So for all diva-pop lovers out there, last week was really a great week, for it saw the birth (at least on our ears) of the two most anticipated releases of Summer-Fall 2013: Katy Perry's "Roar" and Lady Gaga's "Applause".
So this should be great, right? Two of the most important pop acts of the recent years decided to go head to head and show their best assets, in order to appeal their respective group of avid fans and show them how they have evolved into something more substantial than your flavor-of-the month-type-of-hit and establishing themselves as a mature pop act.
But actually, for me, it was somehow disappointing.
And don't get me wrong: both songs are very, very good. For another artists, they would be excellent and prime first singles. But for all the hype surrounding both releases, I think they come as a kind of off-putting songs and not punch-you-in-the-face great singles.
Let's start with the one that, for me, takes the cake. "Roar" is your quintaesential powerful song, make-you-feel-good and definitely poppish single that you can expect from Katy. Not exactly what Katy have had hinted at us a while ago. I mean come on. "Roar" can perfectly be a great third single for "Teenage Dream". And I say this while I adore this song, with its sing-along feeling and upbeat message, I feel a little bit fooled into it. If Katy had indeed buried the "Teenage" era, this single would have been very, very different.
And then you get the comparisons with Sara Bareilles' "Brave".
Honestly, the only thing alike between these songs is the intro. But frankly, I find myself enjoying Sara's better than Katy's. Why is that so? Like I said before, this song is great for an artist with not much expectations like Sara, and I don't mean this as direspectful for her. It is just that she's as indie and not mainstream as Katy, but I consider her to be as a honest and heart-warming as it gets.
My rating for Roar: 8 out of 10. Great song, not first single material.
Oh, GaGa, GaGa. How can I say this delicately? If Katy was hyping her song, GaGa definitely was promising the next Holy Grail of music, the new Bible of pop, and so on. Instead, we get this "The Fame" B-side, which obviously is great (that album is for me one of the best debut of any artist EVER), but not what "ArtPop" implied. It's a very danceable track geared towards GaGa's fan base (obviously, Little Monsters) and deals with the same fame concept of her first album. And the video itself is pretty artsy and over the top, as usual GaGa. But let's be honest: after the meat dress, I find it hard to be shocked about what GaGa will do next.
Besides, let's be honest: The whole "ArtPop"experience, with an App and everything involved, is something that has been done before. Does someone remember "Biophilia"? And apparently, Björk is now the center of "affection" of GaGa, since the team of directors of her new video is the same for Björk's "Hidden Place", back in 2001.
(And no, I'm not implying GaGa is plagiarizing Björk. She could NOT pull that off NEVER IN LIFE).
My rating for Applause: 7 out of 10. "The Fame" revisited, not in "ArtPop" way.
So, as of today, Katy is the clear winner of this showdown. She had succeeded GaGa outselling "Applause" in nearly the double of digital copies, which is the new way to measure this thing, along with the You Tube number of views. And plese, don't get me started on the desperate attempt of GaGa of getting more downloads and You Tube hits, which of course is as lame as it sounds and a signal that she's definitely NOT confident about her own choice of a first single.
But, in all seriousness, there is no winner at all. I'm expecting more of their next singles, and the albums. So far, I'm not really impressed.
What is your favorite single of these two? Let me know in the comments!
