Sheffield’s Precious Pepala, rapidly emerging as one of the most exciting breakthrough artists in the UK, has today announced her forthcoming EP, Dark Days, set for release 2nd May via Modern Sky. With the announcement comes vulnerable new single ‘First Love’, which sees Precious explore complex, highly personal emotions through expressive, universally resonant lyricism.
Co-written and co-produced with Eg White (best known as Adele’s producer/co-writer) and Jordan Rabjohn, ‘First Love’ sees Precious’ raw vocals take centre stage. Backed by a piano accompaniment and building in sonic power, the track is a pop ballad that’s equally fresh as it is timeless, Precious putting her own signature spin on the subgenre.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that ‘First Love’ is a story about someone in a romantic relationship finding out about their partner’s previous lover. However, carefully disguised behind the lyrics is the real story. The story of someone who grew up thinking that they were their parents’ first-born child, only to find out that they had an older sibling who tragically passed away at a young age. Love, grief, jealousy and guilt are just a few of the complex emotions that Precious explores lyrically when writing about such a uniquely heartbreaking situation in ‘First Love’.
Of the track, Precious Pepala said: “The perhaps misleading nature of the lyrics is completely intentional and meant to make the song more universally relatable whilst guarding the identity and emotions of the people involved in the real story”.
The new single comes as Precious is mid-tour, supporting Victor Ray on his six-date UK run. Fans can catch Precious opening for Ray in Newcastle, Nottingham, Brighton, Manchester, Bristol, and Birmingham, where she’ll captivate audiences with her powerful live vocals and magnetic stage presence.
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‘First Love’ follows the January released ‘Lullaby’, a brooding blend of dark and alternative pop that swells into anthemic production from the eerie tones of a music-box. Her “anthem for introverts”, ‘Lullaby’ is a candid reflection on Precious’ own love for solitude, and an invitation to retreat from the demands of reality. She wanted to imagine the track “as if a Tim Burton movie became a pop song”. Sonically, Precious very much offers something different with each release.
As well as ‘First Love’ and ‘Lullaby’, late-2024 releases ‘Sunday Morning’ and ‘The Effect’ will also feature on the forthcoming EP, set to cement Precious as a uniquely captivating artist and undeniable talent. Sonically, Precious is happy to not fit in a box, blending dark pop, alternative and rock music with gospel and soul influences.
Vulnerability doesn’t come easily to everyone. As the daughter of a preacher, raised in a family where hard discussions and honesty at the dinner table just didn’t happen, Precious needed to find an outlet. “When you don’t find a way of getting negativity out, it comes out in negative ways. The only way for me to talk about my feelings was through music. Especially when I was questioning a lot of things about religion and dealing with years and years of pent up guilt because my parents love this thing so much and I don’t. Writing music about it gave me a way to say to my parents ‘I’m not like you’. Music put it into words for me. It was a way to open the door for those difficult conversations to happen.”
The songs on Dark Days are those conversations. From religion to queerness, sexual assault to finding strength again after becoming an independent artist, the EP doesn’t just track Precious’ journey but is the words she needed to move through it and move past things. Dark Days shares the conversations that saved her to an audience she hopes to help too.
After being signed to a major label when she was a teenager, this EP marks the rebirth of Precious Pepala. “I’m older, so I’m a lot more likely to say no to people than I was when I was 16…I’ve got my voice and I know what I want”. Still only 20 years old, Precious consistently displays an emotional maturity far beyond her years, addressing important themes within her music while tapping into the universal feelings of her own peers. As a black, female artist, who stands at just 5-feet tall, she is “not the stereotypical face of power and change”. However, thanks to her vocal power, songwriting talent and ever-growing social media presence, Precious is rapidly becoming a voice for her generation, as she continues to push boundaries and vital conversation with new music.
Born and bred in Sheffield in the North of England, with family roots in Zambia, Precious began singing at the local church where her father was a pastor. A native of the streaming generation, she used the internet to discover Destiny’s Child, Brandy, and Aaliyah who inspire her laidback 90’s aesthetic; and poured over the performance prowess of Beyoncé, Billie Eilish and Lady Gaga – using this rich tapestry of influences to study how to become an artist to be reckoned with.
After learning guitar at school and starting a band with her schoolmates, Precious started writing songs by herself. The result was a fully formed, brilliant new voice who has already won over a legion of fans online and within the media, eagerly awaiting her next move. Precious has had radio support across the likes of BBC Radio 1 (Future Artists with Jack Saunders, Future Alternative, Future Pop and Future Soul shows), BBC Music Introducing Sheffield and Apple Music 1.
Precious Pepala – First Love
Listen to First Love by Precious Pepala.
