On November 19th, esmerelda, the alt-pop artist hailing from London, releases her new single ‘Jenny’, co-produced by BROOKFIELD (Charli XCX, Anne Marie) and electronic artist Sølv. ‘Jenny’ follows previous single ‘I’m Not A Princess I’m A God’ and is the second single to be taken from esmerelda’s concept EP ‘medusa was innocent’ set for release early 2022.
‘Jenny’ opens with deceptive energetic electro-beats, bright handclaps and a seductive vocal. As the narrative evolves, the buoyant mood is enveloped by buzzing basslines and sinister synths to reveal a foreboding darkness to this deeply atmospheric record.
esmerelda said about the single “Jenny is a song about being possessed by demons – literally or figuratively, it’s up for interpretation….in many ways it’s based on me. I wrote it at a time where I was pretty overwhelmed and anxious. I had a lot of things I wanted to achieve, so I was experiencing this manic confidence. There are these 2 voices talking to ‘Jenny’ throughout the song; the voice of her friends and family, telling her to watch her step and look after herself, then the voice of the demons telling her to press the self-destruct button on her own life. I haven’t decided if she’s evil by the end of the song, or whether she finds a home between the two forces, but it definitely ends in a powerful transformation.”
esmerelda is 23-year-old British-Afghan artist, songwriter and producer AKA Charlotte Samady. The artist released her debut EP ‘Nostalgia’ in 2018 under the moniker LUNA, which garnered support from the likes of BBC Introducing London, Earmilk, CLOUT and Spotify’s ‘New Pop Revolution’ playlist. Since then, the artist has evolved sonically to stamp her mark on the music scene as esmerelda, using conceptual worlds to dissect her experiences, and provide an escapist outlet for herself and her listeners to process feelings of isolation and heartbreak.
The artist began her route into music as child, writing poetry and lyrics as well as teaching herself how to play guitar, resulting in a series of acoustic folk tracks inspired by the likes of Laura Marling.
At 18 she started an internship with Beggars Group at Young (fka Young Turks) working with iconic electronic acts like The xx and FKA Twigs, which opened up a whole new world of electronic music and production. Today, esmerelda takes influence from the likes of FKA Twigs, LCD Soundsystem, Marina and Lana Del Rey to name but a few.
Support for esmerelda’s music to date continues to gather pace, with plaudits coming in from the likes of Wonderland, Earmilk, BBC Introducing and being playlisted by Spotify editorial, it’s clear that this is an artist on the rise.
esmerelda’s concept EP ‘medusa was innocent’, which uses the framework of Greek Mythology and the character Medusa to deconstruct the artist’s contemporary reality as a young woman, is due for release in 2022.