Arabella Lucia takes TLC’s ‘Unpretty’ and gives it a seriously guitar-fuelled glow-up – and the timing couldn’t be better. While the original remains one of the defining songs about beauty standards and self-worth, Lucia proves that its message hasn’t aged a day. If anything, in an era of Instagram filters, FaceTune, beauty algorithms and seemingly endless pressure to look “perfect”, ‘Unpretty’ feels more relevant than ever.Lucia doesn’t simply recreate the 1999 classic; she tears it down and rebuilds it in her own alt-rock image.
The result is bigger, grittier and packed with attitude, with crashing drums, a thumping bassline and layers of seething guitar creating an irresistible sense of tension. Her vocals bring the emotional weight, shifting effortlessly between vulnerability and full-throttle rock swagger, while the soaring guitar work – particularly the expressive middle-eight solo – gives the track a real sense of release.However, Lucia understands the heart of the original. She keeps the nostalgia and emotional honesty intact while turning the song into something that feels unmistakably hers.
There’s frustration here, but also defiance. Rather than simply pointing the finger at external beauty standards, Lucia turns the lens inward, exploring that all-too-familiar feeling of judging yourself through somebody else’s eyes.And that is where her version really lands.
This isn’t just a cover for the sake of reviving a classic. It’s a conversation between generations, taking a song that resonated in the late ’90s and giving it a new soundtrack for a generation growing up under even more relentless scrutiny.It also serves as a pretty perfect introduction to what Arabella Lucia is all about: fearless songwriting, big guitars, emotional storytelling and absolutely no interest in playing it safe.
Following the dark, cinematic intensity of ‘Hostage You Call Baby’, her forthcoming five-track EP looks set to explore that same territory of identity, vulnerability, survival and reclaiming your power.‘Unpretty’ is bold, rebellious and packed with enough hooks to demand multiple plays.
Lucia has taken a timeless message, plugged it into an amp and turned the volume right up. Nostalgia has rarely sounded this fierce.