By now, anyone familiar with Melomaniacs has surely heard the name Omar Rudberg. Having covered his four latest singles, it only seems fitting to highlight his debut EP now that the rising star has released Every Night Fantasy. Released on October 18th, 2024, it’s an incredible record worth noting.
When you listen to the EP start to finish, it feels like Omar is telling a story. Each of the eight songs are a chapter of his life throughout the last couple of months and he talks about love, breakups and freedom. The listeners get a look into Omar’s thoughts and feelings and become part of those feelings for a short while.
Starting off strong with ‘Talk’, one of the EP’s singles, Omar sings about wanting to have a good flirty time with someone but at the same time just leave them behind and move on, singing: “It’s the way that your eyes make me go quiet, try to fight it but I can’t pretend.” The crisp sound and upbeat melody make it into the perfect song to dance to in a club all night.
The second track ‘Girlfriend’ then continues the story and the singer talks about fantasising about taking a boy home and not caring about others because he just wants to have some secret fun. He sings, “I can’t leave a pretty boy alone, I ain’t checking who you got at home” and “No one has to know that I’m your girl.” He sings that he can be the other boy’s girlfriend because his current one is not good enough for him, but Omar would be: “You got a girlfriend, she ain’t doin’ it right.” and “I’ll be your girlfriend, I’ll be whatever you likе.” The song is built on a fun beat that sounds so different to any of his other records and gives you a little cheeky flirty feeling when listening to it. ‘Girlfriend’ also has a music video up on YouTube that everyone should check out!
With ‘Bye Bye’, another single, as the next song, the story of the two flirty boys ends because Omar is over the other guy. Singing: “You spend your hours and your money now on somebody new, kiss me goodnight but in the mornings you break my heart in two,” shows how the other boy did not care as much as Omar did so he has no interest to keep seeing him and won’t go back to him anymore. It’s a really empowering song for anyone who needs to get over a person that was once close to you.
Omar’s little story then takes a turn with the beautiful ballad that is ‘Red Light’, which was the first single of the year. The song deals with the struggle of falling in love but not being sure about the other person’s feelings towards yourself because it happened so fast as he sings: “Didn’t mean to fall in love” and “We only had a couple days.” Picking up on the main theme of the Every Night Fantasy EP the song feels really dreamy. The calm melody and powerful vocals makes the listener feel like Omar is singing about his wish that the other person might also be falling for him too and that he fantasises about being with them, singing “And in the bedroom where I lie, seems like it can’t be the same; though you were never here with me” / “Get me caught up by this dream.”
‘Lose Me’ – written by Omar himself – then takes us to a place of finding his confidence again. It’s an empowering song for every post-breakup situation. Omar sings about the other guy losing him because he just didn’t care about Omar enough: “I gave it like a million chances, you messed up.” But instead of being sad about it Omar likes this new version of himself: “I gave it like a million chances, you messed up.” Instead of feeling sad, Omar embraces his new self: “Now I see what I’m into, see all the things I don’t like without you, and I’m liking me without you.” He’s thankful for the freedom to be himself now, singing, “You are losing me unintentionally, you are setting me free, so thank you baby.” Just like ‘Talk’ or ‘Bye Bye’ the song’s melody is upbeat and club-like, with a flirty edge—almost as if to say, “I’m better off without you, so I’ll go flirt with others right in front of you because you screwed up.” The track also contains the lyrics that inspired the EP’s name, capturing the dreamy, fantasy-like vibe of the record. In the chorus, Omar sings, “Every night, a new body, every night fantasy,” emphasising the theme of imagining different scenarios with the other boy.
Song number six is called ‘Wrong’ and it’s a beautiful love song. Omar’s voice is as strong as ever and he really shows off just how talented he is when it comes to the powerful vocals during the chorus. Lyrics wise the song deals with loving someone but still falling a little deeper every day because of the way the other person treats him (“Still takes me by surprise, falling for you everyday the feeling never goes away.” / “And if I ask for one drop of rain, I know you’ll bring an ocean”). Singing “Now when I swear blind that I couldn’t love you more, you got a habit of proving me wrong” just shows how the other person keeps surprising him with the love for him and making sure Omar knows it too.
The final chapter of the Every Night Fantasy story is told through ‘Sabotage,’ the fourth single from the record. The song explores self-destructive behaviour in relationships and how fear can lead to getting hurt, instead of allowing oneself to be happily in love. Omar reflects on how the other person has changed him for the better, singing, “You’re really playing with my confidence, and baby, that’s fine.” He expresses a desire to fight his inner demons to preserve the relationship and their love: “I wanna keep our love forever sealed in a bottle” and “I’ll try my best to not sabotage what we got.”
As a little bonus for the fans, after a lot of begging, Omar also put ‘Luz Roja’ on the EP. It is the Spanish version of ‘Red Light’ and it is a beautiful bonus track. With Omar being from Venezuela and always staying close to his roots he has made sure to keep his country and culture close to his heart and has released multiple songs in spanish. ‘Luz Roja’ is a song the fans have been asking for since ‘Red Light’ came out earlier this year and it truly sounds beyond beautiful.
Omar Rudberg is truly one of the most talented rising artists right now and is definitely someone to keep an eye on. Be sure to stay tuned for what’s next. And for more detailed reviews of the singles from his new EP, check out our page for additional insights into Omar Rudberg’s music!
Written by: Lara Thissen
Edited by: Ilse Muis
