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Today, Norwegian alternative R&B-soul singer-songwriter Beharie shares the accompanying visual to his playful, swirling track "Desire" out now. This week, the musician will make his SXSW debut with six showcases throughout the week including Paste Magazine, SX San Jose, SoFar Sounds, Future of Music and more. See a full list of shows below.
Beharie's vibrant, dynamic debut album Are You There, Boy? is out everywhere now. The passionate, playful project sees the artist at his most authentic–weaving together narratives of love lost and gained and exploring complexities of human emotion with ethereal vocals and dazzling production.
The accompanying visual, out today, finds Beharie against an all white backdrop learning he can't fit a square peg into a round hole–literally. It's a lesson in standing firm in your beliefs and being yourself no matter what. On the video's concept, director Martin Kopperud says, "We explore the idea of self desire, to do and be yourself, and how we often meet forces that don’t necessarily agree or comply with what you believe in, that’ll rather tell you how something works. We hope this can be a reminder to always stay true to yourself and to stand for your beliefs." Beharie is thrilled to share the visual and how it brings a new perspective to the track, adding, "It has been a really fun and interesting experience working with Martin Kopperud. The track is a quite playful and energetic tune, but put together with this visual universe it becomes a bit more mysterious and quirky."
Watch "Desire" (Official Music Video)
On the track itself, Beharie sweetly wants to prove to a prospective love interest that he's the right one. Beharie explains it's a confident song about "insisting on being the right one for someone you like and telling them without any doubt, and being willing to do anything to make it happen." The tune's arrangement and vocal performance are more playful than any of his previous releases allowing him to experiment and introduce various sides of himself and the characters that exist on the album.
The bright, wistful album Are You There, Boy? meets Beharie where he is today and invites listeners into a brand new, carefully curated sonic world. Through vibrant melodies and delicate, smooth vocals, the artist explores nuanced themes of love, self-doubt, desire, longing and pain with his heart on his sleeve. Over 12 soulful, heartfelt tracks, the project follows a multi-faceted character who seeks meaningful connections, follows his curiosity where it takes him, and ultimately discovers more of himself. Exploring the ever-changing, versatile aspects of his own humanity and identity, the album showcases his growth, insecurities, passions and complexities.
Beharie explains, "This album has given me the opportunity to delve into various aspects of my own identity, and in the process, I have explored the complexity inherent in my personality and expression." On the aforementioned characters presented throughout, Beharie continues, "We have nurtured different characters and played with their distinct expressions. These characters have been assigned unique names: Washed-out jeans boy, float in space boy, constant fear boy, make believe boy, and lost in thought boy." Each of these characters represents fragments of Beharie's soul and essence – all in search of a sense of belonging.
The collection features collaborations by two rising singer-songwriters–Uly based in Dublin and Judy Blank based in The Netherlands. It was mastered by Guy Davie (Michael Kiwanuka) at Electric Mastering in London, UK.
In August, Beharie shared the soulful "We Never Knew," an enthralling track that looks back at a relationship that was thought to last forever. Painting the picture for its overall theme, Beharie says, "In the heat of it all. When you lose yourself in it. How things made sense, and how the bad things were ignored. But little did we know that we would end up being strangers." Atwood Magazine exclusively premiered the track and called it, "passionate and smoldering," adding, "Beharie’s soul-stirring song 'We Never Knew' delivers an achingly intimate and emotionally charged postmortem on a love he thought might last a lifetime." Vibe Magazine added that the track is "idyllic" and that Beharie is a "dream we never knew we needed." Rolling Stone India also included the track on their Hits of Tomorrow list.
The previously shared "Heaven," is a cinematic track that explores faith and pain. It finds the musician beginning to lose hope on love, but only here, he discovers his autonomy, unbound to any person or thing. In August, Beharie performed the track live alongside the Norwegian Radio Orchestra–watch here. Earlier tastes of the project include the warm, romantic, "Deadly," and "Oh My God," the hooky, spirited track that blooms as it unfolds through Beharie's signature heartfelt vocals. "Deadly" captures the early stages of a new love, from the fear, to the curiosity, to the sweeping excitement.
With three EPs shared since 2019, Beharie has consistently expanded his sound, artistry and message and refined his focus toward what's to come. In 2019, Beharie shared his self-titled first EP, and in 2021, his second EP, Beharie // Beharie, earned the singer-songwriter a Norwegian Grammy Award or Spellemann Award. It also earned the attention of the Swedish Gaffa Awards who named him the “International Newcomer of The Year”. The EP also won him Wonderland praised the EP, writing, “It might be too early to crown the EP of the year just yet, but this is certainly one of our best contenders."
In 2022, Beharie joined GRAMMY winner soulful R&B star Leon Bridges on tour and released his third EP, Beharie, The Third, which produced "Simple Mistake" a track that Ones To Watch called "delicious" and "idyllic," adding, "Beharie is here to soothe the soul...['Simple Mistake'] is coated in syrupy honey-toned vocals, hypnotic harmonies, and groove-inducing melodies."
After a captivating performance at Norway's Øya Festival, The Line of Best Fit wrote of the rising singer-songwriter, "It's these rare moments of unfiltered emotion that crystallise Øya’s mission to so visibly platform Norwegian talent. It’s the look of disbelief on rising star Beharie’s face as his artistry seems to take a visible leap right in front of our eyes." Also at the festival, the musician sat down with FLOOD Magazine to sing recent singles "Heaven" and "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?" Get lost in the captivating performance here.
The official music video for "Desire" is out everywhere now. The earnest, dreamy debut album Are You There, Boy? by Beharie is out everywhere now. Don't miss the artist as he makes his SXSW debut this week–see a full list of dates and times below. See Beharie live across Europe and London, UK next month with tickets on sale now here. Connect with the rising soulful singer-songwriter on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube with merch available now.
Watch "Don't Forget Me" (Official Lyric Video)
Watch "Desire" (Official Lyric Video) | Listen
Watch "We Never Knew" (Official Lyric Video) | Listen
Listen: "Heaven" | Watch: Live with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra
Listen: "Deadly"
Listen: "Oh My God"
Listen: "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?"
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