One uttering of Kailee Morgue’s name is enough to conjure up images of the emo superstars of yesteryear, but this LA popstar is paving the way for something a little sweeter in 2018. With her chameleonic hair, tattoos and penchant for all things witchcraft, this 19-year-old takes the soft sounds of contemporary pop and mashes them together with the punkish attitude of gen z kids making sense of the world. Signed to Republic — the same label as big league stars like Lorde and Ariana Grande — she’s playing with the mainstream pop game a little, and has just released a catchy, foul-mouthed track to prove it.
In the Tak Kamihagi-directed video for her new Dylan Brady-produced song F**K U, premiering exclusively here on i-D, Kailee sits in flowery fields, sings on rocky seaside cliffs and hangs out on the balcony of some suave-looking chateau in the countryside, all while reminiscing about the time a boy made the mistake of trying to mess with her. Lyrically, it’s about a guy who falls for Kailee, treats her like shit but stupidly thinks he has some sort of control over her. Obviously, she whips out the middle finger to put him in his place.
In what’s bound to become your new sullen summer bop, Kailee takes stabs at the guy who tried to mess with her. “Fuck you, I was the brightest light you ever knew,” she coos on the song’s chorus, before delivering the killer blow: “Next time you call me yelling on the phone / I’ll say ‘Fuck you, and leave me alone.’” This line is Kailee’s favourite, she told i-D over email this morning. “There is such an aggressive finality to ending an intimate relationship with the words ‘Fuck you and leave me alone.’ But getting through a dark moment brings out a bizarre sense of positivity. It only felt appropriate for the tone of the song to be soft and playful to contradict the hostility of the message.”
If you’re a fan of Kailee’s quite brilliant break-up track, feel free to a) read these 10 things you need to know about her and b) check out her other stuff too. Here at i-D, we’re fans of Devotion, a dreamy song brewed up in some magical music cauldron with Carly Rae Jepsen collaborator CJ Baran! What more could you want from a popstar in 2018?
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