Tei Shi — the Colombian-Canadian multi-hyphenate whose resumé includes collaborations with John Cale, Blood Orange and Glass Animals, to name a few — has announced her first full-length independent album, previewed by new single "QQ (Quédate Queriéndome)." She'll also be taking her new music on a North American tour this spring, with scheduled stops in Toronto and Vancouver.
The eponymous Valerie arrives April 19 via The Orchard. It follows Tei Shi's 2023 release, BAD PREMONITION, and sees the artist born Valerie Teicher Barbosa joined by frequent collaborators Noah Breakfast, Mikey Freedom Hart, Nick Hakim, Rodrigo Amarante, Knox Fortune, Dave Sitek, Ash Workman and Zooey Celeste.
“Valerie is almost the precursor to BAD PREMONITION, in that it’s a lot of the early songs I wrote during the first phases of the pandemic, through being duped by my label and management at the time, through surviving a life-threatening experience, losing touch with myself personally and creatively," Tei Shi explained in a statement. "On Valerie, I’m peeling back the initial layer and exposing my most personal and intimate musings through one of the most confusing periods of my life.”
Of the hypnotic, multilingual single "QQ," she added, "I have always loved bachata and knew I wanted to create my spin on it at some point. The process of mixing those acoustic elements and rhythms and bringing them into my eclectic world was a pivotal part of the album-making process… I think it sets the scene well for what else is to come on Valerie.”
Watch the Vogue Giambri-directed video below, where you can also find Tei Shi's tour itinerary, which includes shows at Toronto's TD Music Hall (May 2) and the Fox in Vancouver (May 8). Tickets go on sale to the public Friday (February 9), with local presales happening tomorrow (February 8).
Tei Shi 2024 Tour Dates:
05/01 Boston, MA - The Sinclair
05/02 Toronto, ON - TD Music Hall
05/04 New York, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
05/05 Washington, DC - Songbyrd
05/06 Chicago, IL - Sleeping Village
05/08 Vancouver, BC - The Fox
05/09 San Francisco, CA - The Independent
05/11 Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
05/12 Seattle, WA - Madame Lou’s