Dive into cheeky pop with Terez
By Roog Kubur, June 21 2022—
Dealing with boys is hard. Dating in general is hard. But there’s something about the female-male dynamic that makes people hold unrealistic expectations for women while men are allowed to run around and have the time of their lives. This dynamic is not only ridiculous and outdated, but also incredibly easy to poke fun at. Luckily, Terez’s new song “Ugh Boy” does just that.
“Ugh Boy” is the song to transport us to the alternate universe where men are the ones yearning for the relationship. Terez described the track as a “cheeky innuendo for sexual empowerment,” and she hits the nail on the head. The lyrics are reminiscent of a situation we know all too well — someone thinking a relationship was more serious than we originally thought. It flips the script on sexuality and societal expectations with tongue-in-cheek lyrics and a wavy instrumental.
“It came from being a place where I don’t want to date,” Terez said about the inspiration behind the track. “I find there’s a lot of assuming women want to be in a relationship and assuming they’re lying when they don’t.”
The word that most clearly expresses the essence of this song is cheeky. Terez described it as containing “tongue-in-cheek references, sly smirks with different lyrics that could have different meanings or going for the shock value.” It’s not often you hear a song so clearly express a female opinion that is often shut out for being too vulgar, but this song brazenly and unapologetically declares what she wants.
It’s an interesting take on female empowerment. Lyrics like “You know I’m a catch and I know you like the chase” give the power to the women, making her own worth explicitly clear while stringing the boy along. At the same time, lyrics like “Always used to getting women’s attention/with your distance and deflection” criticize the male counterpart for thinking she would be an easy catch — calling attention to the hypocritical nature of heteronormativity.
This concept extends past the lyrics into the studio, as this is Terez’s first self-produced release. This is her siren song, with vocal layering and a dreaming instrumental to lure listeners into her world.
“It happened organically,” she said about what pushed her to produce the track herself. “After creating the demo, I felt like it was almost done.”
The song was initially planned to be a collaboration between her and co-producer Elysse Yulo, but admitted Yulo took on a more consultative role during the creation process.
The track was her way of taking on the brazen character of the subject matter. It contains lyrics that push the envelope compared to her other songs, overcoming the fear of being too much. That doesn’t mean it didn’t come with any challenges, though. Like any creative process, the mental gymnastics were very much present while the song was being created.
“I knew it would be a lot of work, but the mental component of not being discouraged or feeling like it’s hot garbage was a challenge,” Terez admitted regarding the production process.
This is the first single of Terez’s new EP releasing later this year. While the project is still in the creative process, she shared that the subject matter would cover a range of topics, from female empowerment to reflections on her childhood.
Despite the personal subject matter, Terez posits that relatability is a priority with her music.
“I want people to feel heard and understood,” she said.
Each of Terez’s songs are unique and fresh. There are songs in there that are the soundtrack to the confident, bad-girl character that everyone wants to play once in a while and other songs that are perfect for when you’re in your feels. Her catalogue is impressive to say the least, but on a human level it’s refreshing. To know that there’s a song out there that can speak to whatever you’re going through is comforting and there is no shortage of that with her music.
All of Terez’s music can be found on Spotify, Apple Music and wherever else you stream music, in addition to the uncensored and censored versions of the “Ugh Boy.” The song comes with a cheeky video as well, in case you need any more convincing on what makes Terez an act to watch out for.
Terez’s Recommendations: “La. La. La.” to get a feel of how she started and “Hot Mess” to remind us that it’s okay to be a mess.