New Zealand Based Emerging Talent Boy Virgo Channels 00s Dancepop on New Single ‘Barbie Boy’

If you’ve been following our rising talents section of the site, you may remember when we featured New Zealand based emerging artist Boy Virgo and his track Psycho. Now the talented rising star returns with Barbie Boy, a hyperpop anthem that pays tribute to the classic mid-noughties dancepop world.

Boy Virgo notes: “The inspiration behind this song was really drawn from my love and appreciation for the y2k hyperpop aesthetic mixed with that classic 2008 dance pop sound. Similar to Cascada’s.” This is something that can be heard through the rippling, near computerised production style paired with crunching nostalgic synths and Boy Virgo’s confident vocal.

Through the aesthetic created through Barbie Boy, Boy Virgo channels themes of self-love and self-appreciation, noting: “In creating this visual identity, I wanted the song and cover art to be almost obnoxious, self entitled. I’ve never had confidence within myself and identity so Barbie Boy is really about holding yourself to this high standard and being that truly hot self. Just loving and appreciating yourself and having lots of fun while doing it.”

Like many independent artists, Boy Virgo notes that finding exposure and people that believe in your work and vision can be a challenge. The singer cites this collaboration with producer Himeros as a pivotal moment in the creation of the track: ” Working as an independent artist can be quite a struggle. Finding people that believe in you and want to give you that chance can be hard, I met Himeros, the producer of this track, on Twitter and we clicked over our appreciation towards this specific genre. When you find those people that want to see you do well and appreciate you, it’s super special and quite hard to find as an independent artist.”

With tracks like Psycho, Lock Me Up and Barbie Boy, Boy Virgo is constructing an impressive discography that showcases a rich tapestry of music influences with the singer citing SOPHIE and Arca as two immediate sources of inspiration, however, it is Lady Gaga who serves as the New Zealander’s biggest icon: “I feel she introduced me to music and I wouldn’t even be here without her. It’s funny because Lady Gaga is actually the inspiration behind my stage name ‘Boy Virgo’. I was coming up with a name and I just paired the term Boy with my star sign. It was going to be Man Virgo but I didn’t like the sound of it so I settled for Boy Virgo.”

You can stream Barbie Boy above. Connect with Boy Virgo below.

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