19-year-old Auckland artist Marianne Leigh has today released her compelling punk-pop single ‘CRAZY GF’, written solo by the artist.
Listen to the single HERE
Produced by Emily Wheatcroft-Snape and Nate Selway, the pop-punk track gives a voice for the uncomfortable emotions we suppress, the lyrics untangling toxicity, jealousy, and spite. A new musical venture for Marianne, CRAZY GF steers the young songstress away from her indie-pop roots and into the realm of pop-punk, the single tackling the issue of female representation in the media.
“The crazy girlfriend character in the media is a common trope, and something that has always bothered me. The joke is outdated, and a ridicule of female emotional expression. I wanted to write a song about this character and my frustrations surrounding it”.
Taking a light-hearted approach and drawing inspiration from personal experience, CRAZY GF delves into the mind of the ‘crazy girlfriend’ character.
“I approached the writing of the song thinking, ‘What would the ‘crazy girlfriend’ character think about? What would she want to say?’ The music video expands on this, focussing attention on the two women, the ‘crazy girlfriend’ and the ‘other woman’, who are so often pitted against each other in the media.”
Marianne travelled to Wellington to bring the story to life and create a music video, directed by Jeremy Macey. The video follows two female leads as they navigate the competitive environment they were placed in, struggling to find peace in the story orchestrated by the faceless male they compete for.
“My aim with this song was to ridicule the ‘crazy girlfriend’ trope. I hope people who have related to this character and the toxic emotions we feel with competition and jealousy feel heard.”
Tonight Marianne celebrates her release at UNDERGROUND alongside Kiwi acts Wednesday’s Girlfriend and ISLA.
The artist embarks on her second nationwide tour following the release, beginning her travels at Wellington’s Vogelmorn for an intimate music video screening with the crew behind the CRAZY GF music video.
Be sure to follow Marianne Leigh on her social media pages to be the first to hear about the CRAZY GF tour.
Listen to CRAZY GF HERE
Find Marianne Leigh:
Facebook / Website / Instagram
TikTok / Youtube / Spotify / Apple Music