Maryon King Shows Unfiltered, Confessional Side of Herself in Female Empowerment Anthem “Boys Will Be Boys”
Photo by Zachary Drew
We all have that one person. “Boys Will Be Boys” is the latest confessional, heartfelt single from pop singer and songwriter Maryon King that calls out toxic men in a way that uplifts female listeners so they can hear their collective experiences in the track. Intentionally naming the single after the popular excuse “boys will be boys,” Maryon is over dismissing her gut feelings and ignoring red flags, as the songstress says “it’s either a fuck yes, or a fuck no,” when trusting her intuition in the realm of dating and situationships.
Her biggest advice to listeners is to stop romanticizing the fantasy of the man and his potential. “I used to build these castles in my head, and just fantasize and dream about this person, but what was in my head wasn’t actually happening in the real world,” Maryon says. “Trust the red flags when they happen, and if there's many, many red flags, then just step back and it's either fuck yes or fuck no.”
Guided by Maryon’s exquisitely soulful vocals, “Boys Will Be Boys” is a playful and empowering pop anthem that gives a middle finger to all the womanizing men out there. The single has already been making waves on TikTok – amassing over 1M+ views – after she started posting clips last month. Captivating pop prowess and soulful melodies guide the song as Maryon sings that boys treat women as toys to break.
The playful pop track is accompanied by a brand new, heartbreak version, music video that’s a stripped-back piano piece. The video is immersed in feminine energy and elegance that elevates Maryon’s heart wrenching lyrics to a new level. The songstress said she’s moving into a more personal era and an “extremely exciting” chapter in her artistic journey where listeners can find her songs and connect to them through shared experiences. In addition to “Boys Will Be Boys” being Maryon’s first release of the year, following her three 2021-released singles, it’s intended to usher in the singer’s debut EP, which is anticipated to release early next year.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Thank you for sitting down and talking to Unpublished Magazine. For any Unpublished readers who aren't familiar with your music, how would you describe the type of music you create?
[MARYON]: I would say I do left to center pop if that's a genre I can say exists. It’s pop but it's infused with more emotional lyricism and ultra, ultra personal experiences. I think the whole production that I wanted to go for was organic and also mixed with some sense. I love the organic sound and that's why I wanted to have it in my music.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Can you talk us through your creative process for your latest single “Boys Will Be Boys.” Why did you choose to name the song its name and can you talk to us through your creative process?
[MARYON]: We did this in LA and it was a random session, but what I loved about it was it was all female-based and it was me and two other incredible female songwriters and producers. A female team hardly ever happens for me. 98% of the sessions I do are all with male producers, and this one was very particular and I wanted to write something that all women have been through and that kind of experience. We've been in situationships before where we're like, ‘What the fuck is going on?’ You’re left confused and they do something shady and there’s that saying ‘boys will be boys.’ I remember that session and I wanted to write a female anthem that’s powerful, and I wanted to write it in that moment because I’m with all female artists. We actually wrote the song in three hours, and it was the fastest song I’ve ever finished. It was fully written, and we knew we had something special there, but I didn’t know I was going to release it.
[UNPUBLISHED]: You just mentioned that you worked with an all woman led team for this song. What’s different with the experience of working with a women led team versus male dominated? Is it more organic, do you feel more comfortable?
[MARYON]: I feel like 100% me. I'm just like, this is me bitches. This unfiltered me. We all control the room, and there’s no person who’s directing the whole thing. Everyone directs it and it’s all of our energies put together, and it was incredible and so special. I just realized I love working with women, and I think it’s so underrated in the music industry – especially with female producers. We just need more female producers and something needs to happen, that pattern needs to change and have more women doing this. It would be a dream come true, and I’ll try to do more sessions with female led teams.
[UNPUBLISHED]: You kind of touched on this, but “Boys Will Be Boys” touches on the nature of modern relationships and situationships where the other person only wants you for your body. Can you elaborate more about this and the inspiration behind the song?
[MARYON]: It doesn't really happen to me a lot, because I'm usually a little bit cut through when it comes to dating. I trust my gut feeling that sometimes we all fall into those situations where we think that person might change. One of the biggest things that inspired the song was when I thought the person I was dating was going to change and we would become something serious and it didn’t happen. Now my philosophy in life is either fuck yes or fuck no. I know when I go into dating someone, I trust my gut feeling and it's like the most important thing, but with this person somehow, I just let it slip and it wasn't going anywhere. I was just super frustrated. Maybe I was dating someone who was just extremely young and they didn't really know what they were doing yet, and that's why they didn't have that emotional maturity in relationships. I didn't realize that because I also head over heels. We all experienced that.
[UNPUBLISHED]: I was going to say that we all have that one person, like every woman I know has that one person.
[MARYON]: We all have that one person. I think it's out of frustration, “Boys Will Be Boys” came out because I was asking the other girls, Sofi Loud and Gucci Caliente, if they have gone through the same thing I have with that one guy. They both said yes, and I knew I wanted it to be a female anthem and for women to feel empowered. It’s not a sad song, it’s the message that’s sad but you can dance to it, cry and have a good time.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What is some advice you wish you could tell your younger self or wish someone had told you when you were younger in terms of relationships and the dating world?
[MARYON]: Firstly, get to know them really well and I used to build these castles in my head, and just fantasize and dream about this person, but what was in my head wasn’t actually happening in the real world. Trust the red flags when they happen, and if there's many, many red flags, then just step back and it's either fuck yes or fuck no.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What message do you hope your listeners can take away from “Boys Will Be Boys?”
[MARYON]: Trust your gut feeling. Women have that sixth sense that guys don't have, and I think we can use that to our advantage. If you feel anxious when you go on a date, if the person makes you feel more anxious than you were before, then he is a no and he's got to go. You should feel comfortable and at ease with yourself and that's why I realized, although I'm not really in a relationship at the moment, I'm still crying that “Boys Will Be Boys” song, but the right person will come along at the right time.
[UNPUBLISHED]: The single has already amassed over a million views on TikTok and over 75,000 streams on Spotify since its release a week ago, so huge congratulations. How do you feel about the love from your listeners? And did you ever expect to get such a huge response?
[MARYON]: So when this song blew up on TikTok, I had no idea what was going to happen. I think it was more out of the blue, I just put it out the next day and it got over 200,000 views. I think this song is resonating with a lot of people, so it's just definitely like an incredible surprise. I was like what the fuck is going on? I love all my girls on TikTok, they are literally my core. I love them so much, and they really really vibe to the song and they pushed it and that's why it's doing well on Spotify as well. Hopefully we're going to reach 100,000 streams soon.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What are your favorite lyrics from “Boys Will Be Boys” and why?
[MARYON]: I think it's gonna be the chorus, “Boys will be boys, will be boys will be poison / Turn you to toys and play with your emotions.” They play with your emotions. Then boys will be boys will be boys will be poison they turn you into toys and then they leave you when you're broken. This is what a little kid does with a little toy. You first get addicted to it, you play with it and then you just leave it and then when you're done with it, you leave when it's broken. I think I just wanted to play with the sort of the toys and compare that to us females being sort of used for our bodies, which is quite sad, but that's the comparison.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Yesterday you released a music video for “Boys Will Be Boys” (heartbreak version). It's very elegant, feminine and you're surrounded by nature. What inspired that idea?
[MARYON]: My best friend, he's also a photographer, his name is Rea Shilian. We had this idea of going to Sicily and film content. I’m also part Italian so it’s close to my roots, and we both decided to do that because we thought it was really cool.
[UNPUBLISHED]: I see that you have a love for gloves and it’s your signature go-to accessory. You wore some in the “Boys Will Be Boys” music video. Can you talk to us about your fashion aesthetic and the glove symbolism?
[MARYON]: I love to collect all sorts of gloves with different materials, different diamonds and colors. I love old Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe and Lana Del Rey’s fashion style. I love all the Audrey Hepburn vibe which is super elegant and chic, but there's a little bit of danger in that too. I've always belonged to a different era, like my soul. And elegance, my mom has always taught me that elegance is a way of being and I grew up with that in the house. So when I see myself in the next six months, I really want to focus on developing that style and that elegant vibe with a little bit of danger too.
[UNPUBLISHED]: In addition to “Boys Will Be Boys,” you're preparing to release your debut EP. Can you talk me through the inspiration of the EP and anything else that you would like to share with Unpublished?
[MARYON]: I'm so excited about this. We did all the artwork and the first single is going to be called “Back To Stranges,” and this is the leading single of the EP and I'm going to be releasing my EP early next year. I think it's the most intimate piece of work that I've ever written. It's been like self discovery for me as an artist, because I got used to going in all these rooms and doing all these sessions and I was a very introverted kid. I couldn't really open myself because I was like, what are people gonna say about me? There's just fear of judgment that has always been in the back of my head. And then I've been through a very difficult breakup, extremely painful. And I was like, you know what, fuck everything. I don't care anymore what people are gonna think and at the end of the day, we're artists and for us to connect to people, we have to be real. That's how this whole EP happened and “Back To Strangers.” I'm so excited about it that I’m literally buzzing, and I hope people like it and it’s a good follow up after “Boys Will Be Boys.”
[UNPUBLISHED]: How did the songwriting process look like for you when creating the EP?
[MARYON]: It was definitely more personal. It was more emotional. The message is really personal, really dry but also emotional. I think in this EP, I literally took off all the filters, and even in terms of lyrics, they just came out of me because of this very shitty breakup. I would say “Boys Will Be Boys” is more of a female empowerment anthem, and then we’re moving into your more personal story and I open myself even more. People actually do get to know me on a personal level which I haven’t really done until now. And I definitely want people to get to know me because I feel like it's really hard sometimes to open up on social media and just be like, this is me and this is my story. The EP, everything is out there is literally like, there you go.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would love to share with Unpublished?
[MARYON]: I am super excited for everyone to find these songs and I hope they can connect to them and I hope people have been through the same experiences as me when it comes to relationships. I think it's going to be an extremely exciting chapter. I've recently moved to LA and I've left London and my whole journey has been a lot of ups and downs when it comes to developing myself as an artist and getting a lot of people telling me no and not to do this. I finally found myself and I am loving myself in LA and I’m super excited to just explore and see how that goes, but if people can connect to my music, then I feel like I’ve done my job.
[UNPUBLISHED]: My last question for you is what is your wildest dream as an artist?
[MARYON]: Arena tour and perform in arenas. I recently went to a Coldplay concert at Wembley Stadium with my good friend and had the best time of my life, and just being there and seeing those people perform on stage, I was thinking about how much I miss being on stage. I can’t wait to release an EP and start doing gigs and go absolutely fucking nuts on stage. And also to work with Madonna.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Is there anything I didn’t ask that you'd want to share, whether it's about “Boys Will Be Boys” or your upcoming EP?
[MARYON]: “Boys Will Be Boys” is about unifying us girls. I didn’t want to criticize behavior, instead saying that we say ‘boys will be boys’ and we shouldn’t raise the next generation saying ‘boys will be boys.’ They should be held accountable, and it’s more than a female anthem. It’s a female anthem you can dance to and there’s a more serious undertone as well.
