Artist: Alexandra Stan
Earworm Elements: repetition, high-energy, synth, beat, melody, saxophone
Genre: Eurodance, dance, europop, trance
Sounds Like: Stereo Love
Link: http://www.alexandrastan.ro/
At last. I've finally figured out the name/artist of a particular song that I've been insatiably curious about but unable to catch the name of for weeks. In honor of identifying it and subsequently being able to listen to it as many times as humanly possible, this post goes out to this song's genre--European dance music.
The song that my ears can't get enough of is called Mr. Saxobeat by Romanian artist Alexandra Stan. I've been hearing this one around for awhile--on the radio, around town, in stores. The other day it came on while I was shopping at the Gap. Needing to know what this incredibly catchy song was, I pulled out my phone and Shazamed it. Thirty seconds later, instant gratification.
It was released in 2011 and uses house, and trance elements as part of its catchy, eurodance spell. It didn't take long to gain mass popularity--it topped the charts in Romania for eight weeks, then swept through every major European country, and finally beyond to Canada, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand.
Like most of the Western hemisphere, I've been hooked. I've listened to this song at least ten times in the past 24 hours, and at least six times just this morning. Even though it fits perfectly into the category of formulaic euro-pop, I'm still impressed with this song because it's one of the most addictive I've heard in awhile. See what I mean for yourselves:
Catchy, huh? It accomplishes exactly what it was created to do: be so incredibly irresistible that it becomes a smash hit. It definitely draws listeners in with its high-energy style--it makes you need to get up and move.
It is super-reminiscent of the 2010 summer smash hit, Stereo Love, by Edward Maya featuring Vika Jigulina, another prime example of a Romanian artist intentionally crafting earworm material.
They're both trance-y, catchy, europop and both predominantly feature instruments not commonly found in pop, dance, or techno genres (the saxophone in Saxobeat and the accordion in Stereo Love).
Major earworm points to the eurodance subgenre--they know exactly what it takes to make a song catchy as hell, whether listeners think it's quality music or not.
I'm such a woo girl and when these songs come on at parties or clubs, I go crazy! Stereo Love especially reminds me of when I went to Cancun for Spring Break...such an amazing time. :)
ReplyDeleteGrrrrrr. I applaud you for this post, yet resent you for getting this song back in my head. I studied abroad in Barcelona this summer, and this song was EVERYWHERE. You say you heard it in Gap? I heard it in Zara, H&M, Mango - and just about EVERY possible remix as well. It is so incredibly euro-pop and you just can't help but dance to this beat. Kudos for catching this earworm!
ReplyDeleteHaha I love both these songs! I'll admit that when I first downloaded them, they instantly got like 15 plays within the first couple days. They're just so addicting!! It makes you want to stand up and just dance and not give a f*** who's looking at you. (More for Saxobeat than Stereo Love). I mean you can't help but whip your hair back and forth in this seductive way when dancing around to these. Both are in my party playlist.
ReplyDeleteThis track is legit. Edward Maya always comes out with some quality stuff. I'll have to look for some more of his work on soundcloud.
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