In a video on Rolling Stone's website about her upcoming album Joanne, Lady Gaga explained that her album is about growing personal connections with fans: "I wanted to write songs that would speak to a woman or a man who thought that they could never connect with me." To that end, "Million Reasons" is a strong success. While the lyrics don't seem deep at first, I think the topic they're about is deep, and I think the simplicity of the song allows the depth of that topic and feeling to speak for itself in a deep way.

You may be wondering if there's a deeper meaning to this song, and I hate to disappoint you by telling you that there really isn't. It's a fun song, and Bruno Mars is everything you love about him in this song, and one of those things is a good time. Unfortunately for those who like more "meat" to their lyrics, "good times" don't usually mean "good lines" as far as depth goes.

You wanted deeper meanings in your pop music? Well, you've got it. Also, why haven't you been listening to Sia (and Kendrick Lamar for that matter) before this? Both of these artists are warriors of thought and influence. Neither are as popular in the mainstream as A-level pop divas like Taylor Swift or Justin Bieber, but what they lack in popular appeal you forget when you dive deeper into what they have to say beneath the bars, rhymes, and synthy dance beats.

Lady Gaga released "Perfect Illusion" on September 8th. The song features a backdrop of grungy electric guitar and pop angst, but all soon recedes to leave nothing but a strong emphasis on Lady Gaga's own voice and simple backup vocals for parts of the song as she tries hard to tell us something. In "Perfect Illusion" Lady Gaga is trying to put a strong emphasis on the important of the lyrics. In fact, according to a BBC interview, Lady Gaga's voice isn't auto-tuned to further emphasize her (and the other writers') attempts at sincerity. The song feels like a throwback to the 90's but the words, according to an interview we'll get into soon, are relevant to 2016.

The Chainsmokers dropped "Closer" four weeks ago, and it's blown up. The song has over 150 million listens on Spotify and nearly the same amount of views on YouTube. It's currently the top song on the Billboard Hot 100, and it looks like it's going to be there for a while.

And there's good reason for that. The song's super catchy, and the lyrics are just vague enough that they can get stuck inside a person's head and make him or her wonder exactly what's happening between the lines.

People are excited about the Irish singer James Vincent McMorrow's new album We Move, and after hearing his latest single from that album, "Get Low," I am too. "Get Low" is slow and soulful. It's very methodical and careful; each note feels carefully planned, and the entire song has an entrancing feeling that makes you want to sway in time with the slow, pulsing beats. It reminds me of Hozier and his song "Take Me to Church" but less angry and sarcastic--more sad and thoughtful.

Shawn Mendes is releasing his new album Illuminate on September 23rd, but in the meantime we get to listen to all of the great singles he's been releasing. We've already heard "Ruin" and "Treat You Better," and now it's time for another one: "Three Empty Words."

"Fake It" came out on July 29th, and it's another single for their album Wild World. I'm a fan of the song and of lead singer Dan Smith's awesome voice. And I'm also a fan of the depth of meaning behind the song.

I always thought that Bastille was overly dramatic and sentimental (think "What Would You Do"), but I feel like with "Good Grief" and "Fake It" they've hit a compromise and seemed to have mellowed out a little while still discussing difficult, emotional issues. They feel more confident--like they don't have to use sob stories to sell songs--and I like it.

Well, I just listened to "Zillionaire," and while I wouldn't call myself a "Flo Rida Fan," I do like several of his hits, particularly "I Don't Like It, I Love It" and "My House." He's just really good at that big, bouncing, cool, self-assured club dance sound, and I can really get moving to music like that, particularly because I like dancing west coast swing to it.