Amamelia – C’est Chic: New Song Of The Day

Amamelia releases C’est Chic today with a new album on the way!

Here’s the blurb with details:

November 1 2022: Amamelia is the musical project of Amelia Berry (she/her), a musician and songwriter currently based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Amamelia’s music combines breaks normally found in Jungle & Drum & Bass with a sugary synthetic pop sensibility.

Following the unexpected Tiktok hit Gap Selection, and Student Radio Network favourite Colourbox, Amamelia shares a new track C’est Chic, along with a music video created by Sports Team.

C’est Chic is the final single to be released ahead of her long awaited sophomore album Bananamelia!  (out digitally and on Vinyl LP on November 3 via Sunreturn).

C’est Chic is a playful collage of sound, incorporating ringing telephones and DJ scratching, all the while being held together with a jittery synth line and a four on the floor kick drum.

“The concept for the mood of the track was that cheesy swinging sixties Parisian style, so I felt a name like C’est Chic captured that perfectly,” says Berry. “Honestly – it was called C’est Chic before I’d written a single note.” 

‘When I was writing C’est Chic I really wanted to get at that particular throwback disco sound that was floating around in the 90’s and early 2000’s – I’m thinking Yukarin’ Disco by Yukari Fresh or the end of Como un Fan by La Casa Azul, maybe even a little Fantastic Plastic Machine type beat. It just had to be something breezy, something you could whistle but like…..really fast.”

With C’est Chic now released, Berry remarks “Honestly, it feels surreal how close we are now to the album release. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it!”

C’est Chic is accompanied by a music video animated by Sports Team, and made with assistance from NZ On Air Music.

Amamelia – Bananamelia!
Released on Vinyl LP and digital on November 3

1. Marble Run
2. French Press
3. C’est Chic
4. Colourbox
5. Gap Selection
6. Lawnmower Heaven
7. Lemon Magnolia
8. Shy Blood
PRE-ORDER BANANAMELIA!: https://amamelia.bandcamp.com/

The musical project that is Amamelia began with humble beginnings. In 2019 Berry quietly uploaded a breakbeat rework of Savage’s 2005 single Swing to Bandcamp.

Her debut WOW! soon followed featuring the singles So Good, Hot Bitch Dot Zip feat. Baby Zionov & bb gurl, as well as Sad and Lonely feat. Junny. WOW! was shortlisted for the Best Independent Debut award at the 2021 Taite Music Prize.

2021’s WOW! The 2021 Remixes saw Berry’s community remix and rework her album, and featured contributions from Imugi 이무기, Tei., bb gurl, Dbldbl, Alexa Casino, Liam K. Swiggs, Go Nuclear, Jack Russell (Durham Fenwick of Green Grove), Big Fat Raro, Citacsy, Trapjaw Kelpie and Eyeliner.

Berry took home the Favourite Solo Act Award later that year at the inaugural 2021 Student Radio Network Awards. Her 2022 standalone single Love Is Useless feat. Junny dominated Radioscope’s Alt Airplay chart, as well as placing #1 on the Student Radio Network Top 10 for two consecutive weeks.

Berry’s remix of Imugi 이무기‘s Somebody Else was the lead single from their 2022 EP Dragonfruit Remixed. LOOP commissioned a remix for Summer Thieves’ Paradise Down The Road Remixed, and were so enamoured with her record that they asked for a second (the only artist asked to do so). Amamelia has also featured tracks on NZ Electro 2020 & INDEXOXO, compilations assembled by the Berlin / Manchester based electronic music label Index Records.

Outside of Amamelia, Berry can be found creating ambient soundscapes in caves as Old Chips, playing in queerbo pop-punk band Babyteeth, indulging in the happy hardcore of Van Staden & Böhm (VSB), exploring electronica as the Forbin Project, as well as performing as one half of synth pop duo Fimo and dungeon synth outfit Gayblade. In the past she’s been the mastermind behind the romantic jangle of Polyester (fka as Kip McGrath), and one third of queer DJ trio PWB.

Berry has a long running history with 95bFM, where she is a weekly guest on the Breakfast show. Previously she hosted their illustrious chart show, the 95bFM Top 10, as well as the cult late night listen Amelia’s Secret. Along with Rebecca K. Reilly (who recently won the The Hubert Church Prize for a best first book of Fiction at the 2022 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards) Berry hosts The Frog & Cheetah, a podcast about the television series Brokenwood Mysteries.