Sean Paul’s ‘Top 10’ return

WITH his Sia collaboration becoming his ninth overall Top 10 hit, it’s time to step back and appreciate Sean Paul’s amazing longevity.
Forget “One Dance”, “Panda”, “Can’t Stop The Feeling”, and “This is What You Came For”. The most interesting story in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 right now is “Cheap Thrills”, the party-hard electro-pop single from Sia that moves to No. 6 this week, and has become her biggest hit as a lead artiste to date.

It’s taken four months, but the latest single from the singer-songwriter’s overlooked ‘This Is Acting’ album has overtaken the chart peak of 2014’s ubiquitous “Chandelier”, and improbably become her fourth Top 10 to date.
Actually, “improbably” is a bit of an understatement: Sia’s transformation from offbeat alt-popper to radio-dominating arena headliner has been stunning to witness over the past half-decade, especially since she’s rarely shown her face while conquering the world.

But really, Sia’s long-confirmed reinvigoration doesn’t make “Cheap Thrills” the most fascinating song at the top of the Hot 100. Its featured artiste, the inimitable Sean Paul, helps it earn that distinction.
And just when you think he’s out of Top 40 radio’s orbit, he crashes back into our lives and dominates another summer; without ever really allowing us to consider Sean Paul as a personality or pop presence.

How does this keep happening? Looking at his track record of success, the answer is simple: Sean Paul mutated into a utility player after arriving in America as a power hitter a decade-and-a-half ago.
With 2002’s ‘Dutty Rock’ album and 2005’s ‘The Trinity’, Paul racked up a whopping seven Top 20 hits as a lead artiste, including No. 1 smashes with “Get Busy” and “Temperature”.
Then, the solo hits stopped coming. So Sean Paul started grinding out featured appearances, and slowly but surely, he returned to Top 40. “Break It Off” with Rihanna became one of her earliest Top 10 hits; Jay Sean’s “Do You Remember”, also featuring Lil Jon, beguiled fans of “Down” in 2010.

Paul refused to disappear, and had transitioned from leading the conversation at Top 40 to interjecting a catchphrase once in a while. This approach is on display fully in “Cheap Thrills”.
Over the past year, Sean Paul has been featured on songs by Little Mix, Magic! and Sak Noel; he is probably receiving a lot more requests now that “Cheap Thrills” is blowing up. There’s a good chance that Sean Paul will still be telling us to rock with it, bounce with it and dance with it for years to come. And that’s a thrill in itself.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.