Drawing us in with an assertive vocal delivery and jazz-pop sonic adjacency, Kent Olsson and Jolie open Whole Parade with the lyrics, “You said, baby, you’re a warning, I said, funny, you’re still calling, you like clean lines and a five-year plan, I’m the part you can’t command, read the signs, but read them right…”
We immediately connect with the conviction that Jolie delivers the prose with and the drama that manifests. It evolves into an anthem of self-worth. Essentially, this song is about a bold, wild and rather iconic person, who refuses to follow rules or change just to please someone else. Even though her partner sees them as potential trouble, they are still attracted to their exciting, unpredictable nature.
The songwriting style is bold, playful, and sassy. It has super catchy pop hooks, cheeky lyrics, and a larger-than-life attitude. The funk-driven brass and electro-swing production match up with this. It is pristine Scandinavian perfection. The track definitely holds a cinematic allure and could work for a sync placement in a movie like Barbie, or The Devil Wears Prada. It could equally land in a TV show like Emily in Paris.
Speaking on the personality and essence of the track, Kent Olsson confesses, “Instead of denying the warning signs, the character embraces them so completely that they become a full-blown spectacle, complete with brass band, lip gloss and confetti.”
Jolie is central to the song’s appeal. Her delivery taps into notions of playful provocation. Kent also has more than four decades of experience and really understands the importance of tailoring a composition to its vocalist. The pair previously collaborated on The Art of Breaking Up trilogy. Kent says, “After three songs about breaking up, I thought it was time to throw a parade. And apparently, a few red flags weren’t nearly enough.”
On the creative process, he adds, “The production was developed in my studio in Västerås, Sweden, while Jolie recorded her vocals in Italy. We’ve built our collaboration around working remotely, exchanging recordings and ideas across borders. It’s a process that has become remarkably natural. I find something rather beautiful about the fact that a song can begin at a piano in Sweden, find its voice in Italy and eventually reach listeners around the world.”
Needless to say, we are obsessed and have added Whole Parade to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Kent Olsson, including Not Defeated, Access Denied, and Make It Right.