By: Musab Mohamud

The Korean Boy band called BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, was formed in 2012 following a series of auditions carried out by Big Hit Entertainment. They immediately rose to Korean superstardom following their first album, ‘2 Cool 4 Skool’. The young members consisting of – Jin, Rap Monster, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook started to capture the hearts and attention of fans across Korea. The Korean superstars have replicated a blueprint used by many successful boy bands. Their defining feature is the continuous success that they still enjoy to the present day. 

Their formation is reminiscent of many other successful K-Pop bands, with their auditions being carried out by a record label. The band was composed of young undiscovered stars and Korean singing competition participants. Each member had their own gimmick and role.

The group was formed around Kim Nam-Joon (Rap Monster), the first and oldest member. The next gem found was Min Yoon-gi who became known as SUGA, the other rapper of the group. Jung Ho-seok was the next to be recruited, he had a burning passion for dancing; he was signed as the group’s dancer and became known as J-Hope.

Kim Seok-jin wasn’t a singer or dancer, however he was a very attractive actor, when he joined Big Hit to further his acting career he was convinced to learn how to sing and dance. Following his quick learning he became known as Jin and joined as a vocalist/dancer.

Jeon Jung-kook was the fifth and most popular member of BTS. He was recruited straight out of a Korean singing show; he kept his name after joining the group. Kim Tae-hyung was the son of a farmer in a rural area of Korea. He adopted the stage name V, short for victory. The final member of the group was Park Ji-min, he was recruited as a star dancer; he was the final addition to a group that no one predicted would reach global prominence and win countless awards as the greatest K-Pop group of all time.

By: Julia Swee

The Super Bowl is notably one of the most famous events in America. Families from all over the country come together to watch the football game, and a lot of the time people will host parties to view the game with their friends. A huge part of the Super Bowl is the guests they have for the halftime show. The halftime show is a pretty big deal, and even if people don’t necessarily like to watch football, most will still watch the halftime performance. 

For this year’s Super Bowl, the special guests performing were famous rappers Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, as well as featured guests Kendrick Lamar and Eminem. This year’s show was the third straight show to be co-produced by Roc Nation, an entertainment and sports company founded by the famous rapper Jay-Z.

Dre, 56, took the stage first as he opened with his 2000 hit single “The Next Episode”, featuring Snoop Dogg. Dre had become famous with his rap group N.W.A, as they set the template for ‘West Coast gangster rap’ with their 1988 album ‘Straight Outta Compton’.  Dre had gone on to become an in-demand producer and businessman, as his last personal album was released in 2015. 

After the opening performance by Dre, fellow rapper Eminem took to the stage to perform his number one hit “Lose Yourself”. The performance featured rapper Anderson.Paak on the drums and as the song ended, Eminem knelt on his knees while Dre moved to the piano to play the chords to his most famous song “Still D.R.E.”

As they were finishing up, artists from New York took to the stage to perform. 50 Cent arrived to perform his version of the 2003 hit “In Da Club”, followed by Mary J. Blige performing her two most beloved anthems; “Family Affair” and “No More Drama”.

After Blige, Kendrick Lamar took the stage, the youngest performer in the show at the age of 34. According to The New York Times, in 2018 Lamar received a Pulitzer Prize for his music, specifically his fourth album ‘DAMN.’, which Kendrick performed songs from. This album was famous for tackling issues of race, faith, and the burdens of commercial success. Overall, the performance touched many people’s hearts as they came together to view the country’s most famous social event.

By: Musab Mohamud

A question that still is widely asked by many fans across the globe: “Why did One Direction split up?”

The boy band consisted of recognizable faces such as Harry Styles, Zayn Malek, Louis Tomlinson, and others. The band started with a decision to combine their talents on the show British X-Factor. Shortly after the season’s conclusion the host of the show, Simon Cowell, offered them a record deal. The boys gladly took him up on his offer and began to record songs together.

The band quickly garnered international fame and fandom across the world. From appearing in Super Bowl ads, releasing platinum albums, and going on global tours, the young band seemed to be on top of the world. They released many songs headlined by the hit pop song “What Makes You Beautiful”.

They continued to trek the globe performing and publicizing their songs. However, while on a tour publicizing their album in 2014, the first blow struck the popular band. Zayn Malik, the beloved vocalist of the group had left the band.

Shortly after, in 2015, the band announced they were going on an indefinite hiatus.

Years later, with many members of the band releasing solo music, fans are left wondering what happened. One fan has many theories on why One Direction broke up. “I think Harry and Louis had a romantic split,” she says. Another fan goes in a different direction and says, “I think Zayn and Harry thought they were too big time”. 

The more realistic opinion is that all bands must come to an end eventually, and while they obviously all greatly liked each other it was time to leave their comfort zone. Another option is their record deal being too restrictive and not allowing the creative freedom that they desired.

The band gave many fans, young and old, great pleasure to this day and will not be forgotten any time soon.

By: Annika Getz

School of Rock is a music education program founded roughly twenty years ago by Paul Green. Green says that the idea for the program came from an assignment he gave his students. He told them to do “jam sessions” over the weekend, and noticed that they improved greatly, just by practicing their instruments in a group. Green said, “Imagine being on a baseball team and never playing games. That’s what music education was like before School of Rock. You’d just practice.”

Since its founding, the program has spread greatly, with locations all across the world. There are over one hundred locations in the U.S. alone, and three in Minnesota.

There are multiple different main programs involved in the school. Little Wing is a group for kids ages 3-5. With one lesson a week, the kids learn foundational music skills such as rhythm, dynamics, melody, and song structure.

The next group up is Rookies. Rookies is for kids 6-7 years old. Composed of children with no previous musical training, Rookies meet once a week, and learn fundamentals like chords, rhythm, and song structure. They practice with multiple different instruments, and then decide which instrument they’d like to continue with in the next group up, Rock 101.

101 is composed of kids ages 8-13. Each student get’s one group lesson a week, and one private lesson with an instructor.

The next groups up are 201 and 301, which are more or less the same, but with more difficult songs. 301 groups are also themed, while 201 and 101 are typically not. 201 and 301 are also performance groups, with mid and end season shows.

House band is a group of kids under 18, who meet several times a week, and have frequent live shows in the community.

The AllStar summer tour is a nationwide two week long tour, with the best of the best from School of Rock locations all around the country. Less than 1% of students are selected for the tour, with the audition process including both video and live auditions. Those selected travel in a tour bus, and have nightly performances at famous venues, and festivals.

Online and adult programs are also available.

I’ve been in the 201 program for one season. While it hasn’t been very long, I’ve already learned more, and improved more, than I have for the first year I’ve played guitar. Playing in group band sessions is a fun and gratifying way to improve with your instrument, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an enjoyable music program.

For more information, please visit:

• https://www.schoolofrock.com/
• https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2021/10/11/dixon-school-school-rock-class-partners-with -childrens-chorus-to-provides-music-outlet-students/6054365001/
• https://bestofnj.com/features/entertainment/school-of-rock-founder-reveals-inspiration-be hind-program/

By: Mary Koch

On December 1, Spotify released their top 5 artists of 2021. Spotify has over 381 million listeners worldwide, so being on the list is a big accomplishment.

In 5th place was Justin Bieber with his album ‘Justice’ which he released on March 19, 2021. His song “Peaches” (feat. Daniel Caesar & Giveon) had 925,549,910 streams as of December 1, 2021, and it’s his 2nd most played song on Spotify. “Ghost”, which has 171,459,836 streams is his 3rd most played song.

Drake is in 4th place with his album, ‘Certified Lover Boy’, which was released September 3, 2021. The song “Way 2 Sexy” (with Future & Young Thug) is his most popular song from the album, and overall, with 218,472,596 streams. His top 4 songs are all from ‘Certified Lover Boy’ which is interesting because he only released the album 2 months ago.

BTS is in 3rd with their single “Butter”. The song has 677,160,366 streams, and it was released June 4, 2021. It’s their 2nd most played song after “My Universe” which was released September 24, 2021 and has 257,570,191 streams.

In 2nd place is Taylor Swift with her album ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’ which was released on November 12, 2021. She redid songs from her album ‘Red’ from 2012, other albums, and new songs. “All Too Well” (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) is her most popular song on Spotify right now. It was released less than a month ago and already has 93,107,823 streams.

Finally, in 1st place for the second year in a row, is Bad Bunny. He had over 9.1 billion streams this year, and he didn’t even release a new album. His most popular song right now is “Lo Siento BB:/” (with Bad Bunny, Julieta Venegas, and Tainy) which has 136,924,017 streams.

By: Liv Miller

It’s known that music is a big part of today’s pop culture. With more and more new artists emerging, the music industry just keeps getting bigger.

In 2020 many artists were confined to their homes due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This sadly meant no concerts or meet-and-greets with fans, but it gave artists the opportunity to work on their own music more than ever.

Fast forward to 2021 many artists have now released new singles and albums with the time that they were given in quarantine. ‘The New York Times’ did an interview where they asked artists what they had achieved during the lockdown. Aaron Dessner, a musician and producer answered, “Right as the quarantine started, I started writing so much music, and I had no idea what it was. There was no horizon line, there was a lot of uncertainty — so I just made a lot of music that I didn’t know what it was for.”

So far this year many artists have released music that did great on the charts. Artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, lil Nas X, Kanye West, and many more have released very successful albums so far this year.

One of those artists, Olivia Rodrigo has had her album ‘Sour’ break many records like “The most songs in the top 10 at one time” and “Most streams of a song in a week” for her first single “Drivers License.”

Olivia Rodrigo isn’t the only one breaking records in 2021. With his new album, ‘Certified Lover Boy,’ Drake has broken the 2021 record for “Most-streamed artist in a day on Apple Music.”

With some COVID-19 restrictions being lifted, artists are getting the opportunity to start performing again. Whether it be at festivals, award shows, or even rescheduled tours fans are happy to start seeing their favorite artists perform live again.

You guys ever have the Travis Scott Burger™ at McDonald’s®? Cause I have, and it was glorious. I could feel my big stinky gullet grow with every bite of it, truly an experience for the ages.

But, why in the seven seas did I take a big ol’ chomp of this Travis Scott sandwich in the first place?

Well…because it was funny, because it was a hamburger with the name Travis Scott on it, and that amused my rat brain into giving money to McDonalds in order to get this regular burger with barbecue sauce. Like that was the only thing about the burger by the way, like it literally was just a regular burger, like they didn’t do anything wacky like put apple sauce and elk tongue on it (which is how I usually take mine).

But why oh why am I telling you this story?

Well…it’s because I just wanted to say that we, as individuals, like people’s names being attached to a product. Remember being a kid and buying that Spongebob Go-Gurt, that literally was the same as regular Go-Gurt, but it had good ol’ Spongbob on it?

It’s basically that, and now when I’ve happened upon this cool lil’ thing of A.I. generated music, it got me thinking of just how far could we take it, in regards to marketing a personable celebrity person attached to it.

If you don’t already know, a while ago, at an obscure song competition in the middle of Portugal, I think it was called Eurovision or something, they premiered a song that was entirely generated by an artificial intelligence, or A.I. The melody, instrumental, and lyrics were all procedurally generated by a computer microchip, and it was honestly pretty interesting, and it was legitimately structured like a real song. Here it is if you’re interested in watching it.

Anyway, but more compelling than that (at least in my dumb lil’ opinion), was this A.I. Travis Scott song I happened upon, because as opposed to the Eurovision one, which was just an isolated song, sung by a text to speech robot voice, with a lil’ machine avatar, this fake Travis Scott song, actually has opportunity to be sold and marketed, in place of an actual human production team that could create a product very similar to it. Like honestly, while this specific style of music isn’t really for me, I could see a song like this being popular to an extent, (though the lyrics could use a lil’ work in like, actually making coherent sense).

But in regards to brands, how marketable could an A.I. artist be? Like sorta if a Gorillaz type like fictional character(s) was/were the icon of it, and all their songs were generated by a big wacky computer machine, how far could we take it.

Well, that concept was explored in Detroit: Become Human to an extent where there was a guy playing a guitar on a street corner with a sign saying “real human music”, which was a pretty wacky scene, but I dunno if that’s gonna happen or not, for a couple reasons. Mainly because people’d probably see it as a fad, and sorta have an aversion to it, even if it did get to a level where you couldn’t tell otherwise, and also because A.I. artists would probably end up creating songs that attempt to appeal to everyone, which usually ends up appealing to…no one.

So, honestly, Ed Sheeranbot5000 isn’t gonna replace people anytime soon, at least in my opinion, but the concept of already established artists feeding their songs to an algorithm, and just trying to put stuff out that’s generated by that without anyone noticing, is a different story. But I feel like most artists who make music would actually wanna, y’know… make music, at least to an extent.

Like, I know not every part of the production of a song, at least with a large portion of artists, is really done by one guy in whole, like of course there’s a team of people who you’d never even think about in most major productions now. Like a few guys to mix and master stuff, production in the backing track/instrumental, needing to credit a guy who does sample tracks that producers pay to download and plop into their DAW then add extra drums and stuff to it if needed, and even if a song is made using reference vocals and ghost writing, at the end of the day, there at the very least is a team of people, who all would have a passion for what they do to an extent, who come together and just make something, and just put lil’ details in, that I don’t think technology really could calculate.

I mean, until it can. But, I dunno. Just enjoy what’s already out and gonna be out, and watch movies, read books, do whatever you wanna do to blow off steam, cause by the time A.I. could perfectly replicate what humans could create, in regards to art on that deep or personal of a level, they’re basically human at that point, so I guess it’ll be fine.

But, who’s to say, I dunno. Happy pride month everyone.

By: Caroline Crosby

Vancouver’s beloved indie-rock group Mother Mother recently unveiled their upcoming global tour in 2022, along with a shiny new album that has fans buzzing with anticipation.

For those unaware, Mother Mother is a renowned 5-piece band whose success shot to new heights at high-summer of last year. The group is no new installment, though, having respectably surfed Canadian based alt-rock charts since late 2008.

Via the video sharing social media platform TikTok, a resurgence of the group’s older music recently exploded onto a new, broader scene with an equally broad audiance.

Teenaged, and young adult, fans flocked to Mother Mother’s music in droves. Many spoke of being drawn to the unique, androgynous harmonies and daring lyrics that comprised very “on-brand” viral songs such as “Verbatim”, “Burning Pile”, “Arms Tonite”, and “Hayloft”. 

After the raging revival of the older albums ‘O My Heart’ and ‘Touch Up’, courtesy of social media, Mother Mother’s new album was formally announced on April 8 of this year. It’s titled ‘Inside’ and was informally referred to as ‘MM LP 8’ before its official debut. 

In an interview with ‘Rolling Stone’ last fall, the band was asked about the creative development behind the appropriately dubbed “pandemic album”. 

Guitarist, vocalist, and group frontman Ryan Guldemond answered: 

“The world stopped, and all the sudden I had a lot more alone-time on my hands, which isn’t necessarily conducive to song writing. Usually, I like to venture out and find guidance from an external, interactive narrative—travelling, people, serendipities etc. I love that process – it’s almost like you’re in collaboration with the world. But since that wasn’t an option, I set about a different kind of travel, one more inward and personal, exploring different types of therapies, meditation, and journaling as a means to unearth songs from a deeper, interior place.”

Only 4 of the 14 total tracks are currently available on streaming platforms, but the complete release of the band’s eighth album will drop on June 25 (mark your calendars!). The 4 songs immediately available, however, follow Guldemond’s poetic foundation exactly as the quote suggests. 

As established, Mother Mother’s music (both old and new), consistently works with themes such as pushing societal standards and often encourages questioning of personal identities. The most recent music video and lyrics to the fifth installment of ‘Inside’s’ 14 tracks; “Pure Love”, is an excellent example of this. It flaunts the band’s unique portrayal of the world, and provides an introspective take on self-realization and discovery. It features the sole, haunting voice of band member Molly Guldemond.

‘Inside’ takes a deeper dive into the fundamentals of these ideas, and will resonate with listeners who desire to internally perceive, learn, and grow as many individuals and communities have, regardless of the pandemic’s trials this year. 

For more information, please visit Mother Mother’s official website at:

• https://www.mothermothersite.com/index.html
  

Or, read their interview with ‘Rolling Stone’ at:

• https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/news/mother-mother-viral-tiktok-charts-1079256/.

You can watch the music video for “I Got Love” at:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mRE9DgbhS0.

By: Alexandra Rimbu

The Weeknd has boycotted the Grammys after his snub. In a statement to the ‘New York Times’ this past Thursday, he publicly announced that he will no longer allow his label to submit his music to the awards show.

In response to the Weeknd’s statement, Harvey Mason Jr., the interim president of the Recording Academy, which oversees the Grammys, told the ‘New York Times’, “We’re all disappointed when anyone is upset. But I will say that we are constantly evolving. And this year, as in past years, we are going to take a hard look at how to improve our awards process, including the nomination review committees”.

It does not seem as though this will appease the singer, as his latest statement follows a series of comments he’s made against the awards show after he failed to receive a single Grammy nomination. The Weeknd himself, fans, and even the general public, highly anticipated recognition for the singer’s work after the release of his critically acclaimed album ‘After Hours’ this past year. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Following the Weeknd’s boycott, other artists have spoken on the issue, calling out the Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammys, for what they say is a lack of transparency with voting and diversity among nominees.

The Recording Academy chooses the nominations for the ceremony. But since 1995, the final nominations in the “Big Four” categories — album of the year, song of the year, record of the year and best new artist — have been decided by a select committee, according to ‘Billboard.com‘. The outlet wrote in a 2020 article that the committee was created so the final nominations in those categories were “more progressive” and “more musically adventurous”.

But many artists do not think the Grammys’s system is as fair as it claims to be, insisting that favoritism, racism, and networking politics highly influence the voting process.

It seems we will have to wait and see if these artists’ opinions will inspire any change.

By: Caroline Crosby

There’s much to dissect concerning the eye-catching narrative that The Weeknd worked so hard to convey to fans, so I’ll first offer a personal hottake. 

Looking back on the performance, as someone who knew next to nothing about the superstar’s intentions, I must say, I was incredibly confused at first. It provided all the glamour and elaborate choreography that has come to be expected of a legendary Super Bowl halftime show, but the underlying message (far from my own comprehension, at the time) irked me. What was he trying to say? Why include the dizzying mirror scene and sea of red-jacket clad backup dancers? What significance did the face-obscuring bandages offer? 

I was not alone in my perplexity. The performance was well received by many, but also prompted much speculation and critique from confused fans and the general public alike. 

The media, to no one’s surprise, has been diligently circulating rumors regarding the “true meaning” of The Weeknd’s unique performance on the 7th. So what in the world could the real message be, and why were some fans so shocked after it’s grand debut?

In an interview with ‘Variety’, on the 3rd of February, The Weeknd stated that, “The significance of the entire head bandages is reflecting on the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated, it’s all a progression and we watch The Character’s storyline hit heightened levels of danger and absurdity as his tale goes on.” 

The character referred to here, is one that The Weeknd had been developing since September of 2020, in preparation for the emerging show’s narrative. Throughout his concerts and various public appearances prior to the Super Bowl, the 30-year-old was frequently seen in prosthetics and bandages, adding to the general confusion of devoted fans and other patrons of pop culture.

Many expressed discontent with the star’s sudden transformation and obviously intense physical reconstruction, convinced that he was gearing up for some big reveal per his highly anticipated Super Bowl debut.

The Weeknd shocked fans yet again when he showed up as himself, perfectly bandage and prosthetic free. The performance came and went, and as expected, general Twitter chaos ensued. It was only after the fact when the bizarre storyline reached its climax and became clearest to the public.

Overall, The Weeknd’s cryptic performance provided a moving commentary on the loss of individuality that plagues fame, and the plastic “people pleasing personas” that many stars find themselves chained to in order to retain popularity in today’s society.

Regarding the big show in an interview with ‘Billboard Magazine’, The Weeknd explained, “We’ve really been focusing on dialing in on the fans at home and making performances a cinematic experience, and we want to do that with the Superbowl.” 

Truly dedicated to said performance, various sources report that The Weeknd paid around 7 million USD out of pocket to supply all the necessary resources for the show. A highly unusual feat for those graced with halftime-level stardom, but probably didn’t make much of a dent in the wallet of the man in the ruby jacket.

In other semi-relevant news, the aforementioned Givenchy jacket sported by our performer was embroidered with authentic rubies, and weighed around 44 lbs. For reference, The Weeknd spun around a football field in front of 96.4 million viewers, in a jacket equal in weight to that of an adolescent Basset Hound.

If that doesn’t convince you of the man’s sheer devotion to the arts, I’m not sure what will.

For the full recording of The Weeknd’s performance, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rhadTURsrw