Image source: GQ

It’s been a hot minute since Annie Clark, more famously known as St. Vincent, has released yet another artistically satisfying album. To the dedicated fans of her work, it’s nearly been eons since they’ve listened to any new stuff from the Indie Art Rock artist. Over the course of five albums, St. Vincent has drastically shown the vast spectrum of artistry she’s capable of, and with her latest release, it has become all the more apparent.

There is always a gut-wrenching amount of emotional depth in St. Vincent’s releases, and her latest album, Daddy’s Home, is no different. After officially teasing the album on street posters splayed across social media, and an enticing teaser posted on her YouTube, the proverbial daddy has finally come home, and it’s an album that’s packed with sheer auditory bliss that one can expect from St. Vincent.

Much like most of her discography, Daddy’s Home is full of torment-adjacent lyrics leading with the iconic Pay Your Way in Pain that really hammers in the album’s sonic and lyrical feel. Throughout the entire record, St. Vincent deftly contemplates parenthood, staying true to the album’s title.

St. Vincent displays a much looser side of her in Daddy’s Home as she takes a trip down memory lane with her 70s-inspired sixth album. The album is riddled with soulfully rich vocals with the humming cacophony of organs and horns. In the track My Baby Wants A Baby, she tells the story of a woman lamenting the void in her life caused by an absentee father.

Perhaps, she is putting her worst possible self forward as she tormentedly cries out, “My baby wants a baby, the one that plays guitar all day and microwaves every meal; the one that might not be there all the time, like her own daddy wasn’t.” It’s such a tearfully gut-wrenching lyric that reminds us of the many ways a parent could leave a child woefully scarred.

Annie Clark has been known for her pitch-black and wry delivery as she playfully notes that “If life’s a joke, then I’m dying laughing,” in The Laughing Man, a track that immediately follows the first of three humming interludes.

According to a press release, St. Vincent began writing some Daddy’s Home songs in winter 2019. This date coincides with the time of her father’s release from prison after being incarcerated for nine whole years. The album was produced in collaboration with Jack Antonoff. In addition to the powerhouse duo, the record also features remarkable performances from Cian Riordan, Evan Smith, Sam KS, Greg Leisz, Daniel Hart, Michael Leonhard, Lynne Fiddmont, and Kenya Hathaway.

Not since 2017’s MASSEDUCTION has Clark woefully captivated her audience with dark tales of honesty, grit, and full artistic merit. It is a story about her own father and how she has perceived the entire experience of her father coming back home. Much like many artists, Daddy’s Home is a personal expression of Clark’s real-life experiences. It is a reflection of her side of the story, and it’s definitely a ride worth getting on from start to finish.

 References:

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-57026926

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/9569853/st-vincent-interview-eras-daddys-home/

https://pitchfork.com/news/st-vincent-details-new-album-daddys-home-shares-video-for-new-song-watch/

Image source: Vanity Fair

Ariana Grande shot to the limelight for her role as Cat on the sitcom, “Victorious,” and from there, she went on to become a music sensation and global pop star with a cult following. From a very young age, she participated in plays and sang at public events before she found herself in the entertainment industry as a full-fledged actress. She landed a role in the Broadway musicals, “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Wizard of Oz.” She moved on to television shows, the most prominent of which was “Victorious” on which she played the role of Cat Valentine between 2010 and 2013 joined and the spinoff show, “Sam and Cat,” which aired between 2013 and 2014 for a single season.

She was born in 1993 in Florida, United States, and attended “Pine Crest School” and “North Broward Preparatory School” for her primary education. When she was 13, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music but record labels did not take her seriously because of her age. In 2010 she focused on polishing her singing skills and released her song from “Victorious” titled “Give it Up.” Monte Lipman, a top executive at Republic Records noticed her and made a move to offer her a recording contract. Ariana Grande signed with the label and released her first official single “Put your hearts up” in 2011.

In 2013, she released her debut album titled, “Yours Truly” which topped the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, and its lead single, “The Way” charted in the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100. More than 500,000 copies of the album were sold and it marked Ariana Grande’s presence as the newest big pop star. Her next album, “My Everything” was released in mid-2014 and within a week, it sold 169,000 copies, sending it to the top spot on the Billboard 200. Two singles from the album, “Problem” featuring Iggy Azalea and “Break Free” both peaked at number 3 and 4 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2015, she returned to acting to feature in the comedy-horror series, “Scream Queens,” which aired on “FOX” and in 2016, she released the album, “Dangerous woman” with the lead single, “Be Alright” topping charts nationwide. Her 2018 album, “Sweetener” won her a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album while her fifth album, “Thank U, Next” which was released in 2019 broke the record for the largest streaming week for a pop album. She also got a Grammy nomination for  “Album of the Year” while three singles off the album, “Thank U, Next,” “Break Up with Your Girlfriend,” and “7 Rings” made her the first solo artist to have three songs on three top spots on the Billboard Hot 100.

Ariana Grande has sold more than 85 million units of her records including singles, collaborations, and studio albums. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has certified all of her first six full-length albums platinum or multi-platinum.

She released her sixth studio album, “Positions”  in 2020 which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. She also became the highest-earning woman in music on Forbes’ 2020 celebrity 100 list.

Ariana Grande has built a successful music career over the years with successful albums and smash hit singles to her credit. She got married to Dalton Gomez, a real estate agent on May 17, 2021, after they got engaged in December 2020. 

References

1. https://www.biography.com/musician/ariana-grande
2. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/ariana-grande-15637.php