Carla Geneve – Don’t Be Afraid
Renowned for her powerhouse vocals, raw vulnerability, and evocative storytelling, multi-award-winning artist Carla Geneve today announces her third studio album, Don’t Be Afraid, set for release on Friday 17 October via Dot Dash Recordings / Remote Control.
A deeply personal exploration of fear, acceptance, and love, Don’t Be Afraid draws inspiration from Seamus Heaney’s final words. Through vulnerable, piano-driven melodies and intimate lyricism, the album invites listeners to embrace their imperfections and discover strength in compassion and courage.
Today, Carla shares new single ‘Better Believe It’, the first taste of what’s to come.
Speaking on the meaning behind the new single, Carla shares;
“I wrote this song after reading Virginia Woolf’s last words in the form of her suicide note.
It reads as a love letter to her husband, and an apology that she couldn’t stay with him in life. That temporary state of mind that causes someone to end their life is so indescribably sad, especially when they are acutely aware of how much they have to hold onto and cherish in this world.
In this song I used a phrase from that note, but changed it to so it not only expresses love, but also a readiness to face the world because of love. It’s a very personal thing to use someone’s suicide note as motive for a song, and I hope that in Woolf’s life long commitment to writing she would not mind.”
Carla Geneve’s AMP-nominated debut album, Learn To Like It, was released during the pandemic, and the quiet months that followed gave her time to reflect, conceptualise, and begin writing her second LP. “My experience had broadened — I’d been touring and working so hard for so long, and then I finally had a chance to do not much at all. I was also diagnosed with bipolar at that time. Understanding the implications of that diagnosis is a big part of this album,” she explains. That album, 2023’s Hertz, marked a shift in perspective for Geneve, shaped by major life changes and intense personal growth, all brought to life through her signature brutally honest lyricism.
Don’t Be Afraid was born from a rare period of stillness in Geneve’s life. In 2022, she settled into a permanent home for the first time in years and bought a piano, an immovable presence that became her sanctuary and muse. Through the hours spent exploring subtle emotional textures on the keys, she unlocked new depths in her songwriting, creating songs that weave vulnerability with strength, subtlety with rawness.
Unlike her previous albums, Don’t Be Afraid is a true collaboration with producer Dan Carroll who has shaped the soundscape with his own intuitive touch, adding layers and nuance to Geneve’s stories. Together, they found freedom in letting go of perfection and control, allowing the music to breathe and evolve naturally.
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