From first listen, “Level Up” by Natty Paynter seems like a cheeky song about a gamer unable to beat a level, but it’s actually a metaphor for life. Whether you’re in an arcade, an unfulfilling relationship, a job you hate, or a person you don’t even recognize in the mirror anymore, we all feel stuck; unable to pass the level of life we are on. We look around at our friends, families, and enemies, and see them doing better, and all we want is a cheat code to win. Every person is not only on a different level, but we are all playing different games, and the big catch… we are not only the main players in our game, hero and villain, but we are also the creator. We can do exactly what someone else does, and while they ear all the coins and get the girl, we lose everything and are back to level one in factory setting outfits with a mountain to climb ahead. As frustrating as this can seem, there’s no one way to “win” at life. We all must play our own games, make our own mistakes, learn from them, and try to do better when we inevitably lose and start from zero. As cliche as it may be, life is not about winning the game. Life is about getting the chance to play, and there’s no one who can play your game better than you.
“Level Up” is a compelling pop song that perfectly depicts the fear of getting left behind when everyone around you seems to be soaring. Natty Paynter’s lyrics mirror the deepest fears inside us all. The funny thing about idolizing someone else’s life and success is that they still have those exact same fears inside themself about everyone else around them. Even if you “have it all”, you still envy those around you. The billionaire man who is the CEO of a Fortune 500 company envies the middle class man who gets to come home at 5 pm and eat dinner with his family every night. The woman who just got engaged in Paris to the love of her life envies her single friends who get to go out every night, get free drinks from men, and dance until the sun comes up. The valedictorian envies the girl who got C’s but got to experience college tailgates and pub crawls. There is not one person in this world who has it all, and the sooner we accept that and appreciate the life we’ve created for ourself, the sooner we really begin to live. There will always be ups and downs, people ahead of you, people far behind you, and in order to level up, you just have to be you; be unafraid to fail, and be unafraid to try again over and over until you get it right.
Natty Paynter is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist and vocalist born and raised in Cardiff. Artists such as Ed Sheeran and Alec Benjamin are some of her biggest influences in music. Her music is created from her personal experiences and emotions, and she is in a league of her own with her gutsy, bold indie-pop style. She is not afraid to to show raw honesty and vulnerability through her music. While going through her own journey of self-discovery, Natty Paynter came out as LGBTQ+ on social media. She is an inspiration for her fans, and her music is a safe space for people where she freely dissects the darker parts of life. No one feels alone or left behind when listening to Natty’s music. Her sheer talent mixed with her dynamic lyrics and captivating spirit has made Natty Paynter an instant legend amongst her fans, and as we ride along this journey with her, we can’t wait to watch her “Level Up”.
Written By Grace Chapman
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