Music Review // KEHLI "Not OK"

https://open.spotify.com/track/1ak5uvxoz21ds8BDrhVfSC?si=191754175bb04d64&nd=1

One of the biggest stigmas surrounding mental health was that if you didn't feel ok then that was not ok.  But now there are t-shirts and such out there which say "It is ok to not feel ok".    In a lot of ways, I feel like that message comes out in this song by KEHLI and it reminds us that it is ok to feel the various feelings that we feel.   As a society, it feels like we've been so well conditioned that when people ask us "How are you?" we just say "Fine" even when we're not.  We don't need to open up to strangers at the store, but we need to open up to someone when we aren't fine.

The music of KEHLI is an interesting blend of beats with melodies.   There are elements of P!NK in here as well as some of the other women you might find on the radio.     But it does remain a song which does not really have a direct comparison, just that it should be on the pop radio somewhere along the lines of Demi Lovato and the more pop side of Taylor Swift.   This is just such a mainstream song with a message that should be fully felt by everyone.

Throughout the song, the reasons way you are not ok are there but they don't feel as important because different people feel different things for different reasons.  The moral of the song, to me, is within the lines: "Tired of feeling this way / I don't like feeling this way" because that just represents that first you know something is wrong but also you want to change and you don't want to feel that way forever.  Whether it be talking with someone you feel close with or seeking professional help, it seems like this song points you in the right direction.

I will always be a fan of music that has a different tone from the lyrics.  To simply have a song titled "Not OK" you would think that the general vibe of the song would either be angrier or sadder.   This song is actually rather upbeat musically, considering the lyrics, but I think this is also done because overall the song is one of positivity.  This song isn't about not being ok and then just giving up on life.   This song is about recognizing when you're not ok and then making a positive change from that, which brings about hope.