A pop song full of twists of turns, “Cherry” Seraphina Simone is a deliciously sweet summer song.
The song quickly starts with a speaking sample quickly cut off by the sound of a soda can opening, segway-ing into the dark, yet sugar-lined beat of this song. Simone’s smart songwriting comes off in a confident fashion that could only be hers. She begins the “Cherry” with a slyly sensual statement – “Coat me in sugar/So I slip down sweet/Baby I whisper to you while you sleep” – that then seamlessly blends into lines of criticism about the materialism of America – “Drink deep/Down another round of the American Dream.” It's this combination of catchy, yet clever lyrics that draw me into this song. Many artists make statements about the lie that is the American Dream, but never has it been as bittersweet and resonant as with Simone’s “Cherry.”
Simone herself says about the song, “‘Cherry’ is the voice in our heads telling us we don't have enough, telling us to want more, buy more, be richer, be thinner, be prettier, be better than everyone else. It's that sarky bitch who's really mean to you and you hate her but you also kind of want to be her best friend because she's perfect and you're a mess. It's the voice fuelled by consumer culture and jealousy and insecurity and myths like the American Dream. It seems harmless enough even though it fucks up the planet and makes us miserable no matter how much we have. Maybe in a weird way, COVID will make us realize we don't need so much shit to be happy.”
With comparisons to Lorde, Bat for Lashes, and BANKS, Simone carves her own name in the long line of pop queens. While she’s studied at Oxford and worked multiple jobs in order to support her music, she also has many musical connections through her musician father, Terence Trent D’Arby, aka Sanada Maitreya. As a child going on trips through California, she met famous names such as Billy Idol, Prince, George Harrison and many more. Now, she’s embracing her chance to make a name for herself through her music.
Written by Tatum Jenkins, Edited by Hannah Schneider
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