Entertainment

You Need to Know Chelsea Lankes

by Alex Kritselis

It's time to get to know Los Angeles–based singer-songwriter Chelsea Lankes, because, well, she's awesome. Lankes released her debut single, "Ghost," in October 2013, and the Internet was all, "OMG you will not believe how awesome this song is!" And for once, the Internet was 100 percent right! In fact, "Ghost" went on to become one of my favorite songs of last year. Last week, Lankes premiered the music video for her phenomenal new single, "Secret," and in addition to being super duper sexy, I think that it's going to introduce Lankes to a much wider audience — and I'm pretty excited about that.

In their "Secret" write-up, TIME notes that it's rare for a pop song to actually overshadow the eye-catching imagery and "half-naked bodies" of its music video — but that's kind of exactly what happens when you watch the visual for "Secret." Lankes' gorgeous vocals simply shimmer over the song's driving beat and retro guitar riff — the result is almost...hypnotizing. Despite the fact that both Lankes and her pal are incredibly easy on the eyes, you might find yourself paying more attention to the song itself than the action that's playing out on screen (though it's definitely worth paying attention to that, too).

Speaking about the meaning behind "Secret" to TIME, Lankes said:

"Secret" is about intimacy between two people and the connection you have with someone that goes beyond words. It was really fun creating a world where these two characters could interact. You can see these two people in this raw state of their relationship.

Truth be told, Lankes and her handsome partner don't actually do much during the "Secret" music video aside from sitting around, smoking, and looking hot, but uh, it really works for them. Sometimes, less is truly more. According to Popjustice, Lankes lists both Robyn and Muse as musical inspirations — which totally makes sense — but she's quickly carving out her own unique sound, too.

No word yet on when we can expect to hear Lankes' first full-length album, but I hope we don't have to wait too long! She's a major talent who seems to have some very compelling stories to tell — and artists like that just don't come around every day.

"Secret" is available on iTunes now.

Images: Chelsea Lankes/YouTube; ChelseaLankesMusic/Facebook