Tag Archives: music

Editorials/Student Voice, Music/Concerts

How is Spotify Wrapped assembled?

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By: Karl Salkowski

(Generated with Microsoft Copilot)

On the morning of December 3rd, hundreds of millions of people opened their Spotify Wrapped, resulting in millions of shares and posts. But what is a Spotify Wrapped? And why are so many people embarrassed about it?

Every year since 2015 Spotify has released a personally curated selection of each user’s listening habits. The specific day it releases is always a mystery, but Spotify Wrapped day always lands sometime between the last week of November and the first week of December.

Since the beginning, Spotify has shown you your top artists and songs, but each year they add more and more new features and interesting statistics. The highlight of Wrapped 2024 was an AI personalized podcast discussing your listening habits, while in 2025 Spotify gave out estimated listening ages and had you guess who was your top artist of the year. Needless to say, each year Spotify adds new and inventive features to their yearly marketing campaign in order to make it more trendy and viral.

But the question still remains: Why are so many people embarrassed of what they listen to? It turns out that this is actually much more complicated than it seems. Spotify stops collecting data for Spotify Wrapped sometime between mid-October and early November. This means that everything you listened to in the last month to 6 weeks prior is not taken into account. Many people feel that their Wrapped feels weighted towards the beginning of the year, and this explains why. It’s natural that people’s music tastes evolve over time, which explains how these otherwise mundane statistics can actually be very interesting and surprising.

Over the years, as Spotify Wrapped becomes more and more viral, imitations become more and more common. End-of-the-year recaps have become common in an abundance of apps including Apple Music, Amazon, YouTube, and Duolingo.

Spotify Wrapped is a genius marketing campaign only becoming more popular and mainstream each year. End-of-year recaps across websites and apps will only become more and more common, but these recaps aren’t just silly and fun; they also raise important questions about personal data and how it’s stored and shared online.

Editorials/Student Voice, Entertainment

Marilyn Monroe and Sabrina Carpenter

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By: Charlotte Aver

Many people have emulated Marilyn Monroe over the years, but current pop star Sabrina Carpenter may have more similarities than most people who try and pick up Monroe’s torch, and the reason is quite interesting. Behind the curly blonde hair, Marilyn Monroe was an actor, a natural performer, and a turning point in how Hollywood cast women. Sabrina Carpenter began as a child entertainer, is an actor, a singer and a producer.

Marilyn Monroe was born on June 1st, 1926 in Los Angeles. When she was 16 she went to work as a riveter making airplane parts in WWII; she stopped when she was ‘discovered’ by a photographer at 18 and signed with a modeling agency. She started as a pin up girl and was later found by an acting agency that led her into the world of the movies. During her time in Hollywood she appeared in 29 films, and she died with four more either never completed or released. At the height of her career she starred in several classics: ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes‘, ‘The Seven Year Itch’, and Some ‘Like It Hot’ are probably the best known. She died from a sleeping pill overdose and it is widely accepted as suicide.

Sabrina Carpenter was born on May 11, 1999 in Pennsylvania. She was discovered by the Disney channel when she placed third in a singing contest hosted by Miley Cyrus in 2009. She signed a contract with Disney’s Hollywood Records in 2014 and was cast in the lead role of ‘Girl Meets World’. Her contract specified that she release five albums marketed towards teens, and although it allowed her entry to the music industry, the contract held her back creatively. In 2024, she broke her contract after only four albums and signed with Island Records, releasing ’emails I can’t send’ with two hits “nonsense” and “feather”. She also released “Espresso” as a prelude to her album ‘Short n’ Sweet’. It went to number one on the Billboard charts and was her first true breakthrough song.

You might wonder what a 50’s pin up girl and a Disney child star could have in common; it has to do with their hair! They both play the role of the dumb blonde for the media, while in reality both are actually quite witty and smart. Marilyn Monroe was constantly criticized for almost anything she did, likewise Sabrina Carpenter is constantly criticized for even the smallest things.

The marketing for Marilyn Monroe cast her almost exclusively into dumb blonde roles constructed for the male gaze. While Monroe was a part of her image creation she grew frustrated that she was unable to break out of the typecasting and sexualization of her public persona. Many people assume this frustration is behind her presumed suicide. In the decade before Monroe was a star, most of the famous female actors were strong and less sexualized; they had a greater share of female audience than Monroe who catered to the male movie goers.

In contrast, Sabrina Carpenter is constantly criticized for targeting the male gaze, but she is doing so ironically. She is presenting herself as the breathless bimbo and at the same time calling out the idiocy of men’s actions in a witty way. If she was truly targeting a male audience, her concerts would not mainly be attended by women, so it is clear she is using the Monroe “dumb blonde effect” to her benefit.

Many pop stars cultivate the similarities between themselves and Marilyn Monroe because they want her success in Hollywood to boost their career. Entertainers and their managers attempt to use Monroe’s template to both increase their audience and invoke a sense of nostalgia for the “golden age” of Hollywood. Madonna is a perfect example of this behavior; her blonde hair, sexualized image and early music all referenced Monroe and she achieved huge success.

My theory is that Sabrina Carpenter is also leveraging the same template, but she is doing so with satire and a greater sense of her own agency. Where Marilyn Monroe was trapped by the image she created, Sabrina Carpenter will hopefully be able to control her own destiny.

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Music/Concerts

‘The Life of a Showgirl’

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By: Charlotte Aver

On August 12th at 12:12 am the countdown ended. Taylor Swift announced her 12th studio album by putting a countdown on her website that ended at 12:12 am resulting in a pre pre-order of ‘The Life of a Showgirl’. The album cover was a light green blur with an orange sparkly lock.

The next day she was featured on her boyfriend’s podcast where she showed the album cover and revealed the track list which is, 1. The Fate of Ophelia, 2. Elizabeth Taylor, 3. Opalite, 4. Father Figure, 5. Eldest Daughter, 6. Ruin the Friendship, 7. Actually Romantic, 8. Wi$h Li$t, 9. Wood, 10. CANCELLED!, 11. Honey, and last but not least track 12. The Life of a Showgirl feat. Sabrina Carpenter. She also revealed the release date which was October 3rd.

Leading up to the announcement of her 12th studio album, almost every time she was seen in public she was wearing plaid, this led to much confusement within the swiftie community. The supposed reason for her wearing plaid was a clue to the album’s release date October 3rd, which is also Plaid day. The album’s main theme colors are orange and green.

During the album rollout there have been seven countdowns on her website. One led to the pre pre-order in which you could not see the album cover but the track list was still a mystery. Two led to the album cover reveal as well as deluxe CD’s. Three, four, and five led to vinyl variants. Six led to a cardigan for the album, and the seventh led to hand signed CD’s.

Taylor is known for her use of Easter eggs, which are little clues for her fans to pick up on and guess what her next move within the music industry is going to be. To Easter egg this album she had many outfits and visuals on her eras tour that led to this. One of these Easter eggs was the orange door that showed up during the finale of the Eras Tour each night that she only exited through on the very last show of the tour. Fans speculated that this was a metaphor for her entering her next era, which was confirmed on the podcast she released the album on.

Another thing that she did to hint at her upcoming album was when she brought Sabrina Carpenter out as a surprise guest; Sabrina was wearing a white baby doll dress referencing Taylor’s 11th studio album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department’. Taylor herself was wearing an orange flowy dress that was referencing her upcoming album which Sabrina would be featured on, ‘The Life of a Showgirl’.

The craziest Easter egg she left was during her Midnights era (which was her 10th studio album) three years before ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ was announced. She made a music video for her song “anti-hero” that included two versions of her: one was self conscious and wore multiple white and gray outfits, the other version of her was loud and seemingly happy, this version wore an orange and green sparkly romper. Throughout the music video the two versions did many things together one of the notable things was that the happier version of her slammed a guitar into the ground 12 times possibly referencing her 12th studio album. The main theory about this music video is that the self conscious Taylor was referring to ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ and the happier Taylor was referring to ‘The Life of a Showgirl’.

She has also announced a movie coming to theaters October 3-5, in which the debut of the “Fate of Ophelia” music video, brand new lyric videos and her own personal insights on the songs. I will be deconstructing each song with information I gather from the movie and also my personal insights. Coming soon!

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Editorials/Student Voice, Music/Concerts

Kith and Kin Chorus

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By: Maggie Hong

Kith and Kin Chorus is a Twin Cities-based group of singers, ranging all abilities and experience levels. Kith and Kin aims to be an inclusive, welcoming arts community, especially for those who have been marginalized and excluded from such spaces in the past. Each year, the chorus hosts open sings, concerts, and fundraisers for local organizations.

Kith and Kin was founded in 2017 by Rachel Ries, a Minneapolis-based musician and songwriter. Seeking a sense of community and a way to take action through music, Rachel founded Kith and Kin Chorus, named for the ever-important ideas of friends and family. Now, over 70 singers join her to spread joy and good throughout the Twin Cities. No audition is necessary, and no experience with sheet music or theory is needed to join. The chorus sings a wide range of material, from pop and rock to folk and indie, and often collaborates with local artists. Each season concludes with a concert benefiting a local justice organization.

Music has a unique ability to connect people across culture, race, and language. It speaks to the soul, rather than a political identity or persona. It asks nothing more than an open ear. K+K embodies these musical values, lifting its voice to make our cities safer and healthier for everyone.

Most recently, K+K has closed their 8th season with a concert benefiting Rock the Rez MN. Past organizations have included: Open Arms of MN, Raíces Sagradas, and CAPI USA. Season 9 will begin in fall of 2025, meeting Monday evenings in Minneapolis. Joining is a great way to get involved with your community, meet new people, and make a difference for our cities.

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Editorials/Student Voice

Separating art from artist: When do we cross the line?

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By: Hermekay Dehaney

American rapper Kanye West and socialite Kim Kardashian pose together at the red carpet of the Met Gala in 2019 by: Cosmopolitan UK via Wikimedia Commons

Separating art from the artist has become a controversial and recurrent topic over the past decade; its main belief is focusing on the work itself of that artist rather than the artist’s reputation and controversies at hand. Usually, when this topic gets brought up, it surrounds a celebrity getting “canceled” over various allegations and actions, which sometimes include severe repercussions such as criminal offenses.

These fallouts usually lead to a moral dilemma of people asking, “When should we separate, or is it okay to separate art from the artist?”

I believe that when the topic around a celebrity is about separating them from their art, then you know what they did was bad. Consider R. Kelly, a famous R&B singer whose crimes landed him in jail for 30 years, with the help of the documentary ‘Surviving R. Kelly’. Despite his sentencing, his music was still played on social media, at parties, and even sometimes at weddings. I would say nowadays people are starting to distance themselves from him, but there are a few outliers.

On the other hand, Kanye West is more of a complex case. He is considered one of the top artists of this generation with multiple platinum albums including, ‘The College Dropout’. and ‘Graduation’. In recent years, his crazy erratic behavior in public and online, especially his antisemitic views, have landed him in this topic.

Although people online do blame his mental health issues which potentially contributing to his sometimes outlandish behavior, there are others that don’t see his mental health as being the sole reason for his behavior. As someone once put it, “That’s an explanation, not an excuse“. So, even though I do believe it’s a factor, that doesn’t fully explain his weird behavior.

People have tried to draw a line on what is acceptable and unacceptable, but it’s not that easy. When someone as influential as Kanye uses their platform to spew hate and misinformation, especially to his impressionable younger fan base, that becomes dangerous.

The art that the artist puts out is sometimes a reflection of themselves. Their beliefs and values are sometimes mentioned in the lyrics, making it impossible to separate the two. Continuing to support such artists, even if you don’t agree with their actions, is still indirectly supporting them. They’re still making money from streams and maintaining cultural relevance despite their actions.

This topic is very subjective of when the line is crossed which leaves a gray area. Obviously, humans are not perfect, so when the opinion of canceling every artist who missteps comes about, that’s unreasonable. Some artists have committed serious and harmful acts that impact others while some have made non serious controversies. What one person sees as totally “cancellable”  others may not.

I saw a comment which stated, “Art is based on context. I don’t think the artist needs to be a moral example to appreciate their work. But as always, we have to remain conscious and educated. We can pretend art lives separate from reality,” and to add onto that, this topic is not very limited, it’s not a one-size-fits-all discussion, but the truth is that It gets to a point where if you’re asking the question, the answer is most likely no. 

Music/Concerts

Jill Sobule

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By: Teagan Mack

Singer songwriter Jill Sobule passed away on May 1st, 2025, at the age of 66. She was known for her hit singles “I Kissed a Girl” and “Supermodel” from the ‘Clueless’ soundtrack. Sobule died in a house fire in Woodbury, Minnesota early Thursday morning on May 1st.

Firefighters reported to Pinehurst Road around 5:30 a.m., after receiving a call about a fire. When firefighters arrived at the house it was in flames. The homeowners stated that a woman in her 60s was possibly still inside. Later on Thursday, Woodbury Public Safety stated that there were no immediate signs of foul play, and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office is pending toxicology results which can take up to 6 weeks. Sobule was in town visiting friends and recording an episode of a podcast called “The Brian Oake Show”.

An article from INFORUM News got statements from both her manager John Porter and her booking agent Craig Grossman. John Porter said “I was having so much fun working with her. I lost a client and a friend today. I hope her music, memory, and legacy continue to live on and inspire others.” Craig stated “I was fortunate to know Sobule beyond a professional relationship. No one made me laugh more. Her spirit and energy shall be greatly missed within the music community and beyond.”

In 2008, Sobule was dropped from multiple record labels, and a couple indie labels she worked with went bankrupt. Due to this inconvenience, Sobule became an early pioneer of crowdfunding to support her music. This basically means she raised money from her audience to help her produce her music. Sobule ended up raising close to $89,000 to help fund her album ‘California Years’ which was later released in April of 2009. Sobule was not just a singer, but a human rights activist. She made history with her song “I Kissed A Girl” being the first openly gay-themed song to crack the billboard top 20.

In Sobule’s music, the lyrics are about identity, love, societal norms, and brain surgery. Sobule battled with anorexia and depression, which she likes to mention in her lyrics. Since her 20s she’s had tremors, but always thought it was from excess energy. Her tremors made it hard to focus especially when she was working. Due to this she underwent DBS. DBS is a brain surgery commonly used to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, and essential tremors.

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Clubs and Activities

Fiesta Latina!

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By: Chloe Rocha

On April 17th, Union Latina hosted their yearly Fiesta Latina showcase. Fiesta Latina consists of many culturally significant dances performed by the Spanish Immersion classes, grades 10-12. Fiesta Latina does not only have dances however, they also host many other activities such as crowd involvement, singers, and food trucks.

This year there were a total of 8 dances and 4 singers for both the day and night show. All of these performances were done and choreographed by students who attend Highland Park Senior High.

During the day show Jose started off Fiesta Latina with a singing act, but later in the night show he was joined by Sr. Luis. The first 3 dances were performed by Sra. Kellner’s Sophomore classes, and then was followed by a beautiful singing performance done by Amy, who is the secretary of Union Latina.

The next 3 dances were performed by Sra. Nelsons Junior classes. Which was then followed by the president of Union Latina, Kenia, singing a song as well. In between the dances, there was a crowd involvement activity that consisted of trivia questions for students and parents to answer.

After the trivia questions, there were 2 more dances that were performed by Sra. Romero’s senior classes. Each dance that was performed were all different styles of dance.

Being involved with Fiesta Latina is something that is very fun and memorable. In my opinion, Fiesta Latina is always the highlight of the school year for me. I think that it helps bring together the classes and students as one. It is always a lot of fun to learn the dances and dancing with a partner. So far, I have been in 2 of the performances, and hopefully next year we will be able to have another performance as well. The Spanish immersion teachers dedicate a lot of time and effort to help make Fiesta Latina fun and enjoyable for everyone involved. I can’t wait to celebrate another year with my class.

Getting To Know/History, Music/Concerts

The impact of music on mental health

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By: Kate Tabor

Image created using ChatGPT

We all love music, and it turns out that it’s for a good reason. Many studies have shown that music can have a positive impact on your mental health (and even your physical health, if only by a bit). Here’s how.

Music helps distract us from our thoughts and lowers our stress. Listening to music can lower stress hormones, as well as blood sugar and heart rate, both of which are things that spike when you’re stressed. If you want to block out the world and forget about whatever problems you’re dealing with at the moment, listening to songs that share a different story is a good way to do that.

Not only can it help with stress, it can help you name your emotions, and manage them better. If you’re feeling off, but don’t know why, try listening to classical music. It sounds silly, but hearing a melody without lyrics helps you project your own feelings onto the music, without the music already having a feeling or meaning.

Even without classical music, songs can often help us figure out what we’re feeling as well. I can’t count how many times I turn on one of my favorite songs casually, and even though I’ve heard it a million times before, a lyric sticks out to me and I just think wow, where are the cameras hidden? Music can help you place your feelings, and also feel seen in those feelings.

Music builds community. It brings people together. Music festivals, radio shows, Spotify playlists, etc. A popular app around my age group a bit ago was an app called Airbuds Widget, where you can share what you’re listening to with your friends. I’ve made so many friends based on just recognizing that we both listen to the same artist.

Music can also boost your mood when you’re feeling down, which I find to be especially true. Everyday, I hop in my car after school and turn my favorite playlist on, and I immediately feel better.

Even just half an hour ago, I was unmotivated to start writing this article, but I sat down, put my airpods in, and got to work. Music has a huge impact on me, and I’m sure many others, on how motivated I feel.

Music can be a great tool, even when we don’t realize it.

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Music/Concerts

The Lumineers new album ‘Automatic’ review

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By: Grace Wright

The Lumineers started in New Jersey in 2005 with Wesley Schultz lead singer/guitarist and Jeremiah Fraites a dummer. They struggled with getting their music out so they moved to Denver in 2009. When they moved to Denver they went through many different music genres and evenly settled on folk/indie kind of music.

They started playing in basements and soon put out an ad that caught the attention of Neyla Pekarek. She is a multi-instrumentalist and a singer. They soon later released an EP called ‘Ho Hey’; the call and response title track caused it to be a fan favorite. Once they released ‘Ho Hey’ they signed a contract with Dualtone Records.

They have 7 albums and many singles and EPs. They have collaborated with many artists like Zach Bryan, James Bay, Noah Khan and many more. Their newest album is called ‘Automatic’ and has 11 songs. “Same Old Song”, “A**hole” (title edited), “Strings”, “Automatic”, “You’re all i got”, “Plasticine”, “Ativan”, “Keys on the table”, “Better day”, “Sunflowers”, “So long”.

They released “Same Old Song” and teasers of all the songs on Jan 13, 2025 and the full album came out on Feb 14, 2025: Valentines Day. Much like their other songs and albums, they have catchy beats and deep meanings behind their lyrics.

My favorite songs on the album are “Same Old Song”, ‘”A**hole” (title edited)“, “Automatic” and “Keys On The Table”. These are my favorite songs because I like the meanings behind them but also because I like the way they were musically written.

Overall, I really liked this album because the songs are very thought out and I really liked the different meanings behind them. I also really like the song called “Strings”. I like it because there aren’t any words in it, it’s just violins and it makes me think of growing up and getting older. I also really like how this album is what I consider more calm compared to their other ones. You can find their music on Spotify, iHeart Radio and Apple Music.

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Getting To Know/History, Music/Concerts

History of R&B music

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By: Fletcher Pike

Photo by Nascimento Jr. on Pexels.com

Many might know about the popular music genre of R&B, popularized by several artists such as Lauryn Hill, Michael Jackson, and Whitney Houston. But some might not know of the history of this music genre and how it became so popular today. In this article, I plan to go over the basic history of R&B, and some notable figures who influenced this unique genre of music.

In the 1920s-1930s, a large number of African Americans migrated to urban cities and industrial areas such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City, which created a brand new market for music such as jazz or blues music. “Race music” was the term that was used to initially describe music that was made by African Americans, but the term later acquired a racist interpretation.

In 1949, writer Jerry Wexler substituted the label “rhythm and blues” which would later become the title of R&B music, as R&B stands for rhythm and blues.

Ruth Brown (Jan. 12, 1928- Nov. 17, 2006), also known as “Miss Rhythm”, was a popular R&B singer who released music throughout the 1950s. After the release of her first recording, “So Long”, she became one of the most notable female R&B singers of the 1950s. She brought many pop genre elements to the R&B genres, which influenced many artists in the future.

In the 1960s, African American made music shifted from its primary theme of blues music and shifted to more gospel styled music. “Soul” was the title that many African Americans called this style of music in 1964, which captured the emotional value of this genre.

Since then, R&B has evolved to adapt more modern elements, especially in the 90s and 2000s, with artists such as Mary J. Blige, Aaliyah, Lauryn Hill, and Alicia Keys bringing modern-pop elements to the R&B genre.

The genre itself can be usually characterized by its combination of many different genres, such as blues, jazz, pop, and gospel, with slow rhythms and emotional lyrics. 

I hope that this article taught you about some of the history of the R&B genre as well as some of the different artists that popularized this genre. 

If you want to learn more about the history of R&B music, check out this link: https://www.britannica.com/art/rhythm-and-blues