B-Side Guys

Perfection makes terrible company. Tenise Marie’s latest single understands this completely, building Americana around the radical act of embracing life’s essential messiness. “Glitter” operates as both confession and liberation, documenting the exhausting work of maintaining facades while celebrating the relief of finally letting them fall.

Her travels to the Assyrian homeland in Iraq appear to have triggered something deeper than tourism—a reconnection with cultural identity that informs every aspect of this release. The integration of oud alongside acoustic guitar and piano creates sonic bridges between Western and Eastern folk traditions, reflecting her mixed European and Assyrian background without feeling forced or performative.

Marie’s vocal approach carries the weight of her stated influences—Joni Mitchell’s confessional clarity, Joan Baez’s political consciousness—while maintaining her own distinct emotional register. When she describes her tendency to “sugarcoat experiences or appear strong in the face of challenges,” that vulnerability surfaces in her delivery, creating intimacy that feels earned rather than manufactured.

The production choices throughout reflect sophisticated understanding of cultural fusion. Rather than simply adding Middle Eastern instruments to folk arrangements, Marie has created something that feels genuinely bicultural—music that honors both traditions while transcending their individual limitations. Her “folky nostalgia and romance” gets filtered through jazz and gospel sensibilities, creating complexity that matches her emotional subject matter.

What distinguishes “Glitter” from typical self-acceptance anthems is its relationship with authenticity itself. Marie isn’t celebrating finding her “true self” so much as accepting that truth contains multitudes, contradictions, cultural inheritances that don’t always align neatly. The title suggests something that catches light but also creates mess—beautiful but impossible to contain completely.

As the title track from her upcoming album Off The Record, “Glitter” establishes artistic territory that feels both personal and universal. Marie has discovered how to make heritage work as musical element rather than cultural costume, creating space where spiritual journey and romantic nature can coexist without apology.