Sophia Michaels
Artists used to focus on becoming popular in their home territories first before attempting to reach out to an international audience. But in a world increasingly interconnected by a few popular streaming services, that dynamic has changed. “It’s become easier [for artists] to go overseas first,” Vincent “Tuff” Morgan, vice president of A&R for Peer Music, told Rolling Stone last year. “Once you develop a story abroad, you move back Stateside.”
Examples include Dennis Lloyd’s “Nevermind,” which broke out of Germany, Ava Max’s “Sweet but Psycho,” which emerged from Eastern Europe, and especially LP’s “Lost on You,” which became massively successful in Greece before spreading across Europe and skipping over to Mexico. The swelling, thumping, acoustic track eventually earned more than a billion streams worldwide, and the U.S. market has only played a small part in that success.
LP, real name Laura Pergolizzi, nods to her increasingly international fanbase on her latest single. The singer-songwriter effectively established a permanent residency in Spotify’s Top 200 chart in Mexico last year thanks to “Lost on You;” now she has added the Mexican singer Ximena Sariñana to “Girls Go Wild,” a song that was originally released in 2018.
LP co-wrote “Girls Go Wild” with Mike Del Rio and Nate Campany, the same crew behind “Lost on You.” But where that single seemed ready-made for an arena singalong, “Girls Go Wild” is pointy and driving, with a fat bass line and throwback “ooh-wooh” backing vocals. Sariñana’s high, precise voice complements LP’s rugged delivery, especially in an angelic, taunting bridge. “I do love you,” she sings in Spanish. “And what are you gonna do about it?”
Popular on Rolling Stone
Featured via: Rollingstone
