Shamir delivered his debut LP, Ratchet, back in 2015 and he's just released the unexpected follow-up. The pop singer-songwriter has shared a new album called Hope, and it's available for free on SoundCloud as of today (April 17).
The album was recorded just over the course of this past weekend, and it hears Shamir making a return to music that he wasn't sure he would make. In a message about the his latest offering, he opens up about a recent desire to quit music — citing the mental toll that keeping up a polished pop star appearance took on him, and feeling sad about his peers' tendency to value the quality of art rather than art itself.
His full statement reads:
I was gonna quit music this weekend. From day 1 it was clear i was an accidental pop star. I loved the idea of it, i mean who doesn't? Still the wear of staying polished with how im presented and how my music was presented took a huge toll on me mentally. I started to hate music, the thing i loved the most! When i would listen to immaculate recordings with my friends their praise over the quality of the art as opposed to the art itself made me feel really sad for music as a medium in general. My music only feels exciting for me if its in the moment, and thats what this album is. I made this album this past weekend stuck in my room with just a 4 track feeling hopeless about my love for music. ... I played, wrote, produced, and mixed everything and big thanks to Kieran Ferris for Mastering an album with an hours notice! its free! Enjoy! Love Yall! Still more 2 come!!!!!!!
Thankfully, Shamir stuck it out to give us Hope, which you can stream in its entirety below.
The album was recorded just over the course of this past weekend, and it hears Shamir making a return to music that he wasn't sure he would make. In a message about the his latest offering, he opens up about a recent desire to quit music — citing the mental toll that keeping up a polished pop star appearance took on him, and feeling sad about his peers' tendency to value the quality of art rather than art itself.
His full statement reads:
I was gonna quit music this weekend. From day 1 it was clear i was an accidental pop star. I loved the idea of it, i mean who doesn't? Still the wear of staying polished with how im presented and how my music was presented took a huge toll on me mentally. I started to hate music, the thing i loved the most! When i would listen to immaculate recordings with my friends their praise over the quality of the art as opposed to the art itself made me feel really sad for music as a medium in general. My music only feels exciting for me if its in the moment, and thats what this album is. I made this album this past weekend stuck in my room with just a 4 track feeling hopeless about my love for music. ... I played, wrote, produced, and mixed everything and big thanks to Kieran Ferris for Mastering an album with an hours notice! its free! Enjoy! Love Yall! Still more 2 come!!!!!!!
Thankfully, Shamir stuck it out to give us Hope, which you can stream in its entirety below.