P!nk has had quite an illustrious career. Her music has sold over 40 million albums and 50 million singles worldwide. As she approaches the 20 year mark since her debut album, she shows no signs of slowing down. If you’ve never seen her live in concert, you are truly missing out. Her acrobatics are unlike anything I’ve ever seen a performer do in a live show. Plus, she actually sings (not lip syncs) through it all.

“Walk Me Home”, the first single lifted from her new album, Hurts 2B Human, has an adult pop sound with soaring vocals from the daring songstress. P!nk then flips back to her bad girl side on the feisty, early 2000s reminiscent, “Hustle”. She’s too smart for the childish games here and refuses to be mistaken for a dummy.

There are only a couple slight missteps on Hurts 2B Human. The short-lived auto-tune on “(Hey Why) Miss You Sometime” seem oft putting for an artist of P!nk’s vocal caliber. Otherwise the song is a nice uptempo inclusion on the album. Nonetheless, the beautifully vulnerable “My Attic” proves why P!nk has had such longevity in the music industry.

P!nk brings on a few more guest collaborators than usual. The poignant duet with Wrabel blends together two astounding voices very well. I expect this one to be a big single from the album. Khalid offers some R&B flavor on the title track, “Hurts 2B Human”. Cash Cash stops by on the incredibly sugary pop track, “Can We Pretend”.

Songs like the bare bones “Happy” and “Love Me Anyway” featuring Chris Stapleton (expect this one to be a big wedding song this year) suggest that P!nk would have much success with an acoustic album. Perhaps that will be her next move. She definitely has the pipes and the lyrical talent to pull it off well.

Hurts 2B Human showcases a couple of dimensions that fans love about P!nk. The album has a bit of some throwback early millennium undertones that were wildly popular when she first debuted. I’m not sure if that was the sound she was going for. Regardless, it’s a refreshingly sober feeling to have some new music from one of music’s most intriguing artists.

Lizzo has been making waves in the music industry for a few years now, with previous albums/EPs Coconut Oil and Big Grrrl Small World. Her image is just as in-your-face as her sound is. For instance, she recently landed a Playboy shoot as one of only two plus size women to ever be featured in the magazine. The concept of her music self love and having no self control when it comes to speaking her mind.

Now, her new album, Cuz I Love You, is out and she just might finally get the recognition she deserves. Here are 5 reasons why you should love her new album and her whole aura as an entertainer.

She knows how to change up the tempo of social norms. Perhaps you’ve heard her female empowerment anthems like “Good as Hell” on TV shows or movies. However, her new single, “Tempo” changes up the pace for dance anthems. She proclaims that she needs a faster tempo to compliment her size. As if the song wasn’t already cool enough, Missy Elliott comes by to celebrate and shake up the party with her.

Lizzo is all about loving herself. Although similar themes of girl power have been explored before, Lizzo makes it tangible. Take “Soulmate” for instance. She sings just as fluently as she raps here on one of Cuz I Love You’s stand out tracks about being in love with yourself. Lizzo makes it clear that her existence doesn’t rely on her relationship status.

She has an infectious old soul. The album’s title track and “Jerome” have a bluesy backbone that would make Etta James proud. Lizzo has an impressive knack for delivering comical, witty and soulful lyrics whether she’s rapping or belting out a tune. She comes across as that friend that has somehow been here before.

Her sound gets bolder with time. Lizzo has never been one to necessarily bite her tongue. However, the trajectory of her career has found the rap-singer be more risque. Even her vocals are less tame and more unruly this time around. Thankfully, the sound suits her well and it’s a direction she should continue to travel in.

She’s leading her own body positivity movement. Even if you’ve never heard Lizzo’s music before, the album cover for Cuz I Love You lets you know she’s not shy. She’s sitting nude, crossed legged and wearing only a piercing stare that leaps out of the photo. She’s not afraid to put herself out there to influence others to be more open minded about body image.

So, you still haven’t heard Cuz I Love You yet? Seriously, what are you waiting for? Expect this to be one of the most talked about albums of the spring and beyond. Lizzo solidifies the fact that she’s here to stay and doing it all on her own terms.

April 17, 2019 is a hump day that will not soon be forgotten. Just as Ariana Grande fans were dubbing this year’s Coachella celebration “Arichella”, in comes Beyonce. She swooped in unexpectedly….well, let’s be real. We expected it sometime very soon. The juggernaut that is Beyonce made headlines last year as the first African American woman to headline the Coachella festival. Oh and did she make it a headlining show to remember.

Homecoming, the Netflix documentary and its accompanying live album dropped today. As usual, the Internet was shook. At this point, a surprise album from Beyonce or (any artist for that matter) has lost some of its sting. Nonetheless, the documentary is a carefully spliced rundown of the entire show. The clips highlight both of her show stopping performances during last year’s Coachella weekends. The docu-style camera work was a bit much for me at some points, but overall it was worth it. Don’t misunderstand it. The highlight here was seeing the phenomenal performance again, not the behind the scenes elements that we likely could have guessed ourselves.

The larger conversation here is how Beyonce has once again ushered in a new era of how fans interact with music. With Homecoming, it’s a case of live music interaction. She has brought the Coachella experience to the eyes and ears of fans all across the world. Of course, she’s going to pocket a large chunk of change from it too. Will live Coachella albums be the standard now for headlining artists? Will Beyonce’s end goal of paying homage to African American culture see more diversity in the headlining artist lineup for Coachella in the future? Could this stir up a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Music Film for Beyonce? Time will tell.

Whatever the case, Beyonce has successfully frozen a pinnacle moment of her career in time. Plus, she has elongated its impact for the remainder of the year and likely well into 2020. Artists will now have to come harder than releasing live album recordings from their sold out Madison Square Garden performances.