As I get into 2023, I can’t help but think of big albums that were dropped in 2022. If you think about it, we’ve gotten a few albums from some big names last year. One of the albums that comes to mind is Harry Styles’s album, “Harry’s House,” which came out in May 2022. If we look at Harry’s fanbase, we see that he’s only grown in popularity since he started releasing solo albums, and this new album didn’t seem to disappoint those fans. Several of these songs, including “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” and “As It Was,” gained popularity as they went viral on TikTok. The album has a balanced mix of songs that you want to dance to and songs that you want to chill to but didn’t really include any big emotions. In fact, there were no lyrics or melodies that stuck with me after listening. I’ve noticed our current music scene is saturated with what I call “background music,” which I think this album falls right into. On a different note, I loved that this album wasn’t explicit, as a lot of pop music typically is. Overall, it was a pleasant listen, and I would recommend.

@taylorswift

A big drop in 2022 was Taylor Swift’s “Midnights.” To me, this album was edgier than her recent albums, “Folklore” and “Evermore.” Though the style is not my personal favorite, I admire her ability to create and share music so passionately and quickly. She keeps her fans on their toes! 

@badgirlriri

Many fans were excited to hear new music from Rihanna, who dropped “Lift Me Up” as a part of the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” soundtrack. I thought the song was absolutely beautiful yet so simple. It brought back some raw emotions and instrumentation that I’ve been craving from music lately.