In personal news, I’ve had a busy few months: I moved to the gayest place on earth—West Hollywood—all the while, in international news, Trump continues to be dumb, hateful, and brain-wormy. But the point of substack is to teach y’all about my favorite music discovery of 2024:

CHINESE AMERIAN BEAR
(华裔美国熊)

• Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Instagram / TikTok

When I saw the duo known as Chinese American Bear—made up of Anne Tong and her husband of 6 years, Bryce Barsten, who she met in high school jazz class 16 years ago—in concert on a chilly November LA night, the experience surpassed all expectations.

Not to brag, but I timed my edible perfectly this time. When Chinese American Bear took to the stage, I was elevated to a better, sillier, carefree world. Where Mandarin and English beautifully overlap over bubblegum pop, where an audience member is asked to join the three-person band on stage to be the show’s “Dumpling” for their song 饺子 (Dumpling) - pictured below dancing between them, where you learn Mandarin words between and before each song so you can sing along and leave slightly smarter, where songs about oolong tea, heartbreak, first loves, and Beijing truly transport you to another, more fun place than just Downtown Los Angeles.

The whole concert felt unlike any other show I’ve ever experienced before—and that’s why I love them so much and need you to know about C.A.B. also!!!

Before getting into the interview below, here’s some more about them

Their sound has been described as something similar to Beach House, Saint Etienne, Melody’s Echo Chamber, The Flaming Lips, Dusty Springfield, and The Care Bears.

Together, Anne and Bryce are creating magic. To me, their music is full of joy, trippy, funky, funny, and entirely unique. Their 2024 album Wah!!! made Wybrations News last year for their iconic hot pot mukbang listening party video, and the album is worth a stream whether you’re hot-pot-ing, on a road trip, or taking a 40-minute shower.

The duo just toured China in December and they will be opening for Poppy this spring in San Francisco, San Antonio, Tempe, and Los Angeles. It’s still quite early in their career, but I’m calling it now: this band will be huge, so better to make yourself familiar now. 😊

A good place to start: Take Me To Beijing (Music Video)

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The Interview

WY: Who - or what - are your biggest musical influences for your latest album, “Wah!!!”?

BRYCE: ABBA, Bee Gees, Pond, Gorillaz, Sam Evian, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Flaming Lips.

ANNE: Taylor Swift!

͙͘͡ ★

WY: I’m predicting that you are one viral song away from being the next big thing in music… what song do you think it will be?

BRYCE: Kids Go Down! Maybe Love Bus. :) Honestly, Love You could be the sleeper viral hit. Crossing our fingers.

ANNE: I agree on Kids Go Down! Take Me to Beijing is one of my favorites though so I secretly hope that's the one.

(Wy: Take Me to Beijing is my prediction as well; I linked it above)

⋆.˚𖦹⋆✮⋆.˚

WY: What’s the biggest misconception Americans seem to have about China that you’re hoping to prove them wrong about?

Anne: There are many! One misconception is that many Americans may assume China is pretty homogenous. People might think everybody there speaks the same kind of Chinese, eats the same types of Chinese food, looks the same, etc. In fact, the Chinese language has eight major Dialect categories (Mandarin, Cantonese, etc...) and hundreds of variations of those dialects. These dialects are also way more varied than different accents. Mandarin (what we sing in) sounds as different from Cantonese as English from Spanish. There are also 8 major culinary cuisines across China and they are all as different as Italian food is from Mexican food. China is an incredibly diverse country and we're super excited to explore many parts of it on our 14-city tour. Can't wait to share all the food and adventures we'll have.

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

WY: Since there are no limits and labels for CAB, what’s one dream of yours that you’d love to see come true?

ANNE: I've been a huge diehard Swiftie since her 2008 Fearless album. It would be an insane dream to do anything with her! Whether that's playing a show with her, collaborating on a song, or honestly just even meeting her haha. My other dream would be to have one of our songs featured in a major movie or TV show with a mostly Asian American cast. For example - if there were ever a Crazy Rich Asians 2, it would be incredible to have one of our songs featured!

BRYCE: I can imagine a real Flaming Lips-esqe show production if we ever blew up. Like giant inflatable dumplings & bear monsters. Anne rides the bear monster into the crowd, it shoots rainbow lasers from its eyes, and then farts out a glitter bomb over the crowd.
It's been my dream since I was a boy to play Red Rocks in Colorado. Also the Sydney Opera House. Headlining Glastonbury, or Pitchfork Music Festival. I've also dreamt of making a short film for an entire album. Basically, a music video that spans an entire 40-minute album. Dreams!

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And lastly…

WY: Food is clearly important to your brand (shout out mukbang!), music, and to you as people — what’s the best thing the other person cooks up? Can Bryce answer for Anne and Anne answer for Bryce?

ANNE: Bryce makes amazing tacos with homemade salsa and spicy pickled onions. His grandmother was from Mexico so he uses family recipes that's been passed down.

BRYCE: Anne's Mapo Tofu is amazing. Along with her Egg & Tomato w/rice or noodle. She also makes a mean Shakshuka.

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In some exciting news, since this interview with them, Anne’s dream of having their music in a major film came true. For the remake of the 1993 film “Wedding Banquet”, director Ang Lee features their song “Bear Day” for the trailer, and the film will have two more Chinese American Bear songs in it! The movie comes to theaters on April 18th and is currently showing at Sundance! ✨

I was so thrilled to meet and interview them for this substack post, so if you want to share this — or their music — with someone, PLEASE DO THAT!

✮✮✮

Thank you for reading!

Now go check out Chinese American Bear!!!

✮ If you want a WYBRATIONS CAMO hat, they’re $22 on Etsy. ✮

-WY

According to my tiktok algorithm today, it’s a great day to manifest. #111

I love angel numbers. Sometimes they make me feel a little delusional, but I don’t care! I have been getting a lot of 111 or 1111 lately. I find peace in the moments I look at the time and it’s 11:11, or 11:12-19; or 21:11-19; and I also count 23:11 even though my phone is…… in military time. I’d also like to take a moment and shout-out all the people with angel number license plates on their cars. Does anyone else love angel numbers or is this content off-putting? Okay,, how about a list of some of my favorite social posts and youtube videos from the past few weeks instead?! Yessssssss…that’s what you want - isn’t it?

Alright, in no particular order, here’s 21 videos I have liked and loved recently:

1. TikTok:

2. Lisa Barlow discussing Addison Rae’s (UK top ten hit) Diet Pepsi.

3. Aubrey Plaza telling flop comedian Tony Hinchcliffe: “go f*ck yourself, and yes, The Wall Street Journal can quote me on that.”

4. made a great video for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. His recipe is also on his “sub stackerino” linked here — and props for creatively avoiding the evil tiktok algo gods for burying a video with “substack” in the caption!

5. RuPaul talks public speaking with confidence. I love RuPaul, and his - sometimes unhinged - TikToks.

6. This diva who drinks 6-7 diet cokes a day.

   1. Which reminds me of anoter diva: Delta Work, who is a Diet Coke Savant (a must watch. there will be a quiz on this.)

7. Camera.pro2 is just mesmerizing. Lol. Camp.

8. Hardest substance ever taken? “Swallowing the amount of money wasted on the military-industrial complex.”

9. Trisha Paytas’ best time traveler bar maiden skit yet.

10. The Aquarmarine choreography. I wish it were easier. Kelly from the apple dance, can we get a tutorial??
    
    YouTube:

11. Lady Gaga’s music video for Disease

12. Magdalena Bay performing Image live on Jimmy Kimmel. Also, shout out to local diva Greta Goodwig for being the Red Star queen. Art!
    One comment summed it up perfectly:

    

13. Stevie Nicks telling an 8-minute story, performing Gypsy in May 2024, and then ending with a curtsy + bow.
    One comment summed it up best:

    

14. Cynthia Erivo's performance of 'Nothing Compares 2 U' live at the Kennedy Center.

15. Jungle performing 'Back on 74' in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.

16. Raye performing "It's A Man's World" by James Brown at the 50th American Music Awards.

17. Also, Chaka Khan & Sheila E performing "I'm Every Woman" at the AMAs.

18. The latest Chicken Shop Date with Andrew Garfield was a great watch. I love love.

19. Jimmy Fallon not enjoying the Costco Guys’ booms.

20. Tyla’s live performance of PUSH 2 START & Water from the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

21. I Love You Jesus in honor Trisha Paytas’ TRISHMAS LIVE! tickets going for 500+ for the fifth row on SeatGeek.

    
    And now, a mood board:

Go Dodgers! :] Till next time! Subscribe if you vibeeeeeeeee

I hope..…this...email... (or substack notification 👁️👄👁️) …finds you…well.

This substack is about the best new music I’ve stumbled upon and loved over the last month, since my last full update where I talked about how much I loved Katy Perry’s 143. I still stand by my statement that it’s one of 2024's best albums—and one of the best of her career! The masses will understand one day. I dream. Anyway, before I lose you, here’s all that I’ve been loving in the world of music for the past month!

Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso: Tiny Desk Concert.

The Argentine power duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso flaunt their chops on this exciting 17-minute Tiny Desk Concert that has gone somewhat viral online in the last two weeks. I’ve watched it 4x already and is most definitely worth a watch.

I meditated under a tree in LA with Raveena.

After catching Raveena open for Tinashe’s Match My Freak World Tour at the Greek Theater last week, under a full Aries moon, I saw that Raveena's hosting free meditation meet-ups at every stop on the tour. My phone died while on my way to the park last Sunday, so I have no photos from the experience, and in the moment I had no idea where to go or which tree to find her under. But I did find swaths of people who looked like Raveena fans: friendly-looking souls carrying a park blanket and a water bottle aimlessly walking around also. So, I broke the ice, made a few new friends along the way, and, eventually, we found her under a big tree. Then, Raveena led a guided meditation for about 50 people amongst the noise of a nearby playground, and the practice felt electric. I bought a shirt (pictured below), even though she almost forgot to plug it at the end of the session. I also gave her a big hug. To experience a free event of this nature (pun intended, #tree) was glorious, and you really don’t see many artists doing these types of activations, so I was grateful to attend and meet her. If she’s in a city near you in the next month, I highly recommend you join for one! Find out where here.

Raveena is one of those artists that the Spotify algo pushed my way in 2017 for her ethereal first EP Shanti, and I’ve been obsessed with her sound and vibe ever since. She’s equal parts a beautiful soul as she is an amazing artist—and her newest album Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain is 1,000,000% worth a save wherever you listen to music.

To complement her latest album, she shared the 28-minute film titled Where The Butterflies Went on YouTube two weeks ago; it provides a perfect glimpse into who she is as an artist and is absolutely worth checking out.

Aquamarine by Addison Rae.

I worry about the effects of longterm covid, because I posted about this on instagram and immediately started getting backlash? Is anyone else worried about these people so obviously losing their taste? It’s concerning me.

This is the second smash single this year by new queen of pop Addison Rae—and I even think it’s better than Diet Pepsi. The music video choreo and visual choices are unique and she’s clearly hungry for “it”—there’s so much more drive, ambition to succeed, musical risks being taken, and art being shared by Ms. Rae when compared to other “staple” popstars of today, in my opinion.

I also love it when artists release the music video the same day as the single. You can watch the it below and let me know if you disagree—I’m curious—and will gladly send you one of the 30 covid tests I’ve been hoarding, free of charge. <3

Can we talk about Laufey?

Icelandic jazz-inspired popstar who’s actual name—as I just learned—is Laufey. She first showed off her insane (complimentary) vocals belting on Iceland’s Got Talent at age 15—now, at 25, and with one Grammy under her belt, she’s making some of the most lovely traditional pop songs of the 2020s. She’s cited her major influences as Ella Fitzgerald—love—and Chet Baker—I don’t know him, but he was a jazz musician known as the “Prince of Cool” in 1950s America.

Recommend listening for your next night in with some chamomile tea:

• 'Goddess' (live for Like A Version)

• Tiny Desk Concert

• Valentine (Live at The Iceland Symphony Orchestra)

• Laufey Live at THING Festival at Fort Warden in Port Townsend, Washington.

Best new find: Chinese American Bear 华裔美国熊

You probably haven’t heard of them yet, as they currently have 3.6K followers on IG, but this “Mando-pop” duo from Seattle has been on repeat as I drive around LA. I’m going to see them in a few weeks for $17, which is an unheard of concert price these days, so I’ll most def report back on the experience.

In their own words (and emojis):

They write, produce, engineer and mix everything themselves. They often combine retro sounds from the 60's/70's, with lighthearted lyrics about food, flying through space, and other topics that don't take themselves too seriously. 🌸 🐼 🐻 🌸

Their sophomore album Wah!!! came out last week, and the bilingual earworms make for perfect easy-listening.

And if just streaming the music wasn’t enough, I highly recommend watching the “Full album + Mukbang” on YouTube. It’s the kind of content—and marketing—that I’m obsessed with.

Lorde is posting Instagram Stories and wearing red.

You already know Lorde’s upcoming album is gonna be One for the pop history books. Please, please, please - watch this space.

NOID music video by Tyler, The Creator

I will always have a deep fascination and adoration for Tyler’s music. He serves visuals like no one else and his music hits. I feel lucky to have seen him twice in concert because—semi-hot take—his dedication, grit, aesthetics, and stimaina for a great performance are all rarely seen by other artists today. His new music video for NOID has me counting down the minutes until Chromokopia drops next week.

That’s enough curation for today. I hope you found some value in the music recommendations and breakdowns above! If you feel so inclined, please like this post in the Substack app to help with the visibility of my posts in the algorithm and please leave a comment with any song, album, music video, etc. recommendations YOU have for ME! Or your thoughts on any of the above!

Subscribe now

I will leave you with this post I found inspiration from, even though it doesn’t really tie in to anything I wrote about. I just loved it.

From @beamingdesign:

My friend Perri replied: “Give us the rundown on substack bb.”

This is that. 😌

After seeing content from the Tour all over my feeds for the past 5 weeks, I can finally confirm that all of the glowing reviews are entirely based. Being sober for it was a beautiful choice, as well, because I can say with my full chest that it was the best arena show I’ve ever experienced. I attended the San Diego show on a Friday night, after two nights of industry people, influencers, and a crazy person who shoved Brittany Broski in Los Angeles for the Apple Dance. The SD crowd was mostly college-aged brats and twinks who were not there to write a substack review of the show. They were present, silly, forgiving, fun, and ready to sweat.

As a fan of theatre, storytelling, cinema, and, of course, live music, this 31-song show fired on every cylinder imaginable with little room to take a breath. It was exhilarating, truly.

From start to finish, the hour-and-a-half live experience told a story of two (formerly niche) pop stars making their mainstream arena debut in their own way and captivating me entirely. One thing I love about Charli in this Brat era is that she takes up the whole stage—no backup dancers—just her, a live auto-tune track, lights, and a cameraman with whom she is performing for in this love-hate kind of relationship.

Charli performed Von Dutch not just to an arena of 13K+ fans, but also directly to the cameraman, embodying her essence as both a popstar and performance artist. The whole experience was both cinematic and ‘meta’ for every seat in the house. In Von Dutch, and throughout the show, she is performing for and attacks the camera, in homage to the music video (see below), which I’ve been thinking a lot about ever since.

The choice to perform to (and attack the cameraman’s camera) during Von Dutch and again in her final solo song of the night (Track 10), shows her decade-long love-hate relationship with fame, being a pop star, and as an artist. Famously, Charli has always been ahead of her time.

Track 10 has always been my favorite song—and she loves it too, I assume since she closes her solo portion of the show with it. There was a moment during the song where she was air-punching at the camera (seen in this tiktok) that made me pause and genuinely think about her entire experience as an artist to date. It’s been tumultuous at times, but also real. This year, I’ve been so happy to see her get the flowers she’s worked hard for—and deserves—and also proud of all that she’s overcome being part of an industry (and label) that’s maybe not always had her best interests in mind.

The show Got Me Started with Troye and his backup dancers floating through perfect choreo and then the Brat Curtain dropped in the middle of the arena. You’ve seen it, I’ve seen it, we’ve all seen it on social media—and it’s one of the greatest hype-inducing visual choices ever made. No other artist can ever do this without clearly referencing Charli’s Brat era. As the curtain falls to reveal the Main Pop Girl of the year (or if you’re LGBTQ+, the pop girl of the decade) standing centerstage surrounded by smoke with screaming fans from every corner of the arena. It was pure magic.

Artfully alternating between Charli and Troye for about an hour, there was no moment of rest for the audience. I loved it. Charli shouted out a guy in the front for wearing a “communist c*m dump” shirt” and I even think that this show had the best Apple dance cam of the tour so far—nothing better than seeing hotties perfectly in sync I must say.

Bringing me to the next point: Troye and his backup dancers gave 110% every second. The dichotomy of Troye and the dancer’s all-out energy during every song of his and Charli's solo stage presence during her sets complemented each of their parts of the show very well and took us on a journey that can best be described as a rollercoaster. We screamed, danced, sweat, and recorded unusable shaky videos—not to mention my jaw dropping to the floor a few times.

If you didn’t get to go, I’m sorry. If you did, I’m probably just preaching to the choir, but let’s talk about it next time we see each other. Rumor has it that there were cameras at the LA show(s) so you’ll get to experience it in full sometime soon hopefully.

On the Billboard 200…

In more recent (today) news, and after the release of her critically acclaimed remix album (Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat), marketing promotions (including a $5 digital download), and a lot of buzz online, the album peaked at #3 this week. Her fandom thought it was going to be her first #1 on the Billboard 200, but, in a year of Country dominating the charts, Jelly Roll took that spot. While I know Charli doesn’t truly care about the Billboard numbers at the end of the day, this situation cements Brat—and Charli—as cult classics. One day, the masses may understand, but if not… those who get it, get it.

Pure album sales and streams are one way to measure success—but I also had to take a peek at the ticket sales for Charli/Troye’s show compared to Jelly Rolls for October 22nd, and the Sweat Tour tickets are about double the price for the same section and the floor tickets are 33% greater than Jelly Roll’s.

What’s interesting to me about Jelly Roll taking the #1 spot this week is that it’s the first time since 2014 that 5 Country albums have reached the #1 position. Also, worth mentioning, we are in a year in which A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey has spent 14 weeks—THREE AND A HALF MONTHS—at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

This has been a year for Country music and Brat. But in a decade from now, we’re most likely not gonna be talking about 2024 being the year for Country.

We’ll remember the brat-green and the Sweat Tour being the concert of the decade—and that’s the that on that.

You wanna know what's hot, what's thot, what's a lot, what's rot, etc.? Keep scrollin’ … or if you don’t wanna read and just wanna listen, check out my playlist on Apple Music or Spotify.

• What’s hot: Aligator Bites Never Heal 🐊

  • Dive into this sweet, swamp-tastic new mixtape by my favorite new rapper, Doechii. It came together in a month, before its late-summer release, and is longer than most artists’ albums these days, sitting at a beautiful 47 minutes. She brings back the classic, traditional roots of hip-hop, in her own way, she says in an interview with Apple Music.

  • My favorite song from the project is DENIAL IS A RIVER, which she describes as a dark song. Sonically, though? Just incredible. Self-referencing her first EP with the same type of sound found on the song that introduced me to her in the first place, Yucky Blucky Fruitcake, was the cherry on top. She raps with such intellect, grace, and ferocity that is hard to find in most artists today. Hundred percent worth a stream—even if you don’t like rap.

• what’s thot (compliment of the highest regard): Eusexia - FKA twigs 😍

  • Before you do anything else in this lifetime, check out this 7-minute FKA twigs video to her new song Eusexua. The album is due in January 2025! The artistry, atheleticism, uniqueness, nerve and talent here is unmatched!

• what’s a lot: the price of sweat tour tickets 🤯

  

• what’s rot: Diana Vosh on TikTok. One thing I love about this: Character content, like Poochina (as previously discussed), CRUSHES on TikTok. 🤭 It’s really, really good rot, though, to be crystal clear.

  

  @dianavoshim with daniel caesar

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  • Diana Vosh was originally the name of a fictional supermodel in Drake & Josh. Her blurb in the Wiki Fandom: “She visits Drake and Josh's house while trying to find an address and the boys wanted a picture with her then Drake kisses her before she leaves.” Very niche, very quiche, Omar. Love it. This is she:

And now for a round-up of all that’s new(s) in pop culture, music, and beyond.

• 143 - the new album by Katy Perry. Despite what others will probably say, is good & Wybrations approved! ✅

  • 143 on Spotify

  • 143 on Apple

It would be unfair to mention that it was primarily produced by Dr. L*ke, which is probably why people are still turning on Katy Perry. But I think the music is surprisingly really good. The Gypsy (Crystal Waters) sample on the new single with Doechii is simply delicious—shout-out to Lucy (Wybr. reader) who pointed this out! I don’t love the name of the album, though. Imagine if it was titled “WOMAN’S WORLD” instead. CAMP!.. MomPop/Vox Lux down. Although I understand that numerology is probably important to her, the title feels off to me. Also, the 143 (Deluxe) album is reportedly on the way—Katy Perry announced on the 143 (regular) release day. No doubt, the sales and ratings of this album will be all people are talking about next week, but I firmly believe it’s her best album since Prism.

My favorite songs are GORGEOUS (ft. Kim Petty); I’M HIS HE’S MINE (ft. Doechii); LIFETIMES; ARTIFICIAL (ft. JID). LIFETIMES was released as a second single in August, peaking at #47. In terms of charts, that’s not something to write home about, but I think it’s a great pop song and will be ahead of its time! The start of an investigation by the Spanish government hurt the energy of the single, for sure—which is a bummer—but the dunes she danced on in the music video are being investigated bc they reportedly didn’t get permission to film there… I’m curious what you thought about the album, let me know down below!

• Diet Pepsi debuts at #89 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts this week—her first time on The Charts.

• New Waves. Jamie xx has a new album out, and it’s perfection. (Spotify) (Apple Music)

• Moo Deng, the 2-month-old baby hippo in Thailand, has taken over the internet!

  

• Survivor is back! Did anyone else tune in to the season 47 premier?! The first elimination shocked me, to a degree, but I would’ve probably done the same thing.

• Real Housewives of Salt Lake City season 5 is back too! And it is the best-edited reality TV show ever probably. Mary Cosby and Angie K. are holding it down.

• Lisa Barlow sang Fortnite aimed at meeting her neighbor, Posty.

@atthenailsalonagain#lisabarlow

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• Trigger Warning: Diddy stuff.

  • You know why he was arrested by now.

  • ^^ It has been all over social media this week, and the topic of Justin Bieber is in almost every comment of these posts. I don’t think he’s going to comment on it all anytime soon, but in the meantime, give his Tiny Desk (Home) Concert a watch (in support of his 2021 album Justice).

• Anna Delvey on Dancing With The Stars starting off her Espresso number with a bedazzled ankle monitor was clever, funny, and very self-aware. Great content.

  

• Charli is everywhere. She’s Taylor Swift for the girls and gays, to me.

• #PledgeTok is having a moment with “JT Coming” and it’s amazing.

@pledgetok2024#pledge #fyp #pledgetok

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That’s all for today, folks! Thanks for reading! Give it a like or comment, if you so wish! Byeee!

It has been brought to my attention that y’all still love to use Spotify.

So shifted all the music from the Apple Music playlist over to Spotify — and listed out the top 44 songs at the moment … see below.

With love,
Wyatt!

Top songs of the moment:

1. Diet Pepsi - Addison Rae

2. Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan

3. Slim Pickins - Sabrina Carpenter

4. All Night - Ginger Root

5. Sharpest Tool - Sabrina

6. Tailor Swif - A$AP Rocky

7. Apple - Charli xcx

8. Drifting - Omar Apollo

9. ¿Cómo Así? - Kali Uchis (her whole new album is so good and worth a listen!!)

10. Seems Like The Feeling - James Juke

11. we can’t be friends (wait for your love) - Ariana Grande

12. DENIAL IS A RIVER - Doechii

13. Shadow (George Daniel Remix) - Carly Rae Jepsen, George Daniel

14. Guess featuring Billie Eilish - Charli xcx

15. I Believe in Love Again - Peggy Gou, Lenny Kravitz

16. 1+1=11 and the remix - Peggy Gou

17. Espresso - Sabrina

18. BET - METTE

19. Girl, so confusing featuring lorde - Charli xcx, Lorde

20. BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Billie

21. Life - Jamie xx, Robyn

22. After Hours - Kehlani

23. Good Horses (ft. Miranda Lambert) - Lainey Wilson

24. Baddy On The Floor - Jamie xx, Honey Dijon

25. Paradise - Payfone

26. Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido - KAROL G

27. Die With A Smile - Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars

28. Von dutch - Charli xcx

29. Creatures in Heaven - Glass Animals

30. 360 - Charli

31. BODYGUARD - Beyoncé

32. TAKA - Ahadadream, Priya Ragu

33. Better - SG Lewis, Clairo (a classic I’ll always love)

34. Spring Breakers - Charli xcx

35. booboo - Yaeji

36. No Broke Boys - Tinashe

37. Tough - Quavo, Lana Del Rey (so good)

38. I Go - Peggy Gou

39. All You Children - Jamie xx, The Avalanches

40. Club classics - Charli xcx

41. Add Up My Love - Clairo (no shade)

42. Cut To The Feeling - Carly Rae Jepsen

43. Pull You Close - Riley & The Starlights

While “should” statements are not bad by nature, most of them fail to inspire us and result in negative emotions.

In the wake of last night’s debate-slash-Kamala’s-takedown-of-Trump, and today being 9/11, today has been fun(ny) on social media. I know, I know, it’s terrible to admit, but I believe that at our core - as humans - we are meant to be joyful. Should be joyful, if you will. On the contrary, if we’re in pain, then we deal with it through humor…

It was so painful to hear someone — who has over 40% of the popular vote! — on live TV say

Not to mention my favorite moment of the night — no idea where the next word would be going:

“Now she wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison.”

Anyway, the VMAs are tonight and this newsletter is about:

• Who I would love to win a VMA (streamable on Paramount+)

• Best New YouTube Videos!

• Top 44 songs that pass the Wybrations check, on Apple Music

• What is Poochina?

VMAs

I’d be overjoyed to see Chappel Roan take home Best New Artist.

I would be geeked if Ariana defied gravity* and won Video of the Year for the we can’t be friends (wait for your love) music video.

*taylor swift’s army

Artist of the Year will most likely go to Sabrina Carpenter. That sounds good to me!

For Song of the Year, it would be a gag for Sabrina to win with “Espresso” but I would also love to see it go to Kendrick Lamar for “Not Like Us”.

Best Collaboration? Posty and Morgan Wallen for I Had Some Help.

Best Pop? I want it to go to Tate McRae!!! She’s fierce bootz.

Best Hip Hop? Megan Thee Stallion, I hope. Give it to the host!!!

Okay, I’m going to breeze past all of the other categories to Song of the Summer because I love engaging in this debate!

Song of the Summer SHOULD go to Chappel Roan for Good Luck, Babe! but I can also see some Label push for Shaboozey to win with A Bar Song (Tipsy)” which would make sense… all that to be said, Chappel won the People’s vote.

I can’t wait to see her perform!

Best New YouTube Videos!

A$AP Rocky stuns audiences in new video….to the tone of a PopCrave tweet.

English-born 23-year-old Griff covered Apple and it shook me right to my core. Can you believe that at the 2014 VMAs, “Dark Horse” (Katy Perry) won over “Fancy” (Iggy A. + Charli) for Best Female Video. And Miley Cyrus won with “Wrecking Ball” over “Fancy” when “Dark Horse” wasn’t even nominated… tea.

Best New Music Video! I love Jungle (4 eva).

Musical theater meets more musical theater. Chappell Roan’s song of the Summer sung by the cast of Hamilton. This one’s for all the former theater kids — I see you. <3

Coincidentally, some may say, the MTV YouTube Channel shared the official 1080p career-changing Gaga performance of Paparazzi finally last week! It is also up for a VMA so I’m hoping for a Gaga cameo.

Top 44 songs at the moment!

Wybrations - Apple Music playlist

Sorry, Spotify people, I’ll find a way to shift it over soon! I made the switch from Spotify to Apple Music about 6 months ago and have loved the quality with apple headphones + clean UI.

Some highlights include:

• Diet Pepsi - Addison Rae

• Drifting - Omar Apollo

• ¿Cómo Así? - Kali Uchis (the whole new album is great)

• DENIAL IS A RIVER - Doechii

• Life - Jamie xx & Robyn

I just now realized the VMAs started 15 minutes so I gotta go. Hope this finds you well, during the commercial breaks, or at a later date!

Bye!

As a bonus…

What is Poochina?

People on TikTok have begun asking that question. Here are some related searches people are having!

Poochina first appeared on my FYP in July, with 20K followers and no viral tiktoks yet. Now, Poochina (@johnnyb17_) sits at 453K and is the next big thing, you’re hearing it here first!

Poochina a lifestyle.

It’s a brand.

@johnnyb17_The one and only video i am making about this. #fyp #funny #poochina

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Poochina is also a nation.

@johnnyb17_Yall better get all 5 or yoyr not allowed in #fyp #funny #poochina

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Poochina doesn’t care about that are “punti” — which is pronounced like “poo-nah-ti” — the brilliance behind this whole bit is that it makes no sense, it’s absurd, it creates community, and everything is so dumb. It’s brilliant.

@johnnyb17_Let me fly#fyp #funny

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Learn how to count in Poochina (the language). That’s all!

There’s a 99.99% chance I’m driving L.A. → Vegas this LDW, and on the agenda is snacking, getting sun, and doing a prayer circle outside of The Sphere in hopes of Lady Gaga headlining it summer ‘25.

In today’s newsletter, we have:

• Lana Del Rey’s new fling

• Origins of Clairo shade (+ why it’s literally everywhere)

• “Demure” updates/thoughts

• Short-n-Sweet gets an 8.0 on Pitchfork?

• Ranking my fav Taylor Swift albums

• Charli xcx in V*lture

Lana Del Rey

This is the man Lana Del Rey has been seen with around London and is going on dates with - allegedly

They met in 2019 on an airboat tour in Louisiana (4.9/5 ⭐️s on google reviews).

She’s got such particular taste in men, and even shared a Facebook post from that day:

The funniest thing about this Lana situation is a random Twitter user @strnrtn who also happens to be Ariana stan account found out that her dad is dating Lana just like everyone else did.

As much as I want to say this is false, and it still might be a funny stan twitter joke, I can’t help but think she’s telling the truth… At least, in my reality, this story is true.

Clairo shade

Everything is Clairo shade….everywhere, AND all at once.

If you don’t know what “clairo shade” is by now, I got you. It’s a ‘joke’ that started over 6 months ago but recently and quickly picked up steam on Twitter/x.

The joke is that Clairo is never actually being shaded. But, it’s just funny to pretend she was (I say as a statement but also a question).

Because I texted a clairo shade line to a friend who didn’t "know who that was” the other day, here’s a quick catch-up:

• Clairo is a 26-year-old singer-songwriter who rose in popularity in 2017 with her bedroom pop masterpiece Flaming Hot Cheetos, now sitting at 426M plays on Spotify.

• She just released her third album Charm and is preparing for a 5-night residency in both L.A. and New York in early September, then an extensive tour.

Last week, Vulture published an article titled Clairo Shade Is Everywhere, but the question remains: is it funny? To me, it’s funny when people genuinely think she’s being shaded, but now that you are in on the joke, is it still funny?

(Bonus) Know Your Herstory:

The beginning of ‘clairo shade’ began here, with 1 like on X.com.

But the origin of the meme actually began here, with a Janet Jackson video in January 2024.

And then it took over my feed in the last month-ish.

People on the internet are funny. Especially when we’re in on the joke. But the cycle in which internet jokes get picked up, used, and then obliterated seems to be accelerating. The Clairo shade was a slow build, but ‘demure’ took over like something I haven’t witnessed maybe ever.

In my 10 years working in #content, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone turn a viral moment into a brand partnership in such a short amount of time.

For a few days, the “demure” videos from Jools Lebron and other creators flooded my FYP then BAM, she was on Jimmy Kimmel Live (thanks to Guest Host RuPaul, of course). In less than a week of her virality, she had secured and posted about Verizon, Lyft, and Zillow partnerships.

I’m impressed with the marketing teams (and agencies) that brought these partnerships to fruition so quickly. Unlike ever before, it feels like the internet joke cycles move so quickly, so marketing teams need to be super quick too. What I would like to see, though, would be marketing teams taking a more strategic approach to creating content with creators in ways we wouldn’t necessarily expect.

(LET HER TAKEOVER YOUR BRAND’S TIKTOK ACCOUNT FOR THE NEXT 10 DAYS WITH ZERO BRAND MENTIONS, PROMOTIONAL CONTENT—JUST JOOLS CONTENT WITH NO EXPLANATION!)

I would love to see something new with brands<>creators.

… My latest conspiracy theory is that TikTok is pressing the “heating” button for more and more creators, as more and more states vote to ban the app.

Do you know about the “Heating” button?

A document called TikTok Heating Policy says that employees may use heating to “attract influencers” and “promote diverse content,” but also to “push important information” and “promot[e] relevant videos that were missed by the recommendations algorithms.”

In response to a detailed set of questions about how and by whom heating has been used, TikTok spokesperson Jamie Favazza wrote: “We promote some videos to help diversify the content experience and introduce celebrities and emerging creators to the TikTok community. Only a few people, based in the U.S., have the ability to approve content for promotion in the U.S., and that content makes up approximately .002% of videos in For You feeds.”

To me, the ‘demure’ trend has felt a little contrived, almost like a reminder from TikTok HQ that they can turn everyday people into overnight successes at the click of a button.

Could we say the same for Instagram?

I don’t think so...yet. While big creators can definitely do well and get great engagement on Instagram, all the big, up-n-coming creators of today originate on TikTok for the most part.

But I am going to keep a close on Reels because I like the latest algorithm updates.

Sabrina Carpenter

Fans — and some critics — are loving the 25-year-old pop star’s sixth album, Short n’Sweet. It’s no Brat. But it is good, short and sweet!

Sonically, it’s Pop meets Country meets R&B, and it’s 36 minutes long.

She is currently the 9th most streamed artist in the world on Spotify…crazily 378 spots ahead of Clairo… wow….. shady bootz!

I learned last week that she was a Disney Channel actor, which explains her talent…and the length of her career at just 25. It’s her most critically acclaimed album to date.

Worth a listen? Yeah! Worth the vinyl? No❤️

As you already know from the words “pop star” in the first paragraph, Jack Antonoff produced a good chunk of the album and, of course, is behind my favorite three songs:

• Slim Pickins

• Please Please Please

• Lie To Girls

Pitchfork gave it an 8.0—which is a great review in terms of Pitchfork—but note, this is also the same writer who generously gave Midnights (2022) a 7.0.

As much as I wanted to be a hater, it’s a truly a nice album. From one self-aware queen to another, I love when things are exactly what they says they are: short n sweet!

Now to the good part… :)

I’m doing a DEEP DIVE into Taylor’s discography this weekend, because what else would I do on a road trip? But as a teaser to a full substack piece about Taylor, here is my ranking of Taylor’s albums:

1. Reputation (2017) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2. 1989 (2014) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3. Evermore (2020) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4. Red (2012) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5. Folklore (2020) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

6. Red (2012) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

7. Fearless (2008) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

8. Taylor Swift (2006) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

9. Midnights (2022) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

10. The Tortured Poets Department (2024) ⭐️⭐️

11. Speak Now (2010) ⭐️⭐️

Leave a comment below letting me — and the world — know your top Taylor albums… and why! I would love to include a screenshot in my full piece on it.

Charli xcx

Paywalls are sooooooooooo annoyinngg, unless you’re a good substack writer. I’m not there yet, but please subscribe for free, if you like this stuff!

A new Charli deep-dive came out this week on Vulture, and it’s behind a paywall… fortunately, thanks to reddit user Disastrous_Wasabi392, I found a ladder!

• Step 1. Go to this link: https://12ft.io/

• Step 2. Copy/paste the article: https://www.vulture.com/article/charli-xcx-interview-brat-summer-fall-kamala-harris.html

• Step 3. Read!

This hack doesn’t work for substacks so don’t even try.

Climbing over a paywall is so BRAT… I tell myself…

…

…

Thanks for reading! More Wybrations next Friday!

Ms. Jucy meme

SO, like the subj says, this is a relaunch—it’s been 14 months of quiet, but I’ve spent a lot of time becoming a fan of substack.. lurking, plotting, fan-girling, all the things.. Substack, to me, feels like tumblr 2011-2012 (compliment).

The content on Substack is just fantastic.

I’ve really enjoyed reading (Link In Bio), (angel cake), and ’s Zeteo (for some news-news). The writing is important but so is the format in which it’s written.

I treat substack scrolling like my “reading” time before bed. It’s either that or Kitchen Confidential right now. As a longtime fan of his TV shows and docs, this book is a fun read.

Can we talk about how my facebook feed looks like this now? Despite never texting about the book, just talking about it… Fishy!

Anthony Bourdain

Do i find it creepy that meta listens to everything? Yes.

Am I going to delete facebook/instagram from my phone? NO, not yet. The tony photos are too good.

But I did make a graphic:

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is just Make A Graph.

Also, of note, my experience on substack has felt 20x more relaxing and enriching than scrolling…elsewhere. As much as I love the other apps, having a career in #content means you’re chronically online, sort of. I want to share the things that I see, hear, and experience here going forward. No top 30s, although that was fun.

If you didn’t know, Substack recently invested a lot into video on the platform. Because of that, I predict we’re about to see a massive influx of people here, over the next few years.

…

For the lore

Three years ago I started Wybrations, polled Close Friends’ for the name, and used it to share a new playlist weekly that I created. Which was more work than I intended for myself, but I knew I wanted to write about music…but that was just not it. As a Sagittarius, I can’t do things I don’t wanna do.

Wybrations fell off for a while. Then, I tried again. It’s all about the format.

Next format: sharing my top 30 songs of the moment, monthly or as often as I could keep up, which fell flat because not the right format.. It wasn’t ‘moving the needle’ or inspiring me.

and

You’ll see what I mean below. The last time I published, it was a Top 30 formatted post and too music-review-y, and not enough of my actual interests. I literally wrote, “Out of the 718, Lola Brooke is one to watch fivesure.”

Cringe, but that’s part of the process!

I wanna tell you about how seeing Ethel Cain made me cry 3x at her Greek Theater show, but also she, in her own words, vomited into her modest black garment during the last song, ran off stage, and then came back 5 minutes later to a crowd—who thought she was crying then ran off—dressed in a hoodie, short gym shorts, like a normal girl you’d see in journalism 101 class.

Her concert, her voice, and the whole experience were perfect. The thing at the end made me love her even more.

Here was what the last Wybrations looked like 14+ months ago:

I’m happy to have taken time to marinate and figure out the right way to share and discover here—the Notes feature is the best!—and discover a lot of great publications so far. It’s all about consistency and writing (or now sharing via video) the format that you can keep up with and attracts audiences. I love substack, but they did inform me that this piece is too long for a full email, so head to the app or browser for the full thing.

…

Moving forward,

An abbreviated version of this would look like the following, but stay tuned and subscribe for next week’s!

Subscribe now

• Best new song and Video: Diet Pepsi

• On the Chappell Roan ‘Controversy’—Lizzo defended her in a tiktok, which is how I feel about it.

@lizzoSending u love @chappell roan

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• My favorite tweet of the week

• Guess - Charli xcx featuring Billie Eilish

• Die With A Smile - Gaga, Mars

• Billie Eilish is now the most listened-to person on Spotify, beating The Weeknd.

• Gabezo (@mooninfirst)

• More gaga news, Addison Rae stuns in what could only be weho

  

• Queen of Melrose is an icon

@cosmo_queen_of_melroseQueen did not to leave the jail🚬 #queenofmelrose

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• The neck punch follow-up got 60 million views.

@babeowitz#stitch with @babeowitz speaking on it @Mattymillionaire #chappellroan #hottogo #fyp

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• My friend asked me what the best song of all time is recently and I said Bad Romance, but today I was thinking there might be a contender.

• That’s all for now!

• Thanks for reading!

• I’m happy to be back!

• More next week!

If you have the app, can you answer this poll? :)

Also, download the app too! It’s so good, like i already mention 6 times.

Get more from Wyatt in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

Halfway through Pride month, 3 days from Juneteenth, and lots of good new music on the radar.

i’m keeping it brief today, because short-form, visual email content is a win.

1. Best New Banger: Eat Your Man by Dom Dolla, Nelly Furtado

Nelly Furtado sounds so good. Club banger.

2. Best New Barbie Track: Angel by PinkPanthress

Beautiful melody. On the following chart, I’m feeling a “Chaotic Good.”

3. Best New Video: Attention by Doja Cat

Doja’s rap flow is surprisingly(?) incredible. Produced by the same people who did Kiss Me More, Get Into It (Yuh), and Hydrate (Skrillex), this new single is worth listening to and the music video is definitely worth a watch.

4. Best New Album: The Age of Pleasure by Janelle Monáe

Listen to this album, period.

5. Up-And-Coming Artist: Lola Brooke

Out of the 718, Lola Brooke is one to watch fivesure.

Check out all the new adds and my favorites from the last week-ish on Wybraysh:

That’s all for today. 🫡

-Wyatt

Most Important New Release: Stars Are Blind (Paris’ Vesion)

Following in Taylor’s footsteps, we’ve got Paris’ version of a 2006 throwback from her debut album, with a Kim Petty feature, and you have to hear it. Coincidentally, I’ve been listening to the 2006 version a lot lately, because it’s that good. Sadly, though, we don’t have the music video for this version yet.

Other important new releases:

• Prescription by Remi Wolf 💫 Indie-pop and Spotify-owened-playlist darling Remi Wolf recently released a beautiful love song that got me in my feels. Her live performance of this song proves she’s not only an amazing songwriter, but also has the chops to back it all up. Seeing her live (with all the gen z girlies) is on my 2023 bucket list.

• Enjoy Your Life by Romy 🫡 With only 3M streams on Spotify, this recently released single by Romy produced by Fred Again, Jamie xx, and Stuart Price is a surefire queer club bangerrrrr. Its music video would make for a great pre or post-game YouTube viewing with the girls. And we can expect The xx singer’s debut solo album to come later this year.

• It’s Euphoric by Georgia (Mura Masa Remix) 😩 This remix goes hard—perfect for a car ride on your way out. There’s something in the Brittish tap water, or maybe it’s just their lack of anxiety thanks to the national healthcare system, because the way these two can create such magic is unmatched. A major pop slay.

That’s all for today!

Enjoy your life.

PS — It’s been 6 months since the OG, the queen of the internet, the blueprint, Paris Hilton, has uploaded a YouTube video—one of the best YT channels online, for real. I haven’t stopped thinking about her Sliving Lasagna Cooking With Paris episode in three years. Worth a watch. 🍿

It me… again… many, many months later.

This week, I came to the realization in my old stomping grounds (Dolores Park), that long-form email content is out, and short-form is in… for me.

Way easier for me to execute, and way more digestible for the reader.

Me, in Dolores this week:

Maaajor shout-out to the groom-and-bride-2-B Andrew & KT for encouraging “just 2 to 3 song recs per week” because that’s way more doable than a long-ass email and playlist that only really works for the stans living in Los Angeles who have hour-long drives everywhere.

Moving forward, the Wybrations playlist will feature only 30 of my top songs atm. This newsletter will feature a few songs I want to draw your attention to that week…

1. PADAM PADAM - Kylie Minogue

I know all the gays reading this have been streaming nonstop since last Friday, but it must be said anyway: This lead single is the song of the summer. It debuted at #26 on the Official Singles Chart and is the #1-selling single in the UK this week. Will it become big in America too? My bet is once Noah Beck starts using it on TikTok, it’s gonna skyrocket to Official Song of the Summer status. Please watch this space.

Pandemic: OUT
Padam: IN

2. MAMA’S EYES - METTE

You probably don’t know METTE’s music (she’s released 2 songs since 2021), but you’ve probably seen her before (she starred in Rihanna’s Lemon 2017 mv dancing the house down). It’s my favorite song I’ve discovered this year—it's already gained 1M streams in the last month on Spotify, currently at 1.4M—and deserves your attention this week. Barry Can’t Swim also just released a remix to it that I’ll be ferociously playing on aux if I have a fun Lyft driver this weekend.

That’s all for today. Happy Succession Finale / Memorial Day weekend.

Xo. 😘

Y

Hailing from Tampa, Florida, and headed for world domination, Doechii is filled to the brim with talent, ambition, bars, and unparalleled star power. I first was introduced to Doechii by my younger brother (s/o Jah) last year with Yucky Blucky Fruitcake.

You’ve probably heard this song if you’ve spent time on TikTok. The song title comes from Junie B. Jones—yeah, that crazy and disruptive children’s book character—and by getting 100% raw with her lyrics, this schoolhouse rap is an excellent introduction to Miss Doechii, so it’s only fitting she went super viral for it.

In March 2021, Yucky was added to Spotify’s “Internet People” playlist, thanks to massive support from Spotify’s Carl Cherry (Head of Urban Music). Shortly after, it was added to 70 of Spotify’s editorial playlists and has since garnered 37.5 milli streams on the platform.

If you don’t know Doechii, start here:

Pardon the lack of professionalism but she’s so fucking dope. The Narnia, Lisa Frank, Oovoo, and Fear Factor references? Too real. She’s a ‘black girl who beat the statistics,’ and this song was just the beginning.

Later in 2020, she released her debut EP “Oh The Places You’ll Go” which was self-funded. Can your fave say the same? Another highlight from this EP, What’s Your Name (music vid), is giving 2012 Azealia Banks mixed with 2022 Beyoncé.

Still independent, in 2021, Doechii released four singles in a project titled “Bra-Less” and was featured on Isaiah Rashad’s Wat U Sed, her second-most streamed song on Spotify at 24 million.

Highlights from this era would be Girls (music vid) and Shit. The songs from this era are like if SZA, City Girls, and Leikeli47 had a gen z oddball baby—all while having zero major label influence or money. It’s impressive.

Now for the good part.

It’s 2022 and Doechii signed her deal… 😈

This year, Doechii has been on the come up in a massive way. She signed with Top Dog Entertainment and Capitol Records in a partnership deal that has given Doechii the key to music industry success—iconic producers, large budgets, and a path to world domination.

In the first month with TDE, she released one of my favorite songs of 2022, Persuasive, a vibey song about weed’s persuasion, and was featured on a David Guetta track with Missy Elliot, Trampoline. It’s a fine song, but I like my Doechii like I like my Gaga, as a solo artist, not a feature.

Next, she released Crazy which goes absolutely buck. 😩 No song gets me more hype in the gym these days—the chorus goes way too hard. And she recently played a TV-friendly version of it as her TV debut on J*mmy F*llon (bleh).

Her performance defied all expectations I had and turned me into a stan forever. Thousand percent worth a watch.

She came correct—polished, confident, and stunning. A born entertainer, she (and her team) know exactly what they’re doing. If I could bet on it, I’d say she’s about to get Doja’d. She’s flawlessly mesmerizing on the mic, and the world’s about to know it. What else would you expect from an August Leo?

That being said, a remix featuring SZA for her song Persuasive just dropped, as part of her sophomore EP and first major label release “she / her / black bitch.” The music video is not only high budget (pun intended), but it’s the groundwork for an official #1 hit.

If God really exists, she’ll launch Doechii into the Billboard Top 10 later this year or in 2023. That being said, I know God exists, and I know she’ll turn Doechii into the star that she really is, so please, watch this space.

Check out my favorite songs by Doechii on Wybrations, along with other songs I’ve been loving at the moment.

Another thing I’ve loved recently—and a good way to balance out the intensity Doechii brings—is Omar Appolo’s Tiny Desk Concert. He’s officially my new celeb crush too.

Until next time…

whenever that may be…

😉

Wy

Subscribe now

It’s been over a month since I’ve last sent an email, but the Wybrations Spotify playlist (she/her) stays fairly up-to-date with favorite songs—feel free to give her a like and listen, especially great for when you’re missing me in long-form <3

Best New Songs !

🔥SOTS: “This Hell” by Rina Sawayama

Song. of. the. summer.

I repeat, songggg of the summmmerrrrrrrrrrr! !! !!!

I’m pushing this narrative so hard because this song isn’t charting yet (🥺) so please spread the word.

Rina Sawayama (澤山 リナ) has come for our jugulars with the new pro-Hell single that ironically just builds the case for God’s existence even more. Pop perfection. Ten out of ten. No notes.

The song feels inspired by Shania Twain and Lady Gaga, for the country-pop banger of it all.

And her live performance gives a nod to Caroline Polachek’s So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings. It’s worth watching and learning the dance because this song will probably go viral on TikTok in a few months.

This is obviously #1 on the playlist.

🤟“Hollow” by Flume ft. Emma Louise

With the best melody of any new Flume singles and, of course, that quintessential drop, this is hands-down my favorite off the new album, Places. This song is a must-listen and aptly at #2.

The whole album has pretty much been on repeat.

And because of his close relationship to and artistic influence from Sophie, Places is my favorite new album right now. Her maximalist hyperpop influence is most apparent on the album opener Highest Building.

🤟“No One Dies From Love” by Tove Lo

Of all the Toves, Tove Lo is def the dopest.

Her music ages like fine wine and hits like a nice joint.

I just know we’ll be dancing to this song years from now, feeling very nostalgic for summer 2022. This better be on your summer playlists!

➡️ good 4 u youtube video

And if you’re a Sour stan like me, you should also listen to Tove’s cover of ‘good 4 u.’

🤟“D.M.B.” by A$AP Rocky

Can’t stop listening to this song. The last 45 seconds of this song are complete euphoria to me.

“D.M.B.” aka ‘dat my bitch’ is an ode to billionaire and retired pop queen, Rihanna. Proudly representing spot #4 on the playlist.

listen on Spotify

🤟“Don’t Forget” by Sky Ferreira

This is Sky Ferreira’s first single in 3 years—and it gets better with each listen; a grower. The chorus will be stuck in your head for hours after, and that, to me, is a good indicator of a great pop song.

Pitchfork annoyingly called this song “pretty unmemorable” and “bland” but that’s just because they’re petty and annoying like that since her sophomore album has been very delayed and P4K did a huge piece on Sky Ferreira back in March 2019 to build excitement for it.

It’s a great song though.

listen on Spotify

🤟“Home Maker” and “Selfish Soul” by Sudan Archives

One of my favorite new artists of the last 5 years, Sudan Archives, out of LA, has two new beautiful singles—and they’re worth adding to whatever playlists you’re working on at the moment.

The choruses are catchy AF and the production makes you wanna bounce.

Excited for whatever else she releases next.

listen on Spotify

🤟“Otro Atardecer” by Bad Bunny and The Marías

This collab with The Marías has a very different vibe than the rest of Bad Bunny’s discography. It’s chill and soothing and I think I need to take a trip to Puerto Rico soon.

Much like the entirety of his new album…

🤟“Music For A Sushi Restaurant” by Harry Styles

You’ve probably listened to Harry’s House by now, and have your own favorites, but this was mine.

It’s a good album but I’m not as obsessed with it as I was Fine Line. Maybe I need some time.

listen on Spotify

🤟“The One” by M.I.A.

Ever since I saw her documentary “Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.” I’ve been a huge M.I.A. fan.

She’s truly a legend—from the success of Paper Planes, which was produced by M.I.A. and Diplo, to giving the middle finger at the Super Bowl with Madonna and Nicki Minaj.

This song is catchy and if she loves up to her promise in the lyrics, it looks like we’ll be getting some M.I.A. bangers soon.

She autotune-sings: “This time I'm gonna flip the whole thing / New era I'm gonna bring it in / To the basics / Get the club bubbling”

I’m so excited about this.

listen on spotify

🤟“papi bones” by FKA twigs and shygirl

I wrote about this mixtape-album a few months ago but this one particular song has made its way back to my top played songs as of late.

The melodies are outta this world. Vocals are spicy. As Bella would say, “Big Slay.”

listen on Spotify

🤟“BIZCOCHITO” by ROSALÍA

Currently obsessed with this song, and I blame the TikTok sound that goes like, “you’re honor…you’re honor I’m slaying” and then this song starts playing.

Who doesn’t love a 1m49s song?

It’s absolutely been on repeat since her latest album came out.

listen on Spotify

🤟“Here I Go Again” by Mindchatter

I’ve been really into Mindchatter lately. It’s vibey, groovy, and not overdone. High-ly recommend checking him out, there are a few songs from his new album on the Wybrations playlist for you.

🤟“GOOD TIMES / PROBLEMZ” by JUNGLE

Give JUNGLE’s new music video for their two new songs a watch. It’s impossible to not smile.

WATCH HERE

These songs are giving happy songs for the summer but not in a radio-obnoxious Pharell type of way.

🌈 Brief follow-up from last email…

Since last time, you’ve hopefully been streaming Doechii religiously.

She recently performed a medley of Persuasive and Crazy on Jimmy Fallon and I was absolutely floored. Go watch it NOOOWWWWW.

Thanks for reading and, as always, if you liked what you read, forward it to someone you like!

XOXOXO

WY 💕

How are we?

I'm smart but I'm stupid 🎶

Currently: trying not to think about the money I lost on Coachella tickets..

I'm gay but I'm straight 🎶

Crash has been on repeat lately (gay). No, like every time I drive the CD is bumping either Move Me or Every Rule. And I’ve also been getting back into Channel Tres (str8).

I’m crop-dusting in Whole Foods babyyyy 🎶

Lol, ok. Enough pleasantries.

A lot of great music has been released lately. Feel free to follow this playlist that I update daily with new music I’m loving, and keep on reading for more about it all.

:) <3

Best New Songs To Listen to RN 🤟

LET’S DO IT AGAIN by Jamie xx

listen on spotify

This new release perfectly vibrates every cell in my being to a higher vibrational plane. First new song in 2 years and he’s one of my favorite artsits out there these days. Still thinking about his 2018 Outside Lands set. I’ve learned to cherish Jamie xx releases like Lorde releases—few and far between, but pure artistry.

Persuasive by Doechii

watch video on youtube

Song of the summer. Dope ass video. We will be streaming tf out of Ms. Doechii.

No Effort by Princess Nokia

Similar vibes to Persuasive, this song is flawless. Save it on spotify.

Treat Me by Chloë

With a high budget and insane sex appeal, Chloë gives us another banger. What a gift.

As It Was by Harry Styles

I’m sure you’ve seen it by now. He’s so hot.

Free by Florence + The Machine

This music video features British actor Bill Nighy (Love Actually, etc.) — do I need to say more? Great song. Loving this happy Florence era. <3

That’s Where I Am by Maggie Rogers

She’s been teasing this song for years and now it’s out. It’s cute or whateva. Giving very much Perks of Being a Wallflower. The 2010s are back baby.

Best New Album! ⚡️

“Ivory” by Omar Apollo

• listen on spotify

Other than Crash, of course, I haven’t been able to stop streaming Ivory. Omar Apollo has absolutely killed it with this debut album. With zero skips, this album is cohesive and original—gunning for legendary status (to me). It’s a perfect high listen to. I know y’all potheads had your 4/20 celebration this week or whatever. 🥬😘

Favorite songs: No Good Reason, Tamagotchi, Evergreen, and obviously Bad Life ft. Kali Uchis

Best New Watch 🍿

Everything Everywhere All At Once

• their insta

The new A24 movie… blah blah blah I’m sure you’ve read about it. Well, it has a killer soundtrack that’s as quirky and captivating as the plot and I coudln’t recommend it enough!

It features songs from Mitski, David Byrne, and Moses Sumney — slay.

I’ve seen it Twice and I’m ready for a third.

That’s all for now.

Y’all have a great weekend. 💕

Y’all is probably the word I’ve been using most these days. And bah-bah-bah-bah I’m lovin’ it.

I’m writing to you today from Charleston’s version of Equinox (but half the price) and I look like this:

I’m imagining this is you right now:

Currently, I’m on my quarterly Instagram break so this email comes to you today with a little more zen and perkiness than usual. 🤗

Hope you’re having an awesome Friday so far — I’m in your inbox with some music recs to raise your vibe, to forward to your crush, or to make your walks down the sidewalk more of a strut this weekend.

But before going any further, just know that nothing below will ever be as iconic as Summer Hathaway’s 🎶memory, all alone in the moonlight🎶 from School of Rock (2003).

Let’s get started.

In New Releases news…

Crash is out. Charli XCX is main pop girl vibes and, holy shit, I’m living. It’s really good, but y’all already knew I’d say that. 😭 I’m gonna need a couple of weeks to fully digest it before going in-depth. But just know Pitchfork gave it an 8, her highest rating since Pop 2 (a masterpiece).

Orville Peck’s Bronco: Chapters 1 & 2 is definitely worth a stream for those of you who can appreciate a more camp Elvis. He’s clearly got a lot of label support with this release because 3 of the 8 songs released so far have high-budget music videos and the full album isn’t even out until April 8th.

Rex Orange County + Tyler team up for ‘OPEN A WINDOW’ and it’s a 10/10 cruising song. Not that kind of cruising, gays — the type of song you wanna play in your car as you pass pretty people on the street. I’ll be checking out ROC’s new album in the coming week with a j***** and 7:30pm sunset. 😍

Do you know Yola? If you answered no, you’re about to. I have a feeling she’ll be breaking into the mainstream in the next couple of years. English-born with a sound that is very much Nashville Americana, Yola is a star. Her 2021 album is worth checking out, but if you don’t trust me, just check out her latest single which is a reimagining of her song “Diamond Studded Shoes” from that album. It’s fantastic.

Khalid’s new song and music vid for “Last Call” is very nice. He’s good vibes, and doesn’t miss.

In Music Video news…

Florence + The Machine is serving CONCEPT with the latest three singles and accompanying music videos. 1000000% worth watching — ideally, in order, because it seems she’s teeing up a killer concept album. The most recent release, “My Love,” was produced by Jack Antonoff and Dave Bayley (Glass Animals) and it will be one of my top five songs of summer 2022. It’s a slay and a win for the ‘sad dance pop’ girls. 🤟!!!!!!

Watch here:

• King

• Heaven Is Here

• My Love

Not New New, Just Good Sh💩t…

If you’ve got HBO Max, first of all, yasss c’mon, Money Bags! Second of all, watch David Byrne’s American Utopia. If you’re a former theater kid or just enjoy weird music things, this is for you. The Broadway show is ending April 3rd, but luckily Spike Lee turned it into a film for all of us non-NYC folks to consume.

Glass Animals’ 2020 release “Heat Waves” hit the No. 1 spot on Billboards Hot 100 recently, which is a first for them, and we’re all very happy to see it. Still ahead of “abcdefu” by GAYLE and “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” which are maybe the two most annoying songs to ever be in the top 10, stream “Heat Waves” this weekend. :)

Say whatever you want about Euphoria, but it’s no doubt a curator of great songs and a great way to discover new stuff. I wanna know… Do you have a favorite you’ve been introduced to? Lemme know! I’ll include them in the next email.

Throwin' it back to…

Donna Summer got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame 30 years ago today. While it may be the grossest part of LA slash America, we stan a legend.

So here’s a playlist of her best songs to get you in the mood for later sunsets and more (vitamin) D.

That’s all for today. If you have any feedback or thoughts, please let me know!

XOXO
WY

What a concept.

I truly hope that I find you well, wherever/however you’re reading this.

The news and social media are heavy right now — I understand wanting to turn your phone off for a few hours, and I actually very much encourage that.

I’m writing to you today from a Starbucks — pause for liberal gasp — where pop music reigns supreme.

A lot has been happening in our world, and many turn to music to escape. Especially pop music. And to be quite honest, it’s a good time for pop right now.

Even though we’re mortal and inevitably will all die, we are graced with pop music to play on full blast during this lifetime — which will live on forever. I’m looking forward to being in the spirit realm eventually, watching troubled teens in 2444 discover Pop 2.

Energy goes where intention flows, and, today, that energy is with the Pop Gods.

🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐

Without further fluff, here are some of my must and should-streams.

1. ‘Head on Fire’ by Sigrid & Griff

This collaboration between Sigrid, Norway’s queen of pop, and Griff, an English-born pop girl born in 2001, is the epitome of pop perfection to me. I’ve been stanning Sigrid since 2017’s “Don’t Kill My Vibe” — I remember showing friends, acquaintances, people I’ve never met the music video for it whenever I got the chance. Lol <3

Almost 5 years later, Sigrid is still serving slay and raising the pop bar. The silent pauses in the chorus and that perfect Scandanavian synth — chef’s kiss🧑‍🍳💋

Recommended listening: walking on the treadmill at a 10+ elevation

2. ‘Baby’ by Charli XCX

‘Baby’ is the fourth single from Charli’s upcoming fifth studio album, and I would argue that it’s her strongest single from this era so far. Not to sound too TikToky but this song is giving.

It’s giving 2000s string instruments, it’s giving funky guitar, it’s giving fun and sexy lyrics, it’s just giving everything.

The “I’ma make you my, I’ma make you my” parts could have tetered on the side of lazy and repetitive — which is a risk Charli often takes — but no, I think it’s actually genius and could land her a spot on the Billboard charts. It feels as iconic to me as “ma-ma-se, ma-ma-sa, ma-ma-ko-ssa” from Michael Jackson’s ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin.’

Above any other single so far, this mindless perfect pop song could be the single that sticks and validates her whole sell-out era.

3. ‘Happier Than Ever’ by Billie

It’s not new, but it is objectively the best album of 2021 — rivaled only by Solar Power, of course. 😉

I keep going back to this album every few weeks since it came out and it keeps growing on me. The lyrics are beautiful, the sound is cohesive and fresh, it’s great.

With zero skips, it’s timeless and I can’t wait to see her win all the Grammys. This is your sign to listen to it, if for some reason you haven’t already. And Solar Power, too, duh.

4. ‘What, Me Worry?’ by Portugal. The Man

This single gives me Song of the Summer energy and is 100% a must-stream. Not much else to say. Get on it.

5. ‘Nail Tech’ by Jack Harlow

While more on the rap/hip-hop side of pop, this song will probably chart. I like what Jack Harlow is doing, his energy is refreshing. Worth a stream for sure, even if you’re not a rap girly.

6. ‘AMAZING’ by Rex Orange County

Watch this 4-minute 20-second music video for chill, good vibes — you can thank me later. It’s really cute.

7. ‘The Dream’ by Alt-J

I listened to this album for the first time while on a Fr*ntier flight to Vegas, high as heck from some “fast-acting” edibles, and, girl, was it transcendental. This is more of a should-stream than a must-stream, but either way, I hope it lands with you.

If Alt-J isn’t really your jush, check out these highlight songs:

• U&ME

• The Actor

8. ‘Slut Pop’ by Kim Petras

Upon first listen, this 15-minute EP was met with pentecostal Holy Slut energy in the gay group chat. It’s dumb, it’s fun, but it’s a cheap knock-off of Cupcakke.

Having 5 skips on a 7 track EP isn’t necessarily slay. But it’s a fine album to have on when you don’t really care what to listen to.

It’s weird to me that she (re: her label?) released this project after two very good 2021 singles: Future Starts Now and Coconuts. It feels like her label is blindly throwing darts at the mainstream audience, praying for a viral TikTok sound.

Ultimately, though, it’s not a must-stream or even a should stream, but if you want to check it out, listen to the songs Throat Goat and Slut Pop.

🌛🌛🌛🌛🌛🌛🌛🌛

Thanks for getting this far in the email! If you enjoyed it, I’d love to hear from you! If you have some differing thoughts, I’d REALLY love to hear from you — I want this to be as two-sided as possible.

Xoxo 👋🏻

Hello ladies, theydies, and gentlemen.

I’m back… Writing from a cafe in Charleston, iced matcha with a hint of ginger with me.

Long story short, I paused this newsletter because the concept of a new playlist every week was just not vibing right with my Self — 52 playlists in a year? No ma’am. Season 1 had a good run though. However, was it good enough to stick around for season 2 is the question…

Now, Wybrations will generally be about music news, opinions, and discovery, with no set schedule, of course. Commitment issues. She’ll come when she comes. And she’ll be more broadly inclusive to our few non-Spotify users.

Anyway, if you’re still here, that’s great! Thanks for clicking and reading. Season 2 will be better than season 1. Like Succession or RHSLC.

Here’s some of the most important music to ME from the last week or so. Check it out, share it with friends, or not. I want you to live your life and do what makes you happy.

Must streams:

1. Billions by Caroline Polachek

Pitchfork gave this track the title of Best New Music, so I feel validated in streaming tf out of this one the last few days. The way her vague lyrics mean nothing and everything at the same time. The trippy production complements her perfect vocals beautifully, and the last 90 seconds of this 5-minute song… It shoots my soul up into the astral realm where I connect with my nonbinary God. Ten out of ten.

And the video is great too: watch here!

2. Say Nothing ft. MAY-A by Flume

Flume can do no wrong. Other than 90% of his 2019 mixtape (no tea just shade).

He’s back with a new original song for the first time since 2020’s iconic collab with Toro Y Moi, “The Difference,” and it’s just so so so good. Give it a listen and add it to your workout, going out, and shower playlists.

3. Raveena’s new album Asha’s Awakening

This is an artist you need to know. Perfect take-an-edible-and-just-relax music. Whenever I want ethereal background noise, I put on her Tiny Desk Concert. But most notably from this recent release of hers her song/music video for Rush that is very much worth a watch: watch here!

4. Charli XCX: Alone Together & Beg For You

In Charli news, she just released the mv and song collab with Rina Sawayama. It was really good. Will it be Song Of The Year? Naur. But will I be streaming, yeah of course.

Watch Beg For You MV here

She also finally was able to release her documentary (1hr 7m) that is a cheesy but emotional look into her life when creating her “quarantine album” How I’m Feeling Now which is my second favorite album of hers. It’s worth watching but just gloss over the cringe parts of it with her fans. It’s just filler content.

5. FKA Twigs: CAPRISONGS

Every time I see this, my brain says “Capri Sun” and my mouth starts watering bringing me back to childhood and sugar addiction <3

This mixtape is absolutely it. And the music videos that accompany it on YouTube are everything. Check out that visuals here. Absolutely stunnin’ babes.

6. The Weeknd’s Dawn FM

I’m sure you’ve listened to it by now, but this was a masterpiece of an album, in my opinion. The Weeknd delivered. Favorite songs are Gasoline, Take My Breath (album version), and Less Than Zero. Hands down, favorite Weeknd album to date.

7. NEW Odesza!!!

The boys are back with a new song and it’s really really really good, and likely will be on every summer playlist I create for my angel number summer.

Listen to it here.

2022 is going to be a good year for music. I feel it in my bones. The vibes are gonna be immaculate.

8. Pink Friday

Nicki Minaj will be releasing a new single every Friday in the near future. The first two releases were good, but I’d love it even more if she didn’t include any features. This is just my opinion, but I think women should be the only people allowed to rap.

Thanks for getting this far and I hope you enjoyed these vibes.

There will be more content to write about soon—stay tuned. 😇

Are you ready to feel the “Yass ! Sashay you sleigh” fantasy all week long?

I’ve got just what you need.

For you and your gay cousins, I put together this gay ass Christmas playlist — full of drag queen autotune, pop girls doing x-mas, and a few throwbacks.

It’s camp. It’s cringe. It’s Chrimmus!

Happy streaming!

P.S. to those who don’t celebrate, hope you enjoy your Chinese food 😘

Hope you’re having a fantastic holiday szn.

My birthday was yesterday, so I apologize to the die-hard Wybrationers out there who were expecting an email. I was very busy turning 27 and reposting Stories to my Instagram.

After further reflection, though, I don’t think I have it in me to create a new playlist each WEEK— 52 playlists per year—so, this week, we’ve got one from my friend Dedrick.

Moving forward, I’m going to shoot for every two weeks but they’ll be more in-depth. 😗

Dedrick and I met on Tinder 4 years ago in San Francisco, and are now besties who text about music. He lives in New York now, where he’s a part-time model, runs a cool jewelry brand called Quimby, and does something work in the influencer marketing world.

He’s one of those people who effortlessly exudes coolness, and for that, we stan. And can trust his taste.

Anyway, I proudly present to you his playlist: cool (4hr 54m)

Long, I know, but I hope this introduces you to something new and raises your vibe <3