Heard last month on the LOUD WOMEN Soul, Swing & Jazz show on Louder Than War Radio, London-based electro-swing and jazz siren Sonia Elisheva has released her debut album Black Sea. Born to Eastern-European and British parents, the album explores her cultural duality, both musically and lyrically.
The album title Black Sea is a symbol for Sonia feeling like she doesn’t really belong anywhere – a feeling she had growing up as British/Eastern-European in England. Sonia Elisheva has come to recognise how great it is to be brought up with different cultural influences and wants to encourage people to discover their own backgrounds.
I want this album to inspire people to explore their own family stories and embrace the complexity of who they are.
Sonia Elisheva
The album begins with a mostly spoken intro song, quickly unfolding the theme of the album, before moving on to two of Sonia’s singles ‘Dark Eyes’ and ‘But I Do’.
‘Dark Eyes’, the first single release of this set, is still one of the stand out tracks for me. Lyrically, Sonia spins the story of infatuation with someone who is unattainable while visually, we see her as a witchy fortune teller. Sultry dark pop with danceable nods to both cultures; this is Sonia Elisheva at her finest.
‘No Talking’ was released recently as our last taste of what’s in-store. High energy beats lie underneath a melody clearly inspired by Eastern-European gypsy jazz for dynamic instrumental sections; Elisheva delivers punchy, catchy but powerfully poignant vocals around them.
I love that this is followed by a chat between Sonia and her father – bringing home the exploration of her family history and cultural displacement. It is quite an emotional conversation, with her father saying how he was “surrounded by people who ‘officially’…hate [him]”, and that his small circle of friends was how he survived.
‘London Energy’ is an alternative love song to Sonia Elisheva’s adopted home. Fun, cheeky, busy and vibrant; the song encapsulates the English capital.
‘Sweet Escape’ is a previously unreleased song and one of my favourite tracks on Black Sea. It is a joyful, summery track that is lyrically about using music and dancing to escape the negativity in the world; I challenge you to not dance and smile along to this song! Imagine Lily Allen meets French electronic band Caravan Palace.
Black Sea is a well-crafted album, balancing fun and danceability with great storytelling and cultural exploration. Sonia Elisheva emerges from the Electro-Swing scene, but creates a genre all of her own. Out now on Freshly Squeezed Music.
Keep up with Sonia Elisheva via her website | instagram | spotify | facebook | tiktok |