Paris Hilton returns after 18 years with Infinite Icon. Was the wait worth it?

Paris Hilton released her second studio album this September titled Infinite Icon, which follows her debut album, Paris, released 18 years ago. I haven’t listened to her first album, but I feel like I’ve always known of her. I mean, how can you not, what with all the family’s hotels?

Hilton, now 43 years old, made a 35 minute album that includes 12 tracks; nothing too crazy; short and sweet.

The first single released off the album is titled I’m Free and it features Rina Sawayama, whom I am a big fan of. (If you don’t know who she is, check her out. You won’t be sorry.)

When I first heard about this song, I had to listen because of the Rina feature, so I did hear this song before the rest of the work as a whole came out.

Wow, what a banger. This song is one of the strongest overall. With a beat that you can strut to and lyrics that convey the importance of self-care, making this song the lead single was a strong choice.

However, the music video is a little lackluster. The biggest gripe I have with it is…there’s no Rina. Another, much smaller, complaint I have is in regards to a shot of Paris in one of her different looks for the video. She’s “sliving,” as she loves to say, body covered in glitter and sparkles, but one of the nude pasties on her boob is visible. It wasn’t part of the outfit and I don’t think we were meant to see it; like it wasn’t intentional. We couldn’t have reshot that? Let me be crystal clear: I don’t think she was being “too promiscuous” or anything like that. To me, people who claim womxn are “too promiscuous” just spout bullsh*t. I love when womxn feel comfortable enough to show off their skin, no matter how much. I loved the look she was giving, but it felt a bit rushed and lazy. Like the production team just said…”That was good enough.” Paris, I know you got the money. Just reshoot the shot – LOL.

Many of the songs off this album share a common theme: drop and walk away from any toxic negativity in your life to love and take care of yourself because…”that’s hot.” I’ll give it to Hilton; this album felt very earnest and genuine. Surprisingly, she doesn’t seem arrogant. She looks like a “mean girl,” but could actually be nice. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that.

For example, the track titled Fame Won’t Love You featuring Sia showcases how thankful Hilton is for the people in her life; not for all the material things she owns. On her track Legacy, she states that “loving you is my legacy.” She knows that, to the world, she’ll be known for so much else, but she feels that her true impact comes from loving this person she’s singing about. Pretty cute.

These messages present a very developed image of Hilton, one which she seems to have self-discovered and settled into comfortably.

Now, will I listen to this album again? No, not as a whole. The one song I find myself going back to is titled BBA, which features the Megan Thee Stallion. The track’s title is an acronym which stands for Bad B*tch Academy. It’s just a really fun dance bop, and Megan’s part in it makes it feel very relevant to the present day.

On that note, something about the album that is preventing me from wanting to come back to it is the tone. A good chunk of the songs sound dated, like they were produced post-2010. Not that I dislike music from back then! I think maybe I was hoping for something that sounded futuristic? Like a sound that seems intentionally and carefully crafted? Track 10, If the Earth is Spinning, has this characteristic, but, other than I’m Free and BBA, that was really it. I know Paris is a seasoned DJ, so maybe she was pulling from her knowledge of club beats?

Finally, I hate to say this but I have to, I’m not sure how much Paris can really…sing. At best, she just sounds…okay. On songs like BBA, she doesn’t really have to, and her bouncy cadence of speech actually makes the song what it is. But…songs that she really tries to carry a tune on, such as Stay Young…oof; it’s just not for me. Her voice is simply a little too nasally and soft for my liking. I’d be interested in listening to her first album and the soundtrack of Repo! The Genetic Opera to see if she used to sound any different, though!

Infinite Icon is an album full of self-love anthems that rely on dated instrumentals and the features of a handful of other artists. I wanted to like it a lot more than I actually did.

* Only after I reviewed and rated this album did I do a brief search about Paris Hilton’s political views and discovered that she admitted voting for Trump back in 2016. Goddamnit…That’s not hot, Paris. Hopefully she’s changed and (to put it lightly) seen the error of her ways since then. I was a little surprised to see those headlines because I thought that she was super supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. Anyways, just think of this as a “I listened to this so you didn’t have to” type of situation. It’s a shame it had to be that way, though.

Thanks for reading.

Rating: 3 That’s Hot out of 5