Theia’s new single ‘Crucified By U’ has landed. A fast ‘n’ furious queer and female empowerment anthem; the celebrated singer and songwriter is not holding back. With its industrial fury and high-energy trap, ‘Crucified By U’ sees Theia return to the full throttle alt-pop sonics and poignant lyricism she’s synonymous with. “‘Crucified By U’ is for anyone who’s ever been made to feel that their love is tainted and wrong, or silenced by oppressive belief systems,” says Theia. It comes with a Nas Nixx-directed video, which perfectly captures the hard-hitting message in the song.
“When I wrote ‘Crucified By U’, I knew immediately that I wanted to work with Nas again because I knew she’d get my vision for this song,” Theia says of the LA-based videographer and photographer, who also shot her ‘Celebrity’ video in 2020.
The new single follows last month’s release of the vulnerable and heartbreaking piano ballad, ‘Pray 4 Me’, which shone a light on Theia’s songwriting talents and impeccable vocals. These new songs are the first from Theia in more than two years, after she took a hiatus to focus on the release of her te reo Māori project TE KAAHU and its critically acclaimed debut album TE KAAHU O RANGI.
She’s now full steam ahead in Theia mode and fans will get the chance to catch the Auckland-based artist with her new band at this weekend’s Splore festival, when she hits the main stage on Saturday night. She’ll also be performing at CubaDupa in Wellington on Saturday, March 25.
Christchurch-born Theia has been making waves since she first emerged in 2016 with her break-out hit ‘Roam’. It paved the way for her self-titled debut EP (2018) and the NOT YOUR PRINCESS EP (2019), which saw hertour New Zealand and Australia, and play shows in Asia and the US as well as opening for heavyweights such as Sia and Charli XCX; Portugal. The Man; LEON and Tones And I. In early 2020, she upped the ante with the release of her high-energy mixtape 99% ANGEL, which drew critical praise from the likes of Billboard Magazine. She revealed the mixtape with a headlining slot at Sydney Mardi Gras’ Heaps Gay party just weeks before the COVID pandemic was declared, sending her back to New Zealand for lockdown. She’s now back with a vengeance.
Theia’s ability to seamlessly move between her two projects, whilst continuing to reach audiences in both and deliver powerful music with depth is testament to her formidable talents. She is a true force and one of New Zealand’s most compelling acts.
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‘Crucified By U’ is out now: https://bfan.link/crucified-by-u
