By Clare Kim

Pop music is notorious for being the people-pleaser: fun, simple, basic. No one claims that pop is their favorite genre of music, especially in this day and age when being “different” is the best thing to be. You might hear people say, “I like to listen to alternative folk rap,” or “I’ve been really into this new underground techno hip-hop group,” or “I only listen to feminist, male, European rappers…”  I am not judging. I am all about enlarging our musical palates, but I am also convinced that Mapei’s new album, Hey Hey, will remind you of the bubbly magic of pop. It is not simplistic; it is the farthest thing from basic. Hey Hey is the accumulation of the sweet, sweet sounds that our human ears  innately crave. It is pop and it is incredible.

Late in 2013, Mapei’s single, “Don’t Wait” caught fire in the online music world. Spreading into all music sharing websites and, most notably, hitting number one on the Hype Machine charts, this song was everywhere. All the reviews were universally positive, praising Mapei for creating a piece of pop genius without falling into the traps of plain lyricism. Then, she disappeared, leaving all of her newly created fans confused and disappointed.

A year has passed, and Mapei is back, introducing her full length debut album on npr.org. This album has soul, funk, irresistible acoustics and engaging poetry, all enveloped in the translucent film of pop. It has the spunk of classic pop music with the intense complexity found in the meshing and blending of different sounds found in other genres. The upbeat song, “Come on Baby” keeps your heart racing as techno-babble is met with a strong chorus and rap break. Then the slower, but just as catchy, “As 1” soothes you into a mellow zen, beginning with clean piano and bubbly synthetic bursts.

Listening to this album is fun. The delicate but dynamic songs leave you smiling, swaying and happy.

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Clare Kim is a Staff Writer for The Fordham Ram.