Naarm/Melbourne-based artist Rowena Wise announces her second album Bad Things Feel Good*, out 7 August via Beloved Records / Remote Control Records, alongside lead single ‘Diamond In The Rough’.
On ‘Diamond In The Rough’, Wise explores the pressure of high standards imposed by others and even yourself, alongside the loneliness that comes from standing on a wobbly pedestal. Like pressure slowly forming a diamond, the track builds with tension as it captures the exhausting pursuit of perfection.
“The idea came after watching a close friend move through an identity crisis. She placed enormous pressure on herself to be extraordinary, to be the most captivating, the most accomplished, the most desired. But when she inevitably fell short of her own impossible standards, she felt alienated and ashamed. The song is an invitation to step down from that self-made pedestal, to pause, to let yourself unravel a little, and to reach toward others on equal footing. We don’t have to be extraordinary to be worthy. We are not special, we are simply enough.”
Rowena Wise
The accompanying music video is inspired by Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl (2024).
“Diamond in the Rough is about the pressures of being told that you’re special from a young age, creating an unattainable standard you must maintain. In this dance, I am exploring the idea of internal isolation and external performance, highlighting the dissonance caused by those standards set by the self. We shot the video in a semi-abandoned warehouse apartment late one Saturday night, improvising most of the dance and camera movements to retain a sense of character rather than a neat dance routine. The concept was inspired by a scene in The Last Showgirl (2024) where Jamie Lee Curtis’ character dances in a busy Vegas casino, ignored by passers-by, dejectedly performing slow, powerful dance movements. We aimed to create something similarly melancholic and beautiful – the song’s themes of performance of the self lean into something glamorous, yet dark and human.”
Rowena Wise
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