In this blog post I want to write about the danish pop-artist Alexander Oscar (22) and his new single January, released on the 8th of January. I must admit that I didn’t know him until I discovered this song in Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist. There is something special about this song that literally made me write this blog post. When I first streamed this track, I was fascinated by the harmony of the production and lyrics. The song is very relatable to me personally. Before we talk about January, let me give you a few facts about Alexander, since he is also a new name for me, even though he has started his music career in 2017.
Just like many of today’s pop artists, he started uploading cover songs on his YouTube channel eight years ago. Covers by Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, and One Direction. His cover videos are still online, go and check them out if you want to see the cute 15-years old Alexander. After getting signed by Sony Music Entertainment Denmark he has released his debut single Ocean View in early 2017. Since then, he shared his #1 single Number, the platinum-selling single Complicated, and his debut album Highs & Lows (2019) with his fans. We can say that he is quite famous in Denmark and Scandinavia. Today he counts almost 800K monthly listeners on Spotify and almost 16K followers on Instagram.
Now let’s talk about the new single, the pop-ballad, January. I will analyze its lyrics for every song part since I can relate to the message of the song. Alexander starts the song with the first verse where he sings “I took a test on the internet, it said I might be depressed. Maybe it’s true, it’s afternoon and I can’t get out of bed”. I think most of us have these dark depression-like days when we literally just want to spend the entire day in our beds. Me personally I really do have such days from time to time. I’m also not a stranger to online tests on the internet. I also used to test myself on being bipolar, depressed, etc. But it’s important to say that these test results aren’t trustworthy at all and don’t replace a specialist’s diagnosis.
In the second verse, Alexander is thinking of telling his friends the truth when they text him: “Pretending that I don’t see the text because I can’t say nothing yet. What if I’m real, tell them how I feel and I break down in front of them?”. I wish my friends could feel it and text me when I’m feeling down or having a bad day. For me, it’s so much harder to be social when I’m feeling depressed since I want my friends to see the happy and funny me. However, I always feel better after talking to a friend. In the second verse, he opens up about having lost some friends because he was selfish and chased his dreams. He probably didn’t invest enough time in his friendships. “Thinking ’bout all of the friends I’ve lost. Wonder if I pay the cost. I chased my dreams, only thought about me”. I also lost many friends last year, they turned out to be fake and selfish, but I think it’s better now for me to have few but real friends. Because now I’m the one who wants to focus on himself and his dreams. I believe that friends come and go but the real ones always find a way to come back.
In the chorus, he mentions the voices, used as a metaphor for his dark thoughts, which tell him to stay in. But he still acknowledges that these voices are lying: “I got voices, telling me that I should probably stay in this room. Don’t know why I listen ’cause they don’t tell the truth. I’ll be okay, they just wanna see me lose”. He even tries to blame his mental state on a cold, “Maybe all the darkness that I’m feeling just because I had a cold”. In the end, he hopes to feel better after January, “I guess it’s just January, I’m not going crazy”. We all know the post-holiday time can be tough and even literally darker since the sun sets so fast and we get less daylight. Seasonal depression and vitamin D deficiency are real. Therefore, it’s more important to focus on our mental health during January, especially, while being in quarantine and lockdown.
Alexander shared the release of January with the following words: “I’ve never been so nervous about a release. But it’s a good thing. I really hope you’ll enjoy this song and that maybe it will help some of you that’s been going through hard times or standing in the middle of it. You are not alone ❤”
Besides the relatable lyrics and his soft vocals. I love the simple beat production. 2019 was definitely Alexander’s year. I assume that he has worked on much new music during the pandemic last year and that 2021 will be another good year for him and his music career, at least January is a great start. Go and check out January wherever you get your music and follow Alexander on his socials.
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