Tanya Mezh’s new single “Lying Looks Bad on You” is her latest foray into the English-speaking pop market and should increase her global visibility. Not yet sixteen years old, Mezh has already established herself as a major talent with a string of single releases to her credit alongside starring roles in three major Russian film productions. Her talents and extensive training make this possible. She began singing at four and entered Igor Krutoy’s Music Academy as a student. She sang at major gala events and placed high in important vocal competitions. The Moscow-born preteen is now pushing into the global music arena with popular and respected producer PJ Bianco shepherding her recordings. In the case of “Lying Looks Bad on You”, it makes for must-hear fare.
You’ll be convinced of that after a single listen. This is not a track that requires multiple passes before it sinks its hooks into your consciousness. Mezh’s “Lying Looks Bad on You” is an instant winner that percolates with surprising atmosphere and dazzles us with its emotional reach. The bulk of responsibility for these characteristics falls on the vocal presentation. The song never settles for long on a single voice. There is a central lead vocal guiding the performance, and it’s outstanding, but Mezh and the production mix in a bevy of alternative vocal tracks that never step on the singing at its core. It has the effect, intended or not, of creating a multi-faceted dialogue.
It elevates the lyrics. “Lying Looks Bad on You” isn’t performed poetry, but Mezh never treats the words as an afterthought. It achieves distinction as a pull-no-punches depiction of the havoc a pathological liar can wreak on the heart. This illustrates an important point. Behind the high-performance musical arrangement, the various sonic adornments peppering the track, and the vibrant mix is the story of heartache rather than anger and/or revenge
There are several emotions at play throughout the cut. Heartache has primacy, in my opinion, but Mezh is such a capable vocalist that she manages to touch on multiple possibilities. It is far from an empty-headed pop tune, but it successfully connects with the listener’s body. The busy percussion makes certain of that. It gives “Lying Looks Bad on You” an irresistible rhythmic foundation that never rests and won’t allow the listener to either.
The carefully modulated highs and lows of the arrangement are equally potent. Tanya Mezh’s new single doesn’t stick to one trajectory for the track’s duration but lives thanks to myriad variations in its attack. The young Russian-born singer/songwriter and performer manages to pack several songs worth of entertainment value into a track less than three minutes in length and somehow manages to leave us wanting more.
There will be more, without question. She’s just starting out. The concerted push she’s making into breaking the global market will be at least a little closer thanks to a song this good. It may be her breakout moment, time will tell. It’s a pop gem that deserves your full attention.
Troy Johnstone