Marie Naffah has released her brand new single ‘The Cage’ and shared an accompanying video, which captures the singer on a stunning road trip across America’s West Coast.
The song laces guzheng strings throughout a delicate funk backing with an inescapable groove, while Marie’s captivating lyricism addresses the need to break free with a beautiful soulful vocal that calls to mind the likes of Florence Welch, Lily Moore and Maggie Rogers.
Regarding the single Marie says, “‘The Cage’ is the invisible shell that sits around you like a tomb, stopping you from living as freely as you might like. It’s claustrophobic, oppressive, stifling and poison. For me, my cage was London. Your cage could be anything – your job, your doubts, your fears or your mother’s expectations. This song invites you to dance out of it.”
Continuing about the video Marie says, “The footage was taken by my photographer/film-maker friend Holly Morrison on a road trip up the West Coast of America, travelling from Los Angeles up to San Francisco via Route 1 back in February. We wanted to make a video that captured the freedom of escaping a city, which is what the song is all about. Something liberating happens to you both mentally and physically. Locations include - Los Angeles diners, Big Sur lakes, vintage shops of Haight Street in San Francisco, the stunning peninsula of Point Reyes. To be honest, I could have been doing anything, the scenery spoke for itself.
“There was something wonderful about making something without worrying too much. No hair and make-up, no stage direction - just two pals on the road having some fun with it. The video is a bit like an ode to the freest I’ve ever felt. I hope people feel the joy we felt making it. I have never been as creatively inspired by a place as I have California. The entire EP will serve as a souvenir from that trip.”
‘The Cage’ is the first taste of Marie’s forthcoming EP, which has been recorded with Neil Comber (Florence + The Machine, Glass Animals, Charlie XCX), Matt Colton (Arctic Monkeys, Christine and the Queens) and Simon Byrt (Pixx, Charlotte OC, Babeheaven).
It is a record steeped in influences from across the world, be it her half-Lebanese heritage, songwriting road trips across the US or life within the UK.
Over the course of just a couple of singles Marie has sold out a string of headline London shows including Omeara, The Lexington, Camden Assembly and Ronnie Scott’s, while clocking up great critical support along the way. And now the forthcoming EP is set to be a pivotal point in what has already been an incredible journey for the singer.
‘The Cage’ celebrates freedom and being content in one’s self, which is precisely where Marie is today as she comes armed with a record set to truly cement her name and affirm her artistic vision.
- “Few singers have as much soul as Marie Naffah” - EARMILK
- “A master of imagery and insightful wordplay” - London In Stereo
- “Marie’s voice possesses a raw soul and her songwriting is endlessly honest” - FAULT Magazine