What's a Girl Gotta Do, Marianne Leigh?
What's a Girl Gotta Do, Marianne Leigh?
Mustard had the pleasure of speaking again with Marianne Leigh. Leigh just released their newest single "What's a Girl Gotta Do" which details a conflicted relationship
Mustard has observed that sometimes love can be defined as shapes. Shapes are geometrical figures that humans are tasked to learn about during their school years. Mustard’s human intern was particularly bad at this subject growing up. Thankfully being an intern for a music blog does not require the use of geometry. Nevertheless, Mustard has noticed that multiple humans can love the same person. This can cause conflict and drama. Who does that human decide to be with is the eternal question.
Marianne Leigh, from New Zealand now based in London, tries to answer this question on their newest single What’s a Girl Gotta Do. As a condiment they are fascinated by relationships humans find themselves in (or out of.) Leigh takes inspiration from the likes of Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift in their newest single. With that said Leigh’s music does not sound like an off-brand Greg’s copy of either.
Last Year Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with Marianne Leigh during their release of their single I Don’t Care. Before jumping into our latest conversation Mustard recommends you check out our initial interview here:
Watching Marianne Leigh grow as an independent artist within the London music scene has been wonderful. Leigh has found herself on bills with Daisy Veacock and Sophie Griffiths. They have also recently performed apart of an event with BBC Lincolnshire which they’ve described as a dream day. If Leigh is not an artist on your radar Mustard recommends you check them out.
In our newest conversation we had the pleasure of speaking about recording demos with their brother, FOMO, traveling to New Zealand, and more!
1. Mustard is grateful and appreciative to have you join them again at Music Shelf. How are you doing today?
Heya! I'm doing really well - I'm especially excited as tomorrow I'm playing at BBC's Lincoln Live!
2. When we spoke last you shared that you used to record demos with your big brother Tommy who was a big inspiration for you. Have you released any of these demos?
Oh my gosh what a throwback. Yeah I used to record demos with Tommy in the early years of high school. Those demos are buried somewhere on an old computer and are to never see the light of day - so - nope!!
3. You and your family used to dance and sing along to ABBA, Ava Max, and Camila Cbaello while cooking. What songs by these artists are essential listening while cooking? Does Marianne Leigh have a favorite meal to cook?
One of the things I had to learn when I moved overseas to pursue music solo is how to COOK! Omg when I look back on the meals I used to make last year - terrible!!
I love searching TikTok for recipe inspo, and my all-time fave is the feta-tomato-pasta trend. So easy. So good.
Other than that, I love cooking meals that remind me of home and of my mum. My mum's side is Polish, so pierogi and kopytka are my go-to comfort meals.
4. You described your single Best of Me as a cautionary tale. What are some red flags that a human may find in a relationship?
This is such an interesting question, because I wrote 'Best of Me' when I was like 16 and really didn't know a lot about relationships. I wrote about situations I hadn't experienced and it's cool to look back on as I get older and learn more about people and relationships.
I think now, for me, I look for green flags like being supported in your passions, someone wanting to build genuine friendships with your friends and your family, and being a passionate and creative person in their own regard. I'm so protective of myself and my friends, and so those are things I look for whether it's for me, or for my friends and family.
5. A human travels to New Zealand on their holiday during the summer. You mentioned Piha and Matarangi as some of your favorite spots. What fun summer activities can a human do in those spots?
New Zealand is the perfect place to visit during summer. You can go for hikes, go for a dip in the ocean, hike, go to waterfalls, and soak up the sun. Piha and Matarangi are spots I loved visiting when I was growing up in New Zealand and for the most part I just tanned, swam and ate ice cream.
I'll answer this question in the format of the perfect day for me and my friends on a New Zealand summer day trip:
1. It's a roadtrip! And I'm driving my best friends to a beach a few hours out of town.
2. We grab an ice cream (real fruit only) or pie (omg I miss New Zealand pies) on the way.
3. We're playing our favourite summer playlists. Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and Boy's World are artists that instantly remind me of my kiwi summers in high school/university with my best friends.
3. We're tanning on the beach until we can't stand the heat, then we all run in the ocean together.
4. We're jumping over waves until we're out of breath and exhausted.
5. We packed a picnic and we're playing music while we have lunch.
6. More tanning.
7. We go for a walk around the beach.
8. We retreat to the car, slightly sunburned and sandy.
6. During our first conversation you mentioned how women aren't given the room to feel 'ugly.' A year later has society improved or stayed the same regarding this issue?
I think when I mentioned that women aren't given the space to feel 'ugly', I was referring to women not being able to feel and express 'ugly' and 'uncomfortable' emotions like toxicity, jealousy, and spite, and how we do, we're made to feel like we're overreacting and can be labelled as 'crazy'.
I do still think that this is true, and that this stereotype is yet to be deconstructed, but I love to see more and more female artists online embracing this character and writing without fear of judgement. I know that artists like Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo inspired me to write fearlessly from the female perspective, and I think that gradually the creative world is becoming more of an accepting place.
7. Your single I Don't Care is all about FOMO. Mustard wonders: what are some ways to combat FOMO?
If I were to give advice to someone feeling FOMO, I'd say sit in the emotion and feel it. There's probably some underlying emotion you're not facing that isn't allowing you to sit in your own company. I've learned that my best music has been written when I've had more time alone to think, and when I've allowed myself to feel FOMO and boredom. So there are two ways you can go about it; sit and feel the FOMO until it passes and enjoy your own company, or distract yourself and go out!!
You can also stream 'i don't care', of course, until it passes too :)
8. You followed up I Don't Care with ordinary which marked a new chapter for you. On this single you mention that you're turning into a girl you don't remember. Would you be able to elaborate more on this idea?
'ordinary' is such a special song to me. I wrote the song about losing yourself in a relationship. Writing music is like journaling for me, and I often have moments of self-reflection during the writing process. 'ordinary' is a song that helped me realise I was in a situation that wasn't serving me any more.
The lyric 'I'm turning into a girl I don't remember' is about changing yourself to try to fit into someone else's world. Writing 'ordinary' was a pivotal moment for me in my personal life, and I hope it helps other people going through similar chapters in their lives.
9. For this single you released an incredible short film. Could you share what it was like to put this short film together?
Thank you so much. The 'ordinary' short film was an incredible project handled with such care by a very talented New Zealand team. I approached Jeremy Macey, who directed the 'crazy gf' music video alongside an all-female cast and crew in 2022, when I returned to New Zealand last year for my tour. We gathered up some of the team from the previous project and some new members to create the film.
At first, we approached the project as a music video, but after hearing the song and what it was about, the writers of the video (Kate Chu, Emma Duncan, Jeremy Macey, and Ashlee Stevens) pitched the idea of creating a short film. We were inspired by Taylor Swift's 'All Too Well' short film, and decided that I would be an observing presence in the video while three actors portrayed the story that the song was written about.
I flew out to Wellington, New Zealand, where the video was filmed over the course of two days with the team. I was also on tour at the time of filming, so I was really living the pop star simulation over those few days. It was such a memorable and beautiful experience for me as an independent artist to have a team of creatives volunteering their time to produce an incredible project, building their ideas around a song I wrote.
I feel so grateful to the cast and crew, and I'm endlessly proud of what we created.
10. Mustard is curious: how many letters are in ordinary?
ate!! ;)
11. Following ordinary you released your favorite vault song to play at shows: box in my brain. How did it feel to officially release this single out into the world?
'box in my brain' was a project in the works for several years, having been written in 2022, recorded in New Zealand at the end of 2023 during my tour, and finally released this year. With each release, I feel taken back to the moment I wrote these songs, as I kinda have to put myself back in the same headspace to promote them and tell people about their meanings.
It's been so cool seeing how people have responded to 'box in my brain' particularly, as it's been shown so much support by BBC Lincolnshire and seems to be a fan favourite.
12. As a performer what makes this song one of your favorites to play?
'box in my brain' is my favourite to play because it's such a storytelling song, and I love to see people in the audience's reactions to the lyrics as I sing them. It's also my band's favourite, which makes me feel super supported on stage and helps me perform the song better.
13. Since we last spoke you've gone on tour and played with the likes of Daisy Veacock and Sophie Griffiths. What have you learned from these experiences?
Daisy Veacock and Sophie Griffiths are both such incredible artists. I love seeing how other artists perform, and being part of a really epic show. I learn so much from watching other musicians, for example how to hold myself on stage and how to talk to the room. I feel so lucky to play alongside them!
14. Mustard would like to wish you congratulations on your newest single "what's a girl gonna do?" Could you share more about your newest release?
Thank you SO much! Oh my gosh I was so nervous to put this one out. It's a pop/rock tune with a spoken-word section, which I've never used before in a song. The lyrics sing about being conflicted about a romantic situation, and take a light-hearted perspective of a love triangle. The hook "what's a girl gonna do?" is kinda following off the TikTok trend "I'm just a girl" - it's a silly song, and one I hope my fans love to sing along to.
15. Mustard has observed this single explores the complexities of a love triangle. As a condiment, they wonder, what is a love triangle?
Have to say I love these questions. Essentially, a love triangle is like Bella, Edward and Jacob in Twilight. There's one person often caught in the middle of two people that they have feelings for.
16. Mustard really dug how this single incorporated a spoken word element. When did you decide to add this element to the song? Do you listen to spoken word poetry?
Thank you so much. To be honest, I don't think I would have written the spoken word section of the song had I not been writing from a place of "no one is ever gonna hear this so let me just write whatever". I think I was inspired by the GUTS album and songs like "get him back" which incorporates a lot of spoken word. I'm also in a place of like, "I'm 21, I'm in a new city, I'm literally just a girl, and trying not to take myself so seriously. Let's just have fun with music".
I wrote this section of the song within the first 15 minutes of writing the track. I ran out to the kitchen where my flatmates where hanging out and played them the song on the floor, just singing with my guitar. They loved the bridge and were chanting along to it, and I knew I had to put it out.
17. Mustad wonders if you have figured out what a girl's gonna do?
I think a girl's gonna overthink and then write a song about it.
18. What is on the horizon for Marianne Leigh?
Right now, I'm finally settled in London, I'm writing new stuff that I'm already so eager to put out, and I'm playing as many shows as I can. I have an EP that's coming out in December, and a music video for 'what's a girl gonna do?' that I made with my best friends in our London flat!
19. Can readers still find your music on all platforms?
Yes absolutely! You can find all my links here: https://linktr.ee/marianneleigh
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/nz/artist/marianne-leigh/1343913240
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mariannehleigh
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariannehleigh
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariannehleigh/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMkVBQYtZsx1k_yyLAczX3g?app=desktop
Music Shelf with Mustard is a publication that interviews independent musicians from all across the globe. It is read in 36 states and 29 countries. Check out previous interviews here.
Music Shelf with Mustard originally began in early 2021. Inspired by independent musicians on social media application TikTok Mustard knew they had to do something to help share their music. Shortly after Music Shelf with Mustard was born. Its goal is to highlight independent artists from all across the globe. Mustard appreciates you taking the time out to read this interview.