NEW SOUNDS

HAYLEY WILLIAMS

One of my favorite songs of this new year is "Simmer" by Hayley Williams. And while this may be the singer's debut single, Williams is hardly a newcomer to the music scene. She helped form the band, Paramore in 2004 and remains the only original member of this pop-rock outfit. Some of Paramore's hits include "Misery Business", "Still In To You", "crushcrushcrush", "Decode" and "Ain't It Fun".  There is no official word that Paramore has broken-up but Williams knew it was time to a take a break from the years of writing and touring with the unit. She was ready to experiment a little further with her music and show other sides of herself lyrically. One example is with "Simmer" which touches on some specific forms of abuse she has experienced in her life. The thirty-one year old singer/songwriter will be first releasing an EP, "Petals For Armor I" on February 6th before the debut of her studio album, also called "Petals For Armor" in May. Check out the music videos for "Simmer" and the latest single, "Leave It Alone". Both clips (directed by Warren Fu) are connected with a dark and eerie imagery.





DOJA CAT

Like many aspiring musicians today, Doja Cat got her start by self-releasing her own music. After dropping a single, "So High" on Soundcloud back in 2013, this brought the then-eighteen year old some attention and lead to her being signed to RCA Records. The Los Angeles based singer, born Amala Diamini, released an EP, "Purrr!" the following year which helped raise her profile even further. In 2018, Doja Cat completed her debut album, "Amala" and her breakout single, "Juicy" featuring Tyga would appear on the deluxe edition of this record as well as her 2019 follow-up album, "Hot Pink". With her cartoon hyper-sexuality, an affinity to bubble-gum pink and a musical blend of aggressive hip-hop and sultry r&b, it would be easy to compare her to early Nicki Minaj. But Doja Cat certainly has her own distinctive style and flair that makes her standout all on her own. Her latest single, "Say So" is a great pop tune with a disco beat (aided by a sample of "Good Times" by Chic) that has gained in popularity due to it's use on the app, Tik Tok for several dance challenges.

The Pussycat Dolls began as a sexy burlesque troupe created by choreographer, Robin Antin before evolving in to a sexy pop music singing act. Lead by vocalist, Nicole Scherzinger, this girl group dominated the international charts beginning in 2005 and had many smash hits like "Don't Cha", "Stickwitu", "Buttons", "When I Grow Up" and "I Hate This Part". But after their brief burst of success (and selling over fifty million records worldwide), the Dolls came to a bitter end by 2010.  With the feeling that the spotlight was shinning too brightly only on Scherzinger, this created a rift among the other members of the group. However, time can heal many wounds and The Pussycat Dolls have reunited after ten years and released a new single. "React" features the return of most of the original Dolls (Melody Thornton decided to sit this out to focus on her solo career) and perfectly continues where this classic pop group left off. I think this may be one of the biggest hits of 2020. The music video for "React" has the Dolls looking like time has stood still and oozes with their trademark sensuality and slick dance moves: