Pop music has always been a creative form that is about moving with the times; the clue is in the name, and thus pop(ular) music owes its very existence to its own ability to refresh itself regularly, to deftly surf the zeitgeist, negotiate fads, respond to fashion and be able to adopt and adapt in such as fast-moving arena.
And if you want to know what pop music sounds like now, right now, Mjoy is not a bad place to start. “Am I the Only One? (Lonely) is everything that modern pop (for want of a better word, although you could tack on suffixes like alt- or indie- if that helps) is about, at least for this brief window. But as she muses on loneliness, ironically, a shared state of existence for many, something that binds many of us together while keeping us apart, the music she uses to drive her point home is nothing less than vibrant and vital.
Beats land sharply, digital percussion ticks along, synths ebb and flow, chords cascade, and above it all, Mjoy’s crystal clear voice expresses feelings that everyone can relate to, a state that we have all found ourselves in at some point in our life. One of the things that makes pop music so great is that it changes almost from week to week. And “Am I the Only One? (Lonely) is a brilliant sonic snapshot of where it is today, that this moment, for this brief point in time. Catch it while you can.
