Sad Songs
Sharky

“Sad Songs” is the third single taken from Sharky’s debut album ‘People Are Strange’, released 23^rd September. Pushing the surreal and ambiguous into the realm of experimental, the LP is the result of shared musical understanding between Sharky and producer/husband Todd Speakman. Featuring previous singles “Shark” and “Night On My Mind”, the release has received support from the likes of Sian Eleri (BBC Radio 1), Jamz Supernova (BBC 1Xtra), Jess Iszatt (BBC Radio London), Stereofox and Soho Radio.

The LP celebrates Sharky’s ability as a lyricist to reflect on playful and poignant themes with a sense of humour and openness to people, places, and aspects of life, all through a personal lens. On “Sad Songs”, inspiration is drawn from the experiences of iconic female artists like Stevie Nicks and Gloria Gaynor and finding solace in their music when feeling lonely; “on this particular night I was drowning my sorrows and needed some feels from Stevie Nicks with “Silver Springs”, then a pick me up from Gloria with “I Will Survive””. Originally written by Sharky and performed acapella across live dates, the recorded version sees Todd orchestrate an arrangement around the band, giving a natural groove to the original awkward time signatures.

Enticing us with this emotional honesty, Sharky invites us into her ‘People Are Strange’ world. The album takes its name from a photograph Sharky took in Paris when she was 18 and the subsequent dream she had about revisiting this place – brought to life by @everyonesfavourite. While reflecting on her own growth and the signposts that have marked this journey, Sharky’s writing allows space for interpretation and reflections. The LP follows previous releases “Hawaii”, “Cause and Effect” and the “Fruit” EP, which garnered support from Annie Mac, Gilles Peterson, Lauren Laverne, Jamz Supernova, BBC Introducing and BBC Radio 4.