Los Angeles-based artist Karina Magallon has released her latest single, “Secret Lover,” a sexy, bilingual Latin-pop track that is simultaneously classic and modern. After just one listen, the true secret is revealed – Karina is oozing with talent.
Let’s first focus on the glaringly obvious – Karina Magallon has a lot of weapons. “Secret Lover” alone features genre-mixing, both English and Spanish lyrics, and a brief cameo of Karina’s whistle register, a vocal technique often associated with lesser-known indie artists Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande. It follows a classic pop song form and it benefits from that. It doesn’t bother experimenting with structure or inventing something new because it doesn’t need to. It offers breathing room for the lyrics and allows Magallon to build this story without distraction. Not to mention this modernized 1960s-era bossa nova vibe they’ve created, a fantasy Antonio Carlos Jobim-Doja Cat collab that we didn’t know we needed. It immediately takes you out of this world and into some other better place; warmer and dreamier than the one we’re in now.
This song exemplifies the power of music. It’s the cleanest drug, designed to give our brains a little rush of the good stuff to take us away from the bad stuff even if just for a few minutes. Karina Magallon and “Secret Lover” live in another world and every listen is an invitation to their haven. It’s a dopamine mini-bomb that delivers every time, whenever you need it most. It’s warm and inviting, it just sounds like a safe place. That’s what makes this a great song.
Karina has a great treasure in her possession with her ability to cross genres, and the possibilities for her are endless. “Secret Lover” is just one example of this and it should be all the reason you need to keep an eye on this artist.
Written by Tim Clark
FOLLOW KARINA MAGALLON
