MKTO: True Millennial Artists

I'm sure many of you have heard the new song "Classic", by MKTO, played on repeat on the radio; several times a day! I certainly have, and whenever it comes on while I'm driving I immediately crank up the volume and sing along with the catchy melody and super-cute lyrics. But does MKTO have anything else to offer? Is this new duo doomed to be a one-hit wonder before their music career has even really begun?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e8/MKTO_album.jpg

After purchasing the song "Classic" (and listening to it multiple times), I decided to investigate more of the group self-named album, "MKTO". Firstly, I read online that not only do the letters stand for the artists' names, Malcolm Kelley and Tony Oller, but they also make up the phrase: "Misfit Kids and Total Outcasts". Interesting; but why?

As soon as I listened to more of the songs on the album, I understood the meaning behind the duo's name. Kelley and Oller may be giving the impression that they will be producing cute, pop-y love songs with their hit "Classic", but there is clearly more to their music style. The album begins with the song "Thank You", which openly criticizes the government, referencing abuse of the environment and the world in general: "Thank you for feeding us years of lies. / Thank you for the wars you left us to fight. / Thank you for the world you ruined overnight. / But we'll be fine, yeah we'll be fine." The song is an anthem for rebellious teenagers.

The album's fourth track, "American Dream", is in fact a satirical comment on the state of America today. The song points out the values held up in American society, and even states that they're probably the wrong ones: "We don’t want two kids and a wife / I don’t want a job I just want a life". The song points out that America isn't necessarily the perfect place people believe it to be: "Look, never take candy from a stranger / And keep your eyes open for danger / ‘Cause this right here is the twisted paradise". The song questions in its chorus "Whatever happened to the American dream", and mentions that "Jack left Diane thirty years ago", referencing the 1982 hit "Jack and Diane" by John Mellencamp.

This revolutionary attitude continues with MKTO album's fifth track, "Could Be Me", featuring Ne-Yo. This song seems like a simple love song at first listen, but also criticizes America's culture of consumerism and greed for money by describing a girl who would rather be with a man who is cruel to her but rich than with a man who is poor but actually cares for her.

These three songs are not the whole album, of course, but they highlight the duo's core values. Even the cute song "Classic", so popular because it is catchy and about love, mentions that the world today has "gone plastic", and yearns for "classic" days of old. It is clear, when looking closely at the work on the album, that Kelley and Oller are truly of the millennial generation: rebellious, young, and ready to change the world for the better. To me, this makes it clear that MKTO does not have to fear one-hit-wonder-land; with their passion, talent, and ideological basis, this band is here to stay. And the songs are fun to dance to, as well; always a plus! ;)