If you know me or have been following this blog for a while, you probably know how I feel about Tik Tok regarding discovering new music. Regardless of how you think about how it affects society or the mental health of its users, it is impossible to deny the impact it has had on independent or up-and-coming musicians. There are so many great artists that have gotten famous from Tik Tok since the app came out; it is such a great tool to promote yourself as an artist. One of the cool and interesting things about Tik Tok is a lot of the musicians that have gotten famous on there did not actually initially pop off for their music. Instead, they gained followers for other types of videos they were making and then drove those fans to their music. This is the case for Samica. I initially started seeing Samica on Tik Tok late last year, as her series of videos about taking random foods and putting an Indian twist on them went viral. Even though I initially followed her for her funny videos, I immediately got into her music. Samica is such a diverse Pop artist, and it seems like she has songs that can appeal to all kinds of Pop music fans. Samica is even versatile enough to venture into Folk and Country music. Her EP Laurel Canyon, which came out early this year, is a Folk and Country project that is one of my favorites of the year so far(I reviewed this project back when it came out in February, so please go check out that review if you have not after reading this one). Samica recently released her latest single, ‘Hollywood.’ Samica has stated that this song means a lot to her, as she wrote it a few years ago back when she was couch surfing and unsure of what she wants to do with her life. Please let me know in the comments how you feel about ‘Hollywood,’ and also comment on how you feel about Laurel Canyon and all of her other past releases.

‘Hollywood’ follows a similar sonic theme to the music from Laurel Canyon that I enjoyed so much. This song has a Country Pop sound that is melancholy yet friendly at the same time. ‘Hollywood’ is a lot faster and more energetic of a track than the music on that EP though. Whereas the music on Laurel Canyon has more of a calm and peaceful feeling, this track has a little more of a frantic(and even anxious) element. ‘Hollywood’ is driven by a melody provided by a somber acoustic guitar riff complemented by electric guitar notes that has a Country sound that reminds me a lot of the early 2000s. When i hear this melody, I think of the early music from artists like Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. This melody is put over an accelerated Pop drum beat that will make anyone move their feet and bop their head when they hear it. The best thing about this song by far in my opinion is Samica’s vocal performance. She demonstrates awesome range on ‘Hollywood,’ hitting all of the high and low notes with ease. Her tone is so soothing and smooth, giving the song a hypnotic and cozy feeling that really draws me in as a listener. On ‘Hollywood,’ Samica is singing about aimlessly partying every night away and living life with no direction; Samica is saying she was trying to avoid all of her problems and worries by living life on the edge every night. Even though the track is technically about LA, I think this song is relatable for a lot of mid to late-20-year-olds in this generation. I can personally see a lot of myself in the lyrics of this song, and I will say I certainly lived life in this way while I was in my early 20s. ‘Hollywood’ is a cool song with a fun instrumental and a relatable sentiment. It is another example of why Samica is such a riveting rising Pop star, and it is the latest reason for me to be super excited to see what she does in the future.