The tender track, co-written and produced by Ollie Green, pairs gentle keys with Sandé’s powerful vocals. The result is a moving single that looks back at our history to see how far we’ve come and looks forward with cautious hope. Roots explores themes of legacy, community, and nature by evoking striking imagery of the natural world –
“Our roots are in the soil / They’re in the fields / The rivers and the streams / And if you dig in deep enough / You’ll find the strength of centuries.” – Emeli Sandé, Roots
The release of Roots kicks off a particularly exciting few months for Sandé who will be performing the single with a full choir and orchestra for Belgium’s Night of the Proms. After which she will be performing the song at the German sustainability awards, before travelling to the Vatican in December to again sing the new single having been invited to perform for the Pope at his Christmas concert in aid of Palestinian and Ukrainian victims of War. Sandé will close off the year with a special appearance on The One Show where she will be travelling back to her hometown in Aberdeenshire to rediscover her own ‘Roots’.
Scottish identity has been a key part to Emeli’s own Roots, having grown up in Alford, Aberdeenshire between the ages of 4 and 18 and studying in Glasgow until the age of 22. Now the artist, who has been chart-topping since the mid-00s, is moving her studio back home to the place where her musical journey all began. She still treasures her first piano which is the centre piece of her studio back home. This is where she will be making her upcoming album.
“On Roots, I’m exploring cultural history and identity so moving the studio back into my parent’s home in Alford made perfect sense. It’s a place that has shaped and influenced me in so many ways, as has my Zambian heritage, and I’m now so excited to go back having embraced both aspects of my identity. I know who I am now and can’t wait to reintroduce myself to the world!”
Emeli cemented her place in the Great British musical canon with performances in both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Her 2012 debut studio album ‘Our Version of Events’ was the top-selling UK album of the year, spending 10 weeks at the top of the UK album charts. Amongst her many achievements, Sandé was also appointed MBE in 2017’s Birthday Honours for her services to music.
The single is the first release on the artist’s own independent record label Venus Records and will be distributed by Absolute. Roots will be available across all platforms November 29th.
