Skylar Gudasz premiered the quirky video for her new single “Play Nice” on Thursday (March 12), exclusively to Billboard.
In the clip, the rising artist goes about her day with a bevy of silent, bearded men at her beck and call — one acting as her footstool as she reads The Ladies’ Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness while another holds a mirror, getting glam for a night out. “You can’t tell right from wrong/ So I had to write it down/ For you in a f–king love song/ I ain’t no fool and I ain’t naive/ You say play nice/ Babe I ain’t nice/ When I’m told to be,” she sings on the cheeky chorus over echoing electric guitar and dreamy, ’80s-inspired synths.
“‘Play Nice’ was advice I got about surviving the shark tank that is the music industry, which can be really tough, especially as a woman,” Gudasz tells Billboard. “I immediately wanted to turn the advice into a song, because it struck me how while playing nice is a survival tactic, at the same time it can be hiding some deep ferocity that’s otherwise overlooked, and that sort of secret weapon is an empowering thing to think about.”
Produced by Brad Cook (known for his Grammy-nominated work with Bon Iver and The National), the subversive track will be featured on the rising artist’s forthcoming sophomore album Cinema, which is set to be released April 17 Suah Sounds.
Check out the exclusive premiere of “Play Nice” below.
