If there’s a theme that the London-based reggae vocalist and songwriter returns to more than any other, it’s love. The magical and the melancholy, the heart-lifting and heart-breaking, you name it, Cook is there for it. “It is just my favourite,” she enthuses. “It makes me feel more alive than anything else!” On the cusp of releasing her fifth album, Shy Girl, Cook is going back to her roots – tight grooves, beautiful vocals and catchy melodies – more self-assured and more open to vulnerability than ever before.
Her new album, Shy Girl, is perhaps Cook’s most authentic yet. Almost three years in the making, it has also been her most challenging. Recorded across New York, LA, Spain and London, some tunes were developed over time, others, like title track ‘Shy Girl’, came together in moments of spontaneous intuition. The result is a vibrant, confident record that speaks of the full spectrum of emotions.
Almost fifteen years since her debut, Hollie Cook is returning to the sound which first captured her heart, and it rings truer than ever.