The always-impeccable Amythyst Kiah sets fire to Katy Perry’s “Chained to the Rhythm.” As part of her Pensive Pop EP, Kiah revamps the tempo into an airier, quieter, and more haunting performance. Her voice is millimeters above a whisper, a vital reconfiguration to scrape deeper into the skin and ligaments. It’s a plea to wake up to what’s going on in the world, and no one is better apt to deliver such a message than Kiah 一 sorry, Katy. Kiah’s voice bubbles and wafts on the melody, as though she’s conjuring up a redemption spell for mankind. “Keep sweeping it under the mat / Thought we could do better than that,” she sings. “I hope we can.”
Listen to “Chained to the Rhythm” below.