EP Review: Madison Beer – As She Pleases

As She Pleases…

“…could mean a lot of different things,” says teen queen Madison Beer about her debut EP. “To me [As She Pleases is] about strength, empowerment, and attitude. It’s about trusting in yourself, knowing your worth, and above all else never allowing anyone or anything to break your spirit. Happiness, self love and self empowerment. This is your life. Do as you please… I sure do.”

Since Justin Bieber exposed a thirteen year old Madison Beer covering At Last to the world in 2012, it’s that strength, empowerment and attitude of Madison‘s which has enabled her to walk Dolce & Gabbana‘s catwalk, cover Vogue Italia, and accumulate a total social media following of 15.5 million. Now, after spending five years honing her musical craft, here we are witnessing Madison Beer musically do as she pleases on her debut seven-track EP.

Time Keeps on Slipping

Madison‘s vocals, ranging from pure and gentle on Teenager in Love to wildly sassy and commanding on Say It to My Face, seamlessly mix with the blend of genres and moods heard on As She Pleases. Fusing pan flutes and dropping water sounding synths with orchestral strings, first single Dead (which has racked up sixty million streams on Spotify since dropping in May 2017) is a fresh spin on the tropical trend. The chic and carefree indie rock vibe of Fools and HeartLess‘s broodiness pleasantly contrasts with the romantic honeymoon sounds of Teenager in Love, a song which is definitely going to have smiles spreading and arms swaying at one of Madison‘s upcoming shows on her EU tour. It’s an authenic reflection of the multi-genre Spotify screenshots Madison usually shares on her Instagram story to ten million followers, and certifies her as a versatile artist.

Why Aren’t You Dead Yet?

Lyrically is where As She Pleases truly charms. Madison, who co-wrote everything on As She Pleases, has simple but smart lyrics with creative and intriguing edges to them. Take the morbid sounding Dead, for example. “You say you can’t live without me, so why aren’t you dead yet?” Madison laments on its hook, with a hint of vulnerability to her performance. The broody HeartLess hears Madison declaring she should use her “heart less” as self-defense against fuckboys, whereas on Home With You Madison eyerolls that “I don’t wanna wake up with you in the morning / You tell me you’re different, excuse me for snoring / You liar, liar” – they’re all such simple phrasings yet so undeniably creative, with a huge playback effect.

There’s then an intriguing juxtaposition on Tyler Durden. Those super sweet vocals and a romantic acoustic guitar tell the tale of Madison‘s lust for Tyler Durden, who is a character from her favorite movie Fight Club – Tyler Durden ends up not being real in the movie’s narrative. From Madison‘s perspective, Tyler Durden represents “a fantasy” which is “why this shit ain’t never working for [her]“. The lyrics on this one are a real creative high for As She Pleases, signifying Madison‘s natural talent as an authenic songwriter and storyteller.

This Is Your Life and It’s Ending

As She Pleases seems to tell a story of Madison‘s inner thoughts and expectations when it comes to love and relationships. “Mean to me, then you’re nice” Madison‘s story begins with on Dead. “With your hand around my throat / I don’t wanna see you go / ‘Cause I like it” she continues on Tyler Durden, and then concludes on Teenager in Love: “I had a dream / You weren’t so mean / But I like you better when you get angry… You make me feel like a teenager in love / So don’t let me down.” They’re all pretty worrying lyrics which indicate a penchant for violent and aggressive love, and considering Madison confirmed that As She Pleases “is from [her] heart, soul, and mind, each song representing a different piece of [her],” it makes you wonder where those ideas might be coming from.

But then again, this poignant lyric from Tyler Durden depicts how Madison is clearly a lot wiser than her 18 years:

This is your life and it’s ending one minute at a time
So what you gonna do?

She Wants to Be in Somebody Else’s Photos

Home With You, a huge global smash in the making, drives home an important message to Madison‘s impressionable teenage girl audience – don’t put up with a man who refuses to take ‘no’ for an answer and disrespects your personal space. “You know I don’t care / So why you persistent? / For no I am not, not gonna sleep with you / Stop now, stop now / Have some respect” Madison demands over the radio-ready synth plucks. “I’m not being rude, can you give me my space?” she continues; it’s a soaringly brilliant message from Madison and, in today’s climate, extremely needed.

Hopefully Home With You, and the remainder of the incredible As She Pleases EP, doesn’t go unnoticed by audiences – not when it’s good, not when it’s this good.

Listen to As She Pleases by Madison Beer on Spotify

Listen to As She Pleases by Madison Beer on Apple Music

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