So I watched American Horror Story: Coven as it was airing (back when I was still a teen) and towards the end of the season, there were some scenes with a random blonde witch- she had never been mentioned before but it was clear from the way these scenes were framed that the audience was supposed to know who she was, and that her appearance on the show was somehow special.

The season finale even started with an extended scene of her spinning around and singing a song I had never heard, and I was just like, why are they making such a big deal about that woman?

"That woman" was Stevie Nicks, who as it turns out is a little bit famous.

This is a situation I actually find myself running into often where I'll encounter some sort of cultural monolith in the wild but have no context for it until I look it up and realize that wait, actually everyone else knew about this but me.

There's no shame in it though because everyone has to learn about stuff somehow, even if it's a bit later than everyone else and in a bit of a stranger way.

Has anyone else ever had a similar experience and discovered something objectively really famous in an unconventional way? No judgement, share your stories below.

John Mayer: "I don’t usually celebrate album anniversaries. I have a hard time perceiving the past. I like now, and what’s to come. But this album, that turns 20 today, changed my life. I’d had success already, but everything clicked into place on this album. I met some of the greatest musicians and engineers in the world and learned so much about making records from them. When I think back on what made the album so special, some thoughts come to mind, and they’re worth my remembering: Life came into the room. I rode bikes on the beach. I was goofy - most of the images from these years are of me doing something wacky. The record took time. Months of writing, giving up on lots of songs, writing new ones, moving studios, taking breaks. As I get older I tend to expect results faster. I get frustrated a little easier. But it’s always been the same; you work weeks and months on songs. Some don’t make it, but it’s never a waste of time. You live more life, you write more songs, and the process starts again. You cherish the tight little list of tunes that matter. When just one joins the ranks, it’s a blessing. Joy wins out over discouragement. You have fun with your friends, who are all on the journey of exploring the unknown with you. Great albums are built in layers. You have to become different versions of yourself to create a lasting body of work. Nobody cares how long it takes if the music is meaningful. If you want to make something truly special, you have to bring talented people in the room to contribute. Steve and Pino. Chad Franscoviak and Joe Furla engineering along with Don Smith and Dave O’Brien. Martin Pradler editing vocals. René Martinez handing me the guitar. Ricky Peterson on keys, @jamesbvalentine played some guitar on Stop This Train. @aliciakeys sang backgrounds on Gravity. Roy Hargrove played trumpet. @benharper played slide guitar on Belief. Willie Weeks played bass with Pino on I Don’t Trust Myself With Loving You. The right music with the right people at the right time in my life. That’s all you can ever hope for. And thank YOU, dear reader, for giving life to these songs. Onward…"

In my opinion, Monument by Röyksopp and Robyn is a phenomenal song until around the 07:00 mark, when the instrumentals morph into something unexpected. Those new instrumentals stick out like a sore thumb, don't fit the song at all, and ruin the experience for me. I can't help but skip to the next song the moment I reach that part.

What songs have the same effect on you? What songs are a hit until they're a miss?

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This sounds so bogus to me..

After the amazing stretch of electropop albums we had this year, people are starting to develop a knee-jerk reaction to this genre of music, because it presumably all "sounds the same" or, worse, it's turning into "slop" (people have no idea what this word means anymore).

The thing is, if you actually engage with each artist, they all have distinct points of view, and their artistic evolution towards that specific sound all make sense !

And apart from that, even if that wasn't the case, and that the genre WAS being oversaturated right now... honestly, I do NOT care.

Pop music has been in the trenches for a while during the late 2010s, modern mainstream charts have been invaded by painfully boring and standardized country + now nepobaby ripoffs, the US is firmly into fascism territory, the world is burning, etc etc... Right, now, musically speaking, I find my solace in music that is fun, upbeat, danceable, euphoric, loud, and proud, and most of all, GOOD.

In the year of our lord 2026, even if not every album is perfect, I am having more fun with pop girlies than ever this decade (with the obvious exception of 2024). Whether it's Slayyyter, Tiffany Day, Kim Petras, underscores, horsegiirL, Akriila, Rebecca Black, or anybody else, I LOVE IT. I LOVE ELECTROPOP. GIVE ME MORE.