Piper Rodrigues King of Cups

Fresh from the release of her debut EP Lost or Found? in 2019, Central Coast NSW based singer songwriter Piper Rodrigues is kicking off 2021 with a fresh new single 'King of Cups'.

Music student and avid dog lover Rodrigues based the song on a moment while practicing the mystic art of Tarot. She says: "I based the song on a real spread of tarot cards I pulled for a guy - I pulled the spread and took a photo on my phone and kept it. This song is about the moment I realized that I deserved better in a relationship and me confronting that realization head-on."

'King of Cups' was co-written with Golden Guitar winning Melody Moko, with a view to uplift the self-esteem of listeners. Rodrigues says: "Writing this song with Melody was such an empowering experience and I can only hope that it empowers other people to realize their worth." The song was recorded at Hillbilly Hut Studios and was produced by Golden Guitar winning Catherine Britt and Michael Muchow.

The video for 'King of Cups' was produced by Duncan Toombs of The Filmery and was filmed on an elaborate set at Lizotte's in Newcastle, NSW. Rodrigues says: "We took our inspiration from an Indiana Jones film where a character needs to walk around a room and pick a cup in the hopes that they stay alive. The song itself is so mystical and sensationalized in aesthetic and we really wanted to do that justice through setting me up as some kind of storyteller in the band scenes and then a witchy protagonist at the table."

Rodrigues has a deep musical heritage that informs her work. Her grandfather, John Manners, was the bassist in pioneering Australian 60s pop band Ray Brown and the Whispers, and her father was a club DJ in the 80s. She entered her first talent show at age seven, graduated from the CMAA Academy of Country Music in 2020 and she is now studying a Bachelor of Music at Newcastle University.  Her vocal style is heavily rooted in her influences, which include Dolly Parton, Florence Welch, Stevie Nicks, Reba McIntyre and Taylor Swift.

Rodrigues has already gathered some major touring opportunities. She has played at the legendary Bluebird Café in Nashville, and at the Tamworth Country Music festival in 2020.  She has toured with Catherine Britt on the "Bush Pubs Tour" in 2020, and has also worked with Melody Moko and Lyn Bowtell.

Rodrigues's talent as a songwriter comes from her ability to tell a story that weaves itself from personal accounts into highly elaborate tales. She says: "I really like to sensationalize and make up my own stories when I write songs whilst pulling from personal experiences, I love to write songs from perspectives that aren't always my own, or from the perspective of a version of myself that is unafraid of confrontation."

With a bouncy rhythm and loaded with hooks, 'King of Cups' is a song not to be missed, and you can catch Piper Rodrigues performing the track at her single launch tonight at The Cambridge, Newcastle. That this song is bound to be a hit is definitely "on the cards".