Kaya Bahia – Singles
Kaya Bahia – Closure – Album Sampler/Singles Review
Wow!
Believe me, as much as I might like to think that after spending so much time listening to music, I could have some kind of advantage in being able to identify the future superstars of tomorrow…I feel like anyone out there would be able to listen to Kaya Bahia and recognize the supreme X-factor talent she possesses. No joke folks – I put on a single called “Heard & Unheard” from this album sampler I’ve got here, which contains a handful of singles from her brand-new record called Closure, and to say I was blown away would put me in the running for understatement of the year. I am in AWE of what Bahia is capable of, truly. In fact the only thing I felt like I had some reservations about, was whether or not I felt like it was her songwriting, or the performance she put into “Heard & Unheard” that I loved more. This incredible artist’s stunning voice and spellbinding hooks work their magic on you instantly on this first sample from Closure that I clicked on, and lemme tell ya, no matter how much of an impact that Kaya makes immediately on “Heard & Unheard,” she will go on to reveal next-level talent for the craft that you’re likely not even prepared for. I’m literally not kidding y’all…to say that she takes a song like this from good to great doesn’t even cover it – “Heard & Unheard” was great from the very start, but where she takes it through the hooks she’s put into the chorus & the way that she sings it, takes this song from great to all-out phenomenal. I LOVE moments like these! Honestly, it’s finding talents like Kaya’s that has always been the inspiration to get outta bed in the morning each and every day, but it’s moments like these, where it SEEMS like I’m writing in hyperbole, that I get to sit back here smugly, knowing that you’ll eventually click onto her music out of curiosity, and realize I’ve been tellin’ ya the gospel truth the whole damn time. You’re going to get to the main hooks of “Heard & Unheard,” and hear the profound way that Kaya connects the powerful emotion within her lyricism to the sound of her voice, and I’ll 100% guarantee that you’re every bit as impressed as I was to hear Kaya Bahia’s music for the very first time.
I had to ask myself, what could she do for an encore? Could my opinion of Kaya go any further up than I already assessed her as an artist? I’ll be real with ya & say that, I genuinely felt like “Heard & Unheard” is one of those rare, savagely special tunes that you’re gonna be lucky to stumble onto in one lifetime, so no…personally, I didn’t really expect whatever I’d click on next would resonate with me quite as much, but yes, I did expect the next track would certainly confirm Bahia’s high caliber as an artist. Which I’m proud to report, it did. I clicked on “I Changed For You” and immediately felt that Kaya had proven me right to feel as strongly about her as an artist as I have been so far. Quality & performance-wise, “I Changed For You” is every bit as consistent as I was hoping it would be, and while I would still stand behind “Heard & Unheard” as being the stronger of the first two cuts I experienced from Kaya’s catalog, this second song was by no means any kind of downgrade. Heck, I might even argue that the fundamentals of the songwriting and her lyricism might even be stronger on “I Changed For You,” even though I feel like “Heard & Unheard” has the advantage of that time-stopping wow-factor of hearing something you can’t ignore in terms of its main hooks. What I love about “I Changed For You” is that Bahia takes on what I’d consider to be a crucial aspect of relationships and why they break so very often. “I Changed For You” is literally about what its title would have you thinking about, but really highlights how detrimental that can be in a relationship. We’ve all met those people that get their essence fully absorbed by another person, right? Now think of how truly damn strange that is. Somebody met that person, was attracted to the person they were, decided to be with that person in whatever capacity, and then that same person decides to change into someone else, thereby negating all of the reasons that there was an attraction to begin with. Sounds crazy, right? Yet we ALL know someone that has done this…I guarantee it. Be who you are…that’s all that ever matters, and what Kaya reminds us about here. By recognizing that “I won’t change for love again, not if it costs me who I am” on “I Changed For You,” she’s not only shown her own growth, but created an empowering song that others can learn from too.
Alright…so…she’s clearly got the beginning and middle of her Closure album locked down tight. I moved towards the end of the singles I’ve got, to see how she’d finish this record off in its final four tracks. I’m not gonna claim we found a crack in her armor, because I don’t quite feel like that, but sure, it’s fair to say that if I was comparing these songs to one another, that “From Far Away” was a very distant third place when stacking it against the first two tracks I’ve heard from Kaya Bahia. Look at it this way…she’s already attempting a TON in her breakout year as a professional artist…she released her first single and EP at the start of 2025, and is already back with a FIFTEEN song album on Closure only months later. Not only is that a monumentally tall task to begin with, but as you regular readers know, I think there are about three perfect albums with more than twelve songs on’em. So for sure, it’d be silly of me to think that a fifteen-track debut record would beat the odds in that regard, and I’d never put that kind of pressure on Kaya with expectations as lofty as that. All I wanted to hear, is that she’s as consistently awesome with her performances, and “From Far Away” still put the spotlight on her flawless ability to own each syllable she sings. I’m happy enough with that. Every album has an ebb & flow to it, and not every song can be our favorite, right? “From Far Away” is a good tune, and with the performance that Bahia’s put in, it could EASILY still be YOUR favorite song on this album as much as any of these tracks could be…so if it IS, then turn it on up. I look at it this way…she’s got a metric TON of sincerity in what she writes about and the melodies she sings…and the contrast of the beat on “From Far Away” might have not been as strong of a pairing with that, from my perspective. Like, to me, the most powerful moments of this track are either in the opening verse, or in the breakdown, because that’s where the peppy beat dissipates, and we’re left with that stunning voice of hers to carry the weight of our interest, which she has no problem doing. It can take a while before we realize where our main strengths are as artists & creative individuals, and we tend to try a whole lot of things towards the start of a music career before tapping into what will work best for us and what resonates the most with the listeners out there.
The main thing, is really that she’s not letting herself down…like…at all. She should be extraordinarily proud of what she’s accomplished already in such a short amount of time, and how confident she’s come out sounding in these songs she’s written for Closure, where the emotions seem to fluctuate between being strong in rebuilding, and the fragility of how love can try to break us entirely. I really love what she’s got on “Rise Again” – this is that confidence I was referring to…where you can hear that Kaya has indeed, been through some shit, but she’s not only survived it, she’s come out stronger on the other side of it all. “The weight is lifting, the dark is through,” as she says on “Rise Again” – and I firmly believe you’ll find the optimism she’s found authentically inspiring. We all get knocked down at some point in time, but it’s all about how we “Rise Again,” determined to not let that one experience go on to define who we are forevermore. I like that “Rise Again” shines a bright light on her resilient spirit, and how it’s bound to serve as a blueprint for others to heal & understand that no matter how dark things might seem to get, as long as you keep moving forward somehow, that better days are still ahead. Kaya has got a highly relatable theme on “Rise Again” that is bound to connect to a whole lotta hears & minds listening, and no surprise whatsoever, she sounds as amazing as ever while she sings this song. I’m tellin’ ya…Bahia could easily be a giant Pop star if she wants to be, but “Rise Again” also reveals that she’s got the insightful lyrical potential of iconic artists like Sarah McLachlan, with the skillset to match. So really, she’s got plenty of options…R&B, Soul, Pop, Adult Contemporary…the world is literally Bahia’s proverbial oyster, and I’m absolutely confident that she’ll find success, however she chooses to define it.
Yo. Yoooooooooooo! You’re all picking up on what I’m layin’ down here, yes? Just when I thought Kaya couldn’t be anymore stunning than she’s already been, “Forgiving Myself” came on, and it’s right up there with the best I’ve heard from her so far. Like I was alluding to earlier in this review, I don’t feel like she needs to pepped-up energetic Pop-style beats of a track like we found in “From Far Away” – and I feel like it’s the stripped down sound of a song like “Forgiving Myself” that essentially proves the point I was making. This is what works…and I’d be genuinely shocked to find anyone out there feeling different about that; I listen to “Forgiving Myself,” and all I can hear is perfection from the lefts to the rights. It’s so extremely rare to hear a song on a debut record and feel like there’s nothing at all that you’d change whatsoever. Like, even though I’d still tell ya my favorite track so far is “Heard & Unheard,” I’d probably want its production to come out a little more polished. In the case of “Forgiving Myself,” the sparkling clarity and sincerity of the music and her vocals generates an irresistible combination that I could truly listen to for hours and hours on end. Again, I feel like she’s written something highly relatable into the fabric of this song’s DNA…”Forgiving Myself” is an understated, beautiful gem, that’s all about self-care, and a song that emphasizes how important it is to take proper care of who we are & what makes us all unique. Definitely one of my favorite performances from Kaya so far, which is completely saying something on its own, because I feel like she’s been nothing short of sensational the entire time that I’ve been listening to her. Like I’ve been telling you from the get-go in writing this review, Bahia has the kind of X-factor talent that would be IMPOSSIBLE to miss. If you’ve got a heart and a set of functioning ears, believe me, there’s no way you could listen to Kaya’s music and not come out feeling like you heard something undeniably special. This is an artist that is destined to become a worldwide sensation…mark my words and feel free to quote me on that…I’m very rarely this certain, but it’s also rarely this obvious.
As I finished this sampling of Closure off with the final track in the set-list, called “Beginning Again,” I had to marvel at how extraordinarily impressive Kaya has been throughout all that I’ve heard. I have no doubt that the technique and tones she sings with would be more than enough to convince anybody listening that they’re hearing something they’d wanna hear again – but it’s the profound connection that Bahia displays within her vocal melodies and the music surrounding her, that showcases something incredible that simply cannot be taught. She’s got the magic inside her y’all. I’d be willing to bet that it has always been there…and now it’s all about letting the world hear it too. “Beginning Again” is another wonderful dose of her introspective songwriting, and shows how she’s turned the personal tragedies of love into a triumph of art. Songs like “Beginning Again” are going to be what the devastated and the heartbroken reach for when they need it most…and much like Bahia herself, they’ll discover the true power of music & the catharsis & healing that come from it. “Maybe love is not just once face…maybe love is in every embrace…in every sunrise…in every soul…”– c’mon y’all…you’ve never seen that sentiment phrased as beautifully as that is, and lemme assure ya, it sounds every bit as amazing too.
The sky ain’t even the limit for Kaya…she’s headed for the stratosphere & beyond with such universal vibes and boldly personal material. She’s made all the right moves here, in my opinion. She’s fearless & unafraid to put who she really is into the music she’s making, and it’s entirely because of that, that it all connects to us with the strength of an unbreakable bond from the moment we hear her sing with such authenticity & artistic integrity combined. I’m beyond impressed, and within this singular experience, she’s made me into a diehard fan ready to ride or die with her music from here on forward – and better yet, I’m as confident as I’ve ever been that everybody out there listening will feel the exact same way.
Find out more about Kaya Bahia and her new album Closure from her official page at Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialkayabahia
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