The 13-year-old musical prodigy, Nandi Bushell, is back with a new song, and instead of a cover, this time it’s an original. Teaming up with actor Josh Brolin, Bushell has released “Sweet Nightmares,” a spooky track she wrote which arrives on the perfect date: October’s Friday the 13th. Stream the single below.
With a driving rock arrangement, “Sweet Nightmares” features a haunting, ghoulish vocal performance from Brolin, though he mostly offers interjections like “Run, run, you better run!” Taking center stage are Bushell’s vocals, which range from spitting verses about how “leaders are liars” to melodic choruses that feel equal-parts Britpop, rock, and campy horror.
For her part, Bushell explained that things which are “a bit scary and dark” are often her favorite. “My favorite movie is Batman: Dark Knight,” she said in a statement. “My favorite director is Tim Burton; my favorite computer game is Little Nightmares; my favorite TV shows are The Walking Dead and The Last of Us; I have lots of favorite bands, but I LOVE Slipknot, both Joey Jordison and Jay Weinberg are heroes of mine.”
It’s true, Bushell’s love for metal, and Slipknot specifically, are both well documented. According to her press release, though, the most exciting thing about “Sweet Nightmares” is just the fact that she’s getting to share her original compositions. “I hope people like my video and can vibe to my tune,” she said. “It’s fun, a little scary, a little catchy, and you can dance to it.”
“Sweet Nightmares” also arrives with a music video that Bushell co-directed herself, along with her father John Bushell, who’s helped her out since the beginning. Mostly in black-and-white, the video stars an almost gothic-looking Bushell doing what she does best: playing all the instruments to her song. Plus, of course, some fun, spooky shots, and a few glimpses of Brolin with dark, evil eyes. Watch the video below.
Next year, Bushell will be performing with Young Voices, a British organization that puts together the “largest children’s choir concerts in the world,” for a 30-show tour, which will include an 8-night run at the O2 Arena in London. Check out the full list of dates, and if you’re in the UK, you can read more information about your child can participate in the performances on Young Voices’ website.
As for Brolin, his most recent role was in the 2022 Prime Video show, Outer Range, which Consequence’s Senior Staff Writer Clint Worthington described as “Yellowstone meets Ozark meets Stranger Things.” In 2024, Brolin is set to reprise his role Gurney Halleck in the next entry of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune reboot trilogy.
