If you’ve been waiting for an artist who can make pop both brainy and bold, Annika Zee is your answer. Her new album Emerald Spy is an electrifying, genre-bending adventure that manages to be as thought-provoking as it is addictive. It’s one of those rare projects that feels just as at home on your headphones at 3 a.m. as it does blasting through a packed venue.
Right from the jump, “Hell No” throws down the gauntlet. It’s fierce, uncompromising, and instantly sets the tone for the world Zee wants to create—one where dystopian futures don’t go unchallenged. By the time you hit “Wondering,” a dreamy anthem dripping with optimism, you realize this isn’t a record about despair but about carving out brighter possibilities.
And then there’s “Can You,” a surreal, improvisational track born from a London studio session with Will Smith (yes, that Will Smith). Rather than feel gimmicky, it’s raw, unexpected, and oddly intimate, tackling power dynamics with a light touch that keeps you leaning in. The fact that Zee can pull off a collaboration like this without it overshadowing the album says a lot about her vision.
Other highlights land heavy. “Puppet,” with its Malcolm X inspiration, is as bold as it sounds, while “I’m Dead” pairs biting social commentary with hooks that won’t leave your head. Even the more experimental “As They Call” lingers, its haunted call for reparations landing like a quiet storm.
What makes Emerald Spy so thrilling is how much of Zee herself is in it: the multimedia artist, the cultural critic, the dreamer, the fighter. It’s messy, dazzling, and powerful—just like life right now. Annika Zee isn’t just releasing an album, she’s making a statement: the future of pop doesn’t have to be shallow. It can be daring, radical, and full of heart.
