Hailing from the UK, fast-rising singer/songwriter Joel Baker is preparing to release his debut album later this year. The former Labour Party Speech Writer was first discovered and championed by BBC Introducing Nottingham and DJ Dean Jackson after sending his demos into the station in embossed parliamentary envelopes. Once the demos got played it was clear that Joel Baker was onto something. Having released 2 EP’s, a mixtape, and found additional support from Huw Stephens, MistaJam, Jack Saunders, DJ Target, and top tier publications like i-D and Clash, Joel Baker seems to be connecting in a real and exceptional way.
Now, kicking off his new headlining tour today, Joel Baker has begun to tease new tunes from his forthcoming album. The first offering, “What’s a Song”, is the perfect introduction to the new body of work – and to Joel Baker if you are not yet familiar. Rich, organic production featuring bright piano, acoustic guitar, lush strings and a phenomenal arrangement work perfectly between Joel’s signature raspy vocals and incredibly poignant lyrics.
About the tune and video, Joel says, “I wrote this song a couple of years back about a breakup that was particularly painful. It’s about the small details of a break up that appear insurmountable at the time. However this song has evolved through the years and when I sing it now it means different things. For the video we wanted to explore different themes on what the song could mean. We decided to go down the route of grief. Sometimes grief can make us think that there’s no hope left. That there’s no point in carrying on. If they are gone I may as well be too. The video explores the shadow that grief leaves in your life. Everywhere you go. Everything you see. There’s a shadow that is cast even on the brightest of days. We finished the video with a poem my Dad wrote. My dad writes great poems and I asked him if he could write one for this. He did. I love it. And it was wonderful getting him to be a part of something so close to all our hearts.”
If you are in the UK, make sure you check him out at one of his stops this month – and if you live in the US (like me) just be patient, I’m sure it won’t be long until he makes his way across the pond.
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