V V Brown returns with her poignant new single, Marginalised, lifted from her upcoming fourth album, ‘Am I British Yet?’.
The track builds upon the emerging themes of the record which, according to Brown, represents a “search for knowledge in my own quest of identity”.
“This album is not a place for me to harbor fame or validation from any person who has its strings tied in old industry tropes, casting musical efforts into pits of stats and quotas,” she says.
“Every melody, every word, every artwork has meaning. Dive in deep to my new single Marginalised. Listen to the words. Feel the intent. Thank you.”
Listen to Marginalised below.
Launching into the charts in 2009 with her breakthrough hit, Shark In The Water, Brown started out on Island Records before releasing her second and third albums independently via her YoY label.
For her new project, which comes under the banner of ‘Black British’ and encompasses music along with essays and journalistic pieces, she’s teamed up with Virgin Records under her imprint and, reflecting on the shift in attitudes from major labels, says plenty has changed.
“I never ever thought that I would ever go back to a major,” she told RETROPOP’s June 2023 issue. “So it’s my label partnered with Virgin Music under Universal, and it’s a really nice feeling to be partnered with a major that is encouraging it and understanding the direction.”
She added: “The industry has changed so much from when I left; it’s a whole different universe now and it’s really refreshing to see how artists are having more of a creative voice. I love it. I think it’s great how bold artists are being and how independent and powerful they are.
“Like RAYE, for instance – I just think she’s awesome for the way that she’s navigated through her career, even though she’d had a hard time. There’s so much power in the hands of artists now.”
