Cat Power Releases Cover of Rihanna’s “Stay” from Forthcoming Album Wanderer

Singer-songwriter Chan Marshall, also known as Cat Power, has been releasing tidbits teasing her forthcoming album Wanderer for the past couple of months. Tuesday, Marshall revealed a third song and video from her new album, a cover of Rihanna’s 2012 single “Stay.”

“I love the tradition of covering songs,” said Marshall in a statement. “I think it’s one of the highest compliments you can pay another artist. It’s one of the great traditions in American music and one of the true pleasures of music history.” 

Playing with the timing of the track, but still maintaining the dragging longing of the original, Marshall reimagines the song without abandoning all that made the 2012 version so great.
The video, directed by Greg Hunt, has the camera circling Marshall on piano and alternately bathes the singer-songwriter in warm and cool lighting, setting both musician and instrument in silhouette. It’s simple and matches both the original rawness of Rihanna’s track and the heady Americana retelling Marshall has given it.

Prior to “Stay,” Marshall teased the title track of the album in a quick visual video back in July, then released “Woman,” a single featuring supporting vocals from Lana Del Rey, in August. Now, following this latest single, Marshall is scheduled to embark on a North American tour beginning at the end of this month and continuing through the end of the year.

Wanderer is out on Oct. 5 via Domino Record Co., and you can preorder it here. Check out the videos for “Stay” and “Woman” below, find Cat Power’s tour dates further down, and revisit our 2012 conversation with Marshall here.