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Music Picks: Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae Jepsen: Dedicated Side B PHOTOS: BLACKOUT AGENCY, CARLY RAE JEPSEN/FACEBOOK, MARQUEE SINGAPORE, ZOUK
Zushan
DJ Marlo
DJ San Holo

DANCE-POP

DEDICATED SIDE B

Carly Rae Jepsen

4 stars

It is hard to believe that Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen's latest surprise album drop - filled with joyous, sparkling pop songs - is essentially a collection of songs that did not make it into her previous album, Dedicated (2019).

Granted, she had 200 songs written for Dedicated to choose from, but there are some real gems on this B-side that stay in the same "modern take on 1980s synth-pop" vein.

Within that sphere, she still manages to show off her range.

This Is What They Say, co-written with English singer Dev Hynes (also known as Blood Orange), is an instant R&B earworm straight out of the late 1980s, while the floaty, atmospheric Heartbeat is an affecting, slow burner of a ballad, complete with tinkling piano keys.

Back-to-back songs, Felt This Way ("How come I can't stay away?") transitions into Stay Away with the same lyrical refrain of "How can I stay away?", almost like showing off how good she can make two different songs sound, with similar themes and lyrics.

Amid the doom and gloom of a global pandemic, her brand of positive pop music is a much-needed salve.

BLACKOUT BROADCAST X FOODBANK FUND-RAISER

Singapore-based house and techno music party organiser Blackout Agency is bringing together DJs from Singapore and around the globe for a fund-raiser for The Food Bank Singapore, which currently provides 10,000 meals daily.

Unlike virtual parties where you can see the DJ spinning, this will be audio only.

Expect eight hours of uninterrupted DJ mixes from local DJs like Brendon P and Zushan as well as Gilles Wasserman (United States) and Nuno Dos Santos (the Netherlands).

Donations can be made via bit.ly/2yyIhei.

WHERE: twitch.tv/ blackoutagencyasia WHEN: Today, noon to 8pm INFO: bit.ly/3d9MTGM

MARQUEE ONE LIVE WITH MARLO

Singapore's largest nightclub Marquee is keeping the virtual party going with its weekly Marquee ONE Live series after its first anniversary party last week.

Dutch trance DJ Marlo kicks it off today with a set streamed live from Sydney.

Future international guest DJs lined up include Dannic, Dash Berlin, Blasterjaxx and Paul Van Dyk.

WHERE: twitch.tv/marqueesingapore WHEN: Today, 8 to 10pm INFO: marqueesingapore.com

ZOUK PHUTURESCAPES

A series of three virtual parties spanning three time zones by Zouk and the Singapore Tourism Board kicks off this weekend, from today to Sunday.

The full line-up has some of the biggest names in dance music, such as renowned American DJ Diplo and Dutch DJ San Holo, alongside local rapper Yung Raja, electronic artist Jasmine Sokko and singer Benjamin Kheng.

Join the cyber partying from home via Zoom or Facebook and YouTube livestreams.

WHERE: Zouk: facebook.com/zouksingapore and youtube.com/user/ZoukClubSingapore; STB: facebook.com/VisitSingaporeOfficial and youtube.com/user/YourSingapore INFO: Register at bit.ly/zoukphuturescapes

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 29, 2020, with the headline Music Picks: Carly Rae Jepsen. Subscribe