Aditi Iyer is building something special. The Indian singer/songwriter’s first two EP releases Dollhouse and The Girl They See received a lot of airplay from major platforms around the world and generated considerable critical enthusiasm. She hasn’t rushed her releases and takes sufficient time between each one to finetune every aspect of her material. It makes each new release an event rather than product. Iyer’s new single “Deleted Your Number” has that quality in abundance, but there’s more.
It strikes me as a wide-ranging realization of her promise. It isn’t promise fulfilled, Iyer hasn’t yet peaked, but the 17 year old demolishes any lingering doubts about her staying power. She hasn’t turned her attentions to a full-length release as of this writing, but one gets the feeling that the times we live in dictate such decisions much more than any lack of material, much less quality material.
I love the fact she pens her own songs. Beyond the obvious benefit of further investing her in the performance, it illustrates her artistic dedication. This is someone shepherding their songs every step of the way from conception to completion and that unwavering attention to detail helps deepen the song’s meaning for listeners. If a performer strikes me as indifferent in any way about their song, why should I care?
I appreciate the song’s dramatic tilt as well. The arrangement is orchestrated in such a way that it has a rising and falling quality nearly any listener will recognize. It doesn’t sound overly familiar; time-tested songwriting aside, Iyer reorders what we already know in a fresh and involving way. It’s audience friendly without ever pandering for our favor. Iyer is clearly allowing listeners an extended glimpse into a very personal experience and this sort of intimacy goes past what pop songs usually offer.
She pulls this off with concision and loses nothing along the way. No one will turn away from “Deleted Your Number” feeling cheated and, even better, the song practically begs you to listen again. It doesn’t live or die with it, but there are melodic virtues throughout the song that make the song even more alluring for listeners. Iyer’s new single comes by these things honestly. There are no short cuts or cheap tricks substituting for genuine songcraft.
It’s a hallmark part of her songs and I expect it will become more so as time goes on. She has magic in her songs that listeners are always going to respond to and earning a growing audience for her is, more than anything else, a result of promotion and timing. The rest can and will take care of itself. “Deleted Your Number”, when described prior to hearing it, doesn’t sound like much. It’s another song about one that got away, at its core, but Iyer transforms it into a pivotal moment in her life and makes it matter to us. Magic, yes, it’s in short supply. I’ll take it where I can find it these days and I’m grateful that Iyer decided to share some with us.
Claire Uebelacker