“Everything is Beautiful” is Nokia’s fourth studio album and juxtaposes her previous project, “Everything Sucks,” in every sense of the word.
Nokia has proven her sound is influenced by many different genres from her various experiences growing up in the New York City music scene – from thrashing around in punk-mosh pits to spitting over 90’s inspired hip-hop beats. Nokia tapped fully into her gothic, metal sound with “Everything Sucks” in order to express her rage and restless energy.
With “Everything Is Beautiful,” Nokia draws on her inner child mentality in order to discover the beauty of the world around her. She flows over bubbly, entrancing beats with an effortlessly casual tone. Each track on the album sonically matches that childhood wonder and innocence – with an abundance of light piano keys, cymbals, xylophones and triangles drifting in the background. And as always, Princess Nokia has her rose-colored glasses on with the release of her album, “Everything Is Beautiful.”
Nokia reveals that she finds happiness in maintaining her child-like fascination and imaginative perspective amongst the seriousness of the adult world. On the track “Wash & Sets,” Nokia speaks about her desire to abandon the responsibilities that come with adulting.
She raps, “Wash and set, pay the rent. Wonder where all my money’s spent, college debt. I am stressed, tell me who gonna pay this next. Tell me who gonna get these checks. I miss being a kid.”
The piano beat of this track follows the same innocent melody of a lullaby. Nokia revels in her weird kid status that she had growing up. Although Nokia has been known to radiate confidence and find power in the fact that she is different, even though she isn’t exempt from insecurities and the unrealistic beauty standards that come with social media.
During “Heart” she raps, “Use a lot of filters when I’m not feeling for sure. Compare myself to other girls, the pressure got me stressed. I hate social media. I wish it all would end.”
Nokia is rejecting the presence of the ego and instead wishes to cling to a time where she wasn’t concerned with her image – when she was just a child, her days spent playing and dreaming. From rapping about coloring books, referencing nursery rhymes, and tarot cards – it’s evident that Nokia is using her free-spirited nature in order to remind her fans not to take life too seriously. On the last track of the album, “The Conclusion,” she performs spoken word over gentle violin strings.
“All my albums differ, and I’m really proud of that. People think it’s silly, but I will never dial back. Cause I like to experiment, and I see nothing wrong with that. I like trying different things, and I like spreading out my wings.”
