There is something about modern pop music that seems to resonate with so many people. I'm not entirely sure if it is to do with the general similarity between each pop hit that fills the airwaves that gives the listener that sense of 'having heard it before', or if it the lyrical content that, in most cases, is about getting drunk, regretting it and then singing about it. If anything, pop music today has a lot to do with the slick production that is only nearly matched by the accommodating video to support the single. For a lot of everyday listeners, knowing who sung what becomes the problem. But I do not believe any of this can be said of SHAYNA. She has a pop hit here that stands out as something completely relatable to so many in the right way.
In today's trends, the 'reggaeton' beat dominates the airwaves, yet SHAYNA uses it with taste, having the synth allow for that vibe in the background. All the while, we have a strong thumping beat that counters it and moves it along. Lush production allows for the instrumentation to give way to the vocals which are clear and well produced. This is the sort of track that could stand up to international hits. It uses a lot of the same compositional devices that are key to this genre; the pre-chorus that drops out to help build up to the drop in the chorus, the sampled vocals that are used to help give the chorus more life.
SHAYNA knows what she wants and how to get what she needs. Crafting a solid pop song is a hard thing to do, and it is easy for a lot of people to wave off today's pop with ease, citing the overused chord progressions and melodies that makeup today's pop world. However, SHAYNA is doing it her way, and I like it. The smoothness of her vocal, clear delivery and perfect arrangement showcases an emerging artist that would really branch out and make the music she loves that would also resonate with the masses.
I would love to hear more of what SHAYNA has and I encourage her to be brave enough to not worry about song lengths, genres, and all that stuff. SHAYNA speaks to me as someone isn't afraid to do any of this. And to me, that is exciting.
“She already projects the image of a star at the top of the game – if she continues as is, that’s exactly where she’ll end up.” - Happy Mag (AU)
“The next best pop party to come out of New Zealand” – Music Nation (NZ)
A “melancholic view of an OE” has inspired New Zealand singer-songwriter SHAYNA’s new single Miles Away. “Travelling the globe with a sole companion and seeing the best and worst in each others characters as you are both exhausted, low on money and feeling like outsiders who don’t fit into the fast-paced rhythm of a foreign city.”