You are living in a cave if you haven’t heard  The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights“. The song is breaking all kinds records having spent weeks at No 1 on radio. The Weeknd isn’t just for the weekend warrior,  he’s for everybody. He makes music that has universal appeal that transcends all genres. Only a few artists can do that and he’s one of them.
Why did Blinding Lights take off? I don’t know, but it’s uptempo, has a great melody and it has an 80’s feel, similar to a-ha’s 1985 track ‘Take on Me.’ When a track is successful execs search for all kinds of answers like maybe people are feeling nostalgic or radio is taking less chances. Nobody knows, but one thing I do know is that great tracks rise to the top and buck the odds, and let’s not forget The Weeknd is a great performer and visualizer.

I’m liking ‘Be Your Someone‘ by Maryland based singer-songwriter Eli Lev. I find it soothing and it’s a fantastic track especially if you’re a fan of acoustic, coffee-house, indie/folk. Lev said: “I wrote it at the beginning of the pandemic about how we need to find that person to just connect with through all this, who we are quarantining with, who we are asking to go to the rally with us, who we are working out all the difficult questions posed to us as individuals and as a society with. It’s both asking and telling, will you be my someone? will you let me be your someone?” Give it a listen.

Check out the track Half In Love by Erin Kirby. It grows on you after a few listens. Think Hailee Steinfeld, Alessia Cara meets Julia Michaels. I think she made it to American Idol Top 60. The Atlanta based singer songwriter describes herself as the female version of Lewis Capaldi or James Arthur. Here is what she says about the latest track, ““Half In Love” is written about being afraid to commit to a relationship! Maybe your ex still has a piece of you, maybe you are just nervous, or maybe you are extremely involved in your career. This song is something that everyone can listen to.” Give it a stream on Indie Invaders Playlist.

Look out for Kaylan Mackinnon and the track Roller Coaster. The Canadian artist was nominated for best singer-songwriter at the age of 10 and had a good run with the track Run that can heard on The Miracle Season (Helen Hunt), The Perfect Bride (Hallmark), Mighty Oak (Paramount Pictures) and the upcoming film Cats & Dogs 3 (Warner Bros). Her new track Roller Coaster is a uptempo fun song and a good track to dance to, by yourself of course. The pubs are closed per the doctors order so it’s dancing with a-myself. Check it out on KOAR’s Indie Invaders Playlist.

Miley Cyrus is back with a new single Midnight Sky. Following the current trend that The Weeknd and Dua Lipa set in motion, it’s a 80’s inspired track. That’s what Miley does, follow the trends. If opera came into fashion, she’d sample Mozart. But that’s ok, because Miley is pop and is the best karaoke singer in the room. She can sing anything and make it work. She’s also makes you believe the song is her’s. She does that with Midnight Sky. She channels Stevie Nicks and the cover queen sings it well. But it sounds awfully like Stevie’s “Edge of Seventeen” and I’m sure there was prior discussion of the similarities.
But with all this. Why bring back the 80’s now? It was such a fun time for music and artists and right now isn’t fun. Girls just wanna have fun but they can’t have fun now. You can’t even dance and shake your hips in the club unless it’s in your own isolated room wearing a mask and goggles – per doctor’s orders. Wait! Goggles? Yes, Fauci recommends eye wear as a protective measure against the pesky germ.
We should have brought back the sad 90’s which is more fitting, and after a decade when things return to normal, then the 80’s. It’s all backwards. Everything is backwards.