SONG PREMIERE: Nico Padden Displays Piano Pop Balladry on “Pirate Queen”

Nico Padden is a one-woman folk-rock riot. Ben Folds said she has “a big voice, gorgeous voice,” and that her song Pirate Queen is “original and classic at the same time.” Her 2016 album A Light in the Dark, with songs about finding hope amidst difficult circumstances, was a Long Island local sleeper hit. Her songs have been compared to Alanis Morissette’s work in Newsday, and Smithtown Matters News called her a “soulful singer & lyricist.”

Her newest album, recorded & mixed by Kevin Kelly at The Workshoppe East studio in Huntington, NY, is due for release in 2022. Entitled, Pirate Queen, the work is a mix of Americana, vintage pop/rock, and folk that celebrates the strength of the fierce, brave women in her life. To write the album, Padden drew both from personal experience as well as reading extensively about real pirate queens from history, particularly Grace O’Malley, Mary Read, and Anne Bonny. She also spent some time sailing on the Great South Bay on a sailboat owned by a good friend. The ocean and references to sailing are prevalent in all of the songs and provide a connecting thread to all of the material.

“Pirate Queen,” is ultimately an uplifting celebration of Padden’s strength as a woman who steps outside of the lines, much like the pirate queens of history she was inspired by. She hopes the album is a comfort, salve, and battle cry to woman-identified people who also wish to claim their rightful crown. The album is about taking back the crown that is rightfully yours, even if by slightly unorthodox means.

Today Glide is excited to premiere the album’s title track “Pirate Queen,” which also happens to be the nickname Padden’s fans have given her. It’s a love song to her army of “adorable weirdo,” fans in appreciation for how much they’ve supported her. The piano-driven ballad draws inspiration from 90s piano pop and rock, with orchestration layered in to build on the drama of the song. Padden also displays her vocal range as she belts out the chorus with soulful affirmation.

Padden describes the inspiration behind the song:

This song is a love song to my fiercely dedicated group of super fans/friends who sell merch at all of my shows, support my crowdfunding campaigns, help me with all of my DIY music video projects, proudly wear their Nico Padden t-shirts in their social media posts, and just in general are the most awesome supporters an indie singer-songwriter could ask for. The love I have for them is like family; this song expresses that.

LISTEN:

Photo credit: Greg Padden