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SG Lewis: Who Is He - and What’s Next For This Rising Star?

February 6, 2023

SG Lewis (Samuel George Lewis) is a rising star in the dance/electronic music realm. He is a DJ/producer turned singer-songwriter, and is known for his disco-inspired, transcendent sound. He routinely

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Lessons to Learn From the Launch Of Sam Smith’s “Unholy”

February 4, 2023

Sam Smith just released their new album “Gloria” on the 27th of January. As described by Pitchfork, “Gloria flips between hyperpop, country, dancehall, disco, 2-step, and intimate, Kehlani-esque R&B”.

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Are Virtual Idols the Future of Music?

February 5, 2023

Virtual reality and the metaverse have become popular topics in the music industry where more and more technology and music have been combined, creating something that could revolutionize the entire

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Grammy Awards Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical: The Category Songwriters Deserve

February 5, 2023

The 65th annual GRAMMY Awards are here, and there's a long-awaited addition to the awards. This year marks the introduction of a new category: the Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical Award. For all

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How Zach Bryan’s Authenticity Makes His Music So Appealing, Even to Non-Country Fans

January 31, 2023

Zach Bryan released his first album in 2019, and in the short time since he has become one of the biggest names in country. His biggest album, “American Heartbreak”, broke single-day album streaming

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Miley Cyrus is Going to Take Over Pop in 2023

January 31, 2023

Miley Cyrus was born into the music industry, and has spent her career channelling her Nashville and Hollywood roots into a diverse discography stacked with hits. Add to that countless covers that are

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Why This Pop-Rock Band Got Hate For Starting On YouTube

January 31, 2023

Before the invention of TikTok, many music artists gained popularity through YouTube. However, similar to the TikTok stars of today, people in the music industry saw ‘YouTube bands’ as lesser because

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Will Google End Work for Music Creators with their New Music AI?

February 1, 2023

Google has done it. They have created an AI that can generate music from text descriptions. The announcement of this is timely because recently Chat GPT, (a language learning model created by OpenAI

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The Road to Success: What qualities can we learn from Kpop Idols?

January 28, 2023

What does it take to be a professional singer in South Korea? On stage, these Kpop idols capture our attention with catchy songs and amazing choreographies, but what about off-stage? Behind the ...

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Songwriter's Block: Inspiration Tuning in From Around the World

January 26, 2023

Writer’s block is real, and it’s not just authors, but also songwriters and composers. Thinking of top hit songs can be difficult, so how do the pros do it? Where do they get their inspiration from?

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Arcane: How A Video Game Adaptation Ended Up With A Banger Soundtrack

January 26, 2023

What does a TV show based on a video game and the music industry have in common? Near the end of 2021, Arcane took the world by storm after debuting on Netflix. Not only did it dazzle us with its...

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How Black Pink Should Negotiate Their New Contract with YG Entertainment

January 23, 2023

As the contract between Blackpink and YG Entertainment nears its end, fans of the popular South Korean girl group are wondering if the group will renew their contract with the agency...

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Olivia Rodrigo Strikers Gold Again with “GUTS”

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Photo Source: Teen Vogue

For Olivia Rodrigo’s devoted fans, the long-anticipated moment has finally arrived.  After a long two year wait since the release of her first breakout album “Sour”, Olivia Rodrigo is back with her sophomore album, “GUTS.” Olivia Rodrigo has been a revelation in the music industry since her first album, with songs like “drivers license” and “good 4 u” taking the world by storm. The pressure on Rodrigo’s new album has been undeniably immense after the massive success of her debut album. But she does not have to worry, as “GUTS” is already here and it’s nothing short of a masterpiece. 

Just like her 2021 debut, “Sour,” the album has 12 tracks, with Rodrigo credited as a lead songwriter alongside her go-to producer Dan Nigro. Rodrigo talks about how the album is “about growing up and finding your footing in the world” in an interview with The Guardian. The first single of the album, “Vampire,” was released back in June 30, 2023. In only its first week of release, “Vampire” racked up as the highest one-week streaming total on the Hot 100 with 23 million streams. 

It was not the single that only skyrocketed with streams, “GUTS” also became Rodrigo’s second No.1 album at the age of 20. Around 302,000 albums were sold in the U.S. and nearly 100 million streams in the first week, making it the largest opening week for any album released in 2023. In comparison to her breakthrough album, “Sour” debuted with 295,000 units sold in the opening week.

The album included many hits, with all 12 tracks from the album placed in the top 40 of Hot 100. Upon the album’s release, Rolling Stone even granted “GUTS” a score of a perfect 100, titling it as an “instant classic.” Fans has also gone crazy with Olivia Rodrigo announcing a 75-date world tour that is going to start in February 2024. However, if you’re in Toronto and you were looking forward to attending her concert, then Ticketmaster has unsurprisingly announced that tickets to each of her 2024 Toronto dates has been already sold out. You don’t have to worry since you can still stream her “instant classic” album on both Apple Music and Spotify! Below is the track list of the album of the year contender. 

  1. all american b – h 
  2. bad idea right
  3. vampire
  4. lacy
  5. ballad of a homeschooled girl
  6. making the bed
  7. logical
  8. get him back
  9. love is embarrassing
  10. the grudge
  11. pretty isn’t pretty
  12. teenage dream

Olivia Rodrigo Strikers Gold Again with “GUTS”olivia-rodrigo-strikers-gold-again-with-guts Kareem HalabiSep 29, 2023After a long two year wait since the release of her first breakout album “Sour”, Olivia Rodrigo is back with her sophomore album, “GUTS.” Olivia Rodrigo has been a revelation in the music...