Shamir's new album Hope has arrived after a rough patch in the genderqueer star's life.
Shamir first rose to stardom in 2015 with his synthy hip hop dance hits "Call It Off" and "On the Regular." Those two videos alone have amassed over 6 million views combined and are regulars on the gay circuit playlists.
But things haven't been easy for Shamir since then. His label, XL, didn't support his new vision for his music and quietly dropped him. He explained the situation to Out Magazine in a recent interview: "I really, really, really tried to work with the music machine and industry machine, but I think it was in the cards for me not to. I think everyone was shocked—only my close friends knew—when they saw I was dropped from XL. This record is why, because this wouldn’t have come out if I was still signed, right now, and I’d probably be super fucking miserable."
Shamir recorded his new album Hope in his bedroom this past weekend and released it independently on SoundCloud with this description:
"I was gonna quit music this weekend. From day 1 it was clear i was an accidental pop star. I loved the idea of it, i mean who doesn't? Still the wear of staying polished with how im presented and how my music was presented took a huge toll on me mentally. I started to hate music, the thing i loved the most! When i would listen to immaculate recordings with my friends their praise over the quality of the art as opposed to the art itself made me feel really sad for music as a medium in general. My music only feels exciting for me if its in the moment, and thats what this album is. I made this album this past weekend stuck in my room with just a 4 track feeling hopeless about my love for music. Im not gonna lie, this album is hard to listen to, but it was even harder for me to share. I love pop music, i love outsider music, and i love lofi music, this is my way of combining all 3. Anyway I played, wrote, produced, and mixed everything and big thanks to Kieran Ferris for Mastering an album with an hours notice! its free! Enjoy! Love Yall! Still more 2 come!!!!!!!"
Compared to his previous work of polished pop, Hope is incredibly raw and vulnerable. You can immediately tell how personal the album is to Shamir, which makes it a breathtaking and inspiring listen.
Shamir is definitely a rising artist to look out for. Check out the full album below.
