“The Sequel” is the story of a relationship which has only ended for one. The narrator of the song is instead stuck retelling it, reliving it. He hopes not for this repetition, but for a new tale to tell. He doesn’t reminisce on the old relationship as many breakup songs will do, rather, he misses the person with whom he can reminisce. “The Sequel” is a call for just that, a second chance. Consistent themes of storytelling and film bring the listener back to that meaningful title. In viewing the relationship as this story, Kadish manages to recreate the feeling of isolation so prevalent following a breakup. He is separated from his own memories, viewing them not as in the past, but as a story he can tune into and fall asleep to. He views them as a story left on a cliffhanger. His hope is only that, when the story continues, he’ll no longer be staring at the ceiling above him to watch it- he’ll be able to turn over and see it in real time in his partner's eyes. An end to the isolation. His entire narration seems to take place alone lying in bed, as if he’s reflecting on this all as he falls asleep. He comes back to this perspective again and again. This imagery Kevin Kadish uses, the constant view of a heartbroken man alone, along with the tone of the song, a slow ballad, make “The Sequel” the perfect soundtrack to a lonely night.
The song begins with a steady but gentle piano, one note at a time, hardly differing in tone and yet carrying intense emotion in the silences it calls attention to. “I play our story like a movie in my head”, the first line of the song and a complete summary of it. His voice echoes a sort of exhausted pain, trailing off and growing quieter at the end of each statement. But, with each new line, he regains a strength in his singing that allows for beautiful vocals. These vocals paired with the piano are consistent throughout the course of the piece; but as he becomes more emotional, pleading “won’t you let me rewrite us”, nearly unheard but nonetheless influential string instruments mimic his sound. The rise and fall of this portion of the song is unavoidably touching, it’s one of the only moments that lasts without a description of the bed from which he sings. It’s the song's briefest feelings of hope which are somehow more heart wrenching than its extended periods of grief. At his next rendition of “won’t you let me rewrite us”, this swell of emotion and the swell in volume that reflects it is clear, with the “us” being sung by a chorus made up of his own voice overlapping itself. Following this, he sings twice “all I want to do is wake up next to you in a sequel” over that familiar piano, and “The Sequel” comes to a close.
“The Sequel” written seven years ago with Tony Ferrari and Nathan Chapman, is Kevin Kadish’s latest release. Glancing at only his Spotify, it would seem it was one of seven singles- all written in the past three years. But Kadish has a much more expansive display of work, and his experience stretches decades beyond what initially meets the eye. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Kevin always had a passion for music, he attended Berklee and the University of Maryland where he created his major: music management. He began working after his graduation as a solo artist, performing original songs and touring the East Coast with bands such as Dave Mathew’s Band and Hall & Oates. He swayed from this trade though, following what he’s claimed to be most proficient skill, writing. He co-wrote songs for artists such as Willie Nelson, until he came upon a relatively undiscovered singer at the time, Meghan Trainor. In co-writing and producing “All About That Bass”, the no.1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks in 2014 and a worldwide hit, he skyrocketed his and Trainor’s careers. Since, he’s worked with artists such as Miley Cyrus, Morgan Wallen, Jason Mraz, and many others. He's been nominated for 3 Grammys, two in the 57th annual awards for "All About That Bass" and one in the 47th for best engineered album. Follow Kevin Kadish below and stream “The Sequel” to keep up with his overwhelming success.
Written By Hailey Schap
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