Ooh! Ahh! Calgary-born electropop artist Kiesza has announced a new album, as well as a special full-orchestra hometown performance in October.
Dancing and Crying: Vol. 1 arrives on May 24, following 2020's Crave and the singer-songwriter's 2016 breakthrough, Sound of a Woman. As per press notes, it sees Kiesza lean into the sonic elements that brought her to prominence while incorporating more organic and traditional textures. Furthermore, the record provides a glimpse into her "hardest work": recovering from a traumatic brain injury sustained in a 2017 car accident.
"This new volume or current of music comes out of a personal chapter of letting go and embracing the way things are, as they unfold. There is time in this music, 4 a.m. sleepless nights of poetry, belly laughs with close friends, deep existential discussions about the nature of reality, adventures in the badlands, storytelling, nordic blizzards, midnight dance parties, love, loss, pain and most of all true friendship," Kiesza explained in a release. "The nucleus of this sound-storm is held together by a community that has been dancing, crying and growing together through the entire journey."
She continued, "Dancing and Crying is my most deeply personal and meaningful project to date and Volume One is written and produced together with Sugar Jesus and K Sotomeyer, who I now call some of my closest friends. What sets this project aside is the foundation of trust at its core. It began unexpectedly and has carried us all through the unexpected since the day it came to life. I'm truly grateful for all of the magic this music brought into my life. And the best part is that it's still only just beginning!"
Kiesza will perform tracks from across her catalogue with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra at Jack Singer Hall on October 5. Online ticket booking begins June 11 at 9 a.m. MT.
Check out the album tracklist below, where you can also hear the artist's latest single, "I Go Dance."
Dancing and Crying: Vol. 1:
1. Dancing and Crying
2. Heaven Ain't Calling
3. I Go Dance
4. Strangers
5. The Mysterious Disappearance of Etta Place
6. Go Back