“Girl, gonna make a good wife someday / Pleasure him quiet take his last name / Give him three kids in a white picket fence / Hide those tears behind a plump lip red,” sings Iluka in Cry Evil!, her new single out today. The first release of this year is a political statement on how women are still mistreated by the dominant patriarchal society in most cultures.
The Australian-born, now American-based singer and songwriter is saying enough to men in power making decisions that affect women’s bodies. Reminiscent of Janis Joplin (her growl) and Stevie Nicks’ mystique, Iluka’s new track is made to put words to a global rage. Speaking of Cry Evil!, she says: “There is such a concerted attack on women’s rights, over the right to be autonomous over our own bodies and incel/far-right religious communities are feeling more galvanised to spread hate online.”
Now that the American election is approaching, it’s hard to turn a blind eye on the hate speech that’s dominating the political arena in the country, with thousands of radicalised bigots taking to the streets shamelessly. “These comments are straight out of The Handmaid's Tale, and whilst it seems almost humorous in its vulgarity, it’s sobering when you think about the very real people believing in these things they're writing,” Iluka concludes.
Born to a songwriter and guitar-maker father, Iluka was drawn to music very early on. At just seven years old, she began recording her first songs on a twelve-track recording desk with her dad, and by the age of fifteen, she had compiled a body of work that would later define her professional career. Leaving Australia to embark on an adventure chasing the American dream, she’s now conquering uncharted territory for her, mixing her personal feelings with political views in the current climate. As her new song chants: “All your pitchforks they can’t hurt us now / There’s only so long you can be held down / Only so long you can be held down.”