Alexandra Burke returns with new single ‘Shadow’
Can you believe that it is 10 years ago this year that Alexandra Burke won X Factor UK? She broke sales records with her winning cover of ‘Hallelujah’ and went international with hit singles like ‘Bad Boys’ and ‘All Night Long’, taken from debut album Overcome. The follow up Heartbreak On Hold, released in 2012, didn’t meet the expectations and Burke disappeared from the pop scene for a long time. In the meantime she played leading roles in musicals like Sister Act and The Bodyguard and finished as a runner-up in Strictly Come Dancing. All good and well, but we would very much like to have pop star Alexandra back! Our prayers have been heard as her third album The Truth Is will be released on the 16th of March. First single ‘Shadow’ just premiered on BBC Radio 2!

Burke explained on Radio 2 that she has been recording parts of the album since 2013. It is the first album she has heavily written on. While creating The Truth Is Alexandra and her team didn’t go for a specific style, but went with whatever felt good. She describes it as her most personal album to date, with songs about her love life and her mum who recently passed away. ‘Shadow’ is a soulful midtempo tune with a laidback rhythm, but a lot of power in Alexandra’s vocal delivery. Not that we are surprised in the slightest by the way she belts her way through that low key swinging chorus, of course! The lyrics describe a situation in which she wants go get away from a person, but keeps going back. “I just keep holding on to your shadow, I try to run but I always return to your ghost”, she sings. Burke confirmed on radio that the single is out now, but it hasn’t appeared on streaming services just yet, while her Instagram names the 23rd of February as the release date. A bit of a mess, but it is great to have her back anyway!

You can listen to the premiere on the BBC Radio 2 website. The song starts at 2:17:35.

The radio premiere was recorded and put on YouTube (for as long as it lasts):