While Light After Dark, the debut album from British singer-songwriter Clare Maguire, hasn’t made it over to the U.S. just yet, the set’s singles have eventually appeared, like “Last Dance” and today’s release of “The Shield And The Sword.”

A video to accompany her declaration of relationship independence premiered a few weeks back. Watching it for the first time, I assumed Maguire was dolled up as Adele, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry, delivering some sort of commentary on the state of pop music and culture. But after getting some grief about “copying Gaga,” Maguire was compelled to offer a response, explaining her true intent. The blonde she plays, which many assumed was M’Lady, was instead inspired by Marilyn Monroe:

“I’m a huge fan of hers. I look to her for confidence and inspiration so this set up is my lighter side. I have always connected with Marilyn whether being herself, or the performer, her passion for life and work always shone through. Throughout my career she has helped me massively.”

Of course, we know that Madonna loved herself some Marilyn, and Gaga has taken cues from Madonna, so it’s not terribly surprising that at this point things have gotten muddled, and mistaken assumptions are drawn over who’s doing whom at the moment.

Returning to the song itself, “The Shield And The Sword” is completely captivating, not only because of Maguire’s passionate performance (“I no longer love you! No longer love you!”) but the strings, which partly mimic the melody, serve to heighten the drama.

Purchase Clare Maguire – “The Shield And The Sword” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.