Bacchanalia Magazine

by Reb Jordin

Ha Vay, an indie pop singer songwriter, recently released her single ‘Pretty Baby’ on May 24th to the excitement of her devoted fans. Ha Vay calls this song ‘a union of horror’ and ‘the birth of a siren’ which perfectly describes the single’s concept of romanticising the moment of realisation where you finally recognise you are in a toxic relationship which you need to end. ‘Pretty Baby’ is reminiscent of the dark fairytales which have been constructed to appear more conventional and demure over time, or the gothic literature which is laced with female rage as it was considered to mainstream and therefore not worthy of men at its time of publication. With this rage and whimsy, the song beautifully reflects when a woman takes control of her life and escapes a toxic relationship with a flare of old Hollywood dramatics. 

The single opens with a haunting whistle mirroring a siren, drawing the listener in to the already evocative song. Listeners are first graced with the chorus accompanied by a steady drumbeat and the spooky flat high notes of a guitar, giving the single a sound straight from a classic horror movie where an innocent girl is being stalked by a masked killer similar to a woman’s mind being plagued by a man gaslighting her. The lyrics, ‘I love his secrets, but his lies run cold’ convey a woman romanticising her lovers little secrets to cope with the lies he feeds her, she is too blinded by her love for him to realise the relationship is extremely toxic. 

In a cacophony of strings and a relentless drum mixed perfectly with Ha Vay’s flawless and breathy vocals which belong with the great voices of the sixties we enter the first verse. Listeners are blessed with the lyrics, ‘my violet clouds ruining your June’ which reflect the protagonist being like a natural disaster, bringing the rain and casting a storm over his once perfect life. Except she isn’t really the calamity he convinces her she is, really she is just a woman who dares to use her voice and control her own actions. She will dance through his town, and he will be haunted by the memory of her forever unless he can manipulate her and therefore tame her into staying. So that’s what he attempts to do by clouding her mind with empty promises and soon a tortured love story unfolds. 

After another eerie yet ethereal chorus listeners are gifted witha post chorus, in a whisper Ha Vay sings, ‘I’m wild but he’s mad.’ This spell-like chant is reminiscent of the Three Witches from Macbeth, forever villainised though all they did was exactly what a man asked of them, society still paints them as unnatural because how dare women hold a fraction of power over men, how dare women unbalance man’s perfect patriarchal society. The protagonist’s wild is free and whimsical, she wishes on shooting stars and revels in thunderstorms. However, Pretty Baby’s mad is manipulative and cruel to the person he claims to love. She’s a free spirit whilst he just wants to consume her.

The bridge bursts the song open into a euphoric crescendo. The lyrics, ‘we’re a cataclysmic crash. Violent in nature, we can’t last’ create the vivid image of a final girl sprinting to safety at the end of a slasher movie, her voice hoarse and dress ripped, the sun just rising shedding hope on a night of tears and destruction. She is bathed in the blood of everything and everyone she lost at the hands of her toxic ex, including his own blood which she spilled when he attempted to steal hers for a final time. She won when he underestimated the rage that courses through the veins of all women, forever oppressed and controlled by their male counterparts until they become the product of man’s cruelty, brutal instead of demure, powerful instead of silenced. The relationship was bound to end as their tortured souls and wild hearts could never fully coexist, he just never expected it would be her who gathered the strength to abolish the toxic relationship. 

The single enters its final chorus with the music stripped right back to put emphasis on the beautifully dramatic lyrics, ‘and I bewitch him body and soul.’ This moment conveys how he became nothing but a bad omen who cast a shadow over her life, so she became the curse instead. He will forever be chasing the memory of her whilst she lives in the blissful present away from his toxicity.

‘Pretty Baby’ ends on the ghostly post chorus once more with Ha Vay’s spectral vocals serenading the listener. The single weaves the tale of how the world will call women scheming and calculated when really, they are just strategic and smart. Pretty Baby took a woman and framed her as his muse, holding her back and ruining her. So, the muse left when she realised she didn’t need to be the inspiration behind this great poet’s art anymore, she could be her own poet and encourage other strong women to reclaim their tarnished girlhood from the corrupt male gaze and live a life free from toxic men, so they could all live a life worth writing about. 

So go and give ‘Pretty Baby a listen and let Ha Vay’s carefully crafted lyrics give you the courage to leave when necessary and empower you to live your life like it’s great poetry. Also be sure to check out part I of this story in the single ‘Angel! Wild! Superstar!’ and all of the other enchanting singles she has out as we await the amazing concept album ‘Baby I’m The Wolf’ which comes out June 21st. For the full cinematic experience of ‘Pretty Baby’ go and check out the accompanying short movie also.

Photo by Emily Oreste