WATCH: Marie Naffah Shares Acoustic Version Of “California”
WATCH: Marie Naffah Shares Acoustic Version Of “California”
“California” is an ode to escapism
Words by: Amanda Marano
Marie Naffah has released a beautiful live video for the acoustic version of her new single “California.” Filmed in the rustic countryside, the video finds the track stripped right back to just a simple guitar, framing Marie’s intoxicating and soulful vocals. “California” is as intoxicating as it is uplifting. The original track featured jazz-influenced keys, percussion, and guitars, delivering a sonic air of melancholy mixed with optimism in its contrasting down-tempo beats.
Speaking on the single, Marie shares, “Quite simply, ‘California’ is a love letter to a place. It’s meant to capture the infatuation of being somewhere that is not your home. Where the mundane becomes marvelous and every detail is a souvenir.
“I wrote it after coming back to London – the verses are just lines lifted from my diary pages. It all happened – the smell of the dock, the drives to nowhere, the early sun rises, the coffee from big cups… We were staying on a houseboat on the dock where Otis Redding was said to have written ‘Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.’
“When it came to the chorus, I imagined all the places in the world as different people attending a pageant or a ball of some sort. Paris and London were in short black dresses looking chic at the bar but dare not dance, Italy was ordering the best food and wine to the table but California, she was dancing with her eyes closed in a loose white dress, right in the middle with no care in the world.”
“California” follows her previous release, “The Cage,” which she shared earlier this year. Both tracks come from her forthcoming EP and encapsulate the emotional depth of her songwriting, highlighting her captivating lyricism and the longing to break free. A mix of guzheng strings, delicate funk, and an inescapable groove, her sound is nothing short of complex. The upcoming EP was recorded with Neil Comber [Florence + The Machine, Glass Animals, Charlie XCX], Matt Colton [Arctic Monkeys, Christine and the Queens] and Simon Byrt [Pixx, Charlotte OC, Babeheaven].
The record was inspired by Marie’s influences from around the world, such as her half-Lebanese heritage, travel-induced songwriting on road trips across the US, and even life within the UK. These experiences formed the foundations of the stories she brings to life with her stunning vocals. Only at the beginning of her career, she has already sold out a string of headline London shows including Omeara, The Lexington, Camden Assembly, and Ronnie Scott’s, making her forthcoming EP a pivotal point in what has already been an incredible journey for the singer.
