Mikael Wood writes about pop music in all its ever-quickening splendor. Prior to joining the Los Angeles Times in 2012, he was a freelance contributor to Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Spin and the Village Voice. He grew up in Little Rock, Ark., graduated from Northwestern University and knows every word to “Mo Money Mo Problems.” He was named pop music critic in 2016.
Latest From This Author
The London-born singer sounds great on her third studio LP. But is that enough in the age of the celebrity meta-narrative?
May 2, 2024
The Compton-born rapper returned his onetime collaborator’s fire in a new song Tuesday that questions Drake’s authenticity and Blackness.
April 30, 2024
Morgan Wallen, Hardy and the Beach Boys with John Stamos brought the heat for the final day of the 2024 Stagecoach country music festival.
April 29, 2024
A Miranda Lambert and Reba McEntire moment, Post Malone’s all-star set and a strange Guy Fieri cooking demo catch our fancy at Stagecoach.
April 28, 2024
From Jelly Roll’s big night and Eric Church’s somber set to Dwight Yoakam’s flying fringe, these are the biggest moments from Day 1 of Stagecoach 2024.
April 27, 2024
Hulu’s “Thank You, Goodnight” charts the good and the bad of Bon Jovi’s 40-year career. The band’s frontman says, “I have nothing to hide.”
April 25, 2024
The veteran jam band took advantage of the venue’s cutting-edge technology while keeping the focus on its music and its community.
April 22, 2024
Released two hours after “The Tortured Poets Department” on Thursday night, Taylor Swift’s second set of new songs contains a handful of highlights.
April 19, 2024
Swift’s 11th studio LP, ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ released at midnight Eastern time, follows a busy period in the 34-year-old’s personal and professional spheres.
April 18, 2024
From Paris Hilton playing cornhole at Vampire Weekend’s set to No Doubt’s reunion, these are the best things our team saw at Coachella 2024.
April 15, 2024