Introducing Cherry Bomb–the Los Angeles-based solo project of MisterWives' Mandy Lee who is kicking off the new year with a disco-pop independence anthem and fierce music video, "Never Be Me (M★therf★cker)" out today via AWAL. Glitter-soaked and maximalist, Cherry Bomb is thrilled to formally introduce a new world filled with unapologetic fun and rebellious femininity.
PAPER Magazine, who debuted the video, says "The track is pop perfection, chronicling her departure from her old life and excitement for the road ahead. Her fluttering vocals that earworm synths define this genre she’s calling “popera.” Adding, the video "highlights bright, DIY-ed costumes and the feminine energy-filled community that’s helped her reach these new heights." The hooky, synthy dance-pop tune sees Lee learn to let go of external validation and expectations as she basks in her own strength and autonomy. Lee calls the new existential pop track, "a defiant Declaration of Independence dressed up in maximalist synth pop made for dancing out a loveless love."
Reflecting on the new chapter and stepping into a role of her own, Lee says, "Starting this project I knew I desperately needed to reconnect with parts of myself I lost along the way and NBM was the catalyst to reclaiming my power, saying farewell to spaces that made me shrink while welcoming back the energy of the little girl who once wore boas routinely, blasting “You Don’t Own Me” through a bedazzled boombox. This song has become a mantra in learning to let go of old painful patterns and letting in the pleasure of self I once abandoned for the love and acceptance of others."
LISTEN: "Never Be Me (M★ther★cker)"
In the high-energy, saturated visual, co-directed by Lee and collaborator Matty Vogel (Billie Eilish, 30 Seconds To Mars, MisterWives), Lee dons a wedding dress on an outdoor track surrounded by women in big, brightly colored dresses. Leaving her past behind, Lee charges towards the future with hope, resilience and elegance. With the help of her friends, the video was created entirely independently.
WATCH: "Never Be Me (M★ther★cker)"
A celebration of girlhood and empowered artistry, Lee adds, "I couldn’t be prouder of what we pulled off especially at a time when music videos feel increasingly more extinct with the ever growing pressures artists face to focus their energy and resources on short form “content”. This project was an absolute labor of love and a closet full of old tulle celebrating the very girlhood that’s kept me afloat, inspired, and connected during what could have been an isolating start to this new chapter. Visually, it’s a colorful, opulent ode to liberation — told through the lens of a group of runaways starting over. It’s about refusing to settle for a comfortable hell when an uncomfortable heaven is just at the finish line."
For over a decade, Mandy Lee has led alt-pop band MisterWives with her distinctly compelling vocals and commanding stage presence–including several tours, festivals around the world and four official studio albums, one live album and one deluxe album. Now, Lee is ready to shape a sonic universe that completely her own–blending party with the profound.
This is just the beginning of Cherry Bomb. The vibrant, hopeful new offering, "Never Be Me (M★therf★cker)" is out now via AWAL. Join all the fun via Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. | 
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