Daisy - Hipstar
Hipstar is the debut single from Scottish singer songwriter Daisy. The 17-year old has been writing and recording her own music since she started to learn guitar at the age of 15, and has at last decided to transfer her skills into the professional sphere, after having garnered much praise for her music on her YouTube channel.
The track showcases all that Daisy is about as both an artist and as a person. Her cutting and rather sharp sense of humour and her opinionated persona both shine through in what is a satirical and tongue in cheek look at the world of hipsters. She explores the world of the modern day Instagram hipster, and more importantly the weird effect that they can have on other people who idolise or fall in love with them and their quirky lifestyles. The song takes the point of view of a friend of a girl who has been roped into a relationship with a hipster, before realising it's not all that she had once hoped it would be.
Musically, the track is pleasant, sweet and honest. With no major production and no ensemble to speak of, it's an arrangement that really is all about Daisy herself, a reality that lends itself rather well to the notion of personality and truth behind the cheeky and satirical tones. The majority of the track is made up of just the gentle musings of an acoustic guitar, overlaid with the gentle and intensely sweet tones of the singer's voice. Her voice itself is something that will stand her apart from the crowd, taking on a smooth, high-pitched yet slightly husky tone, but also reaching some impressively high notes throughout.
What will stand Daisy alone, though, is her lyricism and her individualistic style. The vocals are performed in the sort of way that will make her instantly recognisable, with her quick and meandering style of working through each line of the song and the slight twinge of her Scottish accent that comes deliberately shining through just enough to be charming, but not so much that it becomes like the Proclaimers. Her lyrics are written in such a way that they tackle subjects in a modern era without being too serious about them. She sings about fashion, lifestyle and things of note culturally, all the while linking them with an impressive array of imagery beyond her 17 years.
Daisy says: "I just wrote this song about Instagram, really. Does that sound a bit chackit? Nah? Right well, aye, I pure love Instagram, but, but then there's aw these folk on there that totally make me angry and that. Like post pictures of yourself, aye, wee bit of a filter, know? That's cool, but then aw my pals were like fawning over these profiles wi guys that were like taking pictures of all their old crap in their house. Like cassettes and video tapes and that and they were all on like that "Oh my God, he's so cool," and I'm like that "what are ye fuckin' about?" I can't stand when folk are just trying to be cool for the sake of being cool, it's pure dead fake and that. So aye, I wrote this one first as a joke for my pals and I was singing it at them all the time on Skype and that too like take the piss for them being into these hipster geek guys and their weird moustaches. I just thought it was a wee bit funny and quirky, but then my pals were like that "Oh my god, Daisy, that song's pure dead gallus, mate". I was supposed to record this other one cried "Under Your Skin", but then my pals loved this one so I changed my mind and decided to record this one for release first. I do love it now, but. I was trying to do it as a piss-take, like I says, but then it never came out like that. It just came out quite cool, I think.
"On the music....aye, that was something that I wrote quite a long time ago. I don't really sit down and think "aye I'm gonnae write a song now," so they tend to come out in wee bits, you know? Like the guitar bit for this song I probably wrote last year. Normally I'm just sitting there like that pissing about on my guitar and then before I know it there's a song there - just the music like - so I just remember it in case I ever want to use it in the future. Then sometimes I just start playing it and singing along. Then I'm pure running about trying to find my iPhone so I can note the lyrics on there. I always forget them if I don't write them right away, likes. I like the sort of wee quirky sound to this song. It's probably the most showy one I've done yet, if you've seen my YouTube you'll know what I mean, eh? This one is just a bit more complicated on the guitar, but still really quiet and laid back, that's what I was going for, and I tried to muck around with the vocal style to make it more sort of....quick and like different know? It has a bit of a chatty feel to it."
Artist: Daisy
Title: Hipstar
Genre: Acoustic pop
Recorded: Edinburgh, Scotland
Written: Daisy
Produced: Marcus Smith
Album: TBC
Label: UnsignedSounds Like:
He's wearing skinny jeans and a trilby hat,
To her he's cultured but we see through that,
Where's the fun in standing out when you just fit in?
He's another bore with his hair a-quiff,
Tape decks, long legs, what a stiff
Since when was being lonely counted as a win?
And he said
Where's the sense in keeping up
With trends and hashtags, bin the lot
He's over all the things you've come to love
It's afternoon, he's just waking up
And your Xbox game's not good enough
He's looking down on all of us from aboveWas the 80s such a golden age?
When your dreams were confined to the page
And no one knew the things you had to say
He'll only hear her songs on vinyl
That's his word, I guess it's final
She won't be the only one he's driven away
Cos he's got wedges between then and now
Driven deep but there's another row
She just wants to feel that they connect
Lipstick stains that upturned collar
Turns his back to the yankee dollar
The past is not a zombie to resurrect
But he said
Where's the sense in keeping up
With trends and hashtags, bin the lot
He's over all the things you've come to love
It's afternoon, he's just waking up
And your Xbox game's not good enough
He's looking down on all of us from aboveShe hates his beard and the way it itches
Now she's at home repairing stitches
Where's that girl we all knew from the park?
He wants to show her individuality
It's long since he lost a grip on reality
She once was ours but now we're torn apart.
She loves Taylor but he calls her stupid
How was she ever struck by the misfiring Cupid?
I'm over all the things he's made her love
Shaking hips to the sound of ska-punk
But he's turned his nose to all but jazz-funk
Won't someone strike him down from up above?
So he said
Where's the sense in keeping up
With trends and hashtags, bin the lot
He's over all the things you've come to love
It's afternoon, he's just waking up
And your Xbox game's not good enough
He's looking down on all of us from aboveAll we want is for her to come out
But he's more likely I've no doubt
It's all moustache wax and shooting daggers
When she sees sense he's left with zero
Robert Smith can be his hero
Will that be the Cure for something running deep
Maybe if she wasn't trying to impress
She'd ditch the guy and learn to dress
Just how she wants without his obsession
Leading her on and fueling regression
More adolescence leading the head
Not to his heart, just to his bed
It's time to forget the past and just grow old
He's been Peter Pan but there's no gold
No pirate chest to keep him youthful
Looking backward's never useful
But he said
Where's the sense in keeping up
With trends and hashtags, bin the lot
He's over all the things you've come to love
It's afternoon, he's just waking up
And your Xbox game's not good enough
He's looking down on all of us from above
Woah-oh
Where's the sense in keeping up
With trends and hashtags, bin the lot
He's over all the things you've come to love 