Lianne La Havas, The English Singer, Songwriter & Guitarist Star. English singer/songwriter/guitarist Lianne La Havas’ 2012 debut album Is Your Love Big Enough? won Album of the Year at iTunes UK as well as Barclaycard Mercury Prize and Ivor Novello Best Album nominations, along with tremendous critical acclaim. As the London-based musician prepares her new album Blood for summer release, Nonesuch/Warner Bros. Records premiere its first song, “Unstoppable,” on April 21, 2015. The song will be available as an instant download for those who pre-order the album via iTunes or www.nonesuch.com and link into her youtube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDU7Bc8TwxsO2XwIgc3lfaA
More information about Blood, which was inspired by La Havas’ Jamaican and Greek family heritage, as well as details about upcoming US tour dates, will be announced soon. When touring for Is Your Love Big Enough? came to a close, La Havas headed to Jamaica with her mother for a long-awaited holiday that evolved into an experience of self-discovery. She enjoyed emotional reunions with long-lost relatives; embraced Kingston’s clubs; and even jammed in front of her family for the first time during a session with legendary dancehall/reggae producer Stephen McGregor. Exploring her roots inspired La Havas’ writing. Lyrically, she says, the songs she wrote are almost all related to “the feeling of who you are and where you come from.” And musically, La Havas took inspiration from Jamaica’s love of grooves, rhythms, and syncopation.
McGregor ultimately joined in the making of Blood along with a rich collection of others. Produced by Adele/FKA twigs collaborator Paul Epworth and built upon an instrumental recording by Ninja Tunes trio The Invisible, the first single “Unstoppable” is a song that Lianne wrote to help to repair a relationship that she had ended. Lianne La Havas’s debut Is Your Love Big Enough? provided more highlights in its life-cycle than many artists experience in their entire career. The Los Angeles Times said, “Artists like Lianne La Havas remind us of the power of the artful lyric, the soulful (nonhistrionic) reading of said lyric, and the importance of smart, understated production. With ‘Is Your Love Big Enough?,’ Miss La Havas vaults right to the big leagues. Repeated listenings only prove how strong and artful this collection is,” and the New York Times praised her “voice that hints at Alicia Keys, Amy Winehouse and Erykah Badu but is fully her own…It’s rhythm as resilience and life force, an innate sense of confidence that makes even her bitter songs somehow reassuring.” That album led to a journey that encompassed more than 120 shows across Europe, North America, and Japan-including two sold-out London shows at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Artists who Lianne had admired soon admired her, to the point where she can call the likes of Prince and Bon Iver friends.
La Havas has recently made a succession of guest appearances. There’s been another recording with Matt Hales on recent Aqualung track “Egg Shells”; guest vocal on Alt-J’s “Warm Foothills” and Tourist’s “Patterns”; and even an appearance as a female approximation of her friend in the video for “Where Is My Sex?” by The Kenneths. Most notable of all was La Havas’ contribution to Prince’s Art Official Age album, which were recorded over the course of a heady weekend at Paisley Park.
