Ten 22

Album: single release only (2022)
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Songfacts®:

  • Majorlilkween is the Estonia-born, New York City-based fashion model Alexandra Elizabeth Ljadov. She started making music in 2019 and released a series of singles in 2021. "Ten 22" is a very personal song expressing her most vivid anxieties.

    "Thirty minutes before my session, I was debating canceling it because mentally, I hadn't recovered from an anxiety attack the night prior, but I got myself together and figured if nothing else this will be a healthy way to get all my emotions out," she told Songfacts. "Therefore the first lyrics are 'Lost my head, count to 10, take a breath.' I was really telling myself just take a moment and everything will be okay."
  • The music video takes us inside a nightmare where Majorlilkween takes the form of a demon in a pink latex bodysuit. "Oftentimes I wonder when we are experiencing these crazy nightmares, is something greater than us taking control of our bodies or is it just our mind playing tricks on us and making it all up?" she explained. "I really wanted to explore that visually."

    The video was directed by Modern Day Auteur, who also did the visual for the Sting/Shirazee collaboration "Englishman/African In New York."
  • Majorlilkween gave Songfacts the backstory on the lyric "'Cause in my head you died a thousand times 22."

    "Since losing my dad as an early teen I keep having this recurring dream where my dad is alive again (oftentimes he is already sick in my dream) and he needs to die again," she said. "After writing that lyric the whole song just fell into place and the video concept was clear."
  • Musically, "Ten 22" is a new direction for Majorlilkween, her first song to use real instruments. It was produced by Ebban Maeda, who also played guitar on the track, with Ned Haweeli on drums.

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