Here’s the premiere of the brand new single from the outstanding Luke Sital-Singh. ‘Hallelujah Anyway’ is taken from the forthcoming EP ‘Strange Weather’, which is due out on 9th June 2023. The follow-up to the acclaimed 2022-album ‘Dressing Like a Stranger’ promises to be another engaging release from the LA-based London artist.
‘Hallelujah Anyway’ is a timeless song that you could be absorbing years into the future. Over the gently pulsing keys of a vintage electric piano, his voice is delicate and understated. Indeed, what Sital-Singh always does so well is deliver vocal performances that ache with vulnerability. Like an intimate conversation, he sings in heartfelt tones of hurt and loss and memory: “Every morning pray for rain // To bring that feeling back again // Something falling on my skin // A holy moment happening // How it hurts remembering.” Then, with the help of the south Los Angeles Hearts Afire Community Choir, led by GRAMMY-nominated singer, songwriter, and song leader Arnae Batson, the chorus rises up, a melodic and heavenly contrast to the verses, a burst of hope as if his prayer might just be answered. The choir singers’ backing, even when they are just humming, is beautifully uplifting and serves to really elevate the song.
Sital-Singh explains the song’s message: “I’m trying to push myself to be happier. I’m a pessimistic person. I’m always worried. To me, it’s a universal message — we all go through tough times, and we can’t really get away from it. It’s just about how you deal with it. It’s also a ‘We’ song for my wife and me. We go through everything together, and it feels like we’re a unit in terms of how we look at the world.”
Sital-Singh’s artfully-crafted songs have resonated with many music-lovers and have amassed tens of millions of streams. His collaboration with Old Sea Brigade, ‘Call Me When You Land’, has reached almost 30 million streams on its own. He continues to put out new music relentlessly, managing to maintain a consistently high quality of songcraft and delivery. The fast-paced changes of our turbulent times are matched by Sital-Singh’s prolific output. He says: “In my art, I’m quite happy with how quickly everything moves. Doing this job, I struggle with the downtime. I’m a musician, and it always felt silly not to put out a lot of music. I enjoy releasing songs, because it helps me stay more creative and connected to the fans. I’ve got all of these tracks, and it felt like the perfect time to share more of them on ‘Strange Weather’. It’s just this loose little amalgamation of songs that keep my story going.”
He adds of the new EP: “We’re all going through shit, and it’s normal. We can lean on each other. Hopefully, the songs help like a friend telling you, ‘You’re not alone.’ It’s such a liberating and encouraging thing to hear. I don’t have the answers. All of my songs end with a question mark. We have to deal with those questions together, but maybe my music can help you deal with those questions.” Sital-Singh’s songs are thoughtful, sensitive works of art that pose many questions. And he’s right: music certainly helps. Listen and be lifted.
