Witchcraft

"Witchcraft" is a song performed by Liechtensteinian singer-songwriter Dahlia. Released as potentially the lead single from her upcoming untitled sophomore album. Dahlia wrote the song and Chase Elite produced it. The song see's a change in sound for Dahlia, who described the song as her "experimenting with new sounds". The song focuses on a witch using her powers to make a man fall in love with her, torturing and tormenting him.

The single was released via Next Generation Records in the United Kingdom on 21 November and debuted at #? on the singles chart.

Composition
"Witchcraft" was written by Dahlia with production done by Chase Elite. Speaking about the inspiration behind the track Dahlia described it as, "capturing the dark side of love and romance. It focuses on lust but in a mythical environment. It’s like a chemical injection. I just felt really creative and experimental, and I wanted to try out lots of different sounds. This became my first ever dance orientated track and I love the contrast between the dark, haunting lyrics and the deep house musical instrumental” Dahlia met DJ Chase Elite whilst he was touring Europe with his DJ set, and the pair decided to work together. When she announced the song, Dahlia stated: ''""It's still got dark themes to it, but it's very experimental for me. I'll have a new album coming in the summer next year but this doesn't mean this single is going to appear on it. At the moment it's simply just a standalone single." Dahlia revealed."''

Release and reception
On 28 September 2016, an announcement was made that Dahlia would be returning to the UK to release a brand new single, revealing: ''"Witchcraft" shall be released on 21st November. The single is the first new song we've heard from Dahlia since she released her album over three years ago. Famed for her dark, slow 'anti-pop' songs, "Witchcraft" sees Dahlia take a walk into the unknown, as she experiments with dance music."''

On 31 October, Dahlia revealed the song to her fans stating "Halloween is my favourite day of the year. It's the time the spirits are at their most primal, and I feel the most connected to the Earth. In celebration of this important day, here is my Halloween gift to you - it's my new single "Witchcraft"

Speaking about the sound, Robbie Daw of Idolator compared the recording to other dance-pop tracks saying, "'Witchcraft' is a dreamy foray into dance-pop territory that has shades of Kylie Minogue, Robyn and even Texas, yet still sounds extremely original." In the chorus she sings "I'll put a spell on you. At the stroke of midnight I'll put a spell on you, So when you awake, I'll be the only thing you see, And you'll never be able to stop loving me, You may try to escape it but there'll always be a cold draught, You'll blame your heart but really you should blame my witchcraft" with a throbbing bass line that transitions into the hook with a robotic drop.

Digital Spy gave the song a very positive review, stating: "Dahlia has found her niche, creating gloomy alternative rock pop songs, and she's very good at it. But she's always been known for her artistry, and the fact she's completely changed her sound to the complete opposite of her prior songs, yet still maintains that 'Dahlia feel' really shows she's a pro." The further added that "The song is beautifully written and is one of the best songs of the year. Despite the fact Dahlia will never become a huge global superstar, she'll forever remain the most talented underrated artist of this decade." They gave the song five out of five stars.

Music video
The official music video premièred on 21 November 2016, the day of the singles release.

The video begins showing a young couple in love. They hold hands, they embrace in bed, they share ice cream whilst watching television. All things that emphasise how happy they are together. The couple are then shown to be asleep in bed. The man starts stirring in his sleep, looking distressed. The sound of Dahlia humming a haunting lullaby plays, and the man awakens and leaves the house. He is shown walking through the woods, following the sound of Dahlia's voice. He comes to a little cabin in the woods. The door opens, and after he enters, the door slams shut and his screams of pain fill the forest. The song begins.

There are various haunting scenes shown throughout the video. Dahlia appears to have her own followers, dressed in all black, with black veils over their faces to hide their identity. They cast spells upon the top of a cliff. Dahlia is also shown in various scenes casting spells in lots of quirky and spooky outfits.

The man from the start of the video is shown to be tied to some sort of torture chamber bed, as Dahlia sings into his ears in a seductive manner. She also pours unknown liquids into his mouth and strokes his hair while he sleeps.

''“I'll put a spell on you At the stroke of midnight I'll put a spell on you So when you awake, I'll be the only thing you see And you'll never be able to stop loving me You may try to escape it but there'll always be a cold draught You'll blame your heart but really you should blame my witchcraft”''

Time appears to pass by, and the man becomes less reluctant towards Dahlia, and as she sits beside him, he manages to reach her hand and hold it, despite it being quite a struggle since he's chained to the bed. Throughout these somewhat strange romantic/torture scenes, the woman the man originally lived with is shown handing out “missing” leaflets to people in her town. An old gentleman takes one of the leaflets from her and points towards the woods, where Dahlia's home is located. Dahlia dances and sings on top of a demonic red cross in the woods, whilst her followers dance around her, almost somewhat worshipping her. Meanwhile, the townsfolk appear running through the forest with flames and pitchforks, exactly what you need for a witchhunt.

Back in the cottage, for the middle eight, the song slows down. Dahlia unties the man from his bed, and she sits on the edge of bed as they face one another. “To you, I'm strange and I'm beautiful, You say I'd be perfect with you but you can't see, I'm cursed and my heart is on borrowed time, We could never be, no, we could never be”. The man puts his hand onto Dahlia's cheek, and then brushes her hair back out of her face. He looks deep into her eyes and leans in to kiss her. As their lips are about to meet, the townsfolk break the door down into her house and run towards Dahlia. They grab her and pull her away from the man by her hair, whilst the man tries to run after her screaming but everyone holds him back.

Dahlia is tied to a wooden podium as everyone throw petrols on to her. The man she held captive is stood at the back whilst all the townsfolk are restraining him and stopping him from rescuing Dahlia. The woman from the start of the video lights a match and throws it on to the petrol, as it sets on fire and leads to Dahlia. Dahlia is set alight, and starts to burn to death. A single black tear is shown falling down her cheek, whilst the flames are then shown in the reflection of the man's eyes. The video ends with Dahlia's haunting lullaby from the start of the video playing again, as the camera pans over the forest, where a trail of smoke rising in to the sky is visible.

Performances
Dahlia has performed the track live on The X Factor Australia and The X Factor Italy.

Chart performance
The song was released on 21 November 2016. It debuted at #23 on the Airplay chart before rising to #20. The song debuted at #3 on the Digital chart with first week downloads of 27,914.