If you’ve been following JOVM over the past few months you may recall reading something on the up-and-coming Brooklyn-based producer and electro pop artist Lorely Rodriguez, and her solo recording project Empress Of. Rodriguez first caught the attention of the blogosphere with the release of the Systems EP, which featured Rodriguez singing lyrics in Spanish and English paired with a production style that many critics compared favorably to Kate Bush and Nelly Furtado. And that shouldn’t be surprising as Rodriguez has quickly developed a reputation for her work possessing a unique and uncompromising vision while being heavily radio-friendly pop.
This year may arguably be the biggest year of Rodriguez’s musical career, as her long-anticipated full-length debut Me is slated for a September 11 release through XL Recordings. And to build up some buzz for the album, Rodriguez recently recorded and released a cover of Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold.” The original version is an uptempo kiss off consisting of pulsating and quivering synth stabs, rapid fire, drumming and Perry’s pop belter vocals singing lyrics from the perspective of a woman, who’s jilted and sick of her lover’s bullshit, and their hot and cold relationship — and yet, there’s a part of her, ironically enough, who kind of enjoys the excitement within it.
The Empress Of cover pairs Rodriguez’s sensual and plaintive cooing with skittering drum programming, finger snaps, layers of synth stabs, and in some way, Rodriguez’s cover evokes the sexual frustration of someone who’s fed up — but with an icy, stuttering, hyper-modern electro R&B feel, as though someone like GRIMES decided to cover the song.
Check out how the cover compares to the original, below.
