Dove Cameron taps into her inner ‘Lethal Woman’ on new single 

By Sonia Kalo

Disney Channel star turned breakout music artist Dove Cameron released her latest single, “Lethal Woman,” on Oct. 20. On the same day, she announced the song will be included in her long-awaited debut album, “Alchemical: Vol 1.” The single is the latest track off her upcoming album.

“Lethal Woman” starts with a dissonant piano riff over a maniacal laugh before introducing a deep bassy beat. The song includes other unconventional sounds, such as banging on a door and a gun cocking. These sounds, with the song’s rock characteristics, all add to the “unhinged quality” that Cameron aims to express. 

While the song is chaotic, the sound is also clearly one of a young artist enjoying herself and feeling free. “Lethal Woman,” along with most songs on the upcoming album, follow an adventurous tone.

“It’s like when you’re a kid,” Cameron said in an interview with Associated Press. “What would I do if I just had no rules? And that’s kind of like what a lot of the album ended up sounding like.”

The Best New Artist VMAs winner’s personal energy shines through on the track. Cameron includes playful rhymes such as, “Cause game recognizes game / By the way, what’s her name?”

The song serves as the perfect soundtrack for an extremely fun night at the club. Cameron said “Lethal Woman” differs from the rest of the album. “It’s also the only song on v.1 that goes this crazy so get ready because after we menace, we’re crying from here on out,” she shared in an Instagram post.

Releasing a track that is so unlike the rest of the project is an exciting and unconventionally creative choice on Cameron’s part. Instead of hyping fans up to hear similar-sounding songs, listeners now imagine how different the album will sound from “Lethal Woman.”.

Cameron explains in a TikTok caption that she wrote this song about a girl she met at a party. Playfully adding, “if you have a knife currently strapped to your thigh, please come get me.” Nodding to the lyrics and overall spiky vibe of the song, “Sharp like a knife under the table.” 

Cameron has been very open with her queerness through her music and social media, such as with her Billboard Hot 100 charting queer anthem, “Boyfriend.” She explains that the success and release of her song “Boyfriend” brought her into a new chapter in her musical career. 

“It really did feel like I stepped into a new reality where I was actually allowed to be myself — because I allowed it.” 

“Lethal Woman” is about being unapologetically attracted to a strong woman and losing control of one’s senses. Cameron does not necessarily regret the intense attraction, as she welcomes it in the song’s outro, “I guess I’m into it / I like a lethal woman.” 

The artist described in a press release what she wanted to capture. “I wanted to encapsulate that ‘time stands still’ lightning in a bottle moment of knowing you have no choice but to let yourself be swept away by someone’s energy.”

“Lethal Woman” has certainly been added to the artist’s list of queer anthems. Cameron said of the song, “I’m opening the album rollout with this track as a sexy ode to powerful women everywhere.” 

“Alchemical: Vol 1” will be released on Dec. 1.