Title: Femme Fatale
Artists: Suzie
Release Date: October 8th, 2022
Genre: Synth Pop, Electro Pop, Dirty Pop
Format: CD Single, Digital Download, 7” Single
Producers: Oscar Holt
Songwriters: Suzie Stockholm, Thelma Oragban, George Reynolds, Simon Silva,
Johnny Bowman, Marjorie Hawkins, Christina Bradley
Label: Swedish House Records
Album: Dirty Pop: Double D Deluxxxe


"Femme Fatale" is an official single by Swedish Pop star Suzie Stockholm released on October 8th, 2022. The record is the lead single from the Stockholm's reissue of her early 2022's highly successful "Dirty Pop" album, now repackaged as the cleverly titled, "Dirty Pop: Double D Deluxxxe". The reissue is said to feature five brand new songs along with new artwork, signed vinyl's and a rumored tour. "Femme Fatale" also follows up from previous releases "Bad Behavior" and it's official remix featuring Billy and most recently "Somebody", all of which skyrocketed to the top of the Chart Heat Singles Chart. "Femme Fatale" features production from Swedish producer Oscar Holt who produced the record during the final days of recording for Dirty Pop. Unfortunately, the song wasn't finished in time to make it on the final tracklist. As Suzie and her team started gathering ideas for a reissue in mid 2022, Femme Fatale was a key in to be the lead single for the reissue. "Femme Fatale" was written by various writers including Stockholm and delves into the subject of the stripper life, sex and control, as Suzie proclaims that she is the "Femme Fatale" and "makes all the rules" as she exerts stripper dominance over a male counterpart. Over this sexually charged record, Suzie kicks off with a breathy, melodic performance over hypnotic, New Wave and 80's synth pop production. A clear radio ear worm, Stockholm vocalizes about sexuality and control on a record more reminiscent of her earlier career pop sensibilities, all the while intertwining her signature sound and the new style of the Dirty Pop Era.

In January of 2022, Suzie officially released her highly anticipated album, a record executively produced by Suzie as the pop star offically took control of her own music. The record which boasted 12 songs, delved into Electro Pop album while still being majorly influenced by industrial and experimental pop music which gave way for Suzie to further establish her signature, "Dirty Pop" sound. On September 7th, 2021 Suzie released "Bad Behavior" as the lead single of "Dirty Pop", followed by its remix featuring Billy. Both the solo recording and remix reached #1 position on Chart Heat Singles, becoming Suzie's fastest selling single, and her best sales figures since 2014. Dirty Pop was met with critical acclaim, with critics applauding Suzie for focusing on her strengths as an artist and the albums daring lyrical content and production values. "Dirty Pop" has since reached summit of Chart Heat Albums Chart a commendable six times. As a follow up to the album release, Suzie released "Somebody" in the summer of 2022. "Somebody" also topped the charts like its predecessors, for three consecutive weeks. Over the next few weeks, plans were arranged for a reissue of the album to be released in Quarter 4 of 2022. With that being said, Suzie did another "roll call" of her songwriters and producers to have a string of meetings pertaining to the reissue. The meetings came down to either including already recorded songs for the reissue or recording brand new songs. In the end, it was concluded that the reissue would include two songs previously crafted and three brand new songs that Suzie began crafting with her songwriters and producers in July of 2022. In October of 2022, Suzie officially announced "Femme Fatale". The Swedish pop star posted the artwork of "Femme Fatale" along with the link to presave the record. On October 7th, Suzie returned to Instagram posting an photo outtake during the artwork photoshoot for Femme Fatale. The song officially premiered on October 8th, 2022 as the lead single from "Dirty Pop: Double D Deluxxxe".

As said earlier, "Femme Fatale" was initially apart of the later days of the Dirty Pop era. As the very final song to be recorded for the album, the song was not finalized in time to make it on the official Dirty Pop tracklist. However, Suzie truly believed in the record and felt as if it bridged her "signature sound" with her earlier career sound all the while fitting in perfectly with the overall theme and sound of the Dirty Pop era. "Femme Fatale" was never completely recorded and mixed until the green light for the reissue was established. In August of 2022, Suzie re-entered the studio with Oscar Holt to finalize the record. Changes were made to Suzie's vocals, and additional layering and adlibs were added to the record as well as tweaks made to the production. Over a three day period, the song was repackaged and finalized and then sent for mixing. Unsurprisingly, Suzie chose the song to be the lead single for the reissue of Dirty Pop.

"Femme Fatale" is a hypnotic ode to 80's Synth Pop with Dirty Pop lyrical content and New Wave undertones. The top-notch production only enhances Suzie's signature performance. Suzie makes it clear through her cadence, delivery of lyrics, and sexual melodic tone that she continues to get better as an artist in a genre that she finds herself fiting in perfectly. On a record that lasts for three minutes and 10 seconds, Suzie takes center stage and doesn't hold back. The record starts off with deep, 80s-indebted synth lines and midtempo kick drums reminiscent of Eurythmics, "Sweet Dreams". Over the dark and nostalgic sounds, Suzie starts off the record cooing: "Curtains open baby,
Windows squeaky, shining/Giving them a show while you blow my shit out /At your high rise apartment", a clear NSFW lyric that the pop star has gone on to be known for.

Suzie's vocals are intelligently enhanced and distinct as the beats continue to lead to the next part of the song. On the next section of the first verse, Suzie sings: Make it rain on my body, make a thunderstorm/The temperature's rising, your eyes begging for more/I pull out my best tricks, the magic I know/Make a bad day disappear, like your favorite angel", which gives way to the stripper aspect of the record as Suze pulls out her "best tricks" and "magic" to exert control over her next victim. As the song goes into it's pre chorus, the production takes a slight change, pulling back on the pounding kick drums, but instead includes soft synths that continually rise in girth. Suzie's voice takes center stage here as she sings: I spread them like wings, do my thing/Perfecting my own moves/Get needy needy, on your knees please/Here, I make all the rules". The song kicks off into is chorus first starting off with Suzie's vocally enhanced "ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh/ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh" before the song breaks into a gothy, synth driven pop banger where Suzie proclaims herself as the "Femmme Fatale" as the ooh's fade into the background. Suzie does not go out of her vocal comfort zone, instead using the ooh's as a perfectly catchy feature to the chorus. Another clear standout of "Femme Fatale" is it's bridge, where Suzie sings: Knows my body good, could be a connoisseur/I'll be in my freak shit, that I can assure/Baby likes the character, he likes the allure/And you know this body-ody, leaving jaws on floors", it's this unapologetically provocative lyrical content that makes Suzie the daring pop star she has gone on to become through an illustrious career. The song makes one final, big chorus with Suzie's "ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh's" taking the song to the very end.

---

"Femme Fatale"

Curtains open baby,
Windows squeaky, shining
Giving them a show while you blow my shit out
At your high rise apartment

Make it rain on my body, make a thunderstorm
The temperature's rising, your eyes begging for more
I pull out my best tricks, the magic I know
Make a bad day disappear, like your favorite angel

I spread them like wings, do my thing
Perfecting my own moves
Get needy needy, on your knees please
Here, I make all the rules

ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Femme Femme Femme Fatale
Femme Femme Femme Fatale
It's like she's not even real, f-fairytale
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Femme Femme Femme Fatale
Femme Femme Femme Fatale
It's like she's not even real, f-fairytale
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Femme Femme Femme Fatale

I blow you a quick kiss and call it a night
I look up to the stars, kiss heaven goodbye
Hell breaking loose now, banging shots in the dark
I feel it already, the calm of the heart

Dollar signs in my eyes babe, keep 'em coming tonight
Gun tattooed on my thighs, get one good look one last time
They're falling like angels, one shot at a time
Dancing to my reflection, cause I'm banging tonight

I spread them like wings, do my thing
Perfecting my own moves
Get needy needy, on your knees please
Here I make all the rules

ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Femme Femme Femme Fatale
Femme Femme Femme Fatale
It's like she's not even real, f-fairytale
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Femme Femme Femme Fatale
Femme Femme Femme Fatale
It's like she's not even real, f-fairytale
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Femme Femme Femme Fatale

Cause I'm all up on it
Put my back up in it
Can't put a measurement, what I bring to the table
Now bend me o'er on it

Knows my body good, could be a connoisseur
I'll be in my freak shit, that I can assure
Baby likes the character, he likes the allure
And you know this body-ody, leaving jaws on floors

I spread them like wings, do my thing
Perfecting my own moves
Get needy needy, on your knees please
Here I make all the rules

ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Femme Femme Femme Fatale
Femme Femme Femme Fatale
It's like she's not even real, f-fairytale
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Femme Femme Femme Fatale
Femme Femme Femme Fatale
It's like she's not even real, f-fairytale
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Femme Femme Femme Fatale


SOUNDS LIKE

Ryan: Suzie is pop royalty in 2022, someone who I respect because she's always stuck to her sound and persona that makes her such an engaging artist. "Femme Fatale" is still very much in the same vein as the standard edition of the album and that's not a bad thing at all. I don't go to clubs anymore but if I did, I would have to imagine this song is a dance floor favorite. Babies will be conceived listening to it. Good work as always.