This week marks the release of Kyan Palmer’s debut studio album, titled Burn Mona Lisa, which contains ten awesome tracks. All of the songs get a chance to shine and really shows off how incredibly talented this singer-songwriter is.
Kyan Palmer is an Arizona-raised, LA-based artist who started behind the scenes at record labels such as Roc Nation and Republic Records. It wasn’t until he was working at Universal Music Group that he dropped his debut single, “Burn Mona Lisa”, whilst sitting behind a desk. This song went viral, racking up over 3 million Spotify streams; so, it’s no surprise he has named his debut album off his debut single, which is his most popular track to-date. His follow-up single, “Hidden Feelings” also gained quite a bit of popularity, and we even premiered the music video to it on-site, as well as interview him exclusively about the track and the visual.
This debut album from Kyan Palmer is one we could listen to again and again. Here’s our track-by-track album review.
Burn Mona Lisa
His title track, most-streamed track, and first single, starts this album off and it is full of emotion and haunting spirit. Kyan Palmer’s voice is absolutely on point from start to finish giving us chills with every single lyric, whilst the dark depths of the backing track takes us on a heartfelt journey emphasising the words he is singing. We’re not surprised it’s the title track, what a way to kick this album off.
Pretend That You Love Me
This one leads on well from “Burn Mona Lisa” sidling down a more pop-route with some killer falsetto vocals from Kyan Palmer. The song is definitely one of our favourites on the album because it tells a story that we can get behind as he sings about wanting someone he loves to love him back. It’s got grit and integrity with some addicting beats and sounds in the backing track. This is one you’ll end up singing along to before it ends.
Somebody Else (Collaboration with Haley Vassar)
Another journey of a song, with Kyan Palmer’s vocals hitting us in the heart from the get-go, he really has flooded this song with emotion and passion. We hear him sing about him not being the only one and that there is always somebody else. Then, Haley Vassar jumps in during the second verse, adding an incredible female vocal to the track and flipping it around to her perspective. This is a staple of a song on this album and reminds us of a more laid-back Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. This is pure fire from start to finish.
Make It Up
This is a progressive track the builds up from the start. The backing track is intricate with finger-clicks and a beaty rhythm like we’ve never heard before. Once again, Kyan Palmer impresses with his voice, proving that he deserves a place within the music industry. Lyrically, the song is about how he loves how they make up after an argument in a relationship. It’s a strong track that has sexy depths that would certainly bring a steamy music video if one ever got released.
Nothing But Ghosts
A haunting opening to this track, giving us a ghostly feeling. The whole song is different from all the tracks we’ve heard before but still with Kyan Palmer’s signature sound to it. Kyan Palmer’s voice sounds amazing on this track reminding us a bit of Nick Jonas, Troye Sivan, and Shawn Mendes. The track isn’t likely to be a single or have a music video, but it’s a great album-track nonetheless.
Hidden Feelings
This is the track which music video we exclusively premiered on CelebMix. We do love this song, it’s beyond catchy and one of his most-upbeat tracks on the album. It paints a picture to which the music video relates perfectly. His vocals are as on-point as ever and it’s no surprise this song was chosen as a single.
Can’t Help It
“Can’t Help It” is fire from the very start as the upbeat backing track hits in straight away, as Kyan Palmer’s vocals shine. Once again, the lyrics paint a story; this time, Kyan Palmer is singing about being so in love with someone that he would do anything for – don’t we all know that feeling? Highly relatable, and one we simply adore.
Don’t Talk About It (Collaboration with Michael Mar)
This track is completely different to everything else on the album and has a very dance-electro beat to it which isn’t surprising as Kyan Palmer is the featured artist on the track and Michael Mar is the main artist – so we aren’t surprise about that it has more of an EDM style to it compared to everything else on the album. This has prospects of going viral, as it is groovy throughout, while Kyan Palmer proves that his voice suits this genre. It’s less heart-passioned but he still makes an impact. Michael Mar totally impresses with the backing track with all sorts of beats and tropical sounds.
Poetry In Motion
Slowing it back down to an extent, this brings us back to his soulful-pop music reminding us of Nick Jonas, once again. “Poetry In Motion” is the best vocal track on the album as Kyan Palmer’s voice is flat-out fantastic. Rich, raw, and passionate, this singer-songwriter sure knows how to dig deep and stay controlled for such a brilliant track. We could listen to this song on repeat all day long.
Burn Mona Lisa (Yuri Joness Remix)
Ending this album with a remix of the opening and title track is beyond clever, making sure we don’t forget about his most-popular track, all the while giving us a new take on it. The song itself keeps the original feelings and emotion that Kyan Palmer displays, all the while adding Yuri Joness’ hip-hop lyrics that makes this version on par with the original. If you liked the original, you’ll definitely like this one. What a collaboration to end this album on!
Overall, this “Burn Mona Lisa” album is possibly one of our favourite albums released this year. It’s full of amazing songs with a Kyan Palmer’s exceptional vocals, hitting all the right notes. As debut albums go, this proves beyond a doubt that Kyan Palmer not only deserves to be in the music industry, but he deserves to be globally successful. We cannot wait to see where his career takes him next.
The “Burn Mona Lisa” album is available to download and stream now, through Krown Records.