Listen to new music from Valerie June
by Luke Taylor
November 13, 2020
Valerie June released a three-song suite of new music on Friday, marking her first original release since her 2017 album, The Order of Time. The three-track standalone digital release, on Fantasy Records, comprises the songs "Stay" and "You And I," with an instrumental interlude, "Stay Meditation," tucked between. June co-produced this new batch of music with Jack Splash, who has worked with such artists as Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys and John Legend.
"Geez! It's been a very long time since I've shared new music with you," June posted on her website. "I'm so happy to share this three-song suite as 2020 nears its end. It's kind of my way of sharing a little positivity after such a chaotic year."
The inclusion of a meditative piece within the suite serves June's mission of encouraging positive thought. "To begin diving into long meditation sessions can be daunting for many of us," June writes. "I've found that many times it only takes a few seconds of aligning with our breath to reset the energy of a tough time."
On her YouTube channel, June further explained the meaning behind the music:
Can beauty be found in the impermanence of each moment? With our numbered days here, "Stay" is a song that encourages us to live fully without regrets. At the close, a short, reflective meditation allows us to steal just a few seconds of stillness before returning to the busy world. "You and I" celebrates the transformative power of love in all forms-from friendships to strangers to love for oneself. How does a recognition of the many forms of love enrich and daily help us to reshape the world we share?
The video for the new music, which you can watch and listen to above, was directed by Renata Raksha and creates a sensory, meditative experience. To further connect with fans, Valerie June will lead a meditation centered on the "Stay" suite of music on Saturday, Nov. 14, on her YouTube channel.
Although the "Stay" suite marks June's first release of new music in three years, she has been far from inactive. In April 2019, June released a re-imagining of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing," and prior to the pandemic, June was still touring widely. And in October of this year, June produced a livestream event, "Voice Your Vote," featuring Brittany Howard, Jon Batiste, Black Pumas, Rhiannon Giddens, and Valerie June herself in an effort to inspire voter participation among Black voters in the run-up to the 2020 election, and to raise funds for Stacey Abrams's Fair Fight and Movement Voter Project's Black-Led Organizing Fund.
Valerie June visited The Current's studio in 2013 and in 2017, and in the summer of 2014, June opened that year's Rock the Garden at the Walker Art Center.
During her interview at The Current in 2017, Valerie June described her trajectory as an artist. "The whole journey as a songwriter for me has been about taking a dream, something that I felt like wasn't something I could achieve in my life … and bringing it into my reality," she said, "seeing if I could make something that's imaginary come into the physical world and become true. And what I found along the journey is that it takes time. … It could take your whole life to manifest it, and it manifests one little step at a time with small, multiple moves instead of giant, massive, great leaps."
External Link
Valerie June - official site
