With her new single “The Cure,” Emily Mulenga steps further into pop’s spotlight after her debut EP “I Saw This And Thought Of You” arrived in July. That project introduced her as a multimedia artist crossing into music with a playful, glossy sound rooted in synth pop and dance culture. This time she tightens the focus. “The Cure” leans into early 2000s dance pop, the era of euphoric hooks and shiny escapism, but she uses that brightness to frame something far heavier.
Mulenga is a classically trained pianist and flutist, and you can hear that discipline in the arrangement. Rich piano chords anchor the track while a sharp, bouncing beat pushes it forward. Dreamy synths shimmer around the edges like a digital haze. It is a familiar palette, but she delivers it with a kind of intentional neatness. Nothing feels overcrowded or rushed. The result is a track that moves with clarity instead of chaos.
The twist comes in the lyrics. “The Cure” is shaped by a relapse into depression after a period of relief. Mulenga writes from that unsettling in between where hope feels close enough to touch but impossible to hold. Her delivery is soft, almost conversational, which works against the upbeat production in a way that feels honest rather than ironic. The song never explodes into a triumphant chorus. Instead, it loops through tension and release like a cycle she cannot break. It mirrors the emotional repetition of trying to feel better, believing the worst is gone, then watching it return.
What makes the single compelling is the contrast. Mulenga reaches for the glitter of 2000s dance pop, a genre built on fantasy and escape, while refusing to pretend that everything is fine. The track suggests that joy can be a performance, and sometimes a necessary one. As a follow up to her debut EP, “The Cure” shows growth. The production is sharper. The storytelling cuts closer to the bone. Mulenga is not reinventing pop, but she is finding her own angle within it. The single hints at an artist willing to sit in the uncomfortable parts of her reality and still chase something bright.
Featured Image: Artist Supplied
