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Ongaku Magazine is a teen-run music magazine, an independent collective of writers, critics, musicians, and producers under twenty. Explore below to find our original teen-written content, curated-playlists, charts, resonate with various topics surrounding the music industry.
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Ongaku Magazine publishes two curated ranking charts: a Top 25 Songs chart and a Top 20 Artists chart. Unlike sales-driven lists, our charts prioritize artistry — the compositional craft, emotional depth, innovation, and lasting resonance of a track or artist — over immediate commercial performance. We hold that true artistry shouldn’t be reduced to first-week streaming numbers or chart-topping ad buys; the most meaningful music often proves its value over time.
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Ariana Grande’s New Album, “Petal,” and What We Know About It
Just when the world thought Ariana Grande was ready to step away from music and focus entirely on acting, she pulls us right back in. On July 31, 2026, the pop icon will release her eighth studio album–a 12-track project titled Petal. According to Ariana herself, this new project will be something softer, stronger, and totally different from her prior music.
The Return of Indie Sleaze and the Power of Nostalgia
Indie sleaze is back, and this time, people actually know what to call it. What used to just feel like a messy overlap of music, nightlife, and internet culture is now being recognized as something worth revisiting.
I Went to the Buena Vista Social Club: Here’s What I Thought
On a rainy Wednesday afternoon during my President’s Day Break, I had the opportunity to view the Tony Award-Winning Music, Buena Vista Social Club. A performance depicting real events with vibrance, sentiment, colors, music, and a history lesson, the show is a must-watch, and most certainly a celebration of music you just can’t miss.
Inside the Coachella Moment That Sparked Bieber Debate
Every April, two weekends are reserved in the California desert for the iconic Coachella festival. This year’s festival lineup featured a range of major artists, including Sabrina Carpenter, The Strokes, Pink Pantheress, Addison Rae, and, the main conversation: Justin Bieber.
Navigating the Algorithm: What Jelena Francis Learned About Music and Social Media
For online business owners, a frequent challenge that seems to recur is a constant battle with social media algorithms and being able to find the right people to relate to your video, product, or personality. Does this even make the music market profitable?
The Overlooked Importance of Opening Acts
Over the past year, I have attended countless concerts, and somewhere along the way, there’s one belief I’ve come to stand by: never skip the opening act. Skipping the opening band may be one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a live music fan.
Blades & Crescendos: The Sound of the 2026 Olympics
Music may seem like just the backdrop to any successful program in Figure Skating, but this is far from the truth. In light of the 2026 Winter Olympics, read how music shapes the ice.
Why You’re Wrong About the Grammys.
Why do the Grammys always give the biggest awards to the “wrong people”? How does the voting procedure work? Find out in this article.
Amid Political Tensions, Bad Bunny Provides a Much-Needed Performance
Just a week ago, Puerto Rican Artist, Bad Bunny, received the Grammy for ‘Best Musíca Urbana Album’ and called attention to a political reality that cannot be ignored. “ICE Out,” said Bunny on the 68th Grammy Stage. Tonight, he performed on the Super Bowl halftime show and provided a much-needed message for America.
Most songs explore romance, but Type O Negative does not merely explore it, it wallows in it. The four-member band that started in 1989 has a plethora of songs within their discography that explores this phenomenon. The clearest example is “October Rust” (1996): an album both provocative and poetic, horny and sincere, and most importantly, an album built on contradictions.