Swedish singer/songwriter, Seinabo Sey, released her new EP Sweet Life with Capitol Records on June 4. This is Sey’s first release since her 2018 indie album I’m A Dream.
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Sweet Life includes four tracks, all crafted during the pandemic shutdown. Originally set to open for Ms. Lauryn Hill on a national tour—until COVID shutdowns began, Sey poured her time and energy into the stunning EP. Quarantining on the beautiful island of Gotland, off the coast of Sweden, Sey wanted to create music with the same tropical, island vibes that she was immersed within.
The result is a very peaceful and transportive vibe emanating from Sey’s vocals, something she intended from the beginning. “I wanted to create a world that was like TLC’s ‘Waterfalls,’ just a little paradise for Black girls, where everything’s okay and nothing is a problem,” she says in a statement. “We’re all like lounging eating fruits or something.”
Although the songs have a trance-like and relaxing feel, there is a great depth to the lyrics behind that peaceful nature.
On the opening track, “Blue,” Sey sings about living in an environment where life moves slower than normal, reflecting on the quietness that the pandemic allowed to creep in. Treetops over these white rocks tell me go slow baby, slow / Real life tells me to stand up I be like no, baby, no, she sings, accepting her circumstances. It ain’t fair / To blame the weather / That’s smiling at us / It ain’t fair to blame the field / And if I could / I’d stay forever / Just looking at the Blue leaves in the wind.
For the new project, Sey enlisted the help of her good friend, Isaac, to contribute to the writing process—something markedly different from her previous self-penned independent projects. “There are a million different ways of doing things and I’ve tried a few, but this is really my way of creating music,” Sey shares. “I wanted to do that since I was a kid. I started off with playing in bands where you always kind of create things together. So that’s been a very major difference for me this time around.”
Track Listing – Sweet Life
1. Blue
2. Rom-Com
3. I’m Just Mad (Bitch)
4. Sweet Dreams
You can listen to Sweet Life here.
Photo Credit: Senay Berhe
