The single ‘Girls’ feat. Rose Gray is taken from her forthcoming album Sad Girl due out September 27th on Ninja Tune. You can also catch TSHA playing worldwide this summer, including as part of her IBISHA 2024 takeover: a run of shows across Ibiza at iconic venues including DC10, Pikes and Ushuaïa.
Fresh from announcing her new album Sad Girl , TSHA has unveiled the brand new video for ‘Girls’ (feat. Rose Gray). Released as the first single from the new record, ‘Girls‘, and the previously released ‘Sweet Devotion’ have already seen widespread support from the likes of MTV, Billboard, Resident Advisor, NYLON, Mixmag, Clash, DJ Mag, Consequence, Wonderland, This Song Is Sick, PopMatters, Brownies & Lemonade and many more.
The video — directed by Claryn Chong, produced by Amelia Studios — stars both TSHA and Rose Gray, and follows them, as well as a host of friends, as they prepare for a big night out: laughing, dancing, and lifting each other up. It’s a scene of shared ritual, femininity and friendship that will resonate with many, and it’s a perfect accompaniment for what is some of TSHA’s most danceable work to date, with ‘Girls’ described as a proper club anthem “for the girls and gays” to soundtrack messy nights, buoyed up by electro production and an earworm hook sung by Rose Gray: “it’s my body it’s my mind”.
Watch the video for ‘Girls’ (feat. Rose Gray) below:
‘Sad Girl’ sees TSHA welcome a new era, one where she’s putting her own vocal stamp on tracks and approaching the genres she’s always wanted to, rather than seeking approval from her peers. Beyond showcasing just the euphoric or melancholy sides of her character, TSHA puts it all on display. It’s a body of work that shows it’s OK to be sad, and you can even revel in it – you can’t have the highs without the lows, after all.
It’s the second full-length from the fast-rising UK star, and follows 2022’s debut album, Capricorn Sun, which was built on bright, melodic house foundations, bringing in UK garage and rave sensibilities. The record was named Album of the Year by DJ Mag and BBC R1 Dance, while Music Tech mag made TSHA their Producer of the Year – which meant a lot, as a female producer whose production skills were often overlooked. The unifying thread in TSHA’s music is in her ability to convey emotions – take, for example, the heart-tugging ‘Sister’, which came about during the 2020 lockdown after she discovered she had a half-sister.
All this has clearly resonated: TSHA’s music has earned well over 180 million streams, while she’s been nominated for a MOBO for Best Dance Act, and a Grammy, for her writing work on Diplo track ‘Let You Go’. Late last year, she collaborated with Ellie Goulding, after the pop star DMed TSHA saying she loved her work. ‘Somebody’ (with Gregory Porter) was the outcome, an emotive shuffler with artwork inspired by Avril Lavigne’s ‘Let Go’. ‘Giving Up‘ (ft. Mafro) was named by Spotify as their fourth best electronic track of 2022.
Now a rising superstar in the electronic world, TSHA has been tipped by the dance music press as well as the likes of the Observer, Billboard and Interview Mag. She has appeared on the covers of Mixmag and DJ Mag, while collecting accolades such as becoming a DC-10 resident, delivering a BBC Essential Mix and more. Gearing up for even more shows, including All Points East, Lost Village and headline shows in North and South America, Europe and beyond, she’s showing no sign of slowing down.
All this is unsurprising, given TSHA has been dominating dancefloors for some time. She regularly supports stadium-sized artists such as Chemical Brothers, Flume and Fred again.. while playing well over 100 shows a year. Her current Ibiza tour has seen her giving out hand-fans and baby-tees adorned with ‘IBISHA’ bubble writing to heaving, sweaty crowds.
While it finds joy in hedonism and escapism, Sad Girl is also an album that addresses difficult feelings. Interlude ‘Lonely Girl‘ channels her isolated childhood in the predominantly white town of Fareham, near Portsmouth, crafting Secret Garden-esque fairy tales in her head. ‘Green’ was written after an argument with her partner, where she candidly sings (the album sees her debut her vocals for the first time) about toxic positivity. TSHA might radiate confidence, grinning ear to ear, in DJing videos posted on social media, but she’s also openly talked about struggles with her mental wellbeing. Titular track ‘Sad Girl’ has a spoken word intro from Dan Whitlam, themed around feelings of loneliness and unhappiness despite being surrounded by people. Importantly though, Sad Girl sees TSHA moving through and beyond these challenges.
As with her earlier releases, Sad Girl plays freely with genres – TSHA is someone with an encyclopaedic knowledge of music, and her personal tastes range from Pink Floyd to Caroline Polachek. Here she taps into her teenage years – the title nods to emo-y MSN screen names and Hotmail addresses – and you can hear it in the strokes of ‘00s R&B, rude electro and anthemic techno, recalling the bittersweetness and angst of early adulthood. Amid snatches of stillness and reflection, it’s a dance record at its core: hot club bumpers rub up against hypnotic floorfillers and MTV-worthy pop.
The inspiration for the artwork came after, aged 21, TSHA had a dream that she was trapped under ice. She’d been depressed at the time, and imagined walking over a frozen lake, it cracking and her falling into the freezing water. After fighting to try and get out, she gave in, sinking to the bottom. That dream has always stuck in her head: she linked it to feeling like she was fighting life at the time. On the album’s cover, she’s successfully pulled herself out of the ice, and is laid atop an iceberg, in a glam shot inspired by Thierry Mugler’s fashion photography from the ‘80s.
Watch and listen to ‘Girls’ (feat. Rose Gray) now, and see below for a full list of TSHA’s upcoming shows. Sad Girl is out on September 27th on Ninja Tune.
Sad Girl tracklist:
1. ‘Sad Girl’ (feat. Dan Whitlam)
2. ‘Girls’ (feat. Rose Gray)
3. ‘In The Night’
4. ‘Can’t Dance’ (feat. Master Peace)
5. ‘Green’
6. ‘Sweet Devotion’ (feat. Caroline Byrne)
7. ‘Lonely Girl’
8. ‘In Bloom’ (feat. Abi Flynn)
9. ‘Azaleas’ (feat. Ingrid Witt)
10. ‘Take’
11. ‘Drive’ (feat. Ingrid Witt)
12. ‘Fight’
TSHA tour dates:
July 14th – Brunch Elektronik – Barcelona, ES
July 17th – Amnesia – Ibiza, ES
July 20th – Tomorrowland – Antwerp, BE
July 27th – Hï – Ibiza, ES
July 28th – Junction 2 – London, UK
August 3rd – Ushuaia – Ibiza, ES
August 4th – Santander Music Festival – Santander, ES
August 6th – HI Ibiza – Ibiza, ES
August 10th – Outside Lands Festival – San Francisco, CA – US
August 14th – HI Ibiza – Ibiza, ES
August 16th – All Points East – London, UK
August 17th – Panorama Festival – Puglia, IT
August 20th – Ushuaia – Ibiza, ES
August 23rd – Lost Village Festival – Lincoln, UK
August 31st – Hï – Ibiza, ES
September 8th – Oasis Festival – Marrakech, MA
September 11th – Amnesia – Ibiza, ES
September 13th – TBA – Tiblisi, GE
September 19th – Club Chinois – Ibiza, ES
Tickets – https://tshamusic.com/
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