I gotta agree with that one Stereogum commenter: Why is Empress Of so slept on??
For the past couple of years, I’ve had the brilliant ‘Dance for You’ on constant rotation, and even consider it one of the best pop tracks of the 2020s so far, up there with Jessie Ware’s ‘Spotlight’ and Rina Sawayama’s ‘Commes Des Garçons (Like the Boys).’ With her glossy club-inspired bangers, why isn’t Empress Of (aka Lorely Rodriguez) one of the main pop girlies of the moment? (And why isn’t Jessy Lanza or Kelela or Kilo Kish either, btw??)
I can tell you now that Empress Of’s latest single is already a serious contender for my Spotify Top Songs of 2024. Sung in Spanish, ‘Femenine’ is both a hot and sweaty club anthem in the making, throbbing with plenty of bass, and a defiant statement of womanhood in all its forms. That 4/4 house beat is just hypnotic, hitting every pleasure centre in your brain, while that final minute or so of the song is simply sublime.
The clip proves just as sultry as the track as the singer turns an empty house into a writhing dance orgy bathed in hazy neon, like an episode of Euphoria without all the drugs and depressed teens. Not really surprising when you learn that Ryan Heffington, who directed and choreographed the video for 'Femenine,' also worked on the show.
I want Empress Of to be huge. But not too huge that she becomes too jaded and starts phoning it in like Charli XCX (not that I ever think she would). Either way, stream ‘Femenine.' Play it at your next dance orgy, if you can... (☉‿☉✿)