“Meant For Life” by Hope Arden

“Meant For Life” is a game-changer for rising pop star Hope Arden. That’s right, I said star. Even in a million songs being downloaded on Spotify daily, this Washington-born singer/songwriter has a shining outing in her new track. There’s no use in trying to escape her catchy chorus and a beat that just won’t quit, her quest to keep love alive is always present in this pop standout. So how does a singer like Arden get through the noise, rise above the others in such a flooded market: natural talent. 

WEBSITE: https://hopearden.com/

Arden also has a way of creating anticipation, of moving the song along like a mystery novel. It’s still a solid pop song, there isn’t a heavy prose or too obscure of a phrase that you need to Google what she’s singing about, yet Arden keeps it vague at certain points if the man she’s singing to feels the same way. You think I’m crazy when I tell lies, she sings. I had to sit in this stanza for more than I thought I would. I circled back to it because I wondered aloud – does he think she’s crazy all the time, then? It’s moments like that that make me think there’s more to this song below the surface line than what we think. I think that it makes for highly entertaining brainstorming.

Just as fun and twisted is the music bed. It’s like radar running amuck. There’s a drum machine that clicks and clunks with Arden’s voice. The flow of the music is tight, like you’re in a space machine and ready to go interstellar. I think modern audiences are getting used to the computerized beat, and it works in “Meant For Life”. Arden grows the sound even more so, I think, in this track and has an ebb and flow tone / push and pull with the drum that feels sophisticated and classy. Some others might call it off the rails, but I think by the third listen, I loved the refined sound it provided. It didn’t sound as disjointed or having dissonance like I thought on the first listen. Believe me, I like to go off the immediate reaction like any other person, but this one felt too unique to not keep listening several times. I felt a myriad of things – entertainment, emotionally connected to her words and ensconced by her voice. “Meant To Be” is quite possibly the best pop song I’ve heard in quite some time. Arden does a great job of keeping the listener balanced between her vocals and the music. 

Just as writers are taught to ‘write tight’, “Meant For Life” keeps the story short and sweet. I think after the song’s bridge Arden might even get away with a bit longer of a song, and maybe even one more stanza. I think Arden has a lot left, and a ton of more quirky songs to share with the world. “Meant For Life” is a great first shot out of the gate and here’s to hoping for more. 

Mindy McCall

The music of Hope Arden has been heard all over the world in partnership with the radio plugging services offered by Musik and Film Radio Promotions Division.  Learn more https://musikandfilm.com