Picture this: it’s 2013, you just got home after school, and you sit back to relax and watch some TV. You enjoy a fun episode of Liv and Maddie, briefly interrupted by a set of commercials, and there it is. Zendaya, who you already know quite well from her role on Shake it Up, out with a music video promoting her new album. “Replay” might have been, for other kids, where this stopped. But this album, for a 10-year-old me, became an obsession. Now, 10 years later, I’ve rediscovered what I previously adored in this album. So join me as we re-enter the mind of my 10-year-old self.
Zendaya just can’t seem to fail at anything she does. This was her first and only album, which leads me to wonder if it was the lack of acclaim it received that abruptly ended the rest of her music career. But don’t let the disesteem of the album turn you away from it. Zendaya by Zendaya is the definition of a hidden gem.
To begin, “Replay”. This song shook Disney Channel Radio for a solid year. But it deserves so much more appreciation than that. This song (and the album as a whole) screams 2010, but not in a bad way. In this era of early 2000’s nostalgia, the 2010’s are begging for a comeback. Zendaya’s beautiful voice in this song particularly shines through, but there isn’t much to say that the song hasn’t already said: “I want to put this song on Replay.”
Next up, “Fireflies,” and its sister song, “Butterflies.” House music lovers should be eating these two songs up. “Fireflies” seems like the type of song I would hear at a party and never forget about, but “Butterflies” is definitely my favorite song of the album. I’m a lyric over beat person, and even 10-year-old me could understand how heart-wrenching this song is.
Following the same type of house music theme is “Putcha Body Down.” I have a love/hate relationship with this song since it was my alarm to wake up for school for multiple years in a row. Besides the physically incapacitated reaction I have to the first 10 seconds of the song, the rest is too much of a banger to ignore. Once again, the vocals in this song make it even more of a travesty that Zendaya never released any other music.
“Heaven Lost an Angel,” is definitely heading in a more “pop” direction, leading up to the slow songs gracing the end of the album. I tend to stray away from more repetitive songs, which this one definitely is, but the fact that I can still stand it should definitely tell you something.
If you’re a SZA fan, you’ll love the next song in the album, “Cry For Love.” If I’m being honest, middle school me was not rocking with this song, but as I’ve grown, my taste has refined. Now, I can confidently say this is one of the best songs on this album.
That’s not to say that 10-year-old me did not have taste at all, which shows in the intense love I had for “Only When You’re Close.” This song moves a little further from the slow songs the album has been leading up to, but it’s still not a house music song. I would put this song alongside “Butterflies” with its heart-wrenching lyrics and emotion.
“Bottle You Up,” makes me wonder who must have hurt Zendaya to warrant this response. This song is truly a heartbreak song, equivalent to the mastery of Taylor Swift or Olivia Rodgrido, but with less recognition, which once again, I will never understand.
If anyone has watched The Greatest Showman, you’ll know the masterpieces of the songs in that movie, like “Rewrite the Stars.” You’ll be shocked to know that those songs shiver in the shadow of “Scared,” giving the same energy as the movie, but highlighting Zendaya more (what’s not to like?).
Concluding with “Love You Forever,” and “My Baby,” Zendaya just does not seem to miss. These two are definitely the two slowest songs, but still keeping with the same theme and beat as the rest of the album.
Overall, running at 40 minutes and 11 bangers, Zendaya by Zendaya is an album you can’t miss. If you haven’t taken a listen already, I’m begging you to please do so now, for your own good. Thank me later!