Boss Ladies Single Review: HippiHollywood & Naiomi - "Want 2 Be"

Welcome to Boss Ladies, a blog series dedicated entirely toward featuring and promoting our talented Lady Brian Members and their creative work. Keeping with our mission of collaboration and service, each article in this series is written by a member about a member. We encourage you to discover and support not only the subject of each review, but also the writer! This week, Carissa Schroeder reviews “Want 2 Be,” a new single from HippiHollywood and Naiomi.  

The opening piano chords of “Want 2 Be” are wide and moody, producer HippiHollywood (Sterling Luna) utilizing the low end of the instrument to draw the ear, as he lays the foundation of the track. The beat gains definition as singer Naiomi’s voice layers in. She has a solid pop sensibility in her delivery – clean riffs, just enough vocal fry on the attack, and a hint of that vowel breaking thing that young artists do these days (Google search “Indie Pop Voice” if you’re not sure what I mean). While creating diphthongs where there are none is a hot topic in the vocal community, Naiomi’s approach is consistent with the genre and is a successful stylistic choice.

Lyrically, she makes great use of text painting during the classic EDM, build-up-until-the-beat-drops tableau, stating, “now I’ve got a moment to prepare for the ride.” With the full arrangement of the track underway, Naomi’s words are those of someone manifesting: “I’ll cause second glances” and “Find me, I’ll be dancing, right on time,” – words not of doubt, but of certainty, as though she can see into her future. There is definitely an upbeat and motivational quality about the song, that achieves Naiomi’s goal of inspiring people who are also “fighting for their truth.” 

My only wish is that the track was lengthier, so I could enjoy Naiomi’s confident lyricism atop HippiHollywood’s EDM beat. I am a barre instructor and I openly admit this genre is a guilty pleasure of mine. I love the way a few musical minutes can leave me feeling as though I’ve summited a mountain, danced a little victory dance at the top, then piloted a hang glider back down. I'm already looking forward to enjoying the sonic scenery with future collaborations from this duo.

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Meet the Writer: Carissa Schroder
Our Lady Brain blog writers work on a volunteer basis in support of their fellow members. If you enjoyed this article, please consider making a small donation to Carissa via Venmo, which will help support her creative endeavors.