Conceptual lyric video designs for Reputation (Taylor's Version) (Hallett's Version)

Hi! So, this is a post I've been mentioning for a while now, and it's the first part of a four-part series that will span over the next few weeks. If you don't know already, whenever Taylor Swift rerecords an album, she releases lyric videos for all of the songs on that album. A lot of them are actually really cool, with some almost functioning as proper music videos. Unlike the typical lyric videos, Taylor's lyric videos are generally set over a background that encapsulates the song or the era, sometimes multiple shifting backgrounds, and sometimes with a montage of photos (usually from the album's tour). Some of my personal favorites of the lyric videos so far are the ones for All Too Well, Clean, 22, Blank Space, Today Was A Fairytale, Jump Then Fall, The Lucky One, and I Can See You, so I recommend you should check those out!

Anyway, this is another fan design-style post that I've done a few of before, but it's different from the ones I've already done. I made conceptual designs for lyric videos for Reputation (Taylor's Version). No, I didn't make entire videos, just pictures with the core design ideas I had in mind. And yes, I made all of these without the help of AI because I'm extra like that. Also, as much time and effort as I put into getting these to look great, it's not like I perfected each design pixel-by-pixel, because... that's just simply not possible. There may very well be some errors, so I'm sorry if I didn't catch a minor typo in the lyrics, or a tiny camouflaged watermark on one of the random royalty-free stock photos I used, or one unnecessary pixel of fuchsia-ish-mauve in the middle of a blank space. Don't attack me for any misplaced pixels. I'm not Taylor Swift.

I'd love to hear in the comments which ones are your personal favorites. I think Gorgeous turned out the best (which may be because Gorgeous is my favorite song on Reputation so I put more effort into making that one... well, gorgeous) but I'm pretty proud of all of these, and there were none that felt particularly "low-effort" even though I can't imagine any of these truly being official lyric videos (except maybe Gorgeous... and maybe a few others, let me know what you think!) 

There will be no further explanation. There will just be... R E P U T A T I O N.

Reputation

1. ...Ready For It?

2. End Game

3. I Did Something Bad

4. Don't Blame Me

5. Delicate

6. Look What You Made Me Do

7. So It Goes...

8. Gorgeous

9. Getaway Car

10. King Of My Heart

11. Dancing With Our Hands Tied

12. Dress

13. This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

14. Call It What You Want

15. New Year's Day

Potential vault tracks

I Don't Wanna Live Forever

Both Of Us

This Is What You Came For

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

Hallett's Hits 5/25/25 + Memorial Day Playlist

Hi! Welcome to the memorial day edition of Hallett's Hits! I'm sorry I didn't update the stats pages, that will likely be done tomorrow. Also, I'm almost done with the conceptual Reputation (Taylor's Version) lyric video designs I mentioned before, which will ideally be released this week. (No, I didn't make whole full-length lyric videos. Just still shots with design ideas. Sorry if you got the wrong idea before lol.) Let's get into this week's Hallett's Hits!

Hallett's Top 30

Exits:

Grentperez & Lyn Lapid - Room For You (5 wk: Peak #3)

Debbii Dawson - Solitude (1 wk: Peak #14)

Golden Extra: Taylor Swift - Forever Winter

#30: Evanescence - Afterlife (=) (2 wk: Peak #30)

#29: Faouzia - Porcelain (-1) (2 wk: Peak #28)

#28: Cynthia Erivo - I'm Not That Girl (-4) (12 wk: Peak #4)

#27: Debbii Dawson - Chemical Reaction (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #27)

#26: Bad Suns - Communicating (-3) (7 wk: Peak #20)

#25: Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco - How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten? (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #25)

#24: Dua Lipa & Troye Sivan - Physical (+2) (2 wk: Peak #24)

#23: Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers - We Thought It Would Be A Good Time But It Was A Bad Time (-2) (3 wk: Peak #14)

#22: Hayes Warner - Threw Me Away (-3) (5 wk: Peak #15)

#21: Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco - Don't Take It Personally (+1) (4 wk: Peak #16)

Underground Extra: Mk.gee - Rockman

#20: Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club (+7) (14 wk: Peak #1 for 1 wk)

#19: The Marias - No One Noticed (-3) (14 wk: Peak #9)

#18: Lyn Lapid - Buttons (=) (2 wk: Peak #18)

#17: Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers - Balcony (=) (2 wk: Peak #17)

#16: Sydney Rose - We Hug Now (-5) (6 wk: Peak #2)

#15: Myles Smith - My First Heartbreak (=) (2 wk: Peak #15)

#14: Imogen Heap - Headlock (-5) (11 wk: Peak #1 for 1 wk)

#13: Lyn Lapid - Fix (=) (4 wk: Peak #11)

#12: Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco - Younger & Hotter Than Me (-2) (6 wk: Peak #9)

#11: Haim - Everybody's Trying To Figure Me Out (-3) (7 wk: Peak #7)

Rising Extra: Doechii - Anxiety

#10: Griff - Last Night's Mascara (+2) (3 wk: Peak #10)

#9: Debbii Dawson - The Great Magician (-3) (4 wk: Peak #6)

#8: Cynthia Erivo - Worst Of Me (+12) (5 wk: Peak #8)

#7: Sabrina Carpenter - Couldn't Make It Any Harder (-2) (9 wk: Peak #3)

#6: Lyn Lapid - Floater Friend (-2) (5 wk: Peak #3)

Almost There Extra: Benson Boone - Momma Song

#5: Finneas - Same Old Story (+2) (13 wk: Peak #2)

#4: Debbii Dawson - You Killed The Music (-1) (6 wk: Peak #3)

#3: Avreya Bloom - Pixel Rain (+22) (2 wk: Peak #3)

#2: Laufey - Silver Lining (=) (7 wk: Peak #1 for 4 wk)

Memorial Day Extra: Taylor Swift - Epiphany

#1: Laufey - Tough Luck (=) (2 wk: Peak #1 for 2 wk)

Biggest jump of the week (and of all time!): Avreya Bloom - Pixel Rain (+22)

Biggest drop of the week: tie between Sydney Rose - We Hug Now and Imogen Heap - Headlock (-5)

Oldest songs on the countdown:

5. Sabrina Carpenter - Couldn't Make It Any Harder (9 wk)

4. Imogen Heap - Headlock (11 wk)

3. Cynthia Erivo - I'm Not That Girl (12 wk)

2. Finneas - Same Old Story (13 wk)

1. Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club & The Marias - No One Noticed (14 wk)

Almost There

Mk.gee - Rockman (Debut)

Royal & The Serpent - American Spirit (3)

Benson Boone - Momma Song (Debut)

Halsey & Amy Lee - Hand That Feeds (2)

Jon Bellion & Luke Combs - Why (Debut)

Finneas - What's It Gonna Take To Break Your Heart? (13)

MGK - Cliche (Debut)

Avril Lavigne & Simple Plan - Young & Dumb (3)

Ed Sheeran - Old Phone (4)

Damiano David - Voices (2)

Cil - You're A Liar (You Love Me) (11)

Ariana Grande - Dandelion (2)

Alessi Rose - Same Mouth (2)

Haim - Down To Be Wrong (4)

Sombr - Back To Friends (2)

Michael Clifford - Cool (4)

Doechii - Anxiety (4)

AT Dropouts:

The Paradox - Do Me Like That (purge)

People R Ugly - Douloveme? (purge)

Abyss

Jvke & Tori Kelly - This Is What Floating Feels Like

Maren Morris - Lemonade

Rose - Messy

Sabrina Carpenter - Dumb & Poetic

Yungblud - Lovesick Lullaby

Memorial Day Playlist

Taylor Swift - Epiphany

Tim McGraw - If You're Reading This

The Civil Wars - Kingdom Come

Taylor Swift - Eyes Open

The Chicks - Traveling Soldier

Jimi Hendrix - Machine Gun

Taylor Swift & The Civil Wars - Safe & Sound

Olivia Rodrigo - Can't Catch Me Now

Keith Urban - For You

Taylor Swift - American Girl

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

Hallett's Hits 5/18/25 + huge announcements!

Surprise! I'm earlier than usual, and I'm here with a bunch of announcements!

• Hallett's Hits will now be releasing every Sunday, instead of Monday.
• Hallett's Top 20 has now been changed to Hallett's Top 30.
• I will finally update all of my Hallett's Hits stats and info pages tomorrow when I have time.
• My next pageview special will be for 13,000 views and it will be Taylor Swift-themed for obvious reasons.
• Separate from (and probably before) the 13,000 views special, I will be doing an "EP mayhem" this summer, where every day for a period of time (likely the month of July) I will review an EP or a deluxe edition of an album I've already reviewed. More details on that later.

Also, this isn't an announcement per se, and I think this goes without saying, but I cannot express how thrilled I am to see one of my favorite artists FINALLY getting on Hits 1 after all these years. I won't even be that upset if they don't let Tough Luck enter the countdown since I'm just glad Hits 1 knows Laufey exists. Finally, thanks again for 10,000 views (now 11,000 actually lol) and for all the support. 

Now for this week's Hallett's Hits. Although there was only one exit, the lengthening of the countdown meant nine debuts and two re-entries. There were some songs I've been holding onto for a while finally making their debuts this week, a random abyss song making a high return after many months off the proper countdown, and the second-ever #1 debut on my chart. Let's get into it!

Hallett's Top 30

Exits:

Billie Eilish - The Greatest (9 wk: Peak #1 for 1 wk) (exits due to time cutoff)

Golden Extra: Laufey - Goddess

#30: Evanescene - Afterlife (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #30)

#29: Grentperez & Lyn Lapid - Room For You (Re-entry) (5 wk: Peak #3)

#28: Faouzia - Porcelain (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #28)

#27: Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club (-8) (13 wk: Peak #1 for 1 wk)

#26: Dua Lipa & Troye Sivan - Physical (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #26)

#25: Avreya Bloom - Pixel Rain (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #25)

#24: Cynthia Erivo - I'm Not That Girl (-8) (11 wk: Peak #4)

#23: Bad Suns - Communicating (-3) (6 wk: Peak #20)

#22: Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco - Don't Take It Personally (-5) (3 wk: Peak #16)

#21: Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers - We Thought It Would Be A Good Time But It Was A Bad Time (-7) (2 wk: Peak #14)

Underground Extra: Debbii Dawson - Chemical Reaction

#20: Cynthia Erivo - Worst Of Me (-8) (4 wk: Peak #8)

#19: Hayes Warner - Threw Me Away (-4) (4 wk: Peak #15)

#18: Lyn Lapid - Buttons (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #18)

#17: Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers - Balcony (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #17)

#16: The Marias - No One Noticed (+3) (13 wk: Peak #9)

#15: Myles Smith - My First Heartbreak (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #15)

#14: Debbii Dawson - Solitude (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #14)

#13: Lyn Lapid - Fix (=) (3 wk: Peak #11)

#12: Griff - Last Night's Mascara (Re-entry) (2 wk: Peak #12)

#11: Sydney Rose - We Hug Now (-3) (5 wk: Peak #2)

Rising Extra: Ariana Grande - Dandelion

#10: Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco - Younger And Hotter Than Me (-1) (5 wk: Peak #9)

#9: Imogen Heap - Headlock (+1) (10 wk: Peak #1 for 1 wk)

#8: Haim - Everybody's Trying To Figure Me Out (=) (6 wk: Peak #7)

#7: Finneas - Same Old Story (-5) (12 wk: Peak #2)

#6: Debbii Dawson - The Great Magician (=) (3 wk: Peak #6)

Almost There Extra: Halsey & Amy Lee - Hand That Feeds

#5: Sabrina Carpenter - Couldn't Make It Any Harder (=) (8 wk: Peak #3)

#4: Lyn Lapid - Floater Friend (=) (4 wk: Peak #3)

#3: Debbii Dawson - You Killed The Music (=) (5 wk: Peak #3)

#2: Laufey - Silver Lining (-1) (6 wk: Peak #1 for 4 wk)

Blogacy Extra: Olivia Rodrigo - Vampire

#1: Laufey - Tough Luck (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #1 for 1 wk) (ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLY INSANE DEBUT, IDK HOW THIS IS POSSIBLE)

Biggest jump of the week: The Marias - No One Noticed (+3)

Biggest drop of the week: tie between Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club, Cynthia Erivo - I'm Not That Girl, and Cynthia Erivo - Worst Of Me (-8)

Oldest songs on the countdown:

5. Sabrina Carpenter - Couldn't Make It Any Harder (8 wk)

4. Imogen Heap - Headlock (10 wk)

3. Cynthia Erivo - I'm Not That Girl (11 wk)

2. Finneas - Same Old Story (12 wk)

1. Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club & The Marias - No One Noticed (13 wk)

Almost There

Debbii Dawson - Chemical Reaction (Debut)

Royal & The Serpent - American Spirit (Re-entry) (2)

Halsey & Amy Lee - Hand That Feeds (Debut)

Finneas - What's It Gonna Take To Break Your Heart? (12)

Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco - How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten? (Debut)

Avril Lavigne & Simple Plan - Young & Dumb (2)

People R Ugly - Douloveme? (Debut)

Ed Sheeran - Old Phone (3)

Damiano David - Voices (Debut)

Cil - You're A Liar (You Love Me) (10)

Ariana Grande - Dandelion (Debut)

The Paradox - Do Me Like That (2)

Alessi Rose - Same Mouth (Debut)

Haim - Down To Be Wrong (3)

Sombr - Back To Friends (Debut)

Michael Clifford - Cool (Re-entry) (3)

Doechii - Anxiety (Re-entry) (3)

AT Dropouts:

Maren Morris - Lemonade (1) (abyss)

Rose - Messy (1) (abyss)

Yungblud - Lovesick Lullaby (1) (abyss)

Jon Bellion & Pharrell - Horoscope (1) (purge)

Role Model - Sally, When The Wine Runs Out (1) (purge)

Abyss

Jvke & Tori Kelly - This Is What Floating Feels Like

Maren Morris - Lemonade

Rose - Messy

Sabrina Carpenter - Dumb & Poetic

Yungblud - Lovesick Lullaby

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

{10,000 Views Special Pt.7} The "complete" history of my blog + future post ideas

Hi! So, to close out my 10,000 views special, this is... well, a very strange post. It's the story of how my blog came to be, why I've done the things I've done with it, and some behind-the-scenes stuff you may not have known. If you've been following my blog from the start (which most of you actually haven't - if anything a lot of my current viewers were probably introduced to me in July 2023 when I went "public" through a comment on Ethan's blog), this will give a bit of further insight you may not have known. This also has some more surface-level details, mostly in the earlier parts, so newer viewers can just see an overview of what the blog used to be and how it's changed if they're interested. Anyway... now for this style of post I haven't done anything like before. Let's get into it! 

(This took a long time to make, so let's just hope anyone actually sees it.)

Part I: Why I Started

I started "following" Hits 1 in mid-2019, but I wasn't keeping up with it super duper regularly. In fact, I didn't listen much during quarantine since I generally listened in the car. However, in late 2022 I started getting into popular music again and I was reintroduced to Hits 1 when I came across the year-end top 30 songs of 2022, and decided to listen to it. I'm glad I did, because if not, I definitely wouldn't have been where I am now. I started listening to the countdown every week, and one day I randomly thought, "Wow, I really want to listen to the year-end countdown of 2022 for no reason whatsoever". But I checked and it was removed from SiriusXM on demand by then, so I looked it up online to see if anyone posted it publicly.

That's when it all began. I found out that Pulse Music Board uploaded the year-end countdown and a lot of cool statistics about it, and I was already starting to think, "ok, this might be something I'd wanna do in my spare time". Then, I discovered this entire community of bloggers dedicated to Hits 1: Beluga, Hippo, Waffle, Ethan (still Zestpond at the time), etc. You know what happened next. I created my own blog. I believe it was called "Hallett's Hits 1 Weekend Countdown Reviews" or something super generic like that (the URL was halletthits1.blogspot.com, trust me, there's nothing there anymore), and I posted the year-end countdown for 2022, with my takes on the songs.

If you're an "OG" viewer of this blog, you may be thinking, "I do not remember that at all". Well, this was still a few months before I went public. I wasn't quite ready yet... and what happened after I posted it was actually kinda hilarious. I panicked, because I had no clue how to get it public, whether I wanted it public or not, if I would really want to keep doing this... and I deactivated it. After one hour. My first blog lasted one hour.

Part II: Going Public

Well, one day, on the incredibly random week of July 22, 2023 (the third week of Jonas Brothers' Waffle House at #1) I just decided to bring back my blog. I left a comment on Ethan's blog so he would at it to his blog list and I would cement myself as part of the "Hits 1 blogging community". It was a lot of fun. I loved typing the countdown out while each song came on, and publishing my posts at 9:00 every Saturday just as the countdown ended. In fact, the latest I had ever gotten a countdown post out during that period was one busy week where I had to move it to Sunday. And people viewed my blog. I wasn't sure how to feel about that, but I generally enjoyed the attention I got.

After about two months of blogging publicly, challenges inevitably came along. You might remember my review of Guts by my now-#1 artist Olivia Rodrigo. No, not this 100% scoring re-review we know and love. The first review from my old blog. Thinking back on that, I think I agree with some people in my life who viewed my blog who told me I was too harsh on certain songs. The truth is, I didn't rate Bad Idea Right and Get Him Back as "terrible" songs because of true issues with the songs themselves, but more just gripes about the music industry and how choices of promotion for singles in recent years prioritizes commercial appeal over authentic artistry. In other words, I hate fun. (By the way, the album still got a 72% anyway even with those low ratings, which is impressive.) I started worrying about my takes being controversial. Music is subjective, and I tried to be cautious not to claim anything as objectively "worse" or "better", and I never dared to attack someone for their opinions, but I still felt like I was doing something wrong.

On top of that, I'm so sorry (or glad, depending on how you look at it) if Hippo is reading this, but here is a confession/apology for him... so, there were a few times he commented on my posts asking me to join the Hits 1 Discord, and I didn't reply to him. I, refusing to join the Discord for reasons I will not disclose, made a really bad decision. Instead of politely declining his offer... I disappeared. Those requests, combined with the Guts review not being well-received by non-bloggers who read my posts, are the factors that ultimately caused me to intentionally deactivate my blog a second time. Right after Ethan went on his long hiatus. And I didn't say a word about it. I deeply regret everything about that to this day.

Of course, I came back for like two weeks that December (lying and saying "my blog got deactivated... I don't understand life sometimes" as if a Blogger moderator reported my blog or something), but no one really saw it and my afk life started getting increasingly busy. Since I knew blogging would be a pointless chore at that time, I deactivated again... but now we get back into the funny stuff. I accidentally deactivated it permanently that time. At the time, I regretted that because then I had no way to activate any of my old posts. But looking back, most of my early posts were 🤮 anyway so it doesn't matter in the long run.

Part III: The Experimental Phase

I just wouldn't let go of blogging. I just wouldn't leave forever. In January 2024, I created a new URL, hallettscountdownreviews.blogspot.com (the blog you know and love today!) and tried out an experiment. I just made this post and didn't announce anything, and I was curious to see if anyone would notice on their own. Sure enough, they did. People started flocking to my blog for the next two months, before my giant announcement in March: that I would be returning to blogging full-time.

To redeem myself after the last time, my first proper post after that was a revised review of Guts, which somehow managed to score a 100%. No, not every song got a 5/5, but the few songs that got 3s and 4s were matched by the beyond incredible Vampire (6/5) and Teenage Dream (10/5). (It's still the only album that I've given a 100% score to this day, with Taylor Swift's Evermore being the closest one with 99%.) I restarted weekly countdown reviews, usually much later in the week than I used to post them, but still relatively regular. But more notably, I started to hone in on my love of reviewing albums I discovered with my re-review of Guts. I reviewed Sour, Eternal Sunshine, and even the complete Tortured Poets Department + Anthology album. I even created an entire page of the scores every album review got.

Along with all that, I created a chart on Crownnote (which I haven't updated in a year but who cares) where I shared my top 20 songs each week. This motivated me to find more music I really liked. I was having a lot of fun blogging. Yeah... that didn't last long at the time.

Part IV: Changing My Blog Market

After not too long, I got tired of making countdown reviews. I was really only keeping it going because it was already how I established myself in the community. I mean, fgs my blog was called "Hallett's Countdown Reviews". But then, as you probably remember, I made that STUPID "countdown prediction" post. For one, the post itself was absurd. It was based more on personal preference than actual genuine predictions. We all knew WCBF wasn't actually gonna hit #1, and Rain On Me was definitely not re-entering at #15 at anytime soon. And don't get me started on Fortnight jumping 21 spots?! But the worse part was that I claimed it was going to be a weekly post series... right before an unannounced five-week absence. I explain the reasons for that in vague detail in this possibly even more infamous post that ultimately led to me returning to countdown reviews, due to some great songs debuting Hitbound.

I started to redevelop my love for music reviewing, bringing myself to post insane multi-day album review series to celebrate relatively arbitrary numbers of pageviews. (I mean, did I really need to post SIX random album reviews just to commemorate getting *chuckles* 3,000 views on my blog, counting my own views?) But unsurprisingly, my album reviews were my most successful posts... so I made my blog more album review-focused. For my next pageview special, I did something different. Since I had then gone from a casual fan of Taylor's music to a level two Swiftie, I made a new kind of post, inspired by some Swiftie YouTubers I was starting to follow. It was a conceptual "alternate version" of the Eras Tour setlist, if I was in charge of the set, which you can find here! It was super fun to make, and it not only reinforced my love for Swift content, but it introduced another style of post I hadn't tried before - fan designs, which I've now done more and more of.

And admittedly... then I sorta ran out of ideas. I had reviewed basically every album known to man at the time (yes, even Brat, which I was clear about letting people know I thought it was overrated). Yes, I had a two-month absence, which I didn't speak much about for some reason, but then I made a series of posts that really started to skyrocket my blogging quality further: the beloved twelve days of Christmas posts! This gave us playlists, conceptual album artwork and tracklists, EP and album reviews, and a few miscellaneous year-end things. I'm still really proud of that. It was truly a blast to make.

Part V: Recent Months

This section won't be near as detailed, because if you're currently reading this, it's more than likely you've at least seen my recent posts. So, yeah, the first few weeks were a bit messy, with my initially ideal schedule of bringing back weekly countdown reviews and implementing biweekly album reviews, which then unexpectedly bled into an unfortunate time in my personal life, ultimately being unrealistic for my afk time and mental health. You can see that explanation post here. I thought, and still think to this day, that I likely won't be posting countdown reviews ever again on this blog. I decided copying and pasting a list of songs into template and creating tiresome reviews of every mid song on Hits 1 when everyone else was doing the same thing just to keep the established premise of the blog was very unnecessary and wouldn't be fun.

So then I started something that I think really catapulted my blog. Hallett's Hits. A personal chart system, similar to my Crownnote chart from early 2024, but more complex and more fun to make. It was less time consuming and more interesting when I wasn't just a broken record saying the same things a million times about songs I'll forget about one week after I hear them. Hallett's Hits got me to 10,000 views very quickly, and this special has been a great experiment with a few genres of posting to see which ones I enjoy most!

Part VI: Future

Yes, this post will also include some post ideas I have for the future. First of all, I haven't gotten nearly tired of Hallett's Hits, and I hope to continue that as long as possible. I also had an idea for a post that I was originally gonna do for the last day of the 10,000 views special, but it just took too long - some fanmade designs of Taylor's Version lyric videos for Reputation and Debut. I'll post those once I finish making them, which might take a while. I actually have a lot of random concepts for long-form Swiftie content, again mostly inspired by Swiftie YouTube channels I follow, which I might do as a 13,000 views special series (hopefully before 2026!) Also, there is a lot of good material for album reviews this year - A Matter Of Time comes out on August 22, OR3 is projected for 2025, and Rep TV and Debut TV will be absolutely massive.

Anyway, thank you so much for reading my blog! I'm honored to have 10,000 views. It feels like just yesterday I was freaking out over 100 views... and that's it for this post.

(TL;DR - I started blogging the Hits 1 Weekend Countdown in early 2023, intentionally deactivated it a million times for stupid reasons, changed my content style, blah blah blah, here I am!)

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

{10,000 Views Special Pt.6} Have I found the world's most relatable songwriter?

Hi! So, if you're a regular reader of my Hallett's Hits "bloggio station" updates each week, and if you've seen my recent post where I selected eight artists I think will go mainstream in the next few years, you'll know that I've recently become a fan of Lyn Lapid. I was just introduced to her a few months ago and she's already one of my top artists. I particularly love her song In My Mind, which is now one of my all-time favorites and possibly the most personally relatable song I've ever heard. Lyn Lapid is everything I look for in a good artist - relatable lyricism, distinct musical style, and versatility. She just released her debut album Buzzkill a few weeks ago and it's definitely my favorite album this year so far (somewhat subject to change with new projects from Laufey and Olivia Rodrigo and the final two Taylor Swift rerecords predicted to come out this year). So I'm gonna review it. Let's get into this review!

1. Buzzkill

My rating: 5/5 Great

We start off strong with the title track, and an awesome song that really reminds me of Sabrina Carpenter. It's a fun, playful take on feeling like you're not where you belong and wanting space at a party. It seems like a common theme in Lyn Lapid's discography is loneliness and being excluded, which is extremely relatable. The lyrics are really well written and the production does a great job of adding to the atmosphere. Also, the track list order is important. I love how the album starts with the title track and a song that kinda ties together the rest of the themes. I think this is one of my favorites on the album.

2. Coraline

My rating: 4/5 Good

This is probably the most popular song from the album, and it's the first song I heard from the album and from Lyn in general. And... I'm honestly surprised I ultimately became as much of a fan as I did in the long run with this as my introduction, because this is definitely my least favorite song on the album. Not saying much since this is a skipless album. I'm a fan of these lyrics about not feeling like home and I think they're crafted quite well. I think my biggest problem here is that something about the production sounds kinda wrong to me. It feels like it's progressing somewhere but never quite lands where I think it will. Also, it's pretty generic. It's a forgettable song that I likely won't come back to much.

3. Back Up Plan

My rating: 5/5 Great

We're already back to another great song, and we're coming up on a long streak of seven consecutive 5/5s. Wow. So, this is one of my favorite songs on this album, and also one of the saddest, as well as, according to Lyn, the hardest to write. This song could be about a romantic relationship, but I view it as more about friendship. It's a very relatable theme of when you see someone as one of your best friends but they don't think the same. It sorta feels like a more ambiguous version of Second Best by Laufey, another amazing song. And the production is gorgeous. Lyn is another example of an artist who's great at evolving production and can excel at both intimate ballads and fun pop songs. Lyn's artistry shines significantly in this song. Amazing.

4. I'll Be Happy When

My rating: 5/5 Great

You know when a song has "happy" in the title, it's gonna be a sad song. This album as a whole is actually pretty sad. (That might explain why it's one of my favorites lol.) It's a song about... just as the lyrics suggest, hopes for the future and wanting to eventually, at some point, be happy. But in the chorus, there's a twist - "But what if it's all too late? What if I'm bound to break?" I know All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault) (Sad Girl Autumn Version) (Recorded At Long Pond Studios) (Slowed + Reverb) that whenever there's hope for the future, there's always a fear of it being unachievable that inevitably comes along with it. I think it's cool how the outro is a callback to the title of the album with the refrain of "I'll be a buzzkill forever". This is a gorgeous song and another true emotional journey.

5. Floater Friend

My rating: 5/5 Great

Yes! We've now reached my favorite song off this album, which is currently floating (npi) in the top five on my personal Hallett's Hits countdown. One thing I love in songwriting is when artists write about friendship and don't limit themselves to writing about romance, which Lyn does a lot. The concept in this song is a bit similar to Back Up Plan, but I think it's even more emotionally in-depth. It's essentially about being aware that you're "just there" and not going to be anyone's best friend or lover anytime soon, with a powerfully simple chorus of "I know my place and maybe it's better that way". And the production is stunning as well. The piano here is fantastic, and I'd love to hear more piano songs from her. An instant fav.

6. Forecast

My rating: 5/5 Great

Continuing the trend of great songs for even longer. The production here is awesome, and reminds me of Lover-era Taylor Swift for some reason. But the real highlight, once again, is the lyricism. This is a song about wanting to help someone through a hard time, and it's crafted so beautifully - "your eyes are empty sketches" is one of my favorite lines on this album. The chorus did have me worried at first when she ended a line with "head", and I was thinking "please don't say bed" the whole time, but luckily she rhymed it with "thread". Anyway, that has nothing to do with anything. It's just another great song.

7. Death Wish

My rating: 5/5 Great

This is another one of the more popular songs on this album, and one of my favorite singles from it, a song that's earned itself moderate Hallett's Hits traction. The message of this song is straightforward - it's about the inevitable love-hate attitude toward a best friend's new love interest, and being both happy for them and wanting them to break up. Now that I think of it, it's actually a lot like Call Me When You Break Up by Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco and Gracie Abrams, another song I really like. I'd say I prefer this song over CMWYBU just because the production here is groovier and has some more unique elements to it. Awesome choice for a single.

8. Buttons

My rating: 5/5 Great

And speaking of singles, this is the lead single and my top favorite single from this album now. The big highlight here is actually the production, which is highly keyboard and synth-driven and sounds almost jazzy to me. It's a super fun song, but not in a cheesy way. Lyrically, it might be this album's "happiest" song, about a crush who you want to keep close but is a bit out of your league. The title is a bit strange to me, but it comes from the chorus of this song - "I just wanna be close, closer than the buttons on your coat". It's a great song that I (spoiler alert-ish) plan on adding to Hallett's Top 30 this coming Monday.

9. Fix

My rating: 5/5 Great

This album continues to be a gorgeous emotional journey exploring all the aspects of being a "buzzkill". On top of once again gorgeous keyboard-based production, this might be one of my favorite songs lyrically on the album. It reminds me of the kind of lyrics I write, with really cool metaphors - "You want the honey without the residue / You love how sweet it tastes but hate it when it sticks to you / Tasting adrenaline, I'm not your epinephrine / You want the fireworks without the fire it takes." Lol, it's always funny when a song teaches you a new word, and this song actually taught me what epinephrine is. And the title is great because it has a double function in the chorus - "You don't care where you get your fix from as long as you do / I can't fix that about you" - which is really cool. Amazingly crafted song.

10. Who

My rating: 4/5 Good

Well, nothing is perfect. This song is fine, it's just a bit forgettable and boring compared to most other tracks on the album. The lyrics are fine (albeit generic) about a toxic partner. I just always forget about this song. If just being forgettable is enough to be one of my least favorite songs on an entire album, that's a sign that it's a great album. In the long run, it's fine, but I won't come back to listen again. I don't have anything else to say for this one.

11. Take Me As I Am

My rating: 4/5 Good

Yeah, kinda the same "issue" as the song above it where it just doesn't personally stick with me unlike most of the rest of the album. Again, you know it's an incredible album if the "worst" songs on it only get that label by being fine but easily overlookable. However, unlike the last song, this one is mostly about the lyrics rather than the production. The lyrics are too repetitive for me to really get into them, but I quite like the production. Moving on to the final track on the album.

12. It Doesn't Kill Me Anymore

My rating: 5/5 Great

And after two pretty forgettable songs, we end incredibly strong! I think it's super clever how she starts the album with Buzzkill, and closes things out with a hopeful finish with It Doesn't Kill Me Anymore, tying together the entire storyline of the album. Yes, I know it's a very common trope to close out an album with a hopeful song about moving on from the challenges reflected in previous songs, but I think it's generally done well, and this is definitely an example. The lyrics are simple yet quite powerful, and the synthy production is a nice note to end on. One of my favorite album closers!

Conclusion

Overall rating: 95% (Great Album)

Lyn Lapid has not failed to amaze me with her artistry, and I can't believe she isn't more mainstream by now. If you haven't already, I highly suggest anyone reading this should check out Lyn's discography. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Favorite songs: Floater Friend, Fix, Buttons

"Least favorite" songs: Coraline, Take Me As I Am, Who

Also, I am proud to announce that this is already my 42nd post of 2025. Why does this matter, you may ask? Well, it actually matters a whole lot, because it means I've gotten significantly better at posting regularly - I only got out 41 posts in the entirety of 2024, which means, before the year is even halfway over, I've already posted more than I did last year. (Hallett's Hits has helped that a lot obviously.)

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

{10,000 Views Special Pt.5} Ranking every Laufey song!

Hi! Welcome back to my 10,000 views series and my second "every song by an artist" ranking! This week, Laufey became the third artist I've listened to every song released by (first Olivia Rodrigo, then Taylor Swift, and now her - I'm getting close to achieving the same thing with Finneas, Mitski, and Lyn Lapid as well!) and with that along with her birthday being just three weeks ago and the release of an ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING song this morning, I decided that this would be a great opportunity to share my ranking of every Laufey song.

As always, this is simply my own opinion. If you think Tough Luck and Goddess are the most abominably horrid pieces of garbage you've ever heard and should be permanently deleted from existence... first of all, seek professional help immediately because that's clearly a problem, but more importantly, don't attack me for my opinions. I'm just a rando on the interweb, not an all-knowing being who can tell you which Laufey songs are objectively better than others. The criteria is very similar to that of the Olivia Rodrigo ranking I did earlier this year for her 22nd birthday. 

What I included:

- Every song on the Typical Of Me EP

- Every song on the Very Laufey Holiday EP

- Every song on Everything I Know About Love, including the deluxe tracks and covers

- Every song on Bewitched, including the Goddess edition and covers

- Every song that's been released so far from A Matter Of Time

- Official songs she's featured on with other artists

- Other officially released non-album singles

What I didn't include:

- Leaked unreleased songs

- Live exclusive covers

- Alternate versions of other songs

- Songs she wrote for other people (which I'm not sure Laufey has any of)

Also, like last time, I'm color coding the ranking by album. No correlation to my personal preference between albums, this is just based on colors associated with each era:

Gray = Typical Of Me

Green = Everything I Know About Love

Dark blue = Bewitched

Light blue = A Matter Of Time

Red = Holiday

White = Other

Just like last time, the rankdown is split into tiers named after Laufey lyrics. (I was kinda hoping there would be some bad songs so that I could name a tier "oh, the burning pain", but surprise not surprise, I won't be using that because Laufey has no songs I would rate below a 2/5!) Also, for each song I'll be including a blurb, but this isn't like my album reviews where I do long elaborate analyses. As usual for these big rankings, I'll just be doing a quick few sentences as a blurb, often a joke or just a silly comment about each song, but sometimes if I have more to say I'll do longer blurbs. Let's get into the ranking.

Driving me a bit insane (2/5 - not a fan, but it's not terrible):

#57: Slow Down - Just like the Olivia Rodrigo ranking, the lowest ranked album song is a deluxe track. I just can't listen to it. It's not poorly written and I get what it's going for, but the ending really ruins it for me. The message that children shouldn't think about their futures rubs me the wrong way - it's the exact reason I don't like Taylor Swift's Never Grow Up, and more recently Robin (which I rated as a 5/5 in my TTPD review after a superficial listen but after paying attention to the lyrics would now rate as a 0/5, but that's off-topic). Whatever, it's still a Laufey song which makes it hard to hate because her voice is gorgeous, and most of the gripes about this song that weigh it down this far just come from my detestation of the outro. And it's a deluxe track so it's not like my least favorite song is a fan fav or anything.

I'm bored (3/5 - not great, not bad, just existent):

#56: Everything I Know About Love - My "least favorite" main album track in Laufey's discography. The lyrics are great, but musically, it's quite boring. I never come back to listen to this song because I usually just overlook it.

#55: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (with Norah Jones) - A pretty underwhelming cover. I don't think Norah quite gives her full vocal performance on her two collabs with Laufey and their voices don't quite match up together to me. It's a little like when Ariana and Mariah tried to collab, but it's much less inherently poorly mixed and more just a personal preference.

#54: Street By Street - Now, I won't say I don't like Typical Of Me, but it's hard to place most of the songs very high since Laufey was just starting and she's grown so much as an artist since then. This song is the first song she ever released, all the way back in 2020, and it's way more R&B/soul-pop than anything else she's done, which is fine but it just doesn't seem quite right on Laufey in the long run. It's a fine little tune, but it's another one that's just easy to overlook.

#53: James - Another Typical Of Me song that just doesn't quite fit into Laufey's discography. This is kinda a strange song in my opinion. I don't know what to say.

#52: Dear Soulmate - Something about the guitar line sounds weird to me, I'm not quite sure.

Beautiful stranger (4/5 - it's a good song but I'm not gonna listen to it on my own):

#51: Someone New - I always forget this song exists.

#50: Better Than Snow (with Norah Jones) - Similar to the other Jones collab above but a bit better in my opinion.

#49: Lucky For Me - An EIKAL deluxe track that I forget about frequently.

#48: I've Never Been In Love Before - So real though.

#47: Bored - This has grown on me a lot. Still my least fav on Bewitched though.

#46: Beautiful Stranger - The namesake of this tier, and a song that almost feels like an early draft of Silver Lining. 

#45: Just Like Chet - This song's okay... yeah...

#44: Lovesick - Possibly Laufey's "poppiest" song.

#43: It Could Happen To You - One of a few covers Laufey has done, and my "least favorite" of the bunch just because I don't think Laufey does quite as well with the fast swing sound, but overall it's a lot of fun. This song growing on me... it could happen to me.

#42: Misty - Another cover of a jazz standard that I thought at first was a Laufey original.

#41: Where Or When - I don't know where or when I found this cover, since it's not on an album, but it's one of my favorites of the covers.

#40: Winter Wonderland - You and I got lost in it. Swiftlauvers know. (Now I'm wondering how many Swiftlauvers there are out there. I can't be the only one who's a massive fan of both Taytay and Laufey.)

#39: Christmas Dreaming - Yeah, sure, the song's alright, but let's talk about that video that has the internet divided. It's a video of the twins spinning around in circles. Which one is Junia and which one is Laufey? (I think Junia is definitely the one with her mouth open and going crazy, and Laufey is the one who's confused about what's going on.) Really though, this is a nice holiday cover and one of my highest ranked holiday songs actually.

Caught in a romance (5/5 - amazing songs that I listen to a lot):

#38: I Wish You Love - The fact that Laufey has 57 songs and a whopping 38 of them (two thirds) are songs I have rated as "great" is simply insane. Laufey is just that good! I have no clue what any of this song means but I quite like it.

#37: Love To Keep Me Warm (with Dodie) - A festive cover that introduced me to Dodie.

#36: Santa Baby - ("This high?!" they all shrieked. "Really?! Santa Baby?!") Yeah, it's one of my favorite holiday tunes. I'm not sure whether I prefer this perky orchestral rendition or Taylor's widely abhorred country-rock interpretation, and I honestly might like Taytay's slightly better (extremely unpopular opinion, I know) but it's close. I don't know what the full instrumentation is here, but whatever this combination of flute, xylophone, horn, and bewitching fairy dust magic is... it's brilliant.

#35: Ain't Christmas (with Alexander 23) - I love how the title looks like it says "ain't Christmas with Alexander 23", as if Alexander makes it not Christmas. What's even funnier is on Alexander 23's channel it's "ain't Christmas with Laufey"... I overthink things lol.

#34: The Christmas Waltz - My highest ranked of the holiday tunes, which means we now have one full category of songs eliminated.

#33: Magnolia - Honestly, why aren't there more people named Magnolia?

#32: Like The Movies - Another super relatable song.

#31: This Is How It Feels (with D4VD) - My favorite D4VD song I've ever heard.

#30: Love Flew Away (with Adam Melchor) - The only Adam Melchor song I've ever heard. (And that will change very soon!)

#29: What Love Will Do To You - A lot of things.

#28: Hi - Wow, Laufey literally just said hi to me. Hi, Laufey!

#27: Bewitched - The orchestra is haunting, and the video is just as haunting. And speaking of HAUNTING...

#26: Haunted - The one obligatory song title shared with Taylor Swift.

#25: Serendipity - Laufey has a lot of one-word titles, and they're all powerful.

#24: While You Were Sleeping - From the title I thought this would be some kind of creepy stalker song, and then I listened to it and it turns out... it kinda is. In the best way possible of course.

#23: Must Be Love - Describes my feeling toward this song.

#22: Dreamer - "I was a dreamer before you went and let me down" - wait, wrong song. I prefer this one though. Also, twenty-twooooooooo!

#21: Dance With You Tonight - Laufey is actually so funny.

#20: Questions For The Universe - Don't we all have some? I love this concept.

#19: No One Knows (with Stephen Sanchez) - But everyone knows how amazing this song is.

#18: California & Me - "Left me and the ocean for your old flame" is so poetic and so natural. And the Philharmonia Orchestra was a great choice to feature on this song!

#17: Fragile - How you'll feel when you listen to this. It's actually amazing.

#16: Falling Behind - Dangerously relatable. I think Lyn Lapid could do a great cover or remix of this.

#15: Let You Break My Heart Again - Anytime Laufey collabs with this hot band called the Philharmonia Orchestra, it's sure to be a banger.

#14: Nocturne (Interlude) - I'm hoping future Laufey albums have instrumental interludes like this one, because this is gorgeous. Laufey + piano = pure bewitchment.

#13: From The Start - Lucky 13. Ah yes, the song that made me a Lauver in the first place. Laufey's signature hit that I'm guessing you've all heard even if you're not a Lauver like me. It's always so satisfying to watch Laufey perform this song and the whole crowd screams along in the second verse. "BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!!!!!"

#12: Trouble - I've been having trouble getting enough of this song.

#11: Night Light - The cooler, maturer sister of Slow Down.

#10: A Night To Remember (with Beabadoobee) - My favorite non-album Laufey song for sure. The way their styles combine is amazing. This is kinda the song that made me a Beabadoobee fan as well. Also, I couldn't help but notice the many Taylor Swift titles in the chorus: "you enchanted ME! and whisper sweet nothing into my ears".

#9: Best Friend - My top song from Typical Of Me by a long shot. Remember when Laufey announced on April Fools Day that her next album would be a rap album, and teased a fake diss track to her twin sister Junia? Well, don't we already have it? "I promise I love you, even with that hairdo / I'm sorry I made fun of it, it's not your fault it looks like shit" is about Junia, her "best friend in the world". Yeah...

#8: Second Best - Isn't it interesting how it feels so much worse to be the second best person out of 8,202,250,183 than to be the eighth best song out of 57?

#7: Silver Lining - The lead single from Laufey's third album A Matter Of Time, a four-week Hallett's Hits topper, and her considerably saccharine take on the classic "in love with a treacherous man" trope. Imagine if this is the same guy who inspired Tough Luck...

#6: Promise - I love froyo, oh oh oh, it's so yolo, oh oh oh! (True Lauvers know.)

#5: Valentine - I think of this as Laufey's signature song. To me, it's musically, lyrically, and vocally representative of a significant amount of Laufey's artistry without sounding overly similar to anything else of hers. If you're reading this and haven't listened to a Laufey song yet, I'd suggest you start with this one.

#4: Letter To My 13 Year Old Self - Beauuuuuuuutifuuuuuuuul... that one word encapsulates this song exactly. Top song from the main edition of Bewitched and it's easy to see why. Her lyricism shines so well.

#3: Above The Chinese Restaurant - One of those songs that works no matter how it's performed. I can't decide which version I like more: the guitar-driven indie-jazz/almost soft-rock-tinged studio edition, or the grand orchestral Night At The Symphony arrangement performed at the Hollywood Bowl. Either way, it's one of the most gorgeous things Laufey has made. We've now eliminated every song from EIKAL, which makes that the first full-length studio album eliminated from the rankdown.

GODDESS (6/5 - inexplicably gorgeous):

#2: Goddess - Everyone knows how I feel about this song. My #1 off Bewitched: The Goddess Edition. 

#1: Tough Luck - Tough luck, my boy, your time is up. Need I say anything else? This song was just released the day of making this ranking, and I already know it WILL launch Laufey into mainstream territory, and I WILL absolutely freak out WHEN it is on Hits 1. Seriously, this song sounds like a cross between Laufey, Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Lyn Lapid, and Taylor Swift... all of which are some of my top artists. And those lyrics... wow. She slammed that guy to the ground. I was just joking when I suggested that this could be about Mr. Silver Lining, but it's actually possible since he clearly wasn't the sweetest partner. This song is my anthem and Laufey really outdid herself. Remember when I thought Goddess was my favorite Laufey song? AMOT comes out on August 22 (which was already an important date in the Swiftieverse since both August and 22 are song titles, and is now an important date in the Laufeyverse as well) and I couldn't be more excited for an album than this. It's more than likely that unless there are future AMOT songs or OR3 tracks or any Rep or Debut vault findings really blow me away to the moon and to Saturn, this will be my #1 song overall of 2025, which would mean Laufey would top my year-end favorite songs list two years in a row since she had Goddess last year.

Well, that took a long time to make, but I'm glad I got to share that. That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

{10,000 Views Special Pt.4} I said I love this album first!

Hi! FINALLY, I'm reviewing I Said I Love You First by Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco, my first collab album review. I was pleasantly surprised. I've always liked Selena's music okay, but this album was genuinely great. Honestly, this is kind of along the lines of what I've been hoping for with Taylor Swift's 12th album now that she's in a pretty solid relationship with Travis Kelce - a collection of chill little love songs exploring their romance but also reflecting on fear, fame, friendships, and more. The production on this album as a whole is amazing, and I love how it explores many genres as well. Also, this is my first time reviewing a collab album between two artists, which I think is a cool idea in general. Well, without further ado, let's get into this album.

1. I Said I Love You First

My rating: X/5 Doesn't count toward score

Yeah, this doesn't count towards the score because it's a spoken interlude, but I like that it's included in the album. I won't say much about this one, moving on...

2. Younger And Hotter Than Me

My rating: 5/5 Great

Wow, we're off to a great start, because we're already to my favorite song on the whole album! This song is currently sitting in the top 10 on my personal Hallett's Hits chart, and if you listen to it, you'll be able to see why. It's a, surprise not surprise, piano ballad. And the lyrics are just gorgeous. This song is a reflection on fame and not fitting in at a party with stars who are titularly "younger and hotter than" her. I love how it evolves throughout, with the harmonies in verse 2 adding a layer of intensity. Definitely a favorite of mine, and a song that is not too far from topping my personal chart. Now, let's see if the rest of the album can even match up to the sheer quality of this fantastic song.

3. Call Me When You Break Up (with Gracie Abrams)

My rating: 5/5 Great

This is the "biggest hit" from this album, and I can see why. It's a fun, playful song about a friend whose time has been taken up by a partner, and secretly wanting them to break up to have more time with them. A common theory I've seen about this song is that it's about Taylor and Travis, which I can kinda see since Selena & Gracie are both good friends with Tay. I love the outro when the lyrics are more highlighted, and Selena acknowledges that these two people might have a strong relationship that could last a long time. The production is really cool and sort of feels like a Lover-era Taylor Swift synth-pop song. I can't decide whether I think the "your call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system, [blurred voice that sounds like "whoever it is"] is not available" in the intro is cool or cringey, but either way, it doesn't affect my opinion on the song. It's a great song and an awesome choice for a single.

4. Ojos Tristes (with The Marias)

My rating: 5/5 Great

Wow, an unexpected collab with The Marias. I will admit, some of the melody here sounds very similar to The Marias' No One Noticed, but I like that song and its melody so I don't mind that too much. The synth-pop production, stylized like The Marias' sound, is really cool to me. I love the way the melody is sequenced and fluctuated throughout the song. And the lyrics are beautifully written. I quite like the way The Marias sing parts of the song in Spanish. By the way, in case you were wondering, the title means "Sad Eyes". I'm a fan of this song and I hope Selena & Marias collab again!

5. Don't Wanna Cry

My rating: 3/5 Decent

Well, we've reached our first non-great song. This isn't my least favorite on the album... we'll get to that in just three more songs. It's a fine song but I don't enjoy it quite as much as the others. I think it's just kinda repetitive and forgettable. Most of the chorus is just "I don't wanna cry now", and the repetition works but just sorta falls flat after a while. Also, the production isn't very memorable. It's super generic and doesn't really go anywhere. So, the song isn't bad, it's just a bit boring.

6. Sunset Blvd

My rating: 5/5 Great

Big... big... hard... heart! Okay then... Really this is an awesome song. Yes, I think the aforementioned pre-chorus is a lot of fun. This song in general is just hilarious. It kinda reminds me of Chappell Roan, not just because of the playful lyrics and cheering, but also because of the synthy production and the way it builds. It's not the type of song I would normally "love" but this is just a lot of fun. This is the sort of song that I can see being a TS12 single, assuming Tayvis is still together by then.

7. Cowboy (with GloRilla)

My rating: 5/5 Great

GloRilla on ISILYF might just be the weirdest feature I've ever heard on any album by anyone. Anyway, this is another great song. It's a pretty chill ballad with atmospheric production, which I enjoy a lot. And it's another love song about Benny and their intimate moments together. This song just has such a nice vibe to it, and it's been a grower with repeated listens. And again, I don't know how GloRilla's outro is supposed to fit into this song and this album, but it actually does. Since she's not credited on the original version, that outro comes as a bit of a jumpscare, but it's cool. Another great song. Almost every song so far has been great...

8. Bluest Flame

My rating: 2/5 Mediocre

...yeah, this is my least favorite song on the album, unsurprisingly. I was disappointed especially because I thought the title sounded really cool. I will say, there is one huge redeeming quality to this song - that intro. The instrumentation is epic. But then, it turns into Charli XCX on steroids. The lyrics are just repeating the same eight lines for a good half of the song, and then at the end it's just... breathing? No idea why anyone would wanna listen to a million hours of HAH-huh-HAH-huh, and it seems to me almost like it's only there to get the song to a certain length, but maybe that's just ignorant me not understanding the appeal of hyperpop. Honestly if it weren't for the production near the beginning this may have been a 1 or even a 0. Anyway, moving on...

9. How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten?

My rating: 5/5 Great

Quickly back into the greatness. This is a song that I'm considering adding to Hallett's Hits. It's another ballad, but this time with a more angsty message. It's continuing the Selena/Benny romance story arc of this album, but this time touching on a new theme - another person who gets in the way of their relationship. I love how the lyrics are written, with the titular lyric pointing out the fact that Selena and Benny will ignore this person and stay in their own lavender haze. I love the production. It's bitter and sweeping with a highlight on the word "forgotten". I think it's really cool how the production in songs on this album evolve, and this is a great example of that. One of my favorites on the album that will likely enter Hallett's Hits soon enough!

10. Do You Wanna Be Perfect?

My rating: X/5 Doesn't count

Speaking of Hallett's Hits, this was my "Interlude Extra" one week this month. Now, although this doesn't count toward the score, I will say this is still one of my favorite moments on the album. The message here is great - no one is perfect, and no one should be - and it's told through a "commercial". Also, I know the backing track is just elevator music, but I genuinely would love to hear a proper Selena song with that bossa nova sound. Wow, my music taste is... interesting.

11. You Said You Were Sorry

My rating: 4/5 Good

So, this is alright. I don't have much to say about this song since it's honestly one of this album's most overlookable tracks. It's a good song, but I never see myself coming back to it. I mean, I guess it has a catchy melody and the evolution of the production, especially the percussion, has interesting elements, but ultimately there isn't much about this song that stands out enough for it to be "great". Moving on.

12. I Can't Get Enough (with Tainy & J Balvin)

My rating: 3/5 Decent

Don't worry, we'll be "out of the woods" soon. Again, this song is still okay. The Latin-influenced production, although repetitious, is fun. Tainy & J Balvin's feature moments are also a cool inclusion. However, this song is brought down by the repetition once again. While it's not near as egregious as Bluest Flame, this song repeats itself a lot and sometimes feels a bit too long. Also, side note, the phrase "I can't get enough" is such a cliche in songwriting. Can't Get Enough by Jennifer Lopez, Lunch by Billie Eilish, Shivers by Ed Sheeran, Crazy Stupid Love by Emei, I could go on and on. But anyway, this song is okay but in the long run it's pretty mid.

13. Don't Take It Personally

My rating: 5/5 Great

We're almost to the album's end, and now we have a song that's currently performing moderately on Hallett's Hits - soon to be higher because it's another grower with repeated listens. This is a song about a past relationship and how it affects the new relationship with Benny. It's meant to assure an ex that she and Benny are meant to be and not to take it as a personal offense as the title suggests. I think this reflective concept is a cool idea for a song. And the production... wow. Yes, it's similar to other songs on the album, but that doesn't mean it's not a gorgeous piano ballad. Another amazing song that I'll listen to a lot.

14. Scared Of Loving You

My rating: 5/5 Great

And now we've reached the first single and final track. This was the first song we all heard from the album when it was a very forgettable Hitbound dropout on Hits 1 earlier this year, and I wasn't sure about it at first. I wasn't too into that washed-out guitar sound, but it's grown on me so significantly. It's a short romantic ballad about fear in their relationship, but it's not a fear of love - it's a fear of loss. I know it's a common songwriting trope, but it works well. It's a sweet way to close out this quite romantic album, and also the kind of song I can certainly expect when TS12 comes along. Gorgeous!

Conclusion

Overall rating: 87% (Great Album)

Yeah, it's a pleasantly surprising great album! Like I said earlier and throughout the post, this is the kind of album I hope for with Taylor Swift's next record, likely after the rerecords. Although it's still on the "lower end" of the great spectrum weighed down by the few slightly forgettable songs scattered throughout, it still manages to land itself in the great category by three points! I'll definitely come back to a lot of these songs.

Favorite songs: Younger And Hotter Than Me, How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten, Don't Take It Personally

Least favorite songs: Don't Wanna Cry, I Can't Get Enough, Bluest Flame

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

{10,000 Views Special Pt.3} Artists who I think will have Chappell Roan moments in the next few years + the Sports Car saga continued

Hi! Sorry I'm posting this so late at night, I went to a Pearl Jam concert today and got home later than expected. This is a style of post I enjoy but don't do that often, and it's a post I've been really wanting to do for a while. I have selected a list of eight up-and-coming artists who I predict (or at least hope) will become mega-stars at some point in the next few years, and deserve more attention. If you're reading this, you should really check out these artists. (Also, stay tuned for part 2 of the Sports Car story from yesterday!) Let's get into this list!

1. Alessi Rose

Why I think she'll be huge: Ever since I heard IKYK for the first time, back when she was just a rando Hits 1 found underground, I've had a strong prediction that the English singer-songwriter Alessi Rose will become a main pop girl. She just has that energy to her that reminds me of Sabrina or Chappell, and has recently been launching her into a bit more recognition in the music world.

My fav song: Pretty World

2. Avreya Bloom

Why I think she'll be huge: If you saw yesterday's edition of Hallett's Hits, you'll know that Avreya Bloom is an artist I found incredibly randomly on YouTube. Fourteen songs, with the most popular having a mere one hundred views, and no public info about her. But everyone starts somewhere, and I think Avreya will have publicity in her future. She's great at capturing atmospheres and writing relatable stories with her songs, and I truly wish more people heard her music.

My fav song: Pixel Rain

3. Chloe Qisha

Why I think she'll be huge: Malaysia-born vocalist Chloe Qisha excels at fun, playful synth-pop. If more people knew about her, she would likely perform very well on radio. Not only is her production style extremely cool, but her lyricism is also clever while being accessible. I believe Chloe will be topping charts not too long from now.

My fav song: Modern Romance

4. Debbii Dawson

Why I think she'll be huge: Possibly my strongest, most confident prediction of the bunch, former AGT contestant Debbii Dawson is a "Hallett's Hits plant" now but a fan-favorite soon enough. Her versatility is off the charts. She can make intimate folk songs like Eulogy For Nobody, or bops like You Killed The Music that feel more 80s than any 80s song, and her lyricism is captivating and relatable, something that is a quality for success of a lot of artists.

My fav song: You Killed The Music

5. Grentperez

Why I think he'll be huge: I found this Filipino-Australian musician in a Google AI search for male artists like Laufey, and I'm glad I did. While Grentperez's sound does sometimes lean more toward R&B and soul than Laufey, he is an amazing artist nonetheless and I can see the comparison. Again, musical versatility is key, and the way he blends genres is awesome.

My fav song: Room For You (with Lyn Lapid)

6. Lyn Lapid

Why I think she'll be huge: And speaking of Lyn Lapid, I was debating whether or not to include the Filipino-American singer-songwriter on this list since she's more widely known than any of the others I included, but I decided to since I still think she's underrated and deserves to be a "main pop girl". She reminds me of Sabrina Carpenter in some ways, with her musical style and humorously relatable lyrics. I think her lyrics have a great way of connecting with a lot of people, which is why I've included her here. Can't believe she still hasn't scored any songs on Hits 1!

My fav song: In My Mind

7. Rocco

Why I think he'll be huge: I think I found Rocco in the same Google search as Grentperez, and I can see why since they have similar styles. Rocco's intimate vocal delivery, intriguing R&B/jazz sound, and connective lyricism make him an artist to watch. Although his slightly more niche sound might make him a less likely contender for a "main" artist, we never know, considering what's happened to other artists with styles considered "niche", like Laufey.

My fav song: If Only With You

8. Sydney Rose

Why I think she'll be huge: Something about artists with the last name Rose... really though, Sydney Rose reminds me a lot of storytelling songwriters like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams, and Lizzy McAlpine and she could certainly take the spot of a popular singer-songwriter. Her storytelling in her lyrics is just gorgeous. This is another one of my strongest predictions, and from what I've seen, it seems like We Hug Now is becoming somewhat of a breakout hit for her. Let's see where she takes her artistry.

My fav song: We Hug Now

And now... story time again! The Sports Car saga, continued...

Of course, literally the day after I blog about how weird it is that I hadn't heard Sports Car in a while... I heard Sports Car play on my car radio this morning. Now it really feels like Hits 1 is pranking me. If you haven't already seen the first installment of the story, check it out here.

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!