Title: “Bulletproof Barbie”
Artist: Kara Romero
Album: TBA (2017)
Release Date: April 17, 2017
Length: 4:42
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, Weekly Airplay, 7” Single
Recorded: February 2017 – Basement Studios, Brooklyn, New York
Genre: Rap, Hip-Hop, RnB
Label: Just Record
Written: January 2017
Writer(s): Kara Romero
Producer(s): Kara Romero, Nevaeh Martinez, Cara Zayn
“Bulletproof Barbie” is a song from the Spanish-American musician/rapper 'Kara Romero', taken from her upcoming sophomore album which is still currently untitled but expected to be released later this year. This will be the seventh official single released from the young artist and marks her first single release in almost exactly one whole year since the release of her politically charged effort “We Are One” back in April 2016 which ended the cycle of songs from her debut album, “Do I Have Your Attention Now?” which remained at number one for three weeks in the summer of 2016. Since then Kara has been touring as a supporting artist and has spent the beginning of 2017 in the recording studio working on the songs that will form her next album, with this brand new single “Bulletproof Barbie” being one of the first completed songs from the upcoming record so far.
In a recent interview with 'Rolling Stone' magazine she talked about the song and it's meaning, “I tend to judge myself a little harsher than others do when it comes to my music. I felt like I said a lot on that last album with songs that meant a lot to me and I was proud of what I created with it. But I wasn't 100% happy with it, I thought there was some filler in that record, a couple of songs that were there to make up the numbers. Not particularly bad songs but just songs that had no depth too them. That's not always a bad thing, cause sometimes you just wanna listen to music to dance to. But I thought what I had created with the majority of tracks was something serious and important, there was a lot of anger and emotion and depth to most of those songs but I think I let the album down a little with a couple of songs from that. This was my feeling when I went into the recording studio and I had written a couple of songs in preparation for the first recording sessions that just felt shallow and empty to me. Songs that invoked no emotion within me at all.
Sometimes frustration can be the greatest inspiration to you, I kept writing songs and verses and I kept getting annoyed that I kept veering away from what I wanted to say. I took a couple of weeks away from the studio and went out and truly felt life. So when I returned to the studio, I returned revitalised and a little pissed off at what was going on in the world. I was pissed at the situation with my country and the guy that would eventually come to power, I was pissed at the fact that after years of small progression it seemed like we were now taking steps backwards, racism, sexism, homophobia. It was a shitty year as a whole last year and that all came out when I went into the studio. But the biggest target of my aggression was myself. Because I initially felt myself stepping back and being a little apprehensive about saying shit that I should be saying. So you'll see from a single that I'll be debuting called “Bulletproof Barbie” the emotions that I was feeling about myself and how I feared I was losing a part of who I am having felt a very brief amount of success with my music. That shit cannot happen and this song is my permanent reminder that I can't let that happen.”
A soft melodic piano introduction sets the scene for the song, as Kara ponders the changes that her brief dalliance with success has had on her, immediately making it clear as she fires out the opening verse with assertiveness and a touch of sadness in her voice, “I talk to people who used to know me way back when I was younger/They seem amazed at the person I've become, they claim that I have lost that hunger/I guess I used to be the one girl that they always thought would be unafraid/But I guess this pain has changed me somewhere along the way.” and it's clear very quickly that this is a person trying to acknowledge that she's perhaps not been as brave in her position to rap or sing about topics that are important and true to herself. Although, the musician tackled a lot of important topics on her debut album, so this may lead one to believe that she could also potentially be directing this at the industry as a whole despite her almost one hundred percent confirming that it was a track that very much relates to her own feelings about herself recently.
It continues amidst the soft tones of the piano and the very faint drum and bass combination in the background as she continues through the first verse and into the chorus as she manoeuvrers between singing and rapping, “They said that I'm stronger than the rest of em' all/I got a voice and a story that should be told/But I got a littler scared when I tasted some fame/And their bulletproof barbie just ain't the same.”
But it's within the songs primary verses where Kara is truly able to showcase her ability and shine in front of her audience, as the sound of the music becomes more eager and urgent, the bass and drums now louder and the echo of the piano keys in full beautiful force as she continues, “So I started thinking that maybe I'm ashamed of what I became/One hit record is all it took to become a slave to the fame/And I tried my very best to stay away from the spotlight when I saw it changing me/But even though I'd always deny it, I think maybe fame was part of what I wanted to be/And when I step back and look/I observe all these changes in me and think fuck/I've become soft and afraid/And I've yet to deliver the message that I always wanted to say.” and a pre-chorus and chorus signals the end of the track and another strong effort from this young musician.
The track was written in January 2017 and was recorded and completed a month later during recording sessions for her sophomore album. It was produced by Kara Romero, Nevaeh Martinez and Cara Zayn and will be the lead single from her next studio album. The track will be available as a CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single and will be available for Weekly Airplay through streaming via Spotify, Soundcloud and Apple Music from April 17, 2017 and will be distributed through record label Just Record.
Lyrics;“I talk to people who used to know me way back when I was younger
They seem amazed at the person I've become, they claim that I have lost that hunger
I guess I used to be the one girl that they always thought would be unafraid
But I guess this pain has changed me somewhere along the way
And we used to have so much fun, spending all our days and nights out on the run
Booze in our hands and melodies all up in our heads
Creating magic on the page and stage like this shit really spreads
But I saw what was happening to the world
It's like all the words I wanted to say just remained unheard
But perhaps it's harder now cause I reached a level
And I bottle shit and I just cannot sell it
Cause I know I used to fight for what I believe in
Sing a song with some fuckin' meaning
But they said I've started to shy away from the big issues
Warzones, politics, womens rights and religion
They said that I'm stronger than the rest of em' all
I got a voice and a story that should be told
But I got a little scared when I tasted some fame
And their bulletproof barbie just ain't the same
They said that I'm stronger than the rest of em' all
I got a voice and a story that should be told
But I got a little scared when I tasted some fame
And their bulletproof barbie just ain't the same
Their bulletproof barbie just ain't the same
So much potential that I now lack
Just praying that the real me will quickly come back
I've become just like a lioness without her claws
Take a swipe at her target but all they see is fluffy paws
So I started thinking that maybe I'm ashamed of what I became
One hit record is all it took to become a slave to the fame
And I tried my very best to stay away from the spotlight when I saw it changing me
But even though I'd always deny it, I think maybe fame was part of what I wanted to be
And when I step back and look
I observe all these changes in me and think fuck
I've become soft and afraid
And I've yet to deliver the message that I always wanted to say
Because this is all I want and if I play it safe I can stick around a little longer
Will I get more than my five minutes of fame if I grow a little stronger
And deliver a message with my words
Or if I provide generic quotations with a melody will they listen in their herds
So much potential that I now lack
Just praying that the real me will quickly come back
I've become just like a lioness without her claws
Take a swipe at her target but all they see is fluffy paws
They said that I'm stronger than the rest of em' all
I got a voice and a story that should be told
But I got a little scared when I tasted some fame
And their bulletproof barbie just ain't the same
They said that I'm stronger than the rest of em' all
I got a voice and a story that should be told
But I got a little scared when I tasted some fame
And their bulletproof barbie just ain't the same
Their bulletproof barbie just ain't the same”
Personnel;Kara Romero – primary artist, lyrics, vocals, piano, instrumentation, production
Augustine Francis – drums, percussion, programming
Ignacio Santos – bass, mixing, programming
Nevaeh Martinez – production
Cara Zayn – production, mixing, engineering, programming
Rebecca Lowell – photography, artwork graphics
