But before I dissect them, I will state that no, I do not think that the premature leaks of both songs were a publicity stunt. Since we've had to wait over a year to hear new material from both Katy and Gaga, there were going to be some impatient fans out there, ones that couldn't wait a second longer. It is so easy to hack someone nowadays, so I'm not surprised at all that the songs were leaked, I'm really excited actually. But even so, the hackers suck, it costs the artist and the consumer money.
Anyway, back to the discussion at hand, what do I think of both songs?
Let's take apart "Roar", first, shall we?
I'll first address the chief criticism lodged against it, that it sounds exactly like Sara Bareilles' "Brave". When hearing both songs, I definitely knew where this criticism comes from, but I do not think that Katy intended to rip off Sara. Mainly because of the simple fact that both songs were released in only a couple months of each other, and both artists made their 2013 albums at the same time, so I think that the comparisons between "Roar" and "Brave" are purely coincidental. However, I will point out one thing, the big reason why both songs sound the same (this also applies to "Born This Way" and "Express Yourself"...but I will never say that former is a rip-off of the latter): "Roar" and "Brave" have the exact same chord progression. This actually explains it all, since both songs move in the same way, obviously alot of their sounds and accompaniments are going to sound similar as well. But anyway, "Roar" by itself I think is both good and bad. What I like about it, is that it's one of the few songs when Katy doesn't sink to crass and rude depths just to sell a track. Like "Part of Me" and "Wide Awake", "Roar" is a harmless self-empowerment song that does what it's supposed to. It has a catchy chorus, a throbbing beat, and can I also point out that it captures her best singing ever??!! I've never heard Katy this confident in her vocals in well, ever. All of its good moments overshadow the fact that "Roar" doesn't sound that different than her old material. Also, it's kind of disappointing that this is the best that she could come up with after three years between albums (and over a year between singles). She said that she's evolved and that she went through a change in the past year, which is reflected in her mood and message, but not in her music. If anything, "Roar" is brought down a bit by how slow-burning it is. It has to grow on you before you can truly appreciate it. But then again, that's also part of its brilliance, how un-immediate it is makes it one of her best songs.
Now on to Lady Gaga's "Applause"
So Lady Gaga also faced some significant shifts in her life over the last two years. After "Marry the Night" flopped in late 2011, she embarked on the Born This Way Ball Tour, but had to cancel it prematurely due to synovitis. This also had an impact of the recording of "ARTPOP", her third album, as the release date was pushed back several times. We finally received word of an official release date in July, and because of the built-up anticipation, the lead single "Applause" was leaked one week before its scheduled release. Obviously, there was alot of hype surrounding the song, as it's given the duty of setting up "ARTPOP" for us. At least, that's what lead singles are supposed to do. Unfortunately, "Applause" was under so much hype, that there was a guaranteed sense of anti-climax upon the first listen. Since we're in the thick of the EDM era, Lady Gaga follows suit and "Applause" is a standard issue EDM track, tricked out with weird pop culture references, analogies, and an 80s vibe for good measure. Once again, the song does what it's intended to do, it's chorus is insanely catchy, it's going to be a club hit within the next month or so, and there's no audible auto-tune here, so it's not like Gaga's chasing down modern trends, she's just willing to use them for her benefit. I have to say I love the ending, it's in your face and unabashed, typical Gaga traits. However, that can't be said for the beginning, which is kind of depressing, since its so formless and bland. The verses are ok, they're not effortless like "Poker Face" or "Bad Romance", and it seems that Gaga might be trying a bit too hard to be left-field. That's the main source of disappointment with "Applause", it's not out-there or experimental like Gaga was promising "ARTPOP" to be, and she might be in trouble if this song is the best that she could do. But as I said before, just because it's a lead single, doesn't mean that's the entire album, and honestly, I think more varied and layered material awaits us on "ARTPOP", Gaga just wanted to further build anticipation for it. I don't know about you, but I'm still excited!!
From reading Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, I can tell that generally, the masses are a little let down by both "Roar" and "Applause". But that's to be expected when you hype an artist so much, it gets to the point where nothing they do will be good enough. Like I said, they're both great songs, they're not fantastic, but after a 1-2 year wait, I'm pumped for both Katy Perry and Lady Gaga's returns. According to Billboard, "Roar" is eyeing for a number one debut on this week's Hot 100, "Applause" is looking for a top-ten debut. Unsurprisingly, Katy will edge out Gaga as far as performance their singles go, because everybody loves Katy Perry, Lady Gaga is debated, not loved by all the masses. It could also be because of the fact that Katy isn't looking to be on the vanguard, she just wants to make fun music. But Lady Gaga wants to be more, she wants to be a trendsetter and revolutionize. Needless to say, in regards to what was expected of both songs: "Roar" satisfies, while "Applause" fails.
In the end though, after listening to them on repeat, I will give them both a solid
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