American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift.
Credit: AP Photo

What an era! From March 2023 to August 2024, American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift is touring Asia, Australia, Central America, Europe, North America, and South America. The Eras Tour is a tribute to all of her albums, especially the four albums she released without touring since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted public events. The concerts are over three hours long with a total of 44 tracks, complete with outfit changes and skilled choreography. Swift became one of country music’s youngest and most popular performers in the first decade of the 2000’s. She has won a number of Grammy Awards and other awards for her music. Her music also has set many sales records and reached people around the world.

When Swift announced the tour, entertainment broker Ticketmaster offered a presale program. Over 3.5 million people registered with the program, but the website crashed when tickets were officially released. Over 2.4 million tickets were sold on the opening day of the tour, breaking the record for the most concert tickets sold by an artist in a single day.

Taylor Alison Swift was born on Dec. 13, 1989, in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, near Reading. She learned to play guitar as a child. She began singing at local fairs and festivals at age 10. Before she was a teenager, Swift traveled regularly with her parents to Nashville, Tennessee, to perform and write songs with local songwriters. Nashville is the center of the country music industry. Swift gained attention at age 12 when she sang the United States national anthem at the US Open tennis tournament in New York City. When she was 14, she moved with her family to a suburb of Nashville.

Swift’s first single, “Tim McGraw,” from her first album, Taylor Swift (2006), became a hit. The album also included “Our Song,” Swift’s first number-one country hit on Billboard magazine’s “Hot Country Songs” chart.

Swift’s second album, Fearless (2008), became the best-selling album of 2009 in the United States. It produced several hits, including the number-one country singles “You Belong with Me” and “Love Story.” Swift won four Country Music Association awards for the album, including entertainer of the year. She became the youngest performer to win that award. Swift’s third album, Speak Now, released in 2010, also became a huge hit. The album produced many hit singles, including ”Innocent.”

Several of Swift’s songs have topped Billboard’s ranking for number of digital song sales in a single week. These have included “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” (2012) and “Look What You Made Me Do” (2017). Swift’s fifth album, 1989 (2014), was more pop-oriented. It featured the hits “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space.” With the release of 1989, Swift became the first artist to have three albums sell a million or more copies in a week. Her other albums include Red (2012), Reputation (2017), Lover (2019), Folklore and Evermore (both 2020), and Midnights (2022).

In 2021, following a dispute regarding ownership of the master recordings of her first six studio albums, Swift announced she would re-record the albums in a bid to regain ownership. That year, she released Fearless (Taylor’s Version), a recasting of her 2008 album, Fearless; and Red (Taylor’s Version), a recasting of her 2012 album, Red. The 2021 albums also included previously unreleased songs.

Swift made her motion-picture acting debut in the romantic comedy Valentine’s Day (2010). She provided the voice of a little girl named Audrey in the animated feature Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (2012). In addition, Swift starred in the motion-picture musical Cats (2019). A documentary motion picture, Miss Americana (2020), follows Swift over the course of several years of her career.

Members of the South Korean pop group BTS are, left to right, front row: Suga and V. Back row: J-Hope, RM, Jin, Jimin, and Jungkook.
Credit: © RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images

BTS members are trading in their matching outfits for… different matching outfits. The group, also known as Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean K-pop (Korean pop) music group that rose to international fame in the mid-2010’s. The South Korean government requires men to complete 18 to 21 months of military service, and international pop stars are not immune. The group’s management company, Big Hit, announced their conscription (military draft) on October 17, 2022.

BTS combines elements of rap, hip-hop, pop, and electronic dance music (EDM). The group’s vocals are mainly in Korean. But they also perform lyrics in English and Japanese. The group also is known for its lyrics about the challenges that young people face. BTS plans to come back together as a band in 2025. Maybe they will have new songs inspired by their time in the military.

BTS originally stood as an abbreviation for Bangtan Sonyeondan, Korean for Bulletproof Boy Scouts. The initials were later also said to stand for Beyond the Scene. The members of the group are J-Hope (born Jung Ho-seok), Jimin (Park Ji-min), Jin (Kim Seok-jin), Jungkook (Jeon Jeong-guk), RM (Kim Nam-joon), Suga (Min Yoon-gi), and V (Kim Tae-hyung). In June 2022, the band members announced they would take a break to pursue additional solo projects.

The government normally requires military service to be completed before men turn 28. However, the government granted Jin (Kim Seok-jin), the oldest member of BTH, a two year delay since he was “enhancing Korea’s image” while working with the band. Refusing to serve in the military is considered a crime in South Korea. Many fans called for an exemption for the members of BTS. some athletes and musicians have received exemptions in the past. However, the group decided to enlist despite their musical fame. Now the members are starting off on a different kind of tour. Before starting off on their new endeavors, the group held their last concert in Busan on October 15, 2022.

BTS was formed by the South Korean music producer and record executive Bang Si-hyuk. The group’s first single was “No More Dream” (2013). The song deals with the pressures many young Koreans feel from their culture and society. Since 2013, the group has released many successful recordings. The band’s first full-length studio album was Dark & Wild (2014).

In 2017, BTS released the popular EP (extended play recording) Love Yourself: Her. An EP contains several songs but is not considered a full-length album. The EP’s songs “DNA” and “Mic Drop” became the first tracks by a Korean group to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). RIAA presents a gold record to an artist who sells 500,000 copies of an album. The group’s single “Idol” (2018) also became a huge hit. That same year, BTS became the first K-pop group to reach number 1 on Billboard magazine’s “Billboard 200″ music chart, with its album Love Yourself: Tear (2018).

Lorde is a New Zealand pop singer and songwriter. She became the first New Zealand solo artist to have a number-one hit in the United States, with the song “Royals” (2012).
© Daniel DeSlover, ZUMA/Alamy Images

In a new EP (extended play) recording, the New Zealand pop singer and songwriter Lorde paid tribute to the Māori, the indigenous (native) people of New Zealand. After her third album, Solar Power, was released on Aug. 20, 2021, Lorde re-recorded five songs from the album in the Māori language, the language of the native Māori people of New Zealand. Lorde is not Māori but acknowledges the influence Māori culture has had on her life. The songs were released on her third EP Te Ao Mārama, which translates to “world of light” in the Māori language, on Sept. 9, 2021. The EP’s name builds off her album Solar Power and a well-known Māori phrase.

Lorde worked with several qualified translators to re-write the songs in Māori. Many of the lines are not translated exactly but use Māori to capture the meaning of the original English lines. The cover features a colorized version of the print  Serene by New Zealand artist Rei Hamon. The album is a celebration of New Zealand.

The Māori are a Polynesian people of New Zealand. They were the first people to live in what is now New Zealand. Māori made a living by fishing, hunting, and farming. By the 1700′s, all of New Zealand was under Māori control. Europeans started arriving in New Zealand in the late 1700′s and eventually took over the land and power. Today, the Māori make up about 15 percent of New Zealand’s population.

Lorde was born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor on Nov. 7, 1996, in Takapuna, near Auckland. She was signed to a recording contract at age 13 and began writing songs soon after that. At the age of 16, she became the youngest person in more than 25 years to have a number-one hit on the United States  Billboard singles chart “Hot 100.” The song, “Royals” (2012), also made Lorde the first New Zealand solo artist to have a number-one hit in the United States. “Royals” reached number one on the singles charts in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom as well. In 2013, Lorde won a Grammy Award for best pop solo performance for “Royals.” She also shared a Grammy for song of the year with the song’s co-writer, the New Zealand songwriter and musician Joel Little.

Members of the South Korean pop group BTS are, left to right, front row: Suga and V. Back row: J-Hope, RM, Jin, Jimin, and Jungkook.
Credit: © RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images

The South Korean pop music group BTS made history this month—and not because they shattered another sales record. The oldest member of the group, Kim Seok-jin—known as Jin—turned 28 on December 4. According to South Korean law, men must complete 21 months of military service once they turn 28, if not sooner. But on Tuesday, December 1, South Korea’s National Assembly revised the country’s Military Service Act to allow K-pop stars to postpone their military service until they turn 30. (K-pop is a term used to describe music and artists originating in South Korea’s popular music industry.) Under the law, K-pop stars who have been awarded government medals for spreading South Korean culture can apply to postpone military service. BTS won one of these medals in 2018.

BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, gained international fame in the mid-2010’s with the help of the video-sharing website YouTube. The group is known for its expressive vocals, stylish image, sharp dance moves, and strong fan base and social media presence. The music of BTS combines elements of rap, hip-hop, pop, and electronic dance music (EDM). The group also is known for its lyrics about the challenges faced by young people. The group’s vocals are mainly in Korean, but BTS also performs lyrics in English and Japanese.

BTS originally stood as an abbreviation for Bangtan Sonyeondan, Korean for Bulletproof Boy Scouts. The initials were later also said to stand for Beyond the Scene. The members of the group are J-Hope (born Jung Ho-seok), Jimin (Park Ji-min), Jin (Kim Seok-jin), Jungkook (Jeon Jeong-guk), RM (Kim Nam-joon), Suga (Min Yoon-gi), and V (Kim Tae-hyung).

BTS was formed by the South Korean music producer and record executive Bang Si-hyuk. The group’s first single was “No More Dream” (2013). The song deals with the pressures many young Koreans feel from their culture and society. Since 2013, the group has released many successful recordings. The band’s first full-length studio album was Dark & Wild (2014).

In 2020, the group released the single “Dynamite,” making BTS the first South Korean pop act to debut at number 1 on the Billboard “Hot 100″ chart. It was also the first song the group recorded entirely in English.

December 29, 2016

A few days ago on Christmas, December 25, British pop music icon George Michael died suddenly of heart failure at age 53. Michael gained fame in the 1980′s as part of the popular duo Wham!, and later enjoyed a successful solo career. His albums, including the smash hits “Faith” and “Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1,” won numerous awards and sold more than 100 million copies. The United Kingdom’s Radio Academy listed Michael as the most-played performer on British radio from 1984 to 2004.

Pop music superstar George Michael, seen here in 1987, died suddenly on Dec. 25, 2016. Credit: © Michael Putland, Getty Images

George Michael was born Georgios Panayiotou on June 25, 1963, in the north London borough of East Finchley. His father was a Greek Cypriot restaurant owner and his mother was an English dancer. In 1979, George and his friend Andrew Ridgeley formed a music duo that would eventually become Wham! Their 1984 hits “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” and “Careless Whisper” topped pop charts around the world.

Leaving Wham! in favor of a solo career, Michael’s 1987 album, “Faith,” rocketed to the top of the charts and went on to win a Grammy Award for album of the year. “Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1,” released in 1990, was also a smash hit. Michael complemented his popular success by funding numerous charities and participating in benefit concerts. His later singles and the albums “Older” (1996), “Songs from the Last Century” (1999), and “Patience” (2004) met with steady but lesser success than his earlier releases. Michael’s last album, a collection of live performances called “Symphonica,” was released in 2014.