(NWPR) Texas native singer/songwriter Allison Ponthier has returned with new single "Karaoke Queen" from her forthcoming debut album. The track was shared alongside an exclusive interview with Variety, who praised the "sweet" single.
Showcasing delicate finger-picked guitar and Ponthier's warm, shimmering vocals, "Karaoke Queen" was written four years ago with Ethan Gruska (Phoebe Bridgers, Lizzy McAlpine, Ryan Beatty) and Micah Premnath during a time of uncertainty when Ponthier was confronting her greatest fear-being dropped by her major label.
Now an independent artist after experiencing her "worst case scenario," the song arrives as a reflection on the fragility of dreams and the resilience to face our fears head-on, offering a comforting reminder that even when our worst fears materialize, things will turn out okay.
"I wrote 'Karaoke Queen' four years ago, after I signed my first record deal," shared Ponthier. "The most terrifying outcome I could imagine was losing my deal by getting dropped, something that felt really possible because I came from Texas with no real knowledge of music business beforehand. With Ethan Gruska and Micah Premnath, we wrote a story about a girl who gets signed to a major, gets dropped, and has to move back to her hometown. She's embarrassed and discouraged, but then she finds herself becoming the star of the local karaoke bar in town, and ultimately happy."
She continued, "By writing this song, it helped me imagine my worst fear but with a happy ending. So when it actually happened to me in late 2024, I was crushed, but, like the song, it truly was one of the best things that I didn't know needed to happen. I hope other people can relate to the moral of the story: sometimes you don't get what you want, but you get what you need."
Ponthier first broke through with the 2021 EP Faking My Own Death - a collection that documented her coming-out story and delivered a dreamy fusion of indie-folk, alt-rock, and left-of-center country-pop. That same year, the Brooklyn-based artist teamed up with Lord Huron for the hit single "I Lied," then joined the band on the road + made her late-night TV debut on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. 2022 saw Ponthier's sophomore EP Shaking Hands with Elvis earn raves from the likes of Consequence, who compared the project to "the dynamic folk-tinged stoicism of Kacey Musgraves and Orville Peck." She's toured with Bleachers, Holly Humberstone, The Japanese House, Hayley Kiyoko, NIKI, and Maren Morris, and been championed by the likes of Elton John and Brandi Carlile. Ponthier was recently featured in John's Oscar nominated documentary, Elton John: Never too Late + performed at Carlile's annual Girls Just Wanna Weekend. Ponthier's music + whimsical creative vision have been touted by the likes of Vogue, Rolling Stone, NPR, Vulture, NME, The FADER, V Magazine and many more.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
[an error occurred while processing this directive]