Marie-Thérèse celebrates Prince’s birthday with her royally entertaining makeover of his vintage track Strange Relationship — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
A unique, visionary, and independent artist from Dublin, the exceptionally gifted songwriter, singer, musician and performer is a passionate devotee of iconic genius Prince, as she makes clear with her stunning reinterpretation of this deep cut from his 1987 double-album Sign O’ The Times.
Marie-Thérèse cherishes the unforgettable encounters she had with Prince. “How could I ever really thank him for giving me the wildest soundtrack to my life?” she says. “Recording Strange Relationship was my way of offering a followup thank you and releasing it on his birthday (Aug. 21). It’s such a beautiful, twisted love song, I love the raw honesty of Prince’s lyrics; he was a genius lyricist.”
For her version, she takes the funky original and revamps it into a clubland gem. Her alluring, sultry vocals set the scene over a dynamic backbeat creating a fresh new dance groove for 2024. The track was recorded in Bristol with the veteran producer Stew Jackson (Massive Attack). “We hit another sonic high with this track,” says Marie-Thérèse. “He nailed it!’”
“Lyrically, I added my own personal touches towards the end of the song,” she says. “I also whisper, ‘This has got to stop,’ which isn’t in the original, but works perfectly in the story.” She also added a new melody for the lyric, ‘Can’t live with u, can’t live without u.’ She adds: “I hope Prince approves.” Considering her track was mastered by Barry Grint — who did the same for Prince’s 1999, Kiss, Raspberry Beret, Little Red Corvette and many other classics — it’s likely the Minneapolis legend would approve.
Strange Relationship is the followup to Marie-Thérèse’s highly acclaimed previous singles Luna and Saint Mary. The former takes the unique approach of fusing Gaelic and English in an explosive pop-punk single. “In the studio, I felt totally possessed by Iggy Pop and driven by some wild desire to hear him sing in our mother tongue,” she said. The man himself selected the track for his radio show and gave his enthusiastic endorsement on the airwaves. By contrast, Saint Mary is a melancholic and more intimate track, beautifully showcasing Marie-Thérèse’s exquisite vocals as she emotionally conveys this deeply moving Sparklehorse song.
Marie-Thérèse is currently working on her first album. Check out Strange Relationship above, hear more from Marie-Thérèse below, and follow her on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
