It was bound to happen. Long derided, the vibrant melodies and synth-heavy sounds that characterised 1990s pop have returned and can be heard again across genres ranging from dance to hip-hop.
Leading the revival charge on the sales front is Thursday’s RedFestDXB headliner Kiesza.
The 26-year-old Canadian – full name Kiesa Rae Ellestad – broke into the charts out of the blue last year with her irresistibly catchy dance-pop single Hideaway.
The UK chart-topper has some of the elements defining the 1990s dance genre: softly cooed ebullient melodies and production that recalls the sorely missed minimal sounds of acid and deep house.
The fact Kiesza was only 11 at the turn of the century was fortuitous, she says, as she was able to look back at the music of her childhood without the smugness or cynicism of those who were clubbing during that era.
So when she says “the 90s has some of the best songs ever written”, she means it.
“Those songs live on for a reason,” she adds. “What I love about them is that artists from that time were channelling really big emotions on top of these edgy dance songs. I feel like I can relate to them.”
Hideaway's success was propelled by its viral video which, since its release a year ago, has been viewed more than 190 million times on YouTube.
Shot in one take on the streets of New York, the Birdman-esque video shows Kiesza singing and dancing through the streets of Williamsburg in Brooklyn.
She says the eye-catching visual style was largely dictated by the meagre budget. “It wasn’t about making something that could hopefully be viral, that’s for sure,” says Kiesza with a laugh. “I had no budget at the time, so my brother filmed it. I just focused on making something that was fun.
“I also like challenging myself so I thought let’s do this in one take with street dance.”
Kiesza says it was the video’s inclusiveness that struck a chord with the public. “I realised that people liked the fact that none of it is perfect,” she says. “I mean there was one part where some of the dancers just run into each other by mistake. I think they almost felt like they could join in the video too and have fun if they wanted.”
Overnight success has potential pitfalls, however. With the growing juggernaut of Hideaway, Kiesza was faced with a challenge many of her 1990s heroes failed to overcome – that of avoiding becoming best remembered as a one-hit wonder (anyone remember Haddaway's second single Life?).
Her follow-up track, the breezy electro-pop tune Giant in My Heart was another UK No 1 and set the scene for her much-anticipated debut album, Sound of a Woman.
Kiesza admits she was relieved when the album was released, as it gave her a chance to showcase a wide pop palette that also includes more modern EDM and R&B sounds.
"I was worried that people would want me to continue doing things like Hideaway," she says. "But now, with the album, people have got to know me another way with all of these different songs.
“I think people are supporting me because they know I work very hard at writing these songs and creating good live shows.”
That’s the perfect cue to chat about her performance at RedFestDXB, and Kiesza says her live set will have plenty of variety.
“I normally start really heavy, with these big dance songs, and then go to these slower songs on the piano and switch it back again,” she says.
“I am all about trying things out to see what works and what doesn’t. I just want to make sure the audience has a full experience.”
Kiesza performs at RedFestDXB tomorrow at 8.05pm, Dubai Media City Amphitheatre. Doors open at 6pm and tickets start at Dh350 from www.timeouttickets.com
[ sasaeed@thenational.ae ]
