Ever since Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's socially-conscious single "Same Love" hit the air-waves, I became slightly obsessed with the crooning melody of the chorus. Sure, the song itself was great and had a powerful message of acceptance and love for all people regardless of race and orientation, but the voice belonging to the one and only Mary Lambert was what hooked me onto the song. Generally, I dislike the abrasive riffs of rap, but I could listen to that one song over and over again because of her.
Two years later, Mary Lambert had been nominated for two awards, released two extended plays, is now anticipating the release of her first studio album, "Heart On My Sleeve" (October 14th), and is headlining a tour. For someone to go from providing a minimal yet emotionally-driven refrain in a song to all of these achievements is astounding. I cannot imagine the kind of roller coaster Mary has been going through, but she has certainly been kept busy, and is clearly loving every bit of it (her Facebook and Twitter posts have expressed that much).
She looks so genuinely happy about everything! It's contagious!
Mary Lambert's music and songwriting style has been compared to artists such as Tori Amos and Adele, however her artistic expression could very well become its own pop category. She has brought spoken-word poetry into the spotlight in her extended plays ("Letters Don't Talk", "Welcome To The Age Of My Body"), an art form that is reminiscent of rap yet significantly more demonstrative of the emotion behind each word or phrase, rather than spewing them out at record speeds (congrats on that world record, Eminem!). Whether Mary will continue that trend in her new album or succumb to mainstream pop tunes is something we'll have to wait and see when it is released.
Personally, I'm hoping to hear more of her impassioned poems of self-worth and empowerment. Music has been known to be used as an outlet for therapeutic methods, and Mary Lambert's honest and unabashed lyrical stories reveal that music is her go-to method when she needs to release her inner-demons. She has already expressed so much when it comes to her early-childhood trauma and hardships growing up, and she's still going! That consistent smile on her face just goes to show how powerful music has over an individual; while she's healing herself with musical expression, she's helping fans and first-time listeners with confronting their own imperfections. One of her new singles, "Secrets", is a catchy example of Mary acknowledging quite a few of her personality traits, and throwing them out there without regard of the stigmas associated with them.
Let it out. Ugly crying is allowed.
The timing of Mary Lambert's music could not have been better. With stories of bullying, and the fluctuating paradigm of sexuality and gender rising up to the headlines, there is a need for the people affected in the above issues to find relief and acceptance. Like Lady Gaga did with her "little monsters", Mary is influencing a new generation of millennials to become more emboldened with their self-perception and to recognize the flaws of main-stream America. From the majority of the songs released so far, Mary's tunes exhibit her bipolar disorder, ranging from peppy upbeats to somber acoustic accompaniments; not to mention, she has also publicly revealed her mental disorder numerous times. Her public confessions have reached out to those who are ashamed of whatever mental or physical ailments they have. She also proven through the power of music to persons who are ignorant of such matters that there is no shame in expressing oneself: "Hey, there's an overweight, bipolar lesbian singing about her problems, and she is successful and happy despite it all!" That alone should tell everyone that despite the social norms instilled in our culture, everyone is capable of rising above their dark secrets and find solace in one another through public expression.
Overall, I'm very excited for "Heart On My Sleeve" to come out because, quite honestly, I have listened to the few singles that have been released from the album hundreds of times already and cannot get enough of it all. Mary Lambert's poetic (and at times blunt) lyrics linked with emotive musical accompaniment brings about a much-needed turn in the pop music scene, one that is more than just background noise and messages of getting your sexy on. Through her music, Mary Lambert is more than just the next rising pop star; she doubles as your inner-voice that tells you it's ok to be sad, and as your best friend who shares the same insecurities as you do.
