I’m a big fan of Jack Antonoff as a producer, particularly his work with Lorde, Taylor Swift, and Lana Del Rey. He has a knack for playing to the strengths and wishes of each artist he works with — he doesn’t bring a “Jack Antonoff” sound to every album, but helps unearth something unexpected and great in each of those performers that doesn’t sound like anyone else.
I also liked his short-lived work with fun., the indie pop band that put him on the map in the early 2010s.
Selena Gomez is a modern renaissance woman. At just 31, she has found enormous success as a TV and movie actress, singer, philanthropist, and business leader. She is the most followed non-soccer player on Instagram (and third overall) and in the top ten on Facebook and Twitter. She’s also best friends with Taylor Swift.
Gomez has released three albums with her band The Scene, and three more as a solo artist. All three solo albums topped the Billboard 200, and the last one (2020’s Rare) produced her first #1 single in ‘Lose You to Love Me.’
Alongside the new Vampire Weekend, the album I’m most looking forward to this spring is Dua Lipa’s latest. That’s because the pop singer-songwriter simply does not miss.
Her self-titled 2017 debut was wall-to-wall bangers, and she somehow topped it with 2020’s Future Nostalgia. That album, a disco revival with a decidedly modern sensibility, dropped right when the COVID quarantine started and helped keep legions of fans sane during that difficult period.
My knowledge of Lizzy McAlpine begins and ends with the song ‘Ceilings,’ which my daughters love. I would have predicted that she was around 20 years old and working on her first album.
Turns out I’m not far off on the age. McAlpine is 24. But the Philly-based singer-songwriter already has two full-length albums under her belt and a third on the way next month. So I guess I better get on board before I’m too far behind.
I first learned about Maggie Rogers from my daughter Fiona, who loved the song ‘Dog Years’ back in the late 2010s.
I then watched the viral video of Pharrell Williams listening to her song ‘Alaska’ during an NYU class in 2016. It’s hard not to both appreciate her talent and root for her success after watching that gem.
Somehow, though, I’ve never taken the time to dig deeper into her music. She has released two studio albums and several EPs since 2017, plus two independently produced albums before that, but I haven’t listened to any of them.
Meet Me In Montauk 