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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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Writer's Block is Real, Even for J.Cole: Here are 8 Tips to Overcome

January 19, 2023

Rapper J. Cole has recently announced that he had been struggling with writer's block, but found a way to break free from it by using a type beat from Youtube music producer BVTMAN's YouTube...

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Hania Rani: A Virtuoso in the World of Classical and Electronic Music

January 19, 2023

Hania Rani is a Polish pianist and composer whose music has been described as "hauntingly beautiful" and "evocative." She is known for her unique blend of classical and electronic music, which she...

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Ryan Tedder’s Studio Review: Writing Three Songs From Scratch

January 16, 2023

Ryan Tedder is a highly accomplished and sought-after music producer and songwriter. He is known for his work with a wide range of artists including: Adele, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and OneRepublic...

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Quentin Miller only got paid $30,000 for writing 6 Drake songs.

January 6, 2022

Drake's ghostwriter controversy has been a topic of conversation since the rapper's feud with Meek Mill in 2015. Quentin Miller, a lesser-known rapper from Atlanta, was named as the ghostwriter....

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Timbaland’s Beatmaking Masterclass Review: A Class on Feeling the Flow

December 28, 2022

Many artists are using their personal brand and influence to educate artists, from beginners to fellow professionals. Timbaland has partnered with Masterclass to teach musicians how to make unique...

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Rina Sawyama -- The Voice of a Genre-Spanning Pop Star

December 7, 2022

Rina Sawayama has burst into the consciousness of queer music listeners in recent years. My first time listening to her work was Cherry, a track that is bubbly ...

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YouTube Announces New “Creator Music” Platform

October 4, 2022

In the wake of Tiktok’s rapid expansion and growing dominance in the short-form video market, YouTube has felt the pressure to adapt to keep up with the shifting demands of its audience...

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Deep Dive: How Conan Gray Writes His Songs

October 5, 2022

Conan Gray is an American YouTuber turned singer-songwriter, most well-known for his songs about heartbreak and unrequited love. Throughout his career, Conan has written songs like “Crush Culture”...

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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