Artist Overview: Hailey Knox

My second request came to me in the form of a Facebook post shared with me. A friend of mine sent this post of a New York Radio Station talking about a young New York artist named Hailey Knox. To quote the publication, "She's the living proof that World Class Rock is alive and well in New York's Back Yard" and I, honestly, couldn't disagree more. If Hailey Knox is considered "Rock", then we can safely say that Rock music as part of the social consciousness is dead. However, false advertising or trying to keep a genre on life support by using the term as loosely as possible, is not what is of relevance, but whether is Hailey Knox any good or not. Is she?

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I'll dive straight into her music because I can't find any information about her, so I can't tell you who she is. It seems she is mostly a YouTuber who got a chance to release an album and got a record deal with S-Curve Records and I'll be honest and straightforward: I am unimpressed. Before I trash talk Hailey, let's give credit where credit is due. She has talent as a guitar player and singer and if she writes her own music (which it seems she does) then she is also a talented song writer. The first song I've heard was a live version of "Geeks" and is very bluesy and honestly I love it (both the live version and the studio version). In both versions it has a solid guitar work, finger picking mostly, which gives it a very chill and distinct sound. In the studio version there is a string ensemble which honestly I find completely unnecessary because they bring nothing to the song. There is no fill, no build-up, in general, no need for the strings. Her song "Awkward" is more generic a pop song. While I feel is better put together than "Geeks" is less distinguishable and could be song by anyone. It sounds like another collaboration between Clean Bandit and Jess Glyne, or like a watered down Kelly Clarkson song (which for the record, being compared to Kelly Clarkson is not a compliment). While I'm still with "Awkward" I probably should point out that this video is either a Rip-off or a tribute of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues". Considering that these songs have no apparent relationship, I find it suspicious.

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Other songs in her album "A Little Awkward" are not bad, but pretty forgettable. They are catchy enough to get stuck in your head for about 2 minutes after the song ends but that's about it. "Loopty Loop" is alright, "My Worst Enemy" is more of a lounge guitar  ballad. Honestly, this is what "Geeks" should've been like (studio). It's good but not extraordinaire but certainly a song where Hailey took advantage of her strong points. "Take it or Leave it" is just, uh... Let's just skip this one. Although the chorus is the best part of the song thanks mostly to baseline. It reminds me of a song by Mägo de Oz named "Al-Mejandria" which the song is pretty much forgettable but the chorus hits you so hard that you get sucked in the instant it kicks in, but unlike "Al-Mejandria" I don't think the chorus is enough to save this song.

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Lyrically? Personality? What is Hailey's persona? Well, I've seen this shtick before. To put it simple, Hailey Knox is to Blues what Tatlor Swift was to Country. Her appeal is the "geeky girl next door" and I've seen this before. In fact, as soon as I first saw her, Taylor Swift jumped right into my head (which is not necessarily a bad thing). She at the very least she is trying to do something different than her Pop Music Peers, and I say that because the rest of her YouTube page are pop covers and the only information I found is that she is labeled, indeed, as "Pop" (yes, the radio station is a total liar) and lately pop music has been a snore after an other. Not that Hailey's music is particularly intense or anything but at least sounds like music that's not from a supermarket, an elevator, or a hotel lobby (well, for the most part). Her songs do have a chill and relaxed vibe, but because of the writing, the subject maters, and the style and influences in her music, it works.
Just like "One Dance", even if I fall asleep listening to this, is the subject matter that allows that "low energy" to work in favor of the song and not against it.

Hailey Knox hasn't released much but I think it's pretty solid for her first album. I don't know if I'd be eager to listen to what she releases next, but I would certainly not mind to get her in the Pop charts instead of other artists like Shawn Mendez, Drake, Justin Bieber, The Chainsmokers, or any bloody twat that gets a hit song because of stupid Vines, just to name a few. Hailey is not my cup of tea, but she definitely deserves more recognition and a thumbs up!