Seinabo Sey returns with their first new music of 2022 – “Blessed”, their new single and B-side “Blackstar”. With sparse, danceable production from Carli Löf and Simon On The Moon, “Blessed” is steeped in the joys of everyday life and finds Seinabo grateful for the little things.
The song was written by his best friend, Isak Alverus, who wrote for Agnes, Avicii and Oskar Linnros. Released today by Capitol Records, “Blessed” and “Blackstar” are available to stream and download npw.
“‘Blessed’ is kind of like the big sister to ‘Younger.’ the world. Kygo’s remix of “Younger” topped Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart.
She adds. “I love the lyrical message – that you just have to wake up in the morning, get up and be good enough, be loved. You shouldn’t have to play all the time. I’ve always been pushed to write my own lyrics, which was great, but at the same time I always wanted to get inspiration from outside.”
Sey co-directed the official video for “Blessed” with Klara Kristoffersson. The music video is set in The Gambia – the homeland of her father, famed West African Sufi musician Maudo Sey. See here.
“I fantasized about what my life would have been like if I had lived in The Gambia,” says Sey. “I may work as a waitress by day and sing at night. I may work as a taxi driver. I wanted to present something that looks more like scenes from life.”
She wrote “Blackstar”, taking inspiration from one of her favorite artists, rapper Mos Def. “When I heard the beat, I thought of him and started freestyling,” Sey said. “I wanted to sound like him – or at least get as close to it as possible. I learned music by imitating a lot of other sounds and hip hop is what I’ve listened to the most in my life.”
Sey has amassed over a billion combined global streams in his career to date, won four Swedish GRAMMYs and topped the HypeMachine charts five times. TIME magazine hailed her 2015 debut album, Pretend, as “one of the best debut albums of the year.” His 2018 follow-up album I’m a Dream contained the singles “I Owe You Nothing” and “Remember” (featuring Jacob Banks). Sey’s live performances have shown how his expressive and soulful voice can stun crowds into silence at festivals like Way Out West, Glastonbury and Roskilde – and mesmerize audiences during TV performances on programs like “Late Night with Conan O ‘Brien’ and ‘Later’. .. with Jools Holland.”
While touring with her childhood idol Lauryn Hill at the very start of the pandemic, Sey hit a major turning point. “When I’m in need, it’s black women who save me and remind me of who I want to be. Lauryn did just that,” she recalled. “The fact that the one who shaped me so much musically thinks I’m good has pushed me in the right direction again. Doing what I feel like doing.”
With her new music, Sey found her way back to herself – and what attracted her to music at the time: the R&B of her teenage years, the reggae music played in the mornings in Gambia and the freedom to create at her way. .
Listen to the new singles here:
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