Zendaya's "Neverland" Is So, So Beautiful

Just when I was in dire need of a beautiful ballad to mentally whisk me away to a far-off, imaginary land, a red magic carpet (or some other magical means of transportation) delivered Zendaya's "Neverland" lyric video to the Internet, and for that, I am eternally grateful. The 18-year-old's song is the latest off the highly-anticipated Finding Neverland musical soundtrack after Kiesza's "Stronger" and Christina Aguilera's "Anywhere But Here," and what can I say? The new tun is simply gorgeous. I mean, who wouldn't want to hear Zendaya softly croon about sailing away on a sea of pure moonlight? Like Aguilera's song, "Neverland" is an absolute treat to the ears, but how do the two songs compare?Now, before anyone else points this out, I do realize Zendaya's only been in the game for a short while compared to Aguilera so this isn't a case of arguing about who sings better. The songs, however, are both wonderfully executed, but just in different ways. For example, Zendaya's "Neverland" is uplifting and emotional to the point of making you believe you can actually fly (or maybe that's just me). Throughout the song, she hits these delicate, wispy high notes that were almost too much to handle. When she sings the line, "Somewhere I could run to, just across the Milky Way," I almost sank into a melting heap.

OK, fine — my eyes might've leaked a little, but that's what a ballad if it doesn't evoke emotion?

Anyway, let's move on to Aguilera's "Anywhere But Here." It definitely possesses the same soft, breezy feel as "Neverland," which is likely due to the fact that the entire soundtrack was produced by Finding Neverland's composer Gary Barlow. Overall, it's a bit showier than Zendaya's song, which has always been Aguilera's style. That's also the reason I enjoyed it a smidgen more than Zendaya's. True to form, Aguilera absolutely slayed "Anywhere," from its subtle, slow start to its beautiful finish. The standout moment comes around the three-minute mark, when she brings forth one of her famous soaring notes that sounds like she's going to swallow the song whole instead of merely singing it.

Simply put, Aguilera's song gave me chills, but when Finding Neverland: The Album hits iTunes on June 9, I'll be looking forward to hearing both Xtina's and Zendaya's renditions again, as well as songs by John Legend, Ellie Goulding, Nick Jonas, Jennifer Lopez and Rita Ora, who also contributed to the soundtrack.In the meantime, check out Zendaya's "Neverland" below:

And here's Aguilera's "Anywhere But Here," for good measure:

So yeah, to say I'm excited for more Finding Neverland tracks would be something of a giant understatement.

Images: Giphy (2)