Kristen S. Hé
Kristen S. Hé (she/her) is an artist, music producer and Australian Film Critics Association award-winning journalist based in Naarm/Melbourne. She specialises in pop music and longform deep dives, and has contributed to the likes of NME, Billboard, Vulture, The Guardian, VICE, Junkee, Red Bull, TheMusic, The Age and The Big Issue.
Taylor Swift – ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’ review: magical when the songwriter just lets herself be
Some classically Swiftian sweetness can still be found in this escapist romp – when it’s not dissing Charli XCX or lauding Travis Kelce’s manhood
Ethel Cain – ‘Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You’ review: a devastating downward spiral, suffused with love
Hayden Anhedönia closes the ‘Ethel Cain’ chapter of her artistic journey with a bleak yet beautiful record
Wisp – ‘If Not Winter’ review: pop shoegaze with ambition and vulnerability
Natalie Lu’s debut album sheds the mystique, revealing her strongest songwriting yet
Kesha – ‘Period’ review: a classic combo of sass, sex and spirituality
Spectacular serves sit alongside catharsis and contemplation on the pop star’s first release on her own label, Kesha Records
Haim – ‘I Quit’ review: quieter but no less revelatory
The sisters’ fourth album is set at a crossroads in the grieving process. But it never dwells on despair
Ethel Cain – ‘Perverts’ review: daring discomfort from a true cult star
The follow-up project to the critically acclaimed ‘Preacher’s Daughter’ is no easy listen, but persisting through its bleak layers brings plenty of rewards
‘Punish’ is a brutally beautiful introduction to Ethel Cain’s new chapter
The first taste of new project ‘Perverts’ is completely removed from any notion of Ethel Cain as a pop artist
Halsey – ‘The Great Impersonator’ review: a brutal but brilliant reckoning with chronic illness
On the surface, the ever-evolving artist’s fifth album is an homage to the musicians who have helped shape them. Dig deeper, though, and you’ll find a her grappling with her own mortality, singing from “the space between life and death”
“This is not the end, this is not the beginning”: Linkin Park look to the future with new faces
The beloved alt-rockers have returned seven years after the death of Chester Bennington with new music and members, including singer Emily Armstrong. With an album and tour on the horizon, the band are walking into a once-unimaginable future
Rising Melbourne 2023 review: Weyes Blood and Ethel Cain get the winter festival off to a breathtaking start
Among the scores of artists booked for the Melbourne arts festival are Weyes Blood, Ethel Cain, Thundercat and Ichiko Aoba – each completely devoted to the embodiment of their art and thoroughly spellbinding onstage
Cub Sport – ‘Jesus at the Gay Bar’ review: a deep-dive into divinity on the dancefloor
The Brisbane pop group craft another tender sonic world, this time with warm, intimate dance music
Daine – ‘Shapeless’ review: a cutting-edge mixtape from a bold pop adventurer
An artist of extremes, Daine showcases their strongest juxtapositions to date on this inspired project