Kiki T – Stuck with me
The pressure’s on. We’re well into December, and you’d better have a good time, or else. In the absence of any true spiritual practices, the vast majority of us have to rely on Christmas, a holiday brought to you in association with all of the big-name brands, and there’s simply no way of escaping it. The damn thing is on the television, on billboard ads, and everyone at your school or office will feel obligated to share their own experiences.
However, the reality is that most people are pretty miserable most of the year, and, because of the weight of expectation, particularly miserable around the holidays. However, other than Kiki T or Shane MacGowan, not many songwriters are willing to waste their chance at a holiday singalong to tell you exactly what ordinary people feel like.
On the surface, Kiki T’s “Stuck with me” is a bittersweet, modern “Blue Christmas.” But listen closely to the lyrics, and you’ll discover some daring songwriting. “Stuck with me” doesn’t just tell the story of a co-dependent relationship; it goes into minute detail about the hopelessness of it, which is only made worse by the expectation that all of us must have some kind of epiphany while looking at pictures of German grandpa with a bear,d aka Santa. Kiki T’s holiday special is a song for everyone who doesn’t quite believe the hype about Christmas.
Ayka – Let Go
It’s a gentle balancing act that these pop stars must pull off. And that is why, perhaps, it’s no wonder that record labels and managers find so few likely candidates for these positions. Maybe this is the reason why the number of truly globally famous pop figures is so few.
The fact is that pop stars should be both unapproachable and yet relatable. They ought to possess dazzling talents, yet seem like they’ve earned every little bit of what they have through the kind of hard work that any of their fans could achieve.
The pop should be able to rely on the kinds of songs that can make a stadium weep, but deliver it in a way that it feels like your friend is singing a song for you in their kitchen, to create the sense of intimacy that Ayka manages to bring to her music.
Indeed, if there’s one thing about Ayka’s “Let Go” that helps it stand out, it is the fact that this is pop music made for the people by someone who could, realistically, end up sitting on a big, tall stage in front of a lot of people. This song is about the anxiety of cutting old ties, proving that in the era where everybody can make music, we’re still better off leaving it to people who have a clear vision of what they want.
