You ever find yourself at a dinner party, rooftop thing, or some kind of “cool” gathering—and suddenly, a song comes on that everyone else is belting out like it’s their national anthem?
But You’re standing there with the confidence of a girl who thought she was cool and just stood there mouthing along like a malfunctioning animatronic, praying nobody notices.
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I used to be the one people asked about new music. The plugged-in playlist queen. Now? Now I’m that auntie squinting at the speaker like, “Who dis?”
The truth is, TikTok ruined music discovery for me.What used to be organic joy—stumbling across a banger in a film or randomly on SoundCloud—has become an endless scroll of 7-second hooks, sped-up heartbreaks, and songs that sound like AI made them during a sugar crash.
Yesterday, I was humming along to a tune that made me feel things. Gave me vibes. I was like, Yes, whoever this is, they GET me.Turns out, it was Steps Beach by Childish Gambino.Also turns out—it dropped in 2023.
GAT. DAMN. IT.
I love Donald Glover. Man’s a genius. How did this one pass me by?? But this happens all the time now.Blame it on platform fatigue: Spotify kept logging me out depending on what country I was in. Apple’s discovery playlist has gone from “You’ll love this!” to “Here’s what the youth are into,” which translates to: I skip it. Regularly.
As for live music? Don’t even get me started. I’ve officially entered the nostalgia era. I only leave the house for acts that remind me of carefree nights, questionable dancing, and overpriced cocktails. Like the sugababes last week or USHER whom i sadly didn't get to see.
Unless it’s Kendrick. Or SZA. Or Doechii. Or Teddy Swims, Or anyone still carrying the torch for real R&B, Soul and hip hop.
Also... I am always one of the oldest people in the room when i go to these. Sometimes by a decade.
My knees don’t love it, but my soul is screaming “whooohooooo”so we push on.
Dare I say it—at least 70% of new music is straight-up algorithm bait. Not made for feeling, just made for virality.I know I’m not the target market and that’s ok.But can we stop pretending a trap beat and a whispery hook equals depth?
Bring back bridges. Bring back lyrics that sting.Bring back the music in music.
Until then, I’ll be in my house, rediscovering old gems a year late and fake-humming with pride.
Rocket Barbie Goes to Space – and Feminism Just Filed a Restraining Order
So, a billionaire sends his girlfriend and her glam squad to space and somehow it’s being paraded as a feminist milestone?
I swear we are living in a Black Mirror episode directed by the ghost of late-stage capitalism.
Let’s set the scene:Jeff “I’d like to return empathy for a full refund” Bezos decides to play NASA and surprise! His girlfriend gets a golden ticket to orbit.And not just her. Oh no. She brought the crew.Like it’s a galactic hen do sponsored by Lululemon.
Meanwhile, the media’s losing its mind like we’ve just sent Marie Curie to Mars.
Babe. Be serious.
This wasn’t about gender equality. This was about distraction
A billionaire midlife crisis dressed up as empowerment, complete with curated playlists, airbrushed jumpsuits, and Katy Perry who dare i say it, is now giving washed-up pop star clinging to relevance like her Spotify streams depend on it.
As for Gayle King ,Aisha Bowe, a former NASA engineer and Amanda Nguyen, a scientist who studied planets, I guess no one turns down a free trip to space right? How can they?
This was an opportunity to highlight women in aerospace so I understand Aisha and Amanda being there however, the cost of this space tourist trip could have funded STEM programs, be an opportunity to elevated voices that never make it to the front row—let alone the front seat of a rocket.
But instead, it gave us Space Glam. Selfies in orbit with a Spotify link to some s**t record -….This is what we’re calling progress?
While they were floating in the void feeling like a warrior queen, the rest of us were doom scrolling through Project 2025 and navigating Tariffs with our jaws on the floor.
PROJECT 2025 - You know—that actual dystopian policy agenda aiming to erase bodily autonomy, gut LGBTQIA+ rights, dismantle public services, and basically drag us back to 1952 (but with worse music). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025
The timing? Almost poetic.
As the headlines scream “HISTORIC MOMENT FOR WOMEN!” I am here yelling “HAVE YOU READ THE NEWS?”
Honestly, it’s all BS, giving “distraction tactic”.
Let’s launch a feel-good feminist fairytale into the sky so no one notices the rights we’re quietly deleting on Earth.
Listen. I’m not mad at women doing cool s**t. I live for women doing cool s**t.But this?This wasn’t a win for womankind. It was a Bezos-branded PR stunt that forgot feminism isn’t just about optics—it’s about equity.
Maybe use your obscene wealth to fund actual change instead of renting out the cosmos for a vanity reel.
Real empowerment doesn’t come with a hashtag and it sure as hell doesn’t need Bezos’ blessing.
While Jeff Besoz, his girlfriend and her cosmic girl gang hang out in space, the rest of us are stuck on Earth with actual problems. Real ones. Tangible ones. Ones that can’t be solved with a playlist and a selfie in zero gravity. I am not even an American but maybe we could take a look into why planes in the U.S. keep crashing like it’s Final Destination: The Sequel No One Asked For?
Fox News (yes, that bastion of facts—cue dramatic side-eye) reports there have been 32 deadly aviation crashes in the U.S. in 2025.Thirty. Two and its only APRIL!!!
Before this hellscape of a year, the last deadly crash involving a U.S. airliner was in 2009.Now, we’ve got 126 people dead… and counting.
But don’t worry. Bezos is sending his girlfriend to space- one big step for Womanhood - sure. That should fix it. It’s the ultimate dystopian deflection: It is sooo American.
Prince called this nearly 40 years ago.
In Sign o’ the Times—an anthem that feels less like a song and more like a prophecy—he painted the picture perfectly:
"You turn on the telly and every other story is tellin' you somebody died...And yet we're sending people to the moon.”
Yes. YES. THAT. THIS. STILL.
It's 2025, and we are living the lyrics.
People can’t afford food, housing, basic healthcare. Climate disasters are on repeat. Democracy’s on the ropes. Project 2025 is out here scheming like a Blofelt- the ultimate BOND VILLAIN.But sure. Let’s go to space.Let’s make feminism float.
“It’s silly, no? When a rocket ship explodes and everybody still wants to fly…”
Prince didn’t miss.
We don’t need another billionaire’s girlfriend in orbit.We need accountability. We need investment in life down here, not billion-dollar toys pretending to solve problems they’ve helped create.
Empowerment isn’t just about visibility—it’s about impact.
Anyway, i better get back to facing my own issues and not concern myself with space matters.
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xoxo
All gifs from Giphy - Image generated from SORA.
MIDLIFE MUSINGS AND MAYHEM is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
