The synth bass lick dominating the opening bars of "Taxi," released Thursday by Anda, may sound a bit alarmingly close to Iggy Azalea's 2014 smash "Fancy," but it is what the South Korean singer does when her vocals appear in the mix that defines why she is an artist to watch.
With the uncanny ability to jump from being a sanguine pop chanteuse to a streetwise MC on the mic rarely seen since Lauryn Hill changed the game in the late 1990s, Anda's talent runs deep. And though her new musical backdrop (or even the music video for "Taxi") can't touch the bold and unapologetic approach of her previous two singles since changing her name from Andamiro early last year, the fact that she is given more space to display her formidable rap talent is one of the most redeeming qualities of "Taxi."
Another selling point is the way that Anda can electrify a hook while not needing to be showy or overly emotive with her vocals. In this way, she is less Iggy and more Santigold. And considering that she can deliver a hook or flow with the best of them, she has the power of a one-woman K-pop girl group at her disposal.
Speaking of pop, the only disconcerting thing is Anda's undeniable move toward a more mainstream sound on "Taxi." Let's hope it's the move of just one producer or just another unexpected maneuver and not a signifier of safer work to come.
This artist's gifts is are too great to be wasted cranking out humdrum pop.
With artists like Kendrick Lamar, Killer Mike and M.I.A. bringing challenging work to the mainstream (or closer to Anda's home town) acts like Red Velvet, 4Minute and even Psy not being afraid to weird out, let's hope she will join them in not dumbing down her vision.
Watch the music video for the new single "Taxi" from South Korean vocalist Anda (formerly Andamiro) RIGHT HERE
