Review: "The Joke Is On Me" - Sadye

“The Joke is on Me” by Sadye does not beat around the mental health bush in the least bit. As a warning, the song deals with themes of suicide, declining health, and mental health in a sarcastic form of catharsis. Sadye states that “The joke is on me” is about her intense battle with cancer and the mental ruin she’s faced as a result. Sadye says “I think we all wonder why we’re here for different reasons, so I feel like people will relate to that aspect of the song.” Sadye says that the whole song is encompassed by the first two lines of lyrics “I fought hard for my life, just to think about taking it myself”. As the saying goes, things typically get worse before they get better and Sadye has put that struggle into an edgy, catchy, dance like no one’s watching song. With lyrics like “Thank god I’m alive, so I can be here miserable and traumatized,” and the chorus “It’s kinda funny, I survived, came back to life, sent me to therapy to dislocate my mind,” the song is not only teeming with sarcasm but is undeniably relatable for people struggling with mental health issues.

“The joke is on me” is a dark pop dream. The beat is modern and catchy with Sadye’s background laughter adding to the ironic and sarcastic nature of the song. Often when you’re speaking of issues concerning mental health the tone tends to take on a more serious nature, but the addition of laughter is relatable because sometimes there really is nothing else you can do about the situation but laugh. Despite the heavy tone in the lyrics, the beat is oddly modern and synthetic giving an otherworldly alien feel. “The Joke is on Me”  also maintains an upbeat pace mixing the emotions of pessimism and optimism perfectly into an insanely danceable beat.

Sadye is a Los Angeles-based dark alt-pop singer-songwriter and winner of Optimism’s “We the Art” Contest. Sadye has also been a prominent feature on Spotify Playlists “Obsessed, IT’S A BOP!, New Pop Picks, and Night Pop,” as well as Amazon Music’s “Breakthrough Pop and Girl Squad,” Tidal’s “Future Sounds,” and Apple Music’s “New in Alternative” to name a few. Sadye’s music is catchy, edgy, and oozing with sarcasm as she explores darker themes through her songwriting. During an interview with THE BUZZ Sadye states that many of her songs were created while she was struggling with the painful events surrounding her health and was unsure if she should continue because “when it’s so real it sometimes isn’t fun to do it in a public setting”. Sadye states though that she will continue to pull from that raw and personal space because it’s what works for her when channeling her creativity. Despite the heavier tone and themes of Sadye’s lyrics, her music is catchy, fun, dark, and beautifully liberating from a deep introspective space. Check out more of her work at the links provided below.    

Written By Joselyn Jimenez

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