Music History

Photography by Ivan S. Why artists are being asked to be everything, everywhere, all at once — and why smaller artists need us now more than ever. Article Contributed by LJ Portnoy, Editor-in-Chief Visibility Has Become Survival Somewhere between soundcheck and stage time, musicians became full-time content creators. Before the show even starts, the work has already begun. Artists are filming TikToks backstage, posting setlist teasers, editing recap videos in the green room,

Article Contributed by Monica Soriano Nickelodeon made many people laugh through its quirky series, cartoons and movies. There are various familiar faces in mainstream media within music that were able to reach unexpected (or expected) success after their time with the network. Some cultivated strong fan bases and have established their names among the biggest artists. While most of the cast in Victorious have gone on to gain a large amount of popularity and varying success w

Article Contributed by Monica Soriano Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter and The Jonas Brothers have become names that circle the media often. Sometimes it is due to Olivia and Sabrina’s success internationally as beloved pop girls and other times it is The Jonas Brothers’ continuous release of projects while tapping into infectious nostalgia. Disney Channel was a starting point for these artists but what came after was entirely up to them. Olivia Rodrigo’s Penmanship & Huge D

Songs that were almost Number 1 on the charts but couldn’t get there…..why? The list of songs that could've gone number one but didn’t could be endless, but here are a few songs that were so close to being number one that they peaked at number one. They each have a reason as to why they didn’t reach the top spot.

If you had a MySpace back in the day, you already know the feeling. One click and suddenly a song was blasting through your speakers before the page even finished loading. That was how music entered your life back then. Loud. Immediate. Slightly chaotic. You’d land on someone’s profile and just sit there listening. Maybe scrolling. Maybe clicking through their friends. Maybe doing absolutely nothing except letting the song loop again and again while it slowly rewires your

From One Direction’s career launch to Ariana Grande’s mainstream singles, Savan is responsible for many fan-favorite pop hits within the past two decades.

The reasoning behind some of the greatest songs in history never made it to the top spot on the charts. Just imagine, hearing the same songs everywhere you go - at a bar, a mall, a grocery store, or the radio, and thinking that there is no way it didn’t hit the number one spot on the charts. The reality is that some of the songs that marked our middle school, high school, or college experiences didn’t even come close to that coveted spot.

Disney Channel launched many artists into fame and long-lasting careers in music and acting. Singing on Disney Channel was a given; if you had a show, you most likely also sang the theme song for it. There was even a time when many shows and movies were centered around music. This included the High School Musical trilogy, the Hannah Montana show, and The Cheetah Girls films.

Here’s a secret. The songs you fall in love with, lyrically, emotionally, physically, are not always written by your favorite singers. More often than not, they are written by a songwriter or lyricist. Someone who specializes in writing. They may also be a singer, performer, or artist. Sometimes they are not. Sometimes they work behind the scenes. Sometimes they choose to stay private, preferring for the world to hear their words, but not their voice.

A cover or rendition being more popular than the original track is actually more common than we would think. A few of the biggest songs that we hear often, some even classics, are not sung by the original singer. This is the case for songs such as “Year 3000” by the Jonas Brothers, which was originally sung by the British band Busted, as well as “Respect” by Aretha Franklin was originally performed by Otis Redding.

There is a different kind of landscape everyone feels within the music industry in January. Tours have come to a close, and most artists prefer spring, summer, or even fall to plan their runs. Winter can be treacherous. Harsh weather, delayed flights, snowstorms, blizzards, extreme temperatures, and the weight of the holiday season all make January a difficult time to stay on the road.

Nickelodeon features a diverse range of shows, including cartoons and teen sitcom series. Their series range from wacky comedy-style shows to more arts and music-focused genres while maintaining the comedic aspect. Many great songs were derived from these shows. Although most were not intended to be more than a catchy intro song, a few managed to engrave themselves into pop culture and quiet longevity.

There’s a moment that happens in almost every photo pit. The lights drop, the crowd surges forward, cameras rise in unison, and for a brief stretch of time, a handful of strangers are asked to share the same few feet of space while capturing something fleeting. You learn very quickly that talent alone won’t carry you here. Awareness will. Most of the time, that window is small. Three songs, fifteen minutes, sometimes even less.

What is popular today in 2025 wasn’t always favored in the 80s. In fact, what is considered popular today is something that was created as a counter to mainstream music back then. That’s right, alternative music has in fact made its way into the everyday listening experience. Alternative music is not just an umbrella term for eccentric genres, but it is also a form of rebellion that was expressed through music in the beginning of its conception.

It started with a whisper. A tiny idea. A quiet moment where we decided to try something ourselves, this time with our full chests. We didn’t know where it would go. We just knew we wanted to build something with intention. SoundCheck began small and digital. Our first interview lived in a Word document. Our first artist was someone we already knew and believed in.

There is no music industry without songwriters. They are the emotional engineers behind the biggest hits, the people who take tangled feelings and turn them into midnight anthems shouted from car windows. Songwriters shape artists. They influence genres. They deserve every ounce of recognition and compensation they get.

Article Contributed by Monica Soriano If something feels like it’s missing from the music industry, it would definitely be music video shows. Those shows that you could tune into just to catch the latest music videos from a variety of artists. There were countdown shows that would air the most popular videos at the time and although it could've felt like a competition for the musicians, for the audience it was a fun time to guess what would be number 1. A lot of music fanatic

It’s no shocker that, to us, Charlie Puth is one of the greatest artists of our generation. One scroll through TikTok and you’ll find him teaching millions of people about chord progressions, bass voicings, and why certain hooks feel addictive. But those clips barely scratch the surface of what makes him extraordinary. Charlie operates in an entirely different class of musical intelligence.

Music has never stayed still for long. Every generation has believed that their version of the art was the final, purest draft. And every generation has watched that certainty crumble the moment the next invention arrived. From the earliest recording machines to today’s AI debates, the story of music has always been shaped by the same tension: fear and fascination, resistance and reinvention.