Yola announces soph album

Produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and owner of the label, the album is a sonic shift from her debut album of British soul and Americana sounds with a diverse mix of symphonic soul and classic pop, tracing a musical thread to Yola's most eclectic musical inspirations.

"I kind of got talked out of being me, and now I'm here. This is who I've always been in music and in life. There was a little hiatus where I got brainwashed out of my own majesty, but a bitch is back."

The single, "Diamond Studded Shoes," debuted today with a new video, directed by Kwaku Otchere.

Yola said, "This song explores the false divides created to distract us from those few who are in charge of the majority of the world's wealth and use the 'divide and conquer' tactic to keep it. This song calls on us to unite and turn our focus to those with a stranglehold on humanity."

"The video is in part inspired by the Truman show and is about being trapped in a false construct. It is supposedly perfect, but you're trapped in a life that wasn't meant for you. I wanted to convey the feeling that everything you know to be true is not quite working the way it's supposed to. The island at the end is a paradigm of mental conditioning, we are all trapped on an island of our own thinking, until we change it."

"The Truman Show" is a movie from 1998 starring Jim Carrey, who does not realize that his life is being broadcast as a television show.

Yola also announced today that she will be one of few artists to perform at both Newport Folk and Newport Jazz in the same year, when she joins the lineup of both events this summer. She will also be performing dates with Chris Stapleton on his rescheduled tour in 2021 and will headline The Ryman Auditorium in 2022.

Last year, the pandemic derailed Yola's plans to tour stadiums (with Chris Stapleton and The Black Keys) as well as numerous festival plays. In addition, her plans were sidelined to fly to Australia to film a role as Sister Rosetta Tharpe in the new Baz Luhrmann Elvis biopic.

Instead, Yola devoted her time to her music. Some songs began in the twilight hours of Yola's isolation, reflecting on her personal and our collective moments of longing and awakening. Other songs germinated years ago and were inspired by personal moments, including "Break The Bough", which Yola started to write following her mother's funeral. Tracks were also co-written with Natalie Hemby, Liz Rose, Paul Overstreet, Ruby Amanfu, John Bettis, Pat McLaughlin, Joy Oladokun, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Hannah Vasanth and Bobby Wood.

Recorded during the fall of 20202 with a rhythm section that includes bassist Nick Movshon, noted for his work with Amy Winehouse and Bruno Mars, alongside drummer Aaron Frazer.

"It's a collection of stories of allyship, black feminine strength through vulnerability, and loving connection from the sexual to the social. All celebrating a change in thinking and paradigm shift at their core." Yola said, "It is an album not blindly positive, and it does not simply plead for everyone to come together. It instead explores ways that we need to stand for ourselves throughout our lives, what limits our connection as humans and declares that real change will come when we challenge our thinking and acknowledge our true complexity."

"Stand For Myself" draws musical inspiration from albums the Bristol, England native discovered via her mother's '70s record collection, as well as the mix tapes she created, listening to British radio, featuring everything from '90s neo soul to R&B and Britpop.

She achieved breakout success with her debut album, "Walk Through Fire," which landed her four GRAMMY nominations including Best New Artist. Yola has twice won Artist of the Year at the UK Americana Awards - 2017 and 2020.

The track list is:
1. Barely Alive
2. Dancing Away In Tears
3. Diamond Studded Shoes
4. Be My Friend
5. Great Divide
6. Starlight
7. If I Had To Do It All Again
8. Now You're Here
9. Whatever You Want
10. Break The Bough
11. Like A Photograph
12. Stand For Myself

Live dates are:
July 23-July 25 - Newport Folk Festival. Newport, R.I.
July 30-Aug. 1 - Newport Jazz Festival. Newport, R.I.
Aug. 6 - Hinterland Music Festival
Aug. 7 - DTE Energy Music Theatre. Clarkston, MI - w/ Chris Stapleton
Aug. 21 - Globe Life Park. Arlington, TX - w/ Chris Stapleton
Sept. 10 - Bristol Rhythm & Roots Festival
Sept. 16 - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre. Maryland Height, MO - w/ Chris Stapleton
Sept. 17 - Oak Mountain Amphitheatre. Birmingham, AL - w/ Chris Stapleton
Sept. 18 - The Wharf Amphitheatre. Orange Beach, AL - w/ Chris Stapleton
Sept. 25 - Ruoff Music Center. Noblesville, IN - w/ Chris Stapleton
Sept. 26 - Ohana Music Festival
Oct. 8 - Madison Square Garden. NYC, NY - w/ Chris Stapleton
Oct. 14 - Mizzou Arena. Columbia, MO - w/ Chris Stapleton
Oct. 15 - Pinnacle Bank Arena. Lincoln, NE - w/ Chris Stapleton
Oct. 16 - Denny Sanford Premier Center. Sioux Falls, SD - w/ Chris Stapleton
Oct. 21 - Riverbend Music Center. Cincinnati, OH - w/ Chris Stapleton
Oct. 22-23 - Bridgestone Arena. Nashville, TN - w/ Chris Stapleton
Oct. 28 - United Supermarket Arena. Lubbock, TX - w/ Chris Stapleton
Oct. 29 - Isleta Amphitheater. Albuquerque, NM - w/ Chris Stapleton
Oct. 30 - AK-Chin Pavilion. Phoenix, AZ - w/ Chris Stapleton
Nov. 4 - Frank Erwin Center. Austin, TX - w/ Chris Stapleton
Nov. 5 - BOK Center. Tulsa, OK - w/ Chris Stapleton
Nov. 6 - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The Woodlands, TX - w/ Chris Stapleton
Dec. 3 - FedEx Forum. Memphis, TN - w/ Chris Stapleton
Dec. 4 - Mississippi Coast Coliseum. Biloxi, MS - w/ Chris Stapleton
Dec. 5 - Thompson-Boling Arena. Knoxville, TN - w/ Chris Stapleton
March 3 - Ryman Auditorium. Nashville, TN
April 20 - Huntington Center. Toledo, OH - w/ Chris Stapleton
April 21 - Schottenstein Center. Columbus, OH - w/ Chris Stapleton
April 23 - A Concert for Kentucky – Kroger Field. Lexington, KY - w/ Chris Stapleton