Singer-songwriter Sophie Cates, formerly known as Silver Sphere, shares her first release as a newly independent artist. Aptly titled “Nasty,” the song signals a much-awaited return and new chapter in the Chicago-bred musician’s career.

In the song’s opening verse, she sings, “Goddamn, I’m beautiful, I wanna kiss your neck / In the bathroom stall and it’s so unusual
/ For me to act this bold, it’s not like me at all.” The record strays a bit away from the dreamy bedroom pop sound that fans alike grew to love under her previous moniker. Her maturation as an artist both vocally and sonically are equal parts phenomenal in the new song. Elsewhere in the chorus, she croons, “But I want you to touch me / Baby, I just wanna be nasty / And I want you up on me.”

“i wrote nasty in my bedroom month ONE of covid. it’s been basically that long since I’ve released music at all. and the release of nasty symbolizes a lot for me, it’s my first independent release, and its truly a new beginning for me,” Sophie stated via Instagram ahead of the single. “nasty represents all the growth i’ve experienced during this little unexpected hiatus. i LOVE you all. there were so many times the last two years where i was very scared and very unsure of myself and the only thing that kept me pushing forward was the constant love and support from u.”

“Nasty” arrives nearly two years removed from her 2020 release of “football game,” which has amassed nearly 100K views on YouTube since it debuted. Prior to that, Sophie Cates shared her critically-acclaimed EP all my boyfriends under RCA Records and subsequently, the remix to standout cut “crowd” by umru. More recently, the musician collaborated with Natasha Hunt Lee for their surefire collaboration “Bad Mood” and its accompanying video.

Listen to Sophie Cates’ new song “Nasty” below.