U.K. DJ Shygirl is no stranger to catchy melodies and assertive lyricism, making her new album Nymph (out Sept. 30) all the more fitting! This week’s Feature Artist spotlight goes to Shygirl, who creates disruptive club music where anything can happen.
Who is Shygirl?
Blane Muise (better known by her stage name Shygirl) is a south London rapper, DJ, singer, and songwriter– known to mix elements of hip house, industrial hip-hop, grime and deconstructed club. The finished product is a mystical glitch-pop dream full synths and whispery vocals. Often, Shygirl is grouped within the hyper-pop scene because of her maximalist glossy production, similar to Charli XCX, Slayyyter, A.G. Cook, and SOPHIE.
Shygirl’s versatile artistry (stemming from intersecting influences like Mariah Carey, Aphex Twin, Madonna, Björk, and Róisín Murphy) allows for unexpected high-profile collaborations. The 29-year-old joined Lil Uzi Vert and PinkPanthress on the synth-crazy “bbycakes” earlier this year; the track accumulated over 100M streams on Spotify alone. Some other collaborations come from Arca with “Watch” off Kick I and FKA Twigs with “Papi Bones” from Twigs’s recent project “Caprisongs.”
Most notable, the producer joined the star-studded line-up featured on Lady Gaga’s 2021 remix album “Dawn of Chromatica.” Features from Bree Runway, Dorian Electra, and Ashnikko to Pablo Vittar, Rina Sawayama, and COUCOU CHLOE leave little room to shine. However, Shygirl double-downed on what she does best and delivered a sultry, industrial house-influenced remix of “Sour Candy” with Mura Masa. The track still features original vocals from BLACKPINK and Gaga, which highlights Shygirl’s unique talent of standing out when needed and knowing when to blend in.
Shygirl’s Nymph & Everything Next
After a string of singles, EPs, and remixes, Shygirl is finally is releasing her debut album Nymph on September 30. Collaborators on the project include long-term producer Sega Bodega, Cecile Believe, Kingdom, Arca and BloodPop. So far, she released three singles from the 12-track release: “Firefly,” “Come For Me” and “Coochie (a bedtime story).”
With the shimmery “Firefly” as the lead single, Shygirl took to Twitter to express her excitement. She writes, “Firefly is my faaaave I’m so happy to start album stuff with this song coming out first! I have lots of favourites but this one is deffo how I’ve been feeling right now and kind of helped me re focus on what I wanted to say.”
The track details the anxiety of waiting for a response from a crush or lover. “Butterflies” would be a better name for the lyrics’ theme. Though “Firefly” is more apt, given that Shygirl already feels the spark but is in the dark of the other person’s thoughts.
With her recent release, “Coochie (a bedtime story),” she is more sexually direct, saying it’s “pretty and soft,” she likes it brand new, and even orders to like it “Spread that little coochie for me, show me how you do.” The down-tempo light trap track is a rather sweet than a sexy incentive for sexual liberation. This track is Shygirl doing what Shygirl does best: create disruption.
What do you think of our Feature Artist Friday highlight, Shygirl? Let us know in the comments!
