For the generation of hopeful admirers that fondly remembers Mandy Moore living her teenage years on their screen, this tune is bound to be devastatingly familiar, somber and uplifting.

A grown, reflective Mandy Moore contemplates on the challenging years she spent as a teenage popstar in ‘Fifteen’, the age at which she moved to New York with her mother to pursue a career in pop stardom. Buoyed by firm acoustic chords and Moore’s light and steady vocal performance, the melody is at once gripping, particularly due to its autobiographical content. A narrative thread that continues throughout the entire song is evident from the very first line, as Moore remembers being a “young girl” moving away from Seminole County. 

Moore details touring the country with boy bands and thus missing out on customary high school experiences such as the prom or the graduation. Yet this is not a story about remorse or nostalgia; it is about self-acceptance and how those experiences intricately shaped Mandy Moore -- the actress, the singer, the humanitarian, the lovely human being we know today. Her first original song in over a decade was just released at the tail end of last year, and she is set to release her much-anticipated ‘comeback’ album Silver Landings this March. She has spoken out about a horrific past relationship that had curbed her musical impulses and had forced her to restrict herself artistically. Thus these melodies mark her truly ‘solo’ attempt at recreating her musical identity is at once charismatic, powerful and memorable. 

Rather than the uproarious pop ditties that enthralled the shopping malls in the late 90s, Mandy Moore reigns it in. She has the vocal chops to belt out the high notes yet she ensures that the composition is kept glow, gentle and immensely thoughtful. Whereas the chorus could have easily upped the ante on the instrumentation, Moore keeps the mood mellow and sweet. There is a tremendous amount of love that has been directed her way since her return to music, and so she takes a beautiful moment to appreciate that love, and remind herself that she deserves the love just as much. 

 Singer-songwriter 

Author: Shaoni Das

Shaoni Das is a writer/editor currently based in Edmonton, Canada. She remains eager to inspect how the changing culture of music impacts upon the greater world.