photo courtesy of Now Hear This, Inc.

Single Review of Ariana Colletti – “6am”

Ariana Colletti‘s “6am” is a sleepy, dreamy pop song with a hint of anxiety. Singer-songwriter Ariana Colletti’s voice is sweet, enjoyable, yet still conveys an uneasiness.

“6am” is an ode to overthinkers, noting in the chorus “It’s crazy how in the middle of the night, the darkness shines and the world goes quiet. The beauty in the silence.” However, for me at least, the payoff lyrics come toward the end, twice-repeated with some intervening thoughts, “So I’ll lay here and think about everything we’ve ever said or done until I finally see the sun.” That’d be the very opening lyric, “6am.” Oh, sure, it seems like I’ve given up a fair bit by sharing those lyrics, but that’s just tip of the iceberg. The rest of the lyrics are so very detailed and cool.

image courtesy of Now Hear This, Inc.

Of course, lyrics alone aren’t what makes a song classic, interesting, a welcome addition to your playlist. No, it’s the music and the delivery. Ariana’s vocals are critical, with their tunefulness and their edgy, barely-holding-it-together-at-times emotion – a rare capability that reminds me of one thing I found so special about Sophia Ward’s vocals (probably in part because she was also responsible for her own lyrics), both during Sophia’s work as a solo artist and previously during her work with TOS.

The music, too, is critical. It starts sparsely, leaving the listener to focus on the vocals, slowly adding instrumentation before reaching full production level with the opening chorus. From there, though the path isn’t linear, the song builds throughout. By the end, it’s a powerful wave, matching the song’s passion, with an almost orchestral full instrumentation before stripping back for the song’s last, short verse, leaving the final, emotional vocals to stand nearly on their own, with just sparse piano accompaniment.

More Recently

Since the release of “6am,” Ariana has released “Don’t Mess It Up,” showcasing her versatility by revealing a more energetic alt-pop tempo and a more playful delivery.