Many artists have used quarantine to release new albums or songs, taking advantage of all that extra time. I have gathered some of my favorite songs and albums that have come out during lock down. --Calliope Dean, 6th Grade
- Taylor Swift has come out with yet another, centering the subject of love. August is part of one of the many albums she had produced in 2020, she named it Folklore. This album consists of songs that tell a story connected to other songs on this album, as well. This specific song is about a relationship that ended at the beginning of fall, hence the name “August.” I recommend this song because it has a specific tune, and speed that is relaxing, yet enjoyable..
- Sara Kays is a young artist who posts her original music on her Youtube channel,though some of her songs can be listened to on apps such as Spotify and Apple Music. “Home For The Summer” is a song about one of her closest friends, and when they had to move away from each other. They would be reunited every summer, when either would come and visit.
- Dua Lipa is a British Vocalist, who released her first official album in October 2006. She has come out with one album in quarantine titled, Future Nostalgia. It was released with a total of 11 tracks, one of them being “Hallucinate.” It is far different from the other songs, which all partially tie together, though it is one my favorites in this album.
- Billie Eilish is a young american singer who has come a long way since her first release in 2016 titled “Ocean eyes”. “My future” is a song she and her brother wrote specifically for CoronaVirus encouragement. https://www.esquire.com/ states, “Future, huh. That's something we've all been thinking a lot about lately. Or rather, trying not to.” I am one of those people who have been trying to stay grounded, rather than hoping for better times, mostly because I’m scared things will never go back to normal. But “my future” is also hope we can get through these times of Covid-19. Billie sent an e-mail to her friends about this song at the end she wrote, “not only for us, but for future generations. stay hopeful.” So this song was obviously more personal to Billie, what she hopes our generation will do to support our lives and all the other lives ahead, so everyone's future can be bright.
- Rituals of Mine has recently come out with an album entitled HYPE NOSTALGIA. It is in some ways the most straight-forward song she has ever written. This song is about her exposure to the world as a gay woman and a woman of color. It must be very personal to her, because it is so closely related to her own life. This song has been very popular recently, with adults and teenagers, but I have also enjoyed it .
- Billie Eilish’s brother Finneas has helped her with many of her songs and albums, but what you might not know is that he also has some of his own. “What They’ll Say About Us” is a single that was released very recently. It is a slow, and somewhat sad tempoed song, but I really enjoy listening to it. He created this song to bring comfort to all who have had to endure this crazy year. It was inspired by a protest rally he attended and reading the story of the late actor, Nick Cordero. I recommend this song because of the heartfelt and mellow tune, and the encouraging lyrics.
- Paloma Faith is an British singer and songwriter, she is known for her eccentric and retro songs. This song was also very popular when I looked it up. https://www.officialcharts.com/ says that this song is the only released music she has put out in two years. This song is obviously about love, but more specifically about loving someone who loves you back, and is there to stay. According to https://www.officialcharts.com/ “It’s love songs for people who are there to stay. That enduring love. Warts and all. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a love song like that, actually.”
- Atta Boy released a new album called Big Heart Manners. “Shade” caught my attention as this dramatic, mellow song that I just loved. This specific song was inspired by a dream the band’s lead singer had about siblings who got seperated in a large mansion. It was inspired by their devotion to find each other and become reunited once more.
- Kehlani actually attended OSA as a teenager where she practiced dance. She released her first official album in 2014, and her most recent album during quarantine. Her newest album was released with 15 songs in total, but “Can you Blame Me” Really stood out in my opinion, I love the entire album though. She is now 25 and has one very young daughter named Adeya. Kehlani publicly identifies as queer and pansexual.
- H.E.R released her new single, “Sometimes” in the time of Coronavirus. This song was inspired by how sometimes not everything can go your way. This is the way of expressing reality in a musical form. Also talking about how it can be incredibly frustrating when this happens, but how you have to push through and get on with your life.