If he walks like a duck and he talks like a duck, chances are that he’s probably a duck. A DUCK WHO IS CHEATING ON YOU.
That, more or less, is the thesis statement of 23-year-old Scottish singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt‘s brilliant new track “Loyal To Me,” which has stayed on solid loop since its release earlier this month.
Produced by Fraser T Smith, the song is like a lost late ’90s, early ’00s R&B-pop smash, a la “Bills Bills Bills” or “No Scrubs,” and deserves to be a modern hit of Dua Lipa‘s “New Rules” proportions.
Like Dua, Nina’s doling out some much-needed dating advice with valuable tips about how to be treated in a relationship. Not tagging you on the ‘Gram? Mysteriously showing up online despite being “asleep”? Well he’s probably not, and you should probably leave.
“I wrote this song for my best friend who was dating a guy who didn’t have her best intentions at heart. I think often when we like someone we can make excuses for their behaviour and be blinded to who they really are. It’s inspired by 90/00s R&B music which I love, Destiny’s Child/TLC/Lauryn Hill. It’s a list of symptoms you need to look out for when dating a fuckboy ha!” Nina explained to Genius.
Now, the catchy tune’s got a ballet-themed video (!) filled with choreography (in 2018, imagine) — and it’s just become even better.
Nina and her talented troupe of dancers turn out some hiplet – that is, a fusion of hip-hop and ballet – executing some excellent upside-down splits and, impressively, moving around en pointe. (It looks pretty on point too, but I’m sure the ballet community will be outraged regardless.)
“I worked closely with Debbie Scanlon [the director] on this video – we both agreed I needed to come out my comfort zone for this video!” she explained.
“Apart from a few ballet exercises when I was a gymnast, dance is something I’ve NEVER done (probably for a good reason) but something I’ve always admired in pop divas growing up. I thought this was the perfect moment to try it. Ballet is something that is beautiful and feminine but also painful and extremely difficult. I like how double sided it is – it can look vulnerable but still be one of the toughest things out there. ‘Loyal To Me’ is about girls talking to girls, giving advice and it has a sort of throwback vibe to it. I felt like the video related to the song in terms of having the beautiful moments in a relationship but also the pain of someone cheating.”
If it walks like a hit, and it talks like a hit…it better be a hit. (And you should definitely dump him.)
“Loyal To Me” was released on August 10. (iTunes)
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