Maisy Kay – “Sleep” (audio) (premiere)

Raised in Claverley, England, Maisy Kay Kendrick relocated to Los Angeles with her family three years ago, and after being home schooled to allow freedom to pursue her budding musical career, the 16-year-old prodigy is starting to make some inroads.

Two singles were already released this year, but her third, the cinematic “Sleep” is the best so far, a lavish art pop composition that’s equal parts Kate Bush and her biggest influence, Freddie Mercury. Written and performed with the kind of abandon and wonderful over-the-top melodrama that can come from a teenager (it’s half sung in Latin, for crying out loud) it might not be too long before comparisons to Lorde are in order. For now, though, things are looking awfully promising for the young singer-songwriter.

“The song came to me one night at 3 am, which seems appropriate,” she tells PopMatters. “I wanted to show how chaotic your mind gets without sleep…The bridge and chorus are written in Latin, the mother tongue. I felt strongly that the chant needed to be in another language and was drawn to the Latin origin of the word Insomnia (īnsomnis).”

Learn more about Maisy Kay at Facebook.