Written and recorded during COVID lockdown, London DIY duo Cherryade have released their new double single ‘Only Fan’ / ‘Sick!’, part of their upcoming self-produced mixtape set for release later this year. Working remotely with mix engineer Alan Emptage (RAYE, àB), the project explores an array of emotions and themes faced during isolation, ranging from mental health and sex, to politics and social media.
Gritty pop anthem ‘Only Fan’ explores sexuality, referencing rising platform OnlyFans. Ella says: “For us, this is a fun song about owning your own sexuality and empowering yourself. We wanted to flip the narrative on J Lo’s ‘Love Don’t Cost A Thing’, because sometimes we deserve nice things we can’t afford ourselves…”.
Alex continues: “OnlyFans is such a controversial topic, but if people are using it to empower themselves, and sex workers have safer environments then to us it’s a really positive thing. Maybe we should sign up to pay for the next mixtape…”.
Continuing the duo’s signature witty lyrics, ‘Sick!’ is a tongue-in-cheek bratty rap song discussing everything from coronavirus (‘I’m batshit… or am I bat soup?’) to horny fans, over distorted 808s and sirens. Speaking of the lyrics, Alex says: “This song is pretty much just us poking fun at a pretty dire situation. We’re the type of people who handle bad situations with humour – if you can’t try and find something to laugh about then it’s just really f**king depressing”.
The double single follows Cherryade’s fun pop EP ‘Sinking Ship’ which was released earlier this year and had a string of support from MTV’s Teen Mom 2, Spotify, Apple Music, TIME Magazine, Billboard Pride, BBC 6Music, Wonderland, and more. Outspoken, bold and colourful (to say the very least), Ella and Alex have gone from writing drunken teenage GarageBand demos to making fully fledged pop bangers with the likes of Ant Whiting (M.I.A., John Newman), Xenomania (Girls Aloud, Sugababes) and Lewis Gardiner (Megan Thee Stallion, Ellie Goulding).
“As brash and fun-loving as they come… the perfect kind of pump-up pop.” – TIME Magazine
“The perfect soundtrack for both a teenage tantrum and the dancefloor” – The Guardian
“Infused with noughties spirit and playful lyrics akin to PC Music and pop pioneer Uffie” Wonderland
“They’re back and having more fun than ever.” – Billboard Pride
Play on Spotify – Play on Apple Music – Play on YouTube
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