Rita Mae has officially launched a new grunge chapter with today’s release of “My Bad”.
This gritty, no-nonsense single follows last month’s “Kiss the Sky”, marking a bold new direction for the Muriwai singer-songwriter, who explains the meaning behind her new song below:
“I used to think feeling a lot was something I needed to hide. In the past I’ve tried to hide my emotion, making endless (usually failed) attempts to play it cool instead of wearing my heart on my sleeve. And then I realised – why do I think loving and feeling deeply is something to be embarrassed of?”
“This song is kind of a tongue-in-cheek exploration of that tug-of-war in my mind, like: I love you! Is that too much? Oops my bad! I just loved playing with being completely confident and shameless in feeling whatever I feel and saying it out loud.”
“My Bad” was co-written and recorded in LA with Kyle Berzle, a regular collaborator who helped Mae write from the heart.
“There’s something magical about working with someone you feel so at home with,” says Mae. “‘My Bad’ felt intense and crazy to me, and I actually thought it was too much as I was writing it. But Kyle was so into it and gave me the confidence to finish writing it, and then it just felt like this sonically relaxed and lyrically insane song that felt so incredible to us. We knew it had to come out.”
Following Mae’s Superfeeling album in 2023, Rolling Stone AU/NZ tipped her as “one of eight Kiwis artists tipped to take over”, saying “Music is in her DNA, and Mae’s future as an artist in her own right looks very bright indeed…”.
Last year, Molly Payton praised the indie pop artist and her music for Rolling Stone AU/NZ‘s My Favourite New Zealand Artist series. “Her live shows are incredible, she completely holds her own as a solo act and lights up a room with a full band. The music is pop but cool pop that you want all your friends to listen to so you can talk about how good it is,” Payton gushed.
“If you ever have a spare half hour I would strongly recommend listening to Rita’s album Superfeeling, and keep an eye out for her next gig – I guarantee you’ll fall in love!”
Rita Mae’s “My Bad” is out now.
