Ahead of World Kindness Day, global pop and electronic-tinged sensation Betta Lemme returns with her sophomore EP Ready For The Weekend and new single “I Love The Weekend” out now via Ultra Music.
The new EP is prismatic as the Canadian artist dives fearlessly into her own psyche with acute self-awareness. Betta Lemme surges with intimate and expansive ballads that ebb, flow, and burst with lyrical wit that hits all the emotional pressure points. A maverick at heart, Betta tackles themes of mental health, identity, love, and loneliness with both playful curiosity and pensive finesse as she reminds us of the fleeting ever-flowing nature of the human condition. Just by its title it may seem like another bubblegum pop record, but within seconds listeners will realize Ready For The Weekend is a masquerade for the hidden angst and uncertainty many wrestle with when they’re trying to believe in something so fragile and impermanent.
“I remember being a kid and going to school, and looking forward to the weekend. But as I grew up, I noticed how the work week would take my mind off of real life depression or anxiety,” Betta explains, “I began staying busy or keeping busy as a means to stay afloat in order to power through these emotions. I started to notice myself feeling worse as time slowed down on a Friday afternoon. Ready for the weekend (even though it sounds like something to be excited for) was more of a way of hyping myself up for the two days that felt like silent agony.”
Ready For The Weekend is the follow up to her 2018 debut EP Bambola, which introduced us to Betta’s vivid sonic palette and trilingual prowess that topped the charts, as well as highly-praised releases like “Play” (written with Jesse Saint John and Danny L Harle) and “Give It.” Her debut title track “Bambola”—sung in English, Italian, and French—became a hit around the world and amassed over 100M+ streams. Looking back, she reflects, “My debut EP was my baby. I was able to put all of myself in that project, thanks to Rick Markowitz and Scott Harris. So It’s a body of work that I’m incredibly proud of. My first EP Bambola was filled with these vibrant royal colors like gold, silver, crimson. It was rich and worldly in both sonics, vibrations, intent and texture. High soaring. Chin high. It encapsulated my dreams and gave me strength.” With her new sophomore EP, Betta has engineered a melodic canvass rich in introspection where she reflects on the transient nature of contentment and fluid definition of norm. “For the Ready For The Weekend EP, I was dreaming in plastics, blue, aluminum, and impermanence. Deep plunges into deep blues. Much like a weekend, naming the EP encapsulated the feeling of the fleeting moment that never lasts.”
Kicking off the EP with newly revealed single “I Love The Weekend,” Betta sets the tone of the collection pairing chest-swelling instrumentals with conceding lyrics of loneliness. The buoyant production is littered with tender sadness as she opens up about her own inner struggles during those two sacred days that are deemed to be the best by others. “‘I Love The Weekend’ is about trying to convince yourself that you love the weekend when in reality you’re home trapped in a depression and wish you could get out there but can’t bring yourself to feel good.” She croons on the track, “Calling a girl, calling a friend. Nobody’s home, they’re out again. I walk into my place, was raining in my head, so I hung my smile upside-down. Hi to the couch, hello to bed ’cause I can’t pretend…I love the weekend.” The following single “I’m Good” takes listeners on a French detour where Betta captures the heavy hearted weight of isolation. “My black heart is cold like Montreal,” she sings in French. The dripping piano keys brimming alongside the thumping synths yield an exquisite contrast of textures as she wrestles with the feeling of longing for someone. At the halfway point with “GIRLS”—co-written with GRAMMY-nominated Jenn Decilveo (FLETCHER, Miley Cyrus, Marina) and Jordan Riley (Dua Lipa, Mabel, Sigrid)—Betta ventures into brighter waters where she declares her love for Princess Diana and David Bowie while embracing the fluid beauty of her own sexuality. On “Cry”, she breaks down the stigma around the very act by turning it into a cathartic and empowering moment that serves as a way to acknowledge and get in touch with one’s vulnerability. Similarly, “Ce Soir” addresses the overwhelming desire to feel whole again, hoping that her iPhone’s Siri will discover the perfect remedy to return to one’s former self. But throughout the track, there is the hopeful knowledge that even the most gut-wrenching moments are always temporary.
Ready For The Weekend swings between melancholic instances and mischievous moments as Betta Lemme offers a close-up into the ephemerality of our surroundings, emotions, and perceptions. These are intimate, heart-stopping tracks where Betta displays a more ambitious songcraft and deeper personal narratives that mark a new chapter for her.
Beyond her music, Betta is excited to partner with global advocacy organization, Global Citizen to help advance and connect the causes she and her fans feel passionately about, with a unifying focus on defending the planet’s climate and demanding equity. Whether it’s to make us dance or raise awareness, Betta continues to use her voice to amplify causes and topics that are close to her.
Ready For The Weekend EP Tracklist:
“I Love The Weekend”
“I’m Good”
“GIRLS”
“Cry”
“Ce Soir”