I Don't Care, the new single by Marianne Leigh, takes pop punk and makes it celestial. I love it when a song takes a concept and can stretch the emotion it evokes. In this case, Marianne tells us how she feels about the modern phenomenon called FOMO. At the age of 20, Marianne has created something beyond her years and has placed her individualised stamp on indie-pop music. From her hometown in Auckland, she created this special track and received gracious support from Ryan Cruickshank who helped with mixing.
“The creation of I Don't Care was unlike anything I had done before. It was very much a 21st-century experience”
The melodies and harmonies are tranquil with Marianne’s voice being both soft and powerful at the same time. There's a nice contrasting flow between the chorus which hits us with a strong force and the sinister verses. I especially like how Marianne’s voice beautifully bounces off the low-toned base and the supporting instruments. And behind the instruments, there are the lyrics that go into the deep trenches of being entangled with insecurities. They reflect the inner thoughts of deep fears and self-comparison which shows how powerful it is for an artist to share something so personal.
Marianne has travelled across the world to London from New Zealand in pursuit of even more music opportunities. She makes her London debut on June 28th as she takes a great step headlining at Troubadour in celebration of her single release alongside London-based acts Marchant, peafloom and Rosie Webb. At Visconti Studio in London, a studio built in partnership with Grammy award-winning Tony Visconti, Marianne sent mixes back and forth and Emily Wheatcroft-Snape put all the beautiful parts of the song together from New Zealand. With already an EP up her sleeve titled Simple Things and a few more singles, there is certainly more to hear from this young artist. It’s going to be well worth seeing what she releases in the future.
Marianne Leigh is an acoustic indie-pop artist writing catchy tunes about genuine human emotions and experiences. She speaks to the soul with her meaningful lyrics and connects to listeners through her narrative songwriting style. Leigh's songs discuss the struggles of a naive youth, the ups and downs of love, and learning life lessons.
She is a versatile artist, her authenticity heard in both her emotional ballads and upbeat singles. The 18-year-old placed first in the nationwide Smokefree Rockquest competition with her single Best of Me in 2019, and brought her talent to TV on the What Now and Cath Vincent TV Shows.
She is a three-time finalist of the Play It Strange songwriting competitions and was mentored by award-winning NZ musician Bic Runga. “Authenticity beams through Marianne Leigh’s connection, vast musical space and raw artistry." - NZ Musician Magazine.