90s kids
90s Kids is a nostalgic bubblegum pop song that’s partly a critique of our relationship today with technology, partly a celebration of a generation that’s now growing into adulthood, and partly an ode to Taylor Swift’s impact on our lives.
behind the writing
MIREYA: 90s Kids started out as a joke song, after I complained to my brother that all of the songs he had written so far (at the time) were all very sad and tragic.
We always knew we wanted to write about our relationship today with modern technology, especially with social media and on-demand consumption. And while we wouldn’t ask to go back to the older days before Internet and AI, we do have a sense of nostalgia towards those days, when we connected more in-person, actually anticipated things and cherished moments.
The song is also a celebration of growing up, getting older, adulting, or whatever you wanna call it. It’s accepting that we’ve lost some of our shine but we still have a lot left to give. The “90s Kids” in particular, have a lot of insights to offer, having lived the transition before and after the Internet, social media, smartphones, streaming, and now A.I.
We didn’t grow up in the 90s but we were both born in the late 90s. My brother is the last of the Millennials and I was one of the first Gen-Zs. And this song is our small attempt to bring these generations back together even in these divided times.
behind the production
Of the three songs we recorded so far with the amazing Tandr duo, this one was the smoothest and fastest to finish. After hearing the demo, and our vision to make a song “so poppy it’s like eating candy or bubble gum”, Henri knew right away what the beats should be. And Nico went on to craft the chords on the acoustic guitar.
But this is not purely a happy song. There’s an evident nostalgia throughout the song, and Nico brilliantly captured that with his electric guitar riff in the chorus, one that’s enough to make us all cry and remember Titanic or The Notebook.
The bridge, which me and my brother call the “nostalgia bridge”, feels very dreamy, like going through memory lane, achieved by the distorted backup vocals (still sung by me).
To further call back on the late 90s and early 00s music, we used electronic drum kits, added in some sparkly chimes, and buried deep beneath all of it — a Pacman running. And as we want this song to be played outside with your friends, there are also “friends chatting and laughing” tracks in specific moments.
It’s a short 2:46 song packed with joy, nostalgia, and silliness, all translated through music and lyrics. We hope it gives you all the same feelings.
PS: No AI was used in any part of this song. All lyrics, melodies, vocals, and instrumentals are human-created.