Negative Shawdy's hyperpop anthem "Same Room" charms in its honesty

Every once in a while a bedroom artist with hyperpop tendencies and a tongue-in-cheek inflection rises from the ranks to stake their claim as the next it-thing. We've seen it with Remi Wolf, with PinkPantheress, and now we're primed for the ascendancy of Negative Shawdy. Backed by a musical lineage including the possibly coolest "have you met my cousin?" potential ever, the industry legend and notorious boundary-pusher Janelle Monáe, Negative Shawdy's music feels distinctly purposeful.

Viewing her art as a vehicle to excavate and examine her sexuality, in the process Negative Shawdy creates funky and foolhardy anthems of coming to terms with every aspect of your person as a whole. Standing in the middle of the Venn diagram of hip-hop, R&B, and pop, and swirling around in the soupy space to create a glisteningly glitchy sonic palette, Negative Shawdy's music embodies the electric essence of 90's rave culture infused with distinctly modern hyperpop elements and bashful, self-effacing lyrical tropes.

Emblematic of this reversed-retro aesthetic, her latest track "Same Room" utilises a sample from Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner" and brings it into the 21st century. "I can never love you like I want to / Give your time to everybody else," the track swaggers in its opening, "I say things that I don't mean / And then I end up sleeping by myself", before Negative Shawdy introduces the listener to her infectiously awkward, self-deprecating caricature.

Exploring a feeling of disconnect with those around you, especially those you are supposed to be closest with, the track is charming in its authenticity and complete lack of pretence. Negative Shawdy explains, "'Same Room' captures the frustration of being in the same space as your partner but feeling an emotional distance. I wanted to convey the longing for intimacy and the struggle to connect when your partner puts up walls, despite all efforts to bridge that gap.”

It's only a matter of time before Negative Shawdy's bedroom sound breaks free from the confines of her four walls, and rallies the coming-of-age masses seeking such unbridled, artistic self-expression.