Infinite Icon

Almost 20 years after her debut album, Paris Hilton welcomes herself back with her sophomore album, the knowingly wry and sugary Infinite Icon. At the height of Hiltons fame as both a socialite and star of the reality series The Simple Life, not to mention Teen Choice and Golden Raspberry Awards regular, she made the move into music with 2006s Paris, a production that blended clubby dance anthems with a light dusting of 2000s pop-punk. At first glance, the record seemed to ooze a one-off vanity project energy. Yet it worked surprisingly well as a pop confection, hitting number six on the Billboard 200 and spawning the reggae-infused, chart-topping dance hit "Stars Are Blind." In fact, it worked so well that it seemed odd Hilton didnt immediately follow it up, instead focusing on more reality TV and business ventures, as well as shifting gears into DJing. Executively, and one feels empathetically, produced by singer Sia (who also guests on two tracks), Infinite Icon builds nicely upon its predecessor, once again revealing Hilton to be a savvy spokesperson for her own stylishly campy brand and a pretty good singer to boot. While her breathy, cherubic vocals might still evoke Britney Spears as they did in 2006, the comparison now feels like a genuine influence. Theres a similar self-awareness to the songs, including the opening "Welcome Back," where she both literally and figuratively welcomes herself back to her fans, singing "Welcome back (B*tch, youve been missed)." Its a cheeky move, yet one that manages to strike the right balance of tongue-in-cheek humor and earnest understanding of her position in popular culture. If society can rethink how it treats young stars like Britney Spears and Justin Bieber, then Hilton is certainly overdue for a cultural reconsideration. This is especially redolent in the wake of Charli xcxs 2024 album Brat, an artist whose maximalist, feminist pop energy also seems to be a touchstone for Hilton. Cuts like the disco-infused "Im Free" with Rina Sawayama, the sparkling and oddly prescient "ADHD," where she reveals the disorder was "always her super power," and her effusive Sia duet "Fame Wont Love You" work as cautionary, self-care anthems for the dancefloor. Thankfully, Hiltons sense of ironic humor remains intact, as "BBA" (an acronym for Bad B*tch Academy) -- where she and rapper Megan Thee Stallion tell their students to grab their "Hot Girl Bibles" before instructing them in the many ways of weaponizing their hotness -- proves. At turns silly and heartfelt, Infinite Icon is both a return to form for Hilton and a sly deconstruction of her image. ~ Matt Collar

元祖お騒がせセレブ、元祖インフルエンサーの彼女が各方面を賑わせたのも一昔前だが、その頃に出したデビュー作『Paris』から約18年ぶりにセカンド・アルバムが届くとは! 今回は自身の"Fame Won't Love You"に彼女を招いていたシーアがエグゼクティヴ・プロデューサーとして全体を統括しているのでクォリティは推して知るべし。シーア自身も"If The Earth Is Spinning"を歌で援護するほか、リナ・サワヤマやマリア・ベセラらが客演したダンス・ポップの佳曲集で、メーガン・トレイナーらがコライトに参加。曲名で二度見したヒップ・ハウス"BBA"でのミーガン・ザ・スタリオンとの絡みもかっこいい。
bounce (C)出嶌孝次