As if seeing Paris Hilton’s face constantly splashed all over TV and tabloids wasn’t enough, now it seems that we’ll also be hearing her this summer on the radio.
The Hilton Hotel heiress’ first single, out last week, already is garnering significant buzz. And the fabulously rich international party girl is set to release “Paris,” her debut CD, sometime in August, according to her label, Warner Bros. It’s rumored to be a potpourri of pop, hip-hop, R&B and club music.
If the speedy success of her first single, “Stars Are Blind,” is any indication, Hilton’s CD may one of the most hotly anticipated albums of the summer.
Leaked to radio and the Internet early this month, the single already is the sixth most-downloaded song on iTunes’ top 10 list. On the influential New York pop-rock station, Z-100, “Stars Are Blind” is the No. 1 most-requested song.
“It was something we definitely had to play, because it was something everybody would be talking about,” said Romeo, music director and late-night on-air personality at Z-100. “It was perfect timing. Paris has been working on this album for two years, so it was all strategic. The song is pure pop and perfect for warm weather. First week out, we got two to three hundred callers requesting the song.”
More Top Picks Outdoor Speakers
Is the single that good?
Lilting with a faux reggae groove slightly reminiscent of Blondie’s 1980 hit “The Tide Is High,” the song, produced by Fernando Garibay, boasts a catchy if vapid chorus: “Even though the gods are crazy/Even though the stars are blind/If you show me real love baby/I’ll show you mine.”
Although Hilton is irritating, her single is surprisingly bearable. As suspected, the vocals are Post-It thin. (Breathy, slightly whiny, she sounds a bit like Gwen Stefani.) Woven throughout such a synthetic track, Hilton’s “singing chops” sound sonically airbrushed. Which isn’t such a big deal these days–you don’t have to possess Aretha Franklin-caliber pipes to score big on today’s pop charts.
But you do need hot producers, and Hilton has them. Scott Storch is among the half-dozen producers on her forthcoming album. He has overseen monster hits for Mario (“Let Me Love You”), 50 Cent (“Candy Shop”) and Beyonce (“Naughty Girl”).
You also need a tight, preferably steamy video: As seen on youtube.com, Hilton’s clip for “Stars Are Blind” is shot mostly in black and white and at flattering angles. It features the “singer” frolicking on a beach with a handsome male model.
Finally, to score big in the pop arena these days, you need notoriety. And Hilton has that in abundance–along with a sufferable hot single.
The heat might not be the only thing we’ll try to escape this summer.