Capitol Records released Seinabo Sey’s The One After Me, her first album in five years. As she returns with new music, it is as an artist who has found her way back to herself and what drew her to music in the first place: R&B from her teens, the reggae music played in Gambia in the mornings, and the freedom to create on her own terms. Stream / download The One After Me HERE.
“I have been working on this album for almost five years, and I am very pleased with the result. Musically, it has been one of the biggest challenges of my life to put it together, while at the same time, I have learned so much. I have worked with people who have changed my life even more than before,” Sey explains. “I have love and therapy to thank for feeling freer to experience and explore things, both as a human being and as an artist. I have gone through a lot and rediscovered what music means to me.”
This change is reflected in the new songs, which Sey describes as the biggest musical turning point in her career. Unlike previous albums, she has chosen to collaborate with many producers and songwriters this time. She wrote “Yes,” the first single, in collaboration with Simon On The Moon (who also produced), Namasenda, Roger Tallroth, and Joakim Hultqvist. The song features the acclaimed Swedish artist Namasenda. Listen to “Yes” HERE.
“I have always liked Swedish folk music, and it has been present in almost every song I have made for this album,” Sey notes. “Simon On The Moon had this beat he was working on, and when he played it for me, I thought it was exciting to let folk music meet a hip-hop beat in an overt way. Simon is one of the few producers who would dare to do this. I also invited Namasenda to the song because I love her digital vocal production, which is a great complement to the song.”
The One After Me also features the upcoming single “42,” which is about a relationship Sey had with a person referred to as 42. She says, “It was the first person I dated who I realized was dangerous for me. The lyrics are a very straightforward description of what happened, and I sang the whole song in my bed.”
In the years following 2018’s I’m a Dream, Sey had her first longer relationship, her first difficult breakup, and when she toured with her childhood idol Lauryn Hill at the beginning of the pandemic, it was a turning point.
“When I am in need, it is black women who save me and remind me of who I want to be. Lauryn did just that,” says Sey. “That she, who has shaped me so much musically, thinks I’m good, pushed me in the right direction again. That I should do what I feel like doing.”
As the world isolated itself during the pandemic, the music studio became the safe place where Sey could create music without pressure. She reflects, “I have learned a lot about myself in recent years. I am stronger, care less about what others think, and just want to experience life. I think it shows in the music. The melodies are a bit freer; I dare to play with them and with the words. I believe it’s a result of me being kinder to myself now. That feeling is also reflected in the lyrics.”
Sey has amassed over one billion combined global streams in her career to date, won four Swedish GRAMMY awards and topped the HypeMachine chart five times. TIME magazine hailed her 2015 debut album, Pretend, as “One of the Year’s Best Debut Albums.” Her hit single “Younger,” which was later remixed by Kygo, gained international attention. She fearlessly addressed grief, femininity, racial identity, and body image on I’m a Dream, which contained the singles “I Owe You Nothing” and “Remember” (featuring Jacob Banks). Sey’s live performances have showcased how her expressive and soulful voice can stun crowds into silence at festivals like Way Out West, Glastonbury, and Roskilde – and hypnotize audiences during TV performances on programs like “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “Later… with Jools Holland.”
