Brat-punk hip-hop artist Delilah Bon has released a new video for the latest single taken from her forthcoming debut album.
School is the sixth track released in five months by Delilah, the alter ego of Lauren Tate from Hands Off Gretel.
She has already released Bad Attitude, Chop Dicks, Devil, Homework and Where My Girls At? A full-length album is due to be released in the spring.
“I wrote this song about my lonely days at school,” reveals Delilah. “Eating dinner alone, hiding in the school toilets, dealing with bullies, and battling with teachers who constantly discouraged my dreams of becoming a famous singer someday.
“This song is about realising my dreams, and all those who bullied and ridiculed me wanting to come back into my life.”
Emerging from a punk rock background, Delilah was conceived during lockdown in July. Her sound combines screaming vocals and nu-metal guitar riffs with melodic rap and trashy hip-hop beats.
“The music I make is like Cardi B fronting Slipknot,” she says. “It’s a mesh of all the styles that have influenced me up to now. I flow between two personas – sometimes I’m sweet and sassy; sometimes I’m screaming at you with an axe.”
The singles, videos and album are all self-written and self-produced, and the artwork and merchandise is DIY too. Most importantly, everything addresses the way women are treated in today’s society.
“I was touring with my punk band Hands Off Gretel and night after night I was hearing stories from young girls being harassed in the crowd,” she recalls.
“When I spoke out online I was met with resistance and it infuriated me. I had all these words flowing out of me too fast to write down, so I programmed a beat and started rapping for the first time; it was my motivation during a dark time.
“I’d be walking down the street, paranoid some guy was following me, holding my hand over my drink in a club, worrying my friends wouldn’t make it home.
“It’s all been said before, women have been fighting since way before I was born, but the same issues remain and we’ve got a long way to go.
“Delilah represents strength and empowerment, and I’m here for anyone who needs that.”
