Upon agreeing to do an iEdit with each other, the first thing associate podcast editor Kathy Lu admitted to me was, “I don’t have music taste.” I believe this is the main reason why Kathy emphatically said yes to creating themed playlists.
With the warmer temperatures still reminding us of summer days, Kathy claimed her playlist would encapsulate “hot girl summer.” Frankly, the implications of this frightened me—I’m certainly not the biggest fan of pop music, and I was warned by Kathy that her playlist might be basic.
Knowing that Kathy is an art history major and even having taken a trip to the Museum of Fine Arts with her, the generic music makeup of her playlist came as quite a surprise. Come on, Kathy—I know you can do better.
Despite this claim of basicness, though, Kathy starts out with a French artist I’ve never heard of before: Louane. Even more, she chose what is seemingly one of the artist’s deeper cuts, “Jeune,” not even appearing on the Spotify-made “This is ___” playlist. Clearly, Kathy gave me some false pretenses about her music taste.
Since I don’t know any French, it’s Kathy’s next song that really starts the “hot girl summer” vibe and starts it strong. “STRUT” by EMELINE is pure confidence, embodying the theme in its powerful ownership of independence.
“I like turning heads, breaking necks / High heels in the morning / Catch your breath, break a sweat / Leave the sucker snoring,” EMELINE sings in the first verse.
The next song in the lineup, “Pretty Girl – Cheat Codes X CADE Remix,” continues the confident nature of a “hot girl summer.” Maggie Lindemann sings about not just being a “pretty girl,” and being more than a man will ever know.
I know we’re going for a theme, but are you trying to convey something here, Kathy?
“Sue Me” by Sabrina Carpenter is a poppy, yet powerful ballad. All about self-assuredness and being bold, you can easily imagine yourself driving to the song: sunglasses on, windows down on a nice summer day.
“So sue me for looking too pretty tonight / Wearing your favorite color under the lights / For moving on, doing everything right,” Carpenter sings.
Kathy’s next song is really where my limits begin to be tested. While the rest of the songs have been basic but manageable, I can’t help but draw a line when it comes to “Paper Rings” by Taylor Swift. Sorry Kathy, nothing against you, Swift is just really not for me.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, however, and that light is Carpenter’s “Espresso.” Her most popular release, this song is bound to be a summer hit, making it perfect for this playlist. Thank you for saving me, Kathy.
The “hot girl” aspect of Kathy’s iEdit begins to make a resurgence in what follows “Espresso.” “Only Girl (In the World)” is a throwback compared to many of the very modern pop hits that make up the rest of the playlist. Rihanna’s chorus, asking to be treated like “the only girl in the world,” is backed by the classic pop sound of the early 2000s. Loud and synthetic, it’s perfect for a playlist about confidence.
“Primadonna” by MARINA follows, emphasizing the “hot girl summer” tenfold. While I make fun of Kathy for making her iEdit basic, I can’t help but admit that many of the songs she chooses do in fact fit the “hot girl summer” theme.
“You say that I’m kinda difficult / But it’s always someone else’s fault / Got you wrapped around my finger, babe / You can count on me to misbehave,” MARINA sings.
“After the Afterparty (feat. RAYE, Stefflon Don, and Rita Ora) – VIP Mix” makes me imagine Kathy walking around New York City this summer thriving in confidence, living the city-girl “hot girl summer” life in full force.
I know this image was exactly what Kathy had in mind when creating her iEdit, as she closes out with “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. In the height of the summer, I can’t imagine how hard this song would hit walking through the streets of New York. Kathy, I know you thrived this summer—just know I’m also jealous and resent you for it.
Despite pop music not being quite my taste, Kathy has kept me in the summer mood with this playlist. I wouldn’t disagree with her claim that it’s pretty basic—Swift does make an appearance, after all. What I can say, though, is that Kathy certainly does have taste in music, and not a bad one at that.
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