MAZZARA – BAD
MAZZARA's 'BAD' is a stunning, breathless slice of queer R&B from East London, early-2000s pop sensuality reimagined with irresistible intimacy and heat
'BAD' opens on a whisper and stays there, close and confessional. MAZZARA's vocal sits right against your ear, layered falsetto runs threading through breathy ad-libs and, yes, beatboxing that somehow works. The track is about shedding the good-boy mask, letting desire take over, and the production mirrors it: sparse, humid, just enough synth warmth to keep things moving. There's a moment where the vocal stacks pull back and it's just breath and bass, and I'm all a quiver. Sensual contemporary R&B, confident and completely its own thing.
MAZZARA is based in East London and makes pop that filters early-2000s icons through a distinctly queer lens. The track was written in a rush before a date, lyrics scribbled on the tube and finished in Vauxhall park, then recorded across Pirate Studios and Qube with producer Kevin Shoemaker. The release show at Jaguar Shoes brought cabaret into the mix, and that theatrical streak runs through everything. Bold, brilliant and beautiful.