Fallulah (born Maria Apetri on February 6, 1985, in Tårnby, Amager, Denmark… Read Full Bio ↴Fallulah (born Maria Apetri on February 6, 1985, in Tårnby, Amager, Denmark), is a Danish-Romanian singer-songwriter and musician. Following a short dancing career, she entered the music industry and released her debut album The Black Cat Neighborhood in 2010 which peaked at number three in Denmark and went on to be certified platinum. Fallulah has been compared to Florence + the Machine, Timur Bairam, Marina and the Diamonds and Bat for Lashes.

Fallulah grew up in Tårnby, Denmark, and she has a Romanian father and Danish mother. She attended Kalundborg Gymnasium, but spent much of her childhood on dancing tours in the Balkans and Eastern Europe with her performing parents. When she was nine, her father died and the family moved to Jyderup, North West Zealand where Apetri continued to dance. At twenty one, she moved to New York for dance but returned to Denmark to focus on music.

Her musical career began in 2009 with her first single As I Lay My Head, which was recognized as P3s Uundgåelige (P3 Unavoidable) by radio station DR P3 as it rose on the Danish Singles Chart. In 2010, her debut, The Black Cat Neighborhood, was released and reached #3. Single Out Of It reached #1 on the Singles Chart. Her second album, Escapism, was released in February 2013 at #2, although no singles charted. With the release of Escapsism in 2013, Fallulah had fulfilled his contract with Sony Music.

At the end of January 2015, Fallulah began posting photos on social media that she was in London, and was recording a new album. In March 2015, Fallulah's two previous albums were released internationally through Instant Records, owned by American producer Richard Gottehrer, who was behind The Raveonettes' breakthrough in the United States.

On September 4, 2015, the first single, "Social Club" was released from Fallulah's third album. On October 23, 2015, the single "Sorrow Is A Shadow" was released. The song is about her father who died of cancer when she was 9 years old. On December 11, 2015, the third single from the album "Ghostfriend" was released, while it was announced that the title of the new album will be Perfect Tense, and that it will be released February 26, 2016. In addition, cover and track list were published. The album is produced by Liam Howe and published through Instant Records. On January 19, 2016, the fourth single, "Perfect Tense" was released from the forthcoming album. The song is also the title song from the album. In March 2016, she took her band on a longer Danish tour in Vega, Gimle in Roskilde and Studenterhuset.

The Black Cat Neighbourhood
Fallulah Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The blaaaaaack, The black
The blaaaaaack, The black
The blaaaaaack, The black
The blaaaaaack, The black (uuh)

The black cat
The black cat
The black cat

The black cat neighborhood

Licking, licking on the street
Licking, licking on the street
Licking, licking on the street
You know you're not invited

Tidbits, tidbits are all you get
Tidbits, tidbits are all you get
Tidbits, tidbits are all you get
You go to sleep unlighted

Soft coat, light stroke
Sharp teeth, you bleed
If you don't succeed in becoming
Part of the neighborhood

Soft coat, light stroke
Sharp teeth, you bleed
If you don't succeed in becoming
Part of the neighborhood

The black cat
The black cat
The black cat
The black cat neighborhood

(Hooo, hooo, hooo, hooo)

Somewhere, they stare
Tu n'es pas mon frere
If you don't succeed in becoming
Part of the neighborhood

Somewhere, they stare
Tu n'es pas mon frere
If you don't succeed in becoming
Part of the neighborhood

The black cat
The black cat
The black cat
The black cat neighborhood

The black cat
The black cat
The black cat neighborhood

Licking, licking on the street (the black cat)
Licking, licking on the street (the black cat)
Licking, licking on the street (the black cat neighborhood)
You know you're not invited

The black cat

The black cat
The black cat neighborhood, Hah!

Overall Meaning

The song "The Black Cat Neighbourhood" by Fallulah revolves around the idea of exclusion and the struggle to fit in. The repeated chorus "The black cat, the black cat neighborhood" signifies a community that is cliquey and exclusive, with the "black cat" symbolizing the cat, a commonly disliked pet that is often seen as sneaky and unapproachable. Lines such as "Licking, licking on the street, you know you're not invited" and "Tidbits, tidbits are all you get, you go to sleep unlighted" emphasize the idea of being an outsider and not being accepted into the group.

The verses of the song shine a light on what it takes to be a part of the black cat neighborhood. The lines "Soft coat, light stroke, sharp teeth, you bleed" showcase the idea that while the community may appear soft on the outside, there lies the potential for harm and danger. Similarly, the lines "Somewhere, they stare, tu n'es pas mon frère" which translates to "you are not my brother" in French, signifies a deep-rooted feeling of being excluded from the group and not being accepted as one of them.

Overall, "The Black Cat Neighbourhood" is a powerful commentary on the struggles of fitting in and being accepted into a group. It portrays the harsh reality of exclusivity and the potential for harm that comes with seeking acceptance into a group that may not be willing to reciprocate the same.

Line by Line Meaning

The blaaaaaack, The black
Repetition of 'The black' creates a somber and dark atmosphere

The black cat
The black cat is a metaphor for the inhabitants of a certain neighborhood

Licking, licking on the street
Describes the cats wandering the streets looking for scraps

You know you're not invited
The cats are territorial and will attack any outsiders

Tidbits, tidbits are all you get
Even if you offer them food, they will only give you a small taste as a warning to stay away

You go to sleep unlighted
If you continue to intrude, you will be left in the dark and feeling unsafe

Soft coat, light stroke
The cats can seem gentle and welcoming at first

Sharp teeth, you bleed
But they will quickly turn aggressive and attack

If you don't succeed in becoming
The only way to survive in this neighborhood is to become a part of it

Part of the neighborhood
To fit in and be accepted by the cats

Somewhere, they stare
The cats are always watching and observing their territory