By Morgan Parcells, Contributor
Sixteen-year-old Greta Thunberg agrees: hot girl summer was way too hot.
At the forefront of a global sustainability movement, Greta Thunberg seems to have lit a fire amongst younger generations. She inspired hundreds of thousands of individuals to take part in Fridays For Future, Greta’s very own climate strike, across the world on Sept. 27, 2019.
On Aug. 20, 2018, Thunberg singlehandedly began the development of her global movement with the very first Fridays For Future protest outside of her local parliament. The following week, her fellow students joined her in taking a stand for the environment. After only a few weeks, Fridays For Future became a weekly occurrence.
Thunberg’s ideas quickly garnered attention from neighbouring countries and Fridays For Future began to spread internationally. By February 2019, more than 30 countries across the world were participating. In August 2019, Thunberg attended the United Nations’ Climate Summit in the United States, and students in over 165 countries took part in Fridays For Future.
To some, the idea of climate activism is an entirely new idea. However, others may believe that an environmental political movement has been at play for a greater portion of history. The question stands: how long have we known about the climate crisis?
In 1896, the first scientific evidence of human-induced climate change was discovered: Swedish scientist Svente Arrhenius found that human carbon emissions have a direct contribution to the warming of the atmosphere.
In 1938, British inventor and engineer Guy Stewart Callendar posited that a correlation exists between the warming land temperatures and human carbon emissions. Callendar’s research was largely ignored by the scientific community of his time.
In 1960, American scientist Charles David Keeling — known for the Keeling Curve — found that carbon dioxide emissions were rising.
Clearly, the science has been in our grasp for over a century, but only relatively recently have we begun paying significant attention. Many credit Thunberg as the sole pivotal voice in the conversation around global climate issues. While her impact is nearly unmatched in the social world, the voice of Thunberg is not a lonely one. For decades, there have been voices of colour proclaiming the same message as Thunberg. Although her message is undoubtedly an important one, it would be disappointing to look past the second message Thunberg is sending — that the world only listens when white activists decide to speak up.
Despite doing the same work as Thunberg, climate change activists of colour are largely ignored.
Autumn Peltier, 13-year-old water advocate, addresses UN: pic.twitter.com/KaJ1aW5610
— Arlan 👊🏾 (@ArlanWasHere) September 28, 2019
Only 15 years old, Indigenous activist Autumn Peltier addressed the United Nations on the same day as Thunberg, urging the organization to protect the world’s universal right to clean water. She has been an advocate for these issues for the majority of her young life, having attended the Children’s Climate Conference in Sweden at only 11 years old and even personally addressing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about his broken promises regarding Indigenous Canadian populations. At the age of 14, Autumn was named chief water commissioner by the Anishinabek Nation.
Eleven-year-old Ridhima Pandey calls Uttarakhand, India home and has been a climate change activist for the past few years. When she was only nine years old, Pandey filed a legal complaint against the Indian government for their failure to reduce and regulate the emission of greenhouse gases that heavily contribute to climate change. Her petition reached the National Green Tribunal.
Greta has done amazing work in calling for action on the #ClimateEmergency.
But don't forget Ridhima, Kaluki, Aditya, Nina, Autumn, Leah, or any of the other incredible young activists working for the future of this planet. https://t.co/CgheGTYtaR pic.twitter.com/DyuY1cWjh9— Greenpeace International (@Greenpeace) October 5, 2019
Beyond the two bright individuals detailed above, there exists a world of young climate leaders of colour who face global issues at a harsher level than most white communities will ever see.
The choice to champion Thunberg as the leader of the global climate advocacy movement holds a large amount of political weight behind it, exposing our tendency to champion those with lighter skin in place of coloured individuals who work just as hard, if not harder.
It is not wrong of us to recognize Thunberg’s dedication, passion and undying mission to save the world. But it is most definitely wrong of us to fail to acknowledge and appreciate the voices of colour who have been pushing this conversation for decades.
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By: Adriana Skaljin
The name Harry Potter is one familiar to most, given its prevalence in pop culture. The Harry Potter franchise’s beloved sport, Quidditch, has made its way into the Muggle (non-magical) world, having become a semi-professional sport.
On March 23 and 24, Quidditch Canada held their 2019 National Championship at Ron Joyce Stadium and Alumni Field. Fifteen teams from across Canada, coming from Ontario, Montreal, Edmonton and British Columbia, participated in the two-day tournament, bringing the sport to life.
“This is the second time that we’ve held the Nationals in Hamilton,” said Bethan Morgan, events manager for Quidditch Canada. “Last year, we held it at Tim Hortons Field. It is exciting to be back in Hamilton for a second year in a row.”
Morgan has been playing the sport for eight years, and has loved watching the sport grow. She began getting involved with Quidditch due to her love for the fandom and the impact that it had on her life.
“It makes me really happy to see [Quidditch] turn into a competitive sport… [one that] has become international,” explained Morgan. “It has grown a lot in Canada and it is cool seeing people come from all over to play.”
It is amazing to see the ways in which a community of Harry Potter fanatics has turned into a community of athletes. The sport encourages players from all backgrounds and demographics to participate, creating a diverse and welcoming environment.
“There are people that love Harry Potter and then people who have never even watched the movies,” said Morgan. “People from all different backgrounds and genders are welcome. I love how gender-inclusive the sport is, in comparison to others.”
This combination of community and a genuine love for the series and its fictional world is what drives the existence of Quidditch competitions, such as the one just held at McMaster.
C/O Kristen Walsh
“It is a very supporting and welcoming community of people and I think that is what motivated me to stay the sport, and become a better athlete,” said Morgan.
The game is made up of several positions: chasers, who drive the ball and get them through the hoops, beaters who combine tackling with strategy, and seekers. Each position appeals to different strengths, allowing people to excel and specialize in different areas of the sport.
“This is a sport that anyone can play,” said Morgan. “Our athletes train as though it is a professional sport, and I think that a lot of people are surprised when we tackle because it is a very physical game. We are trying to show that we aren’t just a book, we are a real sport with real rules and intense athletes.”
At the 2019 National Championship, the Ottawa Otters and the University of Guelph faced off in the final match. The Otters won the tournament, with a final score of 250^ to 200*. The Vancouver Storm Crows placed third, beating Valhalla Quidditch, a team from Toronto, in the bronze medal match, with a score of 100* to 50.
Ottawa Otters are the 2019 Canadian National Champions! Final score was 250^ - 200* #QCNationals2019 pic.twitter.com/LkHbZJYV40
— Quadball Canada (@QuadballCan) March 25, 2019
The Canadian National Championship is a prime example of the ways in which the combination of passion, community and athleticism can bring magic out from the pages of books and into the lives of fans and athletes.
Quidditch is definitely a sport to watch and one that deserves recognition in the world of international sports. This sport is definitely a ‘keeper’.
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I’ll be honest. I went through a borderline snobbish phase concerning music. Mainstream tunes were overrated, and if you hadn’t heard of the Blue-Speckled Egg Boys — I wouldn’t be surprised if this band actually exists — then we could not have a civilized conversation. It’s fine to go through this hipster phase if it remains just that: a phase. It becomes a problem when you remain a member of the I’m-better-than-you-Taylor-Swift-plebians crowd. Sooner or later, you realize that your family is done with your shit, and your pre-set Indie stations will have been deleted from every radio in the house. None of your friends want to hear about the new Speckled Egg album, and you have no one to take to your lo-fi dream pop neo-jazz underground festival.
I no longer classify myself as a judgmental music snob. I threatened to become one, but got over it after being exposed to other music snobs. Jimmy Kimmel conducted an experiment at Coachella 2013. He asked people about bands that were “obscure” (because they were fictional) and festival attendees claimed to known and went on to praise their music. When I saw where I was headed — what I could become — I had to take a step back and evaluate why I was so harsh on the One Directioners of the world. I still personally don’t like the (in)famous boyband, but what’s so bad about liking their music? Enjoying “One D” does not necessarily make you a less cultured person. I can understand why people enjoy their music; it’s toe-tapping, head-nodding fun! Music is meant to create an inclusive and interactive space for everyone. Who are we to judge others for their tastes when we know Iggy Azalea’s rap in “Fancy” by heart? (Remember, the first stage of grief is denial, fellow snobs!)
When I saw where I was headed — what I could become — I had to take a step back and evaluate why I was so harsh on the One Directioners of the world.
When addressing music-snobbery, there is a lesson to be learned from an unlikely source: Justin Bieber. His new style has attracted many former and current music snobs who claim to appreciate his musical transformation — as everyone should. This is despite most of us having wanted to stick a dagger in the car radio as soon as “Baby” started playing. There seems to be no point in judging an artist’s new work based on their past offenses. Thank you Bieber for showing us that good music can come from unexpected places.
My message to you is to just be real and honest. There’s nothing wrong with saying you haven’t listened to the latest Weeknd album yet just as there’s nothing wrong with belting “Shake it Off” in the shower. I’m not judging, and let’s hope that others aren’t either. After all, what good comes out of being so exclusive? Best case, you just lose potential fellow concert-goers, and in the worst case, friends.
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There is nothing conventional about Robyn Rihanna Fenty. It only takes a few notes on her newest album Anti for that reminder to set in. “I got to do things my own way,” Rihanna warns in the opening song “Consideration.” This has always been her legacy. More than anything else, Rihanna has consistently come across as real. On Instagram, she positioned herself as a self-governing force with an affinity for blunts and middle fingers. This is the version of Rihanna we came to know — the one who played by her own rules and did so with endless bravado and confidence.
At the same time, she became a hit-making algorithm pumping out songs for neon lights and sweaty last calls. And we danced to it, because it was good. We spent our Friday and Saturday nights with Rihanna bumping to one of her 13 number-one singles. She became the pop star we wanted her to be because she did it brilliantly.
But until now it just didn’t completely feel like the Rihanna we had been shown. Anti, Rihanna’s eighth studio album, feels more like the artist behind the hitmaker, the authentic Rihanna.
It’s not what we expected. If her last seven albums were flashing lights and booze-soaked adventures, Anti is a solo Friday at home with a bottle of wine. It works, because it’s good. With the possible exception of “Work” featuring Drake, this album is devoid of any club bangers. Those songs were for us. Anti is for Rihanna.
Floating between soul, rock, r&b, and pop, Anti never fully commits to one genre. The grainy, blues adjacent “Higher” sounds like a drunken plea from a scrubbed Rihanna. Each note of “Desperado” drips with the fuck-you attitude she has worked to perfection. The likely hit of the album, “Kiss It Better,” shows introspection absent in past songs. But the most obvious example is Rihanna’s cover of Tame Impala’s “New Person, Same Old Mistakes.” Rihanna lends her voice to a genre not usually belonging to her, echoing instead of re-imagining the song completely.
With the exception of “Work” featuring Drake, this album is devoid of any club bangers. Those songs were for us. Anti is for Rihanna.
While always present on some level, this version of Rihanna hasn’t fully been exposed. There is a confidence in self, an underlying Bad Gal quality to the album that seems more like the yacht partying and blunts in bathrobes versions of her. These are the type of songs that couldn’t have been written for anyone else.
The Rihanna who tweeted “I’m crazy, and I don’t pretend to be anything else” seems very present singing “Tryna fix your inner issues with a bad bitch / Didn’t they tell you that I was a savage / Fuck your white horse and a carriage,” on “Needed Me.”
This album feels like a glimpse at the inner workings of Rihanna’s brain. The off-camera version. From front to back, Anti tells the story of self-exploration, growing up, and coming full circle. With the album already platinum, the understated Anti is Rihanna’s biggest statement yet.
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The best piece of advice Alessia Cara ever received was to take things slowly. “That was from my parents, [and it’s] probably the best advice ever, especially in this industry when things can get pretty overwhelming,” the 19-year-old Brampton native said.
Since the release of her single, “Here,” last spring, followed by her debut album Know-It-All, Cara’s life has been transformed. In the past year, she has appeared on Jimmy Fallon, been featured in numerous publications and performed with Taylor Swift. Despite her unprecedented rise to the spotlight, the fame has yet to get to her. “It’s crazy to even think of that word [famous], because it’s so new to me and I don’t think of it like that so everything feels surreal still,” she said.
Performing with Taylor Swift was a similar experience. A longtime fan, Cara said, “It didn’t even feel real. I’ve always wanted to meet her and I’ve always wanted to ask her so many questions and it was so cool to be on stage with her.”
In a sea of manufactured talent and mediocre songwriting, Cara’s songs stand out. They are earnest and utterly relatable. (Nothing has ever encapsulated how I feel in large groups quite like “Here.”) She is obviously connected to each of her songs on a personal level, a trait she strives for with her music. “I think [songwriting is] a lot easier when you’re feeding off your own experiences because then it’ll inevitably become different,” she explained. “When I try to make music I don’t try to compare it to anything else or at the same time I don’t try to make it overly different from anything else.”
Know-It-All is more than the name of her album. It also represents an overarching theme in her lyrics. While at first Cara wrote songs simply for the pleasure of it, when it came time to assemble the album, she looked for songs with a common link. “There’s this strong feeling in all of [the songs]. As teenagers, we have these strong emotions and sometimes we like to think we know everything but at the end of the day we don’t,” she said.
Cara performed at McMaster last week as part of her Know-It-All tour. Singing in front of a crowd of students her own age, she looked comfortable and relaxed onstage, pausing at one point in the show to ask if any audience members called Brampton home. Her rise to stardom may have come as a surprise to her, but Alessia Cara is undoubtedly a natural.
Header Photo Credit: Meredith Truax, in-article: Jon White/Photo Editor
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When I first heard Grimes was releasing a new album, I was ecstatic. When I heard “Scream,” the first single, I was extremely disappointed and almost convinced myself I would hate the entire album. Fortunately, that was not the case, as my dancing to parts of Art Angels while writing this review proved.
Art Angels begins with the ethereal “Laughing and Not Being Normal,” a short song that serves as an introduction and segue into the catchy sounds of “California.” The 14-track album continues in much the same way, with some songs seeming to serve no other purpose than to connect the stronger parts of the album. That’s not to say those tracks aren’t fantastic. “California,” “Pin” and the redux of the previously released demo of “Realiti” are Grimes at her best: poppy and quirky. With Art Angels, Grimes has clearly broken into the more mainstream pop and electronic genres without losing the soft lisp and dreamily layered sounds that set her apart from so many of her contemporaries.
The chief disappointment of this new direction is that it loses some of the bite Grimes’ older music was known for. In her 2012 single “Oblivion,” Grimes made her experience with assault very public. Even before having read interviews where she discussed the meaning of the song, it was clear how important “Oblivion” was to her. There are no songs on Art Angels that have the same feeling. She seems lost in her own music, and underneath the song itself, there seems to be very little meaning. Even the flashy video for her single “Flesh Without Blood” feels derivative and fluffy, with no real meaning behind the imagery.
That said, in spite of the lack of meaning in her songs, Grimes is clearly having fun with Art Angels. Her own eclectic taste in music covers a broad range of genres and decades, from Aretha Franklin to Kanye. And despite dabbling more in the pop genre with this album, she still explores sounds and combinations many other artists would not attempt.
Art Angels is an average record put out by someone with an immense amount of talent. Had Grimes not wowed audiences with her earlier work, her new release would not come as such a disappointment. The hits on Art Angels do not make up for the misses, but they give the listener traces of the creative, genre-bending Grimes we know, love and miss.
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By: Sunanna Bhasin
In 2011, Adele released what she called a break-up album titled 21. After a painfully long hiatus, Adele is releasing 25, which she calls a make-up album. The teaser track, appropriately named “Hello,” was released to the public on Oct. 23, 2015. Having been out for just a few days, it has already generated positive feedback from fans, who are excited to see what is to come on Nov. 20. Covers of the track are already all over YouTube, and it seems like the music-loving community in general has a case of Adele fever. What is it about “Hello” that makes it resonate so completely with listeners? While Adele may have a flawless track record, there is something hauntingly beautiful about “Hello” that makes it stick out after only a single play.
In “Hello,” Adele refuses to go back to that dark place — whether it is a failed relationship or some other struggle — rather, she faces her past head-on and questions what went wrong. Instead of questioning in order to recreate the old scene, she sings about learning from past mistakes, accepting them and moving on.
“Hello” starts out apologetic with a slow, wistful verse: “Hello, it’s me / I was wondering if after all these years / You’d like to meet, to go over everything.” Yet, this song isn’t about resignation. Resignation would be too easy and would not allow for any personal growth. This is a song about acceptance and learning. It’s about re-visiting the past to learn from previous mistakes by considering both sides.
After the first couple of regretful verses, there is a gradual crescendo into an empowering chorus that makes listeners realize that it is possible to move on from a terrible situation and be okay with it: “Hello from the other side / At least I can say that I’ve tried to tell you / I’m sorry, for breaking your heart.” These lyrics are an indication of reconciliation with a partner or past problem as well as with oneself. Adele teaches us an important lesson with “Hello”: it is enough to try. Once you come to terms with a problem, internal or external, you are free to move on to the next stage in your life. That is when you can make up with both your present and past selves.
Does this track’s popularity stem from the fact that Adele is the one singing it? Absolutely. I don’t think anyone can dispute her powerful, warm voice. However, the lessons this song teaches are unique to the music we hear daily. We often hear of the messed up, unapologetic protagonist that moves on without looking back. This can be falsely empowering, while “Hello” reflects people’s realities by saying that ghosts from our past can haunt us, but that we do have the power to look them in the eye and reach some sort of resolution. Adele tells listeners that it’s okay not to say goodbye to your past because it is truly a big part of who you are. It’s better to say “hello” to your present and future and use the lessons you’ve learned along the way to become a better person and make the present worthwhile.
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By: Rachel Harper
The Queen of Coney Island is back with a brand new album, and she sounds just as sweet and sultry as ever. Lana Del Rey’s Honeymoon was released on Sept. 18th, only a little over a year after her last album, Ultraviolence. So far, it’s been well received by critics and the public.
Long-time fans of Lana will be pleased to hear that her overall sound hasn’t changed much with this new record, but it’s not exactly a replication of her old material either. Her music continues to drown in sensuality, and a melancholic nostalgia that is reminiscent of black and white films, old-fashioned cars and victory rolls. But this album is a little more uplifting than her previous ones, with some really beautiful melodies and lyrics to boot. She has definitely worked some magic this time around.
One thing I’ve always loved about Del Rey’s work is that her music brings about powerful nostalgia for lives I’ve never had. This album is no different. I think this can partly be attributed to the fact that superficially her songs have an absolutely gorgeous, timeless sound. When all the violins and cellos hum out together, combined with Lana’s voice, nothing can stop you from being blissfully swept away. “Swan Song” embodies this sentiment perfectly, along with “Terrence Loves You” and “Salvatore.”
Unlike the unified beauty of the music alone, the overall themes of the album seem to contradict each other. Many of Del Rey’s songs (including “Religion” and “The Blackest Day”) involve her being complicit in her own objectification as a woman, sounding all too pleased only to be a man’s trophy girl, or by defining herself by the love or presence of another.
But contrasting those messages are the songs full of self-celebration like “High by the Beach” that are very high-energy, and so much fun to sing in the shower. The messages are definitely mixed, but I think we’ve all learned by now to take Lana’s music with a grain of salt, and just enjoy what she throws our way. Honeymoon is a timeless masterpiece that’s sure to bring out the inner goddess in everyone.
She’s been called the meaner Taylor Swift, the darker Lorde. Her single “New Americana” has been hailed as a pop anthem for the new generation. But 20-year-old Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, otherwise known as Halsey, is so much more than that and she demonstrates that in her debut album Badlands.
Badlands seethes with fury. Halsey spits venom throughout the album, challenging anyone who tries to stop her. Her lyrics are frank and shameless, as the first line of “Strange Love” proves: “Everybody wants to know if we fucked on the bathroom sink.” Halsey is brutally honest about who she is.
Throughout the album she refers to her mental illness and dangerous vices. These themes are brought up multiple times, including the haunting “Control,” where she sighs, “I can’t help this awful energy/Goddamn right, you should be scared of me/Who is in control?” In “Castle,” she shows her defiance for authority and in a way establishes herself as a young feminist voice with the line, “And there’s an old man sitting on the throne that’s saying I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut.”
The brilliant part of Halsey’s album is how easily she weaves her moody, sometimes uncomfortable lyrics into the catchy, lush landscape of her songs. She sweeps the listener away with her, especially in songs like “Drive,” which includes sound effects that mimic an old car driving down a rainy highway.
Most of Badlands is a strong, unique take on an issue close to the singer, who has fought her own personal demons and has been forced to deal with losing friends to substance abuse. However, at some points Halsey’s message begins to feel repetitive. While it shows how closely her emotions are tied to her music, it feels stale after a while.
Despite its convoluted moments, Badlands remains a strong debut for Halsey. Her music has already set her apart from Swift and Lorde, and as her fame grows, she stands in a position to become a definitive voice for the supposed darker side of this generation.
