Songs I Woke Up To: INJI - Big Up

After nearly two months, I am back with another edition of Songs I Woke Up To. While there are a handful of songs that have kicked off my day since then that I really should get around to writing about, INJI's "Big Up" is what I'm writing about this time.

In part, that is because I have less to say about it than the other songs waiting for their own articles, which is great after plugging away at another ten articles already for the day. The other reason for breaking down this particular song is because it simply hasn't left my head for the past three days, and I'm beginning to worry that it isn't going to until after I give it a thoroughly bite-sized review.

With that, let's check out "Big Up" by INJI, which you can listen to for yourself right about... now -

For those not in the know, INJI (born İnci Gürün) is a Turkish artist who kicked off her music career at the Istanbul University State Conservatory in 2008 when she was a staggering SEVEN years old. There. There's your fun fact for the day in case any former gifted kid readers needed a boost to their imposter syndrome. In the years that followed İnci competed in numerous piano competitions, sang in jazz bands, and moved from Istanbul to London to Philadelphia.

In 2022, INJI found breakthrough success with her singles "Gaslight" and "Madeline," both of which blew up on TikTok, were remixed multiple times, and ultimately ended up catapulting her to the kind of minor celebrity status that can quickly give way to something far greater.

Cut to 2025, and INJI has released two EPs and eleven singles via labels including AWAL, Polydor, and Astralwerks, with both "Gaslight" and 2024's "Big Up" being self-released. And that's another fun fact that also segues nicely into the whole point of this article - talking about "Big Up."

From the second "Big Up" starts, the vast majority of listeners who have even the slightest familiarity with EDM and hyperpop sounds will know exactly what they are in for. "Big Up" is light and breezy without sacrificing a bouncing bass line. It is infinitely danceable without utilizing any generic pop formula. Best of all, it is precisely the kind of song that would have received a ten-hour remix version on YouTube ten years ago, which is the best sign of all that a song is both a genuine earworm and something listeners don't generally mind having stuck in their head.

Even me, who has had the breathy lyrics and almost cacophonic opening scratching at the back of my mind for days, can't really complain about that very much. The fact that "Big Up" is so inoffensive when played on repeat is both a testament to how good the song is and how little (if any) real weight it carries. There is nothing deep about "Feet on the dash in the Maybach," which is kind of the whole point. Nobody is ever going to nominate "Big Up" for a Grammy, yet nobody is ever going to complain if it comes on at a party, either.

Despite her own openness about being influenced by legends such as the late, great Amy Winehouse and being consistently referenced on social media as the "Turkish Charlie XCX," INJI's music tends to fall somewhere between Disco Lines and Rosalía. Even if that isn't a particularly attractive assessment to everyone, there is nothing about it that is particularly off-putting to anyone, either. I would like to think that, for as talented as she is, INJI will have another breakthrough song in the coming years that elevates her work to the point that it does start genuinely upsetting some number of listeners. Then again, she may have already settle into the industry space where she is most comfortable, and even if that's true, it doesn't mean the tunes to come will be any less enjoyable as a whole.

John Dodge can be found writing about comics, movies, and all things pop culture over on CBR. He can also be found on social media here, here (also here), and probably a few other places... Assuming you have the gumption to find them, weary traveler.