LISTEN: Lola Young Shares New Single “Ruin My Makeup”
LISTEN: Lola Young Shares New Single “Ruin My Makeup”
The songstress releases personally hard-hitting track.
Words by: Ysabela De Ocampo
Today, Lola Young shares her captivating new single, “Ruin My Makeup.” She conveys an empowering message using her gift for poetic prose and passionate vocal delivery.
“Ruin My Makeup” is bewitching from the get-go. Simple and pulsating guitar strums lay down the pace of the track before Lola Young delivers her opening lines with intense confidence. She sings in with a sense of force in the beginning, the melody in the almost rap or spoken word-like verse is hypnotizing. She shows an array of dynamic vocal capabilities when she kicks into the choruses, “If I cry about you, about love, I’ll only ruin my makeup,” she croons.
After the first chorus, a ridged chord strikes and leads her into the next verse. Tension filled piano add to the urgency of Lola’s vocals. She can go between fierce recitations to a sultry or bellowing cry. And her vocal style has a tinge of her South East London accent. There is strength between the lines of her lyrics and tons of power in her voice. She explains the track, “‘Ruin My Make Up’ is a song I wrote about the duality of a person, well me. I was in a place at the time where I was trying to figure out whether my confidence was hindered by my vulnerability.”
The track is lyrically complex to reflect her duality — a painfully transparent expression from her heart. Lola writes from personal experience and deep honesty about herself in a way that others can also relate. Her choice of words in her poetic lyrics reflect her roots, “It touches on my journey through life, struggling with acceptance whether that be through religion or friends or drugs or, most importantly, through love.” The accompanying video displays Lola at her most vulnerable. Every wince is shown on screen, furthering the depth of the emotion behind the track. She takes the center stage for this straight-to-camera performance.
Lola Young is a 20-year-old South East London native. The artist has been in the studio, recording with producer Paul Epworth [Adele, Mumford & Sons], working on a new collection of tracks. She takes her time reflecting and bearing her soul into her poetry and prose for lyrical content. Her songs make sure there is plenty to dissect. If you’re a sucker for Adele, Amy Winehouse and Sasha Keable, Lola Young is for you. Fiercely independent, the 20-year-old has an undeniable creative focus. Her debut collection of tracks, Intro, and second release, the Renaissance EP, have earned critical acclaim from the likes of British Vogue. The magazine hailed her as an “electrifying live performer and gifted lyricist.” Her soulful, neo-jazz and signature London-twang invents her unique style, making her one to watch.
