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The Student Newspaper of Hopkins School

    • Justin Bieber's new album cover of "Intentions"

    • Billie Eilish's cover of her new single "everything i wanted"

    • BROCKHAMPTON'S cover of his album "GINGER"

Songs of the Issue

Lily Meyers ’20, Arts Editor, Anaya Panyadahundi '23,
Lily Meyers '20 and Anaya Panayadahundi '23 review new releases from popular musicians
Justin Bieber: “Intentions”
Lily Meyers '20
After five years away from producing solo music, Justin Bieber is back with his album Changes. The album is Bieber’s first since Purpose in 2015, and was released on Valentine’s Day. Critics characterized the album as having a light tone and a focus on Bieber’s recent marriage to Hailey Bieber, née Baldwin. The album’s fourth track, “Intentions,” proves to be a standout one, climbing the charts shortly after the album’s release.

“Intentions” mirrors the rest of the album in its positive glimpse into Mr. and Mrs. Bieber’s relationship. The chorus, “Picture-perfect, you don’t need no filter / Gorgeous, make ‘em drop dead, you a killer / Shower you with all my attention / Yeah, these are my only intentions,” contains lyrics that exemplify the wholesome shower of compliments throughout the song. The upbeat, catchy melody matches the lyrics, and a lively beat ties the song together. The third verse brings in Quavo from the popular hip-hop group Migos. This is not Bieber’s first time working with a member of Migos; he collaborated with the group in 2014.

“Intentions” and the rest of Changes came out in conjunction with Bieber’s docu-series, Seasons. Seasons is a ten episode series that premiered at the end of January on Youtube. While Bieber’s career certainly is not over, his return to Youtube marks a full circle back to his beginnings in music. Bieber got his start on Youtube back in 2008, when he was discovered and launched to stardom, releasing his first album at sixteen years old.

Produced by long-time Bieber collaborator Poo Bear and powerhouse production duo The Audibles, the beat for “Intentions” is filled with synth and trap beats galore, as are many of the other tracks on Changes. With its bright melody and catchy beat, “Intentions” is sure to brighten the day of any listener.

Billie Eilish: “everything i wanted”
Anaya Panyadahundi '23
Billie Eilish is just your average insecure seventeen-year-old. Except she’s a musical phenomenon. Her career started at age thirteen when she became a Soundcloud sensation after releasing her first song, “ocean eyes” with the help of her older brother, Finneas O’Connell. Eilish’s music is unconventional in its style, setting it apart from most current popular music. Her songs are rooted in both personal and fictional experiences, often having a darker and depressing tone, which appeals to and comforts the younger generations. In an interview with Genius she said, “Songs about being depressed or suicidal or completely just against yourself- some adults think that’s bad, but I feel that seeing that someone else feels just as horrible as you do is a comfort”.

“everything i wanted,” Eilish’s most recent songs, explores such ideas. The song has stayed in the top 10 of Billboard’s weekly Hot 100 thirteen weeks and counting since its release in early November of 2019. The song’s immediate skyrocket to the top is a result of its flow and content. In addition to its catchy, mellow-but- upbeat tune, the song explains how one’s idea of a “perfect life”, being a celebrity for example, is not as glorious as it seems. The song is a tribute to her brother and shows their strong sibling bond. Amid her dilemmas he would say, “As long as I’m here, no one can hurt you. Don’t wanna lie here, but you can learn to. If I could change the way that you see yourself. You wouldn’t wonder why you hear ‘They don’t deserve you.’” It’s a very vulnerable piece, and it exposes Eilish’s more insecure side, the part that many cameras and listeners often do not see or hear. Billie Eilish’s music is new and original, and you can find all her songs on Apple Music, Spotify, Youtube, Google Play (Music), Deezer, and the iHeartRadio website.

BROCKHAMPTON: “SUGAR”
Lily Meyers '20
Despite coming out in late August, BROCKHAMPTON’s “SUGAR” found widespread success over the course of this winter. “SUGAR” initially appeared on the group’s fifth album, GINGER, although the group released a single for the song in late November.
While BROCKHAMPTON promoted the song more actively across November and December, releasing both a single and a music video for the song, much of its recent success can be accredited to its popularity on the short video app, TikTok. Users posted over 4 million videos, often creating or performing dances, to the same 15 second slice of the chorus. As with many songs popularized through TikTok before it, audiences loved “SUGAR’s” catchy chorus, and its success on the app translated to its delayed success on the charts.

While BROCKHAMPTON promoted the song more actively across November and December, releasing both a single and a music video for the song, much of its recent success can be accredited to its popularity on the short video app, TikTok. Users posted over 4 million videos, often creating or performing dances, to the same 15 second slice of the chorus. As with many songs popularized through TikTok before it, audiences loved “SUGAR’s” catchy chorus, and its success on the app translated to its delayed success on the charts.

BROCKHAMPTON is a self-described “boy band” consisting of thirteen members, six of whom are vocalists. Leader Kevin Abstract created the group with fellow students from Woodlands High School in Woodlands, Texas. While the group has expanded and shifted around since then, their popularity has continued to grow through these changes.
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Editor in Chief 
Rose Robertson

Managing Editor 
Hanna Jennings

News
Sophie Denny
Eli Ratner
Anya Mahajan
Claire Billings
Abigail Rakotomavo
Features
Anika Madan
Mira Krichavsky
Sarvin Bhagwagar
Rania Das
Eric Roberts
 
Arts
Shriya Sakalkale
Grace Laliberte
Jo Reymond
Ilana Lewitton
Anvi Pathak
Op/Ed
Teddy Witt
Asher Joseph
Rain Zeng
Miri Levin
Edel Lee

Sports
Amir McFerren
Maggie Russell
Samantha Bernstein
Hana Beauregard
Karun Srihari
Editors-at-Large
Connor Tomasulo
Bar Avraham
Alex Lopez
Chloe Wang

Cartoonists
Hailey Willey
Web Editors
Brayden Gray
Amelia Hudonogov

Faculty Advisers
Stephen May
Elizabeth Gleason
Shanti Madison
The Razor's Edge reflects the opinion of 4/5 of the editorial board and will not be signed. The Razor welcomes letters to the editor but reserves the right to decide which letters to publish, and to edit letters for space reasons. Unsigned letters will not be published, but names may be withheld on request. Letters are subject to the same libel laws as articles. The views expressed in letters are not necessarily those of the editorial board.
     
The Razor,
 an open forum publication, is published monthly during the school year by students of: 
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