November AotM

For the month of November, we decided that we wanted to highlight two music artists for our Artist of the Month! First, we’ll be highlighting Conan Gray, who recently announced an extension of his Wishbone tour. Our other Artist of the Month will be Ariana Grande, who also announced her summer Eternal Sunshine tour!

Our first Artist of the Month, Conan Gray, became extremely popular during the COVID-19 pandemic with his first studio album, Kid Krow. Maniac and Heather became Conan’s most viral songs, especially with the rise of TikTok during a time of social distancing and working from home. In 2022, Conan Gray finally got to do a tour for Kid Krow and some of the singles that would later be featured on his Sophomore album, Superache. Conan Gray toured in Atlanta on March 5, 2022 at Coca Cola Roxy at the Battery. It was my senior year of high school when I went to this concert, and I got to go with one of my best friends.

One of the main reasons we wanted to highlight Conan Gray as an Artist of the Month is because of his unique discography. Each release is a part of a different pop genre. His EP is very bedroom pop and indie pop. Kid Krow is indie and alt pop. Superache continued with similar elements. Found Heaven definitely took a turn with an 80s synth pop vibe. Lastly, Wishbone is definitely more rock pop. We love how he takes his soul heavy lyrics and creates unique vibes and aesthetics to match each of his eras. We look forward to hopefully getting the opportunity to attend the Wishbone tour next year.

Our second Artist of the Month is Ariana Grande. She isn’t just an amazing pop singer, but she is truly a generational icon that we’ve grown up with. From her role as Cat on Victorious, to her extensive discography, to her most recent role as Glinda in the Wicked movies, she is truly a jack of all trades in the entertainment industry. Tori and I were fortunate enough to get to see her in concert. I went to her Sweetener/Thank U, Next tour in 2019, and it was one of the most memorable performances I’ve ever been to. My aunt and I had matching shirts, and we also got some lace cat ears to channel My Everything. That show was so special because it was one of the last performances I saw before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even though Ariana Grande has been popular the past two years because of the buzz surrounding Wicked, we are particularly excited for the Eternal Sunshine tour in 2026. She is performing at State Farm Arena in early July, and we couldn’t be more excited for her return. It’s been almost 7 years since her last tour, and we’re interested to see what iconic songs she decides to add to her setlist this summer. There were some rumors going around that Ariana Grande might be taking a break from music or touring after this upcoming tour, so we’re fortunate that we got tickets for her show next year.

These two artists have been consuming our playlists, and they’re extremely influential in the pop music space. In a way, we have grown up with these artists. They are truly icons in their own way and true examples of brilliant songwriters.