Selah Sue Talks New Album, Childish Gambino Duet & Inspiring Others Struggling With Mental Health Issues
Music is cathartic for many, and Selah Sue is the kind of artist who shares pain worth a thousand tears. The Belgium musician first gained attention five years ago for her soulful and genre-bending self-titled debut, and she returns with her emotional sophomore album Reason in the U.S. on June 3.
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Becoming a professional musician was never in the plan; she was initially interested in psychology. But the artist (born Sanne Putseys) has since made her mark with an impressive following in Europe, including an unexpected opening set for the late Prince in Antwerp and a collaboration with Cee Lo Green for her song “Please.” Along the way, she’s been vocal about her struggles with mental health, translating it in both her music and to the public.
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Selah Sue continues to explore an array of sounds on Reason, while pushing her vocals to new ranges and recording in various studios across the globe. The album goes from reggae sounds on “Sadness,” which was recorded in Jamaica, to dance beats on “Alone” that masks a sorrowful story behind the upbeat tempo. She also reveals her first “love song” titled “Together,” featuring Childish Gambino, a track that reflects her real-life experiences in finding love.
Selah Sue sat down with Billboard at the magazine’s office, as she spoke about her album influences, the difficulties of fame and working with young individuals who face psychological troubles themselves.
Check out the interview below and the new video for album track “Reason.”
What was the inspiration behind the new album?
I think the inspiration is so many things. I don’t need to listen to music every day, all the time, to have inspiration. I just need to feel a lot. I get really bored quickly if I can only do one thing for a whole record. I want to do it all. I love old-school soul, but not for a whole record, so that’s why I think the record is so eclectic. It’s hard to make a choice, to go 100 percent for one thing, but maybe I don’t need to. Maybe that’s my identity as an artist: I can do a lot of things.
Do you listen to a lot of different genres as well?
I love hip-hop. Hip-hop and soul are the basics from where I come from. I’ve been listening to a lot of Anderson Paak, who is an amazing artist. Kendrick Lamar is also amazing. But also Jamie xx and underground electronic music — I love it all.
How did the collaboration with Childish Gambino come about and what was it like working with him?
It went so quickly and smoothly, and we had a good connection. My producer for my record was also his producer. We were in L.A. recording the song, and I thought, “Yeah, it would be really nice to have a rapper on top of it.” We asked Childish Gambino to come over and he did, and it was fixed in a few hours.
“Together” is about your first love. Did you write it recently or was it something you did a few years ago?
A few years ago. It was funny, with the first record I was still too busy trying to find love for myself so I didn’t have time for a relationship. But then when that was better, I discovered love, and it’s really good. I never thought I would write about a cliche like that. Once it gets to you, you have to write about it. Everything that I say is a real experience.
You have said before you never intended to go into music professionally. How has it changed for you now that you are a professional musician?
I studied psychology because I really thought I would become a psychologist. I had to learn music myself; nobody in my family was into music. But then I got the chance to support on tour with a famous artist in Belgium, and I had to make the decision to go for music or go for studying. It felt really easy to go for music in the end, and it has some really good parts but also some bad parts. It’s probably like that with every job.
Are the bad parts in making music or in the business of being an artist?
The business. It can be really tough and also the fact that I’m big in Europe and they know me on the streets. The famous part, I don’t really like that. People can spill an opinion about you because you become like a public good or something, it’s weird. You get a lot of insecurities. The more success I have, the more insecure I get. The good thing I have is that my hobby is my job, and I can do something that I love and I get enough money from it.
Do you face those kind of problems or fame when you come to North America?
Yeah, it’s building again, and that’s kind of cool actually. I did support acts like Charles Bradley and it’s nice that people are discovering me. It’s also less pressure, because it’s not my show, and in a way it’s actually really calming and nice.
Was recording the album in different studios a conscious decision?
Yeah, that was kind of a conscious decision because I didn’t know who I wanted to work with. I tried out different people and different places, and that’s why in the end I traveled everywhere, because the ultimate click was never there, although I got some amazing tracks out of it. It’s a lesson: I would never do it again. Never in my life.
Why is that?
Because it’s so tiring. And you don’t need to search that far to make songs. I can also do that just at home and feel relaxed. The bad thing is then you feel less pressure when you’re at home, and I need pressure to write. But I just want to be home for my next record.
What was the difference between making Reason and your last album?
It was much more difficult making the second record. The first one was so easy, it was so spontaneous, and for most of the songs, I didn’t even know it was ever going to be a record. The first record I wrote all my life. For the second, I felt I had enough creativity and enough inspiration, but it was really hard working with two producers both with an opinion. It was really hard.
How do you think you’ve changed as an artist since your debut?
My voice got a bit deeper, which is nice. When I listen back to recordings from the beginning when I was 19 or something, it sounds really high and nasal, so it’s better now. But you know, I felt a lot back then and I feel a lot now. Everything is sincere in what I do. I had really a lot of ups and downs my whole life actually. It’s what I sing about and will probably forever sing about.
Was there a particular song off the new album that was really personal or hard for you to put out there?
In Belgium, I’m a godmother for a project for youngsters with psychological problems, because I had it too and I talk about it a lot on television and in interviews. For me, I’m really honest on that and I don’t think it’s hard to express my dark side on my record. All songs are about that. I think the most heavy is the last one, “Falling Out,” where I say I’m falling out of love with myself, and it’s kind of heavy to end the record like that.
What do you do for the project?
I gather money, I do a lot of TV shows. I talk with youngsters and sometimes I perform a song for them. I do everything I can.
Are some of them trying to get into music as well?
Yeah, but that’s just extra. You’re nothing with making music if you’re not happy. You got to get out of your depression and then you can do things. If I’m really depressed, I cannot take my guitar and sing. I’m an example to them that even though I also take anti-depressants and I also was in a really dark place for a lot of years, that now I’m here and I’m strong. And I have a good life and I have a relationship, so they look up to it like, “Wow there’s still hope. If she can do it, we can do it.” Not everybody has the luck to have a talent to do some art, but if not, you can just talk to others and help other people. You can always do something with the bad things in life. It’s all a big lesson, and you can only get wiser and stronger from it. That’s what I’m sure about.
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