Pop Culture

WOMEN OF POP // THE RISE OF FEMALE POP ARTISTS

By: Michelle Osei-Fosu

With the years passing by, a lot is changing, especially in music. Things like genre fluidity, physical music formats making a great return, AI music and plugins, and a rise of… female artists? Yup, that’s right. Throughout history, music has always been a male dominated field. And sure, it’s still very male dominated, but have you seen the top 5 songs on the billboard? 4 out of 5 songs are sung or have a woman featured it. Not only that, they’re dominating the sound of music.

So who are some of these artists?

Sabrina Carpenter // Sabrina Carpenter is one of the world’s biggest female singers, but she didn’t start out as one. Sabrina Carpenter was born on May 11th, 1999. She grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania, named Quackertown. For history nerds, Quackertown is the place where they hid the Liberty Bell from English people. A lot of people know Sabrina from her music, like her studio albums Short ‘n Sweet, and Emails I can’t Send, but other people know her from her acting career. You may know her from the Tall Girl movies (Harper Kreyman), Girl Meets World (Maya Hart), or The Hate You Give (Hailey). She was also in Sofia the First as Princess Vivian, a recurring character.

Around March 2014, Sabrina dropped her first debut album, “Can’t Blame A Girl For Trying.” A year later in April, she dropped her debut album, “Eyes Wide Open.” And since then, she’s won two grammys and multiple MTV awards.

Charli XCX // Charli XCX, known for BRAT, is one of the most known female DJs and producers. Charli was born in Cambridge on August 2nd 1992. She grew up as an only child. She grew up in Essex, England. Charli XCX gained early popularity off of Myspace, and her demos got her a rave in East London.

In April 2013, Charli XCX dropped her first debut album in 2013, titled “True Romance.” And ever since then? She’s won three grammys and surprisingly, 9 MTV awards. We even had a summer based off of her album. “Brat Summer.”

Billie Eilish // Fun Fact: Did you know that Eilish is actually Billie’s middle name? Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell was born on December 18, 2001, and was home schooled. Though, her parents were part-time actors, which meant she was exposed to a lot of the arts growing up. Her parents home schooled her and her older brother Finneas. Billie regularly did very artistic things, like create movies and sing in choirs.

Her brother, Finneas is her producer. She dropped her debut single, and probably most popular single, “Ocean Eyes” in 2015. Since then, she’s won 9 Grammys, and 7 MTV awards.

These are 3 of the various, popular other female artists in the world. Some other honorable mentions include: Chappell Roan and Doechii.

A World in Blocks, The Block Blast Popularity Increase

By: Dechaliz Matias-Duran

Everyone must’ve heard of the game Block Blast by watching TikToks, videos, or by conversations with friends or familiar people. Block Blast wasn’t originally a popular game, but now it is beating some of the most popular games in the entire world.

Block Blast is a game created by Hungry Studio. The game was released April 3rd, 2022. It’s inspired by the classic game of Tetris. Most people thought it would just be a game for old people, another copy of Tetris, but really, this wasn't what was going to happen in the future.

In 2024, Block Blast celebrated over 40 million active players everyday, a massive increase since its release. This increase of users has been led by teens and kids, mostly popularized by Tiktok. In 2024, it had an estimated 210 million downloads.

But why is Block Blast so popular? Why has this game become so addicting for young people? Is it even good for you? The answer is, yes.

Block Blast has been proven to encourage players to compete with themselves, it enhances your logical abilities, and it can also train your brain.

It is also known to release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes you focus and brings pleasure. Block Blast releases dopamine in different ways. One way is by breaking the blocks, which makes you more focused. It also releases dopamine when you beat the challenges you set for yourself by clearing the screen or beating your high score. This causes players to be invested in the game because they want to break their own records.

In addition, Block Blast can also stimulate your brain, train your brain to problem solve, and find strategies to do things.

So, now you know how Block Blast has gone from “a game for old people” to being one of the most famous games around the world!

Jazz to Gen Z via. Laufey

By: Victor Zuniga-Ramirez

Since the Harlem Renaissance, jazz hasn’t been as big as pop. But since 2022 Laufey and other singers have brought it back to the top!

Laufey is an Icelandic-Cinese songwriter and artist. Laufey, pronounced “lay-vay” was born in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, on April 23, 1999. Laufey discovered music at a very young age, first playing the family piano with her sister Junia. Then as she grew she placed herself in the music industry after learning the Cello too with her debut album “Typical of Me” in 2021. She has many highly influenced songs featuring string instruments like one of her most known songs “Magnolia” and others.

Laufey’s music is mostly based off of two majors genres, Bossa Nova and jazz. Bossa Nova is originally brazilian with soft, guitar influences. I think I don't need an explanation for that! Laufey got her inspiration from artists like Antônio Carlos Jobim and more. Now she produces and releases music on most platforms. Her relatable and unique lyrics have brought in various listeners. In January (2025) Laufey had 50 million listeners on Spotify! Laufey’s description on spotify is to bring jazz to the new generation. Songs that don't seem like jazz but are are some of Laufey’s biggest hits

Hey, would you listen to Laufey knowing this now?

Super Bowl 59

By: Madeleine Hidalgo (8th Grade)

Did you hear that SZA and Kendrick Lamar performed at the Super Bowl? Every second Sunday of February, a numerous number of people globally, not just Americans, all over the globe come together to watch an iconic game of football, the Super Bowl.

In the year of 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs went against the Philadelphia Eagles and the final score was ‘22-40’ as the Eagles came home with the obvious, dominant win. The title ‘MVP’ (most valuable player) for the Super Bowl 59 was given to the quarterback Jalen Hurts, number 1 on the Eagles’ team, as he scored two touchdowns and celebrated with his fiance, Bry Burrows.

Every Super Bowl comes the infamous halftime performance, where famous musicians play some of their most well known work. And this year we were incredibly lucky to be able to see Kendrick Lamar perform with his special guest: SZA or Solána Imani Rowe. Kendrick is known for the genre of rap and SZA for alternative R&B, both being extremely well known Grammy-winning artists who've collaborated before on projects like “30 for 30” and the Black Panther movie. In the 13 minutes Kendrick had on stage, he started the act with songs like “Squabble Up”, “Humble”, and “DNA” and transitioned to songs featuring SZA like “Luther” and “All the Stars” as precise, yet freestyle choreography from the dancers wearing red, white, and blue sweat suits, happened around the two, all in the narration of Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam. An infamous cartoon/fictional character to represent the United States of America. The famous tennis player, Serena Williams, made an appearance, making her opinion clear on Drake, her ex, as Kendrick continued to perform “Not Like Us” and ended the show with “TV Off.”

Kendrick Lamar had a message throughout his show, one that was made loud and clear as the president himself was watching. Like stated before, Samuel L. Jackson played the role of Uncle Sam, dictating and telling Kendrick to “tighten up” as his rap-heavy songs came off as “too ghetto” or “too loud and reckless.” Kendrick had to try and keep up with the demands as he represented the Black community and that the US government is trying to control their every move. Kendrick also dropped slavery references in his line of “40 acres and a mule, this is bigger than just the music. Yeah they tried to rig the game, but you can’t fake influence.” In this line Kendrick refers to the promises made to Black Americans at the end of slavery in the year 1865, stating that each newly freed family was supposed to receive land and cattle. Another possible sign of symbolism was when Lamar was in the middle of singing “HUMBLE” and the dancers around him formed an American flag that was split down the middle with him in the center. Many are speculating it’s his artistic representation of how split America is right now, but others also argue and say it represents African Americans being the center of America’s political history. Though all of these observations are mostly rumors, it’s obvious Kendrick wanted to make something clear. And with how he used his talent to showcase it for all, including Trump, to see, he delivered that message straight to us.

Samuel and Serena weren’t the only celebrities seen at the Super Bowl 59 as cameras turned to face Anne Hathaway, Kevin Hart, Lady Gaga, President Donald Trump, Ice Spice, Paul McCartney, Pete Davidson, and Bradley Cooper, just to name a handful. Taylor Swift, the wealthiest female musician, was also present, supporting her boyfriend/Chiefs’ tight ends: Travis Kelce, number 87.

Overall, Super Bowl 59 was a thrilling experience even if it was only through a screen for most. Kendrick and SZA’s performance left many in awe and screaming the lyrics of the songs at their TV screens as the Philadelphia Eagles won the game with 18 points ahead of the Kansas Chiefs.

Kendrick Lamar and SZA perform onstage during Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show at Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans.Jamie Squire/Getty Images

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