Madison Cunningham has released two Spotify singles. The first is a special rendition of “Life According To Raechel” from her Grammy-winning album, Revealer, and the second is a cover of Björk’s “Army of Me.”
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Both of the singles were recorded at the Spotify Studios in Los Angeles. The reworking of “Life According To Raechel” sees the singer/songwriter deliver a raw, stripped-back performance. The lyrics comment on grief and regret. Those emotions are made all the more palpable in this single release.
“Björk is easily one of my favorite artists of the 21st century,” Cunningham said, explaining why she chose to cover the Björk track. “Her voice and songwriting are completely singular and in no way in need of reinterpretation.
“Though I found it intriguing to take an angsty song with ’80s production like ‘Army Of Me’ and turn it into a gothic ballad humming under those kind of lyrics,” she continued. “The angle is from a far more tortured one, rather than the one of control she sings from. And I related to that a lot while reimagining it.”
Check out both of the singles, below.
American Songwriter caught up with Cunningham after she earned her Grammy nominations for Revealer.
“It was unexpected news,” she said at the time. “I think this record was very difficult to make for a lot of reasons. I think the nomination makes it feel like some of the hardship was not in vain.
“I think it ended up being about the ricocheting emotions around grief—all of the things grief tends to dig up,” she continued. “That’s where the title comes from, Revealer. It to me is like the character head of what grief is. It’s this mirror that illuminates everything else and shatters your perfect vision of yourself.”
In celebration of the nominations, Cunningham released a deluxe edition of the record, which featured a number of extra tracks – namely, her recent collaboration with Remi Wolf, “Hospital (One Man Down),” “Death By Suspicion,” and “Inventing The Wheel.”
photo credit: Claire Marie Vogel / Sacks & Co
