MC’s MUSIC LOUNGE: Generation Next

For too many years, we have been fed a narrative that female artists need to be constantly pitted against each other. Whether it be Madonna vs. Janet, Britney vs. Christina or Olivia vs. Sabrina – every generation has their “pop rivalry”. Leave it to the true ultimate diva Barbra Streisand to defy industry expectations and bring together two of the biggest vocal divas for one hell of a collaboration featuring three generations of vocalists for one main event: Barbra Streisand, Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande.

Babs released her THIRTY-SEVENTH studio album this week, and it’s a collection of duets with some of her favourite artists. The list is vast, including Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Sting among other names, so clearly the theme was legends working with legends. Barbra’s duet with Mariah and Ariana is titled “One Heart, One Voice” and was produced by Walter Afanasieff (don’t worry Mimi fans, we will be getting to that fun fact very soon). 

Mariah has been a long-time fan of Barbra’s, whether is referencing her films in lyrics, or even writing songs that were originally intended for her to sing, the seeds have always been there for the two to officially work together, the timing just needed to be right. Adding Ariana into the mix was just another stroke of genius on behalf of Babs, and she probably didn’t even realize it. There’s always going to be a ton of lore surrounding Ariana and Mariah’s relationship given how rocky it started, but ever since Ariana’s appearance in Mimi’s 2019 “All I Want For Christmas Is You” congratulatory video, the two ladies have been in a love fest, with this new song marking their third collaboration together. In a world that loves to edge women out as soon as a younger starlet comes along, it really is such a treat to see three of the greatest voices across multiple generations come together and show that we are all more powerful when we come together. Now, we just need Cher and Babs to get together on a track since the rumor mill has been spinning since the 60s with those two, but maybe that might just be wishful thinking lol. 

While this is surprisingly Mariah’s first time working with Babs, the same can’t be said for Ariana who had her big moment on stage with her back in 2019 during a Chicago concert. Streisand invited Ari on stage to perform the smash-hit “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” during her show, making for one hell of a diva-off. Ariana has always been a favourite amongst the legends – I mean sh-t, even Mariah came around. The craziest part of all of this is that at this point, Ariana is 12 years from when she released her debut album meaning that the door is open for a new diva to come into the mix, and it’s only a matter of time before we find her. 

Next week, Kesha releases her sixth studio album and also kicks off her summer tour, ready to serve us both some nostalgia and fresh sounds that are very LGBTQ-friendly. This week, aside from the diva trinity, we got a new one from Teyana Taylor, late night drive home, BixXthaPlug/Shaboozey and Tink/Bryson Tiller. Plus, given that we are blending generations this week, the viral pick is a perfect mix of 90s dance and 2010s EDM.

Listen on…

MC’S PICKS OF THE WEEK

“One Heart, One Voice” by Barbra Streisand, Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande

“One Heart, One Voice” is a Celine Dion-esque ballad fit for a proper 90s balladeer, filled with cliché lyrics about a “woman’s heart” and “a light that always shines” – and I f-king love it. The three ladies each have their own moments to shine in the song while still allowing for Barbra to be the main course (as she should be). Ariana sounds angelic as always, while Mariah’s powerful tone elevates the song to another height (as Mariah tends to do). As a self-proclaimed sucker for anything Adult Contemporary, I missed hearing Mariah sing songs like these. There was a time when the Adult Contemporary ballad was Mariah’s signature, she’s the woman who sings “Hero” for crying out loud. Almost all of them were co-written by the very man who co-wrote this song – Walter Afanasieff. I can’t recommend Mariah’s memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey enough, but she does describe their working relationship and the fallout that occurred once she separated from Tommy Mottola. This marks the first time the two are “working” together since that split – I use “working” very loosely since it’s very clear that Mariah sent her vocals separately and the only reason she even agreed to the song is because of Barbra, you just don’t say no to Babs. Listening to this song made me feel like I was in my uncle’s living room listening to one of his favourite albums on his brand new stereo. There’s definitely a demographic here, but at the end of the day, as long as you have ears that work, I can’t imagine a world where anyone of any age can’t find some joy in true vocal greatness. As Babs said herself in a new interview when promoting the new record, Mariah and Ariana are “the hottest, biggest, most wonderful voices” – what better duet partners are there?

 

“Bed of Roses” by Teyana Taylor

Teyana promised to deliver on these visuals for her upcoming album and is she ever. Her last video for “Long Time” showed her boyfriend Aaron Pierre picking her up off the ground, a metaphoric move to represent the place she was in emotionally when they got together, one can assume given the subject matter of the song. Now, she is in love and she’s sharing it with all of us, so they’re in bed of course. On behalf of millions of admirers of the both of them, thank you. The song is a traditional R&B slow jam that is very clear in its intention – making love. I can’t imagine anything I can produce from this would be nearly as hot as what Teyana and Aaron gave in the video, but comparison is the thief of joy, they say. Teyana has such a perfect tone for these types of songs, her voice just transports you to a place of comfort and ecstasy all at once. Think Janet Jackson’s sensual melodies with a vocal tone that has some of Keyshia Cole’s grit and Brandy’s smooth runs. Teyana has everything needed to make for a true R&B body of work – Aaron Pierre is just a plus but by all means, I know she’s definitely all kinds of inspired. 

 

“day 2” by late night drive home

Any time I hear a strong drum intro complete with electric guitar, I’m transported to the ending credits of a 2000s rom-com, and that’s a very nice space to exist in. “day 2” is one of the standouts from their new album As I Watch My Life Online, a fitting album title for a Gen-Z band whose entire generation grew up in front of a computer or phone screen. In a recent press release, the band talks about the album being “an accurate representation of what it feels to be always online”. In this day and age, regardless of the generation you “belong” to, this seems to be an issue a lot of us are facing – not touching the damn grass. The band blew up online over the pandemic which resulted in a slew of festival performances, Coachella included. Their music has a carefree vibe and is reminiscent of the golden era of indie-pop bands of the early aughts like Vampire Weekend and The Shins. 

 

“Home” by BigXthaPlug, Shaboozey

In early April, I featured the first offering off BigXthaPlug’s latest country crossover project and since then the song has hit #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and is one of the biggest new releases of the year. The next single featuring Shaboozey is sure to be a smash as well and is a breezy and fresh country-rap bop that sounds like 2025 in a nutshell. While I’ve never been the biggest country music fan, there are some great parts about the genre that I always have appreciated and the new ways that the current set of country artists are incorporating those elements, while also making stylistic changes relevant to the times, are enough to keep me enticed. I love the storytelling lyricism in country as well as the strong vocal layers and harmonies – all of which are maintained in this track, while adding in a southern hip-hop element that Big X is synonymous with. 

 

“Catching Feelings” by Annie Tracy, Leon Thomas

In her debut major-label release, Annie Tracey takes Alternative-R&B to a classy space with her emotional vocal delivery and passionate tone. Her music is all feelings, while being edgy on the same beat. The Scared of Heights EP features seven tracks, with the Leon Thomas-assisted “Catching Feelings” being an obvious stand-out from the jump. Leon is having a breakthrough year in music and has a bluesy sound with a rock edge, making for the perfect collaboration between him and Annie. The song is traditional in its R&B vocal stylings, with Leon’s background vocals making for a wall of sound that feels like a rainy evening, but that could also be the actual video painting that picture in my mind. Either way, something’s working. 

 

MC’s VIRAL PICK

Black Eyed Peas “Rock That Body”

When the use of a sample in a song makes that tune more recognizable to a later generation than the original version, that’s when you know you’ve sampled correctly. The unmistakable “I wanna rock right now” line that opens Rob Base and DJ E-X Rock’s “It Takes Two” was planted on ‘90s dance floors for the entire decade and the Black Eyed Peas brought that joy over to the 2010s when they released “Rock That Body”.

heavily sampling the song and that line in particular. Obviously, the original is going to always be the original, but for those of us who weren’t around when it was first released, “Rock That Body” tends to be associated with that line more frequently – and clearly TikTok agrees because the song has over 2 million+ uses with majority of those coming in within the last few months (oh, and the song has become one of Black Eyed Peas’ most streamed songs on Spotify in terms of daily streams, pulling in 2 million+ a day). In a new trend that shows boyfriends/girlfriends, brothers/sisters and lots of enthusiastic cat owners, loved ones are banding together for a new lip-synch trend to the song. The first few lines of the chorus are mimed by one loved one, before panning to the other in the background who is doing miscellaneous goofy dance moves to the robotic voice singing “rock that body” over and over again. 

@cristhianhaze

Perreza ganó el Trend 😘 #comedia #foryoupage

♬ original sound - Sam Jorden

@roro.bueno

💕

♬ original sound - Sam Jorden

@valexscobar

😋😋 #rockyourbody #couple #parejas #chile #fypシ゚ #paratii

♬ original sound - Sam Jorden

@capitanyolotroll

💃🏻🤘🏻🎸 @karen torres💗

♬ original sound - Sam Jorden

@moncluscarol

NO PUEDO CREERLO 💘🥹 conocí a shrek en Disney

♬ original sound - Sam Jorden

“Rock That Body” was first released as a single in January 2010, making now the perfect time for the world to come around again and re-discover it. While this era in the Black Eyed Peas’ catalogue was never my favourite (sorry, but “I Gotta Feeling” heavily triggers me), this one was always one of the ones I liked. Maybe it’s the Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock sample – but this one always passed the test. My only wish is that the viral success of the song now will encourage our girl Fergie to come out of hiding and return to music. I know the All-Star Game was traumatizing girl, but enough time has passed, we miss you. 

You can also check out my “MC’s MUSIC LOUNGE” Spotify playlist here to keep up to date with my weekly picks throughout the year. 

With Love, 

MC