Practically Pop

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I wanted to spread a little holiday cheer in this mini-episode by sharing with you some of my absolute food staples for the holiday. And please, feel free to share some of your favorite Thanksgiving foods in the comments!

On this week's mini-episode, or known as Practically Pop: The Song Highlights, we're breaking down another favorite song of mine, this time being CNCO's cover of Luis Fonsi's "Imagíname Sin Ti" from their third album, Déjà Vu!

As we all know, change is inevitable in our life. We move. We fall in love. We grow. And 2022 entered the perfect record that encapsulated everything that change is: SUBJECT TO CHANGE by Kelsea Ballerini.

How do you come back from an explosive record full of fun and spiciness? Well, you turn up the heat even more in the next one! That's exactly what The Pussycat Dolls did in 2008 with their record, 'Doll Domination', which matches the group's energy completely, considering they were already one of the best selling girl groups in the world (and still are today). Now, the album did take a bit of a different route in their songs for this particular album, but at the end of the day, the ladies still held fast to the secret ingredient that makes them PCD.

They're suave. They have the voices of angels. They're, obviously, very talented. To whom am I referring to? Highly critically-acclaimed Latin boy band CNCO, of course! Within the eight years of the career, they've cemented themselves as one of the greatest groups to ever walk this planet. Fusing reggaeton and Latin pop sounds in their music, they've not only created amazing hits, but created an amazing experience for their fans (shoutout all CNCOwners), for everyone. Well, today is special as it marks the fifth anniversary of their debut EP (my favorite CNCO project and focus of today's episode), Que Quiénes Somos!

On this week's mini-episode, or known as Practically Pop: The Song Highlights, we're breaking down Sabrina Carpenter's beach-inspired, summertime single, "Espresso"!

Then... was a love story for the ages. Now...we have expanded upon that and have reached the highest point of love.

After impatiently waiting for Jennifer Lopez's anticipated album, This Is Me...Now (preceded by the release of "Can't Get Enough"), February 16,2024 was marked as such an amazing day of love.

Instead of listening to the album, I actually listened through the album's Amazon Prime film, This Is Me...Now: A Love Story. Full of comical, romantic, and self-discovery moments, Jennifer definitely did an amazing job creating an unforgettable experience, while reminding everyone of two important things: Stay true to you and true love exists, and it's the best feeling in the world!

What is considered to be one of Cody Simpson's most successful records to date, Surfers Paradise was a dream album for anyone who's specially connected to the beach, ocean, aquatic life or anything in that vicinity, but also for everyone who heard the different phases of amazing love backed by coastal pop sounds in a vibrant, but calming atmosphere.

When I first heard the name Tate McRae, it was through a single she featured on with one of my favorite artists (and I do have a lot), Myles Erlick, called "All Day All Night" (still one of my favorite Myles hits to date). Some years after, I returned to her music with her moody single "don't be sad" and had noticed a particular solemness that came with her tracks pre-THINK LATER, which were obviously good and greatly paid off, as she had multiple hits, including "you broke me first" (which has 1+ billion Spotify streams thus far). Then, during the final days of December 2022, I completely felt a new shift coming in McRae's music when I listened to the New Year's-inspired dance hit she and Tiësto collaborated on, "10:35", signifying a change to a more pop-dance sound, which is very evident on her 2023 sophomore effort, THINK LATER. With its preceding singles "greedy" and "exes", Tate's star is only going to get brighter and brighter!

As everyone in the world knows, you can always count on Ariana Grande to deliver masterpiece albums and record-breaking singles. In her 2013-2020 albums, Ari's albums made a full circle moment, from love to love. However, after a four year break, Ariana returned with an inspiring, bright record: eternal sunshine.