LIZ Makes Genre-Blurring Goodness on ‘Cross Your Heart’ Mixtape

LIZ, the throwback-meets-future alt-pop-R&B-something-or-other-Tumblr-aesthetic bubblegum pop princess on Diplo's Mad Decent roster, has been tossing out all sorts of sparkly curiosities for the past few years, from "Hush" to her Just Like You EP To "When I Rule The World," which definitely should have been a Britney song at some point.

She's back today with a new mixtape of unreleased material called Cross Your Heart, a collaboration with Nicopanda's F/W 2016 collection, the line established by Nicola Formichetti, which provides an even deeper melting pot of musical influences: she dabbles in blippy PC Music-like techno beats, Ariana Grande-channeling-Mariah Carey-esque '90s R&B, early '00s girl group goodness a la 3LW and some tropical House sounds du jour. Also, "Holy Water" is the best song Gwen Stefani never recorded for her latest LP.

There are a ton of promising up-and-coming producers and songwriters attached to the project as well, including Valentino Khan, Mess Kid, Ilsey, Jesse Saint John, Kenrik the Artist, King Henry, Vic Mensa and Branchez, which showcases the extent of Liz's very varied and wonderfully diverse musical output.

“I feel like my music represents today's modern girl—blending multiple genres that have come out of different movements to create a concoction perceived today as ‘mainstream pop'," she explains.

In a digital world where it's incredibly difficult to do something "original" ("I've seen it all before..." to quote the Queen of Pop), LIZ instead unapologetically dives in, drawing inspiration from a million or so familiar references and forging her own path on hyper-speed.

Listen to the Cross Your Heart mixtape below, and check out the tracklisting for production credits.

Cross Your Heart Track Listing:
1) Star [prod. Branchez & Charlie Klarsfeld]
2) Wild Target [prod. Henrik the Artist]
3) Cross Your Heart [prod. 813]
4) High School Luv [prod. Henrik the Artist & Nightcorey]
5) When I Rule the World [Grandtheft Remix]
6) Promise [prod. Lord Olaf]
7) All Good (feat. Vic Mensa) [prod. Lido]
8) Automatic [prod. RJ Ferguson]
9) Want U to Hate Me [prod. Brunelle & Mess Kid]
10) Final Moments (Instrumental) [prod. Mess Kid]
11) Shambhala (Instrumental) [prod. STFU]
12) Forever [prod. King Henry, Daktyl, & Aryay]
13) Ur Touch (Instrumental) [prod. Alizzz]
14) Holy Water [prod. Valentino Khan]
15) Jawbreaking the Rules [prod. Mess Kid]
16) Run for Cover [prod. Picard Bros & Ilsey]

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