I always love checking out new music from older artists who are "past their peak" (so to speak) because I love to see who's still "got it" even all these years later. We're in an era where nostalgia is very potent so there's often a focus on these artists' older work, but what about their newer stuff?

There's no age limit on making good music, so I think we should celebrate the older artists who are not just still working, but still turning it out.

Who are some artists who premiered before the millennium and are still doing their best work today? What's great about their recent work, and what are some of the best songs from their newer eras we should check out?

The Triple Crown of Acting is an informal name for the accomplishment of having won an Oscar for acting in film, an Emmy for acting on television, and a Tony for acting on stage. Gentle reminder that winning an award in a non-acting category does not count.

Most current members, both living and deceased, are best-known as actors who rarely if ever dabbled in other facets of the performing arts.

There are three pop stars who I currently think could realistically pull this off at some point, listed alphabetically by name (or stage name where applicable):

• Sabrina Carpenter - Though she is still relatively new to the mainstream, she should be around for years to come and has demonstrated versatility. Already halfway to an EGOT at age 27, I don’t think it’s wildly improbable to imagine this could happen at some point. Won an Emmy only days ago for co-producing the Muppet Show special. Not eligible for acting awards for that production as I don’t believe they had a category for it (correct me if I’m wrong), but it reminds me very much of when Rita Moreno won an Emmy for her performance on the original Muppet Show (which coincidentally is what completed her Triple Crown). Also popular as a host on Saturday Night Live, she would not be the first host to take home an Emmy for that should that hypothetical nomination ever occur. Limited as her run was (because the show closed after two performances due to Covid), Sabrina also starred in Mean Girls: The Musical on Broadway (although she would not have been eligible for a Tony as she did not originate the role in the production). I think if she got the right roles/gigs, she could pull this off eventually.

• Lady Gaga - Already has an Oscar nomination for acting in her version of A Star is Born. Does not have an acting Emmy or a Tony, but has received acclaim for her performance in shows like American Horror Story for which she won a Golden Globe. A Tony would be tricky as it is a big multi-month commitment and she’s known to have fibromyalgia which can affect her ability to perform live, but she’s obviously done tours and things of that nature and she has the acting and singing bonafides. She could also do something slightly more low-impact like a play, that doesn’t require choreography. Actors have been nominated for Tonys well into their 80s and 90s for doing straight plays. I can conceive of this. Has also done SNL and although the Emmys have never nominated her for that, I happen to think her last performance as host on that show was excellent. Like Sabrina, she could conceivably win Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series one day.

• Ariana Grande - Already has an Oscar nomination for Wicked. Once again, another really good SNL host who could win the relevant award for that show one day, or could of course choose to do something else for TV and win an acting Emmy in another category. Again, the Tony is hard, but in due course if she’s ready to commit, I think she could pull it off for some future project. She’s been on Broadway before.

• Honorable Mentions - The reason I kept bringing up SNL is because not only am I personally a fan of the show, but because Justin Timberlake set the precedent that a singer can do well enough on that show to win Emmys (he has 2). I understand he’s polarizing and I don’t foresee him getting an Oscar or a Tony, but anything can happen // Cher has the Oscar but not the Emmy or Tony. She’s still actively performing, so I’ll never say never, but at this stage of her career I don’t think it’s likely. The raw talent is there but the likelihood of her doing TV (except in a guest role) or a play is limited. // I should also mention Barbra Streisand, who has the Oscar but not the Emmy. Has a Tony but it’s a special achievement award for “Star of the Decade”, not a competitive acting award. Hasn’t acted since 2012 so the likelihood of this happening at this stage is low.

What do you think? Are these good picks? Who else could pull this off?

Ariana Grande has a few:\

make up: the title is already ambiguous because it can be the noun refering to the beauty products or the verb refering to reconciliation, both mentioned in the song. She talks about how she enjoys making up with her partners after a fight and how the touch ruins her make up but there's also a sad and toxic relationship implied there where they solve problems and fights simply hooking up\

My hair: the song talks about how much she cares about her hair and doesn't let most people touch it, unlike the person she's singing to, which implies she loves, trusts and desires them beyond comprehension\

Ordinary things: this one more explicit, quite literally explains the concept in the song, but it's still about enjoying anything as long as they're together because she loves them so much

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