Well" is the title track of her upcoming album and it feels like a return to the Golden Hour sound. It is such a beautiful and reflective song, that lets her talents shine so brightly. Her album is coming out next mon...

Music's biggest night of the year was filled with unforgettable music moments and live performances of some of the best songs of the year. Every single category at this year's Grammy ceremony was stacked with incredible talent, making it impossible to really predict which way each award was going to go. It has been such a great year for new music and this show served as a perfect celebration of that.  The show opened with a performance from Dua Lipa of her new song "Training Season", which is set to be officially released later this month. She also performed one of my current favorites, "Houdini" , which was also her first time performing that song too. It was one of the first glimpses we got into the visuals surrounding her upcoming album, and I am so excited to hear more from it soon! She was nominated this year for "Dance The Night" from Barbie: The Album , which she didn't win any awards for, but is a great song nonetheless!  The rest of ...

Mayhem  is a true return to form for Lady Gaga . The pop music pioneer herself has continuously found new ways to evolve and transform herself with each release. This time around, she went back to her dance music roots, which resulted in one of the best records of her entire career. With  Mayhem , Gaga revisited many of the same aesthetics and themes that were present in her art at the start of her career, with albums like  The Fame , The Fame Monster  and   Born This Way   - which were truly innovative records at the time and greatly shaped what the future of pop music became. At the same time, she offers a modern and matured approach to the music, which fully reflects who she is right now at this stage of her life. This album truly is mayhem - it's clear that Gaga drew from so many different influences that make up the tapestry of sound this album represents. From David Bowie, Queen, Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna - the synthy 80s influences are amo...