Even though Jordin Sparks hasn’t been burning up the charts recently, she’s transitioned her spot on a reality TV show to an acting career starring alongside Whitney Houston and Derek Luke in the 2012 remake of Sparkle. Jordin Sparks also had a stint on Broadway in the show In the Heights. In the process of dating and dumping popstar Jason Derulo, Jordin Sparks has been in the studio finding her sound for her next record. She released a mixtape titled Bye Felicia, giving fans a taste of what’s to come in her album, Right Here, Right Now, released in August, 2015.
Ditching the pop sound with urban elements, Jordin Sparks is now completely rhythmic radio-friendly. This time, adding more hip hop elements and keeping a touch of her pop sensibilities so she doesn’t alienate her fans. Sparks has the type of voice that doesn’t need to be bound by one genre, so I’m glad to see that she wants to try something new. I really liked her Drake cover of “How Bout’ Now,” remixing it to be a kiss-off to her ex Derulo, but the creativity on Bye Felicia did come with some cringe-worthy moments.
“It Ain’t You” would be the single I couldn’t take serious from Jordin Sparks I don’t mind an artist using current slang and adding the latest Mustard beat on a single, but make sure it sounds authentic to who you are as a musician. At the end of Bye Felicia, Sparks released “Double Tap,” her single featuring 2 Chainz. Over a snap-driven beat, Sparks sounds amazing as she warns her guy that he better not be checking out other ladies on the gram, “If you like what you see then / You gotta let me know / That you won’t double tap that ho.”
At first listen, I thought having a track centered on liking someone’s picture on Instagram was cheesy, but it’s a real issue for people in my generation. Jordin Sparks knows how to cater to her audience and I can see “Double Tap” doing well in the teen/young adult market. I don’t know if it’s the smooth production or infectious chorus, but I couldn’t help singing some of the lyrics after a couple spins. 2 Chainz gives Sparks that hip hop co-sign, and his verse sounds nice on the track.