“It was really hard to have fun without looking over your shoulder to see who was judging you for it,” Grace Acladna said of her recent experiences which inspired her to write “When I Saw You,” her latest single. “For me – fun and liberty go hand in hand – so finally I met someone who encouraged me to love and dance freely. This song is a celebration of that relationship and every joyful encounter I’ve had since.”
“Our idea behind the video.” Grace continues, “was to convey the soul of the song in an unadulterated way that didn’t take itself too seriously. I was looking at clips of Anna Karina dancing in ‘Vivre sa Vie’ & ‘Bande à part’ as my inspiration for being carefree and not letting anything or anyone steal away your confidence or joy.”
Growing up immersed in the worlds of Nina Simone and Bjork, Grace was influenced by an eclectic musical education ranging from 1950’s musicals to 90’s dub and timeless gospel. It’s no surprise then that she fell in love with making music given her families rich musical background…Egyptian Choir Mistresses, Bajan gospel singers and a lineage to Halim El-Dabh (her Great Great Uncle is one of the earliest pioneers of electronic music – having composed the first piece of electronic tape music in 1944).
Forthcoming EP ‘Phonophobia’ stands as the the follow up to Grace Acladna’s acclaimed debut 4 track release, ‘Songs Of The Subconscious’ which garnered much critical acclaim, featuring regularly on BBC Radio 1 evening playlists and Beats 1 – as well as key track ‘London’ being used in Noel Clark’s BROTHERHOOD.
Carefully developing her vibrant experimental pop sound since her last release – Phonophobia takes the listener on a journey through the universal themes of love, loss and longing. From the euphoria of the first encounter expressed in joyful and sultry melodies; the genesis of desire and yearning via otherworldly harmonies, the heartbreak of rejection – achingly intoned – to the dark abyss of loneliness, sensuously revealed above rolling techno-house-pop rhythms.
‘Phonophobia’ will be released this Spring via Hometown Records.
