Welcome to your tenth round of judging. This week, you were all challenged to send me two examples of an artist evolving throughout their career, one song from an early point in their career, and one from a more recent point. You were all split up into random pairings, and your early career song will go up against your opponent's. The winners of each pairing will advance to the winner’s round with their recent career songs to compete for the win this week, while the losers of the first round have to bank on their recent career song to save themselves from elimination. Let’s get it rolling.
FromAWindow’s artist: Kelly Clarkson
Early career song: “Behind These Hazel Eyes”
Okay, this song is an absolute bop and still holds up for me tbh. I lowkey forgot how much Kelly’s older music veered towards this pop rock direction. I love how the verses and chorus are two totally different vibes while still remaining very cohesive. The verses are delivered rather soft compared to the chorus, almost like she’s bottling up her emotions to be unleashed then. I kinda wish the final chorus hit a little harder, only because it has the same energy as the other choruses and not enough to differentiate it as THE closing chorus. Overall though, this is a classic in Kelly’s discography, and I have to stan.
Turkeylover’s artist: Kay (later changed to Goldilox)
Early career song: “My Name Is Kay”
Your artist was the only one I had no idea about, so I’m pretty excited to get into your songs. The verses had a nice charm to it. Her delivery on those is pretty good considering this is her first EP. I have to admit though that parts of this song I didn’t really care for. The “my name is Kay, ay-ay-ay-ay-ay” part combined with that weak ass beat drop was pretty annoying and didn’t age well. You even said she was making “2011 sounding bops” and I can’t spot any lies in that statement based off this song. The song is a bit juvenile at times, but considering how young she must have been and how new she was to creating music, I suppose that’s to be expected. I do like that you took a risk to send an unknown artist for this category, it takes a lot of gumption to show an artist’s growth that not a lot of people have heard.
Thank you both for your songs, but there can only be one winner. The contestant advancing to the winner’s round will be…
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FromAWindow! Congratulations on moving on to the winner’s round. This also means you are officially SAFE from elimination. Turkeylover, you are in danger of being eliminated tonight.
LovelyKiss’s artist: Kesha
Early career song: “Party At A Rich Dude’s House”
LMAO God I remember listening to this song when I was like 12. Kesha back when she spelled her name with a dollar sign was kind of iconic just for how blunt and honest she was back then. Her music was incredibly vapid back then, but her songs on Animal were undeniably catchy when they first came out. This one was really cute, it’s not one of my favorites from her album, but it’s definitely not a skip. She really does set the scene in the verses, and the chorus really stands out on this one. There is a lot of fun to be had with this song, and I certainly enjoyed relistening to it.
Mathboy9’s artist: Boa
Early career song: “No. 1”
Boa is an absolute legend in the kpop world, and I’m glad she is getting the respect she deserves on this silly blog game. I love the production of this track. It gives me early 2000s to the t. Her energy in this song is great, and that random key change was kind of fierce. I don’t always vibe with key changes because I feel like it's usually a weak move artists do at the last chorus to make it stand out, but this one placed directly after the first chorus really worked. I would love to hear this song remastered one day, it’s kind of a classic, and I think with some more modern sounding production, it could really be fierce. Loved this.
This judging was way harder because I loved both of these songs. However, I think one song has a slight edge over the other. The contestant advancing to the next round is…
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Mathboy9! Congratulations, you have advanced into the winner’s round, and are consequently SAFE from elimination. LovelyKiss, you are in danger of being eliminated.
ManniBoi’s artist: Taylor Swift
Early career artist: “Teardrops on my Guitar”
I actually do like some of Taylor Swift’s earlier songs back from when she was still a country-pop girl. If I’m being honest though, I’m not a huge fan of this song of hers. Although this is probably the first song most people ever heard of hers, this song doesn’t really do anything for me now. I’m not really into country music at all unless there is some power or energy to the track. The song itself is pretty slow and stripped down, and I don’t think Taylor’s vocals were strong enough when she first started out to carry this track. For someone who has had a career in music for almost fifteen years and has changed up their style as often as Taylor Swift has, I think you could’ve chosen another early career song. This is why I said you don’t necessarily need to go with their first hit, because some artist’s first hits have really not aged all that well.
Irelia’s artist: Marina and the Diamonds (changed later to MARINA)
Early career song: Oh No!”
Oh I LOVE this song. Easily one of my favorites from her debut album. It really does feel like an early career song as well, an upbeat pop song about wanting to become famous, but I like how she also is aware of the side effects of fame and how she incorporates that idea into her song as well. The lyrics throughout the song are pretty cheeky and lighthearted, there are so many quotable moments between the verses and the chorus. However, when you get to the bridge of the song, it really ties back the initial message of how toxic fame can be sometimes. When I first heard this song, I was extremely impressed. It’s insanely catchy and still holds up for me as one of my favorite songs she’s ever done.
Yeah I’m not gonna bother with dots for this one because my decision couldn’t be more obvious. Irelia, you have advanced to the winner’s round and will be competing for the win this week. ManniBoi, you are in danger of being eliminated.
ROUND 2: RECENT CAREER SONGS
Winner’s Round: FromAWindow vs. mathboy9 vs. Irelia
FromAWindow’s artist: Kelly Clarkson
Recent career song: "Piece by Piece"
In terms of personal growth as an artist, I definitely see an improvement in her vocal delivery. It’s probably because this song is way more stripped down compared to “Behind These Hazel Eyes,” but I love her voice in this song. Her vocals are so powerful and crystal clear. While this song is cute and clearly shows evolution as an artist, I don’t think I would particularly listen to this track again. I think her vocals certainly carry this song, but it gets old pretty quickly. The piano in this track is nice, but I wish there were more instruments incorporated, because I felt like the track was becoming a bit monotonous over time.
Mathboy9’s artist: Boa
Recent career song: “Better”
The production of this song is slick. It’s always on point and you really can’t come for that. That deep bass in the beginning is so great, and it works so well in the verses. As the song progressed, it got better and better. I still get some 00s vibes like your first song, but with some elevated production. I wasn’t sure at first about the bridge, only because when it first came on I thought the song was gonna go in a totally different direction, but it actually works well in this song. I think this was a great example to show her personal growth as an artist. Her vocals have improved, and the production is very luxe and modern. Great pick.
Irelia’s artist: MARINA
Recent career song: “Karma”
I liked this track. It was pretty laid back, and while I think it verges on being a tad bit basic, it’s still pretty solid. Marina’s vocals have always had a special quality to them, and while they haven’t changed drastically, I enjoy her more mature tone in her vocals compared to her Family Jewels/Electra Heart era sound. The chorus is great, and I love how she has an “I told you so” sort of attitude in it while still remaining real classy. I don’t know if this song is necessarily a standout within her discography, but it’s certainly a cute pick.
Congratulations to you all on winning your early career matchups, however, there can only be one winner for this week. All your songs in the first rounds were standouts, but I think one of you really outshined your competitors in the second round. The contestant that has won this week is…
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Mathboy9! Congratulations on winning this week. Both of your songs were very impressive. FromAWindow and Irelia, you are both safe.
Loser’s Round: Turkeylover vs. LovelyKiss vs. ManniBoi
Turkeylover’s artist: Goldilox
Recent career song: “Sex Paranoia”
In terms of improvement, I absolutely see it. The beat was really interesting when it first came on, and it got me grooving. The vocals were quite different from her first song, and I think they pair really well with this beat. They verge on being a bit overly processed, but honestly I can get behind it because it feels like a deliberate choice, and works well with the production. I also loved the little adlibs throughout the song from where she sounds like she’s on a phone? That was cute. I could’ve probably done without the moans at the bridge, it got to be a lot as it went on. I do think this song shows growth as an artist, and I enjoyed this song more than your early career choice, which I think is the whole point of this category to show us the glow up. Good work Turkey.
LovelyKiss’s artist: Kesha
Song: “Praying”
This is one of, if not, her BEST song. I had chills when I first heard this song. It’s so beautiful. Unlike the ballad FromAWindow sent, I think this one is so much more dynamic in terms of production. Also can we talk about the VOCALS? I really don’t think anyone realized that Kesha had so much range back then unless they were super fans. This song really showcases her range as an artist, the octave changes between choruses and that high note at the end were everything. She has went through a lot of personal trauma I could imagine, and I hope that this song has at least brought her some closure, because wow, it is still just so impressive and powerful to me.
ManniBoi’s artist: Taylor Swift
Song: “willow”
Well this was certainly pretty. Admittedly, I’m not the biggest Taylor Swift fan in the world, but I think this song definitely showcases how much she’s evolved and matured as an artist. Her vocals here are very soft and delicate, and they pair really well with this rich production. I actually haven’t heard evermore only because I listened to a few folklore tracks and I wasn’t sure if it was for me. This song is gorgeous musically, you can’t fault the production or the vocals. For my personal tastes, I’m not sure if this song is for me. I couldn’t see myself listening to something like this on a daily playlist, but definitely if I was in the mood for it or trying to creating a more relaxing atmosphere. What I WILL say is that this song is a vast improvement from her early career song, and you definitely see the evolution between Taylor then and now.
Before I announce who is eliminated, I just wanna say that you three REALLY brought it with your recent career tracks. This has been the hardest decision yet, but I have made up my mind. The first contestant that is safe from elimination is…
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LovelyKiss. Amazing song. If your early career track was a little bit stronger you probably would have won this week. However, you are safe.
Turkeylover and ManniBoi, that means you two are the bottom two. Both of your recent career songs were great in their own respects, but I can only save one of you. The last contestant that is safe this week is…
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Turkeylover. This was an incredibly close call, but it came down to personal taste in the end, and I could see myself relistening to your song more than the other one. You are safe.
ManniBoi, it has been such a pleasure getting to know your musical tastes. You have proven to be a fierce competitor throughout this competition, but you were outmatched this week. Thanks for your participation.
Next episode will be posted later today! Until next time!
