Norway's Farida opened the year in emphatic, ambitious style.
Since then, she's gone a long way to making 2018 her own. A series of impeccably stylish releases have matched gorgeous pop melodies to probing lyrics, continually questioning both herself and the world around her.
The Gjøvik-raised, Oslo-based talent is a striking performer, able to switch between the stage and the studio to create incisive, lucid music.
New single 'Foreplay' is a case in point. Online now, it's rooted in that strong, strident vocal, but beneath this Farida discusses the pressures placed on young woman amid a patriarchal society.
She explains: "I think as a woman, I can only speak for us, we feel a lot of pressure. Pressure to be 'perfect', look 'perfect', answer the right way and even make a joke the right way. In 'Foreplay' the roles are not switched like a typical female 'power' song where degrading the man is the goal, I think those things are un-neccesary. It's only painting the simple picture of how easy it would be if we just respected each other to have desires equally."
"So now I'm talking deep about 'Foreplay' but its more the fact that not every woman considers it a must-have like many would think. And with this topic it kind of floats into the conversations of not having to follow norms at all. Just do what you want, and have a lot more fun."
Another important marker in Farida's unstoppable rise, 'Foreplay' is a plea for acknowledgement, a call for equality wrapped in the most beautiful pop textures.
Tune in now.
Photo Credit: Helge Brekke
Join us on Vero, as we get under the skin of global cultural happenings. Follow Clash Magazine as we skip merrily between clubs, concerts, interviews and photo shoots. Get backstage sneak peeks and a true view into our world as the fun and games unfold.
