When it comes to untangling the complex web of emotions about what it means to be a woman in the 2020s, LA artist Samantha Margret is our poet laureate. Her song “RAGE” was released on the very day that Roe v. Wade was overturned – and it has now amassed more than five million streams.
The artist’s new single “Mass Appeal” is lyrically insightful and musically sophisticated. Like all great art, it makes you see the world differently.
Commenting on the song’s origin, Samantha notes, “There’s this twisted feeling I get sometimes when I go for a walk around my neighborhood, like I need to be appealing to random strangers. I’ll change my clothes or do my hair differently just to walk a few blocks. And, worst of all, if someone responds positively to my appearance – compliments me or flirts with me – I feel sick about how happy it makes me. Why should I care? I’m not for them, but I act like I am. I measure my own value by their valuation of my aesthetic. It’s about that crossroads of craving the attention and praise and also being totally disgusted by the whole thing. The song reflects my stuckness in a culture I wish I didn’t find so alluring.”
There are two songs that all listeners (especially men) should pay close heed to this summer: Maggie Rogers’ “So Tired Of Dreaming” and Samantha Margret’s “Mass Appeal”. The Rogers’ song concludes with a heartbreaking narration from a woman who’s been rudely stood up by a guy who preferred to see a basketball game. And on “Mass Appeal”, Samantha Margret shows how a woman can enjoy getting physical compliments while simultaneously feeling repulsed by the experience.
This song gets an A+ for honesty – and Samantha Margret is rapidly becoming one of our most culturally important artists.
Listen to “Mass Appeal” below, or find it on the streaming services.
