Anja Kotar is a name you should get to know in pop music. Her newest release, ‘KIDS’, is the epitome of bubble gum pop with purpose. Kotar brings listeners the same fun, airy pop as Kim Petras or Poppy and adds an additional layer of world and generational awareness.
Her song ‘KIDS’ looks at the relationship between youth and technology in our society. The youthful song seems to easily acknowledge the stereotypes around the millennial lifestyle and the desire to be connected while being disengaged with the world around us.
“Being young and engaged in the modern age/ Only seen on the screen”
The song also addresses the issues around the use of technology and how people present themselves online in this modern era of social media and collecting followers. Kotar brings up the topic of self love and worthiness on social platforms and almost mocks the standards we hold ourselves to on social media.
“Loves yourself, you can't be beat/ But honesty is scary so you go and hit delete”
The bridge is honestly the strongest point of the song and really highlights the ways which we use technology to connect but it simultaneously disconnects us from real interaction. We care more about how people see us on little glass and metal boxes than we are interpreted and seen face to face in reality.
“Is it true that I'm connecting/ Or reality rejecting/ Just a second, it's my phone/ Can we finish later on?”
"The music video features 6 different colored outfits and a correlating color flower for each of them. The white background represents the cold, harsh reality of our world, while the flowers represent the fairytale we present online. Each flower has a meaning that describes a characteristic of the millennial generation. Throughout the video, I carry more and more flowers in my hands, alluding to getting caught up in the online fantasy and progressively exaggerating it."
“Flower Meanings:
Pink: grace
Blue: vanity
Yellow: idealism
Purple: capriciousness
Red: affection
Green: rejection”
A bit about Anja Kotar:
Anja is a 21-year-old graduate of Berklee College of Music (home to quite a few Unheard Gems favorites at the moment). Originally from Slovenia, Kotar trained in dance in piano for most of her childhood. At age 14 she moved to San Jose, California (yet another place close to the hearts of the Unheard Gems team). In the US she was able to immerse herself in vocal performance and begin songwriting.
“She seized opportunities to sing in jazz troupes and has since trained with one of Los Angeles' most prominent vocal coaches, Micah Plissner. For her hard work, Kotar was awarded the Outstanding Musicianship Award several times—as a soloist with her conservatory’s jazz band and with the vocal jazz ensemble.”
“Her new releases will explore the relationship between youth and technology; speaking from her own experiences, she delivers a mature, nuanced perspective on contemporary life.
Fame will find Kotar for her talent alone, but her good humor and tireless drive will set her apart.”
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Written by Hannah Schneider
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