Overview
- Music picks include Lady Gaga’s Abracadabra, Olivia Dean’s Nice to Each Other, Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s Luther, Drake’s Nokia and Chappell Roan’s The Giver, alongside BLACKPINK’s Jump, Bruce Springsteen’s Faithless and Rosalía’s Sexo, Violencia y Llantas.
- Film selections feature One Battle After Another, Sinners, Hamnet and Sentimental Value, plus No Other Choice, It Was Just an Accident, Train Dreams, Jay Kelly, Good Fortune, Orwell: 2+2=5 and The Secret Agent.
- Books highlighted include Paper Girl by Beth Macy, Flashlight by Susan Choi, What We Can Know by Ian McEwan, 1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin and We the People by Jill Lepore, with Michelle Obama’s The Look noted as a biased inclusion.
- Obama framed the roundup as a tradition dating to his White House years and invited followers to share recommendations.
- Coverage emphasized the list’s international scope, noting inclusions such as BLACKPINK and Indian-origin vocalist Ganavya, and social media quickly fixated on his nods to both Drake and Kendrick Lamar.