Genre-blending DJ and producer Diplo is calling on an all-star team of actress Dove Cameron and Americana trailblazer Sturgill Simpson for his new country-infused pop song, “Use Me (Brutal Hearts).”
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Cameron, a singer, and actress known for her roles in Liv and Maddie, Descendants, and Hairspray Live!, opens the track with her beautiful, yet mysterious voice that shines on the infectious, disco-friendly melody. She’s soon joined by Simpson, under the pseudonym Johnny Blue Skies, and the two sing in harmony on lyrics, Are we brutal hearts? / Are we brutal hearts that break the night in two? / ‘Cause I just want this night with you.
The video is also packed with star power, with Cameron starring alongside Academy Award-winning actor Sean Penn, who plays the role of a distressed Johnny Blue Skies. Penn dances around a honky tonk, lip-syncing to Simpson’s voice with a vintage microphone in hand as a woman dances on a stripper pole and others ride a mechanical bull.
“Use Me” is featured on Diplo’s upcoming album, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley: Chapter 2 — Swamp Savant, with Thomas Wesley serving as his country music alter ego. It’s a personal project for the hit DJ, as he ventured to his father’s house in Florida for six months where he worked on his father’s boat and immersed himself in nature as much as he did the music.
“I tried on a lot of cowboy hats,” Diplo reflects in a press release. “I rode a lot of motorcycles and horses basically reflected on my whole life and career and connection with this music. There was a lot. It all started in the swamps I was raised in. This is the greatest single piece of work I’ve ever done, I can promise you that.” Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley, Chapter 1: Snake Oil was released in 2020 and features collaborations with Thomas Rhett, Young Thug, and Orville Peck.
Chapter 2 will be released on April 28.
Photo by Aidan Cullen/ Sacks & Co.
