Roskamala, 2023’s most compelling rising pop star, has immersed herself and her brand in the captivating world of pop art, a genre that traces its roots back to the mid-1960s. The multi-talented artist from Thailand is singing, songwriting, screenwriting, producing, and directing her way into the pop royalty of our era. Releasing her rainbow-themed music video for “Out of Maze ‘‘ , the artist brings to the screen a deep interpersonal and philosophical paradigm in a culturally relevant fashion. Roskamala, akin to iconic pop influencers like Brian Wilson, Phil Spector, and the Beatles, seamlessly fuses pop art’s whimsical shapes and style to decorate the very powerful message brought up in the song “Out of Maze”.
A clear nod to the genre’s tradition, she intertwines elements of high and low fashion, with symbolic colors, drag, wigs, and a free flow of footwear that comes in all shapes and sizes. Mimicking the out-of-ordinary formula art pop is known for, Roskamala’s sound is a genre-blurring cocktail of dark pop, R&B, rock, and soul, but it’s the raw honesty and candor in her narratives that set her apart.
Her debut EP, ‘Truth She Told, dives deep into the power of individuality, traversing through the terrains of love, identity, and the dawn of new beginnings. It resonates with the ethos of the pop art tradition in its rejection of conventional instrumentation and structure, with a liberal dose of synth-driven soundscapes and dance styles.
Working with wardrobe specialist Marquita Lopez, the music video starts off with Rose in a cyborg bodysuit looking for her morning coffee buddy, who’s in a room next door. Jumping into a fabulously hat-adorned room, she meets a certain “Nate Sutton,” who is identified as a workaholic wearing a slick black suit with fishnet stockings and ankle stilettos. Nate is in full stripper mode, dancing to Roskamala’s rhythm.
As she continues her search for the ultimate coffee mate, i.e., herself, Roskamala stumbles upon character no. 2, the rebellious teen. In the midst of an argument with her mother, Rose plays with the contrast in wardrobe between mother and daughter, highlighting the crop top fashion of the young rebel and the oversized cover-alls of the traditional “parent figure,” failing to understand their child. What’s absolutely lovely is that all of the scenes have matching wallpaper that seems to have been either perfectly picked and installed or a matter of perfect synchronicity.
Despite all of her characters refusing to hang out for a coffee, once Roskamala enters the rainbow room and they slowly start to pour in, they explode in euphoric dance following the lead of the video’s fully embraced drag queen in an electric pink corset and undergarment. The character pulls off the split and bounce and rocks a pair of hot pink stiletto boots. The matchup is magical. Even the boomer mom character jumps to dance, once she is greeted by the drag queen under the rainbow.
Musically, “Out of Maze” bathes listeners in vibrant pop landscapes adorned with soft and joyful melodies. Even in her video for “Loving Mess,”, the second track on the EP, she dons the guise of a Barbie-like character and steps into a colorful world of ice-cream & whimsical fashion statements. The intriguing, pop-art-infused storyline featuring three mysterious figures creates a compelling visual narrative that accentuates the song’s lyrical content.
With her EP, Roskamala proves that she is not just an artist but a storyteller echoing the postmodern ideation and sensible pop-art. She is an artist on the rise, delivering narratives about love, loss, empowerment, and community rights with remarkable authenticity and rawness, who is going to stop her?
‘Truth She Told’ is a must-listen for fans of pop art and beyond. Keep an eye on this rising star; her innovative approach and sonic sophistication are here to add some fabulous flavor to this industry.
