NCR singer-songwriter Kiara Chettri is seventeen and rising fast. Her EP ‘4 AM’ was full of potential and now she’s getting playlisted all over the place (side note: getting on playlists is sort of the new ‘I’m here’ moment, it seems like), and for good reason. Her new single ‘Why’ showcases that reason in full focus, which is that she can write a pop ballad and write it pretty damn well. There are times when no matter what you listen to and whatever your musical interests are, you sometimes just want to throw all that away and listen to a dramatic, fully involved pop song without pretence. Well, this song is exactly that.

Kiara has the tools and influences (pick your favourite 2010s pop artist and she takes cues from them) to tug at some heartstrings and all those ingredients are very much present on ‘Why’. Piano? It’s the backbone of it all. A strong voice? She has an iron grip on her vocals and a surprising amount of strength in her delivery given how soft the surrounding instrumentation is. Strings? Of course. In terms of sounds, that’s about it for the most part. Some drums come in for the entirely predictable and therefore awesome (that’s why we love pop music, it’s familiar to us) opening up of the sound for the last third of the track. She also brings in some powerful harmonies and vocal layers to put the final touch on things. This single is pretty much everything you’d expect from a big-time pop tune and while it isn’t doing anything new, who cares? It’s still eminently enjoyable. Put this on your playlist.