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Hayley Williams Extracts The Funk And Injects Jazz In Dua Lipa's 'Don't Start Now'

The BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge was the place to be

You know that chilling, neck hair-raising feeling that you get when there's no one in the house with you and you hear a creak in another room? It's hard to replicate that simultaneous mix of fear and wonder. But if you're looking for the audio equivalent of this strange sentiment, prepare for Hayley Williams's bluesy cover of Dua Lipa's three-minute electric groove, "Don't Start Now" at BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.

If the wind had a voice, it'd probably sound like Williams. So imagine if you could listen to the wind make its own version of an explosive pop record into its own, early morning mist. That's the gist of Williams's whispering cover, trading in the sexy groove for a subtle, sultry rasp. Williams torches the microphone with a simultaneously quiet and powerful vocal that sits on your chest like an elephant. She's absolutely wonderful as she's backed by the drums that swallow the original's funk and regurgitate it in the form of DIY percussion. Even with the same lyrics and the same structure, Williams's cover feels like a drastically different song.

Williams also tackled her own chilly single, "Simmer," that she released in January. Her limbs got loose as she danced while singing the song with her eyes closed. You could tell that she was into the moment, bringing the same kind of intensity evident in the music video where she gets chased by a dangerous entity that's ultimately revealed to be her.

Williams is set to release her forthcoming album, Petals For Armor, on May 8. It'll feature "Simmer" along with the recently shared "Leave It Alone" which came with a video about metamorphosis.

See the tease of Williams's "Don't Start Now" cover up above, then listen to the full session right here.

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