Welcome back to “Leading Ladies‰Û!

I‰’m super stoked to get back to writing about some amazingly talented women in music

from all over the world. To get things started, here‰’s a sample of what I‰’m still obsessed

with in 2016.

Eryn Allen Kane – “Have Mercy‰Û

Courtesy of Complex

You might‰’ve already heard this Chicago-based singer on her collabs with Prince and

Chance the Rapper. You might‰’ve already listened to debut EP “Aviary:Act 1‰” since it

came out last year. But if you‰’re like me and you‰’ve just discovered the Internet, “Have

Mercy‰” was her debut single that instantly got me hooked.

When I first heard this song, my acne disappeared, I grew a foot taller and I learned

how to fly. That‰’s the power of Eryn Allen Kane‰’s voice. She sings with her entire being

and can transport listeners into another, more spiritual dimension. Her vocal control is

impressive; she dips into syrupy low notes and soars into roaring highs. The layers of

her background vocals flow fittingly with her main vocals, rushing until it‰’s a waterfall of

the most soulful singing of 2015. At no point during this awakening do you ever want to

go back to sleep.

Santigold – “Can‰’t Get Enough Of Myself feat. B.C‰Û

Courtesy of YouTube

My body has been non-stop buzzing since I learned Santigold was coming out with a

new album this year. “Master of My Make-Believe‰” dropped in 2012 and she did a song

for the Paper Towns movie last year but an album? We‰’ve been in this Santigold-

drought for too long.

So when “Can‰’t Get Enough of Myself‰” got released as the first single for the new

album, “99墉۝, it gave me all the Santigold goodness I‰’ve been deprived of for so long.

The beat is carefree and sunshine and the lyrics are blithely confident, which can either

be taken as a comment on our current narcissistic state or she is just truly feeling

herself and she really should be. Best played while skipping to the corner store for ice

cream or hanging upside down on monkey bars.

Carly Rae Jepsen – “Boy Problems‰Û

Courtesy of  USA TODAY

Carly Rae Jepsen has truly proven herself a masterful pop musician with her third and

best album to date, “Emotion‰Û. It was the pop album of 2015. She knows how to make a

hook, she knows how to have fun, and she knows how to sound like your sincere-and-

loyal best friend.

“Boy Problems‰” has an 80s pop feel that‰’s prevalent throughout the album but the best

part is that Jepsen (I want to call her Carly Rae but I don‰’t think we‰’re at that level yet)

isn‰’t really singing about boys, she‰’s singing about her friend that she‰’s pretty sure she‰’s

annoyed with all of her boy problems. Jepsen is doing a PSA on how to be self-aware

and value friendship as much — if not more — than romantic relationships. Because your

partners will come and go but your best friend? That‰’s your soul mate. (Unless you‰’re

one of those lucky people who have fallen successfully in love with your best friend in

which case, take care and enjoy the rest of the album!)