Following the release of their sickly sweet tracks “Sugar Rush” and “Keep It Cool”, mannequin duo FEMM return with hard-edged new song “Private Dancer” across all digital music streaming platforms. Blending elements of dance and goth rock, the song is produced by hot new talent ADP (Dua Lipa, M.I.A. Chris Brown) and Grammy, Brit and Mercury Prize-nominated producer and songwriter Jenn Decilveo (Beth Ditto, Miley Cyrus, Anne-Marie).
Befitting of a duo consisting of mannequins with emotions, the song tackles the concept of 'symbiotic love'; the excess of affection that can lead to the desire to dominate, and the thirst for love that can lead to submission. Or put simply, the desire to use; and the desire to be used.
These two conflicting impulses are reflected in the concept of a marionette or puppet, a thing that wishes to be controlled – a core theme for FEMM. In the accompanying music video, we see inside the mind of a controlling lover. The members of FEMM appear to be trapped inside, but really, they have allowed themselves to be captured. While the controlling lover seeks to dominate, the puppets are secretly the ones pulling the strings.
Speaking about the song, RiRi from the band said: "Confidence is sexy. She is strong and fierce. She doesn't take no as an answer. She loves every inch of herself being a woman. It's cool to sing this character as FEMM. It's a new vibe for us and we are loving it.
"The song starts off with a mysterious tone, then goes into harder beats. For sure it's gonna make you wanna dance. If you get more into it, the more you can really feel that strong confident sexy woman."
LuLa adds: "We've got this passionate sound, which is new for us. It has a tropical night feel. To love someone this hard must be a once in a lifetime experience. Get your wild and passionate side out completely with this sound. Just go with it, and you will know what I mean."
RiRi and LuLa are mannequins with emotion from New Tokyo. They initially caught the attention of influencers around the world with their breakout anthem “Fxxk Boyz Get Money”. Their debut album Femm-Isation hit the Top 10 in Billboard's World Albums chart in the US, and they have been named as an artist to watch in the UK.
It was announced that the previously stiff FEMM1.0 mannequin units had received a firmware update to FEMM2.0, allowing them to achieve convincingly humanlike levels of emotional expression. The band released a new EP 404 Not Found in November, and “Private Dancer” is the fourth brand new song to arrive in 2021.
Be sure to check out “Private Dancer” music video below, along with the track on all streaming platforms here!
