MC’s MUSIC LOUNGE: Pop Goes International

One of the greatest things to come out of the streaming era is our access to music from all over the world. If we rewound 25+ years when music was only in physical form, record labels had all the control over what we heard and which countries and markets would hear it. With the power of social media, those barriers are disappearing and the lines of what is considered “pop” music are also being dismantled, resulting in more and more diverse innovation by artists from all over the world.

If you still haven’t gotten onboard the K-pop train, that’s a conversation for another day, but the impact that so many of the bands and artists have left on the industry as a whole is undeniable at this point. This week’s biggest release comes in the form of LISA’s debut full-length studio album Alter-Ego. Her music with the girls from BLACKPINK was definitely more traditionally K-pop, but this solo music honey is everything plus more. I’m talking pop, hip-hop, R&B, K-pop, rock, you name it, it’s there. The new record is bold and badass, and further cements the legacy that LISA is building for herself. She’s already performed at the Oscars, so it’s hard to imagine that she can climb even higher, but my instincts are telling me it’s just the beginning for this queen.

Another favourite release of mine this week comes from Haitian-American R&B artist Fridayy. I first came across his work a few years ago when he was frequently collaborating with artists like DJ Khaled and Chris Brown. His latest album Some Days I’m Good, Some Days I’m Not is R&B with a ton of world influences, with one highlight of mine featuring Haitian artist Joé Dwèt Filé (more on him later).

Backing up to what I was saying at the beginning of this piece about our access to music, it’s important to highlight that if I was writing this column in 2000, there’s a very high chance I would’ve never heard many of these artists. For example, in the 80s and 90s Kylie Minogue was one of the biggest pop stars in the world in the UK and Australia. When she made a worldwide comeback in 2001 with “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”, people in North America either only knew her as a one hit wonder from the 80s, or just a completely new artist. That was only happening because up until that point she was no longer signed to a North American label, so her music was not being released here. Nowadays, virtually all music is distributed digitally so everyone in every market can listen to any album release. While record labels are very much still involved in the release of music today, we now can discover artists from all over the world so much quicker and easier. This gives those artists more of an opportunity to get their name out to a global audience, and more chances for those labels to notice them. The audience has a say of what they want to hear more than ever, and the people have spoken.

Next week, get ready Little Monsters because mother is returning with her seventh studio album Mayhem. It’s about to be a Gaga frenzy in my musical orbit, and I am so ready. I prayed for times like this. This week’s new releases include different pop artists from Haiti, Thailand, South Africa, Jamaica and of course, the USA. I told you we’re international baby!

Listen On…

MC’s PICKS OF THE WEEK

“FXCK UP THE WORLD” by LISA

Blinks, it’s time to rejoice because LISA’s solo project Alter-Ego is finally out in the world, and did she ever deliver. It took me a while to catch on to the K-pop phenomenon, but since I finally boarded the train a few years ago, I haven’t gotten off. LISA may have come from a K-pop background, but this new album is one of the most diverse pop albums I’ve heard in a while. LISA doesn’t box herself into any one genre and gives us a collection of timeless tunes that lay the groundwork for a future pop legacy. “FXCP UP THE WORLD” is straight up rap, it’s the kind of rap music that if a straight man was performing it, you would hear it blasting from the headphones of every juicehead in the gym. The official version of the song features Future, giving it that ATL feel that you get from so many hard-hitting rap songs. Naturally, I myself have been blasting it during my own workouts over the last few days, so while I may not be a straight gym bro, LISA definitely has helped me tap into my ‘alter go’ if you will. She really made a beast mode anthem for the girls and the gays, we don’t deserve her.

“Bezwen Ou” by Fridayy, Joé Dwèt Filé

Fridayy’s second album Some Days I’m Good, Some Days I’m Not has dropped and is filled with rhythmic bangers and slow jams that put him up there with the top artists in those genres. While the album boasts collaborations with notable artists like Meek Mill and Chris Brown, it’s his feature with Haitian artist Joé Dwèt Filé that really stands out. For one, Joé sings almost exclusively in French and his feature on the song is in French, the language of love dahhling. I grew up in Montreal, and there is a huge Haitian community there, so it’s no surprise that Joé recently performed a sold out show at the Bell Centre (Montreal’s 15,000-seat arena). Now, he’s taking his talents to the American music market with this feature being his first introduction to fans there. The song itself is an afrobeats track, where Fridayy and Joe sing about the longing one has for their partner, regardless of how many options are out there. The title “Bezwen Ou” means “I Need You” as “Bezwen” in French directly translates to “Need”, while the “ou” is giving French slang for “you”. That’s the beauty of music, you really can just make up whatever you want, and it just makes sense even if it doesn’t. It’s a smooth and melodic tune that has a romantic yet sensual feel that is perfect for laying out in the sun cuddling with your boo. My cuddles are currently reserved for my dog Ivy, but play me this track and we just may have an opening.

“Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else” by Benson Boone

After making a splash at this year’s Grammy Awards in his jumpsuit, Benson Boone is releasing the lead single from his sophomore album. “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” is a song about running into an ex right before a date, and is a catchy radio-friendly tune that I’m sure will be blasting out the speakers at your local Target in no time. That’s not shade by the way, I love department store music. It’s nice, it’s easy, it’s fun. I’m also just a sucker for a catchy pop song, sue me. No official video is out, but the lyric video is full of visuals that are easy on the eyes. Benson to me is the perfect mix of cringe and adorable, some moments he has me rolling my eyes and some moments I’m blushing. With this new song, and the funky outfits, it seems he is walking through the door that Harry Styles re-opened a few years ago. Before that, to me it feels like it had been decades since we had a pop male artist with that kind of performance style, so I welcome all forms of it.

“PUSH 2 START – REMIX” by Tyla, Sean Paul

Since her breakthrough hit “Water”, Tyla has proven to be the breath of fresh air that we needed in pop music. After a string of singles, she re-released her debut album last fall with the addition of a few tracks including “PUSH 2 START”. While it’s taken some time to pick up steam on the charts, it finally has and now has been given a remix. Tyla’s devotion to the 2000s girl aesthetic has been so fun to watch, bringing back the era where R&B girls were the pop stars, and I mean give me something more 2000s pop girl than a Sean Paul feature. The video to the remix just dropped yesterday, so what better time to bring this track back onto your playlists. Sean Paul’s additions to the song are so natural that you don’t even realize you’re listening to a remix; it truly could have been the official version. It’s so nostalgic to hear Sean Paul on a feature with another R&B girlie, reminiscent of those Rihanna, Keyshia Cole and Beyoncé collabs. All things considered, this is just another fabulous moment in Tyla’s debut album era, and since I streamed the sh*t out of the original version of this song, a remix was due.

“safeword” by Halsey

I have a love-hate relationship with Halsey. There’s a part of me that always wants to like her because she has all the ingredients I look for in a pop star: style, amazing performanceship, great songwriter etc… but something just never quite clicked. She’s now more than a decade into her career, and I feel that I now can listen to her music with fresh ears, now that the radio-chasing singles are gone, and we can really see her dig into her artistry. Her most recent album The Great Impersonator saw her paying tribute to icons from multiple decades that influenced her craft, and this new single “safeword” seems to be following suit, as the single has a heavy 90s riot-grrll influence throughout. It’s a punk-rock/pop-punk song that’s raunchy, BDSM raunchy, and the video isn’t any tamer, with Halsey playing a dominatrix and giving us sex in multiple latex numbers. I live. The song is giving a mix of ‘90s rock chick, and early 00s Avril Lavigne when she would go full out punk (i.e. “I Always Get What I Want” or “I Don’t Have to Try”). I am manifesting that remix from now, Halsey we want to see it! If she continues to explore this punk sound in her music, I just may stay tuned in after all.

MC’s VIRAL PICK

Aly & AJ “No One”

A little piece of every millennial kid’s heart broke last Wednesday when news broke that Michelle Trachtenberg had passed away. She was one of those actresses who was in pretty much everything we watched. Whether you knew her for her TV roles in Buffy and Gossip Girl, or her iconic movie roles like Harriet The Spy and Eurotrip, you knew her work. There’s one movie role however that resonated the most particularly with the ice skating community: Ice Princess. The movie’s soundtrack is like a staple in my memory, I may not be an ice skater but I certainly wanted to be because of this movie. Since Michelle’s death, thousands of fans online have been making tributes to the song “No One” by Aly and AJ which served as the theme song to the movie.

Furthermore, thousands in the ice skating community have been making their own tributes and videos recreating the opening scene of the film where Michelle’s character is skating to this song, saying how the film and Michelle herself influenced them in their skating journey, especially as children.

@ryan_dunk
rest easy michelle trachtenberg, forever our ice princess🕊️🤍⛸️ice princess is a huge part of why i even wanted to start skating when i was little🥺thank you, michelle, for inspiring me & so many other little boys & girls💖this song is from the opening of the movie when she is skating on the lake behind her house <3 #michelletrachtenberg #iceprincess 🎥 @shanooskii
♬ No One - Aly & AJ

“No One” has gained thousands of uses on Tik Tok just this week, with fans using it as their way to pay tribute to Michelle. The new trend with ice skaters skating to the song is the most beautiful way to honour Michelle and her work, specifically a film that no doubt influenced a whole generation of ice skaters from all over the world. While the headlines tend to focus on the celebrity tributes, like her Ice Princess co-star Kim Cattrall, the fact is Michelle wasn’t one of those celebrities who loved the limelight. Her focus was on the work not being on the front pages of the papers, and she wanted to please the fans who loved the pieces of art she put out in the world. The connection that so many people have with her work is now evident, it’s just heartbreaking that she isn’t here with us anymore to see us. We all loved you so much Michelle, rest well.

@palmipalmtrees
thanks casey carlyle for inspiring me to be the student athlete i became ❤️🕊️ #comfortskating #cozyskating #figureskating #iceskating #retiredskater #softaesthetic #skatinglife #skatingtok #skatingjourney #iceprincess #michelletrachtenberg #caseycarlyle
♬ No One - Aly & AJ

@sm.ferguson
Rest in peace Michelle Trachtenberg 🕊️Forever our Ice princess 🤍⛸️ #iceprincess
♬ No One - Aly & AJ

@miaamer_x
Ice princess will always be one of my favourite movies 🤍⛸️ @intermezzoskating #michelletrachtenberg #iceprincess #fyp #IceSkating #figureskating #figureskate #aesthetic #intermezzo #skatingtiktok
♬ No One - Aly & AJ

@gabbi.skate
RIP Michelle Trachtenberg 😭⛸️ forever our Ice Princess- thank you for inspiring me when the movie came out to keep skating when I was 10 🥹 #iceprincess #figureskater #iceskater #figureskatingtiktok #iceskatingtiktok #figureskatinglife
♬ No One - Aly & AJ