Nathan Sykes’ new single is a hit
Sykes’ second single as a solo-artist, “Kiss Me Quick” sets hopeful precedent for his revamped career.
Most well known for his time in English-Irish boyband “The Wanted,” Nathan Sykes is not unfamiliar with stardom. He was recognized for his vocal talent as early as six years old. Sykes won several competitions, including Britney Spears’ “Karaoke Kriminals” and The Door Youth Project’s Undiscovered Youth Contest before his eighth birthday. At sixteen, Sykes auditioned for “The Wanted,” and became its youngest member.
After five years and two number one hits, the boy band announced they would be on hiatus to pursue solo endeavors. Though the other members haven’t shied from the public eye, participating in various T.V. specials and charity events, Sykes is the only one to debut an album.
Set to launch this fall, Sykes’s album is more motown than “The Wanted’s” techno-pop. The most popular single released from his new, yet to be titled, album, “Kiss Me Quick,” rested comfortably for twelve weeks on Billboard’s top 25 Dance Club Songs.
The hit single showcases Sykes’ vocal talent beautifully, with many riffs and shifts in key. The song’s beat combines Usher’s R&B sound with buoyant fifties-style harmonies.
The video for “Kiss Me Quick” has been popular so far, with more than 2.5 million views on YouTube in five months. Sykes swings through the video in alternating black and white backdrops, donned in a form-fitting black suit jacket. The video features four different drummers and more than twenty brass accompanists.
Part of the video takes place in a dark airplane hangar with flashing lights. The setting, reclaimed from “Backstreet Boys,” “I Want it That Way”, is more reminiscent of his boy band days than his solo career.
The video itself is not particularly captivating, and with so many different camera angles I felt dizzy. But, it’s worth the watch just to compare Sykes’ physique to his incredible voice. Taking all this into mind, I give “Kiss Me Quick” A-.
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