Annie Clark, or St. Vincent as she is known to the public, released a new single. After her fifth and eponymous album in 2015, her fans have been eagerly awaiting new music. The announcement of her Fear The Future tour also marked the release of the hopeful single teaser from her upcoming album, "New York." Aside from it being a stylistic divergence from her previous – some say career-defining – album, listeners were quick to speculate about the subject of the song. Is "New York" about the art rocker's ex-girlfriend Cara Delevingne?
The piano-driven ballad starts off with the lyrics, "New York isn't New York without you, love." A beautiful lyric that does not necessarily have to be about a love interest. It could just as easily be about a close friend. The songwriter goes on to sing in a later verse, "New York isn't New York without you, love / Too few of our old crew left on Astor." St. Vincent could easily be waxing nostalgic for times spent with close friends.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
As many speculated online, it seemed that no one had a definitive answer. Some believed it to be a reflection on her relationship with Cara Delevingne, others believed it was about a friend the singer missed. All of these hints and possible references are intriguing but, in the end, inconclusive.
But wait, plot twist! "New York" is not actually as new as fans initially believed. During her first show of 2016, at New York's Le Poisson Rouge, St. Vincent played an untitled, intimate ballad. Her then-girlfriend Cara Delevingne was in the audience.
The person who shared it on Instagram seemed convinced that St. Vincent was serenading her then-girlfriend with a song written about her. While both St. Vincent and Cara Delevingne have spoken publicly about their relationship, St. Vincent errs on the side of keeping her life very private. Neither have publicly confirmed why the relationship ended. Perhaps there will be more about her relationship with the model-turned-actress on the yet-to-be-announced album we are all eagerly awaiting.