‘Shout Out to My Ex’: Catchy, Upbeat, and Repetitive

There has been much speculation over whether or not “Shout Out to My Ex” by Little Mix is throwing shade at Zayn Malik, Perrie Edwards’s ex-boyfriend. It has not been confirmed if that conjecture is correct. Possibly more clues will be revealed in the rest of their new album, “Glory Days.” The British girl group’s latest single fits in with their musical niche—stylistically similar to previous singles such as “Wings,” “Black Magic,” and “Move,” which all have repetitive lyrics and fast-paced music.

“Shout Out to My Ex” is a catchy mainstream pop song. At first, it is entertaining because of the straightforward lyrics and the repetitive and danceable music. However, eventually it gets monotonous. The seventh refrain is the same as the previous six: “Shout out to my ex, you're really quite the man / You made my heart break and that made me who I am / Here's to my ex, hey, look at me now, well, I / I'm all the way up, I swear you'll never bring me down.” These recurrent lyrics, along with the repetitive melody, weight the song down despite its lighthearted story about self-elevation in the face of a breakup and uncomplicated, upbeat music.

Overall, “Shout Out to My Ex” is a fun song. It is infuriatingly repetitive yet lighthearted—and possibly about Zayn Malik. It’s worth listening to simply to find out.