Music Review: "Bottled Up"

Two weeks ago, Fifth Harmony member, Dinah Jane released her solo single, “Bottled Up,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Marc E. Bassy. The song was produced by hit producer Nic Nac, who has recently worked with DJ Khaled on “No Brainer,” as well as David Park, James Hau, and William Mosgrove. This is Jane’s first song during the Fifth Harmony hiatus.The intro of “Bottled Up” starts out with light, bouncy xylophone-like notes setting up the beat of the song. In the first verse, Jane comes in with a quiet drum beat, singing about a partner who shows her the value of love over materialistic items such as a diamond ring: “Say the best things in life are free, now I know why.” Following up for the pre-chorus, a heavier bass sound builds another layer on top, and Jane moves on to singing about a reliable relationship. In the lyrics of the pre-chorus, Jane makes a reference to the Fifth Harmony song “Work From Home” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, using the direct lyrics, “Work from home.”Bassy’s feature is highlighted in the chorus, backing up Jane’s vocals. Matching the title of the song, the chorus repeats the lines, “I’m drinking, baby, ‘cause I’m bottled up.” In an interview for V Magazine, Jane spoke about how people often turn to drinking to let out bottled up feelings that they don’t have the courage to say sober. “I know a lot of people that go through things, and they’re internal with their feelings, and they don’t know how to express it,” Jane said. For Bottled Up, the hidden feelings probably reference Jane and her partner’s reluctance to express how much they love each other. Ty Dolla $ign takes over after the chorus, continuing with the storyline of an intoxicating relationship with the allusion to Beyonce’s “Drunk in Love” saying, “Feeling like Bee & Jay, we’re drunk in love.” Ty Dolla $ign’s deep voice during this feature in the song was a pleasant contrast from the relatively higher pitched voices of Jane and Bassy.My favorite part of the whole song was the chorus with Bassy. In Jane’s interview with Music Choice, Jane talked about her appreciation for Bassy’s song with Ty Dolla Sign in his 2015 song “That’s Love.” She remembered “loving their voice” and “how they carry themselves as artists.” For Bottled Up, Bassy and Jane’s harmony of distinct but complementing voices was a new sound that I liked listening to. I really enjoy listening to Bottled Up. The song has a simple, but catchy beat with the three artists’ voices all adding their own admirable traits. I was never a fan of Fifth Harmony, but being able hear Jane’s voice shine independently in this song is nice. Other members of Fifth Harmony Lauren Jauregui and Normani have already showcased their abilities with their respective collaborations with Halsey and Khalid, but I look forward to seeing more solo music bringing out all their talented voices, especially since previous member Camila Cabello’s leave.