After Writing for Popâs Biggest Stars, Bonnie McKee Wants People to Step Into Her Own World
On Wednesday, McKee released âSlay,â the lead single off Hot City, an LP full of what she describes as âsparkly, maximalist pop.â (The songâs technicolor video premieres with Rolling Stone.) The album includes re-recorded and revamped versions of the songs that got shelved in 2013, plus a few sheâs saved from the course of her career. Thereâs also one brand-new track. She plans to drop Hot City in the fall. To McKee, the album has stood the test of time and fits into the early-2010s pop nostalgia that has overtaken much of the internet.
MCKEEâS COMEBACK ALBUM Hot City takes place in an imaginary, retro-futuristic city, a world with an âEighties-Miami, expensive prostitute vibeâ that lives in McKeeâs head. Several songs have leaked over the years: âForever 21â is one fan favorite. It was inspired by a so-called friend who stole her credit card and charged thousands of dollars at the clothing store early in her career. âThe track might seem like an innocent pop song but it has a dark underbelly,â she says. Other tracks include âJennyâs Got a Boyfriend,â a conceptual play off Rick Springfieldâs âJessieâs Girl,â in which she sings about fantasizing about stealing her friendâs flirty boyfriend. (âItâs not about actually going for it, okay!â)
And thereâs the revamped, âsexually frustrated bratâ pop song, âI Wanna Fucking Call You,â which McKee wrote about a summer fling she had with an unnamed celebrity. âA couple of songs were inspired by him,â she says with a smirk. âIt was a very lusty five seconds of summer type of situation.â Thereâs also âSnatched,â the only fully new song on the album, which she wrote with the drag community in mind. âYeah I came to serve/Did I strike a nerve?â she sings on the ballroom-esque track.
via Rolling Stone
















