PREVIEW: UK Country-Pop Artist Kelsey Bovey's UPcoming single, 'Magnetic'

UK singer-songwriter Kelsey Bovey shows why she’s one to watch on her new single, ‘Magnetic’, which officially drops on Friday 22nd May. 

While modern music might be moving away from typical song structures, there’s one thing that will surely never become ‘old-fashioned’ - and that's having a killer hook. Boy, does ‘Magnetic’ have one. 

It wriggles itself into your head, and part of its appeal is the meaning Bovey puts into each lyric (“The way you’re talking to my soul it’s magnetic”). She delivers it with an intensity that seems both euphoric and pleading at the same time, and that’s part of what makes this song great. It’s a jubilant love song, but there’s an undertone of hesitancy (“I’ve been broken in pieces/There’s a hole can you heal it”).

Bovey manages to bring in a level of intimate vulnerability, without sacrificing any of the song’s overwhelming joyfulness, a balance that isn’t easy to strike. 

Listening to Bovey’s 2019 It’s My Time EP makes it clear that she wants to draw her listeners’ attention to the silver linings rather than the black clouds, something that is especially evident on ‘Positivity’. ‘Define Me’ wraps a striking melody around another set of empowering lyrics, and what better time to be driving home this message of optimism?

It can sometimes feel lazy to liken an up-and-coming, female Country-Pop artist to Kelsea Ballerini (especially given the similarity here in first names). But over the years Ballerini has cultivated a cross-genre style without losing any of her originality, something that’s especially evident on her recent album, the dance-heavy ‘Kelsea’. 

Bovey shows signs that her sound is set to be just as open-minded and diverse, favouring powerful, energetic soundscapes over slower, guitar-driven tracks. ‘Magnetic’ features slick, lustrous production from Andrea Succi and Danny McMahon, the latter of whom was crowned Country Artist of the Year at 2019’s UK Country Music Awards. 

Speaking about the new song, Bovey says: 

“Magnetic is a spontaneous love song that I feel everyone has experienced once in their life, when you share the reasons behind your feelings for that someone special. This came from a place of uncertainty, when you start a relationship and you find the person that is right for you, but you're scared of falling in too deep because you’ve been hurt before”

‘Magnetic’ is heartfelt, captivating and, most importantly of all, uplifting. Watch this space, Nashville - there’s a new 'Kelsey' on the block…

'Magnetic' is released on Friday 22nd May. 

Maxim Mower