Welcome to In Tune with WBMB, a weekly column in which a member of the station covers a new track from the underground. This week’s article is by Stella Hayat-Dawoodi.
Although there’s something special about the recent 2016 throwbacks, there remains a worry regarding whether today’s trends have enough novelty, music included. One song that was recommended by Spotify was “Already Won” by earthsignchels, and it took a deeper dive to learn more about who she is as an artist.
Chelsea Clark, a 23-year-old Chicago native, who goes by earthsignchels online, has been making music since she was 7. However, she hasn’t released many rap projects so far.
Before “Already Won,” her music was almost exclusively R&B/soul, where she showcased an impressive vocal register and sang ethereal harmonies. Most of her debut album is comparable to Summer Walker’s work. She has a beautiful voice, but beyond a few lyrical sections on a handful of songs, her lyrical genius isn’t especially apparent.
“Already Won” starts off strong with a promising gospel sample and she tells listeners to put their bets on her. Her strength lies in her lyrics and flow; they never get boring.
She often switched her flow throughout, never letting the listener know what’s coming next. One second she’s in an Eminem-like rap style and in the next she breaks into a beautiful run with an impressive, soulful vibrato.
Her songs also aren’t structured like the usual verse-chorus-verse-chorus format. Instead, most of them feel as if they could be a freestyle.
Earthsignchels’ over-enunciation of words when saying something empowering reinforces the confidence in the words she sings. She stays true to the goofy personality she shows on social media by delivering an encouraging message through both her tone and her use of Generation Z internet slang.
The mix of internet slang and “on top of the world” energy is a refreshing change from the usual empowerment songs, which can be overly serious or even unbearable when the singer sounds so out of touch with the world of the listener.
Her flexible song structure, use of slang, humor and vocal range can give listeners hope that not every artist is simply writing to deliver the next TikTok hit, but there are also artists who want to showcase all their ideas and styles, even if they’re not popular.
Whether it’s a sad, cloudy cold day or an energetic night out, “Already Won” is guaranteed to boost confidence and mood.
