Marie-Thérèse is a unique, visionary, and independent artist from Dublin, Ireland. The exceptionally gifted songwriter, singer, musician and performer is aware the spark can hit at any time, so her vintage Silvertone guitar is rarely out of her reach.
She is a passionate devotee of the legendary genius Prince, as her latest single reveals. It’s a stunning cover and reinterpretation of “Strange Relationship,” a deep cut from his 1987 album Sign o’ the Times.
Marie-Therese cherishes the unforgettable encounters she had with Prince, during which she thanked him personally “How could I ever really thank him for giving me the wildest soundtrack to my life” she says.
“Recording ‘Strange Relationship’ was my way of offering a follow-up thank you and releasing it on his birthday. It’s such a beautiful, twisted love song, I love the raw honesty of Prince’s lyrics, he was a genius lyricist” says Marie-Thérèse.
For her version, she takes the funky 80’s original, revamping it into a clubland gem. Her alluring, sultry vocals set the scene over a dynamic backbeat creating a fresh new dance groove for 2024. Recorded in Bristol, England with the seminal producer Stew Jackson {Massive Attack) “We hit another sonic high with this track, he nailed it!’”
“Lyrically, I added my own personal touches towards the end of the song,” she says. “I also whisper, ‘This has got to stop, which isn’t in the original, but works perfectly in the story.” I sang a new melody for the lyric “Can’t live with u, can’t live without u.” She adds: “I hope Prince approves.” Considering the track was mastered by the renowned Barry Grint, the same man who mastered Prince’s “1999”, “Kiss”, “Raspberry Beret”, “Little Red Corvette”, and many other classics, Prince is very likely to have given his seal of approval.
“Strange Relationship” is the follow-up to Marie-Thérèse’s highly acclaimed previous singles “Luna” and “Saint Mary” “Luna” takes the unique approach of fusing Gaelic and English vocals in an explosive pop punk single. “In the studio, I felt totally possessed by Iggy Pop and driven by some wild desire to hear him sing in our mother tongue,” she said. Iggy, the Godfather of Punk selected the track for his BBC6 Radio show and gave his enthusiastic endorsement on the airwaves. Meanwhile, “Saint Mary” is a melancholic and more intimate track, beautifully showcasing Marie-Thérèse’s exquisite vocals as she emotionally conveys this deeply moving Sparklehorse song.
This captivating and intriguing artist has drawn comparisons to legends like David Bowie, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed as well modern icons like Lana Del Rey, but those don’t begin to really scratch the surface of what she is doing and accomplishing. Her music is something truly stand-alone, taking inspiration from the classics and filtering it through her own unique vision into something entirely new and exciting.
Marie-Therese is currently working on her highly anticipated first album. Her follow up original single is already creating huge excitement. She is most definitely one to watch.
