In today’s post we are going to take a look at some of the artists and stories that are making news in the world of music right now. Many of the world’s biggest stars have been making headlines on and off of the stage, as well as having songs racing to the top of the charts. Here is a quick look at what is making news in the world of music today.
1- Taylor Swift
There is absolutely no one bigger in the world of music at the moment than Taylor Swift. For the past several years, Swift has been riding a wave of success on the charts, in the courts, in the political arena and in the world of romance that has placed her on a pedestal as arguably the world’s most famous person. She is currently on leg two or three of her multi-year Eras Tour in which she is performing to sold out crowds all over the planet. To help combat exorbitant ticket prices, Swift used her influence to place a recorded version of one of her Eras concerts directly into movie theatres, earning millions of dollars in the process but also allowing many ordinary fans who couldn’t afford the price of her tickets to still see her concert. As many of you know, Swift was front and centre of the past NFL Superbowl festivities in her role as girlfriend of star Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce. NFL executives report that ratings were never higher than when Taylor Swift was in the stadium and that she is bringing many viewers to the game who would never have normally watched if not for her presence there. Finally, in the midst of all of this, Swift released a thirty-plus song album called The Tortured Poets Society that opened to mixed reviews but is selling well nonetheless because it is a Taylor Swift album. She could probably sing the dictionary and it would still reach the top of the charts. Taylor Swift’s current charting song is called “Fortnight”. It is a collaboration with fellow top star Post Malone. You can listen to/watch the video for “Fortnight” here. ***The lyrics version is here.
2- Sabrina Carpenter
When my girls were a bit younger, they would come home from school each day, grab a snack or two and settle in to watch a series of shows on the Disney Channel. One of those shows was called Girl Meets World which was a sequel to a previous hit show called Boy Meets World. Carpenter’s character was the worldly best friend of the daughter of the grown up star of Boy Meets World (who was now a father in this reboot). After that series had run its course, Carpenter began a music career, along with a movie career. Her most successful film was also a remake. It was a movie called Adventures in Babysitting in which she played against type as the straight and narrow good girl. As for music, Sabrina Carpenter broke on to that scene with songs such as “Thumbs”, “Feather” and “Nonsense”…all of which were Top Ten hits. After several years of touring as an opening act for A-listers like Taylor Swift, Carpenter released her latest album called Short n’ Sweet. From that album come back to back No. 1 songs called “Espresso” and “Please, Please, Please”. If you are looking for a star of the summer whose name is not Taylor Swift, then Sabrina Carpenter looks poised to be your girl. You can listen to/watch the video for her hit song “Espresso” here. The lyrics version is here.
3- Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar
To a certain segment of the music community, the feud between the world’s two biggest selling and most respected Hip Hop stars was the top story of 2024 so far in the world of music. Not unlike two armies engaged in battle, 2024 has seen Drake and Kendrick Lamar trading bomb after bomb against each other in the form of a series of personal attacks known as diss tracks. For those who may not be aware, a diss track is a song whose subject matter is centered around insulting someone. Sometimes an artist whose sales may be flagging will author up a diss track against someone as a means of gaining some attention from the media and the record buying public. But rarely have we witnessed the level of genuine animosity that seemed to have existed between these two Hip Hop heavyweights. While Drake may be well known in Canada for songs such as “Hotline Bling” and “Started From the Bottom” among many others, Kendrick Lamar, an L.A. based star, is equally as popular and respected. In fact, Lamar has appeared numerous times on Grammy lists and has been lauded for years for the lyrical and political content of his songs. As the bombs were launched back and forth between the two, Lamar initiated an early summer barrage that seems to have overpowered Drake in the court of public opinion. Thus, many have declared Kendrick Lamar to have emerged victorious in this battle of the titans. But are there really any winners in such a scenario? No less an authority than the Godfather of Hip Hop, Chuck D. from Public Enemy, chimed in with his two cents. Chuck stated that the world of Hip Hop would be much better served if Drake and Lamar joined forces and co-headlined a summer tour together. In Chuck’s words, the times we all find ourselves in calls for solidarity, not division. It remains to be seen if either gentleman can be the bigger man in the end and offer a hand of brotherhood to the other. Maybe Public Enemy should get back together and all three go out on tour! Now that would really be something worth seeing and listening to. In the meantime, since Kendrick Lamar seems to have gotten in the last word for now, here is his latest chart single “Not Like Us”. As of the writing of these words, “Not Like Us” is the fifth in Lamar’s diss track barrage against Drake. You can listen to/watch the video for “Not Like Us” here. The lyrics version is here. NSFW…just so ya know.
4- Ariana Grande
Like Sabrina Carpenter, Ariana Grande initially gained fame in the world of children’s television shows. Also like Sabrina Carpenter, my girls both spent many hours of their childhood years watching Ariana Grande yuk it up on shows such as Victorious and Sam and Kat. Even though Ariana Grande is just 30 years old, she has been producing hit song after hit song for almost a full decade now. If Taylor Swift is the acknowledged queen of the music world, then someone like Ariana Grande is certainly on the very next level to her in terms of success, singing chops and respect from audiences and critics alike. Ariana Grande possesses a beautiful singing voice that has much in common with singers such as Mariah Carey. In our house, her music has been a fixture for as long as the girls have started making their own musical choices. When I wrote the series about the Top 500 Songs in the History of Modern Music and asked each of my two daughters to supply me with their own Top Ten lists, my youngest daughter Sophie’s list had five separate Ariana Grande songs on it. Songs such as “Break Free”, “Breathin’”, “God is a Woman”, “Seven Rings”, “Thank U, Next” and “Rain On Me (with Lady Gaga)” are just a few of the many hit songs that she has to her name. Ariana Grande’s latest No. 1 song is called “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” from her album Eternal Sunshine. You can listen to/watch the video for “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” here. The lyrics version is here.
5- Teddy Swims
For a while just a few short months ago, my eldest daughter Leah had a song that she kept listening to and singing aloud. That song was called “Lose Control”. This song was the first chart hit for Teddy Swims. Like many of today’s modern music stars, Teddy Swims gained attention from fans by posting original music on social media sites such as TikTok and YouTube. With a significant number of fans following him online, Swims came to the attention of record companies and was signed to a contract. From that contract came an album called I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 1). From that album , the first single was “Lose Control”. “Lose Control” was a Top Ten hit and made a household name out of Teddy Swims. My daughter still really likes that song. Because of her interest in Swims, he has started showing up in my own social media algorithms. Whether as part of a continued marketing strategy, or perhaps simply because of who he is and how he lives his life, I have started getting video after video of Swims busking on sidewalks and singing a capella in pubs. The young man has a rawness and an everyman quality to him that some may find endearing. In any case, it will be interesting to watch how his career goes from here. “Lose Control” seems like the kind of song that the Grammys seem to like so I predict we will see him performing on the 2024 broadcast a few months down the road. For now, you can listen to/watch the video for “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims here. The lyrics version is here.
6- Dua Lipa
I will close with a look at another highly successful music artist, Dua Lipa. I am a fan of this young lady who was born in Albania in 1995. If you ever find yourself playing a game of Tom MacInnes trivia and you get the question “Who is Tom’s Favourite Albanian singer?” well, now you know the answer.
Dua Lipa has enjoyed a highly successful career that has seen her win multiple Grammy awards as well as Brit awards. Her song “One Kiss”, released in 2018, was the best selling UK song of the year and won the Brit award for Best Song. Dua Lipa has had many other hits that you would recognize such as “Levitating”, “Break the Rules”, “Cold Heart (with Sir Elton John)”, “Dance the Night” (From the Barbie Movie soundtrack) and her current hit, “Houdini”. In addition to her fabulous singing voice, there are two things that I admire about Dua Lipa. The first is that although she is/was a runway model and is a very beautiful young woman, Dua Lipa does not flaunt her body in skimpy costumes or sing sexually suggestive song lyrics. Many of her songs are about romance and/or dancing. I find it refreshing that she is refusing to play the industry game of sexualizing herself and her music. She simply sings and dances and lets her natural beauty speak for itself. That is the way it should be, for what my opinion may be worth. The second thing that I admire about Dua Lipa is that she is more than willing to use her industry platform for public good. For instance, she has been involved in two charity ventures to date. One was for victims of the deadly Grenfell apartment fire (with the song being a remake of “Bridge over Troubled Water”) and the other was as part of a charity single along with Dave Grohl and a host of young UK music stars that all sang Grohl’s hit song “Times Like These” in the early days of the COVID lockdowns. She is also an outspoken advocate for the homeless, for peace (having family who lived through the most recent Balkans war), for the environment, for LGBTQ+ communities, for a variety of causes related to women’s rights and much, much more. Music is certainly not a vanity project for Dua Lipa. I find the content of her character to be strong and admirable. It is not for nothing that Time magazine recently listed her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Her most recent hit song was called “Houdini”, after the world famous escape artist. You can listen to/watch the video for “Houdini” by Dua Lipa here. The lyrics version is here.
That’s it for today, folks. Thanks for reading along. I hope that you enjoyed this look at the many people who are making a name for themselves in the world of music. If you have any other stars of today that you wish to add to this list, feel free to do so in the comment box below. The stars listed above are, by no means, the only ones worthy of comment. The world’s stage is big enough for all. Have at it. Have a great rest of your day. Thanks for reading. I appreciate having your presence on my blog. Until next time, take care. Bye for now.
I listened to 5 out of 6, (i don’t need any diss track tione). There’s only 2 I might want to hear sgain, Ariadne Grande and Dua Lipa. Swims had sn interesting voice but… i don’t know what the world sees in Swift, or why anyone would pay thousande to see obe concert. Times have certsinly changed. If this is the future of rock ‘n roll, somebody build ne a time machine, please!