Shaznay Lewis- New Album

Shaznay Lewis announces new album ‘Pages’ to be released on 17th of May 2024. Her first solo album in 20 years.

Shaznay Lewis’s recent single ‘Miracle’ affirmed that the voice behind classic hits such as ‘Never Ever’, ‘Pure Shores’ and‘Black Coffee’ was back. And despite being away for twenty years it was as exemplary as ever; better, even, given the maturity and life experience she could now draw on. Greeted by coverage from NME, The Line of Best Fit, The Times, Independent and more, Shaznay now accelerates her return by announcing that her long-awaited second solo album ‘Pages’ will be released on 17th May 2024. She launches the album by unveiling the brand new single ‘Kiss of Life’. Listen HERE. Watch the official video HERE.

Some things are just worth the wait. ‘Pages’ is a lush masterpiece of psychedelic soul, cinematic strings and sophisticated R&B that combines her established songwriting with the kind of lyrical wisdom which can only come from experience. Coming from someone blessed with deep vocal expressiveness, someone with an avowed “allergy to auto-tune,” it is also a reminder of what real soul sounds like. Its lyrics often feel like a diaristic confessional, as loneliness, heartbreak and the bittersweet realities of life abound. They come from distant memories of being in such situations and of empathising with others’ struggles, all magnified by the big stage drama that Shaznay loves in music. Collectively it’s a rebirth.

 Shaznay says, “I do feel as though I’m starting again, and making this record with some special people has been an exhilarating experience. I felt free for the first time. For this album, myself and the people I worked with were making it for one reason only: to just make music that we felt was good, and for people to take and enjoy. You need to be in the right place and clear headspace to create good work and finally, I had that.”

The new single ‘Kiss Of Life’ exceeds the standard set by ‘Miracle’. Both classic and contemporary, its punchy, dubby bass places it firmly in the here-and-now, but the way it wields R&B class and emotion with a glorious pop edge ensures that it will appeal to fans of Shaznay’s most famous work too. Shades of the symphonic soul of ‘70s legends like Minnie Ripperton and Donnie Hathaway complete a track which is clearly a love song, but not of the romantic kind. Shaznay collaborated on the song with writer/producer team Emily Phillips and Ant Whiting (Florence + The Machine, Sigrid).

She adds, “I like to talk a lot before we start creating anything. That feels more organic to me; when you are about to open yourself up you need to know the person a bit more. I had some wonderful conversations with Emily. We played with many melody ideas, and once Kiss of Life was finished we knew we had something special. I always know what my ears want to hear. The song was written about my children.”

‘Pages’ was created with trusted collaborators old-and-new, with features from Self Esteem, Shola Ama and General Levy alongside writers and producers who also include Ben Cullum (Celeste), Michael Angelo (Sam Smith, Not3s), Johan Hugo (Self Esteem, Diplo), Jez Ashurst (Maisie Peters, Little Mix), Moyses Dos Santos (Freya Ridings) and Charlie Stacey(Ezra Collective).

It all adds up to an inspiring return from an artist best known as a member of and lead songwriter for All Saints. 

‘Pages’ is now available to pre-order HERE on digital, vinyl, CD and cassette.