Seraphina Simone – Hollywood $$$ (2020)
The world is full of undercurrents where people and places are not what they seem and Hollywood is no exception. This underworld and the draw of fame is the basis of Seraphina Simone’s new single ‘Hollywood $$$’. Using her candid musical style, she considers the palm-lined streets that can make your dreams come true, but take a large price for this. The predatory glitz under all the glamour is on stark display in this single.
To portray this dark world, Simone uses her unique sound mixing influences from her deep-South pastor grandfather to the sounds of her childhood. All of this combines to form sun-drenched tales of heartbreak and longing with a splash of bad decisions. While only her second release, this single transports you into her soundscape where you will get lost in its candid honesty.
‘Hollywood $$$’ gets you into the vibe with deep synths that form a murky bottom layer. These dark undertones remain to form the underbelly of the glitzy higher notes. The higher notes have an almost twinkling to them as they flit across your ears. Together these melodic elements form a driving soundscape that you can easily get swept away by. This works wonderfully with the message of the track while being extremely catchy.
As the melody forms the lurking darkness and the lighter façade, Simone’s vocals tell the tale of people living within this swirling world. Her vocals act as a middle layer for the track sitting above the deep synths, but hovering below those twinkling notes. As she moves through the tale, you are drawn into what she says and you can easily picture every detail. There is this matter of fact feeling to her performance that is great with the subject matter.
Seraphina Simone uses her candid musicality to look at the two faces of fame and fortune in ‘Hollywood $$$’. Her use of deep synths and twinkling higher tones form the two sides while her vocals are the steady middle of the tale.
Find out more about Seraphina Simone on her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
