'Superstar': One Year Later...
Celebrating the one year anniversary of That Kid's sensational sophomore mixtape!
Today marks one year since American singer-songwriter and hyper pop icon That Kid released his sensational sophomore mixtape, Superstar, so while we wait for his upcoming projects, let’s take a moment to reminisce and celebrate what is arguably his most accomplished body of work to date!
Sporting thirteen Y2K club-inspired bangers, such as “Just Another Day” and “Red Light”, and a star-studded cast of collaborators, including American singer-songwriter Miss Madeline (“Down for Whatever”) and American singer-songwriter BAYLI (“Superstar”), Superstar is not only a worthy follow-up to his debut mixtape, Crush (2020), and debut EP, Comedown (2021), but could very well be considered his debut album as it showcases the absolute best That Kid has to offer when it comes to vocals, songwriting, visuals, production — You name it!
Superstar serves as an evolution and refinement of the sounds and themes previously explored by Crush — bubbly hyper pop concerning drugs and sex (“Naked” and “Room 369” with American singer-songwriter and producer Tama Gucci, who previously appeared on Crush) — and Comedown — moody electro pop depicting heartbreak and the dark side of fame (“Full Throttle” and “Unworthy” with American rapper and producer Tony Velour) — with even more energy and polish than his already very energetic and polished discography.
Speaking of polish, the production is probably the most elevated aspect of Superstar and boasts a handful of tracks engineered by American singer-songwriter and literal legend Ayesha Erotica, most notably “DRY2WET” and “SEX2NITE”. The former is a sleek, glimmering bop with chopped vocals and incredibly skillful mixing while the latter is a sexy, electroclash number that recalls some of Ayesha’s own work from finished songs like “You Were The Tease” to leaked writer’s demos like “Vixen”, however, the undisputed standout Ayesha-produced track from Superstar is the one and only “Thelma & Louise” with American singer-songwriter and rapper Chase Icon.
“Thelma & Louise” is a chaotic, high-speed bitch track on which That Kid and Chase go absolutely buck wild, taking turns to spit some of the most unhinged and unserious bars and insults that I have ever heard. Highlights from That Kid include: “Bitch, you couldn’t even hit my prostate / Now I gotta vote yes on Prop 8” and “Fuck his life up like a sexy terrorist / Got him tied up like Kim in Paris” while highlights from Chase include: “Shots to the head like J.F.K. / Two bodyguards and a new pet gay” and “Shiny ass wig with a beat so chalky / How could a cis bitch look so clocky?”. Need I say more? And no, I will not be explaining any of that (IFYKYK).
Additionally, That Kid dropped a remix EP aptly titled Superstar: The Remixes in December 2022 consisting of nine reinterpretations of songs from Superstar, including American singer-songwriter and producer Jane Remover’s killer remix of “4EVER” with Australian-South Korean singer-songwriter and former idol BÉBE YANA and Latvian producer and DJ Himera’s epic remix of “Heaven” with elusive singer-songwriter Girl Roommate. Not a single skip in sight!
Superstar is quintessential That Kid, but it’s far from his peak, as he consistently levels up his artistry with every new release, proving that the only competition he has is himself and that he is undeniably a superstar!
Stream Superstar and Superstar: The Remixes across all online and streaming platforms!
Watch the lyric video for “Thelma & Louis”: