Women of Spring '19
This Spring and this past week, especially, have been huge for music releases from women in the industry such as Lizzo, Kim Petras, Lucy Dacus, and even Queen Bey herself. Read on to hear about my top Pop-y picks from these empowering Female figures!
Lizzo - I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. When conspiracy theorists said that Lizards are taking over the world, it was just a typo; they meant LIZZO. The new album, “Cuz I Love You,” starts off strong, with Lizzo’s broad and powerful vocals accompanying her modern take on doo-wop R&B. The album is filled with boss messages that empower the listener to love themselves and be their very own “Soulmate!” Her sultry voice transitions between her raspy low register and her powerful belt, making for the perfect sing-and-dance-along album to throw on literally whenever! Need a pep talk? Lizzo. Need to dance with friends on a Friday? Lizzo. Going on a jog? Lizzo. I said what I said, blame it on the “Juice!” (Read more about Lizzo’s album from Jacob Perez’s point of view in our upcoming “Best Of 2019 So Far” piece!)
Kim Petras - Digressing from her previously completed Rainbow collection of single releases scattered from 2017 to 2019, Kim Petras is back with a new era of artistry, and the release didn’t disappoint. Shifting from the strictly bubblegum sound, the new slow jam “Broken” has crisp yet flowy instrumentals over a more spoken-like form of vocals. However, Petras keeps some iconic sounds of hers still, as the slightly electronic vocal sound and the “woo-ah”s that we all love so much are omnipresent. The clean cut drum kit over the drifting, dreamy pad sounds makes for a song that can be utilized as both a sad girl jam and a badass windows down banger alike.
Lucy Dacus - A voice of honesty and wisdom in the industry, Lucy Dacus, croons to her Mother and her fellow Taureans in her new song, “My Mother and I.” The thoughtful ode to women born in the month of May and follow up to her last release, a cover of “La Vie en Rose,” was the perfect Springtime tune; while most of Dacus’ tracks off of her 2018 album “Historian” were slow burns that packed a punch toward the end, “MM&I” is cool throughout, painting a picture of wistful nostalgia.
FKA twigs - After her 3 year hiatus, FKA twigs is back with “Cellophane.” Her bleak and raw album cover ties in perfectly with the song. Her whispery and intense vocals beg her lover to reciprocate her hardwork and dedication, while the instrumentals are minimal but perfectly complementary. The keys are bright yet lulling, and the percussive noises make one feel as if they’re being rocked to sleep to the lugubrious emotions of twigs.
Peggy Gou - WVUM loves Peggy Gou, and Peggy Gou refuses to disappoint us. Her EP release consisting of “Starry Night” and “Han Pan” have already been giving Gou even more of a leg up into 2019, as this year has been exceedingly wonderful for her so far, “Starry Night” amassing over 1,000,000 streams on Spotify in just a few weeks. Something special about Gou is the noticeable care and meticulous hard work she pours into each one of her tracks. Her smooth vocals over her cleanly embellished rhythms are addictive, and this release gives prospective fans and electronic lovers alike more of an inside into Peggy’s world! I can’t wait to see what she drops next.
Rico Nasty - Rico Nasty is here and ballsy as ever. Her collaboration album with Kenny Beats is filled with unapologetic trap-centric tracks in which Rico proclaims how far she’s made it in the industry so far. While the album dropped without much prior advertisement, Rico’s fiery verses and catchy hooks on this project were definitely not just whipped together. Kenny Beats’ added touch on the album also makes this one to behold, his sound complementing the punk-y passion of Rico’s come-up story.
Silver Sphere - “Boys in Bands” by budding popstar Silver Sphere is the perfect song to jam out to while.. uhh… “Spring cleaning” the toxicity from your life this year. Whether or not you’ve had a negative encounter with a male in a musical group, this progressive and bubbly track creates a tune that anyone can enjoy. Silver’s name represents how her music (and voice, in particular) sounds to me... clean cut, crystalline, and effervescent.
Carly Rae Jepsen - Yep, you read that right. The 2011 “Call Me Maybe” songstress is still doing her thing, making groovy pop tunes such as the recently released “Julien.” Not only is the album art super intriguing in all of its bare monochrome glory, but the song bleeds colorful instrumentals into Jepsen’s breathy, harmonized vocals. If you want something else to remember Jepsen by, might as well start now, with her next album coming soon!
Beyonce - Not only did Beyonce release her live “Homecoming” album and film, inciting copious amounts of excitement around her return, but she also released her 2017 album “Lemonade” to Spotify, allowing exclusive Spotify users to listen her full discography! This release is bound to give rise to prolonged appreciation of “Lemonade,” which is exciting for casual Beyonce fans who had not been able to easily stream it before! Woohoo.
Linked below is a lil playlist I made with some of my favorites from these projects and more! Enjoy!