UPDATE, Feb. 10, 2012:
Hey, great news! Cassie's "King Of Hearts" is JUST AS AMAZING as I initially predicted! Blippy beats and handclaps underscore those glacial vox, making it pretty much the most pristine electropop ev-ah. Unlike the preview, the full version reveals some surprisingly inventive production, including dubby shifts in direction and layers of innovative instrumentation. Better still? It's being released on February 14, which means it's the perfect song to listen to at your romantic Valentine's Day dinner, if your Valentine's Day dinner is a meal of black glitter and disco tears. (I know mine will be!)
ORIGINALLY POSTED JAN. 4, 2012:
Just because Cassie's been gone for a minute doesn't mean she hasn't been keeping busy. The wispy-voiced chanteuse had a big hit with "Me & U" back in 2006, but in the years since, she's become best known as a staple on the red carpet for her edgy fashions, which makes sense since she literally always looks impossibly flawless in everything she wears, which I'm really not jealous about at all. Meanwhile, Cassie's been churning out gorgeous tracks in the studio and earning an unexpected spot as one of the indie world's most revered artists. (Also, she shaved half her head. And it looked super hot.)
Cassie's recently posted a one-minute snippet of the demo of her latest single, "King of Hearts," which takes her even further in the dance-pop direction, in the vein of crisp minimalist electro bangers like Rihanna's "We Found Love." Four-on-the-floor beats throb underneath Cassie's deliciously icy vocals on the chorus as she coos, "You are the prince of charm/Seduction is your art/You'll never play my love/You're just my king of hearts." It's such a frosty house track that I had to go put on a sweater, and then I got hot from dancing so I had to take it off. Ugh.
Cassie's already premiered the video trailer for "King of Hearts," which is pretty much the sexiest thing we've ever seen, and the demo of "King of Hearts" is sheer dance gorgeousness. Is it too early to say that Cassie is going to own 2012?
+ Listen to Cassie, "King of Hearts."