YouTube sensation releases crowd-pleasing debut album
Fresh melodies and soft, soothing vocals perfectly in sync with the whimsical strums of a guitar. If there were music perfect for an autumn stroll, Clara Chung’s debut album “The Art in My Heart” would be it.
When Clara Chung announced she was releasing her own album, her online followers were thrilled. After all, the sunny southern California girl is famous for her unconventional yet refreshing remakes of popular songs on YouTube such as “Nothin’ on You” and “Airplanes” by B.o.B. But despite collaborating with notorious K-pop bad-boy Jay Park and performing at the White House, there was was always a wall separating Chung from the world of bona-fide artists.
On Sept. 24, the recent graduate of the University of California, Irvine finally broke through that wall when she presented to her 71,710 YouTube subscribers and other members of her fan base with 11 highly-anticipated tunes. Chung’s album is a dynamite package of sweet songs with a distinctive indie flavor and a hit worth every cent.
A major track, “Fool’s Gold,” is a previously released single with a deep, melancholy melody and a rhythmic instrumental introduction of strings and piano. Here, the music fits Chung’s breathy voice like a glove, and the purity of the sound is enough to make you feel as if you are in paradise with an angel serenading you.
Not all of the album is as catchy. The title track, “Offbeat,” is a startling exception and exactly what the name proclaims: a confusing mesh of sound with a lack of tangible rhythm in the chorus. The song begins with a strange synthesizer effect accompanied by a guitar, and music takes a back seat to whistling while Chung nearly hums the lyrics, “Forget the air, I’ll breathe you instead.” Her voice is the less husky version of Sara Bareilles’; combined with the vagueness of “Offbeat,” it fails to assert its full significance.
The rest of the tunes in “The Art in My Heart” sound similar to each other, with Chung’s signature acoustic guitar always present. “Wake up in Neverland” and “Til We Go” are more upbeat, counteracting the drowsiness that “Wait on Me” and “Dear Daphne” may have induced. All are unique and have a miraculous, calming effect, perfect for playing in the background while you do your homework.
“The Art in My Heart” is available on Chung’s online store and will be up for sale on iTunes—definitely give it a try.
