My Vardaan Arora Top 10 Countdown
So if you read and remembered my article about Leo Kaylan, I discussed how I discovered him during my 2 week vacation in Hawaii which was January of 2019. It was just 1 month after my latest concussion relapse. As a result I wasn't watching much or reading much on my vacation. Instead I was trying to heal as much as possible, but that also meant I was listening to music pretty much all day every day as well, which is what I typically do but I wasn't breaking it up with other activities.
I was following the Out Now playlist then and discovering new queer talent left and right. It was during this time that I also discovered Vardaan Arora who's song Dance Like You was featured prominently on that playlist. The song was catchy enough to make me want to dig deeper into his catalogue. At that point he had about 6 songs, which were all club ready bops. He also had a playlist for Queer music called Queer Bops, which also introduced me to more Queer acts including MNEK, who I had heard with Girlfriend, but it was Vardaan's inclusion of Colours that made me want to delve into MNEK more. I would then see MNEK live just one month later. So thank you for that Vardaan Arora.
I also started following Vardaan on Twitter and I feel like the first time we had a real interaction is when he posted something from Scream 4. I love the Scream movies and I'm ready and willing to gush about those films whenever and wherever. So I responded to Vardaan's Scream 4 post and he responded back and from that point forward I feel I was in his radar. Eventually he came to find out that I'm Queer Pop's #1 Stan, so he too started following me as well before the end of 2019.
Over the course of 2019 Vardaan Arora began to start branching out with his music. He still made bops but now they were bops with a message and the songs were a lot more personal than before. Vardaan discussed more romantic feelings on January, the jealousy one sometimes feels at other's success with Thirty Under Thirty, and the vapid nature of Fame on Famous. As Queer Pop began to truly coalesce into a real community that supported one another you could see artists starting to take more risks with their music and I feel this was very evident of Vardaan Arora during 2019. Vardaan was infusing his music with much more personality during this period.
In 2020 Vardaan released another bop but this time it was a collaboration with Nicopop, another queer pop artist I need to cover on the blog soon. I feel Vardaan is just getting going and we should be hearing more from him this year. In the meantime the release of Drama marked a special occasion. That occasion being that Drama was Vardaan's 10th single. So to commemorate this occasion I decided to rank and review all 10 of Vardaan's singles thus far. As per usual this is just my own opinion but I also want to make it clear that I do like all 10 songs by Vardaan Arora. I just enjoy some more than others. Read on to find out why.
10. What If
So as I mentioned Vardaan has no bad songs. That said, whenever I tally up all his songs off the top of my head I always forget this one. It's a nice song while it plays and it has a solid beat, but then I forget about it until I stumble upon it again. For that reason alone this is ranked at the bottom. Maybe you'll feel different though.
9. Just Like That
I remember Vardaan saying that he thinks this is his weakest song. I can see where he is coming from, but I rank it ahead of What If because I do remember this one, especially that hook in the production right after he sings "Just Like That." Vardaan has really unique sounding production on his songs that help his music stand out from many of his Queer Pop peers and so it is with the production on Just Like That. This one sticks in my brain and for that alone I rank it above What If.
8. Famous
Vardaan's more recent singles have seen him get much more personal in the lyrics as he deals with a lot of his doubts and anxieties. Famous is about how Vardaan sometimes feels his self worth to those around him is measured by how much commercial success he has or hasn't achieved:
"Would you like me more
If I get famous?
(Famous, famous)
At the right parties
If I get shameless?
(Famous, famous)
Maybe you'll text me to see how I'm doing
If my name's on your screen in the movies
Would you like more
If I get famous?
In the era of streaming and social media it's easy to fall into the trap of measuring your own self worth and success based on how many followers and likes you get. Of course, there's more to life than our smartphones but at the same time it does feel like all our lives are being played out more and more on our smartphones too. The lyrics to famous are deeply personal for Vardaan but they are also relatable too. When artists really start to open up and get honest more on their songs they can actually feel more relatable and likable as a result. Also while this is #8 on the list, the cover art is easily my favorite for Vardaan's 10 singles. Those shades and that leather jacket are on point!
7. January
January was the first single Vardaan released in 2019 and it was the first single he released after I had become a fan. I remember Vardaan teasing the song and saying it was a little different from what came before. January sees a shift in Vardaan's songwriting. Before this most of his songs were sexy club bops with lust on the mind, but here Vardaan digs deeper. In January Vardaan finds himself falling for someone in a way that scares him but excites him at the same time:
"I was scared of makin' myself
Someone's
But coming home to you at night's
What I want
Lazy weekend days in bed with you
Can you stay?
Felt like I'd been asleep
Now I'm up"
Before this point Vardaan wanted hookups, but now he realized he wants more then that. He wants to build a relationship with someone and be intimate. Vardaan wants to settle down and start building a life with this person. The details in the lyrics really help convey this feeling and pull you in more:
"We were wine drunk on the sofa
Wild ones in this fast car
Don't wanna jinx it, but so far
You're exactly what I need
You felt like summer in January
In all the chaos found my sanctuary
You lit me up
Like a matchstick
Lovin' me
Even though I'm batshit
You felt like summer in January."
I'll admit this one took a bit to grow on me, but once it did I really came to appreciate it. January kicked off the second phase of Vardaan's music career and therefore it's one of the most important songs in his catalogue.
6. Dance Like You
The song that introduced me to Vardaan. This one is always better than I remember. In fact, the production on this track is really good but it's best appreciated while listening to it on headphones. The reason being that you can hear and appreciate the intricaties and small details going on during this song. This song actually keeps me on toes no matter how many times I listen to it. For example during the part of the song where you would normally hear the bridge Vardaan speaks in a cute & playful tone saying:
"(Laughs) You thought I was going to sing a bridge, didn't you?
I just wanna dance like you"
No matter how many times I listen to this song that part always catches me off guard because I am expecting there to be a bridge. Well played Vardaan Arora, well played.
5. Poison
Poison might be the Vardaan Arora song that slaps the hardest! The production that swoops in during the chorus is one of his most memorable and inventive. The song seems to deal with Vardaan being attracted to someone who is not good for him, hence why this other man is poison for Vardaan. Nonetheless, Vardaan cannot help himself and he still wants this man anyway and is willing to take the blame as a result. It's one of Vardaan's sexiest songs for sure and one that would sound the best at full blast at a gay club.
4. Drama
Speaking of songs that slap hard, Vardaan's latest single Drama is a collaboration with bop king Nicopop who churns out songs that slap the hardest on an almost weekly basis! When I heard these 2 were getting together my excitement levels shot through the roof. Drama lived up to my expectations though it's a short bop at just over 2:00 minutes. The song deals with the idea that sometimes Vardaan can get a little petty. At the release party for drama in L.A. Vardaan joked that he once got the cops to shut down a party because he wasn't invited! On the song Vardaan sings:
"I wish I was better than this But I'm not soI live for drama You can tell me what you wanna Start some shit that's what I wantLet's get messy let's get hotTell me what you want"
In some ways the lyrics remind me a bit of poison in that it's clear this relationship is kind of toxic but Vardaan doesn't care because that only makes it hotter. I'm not the kind of person that likes to start drama, but in this case I'll make an exception!
3. Like a Polaroid
Vardaan has said Like a Polaroid is one of his favorite songs he has done and I definitely agree with him. Vardaan's music usually has very distinctive and memorable production and the production featured on Like a Polaroid during the chorus could be his most distinctive and alluring overall. Like a Polaroid feels like it could have only come from Vardaan Arora and that to me is one of the biggest complements I can bestow upon a pop song and pop star.
2. Feel Good Song
Vardaan's debut single is one of his best songs. Right from the start Vardaan had already nailed his sound and aesthetic. The song itself seems to deal with Vardaan's struggle with mental health and how the the only way he can combat it is through music.
"The Feeeeeling
Dark clouds and grey skies
Tequila by the bar until it dies
Oh the feeling, feeling
Oh oh the feeeelingI
feigned a smile with tears in my eyes
Try to switch it off and hope it dies
Oh the feeling, feeling
Oh oh the feeeeling
So i wont put my hands up in the air
No i wont try to act like i dont care
Aint no bottles on the table coming all night longI
close my eyes -And ill just sing my feel good song
Feel good song"
While I have not been diagnosed with mental health issues, I have struggled a lot with depression and internalized shame from being gay. Sometimes music was the only thing I could turn to. Music became my escape and my outlet for feelings I couldn't express properly to those around me. So the idea that Vardaan can only turn to music when he is feeling at his worst connects with me. At the same time the song lives up to its title because it is a very catchy pop song that makes you feel good while it's playing. It also features more unique and ear grabbing production that would become a staple for Vardaan's music going forward. For a while this was my favorite song by him, but I ended up giving that slot to another song instead.
1. Thirty Under Thirty
January marked a departure for Vardaan Arora but it was Thirty Under Thirty that truly signalled what the new era would be for him. Here Vardaan lays it all out that he sometimes feels like his music career is not taking off like he had hoped and it's starting to really depress him. On top of that he does sometimes feel even worse when he sees his peers doing better than him and he wonders if he'll ever make it as a pop star:
"Late 20's
I'm in still in my bed
Taste the tequila
Damn, this is death
Flip the magazine
Reading 'bout my friends
Self-esteem
Down, down, down again
I'll fake it
While you make it
Damn I hate this
Again
I see you made it to that thirty under thirty list
I wish I could pretend that I don't really give a sh*t
I'm feeling helpless while you're posting 'bout another hit
I should be happy for you
But I'm just a little jealous
What
What
What the f*ck am I doing?
Am I doing it right? Am I doing it wrong?
Am I doing it right? Why's it takin' so long?"
While Vardaan is singing about his music career specifically, the message of this song can connect with just about everyone in their late 20s/early 30s. It's that time of your life where you feel you should have your "shit" together by now and you can't help but compare yourself to your peers. By being more specific and open about his own struggles, Vardaan ended up creating a song that felt like his most honest and relatable to audiences. It quickly went to #1 on the Q22 chart and stayed there for weeks and it was the Vardaan song that caught my friend's attention the most too.
It also features the best music video Vardaan has ever done so far which helps endear the song and it's message even more, which is what a good music video should do. Overall this is the best Vardaan song, because it connects on a deeper level with listeners thanks to it's lyrics while still being a top notch bop at the end of the day.
Also this song prompted my only dream with a queer pop star where Vardaan and myself were sitting around a kitchen table at Vardaan's apartment (which in my dream looked like the apartment from Queer as Folk which I was watching at the time.) All we did in the dream was discuss and rate what we thought his best songs were and in that dream Vardaan made a lot of solid points for Thirty Under Thirty being his best song. Well let me to tell you dream Vardaan made a very convincing argument and ever since then I too agree with dream Vardaan that it's his best song to date.
