News from the Road (plus exclusive Cape Town show announcement)

Hello beautiful humans! I'm back home in Cape Town after two sold-out Bella Union shows in the UK last month where I performed alongside label-mates War Violet and Colouring. We took the show to The Folklore Rooms in Brighton where I found myself trapped behind a secret bookshelf door mere minutes before taking to the stage. Brighton is such a gem of a place and I'm so glad I had plenty of time to explore this beautiful seaside city loaded with record stores and art galleries- my feet are still on the mend from all the walking. I also dropped by Bella Union Vinyl Shop to sign some records after the Brighton show, hit them up if you’d like a signed copy.

The second show went down in Soho, London. Hosted by The Society of the Golden Slippers nestled within the old walls of an unmarked building known as Blacks Club. A showcase that has in the past featured artists such as The Civil Wars, Liz Fraser, John Grant, 

Lisa Marie Presley, Michael Kiwanuka, KT Tunstall and Billie Marten to name a few, 

I feel so honoured to have been part of the lineup with my Bella Union family. 

We've got some exciting things unfolding in 2024, but for now I'd love to tell you about my Cape Town show this summer. On December 12th I'll be performing songs from the new record, 'Don't Die in the Bundu' in a gorgeous intimate setting at Café Roux. Tickets available here.

My heartfelt thanks and appreciation to you for sharing this ever-evolving journey with me, it's such a ride and I couldn't imagine doing it without you.

Big love as always xx

Wren 

Don't Die In The Bundu - out now via Bella Union

Don't Die In The Bundu is out now via the great Bella Union label! (Available here)

It's pure joy to hand this record over, it's my fourth studio album and it's been a real journey witnessing it unfold into what it is. Huge gratitude and thanks to Simon Raymonde and the Bella Union family for believing in me and for all the work that has gone into each avenue of preparing for and releasing this album! To the musicians who made such beautiful contributions, thank you Guy Buttery, Moodship & Oddo Bam. To the artists who helped conceptualize and create the artwork Femi Kali, Andre Swart & Luke Jarvis. To the filmmakers and animators, Calvin Thompson & Thabang Lehobye- you guys brought such visual beauty to this thing- Thank you! 

Keith Erasmus, for trusting me, once again, with one of your poems!

To my family, friends & wellwishers who always encourage and inspire me to C R E A T E .

For River & Gaia 

New Album Announcement

'Don't Die In The Bundu', the fourth studio album is out on Bella Union
July 21st! 

In celebration of July's release, the first single, 'Dream State' is out today, everywhere!

In many ways, I can't help but feel this is one of my most significant offerings yet, and it brings me great joy to finally hand this body of work over to you, my friends and wellwishers!

The title alone has been in the back of my mind for a few years,  and I guess it was a culmination of experiences and initiations I had to go through to fully realize the title- 'Don't Die In The Bundu'.

This record was conceived amidst the backdrop of global lockdowns, curfews, tumultuous weather and uprisings, a record deal, a publishing deal, coupled with the promise of new life through the conception, pregnancy and birth of my son, River, who made his appearance on a stormy morning in the very same timber cabin the album was recorded in! And the same cabin in which I came head to head with a mighty, golden Cape Cobra, forever imprinted in my minds eye.

Among these experiences, and when my son was around 6 months old, I was out doing the official album photo shoot with a dear friend, and during this shoot we had an encounter with two gun wielding masked bandits, the ordeal ended with an ominous  fully clothed wade into the freezing Cape winter ocean which the bandits used as their escape- my friends great negotiating skills allowed us to keep the memory card in which the photos were stored, so the shots all carry the mood leading up to that fateful encounter. It took a good few months before I actually processed what had happened, I felt close to death that night in June, it could've turned out very differently, but it did help me settle on the title.

This also happens to be my first official @bella_union release since signing with the UK label in 2021- and its been amazing to have a team of really wonderful humans who believe in what I do, helping out with so many aspects of my career and this release.

It's quite astonishing at just how much can happen in such a short timeframe which makes me curious and inspired about the future.

Big love, as always to you all xx