Who sang that Nirvana cover in ‘Black Widow’? Malia J is rocketing up iTunes charts
With a little help from Kurt Cobain and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Malia J has one of the hottest songs in the country.
The singer’s haunting cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is featured in the opening credits of “Black Widow,” the Marvel flick poised to be the highest grossing movie of the summer.
Malia J’s version of the 1990s anthem is now a hit of its own — reaching the top five on the iTunes Top Songs chart. It also tops the U.S. Alternative Songs chart from iTunes.
“I never imagined this ever and I just want to THANK ALL OF YOU from the bottom of my heart!” Malia J wrote on Instagram Monday. “Kurt Cobain wrote such an incredible song that was a source of strength and inspiration for me in some of my hardest times because it felt like Kurt understood exactly what it feels like when I create.”
She also posted a video talking to her mom on the phone when they discovered how high her song had charted.
“I don’t think I ever could have imagined this kind of momentum!” she said in a separate post. “I’m losing myself in gratitude. I never expected THIS.”
Malia J is no stranger to seeing her covers featured heavily in pop culture. Her version of Tears for Fears’ “Shout” was in Season 1 of “Riverdale” and her cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” was in the Season 2 trailer for “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Other covers Malia J has performed include versions of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” and Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer.”
“I’ve always written my own music, but when I started covering other artists’ music in a completely different light, people really connected to it,” she said in her Spotify biography. “Now I’ve come full circle, creating my own music with the same dark, dramatic production style.”
Fans of “Black Widow” took to Twitter to convey their appreciation for Malia J’s cover featured in the dramatic opening of the movie.
“The opening credits in ‘Black Widow’ with Malia J’s version of ‘Smells like Teen Spirit’ playing is the most emotional a Marvel project has made me in a long time,” one Twitter user said. “It just hit different, honestly.”
“That Nirvana remake of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ is absolute fire,” another person wrote on Twitter. “Malia J killed it. It worked with the opening imagery. I can’t stop listening to it.”
And perhaps Malia J is creating some new Nirvana fans. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” — the Nirvana version — was No. 40 Tuesday on the iTunes Alternatives Songs chart.
Another song featured in the Scarlett Johansson-led movie, Don McLean’s “American Pie” was in the top 100 on the main iTunes song chart.
This story was originally published July 13, 2021 at 7:05 AM with the headline "Who sang that Nirvana cover in ‘Black Widow’? Malia J is rocketing up iTunes charts."