Love Florence Welch and Dua Lipa? Mayssa Karaa Releases New Video for “Versailles”

Mayssa Karaa has launched a new music video for “Versailles” — the feature single off her ten-track debut album Simple Cure, available now!

Produced by GRAMMY Award-winning producer Rich Jacques, the album builds from the recent success enjoyed from her hit songs “White Rabbit,” (featured on the GRAMMY Award-nominated soundtrack of the Academy Award-nominated film, “American Hustle”), and “Hayati,” her #1 hit on Apple Music India, in collaboration with Academy Award-winning producer AR Rahman.

Many would argue the best types of music combine the familiar and the new, and Mayssa Karaa has these qualities shining brightly from her work. Having recently released a series of singles, each one drawing more interest than the next, Karaa has earned praise for her hypnotic vocal delivery, distinctive style and performance in the supporting videos, and — maybe most of all — her introspective yet explorative lyrics.

“My album tells a story with each song playing its part,” commented the clearly passionate singer reflecting on her own journey to where she is today. “I think it’s one many can relate to today.

“This is for those who left their homes, looking for the exciting unknown, perhaps something better. It’s for those who dared break out from their own shackles and explore the world on their own terms, while also embracing who they really are, and who they want to be. Time had taught me the cure isn’t outside of us: the simple cure is you!

“This is a musical journey of empowerment and self-acceptance.”

Reviewers have compared Karaa’s sound to Florence Welch and Dua Lipa, without forgetting her Lebanse roots and subtle political prowess, but never in a way that rejects who or where she is today.

Simple Cure brings the listener through a journey of experiences seen from Karaa’s eyes; “Call me a Stranger” searches for her own identity, while “In the Grey” delivers the lesson that ‘life is almost never black and white.’

“Versailles,” which leaves one wondering if its lyrics address the place, the personal, or even the idea of making a “truce” in both the external and internal worlds, concludes with its most important, liberating message.

With the music video for “Versailles,” Karaa shows just what dance music can be in the modern age. Without trying to rebrand the genre or force styles together, she takes age-old elements that are the DNA of dance, pop, R&B and soul — infectiousness, groove and easy accessibility — and mixes less tangible elements such as charm, charisma, passion and stylish grace to effortlessly forge them into something both recognisable, but also cutting edge, modern, and forward thinking.

Throw in a whole slice of arabesque exoticism, sultry pop moves, and a beguiling video and you have an exhilarating mix.

“Versailles” is an analogy — a heady and hedonistic dream world, though inspired by the opulence and grandeur of the palace of the same name, is more a metaphor for embracing life, embracing diversity and one another, no matter where we come from or where we are going.

More than that, it is about finding freedom and happiness and allowing others to do the same.

Musically, Simple Cure can be thought of as a response to the modern world that says, “I will take what works for me and I enjoy but my traditions will never leave me, and the two of you together will make something new.” It showcases artistic diversity with songs that range from piano-based simplicity to epic electronic orchestration, all with a timeless middle eastern influence that takes into modern pop global and creates something uniquely her own.

Tracklist
1. Broken Lines
2. In the Grey
3. Simple Cure
4. Versailles (Remix)
5. Got That Feeling
6. Somebody to Love
7. I’ll Let Go If You Let Go
8. Never Go Back
9. Call Me a Stranger
10. Versailles