We’re a couple months removed from the release of Taylor Swift’s pop culture atomic bomb of an album, and I’ve been looking back on what could’ve been done differently. She reaches for so many great themes on this record only to fall flat with sloppy writing and bland production. But I’m here to guide you through some of my favorite female songwriters that take Swift’s ideas and expand them into fully formed musical worlds.

If you listen to music, you probably use Spotify. This year has seen an increasing movement away from the platform, as users and artists alike bring to attention the various controversies and concerns that lie behind the iconic emerald circle. Have you ever taken a real look at where your music streaming money goes?

During a GRAMMY Museum conversation, a fan asks where Addison Rae got her album title from. She says she asked her friends what they thought her music sounded like, “And everybody was kind of like, ‘I don’t know, it just sounds like you.’” She recreated a confused laugh. “And I was like, ‘Okay, well, it sounds like me, it sounds like me… who am I? Addison.’” Who is Addison Rae? The answer is multilayered. This time, she’s a pop star.

On MEGAPEARL , Reggie Pearl revels in their own perspective. Over jazzy retro-style arrangements complete with strings and horns, she regales us with tales of love, loss, and most of all, seeing the bigger picture. *  It’s an evolution from 2023’s Twilight Zone , a record about fresh (and sometimes disquieting) self-discovery in the midst of deep hurt. In Twilight , we hear a lot about other characters; Reggie is learning things about themself, yes, but through the lens of u