Beatrice Eli - The Conqueror

Bit late on this, but 'The Conqueror' is the new single from singer/songwriter Beatrice Eli. Not totally sold on the production, but I love the lyrics, she has a sick voice and is effortlessly cool. Looking forward to hearing more from Miss Eli.

Combining heart-swelling vocals, offbeat production and wrenching lyrics about love and loss, "The Conqueror" may well be one of the most devastating yet beautiful pop songs you're likely to hear all year. Although initially growing up on a steady diet of soul and jazz, Beatrice soon got schooled on a wider palette of music by MTV, introducing her to everyone from The Notorious B.I.G, Janet Jackson and to Salt N Pepa and Nirvana.
"Since then, I've realized I like classical arrangements, strong lyrics and hooks. If you have that, you can put an interesting production on it and make it fresh, but also timeless".

It is a quirky, unpredictable approach that is encapsulated in "The Conqueror". Even though it swoops and soars, especially in the chorus, its crystalline beauty hides a darker side. Rather than shying away from exploring the grey areas of relationships, it's a crucial part of Beatrice's gift, and one she wields wantonly. "("The Conqueror") might seem like a traditional love song, but I wrote it from seeing people -- and being in a situation myself -- where you find yourself loving the other person's love more than being in love", she explains. "It's like if you manage to conquer his love and own his heart, even though you fail as a couple, at least you'll be remembered. You'll always be special for that person".

Beatrice joins the wonderfully off-kilter lineage of Scandinavian pop queens, stretching from defiant experimentalists like Fever Ray to critical and chart darlings such as Lykke Li, Oh Land, Robyn and more. Like them she tries not to adapt the music industry's one-dimensional view on women. But how would she like to be perceived?

"That's a hard one", she muses. "I'd like to be perceived as someone who's real, and passionate about what I do. But", she says, laughing, "I'd want to be the badass daughter of Jackie Brown. I think it's gonna take me some living experience to get to that level of fearlessness or badassness, but I'm working on it".