Towa Bird has shared her new single “Drain Me!,” a wildly ecstatic expression of all-consuming lust. The latest offering from her highly anticipated debut album (due out soon via Interscope Records), “Drain Me!” finds the Hong Kong-born artist working with Mikky Ekko (an artist/songwriter/producer known for co-writing and featuring on Rihanna’s nine-times-platinum single “Stay”).
Co-written by Towa, Mikky, and Luke Niccoli (Carly Rae Jepsen, Gwen Stefani), “Drain Me!” centers on a bold but delicate vocal performance from Towa, who perfectly conveys the mind-bending exhilaration of surrendering to desire. Check out the video for track below.
“‘Drain Me!’ is about love! And sex! And pleasure! And pain!” says Towa. “It’s a song about being young and having fun, being impulsive and f_____g and saying, ‘f__k you.’ ‘Drain Me!’ is about hedonism in its purest form.”
As Towa reveals, “Drain Me!” came to life in a breakneck burst of inspiration, beginning with a spontaneously composed guitar part echoing her infinitely imaginative musicality. Produced by Niccoli and featuring backing vocals from Mikky, the result is a two-minute head rush that fully channels the dizzy energy of its creation, unfolding in woozy synth lines and pogo-ready rhythms.
“Working on these lyrics made me feel like a schoolgirl—I felt giddy,” says Towa. “The writing process mirrored the song itself: fast, fun, and gratifying. When I listened back to the first demo from Luke and Mikky, I was overwhelmed by a feeling of control. I knew that this piece was the (sticky!) glue that would bring the whole project together.”
The video for “Drain Me!” offers an up-close look at Towa’s ability to immediately captivate the crowd—a rare and powerful feat for an opening artist as she captivates audiences while touring With Reneé Rapp. With its whirlwind collage of live footage and real-life scenes captured on a hand-held camera, the hyper-saturated visual ultimately gives fans a fascinating glimpse into Towa’s world.