Review: promqueen, szn one

Gentle, arpeggiating keys lead into pulsing synth and a proud declaration from promqueen in opener "[You Can Hear Me Now]": "I was close to walking away, almost left it all/ But I decided to step into something I didn't know, and be okay with not knowing." Leaping faithfully into the new musical project, the second-generation Vietnamese American artist drops bilingual bars and croons earnestly through eight cinematic tracks on szn one. Close collaborator waverly produces the debut album, which roots in the singer's lived experiences. Following thumping 808s in rap numbers "Salty & Sweet" and "Liteweight," promqueen's bold vulnerability peaks in rallying centerpiece "Exotic," where she reclaims experiences with oversexualization: "Watch my body moving so hypnotic/ Know you can't stop staring 'cause I got it." Strings then swell into a dramatic instrumental soundscape in "[Lắng Nghe Kỹ]," meaning "listen closely," to introduce the camera-shutter beats of "Xi Xon" ("extra sassy"). Closing the 18-minute effort, "Out of My Head" flexes the classically trained musician's funkier sensibilities, while "Bts Girl" vignettes an endearingly awkward meet-cute fumble, like a cheeky cliffhanger teasing a szn two.