Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter Saleka is casting a spell on listeners everywhere with the release of her highly-anticipated debut album Séance. The release is paired with an accompanying video for her stand-out track “Samsara,” which received a NYLON premiere this morning. The visual follows the multifaceted songstress as she dances around conversations with her partners before escaping the hole she put herself in... literally. 

 Listen to Séance HERE. Watch the video for “Samsara” HERE.

“Samsara” illustrates the labyrinth of a relationship in its final stages, with the narrator begging to find her way out of the woods. On the track, Saleka explains, “Samsara” is a Sanskrit word referring to the cycle of rebirth and reincarnation. The song plays with this concept as a metaphor for a seemingly endless pattern of relationships. It is a story of dark irony— living through the beginnings, middles, and ends of love over and over, and looking for some way to escape the cycle.”

The 13 tracks on Séance are the culmination of the Indian American musician, actress, and songwriter’s talents and her entire journey so far: Séance includes the songstress’ first-ever single, “Clarity,” and never-before-heard songs influenced by her disciplined upbringing and her desire to turn everything she’s learned into something new. Séance is the sound of a fully formed talent unleashed.

Previous Séance singles include the Greek mythology-inspired “Echo”; the seductive “Red Eyes,” where love is the ultimate drug; the title track paying tribute to her ancestral roots and the dance between heritage and identity; the minimal and tender “Graffiti” called “potent” and “powerful” by Vogue; the dark Babylonian romance of “Mr. Incredible” with a music video directed by her sister, Ishana Night Shyamalan; and “Clarity,” which Refinery29 praised as “sounding every bit like the legends that she’s closely studied for years.”

Séance’s new songs deepen Saleka’s growth and confidence as an instrumentalist and songwriter as she plays with several musical styles and inspirations. The album opener, “Disillusion,” sets the scene with one of the album's vital themes: the disconnect within us (the lyrics weave in and out of first and third person). The protest song “How Many” asks how we inherited such a divided world stuck in systemic racism and hatred. “Chimera” and “Fire” share the Greek and Indian mythology inspiration as “Echo” but with more bite that fights against the “blazing world” of misogyny. Altogether, Saleka deftly guides listeners through her flavors of jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and sticky pop hooks.

Séance writers and composers include Saleka, Krispy, Ezemdi Akalonu, and Warner Meadows, all of whom met while studying at Brown University and created their inner circle of creativity that continues today. Producers include Saleka, Krispy, Akalonu, and Meadows, with “Mama Jan” Smith on additional vocal productions. Séance was engineered by Joel Metzler and mixed by Joel Metzler and Shawn Grove.

In honor of the release of her debut album, Saleka will embark on an intimate summer tour with stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto, New York, and Washington, D.C. before ending in a special hometown show at Philadelphia’s The Lounge at World Café Live on June 22 – Tickets are available HERE.

Saleka has spent the last few years honing her live-show chops, with a performance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, and opening up for Giveon and Summer Walker on their respective tours, as well as playing festivals such as Bonnaroo and ACL. She also created original music for M. Night Shyamalan’s Apple TV+ original series, Servant, and the blockbuster film Old. 

You’ll definitely fall under Saleka’s spell after Séance!

Tour Dates:

June 14—San Francisco, CA—Café Du Nord

June 15—Los Angeles, CA—Hotel Café

June 18—Toronto, ON—Drake Underground

June 20—New York, NY—Mercury Lounge

June 21—Washington, DC—Songbyrd DC

June 22—Philadelphia, PA—The Lounge at World Café Live

More About Saleka:

Saleka is a classically trained, Indian-American musician, who began playing piano at the age of four. As the daughter of M. Night and Dr. Bhavna Shyamalan, Saleka was raised on an eclectic combination of music and dance. Rather than attending a traditional conservatory, Saleka made a transformative decision and enrolled at Brown University to begin her journey as an R&B singer-songwriter to study both Literary Arts and Music. Saleka has performed at iconic venues across the United States, opening for both R&B legends and up-and-coming artists such as Giveon and Summer Walker, etc. In addition to music, Saleka uses her powerful voice to raise awareness for social justice reform, youth education, and women’s rights.

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