Elmiene’s back and ‘Live from 525’ with two unreleased singles, nostalgic covers, and the beginnings of some beautiful conversations

The Oxford-based soul singer is back with a new project, this time a nine-track EP called Live from 525, most of which are favoured covers. Having debuted renditions such as Pink Matter by Frank Ocean on a cosily intimate Instagram live, he decided to make it a bit more permanent—and, of course, it’s a response to the heightened demand for it.

If you don’t know Elmiene, we first heard a hum of his beautiful, neo-soul vocals as models cascaded down a runway on a container ship in Miami for Virgil Abloh’s first posthumous show for Louis Vuitton. To the backdrop of crimson fireworks, which set the night sky ablaze and sparkled the ocean, Elmiene’s ‘Where am I supposed to go? / How am I supposed to leave?’ melancholically soundtracked the moment - and from there, people began to enquire in hopes of scratching the itch of who the man behind this voice was.

This project features his most recent single, Sweetness, and two new unreleased songs, Over You By Now and Coraline. Accompanied by a baritone English accent, a warming nudge for R&B in the UK, he quickly ascends into improvised hums and sustained falsettos alongside chords played by an electric keyboard. It feels nostalgic, and its acoustic flair borders on being lullaby-like. The latter, introduced by fluttery runs and subtle chucks, paints the picture of nights tucked away in the cosiness of your space, your bedroom, which appears to be precisely how the singer-songwriter wants his listeners to feel. Amidst his soulful husk, rosy rasps and bluesy notes fly sparks of joy, humour and subtle sorrow.

Live from 525 follows a successful performance at BST Hyde Park, supporting global superstar SZA. With a North American tour announced and European dates to follow, including another London headline show, the soul singer refuses to be stopped and is set for an exciting 2024 and long career ahead.

You can listen to the EP here and watch it here.