Voodoo by Badshah & J Balvin
A good attempt to take Indipop rap to the next international level. But it’s an average song that leverages a unique melodic sound and international star power to become an airplay hit and go viral.
Badshah finally hits the international stage with their first global collaboration called Voodoo. He’s been sampling and playing with Spanish vibes for a while now, so it seems like a natural progression for him to collaborate. The big thing here is that he roped in lead man and hitmaker J Balvin for his Latin tune with Puerto Rican producer Tainy delivering the beats. What would be interesting about this production is to see if Badshah generalizes by delivering English rap or if it’s more of a song aimed at the desi market and thus making J Balvin a household name. Either way, it’s expected to be a chunky track at the typical 100bpm tempo synonymous with RnB and Latino tracks.
The song opens with the synth melody which has a flute sound but with lots of ethereal echo to give it that haunting character. To top it all off, Badshah adds his very low and deep voice which gives him that dark vibe, especially on the chorus. The vocals are at rock bottom for him and always dissolve into the background bass in parts. But the song changes course when the typical Spanish rhythm drops and layers beautifully with the continuous melody. Balvin’s vocals add a good range to the song as he sounds bubbly and upbeat unlike Badshah’s low voice.
The music is the typical programmed studio mix but the haunting melody is quite unique and new to the dancefloor that will give a new dimension to club nights, especially around Halloween. Beyond that, there’s very little variation or change to the musical track that constantly runs through the song with a few nice programmed drop-off points that give it a bit more excitement. The totally Hindi lyrics make it a song targeted at the Desi market and is clearly not Badshah’s entry into the international market. The lyrics are decent but not amazing, which might be the biggest downside of this song. The songs that have become iconic of Badshah have clearly done so through remarkable lyrics that have a brilliant flow, and this song is not one of them.
The voices of the two artists are also quite average. The video is quite interesting and different in its look, locations and choreography. The totality Voodoo The concept of the video merges Indian and Latino cultures well with the strong predominance in both cultures.
Overall, it’s an average song that leverages its unique melodic sound and international star power to become an airplay hit and go viral. It’s more of a marketing song than a particular musicality, but it certainly has some merit for the dancefloor and it could work for a short stint in clubs through 2022.
BizAsiaLive.com Rating 3.5/5
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.