New Zealand singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ladyhawke returns to the scene in a major way this week with the release of her brand new single, Guilty Love – a riotous pop/rock/electronica duet with Georgia Nott from musical duo, BROODS.
Serving as the latest single to be taken from the My Delirium singers highly anticipated new album, due for release later this year, the powerful track brings to life the duo’s shared experience of being raised as Catholics, tackling their suppressed feelings of shame and guilt born as a result of growing up in an environment where such desires are considered “wrong” or “not natural”.
“‘Guilty Love’ came about after some writing sessions with Tommy English in Los Angeles.” Ladyhawke says when explaining the origins of the song. “Georgia Nott from BROODS came along to one of our sessions, and after we were talking a while, we realised we had all grown up Catholic. We shared stories and experiences; Georgia then suggested we write a song about shame.”
“It’s an important song to Georgia and me for different reasons. Personally, growing up in the Catholic school system, as I reached my teens, I started to feel immense shame and denial about my sexuality. I suffered the constant fear of being judged and alienated by my friends and family. These feelings took a long time to shake off and work through. ‘Guilty Love’ is a way to share our experiences, and hopefully help anyone going through the same thing to know they’re not alone.”
Explaining her take on the song, Georgia adds: “‘Guilty Love’ came from the classic ‘in-studio heart to heart’. We talked about growing up religiously and how we carried a lot of shame around the idea of what a woman (or person) should be. This song is about that but also about finding our own way back to a sense of spirituality through love. The love that once caused so much guilt, ended up being the most healing and spiritual. END CONVERSION THERAPY EVERYWHERE!”
Listen to Guilty Love below:
“And every time I pray, I just pray to be free…”
For the tracks accompanying music video, we see two girls, who attend an catholic all-girls school, begin to develop sacred feelings of love for one another. But with everything they are taught within that school telling them that what they feel is not to be acted upon, the would be couple face a moral dilemma as to what to do next…