Last Friday, Meghan Trainor released her lead single single “NO”, produced by Wallpaper, off of her upcoming album Thank You. Refusing to release the derivative of “All About That Bass” that L.A. Reid wanted, Meghan clearly wanted to go a different direction with her sophomore album, not only musically but also visually. The upbeat pop/doo-wop, blonde hair, and innocent imagery of Meghan’s debut era goes a darker route in her second era with urban/early 2000’s influences (at least judging by the lead single), brown hair, and more sensual and confident imagery. Brilliantly, the beginning of Meghan’s lead single incorporates the doo-wop sound of Title, followed by a quick and evident transition into the “new”; thus, the song would be perfect as an intro track on the album connecting the two eras such as Ellie Goulding’s song “Intro (Delirium)” from her album Delirium. The shift is definitely a shocker upon first listen, and emphasizes Meghan’s versatility. The song follows the pattern of powerful verses with an extra-powerful pre-chorus and bridge and a subtle low-noted and simple chorus like Ariana Grande’s buzz single “Focus” (albeit with convinction). The choruses that Meghan belts really elevate the song and become the most infectious parts of the song. My favorite parts are the bridge in which Meghan belts one of her highest, if not the highest, belt to this day as well as the “untouchable, un-touch-a-ble” after-chorus sections. With this single, Meghan showed that she is neither the one-trick pony that her haters accused her of being, nor a one-era wonder. Meghan already showed the public that there are other sides to her with her hit ballad “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” featuring John Legend, but “NO” shows her ability to dip into the urban-pop pool, perhaps reminiscent to Britney’s early music but with more power behind it. Not the first time Meghan has sung about empowerment, “NO” is about female empowerment and the fact that the act of rejecting a man shouldn’t be discouraged, breaking down one of the many double-standards of society. Also that there is much more to a woman than a man and that a man is not needed for a woman to be complete. In the chorus, Meghan sings, “My name is no / My sign is no / My number is no / You need to let it go / You need to let it go”. These may not be the most complex lyrics, but their main purpose is to convey a message, and messages are often best conveyed, to those who are not quite willing to listen, through emphasis and repetition. And sometimes, it is more about how you say something than what you say. Released just about a year after Title, “NO” and Thank You will build off the hype and acclaim of Title, and surely this refreshing change will resonate with the public and maybe gain Meghan some new fans. Stay tuned for Thank You in April!