Songwriter, singer and multi-disciplinary artist Jehnny Beth teams up with Faith No More's Mike Patton on her new single, ‘Look At Me’.
Patton was a huge influence on Jehnny Beth during the recording of her latest album, You Heartbreaker, You. Specifically, his ability to switch between high pitch crooning and soft atmospheric whispering.
“When Johnny [Hostile] and I wrote ‘Look At Me’, we had this idea of a song in two parts” – it became clear from the start that Patton was the ideal fit. “When Mike sent his vocals it was like choosing candy in a candy store, he had a million ideas, it was mind blowing,” Jehnny said of the collaboration.
Listen to ‘Look At Me’ on Sport Playlists New Releases.
Reflecting on the track’s origins, Jehnny reveals that “it’s about the modern sellers of truth, who share their opinion online on how to ‘better oneself’, giving an illusion of control – but all they really want is to be the centre of attention.” ‘Look At Me’ is a song about deceivers and the effect they have on those susceptible to the sinister luring of misleading ideology.
These ideas all set the tone for the Taxi Driver inspired ‘Look At Me’ music video. “I represent De Niro’s character who embodies this lonely outcast who doesn’t have a place in the world”, Jehnny explains. “Mike is the preacher who changes my outlook on the world, and our two characters merge together towards the end.“
The track arrives ahead of Jehnny’s UK and EU tour, which kicks off this Saturday (March 7) in Lorient, France. UK and Ireland dates include shows in Brighton, London, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Dublin.
Jehnny’s new album You Heartbreaker, You was released last year on Fiction Records. Receiving acclaim across the board, MOJO called the record “a sensuous pile-driving mix”, with Pitchfork exclaiming “she knows what she wants and she just—does it”. Rolling Stone UK continued the praise by calling the LP “her most fully realised album as a solo artist, as well as her most visceral.” Capturing the feeling of being broken in a broken world, where love still operates on a prehistoric level, You Heartbreaker, You is a radical work that cuts straight to the core.
