Kizzy Stayne – Beautiful Scars
Kizzy Stayne – Beautiful Scars – EP Review
He’s got that “Billionaire Mindset” and he’s puttin’ it to work. #respect
Kizzy Stayne, that’s the name. Dude’s workin’ with a solid crossover sound that you can hear straight off the drop in the opening track “Billionaire Mindset,” which fuses together Pop, R&B, Rap, and Reggaeton into one, and I’d be willing to bet there’s a whole lot of you out there that would be into that kind of hybrid vibe. Kizzy’s got a flashy & stylistic sound of his own goin’ on, but it’s one that’s sure to be enticing for listeners all over the map. We’re living in the modern-day era where different tunes than you’d find in the mainstream are thriving hard under the surface, and with tens of thousands of hits on “Billionaire Mindset” already as the Beautiful Scars EP continues to circulate, it’s crystal clear that the people out there are paying attention. I ain’t gonna lie to ya – I can catch about ten words of “Billionaire Mindset,” and the rest fly right by me as he rocks the mic in dual languages at points throughout this EP – I personally have no idea what Stayne is saying, but that don’t mean he doesn’t still sound good, you feel me? I’m super old at this point anyhow…the music Kizzy is making ain’t exactly factoring a guy like me into his target audience; he’s got those relevant youthful vibes designed for the new generation. No doubt about his skills though – he’s entertaining and the sound of “Billionaire Mindset” is colorful, engaging, and lively. There are thousands of bands and artists you can think of where we don’t catch every single word they sing…it’s not something that has ever really mattered all that much from the listening side of the speakers, or stopped us from turning things UP when we like what we hear. Stayne is on-point for the vibe he’s looking to create – and that’s what matters most. He’s got memorable hooks threaded right into “Billionaire Mindset” to kick this record off on the right notes; Beautiful Scars has a little something for everyone, and serves up a real dose of identity in the process. After listening to his EP over this past week, I could easily pick Kizzy out of a playlist blindfolded just by hearing his voice. For a fairly new artist on the scene still, that’s a remarkable achievement early into his career.
I’d be taking a good look at “True Love” as a potential single to promote online, perhaps with video support and all that – there’s a really widespread appeal to this tune that I feel like will have no problem at all connecting to the hearts and minds out there. Plus, when you’re listening to it, you’ll notice the many layers that create the impression it makes…the music melody is likely what we’ll all discover first, but when you get your head around that, you’ll start to notice how cleverly the vocal melody is crafted around it, and the stunning level of detail added to the music in terms of sound selection & production. Even the way the vocals are layered in the structure adds something to this song…you’ll hear things staged in such a way that you’ll know it was done by adding multiple tracks based on where lines will stop, start, and carry on with the melody. “True Love” is a genuinely well thought-out tune, and even though the Beautiful Scars EP came out at the end of December in 2022, I think this would still be a good track to continue to use as the gateway into the record in terms of promotion here in 2024. Kizzy puts in a solid performance without a doubt; I’m not always entirely convinced he needs as many effects as he tends to add to his vocals, or to have them as heavily dominant as they are, but he still sounds great on “True Love” and you can feel the sincerity he brings to this particular song by the way that he sings it.
Stayne does a stellar job of adding in a sensual dimension to the dynamics of his sound, and you’ll find that most clearly on display throughout the vibes of “Skin.” I always find it interesting as to what people will write about and what interests them on a personal level enough for them to be inspired by it – in this case, it’s “Skin” for Kizzy. I probably wouldn’t have thought to write about “Skin” as a topic, but I’m all for things that aren’t always written about, you know what I mean? It gives this song a concept to draw from, and ultimately it works. I think there’s a fraction of us that lived through Silence Of The Lambs that are always going to cringe a little when we hear the words “Skin” and “lotion” without too much separation between them…or at the very least, it’ll conjure up some bizarre imagery in our minds as we listen, but again, Kizzy ain’t necessarily making music for my demographic. If you’re below thirty and jamming “Skin” loud and proud like you should be with a drink in your hand somewhere warm and having a great time on the dancefloor, you’re probably not too busy thinking about Anthony Hopkins & his infamous people-eating character. And that’s a good thing! It makes it a lot easier to enjoy “Skin.” It’s rhythmic, it’s got its own vibe, and there is tons of personality found within Kizzy Stayne’s music.
One of the real benefits of the way Kizzy makes his music and how he approaches his sound is the consistency you’ll find within it. As in, if you like track one on the Beautiful Scars EP, chances are you’ll dig everything in the set-list. It’s versatile music, don’t get me wrong, but there’s identity to Stayne’s sound and similarities you can certainly appreciate that gives him a signature style of his own. “Cool My Stress” is one of my favorite cuts in the lineup – it’s a great example of how Kizzy’s able to create songs that are seriously lively, vibrant, and colorful, but also highly controlled & professionally chilled out too. It’s probably fair to say that on a first time spin, it might even feel like this EP is actually one big long song as you listen to it, but the more you get into it, you’ll recognize the differences that exist in each track more clearly. The real bottom line to me, is that in each performance he gives, Kizzy’s confidence remains high in the material, and quality-wise, he never seems to drop the ball. He’s a naturally gifted entertainer that really does seem like he was born for this. Tracks like “Cool My Stress” exemplify the seamless cohesion that he forms with the music, and everything sounds like it is right where it belongs.
Slidin’ on into “Hollywood,” Kizzy keeps his effects-laden vocals comin’ atcha, turning his dreams into his reality throughout the lyrics of this song. It’s bright & flashy, much like the famed district of Los Angeles itself, and it’s got an interestingly calming type of vibe that suits Kizzy well. The accent is heavy and it is likely tough if not impossible for everyone out there to catch every single word, but to his credit, he’s been able to make tunes that reflect the mood & theme of what he’s singing & rapping about, like you’ll find on “Hollywood.” When it comes to this particular track, I feel like it has an easygoing and laidback sound to it, because that’s the mindset Kizzy’s got here, you know what I mean? Like, he’s witnessing himself turn his dreams into his daily life in real-time…and that’s the kind of personal success that leads to an internal harmony. So he’s at peace while he’s dreaming out loud in “Hollywood,” and the whole vibe of this song seems to reflect that right back to us. At least, that’s the theory I’m working with. I’m sure there are other notable dimensions and other themes you’ll pick up on in listening to “Hollywood,” but it’s the easygoing sound that seems to be the dominant trait of this tune for all the right reasons. Very solid and steady production to Stayne’s music that you can rely on track after track to sound great.
Taking the final cut into darker terrain, “Worst Days” finishes off the debut EP from Kizzy Stayne on more of a down-note than some of you are probably expecting to find him as far as mood is concerned, but again, what won’t surprise you at this point is that the consistency in his material reveals nothing but quality straight across the board. In fact, I’d probably argue that this more downtrodden vibe at the end of Beautiful Scars might even be my favorite track in the entire set…so…sure, we might be more used to Kizzy being in an upbeat mood or providing a more uplifting vibe through what we hear in the music he’s rockin’ with, but make no mistake, he sounds really damn good in this darker setting too. Clearly he’s built to thrive in a variety of ways, and that’ll obviously pay off for him as he continues on as an artist…it gives him plenty of options. Like I was tellin’ ya earlier – there’s a similar vibe that runs through the material overall as a result of the way he’s approached making the music with the vocal effects and all, but Kizzy has also shown you from track to track that he can fit into a whole plethora of different vibes too, subtle as the transformation between each cut may be. The best example you get comes through on “Worst Days,” which is the biggest departure sound-wise in the entire set, but also shows that Stayne’s got the skills to adapt to the shifting dynamics of his style, and retain his identity.
Make sure to find out more about Kizzy Stayne from his official page at Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/kizzystayne
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