Matangi is an indie-artist who was born in India and grew up in Montreal. She describes her musical influences as a combination of her family’s culture, k-pop, and her late music teacher who fostered her love for songwriting and producing. Released on November 29, 2024, Matangi began teasing her debut single on her Instagram page during the week leading up to its drop.
Nexus: A Review
On my initial listen, I was charmed and confused by the single—in a good way. I could feel a lot of creative expression and artistry throughout the track, but I wanted to know why. Craving a more definitive understanding, I listened to the track a few more times, carefully trying to decipher meaning from its bars. Discordant instrumentals paired with beautiful vocal lines, cryptic lyrics with varying levels of articulation. Some vocal lines sound like a siren, beautiful with unclear intents, while others are so clear, full. and easily understood. Darker and mysterious tones give way to more light, hopeful phases. These stylistic choices read like an internal battle the singer faces, further supported by the motif of angels and frequent references to truth and lies. The structure of the song is quite unique– in pop music, the most common forms are AABA and ABABCB. To translate, A symbolizes the verses, B the chorus and C the bridge. An example of AABA fork in a pop song is “Apple” by Charli xcx and an example of ABABCB form is Sabrina Carpenter’s hit “Espresso”. Nexus, however would be more accurately described as following a pattern of ABABC, omitting the final chorus(es) many songs use to signal their conclusion, leaving the listener to feel as though the song is incomplete or never ending.
Words From The Artist: Speaking With Matangi
When asked for comments Matangi happily provided insights to her song, her artistry and her background. She explained that “Nexus is about living with OCD and the internal battle it brings.” Matangi elaborated that it personifies intrusive thoughts, “…as an ‘entity’ that tries to take control…” while the singer fights back, with the first half being the entity’s advances and the second half being her fighting back. Matangi added “My favorite part is the transition where the shift in power happens. It feels cathartic to me.”
When asked about the creation of Nexus, she confessed that she often doubts herself and won’t release music, so she collaborated with a producer to hold herself accountable to release the finished track, which is now available on Spotify and Youtube. Matangi also added that she commissioned an artist she met on Instagram for the cover art.
As for upcoming projects, Matangi replied that she’s already working on new music and hopes to release a track in coming months. She also stated that she’d “…love for Nexus to be part of a larger project, but for now, I’m focused on releasing tracks and seeing which ones resonate with me the most.”
References
Brady, S., Hanenberg, S., Kocur, J., Langolf, L., Moseley, B., Shaffer, K., … Lavengood, M. (2021). Introduction to form in popular music. Retrieved from https://viva.pressbooks.pub/openmusictheory/chapter/intro-to-form-in-popular-music/
Songwriting 101: Learn common song structures – 2024. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.masterclass.com/articles/songwriting-101-learn-common-song-structures