The term “tropical house” was used to describe the genre in the mid-2000s, but it became popular after Kygo burst onto the scene in 2013-2014. Thomas Jack, Robin Schulz, Felix Jaehn, Sam Feldt, Bakermat, and Matoma rode the wave as well, but Kygo developed an early edge with his brilliant songs and ear for remix-worthy anthems. With over 27 million monthly listeners on Spotify, he has become a worldwide star. He dropped his critically-acclaimed debut LP, Cloud Nine, in 2016, which included appearances from John Legend, James Vincent McMorrow, Maty Noyes, and Julia Michaels.
He’s performed at the Hollywood Bowl and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the Ullevaal Stadion in Norway, and of course Coachella, among other massive stadiums. In 2015, he became the first artist to reach one billion total Spotify plays — and no one can dispute his charisma or ability.
In conclusion, he has every right to produce whatever he wants. It’s been eight years, and he has yet to develop beyond that lovely melody and vocalist paradigm. It’s becoming a bit routine.
He’s just released a new song with X Ambassadors, “Undeniable,” which is exactly the same thing. A beautiful melody, his little reverb vocal effects, some soft drums, the famous piano, and vocals from a major star. That isn’t to say that the song isn’t good in any way, or that it’s badly produced. It’s just that it’s old news, and can’t hold a candle to the brilliant songs he made three years ago.
“Sam and I had a blast writing this one in Los Angeles, then performing it last month at Banc of California Stadium. It’s a special song to us, and I hope everyone enjoys “Undeniable” as much as we do.” “It’s such an amazing feeling to be able to say something like this. Kygo has become a close friend over the past couple of years, so to have him support our song is extra special.”
“I’ve always had a weakness for massive-ass love songs, but I don’t tend to write them,” singer and songwriter Sam Nelson Harris explains. “This one came together so organically and quickly— it was such a treat to collaborate on it with Kash, Nick, Whethan, and Kyrre. I’m genuinely ecstatic about performing it at all of my friends’ weddings.”
Clearly, both songwriters were pleased with their collaboration and the end result. As a listener, I would never presume to interfere with an artist’s creativity. We’ve heard the same arguments made for Skrillex, Zedd, Porter Robinson, and other musicians who have altered their sound in order to appeal to a wider audience.
However, while Kygo’s sound may be simple, there is a lot of depth and intricacy to it. Different sounds and techniques have shaped his style; yet, he still has an identifiable voice. Flume and RL Grime are two excellent examples of artists maintaining a similar sound while evolving. Both have an “unquestionable,” to take the throne from Kygo’s most recent single, sound, yet they’ve developed and improved over time.
Kygo, on the other hand, has remained unenthusiastic, continuing to produce the same melodic, vocal love songs for years. Look, they’re working for him. He has been able to bring Donna Summer and Whitney Houston back from the grave, as well as cover a classic by Tina Turner (which raises the question of capitalizing on black women’s work, but that’s another story), has a 1.1 billion play song with Selena Gomez, and numerous other hundred-million-play songs under his belt.
I wanted to test my own prior convictions before I started writing this post. I’ve heard all of his previous two dozen or so singles. There are variations in tempo, such as “Think About You” by Valerie Broussard; “Kem Kan Eg Ringe,” with Store P and Lars Vaular is an oddity. Despite his past collaborations with artists like Miguel, Imagine Dragons, U2, Ellie Goulding, and OneRepublic, the result has always been a predictable brand of ballad that he’s become notorious for.
I also think that Kygo is a tremendously talented individual, and after seven years of doing this work and fostering talent, I can’t help but be sad when I witness it being wasted.
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