Melissa Kacar

Rozzi 's "Fig Tree" has such a warm, soulful sound that beautifully taps into the intimacy of the lyrics and the personal metamorphosis she was experiencing. She wrote this song, and the rest of the corresponding albums she named it after, when she turned 30. It was inspired by the many ways she felt like she was entering new stages of life both personally and within the relationships around her. "You know I used to be someone else, though I'm not sure who, but she goes farther away, the closer I get to you," she sings in the chorus. The song captures the very distinct shifting sense of self that comes with growing older and allowing yourself to change. The title was inspired by the famous passage from Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar , in which the novel's protagonist, Esther, is confronted with every possible future set before her, each one symbolized by a fig hanging on a fig tree. While she spends so much time wondering which fig to choose, they all ...

Fire From The Hip showcases Finn Wolfhard further coming into his own as an artist following the release of his debut solo album in 2025 . It presents a clear expansion of his sound and influences, with many of these songs feeling like time capsules of different moments in his life and the musical inspirations that guided him artistically through those times. The album was recorded live with an analog approach in the studio, which Finn and his collaborators set out to do in order to capture the energy of a stage performance to then be able to translate directly back into a real crowd. As the sole writer and producer of this album, Finn wanted to make a record that embodied the electric feeling of a live band, paired with the non‑digital and imperfect qualities that recording straight to tape brings to the work, reminiscent of the specific era of music he is trying to channel. In an interview with Coup de Main , Finn said, "I'll never forget recording this album. It was such ...

Stranger Th ings: The First Shadow  follows the origin story of one of the series' main characters, Henry Creel, during his high school years. He is a major part of the fourth and fifth seasons of the show, and it's one of my favorite storylines in the entire series. I love everything about the Henry / Vecna / 001 developments in the fourth season especially, so to get a more in-depth look into who he is and why he became what he did in such an in-depth way is such a creative concept that they executed so well. It gives so much more clarity and depth to the timeline, filling in the gaps of what happened between the parts shown in the series.  The show opened on Broadway in 2025 following a successful ongoing run at London's West End, and I've been wanting to see it ever since it arrived in New York City . It's currently showing at the Marquis Theatre, which I last visited in 2016 to see Penn & Teller's Broadway show. The upper lobby of the hotel the theater ...

"serena joy" by Olivia Rodrigo As the theme song for her inaugural all‑female music festival, Daisy Chains Fields, Olivia released the incredible "serena joy", which is a cautionary anthem meant to inspire action and change for women around the world. All proceeds from the song, and from the festival itself, are going to numerous charities focused on advocation for and funding women's causes globally. She's already raised over $20 million, which is such an extraordinary feat. There aren't many artists with the guts, conviction, or foresight to pull off something this massive, especially something rooted entirely in helping people around the world on such a massive scale, but Olivia has always stood firmly on her morals and used her platform to make a difference. I've always admired her for that. Named after a character from The Handmaid's Tale , the song carries the mantra "if they do it to them, they'll do it to you", which is a re...