First she got her driver’s license, now Olivia Rodrigo is taking independent car rides down Malibu in the music video for her new single “deja vu”. On April 1st, the young pop singer dropped the follow up installment to her ex-lover-found-someone-new narrative after her debut single “driver’s license” completely blew up the streaming services and social media. However, the song is far from an April Fool’s Joke.

Viewers of the upcoming season of “The Voice” are in for an exciting new member in the coach chair. Ariana Grande announced on her Instagram the other day that she is “beyond thrilled, honored, and excited” to serve as a team coach for the show's twenty-first season.

The 27-year-old “34+35” singer joins three other professional music artists: John Legend, Blake, Shelton, and Kelly Clarkson, in formulating a team of talented aspiring artists. The contestants train and perform every single week in competition to win a hundred thousand dollars and a record deal with Universal Music Group. Ariana Grande shared her enthusiasm for this new undertaking with NBC, stating “I have been a huge fan of the show for such a long time….I can't wait to go head-to-head with the incredible coaches, get to know these new artists and help to take their craft to the next level."

If you have been circling around the social media scene recently, you may have heard of Clubhouse. If not, you’re going to want to hop on this train before it’s too late! Clubhouse is a drop-in audio chat platform where users can speak to each other and listen to conversations on any given topic. The app launched in April 2020 and has since grown to house approximately ten million users.

In light of the March 16th shooting in Atlanta, GA, and other attacks on the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities (AAPI), many musical artists have joined the growing chorus of people condemning racism in the United States once again.

Some of the artists who have spoken out about this issue include singer-songwriter and producer, Pharrell Williams, who preached “we must protect our Asian brothers and sisters”; pop artist Justin Timberlake; and singer Rihanna, who tweeted, “AAPI hate has been rampantly perpetuated & it’s disgusting! I’m heartbroken for the Asian community & my heart is with the loved ones of those we lost. The hate must stop."

The 2021 Grammy’s event marked the 63rd anniversary of the event’s debut, and was yet another big music event that fell victim to this year-long pandemic. However, the Grammy’s managed to maintain the integrity of its stellar performances and honoring the talented artists of this past year while adhering to social distancing guidelines. Additionally, many female artists shined during this Grammy’s event by breaking records and sweeping the floor with awards. If you were unable to catch the event on your TV, EAR is here to bring you the main highlights of the night.

Last month, Spotify’s HR Blog announced the implementation of their new ‘Work From Anywhere Movement’ in which the company’s employees can decide to come into the office or work remotely. This movement comes in light of COVID-19 social distancing regulations changing how many of us view the workspace. With the ‘Work From Anywhere’ movement, Spotify is allowing their employees to work from where they feel the most productive.

As March 8th, 2021 marked another year of International Women’s Day, a study released by USC Annenberg showed that there is “little to celebrate” when it comes to women in music. The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has conducted annual studies on how the music industry has progressed regarding increasing women representation.

Analyzing information from Billboard’s Top 100 Year-End charts from the past nine years, the study revealed that only 21.6% of artists featured between 2012 and 2020 were female. On a much finer scale, only 20.2% of artists from 2020’s Top 100 Chart were female, further proving that there has been no significant change in the music industry regarding allowing female artists’ voices to be heard. The conductor of the study, Stacy L. Smith says, “It is International Women’s Day everywhere, except for women in music, where women’s voices remain muted.”

The French EDM-Pop duo Daft Punk has officially announced their breakup after 28 years together in the music industry. On Monday morning, February 22nd, the beloved pair, Guy-Manuel de Momem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, dropped a surprise eight minute long epilogue video. The opening scene features the two of them walking through an open desert wearing custom racing suits and their signature helmets.

The symbolism of their split is shown when Bangalter hangs behind his partner, creating a distance between the two, and starts stripping his black jacket to reveal a control panel. Momem-Christo meets up with Bangalter, who then turns around for his partner to open the panel to reveal a switch. Momem-Christo flips the switch, setting off a self destruct timer that gets louder as the distance between the duo grows once again.

Last Thursday, February 11th, the country star turned pop queen Taylor Swift released the finished version of her very first re-recorded single. “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” sounds almost identical to the 2008 original that we all know and love, aside from a few minor differences. After over 10 years in the industry, Taylor’s vocals have only gotten stronger. She has also officially stepped out of her country boots and become more comfortable in the pop genre by adapting her voice to fit as such. Overall, the song feels like a breath of fresh air hearing Taylor’s matured voice on an old favorite, and Swifties are able to fall in love with the romantic Shakespearen tale that the singer alludes to in ‘Love Story’.

Sometimes listening to your same favorite songs on a playlist can be repetitive and predictable. There are times you may opt to hear a discussion on a particular topic of interest, or a conversation between two or more hosts. Podcasts are a form of entertainment that serve as a great substitute for music. They are very similar to radio shows, however they are more interactive in the sense that the listener is almost engaged in a conversation, rather than listening to one. As many know, Spotify has been one of the top contenders for podcast distribution and have been looking to use this service to expand their company as a whole.

In this day and age, COVID-19 has simply become a part of our daily lives. It has impacted our social interactions, our ability to travel, and for some areas of the United States who have it significantly bad, our ability to do regular life activities such as eating in restaurants or going grocery shopping.

As many of us are well aware, COVID has had a huge negative effect on the live entertainment industry. With multiple concert venues closed or even shut down permanently, artists have turned to live streamed events as the best alternative to in-person performances. As audience members, it is easy to view these events at surface level. You may think “I’m basically watching this person perform on video and interact with me”. However for artists, the value of live streamed concerts is immense. It is the best way to receive real time feedback from their fans, and it helps them connect with their audience during a time where direct interaction is limited.

Last Sunday, February 7th, Canadian pop singer/songwriter The Weeknd touched down in Tampa, Florida for the biggest football game of the season. The Super Bowl LV between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended in a huge win for the city’s home team, and was not like any other Super Bowl prior. With the stadium at half capacity, empty seats were taken up by cardboard cutouts of fans, and masks were worn by nearly everyone in attendance. However, another thing that made this Super Bowl stand out was The Weeknd’s spectacular set during half time, as he performed a medley of all of his greatest hits.

Selena Gomez is taking a new approach to her music and we are here for it! On January 27th, the young singer announced on Twitter that her EP Revelación will drop on March 12th, 2021. Just like her latest two singles, this EP will be sung fully in Spanish, making this her first full Spanish language project ever. The announcement was accompanied by a picture of the 28-year-old artist donning a bright red gown against a bright matching backdrop.

As if the tea wasn’t already piping hot with Olivia Rodrigo’s heartbreak anthem ‘Driver’s License’, it is now the “blonde girl’s” turn to say her piece. Last Friday, Sabrina Carpenter released her latest single ‘Skin’, just two weeks after Rodrigo’s unprecedented hit debut song. Many listeners are taking varying stances on this feud between the two Disney singers. Some are in support of Olivia and feel as though Sabrina has stepped out of line. However, other fans are defending the 21-year-old artist by reading deeper into the lyrics and claiming that the song is meant to stop the spread of hate to all sides of the story. Either way, the music released by these two young women have caused quite a stir with their audience members.

BLACKPINK’s fans -affectionately referred to as BLINKS- have been well fed this past year with the release of the band’s first ever studio album this past October. The Korean pop girl group is known for their long hiatuses, however they seem to be breaking this streak with the announcement of new content that is on the way at the end of January and throughout February.

The highly anticipated solo debut of BLACKPINK’s lead vocalist Rosé Park was teased yesterday, as the singer herself posted the official teaser video on Instagram with the simple caption “Jan 31” with a rose emoji, indicating the release date. The official BLACKPINK Instagram and Twitter page also posted the video with the caption “ROSÉ - COMING SOON TEASER. Get a first preview of #ROSÉ’s solo project at 2021 #BLACKPINK: THE SHOW! Don’t forget to join membership and watch THE SHOW!” Fans have already had an ecstatic reaction to the official announcement of Rosé’s solo music, as it has been speculated for years since the release of the group’s main rapper Jennie Kim’s solo debut, which was also titled “SOLO”.

On January 9th, Dr. Fauci -the infectious disease expert tracking the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States- predicted that if “everything goes right” regarding the distribution of COVID vaccines, then concert venues and theaters can reopen as early as Fall 2021. He stated,”by the time we get to the early to mid-fall, you can have people feeling safe performing onstage as well as people in the audience”. These claims were made at a conference held by the Association of Performing Arts Professionals.

The live music industry has been devastated by the pandemic since it came to the United States in March of 2020, and both fans and artists are anxious to finally put their old concert tickets and tour plans to use. With many venues shutting their doors for almost a year, quite a few locations across the country have fallen victim to bankruptcy due to the lack of income and rising expenses, and were therefore forced to close permanently.

Singer, songwriter, dancer, activist and now makeup artist -what can’t Halsey do?! The ‘Without Me’ singer took to Twitter on Monday, January 4th to announce that she had been working on a brand new makeup line for about “two to three years” and her vision is finally coming to fruition.

The New Jersey native has been known to sport a variety of styles and bright colors at many events, both in her hair and in her makeup looks. Now, she has developed the brand “about-face” to share her love for makeup as an art and form of creative expression, and to break down the beauty standards that find colorful makeup too over-the-top and bold.

On January 20th, President Elect, Joe Biden and Vice President Elect, Kamala are definitely going to be dancing the night away to celebrate their inauguration. The lineup of performances for the night was just released on January 13th, and it includes many amazing talents such as pop king Justin Timberlake, the powerhouse vocalist Demi Lovato, and more acts.

These stars’ performances are a part of the live TV special “Celebrating America” which is hosted by renowned actor Tom Hanks, and features more stars that have yet to be announced. The prime-time special will be broadcasted at 8:30pm across the nation and marks the celebratory end to a very important day in the United States.

Olivia Rodrigo has come a long way from her pre-teen years on her Disney Channel show Bizaardvark, and is now showing off her musical talents on Disney Plus’ High School the Musical The Musical The Series (say that title five times fast!). She also proves to be an incredibly proficient songwriter and lyricist, as shown by her original “All I Want”, which was one of the featured tracks for her show’s soundtrack and has achieved official gold status in the United States with over 500k sales.

2021 is already looking bright for Harry Styles’ army of fans! On January 1st, 2021, the pop singing sensation released the latest addition to the series of music videos he created for the tracks on his Fine Line album, which released in early 2020. The newest video features the song Treat People with Kindness, and it sets the happy, carefree tone that we can hope to accomplish for this new year (especially after the mess that last year brought).