Today, LA-based futuristic R&B-funk artist, Shira Elias, shares soulful track "EARTH SUN" out everywhere now ahead of her sophomore EP, SERVICES the EP, due out December 2 and available for pre-order now. With the single comes a vibrant visual teaser of the track out now here. Alongside new music, Elias will perform a solo set as well as join the new Cool Cool Cool funk outfit at North Beach Music Festival this December with tickets and more information available now at shiraelias.com.
Out today, the smooth, soulful track "EARTH SUN" details a lack of communication between two people that ultimately hinders their ability to connect. Elias explains, "It talks about all of the things you wish you could say but can’t." It sees Elias attempt to preserve herself, wrestling with the desire to stay in a relationship that may cause her to dilute parts of who she is. Elias continues, "When someone you love is trying to force their beliefs and narratives on you and you want to have a relationship, but you just can’t sacrifice your truth. So this song is about that reckoning." Sonically, it weaves in and out of a very honest and emotional tone, shifting to a confident and sassy one, and wraps into a dreamlike section. "All of this is evoking the rollercoaster of emotions that happen when two people can’t get on the same page." The track also features piano by jazz-funk group Ghost-Note's Dominique Xavier Taplin.
Watch "EARTH SUN" (Official Teaser)
Today's release follows the EP's first previously shared romantic funk-filled groove "HOOK'D" which explores the thrilling early stages of an all-consuming crush. The track masterfully blends Elias' smooth vocals with a funky bassline and an electric, futuristic R&B sound. "'HOOK’D' is about animalistic love; that carnal, raw, exciting feeling of the chase at the beginning of a connection," shares Elias. "It’s supposed to sound like the sparks that fly and build inside of you when you are attracted to someone but the mystery of not knowing where it will go."
The forthcoming dreamy, six track collection from Shira Elias, SERVICES the EP , encapsulates the singer's growth as she further establishes her sound and discovers more of herself–both as an artist and as a person. The release of the EP picks up where Elias' 2020 debut EP, GOODS the EP left off. It kicks off a new chapter for the singer, one that is refined and self-assured. Elias explains, "Where 'GOODS' was my first solo endeavor, really trying to find a voice while still living and grinding in New York, 'SERVICES' is me exploring a new world, moving to Los Angeles during a global pandemic, and trying to love who I am. I think you can really hear the evolution and the difference in the writing and production." Produced by MEGA, featuring co-writing by Mackenzie Green and Taplin on keys, Elias is thrilled to share her most realized body of work to date.
Elias joined established nine-piece funk outfit Turkuaz in 2014 and spent the following seven years touring both nationally and internationally before the band parted ways in late 2021. With the band, she recorded six albums and played iconic venues worldwide like Red Rocks Amphitheater, The Blue Note Tokyo, New York’s Terminal 5 and Bonnaroo. In 2020, Elias' delivered her debut solo project, GOODS the EP, and officially cemented herself as a promising, dynamic solo artist. Filled with confidence and her own blend of funk, soul and R&B, the EP caught the attention of several leading tastemakers including PopMatters, who premiered the debut single "NAH" wrote, the track, "radiates with a confident fire...a commanding vocal delivery," and Atwood Magazine, added the debut EP "mixes the classic sounds of 90s R&B and 80s pop..[with a] sultry, joyous and fresh spin."
After Turkuaz dissolved, Elias spent summer 2022 touring, from opening for George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic to performing a string of dates with the iconic Talking Heads members Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew. Most recently, Elias, along with several of her former Turkuaz bandmates have come together to form an all new funk outfit called Cool Cool Cool. This time, the group promises to check in with each other, communicate and create music on their own terms. The group also recently shared that they will be reuniting with Harrison and Belew, joining their 2023 U.S. Remain in Light tour.
Now, on her own, Elias returns with her most commanding solo work yet–one that captures the evolution of both her artistry and humanity, and fearlessly unpacks the layered highs and lows of drastic life changes.
Shira Elias' emotional-turned-confident "EARTH SUN" out everywhere now is a smooth, soulful track that prioritizes choosing oneself over a relationship that lacks communication and becomes unhealthy. Elias' forthcoming bold, raw sophomore EP, SERVICES the EP, is available for pre-order now and due out December 2. See Elias perform live next month in Miami, FL with tickets on sale now here. Connect with the powerhouse vocalist on Instagram and Facebook for much more.
