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Songwriter and vocalist Ego Ella May releases “Tea & Sympathy” today, the first single taken from So Far the debut album out September 18 via Tru Thoughts.
Hailing from South London, she has an all-encompassing love of music, which she channels into her own neo-soul and contemporary jazz compositions; “music is freeing, healing and all things good and I’m here for it.”
Her incandescent sound has gained press accolades from FACT, The New York Times, DAZED, Noisey and Clash as well as support from the likes of Gilles Peterson(BBC 6Music) – who included Ego in his ‘School of 2019’ radio show, Mary Anne Hobbs (BBC 6Music), Jamz Supernova (BBC 1Xtra), Bradley Zero, Chris P Cuts and across Worldwide FM.
An anthology of everything she has recorded in her career So Far, on this release Ego Ella May explores the importance of honesty and speaking from the heart.
Lead track “Tea & Sympathy” highlights Ego Ella May’s seductive future-soul vocals, intertwined with smooth hip-hop beats and flawless electronic production from Wu-Lu and Budgie; “The best part [of this record] was collaborating with my actual friends,” she admits.
Appearing throughout the album alongside Wu-Lu and Budgie, Ego Ella May’s “friends” include Mini D, IAMNOBODI, Warren XcInce and Siv.
As is apparent through her own writing, Ego Ella May has a high level of admiration for people who show their vulnerabilities through music, and uses this as a source of inspiration; “It’s so easy to lie to yourself and others, so I really admire people who have the audacity to be truthful.”
Her song writing takes influences from equal measures of reflective moments of solitude and conversations with friends which she demonstrates with effortless power in each unique voicing.
Alongside writing from the heart, performing live is important to Ego Ella May to share and connect with the people who enjoy her music; “I feel most comfortable when my band is with me and I can just dance around whilst they play really sick versions of the tunes!” She continues, “It’s nice to hear how we can experiment on something that can be so heavily beat-oriented and make it a nice live instrument friendly piece.”
Ego Ella May recent performances have received high praise and seen her headlining Ghost Notes, Peckham, joining label mates Moonchild for a Boiler Room session and supporting the legendary Omar at The Jazz Café.
Since releasing her single “Table For One” on Tru Thoughts in December, which was featured in The New York Times’ ‘The Playlist’, Ego Ella May has collaborated once again with Wu-Lu and Lex Amor on “Legend” – a track taken from the Jean-Michel Basquiat inspired ‘Untitled (18 Artists)’ which also saw collaborations from the likes of Kojey Radical, Joe Armon-Jones, Shabaka Hutchings and Nubya Garcia.
With exciting projects and collaborations on the horizon, there is no doubt it will be a bright year for this talented spirit as she continues to grow and gain the recognition she deserves.
