Music Blogs

There's no doubt January 20th will be a remarkable and unforgettable day in American history. It will be the beginning of a loooonnnng-awaited, hopeful new era, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Yes, Tuesday, January 20, 2009 is the day that...Sanjaya Malakar finally releases his debut EP.

Um, what landmark cultural event did you think I was talking about?

Okay, okay. So maybe Sanjaya will be upstaged ever so slightly on the 20th (ya think?), because, you know, something else major and important is going on in the world that day. But let's not forget that long before Barack Obama captured the hearts and minds of America's youth, Sanjaya was also rocking our fair nation's young-demo vote (on American Idol, natch), galvanizing the entire U.S. tween contingent with his geeky giggle, impossibly fluffy hairstyles, and inexplicably endearing inability to actually sing.

So, yeah...just when you thought it was safe to go back on the Interweb, Sanjaya is being inaugurated into the pro recording leagues next Tuesday, when he releases his five-song EP exclusively on Amazon. (Yes, surprise--so far there is no major-label record deal for Sanjaya. Bet little Ashley Ferl is sobbing again.) This masterwork is titled Dancing To The Music In My Head, and judging from the song samples already previewing online, it seems some pretty deep thoughts (if not Obama-level deep) have been churning inside Sanj's hirsute head since his season 6 Idol elimination.

Just take a gander at some of these, like, totally profound lyrics, dude:

"A Guy Like Me" - Track 1 is a cheese-laden, tween-baiting love song in which Sanjaya encourages his adoring admirers to "fly across the world" with him and join him for "walks along the beach" (seriously) in a "moment in time you won't regret." Swoon.

"I Got It For You" - Track 2 is another sap-soaked ballad, sure...but one full of such existential ennui! "I thought I had it all figured out...but now I have doubts," croons a older, wiser Sanjaya. Surely he articulates what's on the minds of all disenfranchised citizens of this troubled, crossroads-facing nation.

"A Quintessential Lullaby" - This is Sanjaya's Bollywood-inspired world music attempt, and it's also his big political statement. He sings of the "manipulation of material manifestations/You start to feel the creation of a stifled population" and asks the musical question, "What happens when we wake up?" Yep, he's sure giving us something to talk about other than hair now, huh? Someone arrange to have this eloquent life philosopher collaborate with Obama's speechmakers before Tuesday!

"Rainy Days" - This new-agey yoga song, performed in the vein of later-period (read: bad) Sting, features more poetry from the fertile, fauxhawk-topped mind of Malakar. "Sitting alone in a place where I feel free/Where I can contemplate peacefully," he warbles wistfully. "Wind is moving, birds are all high/Sitting alone wondering where my soul has been." Whoa, dude. That's, like, seriously intense stuff.

"Tell Me Who I Am" - This final revenge song seems to be directed right at American Idol, and possibly, specifically, at Simon Cowell himself. "I don't need your couch critiquing anymore," Sanjaya snarls (well, he doesn't quite snarl, because Sanj is too sweet and fey for that, but he seems at least mildly miffed). "Your judgment won't wreak havoc on me/You don't know this life." Ooh, snap! Take that, Simon.

And there you have it. It's been a long time a-coming, but January 20th will be a monumental day indeed. So don't ever forget where you were when you finally heard Dancing To The Music In My Hair.

Um, I mean Dancing To The Music In My HEAD.