Further showcasing the musical chemistry between the pair, Cristale and Toddla T strike again with two new singles, ‘Vogue’ and ‘Olive Branch’. Both tracks are accompanied by music videos that were co-directed by Cristale herself, alongside Ashwin Noel and Sofia Isabella. The ‘Vogue’ video arrives on the day of release and ‘Olive Branch’ comes out on March 5th.

Arriving just after London Fashion Week, the aptly named ‘Vogue’ combines sparse production to create an expansive sound; the track’s droning bass and skittering drums perfectly cradling Cristale’s elastic flow. Exhibiting the stellar MC skills that have earned her a nomination for Best Hip Hop Act in this year’s MOBO Awards, Cristale delivers her bars in a conversational yet laser-precise manner, never breaking a sweat as she rattles through topics ranging from her shopping habits to the nonchalant attitude she takes with her bae.

Acting as the comedown to the high of ‘Vogue’, B-side ‘Olive Branch’ offers a more candid insight into Cristale’s headspace as she grapples with the often fickle nature of relationships after experiencing betrayal from those closest to her. The song’s seductive instrumental provides listeners with some sweetness to balance the track’s bitter subject matter.

The official videos for ‘Vogue’ and ‘Olive Branch’ work together to create a clever fourth-wall breaking narrative when viewed in context. The video for ‘Vogue’ follows Cristale on a shopping spree as she gleefully loads herself up with shopping bags before returning home to admire her purchases. With ‘Olive Branch’ we’re shown a BTS view of the same shoot, with Cristale and camera crew cleaning up her flat after wrapping. When watched in succession, the videos relay a ‘more money, more problems’ narrative, speaking to the internal struggles that coincide with material gain and also of the unseen work that goes on behind the scenes when striving to reach one’s goals.

Although a relative newcomer to the industry, Cristale has already highlighted herself as a diverse and unique talent. Since first making waves in 2022 with the viral smash ‘Bong Bing’, Cristale has moved from strength to strength, gaining widespread recognition for her versatility as an artist, able to move between genre and style with an apparent effortless ease. Milestones in her career have included a viral freestyle with Teezandos on Plugged In w/ Fumez The Engineer, a Nike Women’s World Cup Daily Duppy, her acting debut in critically acclaimed drama Top Boy (as well as making official single ‘Roadents’), which was shortly followed by a role in Daniel Kaluuya’s directorial debut The Kitchenand an electrifying live performance at the 2024 MOBO Awards. Continuing to light up the small and big screen, her most recent acting role was as a recurring character in the 2024 Channel 4 drama Queenie. Elsewhere, Cristale featured in a social media advertising campaign for JD Sports in collaboration with Nike, highlighting the new Air Max Dn, with her track ‘Will You Ever?’ soundtracking the ad.

‘Vogue’ and ‘Oliver Branch’ are two strong entries into Cristale’s catalogue which further exemplify her as an all-round creative force with a clear and defined vision, ready to actualise on her potential as she embarks on her journey as an independent artist.