Kiesza returns with pop, house and opera hybrid
About four years ago Kiesza was one of the biggest promises in the music industry. The Canadian singer-songwriter had her big break with the international hit single ‘Hideaway’, but could not keep up her momentum with debut album Sound of a Woman. She briefly returned at the start of 2017 with the track ‘Dearly Beloved’, which failed to gain any buzz. In a recent interview with Music Business Worldwide she explained the break with the Island record label and talked about her decision to create and release music independently again. Her new single ‘Phantom of the Dance Floor’ is the first result!

The track was described as an ‘ambitious mix of operatic trills, gothic meltdowns and a deep-wobble house chorus’ in the interview. Pretty accurate, I will admit! The track is a collaboration with Canadian opera singer Philippe Sly who brings his classical vocals to the second chorus, after Kiesza wrapped her crystal clear pop vocals around the first one. The straightforward hook and the house beat breakdown of the chorus bring back the vibe of Kiesza’s biggest hits to date, but with the opera vocals going on and the strong music theatre vibe in the video, it is simply a bit much. Even the biggest Eurovision Song Contest fan would call this ‘a bit extra’.

The video itself is a mix of the Rocky Horror Show, Frankenstein and The Phantom of the Opera with some choreography similar to her breakout choreography for ‘Hideaway’. Kiesza is a professor who creates her lover with whom she bursts into belting out a duet. There is so much going on that I doubt this has much radio potential or replay value, but at the very least she got me intrigued and she is finally recording and releasing the stuff she wants to release, so fair play to Kiesza!