The key difference is that Ava has actually succeeded at doing that.Īlfred Soto: The simplicity of the hook is winning she sounds like a normal person working through a situation. If anything, Ava’s jumped ahead to that part in A Star is Born where Lady Gaga, as Ally Maine, attempts to churn out disposable pop fodder that’s completely devoid of personality. Joshua Lu: If “Sweet but Psycho” was Ava Max’s The Fame and “So Am I” her Born This Way, the measured and restrained “Freaking Me Out” sure isn’t her Artpop. It’s great that Ava Max is stepping away from being a Lady Gaga tribute act, but this is really just another anonymous contribution to some roséwave playlist. Michael Hong: How often have you seen a song title and expected it to go big, only to be let down by the wave of chillness sweeping the pop climate? “Freaking Me Out” goes big once, on the final chorus where Ava Max growls “it’s freaking me out.” The rest of the time, Ava Max murmurs awkward lyrical cues - I’m not sure how you would describe “empty mansion, in the rain just off the coast” as a vibe. Why the hesitation - not knowing the songs? Fear of getting sued? Would classic rock not fit the “vibe” of “empty mansion in the rain just off the coast”? (The “spooky” lyrics are less “Disturbia” than “hasty pivot to creepypasta by a social media ad campaign for Grape-Nuts.” Which, to be fair, is the vibe inside my soul.) Whatever it is, “tentative” is not an adjective that should fit an Ava Max song, or a song about crush-having freakoutery. Most of the song really wants to turn into “Free Fallin'” but doesn’t, and the bridge really wants to turn into “Tom’s Diner” but doesn’t. Katherine St Asaph: Not chill, as feared, but definitely tentative. Wayne Weizhen Zhang: Who knew Rita Ora had a style distinctive enough for people to be able to - let alone want to - rip off? She’s committed to selling the most mall-friendly version of gothy extremity possible, but her lack of guile is weirdly charming - what other singer could deliver a line about “the vibe inside my soul”? What other singer would even try? Here, her lyrical world-building lands us somewhere in “Disturbia,” while the production remains pure 2009 cheese. Then consider that, even by the standards of popstar introductions, Ava Max’s project feels so fake it’s almost like parody every element, every vocal inflection, is amped up to the point where you have to ask if she’s serious. Consider that these things often sound and feel extremely artificial at the beginning. Leah Isobel: Consider that the art of being a popstar lies in establishing a public perception, sound, and aesthetic, and then slowly bending those things over time to allow your humanity to creep in.
#Ava max freaking me out full#
It’s Rising Pop Star Wednesday! Can you predict our full day’s lineup? Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment.Email (song suggestions/writer enquiries).