Photo credit: @bygwynethchoi
Amelie Jat’s latest release, “You Ruined My Birthday”, is a teen girl anthem. It’s about heartbreaking events, but certainly not heartbreak. Amelie is not depressed, though her lyrics reflect she may have been in the past, now, she is angry. Her birthday, her birthday was ruined by someone who didn’t deserve her and she is adamant that she didn’t deserve that. She sings of the hurt they caused her but doesn’t question it, doesn’t sit in it, instead uses it simply as examples of their cruelty. “You Ruined My Birthday” is a reflection, where the excuses for behavior are gone and simple facts of mistreatment become more clear. It’s not “You Ruined My Birthday But You Got Me This Watch And You Had A Long Day…” it’s “You Ruined My Birthday” the end. There is no reasoning for the treatment she endured and she is evidently aware of this. It’s relatable, screamable, and honest story make it a compelling piece for anyone who’s been let down.
The song begins with a quick, strong, drum beat, setting the tone for the remainder of it. Amelie begins singing almost immediately after this, “Got a champagne bottle I can’t wait for tomorrow, ‘cause now I’m one year older, don’t know how to do this sober”. It seems to start in the past, or at least reminiscing on the past. She touches on this issue of alcohol use only once more, shortly after this first line, and considering it seems to take place on the ruined birthday she may be implying this was yet another problem caused by the relationships that formerly pained her. The background here features a steady but slow guitar and drum beat, but it changes after only a moment into the pop punk anthem expected from the first note. The percussion picks up quickly and the listener is thrown into the chorus. The way Amelie sings here, and in other portions of the song, is purposefully concise. She doesn’t bury her former treatment under layers of emotional metaphors, she simply says what happened, almost clarifying it to herself. It is this clarity which not only makes the song extremely memorable and catchy, but also fuels the anger and feelings of justice behind it. She continues this theme with the instrumentals as well, until the second chorus finishes and the music briefly sounds techno, almost R&B. Her voice is edited and there’s a background singer, it’s a surprising but refreshing portion of the song which truly exemplifies Amelie’s creativity. But just as the listener is thrown into the first chorus, it picks up quickly again and the song ends after another rendition of it, classic and upbeat.
Amelie Jat began exploring her skills as a songwriter at only eleven years old, and by sixteen she had decided on following her passion and clear talent in the music industry. She then released her first album with the help of a producer introduced to her by her former music director in school. Since then, two more have followed along with 17 singles. She’s gained nearly 86,000 followers on tiktok, upwards of 4,000 on instagram, her Spotify releases have tens of thousands of streams, and she has booked her first headline show where she’s based, in London. All while enduring those unbearable birthdays which inspired her song. Jat often uses her real life experiences as inspiration for her lyrics and it’s particularly clear in “You Ruined My Birthday”, which is in a way representative of her own years of growing and struggling within the industry. Learn more about Amelie Jat by following her below, or by simply streaming “You Ruined My Birthday” now.
Written By Hailey Schap
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