Alt-pop heroine Theia has today unleashed her latest mixtape, 99% Angel. A bold collection of tracks that cement Theia as one of the next great pop trailblazers.
With 99% Angel, Theia masterfully blends maximalist pop with a brooding, alternative edge. It’s a glorious, empowering mixtape that harks to the brash “no rules” sonic experimentation of contemporary Charli XCX married with melodies that wouldn’t feel out of place on an early 2000s Britney record. It’s music that aims to uplift womxn and obliterate the shackles determined to hold us down.
99% Angel arrives with a brand new video for track ‘Celebrity’, and boy is it a total visual feast. “It’s all about the idea of selling your soul to the cult of celebrity – people who would do anything to be seen as famous or successful even if it means losing themselves in the process,” explains Theia, of the track.
“My vision for the video was for this elf-like girl to be tainted by groupies and the glam Hollywood, as she transforms into a succubus,” says Nas. “The greed takes her soul; she’s surrounded by groupies but she’s still lonely,” adds Theia.
To celebrate the release of 99% Angel and the ‘Celebrity’ video, we asked Theia to talk us through every track on the album. So check out the video below and see what she had to say below.
Check out ‘Celebrity’ by Theia:
‘Kitty Kat’
Kitty Kat is an ode to pussy power. It’s bubble gum with a switchblade. Sonically it’s bright and playful. But lyrically, there’s a dark undertone… “call me a slut when I dress like that, gonna chain me up like a Kitty Kat, hands around my neck I’ll give you a scratch, karma comes around cos this Kitty fights back”. The song was inspired by comments that have been directed at me since I started making music, whether they be anonymous comments made on social media or actual things said to me. Kitty Kat is my kiss-off to those people and that negative energy!
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‘Frat Boyz’
Frat Boyz is a social commentary on the boys club or the establishment. It’s a play on the American notion of frat boy and fraternity – those dudes who are complete a**holes at school or at work, who then go home to be adored by their mums. It’s written from the perspective of the outsider – the person who is never ‘cool’ enough to be part of the gang but who is brave enough to stand up and call people out on their behaviour. The topic is heavy but the beat makes you feel like you’re in the club or at a fashion show. So it’s a perfect mix.
‘99% Angel’
We are, as womxn, held to societal standards of being wholly a cutie or a baddie. 99% Angel challenges that and presents the dichotomy of good and evil, heaven and hell, purity and immorality. It’s about tearing up labels and acknowledging that you can be both. This song came together quicker than all the tracks on the mixtape – basically in a matter of hours and I think that’s because I went into the studio knowing that I wanted to let loose and push things as far as I could. The production was super fun to craft – there’s shattering glass and gunshots layered on top of each other, motorbike synths and a heap of distortion.
‘Celebrity’
Celebrity is about being so desperate for fame that you will do anything to give the impression of hyper popularity. It’s about the innate narcissism of humanity – the perpetual fight for status and how we enable it because we praise success. It’s an internal struggle when you exist in an industry like music, where celebrity and fame equal success. The song nods to the characters I’ve met along the way – my own personal experiences – but I think most people will understand the message. This is the biggest pop track on the mixtape. I wanted it to be epic and uplifting.
Check out 99% Angel by Theia:
