What was your favorite piece of culture — song, movie, show, book, podcast, YouTube account — from summer 2024 and what do you like about it?
“‘Purple Noon,’ the movie. It’s very summery, very tropical. I felt like it was a very very hot summer but also, very laid back, at least for me.”
— Oliver Go, senior
“I thought it was when everyone was really obsessed with the ‘Brat’ album. It was really popular. I felt like it was overhype. I took a listen and it was just like any other songs.”
— Alli Parham, ninth grader
“The song ‘Supernova’ by Aespa. I would say it’s full of energy and enthusiasm, and that’s my summer.”
— Sygne Stole, senior
“Brat summer definitely was the best.”
— Millie Norton, senior
“Chappell Roan, because of the amount of fame she collected over the summer,”
— Sophia Rivera, sophomore
“Lollapalooza. It’s a big music fest. A lot of people from the Chicagoland area went to celebrate their common interests.”
— Paige Mattiello, ninth grader
“Brat summer, because especially on TikTok it had a lot of trending sounds.”
— Kate Jablonski, senior
“Brat summer, but I didn’t experience it other than Dress to Impress, the Roblox game. That was the defining moment of my summer. I think it was a pop culture thing.”
– Liz Longnecker, junior
“‘Espresso’ by Sabrina Carpenter. I heard it a lot and it’s fire.”
— Asher Huner, senior
“‘Brat’ summer defined the summer. I liked that it was more than like an aesthetic, it was like a real movement and it was a way to live, and I think that it let people try something new.”
– Lia Teklu, junior
“Lollapalooza, because I went with a lot of my friends and it was advertised everywhere in Chicago.”
– Issac Becker, ninth grader
“Lollapalooza because of the community, dressing up for it and dancing.”
– August Nyenhuis, sophomore
“I’m not really sure, but I saw a lot of other people liking the ‘Brat’ album. I didn’t find it weird, I was ‘Oh, that’s nice for you.”
– Perla Lais, senior
“I think Charlie XCX, and ‘Brat’ summer. I didn’t mind it, but I think it was something a lot of different companies adopted because it was so big with our generation.”
— Priyanshi Garg, senior
“Throwback songs became the songs of the summer. Especially the ones that went super viral, and I thought they were pretty good, except the ones that were overplayed.”
— Zafar Sait, ninth grader
“I’m indifferent, but my sister listened to a lot of Sabrina Carpenter, and I think ‘Espresso’ was the song of the summer.”
— Sam Koh, ninth grader
“Dress to Impress, the Roblox game. I think it’s, on somewhat of a serious note, really interesting that so many people who probably wouldn’t have engaged with a video game like that because it’s typically associated with more feminine games really engaged with it.”
—Keira Harter, senior
