By Ron Powers

Light It Up by Katelyn Macs

I was recently talking to a friend of mine in the music business who knows I am always looking for outstanding new artists to review. He said, “Light It Up, Katelyn Macs, check it out”.  Well my friend is very successful and knowledgeable and a very good judge of talent, so I wasted no time in finding the song on Spotify and saving it to my favorite pop playlist. Now I’m here telling you about a song I can’t stop listening to.

It was a surprise to learn that Light It Up is Katelyn Macs’ first single. The quality of this track is truly amazing. Katelyn steps directly into the big league of pop music here. Competition in the music business is intense. Every day there are over 40,000 new songs uploaded to streaming services. Standing out has never been more of a challenge. However, if Macs continues to release tracks of this caliber, there is absolutely nothing that can stop her.

The chorus for Light It Up is what hooked me. It reminds me a little of Shake It Off by Taylor Swift. Katelyn Macs’ melodies are very memorable. In fact, I found myself singing along to the chorus before I finished the song for the first time. Light It Up is the kind of track that stays in your head for days. So, be prepared to enjoy yourself. This song does not disappoint.

Top 40 Billboard charting rapper “Waka Flocka Flame” is featured alongside Macs on Light It Up. These two talented artists complement each other well. There’s a clear synergy between them which has resulted in an instant pop gem. Katelyn Macs’ smooth and cool vocal delivery mixes well with Waka’s aggressive and seasoned flow. This collaboration is more evidence that Macs is ready to play in the big leagues.

The music for Light It Up is composed of a buzzing sub bass, catchy synth melodies, and sampled drum and perception sounds. For me, the most interesting thing about the music is the sound of the chords. They were created by routing recordings of Macs’ voice into a keyboard. This effectively turned her voice into a synthesizer. It’s an incredibly creative idea and is part of why Light It Up impresses me so much.

The production for this song is world class. Every element sits perfectly in the mix. Often, when I listen to music, I notice little things here and there that could have been done differently. Even when it’s music I like a lot there’s always something that could be done better. That’s why I’m a little nonplussed with this song. I can’t find a single thing wrong with it. Katelyn and her team really attended to every last detail.

I look forward to hearing what this up and coming artist cooks up in the future.  If Light It Up is any indicator of what is to come, Katelyn’s star is sure to rise fast. If you’d like to learn more about Katelyn, you can find her on Instagram. If you’d like to hear her music, you can find her on Spotify, Apple Music, and most digital music services.