Ok, a question for all the galls and guys out there. It’s 2025 so why in the deepest depths of hell, are we still believing in fairy tales? I personally do not, but according to several world wide surveys (including our very own gov.uk), it turns out that the majority of adults believe in superstitions, tooth fairies, elves, gnomes, magical charms and evil eyes. Both men and women accept that love at first sight is real and a whooping 80% of newly weds trust that they have found their soulmates in their partners. Even unmarried, cohabiting couples are convinced they will live happily ever after – despite divorce rates going through the roof. Fairy tales may offer hope and escapism from our own problems but they also strengthen harmful stereotypes, vilify healthy emotions such as anger or literally push medieval morality into 21st century. Any voice that challenges them is greatly needed, especially if the voice is loud and clear, like Lauren Tate’s.
Lauren, better known as Delilah Bon is back with her newest offering – a 4 track EP titled “Princeless Princess”. This new release was especially recorded to counter the “fairy tale narratives” pushed by the far right. Sounds ridiculous but sadly it’s very damn real. The conservative trend started in the US (quelle surprise) over a decade ago but spread to different parts of the world thanks to social media. What is the fairy tale narrative one may ask? The term was coined by Reddit users and it short, it contains all propaganda tools used by conservative influencers that are rooted in, or even literally taken out of popular fairytales. Men portrayed as masculine brave heroes and protectors, women as helpless creatures, faithfully taking care of children and their homes. Alpha males, trad wives, obedient children, household voting (a man voting on behalf of the entire family) all of those concepts are directly linked to the perfect, “magical” world of tradition . Ever heard of the white supremacy theory that the white skin colour is blessed and represents the forces of good while black is the colour of Satan’s followers? Directly taken from the folk tales where good guys are always blond haired and blue eyed and the villains are dark skinned and wear black. It is not a coincidence that the nationalists/fundamental Christians worship white Jesus – the Bible has been turned into a fairy tale too.
Lauren has never been afraid to speak her mind so I’m not surprised she is using her voice against the weaponization of fairy tales to support extreme racism, facism and eradication of women from the workforce, culture and society in general. She is like the 21st century Hermynia Zur Mühlen, using music, and modern poetry to shout about magic, castles and princesses who frankly like to save themselves, thank you very much.
Her newest offering is a 4 track EP called “Princeless Princess”. It contains one previously released title track (issued as a stand alone single on May 13th) and three completely new songs: “Dragon”, “Cinderella” and “Bush”. The EP has more than 15 minutes of music, which again is a nice treat for her fans who get a good value for their money. I wrote about it before, Delilah is one of the very few modern artists who still release the same amount of music on their albums as 40 years ago. I have a great respect for her for doing this. The average length of a full LP is now 32 minutes, while “Evil, Hate Filled Female” from last year offered 14 tracks and 51 minutes of entertainment.
“Princeless Princess” is a collection of separate tracks, only loosely connected together, but still creating a coherent, well defined musical structure. The main theme here is an open rebellion against medieval morality and values presented in traditional folk tales and now championed on social media by conservative voices. The title track is, as you probably guessed, an anthem to self sufficient women, independent princesses who are doing everything else, but looking for their Prince Charmings. Forget about damsels in distress, looking for someone to save them and whisk them away to some Far, Far Away land to be their queens. It’s 2025 and this “whisking away” sounds more like human trafficking than a romantic adventure. The truth is, women generally do not need rescuing or a knight in shining armour. What we need is fundamental human rights, access to abortion, equal pay, opportunities and resources. We need laws that would protect us from rape, sexual abuse, misogyny and sexism. We need to have equal representation in the media and start being represented on screen in movies, TV series and podcasts. Disney really needs to pay attention here. Their princesses’ movies barely pass the Bechdel test: in the last 2 decades the main heroines have less than 40% of screen time and only 30% of dialogues!
This is why Delilah Bon’s EP is so important. With modern music, mixture of singing/rapping and a huge dose of humour, she is killing stereotypes that were suffocating women for centuries.
I’m not sure if the title track was inspired by online dating but many women described men on the dating sites as having a “historical” attitude towards women. And by historical I mean completely outdated. Women are not waiting to be saved, we are actually looking for a true partner that will share the household workload with us and take care of the kids. If a man is not interested in it, we prefer to be left alone. Our homes become our own castles without, as Delilah delightfully puts it, “no hassle and no assholes”. Those men who talk down to us, calling us hysterical or unbearable, will not score a date. Frankly speaking, they will earn a big kick up their lazy backsides either with a combat shoe or a stiletto heel, depending on what the Princeless Princess feels like wearing on that specific day. It was a very smart decision to make the song a leading single off the EP – Delilah tested it on American audiences and it was very well received online and live.
“Dragon”, a second number on the record, is smoother, more complex than “Princeless Princess”. It has a strong bass line, marching type of groove and very interesting lyrics. You know those creepy stories about monsters hidden under kids’ beds? “Dragon” offers a nice little spin on that theme – it’s not a monster, but a younger version of Delilah visiting her at 3 am (eternal). The younger, less experienced Delilah, is still stuck in the high school hell. An unpopular teenager being told she will never amount to anything. And you know what? Delilah can proudly inform herself that this young lady, in a couple of years, will go on an international tours. She will keep on selling concerts on both sides of the Atlantic, she will become a role model for thousands of young women. That younger Delilah is not a loser, she is a real dragon: full of magic, with iron will and vivid imagination. There should be a sequel to “Dragon” – where the teachers, who fed the young protagonist all those lies, are properly punished. Forget the wicked stepmothers from the tales of yore. The real villains are in positions of power that clip the wings or destroy the dreams of children. There is nothing more wicked or evil than a teacher who tells kids they will fail. I had a few of them during my school years and believe me, the anger I feel towards them only grows stronger the older I get. We should healthily inspire kids not torment them!
My favourite track on the EP is the third song titled “Cinderella”. Delilah is excellent in funny or sarcastic numbers, but I personally like her politically charged songs the best. Her passion, fury and determination to change things are unmatched. “Cinderella” is fast, violent and relentless. Delilah raps insanely fast, spitting the words out like a machine gun fires bullets. The title comes from the French language and translates to “little ashes”. Cinderella is one of the oldest, and the most popular tales in the world, with first versions dating to 6th century BC. What does the mistreated young lady from the children’s tale have to do with politics you may ask? Well, Delilah’s version of Cinderella is not a subdued, long suffering servant, but a young woman who finally sets her boundaries and says no. The song is dedicated to men attacking Delilah on the Internet whenever she speaks about women’s rights. “Fuck You” she shouts and proceeds to tear the online absers to shreds. There is no apology, no regret, no remorse – Delilah gives the Internet troll a piece of her mind. She knows she will receive more abuse for doing it but she is willing to do that, so other women can know somebody speaks on her behalf. I have likened Delilah to Tairrie B on several occasions but “Cinderella” is probably the closest Delilah came to resemble her. It feels like passing of the baton from an older artist to a younger one to continue speaking up on behalf of the vulnerable ones. Great stuff, live “Cinderella” will create a beautiful mosh pit.
“Princeless Princess” EP is ending with “Bush”. Oh my god, this number will give the manosphere and incels a good old fashion apoplexy attack! Delilah is very playful and sarcastic again. The song is about tending a garden, and bushes and lawns, but it is also about, as you may guess, personal topiary. Delilah seems to advocate for au naturel approach, which is fantastic to hear, as female hair and personal hygiene have been a massive point of insecurity for many young women. With newspapers, and even some random strangers giving unsolicited advice, women are scrutinized for almost everything. SO ladies, listen to the green thumb Delilah, don’t trim anything, or trim but only if you want to. Trust yourselves and have fun, everywhere you go: beaches, clubs, or just walking down the street. Do something that makes you happy and not what the world demands you do.
“Bush” is funky, rhythmic and a bit bouncy, very similar to the early tracks of Delilah, from her first album especially. For many people “Bush” will probably be their favourite tune out of 4, it’s the second best for me after “Cinderella”.
Delilah is currently preparing for an EU/UK tour this October and November. Grab tickets for UK shows if you haven’t had a chance already. Delilah is bringing a modern fairy tale spectacle near your door and you would be a silly goose to miss it.
“Princeless Princess” gets 5 stars from Vanadian Avenue.
Follow Delilah Bon on social media at:
https://www.delilahbon.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/delilahbonofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/DelilahBon
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5JUFYlgwsbqpLcU9TMlsve
https://twitter.com/DelilahBon_
https://soundcloud.com/delilahbon
https://www.youtube.com/c/DelilahBon
https://www.tiktok.com/@delilahbon
Rita Dabrowicz
Indieterria 