As I have stated in this blog, TikTok has become one of the best ways for new music artists to expose their music to the world. It is amazing how many musicians over the last few years have gone viral and built a massive following through that app; it feels like more artists are getting discovered on TikTok these days than in any other place. One of the cool things about that app is how musicians will actually gain fans for something other than their music. These artists can use their talents in other fields and direct the followers they gain to their music. One artist that has been able to do this is Samica. If you have been following this blog throughout this year, you have probably seen me mention Samica. I originally found her late last year through her funny cooking videos on TikTok. These videos led me to discover her music, and I have been a big fan ever since. Samica has been pretty active with her music releases this year, having released an EP called Laurel Canyon(which I reviewed very positively earlier this year, so go read that review after this if you have not yet). She has also released many stand-alone singles this year, all of which are very high quality (I wrote about one of these singles, ‘Hollywood,’ near the end of July). Samica recently dropped a little single EP of sorts where three of her most recent songs were packaged together called Hurts Like Hell, and I wanted to tell you guys about this project today. Please let me know in the comments how you feel about Hurts Like Hell, and also comment the names of some other artists from TikTok that you think I should look up.

The first song that is a part of this little single EP is the title track, ‘Hurts Like Hell.’ This track follows the 2010s-esque Country-Pop trend that Samica has been diving into quite a bit this year. Particularly, this track makes me think of some of the music that Taylor Swift became known for early in her career. I am elated that she continues to go in this direction, as her voice works so well with this kind of music. ‘Hurts Like Hell’ has a melancholy yet hopeful melody that is driven by a pretty quick acoustic guitar riff. The guitar riff is complemented by various string instruments that come in and out(which definitely include an electric guitar and a fiddle). This song has an easy-going yet sort of upbeat drum beat that goes so well with the feeling of the instrumental. Samica’s vocals are so luscious and full on this track; they add to the emotional quality of the instrumental and make it all-encompassing. On ‘Hurts Like Hell,’ Samica is reminiscing about someone whom she can not get over. She would rather wait for this person to return to her than try to be with anyone else. ‘Antidote’ is a soft Folk-Country song that puts the focus on how talented of a vocalist Samica is. The first half or so of the song is acoustic, with the melody being solely provided by a downtrodden acoustic guitar riff. As the song progresses, string instruments and what sounds like synths come in, making the instrumental fuller and fuller until it comes to a climax at the end. Most of this track does not have a beat, with a soft drum beat coming in near the finish of the song that helps round out the track. Because of how low-key the instrumental is, the focus is put on Samica’s vocal performance, which is exquisite in this song. She shows off how wide her range is on ‘Antidote,’ hitting high and low notes with ease. Her warm tone adds a layer of emotion to ‘Antidote’ that makes it feel all-encompassing. In ‘Antidote,’ Samica sings to her crush, stating that they help her forget all of the heartbreak she has experienced in the past and that they make her feel happy and free. Samica closes out this little project with the aforementioned ‘Hollywood.’ This is the most lively track on the project, containing an upbeat Country-Pop sound that will make anyone want to dance and party the night away. I am not going to write much else about this track here because I want you to go back and read what I had to say about it before. I will say, though, that ‘Hollywood’ is a fun and free track that shows a different side to Samica’s artistry than what we see on the previous two tracks, and it proves how wide-ranging a Country-Pop musician Samica is becoming.

With the three tracks in her Hurts Like Hell single EP(and with all of the other music she has released this year), it is easy to see that Samica is truly a blossoming star in Country-Pop music. Her voice fits this kind of music super well, and her lyricism makes her so relatable and easy to connect to. Artists like Samica are a perfect example of why TikTok is such an awesome place for discovering new music. It is really great that musicians can use their other skills to attract fans on that app and use the attraction they get to lead fans to their music. Hopefully, Samica will continue to grow on TikTok, so more and more people get exposed to how great of a musician she is. Hurts Like Hell is a high-quality collection of tracks that prove Samica is a Country-Pop artist who deserves a lot more notoriety, and these songs make me so excited to keep following her and see how she progresses with her music in the future.