Melissa Kacar

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...

After many years of waiting, the Wicked film adaptation is finally here and it is everything I ever hoped it would be and more! It was truly the most amazing and magical film, I loved every single second of it. The entire cast was incredible and perfectly cast in their parts, but Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande  were truly born to play these roles. They both manage to find a way to pay homage to all of the Elphaba's and Glinda's that came before them, while still being able to carve out their own spaces in Oz history.  Wicked  details the origin story of the beloved characters from  The Wizard of Oz ,  specifically Elphaba, The Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. Their origin story is complicated and tragic at times, but it is also filled with so much love. In the very first song of the film, Glinda poses the question that shapes the entire story, "Are people born Wicked? Or do they have Wickedness thrust upon them?" Cynthia and A...

Ariana Grande 's  eternal sunshine  is in part a concept album based on the 2004 film  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, as well as an insight into the place Ariana is currently at in her life. Sonically it is very pop and R&B inspired, with an emphasis on having a 90's and early 2000's throwback feel. It is also among some of her strongest and most consistent bodies of work yet. The film that the album's title and many of the songs loosely reference is about a couple who agrees to undergo a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories forever, following a bad breakup. For Ariana, this album represents a final lamentation on her ex-husband and their divorce, as well as looking optimistically into the future with her new relationship. She uses the plotline of that film to portray the downfall of their marriage and how she overcame the heartache that came with her divorce, singing "you're just my eternal sunshine" to her ex-husban...

"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...