Scott Mildenhall: It is indeed a shot through the heart - when Ava Max homages, she homages with a big sign saying she’s done it. Kayla Beardslee: You Give Feminism a Bad Name. Ava is left swinging at shadows with her non-existent sword. Here, that subtext is plain text, and as a result there’s nowhere for the song to build. Like, yeah, being a woman is hard work, and love is, indeed, a battlefield for the artists and songs she’s referencing, these truths were just background. But transposing those over-the-top sonics into circa-2010 ~empowerment~ sort of defeats the purpose.
Leah Isobel: This is garish as hell, but that’s a positive - the borrowed melody solidifies Ava as a committed Max-imalist, a Meat Loaf for the Spotify era. Even Gaga is releasing better early-Gaga-era music at this point.
Will Adams: There are aspirations toward big ’80s cheese - the chorus lifted from Bon Jovi by-way-of Bonnie Tyler those rad electric guitars - but it’s mostly the same wan Gaga pastiche, only enhanced by the presence of RedOne. Max has something to say, and she ought to continue her cheeky metaphors that are sometimes extended, while discontinuing the eight-piece factory that brainstormed ten “different versions” of this melody. So how does Max break through and become a pop heavyweight? She ought to stick to her strengths and not force her weaknesses. Eight other writers developed this melody. Her messaging is a strength, but her operatic pop vocal is sometimes drowned out by Cirkut’s glossy production. The most memorable audible moment is the Brian May “Killer Queen”-esque guitar solo that supersedes the second chorus and then picks up again in the high energy outro. Max lays on a throne accompanied by a sword and then she’s seen knocking down the King on a life-size chess set. Her lyrics are witty, and especially on this cut, she’s not afraid to sell and go all-in on an extended metaphor about gender, power, and nobility: “And you might think I’m weak without a sword/But if I had one, it’d be bigger than yours.” The written visualization carries into the music video treatment and into how the cut sounds. While I could blame the spitfire single releases post-“Sweet But Psycho” on Atlantic Records - who are notorious for stringing their artists along on a topsy-turvy release orbit - putting out a potential pop Kraken in “Kings & Queens” reminds us of how Max can continue to differentiate herself within dancefloor pop circles. But this one has been promoted and packaged as the lead single for her first full-length LP, which still remains to be seen and is untitled to the public. In 2020 Max returns with “Kings & Queens,” another solo single. The confidence and attitude of her delivery could draw even with Dua Lipa. She has similar artistic idiosyncrasies to Lady Gaga but a vocal that soars in a similar trajectory to Marina. Jackie Powell: For many, Ava Max has struggled to distinguish herself. Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment.I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES.Email (song suggestions/writer enquiries).In November 2020, the song "My Head & My Heart" was released, which peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. It was followed by the release of her debut studio album, Heaven & Hell, in September 2020, which charted at number two on the UK Albums Chart and at number 27 on the US Billboard 200. In March 2020, Max released the song "Kings & Queens", which peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 19 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also peaked at number two in Australia, and at number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It became her breakthrough single after peaking at number one in 22 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, and New Zealand. After moving from several states in the United States to pursue a music career since her childhood, Max signed with Atlantic Records in 2016, where she released the song "Sweet but Psycho" in August 2018. Amanda Ava Koci (born Amanda Koci February 16, 1994), known professionally as Ava Max, is an American singer and songwriter.
0 kommentar(er)
