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Premiere: Alt-Pop Star Fee Lion Embraces Her Darkness With 'On Me'

Fee Lion
Photography: Kohl Murdock

"So often we confuse a glitch for malfunction, darkness for corruption, viruses for demise. To me, they are simply challenges one must accept in order to grow."

Fee Lion (real name: Justina Kairyte) is learning to embrace her darkness through "On Me," an alluring piece of bedroom pop from the rising Chicago-based artist. She describes the track as "a dare, a provocation, a dangerous curiosity"--attitude that's fully reflected in Fee Lion's airy, swirling vocals and ominous electronic production.

"I wrote this song while stuck in a prolonged period of deep apathy and darkness." Fee Lion says. "It reflects my own battle with myself to find excitement. Similarly, the video portrays a hologram perpetually stuck in a simple, mundane loop. Towards the end, a mutation causes the system to flash, glitch and writhe in distortion. So often we confuse a glitch for malfunction, darkness for corruption, viruses for demise. To me, they are simply challenges one must accept in order to grow."

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The "On Me" visual speaks to Fee Lion's local, hands-on approach to creating pop music. With assistance from collaborator Vincent Naples, she executed the video's entire concept, art direction and editing--she also wore an iconic sculptural look from Chicago-based designers An Authentic Skid Mark and Eda Yorulmazoglu. It's simple yet completely effective, as Fee Lion spins into a chaotic, computerized downfall--relatable, really.

Watch the OUT premiere of Fee Lion's "On Me," below.

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