Snoh Aalegra – Legendary Love
Following last week’s release of her first new single in three years, Iranian Swedish-born singer, songwriter and producer Snoh Aalegra announces her highly-anticipated new album Legendary Love, out November 13 via Stem.
Snoh signaled the arrival of this new creative chapter with last week’s single “Karma,” and today, shares another early offering from the album with new single “I Love You.” Co-written by Snoh and Joel Compass, Snoh unleashes what are perhaps the three most coveted words in a romantic connection over 20 times in the safety of her own freedom to let go of the weight of emotion that comes from not being able to tell the person directly. The song is imbued with such a relished sense of joy that the lyrics cosplay as a cathartic mantra for all and is mirrored in the production, reminiscent of classic 80’s and 90’s R&B staples. “I Love You” was produced by Snoh, Compass and Josh Grant, with additional instrumentation from some of Snoh’s musical heroes: Nile Rodgers (guitar) and Raphael Saadiq (bass). Alongside the single, Snoh is sharing a mesmerizing music video of her performing the song, directed by Alfred Marroquín.
Legendary Love immortalizes another profound evolution in Snoh’s musical journey, both sonically and personally. Written with a single muse in mind, the album leaves the transient heartbreaks and early lessons in love behind and examines the personal impact of a years-long fated karmic connection that never fully materialized. Written and recorded over a two and a half year span while grappling with the relationship in real time, Legendary Love follows Snoh’s own transformational growth during that period. Writing in the moment allowed Snoh to truly capture the veracity of her emotions of the arc of that ill-fated relationship, arriving at a new understanding of self through the acceptance of what transpired and who she has become on the other side. In her own words:
“I don’t think the greatest love stories are measured by how long they last. They’re measured by who they ask you to become. Every song holds a piece of who I was, who I became, and who I will continue to be because I allowed myself to love this deeply. This love brought me back to the era of music I fell in love with growing up. It carried the same longing, romance, and nostalgia that first made me dream of becoming an artist.”
The magnitude of that connection, and Snoh’s mission to immortalize those feelings extended into the recording process. She demanded absolute realism in the music, reuniting with longtime collaborator Joel Compass and forging a new creative partnership with Josh Grant, who joined her in that commitment to authenticity. Every synthesizer, drum machine and guitar line was captured using authentic vintage gear to pay reverence to the warm nostalgia invoked by the period of her life she was chronicling. Snoh enlisted some of her musical heroes from that era to capture the sound, co-writing with Babyface, and working with the likes of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Raphael Saadiq, and Nile Rodgers, as well as contemporary friends and collaborators like Mustafa, Dahi, Daniel Caesar and more.
#snohaalegra