Lauren Mayberry Shares Intimate Debut Solo Single ‘Are You Awake?’
The CHVRCHES singer wrote the piano-driven song in collaboration with Canadian singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr and Zedd collaborator Matthew Koma.
CHVRCHES’ Lauren Mayberry has officially released her debut single as a solo artist: a stark, intimate piano-driven ballad entitled “Are You Awake?” You can check the song out below.
Mayberry wrote the song in collaboration with Canadian singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr, as well as Zedd collaborator Matthew Koma – who also served as the song’s producer. Prior to its release, Mayberry announced her first-ever solo tour and teased the single with a 30-second preview. At the time, she shared on social media that she was “flip-flopping between excitement and abject terror” when it came to her impending solo debut.
According to an official statement, “Are You Awake?” came together over a writing session between herself and Jesso that saw her initially preoccupied by “thinking a lot about loneliness and homesickness.”
As soon as Tobias started playing the chords, the lyrics and melody came to me really quickly,” she said. “I finished the song with Matthew, who really understood what I was trying to say.”
“For a long time, I couldn’t imagine doing anything outside of Chvrches but I think some things that I needed to write had to be done from purely my own point of view,” Mayberry continued. “I never really thought I’d write a piano ballad, or a solo album full stop, so life really is full of surprises. I am really looking forward to this chapter and can’t wait for people to hear more of the music.”
Last month, Mayberry also announced her first ever solo tour, with the dates taking her across North America, the UK, and Europe.
The US leg of the tour launches in Washington, DC on September 4 and will make stops in Brooklyn, Toronto, Chicago, and more before concluding in Los Angeles on September 29. Following on from that, Mayberry will return to the UK for a show at the Oran Mor in her native Glasgow, prior to dates in Birmingham, Manchester and the Scala in London before she embark on a further series of shows across Europe.
