A month after the release of the first part of her ninth studio album, Just Dance, INNA has finally dropped the lead single off the record. The song is titled “My Crystal Nails” and is a roaring in-your-face dance anthem sure to take the clubs by storm this summer. The blaring Eurodance pop track was released March 17 of this year, following an announcement of the release date of the second part of her ninth album.

Romanian Dance Queen INNA has had a busy year. Shortly after wrapping up the third season of her YouTube series, Dance Queen House, the singer released new versions of her hit, “Yummy”, with British rapper, Stefflon Don, and Kosovo-Albanian singer, Dhurata Dora. Then in February, she dropped the first part of her ninth album, Just Dance. The album features experimental sounds within electronic dance music that are new to the Romanian singer.

The release of “My Crystal Nails” marks a distinctive change in sound from the first part of the album, shying away from the deep, dark, club sounds on the album in favor of a more uptempo Eurodance vibe. It also marks the first time in recent years INNA has dabbled in sampling. The track features a sample from Edvard Grieg’s orchestral piece, “In the Hall of the Mountain King”, from the 1867 play Peer Gynt. The topic of music sampling has become a hot topic of discussion due to its increased prevalence, especially when it comes to dance music. In the past few years, we’ve seen a lot of songs that use sampling as the major component of the track as in Ava Max’s “My Head & My Heart”, Bebe Rexha & David Guetta’s “I’m Good (Blue)”, or Charli XCX’s “Used To Know Me”. However, INNA’s use of sampling differs in the approach. The sample is merely used during the beginning of the verses and hinted at during the saxophone beat drops.

To say that Romanian producer, SICKOTOY, outdid himself on this track is an understatement. The production and beat of “My Crystal Nails” is phenomenal. The song starts with a subtle pop verse that has hints of underlying disco plucks. INNA’s alluring voice draws the listener into the music, lyrically beckoning us to “get closer if you want more”. The pre-chorus feels very reminiscent of the vocal delivery of Rihanna’s “Shut Up And Drive”. SICKOTOY beautifully builds up tension in the beat during the chorus that leads listeners to a fulfilling beat drop that features a blaring saxophone. The saxophone compliments the other aspects of the track and feels rewarding after the build up.

“My Crystal Nails” is an addictive single that successfully juggles classical sampling with an electronic saxophone beat drop. INNA demonstrates why her YouTube series is accurately named “Dance Queen House”, as she is the queen of dance music. The Romanian singer released the second part of her ninth studio album, Just Dance, on April 14 and is expected to drop a new single with R3HAB this summer.

You can listen to “My Crystal Nails” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jv2Oi9GCg4