Singer/songwriter EMELINE returns with “Iconique,” a fantastically left-of-center track and her first new music in 2024. Released via Capitol Records, “Iconique” finds the 25-year-old artist flirting with classic French pop and sharing a wildly fun anthem of self-celebration.
Co-written by EMELINE, “Iconique” spotlights the beguiling vocal work and unapologetic attitude that have earned her nearly 900 million global streams to date. Along with flaunting her lighthearted side like never before, the Rhode Island-born rising star reveals her fluency in French and delivers a number of lyrics en français, infinitely amplifying the track’s quirky sophistication. Equal parts playful and empowered, the result is the latest evidence of what Ones To Watch hailed as EMELINE’s “devotion to her self-liberation and her bravery in being honest about it.”
“‘Iconique’ is a song made for anyone who is ready to embrace their multiplicity,” says EMELINE. “Whether it’s embracing being both masculine and feminine, loud and soft, or sporty and artsy. We are sometimes told to dim these parts of ourselves by people who maybe don’t understand what it’s like to hold multitudes or by society telling us to define who we are and focus on one thing. Apologizing for it is tiring and the only way to become our full true selves is to dive into all of the parts that make us special. That to me is what it means to be iconique.”
Produced by Mike Wise, (Charli XCX) “Iconique” puts a bold and brilliant spin on the cabaret-inspired elegance of French pop. After opening on a spoken-word intro set against a backdrop of sweeping strings, the fast-paced track unfolds in bouncy beats and delightfully strange textures that blend beautifully with EMELINE’s high-drama vocal flourishes. At every turn, EMELINE imbues her performance with an unabashed femininity and glorious self-confidence as she embraces the endless complexity of her personality and presence (from the chorus: “A madonna in the streets/And a nirvana in the sheets/Iconique/I’m super freak/I’m synonymous with chic”).
