Surinamese/Dutch folk-pop singer-songwriter néomí released her debut album 'somebody's daughter' through [PIAS]
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THE GREAT ESCAPE 2024 PERFORMANCES CONFIRMED
PRAISE FOR NEOMI
"Surinamese-Dutch artist néomií has been consistently impressive since her 2022 emergence, and shows superb artistic progression with a terrific new single. Sublime harmonies, intricate instrumentation and a rousing chorus mean “somebody’s daughter” is an undeniable success." - WONDERLAND MAGAZINE
"Intricate, intimate, texturally spare, lyrically observational and arresting, the six songs are like snapshots that capture your attention and draw you in." - SUNDAY TIMES 'Breaking Act'
"néomí has shared a beautiful, introspective release “skipping stone”. From the raw lyricism to the artist's somber delivery and angelic harmonies, this release is just as captivating as its storyline." - THE LINE OF BEST FIT
"a folksy beauty in the school of For Emma, Forever Ago or even Ben Howard's Every Kingdom. Folk songwriting at its finest complete with spine-tingling 'oohs' and a mellow guitar solo." - GIGWISE
"Singer/songwriter néomí dives into the heartbreak, the healing, and everything else that went into her breathtakingly vulnerable and beautifully raw sophomore EP 'after.'" - ATWOOD MAGAZINE
"Recording under the moniker néomí, Speelman crafts soul-stirring chamber pop and ethereal folk"
- UNDER THE RADAR
"Harnessing her vocal power and injecting her inherent talent for hooking you in with the winding narratives, néomí is an artist who deserves to be noticed and adored." - EARMILK
*****
After finding huge support for her recent offerings ‘so i let you (15th of june - evening)’, ‘your girl’, someone new’, and ‘garden’ these last few months, néomí, aka Surinamese/Dutch folk-pop singer-songwriter Neomi Speelman, has now released her long-awaited debut album ‘somebody’s daughter’, highlighted by the immersive focus track ‘talk shit’.
Her debut album is produced by Will Knox, a long-time collaborator with néomí who was also present during the writing and recording of her first two EPs: ‘before’ and ‘after’. The album’s themes follow néomí’s journey through adolescence, young adulthood and newly found womanhood. ‘somebody’s daughter’ presents 11 chapters in néomí’s coming of age story which follows a young woman’s journey through trust, love, and ultimately self-healing through reflection.
Speaking about her new full-length, she said, "The reason why I wrote an album like ‘somebody’s daughter’ is because I often can't find words to express myself in certain situations. Where feelings can be overpowering and take control because I felt them so deeply. It has been my therapy in times of despair and my joy when I truly needed happiness. I tried to be as honest as possible. I'm telling stories about letting go and forgiving a loved one after being convinced they would be in your life forever. It is about grief, grief for yourself, the old you who you are leaving behind. It includes anger, for the times I didn't stand up for yourself when I should have. It was getting to know myself, and to do that is to go through the past and look back on certain situations and times. This record pulled me through so many things.
"I have several musical friends who told me writing an album can be a super intense experience, but I always thought it would be fine! It is fine, in the end, but it has been a journey for sure. And even now, all finished packed up and ready for you to hear, I still feel it is not finished yet. I think the only thing that can complete the circle are people hearing it; listeners who can give the songs and words purpose.
"On ‘somebody’s daughter’ I've been honest about things I wasn't even honest about to my therapist. As such you can imagine I’m scared to death about letting people hear it. But most of all it feels like an emotional relief. I am letting go of these words for good, so I can move on to my next chapter."
The release’s focus-track ‘talk shit’ perfectly illustrates the warming appeal she has looked to project on this new full-length. Written about close friendships that lack a perfect nature to them, she cultivates a beautifully rich and endearing atmosphere, threaded together with her own illuminating vocals throughout.
Adding about ‘talk shit’, "‘talk shit’ is written as a conversation I am having with a specific close friend. We've been friends for a long time and our relationship has been beautiful and very hard at the same time. I know we love each other, but at the same time we have a hard time understanding each other.
"This conversation is about our differences and about me questioning life. In which she is always there for me, trying to keep me going while also trying to keep enjoying her life because she experiences it in a whole different way. The way we keep going is to repeatedly try to enjoy the silly things in life, like walking our dogs together on the beach (where we live next to), getting a nice coffee (which we actually can't afford) and talking shit about shitty things promising that tomorrow will be better. I think a lot of listeners will have a similar friend that they adore one minute and, well, don’t adore the next minute! But they are still and important foundation in their lives."
néomí’s journey through music has been an unorthodox one. Forced to learn piano as a child, her enthusiasm to play wasn’t immediate. It would take the musings of Ben Howard years later to tempt her out of her music retirement. A young rebel, néomí left for music school in her early teens and was accepted into a school based in Amsterdam (despite being a year younger than allowed). There she performed Beyonce songs on stage, mainly as she thought this is what her teachers wanted. However, after 4 years of being told her voice and songs were not good enough, néomí entered herself back into musical exile. As time went on néomí shook off the words and opinions of her peers and began slowly writing again, sharing a live demo performance online of ‘if i wasn’t made for love’. In sharing this video néomí took her first steps towards the album ‘somebody’s daughter’
néomí released her debut 5 song EP ‘before’ on June 24th 2022 via [PIAS] which has garnered 4 million streams to date. She supported Novo Amor, HAEVN, The Slow Show and Jonathan Jeremiah on their 2022 shows in The Netherlands. After performing at ESNS 2023 she was voted the #5 best act by 3voor12 and she was awarded 3FM Talent by national radio station 3FM. The station would go on to nominate her for ‘Best Newcomer’ at their annual awards ceremony. In March néomí was invited by SYML to open on his European tour, returning to the road the following month when label mate Jonathan Jeremiah asked her to join him on 10 tour dates over Europe. Follow-up EP 'after' was released on April 14th, 2023 with néomí's biggest headline show taking place at a sold-out Paradiso in Amsterdam on May 7th.
Preceding the album release neomi’s already unveiled several songs from the record, including the album title track ‘somebody’s daughter’, a message to remind people who are in conflict not to forget the human behind the disagreement. Like all néomí songs, the lyrics and emotion come from a specific moment in the protagonist’s own journey. “I felt left down that time, by people I saw as family. Times can get rough, and being mad at one another is healthy, but to forget the humanity behind a face can feel a bit cruel. Whatever a person does, don't forget he or she will still be someone's kid.”
Not to mention the singles ‘your girl’ and ‘garden’, the later a heart wrenching ode written to néomí’s grandfather who suffers from Alzheimer’s. The song features string arrangement from Abby Gundersen whom néomí met while on the road in Europe with SYML.
In January this year neomi performed at showcase festival ESNS (Eurosonic), Groningen, being singled out by media in attendance as a highlight. More recently she performed at SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas and she’s been confirmed to appeara at Brighton’s The Great Escape, UK in May. Radio support for the single has come from the UK’s BBC Radio 2, 6Music, NPO Radio 2, 3FM and Radio 1 in Belgium. Fans can expect more single releases in the lead up to the album and supported by a headline Netherlands tour, finishing at Amsterdam’s Tolhuistuin on May 25th (tickets).
néomí Live Shows:
03.05 – PAARD, Den Haag, NL
04.05 – AB Club, Brussels, BE (Iskander Moon support)
05.05 – Bevrijdingsfestival Brabant, Den Bosch, NL
09.05 – Indie In Town @ Old Blue Last, London, UK
10.05 – Amare, Den Haag, NL (Son Mieux support)
11.05 – EKKO, Utrecht, NL
12.05 – Hedon, Zwolle, NL (Son Mieux support)
16.05 – Dork stage @ The Arch, The Great Escape, Brighton, UK
17.05 – Dutch Impact stage @ Patterns Down, The Great Escape, Brighton, UK
24.05 – Merleyn, Nijmegen, NL
25.05 – Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam, NL
30.05 – Muziekgieterij, Maastricht, NL (Son Mieux support)
09.06 – Best Kept Secret Festival, Hilvanbeek, NL
‘somebody’s daughter’ Tracklist:
somebody's daughter
your girl
garden
someone new
i forgot to tell you
11nov20011006
160316126422792
so i let you (15th of june - evening)
talk shit
low
i'm not afraid of dying
could’ve been mine
all you do is leave (15th of june - night)
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